Who says remote places don’t matter? Many people always value the near-shore and capital, but China's lifeline is sometimes in the farthest places from the mainstream vision. Xinjiang, a place that makes people feel as far away as outer space on the map, is actually the last "trump card" that the Qing government has defended. Do you think it is strange? On the contrary, those places that are easier to obtain and have a more commercial atmosphere are thrown away one by one. This matter cannot be ignored. Reality always goes against imagination. Even Lao Sun - Mr. Sun Yat-sen - thought about it: "If Yili was let as the capital, maybe the world's right to speak could be pointed at." It sounds like a joke, but who doesn't understand the weight here in his heart? Not to mention the neighboring area of ​​India, they were already so jealous that they were smoking and shouted, "When there is any movement, they will come to pick peaches." The open and secret struggle behind it is more complicated than the aunt and eighth uncle in family gatherings.

Imagine how many boundaries are attached to such a large area, and my eyes are red when I am stared at it every day. Historically, Xinjiang is more dangerous than your back garden, and it almost completely left China's embrace. It is the years you can find in history textbooks, but the human hearts and the hanging spirits in them are something you can't learn in textbooks.

Time goes back. When the world is in chaos, there are always people taking advantage of the situation to rob. Aguber is such a person. You can imagine him as the gangster in the alley who is the best at finding opportunities, but his "alley" is a Xinjiang where the land is so vast that even the horses are about to run away. The Qing Dynasty was busy cleaning up the mess in the Central Plains, but Agubai came over and drove all the way to Xinjiang with the weapons given by the British. Turpan, Kashgar and Yarkand in southern Xinjiang took it and took it away, and there was no effort at all. At that time, Britain was not only a platform, but also aided equipment for Aguber. As for Aguber, he grasped his little abacus and wanted to treat himself as the "king" and also played diplomatic games with Britain and Russia. For a moment, most of the northern border Urumqi and southern border were decided by him.

This matter is not over yet. Tsarist Russia saw that the opportunity was similar, so he also joined in the fun and took Yili away. At that time, Xinjiang almost changed its color. To put it bluntly, China was like a clay figure being held in the hands of someone, and anyone who wanted to do anything was OK.

At the most difficult time, some officials in the court were ready to admit defeat - "Forget it, I can't hold on so far, let it go." Fortunately, there is still no shortage of people with a little temper in the world. Zuo Zongtang is the old-fashioned tough guy. He was so old that he was still panting, but he still gritted his teeth and sold his troops to Xinjiang. In a year, Agubo beaten so hard that he didn't even have a shadow left, and he picked up a large piece of land little by little. You said Zuo Zongtang is a national hero, yes, but it's more like the kind of nephew who rushed home in the middle of the storm when something happened at home. Everyone complained and wanted to escape. He carried his old bones, which was a bit stubborn and heartbreaking.

But God likes to cause trouble. Not long after the formation was settled, Tan Sitong, who was in the Reform Movement of 1898, actually said that it would be better to sell Xinjiang directly - he couldn't hold on anyway, so he might as well just exchange some money for spending. When everyone heard this, they were so angry that they were so angry. It’s not like selling a piece of land, why sell the portal to your neighbors? I was sweating all over my mind. Fortunately, the reform of 1898 was still a mess in the end, so this idea was limited to his mind and he had no chance to land.

There are only three things, and the last time was in chaos in the Republic of China. Sheng Shicai is a person who knows how to manage territory than Yang Zengxin. He has been in Xinjiang for twelve years. Between the enemy and us, he and the Soviet Union were flirting with each other, and even ran to hold Stalin's thigh, wanting to throw Xinjiang in and exchange it for a backer. Xinjiang is like a bargaining chip on the diplomatic stage, and can be traded at any time. Although the Soviet Union rejected his trick, Xinjiang's safety during this period was really a step to the edge of the cliff. The turning point suddenly appeared, and Shengshi was transferred back to Chongqing by a piece of order, and the so-called dream of the local emperor suddenly shattered into a pile of waste paper. Xinjiang is once again in China's hands.

Don’t just look at the "kings" and "warlords" in history. In fact, Xinjiang’s "being stared at" is far more than just geopolitical. You ask passersby how big is Xinjiang? The total area accounts for one-sixth of China, almost equivalent to six Hebei, with a border line extending nearly 6,000 kilometers and circling along eight countries. It was like the fence blocking the door of the house, separating all eight neighbors from the outside. Lose it? Don’t even think about it. The Loess Plateau, Inner Mongolia, Qinghai-Tibet are all blowing.

Speaking of this, I couldn't help but think about it for a while - how many generations of sweat and blood have we shed before we can keep this land? Who has never lost the key and is not stared at by outsiders, but if the key is not lost but the big land at the door of the house, how can you swallow this feeling?

Xinjiang is not only a border defense, but also our "eating" foundation. In the Belt and Road Initiative, "Xinjiang" is like a button on a map, and the entire western line head is here. Central Asia's oil, gas and minerals pass through here and penetrate into the energy artery in the mainland. Several pipes were connected. If you lose this place, then energy security and strategic defense line are just a mess without looking at it. The water we drink and the lamp we light actually have the shadow of Xinjiang behind it.

After all, Xinjiang, in the impression of many people, is arid and desolate, like the artistic conception of "the lonely smoke in the desert is straight, and the sun sets in the long river is round". In fact, the total amount of coal, oil and natural gas is taken out easily and it is a scary thing. Two trillion tons of coal and ten trillion cubic meters of gas, this account book can make people in other places jealous. Not to mention Hetian jade and agate, as long as they are labeled in Xinjiang, even people from abroad are rushing to ask for it. Don’t underestimate water resources. Xinjiang’s per capita water volume is really higher than that of many mainland cities, and it is a wealthy place that many factories and farms value.

Don’t forget that Xinjiang has not just started to have Chinese people today. The ruins dug out from archaeology can be traced back to six or seven thousand years ago - our ancestors had long since stepped on the footsteps of life on this land. Even if there is any forgetting of history, there will always be traces. Some people say that Xinjiang is not from China, it is a bit like the old house at home when they were young, and others insist that it is their own ancestral home - can you bear this?

Zuo Zongtang's words sounded a little ruthless: "If you lose Xinjiang, China will lose all limbs." Indeed, a piece of land is not only the color blocks on the map, but also the confidence of the entire Chinese. Although the Qing Dynasty lost a lot of other places, this land is still there, which is somewhat of a win.

Say something far away. Will Xinjiang really become another engine of China in the future? Maybe. As long as this land is still in our doghouse, no matter how storm is, we have homes to go back. Sometimes, the real trump card is not the superficial "prosperity", but the places that are easily overlooked but cannot be lost.

This is the story. What do you think? Welcome to complain. Xinjiang is the dust on the road and the concern in my heart. If you don’t believe it, ask yourself—If you lose Xinjiang, how much is the feeling of this family?

(Let's just talk about it here, let's continue talking next time.)