Chapter 97 Forced Conscript and Expansion of the Army Eight
After translating for Zhao Qiang and the Cossacks that day, Duncan and his companions were imprisoned in the stone house again. Except for giving them two meals of unpalatable food every day, they never paid attention to them again, as if they had never been there.
This world seems to have completely disappeared.【】
The Almighty Emperor has completely abandoned these poor believers. The only ones who remember that they are still alive in this world are Duncan and the others.
Yes, God, I know I'm still alive.
The dark stone house is airtight, and the only small door that can lead to the outside is sealed by those damn Tatars. The humid air exudes a pungent musty smell, and the dull atmosphere of the house is even more depressing.
The missionaries who were in trouble were very depressed and regretful. They regretted why they had to stay away from home and travel all the way to the East. If there was a chance to choose again, they would definitely take off their dirty clothes without hesitation.
Dirty church uniforms, bathed in the sunshine of Spain, instead of enjoying the imprisonment of dark skies in this desolate land in the east.
Duncan's heart was in despair. This kind of day without seeing the sun made him feel crazy. Compared with death, this fear of being forgotten was more terrifying and more devastating. He had even decided to
He bumped his head against the wall and tried to free himself, but he couldn't bring himself to do it because he was worried about what if he couldn't hit him to death.
When the door of the stone house was opened again, Duncan and his companions had no reaction. When two tough Tatars came in and picked up Duncan without any explanation, they didn't even know to scream in surprise, but stared blankly in front of their eyes.
Everything, the cloudy eyes no longer showed a trace of light.
Do the Tatars want to kill themselves? Duncan, who was unable to move while being carried by Zhang Yi and another Han soldier, was not afraid of this scene. On the contrary, he had a sense of expectation: Emperor, the God of Death has finally come, I have finally come.
I can no longer suffer this kind of pain. Peter, my dearest friend, I will meet you in heaven!
But what surprised Duncan was that after he was ready to die, the two ferocious Tatars did not drag him out to be executed. Instead, they took him to the original Russian meeting hall.
The demon Tatar general was looking at him with a smile on his face, his face was indescribably friendly, as if he had not seen him for many years.
"How's it going, Duncan? How have you been these days?"
Zhao Qiang was not stingy about his smile at all. After Duncan came in, he patted him cordially and looked at him with great concern, wondering how his friend was doing recently.
Compared to Zhao Qiang's intimacy, Duncan didn't feel flattered. His intuition told him that this hateful Tatar general had some bad ideas again. Behind his weird smile, there must be a vicious heart. But
He couldn't help but respond to Fang's kind actions.
Looking at Fang Shan's smile, Duncan said lightly: "Thank you, General, for your hospitality. My companions and I are very grateful for it."
"Is it?"
Zhao Qiang didn't know whether he really didn't understand or was deliberately being pretentious. After listening to Duncan's words, he chuckled: "You are friends from Folangji. There is an old Chinese saying that when friends come from far away, they are very happy. Your arrival
, makes me feel very happy as the host. It is the right thing to show some friendship to you as a landlord. You and your companions do not need to thank me for anything. If I have the opportunity in the future, if I can also go to Folangji,
I am also happy to enjoy the good hospitality of your people."
Oh, my God, is there anyone in the world who is thicker-skinned than him?
Zhao Qiang's words gave Duncan the urge to curse, but fortunately, the emperor's teachings and gentleman's upbringing made him endure it. Of course, if allowed, he wouldn't mind rolling his eyes at the other person, because this Tatar
The general is so hateful, couldn't he hear my dissatisfaction?
Duncan felt very speechless and didn't know whether to continue talking to the other party, but he didn't speak, but Zhao Qiang wanted to speak.
The polite words are over! Zhao Qiang hummed inwardly. What he did just now was considered polite to him, but since the Spanish guy didn't respond, let's get down to business.
"I brought you here because I have something I want you to do."
Zhao Qiang threw a word to Duncan lightly, then turned his head away and told Chen Wei: "Give him the map."
Chen Wei heard the order and hurriedly handed the map on the table to Duncan. Duncan was a little confused: What map? He subconsciously took the rough map from Chen Wei's hand and started. He thought about what kind of map it was.
When he was doing this, Zhao Qiang stated his request on the side.
"I want you to mark all the Russian cities you know. In addition, you must tell me honestly how many Russian troops there are in these cities."
"Russian city?"
Of course Duncan knew what the map in his hand was. It was a topographic map of the northern territories of the Qing Dynasty. But it was obvious that the painter had drawn it in a hurry, and some obvious mistakes could be seen at a glance. Of course, the Tatars themselves did not care, so
Why should I point it out for them?
Duncan knew very well that the butcher Tatar general wanted to mark the location of the Russian city by himself, and it was definitely not for viewing. Combined with their occupation of this stronghold, Duncan didn't even need to think about it, and he knew that these Tatars were fighting the Russians.
Idea. But what does this have to do with me? Duncan thought, do these damn Tatars still expect me to help them? Oh, no, absolutely not, I am not afraid of death anymore. There is nothing else in this world than death.
What's more terrible!
"Your Excellency General, with all due respect, I don't know much about the situation of the Russians. You may have found the wrong person." Duncan rejected Zhao Qiang's request without hesitation. He was happy to fight with the Tatars and the Russians.
, however, he was unwilling to get involved, let alone help the devil who killed Peter. If he died under the gunfire of the Russians, that would be the best gift the emperor gave him!
Zhao Qiang seemed to have expected that Duncan would say this. He did not get angry and stopped Guo Fei, who was about to teach Duncan a lesson. He stared at Duncan, who was a little stubborn and not as afraid of him as before, and said meaningfully: "Freedom requires relying on
If you strive for it yourself, God will not give it to you in vain, and I will not give it to you in vain. Do you understand?"
"Of course you missionaries are not here to spread the gospel of the emperor. Your purpose is just gold and silver. Now, I am going to lead my troops to capture the city of Nerchinsk, kill the Russians there, and destroy the silver mines."
It belongs to you. But you have to know that silver cannot be eaten as food, nor can it be exchanged for weapons in the hands of soldiers. Therefore..."
Having said this, Zhao Qiang paused for a moment and suddenly emphasized his tone, asking Duncan, "If you are willing to cooperate, you and your companions will have the best way to make a fortune. I am willing to hand over the money to you, you just need to go for me."
I want to purchase Franco's muskets, cannons, in short, everything related to war."
"To put it bluntly, as long as you are willing to do things for me, we will be cooperative friends from now on. I will get what I want, and you will also get the wealth you dream of!"
Duncan was stunned by Zhao Qiang's words, Emperor, would this Tatar be so kind and give us wealth?
Muskets, artillery and even skilled workers and equipment can be obtained with silver in Macau, the southernmost part of the Qing Dynasty. Even if the quantity is not enough, you can also buy it from the Dutch East India Company or the English East India Company.
It can even be shipped by chartered ship from Spain. The only prerequisite is that there is enough money! Those greedy businessmen will not let go of such a good opportunity to make a fortune. Duncan believes that if the Tatar does not deceive him, then he can indeed
From arms purchasing to becoming a tycoon.
Duncan knew very well how big the silver mine in Nerchinsk was, otherwise he would not have traveled from Japan to this cold land with his companions. He is not afraid of death now, but if there is no threat of death, but in front of him
Using wealth to create a very tempting bright road, he couldn't help but be tempted. After all, the purpose of their coming to the East was wealth.
But how credible is the Tatar officer's words? What if he is deceiving himself? Duncan was wavering, he couldn't make up his mind whether he should believe this devil.
"Nerchinsk is occupied by the Russians. How can you, a few unarmed missionaries, gain wealth from the Russians? But now, you can!"
Duncan's moving expression was in Zhao Qiang's eyes. He had to impress the Spaniard. He said without any doubt: "As long as you help me defeat the Russians in Nerchinsk, I can give you a steady stream of wealth!"
"If you agree, I will give you and your companions freedom now and let them use their talents in my army."
"Of course, if you are still willing to preach in the East, I swear on my own behalf that my army will be the most powerful backing for your mission! Every territory I occupy will be a place for the spread of the emperor's gospel!"
Zhao Qiang tried his best to offer all the prices he could now, striving to win over this missionary who seemed to be no longer afraid of death. He needed muskets and artillery so much, especially a rear loader that was much stronger than a matchlock gun.
Although I don’t know if the Europeans have improved muskets now, but even if they use muzzle-loading guns, as long as there are enough, Zhao Qiang is happy to spend a large sum of gold and silver to buy them. Of course, the equipment for making artillery and muskets
, as well as those skilled production workers, as well as those Europeans who are good at this, will be his purchasing targets.
Today's Europeans have not yet developed territorial ambitions for their country. They are just seeking wealth. As long as I can afford the price, those profit-seeking businessmen will swarm in like flies that smell a bad smell. Perhaps, in the near future
, the Far East will become a golden place in the eyes of Europeans.
"Now, please mark it for me."
Zhao Qiang casually patted Duncan, who was looking at him with his mouth wide open. His behavior and words were both kind but unacceptable.
""
Tens of seconds later, Duncan's throat moved. He took the oil pen handed to him by Zhang Yi with some trembling, and slowly wrote on the map.
Compared with the wealth, the dead Peter and Poli seem to be nothing. They are already dead. Should we let the dead block the coming wealth?
The greed in his bones made Duncan believe this Tatar devil. Maybe he was right. Only he can let us get a share of the silver mines in Nerchinsk. Russians? They are more greedy than wild boars!
Exchanging silver for arms is a fair business, Duncan thought. Maybe it won't be long before I can return to Spain with a boatload of wealth. Can His Majesty the King grant me a title?
?Can the bishops of Rome give me more power?
Duncan obviously had a good understanding of the Russian army. Under his markings, Russian castles were marked one after another on the originally blank map.
Guli River City, Yask Fort on the Jinqili River, Xilin Mubinsk Stronghold on the Mudan River in Xilin, Duohua Chan City at the mouth of the Jinqili River, Ergun Fort on the Ergun River, Dujigen in the lower reaches of Heilongjiang River
Sk, Udisk, Tugursk, Nemelensk, and of course the city of Yaksa, all of which were clearly marked by Duncan. However, many of the difficult-to-pronounce place names in Duncan’s writings have never been written by Zhao Qiang.
I have heard of the names of those rivers, but I have never heard of them.
Damn, the Russians have so many strongholds?!
After counting, there were thirty-three city strongholds marked by Duncan. This number surprised Zhao Qiang. He thought that the Russians could build ten cities with their thousands of troops, but they didn't expect it.
It has blossomed everywhere and built so many strongholds.
Author's note: The names of Russian military castles mostly adopt the names of later generations, and are based on the historical records of the Qing Dynasty.