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

Zhao Lie certainly didn't have the guts to recruit more than 500 Jurchens into the Han army at once; this was all an imperial decree issued by Galdan, which arrived along with the appointment letter.

Galdan was considering Siberia and the permafrost region above the Heilongjiang River. It would be almost impossible to send Han Chinese immigrants to occupy these areas one by one, as the weather was simply too cold.

These Jurchens, who grew up in the icy and snowy land, are the natural protagonists here; they are even more suited to this place than the Kazakhs of Tsarist Russia.

If the two sides were to meet in the forest, it would be a fight to the death, a battle to see who is stronger. This is what is meant by using the methods of Tsarist Russia to fight back against Tsarist Russia.

Once they have established their base, the Han can escort prisoners there, and in some places, after natural disasters, they can even send refugees there for resettlement.

When Zhao Lie brought Aguda to the camp, he saw strong men playing with their weapons, some throwing knives and axes, others blowing darts.

More than one hundred of these five hundred people were clearly different from the Haixi Jurchens; they had smaller eyes and rounder faces. These people were the Evenki and Oroqen people.

They will later be called Sauron soldiers.

They belong to the Mongoloid race, which is very different from the Haixi Jurchen Tungusic race. Their harsher living conditions led to their stronger combat capabilities.

Zhao Lie accepted all comers; it was all a mutually agreeable deal. The Han Dynasty offered them superior conditions and honors, and they paid with their strength and lives in return.

Galdan did not want to follow the example of the Manchu Qing dynasty and overturn the table as soon as he entered the pass, thus creating a path for warriors outside the pass to rise in rank.

Zhao Lie clapped his hands, and everyone immediately gathered together. However, these people still respected strength and were arranged in order of their strength.

"Gentlemen, this is Aguda, a newly arrived warrior from the Haixi Jurchen tribe. He can draw a bow with a strength of 150 jin (approximately 75 kg). I have already appointed him as a centurion!"

"Whoever can beat him bare-handed today will be the centurion of the Fifth Battalion. Do as you please!"

After Zhao Lie finished speaking, he sat down to the side and skillfully began to brew milk tea, a winter essential.

Of the more than 500 men, only four strong men remained unmoved. Each of them looked no less formidable than Aguda, and these were centurions who had subdued the others.

Aguda strode forward, grabbed the hat on his head and threw it to the ground, then took off his leather coat, revealing only a vest and shorts underneath, his muscles as muscular as a dragon.

"Who disagrees?"

"Come on up!"

Two simple yet arrogant sentences ignited everyone's tempers. In their respective tribes, who wasn't a warrior?

"I'll do it!"

A tall, muscular man, who was 1.8 meters tall, had already taken off his outer clothes. As he sprinted at high speed, his right hand was already pulled back, and his fist was clenched so tightly that it made a cracking sound!

boom.

Before he could even get close to Aguda, Aguda used his long legs to kick him in the chest, sending him flying backward and landing on the ground bleeding from the mouth.

"You son of a bitch, you don't know what's good for you!"

"Doctor, where have you been?"

Zhao Lie, who was brewing milk tea nearby, was so frightened that he hurriedly stood up and scolded him, while also calling for the army doctor.

Soon a middle-aged man in his fifties with a sleazy appearance ran in carrying a medicine box. He claimed to be an army doctor, but he was actually a veterinarian who could only set bones and prescribe some herbal medicine.

The doctor pressed on the injured Jurchen's chest, followed by a violent scream that sent chills down everyone's spine. The doctor then bowed to Zhao Lie.

"Sir, three ribs are broken!"

"Or it will directly sink into the internal organs."

"It's probably beyond saving!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lie felt a headache coming on and waved his hand.

"Carry him away, make his journey easier, and give his tribe ten taels of silver as a resettlement allowance, as a token of respect for dying in the line of duty!"

After Zhao Lie finished speaking, he looked at Aguda and saw that Aguda had already lowered his head and admitted his mistake. His scolding words turned into patient teaching.

"This money will be deducted from your allowance. From now on, treat your fellow soldiers with kindness and never harbor any murderous intent!"

"Now, you can continue!"

This can't really be blamed on Aguda. These lone travelers in the snow always go all out in battle, because the slightest carelessness could turn them into food for wild beasts.

"Who else?"

This time, Aguda was smarter, and his tone was more humble, without the previous contemptuous expression.

Seeing that no one stepped forward for a long time, Aguda took a few steps forward and held up three fingers to these people.

"Three! I want to take on three!"

This statement was extremely arrogant, but no one stood up. They were probably all thinking to themselves, "Didn't you see that the other four centurions were already sweating with fear? We're just going to have a go at them?"

Zhao Lie knew these people were convinced, so he slammed his hand on the table and said, "Alright, that's enough for today. From now on, Aguda will be your centurion."

"You five centurions, choose your men by tonight and assemble at the commander's office tomorrow morning!"

……

Before sunrise the next day, more than 500 people had already gathered on the streets of the Commander's Office.

Everyone wore their warmest fur coats and hats, made by skilled artisans from the Han Dynasty. The edges of these coats had hidden snaps, so that since tents couldn't be pitched in the snow, they could simply be fastened with another coat to create a large sleeping bag.

In addition to these warm clothes, each person has three Liaodong horses, all purchased from qualified tribes, which can still run swiftly even at minus thirty degrees Celsius.

However, only one of them was a warhorse; the other two were draft horses, used only for carrying loads and could be killed to save lives when food was extremely scarce.

One of the horses was loaded with muskets, ammunition, and provisions; the other horse was loaded with a suit of iron-plated cotton armor.

These were the provisions provided by the burly man. Anything else they wanted to bring, such as medicinal wine made with high-proof liquor and deer blood, would need to be purchased by themselves.

This is a baby product that can raise body temperature.

Zhao Lie also walked out of the government office at this time. Two guards carried out a wooden frame with a detailed map of Nurgan Commandery on it. However, after so many years, no one knew whether the place had changed.

"You are all warriors of my Great Han Expeditionary Camp. This time, the two teams will head towards Twin Cities, all the way to the sea. Once you find a large plain, mark it clearly."

"The other three teams head north, but you'll be in greater danger because you'll encounter Rakshasa people armed with muskets—it will be a fight to the death!"

"The spoils from this trip will be split 20/80. You will each receive 20% of the profits from the wild animals you hunt and the ginseng you dig up."

"Don't think it's a low reward. If you can successfully restore the garrison, you will receive the local garrison land, specifically allocated according to military merit. However, His Majesty the Emperor said that one Rakshasa head will be exchanged for twenty acres of land!"

"Long live the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!"

After Zhao Lie finished speaking, he raised his right hand and shouted slogans. There were already foreign soldiers and officials coming to Ningguta, which was also a way of showing loyalty to Galdan.

Zhao Lie used Chinese for the last sentence, and all the Jurchen and Solon people, who were only half-fluent in the language, shouted along.

"Long live the Emperor of the Great Han Dynasty!"