Chapter 28 The Polar Bear Came Swimming Over

  Although Liu Ye did not want to get involved in the mainland, it was necessary to pay attention to this old empire that spanned Taiwan. From 1903 onwards, the Russians became increasingly restless, completing the Far East Railway and then the Central Asian Railway (centered on Harbin, extending east to Suifenhe, west to Manzhouli, and south to Dalian). The Russians began to be dissatisfied with leasing land in Northeast China and planned to occupy it for a long time. They not only refused to return the leased land in Northeast China that was due but also increased their troops by several thousand and occupied the area near Yingkou.

  On one side, the Russians were desperately struggling, while on the other, the Japanese had had enough. Looking at the land they had worked hard to conquer, not only did they fail to gain it, but there was also a trend of being occupied by their sworn enemy. The Japanese could no longer sit still. They first negotiated with the Russians, planning to reach an agreement and legalize their rights in Korea and Manchuria, but the Russians refused, which made the Japanese anxious.

  After the Triple Intervention in Liaodong, Japan was forced to return the occupied Liaodong and Dalian to the Qing government. However, from then on, Russia became Japan's sworn enemy, and the entire country considered this a "national humiliation" and vowed to "sleep on brushwood and taste gall" for ten years to take revenge on Russia. But for Japan, this decade of "sleeping on brushwood and tasting gall" had already pushed the national burden to its limits. If they couldn't launch another "war of revenge" in the short term to recoup some compensation for their massive military development, Japan's economy would likely face a crisis.

  At that time, Japan developed its entire army to 200,000 men for revenge, with a reserve of 20,000 men, and more than 50 large and small warships, although the total tonnage was less than 150,000 tons, but most of them were newly built battleships and heavy cruisers. In addition, the British alliance with Japan to curb Russia's development in Asia also greatly stimulated the confidence of the Japanese people.

  The mutual recognition of superior interests in Manchuria and Korea proposed this time was rejected by the Russians, and the Japanese were thoroughly exasperated. If even Korea could not be preserved, Japan would perish. The two countries had discussed this issue back and forth a dozen times or more since the latter half of 1903, but still without success. Finally, the Japanese could wait no longer and issued an ultimatum to the Russians.

  The Japanese and Russians were fighting fiercely in Northeast China and Korea, while Liu Yifei, who was in Taiwan, did not idle around. He dispatched various intelligence personnel to closely monitor the situation of these two countries. Every few days, he would meet with the staff of the General Staff Department in the combat command room, referring to the new map drawn by Taiwan itself, simulating the war that was about to break out between Japan and Russia.

  Although Liu Yi's historical knowledge was quite general and could be said to be poor, he still knew about major events, but didn't know the specific time and details. This time when Japan and Russia started fighting each other, Liu Yi roughly figured out that this was probably the "Russo-Japanese War" in history, but having learned a lesson from the previous ambush on the Eight-Nation Alliance fleet, Liu Yi didn't dare to be 100% sure, so he could only make preparations in advance, and wait to see how things developed before deciding his own actions.

  History is so strange, although Liu Ye's appearance has greatly disrupted the development of the Japanese and Russian navies, but these two countries are still stubbornly advancing towards historical necessity. Since Russia vetoed Japan's proposal to mutually recognize the superior rights of Manchuria and Korea, the Japanese could no longer tolerate the threat of losing Korea after losing Liaodong.

  On February 4, 1904, the Japanese elder statesmen and ministers unanimously agreed at an Imperial Conference that the timing was ripe to terminate diplomatic negotiations with Russia and take military action. The next day, Foreign Minister Komura Jutarō telegraphed Ambassador Kurino Shin'ichirō in Russia to deliver a declaration of war to the Russian government. On February 6, Kurino delivered the declaration of war to the Russian government, and on the same day, Admiral Heihachiro Togo secretly led the Japanese Combined Fleet out of Sasebo Naval Base, dividing his forces into two routes: one heading for Chemulpo Bay in Korea and the other sailing towards Port Arthur in China.

  Two days later, the Japanese United Fleet's 4th Squadron encountered the Russian gunboat "Koreets" near Wido Island off Inchon Harbor. The Japanese opened fire first and damaged the "Koreets", which retreated back to Inchon Harbor. With this, the Russo-Japanese War was officially underway.

  "On February 9, the Russian Tsar issued a declaration of war, stating: 'I have made every effort to maintain peace and protect the tranquility of the East... I shall respond to Japan's challenge with arms.'"

  On February 10, Japanese Emperor Taishō issued a declaration of war against Russia, stating: "The war with Russia is solely to seek civilization in peace and friendship with other nations, to maintain eternal tranquility in the Orient."

  As the Russians and Japanese are about to engage in a fierce battle in Northeast China, the Qing government also dares not to slack off. Under pressure from the powers, it issued a statement expressing that during the Russo-Japanese War, the Qing government would "strictly maintain neutrality" and designated the area east of the Liao River, including Jinzhou, Fuzhou, Xiongyue City, and Andong County as a combat zone.

  Liu Yubai received the declarations of war from both countries and the Qing government's "neutrality" declaration in Taiwan, on the one hand despising the weakness of the Qing government, and on the other hand worrying about how to continue attacking the navies of Japan and Russia. Although the Russo-Japanese War had already started, the main battlefield was in Northeast China, and Liu Yubai's hands couldn't reach that far, but Liu Yubai had submarines, and although he couldn't control things on land, he could still intervene at sea.

  But when the naval battle of the Russo-Japanese War would start, Liu Fei still didn't know. However, Liu Fei remembered that the Russian fleet came from Europe, and at this time, the only way to enter East Asia from the west was through the Strait of Malacca. As long as they knew the route of the Russian fleet, it would be easy to handle. Liu Fei immediately ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to dispatch several times more intelligence personnel to major ports along the Strait of Malacca from west to east, closely monitoring the movements of the Russian fleet. Since the narrowest part of the Strait of Malacca was less than 37 kilometers wide, it was impossible for a large fleet like Russia's to pass through unnoticed.

  It's been several months, and the Russian fleet has vanished without a trace. In Northeast China, Japan and Russia have been fighting fiercely, all the way until early 1905. After the Battle of Liaoyang, the Battle of Shaho, and the Battle of Heikoutai, the Japanese army gradually gained the upper hand, pushing the Russians back in defeat after defeat. The Russian First Pacific Squadron, which had been holed up in Port Arthur, was also annihilated after the fall of Port Arthur.

  In Liu's view, both Russians and Japanese were winners in this war. The Russians fought valiantly, while the Japanese fought even more bravely. Meanwhile, the neutral Qing government was unable to please either side, failing not only to maintain neutrality but also suffering losses of tens of thousands of civilians and countless properties in the combat zone.

  In April 1905, news finally arrived from the Strait of Malacca that a Russian fleet had been spotted. This time, the Russian fleet was very large, with more than 20 ships of all sizes. After leaving the southeastern waters of Malaya, they headed straight for French Indochina.

  Upon hearing that the Russian fleet had appeared, Liu Fei immediately dispatched several submarine squadrons to Vietnam's coastal areas to monitor the movements of the Russian fleet. As a result, the Russians sailed into Cam Ranh Bay and never came out again. The Taiwanese Navy's submarine squadron patrolled in batches outside Cam Ranh Bay, fearing that the Russian fleet would suddenly go crazy and run away one night, but after waiting for more than half a month, the Russian fleet remained quietly anchored in the bay.

  Upon hearing the news from Vietnam, Liu Fei was also worried. Why did this Russian fleet stay still in Cam Ranh Bay? According to the supply and rest, half a month should be enough. Until early May, another wave of Russian fleets passed through the Malacca Strait and arrived at Cam Ranh Bay. Liu Fei suddenly realized that the Russians had divided the entire fleet into two because of the long distance, with the faster ships forming one team, arriving in Cam Ranh Bay first, while the slower old ships formed another team, following behind slowly.

  The combined Russian fleet has a total of nearly 50 ships, with about half being large warships over 10,000 tons, and all are relatively new. These are the backbone of Russia's naval power, except for the Black Sea Fleet and the First Pacific Squadron hiding in Port Arthur, almost all of Russia's oceangoing warships have arrived here. The Tsar is really anxious this time, it would not be too humiliating to be beaten by Europeans, but if he lets yellow-skinned Asians take away Manchuria, the Tsar will lose face completely.