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

Chapter 324 Möngke's heart bleeds: Those who died were all Mongols!
Yao Shu's prediction was correct; Ögedei's faction had already made its move.

After all, the one currently in charge of the Ögedei lineage is not the foolish Queen Haimishi, but Ögedei himself.

Köchü was no ordinary person. In the history that Zhao Shuo did not travel through time, Ögedei Khan's most favored successor was not Güyük but Köchü.

Later, Khochu died suddenly of illness while campaigning in Xiangyang. Ögedei Khan, out of affection for Khochu, bequeathed the throne to Khochu's son, Shiremun, before his death. However, Empress Naimajin, who was power-hungry, disliked Shiremun and favored her own son, Güyük, ultimately placing Güyük on the throne.

Zhao Shuo changed history, putting immense pressure on Ögedei Khan. He even forced Ögedei to resign the edict of self-reproach, as Ögedei had no confidence that the young Köchü could secure the throne.

Ögedei died five years earlier than usual, which is why he did not consider making Köchü his successor and directly issued a will for Güyük to succeed him.

Therefore, although Kochu did not leave any brilliant mark on history, his actual abilities were no less than those of Möngke.

He also has the advantage of intelligence.

When Köden was assassinated, Ögedei's faction immediately blockaded Karakorum, allowing entry but not exit. After reaching a compromise with Khayyam, Köchü decisively and secretly dispatched three groups of envoys.

The first group of envoys was sent to the kings of the eastern region.

Köchü informed them of Köden's death and ordered them to quickly mobilize troops to sever the connection between the northeastern region of the Tolui Khanate and the steppe. He also ordered them to launch an attack from the west on the sixth day of the eighth month onwards on the northeastern region of the Tolui Khanate.

The Ögedei line made a promise that after eliminating the Tolui line, the land of the Tolui Khanate and the chiliarchs under the Tolui line would be distributed according to merit.

The second group of envoys was sent to North Korea.

Köchü also informed Köden of his death and ordered the elder of Ögedei's lineage, Lühedansu, to send troops from North Korea on the sixth day of the eighth month to attack the northeastern region of the Tolui Khanate.

The third group of envoys was sent to the Chagatai Khanate.

The Ögedei lineage demanded that Yesu, the new Khan of the Chagatai lineage, mobilize the entire nation's army and march through the former Western Liao region of the Ögedei Khanate into the Mongolian steppe.

In addition, Köchü also sent his seventh brother, Meri, to the former Western Liao region of the Ögedei Khanate, where he also led a large army to invade the Mongolian steppe.

Afterwards, Haimishi publicly issued an edict to Zhao Shuo, Batu, and other Noyans announcing the death of Khoduan, and demanded that Möngke go to Karakorum to confront the assassin.

Now that things have come to this, Kuo Chu's thinking is quite clear.

In his view, Haimishi was too foolish; the death of Köden wouldn't garner much righteousness for Ögedei's faction. Many Mongol noyans might suspect that the murderer wasn't from Tolui's faction, but rather Köchü himself. After all, Köchü benefited the most from this incident! In a truly fair vote, Köchü wouldn't stand a chance and his chances of winning were slim.

Since that's the case, the only solution is to resolve it by force!
So what if the Torei lineage is powerful?
Their troops had just returned and were scattered across the vast Mongolian grasslands, where they were enjoying the warmth of their wives and children.

There are only five Mongol chiliarchies in the entire Northeast region!
Kuchu divided this struggle for the Khanate into two battlefields.

The former Khwarazmian region of the Chagatai Khanate and the former Western Liao region of the Ögedei Khanate could each send an army of 200,000.

Two hundred thousand troops invaded the Mongolian steppe to deal with the leaderless main force of the Tolui faction.

In a fair fight, these 200,000 troops would certainly be no match for the Mongols.

But isn't this Empress Hermione ruling as regent? On the grounds of justice, what right do they have to resist the 200,000-strong army that is being incorporated into their ranks by order of Empress Hermione?

Moreover, Queen Haimishi controlled the Kheshig army, and their sons and nephews were in the Kheshig army!

The second battlefield was in the northeastern region of the Ögedei Khanate, where the Tolui family's royal court was located.

With only five Mongol chiliarchies in the Northeast, how could they possibly withstand the pincer attack from the Eastern Kingdom princes and Northern Goryeo?

In a sense, the deployment of these two new battlefields is similar to that of the war between Temujin and Wang Khan.

In a fair fight, Temujin would be no match for Wang Khan.

However, after the oath at the Banjuni River, Wang Khan's army spread across the grasslands, while Wang Khan himself stationed only a small number of troops at his royal court. Temujin gathered his main forces and launched a surprise attack on Wang Khan's royal court, turning the tide of the war in one fell swoop.

Anyway, in the blink of an eye, it was August 14th, 1246.

The princes of the eastern region and the old Liuhedan of Ögedei's lineage have been attacking the northeastern region of the Tolui Khanate for eight days.

The northeastern region of the Tolui Khanate was originally the Eastern Jin Kingdom.

During these eight days, the Northern Goryeo army led by Hedan was blocked by Kublai Khan's army in the south at Helan Road.

The armies of the princes of the eastern route, however, advanced with unstoppable momentum and were not far from Huining City.

Möngke seemed to panic and led an army of 14,000 to meet the enemy. Among them were four Mongol commanders of 1,000 men and 10,000 Jurchen vassal troops.

The armies of the kings in the east numbered as many as 20,000.

Among them, the sons of Temuge had ten commanders of a thousand households each; the sons of Hasar had three commanders of a thousand households each; the sons of Belgutei had three commanders of a thousand households each; the sons of Anchitai had three commanders of a thousand households each; and the sons of Dalitai had one commander of a thousand households each.

Although they suffered many losses during their westward expedition, new young men grew up on the grasslands, making up for their losses.

Twenty thousand grassland warriors were a military force that could not be underestimated in this era.

Moreover, the princes of the eastern region severed the connection between the Tolui lineage and the grasslands, preventing the Tolui lineage from deploying troops to reinforce the northeast.

Even now, they really think they have victory in the bag!

"Mongke, you sent assassins to kill Khotan for the sake of the throne. Now what do you have to say? Quickly dismount and surrender, and go to Karakorum to beg for forgiveness!"

Temuge's eldest son refused to accept this. Standing in front of the two armies, he proudly pointed at Möngke with his horsewhip in hand.

Initially, Temuge marched into Karakorum to seize the throne. Unexpectedly, Zhao Shuo made a decisive move, choosing to maintain the stability of the Khanate and sending troops to help the Mongol Khanate.

Temuge had no choice but to surrender.

Later, Temuge was jointly tried by the five Mongol families and was wrapped in a sack before being trampled to death by horses. However, the struggle within the Golden Family still had a bottom line at that time, and his sons were not implicated and still controlled the ten chiliarchs.

However, before Temuge was executed, he visited him in prison. Temuge held his hand and urged him to find a way to become the Great Khan of the Mongols! That Khanate should have rightfully belonged to Temuge after Temujin's death!

However, at the time, Temuge was quite dismissive, believing that the five Mongol lineages were strong and united against external threats. What chance did these collateral branches have? This time, Temuge acted rashly and lost his life in vain.

I never dreamed that this opportunity would actually come!

Chagatai and Ögedei's factions launched an attack on Tolui's faction directly under the pretext of Köden's death!
Among the princes of the eastern route, the Temuge lineage was the most powerful, but it was unexpected that he was chosen as the leader of the Mongol eastern route princes.

The situation in Mongolia is currently chaotic and unclear. Once he kills the main princes of Tolui's lineage and annexes the former Eastern Jin Kingdom, he may well have the strength to contend for the Khanate and fulfill his father's dying wish!

Although the other princes of the eastern regions had no hope of becoming Khans and did not quite believe that Köden was killed by Tolui's lineage, they still coveted wealth and riches, and were even more eager to expand their territories and increase their steppe warriors.

But where did all of this come from?

In the event of external wars, the five Mongol factions would divide the spoils among themselves. At most, they would receive some children and gold and silk; they would not get any territory or steppe warriors.

All of this can only be achieved through this civil war on the grasslands!

"Mongke, what are you waiting for? Surrender now!"

"Even if you have any grievances, you can go to Helin to speak out!"

"Mongke, you're finished! How could your small force possibly be a match for our massive army?"

……

The host kings echoed his words, but he refused to participate.

Möngke sneered and said, "Let's fight then! Why all the nonsense? At this point, the ownership of the Khanate will be decided by sword and spear, not by your words!"

He merely snorted and said, "You're courting death!"

Without thinking, he pointed his whip forward and said, "Kill!"

Boom~~
Twenty thousand pure grassland warriors charged fiercely towards Möngke's direction.

"kill!"

Möngke pointed his longsword forward, and his army charged straight at them. They were all steppe warriors; how different could their fighting strength be? The Jurchen vassal army also seemed far inferior to the steppe warriors in strength.

In addition, there's a huge difference in the number of people on both sides!

In less than half an hour, Möngke's army collapsed and scattered in all directions.

Möngke himself fled frantically under the protection of his personal guards.

"Chase!"

"Ignore everyone else, go after Mongke!"

"Whoever kills Möngke will be rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold and a commander of a thousand households!"

"Whoever captures Mongke will be rewarded with 20,000 taels of gold and a commander of a thousand men!"

……

Zhi Bugan was overjoyed upon seeing this and offered a bounty of a thousand-household commander of the grasslands. After all, the Tolui clan had more than ninety thousand-household commanders.

Möngke is now the patriarch of the Tolui lineage!

Whether Möngke was killed or captured, how could a Mongol commander compare?

Of course, in the eyes of the host kings, a thousand households of the grasslands were too precious.

"Chase Mongko!"

"Don't let Mongke get away!"

"They're just ahead, catch up with Mongke!"

……

The Mongol soldiers responded with shouts of encouragement, and the princes of the eastern route led their steppe warriors in hot pursuit.

Soon, they had pursued them for nearly twenty miles, and nearly 20,000 Mongol cavalrymen poured into a valley like a torrent.

The valley isn't particularly narrow or treacherous; the space between the two mountain walls is quite open. The cliffs themselves are formed by sloping terrain and jagged rocks, covered with shrubs and old trees. The terrain isn't particularly rugged either; over thousands of years, soil that has rolled down from the highlands on either side has created meadows at the bottom.

The host kings were completely unaware of the impending danger; the horses neighed merrily, their hooves quickening their pace on the meadow.

What danger is there?

The Tolui clan only had five Mongol chiliarchies in the Northeast region. What decent ambush could they possibly have? Moreover, the terrain here wasn't particularly treacherous. Even if Möngke had an ambush, it would still have to be a real battle in the end!

Looking across Northeast China, who could stop a Mongol army of 20,000!

However, to their surprise, it actually existed!
At this moment, Mongke was already standing on the high ground of the valley, and said in a deep voice, "It's time. Issue my order: the counterattack begins!"

"Yes!"

As soon as he finished speaking, three whistling arrows flew into the sky with a mournful cry!

Immediately afterwards, figures emerged from behind bushes and boulders in the valley.

Some of them were fully armed, wearing two layers of iron armor and carrying heavy weapons such as long swords, spears, giant axes, and maces.

These people were the Jurchen Eight Banners, which Kublai Khan had spent ten years building up, modeled after Zhao Shuo's Eight Banners Army!

The Dongzhen Kingdom at that time was able to mobilize an army of 100,000.

To ensure that these Jurchen Eight Banners received the same treatment as Zhao Shuo's Eight Banners army, Kublai Khan only formed a total of 40,000 Jurchen Eight Banners.

Of these 40,000 Jurchen Eight Banners troops, 10,000, led by Kublai Khan, blocked the Northern Goryeo army led by Khadan.

There are also 30,000 men lying in ambush in the valley.

While their strength may not be as great as that of the grassland warriors, it is not far off.

The Jurchen troops who accompanied Möngke in luring the enemy were merely elite Jurchen soldiers from the Northeast. They were completely unaware of Möngke's battle plan, and their defeat was genuine.

In addition to the 30,000 Jurchen Eight Banners troops, there were also 20,000 wild Jurchen mercenaries in the valley.

During this era, the Northeast region was far from being developed, and a large number of wild Jurchen tribes existed within the original territory of the Eastern Zhen Kingdom.

Möngke also felt that conquering these wild Jurchens would be a losing proposition. However, it didn't matter; the Tolui clan had plenty of money. If conquest failed, they could simply bribe them!
Now, these 20,000 wild Jurchen soldiers, with only weapons but no armor, covered themselves in the fur of wild animals, wore ornaments made of small stones and bones, and their open mouths revealed sharp teeth, emitting a foul odor, as they charged towards the Mongol army in the valley with the Jurchen Eight Banners army.

Meanwhile, the steppe warriors who had fled earlier knew about Möngke's plan. They had reached the valley entrances on both sides and pushed the boulders they had prepared down the mountain to completely block the valley!

Mongke's army numbered over 53,000, while the host princes' army numbered less than 20,000!

Moreover, the battle took place in a valley where warhorses could not gallop, which greatly diminished the Mongol army's advantage!

Zhi Bu immediately realized something was wrong and shouted, "Everyone gather together and get out of the valley!"

But where can they break through?

The Mongol warriors, relying on massive stone fortifications, completely blocked both ends of the valley. Fifty thousand Jurchen warriors, positioned on higher ground on both sides of the valley, charged forward with fierce courage!
In less than two hours, the host kings had suffered more than five thousand casualties!
"No fighting! No fighting!"

"We surrender!"

"Please, Khan Möngke, have mercy! Even if you become the Great Khan, we will still be your most loyal warriors!"

……

The morale of the Mongol soldiers under the command of the princes of the eastern route collapsed immediately, and countless men knelt down to surrender.

What business was it of ordinary soldiers when the Mongol princes were fighting each other? Why fight to the death?

Seeing that they had no other choice, the kings of the host country also requested to surrender.

"Kill all of Temuge's wolf cubs! If Temuge rebels, they will rebel too. These wolf cubs can never be tamed!"

Möngke immediately ordered the execution of all of Temüge's sons. After all, the war had already begun; how could he not establish his authority by killing people?

Of course, other Mongol noyans should be treated with appeasement.

Mongke said, "As for the others, they were misled by Temuge's wolf cubs, so we can let bygones be bygones."

"Thank you, Khan, for sparing my life!"

"I am willing to die for Möngke Khan!"

"What Khan! He is clearly the Great Khan! Anchitai pays homage to the Great Khan!"

……

The other princes who were granted leniency quickly knelt down to express their gratitude, and some even addressed Möngke as the Great Khan.

However, Möngke felt no joy whatsoever; his heart was bleeding.

During the battle, the host kingdoms suffered 5,000 casualties.

Later, they begged to surrender, but the Wild Jurchens couldn't understand them and killed more than two thousand more.

Adding to the casualties of the steppe warriors under Möngke's command, the number of Mongol soldiers killed or wounded in this battle has exceeded eight thousand!
Keep in mind that there are only about 120,000 Mongolian warriors on the entire grassland!

Moreover, this is the real struggle for Northeast China!

It's hard to say how many Mongols will be left when they finally seize the Khanate!
(End of this chapter)