After Kangxi solved the problem of San Francisco and Wu Shifan's suicide, he turned his attention from the southwest to the northeast. The northeast was indeed unrest at that time. The reason was the Russians who invaded the Heilongjiang Basin.
Starting from the Jiajing to Wanli years of the Ming Dynasty, Russian Tsar Ivan IV began the process of colonizing Siberia and the Far East.
In the ninth year of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty (the first year of Chongde in the Qing Dynasty), the Russians arrived at the Sea of Okhotsk and conquered the entire Siberia, so this area became a Russian colony.
Tsarist Russia invaded beyond the Xing'an Mountains and invaded China's Heilongjiang River Basin, burning villages, plundering people, and robbing grain and mink skins. In the first year of Shunzhi, these people cut down trees to build cities and kept troops to garrison them.
Existing at the same time as Kangxi was Ivan V's successor, Peter I. Peter very much wanted Kangxi to become his vassal and pay tribute. In the ninth year of Kangxi's reign, he ordered the Russian officials stationed in Nerchinsk to send people to tell Kangxi: "Try your best to obtain the favor of His Majesty, the dictatorial monarch of all Great Russia, Little Russia, and Belarus, and surrender to His Majesty the Great Emperor. Under the supreme rule...His Majesty the Great Emperor will love and protect the Emperor of China in the might of his imperial grace, and protect him from his enemies." This is very much like taking in a younger brother and collecting protection money.
After Nerchinsk arrived in Beijing, he was directly imprisoned by Kangxi in the Lifanyuan for half a month. When the time was up, he gave Kangxi the gift Peter gave to Kangxi and returned to Nerchinsk.
In Nerchinsk City, the Qing Dynasty and Russia already had military and diplomatic communication during the Shunzhi period. In the ninth year of Shunzhi, the Qing Dynasty's Ningguta Zhangjinghai fortress expelled the Russians there, but they were finally defeated by the Russians. Two years later, Gushan'e Zhenming Andali drove away the Russians who were as deep as the Songhua River and moved up the Heilongjiang River, but there was still nothing they could do against Yakesa City.
On the Russian side, in the 13th and 15th years of Shunzhi, they sent envoys to Beijing twice, but both times they did not even see Shunzhi's face because of the "pretentiousness" of their credentials.
Kangxi had always been calm. Since he wanted to take action against Nerchinsk, he must find out in advance. He sent a Zhengbai Banner commander and a few people to disguise themselves as hunters and explore the way.
When the explorer came back, he said, "It takes about three months to travel backwards by boat from Aihun City to the enemy's Yaksa City, and only one month by walking. However, food and weapons can only be transported by ship. Now there is a shortage of four Ten large ships and twenty-six small ships, all that is left is fifty small ships.”
They estimated that Yaksa was supported by Mucheng and had guns and cannons. If there were twenty red barbarian cannons, they would not worry about being unable to defeat Yaksa.
Kangxi's idea was more mature and smart. He felt that although it was simple to attack the city, it was better to build two wooden cities and store three years of grain in Aihui and Humar, a total of 12,000 shi. Food can be obtained from the Mongols in the Horqin Banner of Mongolia. If there is insufficient food, it can be obtained from Xibeura. Cattle and sheep can be obtained from the "natives" of the Sauron tribe. A post station should be set up between the two wooden cities.
In the twenty-fourth year of Kangxi's reign, all preparations were in place. The Qing army arrived at the outskirts of Yaksa, with a total of 18,000 soldiers, 150 field guns, and 40 siege guns.
The Russian troops in the city surrendered after resisting for two days. The Qing army allowed the surrendered Russian troops to retreat and flee to Nerchinsk. The Russian troops who were unwilling to leave were incorporated into the Eight Banners of Manchuria.
The Qing army burned Yaksa and returned to Aihun.
As soon as the Russians saw the Qing army retreating, less than two months later, they came to the city of Yaksa and built an earthen city on top of the ruins, with eight cannons and 870 soldiers. Later, a white cannon, 500 bombs, and 66 soldiers were added.
The Qing Dynasty attacked again on April 16th of that year. After attacking for a long time, only 115 Russian troops were left in the city, and they were still holding on. After the two armies entered a stalemate, in September, Kangxi accepted The Russian army asked for peace and sent people to negotiate peace.
It is worth noting that it was the Russian army, not the Qing army, who took the initiative to seek peace. Peter I of Russia sent two envoys to Beijing to request Kangxi to cease the war, and Kangxi agreed.
Three more years later, the plenipotentiary representatives of both sides met in Nerchinsk in July of the 28th year of Kangxi. The Qing representative was led by the minister of bodyguard Suo'etu, who brought 10,000 soldiers and entourage as support, and the Russian representative was General Guo Luxi led 1,500 people.
What Russia means is that Yaksa can be ceded to China, but it must have the right to trade.
What Qing means here is that Nerchinsk can be given up if necessary, but the border between China and Russia must at least be bounded by the Ergun River, and the large and small tributaries of the Heilongjiang River must also belong to China.
On July 7, the first meeting between the two sides began in a tent. Russia first said that Heilongjiang would be the border between China and Russia. Soetu said: The Heilongjiang area and the land on the left bank of the Selenga River in the west have always been the land of the Qing Dynasty. Russia must completely return the Selengeska city of Nerchinsk, Yaksa city and all its territories to China.
The next day, Russia asked China to provide theoretical basis. Soetu said: If Russia must have Selengeska and Nerchinsk, it may not be a compromise. It is possible to trade but not to station troops. Guo Luhu said that Heilongjiang must be used as the boundary. Suo'etu was furious and left the meeting tent.
Four days later, Suo'etu summoned his soldiers and prepared to use force to solve the problem. After hearing the news, Guoluchi stepped up the construction of fortifications and found people to communicate with the Qing side, expressing his willingness to accept the Qing side's conditions and asking the Qing side not to use force.
The two sides formally signed a treaty on July 23, with a total of nine articles. The two countries were bounded by the Erzhanna River, the Gerbiqi River, the Choerna River and the Outer Xing'an Mountains.
Yaksa was destroyed and the Russian residents in the city were moved back to Russia.
Since the signing of the Treaty of Nerchinsk, the Qing Dynasty and Russia maintained their boundary planning for 150 years. The Qing court considered it a very good diplomatic event, and Russia also considered it a victory in Russian diplomatic history.
