New Shun 1730

When Liu Yu saw Mudanjiang, he really understood Jiaolaobutu's warning.

Standing on a hill by the river, looking sideways, the river and mountains are picturesque.

There are white snow, green pines, and trees that cannot be hugged by one person. Many of them were struck by lightning and fell on the ground, rotting into hills, making it difficult for vehicles and horses to pass.

There are many swamps on both sides of the river, with tower grass everywhere. The grass roots have been twisted for thousands of years, just like a pagoda, more than one person tall, and people walking on it are like dancing on a floating bridge. The gaps between the towers are swallowed by silt, and even roe deer do not come, let alone other people.

The river surface, like a jade belt, has become the best road.

The best is like water, which levels all things. In summer, the waves are surging and folding, and in winter, they condense into ice and are as flat as the imperial city road.

In terms of hardness, I am afraid that only the imperial road in the Forbidden City can compare with it.

This is just the source, and the river surface is not wide, about 100 meters.

There are dense willows on both sides of the river, interspersed with clusters of ash trees, and the fruits that fall in autumn are like pendants.

If there are really people ambushing on both sides of the river, the river is wide, the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light, it is indeed difficult to deal with.

There is no place to catch them, because there are no roads and there are woods everywhere.

Whether it is the local tribes or the nearby border troops, they are all local snakes and familiar with the terrain.

Even if there is snow, they still have a way to hide - jump on the big red pine that is more than one person thick, step on the connected branches and run away, and not even leave a footprint.

From here to Handoliwei, there are still four or five hundred miles. There is only one Ningguta village that was originally from the Later Jin Dynasty on the way. Now it has also become a post station, and there are not many people.

From here to the Yaksa City of the Solon Khanate, it is no less than the distance from here to the capital, and it is even more out of reach.

Let’s not talk about Yaksa, let’s talk about Ningguta. Someone once commented: Ningguta is the coldest place in the world. From the beginning of spring to mid-April, the strong wind is like thunder and lightning, and everything is dark. From May to July, it rains continuously. In mid-August, it snows heavily, and the river water freezes in early September. The snow turns into solid ice as soon as it reaches the ground, and the vast snow is seen for thousands of miles.

What’s more, some people say: People say that if you go to Ningguta, you won’t be afraid of ten Huangquan!

Liaodong has not been filled up yet, the land is vast and the population is sparse, and few people come to such a place.

During the chaos at the end of the Ming Dynasty, the Later Jin captured people from various tribes to enrich the population, and with the rampant smallpox, the land was already vast and the population was sparse.

On average, there are only one or two villages in tens of thousands of square kilometers of land, which is indeed a good place for the border army to "do a side job".

Think about it, under the feudal tribute system, the tribal leaders all have court officials, and the border army cannot rob the tribe’s skins like the Cossacks on the opposite side. If they want to make a fortune, they can only find smugglers.

Liu Yu couldn't stay in Handoliwei, at least he wouldn't go to Handoli City before he checked the castle closest to Handoliwei, for fear that someone would leak the news.

From here on, everything had to be done carefully.

The road was easy to walk on, and there was no need to cross mountains and ridges, just like the highways in later generations. Just follow the river, it was a smooth road, and the ice surface was like cement.

If you walk fast, it will take at most half a month to reach the first castle of the Russians, which the Russians called Stepansk, at the confluence of the Songhua River and the Heilongjiang River, about near Jiamusi in later generations.

In the 17th year of Chongzhen and the first year of Yongchang, there was a battle in Tongguan, and there was a Jurchen named Sharhuda on the battlefield.

Originally in history, not long after Li Zicheng died in Jiugongshan, this person was transferred to Ningguta, fought a battle with the Russians in Jiamusi, and killed the Cossack leader Stepanov.

But because of the change of history, after Li Guo's Jingxiang War, the Qing Dynasty was shaken, and the raging smallpox caused the continuous death of Qing generals. They could only intensify their efforts to capture more raw Jurchens from the north of the Songhua River as supplements, and had no time to take care of the north. Sharhuda also died in Xiangyang.

The battle next to Jiamusi did not take place. The Russians built a city there, named after the Cossack leader, which can be said to be the outpost of the Russian invasion to the south.

It was also a trading post of the Russian Kingdom in the Heilongjiang River Basin. Smugglers from Liaodong and North Korea, and tribes from all over the country would trade there. It was also the first stop for Liu Yu to investigate.

The Dashun border army certainly had bandit spirits, and the Cossacks of the Russians were also a hanger. They could stab their superiors to death for a few furs because of uneven distribution of spoils. Even the Cossacks who defected to the Russian Empire often looted Russian towns and even official ships - they were civilians when they entered, and bandits when they left.

In addition, there are deer hunting tribes in the surrounding mountains and forests, and the remnants of the Jurchens who have retreated to the tribal state. It can be said that they may be in danger all the way.

Seeing the possible dangers clearly, Liu Yu also had an idea in his mind.

"Brother Shu, I think we should rest here today. You take a few good hands to hunt some roe deer and the like. It is not only a snack, but also a firecracker to pay tribute to the mountain god and the river god, and bless us with peace and safety."

Jiao Laobutu smiled and said, "Are you trying to shock the tiger? That's right, we have a lot of people, unless it is the border army, ordinary tribes will not dare to attack us when they hear the gunshots. Okay, then you rest here, I will take a few brothers to fire a few shots, and also add some movement to the mountain god, so that he won't be lonely."

Jumping on the horse, he rushed down the mountain along the ridge like flying.

He took out his roe deer fur hat from the tent. This was prepared long ago. Some people were going to disguise themselves as deer hunting tribes to survey the terrain in the north.

Cut off the entire head of a roe deer, make sure it has horns, hollow out the bones and meat inside, and use black leather to sew fake eyes at the eyes.

It is said that their ancestors are only qualified to wear this kind of hat if they have shot a tiger to death. Jiao Laobutu may not have that ability with a bow and arrow, but he has killed a tiger with a large-caliber matchlock gun, which is considered a bit shameless. I made this hat, I wonder if it counts as cheating.

He shouted to a few veterans who were originally hunters, and went to the mountains and forests with guns.

By the river, the troops who had received the order to camp stopped and were busy setting up tents and digging ice to boil water. Liu Yu went down the mountain and found the carpenters accompanying the army. There were not only carpenters but also stonemasons in the team. In addition to the Yongning Temple stele, a new Yongning Temple inscription must be engraved and a small temple must be built.

"You know how to make an ice plow, right?"

The carpenters shook their heads, but then said: "Sir, you guys are not boasting, your craftsmanship is absolutely good. What the adults want to do, just say it. As long as the adults can say it, the villain can do it."

After looking at the calluses on the hands of these carpenters, I was convinced that what they said was true, so I gave a rough summary.

It's nothing more than finding two logs, removing the bark, making the ground smooth, and inserting the crossbars and shafts with tenons.

Three or four meters long, it is like a large cart, but it does not need wheels, but it is much easier to slide on the ice than a carriage without bearings and balls.

When he said this, the carpenters felt a little insulted and said with a smile: "What did I think it was? It turns out to be this thing. It's simple, and I understand what you said. But I don't know how many do you want?"

After counting the number of people, Liu Yu stretched out eight fingers.

"It's done. Don't worry, sir. It will be finished before tomorrow morning."

These carpenters took their tools and went to work. There was plenty of good wood nearby for them to use as they pleased.

Liu Yu took some more people to peel off the bark of the birch tree in the nearby woods. The bark of the birch tree is like white oil paper cloth, extremely tough, and will burst into flames when exposed to the slightest fire. It is only afraid of fire but not water. It can be used to make a simple boat or to protect against wind and rain.

There were many large birches nearby that were too large for one person to carry. I took out my knife and made a vertical cut on the tree. Then I pulled it off hard, just like taking off my clothes. A big piece was peeled off in one go.

Thread these barks together with some straw ropes. When the ice sledges are ready in the evening, these huge birch barks are attached around the sledges like window paper.

The sledge, which was leaking air everywhere, was like a house without a roof.

As night gradually fell, the sound of distant hunting and gunfire that frightened the surrounding tribes gradually ceased. Boil several large pots of venison in water, add a little salt, cut off a piece with a knife, and dip it in the salt.

Liu Yu took out some more wine and shared a small glass each to relieve the pain of having a bird's eye in his mouth these days.

After enjoying the meal, Liu Yu took advantage of the opportunity to talk about the future.

"Now that we're here, we can no longer walk as lazily as before. No one knows when a lead bullet will be shot out of the woods. You need to be careful."

"We will go up the river tomorrow. At that time, everyone will be divided into three teams."

"There are thirty people in the front group, riding three to five hundred paces in front of the main group."

"There are thirty people in the rear group, riding three to five hundred paces behind the main group."

"The rest of the people are in the brigade. All the vehicles are divided into two rows, fifty steps apart horizontally, forming two walls. Except for the driver, the rest of the people are sitting on the sledge, with a fire inside to keep them warm, and the match ropes are always ready. Wait. If something happens, fight back immediately."

"The free horses are sandwiched in the middle of the convoy. The convoys on both sides are connected with ropes. If there is an enemy attack and a horse runs away in panic, the panicked horse will be shot to death immediately. The driver is responsible. If the horse If someone panics and disrupts the traffic formation, whoever catches the car will be punished. "

"If something happens, the front team and the back team will immediately outflank the two wings. The people in the brigade will refuse to defend in the car formation and follow my orders. The front and rear teams will be changed every day, and the driver will be changed every day. The craftsmen and draftsmen will not participate in the rotation."

"Select five scouts to go out for reconnaissance and deliver news. Those selected as scouts will receive two taels of wine and one catty of meat every day. They will be rotated for ten days, and they can rest for two ten days after the rotation."

"Do you understand?"

Everyone got leather hats and gloves a few days ago, and today they had a drink, and their morale was high. Liu Yu's words already had weight, and they all said yes.

Jiao Laobutu secretly praised it and felt that Liu Yu's arrangement was orderly and it was indeed like that.

According to what I thought, it was nothing more than that, but I never imagined that using birch bark and a sledge could not only provide shelter from the wind and keep warm, but also have a fire at any time to light a match rope.

He did think of using the convoy as a wall, but he was an officer after all, and he didn't think of how to make the soldiers more comfortable. That was not within the scope of an officer's consideration.

Thinking about his previous arrogance, he wondered if he had a grudge against Liu Yu, and also thinking that he was already planning to hug his thighs. At this time, he happened to hit the snake and follow the stick. Taking advantage of the situation, he cupped his hands and said: "Sir, I, Shu Tu, am today. I'm convinced, sir. To be honest, sir, I thought you were just a playboy, but now it seems that you are really capable."

"Confucius said that when you judge people by their appearance, I have lost Ziyu. Today I choose people by their family background, which is even more wrong. If you can't choose your appearance, how can you choose your family background? It's really wrong."

This was half true and half false. He had already been convinced a few days ago when Liu Yu used his "money power" to win over people's hearts and quietly took away the command power.

I just felt that it was a bit abrupt to flatter me at that time, so I kept secretly waiting for the opportunity.

Today is the perfect time, and it sounds like you are speaking from the heart and revealing your past mistakes, which makes it easier for people to believe you.

Liu Yu laughed, thinking that when he saw you angrily scolding Tian Ping that day, he felt that the iron in your bones could be made into a suit of armor, and the courage in your guts could be blown into a furnace of iron. It turns out that you are also a seasoned man.