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There is no doubt that Russia is a powerful empire, with a vast territory and a population of more than 60 million, which is the most populous country among the European powers, and these population resources have enabled Russia to build the largest army in Europe, whether it is a navy or an army, no country among the European powers can compare with Russia. At the time of Napoleon's domination of Europe, Russia was not able to be defeated by France. This is the main reason why Russia has been able to become the hegemon of Europe. A strong neighbor is not something Russia wants to see. For this reason, Russia must do everything possible to curb the development of the country. Previously, the country that Russia contained was the Ottoman Turkish Empire. Through the eight Russo-Turkish wars, the Ottoman Turkish Empire was weakened and no longer a threat to Russia. And now, the country has been replaced by the Chinese Empire.

"Alexander, can you be sure that the Chinese Empire will increase the size of its army to two million?" Tsar Nicholas I asked.

"Father, this is just our guess. However, the Chinese Empire does have this ability! Crown Prince Alexander said.

"That's right, the Chinese Empire had the ability to increase the size of its army to two million, but they didn't. This shows that the Chinese Empire has the self-confidence to defeat us with a smaller army. I have to say, they are too egotistical. Then they will find that the great Russian* army will defeat them lightly. That's our chance. The rise of a powerful Eastern empire was not in the interests of the Russian Empire. We must destroy this empire. In this way, Russian interests in the Far East can be guaranteed! Tsar Nicholas I said.

"Your Majesty, Duke Gorchakov and Count Neschelrodi have arrived." The waiter walked in. Bow to His Majesty the Tsar.

"Well, let them in!" Tsar Nicholas I said. Now, he has calmed down his feelings. Of course, the beginning of the expansion of the Chinese Empire in the army will have a certain influence on Russia's strategy in the East. However, Nicholas I believed that the final victory still belonged to Russia. The elite Russian Army is enough to be ten with one!

"Majesty!" The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Army, Duke Gorchakov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Count Neschel Rodie, saluted the Tsar. Count Niechel Rodie's face was a little unpleasant. Obviously, he already knew the variables that were happening in the East. The Eastern strategy is what he strongly advocates, if it fails. It will be a heavy blow for him. At that time, not only will he not be able to continue to climb to a higher position, but I am afraid that he will not even be able to keep the position of foreign minister.

"News from China. You all already know it! Our enemies are beginning to expand their forces. We don't know how big they're going to expand, but it's not a good thing for us. Everybody talks, what should we do? Nicholas I asked.

"There is no doubt that the Chinese Empire has become the Empire's greatest enemy in the distance. The Chinese Empire was already aware of the secret treaty we had signed with the Qing state, and they informed our envoy to China. A sternly worded warning was sent to us, claiming that if our army appeared on Chinese soil. They will declare war on us. Therefore, I think that the Chinese Empire has a very tough attitude towards our country and has always been hostile to us. We must not allow the Chinese Empire to develop, and we must destroy the Chinese Empire as much as possible. Otherwise, the empire will pay a heavy price for it! The Foreign Minister, Count Nicher Rodie, could not wait to express his opinion.

Tsar Nicholas I nodded, and then said: "Then, Your Excellency the Count, what do you think we should do?" ”

"Your Majesty, we need to send more troops to the East, and at the same time contact with other European powers, such as Britain and the Netherlands and Portugal, all of which are hostile to the Chinese Empire. The British, in particular, were wiped out by hundreds of thousands of Chinese on the battlefield in Burma last year. If there is a chance to take revenge, the British will definitely not let go of such an opportunity! Said Count Nieschel Rodie.

"Well, Your Excellency the Earl, you are in charge of liaising with the Western Powers, and we hope they will join us!" Nicholas I said. Although, the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Portugal were weak and did not take it into his eyes. However, Britain is a well-deserved world hegemon. If Britain had joined, they would have a much better chance of winning.

"Father, I'm afraid the British won't agree to cooperate with us. They have suffered a big loss at the hands of the Chinese, and if they are not completely sure, they will definitely not dare to join in! Crown Prince Alexander said.

"There are no absolutes. If we can inflict a heavy blow on the Chinese Empire on the battlefield and give hope to the British, they will think that the opportunity to fall into the ground has come, and they will take the initiative to join in. Nicholas I affirmed. Although there was some reluctance to share China's interests with the British, Nicholas I knew that there was no way to do it, and that if he wanted to secure victory at the lowest cost, he had to give up some of his interests. Only in this way can you gain more. Crown Prince Alexander, although intelligent, was still too tender.

"Yes, Father!" Crown Prince Alexander nodded thoughtfully.

"Your Excellency the Duke, with the strength of the empire, how many more troops can be sent to the Far East?" Nicholas I asked. To ensure victory, Russia had to send more troops to the Far East. Of course, the Far East is too far away, and the transportation conditions are very poor, and I am afraid that it is impossible to send too many troops.

"Your Majesty, supporting the 150,000 men in the Far East is already our limit. If more troops are sent, the logistics supply may not be able to sustain it! "said the commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Duke Gorchakov.

"No, 150,000 people are too few, and reinforcements must be sent. In this way, send another hundred thousand elite troops to the Far East, including fifty thousand Cossack cavalry! This time, we must find a way to achieve victory and destroy the Chinese Empire! Nicholas I said. In order to win, he has already made up his mind. With the addition of the troops sent to the Far East, Russia has sent a total of 200,000 troops to the Far East, and with the 50,000 troops already in the Far East, Russia expects to have invested 250,000 troops in this war. Among them, there were also 100,000 elite Cossack cavalry. With such a large number of troops, it is already possible to launch a large-scale war of aggression in Europe. Of course, it is unrealistic to defeat the Chinese Empire with these 250,000 people alone. The Manchu Qing Dynasty's million-strong new army was the main force in the confrontation with the Chinese Empire. The 250,000 Russian troops only played a key role.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Duke Gorchakov nodded. Although there were some difficulties, he could only carry out the orders of Nicholas I. If it fails, it will be a heavy blow to Russia. Of course, Duke Gorchakov also believed that it should not be too difficult to defeat the Chinese Empire with 250,000 Russian troops plus 1 million Qing troops. If Britain can join them, their chances of winning will be even greater.

Following the order of the Russian Foreign Minister, Count Nesherro Die, the Russian envoys to England, the Netherlands, and Portugal went into action. They began to visit the British, Dutch, and Portuguese governments in an attempt to build an alliance against the Chinese Empire, with Russia at its core. However, the idea of the Russians was doomed to fail.

The Kingdom of Portugal was the first to refuse the demands of the Russians. Portugal was nothing more than a small European country and did not have good relations with the neighboring Kingdom of Spain. And the Kingdom of Spain was the spokesman of the Chinese Empire in Europe. If the Kingdom of Portugal were to join the war against the Chinese Empire, the Kingdom of Spain would certainly not let go of this opportunity. When the time comes, the Kingdom of Spain, armed with new weapons, will inevitably attack the Kingdom of Portugal at the first opportunity. With the current strength of the Kingdom of Portugal, it is simply impossible to resist. Therefore, in order not to provoke the fire, the Kingdom of Portugal chose to protect itself, lest it take advantage of it, but pay heavy losses.

The Kingdom of the Netherlands also rejected the Russian demands, despite the fact that the Kingdom of the Netherlands had deep contradictions with the Chinese Empire on the issue of the Dutch Indonesian colony and the Kingdom of Belgium. But the Kingdom of the Netherlands also knew that the Kingdom of the Netherlands would not have the strength to provoke the Chinese Empire until the Chinese Empire was defeated. Although, the Kingdom of the Netherlands very much wanted to launch an attack on Belgium and annex Belgium once again. But the threat of the Chinese Empire, and the French guarantee of security to the Kingdom of Belgium, made the Kingdom of the Netherlands dare not act rashly. If the Chinese Empire were really defeated, the Kingdom of the Netherlands would not mind taking the opportunity to launch an attack on the Kingdom of Belgium. However, it is absolutely impossible for the Kingdom of the Netherlands to send troops to join the war against the Chinese Empire!

The British's reply was more vague. Although the state of war between Britain and the Chinese Empire has now ended, Queen Victoria and the government of England are eager to destroy the Chinese Empire. It's just that several failures have made the British learn to be obedient, and they will never interfere when they do not see the Chinese Empire showing its defeat. Thus, the British, while not rejecting the Russian offer, did not approve of it either. They were waiting for their opportunity, waiting for news from the battlefield. If the Chinese Empire was defeated, Britain would be the first to fall. If the Manchus and Russia were defeated, Britain would also immediately change its strategy and begin to deploy a new round of suppression plans against Russia. (To be continued......)