In late March of the first year of Xianchun, Hulagu (the younger brother of Kublai Khan), the Great Khan of the Ilkhanate, one of the four great Mongolian khanates, was assassinated.
Among the four major khanates in western Mongolia, Kipchak Khan Beerge, Chagatai Khan Aluhu and Ili Khan Hulagu unanimously agreed to go east to the Mongolian grassland to participate in the Kulitai Conference convened by Kublai Khan.
Ogedai Khan Haidujian stood on the side of Brother Alibu
They resolutely opposed this conference, refused to recognize Kublai Khan's position as the Great Khan, and threatened that if the other three countries went east, they would become the enemies of the Ogedai Khanate. Hulagu's accidental death led to the conflict between the major khanates.
They turned against each other and a war broke out.
After Kublai Khan moved the capital, he adopted Yin Tianya's suggestion and ordered Liu Bingzhong to build a new city and a large palace (the Forbidden City in later generations) ten miles northeast of the original Yanjing City. In the name of Changshengtian, he gathered the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and suppressed the northern dragon cave of the Han people.
After the war broke out among the four khanates, Kublai Khan sent envoys to the west in early April to ask the khanates to cease fighting, but the emissary had no effect.
In May, Kublai Khan held a conference involving the highest-level civil and military officials of Mongolia in his temporary palace in Yanjing (the central capital).
After discussing with the god Yin Tianya, Kublai Khan formulated the national policy of "imitating the Chinese system in literature and inheriting the Mongol system in martial arts". As soon as this national policy was announced at the conference, it was strongly opposed by most Mongolian officials.
"How can I, a Mongolian man, imitate the Han system?"
"I firmly oppose it."
Most of the Mongolians were outspoken and would say whatever they wanted. Ashu, Ali Hague, Sang Ge, etc. all came forward one after another, and objections arose one after another.
On the eve of the meeting, Kublai Khan visited Yin Tianya in a secluded hut and held detailed discussions with Yin Tianya throughout the night on the national policies for Mongolia's future development.
Yin Tianya finally asked: "Great Khan, now we, Mongolia, have occupied half of the country, and we will have a decisive battle with the Southerners in a few years. Judging from the current situation, both sides have their own strengths, but with the blessing of the Immortal God, we will definitely be able to unify the world. Great Khan
, let me ask you, do you want to be the successor of Genghis Khan in Mongolia, or do you want to be the ruler of the 19th dynasty of China?"
"Both."
Kublai Khan looked at these emotional opponents quietly, and then slowly said: "No one can doubt the national policy mentioned by Ben Khan. I, a Mongolian man, are invincible on the battlefield, but in terms of the way of governing the country, I still have
It’s not as good as the Han system with thousands of years of history.”
"Great Khan." Ali Hague calmed down and said: "I accompanied General Ashu in the Southern Dynasties. Most of the officials there were corrupt and incompetent. From what I can see, their governance capabilities are not as good as those of Mongolia."
Ali Hague, in his forties, was smart, eloquent, and versatile in both civil and military affairs. He served as the Councilor of the Zhongshu Province at that time. He was deeply loved by Kublai Khan and was a rare talent for governing the country among the Mongols.
"Ali Hague, after all, you have not understood the root cause of the symptoms of the Southern Dynasties. After thousands of years of historical accumulation, the Han people's system has been quite perfect. The decline of the Song people was not due to a bad system, but to the people themselves."
At this point, Kublai Khan suddenly pulled out the sword from his waist and said: "This sword is called Feilong. It was obtained by my father Khan Tuo Lei when he traveled south. Its craftsmanship is unparalleled in the world. When I came of age at the age of twelve,
At that time, my father Khan gave this sword to me as a token of my adulthood. From then on, I followed me in expeditions east and west, and made great achievements. Do you think that if this sword was placed on Brother Alibu, wouldn't this Khan be the same as him?
Enemy?"
Ali Hague was already smart, and he was one of the rare wise men among the Mongols. His understanding was much stronger than that of the generals who only knew how to fight. "The Khan's intention is understood, but..."
"Ali Hague, this Khan knows that you have always looked down on the Han people and other races. In fact, every person and every nation has its strengths and weaknesses, and those who govern the country should learn from their strengths to offset their weaknesses so as not to be biased. National Master, Mr. Shi, the two of you are going to
List."
The person whom Kublai Khan called the National Preceptor was none other than Mongolia's first National Preceptor, Phaspa, a young Tibetan monk less than thirty years old. Mr. Shi's name was Shi Tianze, an old Han nationality who was in his sixties and an official.
To the left prime minister of Zhongshu.
Kublai Khan pointed at these two people and said with a smile: "Ali Hague, one of these two is from Semu in the Western Regions, and the other is from Han. You claim to be both civilized and military. Compared with them, what are your chances of winning?"
"minister......"
"Ali Hague, the Han people have a famous saying, everything in the world is the land of the king; the coast of the land is the king's ministers. Under the rule of this Khan, all my Mongolian people are. Moreover, this Khan is only imitating the Han system. This is a big mistake.
There is something for the world, do you understand?"
Seeing that Kublai Khan was rarely so gentle, Ali Hague felt uneasy.
Kublai Khan's sharp eyes swept over the people present, and his tone suddenly became stern, and he continued: "Ali Hague, I will ask you again, will you become a Han if you wear Han clothes and speak a Han language?
?”
Ali Hague was already a little afraid of Kublai Khan, but now he broke into a cold sweat and said hurriedly: "I know I was wrong."
Kublai Khan snorted and said: "What this Khan is pursuing is a dualistic policy. In principle, we must consistently maintain the unity of Mongolia and maintain the spiritual inheritance, but we must also absorb the advantages of each nation."
, in order to realize the unified Mongol Empire, this established national policy does not need to be discussed again, whether you understand it or not, you only need to implement it."
"I obey the order." Mongolian officials, Han officials, and Semu officials said in unison.
"Militarily, the original strategy remains unchanged and we will continue to strengthen our Mongolian cavalry. Privy Council Envoy A Shu, Deputy Privy Envoys Zhang Rou and Zhang Wenqian, Qie Xue Army Commander Boyan, and Deputy Commander Zhang Hongfan are following orders."
"I respectfully listen to the imperial edict of the Great Khan."
Kublai Khan looked at these generals in the army with satisfaction and said: "The plan to conquer the south will be implemented concretely by the Privy Council. Within two years, a 200,000-strong army will be formed to conquer the south and send troops to the Southern Dynasty. General A Shu, Liu Zheng of Sichuan Province a few days ago
Memorial: I have given instructions to reorganize the navy, and the Privy Council will support it unconditionally, so that our Mongolian navy can
It must be able to compete with the Southern Song Dynasty navy within two years. In addition, the breakthrough point for the conquest of the Southern Dynasty must be selected within one year. Regarding this, I suggest that you discuss this with the generals of the Southern Dynasty. Boyan, Zhang Hongfan, I allow you to do so within two years.
Expand Qixue's army to 20,000, and then march south with Marshal A'shu."
"I obey your orders."
"National Preceptor."
"I'm here."
"This Khan will set up a General Council in Beijing to be in charge of the affairs of Buddhism and Tibetan areas across the country. The National Preceptor is also in charge of the affairs of the General Council. Under our Mongolian rule, Buddhism and Shamanism are the state religion, but there is no need to overly suppress other religious beliefs and allow them to develop.
.The Imperial Master and his subordinate Tibetan philologists re-created a new Mongolian script and translated it into Chinese."
"I obey the decree."
Pasiba was different from Yin Tianya. Pasiba was named a national counselor and naturally became one of the ministers of Mongolia. However, Yin Tianya had never served in the court, so he did not need to be a minister.
The Mongolian Zhongshu Province was established by Kublai Khan in 1660. It commanded hundreds of officials and was in charge of government and the military separately from the Privy Council. The Shangshu Province was abolished when the time came, and the Menxia Province was no longer established. It was not like the six departments in the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, the Mongolian Zhongshu Province is more important than the previous generation.
"Zhongshu's right prime minister Zhalu Huchi, Zhongshu's left prime minister Shi Tianze, Zhongshu Pingzhang's political affairs Ahema, Yelvzhu, Zhongshu's political participation governor Saiyi Azha'er obeyed the order."
"I respectfully listen to the imperial edict of the Great Khan."
"In addition to directing the government affairs of hundreds of officials, improving local branches, and laying the foundation for the provincial system, the main task of the Zhongshu Province in recent years has been to develop production to meet the food and grass needs of the army marching south. At the same time, it is preparing to establish the Yushitai to be responsible for hundreds of provinces.
official supervision duties. In addition, Ben Khan plans to try out
The implementation of the imperial examination system provides an additional way to select talents. Yelv Zhu is responsible for this matter. Saiyi Azhar, you continue to implement the paper currency system to ensure the supply of metals needed for the army's weapons, but the issuance of paper currency must be maintained at a reasonable limit.
Inside, it is strictly prohibited to depreciate at will like in the Southern Dynasty."
"According to the decree."
Kublai Khan's military and political orders were issued in an orderly manner, and everyone accepted them one by one.
"Everyone, you are all my good Mongolian men. You will do your best according to the order of this Khan. You will dominate the world and it will be just around the corner."
"The Great Khan has great talent and strategy, long live the foreign life."
"Haha." Kublai Khan's hearty laughter spread throughout Zhongdu and throughout Mongolia.