Southwestern Russia, Volga River.

The Volga River, which originates in the hills and lakes of the western East European Plain, is the longest river in Europe and the longest inland river in the world, with a total length of more than 3,500 kilometers, and finally empties into the Caspian Sea.

Nearly half of the Russians live in the Volga River basin, so the Russians call it the mother river, it is also Russia's inland shipping artery, connecting the Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic Sea Canal, connecting the White Sea through the Northern Dvina River, communicating with the Azov Sea and the Black Sea through the Volga-Don Canal, and finally flowing into the Caspian Sea, which has the reputation of "navigable five seas".

Tsaritsyn, with beautiful scenery, pleasant climate and abundant products, is undoubtedly a bright pearl in the lower reaches of the Volga, not only known as the 'granary of the southwest', but also the hub of land and water transportation connecting Europe and Asia, and with the construction of the Eurasian Railway, it has become an important railway transportation hub.

With the continuous extension of the railway, the trade routes of the two countries have also migrated, and the route from Gongning to the Kazakh steppe to Tsaritsyn has become the most important trade route of the two countries.

In addition, it is worth mentioning that Tsaritsyn has been a major military town of Russia since the founding of the city in the eighteenth century, and was a bridgehead for Russia to encroach on Central Asia.

After the news of the rebellion in the two northwestern provinces of the Qing Dynasty and the news of the Governor of Anxi, Feng Renxuan, claiming that Wang Zili was self-reliant, the atmosphere in Tsaritsu also became tense, and several military columns loaded with arms or officers and soldiers arrived every day.

All kinds of speculation and discussion have also emerged, and this situation is to help the Qing State put down the rebellion? Or take the opportunity to regain lost territory in Central Asia? No one can say, and it's a combination of both.

The former was built on the basis of the gradual friendly relations between the Qing and Russia over the past several decades, while the latter was that the two northwestern provinces of the Qing Dynasty were forcibly seized by the Qing State when Russia was defeated in the Crimean War, resulting in the abort of Russia's southward policy, which lasted for one or two hundred years.

Regardless of the purpose, the railway that runs through the Kazakh steppes is a top priority, so the atmosphere of the impending war adds another tension - the tension caused by the rush to repair the Kazakh railway, which has not yet been completed.

Columns of military trains, freight and passenger trains roared along the railway line from Moscow to Tsaritsyn, cargo ships and passenger ships of various sizes flowed down the Volga River, and munitions, grain, stones, timber and other materials, as well as a large number of troops and laborers and technicians rushing to repair the railway, were continuously transported to Tsaritsyn.

The railway project across the Kazakh steppe, which has been built step by step, ushered in a crazy outbreak period! The Russian side has mobilized a large amount of manpower and material resources to rush to repair day and night, and the Qing Guoan Xixing Province has also been rushing to repair day and night, and a large number of officers and soldiers have participated.

Tsaritsyn Railway Administration, Russian Minister of Transport and Director of the South-Western Railway Administration Nemeshaev frowned and looked at the telegram in his hand, the telegram was sent by the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the content was very simple and nothing new, that is, to urge the speed of railway construction, originally to ensure that the completion was guaranteed before the winter freeze, but now it is required to be completed one month before the freeze.

Completed a full month ahead of schedule!

Nemeshaev's hand holding the telegram couldn't help but tremble slightly, as he presided over the Eurasian railway project, when he came to Tsaritsyn, he had a deep understanding of the importance of this railway, and also knew the reason why His Majesty the Emperor was in a hurry.

The speed of sectional construction is fast, but the manpower, material and financial resources required are also doubled, and the current construction speed can be said to be the limit, and then one month ahead of schedule, it is not difficult, but simply unable to complete the task.

Refusal, obviously impossible, he knows that suddenly asking for the construction period to advance, it must be some changes in the Qing Dynasty or Central Asia or Europe, complaining, it is estimated that it will not be useless, in extraordinary times, complaining can not get the slightest leniency, and will end up with the impression of incompetence.

After thinking about it, he quickly drafted a reply - the rush to repair the railway has reached the limit, and if you want to further speed up the progress, the only way to mobilize troops is to participate.

Within a few hours, a reply from Petersburg arrived, "a telegram has been sent to the local troops to cooperate fully and to complete the project on time at all costs." ”

Seeing the callback, the only trace of luck in Nemeshaev's heart was gone, and he was about to call someone to prepare a car to go to the barracks, when the secretary walked in quickly and said: "The two northwestern provinces of the Qing Dynasty have officially declared their autonomy today. ”

Nemeshaev was stunned, autonomous? Not self-reliant?

Gongning City.

The whole city of Gongning is clothed in red and green, the colorful flags are fluttering, a group of festive, at ten o'clock in the morning, Gongning is electrified in all directions, the two northwestern provinces officially declare autonomy, although the city seems slightly deserted, but still gongs and drums are noisy, firecrackers shake the sky.

As soon as the Empress Dowager Ci'an, who was smiling outside, returned to the backyard, her face was gloomy and fearful, and she announced the autonomy of the two northwestern provinces through the mouth of the little emperor, and once again put her and her mother on the cusp, I don't know how the newspapers of various sizes in the introspection will accuse.

Although she is unwilling, but people are under the eaves, but they don't bow their heads, and now her mother's net worth and life are in the hands of these traitors in the northwest, in addition to bowing down to obey orders, what can she do?

However, what she hates the most is contentment, her mother and mother obviously had a chance to get out, but they were trapped in this den of thieves by him!

After sending away a group of officials and subordinates who came to congratulate him, Zhu Shanhai proudly lit a cigar and smoked it slowly, the two northwestern provinces declared autonomy instead of self-reliance, but it was just a delaying tactic, in order not to stimulate the Qing Dynasty too much.

In addition, it is also taking into account the situation of Ci'an and Guangxu Niang, after all, the two are the empress dowager and emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and they can't let the emperor of the Qing Dynasty declare the two provinces to stand on their own, of course, this fig leaf will soon be useless.

Whether it is autonomy or self-reliance, the Qing Dynasty will not give up and will inevitably send troops to conscript, but he is not worried that the railway from Hami to Turpan has been seriously damaged, and even if the Qing Dynasty wants to requisition, it will be delayed until the beginning of next spring.

With the strong support of Russia and Britain, it will be a different scene next year, and it is difficult to say who will kill the deer.