Chapter 897 893 [If you deceive the emperor, you will have his hand chopped off]
Baykov, who had been hungry all day, was finally taken to see the emperor by the general officer.
He bowed his hands to the emperor as he had done during training, but suddenly he heard a loud shout: "You bastard!"
The guards on both sides rushed over and instantly pushed Baykov to the ground.
The general officer's face turned pale with fright, and he quickly explained: "Your Majesty, this Rakshasa barbarian has a bad memory. It's not that... it's not that Honglu Temple is messing with the etiquette."
"Okay, let him go." Zhao Han raised his hand and said.
Baykov thought he was going to be executed, and struggled to fight for his life. Suddenly he was let go, which made him confused.
The general officer said with a grimace: "How many times have I told you that when bowing, the left hand should be outside. When a man is on the left and a woman is on the right, it is auspicious to bow, and when a man is on the right and a woman is on the left, it is unlucky. Your etiquette just now is cursing the emperor."
When French and Persian envoys heard this statement, they would feel that Chinese etiquette was complex and changeable, reflecting the majesty and elegance of the Chinese court.
However, Baikov believed that the Chinese emperor was really a barbarian, and a small mistake could turn the army into chaos. He bowed again and said: "I'm very sorry, I remembered it wrong."
Zhao Han did not offer a seat, but asked: "Are the Rakshasa bandits in the north also lost?"
Baykov explained: "Your Majesty the Great Emperor, those bandits are called Cossacks. They were bandits who disobeyed the Tsar and were expelled to Siberia by the Tsar. The behavior of the Cossacks has nothing to do with Russia."
Zhao Han was too lazy to debate the matter and asked directly: "In Russia, what is the crime of deceiving the tsar? How should it be punished?"
Baykov said: "Cheating the Tsar is a capital crime."
Zhao Han smiled and said: "It just so happens that deceiving the emperor is also a capital crime in China. You just deceived me, how do you think I should punish you?"
After the general officer finished translating this sentence, Baykov was stunned and explained: "Your Majesty, the behavior of those Cossacks really has nothing to do with Russia."
"Very good, you are continuing to lie to me. You are an envoy, I will retain some dignity for you," Zhao Han suddenly ordered, "The remaining members of the Russian mission, all have their left hands cut off, so that the doctors can treat them well. General Officer
, translate it to him. Tell him that he can continue to lie to me. If he cheats me again, his right hand will be chopped off. If he cheats him twice, his feet will be chopped off!"
When Baikov saw a guard taking orders to leave, he was wondering what was going on, so the general officer translated the emperor's words.
Baykov suddenly shouted: "This is uncivilized behavior. Is China going to go to war with Russia?"
"Didn't the two countries go to war?" Zhao Han asked back, "You can continue to deny it and chop off the hands and feet of the members of the envoy, and then it will be their turn to chop off yours."
Baykov immediately shut up. He was just reckless, but not stupid. A good man will not suffer the consequences of his immediate actions.
Zhao Han said: "There is nothing to talk about between the two countries. I will ask Honglu Temple to write a letter of credence, written in Chinese characters and Latin, and you will take it back to the Tsar. Those Cossacks will not leave Siberia for a day, and China and Russia will always be at war.
Status! I will order all vassal states to prohibit trade with Russia, including the Mongols you meet along the way!"
The ban on trade between vassal forces and Russia was not aimed at Russia, but at any time it could launch war against the vassal.
For example, if China plans to send troops to conquer the Dulbert tribe in Oara Mongolia in the future, the pretext for declaring war will be to disobey the emperor's order and make deals with Russia. The reason is very good. The suzerain country is at war, and you actually dare to secretly fund the enemy!
"Take him down." Zhao Han waved his hand and said.
Baykov felt so hungry that his stomach ached. He hurried back to the Zhongshan Temple to eat, but he heard groans coming from the room from time to time.
He opened the door and saw that all his members were lying on the bed, each with his left hand wrapped in a linen bandage. Apparently, the emperor had kept his word, and more than ten hands had been chopped off.
When the members of the mission saw Baykov coming back, they all cast resentful glances.
When the Chinese chopped off their hands, they made it very clear that it was because Baykov had deceived the emperor many times and refused to admit it when exposed in person, so the emperor became angry and ordered their left hands to be chopped off.
Why did Baykov deceive and anger the emperor, but he himself was fine, but we all had our hands chopped off?
In the evening, envoys from various countries had dinner and walked around in twos and threes.
When they heard that the Russian envoy had his hand chopped off, everyone came to watch, and then started chatting and making fun of him in front of the Russians.
In the eyes of envoys from various countries, the Chinese emperor was majestic and benevolent, and he always treated them with hospitality. Such a great emperor, the Russian envoys actually dared to deceive him many times, and even refused to admit it after being exposed, let alone chop off one of his hands.
He deserves to have his head chopped off directly.
The French envoys were even more amused. They had creative material and bragging rights when they returned to Paris.
From now on, the novels they created and the salons of Parisian ladies will be filled with jokes about Russians. These barbaric and stupid Russians tried to deceive the clever Chinese emperor, and even wanted to deny it after being exposed on the spot, so
He soon met the emperor's wrath.
As for how they were deceived, they didn't know, but they could just make it up.
This story is enough to interpret dozens of versions, and it can be passed down from Louis XIV to Louis XVI.
The French envoy ran to exchange views with the Persian envoy, and the Mughal envoy also came to join them. They discussed the details of the story with each other, and they talked about it with nose and eyes. Don't ask how they knew it. If you ask, Chinese officials revealed it privately.
"Qiang!"
The more Baikov heard, the angrier he became. He drew his sword out of its sheath and rushed into the courtyard: "Whoever dares to talk nonsense again, I will kill him!"
Several Mughal envoys felt that they were threatened and immediately ran back to their courtyard to get weapons. They surrounded Baykov without saying a word. Their intention was very clear. If he dared to bully him again, he would be hacked to death.
If all his team members are healthy, Baykov will definitely have a fight with the Indians.
But thinking about the group of wounded people in the room, Baykov turned around angrily and returned to the room not wanting to see anyone again.
"Haha, strong but cowardly country bumpkin." The French envoy gloated, and even looked at the Indians more favorably.
They went out to drink privately, and of course, they had to pay extra for the drinks.
After being drunk, the Mughal envoy said that when they returned to Delhi, they would definitely ask the emperor to send the envoy to visit France. The French envoy also said that when they returned, they would also visit the Mughal Empire.
The more Baikov thought about it, the more annoyed he became. After a long time, he finally calmed down, took out a pen and paper and wrote:
"The Khitan emperor was smart, irritable, and arrogant. He even chopped off the left hands of all the members of the envoy because of a few diplomatic lies..."
"The Khitan palace is very large, it should be several times the size of the Kremlin. The Khitan emperor's seat is carved with pythons and leaves, and the Khitan flag also has a python, which is a python with four legs..."
"The capital of the Khitans is not the legendary Khanbali (Beijing), but in a place called Nanjing further south. Nanjing is very large and is divided into the outer city, the inner city, the imperial city and the palace city. I heard the damn French envoy said
, a walk around the inner city of Nanjing will take at least three days of walking. And a walk around the outer city of Nanjing may take half a month..."
"The population of Nanjing is said to be more than one million, which is one-sixth of the population of Russia. The Khitan emperor announced in the newspaper that the population of Khitan has exceeded 100 million. The newspaper is a very thin book. Every month
Or publish it regularly every two or three months, publishing various news and literary works..."
"There is only one school in the whole country of Russia, but there are dozens of schools in Nanjing. The Khitan people here are very clean, and even many free people outside the city are literate. I personally saw a farmer's son in Nanjing.
During the weeding break, I sat on the edge of the field and read. I heard someone said that a large part of the tax revenue in the Khitan country is used to fund education. All children, regardless of gender, high or low, must study compulsorily..."
"In the city of Nanjing, there are a large number of velvets, silks, corrugated forges, gems, pearls and silver. There are also all kinds of vegetables and fruits, including apples, pears, cantaloupes, watermelons, grapes, cucumbers, Greek and Russian nuts, honey
, beeswax and sugar are also abundant, and there are many things I can’t name. The place is full of gold, and it is so rich that oil can flow. If the city of Nanjing is captured, it can be enjoyed by the nobles of Russia for a hundred years..."
"The Khitan people in Nanjing are very strong, both men and women. Rich men always wear silk and satin, while poor men wear cotton clothes. Some people also wear linen clothes when doing physical work. Women wear short coats and skirts, and their hair is
They are combed like Germans. The Khitan people's skin is very white and delicate, with small pores. When seeing foreigners, the eyes of the rich Khitan people are full of contempt, while the poor Khitan people are very curious about foreigners..."
"There are many foreigners living in Nanjing, including French, Spanish, Italians, Persians, Indians, Livonians, etc. It must be noted that the exiled British prince married his sister to the Khitan crown prince
, the Khitan may support the restoration of the British prince. Also, the French king has a good personal relationship with the Khitan emperor. They maintain correspondence all year round and send artists and envoys to each other..."
"There is a pagoda outside Nanjing City. It is unparalleledly tall and stands in the clouds. It is difficult to understand how it was built..."
"There is not only one city in Khitan that is as prosperous as Nanjing. On the way, I also passed through Linqing, Jining, Xuzhou, Yangzhou and other cities, all with a population of hundreds of thousands or millions. I heard from the French envoy that they came from the sea
, passing through a series of big cities such as Guangzhou, Fuzhou, and Hangzhou. The size of each city is far larger than Moscow..."
"I bought a map of Khitan in a bookstore. This country is unparalleled in size, and what I have experienced is only a small part. There are dozens or hundreds of satellite countries around it, and Khitan often intervenes in the satellite countries.
war, and always achieved victory. The powerful Spanish and Dutch fleets were defeated by the Khitans within ten years..."
"The Khitans are temporarily invincible, but the distance from Nanjing to Siberia is equivalent to the distance from Moscow to Siberia. Siberia is very cold, and the Khitans, who like warmth, cannot invest too many troops in Siberia. I suggest that the Cossack expedition team be equipped with
More powerful weapons, only in this way can we defend the empire's Siberian territory and obtain more furs..."
"By the way, the Khitans rarely use gold coins. Their currency is copper coins and silver coins, and the common people mainly use copper coins. This is a good economic policy. I suggest that the Russian Empire also issue copper coins to ease the financial crisis..."
In fact, without Baykov's suggestion, the Tsar, whose finances were in ruins due to the long war, would issue copper coins throughout the country in a few years.
Then, with inflation dozens of times higher, Moscow citizens launched a "copper coin riot". The tsar tried his best to suppress it, and ordered the abolition of copper coins the next year.