While Subutai would see that the Khaganate would stand under his reign, the erosion of unity was already happening well into his reign when the grandsons of the Khagan Temujin returned to their granted Khanates throughout the land. The events of the fierce competition between the Sons of the Son of Tengri had heavily alienated their families from one another from cousin to cousin to brother to brother [1] as well as splitting of old loyalties amongst the various tribes that made up the massive khanates and confederations that was the Khaganate.
In short Pax Mongolica would be a brief one.
The greatest concern following the election of Subutai as the Khagan was the division of territories throughout the Khaganate to the grandsons of Temujin who all jockeyed and vied for territories which had not been settled to them by their fathers unexpected deaths (the sons of Jochi and Ogedei the most unexpected of all). The only ones to escape this were the sons of Tolui who received portions of Europa, Persia, and the Indo-Ganges thanks his careful and early planning that would see their khanates largely solidified [2]. This applies to a lesser extent the sons of Chagatai who split the east between them with Mongolia, Manchuria, and Korea going to Mutugen and the rest going to Baldar south of these territories to the Roof Of The World. The biggest concern would be which of the sons of Jochi and Ogedei which would receive the territories of The World Roof, the Middle East, and the extensive territories of Siberia which all together could influence the central region of Transaxonia and the holy city of Samarkand [3].
Declaring the need for a Kurultai to clear up this pressing issue, Subutai Khagan summoned the sons of Jochi; Batu and Orda, and the sons of Ogedei; Guyuk, Khuden, and Khadan, to Samarkant. The wealth of the area from Egypt to the Roof of The World was extreme, the accumulated knowledge of the world and much in the way of wealth and more strategic concerns. Immediately Batu went for Khanship in the World’s Roof citing that it had been Jochi who had conquered the region with their grandfather, Subutai agreed to this and it was agreed amongst the others that Batu would be awarded the region. Next came the issue of Siberia, and when asked if Orda wished territory in the region he confirmed that he did not want any, and so this went to a contests of straws which Khuden lost, whereby he accepted the territory as his own. Next was the area of the Middle East, the territories being drawn out being the Khanate of Egypt, the Khanate of the Fertile Crescent, and the Khanate of Arabia.
The concern especially in the last territory at this time was that the Khaganate still planned on moving southward and destroying Mecca in a bid to end the dominance of Islam but the area had yet to be conquered. Despite retreating to Nubia, a Holy Jihad had been called to defend the region by the worlds Muslims and the naval fleets of the Arabs and other Muslims who had shown up had repulsed the Mongol’s first naval probes into the Red Sea. Optimism was on the fall, but the possibility was still there. Orda made a bid for Egypt, which the other two brothers argued against, but Batu came to the side of his brother! The matter was to be settled by the Khagan himself, and so with much careful thought Subutai gave the Khanate of Egypt to Guyuk much to the chagrin of Orda as then the Khagan promised Arabia to him, effectively giving the Fertile Crescent to Khadan.
This choice would create a dangerous rift between the sons of Jochi and the Khagan, especially as after a few years of struggle against Mecca and with no aid from either Guyuk or Khadan, Orda quit his claim on the region and would go westward to subordinate himself to Mongke as he invaded Italy. Subutai it was said had no choice in the affair, as he knew if he placed those three together then war would soon breakout as Jochi had the loyalties of the Anadolu Khanate. Speaking of the Anadolu Khanate, it had ridden the series of successions and submission into the Khaganate well, continuing to be dominated by the Oghuz Kayi Turks which had long ago conquered the region under Timur the Second [4] and upon seeing the new arrivals from the Steppe take their positions on all sides prepared to sit back and watch the fireworks-which thanks to overland trade routes were becoming very popular in Ankara.
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[1] As well as a Sister
[2] With Ariq coming off as the most stable
[3] The authority of the broad stretch of territory that surrounded Samarkant going to the Khagan.
[4] Not Temur Khagan, but the Timur who destroyed the remnants of the Roman Empire.
"The Mongol Period of the Tengri Khaganate" by Dr. Mustafa Kemal (1925)
"The consequent revival of open relations throughout the territories of the Khaganate, indeed even access to new territories, would spell what could be said as a new age for Tengriism. Alas while this is seen from today’s days and age as a great and good thing, at that time it was not so as this would lead to much social and civil strife within the Khaganate. To simply put it, while all roads lead to Tengri and Samarkant, the travelers didn’t necessarily like each other upon arrival."
-Chabi Boricsson, University of New Aachen
OOC: Oooo Foreshadowing. Discuss.
So Ends The Nan Dynasty
The Great Son of Tengri may have returned to the embrace of Tengri, and the current Khagan greatly discouraged infighting between the hotheaded Khans of the day and age but that did not mean that the invasions manned by the Tengriists ceased in the slightest from the acceptance of Subutai as Khagan to his death. From 1228-1272, the territories of the vast Tengri Khaganate marched onward to conquer and plunder! Sweeping in the east and the west, the non-Tengriists nations still had much to fear from them, even more so as these new Mongols who now lead the various Khanates were all the more hungrier for loot and territory. If any who gave thanks to their god(s) that the attacks of the Tengriists would cease they would be sorely disappointed as it would seem that Tengri was the one listening to his children’s prayers.
Plans for the invasion of Southern China began as early as 1235, when upon gaining control of his territory that consisted of much of China, Baidar began plans for invading the Nan Dynasty. Though these plans would be interrupted by revolts amongst the Chinese in his region of control he would see that an invasion force be outfitted by 1245, consisting of Mongols, Chinese, and Korean troops sent by his brother to aide him in his conquest of the south. For a few years prior to his invasion, he constantly moved small forces that were made to appear larger along the Yangtze river to create panic amongst the Nan Dynasty and each time they gathered up a force to the border he retreated his forces for them to appear on another border area. He did this repeatedly, aide from his extended cousin Batu (which sealed something of a peace between the two) also kept the Nan Dynasty wary of their western border. Then in September 1245 he struck at Anqing, crossing the Yangtze and invading the Nan Dynasty.
Though by this point the state of the Nan Dynasty could be called into question, as the Emperor Zhenzong had in his hedonistic style allowed the imperial coffers to be drained and grew up massive discontent between himself and many of the powers within the government and broad society within and without China. The most infamous being the completion of his "Grand Sailing Palace" in 1233 where effectively in ways it could be said he fled China as he sailed around the expanse of the Southern Sea, from the Nanguo (Australia) to India and to Japan on a few occasions. Accompanied by the majority of the Nan’s naval forces the eastern coastline became sites for raids by pirates from Japan and the Buddhist Kingdoms of Indonesia ran rampant through the archipelago even raiding the Pearl river on occasion. As the Dai Viet escaped the grip of the Nan Dynasty, the unity that had helped the Nan Dynasty survive and build a large trading empire was slipping away under excess.
To curb this the officials at Fuzhou the capital, put a limit on the Emperor’s spending in 1244 which sparked a massive outrage from the Emperor who proceeded to return to Fuzhou and burn the city to the ground and loot his own wealth from the ruins with his loyal force of naval admirals. This sparked a civil war within the Nan Dynasty that saw Zhenzong flee from the mainland, going from port to port and at each one being rejected all across the South Sea. Finally returning in late 1245 he had just enough time to see his Dynasty crumble before him, as returning to Fuzhou the Mongols poured southward, battering aside the poorly funded and demoralized garrisons.
Baidar made his way to Fuzhou where Zhenzong attempted to rally a defense but the previous damages done to the defenses by his own hands caused the city to be breached. The navy of the Nan’s effectiveness by this point had dropped greatly as several ships fled immediately, though a handful did stay to take refugees from the city. Reportedly when the Mongols set fire to his "Grand Sailing Palace" instead of swimming overboard he stayed aboard and died in the flames in atonement for his years of shame. In the end, Baidar would claim the Mandate of Heaven for himself as his army swept through the resistance in battles over the next two years.