The Qing government and Russia signed the Sino-Russian Secret Agreement in 1896. The Sino-Russian alliance discussed jointly against Japan and agreed to Russia to build a Siberian Railway through Heilongjiang in China and go directly to Vladivostok. Japan was deeply afraid of the Sino-Russian alliance and felt that its interests in the Far East were threatened.

After the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the defeated Japan relied on the huge war reparations it received, and its national strength and ambitions increased greatly. It immediately launched a ten-year naval expansion plan. On the other hand, Russia also began to actively expand its naval power. With the assistance of France, it built new battleships in the shipyard in St. Petersburg, in an attempt to become the third naval power second only to Britain and France in 1904.

However, with the support of a series of policies of the new admiral Tang Jian, the Beiyang Navy of the Qing Dynasty recovered rapidly. In a few years, it purchased new ships from Britain and Germany. In just a few years, the Beiyang Navy had more than 40 large and large warships, and the new battleship built by the Qing Dynasty, which was rumored internationally, is about to be completed.

All of this has attracted unprecedented attention from Japan. Russia has rented the former No. 1 fortress in the Far East, Lushun Port and surrounding Dalian Port, with the Qing government. Most of Tang Jian's Beiyang Fleet is stationed at Weihaiwei Port, which is across the sea from Lushun, and a part of it is guarding in Jiaozhou Bay, Shandong.

The rapid rise of Tang Jian's Beiyang Fleet and its deep cooperation with Russia have caused panic among the Japanese authorities. Whether it is the Beiyang Fleet of Weihaiwei in Shandong or the Pacific Fleet of Russia stationed in Lushun, it is a huge threat to North Korea, which is already Japan's possession.

Moreover, as early as a few years ago, the Russian forced Japan to abandon the Liaodong Peninsula, which had already made Japan hold a grudge. After Russia leased Lushun and Dalian Bay, Russia also actively expanded to the Korean Peninsula. North Korea was originally a springboard for exchanges between Japan and the Asian continent. If North Korea is controlled by Russia, not only will Japan expand into the Asian continent be vain, but even the Japanese mainland will inevitably be invaded by Russia. The relationship between Japan and Russia is deteriorating with the gradual strengthening of the Beiyang Navy.

The rapid rise of the Beiyang Navy also changed Japan's plan to expand its naval capacity. In a few years, Japan purchased a large number of new ships from Britain and Germany respectively, in order to resolve the dispute between Japan and Russia in the Far East through military means.

Japan's plan was to use the whole country's strength to fight the Russian Pacific Fleet in Lushun before 1900. After defeating the Russian Pacific Fleet, the still immature Beiyang Navy will not be the opponent of the Japanese Joint Fleet with rich combat experience. Then, defeating Russia's power in the Northeast has become Japan's top priority in the current period.

A few days ago, when Tang Jian went to Fuzhou Shipbuilding Bureau to receive the new ship, Japan had a small friction with the Russian Pacific Fleet above the Yellow Sea. Later, through mediation by other countries, the two countries admitted that they were not holding the two countries accountable for the incident of the accident. However, the dispute between Japan and Russia on the North Korean issue became increasingly fierce.

After hearing the news, Tang Jian shouted ok. On the third day, Tang Jian took the night light. The two ships "Dragon Power" and "Dragon Soar" set sail from Fuzhou. They sank day and traveled at night all the way, and finally returned to Weihaiwei Port on the fifth day.

After arriving at Weihaiwei, Tang Jian quickly ordered the entire fleet to work together for one month. Dozens of warships including "Hairong", "Haichou", "Haichen", "Haiqi", "Haitian" and other major warships cooperated with "Longwei" and "Longxiao" to work together.

Every Beiyang Navy has become more vigorous after seeing the "Dragon Power" and "Dragon Roar", especially when other warships are required to cooperate with the main warships to practice. This unintentionally conveys a news: the Beiyang Fleet will have big moves recently!

…………

Sasebo Naval Base, Japan

Lieutenant General Hitoshinoshi became the commander-in-chief of the Japanese Joint Fleet on behalf of Yuyuki Ito. On this day, Hitoshinoshinoshi was studying the increasingly severe situation in Sasebo's naval base.

There was Di Ping Zhiyun holding a big pipe eye in his arms and staring at the huge map hanging on the wall. His eyes were stuck on the Yellow Sea, wandering away from Lushun, Weihaiwei and North Korea.

At this time, the guard knocked on the door and walked in politely, saying, "Mr. Commander, all the captains are waiting outside the door. Should they come in?"

Ai Shin-Yuan nodded. After a while, a team of captains in neatly dressed in naval uniforms stepped forward, and were lined up on both sides with a serious expression.

After the Holy Yoon turned around and said, "Please sit down, the best samurai in the Empire!"

"Hi!" The captains bowed deeply, took off their military caps from their heads, placed them neatly on the left side of the seat, and then sat down neatly.

Yi Diping Yui Yun stood up and asked, "I guess the captains have seen the challenges facing the Great Japanese Empire now!" Everyone looked at Yi Diping Yui Yun's finger on the direction of the map. Yi Diping Yui Yun continued, "Now the Qing Dynasty and Russia are in harmony. Lushun is stationed in Russia's Pacific Fleet, Weihaiwei has the Beiyang Fleet of the Great Japanese Empire. Now the two countries seem to have signed a secret treaty and formed an alliance to hinder the Great Japanese Empire's pace of entering the Asian continent. Their troops here have deeply threatened the interests of our empire in North Korea."

Everyone nodded silently.

Ai Diping Yuyun said in a heavy tone: "A few days ago, the Russian fleet's arbitrary provocation on the Yellow Sea was challenging the prestige of our great Japanese Empire!"

At this time, the captain of Shikijima and Sabu Bingwei stood up and said, "Commander, the Russians are too bullying. First, they forced our country to return the Liaodong Peninsula that had already been obtained. Now they stationed the fleet in Lushun, which is so close to North Korea. The fleet of the Great Japanese Empire should deny force and let them taste the bloody lesson!"

Ashinosunosu nodded, signaled to sit down with Sabu Bingwei, and praised in his heart: "Hesabu Bingwei is worthy of being a young man who was promoted by himself. He is very good at judging his thoughts. He is afraid he already knows that I will declare war on Russia. Although the fleet has urgently customized the Shikijima and the two new battleships of the "Kaise" from the Thames Railway Station in the UK and the Armstrong Shipyard in the UK, respectively, the other two have not returned yet. But the Russians are so ambitious that the situation in North Korea is in danger!"

Captain of the 'Kusase', Masashi Takeshita said: "The commander gave him a subordinate. His subordinates believed that the military strength of the Russian Pacific Fleet in Lushun and Vladivostok was compared with the military strength of the Japanese Empire's joint fleet. The strength was equal. The Russian Russian troops stationed in the northeast of the Qing Dynasty and the local supply lines of Europe and Russia were too far away. We just need to destroy the Russian troops from the Far East before the Russian army could mobilize the army to reinforce the east, and attack Russian morale. We should use the mediation of international powers to force Russia to ensure Japan's interests. Then the isolated Beiyang Navy is the thing in my pocket, and sooner or later it will destroy our hands again!"

Ai Diping Nori smiled. It seemed that the two young people who returned from studying abroad in the UK were good, and their opinions were consistent with them.

At this time, the captain of "Takachiho" Sadashi Nomura opposes: "On the surface, the Commander, our army and the Russian army are in equal strength, but the joint fleet also has to cover the landing troops, which is not conducive to our side. Moreover, the Beiyang Navy is another uncertain factor behind it..."

Ai Ditayoshi was very dissatisfied with the veteran whom Ito Yukihiro stayed with, and his thoughts were too conservative. Ai Ditayoshi saw that Nomura Satoshi expressed his objection, and he interrupted before he finished speaking: "Hisser Nomura, the emperors must be prepared for war, and they cannot be afraid. Do you think the Beiyang Navy, which was once crippled by us, have the courage to start a war with their several destroyers and joint fleets. Okay, I have already asked His Majesty the Emperor, and I believe that the result will come soon. The samurai of the Empire is ready. We will soon have a tough battle to fight. The time for loyalty to the Empire is here."

The captains stood up at the same time and bowed, "Hi!" Only Sadashi Nomura sighed slightly in his heart. Why did he always feel a slight uneasiness in his heart when he went to fight this time?
Chapter completed!