For decades under the Chinese Republic, the city was known as Guisui, the Han-administered capital of Suiyuan province. But to the Mongols, it was always Kökeqota, the "Blue City," their historic spiritual center founded by Altan Khan in the 16th century. This deep-seated legacy is why Prince Demchugdongrub made the city the heart of his autonomy movement and the headquarters of his army long before the Japanese arrival. Thus, after the war, the decision to move the capital from the Han-dominated trading hub of Kalgan was both a symbolic restoration and a practical consolidation of power, unifying the civilian government with its long-standing military core.

With the move complete, state propaganda now promotes the grand vision of a "New Khanbaliq." Blueprints are drawn for grand monuments to Mongol heroes, and the state actively promotes a narrative of national revival centered on its new capital. The goal is to craft a symbol of pan-Mongol legitimacy, a city that can finally shed the shadow of its former identity as the Chinese city of Guisui and command respect within the Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Yet, the foundation of this new capital is deeply flawed. The Mongol elite who champion this revival are a tiny minority in a city where the administration, economy, and skilled workforce remain overwhelmingly Han Chinese. More importantly, the Japanese presence is inescapable. "Advisors" from Tokyo operate with impunity, their influence reaching into every ministry. Hohhot is a city caught between a glorious past it seeks to recreate and a subservient present it cannot escape.