Chapter 1471 From Nurgan to Kaiyuan, a Six Thousand Mile Tribute Journey!

"Ali, in the spring of the year after tomorrow, it is the time when you, the Harman Guards, go to the Kaiyuan capital of the Liaodong vassal of the Ming Dynasty to pay tribute to the great emperor of the Divine Origin once every three years? How long is the tribute journey? 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 Three Guards. Guangning City. Liaoyang and Guangning are the two most important towns in Liaodong for the emperor. They are all garrisoned by tens of thousands of troops! As for the Divine Emperor, he lives in the most magnificent capital of Shuntian Prefecture, which is more than a thousand miles away from Liaodong Town and is as large as the tribute of the average Jurchen tribe! The envoy will not be able to see the great emperor. As for the specific tribute route, this is it. If we continue like this..."

In the collapsed temple, the shaman altar of the Jurchen tribe was enshrined. The emblem of the main god is like an eagle or a bird, and the misty smoke of the god is lingering. In front of the emblem and altar, an ancestral boar skin map with dense markings corresponds to 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. 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, 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 river 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 A hundred miles later, Fukuyama Guard could also spare twenty or thirty cavalry to join. Four hundred miles further south, the Hushi Gate Guards also had dozens of cavalry... Finally, 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. , 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 also 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 also 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 and only knew how to send Send out a small team of scouts to keep a lookout. The Haixi Jurchens are much richer than the barbarians, and there are more iron tools and cloths in the village. I don’t know how they got it from the south, or they secretly mined it and made it themselves. They are also worried that we, a bunch of 'bitter savages', will come to rob their wealthy village..."

Speaking of this, Harman Chief Ali smiled bitterly. Although they considered themselves to be the "Downstream Guards" loyal to the emperor and "Chinese mature Jurchens", the various tribes in the Hercynian region still regarded these poor northern tribes as "barbaric savage Jurchens", and even It's "an imposter tribe of savages."

"Ali! According to what you said, each 'Weishuo tribe' will bring some familiar tribes with them. And along the tribute route, new 'Weisuo tribes' will continue to join... In this case, we The Maha tribe has a copper seal in their hands, and they joined it in the name of the 'Manjing Guards', and 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 was surprised and his eyes were filled with joy. Since the other party plans to go south to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty and conduct trade, he must be the one who leads the way as the "Ha'er Barbarian Guard Commander and Envoy" inherited from generations. 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, although one more tribe name that pays tribute, can get one more reward from the court. But the identity of 'Commander of the Manjing Guard' is still too sensitive! 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 return of the 'Manjing Guard' to pay tribute 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 It is extremely important, and has even been awarded the title of "du commander and envoy Tongzhi" many times, 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 are cleared up in advance. …”

As he spoke, Harman Chief Ali pressed his heart, the joy on his face gradually changed, and his brows also wrinkled. Zu Shaman didn't know the customs of Ming Dynasty officials. As long as some things didn't attract attention, no matter how they were done, it would be fine. And once it attracts people's attention and is weighed publicly on a scale, it will cause big trouble!

"Zu Shaman, you can send the tribe's men 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 invaded by savages 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 copper seal to receive an extra copy The reward... is not much, but fortunately no one came to check it. The eunuchs in charge of paying tribute may see it. But they don't care about the fraction of the reward...because every time a tribute reward is given, they can also benefit from it. If we tribes are wise, they can also give them some kickbacks. Say hello and let us take away some of the most valuable ironware..."

Ali, the chief of Harman, tried his best to describe and explain to Zuwaro, a "savage shaman" who "knew nothing about the Ming Dynasty", the Ming Dynasty's tribute system and the complex factional groups within Liaodong Town.

Among them 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 ones are the powerful "civilian priests". Although, under normal circumstances, 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 someone else and coming to defraud tribute are indeed common in the guards in the North. The Ming court's attitude towards the Jurchen tribes in the Northeast, especially the Jurchen savages from the outer Northeast, who came to pay tribute, has always been "turn a blind eye", which is much more relaxed than the tribute to the overseas vassals in the Southeast!

You must know that the northeast where the Jurchen tribes are located is the right arm of the empire, and it is too close to the heart of the empire in Shuntian Prefecture. In the north, there is also the threat of the "life and death enemy" Mongolia. Once the Jurchen tribes are attracted by the Mongols and attacked from both sides, it will become a nightmare for the empire!

This makes the Ming Dynasty, with the North 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" can be compared.

Dongfan is close at hand, but the court turns a blind eye. As the Japanese barbarians pursued profit and business, the imperial court took strict precautions and even ordered to rectify the maritime ban. And Manlajia was attacked and destroyed by the Haiyi Franji people. When the court found out, it only took in the fleeing Manlajia royal family and expelled the Franji people who were trying to pay tribute and trade with the Manlajia people. It had no intention of sending troops. . But once the Jurchens in Jianzhou become unstable, they would rather spend millions of taels of silver or send out an army to deal with it...

Since the Zhengtong period, the Ming court has issued special instructions for paying tribute to various Jurchen tribes. First of all, "If you are reporting from the side, let them come to court regardless of the time or month." This is a clear political principle. As long as the Jurchen tribe is willing to pay tribute, it will be accepted in principle, and the political green light will be given.

Then, "Other matters such as tribute and official duties can only be done once a year or once every three years, so they don't have to be frequent." This is the prescribed tribute process. The ministries in Haixi and Jianzhou are close to each other and can pay tribute once a year. The Savage Jurchens are far away and can pay tribute once every three years. The subtext of "no need to frequent" is that the tribute paid by various Jurchen tribes is a loss-making business for the court, and it is a costly appeasement. Don't pay too many tributes, pay as little as possible. The court's money is also money.

Finally, "He has the mentality of market trading, and he does not need to come to Beijing to trade with Liaodong Kaiyuan." This is the specific working regulations. The imperial court also knew that Jurchen tribes frequently came to pay tribute. One wanted to get some rewards, and the other wanted to trade goods. Let them pay tribute and trade in the border towns and send them away as soon as the local specialties are sold. They should not come to the capital of Shuntian Prefecture to "beg for food." This is to save money and trouble. When the tribute envoy comes to the capital to pay tribute, he must meet the emperor. For the sake of Ming Dynasty's dignity and the emperor's happiness, more rewards must be given.

Moreover, every time an envoy from a foreign vassal came to Beijing, those with connections at the post and guard stations responsible for receiving them along the way would report a large amount of money and food, and take the opportunity to write off their accounts. Those who had no means were so poor that they could not even provide food and drink for the envoy's team of dozens or hundreds of people, which easily caused trouble for the barbarians. During the Zhengtong years, there were several troubles caused by paying tribute to foreign countries... As for those who could afford to pay for their own food and drinks like the Korean envoys, and never caused trouble, they were only a few after all. The poor Jurchen tribes are obviously not among them.

"Holy Emperor! After passing through the territories of the Haixi tribes, heading south from the Jilin Shipyard and entering the Liaohe and Hunhe River basins, we reached the real border of the Ming Dynasty, and the border wall that stretched for thousands of miles! The Ming forts around the wall were one after another, each surrounded by mountains and rivers, and difficult to attack. It was an impenetrable border wall like the white mountains of 'Jin'alin'! It would never be possible for the Jurchen tribe to break in by force!..."

Speaking of the solidity of the Liaodong border wall, Ali, the chieftain of the Harman tribe, was deeply moved, as if he recalled the majestic Greater and Lesser Khingan Mountains. In this era, the Liaodong border wall was indeed an impenetrable fortress group that had never been breached by the powerful Mongols, let alone the loose Jurchen tribes. The solidity of Liaodong Town was also the best among the nine border military towns, even surpassing Xuanfu and Datong, which were "mountains and rivers".

"As for Kaiyuan Guard, it is located about 400 miles north of Liaoyang City, very close to the border. As long as you pass the continuous and solid Liaodong Border Wall, you can see it from Zhennan Pass. In my previous five tributes, except for the first time I went to Liaoyang and met the Liaodong General... the other four times were all in Kaiyuan Guard, and no "deep spying" was allowed. In Kaiyuan Guard, there are eunuchs who are responsible for checking the copper seal tribute books and handling tribute affairs. On behalf of the great emperor, they accept the tributes from various tribes, reward two meals of the best banquets and wine, and finally give the court a return gift. …”

“From the audience to the tribute to the gift in return, it takes about ten days and a half months in total, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. And this period of time is the only time when the tribes can obtain permission to trade within the border wall. There is a big market town in Kaiyuanwei, and there are many fur merchants and horse merchants with backgrounds... They will buy our goods at a "high price" and let us exchange them for a lot of food, salt and cloth, and even let us take away some ironware!"

Speaking of the prosperity of the Kaiyuan market, the Harman chieftain Ali showed longing, and even his eyes showed desire. That big market town with a population of tens of thousands is already the most prosperous and affluent place that he, a familiar Jurchen chieftain, has ever seen in his life, except for the Liaoyang military city!

As for the "capital" where the legendary emperor is located, it is said that there are hundreds of thousands to millions of people. The population of this city alone exceeds the total population of the various Jurchen tribes in the northeast! That was a place he could never imagine. Even in his dream, it was just twenty Kaiyuan towns connected together...

"Ali, can you buy ironware in the big market in Kaiyuan?"

"Yes, there are a lot of ironware in Kaiyuan! Every household in the wealthy Han tribes there uses iron pots! But it's hard to take ironware out of the border wall. Only our tributary tribes can take some away..."

"Praise the Lord! Are there all kinds of craftsmen in the Kaiyuan big market? Including shipbuilding and ironworking?..."

" Of course! It was a big market town with all kinds of craftsmen! However, many of them were military households of the garrisons, or in the arsenal of craftsmen, belonging to the various garrisons of the Ming Dynasty, just like tribesmen belonging to tribes. After the closure of the Jilin Shipyard, the original shipbuilding craftsmen should have dispersed to the various garrisons nearby. As for the blacksmiths, the best ones must be in Liaoyang City, where the best iron armor and iron knives are produced! …”

“! … Tribute… Trade… Craftsmen…”

Hearing these words, Zuvaro’s eyes flashed, and he was obviously thinking. After a long while, he stood up, walked behind the altar, took out something shiny, and walked back.

"Ali, take this and look at it!"

"Ah! This, this is? Could this be?!..."

"Yes! This is the gold that the Southern Tribal Alliance loves most in the prophecy of His Majesty the Great Shaman! How about this golden talisman, it weighs exactly one pound. If I take ten pack horses, carry ten bags of gold like this, and go to Liaodong, the Ming Dynasty over there to pay tribute...then can I go to the capitals of twenty Kaiyuan, meet their great emperors of the Gods, and submit a letter of tribute? Then, I don't want any rewards, just let their great emperors of the Gods give me a group of the best craftsmen!..."

"What!"

Seeing the heavy and shining golden talisman of the main god in his hand, Ali, the chief of the Harman, was shocked and his eyes showed desire. As a member of the Jurchen tribe that has been paying tribute for generations, he certainly knows the value of gold, and also knows how much valuable ironware and cloth this small piece of golden thing can be exchanged for in the Kaiyuan market! Then, his head was in a trance, and he didn't hear what Zuwaro said at all, but only heard the incredible description.

"God! Ancestor! Ancestor Shaman, you just said... how much gold? Ten... pieces?..."

"?... What can ten pieces do? One person can carry it away, do we need ten horses to carry it? I mean, ten bags! One straw bag weighs one hundred jin, ten bags weigh one thousand jin!..."

"Ten straw bags? One thousand jin? Gold?!"

"Yes! Is it enough? I can only take out this much now, and I have to keep 500 jin for trade in the east... If it's not enough, there are more later..."

"!!..."