In March, the northern lands of the empire have gradually entered spring. The frozen earth has thawed, and the withered yellow weeds have sprouted, and a row of life is full of life. However, the arrival of spring also made the clouds of war hanging over the north much thicker. After a winter's rest, the Imperial Army had stockpiled up supplies and was about to launch the final blow against the Manchus.

Now there are less than 300,000 Manchu troops left, and most of them are concentrated in Beijing, except for a small number deployed in Shanxi. The Manchus were planning to make a final stubborn resistance. Of course, the Manchus thought they had left a way back, and if the city of Beijing could not be defended, they could go to the steppe to continue the confrontation with the Chinese Empire through the Mongol tribes in the steppes until Russian reinforcements arrived. It is precisely because of the preservation of this back road that the Manchu high-ranking officials are not very afraid.

The Imperial Army was also ready for the final battle, striving to destroy the Manchus in one fell swoop. According to information received by the Reich* Military Intelligence Agency, as early as last month, the Russian Expeditionary Force had already embarked on a journey, with a full 400,000 troops departing from the European part of Russia, and they would go to the Far East to prepare for the Imperial Army. And this is just the first expeditionary force. The second batch of 200,000 expeditionary forces will also depart this month. By then, the number of troops sent by Russia to the Far East will reach 600,000. It can be seen that the Russians are desperate for money this time, and they want to fight to the death with the Chinese Empire.

Russia has the largest standing army in the world, and that's right. However, having already lost more than 200,000 people before, another 600,000 people have been sent to the Far East. This left the Russian army with only 600,000 men. It is impossible for these 600,000 people alone to hold the vast territory of Russia. Therefore, Tsar Nicholas I gave the mobilization order on the eve of Christmas last year. It is necessary to once again raise an army of millions to strengthen Russia's military power. Deterrent neighboring countries that are ready to move because of the transfer of the main forces of the Russian army to the Far East.

Russia has a population of more than 60 million, and once again it has formed an army of more than a million, and there is no shortage of soldiers. However, Russia's weak industrial strength and nearly bankrupt finances made it not easy to arm this million-strong army. In order to arm these armies. Tsar Nicholas I ordered a levy of taxes, which displeased the bourgeoisie and peasants in Russia. This makes their lives even more difficult. But even so, the military spending needed for Russia to arm an army of millions is still not enough.

At this time, the British unexpectedly extended a helping hand to Russia. After the British government secretly contacted the Russian government. It was offered a low-interest loan to Russia. The total amount of loans amounted to 20 million pounds. This loan. To the delight of the Russians. Although they did not know why the British were so kind, it did no harm to them. With this money, they will be able to arm an army of millions and have sufficient military expenses to ensure a big war with the Chinese Empire. You know, the relationship between Britain and Russia was not very good before. When Russia continued to expand outward, the British always tried their best to intercept Russia. Except at a time when the First French Empire, ruled by Napoleon, dominated Europe. To deal with France, Britain and Russia united. Wait until after the collapse of Napoleon's First French Empire. They quickly went from allies to enemies. In the direction of the Balkans, where Russia was focusing on expansion, the British supported the Ottoman Turkish Empire and prevented Russian expansion. This has caused many contradictions between Britain and Russia.

There are no eternal allies and no permanent enemies between nations. This is very appropriate for Britain and Russia at this time. In order to support the Russians against the Chinese Empire, the British once again co-opted the Russians. It can be said that the British contributed money, the Russians contributed their efforts, and the two countries united to contain the development of the Chinese Empire. The British were rich in money but sparsely populated, and they would not take the initiative until they were absolutely sure to defeat the Chinese Empire. Therefore, supporting Russia in the war against the Chinese Empire became the best way.

The Chinese Empire was not unaware of the intentions of the British, but could not do anything about it. After all, could the Chinese Empire not be able to prevent Britain from lending to Russia? At this time, the Chinese Empire was already an enemy of Russia, and it had also provoked the United States. Of course, with the great strength of the Chinese Empire, even if it went to war with these three countries at the same time, it would be able to ensure that it would not be defeated. But the huge losses were enough for the whole country to collapse. The development time of the Chinese Empire was still too short, and its industrial strength was far from being comparable to that of the Western powers. Therefore, when fighting abroad, this has to be taken into account.

In addition, even with the support of the British, the Chinese Empire was confident of defeating the Russians. Russia has a large population, but that doesn't mean they have unlimited soldiers. As long as the 600,000 expeditionary force sent by Russia to China this time is resolved, the Russians will also be broken. When the time comes, no matter how stupid the Russians are, they will weigh whether or not to continue the decisive battle with China.

On March 3, 1847, Emperor Long Yufei convened a joint military and political conference in the imperial palace in Guangzhou. There was only one content of the meeting, and that was the imminent start of the imperial war against the Manchus and Russia. Long Yufei demanded that this year be a very critical year for the empire, and within this year, the empire must destroy the Manchus and defeat Russia. In addition, there will be a cross-sea expedition to the United States. From now on, the Imperial Army and Navy will enter the highest state of combat readiness. Destroy the Manchu Qing Dynasty, this is already no suspense. With a great loss of strength and low morale, it was impossible for the Qing army to stop the advance of the imperial army. After the fall of the Manchus, with the support of the Mongol tribes, the front of the Imperial Army would rapidly advance into Eastern Siberia, burning the flames of war to the territory of the Russians. In this way, it will be possible to minimize the losses caused by the war. After all, the outbreak of war on the territory of the country, the damage caused is staggering, and there is no reason to always let the Chinese bear the losses of the war.

In this year's battle plan, the enemies of the Reich were mainly Russia and the United States, and the war against the United States had been decided to be carried out jointly by the Reich, France, and Spain. With the strength of the Americans, it is almost impossible to resist the attack of the three powers. Therefore, the outcome of this battle is already doomed, and the empire does not need to worry too much. The main enemy of the empire is still Russia. Compared with the United States, Russia's military strength is much stronger, and the 600,000 expeditionary force sent by Russia to the Far East is also a powerful military force, and it is not so easy to defeat them. Coupled with the fact that Eastern Siberia was far from the hinterland of the empire, logistical supply was also a big problem. Therefore, this battle will be a very tough battle!

But even so, the empire must win this war, only in this way can the empire be truly safe, and can the world know that the Chinese empire is not easy to mess with. The voice of the empire will not be ignored by them!

At the meeting, Long Yufei mobilized the military and political officials, calling on everyone to overcome the difficulties and ensure that the empire would achieve a heavy victory this year. Of course, both the cabinet ministers and the military generals are convinced of this. Everyone believes that although the enemies of the empire are strong, the empire is not vegetarian. The Empire, which has been well prepared for a long time, will definitely win the final victory.

After the meeting, Emperor Long Yufei summoned Prime Minister Li Decheng, Foreign Minister Lin Zihao, Chief of the General Staff, General Niu Meng, Chief of the General Staff, General Zhao Yi, Deputy Chief of the General Staff and Minister of Logistics, and Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations, in his study, to listen to their reports on the battle plan for this time.

This war is no longer just about the army, it's about the entire empire, so all the people of the empire need to join in.

"Your Majesty, the empire has now entered a wartime system, and all arsenals, steel mills, and other war-related enterprises have entered a state of three shifts. The production of various materials can meet the consumption of the army. In addition, the Ministry of Finance plans to issue a new issue of war treasury bonds, and a total of 100 million Chinese dollars will be raised to support this war! Prime Minister Li Decheng said. The long hours of combat are also very taxing on the military. The imperial finances were also somewhat unsupportable, so the issuance of government bonds to the private sector became a good method.

In this era, China is actually not short of money. Previously, the annual revenue of the Manchu Qing Dynasty was only 80 million taels of silver, which was only one-third of that of the British. However, this is due to the fact that most of the funding is in the private sector. After the empire adopted a series of measures to stimulate the development of industry and commerce, these funds quickly became active, making the empire's industry and commerce prosperous. At the same time, if the empire were to raise money from the private sector, it would be easy to get it together. After all, now the prestige of the Imperial Emperor Long Yufei among the people is in full swing. In the minds of the common people, it is even more god-like. Even if Long Yufei asked them to die, it is estimated that they would not blink their eyes. What's more, now it's just the government borrowing money from them, and if they borrow, they always have to pay back, and they will make up a part of the interest, so why should the people be unhappy?

Long Yufei nodded, if he raised another 100 million military spending, it would be almost enough. Of course, these funds will be returned in the future. As for how to return it, Long Yufei had already thought about it. (To be continued......)

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