PS: The second update arrives, asking for subscriptions, monthly passes and recommended tickets! Thank you book friends for the monthly pass of the blood in the dark night and the roar of the dragon and the tiger!

At the beginning of March, the cold wind was still raging in Beijing, and although the pace of spring was approaching, the ancient city was still shrouded in winter. The economic depression, coupled with the abundance of refugees, has made this ancient capital completely devoid of the appearance of a national capital. Half of the remaining 300,000 troops of the Qing army were assembled in Beijing, including the last remaining 50,000 Eight Banners Iron Cavalry of the Qing army. These are already the last capital of the Manchu Qing Dynasty.

Forbidden City, Upper Study, Regent Aixin Jueluo. Mianyu doesn't look like a person in his thirties at all, but like a person in his forties and fifties. His eyes were sunken, as if he were overindulged. The successive defeats, coupled with the imminent arrival of spring, and the approach of the Imperial Army's march day by day, made him feel tremendous pressure, unable to sleep all night long, and the whole person seemed to be aging at a speed visible to the naked eye. If this continues, it is estimated that he has already died of exhaustion before he has captured and killed the Imperial Army.

A number of Manchu military ministers were in the study, as well as the Russian Far East governors, Muravyov and Major General Nevelskoy, and Ivan, the Russian minister to the Manchus. Now Major General Nevelskoy has been replaced by the regent Aisin Kyoro. Mianyu has been appointed chief of staff of the Qing army. As for the previous chief of staff, British Lieutenant General Albert was removed from his post. The regent Aisin Jueluo. Mianyu and a group of military ministers attributed the failure of the Qing army to Lieutenant General Albert, believing that if it were not for Lieutenant General Albert's plan, there was something wrong with it. They probably won't fail. In addition, the Manchus did this in order to show goodwill to Russia. Now, Russia has become the last hope of the Manchus. They had to win over the Russians. Especially after the decision to abandon Beijing, abandon Guannai, and retreat to the Mongolian steppe to continue the struggle against the Chinese Empire, Russia's support was crucial. Without the support of Russia, the Manchus would not have been able to restore the country, even if they wanted to save their lives. Under these circumstances, the Russians had a great deal of influence over the Manchu government.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Spring is coming. The movements of those rebels on the border are also becoming more and more frequent. It is estimated that those rebels will soon attack, what should we do next? "The regent loves Xin Jueluo. Mianyu said with some frustration. Although the general strategy had already been decided, it was necessary to abandon the world that the Manchus had ruled for 200 years. This still made him feel a little reluctant. The Manchu Qing Dynasty was lost by their unscrupulous descendants! This is for Aixin Jueluo, who is bent on revitalizing the Manchu Qing Dynasty. Mianyu is a very big blow.

"Your Royal Highness the Regent, according to the information we have received. The attack of the Southern Chinese Empire was imminent. The snow and ice in the north have melted. The reason why the Chinese army did not attack immediately was simply because the muddy roads were not conducive to the march. Judging by the current weather conditions, in a few days, those muddy roads will be dry. When the time comes, the Chinese army will inevitably attack. And judging from the military strength we have now, there is almost no possibility of resisting the attack of the Chinese army! Muravyov, the governor of the Russian Far East, said. The heavy losses of the Russian army led him to a severe rebuke from Tsar Nicholas I. Fortunately, Tsar Nicholas I did not immediately remove him from his post. Instead, he chose to make him guilty of meritorious service, which made Governor Muravyov cherish this opportunity very much. His task now was to take these remnants of the defeated Manchu army to the Mongolian steppes to continue the war against the Chinese Empire. In order to contain the Chinese Empire and buy time for the arrival of the Russian Expeditionary Force. This time, the total strength of the Russian expeditionary force will be as high as 600,000 men, which makes Governor Muravyov very excited, and he is sure that with the support of so many elite Russian troops, Russia will be able to defeat the Chinese Empire and win the war. When the time comes, his mistakes will be overshadowed by victory, and he will remain a hero to the Russians.

The regent Aisin Jueluo. Mianyu and the Manchu ministers all nodded. Although they were not professional soldiers, they could also feel that the attack of the Imperial Army was becoming more and more urgent.

"Your Highness, according to the strategy we have drawn up earlier. As soon as the Chinese army launched an attack, we used a part of our forces to contain the Chinese army, and the main force withdrew from Beijing, passed through Zhangjiakou to the Mongolian steppe, and withdrew to the Mongolian steppe with millions of Mongols. There should be no objection to this, right? Governor Muravyov asked. This was an important guarantee to buy time for the Russian expeditionary force, so Governor Muravyov also attached great importance to it.

"Your Excellency, please rest assured that we are ready. The Mongol tribes have also responded to the orders of the imperial court, and when the time comes, they will go to the Mongolian steppe with us to fight those rebels to the end! "The regent loves Xin Jueluo. Mianyu gritted her teeth and said. He hated the Chinese Empire to the extreme, believing that if it were not for the Chinese Empire, the current Manchu Qing would still be a peaceful and prosperous era.

"That's good." Governor Muravyov nodded. In reality, he saw the Manchu government as a pawn in the grip of the Chinese Empire.

"Your Royal Highness the Regent, I take the liberty of asking, did the Mongols really agree to migrate to the Mongolian steppe? Let them give up their homeland, where they have lived for hundreds of years, will they agree? Major General Nevelskoy asked. The support of the Mongols was very important to them.

"Your Excellency, the Mongolian tribes and the Qing Dynasty are one, and we are not in the same position as the rebels in the south, so of course they will act with us. The ministries of Inner Mongolia are ready to migrate, and the ministries of Outer Mongolia are also ready to receive us. Minister of Military Aircraft and Foreign Minister Saishana said. He is also a Mongolian himself, and he was born in the Mongolian Blue Banner. He was very dissatisfied with Major General Nevelskoy's questioning, believing that it was questioning the Mongols' loyalty to the Manchus. Even at the end of last year, he went to the Mongolian steppe for this purpose, and met with the khans of several important tribes in various tribes of Inner Mongolia. The results of the meeting were very satisfactory to him, and all the ministries in Inner Mongolia promised to obey the orders of the Manchus.

In fact, Saishana would never have imagined that not only the Mongol tribes in southern Monan had already taken refuge in the empire, but even Mobei Mongolia had also taken refuge in the empire. At that time, once the Manchus were out of the pass, what awaited them was the blockade of the cavalry forces composed of the empire and the Mongols. If they wanted to cross the Gobi to the Mongolian steppe, it would not be possible.

"Well, sir, I didn't ask that question." Major General Nevelskoy said.

"Your Excellency the Governor, when will the Russian reinforcements arrive? We in the Qing Dynasty are counting on Russia. Chief Minister of Military Aircraft Wen Qing said. This is the most critical issue, the regent Aisin Jueluo. Mianyu and all the ministers of military aircraft looked at Governor Muravyov, waiting for his answer.

"Gentlemen, I assure you that in two months at most, reinforcements from the great Russian Empire will arrive. When the time comes, we will have a decisive battle with the Chinese army in the Mongolian steppe. The Russian army, with a total of 600,000 troops, will defeat the Chinese army lightly and achieve the final victory. When the time comes, you will not only be able to retake the capital, but you will also be able to regain all the lands that have been lost in the south. Governor Muravyov said.

The regent Aisin Jueluo. Mianyu and the Manchu ministers seemed to be immersed in the beautiful picture painted by Governor Muravyov. 600,000 Russian troops, the number may not be as large as the Manchu Qing in its heyday. But from the point of view of combat effectiveness, the millions of Qing troops are definitely not the opponent of the 600,000 Russian army. They have great confidence in the combat effectiveness of these 600,000 Russian troops, believing that victory will be within reach.

This meeting once again reaffirmed the Manchu Qing's strategy for the future. That is, once the Chinese Empire launched an attack, the main force of the Qing army quickly withdrew and retreated to the Mongolian steppe. In this case, they would have enough strength to continue to deal with the Chinese Empire and ensure that they wait for Russian reinforcements to arrive. A key factor in this is the support of millions of Mongols. With the support of millions of Mongols, they were able to receive a steady supply of soldiers and supplies, which was also a guarantee of their survival in the Mongolian steppe.

Of course, whether it's the regent Aisin Jueluo. Mianyu is still a military minister, and they all know that their previous orders have touched the bottom line of the Mongols. Coupled with the co-optation of the Chinese Empire, the Mongols have completely fallen to the Chinese Empire. When the time comes, they will abandon Beijing and flee outside the Guan, and what awaits them will be a catastrophe.

The Qing army fled Beijing for the Mongolian steppes, which the Imperial Army was happy to see. Once the Qing army held on to Beijing, the imperial army would probably pay a lot of casualties if it wanted to take Beijing. In particular, Beijing, as an ancient capital, has many important ancient buildings. If there is a war in Beijing, these ancient buildings will probably be destroyed. Although Long Yufei's order was to rather reduce Beijing to a ruin, he also wanted to reduce the casualties of the troops as much as possible. But seeing those famous attractions in ruins, he is still a little reluctant. Now, the Manchus are willing to take the initiative to abandon Beijing, which is a favorable condition for keeping Beijing. At the same time, without the protection of Beijing, it will be easier to destroy the Qing army in the field.

After all, Beijing is a fortified city, and if it is defended by 300,000 Qing troops, the empire will definitely pay a huge price. However, without the protection of the city walls, in the field battle, if the Qing army wanted to confront the imperial army, it would be impossible.

The 300,000 Qing troops and the remnants of the Russian army are destined to embark on a road of no return this time. (To be continued......)