Khulgen set both hands flat on the table and looked at neither Saran nor Batu when he spoke, in the manner of someone organizing their thoughts before releasing them.
"The military relay moves correspondence across the Jochid territory at speed."
He started to explain in an even tone. "Horse stations, messengers swaps, fixed distance between posts, this infrastructure is already built and working."
He kept his pace and did not stop for acknowledgment. "Those roads and approximately the station positions are also used by commercial traffic moving through the territory. Merchants and administrators outside Sarai rely on private couriers for their correspondence, which means variable cost, variable speed, and no accountability when a letter arrives late or doesn't arrive at all."
