Ch.136Utsu River (2)

“Is that a lie?”

“Is that even possible?”

“Shouldn’t we see it for ourselves?”

Murmurs spread among the people.

To verify if his words were true, I raised my hand to summon a Mongol warrior.

“Cut that stone with the sword.”

“I obey the Khagan’s command.”

The warrior who received my order stepped forward confidently.

Then he picked up the sword from the man with the queue hairstyle.

As he held the sword, other warriors nearby brought a stone that had been set aside as material for the wall.

“Can it really cut through stone?”

“I can’t believe it.”

Despite the crowd’s murmuring, the expression of the man with the queue remained resolute.

When all preparations were complete, the warrior aimed the sword at the stone.

Then he brought the sword down.

“Chap!”

Then an amazing thing happened.

“Im…impossible!”

“He…he really split the stone!”

The crowd went wild as the wavy-patterned sword split the stone.

What made it even more impressive was that the stone hadn’t broken along a natural crack.

Even if that had been the case, the sword had cut the stone in half, proving the man’s claims were not false.

“It really split the stone.”

At my words, even the warrior who had split the stone looked at the sword with amazement.

Then he raised the sword to examine it in the sunlight.

“Just as the craftsman said, there are no cracks and the blade hasn’t warped. The edge is slightly damaged, but with proper sharpening, it could be used again.”

At the warrior’s words, the people erupted in cheers.

Seeing this, the craftsman who had been looking tense let out a deep sigh.

“A magnificent work.”

At my words, the craftsman bowed deeply in respect.

“I thank you for your words, Gur Khagan.”

After his turn ended, I examined five more entries.

The remaining works were aesthetically excellent but, unlike the curved sword and the wavy-patterned sword shown earlier, they lacked practicality.

So I selected the Hui man’s sword and the queued man’s sword as the winners.

* * *

After the competition ended, Cheolreuk wore a tense expression.

This was understandable, as not only had he won the competition, but he was also about to meet Gur Khagan, the ruler of the ulus, in person.

He couldn’t help but be extremely nervous.

“Hoo…hoo…”

Though he tried to calm himself with deep breaths, it didn’t work.

The Hui man beside him seemed to be in the same state.

“You seem nervous too.”

“Indeed. How often does one get to see the ruler of the steppe in person during their lifetime?”

Cheolreuk nodded at the Hui craftsman’s words.

“I thought I would win this competition alone… I didn’t expect to share the victory. You look young, how did you acquire such excellent skills?”

At the Hui craftsman’s question, Cheolreuk gave an awkward smile.

“It’s thanks to having a good master.”

“I see. Since we’ve met by fate, may I ask your name?”

“Cheolreuk. I don’t have a family name.”

“An orphan like me, right?”

“That’s right…”

“Same here. Ah, my name is Michael. It means angel.”

Cheolreuk tilted his head at those words.

The concept of an angel was something he had never heard of before.

“What is an angel?”

“Well… it’s difficult to explain. I’ll tell you later. We’re about to meet the ruler of the steppe.”

Cheolreuk nodded at Michael’s words.

Just as their conversation ended, a muscular man appeared as if he had been waiting.

“Are you two the winners of the technical competition?”

“Y-yes, we are.”

“Th-that’s right.”

Faced with the man who had a massive bear-like body, Michael and Cheolreuk naturally adopted respectful postures.

“I am Munglig, the head of the Kheshig who guards Gur Khagan. You are about to meet Gur Khagan, so prepare yourselves.”

The two men bowed in acknowledgment.

Then they followed Munglig.

After walking a short distance, they arrived at a small room.

Officials were seated on both sides, and at the end sat Gur Khagan, the legitimate ruler of the steppe.

Since it was disrespectful to look directly at the ruler’s face, Cheolreuk and Michael immediately prostrated themselves.

“We are in the presence of the ruler of the steppe.”

“It is an honor to meet Gur Khagan.”

“Raise your heads.”

At Gur Khagan’s command, the two men were unsure what to do.

However, when Munglig gave them a signal, they nodded and raised themselves to look at Gur Khagan.

“You have demonstrated excellent skills in this competition. As promised, I wish to bestow rewards upon you.”

“We thank the Khagan for his grace.”

“We are overwhelmed by your boundless generosity.”

Gur Khagan raised his hand to acknowledge their respect.

Then he ordered Munglig to hand over the rewards for them.

Munglig approached them and handed them iron tokens.

“Take these to the government office, and you will receive your rewards.”

The two men bowed in gratitude as they received the tokens.

“Now that I’ve given the rewards, let’s get to the main point.”

At Gur Khagan’s words, the officials nodded.

The two men, not understanding what was happening, looked at the Khagan with worried eyes.

“I plan to establish a new armory, and I would like you two to be in charge of it.”

“D-do you mean us?”

“A-an armory… you mean for making weapons…”

“That’s right. A place to make weapons for the warriors of the ulus.”

The two men looked surprised at the Khagan’s words.

They were orphans with nothing but their skills.

It was natural for them to be surprised at being offered official positions that were typically reserved for those of noble birth.

“H-how could humble people like us…”

Gur Khagan shook his head at Michael’s words.

“In the ulus, we appoint people based on ability, regardless of origin or status. That’s why even commoners can become officials.”

The officials all nodded at Gur Khagan’s words.

All the officials beside the Khagan came from different backgrounds.

The Hui technician Hassan, who sat to the Khagan’s left, was of slave origin.

The Han craftsman Zhang Yong, to his right, was of common birth.

Thus, the Khagan’s inner circle was appointed solely based on ability, without regard for social status.

“The same applies to you. Of course, you also have the right to refuse this offer.”

At the Khagan’s words, Michael and Cheolreuk bowed, their expressions showing they hadn’t even considered refusing.

“We will follow the Khagan’s will.”

“Thank you for this opportunity, Khagan.”

The Khagan nodded with a satisfied smile.

“I am pleased that you have accepted my offer.”

After saying this, the Khagan looked at Cheolreuk.

“Can you mass-produce the wavy-patterned sword you made?”

“M-mass production, you say? H-how many do you need…”

“They will be used by all the soldiers of the ulus.”

The cavalry of the ulus numbered over 100,000.

Of course, this number included children and the elderly, so the actual available force was between 50,000 and 70,000.

In other words, Cheolreuk would have to make about 50,000 swords.

“Of course, I don’t expect you to make them all by yourself. I will place craftsmen under your command for you to direct.”

In short, he was being asked to teach his techniques to other craftsmen.

At these words, Cheolreuk fell into deep thought.

At that moment, he remembered his master.

His master had also accepted disciples regardless of their background.

Cheolreuk knew better than anyone that he was who he was today because of his master’s guidance.

“I will follow your orders, Khagan.”

“You have no objection to sharing your techniques?”

“I hesitated briefly, but I believe my master would have preferred to spread techniques rather than hide them, to advance the craft.”

The officials looked deeply impressed by Cheolreuk’s confident words.

Michael, standing right beside him, felt the same way.

“You have made an excellent decision for the ulus. As the Khagan of the steppe, I wish to reward you for your sacrifice.”

“Thank you.”

Thus, Cheolreuk went from being an orphan to an official in charge of the ulus’s armory.

Thanks to his decision, the ulus was able to develop even further.

* * *

I established the armory and appointed Michael and Cheolreuk as its leaders.

Then I instructed them to make curved swords from Damascus steel.

“Is this truly heaven’s revelation to conquer the world?”

In fact, the discovery of Damascus steel had happened quite some time ago.

However, just having Damascus steel didn’t mean swords could be made immediately.

While Damascus steel had elasticity and was superior to other iron of this era, it was also much more difficult to work with.

Of course, not being a craftsman myself, I had no way to verify this.

But considering that the technique of forging Damascus steel swords had been lost in the modern era, I could infer that the technique must have been difficult.

Or perhaps the technique simply wasn’t widely shared.

Whatever the reason, the technique of using Damascus steel to make Damascus swords had been lost in the modern era.

And then suddenly, a craftsman who could make wavy-patterned swords—Damascus swords—appeared before me.

Moreover, beside him appeared a curved sword that shouldn’t have emerged for decades to come. It truly felt as if God was whispering to me to conquer the world.

“With curved swords made of Damascus steel, we can adequately face heavy cavalry.”

Conflict between the Mongols and the Jin Dynasty was practically inevitable.

Most of the Jin Dynasty’s main force, the Menganjun, were heavy cavalry clad in heavy armor.

Now we would be able to inflict significant damage against such heavy cavalry.

Of course, dealing with heavy cavalry wasn’t difficult even now.

We could simply crush them with the iron maces we had already made.

However, since these were weapons with attached chains, they were difficult to wield effectively while maintaining a tight formation.

The battle with the Jin Dynasty was expected to be cavalry versus cavalry in mounted combat.

In such combat, it was advantageous to maintain tight formations, making curved swords, which allowed for better distance management than maces, more suitable.

And being lighter than maces, they would also increase mobility.

“The Jin Dynasty weakens while we grow stronger by the day.”

I said this while looking at the map.

The country was unified through roads, and commerce developed along these roads.

As commerce developed, the country grew wealthy, and based on that wealth, technology advanced.

That technology would soon become weapons aimed at the enemy’s neck.

Mongolia continued to grow stronger.

It was developing faster than any other country could compare.