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

Chapter 327 An Unprecedented Catastrophe: Fate Shifts from the Golden Family to Zhao Shuo!

This was on the sixth day of the fourth month of 1247.

The Nayan, soldiers, and their families in Helin City had already made preparations for withdrawal.

At Hai Mishi's command, led by Guyuk's eldest son Hucha, the people drove cattle and sheep, and wagons loaded with gold and silver, and fled out of the city.

Naohu, the second son of Haimishi and Guyuk, led her personal guards and was among the last to leave. This guard, led by Haimishi's brother Lek, consisted of five hundred men, all from Haimishi's clan, the Merkit tribe, and were fiercely loyal to Haimishi.

It must be said that the Merkit tribe has some claims of being entangled in feuds with the Golden Family.

More than seventy years ago, Hoelun, the fiancée of Geredu, the leader of the Merkit tribe, was forcibly married by Yesugei, the father of Temujin, which led to enmity between the two tribes.

Eighteen years later, Temujin married Börte. The Merkit tribe, seeking revenge for their past grievances, raided the Mongol camp and kidnapped Börte, handing her over to the brother of Chiretu.

Later, Temujin, in alliance with Ong Khan of the Kereit tribe and Jamukha, defeated the Merkit tribe and rescued Börte.

More than twenty years later, Temujin destroyed the Merkit tribe, captured the beautiful Merkit woman Naimajin, and gave her to Ögedei.

After Ögedei Khan's death, the Merkit woman Naimajin became regent, favoring the Western Region merchant Odurahman and the female captive Fatima, plunging the Mongol court into chaos and marking the first signs of Mongol decline.

Guyuk's wife, Haimish, also came from the Merkit tribe, which further contributed to the decline of the Mongols.

Genghis Khan conquered the Merkit tribe and won their women. However, these women repeatedly pushed Genghis Khan's empire to the brink of collapse. If the Merkit tribe were to be compared to other tribes in history, they would be comparable to the Yehe Nara clan of the Manchu Qing dynasty.

"Bring me a torch!"

Standing before the main hall of Wan'an Palace, Haimishi gave the order to personally destroy the capital of the Great Mongol Empire.

"Mother, please think it over!"

Naohu spoke for the last time, advising, "Khorrin is the capital of the Great Mongol Empire, built by order of Genghis Khan. Losing Karakorum is nothing; we can take it back after defeating Möngke. However, if we burn Karakorum down, what will the world think of the Golden Family? If the Golden Family doesn't cherish the legacy left by Genghis Khan, why should others?"

"Confused!"

Snapped!
Hai Mishi slapped Nao Hu hard across the face, his expression contorted as he said, "If we can defeat Möngke, what difficulty would it be to rebuild two more Karakorum cities? If we can't seize the Khanate, will Möngke let us go? If it weren't for Ögedei's lineage ascending to the throne, what meaning would the name of the Golden Family have for us?"

Having said that, she took the torch from Lek and threw it towards the main hall of Wan'an Palace. The hall was already splattered with grease.

boom!
The main hall of Wan'an Palace was set on fire, and the air was filled with the smell of burning pine resin, with flames licking at the beams and pillars.

This is the very heart of the Great Mongol Empire. Theoretically, orders issued from here must be obeyed by all, from Japan in the east to Poland in the west, and from the desolate Arctic to Australia in the south.

However, today, this place has been utterly destroyed.

It was not destroyed by foreign invasion, but by Queen Haimish, the theoretical supreme ruler of the Great Mongol Empire.

The fire was burning down Genghis Khan's empire, and it was also burning down the glory of the Golden Family!

Afterwards, Queen Haimishi left Wan'an Palace and arrived outside the city of Helin. Her guards set fires everywhere, and since most of the buildings in Helin were made of wood, they easily caught fire.

Karakorum, the capital of the Great Mongol Empire built on the orders of Genghis Khan, was thus destroyed!
……

……

Two hours after the fire broke out in Helin City, the infantry of the vassal army under Kuochu's command completely collapsed.

Kuochu acted decisively, ordering a retreat, and his steppe warriors scattered and fled. This is how nomadic peoples are; they are not ashamed of defeat and retreat. The vast grasslands and galloping warhorses gave them ample opportunity to make a comeback.

More than an hour later, Kuochu and Mieli, under the protection of more than 3,000 guards, fled to a small river for a short rest, only to learn that the city of Horlin had been burned down.

"This lowly Merkit woman is trampling on the face of our Golden Family!"

Upon hearing the news, Kuochu felt his head buzzing and nearly coughed up blood.

Mie Li was also furious and said, "How about I deal with this bitch after we meet up?"

"How is that possible?"

Kochu shook his head bitterly and said, "What was our pretext for launching an attack on Tolui's faction? It was to avenge Köden on the Empress's orders. What does it mean to deal with Haimish now? Besides, the Ögedei Khanate has three Mongol chiliarchs in the hands of Haimish's son. And the Kheshig army, which should also be subject to Haimish's orders. Can you handle them?"

Mie Li asked, "Then what do we do?"

Kuo said, "Before we settle things with Mongke, let's put up with this bastard. The key right now is still the war with Mongke."

He paused, then continued, "I've already decided. I'll leave only one Mongol commander from the Ögedei Khanate on the steppe. I'll send Haishimi and the other Mongol commanders from the Ögedei Khanate to Husihan's ears. Let them exploit the Western Liao people, providing them with men and grain to fight for us. Steppe warriors are too precious. If we fight like this a few more times, the Great Mongol Empire will be finished!"

Mie Li sighed and said, "That's all we can do."

……

……

Meanwhile, the Tolui faction, still basking in the joy of victory in the decisive battle, also received news of the burning of Helin.

"The lineage of Ögedei is even more despicable than wild dogs; they are unworthy to be descendants of Genghis Khan!"

Möngke is unaware that it was Haimishi who issued the order to burn down Karakorum, and he has hurled insults at the entire Ögedei faction.

Kublai Khan said, "Things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more. Let's think about how to fight next. They burned Karakorum, which means they're determined to fight us to the death. In this battle, our steppe warriors suffered over ten thousand casualties. The losses in Kochu are probably similar. If we continue fighting like this, even if we defeat Ögedei's faction, there won't be many Mongols left."

Mongke said, "You mean, continue to mobilize the Wild Jurchens?"

"Yes, we should not be stingy with our children and money, but use them to bribe the Jurchens to fight for us. In addition, the North Korean region cannot be left idle; we must increase taxes to support our large army. We must send troops to fight for us. We must send militia to maintain our logistics. This war may not end for several years, so we must prepare for the worst."

This is true.

With its vast grasslands, a population of just over a million, and ample livestock, it's not so easy to completely subjugate one side.

Therefore, in reality, the period of fragmentation among various forces on the grasslands was far longer than that of the Central Plains dynasties.

This is one of the important reasons why the Central Plains dynasties, with their large populations, found it difficult to resolve the threats from the grasslands.

Historical records indicate that the power struggle between Kublai Khan and Ariq Böke lasted for four years.

Even with the support of northern China and the powerful guns of Hebei, Kublai Khan's ultimate victory was not due to military force, but rather to favorable timing.

A devastating famine struck the steppes, leaving Ariq Böke without enough food to feed his army, while Kublai Khan had access to arable lands to provide provisions. Ultimately, Ariq Böke was forced to surrender.

In any case, a fierce war has begun between the Tolui lineage and the Ögedei and Chagatai lineages.

The Tolui faction used the northern Goryeo and former Dongzhen Kingdom regions as their later bases, while the Ögedei and Chagatai factions used the former Western Liao region and the Transoxiana region of Khwarazm as their logistical bases. They fought fiercely on the steppe.

A year has passed in the blink of an eye.

During this year, Ariq Böke led 50,000 Iraqi troops into Transoxiana. The Zhao Shuo Khanate declared neutrality and strictly prohibited the sale of warhorses, armor, weapons, gunpowder, and strategic materials such as saltpeter and sulfur to the three Mongol lineages. Of course, daily necessities such as grain and cloth were not prohibited, and normal trade was still permitted.

If there's food available, we can buy it!
Ariq Böke and Yesü fought a fierce and evenly matched battle in the Transoxiana region, with each side experiencing victories and defeats.

The fighting on the main battlefield of the Mongolian grasslands was even fiercer, resulting in mountains of corpses and seas of blood. Although most of the dead were Western Liao, Kangli, Koreans, and Jurchens, the grassland warriors also suffered heavy casualties and were deeply distressed.

And most importantly, there's the transportation of grain.

Whether transporting grain from the rear base or buying grain from the Zhao Shuo Khanate, the journey to the grasslands was too far and would face enemy attacks, making it too costly.

In fact, the high cost of such a long war was something that ordinary dynasties in the Central Plains could not afford.

Therefore, the main food supply for the Mongol armies on the grasslands fell to the grassland people.

If the Mongolian grasslands were prosperous enough, would they have repeatedly invaded the Central Plains? And how could they have a population of only a little over one million?

The heavy taxes were suffocating the people of the grasslands.

The dilapidated house was further hit by a night of continuous rain, and an unprecedented disaster struck the grassland.

Historical records state: "In 1248, Guyuk Khan died, and Khamis, with the support of Batu and other princes, ruled for three years with his young son Shiremun. During this period, his two sons, Khucha and Naukhu, established separate residences to oppose their mother, resulting in three rulers in one country. On the other hand, the princes also arbitrarily issued documents and decrees. Due to the internal strife in the court, the khanate fell into chaos; in addition, a severe drought struck, springs dried up, wild grass burned, eight or nine out of ten cattle and horses died, and the people suffered greatly."

Although Zhao Shuo has changed history, he cannot influence the timing of the seasons, and this unprecedented drought on the grasslands has still arrived!

Moreover, the internal strife in Mongolia today is far more intense than in history; it is a real war rather than political chaos, and the people of the steppes are suffering even more.

……

……

Four hundred miles southwest of the Hulunbuir Grassland, on the banks of the Kerulen River, lies a yurt.

"Although I'm a bit old, what can I do? I'm kind-hearted. Alright, here are four sheep for you!"

Arslan, a warrior from the Western Liao Dynasty, looked the Mongolian woman up and down with some disdain and said casually.

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Saihan is yours from today onwards!"

Batu bowed to Arslan, glanced reluctantly at his wife Saihan, and left Arslan's tent with reddened eyes.

Batu is an ordinary grassland soldier, thirty-two years old this year.

He originally belonged to Tolui's faction and had participated in Guyuk's western expedition, receiving one hundred taels of silver as a reward. Six or seven years of war—what could one hundred taels of silver possibly buy?

His wife on the grasslands also has to pay taxes every year!

However, the grassland warriors are hardworking and can endure the exploitation of the Nayans without complaint.

However, the factions of Ögedei, Chagatai, and Tolui started fighting each other.

Batu's commandery, facing the overwhelming force of the Kuochu army, surrendered to the Kuochu.

Batu was forced to don his armor again, take up arms, and fight for Ögedei's faction.

With both sides having roughly equal combat strength, what can they possibly gain?
To supply the army's needs, Kuochu issued another order to increase taxes on the grasslands. Batu had some savings, which he managed to keep going.

Just then, the grasslands were hit by an unprecedented drought!

Many of the grassland people's livestock died or were injured, but the conscripted Western Liao people who were to fight needed to eat, so Kuochu issued another order to confiscate cattle and sheep.

The steppe people were greatly dissatisfied. In order to suppress their rebellious sentiments, Kuochu arranged for a Western Liao person to serve as a military supervisor in each hundred households. The Western Liao people were tasked with monitoring the Mongols, urging them to pay taxes, and keeping an eye on them to prevent them from rebelling.

Since he's a military supervisor, his treatment won't be bad.

By now, Batu was simply unable to collect the taxes. Left with no other option, he sold his wife, Saihan, to Arslan.

Actually, this situation is not considered abnormal.

Historically, during Kublai Khan's reign twenty years later, there were many instances of Mongols selling their children, wives, and even themselves into slavery with other ethnic groups in order to fulfill their duties to the court.

Later, the situation worsened, and the Yuan Dynasty issued several decrees to redeem these Mongols, but it was only a drop in the ocean.

However, the unprecedented drought and the Mongolian civil war coincided, causing this situation to unfold ahead of schedule.

Soldiers had to pay taxes and didn't receive a salary. This seemed unbelievable to the Central Plains dynasties, but it was normal on the grasslands.

"Ah, no!"

Batu hadn't even left Arslan's tent when he heard his wife's exclamation and the sound of clothes tearing.

"That lackey of the Western Liao Dynasty, he definitely did it on purpose!"

Batu thought to himself, "Back then, when we Mongols invaded Western Liao, how many women of Western Liao did we have our way with? Now, he's having his way with a Mongol woman; I wonder how smug he'll be! He deliberately let me hear this!"

"But then again, the Western Liao is still in our Mongol hands! This grassland hasn't been occupied by the Western Liao yet! Why is our Mongol situation so miserable?"

"Genghis Khan, in your spirit above, look down! Eternal Heaven, can you tell me why this is happening?!"

Batu was filled with resentment and staggered toward his tent.

"Batu! Batu!"

Suddenly, a voice sounded behind him.

He turned his head and saw that it was his tenth headman, Buhe. He quickly stopped and asked, "Buhe, what's the matter?"

"You really sold the beautiful Saihan to Arslan?"

"What if you don't sell Saihan?" Batu snorted and said, "If I lose even one sheep, do you think you can forgive me?"

"That's an order from above, what can I do?"

Buhe glanced around and whispered, "So? Do you want to kill Arslan?"

“Kill him? They’ll be furious! I…we…none of us will survive!” Batu’s heart raced with desire, but reason told him it was absolutely impossible. He would die! Killing the supervisor sent by Kuochu would likely raze his entire centurion’s unit to the ground!
Buhe, however, disagreed, saying, "That's not necessarily true! Haven't you noticed? Why was Helin City burned down? Why did an unprecedented drought strike the grasslands at the crucial moment of the battle? It's because the Eternal Heaven has abandoned the Golden Family! This was actually the centurion's idea. After killing Arslan, all of us centurions will go to the Hulunbuir Grasslands and submit to Zhao Shuo Khan! Zhao Shuo Khan is the true Khan of the grasslands favored by the Eternal Heaven!"

Historically, this great calamity occurred during the reign of Khamis, when the Mongol court was in turmoil. Naturally, the steppe people directed their resentment towards Khamis's queen, rather than the Golden Family. They believed that everything would be alright once a new Khan was elected.

But can we blame the Lost Sea for this three-way war for power?
They began to resent the Golden Family!

They felt this was probably clear evidence that the Eternal Heaven despised the Golden Family!

The one that Changshengtian truly loved was Zhao Shuohan!
(End of this chapter)