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

Chapter 19 Distilled Mare's Milk, the Shock of the Wanggu Tribe
The Wanggu tribe not only has sufficient military strength, but also has a critical location.

The grassland lacks everything and needs to trade with the outside world. The best trading partner is the wealthy Jin Kingdom in the south.

The Jin Dynasty imposed extremely strict restrictions on Mongolia, and even if you had money, you couldn't buy what you wanted.

As the Jin Dynasty's vassal army, the Wanggu tribe was stationed at an important pass on the border between Mongolia and the Jin Dynasty. It was a key node in the smuggling trade between the Jin Dynasty and the grasslands, and had close ties with the various tribes on the grasslands.

Many Wanggu people even made a living by smuggling between the grasslands and the Jin Dynasty, which was of great strategic significance to Mongolia.

Zhao Shuo asked, "So, Father Khan is hesitant about whether to accept the Wanggu tribe's surrender?"

Temujin did not answer, but winked at Hulunbuir.

Hu Nan said, "It's not impossible to accept the Wanggu tribe. With our Mongolian strength, we don't fear retaliation from the Jin. However, we have the Naimans to our west, and it's too early to turn against the Jin. Also, we rely on smuggling trade with the Jin for all our supplies. Once the Wanggu tribe surrenders, our trade with the Jin will be completely cut off. The Khan and I are a little hesitant, so we called you here to ask for your opinion."

"If that doesn't work, I'll give him some war horses, cattle and sheep, and marry Alahai to him!"

Temujin spoke of the final means of support.

The Wanggu tribe was too crucial. How to not accept their surrender while also ensuring their loyalty to Mongolia was a truly difficult task. Alahai was Temujin's third daughter, only thirteen years old this year. Temujin was unwilling to resort to such a desperate measure unless it was absolutely necessary.

Of course, Zhao Shuo couldn't just watch Alahai's younger sister marry Alawusi.

According to historical records, Princess Alahai was married to Alawusi, his eldest son Buyanxiban, his nephew Zhenguo, and his second nephew Boyaohe. Although she was the daughter of Temujin, her fate was truly tragic, as she married four men: her father and son, her uncle and nephew, and her brother.

Of course, to be on the safe side, Zhao Shuo asked first: "First, we need to confirm whether the Wanggu tribe is truly surrendering, or is it being instigated by the Jin people? What is the conspiracy?"

Temujin waved his hand and said, "The Wanggu tribe knows the strength of Mongolia very well. They don't have the courage."

Hu Nan also said, "The Wanggu tribe truly can no longer remain in the Jin Empire. To be fair, the current Jin Emperor, Wanyan Jing, isn't exactly a tyrant or incompetent ruler. However, the Jin Empire has enjoyed a long period of peace, with a thriving population and a culture of complacency and laxity, leading to numerous problems. In recent years, the Yellow River has burst its banks, leaving the treasury empty and forcing the issuance of large quantities of Jiao notes. Now, ten thousand guan of Jiao notes can only buy a single sesame bun. Can the Wanggu tribe expect to enjoy any better life?"

"The Jin Kingdom pays the Wanggu tribe military pay in Jiao notes?" Zhao Shuo nodded. "That's equivalent to not paying them at all. It's really very difficult."

"Just the military pay would be fine. Even without it, the Wanggu tribe could manage." Hu Nan continued, "The Song Kingdom also saw the Jin Kingdom's weakness. Prime Minister Han Tuozhou strongly advocated a northern expedition, creating a lot of public opinion in the Song court. When the Jin Kingdom learned of this, it dared not neglect it and also made major military preparations. Now, the Jin Kingdom is conscripting soldiers and seizing horses, cattle and sheep from the Wanggu tribe. The tribe's people already have a hard time, and with the Jin court's heavy taxes and levies, they simply can't survive."

"Is there anything else going on?"

Zhao Shuo certainly knew about the famous Kaixi Northern Expedition in history.

However, that was two years later.

Unexpectedly, from now on, both Jin and Song sides began to prepare for the upcoming war, which in turn caused instability in the Jin border army.

He thought for a moment and said, "I think it's not appropriate for the Wanggu tribe to directly submit to us Mongols now."

"Oh why?"

"General Hu Nan is right. Although we Mongols are not weak, it is unwise to fight on two fronts simultaneously, against the Jin Kingdom and the Naiman. Another important reason is that the Jin Kingdom is our mortal enemy, and a major war is inevitable. Now that the Wanggu tribe has surrendered, we will only gain 5,000 households. But if the Wanggu tribe surrenders again at a critical moment in the future, we will gain several dangerous passes guarded by the Wanggu tribe, which will be a direct blow to the heart of the Jin army."

Temujin smiled bitterly and said, "That's true, but even if I've chilled the hearts of the Wanggu tribe now, how can I use them in the future? Ah Shuo, do you mean... to let Alahai marry Alawusi?"

"Of course not." Zhao Shuo said confidently, "I'll show you something, and you'll understand."

Then, Zhao Shuo gave an order and a servant brought in a clay pot.

When the clay jar was opened, a layer of something as white as snow and as pure as frost was revealed.

In the eyes of the Mongolians, whose productivity is extremely backward, one can tell at a glance that this thing is high-end and classy.

Temujin asked curiously, "What is this?"

"Father Khan, you'll know once you try it."

"Then I'll try it."

If it was an unknown object sent by someone else, it would never have entered Temujin's mouth so easily. You know, Temujin's father Yesugei was poisoned to death by drinking poisoned wine sent by the enemy.

But it was a completely different story for Zhao Shuo.

Temujin didn't even use a spoon. He just dipped his index finger in the salt and put it in his mouth. Then his eyes lit up and he said, "This... is salt?"

"What? Salt? How can salt be like this?"

Hu Nan also dipped his finger in the salt and put it in his mouth, saying, "Salt! It really is salt! And it's extremely pure, with only salty taste, without any other impurities! Prince Consort Zhao Shuo, which merchant did you buy this salt from? Or... was it made by your people?"

At the end of his speech, Hu Nan's eyes were full of hope.

As Genghis Khan's de facto prime minister, he knew very well how poor Mongolia was and how much it needed supplies that could be exchanged with the outside world.

Mongolia has an area of ​​two million square kilometers and has more than a dozen salt lakes of various sizes, so it is actually not short of salt.

But that's just because there is no shortage of salt.

Due to technical reasons, the salt produced in Mongolia contains many impurities and has a strong bitter taste. It can only meet domestic needs and it is impossible to sell it to other regions.

Now, if Zhao Shuo could find a way to produce this extremely clean salt without any impurities, it would be enough to become a hard currency for Mongolian transactions, and could even solve the current crisis of the Wanggu tribe.

really!

Zhao Shuo said, "Don't worry, General Hu Nan, I did come up with a way to make this white salt."

"That's great! The Wanggu tribe is now submitting to Mongolia. Isn't it because they are being exploited by the Jin Dynasty and can no longer survive? If we use them to smuggle this white salt to the Jin Dynasty and take a portion of the profits, we should be able to solve the Wanggu tribe's urgent needs."

Temujin waved his hand and said proudly, "Even if we give up all the profits, it will be fine as long as it can solve the problem of the Wanggu tribe. Come on, go and invite Alawusi!"

"Yes."

A short while later, Alawusi, the Khan of the Wanggu tribe, entered the Golden Tent. Alawusi was about forty years old, of medium build, and had a kind face.

However, after seeing the appearance of the white salt and learning that it was made by Zhao Shuo, Alawusi's kind face quickly filled with excitement. He said, "I can't believe that Prince Consort Zhao Shuo is not only the foremost warrior of the grassland who killed Wang Han in battle, but also invented such white salt. He is truly a man of both civil and military talents! With you, the Khan will have no worries about unifying the grasslands. And how can Mongolia prosper? Submission of my Wanggu tribe to Mongolia is truly the right decision!"

Temujin asked, "How much can the salt made by Ashuo be sold for in the Jin Kingdom?"

The Jin dynasty barely paid military salaries, and smuggling had become almost the main occupation of the Wanggu people. Alawusi was certainly well aware of local prices. However, the Mongolian economy was too underdeveloped, and there were few goods to smuggle, so the Wanggu people could not make much money.

Alawu explained carefully, "Your Majesty, you may not know that the price of salt varies across the Jin Empire. For example, in places like Liaodong and Shangjing where the Jurchens gather, salt prices are the lowest: official salt costs 14 wen per catty, while private salt costs 10 wen. In places like Shandong and Hebei where the Han people gather, salt prices are the highest: official salt costs 42 wen per catty, while private salt costs 35 wen. As for the northern border where my Wanggu tribe is located, official salt costs 37 wen, while private salt costs around 32 wen."

The "wen" here, of course, refers to real copper coins, not the Jin Dynasty's exchange notes that are comparable to the gold yuan coupons in later generations.

Alawusi continued, "The white salt made by Prince Consort Zhao Shuo is so pure I've never seen it before. I can't say exactly how much it will sell for. However, I think it should sell for around a hundred coins per pound, so it should be very good."

Temujin was slightly puzzled and asked, "One jin for a hundred coins? That's so much? Didn't you just say that the Jin Kingdom has no money?"

Alawusi smiled bitterly and said, "It's the Jin court that's broke, not the local nobles. The Jin Empire now has tens of millions of households and a population of over 60 million. How can it be without wealthy people?"

Alawusi quickly asked, "How much can Prince Consort Zhao Shuo provide every year?"

Zhao Shuo's lips curled up slightly. "I'll give you as much as you need. But I'm afraid that with so much white salt, the Wanggu tribe will no longer be able to sell it at the high price of a hundred coins per pound."

"That's great!"

Alawusi was delighted. He certainly understood that the Mongols offered hard currency such as refined salt in order to delay the time of accepting the submission of the Wanggu tribe.

But not only was he not the least bit dissatisfied, he even excitedly teased Shuangda, saying, "The Jin people conscripting men from our Wanggu tribe to fight in the south isn't a big deal, but the main thing is that without men in our tribe, orphans and widows are having a hard time making ends meet. With the profits from the white salt, our Wanggu tribe can not only survive, but also live well... No, if we really had the money, I could bribe the Jin officials and even exempt our Wanggu tribe from conscription, haha!"

Zhao Shuo warned, "This white salt is to help your Wanggu tribe overcome the current crisis, not to allow you to serve the Jin Kingdom with peace of mind. One day, when the Khan issues an order, the Wanggu tribe must immediately return to Mongolia."

"understand!"

dong dong dong~~
Alawusi immediately bowed deeply to Temujin and said, "I, the Eternal Heaven and the Almighty, bear witness that from this day forward, the Wanggu tribe is the Wanggu tribe of Mongolia, and I, Alawusi, am the Khan's most loyal servant, and I will follow His command!"

The Mongols believed in Shamanism, but the Wanggu tribe believed in Christianity. Alawusi was so excited that he simply brought up Eternal Heaven and Allah and swore an oath of allegiance to Temujin.

"So good!"

Temujin happily helped Alawusi up and said, "Come here! Bring us the six cans of fine wine that Alawusi brought! We're going to have a few good drinks today!"

"Yes."

The Wanggu tribe betrayed the Jin and defected to the Mongols. If anything went wrong, the entire Wanggu tribe would be destroyed by the Jin.

Of course, Alawusi came in secret.

Temujin's personal guards were bound by military law and naturally kept their mouths shut. Among the Mongolian high-ranking officials, only Temujin, Hunnan, and Zhao Shuo knew about this.

Naturally, only Alawusi, Temujin, Zhao Shuo and Hu Nan attended the banquet to celebrate the Wanggu tribe's submission to Mongolia.

After personally pouring a glass of wine for Temujin, Alawusi said respectfully, "This is the Jin Kingdom's most famous Jinquan wine. It's not only very popular in the Jin Kingdom, but also exported to the Song Kingdom in the south. Even the people of Song praise it highly! Please enjoy it, Your Majesty!"

"Is this the famous Jinquan wine?"

Temujin drank a cup, nodded slightly, and said, "It is indeed a good wine. Alawusi Anda is very thoughtful of you."

Temujin was a man of great talent and ambition, fond of beautiful women, but had very few other material desires. He was particularly reluctant to drink alcohol, believing that "a little drinking leads to sexual arousal, while too much leads to sexual debauchery," and he would only offer polite compliments.

Zhao Shuo also drank a cup of Jinquan wine and said, "The Jin Kingdom has good wine, and we in Mongolia also have good wine. Alawusi, would you like to try some?"

Alawusi said, "Okay, today I will taste the delicious Mongolian wine."

In fact, Alawusi's words were quite perfunctory.

He knew the ins and outs of Mongolia very well. Besides kumis, what else did they have? How could it possibly compare to the fine wine of the Jin Dynasty?

However, after he tasted the fine wine that Zhao Shuo had sent him, he could no longer remain calm.

"I never thought Mongolia could have such good wine! It's not only so clear, but also spicy. After savoring it carefully, it even has a faint milky aroma. It's much better than the Jinquan wine I brought with me!"

That's natural.

Although the Jin Dynasty already had some basic distillation technology, it could only produce low-alcohol white wine or yellow wine.

However, what Zhao Shuo took out was distilled kumis made using knowledge from later generations.

The strong liquor with an alcohol content of over 40 degrees opened the door to a new world for Alawusi.

The light aftertaste of milk flavor made him even more intoxicated.

Of course, the most important thing is money!
Why did Alawusi humbly ask for submission to Mongolia? Wasn't it because he had no money and couldn't survive in the Jin Dynasty? No one valued economic interests more than him!

"Prince Consort Zhao Shuo."

Alawusi looked at Zhao Shuo cautiously and said, "I wonder what this wine is called? Would you... would you be willing to sell it to my Wanggu tribe?"

"This wine has just been made and doesn't have a name yet, so let's call it..."

Zhao Shuo pondered for a moment. There were many names of famous liquors in his mind, such as Moutai, Wuliangye, etc., but this liquor was distilled mare's milk wine, and the names he remembered didn't seem appropriate.

Finally, Zhao Shuo had an idea and said, "Let's call it 'Lijiu'! 'Li' means sweet in Chinese, which perfectly fits the taste of this wine. If you, the Wanggu tribe, want to sell it, you can. Just like the white salt example, you can take 20% of the profit."

(End of this chapter)