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Mountain brigades, mixed divisions, infantry divisions, National Guards, local security regiments.

Troops of different numbers and natures were poured into East Kazakhstan and Almaty like a trickle. Beginning in early April, the Chinese Defense Forces, which had already withdrawn to Irkutsk, suddenly moved westward again along the Trans-Siberian Railway. In May, not only did they exchange weapons for control of the Novosibirsk station, but they also quickly occupied Barnaul with the help of armored trains, expelled the local Soviet forces, and used the Turkish-Western railway embankment to lay an improvised light rail to Karakum, 300 kilometers away, at a rate of 5 kilometers per day. At the same time, the Railway Construction Corps, which was formed for the construction of the Southwest Railway, began to take over the project of the Ring West Xinjiang Railway from Irkutsk to Kashgar, and the newly established Baotou Iron and Steel Plant was responsible for providing the required standard heavy rail, striving to open up this 2,200-kilometer-long lifeline in western Xinjiang within three years.

Although Nanjing said to the outside world that this was to ensure the security of Xinjiang, prevent the flames of war from entering the border, and prevent the infiltration of hostile forces, the tens of thousands of troops directed directly into the hinterland of Central Asia still made it impossible for many people to sleep peacefully.

Orenburg, south of the Ural Mountains, is a strategic stronghold for Russia, Europe, and Central Asia.

Since the withdrawal of the Chinese defense forces from the Urals at the beginning of last year, the two sides of the Russian civil war have repeatedly fought over the area, although the poor Red Army lost it for a time, but under the leadership of Blyukhel, it finally retained its strength and recaptured the important place in early March this year. After nearly two years of civil war strangulation, the poor party swelled rapidly, and the Eastern Front army had grown to five armies with a total of more than 400,000 people. With the addition of the Turkestan Army Group in Central Asia, the actual total number of troops in the region has reached more than 500,000.

Of course, although there are many people, there are still not enough real combat effectiveness, so the main immediate goal of the Eastern Army is still to destroy Kolchak, but the recent sudden Chinese advance into Central Asia has made many people nervous.

Two months after the fierce fighting, the city is still littered with craters, collapsed buildings, and empty factories and banks. The looting of the Chinese National Defense Forces (IDF) during the withdrawal early last year also affected the area. Thanks to the "diligent" efforts of a whole division and 8,000 Chinese workers, there is no trace of industry in Orenburg. According to local Soviet statistics, a total of $3 million worth of industrial equipment was removed. Chinese sappers also used explosives to blow up the underground vaults of the Orenburg Bank, removing at least 50 tons of gold and silver, as well as a large number of priceless works of art.

Blyukhel flipped through the report. He wasn't interested in these things. Gold and silver are gone, art is not as useful as food to ordinary people, and he is really worried about the sudden increase of troops of the Chinese expeditionary force in eastern Kazakhstan and Almaty. The general, who had miraculously led his troops on foot across the Urals and traveled 1,600 kilometers in 54 days, had now become one of the few pragmatic generals in the poor party, and when he raised his head, almost all the officers in the room straightened slightly.

"Comrade Suleymanov." Blyukhel glanced at the tall Suleimanov.

Major Suleymanov was in his thirties, had thick black hair, and a high nose bridge and cheekbones proved that he was of Turkish descent. He moved to Tashkent with his ancestors, and it was from him that the first Soviet organization in Tashkent after the October Revolution was organized. However, he was not satisfied with succumbing to the tiny Tashkent, so he led the partisans to Frunze overnight in the name of defending Russia. Due to a very good familiarity with the Central Asian region. So he was appointed as a staff officer of the Eastern Front. But Blyukhel didn't like this man very much, and always felt that he was too good at drilling camps and didn't look like a soldier, but now was the time for sincere cooperation, so he put aside his personal preferences and continued to ask: "Is there any more detailed information?" ”

Suleymanov shook his head: "It is not clear how many there are, only that there are many small forces that have been scattered in these areas of East Kazakhstan and Almaty. Small troop tracks were also spotted near Bishkek before I came out. ”

Even the presence of the Chinese Wehrmacht in Bishkek at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains is enough to prove that this is not an unusual transfer and reconnaissance Blyukher's brows deepened: "Comrade Suleymanov, do you have any news from Karakum?" ”

"It's bad." Suleymanov did not hide his hatred for Karakum, and his tone was rapid: "The Chinese used the materials they looted last year to build a fortress there, and my intelligence officer came back and told me that the fortress was very, very large. There are a total of seven main seats, and you can also see airships and some planes stationed inside. The construction has now been slowed down due to lack of materials, but they have begun to lay the temporary light rail after taking control of Barnaul, and it is expected to be restarted in two months, and it is said that at least a hundred cannons will be installed in it when it is all built! ”

Fortresses with a hundred cannons are not unusual, and Europe abounds. The problem is that Karakum happens to be stuck in the choke point of East Kazakhstan and Almaty from the direction of Russia, and if it is built, it will inevitably affect the Russian recovery of these areas in the future. To make matters worse, Kazakhs are not interested in the poor party, and instead tens of thousands of ordinary herders have already left for tranquil Chinese-controlled areas during the war. What's more, whether the fortress is repaired or not, Dutov has received a steady stream of Chinese support.

Blyukhel had already fought Dutov several times, and without foreign aid, he was convinced that the Southern Army, which claimed to be 300,000 and was under the command of Kolchak, would not be able to stop him. So did the Chinese already see it and take the opportunity to send troops to help him? Thinking of this, his pupils shrank! The Chinese Wehrmacht is no rabble, having experienced the best discipline and tactics in the world after the European War, and even the French Army, which is above the top.

News has already come out from Paris that Britain and France have issued an ultimatum to Germany, and a peace treaty may be signed in the next few days. In any case, Karakum has become a nail in the coffin in the Turkestan region (Central Asia)! If this nail is not pulled out for a day, it will be impossible to talk about the complete defeat of Dutov's Southern Army, and without defeating the Southern Army, it will not be able to threaten the belly of Kolchak's Northern Army. He is not afraid of war, the problem is that Lenin has already made it clear at the Central Committee that there should be no war with China at the moment, but without war one can only watch the Dutov clique continue to be at large and the Turkestan region occupied.

Suleymanov's eyes rolled and he had an idea: "Comrade Konstantin, although Comrade Lenin said that we should not remain hostile to China for the time being, but we will not be able to defeat Dutov without driving them out, so I think it is necessary to form a national coalition army to deal with them!" ”

"The National Alliance?"

Suleymanov was secretly proud of his initiative: "There are many people in the Turkestan region who do not like China, Tatars, Turks, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, and the Dungan and East Turkistan peoples who hate them very much, why not organize them?" Comrade Ma Sancheng of Tashkent had suggested to me that the Karakum fortress was currently only 30% complete and could not play a defensive role, so he believed that the cavalry should have a chance to drive out the Chinese entrenched there, and he was willing to take responsibility for the attack. ”

Blyukhel frowned. Ma Sancheng, whom he had heard, was the leader of the Dungan tribe, who formed the first railway workers' self-defense force in August 1917, was elected a member of the Tashkent Revolutionary Committee in September, and is now a representative of the Tashkent Engineer and Soldiers, and concurrently serves as a member of the Transport Committee and Deputy Director of the Railway Bureau. Judging by his resume, he is a very capable person. However, the problem of the Dungan is too complicated, and the hatred of the Chinese, especially the Han people, and them has reached the point of no return! If he is appointed commander of the column, will it provoke China and cause trouble? As for East Turkestan, they are also troublesome, they have deep ties with Turkey, and Suleimanov's move is obviously suspicious of strengthening them.

Blyukhel did not dare to decide on this, but Frunze had already returned to Moscow for a meeting, so he first prepared a telegram and sent it to Moscow, and then went with Suleymanov to find Eliava.

Alivat, the secretary of the Turkestan region and the political commissar of the Eastern Army, was calm in his forties, and asked thoughtfully: "Comrade Konstantin, I wonder how sure we are that we will be able to defeat Kolchak and the Dutov gang without a conflict with the Chinese?" ”

"It will take years!"

After Blyukherr finished speaking, he walked to the map and said: "Comrade Elivat, you see, Kolchak has divided his troops into two armies, the north and the south, and the northern army holds Yekaterinaburg, Tyumen and Novosibirsk, which echoes the Turkestan region where the southern army is located. If we want to defeat them, we must first defeat some of them! However, Army Group North, with its railway advantage, could easily retreat to the Omsk area, which would have contributed to a greater concentration of forces. And I think that once Germany signs the treaty, Britain and France will be free to sell the war surplus to the White Bandit Army in large quantities, and China will definitely be the middleman, and once my speculation becomes true, our soldiers will face more artillery and machine guns. More importantly, we still do not understand whether the purpose of the Chinese's sudden advance is to ensure security or to support Dutov. ”

"Definitely support Dutov's bandits!" Suleymanov blushed, this time it was a big opportunity for him, and said: "Let the national column move, first of all, to ensure that the political is not passive, in case the Chinese accuse us, it can be inferred that their tyranny provoked the spontaneous action of the people of the Turkestan region." The second is that Karakum is building up his strength every day, and if he can't drive them back to Xinjiang as soon as possible, who of us will be responsible for the loss of the land in the future?! ”

After Suleymanov's big hat was buttoned up, his eyes swept triumphantly...... (Your support on this site is my biggest motivation.) )