"Theoretically, it should be possible." Zhao Liang thought about it and walked to the map, only to find that there was no place further north on the map. He withdrew his hand and muttered, "Actually, the north side shouldn't be like this......"

"How?" The Empress asked curiously.

"I've heard people say that if you go north along the water network, you can go all the way to a place that is farther away than Mobei and farther north than Beihai. It is not as barren as the desert, but there are large forests and rivers. Merchants would go there to buy skins and sell groceries from local hunter-gatherers. When Genghis Khan ordered Jochi to lead his army north to conquer the 'people in the forest', he was probably one of these people. ”

"At that time, from Dadu to the north, into Shangdu, Yingchang, and then continue north, along the border of the Jurchen and Mongolian tribes, you can bypass the desert. Now this road is very chaotic, and it happens to be the place where the various forces are fighting and fighting, so it is basically useless. ”

"But from Liaoyang to the north, into the Jurchen tribes, and then to the northwest into the forest boundary, you can still reach the Beihai periphery, and even bypass the Beihai. This road has a well-developed water network, which runs between rivers and can reach Qianqian Prefecture all the way. Further west, you can enter the borders of the Golden Horde. ”

"This route was used by the Yuan Dynasty back then." Cao Jian added: "According to the records, when Shizu and Chengzong, because the Khans of Ogedai and Chagatai were opposed to the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongols in Mobei also rebelled all day long, resulting in the Yuan Dynasty's westward passage being interrupted from time to time. As a result, the envoys of the Yuan Dynasty often made detours in the far north in an attempt to reach the Golden Horde. That's what they're supposed to take. ”

"How many people can pass on this road?" Take off and ask the point directly.

"Which part has to be seen." Zhao Liang hesitated, looked at Guo Kang again, and replied directly: "From Qianqian Prefecture to the west, this section is completely passable for the army. When Batu Khan went west before, he walked through one of them. ”

"The geography of the area, to be honest, is a bit of an anomaly." He thought about it again and tried to put it more intuitively: "When I was a child, I always thought that the world was centered on the Central Plains, the Central Plains was the richest, and the farther away the other surroundings were, the poorer they became. But then it turned out that it didn't seem to be the case. ”

"For example, in the north, there is actually no rich center, but a 'barren center', that is, the desert. This place has the worst environment, and the surrounding conditions are better than it, including Mobei. ”

"After leaving the desert, it is a grassland area, where some 'felt tent people' graze. Further north, there is an endless forest. And the place where the forest and the grassland meet, I feel that the conditions are the best in this area. In some places, farming is also possible. Like Qianqian Prefecture, I think it is typical. ”

"What's that?" The queen asked.

"Qianqian Prefecture is north of Tangnu Mountain, upstream of the Qianhe River - the river here is strange, it doesn't flow east, but north." Zhao Liang explained: "Although it is in the northwest of the desert, it is very rich. The soil is so fertile that the natives sow seeds in the summer and harvest them in the fall, and they don't even have to plough them. There are also iron ore and salt mines, which can provide raw materials. ”

The queen looked at Guo Kang, Cao Jian and the others and asked what they thought. Guo Kang nodded and agreed with this statement.

The Qian River is what was later called the Yenisei River, and these rivers do flow northward into the Arctic Ocean. What Zhao Liang said is indeed the truth.

"This place was the territory of the Western Liao and Jiligis people, that is, the Tang Dynasty." Encouraged by this, Zhao Liang continued: "The locals claim to be the descendants of Li Ling, and they say that they are the Jiankun of the Han Dynasty. Probably because of this relationship, it's not ...... here Mongolia, on the contrary, is quite similar to our Han land. ”

"In that year, Genghis Khan gave it to his wife, the instigation of Luheteni Beji. The two often migrated Han Chinese who were not accustomed to the water and soil of Mongolia to cultivate millet and wheat to improve the level of local farming. There are also people who run workshops there and make all kinds of supplies. As a result, it quickly developed, and there were even weapons and armor workshops, as well as silk and satin. ”

"The local government has also set up Han officials to manage it all year round. Later, during the reign of Shizu, it was expanded to Yilanzhou, and Liu Haoli was appointed as the judge of the five ministries, in charge of the Qianhe River and the Angula River, and various areas with similar conditions. Liu Haoli established a tax system and built government offices, warehouses and post houses, many of which are still used by the locals today. In short, it's not the same as Mongolia. ”

"The birthplace of the Golden Horde, we all have the information." Cao Jian nodded: "Starting from Sarai or Kazan, you can follow the route of Timur from the river to the north, this road can definitely pass through the army, he has verified it several times." We don't go to the river, but turn east halfway, go to Qianqian Prefecture, and establish a base there, which is also theoretically feasible. ”

"This humble state ......" Borjan flipped through the notes in his hand and said: "The information says that during the Tang Dynasty, the local natives paid tribute to the imperial government and asked for the establishment of Tang officials, so the imperial court set up the Jiankun Governor's Mansion here. Therefore, this place is already considered a peach blossom stone boundary. ”

"Suddenly, it doesn't seem that far away." He laughed.

"The steppe trade routes are indeed much closer than those passing through the Western Regions and Persia." Cao Jian agreed: "My father thought about this problem before, and he also found some scholars to calculate. They believe that our world is a sphere, not a plane, so the road through Persia is indeed farther. Caravans passed through there, mainly because the Persian region was generally more prosperous and could trade along the way. If you just want to get from us to the east as soon as possible, the northern line is definitely the closest. ”

"But I have to remind everyone that even if you go to Qianqian Prefecture, it is only the first step." He changed his words and said, "Regardless of whether the tribes along the way listen or not, it is still a question of how to get there." ”

"From Qianqian Prefecture directly south to Guting Prefecture, and then along the ancient silk road to the east, into the west of the river, this is the oldest road, when the local people paid tribute, also walked like this. But now, there is activity among the Warats, and we don't know their attitudes. In addition, Higashi Chagatai is still not stable, and it is difficult to say, because the previous turmoil over there has lasted too long, and people cannot feel at ease. ”

"And if you don't go south, continue eastward, from the north side of the Beihai, bypassing the boundary of the felt tent people, you should be able to reach Liaoyang Province. But that's the same question as before – how many people can this road pass? Do we have sufficient information and experience? He questioned.