There is a palace to burn, again (October-December, 1886)
Bulgaria]
On October 3, the celebrations due to ulterior motives had been a little early, well, the Bulgarians already had everything prepared.
Tsar Alexander III accompanied by Mikhail Skobelev, Iosif Romeyko-Gurko, Tsesarevich Nicholas and General Mikhail Ivanovich Dragomirov, among other associates, strolled through carriages in Veliko Tarnovo. The flags of Russia and Bulgaria flew celebrating the independence of Bulgaria in a large military procession.
In the city center, Tsar Sergei I of Bulgaria would receive the Russians to give them some gifts, and present a statue honoring the Russian-Bulgarian relations in the first decade of independence from the Ottoman Empire.
The statue not only represented ordinary soldiers, but there was also Tsar Alexander III himself and Tsar Sergei I, of course closely linked to public relations, diplomats and the popularity of the monarchy.
"Hmm ... I must say that I never expected to have a statue in a foreign state while I was alive." Tsar Alexander III mentions.
"You deserve it, the people of Bulgaria truly think of you as one of their liberators. Besides, do you have a statue of yourself in Russia?" Sergei exclaims.
"It is only a bust in the Moscow Metro, besides that there is nothing else." Tsar Alexander III responds. "There are more important things to spend money on."
"I see." Tsar Sergei accepts.
"There are also more important things to discuss, how are relations with Greece?" Alexander III questions.
"Smooth sailing, at the moment Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro and Bosnia are not going to target each other while there is still the Ottoman Empire in Europe." Sergei explains.
"Encouraging. Keep it that way, for as long as we can" Tsar Alexander III exclaims simply.
*******
Tsesarevich Nicholas was accompanying Sophia Mikhailovna Dragomirova, daughter of General Dragomirov. Their parents (18-year-old Nicholas and 15-year-old Sophia) were playing arm wrestling.
In Bulgaria, this time the older General Dragomirov won.
"Ah, the tsar is just tired Nicholas, you see, in combat, fighting spirit is everything, being tired weakens the fighting spirit." Dragomirov explains to Tsesarevich.
"Here he goes again." Sophia mentions something embarrassed while General Dragomirov tried to lead the Tsesarevich to some arm wrestling.
General Dragomirov was somewhat rusty after the '76 war, he was still a statesman but his views on the war did not fit within the Russian army.
For Dragomirov, tactics, weapons or numerical superiority did not matter, only the "Fighting Spirit". And while it is true that numbers and weaponry is not everything, Russia was simply paying much attention to its military administration, military academies, war games (which Dragomirov was against) and the improvement of its officers, etc.
Dragomirov was "simple" in that regard, and although he could make good observations of foreign armies and good examples, he was shortsighted on many matters.
1-Russian soldiers were "brute saints." (The Russian spirit, the fighting spirit and simple brute force).
2-Communication between an officer and his troops must be simple, at most two thoughts must be communicated for understanding between both groups.
3-Avoid bookish words.
4-At the slightest opportunity, if you can show (give the example), show, do not count.
5-Take from what is transmitted not everything in its entirety, but in order of importance, to apply it to the life and service of the soldier.
*******
[Sino-Japanese War: Discussions of Russia, Germany and Japan]
Tsar Alexander III and Foreign Minister Nikolai de Girs discussed participation in the Sino-Japanese / Sino-German war with Japanese and German envoys. However, Russia still needed some time, and the Russian High Command wanted to discuss joint maneuvers before entering the war.
Due to this, the declaration of war of the Russian Empire would not arrive until October 28, a period during which the German army and navy were fighting in southern China, and the Imperial Japanese Army plus the Imperial Japanese Navy regrouping for the attack.
Something very useful is that between the Nagasaki incident and the first battles, Japanese intelligence managed to obtain the method to decipher military messages from the Qing dynasty on October 7, which gave a great advantage to the triple intervention.
After the Nagasaki Incident the situation did not look good for Qing, Generalissimo Boulanger of France planned to support the German-Russian intervention in Qing to make the Chinese pay.
Rudolf I had no sympathy for the Qing to act, and Umberto I supported the Germans by continuing their Germanic policy. The UK could still try to finance Qing but now the consequences of British foreign policy being discovered were much greater.
If the English were discovered it would mean a rapprochement of Russia towards Germany and Italy, not only that but Japan would effectively fall into the Russian diplomatic sphere with no alternatives.
*******
[Sino-Japanese Conflict: Strategy]
Before October 28, the Russian High Command and the Japanese Admiralty together with some German delegates discussed how they should act regarding combat.
Russia in essence gave the Germans a free hand, so that they would advance from North Vietnam to Yunnan, whether they were successful or not was less important. The German navy also had a free hand to attack various ports in southern China, but in exchange for Yunnan they would have to leave the island of Hainan for Japan.
Something that Chancellor Otto von Bismarck accepted to have a good business with Russia.
The Russian Pacific Fleet and the IJN on the other hand planned a combined assault on the Yellow Sea to destroy the remnants of the Qing navy in the region before they could regroup and fully recover.
Qing would have to divert resources to the north and south, which would make concentrated attacks easier for the powers. Russia would support the IJN war machine and partly the IJA, but in return Russia would win a free hand in Manchuria (and Japan in Taiwan and Hainan).
In continental Asia, Russia proposed the use of the Trans-Siberian to attack Manchuria from the north, while the navies pressed the south of the region. The Russian army already had defenses on other sides of the Qing border in case the Chinese will try anything.
Korea on the other hand would declare its independence (as would the Lanfang Republic), and its military involvement would not be required unless Qing invaded Korea, but if Russo-Japanese strategies were successful, that would not be a necessity.
*******
[Sino-German-Japanese-Russian War: Development]
October 28, the Russian Empire declares war on the Qing dynasty. On this day two battles immediately take place:
1-The second battle of Yalu, between the Russian-Japanese navy against the Qing navy, near the Yalu River. The remnants of the Qing navy are defeated and the Russo-Japanese navy is divided.
On the one hand, the Russian marna advanced towards Lüshun on the Liaodong peninsula (called Port Arthur, Порт-Арту́р. By the Russians) to put the city under siege and ensure pressure on southern Manchuria.
2-The first clash between the Russian armies and the Qing defenses in the north of Inner Manchuria, where the Russian army moves towards the Chinese border.
In this battle, the Trans-Siberian and other Russian railway systems play a vital role in Russian military doctrine, allowing the efficient transport of supplies and reinforcements to the rear lines of the Russian army.
The Russians inflict a defeat on the Qing forces in the north, while the Germans defeat the Qing in the south, and the Japanese mobilize towards Weihaiwei.
*******
On November 1, the Imperial Japanese Navy intercepts the remnants of the Qing navy on their way to Weihaiwei, Shandong. The battle in the Bohai Strait results in a Japanese victory, although the fighting lasts until November 16.
The Japanese victory in this battle effectively closes off the Bohai Strait, locking in or destroying the remnants of the Qing army forces in the region, denying Qing forces access by sea to Korea Bay or the Yellow Sea.
On the other hand, on November 22, the city of Lüshun finally fell to the forces of the Russian navy.
On the other hand, on November 25, the forces of the Pacific Fleet and the Imperial Japanese Army launch a successful joint attack across the Yalu River, resulting in the fall of the city of Dandong, at the cost of heavy Japanese casualties ( product of logistical problems, within the Japanese war machine, and decisions of the Japanese officers).
After resting, the Russo-Japanese forces from southern Manchuria would move to Benxi city on December 3, meeting the Qing forces in Anshan on December 14.
The resulting battle would effectively cut off Qing dominance over the Liaodong Peninsula. Now the Qing forces in Liaodong had only to resist or advance to meet the Russian forces from northern Manchuria.
*******
On November 3, French forces declare a series of embargoes on Chinese products and declare war on the Qing dynasty due to the death of French citizens in the Nagasaki Incident.
French ships (mainly coming and going from Austrian Borneo) tie up and loot Qing dynasty ships in southern China.
Generalissimo Boulanger calls this a victory, but knows that it is not yet the time for an attack on mainland Asia.
At home on the other hand this is promoted as an "independent" French intervention against the Yellow Peril (Péril Jaune), and the Chinese attack was targeting innocent French citizens and merchants.
Of course only to avoid comments that Germany and France are "cooperating" in some way.
This is in part a political movement, a successful expedition or war that brings (looted) resources to France to continue its progress, and that in the future, in a certain sense will also pass into the rhetoric of the "Civilizing Mission" (Mission civilisatrice) from France to less developed nations.
*******
*Perspective of Aleksey Alekseyevich Brusilov.
It was sometime in November, Aleksey Brusilov leading his men after having defeated a nearby regiment of Qing forces in northern Chinese Manchuria.
But after that victory, as night set in, it was time to rest and prepare for the next day's offensive. "The general informs that if everything continues as planned, we will join the forces of the southern offensive in March of next year."
"Well that's good news." Brusilov exclaims. "Today we will avenge the loss of Eastern Zhili by taking Manchuria!" The officer proclaims in a toast with the rest of his men, that they share the excitement of defeating the Qing.
Russians, Cossacks and other ethnic groups from the Russian Empire were sheltering in a local farm, apparently abandoned. The Cossacks were letting their horses eat or sleep, some officers and Cossacks were setting up watch, and Brusilov was taking care of some resource management business.
Suddenly a sound is heard in the farm, Brusilov and other members had their weapons ready, a Chinese boy had been left behind when his family escaped.
After a review a Cossack ad. "He doesn't seem like a threat, he doesn't have weapons or the like. What do we do with him?" The Cossack exclaims, the boy was ragged but he was not hiding anything, he had no hidden weapons and actually he just looked quite malnourished. He didn't speak, probably because he didn't know Russian or any language to communicate with the soldiers.
"... Well, we have orders to cause as little damage as possible to the natives." Brusilov mentions.
"Shall we put him to work?" One of the Cossacks exclaims.
"Maybe, we have some food and water to spare, I'm sure he will know something to do." Brusilov exclaims, not a big fan of the Chinese people but he followed orders (also Brusilov had a pregnant wife, so he already had a little weakness for children).
The Chinese boy started carrying some Russian supplies (rifles and ammunition) in exchange for noodles, rice, bread and water, unfortunately the Russian soldiers would be followed from then on by the Chinese boy.
*******
[Protectorates]
With the Sino-Russian war declared, the Qing tributaries are reeling, not literally, but the Joseon dynasty under King Gojong and the Lanfang Republic declare their independence under the influence of Russia.
Soon the Lanfang Republic now declares a treaty that makes them a tributary of Russia, allowing the Russians to act much more publicly than before and not only sell arms to Lanfang but invest even more in its other industries.
On the other hand, the (pro-Russian) military officials of the Joseon dynasty urge King Gojong to declare the Korean Kingdom or Kingdom of Korea (not an empire, thus remaining in a lower rank than Russia and Japan ...).
While Korea does not enter the war on Russia's command, the officers have everything under control and ground any remaining Qing influence.
Some are pushing for an immediate Russian protectorate over Korea, and others prefer to keep things as they are until a more auspicious time.
*******
[Chinese communities in Russia]
Although in regions such as France or Japan, the Nagasaki Incident incited violence from citizens towards Chinese migrants (more or less used by the government), Emperor Alexander III made clear the position of the Tsarist government.
Any migrant who had naturalized as a Russian citizen could not be subjected to violence by other Russian citizens, law and order were essential values of the state, and the government continued to prohibit all ethnically motivated violence.
It was simply not to set a precedent for inter-ethnic-cultural violence in Russia, not to lose the labor force and economic assets of Chinese migrants in Russia (not exactly vital but it was better to keep having it to lose it).
Above all it helped that the Chinese population in Russia was more loyal to Russia than to the Qing dynasty, on the one hand there were migrants from Muslim regions in Central Asia, non-Han ethnic minorities who had taken asylum in Russia and integrated into Russian Turkestan.
So you had the Han-Manchu, who lived mainly in European Russia, in working-class communities engaged in construction, porcelain production and commerce, and extractive (lumber) or agricultural (tea) industries. They had left China because they had more economic opportunities in Russia, and they were going to Russia also because the Russian state accepted more Chinese migrants than the United States or other states globally.
Unlike in other states, Chinese migrants did not live in separate neighborhoods or form Chinatowns (except on rare occasions for moving close to construction jobs, but they integrated easily) and were more scattered than concentrated.
The rule of law in Russia remained strong in its position, and there were no social repressions against the Chinese population in Russia, who continued to prove loyal to Russia.
Without losing all the traditional Chinese aspects, but striving to integrate more into Russian society. Although it was certainly easier for second-generation Chinese than first-generation Chinese.
*******
[International]
On October 7, in Cuba, Spain, slavery finally explodes under the government of King Carlos VII of Spain.
October 28, Russia enters the Sino-Japanese war on the Japanese-German side.
On November 3, France will also join, nominally from the Russian-Japanese side, but with much less diplomatic, logistical and military coordination.
November 1, the largest school for Buddhist boys in Sri Lanka, Ananda College, is created.
New York Elections, November 2, 1886.
Theodore Roosevelt returned to New York after his ranching attempts, where he was pressured by local Republicans to become a candidate for mayor of the city as opposed to the United Labor Party candidate Henry George and the Democratic candidate Abram Hewitt.
Sadly, Roosevelt didn't campaign particularly hard, and Republicans were concerned about Henry George getting some to vote, not for his candidate, but for Democrat Abram Hewitt.
For the redundancy, this causes the victory of Henry George due to the division of the Republican votes, with a total of more than 40% of the votes, and Theodore Roosevelt retires from politics.
November 3, in the British Raj, under the auspices of Charles Umpherston Aitchison, Scottish colonial administrator, the institution of Aitchison College for Boys in Lahore is founded.
November 11, working for the University of Saint Petersburg and under Professor Popov, Heinrich Hertz verifies the existence of electromagnetic waves that explain the radio phenomenon and his name will be given to the Hertz (Hz).
November 14, the German Friedrich Soennecken invents the hole puncher.
On November 17, the Englishman Thomas Stevens concludes the first circumnavigation by bicycle.
*******
[Terrorism]
December 1886, on an unknown day. It was a year of celebration, Tsar Alexander III celebrated 20 years of government, a long and prosperous government that he expected many more years. However as mentioned above, not everyone is a fan of Tsar Alexander III.
For these reasons, in December, a group of revolutionary students founded the "Terrorist Fraction of the People's Will Party" (Террористи́ческая фра́кция па́ртии Наро́дная во́ля, Terroristícheskaya fráktsiya pártiiAlfa.
Or more simply, Terrorist Fraction, a group of the "Narodnaya Volya" (People's Will) that currently had nothing to do with the Narodnaya Volya (revolutionary terrorist group eradicated by the Tsarist government years ago).
The group was founded in Saint Petersburg, drawing influence from the work of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Georgy Valentinovich Plekhanov and the late Narodnaya Volya itself.
Member Aleksandr Ulyanov, accompanied by other members, would be responsible for carrying out the Terrorist Fraction program:
* There was the need to organize a socialist party, whose center would be the peasant mass of Russia.
* It was necessary to nationalize the land and factories (means of production) of Russia.
* The ultimate goal of the Terrorist Fraction would be to establish a socialist state in Russia.
* The main task of the Terrorist Fraction is to organize the fight for political freedoms in Russia through terrorism. "Undoing" the tsarist government through terrorism (the only thing the Narodnaya Volya knows ...).
Members included: Bronisław Piotr Piłsudski, Aleksandr Ulyanov, Pyotr Yakovlevich Shevyryov, and some other students.
(OOC: Bronislaw is Josef Pilsudski's brother).
Ulyanov in particular would sell his gold medal (won from his work in zoology) to buy the items needed to produce a bomb to assassinate Tsar Alexander III.
*******
[Torches]
In December, Tsar Alexander III and other members of the Russian Army General Staff (Skobelev, Romeyko-Gurko, etc.) were discussing the details of the next plans for the Sino-Russian conflict.
The Tsesarevich Nicholas was present during the meeting, although with some military training, at the moment the Tsesarevich did not comment until the meeting ended.
"I don't understand. Why don't we plan more actions in eastern China and Mongolia?" Nicholas asks curiously.
"The mobilization of Chinese forces in large numbers to Xinjiang is difficult for geographical reasons, it is a very difficult region, depopulated and with little infrastructure. We even have friendly natives towards us, at the moment it is not very important. Regarding Mongolia, at the moment It is not a priority like Manchuria, the Sino-Mongol forces are not what they were and they will not make much of a problem, we already have a defense on the border. " Tsar Alexander III responds. "Obtaining more territories from China is possible in the long term, but it is not so important right now. Except for Manchuria, it is too valuable to miss out on."
"I see...". The Tsesarevich exclaims trying to compile all the information that his father offers.
"Hey, Nicholas. I need to talk to you a bit. In my office." Tsar Alexander III orders getting up from his chair to go to his office, then accompanied by his son.
*******
"I asked for another set of keys to give you access to, some items that I keep in my safe private box." Tsar Alexander III explains to his son by opening the aforementioned box with a key, inside there were simply many papers, notebooks and pencils.
"Wow old man, what is this?" The Tsesarevich asks curiously.
"It is a compilation of texts, plans, projects, lists, etc." Tsar Alexander III responds. "Projects and proposals for Russia, some for the world, I thought I would give you access to all this and allow you to add your own."
"Why?". Nicholas asks one more time. "I mean, you got like ... depressed or something? I mean, you're perfectly fine. Right?" Nicholas promptly tries to explain himself, a little worried.
"I am fine... Anyway I will not live forever Nicholas, we are minds with unlimited potential in disposable bodies. So, for some time I decided that I should leave some of my thoughts captured and leave something for the future, things that I could not complete myself." Tsar Alexander III explains. "I am going to tell you a great concern Nicholas, when a man has a lot to do, time is a precious resource but also with the time we waste we will have less and less power regarding what we can change of history itself, there are things that are simply out of our control. But I want at least a small part of the earth to be better, compared to when I was born. It is a moral responsibility so to speak, I have the power to change things, but I do not have unlimited power to do so. "
"I understand ... I'm going to read a little." Nicholas exclaims in surprise."... You know? I think you're doing a very good job."
*******
"Hey old man. I have a question. Why so much interest in saving animals?" The Tsesarevich Nicholas asks curiously as he read some of the texts of Tsar Alexander III. "I mean, I understand it's important but you have a lot of plans for reserves, saving animals and plants, and even reestablishing a Pleistocene biome."
"Hmm ... I think I'm just a big fan of animals, that they go extinct seems like a huge loss for humanity and the world as a whole." Tsar Alexander III calmly mentions.
*******
"If I could describe the old man, dad, in a few words, I would probably use: Planner, patient and responsible.
He seems to have fun from time to time but also puts a lot of weight on himself despite delegating important tasks to more capable people.
I'm trying to learn what I can from all of his meetings, and while it's very helpful I think Dad doesn't exploit the full potential that he can achieve.
He tries not to appear to be someone with so much knowledge, he waits for the moment to guide the right people at the right place or time. He is scary sometimes with how far he thinks but still he has the look of a good-natured man."
-Tsesarevich Nicholas writes in his notebook.
"Hey dad, I have some projects in mind." The Tsesarevich announces himself by suddenly appearing in the office of Tsar Alexander III.
"Okay, shoot." Tsar Alexander III accepts, leaving for a moment the papers on which he focused his attention.
"You see I have some plans for homeless buildings improvement, we would just have to make some changes to the architecture with closed circuit heating, better insulation and so on. I made some list of companies that we might be interested in buying. How should we continue the improvement of Romanov cars. And some ideas for our ties with Thailand. " Nicholas exclaims, though he almost runs out of air.
"Okay, let's go over those plans one by one a bit and see when we can implement them." Tsar Alexander III exclaims.
"You are the one that say that time was a valuable resource, I prefer to speak quickly." The Tsesarevich Nicholas exclaims.
"Remind me that I must also teach you to be patient, or you will spend even faster and badly the good time we have today."
*******
[Unreachable things_Prelude]
* Zachariasz Prus.
The young Zachariasz Prus was at a railway station in the southern governorate of Warsaw, the Russian Empire, with a poster for the small possibility that a relative had ended up in Russia after the migration of Poles from Germanic countries to Russia.
But as in other days, there was no luck.
Instead of getting depressed the young man then went to buy something, recently having earned money helping to clean some cars, mostly using the money for food and using his pension to pay for Russian lessons.
That day the young man also decided to buy a Coca-Cola. The new company in Russia had recently started selling for Christmas and was quite successful, but on the way the young Pole ran into someone. Getting this someone a little wet.
"Be more careful!". The 19-year-old medical student exclaims annoyed at the teenager some four years younger.
"I'm sorry." Zachariasz is quick to apologize, but the 19-year-old had to leave quickly. The railway to Vilnius was about to leave. "Sir, you dropped something!"
Zachariasz tries to call in his lousy Russian but it was too late, Josef Piłsudski had lost some money at the Warsaw station towards Vilnius.
A gain for Prus, a loss for Piłsudski. But it would not be the last time that both Poles would meet, because chance is a strange nature.
There are unreachable things, some people learn it the good way and others the hard way.
Zachariasz would be integrated into Russia, Josef would not.
*******
[Sport culture: Finals]
End of the 5th Edition of the Russian Soccer League.
Saint Petersburg vs Vladivostok: Saint Petersburg team beat the team of Vladivostok in a 2-1. The first victory of the capital of Russia in a Russian Soccer League.