In the city of Beijing, Prince Gong Yixin was handling official business in a hall of the Prime Minister's Yamen, when he heard a rush of footsteps, from far and near, Yixin couldn't help frowning, which of his subordinate officials was so frivolous and not deep.

At this time, a sweaty official lifted the curtain and rushed into the hall, holding a telegram and shouting: "Prince Gong, the big thing is not good! Lin Daxin wants to occupy Mongolia! ”

Prince Gong Yixin was taken aback when he heard this, and the brush in his hand fell to the ground, Yixin immediately took the telegram and took a closer look, his face turned pale, and immediately left the Prime Minister's Yamen, and entered the palace to report the matter to the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu.

In the Xinuan Pavilion of the Forbidden City, Empress Dowager Cixi sat gloomily on the wooden collapse, not far away Emperor Guangxu sat on a chair with a pale face, and Emperor Guangxu sat diagonally opposite Prince Gong Yixin and Li Hongzhang, two important ministers of the imperial court.

And on the ground in the middle of the Xinuan Pavilion, there was an official kneeling who was a little trembling, it was Yuan Shikai, the commander of the Dingwu Army.

The Empress Dowager Cixi said in a cold voice: "Look at the good things your monarchs and ministers have done, didn't the mourning family tell you, don't provoke Lin Daxin first!" Don't provoke Lin Daxin yet! You all take the words of the mourning family as a deaf ear, and now it's okay, you can cause trouble but not settle it. Now Lin Daxin is planning to launch a mutiny under the pretext of you bribing his generals, and ask the imperial court for Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia, and his army is about to enter Mongolia. ”

Yuan Shikai, who was kneeling on the ground, quickly kowtowed and said: "The minister is guilty, it is the responsibility of the minister, and it was planned by the minister from beginning to end, and this matter has nothing to do with the emperor." ”

Empress Dowager Cixi sneered: "There is no emperor to support you." Do you dare to send your righteous daughter to the Northeast to buy Lin Daxin's generals? Don't take the mourners for fools. ”

Yuan Shikai hurriedly continued to kowtow, not daring to speak again.

Emperor Guangxu said in a low voice: "Dear father, it was my idea to get rid of Lin Daxin's rebellion." Didn't expect things to work out. Now that the matter has been revealed, let Lin Daxin's rebellion use this as an excuse to occupy the whole of Mongolia and ask his father to punish him. ”

At this time, Emperor Guangxu still showed the quality of an emperor, and he did not let his confidant Yuan Shikai give him thunder, but took the initiative to take the responsibility on himself.

Yuan Shikai, who was kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but glance at Emperor Guangxu gratefully.

Prince Gong Yixin on the side said at this time: "Queen Mother, the emperor also wants to remove Lin Daxin's rebellion for us. is also for the Queen Mother, the starting point is still good. Now that things have come to this point, let's not hold anyone responsible. Let's figure out what to do next! ”

The Empress Dowager Cixi nodded: "Yuan Shikai, you get up and stand aside." ”

Yuan Shikai hurriedly said: "Thank you, Queen Mother, Lafayette!" "Get up, walk to the side, and stand honestly.

Cixi asked, "Prince Gong, Li Aiqing, what do you think we should do now?" ”

Li Hongzhang coughed and said, "Queen Mother." Rely on the troops of those Mongol princes. Can't resist Lin Daxin's Dingbei Army at all, our court wants to prevent Lin Daxin from occupying Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia, so we can only send the new army to Mongolia and fight with Lin Daxin's Dingbei Army. ”

Cixi shook her head and said: "No, wouldn't that anger Lin Daxin even more, if that rebel is excited, and the soldiers go out of Shanhaiguan, our Qing Dynasty will be over." ”

Li Hongzhang smiled bitterly. In fact, he didn't finish speaking, that is, he sent the new army to Mongolia. It may not be able to stop Lin Daxin, because the new army of the imperial court is not the opponent of Lin Daxin's Dingbei Army at all, so Li Hongzhang shook his head helplessly and said: "There is no other way for the minister." ”

Cixi turned her head to Prince Gong Yixin and asked, "Prince Gong, what do you think?" ”

Yi Xin also smiled bitterly and said: "The minister immediately visited the ministers of various countries in the Qing Dynasty in Beijing City, and told them the news that Lin Daxin was going to occupy the whole of Mongolia, hoping that the ministers of various countries would come forward to stop Lin Daxin's attempt." ”

Cixi nodded approvingly and said: "Prince Gong is the old way to do this, then it is decided, Prince Gong, you hurry up and contact the ministers of various countries." ”

Emperor Guangxu interjected at this time: "If Lin Daxin ignores the obstruction of ministers from various countries and insists on occupying Mongolia. After Lin Daxin's Dingbei Army enters Mongolia, those Mongolian princes will definitely ask the court for help, what should we do then? ”

Prince Gong and Li Hongzhang glanced at each other and did not speak, and the Empress Dowager Cixi said after a moment of silence: "The mourning family is old, and they can't stand the toss, we even let Lin Daxin occupy the ancestral land in the northeast, and the affairs of Mongolia will be tossed with Lin Daxin, the imperial court should not send troops to participate, Mongolia will rely on those Mongolian princes to guard it!" Remember the words of the mourning family, the imperial court can't afford to provoke Lin Daxin now, and the new army of the imperial court must not go to Mongolia to fight with Lin Daxin's Dingbei army. ”

Empress Dowager Cixi's attitude was obviously to abandon Mongolia, appease Lin Daxin's anger, and let the imperial court continue to implement the policy of appeasing Lin Daxin.

After the ministers of various countries in Beijing City learned the news that Lin Daxin was going to occupy it, the Russian minister Pablofu suddenly jumped up, if Lin Daxin occupied Mongolia, the entire hinterland of Siberia in Russia would be exposed in front of the Dingbei army. Pablofu quickly transmitted the news back to Russia, and at the same time began to contact the envoys of other countries to the Qing Dynasty, preparing to unite and go to Shenyang together to put pressure on Lin Daxin to give up this idea, which was very unfavorable to the Russian Empire.

Pablofu began to jump up and down among the ministers of the various countries in the city of Beijing, and moved the ministers of various countries to Shenyang together, but his efforts were only contacted by the British and French ministers.

The United States and Italy, which had just suffered a big loss in the Philippines, were unwilling to get involved in Lin Daxin's evil star affair, and Germany and Austria-Hungary were unwilling to provoke Lin Daxin, a powerful military strongman in the Far East.

Japanese Minister Komura Shoutaro still hated Pablofu's arrogant attitude in the Shenyang Hotel at that time, and he didn't get rid of Pablofu, and if Lin Daxin occupied Mongolia and Russia had a dispute, or even a war, it would be very beneficial to Japan, so Komura Shoutaro did not go to Shenyang.

In the end, only three British, Russian, and French envoys to the Qing Dynasty hurried to Shenyang in the northeast. Prepare to prevent Lin Daxin from occupying Mongolia.

On June 25, before the three British, Russian, and French envoys to the Qing Dynasty had reached Shenyang, the Third Division of the Dingbei Army had already assembled in Fuxincheng, Fengtian Province, near Inner Mongolia. Then under the orders of the division commander Ni Fan, he went directly to Inner Mongolia.

At the same time, more than 8,000 cavalry divisions of the Dingbei Army in Baicheng, Jilin Province, also set out from Baicheng and entered Inner Mongolia.

Although the court of the Qing Dynasty did not send troops to support Mongolia, it informed the princes of Mongolia that Lin Daxin wanted to occupy Mongolia, which made the princes of Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia very frightened and angry at the same time.

It was the Manchu court that sent someone to buy you Lin Daxin's general. I want to launch a mutiny to murder you, Lin Daxin. If you want to settle accounts, you should also go to the imperial court, what is the matter with you to occupy our Mongolia! When did we, the Mongolian princes, provoke you Lin Daxin, aren't you the city gate fire that affected the pond fish?

Although the Mongolian princes knew that Lin Daxin's Dingbei army was strong. But it was impossible for them to give Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia to Lin Daxin, so the princes of Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia formed a coalition to resist the invasion of the Dingbei Army and defend their homeland for generations.

in Inner Mongolia. The princes concentrated the cavalry of their respective tribes in Hohhot. In the end, 50,000 Mongolian cavalry were gathered in a short period of time, but most of them were ordinary herdsmen, who were forcibly summoned by the princes of various tribes. The last elite troops of Mongolia had already been exhausted in the war with Japan a few years ago in the defense of Shengjing City, otherwise the princes of Inner Mongolia would not have even requisitioned ordinary herdsmen.

When these princes of Inner Mongolia saw so many cavalry, and the black pressure covered half of the grassland, they were suddenly bold. It was decided to face the Dingbei Army in Hohhot and let the invincible Dingbei Army be defeated. Taste the power of Genghis Khan's descendants.

After the 3rd Division and the Cavalry Division of the Dingbei Army entered Inner Mongolia, they were not hindered along the way, and they met together outside the city of Hohhot.

On July 1, 1898, the weather was sunny and a gentle breeze was blowing, and outside the city of Hohhot, 50,000 Mongolian cavalry, led by the princes of Inner Mongolia, lined up on the vast grassland to start a decisive battle with the Dingbei army.

The Third Division and the Cavalry Division of the Dingbei Army were already preparing to attack the city, but they did not expect that the Mongolian cavalry in the city poured out of Hohhot City early in the morning, and together with the Mongolian cavalry living in tents outside the city, they actually set up a formation of tens of thousands of cavalry charging opposite them.

Wu Yuning, the commander of the cavalry division of the Dingbei Army, frowned and said to Ni Fan, the commander of the third division: "What are these Mongolian cavalrymen thinking? Do they still think that this is the era of cavalry duel hundreds of years ago? ”

Ni Fan was very happy, and said with a smile: "This is better, it saves us a lot of trouble!" Then Ni Fan ordered the artillery to prepare to open fire, and the infantry set up a blocking position in front.

At the front of the 50,000 Mongolian cavalry were several princes, one of whom was in his 30s, drew a Mongolian long knife and shouted: "Genghis Khan's sons and grandsons, for the sake of the land where our Mongols have lived for generations, destroy these enemies who want to occupy our land in front of you, kill!" ”

The shouts of 50,000 Mongolian cavalry rang out, and they launched a charge with their war horses, and the black pressure rushed towards the direction of the Dingbei Army, and the whole land could feel trembling.

Immediately, under the order of Ni Fan, the artillery of the 3rd Division began to fire at the charging cavalry, 155 mm howitzers, 105 mm howitzers, 75 mm field guns and 75 mm mountain guns, and sent one shell after another into the charging queue of the Mongolian cavalry.

"Boom-boom-boom-" Every time a cannonball fell, a piece of cavalry fell off their horses, or their horses fell, which made the cavalry, most of whom were ordinary herdsmen, unable to bear it for a while.

The Mongol cavalry on either side of the charge began to turn their horses and flee in other directions, and then more and more cavalry joined the fleeing ranks. It took less than 10 minutes of artillery bombardment, and without even a single bullet fired, the 3rd Division routed 50,000 cavalry, or 50,000 horsemen, who could ride horses in almost the entire Inner Mongolia.

Then the cavalry division of the Dingbei Army attacked and began to capture prisoners in all directions, and the Mongolian cavalry, who were mostly herdsmen, chose to dismount and surrender, and even one cavalry of the Dingbei Army actually captured more than 100 Mongolian cavalry.

After the war, more than 4,000 Mongolian cavalry were killed, more than 40,000 people were captured, and thousands of other people fled, but they couldn't make any waves, and the Dingbei Army easily occupied Hohhot, the largest city in Inner Mongolia.

After discussing with Wu Yuning, Ni Fan decided that the cavalry division would leave the guards and prisoners and occupy other parts of Inner Mongolia, while the third division would advance towards Outer Mongolia and bring Outer Mongolia into the Dingbei Army in one go.

The 3rd Division, which had only stayed in Hohhot for a day, advanced directly in the direction of Outer Mongolia, while the cavalry division divided into small units and began to occupy the whole of Inner Mongolia.

The princes of Outer Mongolia concentrated the cavalry of their respective tribes in Kulen, and together with the forcibly recruited herdsmen, they gathered more than 30,000 Mongolian cavalry. The princes practiced their soldiers and horses every day, preparing to meet the Dingbei army from afar. It was not until the Third Division came to the outside of Kulun City after more than half a month's march that the Outer Mongolian princes in Kulun City did not know that the 50,000 cavalry jointly organized by the princes of Inner Mongolia had been defeated by the Dingbei Army.

The situation in Kulen is almost the same as that in Hohhot, and the princes of Outer Mongolia still choose to fight a decisive battle with the Dingbei army on the grassland, giving full play to the cavalry charge advantage.

As a result, it was again routed by the artillery fire of the 3rd Division in less than 10 minutes, and the task of the officers and men of Dingbei was to capture prisoners on the grassland, and the 3rd Division immediately occupied the city of Kulen, and then divided its troops to occupy various important places in Outer Mongolia.

The Third Division quickly occupied several major towns in Outer Mongolia, but on the border between Outer Mongolia and Russia, a large number of Russian land forces had already gathered in the city of Haktu on the border line, which made Ni Fan, the commander of the Third Division, a little worried, and immediately mobilized an infantry brigade of the Third Division to the trading city in Outer Mongolia across the river from Haktu City, and built field fortifications to prevent the Russians.

The division headquarters and main forces of the 3rd Division entered the city of Darkhan, behind the city of Maimai, ready to support the city at any time.

Although there is some danger of misfire on the border between Outer Mongolia and Russia, in any case, in less than one month, the Dingbei Army occupied more than 2.7 million square kilometers of Inner Mongolia and Outer Mongolia.

The 50,000 Mongolian cavalry organized by the princes of Inner Mongolia and the more than 30,000 Mongolian cavalry organized by the princes of Outer Mongolia did not bring any trouble to the Northern Army, and even the third division of the Dingbei Army only used artillery and bombarded twice, and the resistance of the entire Mongolia was defeated.

Since then, Lin Daxin's territory has expanded by 2 times, but it has also triggered a large-scale war that shocked the world. (To be continued......)