Kanas Lake is a high mountain lake in the Altai Mountains in the northernmost part of northern Xinjiang. This lake is in the shape of a long and narrow crescent, running north to south, 24 kilometers long, and the widest part is only more than 2 kilometers, and its area is ten times that of Tianchi in the Tianshan Mountains.
On both sides of Nass Lake are mountains and forests, and melted snowwater pours into the lake. The lake has rippling blue waves, reflecting the mountains on both sides, and the scenery is extremely beautiful. The lakes and mountains in northern Xinjiang are amazing, but Kanas
The scenery of the lake and mountains can be called a treasure. Later generations have such a saying: Kanas Lake is the only Swiss scenery in Asia.
But this place was not as famous as later generations at this time. At this time, the most famous scenic spot in both Xinjiang and Xinjiang was Tianshan Tianchi. However, Tianshan Tianchi cannot compare with Kanas Lake in terms of area and beauty.
In comparison, the main advantage of Tianchi is its good location, near the political, economic and cultural centers of the two Xinjiangs, and convenient transportation. It is only a few kilometers away from the great plain at the foot of the mountain, and only dozens of kilometers away from Changji and Dihua. There are many dignitaries and celebrities nearby.
Visitors can easily access Tianchi.
But Kanas Lake is like a more beautiful, noble and mysterious girl, hiding herself in the curtain and using mountains and mountains to make it difficult to approach. Although Tianchi is also a mountain lake, it is only twenty miles away from the plain area.
There are many kilometers of mountain roads. However, Kanas Lake is separated from the nearest plain area by more than 80 kilometers of high mountains. There is only a winding mountain road in the middle that can be reached. It is easy to defend but difficult to attack. Many places are blocked by one man.
open.
More importantly, Kanas Lake is not only inaccessible, but also closer to the border. From here to the Kazakhstan border in the west, it is only 14 kilometers. To the Russian border in the north, it is only about 40 kilometers. And from here to the administrative center of the Altay region
Altay City in the center has 180 kilometers - 80 kilometers of mountains, plus 100 kilometers of plains.
It is this point that made Guangwu choose Kanas Lake as its final retreat stronghold. The 80 kilometers of overlapping mountains make it difficult for large groups of troops to approach. Moreover, it is only a dozen kilometers away from the Soviet border. Although it is a mountain road,
It can also be said that it is so close that you can reach it with just a few steps. If the situation goes wrong, you can immediately withdraw into the Soviet Union. Moreover, this is still within the scope of Northern Xinjiang. Guangwu is stationed here, and it is still considered to be in the "Kingdom of Ili"
At home, he did not go into exile abroad. As he said himself, this is a symbol that the Soviet army did not fail in northern Xinjiang and that the Ili Kingdom still exists independently.
The location was safe, it was convenient to evacuate into the Soviet Union, and it was still within the territory of northern Xinjiang. These three points were exactly the reasons why Stalin agreed after considering them.
…
In fact, there is another reason why Guangwu chose this place, or rather knew about it.
After Zuo Zongtang recovered the two Xinjiangs in the 1880s, the two Xinjiangs established a provincial system and became "Xinjiang Province". Since then, the rule of the Northern Qing Dynasty here has become increasingly firm, and successive governors have also begun to vigorously manage the two Xinjiangs. Many of them were previously inaccessible.
All places were developed. After the First World War, the world experienced great prosperity and hedonism spread all over the world, and Beiqing was no exception. At that time, it was the golden period after the Reform Movement of 1898, and railways and highways leading to the northwest
The arrival of modern means of transportation such as trains and automobiles has allowed these dignitaries to get rid of the situation of traveling for several months, a year and a half in the past. Many mainland princes, nobles, and even royal family members have begun to become popular in "long-distance travel"
.
The royal family of the Qing Dynasty was born into a nomadic people. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, almost every emperor liked to travel to the frontiers for hunting, and the Mulan Autumn Hunting Festival was a regular practice of the Qing Dynasty royal family. In addition to traveling to relax and maintain the martial spirit of the Qing Dynasty, autumn hunting
It is also an important opportunity for the emperor to meet local ethnic minority princes and connect with them emotionally. In the past, due to transportation reasons, Emperor Qiu Shou could only go to the nearest Northeast and Inner Mongolia, but now there are trains and cars, so he can go to Qiu Shou and meet with the two Xinjiangs.
The prince became more convenient and more important.
Northern Xinjiang has beautiful scenery, and has just been connected to railways and highways, so it has naturally become a place where princes and nobles from the Qing Dynasty flock to. In order to curry favor with these royal relatives in the capital, and even more with the Long Live Lord who may come to their jurisdiction, the local officials in Northern Xinjiang
They all use their own methods. Especially the local officials in the Altay region use all possible means. In addition to "local specialties" such as gold and mink skins, the most outstanding thing about Altay is the stunning natural scenery.
The prefect of Altay searched for some of the most beautiful places within his jurisdiction, and then carried out large-scale construction, built villas and mansions, built mountain roads, and built various supporting facilities for life and enjoyment, similar to the later "clubs."
In the entire Altay region, the most charming scenery is Kanas Lake. Therefore, the Altay Palace built for the emperor was chosen to be located in the Kanas Lake Scenic Area. Because it was necessary to build the palace at a place with the best scenery and the best view by the lake.
, and the slope there is very difficult, so the prefecture of Altay hired foreign designers. After the foreign designers came to see it on site, they were also impressed by the lakes and mountains here that are comparable to Switzerland, and directly suggested to the prefect to design the palace into a
The form of the European-style castle can better blend with the surrounding lakes and mountains. The prefect was very satisfied with the watercolor renderings painted by foreigners and approved it immediately.
In addition to a palace, several luxurious villas were built on the shores of Kanas Lake. The palace was used to curry favor with the emperor, and the villas were used to curry favor with the dignitaries in Beijing. In order to match the castle of the palace, several villas were also built in Western style.
Style. A castle and several villas are reflected in the charming lake light all year round, forming a unique landscape of Kanas Lake. Until the fall of the Northern Qing Dynasty, the deeds of several luxurious villas by Kanas Lake were written separately.
It bears the names of some of the most powerful people in the Northern Qing Dynasty.
When Guangwu was still a prince, he accompanied his father, Xuantong, on his autumn hunt in northern Xinjiang. He once visited the Altai Mountains and stayed at a palace by Kanas Lake. Although Guangwu only visited Kanas Lake once, he was very familiar with that place.
It left a deep impression. Guangwu was not a person who only enjoyed pleasure, he was also very good at military. In addition to the beautiful scenery, the strongest feeling that the Kanas Lake area gave him was the impregnable
Military geographical location, as well as its extremely special strategic position. Kanas Lake is located in the northernmost part of Northern Xinjiang, close to Kazakhstan in the west, Russia in the north, and Outer Mongolia in the east. It is easy to defend in a small environment
It is difficult to attack, but the environment is accessible in all directions. In peacetime, this is a resort. But in emergency times, this is an impregnable fortress.
Now, Guangwu almost believed that it was an arrangement from somewhere that allowed him to return here after many years, so that the place he had admired when he was a boy could once again play its role.
…
It has been three days since Guangwu moved into the Kanas Lake Palace. August is the most beautiful time of Kanas Lake. Looking out the window at the snow-capped mountains and the swans swimming on the lake, breathing in the coolness of the mountains with the fragrance of pine forests
The air, the heavy footsteps of Soviet soldiers moving things in the corridor, and the Russian chatter and laughter. This suddenness made Guangwu fall into an illusion, as if he couldn't remember where he was.
Because it had just been a few days since we moved in, all kinds of materials and equipment were still being transported into the castle. In the past two days, Soviet officers directed the soldiers to work inside and outside the castle, tidying up rooms, placing things, and
, set up telescopes, searchlights, and machine guns in some windows of the castle to monitor the lake and mountain roads to prevent the Ming army from sending people to assassinate him again.
The security of the entire palace area is protected by the Soviet army. The Soviet army has two battalions here, with a strength of about 800 people, and is organized into a regiment. One of the companies lives in the castle, and several other companies are stationed in the castle.
Several villas around the castle guard the roads approaching the castle.
Guangwu moved here from Altay City, and the pressure on the Soviet army's security guards was suddenly relieved. If you want to protect the safety of the palace in Altay City, just a few regiments are impossible. But to protect this isolated mountain castle,
Two battalions are more than enough.
Suddenly, everything went dark, and a huge thing blocked the window. Guangwu frowned and saw that it turned out to be a 37mm machine gun. A winch was set up on it, and the Soviet army was shouting slogans to move this big thing to the top of the castle.
Well. This machine gun was lifted up by the steel cable. Guangwu looked out carefully and saw that there was a villa in the woods on the other side of the lake two kilometers away, and an anti-aircraft gun was set up on the terrace of the villa.
This castle is built against the canyon beside the lake. From this location, it can be said that bombers can't do anything about it. However, the Ming army will definitely come to try their luck, so necessary air defense measures are still indispensable.
These Soviet-made weapons, as well as a large amount of supplies and equipment, were all shipped directly from Kazakhstan in the west. The transportation from here to Kazakhstan is much more convenient than the transportation to the Altay Plain in the south. When Guangwu came, it was
First take a flight and land at the eastern border of Kazakhstan, and then take a car along the mountain road to enter the Kanas Lake Palace. Even if one day you can no longer hold on here, you can easily evacuate to Kazakhstan through this mountain road.
Of course, if the Ming army wanted to break through the 80 kilometers of high mountains and reach here, even if it was not impossible, it would be impossible to think about it for ten or eight years. This is destined to be a place that can be defended for a long time. Nearly a hundred kilometers of mountains are blocking the way.
With a steady stream of convenient supplies from Kazakhstan and Russia, coupled with the high-power radio stations set up here, the Kanas Lake Fortress is destined to become an unconquerable fortress, like a nail that will always be pierced into the flesh of the Ming army.
Here. As long as this fortress remains here, the Ming army's northern frontier will never be able to live in peace.
Guangwu held on to the window sill and looked at the unobstructed magnificent scenery. With this thought in his heart, he slowly felt a lot better.