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

Chapter 332 The Kurultai: Do you know how vast the world is?
Another hour later, Zhao Shuo once again arrived at Chengtian Gate.

At this time, the square in front of Chengtian Gate had nearly 200,000 people. In addition to ordinary soldiers and civilians of Zhongdu, there were also civil and military officials of Zhongdu who were not on duty.

After all, it's about persuading someone to take the throne. We're not envoys from an enemy country anymore, so what danger could there be? It's a sure thing, who wouldn't want to do it?

Some officials even felt that participating in this urging to ascend the throne would bring no harm, as the court might not even remember it. However, not participating would likely leave a lasting impression. Even if the court didn't remember, their rivals would ensure the court remembered it clearly.

Ordinary people tend to have simpler minds.

With the establishment of the Zhao Shuo Khanate, the lives of the people of Zhongdu City improved day by day. In recent years, the Zhao Shuo Khanate rebuilt the Grand Canal to solve the problems of food supply and water in Zhongdu, built the horse-drawn railway to reduce coal prices, expanded the urban area of ​​Xiuluo City, added countless rare and exotic animals to the Zhongdu Zoo, and added countless exotic products to the Zhongdu Market... It was truly felt that the development of the empire was changing rapidly and was closely related to their own lives.

What's the deal with Zhao Shuo having a Mongol Khan above him? What's the point of Zhao Shuo only being a "Khan" or "King"?

It should be understood that, theoretically speaking, the Mongol Great Khan was qualified to issue orders to the Zhao Shuo Khanate and could influence the lives of the people of Zhongdu.

How can anyone tolerate this?

People don't like calling him "Your Majesty"!
Everyone should now address you as "Your Majesty" or "Emperor"!
"Since the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, China has experienced nine dynasties: Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han, Jin, Sui, Tang, and Song. Observing each dynasty, I find that they all follow the cycle of order and chaos. Why does the world go from order to chaos? There are many reasons."

Zhao Shuo's voice slowly rang out from the Chengtianmen city tower, and the Chengtianmen square fell silent instantly.

After a pause, Zhao Shuo continued, "But the most fundamental reason is simply that the world has been at peace for a long time, and the population has increased, while the land itself has not increased. Over time, there are too many people and too little land, and the output is not enough to feed the people. The starving people rise up and then the world is in chaos."

"Therefore, since the establishment of the nation, I have mainly done three things. The first thing is to increase the country's land. We attacked foreign tribes to expand our territory and developed navigation to discover new lands. The second thing is to encourage immigration to alleviate the population pressure on the Chinese mainland. The third thing is to encourage the discovery of high-yield seeds from foreign lands and to transport fertilizers from Southeast Asia to China so that each acre of land in China can produce more grain."

Actually, there's another thing: to improve technology and develop industry.

Developing industry can significantly increase grain production and control population, making it the most important means of reducing the conflict between people and land. However, the industrialization of the Zhao Shuo Khanate is only in its infancy at present, so we won't go into details here.

Zhao Shuo said, "Zhao Yun was originally the emperor of the Song Dynasty, but he lost favor with the Chinese people and was demoted to the King of Song. This time, he traveled across the ocean, discovered a new continent, and expanded the country's territory. He also brought back high-yield corn, which is indeed a great contribution to the country. He is a hero of the country! Everyone who participated in the exploration of the new continent, including Dong Huai, is a hero of the country!"

"Therefore, I issued a decree, ordering them to display their offerings here and receive the glory they deserve! I hope that more people will be enterprising and explore more land for the country, obtaining more superior seeds!"

In fact, the seeds Zhao Yun sent back included not only corn, but also chili peppers, pumpkins, green beans, and cocoa. However, these seeds were not as impressive as the high-yield corn, so they were not displayed in Chengtianmen Square. Instead, they would be publicized in the newspapers to encourage people to plant them.

Zhao Yun, however, failed to discover the high-yield crops that Zhao Shuo had been longing for, such as sweet potatoes or potatoes, as well as rubber, an important industrial raw material.

After all, Zhao Yun only occupied a portion of the land that would later become Mexico.

Zhao Shuo only knew that these things came from the Americas, but not necessarily from North America, let alone Mexico in North America. He could only continue to explore in the future.

"I will heed Your Majesty's instructions!"

The soldiers, civilians, and people on Chengtianmen Square responded in unison.

Clearly, Zhao Shuo's speech just now was about the major national policies of the Zhao Shuo Khanate.

This country encourages its people to be enterprising and acquire new land and seeds.

Those who are brave and valiant will be rewarded with titles and honors.

Those who are clever will help the nation control foreign tribes.

Ordinary people are their strong support, providing logistics and manpower, and sharing in the spoils of their expansion.

Everyone's fate was intertwined with that of the Zhao Shuo Khanate.

Of course, at the same time, everyone was increasingly looking forward to Zhao Shuo taking that supreme position!

Zhao Shuo said, "As for your desire for me to ascend the throne as emperor... When I was first enfeoffed as a king by Genghis Khan and came to Zhongdu, I told you that I was willing to share the world with the Han and Mongol people."

"Now, the grasslands are littered with corpses and bloodshed for the position of Great Khan. If I were to declare myself emperor, wouldn't that be adding fuel to the fire and causing the Han and Mongol peoples to fight each other even more fiercely? This is certainly not what I want, so let's not mention this matter again!"

After speaking, Zhao Shuo turned around and, under the protection of the armored soldiers, descended the Chengtian Gate tower.

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

Nearly 200,000 officials and commoners knelt down in unison to bid farewell to Zhao Shuo.

Although Zhao Shuo did not agree to ascend the throne, wasn't this the third time he declined and then relinquished the throne? The three-decline and three-relinquishment procedure for the ascension of the Chinese emperor had already been completed.

Next time, I'll definitely succeed!

Moreover, everyone knows when it was—the Kurultai was held to elect a new Great Khan of the Mongols!

Next, preparations for the Kurultai began in earnest.

First, Kuochu released the ten thousand Kheshig soldiers and placed them under Zhao Shuo's command.

This army of 10,000 Kheshig soldiers was composed of the sons and nephews of the noyans of the steppe and the bravest warriors. It was not only the strongest army in Mongolia, but also the means by which the Great Khan controlled the noyans of Mongolia, and the maintainer of order at the Kurultai.

Who can feel at ease letting Ögedei's faction control the Kheshig army?

Zhao Shuo was responsible for convening the Khuriltai assembly, and naturally, the Kheshig army would be under his command.

Zhao Shuo promoted his brother-in-law, Surun, to the position of commander of ten thousand households in the Kheshig army, and set up camp at the source of the Onon River to be responsible for the security of the Kurultai assembly.

Zhao Shuo's sons, stationed around the world, came to Zhongdu one after another.

When Zhao He returned, there were only two months left before the Khuriltai Assembly. Only then did Zhao Shuo lead his sons and his subordinate Noyans, escorted by a thousand Black Riders, to the location of the assembly.

Upon arrival, the descendants of Tolui and the princes of the eastern region had been waiting for a long time.

Half a month later, the Jochi lineage, led by Batu, also arrived.

Another two weeks later, the Chagatai clan finally arrived.

On the day agreed upon by the conference, Köchü arrived with the Ögedei lineage, but Queen Haimish and her two sons, Khucha and Nao Khu, were missing.

It is said that Queen Haimishi fell ill, and Hucha and Naohu led a part of the army to protect her, and were walking slowly behind her.

So what if they can't make it? Does their absence mean the Kurultai conference can't be held?

Besides, it's not like we're electing a Great Khan of the Mongols right now; there's plenty of time. The Kurultai (assembly) was held on the originally scheduled date.

As usual, in the initial days, the Noyans would discuss who should be the Great Khan in the mornings, even chatting and building rapport. In the afternoons, they would go horseback riding and hunting, or eat and drink.

It must be noted that the total number of grassland warriors is now less than 100,000, but the organization still exists.

The steppe warriors comprised a total of 139 commanders. Excluding the Kheshig troops who remained neutral and had no voting rights, there were 129 commanders.

In addition to the heads of ten thousand households, the prime minister of the Great Mongol Empire, the adult descendants of the Golden Family, and the adult descendants of Zhao Shuo, a total of 231 people have the right to vote.

The crowd argued endlessly about who should be the Great Khan.

Zhao Shuo had thirty-eight commanders under his command, who would naturally support him; if all else failed, Zhao He would also be an option.

The Jochi faction also fully supported Zhao Shuo or Zhao He.

In addition, because Muqali's son Bolu surrendered to Zhao Shuo, he also secured the support of three commanders of three thousand households for Zhao Shuo.

There was also an unexpected surprise: Hurchi's eldest son, Bucha.

Bucha inherited Horchi's position as head of ten thousand households, and also had his own hereditary position as a commander of a thousand households.

Hurchi didn't have any great abilities, except for one major angel investment.

At that time, he, a shaman of some renown, told the crowd, "I dreamt that a yellow-white bull circled around Jamukha, bumped into his wagon, then into Jamukha, breaking off one of its horns, leaving it at an angle. It then raised dust and roared at Jamukha, 'Give me back my horn!' Then a hornless yellow-white bull, carrying and pulling the lower stake of the large tent, came from behind Temujin along the main road, roaring, 'Heaven and Earth have agreed that Temujin will be the ruler; I have brought the kingdom here.'"

Because of the momentum created by this prophecy, Temujin, who was not very powerful at the time, became the Great Khan of the Mongol tribe and earned his first fortune.

At this time, the Mongol tribe was merely a somewhat well-known tribe on the grasslands, and its strength was inferior to that of the Kereit, Jadaran, and Naiman tribes. Even compared to its arch-enemy, the Merkit tribe, it did not have much of an advantage.

Even the Jurchen tribe, the strongest military force within Mongolia, did not have a favorable view of Temujin.

The significance of Horchi's prophecy to Temujin at that time is evident.

Later, after Temujin unified the grasslands, he honored his agreement with Khorchi and appointed him as a commander of ten thousand households.

Later, Khorchi acted recklessly, inciting the people of the forest to rebel, which Temujin managed to quell with great difficulty. Even so, Temujin did not remove him from his position as commander of ten thousand households; instead, heeding Zhao Shuo's advice, sent him to the Arctic to find penguins.

After that, Horchi didn't cause any trouble. He not only caught penguins and polar bears, but also died of old age.

His son, Butsa, wasn't particularly capable either.

However, this time he firmly stood by Zhao Shuo's side. He said that before his death, Hurchi had a dream in which a giant golden bird landed on Zhao Shuo's shoulder and spoke in human language, saying that heaven and earth had already agreed that Zhao Shuo and his descendants would rule the grasslands.

It must be said that shamanism had a great influence on the grasslands, and seven commanders of a thousand households switched their support to Zhao Shuo because of it.

Roughly speaking, Zhao Shuo has the most supporters, exceeding half!

Secondly, only 30% of the respondents supported Mongke.

Support for the most generous proposals was minimal, less than 20%.

However, to be fair, this Kurultai did not have any clear rules; as long as a majority of the participants were elected the Great Khan of the Mongols, the Khan would be elected.

In the past, the internal conflicts within Mongolia were not so intense. For example, when Temujin became the Great Khan of Mongolia, or when Ögedei ascended the throne, seeing that the other side had gained the upper hand, those Mongolian noyans who had initially opposed him would change their tune, both to maintain Mongolian unity and to leave a good impression on the new Great Khan.

However, internal conflicts in Mongolia have now intensified to an unprecedented degree.

Furthermore, Zhao Shuo was merely Genghis Khan's son-in-law, while Zhao He was only Genghis Khan's grandson, which led to some fierce opposition from some Mongol noyans.

The commotion lasted for twenty days.

Only then did Zhao Shuo gather all the Noyans in the golden tent and speak publicly.

He said, “This Great Mongol Empire was undoubtedly established by the great Genghis Khan. Now, the vast majority of the noyans who followed Genghis Khan in establishing the Great Mongol Empire have returned to the embrace of the Eternal Heaven. However, the story of his establishment of the Great Mongol Empire is known to every household. Do you know what the oath was when the noyans supported Genghis Khan as the Great Khan of the Mongols?”

"of course I know."

Younayan said, “Temujin, you have become Khan! With enemies at your feet, we are willing to be the vanguard and rush forward to bring you beautiful girls and noblewomen, palace tents and yurts! We will seize beautiful noblewomen and beauties from foreign lands, and fine geldings for you! When hunting cunning beasts, we are willing to be the pioneers and chase them away, until the wild animals in the wilderness are belly to belly, and the wild animals on the cliffs are thigh to thigh!”

"In times of war, if we disobey your orders, you may separate our wives and concubines, confiscate our property, and throw our heads to the ground! In times of peace, if we violate your decisions, you may confiscate our servants, take away our wives, concubines, and children, and abandon us in a desolate place!"

Zhao Shuo nodded slightly and said, "That's true. From this oath, we can see the responsibilities of the Mongol Khan: to command the Noyans in battle and hunting, to achieve victory in war and hunting, to distribute the spoils of war, and to take the best share for himself. Also, to punish Noyans who do not follow the rules, and to safeguard the interests of the Mongol Empire. Don't you think that makes sense?"

Kuo Chu said, "Does Uncle Zhao Shuo mean that only you or Zhao Hewei Khan are capable of leading the Noyan people to victory in the war and obtaining rich spoils?"

"You can say that."

Then, Zhao Shuo stood up, his majestic gaze sweeping over the Mongol noyans inside the golden tent, and said, "Do you know how vast this world is?"

Sizzle~~
As he spoke, he turned around and pulled off a piece of blue cloth behind him, revealing a map.

"This... our Mongolia is actually so small?"

"The Zhao Shuo Khanate is so vast!"

"Is this place called America? We've never heard of it before."

"Wow, Africa is so big!"

"I originally thought the Great Mongolian Empire was already very large, but now that I look closely, it's not even half the size of the world!"

……

Because of Lu Zibu's promotion of writing on the grasslands, most of the Mongolian noyans of this era were literate.

Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, the Americas... the entire world appeared before the Mongol noyans for the first time!

(End of this chapter)