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

Chapter 158 The City That Never Sleeps in the Thirteenth Century Shocks the World

Following the Holilandi Conference, there was a two-week-long feast.

Sheep, cattle, and horses were slaughtered, and chefs from all over the world freely used any spices available to create dishes with various ethnic flavors. Genghis Khan's treasure trove was open, with cartloads of top-quality wines of all kinds being brought out for everyone to taste.

Thousands of young and beautiful female slaves, dressed in gorgeous clothes made of various precious materials and wearing jewelry that ordinary people could only dream of, dressed up like celestial maidens descending to earth, danced joyfully and sang beautiful songs in dozens of languages.

The nobles drank and made merry all night long, forgetting the difference between day and night.

Fine wine, delicious food, and beautiful women were all readily available and freely offered, making the entire city of Helin seem like a paradise on earth.

Of course, all good things must come to an end, and it was time to part ways eventually.

Outside Karakorum, Temujin personally led a group of dignitaries to see Jochi and Chagatai off.

"Once you reach your own ulhus, you must not only govern the people well, but also diligently train your soldiers and prepare for battle, so as to seize more land and people for your descendants. Also, don't forget to come back and visit me every three years."

Genghis Khan hugged his two sons tightly before giving his orders. His tone was filled with sadness and reluctance as he finished speaking.

The journey is too long. If Chagatai and Jochi could return every year, they wouldn't need to do anything else.

To put it bluntly, Genghis Khan is over sixty years old. If something unexpected happens to him one day, today could very well be the last time father and son see each other.

Jochi's eyes were slightly red as he said, "Father Khan, rest assured, I will not only return to pay my respects to you every three years, but I will also send you the best game I catch each year, along with the most precious jewels and the most beautiful women in the country!"

Temujin waved his hand and said, "Send me any good prey you find. But forget about treasures and beauties; keep them for yourself. Build your ulhu well, and try to have more and more children to carry on the lineage of our Golden Family. That is your greatest act of filial piety."

"Yes," Jochi bowed in agreement.

Chagatai said, “Besides offering my father, the Khan, game every year, I also prepare an army to be at his command at any time. Jochi’s ulhu is too far away, but mine is closer, and it will be useful when my father conquers the Western Xia.”

“Very good. In about two years, I will wage war against Western Xia. At that time, you will personally lead that army.”

"Yes."

Temujin then turned to the nobles behind him and said, "If you have anything to say to the traveler, say it now. Who knows when we will meet again after this parting."

In addition to Jochi and Chagatai, the Mongol nobles on this long journey also included thirteen hereditary commanders under their command.

The most important figure among these thousand-household commanders was Old Hu Nan.

Hu Nan is seventy-eight years old this year, but he is still alive and well.

Although Khunan was Temujin's de facto prime minister, when the hereditary chiliarchies were initially assigned, Khunan's chiliarchy was placed under Jochi's command. Khunan remained by Temujin's side, and this chiliarchy was always led by Khunan's son, who followed Jochi.

Now, Khuran is getting too old and his energy is waning. This time, he will return to the Kipchak Steppe with Jochi to retire as Jochi's prime minister.

Those close to them gathered around, offering parting gifts or saying farewell words to Jochi, Kunan, and the others.

"Jochi, I'm giving you this armor."

In addition to the forty Savikravie horses, Zhao Shuo also prepared a Kipchak visor for Jochi as a parting gift.

The materials used for this hastily made armor were nothing special, but the Kipchak visor armor of that era was not yet fully developed; the visor and helmet were integrated. While it provided overall protection against enemy attacks, it was too stuffy and severely limited visibility. Zhao Shuo, referencing the design of more advanced Kipchak visor armor from later generations, ordered craftsmen to create a new Kipchak visor armor.

This armor can be lifted and secured using a simple mechanical structure. It allows for improved visibility and ventilation when necessary, and also facilitates the addition of various linings.

In fact, according to historical records, it was Jochi himself who truly improved and popularized the Kipchak mask.

This armor was exactly what Jochi wanted.

He said happily, "Ah Shuo, you've really helped me a lot this time! I was just thinking about how to improve this Kipchak mask to make it easier to use, and you solved the problem for me. From now on, I'll have all my main forces wear these masks and go conquer more lands!"

Zhao Shuo said, "I'm glad you like it. Our fiefdoms are adjacent. In the future, when the two of us or our descendants join forces to march into Europe, your Kipchak cavalry will be of great use."

"That's natural. However, in recent years, Father Khan has probably been busy waging war against the Western Xia and the Jin Dynasty, and has not been able to attend to the west for the time being. When I return to visit Father Khan in three years, we can have a good get-together, have a good drink, and discuss the matter of another western expedition."

"sure!"

On the other side, Batu and Zhao He were also reluctant to part.

Badu gave Zhao He a wolf fang pendant.

Batu is thirteen years old this year. This is a wolf tooth he made from the wolf's tooth after he shot a wolf for the first time last year. It has great commemorative significance and he has always treasured it.

On this parting, I gave it to Zhao He.

Zhao He then gave Batu a bearskin.

This black bear was hunted by Zhao Shuo himself after he returned and taught Zhao He archery. The arrow went straight into the brain through the eye, and the bear's hide was still intact, which is quite rare.

Zhao He pointed to the bearskin and said, "Look, this is my father's archery skill, it's simply divine. After you go to the Kipchak Steppe, don't slack off, practice swordsmanship, spearmanship, and archery diligently, and learn military tactics. In the future, we brothers will join hands, conquer Europe, and carry on our father's legacy!"

"it is good!"

The time was almost up. With the rumble of carriages and the neighing of horses, Jochi and Chagatai's entourage set off westward toward their fiefdom.

Zhao Shuo then led his personal guards, laden with the wealth distributed by Temujin, back to the Hulunbuir Grassland.

"Your Highness, the kerosene lamp you mentioned has been made."

As soon as Zhao Shuo arrived in Guicheng, Harka, Sun Wei reported some good news to him.

In recent years, the number of artisans and their families working at Zhao Shuo's workshop has not increased much. The reason is simple: the Hulunbuir Grassland is too far from any bustling city; transporting raw materials in and products out incurs considerable travel expenses.

Therefore, Zhao Shuo moved workshops with huge output but low profits, such as those producing white salt and cotton textiles, to the bustling metropolis under his control.

The workshops in the present-day city of Harkha mainly produce glass, glass mirrors, telescopes, lipsticks, perfumes, and other goods that either require confidentiality or have very high profit margins.

In addition, the various high-level craftsmen in the workshops of Harkagui City have another important task: to develop new products. To put it bluntly, a large part of the function of the workshops in Harkagui City is Zhao Shuo's research and development center.

For example, gunpowder is already being used in warfare, and we're just one step away from developing tubular firearms. Now Zhao Shuo has them begin researching artillery.

For example, the "Xiangyang Cannon," the pinnacle of counterweight trebuchets. Although Zhao Shuo had already used counterweight trebuchets in Samarkand, further in-depth research was needed on how to manufacture more powerful and portable trebuchets.

For example, in terms of civilian applications, there are already potash lakes within Mongolia's territory. Could potash fertilizer be extracted from them?

In addition, the first task Zhao Shuo gave Sun Wei after returning from his western expedition was to develop kerosene lamps.

It's a very simple logic. When the Mongols conquered Khwarezm, besides the land and the people, their biggest gain was a large amount of easily extractable, high-quality oil.
If we don't make use of it now, when will we?

Moreover, although Muqali failed to capture Fengxiang after entering Shaanxi, he did occupy Yanzhou. Near Yanzhou, there are large amounts of naturally occurring crude oil.

Zhao Shuo's craftsmen obtained crude oil from open-pit mines in Yanzhou, which they then used for research.

After more than half a year of research and development, they finally succeeded in figuring out how to distill crude oil into kerosene and how to make suitable lamps.

"Quick, take me to see it."

Zhao Shuo was overjoyed to receive this news.

Don't underestimate kerosene and kerosene lamps; these commodities can generate huge profits, perhaps no less than those from the salt and cotton textile industries.

Because this means that there is a cheap lighting tool available during the dark night.

Obtaining lighting tools was extremely difficult in ancient times.

In the Zhou Dynasty, "burning firewood to make candles" meant using firewood as a lighting tool, but this required a huge amount of firewood and was not very effective.

Later, they used plant or animal oils for lighting.

In ancient times, oils were extremely precious; only high-ranking officials and nobles could afford to consume them.

As for candles?

The earliest amber was obtained from beehives, and its high price goes without saying. Then, a wax made from animal fat was invented. What's the difference between this and using animal fat to make oil lamps? It was still incredibly valuable.

Although candles made from the secretions of white wax insects on trees appeared during the Tang and Song dynasties and were cheaper, they were still not affordable for ordinary people.

Therefore, the ancient people "worked at sunrise and rested at sunset".

It wasn't that they wanted to do it, but they had absolutely no other choice.

What would happen if we had kerosene lamps?

For farmers, hanging up a kerosene lamp meant they could continue working. For women, the evenings could be used for spinning and weaving or mending clothes for their children. Workshops fared even better; what used to be daytime work could now be done in two shifts.

It's practically like extending lifespan.

Just how profitable is the kerosene business?

To put it simply, by the end of the Qing Dynasty, China's imports of kerosene exceeded those of opium.

If the total profit is higher than that of opium, one can imagine how lucrative this business must be.
"Is this the oil lamp you invented?"

Zhao Shuo looked closely at the kerosene lamp, but didn't smell anything pungent. He said, "It has a glass cover, so it must have been quite expensive."

“Actually, it’s not that expensive.” Sun Wei explained carefully, “Glass has been invented for almost ten years now, and our workshop is constantly expanding, so the cost of glass is getting lower and lower. The cost of a kerosene lamp is only about five hundred coins now. If we sell it for one thousand coins, it’s not a problem at all for wealthy families.”

"Look how bright it is! Neither candles nor ordinary oil lamps can compare. Those rich people would probably fight over it even for two thousand coins, let alone a thousand."

Zhao Shuo certainly knew that kerosene lamps were very bright.

He remembered that when he was a child, in the early 1980s, his family still used kerosene lamps for lighting when there was no electricity. The brightness of one kerosene lamp was probably equivalent to that of four lamps made of vegetable or animal fat.

He asked, "What about ordinary people? What about the price of kerosene?"

"The price of kerosene is still quite high now, probably reaching thirty copper coins per pound. However, as the scale expands in the future, it should be able to drop to less than ten copper coins, or even only four or five copper coins per pound. People will not need to buy kerosene lamps; they can simply pour some kerosene into a bowl, light a cotton wick, and use it as a lamp."

"Moreover, this kind of oil is very economical to burn. I estimate that if I burn it for one hour every night, I will only need two or three pounds a month."

"But nowadays, animal fat costs forty or fifty coins per pound, and its shine is far inferior to our kerosene. Our kerosene will surely be sold in every corner of the world."

Zhao Shuo nodded and said, "Yes, very good. If the price can be reduced to below ten coins, people who couldn't afford oil lamps before will be able to use a tool for nighttime lighting. If everyone in the world uses our kerosene, the profits will probably be more than those for salt."

"Moreover, by then, we will have installed huge kerosene lamps on the roads of all the bustling cities in the territory, including Kharka, Karakorum, Zhongdu, Samarkand, and Yulongjiechi, and provide them free of charge to the people to facilitate their nighttime travel."

"That...that's wonderful!"

Sun Wei's eyes widened, his face filled with excitement.

He was only considering the profit aspect and didn't think of making these kerosene lamps available for free.

Imagine a night when the whole world is pitch black, except for the major cities in Mongolia, which are brightly lit. Streetlights, provided free of charge to the public, stay on from night until dawn—what a sight that must be!
These are cities that never sleep!
Mongolia can do what other countries can't!
What a shock this must have given to the world's nations!
This demonstrates that Mongolia not only possessed a powerful military, but also the highest level of civilization of its time.

What is the Celestial Empire?

You can't just boast; you need real proof of your abilities.

These cities are the best proof that Mongolia was a superior empire!
He truly felt that he had made the right decision to join the Mongols, and even more so to join the prince consort's forces, joining such a great cause!
Let's set aside everything else and just talk about kerosene and kerosene lamps. The first credit definitely goes to the prince consort; it was his idea that came to him.

But shouldn't we at least mention him as the one who actually carried out the plan?

(End of this chapter)