Alchemy Greater China

By the time Mahan and the top U.S. Navy chief came forward to stop the incident, more than a dozen journalists had already lost their lives.

This scene was undoubtedly captured by other fearless reporters.

It is conceivable that in the newspapers tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, the tragedy of the Panama Canal explosion will inevitably include an accusation of the massacre of innocent journalists by the US military.

As a result, the work of Mahan and other admirals became even more arduous.

Not only to save lives, but also to appease these journalists who share the same hatred... It was not until the afternoon of January [-] that the number of casualties in the canal was finally brought under control.

When the final casualty statistics were released on January [-], the list of losses caused President Cleveland to faint on the spot. Thanks to the side staff who carried a bottle of "special life-saving potion" produced by Meihao Chemical Factory, It was only then that His Excellency the President was pulled back from the gate of hell!

It was a secret that President Cleveland owed Long Hao a favor!

The list of losses is as follows.

23 battleships were flooded, and they could never continue to participate in the battle without major repairs. Among them, three were particularly unlucky. The gunpowder magazines on the ships exploded, making the entire battleship look like a piece of scrap metal. The repair cost was even higher than rebuilding!

All 48 battleships were wounded, a total of 3838 dead and missing soldiers, and 9166 wounded soldiers.

Among them, 166 captains were killed, and [-] officers above the rank of lieutenant colonel were seriously injured. Many of them died in the hospital because of ineffective treatment!

In addition, the ammunition and supplies lost on the 48 battleships added up to more than one million dollars...

This is a shocking list of losses, and it is no wonder that President Cleveland was so angry that he almost died.

Such a result is indeed worse than death!

You know, this is all the wealth accumulated by the United States in the past ten years. 48 battleships, all of them are first-class steel battleships that are several grades more advanced than Zhenyuan and Dingyuan. In terms of cost alone, any random one can be worth half of the Beiyang Navy!

This is a great eruption of American industrial capacity and wealth accumulation, and this is the source of confidence that the US Navy is eager to try to wrestle with the British fleet!

Such a group of battleships.It carried all the hopes of the White House, the two Johns, the Navy Department... However, this hope was shattered in one night!

How does this embarrass the Americans?

How does this make Americans not go crazy with anger?

It is also terrible for the Americans to get angry. For example, on January [-]rd, they refused to apologize to the innocent reporter killed by the artillery team, and they also blocked the Panama Canal with a radius of [-] kilometers, and launched a week-long investigation.

The reason for doing this is because Mahan firmly believes that the initiators of the Panama Canal bombing tragedy must still be near the Panama Canal, because...they want to create such an appalling chain explosion.The explosives required are definitely not a small amount!

And to transport such a large amount of explosives into the Panama Canal, there must be many clues left behind!

As long as the clues are followed, the initiator of this tragedy can be found out. Mahan vowed that once these "initiators" are found, they must have a taste of what is called the top ten tortures in the United States!

Mahan's proposal was fully approved by the White House and the military department. After all, such a big incident happened.If the criminals are not even caught, then the face of the United States will be completely lost!

Still want to go to the Pacific Ocean to fight for hegemony with Britain?

Dig a hole and bury yourself.Save embarrassment!

In this way, from January [-] to January [-], [-], while counting the results of casualties, the Americans launched a carpet search around the Panama Canal. For those who stayed around the Canal during this period, A thorough investigation was carried out.

The blanket search caught a few local poachers in Panama.It can be said that nothing was achieved.

And the investigation of the people who were lingering near the canal when the big bang happened did not have any effect.

Because most of these lingering people were journalists, and the tragedy of journalists being shot dead by the army had not yet passed, many of these grieving journalists refused to cooperate.

The U.S. government didn't make things too difficult for these reporters, even though Long Hao was a reporter for the "San Jose Courier" in the background.But when they entered Panama, they all went through a rigorous search, and they wanted to bring in explosives that could blow up a canal of more than 80 kilometers...it was a fantasy.

The so-called interrogation of journalists is actually a more appropriate channel for Americans to vent their anger.

After a week passed, the United States finally could not withstand the pressure of international public opinion and released these detained journalists without charge.

However, even Ma Han did not expect that the murderer of the bombing case was actually hidden among these seemingly harmless reporters.

That's right, I think all the judges have already guessed that the 'culprit' of the Panama bombing tragedy is Long Hao. Do you still remember that when Long Hao was looking for the sunken ship at the bottom of the sea, he placed LT at the bottom of the Panama Canal as an ambush .

A reporter from the "Courier" who came to Panama to report on the ribbon-cutting of the opening of the Canal was an employee of the Alchemy Kingdom's intelligence department.

His task is very simple. He only needs to press a button on the resonance transmitter when all the American battleships enter the river and drive to the central river section.

This transmitter is a product of alchemy, it will emit a specific metal resonance frequency, and from this frequency, the hidden lts in the river will be detonated collectively!

To be honest, this small intelligence officer was also very surprised at the scene of the explosion he caused, and could hardly believe that all this just came from his own light touch!

For a while, even he himself hypnotized himself: This canal explosion has nothing to do with him!

Therefore, with an open mind, he passed the investigation of the Americans without any setbacks.

The big explosion that happened at the Panama Canal, in addition to having a major impact on the press, making countless related newspapers out of stock, and leading a wave of people coming to Panama to see the shortest-lived canal in history, there is also a more far-reaching impact .

That is, in a short period of time, the U.S. Navy was severely damaged and could no longer pose a threat to the Queen's Fleet in the Pacific Ocean.

About the murderer of the Panama bombing tragedy.It has always been an unsolved historical case. It was not until decades later that everyone basically guessed from the clues that this unsolved case should be planned by Long Hao.

But at the moment, although the Americans have also suspected Long Hao, there is no evidence at all.

Long Hao has kept a low profile recently, he has not directly participated in the war in Europe.Nor did it interfere with Clayhall's raids in the Pacific.

His thoughts are all on training alchemy apprentices, developing alchemy products and promoting them.

Well, let's speed up a little more and take a quick look at the big events that happened in the past five years.

After browsing, it's time to explain what Long Hao is doing.

The explosion of the Panama Canal in January stifled the ambition of the United States to plot the Pacific Ocean, and at the same time plunged the US government into a serious financial crisis and financial deficit.

The economic crisis seems to be coming.

In mid-to-late January, the stocks of two companies owned by John.Collective plummeted.

Among them are the impact of the explosion of the Panama Canal, as well as the blocking of it by the Ministry of Finance of the Alchemy Nation led by Melissa.

As we all know, women's revenge is the strongest.

According to the provisions of the 'Life and Death Contract', the companies of the two Johns blocked by Melissa had already lost to Melissa.

It's just that Melissa couldn't get it because of 'playing tricks'.

So to a certain extent, Melissa's financial blockade against him is justified.Reasonable!

Someone may ask, block these companies.What's so good about Melissa?

You must know that the cost of malicious blocking in the financial market is very high.

It can be said that even if the blocking is successful in the end, and even the company of the other party is acquired, it can be seen from the ratio of gains and losses.It is also a loss.

But Melissa replied: It doesn't matter whether it loses money or not, this is what the princess is fighting for!

It's supposed to be mine, but if you refuse to give it to me, okay, then I'll smash it to pieces.Let's see if you give it back!

It turned out that Melissa didn't have the idea of ​​relying on these companies to make a profit at all. She would rather smash the other party to pieces than collect it as her own spoils!The two Johns who are placed in the exhibit window and are used to play rascals.

Well, women are just that scary.

In fact, thanks to the explosion of the Panama Canal, Melissa's financial blockade did not cost much.

The reason is very simple. After the big bang was hyped by public opinion, its financial influence has surpassed that of the United States, and it has gone to the world... In addition, the United States borrowed a high-interest loan from the United Kingdom in order to build one-third of its battleships. The matter was exposed, and most American citizens were extremely dissatisfied with the government.

Next, there were rumors that the five-year treasury bonds issued by the United States last year might not be redeemed, which triggered another "running storm" in which the treasury bonds were cashed in advance.

After a series of blows, how can the two Johns who wear a pair of trousers with the US government not be ashamed?

The companies under it are naturally on the verge of collapse.

By February, the results of the blockade showed that several banks under Morgan had been successfully acquired by Melissa, and several oil refining centers under Rockefeller's name had also been controlled by Melissa over half of the shares.

Faced with Melissa's aggressive attack, the two Johns were powerless to resist, because they knew that the U.S. Navy had been hit hard by this, and they had to follow along with their tails tucked together.

After introducing the United States, let's talk about Europe.

At the end of February, the army of the Austro-Hungarian Empire rushed to Minsk, west of Moscow, where the Austro-Hungarian Empire was preparing for a strategic decisive battle with the Tsarist Russian army.

The winners move on, and the losers pay a heavy price.

It stands to reason that Russia, as one of the old three emperors, had a good relationship with the Austro-Hungarian Empire, but the bad thing was that the old tsar died suddenly, and the new tsar was won by Nicholas II in a competition.

Nicholas II, although he is newly enthroned, has been exercising the power of the tsar for many years.

Some time ago, seeing that the war in Europe was not going well, Germany turned around to form an alliance with the United Kingdom, and Nicholas II was busy dealing with the fierce counterattacks of domestic opponents such as Prince Aza, so he broke away from the formation of the Austro-Hungarian Empire without saying hello. united front.

Not only that, but before leaving, the Russian army took a bite of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, looted many cities in Austro-Hungary, and looted a lot of wealth and population in the name of war.

At that time, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was in a critical situation, and there was no way to deal with the betrayal of the Tsarist Russian Maozi.I could only grit my teeth and swallow my blood.

Now it's all right, the feng shui has turned, Germany went to beat France, and the British fleet also withdrew to the home defense. Joseph I, who had freed up his hands and feet, didn't use his strength to beat Russia?

If you can win the Battle of Minsk.In the end, he captured Moscow and completed the great cause that even Napoleon had not completed. Joseph I felt that this was the only way to get rid of his hatred!

On February 33, the Battle of Minsk started. The Austro-Hungarian Empire invested 57 troops, while the Russian army on the opposite side had [-] infantry and [-] Cossack cavalry.

Not surprisingly, the old Russian army has always liked to win by numbers.After withstood the sudden attack of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for the first three months, the Russian army, encouraged by the great Emperor Nicholas II, has stabilized its position and vowed to give the Austro-Hungarian soldiers who invaded their country a break. A lesson they will never forget!

The Russian army has the upper hand in numbers, while the equipment and logistics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire have a slight upper hand.

Both sides are evenly matched.

The battle known as the Minsk Meat Grinder by later generations kicked off in this way.

The battle fell into anxiety from the very beginning, neither side backed down, and all kinds of bullets and shells were flying in the sky.Smoke and fire are commonplace.

The shrapnel that fell on the land of Minsk was like raindrops.As long as it is covered by fighting firepower, what will be left behind must be a place of dead bodies!

This is another big "review" of modern land warfare. The new weapons developed in the past ten to 15 years have basically been put into the Minsk battlefield.

Although the previous War of the Three Emperors Alliance was also an opportunity for these 'killing weapons' to test themselves, after all, there has not been a collision between two large camps like the Battle of Minsk!

The two sides add up to nearly a million soldiers!

This provides enough 'ingredients' for the 'meat grinder'!

The Battle of Minsk lasted 20 days in a scramble, from February to March.On average, [-] soldiers died in the tragic firefight every day.

It has to be said that old Russians always have a vigor and tenacity in fighting at the door of their homes. This is the case against Napoleon before, and it will be the same against the Germans in the future.

this moment.It was the turn of the soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire to suffer.

On March [-], just as Joseph I was about to withdraw from Minsk's "meat grinder" with some helplessness, drawing an imperfect end to the conquest of Tsarist Russia, an accident happened suddenly.

On March [-], a palace coup took place in Moscow. Under impossible circumstances, Nicholas II was captured by Prince Aza who escaped from prison. At the same time, a group of cavalry from Finland broke into the Russian palace. , massacred the Russian guards loyal to Nicholas II.

Immediately afterwards, this team of Finnish cavalry and Prince Aza's supporters swung their butcher knives and carried out a bloody cleansing of Nicholas II's cronies who were hiding in Moscow and surrounding areas.

When the news reached Minsk, Moscow had already undergone an eight-day clean-up operation, and the number of people killed was approaching the terrifying number of [-]!

Hearing such news, Joseph I couldn't believe his ears.

After being surprised, he was overjoyed. With a big wave of his hand, he spread the news and dealt a crushing blow to the Russian army on the opposite side.

The backyard was on fire, and the Russian army naturally had no intention of fighting.

That night, the Russian army withdrew from the Minsk battlefield.

The evacuation scene was in chaos...

Joseph I seized the opportunity, took advantage of the fire, and robbed the Cossack cavalry who were not well-known, had no news, and remained in the camp without moving!

The Cossack cavalry is the treasure of Russia, but unfortunately due to poor communication, these 'babies' have become the ghosts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire!

Of the [-] Cossack cavalry, only a few hundred escaped Minsk alive.

On March 24, the [-]-day Battle of Minsk ended with the reversal victory of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The two sides invested a total of 99 soldiers, and the casualties exceeded 30!

The Russian army lost Minsk, and the gateway to Moscow was opened to Joseph I.

However, just when everyone thought that the Austro-Hungarian army would pursue the victory and drink the Oka River, Joseph I stopped the attack.

After understanding it, the reason seems to be very simple. Prince Aza, who had just established himself as the tsar, sent a signal from Moscow to seek peace. He was willing to sit down and talk to Joseph I about the peace issue between the two countries.

In order to express his sincerity, the new tsar sent out enough gold to pay 10 people.

In the eyes of the outside world, Joseph I was finally sober this time. He was not tempted by the false name of victory, but really considered the lives of soldiers and the actual benefits he could see.

Instead of having another Minsk-like meat grinder battle (for example, the defense of Moscow?), to pursue the undecided result, it is better to sit down, accept the other party's summation, and taste the fruits of victory safely.

On March [-], Joseph I expressed his agreement in principle to Tsar Aza's summation.

The two sides will sit down and have a good talk in Kiev.

While the outside world was wildly admiring Joseph I who "accepted as soon as he saw it", few people knew that the reason why Joseph I did this was not because of his sober mind, but because of the persuasion from Empress Sissi.

Well, the reason why I say "persuasion" is actually to give Joseph I face.

The real situation is like this. After the battle of Minsk, Empress Sissi brought a little girl named Yesula to see Joseph, and she only said one sentence: "Long Hao hopes that the war will end here, and the fight will continue. It will only be cheaper for others!"

Joseph I, who was afraid of his wife like a tiger, didn't nod his head in agreement, and covered his mouth and smiled at the little girl Yesula. (To be continued..)