Speaking of Xinjiang, there are always a few people around you who immediately say "The Great Northwest Grassland is so beautiful". However, if you really want to look through history, who would have thought that this "distant" land has always been at the heart of our country. It is not about the geographical center point, but at critical moments, this land is always the backing. Whether it is prosperity or storm, most of them cannot avoid Xinjiang. This place is far more than just a word "the lonely smoke in the desert" can cover it.

In fact, if you tell the story of Xinjiang from the beginning, you will find that whether it is the expansion of the border in the Han Dynasty or the subsequent changes of dynasties, the fate of this place is always entangled with the Central Plains. For example, during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the word "Western Region" was quite mysterious at that time. Many people remember that Zhang Qian digs out the Western Regions, but do you know? Before him, Li Guang, who was Chang Kaixuan, also fought hard in the northwest, but he defeated more than he fought, and even almost lost his territory once. Unfortunately, in the end, he relied on a young coach like Huo Qubing, and rushed to the Gobi Desert thousands of miles away from Chang'an with his men and horses, aiming at the Huns with his sword. The saying "Why do you have a family before the Huns are destroyed?" was actually the most suitable place in Xinjiang. This is not a simple military achievement, but also a kind of tenacity that the people of the Central Plains do not admit defeat.

Later dynasties took turns to appear. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Ban Zhao's brother Ban Chao was not an ordinary ruthless character. The previous generation Zhang Qian opened the way, and his generation directly stationed in the Western Regions and has not returned home for more than 30 years. Many people say "I will join the army" and "more than fifty cities", and they say it is easy, but in fact life is not that beautiful. At that time, the tribes in the Western Regions started to mess from time to time. Once, Ban Chao was made into dumplings by Kushan people in the north. He survived the cold wind and hunger for three days before breaking out. Others say that Xinjiang is suffering, but he said, "I would rather be a guardian of the Western Regions than go back to the capital to sit on the bench." Perhaps this is the temper of the frontier people. No matter which dynasty or generation, there are always so many people at the forefront.

Time turned a corner, and by the Song Dynasty, the dynasty's jurisdiction over the northwest was upgraded. But do you really say that the Song Dynasty is strong? In fact, all foreign tribes were eyeing each other at that time, and the Northern Song Dynasty sent several generals to assist in governance. For example, Zhong Shiheng not only taught soldiers and horse training at the border, but also held temple fairs with local people of all ethnic groups, fighting and using both soft and hard. Sometimes the nobles in Hotan and Kashgar even competed to invite him to drink goat milk tea. You may not see these details in the book - in fact, the border control of the Song Dynasty not only depends on soldiers, but also on the trust of people, and on the bowl of milk tea that respects each other.

As for the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, the identity of Xinjiang was even more complicated. At that time, the Yuan Dynasty was a big team and Xinjiang was returned to the province in one go. In order to facilitate the central government's power, the Yuan Shizu specially sent Mongolian, Hui and Han officials to station together. This "multi-ethnic senior management team" actually became the beginning of the gradual integration of various ethnic groups later. Once, a fusion wedding was held outside Kashgar. The leaders of the three ethnic groups called the whole city to dance and sing. There were only bowls on the dining table, not tribes. If you want to say that Xinjiang is diverse, it started from the Yuan Dynasty.

Looking at the Qing Dynasty, Zuo Zongtang regained Xinjiang, not just guns and cannons and soldiers. He also brought a group of engineers to build roads, pavilions, and canals to spread fields. Even the existing fruit and melon planting methods of the local Uyghur people can be traced back to the "pastoral improvement" urged by Zuo Zongtang. People often say, "Mr. Zuo is here, Xinjiang has hope." In fact, what they hope is not only peace, but also the days facing the loess can be renovated. If you go to the old market around Urumqi and ask about your ancestors, many Hui merchants will also say a few stories about "The ancestors followed Zuo Gong to move and drag boxes", which sounds like both fireworks and martial arts.

On the other hand, Xinjiang is living a prosperous life more than history, but also the "wealth" behind it. You said that the place is vast, it’s nothing strange, but the land here really makes gold. If you don’t believe it, go to Hami and Kuche to see that the coal and oil are not enough to dig. In midsummer, the workers’ faces are all darkened in copper and they have to go down the mine track without taking a bite. A few years ago, it was said that a rare ore dug from a well could meet the national industrial consumption of half a year. If you ask the old miners, they will tell you seriously: "Even God is reluctant to let outsiders touch the treasures hidden in this place."

There are also Tacheng and Yili lines. There are many shepherds. The grassland is high and the earth is wide. Even the air is sweet when the wind blows. Every year when the large horses in Yili are sent to the mainland, horse dealers say, "A Xinjiang horse can support a cow in his hometown." This is not an exaggeration, because the good horses here are kind and strong, they can run and pull, drive machinery, and can also carry children to school. Xinjiang's economy is not only mines and oil, but also livestock, wool, fruits and vegetables. The winter and spring mutton is supplied to the mainland. In Shanghai, the whole roasted lamb was probably sent from the back mountain of Yili.

Let me tell you an episode. Although Lop Nur looks lifeless outside, it is actually a blessed land for China's nuclear industry back then. If you pass by, you never thought that under this salt-alkali beach where you don’t look like grass, there are a bunch of minerals that can amaze the world. Once a "loud sound in the east" landed on this land, and many engineers camped inside, and had not seen the moonlight outside for dozens of days. When the "two bombs and one satellite" were launched, there was not enough resources, and it all depends on Lop Nur to support it. In fact, this kind of "unknown dedication" is the most touching thing in Xinjiang.

But to put it bluntly, Xinjiang's top value is not a mine, nor an oil field, nor a fruit, and the word "barrier". The northwest region has a complex terrain, and once it is lost, the mainland will open its doors. This is a truth that everyone knows for thousands of years. For example, in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, the Junggar Khanate was in full force and once threatened to attack the city of Xi'an. If it weren't for the unity of all ethnic groups in the local area, Zuo Zongtang personally went to supervise the army, carry out settlements and build forts, it would be difficult for the central government to stabilize the frontier line. Every time the central government is shaking, it is always possible to rely on the frontier to resist the limelight. This is the meaning of Xinjiang's existence.

Moreover, if you look at Xinjiang society carefully, you will find that you are inseparable from the mainland. In the 1950s, the country promoted immigration construction, and many families in Henan and Hunan moved their families to Xinjiang in one go. Some people say that "entering Xinjiang is to regenerate again." Those immigrants built houses, farmed and mined by themselves, and built homes from scratch, living on wastelands. If you ask them if they regret it, they will shake their heads in a few moments and just say to you desperately, "Drinking tea under the sand jujube tree is called living."

In comfort and comfort, it is actually a little short of "old Xinjiang". Because the history here is not smooth sailing. In the era of uneven territory, people of all ethnic groups faced difficulties together in the wind and snow; in a few years of peace, outside forces came to disrupt the situation, spread rumors and provoke trouble, so as not to let everyone live a stable life. The peace in this place is truly made by spelling.

Now, Xinjiang has become a bridgehead in the "Belt and Road Initiative". No one can avoid Xinjiang from the east and west. The use of oil and natural gas has soared, and factories have been continuously spreading. If you go to Kashgar to see, a building will be built in the new urban area in one day. If any major country wants to "get a share of the pie", then the door of Xinjiang cannot be opened casually; if Xinjiang is left behind, the Chinese nation will lose its hardest "lifeline".

So we say, what exactly is Xinjiang? It is the mutton on your dining table, the wind blowing along the way, the shepherd's flute blowing by the desert, and the distance of every generation. How many people have tried their best to defend this place, and how many times their lives have hung on the line and never retreated. Those who come from all over the world may have a long mouth outside, but the one who can really determine the fate of Xinjiang is the people on this land. The Tianshan Mountains are there, the snow and water are there, and the energy in everyone's heart is still there. In the new day in the future, the desert will still be smoked and the city will still be lively. As long as people are not distracted, Xinjiang will still be better than the older generation imagined - that road may be far, maybe difficult, but no one will look back easily.

After saying so much, you may ask, how will the story in Xinjiang be written? I don't know either. But whenever you stand at the foot of Tianshan Mountain and hear the sound of the sheep bell in the morning light, you will have some thoughts in your heart - this is our own land, the kind of stability and stability that no one can take away.