Chapter 254 What? The Queen of England wants to sell land?

Chapter 254 What? The Queen of England wants to sell land?

Chapter 254 What? The Queen of England wants to sell land?
In early spring in February, the earth revives, and although there is no green left, the grass has already quietly sprouted.

Once we passed the Tianshan Gorge and entered the Fergana Basin, the scenery was completely different from that in Kashgar.

Without the Gobi desert sand, there were fertile fields everywhere and dense canals, making the Huai Army soldiers feel as if they were returning to the water town in central Jiangsu.

It is not for nothing that the Lianghuai disciples were everywhere in Tianshan. When Shao Quanzhong went west, more than 19,000 of Su Hui's disciples died in Gansu, and more than 10,000 in Yili Province, two-thirds of whom died in battle.

The emergence of Shao Quanzhong in Lianghuai was not necessarily a good thing for the people of Lianghuai, as every village was in mourning.

But the sacrifice of the Lianghuai people saved the northwest for China. Now sending troops to Central Asia is to take back the land taken away by the Russians for future generations and leave a thousand-year foundation.

Everyone understood this principle. The soldiers rode their horses in a line and high-spirited military songs rang out.

“The imperial court borrowed national debt at a profit and spared no expense to support the army.

A soldier’s food and clothing cost about 100 taels, which is about the same as the salary of a sixth-rank official.

If you don't contribute to the country anymore, the gods and ghosts of heaven and earth will not tolerate you.

......"

Shao Quanzhong had already ridden on the Ferghana horse given by the Bukhara people and was riding side by side with Sephos.

Sephos looked around and saw the army marching on the road. In the fields beside the road, some farmers had already started to loosen the soil and take care of the fields. They ignored the army and at most admired the mighty and majestic Huai Army, and then did what they were supposed to do.

"Shao, I heard that your revenge on the Kokand's invasion of Ili Province was amazing. You reduced 30% of Kokand's population to slavery, and there were corpses everywhere along the road in the canyon. I thought you would earn the hatred of the Kokand people, but I didn't expect that the people here are not afraid of your army. It's really amazing."

"Those who died in the canyon were murderers and scum. After my cleansing, the new Kokand Province of the Qing Dynasty has been completely transformed, and only the honest people who are loyal to the Qing Dynasty are left. My soldiers are here to protect the stable lives of these normal people who work and pay taxes. Of course, they are not afraid."

Sephos raised his thumb and said, "Shao, you are the greatest general I have ever seen, and you have brought out the best soldiers. These highly motivated soldiers will definitely beat the Lucia people into a pulp."

When Shao Quanzhong saw the farmers repairing the canals in the fields, he had different thoughts from the diplomat Sephos.

This place is completely different from Yili Province. Our own Huai Army should be able to exert stronger combat effectiveness in this kind of agricultural area and water network plain area.

In the battle of Yili Province, the three main divisions had always played supporting roles. Lin Bozi expressed his dissatisfaction, and Nie Shicheng and Shao Hengzhong did not dare to say anything, but now everything can be resolved.

The Fergana Basin can support an army of 50,000, and Bukhara can support 30,000. In this way, the logistics from Jiayuguan only need to transport arms and ammunition, and Central Asia can be self-sufficient in food.

So, in fact, pushing the front line to Central Asia will make it easier to defend the border than staying in Ili Province.

In Central Asia, there are two major granaries, the inter-river region of the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers and the Fergana Basin. In fact, we have a considerable home advantage against the Russians who have to carry food from thousands of miles away. However, Bukhara and Kokand are too weak, and they will be much stronger if the Huai Army is replaced.

However, if it was just the Huai Army, once he left with the main force, the Russians would inevitably make small moves. Before the Ili Province railway was completed, if a conflict broke out, it would be difficult for the mainland to provide emergency assistance.

Shao Quanzhong glanced at the foreigner beside him and rolled his eyes. "Old Sai, I just accepted the Bukhara Khanate as a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty, and they invited me to station troops there. I think that the British brother is so good to me, I can't eat alone, right?"

Sefus' eyes lit up immediately. "I have seized a new territory, and I ask you to come and collect protection fees together." This is probably what Shao Quanzhong meant. We, the diplomats of the British Empire, do this job.

"I have decided to establish British concessions in Samarkand and Bukhara. When we conquer Tashkent in the future, we will also set up a concession in Tashkent. I ask our British allies to station 100 troops in each of the three cities. Britain will have priority in commercial investment in the Bukhara Khanate and the Syr Darya oasis."

Sefuss was so open-minded. Look, Shao Quanzhong is worthy of being the agent of the British Empire in the Qing Dynasty. If there is any benefit, he will immediately think of his elder brother. It is not in vain to support him. Shao Quanzhong's small move of building a mechanized spinning plant in Hailing was a small move that crossed the line. He was going to protest. Why did he bring it up now?
The emperor has no shortage of hungry soldiers, and the British Empire cannot take advantage for free. "On behalf of Britain, I can agree to continue to allocate funds to assist you in building the railway from Bukhara to Tashkent and Kashgar."

These two sections of railway are profitable, and can also drive profits for the railway in Ili Province, allowing Britain's railway investment in Ili Province to be recovered sooner rather than lost, breaking even and mutually beneficial.

Seyforth and Shao Quanzhong smiled at each other on horseback. Shao Quanzhong sold out some of the commercial interests of the vassal state and Tashkent in exchange for Britain's security guarantee for Central Asia.

Even though the British only have 100 troops stationed there, if the Russians dare to fight, it would be a declaration of war on Britain, which would immediately become the fuse of the Crimean War. The Russians must consider the consequences.

Shao Quanzhong worked hard to retain the full sovereignty of the Fergana Basin. Was it cowardly to set up a British concession in Tashkent, a vassal state, or a frontier state? Shao Quanzhong believed that he had kept the bottom line.

Without the involvement of the British, I would not be able to hold these territories. If anyone in the imperial court says that I am a traitor, Hong Kong is still in the hands of the British, and there are still British concessions in Shanghai. Do you, who are not traitors, have the courage to take them back? The situation is stronger than people.

If you don't have enough strength, you have to be timid. Sometimes, being the second is more practical than being the first. Fortunately, the British big brother doesn't want land, but only commercial interests, so there is room for negotiation.

Now Shao has to bow down to the British boss in the world. One day...

Camel bells rang, and suddenly another camel caravan came in front. The leader of the camel caravan saw the big flag with the word "Shao" on it, and came riding his horse. He dismounted and ran a few steps, slapped his sleeves, and kowtowed on one leg, "I pay my respects to the Lord Zhongcheng."

Eh? The man was wearing a white robe, with a piece of cloth on his head, and driving a camel team. The picture was very harmonious, but it was a bit incongruous for him to perform the Manchu etiquette to himself.

After looking for a long time, I realized that this was Ma Haiyan who wandered with Ma Zhan'ao and the refugees.
"Why are you back?"

"Reporting to the Lord Zhongcheng, we have arrived at the Holy Land and easily conquered Hanjaz and Nejd. General Ma Zhan'ao sent me back to pay tribute to the court and ask for rewards."

There is a saying that goes, "Even if the road is long, you will reach your destination if you keep walking; even if the task is difficult, you will succeed if you keep trying." Ma Zhan'ao actually accomplished the task of migrating thousands of miles to find a place to settle down by leading 600,000 refugees.

Look at Ma Zhan'ao's tribute. Well, it's much worse than that of the Bukhara Khanate. Dates, pearls, white camels, and carpets don't look very valuable. That piece of sandy land is a poor place.

But at least leave more land for future generations. Now that I have encountered it——

"Sixth Lady, help me draft a memorial to recommend Ma Zhan'ao as the governor and admiral of Tianfang, and let Ma Haiyan take him to the capital."

Shao Quanzhong tapped his head and said, "Someone, send a fast horse to Kokand to inform Wu Ziyi to add a clause to the negotiation terms with the Tuji people, which is to cede Hanjaz and Nejd."

If this treaty is signed, then China's occupation of that land will be a foregone conclusion and will have a legal basis.

Sephos laughed. "So you are the ones who are behind the unrest in Hejaz. No one cares about that piece of land. Before, the Sat family declared themselves king there, and the Ottomans never attacked them. They shouldn't care about losing that poor piece of land that they don't actually control."

In the British concept, a loss-making business is not allowed. It is stupid to want a piece of land with no output and need to invest defense funds in it. I really don't understand the Qing people's obsession with land.

If that’s the case, then isn’t it possible that the Queen’s worry can be cured?
Sephos looked at Shao Quanzhong with a smile, "I will sign the contract between you and the Ottomans as a witness on behalf of Britain. If nothing unexpected happens, you will get at least 10 million taels of silver in compensation. You now have an extra 10 million taels of silver--"

Shao Quanzhong immediately became alert, "Old Sai, don't think about my 10 million taels of silver. I spent more than 40 million taels to build the Nanyang Navy. This is the first time I've seen the money come back. I haven't even made back my investment yet."

Lao Sai shook his head. "No, no, no, why would I take your money for nothing? But Queen Victoria has a territory with an area of ​​945,000 square kilometers, a population of tens of thousands, and a central metropolis. If I sell it to you, it will only cost 500,000 taels of silver. Do you want it?"

(End of this chapter)