"My friend, this joke is not funny." Berekov laughed and said relaxed: "You are the Lord of Mongolia now. Do you want your rights to be lost?"

"It is better to lose part of the rights than to lose everything." Ortai sighed lightly and said helplessly: "You also know the current situation that Mongolia does not have the power to compete with the Ming Dynasty. Instead of being destroyed by the Ming Dynasty and I will eventually lose everything, it is better to accept this title. At least the Ming Dynasty agreed to let me continue to rule Mongolia. This is probably the best result. What do you think, my friend."

"But you..." Berekov just spoke and wanted to persuade him again, but he stopped halfway.

Berekov pondered. He was not sure whether what Ortai said was true or false, perhaps half true or half false, or is it true?

But no matter what, what Ortai said broke his original plan. If Ortai really accepted the so-called King Shunyi, then Russia's extortion of Ortai would have gone bankrupt before. Compared with the powerful empire of the Ming Dynasty, Russia's power in the Far East was extremely weak and had no ability to compete with the Ming Dynasty.

The reason why Russia negotiated with Ortai was to gain benefits from Mongolia through this negotiation, and on the other hand, it also wanted to use this to strengthen Mongolia's military power, thus forming a buffer between Russia and the Ming Dynasty.

The richness of the East is what Russia yearns for, and the land of the East is also what Russia dreams of, but the Russians are not fools, and the Ming Dynasty is not a small European country defeated by Russia. This is a powerful and huge empire. It is very unwise to have unnecessary conflicts with the Ming Dynasty in this situation in today's situation.

Therefore, supporting and arming Ortai is Russia's strategic direction, and Russia is also very clear about the grudges between Mongolia and the Ming Dynasty. Originally, Berekov was full of confidence and was very confident that he could force Ortai to submit. At that time, he took this opportunity to annex the entire northern Mobei. Even if this result was not achieved, he could also gain great economic benefits from Mongolia.

But now Ortai's calm confession broke his original plan, and for a moment, Berekov could not judge the authenticity of the other party's words. Maybe Ortai was using this reason to bargain with himself?

Thinking of this, Berekov smiled and said, "My friend, although King Shunyi is good, he is not as good as being a king by himself. Do you really want to be restrained? And don't forget that once you accept the title of Ming Dynasty, who can explain the future clearly?"

"What you said is not unreasonable." Ortai shook his head and said, "But, do I have more choices now?"

"What if there is?" Berekov asked suddenly.

Ortai looked at Berekov in confusion and asked, "My friend, what do you mean? Are you saying that Russia is willing to compete with the Ming Dynasty with me?"

"No, no, no, of course not." Berekov shook his head into a rattle and said seriously: "The Russian Empire has established diplomatic relations with the Ming Empire. There is a normal diplomatic relationship between the two countries. According to international practice, the Russian Empire cannot interfere in the war between Mongolia and Ming Dynasty. This is a violation of morality and will also damage the relationship between the two countries."

"But as an old friend, the Russian Empire has properly helped you through the people, which is also the main reason why I came here..."

"I know, and thank you for your help from old friends." Before Berekov finished speaking, Ortai said: "It's a pity that Mongolia is not the Central Plains. Mongolia is very poor. As the actual lord of Mongolia, I cannot sell my land, and I don't have so much money to buy the weapons you provide. In the face of helplessness, I can only choose the only way to ensure Mongolia and my rights. So, today I invite you to tell you about this and say sorry to you."

"No! Needless to say sorry!" Berekov was a little anxious. Although he did not show it on the surface, he knew what the deal would mean for Russia once the negotiations broke down.

"You must not let Ortai accept the title of King Shunyi. For the sake of Russia's interests, you must not!" Berekov thought so in his heart.

Taking a deep breath, Berekov tried to calm himself down, although he changed his smile and said, "My dear friend, for the sake of our friendship, I think you should consider this carefully. In addition, I personally think that the transaction between the Russian Empire and Mongolia has indeed been a bit too far. Those greedy merchants are parasites lying on the country. They must not let them blackmail Mongolia like this. As a friend, I have the obligation to deal with this matter. I hope you give me some time and I will make a request to the Governor of the Far East to resolve this problem as soon as possible."

"This...if you are embarrassed, I'm afraid..." Ortai seemed a little moved and hesitated: "If it really doesn't work, I'll accept the conditions of the Ming Dynasty. After all, as a friend, I don't want you to get involved in unnecessary trouble."

"No trouble or trouble. This is the help between friends. How can it be said to be trouble?" Berekov patted his chest and assured Ortai, as if the people who had been forcing Ortai before were two of him.

Seeing Berekov so sincerely, Ortai reluctantly accepted his kindness. However, Ortai reminded Berekov that the Ming Dynasty did not give him much time, so he hoped that Russia could have a reply as soon as possible. If it really doesn't work, there is no need to force it. They are all friends. The most important thing between friends is friendship.

Berekov agreed with this, and then he and Ortai discussed it for a few more words before getting up and saying goodbye. The reason was naturally to pass the news back as soon as possible and let the Governor decide.

After seeing off Berekov, Ortai hangs a slightly curved corner of his mouth. Although what he and Berekov said were indeed true, Ortai's real intention was not to surrender to the Ming Dynasty immediately, but to use the Ming Dynasty to gain bargaining chips for negotiations with Russia.

In Ortai's view, he has not many ways at the moment, but the more he does this, the more he needs to guarantee his own interests. Even if he really surrenders to the Ming Dynasty in the end, as long as he holds a certain amount of military power in his hands, he can still guarantee his status and rights from the Ming Dynasty.

As for Russia, it is also the bargaining chips he negotiated with the Ming Dynasty. The bargaining chips on both sides are the targets he used. If he missed this opportunity, Ortai might never find such a suitable opportunity again. This is also the cleverness of Ortai.

"Master, are you really going to cooperate with the Russians?" Zhao Huoluo walked out of the back tent. When Berekov was there, Zhao Huoluo had been hiding behind and could hear the dialogue between the two sides clearly.

"What? Don't you think this is a good opportunity to hit them?" Ortai asked back.

Zhao Huluo was shocked, afraid that Ortai would see that he was from the Ming Dynasty, so he quickly changed his words: "I am just worried about the Grand Marshal. After all, these Russians are insatiable. If..."

"Where did you come from so much? The so-called wealth and honor are in danger, let alone the whole Mongolia is still in my hands now. Besides, I am determined by how Russia cooperates. As for the Ming Dynasty, don't refuse. Just drag it for the time being. It's not too late to bet when you see the chips are heavier." Speaking of this, Ortai suddenly laughed and patted Zhao Huolo on the shoulder and said, "I know you are worried about me, don't worry. The Ming Dynasty is busy with Liaodong now and can't take care of us for a while. When I set up the game, I can move forward and retreat freely. Even if it's not good, I will have a glory and wealth."
Chapter completed!