"Ali, how far is it from Nurgan to Harbin? Is it faster to go by horse or by boat?"
"By the witness of the Chief Divine! It's about three to four thousand li from Nurgan to the various parts of the Fuyu Guard! First, head south for two thousand li, crossing the territories of various Wild Man tribes, to the Wusuli River estuary. Then, head west-southwest for another one to two thousand li, passing through the lands of the Haixi Jurchen clans, before reaching Harbin at the upper reaches of the Songhua River…"
Chief Ali of Harman stretched out his fingers and drew a vertical and a horizontal line on the ancient wild boar skin map. The "vertical" was the two thousand li southward journey, and the "horizontal" was the over one thousand li journey westward, both along the Great River.
