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

Chapter 323 The Mongol Empire Splits, Civil War Begins!
The main Mongol army was eager to return home; the longest-serving among them had been away from their homeland for over seven years. Even the shortest-serving soldiers had been away for nearly four years.

They longed to see every blade of grass and tree in their hometown as soon as possible, and even more so, they longed to see their long-lost relatives.

Therefore, instead of choosing the least strenuous but slower waterway, they returned to their army directly by land.

Starting from Hungary, passing through Rus' and the Kipchak Steppe, we returned to the Mongolian Steppe.

In addition, the familiar horseback riding made the grassland warriors feel much safer than the unfamiliar boats.

Less than four months after departing from Pest, the main force of the Mongol army had reached Samarkand, the capital of the Chagatai Khanate. The main Chagatai Khanate army returned to its base, while only the new Chagatai Khan, Ye Shuli, led a few brothers and a thousand cavalrymen to continue the advance with the main army.

After all, they still had to hold a funeral for Guyuk on the Mongolian steppe.

A month later, the army entered the Mongolian grasslands, and ordinary Mongolian soldiers began to return home one after another.

Only those Nayan, along with some attendants, continued to advance with the main Mongol force.

A little over a month later, when the Mongol army arrived at Karakorum, it had only 50,000 troops left.

At this time, Batu's representative, his eldest son Sarida, and Zhao Shuo's representative, his tenth son Zhao Yan, also arrived in Karakorum.

Queen Haimishi presided over Güyük's funeral, and under the protection of the Mongol noyans, Güyük's coffin was buried in Qilian Valley.

According to Mongolian custom, after the funeral, each of the noyans returned to their homelands to recuperate. They agreed to convene a kurultai a year later to elect a new Great Khan. During this year, Empress Khamis ruled as regent.

In the blink of an eye, another month passed, and it was the birthday of Queen Haimishi. Noyan Qi, the main prince of the Ögedei lineage, came to offer his congratulations.

Ögedei had seven sons. His fourth son, Kharachar, and fifth son, Khashi, died young, and Guyuk also passed away. Only his fourth son was still alive.

They were, respectively, the second son Kuoduan, the third son Kuochu, the sixth son Hedan, and the seventh son Mieli.

Now, the sixth son, Khadan, is far away in the northern Goryeo region of the Ögedei Khanate, and only Köden, Köchü, and Meri are attending this banquet.

However, Ögedei's seven sons all fathered many sons. These sons were all in Karakorum, and fifteen of them had already reached adulthood.

In addition to the many Noyans from Ögedei's faction, there were more than 130 people attending the banquet.

"Cheers! Cheers! For the Ögedei family, for the Great Mongol Empire, let us drink this cup to the brim!"

"King Mieli, I offer you a toast!"

"The lamb is roasted to perfection today! And the wine is excellent too! It's wonderful! Hahaha!"

……

The aroma of roasted whole lamb, the savory flavor of bubbling mutton soup, and the fragrance of fine wine mingled together, creating a lively and joyful atmosphere as everyone drank heartily.

"Kuoduan".

Queen Hemishi, dressed in a crimson robe and wearing a majestic crown, sat on the gold-inlaid throne at the deepest part of the palace, like the heart of the palace, and suddenly spoke.

As she spoke, the noise in the hall quickly subsided until it was completely silent.

Kuoduan also stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "I wonder what the Empress has to say to me?"

Empress Haimishi said, "The feud between my Ögedei lineage and Tolui's lineage is well known. Before his death, the Great Khan left a will for you to contend for the throne. I wonder if you are confident?"

Khoduan replied without hesitation, "Yes! A month before the Great Khan died, he took out the wealth from the inner treasury and bestowed it upon the Mongol noyans."

“Those Noyans of Tolui’s lineage, having received money from the Great Khan, may not necessarily support Tolui’s lineage at the Kurultai. The princes of the host region, having received money from the Great Khan, should support us.”

"And most importantly, our line of Ögedei needs the support of the princes of the eastern route to take power. But if the line of Tolui takes power, they will control most of the Mongol chiliarchs, and the support of the princes of the eastern route will be dispensable. Therefore, our taking power is most advantageous to the princes of the eastern route."

"The Chagatai faction is our staunch ally. The Jochi faction and Zhao Shuo's uncle's faction have not shown any bias towards either side."

"Upon careful consideration, our faction has a very good chance of winning at the Kurultai."

The so-called "Eastern Princes" were descendants of Temujin's brothers and uncles. They also controlled a portion of the Mongol chiliarchs, and if they could unanimously support Ögedei's lineage, it would indeed greatly increase the strength of Ögedei's faction.

Of course, the situation is not as optimistic as Kuo-duan described.

After all, Tolui's lineage controlled most of the Mongol chiliarchies. Even if they received benefits from Guyuk, it was uncertain how many people would support Ögedei's lineage at the Kurultai.

It's just that Köden didn't need to say discouraging things at such a celebratory occasion, which would only dampen the morale of Ögedei's faction.

"I'm relieved to hear that."

Queen Hai Mishi seemed to believe Kuo Duan's words and said happily, "Guards! Let the dancers come in and perform for everyone! Let everyone drink to their hearts' content tonight, and not leave until they're drunk!"

"Thank you Queen!"

Immediately afterwards, music began to play.

Thirty-six dancers entered the main hall and began to dance. They were alluring, graceful, and their movements were passionate and unrestrained, making the atmosphere in the hall even more lively.

However, just as the music, the laughter of the crowd of noyans, and the aroma of wine and meat reached their peak in the great hall—

A waiter carrying a pile of silver platters slipped on the smooth stone slab!
The heavy silverware crashed onto the stone ground with a loud thud. Soup and wine splashed everywhere, staining King Mieli's magnificent Mongolian robe, which further provoked Mieli's angry rebuke.

"You damn idiot! Don't you have eyes?"

Mili's furious roar echoed throughout the hall.

This small accident, like a pebble thrown into a lake, instantly attracted almost everyone's attention.

It was at this moment that a waiter hiding in the shadows moved.

Like a ghost clinging to the wall, he took advantage of a moment of chaos to silently and swiftly pounce on Kuoduan.

He gripped a dagger tightly in his hand, its color clearly indicating it was coated with deadly poison.
"Pfft!"

The sharp weapon tore through the brocade robe and cut into the flesh.

Kuo Duan's body trembled violently, and a piercing pain exploded instantly!

He groaned, looking down in disbelief to see the dagger nearly half-buried in his body, only the ebony hilt remaining. Black blood was rapidly seeping from the wound, staining his golden belt crimson. "An assassin!"

Kuo Duan's eldest son, Mie Li Ji Dai, let out a heart-wrenching roar. He immediately used his thick arms to lock the assassin's neck tightly from behind, pulling him backward to prevent him from harming Kuo Duan further.

The assassin was pulled back and staggered, but his thrust was already complete. He let out a soft laugh and said, "Khoduan, you're dead! You'll never be the Great Khan of the Mongols!"

Before the words were even finished, the guards of the main hall, armed with sharp blades, swarmed over.

"Don't kill him!"

Merigidai shouted, "Interrogate him thoroughly! Who instructed him to harm Father Khan?"

"Quickly! Summon the shaman and healers! Save King Kuoduan!"

"Seal off the palace! No one is allowed to enter or leave! Investigate! Thoroughly investigate the origins of this assassin and his accomplices!"

The voice of the Queen of the Sea Lost also rang out.

Up until now, everything has gone according to plan, and her performance is impeccable, but her slightly trembling fingertips betray the turmoil in her heart.

Kuo Duan, barely managing to stay upright, clutched his wound, which was oozing black blood, with one hand, while his other hand gripped the armrest of the chair so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He raised his pale face, his gaze like a cold blade, first sweeping over the assassin, then slowly moving to the face of Queen Hemishi, who sat on the throne, her expression one of shock and rage.

Finally, he looked at Kuochu and said, "That venomous snake in the darkness has been scheming and has coated this dagger with deadly poison. There's no need to find a shaman or doctor to treat it, and the dagger must not be pulled out. I... I don't have much time left. Kuochu, help me to rest. I have something to tell you."

"Father Khan!"

Mirijidai wanted to follow, but Kuoduan said, "You don't need to come."

Finally, Kuochu helped Kuoduan into a small hall next door.

Kuo Duan sneered, "Just you wait and see. Interrogating the assassin will definitely involve the Tolui faction. But I'm certain it has nothing to do with the Tolui faction."

Kuochu nodded and said, "Even if I assassinate you, I will still be there. Even if I die, I will still have our brothers and Guyuk's son! This move will also arouse the resentment of the Mongol Noyans, Zhao Shuo's faction, and Jochi's faction. It will be a complete loss."

Kuo Duan said, "It wouldn't be Batu or Uncle Zhao Shuo either."

Kuochu said, "If Batu had the support of his uncle Zhao Shuo, why would he need to resort to such underhanded tactics? It would only take a word from Zhao Shuo. Without Zhao Shuo's support, he could never become the Great Khan, and the Mongols would never submit to him."

“If Uncle Zhao Shuo wants to seize the throne, he doesn’t need such underhanded tricks. He can just send troops to attack. Who can withstand hundreds of thousands of Han Bannermen?”

He paused, his expression changing slightly, and said, "Second Brother, you...you don't doubt me, do you? I'm not that stupid! The position of Great Khan of the Mongols is not so easy to seize! Even if one ascends to the throne, it's not a position to be held securely! I would rather you, Second Brother, sit in this position!"

"I know it's not you either."

Kuoduan shook his head bitterly and said, "Everyone else has been ruled out. Now there's only one possibility: that bitch Haimishi! She wants you, not me, to ascend to the throne! She'd rather use my death to smear the Tolui faction! Besides, the banquet was held in Wan'an Palace, which gave her the perfect opportunity to assassinate him!"

"Then...then what should we do now?"

Of course, Kuochu wouldn't impulsively say something like, "I'll kill her."

What right does he have to harm Hai Shimi? Now that Hai Shimi is ruling as regent, the Kheshig army is in her hands.

Moreover, without any evidence, it is merely speculation: what right does Köchü have to command the army of the Ögedei Khanate?
To put it bluntly, some people will definitely suspect that it was done by Kuo Chu Gan!
Therefore, he could only ask Kuo-duan for his opinion.

Kuoduan felt dizzy and lightheaded, probably because the poison was taking effect quickly. He forced himself to stay awake and said, "That wretched woman Haimishi has really ruined us! What does it matter if we lose the Khanate even if we use our own methods?"

"Back then, the Tolui lineage was so dangerous that they offered Persia to Zhao Shuo's uncle for protection, and even Father Khan couldn't do anything about them. Even if we lose this power struggle, we can still offer North Korea to Zhao Shuo's uncle. The Tolui lineage doesn't think it'll be so easy to wipe us out."

"But now that I'm dead, we can't do anything to that bastard Hai Shimi, causing a split within Ögedei's faction. Since that's the case, we can only swallow our pride and accept this deep-seated hatred."

"In that case, we'll be locked in a life-or-death struggle with Tolui's faction. Uncle Zhao Shuo can't morally intervene. After all, if he were to intervene, he'd have to avenge me, and we can't possibly admit that Hai Mishi is the murderer. If we did, the Ögedei line would split, and the Khanate would remain in Tolui's hands. We'd still die sooner or later! Uncle Zhao Shuo can't protect us forever, can he? And he certainly wouldn't wrongly accuse Tolui's faction—that doesn't make sense!"

Wow!
At this point, Kuoduan felt a surge of nausea welling up inside him and began to vomit.

He didn't bother wiping away the filth and continued, "So now, we have no choice but to go all the way down this path and admit that Tolui's lineage is the murderer. You...you come and fight for the Khanate, fight for it at all costs! Not only fight for it, but win it! Otherwise, our Ögedei lineage will...we will really be finished!"

"Okay! I'll fight for it!"

While wiping the filth off Kuoduan, Kuochu said, "We have the moral high ground now, so our chances of winning are still very high. Second brother, are you done talking? I'll call the doctor in right away!"

However, when the doctor came in, Kuo-duan had stopped vomiting filth and was instead vomiting large amounts of black blood.

As night fell, Kuoduan suddenly passed away.

By this point, Kuochu no longer needed to guess whether it was Hai Shimi who was responsible. She was smug and revealed her original plan in detail.

Kuo Chu's wife was not a clever woman either. She subtly hinted at the situation, expressing her deepest gratitude to Hai Shishi.

"If I were Khan, I would deal with these two stupid women first!" Kuochu secretly made up his mind.

But what can he do now?
They could only grit their teeth and accept it, offering kind words of comfort to Hai Shimi.

Soon, Hai Mishi issued a series of decrees.

Most of the decrees were addressed to the various princes, including Zhao Shuo and Batu. She said that Köden had been assassinated, and according to the assassin's confession, he was acting on the orders of Möngke. She also said that Möngke's token had been found in the assassin's residence, and asked the Mongol noyans to uphold justice.

Another imperial decree was for Möngke, ordering him to come to Karakorum from Huining City in the northeast to confront the assassin face to face.

"Big brother, you can't go!"

Kublai Khan said, "Have you forgotten how your father died? Once you arrive in Karakorum, your life and death will no longer be in your own hands!"

Yao Shu said, "The Khan certainly cannot go to Karakorum, but the Ögedei lineage probably doesn't expect the Khan to go to Karakorum either; they just want to create a pretext. My opinion is that we should gather our troops now and prepare for war!"

"War?" Möngke hesitated, then asked, "Has it truly come to that?"

Yao Shu, however, said confidently, "Although most of the Mongol troops are in your hands, the numerous thousand-household units are scattered across the grasslands and have not been properly organized. There are only five Mongol thousand-household units in the Northeast. If I were from Ögedei's faction, having a pretext, I would have already been mobilizing troops before issuing the decree to hold you accountable, aiming to catch you off guard!"

"Ariq Böke and Hulagu are far away in Iraq. Even if they wipe out the Tolui faction left in the Northeast, what can they do when they come back?"

(End of this chapter)