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

Chapter 74 Could Zhao Shuo be a descendant of the royal family?
"Actually, I don't know much." Lu You spoke slowly, his voice low and thoughtful.

He picked up the wine glass, took a sip, and continued, "It is said that Zhao Shuo's ancestor was a Han Chinese who drifted to the grasslands. He married a Mongolian woman and they reproduced on the grasslands for several generations, giving birth to Zhao Shuo. Zhao Shuo was gifted at a young age. At the age of eleven, he killed a warrior from a hostile Mongolian tribe.

Temujin was overjoyed and gave the warrior the golden armor he was wearing. From then on, this golden armor became Zhao Shuo's symbol.

"Hmph, it's just a piece of gold-painted iron armor." Xin Qiji waved his hand disapprovingly, and said with a hint of disdain in his tone, "If he is willing to surrender to the Song Dynasty, I will give him a hundred pieces!"

Xin Qiji is not bragging.

This guy is not only good at raising and training soldiers, but also good at making money.

He implemented a policy of "lenient taxation, recruiting refugees, training militia, and promoting military farming," which resulted in "a surge in merchants and travelers in Chuzhou, a doubling of the liquor tax, the return of refugees, and the beginning of a revival of the people." He raised funds for the "Flying Tiger Army" by changing the "tax on liquor" to the "liquor monopoly." Although he faced widespread criticism from both the government and the public, he also amassed a significant amount of wealth and effectively resolved military funding difficulties. To raise funds, he even smuggled large quantities of cowhide, which was intercepted by Zhu Xi...

Let me put it this way, when Song Xiaozong was in power, Xin Qiji was highly valued. He served as the Pacifier of Hubei Road, the Pacifier of Hunan Road, and the Pacifier of Jiangxi Road, which was equivalent to repeatedly serving as the head of a province for nearly twenty years in later generations. Not only did he solve the financial difficulties of the Song Dynasty court, trained an elite army called the "Flying Tiger Army", but he also accumulated a huge amount of wealth for himself.

For example, when his good friend Chen Liang wrote to him saying that he was in financial difficulty and needed help, he gave him 10,000 strings of cash (equivalent to 10,000 taels of silver) without blinking an eye.

For example, the Jiaxuan Garden in front of us covers an area of ​​more than 70 acres. Even Zhu Xi, who was quite wealthy, was dumbfounded when he saw it.

Although Xin Qiji is now unemployed at home, with his unruly and daring personality, it is not difficult for him to collect a hundred sets of gold-painted iron armor.

Lu You smiled and said, "That was when Zhao Shuo was eleven years old. Now, I'm afraid he wouldn't even look at a thousand sets of gold-painted iron armor."

Xin Qiji nodded, motioning him to continue.

"Later, Zhao Shuo rose to prominence on the grasslands." Lu You's voice was filled with emotion as he continued, "When Temujin and Wang Han were fighting for supremacy in the eastern grasslands, Zhao Shuo killed Wang Han in battle. When Temujin was seizing the western grasslands, Zhao Shuo killed the Naiman Khan of the western grasslands in battle, and captured Temujin's old enemy, Gur Khan Jamuka, alive.

Zhao Shuo made great contributions during this Western Expedition to the Western Xia. Many of Temujin's strategies were his own, such as establishing the Baru Camp. Using Western Xia prisoners of war as a vanguard, the Mongols fought against Western Xia, yet the Mongols suffered no losses.

By the way, this person, like you, Youan, is very good at making money. For example, the sweet wine that has become popular in the Song Dynasty recently seems to be his work.

"so smart?"

Xin Qiji narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone filled with admiration and envy, and said, "A man of both civil and military talents, he slew generals and captured flags, made money wisely, and enriched the country. When I was young, I imagined my life countless times, thinking that my future would be like this."

I never expected that after going through so much hardship and difficulty to reach the Song Dynasty from the Jin Kingdom, I would waste over forty years in the Song Dynasty and achieve almost nothing. Meanwhile, Zhao Shuo was able to showcase his talents in Mongolia and build the career of my dreams. By the way, how old is he now?

"I'm not sure, probably less than 30 years old." Lu You replied.

"What a young man with so much to offer! How enviable!" Xin Qiji exclaimed, and then asked, "What position does Zhao Shuo hold in Mongolia now?"

Lu You was very familiar with this question and said, "He has 5,000 hereditary households and commands 10,000 households near the Hulunbuir grasslands. Every Mongolian is a soldier, which means he has about 10,000 soldiers under his command."

"Ten thousand is quite a lot," Xin Qiji pondered. "The grasslands are sparsely populated, and the Mongols' own troops should not exceed a hundred thousand. It seems that Zhao Shuo is truly highly valued by Temujin." Lu You said, "Of course. If Temujin didn't value Zhao Shuo, would he have married his daughter to him?"

Xin Qiji sighed, his tone somewhat helpless as he said, "However, it's a pity. Zhao Shuo is too trusted by Temujin. He is second only to Temujin in Mongolia. If we persuade him to surrender to the Song Dynasty, he probably won't agree."

Speaking of this, Xin Qiji's eyes were a little dazed.

When Xin Qiji was born, the north had already fallen into the hands of the Jin people.

However, he was educated by his grandfather Xin Zan and set the ambition to restore the Central Plains and avenge his country in his youth.

Later, at the age of twenty-one, Jin ruler Wanyan Liang launched a massive southern invasion of the Song Dynasty. Unable to bear the conscription, Han people in the Central Plains under Jin rule rose in rebellion. Twenty-one-year-old Xin Qiji resolutely joined the rebels, earning a distinguished reputation. After many twists and turns, he eventually arrived in the Song Dynasty.

However, if I were to switch places with Zhao Shuo.

If the Jin Kingdom appointed him as a royal consort and gave him control of more than one-tenth of the country's military forces.

Will he abandon everything and return to the Song Dynasty?
Xin Qiji asked himself and found himself not quite sure.

Xin Qiji, clinging to a last glimmer of hope, asked, "Who were Zhao Shuo's father and brother? Did they preach to him the principles of loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, restoring the Central Plains, and avenging the humiliation of the nation?"

Lu You shook his head and said, "Brother You'an, you think too highly of me. I just wanted to collect all kinds of information about Zhao Shuo. His father and brother are unknown. I don't even know their names, let alone their education of Zhao Shuo. But..."

"But what?" Xin Qiji asked.

Lu You pondered for a moment before continuing, "I think the Zhao family has been wandering on the grasslands for nearly a hundred years, yet they haven't been assimilated by the grassland people. They've kept the surname Zhao, and there are even rumors of Han Chinese ancestry. I guess it's because of their family traditions that they haven't forgotten their Han ancestors."

"That's right!" Xin Qiji suddenly had an idea, his eyes flashing with a gleam. He said, "You said the Zhao family has been wandering on the grasslands for nearly a hundred years. How many years is that? A hundred years? Ninety years? Eighty years? Seventy years?"

"Does it matter?"

As soon as he said this, Lu You realized something was wrong and said, "If it was around eighty years ago, it would have been the Jingkang Incident. Countless men and women from the royal family of the Song Dynasty were abducted by the Jin people and taken north... And his last name is Zhao. Could he be a descendant of the royal family of the Song Dynasty? It's possible! Very likely!"

At the end of his speech, Lu You, who was always calm, had his voice trembling slightly with excitement, and a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes.

Xin Qiji calmed down at this point and said calmly, "Don't be too happy too soon. The Song Dynasty has hundreds of thousands of royal family members. Even if Zhao Shuo is a royal family member, this status is not very valuable, and he himself may not value it. We want to use this relationship to persuade him to surrender to the Song Dynasty, but it won't be easy."

Lu You shook his head anxiously and said, "No, no, no, that's not what I meant."

After a pause, he subconsciously looked around and confirmed that no one else was present before lowering his voice and saying, "Actually, although I had not thought that Zhao Shuo might be a member of the royal family, I have already decided to send my sixth son, Zibu, to Mongolia to assist Zhao Shuo."

(End of this chapter)