The Ili River Valley is located in the northwest of Xinjiang, the upper reaches of the main stream of the Ili River belong to China, and the middle and lower reaches belong to Kazakhstan.
The Ili River, known as Yile Water and Yili River in ancient times, has an average water volume of about 480 cubic meters per second, which is the largest inland river in China and the largest water source of Balkhash Lake.
There are three sources in the upper reaches of the Ili River, namely the Turks River, the Gongnais River and the Kashgar River. The main source of the Ili River, the Turks River, originates on the north side of Khantenghry Peak, is about 430 kilometers long, flows through the Zhaosu Basin and the Turks Valley, and is called the Ili River after the confluence of the Gongnais River and the Kashgar River. The Dongyuan Gongnais River flows between and the Andil Ula and Narathi Mountains and is about 258 km long. The Kashgar River flows between the ElienHabilga Mountains and Andilurula and is about 304 km long.
The Ili River is about 1439 kilometers long, about 1/3 of the strongest in China, flows through Kazakhstan, and finally flows into Lake Balkhash.
The latitude of the Ili River Basin is about 42.5° to 45° north latitude, the longest basin is about 520 kilometers from east to west, the widest from north to south is about 200 kilometers, and the total area is about 34,000 square kilometers.
The Ili River Basin, also known as the upper and middle reaches of the Ili River, is between the Borokonu Mountains of the North Branch of the Tianshan Mountains and the South Branch Halk Mountains, crossing a series of mountains and valleys. The Ili River basin is like a triangle, a semi-enclosed place, the north can resist the dry and cold air flow from Siberia, the east can resist the dry heat from the Basin of Hami, Turpan and other basins, and the south can prevent the invasion of the Tarim Desert wind and sand.
The annual precipitation of the Ili Basin reaches 700 mm, and in the spring there is also alpine snow and glacial meltwater inflow, the amount of water is abundant, and the main stream freezing period of the year is only about two months, which is known as "Saiwai Jiangnan". The upper reaches are mainly alpine rocks, with little sand content, and the river is as clear as the blue sky.
The Ili River Valley is rich in grain production, rich in melons and fruits, cattle and sheep everywhere, and herds of horses, which is really a pot of treasure.
In the early Qing Dynasty, the Three Dynasties of Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong fought against the Dzungar Khanate at any cost, and the target of the competition was the Ili River Valley where the latter occupied. Of course, the sphere of influence of the Erut Mongols was far more than the Ili River Valley, and the entire Ili River Valley, including the eastern part of present-day Kazakhstan, was the frontier of the Mongol cavalry.
After Qianlong pacified Dzungar, the territory of the former Khanate was incorporated into the Qing Empire, and at this time China's territory reached westward to Lake Balkhash, that is to say, during this period we controlled all the territory of the Ili River Valley.
However, the prosperity and decline, the glory of the early Qing Dynasty could not hide the nest of the end, and in the face of Tsarist Russia, the Manchu Qing was powerless to resist. The fiasco of the Qing Dynasty in the First and Second Opium Wars stimulated the desire of the Russians to encroach on Qing territory.
Tsarist Russia cut off large tracts of territory in the northeast and turned its attention to the northwest. The 1864 Sino-Russian Survey of the Northwest Boundary Resulted in the Loss of 440,000 Square Kilometers of Land by the Qing Dynasty, including the middle and lower reaches of the Ili River.
Despite the strong resistance of the Qing Dynasty, Tsarist Russia was unable to trace its power back to the source of the Ili River, but Tsarist Russia obviously would not give up. After the signing of the treaty, the Russians soon supported the invasion of Xinjiang by Agubai, the military leader of the Kokand State, and at the same time, the Russian army also took advantage of the fire and looting to drive the forces of the Qing Empire out of the upper reaches of the Ili River and fully control the Ili River Valley.
This time, the Qing Dynasty was determined not to give in again, and Zuo Zongtang, the 63-year-old governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, set out from the capital carrying a coffin. Ma Ge wrapped the body and carried the coffin out on the expedition. Shusheng raised his sword to turn the waves, and Chu Di'er Lang swung it as much as he could. A year later, Agubai committed suicide in defeat, and all of Xinjiang was restored except for the upper reaches of the Ili River.
However, in the face of the Ili River Valley occupied by Tsarist Russia, Zuo Daren was obviously much more cautious. From the russian point of view, they naturally wanted to do their best to strip the area from the territory of the Qing Dynasty and monopolize the fertile river valleys and abundant water sources. In the face of the threat of the Russian army, the bottom line of the Qing Dynasty is to keep the upper reaches of the Ili River, otherwise it will not hesitate to fight.
At this point, many people of insight have seen the crux of the problem: the climate in Central Asia is generally arid, and whoever controls the water source has the advantage, while the Ili River originates here and is surrounded by mountains, which is a natural place for soldiers. Even if our generation cannot change the fate of history, as long as we keep the family foundation for future generations, we are not afraid of the day when there will be no reversal in the future.
In 1878, under the circumstances of the two sides' sword fighting, the bannerman Chonghou went to Petersburg on behalf of the Manchu Qing to negotiate, but was fooled by the Russian side and completely ceded the Ili River Valley. When the news reached the capital, the imperial court was furious, and on the one hand, Chonghou was imprisoned for questioning, and on the other hand, he sent envoys to seek salvation. However, Russia refused to renegotiate on the grounds that the international treaty was in force, and the imperial court was very passive for a while.
Seeing that the wood had become a boat, at this time, Empress Dowager Cixi, who was thousands of miles away, and Zuo Zongtang reached an unprecedented tacit understanding. At the sound of an order, Zuo Zongtang ordered the army to go north to Ili, and at the same time released the words: "Either renegotiate or end up together", until this time Czarist Russia finally understood that the old man in Hunan had never thought of leaving Xinjiang alive from the beginning.
The general has not yet returned the edge, and the huxiang disciples are full of heavenly mountains. The newly planted willows are three thousand miles, attracting the spring breeze to cross the jade pass.
Seeing that the Chinese desperate, Tsarist Russia finally admitted, and in 1881, the Qing envoy went to Russia again, the two sides signed the "Sino-Russian Amendment Treaty", and Ili returned to the territory of the motherland. How meaningful is Zuo Zongtang's battle? If we hadn't fought this battle and hadn't had Zuo Zongtang, we might have had to carry our passports when we left Jiayuguan in the west today.
Zuo Gong has been in history forever!
Text: Teacher Yan, picture: General Wei, welcome to reprint.