Chapter 223 Questions from the Northwest

The Qing Empire was lucky.

He was able to suppress Li Hongzhang, Liu Kunyi and Zhang Zhidong, and finally climbed to the throne of the first assistant minister. Hu Chuyuan actually relied on military merit.

In any feudal dynasty, military merit is the first credit.

The reason why Hu Chuyuan can become the only political oligarchy in the Qing Empire is precisely because his military achievements are too high. Except for Li Hongzhang, who has fallen, no one else can compare with him.

After the Bingshen military change, the Manchus were squeezed out of the government by military forces, and no one has been able to compete with Hu Chuyuan since then.

Zhang Zhidong can now sit in the position of the second auxiliary minister, relying on the Qingxu Corps in his hand.

Very lucky.

As the chief assistant minister of the Prime Minister's cabinet, Hu Chuyuan can also be regarded as a person who has been tempered in the army. Although there is not enough information for him to make judgment and choice, he knows what he should do now.

Hu Chuyuan decided to stay in Shanshan, but he also immediately transferred the 24th Division of the Shaanxi-Ganning Corps stationed in Lanzhou, and the 15th Division of the Qingxu Corps stationed in Baotou to the west. At the same time, Yang Shiqi, the governor of Shanxi, and Wei Guangtao, the governor of Shaanxi-Ganning, quickly transferred the local regiment training troops, and organized the cavalry column all the way west by train.

At the same time, all the green battalions from all over the country are transferred along the railway to protect the railway and cables, and then use the backup cables buried in the ground to prevent emergency.

Hu Chuyuan knew very well that a weakness of the Qing Empire had been caught.

Cavalry.

After the death of Seng Greenqin, China has not formed a large-scale cavalry. In a place like the northwest, it is really a disadvantage that there are no cavalry, and there is a lot of shortcomings in the mobile surname.

The situation is particularly urgent. Ye Erqiang claims to have 100,000 troops, but in fact it is about 60,000 to 70,000. Half of them are cavalry. The advantage is guerrilla warfare, but they also have a large number of artillery troops used to attack the city.

This is a very troublesome place.

Hu Chuyuan tried his best to block the only division of the Shaanxi-Ganning Corps in the shortest time and guarded the two passes. Then, the 15th Division of the Qingxu Corps arrived in Shanshan.

Because it is stationed in Baotou, this division is the only one of the 17 main integrated divisions equipped with a cavalry brigade.

The current new military system is designed by Hu Chuyuan with reference to the German army. It temporarily adopts the setting of corps, division, brigade, regiment, vertical, company, platoon and squad. Each brigade is about 7,000 people. It usually does not read, but follows a certain main division, so that each division has different characteristics.

The first division of the Huguang Corps is stationed in Jinzhou. Its main role is to go north into the northeast, and you can also go south to defend Tianjin. Therefore, the first division adds an additional artillery brigade to the normal three regiments.

The role of the 15th Division of the Qingxu Corps is to be stationed in Baotou to monitor Mongolia and prevent the Russians from causing trouble in Mongolia, so a cavalry brigade was added to the normal infantry.

This cavalry brigade is also the only new army cavalry brigade in Hu Chuyuan's hands. It is nominally under the control of Zhang Zhidong... At least Zhang Zhidong and others think so.

The Gan army suffered heavy losses. After collecting the rest of the troops, there were only more than 5,000 people left one after another. The weight was lost clean, and more than 100 howitzers all of them took advantage of Ye Erqiang.

This really annoys Hu Chuyuan.

In anger, he still withdrew Dong Fuxiang and became a Xinjiang admiral with no real power. He reintegrated the rest of the Gansu army into a cavalry brigade and transferred it to the 24th Division of the Shaanxi-Gansu Ning Corps.

The chief soldier of the 24th Division is Ha Peiying, a native of Longxi, Gansu Province, Hui nationality. At the age of 17, he went to the Beijing Normal University to participate in the martial arts examination. Later, he stayed in the Beijing Normal University to learn Baguazhang and Yang's Changquan (Taijiquan), and then was recommended to Li Cunyi by Wang Zhengyi.

Because this person has a lot of volunteers to join the army and has both literature and martial arts, Chen Shanyuan recommended him to go to Jiangxi Wubei School.

In 1890, Hu Chuyuan intended to train a group of Mongolian and returning generals. It happened that he graduated from Jiangxi Wubei School and specially sent him and many other ethnic minority students to Berkeley Military Academy for further study.

In 1894, he returned to China to be appointed a famous general. After four years of training in the third division of the Huguang Corps, he was sent to Lanzhou to organize the 24th and 25th divisions of the Shaanxi-Ganning Corps, and prepared the Lanzhou Army School in Lanzhou. It adopted the old tradition of the new army. The army is the military academy, and the 24th Division is the school. The first batch of students.

According to Hu Chuyuan's plan, the Shaanxi-Ganning Corps would not have been expanded to an integrated division and two regular divisions until at least 1905, and then the Gansu Army was eliminated, and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ning Corps was responsible for garrisoning in the northwest.

In a word, everyone has their own destiny, and sometimes you can't predict it yourself.

The world also has the fate of the world, and no one can predict it.

Who would have thought of it?

Now there is no other choice. Hu Chuyuan can only test the young people trained by Harper's and Lanzhou Army School in the war.

After the 3rd and 5th Huguang Division, the 15th Qingxu Division and the 24th Shaanxi Ganning Division arrived in Turpan one after another, the situation gradually stabilized. Hu Chuyuan transferred the entire command center to Turpan, transferred the 3rd Huguang Division and the 15th Qingxu Division to Jiadeguan, under the command of Li Kaiye, and the 5th Huguang Division was solely responsible. Defend the mouth of Houxia and guard the mouth of Yili to the Turpan Basin.

The 24th Division of Shaanxi-Ganning was left in Turpan by Hu Chuyuan, allowing Harpeiying to continue to send people to draw troops from the Shaanxi-Ganning area, and concentrate on the spot to Turpan through the railway for new soldiers training, with cavalry as the main direction to prepare for the later general attack.

That night, Li Kaiye hurriedly arrived in Turpan.

Entered the battalion of Hu Chuyuan's rear headquarters and gave Hu Chuyuan a military salute.

This person is very cunning and directly avoids half-kneeling worship.

To some extent, this is the privilege of their group of direct new military commanders.

Hu Chu Yuanzheng discussed the next countermeasures with Ha Peiying, Sun Daoren, Lan Jianshu and others, and Dong Fuxiang, who was transferred back, was also accompanied here.

Seeing that Li Kaiye was safe and sound, Hu Chuyuan seemed to have taken a reassurance pill. He immediately let him sit down and asked, "How is the situation on the front line?"

Li Kaiye did not hide it and replied with a blank face: "The opponent's artillery force is very concentrated and the casualties are relatively heavy. I came to see the first assistant this time, just to hope that the first assistant will approve me to supply 7,000 troops from the Huguang Reserve Division. It is best to set up a supply center in Lanzhou and draw people from Lanzhou at any time."

Hu Chuyuan said, "You can rest assured that since I am here, I have naturally done everything for you. I'm going to let Sun Daoren go to Lanzhou to be a logistics guard for you.

Li Kaiye smiled in a rare way, raised his eyebrows coldly, and smiled arrogantly, "I knew that Lord Shoufu was sitting behind me, so I didn't have to worry about anything else."

Hu Chuyuan asked, "What's the situation over there?"

Li Kaiye frowned slightly and said, "The opponent is still relatively powerful. I tried to lure him into the gate, but failed. Now it's snowing heavily, and it's not convenient to start a war in the past few months. I'm just adjusting... However, even if it's delayed until next spring, I will fight a few large-scale raids head-on, and it will be very troublesome later. So, I think I'll just drag it off, unless our cavalry can keep up.

Hu Chuyuan thought for a time. He was prepared for a long time. He just wanted to see if Li Kaiye had any special good ideas.

He knows that Li Kaiye is very smart. As long as he can choose another way, he will definitely think of it.

At present, Hu Chuyuan is inevitably a little disappointed, but he is not in a hurry to achieve success. He said, "Ok, the Kaihua movement is at a critical moment. This year, we have to finalize the new constitution and talk about the formal alliance agreement with Britain. I'm afraid I can't stay here for a long time. I have thought about appointing you as the commander-in-chief of the plenipotentiary army and hand over everything here to you. When the time is ripe, I will personally return to Turpan to support you in a comprehensive war.

At this point, he paused for a moment and said, "I think that time... we have to be ready to fight with the Russians!"

Li Kaiye thought for a moment and said, "I think... I think... the Russians may come to the west to attack the east, and maybe they will send troops to the northeast. Their railway has been built to Kamemingsk, and it is easier to transport troops there... What's more, they still have allies there to attack back and forth."

Hu Chuyuan sneered a little and said, "Leave the matter of Manchuria to Governor Ronglu for consideration. Let's do the things in Xinjiang first... I will take another defense."

Li Kaiye said, "That's good. You don't have to worry too much about the affairs of Xinjiang. According to my estimation, the opponent may not last long. They should come to us through Russia and France to negotiate, so don't worry about them. These rebels have no economic base at all, and their funds, equipment and supplies are paid by France and Russia. As long as we have enough new cavalry, we can kill them back immediately. In terms of the quality of individual soldiers, the overall quality and the level of equipment, including the reasonable surname and unified surname of the equipment, they are not less than ours. I saw that they have three kinds of 150mm howitzers alone. The pipe diameter ballistics and multiples are different, and even there are old-fashioned retreat guns. On the rifles, they are also equipped with at least four kinds. There are also two different specifications of machine guns, including the French-made Harkis and the Maxim machine gun. The supply must be one. A very big problem. They didn't have much money, and suddenly encouraged the military strength of 70,000 to 80,000 yuan. If these people don't have military salary, I don't think it's reasonable. If there is, it's a big expense. If they can't hold on, they will rob. As long as they start to rob, we are not far from victory.

He said so much in one go, it's just one sentence - it's not easy to fight for the time being, and procrastinating is the best way.

Hu Chuyuan just smiled and said, "Oy, you stay here. I'm not in a hurry."

He now understands why Zuo Zongtang dragged on for so long in those years. The people in the northwest are poor and tough. It is the best way to drag it down. If the opponent would rather be a bandit than fight, he will win.

The key here is to compete for the hearts of the people. They are locals. Of course, it is easy to get the hearts of the people, but once they become bandits, the hearts of the people will be transferred to the court.

Hu Chuyuan left Li Kaiye for the night and continued to talk about some specific details in the evening.

The next day, Hu Chuyuan just sent Li Kaiye back to the front line. Ding Bingqian, the new governor of Xinjiang Province, arrived. He got off the train, and Ding Bingqian also hurried to Hu Chuyuan's camp.

Although Turpan is an oasis, it is also relatively desolate, which is completely incomparable after many years. Now it seems that even a town in the east is not as large as a town, and there are many vendors.

The desolate houses are made of mud and sand, and they don't worry about being washed away by the rain. Anyway, it has never rained much.

The water here mainly depends on the snow water melted in spring. After planting for a season, it is impossible to use more water in autumn. It is useless to grow crops, especially in the field. The field can't afford to grow it. Planting trees is still alive. Pick up some fruits for free, and the yield is not high.

Hu Chuyuan lived near the Yarhu Hui Temple. A large family vacate his big courtyard and contributed to him. He also sold a lot of family property. He organized more than 1,000 Uighur training troops in the local area to follow Hu Chuyuan.

That big family will never understand what Hu Chuyuan's identity means. Hu Chuyuan is not Dong Fuxiang in those years. However, Hu Chuyuan really needs friends from these ethnic minorities.

He gave the man named Ilya Kurban the title of nominal general and assigned him to two young officers to help him train the army.

When Ding Bingqian entered the courtyard, Hu Chuyuan was watching the wives and children of Ilya Kurban weaving blankets in the corridor of the courtyard, and a beautiful eldest daughter combed the sheep.

He seemed to have returned to his youth. There was a cage of chickens in the yard of his home. Sometimes, his sister would sprinkle some rice to feed them. He stood at the door and watched the hens peck and swarm of bees.

Ding Bingqian quietly stepped forward, half-knelt down and said, "Lord Shoufu!"

Hu Chuyuan slightly opened his eyes and said, "Get up, don't you use so many gifts here!"

"Yes!"

Ding Bingqian answered.

Among the officials at the level of governor, Ding Bingqian is very young, only 38 years old, one year younger than Hu Chuyuan.

Hu Chuyuan chose him at a glance. In the final analysis, it was because he was a Hui and a student of Xu Qichang, a scholar in the northwest. Feeling that this person really has some ability, Hu Chuyuan paid more attention to his cultivation, personally supervised his study, and sent him to Germany as a minister in Germany for two years.

This is the real direct line.

There happened to be several benches nearby. Hu Chuyuan invited him to sit down and asked about the hard work of the journey.

After talking for a while, Hu Chuyuan turned to the point and asked him, "Do you know why I transferred you to the governor of Xinjiang Province?"

Ding Bingqian said, "I understand, because I'm a return person. Religions are the same, and it is easier to govern here.

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and said, "I will return to Beijing in a few days, and the things here will be left to you and Li Kaiye. Li Dujun is a cold guy on the outside and a cold on the inside. He is very shrewd and ruthless. There will be no good end against him. You are the one I cultivate. As a governor here, he will give you some affection. If you don't give it, you have to stand it!"

Ding Bingqian said sincerely, "At present, it is time to beg him. The subordinate will try his best to work for him, and he will never be dissatisfied."

Hu Chuyuan smiled and said, "You can think so... That's the best. These days, I've actually been thinking about a question... You are a Huiren and live in Gansu. Why do you always have mutiny in Xinjiang and the northwest?

Ding Bingqian thought for a long time, but he didn't dare to speak for a long time. He was very cautious and quietly sorted it out in his heart.

Hu Chuyuan is not in a hurry.

He has cultivated eight people over the years, Xie Yuanqi, Yang Shiqi, Sun Zongyuan, Li Xiling, Ding Bingqian, Chen Kuilong, Song Yuren and Xu Shichang. Everyone has different characteristics. Ding Bingqian is characterized by being careful and cautious, very, very cautious. Sometimes it always seems to be half a beat slower than people, but this is exactly him. The advantages of.

Ding Bingqian was silent for nearly ten minutes. If someone else was the first assistant, he would slap him with a big slap. Hu Chuyuan was different. He also waited silently. He didn't say a word, and waited quietly.

At this time, Ding Bingqian said, "If you are not of our race, your heart will be different!"

Seriously.

Hearing these eight words, Hu Chuyuan also had the impulse to slap Ding Bingqian in the face.

What's the answer?

But when he thought about it carefully, he seemed to understand again.

He and Ding Bingqian asked, "You mean, they are on guard against us and are afraid that we will treat them badly?"

Ding Bingqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes."

Hu Chuyuan nodded slightly and asked, "Is that all?"

Ding Bingqian said, "That's more than that. It's really more detailed. There is another more critical question, that is, our religion, we believe in Allah's halal. What about halalism? In the final analysis, the unification of the Ottoman Empire, that is, the so-called caliphs and sultans. The holy book and hadiths all require that the halalists in all places should rise up to establish the country, establish the kingdom of Islam, let the holy light shine on the world, and everyone believes in Allah. This is also a big problem in the final analysis. Third, people are not poor, and there are unruly people in poor mountains and rivers. If they are not tricky, they can't live.

At this point, he paused for a moment and said to Hu Chuyuan, "Your Excellency, we have to invest a lot of money in Xinjiang to do something big. We have been exploring minerals in Xinjiang Province over the years. Shanshan has good coal mines and iron mines. There are more coal mines in Changji, especially Shanshan. There is no shortage of gold, silver, coal, iron, iron, copper, manganese, chromium, lead and zinc, and the reserves are very large. I propose to build a large-scale industrial city in Shanshan to increase capital to build a larger-scale Kaner well, or even Kanertang. Promote the cultivation of cotton and grapes locally, and take advantage of advantageous industries and replace grain in Shaanxi and Sichuan. Plant trees, resist the desert, and strive to expand the scale of the oasis.

"Hey!"

Hu Chuyuan smiled softly. He understood that his support and supervision over the years were finally effective.

In 1886, the scholars of Bing Yin were more advanced than the generation of Zhang Baixi and Qu Hongji, especially those who defected to Hu Chuyuan. They were generally appointed by Hu Chuyuan as minister and counselor abroad, so that they could increase their efforts to learn foreign knowledge.

These people also work hard. Ding Bingqian lived in Germany for only two years. He spoke German very fluently. When he returned to China, he also brought tens of thousands of German books and materials. Hu Chuyuan knew at that time that this person would be very promising. Although his reaction was always very slow, it took half a day to say a word.

Hu Chuyuan was very happy and said, "Since you have thought about it, let you take responsibility. The place in Changji is also very good. When it is recovered in the future, it will be renamed Ningzhou and Shanshan together with Zhili Prefecture to govern it well.

"Well, I understand!"

Ding Bingqian responded simply.

Hu Chuyuan continued to ask him, "What about your return to religion?"

Ding Bingqian continued to be silent.

After waiting for a long time, as if he had made a great determination, he said, "If you don't change the doctrine, there will never be peace."

Hu Chuyuan asked, "How to change it?"

Ding Bingqian said: "Replace the caliphate the imam and imam, promote the neo-Islamic modern liberalism of Muhammad Abdu and Said Ahmed Khan, pursue the freedom and autonomy of personal will, and reorganize the liberal ideas of the Muhatazilai School."

Hu Chuyuan has also been thinking about the problems of Xinjiang and Gansu during this period. For what Ding Bingqian said, he can generally understand that it is to carry out a new reform of the Islamic sect and promote the birth of new sects adapted to this era.

This Protestant sect will completely break away from the legacy of the four caliphs, gradually break away from politicization and simple religiousization, and replace the people of the caliphate and the sultan who integrate political and religious rights with prophets.

Hu Chuyuan felt that this method was relatively safe, so he nodded and said, "You will be responsible for this matter. What should I do? You can sort out a detailed draft for me. You can rebuild a teaching institute of Hui in Shanshan, cultivate a suitable Im, and slowly promote it. When the opportunity is ripe, we will increase our efforts to promote it.

Ding Bingqian nodded silently.

This kind of thing is always full of countless unknowns. Only time can know whether it can succeed. Hu Chuyuan does not have much hope, but he also hopes that this matter can succeed in the end.

Hu Chuyuan was not in a hurry to leave Xinjiang Province, but went to Turpan, Shanshan, Tokson, Kumish, Yanqifu and other places with Ding Bingqian, Sun Zongyuan, Dong Fuxiang and others to check the living conditions, economic and cultural development level of the Uighurs and Hui people.

He has formulated a set of long-term development strategies for Xinjiang Province. The first task is to build underground canals and a large number of small reservoirs to ensure local construction and development of water, strengthen water and soil protection and sand planting, prevent wind, heat and sand, and reduce the evaporation of water flow.

At present, the centralized construction is carried out around Shanshan, from point to surface, and then expanded to other places. With the financial surplus of the Qing government axe, it began to follow the example of Germany to increase investment in education. Shanshan and Yanqi in Xinjiang are both experimental places to promote new-style education.

Every time he goes to a place, he will personally invite local Hui and Uyghur leaders to have a meeting with them to communicate with them and ask some things. At the same time, he will also try their best to reassure them that after the construction of Xinjiang, the central government will strongly support the construction of Xinjiang, and the first phase will be invested. 40 million yuan for the construction of infrastructure.

As the chief assistant minister of the Qing Dynasty, he personally arrived in all parts of Xinjiang Province to lobby and appease him, which played a very critical role in maintaining the stability of the local surname.

However, just as Hu Chuyuan was busy for Xinjiang, the most cruel riot since he came to power was brewing in the Central Plains, and the troubles created by the Russians in Xinjiang... To some extent, it happened that the Chinese people were ignoring the coming of this matter.

(to be continued)