Ch.266Knowledge (7)

I knew there were counterfeit products circulating.

But I couldn’t help feeling bewildered when things I never expected started appearing.

“What on earth did they make…”

What I created was just a simple handcart.

So the subcontractors were left with only easily obtainable materials.

To be honest, they were just ordinary items you could find lying around the neighborhood.

“But to think they made rickshaws and even delivery services with those things—is this right?”

Munglig, who was standing right beside me, nodded at my words.

“It seems you’ve ignited a fire in the merchants’ hearts, brother.”

“Me?”

“Yes. From the merchants’ perspective, would they want to waste anything you’ve created?”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Think about it, brother. If something was made by you—the ruler of the Ulus, the lord of the four seas—even a small piece of wood would sell at a high price.”

I found myself nodding unconsciously at Munglig’s words.

In modern terms, even if the chairman of Samsung Group made something carelessly, people would be curious enough to buy it at least once.

To be honest, I was partly counting on this effect.

“I suppose that’s true.”

“But it wasn’t just one person who thought this way… All the merchants were eager to buy up the leftover parts, so some might have only wheels, while others might have only the body.”

The merchants’ goal was to obtain complete products.

But since that wasn’t easy, as Munglig said, they had limitations.

“But with just wheels, they couldn’t use your reputation, so they had to make something…”

“And that’s this?”

“Yes, brother.”

“But this seems too ahead of its time… no… too innovative a change.”

From a modern person’s perspective, this felt way too advanced for the era.

That’s why I couldn’t help but fear that I might have brought chaos to this world.

As if reading my thoughts, Munglig waved his hands dismissively with an incredulous expression.

“Brother, these things already existed in the Song Dynasty.”

“…What?”

“The Song Dynasty already had rickshaws and delivery services. I heard people could even order food and have it delivered from restaurants.”

There was something I had momentarily overlooked.

The Song Dynasty of this period was a nation that had nearly reached the industrial age.

Logistics delivery, food delivery, and rickshaws were common sights.

So as Munglig said, this wasn’t innovation. It was merely imitating the advanced civilization of the Song Dynasty.

“Judging by your expression, you seem quite surprised, brother?”

“…”

“It’s alright. Isn’t it natural that even you don’t know everything in this world? Ha! Ha! Ha!”

Munglig laughed loudly as he said this.

In his hearty laughter, I realized that this kind of thing had been happening frequently lately.

Which meant it was time to establish some discipline.

“So there were things I didn’t know.”

“Yes, brother. If there’s anything you don’t know, I can teach you one by one… Wait, why are you suddenly taking off your shirt?”

“Because I have a lot of things I don’t know, and I want to ask you about them.”

I smiled, showing off the chest muscles I had been secretly building.

“Uh… I… I think you could just… ask me verbally, brother.”

“I don’t understand well through words. So would you teach me physically?”

Munglig shook his head vigorously.

“I… I’m sorry, brother. I must have been temporarily insane… ha… haha… come on, it’s cold, please put your clothes back on…”

As Munglig tried to dress me again, I smiled and shook my head.

And looking at the crawling Munglig, I gave him the brightest smile I could muster.

“Drop and give me twenty.”

* * *

“I’d like to request this.”

Hearing the young man’s words, the middle-aged official waved his hands and lowered his body.

“Please speak comfortably, Prime Minister.”

“It’s fine. You’ve worked longer than I have, and you’re an expert in this field, so you deserve respect.”

“But I’m just a low-ranking official.”

The prime minister shook his head at the middle-aged official’s words.

Then he closed the document he was processing and spoke to him.

“Prime Minister is just a position, not an indication of social status. As prime minister, I have the responsibility and duty to utilize officials appropriately. Accordingly, I only have priority in decision-making. Above all, I need the help of practitioners like you.”

“I don’t know how to respond when you speak so kindly, Yelu Chucai… I mean, Prime Minister.”

The identity of the young prime minister was none other than Yelu Chucai.

He was fulfilling the role of prime minister on behalf of Temujin, the king of Western Liao who had gone on an expedition to learn his place.

The reason he was here in the Great Capital rather than in Western Liao was because of work.

“Thank you for understanding. More importantly, when do you expect the connection work between the Great Capital and the Western Capital to be completed?”

The Western Capital was the new name for Balasagun, the former capital of Western Liao.

It got this name because it was located west of the Great Capital, the capital of the empire.

In fact, by this logic, cities farther from the Great Capital should have been named Western Capital.

But apart from such geographical reasons, there were significant political reasons why Balasagun received the name Western Capital.

As the empire grew, centralization accelerated.

As a result, all power became concentrated in the Great Capital, and conflicts began to arise between the Great Capital and other regions.

Conflict tends to lead to division.

Knowing this, Gurkhan divided roles to keep the vast empire united.

For example, if the Great Capital was the capital of scholarship and diplomacy, the Western Capital would be the capital of politics.

This approach had the disadvantage of reduced efficiency.

Even so, it was better than prioritizing efficiency and risking imperial division, as conflict factors were somewhat reduced.

Anyway, due to this background, major cities of the Ulus began to be assigned roles.

And to properly perform these assigned roles, work was underway to strengthen the connections between cities.

“For now, we’re proceeding with the road work as quickly as possible.”

“So you’re saying the dedicated road connecting the Western Capital and the Great Capital will be completed soon?”

“Exactly.”

The most necessary element for facilitating exchange between cities was, of course, physical infrastructure.

Among such elements, the most effective was road construction, which was key to the movement of people and logistics.

“This dedicated road between the Western Capital and the Great Capital is planned to allow direct travel between the cities without passing through any other cities.”

Currently, the roads of the Ulus were open roads.

That meant anyone could join the road and move as they wished.

These general roads seemed convenient to hear about, but they were creating many discordant issues.

Among them, the biggest problem was undoubtedly road congestion.

“How much do you expect road congestion to decrease once the road connecting the Western Capital and the Great Capital is established?”

“We expect it to decrease by about half.”

“That’s good news. Then what about the horses needed for the postal relay stations on this road?”

“We plan to deploy the fastest horses imported from Arabia.”

The key to a highway was speed.

As a result, instead of the high-endurance Mongolian horses commonly used in the Ulus, Arabian horses, which were fastest over short distances, would be deployed.

“Then additionally…”

Yelu Chucai continued discussing the highway with the official.

This was because not all detailed elements had been resolved yet.

Since efficiency improved when opinions were shared in advance, even if issues couldn’t be resolved immediately, the conversation between Yelu Chucai and the official inevitably lengthened.

“Let’s stop here for today.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Prime Minister.”

“Thank you for your work. But…”

When the two left the government office, the sky had already grown dark.

“Oh my… I’m sorry. I was so focused on work that I missed mealtime.”

Yelu Chucai apologized with these words.

The official waved his hands dismissively.

“Not at all. It’s for the country. Besides, we can still have a meal, so don’t worry.”

Yelu Chucai was greatly surprised by the official’s words.

“What do you mean we can still have a meal? It’s already dark.”

“The lanterns are lit, making it as bright as day. So don’t worry.”

“That may be true in the palace, but the general streets…”

As they said this, Yelu Chucai and the official left the palace.

And Yelu Chucai was speechless at the brilliant night view that unfolded before his eyes.

“Mom! I want tanghulu!”

“You had it last time. Not today.”

“Hey, it’s too early to end. Let’s have one more drink.”

“Come, come, I’m selling! Delicious sugar candies for sale!”

“Do you see? There are many people out, and it’s more lively than during the day.”

“How is this possible…”

Yelu Chucai said this while pointing at the lanterns.

“They’re coal lamps, with coal as the main material.”

“Coal lamps…?”

“Yes, they’re common in the Song Dynasty and were recently introduced to the Great Capital.”

“I can definitely feel the difference from the Western Capital.”

Yelu Chucai didn’t hide his admiration.

“They’re scheduled to be supplied to the Western Capital soon, aren’t they?”

“That’s true, but…”

Growl.

At that moment, a sound of hunger echoed from Yelu Chucai’s stomach.

“Ahem… ahem…”

“Let’s have a meal first.”

“Good idea.”

So the two headed to a decent restaurant nearby.

And as soon as they arrived, Yelu Chucai couldn’t help but be surprised once again.

“Everyone in the Great Capital looks like they’re rich.”

“What do you mean?”

“Unless they’re wealthy, how could they afford such expensive fried dishes?”

The official waved his hands dismissively.

“Here, anyone can eat fried food.”

“How is that possible?”

“Thanks to oil extracted from peanuts.”

Peanut oil.

It was one of the greatest inventions acquired as the Ulus developed.