Just as Ernst had said, once news arrived that the Far East Fleet's main force had almost lost its combat capability, Nicholas II's government was jolted awake by the dreadful report.
Russian ministers reported to Nicholas II, "The naval main force at the Port Arthur base has suffered devastating losses. Every battleship in the Far East Fleet has either been heavily damaged or trapped inside Port Arthur, where they can only endure bombardment passively. Only the Vladivostok Squadron has escaped attack, but distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. It is simply impossible for them to lift the siege, nor do they possess the strength to do so. We must prepare for the worst."
At this time, the Russian Far East Fleet had not been completely wiped out. The Vladivostok Squadron still existed, but it was clearly incapable of contending with the Imperial Japanese Navy. Not one of its main warships was a battleship; they were merely cruisers with relatively weaker combat power.
Moreover, Japan would clearly not allow the Vladivostok Squadron to support the Russian naval main force at Port Arthur. Although the Imperial Japanese Navy was far inferior to the Russian navy in overall strength, it still held an absolute advantage against this one portion of the Russian Far East Fleet.
Among Russia's three great naval fleets—the Baltic Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Far East Fleet—the Far East Fleet was the weakest, at least somewhat weaker than the Japanese Combined Fleet.
Nicholas II tapped the back of his head and asked anxiously, "Can they break out of Port Arthur?"
The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy shook his head and sighed. "There is basically no possibility. The Imperial Japanese Navy launched its surprise attack at night, causing many warships anchored in the harbor to suffer fatal blows. This has