In 1867, the Qing Dynasty was already in turmoil, there were great powers outside the bullying, there were civil uprisings on the inside, Agubai even with the support of Tsarist Russia sneaked into Xinjiang, established an Islamic Khanate called Zhedshaar, and tried to split the southern part of Xinjiang from the territory of the Qing Dynasty in China, and the situation on the frontier could not be delayed. To make matters worse, Japan was invading Taiwan again at this time, and the coastal defense problem was revealed, so there was a dispute over the sea plug.
The Qing Dynasty was attacked on both sides, li hongzhang and others advocated temporarily abandoning the defense of Cyprus and using the silver of the defense of Sai to coastal defense, while Wang Wenshao, the governor of Hunan, advocated the defense of Sai, and the last faction was the view that Zuo Zongtang was the main defender of The Sea, and that both Xinjiang and Taiwan were China's territory and should not be abandoned like this. Zuo Zongtang pointed out, "The north and south roads of the Tianshan Mountains are rich in grain production, melons and fruits, cattle and sheep are everywhere, and herds of horses. Coal, iron, gold, silver and jade are abundant. The so-called desert of a thousand miles is actually a cornucopia. ”
Once Xinjiang is lost and the northwest gateway is opened, the rebels and Tsarist Russia will certainly launch an attack. If Xinjiang is not taken back sooner rather than later, the Russians will still occupy Mongolia, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shanxi... At that time, I am afraid that the Great Qing Dynasty will be finished. Even if the war continues, the shaanxi and Gansu armies will be held there for a long time, not only spending money and food, but also giving any help to coastal defense, only taking the initiative to retake Xinjiang is the best choice, and finally the imperial court agreed to Zuo Zongtang's suggestion.
Although the imperial court agreed, it gave two words: no money! In the end, the imperial court only allocated 2 million taels, and Zuo Zongtang borrowed 13.75 million taels from foreign merchants through Hu Xueyan and 8.46 million taels from Chinese merchants to raise enough military expenses. In this way, Zuo Zongtang, who was more than a year old, swore an oath to go out on the expedition, and there was a coffin in front of the team to show Zuo Zongtang's determination to recover Xinjiang! At that time, Zuo Zongtang commanded the troops of the Western Expedition:
Liu Jintang's 32 battalions of the Xiang Army, Zhang Yao's 14 battalions of the Songwu Army, Xu Zhanbiao's 5 battalions of the Sichuan Army, Jin Shun's 40 battalions, plus the troops who served as the defenders, had a total of more than 150 battalions, with a total strength of about 70,000 to 80,000 people, but due to the emptiness of the national treasury at that time and the inconvenience of transportation in the northwest, there were only more than 50 battalions of the front-line troops that really went to the front, only more than 20,000 people. Subsequently, Zuo Gong adopted the strategy of "first north and then south" to destroy the Xinjiang rebels, forcing the Tsarist Russia to sit at the negotiating table and spit out the Yili region. Subsequently, Zuo Gongli advocated the establishment of a province in Xinjiang by the Qing court, officially listing it as a direct jurisdiction area.
Compared with those local officials who nodded their heads in front of foreigners, Zuo Zongtang was an out-and-out "hardliner". During his tenure as governor of Liangjiang, he made four rounds of the Shanghai area, the first time with his own soldiers, and when he encountered obstruction from foreigners on leasing, he asked Zuo Zongtang to provide a diplomatic note, and Zuo Zongtang was furious: Shanghai is china, and outsiders only lease Er. With my Chinese soldiers traveling to the land of China, why should there be a note?
Subsequently, Zuo Zongtang ordered his soldiers Ding Tohe to sheath his guns and swords, and prepare to force their way in. As soon as the foreigners saw it, they immediately softened, and immediately respectfully cleared the road for Lord Zuo, changed the Chinese dragon flag, and fired 13 salutes to greet them. Zuo Zongtang is a well-deserved national hero, and such a patriotic feeling is worth learning.