The Revolt of the Three Feudatories: All-in at the start in Beijing

Chapter 148 Andrei: I am a Han Chinese

In other dynasties, these opera singers had no social standing; officials and common people alike referred to them simply as "actors."

The Han dynasty, however, treated him with the rank of an official in the Ministry of Rites.

Those who sing well, are innovative, and can stir the emotions of the people can hold office, with the highest rank being a fifth-grade official.

As for prioritizing the promotion of traditional opera and establishing positions for opera performers, these were decisions made after careful consideration by Liu Mu and the Ministry of Rites.

At the beginning of the year, when the emperor invited people from all over the country to watch plays, the imperial city spies discovered that the people were enthusiastic about joining the army and harbored great resentment towards Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and others.

At the same time, unintentionally, it gradually dispelled the people's shackles that all other professions are inferior and only studying is superior.

After all, he was a soldier in the Han Dynasty.

That truly means that if one person joins the army, the whole family won't go hungry.

Liu Mu turned his head and thought, since opera can open people's minds first, why spend so much money and time to forcibly enlighten children?

It is believed that any people who have seen this play will naturally feel contempt and hatred towards foreign races.

Moreover, after the New Year, the Han people will migrate on a large scale, and at that time, those kind-hearted Han people will find it difficult to rule over the local natives.

So, in addition to the drama of foreign tribes eating people, Liu Mu also specially arranged a soap opera where Han people could only make a family well-fed and clothed by enslaving foreign tribes like cattle and horses.

Whether it's vulgar or not.

Let's see if it works or not!

Who wouldn't want to be a landlord?

The west wing of Zhuangyuanlou was reserved by Liu Mu through Pan Feng. It only has a table in each of the four corners (east, west, south, north, and west), and a one-meter-high stage in the middle.

However, today's meeting before New Year's Day only included the Emperor, the seven ministers, and Xie Bo'an, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.

And I must say, you can see the prosperity of Beijing from here, and handling government affairs is quite enjoyable. In just two hours, the events of the year-end were summarized, and arrangements were made for the immigration to the Western Regions and Southeast Asia in the coming year.

"In short, immigration must be carried out on a village-by-village basis, prioritizing the relocation of mountain people from Fujian and Zhejiang to the islands of Southeast Asia, and the relocation of mountain people from Shandong, Shanxi, and Shaanxi to Shuofang!"

"Once the land purchased by the gentry is properly arranged, there is no need to manage it anymore. As for the people of the Han Dynasty, they should mainly be concentrated in the cities, and the places chosen should be the most fertile."

After listening to Liu Mu's summary of immigration, all the ministers nodded and took notes, secretly thinking that His Majesty the Emperor was becoming increasingly ruthless.

After all, they spent so much money, and the land they ended up with was not even as good as the Loess Plateau in Shanxi.

Liu Mu was unaware of this. If he had known, he would have simply laughed it off. Under a different emperor, these gentry families would have been in dire straits, and would almost certainly have their property confiscated and be exiled.

Therefore, I, Liu Mu, am the truly benevolent ruler.

Seeing that the political affairs were almost settled, Liu Mu picked up his wine cup, ready to drink with his ministers, when Zhao Fengnian rushed up in a hurry, making it even more obvious that the west tower was difficult to climb.

"Your Majesty, the Russian delegation has been clamoring to see you since this morning, and just now, in their disturbance, they even injured a member of the Imperial Guard!"

Liu Mu's face turned ashen upon hearing this. He had just been watching the fight against the foreign tribes, and now the Imperial Guards were being attacked by them. Wasn't this a slap in the face to him?

However, since the Russian delegation has already been kept waiting for three days, it's time to meet them and deal with them later, he said immediately.

"Take them to Beidaying!"

"Today I will review the three armies!"

……

The Russian delegation soon received the notification, and the group of eight people, carrying a list of gifts and credentials, hurriedly headed to the military camp outside Andingmen.

They had no time to be complacent. The Tsar was critically ill, and there was an undercurrent of unrest within the country. At this critical juncture, Subutai's nearly 50,000-strong army was conquering and seizing territory in Kazakhstan.

Who knows if this thing will bypass the Ural Mountains and head north from the south onto the East European Plain, which is the homeland of Tsarist Russia.

Upon arriving outside the military camp, the leader of the delegation, Vladimir, who was nearly sixty years old, recognized a familiar face and led his men over.

"Andrei, you didn't die in Nerchinsk!"

"How did you end up in the Han army?"

After Andrei arrived in Beijing, his file was placed on Liu Mu's desk. Liu Mu was quite generous to such a talented person who was fluent in Chinese and devoted to the Han Dynasty.

He was first received with the city surrendered, and his family had assisted in the administration of Nerchinsk for their meritorious service. He was appointed as a commander of a thousand men, leading a thousand Han cavalrymen, some of whom were Cossacks.

Andrei, who was training his troops, turned his head immediately upon hearing the familiar rolled "r" accent.

Upon seeing the person's appearance, Andrei became breathless, his eyes bloodshot.

"My dear Uncle west!"

"I never expected to see you here!"

This "Uncle" was filled with anger and even strong murderous intent, which frightened Vladimir so much that he took three steps back, but was fortunately supported by the people behind him.

Andrei was so angry because Vladimir, his own uncle, had transferred him, the eldest son in the family, under the pretext of supporting the Tsar's eastward expansion.

Now that his uncle is an envoy of Tsarist Russia, according to the primogeniture system, it is clear that his father is dead, and he is also on the death list.

Vladimir knew that his methods were ruthless, but as a top duke with nearly three thousand elite cavalry under his command, he was still full of confidence.

"Andrei, if you're not dead, return to your family as soon as possible."

"Thanks to your uncle's tireless efforts, the family has surpassed its former glory, and you are now entitled to inherit a greater title than before!"

Andrei chuckled upon hearing this.

"Forget it, my good Uncle west, put away your hypocrisy. I am now a commander of a thousand men in the Han Dynasty, and I will use my military achievements to surpass my grandfather's!"

"Of course, that includes destroying everything you own!"

After Andrei finished speaking, he returned to his troops and continued to practice cavalry maneuvers and pincer attacks.

Vladimir was still furious. Was the eldest son's succession really that reasonable? Without his son, could the family have become a top family in just ten years?

Unlike Vladimir, there was a tall man behind him, clearly a military envoy, who was squinting as he sized up the thousand cavalrymen.

"The discipline of these Han cavalry is far superior to that of our most elite cavalry. If the entire Han army were of this standard, then His Majesty the Tsar's letter would be utterly useless!"

Although Vladimir was unfamiliar with military affairs, he was still surprised to hear this, because the speaker was one of the top soldiers in the army, someone even he himself was inferior to, which showed how powerful the Han army was.

Just then, the gates of the military camp swung open, and Liu Dingbian rode his black dragon steed, galloping up to the delegation. He looked down at them, revealing a pair of squinting eyes.

"His Majesty the Emperor requests your presence!"

To the Russian envoy, that look and tone of voice were nothing short of arrogance, downright boundless arrogance.

Do you really not take Tsarist Russia seriously?

Upon seeing this, the Russian general who had spoken earlier immediately pushed Vladimir aside and stepped forward to reprimand him.

"Dismount now and apologize, or you'll suffer the same fate as that Imperial Guard!"

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