"Ali, roughly how far is it from Nurgan to Harbin? What's the fastest way to get there? Ride horses, or take a boat?"
"Blood Eye's Main God bear witness! Starting from Nurgan and heading to the tribes of the Fuyu Guard, it's roughly three or four thousand li! First you go two thousand li south, crossing the territory of the Wildman tribes, until you reach the mouth of the Ussuri River. Then you head west by south, another one or two thousand li, crossing the lands of the Haixi Jurchen tribes, before you can reach Harbin on the upper Songhua River..."
Ha'erman chief Ali stretched out a finger and drew one vertical line and one horizontal line on the ancient boarskin map. The "vertical" was the two thousand li southward, and the "horizontal" was the thousand-plus li westward, both following great rivers.
In this era, the vast Inner and Outer Northeast was covered by deep, endless forests. In the high places, mountain ranges stretched on and on; in the low places, marshes spread everywhere. Only the great rivers and waterways were roads the tribes of the Northeast could travel. This did not merely mean boats could move along the rivers, but that the land along the riverbanks was relatively open and level, making it easier to walk. The riverside offered broad views, and travel was safer as well. Through spring, summer, and autumn, one could ride horses; in winter, dog sleds could be used too.
"Ancestor Shaman! This three or four thousand li route to buy horses actually overlaps with most of the road we take when we go south to pay tribute. If we ride horses, following the riverbanks, we can cover a hundred li a day. Even if we play it safe and go slower, only eighty li