"His Majesty, the ambassador of Great Britain, France, and the Kingdom of Prussia, has made a request to us to mediate this crisis. Moreover, their attitude is tough, and if we don't agree, I'm afraid they will put more pressure on us! Russian Foreign Minister Count Nesher Rody addressed Tsar Alexander II. After all, such a major matter is not something that he can decide as a foreign minister.

Tsar Alexander II's face was a little gloomy, and he did not expect that by this time, the British and French would actually drag them back. They are allies of Russia, shouldn't they take Russia's side?

"What can they do with us if we don't agree?" Tsar Alexander II was somewhat angry.

"If we refuse, then there is a good chance that Britain and France will stop supporting us. In particular, we have just proposed to Britain and France that they will provide us with a batch of weapons and equipment. So far, they haven't answered us. Said Count Nieschel Rodie.

"Damn! Don't those guys know that we are allies? What good is it for them if we lose the war. "The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Duke Gorchakov, was furious. After all, what Britain and France did was so despicable and shameless that they wanted to persecute their allies for their own interests. You know, if Russia is defeated, Britain and France will definitely not be able to please them. Without Russia's containment, the Chinese Empire's huge army could drowse almost all of Europe.

"Majesty, I think. If we had not accepted the mediation of England and France, they would not have reneged on the Covenant. After all, the Chinese Empire was their worst enemy. However, this will greatly deteriorate our relations with Britain and France, which will be very detrimental to our next battle. Parliamentary adviser Zhukovsky said. After all, Russia's strength is too weak, and if it wants to fight with the Chinese Empire, it must have the support of Britain and France. Russia provided troops, and Britain and France provided weapons, equipment and funds. This is how we work together. to be able to contend with the Chinese Empire.

Tsar Alexander II nodded, he was not a fool, and after calming down, he could quickly understand. But. Britain and France, together with the Kingdom of Prussia, put pressure on Russia. It's hard for him to accept. But. He also knew that now was not the time to quarrel with Britain and France. Otherwise, Russia is on its own. It was not at all an opponent of the Chinese Empire. Originally, Russia's advantage was a large population and a large army. However, in the face of the Chinese Empire, this advantage is simply gone!

"So, what do we do now?" Alexander II asked.

"Your Majesty, I will give Britain and France a face, accept their mediation, and we and the Chinese Empire can also have peace talks!" Zhukovsky continued. He was the teacher of Tsar Alexander II, and his opinions, often Alexander II were able to accept.

"Is it possible that we really want to bow to the Chinese Empire? I would never say yes! Tsar Alexander II said through gritted teeth.

"No, Your Majesty the Tsar! Accepting mediation does not mean that we have to bow to the Chinese Empire, and we can continue to stick to our bottom line. In this way, we have not only given face to Britain and France, but also maintained the relationship between the two countries, and at the same time, we have also defended the dignity of Russia! Zhukovsky continued. This is the best of both worlds for Russia.

Alexander II nodded, if he could not bow to the Chinese Empire, then he would be acceptable.

"Yes, Your Majesty, that's a good idea. The mobilization of our army also takes a lot of time. This negotiation can be used to stall for time. The commander-in-chief of the Russian army, Duke Gorchakov, also said.

Russia's industrial strength is backward, and so is its mobilization system. Although Russia has a large population, it is not so easy to turn this population into an army. If Russia's army strength were to be expanded from 1.5 million to 3,000,000 men in less than half a year, it would be absolutely impossible. Because it is impossible for Russia to send directly to the battlefield those farmers who have just put down their hoes and can't even fire their guns. They need to be trained in basic combat literacy. Otherwise, it's going to send them to death.

"Well, let's do it!" Alexander II nodded.

Russia accepted the mediation of Britain, France, and Prussia, but Russia's military mobilization did not stop either. Although this did not have much effect on easing the tense situation, it could be regarded as giving everyone a glimmer of hope.

Under the leadership of Britain, France, and Prussia, Wei Yuan, the foreign minister of the Chinese Empire, and Putiyatin, the Russian minister to China, held negotiations in Huaxia City. However, the negotiations were at an impasse almost from the start.

The Chinese Empire strongly demanded that Russia apologize to the Chinese Empire for the attack on the embassy, and compensate the Chinese Empire for its losses, so as to ensure that similar incidents would not occur again in the future. At the same time, those who attacked the Imperial Chinese Embassy in Russia, as well as those responsible, were severely punished.

However, Russia seized on the fact that the Chinese Empire's embassy was hiding heavy weapons, claiming that this was a conspiracy of the Chinese Empire, that it was the Chinese Empire's embassy that it was the massacre of Russian civilians, and demanded that the Chinese Empire make compensation to Russia. In addition, Russia demanded that the Chinese Empire hand over the executioners of the massacre of Russian civilians to Russia, otherwise Russia would seek justice at any cost.

It can be said that the demands of both sides are-for-tat. This has undoubtedly caused great difficulty in this negotiation. At the same time, it also gave Britain, France and Prussia a big headache. In their view, neither the Chinese Empire nor Russia had the sincerity to negotiate peace, and it was almost impossible to get them to reach an agreement under pressure from the three countries.

The Chinese Empire is a little tougher, that's understandable. After all, the strength of the Chinese Empire is far stronger than that of Russia, and a big fist is the last word. In this regard, the Chinese Empire undoubtedly has some advantages. At the same time, this incident was still occupied by the Chinese Empire.

However, there is no reason for Russia's toughness. Could it be that Russia really thought that it could drag both Britain and France into the water, so it could be unscrupulous?

Russia's attitude made Britain and France very dissatisfied. Britain and France directly stopped their support for Russia, not only did they not provide Russia with support in terms of weapons and equipment, but also stopped lending to Russia, which directly caused huge problems for Russia's mobilization.

Tsar Alexander II roared angrily in the Winter Palace, angrily calling Britain and France vile and shameless villains, who had taken such actions in order to demand that Russia submit to the ground. You know, Russia is an ally of Britain and France!

Alexander II was originally a stubborn man, and the more the British and French forced him, the more he refused to bow his head. As a result, Russia's relations with Britain and France began to deteriorate. However, Alexander II believed that once war broke out, Britain and France would never sit idly by and watch Russia be destroyed. After all, the destruction of Russia did not benefit Britain and France at all.

Negotiations between the Chinese Empire and Russia reached an impasse. The Chinese Empire is clearly reluctant to see the negotiations continue to stalemate. After all, the army at the front is ready for war, and if it is delayed, it will affect the morale of the troops.

"Your Majesty, the Russians are clearly trying to delay and create time for the mobilization of their troops. We can't let them go on like this! Foreign Minister Wei Yuan said in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, or we will go directly to war with Russia! The 1st and 2nd armies on the front had already sent several telegrams asking when the war would be possible. General Sun Hao, Chief of the General Staff, also said.

Long Yufei nodded, if he started a war now, it would undoubtedly tear his face. Britain and France didn't matter, they were enemies. However, the Kingdom of Prussia was different. They are now one of the most important allies of the Empire. Even though the relationship between the two sides may change with the end of the war, at least for now, the two sides are allies.

"Looks like we need to add another fire. Director Luo, leave this matter to the Military Intelligence Bureau! Long Yufei said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" General Luo Hongtao, commander of the Military Intelligence Agency, nodded. The Military Intelligence Agency is undoubtedly more experienced in doing this kind of thing.

Just when China and Russia were negotiating, another incident broke out, which directly broke down the negotiations between China and Russia and led to the outbreak of war.

On July 22, 1854, the consulate of the Chinese Empire in Moscow, as usual, was surrounded by demonstrative Russians. However, the Russian police formed a human wall to protect the embassy from the demonstrators.

At 11 a.m., a Russian threw a homemade bomb directly at the consulate. The bomb exploded inside the consulate, seriously injuring a staff member and a guard.

Although the Russian police immediately caught the Russian who threw the bomb, they found that the person was a Russian patriot at all.

After the storming of the imperial Chinese embassy in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, the imperial consulate in Moscow was attacked by bombs, which directly added fuel to the already critical relationship between the two countries.

Wei Yuan, the foreign minister of the Chinese Empire, directly announced the breakdown of negotiations between China and Russia. Despite the efforts of Britain, France and Prussia, it did not work.

On the morning of July 23, 1854, the Emperor Long Yufei made a radio speech, in view of the fact that the Russians attacked the imperial embassy in Russia again and again, which was simply a provocation to the empire, the empire decided to officially declare war on Russia and use the means of war to defend the interests of the empire! (To be continued......)

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