I

To the west of Nerchinsk, more than a dozen small boats went down the river.

"Hush!"

Suddenly a copper whistle sounded in the forest, three short and two long, followed by two long and one short. Hearing the whistle, the boats stopped at the shore, and soon a scout came.

Chen Yutai saluted the friendly troops who had landed and said: "Chen Yutai, a staff sergeant at the reconnaissance post in Yaksa of the Anton Protectorate in the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Regiment of the 2nd Brigade of the 14th Division of the Datong Army, may I ask which department you belong to, sir?"

The officer who came by boat was named Yue An. After announcing his home address, he said, "We came from the grassland. Have we finished fighting Nerchinsk?"

"We just captured it two days ago and are currently resting and preparing to attack Chita." Chen Yutai asked, "How is the war in Mobei?"

Yue An said: "The Mobei Mongols have suffered from civil strife in the past few years and are already very weak. When our Datong Army arrived, the Mongols did not engage in the battle at all. They led us around in detours for two full months. I can't even touch a single hair. I'm sure there are no Mongols in the east, so the superiors asked me to come and take a look and ask you if you need reinforcements here."

In northern Mongolia, there is a large desert Gobi belt. The habitable areas are divided into three parts: the west, the middle and the east.

In the eastern part, with Hulun Lake as the center, there are many grasslands, especially Hulunbuir Grassland, which is the most fertile. There are also a large number of mountain pastures. Depending on the height of the mountain, the grass growth period is different, and Mongolian herdsmen carry out seasonal nomadic herding.

This area directly threatens Northeast China. Genghis Khan relied on this area to attack the Jin Kingdom. You don’t have to worry about other parts of Mobei, but Hulunbuir Grassland must be captured. If you occupy Hulunbuir Grassland, the Northeast will be stable.

Yue'an came along the Enen River. After passing through the mountain pass, he was only a hundred miles away from Nerchinsk.

In other words, if there is a rebellion in Hulunbuir in the future, Nerchinsk can also send troops. Follow the river for more than a hundred miles, cross the mountain pass and take the Enen River. There are mostly mountainous grasslands along the way, and you can reach the north of Hulun Lake. Similarly, if there is chaos in Nerchinsk, Hulunbuir Grassland can also send troops.

Li Zheng rested for two days at Nerchinsk, and then sent 500 troops to attack Chita.

Due to time constraints, capturing Chita this year is already the limit because supplies will not be available after winter.

Not all the prisoners of war from the enemy's reinforcements were killed, but ten Cossacks and servants each remained. While tortured, he told them that the two people with the most accurate intelligence would be spared death and would serve as guides for the Datong Army from now on.

After repeated torture, a few stubborn ones just wanted a quick death, while most just said whatever was asked.

Since they all went to support Nerchinsk, there were only 20 Cossacks and 30 indigenous servants left in Chita, and the rest were all women and children.

The waterway of more than 400 miles can be reached in less than ten days.

Chita is obviously better than Nerchinsk. It only has a solitary castle, and there is no mother-child castle design. The city wall is shorter and thinner, but the area is also larger. The Cossacks established this as a stronghold earlier.

When Li Zheng arrived here, he immediately couldn't laugh or cry. Chita was already surrounded.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

Hundreds of Buryat Mongolian cavalry saw the fleet of the Datong Army and rushed over in panic, ready to fight at any time from a distance.

"Who can speak Mongolian?" Li Zheng asked.

Yue An, who came from the grassland, said, "Li Duhu, I can tell you something."

Li Zheng said: "You go and negotiate."

Yue An removed his weapons and after landing, he raised his hands to show that he had no ill intentions.

A Mongolian nobleman rode forward and said, "I am Tai Jiharabin of the Balahu tribe. Are you the legendary Datong Army?"

Buryat language is a branch of Mongolian. Although communication is slightly difficult, the basic meaning can still be understood.

Yue An said: "The abominable Rakshasa ghosts invaded the territory of the Celestial Dynasty and killed the people of the Celestial Dynasty. The Emperor of China was angry and sent troops to conquer. Nerchinsk has been captured by our army. We were also invaded by the Rakshasa ghosts. We have the same enemies, so we should be friends."

Harabin asked in surprise: "You conquered Nerchinsk? Did the Rakshasa ghost there escape?"

Yue An said: "All the Rakshasa ghosts have been killed."

"Great!" Harabin was delighted.

Yue An continued: "You used to be a Mongolian subsidiary of the Tuxie Tube. The Tuxie Tube has long been defeated by the Chinese Empire. From now on, you should submit to His Majesty the Emperor of the Chinese Emperor. As long as you surrender, the Chinese army will protect your safety."

Harabin was quite vigilant and asked: "Will the Celestial Empire invade our pastures and plunder our herdsmen like the Rakshasa ghosts?"

Yue An smiled and said: "The Celestial Empire will occupy several Rakshasa ghost castles and station some soldiers. This is to prevent the Rakshasa ghosts from counterattacking. If the land around the castle is suitable for cultivation, we will occupy part of it, and the rest of the pasture will remain Belongs to the Mongols. Your Majesty has decided to set up the Beihai Protectorate here, and divide the various Mongolian tribes into multiple protectors. If you cannot inherit the tribe, you can take some of the tribesmen to move north and multiply in the pastures previously occupied by the Rakshasa ghosts. Your Excellency will be appointed as the Protector by the Celestial Empire."

"Do I need to pay taxes?" Harrabin asked again.

Yue An said: "There is no need to pay taxes, but horses must be tributed to the Beihai Protectorate every year. Don't worry, there are not many horses that need tribute, and we will bring salt, iron pots, cotton cloth and other supplies to the Beihai Protectorate. The land was traded freely. With these items, the Mongolians could live better."

Harabin said: "This is a big deal. I need to go back and report to my father."

"Of course, you can discuss it." Yue An smiled.

Harabin rode forward to greet Li Zheng, knelt on one knee and said: "Balahu tribe Taiji Harabin, pay homage to the general of the Celestial Dynasty!"

"Please get up quickly!"

Li Zheng helped the Taiji up with his own hands and praised: "What a young hero. He must be the strongest warrior among the Buryat people."

Yue An was translating next to him, making Harbin happy.

In fact, he is already in his twenties, and has experienced the hardships of the North. He looks like he is in his thirties or forties. How can he be related to the young hero?

Li Zheng waved for a flintlock musket, which also came with two packs of ammunition: "A sword is given to a hero. Seeing such a heroic Mongolian man like you, how could you not bring a gift that suits your status? I will give you this fire blunderbuss." friend!"

Harabin took the musket, couldn't put it down, and stroked it repeatedly.

Of course he has seen the power of muskets, and now that he owns one, he feels instantly happy. He feels that the Chinese are friendly enough and give gifts as soon as they come, unlike Rakshasa ghosts who only know how to plunder.

Moreover, Harabin has three brothers, and he ranks as the second eldest. Yue An's words had already moved his heart. After driving away the Rakshasa ghosts, he took some of his tribe members to move north and have their own pasture to thrive. Isn't it better than staying in the Balahu tribe?

For the Mobei and Lake Baikal regions, it is nothing more than setting up a protective palace.

The Datong army garrisoned important cities and organized the Mongols into various guardians. It ruled in many aspects through military, political, economic and religious aspects, and ministries were not allowed to annex each other. Anyone who dared to annex other people's pastures was a public enemy.

Basically, it was based on how the Manchu Qing Dynasty ruled Mongolia, but there were no Mongolian princes, only large and small Mongolian guards.

"Ta-ta-ta-ta!"

A Mongolian cavalry rushed over and shouted: "Taiji, the Rakshasa ghost is trying to escape!"

"Chase!"

Harabin got on his horse and, without even bothering to talk to Li Zheng, led his men to catch up.

The Datong army did not bring horses, and Li Zheng could not catch up, so he led his soldiers to take over the castle.

However, hundreds of Buryat Mongolian cavalry besieged Chita City for more than half a month. There were only 20 Cossacks and 30 servants in the city, but they repelled the Mongolian attacks many times. These Mongolians suffered more than 80 casualties under the city.

The Cossacks who defended the city did not take it seriously when faced with the siege of the Mongols.

Now the Datong Army is here. Although they only send 500 troops, they also bring artillery. As soon as the Cossack defenders saw the artillery landing, they knew that Nerchinsk had been lost. How could they dare to hold on? Just ride on horseback and run away.

Hundreds of Mongolian cavalry chased fifty enemy troops in pursuit.

The Cossacks and servants all had war horses. While running away, they turned around and fired arrows. Several Mongolian cavalry fell from their horses one after another.

The archers could continue, but the muskets could not be loaded while escaping on horseback.

Chita is surrounded by mountains and there is not much flat area.

The Cossacks and servants rode on war horses and could only escape from the narrow river bank. After running for several miles, there was a reed swamp in front of them, so they could only ride their horses and turn into the valley.

In the end, they abandoned their horses and walked on foot, fighting in the dense mountain forest.

After half a day, Harabin returned covered in blood. In this pursuit, his men suffered nearly a hundred casualties, all caused by cold shots fired by Cossacks in the forest. However, as a result of his battle, he only killed 8 Cossacks, 11 indigenous servants, and captured a few. The remaining enemies all ran away.

Seeing Li Zheng again, Harabin felt his face was dull and asked: "General, the Rakshasa ghost's fire blunderbuss is very powerful. Can I exchange my horse for the fire blunderbuss? It will be easier to deal with them if I encounter them in the future."

Li Zheng consoled him: "Although there are more than ten Rakshasa ghosts running away, they have lost their war horses and have no boats. I think not many of them can leave the mountain alive. As for the exchange of war horses for fire guns, I have to ask my superiors, the Datong Army, for instructions." Commanders cannot dispose of ordnance at will."

Harrabin was a straight man, but he didn't notice that Li was perfunctory, and said excitedly: "The price is easy to negotiate, how about ten horses for one blunderbuss?"

"I'll go back and ask for instructions." Li Zheng said with a smile.

It's certainly possible to exchange ten horses for one gunpowder, as long as the gunpowder is stuck.

Without ammunition, a firecracker is just a fire stick.

In the Datong Army in the north, merchants can transport food and grass, but the ordnance is transported by themselves, and merchants are strictly prohibited from carrying any thermal weapons.

Historically, the Cossacks fought with Chukotka for hundreds of years. Primitive tribes like Chukotka even learned to smelt iron and use muskets and artillery during the war, but they never learned how to make gunpowder.

Harabin left with a bag of refined salt, which was a gift from Li Zheng to the chief of the Balahu clan.

The Datong army drove away the Cossacks, and the news quickly spread throughout the entire Balahu tribe, and the patriarch came to see him in person with his son. After some exchanges, the Balahu tribe was willing to surrender to the emperor of China.

Tribes farther west also gradually heard the news, and in preparation for the snow melting in the coming spring, they came to Chita to request the Datong Army to send troops.

As long as they can drive away the Rakshasa ghosts, they are willing to take the lead in attacking the city and be loyal to the emperor from generation to generation!