readsfreenovel Chapter 528 Mongolian Issue
Chapter 528 Mongolian Issue
During the Chongzhen period, a small-scale pioneering team from the Rakshasa Kingdom had already arrived in the Outer Northeast region and established several strongholds.
By now, the Russians have established many fortresses and strongholds in the Far East, including Yakutsk, Bratsk, Barguzin, Kimosk, Butarisk, Okhotsk, etc., but these places are still extremely cold.
Fort Okhotsk was just built a few years ago, and its completion marked that Russia had opened up the entire Siberia and that it had come into contact with the Pacific Ocean for the first time.
The Stroganov family was the family responsible for conquering the entire Siberia. This family coveted the warmer south. At that time, the Qing government had not yet completely weakened. Therefore, after several battles with the Qing army, the Stroganov family temporarily stopped their move south and instead consolidated their foundation, accumulated strength, and established the Nerchinsk Fortress.
By now, the Stroganov family was able to muster an army of 800 men, as well as a Cossack cavalry of more than 700 men.
Stroganov, Duke Bogdan, learned from some scattered news that the Qing Dynasty, which controlled the East, had been completely weakened and defeated by a country further south.
Bogdan realized that this news was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for them. He wanted to take advantage of the Qing Dynasty's weakness to send troops to conquer the Heilongjiang River Basin and destroy all the tribes that were unwilling to surrender. It was warmer there and more suitable for survival.
In recent years, the Qing court focused its main energy on the interior of the country. First, it fought against the Ming court, then the various forces in the south, and finally Meng Jun, the Qing court's lifelong enemy. Therefore, it adopted a strategy of turning a blind eye to the expansion of Russia in the Far East. The Qing court hoped to drive the Russians away after completely controlling the interior of the country.
Unfortunately, things went against their wishes. The Qing government suffered several defeats and had never recovered since the Battle of Huguang. Its power had gradually weakened and it had no energy to take care of things further north.
Bogdan led a team of Cossack cavalry and had just plundered a small tribe. Bogdan ordered his men to set all the thatched houses on fire.
Bogdan mounted his horse and was about to leave with his men when a Rakshasa officer came over with the leader of the Wild Jurchen tribe who had defected to the Rakshasa.
"Your Excellency, we have received the latest news that the Qian people in the south have already breached the capital of the Qing Dynasty. It can be said that the Qing Dynasty has perished!"
Bogdan was overjoyed when he heard this, and an excited expression appeared on his face. They had not dared to go south because they did not dare to provoke the Qing army easily. After all, they came from the far west, and there was a huge gap in manpower and material resources between them and the Qing Dynasty. Moreover, Luosha had also fought with the Qing army and knew that it was a country, not an uncivilized tribe.
Now that he has heard the news of the fall of the Qing Dynasty, it is the best time for Bogdan to go south. He had just received news of the decline of the Qing Dynasty a few days ago, but he did not expect that the Qing Dynasty would fall so soon.
Bogdan laughed loudly, then ordered the troops to prepare to assemble. He would lead a large army south to take over the blank rule left after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
........................
Shenyang city.
Since Zhao Yongping conquered Shenyang, the subsequent impact of the Qing army's conquest of even the capital by Qian's army soon became apparent.
The Qian army took control of most of the Qing Dynasty's territory outside the Great Wall with almost no effort. By the time Meng Jun arrived in Shenyang, the core areas of the Qing Dynasty had all been controlled by the Qian Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty was left with only the city of Hetuala and the vast mountainous areas around it.
Shenyang used to be a big city in Liaodong with a large population. However, after Nurhaci conquered Shenyang, the original Liao people were either killed, taken captive to various banners as slaves, or fled Liaodong.
Now that Zhao Yongping has conquered Shenyang, the Eight Banners and their families in the city have already evacuated. The small number of people left in the city have suffered heavy casualties due to the fierce war.
It can be said that there is nothing in Shenyang City now. The streets are empty and all businesses are depressed. Fortunately, the Liaoxi Corridor is unobstructed and the Qian Army can also transport supplies from the sea.
Meng Jun came to the Shengjing Palace and took a rough look at the palace. Compared with the capital and the Jinling Palace, it was far different in both scale and architecture. (The current Shenyang Palace was built over many years from Kangxi to Qianlong)
Meng Jun looked at it for a while and felt that it was boring. It would be better to live in the army instead of here, where he would feel more at ease. Just when Meng Jun was about to leave the palace, Zhao Yongping told Meng Jun an interesting story.
That is, some Jurchen tribes in the north who surrendered to the Qian Dynasty said that the Rakshasas had appeared in the Longjiang River Basin and were cruelly ruling some tribes.
"Rakshasa..." Meng Jun frowned and pronounced the word unconsciously. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, he had fought a battle with the Rakshasa in Nerchinsk. Meng Jun knew that since the Qian Dynasty replaced the Qing Dynasty, he would inevitably have a battle with the Rakshasa in the future.
At this time, Meng Jun asked: "Are you ready for the meeting with the Mongolian tribes south of the desert?"
Zhao Yongping said: "Your Majesty, everything is ready. Three days later, outside the city of Shenyang, the leaders of all tribes will meet your Majesty together."
After Zhao Yongping finished speaking, he said hesitantly, "Your Majesty, the Mongolian issue has been difficult to resolve in every dynasty. Do you have any good ideas?"
"Now that the Qing Dynasty has been destroyed, do the Mongolian tribes still dare to rebel against our dynasty?" Meng Jun was a little surprised when he heard this. He felt that now that the Qing Dynasty had been destroyed, which stubborn tribe would dare to challenge him.
Zhao Yongping replied: "Your Majesty, even if we can make them surrender now, as time goes by, if we cannot curb the annexation of the grasslands, sooner or later, a unified tribe will appear on the grasslands. At that time, it will inevitably threaten the Central Plains again! Moreover, in all dynasties, there has been almost no real control of the grasslands."
The Han Dynasty defeated the Huns, and the Huns moved westward. Later, the Xianbei rose, followed by the Rouran, and then the Turks. The Tang Dynasty defeated the Turks, the Uighurs, and the Khitan rose again, and finally the Mongol Empire. This shows that the Central Plains was not incapable of defeating the grasslands, but it was difficult to effectively control the grasslands.
Meng Jun took a deep breath, laughed, and said, "On the grassland, the weak are the prey of the strong, and people fear power but not virtue. During this meeting, I want to review all the armies!"
The Qing Dynasty's control over Mongolia was undoubtedly successful, and many of its measures are worth learning from for Meng Jun.
Using force to suppress them would certainly stop the Mongolian tribes from having any thoughts of rebellion within a short period of time, but this could only be curbed in the short term. Meng Jun was prepared to allow the opening of border markets, give benefits to the Mongolian tribes, and stipulate that the sons of the leaders of the Mongolian tribes must go to the Qian Dynasty to study. At the same time, envoys must be stationed in each tribe to mediate the conflicts among the tribes, and he would never allow another powerful tribe to appear.