Ch.87Internal Affairs (6)

As per the agreement with Xin Qiji and Wang Dalun, we were able to secure a reciprocal treaty regarding customs duties for trade with the Song Dynasty. This treaty was necessary to prevent the entire Ulus from becoming economically dependent on Song.

“Our relationship with Song is good now, but we need safety measures in case it falls apart.”

I muttered to myself while looking at the map. It showed the Ulus that had swallowed Western Xia, the Jin Dynasty occupying Manchuria and northern China, and the Song Dynasty settled south of the Yangtze River.

Beyond these were various small states of Tibet on the Tibetan Plateau, Dai Viet in Southeast Asia, Goryeo on the Korean Peninsula, and Japan in the archipelago.

The reason I mentioned Ulus, Jin, and Song first was simple. They were the nations closest to achieving hegemony over China.

Goryeo couldn’t even expand into Manchuria due to the powerful Jin Dynasty, so Chinese hegemony was out of the question. Japan would struggle to maintain its own stability unless it reunified its fragmented state.

The small Tibetan states were too weak, while Dai Viet and Dali were too suppressed by Song’s power to grow stronger.

Unlike these nations, Ulus had a genuine opportunity to pursue hegemony. It could certainly be possible if we expanded our influence by conquering the various Central Asian states through the steppe routes.

Of course, we had disadvantages—being a new nation with incomplete centralization. But even considering these drawbacks, Mongolia’s potential was immeasurably vast.

“In the original history, they conquered the world by unleashing that potential.”

Mongolia was a nation of possibilities. And those possibilities were abundant.

Knowing the original history gave me the confidence to move forward with certainty.

While lost in these thoughts, I sensed someone approaching. I turned my head to look.

“Were you here, brother?”

“What is it, Munglig?”

The person who came looking for me was none other than Munglig. I wondered if he was going to ask me to exercise with him again.

“Do you think I’m obsessed with exercise? After the war and all this moving around, I need rest too.”

I must emphasize again that Munglig could read my thoughts.

“A-ahem. I wasn’t thinking that at all.”

“It doesn’t seem that way.”

“A-anyway, why did you come looking for me?”

“I just came to find you. I thought you’d be in your ger, and I was right.”

“What do you mean?”

Munglig adjusted his posture and sat down in front of me. Then, looking at me, he spoke.

“There are many houses in Xingqing that are far more luxurious and comfortable than a ger.”

“That’s not the life for me.”

Before adapting to this world, I used to enjoy lying on soft, comfortable beds. But now, perhaps because I’d adapted to Yesugei’s body, I found such plush places uncomfortable.

“I thought so. You really haven’t changed, brother. Well, except for that time after you drank the poison from those Tatar bastards…”

I had no choice but to smack Munglig on the head for crossing the line.

“Ouch!”

“I swear, you’re the first Kheshig guard who hasn’t changed despite being tasked with protecting the Khan’s health.”

“Haha! Why should I change when the person I’m supposed to protect hasn’t changed either?”

I could only give an incredulous look at Munglig’s somewhat reasonable response. Though he usually appeared foolish, he occasionally made statements that pierced right through my heart. Reflecting on this, I realized Munglig was no ordinary person.

“Are you moved, brother?”

“That comment just erased all my emotion, you fool.”

As I said this and tried to give him another knock on the head, Munglig quickly dodged.

“Dodging?”

“C-calm down, brother. You know how much your knocks hurt… A-anyway, didn’t you ask why I came here? I’ll tell you right away!”

He quickly changed the subject, apparently knowing this situation wouldn’t end well if it continued.

“If it’s nothing important, prepare to get hit.”

“I-it is important! We’ve obtained armor from Jin Dynasty’s heavy cavalry through Song.”

My eyes widened at the news that we had acquired armor worn by Jin’s elite heavy cavalry.

“Really?”

“Yes. The envoys we sent to Song Dynasty sent the armor through the fastest courier.”

We had sent envoys to Song Dynasty to formalize trade relations. This delegation included not only diplomatic envoys but also merchants for trade and Tamma for intelligence gathering.

It seemed that the Tamma responsible for intelligence gathering had obtained the Jin heavy cavalry armor.

In truth, we already had hundreds of spies infiltrated in both Jin and Song. Disguised as merchants or laborers, they were living there and sending me information about those countries constantly.

Despite having so many spies in place, we hadn’t achieved significant results in military intelligence. This was because both Jin and Song placed extremely high importance on military security.

As a result, Ulus still didn’t have samples of Jin heavy cavalry weapons or armor to analyze. But now it seemed our efforts had finally borne fruit.

“But I don’t see any armor in your hands.”

“As soon as it arrived, I ordered Han craftsmen and Hui technicians to analyze it. The results should be ready soon.”

Munglig showed his competence, having worked by my side for a long time. Thanks to him, I was spared the trouble of giving orders myself.

“Well done.”

“So about that knock on the head…”

“Consider it forgotten.”

Munglig clenched his fist in apparent joy. I looked at him with a mischievous smile.

I might not have given him a knock on the head, but I had many other ways to torment Munglig.

Anyway, while I was conversing with Munglig, an attendant opened the ger and entered.

“Great Khan, Master Zhang Yong and Master Hassan wish to see you. What shall I do?”

“Let them in.”

As Munglig had suggested, the analysis of the Jin heavy armor seemed to be complete. I immediately allowed the two men to enter the ger.

“We greet the mighty Khan.”

“Great Khan, thank you for granting us an audience.”

I raised my hand in response to their courtesy. Then, looking at Zhang Yong and Hassan, I asked a question.

“Have you completed the analysis of the armor worn by Jin’s heavy cavalry?”

The two men looked surprised at my words. Then, noticing Munglig beside me, they nodded as if understanding the situation.

“Yes, Great Khan.”

“Good. Tell me about their armor.”

“Their armor is…”

Thus, I began to hear a detailed explanation about the armor through Zhang Yong.

The armor worn by the Menganjun, or Jin heavy cavalry, was chain mail rather than plate armor like in the West. Chain mail had the advantage of being excellent at defending against arrow attacks. Additionally, it allowed for smooth movement even while riding a horse.

“It appears they’ve minimized the weight on the wearer while maximizing defensive capabilities.”

“I see. Can we make such chain mail?”

When I asked Zhang Yong, he immediately nodded.

“Making armor identical to theirs isn’t particularly difficult. However…”

“However?”

“I don’t think our cavalry will be able to overwhelm theirs just by wearing the same armor.”

Hearing Zhang Yong’s words, Munglig looked at him and objected.

“That sounds like you’re saying Ulus cavalry is weak.”

“If it sounded that way, I apologize. However, as a craftsman, I’m merely speaking from a technical perspective.”

At Zhang Yong’s articulate explanation, Munglig could only sit back down with a sullen expression. As he said, it was nearly impossible for a single piece of equipment to have such a significant impact on the battlefield.

If one wanted to change the course of battle itself, innovation that overwhelmed existing equipment would be necessary.

The innovation I’m referring to isn’t just about the hardness of the armor.

Producing armor with less material than before is innovation, and making armor lighter than existing ones is also innovation.

Among these innovations, what Ulus currently needed was, naturally, innovation in production costs.

“I didn’t think we could defeat the Jin army with just one piece of their armor. So don’t worry and tell me what you want to say.”

At my words, Zhang Yong bowed and then looked at Hassan. Hassan stepped forward, paid his respects, and then spoke to me.

“You must know that most of the military-grade iron in Ulus currently comes from Kerait tribal lands.”

I nodded at Hassan’s words. As Toghrul moved with Temujin, the land where the Kerait tribe lived naturally became part of Khamag Mongol territory.

Anyway, this land, while not as rich as Manchuria, was a place where quite a bit of solid iron could be found.

“By mixing Kerait iron with this iron, we’ve made the Jin armor even stronger.”

As Hassan said this, he showed me the armor he had brought. Seeing it, I couldn’t help but stare at Hassan with wide eyes.

This was because the iron armor had a distinctive pattern.

A pattern like flowing water. This pattern was found in blades made using Damascus steel, which had a high carbon content.

In modern times, it was known as Damascus steel. However, the technique for making this steel was lost, and in modern times, the exact method of production was not well known.

In this world too, it was considered an over-technology. This Damascus steel would become known to the world through the Crusades that would take place 50 years from now. I couldn’t help but be surprised to see such an item appear before me.

So I asked Hassan what they had mixed with Kerait steel to create this.

“Where did the iron you mixed with Kerait iron come from?”

“I obtained it through a Tangut merchant, so it’s difficult to say precisely… but I’ve heard it comes from India.”

India. The secret of Damascus steel was none other than iron from India.