In the inner room of a Russian shop with sunflower symbols in the Manzhouli trade district, a young Russian with curly short hair, a tall nose and a pair of blue eyes is facing his father's good friend and owner Andrei about his anger.

"Unreasonable Chinese, they see the Russian flag as a clown, and I can't wait to duel with them......"

What was even more angry was that the Chinese soldiers also took two sets of beautifully made matryoshka dolls, a gold-painted music box, and the caravan personnel drank the remaining barrel of wine, and the young Petrov was about to explode.

The Russians have been trading with China for some time, and in the early years, Chinese merchants were very modest in their possession of such delicate and precious sources as rhubarb, tea, and silk. The only people who gave a bad impression to the Russian businessmen were the Chinese officials, a bunch of greedy people. Russian businessmen who traveled between the East and the West, older people can still remember that twenty or thirty years ago, when they came here, even if they laughed casually at the ridiculous braid behind the heads of these ugly Chinese, these Chinese businessmen, although they probably understood Russian, would still treat each other warmly. At that time, the Chinese merchants were really modest, they didn't seem to care about the ridicule of others, as long as you had the silver, the Chinese merchants who entered the territory of Russia were even more humble.

But when Sino-Russian trade, which has been cut off for many years, starts again, these Chinese no longer have those ridiculous braids behind their heads, and although they are still modest in their attitude, they will still greet each other with a smile, but whoever dares to make fun of them like they did back then, that Russian will definitely be unlucky. He would not be able to do any business, and no one would do business with him in the entire trade area, Chinese; Heavier ones may be captured by Chinese police forces......

Heavy fines are imposed, and the money is not enough to offset the goods directly, and the price is very low. And if they resolutely refuse to pay the fine, they will be sentenced to labor reform, as little as three or two months, and as much as one or two years, that is, serving hard labor, and there is really no place to cry.

In the past, if something happened here, you could go to the Russian Border District Office on the other side to cry, and the latter could also help you get ahead, and if you are willing to increase your investment, the Border District Office can also carry out your own actions faster. But last year, it didn't work at all. The Border Regional Office not only no longer supported them, but instead complied with the will of the Chinese and posted the "Notes on Sino-Russian Friendly Trade" in Russia. It's a place for a bunch of bastards.

As an old man on the Sino-Russian trade road, Andrei knew very well what the reason was, the people of the border district office were 'relying on the mountains', they raised money to invest in more than one caravan, and then immediately made a lot of money, they did not want to have too fierce conflicts with each other.

Therefore, the Chinese police and soldiers in the south of the trade zone are becoming more and more brutal day by day, and even the Chinese merchants are trembling, and the Russians are becoming more and more cautious.

There is a hotel not far from Andre, people who have been to Manchuria know this place, because it is the most authentic place in the whole Manzhouli area where Western food is made, and there is a security room opposite him, which can be said to be the first-class safety factor in the entire Manzhouli business area.

There were not only two policemen in the police room, but also soldiers and policemen patrolling the streets from time to time.

Summer is better, when winter comes, these security rooms are the favorite place of patrolling soldiers and police, the cold winter in Manchuria can freeze people's noses, here they can drink a cup of hot water, can warm up by the fire, and even drink a bowl of hot soup.

Three-quarters of the entire trade zone is in China, and a quarter is in Russia, and the whole area is more than two square kilometers, because there are large areas of land that have been fenced off as warehouses.

Half of the entire customs police station is here, and the main force is the border guards and the Manzhouli police station.

Whether it is businessmen from Russia or from the Chinese mainland, everyone likes to gather here. At first, because of the food, and then because of the safety, it has gradually become an invisible law, and it has become a good place to talk about business and make friends.

"Dude, let's make a lot of money on this trip! I see that your warehouse is full of furs, and you have collected a lot of good goods. In the corner of this tea shop, one person smiled and hugged his fists, and the other person also quickly got up and returned the salute, they spoke in the Jin dialect, obviously from Shanxi.

Although a group of Jin merchants in Shanxi were cleaned up by Chen Han, the latter had been active in the grassland for hundreds of years, with deep connections and roots, and when everything stabilized Sino-Russian trade was restored, the Jin merchants quickly recovered their 'lost territory'.

In the construction of railways and national highways, many Jin merchants donated generously, in addition to buying bonds, they also donated money, because no one knew better than them the significance of the national highways and railways to Mongolia.

"TOEFL, TOEFL, this time the road went smoothly, and the Rakshasa ghost was also generous with his skins."

More of the Russian fur is still sold at home and in Europe, but the Chinese fur market is also growing rapidly. For many years before that, the largest cargo that the Russians sold to China was leather goods.

The world's largest trading supernation today, Chen Han did not prohibit gold and silver currency in foreign transactions. As long as the handling fee is paid, the commercial banks in all ports of the country can give you all the gold and silver coins you need, including not only Spanish eagles, but also British and French precious metal coins. However, the Russian government strictly prohibits the export of gold and silver.

In the former Qing Dynasty, Kyakhta, within a few years of its opening, began to 'order barter, not for gold and silver'.

On the one hand, the Russian government strictly forbade the export of gold and silver, and on the other hand, through a period of Kyakhta trade, Russian merchants found that bartering was more profitable; And the same joy was born from the hearts of Chinese merchants, who, like the Russians, found that their interests became higher by bartering.

This is due to the difference in the ratio of gold to silver on both sides.

Through the Kyakhta port, what did Russia use to export to China back then? That is velvet, which is a kind of cotton textile under the European definition, derived from Egyptian technology, carried forward by Genoa, using cotton as the material, weft fleece fabric. Weft fleece is to cut off part of the floating length of the weft to form fluff; Different from the Chinese silk material, it is woven into a loop by fleece and cut to form a fluff that towers over the surface of the fabric.

Velvet has nothing to do with swan feather, it is a top textile material in Europe, and some of it is also exported to China.

In addition, what the Russians really can get their hands on are sea otter skins, mink skins, cow and sheep skins, wool coats, and all kinds of woolen textiles and leather products; The goods exported from China to Russia were traditional tea, followed by rhubarb, silk, cloth, porcelain, tobacco, iron products, paper, flour, sulfur, gunpowder, etc.

Iron products, flour, sulphur, and gunpowder were now all prohibited, and tobacco quickly surpassed porcelain and cloth in sales, and stood in fourth place after tea, rhubarb, and silk.

The two Chinese businessmen had not been talking for a long time, and were talking about the price of high-quality Russian leather goods when they suddenly heard the sound of crying and fighting from outside. The two of them hurriedly got up and looked out of the window, and saw a few sturdy men walking proudly with large bags and small bags, and the hair of these men was all in the traditional Mongolian style. Shave off all the hair on the top of the head and the back of the head, leaving only three pairs of hair in the middle of the forehead and on both sides, such as the style of a Han child's three-tie head. The middle pair of hair is cut short and scattered, and the two pairs on both sides are twisted into two buns and hang down to the shoulders to block the squinting gaze on both sides, so that people cannot look at wolves, and the Mongolians call it "no wolf".

Outer Mongolia does not belong to Inner Mongolia, and many of the Mongolians in Inner Mongolia have shaved their heads and braided hair, while Outer Mongolia obviously retains its own characteristics even more. It was even more difficult for the Manchus to form effective control over it.

Without compulsion, who would kneel and lick themselves and shave their heads? Is a money rattail good-looking?

After the Mongols were subordinated to Chen Han, whether it was Inner Mongolia or Outer Mongolia, the nobility still existed. Chen Han's way of giving pastures, rewards and money has gathered a lot of Inner Mongolian people. The aristocracy of Inner Mongolia was elevated little by little with the spread out settlements, and although the latter resisted a little, it did not fluctuate much.

But Outer Mongolia, the princes of Outer Mongolia still have a lot of control over their clansmen.

Chen Han's plan is to let the Mongolian tribes of Outer Mongolia migrate to the west little by little in the future war against Russia, and Chen Ming wants to establish a 'moat' separating green from China, and the Mongols who are very firm in their belief in Buddhist Tantra are the best choice.

Therefore, Chen Han did not have any mandatory rules on the dress of Mongolians in Outer Mongolia. These people were dressed in leather robes and carrying bags in their hands, and they were elated, and the contents of the package did not seem to be theirs.

As soon as these Mongolian men walked to the bottom of the hotel, a young Han man in his twenties wearing a cotton robe chased after him, begging and saying: "A few masters are good, those burdens are the goods of the villain's master's family, without these, the villain can't even go home." ”

After walking a few steps, he reached out and grabbed the hem of one of the man's robes, and the man struggled twice without moving, and immediately became angry, turned and kicked the young man to the ground. snorted at the young man fiercely, "You kid doesn't have long eyes." The seal affixed to the door of your store is stamped with the official seal of the Border Guards, and your master may be squatting in the prison now. The police didn't arrest you, and you already have a lot of merit.

These things are a reward for us to provide clues, and the police confiscate much more than we take. You're going to cry and go to the police! ”

The two Chinese businessmen who were standing at the window and looking out immediately turned around and returned to their seats. As soon as they heard this, they understood it, although the tone of the Chinese spoken by this Mongolian was somewhat strange. But how many Chinese businessmen in this part of Manchuria are unaware of the government's 'anti-smuggling' operation?

I've been hearing a lot lately. This is not a good thing, and it is a black mark that cannot be washed away.

"Haha, you Mongolian idiot. Do you really think that he is for the sake of his lord's house? It's for his own ......"

"What a fool, I can't see anything about it."

"He's afraid that he won't be able to deal with his mother-in-law when he goes home, and the lord's family is a ......"

The laughter of the Han people came from the door of the inn, and the Han young man didn't care about the kick he had received, and continued to step forward and hug the thigh of a Mongolian. Several Mongolians looked at the tearful Han youth and laughed loudly, and then exchanged a few words with each other in Mongolian, and finally with a happy face, they casually threw a small burden on the ground and left.

The young man sat on the ground and cried for a while with this burden in his arms, and finally got up and left with tears in his eyes.

Is this weeping for the Lord's house, or is it weeping for himself? With such a resume, what caravan would dare to recruit him?

Yes, the shop was swept away, and the young man was caught by the police, and he was indeed innocent from one side. But what is the real situation, who can say? Who would dare to say that this young man did not confess some information, betrayed his shopkeeper and companions, and then was able to get out?

There are many innocent people in this world, who can't choose, why find someone with a 'stain' on their resume?

It's impossible to say what this young man will do in the future, but everyone knows that it will be difficult for him to develop in the Sino-Russian border trade. Not only in Manchuria, but also in Kyakhta, where he would not be welcomed.

The two businessmen sighed a few times at what happened to the young man, sighed a few words about the government's recent crackdown on smuggling, took a sip of tea, lowered his voice and said: "The government's investigation is getting stricter and stricter. Sulfur and gunpowder were not allowed to cross the border, as well as iron and grain, and business became more and more difficult. "Who doesn't know that smuggling is more profitable?

At that time, the ancestors of the Jin merchants trafficked iron tools to Mongolia, which was definitely more profitable than purely engaging in tea. And they can exchange iron tools for war horses that are in short supply on the side of the Ming Dynasty, and then sell them to China, back and forth, and the profits are higher.

But now?

The information just released by the government, if a smuggling caravan is found, it can be reported nearby, or it can be dealt with directly. Once verified, there will be a reward. It's like the package these Mongolian men are carrying.

The government doesn't care whether the people in the smuggling caravan live or die. In one word, to describe smugglers, that is, there are no human rights. Even the thieves and robbers caught by the government are not as good, and the government still provides a defense lawyer when the latter passes through the court.

The two continued to lament that business was not good, as a way to express their envy of the smuggler's high profits.

Yes, the smugglers are all 'collaborators', they are not good things, they can be regarded as traitors.

Every year, the Jin Merchants Association will repeatedly demand that the Jin Merchants abide by the law, support the imperial court, and be patriotic. But the reputation of this Jin merchant in the country is still relatively stinky, and the bad things done by the ancestors in the past have not been cleared up now, which makes people a little ashamed, but this shame seems to be nothing in front of money. Are they merchants?

Suddenly, there was a cheer outside, the two people stopped talking, and looked out again curiously, and a fellow was instructed by the shopkeeper to walk out quickly, and it didn't take long for him to come back, and loudly report to the shopkeeper.

"Another flag slave has escaped back, saying that this time it will be made up in our Manchuria." What is a flag slave, that is the flag man, the person who ran back and went directly to the labor camp. Qinu is a contemptuous name given to them by the Han Chinese.

"How many are there?"

"How many battalions can you make?"

"Is Lao Maozi fighting famine again?"

"It's finally our turn in Manchuria, and we're going to have to clean up the road outside......

"The road outside, some of the potholes, are almost out of shape......"

The guests who were eating and talking in the hotel instantly amplified their voices, and the lobby immediately became lively, and even people on the second floor ran out to lean on the railing.