Beginning in the seventeenth century, Tsarist Russia's eastward expansion entered a stage of rapid development.
From 1610 to 1640, in just thirty years, Tsarist Russia's territory expanded to the east by more than 4,500 kilometers, reaching the Pacific coast.
Although it is only the sixth year of Chongzhen's reign, Tsarist Russia's tentacles have already begun to spy on the Heilongjiang Basin.
In the fourth and fifth years of Chongzhen, the Cossacks built cities in the upper and middle reaches of the Lena River, Kiliansk and Yakusk respectively.
Relying on these two strongholds, Tsarist Russia's advance team began to penetrate into the Heilongjiang Basin.
If history had not changed, it would not have been until fifty years later when the Manchu Qing Dynasty unified China and Tsarist Russia began to invade the inherent sphere of influence of the late Qing Dynasty. After the Battle of Yaksa, China and Russia formally determined the border.
However, because of the existence of Zuo Menggeng, history has been deflected.
Mang Gurtai defected and went north, forcing the Jurchens, who had originally focused on the Ming Dynasty and Mongolia, to mobilize an army to go north for search, encirclement and suppression.
But when Mang Gurtai defected, it was the twelfth lunar month of winter, and the mountains were blocked by heavy snow.
When Dorgon and Duoduo led their troops to attack, spring had already begun, flowers were blooming, and everything was recovering.
With the time difference of several months and the melting of ice and snow, the traces of Mang Gurtai and others have long since disappeared.
Nuergandusi covers an area of thousands of miles and is sparsely populated.
Tens of thousands of troops led by Dorgon and Duduo spread across this vast land without any ripples.
They searched for several months, but found no trace of Mang Gurtai and others.
Not only that, they also went in the opposite direction.
Mang Gurtai, Wu Jiang and others moved eastward along the Heilongjiang River and finally took root in Sakhalin Island.
Dorgon and Duduo led their troops to march westward along Heilongjiang.
This is mainly related to the traditional concepts of the Jurchens, which led them to do this subconsciously.
In the Jurchens' view, if they want to become bigger and stronger, they must unite with the Mongols.
The Mongols all live in the west.
Dorgon and Duduo also thought that Mang Gurtai would flee to the Mongols and collude with the ambitious people among the Mongols in order to make a comeback.
After all, Mangguji is married to a Mongolian, and there is a relationship among the Mongolians.
Because of this misunderstanding, Dorgon and Dodo did not discover Mang Gurtai and others, and ended up encountering the exploratory Cossack team head-on.
The unexpected appearance of an enemy completely disrupted Dorgon and Dodo's plans.
They were keenly aware that an unfamiliar enemy was coming to their territory.
As for how to respond, it can only be decided by Huang Taiji.
After several months of cultivation, Huang Taiji's health has improved greatly.
This allowed Hou Jin to regain his confidence, and his people were at peace, no longer as precarious as before.
When news of Dorgon came back, Huang Taiji immediately realized that this matter was not simple.
"Instruct Dorgon and Duduo not to advance any further, stay where they are, and try their best to search for news about these barbarians. Then send letters to the Mongolian princes and ask them to send people."
"Father Khan, it seems that some barbarians are not worth mentioning. The top priority is to eliminate the traitor Mang Gurtai and pacify the Chahar tribe."
Huang Taiji had a terrible headache.
How come he gave birth to such a stupid son despite his great talent?
"There are not many of us Jurchens, and every one of us is precious. But our territory is getting bigger and bigger. Once we ignore our rear and are attacked from behind by unknown enemies, will we still have a way to survive?"
It's a very simple truth. As soon as Huang Taiji said it, Hauge understood it.
"But there is not much food this year. If we go north to fight, we may starve to death."
Huang Taiji said nothing.
In fact, he didn't think of any good way to deal with these strange enemies that suddenly appeared.
It was just a strategist's instinct that told him that these strange enemies should not be underestimated.
He needs to make a decision after comprehensive consideration.
As for Mang Gurtai, although the dangers are endless, under the current situation, we can only give up temporarily.
Far away on Sakhalin Island, Manggurtai, General Wu and others did not know that Hou Jin had encountered the Cossacks, and the original plan to clear them up had been shelved.
After waiting for a long time, Hou Jin's army did not arrive. They simply took the time to integrate the team and carry out infrastructure construction to cope with the severe winter that was coming soon.
With the help of craftsmen from Shandong, a brick and tile factory was established on Sakhalin Island.
Bricks and tiles were laid out one after another, and then turned into houses one after another. The indigenous residents on the island were stunned to see them.
Especially the glass windows caused many natives to kneel down and worship them on the spot, treating them as gods.
"The window must be made into two layers, the inner and outer layers, leaving a gap in the middle. You can fill it with some wood chips and powder, so as to prevent the cold air from intruding."
When the house was being built, Chonghua was there to give guidance.
He is obviously not a bricklayer and does not know how to build a house, but he is determined.
The reason...
Of course, these were specially ordered by Zuo Mengeng.
Zuo Mengeng knew exactly what the folk houses in the Northeast were like in later generations.
When he decided to build houses for these people on Sakhalin Island, Zuo Menggeng informed Chonghua of the precautions.
For brick and tile houses in the Northeast, the thickness of the wall must be at least 37 centimeters, and it must be two-layered, both inside and outside, plus hollow.
Only in this way can we effectively resist the cold.
The same goes for windows and doors, which must be made of two layers. When necessary, quilts should be used as door curtains and curtains.
The indoor earthen kang, stove, and stove are also specially designed. In addition to providing daily use, the issue of heating is also considered.
"How about it, Lianshanhai, how does this house compare to your shack?"
Liang Fa pulled Lian Shanhai and asked proudly.
Lian Shanhai had already looked straight in his eyes and kept shouting.
"We can live in such a good house, and no one will freeze to death this winter."
Outsiders such as Mang Gurtai and Wu Jiang, apart from suffering casualties due to fighting during the initial unification process, they all expressed sufficient goodwill during the subsequent adjustment process.
Therefore, the relationship with the indigenous residents of Sakhalin Island has become increasingly harmonious, and they no longer distinguish between each other.
Now all kinds of new things have arrived, which have greatly improved the lives of the indigenous residents, and also allowed them to completely identify with these outsiders and follow their leadership.
After such integration, this place finally began to look like a complete human society.
Seeing that everything in Sakhalin is on track, all the necessary supplies have been delivered.
The Jurchens' army didn't know where it was, and they were worried about the situation in Shandong. After studying it, Chonghua and Zhang Keda decided that it was time to go back.
