Editing ReignWulin:Mongolia (section)

= Culture =

The Mongol Empire is governed by a code of law devised by Genghis Khan, called Yassa, meaning "order" or "decree". A particular canon of this code was that the nobility shares much of the same hardship as the common man. Under Yassa, chiefs and generals are selected based on merit, religious tolerance is guaranteed, and thievery and vandalizing of civilian property is strictly forbidden. Yassa also imposes severe penalties – e.g., the death penalty was decreed if the mounted soldier following another did not pick up something dropped from the mount in front. On the whole, the tight discipline makes the Mongol Empire extremely safe and well-run in comparison to many surrounding kingdoms. The Mongols commonly boast that a woman carrying a sack of gold could travel safely from one end of the Mongol territories to the other.

The Mongols are governed by a non-democratic parliamentary-style central assembly, called Kurultai, in which the Mongol chiefs meet with the Supreme Khan to discuss domestic and foreign policies. Kurultai is a general term for tribal assemblies convened to determine, strategize and analyze military campaigns and assign individuals to leadership positions and titles - most of the major military campaigns are first planned out at assemblies such as this and there are minor and less significant Kurultais under subordinate leaders and generals.

Trade routes and an extensive postal system (yam) cross the breadth of the Mongol nation. Many merchants, messengers and travelers from Song, Jin, Dali, and lands of the West use this postal system to communicate with distant lands and all merchants and ambassadors, having proper documentation and authorization, traveling through Mongol territories are protected by Yassa. However, any resistance to Mongol rule is met with massive collective punishment. Cities have been destroyed and their inhabitants all slaughtered if they defied Mongol orders.

* Mongolians have always lived in tents; though they’ve entered a city, they weren’t used to living in palaces.
* Mongolians have always lived in the wild and made the world their home. Eating and drinking outside was no different than eating in a hall to them. One of the guards brought some wine and food to them and laid a rug on the ground.
* Mongolians weren’t as strict as the Han when it came to adhering to custom and tradition.
* Mongolia was bitterly cold. For most of the year, the Gannan River was covered in snow and ice. Among the Mongolian warriors, those extraordinarily strong would practice ice bottom diving by setting up a rule that the last one who got out on the ice surface would be the winner.
* Traditionally, as soon as the scorching summer has passed, Mongolians would immediately cut down all the available tall grass and pile it up. During the harsh winters, Mongolians relied on these grass piles for feed for the animals as well as fire for warmth. Often these grass piles would be bigger than their gers.
* Mongolians love to hunt and all of the aristocrats or people of wealth own hunting dogs and falcons.
* Even though the Mongolians had no written language at the time and little culture, they placed a great deal of importance on politeness and respect, especially regarding guests. Mongolians, traditionally, never curse, even when facing a lifelong nemesis or just joking around. When someone enters their gers, no matter if the person was a friend or not, that person would be treated with great respect and honor. By the same token, the guest must absolutely not disrespect his hosts either, for it was considered the greatest of insults.
* [Note: Koumiss is a very strong Mongolian alcoholic drink made from horse milk.]
* When Mongolians become sworn brothers, they call it swearing “anda”, which was Mongolian for sworn brother. Mongolian tradition dictates that when swearing anda, the sides must exchange gifts.
* In Mongolian culture, stopping someone from drinking is an enormous insult.
Mongolians love raising leopards for hunting purposes. Not only do leopards run faster than hunting dogs, they are especially feisty; being caught by the leopard means instant death for whatever they are set upon. The only draw back was that the leopards consumed a great deal of food; so only royalty or top officials could afford to keep leopards.