One day in 1992, in the heart of Vladivostok, the pearl of the Far East, drums were playing in unison, and a grand burial ceremony was being held to welcome the return of famous heroes in Russian history. Who is this hero? Why did Vladivostok have to relocate his remains from Paris to here?
He was none other than Muravyov, the most famous land collector in the Far East during the Russian Empire. Vladivostok not only welcomed back Muravyov's remains, but also began construction of his bronze statue as early as 1991. On June 23, 2012, the huge statue of Muravyov was finally completed and placed in Vladivostok's most famous landmark, the Golden Horn. From now on, visitors can pay homage to his dignity and take photos with him.
Not only Vladivostok, but also in major cities in the Far East, such as Hyranpao (Blagoveshchensk), Chita, Nakhodka and Burli (Khabarovsk), the statue of the monarch can be seen. The statue of Boli stands on the rock cliffs of Heilongjiang, and no matter from which angle you stand in the city, you can see this statue. In the distance, Muravyov stood upright with one foot bent, his hands on his chest, his eyes forced to look at the other side of the Heilongjiang River, and he looked at everything.
Here some people have to ask, what virtue does Muravyov have to be able to receive such high respect from people? Specifically, this character is indeed not simple.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="5" >01 has a wealth of experience</h1>
On 11 August 1809, Nikolakolaievich Muravyov was born into an aristocratic family in St. Petersburg, where his father served as governor of Novgorod and later as former chancellor and privy councillor of Tsar Nicholas I. It can be said that Muravyov was born with a silver spoon, received a good education from an early age, and was sent to the Royal Aristocratic Military School to study.
In 1827, Muravyov began his military career and took part in the Siege of Varna in the Eighth Russo-Turkish War of 1828–1829, and in 1831 went to Poland to suppress the local November Uprising. Due to health reasons, he retired from the army in 1833 and returned to his hometown to inherit his father's manor. In 1838, he joined the army again, going to the Caucasus Mountains to participate in the military campaign to conquer the local mountain people.
In 1841, Muravyov was promoted to major general, but retired again due to illness. In 1846 he was appointed Military Governor of Tula By the Ministry of the Interior of Tsarist Russia. During this period, he devoted himself to the development of local agriculture and wrote to Nicholas I proposing the abolition of serfdom. Nicholas I did not accept his request, and he later considered Muravyov to be a "liberal and democratic faction".
Years of military life enabled Muravyov to develop a fanatical expansionist ideology and willingly act as a hawk dog for the expansion of the Russian Empire. His rich experience and broad vision have given him a clear understanding of the current situation in Russia. On the one hand, he hoped that the Tsar would abolish serfdom and make the country stronger; on the other hand, he hoped that he would have the opportunity to expand the territory of the empire.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" >02 Central Asian expedition</h1>
At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, the French Revolution broke out, Napoleon was born, and the eyes of the world were on Europe. But in far-flung Central Asia, a dark war is brewing.
In order to control the center of the world island in Central Asia, in 1810, the first british adventurers sent to Afghanistan began the "Great Game".
The Russians did not stand idly by in response to the British' actions. While sending troops into Transcaucasia and Persia, Russia was also sending intelligence personnel to the East. Captain Muravyov, 24, gladly accepted the mission, and he set out from Baku and trekked 1,300 kilometers on a camel to the Khanate of Khiva (Khwarazm) on the southern shore of the Aral Sea.
He succeeded in gaining the confidence of the local khans in agreeing to trade with Russia and establish friendly relations with the Viceroyalty of the Caucasus. But Muravyov's real purpose was not this: after careful observation, he submitted a detailed report to his superiors, asserting that only 3,000 sophisticated cavalry could be sent to overthrow the unpopular Khan and completely incorporate Khiva into Russian territory.
The young Muravyov's trip to Central Asia not only broadened his horizons and exercised his courage, but also fulfilled his mission brilliantly, which also laid the foundation for his adventures in the Far East decades later.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="16" >03 Governor of Eastern Siberia</h1>
Opportunities are always left to those who are prepared, and the opportunity for Muravyov to make a career has finally come. On 5 September 1847 he was appointed by the Tsar as acting governor of Irkutsk and Eastern Siberia. On 17 September, Tsar Nicholas I, during his visit to Tula Oblast, told him in French that "no need to bother with obedient people". He knew that Siberia was far from the Moscow Emperor, and that "he would be exempt from the orders of the foreign monarchs", and that he could act on special circumstances.
After Muravyov's arrival, he did not pay any attention to the warnings of the Russian Foreign Ministry, insisted on going his own way, carried out a series of military expeditions in the Heilongjiang River basin in violation of the Treaty of Nebuchu, forcibly educated the Russian language among the various ethnic groups in Siberia, and used exiled criminals to farm in the area north of the Heilongjiang River.
Originally an inland river in China, heilongjiang was invaded by the Russians in the east in the 17th century, eventually annexing the vast and fertile siberia. The Russians then invaded the Heilongjiang River valley south, but were defeated by the Kangxi Emperor. In 1689, the Qing and Russia signed the Treaty of Nebuchu, which had a modern legal nature, stipulating that the vast area south of the Waixing'an Mountains, north of the Heilongjiang River, and east of the Ussuri River, including Sakhalin Island, belonged to China's territory.
Although the Russians were confined to the area north of the Outer Hing'an Mountains, they still remembered the fertile Heilongjiang River Valley. Muravyov had learned about the northeast during his years in Eastern Siberia, and he found that the Manchus were not as powerful as the Russian elite had imagined.
Through the hundreds of years of wicker border system, the Qing Dynasty strictly prohibited Han Chinese from entering the border area, which has caused the northeast region to be sparsely populated and not much different from no man's land. The area under the jurisdiction of General Heilongjiang and General Jilin is very large, but there are only a few thousand soldiers and horses, and their training and equipment are extremely poor, they lack firearms, and their main equipment is cold weapons such as bows and arrows. In Muravyov's view, the Qing army was very weak and was not at all an opponent of the Russian army.
During his stay in Eastern Siberia, Muravyov continued to investigate the Heilongjiang River Basin. He appointed Captain Nevelskoy as the leader of the "expedition" and conducted so-called "expeditions" to the mouth of the Heilongjiang River and Sakhalin Island in the name of the "Russian-American Company." At the same time, a land "expedition" led by Lieutenant Colonel Akhjie was also dispatched to the Chinese territory in the southern foothills of the Waixing'an Mountains disguised as hunters to conduct an "expedition" within 3 years.
In July 1849, Nevelskoy broke into the mouth of the Heilongjiang River on the newly built transport ship "Baikal" and found a huge harbor on the north shore of the river mouth, named Happiness Bay and St. Nicholas Bay. The results of this expedition found that Sakhalin Island is not a peninsula, but an island, the Mouth of the Heilongjiang River can be navigable, and sea vessels can enter the Mouth of the River from both the north and the south. This is a relatively factual description of the area around the mouth of the Heilongjiang River, including Sakhalin Island, that Russia has ever made.
In July 1850, Nevelskoy was ordered to break into the mouth of the Heilongjiang River for the second time and establish the first Russian fortress on the nearby coast: Camp Peter. In August of the same year, the "expedition" forcibly occupied Temple Street and renamed it "Nikolayevsk".
In this way, thanks to Muravyov's efforts, the Russians gathered a large amount of information about the population, property, transportation, trade, and natural climate, and established a series of outposts and strongholds, thus laying the foundation for the future whale to swallow the outer northeast region and seize the right to sail in the Heilongjiang River.
In order to gain the support of the Tsar, he wrote to the Tsar on many occasions, repeatedly stating the great significance of occupying the Heilongjiang River Valley:
"Take the liberty of playing the Holy One: Whoever can capture the mouth of the Amur River can control Siberia..."
"If Heilongjiang is not navigable, no industry can develop and it is impossible to achieve the ideal scale."
"In addition to the production of gold, siberia's vast land is of great importance to our country, enough for the surplus agricultural population of the European part of Russia to be reclaimed for a century."
"The mouth of the Amur River must be occupied and sailed on it ... Amur is the only convenient route to the East. ”......
At that time, the Great Qing Dynasty, whether it was the Xianfeng Emperor who lived deep in the Forbidden City, or the feudal officials who guarded the border pass in the town, were still in ignorance, and they did not know what was about to happen.
As early as 1842, the British launched the Opium War, and the Qing army was vulnerable and was beaten by thousands of British troops. In this case, the coat of the Great Qing Dynasty was completely ripped off. Muravyov, who was far away in Russia, stared at all this coldly, and he was waiting for a better time to realize his grand ambitions.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="29" >04 the time has come</h1>
The 1850s was the most turbulent era in China's history, and it can be described as internal and external troubles, and there were many crises. The Xianfeng Emperor succeeded to the throne in 1850, and the following year the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Movement, which swept across the southern half of the country, broke out. In 1856, while the Anglo-French coalition attacked Russia in Europe, it sent troops to invade China, provoking the Second Opium War, and the capital of the Qing Dynasty, Beijing, was also occupied.
That is to say, China and Russia at that time were attacked by both The British and French forces, and both were defeated without exception. But the ultimate fate of this pair of brothers and sisters is very different.
In 1853, the Crimean War broke out. In addition to attacking Russia in the Black Sea and the Baltic Sea, the Anglo-French coalition also attacked the Russian fleet on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Far East.
Due to the relative strength of the combined Anglo-French fleet, Muravyov believed that the best way for Russia to save its limited forces was to hide at the mouth of the Heilongjiang River to avoid battle. And through heilongjiang, several settlements were replenished through China, which had to pass through Chinese territory.
The plan was approved by the Tsar. On 18 February 1854, Muravyov wrote to the Chinese government that Russia would supply its stronghold in Kamchatka through the Heilongjiang River. On 30 May, Muravyov personally led a supply fleet of 75 barges towed by a steamship, carrying 800 soldiers, 100 Cossacks and an artillery detachment.
Before mid-August, the Russians were finally effectively resupplying four main strongholds: Malinsk, Nikolayevsk, Ayan, and Petropavlovsk. The Qing government, which was trapped at home and abroad, seemed to acquiesce to the action.
In May 1855, Muravyov ignored the solemn protests of the Chinese Qing government and sailed the Heilongjiang River for the second time. This time, a total of more than 2,500 Cossack troops were dispatched, divided into 125 ships, and set off in 3 batches. Unlike the last time, it was accompanied by 51 armed migrants totaling 480 people.
With Russia's defeat in the Crimean War, Russia urgently needed to acquire land in the Far East to "make up", which was called "losing the east corner, reaping the mulberry elm". In June of the same year, Tsar Alexander II, who had just ascended the throne, declared that "the whole left bank of the Amur must be resolutely made to belong to Russia", and it was at the will of the Tsar that Muravyov accelerated the military occupation of the lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River, and the number of immigrants from various settlements increased sharply.
In May 1856, under the meticulous planning of Muravyov, Karsakov led more than 1,600 officers and men, divided into 118 ships of various types, and sailed to Heilongjiang for the third armed voyage. Later, in spite of the repeated protests of the Chinese Qing Dynasty government, Tsarist Russia established a number of military posts in the middle and lower reaches of the Heilongjiang River, namely the Huma Post, the Jieya Post, the Xing'an Outpost and the Songhua River Outpost.
In this way, under Muravyov's meticulous layout, by 1857, the Number of Russian armed immigrants had reached more than 6,000, and the Russian outposts and settlements in the Outer Northeast had formed a complete system of military occupation along the Heilongjiang River.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="40" >05</h1>
What was Daqing doing at this time? After the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom conquered Jiangning in 1853, the Qing government had to transfer the troops stationed in Heilongjiang to the interior, and the Qing troops who remained in Heilongjiang were very few and could not control the large areas of land in the Heilongjiang River Valley. In 1856, half of the southern half of the Qing Dynasty was lost, and the Qing Dynasty was in the most dangerous time, and the fate of the heavenly dynasty was hanging in the balance.
At this time, the main force of the Qing Dynasty was in the south to quell the chaos, and the capital was also breached by the British and French forces, the frontier was empty, and the cunning Muravyov felt that the time had come and was ready to take advantage of the fire.
In May 1858, when Russia took advantage of the Anglo-French invasion of Tianjin and threatened Beijing, Muravyov led a Russian warship to Yaohun and proposed to the Qing Dynasty Heilongjiang general Yishan a draft treaty drafted by the Russian side, declaring that heilongjiang would be the border, and if it did not follow, Russia would unite with Britain to fight against China. When the Qing and Russian sides negotiated, russian warships fired guns and fired cannons, threatening to use force.
At this time, Yishan had long since become a bird of fright, and on May 28, Yishan signed the Treaty of Muravyov. The treaty bordered the Heilongjiang River, with more than 600,000 square kilometers of land north of the Heilongjiang River being assigned to Russia, and more than 400,000 square kilometers east of the Ussuri River being jointly administered by China and Russia.
In the Sino-Russian Treaty of Beijing signed in 1860, the entire outer northeast was assigned to Russia, and China only retained jurisdiction over the sixty-four tuns on the left bank of the Heilongjiang River.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="46" >06 ending</h1>
Many people are very curious, thinking that the Qing government is also too nestled, the Russians actually did not shoot a single shot, and they pocketed more than 1 million square kilometers of the outer northeast. In fact, in order to achieve his goal, Muravyov secretly did not spare any effort.
His strategy was to take it step by step, slowly encroaching on it, first sailing along the Heilongjiang River in the name of "borrowing the road", and secretly building fortresses and strongholds along the way. When these strongholds along the river were arranged, it was like laying out the next boundary pillar, and then it created an established fact and forced the Qing government to sign a treaty and recognize the "boundary pile". Once the treaty was signed, the pillars were connected to the border and the occupation was completed.
Thanks to Muravyov's efforts, the Russian Empire finally fulfilled its centuries-old luxury and became the master of the Outer Northeast. Incidentally, it also occupied the natural port of Vladivostok in the south-northeast and changed its name to "Vladivostok".
In recognition of Muravyov's exploits, Tsar Alexander II made him "Count of Amursky", or "Count of Heilongjiang". In 1868, after his retirement, Muravyov moved to Paris and died of illness in 1881. In 2006, Russia issued the largest 5,000 ruble note in denomination, with Muravyov on the front.
Outer Northeast and Outer Mongolia, who is stronger?
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Text/Source Teacher said 123, more wonderful content, stay tuned