Chapter 247 The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn’t stop
Chapter 247 The tree wants to be quiet but the wind doesn’t stop
Shao Quanzhong's 6,000 troops, escorting the prisoners, met Dong Fuxiang who had returned from the place where they had just split up.
Dong Fuxiang also escorted a large group of captives, including many beautiful women dressed in colorful clothes.
Seeing Shao Quanzhong had captured the bandit leader Bokhuli, Dong Fuxiang was ashamed and said, "Sir, I am incompetent and let Bai Yanhu escape and flee to Lucia."
Bokhuli ordered Bai Yanhu to lead his men to cover the rear and protect his family while running away separately from him. This was to attract the main force of the Huai Army to chase Bai Yanhu so that he could escape on horseback.
He successfully escaped to Russia, but unfortunately, the Russians sold him.
Bai Yanhu was as cunning as a ghost, how could he be willing to be cannon fodder? After dividing his troops, he abandoned Bokhuli's family to delay Dong Fuxiang's pursuit.
When Dong Fuxiang caught up again, Bai Yanhu drove back the two thousand Kokand people sent to him by Bekhuri to cover their retreat.
He finally escaped into Russia with a thousand bandit confidants who had followed him here from Shaanxi.
Shao Quanzhong didn't take it seriously. "Brother Xingwu, you have captured the family of the bandit leader Bakhuli and captured two thousand Kokand soldiers. This is a great achievement. Let Bai Yanhu show off for two days. We will be able to capture him sooner or later. Let's go back to Kashgar!"
Riding side by side with Dong Fuxiang, Shao Quanzhong was a little puzzled. "Xingwu, according to reason, Berkhuri's family should have been captured by the rebels in Kashgar. He led his troops to Yarkand to relieve the siege, and then came back to attack Kashgar. Where did his family come from?"
"The Kokand people have no military discipline at all. Yakub Beg himself has more than 3,000 slaves and more than 300 concubines in his harem. He always brings more than 30 beautiful women with him when he goes to war. Didn't we catch them in Korla? Berkhur followed suit and also brought more than 30 concubines with him when he went to war..."
Well, the Kokand people were really a rubbish opponent. The British suffered heavy losses when they armed them. So many modern equipments were wasted and all went to Shao Quanzhong.
Shao Quanzhong said, "Brother Britain, you see it, right? You still have to support me. I will not disappoint you and will definitely stop the Russians."
It was already the second day when we returned to Kashgar. A fifth-rank military officer of the Qing Dynasty came in and introduced himself, "He Buyun wants to see you."
Seeing Shao Quanzhong, He Buyun flicked his sleeves twice, knelt on one knee, and said, "Your Majesty, I, He Buyun, pay my respects to the Minister of Justice."
Shao Quanzhong did not stand up, nor did he ask for help. His expression was cold. "Although you are guilty, you were able to fight back at the last moment, which can be considered as meritorious service. How to deal with you is the court's business, but considering your meritorious service, I will submit a petition to save your life."
"Thank you, Lord Zhongcheng, for your care."
He Buyun retreated tremblingly and breathed a sigh of relief. With Shao Quanzhong's words, his life was saved.
Xu Xuegong led the militia to capture Dihua, and the court wanted to reward him. He Buyun's capture of Kashgar could not be considered a merit, as he was a real traitor to the court.
He Buyun was the garrison commander of the Green Camp in Kashgar, and was responsible for defending the territory. When Yakub Beg attacked Kashgar, he led his troops to defend the "Seoul" of Kashgar, and was besieged for half a year. With no reinforcements, he surrendered to Yakub Beg.
However, when he surrendered to Yakub Beg, the Manchu and Han officials in the city did not agree, but he had the military power in his hands and could not stop them.
He Buyun surrendered, and Kashgar Minister Kuiying, Assistant Minister Fuzhuling'a and 17 other bannermen and 13 Han and Hui officials detonated their stockpiled gunpowder and died heroically.
All ethnic groups in China have unyielding heroes who resist foreign humiliation.
He Buyun was forced to surrender to Yakub Beg after being trapped for half a year. Compared with foreign officers, this may be normal, but compared with the martyrs who died for their country, he pales in comparison.
After surrendering, He Buyun married his daughter to Yakub Beg, and she joined the ranks of more than 300 concubines in Yakub Beg's harem.
He became one of Yakub Beg's hundreds of fathers-in-law and gained Yakub Beg's trust, allowing him, the "father-in-law of the country", to continue to guard Kashgar.
It happened that the British provided a large number of artillery support, and all the Green Camp Han troops who surrendered under He Buyun became the artillery defending Kashgar.
The main reason was that the Han people were smart, the new breech-loading artillery was too complicated to operate, the British themselves lacked qualified gunners, and a group of illiterate Kokand people and other ethnic vassal troops were simply unable to handle it.
He Buyun was considered a die-hard traitor at this time. However, after the death of Yakub Beg, the pseudo-Hongfu Khanate was in turmoil. He Buyun was worried about being liquidated, so he took the opportunity when Bekhurli led his troops to relieve the siege of Yarkand and led his troops to rebel. Shao Quanzhong did not have a good impression of this villain who was indecisive. However, He Buyun made a contribution after all, and handed over the city of Kashgar and a brigade of advanced artillery to himself.
The memorial reported He Buyun's behavior truthfully and suggested that the court should not kill him but never re-employ him. That's it.
After dealing with He Buyun's matter, Shao Quanzhong gathered all the officers and soldiers and announced that the Western Expedition had achieved a phased victory, the entire Ili Province had been liberated, and rewards were issued!
Only a few senior officers in the Huai Army knew that Shao Quanzhong was going to fight the Russians. The soldiers did not quite understand why even though the entire Ili Province had been liberated, it was only a temporary victory.
Perhaps it is necessary to restore order, appoint officials, and wait until the court completely restores its rule over Ili Province before it can be considered successful? Anyway, giving rewards is a good thing.
The Huai Army only seized more than one million taels of silver from Bokehuli's treasury, which was not as much as what they seized from Todelin, the bandit leader in the northern border.
Yakub Beg was a tyrant. The characteristic of a tyrant is that he would not keep any money. He gave it all to the British, the King of Kokand and the Ottomans in exchange for soldiers, weapons, equipment and ammunition.
Berkhari was a greedy man, and it was not easy for him to make so much money in just a few months in power.
Shao Quanzhong ordered his men to bring Bokehuli and Aydelhuli, the chief steward of Yakub Beg who had been captured in Dabancheng, to the capital, and to meet Ishaq, one of the bandit leaders in northern Xinjiang, in Turpan.
Bai Yanhu was on the run, and the other bandit leaders were beheaded in battle. Only these three high-ranking bandit leaders were sent to the capital to be beheaded in public.
The dozens of captured Ottoman Turkish military advisers were not sent away, with the intention of asking Turkey for ransom in the future.
While rewards were being given to the soldiers, Wu Ziyi sent people to count the spoils of war, pick out the unused second-class ammunition and send them to various places to form Han People's Corps Insurance Teams, and send wounded and retired Huai Army soldiers for training. These were the normal procedures after every war.
This time, Shao Quanzhong really planned to rest in Kashgar for a while. The Tibetan soldiers stationed in Khotan, Yarkand and Yingjisha would also be transferred back to train with the Solon and Xibe camps.
You must be fully prepared to fight the Russians. Their rule is much more solid than that of the pseudo-Hongfu Khanate. There should not be as many loopholes and opportunities for you to exploit as the crappy pseudo-regime of the Kokand people.
"Report! The envoy of the Khan of Kokand, Muhammad Sultan, requests to see you."
Hmm? I'm preparing to fight back to Kokand with all my men. What's the point of you sending people here? Do you expect me not to take revenge and beat you?
The person who came in was an old man with a big beard, all gray in color.
As soon as he entered the room, he knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Gao Ximu, the palace steward, greets Lord Zhongcheng."
Shao Quanzhong's face was cold, "I have nothing to discuss with you. You take advantage of China's weakness to invade Ili Province, and then go back and wait for the revenge of the imperial army to destroy your country."
"Mr. Zhongcheng, Mr. Zhongcheng, I have something to report.
Since the Qing Dynasty conquered the Dzungar Khanate during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, our Kokand Kingdom has been a vassal of the Qing Dynasty and we dare not offend the majesty of the Qing Dynasty.
Previously, the one who made the decisions in Kokand was the regent Alimukur, who supported Yakub Beg. The Khan was young, and even though he admired the superior country, he was controlled by the regent and could not make the decisions.
Last year, Alimukur died of his evil deeds. Your Majesty took over the government and we stopped supporting Yakub Beg. But Yakub Beg had the support of Britain, Turkey and Russia. We really couldn't defeat him, the traitor of Kokand.
Last year, the Russians invaded Kokand, Tashkent had been lost, and Kokand was facing the crisis of extinction. Adayar, who had taken refuge with the Russians, was ready to make another move, wanting to depose the Khan and establish his own regime, and take refuge with the Russians.
The Khan is now trapped in Kokand, isolated and helpless. With the Russians invading from outside and Adayar about to start a rebellion from within, the Khan is in imminent danger.
I heard that Shao Zhongcheng had brought the imperial army to destroy the traitor Yakub Beg. The Khan sent me to ask for help from the Shang Dynasty, because only the Shang Dynasty can save the Khan.
I beg you to send troops to Kokand immediately to rescue the Khan from his predicament. The small country of Kokand is willing to be incorporated into the Qing Dynasty, and the Khan is willing to immigrate to the capital and live a life of luxury. "
(End of this chapter)