Ch.194Anatolia (5)

“Move faster, faster!”

The people of Aksaray, now forced into slave labor, began to move.

They hurried because whenever they moved slowly, the Mongol soldiers’ whips showed no mercy.

“Rebuild the burned city walls!”

“If you’re slow, you’ll meet the same miserable end as them!”

At the Mongol soldiers’ words, the people of Aksaray wept tears of blood.

And for good reason—in one corner lay a pile of corpses with their waists severed.

Most were soldiers who had resisted the Mongol forces under Qutb al-Din’s orders.

They too had surrendered when the tide of battle turned against them. After accepting their surrender, the Mongol soldiers had lined them up in front of wagon wheels.

Then, in front of everyone, they cut through the waists of those taller than the wagon wheels.

Since most soldiers were adults, none were shorter than the wagon wheels.

So virtually all of them died with their waists severed.

The civilians could only tremble in fear at the sight.

After terrorizing the people, the Mongols forced them into labor.

Since they had burned Aksaray to subdue Qutb al-Din, they needed labor to rebuild the place.

“Kuk… those vile Mongols…”

“I’ll curse you even in death…!”

The people of Aksaray gritted their teeth as they muttered such words.

But surprisingly, these sentiments were held by only a minority. This was because the Mongols actually paid for the forced labor.

“Those who have finished their quota may rest.”

“Get your work verified and receive payment for your labor.”

The Mongols were harsh, but they paid precisely for the work done.

The reason for this contradictory situation—forced labor that was compensated—was simple.

“These treasures are useless to us anyway.”

Temujin said this as he watched the laborers.

In truth, the compensation being distributed came from Qutb al-Din’s wealth.

The greedy Qutb had tried to flee with his treasures despite being under attack from Kilij Arslan and Ghiyath al-Din.

As a result, the storehouses of conquered Aksaray were filled with treasures he had hidden.

Most were damaged by fire, but gold and silver remained usable, so Temujin was using these to pay the workers.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to keep that for ourselves?”

To Jamukha’s question, Temujin shook his head.

“The campaign has only begun. Gathering wealth here would just be a burden. A burden we can’t send back to our homeland.”

The Ulus expedition moved at an extraordinary pace.

In just two weeks, they had conquered the Iranian region, crossed Mashriq, and reached eastern Anatolia.

As a result, roads connecting to their homeland had not yet been established.

Building these would take considerable time.

That’s why Temujin had no desire for treasures he couldn’t take with him.

Instead, he was using wealth taken from others’ pockets to win over the hearts of Aksaray’s people.

“Then wouldn’t it be better to free them from slavery and hire them instead?”

“Jamukha, my friend. If we did that, they would certainly flee.”

The Ulus army had burned down their homes and livelihoods before their very eyes.

Even if compensated for their labor, the likelihood of them willingly working for those who destroyed their homes was very low.

“That’s why we force them to work.”

“I don’t understand your logic.”

Jamukha waved his hand dismissively and left.

As he departed, Jebe approached.

“Lord Jamukha remains the same as ever.”

“That’s his charm, isn’t it?”

Temujin replied glibly.

Jebe smiled slightly at this.

“Just now, I felt as though I was truly in the presence of Gurkhan.”

“Is that so?”

In response, Jebe nodded instead of answering.

“I’m pleased to see that I’m becoming more like Gurkhan, chosen by God.”

Temujin said this as he stood up.

Then Jebe asked him a question.

“Where are you going?”

“To meet Arslan.”

“Arslan, you say?”

Arslan was the leader of the Ghaznavid dynasty who had surrendered to Temujin.

After surrendering, he had served as Temujin’s guide, helping him navigate safely through Iranian territory.

Recognized for this service, he was now serving as Temujin’s administrator alongside Bo’orchu.

“I will summon him. Please wait here for a moment, Your Majesty.”

“It’s fine. I want to see with my own eyes how the work is progressing. Besides, Arslan is busy rebuilding Aksaray with Bo’orchu, so it’s better if I go to him directly.”

Temujin said this as he mounted his horse.

Jebe nodded at this.

The Golden Clan heir he served valued efficiency over ceremony.

Therefore, he didn’t hesitate to move personally when the situation called for it.

He was not a ruler who merely gave orders, but one who acted and verified things himself.

This was the kind of ruler Temujin was.

* * *

I remained in Konya, working to expand influence throughout the Sultanate of Rum by recruiting nobles.

The nobles chose to serve the Ulus, their new master, rather than maintain loyalty to the Sultanate of Rum, which had already fallen to vassal status.

Of course, there were several complex reasons why they switched allegiance so quickly.

The biggest reason was that the entire Sultanate of Rum had been greatly weakened by the Crusades and civil war.

Additionally, when Ghiyath al-Din, who wasn’t originally the heir, was designated as successor, nobles who hadn’t followed him faced the problem of having to establish connections with the new heir.

Finally, I distributed an enormous amount of money to them.

The source of this money was, naturally, what we had plundered from cities in the Mashriq region that we had destroyed along our way.

Since we couldn’t use it to fight against the Byzantine Empire and it was difficult to send back to our homeland, I decided to spend it generously.

Due to these factors, the nobles chose to curry favor with me, the leader of the Ulus, rather than support the heir of a doomed nation.

“Truly, you are the great Gurkhan.”

“It is an honor for the Sultanate of Rum to receive the protection of the Ulus.”

“We beseech you to protect our country.”

They flattered me with such words.

I nodded and addressed them.

“I am truly pleased to see so many who care for their country. I will appoint one of you as darughachi to represent the will of the Ulus.”

This essentially meant appointing someone to interfere in domestic affairs.

Understanding this, the nobles’ eyes sparkled, eager to gain my favor.

“If you would grant me that honor, my family will follow the Ulus for generations to come.”

“Please give me that opportunity, Khagan. I will ensure that the Sultanate of Rum fulfills its role as a vassal state of the Ulus.”

“I can take on that role. My family and I have been loyal to the Sultanate of Rum for a long time. Therefore, I am suitable for this position.”

All the nobles begged to be chosen.

It was absurd that there were so many volunteers when I was openly recruiting a traitor.

But since this was a good opportunity for me, I nodded with a smile.

“I am pleased that you all wish to serve the Ulus. Then let me test who is most suitable for this position.”

At my words, the nobles’ eyes sparkled.

Looking at them, I got to the point.

“The Ulus, as the suzerain of the Sultanate of Rum, intends to repel the Byzantine Empire, which covets the legitimate territory of the Sultanate. For this, we need warships and port cities.”

The nobles’ eyes gleamed.

They clearly understood what I wanted.

“We need the port city of Mersin and the Sultanate of Rum’s navy. I will grant the position of darughachi to whoever helps with this.”

This was essentially asking them to sell territory to the Ulus and hand over the navy.

In other words, it was a call for treason.

Yet despite this outrageous demand, the nobles were burning with determination.

For them, acts of treason weren’t particularly important. All that mattered was expanding their family influence and increasing their own power.

* * *

Ghiyath al-Din looked at the nobles with an expression of disbelief.

Their demands were too absurd.

“Do you understand what you’re saying?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If we want the protection of the Ulus, we must hand over Mersin.”

“Do you know what Mersin is? It’s our naval base and a strategic point for accessing the Mediterranean.”

“We know. That’s why we’re making this proposal.”

“Huh.”

Ghiyath al-Din wore a dejected expression.

One of the nobles addressed him.

“When we became a vassal of the Ulus, Your Majesty agreed to follow the responsibilities and obligations proposed by the Ulus.”

“That’s right.”

“Among those responsibilities and obligations was providing soldiers, supplies, and naval support when the Ulus goes on expeditions.”

“Why are you mentioning this?”

“Since we’ve already promised to provide naval power, wouldn’t it be better to hand this place over to the Ulus to reduce our burden?”

It was a preposterous explanation.

As Ghiyath al-Din tried to respond, another noble cut in.

“Currently, our country’s finances are dire due to Crusader plundering and civil war.”

“…”

The noble was right.

The Sultanate of Rum was in a state of national bankruptcy.

“If we propose to lease this place and sell our navy to the Ulus first, we can secure national finances and possibly reclaim this land later.”

“Do you really think that makes sense?”

“The country has no money. Will you leave Konya in its burned state?”

“…”

“Moreover, the Ulus might demand that we cede Mersin, just like the Byzantine Empire did. If we refuse, war is the only outcome. Do you think we can withstand an attack from the Ulus then?”

Since the Byzantine Empire had actually made such demands to the Sultanate of Rum before, Ghiyath al-Din couldn’t refute this.

The Byzantine Empire had been successfully repelled by his father, Kilij Arslan, who had managed to avoid territorial cession.

However, that brave sultan had grown old and weak, and the country had been devastated by civil war.

In such a state, it would be difficult to refuse territorial demands from the Ulus, which had ruthlessly subdued Aksaray with overwhelming military might.

Given this history, the noble’s absurd proposal—to offer before being taken—couldn’t help but seem persuasive.