Ch.58Conquest (4)

What Governor Li Byeongsang saw was none other than the recruitment center for new soldiers for the Tamma and Kheshig.

Jadaran Elunka’s Tamma and Munglig’s Kheshig were recruiting new soldiers in front of the government office.

“Do you want to become the best soldier in the Ulus? Then right here, boys!”

When Munglig shouted these words loudly, the Kheshig standing behind him struck poses.

The people of Khara-Khoto could only applaud at the sight of their impressive upper body muscles on display.

“I don’t understand what they’re saying, but it looks pretty cool.”

“I know, right? The Mongols might be strange, but they don’t seem like bad people.”

Normally, it would be impossible for conquered people to have friendly thoughts about their conquerors.

However, in Khara-Khoto’s case, since Li Deyun had taken all the blame and died, public opinion toward the Mongols wasn’t negative.

Additionally, thanks to Gurkhan’s orders, the Mongol people never looted from the people of Khara-Khoto.

Some Mongol warriors even went so far as to help repair the homes of Khara-Khoto residents that had collapsed during the war.

The Ulus warriors behaved this way partly to win over the hearts of the Khara-Khoto people,

but in truth, it was more about ensuring they could rest safely here.

If they caused conflict here, they would have to remain vigilant against civilians who might turn hostile at any moment, which would only exhaust them.

Additionally, since they were receiving water and food supplies from Khara-Khoto, there was no reason to create problems that might cut off their food supply.

Thanks to this alignment of interests, the Western Xia people could view Munglig’s recruitment activities positively.

Of course, this was without knowing it was actually recruitment.

“Haha! Did you see that? The best soldiers in the Ulus are our Kheshig!”

“Hurray for the Kheshig! Hurray for the Kheshig!”

“Hurray for muscles! Hurray for muscles!”

Elunka could no longer just watch the Kheshig and Munglig laughing.

He stepped forward and shouted loudly, looking at everyone:

“People of Khara-Khoto! Brothers of the Ulus! If you have a large build like the Kheshig, your horse might get overworked and need to be replaced soon!”

“…?”

“…What’s he saying?”

Unfortunately, since they couldn’t understand each other’s language, unlike with Munglig, no one responded to Elunka’s words.

Munglig chuckled as he looked at Elunka.

“Judging by your horse’s exhaustion, it seems you don’t have impressive muscles to boast about like the Kheshig, Lord Elunka?”

Elunka gritted his teeth at Munglig’s provocation.

It was clear he was going to lose at this rate.

Just as the atmosphere was about to flow in Munglig’s direction, a brilliant solution flashed in Elunka’s mind.

“Look here! Isn’t it more beautiful to have strong legs than those colorful upper bodies? With strong legs, you can even be loved by your wife!”

Elunka’s idea was none other than showing off muscles like Munglig.

However, since he didn’t have outstanding upper body muscles like Munglig, he had to show off what the Tamma were proud of.

That was their beautiful quadriceps and hamstrings, developed through long marches and lower body exercises.

Unlike Munglig’s bulky muscles, Elunka’s finely defined muscles made the women of Khara-Khoto cheer.

“Oh my, oh my, oh my, oh my.”

“Look at those sturdy legs… like a stallion.”

“I’m going to faint…”

The husbands were bewildered by the sight of women fainting.

The worried husbands scolded their wives, but the women, enchanted by Elunka’s impressive leg muscles, found it difficult to come to their senses.

Seeing this, the Tamma also began to show off their leg muscles, following Elunka’s lead.

This drew even more cheers than the upper body muscles displayed by Munglig and the Kheshig.

As the people of Khara-Khoto reacted so intensely, Elunka could smile with satisfaction.

“As they say, sturdy legs make for better horseback riding. Isn’t that right, Lord Munglig?”

“Hmph… do you think lower body can beat upper body?”

“Isn’t it more stable than mindlessly building up your upper body? Hahahahaha!”

“Mindless? Having weak upper body and only building legs is more mindless!”

“Are you challenging me now?”

“Let’s compete to see who’s better!”

And so began the battle between upper body muscles and lower body muscles.

When Munglig struck a pose, the Kheshig showed off their impressive upper bodies,

and when Elunka struck a pose, the Tamma displayed their solid leg muscles.

All of this was to recruit new soldiers without using violent methods.

But the Khara-Khoto people who were supposed to join as recruits couldn’t understand Mongolian, so they just watched the competition between the two forces as a form of entertainment.

“The upper body muscles are quite impressive.”

“Don’t you know a man needs strong legs to perform his duties?”

“Ah, this friend is still too young to understand.”

“Friend? I’m a year older than you! Hey!”

“A year difference makes us friends!”

“Hey! I’ve eaten many more bowls of rice than you, so a year’s difference is a big deal!”

Of course, not all the people of Khara-Khoto felt this way.

Anyway, Li Byeongsang, who witnessed this scene, blinked his eyes, wondering if he was seeing correctly.

He turned his head and asked his aide again.

“…Am I seeing this correctly?”

“Y-yes, Governor.”

“Huh…”

Until their surrender, the Mongol soldiers had been objects of fear.

Now they were making the people of Khara-Khoto happy(?) with such displays, so the governor couldn’t help but be bewildered.

* * *

The chest-swelling competition between the Tamma and Kheshig.

The winner of this competition was… no one.

“…Not a single new recruit was enlisted…”

It was absurd when I heard the report.

Both sides were so eager to recruit new soldiers that they forgot to bring the interpreter who was absolutely necessary.

To reiterate, the Mongols and Western Xia people couldn’t understand each other’s language.

Therefore, to recruit soldiers, they needed a Tangut merchant who could serve as an interpreter.

But both men had forgotten this important fact.

“I apologize, Senwu.”

“I am deeply sorry.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as I watched Munglig and Elunka bow their heads and say this.

While this was typical behavior for Munglig, it was absurd that Elunka, who served as my advisor, had been swept up in the atmosphere and behaved this way.

“It’s alright. But why didn’t you bring an interpreter?”

“Well… Lord Munglig said upper body muscles were more important than leg muscles, and then…”

Right.

I had to understand.

The battle between upper and lower body has existed since the beginning of human history.

Just as I was about to say it was okay, a messenger approached me.

I couldn’t help but make a puzzled expression at the messenger’s words.

“The governor of Khara-Khoto and its people are here?”

“Yes, Senwu. They have all come unarmed to express their gratitude to the great Khan, they say.”

“…?”

Something felt strange, but hearing they wanted to express gratitude, I thought I should meet them.

So I stepped outside the ger with the Tangut merchant who always accompanied me.

Munglig and Elunka followed behind.

Outside the ger stood numerous people from Khara-Khoto and Li Byeongsang.

“Governor Li Byeongsang of Khara-Khoto greets the great Khan.”

“Yes. What brings you here?”

At those words, Li Byeongsang suddenly bowed deeply to me and shouted loudly.

“I never knew Gurkhan would care for us this much!”

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

Hearing Li Byeongsang’s words, Munglig, Elunka, and I could only look puzzled.

This was because we hadn’t done anything special.

So when they suddenly came and said such things, we couldn’t help but be confused.

But unlike the three of us, Li Byeongsang continued speaking with what seemed like genuine emotion.

“Thanks to Gurkhan’s strict orders, the people of Khara-Khoto have been able to quickly recover stability under the protection of Mongol warriors.”

We weren’t protecting the people of Khara-Khoto.

We were just resting inside the city walls so we could face the Western Xia army that might come at any time.

“And the Khan took pity on the people of Khara-Khoto and helped those who lost their homes rebuild Khara-Khoto.”

If there were many war remnants inside Khara-Khoto, there wouldn’t be enough space for our troops to rest.

For this reason, and to win the hearts of the people, I had given such orders.

It was absolutely not because I felt sorry for the people of Khara-Khoto.

“Finally, you warmed the hearts of people devastated by war by sending your close aides to provide entertainment in front of the government office.”

Entertainment…

This was the first time I’d heard of this, so I turned my head to look at Munglig and Elunka.

Their expressions quickly darkened.

To recruit new soldiers, Munglig and Elunka had personally taken the Kheshig and Tamma to the government office.

But Li Byeongsang mentioned the exact location—in front of the government office.

I finally realized that this misunderstanding arose because they hadn’t brought an interpreter.

So the recruitment effort had suddenly turned into entertainment to comfort the hearts of the Khara-Khoto people.

“The entertainment…”

“It is my great sin that I, in my insignificance, did not anticipate the thoughtful decision of the great Khan. Not only do you care for us like this, but you also eliminated the villain Li Deyun. You are our savior and eternal ruler.”

“…”

With Li Byeongsang speaking like this, it was difficult to deny it.

Again, Li Byeongsang knew all the inside details except for the entertainment part.

The fact that he came with his people to express gratitude to me meant one thing:

The people wanted it.

As their ruler, Li Byeongsang had no choice but to follow their wishes.

That was how Li Byeongsang could fully control Khara-Khoto.

In other words, it was a kind of political theater…

But regarding the entertainment part, he seemed to genuinely believe it was my order, as his face showed genuine emotion.

“Therefore, Li Byeongsang, the governor of Khara-Khoto, and its people sincerely wish to become people of the Ulus. Please accept us!”

“Great Khan! Please take us in!”

“Lead us, the lost sheep!”

“Let us live under the glory of the Ulus!”

Suddenly, I was receiving loyalty pledges from the people.

All of this was thanks to the recruitment competition between the Tamma and Kheshig.

Since this was entirely beneficial for the Mongols, I accepted their loyalty with a broad smile.

However, unlike me, Munglig and Elunka did not look pleased.