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

Chapter 76: Zhao Shuo's eldest son, Borjigin* Zhao He
"Borchu! The Tumati live in a dense forest, with high mountains and dense forests. We grassland people are not familiar with the terrain. The defeat at Huduhe is probably not accidental. You must be careful when you go to conquer the Tumati this time."

After Temujin gave the order, Borchu walked out of the Golden Tent and was about to call his subordinates when he was stopped by Zhao Shuo.

Hearing Zhao Shuo's words, Borhu nodded repeatedly, "I understand, Ah Shuo. I will be careful."

Borchu didn't really take it too seriously. The people of the forest had never had much of a presence on the grasslands, and when Jochi had gone there before, he had easily subdued them. Borchu felt that if he took steady steps after his arrival, there would be no problems.

But he didn't say anything stubborn. After all, Zhao Shuo cared about him. And Zhao Shuo usually didn't make random remarks. He couldn't just refute him like Subutai did without thinking. Otherwise, he would be embarrassed if he got slapped in the face.

Seeing Borhu's look, Zhao Shuo knew that he probably still wasn't being 100% careful.

But Zhao Shuo didn't say anything else.

It is difficult to persuade a damned ghost with kind words. If he reminded Borhu and he still died at the hands of the people in the forest, he would have deserved it.

He has done his best as a colleague.

Following Mongolian custom, Zhao Shuo had his attendant fetch two cups of mare's milk wine. He handed one to Borchu and said, "May the power of the Eternal Heaven pour down upon you like the Milky Way, may your banner spread like wings, and may the dust raised by your horse's hooves never settle!"

Borchu drank the kumis in one gulp and said, "Ashuo, wait for my good news."

Afterwards, he summoned troops to fight against the Tumati people.

Zhao Shuo led his troops and continued to move forward with Temujin.

Normally, Zhao Shuo should have parted ways with Temujin soon after entering the grasslands and returned to his fiefdom, the Hulunbuir grasslands. However, this time the situation was different.

When Jochi returned from his expedition against the people of the forest, Hua Zheng was already pregnant. Later, when Zhao Shuo and Temujin went on an expedition against Western Xia, Borte, worried about her daughter's safety, took Hua Zheng to her own Hanerduo to wait for the birth of her child.

Therefore, although Hua Zheng had given birth to a son for Zhao Shuo, she was not living in the Hulunbuir grasslands, but in the Mongolian royal court. Zhao Shuo had to return to the royal court with Temujin and bring his wife and children back home.

In fact, Temujin now had quite a few grandchildren at court. Originally, Temujin's only grandchild was Jochi's eldest son, Orda. However, before Temujin set out on his campaign against the Western Xia, Ogedei's eldest son, Guyuk, was born. During his time there, Ogedei's wives and concubines bore him two more sons: Quduan and Quchu.

Chagatai's wives and concubines also had newborns, a son named Muatugan and a daughter whose name had not yet been decided.

In addition to the son born to Hua Zheng, Temujin had a grandson who was just three years old and whom he had already seen, and five grandchildren whom he had never seen, who were waiting for him in the royal court.

"Genghis Khan, please drink the horse wine!"

In the team welcoming Temujin, Beilegutai knelt at the front, holding a bowl full of kumis in his hand.

Temuge knelt half a body length behind him.

Then there was Temujin's wife Borte, Temujin's daughter-in-law and several daughters, as well as Temujin's other wives and concubines.

Jochi's eldest son, Orda, was three years old. He stood beside his mother, twisting and turning restlessly like a newborn foal.

The other children were held by their mothers, who swaddled them in sheepskin of varying shades.

This is the traditional etiquette of the Mongolians to welcome soldiers going to war, drinking horse wine.

Firstly, to thank Eternal Heaven for the safe return of the soldiers. Secondly, to welcome the soldiers who had gone to the battle.

Theoretically, this was also the case when Hua Zheng greeted Zhao Shuo. However, Zhao Shuo was impatient with all the formalities and had already discussed with Hua Zheng to dispense with them.

Now Temujin still had no intention of drinking the dismounting wine.

"No courtesy, please get up."

Temujin hurriedly took the bowl of kumis and drank it all, without even caring about his wife Borte, and walked straight to the children.

"Oh, my Oerda, you've grown so tall. Come, let grandpa hug you!"

"Is this Ogedei's child? What's his name? Oh, Mu'atugan, the little guy is really strong."

"Why did Guiyou cry when he saw Grandpa? Did you smell the blood on me? Howl twice more! Let everyone in the east of the grassland hear it!" Turning around, he instructed Guiyou's mother, Duolegne: "If he cries too much, don't indulge him. Tie him to the horse's back to sleep, and the wolf cub will have to smell the horse's sweat!"

"Kuduan's eyes move more lively than a marmot's!"

"Kuochu is quite quiet, is it because of his mother?"

"My lark, you haven't got a name yet, right? Grandpa will give you the name Alazhen! Alazhen, don't beg for mercy, you will surely grow up to be a smart and beautiful girl!"

Temujin lifted this, hugged that, and laughed heartily.

Finally, his eyes fell on the child in Hua Zheng's arms.

The Han-style brocade swaddling cloth was specially covered with a layer of white lambskin. A gilded longevity lock was tied around the baby's left wrist, with "A Hundred Years of Peace and Prosperity" engraved on the front. This was the only heirloom left by the Zhao family since they were exiled to the grasslands. It had been passed down through generations, finally to this child.

Of course, Temujin's focus was not on this.

The swaddled baby was chubby and white, giggling with energy. He had short, slightly curly hair and large eyes. His pupils, in particular, were a deep blue with light brown irises, giving him a noble and clear look. "Blue eyes! A symbol of the Borjigin people! Haha, Ashuo and Huazheng's child has blue eyes, just like me!"

This discovery surprised and delighted Temujin.

Borjigin, translated into Chinese, means blue eyes.

Because Temujin's tenth ancestor, Bodunchar, had a pair of blue eyes, the tribe was named "Borjigin".

However, the blue eye inheritance appears to be unstable.

None of Bodunchar's sons had blue eyes.

It was not until Temujin's father Yesugei that someone had a pair of blue eyes again.

Temujin also had blue eyes, but his other brothers did not.

Temujin's sons and daughters did not have blue eyes.

Unexpectedly, the disease was passed down to my grandson through the previous generation.

It was the grandson born to his favorite daughter and his favorite son-in-law Zhao Shuo. How could Temujin not be surprised?

“Ah~”

Just as Temujin took the swaddling clothes from Hua Zheng and looked at it left and right, the Mongolian-Han mixed-race child, who was less than four months old, reached out, grabbed Temujin's father's gray braids, and shook it left and right for fun.

Temujin shook his head gently several times but failed to break free.

"Be good, baby, don't make trouble!"

It was Hua Zheng who reached out and pried the child's hands apart.

Temujin was not offended. Instead, he said happily, "Good boy! He's strong! Like a soldier grasping a lasso! He will surely grow up to be like his father, Bater!"

He handed the child to Zhao Shuo and said, "Come on, give this good boy a name!"

Zhao Shuo hugged his son, and a feeling of pity for him surged in his heart. He was careful not to use too much force. From this moment on, he felt that he had left a deep mark in this world.

As for the name, he had actually already thought of one that was both Chinese and catchy in Mongolian, so he said, "Let's call him Zhao He!"

He means glorious and grand.

Zhao Shuo’s idea was very simple. He hoped that the child would inherit his mantle and become a powerful emperor.

"Good, Zhao He!" Temujin laughed. The more he looked at little Zhao He's blue eyes, the more he liked them. Guyuk, Quduan, Quchu, and Muatugan hadn't inherited his blue eyes, but little Zhao He, the child of his beloved eldest daughter, Hua Zheng, had blue eyes. How could he not love him?

Suddenly, something moved in his heart.

"Ashuo, this kid has blue eyes like me!"

"You Han people used to have surnames and clan names, but now you only use surnames and not clan names. We Mongols have clan names but not surnames. How about keeping the child's surname Zhao and the clan name Borjigin?"

Your surname is Zhao, and your clan name is Borjigin?

Zhao Shuo's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

He didn't expect Temujin to say that.

This is a very good thing.

His son already has the blood of the Golden Family flowing in his veins. If he also has the Borjigin clan, he will be the most authentic member of the Golden Family and the orthodox Mongolian.

To the Mongols, they only saw the surname of the Golden Family, Borjigin. To the Han people, it didn't matter, because they saw the surname Zhao.

This can be said to be beneficial rather than harmful.

So Zhao Shuo nodded and said, "It's an honor for this child."

"Good! Zhao He! Borjigin Zhao He!"

Temujin took Zhao He from Zhao Shuo again, held him high, and said to his family and all the soldiers present, "Today, I, Genghis Khan Temujin, officially bestow the surname Borjigin on this child! From now on, he will be Borjigin Zhao He!"

"Borjigin Zhao He!"

"Borjigin Zhao He!"

……

Everyone cheered together, their voices shaking the sky!
(End of this chapter)