The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

The arrival of the revolutionary army completely broke the apparent tranquility of the XZ region. Coupled with the previous invasion of the British army, a large number of XZ young people went to the front line and died on the battlefield. It can be said that XZ's local strength has dropped to the lowest level.

Now that the revolutionary army has blocked the border to India, Tibet's supplies must be transported from Sichuan, which will greatly strengthen Tibet's connection with the interior. The revolutionary army cracked down on bandits along the way and closed the checkpoints, which greatly reduced the freight costs of transporting goods into Tibet. Sichuan's tea, silk, clothing, salt, pressure cookers, agricultural tools and other products now have a huge market. People who used to rely on the ancient Tea Horse Road for their livelihoods, such as tea farmers, tea merchants, tea shops, pot shops, porters, hunchbacks, etc.

Tens of thousands of people regained their livelihoods, and over a hundred thousand camel feet found new uses. The ancient Tea-Horse Road was revitalized.

"Chairman, telegram."

Zhang Yinghao opened the telegram and found that the meaning was very simple. It was about the army carrying out work in XZ. Using the word "revolution" which had too strong a sense of struggle was not conducive to carrying out the work. He requested to change the name of the Tibet Reform Army to "Liberation".

Zhang Yinghao certainly knew that the word "revolution" strongly conjured up a sense of struggle, conjuring up images of struggle and bloodshed. However, he hadn't anticipated that the word "liberation" would actually be coined by Comrade Xi Jinping, based on his own work. This is truly significant. In fact, in terms of structure, the revolutionary army is inferior to the People's Liberation Army. Revolution involves subtraction, the removal of something, while liberation involves addition, increasing strength.

Changing the name of the army was a major event, so Zhang Yinghao immediately convened a meeting, where the comrades unanimously approved the resolution. Zhang Yinghao immediately issued an order to all military units in the name of the Military Commission, renaming the Chinese People's Revolutionary Army the Chinese People's Liberation Army. To ease the burden on the comrades in the Communist Party, he sent a special telegram inviting the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso, and the 9th Panchen Erdeni Choekyi Nyima to Chengdu to discuss the future development of the Communist Party.

The Dalai Lama and the Panchen Lama generally governed the Western and Western Tibet regions, respectively. In his previous life, Thubten Gyatso was forced to flee to Outer Mongolia to avoid capture by the British. In response, the Minister of Tibet impeached the 13th Dalai Lama in a memorial to the Qing government, accusing him of "acting recklessly and fleeing without a trace when faced with danger, and requesting that the title of Dalai Lama be stripped."

The Qing government replied: "The title of Dalai Lama will be temporarily abolished, and Panchen Erdeni will be temporarily appointed as the heir."

However, the Ninth Panchen Lama, Choekyi Nyima, possessed political foresight and considered the greater good. He considered that acting as the Dalai Lama during the 13th Dalai Lama's absence would only exacerbate the rift between them and be detrimental to Tibetan unity. Therefore, upon receiving the notice from the Minister of Tibet, the Ninth Panchen Lama declined the request to act as the Dalai Lama, stating, "Tsang is an emergency area, and local affairs require attention. Furthermore, Tsang is only a two-day journey from Gyantse, and the British are constantly active, so strict precautions are necessary. If he were to split up and go to Central Tibet, he would risk neglecting one area while focusing on the other."

Later, Quji Nyima was invited by the British to India and other places, but he did not do anything that would endanger the sovereignty of the motherland. Finally, Britain had to admit that the policy of winning over the Panchen Lama had come to an end.

The only difference between this life and the previous life is that the Communist Party had almost taken over the entire country, and the troops entering Tibet also occupied the title of central government.

But this time the troops entered Tibet only in the name of anti-aggression. The Progressive Party had not yet seized the central government and was still a local government of China.

It is actually a rebel force.

No matter from which angle we analyze it, the ruling class at that time hoped that the Qing Dynasty would continue to rule as before, and they certainly did not want the Progressive Party to enter.

Xz, what Mingzhu revolution. So when Thubten Gyatso and Quji Nima received Zhang Yinghao's invitation letter, all kinds of objections were heard, especially many people

They have begun to oppose the policy documents previously signed by Thubten Gyatso and Yan Bing.

If Thubten Gyatso and the Panchen Lama both went to Chengdu to meet Zhang Yinghao, then

It is undoubtedly equivalent to ×Z recognizing the position of Sichuan and joining the Sichuan side. It is precisely because of this understanding that the three major temples simultaneously opposed Thubten Gyaltsen.

When Cuo went to Chengdu, the lamas said that this was not the time to take sides.

The Tibetan local government implemented a dual system of monastic and secular officials, with monastic officials holding greater power than secular officials. Monasteries enjoyed a range of privileges in all aspects of political, economic, and social life. At this time, the Tibetan government was a state of theocracy. Thubten Gyatso was both the head of Buddhism and the head of the local government, completely concentrating both political and religious power in his own hands.

Some people also advised Thubten Gyatso that the Tibetan people trusted him very much, and if he went to Chengdu, he was afraid that no one would trust him when he came back.

This is not groundless. There was a rumor in Afghanistan that their leader converted from Islam to Christianity, and the people abandoned this leader.

It was precisely with these in mind that Zhang Yinghao sent three invitation letters in a row, inviting them to Chengdu to discuss matters and attend meetings.

Thubten Gyatso also had his own concerns. He held both political and religious power, and his departure would have implications for the entire Tibetan government and religion. Furthermore, he was the core of the three major monasteries, and he was worried about potential unrest.

Yan Bing and his colleagues naturally urged Thubten Gyatso and Choekyi Nyima to go to Chengdu. Yan Bing stated that the people of Tibet have many misunderstandings about the Progressive Party, accusing it of destroying religion. In fact, we practice religious freedom, something you can only truly understand by seeing it for yourself. Furthermore, the Constitution is still undergoing constant revision, and Tibetans should strive for more rights for themselves.

After Yan Bing and his team repeatedly persuaded the government, repeatedly stating that facts had proven that the local government of Xinjiang was incapable of resisting foreign invasion and that the Qing government's policy of submission was incapable of defending Tibet, the only government capable of successfully resisting invasion alongside Tibet was the new government led by the Forward Party. Yan Bing and his team repeatedly coordinated, and with Quji Nyima also supporting a move to Chengdu to resolve the issue, Thubten Gyatso immediately convened a meeting of the Kashag and Yicang, announcing his decision to proceed to Chengdu.

"I personally believe we should go to Chengdu to resolve the issue. Based on the fact that temples in the Kham region are protected and respected, and based on my recent research on their religious and ethnic policies, I went to Chengdu for a meeting. It would be beneficial."

News of the British army's annihilation also caused a huge uproar back home. Over a thousand men were killed, over a thousand taken prisoner, and all merchants in Xinjiang were expelled. Such losses were unacceptable to the British rulers. This directly led to the fall of the Conservative government, which was replaced by the Liberal Party. Prime Minister Arthur Balfour resigned, replaced by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannen. Lord Curzon, the Viceroy of British India, was dismissed, and Oliver Russell became the new interim Governor-General.

But surprisingly, the British did not make any sound, as if the incident had never happened. Meanwhile, the British envoy in Beijing, Sadaoyi, also learned about the British army's defeat and surrender. At the same time, he also received news from home, asking him to immediately deal with the captured British troops.

The news of the British defeat in Xinjiang had the greatest impact on the Chinese people. For the Chinese people, defeat was the norm for powerful nations. Now that Sichuan had actually defeated the British in Xinjiang, it was a historical first. Upon hearing the news, many places immediately set off firecrackers to celebrate, which greatly boosted the morale of the people and made more people start to care about and pay attention to Sichuan's every move.

Chapter 317:

But that's all. Most people are skeptical of Sichuan's victory, and many know that even if they truly defeated the British in a corner of Tibet, it wouldn't mean anything. Haven't you seen the foreign buildings lining the concessions? Aren't those arrogant foreigners still acting with arrogance? Haven't you seen the small fishing boats on the Yangtze River still being wantonly overturned by the foreign powers? Haven't you seen the signs at the entrances of the concessions still saying "No Chinese or Dogs Allowed"?

Changes always happen inadvertently. Literacy classes are gradually becoming more common in cities and villages, and workers are increasingly smiling. Those Indians who bullied the Chinese have gradually become more obedient after being hit twice with clubs. Fewer foreigners are daring to come out at night.

In the darkness, the people struggled, roared, and roared, but their voices were so weak and insignificant, swallowed up completely by the surrounding darkness. Sichuan's victory was like a flash of lightning, allowing those who had long walked in the dark to finally see the road ahead. This lightning flash shattered the darkness, broke the surrounding haze, and instantly made even more people realize a truth: China's hope lies in Sichuan.

Moreover, after lightning and thunder, there will be strong winds and heavy rain. People who know this fact need to find a safe haven immediately. At this time, going to Sichuan immediately became a trend.

Sadow wanted to solve the prisoner problem, but how? Britain had considered sending more troops into Tibet for another battle. But the final conclusion was that even if revenge was necessary, the prisoners had to be rescued first, otherwise the angry crowd would overthrow the cabinet. So, while asking Sadow to solve the prisoner problem, Britain was already preparing for another war.

In fact, Sa Daoyi was cursing in his heart at this time, the incompetent Governor-General of British India and the incompetent Younghusband, who couldn't even defeat the Qing people.

"Jourdan, no matter what the outcome of the negotiations is, you must prioritize the interests of the British Empire. It would be best if we could negotiate like we did after France's defeat. What we didn't get on the battlefield, we can take back at the negotiation table..."

Sadow is also delusional, hoping for a similar outcome to the Qing Dynasty's victory over France, only for France to triumph without even having won. War is all about results, and profits are what politicians need to consider. As for prisoners and public opinion, they are always just tricks used by politicians to deceive people. Just like the cabinet's fall after the defeat, it seems that the fall means the government has assumed responsibility, but what will happen if they return to power a few years later? It's all about rotating power, just leaving office a little earlier. This is just the political trickery of the Western masters.

"Your Excellency, Zhang Yinghao, Chairman of the Sichuan Progressive Party, is no simple man. He is deeply Westernized. Perhaps many Chinese are still foolish, but this person is definitely not Zhang Yinghao. We have studied this person. He went from nothing to where he is today in just three short years. We should treat Sichuan as a legitimate opponent, rather than continuing to treat them as the Qing court."

"But now many people refuse to admit defeat and are clamoring to continue fighting. If we compromise, we will become their target of attack."

"There are no eternal enemies, nor eternal friends, only eternal interests. We lost the war to invade Tibet. No matter how the enemy defeated us, they were a successful opponent. We can't do anything to Sichuan now. The truth is only within the range of artillery. Perhaps we must pay the price for this negotiation..."

At this time, the whole world was laughing at the British. Whether it was the United States, Germany, France or Britain itself, they were all reporting on the British army's huge defeat. They even compared this defeat to the Second Boer War that had just been settled not long ago, believing that this was a huge defeat for Britain.

Of course, this was only a battle involving a few thousand men, but it still shocked the great powers. Remember, two years earlier, their coalition forces had captured the Qing capital. The fact that a force capable of defeating the heavily armed British army emerged from this extremely backward, uncivilized, impoverished, and ignorant nation was truly huge news, a truly intriguing signal.

One newspaper even drew a picture of a sleeping lion, albeit with one eye slightly open, gazing at the Western world, its tongue hanging out and drooling half a foot long. The white people depicted in the Western world all looked trembling, and the headline was even more alarmist: The Sleeping Lion is Awakening, World Crisis.

The British Consulate in Chongqing was closed, and Jordan reluctantly came to the French Consulate in Chongqing and found Consul General Andy to act as a mediator. Then he went to Chengdu to discuss the matter of the captured British troops with Zhang Yinghao.

In Britain, only gentlemen were considered suitable for the officer position. Gentlemen were considered to be highly virtuous, so they typically came from well-connected families. Officers had to pay for everything in the military, including uniforms and even the cost of the military band. If a man of humble origins became an officer, not only could they not afford the high costs, but gentlemen, reluctant to associate with the poor, would avoid him, sometimes even maliciously teasing him. Consequently, some in the military had powerful backgrounds and connections that even Jordan could not afford to offend.

A large number of British officer positions in both the army and navy were purchased. The British system of buying official positions has a long history. Anyone willing to pay could secure a position and become the commander of various units. During the colonial era, these positions could bring enormous benefits. Through wars, intervention, and other means, officers could profit greatly from the spoils of war, easily recouping the money they paid for their positions.

Possessing the right network of relationships and projecting a carefree, aristocratic lifestyle—with these qualities as a foundation—is a bright path to officer advancement. As for war, what real enemy is there against the invincible British? As long as the lieutenant is a capable soldier, all that matters is a captain. Being a captain, a commander, requires diplomatic skills and business acumen.

During the Second Boer War, the British army couldn't even defeat the Boer guerrillas. This was due to the deeply ingrained structure of British military leadership: the benefits of the empire were monopolized by a small group of people, and all social classes understood their treatment as a matter of natural law. The majority, born into poverty, could only accept leadership from a small group of people with privileged family backgrounds.

"Mr. Zhang Yinghao, our demands are simple. First, immediately release the imperial soldiers you have detained, compensate the fallen British soldiers, and apologize. Second, recognize the Sino-British Convention Relating to Tibet and India, allow Yadong to remain open as a port, and open Gyantse and Gardake as trading ports, with British officials stationed there. Third, dismantle the fortifications from the Indian border to Gyantse and Lhasa. Fourth, the customs in Chongqing must be returned to British control, and the consulate in Chongqing must be reopened. Fifth: ...."

Zhang Yinghao listened to these words and suddenly thought of a very serious matter, that is, there are two small countries in the southern foothills of the Himalayas in the future, Nepal and Bhutan, and Sikkim which was destroyed by India. But now, Sikkim was destroyed by the British less than ten years ago, and Nepal is still a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. As for not

Dan, at this time, it is still a tribal form. Whether it can be considered as breaking away from the Qing Dynasty's vassalage, the head of the need to know. But now send people to clean up and maybe expand the territory.

At this moment, Zhang Yinghao looked at Zhu Erdian and immediately showed a grateful smile.

In fact, Zhang Yinghao had a good idea. At this time, the revolutionary army entered Tibet and defeated the British. Among the prisoners of war were Kulkha soldiers, and the fact that they defeated the British was also a

This gave these places a great shock, and immediately made many people happy. When they sent people, they had suffered a lot from the British for a long time and had been looking forward to the arrival of the royal army. Now the battle has reached the road to XZ, especially Sikkim, which had just been destroyed.

Yadong went to look for the People's Liberation Army.

As for the expansion of territory, these countries and regions may not necessarily be willing to join China. They may just want to play both sides and gain benefits. After all, it is better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix! Therefore, if you want to expand your territory, you must have a

Some people say that expanding territory is the behavior of imperialism and great chauvinism. In fact, these places are like many places in Central Asia, just like the original Siberia.

Just like Asia, it is now considered an unowned land, and whoever occupies it owns it.

Just like the brocade arm guard unearthed in later generations said: Five stars appear in the east, which is good for China. In fact, there is also a sentence behind it: Conquer the Southern Qiang... Zhang Yinghao believes that the focus of this sentence should not be the five stars appearing in the east, which is good for China, but the sentence "Conquer the Southern Qiang".

"Southern Qiang" is the three words. Because these three words represent justice. Because you are a Qiang, it is politically correct to conquer you. So no matter what era,

Expanding territory is politically correct.

As Zhu Erdian continued speaking, he saw Zhang Yinghao suddenly smile at him, which made Zhu Erdian's heart skip a beat and he felt puzzled. However, the other comrades did not have Zhang Yinghao's thoughts and restraint at the time, and immediately glared at Zhu Erdian.

Negotiation is all about asking for exorbitant prices and then paying them back on the spot. So after Jordan finished speaking, Zhang Yinghao said directly: "Mr. Jordan, our demands are simple. We need war reparations for your defeat this time, and we need to compensate these officers for related expenses. For example, a second lieutenant's salary is 100 pounds, and you must compensate us with pounds equivalent to fifteen years of work, based on the salary standards of officers and soldiers. Of course, we don't need cash, you can give us the industrial equipment we need. In addition, you, the British Empire, must apologize and compensate us for the shelling of Wanxian. According to our calculations, you need to pay us 5 million pounds. In addition to compensation, you must also ask the Qing Dynasty to lift the blockade of the Yangtze River and allow foreign powers to come to Sichuan to do business. As for the opening of trading ports, we can discuss it after we have resolved the compensation issue."

Zhang Yinghao's biggest desire at this moment was to immediately reopen the Yangtze River to traffic and join the trade boom. The Russo-Japanese War in Northeast China had broken out, significantly boosting industry and commerce worldwide. Factories were operating at full capacity, reaping huge profits, and Zhang Yinghao naturally wanted a piece of the action.

Chapter 318:

Zhang Yinghao finished speaking and placed the bill directly in front of Jordan. Jordan picked it up and began to read it. The more he read, the darker his face darkened. The compensation included not only the soldiers who invaded Xinjiang, but also the British detained in Chongqing. They were charged for their daily meals. Furthermore, the daily food expenses for the British prisoners in Xinjiang were ridiculously high. There were also medical treatment, bedding, and other supplies, even cigars and cigarettes.

"That is impossible, and the British Empire will never apologize."

It was naturally impossible to get the gang boss to apologize, and Zhang Yinghao never expected the British to apologize. Only after the British were defeated and their navy was defeated, would the British apologize. For the great powers, shelling Wanxian was politically correct, so how could they apologize?

So after listening to Zhu Erdian's words, Zhang Yinghao just smiled faintly and said: "Haha, then let's talk about the issue of compensation first."

Jordan said bluntly: "War reparations are absolutely impossible. We have not been defeated. Your victory is not a victory. If the British Empire wishes, we can turn your coastal areas, lakeside areas, and riverside areas into ruins at any time..."

Listening to Jordan's threats, Zhang Yinghao couldn't say he was wrong. China truly lacked the ability to address the British naval threat. Furthermore, China simply couldn't possibly pose any threat to the British Isles. Even if China had sufficient naval power, attacking Britain via the Indian Ocean route would depend on the consent of countries like Germany and France. Attacking Britain via the Pacific or Atlantic routes was like the fate of Russia's expeditionary fleet during the Russo-Japanese War: it was simply a serving of mercy, and it also depended on the consent of the United States.

Zhang Yinghao continued with a smile, "The British Empire is indeed powerful, and its navy is formidable. If Mr. Jordan thinks your navy can threaten us, then you are gravely mistaken. Our two countries are land borderers, and the battlefield is not only at sea, but also on land. If your warships can land, then we have nothing to say. If you want war, then we can only spread the flames of war to Burma and India. We are also very willing to organize another national uprising in Burma and India."

Threats, who's afraid of who? You British dare to overturn the table, do you think I dare not? Smashing pots and pans is fine, in the end it all comes down to who suffers the most. Moreover, the Qing Dynasty has always implemented a policy of maritime ban, and the Chinese can still live without coastal areas. Even if the British use cannons to blow the entire coastal area into ruins, what can they do? At most, they can rebuild later. Moreover, China has the interests of so many powerful countries, and the British can't just bomb it.

Seeing Zhang Yinghao's smiling face and hearing his threats, Zhu Erdian felt guilty and short of breath. He immediately cursed in his heart. He knew Zhang Yinghao was difficult to deal with, but he didn't expect him to be so difficult. Zhu Erdian said with a stiff neck: "The British Empire is not threatened."

Zhang Yinghao laughed heartily and said, "We don't mean to threaten you. We are only stating part of the truth. We, the Forward Party, are fearless. China may be poor, but we Chinese are not afraid of death. I believe you already know whether the Boxers were afraid of death or not. If war is forced upon us, we will respond to the enemy with the words of Genghis Khan: If you want to fight, then fight. Mr. Zhu Erdian, there is no point in saying these things. My time is precious. Let's just solve the problem directly."

Zhang Yinghao didn't even bother to pay attention to the conditions put forward by the UK. He thought it was a pure waste of time.

After hearing this, Zhu Erdian didn't say anything else and picked up the list again to start writing.

"Mr. Zhang, even if you provided supplies, they shouldn't be that expensive, right? Also, why are there expenses like cigars and cigarettes? And why are the food costs so high? This doesn't make sense."

Zhang Yinghao laughed after hearing this and said, "This is the attitude to solve the problem! Mr. Jordan, you British looted the temples in Xinjiang. It took 400 mules to transport the goods from Baiju Temple alone. You bombarded Wanxian, causing thousands of houses to be burned down. You must compensate for these.

Mr. Jordan, don't you understand? If you don't redeem your imperial soldiers, they will give us free labor. So while we are arguing, your British soldiers are already building roads in XZ..."

When he heard Zhang Yinghao say that the British soldiers were actually doing coolie labor, his expression immediately changed and he said, "What? Imperial soldiers are still building roads in XZ?"

Zhang Yinghao wasn't the least bit angry when Zhu Erdian interrupted him. He simply nodded and said, "Yeah, if they don't work, how will they eat? We can't even afford to support them."

Zhang Yinghao had indeed issued instructions regarding the treatment of prisoners of war long before: no prisoners were to be killed, tortured, or insulted. However, he absolutely would not allow these prisoners to work and simply feed them for nothing; that would be putting the cart before the horse. Zhang Yinghao could treat these prisoners without hatred, but he absolutely could not afford to feed them.

"Mr. Jordan, you should also know that the conditions in XZ are harsh. Many British soldiers will inevitably suffer accidents and die in XZ during the labor process. We have made this clear to you now. If they die, it will be considered as if they died in battle, and there will be no compensation. These soldiers are expected to repay this debt after fifteen years of labor. As for the high price, haha, look at this price list. The prices vary from place to place. You see, Chongqing is relatively cheap!"

"Entering XZ requires crossing mountains and rivers, and the shipping costs are not insignificant. The price of food shipped over there would be several times higher, and it would also tie up our precious military logistics support resources, so this price is already very favorable. As for cigars and cigarettes, if your officers need them, we will naturally provide them. And, Mr. Zhu Erdian, this is the expenditure to date, and these costs are increasing every day."

Zhu Erdian picked up the account list and took a look. It was just as Zhang Yinghao said. The prices in different places were different. It seemed that the Qianjin Party had put a lot of thought into this compensation list.

"Why are there additional costs for artillery, officers, etc?"

Zhang Yinghao replied as a matter of course: "Of course. The officers, artillerymen, and machine gunners caused more harm to the people of XZ, so they should pay more."

After saying this, Zhang Yinghao gave Zhu Erdian the information about the machine gunners slaughtering the Tibetan cavalry, and then said, "Also, the value of different arms is different. Ordinary soldiers can go to the battlefield after a few months of training. It's almost impossible for an artilleryman to become a qualified artilleryman without eight or nine months of training. As for officers, they still need training and study, which takes even more time, so the price of redeeming them will naturally be different. Of course, if you don't want to redeem these officers and technical arms, we won't force you."

You're kidding! For these prisoners, either all of them should be redeemed, or none of them. And even if they were redeemed separately, what was the point of redeeming the ordinary soldiers? Naturally, the officers had to be redeemed first. Many of them were people I couldn't afford to offend. If I didn't redeem them, word would get back to the country, and I'd be fired the next day.

"You are blackmailing me."

Zhang Yinghao wanted to say, "You're already invading, so why don't you allow me to blackmail you?" But he couldn't say that. Fighting without breaking is the truth. Furthermore, Zhang Yinghao would have to continue dealing with the foreign powers in the future, so these captives were a good opportunity to break through. Being willing to let the foreign powers use money to redeem these soldiers was a civilized way of expressing his views, recognized by Western countries.

So Zhang Yinghao smiled and said, "Since Mr. Jordan said so, let's establish a rule now. From now on, any captives captured by soldiers who invade our country will be forced to do hard labor for twenty years to atone for their sins. No ransom will be accepted. After twenty years, we will naturally release these captives. Besides, they need to build a road in XZ. Mr. Jordan, to be honest, the captives are all strong laborers, and we really don't want to let them go. So, Mr. Jordan, please go back. We will naturally release these British people after twenty years."

Zhang Yinghao was telling the truth; that was exactly what he intended to do. In the past, China had been far too kind to its prisoners. During the Korean War, its own soldiers suffered from inadequate food, clothing, and shelter, but the prisoners were well fed, well clothed, and warmly clothed. They even established an art troupe to tour the prison camps, performing songs, dances, operas, magic tricks, and other cultural offerings. Later, the camps were equipped with film crews, libraries, wall and bulletin board areas, and cable radio.

As for food, Westerners were not used to the coarse grain diet of the Volunteer Army and often suffered from malnutrition. So in order to improve this situation, even the Volunteer Army was still tightening its belt. Large amounts of supplies were continuously shipped from China to the POW camps. The prisoners actually ate rice, white flour, cooking oil, meat, eggs, milk, sugar and other supplies.

In order to respect the customs and habits of the prisoners of war, they would hold dinners on certain holidays, celebrate Christmas for them, distribute Christmas gifts, and hold other celebrations, which made the prisoners feel incredible.

Of course, this was also due to China's poverty and weakness at the time, and they did everything they could to increase their own strength and were unwilling to accumulate any hatred. In fact, the treatment of prisoners of war should have been similar to that of the Soviet Union, treating them like livestock. Only in this way could people be in awe of them. Wouldn't being too kind to prisoners be a disguised encouragement of aggression? Zhang Yinghao naturally wouldn't do that.

After saying that, Zhang Yinghao made a move to leave. Zhu Erdian cursed inwardly. What do you mean by "I make a rule just because I say so"? If you want the prisoners to do hard labor, don't push it onto me, or you'll be scolded to death in the future. Besides, not counting those who died in battle, there are more than a thousand prisoners, that's more than a thousand families. If I can't complete the task of redeeming them, I'll be torn to pieces and eaten by the prisoners' families when I return home. Seeing that Zhang Yinghao really stood up, Zhu Erdian quickly winked at Andy.

At this time, the Frenchman Andy stopped Zhang Yinghao and said, "Mr. Zhang, please be patient, sit down and talk slowly..."

When Frenchman Andy saw the Englishman Jordan being humiliated, he naturally felt as if every pore in his body was steaming like a sauna, and he felt extremely comfortable. However, no matter how comfortable they were, they were still one of the great powers and naturally had to fight for the interests of Britain.

Zhang Yinghao listened to Andy's advice and sat down again. In fact, Zhang Yinghao really wanted to send Jordan to XZ as well, so that he could feel what it was like to be a prisoner of war. He wouldn't be so slow to bargain. In XZ, the food was black porridge, mashed potatoes, and a small amount of barley. The British, accustomed to steak, lamb chops, and red wine, couldn't stand it. Their personal property was quickly taken out of their pockets. As for escape, that was wishful thinking. Not only did they not speak the language, but in a place like XZ, where could they go? Running away would be suicide.

The revolutionary army recruited a large number of local Tibetans to build roads and carry out construction. More than a thousand British people may seem like a lot, but in fact, if you separate them, there are not many at all. As for technical troops, they naturally cannot be wasted. They should be allowed to teach what they should teach. They are all objects of learning for the People's Liberation Army.

For Jordan at this time, these British prisoners must be redeemed, otherwise the domestic cabinet may fall again and his political life will end.

After much bargaining, war reparations were ultimately eliminated, and all forms of compensation were prohibited from being reported. Jordan ultimately agreed to a £2.3 million ransom for the British troops, all delivered in the form of machinery. The Communist Party opened up Yadong and Gyantse as trading ports, with the Forward Party government establishing customs administration there. The dispatch of British officials was unnecessary. Zhang Yinghao, however, refused to agree to the opening of trade in Gadak, as the People's Liberation Army had not yet arrived. What would have been the point of agreeing?

China possessed vast wealth, primarily its vast mineral deposits and wool. Since the British weren't afraid of trade, Zhang Yinghao naturally wasn't either. Previously, China's agricultural and industrial products and raw materials were traded cheaply by the British in exchange for light industrial goods. The profit from a camel's worth of precious Chinese wool was reduced to the price of a foot of cloth by the British. The people of China suffered losses, silver flowed out, and prices soared, leading to their natural opposition to this trade.

Zhang Yinghao had never been afraid of fair trade, and at this time he was eager to restore his traditional presence in the southern foothills of the Himalayas, so he naturally agreed to the trade issue without hesitation. Of course, the rules of trade were naturally formulated by the Progressive Party, and the British had nothing to do with it.

Jordan still wanted to redeem the seven or eight thousand Indians, but Zhang Yinghao directly offered two and a half million pounds, no bargaining chip. Jordan was not a fool, so he naturally left these Indians to China to deal with.

The British masters no longer wanted these Indians, so naturally, these Indians became the vanguard of the development of XZ. Chinese lives are valuable, so many tasks can naturally be left to the Indians, as their Lord Shiva will protect them. As for how many people survived, the Chinese naturally did not specifically record this information. Some saints might say that they are all human, so there is no need. It is a question of drinking one's own blood or drinking the blood of the enemy, and it is normal for some people to have different opinions.

Sichuan's advance into Tibet has more than doubled the size of the Liberated Area. While these are areas where investment currently outstrips output, in the national interest, action must be taken when necessary. This is a non-negotiable matter. Most importantly, even Tibet alone cannot break Sichuan. Why? Primarily because labor is cheap in this era, and simply shipping goods to Tibet supports over a hundred thousand people. If Tibet can no longer sustain itself, then forget it. In the future, when power is strong and conditions are ripe, a railway will be built, and all problems will be solved.

Chapter 319:

The current Liberated Area is a crescent-shaped region, reaching the Great Wall in the north and bordering Xinjiang in the west. The concave part is the Gansu-Qinghai region, while the protruding part borders the Yunnan-Guizhou region. Ten provinces border the Liberated Area. If you don't know the truth, you will be shocked by this situation and think that the Liberated Area must be defensive at all costs.

In fact, the complete opposite was true. The liberated areas were attacking everywhere. China's terrain was distributed in blocks, and many provinces were either separated by large rivers or blocked by towering mountains.

It wasn't that the Qing didn't want to attack the liberated areas; it simply didn't have the ability to do so. The Qing had to pay indemnities to the foreign powers, and without Sichuan, a key tax hub, and the uprisings and demonstrations that had occurred across the country, its finances were already stretched to the limit. Training new troops required money, but the Qing was now living on debt and had no money to spare to raise more troops.

In 1905, the Qing Dynasty desperately sought to establish 36 new regiments. In addition to the four regiments in the Kinki region, Sichuan required three regiments, while the other provinces were required to establish one or two regiments. These formations took two to five years to complete. However, by the end of the Qing dynasty, only fourteen regiments had been fully staffed. Most provinces were still understaffed, demonstrating the depth of the Qing Dynasty's financial difficulties.