The anti-Qing movement began with the looting of the Eight-Nation Alliance.

Chapter 181 Another Power Outage!

After nightfall, all Japanese heavy warships withdrew from the battlefield. They then began night attacks using torpedo boats and destroyers.

The first to suffer was the Russian flagship "Knyaz Suvorov," which had already lost power and was adrift on the sea. It was hit and sunk by a torpedo fired by a Japanese destroyer.

Of the thousands of officers and soldiers on board, only twenty were ultimately rescued.

The night attack brought utter devastation to the Russian forces. Apart from the Third Squadron, which had received anti-torpedo attack training and mostly survived, the remaining ships were largely sunk by the Japanese.

On the morning of the 28th, the remaining four Russian battleships, led by Rear Admiral Nebogatov, broke out toward Vladivostok.

Unfortunately, three hours later, the remaining Russian fleet was once again surrounded by the Japanese. After running out of ammunition, and seeing no hope of breaking out, the Russians began to scuttle their ships.

By this point, the Russian expeditionary fleet had been almost completely annihilated, with only a few small ships escaping to ports in various countries.

Due to the fierce resistance of the Russian army, the Japanese, who had never lost a single battleship in history, suffered heavy losses. After the war, only three battleships remained, and most of their other cruisers and destroyers were also lost.

The Battle of Tsushima had a profound impact, significantly elevating Japan's international standing and establishing it as a formidable naval power in the eyes of Western powers. Various nations began to view Japan with greater respect.

Russia, on the other hand, was in dire straits, already plagued by numerous revolutionary movements. The defeat at the Battle of Tsushima further exacerbated the domestic unrest. In June, the Black Sea Fleet witnessed a mutiny on the armored ship "General Po."

Tsar Nicholas II of Russia had no choice but to negotiate with the Japanese army. Japan, at this point, was also unable to continue fighting Russia, and the two sides began secret contacts.

The news of the Battle of Tsushima reached Shen Lian immediately, and he was very satisfied with the result.

Shen Lian understood the meaning behind the last four words of the telegram: "quick victory."

"Strike while the iron is hot!" Even Shen Lian, if he were stupid, would know that.

As a result, the Japanese discovered that "trouble" was starting to increase in the Northeast.

One day a Japanese convoy is hijacked, the next day a Japanese businessman is murdered. Even Japanese patrol squads are frequently attacked by "bandits".

Having just defeated the powerful Russia, Japan no longer considers even a few hundred thousand Russian troops a threat; how could they possibly withstand this?

As a result, the First Division of the Shandong New Army stationed in Northeast China clashed with the Japanese army several times.

Shen Lian also repeatedly protested, accusing the Japanese of burning, killing, and looting in Northeast China. He also complained to the ministers of various countries, hoping that they would step in to stop the Japanese atrocities.

Western countries, of course, would not heed Shen Lian's demands. Japan is currently at the height of its power, and various countries are beginning to curry favor with it!

At Shen Lian's behest, the Shandong Daily began publishing extensive reports on the atrocities committed by the Japanese and the historical harm Japan had inflicted on my country.

The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 had only been over for a few years, and the wounds of the Chinese people had not yet healed when Shen Lian reopened them. People and scholars from all over the country took to the streets to petition, protesting the atrocities committed by the Japanese and demanding that the imperial court take strong measures against Japan to protect the people of Northeast China.

These activities were naturally instigated by the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Public opinion was in an uproar! Shen Lian could not sit idly by, so he wrote to the court, expressing that the Shandong New Army was willing to continue sending troops into the Northeast to protect the interests of the country and the people.

The Japanese were fully aware of Shen Lian's subtle actions.

Come on! Send more! Japan has long harbored resentment over what happened in the Boxer Rebellion, and they hate Shen Lian even more.

I've long wanted to get rid of the Shandong New Army!

He neither commented on Shen Lian's high-profile dispatch of troops to the Northeast, but secretly accelerated the pace of negotiations with Russia.