The three of them were a little surprised when they heard the turmoil in Yinchuan, and said coldly: "The commander-in-chief ordered to emphasize the importance of the implementation of the ethnic policy, and the Qing court implemented a cruel and high-pressure policy, which made the people in the minority areas miserable, and perhaps this is the outbreak of resentment. In my opinion, we should follow the commander-in-chief's prior plan to carry out regional ethnic autonomy. He Meng said: "Yes, it is not a way to suppress by force, I think I will let the ** regiment go to Yinchuan area, let them have regional autonomy, and accept the jurisdiction of the military government!" Leng Yifei and Khalid agreed with He Meng's point of view.

Along the banks of the Jing River, a group of people and horses marched westward, the fields on both sides of the river are lush and green, the wheat fields have begun to be harvested, and the active figures of farmers are clearly visible. At this time, He Meng and Bai Xianyong, the commander of the ** cavalry regiment, went hand in hand. "Commander Bai, you go to Yinchuan and use your own advantages to widely publicize the military government's policy of respecting ethnic minorities, which is particularly important for the stability of the Great Northwest."

"Deputy commander, I'm worried that I won't be able to complete the task," Bai Xianyong was a little apprehensive. He Meng smiled: "You are **, this is your biggest advantage." Remember to be emotional, reasonable, and let them manage themselves, and I think the situation will settle down soon. At that time, the military government will send people to plan for the establishment of an autonomous government for the regional autonomy of the Yinchuan ethnic region, and your task is to settle Yinchuan. "Yes! The humble post will never live up to the expectations of the deputy commander! Bai Xianyong promised.

He Meng and Bai Xianyong parted ways in Pingliang, and He Meng led dozens of guards straight to Lanzhou. Lu Changlin, commander of the 41st Division of Lanzhou City Gate, greeted him here. He Meng jumped off his horse, "Report to the deputy commander, I was fortunate along the way!" Lu Changlin raised his hand and saluted. It's been a few days since you led your troops to Lanzhou, how is the situation? He Meng handed the reins of the horse to the guard and asked.

Lu Changlin said: "Deputy commander, the 121st Brigade is on its way to Jiayuguan, and it is estimated that it will arrive tomorrow." The 122nd Brigade has arrived at Wuwei to garrison, the 123rd Brigade has gone to Xining to take over the defense, and the Independent Cavalry Brigade and division headquarters are stationed in Lanzhou. He Meng nodded with satisfaction, and then entered the city. Due to Hu Xueyan's development of the salt lake in Xining, Lanzhou has developed rapidly as an ancient commercial port, and its salt is a distribution center to the mainland, which has been very prosperous in recent years. Even in times of war, buying and selling continued, and merchants did not stop their business activities because of the war. Perhaps the arrival of the Northern Expeditionary Army made the merchants more excited and confident.

Entering Lu Changlin's division headquarters, his subordinates came up for tea, He Meng didn't bother to drink tea and said: "I came to Lanzhou this time to form a large-scale cavalry unit in accordance with the orders of the headquarters. After the study of the Corps Command, it was decided that you should temporarily serve as the commander of the independent cavalry column and the commander of the 41st Division at the same time! Lu Changlin was overjoyed when he heard this: "The humble post will never disappoint the love of the commanders and resolutely complete the task." ”

"The Corps Headquarters has decided that Brigade Commander Lei of the Cavalry Brigade will serve as deputy commander and concurrently serve as the commander of the First Cavalry Division," Lei Zhensheng, the commander of the cavalry brigade sitting on one side, hurriedly stood up and said loudly: "Thank you for the love of the commander, and my subordinates have obeyed the order." He Meng then asked: "I heard that Feng Jingzhang was once a brave general under Zuo Zongtang, I am going to make him the commander of the 2nd Cavalry Division, Lu Changlin, you will immediately prepare wine and food, and invite Feng Jingzhang here!" ”

Soon the burly Feng Jingzhang walked in, this person was about 1.8 meters tall, about thirty-five or sixteen years old, and had a beard all over his face. Perhaps because of the northwest wind and sand, Feng Jingzhang's face was bronzed. "Report, the crime will come to report, and follow the instructions of the deputy commander and the commander of the land division!" Feng Jingzhang clenched his hands into fists like a bell. He Meng fell in love with Feng Jingzhang as soon as he saw it, especially the fierce temperament he showed was eye-catching.

As the saying goes: a soldier bears a bear, and a nest of bears will be born. Through this person's temperament, it is obvious that his subordinates will not be bad. It is no wonder that he was able to become a brave general under Zuo Zongtang, and he made great achievements in the Western Expedition. Since Feng Jingzhang was a cavalry unit, he was not suitable to fight in Sichuan, so he escaped. "We're a family, no formality, please take a seat!" He Meng said politely. "Deputy Commander Xie is loving, and his subordinates are terrified." Feng Jingzhang cut his braids, but he was still wearing the official uniform of the former Qing army, which looked a little nondescript.

He Meng raised his glass and said: "Brother Feng, wake up in no particular order, welcome you to join the ranks of the Northern Expeditionary Army, come and have this drink, let us fight for New China with each other!" Under a glass of wine, Feng Jingzhang's anxiety eased a little: "Deputy commander, my subordinates are bold and outspoken." My ministry is waiting for the adaptation, I don't know if I have eyebrows? It can be seen that Feng Jingzhang, including his subordinates, is probably worried.

He Meng said succinctly: "According to the order of the Corps Headquarters, I now officially announce that you will be the commander of the 2nd Division of the Independent Cavalry Column, and the number of your unit will be officially named the 2nd Independent Cavalry Division. Feng Jingzhang was overjoyed when he heard this: "Sin will be grateful, and it will be effective for dogs and horses!" "How many people do you have in your department at the moment?" "Back to the deputy commander, there are 8,500 people in the headquarters!" "If the old, weak, sick and disabled are cut, how many people will be left?"

"It's ・・・・・・." Feng Jingzhang hesitated. "I know that you love soldiers like children, but in order to ensure the combat effectiveness of the troops, the old, weak, sick and disabled must be reduced. However, please rest assured that the reduced soldiers will be properly resettled, and they will never be allowed to live on the streets. Feng Jingzhang was greatly moved and said: "If the old, weak, sick and disabled are cut, there will be 6,000 people left in the headquarters!" "Good! You immediately start to cut, the cavalry division has a quota of 10,000 people, and I will replenish you with 4,000 soldiers. ”

As soon as He Meng's words fell, a subordinate came in and reported: "Report to the deputy commander, military supplies have arrived." 50,000 military uniforms and the first batch of 20,000 mounted rifles also arrived. He Meng said excitedly: "I'll tell you a good news, Wuhan Arsenal has developed a special cavalry rifle, the bullet is common to the Zhonghua Type 1 rifle, bring in the sample gun!" After a while, two soldiers brought in a rectangular wooden box. Lei Zhen was in a hurry, stepped forward to open the box, and a brand-new rifle was revealed.

Lei Zhen didn't care about the oil stain on the gun, took out the rifle from the box to check it, and then opened the chamber of the gun with a bang, and skillfully fiddled with it: "Deputy commander, this gun is shorter than the standard rifle, and the bayonet has been canceled, so it seems that there is not much change." He Meng said with a smile: "Cavalry combat is mainly at close range, and the saber is the main weapon. The reduced size of this rifle and the removal of the bayonet made it easy to shoot immediately in battle. At this time, Feng Jingzhang took the rifle and made a shooting motion.

"Deputy Commander, this rifle is so good, it is perfect for shooting right away. Especially when chasing the enemy, it can play a role in shooting. "The layman looks at the bustle, the insider looks at the doorway, Brother Feng said that the rifle can play a certain role in the pursuit of the horse. Brother Feng, it just so happened that you took the military uniform back to change your clothes, I didn't want to see the Qing army's clothing when I inspected the troops, it was breathtaking to look at. "Yes! Subordinates obey orders! Feng Jingzhang turned around and left with great joy.

Two days later, the Independent Cavalry Column was formed, and the 1st Cavalry Division, which was now formed with the Independent Cavalry Brigade as the team, was not fully staffed. and the 2nd Division, which was reorganized from the Qing Army. After the reduction of the number of old, weak, sick and disabled personnel, there are not enough. But after all, the shelves are up, and this is enough to make people sexually excited. After the lively meeting of the formation of the army, the officers and men were still unsatisfied, and they continued to look for excuses to celebrate.

In front of the barracks, a group of ordinary people gathered, most of whom were family members of the reorganized former Qing army. At this time, a young officer in a brand new costume ran to the door, "Mother! Cuihua, you're here! "I heard that your Northern Expeditionary Army held a meeting, and your daughter-in-law and I came to take a look." The middle-aged woman who spoke was dressed in plain clothes and said happily. "Yikes! Your military uniform is so beautiful, how can it be different from other people's clothing? The young woman who spoke was a little shy, her black and red face exuding a youthful vibe.

"Cuihua, I'm an official. The commander saw that my equestrian skills were good, and after a few years of private school, he asked me to be a platoon commander! "What a big officer is the platoon commander!" Mother's loving inquiry. "Mother! I have more than 30 people under my command! "Isn't that the general commander, how do you call the platoon commander?" Cuihua asked confusedly. "It's really long hair and short knowledge, how can the Northern Expeditionary Army use the name of the Qing Army." The young officer glared at his daughter-in-law, thinking that he was too talkative, and Cuihua was so frightened that she looked at her mother-in-law and stopped squeaking.

The middle-aged woman looked around and asked, "Your uncle?" "Mother! He was cut! "Why don't the Northern Expeditionary Army want him! Why didn't you see him come home? The middle-aged woman was anxious when she heard this. The young officer smiled: "Mother, although my uncle has been reduced, he has not left the Northern Expeditionary Army. The uncle was too old to fight immediately and was transferred to the logistics unit to drive the carriage. Last night, Uncle followed the troops to Xi'an. ”

"It's really the sun coming out of the west, and I haven't seen such a haode army since ancient times. Child, you follow the Northern Expeditionary Army to do a good job, and if your father knows underground, he will also smile at Jiuquan. The kung fu trumpet sounded, and the young officer hurriedly took out 5 silver dollars from his trouser pocket and hurriedly said, "Mother! This is all my salary for you this month, and the troops are going to gather and I'm leaving! ”

"Cuihua, this is the silver dollar, the monthly military salary is 5 silver dollars!" The middle-aged woman looked at the silver dollar and couldn't put it down, and at the moment the silver dollar was a hard currency, absolutely strong. Cuihua looked at her husband's vigorous figure, her eyes were full of love, and her heart was beautiful, but she didn't hear her mother-in-law's inquiry at all.

The commander of the coalition forces in the capital, the marshal of the Russian army, said: "Your Excellency the marshal, the Tsar Bixia has called, the imperial war is mobilized. It was decided that 100,000 Kosako cavalry would enter the Mongolian steppe, and another 50,000 Russian troops would be requisitioned into the Far East to join the coalition army. In addition, another 100,000 Russian troops were sent into Xinjiang in the hope that Marshal McMahon would agree to the Russian army's entry into Dihua. ”

McMahon secretly thought in his heart: the Russians have too much appetite and actually want to annex Xinjiang. Xinjiang has no interests of the British, McMahon said happily: "Thanks to Tsar Bixia's strong support for the coalition forces, I completely agree with the Russian army stationed in Dihua, so that strong pressure can be maintained on the Western Northern Expeditionary Army." "McMahon now has no need to go through the Qing court at all, and he can carry out military deployments with impunity. In this way, Xinjiang invisibly fell into the hands of the Russians.

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