Gulf of Finland.

March 1, 1904.

Forty warships of the Second Pacific Fleet of the Russian Empire, full of colorful flags and carrying 14,000 officers and men, embarked on an unprecedented expedition.

Their mission was to sail 18,000 nautical miles to the far east in five months, defeat the combined fleet of the East Asian Alliance, relieve the First Pacific Fleet besieged in the fortress of Vladivostok, and then cut off the sea communications of the countries of the East Asian Alliance with their strong maritime power, shell their coastal cities, and finally force them to cease the war on favorable terms for Russia.

Vice Admiral Rozhestvensky, commander of the 2nd Pacific Fleet, stood on the terrace of the flagship "Duke Suvorov" with his hands crossed, his face gloomy, like a dead man rotting.

Behind him, an unprecedentedly large fleet was spewing black smoke from the sky, trembling slightly in the icy Gulf of Finland, slightly excited, ignorant towards the unknown future.

Only half a day had passed since the fleet set sail from Libava, but the images of the worm-like squirming crowd on the pier were all blurred, and Rozhestvensky pinched the bridge of his nose wearily.

The image of that person is very clear, and it appears again and again, lingering.

Big beard, small eyes, long lanky face...... The man's name was Bukhvostov, Colonel, Captain of the armored ship "Emperor Alexander III". At the farewell party in Kryanstadt a week ago, Bukhvostov chirped like a crow: "It is impossible to win the battle!" …… I am afraid that on the way our ships will lose half, and even if this will not happen, the Chinese will crush us. …… One thing I can vouch for is that we would rather die than surrender. ”

At that time, no one reprimanded Bukhvostov on the spot, everyone looked at each other, and then someone made a joke, which caused vulgar laughter, everyone began to drink, chat, and dance with women, and the atmosphere of the farewell party was harmonious from beginning to end, yes, nothing could disturb everyone's mood - the mood of the nobles.

Rozhestvensky understood that things were completely irreparable, the fleet was formed, and set sail from Libava, left the military port, sailed out to sea, and set sail...... There is no chance to escape again, perhaps, this is what I have been hoping for......

A mix of old and new ships, inexperienced sailors, a journey of 18,000 nautical miles, a formidable enemy at the end of the road - an irresistible nightmare.

But there is hope, and although it is twisted and distorted, ethereal and loose, Rozhestvensky still sees it, still wants to grasp it, even if it is only a straw, but it is more useful than air.

Hope is in the image, or rather, in the numbers.

8 armored ships, 3 armored coastal defense ships, 5 armored cruisers, 6 cruisers, 4 auxiliary cruisers, 8 destroyers, 1 repair ship, 5 transport ships.

What do the numbers say?

"Report, here is a telegram from His Majesty the Tsar."

The adjutant respectfully presented the telegram.

Rozhestvensky glanced at it in a hurry, and a line of meaningless words: "All of Russia is watching you with trust and eager anticipation. ”

"Zhilu said, take it."

Rozhestvensky said, throwing the telegram back into the hands of the adjutant.

The sun was turning red, and gradually, approaching the sea antenna to the west, and the repulsive darkness was rising beneath the undulating waves.

Holding on to the railing, Rozhestvensky suddenly had the idea of jumping off the railing.

This is a voyage to the bottom of the sea.

It's not that there are no cutting-edge warships.

Some of the four cutting-edge Borodino-class armored ships have not finished decorating their dining rooms, some have not finished decorating the officers' quarters, and some have not even finished painting above the waterline.

Two armored cruisers of the "Varyag" class, just bought from Italy, it seems that every part is shining.

But there were no qualified sailors, and officers.

The crew assigned to the new ship was drawn from other ships on an ad hoc basis, mostly young men or conscripted reservists who had hardly been to sea, and it was remarked: "Some people have to start with the basics because they know nothing, while others have forgotten even a little about it." ”

Most of the officers graduated early from the naval school and had no practical experience.

In addition, none of the mechanical and artillery systems on the new ships have undergone the necessary tests, and the Borodino-class ships are overloaded and go to sea, the actual draft far exceeds the design average draft, and they will not be able to use the Suez Canal, but will have to go far around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa to enter the Indian Ocean.

The new ships are like this, the crews on the old ships are actually not much better, the decay of the Baltic Fleet has long been hopeless, what combat effectiveness can the fleet that shrinks in the harbor for ten months a year have? What kind of enemy can a fleet that fires only 3-4 shells per gun per year destroy? And to let such a fleet go on an expedition around most of the world? Lose your marbles. Deceive for the sake of face, and then deceive for the sake of deception, until the truth is revealed, and it is a mess, human beings are so ignorant.

In addition to the cutting-edge, there is no shortage of miscellaneous things in the fleet that are purely used to make up the numbers.

The three Admiral-class armored coastal defense ships were originally only suitable for operations in the calm Baltic Sea, and the hull of more than 4,000 tons was equipped with three to four 10-inch (254 mm) cannons, plus the main armor belt up to 10 inches thick, resulting in extremely poor sailing quality in rough sea conditions, usually with a maximum speed of only 15.5 knots, and a maximum speed of no more than 11 knots in four-level wind and waves.

In addition to the two newly acquired Varyag-class, the other three armored cruisers (Admiral Nakhimov, Dmitry Donsky, Vladimir-Monomakh) were launched in 1882-1885 and originally had a speed of between 15 and 17 knots, while the maximum speed of the latest Borodino-class armored ships exceeded 18 knots. Far from being able to compare with today's new rapid-fire guns and high-powered main guns.

The setting sun lit up the sea in front of the fleet.

It's a magnificent road, and we're going to run along it......

Thinking melancholy, Rozhestvensky turned and sat down on his mahogany chair, which he had ordered especially from Moscow's Chinatown, and which he would spend most of his time in the months to come, silently, with a more gloomy gaze than he did now, looking at the battleships in the procession, as if to mourn them, and at the same time himself......

"Extra! Extra! Russia's Second Pacific Fleet sails! Far Eastern Danger! ASEAN Danger! China is dangerous! ”

Newspaper boys in blue and green uniforms waved newspapers and shouted loudly, attracting a large number of citizens rushing to buy them.

This is the capital of the Chinese Empire, Yongdingmenwai Street, which is commonly known as "Official Street".

Three black-out "Wang Hu" cars swept past the citizens who were rushing to buy newspapers, and in the distance, turned into the compound of the prime minister's official residence.

Two foreigners got out of the car, surrounded by four or five Chinese in black suits, and quickly walked into the official residence.

A Chinese woman in a dressing greeted her and said in fluent English to the older foreigner, "Mr. Minister, the Prime Minister has been waiting for a long time, I am the Prime Minister's secretary, please come with me." ”

The British minister, Dou Nale, and the clerk Brand, straightened the hem of their suits, and followed the female secretary into the western-style building of the residence, and went up to the third floor, into a small room with the curtains drawn, among which China's current acting prime minister, Zhang Zhigao, was in it.

"Your Excellency Prime Minister, good news is that my Government has approved the fourth round of draft treaties and authorizes us to formally conclude a secret treaty with your country."

Dou Nale got straight to the point, but Zhang Zhigao was not confused by the other party's smile.

"Conditional approval, right?"

"Hahaha...... You're too sensitive......"

"Please be seated."

Together with the female secretary, the four of them sat opposite each other in two groups.

Zhang Zhigao took the draft treaty from the female secretary and spread it out on the coffee table.

“…… In short, in accordance with the principle of assisted defense, China can receive substantial assistance from Britain in the event of an invasion by a third country other than Russia, and Britain can receive substantial assistance from China in the event of an invasion by a third country other than Russia in its homeland and its existing colonies. The treaty lasted from 1904 to 1914 and would need to be renewed at that time. That's all there is to it. The meaning of substantive assistance should be interpreted as a variety of forms, including material aid, military assistance and joint operations, and the specific content should be agreed upon by the two governments through consultations......"

"There are no problems, these have been confirmed repeatedly."

“…… China undertakes not to conclude alliance treaties with any of its existing allies during the treaty period, and is obliged to guide the four East Asian Alliance countries to enter into a military mutual assistance relationship with Great Britain......"

Zhang Zhigao paused, pursed his lips, and glanced at Dou Nale: "Mr. Minister, in fact, I don't know if you have relevant information, that is, Germany's attempt to obtain a naval base in Japan......

Dou Nale pretended to be surprised: "What? There is such a thing! ”

Regarding this matter, the owner of Yuansheng Foreign Bank, Slan Bernard, has long been clear about Dou Nale.

Unable to receive a response from China, Germany turned its attention to Japan in an attempt to lease a harbor in Japan as a base for the Far East Fleet.

However, the Japanese side was very vigilant and immediately informed the actual ally - China of this matter, and in the process of communication, Zhang Zhigao deliberately ordered someone to reveal the matter to the spy who had already been exposed, Bernard, which made the British side anxious and had to quickly adopt the draft treaty.

Now, however hypocritical this surprise may be, it is not a rush to conclude a treaty within today's borders, which has the crucial practical significance of suppressing Russia's ally, France.

As long as France did not move, the Russian Second Pacific Fleet could not have done anything, and a fleet without a base was like grass without roots, drifting at sea, rotting on its own if it was not defeated, and it was completely inconceivable to go into battle immediately after sailing 18,000 nautical miles.

If France did not openly enter the war, it had to follow the rules of neutrality and not allow warships of belligerents to enter ports under its control, and to take a step back, warships of belligerents to enter fortified military ports of their own.

"Then, it's time to move on to the signing of the treaty."

After more than an hour of hypocrisy, Dou Nale finally spoke.

Zhang Zhigao felt the need to go home tonight and shoot a few bottles of champagne at himself and his wife like the racers of that time and space.