Ch.126Middle Path (1)

“Have you heard that story?”

The man standing right next to him immediately responded.

“What story?”

“They say a leader came from Mongolia to pay respects to His Majesty, and his body is like a Vajra Guardian.”

“A Vajra Guardian? Like the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King?”

At this time, various religions coexisted in China.

As a result, Taoism, the religion most widely believed by the common people, combined with Buddhism to create a guardian deity called the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

The Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had roots in Buddhism’s Vaisravana, the Guardian of the North.

Since Vaisravana guarded the northern side of Mount Sumeru, he was the most important guardian deity for the people of the Central Plains who frequently suffered invasions from northern tribes.

This is why the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King was depicted as large, massive, and muscular.

Taoist temples typically had at least one wooden or bronze statue of this muscular deity.

For this reason, the man compared Gurkhan’s physique to a Vajra Guardian or the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

“That’s right. I saw him from a distance, and he was nine chi tall with a muscular body.”

People of the Central Plains liked to exaggerate what they saw.

Because of this, Yesugei’s height, which was actually eight chi (about 184 cm), was exaggerated to nine chi, equivalent to 207 cm.

Of course, given Gurkhan’s large build, it was somewhat natural that he appeared taller than his actual height.

“Nine chi tall… is that even possible?”

At that time, the average height of people in the Central Plains was about 168 cm.

So a nine-chi giant, something out of novels or legends, was hard to believe.

When the other man expressed doubt, the man who had spoken originally became indignant.

“Are you saying you don’t believe me?”

“Of course not! How could I believe that a northern barbarian, of all people, could be that tall?”

In the eyes of the Central Plains people, barbarians were always ignorant and base creatures.

From their perspective, it was difficult to accept that these supposedly strong but ignorant and cunning people could possess the heroic stature of a nine-chi tall, muscular body.

“Hmph. If you don’t believe me, come with me and see for yourself.”

“What do you mean, come and see?”

“He was doing something strange there… anyway, he should still be there.”

Saying this, the man took his friend along.

After walking a short distance, they arrived at a place crowded with people.

Everyone was gathered at a distance, engaged in conversation.

“Oh my… he really is huge…”

“I know… if he’s that big… is he really…?”

“Hey! What indecent things are you women saying in broad daylight!”

After observing this chatter, the man led his friend toward the crowd.

There, as the man had described earlier, an enormously built man and dozens of muscular warriors accompanying him were walking down the road.

“My goodness… it’s true?”

“See, I told you.”

Though the man said something, his friend’s ears were already deaf to anything but the sight of the giant man.

The barbarian chieftain’s physique was truly extraordinary.

Even while riding a horse, his height seemed as imposing as a great mountain.

And beneath his leather clothing, typical of barbarians, muscles bulged prominently.

It truly gave the impression that the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King had manifested in person.

The other foreigners behind him were similar.

Though shorter in height, they possessed muscles comparable to the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

However, unlike the Heavenly King who was well-developed in both upper and lower body, these men who assisted the barbarian chieftain were only developed in their upper bodies.

Regardless, their physiques were certainly enough to capture everyone’s attention.

“Did you see that, brother?”

“Are you that pleased?”

“Of course. How often do we get to receive such awe-filled gazes from the Central Plains people who always look down on us as barbarians?”

I nodded at Munglig’s words.

By East Asian standards, the center of civilization had always been the Central Plains.

Because of this, forces outside civilization—the Eastern Yi, Northern Di, Western Rong, and Southern Man—were all dismissed as barbarians.

Among these barbarians, the Northern Di were considered impossible to civilize, unlike the Eastern Yi, Western Rong, or Southern Man.

Thus, it was common to both fear the northern barbarians and dismiss them as merely strong beings.

From the perspective of Mongols, this attitude from the Central Plains people was naturally irritating.

In this situation, with the Central Plains people now looking at us with awe, Munglig couldn’t help but feel pleased.

Additionally, the other Kheshig seemed to feel the same way, their shoulders slightly raised in pride.

As the Khan leading these men, I should have said something if they became too excited.

But this level was acceptable, so I only added a slight comment to Munglig’s words.

“You’re right. However, if it becomes excessive, it won’t look good and might invite trouble, so manage the Kheshig well.”

“Don’t worry, brother.”

Even while having this conversation, Munglig was quickly sending me hand signals.

The message was as follows: The defensive facilities in the north had not been fully repaired.

I immediately responded with a hand signal acknowledging this.

Then I turned my head and addressed the official guiding us.

“Excuse me.”

“Y-yes… please command me, Pagoda-Bear—I mean, Gurkhan.”

“I’ve heard that the north gate of Zhongdu is quite impressive. Would it be possible to see it?”

“The n-north gate, you say?”

“Yes.”

At my words, the official made a difficult expression.

But he couldn’t say no—I suspected he thought I would become suspicious if his reason for preventing us from going north wasn’t appropriate.

However, this was merely his perspective, so I addressed the official again.

“Is it difficult?”

“N-no, not at all. It’s just that we have a meal scheduled after seeing this place… would it be acceptable if I inquire about it after the meal and inform you then?”

“Very well.”

I nodded at this.

The official’s behavior alone was enough to verify that Munglig’s information was somewhat accurate.

Though not precise information, I could at least infer that something was happening in Zhongdu currently.

* * *

Following the official’s guidance, we moved to the dining area.

There, we were served delicacies rarely available in Mongolia.

Among them were vegetables, which were unfamiliar ingredients to Mongols who weren’t accustomed to them.

“The vegetables of the Central Plains taste bad. They taste too much like soil and are bland…”

“I think so too.”

As Munglig said, the vegetables of the Central Plains had a strong earthy taste.

It seemed too extreme to attribute this to poor cultivation.

Additionally, without the subtle sweetness typically found in vegetables, it appeared that heavy rainfall had likely washed away their flavor.

Of course, this was merely my speculation.

During this period, river flooding was not uncommon.

In the Jin Dynasty, there had been three consecutive floods during Emperor Zhangzong’s reign after the current Emperor Shizong.

I had read that these floods completely devastated the already impoverished Jin treasury.

The current era, the 12th century, was commonly known as the Medieval Warm Period.

This made it easier for plagues to spread and for frequent rainy seasons to cause rivers to overflow.

While I was thinking about this, the official approached and addressed me.

“How was your meal?”

“The meat and rice were both rich and delicious. However, the quality of the vegetables was poor, which is somewhat disappointing.”

The official showed a troubled expression.

Judging by his face, there was nothing to be done about the vegetables.

“I apologize for the inconvenience with your meal, Khan. If you’d like, I can have other food brought out.”

“No need. Excess is not good for the body. More food would only disrupt bodily balance.”

Saying this, I extended my hand toward Munglig.

Munglig then handed me the Buroktan he had prepared in advance.

Protein shake.

The meal served by the Jin Dynasty didn’t match the golden ratio of 5 parts protein, 3 parts carbohydrates, and 2 parts fat.

This was because Jin cuisine mostly consisted of foods quickly fried in boiling oil.

After filtering out such foods during the meal, the overall protein content was about 1 part deficient.

For this reason, I intended to supplement additional protein and fat through the Buroktan.

After I drank the Buroktan, Munglig and the Kheshig immediately drank theirs as well.

Then, with happy expressions, they began posing like protein supplement ambassadors.

“Indeed! For lacking protein, nothing beats this Buroktan!”

“That’s right! With protein fulfilled, I feel the power of God and Tengri flowing through my body!”

“I need to exercise right now!”

When the Kheshig said this, Munglig nodded with a pleased expression.

Then he looked at me and spoke.

“It seems the Kheshig want to move their bodies. Please permit them to exercise.”

Simultaneously, Munglig’s hands moved busily.

In response to his hand signal about exploring more of Zhongdu’s interior, I made an expression of reluctantly giving in to the Kheshig’s demands and granted permission.

“Sigh… very well. But make sure to move with the Jin official.”

“We are grateful for the Khan’s ocean-like generosity.”

Having received permission, Munglig left with most of the Kheshig, leaving only a few to guard me.

The official who had been watching all this blinked his eyes and looked at me.

“What are they doing?”

“P-pardon?!”

“My guards want to exercise, so please accompany them.”

“M-me, sir?”

“Yes. Who else here can guide them around Zhongdu?”

“But… what about attending to y-you, Khan?”

“Don’t worry about that. I plan to return and rest as is.”

There were servants and maids staying at my lodging.

So there was no particular need for the Jin Dynasty official.

“Um…”

“Come out now! It will be difficult if you try to catch up later!”

Munglig said this, urging the official.

The official had no choice but to follow Munglig with a dejected expression.