Li Jiansheng, who came from later generations, knew that as far as China's modern history is concerned, there is an armed force that has to be said. This relatively special armed force, which is basically linked by family, blood, and religion, began in a reckless and troubled era, and fought among various forces, once occupying all of Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia, most of Xinjiang, and almost controlling the entire northwest, thus changing the course of Chinese history to a considerable extent. Their leader is a man of force and bloodthirsty for killing. War horses and sabers are their magic weapons that will always be effective both internally and externally. This armed force is the Northwest Majia Army. In later generations, some people called it "the Northwest Majia Army, the second of the top ten miscellaneous armies of the Kuomintang".

Strictly speaking, the warlords of the Ma family in the northwest did not form a unified faction, but came from the same source and were divided into several branches, and people were used to call them the Ma family army. During the period of the Republic of China, in the Gansu, Ning, and Qing regions in the northwest of China, there were several powerful Hui armed forces, and their leaders were all Hui Ma surnames in Hezhou, Gansu (now Linxia City, Linxia Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province), so they were called "Ma Jiajun". Ma Jiajun was originally a family armed force, they participated in the disputes in the Chinese political arena at that time, successively attached to the Qing government, Beiyang warlords, Feng Yuxiang, Chiang Kai-shek, etc., ruled the northwest region for decades, and produced a group of prominent warlords surnamed Ma, among which the northwest four horses are the most famous. The four horses are divided into green horses and Ning horses, and the Ma Bufang brothers are based in Qinghai and are green horses; The Ma Hongkui brothers owned Ningxia and were Ningma.

If you want to talk about the warlords of the Ma family, it should be traced back to the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. In 1863, the second year of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty, Ma Zhanao, an imam from Hezhou (now Linxia County) in Gansu Province, joined Ma Wuzhen and other Hui leaders to hold an anti-Qing Hezhou**, conquered Hezhou, and rapidly expanded its power in Gansu. Ma Haiyan, a native of Baizang Township, Hezhou, also participated in the event. Ma Haiyan was poor in his early years, and made a living by "carrying his feet" (animal transportation) between Hezhou and Lanzhou. After participating in the Hezhou Uprising, Ma Haiyan fought bravely and soon became Ma Zhanao's right-hand man. In 1872, Zuo Zongtang led the Hunan army into Gansu to suppress, in the battle of Taizisi, Ma Zhanao first lured the enemy to go deeper, and then defeated 30 battalions of the Qing army in one fell swoop with the tactic of "black tiger digging out the heart". After the Battle of Taizisi, when the rebels demanded to take advantage of the victory to capture the camp set up by the commander of the Qing army, Zuo Zongtang, in Anding (now Dingxi County), Ma Zhanao advocated surrendering to the Qing army, saying: "It is much better to win the battle than to defeat and surrender." Ma Haiyan also praised his proposal, but many of the uprising masses expressed opposition. At this time, a man in his forties, Ma Qianling, a native of Hezhou Hanjiajiyang Washan Village, came out to speak and support Ma Zhanao's surrender to the Qing Dynasty. Ma Zhanao is Ma Qianling's niece and son-in-law, and when he saw the support of Ma Haiyan and Ma Qianling, he decided to settle down and be cared for. As a result, Zuo Zongtang reorganized Ma Zhanao's department into the Three Banners of the Horse Team, appointed Ma Zhanao as the Governor of the Three Banners, and Ma Anliang (formerly known as Ma Qiwu, Zuo Zongtang gave the name "Anliang") to Ma Zhanao's son as the main flag officer of the Central Banner, and Ma Haiyan as the deputy flag officer of the Central Banner. In addition, the Qing court awarded Ma Anliang and Ma Haiyan seven military merits. Ma Qianling was praised by Zuo Zongtang as a "good return" for his meritorious efforts in persuasion, and was also heavily rewarded. In this way, Ma Zhanao, Ma Haiyan, Ma Qianling and others exchanged the blood of the rebellious people for the "red top" and the reward of the Qing court, and since then they have become the eagle dogs of the Qing court, which is also the reason why the descendants of the "Hezhou Three Horses" have been able to make a career.

After Ma Zhanao surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, he died more than ten years later, that is, in 1886, and his position was succeeded by his son Ma Anliang. Ma Haiyan has two sons: Ma Qi and Ma Lin. Later, the horse team of Ma Anliang and Ma Haiyan was merged into Dong Fuxiang's Gan army.

As for Ma Qianling, he also has two sons who are very outstanding: the second son Ma Fulu and the fourth son Ma Fuxiang. In 1895, the Hui and Salar people in the Hehuang region (present-day Linxia, Gansu and the Yellow River and Huangshui basins in eastern Qinghai) launched another uprising against the Qing Dynasty. Ma Haiyan and his son participated in the repression with the Qing army. And Ma Qianling's father and son also organized the militia "Anning Army" in their hometown to fight against the rebel army. Later, Ma Qianling avoided Tibet, and his sons Ma Fulu and Ma Fuxiang led the Anning Army to Lanzhou, where they were incorporated into two infantry and cavalry battalions by Tao Mo, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, and joined the Qing army attacking Hezhou, and soon became part of Dong Fuxiang's Gan army. In 1897, the Qing government reorganized the army and organized an elite army, which was divided into five armies: center, front, left, right and rear, led by Rong Lu, Nie Shicheng, Ma Yukun, Yuan Shikai and Dong Fuxiang respectively. In 1900, the Eight-Nation Coalition invaded Tianjin and Beijing, and the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu fled Beijing. Under the escort of Ma Anliang, Ma Qi, Ma Fuxiang and others, Cixi and Guangxu finally escaped to Xi'an safely. Due to the meritorious escort, several people of Ma were promoted. In 1912, the Qing Emperor abdicated and the Republic of China was established, and this elite Western Army was also divided, Ma Anliang and his son and Ma Qi and Ma Lin brothers all turned to rely on the Beiyang warlord Yuan Shikai, Ma Anliang served as the governor of Gansu, and Ma Qi seized the post of chief soldier of Xining Town. Ma Anliang's father and son were also a member of the Ma family's warlords, but later this force withdrew from the northwest.

After Ma Qi became the chief soldier of Xining Town in August 1912, he set out to create an army completely under his own control, and recruited Han officials and gentry intellectuals in many ways to form his own think tank and start the cause of family separation. In a few years, Ma Qi organized a family armed force with 36 battalions, known as the "Ning Navy". Ning Haijun was commanded by Ma Qi and his relatives Ma Lin and Ma Bao (cousin), and his sons Ma Buqing (born in 1898) and Ma Bufang (born in 1903) were still young but already held the position of battalion commander in the army.

As for Ma Fuxiang, after the outbreak of the Xinhai Revolution, he suppressed the anti-Qing rebels in Ningxia and Inner Mongolia, and later announced that he was "in favor of the republic" due to the general trend, and after the establishment of the Republic of China, he served as the Ningxia Protector Envoy. At this time, Ma Fuxiang's left and right hands were his nephew Ma Hongbin and his son Ma Hongkui. Ma Hongbin is the son of Ma Fuxiang's brother Ma Fulu. When Ma Fulu died in Beijing, Ma Hongbin was only 16 years old and was still practicing martial arts and literature in his hometown. Ma Fuxiang is 20 years younger than his brother Ma Fulu, all of whom were carried by Ma Fulu in the military and political circles, in order to repay the kindness of his brother, he was bent on cultivating his nephew Ma Hongbin, and Ma Hongbin was also young and old, and he was very filial and respectful to his uncle Ma Fuxiang, and Ma Fuxiang liked it even more. In 1905, Ma Fuxiang served as the chief soldier of Xining Town, and established the Xining Mining Horse Team, which was led by Ma Hongbin, and this small team later developed into Ma Hongbin's basic armed force.

Later, after successive battles, the northwest finally formed the "Northwest Four Horses" of Ma Hongbin, Ma Hongkui, Ma Bufang, and Ma Buqing.

In the past few months, it was these four horses, especially the 35th Division under Ma Hongbin, who participated in the interception and pursuit of the Red Army heading north to Shaanxi.

And from the very beginning, Li Jiansheng had no intention of letting these four horses exist anymore. Although these four horses later participated in the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and made certain contributions to the nation!

(This chapter is a transitional chapter, and there are many selections.) Everyone's forgiveness.)