Chaos of the Three Kingdoms Summons

Chapter 2767 Han-Mongol Conflict, Three-Family Struggle

In the Battle of Dunhuang, the Yuan Mongol main force suffered heavy losses.

Although the Mongol heartland still possessed considerable strength, it was no longer sufficient to suppress the khanates beneath it.

In particular, the major khanates further expanded their power during their southern campaigns.

It was precisely because of this that after Kublai Khan's death, none of the various forces within the Yuan Dynasty could suppress the others.

Kublai Khan's son, Borjigin Zhenjin, is currently the one with the strongest legitimacy.

However, he did not have his own power base.

His father had just taken office, so what kind of power could he possibly cultivate?
Of course, he is not entirely without supporters.

At least, his father's original team was now mostly on his side.

In particular, the Han Chinese faction among them is his most powerful supporter.

Although Kublai Khan heavily relied on Han Chinese, he used them for his own purposes. What he valued most was the effectiveness of the tools he employed.

He values ​​these people because they are useful to him.

However, the situation of Borjigin Zhenjin was different. Because his father had many Han people under his command, he was deeply influenced by Han culture from a young age.

For these loyal Han Chinese marquises of the Yuan Dynasty, only by supporting him to the throne can their interests be guaranteed.

Although the Yuan Mongol main force suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Dunhuang, its own power was still extremely large.

At this point, it simply means that we can no longer suppress the khanates below us, but it doesn't mean that we will be manipulated by those khanates in return.

Therefore, his advantage is right there.

As the second faction leader, Ögedei Khan, and the son of Temujin, had obvious advantages as well.

He was once the strongest contender for this position; initially, it was a contest between him and Tore.

It was only because he made a mistake later, and at that time, Kublai Khan had just risen to power, that the struggle between Tolui and Kublai Khan became a contest.

However, as the son of Temujin, a descendant of the pure and noble Golden Family, and a representative of the Yuan Mongol nobility, he received the support of most of the Yuan Mongol nobles.

As for the remaining two khanates belonging to the Golden Family, Batu and Hulagu, one was the son of Jochi and the other the son of Tolui. In terms of legitimacy, this position was quite far removed from theirs.

If it were to be a robbery, it would be an unreasonable and blatant act of robbery.

Moreover, these two individuals weren't actually as obsessed with the position as Ögedei Khan was.

Therefore, although they returned immediately after receiving the news, their initial thought was to stabilize the overall situation and prevent the Yuan-Mongol Empire from splitting up, rather than to fight for the position.

Although Hulagu had no interest in the position, his brother Möngke did!

As Tolui's son, if Tolui hadn't died in that plague, the throne might have fallen into the hands of Tolui's family instead of Kublai Khan's lineage.

Compared to Hulagu, the Khan who held real power, Möngke, who did not have enough power, was much more ambitious.

Therefore, Hulagu, who originally had no particular ambitions, was dragged into this struggle for the throne. And from this moment on, the internal divisions of the Yuan Dynasty became increasingly uncontrollable.

After all, if this branch hadn't joined the struggle, they could have gained an absolute advantage over the other side, regardless of which side they supported.

This temporarily stabilized the situation of this vast empire, and the internal problems could be resolved gradually later.

However, it was precisely because their lineage joined this struggle that the Yuan-Mongol chariot completely lost its direction from the very beginning.

Among the seven khanates, the Tuoba Khanate was established to stabilize the former Tuoba Wei state and to help Kublai Khan quickly stabilize the situation in that region.

Although the Tuoba Wei still had a certain base of support in its original territory, the Tuoba Khanate itself had the fewest grasslands and herdsmen among the seven khanates.

Of the remaining six khanates, the three that were not of the same surname were Modu Khanate, which was located in a remote area, while the other two were located in border regions.

At the same time, it was indeed weaker than the three direct descendants of the Golden Family's Khanates.

Of the three khanates directly descended from the Golden Family, Hulagu Khanate was undoubtedly the most powerful.

During the recovery period following the pandemic, they amassed considerable wealth and power in Central Asia through the means of Mongol mercenaries, thus becoming a formidable force.

Furthermore, Hulagu Khanate was the main force in the southern expedition, which further enhanced their strength.

In particular, after Hulagu stood behind Möngke, Möngke used Hulagu's name as a pretext to bring Batu Khan into their ranks as well.

From then on, although Mongke had no advantage in terms of legitimacy, he was actually slightly stronger than the other two first-tier players in terms of sheer power.

As for the four Khanates of different surnames, Murong Ke and Muqali have not yet joined the conflict and have not taken sides.

From the perspective of the interests of the Yuan Dynasty and the Mongols, they should naturally stand with the legitimate Kublai Khan and support this side.

However, if it comes down to their own interests, then they would have to side with Ögedei.

In this kind of conflict, they are unwilling to make a choice in the short term.

Humans naturally have their own selfish side!

Neither of the two non-Khanates had their direct lineages involved, let alone the other two Khanates, who were even less willing to get involved in this matter.

Behind this battle for the Khanate lies a deeper conflict between the Han Chinese and the Western Region peoples, who were later arrivals, and the early Mongol tribes.

Of course, there are fewer talented people in the Western Regions, and most of the talents under Wu Lie's command are Han Chinese. So, to put it bluntly, what lies behind it is still the conflict between the Han and the Mongols.

At the end of the eighth year of the Qianyuan era, Ögedei bypassed the remaining two factions and directly and privately summoned a large number of princes and nobles, establishing his own position through the Kurultai system.

However, how could Zhenjin and Mengge so easily admit to this?
Zhenjin, claiming to be Kublai Khan's son and the legitimate successor to the throne, denounced Ögedei Khan as a traitor.

Ögedei Khan argued that he had learned from the ancestral system and that his succession to the throne was justified, thus accusing the other party of treason.

Provoked by this incident, Ögedei Khan and Zhenjin were the first to clash.

Ultimately, the next master of the Yuan Dynasty must be chosen from among those who fall to the blade.

(End of this chapter)