Colonial Era: From Remnants to European Dominator

"The provisions and funds are all gone!!"

"How many more days can the city hold out?"

Hanse, disheveled and breathing wildly, stared at the grain and provisions officer opposite him.

The grain and provisions officer tremblingly opened the account book and answered in a mournful tone:

"The grain supply is insufficient for one month's needs."

"The silver is insufficient for ten days' expenses!!"

"What?!"

Saihan's eyes blazed with fury. He grabbed the grain officer by the collar and demanded angrily:

"A border city's primary responsibility is to stockpile provisions and military supplies. You bunch of bastards, is this how you stockpile them? Is this how you face the imperial court?"

The grain and provisions officer, gazing at the man-eating beast opposite him, spoke again, his voice trembling as if on the verge of tears:

"My lord, this has nothing to do with me. The previous garrison commanders and local soldiers were a bunch of scoundrels who devoured Kobdo City long ago. Every year, the city relies on the imperial court for grain and provisions. If that's not enough, they'll lie and say there's a disaster or border trouble, that the revenue and expenditure are insufficient, and demand more. That's how this decadent situation has come about. It really has nothing to do with me. Please don't blame me, my lord. It's truly all their fault!"

"That thief deserves to die!!"

Upon hearing this, Saihan grabbed the officer by the collar and shoved him to the ground. The officer, who was still explaining, fell silent instantly, replaced by a deep-seated fear and a desperate desire to save his own life.

Saihan was furious, and finally said in a tone that was both conciliatory and murderous:

"In that case, we can ask them to repay their debts to help us through this crisis. When the imperial rations arrive, we can return the money to them."

Upon hearing this accounting-like order, the grain and provisions official was taken aback at first, then helplessly replied:

"My lord, you are mistaken. Since ancient times, it has always been the imperial court that distributes rations and salaries to local soldiers. Where has there ever been such a benevolent act as local soldiers bringing their own rations and salaries to help the imperial court support itself? If such a good thing existed, I'm afraid we wouldn't have this terrible situation of the treasury being overrun with rats!"

"Screw them! They're greedy. They won't even give me a fraction of it. Do you expect me to kneel down and beg them?"

Hanse's arrogance clouded his judgment once more. He kicked aside the grain and provisions officer who had just stood up, and casually smashed the tiger tally on the table to the ground with a sharp crack.

"Summon all the border troops who are pursuing the barbarian bandits back. Tell them I have important matters to discuss and to act quickly, lest we delay this crucial matter!!"

-------

Outside the city gates of Kobdo, a second contingent carrying military flags entered the city in the afternoon. Everywhere they went, even the small merchants could see the decline of the Kobdo border army.

That aura was like a decaying flower, about to wither and die.

Meanwhile, atop the city wall, Saihan, who witnessed all of this, merely wiped the snot that had flowed from his nose due to the cold wind with disdain. After wiping it, he tossed the handkerchief to his servant and led his men back to his residence to prepare for the upcoming "great cause of fundraising."

"The garrison commander has arrived!!"

Inside the garrison headquarters, with a shout from an official, Saihan, dressed in the uniform of a garrison general, wearing a red-topped official hat and cloud-patterned boots, walked out with a calm expression.

"Greetings, Commander!"

"Greetings, General!"

All the border troops, big and small, bowed to Saihan upon seeing him, which made Saihan, who had been in a fit of anger, nod slightly before arranging for everyone to sit down.

After everyone was seated, Saihan immediately spoke in official language:

"You have all done a great service in pursuing and killing the Turkic bandits. I will certainly report this to the court in the future and request that you be rewarded."

"I am deeply grateful for your kindness, Your Excellency, and dare not claim credit for it."

Harlan was the first to stand up and answer, and then everyone else shouted in unison:

"Thanks to the garrison commander, he deserves the greatest credit."

Saihan said he didn't deserve the honor, but in his heart he completely looked down on these border soldiers.

"Since you have won a battle, you should be rewarded accordingly. However, because the supplies were seized by the Turkic bandits yesterday, the supplies in the government are now insufficient. The reason for inviting you here is to borrow some supplies to stabilize the morale of the army, assist His Majesty, and stabilize the excellent situation in Kob City."

"You can rest assured, everyone. When the new provisions arrive tomorrow, we will make up for it in full. We will not dare to miss a single tael of silver or a single pound of grain."

Saihan smiled and delivered his prepared speech, eagerly awaiting the words of loyalty and devotion from the "loyal ministers and filial sons" around him.

But instead of loyal and virtuous officials, he was met with cold stares and even cries of poverty from one of them—and the one crying poverty was Harun.

"Kobdo is a destitute place. My official robes have been patched four times. I can't afford fine cloth, so I only dare to wear coarse cloth. I usually can't bear to wear them. Today, I'm shamelessly wearing them to the garrison commander. I've already sold my face. If you ask for money again, wouldn't you expect my whole family to starve to death?"

Just as Saihan was about to retort, he heard a voice:

"The garrison commander has gone mad! He's even trying to steal our hard-earned money. Does he really think we're weaklings, easy prey?"

"You—how dare you!!"

"You lowly slave, how dare you!!"

Saihan pointed at the black man named Suk across from him. He vaguely remembered this man. He was born into a bondservant family and later became an official due to his military achievements. He was a commoner who had guarded the frontier for generations. Now, he dared to say such treasonous words to him. He simply didn't want to live. Saihan immediately ordered his men to arrest him.

But as soon as the order to summon reinforcements was given, the border generals, who had been silent, all stepped forward and stood in neat rows before him, shouting in unison:

"Please reconsider, my lord!!"

"you----"

"Are you trying to rebel?"

Saihan’s words were tinged with fear, yet also with a forced air of composure and authority.

"We serve our country on the frontier; even if we haven't achieved great merit, we have at least endured hardship. Why are you bullying us like this, sir?!"

The leader, Suk, glared fiercely at this Beijing scoundrel who wore a prince's hat but had no real skills. His anger intensified when he saw the jade thumb ring on the man's thumb, because Saihan's thumb ring reminded him of the way he was whipped by his Manchu master, a feeling he could never forget.

"Naturally, it's for the sake of provisions and pay. You all know what it's like when the army is short of provisions and pay, do I really need to elaborate?"

Saihan's chest heaved, and faced with this group of arrogant and fierce soldiers, he could only respond with a calm tone.

His words were met with laughter, and Suk brazenly added:

"What does the army's lack of food and pay have to do with us? If we follow your logic, sir, wouldn't you be the one paying first? Besides, we're used to being poor; where would we get the extra money and food to feed our soldiers? It's you, sir, who, upon arriving, has made even a wealthy city like Kobdo unable to afford food. A few days ago, you also caused morale to plummet, resulting in the loss of countless men—"

"My lord, whose crime is this? Who has committed this sin?!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the group of fierce warriors completely surrounded Hanse, with some even stating bluntly:

"Since we don't have the money to feed our brothers outside, why don't we let the garrison commander test the brothers' mettle—whether they're white, black, or red!!"

These words were met with laughter, leaving Hanse both angry and fearful as he looked at the fierce border generals around him.

"Do you really want me dead? If I die, none of you will live either. I am a prince, who dares to defy me?"

These words, spoken with such cowardice and lack of confidence, drew utter disdain from Harun, who was hiding in the crowd. He gave a signal to his confidant, who then swiftly extended his foot from the surrounding crowd and kicked Hanse in the abdomen. With a wail, the prince, who had just been talking about persuading people to donate, collapsed to the ground in a sorry state.

As soon as they landed, Mo An, who had been silent and secretly plotting, spoke up:

"If the news of the lack of food and pay gets out, not only will you, the garrison commander, be implicated and lose your lives. Don't be fooled by the soldiers outside who beat and curse you on ordinary days; in reality, they are all unruly soldiers in this small fortified town. Just think about it, if these 1,500 men are deprived of food and pay, how can we possibly survive?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present, including Hanse who was still wailing and complaining, was dumbfounded. No matter how stupid he was or how much he cared about his status as a collateral branch prince, he understood the meaning of these words.

Let alone this border region, even if it weren't a border region, in any place within the Great Wall, if the local soldiers were to run out of food and pay, it would be considered good if they didn't riot. Not to mention a remote and important border town like Kobdo City, where the 1,500 soldiers may not seem like many, but they are all registered veterans.

These people have lived in this place for decades, serving as soldiers for generations. Their intermarriages are widespread throughout the border areas under the Qing army's jurisdiction around the Altai Mountains. Not to mention them, even the garrison commanders behind them dared not do anything as evil as cutting off food and pay.

If they did it today, I'm afraid Saihan's head would be chopped off by these rude soldiers and used to quell the army's morale. At that time, who would care if he was a prince? Even if a county prince came, he would suffer the same fate.

Even if Saihan was foolish, he had still read the Book of Han for seven or eight years and knew how terrifying the border troops were when their supplies were cut off, as recorded in history. So, as soon as he realized what was happening, he hurriedly spoke up:

"What should I do? What should I do??"

Mo An pondered for a moment before speaking:

"There is only one way left now."

"They committed the crime of colluding with neighboring tribes, killed innocent people to claim credit, and seized others' wealth to feed these 1,500 soldiers. There was no other way!!"

"You're harboring malicious intentions; you've committed sins yourself and are trying to drag me down with you—"

Just as Hanse pointed at Moan, Harun quietly interrupted:

"I urge you, my lord, to issue a general order to the entire army: the Turkic tribes' rebellion is all due to the Qing Dynasty's benevolent treatment and reluctance to indiscriminately kill them. Therefore, they have committed this rebellious act. It is evident that those who speak Turkic are all Dzungar bandits and Altai Turkic henchmen. Thus, you, my lord, should deliver a thunderous reprimand!"

"Raise an army and annihilate them!!"

Looking at Harun, who spoke fluent Mandarin and classical Chinese, Hanse's initial contempt vanished instantly. Looking at the border officers around him, with their wolfish eyes and jackal-like bodies, he felt a chill run down his spine, and only dared to utter one sentence:

"The crime of treason is an unforgivable sin!"