Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 155 Han Chinese Immigrants to the West, Han and Mongol People: Superior People!
Just as Princess Elisabeth of Hungary was setting off for the East, the rulers of the various True God nations gathered in Baghdad to discuss how to deal with the threat from the Mongols.

Normally speaking, the countries of the True God religion faced a far greater threat from the Mongol army than the countries of Europe, and this conference should have started long ago.

However, there was no way around it; Baghdad's Caliph Nasr was never a wise ruler. When the Khwarazmian Sultan Muhammad pleaded for his aid in Qajyun, Nasr ignored him. Later, after the main Mongol army withdrew, Nasr, after thanking God for his protection, indulged in wealth and comfort, completely disregarding the future threat from the Mongol army.
After the fall of Khwarazm, the most powerful state among the true theocratic nations was the Ayyubid dynasty.

This country controlled what would later become Egypt, Syria, and parts of the western Arabian Peninsula.

Kamil, the ruler of the Ayyubid dynasty, was also a man of great talent and ambition.

But the Ayyubid dynasty was facing the threat of the Fifth Crusade, and the Crusaders were about to march into Cairo. How could Kamil possibly care about the Mongol army?

The Arabian Peninsula is now home to many powerful factions, including the Ayyubid dynasty, the Sharif regime in the Hejaz region, the Uyunid regime in the eastern part of the peninsula, the Bedouin tribes in the Najd region, the Ibadi regime in Oman, and Basra and Hormuz along the Persian Gulf coast.

These small countries, such as Basra, which had a long-term vision, actively contacted the Mongols, seeking only trade.

Those with short-sighted vision felt that the threat from the Mongols was too far away and didn't bother with them.

Only the Sultanate of Rum, the second strongest nation under the True God religion, was in a state of panic.

The logic is quite simple: the Bagration Kingdom in the north of the Sultanate of Rum has already submitted to the Mongols. In the future, when the Mongols launch their second westward invasion, the Sultanate of Rum will likely be the first to suffer.

Most importantly, the Sultanate of Rum and the Mongol army fought a battle.

In 1220, Sultan Kekubad I of the Sultanate of Rum dispatched an expeditionary force to conquer Crimea. However, they encountered the Han Chinese army, specifically the Bordered Red and Bordered Black Banners, which were also there to seize Crimea.

Twenty thousand elite troops from the Sultanate of Rum faced fewer than twenty thousand Han troops and were routed in less than half a day, with only three thousand escaping back.

"Their warhorses are large, and they are all Arabian warhorses!"

"They were all clad in iron armor, while less than 70% of our soldiers could wear iron armor!"

"Their weapons are far sharper than ours; the blades seem to be made entirely of Damascus steel!"

"The most terrifying thing was that they seemed completely unafraid of death, charging forward row by row. A thousand-man team seemed to be linked together by iron chains, and we were completely unable to resist. We could only run away, or be driven and separated by them, and then be eaten up piece by piece."

"Throughout the entire battle, we saw absolutely no hope of victory; we were only heading step by step toward destruction!"

"...

The soldiers who escaped recounted the strength of the Han army to Kekubad I in great fear, their dejection seemingly having lost all will to fight.

Kekubad I, however, had much more in mind than these soldiers.

He knew how difficult it was to command such fearless and disciplined soldiers. He also had a similar army under his command, called the Kandar Guard.

The Kandal Guard, numbering eight thousand, consisted entirely of children of slaves trained from childhood. These men were instilled with the idea of ​​loyalty to the Sultan from a young age, making them not only fearless but also fiercely loyal to the Sultan. They served as the Sultan's personal guard and were the core military force of the Sultanate of Rum.

Does that mean that all Han troops have the strength of the Kandal Guard?
The Kandal Guard of the Sultanate of Rum only has eight thousand men.

The entire regular army, even combined, numbered only 110,000. After 20,000 were wiped out by the Han army, only 90,000 remained.

The Han army's Eight Banners reportedly numbered 80,000!

There are 100,000 members of the Semu Eight Banners!

There were also Mongol troops that were even more powerful than the Han Chinese Eight Banners and the Semu Eight Banners!

Furthermore, the army of the Bagration Kingdom was also quite capable in battle, so how could he possibly resist them?

Therefore, Kekubad I repeatedly sent envoys to various major powers within the True God Church, requesting joint discussions on how to deal with the Mongol army. However, he was, after all, only the ruler of the second strongest state within the True God Church at the time, and his influence was weak, with few responding.

It wasn't until the Ayyubid dynasty achieved a major victory against the Crusaders through water attacks that they began to pay attention to the threat posed by the Mongol army.

The two strongest nations of the True God Church joined forces, finally bringing about this Baghdad meeting.

Inside the Baghdad Royal Palace.

"What, are you all mute? Do you think the warriors of the true God would fear evil heretics? Do you want to be beheaded by evil heretics like Muhammad? Do you want your wives and daughters to become slaves of the Mongols? You should know that the princess of Khwarazm could only warm the feet of a Han soldier!"

Caliph Nasr's voice rang out in the hall, trying to boost the morale of the True God dignitaries.

Just now, after giving a detailed presentation on the situation in Mongolia to the dignitaries, Kekubad I even showed them a map. However, this map wasn't as exaggerated as the Pope's; it was simply a factual depiction.

But that's still a big deal!
The vast Mongol Empire was like a terrifying and enormous beast, while the various kingdoms of the True God religion were nothing more than a trembling rabbit.

The Mongol army must have numbered around 300,000. Otherwise, how could they have destroyed Khwarazm, the strongest nation of the True God religion? After absorbing newly acquired territories, the Mongol army's strength could reach at least 400,000!
Currently, the combined regular armies of the True God Cult in various countries probably number only a little over 300,000.

Furthermore, who would believe that the soldiers of the True God Cult could rival the Mongol army in combat strength?
Even though they could conscript civilians into the army, the Mongols were best at recruiting soldiers.

The various mysterious weapons of the Mongols, such as the thunderclap bomb and the bed crossbow, further fueled their despair.

How can we fight this?

Ahem~~
After a long silence, Sultan Kamil of the Ayyubid dynasty finally spoke, saying, "Indeed, the Mongol army is very powerful. However, I have discovered a fatal weakness in the Mongol army, and that is time! Time is on our side, not the Mongol army's side!"

"Any powerful force, when it rises, is full of vigor and its military might is unstoppable. But in time, the powerful leader will pass away, and his sons will fight for power. In time, the once brave soldiers will become complacent with wealth and glory, and become corrupt and decadent. At that time, what will the Mongols have to fear?"

Kekubad I asked with a puzzled look, "What you said makes some sense. However, how can we prevent the powerful Mongol army from launching a second westward expedition so soon? Or rather, how can we buy time?"

Kamil said, “There are two main points. First, we, the nations of the true gods, must temporarily endure humiliation and show submission to the Mongols, and do our best not to give the Mongol army any excuse to attack us. Second, we must secretly send people deep into the former Khwarazmian territory to incite the local people to resist Mongol rule.”

He paused, then snorted coldly, saying, "When the Mongol army attacked Khwarazm, they were indeed extremely brutal, often massacring entire cities. But now Temujin has divided these lands among his three sons and one son-in-law. They can't possibly kill all their own people, can they?"

"They have a saying, 'To throw a stone at a rat without fearing to break the vase.' That is to say, they want to kill the rat, but they are also afraid of damaging the precious porcelain. The Mongols do not want to carry out a large-scale killing, and there are continuous rebellions within their territory. How could they possibly spare the resources to deal with us?"

Camille's words finally roused the elites of the True God Cult.

"That's right! After the kingdom is established, the Mongols will definitely not engage in large-scale killings anymore! I heard that when the Mongols attacked Urgench of Khwarazm, the second and third princes of the Mongols almost came to blows because of this incident!"

"How can the followers of the True God Cult be content with the rule of heretics? We can succeed with just a little instigation!"

"Just be careful not to give the Mongols any leverage."

"What difficulty is there? Each of us has a few loyal followers. They will definitely not expose our identities!"

……

The True God followers and dignitaries discussed excitedly, seemingly having found a way to deal with the Mongols. Soon, they reached several agreements within the Baghdad palace.

First, no further wars are permitted within the True God Church. Any disputes should be adjudicated by the Caliph in Baghdad.

Secondly, the best warhorses in the Arabian Peninsula, such as the Sakrawi horse, began to be sold to other countries of Islam to arm their cavalry.

Thirdly, all countries should exercise restraint for the time being and try to comply with all of the Mongol army's demands as long as they do not go too far.

Fourth, each country should send out assassins to incite the people of the former Khwarazmian Empire to rebel against the Mongol army, so that they have no time to attend to other matters.

Fifth, encourage childbirth.

Temujin has already divided the newly acquired territory among his sons-in-law and sons.

Because the Mongol army was so brutal in its attack on Khwarazm, the local population was severely insufficient.

However, the True God Cult forces present at the scene had a large population.

Then let's have more!
By the time the new generation of true God's people grew up, it would be just the time when the Mongol army began to decline.

By then, even with their overwhelming population advantage, they could drown the Mongols!
"Fight! Fight!"

"For the glory of the true God!"

"The Mongol army is powerful now, so we will bide our time. Twenty years from now, it will be time for our counterattack!"

"One day, the Mongol army will tremble under our iron hooves!"

"We are the people of the true God, destined to rule the whole world. The Mongols and Han Chinese are only temporarily triumphant; sooner or later, their heads will be chopped off, and their wives and daughters will become our slaves!"

……

When the agreement was reached, the powerful figures of the True God Cult raised their fists and shouted excitedly.

However, they never dreamed that Zhao Shuo didn't care about killing at all!
Even if they encourage childbirth, it still can't compare to the terrifying population of the Han people.

In fact, although the nations of the True God Cult had made efforts to investigate the Mongols, their intelligence was already outdated due to the great distance between them.

In August 1221, three months after the Mongol army returned, and after the emotions of the people in Shandong and Hebei had been completely ignited by the soldiers of the westward expedition, Zhao Shuo officially issued the "Immigration Order".

Firstly, people from Shandong and Hebei voluntarily signed up to immigrate to the West.

Secondly, these immigrants did not act alone, but rather traveled in groups of five thousand towards their destination. Upon arrival, each of the five thousand people would be allocated large tracts of land for cultivation.

The able-bodied men among these 5,000 people will be treated as soldiers for ten years and will not have to pay any taxes. However, they must participate in military training to protect the settlement and, when necessary, be conscripted by the government to participate in bandit suppression or rebellion quelling.

Thirdly, the government was responsible for the expenses incurred by immigrants along the way.

Upon arrival, each household received 100 mu of land.

The allocated land does seem like a lot, and in fact it is quite a lot.

However, it's not excessive.

It's a very simple principle. In the early Sui and Tang dynasties, when the equal-field system was implemented, each male adult was allocated one hundred mu of land.

These fields weren't all planted with grain; some were also used to grow mulberry trees. Moreover, due to limitations in productivity, crop rotation was implemented to conserve soil fertility. The annual harvest was just enough to allow one family to achieve a modest standard of living.

Zhao Shuo, in order to relocate Han people to the west, naturally had to offer even more favorable conditions. He stipulated that not only these 100 acres of land would be granted to these relocated people.

Moreover, the new immigration destinations are vast.

Their sons and grandsons, as long as they are male, will all receive one hundred acres of land!

This would have been impossible during the Sui and Tang dynasties. After the early years of the dynasty, the population surged while the land area did not increase, and the equal-field system quickly became a mere formality.

Now, Zhao Shuo has no worries about not having enough land for Han Chinese immigrants to cultivate, at least for the next hundred years.

The Han people are the ethnic group that values ​​their children the most. Being able to leave their descendants the opportunity to own hundreds of acres of land will naturally greatly increase their enthusiasm.

Fourth, local people, except those who joined the Eight Banners of the Semu people or became officials, were only allowed to have one husband and one wife. Anyone found to have relations with a woman other than his wife would be executed immediately.

However, each of these Han Chinese immigrants was allowed to have one wife and three concubines.

Zhao Shuo's massacres were all for the sake of this immigration.

Fifth, immigrants had priority in joining the army or becoming local officials. Next came the large number of mixed-race children. After them came the descendants of local Semu officials and soldiers. Finally, there were the local residents.

Simply put, this meant that within Zhao Shuo's fiefdom, the people were divided into four classes.

The first class consists of Han Chinese and Mongolians.

The second category is mixed-race individuals.

The third category consists of Semu officials and soldiers who joined Zhao Shuo's system.

The fourth category is ordinary locals.

You only have thirty acres of land in your hometown, and you have to pay 40% rent tax. After arriving in the immigrant land, each male can be allocated one hundred acres of land, and as long as you fulfill certain military obligations for ten years, you won't have to pay taxes. Are you coming?
Back in your hometown, you were a poor, struggling farmer with the lowest social status. But in this new land of immigrants, you'll be a noble Han Chinese, with most people of lower status than you. You'll truly experience what it's like to be a citizen of the Celestial Empire. Are you coming?
Back in your hometown, poverty made it difficult to find a wife. But in this new land of immigrants, there are far more women than men. Moreover, you own more land than the locals, and your social status is far higher, so marrying or having concubines will be no problem at all. Are you coming?
You've diligently practiced your martial arts, but due to quota limitations, you can't join the Eight Banners Army. To avoid wasting your skills, why don't you come? Even if you can't join the Eight Banners Army, being a minor leader among the garrison soldiers wouldn't be bad!

What? What if the locals are unhappy?
Let's kill them!
Zhao Shuo wanted to allocate a contiguous area of ​​land to 5,000 people, which was essentially another form of land enclosure by the Eight Banners.

Where is there readily available land?
Those local residents who were willing to relocate were fine, but those who were unwilling to relocate were subjected to violence!
In fact, Zhao Shuo was expecting a local resistance.

If they don't resist, how can they let these Han immigrants see blood and further ignite their fighting spirit? They are the best whetstones to hone the fighting will of these Han immigrants! These Han immigrants will be Zhao Shuo's best source of soldiers in the future!

If they don't resist, how can they free up more land and more women for Han Chinese immigrants?

Zhao Shuo wanted to completely change the local population structure and turn these newly acquired lands into a permanent foundation for the Han people.

In short, while the countries of the True God sect were sending assassins to incite the local people of Khwarazm to resist Mongol rule, the first group of Han Chinese immigrants were already on their way.

(End of this chapter)