Chapter 1017 The 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 force at the Port Arthur base has suffered heavy losses. Now all the battleships of the Far East Fleet are either seriously injured or blocked in Port Arthur and can only be passively bombed. Only the Vladivostok squadron has not. We are under attack, but at this time the water from far away cannot quench our thirst, it is impossible to rescue, and we do not have the strength to do so, so we have to prepare for the worst. "
At this time, the Russian Far East Fleet was not completely destroyed, and the Vladivostok Squadron still existed. However, this fleet was obviously unable to compete with the Japanese Navy. Its main warships did not have a single battleship, and they had cruisers with slightly weaker combat capabilities.
And Japan obviously will not let the Vladivostok squadron support the main Russian navy in Port Arthur. Although the Japanese naval strength is far inferior to Russia, it still has an absolute advantage over the Russian Far East Fleet.
Of the three major Russian naval fleets, the Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, and Far East Fleet are the weakest, at least weaker than the Japanese Combined Fleet.
Nicholas II tapped the back of his head and asked anxiously: "Can we break out of Port Arthur?"
The Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy shook his head and sighed: "It is basically impossible. The Japanese Navy launched a sneak attack at night, which resulted in fatal blows to many of our warships docked in the port. This caused the Port Arthur Navy to lose most of its combat effectiveness. By relying on With the remaining strength, it is impossible to effectively counterattack, and now we can only rely on the Lushun garrison to maintain a stalemate with Japan. "
“This also shows that our country has lost the initiative in the Far East Sea. As long as the Japanese navy is commanded properly, it is only a matter of time before it can eat up our navy in Lushun.”
“The combat effectiveness of the Vladivostok Squadron is weak, and it will definitely pass through Japanese waters when going south. The Japanese Navy cannot sit idly by. At this time, going south is basically a sheep entering the tiger’s mouth and 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 remain indifferent?"
The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy consoled us: "The main reason is that no one expected that the Japanese Navy would adopt a night sneak attack. The Japanese government did not declare war on our country at all, thus catching us off guard. Therefore, the fundamental reason for the tragedy in Port Arthur is that we ignored Japan. The level of shamelessness of this country is completely different from the wars of civilized countries in the past. "
Nicholas II gritted his teeth and said: "These **** Japanese dwarf monkeys, they have no sense of shame or morality at all."
Nicholas II's hatred of Japan can be said to have reached the extreme, and it is a combination of new hatred and old hatred, because Nicholas II, when he was still the crown prince, was assassinated by the Japanese. Over the years, Nicholas II's hatred of Japan This matter has never been forgotten, and now Japan's despicable method of undeclared war has made Nicholas II even more violent.
Of course, the assassination may not cause hatred for Japan for Nicholas II. After all, it is not uncommon for the Tsar to be assassinated. For example, Nicholas II's grandfather Alexander II was a victim, which made Nicholas II The main reason why the world hates Japan is the Japanese government's shielding attitude towards the murderer at that time.
Although Nicholas II hated this country that had no martial ethics and no shame, he was not so angry that he asked: "Now that the war has broken out, and it has started very badly for us, how about you?" What are the plans to resolve this crisis?”
The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy said pessimistically: "Now we can only ask the Vladivostok Squadron not to make 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 talk about the situation. We must be prepared for the worst.” “And in order to prevent the war situation from deteriorating further, we must be prepared in advance and send an expedition fleet to the Pacific region for support at any time. If Japan is allowed to occupy Lushun, we will be further passive. middle."
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 will definitely not be able to go out. At this time, we can only draw troops from the Baltic Fleet, but we are also facing serious problems. The fleet is from Europe to the Pacific. Thousands of miles away, the situation along the route is complicated, and maybe other countries won’t give us convenience.”
Navy Chief of Staff Rozhdestvinsky also said: "The British have a high probability of becoming an obstacle to us. They control Gibraltar, the Suez Canal and other transportation arteries, and Britain and Japan have very close relations. It can even be said that Japan The navy is the one hand supporting us to balance our power, so the British will most likely side with Japan and cause us a lot of trouble. "
This judgment can be said to be very accurate. For the current British people, they wish that Russia would collapse in the Far East.
“Moreover, fleet mobilization is a very complicated process. We need a lot of preparation work. The Baltic Fleet will take a lot of time just to sail, and it will also face climatic tests. By the time it reaches the Far East, it may be exhausted.”
Nicholas II asked: “Can’t we bypass England?”
"It's almost impossible. Even if we don't go through 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 can't completely stop us, but it will cost us a lot of time and energy, and the war situation is changing rapidly. At this time, it is entirely possible that our war will fail."
Of course, the Russian government was still lucky at this time. Although the Far East Fleet suffered a sneak attack, it was not completely wiped out. Therefore, there is still a possibility of a comeback for the Far East Fleet, but this possibility is slim.
So at this time, the Baltic Fleet is preparing to rush to Asia and prepare early. This is what the Russian admiral said to be prepared for the worst.
"The British are very likely to make a fuss over the Strait of Gibraltar or the Suez Canal. In addition to the United Kingdom, we must also consider the attitudes of other countries, especially the attitudes of Germany and France. If they choose the Cape of Good Hope route because of the obstruction of the British, East Africa is also a factor we need to consider.”
"The Baltic Fleet passes through too many sea areas and countries, and the countries that have the ability not to show off their face are Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the four East African countries. Other countries do not dare to intervene even if they are dissatisfied. France should not stop us. As for Germany and We need to test the attitude of East Africa, especially Germany. If Germany favors Japan in this war, we may not even be able to get out of the Baltic Sea. "
"The importance of East Africa is that if we choose the Cape of Good Hope route, our navy will have to pass through the coast of East Africa for a long time. Moreover, East Africa still has colonies in Asia. The locations of Lanfang and the Southern Ryukyu Islands can pose a threat to our navy midway. Rest provides a favorable guarantee, and at the same time, the relationship between East Africa and the United Kingdom is relatively stiff, so it will not be interfered by the British attitude, which is also important to us.”
(End of this chapter)