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

Returning to the camp didn't require a rushed journey.

It wasn't until the autumn of 1207 that Zhao Shuo led his army back to his main base – the Hulunbuir Grassland.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder; in the days following his return, Zhao Shuo was inseparable from Hua Zheng.

After giving birth, Hua Zheng not only maintained her figure but also gained a mature, womanly charm and maternal aura, making her even more dignified and beautiful.

Unfortunately, Zhao Shuo's physical prowess was now too strong. On the third night, Hua Zheng couldn't handle it anymore and had to kick Zhao Shuo out of the tent, telling him not to neglect Su Na, Aliya, and Hulan.

On the fourth day after his return, Little Zhao He, already eight months old, uttered a vague "Aba" (the pronunciation of "father" in Mongolian is "Abu," so it was close enough), causing Zhao Shuo to burst into laughter. He immediately announced that everyone in the camp would have an extra meal today, with each person receiving half a catty of mutton.

Now, Zhao Shuo's camp had been transformed into a permanent settlement, situated on the banks of the Morigele River, known as the "Number One Meandering River in the World." The scenery was beautiful, and the water and grass were abundant.

The entire camp, besides Zhao Shuo's family and the servants attending them, consisted of five hundred Black Riders, one thousand Balu Camp warriors, eighty Tumat elite warriors, as well as artisans and their families.

The artisan workshop, which originally had fewer than two hundred people, had grown to over six hundred in the past two years. Some artisans found the Hulunbuir Grassland to their liking and brought their families. Some single, skilled artisans were bestowed Xia women as slaves by Zhao Shuo. Now, the artisans and their families totaled over one thousand three hundred people.

With a large camp population, giving everyone half a catty of mutton was a significant expense.

"Relying solely on the women's grazing and the tribesmen's supply isn't enough; we still need to farm!"

The day after Little Zhao He called out "Aba," Sun Wei made a suggestion during Zhao Shuo's inspection of the workshop.

Zhao Shuo asked, "What is it? Are there difficulties with the food supply?"

"There are no difficulties now, but the workshop's population is increasing too quickly, and the Prince Consort's own troops have also increased significantly. It's only a matter of time before problems arise."

Since being promoted to workshop manager and being granted two beautiful Xia girls, Sun Wei's loyalty to Zhao Shuo had skyrocketed. He regarded the Hulunbuir Grassland as his second home and Zhao Shuo's事业 as his own.

Zhao Shuo frowned slightly and said, "Farming? Can't we just buy some grain from Xia and Liao?"

"It's thousands of miles away; transporting grain here would be more expensive than meat. It's too uneconomical," Sun Wei shook his head.

"But the Mongols never farm. The Kereit and Ongud tribes do grow some millet. Can we farm on the Hulunbuir Grassland?" Zhao Shuo asked.

Sun Wei said, "It should be no problem. I've looked into it; the Morigele River has a very abundant water supply, and the nearby water and grass are also very lush. We can have the Balu Camp warriors cultivate some fields. Moreover, we have a lot of livestock, and we can have the Ongud tribe smuggle in some iron farming tools. Usually, the women can manage the fields alone."

"Alright, I'll leave this matter to you. However, although the Balu Camp are slaves, they are, after all, warriors. Don't mistreat them, and especially don't humiliate them."

"I understand. Actually, it's just too hard for the women to endure when clearing the fields. Once the fields are cleared, they won't be needed anymore."

"Let's do it that way. By the way, how are the workshop's sales now?"

"Very good."

Speaking of this issue, Sun Wei's voice became much louder with pride.

He said, "Our sales to the Jin and Song Dynasties are handled by the Ongud tribe. Because we have to subsidize the Ongud tribe, our profits aren't high. But last month alone, we earned twenty-three thousand taels of silver. The trade routes to Xia and Liao don't require subsidies, and although sales aren't as high as in the Song and Jin Dynasties, we still earned twenty thousand taels of silver last month."

"Oh? You earned over forty thousand taels of silver last month? Not bad!" Zhao Shuo was very satisfied.

In other words, the profits from Zhao Shuo's workshop exceeded the total income that the Jin Dynasty extorted from the Southern Song in a year.

Sun Wei said, "Our goods are unique in the world, so we don't have to worry about sales at all. The main problem is that we have too few artisans now, and the supply of raw materials isn't sufficient. Otherwise, we could earn even more. I estimate that by the end of the year, our monthly income will exceed fifty thousand taels."

"Alright, do a good job!" Zhao Shuo patted Sun Wei's shoulder and said, "If the workshop's monthly income exceeds fifty thousand taels by the end of the year, in addition to your deserved reward, I'll give you another female slave."

"Thank you, Prince Consort! Uh..."

Suddenly, Sun Wei hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but stopped.

Zhao Shuo said, "What else is there? Speak freely."

Sun Wei's expression was somewhat troubled, and he said, "It's like this. A Persian merchant came a month ago, wanting to buy our goods to sell in Persia."

Zhao Shuo said, "Didn't I say that our goods should only be entrusted to Mongolian merchants? There's no need to benefit outsiders."

"But the problem is, he has a personal letter from Zhenhai Cherbi, asking us to accommodate him."

"Hmm? This Persian merchant has some connection with Zhenhai?"

Zhenhai was a Uyghur, born into a wealthy Uyghur merchant family. Although he was neither among the Eighty-Eight Meritorious Officials nor a hereditary chiliarch, he was one of Temujin's six Cherbi. His main responsibility, along with Hulan, was to advise Temujin on various military and national affairs, making him a standard close advisor to the emperor.

In the history without Zhao Shuo, this person later became the prime minister of the Great Mongol Empire, a position far above the famous Yelü Chucai in later generations.

Most importantly, Zhenhai had participated in the Baljuna Covenant.

As a fellow member of the "Baljuna Covenant faction," Zhao Shuo felt he should give Zhenhai face.

He instructed, "Have that Persian merchant come to see me."

Before long, a Persian man in his thirties, of medium build, with thick, curly hair and green eyes, came before Zhao Shuo.

He bowed deeply and said, "Zoroaster Amir, greets the great Mongol Prince Consort!"

"No need for formalities, sit," Zhao Shuo said straightforwardly. "What is your relationship with Zhenhai Cherbi?"

"I wouldn't dare deceive the Prince Consort. I've only met Zhenhai Cherbi once. However, thirty years ago, Zhenhai's father, Erken, got along very well with my father when he went to Persia to do business. This time, I was able to meet Zhenhai Cherbi because I had a personal letter from my father, and he introduced me to you."

It seemed that this person's relationship with Zhenhai wasn't that close.

Originally, if he were a particularly close person to Zhenhai, Zhenhai would have written a personal letter to Zhao Shuo directly, instead of writing a letter to Sun Wei.

Zhenhai's meaning was quite clear: if Zhao Shuo helped him with this matter, he would owe Zhao Shuo a favor; if not, it didn't matter.

Zhao Shuo said, "The state religion of Persia is Islam. Are you a Muslim?"

"No, no, no," Zoroaster Amir quickly explained, "Although the state religion of Persia is Islam, I am a devout Zoroastrian, believing in the great Ahura Mazda."

Zoroastrianism? The Fire Worshippers? Ming Cult? The sect that Xiao Zhao belonged to?

A subtle feeling arose in Zhao Shuo's heart, and he said, "In that case, Zhenhai's letter alone is not enough for me to make an exception for you. However, if you can accomplish two things for me, I will allow you to become my agent in Persia."

"Prince Consort, please speak. I will definitely do whatever I can.", Zoroaster Amir said impatiently.

Zhao Shuo said, "One is that the Arabian warhorses of Persia are very famous. Find a way to get me forty of them, twenty males and twenty females, all young and strong, and the stallions must not be castrated."

Zhao Shuo had long wanted to use Arabian warhorses for breeding, so that Zhang Yong could cultivate new types of warhorses.

It was said that after the Mongol conquest of the West, they themselves did not like to use Mongolian horses, but only used Mongolian horses for transportation. The warhorses they rode were mainly Arabian horses.

If Zoroaster Amir could get Arabian warhorses now, it would be an unexpected surprise for Zhao Shuo.