Section 13

After a grueling journey of more than two months, Third-Class Civil Servant Ihonovsky and his entourage from the Far Eastern Province of the Russian Empire arrived in Beijing once again. Unsurprisingly, they were late. When the Russian mission presented their credentials, the diplomatic officials of both nations could not help but feel a certain awkwardness. Due to the vast distance, by the time news of Lin Feng's son reaching Nerchinsk arrived, the event had already passed for over a month. However, viewed from the perspective of the grand strategy, the Far Eastern Governor had still dispatched a congratulatory envoy. According to the plan, had the mission accelerated their pace, traveling from the Amur River basin to Beijing might have taken barely a month. Unexpectedly, they were harassed by East Mongolian tribes along the way, fighting, stopping, and hiding intermittently, and thus the journey took more than two months. Consequently, by the time they reached Beijing, Lin Feng's full-month banquet for his son had been held months ago, making the phrasing in the diplomatic documents appear somewhat peculiar.

Ihonovsky's mission this time was to renegotiate and revise the military treaty between the two nations. Ever since the previous alliance with the Han army, the Russian Empire had reaped considerable benefits in the Far East. Because the Qing court's regime in Liaodong had been utterly eradicated by Lin Feng, the Russians' pace of expansion in the Far East had accelerated significantly. Although some price had been paid during the alliance-forming process, from the perspective of long-term interests, it was clearly acceptable.

The Russian Empire had originally assumed that the sole obstacle to expanding into the Far East was the Qing government, but they soon realized this notion might have been overly optimistic. Once the Eight Banners forces were annihilated, the newly rising Horqin of East Mongolia quickly filled that vacuum. Currently, the Far Eastern colonial government was encountering resistance and sieges from East Mongolian cavalry units. What made it even more headache-inducing was that, compared to the previous Eight Banners troops, Horqin's forces were actually equipped with quite a few advanced firearms, especially their artillery, which was extremely fierce and vaguely posed a threat to the solid fortress entrenchments. Besides this, they were horrified to discover that these "barbaric Tatars" also possessed numerous matchlocks; while not yet issued to the entire army, this was certainly not something the isolated and outnumbered colonists could rival.

"Isn't this Lord Chicken?!—Long time no see, how have you been?!" The moment they met, before Ihonovsky could even bow, Lin Feng called out affectionately.

Ihonovsky felt extremely awkward. After more than a year of diligent effort, he had finally managed to gain a rudimentary grasp of the profound subject of the Chinese language. As far as he knew, His Highness the Prince of Han's form of address was entirely incorrect, but as a foreign envoy, correcting a king's etiquette error was strictly forbidden. For the moment, he could only offer a bitter smile and bow, saying, "Ihonovsky Khonovich, Third-Class Civil Servant of the Maritime Province of the Russian Empire, pays his respects to Your Majesty the King of the Great Han Kingdom. Their Majesties the Co-Tsars and Her Royal Highness the Grand Princess Sophia respectfully wish His Majesty the King..."

"Too polite, too polite!" Lin Feng interrupted his rambling, waved his hand, and said with a smile, "Lord Chicken is always so polite! Come, come, please sit, please sit!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty the King!"

"I heard from the Ministry of Rites that Lord Chicken came this time to grace my son's celebration with his presence. According to the rules, I must host a banquet and treat you—tell me whatever you wish to eat, don't stand on ceremony!"

"Your Majesty the King, you are truly generous," Ihonovsky demurred slightly, then said with a serious expression, "Your Majesty, in fact, my coming to the Great Han State this time is, on the one hand, to congratulate you on the birth of the little prince, and on the other hand, to deepen the friendship between our two countries!"

"Indeed, you sound like a stranger saying that! What kind of relationship do our China and the Russian Empire share?!—That is separated by a single mountain and connected by rivers, we are flesh-and-blood brothers! Members of the same family don't speak two different languages; if you have any issues, just say the word, and we Chinese brothers will surely go through fire and water for you!"

"Oh, you are truly a benevolent monarch! May the Russian Empire and the Great Han Kingdom remain friends for generations!" Ihonovsky put on a moved expression and exclaimed emotionally, "To have a neighbor like the Great Han is truly God's gift to the Russian people!"

"Hehe, Lord Chicken is truly Lord Chicken, your words are so heartwarming!" Lin Feng beamed, picked up his teacup, and said, "Come!—Please have some tea!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty the King!" Ihonovsky took a small sip. "Actually, I have come this time under the orders of the Tsar and Princess Sophia, hoping to revise the military treaty with Your Majesty!"

"This is a good thing!" Lin Feng smiled. "How do you propose to revise it?"

"Yes, just as our two countries agreed previously, there are currently quite a few barbarians living in the Far East. They oppose civilization while simultaneously possessing considerable military strength. Therefore, as civilized nations, in order to maintain a just social order, we must join hands to eliminate them or incorporate them into the normal order!" Ihonovsky said passionately. "Through our initial cooperation, we finally annihilated the barbarian regime entrenched in the Liaodong region, but there are still many similar fellows roaming the northern grasslands. Therefore, we hope the Great Han Kingdom will stand on the side of justice, strive for all people who yearn for civilization and order, and join us in wiping out those Tatar tribes!"

"Oh?" Lin Feng looked at him blankly. "Lord Chicken, what on earth are you talking about?!—Stop beating around the bush; tell me honestly, which one do you want to deal with this time?"

Ihonovsky's face flushed, and he gave a dry cough. "Ahem... ahem... The meaning of our government is that we hope to carry out military cooperation with your esteemed country to jointly annihilate the Horqin Khanate entrenched in East Mongolia!"

"Ah! So you want to deal with Horqin, is that it? Why didn't you just say so clearly?! Hey, Lord Chicken, stop throwing around words like justice and the people. Actually, I am a rough man who only knows how to march and fight; if you speak too profoundly, I won't understand!" Lin Feng shook his head and smiled. "Old Chicken, although our two countries share a profound friendship, this matter is truly a bit difficult to handle!"

Ihonovsky frowned and hurriedly asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty, what difficulties do you actually have?"

"The relations between our Great Han State and the Horqin tribe of East Mongolia are also quite good. You don't know this, but Bullyagma, the Khan of Horqin, is actually quite a decent friend. I think there might be a slight misunderstanding between you two; how about I act as a peacemaker and smooth over this little trouble for you?"

Ihonovsky stared dumbfounded at Lin Feng and smiled bitterly. "This... the conflict between us is vast, and I'm afraid it will be very difficult to coexist peacefully!"

"Then I am truly sorry," Lin Feng shook his head, putting on a helpless expression. "You don't know this, but not long ago, the Khan of Horqin sent me five thousand warhorses and ten thousand taels of gold, and he even wants to give me his goddaughter as a wife. This friendship is truly not shallow!"

Hearing this, Ihonovsky smiled and said, "Your Majesty is perhaps a bit forgetful. I heard that not long ago, Your Majesty personally commanded a large army to fight a major battle with the Dzungar Khanate in the west, slaughtering tens of thousands of Tatars, didn't you?"

"That's right," Lin Feng nodded. "That's why my relationship with Horqin is so good—let me be honest, that's just how things stand, which is why our Great Han State allied with Horqin. Hasn't he already led a large army on an expedition to strike the drowning dogs over at the Torghuts? Right now, we are simply guarding his back door; otherwise, why would the Khan of Horqin send me such heavy gifts?"

"Oh, my Majesty, do you know?" Ihonovsky urged anxiously, "The Tatars have always been ambitious. Whether it is East Mongolia or West Mongolia, they are equally barbaric and rude. Have you ever thought about it? If one of them unifies the grasslands and deserts, then our Russian Empire and the Great Han Kingdom will face the exact same danger!" At this point, he revealed a hint of fear and smiled bitterly, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten Genghis Khan?"

"Sigh, Lord Chicken, don't be alarmist. We and Horqin are close allies; we swore oaths to the Eternal Heaven!" Lin Feng shook his head offhandedly. "I believe in my Mongolian friends; they would never do anything unfaithful to their oaths!"

Seeing that Lin Feng was so shortsighted, Ihonovsky shook his head repeatedly and sighed emotionally, "Sigh, my dear Majesty, can you not consult your ministers? I do not believe that a country like this, with so many wise elders, doesn't even have a single person with foresight!"

"Oh?" Lin Feng rolled his eyes and said in a chilling tone, "Does Lord Chicken mean that I, the King, lack foresight?"

Meeting Lin Feng's fierce gaze, Ihonovsky stood undaunted, nodded, and said, "Yes, Your Majesty the King, I believe you truly lack a long-term perspective on this matter!"

"Hehe... truly quite the bold spirit!" Lin Feng sneered, "However, please give me a reason!"

Ihonovsky shook his head. "Your Majesty, I don't need too many reasons—a country's national defense and security must be controlled by itself, rather than being based on trust in a so-called past 'ally,' and even less can hopes be pinned on personal affection or friendship. National security overrides everything!"

"Oh, that seems to make some sense!" Lin Feng nodded, somewhat moved. "Hearing you put it that way, if the Mongols truly unite, hundreds of thousands of cavalry charging over all at once would indeed be hard to resist!..."

"Indeed! Your Majesty, you are so wise!" Ihonovsky hurriedly chimed in, "Therefore, while they are in the midst of civil war, we must nip the aggressive threat of these horse-riding barbarians in the bud!"

"Mhm! It makes sense..." Lin Feng nodded involuntarily, then suddenly frowned and said, "Won't I be breaking faith and violating oaths if I do this?!—Back then, the Khan of Horqin, Bullyagma, and I swore an oath to heaven to always remain in harmony. If I suddenly turn hostile now, won't people start gossiping?..."

Ihonovsky almost fainted on the spot. At that moment, he felt both exasperated and amused, truly at a loss for how to persuade Lin Feng. He smiled bitterly and said, "Your Majesty!!—My dear Majesty, do you know?! You are a king with tens of thousands of people who need your protection. You cannot risk the people of an entire country just for your personal reputation!!..."

"...Indeed!..." Lin Feng patted his head in distress. "What you say also makes a lot of sense!!... I cannot risk the lives and livelihoods of the common people!!... But... but my reputation is also very important..."

"Yes! Exactly right!" Ihonovsky struck while the iron was hot and hurriedly persuaded, "Your Majesty, you must make a decisive choice: are the interests of the people more important, or is your personal reputation more important?!—In fact, I believe that if you sacrifice your word for the sake of the people, the people will certainly not criticize you for breaking promises; instead, they will praise you, just like they admire those heroes who bravely fought and sacrificed their lives for the country. This is a most noble act!"

Lin Feng frowned, pondering in silence, looking hesitant and undecided.

"Of course not!" Ihonovsky immediately denied. "Ever since the barbarians besieged Nerchinsk and Albazin last time, our country has readjusted its military forces. Therefore, once the war begins, we can dispatch a contingent of troops to provide northern support for your grand army!"

"How many can you dispatch?"

"... At least..." Ihonovsky thought for a moment. "A year from now, we will be able to dispatch at least twelve thousand elite troops, including four thousand heroic Cossack cavalry!"

"Mhm, so to speak, the conditions from both sides are: you will dispatch at least twelve thousand troops, plus compensate our country with a batch of military funds, and then together we will annihilate the Horqin of East Mongolia and divide the lands equally?"

"That is correct! Dear Majesty!"

What a traitor selling out the country for glory! Lin Feng thought with inner emotion, then nodded. "Very well, let's do it. However, this plan must be kept strictly confidential. To be fair, I suggest that both sides dispatch envoys to reside permanently in each other's capitals for mutual communication." He thought for a moment. "In addition, for a war of this scale, one year of preparation time is too short. You can increase your troop numbers a bit more; I suggest both sides prepare for two to three years before launching the war!!"

Ihonovsky was slightly stunned and couldn't help hesitating as he said, "Having resident envoys is only proper, there is absolutely no problem with that! However... as for the timing of the war and increasing troop numbers, I'm afraid I must return and report to the Governor!"

"That's fine, the issue of military funds also needs to be negotiated!" Lin Feng nodded with a smile. "In addition, I hope to receive a reply from Moscow on this matter, rather than from some minor governor, so I intend to dispatch a mission to return with you to Moscow for specific consultations!"

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