Harry Potter’s Morning Light

   Chapter 2150 Flower War (fifty-eight)

   After dinner, Georgiana went back to the cabin alone, while Bonaparte continued to work on his "big business".

  This is the case with career-oriented men, who don't have so much time to spend with women.

   She had just sat down at the table, and in a trance, she seemed to see another person sitting across from her, his greasy hair hanging down, covering most of his face like a curtain.

   He did spend a lot of time reading with her.

   She just turned to the page she just saw when Leila came in with black tea.

   "Madam, let me read it to you." Leila said softly.

  Georgianna handed her the book, then lay on her side on the chaise longue with black tea in hand.

  The 17th century was a century of rapid development in Europe, because of the great geographical discovery, because of the industrial revolution, and because of the development of science and technology.

In comparison, despite Russia's vast territory, it was still a very closed serfdom country. In the early days of Peter the Great's reign, Russia was basically at the same stage as the Qing Empire in the early days of Kangxi's ascension to the throne, but as Peter the Great tried to establish contact with Europe, Russia's industry has developed rapidly, and both the tsar and ordinary businessmen need new markets, which is the general interest of the tsarist state.

Siberia starts from the Ural Mountains in the west and reaches the Yenisei River in the east. It is no exaggeration to say that it is a no-man’s land that extends for thousands of miles. The backward way of life, sparse population and severe cold climate make it the least developed region in the world. And tea from China eventually became the key to the development of Siberia.

The Mongolian language of Kyaktu means "where there is tea". Following the signing of the Treaty of Nerchinsk in 1689, China and Russia signed the Treaty of Kyaktu in 1727. The treaty stipulates that the Kyaktu River is the In the world, Kyaktu was assigned to Russia, and the Qing government built a new market in the south of Kyaktu, which was habitually called "the city of buying and selling" by Chinese merchants.

  Nick asked a Russian what he thought about the Treaty of Nerchinsk. The other party believed that China would take back Yaksa very important, and what the Russians wanted was the right to enter China to do business. But whether it was war or trade, the Qing court didn't want it, they just wanted peace with the Russian border.

The Treaty of Nerchinsk is a trade treaty in the eyes of Russians. One Kyaktu is worth three provinces. The "tea road" is like a river loaded with civilization, continuously flowing into the vast and primitive Siberia. land, and civilized the people on this land who depended on hunting rivers and fishing for their livelihoods.

However, it is not enough to just use a small village in Kyaktu as a port. The increase in trade volume and the expansion of the scale has made Kulun a new trading point. Kulun means "big temple" in Mongolian. Enthusiasm allowed Russian businessmen to see business opportunities. They entered BJ along the line of Kulun-Naturalization-Zhangjiakou, and traded with cities along the way, gradually forming Kuzhang Avenue.

In order to prevent the recurrence of border disputes, the Qing court signed the "Treaty of Chiaktu" to prohibit Russian merchants from entering China's borders and to continue to do business in Kulun and QQHE. Only the government has the right to send caravans, but only one caravan can be sent every three years. to China.

  The leather goods imported from Russia to the Qing Empire and the tea imported from the Qing Empire to Russia were large, in addition to silk satin, porcelain, tobacco and so on. "Xikou" is a common name for Killing Hukou at the Great Wall Pass west of Datong, and south of Killing Hukou is the garrison of the Eight Banners. Shanxi has been a populous province since the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, and more people and less land have been the norm for hundreds of years.

  Although there are strict laws prohibiting the Han people from going out of the fortress, the Han people negotiated with the Mongolians and let them buy and sell goods on their behalf. At the same time, because of the war with Geerdan, some Shanxi merchants prospered by providing logistical support for the Qing army, such as Da Shengkui and Yuan Shengde. Rare animal and plant medicinal materials, such as deer antler, deer fetus, bear paw, musk, etc., once had trade competition because they could bring huge profits.

In addition, there are seven kinds of "special offerings": the Lama Temple needs gold and silver instruments, scriptures, brocade robes, hats and boots custom-made by Mongolian nobles and living Buddhas, snuff bottles, luxury jewelry, books, and hardwood furniture. And valuable furnishings, such as clocks, high-grade furs, including mink, fox, wolf, bear, steamed bun, lynx and other "fine skins".

  The devotion to Buddhism made the lamas think that high-grade wood such as sandalwood and rosewood is needed for engraving and engraving, and birch is used for printing "Londa". This business model is called "temple economy".

A few firms simply cannot fill such a large market, but free competition may undermine the business philosophy of "harmony and wealth" that Shanxi merchants believe in. At the same time, the Qing court also had the political need to use trade to control Mobei, and then there were twelve firms. The "First Head" composed of Shanxi merchants elects one person to take turns every month. As the temporary agent of the Kulun Chamber of Commerce, he cooperates with Minister Kulun of the Qing court to deal with internal disputes among the merchants, interferes with the local living Buddha of Kulun and the Mongolian king, and reports to the Qing court. Report sensitive information in Mobei.

The minister of Kulun was set up in the twenty-sixth year of Qianlong to manage Mongolian commercial affairs, as well as the Han merchants in Qiaktu and other places. Generally, the Manchus served as the chief officials, and the Mongolian princes and Taiji served as assistants. The first Mongolian assistant was Ruiduan. Dorzi's father, Sanscedorzi.

The daughters of princesses and princes do not want to go to Mongolia, so there is a distinction. The silver and satin that go to Mongolia are twice or more than those in Beijing, and the dowry in Beijing is halved. In the family of noble families, the sons born of them cannot be awarded titles according to the status of their biological mothers, and the sons born by the sole marriage of the Mongolian princes are given the title.

A Gu Lun princess has an annual salary of 1,000 taels of silver, 30 pieces of satin, only 300 taels of forehead and 10 pieces of satin. Given the consumption level in BJ City, this amount of money is not enough, let alone a county like the prince's daughter. Jun's annual salary is only 40 taels, and the forehead is even less - none.

   In this case, the concubines will find ways to make money. Generally, they will have some official positions, usually palace guards, and some go to the Lifan Yuan, and it is undoubtedly the most profitable to do business in Kulun.

  Compared with the deserted Xilin Gioruo family, the Dorji family is obviously much more lively. The red silk on the door of the princess's mansion has not been taken down, and there is a festive wedding everywhere.

  In folklore, the prince-in-laws are all very handsome champions. In fact, the real champions refuse to be the prince-in-law. If it weren't for the thought of the famine in his hometown, Juren would have wanted to turn around and leave.

   He is a "scholar", but compared with doing manual work, he still chooses to be a teacher, and it is still a question whether others will let him be.

  The father of this county king used to study with the princes in the study room, which means that he may also go to the study room in the future. The main reason for the study is that he has just arrived in the capital and is not familiar with the local customs. Moreover, in addition to the king himself, he also brought a few "gendas" here. These are the long attendants of the king, and they are also the "face" of the king in the future. How a family's family style depends mainly on their servants.

Yunduan Duoerji's father has died, and it is precisely because of this that he became a nobleman at the age of 16. He died in the 43rd year of Qianlong. Three years later, in the 46th year of Qianlong, Yunduan Duoerji was born. marry.

  The Qing court advocated filial piety. Perhaps these Manchurian Jurchens changed the Mongols.

   "What's the matter?" asked Georgiana.

   "I don't understand?" Leila asked in confusion.

   "Don't understand what?"

  Leila can't seem to express it.

   She realized that Leyla was only sixteen years old, the same age as the newlyweds in "Nick Polo" travelogue.

   "Have you read Rousseau's On the Origin of Human Inequality?" asked Georgiana.

  Leila shook her head.

"I don't want you to read it now, you are still too young, but I can tell you that there are two kinds of people in Rousseau's book, those who use force to force others to submit to their domination, and those who occupy other people's The caves where they live, rob them of their fruit and prey, don't know what to trade, and a kind of people who seem to be in a primitive state, they are neither good nor bad, unless the words are understood in a biological sense, for these people What is good for survival is called good, and what is harmful to the survival of these people is called evil.”

   "I still don't understand, ma'am," Leila said.

   "Do you know the story of the snake tempting Eve to swallow the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden?" asked Georgiana.

"knowledge."

"Before Adam and Eve swallowed the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, human beings did not distinguish between good and evil, but after eating the fruit, they understood that if it is possible, I want to be a girl all my life, like you, only 16 Years old, and the protection of parents." Georgiana said with some envy, "So don't think too much before you are ready, a person's childhood is short."

  Leila didn't say "I've grown up", she lowered her head and continued to read.

  Georgianna took a sip of the steaming tea and sighed like a sigh.

   (end of this chapter)