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

Chapter 169: Zhao He is appointed as heir apparent, and the navy is established!
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, the forty-day banquet came to an end. The Mongol princes and even the hereditary commanders of a thousand households had to return to their respective territories.

Before his departure, Ögedei opened the national treasury and bestowed generous rewards.

According to Genghis Khan's "Great Yassa", when the Mongol noyans went to war, they had to hand over 30% of the spoils of war.

Of these 30% spoils, 10% became the private property of the Great Khan of the Mongols, while the other 20% went into the treasury of the Great Mongol Empire.

Temujin's private property now naturally belongs to Tolui.

The wealth in the national treasury was available for Ögedei Khan to use.

He opened the national treasury and bestowed upon Jochi, Chagatai, Tolui, and Zhao Shuo 100,000 taels of gold each. Hasar, Belgutei, and others received 50,000 taels of gold each.

Bo'erchu and Bolu each received 30,000 taels of gold.

The other Mongol noyans could not all be rewarded with gold; instead, they were given large amounts of silver and expensive textiles. However, each of them still received valuables worth tens of thousands of taels of gold.

It's just about winning people's hearts.

You should be grateful for what you receive from others.

After these Mongol noyans return, they will certainly favor Ögedei over Tolui. They will also naturally praise the new Khan's generosity.

Of course, neither Jochi nor Zhao Shuo were as short-sighted as these Mongol noyans.

Ten thousand taels of gold was really nothing to them.

Moreover, Jochi and Zhao Shuo's neutrality during the conflict between Ögedei and Tolui was the greatest act of goodwill towards Ögedei.

To proclaim the new Khan's generosity? Dream on!
Zhao Shuo had no intention of carrying out Ögedei's decree of granting amnesty to the entire nation.

He first returned to Harkha Guicheng in the Hulunbuir Grassland to rest for a month, and then came to Zhongdu.

Zhao Shuo's fiefdom now has four capital cities.

The capital was designated as Kharkha, the northern capital; Yanjing, the central capital; Barikh, the southern capital; and Qiva, the western capital.

In order to facilitate immigration and strengthen control over the vassal states, Zhao Shuo established a complete postal system modeled after Genghis Khan's "swift cavalry relay".

Because of the large number of warhorses in the three prefectures of Fu, Chang, and Huan, each post station was equipped with a sufficient number of horses.

These post stations primarily served to relocate migrants. They also delivered letters for soldiers and civilians.

But the top priority is delivering official documents.

Ordinary official documents could travel 300 li a day, and it only took three months to travel from the western capital Qiwa to the central capital Yanjing.

An urgent document delivered by courier can be completed in just 32 days.

It's even closer from Bari, where ordinary official documents take only 24 days, and urgent dispatches take only 10 days.

With this post station system in place, Zhao Shuo, while perhaps not having an exact grasp of the situation in the distant vassal states, was still quite clear about the general circumstances.

He usually spends the summer and autumn on the Hulunbuir Grassland, and the winter and spring in Beijing.

Zhao Shuo came to Zhongdu City this time because he had important matters to discuss with his senior officials.

Inside the Da'an Hall of the Zhongdu Imperial Palace.

All of Zhao Shuo's Mongol generals, including Nayan Gerile, Sufei, Mochibieduwen, Wudutai, Moluohe, Duolibuhe, Tamachi, Dorbodoheishen, and Hedahebatuer, were present, except for Hairig, who remained to guard the area.

Guo Baoyu, Zhang Rou, Shi Tianni, Yan Shi... all the Han Chinese Eight Banners commanders also arrived.

Besides them, there was also Yelü Chucai, the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat.

Zhao Shuo said, "I have summoned you here today mainly to discuss three matters. The first is my eldest son, Zhao He. I intend to make him my heir. What do you all think?"

"It should!"

"This is only natural!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

……

Everyone agreed without objection.

For Yelü Chucai and the Han people, it was only natural and right for Zhao Shuo to establish his eldest son as heir.

Moreover, having the position of heir apparent decided early on eliminated countless potential problems for the future, which they were all happy to see.

For the Mongol nobles, although the Mongol tradition is that the youngest son should guard the hearth, didn't Genghis Khan establish Ögedei as his successor?

The rule of the youngest son inheriting the throne has long been broken.

Furthermore, although the conflict between Ögedei and Tolui had seemingly eased, who didn't know the undercurrents swirling beneath the surface? It truly terrified them.

Now that Zhao Shuo has settled the position of heir apparent as soon as possible, they are finally at ease.

Zhao Shuo nodded slightly and said, "Since you have no objections, this matter is settled. In a few days, we will choose an auspicious day to hold a investiture ceremony for the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince is still young and needs experience. I plan to select a commander of a thousand from the Eight Banners of the Han Army and appoint the Crown Prince as his commander. Which banner do you think would be suitable?"

"..."

The eight commanders of the Han army's Eight Banners looked at each other in bewilderment, and all fell silent.

Zhao Shuo's purpose was very simple. Zhao He had been taught by Altana and was very familiar with the tactics of the steppe warriors, but he did not know much about the tactics of the Han army.

Therefore, Zhao Shuo planned to let Zhao He train in the Han Army's Eight Banners for two years.

After that, he worked with Yelü Chucai to handle political affairs for another year or two.

In this way, Zhao He, being both a scholar and a warrior, capable in both military and political affairs, could be sent to the western capital, Qiwa, to prepare for another western expedition.

But the eight Han army commanders had much more to consider.

Having the crown prince in their army is certainly a good thing. If everything goes smoothly, this banner will become the crown prince's direct force. For the banner's commander to cultivate a good relationship with the crown prince is highly beneficial, both to himself and to his descendants.

But what if things don't go smoothly?
If anything were to happen to the heir apparent, the commander of that banner would be condemned to death.

And most importantly, they're acting too eagerly now. What will their colleagues think? And what will Zhao Shuo think?

Therefore, although everyone wanted the crown prince to be in their own banner, no one was willing to openly compete for him.

"No one's going to say anything? Then I'll choose one."

Zhao Shuo thought for a moment and said, "Shi Tianni!" "Here!"

"Let the Crown Prince serve under you as a commander of a thousand. Note that although the Crown Prince is the heir apparent, now that he is in your army, treat him as an ordinary commander of a thousand. Let him do what he is supposed to do. If he violates military law, punish him accordingly, and do not be lenient."

"According to the order!"

Zhao Shuo continued, "The second thing is immigration. The third batch of 300,000 immigrants has all arrived at their destination. We need to prepare for the fourth batch of immigration."

Yelü Chucai asked, "May I ask Your Majesty, should the number of the fourth batch of immigrants be increased?"

Zhao Shuo shook his head slightly and said, "No need. The fourth batch of immigrants will still number 300,000, and it is expected to be completed in two years. Of these 300,000 immigrants, 200,000 will go to Western Russia and 100,000 to South Asia. After that, 300,000 immigrants will be sent from Shandong and Hebei every two years, and that should be about right."

Yelü Chucai said, “Your Majesty is wise! The first three batches have already emigrated 550,000 people. If the fourth batch emigrates another 300,000, that will be 850,000. Although Shandong and Hebei have a population of 15 million, only about a million of them strongly request emigration. If we continue to increase the scale, we will have to resort to force, which is not ideal.”

Zhang Rou interjected, "That's alright. Doesn't His Majesty encourage childbirth? If the people have more children, there won't be enough land in Shandong and Hebei to go around. In time, more people from Shandong and Hebei will naturally be willing to migrate."

Yelü Chucai shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Actually, it's not that easy. First of all, 150,000 people immigrate every year, which is already quite a lot. If a couple has two children, the annual birth rate is only half of that."

"Secondly, although the government will exempt people from corvée labor and even reduce land taxes if they have more children, the output of a strong laborer in a year is still limited. With more children, the burden is still not light."

Mochibieduwen shook his big black head nonchalantly and said, "That's simple. So what if we're short of people? The Jin and Song dynasties have plenty. We'll just attack them!"

"War is inevitable, but it's not the most urgent matter."

Zhao Shuo said, "The people's output is not much, which is the third thing I want to talk about. I plan to develop the navy."

"Navy? What does developing a navy have to do with the fact that the common people don't produce much?" Yelü Chucai asked in confusion.

Zhao Shuo said, “There are two reasons. First, land transportation is too costly. Although my fiefdom is now vast, what does the grain from Tokharistan, South Asia, and Western Russia have to do with the Central Plains? Although sea transport is quite risky now, in the long run, the cost of water transport will be far lower than that of land transport.”

Zhang Rou's heart stirred, and she said, "When it comes to military operations, it is best to travel along major rivers, because water transport provides logistics that is much better than land transport. If we can reduce the risks of sea transport, it would be truly feasible."

Yelü Chucai nodded in agreement, saying, "Although reducing the risks of sea transport will take a considerable amount of time and money, it is indeed the only way to connect the kingdoms of the king. I believe these costs are entirely worthwhile."

Zhao Shuo continued, "Developing a navy has two other advantages. First, whether our army is attacking the Jin Dynasty, the Song Dynasty in the south, or the Goryeo and Fusang Kingdoms in the east, having a strong navy will make our efforts twice as effective."

"Secondly, as I just mentioned, we need to increase the output of the people. There are only three ways to increase the output of farmers: more land, better seeds, and more and better fertilizer."

"The land in Shandong and Hebei is limited. The seed problem..."

Yelü Chucai replied, "I have already followed the king's instructions to establish an agricultural college and cultivate superior varieties."

Zhao Shuo continued, "Finally, there's fertilizer. There are countless islands off the coast of the Great Sea, and bird droppings have accumulated on those islands for millions of years. If we can transport these bird droppings back, they will be the best fertilizer."

Zhao Shuo did not explain how he found out about this news.

No explanation is needed.

Zhao Shuo was the most powerful person there; his words were law, and who could question him?
Moreover, Zhao Shuo invented so many new things, and even knew about the existence of the Great Auk in the Arctic twenty years ago. People had long said that Zhao Shuo's abilities were "given by heaven".

Yelü Chucai simply asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, how much bird droppings are there south of the Great Sea?"

"That's a lot. Let's put it this way, it's enough to supply fertilizer to Hebei and Shandong for a hundred years without any problem."

Zhao Shuo did not exaggerate this point at all.

When birds in the archipelago inhabit the forests or on the ground, they excrete large amounts of guano. For example, in XSQD, there are often layers of fresh guano several tens of centimeters thick accumulating under the trees.

Beneath these layers of fresh guano lie layers of even more valuable guano phosphate rock.

Over time, the old guano layer undergoes weathering, decomposition, and leaching by rainwater. The organic matter in the guano gradually oxidizes, soluble salts are washed away, and the remaining phosphates combine with minerals in the soil to eventually form the "guano phosphate rock layer".

These types of mineral deposits have a high phosphorus content, with phosphorus pentoxide content ranging from 10% to 40%, averaging 20% ​​and reaching a maximum of 40%.

What is this concept?
Currently, the average phosphorus pentoxide content in fertilizers produced in the fertilizer industry is only about 40%, with the highest reaching 60%.

In other words, top-quality guano phosphate rock layers are equivalent to ordinary fertilizers in later generations. Even ordinary guano phosphate rock layers can achieve half the effect of fertilizers in later generations.

The bird droppings being transported back here are practically just cargo ships full of fertilizer!
Historically, due to the scarcity of local mineral resources, Japan has supplemented its agricultural needs by plundering guano resources from places such as the Dongsha Islands since 1901. Especially during World War II, guano became a "wartime fertilizer depot" to replace imported chemical fertilizers.

In the 1940s, Japan used guano from Naru Island in the Pacific Ocean as a major source of agricultural fertilizer, maintaining high domestic food production through continuous transportation and alleviating the pressure of war-induced shortages of supplies.

This is just the Dongsha Islands, or even just Naru Island, yet it can provide war support to Japan.

In the South China Sea islands, and even in the Pacific islands, no one is competing with Zhao Shuo. He can mine them however he wants, can't he?
Zhao Shuo estimated that as long as his navy had the capability to sail far into the ocean, the bird droppings could supply the entire Chinese agricultural sector for decades without much problem.

His plan to drastically increase China's population naturally came to fruition.

Transporting large quantities of bird guano requires sailing ships with enormous carrying capacity and ocean-going capabilities.

Zhao Shuo estimated that there wouldn't be a big problem.

Four hundred years from now, it will be the time for the Netherlands, the "carriers of the sea," to dominate the oceans. Their ships are mainly made of wood, with sharp bows, straight keels, and rounded bottoms, making them highly resistant to wind and waves and suitable for long-distance ocean voyages.

Thanks to its efficient design and large-scale operation, Dutch merchant ships numbered nearly 20,000 in the 17th century, establishing a vast ocean trade network covering Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Their vessels could transport bulk commodities such as spices, textiles, grains, timber, and flax across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Zhao Shuo knew the general appearance of the "Dutch ship" and had excellent craftsmen from China and Persia. If necessary, he could also plunder shipbuilding craftsmen from Europe.

The Dutch primarily use oak for shipbuilding, so it's not a major problem; Siros has a large supply of oak. Zhao Shuo plans to use other types of wood first, accumulating shipbuilding experience. If all else fails, they'll build ships in Siros and then sail these large vessels eastward.

Zhao Shuo believes that as long as he continues to invest, his fleet that will traverse the world will eventually take shape!
"That's great!"

As soon as Zhao Shuo said this, almost everyone in the room had a light in their eyes.

Whether Mongolian or Han, who doesn't know the importance of food?
Ample fertilizer means ample food and robust logistics! Add to that a powerful navy, and what does that mean?
Although they didn't know about the "Empire on which the sun never sets," they knew that the whole world would probably be under their control!
Of course, they understood even better what kind of high position and power this person in charge of the navy would hold in the future.

Yang An'er said excitedly, "Your Highness, I recommend someone to you. This person is a commander under my command named Zhang Lin. He was ostensibly a lowly soldier of the Jin Kingdom, but in reality, he was a major salt smuggler."

"Later, when the Red Turban Army revolted, Zhang Lin occupied Yidu (Qingzhou, Shandong) and had a navy under his command. He was quite capable in both shipbuilding and leading the navy in battle! Let's entrust the task of building the navy to him!"

Zhang Rou shook her head and said, "To put it nicely, Zhang Lin's men are naval forces; to put it bluntly, they're water pirates. What great abilities could they possibly have? Your Majesty, I have a nephew named Zhang Shijie who has served in the Xiangyang Navy of the Song Kingdom for nearly ten years. He is the best candidate to build a navy!"

Ok?
Zhang Lin?

Zhang Shijie?
Zhao Shuo had no record of Zhang Lin in later generations, but since Yang An'er dared to recommend him, he must have some skill in naval warfare.

Zhao Shuo knew Zhang Shijie all too well; he was one of the three heroes of the late Song Dynasty and a naval commander of the Song Dynasty. He was defeated by Zhang Hongfan at the Battle of Yamen, which led to the demise of the Song Dynasty.

Zhang Hongfan is Zhang Rou's son, and he will not escape her grasp in the future.

Hmm, Zhang Shijie and Zhang Hongfan are no longer fighting amongst themselves, but instead joining forces to spread their martial arts across the world. Thinking about it carefully, it's actually quite exciting!
(End of this chapter)