地缘政治与权力竞争——民国初年阿尔泰并新问题考论

Geopolitics and Power Competition--On the Historical Process of Altay’s Being Incorporated into Xinjiang in the Early Years of the Republic of China

民国初年阿尔泰并新的历史进程呈现出强烈的地缘政治特征。科阿战争、程克主政、“俄乱”与“阿尔泰兵变”等前后相缀,共同构成了阿尔泰并新历史的完整链条。在这场关乎地缘政治的历史事件当中,还隐约可见权力竞争的影子。北京政府最初设立阿尔泰区,原在于新、阿互为犄角,维护西北边疆主权,同时亦可牵制新疆,而不使其独大,但由此造成了双方互相牵掣之势,俨然成为边疆隐患。北京政府最终批准阿尔泰并新,并非有意在制度上否定阿尔泰独立行政的构想,而是一种基于治理成本的理性选择。就结果而言,阿尔泰并新不仅关系到阿尔泰地区行政区划变更,更是在事件之外涉及对新疆经略乃至于西北、北部边疆经略的统筹。如果说清朝中央政府推行“科阿分治”,乃是从西北、北部边疆治理的全局着眼,彰显阿尔泰“为西、北两路形势扼要所在”之战略地位,那么民国初年“阿尔泰并新”则表明,北京政府业已转向保守立场,局促于保全阿尔泰地方本身,发挥其为“新疆战略屏障”之作用。

The historical process of Altay’ s being incorporated into Xinjiang in the early years of the Republic of China shows strong geopolitical characteristics. A complete process of the mergence is composed of such historical events as the War between Khobudo and Altay, Cheng Ke’s administration of Altay District, "Russian chaos" and "Altay mutiny". Meanwhile, the involvement of power struggles can also be spotted. The initial purpose of the Beijing government to establish Altay District was to safeguard the sovereignty of the northwestern border areas through the mutual support between Xinjiang and Altay;the policy was aimed at containing Xinjiang to prevent it from independence as well. However, this resulted in the mutual impediment and restraint imposed on both Xinjiang and Altay, which grew into a hidden peril and worsened the situation of border defense. Under such a circumstance, the final approval of the Beijing government to incorporate Altay into Xinjiang isn’t an intentional denial of the idea to set up Altay as an independent administrative district in a systematic sense, but a rational alternative based on governance costs. As a result, Altay’s mergence into Xinjiang is not only related to the change of administrative divisions in Altay, but also involves the overall planning of the governance of Xinjiang and the northwest and northern border areas. If it is said that the central government of the Qing Dynasty carried out the "Altay separated from Khobudo" from the perspective of the overall situation of the northwest and the northern borderland governance, highlighting the strategic position of Altay as "the summary of the situation of the west and the north", then the "Altay’s mergence into Xinjiang" in the early years of the Republic of China shows that the Beijing government had turned to a conservative position and is limited in preserving Altay itself and playing its role of "Xinjiang strategic barrier" effect.