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"Support the Qing against the Chinese Empire?" Tsar Nicholas I frowned, as if considering the feasibility of this proposal from the Foreign Minister, Count Neschel Rodie...... He knew that Count Neschel Rody would not be alarmist, and that the Chinese Empire might indeed become the great enemy of Russia. However, at this stage, it seems a little far away to consider these. At the present stage, Russia's foreign expansion is still aimed at the Balkan Peninsula. If you rush to the east, you will need a lot of investment. In addition, the East is too far away, and with poor road infrastructure, Russia will not be able to send too many troops to the East, even if it has a large number of troops. On the vast East Siberian Plain, Russia has also tightly deployed an army of more than 10,000 people, and if the largest mobilization is carried out, it will probably be able to mobilize about 30,000 or 40,000 people. Such a small army may seem like a lot, but it is not enough to be the enemy of a huge empire with a population of 200 million.

"Your Majesty, we have to seize this opportunity. Once the Chinese Empire unifies China, it will be very difficult for us to contain them. To do this, we have to seize the opportunity in front of us. Although the Qing were decaying, they had armed a huge army of millions of men after being defeated by the Chinese Empire many times. Although, the fighting spirit of this army will not be too high, and its combat power cannot be compared with the Russian 6th Army. However, this is already an extremely large military force. With the support of Russia, the strength of this army will be even stronger. Perhaps we will be able to defeat the Chinese Empire in one fell swoop and completely contact the threat of Russia from the East. Count Nischel Rody said as best he could.

Tsar Nicholas I nodded. However, he was still hesitant to turn Russia's attention to the East.

"Someone. Bring Alexander and Duke Gorchakov. Tsar Nicholas I ordered. Alexander was the eldest son of Nicholas I and the future heir of the Russian Empire, and Duke Gorchakov was the commander-in-chief of the Russian army. Nicholas I trusted the military, and the prime minister of the government was almost a puppet, merely assisting the Tsar in government affairs. Important state affairs were almost always decided by Tsar Nicholas I himself or by the deliberations of his military assistants. This made Tsar Nicholas I's reign very secure, but it also made Russia more and more corrupt. Industrialization became less and less extensive, and Russia gradually became the weakest of the Western powers.

Soon, Crown Prince Alexander and Duke Gorchakov rushed to the Winter Palace. Meet His Majesty the Tsar. Nicholas I asked the Foreign Minister, Count Neschel Rodie, to inform Alexander and Duke Gorchakov about the possible threat to Russia from the Chinese Empire, as well as the Eastern strategy of Count Neschel Rodie. After hearing this, Alexander and Duke Gorchakov also had very solemn expressions. It is clear that they are the same as Tsar Nicholas I. All ignore the threat from the East. Or rather. They believed that the East was too far away from Russia for the Chinese Empire to threaten the core of Russia even if it grew. After all, Russia has a huge territory, but the most important part is concentrated in Europe. Although the Ural Mountains have begun to spread, they are still far from being compared with the plains of Europe. Even if the Chinese Empire wanted to cross the Siberian Plain and attack the European Plain of Russia, it would be impossible.

"Your Excellency, the Earl. You mean that we need to change the foreign strategy of the empire now. Prioritizing the threat to the empire after the rise of the Chinese Empire? Crown Prince Alexander asked with a frown.

"Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince. I believe that a strong Chinese empire will be an imperial nightmare. They have a powerful 6 navy and have the largest population in the world and can mobilize the largest number of troops in the world. It would be a nightmare for any country to be the enemy of this vast empire. In addition, what is even more terrifying is that this country is also very greedy for land. They have now swallowed the whole of the South Seas and have seized Burma and Australia from the British. Next, the only direction of their expansion was India and Central Asia and Siberia. India is the lifeblood of the British, and the Chinese dare not act rashly. Therefore, the direction of their expansion, most likely, is Central Asia and Siberia. We need to contain the Chinese Empire before it rises! Said Count Nieschel Rodie.

Crown Prince Alexander nodded, agreeing with Count Nesherro Die. However, he did not make a clear statement on whether he supported the Eastern strategy. In this matter, the main thing is to look at the attitude of Tsar Nicholas I. After all, it was clear to everyone that Tsar Nicholas I had the ambition to defeat the Ottoman Turks once and for all, thus gaining a southern outlet for Russia.

"Your Excellency, how many troops can we use in the Far East? How many troops do we need to send to help the Qing defeat the Chinese Empire? Nicholas I asked. Obviously, because of the introduction of Count Nesherro Die, he has taken the threat from the East seriously.

"Your Majesty, we don't have many troops at our disposal in Eastern Siberia, and there are only more than 10,000 men under the command of Governor Muravyov. In addition, we have only a few hundred thousand people in the Far East, and we can mobilize another 30,000 or 40,000 people to join the army at most! Duke Gorchakov said.

"Can such a small army defeat the Chinese Empire?" Nicholas I said with a frown. Although, he believed that the Russian* army would be much stronger than the army of the Chinese Empire. However, with such a large difference in the strength of the two sides, he did not think that Russia would win.

"Your Majesty, we are able to have an advantage in Turkestan and Kazakhstan in Central Asia. In that region, we have an army of more than 100,000 men, and we have ready support from Europe. We can take the opportunity to attack the Xinjiang region, where the strength of the Chinese is empty. Duke Gorchakov said. Russia has always had ambitions for China's Xinjiang region, and has repeatedly supported the invasion of Xinjiang by the Central Asian khanates so that Russia can invade Xinjiang at the right time.

"How many troops can we send if we send troops from Siberia and Europe to the Far East, or even into China to fight?" Nicholas I asked. He was already planning how many troops he would send to destroy the Chinese Empire. In this case, Russia may be able to have a major expansion in the Far East.

"Your Majesty, if we send troops to fight in the Far East or China, we can only send a maximum of 100,000 troops. Including the original army in the Far East, it was only about 150,000 people. Duke Gorchakov said.

"Your Majesty, fifteen people are enough, the Qing State still has millions of troops, and the 6 armies of the Chinese Empire only have more than 700,000 people. After deducting the troops they need to deploy in Nanyang and Australia, the troops that can be used in the war are only four or five hundred thousand at most. In addition, the cavalry of the Chinese Empire was their weak point, and if we could send tens of thousands of Cossack cavalry to the Far East, it would be easier for us to defeat the Chinese Empire. Said the Foreign Minister, Count Niechel Rodie.

"Cossack cavalry? If the Cossack cavalry is sent to fight in the East, then what about our expansion in the Balkans? Crown Prince Alexander asked. The Cossack cavalry is the most important and powerful branch of the Russian 6th Army, and has always been the trump card force of the Russian 6th Army. In the war to defeat Napoleon the Great, the Cossack cavalry played a very important role.

"Alexander, we have hundreds of thousands of Cossack cavalry, and it is not a big deal to send tens of thousands of Cossack cavalry to fight in the Far East." Nicholas I said.

"Your Majesty, if we are going to turn to the East, then our expansion in the Balkans will probably have to stop. Russia could not support a two-front war, especially since there was an enemy as a formidable opponent like the Chinese Empire. Duke Gorchakov reminded.

Nicholas I was a little hesitant, because now the Ottoman Turkish Empire had great contradictions with China, Britain, France and Spain over the shares of the canal company, especially France and the Kingdom of Spain, and formed a combined naval fleet to put pressure on the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which was an excellent opportunity for Russia. If war breaks out, it is likely that China, Britain, France, and Spain will unite to wage war against the Ottoman Turkish Empire. When the time comes, the Ottoman Turkish Empire will definitely not be able to resist it. In this way, Russia will be able to take advantage of the fire. This is the opportunity that Nicholas I has been waiting for for a long time!

Now before Nicholas I is a multiple-choice question, a question of whether to go south or east? From his own point of view, Nicholas I was optimistic about expansion in the direction of the Balkans. After all, Siberia is nothing more than a barren land of ice and snow. The Balkan Peninsula is the rich land.

Fortunately, Nicholas I did not dwell on it for a few days, and things took a turn for the better. When news of the Ottoman Turks' surrender reached St. Petersburg, Tsar Nicholas I made his choice. He issued an order to the Governor-General of the Far East, Muravyov, asking Muravyov to send people to contact the Qing state, and Russia was willing to assist the Qing state in the war against the Chinese Empire, on the condition that the Qing state ceded Xinjiang, Mongolia, and Northeast China to Russia. At the same time, the Russian army also began to be transferred to the Far East, and in addition to tens of thousands of infantry, there were three Cossack cavalry corps, more than 50,000 men.

As for expansion in the direction of the Balkans, it can only be temporarily abandoned and wait for subsequent opportunities. The Ottoman Turkish Empire had the support of Britain and France, and it was difficult for Russia to defeat each other. Nicholas I also thought that perhaps it would be a good choice to defeat the Chinese Empire first. (To be continued......)

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