C1476 The distant tribe of the Desert North (1/2)

He looked at the plates of gold bars on the table, which were even marked with Russian characters. With one glance, he could tell that it was the Russian government's stock of gold. This also proved the identity of the person who came.

”General, there is no need to hesitate. This order will only bring benefits and no harm to you. First, this is an order from the imperial government that you must carry out. Second, we have chosen a path that is rarely visited. This will not cause any trouble for your people …”

”Our vanguard unit ascends the Black Dragon River and directly enters the frozen Songhua River. Along the Songhua River south, we will be able to enter the Triple Family City in a week at most. From there, we will follow the forest south and not disturb any commoners.

”Follow the Suifen River and kill your way down. In two or three days, you will reach the Haishenwai … ”Lord General, five thousand gold is only for half a month in exchange for our great army. This transaction is really worth it!”

's hands were trembling slightly, his face was pale white. The Sand envoy knew what was troubling his heart, but T?pchin did not know that the Russian opposite of him was even more conflicted and anxious.

Time had to be pushed forward for another week. In the far north of the Mongolian steppe, on the banks of the Shrika River east of Lake Baikal, a burning tribe was caught up in a desperate struggle.

This was a small tribe of 3,000 under Chechen Khan. Since ancient times, they had lived under the rule of Chechen Khan, who since the end of the Ming Dynasty had submitted to the Qing Dynasty and been conferred the title of Mongol prince by the central government.

The herdsmen who grew up here knew that their master was Chechen Khan, and Chechen Khan's master was the emperor of the Qing dynasty in the Beijing. They paid taxes to the big men, and at the same time, they paid taxes to the Beijing as well.

In return for his allegiance, Chechen Khan was able to receive annual royal salary and rewards from the Qing Dynasty, while ordinary shepherds were able to see caravans in the distant south at regular intervals throughout the year.

There were no more troubled days like the Ming Dynasty. The Great Ming Dynasty's control of the prairie trade was too strict. The herdsmen on the prairie simply did not enjoy the iron, salt, tea and cloth of the plains. Ordinary people lived very poor lives. At that time, the tribes on the banks of the Shrike River could not even buy an iron pot with the price of three bulls.

It was only until the agreement between the Qing Dynasty and Mongolia that a common system of the Eight Banner of the Mankind was formed. From then on, the life of the herdsmen on the prairie gradually became better, and the Qing Dynasty did not restrict the caravans from entering the prairie. Just this point alone had caused the thousands of years of conflict between the prairie and the Central Plains to disappear without a trace.

Although there was a part of the Mongol rebellion, they could not get the support of the majority of the Mongolian. It would always be a rebellion, and then the Qing Dynasty would be able to tie together all the remaining Mongol tribes to fight for them.

Land that had not been conquered by military means was easily taken by economic means. The salt, cloth, silk, iron and tea leaves that were sent to the Mongolian Great Prairie year after year … The treasures of the Central Plains had easily captured the heart of the Mongolian.

The herdsmen were loyal to Chechen Khan, and Chechen Khan was loyal to the Emperor of Great Qing. Such a model, once run for two hundred years, would form a strong psychological inertia, causing the herdsmen to exert an extremely strong central force towards the Beijing regime.

All the way until the Treaty of Beijing between China and Russia was ceded to Sha Russia, these herdsmen, who had been abandoned in the Northern Mongolian Prairie, still resolutely paid tribute and paid taxes to Chechnya, and still welcomed the Chinese caravan every year.

The treaty had been signed for nine years, but the leader of the tribe and the children of the herdsmen firmly believed that they were from the Qing, and that they were the descendants of Chechen Khan under the rule of the Qing Empire.

It was only in the spring of 1869 that the herdsmen on both sides of the Shrikh met with the most powerful and uninvited visitors. From the western horizon, a black line came galloping towards them, trampling on muffled thunder.

It had been a long time since there was a war, and the young herdsmen were at a loss at what to do. Only the oldest herdsmen realized what it was and rushed out of their tents shouting ”Enemy!” This was the charge of tens of thousands of cavalrymen! Get on the horse and prepare for battle! ”That's definitely not a guest …”

All of the tribal ministers who had been chanting the scriptures came out. They sat cross-legged on the snow and rotated their scriptures to pray for the blessings of the tribe. They hoped that the blessings of the Buddha would help them escape this disaster.