London, England, Buckingham Palace, the political center of the entire world.
At this time, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom was sitting in front with a solemn expression. Below him stood several important British ministers, including Chamberlain, the British Colonial Secretary, Lord Salisbury, the British Prime Minister, Lord Balfour, the Foreign Secretary, and Marshal Roberts, the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army.
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These people are all very important people, and if they just stamp their feet, an earthquake may occur somewhere in the world.
The Commander-in-Chief of the British Army, Marshal Roberts, quietly smoothed the wrinkles at the corners of his clothes and said: "Your Majesty, news came back from the Far East that Japan has won the Battle of Liaoyang. This victory caused the Russians to lose their land routes.
The opportunity to rescue Port Arthur will make the Russian army more passive."
Chamberlain laughed: "The Russians have received their due punishment."
To say that the Japanese-Russian war was finally fought, the role played by the British can be said to be crucial. The British have repeatedly warned Russia and asked it not to dominate Northeast China. However, the Russians have been occupied by the rich land.
, the huge profits went to their heads, and the Russians had forgotten that they had tried to destroy Turkey when their country was expanding into Europe. The British also sent troops to assist Turkey to deal with the Russian army after the warning was invalid, which ultimately caused the Russian army to lose troops and lose many generals.
Returned defeated.
This time, the Russians believed that Britain's power in the Far East had weakened, and that Britain's national strength had weakened due to the Boer War. They also ignored the British warnings. As everyone knew, although the British government was unable to send troops, it had a vicious dog.
Well, with the support of the British government, Japan has the confidence to confront Russia.
The Japanese government wanted to use the support of Britain to expand its strength, and Britain needed Japan to contain Russia. The two countries were really like Ximen Qing meeting Pan Jinlian, and it was so hot.
Chamberlain said with some worry: "I didn't expect that a small country like Japan could occupy Liaoyang in such a short period of time. The war was very unfavorable to the Russians. Your Majesty, please take a look at this information. Japan's government is constantly fuming."
to consolidate the areas it occupies. It seems to be preparing to occupy these places for a long time."
Chamberlain hopes that the Japanese army can drive away the Russian forces, but he does not want to see the Japanese win so early. He can make money by selling arms and lending money to the Japanese government. If the war ends quickly, how can the British make money?
, they also do not want to see the Japanese government replace the Russian government and completely control the three northeastern provinces.
British Prime Minister Salisbury nodded in agreement: "Northeast China cannot be monopolized by Russia, nor can it be monopolized by Japan. Only when the forces of China, Japan, and Russia are roughly balanced in this area and restrain each other is it most consistent with the empire.
Only then can the empire manage China south of the Yangtze River without haste."
Roberts then added: "Currently, Japan has a tendency to break this balance."
The words of several ministers of Edward VII made their heads spin, and they asked aloud: "So?"
Several ministers looked at each other, and Chamberlain stood up and replied: "Your Majesty, we should reduce our aid to Japan. In addition, we can turn a blind eye to the actions of the Russian Pacific 2nd Squadron.
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In the early days of the Russo-Russian War, the Czar decided to transfer ships from the Baltic Fleet and the Black Sea Fleet to form the "Second Pacific Squadron" and send them to the Far East for reinforcements.
This mixed fleet has 38 main warships of various types and about 20 auxiliary ships. It is organized into two groups and is under the unified command of Vice Admiral Rodrij Jestvinsky.
This hastily put together fleet, some ships were put to sea before they were fully completed. They were installed as they sailed. The route of the 2nd Pacific Squadron was scheduled to be from the Baltic Sea through the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa to Vladivostok, a total distance of 30,000 kilometers, without a single base in the middle.
The British even urged all countries to act in accordance with international law. Warring ships were not allowed to anchor in the ports of neutral countries. This regulation caused great difficulties to the fleet. They also reported the actions of the Russian fleet to the Japanese government from time to time, allowing Japan to personally respond to the Russian fleet.
All actions of the fleet are well understood.
Don't think that the fleet's inability to obtain supplies midway is a trivial matter. Take the fuel issue as an example. After the Russian army was unable to enter the port, it had to add coal at sea. If possible, load as much coal as possible, even to the deck, engine room, bathroom, officer's bedroom, etc.
Coal was piled up in all open spaces, which not only slowed down the speed, but also affected work and hygiene, resulting in serious non-combat attrition. However, at this time, the Russian supply ship delivered thousands of sets of winter clothes.
Also because they were unable to enter the port and the ships could not be repaired, the bottoms of some Russian ships were covered with algae and their speeds were reduced.
All these have seriously affected the combat effectiveness of the Russian fleet. Just like a giant man who has come a long way, no matter how powerful he is, if he is not allowed to rest along the way and does not allow him to replenish his physical strength, he will eventually collapse from exhaustion.
On the one hand, due to careful preparation, strict training, and constant surveillance, on the other hand, long-distance travel made the sailors exhausted and lacked intelligence. Therefore, in the original history, the Russian Pacific Second Fleet was almost completely wiped out, with a total ship loss of 270,000 tons.
The Japanese side only lost 3 torpedo boats, which was the most disparate naval battle in the history of naval warfare. The British played a huge role in it.
Now, Chamberlain asked Edward II to change the British government's position and turn a blind eye to the actions of the Russian fleet. Then, the combat effectiveness of the Russian fleet, which can enter the port to rest and replenish supplies, can be restored. Secondly,
, not providing intelligence about the movements of the Russian fleet to Japan would put Japan and Russia in a position of equal intelligence.
In this way, even if the Russian fleet is defeated again, it is absolutely impossible for the Japanese fleet to achieve such a perfect victory in the original history.
Of course, the British don't know what original history is and what is not original history, but as the world's largest maritime power, they still have a clear view of the naval strength of Japan and Russia.
Edward VII looked at several other ministers, and the other ministers nodded slightly, agreeing with Chamberlain's words.
"Then let's do it!" Edward VII decided.
The Japanese government did not know that the British government had quietly changed its policy during the war, at least in part, because of some of their "extraordinary" actions.
However, the diplomatic turmoil caused by Liu Zhenming's words has not subsided. After reports in newspapers from various countries, Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs had to inform other countries again and again that Japan has no intention of occupying the three eastern provinces of China.
, will support the open door policy proposed by the US government so that all countries can benefit equally.
In order to show its goodwill, the Japanese government even handed over a section of the unfinished railway in the occupied area to the Qing government. Of course, the Qing government did not have the ability to build this section of railway, and the railway was eventually destroyed without any accident.
into American hands.
The forces in the entire three eastern provinces have become more complex. In addition to the two powerful powers Japan and Russia, capital from Germany, the United States and other countries have also slowly intervened.
At the official office of Liaoyang, Liu Zhenming was being scolded by Dashanyan for his unobtrusive words. The commander of the Manchurian Army officially moved to the strategic location of Liaoyang today.
Dashanyan took advantage of his face and said: "Xidao, as a soldier, you should not disclose your opinions casually and affect political matters."
Liu Zhenming couldn't help but secretly slandered in his heart: Japan is a country where military interference in politics is the most serious. Not to mention how many important officials and ministers in later generations have withdrawn from the army first and then ran for election. Even Shanxian, a veteran of Japanese politics today,
If you have friends, then it’s all in the political and military circles.
Of course, Liu Zhenming knew that Dashanyan was a low-key person, not interested in politics, and only served the army! That's why his reputation was far less than that of Shanxian Youpeng, who had been the prime minister.
However, in terms of military ability, from the fact that Mu Ren selected Dashanyan as the commander of the Manchurian Army instead of Shanxian Youpeng, it can be seen that Dashanyan's military ability far exceeded Shanxian Youpeng.
Get rid of him and get friends in Shan County, and there will be a good show. Liu Zhenming sneered in his heart, but with a respectful expression on his face, he replied: "Your Excellency, this is all my fault!"
Dashanyan nodded with satisfaction, and with a wave of his hand, a Japanese army staff officer walked up to him carrying something.
"Xidao, this is the reward from the base camp for you. Also, the base camp has decided to promote you to the rank of general. I hope you can continue to work hard and continue to contribute to the empire!" Dashanyan showed a smile on his face and took out a medal and a medal from the plate.
The military medal representing the general and the command knife.
Liu Zhenming suddenly felt that it was extremely ridiculous. He, the fake Nishijima Sukei, actually promoted that damn ghost from lieutenant general to general. He really couldn't laugh or cry.