Warlords: Rising from the Northwest Border and Sweeping Across the Powers

In the Winter Palace in Moscow, the flames in the fireplace cannot dispel the cold.

Nicholas III slumped in his chair, the telegram in his hand crumpled into a ball. The irritable and domineering Tsar of the past was gone, replaced by a tired middle-aged man.

"Two hundred thousand..." he muttered, "We have lost two hundred thousand troops on the Western Front. Now, even in the Far East..."

Minister of the Armed Forces Grigoriev stood aside and said in a hoarse voice: "Your Majesty, the armored forces of the Bird Empire have broken through our defense line in Poland. The Third Army was almost annihilated, and the Fifth Army is also retreating."

"And now," Nicholas III smiled bitterly, "the Chinese have taken over Khabarovsk with only one division of troops and wiped out our elite armored division. They even... have that terrible bomb."

Foreign Minister Sergei remained silent. As a seasoned diplomat, he knew all too well what this meant. The Western Front was losing ground, the Far East defense line was breached, and the Russian Empire was facing an unprecedented crisis.

"Your Majesty," Grigoriev said with difficulty, "Maybe... we should consider negotiating with China. At least stabilize the Far East front and concentrate on dealing with the Western Front."

Nicholas III raised his head, a trace of pain flashed in his eyes: "Negotiation? What to negotiate? Cede territory? Pay compensation?"

"It's better than losing the entire Far East," Sergei finally said, "The Chinese showed their strength, but also showed restraint. They didn't pursue the victory, which gave us a chance to negotiate."

The flames in the fireplace flickered, illuminating the Tsar's tired face.

"Six defeats," he whispered, "two hundred thousand men... and now the Far East. My empire is falling apart."

Grigoriev added: "And according to intelligence, the Byrd Empire is gathering more troops. They obviously won't give us a chance to breathe."

"That Northern Division..." Nicholas III suddenly asked, "Is it really that terrible?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Grigoriev replied, "They showed extremely terrible tactical skills. And that new type of bomb... we currently have no means to deal with it."

The Tsar closed his eyes and sighed: "Sergei, prepare a negotiation plan. We...can't fight on two fronts."

Sergei bowed: "Yes, Your Majesty."

Watching the two ministers leave the room, Nicholas III sat alone in front of the fireplace. His grandfather and father had ruled the empire in this chair. But now, this huge empire was crumbling in his hands.

It was snowing heavily in Moscow outside the window, and in the far east, an army called the Northern Division was rewriting history.

The glory of the Romanov dynasty seemed to be slowly fading away along with the heavy snow.

In the early morning of Beilong City, a black sedan from the Russian Embassy drove slowly into the Presidential Palace.

The new Russian ambassador, Andrei Ivanov, stood outside the presidential office, looking extremely humble. Unlike his predecessor, who was abolished by Su Zhengyang during the negotiations and finally left office in disgrace, the new ambassador seemed particularly cautious.

"Mr. President," he said as he walked into the office, bowing slightly, "Thank you for taking the time to meet me. I am the new ambassador to China, Andrei Ivanov."

Su Zhengyang stood in front of the window with his back to the visitor: "Mr. Ivanov, I hope you will not repeat the mistakes of your predecessor. Arrogance is not a wise choice in the current situation."

"I am very aware of the current situation," Andrei whispered, "On behalf of His Majesty the Tsar, I hope to have a frank dialogue on the problems in the Far East."

"Honest?" Su Zhengyang turned around, his eyes sharp, "Your predecessor also said that we should have a frank dialogue, but what happened? Tanks and artillery shells are your answer?"

Andre lowered his head: "This... This is a serious misjudgment. We are willing to pay the price for it."

"Price?" Su Zhengyang walked to the desk and sat down. "Tell me, what price are you prepared to pay?"

"We can discuss the sovereignty of Khabarovsk and its surrounding areas," Andrei said cautiously, "At the same time, we are willing to provide reasonable compensation for the losses caused by previous military operations."

Su Zhengyang did not respond immediately, but took a sip of tea slowly: "Mr. Ivanov, do you think the current situation can be solved with a few cities and some compensation?"

Andre's forehead was covered with sweat: "Mr. President, you...what do you mean?"

"What I mean is," Su Zhengyang put down his teacup, his voice calm but unquestionable, "the entire Far East situation is about to change. The Northern Division has proven our strength, and this is just the beginning."

"But..." Andre wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Su Zhengyang.

"I know your plight on the Western Front," Su Zhengyang looked directly into Andre's eyes, "Two hundred thousand casualties, six important battles lost. Now, what you need to consider is not ceding territory and paying compensation, but how to survive in this great change."

Andrei's face turned pale. He didn't expect that China knew so much about the situation in Tsarist Russia.

"Go back and tell Nicholas III," Su Zhengyang stood up, "and ask him to send someone who can make decisions to negotiate. It's not about bargaining, but about redefining the order in the Far East."

"I...I understand." Andre said with difficulty.

Watching the new ambassador's hasty departure, Su Zhengyang looked out the window again. The sun was shining brightly in Beilong City, while in the distant Khabarovsk City, the fangs of the Northern Division were still flashing coldly.

This time, the initiative in the negotiations is entirely in China's hands.

Moscow, Winter Palace, in front of the fireplace.

"Sergey," Nicholas III said wearily, "this time it's up to you."

Foreign Minister Sergei stood before the Tsar, looking solemn: "Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

"Go to China in person," Nicholas III sighed, "The news Andrei sent back is not good. Su Zhengyang is obviously not bargaining with us, he wants to redefine the order in the Far East."

Sergei nodded: "I understand. They have seen through our predicament."

"We have suffered defeat after defeat on the Western Front," Nicholas III stood up and walked to the wall with the portraits of the Romanov family, "and the Chinese caught us off guard with the strength of a division. That Northern Division... and those terrible bombs..."

"Your Majesty, what is your bottom line?"

Nicholas III turned around and said, "We can return the Far Eastern territories that we ceded from the Qing Empire. But..." His voice suddenly became firm, "We must never agree to pay any compensation!"

"That's probably difficult," Sergei said cautiously. "They have already taken the initiative."

"I know!" The Tsar suddenly raised his voice, but soon calmed down, "I know... but Sergei, the treasury of the empire is empty. The pressure of the Byrd Empire on the Western Front has made us breathless. If we add the reparations..."

Sergei nodded in understanding: "I understand. I will do my best."

"Tell Su Zhengyang," Nicholas III sat back in his chair, "We are willing to recognize their sovereignty over the land that originally belonged to Shuiqing. But the compensation... we are really unable to afford it."

&34;What if they insist?&34;

The Tsar closed his eyes and said, "Then... use other means of compensation. Mineral mining rights, trade privileges, anything is negotiable. But it can't be direct monetary compensation."

"I understand," Sergei said, "I will leave for Beilongcheng now."

Watching the foreign minister leave, Nicholas III felt more exhausted than ever before. Once upon a time, the Russian Empire was still the invincible empire, but now it had to worry so much about a negotiation.

"I hope the Chinese people can understand," he muttered, "sometimes, knowing when to stop is the best choice."

It was still snowing heavily in Moscow outside the window, and in the far east, a negotiation that would change the Far East was about to begin. This time, Tsarist Russia had to put aside its former arrogance and walk to the negotiation table as a loser.