Chapter 237 Imperial Envoy

Chapter 237 Imperial Envoy

Chapter 237 Imperial Envoy
"Send Yakub Beg's head back to the capital and ask for credit for Fat Tiger."

Shao Quanzhong still hasn't remembered the name of the Mongolian general. In fact, it means "autumn wind" when translated.

Without Fat Tiger, the crazy barbarian who fought indiscriminately without following military tactics, Yakub Beg would not have been able to surrender. At most, he would have defeated the Kokand people, but there would have been no result that could be called a "great victory". The fierce general Fat Tiger made an indispensable contribution to this.

The merits of Shao Quanzhong's subordinates will be settled together at the end of the Western Expedition. Fat Tiger is not his subordinate now, so he must report his merits to him immediately. The merits of Xu Xuegong's militia, Xibe Camp, and Suolong Camp will be reported together.

"Ask the imperial court to transfer 10,000 cavalrymen from the Torghut tribe to join the Western Expedition."

The armed forces such as the Torghut tribe, the Xibe Camp and the Solon Camp were under the command of the Ili General. In theory, Shao Quanzhong, the governor of Shaanxi, had no power to mobilize them.

The former Ili General Mingxu died for his country, and the court had not yet sent a new Ili General. As the commander-in-chief of the Western Expedition, Shao Quanzhong could make arbitrary decisions on the spot, but he had to report to the court to complete the procedures.

"Two thousand elite soldiers were reorganized from the six thousand volunteers and incorporated into the Gansu Army's independent division."

As a result, the number of Gansu troops reached 17,000, making it the only division under Shao Quanzhong that was not short of staff and was overstaffed.

"Incorporate the captured artillery into the artillery division. Inform the Lanzhou Arsenal to increase the number of new six-pound shrapnel shells."

"In addition to supplying the captured rifles to the newly recruited troops of the Gansu Army, the remaining rifles will be temporarily equipped to the Mongolian soldiers of the Torghut tribe for training purposes. Wu Ziyi will be responsible for sending veterans to train the Mongolian soldiers in the use of the new breech-loading rifles, and Lao Ge will temporarily assist in the modernization training of the Mongolian soldiers. Inform Shao Yuan to send 10,000 carbines as the final weapon of the Mongolian Cavalry Independent Division. Don't forget to add 10,000 cavalry uniforms and standard equipment."

"Buy grain from the Torghut tribe and local indigenous peoples. Do not forcibly collect it. It should be enough to support us until the next batch of military rations and the autumn harvest in northern Xinjiang."

"The troops are stationed in Korla for rest and training. Three heavy artillery companies and mortar and howitzer units are dispatched there to continue shelling Tiemenguan."

Shao Quanzhong issued orders one by one, and the chief secretary Hu Liuniang wrote them down one by one and sent them out one by one in an orderly manner.

…………

Six days later, the front of Tiemenguan reported that "after four days of bombardment, the Kokand soldiers withdrew from Tiemenguan and retreated to the west entrance of Tiemenguan Gorge."

This is something that can be expected. The road in Tiemenguan Gorge is narrow and cannot accommodate a large army. There is only a single pass at the east entrance of the gorge, and not many troops can be stationed inside. There is no support from a large army, and it cannot withstand the continuous bombardment of artillery.

The enemy retreated to the western entrance of Tiemenguan Gorge and stationed there, guarding the narrow western exit. It became difficult to attack from here through the narrow mountain road.

Shao Quanzhong left a battalion of Gansu troops stationed at Tiemen Pass, and they stared at the Kokand people at the west gate across the dozens of miles of canyon roads. The situation was now stable and difficult to change for the time being.

There is no way to bypass Tiemenguan, otherwise why is it called Tiemenguan?
To the north is the Tianshan Mountains, and to the south is the Taklimakan Desert. If we want to continue our westward expedition, we can only pass through the canyon. What should we do? We'll think about it later. It's useless to attack now. We really have no food.

The advance to Korla and the capture of Tiemenguan were all caused by a series of accidents. Otherwise, the Huai Army would probably still be blocked in front of Dabancheng.

"Report, received from the Military Affairs Office."

Why so fast? Now that Shao Hengzhong's division and Lin Bozai's division were besieging Turpan, the shortcut from Korla via Toksun and Turpan to Hami had been opened, and there was no need to go around Dihua to the northern route to Barkol.

The telegraph line has been extended to Guazhou, and the next step is to enter Yili Province.

Guazhou is 2,100 miles away from Korla, and it only takes three days to reach the destination by express train. But Tingji returned in six days.

"Appoint Shao Quanzhong as the Imperial Commissioner, with the power to make decisions on the spot, and appoint him as the General of Yili. Naram Salahei, the leader of the Tuerhut tribe, was given the title of Zasak Taiji, appointed as the General of Korla, given the title of Zhuangyong Baturu, and granted the title of the third-rank Light Cavalry Commander.

Xu Xuegong was appointed as the Dihua guerrilla commander.

Suhua was given the surname Jueluo and the title of Sixth-Rank Princess, and Dongjun was given the title of Cloud Cavalry Captain.

The court letter is better than the imperial edict, it is clear and concise, and contains all the useful information.

Yakub Beg's head was on the way to the capital. The annihilation of the enemy's main force and the beheading of the bandit leader in battle were major milestones in the Western Expedition to Ili Province. The imperial court no longer had any doubts about the victory of the Western Expedition.

The rewards for Manchu and Mongolian meritorious officials are much more generous than those for Han people. Ahem, this is the custom of our dynasty. Xu Xuegong has nothing to envy, but you should be satisfied if you are also rewarded.

As for Shao Quanzhong's appointment, it was not a reward, but just a temporary title required for work, and he would have to return it after the Western Expedition was over.

It was not unusual for a Han Chinese to serve as an imperial commissioner, but the title of General of Ili had always been exclusive to bannermen, so letting Shao Quanzhong take over temporarily was an exception.

Of course, there is no explicit regulation, it is just "the law passed down by our ancestors", and it has been broken before.

Yue Zhongqi, who replaced Nian Gengyao in the expedition to Qinghai and later pacified the Dzungar Khanate and conquered the Jinchuan region, was once given a higher title, the Ningyuan General. If the word "general" is added before the title, it means he became the commander-in-chief of the Qing Dynasty's armed forces.

As the imperial commissioner, Shao Quanzhong could mobilize the Green Camp, and as the acting general of Ili, he was qualified to command the Manchu and Mongolian troops.

This was to ensure that the various armed forces in Ili Province of the Qing Dynasty could have unified command during Shao Quanzhong's Western Expedition, so as to avoid having to ask the court for instructions on everything and missing out on opportunities to fight.

Shao Quanzhong has now become the supreme figure in Yili Province. He can make decisions on all matters big or small in Yili Province. The court gives him power and money, and lets him just start fighting.

In terms of territory alone, Ili Province has only one million people, which is far less than Shaanxi. As the governor of Shaanxi, Shao Quanzhong has nothing to be proud of in being in charge of Ili Province. He is secretly happy now because he has the title of "Imperial Commissioner", which seems to be useless.

The Green Camp in Yili Province is basically gone, and Shao Quanzhong will not push for reconstruction. If he has that energy, he might as well arm more Han militias.

The imperial court had no idea that Shao Quanzhong was going to use chicken feathers as a token of authority and do something earth-shattering in his capacity as "imperial envoy."

Now, going to war with the Russians is not considered "acting alone" or "provoking a border conflict without authorization". I am the imperial envoy, and I have the power to make arbitrary decisions on the spot...

"Report, the Lanzhou Arsenal has delivered the second batch of new weapons."

Shao Quanzhong took the two chiefs of staff to see the new ammunition. Before they could see what the new ammunition was, Shao Quanzhong stared at the steam tractor pulling the ammunition, thoughtfully.

Engineers have been sent over to fill in the ditches that Bai Yanhu dug to destroy the road during his retreat.

However, it is easier said than done. The wheels of the new tractor were covered in mud, and it was obvious that it had gotten stuck in a mud pit halfway through the journey.

"Well, Liu Niang, send a telegram to the Hailing Arsenal and ask them to study whether it is possible to install tracks on the tractor. Let the expert Thomson take the lead in this project. If you need to purchase the patent, don't be afraid of spending money."

(End of this chapter)