African Entrepreneurship Record

As Ernst said, after receiving the news that the main fleet in the Far East had almost lost combat power, Nicholas II’s government was awakened by this calamity.

The Russian minister reported to Nicholas II: ”The naval main force at the Lushun port base suffered heavy losses. Now, all the battleships of the Far East fleet are either severely damaged or trapped inside Lushun port, subjected to passive bombardment. Only the Vladivostok detachment has not been attacked, but at this time, distant water cannot extinguish nearby thirst, it is utterly impossible to break the blockade, nor do they 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 detachment still existed. However, this fleet was evidently unable to compete with the Japanese Navy. Its main warships did not include any battleships and had weaker fighting power with cruisers.

Moreover, Japan clearly wouldn’t allow the Vladivostok detachment to support the Russian naval main force at Lushun port. Although the Japanese Navy was far inferior to Russia, they still held absolute superiority in this part against the Russian Far East fleet.

Among Russia’s three naval fleets, the Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, and Far East Fleet, the Far East Fleet was the weakest, at least somewhat weaker than the Japanese Combined Fleet.

Nicholas II tapped his head anxiously and asked, ”Is it possible to break out from Lushun port?”

The Russian Navy Commander shook his head and sighed: ”It’s basically impossible. The Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack at night, which led to many of the warships docked inside the port suffering fatal damage, causing the naval forces at Lushun port to lose most combat power. With the remaining forces, effective retaliation is impossible. Now we can only rely on the Lushun garrison to hold a stalemate with Japan.”

”This also indicates that our country has lost initiative in the Far East waters. If the Japanese Navy commands wisely, it is only a matter of time before they eliminate our naval forces stationed at Lushun.”

”Moreover, the Vladivostok detachment is weak in combat, and heading south will certainly pass through Japanese waters. The Japanese Navy won’t sit idly by. At this time, heading south is basically sending sheep into a tiger’s mouth and falling into the Japanese Navy’s trap.”

Nicholas II said angrily: ”Are we just going to watch the Imperial Navy be destroyed at Lushun port without doing anything!”

The Navy Commander consoled: ”Mainly because no one anticipated the Japanese Navy would employ night surprise attacks. The Japanese Government did not declare war against us, catching us off guard, so the tragedy at Lushun port is fundamentally due to our oversight of Japan’s shamelessness, which is completely different from our past wars with civilized nations.”

Nicholas II gritted his teeth and said: ”These damn Japanese dwarfed monkeys, they have absolutely no sense of shame or morality.”

Nicholas II’s hatred for Japan could be said to have reached the extreme, with new grudges added to old ones, because when he was the Crown Prince, Nicholas II had experienced an assassination attempt by the Japanese, which he never forgot over the years. Now Japan’s deceitful methods of war declaration only intensified Nicholas II’s inner rage.

Of course, for Nicholas II, the assassination might not have been enough to incite hatred towards Japan, as assassination attempts on a Tsar were not uncommon, such as Nicholas II’s grandfather Alexandria II being a victim. The primary cause of Nicholas II’s hatred towards Japan was the Japanese government’s protective attitude towards the perpetrator at that time.

Nicholas II initially held a relatively friendly attitude when he visited Japan in his youth and was quite satisfied with his impression, but encountering later frustrating events, it would be impossible for any normal person not to hold a lasting grudge in their heart.

Although Nicholas II detests the completely immoral and shameless country, he has not been blinded by anger and asked, ”Now the war has broken out, and for us, the start is very bad. Do you have any plans to resolve this crisis?”

The Navy Commander pessimistically said: ”Now we can only ensure the Vladivostok detachment avoids unnecessary sacrifices, prevent the total annihilation of the Far East fleet, and strive to exhaust the Japanese Navy’s energy. As for the Far East fleet’s main force at Lushun, it can be said the situation is worrying, and we must prepare for the worst.”

”Moreover, to prevent the further worsening of the war situation, we must make advance preparations to dispatch an expedition fleet to the Pacific Region for support. If Japan occupies Lushun, we will fall further into passivity.”

Nicholas II urged with some anxiety: ”In that case, why haven’t you quickly come up with a plan?”

”Your Majesty, dispatching an expedition fleet is not an easy task due to the British reasons. Our Black Sea Fleet certainly couldn’t pass through, so we can only draw troops from the Baltic Fleet. But we face severe issues, as the fleet traveling from Europe to the Pacific Region is thousands of miles away. The situation along the route is complex, and other countries may not grant us convenience.”

Naval Chief of Staff Rozhestvensky also said: ”The British are very likely to become our obstacle. They control crucial transit routes such as Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, and their relationship with Japan is very close. It can even be said that the Japanese Navy was supported by them to balance our power, so the British are likely to stand on Japan’s side, creating significant trouble for us.”

This judgment can be said to be very accurate. For the current British, they can’t wait for Russia to fall in the Far East region.

”Additionally, naval fleet mobilization is a very complicated process. We require a lot of preparation work. For the Baltic Fleet, the mere sailing will consume a lot of time, and we will also face climatic challenges. By the time we arrive in the Far East region, we might already be exhausted.”

Nicholas II asked: ”Can’t we bypass the British?”

”Almost impossible; even if we don’t pass through Gibraltar and the Suez Canal, Cape of Good Hope and Malacca Strait are also in British hands. But the British people can’t completely block us, only that this will consume us a lot of time and energy. The war situation changes rapidly; this moment can completely lead to our war failure.”

Of course, the Russian government was still holding a fluke in its heart at this time. Although the Far East fleet was attacked, it was not completely annihilated, so the Far East fleet still had the potential to counterattack, but the possibility was extremely slim.

Therefore, the preparation for the Baltic Fleet to aid Asia at this time has to be prepared early, which is what Russian naval leaders said about preparing for the worst.

”The British are likely to stir trouble on Gibraltar Strait or the Suez Canal, and besides the British, other countries must be considered, especially the attitudes of Germany and France. If due to the British obstruction, the route through Cape of Good Hope is chosen, then factors like East Africa must also be considered.”

”The Baltic Fleet passes through too many sea areas and countries, and countries capable of being unyielding are Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and East Africa. Other countries, even if dissatisfied, dare not intervene. France probably won’t block us, but Germany and East Africa’s attitudes need our probing, especially Germany. If Germany favors Japan in this war, we might not even be able to leave the Baltic Sea.”

”The importance of East Africa lies in, if we choose the Cape of Good Hope route, our navy will need to pass through the East African coast for a long stretch. Moreover, East Africa has colonies in Asia. The location of Lan Fang and the Southern Ryukyu Islands can provide favorable assurance for our navy’s mid-course rest. And East Africa has a rather tense relationship with Britain, so won’t be affected by the British attitude, which is significant for us.”