We all know the corruption and incompetence of the Qing Dynasty at the end of the Qing Dynasty, and too many territories were lost from the Qing Dynasty, and Lake Baikal was one of them. So why did the Qing Dynasty take the initiative to abandon Lake Baikal?
In 1689, after a series of painstaking negotiations, the Qing Dynasty and Russia finally signed the Treaty of Nebuchu. It was an international treaty of great significance at the time, marking the first time that the borders between the two empires were legally defined between each other.
However, this negotiation did not come without a price. Although the Qing Dynasty was militarily victorious, it made significant concessions at the negotiating table, giving up the territory around Lake Baikal. This result is still the subject of discussion and controversy among historians.
When looking back at this period of history, we find that Baikal has traces in Chinese literature since ancient times. It is rumored that Su Wu, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, once grazed cattle here, leaving many legendary stories.
During the Yuan Dynasty, the Mongol army incorporated it into the territory, making it a part of the Yuan Dynasty. Until the Ming Dynasty, this area was still inhabited by the Mongols and was included in the scope of Mobei Mongolia.
However, over time, Russia began to gradually expand eastward, reaching the Siberian region at the end of the XVI century. By 1647, their influence had extended to the Sea of Okhotsk.
In the process, the Buryatia region was unfortunately embroiled, and the local population resisted for twenty-five years, but in the end it still failed to withstand the Russian aggression.
By the time the Qing Dynasty rose, the land was firmly in Russia's hands. Therefore, when the Qing Dynasty negotiated with Russia in Nebuchu, the Qing Dynasty had to compromise in the face of Russian rebuttals, although the Qing representative Suo Etu insisted that the Baikal region should belong to the Qing Dynasty.
At the same time, the Dzungar Khanate on the northwestern frontier posed a serious threat to the Qing Dynasty, which also forced the Qing Dynasty to prioritize the Dzungar issue.
After many setbacks, the Qing Dynasty finally succeeded in defeating the Dzungar Khanate in 1696, thus consolidating its rule in the Western Regions. After that, the Qing Dynasty once again entered into border negotiations with Russia.
In 1727, the two countries signed the Treaty of Kyakhta, which marked the demarcation of the border between the two countries in Mongolia. The Qing Dynasty recognized the Buryat Mongols as belonging to Russia, and Russia recognized the Kharkat Mongols as belonging to the Qing Dynasty.
Both the Treaty of Nebuchu and the Treaty of Kyakhta were considered equal treaties at the time and had certain legal force. Although the Qing Dynasty gave up the territory along Lake Baikal, this did not mean that the Qing Dynasty ceded land.
Because before that, the Qing Dynasty did not actually control the land, and Russia had already occupied the region before the rise of the Qing Dynasty. Nevertheless, this concession by the Qing Dynasty has caused many controversies in history.
It has been argued that, from the point of view of "since ancient times", Russia may have more reason to claim sovereignty over the Baikal area. However, in any case, these treaties were choices made by the two countries for the sake of their respective interests under the historical conditions of the time.
In short, the border issue has been fraught with controversy in the course of history. The signing of the Treaties of Nebuchu and Kyakhta marked the settlement of the border issue between the Qing Dynasty and Russia. These two treaties not only affected the relationship between the two countries, but also had a profound impact on future generations.