1635 Han style rises again

"July 7, sunny day."

"After our entire mission set off from Tomsk, we trekked all the way, and finally came to a city called Murgoqin Ulus (near Hohhot, Inner Mongolia today). This place should still belong to the territory of the Mongols, and the city has been built. Quadrangular, with tall tower-shaped towers built at each corner. The lower part of the tower is gray stone, and the upper part is made of bricks. The gate is arched, similar to our Russian city gate. And in the tower above the gate, there are Bronze alarm bells up to 20 poods (one of the main units of measurement in Russia during the Tsarist period, which is a unit of weight, 1 pood = 40 Russian pounds ≈ 16.38 kilograms), and the city towers are made of bricks."

"The courtyards of the Mongolians are also made of bricks, square, and the walls of the courtyard are very high. The houses in the courtyard are not high, but the ceilings of the houses are painted with flowers and plants of various colors, and the four walls of the houses are also decorated with patterns of various colors. , it’s really haunting.”

"There are two brick lama temples. The temples in this place are wedge-shaped. The temple gates face southeast. There are not crosses standing on the top of the temples, but some small stone beasts. I don't know what kind of beasts they are. The scene inside the temple Strange: As soon as you enter the temple gate, there are three huge female Buddha statues sitting in front of you. On the stone beasts on the sand rope, the stone beasts are decorated with patterns of various colors."

"These Buddha statues are holding small bottles of liquid in their hands, and burning long-burning candles made of butter in front of them. There are 8 Buddha statues on the right side of the temple hall, all of which are men, and 8 Buddha statues on the left side. , are all images of young girls, gold-plated from head to toe, with hands stretched forward, as if to salute, just like the posture of Mongolians saluting Buddha statues. Next to the three big Buddhas, there are two lifelike nude Buddha statues, which are really impressive from a distance. It is difficult to tell whether it is a clay sculpture or a real person. In front of these Buddha statues, thin candles are burning, as thin as straw, and there is only smoke but no flame. When chanting sutras in the temple, two huge horns are played, and a sand rope is half long. .”

"As long as the trumpets are blown, the drums will be played, and people will kneel down on the ground, first put their hands together, then separate them, and then prostrate themselves on the ground, maintaining this posture for about half an hour. If you walk into a temple while chanting, it will make people feel uncomfortable. It was horrifying, there was an air of astonishment in here."

"The Mongolian men here are extremely unhygienic, like those Cossacks who have experienced months of exploration, but the women are extremely clean and seem enthusiastic and unrestrained."

"Surprisingly, there should be many tall and good horses growing on the large grasslands here, but they are all extremely small horses, far inferior to the tall horses in Europe. However, there are Lots of mules and donkeys, to haul and ride for the people of the place."

"July 7, sunny day."

"It takes less than 6 days to ride a horse from the Mongols' station to the Chinese border. Oh, God, in front of all of us in the mission, there is a huge wall that extends infinitely to both sides. Looking at the end, it seems that you can't see it borders. Each of us was shocked by what we saw."

"This huge fortification, which the Chinese call the Great Wall, is almost all built of bricks and stones. We calculated that there are about 100 piers on both sides of the Great Wall. It is said that there are still piers from the sea to Bukhara. Countless, the distance between every two piers is about the range of an arrow... The Chinese say that the Great Wall used to be the northern border of the Ming Dynasty, and most of the piers on the Great Wall are because once an enemy approaches the border, we Let us light a beacon on those piers, so that our men may assemble and take their places on the wall and on the piers."

...

"...After passing through the border of the city wall, you will enter the Chinese city of Xila Kalega (now Zhangjiakou). There are 5 gate openings under the tower of the city. Except for this gate, there is no other entrance on the border of the Great Wall. People from all countries enter the city of Sirakalga through this gate."

"The city was built of stone... the city is magnificent, the industry is prosperous, the towers are very high, like Moscow, there are cannons on the windows and the gates, the cannons are short, and there are many small arms, the gates, the towers, the walls There are soldiers guarding it. When the sun goes down, three salvos of three cannons are fired three times, then the drums start to beat, and then the drums are beaten again at three o'clock in the night, and three cannons are fired again at dawn, and the city gates are closed until 6 o'clock in the morning."

"There are many stone shops in the city, painted in various colors, with various flowers and plants painted on them, and a wide variety of goods in the shops. There are also many restaurants and taverns next to the shops in the city. The taverns have all kinds of wine. There are Lots of drunks and whores. There are stone prisons on both sides of the road, where thieves are hanged, robbers are beheaded in public, and those who forgery have their hands cut off."

"August 8st, cloudy."

"It takes one day to ride a horse from Xila Kalega to Xila (Xuanhua), another city in China. Xila City is also built of stone, with towering and majestic walls. It is said that it takes two days to ride around the city on horseback. There are 12 towers, and the windows of the towers There are cannons on both sides of the gate and the city gate, and there are many small arms. Guards guard the gate and the tower day and night. There are 5 gates in the city to enter the city. The gates are tall and wide, made of iron, and covered with It is full of iron nails, and there are cannons erected beside the city gate, and there are many stone shells."

"Entering from one city gate, it takes half a day to walk through the whole city to another city gate... The business in the city is more prosperous than that of the previous city. There are more vegetables and fruits, and there are so many pedestrians in the morning."

"The houses for the members of our embassy are outside the city, and are of stone. The wells are all of limestone, and the wells are surrounded by copper plates. The city is better and more beautiful than the previous one. There are sentinels standing in the government yamen, armed with various weapons, and the drums they beat resemble Russian wooden barrels.

We were temporarily suspended in this city to continue our journey, waiting for the emperor in their Chinatown (Beijing) to issue an order, and only after we got permission could we continue to go to see their emperor.However, everything we need for our daily life is very abundant here, which somewhat relieves our anxiety of staying here. "
-

"August 8, sunny day.

On this day, our mission team received a notice from the local government, allowing them to leave this place and continue to their capital.The Qing Kingdom sent a team of about [-] armed soldiers to escort them, led by two generals.This is our first close encounter with the country's military, and they seem relatively taciturn.All of them were thin, and all of them were equipped with cold weapons such as spears and swords.

These officers and soldiers wore military uniforms of two colors, and it is said that they belonged to different establishments.Officers wear a armored stomach, with white satin as the surface material, plain lining cloth, sleeveless, with a layer of iron in the middle, and the outside is covered with brass nails to fix it.There are two layers of red gold, two layers of stone blue edges, one embroidered python on the front and one on the back body, and embroidered lotus pictures in the blank space.

...

The equipment of ordinary soldiers is relatively simple, and the large livery does not fit well with the thin body.But their eyes are sharp and their manners are measured. They should be a very well-trained army.

However, during the lunch break, after these Chinese soldiers took off their military caps and helmets, they looked a little ridiculous.A slender mouse braid hangs down the back of the head, and all the staff of our mission couldn't help laughing when they saw it.Perhaps this move somewhat angered these Chinese soldiers. They looked at us with a terrifying murderous look, and their attitude became cold.

It takes three days to ride a horse from Xila City to Yaer (now Huailai County, Zhangjiakou).This is also a stone city - the Chinese people's fortification technology is amazing, so many stone cities have been built - it is very magnificent, and it is said that it takes a day and a half to ride around the city on horseback.There are many towers, and there are 4 gates to enter the city.There are many cannons and short guns on the towers and gates of the city, and there are guards guarding them, just like the previous city.The shells were made of stone, bigger than a human head.The city gate is tall and wide, also covered with iron sheets, with dense iron nails nailed on it.

The market in this city is more lively, with a complete range of goods, including various vegetables and other foods.There is no open space in the city, and there are brick and stone courtyards, shops, and intersections everywhere.Their post stations are similar to ours in Russia.As soon as you enter the market, you will smell the aroma of honeydew. "

"September 9, sunny.

It takes three days to ride from Yaer City to Teda City (South Exit).The city is also built of stone, tall and magnificent, it is said that it takes two days to ride a horse around the city for a week.There are 5 gates in the city to enter. The gates are covered with iron sheets and covered with dense iron nails.The courtyards and shops in the city are all made of bricks and stones. The goods in the shops are more than those in the previous two cities, and there are many kinds of vegetables.The tavern sells wine, honey water and various foreign drinks.There are cannons, shells and guards on both sides of the gate and beside the tower.

When the chief of the city travels, there are always about 20 guards shouting in front and holding yellow umbrellas for them.The population of this city is also larger than that of the previous cities, and all kinds of valuables, vegetables, and rice are abundant. "

"August 9, sunny day.

"After leaving TEDA City, we rode horses for two days and arrived at Baicheng (Changping). The city was built of bricks and stones, as white as snow, so we call it Baicheng. The city is magnificent. Three days. Entering the city, there is a tower, and there are three gates under the tower. The gates are tall and wide, covered with shiny iron sheets, and covered with dense black nails. There are many cannons beside the tower and the gate. The shells weighed two poods.

The shops in the city are next to each other, the streets between the shops are paved with gray stones, and the shops and courtyards are also built of bricks and stones.There are wooden fences painted in various colors in front of the shop, and a brick building is built above the shop.The roofs of shops and other houses and pavilions are covered with bricks and tiles, and the parts under the roofs are painted in various colors and painted with patterns; the portraits of people hanging on the four walls are first drawn on paper and then displayed on On satin and velvet.The figures in the temple are like clay sculptures, and covered with gold leaf from head to toe, their faces are very hideous.

The temple can be visited at will.We saw a scene of collecting donations for the construction of temples in Baicheng.Three people walked forward side by side, two of them beat the wooden fish with wooden sticks, and the other carried the statue on his shoulder and also knocked on the wooden fish in his hand. The statue of the god was very large.There is no inscription on the statue of the god, which is very well drawn.In the city we also saw parrots and gnomes, and falconers with hawks.All kinds of goods, valuables, vegetables and food in this white city are more abundant than other cities.When the officers go to the temple or wherever they go, there are always about 20 guards holding spears, and about 30 people holding sticks to open the way in front of them. Oh!'"

...

"September 9, light rain.

"It takes 2 days to travel from Baicheng to Great China City (ie Beijing), where the emperor of the Qing Dynasty lived. This city is very large, made of stone, gray, and square in shape. It takes 4 days to go around the city. The four corners of the city There are some tall towers standing tall, and there are also some tall towers in the center of the city wall. The towers have flower eaves, painted in blue and yellow. There are cannons on the eyelets of the towers, and cannons are also erected beside the gates, and shells are piled up. Each gate was guarded by 50 guards.

The Great Chinatown is located on a plain, and there is a river around the city, named Youhe, which flows into the Black Sea (Bohai Sea).It is said that it takes 5-7 days to travel from the Great Chinatown to the sea.Big ships can't reach the Great China City, and the goods are transported into the city by small boats and flat sailing boats.
There is also a Golden City (Forbidden City) within the Great Chinatown, where the emperor lived.It is said that the city is decorated with all kinds of rare treasures, while the imperial palace stands in the center of the golden city, and the top of the palace is a golden dome.

Our entire mission was arranged in a diplomatic post, waiting to be received by the Qing emperor and their officials in charge of government affairs.I heard from our Mongolian translator (China and Russia have a language barrier, but both countries are very familiar with Mongolian, so the Russian mission hired some Mongolian translators), the emperor of the Qing Dynasty was only eight years old and had not yet ruled.The whole country is governed by four highly respected ministers who assist the left to handle the affairs of the country.

"August 9, sunny day.

A minister came from the Qing Kingdom. He rode a short horse and was accompanied by many well-dressed people to the post house.I led several important assistants of the mission, and had the first communication with them in the luxuriously furnished building.

I told the minister that the Great Monarch of All Russia, Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, sent us to China to establish formal diplomatic and commercial relations, and to use this to have an audience with their emperor, to express the sincerity of the Tsar to him greeting.

The minister also expressed his welcome to the visit of our Russian mission, and said that the emperor of the Qing Dynasty agreed to the establishment of friendly diplomatic and commercial relations between the two sides.

However, he pointed out that in Liaodong, the Cossacks belonging to Russia frequently harassed and violated the local people of the Qing Dynasty, which seriously damaged and violated the interests of the Qing Dynasty and should be prohibited and restrained.

Regarding the minister's questioning, my assistants and I made some excuses, saying that it was because local merchants accidentally strayed into the territory of the Qing Dynasty when they were hunting furs, and some unpleasantness occurred because of certain language and communication barriers. conflict.But on behalf of His Majesty the Tsar, we will try our best to prevent such things from happening again in the future.

This simple exchange is just a further understanding of each other, and there is no in-depth discussion of substantive trade and diplomatic relations.But when the other party saw the gift we presented, there was a smile of satisfaction on his face.

Not long after this minister's departure, their emperor bestowed on our mission many gifts, fine china, fine silk, smooth fox fur, fragrant tea, and a kind of mead from the southern continent.

I have to admit that the Qing emperor was very generous, and these gifts were much more valuable than what we gave. "

...

"August 9, sunny day.

This morning, the most honorable chief minister of the Qing emperor summoned us in person.

After he said a lot of meaningless words, he then conveyed their Qing emperor's decree, that is, he agreed to establish formal diplomatic and commercial relations with Russia.Under the management of the local government, commercial offices and diplomatic institutions can be set up in the capital of the Qing Kingdom.They demanded that Russia could use a large number of muskets and artillery to exchange fur, porcelain and tea in the Qing Kingdom.

If possible, we also hope that Russia can provide the Qing Kingdom with more craftsmen and managers who understand industrial manufacturing and development, and help this country to greatly improve its industrial capabilities.

Faced with this request, several assistants and I couldn't help but look at each other.God, in the entire European region, our Russia is the most backward area, not to mention that we don't have many craftsmen and managers who understand industrial manufacturing and development, even if there are, His Majesty the Tsar will never send them to this remote place East, come and help this Tartar kingdom build and upgrade their system industries.

In addition, most of the artillery and muskets we use in Russia are also purchased from countries such as Germany, the Federal Republics, and England.As for the weapons we produce ourselves, well, not only are they inferior in performance, but they are also relatively expensive.If these weapons that can be used to exchange fur and tea are transported here for thousands of miles, it may not be worthwhile.

However, in order to ensure the successful completion of the mission assigned by His Majesty the Tsar, we hypocritically agreed to all their conditions.I heard that the Great Qing Kingdom is continuing its war with the Ming Kingdom in the south. It may be extremely eager to establish its own industrial system and obtain a large number of weapons to deal with external military pressure. "

The head of the Russian mission, Le Inzmainlov, finished today's diary, then stared at a majestic government office not far from the window for a while, and sighed softly.

Their Russian mission, consisting of more than 40 people, departed from the distant city of Tomsk, Siberia, to the Great Chinatown (that is, Beijing ), had an audience with the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, in order to complete His Majesty’s instructions, allow Russia to trade with the Qing Dynasty, and make an agreement to jointly deal with the Bohai State entrenched on both sides of the Amur River.

Yes, the Bohai State established in Boli (now Khabarovsk, Russia) three years ago was threatening. In less than two years, it swept across the banks of the Amur River and pulled out all the more than ten Cossacks established nearby. They conquered hundreds of large and small tribes in this vast area, and established more than a dozen fortresses along the banks of the river, extending their influence all the way to the mouth of the sea.

And in winter, the rising Bohai state was divided into several teams with tens of hundreds of people, and began to expand northwestward on sleds, attacking the temporary stronghold of the Cossacks, confiscating fur and food, and recruiting local indigenous tribes. There is a tendency to completely drive the Cossacks out of the Far East.

This Bohai country not only has a strong physical fitness, is not afraid of severe cold, and is good at fighting in winter, but also has a lot of firearms, and even a light artillery that can be moved quickly.Some Cossacks once captured the muskets of the soldiers of the Bohai State, and they were surprised to find that the muskets used by these people turned out to be flintlock guns unique to European countries, and their performance was even better.

...

This discovery made all the Cossacks feel their scalps go numb.Because, this means that the Bohai State not only has more human resources than the Cossacks who came from afar, but also uses more advanced weapons than them.On this vast expanse of land, facing the Bohai Kingdom, which is almost the same language and species as the local indigenous people, it can be said that they have no chance of winning.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Yakutsk Governor Golovin immediately passed this important information back to Moscow via Tomsk, requesting His Majesty the Tsar to send more Cossacks and support more and more advanced guns and artillery.In his report, he expressed his deep worry very eagerly. If the entire Far East region cannot receive enough assistance, then this rising Bohai state will inevitably expand their power to the Baikal region and even the vast Siberia , and even deport all Cossacks back to the west.

Russia's interest in the East mainly stems from trade, and this interest was also inspired by Britain.At the beginning of the 17th century, the British were also actively looking for and developing land trade routes to China. When they heard that it was possible to reach China through Siberia, they asked Russia to allow British businessmen to go to China through Siberia. The initiative to gain direct trade with China.

The Russians not only rejected the British request, but also decided to take the initiative in trade with China to enhance their position in Europe.In this context, Russia once sent a 12-person mission, led by Yin Wan Petlin, who set off from Tomsk on May 1618, 5 and arrived on September 9, 1618 Beijing took 9 months and 1 days. They stayed in Beijing for a total of 3 days and brought back a letter from Emperor Wanli of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Yijun to the Tsar.

However, Petrin was unable to meet the Ming Emperor, because they did not bring suitable gifts.Because according to the regulations of the Ming Dynasty, envoys are not eligible to meet if they do not pay tribute.Oh, by the way, the Ming Dynasty did not regard them as envoys from an equal country at that time, but conventionally regarded them as a tribute mission of a certain Mongolian vassal.

The officials of the Ministry of Rites of the Ming Dynasty even blamed the Russian envoys, saying: "You are the envoys sent by the White Tsar for the first time, and you should have presented a small gift to our emperor. What we value is not a gift, but a form of tribute. You, the White Tsar The emperor has brought gifts, so that my emperor will also send envoys to your tsar with gifts, and will reward you envoys and escort you back home."

After learning about the rules of Ming Dynasty, Petrin felt that it would be disrespectful for Russia to come empty-handed, so he changed his words and said that they were sent by the King of Siberia to understand the situation in China, and they did not bring credentials and gifts. If they were envoys sent by the Tsar , will definitely bring credentials and gifts.

In a letter to the Russian Tsar, Emperor Wanli stated that Russian envoys or businessmen were allowed to come to China, but he emphasized that Chinese envoys and businessmen would not be allowed to go to Russia (after this credential was brought back to Russia, it was not until 1675 because no one knew Chinese. was translated, but 57 years have passed since Petrin's mission to China).

After receiving the report from the Far East, the Tomsk Warlord immediately reported the news to Moscow without any delay.After the czar got the news, he also frowned.With Russia's current fiscal revenue, how can there be extra energy to go to the remote Far East, let alone send more official Cossack armed personnel.

...

The colonization of the entire Far East, because it can provide His Majesty the Tsar and the government with a steady stream of furs, export them to European countries, and exchange them for a large amount of gold and silver, is therefore authorized by His Majesty the Tsar to carry out continuous exploration activities in the East.

However, the fur trade in the East has become Russia's most important "export-earning" product facing Europe. If it is ignored, in case the colonial exploration activities in the Far East are expelled or destroyed by the local Bohai state, and the supply of fur is cut off, it will make Poor Russia lost a lot of fiscal revenue.

Just when His Majesty the Tsar was in a dilemma, his beloved Minister of Finance found an unusual solution in the report from the Far East.

In the report of the Governor of Yakutsk, Golovin, it was stated that those in power in the Bohai Kingdom were generals who rebelled from the Qing Kingdom. Because they were defeated, they dared not return to the country, so they brought soldiers to the Amur River region. , and finally established the Balhae State.

That being the case, why don’t we Russia send a mission to the Qing Kingdom? In addition to seeking to establish formal diplomatic and commercial relations and accomplish what the Petrin mission failed to achieve last time, we can also make an appointment with the Qing Kingdom. Attack that Balhae country together and punish their erstwhile traitors.

His Majesty the Tsar immediately accepted this suggestion, and sent his confidant Le Inzmainlov to Tomsk with credentials and a large number of gifts. Go to the distant Qing Kingdom.

However, when the Yinzma Yinlov mission’s primary mission—establishing commercial and diplomatic relations was completed, it then politely proposed to invite the Qing Kingdom to send troops to the Amur River region. Change, he has been talking about it from left to right, but he has not responded positively for a long time.

This move made Yinzma Yinluofu puzzled. Could it be that the powerful Qing Kingdom was unable to send troops to crusade against their former traitors?

1635 Han style rises again