Holy Roman Empire

Whether anyone believed it or not, the Russians believed it anyway.

The Russian army changed its image of a reckless man in the past, and defended with all its strength in the Far East. Relying on fortifications and fortresses to slow down the Japanese army's offensive pace, it bought time for the opening of the Siberian Railway.

A decisive battle is impossible. No matter how provocative the Japanese army is, the Russian army just can't hold on.

Anyway, the Russian Empire has nothing else but a lot of land. "Exchanging space for time", the tsarist government did not hesitate at all.

Different from the original time and space, under the butterfly effect of Franz, the tactics used by everyone have now advanced to the level of World War I.

Machine guns, trenches, and mortars, such cheap, simple, and practical tactics, have been popularized in the Russian army.

If it weren't for the logistics not being able to keep up, it is estimated that even the successive defeats may not necessarily occur.You must know that a furious bear is not something to mess with.

The Russian army defended all the way, which was a pain for the attacking Japanese army.Anyone with a bit of military common sense knows that offensive casualties are higher than defensive ones.

Even if the Japanese officers and soldiers were more willing to work hard, that would not change the fact that the casualties were greater. In just half a year, the total casualties of both Japan and Russia exceeded 30.

Among them, the Japanese army was killed 9.8 and injured 11.2; the Russian army was killed 5.3 and injured 6.4.

In a sense, the Russo-Japanese War can be regarded as a new war record.In modern warfare, the number of dead and wounded is so close, it is rare.

Judging from the number of casualties alone, it seems that the Russian army has taken advantage of it, but in fact it is not.

Although the Russian army has a defensive advantage, 2 Russian soldiers were captured and 3 Russian soldiers were missing during the continuous retreat.

Adding these figures together, Japan and Russia can only be regarded as both losers, and no one has taken advantage of it.

……

St. Petersburg, since the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, Nicholas II's nerves have not loosened.

As the first foreign war after Nicholas II succeeded to the throne, the victory of Japan and Russia not only related to the future strategy of the Russian Empire, but also related to Nicholas II's own reputation as a monarch.

Unlike his father and grandfather, such political strongmen, Nicholas II's talent in the field of internal affairs is very general.

Of course, this is not the responsibility of Nicholas II.Nicholas in his youth, because of his weakness and indecision, Alexander III never considered letting him inherit the throne.

Nicholas himself was not ready to inherit the throne. After all, Alexander III had four sons, so there was a lot of room for choice.

However, the plan did not change quickly, the two brothers died halfway, and the other brother was dazzled by love, playing a game of intermarriage.

Before he could react, Nicholas became the sole heir.In order not to let the throne fall by the wayside, Nicholas had no choice but to bite the bullet and inherit the throne.

It turns out that the hard-bitten melon is really not sweet.Although with the assistance of the old ministers left by Alexander III, after Nicholas II succeeded to the throne, the efficiency of the tsarist government's administration still dropped by more than one notch.

This became more apparent after the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War.In many cases, the tsarist government planned one thing, but when it was implemented, it became another.

Because his political skills were not strong enough, Nicholas II was tricked and his reputation was greatly damaged when he succeeded to the throne. Later, he worked hard to clean it up, but the declining prestige of the monarch could not be regained.

In order to change this situation, Nicholas II urgently needs a victory to improve his status in the hearts of the people and at the same time strengthen his control over the government.

After thinking about it, reality always likes to slap people in the face.The Japanese army, which was vulnerable in the impression, showed amazing resilience on the battlefield in the Far East, and did not stop its progress because of too many casualties.

That's all, the Japanese are willing to take their lives, and Nicholas II is not afraid.

In any case, there are still more gray cattle in the Russian Empire than the Japanese.

If it is really desperate, with a population advantage three times that of Japan, the Russian Empire has a very good chance of winning.

Unfortunately, war has never been a question of just looking at the number of people and the number of people.As the war progressed, the situation gradually developed to the unfavorable side.

Putting down the telegram in his hand, Nicholas II said indifferently: "Lieutenant Kuropatkin will call, and the strategic supplies in the Far East are urgent.

According to the current battlefield consumption rate and material replenishment rate, the materials we hoard in the Far East will be exhausted in half a year at most.

The Siberian Railway has reached that point, can it be opened to traffic before the supplies run out? "

In modern warfare, fighting is logistics.The more advanced the equipment and the more powerful the firepower, the higher the dependence on logistics.

Compared with the original time and space, the equipment of the Russian army is obviously much more advanced, and the corresponding logistics requirements are also much higher.

Unexpectedly, the Japanese dared to fight without declaring war, and the strategic materials hoarded by the Tsarist government in the Far East were seriously insufficient.

This is still in the case of full defense. If you take the initiative to attack, the consumption of materials will be even greater.

In the case of domestic replenishment, it can only last for half a year. Obviously, the number of inventory materials has reached the dangerous line.

Now that the war has progressed, no one will continue to shout the slogan of the Prancing Horse Tokyo in three months.

Facts have proved that the Japanese are not soft-legged shrimps. Anyone with a discerning eye knows that it is impossible to end the war within half a year.

Prime Minister Sergei Witte: "We have tried our best to rush the construction period, but there are still many difficulties in opening to traffic within half a year.

The main issue is the climate. The climate in Siberia is really bad.

In this season, it is still possible to continue construction day and night. Once winter comes, many places do not even have the most basic construction conditions. "

It’s not an excuse, the winter in Siberia is really not suitable for railway construction.

Even if the lives of French workers are not taken seriously, the most basic quality of the railway must still be considered.

It is not a luxury to expect that it can be used for decades like ordinary railways, but at least it must be able to support the end of this war, right?

Such a low requirement is also not easy to meet.Not only is the process accurate, but the material requirements are also very high.

Among other things, rails and sleepers must be frost-resistant.Otherwise, the ultra-low temperature of -[-] or [-] degrees below zero would be unbearable for ordinary orbits.

Chapter 1: Which Smuggling Technology Is Stronger?

Low-temperature resistant high-standard materials are a proper high-tech these days, and there are not many countries that can produce them.

Don't look at the Russian Empire, which often regards itself as an industrial country, but its own family knows its own affairs.It's okay to brag normally, but you can't expect it at critical moments.

Looking at the railways built by my family in the past few years, I know that there are more than ten repairs a year, and each repair lasts more than ten days. The repair time is longer than the opening time.

After a comprehensive inspection, it was found that the rails were rusty, rusty, deformed, and the sleepers were rotten, and the worst thing was that there were sprouts.

I wanted to pursue the responsibility, but the involvement was too wide and there were too many intercessions, so it was impossible to investigate.In the end, there was no other way but to pay the bill by the government, pulling out the railway and starting over again.

The experience and lessons should not be forgotten. In order to ensure the quality of the Siberian Railway, the Tsarist government made a one-size-fits-all approach early on, and all domestically-made low-temperature-resistant materials could not be used.

Even if the people are calling for support for domestic production, there is no way. The tsarist government is afraid of domestic production.

Ordinary railways are fine, at most they lose a little money.The strategic artery of the Siberian Railway still needs to ensure its quality.

Imports not only mean an increase in costs, but also a significant increase in transportation pressure.Downtime is a common occurrence.

Think about it, even the logistics supplies on the battlefield can often be confused.Then it is not unacceptable to transport railway materials to the wrong place.

Problems in the management system, or problems in the bureaucratic system of the tsarist government, obviously cannot be solved by an administrative order.

The technical requirements are high, the management system is chaotic, and the weather is bad. If the construction progress of the Siberian Railway can be fast, then there is a real problem.

The railway cannot be opened to traffic in advance, and the strategic materials on the front line must be satisfied, which is almost an unsolvable problem.

Nicholas II's face was gloomy and terrifying, and even the atmosphere in the room became tense.

Seeing that the situation was not right, Foreign Minister Mikhailovich said: "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has launched an operation, and the Vienna government has agreed to help.

We are currently working hard on the work of the Far Eastern Empire. If we can buy supplies from them, the situation will be much better.

Now we have achieved certain results. Thanks to the efforts of the diplomats, we have won the support of many officials of the Far East Empire, and they can acquiesce in the transportation of materials by us. "

It is normal to fail to win over. The constitutional monarchists and conservatives of the Far East Empire are fighting hard, and there is no time to take part in the Russo-Japanese War.

It is useless to promise more benefits. A government that is afraid of wolves and tigers will not dare to provoke it, whether it is the Japanese or the Russians.

"Transporting materials by way" is essentially "smuggling".This thing has been banned repeatedly in peaceful times, let alone in chaotic war years.

It is not so much a diplomatic effort as it is driven by interests.You only need to turn a blind eye and close one eye, and a large amount of silver will be credited, why should you refuse?

Anyway, it's not just about doing business with the Russians, but everyone with the Japanese is doing the same.As long as they are willing to pay, merchants don't mind who the buyer is.

Even if the merchants of the Far East Empire dare not mix, there will be international arms dealers rushing in.As long as you have enough money, you are not afraid of not being able to buy goods.

The only problem is that the supply of these guys is not sufficient, and the transportation is often attacked by bandits hired by the Japanese, which cannot meet the needs of the war.

But Mikhailovich has confidence in the international arms dealers.The lack of supply is mainly due to the fact that everyone did not expect the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War in advance, and the most powerful arms dealers did not have time to participate.

If these arms dealers with backstage backgrounds get involved, no matter how many supplies they can get, this is their real purpose of asking the Vienna government for help.

To smuggle strategic materials on a large scale, in addition to the cooperation of the Far East Empire, it also needs the background of the great powers to deter wolves, tigers and leopards.

Ordinary strategic materials are nothing more than they can be produced in the family workshops of the Far East Empire, and they can always be bought as long as they have money.Troublesome weapons and ammunition.

Among other things, the test of the Japanese Navy alone was not easy.In order to prevent arms from falling into the hands of the Russian army, the Japanese navy acted as the East Asian police after the outbreak of the war.

Facing the violation of sovereignty, the weak Far Eastern Empire chose to play dumb and let the Japanese navy inspect foreign merchant ships.

Of course, all the ships under inspection have no background, or the background background is not strong enough.The Japanese still dare not act rashly on a ship with a strong background.

It is true that the relationship between Britain and Shinra is tense, but after all, the two countries have not really fought.Who knows what will explode, if you sit down again after making a fuss?

Although the Japanese government chose to gamble on the country's fortune, they are not stubborn and know who not to mess with.Facing these two giants, it is natural to pretend to be a grandson.

The original space-time smuggling trade failed to save the Russian Empire. The most critical reason was the lack of support from major powers.

Britain, Germany, the United States, Austria and Italy all hope that the Russians will fail, and the only ally, the French, only pays lip service, but essentially hopes that they will return to Europe to deal with the Germans.

Naturally, the smuggling trade without the help of the big powers would not be able to scale.In addition to purchasing food and some daily necessities, weapons and ammunition still have to be transported from the country.

Even these small-scale smuggling trades are an important support for the Russian army in the Far East.

Otherwise, the logistics of hundreds of thousands of troops would all be transported from the country, not to mention that the Siberian Railway is not open to traffic, even if it is open to traffic, it will not be able to support it.

For no other reason, who made the Trans-Siberian Railway a single-track railway?The train left, but it was going back the same way.

Hearing this explanation, Nicholas II's expression softened a little.However, the sadness between the brows still lingers.

Theoretically speaking, with the help of the Holy Roman Empire and the cooperation of the Far Eastern Empire, smuggling can overcome the crisis.

But this is only in theory, not to mention how strong Shinra's support is, the cooperation of the Far Eastern Empire is a big problem.

In recent years, they have done a lot of harm to others.Wasn't it a joke to expect others to fully cooperate with the hatred formed earlier?

There is no need for any big shot in person, just the troubles caused by local snakes along the way are enough for them to drink a pot.

Whether it is broken bridges and broken roads every three to five times, or bandits and bandits blocking the road and robbing, it is a hidden danger.

If it were normal times, then it goes without saying that someone would be able to directly exert diplomatic pressure on the Far Eastern Empire, but not now.

At the critical moment when the Russo-Japanese War fell into anxiety, the Far Eastern Empire actually had the strength to determine the outcome of both sides.

In case the stimulation is overdone accidentally and people fall to the Japanese, then the Russian Empire can only bow its head and admit defeat, and obediently withdraw from the Far East.

"Promote it as soon as possible! It is best to let the Vienna government come forward. They have a good relationship with the Far East Empire, and it will be more convenient to coordinate the relationship."

Nicholas II is naturally not clear about the relationship between Shinra and the Far Eastern Empire.But one thing he knew was that no war broke out between the two sides.

This is enough, as long as the great powers do not invade you, it is a symbol of friendship.

The speaker has no intention, but the listener has intention.In the ears of Mikhailovich, this is Nicholas II's distrust of the capabilities of the Foreign Ministry.

Well, the capabilities of the Russian Foreign Ministry really cannot be regarded as "trust".In the past years, far more things have been screwed up by them than done.

In order to change this situation, the tsarist government also specially sent overseas students to Austria and Britain to learn professional diplomatic skills.

It cannot be said that there has been no progress. At least in terms of diplomatic etiquette, hidden diplomatic rules, and common sense of international practices, there have been no big jokes.

As for the more important diplomatic ability, it still needs to wait for these people to grow up and hold high positions in the Russian Empire before they can really see it.

Chapter 111 Unbearable

In the Palace of Vienna, Franz was still very interested in the smuggling proposal of the Tsarist government.

The money delivered to the door is not earned for nothing.Although most of this money was borrowed from his own hands, every extra Aegis earned now means that he would lose an Aegis less in the future.

If you want the Russians to "fulfil their debts," the tsarist government must have money.Let alone the gold-swallowing beast of the Russo-Japanese War, the key is the revolutionary wave brewing in the country.

Due to the decrease in population, the current social conflicts in the Russian Empire have been slightly eased in the original time and space.

However, this détente was limited to traditionally ruled areas.For example: the newly occupied Poland, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, and several Khanates in Central Asia, etc., did not experience peace for a day.

What Nicholas II took over was a super mess. For a long time, the Russians ruled the above-mentioned areas using the traditional feudal model, relying purely on force to suppress the resistance of the locals.

If it was a hundred years ago, there would be no problem with such a rule. After waiting for a long time, everyone will gradually get used to it.

In this regard, the Tsarist government also has rich experience, and the vast territory of the Russian Empire came from this way.

It is a pity that we have now entered the 20th century, and the trend of nationalism is sweeping the world. The traditional feudal rule model is increasingly unable to keep up with the pace of the times.

If the Russians can win the Russo-Japanese War, so be it.Victory can suppress social contradictions in the country, but it would be hard to say if it was defeated.

In particular, there is a behind-the-scenes manipulator remotely controlling the Russian Empire, constantly leading the Russian Empire into the pit, for fear that they will not be able to fall.