Chapter 921

“The words of all you beloved ministers deeply align with my intentions. If the Great Yu Empire does not wish to become a colony of other nations a century from now, it must now strive diligently and actively for the rise of the Great Yu Empire.”

Amidst the impassioned and enthusiastic atmosphere of the court assembly, Xiao Ming’s expression was filled with joy.

While this court assembly was certainly for arranging the implementation of electricity, making the officials aware of the national crisis was also one of his objectives.

Undoubtedly, his “European Threat Theory” speech in the court this time had excellent results. The officials were all eager to act, displaying a strong urge to contend with the great powers.

Inspired by this, Xiao Ming planned to have the newspaper introduce the current world situation after court adjourned, displaying the true strength of the European powers before the people of the Great Yu Empire, and also allowing the people of the Great Yu Empire to have a clear understanding of the current world, thereby uniting their hearts to improve the efficiency of industrial and commercial development.

After all, generally speaking, European countries had great war potential, and they also received defecting students from the Great Yu Empire. Although the knowledge these students possessed was only theoretical.

However, current Europe had already reached a technological level approaching the mid-to-late 18th century. If combined with their theories, it might accelerate technological advancement.

However, even so, he was not too worried. After all, the Great Yu Empire’s foundation had now been laid. Even if European technology improved relatively, the Great Yu Empire’s technology would only improve faster.

Moreover, as an industrialized populous nation, he no longer needed to fear Western powers. Because an industrial power could hardly completely destroy another industrial power. At this point, the competition between nations was merely a struggle for spheres of influence and the formulation of world rules.

“Long live our wise Emperor!”

As Xiao Ming’s words fell, the ministers bowed in unison.

Nodding slightly, Xiao Ming gestured to Qian Dafu. Today’s court assembly concluded here. He had already given the overall plan; now, all that remained was the issue of implementation.

After court adjourned, Xiao Ming went straight back to the imperial study. At the same time, he had Qian Dafu summon Niu Ben and Luo Quan.

Before the morning court session, he had already learned of Tsarist Russia’s southward expansion. Niu Ben’s words in the court were not alarmist; he was not intentionally trying to frighten the officials.

“Have you fully grasped Tsarist Russia’s strength in Guandong now?”

After the two arrived, Xiao Ming pointed to Guandong on the map and asked.

The reconnaissance for this military campaign was carried out by the military alone. With the maturation of the military system, pre-combat reconnaissance was gradually separated from the secret guard’s duties. After all, the secret guard had many other tasks to do.

“We’ve basically understood it. For this, we almost sacrificed a team of hunter cavalry. If the leading cavalry captain hadn’t been quick-witted, they would have been captured by Tsarist Russia’s Cossack cavalry,” Niu Ben said, frowning, his expression grim.

Luo Quan added, “Currently, there are approximately over seven hundred thousand Tsarist Russian immigrants north of Jianzhou and in the Siberian region. These over seven hundred thousand people are scattered in seven important fortresses: Tyumen, Tobolsk, Yakutsk, Okhotsk, Kamchatka, Albazin, and Nerchinsk. Among them, Albazin and Nerchinsk are closest to Jianzhou and are also the most heavily garrisoned fortresses for Tsarist Russia. Most infuriatingly, Tsarist Russia seems to have tasted success. After Albazin and Nerchinsk, they are preparing for their eighth fortress, Nerchinsk, which is only a hundred li from Jianzhou.”

As Luo Quan spoke, Xiao Ming marked Tsarist Russia’s cities one by one on the map. The red dots stretched from Guandong all the way to Siberia.

“Over seven hundred thousand people. That’s no small number. Moreover, the indigenous people of Siberia have now all submitted to Tsarist Russia. The total number is more than that. And the Golden Tent Khanate has also allied with Tsarist Russia. This makes it even more troublesome,” Xiao Ming said. According to the knowledge from the technology crystal, there were many indigenous peoples living in Siberia in contemporary times, including the Ostyaks, Nenets, Evenks, Yakuts, Kyrgyz, Buryats, Yukaghir, Koryaks, Kamchadals, and others.

However, these peoples were all annexed by Tsarist Russia one by one.

Now that the war in the south was basically over, Niu Ben and Luo Quan had already turned their attention to the north. Most importantly, the railway from Qingzhou Province to Guandong was now operational this year. The transportation of soldiers and supplies would be much easier, allowing them to defeat Tsarist Russia with the Guandong army.

“Although seven hundred thousand people are many, Tsarist Russia’s forces in each fortress are actually not numerous. Even the garrisons in Nerchinsk and Albazin are only about three or four thousand per city. However, relatively speaking, their firearms are much more sophisticated than Japan’s,” Niu Ben continued.

Xiao Ming had a plan in mind. For him, a battle with Tsarist Russia was inevitable.

The reason was simple: if Siberia remained in Russian hands, the Great Yu Empire would always be in a state of being attacked from both sides.

But once it possessed the entire Siberia, the Great Yu Empire would be backed by the Arctic Ocean, a natural barrier, and its strategic environment would be greatly improved.

“How many troops can be mobilized now?” Xiao Ming asked. If he was going to fight, there was no need to hesitate. Now, he had solidified his resolve. Moreover, the route from the Bering Strait to North America was also extremely tempting.

“After the war in the south, one hundred thousand troops were stationed in the south to annihilate the remaining rebels and guard against Annam to the southwest. The remaining sixty thousand troops returned to their respective garrisons. However, immediately, another twenty thousand will be stationed in Japan. So, counting this, we can only flexibly mobilize forty thousand men,” Luo Quan said.

As the chief general of the General Staff Department, he was very aware of the current deployment of the Great Yu Empire’s forces. Although the total number of the Great Yu Empire’s troops was considerable.

However, when distributed, the number of troops was still not many. After all, Goryeo, Japan, and even the southwest were in a state of incomplete stability, requiring military monitoring.

“Forty thousand men, plus the Guandong army, should be enough,” Xiao Ming said somewhat helplessly. The vast army, after campaigning in the east and west, was scattered, which was unavoidable, as this was the price of colonization.

Of course, he could also have these armies gather in one place, but with the current transportation level, the cost would be enormous. So, he could only achieve victory with the lowest possible cost.

“Enough!” Niu Ben said confidently, “Although Tsarist Russia attaches great importance to Guandong, Guandong is too far from Tsarist Russia, but very close to us. Just in terms of logistical transport, they have already lost.”

Luo Quan nodded upon hearing this, fully agreeing with Niu Ben.

“If that’s the case, then let’s show those Tsarist Russians building the city in Morgan what we’re made of. Now is the time to discuss the ownership of the land with Tsarist Russia,” Xiao Ming narrowed his eyes.

In contemporary times, he could only savor the humiliation of land being gradually encroached upon in history. But now, he could personally change it.