Emperor Ming Dynasty

In an encounter, the Cossack cavalry defeated the strong with the weak, but it ended in a draw, leaving Oirat in disgrace.

The two sides fell into a stalemate for a while.

The brave Cossack cavalry consisted of eight men and eight cavalry in each row, some wearing tall curly hats, and some wearing black cloaks, with rifles slung across their backs and sabers hanging from their waists.

Under the black cloaks are bright clothes, which are particularly conspicuous on the prairie.

Compared with the Mongols of the yellow race, the Cossacks are a mixture of Slavs and Mongols. Most of them are composed of free people oppressed in the north. They formed nomadic tribes near the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.

Therefore, the Cossack cavalry not only has the patience and tactics of the Mongols, but also has Eastern European horses, sharp scimitars, and advanced muskets.

If I had to use a word to describe it, it would be mercenaries.

A mercenary tribe composed of free people and slaves first served the Crimean Khanate and then Tsarist Russia.

"Khan, a lot of Russians are here..." the scouts heard the news.

The city of Tomsk is an important castle of Tsarist Russia in Central Asia. Once it is lost, half of the land of the Siberian Khanate will be lost, and no one can afford the loss.

"Go back—" Oziltu Khan gritted his teeth, looked at He Shuoqi and Batur, who were full of unwillingness, and comforted him: "After this battle, we all understand that the gap with the Russians is only in the guns. .”

"As long as we have enough muskets and gunpowder, the Russians can only surrender."

That being said, the two reluctantly agreed.

In the past ten years, another collective action by the Oirat Mongolian tribes has ended and ended in failure.

But they have already learned their lesson: buy as many muskets as possible from Ming people.

At this time, Moscow, Tsar Alexei, who ruled the whole of Russia, also received the battle situation of the city of Tomsk in Central Asia.

As the tenth tsar of Russia and the second tsar of the Romanov dynasty, Tsar Alexei has ruled Russia for nearly eight years, and the situation in Russia is not optimistic.

He is only 25 years old, his face is pale, he holds a book in his hand, and he looks a little thin.

But at this time, standing in front of him was Morozov, who had just assumed the post of Patriarch of the Orthodox Church to Father Nikon, as well as the assistant minister and teacher.

"Your Majesty, the Ob River Valley is not peaceful."

Morozov shook his head, his gray beard was trembling, and it was already dragging on his chest, and he looked extraordinarily learned.

His attitude towards the student who took him back after he was exiled was extremely correct:

"But the most important thing now is to solve the Zabarozhe (Eastern Poland) issue. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth has won several cities. If we don't make a decision, Zabarozhi will be wiped out—"

"It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Although Russia is relying on the legacy of the Golden Horde, its national strength is constantly increasing, but it is not safe.

There is a strong enemy Sweden in the north, occupying a large area of ​​land along the Baltic Sea, and firmly controlling the commercial routes leading to Europe;
To the west is the feuding Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania, occupying a series of important towns headed by Smolensk, threatening Moscow at all times.

...

In the southwest is Ukraine, which belongs to Poland, and the Cossack cavalry from the Ukrainian steppe is also a serious threat to Moscow.

To the south is the Crimean Khanate, a Turkish vassal state that has invaded Russia countless times over the centuries.

At this time, in Eastern Poland, Khmelnytsky led the Zabarozhye Cossacks to carry out a Khmelnytsky uprising against Poland, but was beaten to vomit blood and had to ask Russia for help. Voluntary attribution to Russia.

"My minister, do you know? Such a decision is actually tantamount to declaring war on Poland."

Father Nikon shook his head and said solemnly: "Although the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth is weakening day by day, it still has [-] cavalry. This is a great challenge for Russia."

"Poland is like the Golden Horde before. It looks like a giant, but it is actually vulnerable and will fall if pushed." Morozov shook his head and said seriously.

And listening to the debate between the two, Tsar Alexei just opened the paper, looked at the words on it, and said seriously: "Tomsk is fine, even if the city is broken, it is just a lost castle for Russia. Forget it, it can be rebuilt in a few years.”

"However, my two ministers, you seem to have overlooked something."

The two turned their heads to look, and thought carefully.

Morozov was still sensitive, and he immediately noticed the key: "The Tatars actually have muskets?"

"Who sold them? The Cossacks? The Crimean Khanate?"

"The Cossacks only know how to plunder, they don't know how to do business, and they dare not do business."

Tsar Alexei continued: "As for the Crimean people, they only know how to sell slaves, and they don't have many muskets themselves. How can they sell them?"

"Where did that come from?"

Father Nikon said in amazement.

"Ming people (Khitan people)."

Alexei sighed and said, "Who would have thought that we are so close to the East."

"Let go of those people, the Tatars, it turns out to be the East, a place full of silk, porcelain, and gold."

"In this way, as long as you get in touch with those Ming people, the empire's finances will be much easier."

Morozov was overjoyed when he heard this.

At this time, although Russia has been strengthening the centralization of power, it is still a feudal serfdom, and the vast areas are governed by the great nobles. Only a fertile area near Moscow belongs to the tsarist territory.

The support of the huge army and the central system all depend on the royal territory.

Of course, the collection of commercial taxes, tariffs, and salt taxes is one of the few places where the tsar made money, but it is now financially difficult.

In the first two years, because of the salt tax increase, the salt merchants rioted, ransacked Morozov's house, and killed the Duma clerk Kist and the imperial courtier Pleseyev.

An increase in trade taxes was something the Tsar was desperately looking forward to.

"Silk!" Alexei squinted his eyes and said softly, "It seems that the East not only has silk, but also dreadful muskets and gunpowder."

"I just don't know how the gunpowder in the East compares with those in Western Europe."

In fact, Moscow was shocked after hearing the news of the Ming people (Khitan people), which is another land passage after the Ottomans blocked the Silk Road.

The aristocrats all over Russia took action, thinking of forming a caravan to go to the east where honey, milk and gold lie.

Merchants from various countries in Moscow were also shocked.

Emperor Ming Dynasty