The outline of a city appeared in the distance, and Bumbutai became even happier, looking forward to seeing the magnificent city of the Khorchin tribe.

After many years, I finally returned to the Korchin steppe, back to my hometown. My brother's letters said that the newly built city was huge, the market was prosperous, and the life of the Zasak was quite good.

As we got closer, the city became clearer and clearer. On the grassland, it was indeed a large city.

But compared with the Central Plains, it is far behind.

Zhahemu proudly introduced it, "After three expansions, it is now twice as large as Gelezhuergen City. It is packed with shops and is the most prosperous place in Khorchin."

Bumbutai's enthusiasm waned a bit. Even this was still the largest. Not to mention the capital, even Jinzhou, Guangning, and Shenyang along the way were many times bigger!

Entering the city, it was indeed as Zhahemu said, with many shops on both sides of the road. However, the shop owner - Bumbutai had her fingers wrapped around the small braid hanging by her ear, and her expression looked even uglier.

Even in cities like Shenyang and Jinzhou, most shops have glass doors and windows, and the bright and clean appearance is pleasing to the eye.

Although there are a few shops here that are decorated decently, most of them are the same old ones. There are even merchants who deal in horses, cattle and sheep, and they tie their livestock directly in the sheds across the street.

This, displaying the merchandise so customers can see it clearly at a glance, is indeed a good idea. But the smell of feces and urine made Bumbutai's face fall, and she took out a silk handkerchief to cover her nose.

Hailanzhu sighed softly and said, "Seeing the prosperity of Daming City and then listening to Zhahemu's words, I really feel like I'm looking at the world from the bottom of a well."

Bumbutai also had to admit that the gap was too big and her imagination was not reliable.

In the eyes of Zhahemu and others, such a city and such commerce were already the most prosperous. But in the eyes of Bumbutai and Hailanzhu, who had seen the world, they blushed when they heard it.

Zhahemu was unaware of the sisters' thoughts and feelings, and continued to talk to himself, "Master Zasak's mansion is even more magnificent. It was designed and built by Han craftsmen..."

"Are the roads in the mansion flat? Can I ride a bicycle?" Bumbutai interrupted Zhahemu's boasting and asked expectantly.

Bicycles, after continuous improvement and perfection, have been launched on the market. At present, they are only used as leisure and entertainment for the rich.

When the price drops to a level that ordinary people can afford, the quality and performance reach new heights, and the road smoothness reaches a certain standard, bicycles will become the public's means of transportation and delivery.

Bumbutai bought one and brought it back, thinking of showing it off.

Zhahemu was completely unfamiliar with bicycles and had no idea what they were. He guessed they were probably livestock similar to horses, the kind that could be ridden.

"The paths in the mansion are quite wide, so riding a horse is no problem." Zhahemu explained based on his guess.

Bumbutai nodded, feeling a little happy, but she suddenly noticed that her sister's eyes were fixed on something.

There was an old woman and a child. Their clothes were tattered, but you could still tell they were Mongolian costumes.

There was a numb expression on the little girl's thin face. She was holding a broken bowl. Only her eyes occasionally rolled around, showing the liveliness that should be expected of her age.

The old woman was also pale and thin. She knelt on the ground and kept bowing and kowtowing. Deep wrinkles covered her face, which looked as old as tree bark.

Bumbutai's heart sank. She could see that these were poor Mongolians begging.

In fact, the two sisters had seen this scene a few years ago, but when they returned to their hometown and saw it again, they felt as if their hearts were pierced by something.

Shaoyingyuan, if that little girl were in the Ming Dynasty, she would have been sent there by the government. There they could eat well, and there were teachers to teach them how to read and write. Those children were very happy...

Although all the Khorchin tribes have now submitted to the Ming Dynasty, in Bumbutai's heart, they are still stubbornly divided into two parts, and compared from time to time.

But the more she compared, the more she realized that they were incomparable and could not match each other. The gap was simply too big.

When she was in the capital, she and her sister had visited shops and paid special attention to the prices of many goods. But when she passed by the Guangning Horse Market, she was extremely shocked.

A pack of needles and a box of colored thread could be exchanged for a sheepskin in the horse market; but in the capital, a sheepskin could buy at least ten times the amount of things.

In the capital, an eight-jin iron pot would definitely not cost more than one yuan; but in the horse market, an iron pot could be exchanged for seven or eight fat sheep.

Bumbutai initially thought that businessmen were really cruel, but Hailanzhu had a different opinion.

Who made the Mongols so short of supplies? Even with such a high trading price, they still begged the Ming Dynasty to open a horse market? In order to get the Ming Dynasty to open trade, they even fought a war with the Ming Dynasty!

This is embarrassing. Bumbutai was speechless. You are here to be exploited, to beg the merchants.

Moreover, beggars were not eliminated in the Ming Dynasty, but they did have protection and welfare policies, as well as welfare institutions. The Shaoyingyuan in the capital was supported by the emperor's money, and the two sisters had seen it all.

It was normal to not have enough care, but not having any care at all was a big problem. The two sisters knew very well that in their hometown, here in this newly built city, there was absolutely no youth and elderly care home.

"This year, the income of the mansion has increased a lot."

Zhahemu didn't notice the sisters' silence, as he was used to it. He continued to show off the Zasak Mansion, "The Zasak is planning to expand the house and build separate mansions for the two young ladies."

Hailanzhu asked calmly, "I heard there was a black and white disaster last year, and some herders suffered losses."

The so-called "black disaster" refers to the lack of snow water on the grassland in winter, which will cause livestock to lack water, spread diseases, lose weight, miscarriage in female livestock, and even cause the death of a large number of livestock.

The "white disaster" is the complete opposite of the "black disaster". It is when there is too much snow and it is too heavy, there is nowhere for livestock to graze, they cannot eat grass, and their hooves are easily frostbitten, or even frozen to death!

Moreover, after the "white disaster", it is difficult for livestock to "break the ice and find food" until the spring of the following year. Moreover, due to the relatively cold weather, livestock movement and nomadism will consume more physical energy and are more likely to be frozen to death.

Zhahemu said, "That little disaster wasn't a big deal. The herders affected were only a few. In recent years, the Ming court has sent people to provide guidance on building animal shelters and cultivating green storage."

"Do the herders affected by the disaster still have to pay taxes on their cattle and sheep?" Bumbutai asked. "Since we have submitted to the Ming Dynasty, there should be a policy of tax exemption for disaster relief, right?"

Zhahemu was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I don't know about that. Anyway, the income of the Zasak Mansion has not decreased."

Hailanzhu sighed and stopped asking questions, but her face looked unhappy and it was obvious that she was in a bad mood.

Bumbutai opened her mouth and lowered her head helplessly.

When I didn't read history books and had no experience, all this was normal. But now, I feel that there is something wrong and that this is not right.

But what should be done? Although Khorchin has submitted to the Ming Dynasty, the Jasak system is different from that of the Ming Dynasty. If it is abolished, my father and brother will not agree first, right?