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The territory of the Russian Empire was too large, and although it was a symbol of the strength of the Russian Empire, it also became a drag in a certain way. The most intuitive manifestation is that it takes a very long time for the Russian Empire's troops to be transferred to the front, and at the same time, the logistical supply lines are also fragile. This prevented Russia from throwing too many troops too far. Until then, Russia's strategic center of gravity had been in Europe, in the Balkans. The roads and other infrastructure there are relatively well constructed, so that the Russian army's logistical supply lines are almost not too big. However, the Far East is completely different. Eastern Siberia is a plateau, and the construction of road infrastructure is almost blank, which strictly restricts the projection of Russian troops in this direction. If it weren't for this reason, it would definitely not be too difficult for the Russian army to defeat the Chinese Empire!

"Your Excellency, then, what do you think we should do?" Tsar Nicholas I said. Although he is a stubborn and proud man, that doesn't mean he doesn't listen to other people's opinions. He was the Emperor of the Russian Empire, and he had to think fully of the interests of the Russian Empire. If the interests of Russia are harmed by personal reasons, then he is not qualified as a tsar.

"Your Majesty, we should probably shrink our line of defense in the Far East. Fighting in the hinterland of China, we are completely at a disadvantage, and the advantage of the Chinese Empire is too great! On the contrary, if it were fought in the Mongolian steppe, or even in Siberia, the superiority of the Chinese Empire would not be so obvious! Other than that. Russia and the Chinese Empire were both great powers, and it would be almost impossible to determine the winner in a short period of time. Therefore. The war between us and the Chinese Empire will be a protracted war. We need to prepare step by step! Duke Gorchakov said.

Tsar Nicholas I nodded: "Then, Your Excellency the Duke. Do we need to give up those territories? Obviously, he was very unwilling. The Russian royal family has a greed for territory in their bones. These lands already belong to Russia, and it is almost impossible for him to spit them out.

"Your Majesty, of course this is impossible. We received territory from the Manchus. It can be looked at separately. Xinjiang is adjacent to Central Asia, and we are a much more powerful force than the Chinese Empire. It happened to be an area where the power of the Chinese Empire was relatively weak. We can take advantage of the opportunity to send troops from Central Asia. Occupy Xinjiang. Even if the Chinese Empire wanted to retake Xinjiang, it would not be so easy. The Mongolian steppe is not close to the hinterland of China, and it is even more distant from the center of gravity of the current Chinese Empire. Over there. The advantages of both of us are almost equal. Rely on powerful cavalry units. We may be able to compete with the Chinese Empire in the Mongolian steppe. In addition, we need the support of the indigenous people of the Mongolian steppe. With their support, we have a much better chance of winning. As for the northeast, it was the Chinese Empire where it was the upper hand. They can transport troops and supplies directly to Mukden by sea. Therefore, if this is not possible, we will have to give up the Northeast, at least the southern part of the Northeast! Duke Gorchakov analyzed step by step.

"Good. His Excellency the Duke's analysis was excellent. Tsar Nicholas I nodded frequently. Although giving up the Northeast made him a little unwilling. But. If Xinjiang and Mongolia can be owned, there is no doubt that Russia's plan this time will not be a failure, but only an imperfect success.

"Then, then, we should send troops to the Far East once again. Your Excellency, how many troops can we send to the Far East now? Tsar Nicholas I asked. At present, the main forces of the Russian army are deployed in the west and south, and there are not many mobile troops that can be deployed.

"Your Majesty, it's winter, and even if we want to send troops to the Far East, we'll have to wait until next year. Moreover, the troops sent to the Far East must still be mainly cavalry. In this way, it is convenient to fight in the Mongolian steppe! Duke Gorchakov said.

"Okay, this aspect of the matter, you will take care of it!" Tsar Nicholas I said. Obviously, Duke Gorchakov's previous appearance made him very satisfied.

"Yes, Your Majesty! However, we need enough time. Wait until next spring we will be able to send troops to the Far East. By the time the army arrives, it will be around June! There's still a full 7 months to go, and something unexpected will happen! Duke Gorchakov reminded.

"Your Majesty, this point may be resolved through diplomatic efforts. We can make contact with the Chinese Empire. If the Chinese Empire had recognized our treaty with the Qing Dynasty, then war might have been avoided, and we would have had enough time to mobilize our troops. Even if the Chinese Empire does not agree, we can use the time for negotiations to paralyze them and buy time for the movement of troops. In addition, I believe that even if the Qing were defeated in the Chinese Civil War, we could not let them perish, we could support them to establish a state in Mongolia or Xinjiang, continue to confront the Chinese Empire, and even allow them to form a government-in-exile if they had to. Russian Foreign Minister Count Neschel Rody said.

Tsar Nicholas I nodded: "Well, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can find a way to contact the Chinese Empire." By the way, the British can be pulled on as well. If the Qing Kingdom is destroyed, it will not do them any good. They should be on the same page as us on this issue. In the face of pressure from both of us at the same time, I think the Chinese emperor will definitely consider it carefully! ”

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Foreign Minister Count Nesher Rody hurriedly said. The reason why he worked hard to put forward his own opinions was to make more contributions. In this way, in the event of a problem with the Eastern strategy, Tsar Nicholas I would not have punished him too harshly.

When the Manchu Minister of Military Aircraft and Foreign Minister Saishana asked Russia for help, the Manchu Minister of Military Aircraft and Minister of War Shangshu Yucheng also rushed to the British Legation in Manchu. Among the military ministers of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, Yucheng had a relatively close relationship with the British. At the Legation, Yucheng met with the British Minister to the Manchus, John Brown. Sir Davis and British adviser Lieutenant General Albert. Lieutenant General Albert's face is not very good-looking now, and he feels a little embarrassed that he proposed a plan for a decisive battle in the Central Plains as a military adviser sent by the British to the Manchus, but it was a crushing defeat.

"Your Excellency, General Albert. The purpose of my visit this time, as you must have guessed, will stop going around in circles. Now, the Qing Dynasty is at a critical juncture of life and death. The defeat of the decisive battle in the Central Plains caused heavy losses to the Qing Dynasty. We have already lost most of our army, and the rest of the army is simply unable to confront the Chinese Empire. In addition, in terms of weapons and ammunition, we also lack strict zhòng, and it is impossible to expand more troops. Therefore, the Qing Dynasty needed British support! Yucheng said directly.

"Yu-sama, I personally feel sorry for the defeat of the decisive battle in the Central Plains, and I didn't expect that the final battle situation would develop like this. I can only say that the strength of the Chinese Empire has far exceeded our expectations! Lieutenant General Albert said. He still believes that his strategy was the right one. The reason for the failure was entirely because the Chinese Empire was too powerful. Compared to the Chinese Empire, the Manchus were not at all a hierarchical opponent. This is a huge gap between national strength and military strength, and there is no way to make up for it in other ways.

"General Albert, we know that. This time the failure is not your fault! Yucheng said. Although they also scolded Lieutenant General Albert in private for the defeat in the decisive battle of the Central Plains, they could not show it at this time. If they wanted to win the support of the British, they could not offend Lieutenant General Albert.

Lieutenant General Albert nodded again and again, and the understanding of the Manchu Qing made him very satisfied, and finally let him save face.

"Yu-sama, how do you plan us to help?" John. Minister Davis asked. The fact that the Manchus had failed so quickly was indeed a surprise to them. Moreover, the fall of the Manchu Qing Dynasty to the Chinese Empire would indeed have an adverse effect on British interests. Although Britain and the Chinese Empire are now in a period of friendship, the Chinese Emperor even visited Britain during his trip to Europe. However, anyone with a discerning eye knows that this is nothing more than an indication of the phenomenon. The expansion of the Chinese Empire in the Far East would pose a threat to British interests. In order to protect British interests, especially India, Britain had to contain the Chinese Empire. The Manchus were the pawns of Britain to contain the Chinese Empire, but now it seems that this pawn is too useless!

"Your Excellency, we need Britain to provide us with another batch of weapons and ammunition for us to raise more troops. In addition, if we can, Britain will declare war directly on the rebels and help us fight the rebels! Yucheng said.

"No, Yu-sama, it's impossible!" John. Minister Davis's head shook like a rattle. If the Manchus had gained the advantage on the battlefield, I am afraid that without the request of the Manchus, the British would be eager to join the war, in order to be able to share in the benefits after defeating the Chinese Empire, and the British would be the best at it. But now, the Manchu Qing is about to fail, and if Britain intervenes in the war at this time, it will pay heavy losses, which is also not in the interests of Britain, and the British cabinet and parliament, and even Her Majesty the Queen will definitely not agree! (To be continued......)