The doll is in charge of the house, starving the whole family.

- Bai proverb

Although Chiang Kai-shek seized power, China was still in a period of warlord warfare and separatist rule. Especially in the northwestern region, in addition to the Nationalist Army led by Feng Xiang, which generally ruled the provinces of Suiyuan (today's southern Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, and Gansu, there were also local separatist forces that did not belong to each other, the roads were inconvenient, the ethnic composition was complicated, and there were profound contradictions among the common people.

Gansu, located in the heart of the northwest, is no exception. Under the rule and oppression of warlords, both large and small, the common people were deeply plunged into misery.

After the Xinhai Revolution, Gansu gradually formed a situation of many small warlords.

Ma Qi, Ma Bin, Ma Lan, and Ma Xian served as the envoys of Ninghai Town, Ningxia Town, Ganzhou Town, and Liangzhou Town.

Four Han people, including Wu Tongren, Pei Jianzhun, Kong Fanjin and Zhang Zhaojiao, served as the envoys of Suzhou Town, Hezhou Town, Longnan Town, and Longdong Town, respectively.

They are not subordinate to each other and each exercise local dictatorship. An entire Gansu province was divided into eight large blocks.

Ibrahim's family had a comfortable and enjoyable time in Xining. In his free time, he would take his family on a six-stick carriage to the countryside for a wild trip.

Over time, Ibrahim considered that his parents were old and needed his son to stay by his side to take care of them, so he wrote a letter to his eldest brother Niu Zhanxiang, asking him to tell Ma Lin that he planned to leave Xining and return to his hometown in Hezhou.

Niu Zhanxiang quickly wrote back to him, telling him good news: "Qinghai may be separated from Gansu in the near future and become an independent province." The future provincial capital is likely to be located in Xining. Master Ma asked you to hold on for a while longer. ”

Historically, Qinghai belonged to the Qiang and Tibetan people for most of the time, and even if it belonged to the dynasty of the Central Plains, it was only a southeast corner of the Hehuang Valley, and it was a frontier area, under the jurisdiction of the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu or Gansu Province, and the rest of the vast area was in a state of semi-autonomy of nomadic peoples.

In 1907, Cen Chunxuan, the governor of Liangguang, was the first to propose the establishment of Qinghai Province. After the Xinhai Revolution, the local system in Qinghai still inherited the system of the Qing Dynasty. In Gansu Province, the ministers of Xining Province and Xining Prefecture and Qinghai Province co-existed and issued their own decrees.

In September 1912, the central government appointed Ma Lin's elder brother, Ma Qi, a powerful figure in Gansu, to the post of chief soldier of Xining Town.

At the instigation of the British, some separatist forces in Tibet attempted to take control of the Tibetan areas south of the Tanggula Mountains, and clashed with Ma Qi.

Ma Qi proposed that the Ganbian Ninghai Town Guard Area be modeled on Rehe and Chahar as the Qinghai Special Administrative Region. The 29 banners of Mongolia were all given titles such as county kings, princes, bezi, beyler, dukes, etc., and it was inappropriate to govern them in the name of the town guards. This area is sparsely populated and has a vast territory, and it is impossible to calm the people's minds without special county administration, so it is necessary to set up county administration in more than 10 places where Mongolians and Tibetans live moderately, and at the same time set up Qinghai metropolitan commanders or military envoys.

At that time, the warlords were fighting and had no time to take care of Qinghai, and Lu Tao, the head of Gansu Province, was afraid that it would be more difficult for Ma Qi to subdue if he broke away from Gansu, so he obstructed it.

In contrast to the chaotic situation of warlords in the Central Plains, there was a brief period of tranquility in the Qinghai region. Ma Qi made great efforts, first of all, network talents, humility and courtesy, and formed a think tank team to make suggestions for the revitalization of Qinghai; Then, through the resettlement of the pastoral areas and the organization of reclamation affairs, administrative units were set up in the pastoral areas one after another, and unified government decrees were implemented, and the unified jurisdiction and governance of the agricultural and pastoral areas of Qinghai began. He successively set up seven counties, including Xining, Datong, Nianbo, Bayon, Xunhua, Huangyuan, and Guide, and two councilors, including Yushu and Dulan, so that the conditions for Qinghai to become an independent administrative region became more and more mature.

With political stability, Ma Qi has also taken a series of effective measures in the economic field. He tried to set up the Maqin Snow Mountain Gold Mine, unified the management of salt taxes, set up the Qinghai Grain and Tea Bureau to coordinate grain and tea, implemented the public sale of furs, established the Xining Department Store, strengthened the collection of commercial taxes, restored the system of buying grain founded by Zuo Zongtang in those years, implemented the equal obligation of all ethnic groups, abolished the Wula apportionment system, banned the printing of provincial tickets, and banned the cultivation of large tobacco. These measures have played a certain role in stabilizing and developing Qinghai's economy.

Ma Qi has achieved political consolidation, economic development, and military strengthening. The Ningbo Navy has grown from more than 3,700 to more than 6,800. He was nominally under the command of the Gansu Overseer, but he would send his personal representatives to attend various meetings of the Beiyang regime in everything, and became an important politician in the northwest. At that time, Ma Qi and Ma Xiang, the commander of Suiyuan, Ma Bin, the town guard of Ningxia, Ma Lan, the town guard of Ganzhou, and Ma Ling, the town guard of Liangzhou, were collectively called the Five Horses of the Northwest, and were impressed by various political forces in the country.

In June 1928, the Nationalist government made Nanjing. Chiang Chieh-seok became the head of the Nationalist power. Feng Xiang was appointed Vice President of the Executive Yuan. In order to consolidate his territory in the northwest, resettle his cronies and generals, and enhance the strength of the Feng family, Feng Xiang suggested that Ningxia and Qinghai, which were under the jurisdiction of Gansu Province, should be established as provinces on the grounds that Qinghai's relationship with national defense was of paramount importance, and that Ningxia and Qinghai were too far away from the provincial capital Lanzhou and were not easy to develop and develop.

On September 5, the 153rd meeting of the Central Political Conference of the Kuomintang resolved to officially issue an order on September 17 to establish Ningxia and Qinghai as provinces. The members of the provincial political power are tentatively designated as Sun Zhong, Lin Jing, Guo Lizhi, Ma Qi, and Li Dan, and Sun Zhong is the head of the provincial political power, and four departments of civil affairs, finance, education, and construction are set up.

Ma Qi gave up the post of director of the construction department to his younger brother Ma Lin.

On 17 October, the 159th meeting of the Central Committee of the Kuomintang passed a resolution stipulating that the seven counties of Xining, Datong, Nianbo, Bayon, Xunhua, Huangyuan, and Guide under the jurisdiction of Xining Province in Gansu Province, as well as the 29 Mongolian banners, the 25 Tibetans in Yushu, the eight Tibetans around Qinghai Lake, and Guoluo under the jurisdiction of the former Qinghai Governor, are all dependent territories of Qinghai Province, with Xining as the provincial capital.

In January 1929, the three provinces of Gansu, Qinghai and Ningxia jointly submitted a report to the national power: from January 1, the administration of all counties originally assigned by Gansu Province to Qinghai and Ningxia provinces was handled by the newly established two provinces.

At that time, most of the residents of Qinghai lived a nomadic life, talking about industry without factories, talking about no good roads for transportation, less than 1 in 200 about education and literacy, and talking about life without food and clothing.

On February 9, Sun Zhong held a military-civilian gathering in Xining Xiaojiaochang, and fired a salute of 108 guns. The audience was thunderous and shocking.

Since then, Qinghai has entered a new historical period as a province.

Qinghai's development is in full swing. Ma Ying, who was in Shandong, felt cold.

In August 1930, Ma Ying thought that it was not a long-term solution to send people under the fence, so he left Shandong with Ma Shixun (nicknamed Fei Ahong), Niu Zhanchuan and others and returned to the northwest.

When Ningxia Leader Ma Bin learned that Ma Ying had come to Yinchuan, he immediately sent people to welcome him.

Ma Bin delivered a speech at the grand welcome party, hoping that Ma Ying would do things that were beneficial to the country and the people in the future, and would not repeat the events of 1928.

22-year-old Ma Ying made an impromptu speech: "In the past, we were there to relieve the suffering of the common people and oppose the uprising of the national army, but most of our subordinates did not have formal training, so their discipline was very poor. Now Ma Xian and others are still harassing the common people in Longdong, it's really unconscious! I came to Ningbo this time with the correct purpose, and I plan to take over the old department, send them home, and let them live in peace. Please rest assured. ”

Ma Bin appointed Ma Ying as the captain of the training team, and selected some of his own junior officers to participate in the training.

In addition to training with the teaching team, Ma Ying also seized the time to learn about culture, and specially invited a principal Jin to teach literature.

Ma Qian from Ganzhou heard that Ma Ying was serving as a teaching captain in Ningxia, and sent someone to give 5,000 yuan to express his welcome.

Ma Ying used all the money to buy bed sheets, shirts, towels, washbasins and other daily necessities for the students.

One day, Niu Zhanchuan heard Ma Bin's subordinates quietly discussing: "Don't look at the fact that they are all returning to the Ma family in Hezhou, in fact, Lord Ma Bin has long been wary of Ma Ying, and he will be detained when the right opportunity arises." ”

Niu Zhanchuan was taken aback, hurriedly ran to the training ground, called Ma Ying to a secluded place, and reported what he heard.

Ma Ying's eyes rolled twice, and he said calmly, "I know." You must never tell anyone. ”

In the afternoon, Ma Ying took Niu Zhanchuan to the street, bought two black eagles, and brought them back to feed them carefully.

From then on, Ma Ying ran to the suburbs with Niu Zhanchuan as soon as he was free, training eagles to catch hares, pretending to be unambitious, covering people's eyes and ears.

Soon after, Ma Ying told Ma Bin that he was going out for two days and then returned to Yinchuan.

Mabin agreed without thinking.

Ma Ying quickly left Yinchuan with a few close students, as well as Ma Shixun and Niu Zhanchuan, and lurked in the central guard in central Ningxia.

Ma Yingbiao, Ma Yingbiao's old subordinate, looked for Ma Ying and came to the central defender.

It turned out that after Ma Zhanbiao left Suixi with more than 1,000 people, he first accepted the reorganization of the Nationalist Army Jichang, and later transferred from Lingwu to Guyuan to Hezhou, where he eliminated a regiment of the Nationalist Army in Tange Town, Wushan, and seized a lot of weapons. He walked out of Huaishu Pass from Taozhou, and besieged Hezhou for 3 days, and was finally appeased and adapted by Ma Qi.

Ma Zhanbiao was not happy in Hezhou, so he fled to the central guard in a fit of anger and defected to Ma Ying.

More than 300 people, including Ma Ying and Ma Zhonglin, the city defense commander of Zhongwei, left Ningxia and went to Ganzhou to develop their forces.

During the Great War of the Central Plains of Jiang Feng, the Nationalist Army stationed in Gansu went to the interior to participate in the war. Niu Zhanxiang followed Ma Lin into Lanzhou to fill the vacancy in the National Army. Ma Lin was appointed commander of the Gansu Provincial Security Command, and soon became the commander of the 1st Provisional Division of the Gansu Cavalry, maintaining the political situation in the provincial capital of Lanzhou.

At the same time, Gao Xun, the head of Qinghai Province who succeeded Sun Zhong, was transferred, and Feng Xiang ordered Ma Qi to temporarily act as the head of Qinghai Province.

After Ma Qi took office as the leader, he made a 180-degree turn, held high the banner of "opposing Feng and supporting Chiang," and telegraphed to Jiang Jieshi, the leader of the Nationalist power in Nanjing, saying: "Qi is inclined to the south, but Feng is willing to do so, so he has no reason to reach the sincerity of his heart. ”

In this year, Han Sophie gave birth to her fourth child, Sani, in Xining, plus the two sons born to Manuri before, Sani should be Ibrahim's sixth child and fourth son.

In January 1931, Ma Qi was appointed by the Nanjing Nationalist Government as the acting head of Qinghai Province, awarded the rank of lieutenant general, and appointed Ma Qi's son Ma Fang as the commander of the Qinghai Provisional First Division of the National Revolutionary Army.

They began to combine with the powerful Jiang Jieshi. The power of the family was further developed.

After the team led by Ma Ying entered Hexi, they posted notices printed by Zhongwei along the way, claiming to be the commander-in-chief of the Gansu-Ningqing Alliance.

When Ma Qian heard that Ma Ying had arrived in Hexi, he happily ran to the gate of Ganzhou City and warmly welcomed Ma Ying into the city.

Recently. Ma Qian's subordinates are all Ma Ying's old subordinates, and when they saw the old leader coming, they naturally had frequent contacts with him.

Such a close relationship aroused Ma Qian's vigilance. He was worried that Ma Ying would replace him one day, so he secretly made up his mind to get rid of Ma Ying.

One day at the beginning of spring, Ma Qian arranged cronies in a bathhouse in advance, preparing to assassinate Ma Ying while he was taking a bath.

Ma Ying received Ma Qian's invitation to take a bath with him without suspicion, and only took Niu Zhanchuan alone, and went to the bathhouse in the center of the city with Ma Qian and laughing.

While chatting with Ma Qian, Ma Ying took off his clothes and prepared to walk into the hot pool.

Suddenly, only a "bang" gunshot was heard, and a bullet flew sideways, killing a common man taking a bath next to Ma Ying

Suddenly, there was chaos in the bathhouse.

Ma Ying instantly understood that there were assassins in the bathhouse, hurriedly grabbed his clothes and draped them on his body, and quickly escaped from the bathhouse.

Niu Zhanchuan held Ma Ying's riding boots in his arms and followed closely.

When Ma Qian saw that his plan had failed, he immediately rushed out of the bathhouse, ran to the east city, and commanded the soldiers on the city tower to shoot at the city.

Ma Ying had already led the elite soldiers to climb the drum tower and began to shoot fiercely at Dongcheng.

Erma went from being a friend to a sworn enemy.

After the mediation of a relative of Ma Qian, Ma Ying decided to let him go.

Niu Zhanchuan hated Ma Qian so much that he tried his best to persuade Ma Ying to beat the water dog.

Ma Ying said with a smile: "Since he is already a poor water dog, I will let everyone see my Commander Ga's broad mind." With a good reputation, are you still afraid that no one will come to us? ”

Ma Ying only relieved Ma Qian of his military power, and generously gave him 20,000 yuan in cash and a car, sending him to travel to Pingjin and broaden his horizons.

Ma Qian had no choice but to accept Ma Ying's opinion, went to Beiping for investigation, and later died in Zhangjiakou.

Since then, Ma Ying has mastered the military power of Ganzhou. He vigorously reorganized the troops, attached importance to the role of intellectuals in the staff, reorganized the local troops into a regiment, appointed county magistrates and bureau chiefs to the 11 counties under the jurisdiction of Ganzhou, and recruited new recruits in each county to expand his ranks.

At this time, Ma Jie and Ma Hushan returned to Gansu from Shandong.

Progressives Zhang Yashao and Wu Yingqi also came to Gansu from Shandong and joined Ma Ying's army. Zhang Yashao served as secretary general and general counsel, and Wu Yingqi served as chief of staff. They actively assisted Ma Ying in rectifying the internal situation and weeding out the bad elements. They also planned to merge the seven counties under the jurisdiction of Suzhou and the four counties under the jurisdiction of Ganzhou to form the Hexi Province.

The couplet presented by Ma Ying to all walks of life in Ganzhou reads:

Three-line provincial tyrannical tiger,

Seven stalks of guns and crimes hanged the people.

After the Nationalist Army marched eastward into the Central Plains, the political situation in Gansu once again turned into a situation of warlord separation. Ma Fang assigned Ma Taming to garrison Liangzhou from Qinghai, and regarded the vast rich land in Hexi as his forbidden land, and did not allow others to cross the Lei Chi. Ma Fang now sees that his cousin Ma Ying not only occupies 11 counties in Suzhou and Ganzhou, but also calls himself the Ganqingning coalition army, which he sees as a threat to his own interests. Therefore, Ma Fang decided to eliminate Ma Ying's forces by force to get rid of the elbow and armpit trouble.

In May 1931, Ma Fang Yifang ordered Ma Taming's infantry to attack Shandan via Yongchang, on the one hand, he led the Ma Burong Infantry Brigade and Ma Biao and Ma Pu two cavalry brigades and some directly subordinate regiments and battalions to attack Ganzhou from Qinghai out of Biandukou.

Ibrahim's younger brother, Niu Zhanhai, served as a soldier in Ma Biao's cavalry brigade. The three brothers Zhan Xiang, Zhan Chuan and Zhan Hai served in the Ma Army, but they belonged to the three camps that were almost in the team.

At that time, Ma Ying's most elite infantry brigade was stationed in distant Suzhou, and it was too late to mobilize reinforcements for a while.

Ma Ying only drove to the front with two regiments of the cavalry brigade and the battalions directly under him to welcome the arrival of Ma Fang's army.

On the first day, the two armies came into contact in the town of Flood in Minle County. Ma Fang's army was defeated.

Subsequently, Ma Fang led the reinforced army to counterattack and fought fiercely for two days in the areas of Hongshui, Chow Mein Village, Sanbao and Liuba.

Ma Ying finally failed with a huge disparity in numbers and led the remnants to retreat to Suzhou.

Ma Fang immediately ordered the army to pursue continuously, forcing Ma Ying to be defeated again and retreat west to Jiayuguan.

The losses in this campaign were significant. The more than 10,000 sets of clothing that Ma Ying had stockpiled did not have time to be transported, and the local troops that had been incorporated also temporarily defected and surrendered to Ma Fang.

Ma Fang did not appreciate it, and killed all the more than 80 officers who surrendered in the name of gathering and preaching. This fulfills the assertion that "no good end comes to an end for the apostate."

At this moment, Qinghai's political situation has undergone new changes.

On August 5, 1931, Ma Qi, the head of the Qinghai Provincial Government and Ma Fang's father, died of illness. The Nationalist Power directs his younger brother Ma Lin to act as the head.

At that time, Ma Lin moved to Liangzhou. After receiving the news of his brother Ma Qi's death, he took Niu Zhanxiang and others to rush back to Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province, and took over the post of leader.

Ibrahim was very excited when he saw Ma Lin, who was the leader, and he didn't expect that he would make friends with such a big official. He gave a clear account of the Ma family's business transactions, not only did he not lose money, but also had a large surplus, which was praised by Ma Lin.