As my understanding of computer programming is limited, I can only offer the following opinion:
The Mongols and other AI factions do not respond to the name of the settlement. You could call it "swiss cheese" and they would still attack that settlement.
They are more likely programmed to move towards a settlement at X, Y coordinates on the map. The programming is simple, it cannot intuit or plan anything. All it does is simulate intelligence, it does not actually posess any. The computer has no idea that there is a settlement at coordinates X, Y or even what a settlement is or means. It doesn't know anything at all. It simply is a set of logical instructions paired with a very limited data bank. You can change the label of the entity known as a settlement, but unless you change the coding to signify a new X, Y coordiate target, it will not matter.
In other words, the computer doesn't care what is inside the text box labelling any general, faction name, or settlement. All the text that appears on the screen and all the graphics are meaningless. The core of the game remains intact and the AI instructions remain the same until they are changed by a programmer.
This is why the game can be so easily modded to include a new map. Easily being a relative term of course.
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