Kublai Khan was indeed just a prince, but he was not ordinary. This person's ability is still very strong, especially the ability to lead soldiers to fight. And the reason why he was able to rise from a prince to an emperor is not unreasonable.
Kublai Khan established the Yuan Dynasty not as a succession, but through the form of war. At that time, after the death of the Mongol Khan Möngke, Kublai Khan and Ali Buge brothers came to fight and began a four-year war, and finally Kublai Khan won the victory and established the Great Yuan. It can be seen that Kublai Khan was able to establish the Yuan Dynasty by force. But at the same time, other factors should not be overlooked.
So what was the reason why Kublai Khan was able to establish the Yuan Dynasty?
First, the Mongol Khanship succession system at that time was not the inheritance of the eldest son, but was elected by the Kuritai Congress, but at the same time, the choice of the Great Khan could not be ignored, and its influence was still very large. In addition, Mongolia also has the so-called "young son shouzao", so the early Mongol heir system seems to be clear, but it is also quite chaotic. Especially after Möngke's death, his younger brother Kublai Khan and Ali Bu brother competed for the throne.
And this also gave Kublai Khan a huge opportunity, and he was able to become the Great Khan in this way. Otherwise, if there is a clear system of succession, then even if Kublai Khan disobeys, I am afraid that he will not receive much support.
Therefore, it is difficult for us to find from the Central Plains Dynasty that a determined prince succeeds and other brothers dare to seize the throne by force, and there are not too many such examples, because this is the ancestral system, and if you want to violate it, you have to see if you have the strength to rebel.
Second, Kublai Khan's strength cannot be underestimated. He was not an idle prince like the Central Plains Dynasty, especially the Great Qing Dynasty. When Kublai Khan was still in the residence, a large number of intellectuals, mainly Han Chinese, gathered around him and became Kublai Khan's staff. After Meng Ge ascended to the throne, he also asked him to lead the affairs of the Southern Han Dynasty.
In this way, Möngke made Kublai Khan bigger step by step, and he also relied on continuous war to fight a piece of the sky, gathered a lot of civilian and military generals around him, and obtained a team with super combat effectiveness, which is also the fundamental reason why he dared to finally pass the form of war.
Third, Kublai Khan seized the opportunity. For Kublai Khan, the opportunity was rare. Möngke died suddenly and violently, leaving no last words, which also became the fuse for them to seize the Khan's position.
In order to compete for the throne, Kublai Khan won over many nobles. Originally, Ali Bu Brother had the advantage, and Kublai Khan was just a prince with a soldier, and there were many such people, although he had great influence, he did not necessarily have the ability to compete for the Khan's position. However, he won over many princes, so that he also gained a lot of support.
With a legitimate reason, Kublai Khan and Ali Buge launched a military struggle, and when it comes to war, Ali Bu Ge is obviously not an opponent.
Of course, this path was not smooth, and although Kublai Khan won the final victory, his contradictions with the Mongol nobles also grew, which eventually split the Mongol Empire.