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

Chapter 16: Rewarding according to merit, intercepting the wizard

"The Great Khan has arrived!"

With a loud shout, Temujin, surrounded by eight quivers, stepped majestically into the scene.

After the generals finished their greetings, they all held their breath and waited for Temujin's order.

"The first people I want to reward are Badai and Qishilihei. If they hadn't proactively tipped off the Mongols, Wang Han's surprise attack would have caused even greater losses to the Mongols, perhaps even annihilation. There would be no I Khan, and the Mongols wouldn't be where they are today. It can be said that these two saved my life."

"Now, I, the Khan, declare that all of Wang Han's golden tents, including gold and silver utensils, male and female servants, will be given to them both. Furthermore, I will give each of them 500 households of Kerait people as their subjects and guards. They will be allowed to carry bows and arrows, attend all gatherings convened by me, and enjoy themselves freely until their descendants."

"In the future, the property they obtain in battles will not have to be handed over to the emperor, but they can dispose of it as they please. When they hunt with the Khan, the wild animals they kill will also belong entirely to them."

Temujin gave it generously, and all the generals showed envy.

Temujin continued, "More than that, from now on, my descendants, whoever inherits my throne, must remember their great kindness from generation to generation."

"The second person I want to reward is my good friend, Weidar, the eagle of my Mongolia. In the Battle of Helan Zhenshatuo, Weidar bravely fought for my Mongolia and died heroically. Now, I have decided to distribute one hundred households of the Kereyid people to Weidar's wife and children, making them their eternal subjects."

……

As Temujin gave his orders, he bestowed rewards upon the Mongolian nobles.

Whether they died in battle or were alive, whether they tipped off the enemy or fought bravely, they were all rewarded.

Zhao Shuo also obtained two thousand households of Kereyids, officially becoming five thousand households of Mongolia.

However, this is not over.

After the quantity is allocated, there is still quality to be considered.

Can the same number of Kerait subjects with more adult males and fewer adult males be treated the same? Can the strong and the weak be treated the same?

Especially the Zhierjin people in the Kerait tribe!

Although they were few in number, they were renowned for their valor, bloodthirstiness, and brutality. They often served as the vanguard of the Kerait tribe in every battle, earning a great reputation on the steppes and inflicting heavy casualties on the Mongols. Former Mongol generals would gnaw with hatred at the mere mention of the Zierjin.

But now, the Zhierjin people have become subordinates waiting to be assigned, and have suddenly become popular in the eyes of Mongolian nobles.

"I would like to exchange the five hundred households of my subjects, allotted by the Khan, for three hundred households of the Zhirjin. Please grant this, Khan!"

The first Mongolian general to start the fight was named Tuo Luan.

Among all the brilliant Mongolian generals, Tuo Luan was not considered a particularly outstanding figure.

But his background is not simple.

His grandfather's name was Chalaha. When Temujin's father, Yesugei, died unexpectedly, his tribe rebelled, all vying to follow the Taichiwu clan. Only Chalaha stood up and tried to stop the rebellion, but was stabbed to death. The young Temujin clung to Chalaha's body, weeping uncontrollably.

His father's name was Menglik. After Chalaha's death, Temujin's family had only his son Menglik to rely on. It was Menglik's care that helped Temujin's family through a difficult period. There are even rumors that Temujin's mother remarried Menglik, but the two later separated as Temujin's power grew. Whether true or not, Menglik was the man Temujin respected most, and he affectionately called him "Father Menglik."

His six brothers all have great talents and are the backbone of Mongolia.

Especially the fourth brother Kuo Kuochu, who once walked naked in the snow in the cold winter. He was a famous wizard on the grassland, known as the "Tiantian Wizard".

Mongolians mainly believe in shamanism, and shamans have a high status.

In terms of status, Kokuchu's position in the eyes of the Mongols is not necessarily lower than Temujin. It's just that one person rules the Mongolian spirit, and the other rules the Mongolian world.

Now, Tuo Luan asked for 300 households of Zhierjin people, which can basically be regarded as the overall intention of the Menglike and Kuokuochu families behind him.

If it was something else, and the Menglik family was interested, even Temujin would feel embarrassed to refuse.

However, these are the Zhierjin people who have made a great name for themselves on the grassland!

"There are less than 600 households left in Zhierjin now, and you, Tuoluan, are asking for 300 households. You're dreaming!"

Temujin's younger brother, Temuge, who had a full beard and a bad temper, stood up.

Temujin has three living brothers: Hasar, Belgutai and Temuge.

Temuge was the youngest and had been in charge of guarding the old camp for a long time. Although he seldom fought in battles, he was a person whom Temujin trusted very much. Even if he had no merits, he had worked hard.

Temuge sneered at Tuoluan and said, "I'll give you 600 households in exchange for 300 households of Zhierjin people!"

"Six hundred households?"

Tuo Luan looked Temuge up and down, and said sarcastically with a smile: "If I remember correctly, you Temuge have been paying filial tribute to the Queen Mother, but you haven't achieved any great achievements. Six hundred households, do you have any?"

"I……"

Temujin was very clear about rewards and punishments, and Temuge currently only had 500 households under his command. Originally, Temuge had intended that the youngest son, guarding the stove, should be counted together with his own and his mother's subjects. There was no problem with giving away 600 households.

But it was obvious that Tuo Luan was mocking him for being a mama's boy who relied entirely on his mother's influence. At this time, asking his mother to support his 100 subjects, didn't that just confirm Tuo Luan's accusation?
For a moment, Temuge was so angry that his eyes turned red and his fists were clenched so hard that they made a crackling sound.

Fortunately, Hasar came to Temuge's rescue in time and said calmly, "Temuge doesn't have it, but I do! How about this? I'm willing to give up two hundred households of my subjects, along with Temuge's five hundred households, in exchange for three hundred households of the Zhierjin!"

"Hasar, if you say so..."

The all-powerful sorcerer Kuo Kuochu said slowly, "I will also contribute 500 households. Together with my eldest brother's 500 households, we will have a total of 1,000 households in exchange for 300 households of 1,000 people."

"It seems that Tongtian Wu is determined to defeat these three hundred Zhierjin families?" Hasar said angrily, "When we were on the battlefield, fighting the Kerait people, where was you, Tongtian Wu? Now that we have finally won, you, Tongtian Wu, come to reap the spoils?"

"What is this nonsense?"

Kuokuochu raised his eyebrows slightly and said calmly, "I pray to the Eternal Heaven for Temujin Khan day and night. Who can say that the Khan's quick turnaround was not due to the power of the Eternal Heaven? And..."

Hasar pressed on, "And what?"

"Fighting bravely? Others may say it's fine, but you, Hasar, if I remember correctly, were captured by Wang Han's army!"

"Tongtian Wu, you are going too far! Others are afraid of you, Tongtian Wu, but I, Hasar, am not afraid of you!" Kuokuochu brought up the story of Changshengtian, and no one could refute it. He brought up Hasar's experience of being captured, which directly touched Hasar's heart.

Hasar took a few quick steps and moved towards Kuo Kuo.

"I'm not afraid of you either!" Temuge followed closely behind Hasar.

"Hasar, Temuge, what do you want to do?"

Kuokuochu's six brothers were afraid that Kuokuochu would suffer a loss, so they stood up together and stood behind Kuokuochu.

Both sides rolled up their sleeves, and the situation was tense and ready to break out at any moment!
It has to be said that the distribution of spoils has always been a big problem for the grassland people.

After defeating the Tatars, the old enemy of Mongolia, Temujin's uncle left him with his people and went to join Jamuka because he was dissatisfied with the distribution of the spoils.

Now, the reason why Kokuchu and Hasar did not take action immediately was because Temujin's prestige was growing.

However, how to solve the problem was still a difficult issue for Temujin.

"Everyone, take your seats!" Temujin, who was sitting in the main seat, finally spoke. "For Mongolia to be where it is today, we have to thank the Eternal Heaven for its favor. The Wu Tongtian's prayers day and night have made a great contribution. The bravery of the soldiers back then was also crucial. As for how to distribute these Zhierjin people..."

Temujin looked around and finally looked at Zhao Shuo's face and said, "Ashuo, what do you think?
Zhao Shuo thought for a moment, then stood up and said loudly, "The Zhierjin are brave and good at fighting, and everyone wants them. I think we should first allocate 100 households to the family of Weidar who died in battle. Weidar was the Khan's brother-in-law and made great contributions to our Mongolia. Now Weidar's family is left with only an orphan and a widow, and they need the most courageous guards."

"Okay." Temujin nodded slightly and said, "The one hundred households of the Kereyid tribe that were given to Weidaer's family are the Zhierjin. What about the remaining four hundred or so Zhierjin households? Who do you think should be given them?"

Zhao Shuo bowed slightly and said solemnly, "Khan, please show mercy and allow me to exchange a thousand households of ordinary Kerait people for the remaining four hundred or so households of the Zhierjin."

Temujin was slightly surprised. He didn't expect Zhao Shuo to say that. "Oh? Why?"

"There are two reasons." Zhao Shuo smiled and said, "The Khan already said it when we were discussing the merits and rewards. Whether it was the Battle of Helan Zhenshatuo or the Battle of Zhezhe Yundu Mountain, I was the most meritorious. If that's the case, then it shouldn't be too much of a stretch for me to choose the spoils first."

Temujin smiled and said meaningfully, "That's the truth. But Ah Shuo, I'm afraid Tongtian Wu won't agree with what you said!"

"Tongtian Wu is dissatisfied? That's perfectly normal. I've requested over 400 households of the Zhierjin, more than the 300 households Tongtian Wu wanted. I'm afraid there are many who would be dissatisfied. However, what I want to say is, since we're talking about the blessing of Changshengtian, then Changshengtian blesses the Mongols and the Khan. What He wants most is to know who will lead these Zhierjin people?"

Tongtian Wu Kuo Kuochu snorted coldly and said, "Could it be that Changshengtian wants to give these Zhierjin people to you, Zhao Shuo? How come I don't know?"

Zhao Shuo smiled slightly and said, "That's because this is self-evident. There's no need for Changshengtian to explain it to Tongtian Wu."

"What do you mean?" Tongtian Wu asked.

Zhao Shuo said, "Tongtian Wu has said many times that Changshengtian protects the Great Khan and the Mongols in their unification of the grasslands. So, what use are these Zhierjin people to Tongtian Wu in helping the Mongols unify the grasslands? They're just guards. Tongtian Wu has the ability to see through heaven and earth, and he's favored by Changshengtian, so how could anyone harm him? I, Zhao Shuo, believe that what Changshengtian wants most is for the brave and warlike Zhierjin people to become the spearhead of the Mongols' unification of the grasslands. And the person who can best utilize these Zhierjin people is me, Zhao Shuo!"

"Yes! These Zhierjin people should be given an answer to Zhao Shuo!" As soon as Zhao Shuo finished speaking, Subutai was the first to speak in agreement.

"Give it to Brother Zhao Shuo!" Tolui shouted.

"To the Prince Consort Zhao Shuo!"

"These Zhierjin people falling into Zhao Shuo's hands will best serve the interests of Mongolia and the will of Changshengtian!"

……

The generals also responded one after another.

Kokochu held high prestige on the grasslands, and Genghis Khan was the Great Khan of Mongolia. Initially, there was ambivalence as to whether the 300 erjin households should be given to Hasar or Temuge. Some were even considering how to divide the remaining several hundred erjin households.

However, since Zhao Shuo wanted to argue, most people had no choice but to agree.

In terms of merit, no matter how guilty he was, Zhao Shuo was the one who made the most contributions in these two crucial battles, and everyone was convinced.

In terms of actual interests, letting Zhao Shuo lead these Zhierjin people is indeed most in line with the overall interests of Mongolia, and everyone is convinced!
And most importantly, the grasslands are huge! The population of the western grasslands is in no way less than that of the eastern grasslands.

It is still unknown who owns the entire grassland!

What are you arguing with Zhao Shuo about now?

As long as the whole grassland is unified, how many subjects will be needed? Why care about these hundreds of Zhierjin people?

Even Hasar and Temuge immediately changed their attitudes and supported Zhao Shuo: As long as the all-knowing wizard Kuokuo doesn't get too proud, it'll be fine!

Although Kuokuochu was unwilling, he was unable to refute the reasons Zhao Shuo gave in a hurry and was speechless for a while.

Seeing this, Temujin nodded with satisfaction.

Now is the time when we need unity. It is not a good idea to favor the brothers, or to favor Tongtian Wu, or even to distribute it roughly equally.

He asked Zhao Shuo to speak just now because he knew that Zhao Shuo was brave and resourceful and could handle this hot potato smoothly.

Zhao Shuo's speech was well-reasoned and touched Temujin's heart.

"Since it's recognized by everyone, then this Khan declares that the people of Zhierjin belong to Ashuo! Also, Ashuo, I have good news to tell you."

"What good news?"

"Have you forgotten that I still have a most important reward for you?" Temujin said with a smile, "I have made up my mind. In half a month, you and Hua Zheng will officially hold your wedding!"

"Thank you, Father Khan!"

At the beginning, when Zhao Shuo and Genghis Khan were fighting for Yundu Mountain, Hua Zheng and many female relatives stayed on the banks of the Banzhuni River.

Although Genghis Khan had sent people to report the victory after the Battle of Zhezheyundu, it was not until two days later that Hua Zheng and many female relatives came here to reunite with Genghis Khan and others.

Now that all the female family members have returned and the Kerait tribe has completely surrendered, it is time for Hua Zheng to marry Zhao Shuo in a grand ceremony.

It is both to fulfill the promise and to celebrate the great victory in the battle of Zhezheyundu!

(End of this chapter)