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

Chapter 331 Three Refusals and Three Declinees: Zhao Shuohua's Ascension to the Throne is Complete!

The next day, Zhao Shuo received Kublai Khan in the Yuzao Hall.

"Back then, we decided that Güyük would succeed to the throne of the Great Khan of the Mongols right here in this Fish and Algae Hall. We made it clear then that the position of the next Great Khan of the Mongols would be a fair competition."

"Unexpectedly, things didn't go as planned. This struggle for the Khanate has escalated to the point of armed conflict."

After a pause, Zhao Shuo looked intently at Kublai Khan and said, "Now that there is no one else in the Fish and Algae Palace, tell me the truth, is the death of Khoduan related to your Tolui lineage?"

Kublai Khan quickly replied, “Uncle, you are wise. If we intended to harm Köden, why didn’t our troops make preparations beforehand? Would Köch have had the chance to swallow up forty or fifty of our chiliarchs? Besides, even if Köden dies, Ögedei’s line still has Köch and Meri. What is the point of that for us?”

Zhao Shuo nodded slightly and said, "That makes sense. After thinking it over, I also feel that you are not very suspicious. However, Kuo Duan has been dead for two years, so it's impossible to find anything. What do you think I should do?"

Kublai Khan said, "Nowadays, the most respected person in Mongolia is none other than my uncle. I urge my uncle to uphold justice."

"Too many people have died on the grasslands, and with another great disaster, we really cannot continue to fight. It would be better to convene a Kurultai as soon as possible. Whether it is the succession to the Khanate or the cause of Köden's death, the Kurultai, presided over by Zhao Shuo's uncle, shall be decided."

Zhao Shuo shook his head slightly and said, "You two didn't ask me before you started fighting. Now you want to stop, but you want me to uphold justice?"

Kublai Khan quickly explained, "Koch is a cunning and vicious wolf. He did indeed start the war without my uncle's consent. But our Tolui lineage was forced to retaliate and had no intention of disrespecting my uncle!"

Zhao Shuo snorted coldly and said, "And what happened after the war started? It's been almost two years. If it weren't for the fact that the war was truly unbearable, would you have come to see me?"

He paused, then waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore. Throughout history, there have been countless stories of fathers and sons, brothers and brothers killing each other for the throne. The war that the Golden Family is waging today is not surprising."

“Now, I know that your Tolui lineage is willing to cease hostilities. If the Ögedei and Chagatai lineages are also willing to cease hostilities, I am certainly willing to preside over a Kurultai conference so that fewer Mongols will die.”

Kublai Khan was overjoyed and said, "Uncle, rest assured, we have already sent Yao Shu as an envoy to negotiate peace with them, and I doubt they would dare to refuse."

Since the start of the war, although the Tolui lineage was initially caught off guard, the Ögedei and Chagatai lines gained the upper hand.

However, roughly speaking, the Ögedei Khanate lost northern Korea, the Chagatai Khanate lost 30% of its territory in the Mesopotamian region, and suffered a major defeat on the steppe, even burning down Karakorum. They were indeed at a disadvantage.

In addition, the rebellion of the true gods in the Transoxiana region made things much more difficult for them than for the Tolui lineage.

As expected, after meeting with Yao Shu, Kochu and Mieli overruled Empress Haimish's opinion and agreed to a truce. They also sent an envoy to Zhao Shuo, asking him to convene the Kurultai as the highest-ranking prince of the Mongols—a meeting convened in the name of Empress Haimish, which the Tolui clan would not recognize!

Zhao Shuo then issued an edict to convene the Kuriltai Conference at the source of the Onon River a year later.

Of course, it will take a year.

The farthest Mongolian noyan is in Poland. Zhao Shuo issues the decree from there. After receiving the decree and arranging defenses, it will take at least ten months to reach the source of the Onon River. With a more generous estimate, it will take a year.

After everything was settled, Kublai Khan did not leave Zhongdu City to return to Huining City or the grasslands.

What's the point of replying?

The Tolui line was controlled by Möngke Khan, not Kublai Khan.

In addition, after the peace agreement was reached, Ariq Böke also returned. With the addition of Bocho and Moge, Tolui's faction was full of talented people, so it didn't matter much whether Kublai Khan returned or not.

Most importantly, Kublai Khan discovered that he understood Zhongdu and the Zhao Shuo Khanate less and less.

In fact, not only Kublai Khan, but even his trusted advisor Liu Bingzhong was somewhat bewildered.

Putting aside everything else, let's just talk about the toilets in the Huitongguan where they stayed. Ten years ago, when Kublai Khan came, they still had to use a kind of toilet called "tiger toilet".

Now, however, it has been changed to a flush toilet made of ceramic.

After use, a quick rinse leaves it clean and odorless.

In Liu Bingzhong's words, the toilets in this guild hall are cleaner than those in the homes of wealthy families in the Tolui Khanate!

It is said that the excrement flushed down is collected in septic tanks and used to fertilize the fields.

Although the Zhao Shuo Khanate now uses guano from Southeast Asia to fertilize its fields on a large scale, the excrement produced by the more than one million people in Zhongdu is still quite competitive in price in the area around Zhongdu.

Of course, most ordinary people couldn't afford such toilets. They still used ordinary toilets to collect their excrement and sold it to excrement collectors for a very low price, but it was better than nothing.

Wealthier families, unable to afford or unwilling to use ceramic toilets, could only use a simplified version, with most parts made of wood.

When flush toilets first became popular, carpenters in Zhongdu City who knew how to make flush toilets saw a significant increase in their wages.

However, the wages of these carpenters have begun to decline. Moreover, with improvements in craftsmanship and increased scale, the price of all-ceramic toilets is getting lower and lower, making them affordable for more and more wealthy households.

This was enough to leave Liu Bingzhong and Kublai Khan completely dumbfounded.

Previously, the most luxurious way they could imagine using the toilet was simply this: in a lavish and secluded room, using a chamber pot made of precious materials such as gold, silver, and lacquered wood, lined with fragrant wood ash or water to reduce odor and splashing. After using the toilet, a servant would hand over prepared soft paper. Once finished, the servant would quickly clean the chamber pot and burn expensive incense to purify the air.

This situation is comfortable, but it's entirely built on money and is completely unsustainable!

The flush toilets of the Zhao Shuo Khanate offered a completely different kind of enjoyment and were able to change the daily lives of ordinary people.

And that railway.

Today, the "Luocheng" of Zhongdu is still under construction, but the more than 50-mile-long horse-drawn railway for transporting coal has already been completed.

The horse-drawn railway achieved three to five times the previous transport volume, leaving Kublai Khan and Liu Bingzhong in awe.

What amazed them even more was that the most primitive steam engine had already appeared in the Zhao Shuo Khanate. Due to limitations in materials and technology, it was bulky, crude, and could not maintain much pressure, so it could only be used to pump water in coal mines.

But that's still a huge problem!
It doesn't eat grass or grain, but can generate power by consuming only coal. Who has ever seen such a thing?

The contents of those newspapers left them even more bewildered.

For example, it might mention the discovery of some island, its size, the rare birds and animals, minerals, and exotic seeds it possesses, and the imperial court's rewards for its discovery. Or it might mention someone who went overseas to pan for gold and found a gold nugget, making a fortune.

Both Kublai Khan and Liu Bingzhong sensed that the Zhao Shuo Khanate was different from the other four Mongol lineages, and also different from the previous Han Chinese. A new, vibrant force was emerging within this nation. They couldn't quite articulate what this force was, and wanted to hear and observe more.

It was at this time that another major event occurred in Zhongdu.

The envoys from Song King Zhao Yun, carrying gifts, were about to arrive in Zhongdu. Zhao Shuo was overjoyed and ordered Yuan Haowen, the Minister of Rites, to personally greet them. He also permitted the gifts to be displayed in Chengtianmen Square, allowing both soldiers and civilians to watch the ceremony, as a sign of the empire's encouragement of expansion.

Who is Zhao Yun?
The Song Dynasty, with its population of 80 million, was easily destroyed by Zhao Shuo. Even fighting a small country like Annam resulted in heavy losses, requiring Zhao Shuo's Khanate to send troops to help him regain his lost ground.

An envoy from such a person is nothing special; does he really need the Minister of Rites to personally welcome him?
You know, even Kublai Khan didn't receive this kind of treatment! Could it be that the gift he sent was exceptionally valuable?

With this thought in mind, Kublai Khan and Liu Bingzhong mingled among the crowd of onlookers.

"To the soldiers, civilians, and people of Zhongdu City!"

Zhao Yun sent his prime minister, Dong Huai, to present the gifts.

Dong Huai was granted special permission to stand on the Chengtianmen city tower, looking down at the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians in the square, and said: "Five years ago, we obeyed the king's decree and set off eastward from the Wangdahai Islands to find new land."

"Thanks to the protection of Heaven and the blessings of the King, a year later we finally found a new land after going through many hardships."

“That landmass is so vast that its exact size is still being explored. For now, I will only speak of the area we have come into contact with.”

"There are many countries there, the Aztec Empire, the Tarascan Empire, the Trascara Alliance..."

Dong Huai explained in detail how Zhao Yun formed alliances and expanded his territory among these American countries, and how he introduced immigrants.

However, it is clear that the people of Zhongdu were not very interested in this process.

After all, the countries with their difficult-to-pronounce names on the continent 20,000 miles away, and their weak rivalry with the Song Dynasty, held little appeal for the people of Zhongdu. They were even less likely to know that Zhao Yun now occupied a part of what would later become Mexico in the Americas.

Finally, it was time for the people of Zhongdu to share their harvest—a moment that they all loved to hear.

Dong Huai waved his hand and said, "Now, the State of Song finally possesses a territory with a circumference of two thousand li, and has obtained rich spoils in the war. The King of Song is grateful for the King's kindness and has ordered me to come and present these gifts! Bring them here!"

"Yes."

The Song soldiers responded, carrying heavy boxes and piling their contents onto Chengtianmen Square.

Soon, the people of Zhongdu were filled with gasps of surprise.

"Ah! So many!"

"It's all gold and silver!"

"Zhao Yun has made a fortune this time!"

"What's that place called again? It's very likely to be the next hot gold rush spot!"

"If you ask me, young people should all go out and explore. Look, even Zhao Yun has made it big!"

……

The yellow was gold, the white was silver, dazzling the eyes of these people. The feathered serpent statue, the sun disc... these exotic gold ornaments, clearly not belonging to Chinese culture, testified to the Song people's great achievements in expanding their territory, reflecting a heavy yet alluring light in the sunlight.

Dong Huai said loudly, "The total is 100,000 taels of gold and 1 million taels of silver, which is really disrespectful to Your Majesty. It's just that the local natives are not good at mining gold and silver, so our harvest is not much. But on the other hand, we have discovered a huge silver mine and are using captured slaves to mine it. We can guarantee that for at least ten years, we will offer Your Majesty 1 million taels of silver every year!"

When Dong Huai said this, it was, of course, a humble statement.

If this isn't much, what is?
One hundred thousand taels of gold and one million taels of silver is two million taels of silver!

Moreover, he is willing to pay one million taels of silver every year from now on!
Back then, when Zhao Shuo was willing to exchange 600,000 taels of silver for those Mongol slaves, Kublai Khan felt that Zhao Shuo was taking money too lightly. Now it seems that this amount of money was really nothing to Zhao Shuo.

Even for the good-for-nothing Zhao Yun, it probably doesn't mean much.

This is only what he gave to Zhao Shuo; how much could he keep for himself?
Kublai Khan and Liu Bingzhong looked at each other, both wondering what their fighting on the grasslands over the past two years had been for.
He didn't even gain as much as that good-for-nothing Zhao Yun!

The common people were in an uproar when they heard that Zhao Yun would be able to offer one million taels of silver every year.

Unexpectedly, there was another surprise.

Dong Huai continued, "Besides this gold and silver, we also have auspicious omens to offer to His Majesty! Bring them up!"

At Dong Huai's command, the Song people piled up another batch of items in Chengtianmen Square.

This pile of things, made up of countless corn cobs, resembled a small mountain of gold. The people had never seen such plump, golden ears before, and their eyes shone with curiosity.

Dong Huai said, "The natives of the New World, though not technically skilled, have a unique approach to agriculture. This is their staple food, which His Majesty has specially named corn. It's drought-resistant, high-yielding, and tastes quite good. We've already tried planting it in China, and it's not only easier to cultivate than wheat, but depending on the soil quality, its yield is generally two to four times higher than wheat. At the very least, the yield is still 50% higher!"

The yield of C4 plants like corn is naturally much higher than that of C3 plants like wheat and rice.

Dong Huai was getting old, and his health had deteriorated significantly after exhausting himself helping Zhao Yun settle in the Americas. He would no longer return and would retire in the Jiangnan region. He felt incredibly proud to have brought corn back to China during his lifetime.

"What? This corn yields two to four times more than wheat!"

"My God, is this real?!"

"Even if China encounters a major disaster in the future, it won't need a nationwide mobilization. It can be easily solved by mobilizing grain from nearby provinces!"

"Auspicious omen! This is an auspicious omen! Heaven is urging our king to ascend the throne and become the Son of Heaven!"

……

No one values ​​food more than the Chinese people. The square at Chengtianmen was so noisy it was like a boiling pot, and the people's eyes were practically shining.

Some even recalled the previous act of presenting the Imperial Seal of the State to Zhao Shuo to ascend the throne.

"Even if the Imperial Seal is fake, the corn yield must be real, right? The arrival of corn in China is clear proof that Heaven favors our King! Our King should be the Son of Heaven!"

"Yes! Please, Your Majesty, ascend the throne!"

"We want to see the King!"

"If the king does not ascend the throne, what will become of the people?"

……

People's attention was quickly diverted, and a ceremony in which Zhao Yun presented gifts was transformed into the third wave of the people's call for Zhao Shuo to ascend the throne!

"It's over!"

Upon seeing this, Kublai Khan gave Liu Bingzhong a wry smile and said, "Three times he declined, three times he refused! This is the third time he declined and the third time he refused! The procedures for Zhao Shuo's uncle to ascend the throne in China are almost complete!"

(End of this chapter)