The Han culture is spreading strongly in Southeast Asia

Chapter 604: Khitan and Ross, a fate of entanglement
When the envoys from Britain and France met with Mo Zibu in person.

The Empress's envoy from the Russian Empire, Catherine Romanovna Dashkova, has entered the Emperor's harem.

This is not to say that she has any special relationship with the emperor, but Dashkova is very good at using her status and has already established good relationships with several important concubines in Mozibu's harem.

This is one of the great conveniences of being a woman. Even if William Pitt the Younger of England and Antoine Lechte of France wanted to learn, they would never be able to enter the emperor's harem.

Moreover, this Dashkova is really amazing. She is worthy of being the best friend of the empress Catherine II and a woman who made great contributions to Catherine in the key palace coup.

She even went into exile abroad on her own initiative because she opposed some of Catherine II's policies, and returned to Russia more than ten years later.

Catherine II, the great who ruthlessly eliminated her husband, son, and lover for the sake of power, not only did not blame him, but was so happy that she almost cried.

She deserves to be called the protector of Slavic art in history and a woman who could be a friend of Voltaire, Diderot and others.

After she arrived in Beijing, she was able to immediately communicate with Empress Zheng Shishi about Western and Chinese paintings, and with Concubine De Ye Yizhen about Eastern and Western history.

She could discuss poetry with Concubine Zhuang Ruan Shi Yuxiu so cautiously, and could even communicate with her little cousin Concubine Chen Guifei about how to cook and make clothes for children.

After her arrival, she was able to connect Mo Zibu's harem, which was somewhat divided.

These days, Mo Zibu was busy in the Forbidden City, and Dashkova was making connections in the harem, allowing the concubines to travel together to the Three Mountains and Five Gardens.

They even organized the wives of Beijing's nobles, civil and military ministers to go to Mulan Paddock for hunting and polo games, and they had a lot of fun.

Even after Mo Zibu returned to the harem, he clearly felt that the atmosphere in the harem had become joyful. It was no longer as distant and deserted as before, and he inexplicably felt at home.

"Your Majesty, the Nara Kingdom's special envoy invited the Empress Dowager to go fishing again today. She left at six in the morning and hasn't returned yet. She's probably resting in Jingming Garden."

Mo Zibu was stunned when he heard the eunuch's report.

The so-called Luo Kingdom is Russia, which was called Russia in history. The pronunciation is said to come from the Mongols. In this era, it is natural to use Chinese pronunciation as the main method.

Therefore, Russia does not have the pronunciation of "Russia". Instead, it is directly called the Rus Empire, abbreviated as Luo Kingdom, and contemptuously called Rakshasa Kingdom.

Jingming Garden is one of the three hills and five gardens in Beijing. It is located on Yuquan Mountain northwest of the Forbidden City. It is more than 20 kilometers away and it takes more than two hours to walk there without galloping on horseback.

As for time, Mo Zibu basically does not advocate the use of the hour system. It is divided into 24 hours as in later generations, without using Zi, Chou, Yin, and Mao, but using one to twelve, supplemented by early morning, morning and other time periods.

The main reason is that it is not very convenient in military terms, and it is not as straightforward as numbers in daily use.

"This woman can even make the Empress Dowager happy?" This was what really shocked Mo Zibu, because her mother, Chen, was not easy to please.

At present, Chen has broken up with the retired emperor Mo Tianci because Mo Tianci is old but young at heart. He is almost eighty years old and still wants to take a woman who is more than sixty years younger than him as a concubine.

After this, Chen basically separated from Mo Tianci, and her personality became very strange. Not to mention other people, she didn't even have a good face when she saw Mo Zibu.

Because Empress Dowager Chen felt that her son was just trying to force Mo Tianci to work, so she completely tolerated her father's self-deprecation.

Well, that seems to be correct.

As a son, Mo Zibu deserved to be disliked by his mother, Chen.

Moreover, Chen's hobbies are also very strange. As a sixty-year-old old woman, she doesn't like anything else and prefers drinking, fishing and other things that only men like.

Being able to cheer up the Empress Dowager, who has strange hobbies and is quite resentful, does require some skill.

Mo Zibu looked at the itinerary. He would be arriving in Chengde in three days. He estimated that the woman would come to see him soon.

It seems that I must learn more about this woman. Mo Zibu waved his hand and said to Li Cunyi, the commander of the Jinyiwei Palace Front Division, who was serving beside him:

"Li Cunyi, you go in person and order the Zasaktu Shunyi Prince, the Thirteenth Shunzhi Prince of the Left Wing of the Sanyin Noyan Tribe, and the Ulianghai Saraji Zhongshun Marquis, who escorted the Luo Kingdom's special envoy to Beijing, to come to the palace. I want to personally inquire about the details."

. . . .

"At the time, I was living in Holyrood Palace, the King of England's residence in Scotland.

That damned Duchess keeps insulting my Slavic identity. To use the words of you Serbs, this is intolerable!"

Jingming Garden is vast and open.

This is not a title, but a garden modeled after the Changchun Garden in Wuxi.

Thirty-nine-year-old Dashkova is telling her story with great enthusiasm.

This woman is a famous scholar. She has written dozens of poems and at least three novels in her life. She is also a famous composer.
He also has a strong talent for languages and is fluent in Russian, German, English, French, Italian and Spanish.

Now, after five months of study, his Chinese has reached the point where he can use it extensively in French.

Her audience, Empress Dowager Chen, Empress Zheng Shishi, Consort Zheng Susu, and Consort Zhuang Ruan Yuxiu, all spoke French.

This is a special skill of the Nanyang Chinese, being proficient in multiple languages, which can still be seen in the later Malaysian Chinese who attach great importance to education.

Others who could not understand French could understand the general idea based on the movements and key Chinese characters interspersed there, even without the help of the palace servants to translate, and were therefore quite fascinated.

"I drew my sword!" Dashkova drank a big gulp of wine very heroically, with excitement burning on her flushed face.

"Matilda, Duchess, you have insulted my country. I will fight you!"

This crazy woman had a sword duel with an English noblewoman due to a verbal conflict when she was a guest at the British court. This happened five years ago in 1779.

"Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, Russian women were born in a cold and bitter land. Unlike the Khitan, it is a land of ice and snow, with howling winds. They have to work very hard to survive.

Therefore, even women have to work hard for the family to ensure that their children have enough food and clothing and grow up.

Russian women are never afraid of hardship, and just like Khitan women, they can endure hardship!"

Empress Dowager Chen stood up, her eyes full of admiration and agreement, "Yes, Vorontsova, poverty breeds strong women.

There are many places in China where conditions are harsh, such as my hometown in the mountains of western Guangdong, where women have to work just as hard as men to keep their children alive."

It had only been a dozen or twenty days, and Empress Dowager Chen had already become so affectionate as to call Dashkova by her nickname, Vorontsova, and it was obvious that she approved of her very much.

"You are a great wife and mother. You gave birth to and raised a great king. All Khitan people should be grateful to you."

Dashkova patted the horse generously, and Empress Dowager Chen was even more delighted.

So after flattering him, he continued, “Duchess Mathilde has never experienced hardship; her life has been free from hardships.

So he underestimated the love of a Russian woman who came from a cold and bitter land for her motherland.

Although the Duchess was only twenty-one, at the strongest age, and I was a dozen years older than her, I was not at all panicked.

Because that sword was left to me by my mother, a great Russian woman - Marfa Ivanovna Sulmina.

When I was two years old, she was called by God and left me. I can’t even remember what she looked like.”

As she spoke, Dashkova's eyes became moist. She wiped them gently with her hand and her voice began to choke. Mozibu's mother and concubines around her were infected by her emotions.

It wasn't just these people, even the palace maids and eunuchs serving around them were infected, and some were even in tears.

"I prayed in my heart, Mother, please give me the courage to fight!" Dashkova shouted and made a stabbing motion forward.

"This sword of maternal love, like an indestructible force, guided me and pierced through the belly of that mean and vicious woman with one blow.

She screamed, and blood gushed out like a fountain. This mean woman showed a look of fear and pleading.

"You shouldn't insult my country, the country that gave birth to me and raised me!"

Amid the roar, at that moment, I seemed to see the gratified smile of my mother in heaven, she was approving of me.

At that moment, my son Pavel screamed, and I realized that I had also been stabbed in the shoulder. Blood stained my right arm and was dripping down my right hand.

"This is too dangerous, Zuowa, you will die." Concubine Zhuang Ruan Yuxiu, who was already fascinated, screamed in worry.

As she screamed, Dashkova took off her outer coat and skirt, revealing her right arm, with a long scar clearly visible.

The onlookers exclaimed again. Empress Dowager Chen took the initiative to walk over with a glass of wine. "Zuowa, you are truly the bravest woman I have ever seen. You fight like a man. In our China, this is called women are as good as men!"

After hearing this, Dashkova knelt down on her knees with great joy and drank up the three or four ounces of liquor in the bowl in one gulp!

"Good! Good!" Cheerful shouts rang out all around, and the atmosphere became even more lively.

"Great, that's a lot!" Empress Dowager Chen was also very happy. She took Dashkova's hand and said, "Let's play mahjong in this Kuoran Palace tonight and not leave until dawn.

After the Emperor's Chengde Conference is over, we will go hunting together at Guihua Fortress to witness Zuowa's horsemanship."

It’s so fun, I’m going to Hohhot to play again.

If Mo Zibu were here, he would understand why Dashkova is liked by all the women around him. She is a combination of Gu Ailing, Zhang Ailing and Sanmao.

At the same time, she has a very high emotional intelligence and is good at organizing activities and coordinating relationships. No matter what era, a woman like this will definitely be a celebrity wherever she goes.

Therefore, after seeing the report from the Imperial City Internal Affairs Department, Mo Zibu summoned this woman in advance.

If she continued like this, her mother, Chen, and the others would go to St. Petersburg to play with Catherine II. However, the place of the summons was not a main hall like the Fengtian Hall, but the Russian delegation's residence on the edge of the Forbidden City.

Dashkova is not very tall, nor very strong, and she does not look like she has practiced martial arts. She has a very soft, even baby-like face.

Not at all as tough as her life.

When he saw Mo Zibu, he did not hesitate at all. He not only knelt on both knees, but also prostrated himself on the ground in a very standard manner.

After being allowed to stand up, looking at Mo Zibu's inquiring eyes, Dashkova smiled gently and took the initiative to speak.

"Your Majesty, are you surprised that foreign ministers are so proficient in etiquette? Because every Slavic noble knows it. This is the mark left to us by the Tatars.

Back in the days of the Golden Horde, we not only had to prostrate ourselves, but we also had to kiss the instep of the Golden Horde Khan’s feet, be whipped, and still thank the emperor for his love.”

Holy shit, it turns out the Golden Family is having so much fun on the East European plains!
"I'm not surprised, because the Tatars you mentioned have been dealing with us for hundreds of years, and they are now subject to me." Mo Zibu did not admit his surprise.

"What amazes me is how such a gentle woman could endure a life of voluntary exile, living under someone else's roof, and still dare to duel with others.

I thought Dashkova was a woman who was no different from a man except for her gender."

Dashkova laughed resoundingly, then looked at Mozibu and said, "Your Majesty, would you like to experience the same extreme happiness that the Tatars you conquered are enjoying on Russian territory?"

A gentle breeze blows, and the air is filled with mist.

Mo Zibu was lying in a hot spring. On both sides of the hot spring sat a eunuch in brocade robes, standing as motionless as a stone. These were Mo Zibu's closest guards.

The sound of "Hey Ha" was heard, and two blonde girls were holding wooden swords and shields and were engaged in a fierce confrontation.

They are both tall, beautiful, and naked. With every movement, the surging waves in front and the exaggerated waist-to-hip ratio in the back make people even more excited.

On both sides of the two people who were fighting fiercely, there were more than ten girls wearing short clothes ready to go on stage at any time. They were all young girls with peak figures and looks.

The advantage of a short shelf life is that it is breathtakingly beautiful at its peak, just like an ephemeral flower.

The reason why it is said to be intense is that the two Mao girls who are fighting naked are definitely not just pretending. It can be seen that they are really skilled and are giving their all.

The sound of splashing water came, and Dashkova also took off her clothes and entered the hot spring wearing only a piece of underwear. She said in French mixed with a lot of Chinese words with some self-mockery:
"I am too old to serve the emperor, so I can only speak frankly to His Majesty the Great Emperor to show that I come here with full sincerity."

Mo Zibu looked at the two Mao girls who were fighting fiercely. There was a kind of red paint on their wooden swords. Once they were hit, red scratches would immediately appear on their bodies. The referee would determine the score and whether they would be eliminated based on these red scratches.

Mo Zibu had seen many strong men fighting, but he had never seen such a fierce confrontation between beautiful girls.

After Dashkova had completely entered the hot spring, Mo Zibu turned around and said to her, "Does your love for the Russian Empire extend to this extent? I don't think it needs to be like this."

To Mo Zibu, Dashkova was an extremely knowledgeable and talented foreign woman. With her talent and knowledge, she didn't need to treat herself like a commodity in Mo Zibu's eyes.

Moreover, the Vorontsov-Dashkov family to which Dashkova belongs is not a simple family. It is one of the first major families of the Russian Empire and is an aristocratic family with shares in the empire.

A few decades later, the family also obtained the title of prince, and strictly speaking, they can be regarded as part of the royal family.
Dashkova did not say anything, but called over an extremely beautiful Mao girl. She had just seen that the emperor's eyes stayed on this girl the longest.

The beautiful little girl was soon stripped naked by Dashkova herself. At the same time, the battle in the distance was decided. Dashkova sent the strong and beautiful winner to Mozibu.

Being surrounded by such top-notch Mao Mei, even though Mo Zibu had seen and eaten many, he was still a little excited, but he controlled himself well and did not show it.

"Your Majesty, what kind of people do you think the Russians should be?" asked Dashkova.

"Are you asking what I think of you Slavs?" Mo Zibu was a little confused about Dashkova's words.

Dashkova shook her head and quickly corrected herself, "No, not all Slavs. Those Eastern Slavs in Poland and the Southern Slavs ruled by the Ottomans and Habsburgs are not the same as us. Their joys and sorrows are different."

Mo Zibu now understood what the woman was trying to say. It was different from the later impression of a fighting nation and how no one could defeat Russia because they had the help of winter.

The Russians at this time were actually weaklings.

They had just been freed from slavery in the various khanates established by the Mongols, and it had only been a few decades since the Istanbul serf market had been populated by white slaves from Russia.

It was only last year, in 1783, that they completely overthrew the Crimean Khanate on the northern coast of the Black Sea, which had been holding their white slaves. Catherine II was very happy to name this place New Rus.

In other words, although Russia experienced the rise of Peter the Great and the current Catherine II's beating of the Ottoman Empire, it is still not considered a top power.

It took only about a decade for them to be labeled as a second-rate power without seeming out of place.

Of course, this is also why Peter the Great and Catherine the Great are so famous and admired in Russian history.

Without these two people, the Russians would not be able to build a strong country, let alone stand up straight.

Russia's true strength, to the point where Europe would tremble with a single stomp of its foot, and then become a world-class power, was achieved at the hands of the Soviet Union, at the cost of tens of millions of Soviet casualties.

For the rest, even during the European gendarmerie period, it was not because Russia was strong, at least the main reason was not because Russia was strong, but because the Russian army, whether officers or soldiers, were stupid enough.

They still could not understand the significance of the French Revolution. When they were dispatched, they would not be like the armies of other European countries, who were inspired by the revolutionary enthusiasm of France and defected on the battlefield, or launched a revolution again when they returned home.

So at this moment, Dashkova looked at Mozibu and said with some grief and indignation: "Russians don't know who they are. The Swedes in Northern Europe think we are lowly slaves.

The French in Western Europe thought that we were actually steppe barbarians. They laughed at us, saying that if you cut open a Russian, you would find a Tatar living inside.

The Southern Europeans and Ottomans, who had a tradition of purchasing Russian white slaves, looked down on us even more and naturally felt that we should be slaves.

Not to mention the Tatars, they treated us like livestock.”

Mo Zibu smacked his lips and looked at Dashkova, who seemed a little sad and angry. He really wanted to say that the problem you mentioned has not been solved even in the new century hundreds of years later.

Russians are still not considered Europeans, and some extreme people even think that Russians are not white.

Similarly, the East also disagreed that they were Orientals, which was quite embarrassing.

"Your Majesty, the Russians will no longer allow anyone to climb over their heads. Everyone, nobles and commoners alike, thinks so."

Mozibu fully understood that this was a critical period for the Russian people to build their national confidence and even their nation, and the key to shaping these was winning.

Only by winning continuously can more people feel a sense of belonging to their own ethnic group.

If we keep winning, those local powerful nobles who control a large amount of means of production in various places will recognize themselves as Russians.

In order to keep winning, after overthrowing the Crimean Khanate, they had to continue to overthrow other Tatar Khanates and kill all the Tatars who once treated the Russians as cattle and slaves, to show that they had finally risen.

Against this backdrop, it was difficult for the Russian Empire to compromise with any party, even China, over issues such as land.

"I understand." Mo Zibu nodded, "You have long regarded Hezhong and the Xianbei Wasteland as your possessions, part of your territory.

You even hope to continue to brutally retaliate against the Tatars south of the Xianbei Desert to show that you have finally escaped slavery and will never be bullied by anyone again, right? "

Dashkova was stunned. She stared at Mo Zibu for a long time before nodding and saying, "I didn't expect that His Majesty the Great Emperor knows us Russians so well. It is indeed true.

However, we can give up Central Siberia and East Siberia under certain conditions. I believe Your Majesty is not short of gold, silver and other treasures. I think both countries can negotiate on everything in these two pieces of land.

But we must obtain Transoxiana and Western Siberia, because they are the guarantee of our safety.

Without these two places, New Rus and the Rus Empire west of the Ural Mountains would be vulnerable to invasion at any time, which is unacceptable to us."

As expected, Mo Zibu shook his head seriously and said, "Zova, I think you still lack some understanding of Chinese culture.

Two thousand years ago, when you Russians were still living like monkeys in the ice and snow, our Chinese ancestors had already penetrated deep into the lands near Hezhong and other places.

Lake Baikal where Irkutsk is located should be called the North Sea. Su Wu, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, once grazed sheep here, leaving behind a story that will be passed down through the ages.

While you Russians are getting rid of your slavery, I am also reviving China.

Since the decline of the Tang Dynasty, the flag of the Han family has never returned to the land where their ancestors fought bloody battles.

If I cannot lead a new generation of Han warriors to reclaim these lands saturated with the blood of our ancestors, how can I have the face to call myself a revivalist and call my reign Guangzhong?

For the first time, an expression of anxiety and fear appeared on Dashkova's face. "Your Majesty, your empire is about to restore the glory of its ancestors, and the Russian Empire is also on the rise.

The Khitans want to recover the territories they lost for thousands of years, and Russia will not allow itself to be enslaved again. If Your Majesty insists on making this choice, a brutal battle will be inevitable.

Your Majesty, I still hope you can make some concessions and not let the war happen."

Mo Zibu shook his head without hesitation. "Restoring the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties is our unshirkable responsibility. This is not just my wish, but the shared will of millions of people. There is basically no room for negotiation."

It is not necessary to occupy all of Hezhong, but the Xianbei Desert must be taken back in its entirety.

Mozibu could tolerate the dividing line between the two countries being in the Ural Mountains and the Ural River, but he would never tolerate not having exclusive ownership of Lake Baikal and Lake Balkhash.

"Then there is only war left, which is a tragedy!" Dashkova said tremblingly.

"That's not necessarily the case. Perhaps the cruelty of war can make one side sober up and stop being blinded by all kinds of unnecessary emotions.

As long as one party wakes up, then negotiations can continue."

What a joke. How many tons of steel could Tsarist Russia produce annually? How many infantry and cavalry did it have?
Where does the courage and confidence come from to ask for such a high price? You want me to pay for Lake Baikal? You think too much!

(End of this chapter)