Ch.133Relay Station (4)

The entire ulus was busy with the development of postal relay stations and roads.

In the midst of all this activity, I rode alongside Munglig, surveying the surroundings.

“Why are you examining everything so meticulously, brother?”

I didn’t bother answering Munglig’s complaint.

Instead, I kept my eyes peeled, scanning the construction sites for a man who matched the portrait in my mind.

“Brother!”

“What is it?”

“I asked what you’re looking for so intently, but you didn’t answer.”

“I’m looking for someone.”

“Someone? Couldn’t you just order me or Lord Elunka to find them for you?”

Munglig was right.

As the ruler of the ulus, I could simply command my subordinates to find the person I was seeking.

That would have made the search easier.

But there was a reason I wasn’t doing that.

I wanted to confirm whether he truly possessed the talent to achieve great things in history.

This might sound strange, but I wasn’t certain whether this talented individual existing in this era would leave his mark in history.

Of course, it wouldn’t matter if he had some level of ability.

What mattered was whether he demonstrated that ability in everyday situations.

“It’s important to observe from a distance whether this person possesses the abilities I know of.”

“What kind of absurd—”

“Shh.”

At this, Munglig closed his mouth.

As he suggested, others might find my behavior absurd.

What sense did it make to secretly observe someone just to assess their abilities?

But as I mentioned earlier, I had my reasons.

“Enough chatter. Lower your voice.”

“Understood, brother.”

At my command, Munglig lowered his voice.

Then he gestured for the Kheshig to conceal themselves.

“Fortunately, he hasn’t noticed us yet.”

I said this while watching a man leading a squad of ten soldiers from a distance.

“Move faster!”

At the man’s shout, the squad under his command voiced their complaints.

“Why do we need to train so hard when there’s no battle?”

“That’s right. We need rest too!”

The man looked at them and pressed on.

“A soldier must prepare during times of peace. Only then can you protect your family and property when war breaks out, and make a name for yourself in battle.”

These weren’t words typically spoken by a commander of ten.

Because of this, one of the soldiers under his command responded curtly.

“You’re right, captain. But we’re just an arban. How can people like us gain fame in such peaceful times?”

“And we don’t even have property to protect.”

“I understand your grievances. But Gur Khagan appoints people based on ability, regardless of their background.”

After saying this, the man began to persuade his squad.

“That’s why we need to develop our abilities through training. Only then can we seize the opportunity that will soon come.”

“What opportunity?”

“When will it come?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the man revealed his thoughts.

“Everyone here knows that the great Gur Khagan prioritizes the establishment of roads and postal relay stations to stabilize the realm and develop the country.”

The soldiers nodded at his words.

“When the roads are restored, bandits will surely establish themselves and demand tolls. When that happens, the Khagan will order a bandit suppression campaign.”

At the man’s words, Munglig’s eyes widened.

He carefully addressed me.

“Brother, haven’t you only spoken to me about the bandit suppression?”

I nodded at Munglig’s question.

While I had established laws at Temujin’s request, I hadn’t yet discussed bandit suppression.

This was because road reconstruction needed to happen first.

I planned to deploy troops to eliminate bandits once the roads were somewhat established and postal relay stations were built.

As if aware of my thoughts, the man was already predicting that I would order a bandit suppression campaign.

While I was thinking this, the man continued making his case.

“That bandit suppression will be our crucial moment to make a name for ourselves. If we continue training until then, honing our martial skills and internalizing tactics, we can achieve the greatest military accomplishments among the many arbans throughout the ulus.”

At the man’s words, the previously indifferent soldiers’ eyes began to sparkle.

This was because the purpose of the training was now crystal clear.

In truth, most soldiers joined the army to achieve fame and success.

In their position, it was natural to seek opportunities to make a name for themselves.

The man understood the soldiers’ hearts and was arguing that the current training was necessary to achieve what they desired.

“Brothers of Jalayir, trust me. And trust your brothers in the arban. The training is hard now, but imagine the future where we become the best in the ulus through this training.”

“You’re right… the commander is right.”

“We need to train. We need to work harder.”

“I’ll focus on honing my martial skills so I can seize the opportunity when it comes.”

With renewed morale, the soldiers picked up their weapons and resumed training.

The man watched with a satisfied smile as he instructed them.

Having witnessed all this, Munglig addressed me.

“Despite being only a commander of ten, he’s talented enough to lead a great army, brother.”

“You think so too?”

“Of course. But… if I think the same way… did you come specifically to see this commander?”

“Yes. I came to confirm if he’s the commander I know.”

I said this while looking at the man.

A renowned general from the Jalayir tribe.

Among Temujin’s four generals, he was considered a strategist, but his martial prowess was said to rival that of Jebe or Jelme—truly one of the most talented individuals.

Originally, he had served under Jamukha, Temujin’s rival.

But unlike in the original history, Jamukha hadn’t managed to build his own force and had become Temujin’s anda, essentially becoming his subordinate.

As a result, history had been greatly distorted, and the man who had served under Jamukha in the original timeline was now barely getting by as an unknown commander of ten.

I never dreamed he would be under my command.

However, after meeting Chilaun at the last Kurultai, I had Elunka look for any notable commanders of ten or hundred, just in case.

Thanks to Elunka, who led the Tamma, I learned about several notable commanders.

Among them was this man.

“Muqali.”

The man’s identity was none other than Muqali.

The King of Lu, the founder of the Muqali royal family.

In the original history, unlike the princely states established after Kublai Khan, Temujin’s grandson and head of the Kurultai, his royal family had existed from earlier times.

Moreover, he was a king rather than a prince, which speaks volumes about his high status.

Genghis Khan trusted Muqali so much because of his outstanding abilities and character.

Muqali lived up to Genghis Khan’s expectations by defeating 650,000 Jin soldiers with just 70,000 troops.

Riding this momentum, he occupied key strategic points in the northern region of the Jin Dynasty, leading Genghis Khan to recognize his governance over the northern territories.

Muqali was a towering figure with such brilliant military achievements.

As the saying goes, “A promising tree shows its quality from its first leaves,” the young Muqali, despite his tender age, was already an outstanding talent among the ulus’s talented individuals.

“But I need to confirm if that’s really the case.”

However, this could also be my misunderstanding.

That’s why I intended to verify it myself.

“What do you mean?”

“I will order all arbans throughout the ulus to suppress the bandits.”

Muqali had read my administrative policies and predicted that there would be a large-scale, national bandit suppression campaign in the future.

To prepare for this, he encouraged his soldiers and continued the rigorous training.

Having overheard his plan, I was curious to see if Muqali’s strategy would succeed.

* * *

When I issued the national-scale bandit suppression order, officials welcomed my command with open arms.

This was because security needed to be ensured for the stable improvement of roads and construction of postal relay stations.

With security ensured, road repairs could progress more quickly.

Of course, it would also have been good to establish roads first and then suppress the bandits.

This would allow for quick bandit suppression using the established roads.

Both approaches had their pros and cons.

So it didn’t matter which came first.

Anyway, when the national bandit suppression order was issued to secure public safety, warriors who had been resting after the war were also pleased.

This was because those who achieved the greatest accomplishments in this bandit suppression campaign would have the opportunity to secure high positions in the newly established department and receive tremendous rewards.

The tremendous rewards mentioned here included gold and silver treasures, horses, livestock, and houses.

The ability to offer such substantial rewards was, thankfully, due to the Jin Dynasty.

“I feel this every time, but the Jin Dynasty is truly a good country.”

It was a good suzerain state that generously compensated its vassals for their tributes.

I wondered how many countries would dislike such a nation.

“Ah, the Song Dynasty would dislike it.”

As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, the Song Dynasty was also a vassal state of the Jin Dynasty.

As such, they had to pay tribute to the Jin Dynasty.

However, since the Song Dynasty was also an imperial state, they didn’t pay much tribute to the Jin Dynasty, which they considered lacking in legitimacy.

They even refused when the Jin Dynasty tried to bestow gifts in return for their tribute.

“What’s with that pride?”

Because of this misplaced pride, the Jin Dynasty had no choice but to bestow an enormous amount of gifts in return for the tribute brought by the Mongols.

In my eyes, both the Song and Jin dynasties were just nations swayed by pride.

But I had no intention of building such pride.

I was thoroughly pragmatic.

Of course, there were times when pride transcended practicality.

In such cases, one naturally had to prioritize honor over practicality.

But not now.

With Emperor Xizong in the Jin Dynasty, it was better to be pragmatic and wait for the Jin Dynasty to gradually collapse.