Ch.125Journey (5)

# Zhongdu Daxingfu, the capital of the Jin Dynasty.

It was the city known as Beijing in modern times.

As befitting the capital of the Jin Dynasty, its scale was immense.

Pavilions that could have appeared in martial arts novels stood tall against the sky,

while roads paved with intricately carved stones stretched far into the distance.

Its scale and grandeur were truly overwhelming.

By comparison, the capitals of Western Xia and Western Liao looked almost laughable.

“This is Zhongdu Daxingfu, Khan.”

“Indeed, it’s an impressive scale.”

Hearing my words, Zhang Hao nodded with a smile.

Judging by his expression, it seemed he had a purpose in deliberately taking me around like this.

His intention appeared to be showcasing their national power to prevent Mongolia from taking any action against the Jin Dynasty.

Throughout medieval times and into the modern era, many nations had used this method.

Even looking at neighboring countries, the purpose was clear when they deliberately invited foreign heads of state to military parades.

Zhang Hao seemed to be intentionally guiding me along magnificent routes with similar intentions.

However, contrary to the Minister’s intentions, I knew the internal affairs of the Jin Dynasty well.

The ruling class of the Jin Dynasty was mostly Jurchen people from Manchuria.

And the subjugated class was the Han people.

The Jurchen, who were the minority, were vastly outnumbered by the Han.

With their small numbers and relatively undeveloped culture, most Jurchen had already been sinicized.

In this situation, the ruling class was exploiting the subjugated Han people while indulging in luxury and pleasure.

As a result, the Jin Dynasty was currently out of money.

Coming from modern times, I knew this fact all too well.

Therefore, I didn’t consider the Jin Dynasty to be a powerful nation that would be difficult to overthrow.

However, Mongolia currently needed to focus on internal affairs.

Starting a war without properly integrating Western Xia and Western Liao would only benefit the Song Dynasty and Goryeo.

Although the two countries were allies, they weren’t trustworthy.

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, if we failed to completely subdue the Jin Dynasty, the damage would inevitably fall on the Ulus.

If Mongolia suffered great damage and gained nothing, the Song Dynasty and Goryeo wouldn’t just stand by and watch.

Of course, there was a way to prevent the two countries from taking advantage—by calling on allies when war broke out.

But it was uncertain whether the Song Dynasty and Goryeo would send troops.

As history proved, when Goryeo was in crisis, the Song Dynasty didn’t send troops.

Likewise, Goryeo didn’t send troops when the Song Dynasty was in danger.

It was absurd to think that these two countries would send troops to help Mongolia, which they viewed as barbaric.

The alliance with both countries was merely to diplomatically isolate the Jin Dynasty.

Therefore, expecting military aid from the Song Dynasty and Goryeo was nothing but a vain hope.

While I was lost in these thoughts, Zhang Hao addressed me.

Judging by his expression, he seemed to have mistaken my silence for being awestruck by Zhongdu’s magnificence.

“Let’s head to your lodgings first. It would be best for you to rest there and then proceed to the imperial palace when Emperor summons you.”

“I’ll do that.”

I followed Zhang Hao to the lodgings.

Upon arrival, an enormous number of male and female servants were standing there.

“What is this?”

“These are servants who will assist you during your stay, Khan. Please use them as you wish.”

Zhang Hao said this while giving me a subtle smile.

From his words, I could roughly understand why he had assigned so many servants.

The implication was clear: choose whoever appeals to you, regardless of gender.

By modern standards, this was truly absurd.

However, in this era, homosexuality was more common than one might think.

Even King Mokjong of Goryeo was recorded as homosexual.

Anyway, I was already struggling with defensive battles, so I had no intention of taking any women.

“I understand. But when can I meet the Gurkhan of Jurchen Gurun?”

To this, Zhang Hao made an apologetic expression and carefully spoke.

“He’s been busy overseeing state affairs recently… it’s difficult to say for certain.”

“I see.”

“I’ll let you know as soon as possible. In the meantime, feel free to explore inside or outside the imperial palace.”

I nodded at Zhang Hao’s words.

As soon as he left, I settled in the room and called for Munglig.

“The Jurchen have become just as corrupt as the Han people, brother.”

“Indeed. They’re completely black-hearted.”

The fact that I couldn’t meet the Jin Emperor immediately after coming such a long way meant only one thing.

They intended to keep me here and stall for time as much as possible.

Of course, due to the Jin Dynasty’s need to save face, the maximum period would be about two weeks.

“Are they planning to do something strange like they did when they killed our ancestor Ambaghai Khan?”

“That won’t happen. The current emperor is the one who killed Emperor Hailing.”

The Jin Emperor Shizong hated Emperor Hailing more than anyone.

It was highly unlikely that he would repeat the same action that killed Ambaghai Khan.

Even if he were willing to bear the political consequences of killing me, he wouldn’t gain much.

To be precise, Emperor Shizong would lose more, so there was no reason to assassinate me or publicly execute me.

And if he really wanted me dead, it would have been easier to send assassins while I was on my way here.

“Originally, the Jin Emperor demanded that I pay tribute to avoid diplomatic isolation. In that situation, I responded to his request and came here, so if anything happens to me here, his reputation would be greatly damaged.”

Hearing my words, Munglig nodded with a skeptical expression.

“Besides, there are more servants than I expected.”

“It seemed like they were placed here for you to enjoy men or women.”

“Yes, I thought so too. But I don’t think that’s all.”

As I said this, I slightly turned my head.

Immediately, I sensed a presence behind us.

“Place the Kheshig around. Unlike in the Ulus, here even the walls have ears.”

Munglig gave a short bow.

Then he gave instructions to the Kheshig through hand signals.

The Kheshig took positions outside my room with disciplined postures.

“It might be a bit uncomfortable, but you should stay here too.”

“It’s not uncomfortable at all. We’ve all been cramped together—you, me, and the Kheshig—throughout the journey here, haven’t we?”

I nodded at Munglig’s words.

Not only for exercise but also for my safety, we had all stayed in the same ger throughout the journey here.

By staying together like this, we could respond quickly even if assassins attacked.

While I was thinking about this, a signal arrived from the Kheshig outside.

It was a signal indicating that there were no Jin servants around.

“Now that there are no listening ears, let’s get back to the main point. If there’s no summons from the Emperor tomorrow, let’s explore Zhongdu together.”

“Are you planning to scout the interior of Zhongdu in preparation for war?”

I nodded.

“Yes. If we fully absorb Western Liao and build up enough national power to completely subdue the Jin Dynasty in a single battle, exploring the interior of Zhongdu will be very helpful.”

As I mentioned earlier, I had no intention of letting Goryeo and the Song Dynasty benefit.

Therefore, I planned to mobilize troops at once and subdue the Jin Dynasty in one swift move.

To do that, I naturally needed to target Zhongdu Daxingfu, where the Jin Emperor resided.

“So rest well today.”

“Understood, brother.”

And so passed our first day in Zhongdu Daxingfu, the capital of the Jin Dynasty.

From tomorrow, I planned to explore the capital and gather information.

* * *

As predicted, the Emperor postponed the audience, using the excuse of being busy with state affairs.

In response, I pretended to be angry and expressed my dissatisfaction to the imperial official.

“Does the Jin Dynasty have no respect for those who come to pay tribute?”

“I apologize, Khan. Please… please calm your anger.”

The official standing before me was sweating nervously.

The reason a low-ranking official came instead of Zhang Hao was clear.

They sent him as a scapegoat, anticipating my anger.

I was well aware of this and didn’t want to vent my anger on an innocent official.

However, if I didn’t express my displeasure, the Emperor might become suspicious, so I had no choice.

“I can’t contain my anger. If I stay here, I’ll become even more furious.”

“We… we anticipated that and pre… prepared an outing for you, Khan.”

“An outing?”

“Yes. First, you can explore the interior of Zhongdu and enjoy some entertainment…”

“Very well.”

The official’s expression showed relief.

He then headed outside to prepare for the outing.

After confirming he had left, I spoke to Munglig.

“Did you memorize what I gave you yesterday?”

Munglig nodded with a half-sleepy expression.

“It was a bit difficult, but I memorized it, brother. By the way… where did you learn this?”

Munglig said this while showing me a paper.

On the paper, though somewhat crudely drawn, were various hand gestures.

Hand signals.

A signaling system vaguely familiar to any Korean man who had completed military service.

“I created it.”

Hand signals themselves had existed since ancient times.

However, the hand signals Munglig was holding were modern ones.

Therefore, it was impossible to lie and say I had referenced them from Song or Jin literature.

For this reason, I had no choice but to brazenly claim I had created them.

“You created this, brother? That’s impressive.”

“Don’t flatter me. If you’ve memorized it all, pass it around to the Kheshig so everyone can learn it.”

“Understood, brother.”

I planned to have them memorize these hand signals before exploring the Jin capital.

This was necessary to maintain minimal security from the listening ears scattered throughout the city.