The gods began by supporting Guo Jing to become emperor

Chapter 146 Guo Jing changes his fiefdom

Guo Jing was brought to the Great Khan's Golden Tent by his guards. Genghis Khan was sitting on the throne, bleary-eyed and drunk. The tiger-skin blanket on the throne beneath him was very attractive, and the huge tiger head looked very majestic.

"To the Great Khan."

Genghis Khan shook the wine jug in his hand, opened his eyes and looked at Guo Jing, and suddenly smiled, "Good boy, I heard that it took a lot of effort to reach an alliance with the Song Kingdom in the south this time. You have made a great contribution."

Guo Jing bowed his head slightly. "Great Khan, you are too kind. If Great Khan had not defeated the Jin Kingdom, the Song Dynasty would not have easily agreed to our conditions. I just did some small things."

Genghis Khan took a sip of wine, pointed at him and said, "You are good in every way, but you are too calm, not like a young man. If I were your age and had made such a great contribution, I would have been so happy that I lost my mind."

"You have done a great deed this time. Tell me, what reward do you want?"

Guo Jing wanted to decline modestly, but after thinking it over he accepted it. Genghis Khan never said that those who have made great contributions should not be rewarded. He was always generous in rewarding those who were useful to him, and his rewards and punishments were clear. This was one of the reasons why everyone was loyal to him.

Just like he said, he should be outspoken. If he is more modest, it may backfire. "Great Khan, Hua Zheng and I are about to move south. Please reward us with some craftsmen to make weapons and armor. It is too far to transport supplies from the grassland."

Worker?

Genghis Khan frowned. After defeating Western Xia, many craftsmen there were looted by Mongolia. In terms of armor manufacturing, Mongolia was no longer inferior to the Jin Dynasty. After all, Western Xia also had a history of hundreds of years and was an expert in cavalry. With their foundation, Mongolia could be said to have made up for its shortcomings.

He also knew the importance of weapons and armor to the Mongolian cavalry, but Guo Jing's question made him hesitate. However, the next moment, he agreed directly. It was just a few craftsmen. There were many in the Western Regions and the Jin Dynasty. He could just capture some of them and bring them back when the time came.

His brows relaxed and he agreed immediately, "Okay, it's you, kid. I wouldn't agree to it if it was someone else. How about this, after you guys are done, I'll give you 300 craftsmen. No more."

That is to say, when Guo Jing was sent to the Song Dynasty as an envoy, he did not give the Song people any face at all. He argued with reason and won enough benefits for Mongolia. This also dispelled his suspicion. Since he had made great contributions and proved his loyalty, the last bit of doubt in Genghis Khan's heart disappeared.

Guo Jing was stunned at first, and then he was stunned by this huge surprise. Craftsmen who make military equipment and armor are treasures in any era, more important than strategic materials. High-level talents are always scarce. He just said it casually, but he didn't expect Genghis Khan to actually agree.

He immediately prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Thank you, Great Khan, for the reward."

Genghis Khan was very satisfied with Guo Jing's attitude. He laughed heartily and then warned, "Your fiefdom is close to the border of the Jin Kingdom, so it may not be peaceful. You must be more careful when you get there." Then, he thought for a moment and added, "You have too few Han cavalrymen and they are useless. I will give you another 1,000 cavalrymen, which will be enough to deter the Jin people."

"Don't worry, Khan. Guo Jing will make sure that Jin people know the reputation of our Mongolian cavalry!"

Genghis Khan became more and more satisfied. Cavalry was not meant for defense. Compared to defending the city, Genghis Khan preferred to attack. This was also his intention in giving cavalry to Guo Jing.

"Well, you've been out for so long, you should spend some time with Hua Zheng, go back."

Guo Jing bowed and then turned and left.

Genghis Khan sat on the throne and watched Guo Jing leave until his figure disappeared. His eyes became clear again, not even a bit drunk. "Master, why don't you ask him about Mr. Su?"

In the corner of the tent, a monk in a bright red robe was twirling Buddhist beads in his hands. "That donor is a rare master. Guo Jing must have had some contact with him during his trip south. Since he didn't come back, it means he doesn't want to have too much involvement with Mongolia. In the future, the Khan can rest assured."

Genghis Khan nodded regretfully. "It's a pity. If this man could give me advice, Mongolia would have no worries about failing to achieve its great cause. Guo Jing is a rare talent, but it's a pity that I didn't ask him to take in Tolui. The two brothers grew up together, and there's a huge gap between them."

The monk shook his head and said, "Don't worry, Khan. Prince Tolui just lacks experience. If he can stay with the generals, he will definitely become a successful person. It's just that..." He stopped halfway through his words.

"Just what?"

The monk's lips moved as he spoke slowly, "That gentleman is very talented and has taught Guo Jing for more than ten years. In my opinion, this child will have great achievements in the future. Great Khan should not look down on him."

Genghis Khan laughed loudly, his voice full of heroic spirit, "Haha, no matter how successful he is, he is still my son-in-law, Genghis Khan. Since he can be used by me, how can I not tolerate him? This Khan is not the emperor of the Song Dynasty a hundred years ago. The world is so big. If he can make contributions for me, why not make him a king!"

……

After leaving Genghis Khan's Golden Tent, Guo Jing returned to his tribe with his personal soldiers.

As soon as he got home, before he had time to take off his armor, he went to the tent where Hua Zheng and her son were. He had been away for several months and missed his family very much. As soon as he entered the tent, he saw two half-grown babies crawling on the ground. Hua Zheng was sitting beside them, mending clothes.

"Hua Zheng, I'm back."

"Guo Jing!"

Seeing the person coming, Hua Zheng immediately put down what she was holding and threw herself into his arms like a young swallow. The couple hugged each other tightly, enjoying the rare tenderness. After a long time, they separated.

The two babies on the ground looked at their parents hugging each other, their big bright eyes wide open, not knowing who this person was.

Guo Jing let go of Hua Zheng and looked at his sons on the ground. He reached out and picked them up, one sitting on each arm. "Chengping, Cheng'an, do you miss your father?"

However, as soon as he started, the two babies started crying without giving him any face, which immediately made him panic. Hua Zheng, who was standing beside him, was laughing so hard that her body was shaking. She took them over and coaxed them.

Soon after the two children were born, Genghis Khan gave them Mongolian names, and Guo Jing gave them Chinese names. The older one was named Guo Chengping and the younger one was named Guo Cheng'an.

Although the name is simple, the expectation it expresses is not simple at all. Peace is the simplest expectation of parents for their children, and it is also Guo Jing's desire hidden deep in his heart. He longs for peace in the world and prosperity to come. If before the mission to the Southern Song Dynasty, this wish was just a wish in his heart, then after meeting his teacher, this wish became his responsibility. The Wu Mu's will and the Wu Mu's ambition on it made him slowly accept this important task.

Drive out the barbarians and restore the glory of the Han people.

However, this idea cannot be revealed for the time being. He can only keep it in mind and strive for it all his life. He looked at his son in front of him, and all kinds of thoughts flashed through his mind.

At night, the couple reunited after a long separation. It was a battle between dragons and tigers. After the storm, all the sounds gradually stopped. Guo Jing hugged her and whispered, "Hua Zheng, let's go south in a few days. The Khan rewarded me with 300 craftsmen and 1,000 cavalrymen, which is enough for us to protect ourselves there."

Hua Zheng closed her eyes, her brows full of spring, "Guo Jing, I have asked people to prepare the things. We have 20,000 people in our tribe now, most of them are Han people, do you want to take them all away?"

Guo Jing hugged her and comforted her, "Well, without anyone, we can't defend such a large territory. Hua Zheng, don't worry, our lives will be better there, and the Khan will rely on me more. Don't worry, in half a year at the shortest, or a year at the longest, the Khan will definitely start a war again, and then our business will come in handy."

"I can't bear to leave you behind on the grassland."

Hua Zheng's eyes were filled with deep affection. "Just do what you want to do. Men of the grassland should soar in the sky like eagles. I am at home. You are my husband and the father of our children. I support you no matter what."

……

A month later, Guo Jing's tribe began to migrate, and the pastures and territories they left behind were temporarily left to Genghis Khan. After all, these territories were half the reward for Guo Jing's meritorious service and half the dowry of Hua Zheng, so they could not be taken back immediately even if they left.

Of course, Guo Jing took away most of the people in the tribe. Without anyone there, the grassland there would sooner or later be occupied by others. It would be better to return it to Genghis Khan and wait to get compensation from the Jin Kingdom later.

After walking on the grassland for two full months, 20,000 people finally arrived at his fiefdom. The territory here was larger than his territory on the grassland and the climate was more suitable.

They quickly took root here. Guo Jing led his men to build villages and houses. At the same time, he implemented the household registration system and divided the Han people under his command into villages and distributed land. He also distributed land to his soldiers. However, they did not need to cultivate the land. Having tenants was enough.

This policy was the military system of the Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, there were not many policies restricting land, so large families were very prone to land annexation. As a result, the extremely developed economy and commerce of the Song Dynasty were built on this deformed system.

During the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang implemented the Wei Suo system in the north. This system was somewhat similar to a combination of military farming and the Fubing system. However, after several northern expeditions by Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, the court's finances were scarce and the Wei Suo system collapsed, posing a hidden danger to the Ming army.

Now, Guo Jing was unwilling to turn his Han army into a force that only knew how to plunder like the Mongolian cavalry, so he had to use the military system to restrict them. Of course, it was impossible to fight a war without plundering, so he could only try to kill as few people as possible.

If he wants the army to unleash strong combat effectiveness, the military system is imperative. Anyway, he has few soldiers and little land now. If they are not enough, he can just rob the Jin Kingdom. They have a large population and a lot of land. Are you afraid that there is no place to find them?

It took three months to sort out the system. Once everything was on track, Guo Jing began to train his troops. Now he had fields and houses, and the Han slave soldiers under him and the Han people who had followed him north to fight against the Jin army all took root here. They were no longer rootless duckweed, and he also won their hearts.

With such a foundation, Guo Jing trained the army vigorously, wanting to rebuild the elite of Yue Family Army. He understood that an army like Yue Family Army was difficult to form, and that the right time, place and people were all essential. He did not have enough money and food resources to expand, and could only plunder from the outside.

As for Mongolia, it can't even meet its own needs, let alone satisfy him.

Maintaining an army is very expensive. He heard from the Mongols who came from the north that the Khan had rested for a while and then launched troops into the Western Regions again. He was attacking the countries in the Western Regions and the war would be over by next year.

Guo Jing should have participated in such a war, but he chose to go south and guard the gateway to the grassland, so Genghis Khan did not call him back.

As for the Jin Kingdom, after several unsuccessful attempts, it retreated with all its might and did not dare to attack.

Time flies, and it is spring again. This year, Guo Jing is eighteen years old!
It was also in this year that he led three thousand cavalrymen to launch a raid on the Jin Kingdom.

After early spring, the drizzle gradually stopped, and the mountain mist covered the majestic and beautiful mountains and rivers. The winding mountain range seemed particularly quiet and solemn on this cloudy day. Occasionally, you could see smoke rising from the mountains and flowing over the forest. At the foot of the mountains, the grassland tribes of the Jin Kingdom were scattered in groups of three or five, forming a huge camp.

Further northwest, cattle and sheep fluttered their long ears and nibbled the tender green grass leisurely. A quiet river flowed through the wilderness. The war clouds from the western border had not yet reached the ears of ordinary herdsmen.

After the snow melted in the spring, the herders who made a living by grazing naturally chose to feed the cattle and sheep that had been hungry for a winter so that they could fatten up. Unlike usual, most of the herders at this time carried bows and arrows, bone knives or low-quality hunting knives.

After all, Mongolia had just defeated the Jin Dynasty and massacred the Jurchen tribes last year. After this battle, the Mongols' ferocity and cruelty had spread to all tribes, making them more or less vigilant and fearful.

But they forgot that a hundred years ago, their ancestors were also so cruel to the Khitan tribe. Things have changed. Killing and being killed have only changed the targets. The grassland is still grassland, but the grass will grow more lush next year.

Now is the time of abundant rain and tender green grass. The green all over the mountains will be prepared for the cattle and sheep to survive the winter. Even if there is a war, it is unlikely to spread here so quickly. Most herdsmen continue to graze in such a tense and lucky atmosphere.

However, what they didn't know was that the war had already begun quietly.

"Tap Tap!"

The sound of horse hooves echoed across the grassland, and a group of cavalrymen covered in black armor crossed the border of the Jin Kingdom and rushed towards the tribe.

It is close to the border of the Jin Dynasty, more than 120 miles away from the grassland, and about 100 miles away from the Jin Dynasty. This wilderness is the Jin people's activity area farthest from Guo Jing's fiefdom. It belongs to a small Jurchen tribe. In order to protect the people from being harassed by the Mongols, the Jin government has essentially abandoned this place, but it is difficult to leave their homeland, so the small tribes had to band together for warmth, form pastoral cavalry teams, patrol everywhere, and guard against enemy attacks.

However, such cavalry could only run and had no room for resistance against real Mongolian cavalry.

(End of this chapter)