Source: People's Daily - Shandong Channel
The whole army marched through Wusan Road to yili
Zuo Zongtang was extremely angry when he heard that Chonghou had signed this contract. On December 4, 1879 (October 21), Zuo Zongtang wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Yamen while playing the "Folding of the Matter of Returning Chen and Receiving Ili" to the Qing court. In this letter, the first to expose the serious effects of Russian aggression:
Russia regards Ili as its own, and if this encroaches on it, the whole territory of Xinjiang will have the tendency to go by a hundred miles, and Qin Longyan and Jin will be in a hurry to defend the border. At that time, Xu was discussing the side of the plan, and he was afraid that the labor fee could not be said, and the overall situation was difficult to repeat." Moreover, the Russians are preoccupied with deceit and do not attach importance to faith and righteousness, "there is no special day to control the mausoleum, that is, there is no end at present." If you don't sort it out in time, you will sit back and watch the side suffer more and more, which is a special plan."
Then, he lamented the harm of the treaty made by Chen Chonghou, believing that although Russia still had Ili in name, it was actually: "I have only a barren suburb left in Ili", and the northern and southwestern regions are all owned by Russia. Since then, Ili has been surrounded by Russian troops on all sides, and the officers and soldiers have received the fallen gear circle, so they cannot - towards Ju'er! Although the gain is inevitable, the mediocrity is lucky? ”
"It is the first discussion that is still empty talk, and then it ends with the military power."
On December 14, Zuo Zongtang played "The Various Sections Played by Li Hongzhang", sternly refuting Li Hongzhang's various shameless remarks and stressing that aggression against Russia must not be flinched. He said:
Since Russia stole Ili, it has been doing its duty to harm China and the West every day, and its accumulation of opportunities has been deepened. This lofty mission is the beginning and the end. If I still respond with a vague and ambiguous view, I will retreat and advance, and I will bow down to the other, and its calamity will be extinguished, not only the worries of the northwest.
Here he saw the aggressive nature of Russia very deeply, believing that from this lofty mission they had "made peace and exposition" with their suspicions. Under these circumstances, if we still respond with "vague and ambiguous views," then it must be that the more I retreat from the other, the more I lean on the other, and the more I look up to the other, the more the disasters are endless, not only the worries of the northwest, but also the inland will not be guaranteed. He rebuked Li Hongzhang, just like a quack doctor treating people with a leprosy:
However, at present, if you do not dare to use the agent of junli, then the disease will end with people, and there is no hope that he will be sick and strong one day. Why is the trend between China and Russia today different?
If we continue to cure this mediocre medicine, the root cause of this disease will never be removed, and there is no hope of "one day when there is a disease to get rid of the body." This analogy is very sharp and precise. He proposed to the Qing government: "On the day of the reverent restoration of life, the meeting of the military ministers, the prime minister Yamen, the six ministries and nine secretaries, and the generals and governors will be refute and refute the articles and regulations that have been discussed." He said at the end: For several months, he played the secret edict, and saw the prime minister Yamen each other, "Small words and great righteousness, deeply clear, enough to break the hearts of outsiders, and those who should declare it will also declare it." "Plans, strategies, policies," the Grand Duke of the World, what is the secret?" "To be public, to be upright, to be upright, to be upright, to be able to promote the prestige of the country and to be upright."
Zuo Zongtang's views and attitudes on the Ili issue played an important role in the decision of the Qing court on the treaty made by Yu Chonghou. On December 17, after the Qing government received Zuo Zongtang's letter, it issued an edict saying that Zuo Zongtang played:
"The stakes are clear, and the money is deep." The governor's claim to be the first to discuss, the decision to fight the front, since the intention of the mutual use of rigidity and softness, all the roadside defense matters in the north and south of Xinjiang, that is, the governor pre-planned arrangements, for the purpose of emergency. In the future, when it is appropriate to manipulate the opportunity, the governor will certainly be able to plan the overall situation and plan to move later. (Qing Shi Lu 53)
On December 26, Zuo Zongtang retorted Li's recital to Beijing. On the seventh day thereafter, on January 2, 1880, the Qing government dismissed Chonghou from its office and, as Zuo Zongtang suggested, submitted chonghou's treaty to the ministries for deliberation.
On February 19, 1880 (the tenth day of the first month of the sixth year of Guangxu), the Qing government issued a state letter to Russia, saying that the treaty discussed by Chonghou "violated many violations of discipline and exceeded authority" and that "many things were suffocated and difficult to do", so he sent Zeng Jize, the young secretary of the Dali Temple, as the minister of envoy to Russia, and the Greeks were sent to "negotiate with each other in peace".
On the basis of the suggestions of Zuo Zongtang and others, the Qing government adopted this correct policy decision to safeguard national territorial sovereignty and national interests, which greatly dealt a blow to the aggressive arrogance of Tsarist Russia and shifted the negotiations on the recovery of Ili from reverence to Zeng Jize. Zuo Zongtang also moved to a new stage of supporting Zeng Jize's negotiations with Russia by force.
If it is said that the repossession of Ili was sponsored by Zuo Zongtang to revere Russia, and then to the reassignment of Zeng Jize to make Russia re-talk about a "zigzag" shape, and to deny that the re-dispatch of Zeng Jize was a major turning point, then Russia was afraid that it would be in danger of being lost in seizing the rights and interests it had just arrived, thus single-handedly creating the Ili crisis of the imminent outbreak of war, making the situation in the recovery of Ili extremely grim!
The Qing government's refusal to accept the Treaty of Rivagia and its punishment immediately provoked the wrath of the Tsarist government. On November 22, 1880 (January 3, 1880), the Chargé d'affaires of Tsarist Russia, Kaiyangde, protested to Prime Minister Yamen and threatened to return to China under the banner and sever diplomatic relations; in addition, he deployed an army and navy on the Sino-Russian border to exert military pressure. Relations between the two countries deteriorated sharply.
In the face of the huge military pressure of Tsarist Russia, the Qing government was also forced to take corresponding countermeasures, ordering Zuo Zongtang to go to the northwest to coordinate the battle and defense, and at the same time transferring the garrison to the northeast to strengthen border defense.
At that time, Russia forcibly asked the Qing government to handle the treaty made by Chonghou in accordance with the treaty, and in addition to political blackmail, it also increased its troops on the northeast border of our country, dispatched warships at sea to cruise on the surface of our country, and invited various countries to carry out armed demonstrations on Chinese warships in Shanghai.
In the northwest, it is the key area where it creates war. In the Ili area, for example, in the first half of 1880, there were 78 companies of infantry and horses, with more than 11,500 soldiers, which was more than 5 times more than the 2,000 troops it had when it invaded and occupied Ili. In addition, more than 9,000 troops were prepared to be recruited from Siberia and more than 4,600 troops were sent from Fergana to the Kashgar border. Moreover, the invading army stationed in Ili is actively preparing for war, some of them "crossing the border to explore the way" or even "crossing the border to garrison"; some, like the army commanded by Kurobatkin, "can advance as long as they are ordered!" Some even shouted, "One of our companies can be defeated—a thousand Chinese!" Therefore, he thought: "Chinese life is very difficult. ”
Not only that, but Kaufman, who was sitting in Tashkent, summoned The Berkhuri gang and asked him to gather bandits to invade Kashgar, expel the Chinese, and restore the "Seven Cities Khanate." Russia was also prepared to "launch a fierce attack on Dzungar in early 1881 upon a complete break with China."
Although the arrogance of the war in Tsarist Russia is like the trend of black clouds pressing down on the city, the military and people of all nationalities in our country are not afraid and will never show weakness. "Inside and outside the city of Beijing, since last year's Russian affairs, the streets have been talking about the streets, and everyone has taken the First World War as a quick one." Ding Baozhen, the governor of Sichuan, proposed strengthening the defense of the northeast, advocating "strong tolerance and hard work, and a hundred twists and turns," and also expressed to the Qing court: "I am willing to ascend to the russian hall with the slight body of a dog and a horse, and "even if I die, I will not be sorry." Even more, The Admiral Lei Zhengxuan, who was stationed in the interior of the country, expressed his national integrity and pride, wrote a letter to Zuo Zongtang, asking him to "get out of the customs together" with Zuo Dashuai!
Contrary to Li Hongzhang and other important courtiers who were intimidated by the russian momentum, Zuo Zongtang calmly and objectively analyzed the situation between the enemy and ourselves, knew himself and the other, was confident, fearless, and had the conviction of victory.
Zuo Zongtang analyzed the situation at that time and believed that "it is impossible to collect Ili without using troops." He resolutely took the lead in the war, not opposing the peace talks and taking the initiative to provoke war, but "waiting for it", "cautiously planning it", and taking war preparation as the backing of the negotiations to cope with Russia's war blackmail. Bales commented:
"A careful study of Zuo Zongtang's remarks during this period shows that he does not intend to see China plunged into a war with Russia, but he clearly recognizes the importance of military auxiliary diplomacy."
Falk, a German technician at the "Tai Lai Foreign Firm" in Shanghai, said:
Yu looked at the two armies of Soma and Infantry and all the guns and cannons, and their generals and officers, and the perfect. If you are at war with Russia in Ili, you will win the battle. The First Fear Russians fought not in Ili, but elsewhere. (Falk: Journey to the West)
At that time, because of the internal and external difficulties after the Crimean War, Russia was also willing to reopen negotiations.
At that time, Britain, France, and other countries were reluctant to start a war between China and Russia based on their own interests in China, so when Chonghou was convicted, they came forward one after another to intercede in an attempt to ease the tension between China and Russia. The Qing government had originally tried to avoid war with Russia, and under the influence of Britain, France and other countries, it quickly determined the policy of reopening negotiations and revising the former treaty, that is, from the original tough attitude to the intention of compromise.
Western powers exerted influence on the Qing government, and Queen Victoria personally wrote to Empress Dowager Cixi to intercede for Chonghou.
The British minister in China, Wittoma, said to Li Hongzhang: "He will receive external telecommunications from his own country, and on the orders of the monarch, he will ask for ... The Great Emperor pardoned chongshi. "Otherwise," after Zeng Hou arrived in Russia, the Russians would not discuss with him." Moreover, it is said that Russia has added many warships to China, and wants to collude with the Japanese countries and China." He also said that if China could "forgive the crime of waiting" for Chonghou, the British "monarch and the sons and daughters of the Russian lord will be in-laws, and they will agree from the side, and ask the Russian court to receive Zeng Hou and negotiate to change the charter." ”
Russia also claimed that if it did not pardon Chonghou, it would not negotiate with Zeng Jize. Under pressure, the Qing government announced that it would be exempt from the crime of beheading and waiting.
Second, Russia stepped up the deployment of troops and generals, intimidated the Qing government by force, not only increased its troops in Ili, but also deployed heavy troops north of the Heilongjiang River and east of the Ussuri River, and mobilized more than 20 warships to form a fleet from the Black Sea to Nagasaki, Japan, threatening to blockade the Chinese coast and threaten Beijing and Tianjin.
Again, the Lobbying of the British Gordon did play a bad role. This person had been the leader of the "foreign gun brigade" and had personal relations with Li Hongzhang, and he was hired by the Qing government at this time to mediate for the Sino-Russian Ili negotiations. Gordon went to Tianjin to meet Li Hongzhang and threatened: "If you want to fight, you should burn down the outskirts of Beijing, move the government archives and the emperor from Beijing to the center, and prepare for five years of fighting." ”
Li Hongzhang, who had not advocated the recovery of Xinjiang and supported the signing of the treaty of Chonghou, was very panicked, and he immediately submitted the "Gordon's message" to the Qing government, saying: "If China takes Beijing as the place where it is built as its capital, it will not be able to start a quarrel with foreign countries for a day, because the capital is too close to Haikou, and the foreign soldiers are easy to drive straight in, and they are powerless to stop it. Sure enough, the Qing court was shaken.
At this time, Britain, France and other countries used their diplomatic influence to urge the Qing government to make concessions to Russia, reduce the crime of exoneration, avoid the occurrence of war, and enable Russia to negotiate with Zeng Jize.
Under the threat of Russia and the inducement of Britain and France, Li Hongzhang, Prime Minister Yamen, and Prince Yizhen of Alcohol all advocated accepting British and French persuasion. Yi Zhen believes that in the present situation, if the request of the nations is granted, "then they will work together to mediate", and the Russian conspiracy will stop it; if he does not allow it, "he will not think of provoking, and I will be alone." Therefore, he suggested that Chonghou be temporarily exempted from beheading, but that the defense should not be relaxed. He said, "There is a will to fight, and then there is a will to fight; there is a will to win, and then nothing will be accomplished." On June 26, the Qing government weighed the advantages and disadvantages of the Anglo-French mediation, especially the threat of war in Russia and Li Hongzhang's alarmist remarks, resulting in "the defense of the sea frontier being inadequate", and was forced to temporarily exempt Chonghou from the crime of being sentenced to prison and still imprisoned, so that the Qing government then shifted its focus from war preparation to negotiation-centered peacemaking. Russia also agreed to negotiate with Zeng Jize, and the Sino-Russian Ili negotiations initially broke the deadlock.
By the way, to make an explanation: in the tenth year of Guangxu (1884), Chonghou assisted the army to pay 300,000 taels before he was finally released. In October of the same year, on the fiftieth birthday of Cixi, he also paid for the congratulations of the class, and was demoted to the second rank according to the original official, and rewarded with a title. Guangxu died in the nineteenth year (1893).
Contrary to the imperial court, which was intimidated by the threats of the great powers and prepared to compromise, Zuo Zongtang was actively preparing for war with great courage, pointing at Ili and solving the problem with military might.
Ili's terrain is dangerous, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Zuo Zongtang's proposed three-way defense is desirable. As far as the western road is concerned, Liu Jintang believes that although there were shortcuts from Ush to Ili in the past, they can now be controlled by Russia, and kashgar takes the route from Ush to travel to more than 20 stations, "far away from each other, it is difficult to take care of it"; if the tielek from Kashgar west, "the detachment will go through the Russian territory and try to forge ahead, and now the strength of the troops is really not caught." However, he said: "In the future, if there is a move on the North Tianshan Road, it may be necessary to allocate a team to divide the Kashgar wild cards, so as to go deep into the Russian territory, and it should be handled properly and cautiously in accordance with Zuo Zongtang's original performance." In addition, Liu Jintang suggested to Zuo Zongtang that according to the dangerous obstacles of the Wushi and Bingling roads, "take the Karashaar route and still march around the Jinghe River." "As far as the comparison of the north, middle and west roads is concerned, the north road is moving westward, which is slightly better than the middle and west roads crossing the Tianshan Ice Ridge."
However, Zuo Zongtang believed that although the troops on the North Road were not thin, they were "brave and cowardly," and it was difficult to rely on them all, so he still focused on the Central and Western Roads, and analyzed and emphasized to Liu Jintang the intention of the three roads to enter the army.
First of all, in recent years, because of the anglo-German assistance to France and Austria, Russia has "taken care of the west and provoked in the east, and it seems that it is difficult to get rid of its poison"; "the Ili departments are suffering from their conquests and wantonly, and they are eager to wait for the intention of large soldiers." According to Jin Shunxin yesterday, "The Russian officials of Ili have also said that they have urged this year's money and grain, so the disintegration of the various ministries is even more knowable!" Under this favorable situation, "the whole army is armed with force, cautiously trying to retrieve Ili", and "the opportunity and the situation are inherently available."
Secondly, the original intention of the three-way army was to surprise and win, and now that it is known that Ush and Bingling are not feasible all the way, they should give up on it. However, at that time, Yancheng, Germany, England and Argentina exchanged defenses and took this shortcut to the ice ridge. Now this "refers to Ili, as if the situation is still incompatible." If this road is difficult to avoid the danger of the ice ridge, and the transfer is still difficult to reach, it can be tuned to the northern boundary, and the situation of going deep into the Russian territory will make Russia dare not use a brigade to aid Ili. In this way, it is still the trend of three-way marching, and it can also reap the fruits of three-way march.
The third is the timing of the school and the policies adopted. He said, "The division will be free from the labor of transportation and feeding after the harvest of Ili." After the Russian soldiers returned to China within the time limit, the people of all ethnic groups in The Uighurs and Hui countries either entered the customs and installed them, or they were still "for the king's people" in the local area. And to abolish the heavy taxes levied by the Russians. In this way, "it seems that there can be no trouble" in peace."
Zuo Zongtang was most worried about whether the Qing court could strengthen its confidence and "strive to uphold the right theory." Therefore, he specially copied the letters of Liu Jintang and Zhang Yao to Premier Yamen, hoping that they would strengthen their determination!
In his letter to Jin Shun, he estimated the prospects for talks and war. He said:
Zeng Hou went out on an envoy, witnessed the mistakes of the previous car, and did not dare to repeat the previous regrets. If Russia knows that it is obedient and does not dare to insist on different theories, the situation may still be able to argue with the tongue as a merit; if it is still cunning in its previous statements, it is bound to use troops.
In order to prevent the Qing government from being swayed by rhetoric, he once again stressed in the prime minister's yamen book that Zeng Jize must not forget the war when he made russia peace. He said: Under the circumstance that "although russia's situation is extremely unpredictable, but there are two reasons and situations, there is no excuse for it," "Jie Gang (Zeng Jize) went out on an envoy, witnessed the previous ruts, and should scrupulously obey his orders to hold on to it.", we must not take lightly the greed of the Russian side. Tsarist Russia was "repetitive, especially cunning than the Tessy islanders." Therefore, even if "this time the agreement is made, the border defense will be difficult to solve in the end, and it will definitely be decisive to defeat the armed forces.
Here, Zuo Zongtang has soberly seen that it is difficult to reclaim Ili without decisively winning the armed forces and without showing firm determination and actual arrangements for decisively winning the armed forces.
About the Author
Chen Mingfu, born in August 1937, is a native of Ningbo, Zhejiang. He is a former fourth-level professor of professional technology at Dalian University of Political Science of the Navy, a member of the Chinese Writers Association, a member of the Chinese Biographical Literature Society, a director of the Liaoning Biographical Literature Society, and a vice president of the Dalian Cultural Research Association.
At the age of 61 years of the party, he was awarded the medal of "Glorious Fifty Years in the Party"
It has published 36 monographs and works, more than 12 million words, and many more are yet to be published. He has published four series of famous Chinese warships, including "Documentary on the Righteousness of "Chongqing" Ships" and "The Heroic Soul of Haijiang"; three miscellaneous articles such as "The Collection of Worries"; two military strategy treatises such as "Zhukov's Art of War"; seven marine science popularization books such as "Ancient and Modern Naval Battles"; "Ancient and Modern Naval Battles" won the Fifth National Outstanding Science Popularization Award; "Vicissitudes traveling in Shunkou" and five other documentary literatures; and six biographies of characters, such as "The Complete Biography of Zuo Zongtang, a Famous General of the Late Qing Dynasty" and "The Great Biography of Su Dongpo". In June 2013, "The Complete Biography of Zuo Zongtang, a Famous General of the Late Qing Dynasty", won the Fourth China Outstanding Biographical Literary Works Award, which was evaluated every five years. The award speech reads: "Chen Mingfu, with a high sense of historical responsibility and full of passion, lasted six years, searching for the footprints of Zuo Zongtang, a famous general of the late Qing Dynasty and a famous minister of Zhongxing, to visit Guannei Saiwai, the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and the Wanli Sea Frontier, and consulted and collected tens of millions of words of historical materials and many interesting anecdotes. The work is magnificent, the writing is smooth, the narrative is vivid, and it successfully shapes Zuo Zongtang's distinctive character, shows the life course of this national hero legend, fills in the shortcomings and deficiencies in Zuo Zongtang's biography writing for more than a hundred years, and strives to give an objective and fair evaluation of various controversies about Zuo Zongtang. In 2012, he was selected as one of the "Ten Influential Figures" in the literary and art circles of Dalian. In August 2018, the People's Daily Publishing House published Xu Jingeng's 400,000-word long reportage "Late Success of The Great Instrument", the People's Daily supplement published a 1,700-word commentary article on September 7, "Writing the Zhengrong Years with the Pen of Shen Xiong", and Zhejiang Daily also published Zhang Hongtu's comments. Modern Gold Daily published Zhang Denggui's commentary on "One Book, Two People", which was reprinted by Ningbo Daily and Quzhou Daily. The epilogue is: China needs such a virtuous intellectual too much!