St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, inside the Winter Palace, in the office of Tsar Alexander II. After the outbreak of war, Tsar Alexander II stayed here almost every day until late at night. As the Tsar of Russia, he was the supreme monarch of the country. But again, he has a huge responsibility on him. Especially now that the war on the front line is not going well, Alexander II has a feeling of anxiety.

Millions of Russian troops were defeated by the Chinese army in the western Siberian plain, and now they are trapped in the two big cities of Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg. Once these two cities fall, the Russian army will have no choice but to retreat to the Ural Mountains. When the time comes, the whole Asian part of Russia will have to be lost.

In addition, to the south, the Ottoman Turks also launched an offensive, and in the first wave of the attack, the Ottoman Turks committed more than half a million troops. And Russia on the southern border, there are only 300,000 people. In the face of the offensive of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the Russian defense line was also precarious. If there were no reinforcements, it would be a matter of time before the line was breached.

"Damn it! Why did God treat Russia like this? Why have we been preparing for so long, but still not being able to defeat the enemy? Is it because our enemies are too strong, or is Russia too weak? "Tsar Alexander II has been thinking about this at times. After the fall of the First French Empire, the mighty Russia was the dominant power on the European continent and was able to compete with the powerful Britain for dominance of the Eurasian continent. But now, Russia has not only lost a large amount of territory, but also suffered heavy losses under the siege of the Chinese Empire and the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

"Your Majesty, Duke Gorchakov is here!" A waiter bowed to Alexander II.

"Hmm!" Alexander II nodded.

"See Your Majesty!" Duke Gorchakov respectfully saluted Alexander II. This period comes down. Duke Gorchakov seems to have aged quite a bit. As the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Duke Gorchakov is now very busy. I only sleep for a few hours a day. The rest of the time, almost all of them stayed at the General Headquarters of the Russian Army. This is for Duke Gorchakov, who is already over sixty years old. I have to say that it is a big test. However, there is no one in Russia who can replace him, so he has to hold on.

"Your Excellency, you need to rest more! The current empire is stormy, and if His Excellency the Duke falls again, the empire will really be over! Alexander II said.

"Thank you for your concern, the old minister knows." Duke Gorchakov was very moved.

"Your Excellency, Otherwise. Find you an assistant! This way, you will also be able to share your workload. "Alexander II consulted Duke Gorchakov for advice. Of course, he was also afraid that Duke Gorchakov would think too much, thinking that this was weakening his power.

"Your Majesty, the minister has no opinion. However, if I want to find someone to assist the minister, I will let Duke Volkonsky take charge! Duke Gorchakov said. He knew what Alexander II meant, besides, this time came. He's just too busy, and it would be nice if someone could share his workload.

"Duke Volkonsky?" Alexander II frowned. At the beginning, Duke Gorchakov was foreign minister for a while. And his post of commander-in-chief of the Russian army. It was succeeded by Duke Volkonsky. Alexander II also had great expectations for Duke Volkonsky. However, in the end, the Russian army suffered a crushing defeat. Disappointing Alexander II. Therefore, Duke Volkonsky was finally relieved of his post. For some time, Volkonsky has been idle.

"陛xià. Duke Volkonsky was still very talented. The defeat in the last war was not actually the fault of Duke Volkonsky. It's just that our enemies are too strong. If His Majesty agrees, I intend to put Duke Volkonsky in charge of the mobilization of troops. Duke Gorchakov said.

Alexander II hesitated, but nodded: "Okay, let Duke Volkonsky be the deputy commander-in-chief of the Russian army, responsible for the mobilization and training of the troops!" ”

"Thank you!" Duke Gorchakov breathed a sigh of relief. During this time, he was really tired enough. It would be much easier if you could have personal assistance. In addition, he is not young now, and it is time to find a successor. Duke Volkonsky was a few years younger than him and happened to be a good candidate for his successor.

"Your Majesty, Marshal Wittgenstein sent a telegram that the situation in the Western Siberian Plain was now very critical. He asked us to send more reinforcements to the Western Siberian Plain. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to resist the attack of the Chinese. According to Marshal Wittgenstein's telegram, the Chinese were about to launch a siege of Chelyabinsk. Although we still have 250,000 people in Chelyabinsk. However, it is estimated that it will not last long. Once Chelyabinsk is breached, Yekaterinburg will be besieged by the Chinese! If Yekaterinburg can't hold it either, then we will have to abandon the entire Western Siberian Plain! Duke Gorchakov said.

At the mention of the battle at the front, Alexander II's brows were tightly furrowed.

"Yekaterinburg's preparations are already sufficient, is it possible, and will it not be able to withstand the attack of the Chinese?" Alexander II was somewhat annoyed. After years of construction, the Russian army has built Yekaterinburg like a fortress. Moreover, the Russian army still has an army of 500,000 there, and even if the Chinese have an army of millions, if they want to conquer Yekaterinburg, it is not so glorious!

"Your Majesty, we are very well prepared. However, the combat effectiveness of the Chinese has never been speculated on by common sense. Field Marshal Wittgenstein was also a little worried that there would be an accident! Duke Gorchakov said.

After Russia was defeated by China in a row, many generals of the Russian army have already had a shadow in their hearts.

"Where are our reinforcements? What time can I arrive in Yekaterinburg? Alexander II asked. Previously, although Russia had only 500,000 troops in Europe, it still transferred 100,000 troops from the Western Front, plus newly mobilized troops, a total of 300,000 people to the Western Siberian Plain for reinforcements.

"Your Majesty, the reinforcements have just arrived in Ufa. However, Chelyabinsk was surrounded by the Chinese, and it was clear that reinforcements could not enter the West Siberian Plain from here, but had to be diverted. Therefore, it will take at least ten days to get to Yekaterinburg! Duke Gorchakov said.

"Ten days! Give an order to the defenders of Chelyabinsk that they must hold out for more than ten days no matter what! Alexander II said. In his opinion, there are more than 200,000 people in Chelyabinsk, and even in the face of the siege of the Chinese, it should be no problem to hold out for ten days.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Duke Gorchakov nodded.

"Also, how's the recent troop mobilization going?" Alexander II asked. Now, all fronts are tight, and the need for troops is very great.

"Your Majesty, the first batch of 1.5 million people has been recruited, most of them are training, and only 200,000 people have been sent to the front. It is estimated that it will take some time for these troops to complete their training! In addition, the General Command plans to carry out the second batch of mobilization, which will again mobilize a million people! Duke Gorchakov said. In this way, the total strength of the Russian army will be able to reach four million people. Even in the face of both the Chinese Empire and the Ottoman Turkish Empire, the Russian army has enough troops.

"Hmmm! Russia has a sufficient population, and we are not short of troops. The people also support us, and we will definitely make those invaders pay a heavy price! Alexander II said firmly. The terrifying mobilization of the Russian army gave Alexander II more confidence. Russia has a population of 60 million. Moreover, these people are willing to go to the battlefield for the sake of Russia. As soon as the Tsar's order was given, these Russians would willingly go to war. This is where Russia's strength lies.

Not to mention the mobilization of four million people, even if it is the mobilization of six million people, there is no problem at all!

Of course, Russia has plenty of troops, but it is a big problem to arm all these troops.

"Your Majesty, the British and the French, have each supported us with a batch of arms. However, this was only enough for the first mobilization. In the case of the second batch of mobilization, we do not yet have enough weapons to equip the troops. Our own arsenal, capable of satisfying only a fraction of the troops. Gorchakov said. That's the problem he's facing.

"Go ahead and ask for help from England and France! As allies, we have withstood the attacks of the Chinese Empire and the Ottoman Turks on our own, and they deserve more support from us! Alexander II said, as if it were a matter of course.

"Your Majesty, the British and the French, under the pretext of arming their own troops, are no longer willing to let us buy weapons on credit. The British offered that they would not give us any more weapons unless we paid for it in gold! Duke Gorchakov said.

Alexander II's face suddenly became gloomy, and now Russia's finances were already in debt, and the British knew this, and they must be staring at the wealth of the royal family.

"Greedy British!" Alexander II scolded bitterly, but, in the end, he had to give in and exchange gold for weapons to the British. (To be continued......)

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