Usurping the Mongols: My Father-in-Law is Genghis Khan

It's not really accurate to say that Han Chinese couldn't defeat the Jurchens, because the Flower-Hat Army under Pusan Anzhen was mainly composed of pure Han Chinese.

Now, the Han Chinese forces in Shandong are divided into two parts: one part is the Red Turban Army, composed of people from peasant uprisings who are loyal to the Song Dynasty, and the other part is the Flower-Hat Army, loyal to the Jin Dynasty and organized by Jin officials.

After the fall of Yehuling, the Jin court realized the need for Han Chinese assistance, and sent 460 elite Han army junior officers from Zhongdu to Shandong, greatly strengthening the Flower-Hat Army. Only then was Pusan Anzhen able to protect the three prefectures of Shandong.

Now, Pusan Anzhen's 100,000-strong army is mainly composed of these 20,000 Flower-Hat soldiers, who are poised to advance south of the Yangtze River.

The Han Chinese fighting power is quite strong!

Surely, it can't be said that the Han Chinese in the north are strong in combat, while the Han Chinese in the south are weak?

Wouldn't that make the "Southerners return south, Northerners return north" policy formulated by the Southern Song court a stupid policy?

If the Southern Han Chinese and the Northern Han Chinese are equally powerful, wouldn't the problem lie with the officials in the imperial court? Or even with the Song Emperor?

That is absolutely impossible!

The Emperor of the Great Song is wise and martial, and the officials in the court are talented and refined. How could there be a problem?

So, where exactly is the problem?

Military generals!

That's right, the problem lies with the military generals of the Great Song!

After racking their brains, the officials of the Great Song court finally found the culprit who was misleading the country and the people!

It must be that these military generals don't read poetry, don't understand the great principles of loyalty to the emperor and serving the country, deceive those above them and conceal from those below them, fear the enemy like tigers, and embezzle military funds, causing such a tragic situation for the Great Song!

For example, during the Kaixi Northern Expedition, wasn't it Wu Xi's rebellion and self-proclamation as the King of Shu that threw the Great Song court into a panic?

For example, there is the current Pacification Commissioner of Sichuan, An Bing.

Back then, when Wu Xi rebelled, the Great Song was shaken. A man named Yang Juyuan conspired with An Bing, Li Haoyi, and others to remove Wu Xi. Although An Bing participated in this matter, he was hesitant. In the end, Yang Juyuan and Li Yi, under the guise of delivering an imperial edict, led more than seventy warriors into the "imperial palace," persuaded the guards to retreat, and killed Wu Xi.

After the matter was accomplished, the originally hesitant An Bing not only received promotions and titles but also concealed Yang Juyuan's rewards, leaving Yang Juyuan with nothing. Yang Juyuan was dissatisfied and kept sending people to the court to complain about his grievances. An Bing was greatly frightened and ordered people to arrest Yang Juyuan and assassinate him on the way.

Everyone in the court knew about this.

As a result, An Bing not only did not think of making amends for his mistakes and repaying the court, but also lost another 100,000 troops at Qinzhou, which was extremely harmful to the country and the people!

What? An Bing was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the imperial examinations) of the Great Song, actually a civil official? And Yang Juyuan, whom he killed, was a military general?

Don't worry about these details. It must be that An Bing has been leading troops for a long time and was corrupted by those military generals!

In short, military generals are not good. They have distorted the far-sighted policies formulated by the Emperor of the Great Song and the officials in the court, leading to the disaster of today.

The officials of the Great Song court eloquently pushed the responsibility away. But the Jurchen soldiers cannot be persuaded to retreat with tongues.

It's really a headache!

But their headache has nothing to do with Zhao Shuo.

Zhao Shuo returned to the Mongolian grasslands.

It was deep summer in the year 1212 AD, the season when vegetation was at its most lush. Looking around, it was a boundless expanse of green, and only when a gust of wind blew could one see the grazing cattle and sheep, the flowing rivers, and the felt tents of the Mongols.

"Huazheng!"

"A'Shuo!"

When a gust of wind blew, Zhao Shuo saw Huazheng's welcoming party. Jin Shanshan's speed reached its peak, and he came to Huazheng like a bolt of lightning.

The husband and wife embraced tightly!

They were childhood sweethearts and young couples. Since they met at the age of seven, they had never been separated for such a long time.

The couple hugged for a long time, and Zhao Shuo spun her around several times. If there weren't so many people outside, he would have lowered his head and kissed her.

Later, Huazheng was a little embarrassed, and the two slowly separated.

And only at this time did Zhao Shuo notice the child next to Huazheng.

The child looked about five or six years old, with bright eyes, a straight nose, three-dimensional and deep features, fair skin but tanned with some healthy color, and a gilded longevity lock tied to his left wrist, with the four Chinese characters "百岁安泰" (bǎi suì ān tài - may you live a hundred years in peace and health) engraved on the front.

At this time, he was blinking his eyes and looking at Zhao Shuo with great interest.

Obviously, he couldn't remember clearly.

Huazheng looked at her son and said with a smile: "A'He, hurry up and call Father."

Little Zhao He immediately turned his head back, took a good look at Zhao Shuo, and then said crisply: "Father!"

"Hahaha, good!"

The word "Father" made Zhao Shuo laugh heartily.

When he left the grassland, Zhao He was not even two years old. More than two years have passed, and it is already very difficult for little Zhao He not to resist his embrace. It is impossible to remember his appearance.

After playing with his son for a while, little Zhao He quickly became intimate with Zhao Shuo.

The connection between bloodlines is very mysterious. Zhao He, who usually hardly lets "strangers" hug him, has not resisted Zhao Shuo from the beginning, obviously still having a general impression of Zhao Shuo as his father.

After spinning Zhao He in the air for a while, Zhao Shuo put his son down and smiled:

"A'He, I brought you some gifts when I came back from this expedition."

When returning from an expedition, it is natural to bring gifts.

Zhao Shuo prepared for his son a pony, a small knife, and a string of wind chimes.

This pony came from the Jin Kingdom, well, actually it was a tribute from the Great Song to the Jin Kingdom, named "Han Palace Fruit Horse." Although this horse is only two feet seven inches tall, it is already close to adulthood. Not only can it run and jump, but it is also docile in nature, just suitable for Zhao He to ride now.

That small knife was naturally also sponsored by Wanyan Yongji. This knife was made by skilled craftsmen of the Jin Kingdom with high-quality Damascus steel. The handle was made of sandalwood, and not only was it engraved with beautiful and intricate patterns, but it was also inlaid with three gems. The scabbard was made of tanned lambskin, and the mouth of the scabbard was inlaid with silver, engraved with a pattern of the Big Dipper.

The wind chimes were made by skilled craftsmen under Zhao Shuo.

Among the 7,000 craftsmen captured by Zhao Shuo from the Jin Kingdom, there were nearly a thousand craftsmen who were good at making various luxury goods. With nothing to do in Fuzhou, they racked their brains to make some luxury goods.

Among them was this string of wind chimes.

This string of wind chimes was made from fragments of precious colored glaze from the Jin Kingdom, as thin as paper and able to be blown by the wind. It is divided into seven colors, and different patterns are finely carved on it. Mongolian horses, Khitan deer, Jurchen eagles... The top of the wind chimes is a bronze gyrfalcon.

When a gust of wind blows, the porcelain pieces collide to make a pleasant crisp sound, as if white birds are singing together.

Zhao Shuo originally thought that Zhao He should like this wind chime the most.

However, to his surprise, Zhao He was most interested in the pony and the exquisite small knife.

Little Zhao He took the initiative to grab a handful of green grass and sent it to the pony's mouth, watching it eat. Then, he took the small knife and waved it non-stop.

Looking at little Zhao He like this, he really couldn't wait to ride the pony and gallop on horseback.

"Hey, who is this little kid?"

Zhao Shuo suddenly noticed that a child of about three or four years old, dressed in gold and silver, was looking at Zhao He with envy in his eyes.

Huazheng said: "He is the second son of the eldest brother, named Batu. I don't know why, but Batu especially likes our son, always calling him brother and following behind A'He. This time, his nanny brought him here to play with A'He for a few days."

"Batu?"

Zhao Shuo's gaze at the three- or four-year-old child was immediately surprised.

If it is about the most promising grandson of Genghis Khan,

Zhao Shuo would definitely choose Batu.

The man who almost broke through Europe.

Now, Batu is just a little kid in open-crotch pants, and also his own son's little follower. It feels so interesting.

"So, this is Jochi's son!"

Zhao Shuo smiled, stepped forward, and held Batu, who would later make Europe tremble with a stomp of his foot, in his arms, and said, "Batu, call me Uncle!"

Batu was still a small child, but he wasn't afraid of strangers at all. His dark eyes were very clever, and he obediently called out:

"Uncle!"

"Good! This uncle can't let you call him for nothing. Ah He has a gift, and you have one too!"

There wasn't just one Guoxia horse; it was just a matter of giving Batu another one. But he's still young now, so even if he likes it, he can only sit on the little horse for a while under the care of an adult.

Besides, Zhao Shuo had captured too many luxury goods from the Jin Kingdom.

Zhao Shuo also chose a toy camel and a small bow and gave them to Batu.

That toy camel was an outstanding work of art by the skilled craftsmen of the Jin Kingdom. The main body was made of brass, and the camel's back carried two small figures. Driven by water power, the little figures on the camel's back would rotate.

The bow of the small bow was painted with seven colors, symbolizing the rainbow. The arrow feathers were also dyed in seven colors, but there were no arrowheads, so it was impossible to have any lethality. It was just a child's toy.

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Batu was immediately overjoyed with these three gifts and started dancing with his hands and feet. Obviously, although he was naturally calm, he was still a little boy who liked toys.

Originally, Zhao Shuo thought that Batu would take these three things to show off to Zhao He.

However, he underestimated the innocence of children.

Batu took the copper camel that he was most interested in and went to play with Zhao He.

Zhao He looked very much like an older brother. He no longer paid attention to the Guoxia horse and the exquisite small knife, but asked the accompanying people for a water bag to drive the little man on the copper camel to move.

Then, the two children watched the little man on the copper camel perform without blinking.

Watching these two brothers playing there, Zhao Shuo was overjoyed. This time, he also gained Guo Baoyu's grandson, Guo Kan. In the future, these three brothers could completely form a Western Expedition trio and plow through the Eurasian continent!

In a great mood, Zhao Shuo immediately announced that the Black Riders would disband and return to their respective homes to enjoy family happiness.

Zhao Shuo and Hua Zheng and others returned to their own big tent together.

Zhao He was still playing with Batu outside, so he sent the serving maids out, leaving only the husband and wife in the room.

Zhao Shuo hugged Hua Zheng. The two had been separated for nearly three years and had endless things to say.

Hua Zheng first asked Zhao Shuo if he had been injured in this expedition, and then asked Zhao Shuo if he had encountered any danger.

After asking these questions, the two began to talk about things at home. Hua Zheng counted them off to Zhao Shuo one by one.

For example, women often asked her to make the decision to marry their daughters to Sulun. Sulun was the son of the old general Su He, so in theory, they should propose marriage to the Su family.

However, Sulun served as Zhao Shuo's representative and went to the Kheshig to serve as a chiliarch, deeply branded with Zhao Shuo's mark.

Sulun's marriage, I'm afraid, would still have to be decided by Zhao Shuo and his wife.

For example, after Tolui followed Genghis Khan on the expedition, his second son, Hudu, was born. Unfortunately, this child had a bad life and died not long after he was born.

For example, not long after Ogedai went on the expedition, his fourth son, Hala Char, was born. It is said that he was also born to Doregene, but I don't know if it is true or false. Is it that Ogedai is very fond of Doregene and only has children with her? Or did this woman use some means?

Speaking of which, it came to Lu You's son, Lu Zibu.

Hua Zheng said, "Lu Zibu is now very famous on the grassland. Ah Shuo, do you know?"

"Why?" Zhao Shuo said, "The army is on an expedition. Apart from the 10,000 garrison troops on the grassland, only some old, weak, women and children are left. What earth-shattering things can he do?"

"It's not really an earth-shattering event."

Hua Zheng said, "Didn't Lu Zibu teach the herders to read? After you left, he simply gathered the children nearby and taught them to learn the Mongolian script."

"The grassland is vast. I'm afraid he can't teach many children, so it shouldn't have much of an impact."

"That's not right. The children have to help their families with work and can't spend all day reading with him. He changes places every day he teaches and teaches another group of children. After ten days, he comes back and teaches the first group of children the following content. In this way, the children only read for one day in ten days, and the family will not have any complaints. Moreover, he teaches more children than you expected."

When Lu Zibu taught ordinary herders to read, it was in a fixed place.

Whoever wants to learn can come, and those who don't want to come are not forced to.

Now it seems that he plans to start with the dolls and popularize writing on the grassland.

Zhao Shuo was still a little puzzled and said, "Even so, the grassland is too big. He will only teach a few hundred children, right? Can this make him very famous?"

"It's not just this."

Hua Zheng explained, "Lu Zibu also teaches the children Mongolian epics that he wrote, some praising Genghis Khan, some praising you, and some praising the grassland herders. After the children learn them, they will teach them to the adults at home. These epics spread very quickly, and almost everyone on the grassland has heard them.

In this way, Lu Zibu's name has also spread throughout the grassland. Almost everyone knows that a great talent from the south has come to the grassland, named Lu Zibu. He not only teaches children to read, but also writes poems praising Genghis Khan and the son-in-law."

Zhao Shuo understood this.

The role of these epics compiled by Lu Zibu is actually similar to the nursery rhymes circulating in the Central Plains. They not only spread quickly and widely, but are also the most effective things to achieve political goals.

For example, the nursery rhyme "Shake, shake, go to Henan and pay homage to the Empress" that was popular in the Hebei region reduced a lot of trouble for his conquest of Hebei.

This Lu Zibu really has something.

On the one hand, compiling these nursery rhymes made him famous on the grassland.

On the other hand, it strengthened the prestige of Genghis Khan and Zhao Shuo.

And most importantly, it promoted the Mongols' goodwill towards the Han people in the south.

It was simply a win-win-win situation.

"It seems that this Lu Zibu is a talent. I'll meet him when I have time."

Zhao Shuo said, "By the way, how is Xin Qiji's son, Xin You?"

Hua Zheng was thoughtful and said, "I heard that he took a caravan to Khwarazm and made a lot of money. We are too far away from Khwarazm, so the specific situation is not very clear."

Khwarazm? Zhao Shuo didn't expect that Xin You could run so far.

"Then let's ignore him for now and wait until he achieves something."

"By the way, Ah Shuo, you should meet Zardusht tomorrow first. He heard that our army was returning and rushed from Persia to see you. He has been waiting for more than a month."

Hua Zheng reminded him.

"Zardusht?"

Zhao Shuo's expression changed.

This Zardusht was the Persian merchant he had sent to search for Arabian warhorses and Uzi steel smelting technology.

I didn't expect him to come again.

Did he get the Arabian warhorses and Uzi steel smelting technology that he wanted?

Zhao Shuo was really curious.

These Arabian warhorses and Uzi steel smelting technology are too important. If they can be successful, the strength of his command will increase greatly.

However, Zardusht would have to be seen tomorrow anyway.

Zhao Shuo looked down at Hua Zheng: "Let him wait slowly. Hua Zheng, I miss you."

Zhao Shuo whispered in Hua Zheng's ear.

The hot breath swept across Hua Zheng's earlobe and cheeks, and Hua Zheng's body softened all of a sudden.

Her chest rose and fell, and her hands, which were originally wrapped around Zhao Shuo's waist, moved to Zhao Shuo's neck.

The couple didn't speak, because Zhao Shuo had already kissed her.

The candlelight in the tent flickered, and the remaining words might have to be left to tomorrow to say slowly.