The Red Mansions Across the Four Seas

Chapter 466 The Duchess Is Dead

The next day, Jia Min led a team to set off towards Ross. Lameihua led several of her female soldiers and formally joined Jia Min's caravan.

Wei Ruolan, Lin Dajiang, and Sun Yuanfei led thirty people and stayed in Pingyuan City.

Wei Song, Toke, Bogda, Liu Gengxin and others saw off Jia Min and his party.

Wei Song and Toke sent a guide respectively, introduced several friends ahead to Jia Min, and told Jia Min that when they got there, they could camp with their friends.

According to Wei Song and others, there are still more than 700 miles to go to Sergei Fortress.There is the southernmost border of the Rus Empire.

In fact, according to the direction of Pingyuan City, Fort Sergei is already in the northwest direction, but according to the direction of Bu Kui, it still belongs to the north.

Looking at Pingyuan City from Fort Sergei, it is actually in the southeast direction.

All the way is wilderness, and there are no decent roads.

The roads here are basically left behind by caravans.In many places, you can't even see the road, but you are actually walking on the grassland.

If there is no guide, even people like Lameihua and Jia Min Caravan who have lived in the Wendura grassland will easily get lost.

When it rains, the black soil becomes very sticky, making it very difficult for vehicles to travel.Sometimes I have to stop and wait for the rain to clear and the road to be dry before walking.

From time to time, there will be high mountains on the road, some have some steep paths, and some can only be detoured.

It took two full days to go around the biggest mountain.

When encountering a river, crossing the river is also a very tricky thing.Fortunately, I was careful, and finally there were no accidents.

Although the march was difficult, the personnel were safe and sound.

Along the way, apart from occasionally seeing some caravans, we rarely saw villages and people.

In many cases, you can't see people even if you walk for a day.Every time I go to a village, I need to add some food.The land here is vast, and food is abundant everywhere.In addition, there are some reserves, so there is no shortage of food.

As for non-staple food, there are only some easy-to-preserve foods such as pickles, cured meat, and dried fish that are carried.Vegetables or something, let alone.

Fortunately, there are guides, who know some wild vegetables, and the Fubingtuan has experienced wild survival training, and they have some experience in what can be eaten.Every time I go to camp, I go to collect some wild vegetables and come back to adjust the taste.

As for fresh meat, it is actually easier to hunt some prey and catch some fish if you are not in a hurry.

Some hares, goats, roe deer, etc. seem to be relatively stupid and not too afraid of people. I often encounter them on the road, so I will mark some by the way.

The fish in the river and some small lakes can be caught very easily.

After waiting for such a long time, Baochai got used to it, even though it was hard, she gritted her teeth and survived.

The desolation mentioned here is actually mainly from the human point of view.Just because there are few people, it seems that there is no popularity here.

From an ecological point of view, it is full of vitality.In addition to the lush vegetation, there are also many animals, and the natural environment is very good.

"Officer Min, do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

Dai Zhi was riding a horse, walking side by side with Jia Min, and suddenly said something without beginning or end.

"Mr. Dai, Chief Min is not a roundworm in your stomach. How does he know what you are thinking?"

Liu Cheng said with a smile.

"I'm thinking, if our Dade has more floods and droughts, it will be good for us."

Before Jia Min could speak, Dai Zhi said it himself.

"Mr. Dai is always compassionate, how could he think so now?"

This time Jia Min spoke.

"I think, if there is a disaster, there will be a large number of refugees. At that time, we will recruit them here. There is endless land here, farming and grazing, which can feed countless people. Why worry about food and clothing? "

"That's true. There are many people in the south of the Yangtze River and the Central Plains, and there are few lands. When a natural disaster occurs, the victims will be displaced and leave their homes. If they come here, which family can't have enough to eat?"

Jiao/Li is quite knowledgeable now.

"The key point is the road traffic here. In the future, we need to repair the road first. When the road is open, people will come. Along the roadside, villages and towns will gradually appear. Slowly, it will become city."

"Officer Min, didn't you say how many cities are going to be built? When will they be built?"

"When we come back, we will start to discuss this matter. At that time, there may be some city lords among us."

"Officer Min, can we also build a city?"

"Of course, not only you Liu Cheng, but also your uncle Liu Tieshan and aunt Wu Hongmei to build a city together in the future. It will be called Liujiacheng. If it is not possible, it is possible to build a town or a village. Liujia Town, Liujia Town Isn’t the family village pretty good? Not only do they have a livelihood, but they can also honor their ancestors.”

"That's really true, Chief Min, I really need to think about it if I ask you to say that."

This caravan from Bukui trekked hard all the way, but every day their hearts were filled with various longings.

Xiaoxing stayed overnight, and after 36 days of trekking, they saw a village in front of them from a distance.

This is the largest artificial building they have seen since they came out of Pingyuan City.

This is the Sergei Fortress belonging to the Ross Empire, also known as Fort Sergei.

The meeting place that the Duchess of Tamar mentioned in her letter to General Ningguta Han Tiankui is here.

When Yang Lin sent Jia Min this letter, it has been a while since he got this letter.This letter has been in Jia Min's hands for more than two and a half years. If you add the time spent in Yang Lin's hands and on the road, the letter sent from the Duchess of Tamar should be at least There are three years.

Three years later, has the situation changed?
Can the Duchess of Tamar or her agent be found here?

In Jia Min's heart, he was actually not sure.

Whether it is Sergei Fortress or Sergei Fortress, there are actually no city defense projects or fortress projects in the military sense.To put it bluntly, this is a relatively large village with a hundred or so families.

In fact, there is really no need for fortifications here.

From here to the south, there are scattered tribal areas, and more places are not even populated.It is almost impossible to launch a large-scale military attack here.

It is actually unnecessary to spend a lot of manpower and material resources to build some useless projects.

About two miles away from Sergei Fort, a group of people came up to meet them, about twenty people.

"Mr. Servante, it's your turn to come forward this time. Remember, from now on, I will be Viscount Jia Min."

"Understood, Huaiyuan."

Servante agreed, and took Mrs. Servante to meet her on horseback.The couple will be in charge of dealing with the Ross people for the first time.

Jia Min doesn't have a title now, his viscount is just made up.

However, it is not too much to fabricate a viscount status with his status as the Duke of Rong.

He has the title of Tanhua, and once had a guerrilla official position of the third rank. Even if he is not a knight, he is a hereditary viscount, which is not too much.It is said that some people believe it.

Besides, what if you don't believe it?Can the other party still go to the imperial capital to verify?
Whether the other party believes his identity or not doesn't really depend on these.But in his strength.

This strength is a combination of factors.

Including his ostentation, wealth, the number and quality of his entourage, speaking French, English, French poetry, waltz dancing, etc. These labels determine the authenticity of his identity.

The Rus Empire in this era was basically a serfdom society.

In terms of the development stage of the social form, it is even behind the Great German Empire.

Although Dade also had slaves, after all, only noble families like the Jia Mansion had legal slaves.

At the level of society as a whole, it is not actually a slavery society.

The people in power of the Ross Empire and the economic lifeline of the entire society are basically in the hands of the nobles, and the Ross Empire is still an agricultural country.

At this time, European countries such as Britain and France had just started the industrial revolution, and when this wave reached Ross, it would be even later.

It is precisely because nobles have a lofty status, and nobles with titles are the best among them, that Jia Min appears as a noble and a viscount.

Of course, he has another identity.

At this time, Mr. Servante was discussing Jia Min's identity with Andre.

Captain Andrei is the commander of the garrison at Fort Sergei.

"Mr. Servante, you mean, this Viscount Jiamin is a member of the Dadeok royal family?"

"He's a relative of the royal family."

"A relative?"

Andre didn't understand for a moment.

"He is the younger brother of Empress Dade, and he is extremely respected."

Servante directly made Yuan Chun the queen.

This guy is more powerful than Emperor Yuanheng.

"You mean, His Majesty the Great Emperor has finally sent an envoy to meet our Tsar Majesty?"

What Captain Andre said was actually based on facts.

Many years ago, Ross had sent envoys to the imperial capital to see the Dade Emperor.The two countries are required to establish diplomatic relations and conduct business.

At that time, the first emperor was still in power.

In the eyes of the Dade Emperor, a country like Ross is naturally a land of barbarians, how can it be worthy of establishing equal diplomatic relations?

My Heavenly Kingdom has a vast land and abundant resources, and I have everything I need, so why do I need to do business with them?

It's okay to establish a relationship, first to proclaim yourself a minister, and then to pay tribute.

Naturally, people would not agree to such a request, and the envoy's mission naturally fell through.The establishment of diplomatic relations and trade matters is nothing.

"It's not an official mission this time, but Viscount Jia Min is here for inspection. In the near future, the possibility of becoming an envoy is not ruled out. I think this is an excellent opportunity for Captain Andre."

"Viscount Jia Min is not only the queen's younger brother, but also the third poet in front of the imperial court after the Duke, Governor Bu Kui, who can speak French and English. Most importantly, he has brought an oriental vodka technology and wants to seek business partners. "

"Oriental vodka?"

Andre's eyes lit up.

"I've brought some samples, and I'll ask Captain Andrei to taste them."

Servante took out a small jug from his arms and handed it to Andre.

Although Ross has had vodka for a long time, until now, vodka is still a luxury.Except for the upper class and the rich, it is difficult for ordinary people to enjoy it.

Andrei took a sip, tasted it, took another sip, and tasted it again.Then he drank the wine in the jug.

"Mr. Servante, it's really high-quality vodka. I would like to introduce Duke Tamar to Viscount Jiamin. But, I can't do it."

"Why? Are you willing to let go of this rare opportunity?"

"Of course I don't want to let it go. However, Duchess Tamar died a year ago."

(End of this chapter)