Kulen, the largest city in Mongolia, is also the capital of the Mongolian province now under the Northern Government. It's just that, compared with other cities in the mainland, Kulun seems very small, and there are some dilapidations, which cannot be compared with the big cities in the mainland. This is also understandable, originally Kulen was developed as a center of Ganden Monastery. Coupled with the sparse population of Mongolia, it is not easy to develop into such a small city.

Today, Kulen only has a population of tens of thousands. The Mongols live by grazing and live on water and grass, rarely staying in one place. The people who live in the city of Kulen are either lamas of major monasteries, princes and nobles and their families, or Han Chinese and Russians who come here to do business, and very few ordinary Mongolian herdsmen live here.

After the formation of the northern government, Kulen became the capital of the Mongolian province. The provincial governor, Sun Liechen, is based in the provincial government of Kulun. However, because the entire Mongolian province is extremely sparsely populated, the territory under its jurisdiction is as much as about 1.8 million square kilometers, which can be described as a truly vast and sparsely populated area. There are only more than 100 clerks in the entire provincial government.

In addition, the local Mongols are dissatisfied with the jurisdiction of the provincial government of Mongolia. Especially the lamas, princes and nobles, and the Russians, often provoked. If it weren't for the three cavalry brigades sent by the Northern Army and nearly 25,000 people stationed in Mongolia, the officials sent by the Northern Government would have been driven back long ago.

You know, there are only 670,000 people in the entire Mongolian province. The three cavalry brigades totaled more than 25,000 people, which was already almost one-twentieth of those Mongols.

Garrisoned in Kulen was the 6th Cavalry Brigade of the Northern Army, the brigade commander Brigadier General Wang Liangchen. The brigade headquarters was also established in Kulen. However, the barracks were outside the city, and there was only one infantry company inside the city, which was responsible for protecting the provincial government offices. Several cavalry battalions under the 6th Infantry Brigade. It was also scattered throughout the eastern part of Mongolia, and even a battalion was deployed in the city of Buying. The troops that were really in Kulen, in addition to the brigade headquarters, had only one cavalry battalion.

"Governor, those Mongols are getting more and more noisy. Last night, a staff member was beaten. I'm sure. It was the lamas or the princes and nobles who did it. Brigadier General Wang Liangchen, commander of the 6th Cavalry Brigade, said angrily. The repeated provocations of these separatists have become unacceptable to him, the supreme commander of the garrison in the Kulen region.

"I know, but now is not the time to move these Mongols. The young marshal is already on his way to Kulen, and will be there in a few days. When the time comes, how to deal with these guys, the young marshal will have an idea. Mongolian Governor Sun Liechen said.

"The young marshal is coming? That's good, those damn guys won't be able to jump around for a few days. Wang Liangchen said excitedly.

Sun Liechen also sighed. As governor of the Mongolian province, he felt a great deal of pressure. The situation in Mongolia is too complicated, although after a series of reforms, most of the Mongols at the bottom have accepted the rule of the northern government. However, the princes, nobles and lamas who occupied the upper ruling positions were extremely hostile to the northern government, and the Russians were engaged in trouble, which made the antagonism between the two sides more and more serious. If you do it to those Mongol princes, nobles and lamas. It is likely to provoke large-scale riots. There will even be Russians involved, and then there will be big trouble. Even if Sun Liechen is the governor. He couldn't afford it. Wu Haoxuan personally rushed to Cullen to deal with these things, which was undoubtedly the best.

The Russian consulate in Kulen has now become the stronghold of the Mongol separatists. The consulate is under the protection of the Russian Guard, so they can carry out all kinds of conspiracies here with impunity. And the Russians, who had already supported them, were naturally happy to provide them with this place, and even directly offered advice.

The Russian consul in Kulen, Lyuba had only just taken over the position, not long after. But. His predecessor, Consul Shishmalef, had held this position more than a decade earlier, and since he took office, he has been agitating the Mongols to seek independence and to separate the Mongols from China. Became a protectorate of Russia. It's just that because most of the Mongol princes still support China, his efforts have not been successful for more than ten years. However, this is no longer the case, and with the Supreme Spiritual Leader of Mongolia, Jebtsundamba VIII, the Living Buddha, completely bribed, their plan is very likely to succeed.

An important means adopted by Tsarist Russia in plotting the independence of Outer Mongolia was to take advantage of various opportunities to win over and buy the Mongol princes, and to maliciously sow discord between the upper echelons of the Mongol princes and the Qing court, and to vigorously incite national separatist sentiments and cultivate pro-Russian forces to make them trust Russia. For example, the Kulun Living Buddha Jebtsundamba is the supreme political and religious leader of Outer Mongolia. He became the 8th Living Buddha at the age of four, and in 1882 he traveled from Simon to Kulen, and by the age of 12, he began to be influenced by the invading forces of Tsarist Russia. At that time, the Russian consul in Kulen, Shishmalev, took advantage of the young age of the living Buddha to "gift" European-style toys, paintings and dozens of rare animals. After the living Buddha grew up, Tsarist Russia "used foxy means to carry out its wolf-devouring heart", that is, "the female disciple (living Buddha woman) gave birth to a little Buddha, and the Russians also offered a woman, and the living Buddha was called a nursing mother, thinking that it was a means to contact the living Buddha".

In 1900, the Russian consul in Kulen, Shishmalev, on behalf of the Tsarist government, presented Jebtsundamba with golden chairs, elephants and other treasures. In the same year, the Russian Korad seized the gold mining rights near Kulen, which attracted the opposition of the Mongol princes of the Tushetu Khan tribe. In order to moderate the dissatisfaction of the Mongol princes, Shishmalev bribed the Mongol princes with 100,000 rubles on the spot in the name of "compensation". And at the meeting of the Mongol princes, it was openly spread that the Han people wanted to "destroy Mongolia economically and politically" and that Russia was "hoping to save the Mongol princes from this embarrassing state." Only "through Russian-Mongolian trade and gold mining" could "increase the prosperity of the kings, people, and princes of Mongolia." He also secretly co-opted and bribed the head of the Tushetu Khan League, Chakdurzab, Prince Hangda Dorji, and Zasak First Taijin Namu Saray and others to bring them close to Russia.

The new Russian minister to China, Lang Suovici, was the vanguard of planning for the "independence" of Outer Mongolia. In 1908, on his way to Beijing, he made a special detour to Kulun, and together with the new consul in Kulun, Liu Ba, he "presented" Jebtsundamba worth more than 20,000 rubles worth of gold, silver, jewelry, clocks and watches, and a variety of Russian luxury goods. After that, they "spent many years in Mongolia, good at the art of cages", and "often kept with the living Buddha and the Mongolian princes". In order to win over and buy Jebtsundamba, Tsarist Russia constantly instilled pro-Russian ideas in him, smuggled a large number of Russian guns, built Russian-style palaces, and even "Russian women come and go in the temple of the Living Buddha from time to time", and "the head of the Living Buddha Gate must have a large number of Russians coming and going every day, and there are letters in Russian to and fro." It can be seen that at this time, due to the long-term conspiracy and planning of Tsarist Russia, Kulen has become the "political center of the riot".

In one of the offices of the Russian Consulate in Kulen, the Russian Consul in Kulen, Liu Ba, the prince of the Tushetu Khan, Handa Dorji, the Grand Lama Chelin Zimit, and Haishan, who had fled from Inner Mongolia to Outer Mongolia, were plotting.

"Gentlemen, it can be seen that the control of the northern government over Mongolia has become more and more severe. In the past year, through the policies they have promulgated that are detrimental to your interests, the vast majority of the herders have fallen to them. In addition, the railway they built will soon enter Mongolia, and at most next year, it will be able to reach Kulen. At that time, with the support of the railway, they will be able to transport troops to Mongolia in a steady stream. And if you want to oppose their rule, it is undoubtedly impossible. Said the Russian consul in Kulen, Lyuba said.

Russia undoubtedly wants to see Mongolia establish itself on its own, and it has become their national policy to put Mongolia under Russian protection. Once the northern government built the railway to Kulen, it would be impossible for Russia to seize Mongolia. At the same time, the Northern Army stationed in Mongolia would also threaten Russia's security. The Northern Army will be like a sharp dagger, directly against the soft belly of Russia. Once the Northern Army marched from Mongolia, it would be easy to cut off the Trans-Siberian Railway. Russia's ties with the Far East will be completely severed. This is what Russia does not want to see. If Mongolia could become a protectorate of Russia, then all these problems would be solved.

"Yes, the Han people have always wanted to enslave us, and their garrison in Mongolia has numbered more than 20,000 people. If we remain silent, we will never have a chance. Prince Hangda Dorji also said excitedly.

After Yuan Datou staged a coup d'état and took over the Manchu government, these separatists in Outer Mongolia became active. In their view, a godsend has arrived. But the rapid rise of the Northern Army, and the strong sending of troops into Mongolia, made these separatists feel fear.

"How do you solve those northern armies? There are more than 20,000 of them, and if they do it to us, we will not be able to resist at all! Chelin Zimit was a little worried.

This is indeed a difficult problem, and the only armed forces in their hands are their private army, except for the guards who protect the living Buddha. However, there are only more than 2,000 people in the full range. And the equipment is extremely rudimentary, only equipped with the Mosin Nagant rifle supported by the Russians. In the face of the Northern Army, which is armed to the teeth, it is undoubtedly an egg hitting a stone. The powerful force of the Northern Army was like a mountain pressing down on them, leaving them breathless. (To be continued......)

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