After the establishment of the empire, the whole country was unified except for the northwest region. And, driven by a series of policies of the imperial government, this ancient country has been changing step by step.

Advanced technology and capital from Europe and the United States are making this ancient country develop rapidly. Through a series of stimulus measures, social capital has been activated, and industry and commerce have developed rapidly. This ancient country will soon develop into a powerful country.

At a time when Wu Haoxuan focused on fighting against the European and American powers and recovering national sovereignty step by step. Military operations have not been forgotten either. The Imperial Army is mobilizing its troops and preparing to strike a thunderous blow at the local separatist forces entrenched in the northwest and completely complete the reunification of the country.

In order to unify the northwest, the Imperial Army dispatched 8 cavalry brigades and 2 infantry divisions, totaling about 100,000 people. The enemies they had to face were mainly the Green Battalion under the command of Sheng Yun, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, the troops under the command of the Frontier Governor Lian Kui, and the cavalry of the Ma Jiajun. Among them, the 100,000 cavalry of the Ma Jiajun has always been the hegemon of the northwest and can be called the most powerful force in the northwest. If the Imperial Army wants to recover the northwest, it must take the Ma Jiajun.

The terrain in the northwest is vast, and most places are endless grasslands or deserts and deserts, suitable for cavalry combat. Therefore, the eight cavalry brigades operating against the northwest will be the main force. The task of the two infantry divisions was mainly to protect the logistical supply lines and to advance to the northwest in a step-by-step manner.

Although, the many forces in the northwest, the total strength of more than 150,000 troops. Much more than the Imperial Army was prepared to commit to it. But can the rabble compare with the battle-hardened Imperial Army? What's more, the armies of the northwestern divisions are extremely backward in equipment, and they cannot be compared with the imperial army at all. This battle. The Imperial Army had an absolute advantage.

Chang'an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. After the order of the Imperial General Staff to go west, it has become the headquarters of the Imperial Army's westward expedition. Eight cavalry brigades and two infantry divisions of the Imperial Army went here one after another. Large quantities of war materials also arrived here, and they advanced westward step by step. Soon. The Imperial Army will launch an onslaught on the northwest and completely bring it under the rule of the Empire.

Major General Zou Fang, commander of the 1st Brigade of the Imperial Cavalry, became the commander of the Western Expedition. Rumor has it that he will become the commander of the newly created cavalry command of the empire. If the expedition to the west is successful, he will be able to be promoted from major general to lieutenant general.

In addition to the 1st Cavalry Brigade, there were the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, the 6th Cavalry Brigade, the 7th Cavalry Brigade, the 8th Cavalry Brigade. 13th Cavalry Brigade, 14th Cavalry Brigade, 15th Cavalry Brigade. The two infantry divisions were the 33rd Infantry Division and the 34th Infantry Division. Although, both of these infantry divisions were infantry divisions formed later. But the armament was exactly the same as that of the main forces of the Reich. Even if the combat effectiveness is relatively poor, there should be no problem in dealing with this rabble in the northwest.

On May 22, 4607 (09) of the Yellow Emperor Era, Chang'an, the headquarters of the Western Expeditionary Army of the Imperial Army. Major General Zou Fang presided over the operational meeting. Now, the Great Army has completed its preparations for war. The next step was to attack westward.

"Ladies and gentlemen, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's marching order has been issued, and at this moment, our 100,000 troops are gathered here, and we must sweep the northwest and complete the unification of the empire." Major General Zou Fang said excitedly. This battle, for him. Extremely important.

The other generals also looked like this. Soldiers are undoubtedly eager for war, and only when there is war will they get military merit and promotion. However, now the war between the Empire and Russia is over. The only one capable of fighting. There is only the northwest.

"General Zou, you can give the order. The brothers have long been ready. Major General Liang Chaodong, commander of the 3rd Cavalry Brigade, said.

Zou Fang nodded: "Everyone, we will set off tomorrow." If those guys in the Northwest don't know what to do, then we'll flatten them! ”

According to the predetermined battle plan, after the battle began, the eight cavalry brigades were to tear through the defenses of the Green Battalion of Gan Province at the junction of the two provinces and enter the northwest. The first target to be captured was Jincheng, the capital of Gan Province. After capturing this place, they will start a battle against the Ma family's army. Among the several opposing forces in the northwest, the Ma Jiajun was the strongest, and the frontier governor Liankui was the most remote. And the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Shengyun, is not strong, which is suitable as the first target.

On May 23, 4607 (09) of the Yellow Emperor Era, the Imperial Army marched from Shaanxi Province to Gan Province in front of eight cavalry brigades and two infantry divisions behind the palace, preparing to cross the dividing line between the two provinces and enter Gan Province to fight.

The actions of the Imperial Army undoubtedly posed a great threat to several local forces in the northwest. The governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Shengyun, sent a letter of request for help to Ma Jiajun and the frontier governor Liankui in Jincheng, hoping that they would send troops to help. However, Ma Jiajun looked at this coldly, while the joint leader was interested in helping. However, the frontier was too far away from Gan Province, and Liankui's army could not reach Gan Province in a short time, so Shengyun had to fight alone.

"Damn! Damn Ma Jiajun, they can't save them when they die. When the old man dies in Jincheng, their Ma family will definitely not end well. "Shengyun was furious in the Governor's Mansion in Jincheng and scolded Ma Jiajun for this behavior of not saving him from death.

"My lord, now we have nothing to do. Although Lord Liankui sent reinforcements to us, it was not a month or two, and we could not reach Jincheng at all. And Ma Jiajun now wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, our situation is really dangerous! Gan Provincial Governor Zhang Dong said.

"Why doesn't the old man know? It's just that now the rebels are menacing, and with our tens of thousands of green battalions alone, I'm afraid they won't be able to fight against them at all! Seung Yoon sighed.

As a Manchurian, Shengyun certainly didn't want to see the Manchu dynasty perish. However, the Manchu dynasty had already been lost, and it was lost when Yuan Datou usurped the throne. Now, the Northern Army has already established the world and established an empire. With the strength of the Northern Army, it is bound not to watch the Northwest split, and it is inevitable to use troops against the Northwest.

Zhang Dong was silent, although the green battalion in Gan Province claimed to have more than 30,000 troops. However, most of them are just a group of lax-armed rabble. The Imperial Army is a world-class powerful army, and even the Japanese and Lao Maozi have been defeated by the Imperial Army. With these rabble of theirs, trying to confront the Imperial Army is like hitting a stone with an egg!

Originally, Shengyun wanted to unite the Ma family's army, and then use the army of the frontier governor Liankui as the backing, and take advantage of the terrain in the northwest to deal with the imperial army. However, there is now a separation between several local powerful factions in the northwest. This makes Seung-yoon's plan impossible to realize. Now, the Imperial Army's menacing approach has made him see that the catastrophe is just around the corner.

Ma Jiajun originated from the Hehuang Hui uprising that broke out in the late Qing Dynasty. In 1863, under the influence of the Hui uprisings in Shaanxi Province and Ningxia, Ma Zhanao, the great imam of Monigou in Hezhou, Gan Province, raised troops against the Qing Dynasty.

In 1872, Ma Zhanao and others defeated the Hunan army in the first battle of the Taizi Temple, and then overrode the public opinion, and with the support of Ma Haiyan and Ma Qianling, they won and begged for appeasement, and led the people to surrender to the imperial court. Subsequently, the rebel army was absorbed by the imperial court, and important leaders were given official titles. This event laid the foundation for the rise of Hezhou Zhuma.

At the end of the Qing Dynasty, the military strength of Hezhou Zhuma was the period of the "Western Army", which still continued the pattern of Ma Zhanao's surrender to the Qing Dynasty, that is, with Ma Zhanao's sub-line (Zima Anliang) as the head, and governed the Ma Haiyan sub-line (Zi Ma Qi, Ma Lin) and Ma Qianling (Zi Ma Fulu, Ma Fuxiang). When Ma Zhanao surrendered to the Qing Dynasty, Ma Qianling had no military position, and later formed a militia group to form an army for the imperial court to suppress the Hui uprising. Zhuma first belonged to Dong Fuxiang's Ganjun system, and then became an independent line, and fought for the Qing court in the east and west, especially when resisting the Eight-Nation Alliance, Zhuma was the most heroic unit of the Qing army at that time.

After Yuan Datou's Beiyang usurpation, Ma Jiajun also expressed his submission to Yuan Datou. Of course, the prerequisite is that the Beiyang Army cannot be stationed in the northwest, so that they can continue to be the overlords of the northwest. After the Beiyang Army was destroyed, the Ma Jiajun still regarded the northwest as their own forbidden territory. Even Shengyun, the nominal governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, was actually able to control the area only in the provincial capital Jincheng. As for the rest of the territory, it is still under the control of Ma Jiajun.

The Ma Jiajun was divided into the Hezhou Ma Jiajun headed by Ma Anliang, the Qing Province Ma Jiajun headed by Ma Qi and Ma Lin brothers, and the Ningxia Town Ma Jiajun headed by Ma Fulu and Ma Fuxiang. Among these three Ma family armies, they were nominally led by Ma Anliang's Hezhou Ma family army. It's just that after the death of Ma Zhanao, the founder of Ma Jiajun, Ma Anliang's influence is far from being comparable to that of his father Ma Zhanao. This made the Qingma Army and the Ningma Army only nominally subordinate to the Ma Family Army in Hezhou. In fact, they have their own policies.

From the perspective of military strength, among the 100,000 cavalry of the Ma family's army, the Ma family's army in Hezhou has more than 40,000 people. The Qingma Army and the Ningma Army only had more than 30,000 people. The soldiers of the Ma Family Army, mainly ethnic minorities in the northwest, were originally fierce and good at riding horses. Coupled with the terrain of the northwest, which is suitable for the development of cavalry, the Ma Jiajun has become a veritable overlord in the northwest. Even the original Manchu court, seeing that the Ma family's army was powerful, could only pinch its nose and admit it, and let the Ma family's army claim the king and hegemony here. As long as Ma Jiajun blatantly opposes the imperial court, they will turn a blind eye.

However, now that the empire has been established, the imperial government will not allow this kind of behavior of Ma Jiajun. War is inevitable. (To be continued......)

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