1905: Beer Hall Speaker

Page 156

"Good heavens, we didn't find a gold mine, but we've found a chance to smash up a kiln. No doubt about it, let's take them down!" Bear was eager to try. He had been searching in the mountains for two or three months, either he couldn't find a gold mine, or the gold mines he found had been taken by others. He hadn't even managed to steal from them, which was extremely frustrating.

The entire group was a coalition of losers. They were unlucky and even weaker. The gold rush gangs, big and small, within the borders had all made a fortune and were well-equipped with hundreds of men. They were no match for them, which is why they were forced to flee abroad in the dead of winter.

I've made quite a few enemies along the way, and I'm afraid we'll all be wiped out on the way back.

"Hurry up, go and kill them. I'm not sleeping in a tent tonight, I'm going to sleep in the house with some women in my arms!"

"That's right, stop hesitating, let's charge in and get to it!"

One-Eyed and Wang Mazi agreed that if they didn't find a warm place to spend the winter soon, and continued to wander around in the wilderness at minus ten degrees Celsius, all of them would eventually die.

Morin maintained his basic composure: "What's the rush? We haven't even figured out how many people are in the Russian settlement, whether they have guns and cannons, whether they have soldiers, or what the terrain is like!"

One-Eyed Man roared, "How can we not be anxious? Instructor Lin, look at the state of our brothers! If we don't take the Russian settlement, we'll all die. Only if we take it will we have a chance to survive."

"At this critical moment, even if the other side has guns and cannons, even if there's the King of Hell there, I'll still rush over and stroke his beard a few times!"

Morin was speechless. Indeed, the team had no way out and could only grit their teeth and take a gamble.

They were ruthless and taciturn, and there wasn't a single coward in the team. After the leaders discussed the plan, everyone immediately began to prepare in silence.

After unloading the last of the fuel and dry rations, before the people had even eaten, they had to set up a pot and cook a hot meal for the horses.

The warhorses must be well-fed so they will have the strength to charge into battle later.

Only after the dozen or so horses have eaten their fill can people pick up the leftover horse feed to fill their stomachs.

While eating, the group organized their equipment and ammunition. The team carried three Type 02 light machine guns, which were improved versions of the Madsen light machine gun. The structure and weight were simplified, a threaded heat dissipation sleeve was added, the barrel was changed to a detachable type, and the magazine was changed to a 20-round upright magazine, which can be called the Republic version of the "Czech Type".

The civilian version only uses magazine feeding, while the military version can use belt feeding! Unfortunately, even the military doesn't have many of those, and civilians can't buy them at all.

One-Eyed and Wang Mazi focused on tending to the light machine gun, even using precious grease to lubricate the bolt. The others also checked the condition of the rifles, especially the fragile magazines and bayonet lugs, making sure there were no problems.

The Northwest Garrison deliberately ripped off gold prospectors, selling their defective Type 02 rifles to unlucky passersby while keeping the qualified ones for themselves. These defective rifles even indirectly saved many lives, since the guns often failed to fire in critical moments!

Gold prospectors' solution to the problem was direct and brutal: they welded the magazines shut with molten lead or tied them with wire to prevent them from falling out. Then they wrapped them with animal hide or soft cloth to prevent them from being bumped and deformed. Finally, they loaded a maximum of six rounds each time, never ten, to solve the problem of insufficient spring tension.

It's still usable enough; its power, range, and accuracy are much better than the Hanyang Type 88 rifle, and it's not inferior to the Russian Mosin-Nagant.

The bear's 60mm mortar is the only heavy weapon in the entire team. It's currently sitting by the fire, being roasted. It's a second-hand item bought from the garrison, an early product of the Hanyang Arsenal, and of very poor quality.

Once the temperature exceeds minus ten degrees Celsius, the shells become stuck in the barrel. Before firing, you either heat them with a fire or warm the barrel by holding it in your arms.

"Be careful with your firepower later. We only have twenty shells left. This thing is more precious than people, so don't break it!" One-Eyed repeatedly warned Bear. This cannon was of poor quality, but it was not cheap at all. The whole team almost sold their pants and spent more than seven hundred yuan to buy it from the army.

Each shell costs five yuan, and the team will never use this thing unless absolutely necessary, because it hurts everyone's heart to use it.

It was precisely because of this mortar that the gang was able to escape from dangerous situations of being double-crossed or being double-crossed on multiple occasions.

"Don't worry, I'm no good at shooting, but I'm an expert at firing artillery! I used to work in a mine in Shandong, so I know all about these things!"

The bear assured him that his poor eyesight was due to the small sights on his rifle, making aiming too difficult. However, aiming with a mortar was a completely different story; even without a scope, he could range and aim using only his fingers.

After more than an hour of preparation, the team set off. One-Eyed and Wang Mazi were responsible for the frontal assault, Bear provided fire support, and Instructor Lin led a dozen or so bandits to cut off their retreat.

There weren't any complicated battle plans; the simpler the better.

Under the cover of wind and snow, forty-seven gold prospectors, fully armed, approached the Russian settlement. It was nearing evening, just as the Russians across the street were finishing their dinner. The Russians had no idea that there would be an enemy attack in this terrible weather, so they were completely unprepared.

It wasn't until One-Eyed and the others, carrying machine guns, strode into the village that a Russian woman who had gone out to empty the dishwater saw the bandits and then let out a sharp scream.

"Da da da"

"bang bang"

They weren't good at gold mining or treasure hunting, and they always ran into trouble when it came to double-crossing, but when it came to robbery, they were experts. They didn't need any instructions; each of them would immediately get into the zone.

The assault team charged in from the front, the cavalry circled around to intercept any who managed to escape, and the mortars provided cover for the main attack.

The battle lasted only half an hour before the Russians surrendered, because all the able-bodied men had been killed by the gold miners, and the remaining women and children had no choice but to surrender.

It was dinnertime, and all the Russian men in the village were drunk; they were still raising their glasses when the bandits burst in.

The very few who remained sober knew they could not resist, so they quickly rode away from the village to seek help, but they were all killed by Instructor Lin.

As night fell, the village quieted down again, but the men raising their glasses and singing were a different group.

The gold prospectors finally rediscovered their passion here, admitting that gold panning was not as exciting as robbing and looting.

They sat around the warm fire, embracing women, raising their glasses, drinking heartily, and eating large chunks of meat. They didn't even have time to clean up the corpses at their feet; they just wanted to enjoy themselves first.

This land was originally seized by the Russians. They drove out the local steppe natives and occupied the area, and then Chinese gold prospectors wiped them out.

The chaotic Central Asia was originally a brutal competition between the Slavs and the steppe peoples, but now it has been joined by a wave of East Asian brutes.

There have been quite a few gangs like One-Eyed Gangs. They simply can't make a living within the borders anymore. They can't find gold mines, and if they do, it's just manual labor, which is far less enjoyable than going back to their old ways.

Within the border, the risk of double-crossing is too great. If things go too far, it will arouse public anger and lead to a manhunt and extermination by the Northwest garrison. But after crossing the border, they discovered that there is much to be done in the vast world!

Nobody cares about you at all; it's pure jungle law, the rule of the strong preying on the weak. For these madmen, it's just too good to pass up.

Of course, this was also due to the deliberate indulgence of the Xinjiang provincial government. Wang Dingyun was the most unruly madman. He was kept under control by Zhao Yan and could not continue to act recklessly. But this only meant that the official armed forces would not act recklessly, and it did not mean that the civilian armed forces would behave themselves.

Without Wang Dingyun's approval, the Northwest garrison would never have sold weapons and ammunition to these madmen, let alone provided maps and information. All of this was done deliberately by Wang Dingyun.

His goal is to thoroughly muddy the waters of Central Asia, turning this vast land into a new battlefield for ethnic cleansing. The gold rushers are merely paving the way; the real climax of Central Asia's de-greening will come when he personally leads his troops into the country.

Wang Dingyun is now only targeting the "disputed areas" for infiltration. The so-called disputed areas are the outer territories ceded by the Qing Dynasty. These territories, like Outer Northeast, are marked as disputed areas on the Republic's map. The Republic absolutely does not recognize these territories as legitimate Russian territory and has always been determined to protect them.

The Russians are also in a period of weakness, and things are getting worse year by year. Faced with the aggressive republic, they are also taking a defensive stance to avoid escalating the situation.

But everyone understands that compromise cannot bring peace. If you compromise with someone like Wang Dingyun, you will be even less likely to achieve peace. He is already planning to move the capital of Xinjiang to Yili, just to better expand into Central Asia.

Chapter 257 Ottomans and Russia

January 18, 1912, Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire.

Igor rode in a carriage through the streets of the Ottoman capital, his expression solemn and grave.

Igor was the Russian envoy to the Ottoman Empire. He was assigned to Istanbul two years ago to perform his duties. After more than a year in the country, he saw the true face of this "sick man of Central Asia".

The streets of Istanbul today are a prime example, with constant demonstrations and a religious atmosphere, while on one side are radical youth factions advocating secularization and constitutional monarchy in an attempt to save the country.

On the other side are religious factions holding the Quran and firmly upholding the principle that religious authority is above political power. The whole country is like two extremes, one of ice and one of fire.

The power struggle at the top was extremely fierce, the people at the bottom were suffering, technology was backward, industry was in ruins, the national finances were on the verge of collapse, and the country's living space was being squeezed by European and Asian forces.

This is a replica of the Qing Dynasty, an Arab empire that fought against the Christian world for hundreds of years, but ultimately it inevitably entered its twilight years.

"Sir, the Turks ahead are staging another demonstration, and the road is blocked!" The consul sitting outside the carriage opened the small window and looked at Igor with a helpless expression.

Igor sighed as well: "It's those Al-Turks again, isn't it?"

The counselor nodded and said, "Yes, sir!"

"Let's take a detour, it doesn't matter if it's farther, but don't provoke those people!"

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

A few years ago, the second constitutional movement in Turkey arose, and the real power of the government was controlled by the Unity and Progress Council, an organization of the Young Turks. The current Sultan and Caliph Mehmed V became the ideal candidate for the party to create a constitutional monarchy and was supported by Young Turk leader Enver Pasha as the new Sultan.

However, the vigorous constitutional movement did not save the Ottoman Empire. Instead, it plunged the country into more chaotic internal strife and wasted resources, leading to a precipitous deterioration of the external situation.

In 1910, Tripoli, an Ottoman territory in North Africa, was occupied by the Italians, and last year, in 1911, the situation in the Balkans began to spiral out of control.

After the start of this year, the Balkan League began demanding that the Ottoman Empire relinquish its rule over Macedonia and Thrace, allowing them autonomy.

A quick glance at a map reveals that the Ottoman Empire would never agree to such a demand. If it did, it would lose almost all of its European territory, and the Balkan coalition forces could march straight to the capital, Istanbul!

Not to mention the constitutional government wouldn't agree, even the imams of mosques wouldn't agree!

The tensions between the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire were escalating, and war seemed imminent.

Against this backdrop, the Russians went against their ancestral principles and abandoned their support for the Balkan League, instead turning to advocating for peace. They let go of this opportunity to severely weaken the Ottoman Empire and even began to secretly support it.

The Russians absolutely do not want a new war to break out in the Balkans, and they certainly do not want the Ottoman Empire to be weakened in the process.

Because a brute had arrived in Central Asia, the Russians needed the Ottoman Empire's influence in the Islamic world to join forces with them against that brute.

Although the interests of the Balkans are also the interests of the Slavs, and the Russians have a reason to intervene, they know that even if they successfully intervene, they will not gain much. Western Europe is the biggest behind-the-scenes supporter of the Balkan alliance, and Western Europe will never allow the Russians to gain an inch of land in the Balkans.

Conversely, the Central Asian steppes had become Russia's soft underbelly, and the Kazakh steppes, which had been annexed, were an important buffer zone for the Russians to protect the Volga River basin and western Siberia.

The Russians are no longer able to continue their encroachment on Xinjiang. Even the outer regions they have already swallowed are being continuously eroded, and the Kazakh steppe will soon become precarious as well.

It's important to know that the Chinese once had a significant influence on Kazakhstan. This was during the Qing Dynasty's suppression of the Dzungar Khanate. At that time, the Kazakh steppe was divided into three khanates: the Great Horde, the Middle Horde, and the Little Horde. After the Qing Dynasty destroyed the Dzungar Khanate, they saw that the Dzungar Khanate, which had wantonly humiliated and bullied them, had been wiped out.

The three Khanates of the Kazakh steppe also wanted to join China, but this was ultimately interrupted by the intervention of Tsarist Russia. Tsarist Russia itself continued to invade the steppe, gradually occupying most of Kazakh territory and even seizing Outer Xinjiang.

Now that the Chinese have returned, the Russians know they cannot withstand the attack alone and must enlist the help of the Ottoman Empire.

But the Ottoman Empire was truly disappointing, managing to stir up such enormous trouble in the Balkans at this very moment.

The Russians themselves are numb to the situation. Revolutions are breaking out one after another on their own soil. The Comintern has already nearly destroyed Russia. Fortunately, the situation is still relatively stable. The Tsarist government has managed to maintain the status quo and prevent the worst from happening.

The Russians themselves were no longer able to control Central Asia or even the Far East. The fall of the Far East was already common knowledge in St. Petersburg. Everyone was just burying their heads in the sand. The Tsar was considering how to sell the Far Eastern section of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the entire Far East to the Chinese as a package, and then recover some of the costs through negotiations.

But Central Asia remains an area that the Russians cannot give up, because it is too close to the Volga River basin!

"Your Excellency has arrived!"

The carriage stopped outside a four-story building. Igor stepped down and met with Ottoman officials who had come to greet him. After a brief, lukewarm exchange of pleasantries, Igor entered the building and met Ibrahim, the Ottoman Foreign Minister, in a luxurious living room on the third floor.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Your Excellency Ibrahim!"

"Me too, Mr. Igor!"

Igor sat down opposite Ibrahim, and a servant brought him a steaming cup of coffee. Before he could even settle in, Igor seized the opportunity to say, "Your Excellency, the Tsar conveys my sincere greetings to you and His Majesty the Sultan, and expresses his desire to forge a deeper and more solid friendship with the Ottoman Empire!"

Ibrahim nodded, his large body lounging in the sofa with its upper calfskin padding and foam, almost half of his body sinking in. He stroked his beard with his thick fingers adorned with ruby ​​rings and said, "It is truly rare to hear friendship and greetings from you Russians."

On this point, no matter how much I dislike those Chinese people, I still have to thank them. Without their pressure, I might never have witnessed your friendship in my life.

Igor smiled in a formulaic way: "Your Excellency, you are joking. Russia currently has no intention of being an enemy of your country, and our friendship is also heartfelt."

Ibrahim waved his hand, took a big sip of his coffee, and then, feeling dissatisfied, added several spoonfuls of powdered sugar: "I know why you're here, but we no longer have the power to interfere in Central Asia. After all, the powder keg on our doorstep is about to explode."

"The Chinese are indeed very hateful for their aggressiveness, but at least they have not yet invaded an inch of the empire's land."

Igor's smile vanished, replaced by a solemn expression. "Your country has been with Europe for over a thousand years. Although we have had conflicts and disagreements, they were all disputes over interests and territorial disputes."

But look at those Chinese people; they only care about the land, not the people. Wherever they go, can you still see any believers of Allah?

"You Russians use the same tactics, don't you?" Ibrahim thought to himself, but said aloud, "This is indeed a serious threat. So, what are your country's thoughts?"

Igor stated directly, "We have already sent envoys to Persia. Together with the Ottoman Empire, our three countries can form a barrier in Central Asia to jointly resist Chinese aggression."

Consider the horrific acts committed by the Chinese throughout history. The once powerful Dzungar Khanate, under the swords and spears of the Chinese, is now nothing more than a geographical name!

Now, that Far Eastern fang, the sword of the republic, the modern-day Baldwin II, the butcher of Islam—Wang Dingyun—is brewing a new storm, preparing to sweep across East Asia!

"According to reliable sources, in addition to the 12th Group Army originally stationed in Xinjiang, the Chinese have also dispatched the 7th Group Army. The Chinese forces in Central Asia have now exceeded 100,000, which is a battle-hardened and highly elite army of more than 100,000!"

Ibrahim's expression also became serious. The Central Asian steppe was not a rich land that could support a large population, but it was a strategically vital place. The annexation of 100,000 people already represented a certain determination of the Chinese.

If war were to break out, the Chinese could readily deploy 200,000 or even 500,000 troops; no country doubts the Chinese capability in this regard.

More importantly, there was Wang Dingyun, who was in charge of implementing policies in Northwest China and Central Asia. He was a well-known materialist fighter in Europe and the Islamic world, and his specialty was using physical means to eliminate religious spirit.

The Ottoman Empire highly valued this traditional Muslim region in Central Asia and even the Middle East. Even when the Ottoman Empire was on the verge of collapse at the end of World War I, they still spared the resources to send missionaries to Xinjiang, China, to build religious seminaries and promote East Turkic ideology.

Even before World War I had begun, the Ottoman Empire was extremely concerned about any disturbances in the traditional Muslim quarter.

Ibrahim was finally tempted and asked, "If we intervene in Central Asia, how should the crisis in the Balkans be resolved?"

"We can't possibly work on two fronts at the same time!"

When Igor heard that the other party had finally relented, he said happily, "We have already met with the British. If the Ottoman Empire is willing to join the side of justice, the British are willing to mediate the conflict crisis in the Balkans."

Furthermore, your country intends to purchase capital ships, and the British government is willing to accept loans for their construction; however, your country must join the camp of the just and free Allied Powers.

"Britain, France, and Russia will resolve the Balkan issue diplomatically, but you must also make certain compromises and concessions."

After a moment's thought, Ibrahim finally nodded: "Yes, we are willing to make certain concessions as long as it can avert a brutal war."

In the end, Igor left satisfied. This time, he represented the interests of the Allied Powers in the negotiations in Istanbul.

Wang Dingyun's aggressive actions prematurely exposed China's ambitions in Central Asia and even the Middle East, which aroused the vigilance of Britain, France, and Russia.

Although the secret Sino-German agreement has not been exposed, the Germans are now pushing hard for the Baghdad Railway, while the Chinese are working tirelessly to build the Longhai Railway and are constantly encroaching on the heart of Central Asia. This inevitably raises suspicions that the Chinese and Germans have reached some kind of dirty deal.

Therefore, the three Allied powers, Britain, France, and Russia, also set their sights on the Ottoman Empire. Although this once-great empire was corrupt and declining, it still retained some influence, especially its religious influence, which could certainly bear the heavy responsibility of preventing the Chinese from continuing their westward expansion.

Chapter 258 Diplomatic Storm

January 25, 1912, Berlin, Germany.

Foreign Minister Gao Dewu of the People's Republic of China came to Europe under the pretext of attending the League of Nations conference in Paris. After the conference concluded, he "stopped" in Berlin for a friendly visit to Germany.