Chương 143: The Founding of a State: Hoeryeongbu

The procedures for establishing a state moved forward swiftly. Many tribes gathered from all directions. Tribal chiefs arrived with their direct kin and warriors. They were persuaded, organized, and then sent to Yeongu. Once handed over, the generals reorganized them into units, issued weapons and armor, and immediately began training. It took time until they were assigned into units, but the moment they were, they fit seamlessly into the already functioning system. Meanwhile, construction was underway.

It was the palace of the new state, Jin. This place was Hoeryeongbu—the center and starting point of the Jurchen tribes. It was also where the Meng'an–Moke system first began. People gathered first, and the walls followed. Inside, houses and tents stood side by side. Some were earthen houses built by tamping soil, while others were leather-covered tents. It was difficult to distinguish which were temporary and which were permanent. There were more horses than people.

Unbound horses crossed the open grounds, and soldiers stepped aside naturally as they passed. The sound of hammering iron never ceased. There was no single forge; fires burned everywhere, heating metal plates that were hammered into shape. Soldiers sat with their armor spread before them. They threaded broken straps, straightened bent plates, and tightened knots. There was a place that could be called the center, but no stone palace or towering hall stood there.

It was simply an open space—wherever people gathered, their gaze naturally converged. That was the center of Hoeryeongbu. It was also where Wanyan Aguda stood. He did not stand elevated, only a step ahead among the people. When he stood, silence followed. Not because a command had been given, but because all knew he would speak. Hoeryeongbu was not a completed city. Yet it clearly revealed the process of scattered tribes becoming a single army.

Around Aguda's tent, the tents of tribal chiefs were arranged in a radial pattern. The larger, stronger tribes were placed closer, while others were arranged in order of arrival. Behind them, the tents of each tribe spread outward. Behind Aguda's tent, wooden buildings rose—resembling those of Goguryeo. At the center of Hoeryeongbu, there was always an empty space. No one had designated it, and no marker stood there, yet whenever people gathered, it remained open.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. It was where Wanyan Aguda stood. That day as well, people gathered, and the space remained empty. Aguda stepped forward. It was no different from usual. Yet he stood there longer than before. He did not speak. Instead, he looked over the ground. The earth had been packed firm. It was naturally pressed down from many standing there. Footprints overlapped, and even in rain, water did not pool there.

He pressed the ground lightly with his foot. It was solid.

"We build here." No one had asked, yet the words came. All eyes turned to him. No one asked what would be built or why there. They already understood. Someone stepped forward with a stake. The first stake was a small wooden post. It was not measured nor aligned. It was simply driven into the ground. Aguda looked at it once. It leaned slightly. Without a word, he pushed it with his hand. It sank deeper into the earth. Those who saw began clearing the surroundings.

They removed stones, leveled the ground, and widened the space. What was built that day was too small to be called a house. It could not fully shelter from rain, nor confine a person. Yet from that moment, everything changed. The spaces to the left and right were cleared. On one side, a round altar for offerings to Heaven was constructed. It was not grand, but stones were arranged around a circular ground and carefully shaped.

Symbols of Heaven were placed, and the patterns of the Five Elements and the Twelve Earthly Branches were carved. A round stone engraved with the three-legged crow was erected. Baek In-gyeom was behind all of this. From the day he arrived, he set the direction, chose the place, and arranged the ritual objects. He gave meaning to empty land. He carefully chose where Heaven would be addressed when the state was founded. Everyone brought a stone and placed it there. Days later, a council was held.

All tribes unanimously elevated Aguda as emperor. Aguda declared the founding of the Jin Empire and explained the reason for its name as follows:"Liao took 'iron' as its name, valuing its strength. Yet iron, though strong, rusts and breaks. Only gold does not change and does not break. The color of gold is white, and the Wanyan clan also honors white." 《續資治通鑑》 卷92 "遼以賓鐵為號， 取其堅也。 賓鐵雖堅， 終亦變壞。 惟金不變不壞， 金之色白， 完顏部色尚白" Aguda spoke again.

"Wanyan Aguda stood within the tent and spoke. The founder of Jin, Hambu, came from Goryeo. At over sixty years of age, he left the east and came here. His elder brother, Ago, remained in Goryeo, following the Buddha's path, saying that someone must remain to hold the place where their descendants would gather again. Thus one remained, and one departed. Hambu, together with his younger brother Bohuoli, came north and settled by the waters of the Bokan River of the Wanyan tribe.

It was not a land where people could long remain, yet as they followed the water and endured, lighting fires, the branches of the brothers that had once been divided began to scatter and then reconnect over time. Later, many tribes came and said that they too were descendants of those divided brothers. Shituomen and Chigonei also claimed descent from Bohuoli, and it became known that those called by different names came from the same root. Thus the scattered branches gathered again and became one.

This was not something newly created here, but something that had already continued, now revealed. Its root lies in the east. It began in Silla. When Silla fell, amid the chaos, the Kim clan moved north. What collapsed was the state, but the name remained. The surname Kim continued unbroken through generations to this day. The line of King Gyeongsun remained, his descendants scattering across regions. The trace of Crown Prince Mahan did not vanish, and though the state fell, the will endured among the people.

That will continued, and its current reaches this moment. Some say that the monk Kim Jun of Pyeongju entered Jurchen lands and became an ancestor, others that it was Geuksu, son of Kim Haeng. Though the names differ, the line is one and has never been broken. Our ancestors said they came from Daebang and regarded Goryeo as their parent state, preserving that bond.

The claim that Jurchens and Balhae were one family also arises from knowing that what was divided was merely called by different names, yet came from the same root. I do not create anew—I establish what has continued. What began with Hambu, what came from the east under the name of Kim and reached this land through generations, I now reveal and establish as a state under that name. Jin." A quiet wave of emotion spread outward. Especially among the young of the Wanyan clan, many were nearly overwhelmed.

They had known fragments of the legend, but never the whole. The scattered pieces came together into one. Another reason for the name Jin was revealed. Some came from records, others from legend, and still others from stories passed within families. Yeongu understood why Kim Busik had supported them. He himself was of another branch that remained in Goryeo. They traced their lineage to King Naemul of Silla. Among them, the monk Kim Haeng belonged to the lineage of the sages.

He would not have left, for his master and his seat of learning were there. It would not make sense for a monk to have carried on a bloodline. Wanyan Aguda declared the name of the state: Jin.

"Tomorrow we will report to Heaven and Earth and offer rites to our ancestors. All must purify themselves and prepare." The assembly bowed deeply without a word. Not only the Wanyan generals, but nearly all the gathered tribes bowed as one. They all knew those who had established the laws of the Jurchens. Names followed one after another. Everyone accepted Aguda's founding declaration and his ascension as emperor as something only natural.