Chapter 270: Jersey Earl Shao Quanzhong

Kunduz, where Shao Quanzhong’s military headquarters was camped.

In the central military tent, the main generals under Shao Quanzhong gathered together and were holding a combat meeting.

Shao Quanzhong, dressed in a marshal's uniform, sat in the main seat and said with a smile, "How can we tame this unruly land? Tell us what you think."

Le Xiucai was the first to stand up. He no longer had to worry about logistics and could concentrate on intelligence. His health had improved a lot, but his temperament had become a little grim.

“I think we can use one faction to fight another, and use forces that are friendly to us to jointly suppress the rebellious forces.

After our thorough investigation, we found that there are three groups of forces in this land. The land under our feet used to belong to Badakhshan, and the main residents are Tajiks, who have always been respectful to the Qing Dynasty. Now that the army has come, they are also very friendly, so we can pull them over.

To the west are the Uzbeks, who were our enemies. Now Kokand has annexed the Qing Dynasty, Khiva and Bukhara have become vassal states, and the Uzbeks have become subjects of the Qing Dynasty, so they can also be won over.

The Pashtuns who defeated the British were composed of two major tribal alliances, the Durrani and the Gilzai. The Durrani tribe has 100,000 households, and the Gilzai tribe has 85,000 households. They are our main targets and can be destroyed with heavy troops. "

Wu Ziyi stood up and added, "The reason why the British failed is because they have fewer people. Their goal is to exploit the natives for money, so they can't kill all the natives. We have plenty of people under our command, so we don't need to exploit them. We can change the cage and replace the birds, destroy and expel those who don't obey. However, it is easy for our army to destroy the main force, but it is difficult to kill them all. In the future security battles, the Wang Nima who stayed behind will have a headache."

Wang Nima patted his chest and said, "We can keep suppressing the bandits. We Tibetans are not afraid of death. If not, I will go back to the inland snow area to find more soldiers."

Shao Quanzhong smiled bitterly and shook his head, "Why do you all advise me to kill, kill, kill? Aren't there any who advocate appeasement?"

Wu Ziyi shook his head. "Barbarians fear power but not virtue, so they can't be tamed. Besides, Marshal, your subordinates are all soldiers, so how can they know how to appease them?"

Well, the appeasement of my Qing Dynasty was actually very sloppy. Even when famous ministers like Lord Qiao and Zeng Guofan who knew how to appease and govern came, they would still kill, kill, kill anyone who disobeyed. Zeng Guofan shaved off all the hair that dared to stick out.

Shao Quanzhong sighed, "It seems that after our army leaves, this place will become a place of long-term insecurity."

Emery stood up and said, "No, I have a way. We are poor here. We just need to offer a reward of 200,000 taels of silver for the scalps of the rebels. Twenty taels of silver for each scalp. Then a large number of brave hunters from the surrounding Uzbeks and Tajiks will emerge to take on the job. It won't be long before the rebels will no longer exist physically."

Shao Quanzhong was very satisfied. Since the tumor was difficult to treat, he decided not to treat it and just removed it directly, replacing it with a group of obedient people to treat it. Emory's treatment was based on Western medicine, which was exactly what I wanted.

Hai Qing stared at Emery in surprise, "Xiao Ai, my second brother is the butcher Shao. You, a man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually came up with such a plan to wipe out the whole family. You are even more wicked than me. Did you learn bad things when you were hanging out with Zhang Zhidong?"

Grant laughed. "This is an old strategy used by the Federation to conquer the West. It has proven to be very effective."

Hai Qing bowed in admiration, "If we talk about ruthlessness, you foreign devils are still ruthless. We are ashamed of ourselves."

Shao Quanzhong clasped his hands together and said, "Okay, let's learn from the advanced experience of our friendly countries. Our army will be responsible for bombarding the main force with artillery fire and then return.

I will leave Wang Nima 400,000 taels of silver, specifically for purchasing scalps. If it is not enough, I will add more. Anyone who dares to resist will be killed. That's it!"

"Report! There is someone outside who wants to see you. He claims to be the Emir of this land."

Hmm? Shao Quanzhong looked at Le Xiucai. Wasn't their emir in Kabul preparing his army and preparing to resist to the end? Why did he suddenly come here?
A young pretty boy walked into the central military tent. He only had a small mustache on his lips. He walked with his arms swaying and his eyes looked around flexibly.

He came in front of Shao Quanzhong, brushed his sleeves left and right, and knelt on one leg, "I, the Emir of my country, Shir Ali, pay my respects to the Lord Zhongtang."

Well, this Emir speaks fluent Chinese and is quite familiar with the etiquette of the Qing Dynasty.

Shao Quanzhong's eyes widened. "I heard that the emir here is called Afzal. How dare you pretend to be the emir? Are you tired of living? Someone -"

Hill shook his hands and said, "Master Zhongtang, please spare my life. I am the real Emir and Afzal is a fake."

Shao Quanzhong raised his hand to stop his subordinates who were about to kidnap someone, and looked at Hill with a smile, "What do you mean?"

"My father Khan Dost passed away four years ago, but he passed the throne of Emir to me. I was the Emir for three years, but was overthrown by my elder brother Afzal last year. He was a false Khan who usurped the throne."

Shao Quanzhong smiled and said, "You are an overthrown Emir, obviously you don't have any ability, what use do I have for you?"

"Master Zhongtang, I am useful. Most of the nobles still support me as the legitimate Emir. The reason why I was overthrown was that I ate, drank and had fun too much and liked to gamble. Several chieftains who were beaten badly by me supported my brother in anger, and I was ambushed. You see, I am quite smart. I was not caught by my brother. I went into exile with the Lucia people and planned to use their power to restore the country."

Shao Quanzhong glanced at Wu Ziyi. This former emir is comparable to you.

Not everyone is suitable to be a ruler. Look at Wu Ziyi, he worked for Shao Quanzhong and was very successful in diplomacy. If he were promoted to be the boss, he would most likely be like Hill.

Working for others can be a joyful experience, but being a boss requires self-discipline and is actually a tough job.

Hill puffed out his chest and said, "The Russians are in trouble now. You led the army here. As long as you support me in restoring my country, I will definitely be a loyal lackey of the Qing Dynasty." Shao Quanzhong's face was cold, "Should I support you or do you want me to send troops to conquer it myself? Now that I have conquered it, wouldn't it be better to be directly under the jurisdiction? Why do I need you?"

Hill smiled and said, "This land is difficult to govern. You can't count on my elder brother, he is stubborn. I am flexible. I know that your revenge for Badakhshan is just, but we are also a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty. We paid tribute to Arabian horses during the Qianlong period. I have the final say and we will pay tribute every year. I will deal with anyone who disobeys me without the intervention of the superior country. Also, as long as you support me with weapons, I can conquer Kabul by myself without the superior country having to worry about it."

Shao Quanzhong stood up, walked over, and patted Hill on the shoulder. "Young man, you have good vision. There is an old Chinese saying, 'A small enemy is strong, a big enemy is captured.' If you don't come, your people will be extinct. You are so flexible that you may be the savior of your people. I will give you half a month. If you can handle it, you will be a vassal king of the Qing Dynasty. If you can't, we will take action to destroy the country directly."

Hill fell to his knees again and said, "Thank you for your trust, Lord Zhongtang. Half a month is enough."

On that day, Hill gathered 600 tribal soldiers from the surrounding tribes who were willing to obey the will of the deceased old emir, and equipped them with muzzle-loading Ridge rifles seized by the Huai Army in Tashkent.

Shao Quanzhong stationed his troops in Kunduz and sent Ivan and Wang Nima to lead the Cossack and Tibetan soldiers to follow Hill and advance towards Kabul.

Ten days later, Hill recruited troops from more than 30 tribes to support the king, with a force of 10,000, and marched to the city of Kabul.

When Afzal heard that the enemy troops were coming, he took his men to the city to check.

The small country has few soldiers, usually only 5,000 standing troops, but now it has gathered 10,000 men by temporarily conscripting them.

Afzal's plan was to retreat back to the tribe and fight guerrilla warfare if the situation became unfavorable, so that the Qing people would be caught in the vast ocean of security war like the British.

Eh? It seems that the troops coming here are not from the Qing Dynasty.

Suddenly, hundreds of people shouted in unison, "I am your real Emile Hill. Behind me are 100,000 Qing troops with heavy artillery. The Russians were defeated.

If you follow me, you will be a vassal of the Qing Dynasty and enjoy a good life. If you follow my elder brother, you will have to live a poor life in the mountains and be hunted down and killed by the Qing army. Chiefs, make a decision quickly! "

Afzal laughed wildly, "No one will follow you, a playboy! We are not afraid of death - Hey, what are you doing!"

Two days ago, Hill had sent people to find an insider in the city and had contacted several chiefs. Afzal was only on guard against the Qing army, and he never thought that there were spies from the enemy among his fellow tribesmen who entered the city.

Two days later, Shao Quanzhong, who was stationed in Kunduz, received an urgent report from Wang Nima.

Several chiefs in Kabul rebelled on the battlefield, and Hill successfully restored his country. He killed 8,000 rebels who disobeyed him that day, and Kabul was flooded with blood.

Hill declared himself a vassal of the Qing Dynasty, requested the stationing of troops, and gave up his diplomatic and customs powers.

All the bloodshed was Hill's fault, and the garrison troops of the upper country won without bloodshed.

Ivan has already led the Cossacks south, preparing to cross the friendly British India and the Baghdad region of Türkiye, board a ship on the Mediterranean coast, and take up his post in Cyprus.

Shao Quanzhong laughed loudly, "Sixth Lady, recommend Xi'er as the vassal king. Let's go! Retrieve the troops!"

The army marched back, their numbers decreasing along the way.

The Cossacks went to Cyprus, the Tibetan soldiers stayed in Kabul, Dong Jun took the Xibe Battalion and the Solon Battalion to Bukhara and Khiva, Dong Fuxiang led the Gansu Army back to Tashkent, Fat Tiger led the Torghut people to Turkestan, and Song Qing stayed in Kokand with the armored brigade to serve as the Governor of Kokand.

The Russians’ credibility - they have no credibility at all, so stationing troops in Central Asia to maintain deterrence is the right choice to ensure the implementation of the treaty.

On June 14, the sixth year of the Tongzhi reign, when the Hui army passed through the Tianshan Gorge, only 58,000 people were left.

"Report, telegram from Kuche."

The telegram was sent by Robert Hart. It was not urgent military information and was not sent on an expedited basis, so it has only now reached Shao Quanzhong.

"Congratulations to Mr. Shao on your triumphant return from the Western Expedition. The British Empire is very pleased with your victory over Russia and your cutting off of the polar bear's claws reaching out to India. The Queen has decided to confer you the title of Earl of Jersey and the Victoria Cross. Please take the time to go to London to receive the title."

Shao Quanzhong scratched his head. "What on earth is the Earl of Jersey?"

Emery understood. "Jersey is on the French side of the English Channel. It's not a British official territory, but a royal territory. It's a small island. Even if it's granted to you, it still belongs to the British Empire. You only have the power to collect taxes, but the actual taxes are not much. But you have a private territory in Europe, and you can go there for vacation when your family in London is on vacation."

Shao Quanzhong rolled his eyes. "Call Hart back to express my gratitude. It seems that I have to go to Europe, at least to London and St. Petersburg to receive the imperial title and marry a new wife. Oh, and the United States seems to owe me a medal, so I have to go there. Liu Niang, send a telegram to Hui Er and ask her to send someone to my territory, Jersey Island, to repair the dock so that the Nanyang Navy can be stationed there temporarily in the future."

Shao Quanzhong stretched out his hand and drew out his command knife, "Now, brothers, follow me to the capital, Shangluo!"

(End of this chapter)

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