"My God, these Tatars actually built such a magnificent city?"
On the banks of the Ural River, a horse team came slowly. Looking up at the huge oriental city that was four feet high, backed by a river, and had a moat, everyone was stunned for a while.
"It seems that a new empire will rise on the Eastern European plains!"
The missionary curled up his lips and said, "The Russians may not be able to sleep!"
The motorcade drove into the city and after paying a cheap entrance fee, they saw a lively street scene.
The square fonts, fluttering covers, wooden doors and windows, tight-fitting mandarin jackets, and the characteristic big braids clearly express the exotic style.
"Is this the East? It's different from what's described in those books!"
"No, these are just Tatars who fled from the East to the Black Sea. There is no braid in the Eastern Empire!"
Standing on the city wall, Xuan Ye stared at the caravans that were constantly coming and going, and said to the chief assistant Suo Etu on the side: "As of now, there are probably one hundred thousand people in the new capital city!"
"Your Majesty is clear!" Suo'etu said energetically: "The Ottomans and Rakshasa merchants have continued to bring gunpowder and slaves, and our Qing Dynasty has regained its strength."
Xuan Ye smiled slightly.
After defeating the Rakshasa people, the Manchus quickly established control over the Volga River and the lower reaches of the Ural River, and gained momentum by annexing the Torgut tribe.
Cossacks, Tatars, etc. surrendered one after another.
Nowadays, in addition to the Eight Banners of Manchuria (i.e. the original three banners of Han, Mongolia and Manchu), the Eight Banners of Cossacks, Eight Banners of Nogai, Eight Banners of Rakshasa, Eight Banners of Tatar and Eight Banners of Turgut have been expanded.
The total population under control has exceeded two million, and an Eight Banners Army of 200,000 people can be mobilized at any time.
Five years ago, the Rakshasa people sent people to sign a contract, recognizing the Manchu Qing's hegemony over the Black Sea and Caspian Sea basins, and exchanging what they had.
The Manchus even established a navy in the Black Sea and started doing business.
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kurdish and other small countries across the Caspian Sea have sent ambassadors to seek help.
This makes thirty-four-year-old Xuan Ye extremely ambitious.
Twenty years have passed, and the Manchu Qing Dynasty, which used to be in a corner, has now become the overlord again.
"So Etu, there is news from the Tatars in the south that the Khiva Khanate is now being invaded and occupied by the Liao Kingdom, and the fighting is very lively!"
Xuan Ye turned his head and said in a clear voice: "Do you think they have any bad intentions?"
"Kazakhstan was divided into three, and now it has invaded Khiva. This is such a vicious evil!"
Suo'etu was shocked when he heard this and hurriedly lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, the thieves have set up six kingdoms in the northwest to form mutual horns. Once our country makes a slight move, the six kingdoms will move together."
"The Rakshasa people are unwilling to accept it and are watching with eager eyes from outside. The Qing Dynasty must be cautious!"
"Look at how scared you are!" Xuan Ye was not happy in his heart, but he showed a smile: "Our westward strategy cannot be changed."
"However, we can't let the Liao Kingdom easily occupy Khiva. Send some people there and let's take a piece of it..."
"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"
Suo'etu breathed a sigh of relief.
Xuan Ye cursed secretly in his heart, they are a bunch of cowards.
I was afraid of being beaten by the Ming army, so I didn't dare to take action. It was really useless.
Although the new generation of Eight Banners disciples have grown up, the older generation still controls the military and political affairs. They are the ones at the helm determining the direction of the Qing Dynasty.
The fear of the Ming army has penetrated deep into the bones.
"It's time to promote some young people!"
As the sun set in the west, Zhao Fengsheng walked away from the side of the palace in a swaggering manner, carrying armor and a cotton coat. His tiny braids were stuffed into his felt hat, making him look majestic.
Pedestrians on the road got out of the way and watched him leave.
Zhao Fengsheng didn't care, and even took it for granted. When he entered the house at home, several maids and servants immediately greeted him respectfully.
"Master!" This is when the woman who was lecturing in the hall saw him and immediately changed his clothes herself:
"Tatars are too stupid. Can you go shopping for some obedient maids?"
"What a whim!" Zhao Fengsheng was being served and said casually: "Those well-trained maids have been taken away by the princes and nobles a long time ago. It's good if they don't buy a few green-eyed Rakshasa ghosts!"
"Maids are in short supply in the market these days, so it would be great to have one!"
The wife sighed helplessly: "Our family still has too little land. What will happen to our son's education in the future?"
"Studying?" Zhao Fengsheng was stunned and hurriedly waved his hand: "The second child can just practice martial arts like the eldest brother. The Eight Banners children have to join the army and have no future in studying."
"Can I still fight for the rest of my life?" The wife sat down and said, "You have to learn Chinese and Manchu to become a high official in the future. The war in this world will end sooner or later. Studying is the future."
After migrating to the Caspian Sea Basin, the three Eight Banners of Han, Mongolia and Manchuria had a scarce population, and the Han Army Banner only had five or six thousand people. Therefore, the three banners merged into one and unified Manchuria, thus forming the backbone of the force.
Traveling thousands of miles makes them the most trusted and they also get the biggest piece of cake.
Although Zhao Fengsheng is Han, he belongs to the Manchu Eight Banners.
Naturally, with the affluence of life, the Manchu Eight Banners gradually enjoyed themselves, owning a large amount of land and pastures, as well as conquered serfs.
The Zhao family is just an ordinary Eight Banners, but it owns tens of thousands of acres of cultivated land and tens of thousands of pastures. They are hereditary guards and guard the palace.
He had long forgotten the word Han people, he only knew it meant Manchus.
"Dad, are we coming from the east?"
During dinner, the second son, who was only twelve years old, asked curiously: "What is the East like?"
"Dongfang?" Zhao Fengsheng was stunned, and the memories in his mind began to roll over. He kept digging deeper and just murmured:
"There's endless tea to drink, endless silk to wear, and women so tender they can even shed water."
"That is the richest place in the world, and our ancestral graves are there..."
The whole family was stunned and didn't know what to say.
The next day, Zhao Fengsheng rode a horse and came to the tavern to drink.
"Master Zhao, you are here, the old rules?"
"Old rules!"
Soon, a pot of strong wine and two plates of side dishes were served.
Zhao Fengsheng didn't know when he started to suffer from alcoholism. Maybe it was because of the cold weather!
As he was drinking alone, he suddenly heard a familiar local accent:
"It's hard to do business now..."
"No, the Rakshasa people are fishing for nothing..."
After listening carefully, it turned out that two Shandong businessmen were passing by here on their way back from Rakshasa Kingdom.
"Are you from Shandong?"
Zhao Fengsheng walked over with a wine bottle in hand, his face serious.
"Yes, you too?"
The businessman felt inexplicably frightened.
"My ancestral home is in Yucheng, Jinan Prefecture, Shandong Province. When you return, can you bring a letter to my hometown?"
At this point, he began to plead unconsciously.
The businessman was stunned and said with a smile: "It's natural to carry messages for travelers!"
"Traveler? Traveler? Just a homeless dog living in a foreign land -" Zhao Fengsheng said with a bitter smile.
ps: Influenza A, an uncomfortable comparison...
This chapter has been completed!