Broken Crescent: A TL

[YLi]

Late 1163 (Continued):

Sindh: Pusuwan calls a Jirga of Indus Valley and Punjabi Nobles. Ex-Ghazanvid, Ex-Ghorid, Pashtun, Sumra and others gather at the Sindhi capital of Tharri. The tribes of the Indus and Afghanistan are disjointed and hate each other deeply. It would be easy to divide and conquer the

The Khitan Empress was first able to convince the Sindhis to pledge fealty to the Khitan Ordos, in exchange for her removing the Ghorids from their territory. Then she secured the loyalty of the Ghaznavids by promising them some of their former lands in Khorasan and Transoxiana back.

The Ghorid and Pashtun nobles are a bit more difficult to deal with. Most of them chafe at the prospect of being ruled by a woman. Muhammad Ghori, their chieftain, simply wants his homeland of Ghor and the Kabul Valley back in his possession, but the other Afghans can't accept such an unnatural state of affairs.

Pusuwan challenges any gathered noble who objects to her rule to single combat. At first, many nobles, especially Pashtun ones, rush forward in order to teach this upstart girl a lesson in manners. Pusuwan disarms the first noble, stripping him of his sword before knocking him out with the flat of the weapon. After a few decapitations and leg amputations, the rest of the nobles began backing away slowly. Still, they were not about to submit, most were ready to flee the Jirga and raise the banner of war in their home provinces.

"Will any man step forward to challenge me?" shouted Pusuwan, "You are nothing but a bunch of eunuchs, catamites and bath attendants."

Well, maybe not bath attendants. The Pashtun were notoriously filthy.

Still, calling out the Pashtun in front of the rest of the assembled nobles gives them no choice but to answer the challenge. One by one, they step forward, only to get cut to ribbons in various horrific and inventive ways. The Tajik Ghorid nobles have long since erred on the side of discretion.

Finally, the last few Pashtun nobles decide that they've had enough and put their weapons down, bowing to one knee.

Shahbanu (1), that title had a nice ring to it.

Norway: Erling Skakke, King Regent of Norway, allies himself to Charles I of Sweden in order to rid himself of Sigurd Agnhatt, Earl of Oppland. In return, the Norwegians will help Charles subdue his unruly subjects in Gottland. Skakke's ultimate goal is territory in the British Isles, but first, he has to ensure that every Norseman is on his side.

Al-Andalus: Ramon begins to build up his fleet for an attack on the Maghreb. As practice, he orders one of his admirals to wipe out the Duke of Toulon's fleet in harbor. Toulon, the largest city in Southern France, is violently pillaged by Andalusian corsairs. The army is ordered to practice by marching into France and sacking as many cities as possible. The moribund French are in no state to resist their powerful southern neighbors.

The Andalusians are careful to avoid Aquitaine, as it is part of the Holy Roman Empire, and Ramon does not want to go to war with the powerful William I.

In fact, Ramon feels it's better to make himself a new friend.

Early 1164:

Mainz: Emperor William I gets a letter from Ramon of Zaragoza wishing to join Al-Andalus in union with the Holy Roman Empire. William considers the offer, but has many reservations. The Spaniards are infidels, or at least heretics, Ramon is an apostate who leads a nation of licentious unbelievers who blaspheme The Lord. At least the Holy Roman Empire's Byzantine allies are Christians. Sort of. The Byzantines are sort of Christians. What was happening in Constantinople with the Turks and Khitans was also a form of apostasy.

Still, France is decaying from the inside out, and it was about time that the Holy Roman Empire gained some more territory after Germany had recovered from the Slavic migration crises of the 1140s. William writes back that he wishes for his son Edward to have a wife, and that Ramon's daughter Alina would make a good one.

Constantinople: Altanxie consults with several priests and imams asking them if collecting profit based on time difference is legal or not. The assembled clerics waffle before declining to approve the measure.

Still, Christian or Islamic banking would automatically be less efficient, because in lieu of interest, the lender would have to take a cut of the profit. That in and of itself resulted in a less safe income stream, complicated accounting and resulted in the banker having to take too much of an interest in the loan, making it an investment. Usury prohibition will vastly complicate commercial investment.

Michael Kosimidios, a prominent Jewish merchant, is put in charge of floor operations at the Imperial Bank of Constantinople. Other workers at the bank include Jews, pagan Cumans, Atsinganoi (2), Bogomil heretics, Manichaeans, Nestorians, Zoroastrians and anyone else that didn't follow one of the major world religions. Kosimidios himself has relatives in Baghdad, Cordoba, Cholapuram and Kaifeng, making him not only well connected with the world's other major financial centers, but also making him familiar with new and different accounting practices.

At the same time, Altanxie readies herself for a campaign against the Kazakhs to the north, in order to re-establish their status as a tributary of the Roman Empire.

Leo in the meantime, decides to work with the Orthodox Priesthood to find a workaround for the whole usury thing.

Apparently, the question is more difficult than he thought it would be. As future Emperor, one would think that he would have the priesthood under his thumb.

But no, it wasn't that easy. The priesthood was powerful and they could easily foment revolts. Not only that, but as history demonstrated, they weren't hesitant to use that kind of power. And to invite civil war before even taking the throne would be less than prudent.

At least his new wife would be out of Constantinople and wouldn't see Leo grovelling before a bunch of old men.

~*~*~
(1): Shahbanu: Persian for Empress.

(2): Atsinganoi: Romani people, aka Gypsies.

 

[New Potomac]

Jews, pagan Cumans, Bogomil heretics, Manichaeans, Nestorians, Zoroastrians and anyone else that didn't follow one of the major world religions.

A very interesting combination for the ERE's banking system.

Very nice/interesting TL, I must say.

 

[YLi]

Mid-1164:

Upper Indus: Pusuwan first needs to retake the city of Kandahar from the the Jurchens before being able to move into the Kabul Valley, but before that, she needs to take the city of Lahore in the Punjab so that she can secure her flanks. Unfortunately, the city is not only heavily fortified by the Jurchens, it contains a contingent of Hindu troops stationed there by the powerful Solanki Empire. Pusuwan cannot risk a war with both the Jin and the Solanki at the same time. However, Lahore could be taken by guile and surprise instead of by force.

The trick was to turn the Rajputs and the Jin against one another so that they would not ally themselves to one another in the event of the city falling. Of course, they would need to fall victim to something first.

Pusuwan got a few of her troops to dress up as Zoroastrian merchants hauling casks of criminally cheap Aragh e Sagi, an Iranian grape liquor that averaged 63% alcohol by volume. The Rajput garrison, figuring the deal was almost too good to be true, purchased the entire shipment from the merchants and hauled the casks to their barracks, where they began drinking heavily.

Another trooper, posing as a local citizen, promptly told the local authorities that the Rajputs had not paid the excise tax the Jurchens levied on all liquor shipments. The Jurchen authorities moved in to seize the alcohol from the Rajputs and impound it until the Rajputs paid the duties.

It was only natural that men, especially bored, underpaid men with weapons, would fight over liquor. By the time the Jurchens managed to restore order in the city, dozens of the Rajputs were dead, having fought to the death for the right to get drunk at a reasonable price. The Rajput garrison decides to pull out from Lahore and head back to New Delhi.

New Delhi: Kumarpal, the Solanki Maharaja decides that the Jurchens can fend for themselves against the Khitans. He wants no part of their duplicity any longer.

The Don River: Altanxie lands with her army at Azov at the mouth the Don River. She docks some of her riverboat fleet there and has her engineers set up feeding pens and abattoirs. Then her army of 30,000 men spreads out across the steppe in bands of 20-30, enough to overcome any nomadic encampment they come across. If the pastoralists retreat to fortified camps, the soldiers are to round up their flocks of cattle and sheep and move them back to Azov for slaughter. They were also to take as many slaves as possible, as Kazakhs fetched a high price in Galata's slave markets. Slavs were fair game as well.

Dnieper River Valley: John Phokas, governor of the Crimea, has the same set of orders; ride out and pillage everything he comes across. Sooner or later, Duwa Khan, the Great Khan of the Kazakh people, would have to ride out with his army and confront the Byzantines in a pitched battle.

Mainz: Alina Vivar marries Crown-Prince Edward in an elaborate ceremony in Mainz Cathedral. The vows are personally administered by Antipope Clement IV, who ensures that Alina converts to (an acceptable form of) Christianity.

Alina chafes at being sent up to the rainy, miserable, Christian and barbarian north. Mainz is a far, far, far cry from the grandeur of Cordoba. She immediately plots to murder Edward in order to free herself from this godawful marriage. She sends a coded letter back to her lover Jalal an-Diagana, the governor of Malaga.

The worst part is that she needs to commit the murder quickly as she's pregnant with Jalal's child. Jalal is a black African of Senegalese descent, so there's no way that Alina can pass off the baby as Edward's. Lastly, the death needs to be accidental, or at least easily pinned on a third party because Alina is a smart enough politician to know that it is vital for Al-Andalus to maintain good relations with the Holy Roman Empire.

It was going to be about another 2 months before Alina would start to show. In the meantime, she would teach Edward certain hazardous sexual techniques used in only the cheapest, sleaziest whorehouses in Al-Andalus.

Late 1164:

Lahore: No use laying siege to the city in the dead of winter. The Jurchens rush more men to Lahore to make up for the lost Solankis. They know something is coming, but they have no idea what.

Kiev: No use sallying the army in the dead of winter. The Byzantines would be back next summer anyway.

Mainz: No use in calling a physician, thought Hans von Magdeburg, the Imperial Chamberlain as he stepped into Edward's room. The Crown Prince was hanging from a ceiling rafter by his neck, with his genitals clutched firmly in his right hand.

The Chamberlain calls in the guards and some other officials and determines that the crime scene needs to be sanitized, lest word leak out of Prince Edward's perversions. Unfortunately, during the process of cutting Edward's body down, the Emperor walks in.

Hans manages to flee the scene by leaping out of the window into a strategically placed pile of manure beneath and then stealing a horse and making an escape. The other guards and officials aren't so lucky, and are executed on the spot.

Alina quietly flees Mainz, heading up the Rhine river on a trader's barge. There's a ship from Al-Andalus waiting for her at the small town of Rotterdam at the mouth of the Rhine.

Early 1165:

Constantinople: Emperor John II decides to abdicate the throne in favor of his grandson, who becomes Emperor Leo VII. John wants to retire to his villa in the Taurus mountains to write his memoirs. The book, written in both Seljuk Turkish and colloquial Greek (1), is titled simply "Chronicles of the Life of John II Komnenos". A bishop, Eustathius Magdalinos of Thessalonica, is responsible for translating the book into Latin and Attic Greek, while Ruixi Chunxiang, one of Empress Altanxie's servant girls was made responsible for translating the work into Arabic, Persian and Chinese. John also makes extensive use of his late sister's notes. Anna Komnena had left an unfinished manuscript detailing the reign of Alexius I behind when she died in 1153.

The Chronicles of John II is probably the foremost primary historical source on the Eastern Roman Empire between 1081 and 1165. Not only is it an objective and accurate account of John's reign with nearly no exaggeration of his accomplishments, but the details and historical minutiae are all recorded without fault. John was a practical ruler mostly concerned with mundane subjects like military, finance and engineering matters. Digressions and references to philosophy and theology were therefore kept to a minimum.

Magdalinos and Ruxi were both highly accomplished scholars in their own right and therefore added in lengthy digressions where they extensively comment on certain sections of the work in a philosophical context, citing scholars as wide ranging as Thucydides, Lao Zi, Shang Yang, Al-Ghazali, John of Thomond (2), Li Bai, Averroes, Confucius, Plato and Nizam al Mulk. In its own way, the translated variants of The Chronicles of John II become an important work in the Eastern Roman philosophical canon.

Al-Andalus: Speaking of Averroes, the philosopher is a favorite of the court at Cordoba, especially because of his genius at practical matters such as alchemy, optics, mechanics and physics. Further expanding upon the works of Al-Hazen, he manages to duplicate the process of making exceptionally clear glass in the manner of the Cathayans. He further proves that shaping the glass in certain ways could magnify or shrink an image.

Crown Prince Domingo approaches Averroes with a task. Domingo's young daughter Miriam has trouble reading her schoolbooks or seeing distant objects. If Averroes can duplicate the famed Cathayan viewing apparatus (3), the court will give him gold.

A lot of gold.

Not to mention the title of Court Physician.

Elsewhere in Al-Andalus, a visibly pregnant Princess Alina has arrived in Seville. She doesn't go straight to Jalal. That would make her family suspicious. She doesn't go straight to Cordoba either, as that would make everyone realize she's pregnant.

Lahore: Pusuwan's forces march on Lahore. She's careful not to have her troops burn the local farmers' spring planting since that would just drive them to the enemy's side. In fact, she pays fair market price for the food her army eats.

The Jurchens are violent, draconian overlords with an intense disdain for all settled peoples and definitely are not popular.

Herat: A second army under Xiao Wolila, Pusuwan's father in law marches from Herat into the Kabul Valley area.

Baghdad: With his father and wife gone, Xiao Duolubu begins to have sex with just about everything with a pulse in the Imperial Palace in Baghdad. He impregnates at least 20 concubines.

Lahore: During this time, Pusuwan begins a lengthy sexual relationship with Qutb Aibak, one of Muhammad Ghori's retainers. Pusuwan suspects that Ghori might be a homosexual, due to the very, very suspicious absence of women in his court, and the constant presence of thousands of ghulams. She keeps it to herself, as Ghori is one of her most able subordinates.

Mid-1165:

Qarqiz : Xiao Altanxie departs again on campaign against the Qarqiz. This time, Duwa Khan is ready for her. The nomad shepherds have spent the winter building fortified corrals for their sheep, and they fiercely defend their livelihoods. Progress is much slower than the previous season, and casualties are higher. Still, Duwa refuses to be drawn out into pitched battle against the vastly superior Tagmata. The raid still nets many slaves.

Constantinople: Altanxie leaves a note to Leo informing him that she can't afford to get fat. She instructs him to impregnate Ruixi Chunxiang, noting that she was the girl that doubled as Altanxie during their first meeting, and that as a scholar, Ruxi works at a desk in John's villa in Elazig (4), and has no need to go anywhere.

Leo, for his part, realizes that Chunxiang is betrothed to marry another man, Turgut Ra'im, a Seljuk scholar from Isfahan. If Leo is to go through with impregnating Chunxiang, then that implies that Ra'im has to be executed.

Austria: Hans von Magdeburg is sheltered by Gretchen Habsburg, Archduchess of Austria, who hides him from Imperial agents searching for him. Gretchen figures that he's innocent and was merely trying to sanitize the scene of Edward's suicide to hide evidence of his perversion. Hans though, is forced to hand over his son to Gretchen so that she can marry him.

Rolf von Magdeburg decides that the only way that he can tolerate Gretchen's hideous appearance is if she wears a mask at all times. Her body's not that bad, but her face. Her face was too hideous to gaze upon.

Mainz: Devastated by the murder of his only son, William turns to alcohol to drown his grief.

Lorraine: Gottfried III, Duke of Lorraine, is granted the title of Archduke of Upper and Lower Lorraine.

Al-Andalus: Averroes gets his gold. He has spent months making the first European pair of eyeglasses. Domingo doesn't want the technology spreading too quickly, so he orders Averroes' papers and notes to be locked away for the time being. Averroes can make the devices for the court, but he is expressly forbidden from manufacturing them for anyone else.

Alina hides in Jalal's palace in Malaga and secretly gives birth to a healthy baby son, and then switches him for the son of a Slavic concubine pregnant around the same time she was. The concubine, known as Olga bint-Kasimir, is ordered to concoct a story about how Jalal impregnated her. Olga is then quietly given a large sum of gold in order to keep her mouth shut. Alina's fake son is named "Edward" after his "father". Her real son, Zian will be raised as Edward's brother.

Jalal reveals to Ramon that Alina had returned from Germany pregnant with Edward's baby. Since her virginity is no longer intact, Jalal volunteers to "take one for the team", so to speak, and become Alina's husband. Ramon, glad to hear this news, gives Jalal the governorship of Carmona as well.

Late 1165:

Elazig: Leo arrives at John's villa with an escort of Varangians and Excubitors. He marches into the villa and delivers Altanxie's note to Chunxiang and Ra'im.

Chunxiang pleads with John to intervene. She crawls on her hands and knees begging the former Emperor to do something. John just shrugs and points towards Leo.

Turgut Ra'im calmly marches forth, gets on his knees and sticks his neck out. He understands that he is only so useful in the grand scheme of things.

Leo flinches as one of the Varangians raises his massive, 6 foot long axe and swings down heavily...

~*~*~
(1): John wasn't a man of the classics. He wouldn't know how to write in stiff Attic Greek.

(2): An Irish traveling philosopher and Altanxie's tutor in Greek and Latin

(3): Eyeglasses

(4): In southeastern Anatolia near the source of the Tigris River

 

[YLi]

Full update is up.

 

[Artemetis]

Fantastic timeline, I'm always a sucker for Byzantium . However the last post appears to be missing the footnotes?

 

[YLi]

Author's Note: I neglected to mention this, but at some point, the Solanki Rajputs conquer the Chauhans to their north. India is a much more unified polity in this TL than it was OTL. The Solankis also are in good standing with the Cholas and Chalukyas to their south.

Anyway, carry on.

 

[YLi]

Author's Note: Steampunk China, fuck yeah.

The Industrial Revolution in China by Professor Li.Y, Beijing Guozijian (1) Press, c. 2011

Foreword: China first began to make the transition into an industrialized society in the mid 13th century, being the first nation to do so. A series of scientific inventions and social reforms in the 12th century helped to catapult it from a mostly agricultural, commodity based society into one based off of services and industry. I will describe those changes in more detail below.

Why China?: China began to industrialize due to the following factors outlined below:

1.) Stability: There were very few violent changes in Imperial succession during the Song Dynasty and there was a continuity of lineage in the Imperial Civil Service with a minimum of violent disruption. More importantly, every steppe polity with a significantly high enough level of organization to invade China went west during the 12th century, creating the Jin and Western Liao Dynasties.

2.) Education: Thanks to the widespread use of block printing and movable type, the population was highly literate and educated. This allowed scientific advancement to take place more quickly.

3.) Rise of the Merchant-Bureaucrat: The slow rise of the merchant in society, and their appearance in the civil service by the middle of the 12th century ensured that science and technology remained a government priority for long periods of time.

4.) Advanced Financial Systems: A healthy export oriented economy and the use of advanced financial instruments such as paper currency, double entry bookkeeping and financial forcecasting allowed China to be the heart of a trade empire spanning from Al-Andalus to Japan.

5.) Encouragement of Understanding: Unlike in Europe at this time, the Chinese were far less likely to accuse people of heresy and witchcraft for daring to explore the unknown.

Selected List of Chinese Inventions from the 12th century onward:

Mechanical:

Steam Power: The residual heat from blast furnaces was first used to heat water in the 1140s. The first usage of steam to turn a flywheel in an experiment was in the 1180s. By 1200, the first steam engine had been invented, although it wasn't until 1264 that a practical model had been developed.

Locomotive: The first locomotive prototype was put forth sometime in the mid 14th century.

Internal Combustion Engine: The first internal combustion engine was developed in the early 14th century.

Powder Injection of Coal: Anthracite coal was first used in the mid 11th century, although furnace owners in China, wanting even hotter fires, crushed the coal into a powder. This created extreme temperatures in the furnace in order to make the finest of steels.

Electricity: First experimented with in the 1160s, the first crude electric motor appeared in the mid 1270s. Major use of electricity did not begin until the late 1300s.

Mechanical Clock: At some point in the 12th century, somebody substituted the water in water clocks for weights and springs.

Mechanical Abacus: The mechanical abacus, an elaborately geared apparatus, was capable of performing new and highly sophisticated

Typewriter: The first typewriter was invented in the 1170s. The early devices weighed several tons, but could allow for Chinese characters to be broken down by strokes in a predicable manner, vastly increasing publishing speed of certain works.

Camera: The camera and film for photography, developed from the early camera obscura, first appeared in a very crude form in the late 1200s.

Chemical:

Organic Chemistry: The field of organic chemistry vastly improved during the Industrial Revolution. The distillation of carbon bearing materials was first referred to in the 1190s and plastics several decades after that. Nitrate based high explosives were first used sometime in the mid to late 14th century for mining purposes.

Metallurgy: The practical knowledge gained in the processing of steel allowed for vast improvements in metallurgy to take place in this time period. Many advanced alloys were created during China's industrial revolution.

Biological:

Medicine: The practice of medicine was advanced in this time as well, with many new styles of synthetic medicines being made. Also, thanks to the invention of germ theory and general anesthesia, vast strides in surgery were also being made.

Philosophical:

Mathematics: A new branch of mathematics, known to Europeans as Calculus, began appearing in the mid 12th century. Advanced statistical methods, many of them requiring the mechanical abacus to calculate, began to appear at around this time too.

 

[Adam]

Steampunk China...

So, Steampunk China, is ossom idea. But where are Steampunk Mongols when you need them?

 

[Elfwine]

Steampunk China...

So, Steampunk China, is ossom idea. But where are Steampunk Mongols when you need them?

The only thing I have against this Steampunk China is that I'm not sure if merchants rising in society is feasible.

As for Steampunk Mongols: That's just depressing.

 

[Adam]

The only thing I have against this Steampunk China is that I'm not sure if merchants rising in society is feasible.

As for Steampunk Mongols: That's just depressing.

Well, they'll be spreading multiculturalism and world unity a lot faster.

But the death count will also be super high.

 

[Elfwine]

Well, they'll be spreading multiculturalism and world unity a lot faster.

But the death count will also be super high.

They'll be spreading multicult...wait, what?!

World unity I can buy...ignoring that the Mongol Empire had about as much unity as the Byzantine Empire and maybe less. Multiculturalism?

Was Persia more multicultural under the Ilkhanate than under the previous states?

Picking Persia because, well, Persia is cool. And multicultural.

Mongol rulers of Persia using Persian bureaucrats to run the place is NOT multiculturalism more than Turkish rulers using Persian bureaucrats is.

 

[Adam]

They'll be spreading multicult...wait, what?!

World unity I can buy...ignoring that the Mongol Empire had about as much unity as the Byzantine Empire and maybe less. Multiculturalism?

Was Persia more multicultural under the Ilkhanate than under the previous states?

Picking Persia because, well, Persia is cool. And multicultural.

Mongol rulers of Persia using Persian bureaucrats to run the place is NOT multiculturalism more than Turkish rulers using Persian bureaucrats is.

I was always been under the impression that, though absurdly brutal, the Mongols were quite tolerant of the cultures they conquered, and usually took them across the lands they were conquering.

So I'm using the basis of hindsight to extrapolate what a unified Eurasia under the Mongols would be like. It would more than likely split into several different Khanates, ala OTL, but there's a small percent that another (perhaps even smarter) Temujin would take the reins and fully integrate all the lands they've taken. So maybe not full-on multiculturalism yet, but the beginning stages of it and growing faster as time passes.

Atleast that's how I see it. It's horribly optimistic, but hey.

 

[Elfwine]

I was always been under the impression that, though absurdly brutal, the Mongols were quite tolerant of the cultures they conquered, and usually took them across the lands they were conquering.

I know that they made use of those in the areas they took - but I don't know how much say, Chinese scholars made it to the Chagatai Khanate, or Persians to the Golden Horde.

So I'm using the basis of hindsight to extrapolate what a unified Eurasia under the Mongols would be like. It would more than likely split into several different Khanates, ala OTL, but there's a small percent that another (perhaps even smarter) Temujin would take the reins and fully integrate all the lands they've taken. So maybe not full-on multiculturalism yet, but the beginning stages of it and growing faster as time passes.

Atleast that's how I see it. It's horribly optimistic, but hey.

I'm not sure if its even possible to fully integrate those lands. Looking at this as a matter of communications - even with steam technology, that's a huge sprawling state. And I mean HUGE.

 

[Adam]

I know that they made use of those in the areas they took - but I don't know how much say, Chinese scholars made it to the Chagatai Khanate, or Persians to the Golden Horde.

To be honest, that's an area I'm literally swimming in the dark in. You'll have to ask Yixin or some else who knows their Mongolian histories.

I'm not sure if its even possible to fully integrate those lands. Looking at this as a matter of communications - even with steam technology, that's a huge sprawling state. And I mean HUGE.

That's why I said its horribly optimistic.

On the other hand, if they do develop electricity and thus telegraphy as well, it'll be much easier to link up their Eurasian empire. Certainly no mean feat, but the empire will be easier to manage than pre-electrical means.

Of course that's discounting other problems that comes with increasingly sophisticated communications...

 

[Elfwine]

To be honest, that's an area I'm literally swimming in the dark in. You'll have to ask Yixin or some else who knows their Mongolian histories.

Yeah. I know enough to know I don't know of any examples from my reading - as in, I would think if there was much use of this that it would show up in what I have read. But I'm so far from an expert its a joke, so...hopefully one of the experts can add something if this comes up.

That's why I said its horribly optimistic.

On the other hand, if they do develop electricity and thus telegraphy as well, it'll be much easier to link up their Eurasian empire. Certainly no mean feat, but the empire will be easier to manage than pre-electrical means.

Of course that's discounting other problems that comes with increasingly sophisticated communications...

Yeah. Empires are easy to imagine and hard to run.

 

[YLi]

The only thing I have against this Steampunk China is that I'm not sure if merchants rising in society is feasible.

These aren't the later Ming or Qing. The Song are a mostly southern-based, sea oriented dynasty that in this TL, have just about zero pressure coming in from the steppes. The increase in mercantilism follows the trends established earlier in the Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty of this TL is about as pro-business as the modern day PRC is. While not quite capitalist, it's relatively open to the income trade brings in, and its civil service is savvy when it comes to dealing with foreigners.

 

[Elfwine]

These aren't the later Ming or Qing. The Song are a mostly southern-based, sea oriented dynasty that in this TL, have just about zero pressure coming in from the steppes. The increase in mercantilism follows the trends established earlier in the Tang Dynasty. The Song Dynasty of this TL is about as pro-business as the modern day PRC is. While not quite capitalist, it's relatively open to the income trade brings in, and its civil service is savvy when it comes to dealing with foreigners.

Makes sense. Still, it seems that merchants are going to be more "tolerated" than "treasured"...though this is probably a good foundation for more, and you know this better than I do.

Otherwise, Steampunk China. How could that not be both and ?

Keep up the good work.

 

[YLi]

As for Mongol multiculturalism, it happened, but not that much. Most of the time, the Mongols adopted either Chinese, Persian and (later) Indian culture, and that was that. Still, the Mongols were more progressive and easygoing rulers than the rulers they generally replaced. Sure it would suck if you were part of the population that got added to a pyramid of skulls, but life under Mongol was frequently less harsh and far more tolerant than life under native rule.

 

[YLi]

Elazig, Asia Minor, Late 1165 AD:

"Wait, stop!"

The Varangian's axe stopped millimeters short of Turgut Raim's neck. He shouldered his axe and took a step back, awaiting further instructions.

"Just...why I am I doing this?" asked Leo aloud as he paced back and forth over the expensive Persian carpets. Although there was plenty of legal justification for Turgut Raim's execution, Leo did not feel he could personally go through with it.

"Turgut Raim of Isfahan and Chunxiang of the Ruixi Khitan Ordo", began Leo, "you are both accused of committing grave crimes against the Eastern Roman State and its culture." Goddamnit. Too formal. Was it really a grave crime anyway? I mean...why did Altanxie want Turgut dead anyway? Oh right. "I...uh... Raim is charged with..." this was sounding increasingly ridiculous, "damage to Imperial Property." He could also technically charge him with fornication, but that was silly, he'd have to lock up just about everyone in his Empire.

It was a badly kept secret that women did not save themselves for marriage. Leo certainly didn't, and he spent more than enough time in his bed with many courtesans, nubile slave girls and concubines when Altanxie was out on campaign.

Besides, Chunxiang was technically a slave. She was the property of Empress Altanxie. Turgut Raim certainly did not ask for the Empress' permission to fornicate with her slave. But...

~*~*~
Baghdad, 1158 AD

"Why are we even reading this stupid book? Who spends their entire career dedicated to writing commentaries on commentaries on commentaries on Aristotle? It achieves nothing."

The fat, red-haired Irishman with the two teenage Khitan girls sitting at his feet struggled for an answer. He was responsible for tutoring them in Western Philosophy and really had always taken for granted that the study of commentaries on Aristotle was legitimate and necessary.

The louder of the girls, with short, badly cut hair and musculature like a shaved cat continued, "The ideas of some dead white man don't impress me very much. Why don't you teach us something more relevant?"

"Your aunt wanted me to teach you the philosophy of the Latin West, so that you might know your enemies better."

"If they're anything like you, I don't think there would be anything to fear. Isn't that right Chunxiang?"

The other girl, thin and delicate, with smooth porcelain skin, simply giggled. "I don't know. I like Western Philosophy, it's interesting, especially when the connections are drawn between the ancient Greeks and more recent philosophers like Photios, Al Ghazali and Omar Khayyam. It's important to know where authors are coming from."

"Yes, you and John here might have the time to idle away in slavery, but some of us will have an empire to run someday. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to jousting practice."

"Altanxie, shouldn't you stay and learn how to--"

"Waste of my time. Have a nice day."

John of Thomond shrugged and continued after Altanxie left the room. "I was about to tell her that Alexander the Great and Hannibal Barca were dead white men she'd probably love to learn about."

"I could teach her about them if--"

"No. It's ok. It's better if she learns from her mistakes one day. Experience, while not necessarily the better teacher, is certainly a more memorable one."

"My mother was Altanxie's wet nurse and raised her as her own after Lady Erchen's death. How can we be so different?"

"If you raise a horse and a camel together in the same stable, the horse remains a horse and the camel remains a camel, no matter your efforts. Some people are just different."

"I wonder if it's her insecurities that make her the way she is. She's not in line for the throne. Pusuwan will become Empress next. Altanxie wants to prove that she's just as capable as Pusuwan, she wants the chance to rule...but..."

"But?"

A disheartened expression fell over Chunxiang's face. "I...I promised Altanxie I would tell no outside of the Xiao clan one of this. But..."

"But?" John tilted his head expectantly.

Chunxiang moved in closer and switched to Latin, speaking quietly, "Altanxie's father fell in battle with the Jurchens, but he did not fall in honorable combat. He was killed when he fell off his horse fleeing the battlefield. Upon hearing of this, her mother committed suicide. The whole affair was covered up for the most part, but I think Altanxie spends her days training with arms because she lives with the stigma of her father's cowardice."

John's eyes widened.

"Oh...I..."

"In the future, I suggest teaching her commentaries on Augustus or Charles Martel instead of Alexander and Hannibal. Hannibal lost to the Romans in the end and Alexander couldn't keep his empire together."

~*~*~
Elazig, Late 1165:

"While I am loathe to continue to exercise my authority in my retirement, I absolutely forbid you from physically harming Ruixi Chunxiang, or Turgut Raim. I need them to translate my memoirs." John's servants handed out cups of warmed, spiced wine as he gathered everyone in his chambers. "So where is Altanxie?" asked John.

"Wintering in Khersonos, waiting to go out on campaign against the Kazakhs as soon as the snow melts."

"And..."

"She had a courier deliver me a note. She wanted Chunxiang to bear our children, because could not afford a 9 month gap to go on campaign. Although the note wasn't explicit in ordering Turgut Raim's execution, it did state that all possible complications were to be summarily eliminated." Leo produced a wrinkled piece of parchment from a cloak pocket for everyone to examine. "Turgut Raim was a complication."

"It's not a zero-sum game. What about exile or..."

"If I exiled him, would you not chase him? I can hear it in your voice. If I imprisoned him, you would help him escape. Despite the fact, or maybe because of the fact that you are the Empress' slave, it wouldn't take much for you to find a way around whatever soldiers I have posted outside of the prison walls."

"I think you have failed to answer one of the most fundamental questions underlying this whole issue. Chunxiang, do you believe it is your duty to serve Altanxie at all costs?" asked John as he took a sip from his goblet.

"I believe it is, although I must confess, I do so reluctantly." Chunxiang's voice quavered.

"Do you understand that with Turgut Raim still alive in any capacity, there will be whispers, rumors. Any of Leo's children you bear will be tainted by the rumor that Leo is not their real father. Even though you would know the truth, and Leo would know the truth, and Altanxie would know the truth, the nest of vipers in the Imperial Court would do their best to spread falsehoods. Leo made the correct assessment when he ordered Turgut Raim beheaded. I would not have questioned his decision had he gone through with it."

"But why are you protecting me now?"

"Because the situation has changed, and because I was asked to judge the situation as I saw fit. You have a future here young man, it would be such a shame to see it splattered all over my walls and carpets."

"The way I see it, Chunxiang is the second highest ranking Khitan in our court, and certainly one of the most trusted. She should see the continuation of the Komnenos name as an honor. Instead she spends her days fornicating with a nameless scholar of common birth."

"Then what stopped you from simply executing Turgut?"

Leo thought about his grandfather's words. "There's a certain lack of justice in the way this whole series of events has transpired. Chunxiang, despite her lower social station, was raised as Altanxie's sister. Therefore, I believe that despite holding the title of Empress, that Altanxie must perform her own duty, not as Empress, but as a decent human being, and ask for permission first. In person."

John nodded. "But it is against the law for a man to deprive another man of the value of his livestock. If Turgut Raim had broken into the Imperial Stables and murdered a fine horse, you would have treated him differently."

"Grandfather, there's the law, and there's what's right."

 

[YLi]

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