Nanyang Storm 1864

The victory at the Battle of Tsushima had a profound impact on the current international situation, truly establishing Japan's status as a world-class power, on par with Britain, France, France, Germany, and the United States.

Although these established world powers may not necessarily look down on the Japanese, they no longer questioned Japan's formidable military capabilities.

The unprecedentedly powerful navy and army of Fusang naturally attracted the attention of the military of the Great Chu Empire.

The Royal Army and Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire analyzed and summarized the lessons learned from this great war, and began a new round of reorganization and strategic and tactical adjustments throughout the entire army to adapt to the new characteristics of 20th-century warfare.

The biggest change in the Royal Army was another expansion of 100,000 troops, increasing its total strength from over 360,000 to over 470,000.

Originally, a division had a strength of over 7600 men, which was expanded to over 10,000 men. In addition, eight field divisions and twelve independent regiments were added, increasing the army's size to 32 divisions and 57 regiments, resulting in a significant increase in strength.

The military region system was implemented in the organization of the Royal Army of the Great Chu Empire.

For example, the Central American Military Region, the South American Military Region, the West African Military Region, the East African Military Region, etc., are regional military command organizations above the division level, and this is the first time they have appeared in the organizational structure of the Great Chu Empire.

The military district has the authority to command Imperial field forces (note: dual command), local garrison forces, fortress and port garrison regiments, armed militia and other armed forces within its jurisdiction.

Unified command and deployment can create stronger combat effectiveness.

After several revisions, the Royal Navy of Great Chu finally came up with a brand-new construction plan for the "Kunlun Mountain" heavy cruiser, a capital ship of the same class as the British Lion-class battlecruisers.

The most obvious indicator is that its displacement exceeds 3 tons and its speed is 25 knots. It is a new type of warship that is truly fast, has strong firepower, and thick armor.

According to the "Ten-Year Preparation Plan of the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire", there are a total of 4 Kunlun Mountain-class heavy cruisers. The first ship was put into construction in early July, and the second ship was put into construction in October.

The No. 3 and No. 4 ships will be put into construction in 1906, and the construction progress has been significantly accelerated, indicating that the investment in the field of main naval warships has doubled.

After the Battle of Tsushima Strait

After the Second and Third Pacific Fleets of Tsarist Russia, which were sent to reinforce the Far East, were almost completely wiped out, and seeing no hope of a comeback, Tsar Nicholas II had no choice but to reluctantly acknowledge the victory of Japan.

Under such tacit understanding

Through the peaceful mediation of the United States, the two belligerent nations of Japan and Russia finally sat down to discuss ceasefire terms and prepare to end this war, which had cost both sides dearly.

this means
The eastward expansion policy of Tsar Nicholas II's government failed, and the ambitious "Yellow Russia Plan" was completely bankrupt, a situation that was not recovered from for decades to come.

The defeat in the war led to chaos and revolutionary uprisings throughout Tsarist Russia. The invincible aura that the Tsar had deliberately created was completely shattered and became a complete joke.

As domestic conflicts intensified, the foundation of Tsar Nicholas II's rule suffered serious cracks.

This war, which offers no hope whatsoever, is simply unsustainable.

The Japanese didn't gain much either, losing over 26 people in the entire war. This is just the figure reported by the face-saving Japanese themselves; the actual number was far greater.

What truly broke the Japanese defenses was the armistice negotiations. Originally, the Japanese, riding high on their victory in the war, were prepared to take a huge bite out of Tsarist Russia to make up for the enormous losses they had suffered in the war.

To win this war, the Japanese spent over 16 billion yen on military expenses. At that time, the annual revenue of the Japanese national treasury was less than 2 million yen.

In preparation for this war, the Japanese not only emptied their own coffers but also borrowed a huge amount of foreign debt of about 8 million from the United States and Britain, leaving them heavily indebted.

For the Japanese
Now that we have won, the victors have the right to make demands. They must find a way to recover their losses, at least by returning the borrowed money to Britain and the United States.

Ten years ago, after winning the First Sino-Japanese War, they "squeezed" more than 2 million taels of silver from the Qing government, which can be said to have made them rich.

Now they plan to follow suit and take a big bite out of Tsarist Russia.

During the Portsmouth negotiations, the Japanese demanded a staggering 30 billion euros from the Tsar, astonishing both the Americans and the Russian negotiators present.

The Russian negotiator immediately stormed out, coldly remarking, "This is absolutely impossible; Russia has no habit of paying."

The Japanese were dumbfounded. Why did they leave without even haggling over the price?

He felt his demands were reasonable; that was how he had extorted the Qing Dynasty in the past, succeeding time and time again, making money very easy.

But this time they've run into a tough opponent.

The news reached St. Petersburg. Tsar Nicholas II was furious, and his ministers were enraged, cursing, "The Japanese are taking advantage of our misfortune! They're asking for an exorbitant price!"

It must be understood that the focus and core of Tsarist Russia's interests have always been in Europe, with more than 80% of the elite of its million-plus-strong army residing there. It has a very solid financial foundation.
Given the massive size of the Russian Empire with its population of 1.35 million, the loss of 100,000 to 200,000 Russian officers and soldiers was nothing; the defeat in the Far East War was far from crippling.

Even if Russia lost the war, it would not easily agree to Japan's unreasonable demands.

Tsar Nicholas II rejected Japan's arrogant demands without hesitation, replying with just one sentence: "Not a single ruble. If you're not satisfied, let's fight again."

The Japanese were dumbfounded. After much deliberation, they realized that Tsarist Russia's terrifying war potential made it an untamable behemoth.

Japan itself was too exhausted to fight anymore. After 11 nationwide mobilizations, the upper age limit for conscripts has been raised to 39, and more than 120 million soldiers have been recruited.

Japan simply couldn't bear such a heavy burden of war and had to end it hastily.

In August 1905, Japan and Tsarist Russia signed the Treaty of Portsmouth. In this treaty, Tsarist Russia recognized Japan's colonial rule in Korea and transferred the leased territory of Dalian and Lushun, along with its associated rights and properties, to Japan.

From a certain perspective, it's a compensation that's better than nothing.

Besides
Tsarist Russia also ceded a small section of the Chinese Eastern Railway from Changchun to Lushun to Japan, and also ceded northern Sakhalin Island.

To put it simply...
The enormous sacrifices were completely disproportionate to the rewards. The Japanese gritted their teeth and won the war, but in the end they only gained the rights to two railways and some of Tsarist Russia's assets in Northeast China, which together were worth only tens of millions.

This stark contrast instantly broke the Japanese people's defenses.

People across Japan took to the streets to protest the cowardice of the government's negotiators. So many people had died and so much had been spent, yet they hadn't received even a little compensation.

From any perspective, they suffered a great loss.

A ceasefire treaty was signed in August, and the government held out until December. Under immense opposition and economic pressure, the Katsura Taro government collapsed, becoming a scapegoat for the venting of anger.

in the original history
Following this battle, a wave of reflection on the war swept through Japan, with many believing that they had been taken advantage of by the American and British powers and had been taken advantage of.

From that moment on, the seeds of hatred were sown in his heart.

The British and American loans that were originally intended to help Japan develop turned into a poisoned pie, leading to a paranoid sense of persecution among the Japanese. Sensitive and self-conscious Japanese people felt that they were the victims of the conspiracy.

For over thirty years, Fusang remained silent amidst a wave of reflection. These thirty years were also a period of arduous repayment of the enormous debts of war and a period of self-strengthening and development, which influenced the policy direction of subsequent Fusang governments.

If the course of history does not change

More than a decade later, World War I broke out.

Japan silently chose to stand by and watch, and apart from sending troops to occupy the German colony of Qingdao, it did not take any other major military action.

The main reason

Having suffered too much in the Russo-Japanese War, they had developed a serious sense of vigilance and hidden hatred towards the great powers of Britain, the United States, and Russia, and were unwilling to step forward and do favors for others.

The consensus is that "it was a war waged by white people."

As for the German colony in Qingdao, it was originally a deal made under the table between the two sides when the Anglo-Japanese Alliance was concluded in 1902. It was a sweet deal that the British promised to the Japanese.

In reviewing this major war that influenced the course of modern history in Northeast Asian countries, Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Empire made a surprising discovery;
The Qing Dynasty, which had never had much of a presence, turned out to be the biggest winner.

From the mid-19th century to the early 20th century

Except for the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, the Qing Dynasty in the Forbidden City maintained close relations with foreigners from various countries, and the strategy of "using barbarians to control barbarians" became increasingly effective.

The most striking example is the three northeastern provinces.

Today, the whole world knows that both Japan and Russia harbor great ambitions for the three northeastern provinces and the Manchurian and Mongolian regions, regarding them as easy prey.

As early as 1895, after Japan's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War, the ambitious Japanese ceded the northeastern region beyond the Great Wall through an unequal treaty, which triggered the Triple Intervention and the return of Liaodong.

Russia, in alliance with France and Germany, forced the Japanese occupation forces to withdraw from Northeast China.

Seeing that it could not compete with the three kingdoms, the Fusang Kingdom could only accept a ransom of 30 million silver dollars for Liaodong and reluctantly withdrew from the three northeastern provinces.

The Qing Dynasty borrowed money from France and Germany to compensate the Japanese. A similar event occurred seven years later, only this time the protagonist was Tsarist Russia.

Aggressive Russia, during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, dispatched 17 troops southward, committing numerous atrocities. Their complete occupation of Northeast China was an act of aggression in line with Tsarist Russia's "eastward expansion strategy."

at the same time
Tsarist Russia also sent a large number of immigrants to the three northeastern provinces. Hundreds of thousands of Russians came with their families and settled down on the black soil without any hesitation, treating it as their own territory.

This infuriated the Japanese. Well, those despicable Tsarist Russians drove us away, but then they seized this territory. It's outrageous!

For this reason, the Japanese have always been resentful. The three northeastern provinces were an unavoidable path in Japan's colonial policy, and they could not bear to see them occupied by Tsarist Russia.

From a timeline perspective
In 1900, Tsarist Russia occupied the three northeastern provinces. On February 12, 1902, the Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty was signed. By April, Britain, Japan, Germany, and other powers, including the State of Chu, jointly pressured Tsarist Russia to withdraw its troops from the Northeast.

Tsarist Russia never dreamed that the Triple Intervention of seven years ago would be used against it now.

Strangely, even France, Russia's only ally, expressed its support!

Under intense pressure from a host of foreign powers, in April 1902, Tsarist Russia signed the Treaty of Transfer of the Three Eastern Provinces with the Qing government, agreeing to withdraw its troops from the Northeast in three phases, with each phase spaced six months apart.

But the following year, Tsarist Russia changed its mind, reneged on its promise, and went back on its word.

The Russian Empire built Harbin to very high standards, investing huge sums of money. It was built entirely in imitation of St. Petersburg, with the intention of making it the eastern capital of the double-headed eagle.

Moreover, they have invested a great deal of effort in immigration, building factories, schools, urban structures, roads, and bridges. How can they just give up on it like that?

While Tsarist Russia could not defeat the major powers, it had a thousand ways to deal with the weak Qing Dynasty.

Therefore, on April 18, 1903, Tsarist Russia submitted a set of "Seven New Conditions for Withdrawal of Troops" to the Qing government.

The general idea is
Withdrawal of troops is acceptable, but the Qing Dynasty must guarantee that foreign powers cannot enter Northeast China. Secondly, Tsarist Russia demands to participate in the administrative management of Northeast China.

Not only that, Tsarist Russia also hastily established the "Eastern Governor-General," shamelessly beginning to govern the Northeast as a governor-general.

Tsarist Russia never dreamed that the Qing Dynasty was no pushover either; their astonishing actions left everyone speechless.

The day after receiving the note from Tsarist Russia, the Qing Dynasty secretly handed over the "Seven New Conditions for Withdrawal of Troops" to Japan.

The meaning is very clear
Gentlemen, let me state first that I'm backing down. I can't afford to offend either of you, so let's just communicate directly!

One has to admire how skillfully the Qing Dynasty employed the strategy of "using barbarians to control barbarians."

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty went through the whole process from beginning to end, and found that it was consistent in terms of timeline. He couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Five thousand years of wisdom, you have to admire it.

Since the signing of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty on February 12, 1902, Japan, backed by Britain, was no longer timid and its attitude became extremely tough.

Since the Qing Dynasty has provided a sufficient pretext for intervening in the Northeast issue, why should we give it up for nothing?

So Japan immediately sent people to negotiate with Tsarist Russia. The two sides talked for almost a year, but the talks broke down in 1904, and then a fierce war broke out.

Now that the war is over, both Japan and Russia have retreated to lick their wounds and are temporarily unable to fight again.

The sovereignty of the three northeastern provinces remained intact in the hands of the Qing Dynasty.

That is
The two robbers, having come up empty-handed, thought about it carefully and wondered if this was the case.
After this ordeal

Japan and Russia now understand that the three northeastern provinces are not something that anyone can occupy at will. The surrounding powers are all eyeing them covetously and will not allow any one side to occupy them exclusively.
Anyone who crosses the red line will become the target of everyone's attacks.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu Dynasty knew

The so-called Anglo-Japanese Alliance was originally a product of countering the large-scale southward invasion of Tsarist Russia. It was a specially customized version with many restrictions.

The Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty mainly consisted of two points. First, the treaty was not directed at the whole world, but specifically at the northern mainland of China and the Korean Peninsula.

The geographical scope is specifically limited and does not apply to areas outside this area.

If either Britain or Japan were to wage war against the Qing Dynasty and Korea, the other party would be required to remain neutral.

Britain wanted the market, and the Japanese didn't need to worry about the British Empire seizing territory in the Northeast; they reached a tacit understanding on the first point.

The important point is the second one:
If either Britain or Japan goes to war with another country, the other country should provide military, financial, logistical and all other support!
This alliance treaty was aimed at Tsarist Russia, which was right next door.

Why wouldn't it be aimed at the Great Chu Empire?
Around 1902
The Fusang Kingdom's Six-Six Fleet is nowhere to be seen yet, consisting of only two battleships. Its naval power is completely unable to compete with the Royal Navy of the Great Chu Empire, and the disparity in strength is very obvious.

Without defeating and destroying the royal navy of the Great Chu Empire, the Fusang Kingdom could not pose a threat to the Great Chu Empire in the south.

It's unrealistic and impossible to expect the Fusang army to swim over 4,000 kilometers south to contend with the Great Chu Empire.

Before signing the military alliance treaty, the British side had specifically communicated with the State of Chu and assured that it would not apply to a joint campaign against Chu. There is a secret memorandum between the two sides to witness this.

Emperor Zheng Guohui of the Great Chu also expressed his understanding and allowed the passage, which removed the last obstacle to establishing the Anglo-Japanese Alliance.

If the Great Chu Empire had any doubts about this, considering its pivotal position in the Western Pacific region, its powerful national strength and military capabilities, then it would be impossible for it to sign this Anglo-Japanese Alliance Treaty.

In the British global strategy
The Great Chu Empire holds an irreplaceable and important position. Whether it is to contain the United States' North American strategy or to contain France and Germany's African strategy, the close cooperation of the Great Chu Empire is indispensable, and the two sides have many wonderful memories of successful cooperation.

The role of Fusang (Japan) is only suitable for the Northeast Asian region.

One is a close global partner, and the other is a regional military alliance; this is the fundamental difference in their strategic value.

Since the Anglo-Japanese Alliance stipulated that...
If either Britain or Japan goes to war with either of the other countries, the other should also join the war and provide military, logistical, financial, and all other possible assistance.

Of course, this scope is limited to the northern continent and the Korean Peninsula.

So why didn't the British send troops into the Russo-Japanese War?
There is a paradox here: if Britain and Japan formed an Anglo-Japanese alliance to launch a frontal attack on the Russian army.

This would trigger the joint defense clause of the Franco-Russian military alliance, forcing France to send troops into the war. In that case, the war would not only be limited to Northeast Asia, but could also spread to Europe.

When Britain, France, and Russia are at war, will the German-Austrian-Italian alliance, another military bloc on the European continent, let go of this opportunity to take advantage of the situation?

The answer is obviously no.

Germany will not only be a possibility, but a certainty, to send troops at this time, joining forces with Italy and Austria-Hungary to besiege France and open an eastern front against Tsarist Russia.

In that case, all the world's major powers would be drawn into the war, which would definitely be a world war.

Therefore, Britain and Japan had reached a tacit understanding to limit the scope of the war to Northeast Asia, rather than allowing it to spread to other regions and create uncontrollable chain reactions.

Britain is responsible for providing sufficient military support, funding, and ample combat supplies, and for using its strong international influence to prevent countries outside the region from interfering in the wars in Northeast Asia.

The rest is up to the Japanese to handle.

This so-called "extraterritorial country" refers to the Great Chu Empire in Southeast Asia. The Japanese have always been very wary of the powerful Great Chu Empire.

Before the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War
Not only did the Russians overestimate their own strength, but the Japanese also overestimated their own strength, agreeing that the British could deal with the Russians on their own without sending troops to participate in the war.

This is what the Japanese deeply regret, and it is also the main reason why they feel deceived.

During the war in 1895, the Japanese army easily captured Port Arthur, which inevitably made them arrogant.

Now that the Russians are on defense, at most it will just take a little more effort.

The harsh reality dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army. In the more than one-year-long Battle of Port Arthur, the Japanese suffered more than 100,000 casualties, with some unofficial estimates suggesting more than 200,000.

On that black soil

Everywhere was soaked with the blood of Japanese soldiers, and corpses littered the valleys and hilltops. The war was unprecedentedly bloody and brutal, a dark memory that is too painful to recall.

The Japanese never imagined that the Russians from the north would be so difficult to defeat.

They could only swallow their anger and suffer in silence, enduring this great loss. (End of Chapter)