Although everyone is talking about things lightly, everyone knows that here, how much effort and manpower and material resources have been secretly made into it, and only now it seems to be so calm, originally the Ministry of Communications wanted to build the Jingjiang Railway first, and the silver was first appropriated to the official road of Kulun, and the Ministry of Household prepared three million taels to buy the shipyard of the French, but now it has to be postponed. A few military attachés who were good at conquest were reprimanded to Outer Mongolia and told them to secretly train themselves as good soldiers. The Imperial Court notified the meaning in place, but it could not be known by the Russians, and it was not good for them to seize the opportunity. He also secretly communicated with Germany, Austria-Hungary and other countries, asked them about their positions, and made promises one by one, in short, it was better for the Russians to be embattled. Not to mention how many more weapons were built and pressed in the warehouse, and the wages in the ordnance factory were as low as ever.

Everyone thinks that starting a war is a very simple thing, the big deal is that as soon as the emperor Chrysostom opens, the edict can be sent to Russia, in fact, for the rulers of specific affairs, it is far from being so simple, in the military aircraft department, everyone Gong left Prince Gong's duty room, and each went to do their own errands, Prince Gong looked at the empty room, and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

I work so hard to deal with these things that I don't advocate for, but I don't know for whom.

Zhu Grev ate closed door soup in the Prime Minister's Yamen again, of course, Guo Songtao received him very politely, but there was no half of the truth in his mouth, he refused to answer for military progress in any direction, Zhu Grev claimed to be an old friend of the Chinese people, but he asked Guo Songtao why the general army of Kulen appeared in the territory of Russia, or Guo Songtao seemed polite but actually very sarcastic, it can be said that his way of life is still cured. "I believe that the general army of Kulen, well, there are probably other imperial soldiers. If you get lost, just like your country is in Xinjiang, you just accidentally arrived at your country's territory, and the Ministry of War has already sent a note telling them to return to Chinese territory immediately, and they must not affect Sino-Russian relations because they are lost. ”

"How long will that take?"

"Cullen has an official way though. But there are no roads to the border, the grasslands are vast, and it is not known when they will receive orders, so please wait a little longer, Mr. Ambassador. ”

Zhu Lev scolded in his heart, and when you let them receive the order, I don't know what the year of the monkey is. News of Russia itself usually came by telegram, and His Majesty the Tsar was very dissatisfied with the situation in the Far East, and it would have been confined to the area of the Turkestan Governor's Palace. The Kulen Confederacy went north, and the Siberian Governor's Office must not be left behind. The instability of the situation in the Far East will affect the war with Ottoman Turkey for the Balkans, which should not be underestimated.

Zhu Grev depressedly walked out of the lobby of the Prime Minister's Yamen, went to Dongjiaomin Lane, and did not return to the Russian embassy first, and visited the embassies set up by various major countries here. The gas in the stomach is even stronger, "The British are just unreliable." They are very opposed to the interests of our Russia in the Balkans," said Zhugrev, pacing back and forth in the room, his vest buttoned only twice, his fat belly bursting out from under his shirt, and he irritated open a tin bottle of vodka and took a big sip. Still muttering in his mouth, the first-class military attache of the embassy on the side listened helplessly to Zhu Greev's complaints.

"So I just went on a routine business, but I didn't expect the Englishman to accuse us of being too cruel to the inhabitants of Central Asia and not in the spirit of humanitarianism. Haha it's ridiculous, they used to count on equal sharing of the Pamirs with us? Why don't you want it now? ”

"The French support us, but it is only rhetorical, they have no force projection in the Far East at all, and their goal now is in Africa and the Indian Ocean, by no means Central Asia with our interests, this is the only good news, he will also send a note to Prime Minister Yamen tomorrow to protest against the Chinese invasion of Russian territory and ask for the withdrawal of troops, otherwise they will send warships north to protect the interests of the Russians, but, however, this is just a threat to listen to," Zhugrev was very helpless," The French are economically sluggish, and they do not dare to go north to start a war, let alone go north, to oppose the most powerful navy of the Chinese in the Far East - and our Baltic fleet, because it has no foothold in the Far East, is still in the Arctic Ocean, and if you rush over to confront the Chinese, it will take months, months, God," Zhu Lev took a sip of vodka, and the strong wine almost choked him, "then the whole of Siberia will be Chinese!" ”

The first military attache quickly took notes, persuaded Zhu Grev not to be angry, and then talked about the situation in other countries, Zhu Greev sat down, his face was very ugly, "The rest is not good news, no wonder the Chinese Empress Dowager went to Germany and Austria-Hungary, but did not go to St. Petersburg - there must have been some secret agreement with the emperors of Germany and Austria, otherwise when I went to the German ambassador, he was very indifferent, saying that this matter had nothing to do with Germany, and he was not ready to mediate, and the Austro-Hungarian ambassador, Their country is in danger of protecting itself, and they still have time to threaten me that if the Russians make trouble in the Balkans and affect the belonging of the people here, Austria-Hungary may form an alliance with China to deal with Russia. "Although we all know that the words of diplomats cannot be believed, but when they say this, even if it is intimidation, His Majesty the Tsar in St. Petersburg has to pay attention to the dynamics of these two countries - after all, our core interests are in Europe!" ”

"That's why I'm even more worried," Zhugrev slumped on the sofa, his eyes straightened, "I didn't expect that the Chinese would play diplomacy so hard, even if the tsar was ready to fight to the death with the Chinese, he had to consider the movements and behaviors of the two great powers in the west." ”

The military attache of the first rank closed the notebook, "What is the domestic attitude towards this incident?" My lord? You must know that diplomacy serves the national interest, and the attitude of His Majesty the Tsar and the Privy Council is very crucial for us to deal with this matter. ”

"Their opinion is that in order to keep the situation under control and not to expand the war, the Turkestan Governorate must determine the border between China and Russia, that is, part of Kokand can be abandoned," Zhugrev said, "and it must not affect the progress of the war with the Ottomans." ”

"What about the North? North Fish Lake? The military attache asked, "Now it's not just the Turkestan Governor's Palace." ”

Turkestan Governor's Office is the jurisdiction of the Aral Sea Caspian Sea to the north of Iran large plain land, since the fall of the Kazakh Khanate, Russia's rule over this place has become increasingly harsh, with advanced state system and military weapons, planned and gradual encroachment of the Central Asian Kokand, Bukhara, Khiva three khanates, this place is a long-term dream of several generations of tsars, rich in products, developed agriculture, and is the bridgehead for the south and Britain to compete for hegemony in the Persian plateau, the location is very critical. "It is more irrelevant there than Central Asia," said Zhugrev with disgust, "and the army of Moscow can march to Kokand, but it must not reach Siberia by the dirt roads along the ice and snow line!" ”

"Then the meaning of the Privy Council, to let the Chinese occupy this place?" The military attache said incredulously, "This is impossible. ”

"Nothing is impossible," Zhu Lev closed his eyes, exhausted, "at most, the Siberian governor will organize his own local soldiers to attack, and the Imperial Core will never send troops." Ivan, the reason I am running now is to keep the territory of Siberia, I hope to deal with the Chinese through diplomatic means, on the Central Asian side, if the Chinese have an inch, there will never be a good end, but in the north, we need more brains and wisdom to solve this crisis, even if it is to let the Chinese take the territory and water of North Yuer Lake by default, instead of ceding it by signing a treaty, I also think that this is the unbearable humiliation of proud Russia. (To be continued.) )