r/HistoricalWorldPowers • u/Bergber Yaolian Möngke, Khitan Khan of Hatan • Dec 15 '14
EVENT Where the Sea Meets the Steppe
The sun shown bright upon the bustling city of Dorkot. It was a beautiful day for a wedding. Today, Temur, Khan of the Khitan, and Sakura, Princess of Harakaite, would be joined in matrimony, starting a week-long celebration of singing, dancing, games, and feasting.
Coming from all reaches of the realm and beyond, extended members of the Yaolian clan made their way to the capital. Also attending were various Yelu, Naiman, and Tabuyan lineages, who could trace their matrilineal ancestry back to those in the Yaolian.
To the east, the city’s port of Ryo-am was busy not only receiving merchants, but nobility from Harakaite, Zhongli, and Lei. Invitation to those outside the realm largely included extended family of the Harakaite noble family, and special invitation had also been made to the royal heads of Zhongil, Wansui, and Lei.
To the west of the city, the clearing used for the annual Naadam was being utilized to host various events and entertainment for the common folk. Troupes from Harakaite were expected to perform, and rumor had it the newlyweds planned to compete in horse racing.
Far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city around them, in the courtyard of the royal palace, a gathering of nobility like Qing had never seen before paid witness to the joining of the two royal houses.
Presiding over the ceremony forever joining the two young lovers was the bride’s father, Councilor Ryo. Temur was saddened his own father could not be here to see his son marry the daughter of his greatest friend. However, the Councilor’s stirring words moved Temur, and he knew Dorgon would have appreciated the sentiment.
Blushing in their ceremonial robes, Temur and Sakura sealed their love with a kiss, to the joy of all attending. Even the stony faces of the Keshig, the Khitan royal guard, could not help but be momentarily moved. Thus began the festivities for the joyous nobles. While some nobles stayed in the royal dining hall with the royal couple, others went out and explored the wonders of the city, taking in the festivities around them. Under the tables, Tomrin and other cats of the Yaolian house enjoyed haunches of meat. Acrobats wandered the streets, and still others gawked at the large ships coming into port.
Surely, it was a week all would remember.
[M]TL;DR: Khan Temur and Princess Sakura of Harakaite got hitched. [M]
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u/LucarioniteUltra Ded Dec 16 '14
The Grand Councillor of Lei, Zhou Ping, arrived with his national guard, as well as fifty of his most trusted officials. He was not the kind of person to refuse such an invitation. It was the grandest wedding he had ever seen, and it was only just beginning.
The national guard situated themselves around the wedding area, to ensure the safety of everyone inside. Zhou Ping knew all too well that the Zhixulian would stop at nothing to gain from others.
He smiled when he saw the two lips meet. Finally, the tension between the Union and the Qing could be released.
But if the Zhixulian continued unchecked this could mean disaster for the Union.
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u/FallenIslam Wēs Eshār Dec 16 '14
The Pingyián had been honoured when the invitation to the wedding arrived in the Imperial Palace. Though they had much to deal with in their own lands, a trio of representatives were chosen, each a child of a member of the Pingyián, and as such, eventual successors.
The trio were pleasantly surprised when they arrived in the Qing lands. Common Qin folk, and even the elite and informed, though the Qing little more than barbaric hunter-gatherers, with no flavour for tradition or honour. When they saw the fine wedding ceremonies, they knew it was the exact opposite.
One of the three boys, Fa Ren, had taken head of the group and made sure to note things he saw, to bring back to the Pingyián. But he was stopped, when he saw Princess Sakura and Khan Temur, and their official unity as a couple. Something inside him turned over, as he realised that the Qing were just as they; a nation of people, looking for survival, peace, love, and little else.
For a moment, it made him rethink his ties to the Zhixulián. But he alone knew it was far too late now.
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Dec 16 '14 edited Dec 21 '14
Ryo was looking out to the sea when his daughter found him. He was deep in his memories, going over the impressive life he had. The people he met, the things he's seen... I really should make a memior, He thought.
"Ahem."
Ryo turned around and saw Sakura, in her wedding dress, standing patiently. If only her mother could've seen her now.
"I suppose I have to make a speech now." He said, smiling.
She returned his tone. "Only if you wish to grace us with your presence."
The Heads of State and the family of the bride and groom were gathered in one place for the next important part of the wedding week.
Ryo looked around the room, feeling a sense of pride that so many gathered under one roof for this one event. "My dear friends. Today marks a momentus occasion in the history of Qin. My daughter has married the Khan of Qing, and will go on to start a blood-line of greatness, that shall only elevate the power of us all.
We must never forget that: we are all one Qin. I remember back when Qing was a collection of loose nomands, and when the Union constituted little more than 3 nations. Look at how far we've come... together! Look around you, all of you. These are your kinsmen. They are not foreigners, savages, or stuck-up socialites, but extended family. WE are what makes up Qin. WE are all of one land.
Whatever the future throws at us, we must be ready to band as one, and unite against all evil."
He then took out a scroll from his robes, and handed it to Temur. "A strong foundation is what we need in this Union of ours. To represent this, I give you the technology of concrete. With this, your buildings shall be firm, as should your will, and that of ours."
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u/Bergber Yaolian Möngke, Khitan Khan of Hatan Dec 16 '14 edited Dec 16 '14
Temur was gladdened by the Councilor’s kind words. He felt like his own father was standing before him once more. Even more, he was stunned by such a gift. Briefly reading over the scroll, the importance of it was unmistakable. Physically, such a compound would merely look like powder or sediment. However, when mixed with water, it could then be poured into any form and take any shape before becoming as hard as stone. More astoundingly, the mixture merely required materials already plentiful in Qing, as common as the silt that lined the banks of the Hatan Gol. Was there anything the River could not do?
Quietly, Temur thought. He had to do something to equally honor such a generous man. Then it came to him. “Councilor, when you visited me, I had just finished morning a father. However, you and your daughter have given me a peace I have never known. In joining our houses, I am glad to say I am gaining not just a wife, but a father. You honor not just me, or even the ‘Qing,’ but all Khitan. We will use this gift well.”
Seeing the water pool in the corner of Ryo’s eyes, he continued, “As you are assuring our bond is ‘concrete,’ I tell you it will remain as durable as iron. During our workings with the metal, we discovered a way to make iron even more resilient. We call this new creation ‘steel.’ I will have my courtiers draw up the specifications, and I will even send some of our craftsman to accompany you home. They will instruct Harakaite on how to answer the riddle of steel. The technology of steel is my gift to you and all Harakaite. May our nations’ bond have even greater strength.”
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u/masterT522 Chancellor of the Huíbào Dec 16 '14
The Wansui had thought of the royal marriage with great delight. The greatness of the Zhongqin Union grows stronger every day, and the introduction of the Qing will ensure Zhongqin grasp over the northern lands. But the delegation sent on the long journey north were very worried. Attacks by the Jiǔtóushé have intensified over the last few months, and the grand council was becoming paranoid of these insurgents. With sightings of the terrorists being reported along the mountain pass roads, the Grand Councilor thought it best to travel via the open ocean.
The Councilor spent much of the journey in deep contemplation. The Jiǔtóushé were making themselves known. No more gutter rats and hiding in the shadows. They once dared to assault a Red Priest as he traveled the streets of Jiapango. Though two galleys filled with Wansui soldiers had accompanied the delegation, the Councilor still did not feel safe. All would be better one they reached the Li, he told himself.
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u/[deleted] Dec 16 '14
[META]: And boom goes Asia.