Daming Yuanfu

Chapter 2439: Record of the Western Expedition (VI) The Invisible Noose
The blood of the Oka River mixed with fine sand and seeped into the riverbed. The setting sun dyed the central army tent into rust. Erdemu Tu took off his heavy Shanwen armor and changed back into Han-style casual clothes. His fingertips ran over the Neva River mark on the sheepskin map in front of him, as if he was thinking about something.

There was the sound of horse hooves outside the tent, and the emblem of Alexey Stroganov's caravan was faintly visible in the twilight.

"Your Highness, Governor Stroganov wants to see you." The guards opened the curtain, and the bloody smell and gravel rushed into the tent. Alexei's cloak was still stained with blood, and the mud on his knees revealed that he did not really participate in the close combat - all these details were seen by Erdemutu.

"Congratulations, Governor." Erdemutu threw away the pen in his hand and drew a crooked red line on the line of "Neva-Novgorod-Vyazma-Kursk" with ink. "You personally 'defeated' the remnants of the Winged Hussars of the Polish-Russian coalition?"

Alexei knelt on one knee, the caravan emblem on his shoulder glowing coldly under the candlelight: "It is all thanks to the Khan's heavenly soldiers' deterrence. I am just bluffing."

This smart man had consciously changed his name to "General". When he looked up, a hint of anxiety flashed in his eyes. "But Khan, before this battle, the nobles in Moscow were already discussing that your army was the 'new Mongolian cavalry'. I'm afraid..."

"So we need to let them know who the real invader is." Erdemutu pulled out a blood-stained parchment and threw it in front of Alexei. On the parchment with the words "Polish-Russian Secret Treaty" written on it, the Polish eagle emblem and the Catholic cross were intertwined at the top, and below it was written in Russian: "Cede all the territory west of the Neva River to Kursk, the Tsar must convert to Catholicism, and allow Poland to station troops for 20 years."

Alexei's pupils suddenly contracted - the territories demarcated in the terms were exactly the core locations where the Stroganov family, an eastern family, had just started to operate in western Russia.

However, this is not the point. The point is that if such a secret agreement is really reached, not only will the core areas of western Russia be completely taken away by the Poles, but even Moscow will no longer be safe - Vyazma is less than 220 kilometers away from Moscow, and the Polish cavalry can reach the gates of Moscow in just three days!
He suddenly realized that Erdemutu wanted to completely nail the Polish forces into the position of "Russia's old enemy."

"Tomorrow," Erdemutu's fingers rolled over the map, "three thousand Polish-Russian prisoners will 'escape' back to Moscow. Each of them will have a copy of the secret agreement in their arms." He suddenly sneered, "Of course, there is also the story of your 'injury in battle' - someone will draw a few simple but straightforward and bloody pictures of Polish atrocities, and then they will be 'discovered' by the special forces in the baggage camp, which will be enough to make the Orthodox Christians angry. But remember, if the heavenly soldiers do not enter Moscow, they will not be able to show their power of 'protecting the emperor'. Therefore, when these escaped prisoners arrive in Moscow for a day or two, my great tomorrow's soldiers will 'escort' the Tsar back to his capital."

Alexei's Adam's apple rolled, and he finally touched upon the core demand: "...What role does the Khan hope I can play in Moscow?"

"I am a student of the Grand Regent of the Ming Dynasty, Duke Jingguo, and the eldest son of the Prince of Shunyi. Naturally, I will keep my promise. Since you have served me well, you can become the Grand Duke of Suzdal, the Deputy Speaker of the Boyar Duma, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Special Military, as we agreed before," Erdemutu raised his chin slightly, "and these titles will be announced by the Tsar himself in the Duma."

As he spoke, he pointed to the burning Polish flag outside the tent. The column of smoke rising from the flames was just like the storm of public opinion that was about to be set off in Moscow. "You must make the nobles believe that the Ming soldiers are here to help them drive away the Polish wolves, not to replace them. The main force of our Ming army will arrive two days after the prisoners enter the city. Remember - the Ming army and the Russian army are not mixed. Your Tsar's royal carriage must be 'escorted' by your special army first."

Governor-General Alexei - Oh no, Grand Duke Alexei of Suzdal, his blood was burning at this moment, and he spoke stutteringly as if he was drunk: "Thank you, thank you Khan, oh no, thank you, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

Erdemutu smiled slightly, put his hands in his sleeves, touched the secret letter that his teacher Gao Wushi sent to him by carrier pigeon, and said to himself: The person you want to thank is not me... It's just that he doesn't want this false reputation, so he let me accept your favor.

Two days later, in the suburbs of Moscow, nearly 30,000 Ming troops stopped ten miles away from the city. Erdemutu personally led a thousand cavalrymen to escort the gilded carriage of the False Dmitry I. The shafts of the carriage were wrapped with various feather ribbons seized from the Polish army, and the Tsar himself was wearing a blood-stained cloak of Orthodox icons, showing the "scars of the bloody battle with the Poles" to the people on the street.

Alexei's elite special forces - actually the remnants of the shooting army, wearing a batch of armor given to them by Erdemutu (Ming Dynasty half-body light armor, equipped with his troops for use as light cavalry), with muskets on their backs and long-handled axes in their hands, they guarded the Tsar and the new commander with different expressions.

They had no idea why, though they were clearly defeated and thought they had become prisoners of war, they were finally told that everything was pre-planned - the Tsar and Governor-General Alexei had agreed to deliberately lure the Poles to Suzdal for a decisive battle with the Ming army, in order to use the Ming army to help Russia get rid of the "Polish yoke".

As for the Ming army, they were actually heavenly soldiers who came from thousands of miles away to save Russia from the dire straits at the request of the Tsar... Almighty God, is this true?

When the bells on Red Square struck the ninth time, Alexei's special command had already taken control of the commanding heights of the Kremlin. He wore a red velvet cape, with the newly acquired silver coat of arms of "Grand Duke of Suzdal" on his left chest, and the gold chain badge of the Deputy Speaker of the Boyar Duma hanging below, and the "Commander of the Special Command" badge on his waist glowed coldly under the candlelight - these titles were announced by the Tsar in public in the Duma Hall, and he declared that "at this moment, only Grand Duke Alexei can unite with the Ming to protect the country."

"My fellow boyars!" False Dmitry I - perhaps the word "false" should be dropped from now on - held up a copy of the "Polish-Russian Secret Treaty" in the center of the Duma Hall, his voice trembling with excitement, "The Poles are trying to take away the vast and fertile land from the Neva River to Kursk, and they also want me to convert to Catholicism! Fortunately, the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty sent heavenly soldiers to help us, so that our Orthodox legal system will not be destroyed!"

He pointed at Alexei, who was dressed in military uniform, and said, "I now appoint Alexei, the head of the Stroganov family, as the Grand Duke of Suzdal, Deputy Speaker of the Boyar Duma, and Commander-in-Chief of the Special Army. He will negotiate military and political affairs with the Ming Dynasty on my behalf, so as to restore the prestige of our country and keep Poland out of our borders!"

Although everyone knew that the building was already filled with fully armed special forces, only sparse applause was heard in the Duma Hall. Most of the nobles' eyes were on the Ming-style saber at Alexei's waist - even the saber was changed to Ming-style, so it was obvious what kind of person he was.

However, at this moment, an old count holding an Orthodox icon suddenly shouted: "May Your Excellency the Grand Duke lead us to repel the Polish jackals!" This shout was like a fuse, instantly igniting a wave of "gratitude" - perhaps no one noticed that this old count was not only a frequent visitor to the Stroganov Trading Company, but there were also rumors that he had owed a large debt to the Stroganov family because of his gambling addiction, causing him to be on the verge of bankruptcy.

In the afternoon of that day, Erdemutu's main force finally entered the city. When the Ming cavalry marched through Red Square, the sound of horseshoes hitting the stone pavement was as neat as drumbeats, but no one deviated from the formation. The soldiers carried Wanli Type 3 rifles with their muzzles pointed to the sky, and the Taotie pattern on the butt was temporarily covered with Orthodox icon stickers - this was a detail that Gao Youshi specifically reminded: "... Therefore, our dynasty treats all religions as one, but in that land, we should respect their religion. Respecting their religion means respecting their people, and they will surely give up their resistance and obey my orders."

Alexei stood on the battlements of the Kremlin, looking at the smoke rising from Moscow. His newly-won triple titles jingled on his chest, and suddenly he noticed that the Ming army in the distance was setting up a temporary camp on the land specially approved by the Tsar.

That night, a carriage from the Stroganov caravan drove into Red Square. The carriage was not loaded with goods, but 500 copies of the secret agreement. These documents would be delivered to the desks of every boyar before dawn, and a "secret letter from the Tsar" was attached: "Only by forming an alliance with the Ming Dynasty can you keep your power and wealth unshakable, or even go further..." Erdemutu spread out the map in the general's tent, and drew a heavy stroke on the "Neva-Kursk" line with his pen. The shouts of the special military training came from outside the tent, which coincided with the bells of the Orthodox evening prayer. He knew that tomorrow, when the people of Moscow saw Alexei presiding over the Duma as the "Grand Duke of Suzdal", and when the nobles chose to embrace the Ming Dynasty in the soft and hard tactics of the secret agreement and the secret letter, this meat grinder intertwined with military power, public opinion and power had already begun to turn.

On the other side, the coat of arms worn by the Tsar himself was now burning on Alexei's chest - it was no longer a caravan emblem, but the first wedge driven into the heart of Russia by the Ming Dynasty. Under the dual shadows of the Orthodox icons and the Ming army's flintlock rifles, the balance of power in Moscow was tilting towards the East at a visible speed.

The granite corridors of the Kremlin echoed with the sound of horse boots, and Alexei's new badge refracted cold light under the gilded dome. He stroked the chain of the deputy speaker of the Boyar Duma, and his fingertips brushed over the Ming-style cloud pattern at the end of the chain - a detail that Erdemutu specifically requested.

The bronze door of the Duma Hall opened with a bang, and twelve old nobles filed in. Their sable cloaks swept across the ground, and their eyes were full of vigilance towards new faces. When Alexei stepped onto the podium, he saw that the 40 newly added oak chairs were already filled with small and medium nobles, half of whom had the emblem of the Stroganov Company on their chests - a secret sign of "pro-Ming faction".

"My dear ministers (Note: There is a saying in the historical community that the Boyar Duma came from Ivan the Terrible's "Meeting of Ministers", so it is called ministers here. However, it is difficult for me to study this in detail, so I will just use it for the time being.)" Dmitry I's voice came from the dome. In his hand, he held the "Decree on the Expansion of the Duma's Powers" embroidered with Orthodox icons and Ming-style auspicious clouds in gold thread. "Witnessed by the Ming Emperor's special envoy, Mongolian Khan Huang Taiji (originally meaning Crown Prince, but actually means heir to the throne, prince) Borjigin Erdemutu, the number of Boyar Duma seats has increased significantly from 60 to 100. From now on, the glory of Russia will be shared by more talented people!"

The moment the edict was unfolded, Alexei noticed that the conservative leader, Duke Shuisky, had a frown on his face. The fiefdom of this old nobleman was located in Nizhny Novgorod, and the cession clause in the fake secret treaty did not hit him so hard.

"Your Majesty," Shuisky suddenly stood up, the emerald pendant on his sable hat hitting his breastplate, "half of the newly added seats come from unknown families, which may disrupt the laws established by our ancestors!"

"The Duke feels that the Polish secret agreement does not harm the Shuisky family, so he does not care?" Alexei spoke at the right time, his hand on the Ming army saber at his waist, "When the Polish army tried to take away the western territory, it was the children of these 'unknown families' who shed blood for the Tsar on the Oka River!"

He pointed to a young nobleman wearing a trading company emblem in the audience and said, "This Count Bulgar's territory has decided to provide 500 war horses to the Ming army this winter to thank the Ming army for breaking the Polish yoke for Russia. Isn't this considered virtuous?"

Whispers rang out in the meeting room. Alexei knew that these small and medium nobles had long been lured by the Stroganov Company with "half-tax trade with the Ming Dynasty", and now was the time for them to speak out. Sure enough, Count Bulgar stood up and clasped his fists, revealing his newly changed Ming-style brocade on his sleeves: "The Grand Duke is right! The iron plows brought by the Ming Dynasty caravan can increase the production of my fiefdom by 30% from now on. In the future, I can contribute more to Russia. Why can't I participate in national affairs?"

The conservatives' rebuttal was quickly drowned out by the noise. Alexei struck while the iron was hot and unfolded a parchment map: "Look, everyone, after the Ming Dynasty agrees to form an alliance with Russia and open trade routes, we will be able to obtain more and better porcelain, tea and silk. By then, whether we sell them in Russia or resell them to other countries, our wealth will increase greatly! And all this only requires the Duma to have enough voices to support the alliance and trade--"

As he spoke, his fingertips traced the "Neva-Kursk" line on the Russian map hanging on the side. "If we can't reach this goal, not only will we not be able to obtain more wealth, but the Poles may come back at any time!"

When Prince Shuisky's face turned the color of liver, Alexei knew that the time had come. He took out a gift from Erdemutu himself from his sleeve - a set of Yu porcelain tea sets made in Beijing, Ming Dynasty. The lotus pattern on the teacup flowed under the candlelight: "The Emperor of the Ming Dynasty heard that Russian nobles are good at drinking, so he specially gave the Tsar and me a set of noble and exquisite tea sets."

He not only demonstrated it, but also brewed tea with the tea leaves and boiling water that had been prepared long ago, and then personally poured tea for the nobles closest to him. The fragrance of tea immediately filled the hall. "Tea is like state affairs. It requires both the best teaware and the best tea leaves, so that the bitterness can be replaced by sweetness."

Russians have always been synonymous with barbarism in Europe, but thanks to the "blessing" of being ruled by the Mongols, there are actually some nobles who have drunk tea. However, they were just cows chewing peonies back then, and now that they have seen the real top-level tea sets and tea leaves, they realize that they are really rustic. Looking at the national gift-level tea set in Alexei's hand, which is said to be a gift from the emperor of the Ming Dynasty, everyone's eyes are red - this thing is said to be priceless in Russia, so it must not be a problem.

The pro-Ming faction in the audience immediately understood what was meant and applauded enthusiastically to show their approval, while the conservatives could only watch resentfully as the Stroganov family's agents occupied half of the newly added seats and became a faction in the Boyar Duma.

"Most importantly, the Ming Emperor suggests that His Majesty Dmitry I rule for three years first," Alexei suddenly raised his voice, "After three years, a Tsar election will be held in the Boyar Duma, and the boyars will decide whether His Majesty stays or goes!
If your Majesty's actions meet the standards of a Russian tsar, the boyars will recognize his position from now on. Otherwise... the right to nominate the new tsar will belong to the nobles above the earl! Every boyar noble above the earl can nominate the tsar he recognizes - everyone, this is the Ming emperor's respect for Russian traditions. "

He deliberately ignored Erdemutu's secret order and threw the "right to nominate" as bait to the nobles, "Don't you want your family to go down in history?"

Prince Shuisky's pupils suddenly contracted, and he finally realized that the so-called "power expansion" was just muddying the waters: small and medium nobles were given seats but had no nomination rights, and the great nobles had no nomination rights but had to win over small and medium nobles, otherwise they would face many oppositions. At that time, Alexei's special army would be like an invisible thread, stringing these fragments together into a puppet of the Ming Dynasty.

After the meeting, Alexei met Count Bolgar in the corridor, who reported in a low voice: "The trading company has sent ten pieces of Ming-style brocade and half-tax trade certificates to all the newly promoted counts as you ordered." Greed flashed in the eyes of the young nobleman, "They also asked me if they could let their children enter the Boyar Academy (noble academy) that is being planned to learn the elegant etiquette of the Ming Dynasty if they support you in the Duma."

"Tell them," Alexei stroked the vice-chairman's chain, "the academy places are only given to families willing to promote Ming-style elegant life in their fiefdoms—" He smiled slightly, "Remember, as long as they learn Ming-style etiquette, those who once laughed at us Russians will become barbarians instead."

That night, after the Kremlin bells struck midnight, Erdemutu received a secret letter from the palace. After carefully reading every detail, he finally smiled and muttered to himself: "I wonder how much of Master's tactics I can learn in my lifetime? Master said it well... The more divided the Duma is, the stronger the noose will be."

This meat grinder consisting of 40 seats will eventually grind the centralized tradition of Russia, which was first established by Ivan the Terrible, into a shape that fits the palm of the Ming Dynasty. And those nobles who argued fiercely at the meeting did not know that every time they stood up and slammed the table, they were tightening the noose from the East.
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