Chapter 91, Mature

After the Russian Embassy incident spread, European public opinion exploded. Such a severe event, involving the complete annihilization of staff members at an overseas embassy, hadn't occurred in modern history.

The clamour for retribution was incessant, calling out "barbarism," "brutality," "uncivilized" and a series of other labels were once again pinned on the Japanese.

How many people were stoking the flames behind the scenes was still unknown, but it was clear that there were many who wanted to incite a war between Japan and Russia.

Support from public opinion is important, but excessive support can be problematic. For the Tsarist Government, the current wave of public support was not what they desired.

Dispatching troops to punish the Japanese may sound easy, but the execution was an entirely different matter.

The Siberian Railway was not yet operational, and to hastily wage war at this time would be suicidal.