74. Chapter 74
"none"
Qi You casually wrapped his thick fur coat around himself, took out the gun from beside his pillow, and walked out. De Gao stood in front of him alertly, and the guards had already surrounded him.
At night, the air was so cold that it seemed to stagnate. Qi You almost stumbled from the cold when he stepped out of the tent. He frowned subconsciously and turned around to look around.
Except for the darkness on the other side of the forest, the surroundings were bright under the faint moonlight and the white snow.
The entire camp was already in turmoil. Sabsu and Changde also stood up and ran towards Qiyou together.
Qi You first went to see the girls. He saw He Ye's head peeking out from the crack of the tent. Her round eyes were sleepy and tinged with fear. He quickly waved at her and whispered, "Go back. Don't run around."
He Ye quickly retracted her head and closed the tent tightly. Qi You heard a low murmur coming from inside, and felt relieved when he saw that they were not in danger.
Gui He, who had rushed over to investigate, had already run back and said quickly, "The soldier on guard ahead spotted someone in the woods and fired a blank shot into the air. The people in the woods retreated and became silent. We're not familiar with the woods and don't dare to advance rashly. Seventh Prince, please go back and take shelter. Be careful of the danger."
The camp was in the leeward side, with bare, rugged rocks covered with snow behind it, and there was no escape.
Qi You pondered for a moment, then asked Gui He to go back to the tent and get dressed. He then said to Sabusu who was coming over, "Go ahead and shout. They must have just arrived, otherwise, there wouldn't have been any movement earlier."
Sabsu thought so too. In the freezing weather, fearing wild animals, he dared not venture into the depths of the forest. If he stayed outside, he would have to build a fire to keep warm, and would have been spotted by the guards.
When they went up the mountain, they took a path that was a bit roundabout but flat and easy to walk on.
The people in the forest are either accustomed to the cold climate or are familiar with their surroundings.
Qi You stared at the woods and quickly said to Sabsu, "Try shouting in Mongolian!"
Sabusu agreed and simply took Changde over and told him to shout again in Mongolian.
After a while, there was a rustling sound in the woods, and three people came out. The one who came forward to answer was a short man wearing a bear skin.
Because they were far away and the man spoke quickly and urgently, Qi You couldn't understand what he meant.
After some communication, Sabsu reluctantly understood what the man meant and came over to Qi You and said, "Seventh Prince, the people in the forest are from the Dahur and Ewenki tribes. When the Rakshasa Kingdom invaded Buryat Mongolia, they escaped and somehow ended up here."
Dahur is the Daur of later generations. In the past, the Qing Dynasty collectively referred to the Ewenki, Oroqen and Daur tribes as Suolun. Nurhaci conquered several tribes east of Lake Baikal and incorporated them into the Eight Banners.
Later, the imperial court made several adjustments and incorporations. Some of the Solon people joined the military camp, while some continued to live their original lives but had to pay tribute to the imperial court.
The imperial court incorporated only a part of them, while many others were scattered to other places and remained independent.
These tribes lived in groups, and intermarriage was prohibited according to patrilineal ties. Large tribes gradually split into smaller ones. They still lived a relatively primitive life, relying on fishing and hunting for survival. They worked together and distributed their wealth together.
In the Ming Dynasty, they were recorded as "wild Jurchens". Some of their languages were roughly similar to Manchu, while others were similar to Mongolian.
Each of their tribes has no written language, but has its own language. To communicate with the outside world, it depends on what language is mainly spoken in the settlement.
In the Buryat Mongolian tribe, there are Daur and Ewenki people living together, so they are accustomed to using Mongolian.
There were constant wars on the border, and Golovin was invading Buryat Mongolia at the time, so it is estimated that they escaped at this time.
The north is vast and sparsely populated, and they are good at fishing and hunting, and have strong evasion abilities, so it is normal that they have not been discovered for so long.
When Qi You heard that the Daur and Ewenki were together and speaking Mongolian, he confirmed his original guess and said, "Go and bring them here."
Sabusu hesitated for a moment, then walked forward as instructed, said a few words to a few people, and then walked over together.
Qi You looked at them calmly. You couldn't tell their age. Their dark faces were cracked by the cold, and white frost covered their eyebrows and beards. Only their eyes were still sharp, and they also looked back and forth at Qi You.
Sabusu's face darkened when he saw how rude they were. Just as he was about to scold them, the man who had answered earlier spoke up: "I know you. You are the Seventh Prince of the Qing Dynasty."
Qi You could understand nearly 90% of the Mongolian the man spoke. He nodded calmly, "It's me. Which tribe are you from? Ewenki or Daur?"
The man looked surprised, then laughed and said, "It's said that the Seventh Prince is extremely intelligent, and it seems his reputation is well-deserved. I am from the Ewenki tribe, from Dularhara, and my name is Tugusu."
He pointed to the two people beside him and introduced them separately: "His name is Elchun, he is Tatanda of the Dahur tribe, and his name is Kuha, he is Mokunda of the Oroqen people."
Dularhara means "from the waterside tribe," while Tatanda and Mokunda mean "head of the family." Simply put, the three of them were leaders of smaller tribes.
Qi You looked at the other two. He had never expected that three tribes would gather here. He smiled, hiding his surprise, and invited them into the tent to talk: "Since you are here, it's cold outside, so please come in and have a cup of tea."
The three of them looked at each other, thanked each other in unison, and followed Qi You into the tent.
Sabusu pulled Changde and took the initiative to sit next to Qiyou, secretly protecting him. Several people crowded the small tent so tightly that Guihe and Degao had to squat by the tent door to make tea.
Tugusu, who seemed to be in charge, took the initiative to speak: "When the Luosha bandits attacked us, our property was looted. They ordered us to surrender and pay tribute. Pah! These bastards, even if they broke our legs, we would not surrender to them!"
Elchun and Kuha also looked indignant and expressed their hatred towards the Rakshasa Kingdom.
Qi You listened to them talking. Elchun spoke more in Manchu, while Kuha spoke more in Mongolian. He could understand about 70% to 80% of what they spoke.
Changde could only understand half of what he said, and Sabsu basically had to guess based on his expression. He could only move over and whisper to Changde, listening to his stammering explanation.
Qi You sighed with emotion and said, "It's freezing outside. You must have worked hard. But why did you come here?"
Tugusu's expression darkened, and he said sadly, "To be honest, Seventh Prince, we fled from the Luosha Kingdom with our people. We lost all our property and many of our people died. We three tribes supported each other and survived by hunting and fishing. We heard that the Seventh Prince, who came from the Qing Dynasty, was farming here, so we brought our tribesmen to seek refuge. The roads were difficult to travel in winter, and we traveled all night to get here. We didn't dare to move forward rashly, so we went to the woods to think of a solution, but we were discovered by your soldiers. We have no second thoughts and are willing to submit to the Qing Dynasty and pay tribute to it!"
After saying this, Tu Gusu was the first to kneel down on one knee and bowed deeply to Qi You. The other two followed suit, solemnly swore an oath, and bowed together.
Qi You was stunned for a moment, then stood up and stretched out his hands, saying, "Everyone, please stand up quickly. There's no need for such grand ceremony."
Seeing that Qi You didn't agree, Tu Gu Su knelt there without moving, staring at him straight in the eyes, and asked, "Seventh Prince, do you look down on us and don't want to accept us?"
Qi You sighed and said, "You two should get up first and listen to me carefully."
The three of them looked at each other, stood up and sat down, and looked at Qi You together.
Degao and Guihe served hot tea, and Qi You said to them, "Have a cup of tea to warm yourself up first, and then we can talk slowly."
Tired and cold, the few people saw the hot tea and couldn't help but pick it up and drink it. After drinking a bowl of hot tea, they felt refreshed and relaxed.
Whether they are from the Qing Dynasty or Qi You, of course they are welcome to come and seek refuge, but we cannot agree to it casually.
Qi You would certainly not let them live their previous lives as they did before and pay tribute of furs to the court every year.
If they wanted to stay, they had to reclaim land with him, learn to read and write, and change completely.
The difficulty lies in the fact that several tribes are still in the early stages of nomadism. To put it bluntly, they are relatively unrestrained, free-spirited, brave and good at fighting.
Each of their tribes has its own characteristics. Whether it is the distribution of food, marriage, disputes or legal issues, everything is decided by the tribal leader.
Qi You respected the customs of each tribe. If they reclaimed the land here, the intermingling of several tribes would inevitably complicate relations. They needed to fully integrate, be obedient, and abide by the laws. Otherwise, everything would be in chaos.
Again, Qi You didn't know how many people they had or how much labor they had.
This was a very practical problem. The grain he bought on credit was only enough to last until next autumn.
Qi You had no idea how much crops he would be able to harvest when the land thawed in the spring.
There was no sign of fish, the Lang Tan army hadn't returned, and not a penny had been seen. Qi You had already advanced his future income and couldn't really afford to give them food for free.
Qi You put down his tea bowl and asked, "How many people are there in your tribes combined? How many men, how many women? How many men over forty, and how many children under ten?"
Tu Gu Su looked puzzled, but answered truthfully, saying, "Our three tribes together have a total of over 200 people, 150 men and nearly 60 women. There are about five men over 40 years old, and only three under 10 years old.
Qi You's heart felt like a hand reached into it and grabbed it fiercely.
According to the age ratio of the population mentioned by Tu Yusu, it seems that women, the elderly and children suffered the most serious losses in the war.
According to the current average age and their living environment, people over 40 are considered elderly.
In a life of hardship, the elderly are abandoned first, followed by women, and finally children.
The three of them lowered their heads together. A wave of pain flashed across Kuha's face. He was silent for a moment and said, "Children are hard to raise. Many of them have died of illness in the past two years, leaving only these few."
Elechun said: "Just try to have more children in the future, and you will have children."
Qi You sighed inwardly. This was the only method Elchun could think of. He looked at him without saying anything.
After hearing this, Sabsu couldn't help but frown.
Children are precious. Even though his own children were raised so carefully, many of them died young.
Giving birth is also a hurdle for women. It is not easy for a cow to give birth, let alone give birth to a child.
Qi You asked: "You are here, where are they now?"
Tu Gu Su thought for a moment and answered honestly, "They are waiting in a sheltered place on the mountainside."
Qi You suddenly felt a headache.
Indeed, their original living places were very simple, either pitching a tent casually or building a shed on a tree branch, which was not fixed. Tonight we live on these two branches, and tomorrow night we will move to two other trees.
The warehouse is fixed, also built on a tree, wrapped with bark or other things, and used to store food, clothes and other things.
Qi You thought of the ancestors of the Manchus, who had only recently come down from the trees. For example, the Shengjing Imperial Palace was built on a high platform. This was related to custom. Fishing and hunting peoples feared attacks from outsiders, so they used to stand guard at high altitudes.
They really are of the same origin.
Qi You hurriedly said, "It's so cold outside, let's get them up first. Even though it's just as cold on the mountain, we can still make a fire and warm them up. I have some ginger and herbs here to keep them warm. I'll make some soup to warm them up."
The three of them paused, all overjoyed. Elchun was very agile and stood up in a flash: "Thank you, Seventh Prince. I'll go call them!"
Qi You quickly ordered Gao Guihe, "Go and watch over it. Ask them to make ginger soup and some hot rice. The food is just for the journey. Whether we catch any fish or not, we will go down the mountain after lunch."
Tu Gu Su choked up and said, "Seventh Prince is kind-hearted. The Qing Dynasty is still the best."
The kindhearted Seventh Prince Qi You also had his share of worries. He couldn't ignore their suffering. As long as they were human, no matter what tribe they came from, even if they were Galdan or Luosha people, he would lend a helping hand.
As for the issue of war, let’s talk about it when we get to the battlefield.
Qi You said, "Since you know I'm reclaiming wasteland here, if you submit to the Qing, you must also cultivate land in the future. It doesn't matter whether you know how to farm or not. The Khalkha people didn't know how to do it at first, so we'll send people to teach them. You will live in three villages like the Khalkha people, and the three of you will be the captains of the villages. As for housing, we still have some tents. We can lend them to you to squeeze in and have a place to shelter from the wind. Once the ground thaws, we can build houses."
Before they came, they asked about the situation on Qiyou's side. They saw that the Khalkha people had a warm place to live and food to eat.
Even if they had to reclaim land and farm, which they didn't know how to do, not having to suffer the pain of war was the best thing for them, and the two of them agreed immediately.
Qi You smiled as he slowly scanned their faces. "But I have a few points to make up front. Please listen to them. If you can accept them, you can stay. If not, after you have eaten and warmed up, you should find another place to stay. General Sabsu will pass on the message that you will not be embarrassed to leave the border and will be allowed to pass soon."
When the two heard Qi You say this, the smiles on their faces gradually disappeared and they stood there in a daze.
The place they were in was the territory of the Qing Dynasty. If they wanted to survive on this land, they would logically be the people of the Qing Dynasty.
If they did not obey the court's regulations and orders, they would be expelled.
Qi You took in the expressions of the two men and said calmly, "The Qing Dynasty will not interfere with your tribal customs, the ancestors you worship, or the religion you believe in. However, the rule here is that each household gets more pay for the work they do. Whoever can reclaim the wasteland will own it. The harvested grain also belongs to each family, and they must pay taxes according to the laws of the Qing Dynasty. The game you hunt in the mountains and the money you earn for firewood, rice, oil, and salt all belong to each family. As for marriages in the tribe, if someone in the tribe commits a crime, you have no say. You must follow the rules of the Qing Dynasty and deal with it according to the laws of the Qing Dynasty."
The smiles on their faces gradually disappeared, and they looked at each other, feeling embarrassed for a moment.
According to what Qi You had said before, they became assistant commanders and still managed people.
However, they were stripped of many of their actual rights. For example, they had the final say in the tribe, especially regarding the distribution of the harvest, which was entirely theirs.
They say it's distributed equally to ensure fairness, but everyone has selfish motives, and those who are close to them will definitely get a better share, or a larger share.
Invisibly, they have countless supporters around them, ensuring their authority.
With the highest power taken away, their positions as assistant commanders seemed to become meaningless.
Tuyusu hesitated and said, "I know that some tribes submitted to the Qing Dynasty, and they only needed to pay tribute to the Qing Dynasty. Why is it that this is not the case with us?"
Qi You uttered an "oh" and continued, "Other people incorporated into the Solon tribe, such as those who previously paid tribute with sable furs, will also be allowed to farm in the future. The court won't stop those who want to hunt or fish; they can do it when they have free time, and it will be considered an additional harvest. This time, we're here to fish by breaking ice in the lake. With the money we earn, we'll build a school and hire teachers so all the children can study and learn skills for free. Of course, adults who want to learn to read can also learn from them."
Tu Gu Su was stunned for a moment, then mumbled, "Can you read and write?"
Kuha also widened his eyes. Their tribes did not have written language, but they knew the benefits of reading.
Studying costs a lot of money, and they can't even fill their stomachs. Even before the war, studying was something they dared not even think about.
Qi You nodded heavily and said, "Yes, learn to read and write. When you learn to read, you can record the customs and traditions of your tribe's ancestors. There's no need to pass them down orally, and there's no need for mistakes, loss, or changes in the process. You can learn to take exams and become an official, or learn other things like building houses, roads, and farming, or learn medicine to heal the sick and save lives. You can learn anything."
The two looked at each other and saw the shock and confusion in each other's eyes.
Qi You lifted the kettle and poured hot tea for the two of them. He spoke slowly, "You said earlier that many people from your respective tribes died on the road. Trying to force your women to give birth is not a good idea, and it's impossible. Once you've settled down and recovered, you can have children and raise them well. Looking back at our ancestors, we Manchus were in a similar situation to you. It's because we read books and saw how vast the world is that the difference has widened."
Like the Manchus and Jurchens, these tribes all lived in trees. Now, to describe the difference between them was an understatement.
Both of them fell silent.
Qi You did not force them. When he heard some movement outside, he smiled and said, "They are coming. Let's go out to greet them."
The two of them had no choice but to stand up and follow Qi You out. Sabusu was confused and asked Chang De quietly, "What did they say?"
Chang De looked thoughtful and said, "Father, you always said I was stupid before. Although I didn't refute you, I was actually quite dissatisfied in my heart."
Sabsu glared at him and said, "Hey, you bastard... Stop it, is that what I'm asking?"
Chang De said, "When I saw the Seventh Prince's actions and talked to them earlier, my mind suddenly became clear and I learned a lot. The words were simple, but the actions were important and closely linked. First, he greeted them casually, then he put them at ease, showed them favors, and then negotiated conditions. If it were me, I would have lost my power immediately. I would not have turned hostile on the spot, but at least I would have refused outright. Unfortunately, they couldn't refuse because there was an even greater temptation waiting for them."
He glanced at Sabusu and said with a grin, "What the Seventh Prince promised wasn't just empty boasting like Father's, but something tangible. They can see it, and it's all right before their eyes. If they can see a future with a future to look forward to, anyone who doesn't agree is a fool."
Sabsu was so angry that his teeth were itching. He gritted his teeth, and stopped his raised hand in mid-air before calmly putting it back.
Judging from Changde's character, it would be better if he could learn a little bit from Qiyou.
As for the fate of more than 200 people and how to deal with them, he will know sooner or later.
The campfire burned brightly, illuminating the faces of the numb, suffering people. Wrapped in tattered clothes of unrecognizable color, they supported each other, like a group of ghosts crawling out of the ground, their eyes empty, instinctively running towards warmth.
Qi You looked at the people approaching him, not knowing whether it was because the air was too cold or something else. His nose was frozen and his eyes were sore. He looked up at the sky and blinked back the tears that were overflowing from his eyes.
The color of the sky turned blue-gray, and dawn was approaching.
The author has something to say:
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2022-11-13 22:22:58 and 2022-11-14 22:44:48~
Thanks to the little angel who irrigated the nutrient solution: 30 bottles of Lanyue;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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