Tsar Nicholas II listened to the Admiralty Archduke Vich, his young face showed an approving expression, and he said in a somewhat high tone: "What the Grand Duke Vich said is very reasonable! We, the Russian Empire, want to catch up with the British Navy, and also deal with the emergence of a powerful fleet in the Far East, we must speed up the pace of our construction of new all-steel battleships! ”

Then Tsar Nicholas II began to tell the three important ministers about the plan of the Russian Great Navy, which he had been thinking about for a long time: "First of all, we in Russia will increase the number of all-steel battleships customized in the United States and France. 2 all-steel battleships were custom-built in the United States and 3 all-steel battleships were custom-built in France. Secondly, the construction of 10 docks in Russia that can build all-steel battleships in Russia will make it possible to build 15 all-steel battleships in our country at the same time! In addition, 2 large armored cruisers will be built in the United States and France, 8 to 10 large armored cruisers will be built in China, and other types of warships should also be built as much as possible! ”

As soon as Nicholas II's words were finished, Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte chuckled in his heart, if according to Nicholas II's plan, the whole of Russia would have to go bankrupt, so Witte smiled bitterly and said: "Your Majesty, your naval expansion plan is very grand, but the empire's finances really can't come up with so many rubles to realize Your Majesty's plan!" ”

Each all-steel battleship cost nearly a million pounds, and Nicholas II actually planned to build 20 all-steel battleships, which would require nearly 20 million pounds, not to mention the construction of other warships. It's just that the program of these 20 all-steel battleships was not capable of being realized by the Russian Empire.

Nicholas II had long known about Russia's finances, but he had come up with such a huge naval plan. He already had a solution.

At this time, Nicholas II was full of pride, waved his hand and said to the finance minister of the empire: "When I met with the ambassadors of France and the United States to Russia a few days ago, the two countries have agreed to give us a loan to the Russian Empire, and the amount is quite large, which can completely realize the expansion plan of our navy!" In addition, I will also take a sum of gold from the Tsar's treasury to expand the navy! ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the Tsar say this. Without any further objections, the tsar even had to take out the gold from his own treasury for the construction of warships. If he objected to the exchequer, he would surely provoke the wrath of Tsar Nicholas II.

Tsar Nicholas II finally made a decision to implement his plan for a large navy, and ordered the Admiralty Archduke and the Chancellor of the Exchequer to say: "You should do your best to conclude loan contracts with the United States and France, and try to obtain as many loans as possible for Russia." At the same time, it has reached a custom contract with the United States and France for 5 all-steel battleships! ”

The Admiralty Chancellor, Archduke Wick, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Werther, nodded at the same time and said, "Yes!" His Majesty the Tsar! ”

And so it goes. Russia's huge naval expansion program began to be implemented.

Tsar Nicholas II then said to War Minister Kuropatkin: "Although our empire has a standing army of more than 1 million and a reserve of several million, our forces are concentrated in Europe. There were not many troops in the entire Far East, and if it wanted to occupy the northeast of the Qing Dynasty, the empire would have to send more troops to the Far East! ”

War Minister Kuropatkin was embarrassed and said: "Your Majesty, the Far East is too far, thousands of kilometers away from our Europe, if the Trans-Siberian Railway is not completed!" It is simply impossible for our army forces of the Russian Empire to massively transfer troops to the Far East! ”

The Russian Empire, for its strategic goals in the Far East, had begun to build a railway through the whole of Siberia. The Trans-Siberian Railway was built in 1891 and in 1892 from Vladivostok and Chelyabinsk in opposite directions.

The scheme of the railway design began in Chelyabinsk. It is 7,400 kilometers long through Omsk, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Irkutsk, Chita, Khabarovsk (Boli) to the port city of Vladivostok (Vladivostok) on the Pacific coast.

But the railway is simply too long. Less than a fifth of the railway has been built so far, and the entire railway is still far from being opened.

Tsar Nicholas II frowned and asked Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte: "At the current rate, how long will it take for the Trans-Siberian Railway to be opened?" ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte said: "Your Majesty, the Trans-Siberian Railway is too long, and at the current rate, it will take at least nearly 20 years for it to be opened!" ”

Nicholas II shook his head and said: "No! Time is too slow. It is necessary to increase the investment of human and material resources, since it can be built at both ends at the same time. It is also possible to choose several places in the middle to build railways at the same time, and for the sake of the strategy of the Far East, it is necessary to make the Trans-Siberian Railway open to traffic! ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte frowned and said: "Your Majesty's method is a good way to speed up, but the conditions in Siberia are too difficult, we have invested nearly 100,000 people to build this railway, which has made our logistics supply has reached the limit, if we choose several places in the middle of the Trans-Siberian Railway to build at the same time, we must invest more people, then the supply problem will be very difficult to solve." ”

Nicholas II frowned and thought for a while, then said: "There are many non-Russian Asian ethnic groups in Siberia, and the empire will immediately recruit the strong men of these Asian ethnic groups, let them solve the supply problem by themselves, and build the Trans-Siberian Railway for the empire!" ”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Witte was embarrassed and said: "Your Majesty, this may cause hatred of these Asian ethnic groups against the empire and lead to rebellion!" ”

The Minister of War next to him, Kuropatkin, agreed with Tsar Nicholas II's approach and interjected: "If these Asian ethnic groups dare to violate the decisions of the Empire, or even rebel, the army of our Russian Empire will make them regret it for the rest of their lives!" ”

Tsar Nicholas II nodded approvingly and said: "Then it is decided, the Asian ethnic groups of Siberia will be recruited to build the Trans-Siberian Railway for the empire." ”

As a result, the entire ethnic group of Asian descent in Siberia suffered a catastrophe. Hundreds of thousands of young Asians died on the construction site of the railroad. The struggle of the Asian ethnic group in Siberia against the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway for Russia was bloodily suppressed by the Russian army. More than 100,000 people lost their lives for it.

The entire Trans-Siberian Railway can be said to have been built by the Asian people of Siberia out of white bones.

Tsar Nicholas II said again: "In this war between the Qing Dynasty and Japan, the army named Lin Daxin has a powerful steel chariot!" What did the army of the Reich think about this steel chariot? ”

War Minister Kuropatkin said: "There are two types of steel tanks, one is equipped only with a machine gun called an armored car, and the other is not only equipped with a machine gun, but also with a gun with a caliber of more than 100 mm, this steel tank is called a tank!" Tanks and armored vehicles are powerful on the battlefield. Especially in relatively flat places, it is used for assault, which is more powerful! Now countries have begun to develop both tanks. Our Russian Army has also begun to develop, and I believe that after a period of time, the great Russian Army will also be equipped with 2 steel combat vehicles, tanks and armored vehicles! ”

Tsar Nicholas II nodded with satisfaction and said, "Very good, these two powerful steel chariots should be owned by the Russian Army!" ”

Lin Daxin, who was in Weihaiwei, didn't know that St. Petersburg, thousands of miles away, had already started a plan against him. He is now busy preparing for his marriage.

Lin Daxin's mother, Mrs. Li, found the fortune teller and chose an auspicious day for the zodiac, which was July 22, 1895, the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar.

It has been less than one month since the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the lunar calendar, Lin Daxin is busy with his own marriage, the reorganization of the navy and the immigration to the northeast, and he is busy every day, and even has less time to accompany Ding Xueshan and Du Juan.

The good news is that the imperial court finally sent the holy decree appointing Lin Daxin as the governor of Fengtian Province, Jilin Province, Heilongjiang Province and Yalu River Province to Weihaiwei, and from then on Lin Daxin became a righteous feudal official of the Qing Dynasty.

In the mansion of Lin Daxin's father, Lin Yongsheng, on Liugong Island. There was a wine dish in one bedroom, and the father and son asked everyone to go out of the bedroom, and the two sat around the wine table. Lin Yongsheng picked up a glass of wine and said happily: "Daxin." You are a double happiness, not only are you about to marry a daughter-in-law, but you have also become the justifiable governor of the four northeastern provinces! Come, a cup to your father! ”

Lin Daxin smiled and picked up the wine glass and said, "Thank you, Dad!" The son wishes his father good health and prosperous official luck! I'm dry with this glass! ”

After the father and son drank a glass of wine, Lin Yongsheng said: "The official luck is prosperous." You don't have to think about being a father! You persecuted the imperial court this time and made you the governor of the four northeastern provinces. has been hated by the court, your kid has now become a thorn in the side of the court, how can the court still let his father be prosperous! Hehe! ”

Lin Yongsheng didn't have any complaints about not being promoted, so he was still happy to speak.

Lin Daxin scratched his head and said, "Why don't you come to my Navy Master Academy!" It just so happens that I have just reorganized the fleet and established 5 fleets, and I will give you a fleet and let Daddy be the commander of the fleet! ”

Lin Yongsheng shook his head with a smile and said, "No need, I'm good in the Beiyang Naval Division." My fast protection cruiser Weiyuan can be regarded as the latest and most advanced warship of the Beiyang Naval Division's new eight major and far middle schools! In this way, your father and your father-in-law, Admiral Ding, are in the Beiyang Naval Division's own team, at least the Beiyang Naval Division's own team is unlikely to trouble you! But Daxin, you have to be careful, you have become a thorn in the side of the court, and the court will definitely try all kinds of ways to deal with you! ”

Lin Daxin nodded and said, "Dad, don't worry, since I dare to argue with the imperial court, I am not afraid of all kinds of methods of the imperial court." By the way, Dad, can't you and my mother reconcile? ”

Lin Yongsheng smiled bitterly and said, "Son, you don't know your mother's temper either!" It was with a kitchen knife that kicked me out of the house! Do you think I'm just marrying a concubine? As for it? Look at your kid, you married 2 at once, or your mother helped you Zhang Luo! Why is there such a big difference between our father and son! ”

Lin Daxin touched his nose, after Lin Yongsheng married a concubine, even Lin Daxin had a grudge against his father for a while, but he wanted to marry 2 beauties at the same time, but he felt that he should take it for granted. (To be continued)