The Great Khan Ch. 02

Kula nodded, humbled by his brother's foresight. The ascension of their clan was inevitable.

***

The work was done with the greatest efficiency, using prisoners taken from Nomgor and other settlements while his warriors watched intently. It took the space of two carts to hold all the plunder from Targetai's chamber, once Boldbator had made sure there were no other hidden passages. Most of those used as labour to empty the chamber were the young men, although some girls were necessary to expedite matters and only one boy was killed as an example to make sure the other kept working diligently.

Kula grunted. "We have the treasure, brother, but now no room for the prisoners," he remarked, seeing all the plunder as something of an inconvenience, simply because he could not possibly fathom what would be done with it. "What should we do with them if we cannot take them in the carts?"

Boldbator shrugged. "The men may work out amongst themselves how many will ride with them, otherwise they may dispose of them in favour of an extra share of the plunder. But they must decide quickly. I do not like being exposed like this, the Cherendel clan are less than a day's ride from here and they'll know soon enough what transpired."

Kula nodded and relayed the khan's decree. Many young men were slain within moments, but few girls- his warriors clearly understood the value of continued lineage over simple gold. No man would trade his pony for gold either.

The bodies of the slain were thrown into the excavated tunnel and Boldbator caved it in with a single thunderbomb, the ornate carved door having been set in the bottom of a wagon. The chambers of Targetai were removed forever from the world. He led the assembled ordu now toward their home, his warriors riding in a protective ring around the wagons carrying the treasure. Rakes were deployed behind the ponies to kick up dust and confuse any enemy watching, making their numbers seem greater and hopefully discouraging attack.

Hours passed as they rode and even Boldbator found himself flagging from exhaustion, though he dared not show it. He remained upright and resolute, denying fatigue. He could sleep easily when they returned home, to the embrace of his wives, though even those three would be hard-pressed to relieve his bone-deep weariness. Boldbator had fought in battles before, several of them pitched and savage, but the maddening slaughter of yesterday's engagement followed by the hard ride to Nomgor and the plundering that followed had taken everthing he had.

Dusk was nearly upon them when the ordu arrived at the cluster of gers that would soon be the most important in the central plains. The women and guardians waited patiently at the perimeter, led by his mother, Turkina. They all kneeled humbly as the khan leapt down from his horse and strode toward them, a fierce grin on his face.

"Were any of the prisoners slain during the return?" he asked Khorijin, looking at her.

"No, my khan," she replied, bowing her head deferentially. "Their crushing defeat and the execution of the other survivors of the battle seems to have cowed their spirit. They were very well-behaved."

He nodded. "We destroyed and plundered not only Nomgor, but we discovered that the source of the Sukh prosperity was nothing other than the hidden treasure of Targetai of Baljan. We have acquired vast wealth in this endeavour."

The people who had been gathered all whispered in astonishement to one another, even his wives. Only Turkina seemed to remain unfazed. She bowed low and then raised her eyes to look at her son. "My khan, it is only natural for a mother to become concerned at such news."

Boldbator nodded. "I understand your concern, mother. We will now be a target for other clans, strong clans, who will seek not only to take this wealth from us, but also to try and stop our power from expanding with it. But it is better that it has come to our hands than any other's, for now I have many options that were not previously available to me."

He turned and called out to his keshig. "Gerel, I want ten men watching the wagons at all times! The first ten to volunteer will get an extra share!"

"Yes, my khan!" replied the bahatur. He turned and went about his task, while Boldbator walked into the encampment, knowing that his orders would be carried out without question or any need for concern on his part. Gerel would have the wagons secured in hides and bound in place to discourage anyone from getting close.

Kula laughed gruffly as he followed his older brother into the khan's ger. He did not begrudge his brother such privilege, since Boldbator was the elder and on him fell the heavy burden of the Tengger peoples' well-being. It was enough for Kula to have enemies to fight, koumiss to drink and women to embrace. The rest he would happily leave to his sibling.

"What a day!" barked the younger man as he sat opposite his brother on pillows around a low table. They were followed by their mother Turkina, Khorijin, their sister, Boldbator's first wife Sarantuya and his Chinese concubine, Mai, who called herself Galina in the Mongol fashion. Galina moved quietly to a small cooking brazier off to the side and began making salted milk-tea, which was by far the best drink to help her husband and his brother recover from endless hours in the saddle. A fermented beverage might have suited their tongues more, but Boldbator knew what was best for his body. She thought him smart for a Mongol.

Boldbator inhaled deeply as he allowed himself to relax, the cloying scent of yak chips burning and smouldering on the great hearth comforting him. For all their love of the blue vault of Heaven and the unending steppe, a Mongol was also happiest in his ger, surrounded by those who mattered to him. Everyone he cared about, truly cared about, was in this space with him.

And every mouth from the sea-bitten lands of Goryeo, to the remnants of the Khitan empire and to the uttermost reaches of the Taklamakan would tremble in fear at his family's name and hold his kin in the greatest reverence and dread. This he vowed to himself.

"It is a dangerous game you play, my son, to keep the treasure of Targetai to yourself," Turkina intoned, bowing her head in deference. "It did not save the Sukh family, for all their rumoured cunning and subtlety."

"It is as you say, mother," Boldbator agreed. "I cannot merely sit on this plunder and hope to defend it. Men must be rewarded, alliances forged with it. No matter how they might decry gold and silk as trappings of the soft Chinese, no man in the tribes will turn them down. Targetai's treasure is but a means to an end. With it, I can buy the swords of warriors and security, for a while. And in that interim, I can show the tribes what a real leader can do and what true wealth awaits us, such as Targetai never imagined."

Turkina considered her son's words, heard the conviction in his voice. He was a son of the steppes, yes, but he had a vision that exceeded those of other Mongols.

"You would cross the Wall in force and attack the Xiaxia empire?" she asked.

"More than that, mother," he replied, his voice quiet but his voice firm. "I will sweep the weak-willed Xiaxia aside when they are subdued, I will march on the South. Therein lies the true prize."

"You would test the might of the clans against the Song?" Khorijin breathed, her words articulating everyone's astonishment. "Such a thing..."

"In the name of Udan's holy waters, Boldbator," Turkina murmured. "Wouldst thou have the world for thy wolf's belly?"

"I need not the world, merely that our name be known under Heaven," Bolbator said firmly. "If we unite the tribes and defeat the Song, who then would dare to turn their blade against us?"

"Only Boldbator has the audacity and the mettle to achieve such a thing," Kula added, grinning wolfishly. "Think of the prizes we would return with."

Turkina turned her head to look at Galina, disdain in her eyes. "What say you, girl of the South? Could my son defeat your people?"

Still making the tea, Galine replied but did not look up, her voice even and deferential. "If my husband unites the tribes, then the South cannot hope to stop him. There is no staying him when he has pitted his will against a thing. The Song Dynasty is not his equal."

Turkina sniffed and looked back at her son. "What you see in that soft harlot Chinese is beyond me, son."

"It does not matter if you do not understand and I do not care to explain," Boldbator answered. "I have two proper Mongol wives and if I choose a foreign woman, then I will not have that choice gainsaid. Galina is useful to me, what else do you need to hear?"

"Nothing, my khan." Turkina said humbly.

Boldbator turned his attention now to his brother. "What do you think of Toragana, the daughter of Delger?"

Kula frowned. "I have not thought on her at all, brother. Why would I?"

Boldbator's eyes relected the flames of the hearth as he stared into it. "I was wondering if she could be of any use to us."

"No more than any other woman, I would guess." Kula snorted.

"She was their khan." Boldbator mused quietly.

"Indeed, and look what it got them." Kula replied.

"That would have happened, no matter who had been the Sukh khan, for I had their measure," the older brother pointed out. "She fought well, for a woman."

Khorijan stiffened at her brother's words and glowered at him, causing Kula to laugh. "Do not fret, sister, you are related to Boldbator and myself, making you less woman than most. You are indeed formidable in battle and deserve airs for your defeat of Dogar. That was a great victory."

Khorijin nodded, mollified, for now. "What is your interest in a defeated khan, brother? Even if she is a woman."

"Because she is still their khan," he replied. "We have destroyed the main Sukh settlement of Nomgor and those outlying, but not all of their families were wiped out, not yet. I was thinking of this on the long ride back. If I kill her, it might be that another could rise and take her place, claiming leadership and vengeance."

"What of it?" Kula snorted. "Let them come, we shall destroy them too, with as little effort."

"Yes, yes, that is how things are done and how they have always been done," Boldbator agreed. "We quarrel and fight until only the strongest are left. But those who are vanquished, Kula, are not necessarily weak, they were just not as strong."

"You're speaking like a shaman or a Uyghur scholar, brother," Kula said, wrinkling his nose in disdain. "I am not your equal in mind, so please speak yours plainly."

"I do not want to kill off our enemies necessarily," the older brother said. "There will always be more enemies. If we kill the Sukh, their allies become my enemies and then I must kill them. Soon, the Tengger clan proves strongest, standing atop a mountain of skulls."

"Glorious!" Kula laughed.

"Aye, glorious." Boldbator said grimly. "And without the strength to cross the Tsaggan Kherem and destroy the Song, the true foes of the Mongol peoples."

Kula said nothing, letting his older brother's words sink in.

"Some enemies must be defeated with bow and blade, brother," Boldbator explained. "Others can be bribed to become allies. Still others can, if it serves the best purpose, become family."

Astonishment was the look on everyone's face at his words.

"You intend to take this defeated women, this pretend khan, to wife?" Kula exclaimed.

"I don't know, I'm saying there might be some merit in it." Boldbator mused. "She was made khan of the Sukh clan and its families by a kurultai, and while we might question her effectiveness is battle, we know nothing of her other qualities. They might still obey her, those who are left."

Everyone listened intently as he leaned forward, making sure he had their full attention.

"What if we claimed the Sukh clan as our own?" he suggested, his voice little more than a whisper. "What warriors they have left will be added to our numbers, they have access to the Uyghur scribes and their efficiencies. They might even have some silver-tongued diplomats among them, since their strength was clearly not in the saddle or with a bow."

"But to marry her..." Kula breathed. "You already have three wives, brother, haven't you learned your lesson yet?"

Boldbator chuckled. "I was thinking of giving her sister solongo to you as a bride as well. She is very tight, I assure you, in spite of having a pup."

"Pah!" spat Kula. "I have wife enough with Chambui and her constant nattering."

"It might take two wives to get anything through that thick skull of yours." Turkina commented. Khorijin choked as she tried not to laugh and Kula just scowled at the table.

"Think about it," Boldbator continued. "With a simple marriage, I can bring the remains of the Sukh clan and its outlying families into our fold."

"You cannot marry a damned woman every time we want to conquer a clan, brother." Kula protested.

"There will be enemies and fighting until even your belly is full, brother," Boldbator said. "But you and I know that the strength of ther tribes must be preserved and even made greater if we would take on the Song."

"My khan speaks truth," Galina mentioned as she approached the low table and began serving tea with a graceful and practiced hand. She served Boldbator first, followed by Turkina and then Sarantuya. Kula and Khorijin were next before she sat herself at the table and poured her own tea. "It is one thing to cross the Wall, perhaps even to fight the Khitans of the Xiaxia. But once you cross the Yangtze, the rules will change."

"What do you know of war, woman?" Kula snorted in disdain.

"I know that my land is a lush and rolling country of hills, valleys and mountains, none of which are easy for even your hardy ponies to navigate," she said politely, bowing her head in Kula's direction as if thanking him for deigning to notice her. My father was a scholar, brother-mine, and I was no stranger to seeing our military in all its glory, no matter how jaded and effete you might think it."

"Say your piece, child, let my son judge if there is any wisdom in your words." Turkina said levelly.

"The Song empire, my khan," she said almost as if in a dream. "Warriors in the hundreds of thousands, wearing stout armour and carrying crossbows that would knock a man from his horse and kill him instantly, shot from high towers beyond the reach of even your bows, or sent forward in a great cloud of iron that would blot out the sky. It may be true that if you manage to engage them blade-to-blade that you can best them, but they will know you're coming and a crossbowman can fire many bolts in a minute. Even if they do not aim, your men will die in unacceptable numbers because their is no escape from that rain of death."

"A Mongol does not fear death." Khorijin sneered.

"No, but no Mongol appreciates a damn fool either, nor willingly follows one," Galina said firmly, knowing she had to make her point. "My husband is no fool. He would not sacrifice tens of thousands of good horsemen on caprice."

She twisted her body slightly to look at Boldbator and bowed reverently. "I do not suggest that I am any sort of scholar of warfare, my khan, but I would say that if you intend to invade and destroy the Song, you must not allow them to fight on their terms in their own country. There are too many back here under the blue sky who would take advantage of such folly."

Sarantuya's eyes hardened. "Do you not seek merely to protect your lost home from our wrath?" she challenged. "Why should my husband believe your fair-seeming words?"

"Because without my husband I am dead," Galina replied, looking back at the first wife steadily. "My own life means more to me than a lost homeland. Were Boldbator to be slain beyond the Wall, what do you think would happen to me?"

"Enough," Boldbator said finally. "Galina's words bear consideration and I had already decided to consult some Uyghurs on the matter when the time arises. But before then, we must unite the tribes beneath the Tengger banner. Whether we accomplish this with fghting or alliance remains to be seen, but you will all do as I command of you."

"Of course, brother." Kula said, bowing. The wives and matron followed suit.

"I have decided," the khan announced, putting down his tea. "I will marry the girl Toragana, she shall share First Wife rank with Sarantuya, at least for now."

The women all bowed, although he could feel Sarantuya stiffen at his proclamation, as did Khoriin. The only one who seemed to accept it passively was Galina.

"Kula, you will take the younger sister Solongo to wife," Boldbator continued. "Adopt her girl-child, do not kill them. We will need the Sukh for what comes next."

Kula nodded. He may not have liked it, but he would obey. Boldbator had never been wrong before.

"So the Sukh will now share the same rank as the Borjigin in your hierarchy, husband?" Sarantuya asked somewhat archly. "My family have always been steadfast allies of the Tengger, not your enemy."

"The Borjigin were the blood enemy of my grandfather," Boldbator pointed out. "Arslan, my father, was the person who made unity and kinship possible. It may be that at some point in the past the Sukh were our allies. But this does not matter to me. I will tame what remains of them and they will have me as their khan, willingly."

Turkina nodded. "You are wise, son, wise as you are audacious. You play a long game but do not fear to make bold moves as needed. If the stars align right, I do believe that you can unite the tribes and will be called the ilKhan beneath Heaven."

Boldbator was staring into the fire, wrestling with his shifting visions.

***

Sarantuya grunted as she felt a knee in her ribs and rolled away, scrambling to her feet and lunging in. She caught Khorijin in the midriff and carried her backwards some distance before slamming her sister-wife onto her back. Khorijin wheezed as the wind left her but fought back savagely. They were both naked, bodies glistening with sweat and melted yak fat. In a distant corner, Galina sat quietly in front of a low, lacquered table, writing on a piece of scroll paper with a brush.

The fighting women snarled and swore at one another, pummeling and clawing as they fought to dominate one another. Khorijin in times past had usually been the victor, but more and more, Sarantuya had began holding her own, winning their duels occasionally and making Khorijin's triumphs more costly. It was an established tradition between them now, these fights, one both girls regretted for the pains they felt but neither would give up if it meant hurting the other.

The wives of Boldbator had their own ger for when he wished to be alone, usually in the wake of one of his waking dreams or when his mood was savagely contrary. Even Kula knew to avoid him in those moments. The ger he'd had built for them was spacious but also very sturdy, because Khorijin and Sarantuya fought frequently and he didn't want them tearing through the walls were the rest of the Tengger people would watch on in amusement.

Most gers where proof against the hareful steppe weather, but this structure was reinforced with a double layer of treated hides and the wooden beams and splints used alternated between stout and flexible, to give the ger more support. Heavy rugs lined the walls to muffle their snarling and screaming.

Khorijin had rolled over on top of Sarantuya and smashed her fist down into the other woman's cheek, snapping her head to the side. In spite of the sickening pain of the blow and the swimming blackness that followed, Sarantuya did not attempt to block another strike but drove both her palms forward, into Khorijin's midriff, driving the air from her lungs again. The second wife swooned for a moment as the breath was taken from her, fire coursing through her chest. Sarantuya's fingernails dug into her breasts and she screeched in pain before being thrown aside.