The British's request was unsurprisingly denied for the simple reason that it was denied; The Ocean Empire remained friendly and neutral in the Russo-Japanese War and would not provide any side with weapons of killing, not even a single sword.

After receiving the reply telegram, Major General Hamilton, who was full of confidence, seemed to be slapped, and stood for a long time before saying; "It's unbelievable that the Ocean Empire is taking us for fools when it refuses to help us on such ridiculous grounds, when it has provided a lot of supplies to both sides in the war to support their life-and-death struggle in this Colosseum in the Far East?"

"Your Excellency, your anger is understandable, but that's the ridiculous reality." Lieutenant Colonel Faulkeson, military attache of the British Legation in the Qing Dynasty, shrugged his shoulders and said in his usual arrogant tone; "When you can't change that, you can try to understand him, and as a spectator, you always want the boxer in the rope ring to fight well and fiercely, and no one wants to hand over a knife at this time and end the fight early."

Major General Hamilton put down the telegram in his hand, looked at him with strange eyes, and said; "Mr. Lieutenant Colonel, how long have you been in your current position?"

"Uh...... It's been almost three years, and you mean ......"

"I am optimistic that you can do it for another three years, you are a soldier with the temperament of a diplomat, and this position is very suitable for you."

"Your Excellency, did you misunderstand what I meant?"

"No...... The door is in the back, please close it when you leave, thank you! ”

Major General Hamilton swept away the gray Lieutenant Colonel Faulkeson, who had no affection for this self-proclaimed humorous and empty-eyed idiot.

Captain Li Jianyang and Major Mike, who were sorting out the documents in the room, glanced at each other, knowing that their boss was in a bad mood now, and they subconsciously kept an eye on it, but don't touch the mold like that unlucky bastard.

"Major Mack, please bring me a cup of coffee, thank you."

"We'll be happy to serve you, General." Major Mack gracefully performed aristocratic courtesy, turned and left the room to make coffee.

Major General Hamilton sat down irritably, flipped through the documents in front of him, read them unintentionally, and looked up and asked; "Captain Li, you are of Chinese descent born in the Ocean Empire, what do you think of their refusal of the British to be a not too excessive request?"

"I think this is a kind of sideshow by neutral countries that are on the fringes of international law, and they obviously enjoy the lucrative benefits of selling supplies to both Japan and Russia." Captain Li Jianyang put down the document in his hand, thought about it for a moment with a serious expression, and continued; "The facts are very clear, they strictly define the distinction between civilian and military supplies, and once the Anglo-Japanese alliance provides siege artillery, this is a de facto act of taking sides, not only losing a large amount of revenue, but also unable to move around the gray marginal space, which seriously hinders its interests in the Far East."

"Very thoroughly, Mr. Captain, it seems that I have not thought about it, this matter is more complicated than I thought." Major General Hamilton regretted his rash promise, but he boasted about Haikou in front of Marshal Dashanyan, and he could not turn his face and deny it.

The Japanese army could not get the siege artillery, and it was possible that it would suffer another serious setback in the attack on the fortress of Arthur, which would affect the future direction of the entire Russo-Japanese War.

Such a major mistake could not be afforded by Major General Hamilton.

He exhaled heavily, turned his gaze to the handsome young officer in front of him, and said after a moment's consideration; "Mr. Captain, I know that you have a close relationship with the new Vice-Chancellor of the Colonies, Winston Churchill, and that your performance confirms my judgment that you are a thoughtful and sharp-eyed young officer, is there anything you have to say in the face of such a predicament?"

That's your dilemma, not mine.

Although he was slandered in his heart, Li Jianyang did not dare to show any emotion on the surface, he did not answer immediately, but after thinking about it carefully, he replied in strict terms;

"Your Excellency, Honorable General;

There is no doubt that the heavy siege artillery you promised to Marshal Dashanyan will be obtained by any means.

This is not only related to the strong friendship of the Anglo-Japanese alliance, but also to the face of His Excellency the General, and to the victory or defeat of the attack on the fortress of Arthur.

Now the question is where to get it?

If you want to break through the thick reinforced concrete defense of the Arthur fortress, you must use a large-caliber siege mortar, which is the kind of big guy with a single shell of 1,000 pounds, and the power is strong enough.

There is indeed a batch of siege artillery in the warehouses of the Ocean Empire, which originated from the Citi Civil War and once showed its skills in the Battle of Gettysburg.

This batch of heavy artillery may be the only large-caliber siege mortar that can be found in the entire Pacific region.

Even in Citigroup, after the Civil War more than 40 years ago, many of the old guns found their way into the furnaces of the steel mills, and they are hard to find now.

If you can't get this batch of siege artillery from the Ocean Empire, then you can only find a way from yourself.

I remember that during the Crimean War, the Anglo-French army used large-caliber mortars to bombard the heavily defended fortresses of Tsarist Russia, inflicting serious casualties on them. Although nearly 50 years have passed, if you are lucky, these siege guns should still be in the dust in some remote army warehouse.

All we have to do is find out where they are by searching the archives and get them to the Far Eastern front as soon as possible. ”

The Russian army stationed in the Lushun fortress has more than 40,000 people, has 655 artillery pieces, and has large-caliber naval guns removed from the Pacific Fleet to assist in defense, plus a thick reinforced concrete fortress, it is a very difficult bone to gnaw.

In the current conditions, it is very difficult for the army heavy artillery to move and transport, and the largest caliber artillery equipped by the Fuso army is a 210-mm howitzer, which is already the limit.

Weighing about 200 pounds, it fired high-explosive shells capable of shattering small and medium-sized concrete bunkers, but not large fortifications.

What the Japanese army needed was a heavy mortar gun with a caliber of more than 300 mm, the larger the caliber the better, the more powerful the better, and it was best to be able to hit the soul with one shot.

Heavy mortar guns don't look at the simple shape, this kind of super-large caliber siege heavy artillery has a single purpose, the number is extremely rare, the casting difficulty is very high, it takes a long time just to open the mold, basically you can only find a way in the existing inventory.

Captain Li Jianyang's words made Major General Hamilton's eyes gradually brighten; By the way, how did you forget about this stubble?

Half a century has passed since the Crimean War, if it weren't for Captain Li Jianyang's reminder, Major General Hamilton really couldn't remember that the British Army still had these stocks, he immediately stood up excitedly and said; "Hurry up and send a telegram to the country, so that they can immediately search the archives and see where these siege guns are hidden?"

"Your Excellency, I suggest that it be up to the War Department, our Far Eastern Military Observer Mission may not be strong enough, you know...... The procrastination of the domestic department may delay the major events on the front. ”

"It's very true, it's a disgusting ill." Major General Hamilton excitedly crossed his waist and turned around the room twice, suddenly stopped, pointed at Captain Li Jianyang and said; "If this batch of heavy artillery can be delivered to the front line as scheduled, I should call you "Major Li", and I believe that no one will have any objections. ”

"Thank you, Your Excellency."

"This is the guy you deserve, very well done, tomorrow night the Japanese South Manchurian Command will hold a high-level cocktail party, I hope you will attend as my adjutant, and I will personally introduce you to Marshal Dashanyan."

"Thank you, Your Excellency, General, all I can say is ...... Thank you very much. ”

"Hahaha......"

Major General Hamilton burst out laughing, and Major Mack walked in with his brewed coffee, and was stunned at the sight;

Your Excellency the General is so moody, is it menopause?

Leave the British Observer Mission station

Captain Li Jianyang rode his horse and walked through the streets of Liaoyang City, and his eyes were full of Fusang soldiers in black military uniforms, as well as Qing people hiding in the corners and looking out, wearing small melon skin hats on their heads, braids on the back of their heads, and their faces were full of numbness and helplessness.

In this land belonging to the Qing Kingdom, the bloody wars between Japan and Russia continued, and the original owner became a spectator, what a sad thing!

For decades, newspapers and magazines have adhered to the imperial will to reiterate the 5,000-year-old culture from Yan and Huang, the glory of the Han and Tang Empires, and instilled the Chinese genes flowing in the blood of the Tang people, which are noble and sacred.

In modern times, it has been like a pearl covered with dust, and once it is wiped away, it will shine brightly, creating a glorious and prosperous ocean empire for thousands of miles.

It was this pride and recognition that made Li Jianyang, who has a strong national tendency, feel deeply heartbroken about everything he saw, and felt deeply powerless in the face of these ignorant and numb clansmen, and hated the decadent rule of the Qing Dynasty even more.

He reads newspapers often and agrees with the recent remarks of social groups that have sprung up like mushrooms among the people.

This land of China needs a complete change......

He came to the temporary apartment and turned over and dismounted, and the servant in the porter hurriedly nodded and came out, took the reins of the horse from the hand of Lord Yang, and led the mount to the stable behind.

Li Jianyang looked back and saw the Fusang soldiers carrying rifles coming and going on the street, almost each holding a cigarette and spitting smoke.

Seeing this British captain, a respectful smile appeared on his face in a hurry, and he bowed from afar.

In their spare time after fighting, cigarettes have become an indispensable thing for Fuso soldiers, and many soldiers who are addicted to cigarettes use all the money on them to buy cigarettes, and even spontaneously form a black market, and many soldiers exchange captured materials for cigarettes.

There are all kinds of goods on the black market, including guns and ammunition, as well as canned goods, toffee, milk powder, silver jewelry, etc., all of which are priced with cigarettes, which are hard currency in war.

The current Fusang soldiers are strictly disciplined, and they are not as frantic as later generations, so Li Jianyang has a good impression.

If he had chosen between Japan and Russia, he would rather Fuso win the final victory of the war than those Russian soldiers who burned and looted on the northeastern land, which was also his original intention to advise Major General Hamilton.

It is better to be a peaceful dog than a troubled world.

I only hope that this war in the three northeastern provinces will end as soon as possible, because the war has brought only endless suffering to the people, the countryside is deserted, wives and wives are separated, and many civilians are starving to death on the way.

Alas......

Captain Li Jianyang knew that he couldn't do anything, sighed lightly, walked into the apartment, and closed the door with his backhand.