The Imperial Age with the Resurgence of Han Style

Chapter 154 Hexi Corridor

April in Gansu is already the beginning of spring when the ice and snow melt and grass grows in the wild and warblers fly. Outside the fortress of Suzhou (today's Jiuquan City, Gansu Province), the western border fortress of the newly established province of the imperial court, two messengers on horseback quickly rushed from the west. After entering the city gate, they showed the waistband in their arms to the gatekeeper. The soldier shook his head, and then the horse rushed into the doorway at a rapid speed.

"Great victory!"

"Great victory in Beiting!"

"General Jingxi led his troops to make a surprise attack on Ili on a snowy night and defeated Junggar!"

"Our Qin heavenly troops are so powerful that they beheaded more than 6,000 Tartars and captured more than 20,000 Junggar tribesmen!"

"The captive chief fled to the west, and we, the Qin Dynasty, took over the land thousands of miles away from the Ili Valley!"

"..."

The two messengers galloped down the street, waving their victory cloths and shouting loudly.

"Wan Sheng!"

"Wan Sheng!"

"I, Da Qin, are mighty!"

"..."

When the vendors and residents on both sides of the street heard the news, they burst into cheers. Some good people excitedly ran after the messenger, roaring, and passing the news to each other. Everyone was inspired by the news. Inspiring, inspired and infected by information.

After many years of the Northwest War, the border residents on the northwest front have been able to keenly capture a lot of exciting and exciting information from this victory report.

Yili, that is the royal court of the Dzungars, has now been captured by our Great Qin!

Then the day when the Tartars will be destroyed is not far away!

The border troubles in the northwest may be gone!

A few days ago, a guest army of more than 3,000 officers and soldiers rotated from Shaanxi arrived in Suzhou City. After preparing to rest here for a period of time, they set off for Tingzhou to strengthen the defense force in the Beiting area.

Unexpectedly, General Yue Zhongqi of Jingxi unexpectedly attacked Ili with four thousand light cavalry on a snowy night and captured the royal court of Junggar in one fell swoop, causing the situation in the entire Western Region to instantly reverse.

What I didn’t say is that when reinforcements from the rear gather in Tingzhou one after another, which happens to be the military season at the turn of spring and summer, the general will definitely muster up his remaining courage, make persistent efforts, lead the army in the direction of the slave chief’s escape, invade Dayuzi, and kill Junggar. The remaining strength of the army did not give the Tartars a chance to breathe.

As long as the Junggar headquarters is defeated, then whether it is Altai, Khovd, Aksu, or Kashgar, we will definitely be able to spread the word and bring the entire Western Region under the rule of our Great Qin.

Think about it, in just twenty years, our Great Qin and Junggar have realized the transition between offense and defense and completely suppressed this western grassland regime. By this time, the day of destruction is just around the corner!

Back then, in order to defend the Heshuote tribe in Qinghai in the south, Mongolia in the desert in the north, and occupy Junggar in the west, and control the entire Hexi Corridor, our Great Qin court did not hesitate to spend a huge price to move from Lanzhou to Suzhou along this key transportation line. Many defensive castles were built in Suzhou, Ganzhou, Liangzhou, Xining, etc., intending to use fortification tactics to block the eastward advance of these Mongolian Tatars.

At that time, our Great Qin also specially invited some engineering and military staff from the Qi State to build all the structures of these cities into fortresses that were easy to defend and difficult to attack. Only a small number of troops and horses could be stationed there to withstand the siege of thousands or even tens of thousands of Tartar cavalry, thus making it difficult for the Dzungar Mongolian cavalry to move forward.

In order to build these forts, the local government ordered the felling of large trees in Longnan, and at the same time, they searched for sites in various parts of Shaanxi and Gansu to build brick kilns to provide sufficient building materials for these forts. With the technical and financial support of the Qi people, several cement kilns (joint ventures) were built in Lanzhou and those fortresses were built into copper walls and iron walls.

In order to transport these materials more efficiently, more than ten years ago, the imperial court gritted its teeth and mobilized hundreds of thousands of people in the Shaanxi-Gansu area to build a road from Fengxiang Prefecture (today's Baoji City, Shaanxi Province) via Gongchang. (today's Dingxi City, Gansu Province), the simple horse-drawn railway track (iron covered with wood) leading to Lanzhou was to speed up the efficiency of the transportation of materials in the northwest.

Of course, this horse-drawn railway track is not entirely for military purposes. In order to save horse power and improve the turnover speed of goods, merchants traveling between the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions will also transfer to the northwest and ask the yamen to pay some usage fees and rent official houses. The specially-made carriage runs briskly on this convenient railway track.

The northwest is barren, and the people are even more despicable. Those local residents and tribal barbarians who have no knowledge have never seen such rare things as railroad tracks. But they knew that the rails laid on the ground must be very valuable. They took a section off and took it to the blacksmith shop to smelt the iron sheets, which could be used to make many hard and useful household handles or even farm tools.

Or, build some fine iron weapons and become a happy and carefree horse bandit.

Therefore, in order to maintain this valuable horse-drawn railway track, the Northwest Transport Envoy's Yamen had to mobilize elite cavalry from various border towns and form several sections of road protection teams to severely crack down on bandits who damaged the railway tracks.

If businessmen or travelers take a horse-drawn track and pass through Lanzhou, they will see wooden poles erected on the roadside from time to time, with one after another ferocious-looking heads stuck on them. In addition to some of the horse bandits who plundered along the way, the owners of these heads were also many bold thieves who intercepted the railway tracks rampantly.

Needless to say, the Northwest Transshipment Department attaches great importance to this major transportation artery in the northwest. No one dares to ignore it even in the two provinces of Shaanxi and Gansu. However, if there is a mistake, the entire northwest transportation of materials may not be stagnant. The Tingduhu Mansion will definitely suffer a major impact.

Although, after more than ten years of operation, Beiting has successively immigrated more than 40,000 households, with a population of almost 140,000 to 50,000, and nearly one million acres of cultivated land, which can barely meet most of the food needs of the local garrison. However, there are still countless supplies that need to be supplied inland, including ordnance and ammunition, clothing, medicinal materials, cotton and linen fabrics, as well as various hardware, tools and agricultural tools, etc., all of which were transported through the Hexi Corridor before the road was blocked by heavy snow. Beiting.

It is said that in order to strengthen its rule over Beiting and even the entire Western Region in the future, the imperial court plans to extend the Henan-Long Railway under construction to the west at some time in the future, passing through Lanzhou and reaching Jiayuguan. If possible, maybe it would be appropriate to lead to the Western Region. "If we, the Qin Dynasty, can completely control the Western Region, then it will be possible to lead to Qihe, the land of prosperous trade." Deng Tinghai, the second owner of "Huaiji" trading company from Lanzhou, stretched his head back from the window, with an excited look on his face He said, "At that time, we will transport tea, cotton, porcelain, silk, and various Chinese medicinal materials from the inland through the Hexi Corridor and the Western Regions directly to the grassland khanates in the west, and the trade profits we can earn will be no less than those there Help the Mobei trade controlled by Shanxi Laoji. Hey, by then, it will be our Shaanxi-Gansu merchant gang’s turn to feel proud!"

"Well, what Lao Deng said makes sense." Zhuo Fuguang, the young owner of "Zhuoji" trading company from Qinzhou (now Tianshui, Gansu), nodded and said: "After passing the Western Region, it seems that we can still lead to the territory of the Rakshasa people. I heard that they are also extremely thirsty for our Daqin products. Once this trade is started, the scale and profits will probably be no less than those in Mobei."

"Over in Mobei, the Mongols plus the Bohai Kingdom have a population of only four to five million at most. They can make those Shanxi gangsters make a lot of money. If our Shaanxi-Gansu merchant gang can bring the entire Western Region and the Seven In the river area, even the Rakshasa trade has been rounded off, and the population is several times that of Mobei. That is not gold and silver, let us take it!"

The trade in Mobei mentioned by several businessmen has only flourished in the past ten years.

Back then, in order to obtain strong logistical support during the expedition to Mobei, the Qin army packaged the trophies captured on the battlefield and sold them to Shanxi businessmen at very low prices in exchange for the other parties delivering food, ordnance and other supplies to the military free of charge.

As the territory and population of Mobei controlled by the Qin Army continued to increase, these Shanxi merchants who helped the Qin Army with logistics also obtained the trade monopoly in Mobei, selling inland tea, cotton, salt, candles, silk and other commodities They sold them to the Mongolian tribes, exchanged them for a large number of cattle, horses, sheep and other livestock, and then resold them to the mainland. They made money from both sides and soon accumulated a large amount of commercial capital.

Later, the Bohai Kingdom, located in the Beihai and Lingbei regions, also sneaked into Mobei and started smuggling trade with these Shanxi merchants.

In the past, Bohai State passed through Qi State and Beiming, passed through Heilongjiang and Jingqili River, and traveled thousands of miles to obtain some daily necessities such as tea, silk, and cotton. Not only were they expensive, but the quantities were not large. Only the upper class of Bohai State could obtain them. Affordable.

Later, with its powerful force, the Bohai Kingdom pushed all the way westward, driving the Rakshasa people almost to the Yenisei River and occupying an extremely vast territory. As the territory grew larger and the population increased, the demand for various daily necessities naturally also expanded.

Although the territory occupied by the Bohai Kingdom is a bitterly cold place, half of the time throughout the year is filled with freezing cold days of ice and snow. But fortunately, the land is vast and sparsely populated. Millions of acres of arable land can be cultivated at will, and there is no need for intensive farming. With extensive planting and low harvests and the rich animal resources in the territory (which means there is enough meat), it is absolutely no problem to have enough food. .

However, the entire Bohai State does not even have a decent industrial foundation. It is purely a country with backward agriculture and animal husbandry. The entire country is located in the hinterland of Asia. If it were not for the strong support of Qi State and Beiming, it would not even have a piece of iron. There are no movies.

Yes, Qi State and Beiming State have provided great assistance to Bohai State, but most of the daily necessities are not given to you for free. You have to buy them with real money and silver, and exchange them with a lot of furs. Due to the long distance, the things shipped here are a bit expensive, and Bohai Country will inevitably feel a little pained when it comes to spending money.

In addition, as a barbaric country located in the hinterland of Asia, we can't always rely on Qi and Beiming, right? We have to deal with neighboring countries and establish some form of diplomatic and trade ties, right?

Because there is no shortage of food in Bohai Country, and there is also abundant meat. After eating and drinking, the general public should buy some tea to relieve their appetite. After all, we are also a "civilized country", and there are a lot of them in the country. How can the Han people lack tea?

Over time, in Bohai, a country that did not have much to worry about food and clothing, now even ordinary people are addicted to drinking tea, and it has gradually become a daily necessity for the majority of people.

So, where does tea come from?

Looking around, well, the Rakshasa people in the west are enemies, the Dzungars in the southwest are not very wealthy, and the Khalkha Mongols in the south have nothing but cattle and sheep, and they are extremely poor. After taking a look, it seems that we can only have a certain degree of commercial relations with Da Qin.

As a result, the smuggling trade between the Bohai Kingdom and the Qin and Shanxi merchants started from a small start and gradually grew in size. The two sides also chose a suitable trading base - the banks of the Kyaktu River.

It was an excellent trade route for Shanxi merchants from Datong, Shanxi, through Mongolia, to Kyakhta. They brought tea, silk, cotton, fruit, porcelain, rice, candles, rhubarb, ginger, musk, etc. from the Qin State, walked through Kulun, arrived at Kyaktu, and exchanged a large amount of precious furs and alluvial gold from the Bohai State, and then returned to Qin State. Put these things on the cattle and horses purchased from Khalkha Mongolia and drive all the way back to Shanxi. Whether it's livestock, fur or gold sand, if you resell it, you can make a profit of three to five times after deducting costs.

Tea and other mainland commodities were transported north from Zhangjiakou to Kyaktu, passing through the vast Mongolian Plateau. Although there were more than 800 kilometers of vast Gobi stalls, it was extremely difficult to eat and sleep in the open air. However, because it was profitable, more and more merchants came to trade, especially merchants from Shanxi.

A scholar who accompanied him wrote in "Essays on Mongolia": "There are few people on the road, and I have to prepare rice and salt for my salary. It is common to find wells in hundreds of miles, and there are no people for several days. The water tastes bitter and alkaline." , fishy and smelly, turbid and astringent, just like precious jade liquid."

The prosperity of Kyakhta trade has led to the development of commerce in many inland cities in Daqin, such as Beijing, Datong, Taiyuan, Zhangjiakou, Suiyuan, and Kulun, as well as the development of tea production in Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian and other provinces. All played a promoting role.

Every year, about 20 to 25 tons of tea are transported from the tea-producing areas to Kyaktu. This considerable freight has boosted the economy of tens of thousands of transporters and also supported many poor farmers and Mongolian tribes along the way. .

With the prosperity of trade, Bohai State's requirements and taste for tea have become higher and higher. They are no longer satisfied with the demand for ordinary brick tea. Some nobles and officers have begun to drink higher-end Pekoe and Longjing tea.

Of course, the tea, cotton, silk, porcelain and other commodities that flow into the Bohai Kingdom from Daqin every year cannot be completely digested by the Bohai Kingdom. A considerable part of them are smuggled by the Bohai Kingdom to the borders of the Rakshasa and Junggar people.

Look, isn’t it magical? The Bohai Kingdom fought with the Rakshasa people to the death and continued to seize their territory, but in private, they actually started doing business happily.

As for trade with the Junggar people, this statement is actually not very accurate. It should be a remnant of the Qing Dynasty. After they were driven out of Mongolia by the Qin Dynasty more than 20 years ago, they fled to the northern area of ​​Khovd (i.e. Tangnu Ulianghai) and continued to survive. In order to survive, their Great Khan - yes, he has fallen to this point and has no shame to call himself the emperor. He has already lowered his title and called himself the Great Khan of Manchuria. When Galdan was defeated and Cewang Alabutan rose, he offered his services to Junggar Khan. The country expresses its surrender in order to obtain the protection of the other party.

Now that Ili has been captured by the Qin army and the Junggar Khanate has been severely damaged, where will the puppet Qing Dynasty in the Khovd region go?

(End of this chapter)