Vasily Boyarkov, the captain of the Tsarist Empire's Far East expedition, had the walls around the hut where he lived covered with drawings brought from Moscow.
Some of the paintings are framed, some are not, and they are mainly Baroque (Note 1) works by European painters such as Caravaggio and Carracci.
Of course, these paintings are all copies.
It is said that the Eastern Emperor was very interested in European paintings and art and was willing to spend a lot of money to buy and collect them.
Boyarkov was a businessman at heart—except for the occasional cannibalism—who regarded himself as a gentleman of the civilized world.
He fantasized about being able to successfully arrive at the capital of the Ming Dynasty, meet the Ming Dynasty emperor, and sell all these authentic works at a good price like his predecessor Petrin (Note 2).
That would be more meaningful than robbing the Saurons and Daurs here.
There are several Daur leaders imprisoned in the camp, and they are all still breathing.
The Siberian merchants certainly did not leave them alive because of conscience. Boyarkov planned to use these barbarians as hostages - just like Columbus and others - to extort furs and pearls from the local natives.
While Vasily was still immersed in the Baroque drawings, the leader of the Cossacks - his subordinates - the red-haired officer Osip Stepanech Demov came in from outside.
"Holy Mother, it's so cold outside that the birds are dying."
"May the Holy Mother bless you."
Birds are also a pun here.
The two civilized people hugged each other, kissed each other, and greeted each other. The Siberian businessman brought tea to his men, poured it into the cup, and the surroundings suddenly became steamy.
Demov, who looked like an Ussuri brown bear, tilted his neck and drank the tea, then got straight to the point.
"Mr. Vasily, His Majesty the Emperor followed the advice of Louis XIII and asked us to come all the way to the East to punish the barbarians."
Valsypo Yarkov nodded slightly. He has a pair of big blue eyes. He uses these eyes to understand the world and show his leadership charm to his subordinates.
"So, why do we stop on this broken island where birds freeze to death, instead of occupying the warmer south. Previous explorers have said that Klimt City (the name of the Forbidden City in Tsarist Russia) is very majestic. , especially the marble part looks as white as snow. The city has a very large population, and there are a lot of gems, gold, silver, velvet, satin and brocade on the market. Chinese people, both men and women, are very clean, and handicrafts and commerce are very developed, but they The army is not good at fighting, and is very timid when it comes to fighting, like rats in the sewers of Moscow. As commander-in-chief, you are not acting like an explorer now, but like a cowardly businessman."
Boyarkov smiled at his Cossack subordinates.
He is a businessman and needs to consider interest risks.
"Yes, I am a businessman."
Boyarkov blinked his blue eyes, which were full of wisdom under the light of the bear oil lamp.
"There are four hundred people, half of whom are refugees. It is of course unrealistic to expect them to invade Klimt City. His Majesty the Emperor lives in Moscow, so he knows nothing about the situation in the Far East. So, where are you, Lord Demov?"
"The expedition team in front has just encountered opponents on Sakhalin Island, the island below us. What I need to emphasize to you is that they are not the kind of Jurchen soldiers with strange gunpowder bags hanging on their shoulders, nor are they just The people of Sauron who can throw spears, arrows and stones, they are the real opponents.”
Demov filled his cup, snorted, and said dismissively:
"Opponents? Those are just servants. There are only a hundred people in an army of ten thousand. They are rats that can bite people. But we have four hundred people. We can crush their heads with our hands. Four hundred people should continue Go forward and bring His Majesty the Tsar's favor to those half-civilized savages."
Boyarkov shook his head. He spent a lot of money to hire Cossacks to come here. Instead of letting them die, he needed to grab more gold and silver.
"I heard from the Sauron people that the Jianzhou Jurchens were defeated by a war god from the south. Now, Sakhalin Island is an unclaimed land, and Russia needs to completely digest this big island."
"So, dear Osip Stepanitch Demov, please go to the prison and chop off a few heads and send them to the depths of the forest so that the semi-civilized barbarians who are stingy with gold, silver, jewels and fur can Deeply aware of the determination of our Tsar Majesty.”
Demov showed a ferocious smile on his rough face, pushed open the tent door, and walked away. It was already dark outside.
A bonfire was lit around the camp. The Cossack warriors hugged the Sauron woman, shook the rum bottle in their hands, and danced around the bonfire like a brown bear...
Demov turned around, took out the wine bottle from his arms, took two sips, and said to a Kelun tribesman following him:
"Au Bai, prepare a woman for me tonight, no, three of them, one with Moscow style."
"twitter!"
The wild Jurchen Obai knelt on the ground and saluted his master.
Their village had just been massacred by the Cossacks. Only Aobai and five women were left among the dozens of people. Aobai knew a little about Rakshasa ghost language, so he was used as a translator to save his life.
"Master, there seems to be a fire over there."
Demov was drunk, his bear-like body swaying unsteadily.
"Are your people still resisting? If so, we will have to send everyone else to see God..."
Before the Cossack leader finished speaking, something suddenly fell on the ground a few steps in front of him, and then made a squeaking sound, like a hare gnawing on weeds.
"A rabbit? Rabbit meat is much more delicious than human meat. Quick, catch it!"
Ao Bai quickly put the torch over, and the two Cossacks following behind him also stretched their necks to look for traces of the hare.
Two ignition grenades rolled down the slope in front of the four people. The fuses had just burned out and suffocating white smoke rose.
~~~~~
"Why is the valley ahead so quiet? There aren't even any birds!"
"King Chuang, a bear just sent a sentinel horse over to spy, but the sentinel horse hasn't come back yet. Maybe the dog officers and soldiers all ran away when they heard that we were coming."
Shanxi, thirty miles west of Pianguan County, Louzigou, Liujia Village.
Surrounded by Luo Rucai, Liu Zongmin, Song Xiance and other generals and counselors, Li Xianzhong, who was the groom of the Yan'an Post Station two years ago, rode a tall horse to the entrance of the valley.
He looked back at the dark army of refugees behind him, then carefully examined the dangerous pass in front of him, and asked Luo Rucai, who was standing next to him:
"Where is the Kaiyuan army sent from the capital now?"
In the original history, Luo Rucai was one of the leaders of the peasant uprising army in the late Ming Dynasty and one of the thirty-six battalions. He was cunning, capricious, and nicknamed Cao Cao. Because of Liu Zhaosun's time travel, he followed Wang Er in his rebellion, and now he has joined the camp of Chuang King Li Xianzhong, becoming the number two figure in the Chuang army.
"I heard that Hequ County has just been captured and suffered heavy casualties. We are preparing to defend the city."
Before Luo Rucai could finish, Song Xiance standing next to him stroked his beard and said with a smile:
"Haha, this is a fight between trapped beasts. Hequ County has just been robbed by the Eight King Kongs. They have no money and no food. They are seeking death by staying there."
Li Xianzhong was hesitant. Before entering Shanxi, he sent people to inquire about the situation of the Kaiyuan Army. He was originally a soldier and was well-informed. He had heard all the deeds of the Protector and the Kaiyuan Army in the past few years. Some people know that this is a strong enemy. Ever since Kaiyuan soldiers entered Shaanxi, Li Xianzhong always felt uneasy and confused.
~~~~~~
Yucheng Station, Gaoyou County, Yangzhou Prefecture.
This post station, which was built in the eighth year of Hongwu's reign, is a transportation hub on the North-South Canal. Its scale and shape are naturally not comparable to those of ordinary post stations.
Mengcheng Posthouse is equipped with a main hall, a back hall, a gift room, a warehouse, and a kitchen. There are also common horse temples, stables, and front drum towers.
To the north of the post is the residence of the postmaster, next to the post is the Qinyou Mansion, there is the Huanghua Hall with the reception room on the embankment, and there is the horse drinking pond in the southeast...
Wu Xiang, the former chief military officer of Jinzhou, and his family have been living here for almost two years.
In the Ming Dynasty, the inns could accommodate passing envoys and were equivalent to modern reception houses or hotels.
Anyone who holds a "Yiguan" can enjoy free accommodation, meals, boats, carriages, and horses provided by the station according to their official rank and the number of servants.
Wu Xiang, as a general in western Liaoning who fought against the "Liu thieves", was unfortunately defeated. When he returned to his hometown in Gaoyou, he was naturally treated favorably by a group of Jiangnan officials.
Ever since the Wu family came to Mengchengyi for a temporary stay, local gentry would come here every now and then to lend money or talk to Mr. Wu about King Qin's efforts to eliminate thieves.
In just over a year, this most famous long-legged general in western Liaoning has become a key representative figure in Wang Shi Beiding.
When Mr. Wu was an official in western Liaoning, he had already accumulated tens of thousands of dollars. This kind of wandering life with his family living in a floating house did not have much impact on the Wu family.
Several times, the wealthy local gentry in Gaoyou invited General Wu to live in a large house in the city. However, Wu Xiang always defended Mengcheng Station with his soldiers and servants on the grounds that "the national thieves have not been eliminated, so we should be ready to be ready".
In fact, be prepared to run away at any time.
In the center of the main hall, twelve-year-old Wu Sangui respectfully handed tea to his father. Wu Xiang took it and couldn't help but glance at the heroic Wu Sangui and nodded slightly.
He waved his son to sit down, took a sip of tea, and then couldn't wait to ask a servant who looked like a master kneeling on the ground:
"Xue Laosan, what did Zhang Chun say? When will Hejian Mansion's troops be dispatched? Who else will be there to support us? Have you asked clearly?"
"Master, things seem to be different from what we thought."
Xue Laosan had just rushed back to Mengcheng Yi by fast horse for 800 miles. Before he could adjust to the jet lag and his biological clock was a little out of whack, he was called from the stable to the front hall for questioning.
The most loyal servant of the Wu family was out of breath and said:
"That guy Zhang Chun took the master's three thousand taels of silver and persuaded us not to act rashly and wait until the situation in Shaanxi becomes clear before taking action!"
Wu Xiang suppressed his anger and asked Xue Laosan:
"You just gave away your money for free? Are you coming back like this?!"
Xue Laosan quickly knelt down and kowtowed:
"Master, that thief said that he doesn't need any staff now. He also said that he was afraid that Liu Zhaosun would find out, so he drove me away."
"Asshole!"
Wu Xiang cursed a few words, let out a long breath, looked at the broken porcelain pieces on the ground, and continued:
"You didn't tell him about King Gui?"
After learning that the Kaiyuan Army had entered Shaanxi to suppress bandits, Wu Xiang knew that the opportunity had come again. He was not eager to seek revenge from Liu Zhaosun. In the Battle of Western Liaoning, the Wu family's losses were not too great, and General Wu was a businessman after all.
Wu Xiang began to talk to himself:
"Master, I was originally in business. This time we took the lead and asked the officials and gentry in the south of the Yangtze River to elect King Gui to the throne. It is a great achievement. The future will be unlimited. Can Zhang Chun not see such a business?"
Xue Laosan looked at the master's excited expression and hesitated for a moment before he hesitated and said:
"Master, I told him, but he not only refused to agree, but also said that the consequences of King Gui's rebellion would be very miserable. He also said that if we insist on rebelling, he will go to Liu Zhaosun to report us..."
Wu Xiang picked up the teacup and smashed it on the ground. The colorful celadon glazed teacup was immediately smashed into pieces.
"What a bastard! How much benefit has he gained from the Wu family over the years? I paid him 3,000 taels of silver to buy him the chancellor! Now that Liaoxi has been defeated, he has turned his back on him? White-eyed wolf! Compared to that Liu Zhaosun is still hateful!"
Wu Sangui winked at Xue Laosan and told him to step back.
They were the only two people left in the main hall, father and son.
Just when Wu Sangui was about to persuade his father, Wu Xiang suddenly stepped forward, slapped his son on the shoulder, and said loudly:
"Sangui, it is my father's ambition not to forget you. I must kill Liu Zhaosun from now on!"
Note:
1. Baroque style: an art style popular in Europe from 1600 to 1750. The basic characteristics are that it breaks the seriousness, implicitness and balance of the Renaissance, advocates luxury and style, pays attention to the expression of strong emotions, has a warm and tense atmosphere, and has a piercing and soul-stirring artistic effect.
2. Petrin Mission: In 1618 (the forty-sixth year of Wanli), Tsarist Russia sent an informal delegation to the Ming Dynasty, led by Ivan Petrin, a Cossack from Siberia. The main purpose of the visit was to establish good-neighborly relations with the Ming Dynasty and start trade negotiations. Since the Ming Dynasty was worried about the upcoming Battle of Sarhu, and the Cossacks did not bring enough gifts, there was no substantial progress in the trade negotiations between the two sides.
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