The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

Zhang Yinghao fully understood his popularity and was delighted. However, the diplomats from the foreign powers who witnessed this scene were far from happy, their faces even darkening. The people of Wuhan had welcomed Zhang Yinghao so warmly, and seeing the people's adoring expressions, they naturally felt a surge of fear. The diplomats had no doubt that with just one word from Zhang Yinghao, countless people would be willing to fight on the battlefield with guns in hand...

Zhang Yinghao didn't keep the diplomatic corps from the powerful nations waiting for long. After a short rest, he met with them: "Gentlemen, I said I would see you soon in Wuhan. I really did keep my promise, didn't I? Haha."

Zhang Yinghao was in the mood for a joke, but the Russians weren't. Foreign Counselor Guo Baifu immediately said, "Mr. Zhang, you don't deny that the Fifth Field Army in the Northeast is led by your Forward Party, right?"

"Of course, I never said no from the beginning to the end."

"Are you planning to fight in Heilongjiang?" Guo Luo Baifu immediately asked back.

"Haha, Mr. Guo Counselor Luo Baifu, Heilongjiang has been Chinese territory since ancient times. Heilongjiang was under the rule of the Qing Dynasty. We have always had a hostile relationship with the Qing Dynasty. We are rebels, so it is natural for us to fight against the Qing Dynasty, and Heilongjiang is no exception. This is an internal issue of our country. I wonder if you have any comments?"

“So why are you cutting off the Trans-Siberian Railway?”

"This railway is on Chinese territory. Didn't you just say you were fighting in Heilongjiang? The situation during a war is definitely special! Furthermore, we absolutely cannot allow the Qing army to transport troops and supplies via this railway, so we have no choice but to cut it off."

"This is the railway built by my Russian Empire. You have no right to cut it off. Your actions have seriously damaged the interests of the Russian Empire. I will take all measures to defend the interests of the Empire, and you will bear all the consequences!"

"Damn, why are you acting so high and mighty?"

Zhang Yinghao glanced at the Russian Foreign Counselor Guo Baifu, cursed inwardly, then smiled and said, "Haha, our Forward Party's position is consistent, and we have never bothered to hide our views. We do not recognize any unequal treaties signed between the Qing Dynasty and Russia. If your country wants to defend its rights, you can go to the Qing court and take the treaty you signed to negotiate, and ask the Qing Dynasty to fulfill their obligations and safeguard Russia's rights. Of course, since you built the railway, we can also refer to the Beijing-Hankou Railway. How much money you invested, we can also give you the current price. We will never let our friendly neighbors suffer..."

This statement is absolutely correct. The Liberated Areas currently have no formal diplomatic relations with the Western powers. The powers still recognize the Qing Dynasty as China's legitimate central government. Naturally, the treaties signed should be enforced by the Qing Dynasty, not the Progressive Party. To obtain the Progressive Party's recognition of these treaties, they must sign a new treaty with the Progressive Party, acknowledging their validity. Otherwise, the Progressive Party would have no business dealing with these treaties. If the powers demand that the Liberated Areas recognize these treaties, it's a no-brainer. They can only resort to war, defeating the Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army, and perhaps forcing the Liberated Areas to recognize these treaties.

"You are provoking my Russian Empire, and you will pay the price for it."

Zhang Yinghao has now become very immune to these harsh words, but other comrades do not have this ability. They immediately glared at the Russian diplomat Guo Luo Baifu.

Just as the talks were about to collapse, the Englishman, Sir John Jordan, spoke. As soon as he spoke, the others immediately fell silent, watching him speak. Everyone present knew that if the Progressive Party refused to recognize the treaties, Britain would suffer the most. Because of those treaties, Britain had launched several wars against the Qing Dynasty.

"Are you saying that your Progressive Party does not recognize all the treaties signed between the Qing Dynasty and the foreign powers?"

Zhang Yinghao waved his hand and said, "No, no, no, Mr. Jordan. Look at the contract signed between Belgium and the Qing Dynasty to build the Beijing-Hankou Railway. Didn't we redeem the railway with money? What we don't recognize are those unequal treaties. Besides, isn't the purpose of your signing treaties to make money? I think the business we are doing now should not be small, right? The profits should be said to completely exceed the so-called treaty you signed with the Qing Dynasty, right? I personally promise again that the scale of our transactions with all parties will become larger and larger. Moreover, we also uphold the principle of trade balance and will inevitably import a large amount of materials from various countries..."

When it comes to business, the American and German ambassadors, in particular, immediately smile knowingly. Naturally, other countries cannot in good conscience criticize the Progressive Party's willingness to engage in business. The current trade volume is unfathomably higher than that of the Qing Dynasty, and capitalists from all over the world are quite satisfied with this. However, the British want control, exploitation, and predatory, unconventional gains, not equal trade. Naturally, the larger the trade, the greater the pain for the British.

For Britain, the current world hegemon, business is no longer just business. Having plundered the world for centuries, the British no longer care about the small amount of money they earn from trade deficits. What they want is world leadership and financial hegemony, which is crucial to their global colonial system and world order. It could even be argued that the more trade between the great powers and the liberated territories, and the larger the scale, the greater the damage to the British Empire, which is already on the decline.

By this time, the British had learned that the Forward Party had received large sums of money from Germany and was doing business with the United States, and that they had already begun discussing loans in the United States. However, such matters could not be mentioned in front of the other ministers. The principle of unity among the great powers must be upheld, otherwise it would be a slap in the face of other countries.

At this time, the Japanese pawn started talking again.

"You must recognize the treaty signed between the Empire of Japan and the Qing Dynasty. In particular, you must pay the indemnity. Otherwise, you will seriously damage the interests of our Empire of Japan..."

Zhang Yinghao knew there was no hope for Japan. Without the resources of Northeast China, Japan's industrialization would be a castle in the air. Unless Japan could quickly move south to colonize the South Pacific Islands, it would be self-defeating. The road to industrialization was not an easy one. Without resources and markets, how could it be achieved?

Therefore, Zhang Yinghao only glanced at the Japanese devils' words and ignored them. He looked directly at Zhu Erdian and said, "I don't know what the noble envoys are so anxious to find us about?"

Seeing Zhang Yinghao ignore him, the Japanese devils immediately became furious. He cursed the army and navy in his heart. They were so good that they were driven out of the Northeast by the Fifth Field Army. It made Japan lose face internationally. Now even a Qing Dynasty rebel leader dared to ignore the diplomats of the Great Japanese Empire. He had heard reports before that the Sichuan Red Bandit rebel leader was extremely arrogant and looked down on the Great Japanese Empire. Now it seemed that he was not just looking down on the Great Japanese Empire, but was completely ignoring it!

"First, the British Empire is willing to recognize your Progressive Party government as a belligerent in the Chinese Civil War..."

After listening to Zhu Erdian's words, Zhang Yinghao suddenly understood what it meant to admit that he was a warring party.

"The British are really practical. No wonder Britain is still so happy even in the 21st century. It really makes sense!"

Zhang Yinghao knew that recognizing the warring parties was actually equivalent to recognizing his own power, which meant that both sides could be on equal footing, and that he intended to establish diplomatic relations. Of course, in the process of establishing diplomatic relations, there was naturally room for bargaining. If the great powers wanted to recognize the liberated area government, they would naturally have to pay a price.

This was one of the reasons why Zhang Yinghao had always avoided contact with the great powers. Asymmetric status had its advantages: at least he didn't have to abide by the rules set by the great powers. Now, they could overturn the table whenever they wanted. However, once status became equal, many of the internationally accepted rules would have to be observed to a certain extent, and then abolishing the treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty would become a huge undertaking.

Zhang Yinghao could only sigh inwardly. The British were incredibly good at seeing things. If he were to fight a war with the great powers, winning would naturally be a good thing. Losing would be no big deal. After all, he could simply call himself a rebel, and losing was perfectly normal. After all, throughout history, the number of successful rebellions was actually quite small.

However, once the status is equal, the cost of losing will be quite high. Apart from other factors, the blow to public morale will be much greater than the current situation. Furthermore, once both sides are recognized as belligerents in a civil war, these powers can once again take stakes and act as referees, thereby gaining further benefits.

Originally, the Forward Party and the Qing Dynasty were internal affairs of China, but if the foreign powers recognized them as belligerents in the civil war, it would be like turning a family matter into a game. Zhang Yinghao hated the idea of ​​these Western powers interfering in China's internal affairs, so he naturally rejected it without hesitation.

"No need. Once we overthrow the Qing Dynasty, we will naturally establish our own country. Then we can formally establish diplomatic relations and open embassies in each other's countries."

The three fundamental diplomatic principles of later generations after the founding of a nation were "starting anew," "cleaning up the house before inviting guests," and "leaning to one side." While the current world situation completely necessitated Zhang Yinghao's "leaning to one side," he nonetheless recognized the necessity of "starting anew" and "cleaning up the house before inviting guests." In this era where might is right, Zhang Yinghao still aspired to become a figure far superior to the Qin Emperor, Han Wudi, Tang Taizong, and Song Taizu, at least comparable to Genghis Khan in his territorial expansion. How could he easily compromise now?

"Mr. Zhang, it seems that you are not in a hurry for other countries to recognize your power?" "No, no, no, I just feel that we are not equal yet. You are a complete country, but we are not. We only have a few provinces. So we also plan to establish embassies with other countries after the establishment of our country. And I think our business is doing well now, so it is good to maintain it for a while..."

I don't know how many countries Zhang Yinghao has mocked by saying this. How many European countries have territories smaller than a small Chinese province? If the liberated areas are not worthy of standing on equal footing with the great powers, then what are those small European countries?

No matter what the powers say, Zhang Yinghao always believes that time is on his side. Regarding threats and intimidation, Zhang Yinghao's attitude is also simple, that is, if you want to fight, then fight. The reason why China was not divided up by the powers during the Qing Dynasty was because China's territory was large enough that no power could swallow it all in one go, and the resistance of the Chinese people was not something that the powers could control or withstand. Zhang Yinghao really didn't believe that he had any reason to be afraid, not to mention that Zhang Yinghao really didn't believe that the Progressive Party would do worse than the Qing Dynasty.

Since no agreement could be reached, the great powers began to use their big sticks. The first to attack was naturally Tsarist Russia: "Mr. Zhang, I regret to tell you that some of your actions have seriously damaged the interests of the Russian Empire. Therefore, on behalf of the Russian Empire, I formally issue you an ultimatum. You must agree to the following demands of the Russian Empire:

First, all detained Russian citizens must be released immediately, the trains of the Russian Empire detained in the Northeast must be released unconditionally, and there must be a promise not to cut off the free flow of trains through the Middle East Railway, and compensation must be made for the related losses.

Second, an apology must be made to the Russian Empire and a guarantee that similar incidents will not happen again.

Third, the South Manchuria Railway must be exchanged for the Russian Empire, and the Port of Lushun must be ceded to the Russian Empire, and all Mongolian troops must be withdrawn.

Fourth, compensation must be paid to the Russian Empire, the total amount of which is one billion rubles! If these conditions are not agreed to, then it will mean war!"

After laying down these conditions in full view of the crowd, Russian Counselor Luo Baifu waited for Zhang Yinghao's response. He understood the Chinese, so he believed that facing the Russian Empire's threat of war, these yellow monkeys would be frightened and tremble in fear. This was the Russian Empire's tried-and-true method. Then, they would be able to win without fighting, once again severing a piece of China's flesh, and perhaps the Tsar's Yellow Russia plan would be realized.

However, Zhang Yinghao's resounding answer was completely beyond the expectations of Consul Luo Baifu.

"If this is the Russian government's ultimatum to our liberated area governments, then I can tell you right now. The hardworking and courageous Chinese people will not accept any of the conditions proposed by Russia! If Russia wants war, or even an invasion of China, then we will give you war!"

Zhang Yinghao said seriously.

Chapter 607:

After hearing Zhang Yinghao's clear refusal, Russian Counselor Luo Baifu was stunned. In fact, not only was he stunned, but the Western diplomatic corps present were also stunned. They had not expected Zhang Yinghao to reject it so simply and rudely. They simply couldn't believe their ears. They had not expected such an answer at all. Of course, hearing Zhang Yinghao's answer, some diplomats were very excited, such as diplomats from Japan, Germany, and the Ottoman Empire.

After being stunned, Guo Luo Baifu then looked at Zhang Yinghao as if he were an idiot. He really couldn't understand where this yellow-skinned monkey got the courage to dare to confront the great Russian Empire. Did he think that just because the Fifth Field Army had a lucky victory over Japan, he could confront the great Russian Empire? Or did he think that the Russian Empire had become a weakling because it almost lost the Russo-Japanese War, and that anyone could step on it?

Guo Luo Baifu thought of this and immediately said angrily, "Mr. Zhang, you will regret this. You will definitely regret your reckless words today."

"Mr. Guo Luo Baifu, you don't need to worry about this. China's territory is naturally protected by the Chinese people. It is not your turn as a Russian to make decisions on Chinese territory."

Since Liu Wenxiu and Zhang Feng were already prepared for war, Zhang Yinghao naturally had no intention of playing coy with the Russians any longer. He was still in his growth phase, while Tsarist Russia had suffered a severe blow. The longer he dragged on, the more disadvantageous it would be for him. Furthermore, the longer it took, the greater the accumulated strength of both sides, and the larger the scale of the war would become. This war was better fought early than late, quickly than slowly, and on a large scale than on a small scale.

The Russians actually tried to use threats to force Zhang Yinghao to compromise, which was simply wishful thinking. Even if Liu Wenxiu and Zhang Feng were not prepared, Zhang Yinghao, as a person from the future, had seen through the true face of the great powers and knew the clay-footed giant Tsarist Russia better than they did themselves, so naturally he would not fall for it at all.

Since the conflict has reached this point, it's natural to talk too much. Guo Luo Baifu snorted coldly and turned to leave. Since the country is already preparing for war, there is no point in staying here. Since the Forward Party does not accept the Russian Empire's subsequent ultimatum, then apart from war, there is no other way to solve the problem. Of course, this is also the simple and crude way of handling things by Tsarist Russia. If it were a diplomat from the Forward Party, it would be impossible for him to leave alone. Even if he just sat there, he would have to stay with everyone!

After Russian diplomat Guo Luobaifu left, the other diplomats also stood up and quickly walked out. As for the principle of great power cooperation with China, no Western power would openly violate it. At least everyone should act in unity on the surface. As for private transactions, naturally, other countries had no right to interfere.

Zhang Yinghao silently watched these diplomats from the Western powers leave, feeling completely

On Chinese soil, Zhang Yinghao is not afraid of any opponent at all. They still want to ride on the Chinese people and pee and shit on them.

It has gone away forever as I have become stronger.

Zhang Yinghao looked at the backs of the diplomats from the powerful countries as they departed, and suddenly recalled the article "Farewell, Leighton Stuart" written by Taizu in his previous life with laughter and anger. The scene at that time was so similar to the present.

In my previous life, in January 1949, the Kuomintang authorities decided to move the capital to Guangzhou. Before and after the Battle of Crossing the Yangtze River, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and most of the embassies of Western countries in China moved to Guangzhou, even the Soviet Union. Only the US Ambassador to China, John Leighton Stuart, remained in Nanjing and decided to contact and negotiate with representatives of the Turkish Communist Party.

The Turkish Communist Party naturally welcomed this. Between May and July 1949, US Ambassador to China John Leighton Stuart met five times with Huang Hua, Deputy Director of the Turkish Communist Party's Foreign Affairs Office in Nanjing. During these meetings, Huang Hua expressed his hope that the United States would recognize the new Turkish Communist regime as soon as possible, on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, and invited Stuart to visit Beijing. Stuart expressed interest, but also stated that "equality and mutual benefit, combined with acceptance of the international custom of 'observance of existing treaties,'" would constitute the sole basis for US diplomatic recognition. The United States would "wait for the emergence of a democratic government supported by the Chinese people, and which would demonstrate its willingness and ability to shoulder its international obligations. The question will then naturally be resolved."

The disagreement between Stuart and Huang Hua stemmed from diverging national interests between the United States and China. Prior to the two-month meeting, U.S. Ambassador to China Stuart had received a negotiating outline from U.S. Secretary of State Acheson. The U.S. government laid out three conditions that must be met, or negotiations would be off the table.

These three are: (1) the regime must actually control the country's territory and administrative organs;

(2) The new regime must have both the ability and the willingness to assume its international obligations; and (3) the regime must have been generally recognized by its own people.

The Turkish Communist Party will undoubtedly be able to meet the first and third of these three conditions within the next six months. The only problem is the second one, which demands that China fulfill its "international obligations."

What is this international obligation? Anyone who knows about China's modern history can clearly explain it. It is nothing more than recognizing the privileges of the great powers to cede territory, pay indemnities, engage in trade, preach, sail, mine, build roads, and establish factories, etc.

In other words, the United States wanted to use its contact with the Chinese Communist Party to turn the new regime that the Communist Party was about to establish into an old regime that was no different from the previous Qing government, Beiyang government and Kuomintang government.

The land ceded previously could not be taken back; the indemnity paid previously had to be repaid; the conditions for trade, navigation, mining and factory construction previously in place had to be met...

How could Taizu and his men possibly agree to these conditions? If they agreed to all these conditions, what would the countless revolutionary martyrs, as well as the countless sacrifices made by Taizu and the Communist Party in leading the people to liberation, mean? Wouldn't all their efforts be in vain?

Despite this, Huang Hua, on behalf of the Party Central Committee and Taizu, still hoped that Stuart would visit Beijing to discuss details with the top leaders of the Turkish Communist Party. These talks initially yielded positive results, and Acheson and his State Department briefly agreed to Stuart's visit to Beijing. However, at a critical moment, Stuart received instructions from President Truman: "Under no circumstances can a visit to Beijing be permitted."

This is also why the PLA didn't use heavy artillery when liberating Shanghai. The PLA's internal documents stated that the government shouldn't destroy people's property, so that the people of Shanghai could still have houses to live in after returning home. However, this reasoning was completely inconsistent with Taizu's character, and this wasn't Taizu's usual style of not caring about things, saying, "If you save people and lose land, both the people and the land will be saved; if you save the land and lose people, both the people and the land will be lost."

The only explanation is that there were too many Westerners in Shanghai, and many factories and residences were owned by foreigners! Furthermore, the Kuomintang wanted to force the People's Liberation Army to engage in a full-scale conflict with them in Shanghai. Guns and cannons are blind, and if the war escalates, it will inevitably harm innocent people. This will not only destroy Shanghai's economy, but also make the affected people hostile to the People's Liberation Army. In this way, the Kuomintang's goal will be achieved. Even if the Communists take Shanghai, they will find it difficult to govern. If Shanghai becomes chaotic, the Kuomintang will be waiting to see the tragedy, and even take advantage of the situation...

Meanwhile, the Americans were watching closely from the sidelines, their warships anchored by the river, poised to intervene at any moment. Against this backdrop, the liberation of Shanghai became more than just a military battle; it was a political one, weighing on the broader situation and the well-being of the people. Liberation of Shanghai demanded a limited intensity, sparing civilians, while maintaining unstoppable force, denying imperialism the opportunity to intervene.

So, after making such a huge sacrifice to liberate Shanghai and conveying such great goodwill to the United States, all the goodwill was ignored and even treated as a donkey's liver and lungs. Well, at this point, apart from "Farewell, Leighton Stuart", there is really nothing else to say.

Thinking of this, Zhang Yinghao watched the departing powers with a sneer on his face. Times had changed. The reason he dared to challenge the world hegemon, Britain, and even the other powers was not only due to the vast strategic depth of the liberated areas, but also to the support of the entire population who were fighting against the invasion. Only by standing with the people could the Progressive Party and the People's Liberation Army be invincible. Without the support of the people, the tyrants who had left the people behind would never be a match for the powers.

Think about China during the WG period in the past. Every Red Guard held a copy of the Little Red Book in their hands, and then it became popular. At that time, China had a population of more than 700 million, and basically every relevant person held a copy of the Little Red Book in their hands, basically reaching the level of universal military service. Who would dare to invade such a country? If the great powers united to invade China, Zhang Yinghao would not mind making the Little Red Book quickly popular throughout China in a short period of time.

"Chairman, these old Russians are going too far. They're actually asking for 1 billion rubles in compensation, and they're even trying to take back the railway and Lushun. Isn't that just wishful thinking?"

"Yes, didn't we know this when we were studying the treaties signed by the Qing Dynasty? The Russians are greedy by nature and are obsessed with ice-free ports. Didn't they fight foreign wars for hundreds of years just to gain access to the sea and ice-free ports?"

"The Russians are eager to extort countless benefits from us. Peace can only be achieved through struggle. We must not compromise with the Russians in the slightest, otherwise they will definitely make further demands..."

Zhang Yinghao listened to these words and felt that his time travel was not in vain. These comrades recognized the great enemy of Tsarist Russia. Even if he suddenly disappeared now, history would have changed accordingly. After everyone quieted down, Zhang Yinghao said: "This war with the Russians, once it starts, will be very important to our country, more important than driving out the Japanese in the Northeast. Everyone should know that the great powers have a principle of unity towards China. Once we lose the war, the greedy polar bear will inevitably encroach on the vast land in the north. And these Western powers will certainly take the opportunity to help the Qing Dynasty eliminate us, and these powers may even personally participate in it, then our country will face a new war of aggression by the Eight-Nation Alliance against China. So this battle can only be won, not lost.

Once we win this war, it will undoubtedly show the world that our liberated areas possess formidable military power. We will then be able to immediately overthrow the Qing Dynasty, unify all of China, and fully realize national independence. From then on, no country will dare to invade our country from land. Even if they do, they will have to consider the consequences. We will then have a place in the world, a voice, and be able to stand tall among the nations.

"Chairman, what should we do next?"

"Promote production, promote revolution, and do everything possible to transport supplies to the Northeast and Outer Mongolia."

"Chairman, will this war reach Outer Mongolia?"

"It's not that they will attack Outer Mongolia, but it's very likely that the final decisive battle will take place in Outer Mongolia. Let's wait and see."

.ao……-

It is not only the various forces in China that are keeping their eyes on the Northeast, but people as far away as the European continent are also paying close attention to all this. The noose of the Fifth Field Army has now been tightly strangled around the necks of the old Russians in the Far East, and now the rope has begun to be tightened. In fact, if the Fifth Field Army had not cut off the railway, perhaps Tsarist Russia would not have received the news so quickly. However, after cutting off the railway, the Fifth Field Army immediately began to rescue the workers on the railway. The officials below could no longer conceal it, and immediately reported to their superiors, and eventually the news would naturally reach the ears of Tsar Nicholas II.

The Summer Palace in St. Petersburg, nestled in the forests on the southern shore of the Gulf of Finland, is approximately 30 kilometers from the city and covers nearly 1,000 hectares. Designed by Swiss architect Domenico Tregini, it served as a summer residence for successive Russian tsars and is an early example of St. Petersburg architecture. During the sweltering summer months, the tsars would often leave St. Petersburg and reside in the Summer Palace.

At the same time, the Summer Palace also became the location where the Tsars conducted state affairs. Especially with Tsar Nicholas II, now struggling with the Russian economy and the revolutionaries, naturally retreated to the suburban palaces. After the Russo-Japanese Armistice, far from calming down, Russia became even more turbulent. This once-powerful nation, having just begun to assert its power during the Russo-Japanese War, was immediately mired in a quagmire.

However, Russia is one of the world's great powers after all, with tens of millions of serfs to exploit. As long as given time, the country's strength will soon recover.

Today, Russia's top military and political officials gathered at the Summer Palace. They rarely disturbed Tsar Nicholas II during his days of rest. However, now the matter was of grave importance, reaching a point where they could no longer suppress it. Initially, the cause of the railway disruption remained unknown—after all, the line was so long that problems were common. Later, it was discovered that the Fifth Field Army of Northeast China had severed the line, forcing them to report it to Nicholas II.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Minister to China, Pu Kedi, has reported that Chinese rebel forces have cut off the Middle East section of the Trans-Siberian Railway. They are now attacking our Russian Empire's mines in Heilongjiang and are trying to persuade the Qing laborers on the railway to refuse to build the railway for the Empire. They are even kidnapping these laborers. If we don't deal with this now, there is even the possibility of war breaking out."

Russian Foreign Minister Izvolsky reported this to the Tsar.

Tsar Nicholas II was stunned, seemingly unable to believe the news. Ever since the ceasefire in Northeast China, he had been preoccupied with suppressing the revolution at home and had paid no attention to events in the Far East. His memory was still reminiscent of the news that the Fifth Field Army had driven out the Japanese in Northeast China. It had astonished him at first, and he had considered whether to immediately attack and recapture the South Manchuria Railway and Port Arthur. If it weren't for the other ministers' dissent, he thought, those rebels would have been completely wiped out by now.

Nicholas II had personally visited the Qing Dynasty and naturally knew what the Chinese were like. In Nicholas II's impression, the Chinese were cowardly and timid, never daring to act arrogantly or presumptuously in front of foreigners, fearing they might offend them. In the Qing Dynasty, it wasn't just the common people who feared foreigners; the officials were also terrified, treating them like masters.

Now, someone actually told him that Chinese rebels had the audacity to cut the Trans-Siberian Railway, attack the imperial mines, and even take away Qing laborers who were building the railway. Were these rebels simply too bold? Or were these rebels not Qing people at all? This was simply a fantasy.

"Your Excellency, Foreign Minister, are you sure you're not kidding? April Fool's Day has been a long time in the past, hasn't it?"

Nicholas II could hardly believe that this was happening.

"Your Majesty, the Foreign Minister is not joking, this is true. Those damn yellow monkeys have really provoked the empire." Prime Minister Kokovtsev said seriously.

Nicholas II couldn't stand it any more and roared angrily, "Oh my God! How is this possible? Are those yellow monkeys tired of living? How dare they challenge the great Russian Empire? Aren't they afraid that the heroic Russian army will tear them to pieces?"

The ministers remained silent, knowing that Nicholas II was an irritable man. Now, the Chinese dared to provoke the Russian Empire, which was truly intolerable and undoubtedly touched the bottom line of Tsar Nicholas II.

After becoming Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II worked tirelessly, following the example of Peter the Great, to make Russia the most powerful nation in the world. However, his wish was not fulfilled. Russia suffered a crushing defeat in the Russo-Japanese War, becoming a laughing stock internationally. This infuriated Nicholas II, who was determined to retaliate against the Japanese. However, until the Trans-Siberian Railway was fully completed, Russia's military might would have difficulty reaching the Far East.

Therefore, Nicholas II tightened his belt and prepared to build the Trans-Siberian Railway first. Even when suppressing the revolution at home, the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway did not stop. On the contrary, countless people who participated in the revolution were arrested and sent to Siberia to build the railway, which also greatly accelerated the progress of the railway.

Nicholas II was very pleased with the progress of the railway construction. This meant that soon, Russian troops would be able to continuously march to the Far East via the railway. Then, they could launch a war of revenge against the Japanese and let those damned Japanese bastards know the power of the Russian Empire.

Chapter 608:

Nicholas II long dreamed of establishing a Yellow Russia. The "Yellow Russia Plan" was a 19th-century plan devised by Tsar Nicholas II to invade China and annex territory. The plan entailed drawing a straight line from Mount K2 on the Sino-Russian border in Xinjiang to Vladivostok, with all territory north of that line ceding to Russia. Russia has been working towards this plan for years.

After the First Sino-Japanese War, Russia "helped" the Qing Dynasty reclaim the Liaodong Peninsula, using this opportunity to invade Northeast China. During the Boxer Rebellion, Russia, as part of the Eight-Nation Alliance, dispatched over 100,000 troops to invade northern China. Had Russia not been defeated in the Russo-Japanese War, the entirety of northern China might have been under Russian control.

Russia was desperately trying to build the Trans-Siberian Railway to teach Japan a lesson. However, Nicholas II hadn't anticipated that the Fifth Field Army would seize the Qing laborers who were working on the railway, which would undoubtedly slow down the railway's construction. Even more unbearable for Nicholas II was the Qing rebels' sudden provocation of the Russian Empire. Did they really think that the Russian Empire had completely declined and could be trampled upon by anyone?

"Since those yellow monkeys dared to challenge the majesty of the Great Russian Empire, let them know how powerful we are! Send a telegram to the Governor-General of the Far East, Ruzyski, and the Governor-General of East Siberia, Anuchin. Have them send troops to attack those yellow monkeys and make them pay for their actions!"

Tsar Nicholas II, without a second thought, ordered the troops to be dispatched. He believed that, with Russia's strength, it would be extremely easy to eliminate the Qing rebels. With the imperial army's passage, the ice-free port might return to Russian control.

Nicholas II, however, was already somewhat behind the curve. How could he have understood that the Qing rebels had risen, making the Russians' "Yellow Russia Plan" nearly impossible? Furthermore, the Russians were unaware that the Qing rebels were already planning to abolish all unequal treaties between Russia and the Qing dynasty and reclaim all lost territory.

Nicholas II looked down on the Qing people and frantically clamored for war, but countless difficulties always prevented him. He heard Finance Minister Sergei Witte say: "Your Majesty, we have no problem teaching those yellow-skinned monkeys in the Qing a lesson, but the war with Japan has already cost the Empire too much money, and the finances are on the verge of collapse. Especially with the rebellion still going on in the country, we can't raise taxes now, otherwise it will arouse more public opposition. With an empty treasury, we can't provide the Far East with the war supplies they need."

War Minister Sukhomlinov also said: "Yes, Your Majesty, before the railway is completed, we'd better avoid a large-scale war in the Far East. Otherwise, it is very likely that we will end up in another war with Japan."

"Your Majesty, whether or not to launch a war against the Qing rebels requires careful consideration. The rebellion at home has not yet been suppressed, and fighting on two fronts has been a major taboo in military strategy since ancient times. The treasury is now empty, and we simply do not have the money to fight a war, especially a large-scale war in the far east. In addition, according to the intelligence we have received, the Qing rebels are also quite capable. They were able to defeat the Japanese army in the war, which shows that their strength is also extraordinary. I am afraid that we cannot win in a short time with our troops in the Far East alone. If the war is prolonged, the consequences will be disastrous. If we suffer another defeat, it will be a huge blow to us..."

Other ministers also spoke out. After all, Russia was in dire straits, so launching a war was unwise. Nicholas II listened to these speeches, his face darkening as if water could be squeezed out of it. Faced with the provocation of the yellow monkey, whom he had always looked down upon, he was furious and almost bursting with anger.

In Nicholas II's mind, the Qing Empire was a weakling, a weakling. Faced with a provocation from a weakling like the Qing rebels, the Qing Empire dared not send troops to attack. How could Nicholas II tolerate this? If the Qing Empire was already weak, how much stronger could the Qing rebels be? The great Russian Empire's army could regain the ice-free port with just a few passes. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. After gaining the ice-free port, Nicholas II felt that Britain and the United States would no longer have any reason to interfere with the Russian Empire, and that the Japanese would no longer have the courage to provoke the Russian Empire. Nicholas II was very conceited, and the more his ministers opposed him, the more determined he became to fight.

Nicholas II thought quickly and said: "We have financial problems. We can borrow money from our allies and ask France to provide us with an emergency loan! How much money will it take to defeat the yellow monkey?"