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In the study of Emperor Long Yufei, the imperial meeting had ended, but he left Prime Minister Li Decheng, Foreign Minister Lin Zihao, Chief of General Staff Niu Meng, Deputy Chief of General Staff and Minister of Logistics and Equipment, and Lieutenant General Sun Hao, Minister of Operations. The Manchus had fallen, and the empire had nominally unified China. But in reality, not all regions were under the control of the Empire. To the west, to the northwest, there are still vast tracts of land that are under the control of the Empire.

The snowy plateau and the desert in the northwest were still controlled by Manchu officials. Although the Manchus had been destroyed, it did not necessarily mean that these people would surrender to the Empire. Therefore, it will take some time for the empire to complete the true unification.

"Ladies and gentlemen, there are still four regions – Tibet, Qinghai, Gansu and Xinjiang – that are still under the control of officials loyal to the Manchus. For the empire to be unified, these areas must be recovered as well. Long Yufei said. If the snowy plateau and the northwest cannot be unified, then this unification will be in name only. Of course, the situation in the snowy plateau and northwest is more complicated than in the interior, and there are still ethnic problems, so it is not so easy to recover these areas.

"Your Majesty, can we send envoys to these areas to recruit those Manchu officials?" Prime Minister Li Decheng asked. It would be best if those areas could be recovered peacefully.

"When the Manchus were there. It may also be possible to constrain these areas. The Manchus are gone, and those regions are very likely to stand on their own. Although the empire was powerful, the geography of the snowy plateau and the northwest was very harsh. It may be difficult for the Empire's influence to reach these regions. Long Yufei said with a frown.

The crowd also pondered that if these areas could not be recovered by peaceful means, then the only way to do so would be to use force. However, if it is necessary to use troops in these areas, logistics are a very critical issue. If the logistics can't keep up, it's almost impossible to win. Other than that. Now that the main armies of the empire will be sent to the north of Eastern Siberia to fight the Russians, there are not many troops that can be used in the northwest. No matter how many troops are sent. If the logistics are not guaranteed, it is not of much use.

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Army has trained two brigades of mountain infantry in Sichuan, and if you want to march to the snowy plateau, these two mountain infantry brigades can just come in handy. There are not many people on the plateau. Two brigades can also sweep across the plateau. If you want to use troops against the northwest. I built yì with cavalry. The Empire is in the process of forming four more cavalry corps, two of which can be used in the Northwest Theater. Send one or two more infantry corps to advance gradually, and it should be possible to regain the northwest. Of course, this process will be long. Admiral Niu Meng said. Due to logistical constraints, it was impossible for the Imperial Army to advance quickly. At the same time, it is necessary to find a way to solve the local ethnic problem. Otherwise, logistics are always under the threat of the enemy, who wants to win the battle. That's even more unlikely.

Long Yufei nodded, the question of the snowy plateau. The difficulty is a little less. The vast majority of Tibetans on the plateau still identify with a unified China. Only a very small number of people with ulterior motives are bent on splitting. The Manchu Qing Dynasty's rule over Tibet for 200 years had almost overruled the Tibetans on the plateau. In addition, although the British have been coveting Tibet, if the empire had shown a tough attitude, the British would not have turned against the empire at this time.

"In this way, first send someone to the snowy plateau to contact the minister in Tibet, Mu Teng'e, if he is willing to join the empire, the empire will guarantee the safety of his family. In addition, the empire could transfer him back to the interior to take up his post. If Mu Teng didn't know what to do, he would let the 1st and 2nd Brigades of the Mountain Infantry, which had already been prepared, enter the snowy plateau to fight and unify the armed forces. Long Yufei said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Chief of the General Staff, General Niu Meng, nodded. Two brigades of mountain infantry, having been training for two years, have long been able to adapt to the climate on the plateau. It is time to raise troops for a thousand days, and now is the time to use these two mountain infantry brigades. Although there are many Tibetans on the plateau, under the pressure of the imperial army, there are not many who dare to confront the empire.

"In addition, the cabinet sent people to contact the two living Buddhas of the plateau, and the empire will guarantee their status. If they can support the Empire, then our march will be much smoother. Long Yufei said. Tibetans all believe in Buddhism, and the living Buddha has a supreme position on the plateau. If you can get the support of the living Buddha, then it will be much easier.

Of course, Emperor Long Yufei also had other ways. If efforts in these areas do not work, the last resort is to do so. On the snowy plateau, the serfdom system was practiced, and the Tusi of each ministry had decisive power over those serfs and could control the life and death of these serfs. If those Tusi on the plateau do not cooperate, then the empire will directly announce the abolition of serfdom, as long as it can obtain the support of the Tibetans at the bottom, exterminate those Tusi in one fell swoop, and unify the plateau, it will not be a problem.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Prime Minister Li Decheng also nodded. The empire respects the right of its people to believe in religion, but only if these religions do not endanger the interests of the empire and do not develop into cults. Otherwise, the Empire will have no choice but to wipe them all out.

"The Foreign Office warned the British not to do anything on the plateau. Otherwise, don't blame the empire for a tooth and blood for a tooth! Long Yufei said. Although the British now control the whole of India, the Mughal dynasty in India still exists, and many parts of India are still in the hands of the local indigenous lords. These natives were not all loyal to the British, and what would be the consequences if the empire supported these Indian natives?

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Foreign Minister Lin Zihao said. India has always been a piece of fat in the eyes of the empire, and both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the military have built many times to send troops to India and snatch India from the British. It's just that the empire has been fighting with other countries all these years, and it really can't pull out, and it doesn't want to overstimulate the British at this time. All, the empire has never done anything to India. You know, the Mughal dynasty of India Bahadur. Although Sha III was an addict, he was not willing to accept the colonial rule of the British. If the Reich could support him, the British would be busy.

"As for the north-west direction, let the newly formed 3rd Cavalry Corps, the 4th Cavalry Corps attack westward. The 7th Infantry Corps attacked northwest from Shaanxi, and the 25th Infantry Corps was sent from the interior to the northwest for reinforcements. Major General Liu Wu, commander of the 7th Infantry Corps, was appointed commander to command these four corps. Major General Liu Wu said that the key to solving the problem in the northwest lies in resolving the local ethnic problem. The national policy of the empire was to be known to the local population. Of course, when dealing with the mob, it is suppressed by force! Long Yufei said.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" The Chief of the General Staff, General Niu Meng, nodded. It was enough to use two infantry corps and two cavalry corps against the north-west.

"Of course, if Bu Yantai, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Baoqing, the governor of Xinjiang, and Yishan, the general of Yili, are willing to join us, it will naturally be the best." Long Yufei said. The use of force to solve the Northwest problem is only a last resort.

"Yes, Your Majesty! Let us send for them first. ”

"Your Majesty, if you want to use troops in the northwest direction, I'm afraid you will have to wait a few months. Now all the war materials of the empire are being transported to the north, and it is necessary to ensure the consumption of hundreds of thousands of troops in the north, and it is temporarily unable to take into account the northwest direction. Major General Zhao Yi, Minister of Logistics and Equipment, said.

"This is not in a hurry, you can surrender first, if they don't know what to do, then it's not too late to use force." Long Yufei said. The northwest is far from the hinterland of the empire, and to support the operation of more than 100,000 troops, logistics supply is a big problem, which cannot be rushed. Fortunately, the Manchus have been wiped out, and even if they recover the northwest a little later, it will not be a big deal.

"Your Majesty, the northwest is closer to Russia, and the Russians are afraid that they will do something to the northwest. We have to guard against it! Foreign Minister Lin Zihao reminded.

"Hmmm! However, there is no way around it. If the Russians had made a move in the northwest, we would have a lot of logistical supply pressure, and the Russians would have an advantage in this regard. Therefore, we can only move steadily and step by step. Even if you lose part of your territory temporarily, it doesn't matter, you just have to take it back later. Long Yufei said. He knew that when the war broke out on the East Siberian battlefield, once the Russians did not go well in the war in East Siberia, they would definitely look for a breakthrough in other directions. And the Northwest, especially Xinjiang, is a huge hole in the empire.

"By the way, the cabinet is ready to plan a railway from the Central Plains to the northwest to Xinjiang! If the railroad could be built, the empire's influence in the northwest would be much greater. I know it's going to be a big job, but it's going to have to be built. This time, in our war against the Manchus, we captured at least 600,000 prisoners of war. All of these prisoners of war were used in the construction of railways and roads throughout the country. I hope that the railway to Kulun and the railway to Dihua in Xinjiang will be completed within five years, even at a great cost. In addition, the highway from Sichuan to the plateau also needs to be started as much as possible. Long Yufei said. Because of transportation, many frontier areas are not under the control of the empire, and if this problem can be solved, the empire will be able to control these areas lightly. (To be continued......)