At 11 o'clock in the evening on February 8, 1904, the 23rd day of the lunar calendar in China, Vice Admiral Heihachiro Togo, who commanded the Combined Fleet, sent a destroyer fleet to launch a surprise attack on the Russian Pacific Fleet in the mooring ground outside Port Arthur with torpedoes. The Russo-Japanese War broke out.

This was the first real war between great powers since the beginning of the twentieth century. As soon as the news came out, it immediately shocked the world.

Every war is driven by profits. All have deep political, military, and economic backgrounds.

In the second half of the 19th century, European countries began to encroach on Chinese territory, and the target of contention naturally fell to Korea, a vassal state of China. In the 80s of the 19th century, Britain and Russia clashed over the lease of Gömunjima, which held the entrance to the Tsushima Strait off the south coast of Korea, indicating that the great powers had begun to compete for the Northwest Pacific region.

Other countries are only chasing commercial interests, but for Japan, North Korea is not only an important market, but also a springboard for its "mainland policy." For this reason, the Russians saw very clearly that once Japan gained a dominant position in Korea not only economically, but also politically, the coastal provinces isolated from the heart of Russia would face a real threat from the south. The only solution was to build a railway to connect the coast with the hinterland, so that Russia could move its troops to the Far East in a relatively short time. Thus, the Trans-Siberian Railway came into being.

The significance of building this railway is not only military. It is also closely linked to Russia's hope of extricating itself from its economic predicament. By the end of the 19th century, Europe's industry and markets had reached saturation, and profit margins were declining in all countries. In the pursuit of profits, the capitalists had to export surplus goods and capital to underdeveloped regions abroad, and the Trans-Siberian Railway, once completed, would connect Europe with China, Korea, and Japan's 500 million people and their markets. Now, Germany and the United States, following Britain and France, are trying their best to penetrate the markets of the countries of the Pacific region, and the Americans are digging the Panama Canal with all their might. All this indicates that in the near future. The battle for the market that began in Europe will reach its climax in the Pacific. With the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Russia will gain superiority over the European and American powers in terms of trade and capital exports.

Starting in Chelyabinsk in the Ural Mountains, the Trans-Siberian Railway passes through the pristine tundra and dense forests of Siberia to Vladivostok (Vladivostok), 7,400 kilometers away, connecting the distant Pacific ports with the heart of the Russian Empire. The construction of this railway broke the 4,800-kilometre Canadian Pacific Railway, built by the British. A new world record has been set. The cost is also staggering. In its 12-year projected construction period. A high budget of 30 million rubles per year is invested, and the total cost is expected to be 350 million rubles. In fact, the ten years from 1891 to 1901. 1.46 billion rubles have already been spent. In order to avoid the infiltration of foreign forces, the Russians categorically rejected all foreign investment and private investment in their own country, and the construction funds were entirely borne by the Russian treasury.

The Japanese were terrified of the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Once it is completed, it will greatly facilitate the strategic movement of the Russian army, so that Japan will have no military superiority in the Far East and Korea.

There is also a story about the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, that is, the "Otsu" incident that shook the world at that time. Tsar Alexander III appointed the 23-year-old crown prince and head of the Trans-Siberian Railway Construction Committee Nikolai Nicholas. Aleksandrovich led a fleet to the Far East to preside over the groundbreaking ceremony of Vladivostok, and Crown Prince Nikolai visited Japan on the way. On May 11, he was slashed in the head with a saber by a policeman named Tsuda Mizo in Otsu City. Tsuda Sanzang later confessed that Nikolai had come to inspect and understand Japan's national conditions with the idea of invading Japan. It can be seen that the Japanese are wary of Russia's eastward expansion.

Tsuda Mizo's reckless behavior brought diplomatic passivity to the Japanese government. For this reason, Foreign Minister Shuzo Aoki and Minister of Internal Affairs Saigo resigned from Michi. Tsuda himself died in prison. However, he wielded this sword to show Japan's hatred of Russia, opened the prelude to the two countries' struggle for hegemony in the Far East, and even more affected Russia's basic policy toward Japan. Nikolai will not forget the knife that almost killed him until he died.

After the Sino-Japanese War, Russia, together with France and Germany, forced Japan to return the Liaodong Peninsula. However, these three countries are not motivated by the selflessness of internationalism to uphold justice and help the weak. It's just that they don't want to see Japan monopolize its interests in China and try to demand compensation from China for it.

In June 1895, Russian Finance Minister Witte and Foreign Minister Robanov signed the Treaty of Defense Alliance in St. Petersburg with Li Hongzhang, the Qing court's envoy who attended the coronation ceremony of Nicholas II. The treaty stipulated that Russia would provide military assistance to China against Japan within fifteen years, on the condition that China would provide land concessions to the Sino-Russian Daosheng Bank and allow the Trans-Siberian Railway to build a branch line through Manchuria, which was the cause of the later Eastern Railway, also known as the Eastern Qing Railway.

Rumor has it that Witte paid Li Hongzhang a huge bribe of 3 million rubles for this. This is the main evidence of Li Hongzhang's betrayal. But so far, no ironclad evidence has been found that Li Hongzhang charged 300 rubles to play.

In addition to the railway leases, the acquisition of good ice-free ports is also a major territorial goal of concern for Russia in the Far East. Vladivostok is frozen for five months of the year, so the Russian Pacific Fleet has to spend the winter in Nagasaki, Hong Kong and other places. If Japan suddenly went to war (the Sino-Japanese War showed that this shameless country would go to war without declaring it), the Russian fleet anchored in Nagasaki would suffer serious losses. After Russian research, it is believed that Jiaozhou Bay and Lushun are two favorite targets. The best thing to do is Lushun, because the Beiyang Naval Division has been operating in Lushun for more than ten years, with a complete dock, repair shop, storehouse and living facilities, and it can also be connected to Siberia by the Dongqing Railway. However, Port Arthur is small in size. There is not enough space for the fleet's activities, which is not as good as Jiaozhou Bay.

The Russians did not expect the Germans to strike first. As early as August 1896, German Rear Admiral Tirpitz met with the German Minister to China Hai Jing in Yantai and directly proposed that Jiaozhou Bay was the most appropriate anchorage. Minister Haijing reminded the major general that the Russians had already included Jiaozhou Bay in their sphere of power. The rear admiral, who was going to be the soul of the German Navy, said disapprovingly, isn't it enough that they have Korea and Liaodong?

It was as if God was manipulating all this, and the following year, 1897, on November 1, the Caozhou Church Case occurred. Two German missionaries were killed. The German fleet immediately sailed into Jiaozhou Bay. and ordered the Chinese garrison to withdraw within three days. The Germans found a pretext for the invasion through the death of two missionaries. In the face of winter, the Russian fleet occupied Arthur. The following year, the British, who had always been reluctant to invade China, leased Weihaiwei to the Manchu government.

In front of these powers, the Manchu government was like a fat cow waiting to be slaughtered without any power to fight back.

The British Empire, still recognized as the most powerful country, watched with concern the southward advance of the Russian bear. Germany's rapid rise. This has greatly constrained the UK's global strategy. The British, who have the most experience in the layout of the world, know that they cannot directly confront the Russian bear in the Far East. And. The arrogant Wilhelm II of Germany had been instigating Russia's eastward advance. Wilhelm II came up with a new term: the Yellow Peril. This highly insulting term does not refer to a weak and sloppy China. Rather, it refers to Japan, which felt good about winning the First Sino-Japanese War and considered itself to be among the first-class powers, and could talk to the old powers on an equal footing. Therefore, Britain made up its mind and tried every means to put Japan on the front line against Russia. North Korea is a real threat. This is not a reminder from the British. The rich Manchuria has been coveted by Japan for a long time. Therefore, when Britain proposed to Japan to conclude a military alliance with bad intentions, although there were pro-Russian factions in Japan headed by Ito Hirobumi and the Yamayama Tomotomo faction, which strongly advocated the use of troops against Russia, the final result was that after a year of controversy, Japan signed a military alliance with Britain in January 1902 that would last for five years. This was tantamount to giving Japan a timetable for ending the war by 1907 if war broke out against Russia.

What exists for this timeline? Because Japan did not have the all-round support of Britain, it was powerless to resist the huge Russian bear.

In April 1902, the Russian Minister to China, Lysar, signed the Treaty on the Surrender of the Three Eastern Provinces with Prince Qing, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, stipulating that the Russian troops sent troops to Manchuria in response to the Boxer Rebellion would withdraw from Manchuria in three phases from October this year to October of the following year (1903) to restore the Manchu Qing's sovereignty over the three eastern provinces. But after the Russian army only made its first withdrawal, it no longer fulfilled the treaty. The new conditions were put forward to the Manchu government, which was bullied by others, and in short, it was unwilling to withdraw its troops again, and was ready to rely on Manchuria forever. This incident aroused the collective discontent of the great powers, especially Japan, which was closely following the matter. War Minister Masashi Terauchi summoned the commanders of all divisions to Tokyo and began to formulate a plan for the war against Russia.

The Japanese military believes that if it is determined that this battle must be fought. Then you have to fight early. Because it has dragged on for a long time, it is not good for Japan. At this time, Russia had only 100,000 men in the Far East, scattered over the vast territory of China and Russia. Because the Siberian Railway, especially the Dongqing Railway, has not yet been fully opened to traffic, the speed of the Russian army's build-up will not be very fast. But Japan could quickly amass 300,000 troops into battle. In terms of navy, the Russian Navy in the Far East had only 110,000 tons of warships and 8,500 sailors, but the Japanese had a tonnage of more than 200,000 tons and 15,000 sailors. Moreover, the facilities and batteries in Port Arthur, the main anchorage of the Russian Pacific Fleet, had not yet been fully completed, and the Japanese military's proposal for an early start to war was justified.

Diplomatic representations before the start of the war need not be detailed. When one side has decided to settle the problem with war, diplomatic mediation is nothing more than a fig leaf. Just as Japan gambled on its national fortunes nine years ago, it has once again mobilized the strength of the whole country to gamble. It is said that the night before the war, Emperor Meiji stayed up all night and summoned Hirobumi Ito at dawn to inquire about the pros and cons of the war. Ito, who had already made up his mind, made a favorable analysis of Japan to the emperor and strengthened the determination of Emperor Meiji.

There are many factors that determine the outcome of a war, the most important of which is money. Although Japan has twice drawn a lot of blood from China in ten years, its economic power is not comparable to that of Russia. As a result, the Japanese government borrowed heavily in the financial markets of Britain and the United States. The bond issuance went smoothly, but Japan became a major debt country in Britain and the United States. The funds raised were converted into large quantities of weapons that were repatriated, and were wiped out in the rumbling explosions. If Japan cannot win the war and gain benefits after the war. Then it's a battle for bankruptcy in the real right. Russia was also short of money, but Russia could not borrow money from the Great Powers except France. The Germans paid lip service to support, but in reality they took very little action. The hands of the French are too dark, and the price of shells of the same caliber is even more than a quarter higher than that of the Germans. Originally, the United States was an ideal place to borrow money, but a series of persecutions against Jews in the western provinces in the last two decades of the last century completely offended the United States. Named after Kuhn-Robbie Bank owner Jacob. In order to avenge their compatriots, the Jewish bankers led by Schiff subscribed to a large number of Japanese bonds, greatly supporting Japan's war gamble. Of course. It was also a gamble by the Schiffs. If Japan were defeated, they would probably lose all their money.

The second factor that determines the outcome of a war is morale. In this respect, Japan completely defeated Tsarist Russia. In the past, military participation was the preserve of samurai, but after the introduction of conscription, most of Japan's lower classes saw the ability to join the military as a sign of status. Have a strong sense of pride and mission. But not in Russia. The status of the soldier is extremely low. It's an authentic inferior person. Even second-class carriages, restaurants, and theaters are not admitted. The park's sign reads "No soldiers are allowed to enter", but on the contrary, ordinary people are allowed to enter the park. In some cities. Soldiers were not allowed to walk on the sidewalks. But the commanders were young princes and dukes, with beautiful women and champagne, and rode in luxurious carriages between the barracks and the manor hotel. Low morale is a matter of course.

The third factor of the war is political clarity. In contrast to Japan, which was full of vigor and unity, corruption was rampant in Russia in 1904, and corruption of all kinds was extremely serious, even in the military. The newly launched Duke Suvorov unexpectedly loosened its deck during sea trials, it turned out that they were connected by wooden tenons, and the rivets were stolen and sold. The shells fired by warships could not be exploded, and the artillery often went wrong......

In a word, the Russian army is a rotten army, and there is nothing on the surface. The only thing to rely on is the tenacity and endurance of the Russian soldiers. But they are called "grey animals"! Schlieffen, who left a great name in the history of wars in the world, said this as the then chief of the German General Staff, "...... The Russian army lacked good commanders, and the vast majority of officers were mediocre and incompetent. On the contrary, the Russian soldiers were among the best in the world, and their absolute obedience, perseverance, and death-defying spirit were invaluable qualities. ”

The war finally broke out. Even Japan, which reacted quickly, took time to launch the main force into Manchuria. At present, the war between the two countries is mainly a naval battle, and the Japanese navy has made up its mind to seal the Russian fleet in Port Arthur, so it launched wave after wave of "Arthur Blockade Battles", which is actually to block the mouth of Arthur with sunken ships to prevent the Russian Pacific Fleet from escaping. On 14 February, the first wave of wreckage flotilla, five debril-laden blockage ships, were sunk outside the channel by the battleship "Letvizan" and shore defense artillery in the harbor. However, for the task of "sending the death squad" to such a life-threatening one, the Japanese sailors enthusiastically signed up and showed a strong spirit of dedication.

The 12th Division of the Japanese Army, escorted by the fleet, began to land at Inchon and marched towards Pyongyang, and it would take time to cross the Yalu River by land and enter Liaodong. Therefore, in southern Liaoning, which will become a battlefield, the battle of Tongyuanbao of the Lushan detachment is considered to be very big news.

The Nanman detachment, which ended the ambush at Tongyuanbao, took the wounded and captured military assets and braved the heavy snow to cross the Lianshan Pass and Motianling and turn towards Benxi. At Xiamatang, he met Major Sokolov, who had come to supervise the battle. After seeing the captured military funds, he was overjoyed, and immediately praised the detachment for its bravery and good fighting, and said a bunch of praise.

This is tantamount to affirming the achievements of his previous work, and the bandit army that he recruited is not a master who takes money for nothing and does not work. But when he heard that fifty Japanese soldiers had been killed in this battle, he obviously didn't believe it, which made the officers who participated in the battle very dissatisfied, Sheng Guang said angrily, "I knew that in this way, Lao Tzu would have brought back the body of the little devil." ”

Sokolov said that the bodies of the Japanese should have been brought back. However, this situation attracted Sokolov's attention. If what the South Manchurian detachment said is true, Japan has already infiltrated the hinterland of Liaodong with a small force, and this is a very important situation. They just ambushed one of them, who knows how many of the damn yellow-skinned monkeys entered Liaodong? He decided to immediately report to the command of the Russian army in Mukden. As for the South Manchurian detachment, Sokolov's order was to continue to search for and fight against the bandits of the Feng Delin Department in this area, and strive to completely eliminate the Feng Department within two months.

Lushan accepted this task, but put forward several requirements: first, to provide weapons and ammunition supplements in accordance with the agreement; the second is to designate a county town as a rest base for the detachment to recruit and train new soldiers; The third is to replenish horses. The Kwantung beard mostly acted in horse teams, coming and going like the wind, and it was impossible not to train cavalry.

Sokolov agreed to replenish his weapons and ammunition with captured Japanese-style equipment. The area around Xiamatang can be used as a rest area for the detachment. As for the horses, he could tell the headquarters that two cavalry regiments had recently gone south to see if he could transfer some horses. Then he happily returned with the captured weapons to his life.

The South Manchurian detachment thus began their journey of conquest of the Kwantung region. Lushan officially raised the banner of the South Manchurian detachment, recruiting troops and horses to expand its strength. On February 20, just after the Spring Festival, the second brigade (Xiong Xun Brigade) of armed training encountered Feng Delin's brigade in the mountains northeast of Haicheng and south of Longchang.

For the first time, a wounded and unconscious Japanese lieutenant was captured. This person was a trainer sent to Feng Bu, and Feng Bu had officially played the banner of "Liaodong Volunteer Army" and worked for the Japanese. For this, Major General Artemyev personally came to the detachment station, presented awards to meritorious officers and soldiers, awarded medals to the Russian army, and took away the hapless Japanese lieutenant while delivering a hundred Don hippos.

And the South Manchurian detachment also officially entered the field of vision of the Japanese army, and they finally figured out who ambushed the imperial warriors. (To be continued......)