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

Chapter 343 Dali executes envoy, China is in an uproar!
April 16, 1252, which is the third year of Zhiyuan.

Zhao Shuo's envoy, Zhao Bixie, entered the royal palace of the Dali Kingdom.

Zhao Bixie was originally a member of the Song Dynasty's imperial family. He volunteered to persuade Ryukyu to submit and entered the officialdom of Zhao Shuo Khanate.

Now, having accumulated merit, he holds the position of Assistant Minister of Rites and Viscount of Boni County, making him a mid-level official in the Yuan Dynasty. His main mission in coming to Dali this time is to persuade the Dali Kingdom to surrender and bring Dali into the territory of the Yuan Dynasty.

"Under the whole heaven, all land belongs to the king. On the shores of the earth, all people are subjects of the king. How can Dali be an exception?"

"Now, His Majesty is willing to bestow upon you the great grace of Heaven and grant you the right to surrender. After your surrender, Duan Xiangxing, the ruler of Dali, will be granted the title of Duke of Dayuan and will move to Zhongdu with his family. He will receive an annual salary of eight thousand taels of silver, which will be hereditary and will last as long as the country. The Prime Minister Gao Taixiang will receive the same treatment as the ruler of Dali."

"Not only that, all the wealth in the Dali Kingdom's treasury will belong to the Duan and Gao families. The floating wealth of the Gao and Duan families of Dali, as well as all the floating wealth of the Dali temples, will be preserved. Your Majesty will not take a single penny."

"All Dali officials, Your Majesty guarantees the safety of their lives, homes, and private property!"

"Since the beginning of our military campaign, our Emperor has never bestowed such a magnificent grace. You must consider this carefully and not miss this opportunity!"

"Otherwise, when the heavenly army arrives, everything will be destroyed, and you will all lose your heads, your children, your wealth, and everything else!"

Zhao Bixie spoke eloquently in the Golden Hall of the Dali Royal Palace.

Zhao Shuo's generous terms to the Dali Kingdom were unprecedented.

It's a very simple principle. Although Dali was clearly distinct from China in this era, this country, with Yunnan as its main body, belonged to China during the Qin, Han, and Northern and Southern Dynasties. In later generations, it was not only completely incorporated into the Chinese territory, but also became one of the "Eighteen Inland Provinces".

Since they were all on his side, Zhao Shuo was unwilling to commit further bloodshed. It would be best if Dali could be peacefully reintegrated into the Chinese territory.

Of course, this is just a choice of methods.

The Yuan Dynasty's determination to annex Dali was unbreakable.

Zhao Shuo didn't know how long he would live, or whether he could unify the world. But if he couldn't even take back Yunnan, he might as well just kill himself!
Unfortunately, Zhao Shuo's goodwill toward Dali was not accepted by the people of Dali.

"Nonsense! Zhao Shuo greatly underestimates the heroes of the world!"

After listening, Gao Taixiang flew into a rage and said, "Although the Great Yuan is powerful, my Dali also has a territory of thousands of miles, with hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers, and we have the Cangshan Mountains, Erhai Lake, and dense forests and miasma to rely on. If Zhao Shuo wants to swallow Dali whole, he will surely break his teeth!"

Zhao Bixie sneered, "Dense forest miasma? Annam also had dense forest miasma, but where is Annam now? Do you, Gao Taixiang, want the people of Dali to follow in the footsteps of the people of Annam?"

"Dali is not Annam!"

Gao Taixiang said confidently, "How powerful was the Tang Dynasty of China back then? However, the Tang Dynasty could make Annam submit, but it could not destroy Nanzhao! Emperor Xuanzong of Tang launched two expeditions against Nanzhao, losing hundreds of thousands of soldiers and generals, and returned empty-handed."

"On the surface, the Tang Dynasty declined due to the An Lushan Rebellion, but in reality, it was because the conquest of Nanzhao resulted in the loss of all the elite troops in Guanzhong and the rise of the border armies. The Tang Dynasty actually declined because of Nanzhao!"

"If Zhao Shuo wants to reenact the Tang Dynasty story, my Dali Kingdom will fight to the bitter end! If the Tang Dynasty story is ever repeated, it is not impossible for my Dali army to enter Chengdu!"

Zhao Bixie nodded slightly and said, "Alright, I understand what the Gao family of Dali means."

He paused, then looked at Duan Xiangxing and asked, "So, what does the Dali Duan family have to say?"

"Hmm?" Gao Taixiang's cold gaze turned towards Duan Xiangxing.

The nominal ruler of the Dali Kingdom was surnamed Duan, but since two hundred years ago, the power of the country had fallen into the hands of the Gao family.

The emperor of Dali was not much better than a puppet.

Unable to withstand Gao Taixiang's pressure, Duan Xiangxing carefully chose his words and said, "Although the Emperor of the Great Yuan has good intentions, I dare not easily abandon the legacy left by our ancestors."

"I understand."

Zhao Bixie said, "Then I will return to the Great Yuan and inform His Majesty of Dali's intentions."

"Wait a minute!"

Gao Taixiang snorted coldly and said, "Zhao Bixie, what do you take Dali for? After disrupting the morale of my army and the people, you think you can just walk away? There's no such easy thing in the world."

Zhao Bixie asked, "What do you want to do?"

"Someone is coming!"

"exist!"

"Drag this envoy of Zhao Shuo away. First, cut off his nose, then chop off his head, and have Zhao Shuo's deputy take his head back! This is Dali's official response to Zhao Shuo!"

When Zhao Bixie tried to persuade Srivijaya to submit, his ear was cut off by the Srivijaya people. This time, Gao Taixiang wanted to cut off Zhao Bixie's nose before killing him, as a severe humiliation to Zhao Shuo.

"Yes."

The palace guards dragged Zhao Bixie away.

Zhao Bixie didn't spout any nonsense about "not killing envoys in a conflict between two countries," nor did he show any panic. Instead, he burst into laughter.

"Thanks! Gao Taixiang, thank you so much!"

"Although I am a member of the Song imperial family, I was born a commoner. Thanks to His Majesty's great favor, I have only been granted the title of viscount and appointed as a minor official in the Ministry of Rites. Who will know the name of Zhao Bixie a thousand years from now?"

"Today, I, Zhao Bixie, will die, and the entire Dali Kingdom will be buried with me. My name will surely be remembered in history. His Majesty will also bestow upon me the highest honors, grant my wife and children titles and privileges, and let me live out my days in glory! In this life, I have done right by the country, I have done right by my wife and children, and I have done right by myself. It has been worth it! This life has been worth it!"

Gao Taixiang remained expressionless, coldly waved his hand, and said, "Take him away!"

"Yes!"

Zhao Bixie was pushed out of the palace by the armored soldiers in front of the palace.

Duan Zhixiang quickly advised, "Prime Minister, please reconsider! If you don't want to surrender, then don't surrender. Why kill Zhao Shuo's envoy and leave Dali and the Yuan Dynasty with no room for maneuver?"

"Hmph, what I want is for Dali and Dayuan to have no room for maneuver!"

Historical records indicate that the Mongols attacked Xiangyang several times without success. In order to conquer the Song Dynasty, they bypassed the city and attacked Dali.

As a result, Gao Taixiang directly killed the Mongol envoy who had come to persuade them to surrender, demonstrating his irreconcilable enmity with the Mongols.

Now, his resolve is even stronger!
Gao Taixiang said, “Your Majesty, don’t think I don’t know about your royal family’s secret dealings with Zhao Shuo! I also know that the Han people of Dali are all hoping that Zhao Shuo will come to their aid so they can return to their homeland! Countless people in Dali despise our Gao family, fear Zhao Shuo, and do not want to resist resolutely! Today, we will extinguish all your hopes!”

Just kidding! The Gao family controlled the Dali Kingdom, how comfortable were they living? What's the point of them living as recluses in Zhongdu? On this issue, not only Gao Taixiang himself, but the entire Gao family of Dali were united in their attitude: they would absolutely not give up their foundation in Dali!
Moreover, the story of Tang's conquest of Nanzhao gave them great confidence.

Perhaps, under the leadership of the Gao family, Dali will defeat Zhao Shuo's attack, and the Gao family will be able to use their prestige to completely drive the Duan family off the throne and become the true royal family of Dali!
Duan Xiangxing trembled with fear when Gao Taixiang exposed his secret, and asked, "Prime Minister... what exactly are you planning to do?"

Gao Taixiang said, "Your Majesty, rest assured. With a great battle imminent, I will not do anything to the Dali Duan family. I will just keep a close watch on you to prevent any unrest among the people."

"The people of Dali are even simpler. Anyway, I've already killed Zhao Shuo's envoy, so how could Zhao Bixie possibly come back to life? I just need to spread the word that the people of Dali will fight Zhao Shuo to the death for everything he has done in Annam."

"As for the Han people... to prevent them from becoming Zhao Shuo's accomplices, I will order their ears to be cut off and have the Dali people keep a close watch on them!"

"In this way, Dali will be united in its resolve. I refuse to believe that Zhao Shuo can swallow Dali whole!"

"you you you……"

Duan Xiangxing had countless things he wanted to say to Gao Taixiang. For example, he said that the reason why Nanzhao was able to resist the Tang Dynasty was because there was also the Tubo Kingdom at that time.

Nanzhao was able to rival the Tang Dynasty for a long time thanks to the support of Tibet.

For example, if all the ears of the Han people were cut off, how would Zhao Shuo retaliate?

What innocent people are the people of Dali? Once Dali is destroyed, the Gao family is gone, so be it. Why make the people of Dali perish with them?!
The people of Dali have supported the Gao family for two hundred years. How did the Gao family treat these people of Dali?

However, Duan Xiangxing is currently in dire straits and can hardly save himself, so how could he really dare to criticize Gao Taixiang?

In the end, he simply stood up, bowed deeply to Gao Taixiang, and said, "In that case, I entrust the affairs of Dali to Minister Gao. I am old and lack virtue, and I am not worthy to be the emperor of Dali. I will now become a monk."

“Very well, then let Duan Xingzhi be the Emperor of Dali.”

Although Duan Xiangxing was a puppet emperor, he had been making some underhanded moves with the Zhao Shuo Khanate, and Gao Taixiang had long disliked him.

Duan Xiangxing's son, Duan Xingzhi, is still young and much easier to control than Duan Xiangxing.

Gao Taixiang naturally had no reason to object.

However, he never dreamed that he had provoked such a powerful being.

When the deputy envoy returned to China with Zhao Bixie's body, the entire country was in an uproar!
The Chinese have once again produced their black ledger!

Dali and the Song Dynasty maintained a relatively peaceful relationship, with little to settle between them. However, the Nanzhao Kingdom, the predecessor of the Dali Kingdom, had a deep-seated blood feud with the Han Chinese.

In the third year of the Dahe era of Emperor Wenzong of Tang, the Nanzhao Kingdom broke its alliance with the Tang Dynasty and launched an invasion of Western Sichuan. The Tang army's resistance was unsuccessful, and Nanzhao captured several cities in succession, eventually taking Chengdu prisoner. Tens of thousands of men, women, children, and artisans were taken abducted and enslaved. When the Nanzhao army escorted the prisoners to the banks of the Dadu River, the commanding general declared: "Crossing this river means entering Nanzhao territory. From this point on, you will forever part from your homeland. You may weep and wail as you please!"

Upon hearing this, the captured Han Chinese were all filled with grief, and 30% of them threw themselves into the river to commit suicide.

After that, Nanzhao adopted a two-pronged approach towards the Tang court: on the one hand, it sent envoys to pay tribute and pretended to submit; on the other hand, it continuously harassed Jianchuan.

In the tenth year of Emperor Yizong's Xiantong reign (1261), the Nanzhao leader, Chief Long, personally led an army of 50,000 across the Dadu River, successively conquering several prefectures in southern Sichuan. The following year, the Nanzhao army besieged Chengdu, encountering fierce resistance from the defending forces. Just as the outer walls of the city were about to fall, Tang reinforcements approached, forcing Nanzhao to withdraw. Before leaving, however, they ordered the ears and noses of all captured Han Chinese to be cut off, allowing them to return alive. Historical records indicate that seven or eight out of ten people in Chengdu suffered this cruel punishment at the time.

Such a deep-seated blood feud is recorded in the history books of China!
Today, Gao Taixiang's act of cutting off Zhao Bixie's nose and the ears of all the Han Chinese people in Dali has reminded the Chinese people of this painful past.

Back then, Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, drew a line with a jade axe, promising never to conquer Dali again, thus forgiving you for past grievances.

Later, when the Yuan Dynasty was established, His Majesty offered you generous terms to surrender, and you were ungrateful.

Not only did they kill the messenger, but they also cut off his nose. What kind of nonsense is this?

"Our bodies, hair, and skin are given to us by our parents." Only slaves would cut off their ears or noses as a mark!

This is treating the envoys of our Great Yuan Dynasty like slaves! This is trampling on the dignity of the Great Yuan Dynasty!

And most importantly, who doesn't remember the magnificent power and prestige of China during the Han Dynasty?

The Southern Yue killed the Han envoy and slaughtered his entire population, reducing the territory to nine commanderies. The King of Wan killed the Han envoy and had his head displayed at the northern gate. The Goguryeo killed the Han envoy and was immediately exterminated!

Now that the Yuan Dynasty has been established and its strength far surpasses that of the Qin and Han Dynasties, does it not even have the temper of the Han Dynasty?

Destroy Dali to avenge the humiliation of the Tang Dynasty for the Chinese people and allow the descendants of Han Chinese who had been stranded in Dali to return to their homeland!
It's important to understand that Dali is currently the world's leading center for lacquer carving. This is largely due to the large number of Han Chinese artisans that the Nanzhao Kingdom abducted from Chengdu.

Before Zhao Bixie's deputy envoy even arrived in Zhongdu, memorials were already flying to the Yuan Dynasty court like snowflakes.

Zhongdu City, inside the Yuzao Palace.

"Meng Gong, what's your opinion on the matter of Dali?" Zhao Shuo asked Meng Gong, the Deputy Privy Councilor, with a burning gaze.

Meng Gong said, “Dali is such a small country that it dares to kill an envoy of our Great Yuan. If we do not immediately annihilate it, what face will our Great Yuan court have? How will we explain this to the people of the world? I request to personally lead the army to attack Dali and present the Dali ruler and his ministers before the palace!”

Meng Gong's merits alone were far from sufficient to qualify him for the position of Deputy Privy Councilor.

However, when it comes to promoting officials, one must consider not only merit but also ability. For this "master of mobile defense," merely commanding a single banner of Han troops was a waste of his talents. Therefore, Zhao Shuo promoted him to Deputy Privy Councilor.

However, others may not understand.

They certainly wouldn't dare to speak ill of Zhao Shuo, but their gazes toward Meng Gong were inevitably meaningful, regarding him as a sycophantic minister.

Meng Gong himself was also uneasy, hoping to make some real achievements that would convince others.

The execution of the envoy by Dali this time has indeed given Meng Gong an opportunity!
Zhao Shuo summoned Meng Gong for a private audience today for the same reason.

However, Zhao Shuo shook his head slightly after hearing Meng Gong's words and said, "I don't want any prisoners of the Dali rulers and ministers, much less any prisoners presented to the palace by you."

"This……"

Meng Gong's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately nodded, saying, "Your subject understands!"

"very good!"

Zhao Shuo nodded in satisfaction and said, "Yunnan was once part of China, and later a vassal state of the Tang and Song dynasties. Now that the Great Yuan has been established, it is time for it to rejoin the Chinese territory. You will be the deputy commander, and the thirteenth prince, Zhao Zhuo, will be the commander-in-chief. Take this land for me!"

The word "Yunnan" has existed for a long time. During the Han Dynasty, there was a Yunnan County, and during the Three Kingdoms period, there was a Yunnan Prefecture. During the Tang Dynasty, Piluoge, the leader of the Nanzhao Kingdom, was enfeoffed as the King of Yunnan.

Pfft!
Meng Gong bowed deeply and said, "I am willing to die for Your Majesty!"

(End of this chapter)