On April 1, 1904, the Chinese Empire was the base camp of the war against Russia.

On the Greek-style Haiying Tower in the Zhongnanhai Royal Courtyard, the meeting was in full swing, and everyone's expressions did not contain the joy or excitement of imminent victory.

The Battle of Chita, which was launched in late February, ended in a crushing defeat for the Russian army, but the Chinese army did not achieve its original goal of annihilating the main force of the Russian Far Eastern Army, and the Russian army retained a certain amount of vitality, together with reinforcements from Europe, with Ulan-Ude as the core, relying on Lake Baikal and the Selenga River to establish a new defensive line.

Around the same time, the second general offensive of the Eastern Front on Vladivostok ended in failure, and the Chinese and Japanese coalition forces paid the price of more than 31,000 casualties and failed to achieve a breakthrough through the first main line of defense in the Vladivostok fortress defense area, but the offensive was not completely without achievements, in the western and middle sections of the front, the coalition forces had generally dug parallel trenches into the dead end area of enemy artillery fire hundreds of yards in front of the Russian fortress, and launched large-scale tunnel operations, preparing to destroy the Russian army's strong fortress group with underground blasting combined with heavy artillery bombardment.

With the thaw of the port of Vladivostok, the remnants of the Russian First Pacific Fleet, which had been trapped in the port, began to stir again, and correspondingly, the Russian Second Pacific Fleet set sail a month ago. According to the reports of Chinese military attachés in various countries in Europe, by the end of March, the second detachment composed of cruiser units of the Russian Second Pacific Fleet had entered the Red Sea through the Suez Canal, and the first detachment composed of capital ships that could not pass through the Suez Canal because of the draft was too large was preparing to circle the Cape of Good Hope along the coast of West Africa. According to the British report, on 29 March, British cruisers spotted a Russian capital ship formation near the Spanish (Spanish) Canary Islands, southwest of Morocco.

In addition, there is intelligence that the scope of the land battlefield is likely to be further expanded to the entire Sino-Russian border.

In the latest report submitted by the Mongolian Front, it is mentioned that the Russian cavalry frequently crossed the vast grassland between the Tangnu-Uliang Mountains and the East Sayan Mountains to invade the northwest of Outer Mongolia. On the northeastern border of Outer Mongolia, the Russian army also pressed into the upper reaches of the Selenga River with a strong force, and the Mongolian Front was due to insufficient troops (three cavalry brigades of the front army had been transferred to the Eastern Front before the Battle of Chita), and the defensive responsibility area was too vast, not only could it no longer launch a war to break the Russian railway, but its main supply base, Kulun, the capital of the Outer Mongolian Special Region and the residence of the minister, (that is, Ulaanbaatar, the capital of the Republic of Mongolia in another time and space), was also facing a serious threat.

The report of the Northwest Front also mentions the frequent infiltration of the Russian army into the border, and intelligence from all sides shows that the Russian army is planning a large-scale attack on Xinjiang, and before the summer, the Russian army is likely to invade Xinjiang from Kazakhstan and Kokand at the same time, in an attempt to seize the north and south of Xinjiang in one fell swoop.

It's not all good, but it's not too bad either.

Liu Yun first focused on the Western Front. After the Battle of Chita, the Western Front was burdened with a large burden - the Chita Fortress, which had 100,000 defenders and very strong defenses, and the logistical situation was also temporarily deteriorated by the sudden lengthening of the supply line, the destruction of road facilities during the retreat of the Russian army, and the change in weather.

After listening to the reports of various departments of the General Staff on the situation of the Western Front, Liu Yun made a decision: "The Western Front should encircle and attack the Chita Fortress with the Korean Army, which has been reinforced by part of our army, and at the same time use the First and Second Armies to quickly cross the Yablonov Mountain and advance to the line of the Selenga River, so as to encircle the enemy in Ulan-Ude with a pincer offensive. In order to solve the logistical dilemma, the front army quickly formed a number of engineer detachments and transport detachments with reinforcements and supplementary troops, which were dedicated to repairing and maintaining roads and transporting supplies to the front. In addition, the Logistics Office of the General Staff Headquarters and the Logistics Office of the Western Front Army should jointly draw up a feasible plan for transporting personnel and materials to the front line through the Heilongjiang River system, and quickly begin to implement it. ”

The actual strength of the Korean Army as of 30 March was more than 183,000, and its equipment and training were generally slightly inferior to those of the Chinese National Defense Force, and even with the Chinese general as the adviser and liaison officer of the group army, this unit still seemed to be unable to participate in an excessively fierce mobile warfare. However, as long as the heavy artillery and some Chinese infantry units with experience in attacking fortresses were properly strengthened, it should not be too difficult to besiege an isolated city that could not receive any support in a short time.

With the relatively weak Korean army group wiping its ass in the back, the other two armies of the Western Front can concentrate their elite forces to advance to the front line of the Selenga River, and at the same time break through, by the way, they can solve the dilemma in the northeast of Outer Mongolia - remove the threat of the Russian army to Kulun, the capital of Outer Mongolia.

At the mention of the Eastern Front, Liu Yun's expression was a little gloomy.

Russia's Second Pacific Fleet is approaching, and it is necessary to clean up the First Pacific Fleet, which is hiding in the Vladivostok fortress, as soon as possible, because the navy cannot do this kind of thing, and the powerful coastal artillery of the fortress will make it impossible for the combined fleet to eat and walk, and now it can only rely on the army to break through the enemy's land defense line, and then set up heavy artillery to bombard the Russian ships in the harbor, so that the combined fleet can safely return to the port to recuperate and train for a period of time, so that it can meet the seemingly huge fleet in the best condition.

The last time I went to inspect the Eastern Front, Commander Liu Bailiang and all the generals swore that they would desperately take the fortress, but a month and a half has passed, and the first line of defense of the fortress is still in the hands of the Russian army.

But what if you don't? Human flesh cannot break through the concrete fortress, the number of heavy artillery is both limited and inaccurate, and digging tunnels to blast is the most destructive and accurate, but it takes some time to do so.

Is there a way to destroy the enemy fleet in the shortest possible time without paying too huge losses?

Until such a solution can be found or confirmed, further urging can only be made.

This time, Liu Yun gave Liu Bailiang a time limit: "Before June 1, the enemy fleet will be destroyed in the harbor, otherwise the commander of the front army will ask!" ”

Chief of the General Staff Yang Zhengjin interjected a little worriedly: "Is it only two months?" Now I haven't even taken the first line of defense, and there's another one behind...... Isn't it too urgent......"

Liu Yun raised his head and said: "Yes, it is indeed too urgent, 'that incident' did not happen, so far, the Second Pacific Fleet has been going smoothly along the way, we must pay attention to it...... The Eastern Front is to fill it with flesh and blood, and it will also fill the fortress in front of the Vladivostok fortress for me, and bomb the 1st Pacific Fleet in the harbor! Otherwise, it will be difficult for the Navy to win cleanly with a tired division and a rusty ship! ”

Some people present, such as Admiral Liu Buyun, commander-in-chief of the Navy and chief of staff of the Navy, and Admiral Zuo Guigui, commander-in-chief of the army, were completely question marks about "that incident" in Liu Yun's mouth, but seeing that the other generals and ministers did not have the slightest doubt, they thought that they were shallow, and if they rashly asked, they were afraid that they would be laughed at by others, so for the sake of the most important face issue, the two couldn't help but ask.

The so-called "incident" happened on October 21, 1904, in another time and space, when the Russian Second Pacific Fleet, shrouded in nervous tension near the Dogger sandbar in the North Sea, actually opened fire on the British trawler that appeared in the fog as a Japanese destroyer -- it has long been rumored among Russian officers and men that Japan on the other side of the world sent an escort fleet to set up an ambush in the North Sea (why don't they say that the Japanese Combined Fleet is waiting for it in the Jutland Strait?). ）。 For a time, the whole fleet fired all kinds of artillery in unison, and there was no discipline and order in shooting...... After the shelling, the British fishing boat sank one and wounded three, and the cruiser "Aphro" in the Russian fleet was also damaged by its own artillery fire (oh my!). ）。 What is even worse is that the Russian fleet, after realizing its mistake, did not save the fishermen who fell into the water and left, which really angered the empire on which the sun never sets, and the British immediately declared in public that they would resort to force, and ordered the mobilization of the home fleet and the Mediterranean fleet, and also sent cruisers to follow the Russian fleet, and the Russian fleet was once loaded with shells and ready to meet it. In the end, the Russian fleet was detained in the Spanish port of Vigo, and was troubled by the British in every possible way, delaying it for a week. The Russian fleet has also been severely condemned by the international community, and many countries have refused to allow the Russian fleet to dock at their own and their colonial ports to refuel, and the Russian fleet can only rely on a few German coal ships to replenish at sea with coal bags to continue to travel, but because of the overloading of coal, the fleet's sailing speed is also very slow.

At this time and space, the Russian fleet passed through the North Sea in early March 1904, and it is understandable that something similar did not happen.

This is a branch of history that has been recreated, and if the cause changes, the effect will of course change, and the new cause and effect will create a new world realm, from the details to the overall trend, it will change farther and farther, and derive a world realm that completely deviates from the history of the original time and space.

Now, Liu Yun believes that the mechanism for manipulating the direction of the tide is in his own hands.

Yang Zhengjin didn't say more, although he had a deep friendship with Liu Bailiang, but his simple and weak words just now could be regarded as doing his best for his friend.

"Liu Bailiang's heart is not ruthless enough, if it is Zhong Xiahuo, I am afraid that this attack will be successful, but the number of casualties is difficult to say......"

Yang Zhengjin thought so, and couldn't help but be secretly worried about Liu Bailiang.

Next is the issue of the Navy.

Liu Yun turned to Liu Buchan: "Commander Liu, what is the situation of the combined fleet?" Is there an operational plan to prepare for the 2nd Pacific Fleet? ”

Liu Buyun pulled out a stack of documents stamped with a "top secret" seal in the upper right corner.

"According to the report of the commander of the Combined Fleet, the morale of the officers and men of the fleet has dropped slightly, and every effort is being made to restore it, and the mechanical condition of the warships is not optimistic, and most of the warships need to undergo a complete overhaul within two or three months......

"In order to deal with the enemy's Second Pacific Fleet, the Naval Staff Bureau has prepared three basic operational plans according to different predetermined interception sea areas."

"The operational area of the first operational case is designated as the Taiwan Strait or the Bass Strait. The operational area of the second operation plan was set to be the southern part of the South China Sea between the Malay Peninsula and the Natuna Islands. The operational area of the third operation plan was set to be the south-central part of the South China Sea from the Nansha Islands to the mouth of the Mekong River. ”

"The operational composition of the three plans is roughly the same: six warships and two Suzhou-class armored cruisers form the first and second detachments of the first combat team, which is personally commanded by Vice Admiral Lin Taizeng, commander of the combined fleet, and is responsible for engaging the enemy warships in a column. The four Yunzi armored cruisers, together with four Japanese Fuji-class armored cruisers, formed the first and second detachments of the 2nd Sentai Squadron, commanded by Rear Admiral Ma Shengyu, and were responsible for assisting the 1st Sentai and engaging the enemy armored cruiser forces. Consisting of eighteen Chinese light cruisers and six Japanese light cruisers, the four detachments of the Third Squadron were responsible for supporting the capital ship forces, undertaking the tasks of reconnaissance, vigilance, and clearing the enemy's auxiliary forces, and engaging enemy light cruiser and destroyer forces. Twenty-four ocean-going destroyers formed three detachments of the Fourth Sentai and were responsible for lightning strikes against the enemy's capital ship forces and engaged enemy destroyer forces. The First Air Force, consisting of two newly commissioned seaplane carriers, carries a total of 12 radio-equipped seaplanes and carries key reconnaissance and search missions. ”

"If the first combat plan is carried out, because the combat area is relatively close to the mainland base, 24 small destroyers and at least 36 large and medium-sized torpedo boats can be called in to carry out lightning strike missions, and nearly 100 combat planes and more than 10 airships affiliated to the navy can be supported. However, it is very likely that the enemy fleet will enter the ports of French Indochina to resupply or even merge with the French Far East Fleet before breaking through the two straits, or avoid the two straits, go around the southern islands of the Philippines to Japan, and even the islands of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and occupy one or two anchorages far from the mainland for long-term warfare......"

"If the second operational plan is implemented, the concealment of the operation will be affected because the combat area is close to British Malaysia and the Dutch Natuna Islands and the Anambas Islands, and it is also the entrance and exit of the Strait of Malacca, which is busy with shipping, and the concealment of the operation will also be affected, and the problem of international disputes caused by unexpected events should also be taken into account."

"If the third operational plan is carried out, the western side of the operational sea area is bordered by French Indochina, which is likely to provoke French intervention, and this plan needs to be authorized in advance: if the French navy insists on intervening, can our forces strike at it together?"

"Yes."

Liu Yun replied unequivocally.

"Whoever interferes, it will be fine."

The real meaning of this sentence is: in fact, no one is going to really jump in and interfere.

China and Britain have secretly formed an alliance, and if there is an "unexpected" conflict between China and France, even if Britain will not really send a large army to help, as long as British diplomats put on a posture, France, which is in dire need of allies to confront Germany, will still obediently return to the negotiating table. The United States is busy digesting the Philippines in the Far East, and in addition to that, it is concerned about the vast markets of East Asia, and there is no reason to help the Russians coax. The Germans wished that the Russian fleet would be fed all the fish, so that their still thin armored fleet could at least dominate the Baltic Sea......

As for the other so-called powers, they are basically rubbish, and there is no need to bother in vain.

The cabinet ministers present and the generals of Liu Yun's family are well aware of this, so naturally they will not talk much.

Admiral Zuo, the commander-in-chief of the army, who did not quite understand the stakes, rarely spoke: "What does Wu Weigong mean, in order to annihilate the Russian fleet, he will not hesitate to go to war with any great power?" In the event of a war with France, would it be possible to form an all-out attack on French Indochina by the Southwestern Front? ”

Go South!

Yang Zhengjin and the others looked at each other.

Liu Yun smiled slightly: "Commander Zuo, please rest assured, our Premier Zhang has made all arrangements in diplomacy, even if there is an unfortunate unexpected conflict, it will not affect the overall situation." Now just to deal with Russia, our resources in all aspects are insufficient, and it is impossible to distract our efforts to open up new battlefields, and besides, France's industrial strength is higher than that of Russia, and its navy is still the second in the world, so we cannot afford to suffer from it. ”

Zuo Guigui nodded and said: "Since Premier Zhang has already made arrangements, I am also a little relieved, but I am not afraid of 10,000, I am afraid that in case, the Southwest Military Region should mobilize as soon as possible, and now the Southwest Military Region only has a standing division plus a reserve division, and it also has to undertake the task of supporting the Tibet Special Military Region, which is not enough to launch an attack on French Indochina." In the event of unfortunate war with the French, I believe that our army should carry forward the strength of the army and seize Indochina, so that its navy has no bases to use, so that its naval superiority will not be able to be brought into play, and then it can still use Indochina as a hostage to blackmail the French armistice and even pay reparations......"

Yang Zhengjin whispered to Chief of Operations Hu Ke on the other side of the table: "I can't see that this veteran has high ambitions." ”

Hookmore rubbed his chin with the thick stubble: "Don't underestimate anyone, especially those who are our equals......"

"Hey, is that human? I want to be a philosopher......"

"Don't you think that every diligent thinker is a reservist philosopher?"

Yang Zhengjin nodded noncommittally: "Oh, that's the case......"

Here, Liu Yun had already indicated that he would consider Zuo's valuable opinions, and the topic of the meeting immediately turned to the Mongolian Front and the Northwest Front.

The Chief of Operations of the General Staff, Huke, first reported on the state of affairs on the Mongolian Front.

By 29 March, the battle sequence of the Mongol Front was as follows:

The 1st Cavalry Army (Northeast of Outer Mongolia): It has the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th Mongolian Cavalry Brigades under its jurisdiction, and the 3rd Independent Cavalry Artillery Group. The total number of personnel is 28,500.

The 2nd Cavalry Corps (Northern Outer Mongolia): Under the jurisdiction of the 3rd, 5th, and 7th Mongolian Cavalry Brigades, and the 2nd Independent Cavalry Artillery Group, with a total of 22,000 men.

Garrison of the Culomb Alert Area: 93rd and 96th Separate Infantry Brigades. According to the establishment, the total number is 18,000.

Garrison of the Uriya Sutai Warning Area: The 2nd and 3rd Frontier Regiments of Outer Mongolia, several militia detachments, a total of more than 10,000 people.

Garrison of the Kobdo Alert Area: The First Frontier Regiment of Outer Mongolia, several militia detachments, a total of more than 7,000 people.

"In terms of logistics and transportation, materials and personnel are mainly supplied by the railway line that has been laid from Jining, Inner Mongolia to Erenhot, at the junction of Inner Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, and from Jining to Erenhot, there can be six trains a day. After the train was unloaded at Erenhot, the supplies were mainly transported to Kulun by horse-drawn wagons and ox-caravans, and the troops marched to the front line on their own, with a straight-line distance of 650 kilometers and a main road mileage of about 750 kilometers, and it took more than a month for the horse-drawn wagons and ox-to-ox convoys to go back and forth. Coulomb has built a large munitions warehouse, a grain and grass clothing warehouse, and an ordnance repair station, but it is unable to produce ammunition on its own, and all military supplies are replenished from the interior. Seven hundred and fifty kilometers west of Kulun, Uriya Sutai, has a fortress defense system and medium-sized military warehouses, which can be held by nearly 10,000 troops for a long time. Kobdo, about 360 kilometers west of Uriya Sutai, also has its own fortress warehouse system, which can be held by about 7,000 troops for a long time. As for the outposts of Mulun and Erdenet, which are located in the upper reaches of the Selenga River, Ulan Gumu at the southern foot of Tangnu-Uliang Mountain, and Ulegi on the northeastern edge of the Altai Mountains, there are also fortress-type defense facilities, which are mainly defended by independent battalion-company-scale border detachments and Hemin detachments, but the warehouse capacity of these outposts is very small, and once they are surrounded, they will not be able to maintain them for a long time......"

"In terms of armament, there was a general shortage of machine guns in all units of the Mongol Front, and each battalion was equipped with only one machine gun for both infantry and cavalry, and three for each regiment of 80-millimeter mortars. The artillery was mainly five or seven mm cavalry guns and seventy-five mm mountain artillery, each cavalry brigade was equipped with six guns, and each infantry brigade was equipped with eighteen guns, and the artillery group of the regiment consisted of three or four 75 field artillery companies and one or two 105 cannon batteries, while the new 90 rapid-fire howitzer and the more powerful 150 heavy howitzer were completely absent. The Front Floating Cluster is equipped with 18 aircraft and two airships, and has a field maintenance base in Kulen and simple maintenance stations in Mulun, Uriya Sutai and Kobdo. The radio was distributed to the brigade headquarters and the garrison headquarters, but the supply of field batteries was relatively tight due to the long supply lines. All outposts and the headquarters of the three major warning areas are connected by telegraph lines, and daily communication is not a problem......"

Liu Yun stared at the map of the situation in Outer Mongolia on the table and listened to the reports of the two directors of the Logistics Department and the Equipment Department of the General Staff Department.

Gu Yingyang, director of the intelligence department, then reported on the intelligence collection system of the Outer Mongolian Front and the threat assessment of the Russian army based on intelligence aggregation.

"In order to protect the flank of the Selenga River defense line, the 1st Russian Far Eastern Army is advancing to Kulen with the strength of one integrated army and two other cavalry divisions, and by the 29th, it has occupied the border town of Darkhan, which is 150 kilometers north of Kulun, and the 2nd Mongolian Army is retreating to the reserve position of Zonghara to defend itself. The 1st Mongol Army, which had entered the area east of Mount Kent and the upper reaches of the Inda River to assist the Western Front in the Chita Campaign, was making every effort to defend Kulun. With the strength of two Mongol corps plus the Culomb alert force, it was enough to defend the Culomb front, and if the Western Front could launch an attack as soon as possible, the Culomb side would also be able to worry about it as soon as possible. ”

"As for the large force of the Russian army assembled in Kizil, an important town near the northwest border of Outer Mongolia, the intention is obviously to seize the two major fortresses of Uriya Sutai and Kobdo in order to control the vast western part of Outer Mongolia......