Wild North America 1846

Chapter 643
more than ten days later
After several rounds of transoceanic telegrams, the London government finally agreed to take a consistent position with Tang on the issue of Cuba, acquiescing to its colonial expansion in Central America and the Luzon Islands in the Western Pacific, in exchange for strong support on the European Balkan issue .

These officials and lords in London changed their usual procrastination style and responded quickly, mainly because the situation in the Balkans has become more and more corrupt, and now it is imminent.

Tsarist Russia's offensive was very rapid. The nine armies under the command of Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich totaled more than 9 people, forming the Caucasus Army, which was launching a crazy attack on the Danube front at any cost.

Militia groups from Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Oshetia and other places also joined the Caucasus Army, which further expanded the total strength of the Caucasus Group to more than 38 people.

Relying on nearly three times the force advantage, the Caucasus Army broke through the defense line of the Balkan Mountains after hard work, and the army directly threatened Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

The British reinforcements, on which the Ottoman Empire depended, had been missing for a long time. At this time of life and death, they had to grit their teeth and endure. Urgent calls for help were delivered to the desk of the Prime Minister's office in Downing Street almost every day.

At this critical juncture, even if Tang State asked for a higher price, Britain would have to bite the bullet and agree.

1877. 9, 14

Downing Street rarely issued a statement of severe condemnation, condemning the bloody suppression of the colonial masses by the Spanish Expeditionary Force in Cuba, saying that "the bloody massacre is a humiliation to a civilized country".

This is a clear signal that Britain's policy in Central America is at the same pace as that of the Tang Dynasty. Both sides condemned Madrid's repressive atrocities in unison, which aroused great concern among the Spaniards.

Accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister Zhu Yaqing, the Queen's special envoy Lord James Cleveland, who was visiting Los Angeles, immediately ended his trip and returned to the imperial capital Chang'an by train.

What followed went smoothly. A few days later, Tang Ying and the two sides jointly issued a solemn statement in Chang'an, the imperial capital;

Strongly condemn Tsarist Russia's brazen invasion of the Ottoman Empire. Such a brutal change of the European pattern must not be allowed or condoned.

Tang and Britain decided to form an expeditionary force to intervene in the war and provide necessary material assistance to the Ottoman Empire, which was devastated by the war, to demonstrate the powerful force of international peace and stability.

1877. 9, 27

Tang Guo announced the mobilization of the first batch of expeditionary forces to assemble in Chicago and New York Harbor, with a total of about 1 troops, which will go to the European Balkan battlefield one after another.

The second batch of expeditionary forces is scheduled to depart at a certain time in October, followed by the third, fourth, and fifth batches of troops on cross-ocean expeditions to support the world peacekeeping forces led by the United Kingdom.

to be frank

London likes to do business with Tang Guo very much. As long as the relevant interest exchange is in place, Tang Guo will fulfill his promise without delay, and the action will be immediate.

Simultaneously announced in London by the British Government;
A powerful Royal Navy fleet will be sent to intervene in the war, which is a real threat to Tsarist Russia and its allies...

All of a sudden, the entire European sky was covered with battle clouds, and the eyes of the world were all fixed on this place.

As the world's top powers, Britain and Tang are undoubtedly two heavyweight players. Their successive statements have put great pressure on Tsarist Russia and its allies.

Tsar Alexander II made a statement on this in St. Petersburg on October 10, publicly stating;

Tsarist Russia and its allies have no intention of overthrowing the current regime of the Ottoman Empire. The war action is only to support the oppressed Christians in Austria, including Orthodox and Catholic minorities.

Tsarist Russia is willing to engage in active dialogue with Britain, Tang and other countries, to find a feasible path on the Balkan issue, not to seek confrontation, and not to consider further escalation of the war...

The meaning inside and outside the words; counseled.It is difficult to see Tsarist Russia's softness towards international powers intervening in wars.

Britain pulled Datang together to blackmail Tsarist Russia, but the effect was much better than those of the small Northwestern European countries. I have to admire the British guy's vicious vision and see through Tsarist Russia's mind.

Tens of thousands of miles away, Xinjiang, the inland of China
Zuo Zongtang's army has completely defeated the Agubo rebel forces, and is making great efforts to eradicate the legacy of rogue bandits, crack down on sporadic horse bandits and Uyghur rebel forces, and strive to stabilize the situation in the whole river.

Xingyuan, the imperial envoy of Urumqi
At this time, it has entered the cold and bleak winter, and there has just been a heavy snowfall a few days ago, and there is still a thick snow on the side of the street and in the courtyard.The cold wind howled across the town, making one's scalp numb.

General Liu Jintang, who led the army to conquer Urumqi, arrived in a warm sedan chair. He was already guided by the butler waiting at the door, and walked around the main hall all the way to the study in the backyard.

"My brother Xianmo, urgently recruiting at this time is an important matter to discuss, please don't blame me!" Zuo Zongtang had already come out at this time, cupping his hands as a salute.

Liu Jintang acted as an agent for business affairs, and also served as the governor of Jiangxi and Gansu Provinces. He was the third-rank general political envoy.

Seeing Mr. Zuo Zongtang welcoming him out of the study, Liu Jintang hastily walked a few steps, bent over and clasped his fists, saluted and said: "Why did Commander Qin make such a statement, Xianmo absolutely dare not deserve it, ashamed and ashamed."

"It's freezing cold, let's go into the study to talk."

"Qin Shuai, please move first."

"Please!"

"Please!"

The two exchanged pleasantries, and the butler next to him quickly lifted the cotton curtain, allowing the two adults to enter the study one after the other.Only then did the freshly brewed tea be delivered, and then he retreated respectfully, closing the study door behind him.

in the study

Zuo Zongtang solemnly picked up a thick letter, stretched out his hand and handed it over, and said, "Brother Xianmo, this is an urgent letter sent by Hu Guangyong via the 600-mile military station. It is..."

He pointed to the east with his hand, and said with respect in his expression; "It's the latest message from His Majesty on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Please read the content first? It's up to you and me what to do."

Liu Jintang straightened his expression, took the letter with respectful hands and read it carefully.

From this point of view, it was more than half an hour.

Zuo Zongtang was really good at self-cultivation, he didn't urge him, and he didn't show any impatience on his face. After reading the urgent 600-mile letter yesterday, he couldn't sleep in the middle of the night.

Zuo Zongtang was a very pragmatic minister. During his tenure as the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, he successively established the Xi'an Machinery Bureau and the Lanzhou Manufacturing Bureau, mainly to build Western-style guns for the Western Expeditionary Army.

He transferred many gun experts and skilled workers from the coastal provinces, and produced a large number of Western-style weapons through factories. He also imitated German screw guns and breech-loading seven-shot rifles, making full preparations for the Western Expeditionary Army.

Zuo Zongtang, who pays close attention to the foreign situation, of course knows a lot about the mythical history of the rise of the Tang Empire in North America, and he is very excited about it.

As one of the ministers of the Han nationality, he often greedily read the newspapers and various anecdotes from the Tang Dynasty in the dead of night. get up.

But all of this can only be kept secret.

After decades of immersion in the officialdom of the Qing Dynasty, he was used to seeing all kinds of corrupt officials and the estrangement between Manchu and Han. Zuo Zongtang knew very well how afraid the Qing court was of that glorious empire on the other side of the Pacific Ocean?

Even if there is even a slight involvement, the Qing court will face crazy suppression.

It is a minor matter to interrupt one's official career, but it is a major matter to live up to one's life and serve the country, so we must be cautious in our words and deeds.

Liu Jintang is a fellow with the same interests as him, and he is also full of ambitions to serve the country. The two are inseparable, and they are enough to entrust important responsibilities.

after a long time
Liu Jintang was shocked after reading the letter. The amount of information in it was too much for him to bear, it was like a heavenly book.

Today, 5 of the 4 rebellious regimes in Xinjiang have been wiped out, leaving only the Tsarist Russian forces entrenched in Ili. This is a very difficult foreign army, which makes the Qing court extremely afraid.

Tsarist Russia supported the establishment of the Zheder Shar Khanate, occupying 9 towns with Ili as the core, intending to split the territory of nearly 70 square kilometers in the outer northeast.

Although Zuo Zongtang is the full-power imperial envoy acting in charge of Jiang's affairs, he still has no decision-making power on the issue of starting a war against Russia and needs to report to the imperial court for a decision.

So how many people are there in the Russian army in Ili?

During the Qing-Russian War from 1862 to 1864, Tsarist Russia invested nearly 3 troops in the Ili area, especially the Cossack cavalry, which caused great damage to the Qing army.

Today
Tsarist Russia still maintains about 1.2 troops in the Ili area, plus the Zedsar Khanate's so-called 10 army, which is actually about [-] to [-] ragged puppet troops.

And the letter said;
Tsarist Russia dispatched more than 72 troops, a total of 48 divisions, in the Balkan War against the invasion of the Ottoman Empire in Europe, which is unbelievable.

The Tsarist Russian army in the early 72s is difficult to deal with, let alone the [-] army, which makes one's calf weak just thinking about it.

"Oceanphobia" was very prevalent in the Manchu and Qing courts, and there were few officials who could get out of the mud without being stained.

Fortunately, the letter clearly pointed out that due to the long-distance logistical constraints, Tsarist Russia’s troops that can be invested in Central Asia are limited, and it is even more impossible to launch two large-scale wars at the same time.

"Master Qin Shuai, are you..." General Liu Jintang asked tentatively with a dignified expression.

Zuo Zongtang did not evade his own opinions either. He is now 69 years old, carrying the coffin to go to war, and completely put aside his personal honor and disgrace in order to regain Xinjiang.Just to get rid of the Tartars and restore the Chinese ambition.

He pondered for a moment, then said;

"My brother Xianmo, there is a very good sentence in this letter: Territory that cannot be obtained on the battlefield, never imagine taking it back from the negotiating table.

Although my state is large, there is no extra inch of land.

This time when I entered the river, Zuo Zongtang was ready to bury this old bone here, and I will bear all the responsibility for the court's interrogation.

If I haven't done all my work, I will die with peace in my eyes.

It can be said that the army's expedition to Ili this time is a rare opportunity. If it is ignored, there will be no chance when the war in Tsarist Russia and Europe comes to an end. "

Speaking of here
He clasped his fists to respect Dongfang, and continued with a solemn expression; "I think you also know that His Majesty the Holy Emperor, who created a huge empire, has been paying attention to the war in Xinjiang. The reason is that Huaxia will not be bullied by foreigners. Great rivers and mountains Not torn apart, Kyushu is united.

We don't have to worry about Datang's meddling in Shenzhou. The world is so big that Datang can go there.

Now the ten thousand miles of territory are all on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

Here... I will explain to my brother Xianmo again..."

Speaking of here
Zuo Zongtang lowered his voice and said in a whisper that could be heard by two people; "There are still two cards in the Western Expedition, one is 16 American-made Maxim heavy machine guns, equipped with 120 million rounds of ammunition. One It is 24 German-made 12-pound field heavy artillery, which is used to overcome difficulties and overcome obstacles.

With this sharp weapon in hand, why worry about failure? "

Liu Jintang's heart was moved by these words. As a veteran in the battlefield, how could he not know the heavy machine gun that kills people like mowing grass?
It's just that this kind of firearm consumes too much ammunition, and even countries such as Britain and France rarely equip it. Human life is really worthless, and such expensive firearms as heavy machine guns cannot be used!

There are still 24 who have learned that the 12-pound field heavy artillery is blessed, so what kind of city can't be defeated?
The generals who fought on the battlefield were rich and powerful, and their courage was much stronger than that of ordinary civil servants.

think twice
Liu Jintang finally complied generously, saying, "Since the Commander-in-Chief doesn't mind showing his vulgarity and entrusting him with a heavy burden, why should Xianmo be afraid of a mere martial artist? Let's join in the victory and add a meager strength."

"My brother Xianmo, please accept my worship." Zuo Zongtang stood up with a solemn expression, and bowed down with his fists clasped.

He knew that Liu Jintang's promise was equivalent to entrusting all his wealth and life, and there was no way back.

in the Qing court
It's not that if you regain the lost ground, you will be rewarded if you strengthen our country's prestige. "Arbitrarily initiating border provocations" is a serious crime, especially Tsarist Russia, which makes the court fearful.

Now the emperor is young, only three years old, the empress dowagers of the two palaces listen to the government behind the curtain, the treacherous officials of the court are in power, and a large group of court officials with serious "oceanphobia".

If he heard about the battle of the Qing army regaining Ili, his legs would be more than half weak, and then there would be crazy attacks.

Liu Jintang stepped forward quickly, supported Zuo Zongtang's trembling body with both hands, and said with red eyes;
"The commander-in-chief must not be like this, how can Xianmo Hede be worshiped by you? Don't kill me.

Getting rid of the Tartars and restoring our country and rivers is also Xianmo's long-cherished wish in his life, and he is willing to die for this.

Today, I am able to join the commander-in-chief's tail and join in the victory. Even if I die, I will have no regrets!
The prosperity and wealth are just a passing cloud, and Liu, a man with strong bones, doesn't take it into his heart. "

"My brother Xianmo..." Zuo Zongtang held the other's hand tightly, and his voice was a little choked up.

The biggest difficulty these two ministers faced was neither personal life and death, nor the fierce Tsarist Russian army, but the imperial court attack behind them, which is also a great irony!
(End of this chapter)