Hunchun looked at the 30,000 tiger soldiers under his command with an extremely proud expression. These were the essence of the Qing army outside the Pass. He spent almost all his financial resources to ensure their complete transformation into foreign weapons.
Although the rifles are all old single-needle rifled guns and cannot be compared with the Chinese Mauser, they are already considered top-notch weapons in this era.
Other troops of the Qing Dynasty are also equipped with swords and spears, and they have become fully equipped with foreign weapons!
The 10,000 cavalry was his last capital. Previously, 20,000 cavalry were sent to the capital and became an extremely important strategic force in Zaichun's hands. Hunchun only had these 10,000 left.
It is bitterly cold outside the Pass. Although it is known to the world as a wealthy place, the wicker border policy has locked up Han immigrants. If there is no population, how can you develop it?
It doesn’t matter how you beat roe deer and scoop fish with a stick, how can you develop it without people? Even if you have ginseng gold mines everywhere, there are a lot of precious woods in the old forest, and if there is no population to mine them, it will be useless.
Therefore, Hunchun's ability to raise 30,000 cavalry is already his limit! If the last cavalry unit is taken away this time, there will no longer be strategically detour cavalry units in the entire three eastern provinces.
The remaining 20,000 foreign rifle infantry were formed with all the resources. There are as many as 120,000 defenders on the roster outside the pass, but the ones that can really be modernized are the 30,000 in front of them and the ones sent to the capital. Twenty thousand.
Fifty thousand people were Hunchun's entire capital. He looked proud because the soldiers and civilians of Shengjing, who had been frightened by such military power, could not stand alone in fear.
There were almost no people who dared to stand outside the campus. They all knelt on the ground and prostrated to see the general off!
Almost all the senior officials from the three eastern provinces came. They all stood in the wind and bowed their hands to Hunchun. They didn't dare to say more than a few words, and they looked down and down like an angry little daughter-in-law.
Accompanying the army were more than 10,000 carts and tens of thousands of civilians, pulling rations and ammunition to be eaten along the way, and marching with the army!
The common people would never see such a spectacular sight on ordinary days. In their panic, they seemed to have seen heavenly soldiers and generals!
Hunchun is indeed worthy of pride. He was able to accumulate such a fortune in just a few years. He deserves Zai Chun's trust in him. The three provinces outside Guan Guan have been entrusted to him. Hunchun is already Zai Chun's most trusted minister.
There is no one, and even Hunchun's trust level is higher than that of Fu Qing. If nothing else, Hunchun is the best among the Manchu generals at that time because he dared to fight against the Rakshasa ghost Lao Maozi.
Hunchun is really devoted to Zai Chun. Over the years, he has repeatedly rejected the attempts of the Japanese Sixth Army, the British, Tsarist Russia and other forces to win over him, and he has devoted himself to guarding this land of Longxing for Zai Chun.
Moreover, an elite force that definitely belongs to Zaichun has been established, with 30,000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry with foreign rifles. The remaining 670,000 to 70,000 local garrison troops have also reached one-third with foreign rifles.
Such achievements were definitely among the best in the Qing Dynasty, and they were accomplished outside the customs with such a sparse population. This made Zai Chun trust him even more.
Hunchun is really interesting. Before Emperor Tongzhi came to power, he knew that many villains and traitors were disobedient to the emperor, so he secretly dispatched 20,000 cavalrymen, which were all the cavalry he had at the time.
They were all sent to the capital, taking the ancient Huangyaguan Road, catching the traitors in the court by surprise. Many premeditated rebellions scared off the 20,000-strong army.
The more such a pure minister, the more Zai Chun likes him. In the future, more military expenditures will be allocated to Hunchun, and his political rights will be greater!
But under such a famous reputation, Hunchun also has hidden worries!
He knows his own affairs well. Who does he rely on to have the size of his army today? Rely on the court? The imperial court gave some money, but the money could not be used as food, nor could it be easily purchased as arms.
The prosperity of the three provinces outside the Pass depends on the secret support of Xiang Shaolong, King of the Far East!
Trade routes! The maritime trade provided by the Far East port of Vladivostok supports almost half of the economy of the three eastern provinces!
During the years when Xiang Shaolong governed the Far East, the most important thing he did was infrastructure construction. The size of Haishenwan's port was twenty times larger than when Rakshasa Ghost was there!
Roads have also begun to be built into distant dense forests. The economic arteries of the three provinces outside the customs are not only the Shanhaiguan line, but also the port leading to Vladivostok!
Timber, ginseng, animal skins, gold, coal and iron ore deposits from outside the customs are continuously transported to Vladivostok. At this moment, the railway blueprint from Vladivostok to the three eastern provinces is being investigated and drawn.
The volume of export trade is large, and what you get in return is not only money, but also food, industrial products, arms, and textiles for the continued development of Northeast China...
Without the support of this trade route, Hunchun would not be able to support such a large army. How much does it cost just in terms of military rations every year? How much ammo is used for training? There are simply countless!
In such an economic situation, Xiang Shaolong and Hunchun have also established a good cooperative relationship. Although the identities of both parties are sensitive, the friendship was established by killing Rakshasa ghosts together.
Heroes cherish heroes, and the only thing left is admiration!
After Hunchun received the order asking him to lead troops to Beijing, he sent a private telegram to Xiang Shaolong in Vladivostok. He begged Xiang Shaolong to take care of him for the sake of his friend while he was away from the customs. This little family fortune.
He said it was a trust, but in fact he wanted to get a promise from Xiang Shaolong. Hunchun was very worried that he was not outside the customs. If the army of the Far Eastern Kingdom fully invaded the three eastern provinces, no one could resist it!
Xiang Shaolong has an army of 100,000 at his disposal, and he can recruit inexhaustible troops from the Fusang Islands at any time. He also has the financial resources and maritime transportation power of the Chinese to support him!
Once Xiang Shaolong makes up his mind to take action, the three eastern provinces will definitely fall in three or four months!
But he didn't expect that the reply telegram Hunchun received was Xiang Shaolong's dissuasion!
"My brother personally declares: I believe that rescuing the capital at this moment is a very inappropriate move. I should dissuade Your Majesty from giving up this idea..."
"Although the Yixin rebels are coming in force, they are far from a scale that His Majesty cannot resist. The short-term defeat was just a result of being caught off guard and having too many internal thieves..."
"Stabilizing the defense line and delaying it with time is the best policy!"
"It will only take three or four months. Once the rebels run out of food, that's when the imperial court will counterattack..."
"And my brother, a hundred thousand tiger soldiers, are guarding the outside of the pass. If necessary, we can annex Shanhaiguan and suppress it with huge force..."
"If you don't fight, you will increase the enemy's fear and consume the enemy's resources... You must not go deep alone in case something changes..."
Xiang Shaolong's attitude is very clear, that is, Hunchun is not allowed to enter the capital. If assistance is available, annexing Shanhaiguan is enough. It is smarter to threaten Guiziliu than to go to war with him directly!
After Hunchun saw Xiang Shaolong's telegram, he fell into deep contemplation!
"Hey... Lord Long... why don't I know? But it's hard to disobey your orders. Without Your Majesty, I am nothing!"
