Chapter 269 Sorry, we used an expired map
Chapter 269 Sorry, we used an expired map
Shao Quanzhong recommended many of his heroes who had made great contributions to the Western Expedition and gained full control of the Huai Army's territory. The Shao faction broke away from the Qiao faction and became officially independent. The imperial court had to accept this even if it meant it.
It is said that the Hunan Army generals under Zeng Guofan had obtained no fewer official positions than those of the Huai Army, and they controlled the prosperous areas of Jiangnan and Central Plains. Shao Quanzhong's request was not excessive at all.
At least, Shao Quanzhong retained the post of Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu, as well as several provincial governors and provincial judges, giving the court the opportunity to place its own people there.
In principle, the position of Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu has always been held by bannermen. Qiao Songnian's appointment as Governor-General of Shaanxi and Gansu was a temporary measure for the Western Expedition.
There is a principle in the Qing Dynasty for appointing officials: governors and provincial governors can be Han Chinese, but generals and ministers are not allowed to be Han Chinese. Therefore, the officials recommended by Shao Quanzhong were all based on principles.
The recommended ministers, assistant ministers, and generals were either bannermen, Mongolians, or Tibetans, or at least foreign generals, which gave face to the court.
"Assemble the troops, I want to confer titles on several senior officers!"
Shao Quanzhong has become the Duke of both Qing and Russia. He has been waiting for this day for more than two years, almost three years, and now the time has finally come.
Outside the city of Samarkand, a hundred thousand troops gathered, and Shao Quanzhong appeared in front of his men with a brand new image.
Those who could see clearly in the front row were all dazzled.
Shao Quanzhong's new military uniform is a bit similar to that of our captured Governor Kaufman. Is he determined to become an official of the Romanov family?
It was a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding. Shao Quanzhong had been preparing for the marshal's uniform for a long time, but he was just too embarrassed to wear it. Now he is qualified.
He was busy with military service and in a blink of an eye he was already 27 years old, or 28 in terms of age.
He was dressed in the uniform of the Beiyang military commander and had two small mustaches on his lips. He was finally not the pretty boy he used to be and now had the aura of a real military commander.
With the arrival of the imperial decree, my adoptive father Qiao Songnian has been promoted by me to the position of head of the Grand Council, which is equivalent to the prime minister. He has reached the highest position among high-ranking officials. I have repaid my adoptive father for his care and support.
Qiao Songnian was in charge of the country and had already left his position as the honorary commander of the Huai Army.
Shao Quanzhong was promoted to Duke, given the title of Shao Bao, and held the position of Minister of War. He began to lead the Huai Army with full qualifications, and Marshal Shao was officially born.
From now on, he would be respectfully called Marshal Shao by his subordinates, and "Marshal Yu" by officials of the same rank.
"Promote the Chief of Staff of the Huai Army, Grant, to the rank of General, promote the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Huai Army, Shao Hengzhong, to the rank of General, promote the Admiral of the Nanyang Navy, Liao Rong, to the rank of General, and promote the Deputy Chief of Staff, Emery, to the rank of Lieutenant General."
Shao Quanzhong was promoted to the rank of Grand Marshal, and his subordinates were promoted to high positions. However, the Huai Army was a regular army, and it was not possible for generals to be everywhere. Shao Quanzhong only promoted three generals and one lieutenant general.
The other senior commanders are still major generals. It's not because they lack the ability or qualifications, but because they don't have that many soldiers to command.
"Sir, this is the latest map of the Huai Army's power distribution drawn by our General Staff."
After the awarding ceremony, Emery returned to the headquarters tent and presented the latest achievements of the General Staff.
Shao Quanzhong took the map from Emery and spread it on the table.
Well, it looks like a large area, and most of it needs investment and consolidation. The core of making money is still Jiangning Provincial Government and Anhui, and at most Kokand Province.
Only half of Jiangsu, Anhui, Shaanxi and Gansu can provide reliable reserve forces.
I was born a little late, and all the good territories were occupied by the Hunan Army, so my foundation is still a little shallow.
Xiqi controlled two-thirds of the world and was a vassal of the Shang Dynasty. At the beginning, my old boss was impatient due to his health condition and was eager to gain the world and become emperor, which ended up being very embarrassing. I should learn from this.
Being able to patiently expand one's strength and wait until the time is ripe to reap the fruits is the foresight of a mature politician.
Emery looked at the power map and shook his head regretfully. "I think it's a bit of a loss to sign a contract with Lucia this time. It would be great if our Qing Dynasty could get back the Heilongjiang General's territory south of the Greater Khingan Range."
Emery was recommended by Shao Quanzhong to be the Minister of War, which was equivalent to the second in command of the Federal Army General Staff. That organization was later renamed the "Federal Joint Chiefs of Staff"...
Having been appointed to such a high position in the Qing Dynasty, Emery had already considered himself a Qing citizen.
He was only a second lieutenant in the US Army, but a lieutenant general in the Huai Army. Now he and Grant were definitely white-skinned and yellow-hearted, typical cases of the barbarians entering China and becoming Chinese, so it was natural for him to mention "our Qing Dynasty" when he spoke.
Shao Quanzhong shook his head. "Don't worry, don't worry. Isn't that a disputed area between the two sides? We will get it back in the future."
"But we signed a fifty-year non-aggression treaty with Russia. Is it possible to get it back without fighting?"
Shao Quanzhong rolled his eyes, "Fifty years is just right. It is now 1867, and I calculated with my fingers that Lucia will have a disaster in fifty years.
We should all still be alive by then. Even if I die, I will tell my son to seize the opportunity. Not only can we get this land back, but Siberia is also entirely possible. By then, we can really push the border forward to the Ural Mountains..."
If someone says that he can tell fortunes with his fingers, Emery will definitely sneer at him. In this world, only Marshal Shao can tell fortunes with his fingers...
…………
Twenty-two days later, Kabul, Barakzai Palace.
Led by the palace guards, a Pashtun chief ran in quickly.
"Emir, Emir, something terrible has happened. Six thousand Cossacks have invaded Badakhshan and have reached Shahabad."
The current Emir's name is Mohammed Afzal Khan. He looked at the chief with dissatisfaction and said, "Just 6,000 bandits, why are you making a fuss? Back then, we wiped out the 16,500 British troops. This Emir immediately sent troops..."
"No, these Cossacks are flying the Qing flag, and they are followed by a hundred thousand Qing troops!"
Afzal's eyes went dark and he almost fell down. "One hundred thousand?! Are you sure you counted correctly?"
"I'm sure. They were originally going to attack Tashkent. I heard that they have defeated the Russians and captured Tashkent. Now they are returning victorious. Those Cossacks are the Russian surrendered soldiers they recruited."
“I was just passing by.”
Afzal let out a long sigh, then suddenly became alert, "That's not right. Why did they go through the Wakhan Corridor instead of Kokand? Isn't this taking the long way instead of the short way? Is their commander stupid and doesn't he know the way?"
"Report to the Emir, they said they used an outdated map."
You really don’t know the way?
"They said that on the Qing map, there was a sign of the Badakhshan Kingdom, which had always been a loyal vassal of the Qing Dynasty, so they planned to visit it on the way, but they never found the Badakhshan royal family."
Are you kidding? Badakhshan was annexed by Afghanistan a hundred years ago. Where can we find their royal family? How did you defeat the Russians using a map from a hundred years ago?
"Ignore them and let them pass."
If we can't afford to offend you, we can afford to hide away. I'll be a coward and I won't see you.
"They are persistent in their search for the Badakhshan royal family, and their army is heading for Kabul."
Afzal understood that the other party was looking for trouble and wanted to avenge the destruction of his vassal state.
"Come on, prepare for battle. Hehe, if the British can't defeat us, then neither can you!"
Twenty-five years ago, Britain invaded here but encountered strong resistance. All 16,500 British troops were wiped out and only a few survived. This event is known in history as the "Kabul Retreat."
We have an unyielding will to fight and are not afraid of war. No matter what great empire in the world, it is useless to me!
Our cemetery is dedicated to burying great empires. You want to scare us with your 100,000-strong army? You can't do it. Be prepared to pay the price in blood!
(End of this chapter)