prosperous age

The Siberian Khanate, also known as the Shibir Khanate, was a khanate located on the Siberian steppes in northern Asia in the 16th century. It was established by the Mongols, Tatars and Turks.

It was one of the four khanates that split from the Golden Horde of the Mongol Empire: the Crimean Khanate, the Kazan Khanate, the Astrakhan Khanate, and the Siberian Khanate.

It occupied a vast area between the Tobol, Irtysh and Ob rivers.

However, most of the country's territory is cold and harsh, with a small population of only about 200,000. Except for the Mongols and Turks, most other ethnic groups remain in the primitive society of the Stone Age.

The Siberian Khanate bordered Tsarist Russia and became the first barrier to its eastward expansion.

The Stroganov family was the main organizer of the conquest of the Siberian Khanate. The success of this conquest also made this family the largest businessmen and industrialists in Russia from the 16th to the 20th century.

Yes, all the families that participated in the eastward expansion of Tsarist Russia could get a share of the newly acquired territories and become great nobles of Tsarist Russia.

In 1515, Annika Stroganov, the head of the Stroganov family, opened a salt mine in Solivichigotsk.

When Ivan IV conquered Kazan, the Stroganov family provided him with huge financial support, so in 1558 large tracts of land in the upper reaches of the Kama River and Chusovaya River were ceded to the Stroganov family.

His family established new settlements and cities there, developed the salt and iron ore, timber and fur trade, and had the right to recruit Cossack "volunteers" to "protect" the occupied lands.

In 1574, they occupied the land around the Tobol River and built a fortress. If they continued to expand eastward, they would naturally enter the territory of the Siberian Khanate.

This was also the reason why the Stroganov family was willing to contribute money and manpower to participate in the conquest of the Siberian Khanate, because once successful, the family would once again gain a vast territory.

"Although the Siberian Khanate has a small population, it is the Golden Horde after all, and their combat power is not weak."

Ivan IV did not actively participate in it just because the Stroganov family was willing to contribute money and effort, but looked at him and said.

"Your Majesty, please rest assured. The family has already discussed this matter. We will do our best to open a passage to the east for the sake of the empire."

Stroganov said respectfully.

The current Tsarist Russia is actually very weak. The Tsar’s army also has to guard against Poland and Lithuania, and the two countries often have conflicts over the Ukrainian region.

In other words, the Ottoman Turks in the south seemed to have little interest in the north. Perhaps because of the northern climate, they were more keen to move westward, hoping to gain more land in Europe.

However, European countries were also very wary of them, so as soon as the Ottoman army showed any signs of moving westward, the countries would form a coalition to resist and not give them any chance.

Even at that time, the Tsar received letters from his European relatives, hoping that he would bring the Russian army south to attack the Ottoman Empire and disperse their forces.

Under such circumstances, Ivan IV would be a fool to take the initiative to provoke a war with the Ottoman Empire.

The Ottoman Empire was so huge that it owned most of the Middle East, and its successful occupation of Türkiye allowed its influence to extend into Europe.

Because their expansion into Europe encountered strong resistance from European countries, their expansion route during this period extended to Africa, and they continued to expand their territory along the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

Although this was the Age of Exploration, in the eyes of later generations it seemed that all the glory was taken away by Spain and Portugal, but in fact the most powerful country in Europe and its surrounding areas at that time was undoubtedly the Ottoman Empire, an existence that could make all European countries tremble.

The Ottoman Empire was a multi-ethnic empire established by the Turks, named after its founder, Osman I.

The rulers were the Ottomans, who originated from the Turkic nomadic tribes in Central Asia, and Constantinople was the capital during the reign of Mehmed II.

The Ottomans were originally a small Turkic tribe. They first lived in Central Asia, then moved to Asia Minor, and later became increasingly prosperous.

After the Ottoman Empire destroyed the Byzantine Empire in 1453, it established its capital in Constantinople and regarded itself as the successor of the Eastern Roman Empire. Therefore, the Ottoman Empire's monarch, the Sultan, inherited the culture of the Eastern Roman Empire and Islamic culture, thus integrating Eastern and Western civilizations.

During the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire grew in power, and its territory reached its peak in the 17th century.

Under the leadership of Barbaros Hayreddin, its navy took control of the Mediterranean.

The continuous expansion not only made the Ottoman Empire's national strength grow unprecedentedly, but also made it the only Islamic force that could challenge European countries from the 15th to the 19th century.

However, the signing of the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699 marked the stagnation of the empire's expansion, and by the beginning of the 19th century, the empire was in decline.

The Ottoman Empire was eventually defeated by the Allies in World War I and split. In 1922, Kemal repelled European forces, and in 1923, the Republic of Türkiye was established and the Ottoman Empire was destroyed.

The influence of the Ottoman Empire at this time was so great that they had completely occupied Hungary, which became Ottoman Hungary, more than 40 years ago.

Faced with the Ottoman Empire's relentless advance, Ferdinand I, the ruler of the Habsburg dynasty, was forced to formally recognize the Ottoman Empire's sovereignty over Hungary in 1547.

In this way, the Ottoman Empire's influence fully entered Central Europe.

With the support of the Turkish Navy, the Ottoman Army is continuing to advance along the Mediterranean, constantly capturing the Mediterranean African coast.

Such expansion allowed the Ottoman Empire to almost dominate the entire African coastal area along the southern coast of the Mediterranean at its peak.

These were only briefly introduced in later generations about the Ottoman Empire, so many people were unaware of the changes that were taking place in Europe, Asia and Africa at that time.

Wei Guangde also knew nothing about this, because apart from knowing that there was such a country, he knew nothing else, especially the national strength of the Ottoman Empire during its peak period.

Most Chinese people still believed that even at this time, the Ming Dynasty's national strength was probably the best in the world. Even if it had not participated in the Age of Discovery and had not divided the world like Spain and Portugal, the Ming Dynasty's national strength should still be the best in the world.

But in fact, a careful study of the expansion of the Ottoman Empire throughout the 16th century will reveal that the Ottoman Empire at that time was strong enough to compete with the Ming Empire.

Especially at that time, the Ottoman Empire had an overwhelming advantage over Europe.

With a population of nearly 500 million, compared to Spain's 250 million people and England's million residents, the population of France, the largest country in Europe, was only million.

Even Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, is a big city with a population of 500,000, which is not much less than the Ming Dynasty capital with a population of nearly one million.

In fact, it was because of the existence of the Ottoman Empire that later Europeans competed for world hegemony.

At this time, most European countries did not have many standing armies, and they recruited farmers directly from the fields to fight wars.

That is, some knights raised by nobles. When the king issued a war order, the nobles brought the knights and peasants to join the king's camp, and the king had an army.

The Ottoman Empire, the only country with a regular army, made European countries aware of the threat and the need to have a well-organized army.

Gradually, the traditional military model and feudal system were replaced by new military organizational forms, and European countries began to establish their own national armies.

You should know that at that time, Spain, as one of the strongest countries in Europe, had an army of only 1640 people, most of whom were sent to garrison in various parts of the Americas. When the Portuguese armed for independence in 1.5, the Spanish king encountered serious resistance when recruiting troops in the Iberian Peninsula, which eventually allowed Portugal, which had been annexed with great difficulty, to achieve independence.

After saying so much, you should understand that the current situation in Europe is completely different from that in the Ming Dynasty.

It’s just that Wei Guangde, a history novice, had no idea about this, otherwise he wouldn’t have been worried about forcing the Spaniards into a corner and only asked for half of Luzon.

Although Wei Guangde would not completely take over Luzon, he might only leave a few small islands south of Luzon for the Spaniards to rest.

You know, even though Spain occupied the Philippines, it was very difficult for them to send people here, otherwise they would not have recruited a large number of local people to form an army.

Faced with thousands of Ming troops, the Spaniards decisively gave up the northern part of Luzon.

Who still believes in the concept of a suzerain state these days? Whoever has the bigger fist has their say. The Spanish are a typical example.

Even though Spain has an army of 200,000, don't forget how much land Spain has in the Americas, which is ten times that of the Ming Dynasty.

Even if the Governor-General of Mexico sent 5,000 men to the Philippines, they would be able to kill the Spaniards.

Where could he get so many troops?

This is the current situation in Europe, which is completely different from Europe in the future.

In the palace, Ivan IV had already discussed with Stroganov a plan to send troops to conquer the Siberian Khanate.

Tsarist Russia would not directly support their actions, and they had to recruit troops themselves to attack the Siberian Khanate.

Of course, once successful, the Siberian Khanate will be incorporated into Tsarist Russia, and Ivan IV will also promise to increase the territory of the Stroganov family.

Although the Stroganov family had tried their best to support him before, they still had no title. They were just lords, or landlords, not Tsarist nobles.

However, this time Ivan IV offered a baron title as an incentive. As long as the Stroganov family successfully conquered the Siberian Khanate, Stroganov would become a baron of Tsarist Russia, and the Stroganov family would no longer be a large landowner, but would become a great noble with territory.

Don't be fooled by the habitual thinking of later generations. Although the Tsar nominally owned the country at that time, his actual rule relied on landlords and nobles.

The Tsarist Russia at this time developed from the Principality of Moscow. Ivan IV had only been crowned twenty years ago. Before that, he was just a grand duke, which means he had the title of duke and was the king of a principality.

It took another 150 years for the Principality of Moscow to develop into the Russian Empire, or an empire in the true sense.

Ivan IV was the first monarch of Tsarist Russia, and the Russian Empire was formed after Peter I and Catherine further strengthened centralization on the basis of Tsarist Russia.

Although Ivan IV was the Tsar at this time, he was also struggling to pay salaries to thousands of civil servants.

It is also important to note that although Ivan IV crowned himself as Tsar at this time, he was not generally recognized by European countries. In their eyes, Ivan IV was still a grand duke, so the titles he could be bestowed were limited.

Moreover, at that time, there were very few nobles without territories.

Because of the many restrictions, Ivan IV rarely granted titles, because if it were known to other countries and not recognized, it would only add to the joke.

As for the difference between landlords and nobles, Stroganov believed he knew it clearly. It was something that could be passed down from generation to generation.

After leaving the palace, Stroganov immediately rushed back to his territory and summoned Yermak.

Yermak was the leader of the Cossack cavalry recruited by the Stroganov family and had gathered thousands of Cossack cavalry.

The Cossacks were a nomadic community living in the steppes of eastern Europe, primarily in southern Russia and Ukraine.

Historically, they were known for their bravery and superb riding skills, and were the main force supporting the expansion of the Russian Empire to the east and south in the 17th century.

In this respect, they are actually very similar to the Mongols in the north of the Ming Dynasty, both of whom are known for their strong cavalry combat capabilities.

Due to the harsh living environment, the Cossacks are generally brave and fearless and skilled in riding, which has led neighboring countries and forces to always regard them as good candidates for recruiting mercenaries.

The Stroganov family owned large tracts of land, which were usually maintained and managed by recruited Cossack cavalry, and were also the main military force for the family's eastward expansion.

"Yermak, I need you to gather more people from your tribe to fight for me."

When he saw Yermak, Stroganov spoke directly to him.

"Sir, has the Tsar agreed to our attack on the Siberian Khanate?"

Of course, Stroganov did not make the decision to move eastward on his own. He had discussed it with Yermak before meeting Ivan IV.

They need to recruit nearly 10,000 Cossack cavalry, and the less than 2,000 Cossacks in the territory are definitely not enough.

Although the Siberian Khanate has a small population, it can still muster an army of 20,000, which is as powerful as the Cossack cavalry.

However, they are still continuing the ancient combat mode, using cold weapons such as sabers and bows and arrows.

Although the Cossacks were known for their cavalry, they had already begun using Western firearms.

"I have arranged for someone in Moscow to order a batch of muskets and artillery. I know that with these weapons, we will be able to defeat the Siberian Khanate."

Stroganov began.

Although the Cossack cavalry under his command were now equipped with some firearms, their number was not large.

Firearms were also very expensive toys in Europe at that time. As a big landowner, he would not have spent so much money on equipment if he was not planning to expand outward.

It was only after getting the support of Ivan Terrible that he decided to do something big.

"Master, rest assured. I will go back and send people to recruit tribesmen. I can at least gather an army of 5,000 to 6,000 people for you."

Yermak took charge of the matter.

As long as they can get money, the Cossacks are not afraid of danger. (End of this chapter)