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

Chapter 290 Kublai Khan's Envy, Jealousy and Hatred: Zhao Shuo Khanate Will Never Lack Money!
Outside the Grand Chancellor's residence, a three-zhang-high platform had been erected, which Zhao Shuo named the Victory Celebration Platform.

"My loyal and brave soldiers!"

Zhao Shuo stood on the victory celebration platform, looking down at the 92,633 soldiers who had gone to war.

For this expedition to Japan, Zhao Shuo mobilized 29 Han army commanders of 1,000 men, 3 Mongol commanders of 1,000 men, and 3 naval commanders of 10,000 men, totaling 120,000 field troops.

Today, Zhao Shuo left 20,000 men to continue suppressing Japan, and more than 7,000 Han soldiers died in battle and were cremated and transported back to China. Less than 100,000 returned to China with Zhao Shuo.

Zhao Shuo proclaimed loudly, "You fought bravely in this campaign against Japan, adding new territory to our country. I am greatly gratified! Now, Peng Yibin!"

"exist!"

"Come forward!"

"Yes!"

Peng Yibin roused himself and strode confidently onto the platform.

Zhao Shuo said, "Since you followed me into Japan, you have been loyal to your duties and have repeatedly made meritorious contributions. In particular, your achievements were most outstanding during the capture of Heian-kyo. Today, I hereby appoint you as the banner lord of the Plain Blue Banner of the Han Army under my command and bestow upon you the 'Vanguard of the Pacification of the Japanese Pirates' medal!"

As he spoke, Zhao Shuo took a gleaming gold medal from the tray held by the armored soldier behind him and pinned it on Peng Yibin's head.

"I am willing to die for the king!"

Boom!
Peng Yibin paid homage with great ceremony.

Then, he stood up and showed everyone the medal bestowed upon him by Zhao Shuo.

"Pioneers in suppressing the Japanese pirates! Pioneers in suppressing the Japanese pirates!"

"Long live the King! Commander Peng is mighty!"

"I am willing to die for the king!"

……

The soldiers below the platform cheered loudly.

Compared to other commanders of ten thousand, Peng Yibin's seniority in joining the Han army was relatively low. When he first joined the Han army, he was under Liu Erzu's command and was merely a centurion.

However, Peng Yibin rose to prominence through sheer merit, earning his place through hard work and skill. While Liu Erzu was still a Han army commander of a thousand, Peng Yibin had already become the 20,000th commander of the Han army's Plain Blue Banner.

Now that Liu Erzu has retired, Peng Yibin has taken the most heads in the battle to capture Heian-kyo, becoming the second person after Shi Tianni to be appointed as a banner lord.

This shows that the upward mobility channels within the Han Chinese Eight Banners were open.

If Peng Yibin can do it, so can anyone else!

Under the king's command, as long as you fight hard, how can you not rise step by step?
Peng Yibin himself was, of course, very excited at this moment.

O flag lord!
He is now the second most powerful military officer after Shi Tianni, and a dukedom is a certainty for him in the future.

He will surely be listed among the thirty-six meritorious officials of Zhao Shuo's Khanate in the future, and his name will be remembered for eternity.

Back then, he was just an ordinary farmer from Shandong. When he joined Liu Erzu's uprising, he never imagined he would be so successful now.

Only after the soldiers' voices subsided did Peng Yibin step down from the platform and return to his team.

Zhao Shuo continued, "Liu Zheng!"

"exist!"

Liu Zheng also walked onto the high platform under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

When Meng Gong's troops attacked the imperial palace in Heian-kyo, the three commanders advanced like waves. In the end, it was actually Meng Gong who accepted the surrender of Fujiwara no Yoritsune and others.

However, it was previously stated that the title of "Hero Who Suppresses Japanese Pirates" was to be awarded to the commander of a thousand households and his soldiers.

After discussing it, Zhao Shuo and Meng Gong decided to award this title to Liu Zheng, who had contributed the most under Meng Gong's command.

In addition, Liu Zheng had another task: to lead his own thousand households to garrison in Fusang and establish a Semu ten thousand households there.

Zhao Shuo killed too many people in Fusang, and now he really can't form a new Central Asian army. He can only leave 20,000 Han soldiers to suppress them.

Liu Zheng's task was to establish this Semu Wanhu (a type of household) within ten years, as the population of Japan grew.

In this way, his title of "Head of Ten Thousand Households of the Semu People" would be truly deserved.

Another burst of cheers erupted from the audience.

Then, finally came the much-anticipated part: dividing the money and the women.

Zhao Shuo said, "In this campaign against Fusang, we seized a total of 1.84 million taels of gold, 9.67 million taels of silver, 8.43 million catties of copper, 7.43 million bolts of various kinds of cloth, and countless other treasures, armor, and weapons."

"The treasures, armor, weapons, and some gold and silver from before have already been distributed during the campaign. Now, we still have 970,000 taels of gold, 3,450,000 taels of silver, and 5,490,000 catties of copper left! Now, let's distribute these riches! In addition, each soldier will be given three Japanese women!"

boom!
"Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King! Long live the King!"

Zhao Shuo's words were like igniting a powder keg, and the cheers from the entire audience were deafening.

The spoils of war obtained by the Han army during its conquest of cities and territories had already been distributed among the troops. The spoils distributed this time were actually the result of excavating the tombs of Japanese nobles over thousands of years, dismantling the statues of gods and Buddhas in various temples and shrines, as well as the gold and silver accumulated in these temples, and the looting of nobles and wealthy households of the Japanese who had already surrendered.

Everyone knew there would be a substantial harvest, but no one expected it to be this much.

Roughly calculated, the total amount of wealth obtained by each ordinary soldier during this expedition to Japan, converted into silver, would reach two hundred taels!
When Zhao Shuo led the western expedition, each ordinary soldier received valuables worth approximately five hundred taels of silver. However, it took four or five years for that to happen.

This expedition to Japan took only a little over a year, yet yielded valuables worth two hundred taels of silver.

Moreover, the Japanese had a very low level of technology, and the overall intensity of the war was far less than during the westward expedition.

That's such a great deal!

Besides these valuables, there were also Japanese women!
During the westward expedition, it was actually too inconvenient to transport the women they captured back home; most of them were just for fun.

The Japanese women that Zhao Shuo bestowed upon them can now be transported back by ship.

Even if you feel it's not worth keeping them, you can sell them for money. Japanese women aren't worth much in Japan, but they become rare commodities in the Central Plains, and can bring in a good income! This expedition to Japan with the King has been incredibly fruitful!

Subsequently, Zhao Shuo ordered the troops to set off, and nearly 100,000 soldiers returned to China in batches with their enormous spoils.

After the war against Fusang began, the Zhao Shuo Khanate imposed media control on newspapers, only issuing sporadic reports of the government army achieving some great victory in some place.

Now, the law on public opinion control has been completely relaxed.

Newspapers across China provided detailed reports on the war, including the specifics of each battle, Zhao Shuo's treatment of the Japanese Emperor and the Japanese people, the soldiers' significant gains, and the imperial court's substantial profits.

In fact, from the perspective of the imperial court itself, preparations for this war began twenty years ago with the establishment of the navy, and logistical support was provided at great expense during the war, so the profits were not significant.

However, the enormous reserves of gold, silver, copper, and sulfur mines in Japan are truly enviable.

For ordinary people, the gains of the soldiers who led the Eastern Expedition were equally enviable.

As newspapers buzzed with discussions about Zhao Shuo's personal expedition to Japan, the world gradually began to stir!
……

……

Huining City in Northeast China.

"Mr. Yao, do you think everything in the newspaper is true? That ordinary soldiers on the Eastern Expedition could receive two hundred taels of silver? And that all the gold, silver, and copper mines in Japan combined have more than five hundred million taels of silver?"

Kublai Khan looked intently at Yao Shu.

He had been closely monitoring Zhao Shuo's eastern expedition. As soon as the major newspapers in Zhongdu began to introduce the details of Zhao Shuo's eastern expedition, his spies sent more than a dozen major newspapers from Zhongdu to Huining via express courier.

Zhao Shuo's eastern expedition yielded results that left Kublai Khan dazzled!
More than two hundred taels of silver in just over a year! He could easily imagine how envious the grassland warriors of the Tolui lineage would be of Zhao Shuo's men when they learned of this amount.

They have to pay taxes every year, so instead of income, they're spending it!

Zhao Shuo, a grassland warrior who participated in the Eastern Expedition, reaped such enormous rewards!
They're all warriors from the grasslands, so why is there such a big difference in their treatment?

Not to mention Zhao Shuo's acquisition of those precious mineral deposits. Although he knew the feasibility was slim, Kublai Khan still hoped Zhao Shuo was exaggerating. Otherwise, how could he sleep soundly?

Yao Shu sighed softly and said, "Fourth King, with your wisdom, how can you still harbor such wishful thinking? With Zhao Shuo's current strength and status, what need is there for him to deceive the world? It would be a complete loss!"

Kublai Khan was the fourth son of Tolui, but since Tolui's second and third sons had both died young, Kublai Khan became the eldest son of Tolui, second only to Möngke Khan. Therefore, Yao Shu referred to him as the "Fourth King".

"Mr. Yao is right."

Kublai Khan nodded with difficulty and said, "Now, who can threaten Uncle Zhao Shuo? He really has no reason to exaggerate his gains. What a pity! Two hundred taels of silver each, and so many precious mineral deposits. Before, we..."

What he originally wanted to say was, why didn't we think of launching an expedition to Japan before?
That's much better than going to the West to fight to the death!
Guyuk is still fighting in Poland, and the outcome is uncertain.

However, he was, after all, a hero of his time, and he understood that Zhao Shuo's attack on Japan was so successful because he had begun training his navy twenty years ago.

After conquering the Song Dynasty, they gained widespread support from maritime merchants.

With the soldiers' fierce and courageous fighting, they were able to easily destroy Fusang.

If the Mongol army were to attack Japan with an immature navy, they might not only fail to win, but also suffer a crushing defeat!
Have you not seen the steppe warriors under Zhao Shuo's command struggling in the "northern region" of Japan?
It can only be said that even if he had known that the Japanese were technologically backward and had abundant gold and silver, he still wouldn't have been able to do this.

This is all rightfully Zhao Shuo's!

Yao Shu said, "The Four Kings have grand ambitions. We must have a clear understanding of King Zhao Shuo's strength and must not harbor any illusions. In fact, King Zhao Shuo's conquest of Fusang has brought him more than just what is on the surface."

What do you mean by that, Mr. Yao?

"Firstly, King Zhao Shuo's conquest of Japan across the sea proves the strength of the Zhao Shuo Khanate's navy and its terrifying maritime transport capacity. All the countries in the world that are near the sea must consider the possibility of King Zhao Shuo using the navy to transport land forces for a landing. Who wouldn't be terrified?"

Kublai Khan nodded and said, "That's true. If we fall out with Uncle Zhao Shuo, our fiefdom of Iraq will be threatened by his navy, which will be very difficult to defend against. What else?"

"Secondly, and most importantly. Your Majesty, think about it: if you were an ordinary citizen and knew that the imperial court possessed gold, silver, and copper mines worth as much as 500 million taels, would you trust the court's credibility? Furthermore, King Zhao Shuo's conquest of Fusang yielded such enormous gains? Could there be other large islands similar to Fusang in the sea? What do you think of the court's credibility?"

Kublai Khan was a man of great talent and ambition, but he was not very knowledgeable about economics.

He frowned slightly and said, "Mr. Yao means that the gold and silver coins issued by Uncle Zhao Shuo will be more popular? And you want to take the opportunity to make a fortune?"

"It's more than that! You know, King Zhao Shuo's bank issues bills of exchange. Once the bills of exchange reach a designated place, they can be exchanged for real gold and silver. Before King Zhao Shuo's eastern expedition to Japan, these bills of exchange were already circulating on a small scale among the people. Just imagine what effect the news of the eastern expedition will have now that it has reached us?"

Kublai Khan said, "The people will have even greater faith in the court's credibility, and bills of exchange will begin to circulate on a large scale among the people! In the future, Zhao Shuo's uncle's bank can directly issue bills of exchange to replace gold and silver in circulation. Isn't this... isn't this just like the paper money of the Jin and Song dynasties back then?"

Yao Shu said, "Indeed, it is paper money. However, unlike the paper money of the Jin and Song dynasties, the paper money issued by King Zhao Shuo is backed by reserves of 500 million taels of gold and silver from the Fusang mines. It also has reserves of even more gold and silver mines for the future! The people believe that these paper money represents real gold and silver, so these paper money are equivalent to real gold and silver!"

"hiss……"

Kublai Khan gasped, abruptly stood up, paced back and forth in the room, and said in a deep voice, "Uncle Zhao Shuo can write a few words on a piece of paper and have the people believe it's real gold and silver. Doesn't that mean he'll never lack money in the future?"

"Simply put, that's how it is. Of course, if King Zhao Shuo were as insatiable as the Jin and Song emperors were back then, and issued paper money without any scruples, the credibility of paper money would eventually collapse."

Kublai Khan shook his head bitterly and said, "Given the personalities of Uncle Zhao Shuo and Brother Zhao He, how could they possibly do such a thing? It's safe to say that the Zhao Shuo Khanate will not lack money for decades to come. The gap between us and Uncle Zhao Shuo is truly despairing!"

The Han army is not fully paid; a fully paid army is invincible!
Although Kublai Khan had never heard of this saying, why was it that the Han army, which had been utterly defeated by the steppe warriors under the Jin and Song emperors, displayed such fighting prowess under Zhao Shuo?
It was simply that Zhao Shuo's generous rewards and punishments boosted the morale of the Han army.
Kublai Khan had already vaguely realized this principle.

With over 100 million Han Chinese and Zhao Shuo, who was never short of money, what kind of fighting power could they exert? How could Kublai Khan not be filled with despair?

However, he was still somewhat unwilling and asked again, "Aren't the Han people the most benevolent and righteous? Zhao Shuo's killings in Japan were extremely severe, even exceeding those of our Mongol army during their westward expedition. Mr. Yao, do you think that if I send someone to spread the rumor that Zhao Shuo's uncle was a tyrant who committed many killings, it would have some impact on him?"

"Fourth King, I advise you not to do this."

Yao Shu shook his head solemnly and said, "Back then, during the War of Yan and Huang, China only possessed half of Henan. Even when the Zhou Dynasty was established, China's fertile lands were only Henan and half of Shaanxi. By the time of Qin Shi Huang, the seven Warring States had been unified, and all of them became fertile lands of China. Where did those barbarians from the seven states go?"

"During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the Han dynasty conquered Nanyue, Minyue, Dongyue, and Goguryeo, and subdued Cheshi, Loulan, Dayuan, Xiqiang, and the southwestern Yi, thus establishing the territory of China."

"You must never underestimate the courage and cruelty of the Han people. Did the vast and fertile land that China possesses gain through benevolence and righteousness? It was won by fighting with swords and spears, and paved with the countless corpses of barbarians!"

"Having endured the chaos of the Five Barbarian Invasions and the Jingkang Incident, how could China have risen to such a state? What does this have to do with benevolence and righteousness? It is the profound heritage left to China by our ancestors who conquered all directions!"

"King Zhao Shuo has already stirred up the fighting spirit of the Han people. If you were to incite a war of words and provoke a great debate among the Han people, I fear that the entire Chinese nation would be completely awakened to its fighting spirit and become even more difficult to control!"

(End of this chapter)