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introduction
The mainland has a vast land area and a vast terrain, covering about 9.6 million square kilometers, and such a prosperous "rooster" map has also made countless Chinese people proud. But in history, through the renewal of various dynasties, the territorial area of the continent has also changed with each dynasty.
Chinese cultivate the land beneath his feet and fight against the land. During the Qing Dynasty, the mainland's territorial area reached an unprecedented 13.5 million square kilometers, exceeding the current full 3 million square kilometers.
(Continental Map)
As the heyday of the mainland territory, the Qing Dynasty stood on the basis of its predecessors to expand its territory. If it were not for the subsequent Western invasion that opened the door to China, if the territory of the Qing Dynasty had been maintained, how many countries would be envious, and how would other countries feel?
First, the territorial changes of the mainland have changed throughout the dynasties, and the Qing Dynasty is the second largest
In 221 BC, Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms and established the first multi-ethnic integration country in the history of the continent.
The establishment of the Qin Dynasty also laid the foundation of the continent, and the scale of the Han as the central leader was basically determined. In the following thousands of years, the territory of the continent has always undergone various changes under the will of the monarchs of various dynasties.
As early as the Xia Shang and Zhou Dynasty, we can see through various archaeological sites that the birthplace of tribal civilization at that time was mostly near the Yellow River. Especially around Henan, after the change of three generations of Xia merchants, during this period, the territory of the mainland was about one million square kilometers, mainly concentrated in Henan, Shandong and other places.
(Xia Dynasty map restored)
After Qin Shi Huang achieved great unification, the territory of the seven heroes of the Warring States was included in the Qin Dynasty. In 214 BC, Qin Shi Huang set up three counties in Guangdong and Guangxi to the south, fought against the Xiongnu to the north, and expanded his territory to the Yin Mountain region. Using the Great Wall, from east to west, from Korea to Lintao and other places, the territory of the Qin Dynasty covers more than 3 million square kilometers.
By the time of Emperor Wudi of Han Dynasty, we all know that Zhang Qian was sent as an envoy to the Western Regions, with the intention of communication. But we can see Emperor Wudi of Han's territorial ambitions. At that time, the Xiongnu in the north frequently attacked, and immediately sent troops to attack, recovered the previously lost territory, and included the Xiongnu area in the scope and set up counties.
This was thanks to a general under Emperor Wudi of Han, Huo Qubing. Someone once joked that if Huo Qubing had not died young, I am afraid that he would have been able to fight all the way to Europe at that time. Emperor Wudi of Han himself intended to expand his territory, and both the Eastern and Western Han reached more than six million square kilometers.
(Map of the Han Dynasty)
In the Tang Dynasty, after the annihilation of the Eastern Turkic state, the territory of the Tang Dynasty expanded to the entire north and south of the desert under Lake Baikal, and a capital protectorate was established here. During Li Shimin's conquest, the territory of the Tang Dynasty reached more than 12 million square kilometers, and by the middle of the Tang Dynasty, during the Xuanzong period, the area of the Tang Dynasty was about 8.89 million square kilometers.
Time came to the Yuan Dynasty, as the Yuan Dynasty of Mongol origin, they were bloodthirsty and warlike people who grew up on horseback, and warlike also meant the opening of the territory.
Under Genghis Khan, it reached present-day Sakhalin Island in the north, the southernmost tip of the entire Liaodong Peninsula to the south, and bordered present-day Korea. It unified Tubo and took the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Yunnan.
Even the southernmost point reached Burma and Thailand, and under the conquest of the Mongol Iron Horse, it simultaneously launched attacks on the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea. Even directly on European soil, as far north as Siberia and west to the Mediterranean. The Yuan Dynasty's conquests were vast, gathered during the Yuan Dynasty, and the land area reached 14.5 million square kilometers.
(Map of the Yuan Dynasty)
Then came the last feudal dynasty, the Qing dynasty.
The Qing Dynasty was born from the northern Jurchen ethnic group, combined with the Mongolian and Manchu ethnic groups, and was a mixture of northern ethnic groups. The Qing Dynasty was especially good at riding and archery, recovering Taiwan, signing a contract with Tsarist Russia, and after pacifying Dzungar, the entire territory of the Qing Dynasty reached its peak.
It is adjacent to Russia and the Trans-Khingan Mountains, and its borders reach Sakhalin, and even the northwest includes the Kazakh state and the Pamir Plateau. It borders India and Nepal, and inevitably even includes parts of South Asia, including northern Myanmar. In addition, the South China Sea includes Zengmu Shoal, Penghu and other places.
At its peak, the Qing Dynasty reached 13.5 million square kilometers, making it the second largest dynasty in the history of all dynasties. Although by the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu army that had stepped into Shanhaiguan had lost its former charm. But under the prosperity of Kang Qian, the Qing Dynasty still brought us a vast territory.
(Map of the Qing Dynasty)
Second, the Qing Dynasty opened up its territory, covering both north and south
As we mentioned earlier, the Qing Dynasty, as a minority group, itself had a unique militant factor belonging to nomads. Different from the humble and moderate culture in the interior of the Central Plains, they advocate a "wolf culture", that is, relying on their own strength to compete for what they want.
Since the Qing army entered the customs, they have successfully occupied Beijing, lying next to the bed, and they will not allow others to sleep soundly. At that time, there were still many Ming Dynasty troops in various places to resist, so with Beijing as the center, began the counterinsurgency and reconquest war in many places. Those territories that were originally in the Ming Dynasty are not finished,
(Qing army enters customs)
At that time, Shunzhi and later Kangxi also had a wish, that is, to take back the territories they had lost one by one.
After the fall of the Ming Dynasty, Xinjiang was separated from the territory, and at that time, San Francisco was not peaceful, Taiwan had not returned, and even the Yellow River flooded for years, losing countless human and financial resources.
Subsequently, under the leadership of Kangxi, he flattened San Francisco and took Taiwan. After these two things were properly handled, Kangxi felt that it was not easy, but he did not slacken because of this, and he still had a major trouble in his heart, that is, pacifying Jungar. Dzungar and the Qing court pretended to submit, but they constantly sent troops to harass the border, and even entered the city to burn, kill and plunder.
When Kangxi was there, he repeatedly wanted to send troops to attack Dzungar, but at that time there were too many places to fight in the country, and the army could not withdraw at all. This wish was not fulfilled until the Qianlong period, and even during the attack on Dzungar, the Qing army successfully occupied the Ili region.
(Map of Junggar)
Dzungar is in present-day Tibet, Qinghai and other places, so starting from the Kangxi Dynasty, the territory of the Qing Dynasty is gradually increasing, and at its peak, it even includes many areas of present-day Russia, and has reached the scope of Sakhalin Island and Siberia.
Looking at the maps of the Qing Dynasty, we will find many surprises.
Many unexpected places are also the territory of the mainland. For example, today's Mongolia and Myanmar were once the rule of the Qing Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty at that time was the boss of Asia, and at most the Qing Dynasty had 19 vassal states, including Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal and other places.
(Qing Dynasty vassal state)
These were due to the strong military strength of the Qing army after entering the customs, and also benefited from the monarch's broad-mindedness. In 1652, the then Tibetan Living Buddha Lama was invited to be summoned by Shunzhi and received the title of Shunzhi Emperor, and Tibet was successfully incorporated into the territory of the Qing Dynasty.
In 1881, the Qing government regained Xinjiang, and Xinjiang returned to the embrace of the motherland after the Ming Dynasty broke away. In the twenty-fourth year of Qianlong, the Qing Dynasty directly extended its territory to the Pamir Plateau, which attracted the attention of Central Asia at that time. They were unable to confront the Qing army, so many tribes in later Central Asia submitted to the Qing dynasty.
(Subject to a vassal state of the Qing Dynasty)
The expansion of the territory of the Qing Dynasty, if not for the collapse of the government in the last years, under the invasion of powerful Western foreign enemies, the various unequal treaties signed by the Qing government forced the cession of many regions, such as the Ryukyu Islands, Hong Kong and many other places. After the Qing government lost power, the vassal states of that year also ceded their seats.
But if the territory of the Qing government can be maintained to this day, what will it be? I don't know how many countries can arouse the envy, and how do other countries feel?
3. If the territory of the Qing Dynasty continues to be maintained, how will other countries feel?
Although we know that this is a hypothesis, it is naturally very painful to be a Chinese in the face of land that was once robbed by other countries, or lost land.
We can't do what Kangxi did in the past, relying only on military ability to take a country. Only by following the current international order can we achieve long-term development, but this does not hinder our assumptions.
If the Qing Dynasty had stood strong, had not ceded, and had not been invaded by other countries, if these territories really remained, what would be the current situation in the international community?
(Map of the Qing Dynasty)
The first thing to mention is those vassal states, such as many places in South Asia, as well as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, most of their current territory originally belonged to China. If the territory of the Qing Dynasty was still there, those countries would probably cease to exist, or they would be regionalized like Hong Kong and Macao today.
For those countries with a small area, such a vast territory is naturally very envious. For example, the Korean Peninsula and Japan, all of which envy the vastness of the mainland. If the previous territory is really restored, I am afraid that the world's largest country will have to change seats.
However, I think that if the territory of the Qing Dynasty really exists, the biggest feeling to ask is Russia. As one of the most extensive countries in the world today, Russia snatched more than 500,000 square kilometers from the Qing government. If we go back to the original situation, Russia is absolutely afraid of the mainland.
(War screens, pictures and texts have nothing to do)
However, it is worth mentioning that the center of Russia has always been in the European region. If those original territories really belong to us, they should develop better. And the secession of Outer Mongolia was also a last resort, if Outer Mongolia is still there, the security status of the mainland will be further improved. In this case, I am afraid that the surrounding countries will be even more envious.
The mere fact that China has been bred in the vast land is enough to make many countries fearful, and if it still has more than 13 million territories during the Qing Dynasty, I am afraid that it will be larger countries that will be uneasy. For example, the Western powers and Japan had to weigh a few more points, and now the United States cannot plant their "eyeliner" in its mainland neighbors.
To sum up, if the territory of the Qing Dynasty had been maintained, China's international status would now be higher, and China's opinions would have been taken into account when making many decisions.
I am afraid that at that time, the countries will have to weigh the relationship and position with China.