Chapter 45 Returning Like Lightning

"Let us look at the situation in Japan." Guo Kang pointed toward the sea. "The weaker Southern Court regime in Japan had already established prior contacts with them through personnel stationed in Korea. However, the Northern Court was also aware of this and increased its defensive forces facing the Southern Court and the peninsula."

"To achieve surprise and ensure complete success, Köke Temür dispatched a large number of surrendered Goryeo soldiers disguised as Yuan dynasty troops to operate around the Tsushima Strait. He specifically had a group of Goryeo soldiers masquerade as Yuan forces, launching a preliminary attack on Tsushima Island just as before, leading the Japanese to believe this was once again the main axis of attack."

"While the Japanese garrison repelled the Goryeo forces and rejoiced over their victory, he adopted the suggestion of the Jurchens, setting out from the north and following the historical route of the Jurchen sea raiders to strike directly at the heartland of the Japanese Northern Court."

"The new Sultan, of the Ashikaga clan, was attacked by Köke Temür's Henan Corps and suffered a crushing defeat, causing the already unstable domestic situation to erupt instantly. Coupled with the fact that the Yuan forces offered a fairly viable plan under the pretext of 'mediating' the dispute between the Northern and Southern Courts, many lords lost their will to resist."

"How did they mediate? By supervising it themselves?" The Empress looked somewhat interested.

"Yes, and they devised a very clever selection method," Guo Kang said. "They proposed that qualified candidates from both imperial lineages of the Northern and Southern Courts were eligible to hold the office of Caliph. Since that was the case, they might as well reform the selection process."

"Officials constructed a golden urn in a major temple in Kyoto, and a committee composed of eminent monks and noble monastics was formed to tally and vet the eligible successors from both lineages. Those who passed the screening entered a lottery stage, and under the supervision of the provincial government and various dignitaries, the next Caliph was drawn on the spot from the golden urn inside the grand temple."

"Imitating the experience of Yunnan, the Pacification Commission of the East appointed the Caliph as the Governor of Japan to serve in a coordinating role. The Ashikaga Sultan announced his resignation and retirement, became a Buddhist monk, abandoned his secular military posts, and joined the temple committee. The other lords underwent various adjustments, reorganizing their territories into circuits and prefectures, with *darughachi* inspectors placed in key areas."

"From the current perspective, this system has been running quite well, and the Japanese are able to accept it. After Köke Temür's passing, it has been maintained right up to the present day."

"This is practically a flawless system," Borjan praised. "When an aristocratic assembly deliberates and decides affairs, it is called a republic; when selection is made by lot, it is called a democracy. Both of these are mature institutions originating in classical times and refined through long practice. Meanwhile, the presence of the Yuan army and military rulers plays the role of the tyrant."

"The shortcomings and advantages of these systems are extremely obvious, and they are often mutually exclusive, something the ancient Greeks already understood profoundly. Yet now, they have managed to fuse democracy, republicanism, and tyranny into one. This must be the creation of a great political theorist."

Guo Kang felt he was exaggerating rather wildly. However, Borjan seemed like many scholars of this era, harboring a set of strange theories and always maintaining somewhat unrealistic imaginations about the distant East. Of course, everyone was pretty much the same in this regard, so it was hard for him to criticize the man...

"We can discuss forms of government later," he interrupted Borjan's grand rhetoric. "In any case, this is the intelligence I previously collected regarding those regions."

"These must be from decades ago," said Great Lama Wang. "Zhao Liang, why don't you brief everyone on the new developments?"

"Over these past few years, the jurisdiction of the Eastern Pacification Commission itself hasn't changed much," Zhao Liang replied. "Among the common folk over there, it is customarily called the Goryeo Province, because this province has consistently controlled the three islands of Japan and the former lands of the Goryeo Kingdom."

"The province comprises three circuits: the frontline of the former Dongning Prefecture and the Shuangcheng General-in-Chief's Prefecture is called the North Goryeo Circuit, with its seat at Kaesong, the former capital of the Wang family's Goryeo, where the local powerful Yi clan actually manages affairs; the southern part of the peninsula is known as the former lands of Samhan, managed directly by provincial officials and called the South Goryeo Circuit; and the three islands of Japan are administered in the manner General Guo just described, called the East Goryeo Circuit."

"The provincial capital was initially in Kaesong, Goryeo, but was later moved to Kyoto in Japan. After the situation in Japan stabilized, it was relocated to Dazaifu in Kyushu, presumably for the convenience of coordinating the affairs of the three circuits."

"After the province was established, Great Ming dispatched troops on an expedition against the Yuan dynasty, forcing Nahachu to surrender. But Köke Temür and the others refused to accept imperial amnesty and defeated the Ming forces near the Taedong River. After that, Khagan Zhu Hongwu likely focused on domestic governance, so the two sides did not engage in another decisive war, though various conflicts still occurred from time to time."

"Have there been any new developments in recent years?" Shi Ke asked.

"There are plenty of new developments, actually," Zhao Liang said, scratching his head. "According to locals, the most famous thing in recent years is a legend concerning the former Jin dynasty."

"How so?" Guo Kang asked.

"It seems to be said that Emperor Aizong of Jin, Wanyan Shouxu, was not a foolish ruler and tried every possible effort to save the country, but the Jin dynasty's doom was already sealed long ago, and in the end, they couldn't even hold Caizhou, so many people feel pity for him," Zhao Liang replied.

"Official reports stated that Aizong committed suicide before the city fell, and his remains were cremated by his subordinates, while the Song and Mongol armies recovered some unburned fragments, confirming his death."

"However, over there, some Jurchen shamans insisted that those unrecognizable remains were just meant to fool people. They believe Aizong did not actually die, but was hidden away by the Heavenly Mother Goddess, Abakha Hesh. In the distant future, when the right moment arrives, the three goddesses will bring him back."

"The shamans assert that the Thunder God will return with the heroes of the past like a flash of lightning, defeating the Han and Mongols who besieged Caizhou back then, and making the Jin dynasty great again."

"Let's hope he doesn't return," Toghon Bukha said speechlessly. "Once was quite enough, we don't need a repeat."

"They're just local village shamans spinning stories to fool believers, how could anyone take it seriously?" Zhao Liang explained. "It's just that there haven't been any major upheavals lately, so these absurd tales are the ones spreading the fastest."