Rise of the 1630s South America

Chapter 2310 Suo'etu envoys Russia ([-])

In June 1696, Soetu was once again received by Tsar Peter I.

In fact, according to the original plan, Suoetu should have left after the spring of last year (1695).But the Tsar forced him to stay because his brother Ivan V was very ill and was about to die. At that time, Peter would hold a grand ceremony to celebrate his becoming the "supreme one" - before Ivan V was The first tsar, Peter I was the second tsar, and the two ruled together in name.

Suo'etu had no choice but to stay.After sending two envoys back to Beijing to inform the Russian monks who had gone east, Soetu lived in Moscow with peace of mind.During the period, he traveled around the famous mountains and rivers nearby, inspected the situation in some nearby prefectures and counties, and also chatted with other foreign envoys in Moscow. His vision and knowledge gradually increased.

Tsar Peter also attached great importance to the Soetu mission.Not only did he invite him to many banquets and dances held by the palace, but he also took him to the Huangzhuang to hunt and inspect the army, which made Suoetu inexplicably grateful.

Time soon came to this spring, and Ivan V, whose vitality was unexpectedly tenacious, finally couldn't hold on, and died suddenly on a snowy night.After Peter I finished his brother's funeral "sadly", he summoned his ministers, foreign envoys in Moscow and some big foreign businessmen who had cooperated with him for many years, and held a grand celebration in the Preobrazhenskoye Royal Estate on the outskirts ceremony.In this grand celebration, which is said to have cost 20 rubles, Peter I became the "sole" and supreme ruler of the Russian Empire.Suo'etu naturally attended the celebration as a guest, but he didn't have any good comments about it.After all, in his opinion, the fact that the two tsars ruled together is too absurd. Even if Ivan V is an imbecile, all the actual power falls in the hands of Peter, but the so-called name is not right, and the words are not right. Such a situation is too easy Give careerists a chance, Russia is indeed a barbarian!

After spending the whole spring in Moscow, Soetu bid farewell to Peter I and planned to return to Beijing.To be honest, he didn't get everything he wanted during this trip.Tsar Peter I did not plan to support the Qing offensive in the Heilongjiang area, which greatly disappointed Suo'etu, who had the mission.He used to argue with reason and promised huge profits, but they were all rejected by the Russians.He could see that Tsar Peter was not indifferent. In fact, he was somewhat interested in the huge trade profits promised by the Qing Dynasty and the land in the middle and lower reaches of Heilongjiang. However, after comprehensive weighing, he resolutely rejected this seemingly attractive offer. But there are proposals that could put the Russian Empire at a disadvantage.

In contrast, the Tsar was very interested in jointly attacking the Mongolian forces in Junggar.Although Junggar Mongolia has a small population, its land is extremely vast, covering several million square kilometers.If you count the Kazakh Khanate, a nominal slave state (this slave has repeatedly surrendered and rebelled, defeated and fought repeatedly...), the territory is even larger, bordering many forces in Central Asia, West Asia, and North Asia .Not only did they form direct competition with the Russian Empire on this land, but they also broke into Russia directly in many cases, attacked its villages, and plundered its people, which made the Russians extremely annoyed.Now Suo'etu proposed that the two sides jointly attack the Junggar Khanate, which is actually in the arms of Russia, so the two sides quickly reached a consensus on this point and signed the relevant secret agreement.

Only one of the two main tasks has been completed, which is undoubtedly unqualified for Suo'etu.But what can I do?Suo'etu also knows a little about the situation in Russia now, especially after spending money to buy some news, Suo'etu has understood that the country has now turned its attention to the west and intends to use troops in this direction.They even planned to send troops to the south last year. Under the instigation of his generals, Tsar Peter intended to lead 4.6 newly trained troops south to attack Azov City, but because he heard that there were ships of the East Coast Navy near the mouth of the Don River activities—Peter now understands that if he wants to take down the Azov fortress, he must not cut off the passage of foreign aid at sea. Although the Russian Empire has built an inland river fleet in Tambov, is it possible to win? Neither the Ottomans nor the East Coast Navy had confidence, so they could only give up in the end.

Now Russia has only one way to expand westward.If you go to the east, there are few people and the opponent is strong, so it is really difficult to deal with.Considering that their relationship with the east coast has shown signs of easing in the past year, Soetu believes that it is basically impossible to let Russia go east.In the west, there is a densely populated but scattered Poland, and Sweden, which controls the key estuary to the sea. Soetu fully understands these places, and asks his followers to trace a number of European maps, recording the genealogy of many European monarchs, and intends to bring them back to Beijing Dedicated to Kangxi - what reason does Russia have to fight with the people on the east coast for the cold frozen soil in the Far East?

Therefore, Suo'etu has basically given up efforts in this area.A while ago, he asked the tsar for this trip, and Peter agreed, and he planned to send two thousand soldiers to escort him back to the east—these soldiers will be stationed in Central Asia in the future—this time he suddenly summoned Soetu again, probably to Give them gifts in return.

Escorted by the Russian guards, Soetu hurried to the Preobrazhenskoye Palace and met Peter I in the uniform of an artillery captain—Peter often performed exercises with his soldiers and played the role himself ——Peter I left the exercise field, and then entertained Soetu and his entourage in a reception room.

"Your Excellency the Duke can come to Moscow and present the letter of credence. This is an excellent sign of Bogd Khan's eternal friendship to me. The peace between your two countries is sacred and inviolable. I have sent an envoy to go to Toto Borsk, Irkutsk, and Selengesk, ask the local military and political officials to prepare supplies and provide hospitality to ensure that the envoy can return to Beijing safely. As for the hospitality in the cities in the interior, please don’t worry, they don’t need to prepare in advance Get ready." Peter I sat behind the desk, with Romodanovsky and Menshikov on the left and right, respectively, and he continued: "The war with Gazan (Galdan) , Russia will be ready, and please your country to fulfill its promise. Please wait a moment, I will write a letter of credence for your envoy to take back."

After saying this, Peter I asked the guards to bring pens and ink, and wrote the letter of credence directly in front of Soetu: "I inherit the supreme unparalleled, who has no beginning and no end, has no audience and is indescribable, awe-inspiring and inaccessible. God, above the heavens, dwelling in the unattainable kingdom of heaven, the only eternal son of our Lord Jesus Christ, created by the great wisdom and wisdom of all the gods, the God who created all visible and invisible things, gave them life and soul, and always The God who looks down on the earth, makes all things find their proper place, and bestows benevolence and love on human beings. Heaven, earth, and hell are all in awe. We are unique. We are divided into three and praised by Li Yuan, and we are worshiped by all living beings as one. God, by His grace and love, and by His power and will, has given me the authority to rule the Orthodox Church, to rule over the Great Russian Empire and many newly attached countries, and to rely on God's protection to live in peace and happiness forever, and the world is boundless, I am Your Majesty Peter I Alexievich, I send this letter to the ruler of Khan Bali City, the suzerain of the countries of Greater Asia, the holy Khan of the entire Chinese Empire, and my dear friend Bogd Khan. . . . Lieutenant Colonel Prikov led 2000 Musketeers and 500 Cossacks to reinforce Tobolsk and Tomsk, and moved [-] households to nearby areas for farming. It is expected that the preparations will be completed next year, and the Grand Monarch will be expected to assist. , sent troops together...Last year, our caravan was forced to leave Beijing without completing the transaction, causing a large number of unsold goods to be transported back to Siberia. I hope the great monarch will tell his ministers to allow Russian caravans to trade freely in Beijing...to Beijing The road to Beijing is very difficult due to the lack of water and the chaotic situation. If the Russian businessman finds a more convenient road to Beijing, I hope it will be allowed and not blocked... I will send the priest of the Ascension Monastery in Irkutsk to Pu Ratkov is going to Beijing to preside over the gods, please help..."

It took Peter about half an hour to finish writing the letter of credence, and it was obvious that he had already prepared the draft.He didn't mention the matter of cooperating with the Qing Dynasty to attack the east bank throughout the article. He only focused on destroying the Mongolian forces in Junggar, developing more businesses, and assisting the clergy.

After receiving the letter of credence, Suo'etu bowed down to Peter I according to the etiquette of reciprocity, and then said: "Thanks to the Great Khan. From the day my mission arrived until now, His Majesty has given you preferential treatment and many banquets. I also arranged a lot of entertainment and played elegant music. I am really grateful. The things I have come to your country to do have achieved quite a lot, and I will leave with satisfaction. After returning, we will report the situation to my emperor. The emperor will be very pleased to hear this, and regard it as His Majesty's unswerving friendship."

After finishing a set of scenes, Peter asked the officials to send a gift list to Soetu, which was the farewell gift.For Kangxi: three gold and silver blankets, one sable fur (1300 rubles); four bundles of mink fur (2070 rubles); eighteen black and dark brown fox furs (730 rubles).The gifts to Soetu were: seven bundles of mink fur (1870 rubles); seven fox furs (50 rubles); fourteen bundles of ermine skins (91 rubles).Gifts to other members of the mission: fifteen bundles of mink fur (1989 rubles).The total of the above is 8100 rubles, which is not too much, but it is definitely not too little. Peter I still pays attention to it.

After seeing off Soetu and his party, Peter did not leave the reception room, but several important officials discussed some related matters.

"China is actually not as powerful as people think. The current emperor of China does not please everyone. He suppressed his own people more severely than Nero in Rome. He persecuted thousands of people to death. Thousands of people were plundered and utterly bankrupt. Besides, the Chinese court, though numerous and extravagant, lived in misery. The Chinese people, it seemed, were neither strong nor wise, nor Courageousness, capriciousness, arrogance, treachery, and cowardice in all the activities of the Chinese. In short, as long as our borders are well guarded, everything can be done according to our will. They are good at boasting, even if there has never been more than 2 people, they will also say that there are 20 or [-] people. Of course, the border between us and them is a little doubtful now, because the people on the east bank have occupied a large area of ​​​​the Amur River Basin." Peter I stood up and said in the Walking around in the room, he said to the left and right: "But the Chinese have great commercial interests, so we have to devote our energy and treat it with caution. We now have some textile factories, which can be imported from the Chinese and processed into textiles. The raw materials of the finished product, the British and the Dutch like these things very much. The price of gold in China is relatively low, and you can buy more in Beijing to make a profit. Chinese gemstones are also very cheap, so you can find ways to purchase more and sell them to Western Europe. Now the Chinese produce The homemade cloth is very popular in Nerchensk, Yakutsk, Irkutsk, Yeniseysk and other places, which makes our country export a lot of gold and silver. You have to find a way. There are also porcelain, tobacco, etc. , Siberians like to consume these things very much. This is not good. Imports should be restricted. Ah, by the way, you can buy more tea. I know that many people are used to drinking Chinese tea and it is difficult to quit, so just buy more. Resold to Europe to make up for the consumption of this part of gold and silver."

Peter walked faster and faster in the house, seeming to be thinking intensely, and finally he said: "As for the things that our country exports to China, we can't sell everything. Leather goods are the largest export commodity, but you have to learn from the Chinese how Processing, so that you can sell more money. Now the Chinese can’t buy these things from the Tunguskas, we can work hard on this. There are some factories in Siberia that produce oily leather, and there are a lot of them in the Chinese and Mongols. Good sales, this is very good, but we need to continue to strengthen, the current output is not enough. Big animals should be sold as little as possible, one may benefit the Chinese and enhance their strength, and the other may affect us The price of livestock in the country. I know that in Selengosk, Nerchensk and other places, there is still a lack of a large number of voluntary farmers. Most of them are forced immigrants or criminal prisoners. Their enthusiasm is limited. , and often very poor, and if the price of livestock is too high, the effect can be very bad."

"In short, it is a basic principle to minimize the output of gold and silver and increase the inflow of gold and silver. The country is not rich now, and it costs a lot to import technology and talents from the West. We have to plan carefully. Moreover, I have to fight for war Reserve funds, do you understand?" Peter I finally said.

"Understood, Your Majesty." Several important ministers bowed and replied.

(End of this chapter)