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

Chapter 219 The princes discuss state affairs; who is the true ruler of the Mongols?
Chagatai's fiefdom, Buqara.

A raging fire was burning, endless blood was flowing, and the bodies of resisters or Mongol soldiers lay scattered among the broken walls and ruins.

The surviving resistance fighters were driven to the city center square, where tens of thousands of men, women, and children gathered in a dark mass. Apart from the cries of babies, there was complete silence as they awaited their unknown fate.

Three thousand Mongol soldiers stood guard around the square, awaiting Chagatai's final decree.

This is the largest rebellion to occur in the Chagatai territory in recent years.

In the village of Tarab, ninety miles outside the city of Buqala, there lived a sieve maker named Mahmu. He claimed to be able to communicate with ghosts and gods, that his bathwater could cure diseases, and that he was protected by countless divine soldiers sent by the true gods. He deceived a large number of foolish men and women.

The Mongol Darughachi stationed in Buqara City originally intended to lure Mahmud into the city to kill him. However, Mahmud was truly a clever fellow; he managed to trick the Mongol Darughachi into lameening and preventing him from making a move.

As a result, the people of Bukhara flocked to Mahmud and drove the Mongol Darughachi out of Bukhara.

Chagatai sent two thousand Mongol soldiers to conquer the area, but they encountered a rare storm. The Mongol army suspected that it was caused by Mahmud's divine power and suffered a great defeat.

Chagatai personally led his army to conquer the city, finally killing Mahmud and recapturing Bukhara.

But what should be done with the remaining soldiers, civilians and people of Buqala?

"Father, you mustn't do it!"

Chagatai's eldest son, Mu'atugan, advised, "When Genghis Khan conquered Transoxiana, he committed many massacres, leaving only three-tenths of the population alive. Fortunately, this city of Buqara was captured by my uncle Zhao Shuo, and a certain number of people have been preserved. If you issue an order this time to keep only young women and artisans, our tax revenue will be greatly affected!"

In the original history, Mu'atugan, Genghis Khan's most beloved grandson, died in battle at Fanyanbao in Khwarazm. However, Zhao Shuo changed history, and Mu'atugan is still alive and well.

"Yes!"

Chagatai's prime minister, Mashushibo, echoed, "The city of Buqara is of vital importance to our country. We beg the Khan to show his great favor and spare them this time!"

"Is this..."

Chagatai looked at Zhao Yi and said, "Yi'er, what do you think?"

Zhao Yi, the third son of Zhao Shuo, was born to Zhao Shuo and Hulan, the most beautiful woman in the Merkit tribe.

He was also acting on Zhao Shuo's orders to deliver a letter to Chagatai, explaining the execution of the Song envoy at the Meridian Gate and demonstrating Zhao Shuo's commitment to maintaining Mongol unity. The letter arrived yesterday.

Zhao Yi shrugged and said, "Second Uncle, matters within the country are naturally decided by you, and I dare not speak presumptuously. However, among these people is one of them, Alisa. His two daughters are my father's concubines, whom he greatly favors. I urge you, Uncle, to consider my father's feelings and show leniency."

Alisa was the first person Zhao Shuo pledged allegiance to when he conquered Buqala, and Zhao Shuo appointed him as the city's lord. To curry favor with Zhao Shuo, Alisa offered his twin daughters to him.

Later, Chagatai established his fiefdom in Transoxiana, so naturally he could not allow Ariza to sit in such a crucial position.

With just a slight hint, Ariza resigned.

Anyway, before Chagatai arrived, Ariza had already made enough money during the chaos of war and was happy to go home and enjoy his wealth.

However, when Mahmud rebelled in Buqala and fought against Chagatai's army, according to the rules, everyone except craftsmen, young women, and children no taller than a cartwheel was executed.

Ariza, who did nothing, was no exception.

It's a very simple logic. Those twin beauties were just Zhao Shuo's concubines. There were more than a hundred beauties of equal status. What important figure was Ariza?
However, since Zhao Yi had already made it this far, he was willing to do Ariza a favor.

Chagatai nodded and said, "Alright, we'll do as you say, Yi'er. Someone, come here!"

"exist!"

“Spot the Ariza family and spare their lives.”

"Yes!"

His personal guards immediately responded and set off to the square to select people.

Mu Atu asked anxiously, "What about the others?!"

“My mind is made up, kill them all!” Chagatai said without hesitation.

When he asked Zhao Yi for his opinion, he wasn't hesitating about whether to kill all the men in Buqala City; he was genuinely considering the Alisa family.

In the history without Zhao Shuo's time travel, Chagatai did indeed show mercy and pardon the people of Bukhara.

But isn't Zhao Shuo there?
Regardless of whether Zhao Shuo declared himself emperor or not, the internal conflicts within Mongolia had reached a point where they could no longer be concealed.

Chagatai must do everything in its power to maintain domestic stability in order to free up a large army to deal with future unforeseen events.

Of course, Chagatai was happy that Zhao Shuo did not declare himself emperor.

If Zhao Shuo were to become emperor, he would not hesitate to kill all of Alisa's family, become Zhao Shuo's enemy, and stand on Ögedei's side.

After all, although Chagatai was very dissatisfied with Ögedei's assassination of Tolui, Chagatai and Ögedei were closely tied together because of the issue of choosing an heir, and he had already offended Jochi and Tolui's faction to the death.

If Jochi or Tolui's lineage were to rise to power, would there still be a Chagatai?
However, since Zhao Shuo did not declare himself emperor, Chagatai had to carefully consider Zhao Shuo's attitude and was unwilling to offend him over such a trivial matter as the Alisa family.

He even believes that Zhao Shuo has now become a key force influencing Mongolia.

If Zhao Shuo is safe, then the entire Great Mongolian Empire will be safe.

If Zhao Shuo rebels, the entire Mongol Empire will be in danger of extinction.

Chagatai said, "Mu'a Tugan!"

"exist!"

"I'm old and won't live much longer. I'm afraid you'll still be in charge of this Khanate in the future. Go back to Zhongdu with Yi'er. Ask him what the future holds for our Great Mongol Empire?"

"Yes!"

……

……

Huining City in Northeast China.

The Persian territories were ceded to Zhao Shuo by Tolui's lineage, and their only remaining fiefdom was the former Eastern Zhen Kingdom.

Ögedei Khan pressed closer and closer, and Tolui's faction had long since moved out of Karakorum and settled in the Fiefdom, where Huining City is now their capital.

"Come, Yu'er, try this Flying Dragon Soup. As the saying goes, dragon meat in the sky, donkey meat on the ground. The dragon meat in the sky refers to the hazel grouse from the forests of Northeast China!"

Sorghaghtani Beki hosted a banquet in the palace, with Möngke Khan and Kublai Khan in attendance, to warmly welcome Zhao Yu, the fourth son of Zhao Shuo.

The recent emotional rollercoaster for the Tolui faction has been immense. Is Zhao Shuo's ascension to the throne truly a good thing for them?
Not also!

On the surface, with the two sides locked in battle, revenge for Tolui seems within reach. However, Tolui's faction paid a heavy price to seek Zhao Shuo's protection, which was not merely for self-preservation or revenge.

What they were thinking about was still that supreme Khanate!
As long as Tolui's lineage retains these hereditary commanders of a thousand, when Tolui's children grow up, some will have the opportunity to expand their territory and possess fiefdoms far larger than those of Persia. They might even be able to contend for the supreme Khanate.

But what if Zhao Shuo were to declare himself emperor, sparking an unprecedented war between the two sides?

Sorghaghtani Beki had already sent men to sound out the hereditary commanders of the chiliarchy. While they sympathized with Tolui's faction, only about a dozen chiliarchs were willing to obey Tolui's orders. The rest were ambiguous; while they sympathized with Tolui's faction, they were unwilling to rebel against Ögedei. Of course, if Ögedei pushed them too far, they would be willing to speak on Tolui's behalf.

What's the point of that?
Once the great war begins, the Tolui faction only has a dozen or so commanders under their command. What impact can they have on the overall situation?

Regardless of whether Zhao Shuo or Ögedei wins, the path to the Khanate for the Tolui lineage will be completely severed!

Especially if Ögedei wins, his entire family will probably be wiped out!
Zhao Yu's arrival with Zhao Shuo's handwritten letter brought great joy to the Tolui lineage. As long as there was no war and the stability of Mongolia was maintained, and the children grew up, the Tolui lineage still had hope.

"No more, no more." Zhao Yu burped and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Auntie has too many delicacies here, I'm already stuffed."

"It's good that you're full."

Sorghaghtani stopped trying to persuade him and looked at Möngke, saying, "Your uncle is a man of great principle. He executed the Song envoy at the Meridian Gate, thus upholding the unity of our Mongols. However, the Great Khan is seriously ill, and the surrounding countries are restless. What should we Mongols do in the future? How should we, a group of orphans and widows, live?"

“Yu’er is going back to Zhongdu tomorrow. Why don’t you go with him and ask your uncle for his opinion?”

Mongke stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Yes."

……

……

One month later, in the Imperial Palace of Helin City.

"The sweater is awake! The sweater is awake!"

Liu Zhonglu's excited shouts echoed throughout the hall.

It’s not easy!

Empress Naimazhen was unreasonable; her words implied that if Ögedei died, she would kill Liu Zhonglu's entire family.

For the past six months, Liu Zhonglu had been unable to eat or drink, sleeping only three hours a day, and devoted himself to treating Ögedei Khan. Finally, Ögedei Khan woke up.

He had made up his mind to find an opportunity as soon as possible to retire and return to his hometown under Ögedei Khan. No matter how much wealth and honor was offered, he wouldn't get involved in this mess. After all, one has to be alive to enjoy the rewards, right?

"What? Da Han is awake?"

Empress Naimazhen, Ögedei's three adult sons, Güyük, Köden, and Köchü, and his three underage sons, Khash, Khadan, and Mieli, upon receiving the report, hurriedly came to Ögedei's bedchamber.

Ögedei is now skin and bones from illness. He had just drunk some thin porridge with Liu Zhonglu's help and regained a little strength, but he still cannot get up.

He already knew he had been in a coma for more than half a year, so he quickly asked Naima Zhen, "How has the imperial court fared during my coma?"

"Well, it's good in some ways and bad in others."

Empress Naimazhen quickly recounted how, after Ögedei Khan fell into a coma, the Song Dynasty urged Zhao Shuo to ascend the throne, and how Zhao Shuo executed the Song envoy at the Meridian Gate.

Upon hearing this, Ögedei nodded repeatedly with delight, saying, "That's good! That's good! If Zhao Shuo had declared himself emperor while I was unconscious, how could you, a woman, possibly be his match? This is the blessing of the Eternal Heaven, the manifestation of my Father Khan, protecting my Great Mongol Empire! Protecting me, Ögedei!"

"but……"

Seeing that Ögedei was in a good mood, Empress Naimazhen continued, "There are two more small matters. Your Majesty, please don't be angry after hearing them."

"What two trivial matters? Tell me. I've escaped death this time, and I've become more easygoing. As long as it's not Zhao Shuo's rebellion, I won't take it to heart," Ögedei said in a relaxed tone.

Empress Naimazhen said, "The first thing is what you said when Genghis Khan named you as his successor before his western expedition."

"What did you say?" Ögedei frowned. "I don't remember."

"You said: Father Khan bestowed his grace upon me to be his successor, what can I say? Can I say that I am not capable? From now on, I will do my best! But what if, in the future, among my descendants, there are unworthy descendants who, even if covered in grass, will not be eaten by cows, and even if covered in grease, will not be chewed by dogs, or incompetent descendants who, even if deer dare to cross in front of them, and rats dare to follow behind them, what then? That's all I have to say, there's nothing else to say."

"Damn it! When did I ever say such things! This must be the work of that vile woman Sorghaghtani!"

Ögedei Khan must be incredibly frustrated right now.

Clearly, this is Tolui's faction building momentum for what will happen after his death!
As soon as he dies, Tolui's faction can use this rumor to claim that Ögedei's sons, such as Güyük, Köden, and Köchü, are all worthless and useless, and directly take over at the Kurultai with Zhao Shuo's support!
Unfortunately, under Zhao Shuo's protection, he couldn't do anything about the Tuolei faction!

Now that he has woken up, his body is so depleted, who knows how long he can live?
How will the Khanate be passed down in the future?

"Father Khan, please calm down! Please calm down!" Guyuk quickly advised, "Your health is not good, you must not get angry now and harm your body!"

Empress Naimazhen also advised, "The situation is not good now, and our whole family is counting on the Great Khan. You must take care of your health!"

"I see!"

Ögedei, still fuming, said, "There...there's a second thing?"

Empress Naimazhen hesitated and said, "Let's not talk about the second thing. The Khan's health probably can't take it."

"Go on, I can handle it!"

"Your Majesty, please don't be angry after hearing this!" Empress Naimazhen said tremblingly, "I heard that Jochi Khan, Mu'atugan, the eldest son of Chagatai Khan, and Möngke, the eldest son of Tolui, all went to Zhao Shuo Khan to discuss the future of Mongolia."

"What? Discussing the future of Mongolia? I'm not dead yet! And now they already consider Zhao Shuo the ruler of Mongolia?"

Despite his best efforts to suppress his anger, Ögedei still let out a series of howls, like a wounded wolf.

It turns out that Ögedei Khan was secretly pleased that Zhao Shuo hadn't declared himself emperor. Zhao Shuo hadn't seized the opportunity while he was unconscious, and he probably wouldn't have such a good chance again.

He never expected that after Zhao Shuo backed down, even Chagatai sent his eldest son to Zhao Shuo's side to discuss some state affairs.

What a brilliant strategy of retreating to advance!
Zhao Shuo's prestige in Mongolia is now unparalleled.

All the princes went to Zhao Shuo to discuss state affairs. Who is the current ruler of Mongolia, Ögedei or Zhao Shuo?

How much authority does he, the Great Khan of the Mongols, actually have left?
hateful!

It’s really abominable!

(End of this chapter)