In the Southern Song Dynasty, I competed with Mongolia for the world

Chapter 342 Batu is more powerful than Genghis Khan

Meng Ge slowly returned, surrounded by his subordinates, looking at the people around him with his peripheral vision from time to time.

The subordinates seemed to be very interested in the topic of the eldest son's western expedition, because everyone knew that this was the best opportunity to gain military power.

Supporting Meng Ge was the later famous Aohan tribe, now called the Prince Wugan Army.

When Meng Ge lived in the Wokuotai fiefdom, the territory was called Wu Gan. When Tuo Lei was the regent and supervising the country, his subordinates all privately called Meng Ge King Wu Gan. At that time, everyone may have thought that Tuo Lei was going to be the Great Khan. .

Therefore, Meng Ge's personal soldiers were called the Wugan King's personal soldiers, which later evolved into the name of the tribe, and then was renamed the Aohan tribe in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

The reason why these soldiers are so excited is because most of them were obtained when Mongolia conquered other tribes in the early days, and they come from different tribes. They are now considered slaves of Meng Ge, and they have long distanced themselves from their original tribes.

Only when Meng Ge gets military power and important positions will they have a chance to get ahead, and even be able to form a new tribe of their own as in the future.

Does Meng Ge want to have military power?Of course he does.

He is already a 23-year-old adult.

When Mongolia was founded, all men over the age of 15 could be recruited as soldiers.

Now that Mongolia has a large population, it basically uses men over 20 years old as soldiers.

In this way, he should have followed him to the battlefield, but before Tuo Lei died, he had been in the fiefdom of Wokuotai and had not even participated in the war.

Even though he later inherited his father's territory, he did not inherit his father's troops.

The fiefdom inherited by Tuolei ranged from the Kherulun River to the Yuntai Mountains (Altai Mountains), Gilgis and the northern part of the original Jin Kingdom.

In all the fiefdoms of Tuolei, there were originally more than [-] tribes, and each household could send out [-] troops with one soldier, but now Meng Ge may not be able to gather [-] troops.

Because most of the adults and able-bodied people were transferred out by Wokuotai on the pretext of extinguishing money, and they have been away for nearly two years and have not come back since Tuo Lei died.

Now that Wokuotai is stationed in Guanshan with these troops, he is holding all the troops and horses of the thunder system in his own hands in disguise.

This western expedition may be the best opportunity to gain military power. We should support Batu's western expedition proposal at any cost.

The more Brother Meng thought about it, the more excited he became, and he hurried back as fast as he could.

When I was approaching my mother's tent, I saw several other horsemen coming here not far away. When they saw Meng Ge, everyone on the other side jumped off their horses.

"Aha (big brother)."

The visitors were none other than Tuo Lei’s other sons, the 17-year-old fourth son Kublai Khan, the 15-year-old sixth son Hulagu, and the 13-year-old seventh son Ali Buge.
Meng Ge jumped off his horse, greeted his brothers with a smile, and then walked to the camp.

Standing outside the camp, his mother instigated Luheteni's bodyguard centurion to stab him.

Yizala is a brave general of Meng Ge's mother's Kle tribe, and one of the people Meng Ge and his mother trust the most.

After entering the camp, the four brothers Meng Ge saw their mother Luheteni sitting in the middle, and they all called Eji (mother) affectionately.

Soluheteni was only in her early forties now. She married Tuo Lei when she was 11 years old. Tuo Lei had eleven sons. She gave birth to ten by herself, four of whom became elders in history. Khan and the emperor, known as the mother of the four emperors.

Soluheteni managed his family well, disciplined his disciples to abide by Zhasa, and loved his subjects. He was the best to the people among the kings of Mongolia at that time, so he was loved by many people.

And although she was a female, she also treated scholars and Confucian scholars very favorably.

Because she was good at maintaining relationships, even Ogedei sometimes discussed military and state affairs with her, which was still relatively rare among Mongolian women at that time.

After Tuo Lei's death, Wokuotai divided Tuo Lei's soldiers and horses from time to time. Last time, he gave the part of Qianxue Niti and [-] Suledusi to his son Kuo Duan, which was strongly resisted by Tuo Lei's subordinates. Some even asked Solu Hetini stated that he would support Meng Ge and Wo Kuotai in the war.

It was Luheteni who persuaded them, thus gaining the favor of Ogedai and Kuoduan, and also winning over Kuoduan. For this reason, Kuoduan later remained neutral and did not object when Meng Ge fought for the throne.

In history, Soluheteni was highly regarded. She was far-sighted, resourceful and decisive. It was all thanks to this woman that the Tuolei family was able to regain the throne in the end.

At this time, Soluheteni was looking at her four beloved sons with a smile. She must have never thought that these four sons would become emperors and khans in the future.

"Everyone, please sit down." Luheteni's voice was very decisive, giving people an unquestionable majesty.

Even though Brother Meng was already in his 20s, he did not dare to act arrogantly in front of his mother. The four brothers all sat down quickly, sitting cross-legged and upright.

Brother Meng looked up at the tent and felt a little dissatisfied.

Because neither Genghis Khan nor Wokuotai built an imperial city here, most herders lived in camps, and only a few nobles and thousands of Nayans owned some masonry buildings.

For example, Meng Ge and several younger brothers all have their own houses, but his mother instigated Luheteni to live like the common people, still living in tents.

Luheteni won the hearts of the people, but Meng Ge thought that his mother had been wronged.

"This is Batu Tiji's general Huchili." Soluheteni then introduced a centurion to the brothers.

A centurion is nothing in Mongolia. Only those with a thousand households are qualified to be called Nayan.

But Hu Chili was Batu's confidant, and all the brothers quickly nodded to him.

Hu Chili also took the high road and met several little princes one by one.

He also politely called Brother Meng King Wugan.

Meng Ge suddenly smiled.

Soluheteni greeted both parties and even told them the reason for his visit.

Batu believed that there was no point in fighting with the Song people because Batu had never been to the Song Dynasty before.

When he was young, Batu followed his father Jochi in the north and south, and later stayed in Jochi's territory. After Jochi's death, he inherited Jochi's territory.

He has no interest in the Central Plains at all and has never been to the Central Plains in history.

When his father Shuchi participated in the attack on the Jin Kingdom, he was only two or three years old, so it was impossible for him to have been to the Jin Kingdom.

The closest Batu came to the Central Plains in historical records was when he came to what is now northern China in 1229 to conquer the territory of the former Jin Kingdom.

However, considering that there was a man named Hao Monk Batu in the Mongolian army at that time, it cannot be ruled out that it was someone else, because there is no definite record that Jochi's son Batu participated in the relevant battles.

So Batu is now quite dissatisfied with the feud with the Song Dynasty, and many soldiers and horses in his fiefdom have been requisitioned by Wokuotai.

At this time, Batu raised his eldest son to march westward, obviously intending to regain military power.

After explaining Batu's opinion, Soluheteni asked, "What do you think? Do you agree with Batu's proposal?"

Brother Meng was just thinking about how to speak when the 15-year-old Hulagu next to him said loudly: "Of course I support Aha. We can also follow Aha on the expedition."

13-year-old Alibu also nodded crazily, as if the Western Expedition was a lot of fun.

Kublai Khan did not speak, but looked at his eldest brother Meng calmly.

Brother Meng thought for a while and said that he listened to Eji.

Luheteni looked at his eldest son with a half-smile.

Brother Meng felt a little guilty and quickly added: "The Western Expedition might also be a good thing."

Instigated Luheteni to look at Kublai Khan again.

Kublai Khan had been looking at his mother's expression, but he could not see any meaning in Soluhotini's expression.

After thinking for a while, he quickly said, I definitely support Aha, and I also want to go to the battlefield.

Hu Chili's expression was relatively satisfied, he got a positive answer here.

But this matter not only required persuading Luheteni, but also got the support of the most important Chagatai, especially other elders.

Soluheteni whispered a few words to Huchili in a low voice, and Huchili left with satisfaction.

When Huchili left, Luheteni's face straightened and he asked Brother Meng to stay while the others left.

Kublai Khan and his brothers left the tent one after another.

At this time, Luheteni asked Meng Ge, why did you agree to the Western Expedition?Say what you want to say.

Meng Ge did not hesitate this time and said bluntly: "Eji, I hope to get military power and prove myself on the battlefield."

"Ogedai will definitely not agree. If we agree, it will be tantamount to offending Ogedai."

"..." Brother Meng.

"If we disagree, we will offend Batu."

"..." Brother Meng was stunned.

Brother Meng is brave, but his IQ is far inferior to Kublai Khan.

He was a little confused for a moment.

"Do you think Chagatai will agree?" Soluhotini asked again.

Brother Meng thought for a while and found that Chagatai and Ogedai had a very good relationship, and they would definitely support Ogedai.

"He may be afraid of supporting Ogodei."

Soluheteni nodded slowly, then stood up with a smile.

Brother Meng hurried forward, held his mother's hand, and carefully bowed in front of her to accompany her.

Solu Heteni held his hand and said nicely: "If there had not been a letter from Emperor Zhao Yurui of the Song Dynasty, Chagatai would have given full support to Ogedai."

"Now with Zhao Yurui's letter and the rumors during this period, it is not certain whether Chagatai will support it."

Meng Ge's eyes lit up and he said in surprise: "That's it."

In the past six months, businessmen from the south have spread these rumors from time to time, but Luheteni has been instigated to stand still and do nothing. Originally, businessmen from the south were not allowed to enter the capital of Haraholin, and could only stay ten miles outside the city. Trading at trading points is now allowed in the city, which obviously means condoning these rumors. "We don't want to make a formal statement yet." Zhuluheteni said calmly: "Let's first see the statements of Chagatai and other elders, and then we will decide who to support."

"As for Batu, I will reply quickly and express my approval."

"Wo Kuotai is your adoptive father. You must write a letter in person to express your support for Wo Kuotai. No matter what he decides, you will obey his orders."

"My child understands." Meng Ge nodded heavily.
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In 1206, Genghis Khan established Mongolia. At that time, there were 95 thousand households. Genghis Khan first generously awarded rewards. His eldest son Shuchi was assigned to [-] households, his second son Chagatai was assigned to [-] households, and his third son Ogedai and his youngest son Tuo were assigned to [-] households. Lei each was assigned to five thousand households.

In 1214, Genghis Khan began to divide territories and armies.

In the northeastern part of Mongolia, the land in the middle reaches of the Onan River and the Qolvlian River was divided among the three families of Zhuochi Hesel, Hechiwen, and Temuge Orchijin, who were collectively known as the "Kings of the East." These three families The location of people was basically from the north of the Xing'an Mountains to the north of the original Jin Kingdom.

The territory of the eldest son Jochi was from the Khayali and Khwarezm areas to the far west of Saxin and Bliar, which was probably the hometown of Kipchak north of the Aral Sea and the Caspian Sea today.

The second son Chagatai's fiefdom started from the land of Uighur and Haiya in the east, and reached both sides of the Amu River in the west.

The fiefdom of Sanzi Wokuotai was in the Yemilili River area.

At this time, Batu had not yet established his own Kipchak Khanate, nor had he incorporated the Volga River into his Khanate.

He was in the process of consolidating his territory and power in Chitchavul.

Qichakwu is the place where Shuchi lived before. Its sound is similar to Qipcha, and Qipcha is also called Qichak.

Further northwest here is the Kipchak grassland, which also includes the Eurasian grassland. There are many tribes in the area, including the Geluolu, Kangli, Black Khitans, Bulgars and Bashkirs. The main language is Turkic language, so there are many Turks in the Mongolian army.

Before Jochi's death, Genghis Khan asked him to go north to conquer Kera'er, Basgirti, Seerkosi, Daye, the Volga River area, and the Kipchak grassland area, but Jochi did not implement it.

Genghis Khan was very angry, and then he called Jochi several times in succession, but Jochi ignored him.

At that time, Genghis Khan was furious and wanted to send Chagatai to lead troops to capture Jochi. Unexpectedly, he heard of Jochi's death not long after.

So Shuchi and his son have been rebellious since childhood and both want to be independent.

Batu was only in his early thirties at this time.

At the end of March, he got Zhao Yurui's letter from Wo Kuotai.

Before the letter from Zhao Yurui arrived, Batu here in Qichagu was considering whether to build his own royal city.

At this time, some subordinates came to report secretly that rumors were already circulating on the grassland that Wokuotai poisoned Tuo Lei, and that the enfeoffment would be cancelled, and the feudal clan would be reduced.

Batu's first feeling at that time was that the Song people were trying to alienate each other.

But he admired the Song people very much. His territory was so far away from the Central Plains, how could the Song people spread rumors here?

Does this mean that among his slaves, there are fine works from the Song Dynasty?
"Catch all those who are spreading rumors and behead them in public. I'll see who else dares to spread them in the future -"

Only two seconds after Batu finished speaking, his subordinates had not yet gone out, and he immediately regretted: "Wait a moment."

Batu thought for a moment, then shook his head and ignored them.

Let this rumor continue to fly for a while.

Batu knew that this was a dissension between the Song people, but looking back, thinking about it, this might be a good thing.

Wokuotai did not come to centralize power in history, but when Kublai Khan established the Privy Council, he officially imitated the Central Plains dynasty and tried to centralize power.

Therefore, Batu can understand the thoughts of a great khan or emperor like Ogedai. If the vassal can be reduced and power can be centralized, it will definitely be the best thing.

There is nothing wrong with what the Song people said.

Once it enters the Central Plains, the Mongol Empire will definitely have to reform its system.

What will we, the feudal vassal kings, do then?
Batu inherited his father's vast territory and army, but in many cases, the army was not under his own control and deployment.

Shuchi was granted the title of 15 households before his death. At that time, the Mongolian army was all soldiers over 70 years old and under 69 years old. According to today's terms, it was simply crazy, and they had to go to the battlefield even at the age of [-].

Moreover, children under the age of 15 in various Mongolian tribes are also organized into a children's army, called the "Children's Army".

Starting from the age of six, children are tied to horses and start practicing riding and shooting.

This is the reason why the Mongolian tribe is strong.

Therefore, before Shu Chi's death, although there were only 2 households in his territory, he had more than [-] soldiers and horses, with an average of two soldiers per household, and many of them were fathers, sons, and brothers fighting together.

As Mongolia became stronger, they plundered and recruited servant armies everywhere. Starting from the enfeoffment of territories by Genghis Khan in 1214, the age of recruitment for the Mongolian army began to be relaxed.

They are no longer drafted into the battlefield around the age of 15. At this time, Mongolian tribes usually only recruit adults, with those between 20 and 40 years old as the main source of troops.

During Shuchi's reign, he conquered the north and south, expanded the tribe's population and recruited troops many times, including two important ones.

One was to attack the forest tribes in the dense forests of the North Asian mountains. These people made a living by hunting, lived in shacks built from trees, wore clothes sewn from animal skins, and used sleds and skis as means of transportation in winter. Their approximate location was in present-day Siberia. area, north of the Altai Mountains and other places.

After Jochi recruited the tribes such as the Briyati, Balhun, Ulsuti, Hebuhenas, Kanghisi, and Tumati to the west and south of Lake Baikal, he then continued to fight and negotiate. They also successively recruited and surrendered the Shibier, Kesiyin, Bayiti, Tuhesi, Tianleke, Tuoerlesi, Tasi, Bazhijiti and other tribes. Genghis Khan was very happy and gave half of them directly to them. Gave it to Jochi.

The population of Jochi increased dramatically at that time.

Another time, the three brothers Jochi, Chagatai, and Wo Kuotai attacked Khwarezm Yulongjie Chicheng. They fought for more than half a year and finally forced the defenders to surrender.

The Mongolian army selected [-] craftsmen and [-] elite soldiers to form the army of servants, and [-] women and children were all slaves.

There were hundreds of thousands of remaining people in the city, all of whom were massacred.

Afterwards, Jochi, as the eldest brother, proposed that the three brothers secretly share all the property and prisoners with Chagatai and Ogedai, and told Genghis Khan to massacre them all, but Chagatai actually agreed.

Of course, this matter was not hidden from Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan was furious and wanted to accuse them. The three brothers were frightened and asked Borshu to plead for mercy. Borshu called Luqi Hutulu. The two persuaded Genghis Khan together, and then the three brothers The brother's plea was successful.

The three brothers handed over a lot of prisoners and property, but each of them still kept a lot.

So in the past few years, Jochi had plundered things here and there, stealing some people and property every time he went on an expedition. This accumulated over the years. Now in the Qichachu area, it belongs to Batu, and the tribes Jochi left behind have gradually There are more than 5 households, which is a strong foundation for him to establish the Kipchak Khanate in the future.

From these 5 households, Batu can form an elite army of more than 15 people at any time, and they don't have to be 70-year-olds or [-]-year-olds.

But when Wokuotai attacked the Jin Kingdom, he sent people many times to recruit his troops.

During the last Mongolian three-pronged expedition to cut gold, 2 people were transferred from Batu's territory. This was the reason why Batu deliberately underreported its population.

He doesn't want all the soldiers and horses to be drawn away by Wokuotai. Sometimes your soldiers and horses are drawn away, and maybe they won't come back.

For example, after Tuo Lei died this time, Wokuotai dispatched Tuo Lei's soldiers and horses everywhere on the pretext of fighting. He was sure that these soldiers and horses would not be able to go back.

Just when Batu was thinking about the problem thoughtfully.

"Aha" came the voice of his younger brother Bielge from outside the camp.

Brother Bieer excitedly ran into the camp and shouted loudly that the troops who attacked the east bank of the Volga River had returned and captured thousands of people and a lot of wealth.

Batu immediately said: "Divide the population and wealth among these meritorious soldiers."

Then he paused and said, "Brother Bier, you can choose a hundred households."

"I understand, Aha." Brother Bie'er nodded heavily, his eyes a little depressed.

Because the elder brother gave more to his subordinates than his younger brother.

This was Batu's unique style of acting. Batu was a frank man and was very generous to his subordinates. He did not hesitate to give rewards and did not kill innocent people indiscriminately. Among the princes and nobles of the Mongolian army, almost only Batu had not massacred the city.

He has super strong military ability and has almost no defeats in his life. He is the only Mongolian king whose achievements can be compared with Tuo Lei and others. However, he does not kill indiscriminately or massacre cities, and his character is far superior to Tuo Lei.

In later generations, the French Franciscan monk Lubruch went to Mongolia on the orders of Pope Innocent IV and King Louis IX of France. After returning, he evaluated Batu, saying that apart from not becoming an emperor, this man was the most powerful among the Mongolian tribes. A powerful one, by implication, Batu is more powerful than Genghis Khan.

When Jochi was alive, Genghis Khan asked Jochi to go to the Volga River to fight, but Jochi refused. After Batu succeeded, he successively expanded outwards, plundered the population, expanded the territory, and his fiefdom became larger and larger.

He was able to defeat all these with one blow and one shot. What if Wokuotai takes control of the Central Plains in the future and really cuts off the vassal vassal?
In his heart, Batu is now strongly opposed to Mongolia continuing to fight with the Song people, because he does not like the Central Plains and is not willing to go to the Central Plains.

He likes this grassland now. Here, he can soar everywhere like an eagle.

Wow, there was a sudden sound outside, and then the eldest brother Orda lifted the curtain and walked in.

After Orda came in, he first picked up a glass of water on the table and drank a few sips. Then he randomly found a seat and sat down cross-legged. He said loudly: "Do you think Brother Meng will agree to the eldest son's expedition to the west?"

Orda had a very good relationship with his younger brother Batu. He was originally the eldest son, but he thought he was not as capable as Batu, so he voluntarily abdicated the throne and recommended his friends to inherit Jochi's territory.

Sure enough, under the leadership of Batu, their territory became larger and larger, their population increased, and the ethnic people also supported them very much.

Batu glanced at his brother and said slowly: "Brother Meng will definitely agree. He hopes to get military power more than I do."

"but---"

"Zuluheteni is a smart woman. It is really surprising that she can agree to separate the troops of Tu Lei."

Brother Bie'er asked curiously: "How many troops are there left in Brother Meng's side?"

O'erda immediately started counting with his hands: "Last time, one thousand snows from your tibu and two thousand suledusi were given to his son Kuoduan. This is three thousand households. Among the three thousand households, at least four thousand can be recruited. warrior."

"All the ten thousand households of the king (Muhuali) were given to Tasi." The ten thousand households of Muhuali were originally inherited by Tuo Lei from Genghis Khan and were one of the strongest elites. Now they have all been reclassified to Muhuali. In the hands of Huali Changsun Tasi.

"The Subotai side was divided into another [-] households."

"His other son Guiyou was divided into two thousand households——"

O'er counted for a long time, and everyone found that out of the [-] households that Tuo Lei left to Meng Ge, there are now less than [-] households under Meng Ge's nominal command.

Batu's face turned even more ugly, because he could imagine that once he died in the future, the territory and population that he and his father Jochi had built for two generations might be divided up.

(End of this chapter)