Chapter 1476: Apart from gold, what else is valuable in the Northeast?
"Ali, how far is it from Nuergan to Harbin? How to get there faster? By horseback or by boat?"
"Witness the Lord God of Blood Eyes! Starting from Nuergan, we go to the Fuyuwei tribes, which is about three to four thousand miles! First, we go south for two thousand miles, passing through the territory of the barbarian tribes, to the mouth of the Wusuli River. Then we go west-south
, travel one or two thousand miles, passing through the territories of various Haixi Jurchen tribes, before you can reach Harbin in the upper reaches of the Songhua River..."
Harman Chief Ali stretched out his finger and drew a vertical line and a horizontal line on the ancient wild boar skin map. The "vertical" means two thousand miles to the south, and the "horizontal" means more than a thousand miles to the west, all along the
Big river.
In this era, the vast inner and outer Northeast was covered by a deep and endless forest sea. There were mountains in the high places and dense swamps in the low places. Only large rivers and rivers were the roads that could pass through all parts of the Northeast. This does not just mean that rivers
Boats can be sailed on the river, but the area along the river beach is relatively open and flat, making it easier to walk. The riverside has a wide view and is safer to travel. In spring, summer and autumn, you can walk on horseback, and you can also use dog sleds and sledges in winter.
"Zu Shaman! The three or four thousand miles we traveled to buy horses are actually the same journey we took when we went south to pay tribute. Most of them overlap. If we ride horses, we can walk a hundred miles a day along the river beach. Even if we want to be steady
If you go slower, you can only walk eighty miles a day, and you can see the herds of Fuyu in just forty or fifty days!…"
"And if you go along the river, rowing against the current will be slower. I'm afraid you can only row forty miles in a day. You have to leave enough strength to prepare for accidents. Even if you go faster, it will take more than two months to row fifty or sixty miles in a day. However,
When the time comes to return down the river, rowing can cover eighty or even one hundred miles a day, and it takes less effort than riding a horse and is much more comfortable!…”
Speaking of this, Harman Chief Ali paused for a moment, thought about it, and then shook his head.
"No! If you go to Fuyuwei to buy horses, you can't just buy a few dozen. If you are tinkering around in a small way, it is better to go to the west to find those 'folks in the forest' and get closer... If you want to buy, it must be one.
One hundred horses, two hundred horses and more! There are so many horses that can’t be loaded on the boat, and the horses won’t stay still... We can only go on horseback, and then bring back two or three horses per person!…”
"Blessed by our ancestors! When we went there, we were all a group of poor people with hammers and bows. The tribes along the way, whether they were savages or Haixi Jurchens, had no intention of doing anything. But on the way back, there were people with eye-catching
The horses are not that safe anymore! In my opinion, we still have to gather two hundred cavalry to bring back two hundred mountain horses. Try to choose tall horses..."
"In addition, we have to pass through the territory of various Haixi tribes. It is best to find a familiar and trustworthy chief to meet us. It is best to bring some goods out and buy something to pass by... What? Are there any familiar chiefs?
Hmm... I must recognize someone, but the relationship is not that close, and I can't stand the temptation of large sums of money. It's best to go
Yi'ergu Liwei, please recruit their chief Shaguda to join the group! Shaguda and I have participated in three tribute tributes together, and our ancestors have also communicated with each other, so we can trust them! They are close to the Haixi tribes, and have intermarryed for generations. They can almost be regarded as Haixi
A branch of various tribes. They must have familiar connections to ensure safety and security..."
"Blessed by the Lord God! A journey of three to four thousand miles on horseback? One trip took more than forty days, and the round trip only took three months? With the horse, the speed of movement is really amazing... Lord God! What did you say? Once
Buy a full two hundred horses?!..."
Zuwaro's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard the horse buying plan given by the chief's apprentice Ali. There were two hundred horses at a time, and they were all big Jurchen horses, not small ponies like Kazuto! It only cost three or four
Yue, for this big business, the kingdom’s horses are enough, there is no need to buy any more horses from Kazuto! But soon, he frowned again and asked.
"Ali, you just said that... for the sake of safety and security, you want to go to Yi'erguliwei to recruit the Jurchen chiefs there to join the group, and find the Haixi Jurchen chiefs to support you?..."
"That's right! It is estimated that it will take us two months to travel back and forth across the borders of the Haixi tribes. It is impossible to hide this from the tribes! And the team of hundreds of horses will definitely attract the attention of the tribes and even attract the attention of the tribes.
The cavalry scouts are coming to follow. Over the years, the various tribes have been fighting with the savage tribes from the north and south, and they have long been like vigilant weasels... You must have a familiar chief as a guarantee to say hello in advance!..."
"Oh! That's it!... Haixi Jurchen? The Haixi tribes are spying..."
Hearing this, Zuvalo's eyes flashed, and he was somewhat hesitant about the suggestion of recruiting the "Hainian Jurchen" to join the team. He had just heard the excitement of the two hundred horses, and he felt as if he had been poured cold water on him.
Became calmer.
Until the kingdom's headquarters is strong enough, Zuwaro will remain cautious about cooperating with other southern Jurchen tribes. He needs careful contact, preferably through the marriage of important figures, to establish mutual trust between tribes. After all,
Although he has a lot of gold in his hands, the strength of his headquarters is only so little. What if he encounters the prying eyes of the Haixi Jurchen, or encounters an ambush by a coalition of tribes... How can he be worthy of the brothers who have followed him across the sea for thousands of miles, and can he be worthy of giving him heavy responsibility and support?
Your Majesty?
"Well, Ali, you just said... Only when you buy a large number of horses, you need to go to the powerful Fu Yuwei. If you buy dozens of horses, why not go to the 'forest people'? What is this 'forest people'
Where is our tribe? How far away are we?…”
"Huh? Instead of going to Fuyuwei, go to the 'forest people' to buy horses instead?..."
Hearing this, the Harman chief Ali was startled. He didn't understand why Zu Shaman suddenly changed his mind. But he had no decision-making power and could only follow Zuvaro's orders. So Ali once again, on the map
Draw a long line heading west, and then draw a red circle somewhere on the river.
"Dear Ancestor Shaman! The people in the forest, that is, the Wuliangha Ten Thousand Households, are just west of Nuergan... If you want to go, you must first go west along the Hengu River, and then turn to the tributary of the Jingqili River (
Selemdya River), all the way to the west-south, about 2,000 miles
After many miles, we arrived at Hun Tong Dajiang! We passed directly through the Haixi tribes and reached the middle reaches of the river, which is the location of the red circle, 'Harabao' (Hailan Pao). There are many elm forests and many deer there.
They come in groups, which attracts many safari groups..."
"God bless you! As long as you pass Harapor and go to the upper reaches of the west side of the river, you may encounter forest people grazing on horseback at any time. Their tribes are very small, mostly only one or two hundred people.
Herds of horses, cattle, sheep or deer migrate erratically. And these tribes in the forest, especially those who rely on
Those near Harapor basically speak our tribal language and are half Jurchen and half Mongolian tribes. It’s just that they have more contact with the Mongolian tribes on the upper reaches of the river, so they are regarded as Mongolians. And further along the river
The river goes west, and it is said that it can reach the hinterland of Mongolia and reach the majestic Bogda Holy Mountain!..."
"Holy Mountain? Bogda Holy Mountain?"
When he heard the name of the Holy Mountain, Zuvalo, who was born in the plateau and worshiped the Holy Mountain, immediately became interested and wanted to see it with his own eyes. But when he asked again, he heard that there were tens of thousands of nomadic Mongolians under the Holy Mountain.
The tribe immediately shook their heads. He didn't know that the pasture around the sacred mountain would have another name in later generations, "Kulun", which means "fenced pasture". Later, "Kulun"
It became "Ulaanbaatar" again...
"Ali, Harapor is only two or three thousand miles away from us. There are no dangerous big tribes along the way. We can go back and forth every two months! When next spring comes, we will go west to find the people in the forest.
'Come back, buy some horses, cattle and sheep!..."
After a moment of consideration, Zuvalo made a decision. This vast northeastern land is too dangerous, so it is the safest way to deal with small tribes first and slowly strengthen yourself! However, with the forest to the west
In tribal trade, what kind of goods should be brought out?
"Ali, the tribe in the forest, do you recognize gold?..."
"Uh! Gold? This... ancestor shaman, these tribes in the forest are actually very similar to the savage tribes going south. They are very ignorant! Cough! Don't hit me! I didn't say the Maha tribe, I said the people in the forest... only
However, where the forest tribes live,
The forests are actually not as dense as here, and there are more contacts with the Mongolian tribes, so it is easy to get livestock. They have large and small forest pastures, suitable for grazing, so they only raise herds... So, gold is actually not useful to them.
What’s the use…”
"Oh? Since they don't want gold, what goods do they lack?"
"What is lacking? The ancestors witnessed! The tribes in the forest are just like the 'savages', they lack everything! They lack iron tools, they lack soldiers and armor, they lack food..."
"Well... we don't have many rich iron tools, let alone soldiers and armor. It's difficult to transport food..."
Zuvalo frowned and considered the trade goods he could get on hand. It would be best if they were light, easy to carry, and highly valuable in the eyes of the tribe...
"Priest Zuvalo! Do you still remember that when we sailed on the far north coast and the west coast, the most popular goods among the coastal tribes? The tribes in the forest here are actually in short supply!..."
"Huh?! You mean?!..."
Hearing this, Zuvalo's eyes moved and he looked at Priest Kui Huo. Priest Kui Huo nodded and took out a small bag from his arms. Then he stretched out his hand and pinched it lightly. The gray salt crystals were in the light of the holy fire.
Flash forward.
"Not bad! That's it! Salt!"
"Salt can be obtained cheaply and in large quantities from Kazuto!..."