On the grasslands on the northern border of the Kazakh Khanate, an army of 10,000 people was marching toward the north in a mighty manner.
Although it is still midsummer, the dimension here is high, and not only do you not feel the slightest heat, there is even the slightest bit of chill coming over you.
This 10,000-strong army was all composed of cavalry, but it also used horse-drawn carriages to tow more than 30 artillery pieces. Their destination was the Siberian Khanate located on the vast Siberian steppe east of the Ural Mountains.
The Siberian Khanate, like the Kazan Khanate, was a small khanate that split from the Golden Horde. Although it occupies an extremely vast area, it has a vast territory.
But the population is very small, with less than 200,000 people, mainly Tatars, Osgaks, and Voguls. The nobles and upper-level rulers of the Khanate are a very small number of Mongols.
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Because the entire Khanate is located in a bitter cold land and has too many dimensions, although it is vast, it is sparsely populated. It is mainly engaged in nomadic herding, hunting, reindeer, and beekeeping. Its productivity is very backward, and it can only smelt a small amount of metal.
The Khan and his princes, lords, chiefs, etc. constitute the ruling class, while the majority of civilians belong to the ruled class. At the same time, there are still a large number of remnants of slavery and the primitive commune system.
There are many conflicts among the various tribes, princes, and chiefs within the country, with constant internal strife and constant disputes.
Generally speaking, this is an extremely poor land with a sparse population and a vast territory.
But in any case, this is an extremely vast land. Although it is too cold, it seems that there is nothing special or of great value.
But to the Ming Empire, it was like a pebble in the eye. Most of the entire Ural Mountains to the Caucasus had fallen into the hands of the Ming Empire.
Once the Kazakh Khanate was destroyed, only the Siberian Khanate was left. Naturally, the Ming Empire would not let it go. It destroyed the Siberian Khanate and incorporated this vast land into the territory of the Ming Dynasty. The entire northern Asia
All fell into the hands of Ming Dynasty.
It would be enough to dispatch an army of 10,000 people to destroy the Siberian Khanate. Of course, we did not intend to carry out mass killings like the Kazakh Khanate.
The main thing is to conquer the entire Siberian Khanate, conquer all the tribes here, large and small, and bring them under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.
If the Ming Dynasty wanted to develop and consolidate its rule in such a bitter cold land, it is estimated that it would have to build some towns specifically to exile prisoners and use these towns to control this vast land.
"It's really deserted. Within hundreds of miles, you can't see any human habitation."
Han Yi rode on his tall horse, looking around with a telescope as he moved forward. In the endless wilderness, he could not see any human beings.
"General, the dimensions of this area are too high. It's midsummer now, but it's already feeling cool here."
"If the dimension is too high, it will be difficult for crops to grow, and the population will naturally be small, which is suitable for nomadic tribes to survive. If we continue to the north, the dimension will be higher and the weather will be colder."
"A place like this is just like Beihai and the vast area north of Congling. There are no human settlements at all. Even if there are, they are only a very small number of primitive tribes who make a living by hunting and reindeer."
Beside Han Yi, Huo Yun said with a smile.
Officers who graduate from military academies must learn geography, and they must have a relatively advanced level.
"Such a barren land is of little value to our Ming Dynasty."
Han Yi nodded slightly, looked at the desolate land in front of him, shook his head and said.
"Then how can we see this land?"
"Although it doesn't seem to have much value now, this Siberian Khanate is like a grain of sand that has entered the eyes of my Ming Empire. It will naturally be rubbed out."
"Destroy this Siberian Khanate, and the entire vast area in the north will belong to our Ming Dynasty."
"I heard from some fur traders that the furs of the Siberian Khanate are very good, such as mink, deerskin, bearskin, wolf skin, tiger skin, etc., all of them are of great variety and of very good quality."
Huo Yun replied with a smile on his face.
"Well, I was just thinking about getting a mink coat. It seems that this trip will not be in vain."
When Han Yi heard this, he also laughed.
He didn't pay much attention to destroying the Siberian Khanate, nor did he find it difficult.
Although the many tribes living in the Siberian Khanate are said to be very good at fighting, they are nothing compared to the 10,000 soldiers under his command. What's more, no matter how powerful the warriors are, they can't stop muskets and cannons.
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Destroying the Siberian Khanate should be an easy task, and conquering the many tribes here must not be too difficult.
"Let's speed up the march. It's still midsummer and it's not cold here. Let's complete the task as soon as possible so that we can return to Ili early to spend the winter."
"I don't want to spend the winter in this deserted place!"
Han Yi tightened his clothes slightly. It was indeed cold here. Even in midsummer, you could feel a slight chill. You can imagine how cold it would be in winter.
…
Chengji-Tula, the capital of the Siberian Khanate (near Tyumen City in later generations), Chengji-Tula is a very small city, with only more than 20,000 people living there, and the city walls are not high.
The main people living here are the ruling class of the Siberian Khanate, tribal leaders, chiefs, etc. It is also the main economic and commodity trading center of the Siberian Khanate.
Muscovite people from Eastern Europe, Tatars, Kazakhs, Mongols, Persians, Ottomans from the south, and Ming merchants from the east.
They came here with a variety of goods, and then exchanged the goods for horses, furs and medicinal materials. Among them, fur was the main trading commodity here and was deeply loved by merchants from all over the world.
At this time, in the very center of the city, Murtazhan Khan, the Khan of the Siberian Khanate, was meeting with several tribal leaders from the Kazakh steppe.
"Dear Khan, our Kazakh Khanate was invaded by the Ming Empire. The Ming Dynasty burned, killed and looted our Kazakh Khanate. We really had no choice but to enter your country, Khan. Please take us in and we will be ours for generations to come.
I am loyal to you, willing to be your eagle and dog, hunting for you, and become the sharp sword in your hand to destroy your enemies!"
Several tribal leaders from the Kazakh Khanate knelt at the knees of Murtaza Khan, praying that Murtaza Khan could take them in and allow them to live in this vast Siberian steppe.
They really had no choice but to return to the beautiful and rich Kazakh prairie. The Ming people were like vultures in the sky, chasing them, killing them wantonly and robbing their cattle, sheep and women.
If several tribes had not escaped quickly, it is very likely that they would have been wiped out by the Ming people like other tribes and completely disappeared in the long river of history.
Although the Siberian Khanate is cold, barren, and far inferior to their Kazakh grasslands, it is still a place to stay. As long as they are allowed to stay, based on the number of their tribes, they will soon become the largest in the Siberian Khanate.
It is not hopeless for a powerful tribe to replace them in the future.
Murtagh also seemed very hesitant at this moment, not knowing what to do.
These Kazakhs entered their own khanate without their own permission. They were large in number, with nearly 100,000 people. Such a large population was enough to have a huge impact on the sparsely populated Siberian Khanate.
Although the leaders of the tribes in front of him knelt at his feet to show their loyalty to him, Murtazhan knew very well that if they were allowed to gain a foothold here, he would probably have to kneel to them in the future.
The Kazakhs are a people on horseback. Since ancient times, it seems that only the Ming people beat them into submission this time. Otherwise, they have never been afraid of anyone.
Even when Genghis Khan swept across the world, the Kazakhs only surrendered to the Mongols, but they were not as embarrassed as they are today.
He wanted to refuse and drive these Kazakhs out, but he was powerless.
Although he ruled a vast territory, his population was too small and internally divided. The number of people who really obeyed his orders was only tens of thousands, and the number of cavalry in his hands was less than 10,000. This still combined all the young people.
Only when Zhuangdu is gathered together.
The number of Kazakhs in front of me is nearly one hundred thousand. Although they are all old people and children, and there are very few young people, there are still thousands of young people. If they really fight, they may not be able to win.
Moreover, even if he wins the battle, it will only end up benefiting the tribes in the Khanate who oppose him, allowing them to take advantage.
After pondering for a long time, Murtazhan Khan said: "In that case, you can go to the northernmost area of the Khanate to settle down."
"Our Siberian Khanate is no better than your original Kazakh Khanate. It is very bitter and cold here, especially in winter. It is extremely cold. You may not be able to adapt to it. If you can adapt to it, I will be very happy."
"Thank you to the Great Khan for your kindness and gift~"
"We Kazakhs will never forget the kindness of the Great Khan and will be loyal to you from generation to generation!"
Upon hearing this, several tribal leaders quickly expressed their loyalty.
In fact, this was expected. Even if Murtazan Khan was willing to accept them, he would never be allocated a good place.
Of course, in their opinion, there is no good place in the entire Siberian Khanate. The best places are the areas closest to the original Kazakh Khanate, but these areas have to face the Ming Dynasty's military front.
Although the places in the north are bitterly cold and difficult, they are further away from the Ming people and are acceptable. However, when they think of winter, the leaders of these tribes can't help but frown deeply.