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

Chapter 318: Split the continents of Asia and Africa, drink from the Mediterranean Sea, and aim your sword at Europe!

Of course, while Bohemia was wealthy, it was not so easy to hold onto it securely.

Furthermore, Zhao Shuo's vision for Bohemia was not merely to defend it, but to serve as a logistical base for the future conquest of Europe, and thus it had to be carefully managed.

After much deliberation, he decided to let Crown Prince Zhao He manage the business himself.

Zhao Shuo summoned Zhao He, and after careful discussion, issued a series of decrees.

First, the province of Bohemia was established.

Secondly, the former western capital of the Zhao Shuo Khanate, Rova, was demoted to the capital of the western Rus' region. Prague, the capital of Bohemia, became the western capital of the Zhao Shuo Khanate. His heir, Zhao He, was appointed "Grand Commander-in-Chief of Zhen'ou" and stationed permanently in Prague.

Thirdly, twenty-nine Han Chinese Eight Banners commanders volunteered to sign up, with each commander selecting one thousand men to accompany Zhao He to Bohemia.

From now on, these twenty-nine Han army commanders will be recruited from the Huaxia military and their organization will be re-established.

These 29,000 Manchu soldiers who were transferred will likely not be recalled. They will take their families to Bohemia and settle down in Europe.

Clearly, these 29,000 men would be the main force of Zhao Shuo Khanate's future conquest of Europe, which meant the military merits that the Eight Banners soldiers longed for.

Moreover, after conquering Europe, they would certainly be the main force in forming the Semu Eight Banners, where the opportunities for promotion and wealth far exceeded those in their homeland of China, making it quite attractive.

There's no worry about not being able to gather 29,000 spots.

In addition, Su Fei led his own Mongol commanders and their families to Bohemia along with Zhao He.

Fourth, the region under Zhao He's "Governor-General of Zhen'ou" included not only the province of Bohemia, but also the province of West Rus', Georgia, the Terek Valley, the province of Byzantium, and the province of Romania.

The military and political power of these provinces was uniformly in the hands of Zhao He.

Today, eastern Bohemia has a population of only about 200,000. The western region is in an even worse state; when it was learned that the region had been ceded by Europe to the Mongols, soldiers and civilians fled en masse, leaving only 40,000 to 50,000 people.

It was impossible to expect these 240,000 to 250,000 people to support an army of 30,000. However, with the addition of "cooperative payments" from Western Russia, Georgia, Byzantium, and Romania, the problem could be solved. Therefore, Zhao Shuo also entrusted the civil administration of these four regions to Zhao He.

In addition to providing "support funds," these regions would also send troops to support Bohemia during the European counter-offensive, at Zhao He's command.

At present, the Zhao Shuo Khanate has stationed a Semu (a type of ethnic minority) garrison in each of the Western Rus' Province and the Byzantine Province.

The province of Romania was garrisoned by two Semu (Central Asian) households.

In Georgia, Zhao Shuo only symbolically stationed a Han army commander of one thousand.

However, after more than twenty years of management, the officials dispatched by Zhao Shuo had already seized military and political power in Georgia, only failing to implement the equal-field system, the militia system, or to establish the Eight Banners Army. The country had a standing army of 50,000, which Zhao He could also mobilize.

In summary, Zhao He now commands 29,000 Han Chinese Eight Banner soldiers, one pure Mongol commander, three Semu commanders, 50,000 Georgian vassal troops, and 6,000 steppe warriors composed of Mongols and Asur people who can be drawn from the Terek Valley, bringing his total strength to 116,000. He can also mobilize local militia units when necessary.

With such a large force, defending Bohemia would be no problem.

Fifth, the main target of future imperial immigration will be Bohemia. This year, 30,000 will be immigrated, followed by 20,000 every year for ten consecutive years.

Sixth, Zhao Yan, the second son of Zhao Shuo, was appointed commander-in-chief, with Zhang Rou and Guo Kan as deputy commanders, leading a Han army of ten thousand households and two Semu (Central Asian) ten thousand households to attack the Makuliya Kingdom in the Nubian region.

This military operation has been planned since last year.

In 1237, Zhao Yan led five Han army commanders into the Tibetan Plateau, originally with a five-year term.

The term expired in 1242.

We can't let one person always suffer losses, so Zhao Shuo ordered Zhao Yu, who was stationed in the Egyptian and Syrian provinces, to switch places with him.

At that time, it was just an exchange; Zhao Shuo had not yet planned an attack on the Nubian region.

Last year, Zhao He recovered Annam, and Zhao Shuo decided to take action against the Nubian region, so he transferred Zhang Rou, the commander of ten thousand Han troops, to the west.

However, the journey from China to Egypt was long and arduous. Zhang Rou, the commander of the Han army, had only arrived in Cairo, the capital of the Egyptian province, two months ago.

Zhao Shuo issued an edict, and by the time the edict reached Egypt, Zhang Rou's Han army of ten thousand households would have almost finished their rest and reorganization, and would then be able to send troops to the Nubian region under the leadership of Zhao Yan.

In any case, four months later, the 30,000 troops that Zhao Shuo had assigned to Zhao He gathered at Mingzhou Port. Transported by the Blue and Yellow Banners of the Navy, they arrived at Port Ser in Egypt four months later. Their families would be transported gradually later.

This time, however, Zhao He no longer needs to disembark at Port-e-Saëns, travel overland through Egypt to the Mediterranean, and then reach Europe via the Mediterranean.

Because the Suez Canal has been completed and is waiting for Zhao He to preside over the maiden voyage ceremony.

Construction of the canal began in June 1234 under the supervision of Zhao He and was completed in March 1245, taking nearly eleven years to finally come to an end.

In fact, the Suez Canal was ready to open to navigation two months ago. During those two months, seven small-scale trial voyages were conducted.

Now that everything is ready, Zhao He happens to be passing by and is able to preside over the maiden voyage ceremony of this man-made canal that is relevant to the entire world.

"Your Highness, look ahead, we have the Hu Ju Qin Jiu Shao Canal. Your flagship will break through the colorful ribbons blocking the canal and sail into the Hu Ju Qin Jiu Shao Canal, thus announcing its official opening to navigation."

Zhao Yan has now led his army to Nubia. The ceremony for the maiden voyage was overseen by Zhao He's father-in-law, Shi Songzhi, as well as Hu Ju and Qin Jiushao, who were in charge of the canal construction.

They stood with Zhao He on the deck of Zhao He's flagship.

Shi Songzhi briefed Zhao He on the details of the maiden voyage.

Zhao He looked up and saw the vast, misty Red Sea behind him, where the sea and sky merged into one. Ahead, a narrow, pale blue waterway was embedded in the massive dikes and sand. It was as if a god had cleaved the vast continent of Asia and Africa in two with a sharp blade.

On both sides of the pale blue waterway were crowds participating in the celebration. Most of them were Han Chinese, but there were also Kurds with black hair and thick beards and olive skin, Arabs with light brown skin, Coptic people with curly hair and dark olive skin, Berber people with curly hair and dark skin... Colorful flags fluttered, and there was a lot of noise, as if it were a festival.

Zhao He nodded slightly and asked, "How many immigrants does Egypt have now?"

Shi Songzhi said: "There are 56,743 households, and as of the end of last year, the total number of people was 476,571."

In the past decade or so, Zhao Shuo's immigration to Egypt has been less than 300,000. However, due to the prevalence of polygamy among Han Chinese, the Han population has increased rapidly.

The Han Chinese population has now reached 500,000, which can be considered one of Shi Songzhi's achievements.

He knew these numbers like the back of his hand and explained them in detail.

"Nearly 500,000 people, that's quite a lot indeed."

Zhao He nodded slightly and asked, "How many people died in total to build this canal?"

Shi Songzhi said, "It's a bit less than we expected, about 820,000. They're all from other races, so the young master doesn't need to worry. Besides, it's entirely worth it."

"Your Highness, as you know, land transport carries far less cargo than sea transport. In addition, the cost of land transport is more than ten times that of sea transport. Whether for military mobilization or commercial transport, the significance of this canal cannot be overstated."

That's true. The Suez Canal is less than 400 miles long, so it doesn't seem like it would save much money.

But that’s not how the accounts work out.

Firstly, the banks of the Suez Canal are desert areas. Neither commercial trade nor normal military marches could pass through here. A detour would be necessary, a total distance of over 400 li by land and over 1000 li by water.

Secondly, and most importantly, is the volume of goods transported. A large ocean liner can carry hundreds of thousands of kilograms of cargo. How much manpower is needed to unload these hundreds of thousands of kilograms of goods from the ship? And how much manpower is needed to reload them? If there were no canal and a detour had to be taken, it would require two loading and unloading operations, and the cost alone would be considerable.

Moreover, to load these supplies, assuming each carriage can carry 500 jin (250 kg), it would require more than a thousand carriages.

How much time and cost would it take for people and horses to travel 400 li (approximately 200 kilometers) to feed each other and chew their food?

It is only when military mobilization or disaster relief considerations are involved that such a cost can be spared.

Normally, without this canal, trade between Europe and Asia would have required high-value goods such as spices, silk, porcelain, and gems. In the West during that era, porcelain from the East was more valuable than silver, and the high cost of shipping was a key factor in this.

Furthermore, this is just the carrying capacity of one ship. What about ten ships? Or a hundred?

Even if you're willing to go to any lengths to transport goods, where will you find so many loaders and unloaders? And how will you supply them with all the necessary materials?
Therefore, a rough calculation shows that with the completion of the Suez Canal, the trade volume between the East and the West could increase more than tenfold!

It also made it possible for the East and West to trade low-value but large-volume goods such as grain and timber.

The military significance was even greater. Although the various territories of the Zhao Shuo Khanate were originally unified, without the Suez Canal, the Zhao Shuo naval forces could not access the Mediterranean. Naturally, this prevented the Zhao Shuo Khanate from controlling Romania, Byzantium, Georgia, and Western Russia. For these regions, the Zhao Shuo Khanate could only control them by land, but the cost of land transport was too high, making it difficult to effectively manage them.

Now that the Suez Canal is open, the navy of the Zhao Shuo Khanate can move freely and directly into the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

Controlling these regions, transporting large quantities of goods out of these regions, or importing large quantities of goods from the East are all several times easier than before.

If we were to compare the Zhao Shuo Khanate to a person, the completion of the Suez Canal would be like someone opening up their Ren and Du meridians, making it completely different from before!

In fact, let alone this era. Even in future generations, if the Suez Canal were to become blocked, it would immediately make major news, and the whole world would sneeze!
"Now, our navy can travel entirely by sea from China to reach the coastal cities of Europe and threaten Europe."

"Bulk commodities from Russia, Romania, Byzantium, Georgia, and Syria have officially entered the country's trade system."

"Europa will not restrict trade between the two sides before it breaks the agreement, and trade with our country will increase significantly."

"Furthermore, we dug many freshwater canals to provide drinking water for the workers who built this canal. These freshwater canals are now proving very useful, providing water to tens of thousands of hectares of fertile land west of the canal."

……

Shi Songzhi participated in the entire construction of the Suez Canal. This alone is enough to earn him a prominent place in history.

He stood beside Zhao He, introducing him with obvious pride.

Zhao He stood on the flagship's deck, listening quietly. The scorching wind, carrying grains of sand, lashed against Zhao He's face with a rough texture.

After Shi Songzhi finished speaking, Zhao He said, "Very good. This canal truly deserves to be called a meritorious deed for the present and a benefit for future generations. You, Hu Ju, and Qin Jiushao are all meritorious officials. I'll tell you something here. It shouldn't be long before Father issues an edict to ennoble the three of you as earls."

"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!"

The three of them faced east and paid their respects with great ceremony.

For Shi Songzhi, he was already a duke during the Song Dynasty. However, how could a duke of the Song Dynasty compare to a count of the Zhao Shuo Khanate?
That was a county with a real fiefdom, which could be passed down to future generations and would last as long as the nation!
Hu Ju and Qin Jiushao were even more delighted, as it was impossible for them to be granted titles given their status and position in the Song state.

Even if he were just an ordinary civil official in Zhao Shuo Khanate, the chances of him being granted a noble title would be slim.

I never dreamed that building this canal would directly earn me the title of Earl.

At that moment, they felt that the hard work of the past ten years had been completely worth it!

"Get up, this is what you deserve."

Zhao He looked at Hu Ju and Qin Jiushao and said, "Work hard. Soon you will be transferred back to China to use your experience in building this canal to manage the Yellow River. Father has already spoken; if you do a good job, you two will both be granted dukedoms."

The Yellow River is the greatest flood hazard in China.

Although Zhao Shuo only knew the four characters "constraining water to attack sand," he believed that with Hu Ju and Qin Jiushao's intelligence, their experience in repairing Suez, and his guidance, managing the Yellow River would be no problem.

"I am willing to serve Your Majesty with utmost devotion, even unto death!"

Hu Ju and Qin Jiushao once again paid their respects to the East with great ceremony.

Your Excellency!
The pinnacle of the nobility for subjects!
Meng Gong is only a marquis now!

Moreover, what kind of posthumous fame would one receive for successfully managing the Yellow River?

Hu Ju and Qin Jiushao were now filled with excitement, eager to head east immediately to tame the Yellow River.

Zhao He then looked at Shi Songzhi and said, "Now you will stay in Egypt to be in charge of organizing the logistics for my second brother, Zhao Yan. After this war ends, I will ask my father for permission to transfer him to my command. We will need your help in conquering Europe in the future. If you do well, you can still expect to become a duke."

"I am willing to serve Your Majesty with utmost devotion, even unto death!"

Shi Songzhi also bowed deeply to the east once again.

He was extremely eager for fame and fortune, and now he was truly satisfied.

To participate in the conquest of Europe and be granted the title of Duke—what an achievement! His two daughters also married Zhao He, and one day his grandson may very well become the master of the most powerful country in the world.

At this point in life, what does the husband want?
After standing up, Shi Songzhi said, "During my years in Egypt, I also read some Western history books. It is said that the most powerful country in ancient Western times was called Rome, which our ancient books refer to as Da Qin. At the height of its power, Rome called the Mediterranean Sea 'our sea'."

"Now, we are about to pass through the Suez Canal and sail towards the Mediterranean Sea. I believe that in my lifetime, not only will the Mediterranean Sea become our inland lake, but all the oceans of the world will be under our control!"

"There will come a day."

Then, Zhao He waved his hand and said, "Set sail!"

"Yes!"

dong dong dong~~
The drums on Zhao He's flagship began to beat.

The sound of gongs and drums echoed along both banks of the Suez Canal!

Amidst the celebratory drumbeats, the large ship surged forward, breaking through the colorful ribbons blocking the canal. Amidst the cheers of the people, it sailed into the canal that divides Asia and Africa, heading towards the Mediterranean Sea and into a new era.

This is the era that belongs to the Han and the Mongol people!
This was a great era of seafaring, a great era of immigration, and... a great era of gold rush for the Han and Mongol peoples!

(End of this chapter)