The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 146 Da Qin’s Mission to Russia ()

In 1638, Russian envoys were sent to the Mongolian Altan Khan court on the order of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The host entertained them with tea. Before leaving, Altan Khan gave 4 poods in return to the Tsar. (approximately 64 kg) of brick tea.

After returning to Moscow, the Russian envoy presented tea to the Tsar. However, the tsar and ministers in the palace did not know how to use it, and the situation was very embarrassing for a time.

It happened that there was a maid from the Far East in the palace who knew how to use it. She calmly set up the stove and kettle, broke the bricks to make tea, and boiled it in water. After a while, the whole palace was filled with the fresh and intoxicating fragrance of tea.

When the ministers tasted it, they all praised it, and the tsar also liked the drink. In this way, the most common brick tea from the Mongols entered the Russian court and became a luxury tribute among the royal family and nobles. This was extremely popular, and thus created the habit of drinking tea among Russians.

However, at that time, most of the tea obtained by the Russians came from resale by Dutch merchants. Of course, as a crude and backward country, selling tea to them is not a good product, and the price is extremely expensive, which really costs the Russians a lot of money.

Later, some Russian businessmen successively obtained tea, silk, jewelry, medicinal materials and other oriental commodities from Central Asia and Mongolia, and then transported them to Moscow painstakingly. They were surprised to find that whether they were sold to other places in the country or re-exported to Europe, they could Get extremely high profits. Moreover, these goods can collect commercial taxes at home, and can earn high prices when re-exported to Europe, which far exceeds the original expectations of those Russian second-tier dealers.

As a result, many Russian merchants who lost their fur business began to engage in Eastern trade. They usually brought precious furs, woolen fabrics, firearms, metal products, etc., while what they brought away from Central Asia and Mongolia were mainly cotton, silk, and jewelry vessels. , tea, medicinal materials, etc.

For the Russians, the goods in the East are simply too abundant. In their legends, they once exaggeratedly described that "the East is full of silver, and merchants can smelt the silver to produce pure silver without impurities."

According to a document from the Moscow Tax Statistics Department in 1685, “Three private caravans came from the east. According to Moscow prices, the third caravan alone transported 49300 rubles of Russian goods, but it brought enough After returning Chinese goods worth 180000 rubles, excluding costs and transportation fees, the average profit is 200%-300%. The businessmen have simply discovered a gold mine."

You must know that the Dzungarian Khanate and the Mongolian puppet Qing regime that were trading with Russian merchants at that time were just two second-hand dealers who transferred oriental commodities from Afghanistan and Monan Mongolia at increased prices. Even so, Russian businessmen can still earn enough trading profits.

The total transaction volume of Russia's Eastern trade soon surpassed the trade volume between Russia and Central Asia, and was second only to the trade volume of Western Europe. It was highly valued by the Russian government.

Now, the Qin State, which dominates the Eastern Continent, has sent a mission to discuss cooperation in attacking Junggar. If we take the opportunity to establish direct trade relations with them, it will undoubtedly be a way for the Russian government, which is in extreme financial difficulties, to find a way out. The road to Jinshan.

Therefore, no matter what the cost, we must reach a trade agreement with the Qin State. Even if we cooperate more and lose some soldiers and serfs in the attack on Junggar, there is no harm. I still remember that more than sixty years ago, in order to obtain permission to trade with the puppet Qing government, the Russians even the head of the mission kneeled three times and kowtowed nine times to the little emperor of the Qing Dynasty, regardless of the humiliation.

In the face of money, you don’t need to be honest, why do you care about humiliation!

Seeing those private caravans engaged in Eastern trade making so much money, how could the then Tsar Peter I stand by and let this overwhelming wealth slip from his hands?

Therefore, in 1698, the decree "General Provisions Concerning Eastern Trade" was promulgated, declaring that sable skins, black fox skins, Chinese rhubarb, tea, silk, and tobacco were exclusively owned by the government, and private trade was prohibited. Private caravans could only accompany official Caravans traveled to the East to participate in trade.

In 1707, an order was issued prohibiting private traders from participating in the mutual trade with government caravans. Anyone who took goods to Central Asia and Mongolia without permission would be sentenced to death.

According to statistics, Russian official caravans have entered the market since 1698. As of last year, a total of 11 caravans have been sent to Central Asia and Mongolia, with the largest number of people reaching 380. A total trade volume of more than 150 million rubles was achieved, with a profit margin of 220%-%.

At this time, the most important oriental commodities in the eyes of Russians were cotton cloth, flower forging, silk, gold, silver, tea, and rhubarb. Although tea is delicious, it is not widely popular among poor Russian people. Except for a small amount for the enjoyment of royal nobles and officials, most of it is re-exported to European countries.

During the reign of Peter I, trade taxes and trade profits between Russia and the East accounted for almost 10% to 20% of the national treasury revenue, which greatly supported the ongoing Great Northern War at that time.

Although the Qin envoy had an indispensable attitude towards the Russians' eagerness to start direct trade with them, they were still quite proud deep down.

This Rakshasa country, oh, it should be the Russian country, is no different from the barbarians around my Great Qin. They all show such desire and yearning for all the products of our Celestial Kingdom.

Forget it, and give them some business benefits in order to promote military cooperation between the two countries.

Just half a month before the Kingdom of Sweden invaded Russia, officials from the Qin State Mission and the Russian Trade Commission had initially finalized a number of terms for mutual trade between the two parties:

1. Allow Russia to send a caravan to Beijing once a year. The size of the caravan is limited to 300 people, and the stay in Zhangjiakou is limited to 90 days. Russian goods are exempt from tariffs regardless of whether they are imported or exported.

2. Allow Jinglubao, an important town in Moxi (today's Uliasutai City, Outer Mongolia) to be the exchange market for trade between the two countries.

3. Russia is allowed to set up commercial offices in Suiyuan (today's Hohhot), Zhangjiakou, Beijing, and Songjiang, and can station business personnel permanently; while Qin can establish necessary commercial offices in Tomsk, Kazan, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. Resident personnel.

4. The two countries shall provide necessary protection to caravans and personnel entering the territory.

5. The State of Qin assisted in the construction of an Orthodox church in the Russian Pavilion in Suiyuan. 6. The State of Qin accepted Russian students sent to study at the Imperial Academy in Beijing.

It can be said that in terms of mutual trade, the Qin State made certain concessions to the Russians. Not only did it open a long-term "market" - Jinglu Fort, but it also allowed the Russians to set up commercial offices in the hinterland. In order to purchase cheaper goods.

And our country, Da Qin, is rich all over the world. In addition to some high-end and complex Qi machinery and equipment and industrial products, it can produce almost all the goods in the world. In fact, there is no need to fight with a barbaric and backward country like Russia. Mutual market.

The furs used by the Russians for trade could be obtained by Qin from Liaodong and North Korea, or even from Bohai, Dongdan, and Beiming, the outer northeastern separatist forces (Qin has never officially recognized the legal status of the above three countries) By smuggling, you can also buy a large amount of furs, which are not only of better quality, but also cheaper.

As for cloth, metal products, and firearms, they may be very scarce commodities in those grassland areas, but Daqin can produce them all by itself, including iron smelting in Hebei and Guangdong, cotton spinning in Denglai and Songjiang, and Beijing, Nanjing, and Xi'an. Ordnance factories, the things produced in these places can crush the goods provided by the Russians!

According to Cui Zuyao, the future trade exchanges between the two countries will eventually evolve into an extremely unequal trade behavior. That is to say, our country, Daqin, is likely to become a mere export country and continuously absorb Russian gold and silver. domestic.

"The Rakshasa people are not only economically backward, with sluggish industry and commerce, and poor products, but also the country's military strength may not be very strong. They were defeated by the Qi people in just a few blows. I thought, even if they fully cooperate with me, the Qin Dynasty's pincer attack The Junggar Khanate will probably not play a decisive role."

Bai Chengbin, the Marquis of Yongding and the Left Governor of the Fifth Army Governor's Mansion, held up a pair of chopsticks in his right hand and looked at the table full of dishes. He didn't know which plate to choose for a while.

This Rakshasa cook is really not that good, what kind of stuff does he cook!

The large pieces of pork chops, the bloody beef, the dark sauce, and the half-cooked vegetables were not only unsatisfactory in appearance, but also tasted unpalatable.

"With the strong military strength of the Qi people, it is not unusual for the Rakshasa people to be defeated by the Qi people in that Caucasus region." Wei Ziyong, the right minister of the Ministry of Industry, did not take it seriously. "I heard that the Qi people were in southern Europe two months ago. In the sea area, they defeated the navy of the Kingdom of England, which frightened another small European country, Portugal, to immediately surrender and sue for peace. The tyranny of this country is evident. Russia is located in a corner of Europe, with poor culture, backward technology, and far less national strength. Those big countries in Europe were not unjust when they were defeated by Qi."

"What Minister Wei said is reasonable." Bai Chengbin nodded and said, "It would be bad if Russia was too strong. If we wipe out the Junggars, we will definitely follow them, and there may be disputes and conflicts. Conflict. In the direction of Liaodong and Lingbei, there are Beiming and Bohai. Our Qin Dynasty has already felt inexplicable military pressure and has accumulated a lot of military power. If it is difficult to kill the Mongols in the future, a more powerful one will jump out. Russia, then our Qin's northern border troubles will be endless. According to my opinion, it is best to drive the Junggar Khanate to the west or north to drive away wolves and devour tigers, and consume the strength of the Russians."

"The words of Marquis Yongding are a bit wishful thinking." Cui Zuyao said with a smile: "For the desert and the Western Regions, they are just the land controlled by our Great Qin. The continuous military attacks on the Junggar Khanate are also to prevent them from evolving into A unified and powerful grassland empire to threaten the northwest border of our Great Qin. The Russian Tomsk Military District and Omsk Military District are probably also their border areas. They are sparsely populated and people's livelihood is poor. There is nothing worthy of the Mongols. The goal of plundering. According to the habits of the grassland people, once they develop and grow, they will inevitably go south to raid our fertile mainland China and invade our border areas. If you think of driving away wolves and devouring tigers, you may end up raising tigers. For the sake of trouble, let him linger and grow."

"But if the Junggars are annihilated, is it possible that our Great Qin will accept its land, adopt its people, and incorporate their territory into the territory?" Bai Chengbin was startled for a moment, then shook his head and said: "We already control the Western Region and Mobei. It takes a lot of effort and consumes a lot of money. If the territory is extended to the Junggar land, it will be beyond the reach of our great Qin country. It is said in "Sima Fa" that although the country is big, if it is warlike, it will perish!"

"The Marquis of Yongding doesn't want to see me, the Qin Dynasty, expand the territory of the prosperous empire?" Wei Ziyong looked at this descendant of Shu Gongbai Wenxuan with a bit of contempt.

As the son of the founding general, he didn't even think about expanding the territory and seeking great achievements. Instead, he was like a rotten scholar, afraid of war, avoiding war, and made remarks such as "Although the country is big, if it is warlike, it will perish."

Look at the Qi State. Since the founding of the country, the war has never stopped. Their armies are either fighting or on their way to the battlefield, fighting from the east to the west, from land to sea, and perishing. There are countless small countries, and they conquer regional powers and maritime powers one after another, seemingly seeking hegemony over the entire world.

As long as you take a look at the world map drawn by the Qi people, you will find that the entire world, from the vast land to the dotted islands in the ocean, is filled with territory occupied by the Qi people. Although there are many territories that they can just insert at will. They raised a flag and did not actually rule it, but it was still their sphere of influence. Who dared to comment, and who dared to seize it? !

Due to the lack of naval strength and the fact that it is one step behind, it is unable to conquer the world like the people of Qi. However, our Da Qin can fully rely on its huge population and far exceed the strength of the surrounding barbarian countries to expand its borders. Extending further to the north and west, if the territory of the prosperous Tang Dynasty can be restored, it can also create a huge world empire.

A country as barbaric and backward as the Russians can cross the vast mountains and swamps and expand their territory to 20,000 miles. How can we, the great Qin, not be able to do this?

"You have to eat food one bite at a time, and you have to do things step by step." Bai Chengbin put down his chopsticks, picked up the cup, and took a sip of wine. It was raw and astringent, but he endured it and swallowed it down his throat. "I, the Qin Dynasty, want to open up borders and expand." Naturally, we must act according to our ability, move forward steadily, and advance slowly. Otherwise, the disaster of Hanwu and the chaos of Tianbao may not happen in our great Qin Dynasty."

"Today's world is undergoing changes that have not happened in thousands of years. It is also a world of great strife. If we don't open up and make progress and strive for progress, we will definitely regret our descendants."

"Haha..., Wei Shilang must have been too influenced by the Qi State, and he had to learn everything from them." Bai Chengbin shook his head and said, "It should be noted that the Qi State is very tyrannical. In recent decades, it has become more aggressive and aggressive towards the outside world. It is aggressive by nature. If things go on like this, it will inevitably make all countries wary of it and they will all use their strength to deal with it. Maybe it will eventually backfire on them and fall apart."

"If we, the Qin Dynasty, do not bravely explore when our military power is at its peak, how will we be able to preserve the core land of Han when the country's power is declining?" Wei Ziyong retorted: "I remember a joke made by Emperor Taizu of Qi decades ago, If the founding fathers of the country could gain more territories, their descendants would be more confident in spending money and squandering their families. I deeply agree with this statement. Looking at the thousands of years of Chinese history, each dynasty and generation has not yet been as strong as hundreds of years. This generation should serve as a plan for future generations and a plan for the future.”

"Shilang Wei is really... really planning ahead for the future of our Great Qin. You are now the minister of the Ministry of Industry in the first district. You must be aggrieved." Bai Chengbin said sarcastically: "After the Russian ambassador returns to the DPRK this time, I I will report to His Majesty that I strongly recommend you to join the cabinet as Prime Minister. In this way, you can show your great ambitions..."

"Grand Bachelor, Russian officials are here." An attaché of the mission hurriedly entered the room, bowed slightly to the heads of missions present, and then reported: "Tomorrow morning, their tsar and ministers of the privy council will be at the palace. Meet the Grand Maester."

"It seems that our mission to Russia is coming to an end." Cui Zuyao picked up the tablecloth on the table and wiped his mouth, with a look of relief on his face, "The Russians will definitely give us a formal reply tomorrow. In this way, we can finally return to Da Qin."

(End of this chapter)