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

Chapter 333 The throne is secured, Heavenly Khan!

The Mongols, having conquered Eurasia, naturally had some understanding of the world's geography.

However, their knowledge was limited to the places they had fought in and the continent of Europe, where a temporary truce was currently in effect.

I only have a vague understanding of India in Asia, let alone the many countries in the Indochina Peninsula.

Regarding Africa, we only know about some countries in North Africa; we know nothing about the countries in Central and Southern Africa. The Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa hasn't even been discovered by Europeans yet, so how could the Mongols possibly know about it?

While the Mongols were busy fighting each other, most people had only heard of Australia from its name.

Not to mention the North and South American continents that have just been surveyed.

Therefore, only now do they clearly realize how vast the territory controlled by the Zhao Shuo Khanate is, probably more than the other four Mongol lineages combined!
However, even combined, the Zhao Shuo Khanate and the four Mongol lineages controlled less than half of the world's land.

The world is full of lands waiting for them to conquer!
To conquer these countless lands, there must be a Great Khan who can unite all the Mongols and is as wise and powerful as Genghis Khan!
Is the Ögedei lineage acceptable?

Ögedei himself nearly lost his life during the campaign against Goryeo, and Zhao Shuo had to come to his rescue. Güyük's conquest of Europe took a long time, resulting in the loss of nearly 30,000 steppe warriors, and only managed to capture a small, barely visible area on the map. Köchü had a significant initial advantage, but ultimately, the Tolui faction turned the tide.

Give you a chance, you are useless!
No one believed that the rise of Ögedei's lineage would expand the territory of the Great Mongol Empire by much.

Is the Torei lineage acceptable?
When his eldest son went on the western expedition, Möngke's performance was only slightly better than Güyük's. In this war against the Chagatai and Ögedei lines, which lasted for nearly two years, Möngke only managed to gain the upper hand.

What are the essential differences between them and the Ögedei lineage?

Most importantly, as you can see from this map, the navy is of paramount importance in conquering and controlling such a vast territory.

The combined naval forces of the other four Mongol factions would probably be no match for Zhao Shuo's Khanate!

If Zhao Shuo's faction doesn't come to power, everyone will probably just be able to look at this vast land and drool over it!
Zhao Shuo's rise to power was difficult for people to accept emotionally.

However, the actual benefits gained far outweigh those of those in other departments.

When it comes to whether emotions or practical interests are more important, is there even a question for most people?
Countless Mongol noyans, upon seeing this map, secretly shifted their stance.

Kublai Khan was the most determined to change!
Back when he was in Zhongdu City, watching Zhao Yun present his gifts, he felt that fighting on the grasslands was a huge waste. That good-for-nothing Zhao Yun had such rich rewards from conquering foreign continents; what would he have done in his place?
Moreover, Kublai Khan previously only knew that Zhao Yun had discovered a new continent and established his own vassal state. Now he realized that Zhao Yun's small state was nothing compared to this continent.

Why fight to the death on the Mongolian grasslands when there's an opportunity to explore new lands?
Besides, Kublai Khan was neither the eldest son nor the youngest son, so how could the position of Great Khan of the Mongols possibly fall into his hands?
It would be more practical to take advantage of Zhao Shuo's influence and establish our own vassal state!
Kublai Khan proclaimed, "I understand! Back then, Genghis Khan was a man of great talent and ambition, who unified the various tribes of the grasslands and established the Great Mongol Empire. He conquered the world and led my Mongols to unprecedented glory."

"The next two Great Khans were both incompetent. Although our Great Mongol Empire continued to expand, it was not as powerful as before."

"Not only that, the Eternal Heaven cannot favor the Mongols forever. Now, although the steppe warriors are still the strongest army in the world, their fighting power is far less than when Genghis Khan was alive."

"It can be said that we have now reached the most critical moment for the Great Mongol Empire. How can we expand the Great Mongol Empire to every continent of the world before the fighting power of the steppe warriors becomes as insignificant as that of other races?"

"Without a doubt, this could only be achieved if Zhao Shuo's uncle became the Great Khan of the Mongols!"

Boom!
As he spoke, Kublai Khan knelt down and said, "I respectfully request my uncle Zhao Shuo to ascend to the throne of Great Khan of the Mongols and lead my Great Mongol Empire to conquer every piece of land under the sun!"

Countless others followed suit, saying, "We respectfully invite Khan Zhao Shuo to ascend the throne of the Great Khan of Mongolia and lead our Great Mongolian Kingdom to conquer every piece of land under the sun!"

This even includes Yesu and Kuochu.

They had a blood feud with Tolui's faction, not Zhao Shuo. Since Ögedei's faction had no hope of seizing power anyway, it was better to do Zhao Shuo a favor. Zhao Shuo taking power was far better than Tolui's faction.

"Please invite Uncle Zhao Shuo to ascend the throne."

Möngke also knelt down.

The leaders of Ögedei and Chagatai's factions have already accepted it, so what's the point of him stubbornly resisting? He might as well be a bachelor.

As Mongke knelt down, many other Nayans followed suit.

However, seven members of the Golden Family and nine commanders of a thousand households remained kneeling. After all, Genghis Khan's legacy still lingered; even Zhao Shuo was grateful for his kindness, let alone the others.

In the minds of these people, they simply do not recognize anyone who is not a descendant of Genghis Khan!

Of course, this small number of people do not affect the overall situation.

On the grasslands, to put it bluntly, it's all about using knives to communicate.

So many people have admitted it, why don't you? With just one order from Zhao Shuo, his entire family could be wiped out, and the entire commandery could be exterminated.

However, Zhao Shuo went to such great lengths not just to indulge his fantasy of being the Great Khan of the Mongols.

He shook his head slightly and said, "I refuse."

Then, he quickly waved his hand to stop people's advice, saying, "When the emperors of the Central Plains ascend the throne, they are expected to yield three times. When the Great Khan of the Mongols ascends the throne, he is also expected to yield. However, I am not saying this to follow procedure. To put it bluntly, even if I did not become the Great Khan of the Mongols, would I not be able to conquer the world? I do not think so. If you want me to sit in this position and give you greater wealth and honor, you need to agree to three things."

Kuo Chu said, "Uncle Zhao Shuo, please speak."

Zhao Shuo said, "First of all, in the struggle for the Khanate, the grasslands were filled with corpses and bloodshed. It's probably impossible to find out exactly how Kuoduan died. How will we clean up this mess afterward?"

"What I mean is that the root cause of all the chaos on the steppe was that Tolui's faction controlled too many chiliarchs, resulting in a complete imbalance of power. If we want Mongolia to have long-term peace and stability, we must change the balance of power."

"Here's what we'll do: from now on, the princes of the eastern region will have their independence revoked and will all be under the control of the Tolui faction. Also, the northern Goryeo, which was seized by the Tolui faction, will also be under their control. However, the western Mongolian steppe and the steppe households that belonged to the Ögedei and Chagatai factions in this war need not be returned."

"In other words, I control the central Mongolian steppes with thirty-eight Mongol chiliarchs under my command. The Tolui lineage controls the eastern steppes with forty-seven Mongol chiliarchs. Ögedei and Chagatai control the western steppes with forty-one Mongol chiliarchs. What do you think?"

Kochu and Yesu were overjoyed and said, "We have no objections."

They valued the steppe warriors more than the land. They were overjoyed to suddenly have so many more steppe commanders. Möngke's face darkened with anger, and he was about to speak when Kublai Khan tugged at his sleeve.

Kublai Khan said, "Uncle Zhao Shuo said that the internal strife on the grasslands is due to our Tolui lineage occupying too many chiliarchs, causing a complete imbalance of power, and we acknowledge that. However, this is not our fault. Exchanging so many of our chiliarchs for Northern Goryeo is too much of a loss for us."

Zhao Shuo asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Please ask Uncle Zhao Shuo to provide our Tuolei faction with a fleet to help us transport food and supplies, so that we can expand our territory in the New World. Of course, our Tuolei faction will bear all the expenses required for this fleet."

Zhao Shuo nodded and said, "Okay."

For Zhao Shuo, his greatest wish was that the Han and Mongol people would occupy most of the world's land during his lifetime.

However, the better life became in China, the less willing the people were to emigrate. Therefore, Zhao Shuo was willing to support Zhao Yun's expansion efforts.

Kublai Khan wanted to explore the Americas, and he was happy to see it happen.

For Kublai Khan, the Tolui lineage inherited most of Genghis Khan's private property, so they were not short of money at all.

The reason he previously exploited the grassland people under his command was simply because transporting food and supplies required too much manpower and animal power, which could not be solved with money.

If Zhao Shuo were willing to help them convert their gold and silver into transportation power to expand their territory in the New World, they would certainly be more than happy to do so.

Mongke sighed and said, "In that case, our Tolui lineage has no objection."

He wasn't entirely satisfied, but after much deliberation, he had no other choice. The Tolui faction controlled too many Mongol chiliarchs; how could the other four factions be content? If this problem wasn't resolved, war would inevitably break out on the steppe again sooner or later.

Zhao Shuo continued, "The second matter is what power this Mongol Khan actually has. I don't need to explain, you all know that Mongolia is now effectively fragmented. If the Mongol Khan wants to seize your land, people, or even your army, will you listen? You might have to resort to arms."

"Therefore, I think the power of the Great Khan of the Mongols should not be too great, otherwise you will not feel at ease. But the power should not be too small either. If it is too small, the Great Mongol Empire will not be able to unite as one and expand its territory. After much thought, I think the Great Khan of the Mongols should have three powers."

"Firstly, once the boundaries of the five Mongol lineages are demarcated, no matter what conflicts arise, they shall not attack each other. Any conflicts shall be decided by the Great Khan. Anyone who attacks without authorization shall be punished by the Great Khan and the others!"

"Secondly, the five Mongol lineages helped each other in expanding their territory, with the Great Khan coordinating the process. Of the spoils of war, the Great Khan was to receive 30%. In peacetime, the Great Khan received 10% of the national tax revenue. The successor of each of the five Mongol lineages was appointed by themselves. If there were any major disputes within the lineages, the Great Khan would make the final decision."

"Thirdly, you may have heard that there is something called a bank in my country. From now on, no one in the five Mongol lineages may open their own banks. There can only be one bank in the whole country, to show the unity of the Great Mongol Empire."

For any organization in the world, the key points that leaders need to focus on are nothing more than three things: people, finances, and resources.

Given the current situation of the five Mongol factions, Zhao Shuo's attempt to arrest people and things from the other four factions will inevitably provoke a fierce backlash.

Therefore, Zhao Shuo had no choice but to start with money.

After Zhao Shuo finished speaking, none of the Mongolian noyan present expressed any objection.

In fact, how could the Great Khan's authority not be strengthened if the Mongol Empire was to continue to unite and expand its territory?

They could accept the three major powers of the Mongol Khan that Zhao Shuo described.

Mongke frowned slightly and said, "Judging from what Uncle Zhao Shuo said, the Mongol Khanate will forever belong to your lineage, instead of being selected through the Kurultai in the future?"

Zhao Shuo nodded and said, "That's true. The previous internal strife in Mongolia was due to two main reasons. First, there were too many chieftains from the Tolui lineage on the steppes, leading to an imbalance of power. Second, the Great Khan himself was too weak and lacked authority. To put it simply, my lineage must be stronger than the other four combined. Only when my lineage sits on the Khan's throne will it be truly legitimate and maintain order in the Great Mongol Empire."

Mongke asked, "So, the Kurultai will no longer be held?"

Swish!
Almost simultaneously, all the Mongol noyans turned their gazes toward Zhao Shuo.

The Kurultai was not only a significant tradition of the Mongols, but also reflected the power of the Noyans and their checks and balances on the Great Khan.

If Zhao Shuo were to abolish the Kurultai Assembly all at once, it would be taking too big a step and causing a major disaster.

Zhao Shuo said, "Of course it should be held. In the future, the Kurultai will be convened once every five years to discuss the national strategy of the Great Mongol Empire for the next five years with the Great Khan. If it is generally agreed that the Great Khan has acted in violation of these three measures, the Great Khan's decree can be revoked."

Even Zhao Shuo couldn't guarantee that his descendants would all be wise rulers!
Some constraints are not necessarily a bad thing for Zhao Shuo's descendants.

Furthermore, the Kurultai was actually for deciding the foreign policy of the five Mongol lineages and coordinating their internal conflicts; it had nothing to do with the internal affairs of the five Mongol lineages.

Mongke said, "If what Uncle Zhao Shuo said is true, and we can still have some control over the Great Khan, then I agree."

Zhao Shuo said, "Then I'll say one last thing. Genghis Khan has been very kind to me, and the title of Great Khan of the Mongols should belong to his bloodline. What I mean is that the position of Great Khan of the Mongols should be held by Kher."

"No!"

Before anyone else could speak, Kublai Khan blurted out, "The original internal strife in Mongolia, to put it bluntly, stemmed from a mismatch between name and reality. If Brother Zhao He is the Great Khan of Mongolia, then who is greater, him or Uncle Zhao Shuo? When you have conflicts, whose orders should the subordinates obey? It might be fine for a year or two, but what about three or five years, or even eight or ten years? This is the path to chaos! Absolutely not!"

Zhao Shuo looked around and asked, "What do you all think?"

This time, opinions among the people were once again divided.

Some supported Zhao Shuo's direct ascension to the throne, given that he controlled the Zhao Shuo Khanate. Without Zhao Shuo's full support, how could Zhao He expand his territory and gain greater wealth? Furthermore, the potential for conflict between father and son was a concern.

Some, however, supported Zhao He's succession, after all, he had Genghis Khan's blood in his veins, while Zhao Shuo was merely Genghis Khan's son-in-law.

After ten days of continuous discussion, a decision was finally made.

Zhao Shuo was called "Heavenly Khan," and his status was equal to that of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol Empire. As a special case, he performed the duties of the Great Khan of the Mongols.

Zhao He was the Great Khan of Mongolia, stationed in the central grasslands, and assisted Zhao Shuo in handling the daily military and political affairs of Mongolia.

It was only after Zhao Shuo passed away, or after he abdicated in his old age, that Zhao He came to control all the power of the Mongol Khan.

Everything is ready now, except for the coronation!
(End of this chapter)