On the eve of the outbreak of the Wuchang Uprising, the Qing court issued a paper transfer order in February 1911: "Transfer The Hangzhou General Zhirui to general Ili, and transfer the Ili general Guangfu to the Hangzhou general", why rush to replace the frontier minister at this time? In fact, at this time, the Qing court's frontier change of defense had an unknown earth-shattering conspiracy.
At this time, the rule of the Qing Dynasty was already in danger, the southern revolutionary party revolted one after another, and the Sichuan people's road protection movement was vigorous. Zhi Rui immediately went to Beijing after receiving the transfer order, conspired with the regent for several months, and then hurried from Beijing to Ili, which took less than four months, less than half the deadline given by the central government.
In its early years, Ili was the political center of the Qing Dynasty in Xinjiang, responsible for the administration of the subordinate ethnic groups in Xinjiang and Western Asia, and later moved to Dihua (present-day Urumqi)
When ZhiRuitu passed through Xi'an and Dihua, he conspired with Chang Geng, the governor of Shaanxi and Gansu, Yuan Dahua, the governor of Xinjiang, and Zailan, the exiled Duke of The Revolutionary Auxiliary State, respectively, to support emperor Xuantong and move westward, dividing the northwestern province. Several people drew up a plan for the Qing court to go west, retreating from Beijing to Shaanxi, retreating to Xinjiang if the situation was unstable, and having no choice but to travel north from Xinjiang to Kulun in Outer Mongolia.
According to the retreat road map, the Qing court prepared to set the capital in Ili, Xinjiang, altay or Kulun in Outer Mongolia, "in case the Qing court is in danger, contact Xin, Gansu, and Inner Mongolia as one, support the westward migration of Xuanun, temporarily plot for peace, and XuTu to recover", and the important stick of the action was handed over to Zhirui, who was sitting in Ili.
The Qing court moved west to formulate the Xi'an-Yinchuan-Lanzhou-Yili-Kulun route map
Zhi Rui's two cousins were Emperor Guangxu's Concubine Jin and Concubine Zhen, so they were suppressed until Empress Dowager Cixi, and after the death of Emperor Guangxu and Empress Dowager Cixi, Guangxu's brother Zaifeng the Prince of Alcohol came to power, and Zhirui was reused, and this transfer to Yili was to open the westward passage to prepare for the Westward Migration of the Qing Court.
On November 15, 1911, Zhirui arrived in Ili to take up his post, and by this time the fire of the Xinhai Revolution had burned throughout the country. Liu Xianjun, a hunan revolutionary, led a hundred people to launch an uprising in Dihua (present-day Urumqi), opening the prelude to the Xinhai Revolution in Xinjiang.
Because of the traitor's informant, Yuan Dahua had already taken precautions, and the next day failed, Vientiane Chun and others sneaked to Ili, Liu Xianjun was heroic and righteous, only 29 years old, 143 martyrs of the Dihua Uprising, and more than 200 people were sent to southern Xinjiang.
Wuchang Shouyi rebels take a group photo in front of the junta
At the same time, the Qing court vainly tried to revolt in various strategic places of the westward passage, on October 22, the Xi'an uprising was electrified in response to Wuchang, and in November the Ningxia uprising was successful, and the Qing court's westward migration channel was blocked, and the only thing that could be relied on was the Xinjiang Ili guarded by Zhirui.
In January 1912, a secret telegram from Wuhan to Shanghai, Russia and the Ili Revolutionary Army read: "Yuan Dahua, ShengYun, Chang Geng, ZhiRui, etc., plotted to support Xuanun and move west; Ili should quickly revolt in response to Wuchang in order to break the other side." ”
Member of the Ili rebel army
10 days after the failure of the Dihua uprising, that is, on the evening of January 7, 1912 (the year of the lunar calendar), the revolutionaries led by Yang Zanxu, Feng Temin, and Li Fuhuang launched an uprising, although the time of the uprising was advanced, but due to relatively adequate preparations, the rebel armies inside and outside the city cooperated with each other, coordinated operations, and attacked separately, and the Ili uprising won victory on the night of the Uprising.
At 9:00 a.m. on January 8, the New Yidu Governor's Palace was proclaimed, and the five-color flag symbolizing the republic of the five ethnic groups replaced the Yellow Dragon Banner of the Qing Dynasty. On the 8th, the Ili rebel army electrified the whole country and announced the establishment of the "New Governor's Office of the Military Government of the Republic of China".
In front of the Bell and Drum Tower in Huiyuan City, the revolutionaries, in front of the people of the city, once again proposed to elect Zhirui as the governor, but Zhirui sternly refused, and then Zhirui was shot by the revolutionaries, the Ili revolutionary uprising was successful, and on February 12, 1912, Xuantong issued an abdication edict, and the westward migration plan was completely aborted.
The ancient city of Huiyuan in Ili was built during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty
The uprisings of Dihua and Ili were an integral part of China's Xinhai Revolution, and their main merits were to overthrow the Qing Dynasty's feudal rule in Xinjiang, implement a republic, and smash the plot of the Qing government to move west, so that the Qing government could not use Xinjiang as the base for its comeback and restoration of the imperial system.
The uprising eradicated the last "life-saving straw" of the Qing Dynasty, prevented the division of the country, accelerated the demise of the Qing Dynasty, and promoted the progress of Chinese history. Regrettably, however, the current evaluation of the Ili Xinhai Revolution is not high enough, nor is the propaganda enough, and it should be given its due historical status.