Enemies were plenty and all around, and we had to deal with them in the harshest possible way. And, not too many enemies survived the ordeal of being our enemies. We were smarter and more powerful. If one was our enemy, he was not smart already. How could he win anyway? No, only the stupid ones would conspire and believe they could win. We try to bring it to the point when no one could afford to be our enemy when no one dared to be one. Yet, I noticed that the more successful you are, the more enemies you get. They become active and aggressive. They want what you have and even your job. They are ready to spill blood and a lot if necessary. They were prepared to kill you and your family and also, to lose some of their own. They may gain some but stand to miss so much if it did not work. For a few extra pieces of gold… What is heavier a few more gold pieces or the lives of your family? Even if you were lucky and escaped? What would you choose? Stop and think before you chose.
Still, I do not know if I trusted the relatives more than the ordinary people. The ordinary people knew precisely where they were, and a small reward could make a lot of difference. I know I trusted the Khazars more. Interesting, but the Jews had never betrayed Genghis, Ogedei or me. Subutai trusted them more than their own children. They proved to be the most trusted people. Maybe they were not the best fighters in the world, but I rather have them on the battlefield than the Tatars. The Tatars could waver under pressure, but the Jews would not. They will stand the ground and hold the position no matter what. And, when it comes to managing treasures, there was no other choice but the Jews. They were God-given to us. I believed that.”
“The time had come, and we were ready for the West. I did not rush anything. You do not rush things like that. Supplies and the Tumen readiness were the most critical items on my list. Only when the reports met the requirements, I gave the order to move. It was perfect. I did not think we could improve much in our readiness, but I left orders and a few trusted Jews and the Chinese to implement it. It would be done, and even better than required. These were good people.
We attacked Western Europe in three mighty columns but with the concentration on Poland, Hungary, and Germany. The Chinese advisors called it Central Europe and made the maps for us. They knew it better, but what was laying beyond? I wanted to go as far as we could, to the last sea. The Chinese were saying that there was a sea and then, there was nothing beyond. Actually, they said that there was an island of many people and then, there was nothing. They said that the Vikings went as far as that island and tried to go beyond, but no one came back to tell what they saw. They think it was because there was nothing beyond that island and you just fall off the earth. Then, you could not come back and tell the story. If you tried to go beyond that last sea, you would fall off the planet. That sounded right. The Earth was flat, and the edge was at the end of the Last Sea. That’s where you fall off. I would love to go there to see that. What happens when you fall off the earth? Where do you go then? Do you meet the gods? Is there another adventure beyond that one? What kind of adventure? What an adventure would that be? How far was it? How big was the last sea? Was it endless? What does it mean? Did anyone ever go that far and then, came back to tell the tale? My advisors did not know but tried to find out. Vikings, maybe. They went everywhere and often came back. Vikings were saying that there was more than just one big island in the last sea and they went there. We do not know that for sure. There was no real proof. There was nothing we could accept as definite proof. I have not seen anything severe enough to believe the story. Just the tall tales… We are not the seagoing people so, this is kind of awkward for us to understand. The endless sea… No boundaries. I cannot envision that.
I have to see it. The traders (the Italians living with us for a while) mentioned it as well, but they said so many things and presented no proof. We may see it when we go to their country. They called in Italy. Interesting. Judging by the stories, it should be a strange place. Where was it precisely, and how do we get there? Oh, we should, we would find it. We have found so much already. I want to see what they have, the Italians. The stories sounded so good. Maybe we could befriend them and not fight. We did not need to fight everyone we met. The Italian and French traders were knowledgeable men. We do not want to kill smart and crafty people. I want to see everything there. I want to see the cities. Buildings made of stone. Cities made of stone. Walls made of stone. Statues made of stone. Art… Treasures… The claims were huge. What’s the real truth? Could they support that? So far, no luck. We had nothing to touch, to see. Well, we saw many things but not exactly what I wanted to see. Neither Russia nor Poland was that exciting. People were not impressive, dull. They were not much more advanced than us.
In many cases, they were not advanced at all. But, maybe in Europe, we would find someone who could tell us more, show us more, take us to some other places. I hope so. Show me these beautiful cities built out of stone. There were many people in Europe, and some had traveled. So, it is possible that they know the truth. I want to know what they know. But first, we need to find people we could trust.
We needed Poland for the food for people and horses. We needed a steady stream of supplies, and there it was. I was told that there we could get plenty of the supplies, good craftsmen, animals and anything else we may need. We could stay there for the winter if needed. Also, Poles made great slaves and especially, the women. They were almost as slaves already, but we would treat them properly. We were better people. In our society, all people, but the slaves were free. In Poland, all people, but the Nobility, were slaves. That was like in Russia and worked to our advantage. We were a better alternative, and Poles recognized it right away. We were not the enemy of the serfs. We were the saviors. Leave your masters and join us. You’ll do much better as our slaves.
In many cases, no, in all cases, we treated the slaves better than the Polish “Szlachta” (Polish nobility) recognizing people for their talents and giving them credits for that. Our slaves, even the lowest ones, never starved and always had a roof over the head. We constantly shared everything equally with the entire household, including the slaves. Well, slaves did not need money or other valuable, but we gave them a little anyway. They did not have the freedom of movement so, they could not spend any of that but, nevertheless, we continually gave them some money for the personal needs and a free day to rest. They could save all the money and buy themselves out. That happened and quite often. There were many cases where a freed slave owned some slaves. A blacksmith in the Golden Horde who always shoed my horses and tended my personal weapons was a freed Korean slave. He was the best blacksmith there is. Now, he has five slaves working in his shop as the assistants. He makes an excellent living and much respected in Sarai. His slaves are becoming well-known as well. They work hard and know the business of the blacksmith already. There are many examples like that, and I see those people quite often.
I like when things like that happen. People should have that chance in life. People should be happy. They should have the opportunity to be free and grow wealthy if they have talent. Talents should be rewarded. The Poles and the Russians were treating their own low classes as dirt so, the low classes did not care much when we killed their nobility and replaced one slavery with another but somewhat better. With us, they were more of the servants than the slaves, and there was a hope to be free. Well, not all, but many. Some remained the slaves for the rest of our life if we did not see why it should change. It could change if you worth it. Show the loyalty, the devotion, the skills. We see everything, and we will notice if there anything to notice. Demonstrate that you worth to be noticed and we would be happy to acknowledge it, to recognize you. I would like to see my empire in a hundred years after all these people mix up and adapt. There could be a common language and customs. Many good looking, bright people would join us in building the perfect society with the Mongols leading the way to perfection. Once the Khazars told me over the feast of that ideal society described in their books. They had some interesting books. The Chinese also had books, but we did not. King David, Solomon, and as such. I asked to translate those books for me. I wanted to read it for myself. I was told that it should be ready by the time we come back from Western Europe. Probably by winter. I can hardly wait. They needed time and a few good people to do it right. I do not speak much of the Khazar language (just a few words), so they need time to translate it accurately. I want to understand everything. Soon, soon… Now, back to war.”