Although it was already March, Baihaier Lake was still frozen. It was three or four hundred miles away from the nearest Qing army stronghold, and even thousands of miles away from Ningguta. Those who live here are Feiyala and Barhu people, Daur people who were despised as "Bird Barbarians" by the Qing army, and some were Ewenk and Soren people who were unwilling to be incorporated into the Eight Banners by the Qing Dynasty. Some lived here for generations, and some were migrating from the south with their fathers and grandchildren decades ago. There were many Han people in the interior who escaped from the massacre of Manchu people, and even some descendants of the Ming army guards back then.

These Ming army garrisons were under the jurisdiction of the Nurgandu Division of the Ming Dynasty. The soldiers of the garrison guarded the border for the Ming Dynasty in the distant north. When they were in full swing, they really expanded their territory thousands of miles, and their territory was far wider than the Qing Dynasty in the south. There were 384 garrisons alone. The jurisdiction ranges within the territory ranged from the Onen River in the west, to Sakhalin Island in the east, to the Outing Xing'an Mountains in the north, to the Sea of ​​Japan and the upper reaches of the Tumen River in the south, including the Heilongjiang River basin and the vast areas from the Ussuri River basin to Sakhalin Island. Unfortunately, in the late Wanli period, Nurhaci, the Dragon and Tiger General of Jianzhou Guard, raised troops to rebel, and occupied the Ming outside the pass, making the Ming in the far north

The military guards could no longer contact the inner palace. After losing the support of the imperial court, the guards in various places gradually became deserted. The original garrison either died in the battle with the rebels or integrated into the local tribes. The 384 guards were never seen again. The ruins witnessed the Ming Dynasty's jurisdiction over the northern polar regions and hundreds of ethnic groups, telling the world how powerful the Ming Dynasty was and how small the Qing Dynasty was when it replaced him. (Author's note: The Ming Dynasty did not manage the Nuergandus, but actually effectively manage it. Every year, the court has appointed officials to govern the local area, that is, to transfer officials)

There is another big lake thousands of miles west of Baihaier Lake, known as Lake Baikal. There is a city named Yakos 400 miles southwest. It was originally a Mongolian tribe, but it was occupied by the Rakshasa people from the west over the years. The Rakshasa people were very powerful, and the Mongols could not defeat them, so they automatically gave up the place and moved to the south. A few years ago, the Qing Dynasty's general outside the pass sent troops to attack Yakos, but unfortunately they were defeated by the Rakshasa people halfway, losing several ships and hundreds of soldiers. After that, the Qing army no longer dared to provoke those green-eyed and red-haired Rakshasa devils, and Yakos became a stronghold for the Rakshasa people. With Yakos, the Rakshasa people continued to extend their power to the surrounding tribes, causing all tribes to suffer.

Baihaier Lake was not spared. Two years ago, a team of Rakshasa soldiers came here. After killing dozens of Barhu people who dared to resist, they built a stronghold upstream and ordered the surrounding tribes to regularly offer them food, fur, medicinal materials and rare treasures. Because the Qing army in the south did not dare to come, all races dared not speak out about the oppression of the Rakshasa people, and had to pay tribute regularly to seek tribe safety.

............

A wooden house standing alone on a secluded forest on the north bank of Baihaier Lake, a wooden house stood alone. The wooden house was surrounded by a circle of low fences, and some vegetables were growing in the open space outside. In the yard, a child with braids was holding his slightly fat mother coquettishly. The watery eyes blinked at his mother, with a little shy and expectant face. At his feet was a broken basket with a few potatoes in it.

"Grandma, why haven't dad come back yet?"

"Agu, do you miss your dad or want to eat meat?"

"My father said when he left, I came back to bring meat to Agu."

The child leaned his head and looked into the distance. No dad appeared in his sight. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. His little mouth pouted, as if he expressed his dissatisfaction with his mother: Why didn't dad come back yet?

Looking at the disappointed look of his son, the woman was a little funny and sad. Since the Rakshasa people came here, their lives have changed. In the past, men could get a cowling spores every time they went out. The whole family could not only eat enough, but also exchange their excess prey for some oil and salt. Now they have to work for the Rakshasa people for twenty days a month, and the rewards they received are pitifully small, so they could not maintain the family expenses. In order to supplement the family's income, the woman has used the vacant land around the house as much as possible. Usually, she and the men also ate as little as possible, leaving the only meat to their only son so that they can eat enough and grow up healthy and happy. However, there is too little meat. Men have to work for the Rakshasa people most of the time every month, and they cannot catch enough prey after they come back. Moreover, most of the prey they get has to be paid to the Rakshasa tax officers, and they cannot live this life.

Looking at his son's yellowish face, the woman's heart couldn't help but hurt, sighed, and cursed a few words of damn Rakshasa robbers. If it weren't for these robbers, their family's life would have been happy and carefree. She also blamed why the Qing army in the south did not make decisions for them and caused them to be bullied by the Rakshasa gangsters.

"Why haven't Keik come back yet?"

After standing with his son for a while, the woman was a little worried about the man. She picked up her son and walked out of the yard to look into the distance. Today is the day for the man to come back. Usually, he had already returned with the pitiful dry meat given by the Rakshasa people at this time. Why haven't he come back so late today? The Rakshasa people's stronghold is dozens of miles away. Every time the construction period ends, the man will rush home, but now he has not come back for a long time. The woman can't help but worry.

Did something happen on the road? The woman became more and more worried. The man was a very punctual and family-oriented person. Every time he left work, he would go home immediately and never delayed stopping in other places. But today he did not come back for a long time. This made the woman nervous and she was a little scared. Since the Rakshasa people came, she had heard many tribesmen being beaten to death by them. Could it be?... The woman dared not think about it anymore, and she could not imagine that Keyik was killed by the Rakshasa people.

The child noticed that his mother's face changed a little, and his little hand gently hugged his mother's arm and called his mother in a tender voice: "Grandma, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Agu."

The woman didn't want her son to be nervous, so she forced a smile at him, staring at the road leading to Jacos, hoping that Kyak would appear in sight soon, and opened her hands to her son from afar with his signature smile. After a short wait, the woman's eyes suddenly lit up because she saw her man Kyak.

"Kyek! Kyek!"

"Ba dad, dad!"

The woman and the child started to scream at the same time. The child struggled to jump out of his mother's arms and ran to his father quickly. Seeing this, the woman did not call her son, but was just smiling and watching the man getting closer and closer in the distance. As the man's figure got closer, the woman's eyes suddenly freeze, and the smile on her face instantly froze. She saw that there were so many people behind the man.

"Is this your son?"

Manzhou Zoring Dochna, who was riding on the horse, saw a cute child running over in front of him, and asked with a smile.

Keik, who had already come back from his panic and anxiety just now, nodded to Dochina: "Sir, that's the son of a villain."

"Your son is very cute, what is his name?" Dochner took a few steps forward with his horse.

"Agu."

Although the Manzhou Lord in front of him was very friendly, Keyike still instinctively maintained enough respect for him, just like he treated those Rakshasa people. His voice was always very quiet and he did not dare to increase the volume. And every time he answered the question of Lord Zuo Ling, he lowered his head and did not dare to look directly at the other party.

"Agu, Agu..." Dochna muttered several times, and laughed: "Good name."

"Babe!"

Agu also saw many people behind his father, but he had no other thoughts and just wanted to get his father's hug as soon as possible. In Agu's young heart, his father's arms were warm and safe like his mother. People who were with his father were naturally good people, so he was not afraid of uncles with braids that he had never seen before.

Seeing that his son was about to rush in front of him, Keik subconsciously wanted to reach out to hug him, but as soon as his hand moved, he suddenly shrank back, lowering his head with some anxiety and daring not to move around.

"Go and hug your son."

Dochner, who was sitting on the horse, observed Keik's reaction and knew that the timid Daur man was very scared of himself and his subordinates. In order to let the Daur man lead the way with peace of mind, Dochner comforted him and said, "By the way, tell your wife, we are officers and soldiers of the Qing Dynasty, you want to take us to the village."

"Yes, sir."

After hearing Zuoling's words, Keik hesitated slightly, walked forward a few steps, hugged Agu who was running over, hugged him in his arms, raised him up and down, his face filled with a smile from the bottom of his heart.

After handing a pound of dried meat in his hand to Agu's hand, Keyik hugged him and walked towards the fence, and walked to his wife with a look of surprise. He looked back and handed Agu to his wife's arms, and said softly: "Don't be afraid, they are soldiers of the Qing Dynasty, and they want to see our patriarch."

"What did the Qing people do when they see our patriarch?"

The woman was very strange. She remembered that the Qing army in the south was very cold to these tribes and did not care about their lives or death. Why did she send someone to see the clan leader this time?

"I don't know, you take the children back to the house, I'll take them over."
Chapter completed!