Southwest Russia, Volga River.

The Volga River, which originates from the hilly and lakes in the western Eastern European plains, is the longest river in Europe and the longest inland river in the world. It has a total length of more than 3,500 kilometers and finally flows into the Caspian Sea.

Nearly half of the Russians live in the Volga River Basin. Therefore, the Russians call it the Mother River. It is also Russia's inland shipping main road. It connects the Baltic Sea through the Volga-Baltic Sea canal, connects the White Sea through the North Dvine River, and communicates with the Azov Sea and the Black Sea through the Volga-Don Canal, and finally injects into the Caspian Sea, which has the reputation of "navigation of the five seas".

The beautiful scenery, pleasant climate and rich resources are undoubtedly a shining pearl in the lower reaches of Volga. It is not only known as the "Southwest Granary", but also a hub connecting Europe and Asia's land and water transportation. With the construction of the Eurasian Railway, it has become an important railway transportation hub.

The convenience of transportation brings the prosperity of commerce. The trade between Russia and Qing dynasties is flourishing year by year. With the continuous extension of the railway, the trade routes between the two countries also migrated. The route from Gongning to cross the Kazakh grassland to Chalijin has become the most important business route for the two countries.

It is also worth mentioning that since its founding in the 18th century, Chalizin has been a major military center in Russia. It was once a bridgehead for Russia to erode Central Asia. The Qing Dynasty recaptured the Kazakh prairie and the Qing and Russia reconstructed the borders. As Russia's military frontier, Chalizin's military status naturally rose.

After the news that the two provinces of the northwest of the Qing Dynasty rebelled, and the news that the Anxi Governor Feng Renxuan claimed to be a king was spread, the atmosphere in Chalijinli became tense, and every day there were several military lines loaded with arms or troops arrived.

Various speculations and discussions also emerged. Should this situation help the Qing Dynasty quell the rebellion? Or take the opportunity to regain the lost Central Asian territory? No one can say, and there are both possible.

The former is based on decades of friendly relations between the Qing and Russia, while the latter is that the two northwestern provinces of the Qing Dynasty were forcibly seized by the Qing Dynasty when Russia was defeated in the Crimean War, resulting in the demise of Russia's policy of moving south for a hundred or two years.

No matter which purpose it is, as long as the troops are sent, the railway across the Kazakh prairie is the top priority. Therefore, another tense atmosphere is added to the atmosphere of war - the tension caused by the emergency repair of the Kazakh railway that has not yet been completed.

Armies, freight and passenger trains roared on the railway line from Moscow to Chalijin. Cargo ships of various sizes flowed down the Volga River, and the materials such as arms, grain, stone, wood, and a large number of troops and labor and technicians who repaired the railway were continuously transported to Chalijin.

The railway project across the Kazakh prairie, which has been built step by step, ushered in a crazy outbreak period! Russia mobilized a large amount of manpower and material resources to repair day and night, and the Qing Dynasty's western province also repaired day and night, and a large number of troops and officers and soldiers participated.

The Charijin Railway Administration, Russian Minister of Transportation and the Director of the Southwest Railway Administration, Nemeshayev frowned and looked at the telegram in his hand. The telegram was sent from the Petersburg Palace. The content was very simple and nothing new. It was to urge the speed up the construction of the railway. It was originally required to ensure completion before the winter freeze, but now it is required to ensure completion one month before the freeze.

Completed one full month ahead of schedule!

Nemeshayev's hand holding the telegram could not help but tremble slightly. As the leader of the Eurasian Railway Project, he had already deeply understood the importance of this railway when he came to Chalijin and also knew the reason why His Majesty the Emperor was anxious to rush to work. For this reason, at the beginning of his tenure, he changed the plan of building step by step, and like the oriental people opposite, he started construction in sections at the same time.

The speed of construction in sections is fast, but the manpower, material and financial resources required is also doubled. Moreover, the current construction speed can be said to be the limit. If the construction period is one month in advance, it is not difficult, but a task that cannot be completed at all.

Rejection is obviously impossible. He knew that suddenly demanding the construction period was advanced. It must be that some changes had occurred in the Qing Dynasty, Central Asia, or Europe. It would probably be useless to complain. In extraordinary times, complaining cannot bring any grace to the slightest, and it will also lead to an impression of incompetence.

After thinking about it, he quickly drafted a call back - the emergency repair of the railway has reached its limit. If he wants to speed up the progress further, he can only mobilize the troops to participate.

In just a few hours, Petersburg's call came, "There have been telephoned to make the local troops cooperate fully and must be completed as scheduled at all costs."

Seeing the call back, Nemeshayev's only luck disappeared. He was about to ask someone to prepare a car to go to the military camp. The secretary quickly stepped in and said, "The northwest provinces of the Qing Dynasty have officially declared autonomy today."

Nemeshayev was stunned. Autonomy? Not independence?

Gongning City.

The entire Gongning City was covered with red and green, with colorful flags flying, and it was a festive atmosphere. At 10 o'clock in the morning, Gongning issued a power to all directions, and the northwest provinces officially announced their autonomy. Although the city seemed a little deserted, the drums and drums were still loud and the firecrackers were shaking the sky.

There was a celebration outside, but the Governor's Mansion was filled with sorrow. When Empress Dowager Ci'an, who was forced to smile outside, returned to the backyard, her face turned gloomy and afraid of others. She used the mouth of the little emperor to announce the autonomy of the northwest provinces, and once again put her mother and mother at the forefront. I wonder how to blame the newspapers introspectively.

Although she was reluctant, she refused to bow her head under the roof. Now that her mother and her daughter are in the hands of these rebels in the northwest, what can she do besides obeying the orders?

However, what she hated the most was Yi Quezure. She and her mother had the chance to escape, but were trapped in this nest by him!

Some people were worried, but some were happy. After the government office sent away a group of officials and subordinates who came to congratulate him, Zhu Shanhai lit a cigar with satisfaction and slowly smoked it. The two northwest provinces declared autonomy rather than independence, but were just a delaying strategy to not over-stimulate the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, considering the situation between Ci'an and Guangxu, after all, they are the empress dowager and emperor of the Qing Dynasty. They cannot let the Qing Dynasty declare the independence of the two provinces. Of course, this fig leaf will soon be useless.

Whether it is autonomy or independence, the Qing Dynasty would not give up and would inevitably send troops to conquer. However, he was not worried that the railway from Hami to Turpan had been severely damaged. Even if the Qing Dynasty wanted to conquer, it would have to be delayed until the beginning of next spring.
Chapter completed!