1635 Han style rises again

Chapter 991 Jiangdong Land
On August 1682, 8, the city of Boli (now the city of Boli, Russia).

"Your fur is not very good!" Hu Baoren squatted on the ground, covering his nose with his left hand, and looked through the pile of furs with disgust on his face. There were about 30 furs of fox, mink, squirrel, and beaver. It was because it was covered for a long time, and because of the high temperature in summer, it gave off a strong foul smell.

"My big shopkeeper, these leathers have been hunted for less than two months, and they are all slippery!" The Daur hunter said in substandard Chinese: "Look, there is almost no hole in these leathers. , are all complete. If you sell them outside, you will definitely make a lot of money!"

"However, the color of these leathers is so dull, and the hair is shed with a gentle stroke, so the quality is really bad." Hu Baoren continued to be picky, hoping to lower the price as much as possible due to poor quality and other reasons.

As the contact between natives and outsiders in these places increased, it became less and less easy to be fooled.Unlike before, a few small knives, a few iron nails, or even a small bag of salt can be easily exchanged for a large amount of precious fur from the natives of these places.

"Oh, big shopkeeper, what do you mean by lightly rubbing it?" The Daur hunter widened his eyes and said rather dissatisfied: "You are trying so hard to pull the fluff on the leather. !... You have to be gentle, don't get your skin bald!"

"Hey, don't you have sable fur here?" Hu Baoren threw down a piece of squirrel fur in his hand, stretched out a hand to pick and pull among the pile of fur.

The price of fur depends on the variety and quality. Among the various furs in Liaodong and Lingbei, sable fur is the most high-end.Sable fur is luxurious, soft, lustrous, dense and durable. It has always been a treasure among furs.If you can buy a few copies and sell them to the Jiangnan area, you can earn more than ten times the profit.

"No." The Daur hunter shook his head and said regretfully, "We haven't seen a sable in the forest for several years. If you want the animal's fur, you have to go up the Heilongjiang River to the Jingqili River. Then follow several rivers to the westernmost part of Bohai Kingdom, maybe you can receive a large amount of sable fur."

"Hey, isn't this nonsense! If I have the ability to go to the westernmost part of Bohai Kingdom, how can I come to your Dongdan Kingdom to buy these worthless skins?"

Seven years ago, Bohai State insisted on entering the Songhua River Basin despite Qi State's persuasion, and even wanted to seize Liaodong, the former land of Longxing in the Qing Dynasty.In order to warn Bahai, the ruler of Bohai, Qi State not only temporarily cut off the supply of military supplies to Bohai, but also instigated Zakana, the capital of Boli City, to suddenly announce that it would break away from Bohai and establish Dongdan, with Boli as its capital. More than a dozen fortresses in the surrounding area and in the lower reaches of Heilongjiang have followed one after another.

Later, under pressure, the Bohai State had to withdraw from the Songhua River Basin one after another and return to the Heilongjiang area. Then, under the military guidance of the Qi State, it continued to expand northward and westward, squeezing and expelling the Russian colonialists in Eastern Siberia. power.

The split Dongdan Kingdom naturally has no reason to return to the Bohai Kingdom, and with the support of Qi and Beiming, relying on the lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River, it will wantonly expand its power to the deep inland areas of the northwest.

As of last year, the entire Dongdan Kingdom had a population of more than [-], and more than [-] strongholds, large and small, and the capital Boli was located at the confluence of the three rivers and the center of the balance of the eight directions. A large number of businessmen from all over This collection makes it the most prosperous place in the entire outer northeast region.

The establishment of Dongdan Kingdom also completely cut off Bohai Kingdom's window to the outside world and became a closed landlocked country.All kinds of ordnance materials supported by Qi State, furs and furs traded by Bohai State, grain imported from Beiming Zhenzhou, meat and seafood produced in Yunzhou (Hokkaido), and cotton cloth transshipped from the mainland are all in Boli City Collection and transit.

Through a large amount of entrepot trade and transit trade, the small Dongdan country can earn at least more than [-] taels of silver every year, and its life is quite nourishing.

Let’s look at the Bohai Kingdom again. In order to get a bite to eat, they fought with the Raksha people in the west. In the end, the countless precious furs they obtained will be slaughtered by me when they are transported to the territory of Dongdan Kingdom. Let me earn a toll.

Oh, this kind of days of laying down and making money is not too good!
Of course, when it comes to the means and strength of making money, those businessmen from Qi State must be the most brilliant.Relying on extensive sales channels and strong logistics and transportation capabilities, they transship the precious furs purchased locally at low prices to Japan, North Korea, and Qin, and even transport them to distant Hanzhou, India, and Persia through ocean-going merchant ships. As well as Europe, earn several times, or even ten times the profit.

As a fur merchant born in Zhenzhou, Beiming, Hu Baoren is naturally not as powerful as the merchants of Qi State. He can go deep into the westernmost part of Bohai State and buy more rare and precious products with higher value at a lower price. Fur, and there is no such terrifying sales network channel as the merchants of Qi State, who can do business far away.

These fur merchants in Zhenzhou usually go to Boli City in winter and summer, buy all kinds of fur from the market or local indigenous villages at relatively low prices, and then transport them back to Zhenzhou.After some simple tanning and processing, they are sold in garment workshops, and finally made into fur coats, scarves, capes, and hats, which are resold at high prices to Yunzhou, North Korea, Japan, and even Qin.

That's right, after decades of development, many handicraft workshops have been established in the formerly remote Zhenzhou area, but mainly based on grain processing, fur processing, fishery processing, wood processing, clothing processing, iron processing, coal mining and The most elementary industries such as processing.Except for some of these factories invested and built by merchants from Qi State, most of them were established by handicraftsmen or merchants with a little property, retired officials, retired military officers, and local government offices.

In addition, the Zhenzhou area was also one of the most important grain-producing areas in the Northern Ming Dynasty, providing nearly [-]% of the food demand for Dongdan and Bohai.

In the earliest days, the trading method in this area was basically based on barter. Iron products, cotton cloth, salt, and grain could all be used as general equivalents in exchange for various precious furs from the local aborigines.

Later, with the gradual expansion of the forces of the Northern Ming Dynasty and the in-depth involvement of merchants from the Qi State, the Daming silver dollar and the Hanzhou silver dollar gradually became the most important common currencies in the region, and to a certain extent were deeply integrated with the economy of the Northern Ming Dynasty.

The Dongdan Kingdom is well aware of its small size and weak strength. In addition to coercing the indigenous people in the surrounding areas, it can fight against the weak colonial forces of Tsarist Russia, whether it is facing the "vicious" Bohai Kingdom, or continuing to emigrate to Liaodong. The Qin State has no power to fight at all.

For this reason, the top and bottom of Dongdan Kingdom hugged Qi Kingdom's thigh tightly, and at the same time tried their best to make friends with Beiming next to them, hoping to gain the military support of these two powerful forces.

Needless to say, Qi State separated Boli City and the lower reaches of Heilongjiang from Bohai State in order to coerce the rebellious "Qing Lu rebels" and strangle their key channels of external communication, and at the same time to balance the entire foreign The distribution of forces in the Northeast region has the faint meaning of monitoring and threatening Beiming's back road.

The Northern Ming court was actually happy to see the existence of this small Dongdan country.At the very least, it isolated the wild and unruly Bohai State to the west of Boli City. For Zhenzhou in the core area of ​​Beimingyi, it was equivalent to establishing a buffer barrier and greatly reducing the pressure on the local military.

Of course, with Beiming's strength, he wouldn't be afraid of the Bohai State, but in the Sanjiang River Basin with high mountains and dense forests and complex terrain, it would take a lot of effort to fight a guerrilla with a bunch of savages, even if he could finally beat him up After a meal, it is also extremely uneconomical for the "input-output ratio".
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If the merchants of Beiming bought a large amount of furs in Boli City and returned to Zhenzhou, or went to Yunzhou, there were generally two routes.One is to take a boat straight down the Heilongjiang River, exit the river mouth, sail to the sea, and then go around the coastline to Zhenzhou or Yunzhou.

The second is to go up Shuo along the Ussuri River to Fupingbao (now Russia is located in the city of Dalnerechensk on the east bank of the Ussuri River), and then transfer to pack horses (the upper reaches of the Ussuri River are not navigable), and go along the river. Side road, tossing and bumping to Zhenzhou.

Compared with the first route, the latter will undoubtedly save a lot of roads and save ten days in terms of time.Therefore, the vast majority of Zhenzhou merchants will choose this route, and there are more than a dozen immigrant fortresses, large and small, scattered on this road. Whether it is in terms of safety or obtaining necessary supplies along the way, there are certain obstacles. Guaranteed.

In the first year of Yanguang in the Ming Dynasty (1676), King Yong ascended the throne and proclaimed himself emperor, so he formally divided several lands under his jurisdiction into four provincial units, that is, Zhili of the imperial court with Yunzhou and its affiliated islands as the core, Kuye Island Cheng Announcing the Political Commissioner, Jiang Dongcheng announced the Political Commissioner (Zhenzhou area), and Geng Luocheng announced the Political Commissioner (including Jeju Island and Tsushima Island).

However, the Jiangdong region, which accounts for more than 21% of the total territory of the Northern Ming Dynasty, has a population of only [-], accounting for only a quarter of the total population of the country.The population of this area is mainly distributed in Zhenzhou City (now Vladivostok City) and the nearby coast, the plains around Xingkai Lake, and along the Ussuri River.

Decades ago, the Heilongjiang and Wusuli River basins, including Zhenzhou, were constrained by the harsh natural environment and backward social productivity. The population size was small, the natural population growth rate was not high, and the economic structure was even more simple. The level of social development basically remains at the clan and tribal stage.

Before the Manchu Qing invaded the Central Plains, in order to make up for the shortcomings of insufficient troops, they continued to send troops deep into the Mudanjiang, Heilongjiang, Songhua River, Wusuli River and other river basins to capture the birth girl Zhendingkou.Just after Nurhachi won the Sarhu War, he turned his spearhead and attacked the Huerha tribe of the "Three Divisions of the East China Sea" who settled in the Mudanjiang River Basin and the Sanjiang River Basin twice, and took away more than [-] people.

In the following years, Hou Jin, who had tasted the sweetness, made persistent efforts and sent troops to the Huerha tribe several times, capturing more than 5000 people.In this way, the middle and lower reaches of Heilongjiang almost became the "population export area" for Houjin to replenish its population and military strength, and the indigenous population in this area was plundered.At that time, Houjin's northern land border also advanced to today's Vladivostok and Shuangchengzi areas on the coast of the Sea of ​​Japan.

During the period of Huang Taiji, several indigenous tribes such as the Sauron tribe and the Ewenki tribe located in the middle of the Heilongjiang River Basin gathered a tribal joint armed force with more than [-] to [-] horsemen, as if they wanted to fight against the Manchurians.

The talented and generous Huang Taiji clearly realized that in order for my Qing Dynasty, which was currently concentrating on the war against the Ming Dynasty, to have a stable rear, and for the Qing Dynasty's signature to be able to survive in Heilongjiang, it is necessary to suppress this resistance. The strength is completely suppressed.

In the fourth year of Chongde (1639), Huang Taiji dispatched generals such as Suohai, Samulka, and Mu Chengge to lead more than 3000 people to conquer the Sauron tribe who refused to surrender.

The Qing army was slightly frustrated at the beginning of the war, but then gained the upper hand by virtue of its superiority in weaponry and organization.The Qing army marched upstream along the Heilongjiang River, and chased it to a place called Qiluotai (near Chita, Russia today), and finally captured the rebel leader and the rest.

This battle can be regarded as the climax of the Qing Dynasty's conquest of the Heilongjiang River Basin before entering the customs.This battle captured and massacred more than 5000 men, women, children, and men, women, and children from various clans of the Sauron tribe who participated in the rebellion, more than [-] heads of livestock (horses), and more than [-] bundles of precious furs.

According to the usual practice, most of these captives were moved south to the vicinity of Shengjing and included in the "Niulu" of the Eight Banners to supplement manpower.Other Saurons were also moved away from their original places to prevent them from reuniting and causing trouble. Only the Daur people who were "model taxpayers" and "relatives of the emperor" were allowed to stay in their old places.

Throughout the Taizu and Taizong dynasties of the Qing Dynasty, the purpose of using troops in Heilongjiang in the two dynasties of the Qing Dynasty was only to obtain human and material resources in the region to enrich ourselves, not to "include it in the book".Therefore, the Qing Dynasty did not establish effective direct rule in the Heilongjiang area by setting up administrative divisions or stationing troops, but was only satisfied with the "surrender" of the local indigenous people.

However, today Beiming Jiang Dongcheng announced that under the guidance and help of the Qi Civil Affairs Adviser, the Department of Political Envoys not only focused on immigrants, but also established several prefectures, counties, villages and other government agencies, and also organized all the savages and aborigines hiding in the mountains and forests. Hu Qimin was included under the rule and became the official people under the jurisdiction of the Northern Ming Dynasty.

All the tribal aborigines who disobeyed the king and intended to drift outside the jurisdiction of the local government in Beiming were all suppressed by the army. The young and strong laborers were filled into the mines and reduced to coolies, and the women were sent to bitter leaves. The island was married to a garrison immigrant, and the children and teenagers were forcibly sent to schools to learn Chinese, read Chinese, and practice Chinese customs.

Jiangdong is the only place bordering on the territory of Qin State. In order to ensure its own safety, Beiming not only built a large number of strong fortresses in this place, but also stationed nearly [-] troops.

However, in recent years, Qin's attention has always been attracted by the Tartars in the northwest and the north, and did not take the initiative to create a rift with the Northern Ming in the Liaodong area.Moreover, in order to avoid possible armed conflicts, the Yamen of the Liaodong Governor of the State of Qin is even trying its best to restrain the local military and civilians from arbitrarily provoking border quarrels.

In the Korean War, the mighty Northern Ming army really left a deep impression on the Qin army. Whether it was the musketeer troops with strict military formation and consistent orders, or the vassal army who climbed mountains and ridges like walking on the ground, their combat effectiveness was quite amazing, making the Qin army Kong has a numerical advantage, but he still can't do anything about it. He can only divide each other's borders in North Korea and Liaodong hastily, and keep each side.

Therefore, when a group of Zhenzhou businessmen arrived at Fuping Fort on a two-hundred-ton galley, the journey went smoothly, and they did not encounter any gangsters blocking the road.

Just when they were about to hire a local team of pack horses to go south to Zhenzhou, a group of Northern Ming officers and soldiers escorted three Qi State staff officers just arrived here and bumped into them.After learning that these businessmen came from Boli City, several Qi military officers stepped forward to inquire about Bohai State.

"A month ago, the army of the Bohai State suffered a major defeat in the city of Irkutsk, which was occupied by the Raksha people." Hu Baoren very politely told several officers of the Qi State about the news he heard in Boli City, " I heard that the army of Bohai State lost more than 800 people, including two generals at the Dutong level, and all the dozens of cannons they carried were lost to the Rakshas."

"Then the army of the Bohai Kingdom has also withdrawn to Zhongjing?"

"That's true." Hu Baoren nodded, and said: "After this defeat, the Bohai Army directly gave up Xin'an Fort, which was captured last year, and retreated all the way back to Zhongjing City."

"Hehe..." An officer of the Qi State chuckled a few times, shook his head and said, "Well, this Bohai State is equivalent to throwing away all the achievements of last year. Not only did it lose troops, but it also discarded a large amount of ordnance and supplies. This is not in vain and cheap Raksha people!"

"That's not true!" Another officer of the Qi State sneered, "The battle of Irkutsk lost nearly a thousand officers and soldiers, which was enough to hurt the Bohai State. It may be difficult for them to continue to advance westward within this year. gone."

"In two months, the river will freeze. Even if we want to transport some more military supplies to them, it may be difficult to transport them."

"Hey, the traffic in Lingbei is really painful. There is only four or five months of water transportation time in a year. If there is an accident, the Bohai country, which is in the inland of Lingbei, can only travel by wax." Already!"

"Hey, tell me, if we build a railway from Zhenzhou, through Boli City, all the way to Beihai, wouldn't we be able to completely control the vast Lingbei area?"

"Repair the railway? Don't be ridiculous!" A Qi military officer laughed, "There are not many people in Zhenzhou, Boli, and Beihai. Who pays for the repair? Even if it is repaired, it will definitely lose money. Go to grandma's house!"

"That's true. Even if you want to build a railway, you have to start from Yunzhou. I heard that the Ming court seems to be negotiating with our Qi State Minister in Changning to build a railway from Changning to Qingyuan in our Qi State. City (now Hakodate City, Hokkaido, Japan).”

"..."

Several fur traders in Zhenzhou listened to the three Qi military officers eagerly discussing the railway, and their faces could not help showing a dazed and helpless expression.

railway?Could it be that among the countless rumors, the big iron bull in the Qi country is capable of pulling thousands of miles?
(End of this chapter)