The People's Army's expedition to Mongolia (although it was called the People's Army after the reorganization of Zhongwei, but politically it was accustomed to calling the Feng Army led by Zhang Hanqing the People's Army), the three places of Kegansu, and the soldiers were thousands of miles away, and they could not but arouse the attention of one person. He's starting to keep a close eye on what's next.

This person is Yang Zengxin, the overseer of Xinjiang.

Some scholars attribute the formation and stability of the border pattern of countries in modern Central Asia to two people: Zuo Zongtang and Yang Zengxin---- it was Zuo Zongtang who immediately recaptured the lost territory from Agubai; It was Yang Zengxin who calmed the chaos and maintained the integrity of the country.

Xinjiang, the most primitive name is Zhuzhou, Han called the Western Regions, meaning the territory of western China, this name appeared in China's historical books since the Han Dynasty, has been used until the Qing Dynasty unified Xinjiang, and then changed its name to Xinjiang.

It has been part of our territory since ancient times. As early as the pre-Qin period, classics such as "The Biography of Mu Tianzi" recorded some situations in Xinjiang. Since the pre-Qin period, the ancient Chinese have formed the concept of "four seas", and the Analects of Yan Yuan says: "A gentleman is respectful and respectful, courteous and courteous, and within the four seas, all are brothers." ”

The South China Sea refers to today's South China Sea, the East China Sea refers to today's East Yellow and Bohai Seas, the North Sea refers to Lake Baikal, and the West Sea refers to the Caspian Sea (some people think that the West Sea refers to Qinghai Lake, which is inappropriate, and the pre-Qin period obviously knew much more about the Xinjiang region west of Qinghai Lake than about the Baikal region). Within these "four seas," all ethnic groups, including all ethnic groups in Xinjiang, are part of the Chinese nation.

In 101 BC, the Han Dynasty stationed troops in Tuntian in Luntai, Quli and other places in the Western Regions, and placed envoys and captains, and began to govern the Western Regions. In 60 B.C., Wang Xian, who was stationed in the Western Regions, surrendered to the Han Dynasty, and the northern and southern parts of the Tianshan Mountains were all under the control of the central government of the Han Dynasty. The establishment of the Protectorate of the Western Regions marked the official incorporation of the Western Regions into the territory of the Central Government.

In particular, it should be pointed out that even during the period when the central government did not have jurisdiction over the Western Regions, the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang always regarded themselves as part of the Chinese nation and never regarded themselves as foreigners.

For example, in 45 AD, the 18 countries of the Western Regions asked for the restoration of the capital, and even asked to send their son to Luoyang to study as a hostage;

In 632, the Western Turks were appointed as the Khan of the Continent. After Ni was elected as the Western Turk Khan, he sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to express his attachment;

During the Northern Song Dynasty, in 962 and 965, as well as in 981 and 983, the Uighurs of Gaochang sent envoys to the Song dynasty. In 981, when his king wrote to Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, he called himself "Xizhou Waisheng (nephew)".

All this fully shows that the interruption of the central government's jurisdiction over Xinjiang does not deny that Xinjiang is part of China's territory.

This fact has never changed during the period when the central government of ancient China had jurisdiction over the Xinjiang region or when there was a local political power in the Xinjiang region. But because it is a hub connecting East and Central Asia, Britain and Russia have been eyeing each other.

In January 1865, Aguba, a general of Kokand supported by Tsarist Russia and British forces, suddenly led his troops to invade Xinjiang, proclaimed himself king, and established the country as "Zhedeshar Khanate", which changed the situation in Xinjiang abruptly, and established the Halal royal regime in Urumqi; Russia also seized the opportunity to occupy Ili, while Britain was eyeing our territory.

In this situation, it was Zuo Zongtangzhi who insisted on sending troops to Xinjiang, and his starting point was that China simply could not afford to lose Xinjiang, and what would happen next: once Xinjiang was lost, the defense of western China could only retreat to the Yumen Pass.

Yumen was a barren land, where heavy troops were stationed, and all the grain, grass and supplies had to be supplied from the rear, and the means of transportation at that time were still very primitive, and a large number of materials were transported to Yumen through the long Hexi Corridor, and the huge freight alone would become a permanent heavy burden for China. In addition, the defenders of Yumen could not take care of the defenses beyond the Great Wall, which was an endless Mongolian steppe and there was no danger to defend at all.

Once the Russians occupy Xinjiang, they can easily march eastward along the Great Wall, "a hundred miles a day, directly to the Liaohai." In this way, China will lose all territory outside the Great Wall, and even Beijing will become a border city, "a few police officers a day, and there will never be peace".

Therefore, Zuo's proposition is: "The reason why Xinjiang is defended is to protect Mongolia, and the reason why Mongolia is defended is to defend Beijing." Only by securing Xinjiang can a complete defense system be formed; once Xinjiang is abandoned, the consequences will be unimaginable if "the barrier is withdrawn."

Since ancient times, there have been four difficulties in using troops outside the country, namely: raising troops, raising salaries, raising food, and raising transportation. When Zhang Hanqing used troops against Mongolia, he did not feel how difficult the logistics were due to the relatively short time. By the time the war was fought in Gansu, the disadvantage of not continuing to have grain, grass, and ammunition gradually emerged. If there is a long-term confrontation with the Zhiwan Sichuan Army and other forces in the northwest in the future, I am afraid that there is no need to fight, and I will be dragged down by the other party just by dragging myself.

The reason why Zhang Hanqing dared to drive into Gansu for a long time, completely ignoring Yang Zengxin behind him, is because of the performance of this prince in history, he is accustomed to the policy of protecting the territory and the people, but he is more conservative and enterprising; The two have insufficient military strength and are too busy to take care of themselves.

Sure enough, when the battle between the People's Army and the Gansu garrison was in full swing, Yang Zengxin ordered the Hami garrison to "strictly defend and not interfere in the war between the two sides."

Gansu is peaceful, and it is time to solve Xinjiang. It is said that it is a solution, but it does not mean to replace Yang, after all, he has considerable ability and merit in stabilizing Xinjiang. It's just that Yang Zengxin must give political support to the Feng department, and at present, he is not needed to supply the logistics supply of the Northwest People's Army, but in Zhang Hanqing's heart, Xinjiang is an important communication line that quickly leads to Soviet Russia, and it has an important position in his long-term layout.

From Mongolia to Gansu via Suiyuan, the front of the People's Army is too long, and the extremely important lifeline from Kulun to Yinchuan Highway, the hub of the highway from Kulun to Yinchuan, is still in the hands of the people of the direct family. In addition, the foothold in the northwest is not stable, and at present the People's Army mainly wants to maintain local tranquility by "demoting generals and demoting officials," and it is not a wise move to rashly replace senior officials who can stabilize the frontiers.

Zhang Hanqing settled in Gansu, that is, he wanted to restore the glory of the "Silk Road" and take Xinjiang as his strategic rear. Of course, another consideration is to let the two provinces be organically integrated and determine the status of Xinjiang in the general sense, so as not to be threatened by the "Eastern Turkistan" in the future. Therefore, Zhang Hanqing decided that if Yang Zengxin was willing to cooperate with some of his own measures, he completely agreed to maintain the current situation.

On the second day after entering Lanzhou, he drafted a telegram requesting Yang Zengxin to open the Hami border in the name of Zhang Zuolin. He sent someone to Yang Zengxin and said: "The spring breeze has passed the Yumen Pass, the pear blossoms of the Silk Road are blooming, Xueliang is very willing to enter Xinjiang to see the beautiful scenery, can the overseer be interested?" He now has the power of victory, and Zhang Zuolin's title of "Mongolian Economic Envoy", this request is also reasonable.

Yang Zengxin was a person in the examination during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty, and he was a jinshi in the following year, and his cultural level was not low. Besides, after so many years of ups and downs, Zhang Hanqing's words are still clear to him.

He didn't know if Zhang Hanqing's words were a temptation or a desire to enter Xinjiang, but he knew that this young young marshal had been in the limelight recently. The restoration of Mongolia was the highlight of his national righteousness, and his entry into Gan was undoubtedly a great military achievement. At this time, any disobedience or even contempt will cause unnecessary strife.

He's not afraid. The following year, he was sponsored by the Xinjiang Governor to enter Beijing, and his majesty met with the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu, and calmly "Chen Shubian ambition", which was appreciated by Cixi and appointed as the Daoyin of Aksu, Xinjiang.

After the Republic of China, he seized the throne, cut off his braids, took off the five-grade official uniform of the Qing Dynasty, put on the dress of the overseer of the Republic of China, and ascended to the throne of the supreme ruler of Xinjiang. He has served as the governor of Xinjiang, the governor of Xinjiang's military affairs, the Xinjiang army, the aftermath of Xinjiang's military affairs, and the chairman of Xinjiang Province.

He relied on his sophisticated political experience and military strength to quell the turmoil in Hami and Aksu, divided and suppressed the uprisings of the elders and peasants in various places, and reached a reunification with the Ili military government and government through peace talks. After that, the influence of military and government figures was gradually eliminated and real power was grasped.

For 17 years until his death, he remained the de facto ruler of Xinjiang, although he was nominally appointed by the Beiyang government and later under the leadership of the Nanjing government. He constantly adjusted the political system in Xinjiang, concentrated power, and solved the problem of inconsistent powers of Xinjiang's governor, General Yili, and counselors and ministers since the end of the Qing Dynasty.

The Republic of China was initially decided, and the country was in danger. Xinjiang, which is under the administration of Yang Zengxin, is even more troubled internally and externally, and turmoil is frequent. After the abdication of the Qing court, Tsarist Russia, which had been coveted for a long time, took the opportunity to intervene in Khalkha Mongolian affairs, and caused long-term turmoil in Tangnu Ulianghai, Kobdo, Uriya Sutai and other places.

There were riots such as the Brotherhood and the violent activities of the revolutionaries and the peasant uprising of Hami Temur, and the evil intentions of the living Buddha Jebtsundamba of Outer Mongolia declared independence from China in Kulen with the support of Tsarist Russia, and captured the city of Kobdo in August 1912. The interweaving of ethnic, political, and international backgrounds has brought unprecedented turmoil to Xinjiang at the beginning of the Republic of China.

The ups and downs of the sea and the experience in the political arena enabled Yang Zengxin to be more decisive and calm to stop the chaos and deal with the crisis. In the depths of the traditional consciousness of the Chinese, the golden ou is not solid, and the country will not be a country; Defending the territory and securing the frontier is the most important thing for officials. In view of this, he decisively sacrificed the strategy of "first attacking the outside and then ruling the inside", which really worked.

He sent troops to Altai, which was adjacent to Kobdo. This time, he came up with the trick of encircling Wei and saving Zhao, and feinted to attack the city of Kobdo to contain the Outer Mongolian rebels, so that they did not dare to rashly attack the Altai region that was once under the jurisdiction of the Qing Dynasty's Counsellor Kobdo.

Aside from the outlier Zhang Hanqing, he was the first important member of the Republic of China to show goodwill to Soviet Russia.

After the October Revolution in Russia, he concluded a new trade clause with the Soviet government on a more equal footing, and took the opportunity to demand that Britain abolish the original most-favored-nation status.

In the face of the Russian Civil War, he strictly maintained neutrality and protected the territory and the people, and later successfully subdued the White Russian army that fled into Xinjiang and reorganized it into a naturalized army, so that Xinjiang was protected from the invasion of the Russian Civil War to the greatest extent.

Diplomatic success prevented Xinjiang from serious aggression during his reign.

In the seventh year of the Republic of China (1918), the Minister of Altai was abolished, the Ashan Road was established, and it was incorporated into Xinjiang Province to avoid falling into the hands of Soviet Russia and Outer Mongolian independence.

All of the above are his proud works. This Northwest boss who is good at Tai Chi is also ready to use Jiu-Jitsu when dealing with young young marshals who should also be vigorous. Managing the vast area of Xinjiang is already inadequate, and confronting the People's Army, which is strong and strong, and is said to have four divisions, is looking for death.

At this time, Xinjiang's population was only about 4 million, the number of troops was less than 10,000---- and the equipment was relatively poor.

So Yang Zengxin quickly called back very obediently: "Yang, as the overseer of Xinjiang, is also under the rule of the Mongolian Economic Envoy. The young marshal has both elegant intentions, there are beautiful wines and beauties, melons and sweet fruits here, when the pot is welcomed, and the makeup is waiting, it will make Your Excellency satisfied. ”