The Heroic Age of the Late Qing Dynasty

In order to maintain the interests of class rule, the ruling class can cooperate with people from other countries and nationalities to suppress the ruled class in their own country or nation. In order to maintain their own interests, the rulers can sell out the interests of the country, the nation, and even the ruling class in order to preserve their power to continue to rule.

Therefore, whether it was the Han, Tang, Song, or Qing dynasties, the vast majority of dynasties sent princesses as foreign marriages for the rulers' own benefit. Many dynasties also borrowed troops to suppress peasant uprisings in their own countries in order to continue their rule. This is the true historical truth."

Chapter 747: Update 1!

Zhang Yinghao knew that, whether he liked it or not, the war to liberate the nation had officially begun the moment the Beiyang forces launched their surprise attack on the liberated areas. Even if the Beiyang forces had wanted a ceasefire, Zhang Yinghao would have refused to agree. As for whether those Beiyang traitors would be consigned to history's shame, a thorough investigation would be conducted only after the liberation of the nation and the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"Chairman, the Beiyang Army is making unusual moves. Feng Guozhang, the Beiyang dog, has now been appointed by Yuan Shikai as a general to suppress rebellion. He has fully deployed the Beiyang Army in Henan to confront our People's Liberation Army and is ready to cooperate with the foreign powers to attack our liberated areas at any time."

"Chairman, the Beiyang Army is still very capable of frontal attacks and is willing to fight to the death. Moreover, the Beiyang Army relies on railways, so its logistics pressure is not great. Based on our summary of combat experience against the Beiyang Army, it is best not to attack and defend head-on when fighting against them. We should fight in large numbers and conduct interspersed operations, attacking the Beiyang Army from the flank or rear. Due to its training with Japan and Germany, the Beiyang Army lacks the ability to respond flexibly and maneuverably. If the Beiyang Army is attacked from the flank or rear, it will panic and lose sight of the big picture, and its combat effectiveness will decline or even collapse outright."

Because the People's Liberation Army was originally in Hubei and Shanxi, and then had to go north to liberate Mongolia, and continue to move east to liberate Jiangxi and Anhui, the military strength was rapidly diluted. In addition, Henan River was the hometown of Yuan Shikai, and the Beiyang army transferred troops south with strong strength. As a result, after liberating Wushengguan, Pingjingguan and Jiuliguan, when they tried to attack Xinyang, they encountered the main force of the Beiyang army moving south, and had to switch from offense to defense. After liberating Wuhan, the Beiyang army stopped the attack and engaged in an armed confrontation with each other.

"Well, the specifics of how to fight will be left to the comrades on the front lines, but there's no need to rush the attack on the Beiyang Army. We won't proactively attack the Beiyang Army's positions, as that would cause unnecessary losses. It's best to engage in a field battle with the Beiyang Army. However, letting the bullets fly for a while might yield unexpected results.

Therefore, until the Beiyang forces leave their positions, we must prioritize defense against them. We will attack anyone who initiates the offensive, and we must strike hard. Ideally, we'll frighten the Beiyang forces, drive them into isolation, and completely tear open the internal rifts within them, splitting them apart. I believe time is on our side. If the Beiyang forces want to march south to attack Hubei, then let them attack the three passes of Xiangyang and Yiyang held by our People's Liberation Army. I believe our comrades can hold them."

"Chairman, we have already dug trenches and strung up barbed wire on the front lines against the Beiyang forces. We have also built numerous bunkers amidst the towering mountains. One man can hold the fort against ten thousand. We should have no problem resisting the Beiyang forces' attack. However, defense alone will not guarantee victory. To achieve victory, we must attack and penetrate Henan."

"Yes, Chairman. Anhui has been liberated now. The Beiyang Army advancing south needs to rely on the railway, so they can only go through Wusheng Pass. The offensive and defensive battles on both sides will be protracted and costly. However, Chairman, if we can actually send a team of elite soldiers to blow up the Yellow River Bridge, the Beiyang Army in Henan will immediately be paralyzed and lose their fighting spirit. Moreover, since we are so concerned about the Beiyang Army advancing south, the Beiyang General Feng Guozhang must have learned a lot of our intelligence. As one of the three Beiyang heroes, he should be well-informed in terms of wisdom and tactics. We still need to deal with such a person with heavy hands."

"Yes, Chairman. The sooner we unify the country, the more we can concentrate our forces to deal with the foreign powers. If the Beiyang government remains as it is now, we will need to defend everywhere, which will also tie up a large number of our troops."

"Chairman, if we eliminate the Beiyang Army, then the technical forces within the Beiyang Army can also be incorporated into the ranks of the People's Liberation Army, which can enhance the strength of our People's Liberation Army."

Zhang Yinghao knew that his comrades had long been dissatisfied with the Beiyang's great achievement of overthrowing the Qing Dynasty, and he also knew that his comrades wanted to get rid of the Beiyang's lingering power and unify the country. Zhang Yinghao even knew that some commanders and fighters were dissatisfied because of his suppression and were unable to perform.

Faced with his comrades' requests for battle, Zhang Yinghao suddenly remembered the overlapping events of the three major campaigns of the Liberation War in his previous life. Liberation was a test of morale, but was he truly ready to unify the country? Did the army he led have the strength to face both the foreign powers and the Beiyang Army simultaneously?

Suddenly, Zhang Yinghao thought of a key question, so he asked: "In Zhili and Henan, the Beiyang-controlled areas, what are the results of the comrades we sent to work in the countryside?"

"Chairman, the Beiyang's surprise attack on Niangzi Pass was unsuccessful this time because of the tip-offs from our underground organization. Whether the Beiyang operated during the day or at night, how could they have escaped the omnipresent civilians?"

"Yes, Mr. Chairman. To support the Beiyang Army, which is confronting us in Henan, Zhang Zhenfang, the governor-general and governor of Henan, has been exploiting the people and levying heavy taxes. The people are starving and complaining. Furthermore, in recent years, natural and man-made disasters have been constant, leading to frequent peasant uprisings across Henan. Even more despicable is that Zhang Zhenfang has been madly suppressing the rebels, treating human life as worthless. He has even banned newspapers and magazines and madly hunted down progressive figures. Even the provincial capital of Kaifeng is shrouded in white terror, and innocent citizens are suffering and being driven to extinction. Mr. Chairman, I believe that if our People's Liberation Army were to sweep through Henan, the people would surely welcome us with food and drink."

Just as his comrades were persuading Zhang Yinghao to march into Henan and liberate the country, Emperor Yuan was silently looking at the diplomats from the powerful countries, and secretly cursing the foreign devils who forced him to send troops to attack the liberated areas.

"None of these black-hearted foreigners are good people."

However, Emperor Yuan had no idea what the Red Bandits were up to. They were actually trying to drive the foreign powers out of the Yangtze River. This was something he couldn't even imagine. The foreign powers were so powerful that even a country like Japan was not something the Qing or Beiyang could handle.

Emperor Yuan was already feeling exhausted. When he was serving the Qing Dynasty, he had commanded and all his soldiers obeyed him. However, since he became emperor, his subordinates had become less obedient and even showed signs of resistance. He had originally thought that his position meant he should have the final say, commanding the entire nation, and no one dared to disobey. Unexpectedly, this was the beginning of his subordinates' rebellion, which left him perplexed.

Yuan Shikai didn't think about the fact that the world used to belong to the Aisin-Gioro clan. He and the Beiyang government were one, with shared interests. They prospered and suffered together. For his own benefit, everyone naturally listened to Yuan Shikai. But now the relationship has changed. Now that Yuan Shikai has become emperor, everyone has become his employees. How can the interests of the boss possibly align with those of the employees?

In the past, the Manchu nobles bore the stigma, and the royal family handled all his troubles, allowing him to let the foreigners torment him without any concern. But now, facing the pressure of the foreign powers, Emperor Yuan was truly worried, finally understanding the helplessness of Cixi. Emperor Yuan was now eager to sell everything he could to gain the support of the foreign powers and exchange it for enough money to maintain his rule. Unfortunately, even if he wanted to sell now, the people below would stop him.

Emperor Yuan sighed. After sending off the diplomats from the foreign powers, he had no choice but to immediately ask his attendants to invite his confidants and staff to discuss how to deal with the situation. At the same time, he was also thinking about how to mobilize troops to better resolve the problem in the liberated areas.

At this time, Emperor Yuan was most worried about the loan issue from the great powers. Because of Jordan's promise and mediation, and the fact that the Beiyang government sold the railways, minerals, forests, etc. in Shandong and Zhili regions to the great powers as collateral for the loans, and recognized the great powers' aggressive rights in China, it also handed over the telecommunications industry to the great powers and allowed the great powers to send officers to join the Beiyang Army. This allowed him to obtain a total of 4.5 million taels of silver and 2 million taels of military supplies from the great powers.

The 4.5 million taels of silver, with the exception of one million taels given to the Ministry of Finance, were all used for military preparations and to expand the army. Emperor Yuan knew he was being excessively militaristic, but as a military emperor, he knew the army was the guarantee of his power. Without it, he would be nothing, and could even be thrown from his high throne and trampled into the mud the next day.

The money and supplies from the foreign powers arrived, but what would happen next? The Beiyang-controlled areas were now ravaged by war and riots. If he failed to gain support from the foreign powers and instead offended the foreigners, especially the British, his reign would be over. The only solution Emperor Yuan could think of was to fight to support the war: conquer the Red Bandits' lands, then mortgage them to the foreign powers for money to continue the war, and repeat this cycle until he unified the country.

"It's all because of those Red Bandits messing around. Otherwise, how could I be facing this situation now?"

Emperor Yuan was also full of complaints at this time, but he did not think about it. Without the Liberated Areas weakening the Qing Dynasty's strength, how could he, the Beiyang government, have overthrown the Qing Dynasty so easily? If the Liberated Areas had not chosen to remain silent, how could he, Yuan Shikai, have sat on the throne so easily and indulged in the feeling of being an emperor?

Emperor Yuan was very clear at this time that he had to fight against the liberated areas and must unify the country as his goal. Moreover, he could no longer mortgage things to obtain loans, otherwise the people under him would become disloyal and even run away to the Red Bandits.

Soon, the summoned subordinates arrived one after another. The person who had the most trouble with the war between the liberated areas and the foreign powers was the Beiyang Foreign Minister Lu Zhengxiang. After all, he had to come forward to negotiate with the foreigners.

Xu Shichang, Wang Shizhen, Tang Shaoyi, and the others were all late, causing Emperor Yuan to frown in displeasure. Ever since he borrowed money and was forced by foreign powers to prepare for the attack on the Red Bandits, these ministers had gradually begun to avoid him. They had also rarely spoken at meetings recently. He hadn't expected these people to be late for such an important meeting. Not only did they not immediately address the emperor's concerns or offer advice, but they were actually passively slacking off. What kind of situation was this?

Seeing Emperor Yuan frowning, Lu Zhengxiang thought he was worried about the foreign powers and immediately said, "Your Majesty, the foreign powers are now fighting the Red Bandits, trying to drive their warships out of the Yangtze River. The foreign powers are forcing the Beiyang government to send troops immediately. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is under great pressure. If we cannot send troops immediately, if we cannot defeat the Red Bandits, it will inevitably create an international impression that the current empire is as weak as the previous dynasty. Therefore, I suggest that this war must be fought, but it must be done with caution. If we do not fight, then there is nothing to worry about. If we do attack, we must win..."

Lu Zhengxiang had been engaged in diplomatic work since the Qing Dynasty, and had dealt with foreigners for many years. He was well aware that the international world was now governed by the law of the jungle. If the Beiyang government could not defeat the Red Bandits, the newly established Chinese Empire would inevitably fall back into the predicament of a weak nation without diplomacy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would inevitably fall into a passive and disadvantageous position.

Emperor Yuan naturally understood this and nodded. If possible, who would be willing to be bullied by foreigners?

At this time, Yang Du also said: "Your Majesty, the empire has just been established and there is much to be done. Now the people of the country are watching whether Your Majesty can show his courage and unify the world. Therefore, this war must be fought. Only in this way can the people see Your Majesty's ambition and establish the authority of the central government."

Speaking of which, Yang Du is really not an ordinary person.

Yang Du, whose courtesy name was Xizi, was a native of Xiangtan, Hunan Province. He was a favorite student of the great Confucian scholar Wang Changyun and was obsessed with the study of emperors. Liu Guangdi and Yang Rui, two of the "Six Gentlemen" during the Reform Movement of 1898, were his fellow students. Before the Reform Movement of 1898, Tan Sitong, Tang Caichang and others held a Current Affairs School in Changsha, and Yang Du also attended the classes. From then on, he had an indissoluble bond with "Reform".

In the 19th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, Yang Du passed the imperial examination, but he failed many times afterwards. After the Gengzi Year, he was eager for change, so he went to Japan at his own expense. In the 29th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the imperial court held a special economic examination. Yang Du returned to China to take the examination and was ranked second in the first class. The person ahead of him was Liang Shiyi. Because the leader of the "Reform Party" Kang Youwei was originally named Kang Zuyi, when Cixi asked the military minister about the origin of the first-class champion, the military minister had to make up a lie to get the job done. Liang Shiyi was a relative of Liang Qichao, and the last character of his name was the same as Kang Youwei's. As the saying goes "Liang at the beginning and Kang at the end", he must not be a good person. As a result, Cixi was furious and ordered the investigation of the ministers who graded the examinations and the cancellation of everyone's honors. In this way, Yang Du could not become the "second in the imperial examination". Moreover, because he had attended the Current Affairs School and was a student of Tan Sitong, Tang Caichang and others, the court wanted to severely punish the "remnants of the rebel party". Yang Du became disheartened and lost his desire for honor. He then went to Japan again to continue his studies.

Yang Du actually did not like constitutionalism. He liked strongman politics and wanted to find a wise ruler to assist him, so that he could accomplish great things like Zhuge Liang and leave his name in history.

Yang Du chose Yuan Datou. After all, in China at that time, Yuan Datou was the most powerful, capable, prestigious, and capable of employing people. In Yang Du's mind, only Yuan Datou had the strength to settle the world and had enough ability to control the world. So after Yuan Datou became emperor, he immediately defected to Yuan Datou.

It has to be said that Yang Du was a loyal man to the emperor. He believed that Yuan Shikai was the "extraordinary man" he was looking for, and that he would achieve great things in the future. He might even become the "emperor's teacher". It was precisely because of this persistence that he worked tirelessly for Emperor Yuan, running around, searching for intelligence inside and outside the capital, and sharing the emperor's worries.

Yuan Datou took all of this to heart. In a sense, Yuan Datou trusted Yang Du, who was an expert in imperial arts, more than anyone else around him.

Emperor Yuan knew he had to fight, but the question was how to fight. Yang Du didn't keep Emperor Yuan waiting for long. Instead, he took a deep breath, raised his head and chest, and said with a gesture of commanding the country: "Your Majesty, now that the Red Bandits are at war with the foreign powers, isn't this an opportunity for our Beiyang government? The foreign powers covet China, have the heart of a tiger and a wolf, and can never be trusted. Now the Red Bandits have the power to sweep the world, the ambition to encompass the universe, the intention to encompass the four seas, and the desire to swallow up the eight wildernesses. They are a great concern to Your Majesty. However, as the saying goes, brothers are close friends, and it is difficult to defend against external aggression. It is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to provide timely assistance. Therefore, we should not only not fight the Red Bandits in this war, but instead unite with them to attack the foreign powers, drive them out of China, abolish unequal treaties, and recover the concessions. This will win over the people's hearts, and we will also be able to see the Red Bandits' combat power so that we can fight for the world... If we unite with the foreign powers to attack the Red Bandits, not only will we have no reason to fight, but we will be despised by the people and bear countless infamy."

Yang Du's words were truly earth-shattering, sending shockwaves through the meeting hall. If Zhang Yinghao had heard Yang Du's words, he would undoubtedly have been astonished. If the Beiyang government truly attacked the foreign powers, not only would history's assessment of the Beiyang government be completely rewritten, but even if Yuan Shikai were to be ousted from the throne, the Forward Party would have to be polite to these Beiyang supporters. Zhang Yinghao also knew that in his previous life, during the White Terror, Yang Du had applied to join the Chinese Communist Party, a truly remarkable figure.

At this time, Yang Du still had some of the scholar's enthusiasm and scholarly spirit, and he was full of arrogance. Although the suggestions he put forward might be the best solution, how could the Beiyang government collectively betray its own class? Just considering the land reform, how many people in the Beiyang government could accept it?

Therefore, before Emperor Yuan could even speak, the others immediately started cursing, "Yang Du, what do you mean? The Red Bandits are a bunch of robbers. They have lost all conscience and are capable of all kinds of evil. They rob people of their land, seize their homes, massacre villages and families, and wantonly kill gentry and celebrities. The Beiyang government must not associate with these bandits. Otherwise, we will lose the support of the people and our lives will be in jeopardy."

"Exactly. They have ill intentions. The Red Bandits advocate the elimination of the feudal system, especially Confucianism. This is to destroy our Chinese traditions."

"That's right. The Red Bandits are a group of people who have no king and no father. Isn't overthrowing Confucianism a betrayal of our ancestors? The Red Bandits are a group of Hong Xiuquan and Yang Xiuzhen traitors. They will definitely not have a good end."

"Your Majesty, you must not listen to Yang Du's nonsense. On the Red Bandits side, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom and the Boxers are portrayed as positive figures, while Zeng Wenzheng and Li Zhongtang are portrayed as executioners who massacred the mob."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuan was also stunned. If Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang were both executioners, then how could he, a "people's butcher", be praised? This was simply outrageous. Didn't the Red Bandits know what it meant to avoid mentioning the names of respected people?

There were certainly fools in this era, but no one among the Beiyang elite was a fool. What didn't they know? In fact, they knew everything, understood everything, and could learn anything quickly. They were very smart. Perhaps this is why many Beiyang officials were able to safely avoid political infighting, get along with everyone, survive to the end, and enjoy a peaceful old age!

"Your Majesty, we should spread these ridiculous remarks of the Red Bandits throughout the world. This will not only preserve Confucianism and tradition, but also allow all the gentry in the world to stand on our side..."

"Your Majesty, the previous bank run caused a shortage of money at the Ministry of Revenue and the Commercial Bank of China. Now there is no silver left to exchange. In addition, the national treasury is empty. If we do not have the support of the great powers and instead join forces with the Red Bandits to attack the great powers, even if we win, we will eventually go bankrupt. The Red Bandits don't even need to attack the Beiyang government, as the Beiyang government will already be scattered and powerless."

Chapter 748: More!

The world was in turmoil, and fighting continued. Before, during, and after the war, it was the innocent people at the bottom who suffered the most. In order to liberate the people under Beiyang's rule, to unify the country, and to concentrate national strength to deal with the foreign powers, at this point, it seemed that the sooner the liberation war against Beiyang was launched, the better.

Contradictions are constantly evolving and will not cease or proceed completely according to Zhang Yinghao's ideas. Zhang Yinghao is well aware of this. Since reality has developed to the point where national liberation is necessary, he must follow the general trend. If Zhang Yinghao stops the national liberation, he will lose the support of the people and his comrades, and become a reactionary and a diehard.

War, Zhang Yinghao was never afraid of war in this era, he just wanted to preserve some of China's vitality. The Opium War hurt this long-dormant country, leaving a deep impression on its memory. So, for more than half a century, how many heroes and people of noble character have worked hard for the future of this country, fighting bravely and never regretting it until their death?

Zhang Yinghao does not deny that Li Hongzhang, Zeng Guofan, Zhang Zhidong, Zuo Zongtang and even Yuan Shikai did try to reduce the loss of national blood in the country.

However, if I hadn't been there, up to now, if you ask any of this country's heroes, or even revolutionaries, how to save this country, their answers would basically be something like "learn from the barbarians to defeat the barbarians," or they would harbor illusions about the great powers and blindly copy the American republican system without regard for reality. But in terms of seeking truth from facts, how to do it, why to do it, where the future lies, and what the goal is, no one can really stand up and clearly explain it!

The era of the Great Revolution was the best era, when metabolism washed away so much garbage of the past. The era of the Great Revolution was also the worst era, when countless people sacrificed their lives for the country they loved most. The era of the Great Revolution was also an era of confusion, hesitation, and shouting, with turmoil and ups and downs.

Zhang Yinghao recalled that the reason why China in his previous life was able to develop in the end was not only because of the massive hardworking and cheap labor force, but also because of the favorable conditions of globalization and the development dividends brought about by the third industrial revolution. After ten years of accumulation, ten years of lessons, and thirty years of hard work, China finally achieved leapfrog development and seized dividends that were greater than those of a world war under relatively peaceful conditions.

At this time, Zhang Yinghao didn't know that Emperor Yuan had already summoned his staff to discuss how to march into the liberated areas. He just looked at the map, the plans of his comrades, and thought about the upcoming war of unification. Zhang Yinghao couldn't help but think of the German war of unification. Germany rose to power by constantly launching wars.

How similar was China at this time to Germany before? Germany was even worse off. At least at that time, Germany consisted of more than 30 independent states, with powerful enemies such as Britain, France, Austria, Denmark, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and internal separatist forces and ambitious individuals. At this time, China was also surrounded by foreign powers such as Russia, Japan, Britain and France, with enemies on all sides and various separatist, religious, and ambitious forces within.

The French Revolution, unleashed with incredible force by Napoleon's armies, swept across Europe. Following his victory over Austria, Napoleon dissolved the Holy Roman Empire and established the Confederation of the Rhine. This, along with the modern nationalism ushered in by the French Revolution, gave "Germans" the first glimpse into the concept of a unified nation.

Germany was once a fragmented nation, its territory even controlled by other nations. In this situation, any attempt to peacefully unite these fragmented principalities, instigated by foreign powers and hostile to each other, into a single nation was a joke. Prussia, then one of these small principalities, differed only in that it possessed qualified rulers, a united voice, a powerful muscle, and an iron fist.

In order to unify the country, Germany constantly reorganized its army and relied on the rapid development of productivity during the Industrial Revolution. Coupled with Bismarck's correct diplomatic strategy, this country completed a feat that their ancestors had failed to accomplish for hundreds of years in less than ten years (the Dynastic War 1864-1870), unifying the German federations with iron and blood.

Some people may say that Prussia had accumulated strength for nearly half a century before unification... Yes, it was during this half century that Prussia completed the transformation of the First Industrial Revolution, thoroughly established Prussia's strongest foundation in the German Federation, and thus opened the Second Industrial Revolution.

However, Zhang Yinghao could also say that he inherited the essence of the Qing Dynasty's decades-long Westernization Movement. Coupled with China's developed traditional handicraft industry, how was it different from Germany at that time? It can be said that the reduction in reparations paid to the powers alone was enough to reduce China's capital accumulation by at least ten years compared to its original history.

Now the second revolution has just begun and is in full swing. Today's social development is changing with each passing day, and we really cannot afford to be slow and proceed according to our own ideas.

If the "Xin Chou Revolution" (which Zhang Yinghao launched after the signing of the Boxer Protocol) can be compared to the Prussian-Danish War in the "Prussian-Danish War Trilogy," then Zhang Yinghao indeed secured control of Sichuan Province and defeated the Qing encirclement forces through his Prussian-Danish War. His second move was to march troops into Shaanxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou, and through the anti-aggression war against Britain, he stabilized the border and established his reputation and prestige domestically. This iron-blooded approach demonstrated the Forward Party's determination to defend the nation. The subsequent launch of the Liberation War and the war against Russo-Japanese emulates the Austro-Prussian War, the second part of the Prussian-Danish War.

Now, the liberated areas have indeed reached the stage of the Franco-Prussian War in the Prussian Dynasty trilogy! Now, we really shouldn't wait any longer. China should be like the newly unified Germany in history. Prussia, having completed the dynastic war, caught the bus of the Second Industrial Revolution, which enabled it to quickly transform from a secondary industrial power in Europe into a world-class giant.

No matter how China's "Prussian-Danish War", "Prussian-Austrian War" and "Franco-Prussian War" are distinguished, this war of unification between the liberated areas and the Beiyang must be fought. Even if Zhang Yinghao is unwilling to fight, he must fight after the Beiyang attack.

Zhang Yinghao also quickly figured it out. China's future stage should be the entire world. Unifying the entire country is just to obtain an admission ticket to the club of world powers. China is destined to be a member of the "rogue country" in the future.

Therefore, the liberated areas must fight this war and must win it. We must not only fight against the Beiyang government but also against the foreign powers. We must fight militarily and use political means as well.

Thinking of European history and looking at the map of Europe, Zhang Yinghao couldn't help laughing. Modern nationalism is a double-edged sword. Once the concept of the modern nation-state becomes the mainstream thinking of all ethnic groups, then some negative things brought about by modern national consciousness, such as xenophobia, ethnic conflicts, and the complexity of internal conflicts in the country and even leading to national division, are almost inevitable.

The rise of the modern nation-state is essentially the emergence of the concept of a modern nation. When did this damn imagined community begin? The French Revolution is a beacon of modern civilization. Its true significance goes beyond overthrowing the king and establishing a republic. More importantly, the French Revolution created the modern concept of the "French nation."

Faced with armed intervention by foreign powers and surrounded by enemies, the French were forced to raise the slogan "Fight for France, fight for the French nation." It was this philosophy that liberated the French from all walks of life and gave them a new flag, a new name, and a common concept: the French nation.

It is also because of this that the French army, which fought for independence and freedom and entered the modern nation-state, was fearless and invincible on the European continent for a time, and had the momentum to unify Europe.

Unfortunately, other European nations, though reluctant, were forced to adopt the concept of the modern nation-state. So, in reality, it wasn't the Battle of Waterloo that ultimately determined Napoleon's defeat, but the preceding Battle of Leipzig, and more arguably, the very concept of the "French nation."

The Battle of Leipzig is also known as the Leipzig Battle of the Nations. European nations, having embraced the concept of the modern nation-state, used their own national banners to promote and incite new war philosophies and slogans. Beyond traditional understandings of war, the European nations participating in the Battle of Leipzig incorporated a new understanding: they were fighting for the future of their own countries and nations. With a sense of sacredness, everyone rushed to fight the French.

These newly modern nation-states engaged in a brutal clash at Leipzig, making it the fiercest battle Napoleon ever fought. His crushing defeat marked the end of his last hope of unifying Germany. France, as a newly modern nation-state, ultimately lost its European advantage due to its failure to promptly formulate the concept of a European nation. Its hopes of unifying Europe, or even China, ultimately fell through.

By this time, the Beiyang empire was roughly the size of France, exceeding the territories occupied by most other powers during periods of division throughout history, such as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, or the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. If properly managed, it could have become a powerful force. Unfortunately, the Beiyang empire was plagued by internal and external troubles, burdened by excessive financial resources, and lacked the resolve to develop industry. This doomed its potential for development.

Just when Zhang Yinghao made up his mind and was looking at the battle plan for liberating Beiyang made by the General Staff, the People's Liberation Army, which had entered Xinjiang from Western Mongolia to prevent the Tsarist Russian army from entering Xinjiang, had already entered Xinjiang and was about to liberate Tarbagatai.

Tacheng area is located in the northwest of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It was once an important channel for China to Central Asia and is known as the Central Asian Trade Corridor. Since ancient times, it has been one of the strategic locations for guarding the western Xinjiang. The Baketu Port has been an important channel for opening up to the outside world and communication since ancient times. It is one of the important ports for the outside world in the entire Xinjiang region.

On the eve of national reunification and victory in the Liberation War, the situation in China and abroad deteriorated significantly. The darkest hour is before dawn. Reactionaries in Xinjiang colluded with Britain and Russia, misjudging the situation and implementing a bloody and dark rule. They persecuted progressive figures and patriotic youth on a large scale, and white terror enveloped the entire western Xinjiang region.

The remnants of the Qing Dynasty, the reactionary army and officials appointed by the Beiyang government colluded with local landlords and slave owners to impose heavy taxes on the vast majority of farmers and herdsmen, including land tax and livestock tax. They demanded taxes, conscripted able-bodied men, extorted money, and used every possible means to make the Daur people and people of all ethnic groups live in poverty, making their lives miserable and miserable.

Faced with the threat of the People's Liberation Army, the reactionary army in Xinjiang expanded by two times in a short period of time, and forced herders of all ethnic groups to "donate" 10,000 military horses, otherwise they would collect cash at a price half higher than the market price; in order to exploit the people, various exorbitant taxes and levies increased to 25; land tax alone accounted for 60% of farmers' income, and prices rose by as much as 7 times.

Unable to continue their livelihoods, the vast majority of farmers and herders in Xinjiang are increasingly eager to overthrow the existing reactionary rule. The young people of the Daur and other ethnic groups, who have long been fed up with the situation, are about to erupt in the long-simmering anger of resistance like a volcano.

At this time, the main force of the PLA cavalry had not yet reached Tacheng, and people from various ethnic groups preparing to revolt had already gathered in Tacheng. The reactionary army in Tacheng was terrified by the uprising of the people of various ethnic groups and tried to strike a direct blow at the local people's troops before they could gain a firm foothold.

As a trading port and a border fortress, the reactionary army was armed to the teeth. Faced with the riots of the locals, the reactionaries immediately chose to send troops to suppress them.

Faced with the uprising troops armed with hoes, sickles, and at most bird guns, the reactionaries considered this a "red disaster" and ordered the reactionary army to adopt the tactics of "dragnet and sweep" and began a frenzied suppression of the people of Tacheng, causing many innocent civilians and progressive people to fall in a pool of blood.

Guaerjia Luoying, the leader of the local garrison, was deeply resentful of the uprising. He ordered the use of the tactics of "long-term stationing, expanding from point to area, repeatedly encircling and suppressing the uprising village by village," and the reactionary policy of "rather kill a thousand by mistake than let one go," to frantically suppress the uprising. Guaerjia Luoying was a bloodthirsty and ruthless executioner. Whenever his reactionary forces arrived in a village, they drove the people into an open field, conducted household registration checks, and arrested people using lists provided by reactionary landlords, killing the poor and the rebels. Their arrogance was unbearable. To capture and kill the leaders of the uprising, including Ding De'an and Jia Yi, Guaerjia Luoying personally led his troops to clear the countryside in areas such as Guozigou and Jinghe, sometimes visiting a village as many as seven times in a single day. Wherever Guaerjia Luoying arrived, he either killed or arrested, burned or looted, and the people suffered unbearably. Having failed to capture Ding De'an and his fellow leaders, Guaerjia Luoying captured and killed Ding De'an and his men's parents, nephews, nieces, and other relatives. Cruelly, Guaerjia Luoying often used methods such as head tilting, beheading, shooting, burying alive, and strangulation to kill them. The methods were so brutal that they were appalling.

During the reactionary encirclement and suppression of the Tacheng region, thousands of insurgents were brutally massacred. Guarjia Luoying, the most sporadic killer, murdered people at every gathering, sometimes hanging heads from the city gates for public display. According to incomplete statistics, Guarjia Luoying killed or maimed (including wounding) 321 people, including 120 who were brutally killed and 211 who were maimed (including wounding). This resulted in a bloody storm in the Tacheng region, and the people suffered terribly.

At the height of the reactionary frenzy, the PLA vanguard finally arrived. Seeing the PLA soldiers with their hair shaved short like monks, the reactionaries immediately launched into a barrage of abuse. Their insults were nothing more than nonsense like "we owe our bodies and hair to our parents" and "these people have no fathers or mothers." The PLA comrades never bothered to argue with them. They simply seized the opportunity to prepare for the attack and begin treating the wounded.

Faced with the dusty PLA troops, Ding De'an, a man who had never shed a tear upon hearing his family members being killed, burst into tears. He grabbed the captain's clothes and cried, "Why did you come so late? They're all dead! They're all dead!"

The vanguard captain, knowing full well the brutality of the counter-revolutionaries, immediately declared, "We are here! Our arrival marks the end of the reactionaries."

At this time, the reactionaries in Tacheng all knew that Mongolia had been occupied by the Red Bandits. They were not unfamiliar with the Red Bandits because the Red Bandits had thwarted their attacks on Mongolia many times and defeated too many reactionary troops.

At this time, the reactionary army still used the same old formations, setting up several formations inside and outside Tacheng to try to stop the PLA's attack. Since the PLA was only the vanguard and had insufficient firepower, it was definitely not possible to engage in a field battle with the reactionary army, as this would be too disadvantageous.

Therefore, we can only do some preliminary preparations now, and there is still not much problem in defense. Of course, this is also because the reactionary army’s offensive awareness is not strong when facing the People’s Liberation Army.

The PLA led the local people in methodically carrying out pre-war preparations, digging trenches and burrows. That night, they even made a fuss, beating drums and gongs to harass the locals. However, the PLA's main force arrived in Tacheng at noon the following day. Disdainful of the reactionary forces within Tacheng and supported by the local people, the PLA lost no time and immediately deployed its forces, preparing to attack the city.

The PLA soldiers assumed the defenders would not leave the city again, instead clinging to the walls, and so they relaxed their vigilance. Unexpectedly, however, Guarjia Luoying, stationed east of the city, took advantage of the PLA's arrival and generously distributed silver coins, inciting the PLA to launch an offensive. The reactionary troops, aware of their numerous crimes, launched a desperate attack, many of whom were militias brought in by landlords and aristocrats.

They attacked frantically a PLA battalion stationed there. Facing the mob attack, the PLA was careless and nearly suffered a heavy loss. Faced with the PLA's shooting technology, which was more than one level higher than that of the reactionary army, the reactionary army was finally forced to retreat.

Want to retreat when the attack fails? Where in the world can such a good thing happen? Under the cover of mortars, the People's Liberation Army immediately attacked, and the two sides started a fierce battle near Tarbaha Street.

At this moment, the reactionary army's cavalry suddenly appeared from the flank of the People's Liberation Army, catching the People's Liberation Army off guard. A company on the flank could not resist, and the cavalry almost rushed into the People's Liberation Army camp and prepared to kill indiscriminately.

Faced with such a dangerous situation, the People's Liberation Army immediately organized its troops to fight a desperate counterattack, sent another group to block the retreat of the reactionary cavalry, and at the same time launched two heavy machine guns to form cross fire, shooting crazily at the reactionary cavalry, and immediately wiped out the cavalry that almost rushed into the position.

The battle ended in victory for the PLA troops, and the reactionary forces retreated in panic, leaving behind thousands of bodies. The PLA, unwilling to waste any more time and fearing a Russian invasion, sought to liberate the Tacheng area as soon as possible. Since the opposition forces dared to leave the city to attack the PLA, the PLA naturally followed the fleeing reactionaries and charged directly into the city. Faced with the barrage of bullets from all directions, the reactionary troops on the periphery finally collapsed, and the PLA avoided a brutal street battle.

The soldiers charged into the city without a pause, bayonets fixed, rounds loaded, and squads and platoons began to expand their control area, attacking the streets on both sides. Simultaneously, mortars were brought into the city and immediately test-fired at the barricades still held by the reactionaries, followed by a fierce bombardment.

This smooth tactical action is the result of the PLA's gradual accumulation of experience over the past few years. It is only through repeated combat and training that today's outstanding performance has been achieved.

Some reactionary troops in Tacheng were extremely stubborn and refused to give up resistance even after the PLA entered the city. They even set fire to civilian houses, hoping to stop the PLA's attack and create an open area where the reactionary troops could hide and shoot at the attacking PLA.

The PLA hadn't encountered such a stubborn enemy in a long time, and naturally, they had no good feelings towards these stubborn reactionaries. They encountered numerous instances of enemy arson, but the PLA had no effective countermeasures. So, while the reactionary army's arson was effective, they could only wait for the fire to die down before attacking. The PLA used artillery and explosive packs to destroy some homes, establishing a cordoned-off zone before organizing their offensive.

The PLA continued to attack, but they did not expect the reactionary army to have opened many firing holes in the opposite wall. They suddenly fired at the PLA from these firing holes, catching the PLA off guard and causing dozens of casualties.

The commander standing on the city wall watched the reactionary army's stubborn resistance. He gritted his teeth and said bitterly: "Order the artillery to bomb all those walls."

The attacking troops quickly withdrew, taking their wounded with them. The artillerymen immediately advanced with their cannons and began firing at the houses opposite. After a considerable amount of time, they finally managed to break through the rebels' carefully prepared defenses, and the infantry continued their attack.

However, by this time, the core of the reactionary forces had not yet collapsed and they continued to resist stubbornly. Some reactionary troops even hid in civilian houses and then suddenly rushed out to fight the PLA with cold weapons. Although each time the PLA won, casualties were inevitable.

Fortunately, the PLA had a large number of people and with the help of the local people, they were able to take Tacheng even with just a pile of people. These wounded soldiers were continuously sent to the PLA field hospital. In a short period of time, hundreds of lightly and seriously injured soldiers had been sent to it.

The PLA paid such a price, but the reactionary army paid an even greater price. However, this was a relatively rare casualty for the PLA. However, after these reactionary troops who dared to fight to the death were killed, the reactionary army could no longer organize any effective offensive.