The Ming Dynasty began from Sarhu

Chapter 869: Decisive Battle in the North Sea
The land of the North Sea of the Great Qi Dynasty is what later generations called Lake Baikal. According to Prime Minister Kang Guangxu, the Qi Dynasty had irrefutable sovereignty over this land.

In the 647st year of Zhenguan Period (669), the Tang court established Xuanque Prefecture here, which belonged to Yanran Protectorate. In the rd year of Longshuo Period, it was renamed Hanhai Protectorate. In the nd year of Zongzhang Period (), it was changed to Anbei Protectorate.

During the Five Dynasties, it returned to the rule of the Turks, and later came under the jurisdiction of the Uighurs. Later, it was controlled by the Mongolian Balahu tribe. During the Yuan Dynasty, it belonged to the Lingbei Province, and during the Ming Dynasty, it was controlled by the Oirat Buryatid tribe.

In the early years of Wuding, Liu Zhaosun conquered the Mongolian tribes and established the Lingbei Province in Beihai. Later, Emperor Guangde abolished the province and established districts.

Previously, in exchange for the Rakshasa Kingdom's opposition to the new policy, the princess allowed some traveling Rakshasa merchants to rest in the North Sea settlement.

At that time, the princess had strict control over the number and duration of stay of the Russians, stipulating that the number of merchants traveling to the North Sea should not exceed fifty people at a time and their stay should be limited to seven days.

Fifteen years after Guangde, the eldest princess was busy fighting for power with Liu Kan and had no time to look north.

The Rakshasas then swarmed in.

At first, there were only a few tents sparsely built by the lake. Since when, these tents have become more and more dense, and finally they are scattered all over the place, like psoriasis that cannot be wiped away.

The local administrator accepted bribes from the Rakshasas and refused to report the incident.

Finally, the Rakshasa demons took over most of the area around the North Sea. They cut down forests, built castles, forged firearms, and drove the indigenous people to the wilderness further east.

Around the time when Queen Tianshou ascended the throne, the Rakshasa ghosts had already regarded this fertile land as their own colony and were migrating to the North Sea in large numbers.

As of December of the fourth year of Tianshou, the population settled here exceeded 30,000, most of whom were drunkards, criminals, and desperadoes who immigrated from the western part of Luosha Country.

Not only did the Rakshasas occupy the land, these colonists also competed with the neighboring Qi people for water sources, plundered the herdsmen's cattle and sheep, and attacked lone garrison soldiers.

Local officials submitted petitions to the imperial court more than once, begging the court to send troops to fight back and drive out the Rakshasa demon.

However, the cabinet was trapped in the rebellion of the deposed Crown Prince Liu Wuji at that time, so how could it have the energy to care about the affairs in Lingbei.

Every time officials from Lingbei petitioned for help, the imperial court would evade them with excuses such as "the border has been clearly surveyed long ago, Da Qi and Luosha are brotherly countries, and war should not be started lightly."

In 1716, Peter I of Russia intensified his plunder and exploitation of the Far East in order to support the war in Europe.

In order to meet the needs of Peter the Great, Vladimir Andrei, the Governor-General of the Far East Colonies, ordered the felling of more forests and the hunting of more black bears in the North Sea.

In 1617, the Da Qi army and the Luosha colonial army clashed continuously on the North Sea border, resulting in casualties on both sides.

In early June 1718 (the fourth year of Tianshou), Vladimir Andrei, under the pretext of hunting down the remnants of the deposed crown prince, ordered the Northern Sea Governor-General Gorodaikov to "closely monitor" the border areas and take "appropriate measures" to prevent the remnants of the deposed crown prince of Qi from spreading northward.

On June 6, Peter the Great declared the Far Eastern Military District to be in a state of war.

On June 6, the Far Eastern Military District and the Siberian Military District simultaneously implemented military mobilization.

On June 6, the two military regions recruited 27 and reserve soldiers respectively, completing military mobilization in a short period of time.

On June 6, Peter I ordered two Russian armies to assemble in the North Sea respectively, in preparation for responding to possible "provocative actions" against Qi.

~~~~~~~~~
On July 18, the fourth year of Tianshou, soldiers of the Beihai Corps lined up at the western port of Kuyi Island waiting to board the ship.

Five thousand marines faced the sun, with the North Sea Trading Company's ocean-going building behind them.

The Governor of Sakhalin Island stood on a high platform in front of the soldiers and gave an impassioned speech. With the help of the loudspeaker, the Governor's voice echoed over the port for a long time.

The soldiers wore new wide-brimmed sailor hats to resist the biting cold winds of the North Sea and block the scorching sun near the tropics - this army had fought in Annan - they wore black and gray combat uniforms with a gray wolf on the chest, and the flintlock rifles hanging on their backs gleamed brightly, which made the soldiers look majestic.

The Governor of Sakhalin wore a special black helmet with a wolf head with bared fangs and claws on it. The wolf is the emblem of the North Sea Corps.

The Governor's speech was long and boring, especially on this sleepy summer afternoon.

But the more than 5,000 Marines stood up straight and listened attentively as the Governor talked about the importance of this mission and the cruelty of the Rakshasa demons.

"North Sea Explorer, your commander's father, the adventurer Jiang Liu'er! He was nearly eaten alive by a Rakshasa ghost! That was forty years ago!"

Standing at the front of the line, General Jiang Bailing, the commander of the de-barbarization campaign, listened with a sullen face as the Governor of Sakhalin boasted, "Since the second year of Tianshou, the Rakshasa demons' outrageous violence has intensified. Their atrocities are terrifying!"

"The people of Da Qi were murdered by Rakshasa demons in the North Sea, our national flag was insulted by barbarians, and even Her Majesty the Queen was mocked by the barbarian emperor!"

The soldiers in the back row whispered to each other, and one explained to his companions that the ridicule was because "Peter I used the excuse of pursuing the remnants of the deposed crown prince to invade our country's Ergun River."

The battalion commander glared at the soldier who had spoken, and the surroundings suddenly fell silent.

The Governor-General's pre-war mobilization was still going on, and Commander Jiang insisted on listening with a grim face, because the Governor-General's speech represented the will of the Queen and the Cabinet.

"In Tianxin City, Her Majesty the Queen told me to take revenge on the Russians! That's why I sent you to fight in the North Sea! Peter the Great questioned us and despised us. While fighting Britain, he actually went to war with Da Qi at the same time. How dare he despise us!"

The Governor suddenly paused for a moment, looked around at the huge crowd of soldiers, and raised his voice and asked loudly:

"Da Qi has enjoyed ten years of peace. Soldiers of the North Sea Corps, tell me, are the claws and fangs of the North Sea Wolf still sharp? Can they still kill the enemy?"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

A deafening shout rang out over the port.

When the soldiers calmed down a little, the Governor roared with a fist:

"Then fight! Until the flags of Great Qi and Britain fly triumphantly over the Kingdom of Rakshasa and are hoisted over the palaces of St. Petersburg!"

"So, this time, you must not only retake the North Sea, but you must fight relentlessly! Strive for peace for future generations! Defeat the Rakshasas mercilessly. Take no prisoners, kill without mercy, and slay every one you encounter! Fight with the same bravery as the Tang army did a thousand years ago. The Tang army's achievements are unforgettable, and the land of the North Sea belongs to the prosperous Tang. In the same way, the name of Da Qi must be made famous in the Rakshasa Kingdom, so that the Rakshasas will never dare to look up at the Qi people again! General Guoyi and I will bear witness to your glory! Glory belongs to Da Qi. Long live the Heaven-Supported Empress! Long live Da Qi!"

"Glory belongs to Da Qi!"

"Long live the Queen!"

"Long live Da Qi!
The soldiers cheered "Long live the ship" and then boarded the ship one by one, starting their thrilling sea journey.

~
In July of the fourth year of Tianshou, General Jiang Bailing, following the empress's order, led a large army to attack Luosha in order to counter the Luosha ghosts' invasion of the northern border of Da Qi.

The Northern Expedition Army was led by 5,000 Marines from the North Sea Corps as the vanguard, with the British Far East Navy providing cover. Korea, Japan, Annam and other regions (countries) also sent troops to follow, with a total force of 30,000.

There was an endless stream of horse-drawn carriages transporting food and supplies from various counties and cities in the northeast, and large carriages loaded with supplies were running on the post roads.

Thousands of ships were competing in the waters south of Sakhalin Island. Troop transport ships set sail from the Shandong Peninsula and Tianjin Port and headed north, crossing the turbulent Tatar Strait, continuously delivering food, fodder and soldiers to the North Sea battlefield.

~~~~~~~~
In midsummer, the sun hangs high in the sky and refuses to set for a long time.

The ships cut through the waves and headed towards the landing battlefield through the afterglow of the setting sun.

The soldiers lay on the deck and looked at the coastal forest in the distance.

The primeval forest on the west side of the Tatar Strait seems to have stood for thousands of years.

Before dark, lynx, wolves, foxes, and mink were already moving through the woods, leaving behind the occasional bloody trail. Jays clucked from the tops of the fir trees, like feathered sentinels.

After a day of hard work, the sailors from Kuyi Island gathered in groups of three or four to rest under the huge sails.

People bathed in the afterglow, smoked Aurora cigarettes, and sang the ancient ballad.

"The new treasure boat is new and new,

The newly made boat rope is like a dragon's root.

The new boat teeth are like dragon claws,
Throwing it into the North Sea is worth a thousand gold!"

(End of this chapter)