Iron Dynasty Chapter 1017

“Your Majesty, news has arrived from Jinzhou.”

Qian Dafu stepped into the Imperial Study, laying a telegram right before Xiao Ming.

As Xiao Ming glanced over the telegram's details, his brows furrowed deeply. Qi Guangyi had dispatched this message, yet the events it described occurred five days prior.

“Has the telegraph network reached Jinzhou?” While reflecting on the telegram's details, Xiao Ming inquired of Qian Dafu regarding the setup of the telegraph lines. By now, Qian Dafu had evidently taken on the role of his personal secretary.

“To Your Majesty, yes, it has been completed. This marks the initial telegram transmitted from Jinzhou,” Qian Dafu replied, beaming. “Furthermore, connections now link Chang’an to the west and Jinling City to the south via telegraph, with numerous relay stations constructed to facilitate this.”

The advancement in deploying the telegraph lines brought a mild sense of contentment to Xiao Ming. Even as warfare dominated the nation's focus, progress in domestic technology, industry, and trade persisted unabated.

Qingzhou University stood out in particular, with its academic disciplines growing ever more specialized, and dedicated research facilities now set up across the institutions—for fields like bridge building, civil engineering, applied chemistry, materials science, mineral surveying, mechanical physics, clinical medicine, among others.

Spanning from the final year of the seventeenth century through to the thirteenth year of the eighteenth, over those fourteen years, he had successfully forged a comprehensive scientific framework akin to that of the late nineteenth century, drawing upon the extensive technological archives within the technology crystals.

Over a decade back, Europe's tech sophistication mirrored the mid-to-late eighteenth century, surpassing the Great Yu Empire by a full century at that time. Yet today, despite pilfering portions of his innovations through underhanded tactics, Europe's advancements remained vastly outpaced by his own.

“Hmm, that's impressive progress,” he commended the building efforts. With that, he turned his full attention to dissecting the telegram's message.

Per Qi Guangyi's report, the barbarian leader Gubat sought covert alliance with them, demanding that his people gain imperial citizenship and retain their grassland homeland.

In earlier times, Xiao Ming would have rejected such terms outright, unwilling to allow barbarian groups on the plains that might endanger the borders.

Circumstances had shifted now, however. Machine guns had ushered in the demise of mounted warriors' dominance. To him, today's barbarians posed no greater threat than innocuous fluffy bunnies. He simply required their allegiance, after which they could dutifully tend to horses, sheep, and cattle across the grasslands on his behalf.

Yet achieving this under Dolgor's command proved unfeasible, given that all his offspring had perished by his army's hand.

Moreover, he refused to permit Dolgor's forces to ally with Tsarist Russia, an outcome that would surely bolster the tsars' power.

Thus, Dolgor needed to be eradicated at Tian Shan's base, blocking any retreat to the vast Eastern European plains.

With these thoughts in mind, he composed a strategic dispatch, instructing Qian Dafu to forward it to Jinzhou and onward to Qi Guangyi. Concurrently, the dispatch urged Qi Guangyi to bolster defenses, noting that Tian Shan extended across modern Southern Xinjiang and Central Asian Kazakhstan, where Tsarist Russia's influence loomed ever nearer.

After five days, the command arrived in Qi Guangyi's hands.

“His Majesty plans to ally with Gubat for wiping out Dolgor’s lingering Golden Tent remnants,” Qi Guangyi informed Feng Dongjin upon perusing the telegram.

Feng Dongjin gave a subtle nod, responding, “Gubat proves himself quite cunning. Who would have thought he anticipated His Majesty’s intentions so well.”

“Indeed, Gubat excels at gauging winds and seizing opportunities, though he's prone to wavering loyalties. Still, with the Empire's might on the rise, such opportunists have no choice but to side with us,” Qi Guangyi remarked steadily. “So, dispatch an envoy to Gubat without delay. We shall crush the Golden Tent riders this time.”

Hesitation lingered in Feng Dongjin. “And if it's a ruse? Dealing with barbarians demands we hold an ace hidden.”

His words barely faded when uproar erupted among the troops. Both men turned westward, spotting countless dark specks materializing ahead.

Peering through his field glasses, Qi Guangyi felt a chill grip his chest. Those specks were barbarian horsemen. He bellowed at once, “Battle stations!”

The command rang out, prompting soldiers to leap astride their mounts, barrels trained on the oncoming riders. Astonishingly, the horsemen halted at a distance of five hundred meters. From their ranks, three barbarian riders broke forward, heading straight for them.

Through the lenses, Qi Guangyi discerned the newcomers' features and cried out in astonishment, “Those are Gubat’s men.”

Feng Dongjin likewise identified the arrivals, his face mirroring the shock.

In response, the pair held position at the forefront, awaiting the approach, until Gubat reined in before them shortly after.

Encountering Gubat once more left Qi Guangyi and Feng Dongjin mildly taken aback. He bore no resemblance to a barbarian chieftain now; instead, he embodied a routed commander entirely.

His battered armor bore crusts of dried blood, and a nauseating stench of gore wafted close by.

Trailing him came shaken warriors and clansfolk, faces etched with exhaustion and eyes haunted by dread. Wounded fighters moaned persistently from within the ox-drawn carts. Such sights conveyed to the duo that Gubat had weathered a grave ordeal.

“Banner Head Gubat, what has transpired?” Qi Guangyi queried gravely.

Gubat's throat worked visibly. He heaved a sigh, swung down from his horse, and rasped, “General Qi, Chief Scribe Feng, the situation looks dire.”

Qi Guangyi and Feng Dong exchanged glances. He kept the troops alert, dismounting themselves to draw nearer to Gubat.

Standing face-to-face, Gubat admitted with chagrin, “Generals, circumstances have altered. My tribe now struggles merely to survive.”

“What caused this?” Qi Guangyi pressed, puzzled.

Indignation flared in Gubat as he explained, “All seemed set for success, yet a betrayer among us disclosed my scheme to Dolgor. Furious, Dolgor himself mustered forces to waylay my people.”

Pausing briefly, he went on, “I held no fear of him at first; we'd have clashed to mutual ruin at worst. But then, out of nowhere, 30,000 Cossack riders from Tsarist Russia descended. Our 50,000 horsemen stood no chance, forced to retreat westward. The Cossacks hounded us without mercy. Only through my valiant officers' sacrificial stand did I manage to reach here.”

“Cossacks!” Gubat's revelation sobered Qi Guangyi and Feng Dongjin immediately.

“No doubt about it—the Tsarist Russian Cossack horsemen. Armed with guns themselves, they overpowered us completely,” Gubat stated, face etched with despair.

On this occasion, escape came by sheer luck, though two-thirds of his folk fell to the trap sprung by Dolgor and the Cossacks.

Qi Guangyi's gaze flickered thoughtfully. Truth be told, this worry had nagged him amid the push westward, for deeper into the west meant nearing the Eastern European plains, cradle of the Cossack warriors.