Chapter 1,471 From Nuergan to Kaiyuan, a six-thousand-mile tribute road!
"Ali, in the spring of the year after tomorrow, it is the time when you, the Harman Guards, go to Kaiyuan, the capital of the Liaodong vassal of the Ming Dynasty, to pay tribute to the great emperor of Shenyi once every three years. How long is the journey to pay tribute? And so
It's a long and difficult distance, and the road is full of marauding and migrating savage tribes, how can you get there?..."
"Zu Shaman, Liaodong is a 'military town', not a vassal state. Kaiyuan is not the 'capital' of Liaodong Dusi. The seat of Liaodong Dusi was originally in Liaoyang City, but later it was moved to the west in order to guard against the Mongolian Duoyan Sanwei.
Guangning City. Liaoyang and Guangning are the two most critical towns of the emperor in Liaodong.
They are all garrisoned by tens of thousands of troops! As for the Divine Emperor, he lives in the most magnificent capital city of Shuntian Prefecture, which is more than a thousand miles away from Liaodong Town and is as big as twenty Kaiyuan! Generally, the tribute of the Jurchen tribe
The envoy cannot see the Great Emperor. As for the specific tribute route, this is it, and if we continue like this..."
In the collapsed temple, the shaman altar of the Jurchen tribe is enshrined. The emblem of the main god is like an eagle or a bird, and the misty divine smoke lingers constantly. In front of the emblem and the altar, an ancestral wild boar skin map is densely marked.
The correspondence is on a newly painted birch bark map.
The Harman chief Ali looked sad as he stroked the ancestral map and looked at the abstract but practical terrain marks on it. His fingers went south from the mighty river, passing through the guard posts that either existed or disappeared, until he was six thousand miles away.
The Liaodong Border Wall.
"Witness the blood-eyed Lord God! It is more than 5,000 miles from the Harman Guards going south to pay tribute! The whole journey must be along the river, but not by boat, but on horseback. Because it goes up against the current, it is difficult for the tribe's small boat to row fast. In the spring, the river
The winter season is also too dangerous, and there are floods in summer..."
"We, the Harman Guards, will gather twenty or thirty horses. We must ensure that each person has at least one war horse, plus a pack horse for carrying goods. If the surrounding tribes want to trade together, they can also send people to join.
But you have to prepare your own horse..."
"Then, dozens of cavalry will go south along the open beach along the river. They will be joined by familiar guards from various places along the way. Everyone will form a team. Such a large group of cavalry will be safer when going south. For example, if you go south for four
After a hundred miles, Fukuyama Guards could also spare twenty or thirty cavalry to join them.
Four hundred miles further south, the Hushi Gate Guards also had dozens of cavalry... In the end, two to three hundred fully armed cavalry were gathered along the way, with the same number of pack horses and goods for trade, all the way from the lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River to the mouth of the Songhua River in the middle reaches.
, we have arrived at the territory of the Haixi tribes..."
"Blessed by our ancestors! Only by gathering such a large-scale tribal cavalry, the large and small savage tribes encountered along the way will not dare to come out to plunder. And the tribute team must move quickly. It is common for more than a hundred miles a day. One or two like this
In a month's time, after traveling more than four thousand miles, you can reach the relatively stable middle and upper reaches of the Songhua River and the hinterland of the Haixi tribes. And beyond the thousand miles of Haixi tribes, you will reach the border fortresses of the Ming Dynasty..."
"The tribes in Haixi accepted the imperial court's canonization, set up many guard posts, and the population was very dense. There could even be large tribes with thousands of people, and there were large settled towns and villages! Further south, the road is relatively safe. Two or three of us
The tribute team of hundreds of cavalrymen brought with them all worthless skins. The large tribes along the way were not interested at all, but only sent
Send out a small team of scouts to keep watch. The Haixi Jurchens are much richer than the savages. There are also a lot of iron tools and cloth in the village. I don’t know how they got it from the south, or they secretly mined and made it themselves. Not only will they not attack us
They are also worried that we, a bunch of 'bitter savages', will come to rob their wealthy village..."
Speaking of this, Ali, the chief of Harman, smiled bitterly. Although they considered themselves to be the "Downstream Guards" loyal to the emperor and the "Chinese Mature Women", the various Haixi tribes within them still regarded them as
The poor northern tribes were regarded as "savage savage Jurchens" or even "imposter tribes of savages".
"Ali! According to what you said, each 'Wei Suo Tribe' will bring some familiar tribes with it. And along the way of paying tribute, new 'Wei Suo Tribes' will continue to join... In this case, we
The Maha tribe has a copper seal in their hands and joined in the name of the 'Manjing Guards'. Together with the 'Ha'er Barbarian Guards', they will participate in the tribute trade in the following year... Do you think the Ming Dynasty will accept it?"
"The Lord God bless you! Zu Shaman, are you saying that I can still take my people south to pay tribute in the future?..."
Hearing Zuwaro's words, Harman chief Ali looked surprised and his eyes were filled with joy. Since the other party had plans to go south to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty and conduct trade, he would definitely need the command of the "Harman Guards Command" that he had inherited from generation to generation.
He became the leader of the group and led the way. In this way, not only was his life saved, but he also had hope to restore his tribe!
"The Lord God of Blood Eyes! It is indeed profitable to go south to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty, and you can get many rewards and rewards! But the specific tribute... Ancestor Shaman, even if you have a tribal name that pays tribute, you can get an additional reward from the court.
But the identity of 'Commander of Manjing Guards' is still too sensitive! This is
The key guard post in Suojiang was once tied with the Xishen Guard and was one of the two most important and largest guard posts in the lower reaches of the river! After many years, the 'Manjing Guard' resumed paying tribute, which will definitely alarm the Liaodong General Army.
Alert the chief eunuch in charge of paying tribute, and even the governor of Liaodong Town, who came to verify his identity..."
"Although the imperial court has always been very lenient in paying tribute to various Jurchen tribes. It is true that various tribes often pretend to be guards and go to Liaodong trade to make profits... but the 'Manjing Guard' is still too special! The imperial court awarded this guard a reward
It is extremely important, and has even been canonized many times as "du commander and envoy Tongzhi" instead of "du commander and envoy Qian Shi". Once paying tribute attracts the attention of the governor of Liaodong, things may be very troublesome unless the eunuchs and eunuchs are cleared in advance.
…”
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! As he spoke, the Harman chief Ali pressed his heart, the joy on his face gradually changed, and his brows also wrinkled. Zu Shaman
I don’t know the customs of Ming Dynasty officials. As long as some things don’t attract attention, no matter how you do it, it will be fine. But once it attracts people’s attention and is publicly weighed on a scale, it will cause big trouble!
"Zu Shaman, you can send the men of the tribe directly as our 'Harbarian Guards' to pay tribute and trade to the Ming Dynasty in the south. Just let me lead the team! And if you want to replace another tribe, just cheat a little more.
A reward... Well, why not replace it with a smaller 'Fuduohe Guard' around our Harman Guards."
"This guardhouse was attacked by barbarians twenty years ago and has long since ceased to exist. And the bronze seal of their guardhouse is also in the hands of my Harman tribe. I once used this bronze seal to receive an extra copy
The reward... is not much, but fortunately no one comes to check. The eunuchs in charge of paying tribute may see it.
, but they don’t care about the fraction of this reward... because every time a tribute reward is issued, they can also benefit from it. If our tribes are wise, we will also give them some kickbacks. They can also pay for the border.
Say hello and let us take away some of the most valuable ironware..."
Ali, the chief of Harman, tried hard to describe to Zuwaro, a "savage shaman" who "knew nothing about the Ming Dynasty", and explained the Ming Dynasty's tribute system of guards and complex factions within Liaodong Town.
Among them, there are the "eunuch snake", "civilian priest" who play different roles and the game is very complicated, and the "general army commander" who is suppressed and supervised by both sides. The most dangerous and troublesome one is the one with high authority.
"civilian priests". Although, usually, the civil servants in Liaodong would follow the national policy of the Ming Dynasty, treat the Jurchen tribes who paid tribute favorably, and appease these "northeast barbarians" without strictly inspecting...
Things like pretending to be fake and coming to defraud tribute are indeed common in the northern guards. The Ming court's attitude towards the Jurchen tribes in the Northeast, especially the Jurchen tribes from the outer Northeast, who came to pay tribute, has always been "turn a blind eye"
"Close one eye" is much more relaxed than paying tribute to overseas vassals in Southeast Asia!
You must know that the northeast where the Jurchen tribes are located is the right arm of the empire. It is too close to the heart of the empire in Shuntian Prefecture. And there is also the threat of the "life and death enemy" Mongolia in the north. Once the Jurchen tribes are won over by the Mongols,
Attacked from both sides, it will become a nightmare for the empire!
This makes the Ming Dynasty, with the northern region as the focus of its rule and Shuntian Prefecture as its heart, the value of the united front of the Jurchen tribes in the Northeast is extremely high, and it is not at all "Eastern Fan", "Japanese", or "Manchu"
Add "comparable."
Dongfan was just around the corner, but the court turned a blind eye. The Japanese barbarians were seeking profit and business, so the court took strict precautions and even wanted to rectify the maritime ban. However, Manlajia was attacked and destroyed by the Haiyi Franji people. When the court found out, it only took in the fugitives.
Manla
The royal family of Jiajia expelled the Franji people who were involved in the tribute trade of the Lajia people, and did not have any intention of sending troops. But once the Jurchens in Jianzhou were unstable, they would rather spend millions of taels of silver than send out an army.
Packed up…
Starting from the Zhengtong period, the Ming court had special instructions to deal with the tributes of various Jurchen tribes. First of all, "If it is a side report, it will be allowed to come to the court regardless of the time." This is a clear political principle, as long as it is
The Jurchen tribes who are willing to pay tribute will accept it in principle, and they will have the green light politically.
Then, "Other matters such as tribute and official duties can be paid once a year or once every three years without frequency." This is the prescribed tribute process. The ministries in Haixi and Jianzhou are close to each other, so they can pay tribute once a year. Savage
The Jurchens are far away, so they pay tribute once every three years. The subtext of "does not need to be frequent" is that for the court, the tributes of various Jurchen tribes are a loss-making business and a means of spending money to appease. Don't pay too many tributes, just as little as possible.
The money of the imperial court is also money.
Finally, "He has the physiology of trading, and he does not need to come to Beijing to trade with the Liaodong Kaiyuan." This is the specific handling regulations. The imperial court also knew that various Jurchen tribes frequently came to pay tribute, one of them wanted to get some rewards, and the other just wanted to
Trade goods. Let them pay homage in the border town
In the tribute trade, the local specialties will be sent away after they are sold, and do not come to the capital of Shuntian Prefecture to "beg for food." This is to save money and trouble. When the tribute envoys come to the capital to pay tribute, they must see the emperor. For the sake of Ming Dynasty's dignity and the emperor's happiness,
There must be more rewards.
Moreover, every time an envoy from a foreign vassal came to Beijing, those with connections at various post and guard stations responsible for receiving them along the way would report a large sum of money for food and take the opportunity to write off their accounts. Those without connections were so poor that they could not even afford to pay dozens of dollars for the envoys.
It is easy for a team of hundreds of people to eat and drink
Let the barbarians cause trouble. During the Zhengtong years, there were several troubles caused by paying tribute to other countries... As for the poor Jurchen tribes who could afford to pay for their own food and drinks like the Korean envoys and never make trouble.
Obviously not among them.
"Holy Emperor! Pass through the territories of the Haixi tribes, go south from the Jilin Shipyard, and enter the Liaohe and Hun River basins. You will reach the real border of the Ming Dynasty, and reach the border wall that is thousands of miles long! The Ming Dynasty fortress around the border wall
, one after another, each one is surrounded by mountains and rivers, and is very dangerous and difficult to attack. It is an unbreakable border wall like the 'Jin'alin' white mountain range! There will never be a Jurchen tribe that can break in with force!
…”
Speaking of the solid defense of the Liaodong Border Wall, Ali, the chief of the Harman Tribe, was deeply moved, as if he was recalling the majestic Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains. In this era, the Liaodong Border Wall is indeed a group of fortresses that will never fall. It has never been powerful.
The Mongols have conquered it, not to mention the loose Jurchen tribes. The strength of Liaodong Town is also the first among the Nine-Border Army Towns, even surpassing Xuanfu and Datong in "mountains and rivers both inside and outside".
"As for Kaiyuan Guard, it is located about four hundred miles north of Liaoyang City, very close to the border pass. As long as you pass the continuous and solid Liaodong border wall, you can see it from Zhennan Pass at a glance. My previous five tributes, except for the first time
I went to Liaoyang and met with the commander-in-chief of Liaodong...the other four times,
They are all in the Kaiyuan Guard, and they are not allowed to 'peep in depth'. There are eunuchs at the Kaiyuan Guard who specialize in inspecting copper-seal tribute books and are responsible for tribute matters. On behalf of the great emperor, they accept the tributes from various ministries and reward them with two fine meals.
A banquet with drinks, and finally a return gift from the court..."
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "From the time of meeting the tribute to the return gift, it takes about ten and a half days in total, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. And this period of time is the only time each ministry can obtain permission.
It's time to trade within the border wall. There is a large market town in Kaiyuanwei, and there are many fur traders and horse traders with backgrounds... They will buy our goods at a 'high price' and let us exchange for a lot of grain, salt and
Cloth can even allow us to take away some iron tools!"
Talking about the prosperity of Kaiyuan Market, Harman Chief Ali showed longing on his face, and even his eyes revealed longing. That large market town with a population of tens of thousands has been the true chief of him, except for the military city of Liaoyang.
The most prosperous and wealthy place I have ever seen!
As for the legendary "capital city" where the great emperor is located, it is said that there are hundreds of thousands or millions of people. This city alone exceeds the combined population of all the Jurchen tribes in the Northeast! It was a place that he could not imagine, even if it appeared in his dream
It looks like there are only twenty Kaiyuan market towns connected together...
"Ali, can you buy ironware in the big market in Kaiyuan?"
"Well, there are a lot of ironware in Kaiyuan! Every household of the wealthy Han tribe there uses iron pots! It's just that it's difficult to bring ironware out of the border wall. Only tribes like us who pay tribute can take away some of it..."
"Praise the Lord God! Are there all kinds of craftsmen in the Kaiyuan Market? Including shipbuilders and blacksmiths?..."
"Of course! It was a big market town, and there were all kinds of craftsmen! However, many of them were military households of the guards, or were registered as craftsmen and belonged to the various guards of the Ming Dynasty, just like tribal people with tribal affiliations.
After the dismantling of the Jilin Shipyard, the original shipbuilders should have dispersed into various nearby guard stations. As for the blacksmiths, the best ones must be in Liaoyang City, where the best iron armor and iron knives are produced!…"
"!...Tribute...Trade...Artisan..."
After hearing these words, Zuvalo's eyes flashed and he was obviously thinking. After a while, he stood up, walked behind the altar, found something shiny, and walked back.
"Ali, take it and look at this!"
"Ah! This, this is? Is this?!..."
"That's right! This is your majesty...the gold that was favored by the great southern tribal alliance according to the great shaman's prophecy! How about this gold talisman, which weighs exactly one kilogram. If I bring ten pack horses, I can carry ten bags like this
gold to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty and Liaodong over there
…Then can I go to the capitals of twenty Kaiyuan, meet their divine emperors, and submit a certificate of credence for tribute? Then, I don’t want any reward, as long as their divine emperors give them
I just need a group of the best craftsmen!…”
"What!"
Seeing the heavy golden talisman of the main god flashing in his hand, Harman chief Ali was shocked, and his eyes showed desire. As a Mature Jurchen tribe who has paid tribute for generations, he certainly knows the value of gold, and he also knows this small piece of golden gold.
Things, how much valuable iron and cloth can be exchanged in Kaiyuan Market! Immediately afterwards, his head was in a trance, and he did not hear Zuvalo's next words at all, but only heard the incredible description.
"God! Ancestor! Shaman, you just said... how much gold? Ten... pieces?..."
"?...Ten yuan is enough for what? If one person carries it away, why do you need ten horses to carry it? I mean, ten bags! One straw bag is a hundred catties, ten bags are a thousand catties!..."
"Ten straw bags? A thousand catties? Gold?!"
"Yes! Is it enough? I can only take out so much now, and I still have to leave five hundred catties for trade with the east... If it's not enough, there will be more later..."