Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2147

Anyone who has not been to Yumen Pass or walked the Silk Road that has been trampled beyond recognition by literati, it is difficult to understand what is called the Hexi Corridor and the vague definition of the word "Gobi". ; You will be unbearably puzzled by the narrow and long geographical terrain of Gansu, and it is even more impossible to have the sigh of the old man Yuguan Lengyue.

After thousands of years of wind and frost, Yumen Pass once turned into a yellow mound standing abruptly on the vast wasteland, like a huge camel, wandering silently in the depths of history.There are only brick marks like tree rings, so businessmen and tourists from all over the world pay tribute to these ancient fingerprints.The snowy peaks of Altun Mountain, which are covered with snow all the year round, look far away from it, like a Youdao Tianzun with a bright head and silver beard, herding his golden hair here.

The vicissitudes of life and the changing world are nothing more than this!

Today is a sunny day with a bit of wind and sand, but Zhao Sheng still got up early in the morning.As the garrison of Yumen Pass under the command of Gansu General Zhao Liangdong, Zhao Sheng, who grew up in the army since he was a child, has always been known for his diligence and meticulous inspection of military affairs.Even in the garrison, he will strictly follow the regulations to train soldiers and check all kinds of work, and he will not let a single bit go.

Yesterday he went to the newly established Dunhuang County in the south for a meeting. He originally planned to stay there overnight, but he rushed back overnight because he missed the more than 2000 brothers Paoze on the Yumen Pass and the large number of people who built the pass here.After resting in the camp for a few hours, he asked Ma Bian to come over and dress him neatly, and then went out to inspect.

Yumenguan was a new stronghold established in the middle of last year, a little earlier than Dunhuang County in the south.In addition, behind them, there is also a newly established Guazhou County. Together with Dunhuang and Yumenguan, this county forms an iron triangle, firmly nailed to the Hexi Corridor, and serves as the outer line of defense for the entire Gansu Province. .

Ironically, since Zhang Yichao regained the Hexi Corridor in the late Tang Dynasty (later controlled by the Uyghurs and separated one side), this is the first time that the Central Plains Dynasty actually exercised jurisdiction over this land in 700 years, which is embarrassing to say the least. things.In fact, in the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the Guanxi Seven Guards were also set up in the western half of the Hexi Corridor, but the problem is that they were all Jimi Guards, and the locals took care of themselves. The Ming government built Jiayuguan and Suzhou If you shut yourself in the city, you don't care about the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions at all, let alone actual control.

What really awakened the Central Plains dynasty's ambitions for the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions was the tragic war against the Junggar Khanate that lasted for more than a hundred years during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong dynasties of the Qing Dynasty.Because of the need to actually defeat the Mongolian forces in Junggar, the Qing Dynasty had to raise huge amounts of money and food, mobilize a large number of troops, and continue to march westward for hundreds of years, eventually occupying the Hexi Corridor, the Western Regions, Qinghai, and Tibet, greatly expanding the territory of the Central Plains Dynasty.In order to digest these occupied areas, the Manchu and Qing courts began to immigrate to these newly acquired places to strengthen control—the Hexi Corridor had been lost for 700 years, the Western Regions had been lost for nearly a thousand years, and parts of Tibet and Qinghai were a There are no Han people, so they have to start emigrating.

From this perspective, the rise of the Junggar Khanate is more like a gift from history to the Central Plains dynasty.In order to solve this huge threat, the Central Plains Dynasty began to take the initiative to attack. Not only actually controlled the Khalkha Mongolia in Mobei (the Qing Dynasty only actually controlled Monan Mongolia before), but also successively attacked many forces in the Western Regions, greatly opening up territory.The only regret is probably that the huge land heritage of the Junggar Empire was not swallowed in one bite, and many territories were shared by the Russians.But there is no way around this. The Junggar Empire was finally collapsed under the joint attack of the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia, and it was the right intention to take it to Central Asia.

This time the Qing army left Jiayuguan and advanced to the edge of the Hexi Corridor, which was actually something that had been brewing for a long time.For this reason, they transferred the experienced veteran Zhao Liangdong from Hanzhong a few years ago, appointed him as the General Army of Gansu, fully managed the defense of this border province, and waited for an opportunity to occupy the western half of the Hexi Corridor, threatening Turpan of the Junggar Empire area.

Zhao Liangdong accomplished this task very well.After a long period of preparation, he mobilized more than [-] elite troops. With the supply of supplies from Shaanxi and Gansu provinces, he went west to Jiayuguan and fought two wars with the subjugated slaves of the Turpan Khanate.The results of the war were encouraging. Generals Ali and Mahamu of the Turpan Khanate were killed, and more than [-] soldiers were killed, wounded, and captured. Even the Mongols who supervised the battle were killed. situation.

After the record was reported to the capital, Kangxi further realized the power of the new army.The new army brought by Zhao Liangdong to Gansu was only a few thousand people. Except for the [-] Manchurian Eight Banners, the others were basically traditional green battalions. They actually defeated the soldiers of the Turpan Khanate all at once. It seems that the new army is a big step Chess is right.

After defeating this enemy army, the situation in the entire Hexi Corridor changed.At this time, Galdan happened to be leading tens of thousands of fine riders to toss on the Mobei grassland. Zhao Liangdong made a decisive decision and led his troops forward, setting up three outposts in Guazhou, Dunhuang, and Yumenguan to protect the safety of Jiayuguan.

Beijing approved Zhao Liangdong's request and issued 30 taels to support the establishment of the three places.At the same time, Jieshu, governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, also sent [-] troops to each other and sent [-] immigrant families from all over Shaanxi to settle in the three towns of Kansai.This is the first large-scale immigration of the Central Plains Dynasty to the west of Jiayuguan since the Anshi Rebellion in Tang Dynasty, and its historical significance is very far-reaching.

In addition, I don’t know what the Beijing court thought. They also moved more than [-] Daurs, Xibes, Oroqens and some Mongolians who had been evacuated from northern Manchuria to the west, and scattered them in Dunhuang County and Yumen Pass. The supplementary force of the garrison will defend the defense of the three towns together.

Among the three towns related to Guanzhou, Guazhou County was the first to be built.After the unremitting efforts of Shaanxi and Gansu, this county town with a circumference of less than [-] steps is now the core of the three towns of Guanxi. The rest of the force marched westward to attack the headquarters of the Turpan Khanate.

But Zhao Liangdong is a cautious person.He knew that he didn't have many troops under his command, a total of more than 7 people, but they were stationed in many cities, and the mobile troops that could be deployed to fight were not more than half or half, and it took a long time to prepare in advance. It is possible to gather in one place and go out to fight.Therefore, he cherishes the strength in his hands very much, and does not easily go to war, making sure the safety of the Jiayuguan area is the top priority.

Therefore, the three towns in Kansai are basically defense-oriented.The newly arrived Han people from Shaanxi settled down in the local oasis with water, reclaimed wasteland, planted food, and herded livestock.The more than [-] people who immigrated from Northern Manchuria were not the same as those Han people in Shaanxi.

It is also worth mentioning that there were originally some Muslims living on the ground in the three towns of Guanxi.After the dispatch of troops this time, these people were also screened.When Ali and Mahamu came to fight, those who helped the tyrants must be liquidated naturally, and those who did not help the Turpan soldiers and horses but did not respond to the Qing court should also be liquidated.Zhao Liangdong came back from suppressing Hexi back then, and knew that these people were unstable factors, and if there was a chance to clean them up, he must clean them up.After all, they believed in the same religion as the people in the old land of the Turpan Khanate, and some even belonged to the same ethnic group. They were too great a threat to the rule of "My Great Qing" in Hexi.

Zhao Sheng was born as a soldier of Zhao Liangdong, so it can be said that he is a direct descendant of the direct line. Of course, he also participated in several battles against Hexi Huihui, so it is no compromise to carry out Zhao Liangdong's intention.No, although there were not many Huihui near Yumen Pass, they were also wiped out by him, and many young men were arrested to build city walls and official roads, which saved a lot of trouble.

During a meeting in Dunhuang County yesterday, Zhao Sheng heard that Galdan's nephew Tsewang Alabatan had come to the former Turpan Khanate and brought a large number of soldiers and horses, including many elite soldiers with shotguns and cannons.Jiang Guerrilla in Dunhuang was worried, so he discussed with Zhao Sheng how to respond.At present, the city wall of Dunhuang County has only been built halfway. There are [-] infantry and [-] horse soldiers stationed inside and outside the city. They are the horns of Zhao Sheng's more than [-] cavalry in the Yumen Pass area. They should really watch and help each other.

Zhao Sheng's countermeasures in his mind were vain, and Arab said frankly that he was not very worried about the main force's attack.He has been by Zhao Liangdong's side for many years, and has had many contacts with his confidants and generals, so it is easier to get news than Jiang Guerrilla transferred from Shaanxi.He had vaguely heard that Tsewang Allah Butan had copied his uncle Galdan's lair, making it difficult for Galdan who was in Mobei Mongolia to return home.In other words, the Junggar Khanate is currently in turmoil, and there is a high possibility of being overwhelmed. How can it be possible to mobilize a large army to storm their three towns in Guanxi and even Jiayuguan?If you really want to talk about it, this is a good time for them to march westward!

It's just that maybe the imperial court didn't want to put too much pressure on Tseng Wangarabutan. After all, everyone here has a common enemy, Galdan.Before the defeat of Galdan, the hungry wolf in the prairie, there was no doubt that the cooperation between the two parties was greater than the differences.Therefore, in the next few years, maybe their side will still focus on silent reclamation, supplemented by military offensives. This is really cheap for the gang of subjugated slaves in the Turpan Khanate!But they can't be happy for too long, and it is inevitable that most of the Khalkha Mongolia in Mobei will flee south and fall into the hands of my Qing Emperor Kangxi.And after rectifying the Mongolian tribes in Mobei and Monan, "My Great Qing" has nearly 20 soldiers and horses on the grasslands and the Great Wall. Wan Qi should still be able to catch it.

Once the Mongolian desert has won a decisive victory, isn't it time for them to send troops to the west of Hexi to conquer the west!At that time, how to deal with those people is not a matter of one word!

(End of this chapter)