Editing ReignWulin:Mongolia (section)

== Yelu Chucai ==

Yelü Chucai is a Mandarin statesman of Khitan ethnicity with royal family lineage to the Liao Dynasty. Well versed in Buddhist scriptures and a practitioner in Daoism, Yelü Chucai is best known for his service as the chief adviser to Genghis Khan. Yelü Chucai's father Yelu Lu, served with the Jin Empire, which defeated the Liao Dynasty in 1125, and it was the unified Mongolian army under Genghis Khan that began a war of conquest against the Jin Dynasty in 1211. Both Jurchen and Khitan rebels joined the Mongols in the fight against the Jin Dynasty, and Yelü Chucai joined Chingis Khan's administration in the year 1218 at the age of 28. At the age of 40 he is now one of Ogedai Khan's chief advisors.

The Khitans and Mongols were united by their common enemy of the Jurchen Jin Dynasty. This is shown in the well-known words pronounced by Genghis Khan, at the end of July, when he met Yelü Chucai for the first time at his ordos in the Sāri Steppe (west of the great bend of the Kerulen River): "Liao and Jin have been enemies for generations; I have taken revenge for you." To which Yelü Chucai replied, "My father and grandfather have both served the Jin respectfully. How can I, as a subject and a son, be so insincere at heart as to consider my sovereign and my father as enemies?" The Mongol is said to have been impressed by this frank reply, as well as by Yelü Chucai’s looks (he is a very tall man with a magnificent beard reaching to his waist) and sonorous voice. He gave him the nickname "Urtu Saqal" (Long Beard) and placed him in his retinue as an adviser.

He does his best to convince the Mongols to tax rather than slaughter conquered peoples. This wise chancellor's words temper the barbaric leanings of Mongol methodology, stating to Ogedai Khan's he has said; that empires may be conquered on horseback, but could not be ruled on horseback. While the Jin territories are capitulating under the Mongol onslaught, Yelü Chucai is instituting several administrative reforms, like separating civil and military powers and introducing numerous taxes and levies. In response to the tough resistance the Mongol army faced while trying to conquer the Jurchen Jin's southern capital of Kaifeng, some Mongol officers in high command recommended the complete razing of Kaifeng and the deaths of all it's occupants. But Yelü Chucai convinced Chingis Khan to rule and tax the people, and make use of their extraordinary talents instead of killing all of them in order to further their own riches.