The sun never sets

Principles are the bottom line and cannot be negotiated. There is only one difference between breaking the bottom line and countless times. Once it is broken once, there will be countless times. If this membrane is broken, even if it is repaired by surgery in the future, it will be fake and completely different from the real thing.

"Tell Wu Tingfang not to be afraid! We recognize the British hegemony on the sea, but their warships cannot come ashore! In the matter of safeguarding China's sovereignty, we have 450 million Chinese compatriots as our backing. Even if the Eight-Nation Alliance comes again, we will never accept the British blackmail!"

It's not that Wu Tingfang was weak-willed. He was not afraid of death and would not be frightened by the aggressive British diplomats. What he was worried about was that the prosperity of the people's government would be interrupted, and the rapid development of the people's government would be interrupted. In the past, it was a dark and hopeless place. The worst that could happen was that one would fight to the death. Now I finally see

Having hope will lead to worrying about gains and losses.

Wu Tingfang felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff. If he made the slightest mistake, he would fall to pieces. He was not a military expert, and he had no idea what was going on in the Northeast. The People's Army seemed to have a great advantage, destroying and capturing tens of thousands of Russian troops. However, foreign newspapers said that the People's Army suffered huge losses and the two sides entered a state of confrontation.

Some newspapers were also singing the praises of the People's Army, believing that it had exhausted its offensive momentum and was about to collapse. At this critical moment, if 300,000 Japanese troops entered Liaodong... When Wu Tingfang thought of this terrible result, he felt trembling all over and almost couldn't breathe.

Not only Wu Tingfang was under great pressure, but other departments of the People's Government also felt tremendous pressure. Fortunately, Premier Wang Qi was very calm and responded effectively, which suppressed the panic. The government continuously published notices in newspapers, calling for "everything for the Northeast" and "everything for victory", and carried out first-level combat readiness in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei, Shandong and other places, preparing to fight against possible invading enemies.

Even so, Wu Tingfang still couldn't feel at ease. He was afraid that because of his own fault, the people's government would be caught in an unfavorable situation. "God, if you really exist, please give me some instructions, even if it's just a little bit!"

Wu Tingfang did not believe in Jehovah, Jesus Christ, or Allah's prophets, but that did not mean he did not believe in God. Under heavy pressure, he called for the existence of God in his heart. Then, the light of God fell into the depths of his soul.

Chapter 279: Smith Masai

【Ding! 】

[Activate "psychic power" and related skills, you can use points to purchase]

Lin Yongchang was looking at a map in the headquarters of the Third Army. When he heard the sound, he opened the system of [The Sun Never Sets in the Celestial Empire] and saw this prompt. "Qigong" had appeared before, and now "psychic power"... He thought about it and decided to put it aside for the time being as before... "Psychic power" sounds much more dangerous than "qigong", so it's better not to bring it out.

He compared the map in the real world with the map in the system interface, then pointed his baton at the foot of a mountain and said, "Notify the artillery brigade to cover this area with artillery fire. Fire ten rounds first."

The combat staff officer nearby came over to take a look and said, "It's over there in the White Tower."

"Yes, it is this White Tower area."

One staff officer wrote down the combat order, while another staff officer answered the phone. A few minutes later, the shells whizzed down near the White Tower, blowing up a Russian infantry brigade assembled there.

The Russian infantry brigade coming from Liaoyang lost one-third of its troops in the bombardment and withdrew directly from the battle sequence. After receiving this bad news, Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholas showed a helpless look on his face. This was not the first time. In previous battles, such a situation often occurred. The Chinese artillery shells seemed to have eyes and were very accurate.

A general shouted, "There's a spy! There must be a spy! Shevchenko's brigade just arrived last night, and it was bombarded today! There must be a spy!"

Archduke Nicholas was even more helpless. They had already caught spies several times, but it was useless. "Send more soldiers, and make sure to find the Chinese artillery positions!" He could only give such an order, instead of letting the cannons fire in retaliation as before. The artillery shells in the army were all shipped from Europe, and one less shell was used.

New troops and ammunition were delivered every day, but the troops and supplies were only a drop in the bucket and far behind the speed of consumption. Grand Duke Nicholas Nicholas had a bad feeling that he would never get the troops and ammunition supplies he planned.

The Russian army has stronger artillery, but its efficiency is far inferior to that of the Chinese. In the past, foreigners described China as a "bloated, slow-moving giant with feet of clay". Isn't the Russian Empire the same? Grand Duke Nicholas has made the greatest efforts to improve the treatment of soldiers, reorganize the army, and improve morale. If it is against the Ottomans, the current Russian army is enough, but the opponent is not the Turks of the Ottoman Empire, but the Chinese.

The Russian army dug a lot of trenches and anti-artillery holes, which greatly reduced the casualties caused by the bombardment. This made Grand Duke Nicholas very confident in holding on. China was a poor agricultural country, and their artillery shells were also limited, and the reserves were definitely not enough. Otherwise, when the last assault was launched, they would have killed all the way to Liaoyang City.

Now they are just dragging their feet. If they hold on for a few more months, winter will come. The winter in the Northeast is as cold as Siberia. As soon as winter comes, the advantage will turn back to the Russian Empire. After preparing for so long, Grand Duke Nicholas believes that holding on for a few months is not a problem.

Whether it was Liaoyang, Shenyang, Changchun, or Lushun, they were all prepared for siege and had stored a lot of ammunition and food in advance, so it didn't matter if they were surrounded. Chekhov and Andrei got the news that there were only 15 Chinese troops near Liaoyang, far less than the number of Russian troops. Grand Duke Nicholas didn't believe it. The enemy's artillery fire was so fierce and the attack was so fierce that they almost hit Liaoyang City. How could there be only 15 people?

Fake! It must be fake! This must be Chinese

The fake news was released to lure out the Russian army so that they could be annihilated in the wild! Nicholas thought he had seen through the Chinese conspiracy. He was not a fool. He had caught so many spies but to no avail. Naturally, he suspected Chekhov and Andrei.

But he had no evidence. Chekhov and his men were highly respected among the Russians in the Far East, and many in the army had colluded with them. Did they really think that no one would notice them doing business with the Chinese in secret? The reason why Grand Duke Nicholas did not care was because he also benefited from it...

Persistence is victory, Grand Duke Nicholas Romanov encouraged himself in this way, perhaps the situation will change without waiting for the arrival of winter. In addition to him, there are many people in the Far East who know about the secret contact with the Japanese government.

He told his men that everything would be fine in the winter. Indeed, in the past few years in the Northeast, when the mountains were covered with snow, the Chinese stopped attacking, and even those hateful guerrillas disappeared. But in fact, Grand Duke Nicholas thought, "As long as the Japanese attack, everything will be fine."

The year before last, we fought the Japanese under the city of Liaoyang. Although the Japanese soldiers were small, they were very fierce and fierce. If the Japanese army had not sent out too few troops, Liaoyang might have been lost that time. I heard that the Japanese army had mobilized and sent out hundreds of thousands of troops. If they could outflank the Chinese army from behind, the situation in the Northeast would suddenly turn around!

Of course, the Japanese were notoriously fickle, and several times they launched wars without declaration, which made Archduke Nicholas hate them. If the Chinese were defeated, there was no guarantee that those despicable dwarfs would stab them in the back again. Even if the Japanese sneak attack was thwarted, those guys would find a lame excuse like "using an expired map", and then pretend to bow a few times and say a few innocuous "Red Beans and Marseilles" to pretend that nothing had happened.

Grand Duke Nicholas was somewhat worried about what would happen after the war, but this was not the biggest worry. The Japanese army had assembled a large-scale army, and they did not necessarily have to attack the Chinese, but could also attack the Russian army. Starting from Rajin City, it would be easy to reach Vladivostok and cut off the Russian supply line to the north.

The Japanese didn't need to put in much effort to win. Nicholas Nicholas thought that if he were a Japanese, he wouldn't have to fight the Chinese head-on. Wouldn't it be better to win easily? But knowing this, he could only put his hope on the Japanese.

Grand Duke Nicholas had already decided that if the Japanese attacked the Russian army, he would negotiate peace with the Chinese, give up some territory first, and then go back to deal with the Japanese. Russia's strength was superior to that of China and Japan. Russia's huge army could defeat the armies of China and Japan, but the long distance limited the Russian army's performance, and it could only use less than a quarter of its strength to fight the enemy. Every time Grand Duke Nicholas thought of this, he was very depressed.

Chapter 280 Choice

The People's Army and the Russian Army were waiting for the Japanese Army to make a choice, believing that once the Japanese Army joined the battlefield, it would have a major impact on the entire war situation. The Japanese also thought so, but their own internal thoughts were not unified, so although the army was ready, it was slow to act.

Many generals of the army believed that they should unite with the inferior Russian army to wipe out the 400,000 elite Chinese troops in the Northeast. In that case, Japan could become the leader of East Asia and avenge the defeats suffered by the People's Army several times before. This made sense. During the Three Kingdoms period, if Shu Han and Dong Wu did not join forces, wouldn't they have been defeated one by one by Cao Wei?

The navy believed that Japan had no choice but to attack Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island as the British wanted. Japan is an island country surrounded by the sea. If the shipping lanes are blocked, it will immediately regress to the era of slash-and-burn farming. The Japanese combined fleet could not defeat the British fleet. Even the most arrogant naval generals did not dare to talk about going to war with Britain.

If you offend the British father, the consequences will be very serious. Even if you don't fight with the British Royal Fleet, what should you do if you owe the British so much money? The one who owes money is not necessarily the boss. How dare you call yourself the boss when you owe money to the world hegemon? Even the poor and arrogant People's Party did not take the initiative to provoke Britain. It just said that it would not recognize all the debts and reparations of the previous dynasty.

Moreover, the weakness of the Russian army in the Northeast is temporary. As long as the Trans-Siberian Railway is completed, the Tsarist Russia will immediately become the strongest side. From this perspective, it is better to do it according to the British father's wishes. The Russian army is now at a disadvantage, and the troops in Vladivostok and other places are bound to be insufficient. It doesn't take much effort to bite off a large piece of fat meat, so why not?

Some army generals also supported going to war with Russia, but due to the differences between the army and navy, they could not express it directly, and could only express their intention to go to war with Russia in private. However, Oyama Iwao and Yamagata Aritomo wanted more.

As the saying goes: Bian Zhuang stabbed the tiger, killing two birds with one stone. Can we kill the Russians and the Chinese at the same time? It may be a little difficult, but it is not impossible. Insufficient troops? Then continue to increase troops and form more divisions. As long as we carry forward the spirit of Bushido and use our roots, we will definitely be able to overcome those so-called difficulties!

Make war on the Russians, make war on the Chinese, and

All three different opinions were announced at the same time, and no one could convince the other. If only the generals and government officials below had different opinions, it would be fine. As long as the elders reached a consensus, the people below would have to obey the orders from above no matter how much they disagreed. The problem was that the opinions of the Meiji elders were not unified.

Since there is no consensus, let’s follow the previous method and ask His Majesty the Emperor to make the final decision!

Inside the Imperial Palace, the same few people attended the Imperial Conference. Emperor Meiji said solemnly, "The Empire has already assembled 300,000 troops in Korea, and it consumes 200,000 yen in war expenses every day. We can't continue to wait like this. Whether it's declaring war on Russia or declaring war on China, we must come up with a plan as soon as possible!"

The emperor was originally just a memorial archway. After being worshipped for a long time, he would also have his own ideas. The Meiji Emperor was a man of his own, and the imperial family had nothing to do with the anti-shogunate war. So he had very little power in his hands. But after staying in the position for a long time, he gradually had some team members.

Emperor Meiji gradually expanded his influence and promoted some people who were loyal to him. For example, Nogi Maresuke, a wooden-headed man, lost his regiment flag in the war against the shogunate. He should have been ordered to commit seppuku long ago, but because he was a diehard loyalist of Emperor Meiji, he was not only saved, but also promoted all the way.

In the original history, even though Nogi Maresuke was beaten to a bloody pulp outside Port Arthur and his two sons died in battle one after another, the Army Ministry was reluctant to replace the commander-in-chief because Emperor Meiji had said that General Nogi would not endure such humiliation and that if his command was deprived, Nogi Maresuke would not survive. For the sake of General Nogi's face, he should be given some more time.

So Nogi Maresuke failed again and again in front of Hill 203, leaving the ground covered with the blood of Japanese soldiers, but he failed to capture the target. At that time, the Japanese army was making good progress in the Liaoyang direction and expanding the front line. It was the time when they needed troops to fight a major battle, but Nogi Maresuke betrayed everyone.

In the end, Kodama Gentaro couldn't stand it anymore. Not only could he not stand it anymore, but the situation had developed to the point where he could no longer allow Nogi Maresuke to continue staining his own official hat with blood. So Kodama rushed to Port Arthur, forcibly took over the command of the army, and then solved the problem in no time.

Nogi Maresuke was a butcher, a brave warrior, and definitely not a qualified commander. He couldn't even command a regiment, but in the end he could even become a "military god". It can only be said that things are unpredictable, and it is better to stand in the right team than to do a good job. But then again, it is a good thing for the Chinese that Nogi Maresuke killed so many Japanese soldiers on the battlefield. It would be great if all the Japanese generals were idiots like Nogi Maresuke, but this kind of thing can only be thought of, how can such a good thing happen?

The Emperor spoke, allowing everyone to speak freely, and then Oyama Iwao spoke. He stood up and said loudly: "This is a God-given opportunity. If we can defeat China and Russia in one fell swoop, the entire East Asia will be ruled by our Great Japanese Empire!"

Yamagata Aritomo chimed in, "That's right! Isn't leading Asia what we've always been striving for? The opportunity is right before our eyes. We can grab it as long as we reach out our hands. How can we let it go?"

Ito Hirobumi said calmly: "I want too much, I'm afraid I won't be able to catch any of them when the time comes."

"As long as we uphold the spirit of Bushido, there will be no problems!"

"Why didn't they promote the spirit of Bushido in Liaoyang? If Bushido is useful, why equip the army with guns and cannons? Wouldn't it be better to go to war with samurai swords?"

Oyama Iwao glared at Ito Hirobumi and said, "You......"

"Okay!" Seeing that the situation seemed to be getting out of control, Emperor Meiji had to stand up and stop the quarrel. Then he asked Saigo Tsongmichi, "What does the navy think?"

Saigo Tsukumichi naturally supported going to war with Russia. This was not his opinion, but the opinion of the entire navy. The Chinese navy was insignificant, the Russian Pacific Fleet was still strong, and the British Royal Navy was invincible. It was obvious what to choose.

"Count Ito, what do you mean?"

"I believe that we should befriend China and declare war on Russia."

Ito Hirobumi was a pragmatist. If China was weak and could be bullied, he would not miss the opportunity to bite China. But the People's Party was obviously not willing to compromise. For the sake of national defense and security, the Chinese would rather build important factories in Shanxi, where transportation was inconvenient, and would rather destroy Hebei, Shandong and other places than compromise. So we could only make peace with them temporarily.

Attacking Russia and China at the same time is too risky and has too many variables. It is not something a wise man would do. And it would offend the British. Why bother? The most correct choice is to easily take over Sakhalin Island, Vladivostok and other places.

Chapter 281 Begins

Chapter 281

When the navy heard Ito Hirobumi say that China should be friendly and war should be declared on Russia, everyone was delighted. However, Oyama Iwao and others on the army side were not dissatisfied or indignant, because Ito Hirobumi went on to say, "After signing a peace treaty with the Russians, we will decide based on the situation."

Hmm? Everyone saluted Ito Hirobumi.

"The British goal is to curb the expansion of the Russians, so we should defeat the Russians first." Ito Hirobumi said, "Japan does not have the strength to fight against the British for the time being, so we should obey the British and wait until the Russians retreat to Europe before we do anything. I believe the British will

People won’t have any dissatisfaction.”

Saigo Jōmichi looked at the calm Ito Hirobumi, then looked at Oyama Iwao and Yamagata Aritomo who had suddenly realized something, and said with a smile: "Yoshi, Count Ito's statement makes sense, and I have no objection."

Oyama Iwao, Yamagata Aritomo, Katsura Taro and others also said, "We second this motion!"

Looking at the elders who had suddenly become united, Emperor Meiji was slightly angry in his heart, but his expression did not change. He said, "Then let's do it this way. Defeat the Russians first, and the rest will depend on the situation."

After leaving the Imperial Palace, Saigo Tsunemichi said to Ito Hirobumi: "There is no problem with the navy. We can deal with both the Chinese Navy and the Russian Pacific Fleet. But the navy can't help much with things on land. Count, are you sure that the army can continue to fight?"

Ito Hirobumi stood beside the carriage and said, "If you can't fight continuously, then don't fight continuously."

Saigo smiled and said, "This is the best."

After that, he laughed several times, then suddenly stopped smiling, bowed solemnly to Ito Hirobumi, and then turned around and got on the carriage. The wheels rolled and the sound rang out. Oyama Iwao walked over quickly with an angry look on his face. Just as he was about to say something, Ito Hirobumi said, "Get in my carriage and we'll talk later."

Oyama Iwao waved to Yamagata Aritomo who was not far away, bent down and got into Ito Hirobumi's carriage first. Ito Hirobumi followed closely behind, sat down in the carriage, and said to the driver: "Let's go to the Marshal's Mansion."

"Ito, the focus of the empire should be on the army! Japan is not Britain......"

Ito Hirobumi interrupted Oyama Iwao, "I know about this, but the performance of the army is so disappointing."

The first veteran of the army was Aritomo Yamagata, but Iwao Oyama was the first general of the army. Aritomo Yamagata's role was mainly in the army's construction, training, and improvement of the reserve system, while Iwao Oyama was the commander-in-chief of the Japanese army. Because the military funds were misappropriated and lost all the money in stock speculation, Aritomo Yamagata has not been as arrogant as before, so Iwao Oyama has represented the army instead.

Dashanyan was silent for a while, and then said in a deep voice: "We underestimated the changes in China and the strength of the Russian army, but such a thing will never happen again!"

Ito Hirobumi laughed, "I haven't seen you angry in a long time, Dashan, but I saw you several times today."

Dashanyan took a few deep breaths and said, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you."

"No, no," Ito Hirobumi said with a smile, "I just thought about our youth. A few decades have passed quickly. Dashan, we are all old."

The carriage drove into the courtyard of Oyama Iwao's house, and the two men got off the carriage and walked into the hall. A waiter came up to take the hat and cane, and someone else served tea and cakes. The waiter backed out of the room and carefully closed the door. The sound of wooden clogs on the floor faded away, and Ito Hirobumi's face gradually became serious. He asked Oyama Iwao: "Have you read the report written by Kodama and others?"

Kodama Gentaro was ordered to lead a military observation group to Liaodong, where he observed the battles between the People's Army and the Russian Army at close range. He wrote several reports and sent them back, and Ito Hirobumi read each one carefully.

"Of course I have seen it." Dashanyan said in a deep voice: "More than once!"

"The Chinese mobilized nearly a million people, and the Russians mobilized fewer, but at least 700,000 or 800,000 people. Dashan, have you ever imagined that modern wars would be so huge and terrifying?"

"The Russians mobilized far more people than this in the Crimea decades ago."

"That was in Europe, and we are talking about Asia. Less than ten years ago, we could force the Chinese to sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki..." Ito Hirobumi shook his head, "Is the Army really sure?"

Oyama Iwao met Ito Hirobumi's gaze without flinching, "I can only say that I have great confidence!"

Ito Hirobumi pressed, "How much is very large? Fifty percent? Seventy percent? Or ninety percent?"

".......", Oyama Iwao straightened up, "If the diplomatic deception can succeed, there is at least a 70% chance! There is a big difference in the combat effectiveness of the army before and after mobilization. As long as the Chinese lift the mobilization after the war, we have won 70%! For the remaining 30%, we can only rely on the blessing of Amaterasu and the efforts of the soldiers!"

Ito Hirobumi stared at Oyama Iwao, who stared back at him. The two looked at each other for a moment, and Ito Hirobumi's sharp eyes gradually softened, "Then I look forward to the performance of the army."

"The Army will not let the people down!"

Ito Hirobumi smiled and said: "I have great faith in you, but......"

"The rest of the Army can be trusted, too."

"Really? Nogi......"

Oyama Iwao immediately said: "Nogi is not a fool. He was just unlucky when he lost the regiment flag. In the following wars, Nogi's command was remarkable. He is a qualified general."

Just qualified, not excellent? Ito Hirobumi said: "I know Nogi is not a fool, but your majesty has too high hopes for him. Those hopes are both motivation and pressure. If everything goes well, it's fine. If there are setbacks, I'm afraid Nogi will not be able to bear the pressure."

"Just give him a good staff."

Ito Hirobumi nodded in approval, but then

Another question was raised, "What if the Chinese, I mean the People's Army, still refuse to surrender even if we wipe out hundreds of thousands of their troops?"

He pointed out the crux of the matter, "Lin Yongchang is not someone who will surrender. He will definitely continue to fight."

"Then keep fighting!" Oyama Iwao said firmly, "Fight until the Chinese surrender!"

"What if they never surrender?"

"Then destroy them completely!"

Ito Hirobumi shook his head. “No, we can’t do that.”

"Huh?" Dashanyan looked puzzled.

"But this is a matter of politics and diplomacy. The Army just needs to win. Dashan, can you win?"

"must be able to!"

"So, let's get started."

Chapter 282 Unconditional Surrender