African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 1017: Impatience of the Tsarist Government
As Ernst said, after receiving the news that the main fleet in the Far East had almost lost its combat effectiveness, the government of Nicholas II was awakened by this bad news.

The Russian minister reported to Nicholas II: "The main naval forces in Port Arthur suffered heavy losses. Now all the battleships of the Far Eastern Fleet are either seriously injured or trapped in Port Arthur and can only passively withstand bombing. Only the Vladivostok Squadron has not been attacked. However, at this time, distant water cannot quench thirst. It is impossible to rescue the siege, and we do not have the strength to do so, so we must prepare for the worst."

At this time, the Russian Far East Fleet was not completely destroyed, and the Vladivostok Squadron still existed, but this fleet was obviously unable to compete with the Japanese Navy. Its main warships did not include a single battleship, and it only had cruisers with slightly weaker combat effectiveness.

Moreover, Japan would obviously not allow the Vladivostok Squadron to support the main Russian navy in Port Arthur. Although the Japanese navy was far inferior to Russia in strength, it still had an absolute advantage over the Russian Far East Fleet.

Among Russia's three major naval fleets, the Baltic Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet and the Far Eastern Fleet, the Far Eastern Fleet is the weakest, at least slightly weaker than the Japanese Combined Fleet.

Nicholas II knocked his head and asked anxiously: "Can we break out of Port Arthur?"

The Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief shook his head and sighed, "It's basically impossible. The Japanese Navy launched a sneak attack at night, which caused many of our warships docked in the port to suffer fatal blows. This has caused the Lushun Port Navy to lose most of its combat effectiveness. It is impossible to effectively counterattack with the remaining forces. Now we can only rely on the Lushun garrison to stalemate with Japan."

"This also shows that my country has lost the initiative in the Far East waters. As long as the Japanese Navy is well commanded, it is only a matter of time before it will devour our navy stationed in Lushun."

"The Vladivostok squadron has weak combat capability, and it will definitely pass through Japanese waters if it moves south. The Japanese Navy cannot sit idly by. Moving south at this time is basically like walking into a tiger's mouth, falling into the trap of the Japanese Navy."

Nicholas II said angrily: "Are we just going to watch the Imperial Navy being destroyed in Port Arthur and do nothing?"

The Navy Commander-in-Chief consoled us: "The main reason is that no one expected the Japanese Navy to launch a night attack. The Japanese government did not declare war on our country at all, so we were caught off guard. Therefore, the tragedy of Port Arthur was caused by our ignorance of the shamelessness of Japan, which is completely different from our previous wars with civilized countries."

Nicholas II gnashed his teeth and said: "These damn Japanese dwarf monkeys, they have absolutely no sense of shame and morality."

Nicholas II's hatred for Japan can be said to have reached its peak, and it was a combination of new hatred and old hatred, because when he was still the crown prince, Nicholas II had been assassinated by the Japanese. Nicholas II had been obsessed with this matter for so many years. Now Japan's despicable means of declaring war without declaration made Nicholas II's heart extremely irritable.

Of course, the assassination might not have caused Nicholas II to hate Japan. After all, it was not uncommon for the tsar to be assassinated. For example, Nicholas II's grandfather Alexander II was a victim. The main reason why Nicholas II hated Japan was the Japanese government's attitude of shielding the murderer at that time.

Originally, when Nicholas II first visited Japan when he was young, his attitude was relatively friendly, and he was also quite satisfied with the impression of Japan. However, after encountering the bad things that happened later, it would be impossible for any normal person to let it go in his heart.

Although Nicholas II hated this country that had no martial ethics and no shame, he was not so angry that he lost his mind. He asked: "Now that the war has broken out, and it's a very bad start for us, what plans do you have to resolve this crisis?"

The Navy Commander-in-Chief said pessimistically: "Now we can only prevent the Vladivostok Squadron from making unnecessary sacrifices, avoid the annihilation of the Far East Fleet, and let them consume the energy of the Japanese Navy as much as possible. As for the main force of the Far East Fleet in Lushun, we can only say that the situation is worrying, and we must prepare for the worst." "And in order to prevent the war situation from further deteriorating, we must be prepared in advance and send an expeditionary fleet to the Pacific region for support at any time. If Japan occupies Lushun, we will be further passive."

Nicholas II said anxiously: "In this case, why don't you come up with a plan quickly."

"Your Majesty, it is not easy to send an expeditionary fleet. Because of the British, our Black Sea Fleet cannot go out. At this time, we can only draw troops from the Baltic Fleet. However, we are also facing serious problems. The fleet is thousands of miles from Europe to the Pacific Ocean, and the situation along the route is complicated. Maybe other countries will not give us convenience."

Rozhdestvensky, the Navy's chief of staff, also said: "The British are likely to become an obstacle to us. They control important transportation routes such as Gibraltar and the Suez Canal. In addition, Britain and Japan have a very close relationship. It can even be said that the Japanese Navy was supported by them to balance our power. Therefore, the British are likely to stand on the side of Japan and cause us a lot of trouble."

This judgment can be said to be very accurate. For the British today, they hope that Russia will be defeated in the Far East.

"Moreover, fleet mobilization is a very complicated process, which requires a lot of preparation. The Baltic Fleet will take a lot of time just to sail, and will also face the test of climate. By the time it arrives in the Far East, it may be exhausted."

Nicholas II asked: "Can't we bypass Britain?"

"It's almost impossible. Even if we don't take Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, the Cape of Good Hope and the Strait of Malacca are still in the hands of the British. However, the British cannot completely stop us. It's just that this will cost us a lot of time and energy, and the war situation is changing rapidly. At this time, it is entirely possible that we will fail in the war."

Of course, the Russian government still had hope at this time. Although the Far East Fleet had suffered a sneak attack, it was not completely wiped out, so the Far East Fleet still had the possibility of a comeback, but this possibility was very small.

Therefore, the Baltic Fleet must prepare in advance to rush to Asia to provide assistance. This is what Russian naval generals call preparing for the worst.

"The British are likely to make a fuss about the Strait of Gibraltar or the Suez Canal. In addition to the UK, we also have to take other countries into consideration, especially the attitudes of Germany and France. If we choose the Cape of Good Hope route due to British obstruction, then East Africa is also a factor we have to consider."

"The Baltic Fleet passes through too many seas and countries, and the countries that can afford not to sell face are Germany, France, Britain and the four East African countries. Other countries dare not interfere even if they are dissatisfied. France should not stop us. As for the attitudes of Germany and East Africa, we need to test them, especially Germany. If Germany sides with Japan in this war, we may not even be able to leave the Baltic Sea."

"The importance of East Africa lies in the fact that if we choose the Cape of Good Hope route, our navy will have to pass through the East African coast for a long part of the voyage. In addition, East Africa has colonies in Asia. The location of Lan Fang and the South Ryukyu Islands can provide favorable guarantees for our navy to rest and recuperate midway. At the same time, the relationship between East Africa and Britain is relatively tense, so it will not be interfered with by Britain's attitude. This is also very important to us."

(End of this chapter)