The Great Khan Ch. 06

"I can understand that," Toragana said, smirking. She had noticed that the most junior of the three tended to fart a lot. "You are not sleeping with our mighty sister, while she makes love to you in a desperate bid to not murder you?"

Mai shook her head. "I am, of course, at her disposal if she needs relief, but I think she would rather sleep with her men, since she is first and foremost a warrior. And I personally prefer the soft company of women when I sleep and make love. Will you find room for me?"

Toragana looked at her younger sister. "When was the last time you and I made love to another woman together?"

Solongo considered. "It has been many years now, I fear. Not long after we became lovers ourselves, I think."

"Far too long, then," Toragana mused. "And you have not made love with Mai before?"

"I have not had the privilege of pillowing with your lovely sister," Mai intoned, moving closer and smiling at Solongo, who seemed to blush, looking at her feet. "I would very much like to, of course."

"That settles it, then," Toragana declared, nodding. "We will bathe with you, Galina, and then tonight, we three shall make love. This excursion may not be so dreary after all."

Mai couldn't have agreed more.

***

Boldbator now rode at the head of a small retinue of Tengger warriors, including a few of his bahatur, those not assigned to remain and guard his family. A mere hundred warriors accompanied him now, including his brother Kula, and the commander of his keshig, Gerel. The three rode side-by-side at the front of the little army.

They didn't have far to go, not more than a day and night's ride, but it was to a spot considered neutral by many clans, home to many shrines and holy sites among the steppe people. He had demanded that the Taichiud come meet him, to decide the fate of the Khamag clans once and for all. Counting on, and indeed daring them, to stand by their sense of honour, he announced he was bringing no more than a single zuun of his warriors, and expected them to do the same. To fight a savage battle on such sacrosanct ground would be shameful, and to bring more men than was announced, equally shameful. If the Taichiud truly valued honour, they would comply.

He knew that honour meant different things to different cultures, of course- to the Chinese it meant strange concepts like filial piety and fair play in war. To the inhabitants of the distant isles of Yapon, where the sun rose, honour seemingly meant dignity, or saving face. The Uyghur monks had told him that the knights of that land, samurai, held personal honour above life itself, and they would rather die than be seen as dishonoured, whatever that meant. They were often cruel with their peasantry, which seemingly did not besmirch their honour, unless they caught and called out on it. Strange indeed.

The Mongol sense of honour consisted of little more than adhering to one's word. Once a promise or pact was made, it was a bond, at least where other Mongols were concerned. Subtlety, cunning, trickery, and deceit were all parts of life on the steppe. But once an oath was made, it was kept. Why would the clans ever willingly follow a khan whose bond was false? There were indeed treacherous khans, but Boldbator was not one of them.

This was a calculated risk, certainly, since the Taichiud could break their bond, show up in force and annihilate him, and still have the strength to potentially dominate the steppe, once Boldbator was dealt with. The treachery might be forgotten, one never knew.

Sarantuya and his mother, perhaps very sensibly, had begged him to take a larger force with him, but Boldbator went with his instinct, and brought a single zuun. True, they were many of his very best men, but that wouldn't matter of the Taichiud broke their word. If Boldbator and Kula perished, then Khorijin would rule the Tengger, assuming she survived the mission he'd sent her on with Toragana. Her task was certainly every bit as dangerous as his.

He thought about what would happen if Khorijin became khan- what would happen with his wives? What would she do to Sarantuya and Toragana? He was reasonably certain that she'd kill Mai on the spot, cruelly.

No, that was only half-true, because Mai would certainly take Khorijin with her, and perhaps anyone else she might reach. His mother, Turkina would be another target, of course, given her vitriolic hatred for the Chinese girl. Depending on the where and when of the moment, Khorijin was certainly dead, and Turkina if she was within reach of those hairpins his concubine kept on her person.

Indeed, Mai was every bit as deadly in her own way as Kula, or even Boldbator himself, although it was hard to imagine. She was a delicate blossom, with a core of steel, ruthless when she needed to protect herself. It was no small miracle that Khorijin and his mother were not dead already, and spoke to the depth of Mai's understanding of people's character, not to mention her expectation of Boldbator. If she felt that he could no longer protect her...

His father had no living male relatives, so there was no succession there. If Khorijin followed him and Kula to the grave, and Turkina perished at Mai's hand, what then? The only ones left were Sarantuya and Toragana. Would the remaining Tengger heed either of them? Sarantuya had the lineage, certainly, to command respect, but she was little more than a figurehead. Toragana had the wits and cunning to make a decent khan (despite his defeat of her), but her word carried no weight as yet with his clan.

He smirked. Maybe Sarantuya would marry Toragana, and between them they'd make a formidable khan?

"Brother," Kula grunted, snapping him out of his reverie and nodding at something ahead of them. "What do you make of that?"

Boldbator peered into the distance and espied clouds of dust, apparently kicked up by hooves. Many hooves. The hooves of many more than a hundred horses. Had he been betrayed?

The khan held up his hand, bringing his retinue to a stop. Understanding the perceived threat, everyone remained silent, calming the ponies, who stood still now. Boldbator squinted and frowned at the approaching cloud of dust. They were still too far away to see.

He now looked at Gerel, who leapt off his pony and removed his helmet. The keshig commander threw himself to the ground, his head turned to the side, and his ear pressed to the ground. Several minutes passed, and one who did not know Gerel might have thought he'd gone to sleep. Absolute silence reigned, except for the wind hissing over the hardened, cracked sand, and the snort of the occasional pony.

What seemed like an eternity had gone by before the young warrior clambered to his feet and wiped his brow, turning and nodding to his khan. "Their numbers are not appreciably larger than ours, my khan. Not much more than a hundred warriors, or I'm no son of the steppe."

"Rakes," Kula muttered, scowling. "Horses stretched out in a thin line with many rakes dragged behind them. Do they think us such fools?"

Boldbator shrugged. "You cannot blame them for trying, brother. Maybe they sought to make my courage fail me, that I'd turn around at the sight of their mighty cloud, and head home with my tail between my legs. Or, maybe they simply sought to keep us guessing and unnerve us for when we finally met them. Whatever the case, it will not work. I will not be daunted by a hundred, nor a thousand. We have won, because they showed their faces at all."

Kula's face split into a wolfish grin. "There is the brother I would follow into Tamag itself, to spit in the piggy eyes of Erlik if he so commanded."

"Save your spit, brother," Boldbator said, still gazing at the horizon and the oncoming cloud. "If things get out of hand, there will be many enemy corpses deserving of your contempt, that of the bastard who slays me not least."

With another curt wave, he led his men forward, riding slowly and deliberately. Some minutes passed, and he began to make out the first shapes. Indeed, a long line of ponies approached them, and they were kicking up far more dust than one could reasonably expect. Having seen through the ruse, it no longer bothered Boldbator, and in fact he considered his own position strengthened because of it. Defying his foe was a victory.

Both sides were slow in their approach, but he could now see that their numbers were maybe slightly larger than his own, no more than ten men. Near the center of the line, there rode many burly warriors, who hovered close to the man he assumed was their khan. He was an older warrior, with graying hair and grizzled features, but still sat erect in his saddle, and his dark eyes glinted beneath his helmet. Beside him rode another warrior, much younger, and rather arrogant in aspect. The noses made their relationship unmistakeable. Ambaghai and Komur. Father and son had come to treat.

The two groups stopped several lengths from each other, and gazed across the distance in silence, waiting to see who made the first move. After a suitable length of time, Boldbator, as the one who had called the challenge, now moved forward, flanked by Kula and Gerel. They rode to the halfway point between the two groups and then stopped, looking at the Taichiud expectantly. Before long, the khan and his son now rode out and approached, accompanied by two bahatur. Boldbator did not care about the extra man, since Kula alone counted for five. It meant nothing.

Now face to face, still astride their ponies, Boldbator gazed coolly at Ambaghai and spoke. "I am pleased that you have responded, and that your word is your bond."

"One cannot take too many precautions in this day and age," the older man said, while his son tried to look indignant. "But when honour is at stake, that is when a true khan's worth shines through."

"Then we are in agreement," Boldbator replied, ignoring any implied insult. "We of the Khamag should always set the example. But then we-"

"Is it true that your own sister is your bahatur?" interrupted Komur, his expression now a sneer. "How can a khan have a woman as a guardian?"

Boldbator felt Kula bristle at the insult to both him and their sister, but held up a hand calmly before his hotheaded brother did anything rash. He replied in an even voice. "My sister slew Dogar, champion of the Sukh clan, who I think we can all agree was no weakling. Be thankful it is my brother and I you deal with, for Khorijin is death incarnate when fools piss her off with childish words."

Komur coloured angrily while his father shot him a withering look. "Indeed," said the older man. "There is no need for mean and childish words between warriors, is there? But now we do indeed have your challenge to consider."

Boldbator nodded. "It is simple, of course. I intend to unite the clans, and become the Great Khan, and one of the main obstacles to that ambition is your clan. You are strong and influential, with an old lineage, not unlike my own."

"You do not think it blind folly or arrogance to think the tribes can be united under one horsehair banner?" the old man queried, wrinkling his nose in distaste. He already knew what Boldbator wanted, but he was going to make him say it, and express the intent for all to hear.

"I think it is necessary," replied the Tengger warrior solemnly. "We will not be able protect ourselves forever if we do not stand united. Be it the Xia-Xia, the Song, the Goryeo, or Muhammadans from the west, we cannot survive if we are fractured."

"And you think that you are the one to unite the tribes and form this grand coalition that will protect us?" Ambaghai asked skeptically while Komur sneered again.

"Yes, I do," replied Boldbator, nodding. "And while tradition dictates that I lay low all who oppose my ambitions, I will say that this doesn't suit my purposes. In uniting the tribes, I intend to move against the Xia-Xia, and then the Song, destroying them once and for all, removing the threat to our south forever."

He could tell that his words surprised the Taichiud warriors, who took several seconds to take in what he had said. He pressed his advantage. "To that end, it would not do to see your clan destroyed, because I need your warriors if I am to take on the Song."

"Are you mad?" Komur demanded, his pony starting and pawing the ground as he raised his voice. "You would send the tribes against the Song? The largest nation on earth?"

"Would the Taichiud prefer to wait for them to cross the Wall and invade the steppes?" Boldbator asked in response. "If we fight on their terms, they will crush us with their numbers and their machines. They have more warriors in single armies than the entire population of the Khamag, we know this."

Still no response from his stunned audience.

"I would cover the tribes in glory, doing the impossible and crushing the Emperor on his jade throne in Lin'an," he continued. "But for this, I need living warriors, for we know that every warrior of the steppe is worth far more in battle than mere Chinese conscript. I will storm their cities, pillage their riches, and enslave their women. Those who ride with me will know wealth and fame like none before us."

"And you only ask that we swear our undying fealty to you," Ambaghai said flatly.

"I am not asking," Boldbator replied, his tone leaving no doubt as to his dire intent. "If I ride on the Song without you, it is because I have destroyed you for defying me."

"But you just said you cannot challenge the South without our warriors!" Komur said loudly, his veneer of calm starting to crack. It was what Boldbator wanted.

"And that is why I have met you here," the Tengger khan stated. "I intend to challenge the Taichiud for control of the Khamag. The loser swears fealty to the victor. Thus will your warriors swell my armies, and help bring my ambitions to fruition."

"And if we agreed to this challenge, and you were to lose, you would, in turn, swear undying allegiance to me?" Ambaghai asked.

"The Tengger clan will indeed," Boldbator confirmed, even though he could feel Kula next to him struggling to keep his temper, and his axe in its place on his belt. "Though from Heaven, I will weep in sorrow, since I do not see the Taichiud having the spirit to meet my ambitions and conquer the Song."

"With a clan such as yours, we could indeed strive to unite the tribes, and protect ourselves from China, without engaging in such a foolish venture," Ambaghai mused. "What, then, is your proposal?"

"A duel," Boldbator iterated, gesturing left and right to his companions. "A single warrior, or a select few, we agree to an honour-bound contest of arms. The defeated swear fealty, here and now. We are both tribes of honour, I believe you can be held to it."

"And the alternative, if we refuse?"

Boldbator let the air hang for several seconds before he spoke. "My ambitions will not be stayed by craven clans. I will break you, and then what is left of the Taichiud will be mine. Thousands will die, for lack of a family's personal resolve."

Ambaghai looked at him levelly.

"Your pride and bravery weighed against the lives of your people, o khan," Boldbator said in an iron tone. "What say you?"

The elderly khan straightened up in his saddle, looking proud. "The Taichiud fear no one, not even a madman. But there is no sense in destroying so many lives, when but a few may be spent in the service of honour. Were I to agree, however, I have conditions."

"Name them."

"Not only the Tengger, but all clans currently its vassals must swear fealty to me if my champion wins," Ambaghai began.

"Of course," Boldbator said simply. "The same is true if I triumph. All your vassals would call me their khan."

"My son, he will also take your wife, Sarantuya, for his own," the older man continued. "She is of distinguished lineage, and would make a worthy mother for children."

"By all means, he may have her," Boldbator laughed. "Were I to lose here today, then I would not be worthy of her. I agree. And before you ask, yes, you may also have what remains of the treasure of Targetai. It would only be proper."

"If I win here, lord of the Tengger, know that I will pull your clan apart," warned the Taichiud khan, his eyes flinty. "I will keep those I choose, absorbing them into my own clan, and the rest expelled to the edges of the Taklamakan, to languish and die in punishment for your audacity."

Boldbator nodded. With these many conditions, they were still trying to make him back down. The threats got more and more dire. They were worried. Good. "Anything else?"

"You will do nothing to weaken or destroy the Tengger before I can assume control of them?" asked the older man.

Boldbator shook his head. "Were I to die today, the steppes will still need the strength of the Tengger. If you would destroy it, then that is your folly, not mine. The Song will no doubt rejoice in your decision. I see a different path."

The Taichiud khan bristled slightly at the implication that he feared the Chinese, but said nothing. He made a beckoning motion behind himself, while he kept his gaze locked with Boldbator's. Several more men on horses came forward, and two of them were definitely not warriors. Kula could barely contain his sneer.

"More fat damn Uyghurs," he muttered under his breath as they approached.

Ambaghai gestured to the aforementioned men. "Since you had made your intentions clear by way of your messengers, lord of the Tengger, I have hired these scholars to record our agreement as to the nature of this challenge, the stakes, and the outcome. They are impartial and will be neutral observers."

One of the scribes nodded to Boldbator. "Lord, you have scholars of your own in your court, we are told, so whatever we write down, they can faithfully translate-"

"I can read," Boldbator said, cutting the man off. "I am no scholar, but I have more than a passing familiarity with both your script, and that of the Song. For my purposes, inscribe in both, if you will."

The Uyghur seemed rather taken aback, probably by the fact that Boldbator was literate at all. His interaction with the men concluded, he looked back at Ambaghai. "Did you bring musicians?"

The Taichiud khan blinked and faltered slightly. "I... no."

"Well, thankfully, I did," Boldbator replied, tilting his head so that several warriors moved forward and dismounted, sitting and beginning to tune instruments they had apparently brought. The Taichiud host looked slightly bewildered, watching as strings were plucked or strummed, drumheads tightened, and flutes checked. "Now, on to the formal agreement you insist upon..."

The scribes listened as both sides stated their terms, and what exactly the victor would receive- complete fealty of the defeated clan and its vassals, all their lands and funds, and choice of women to be taken as wives or simply in thrall as they saw fit.

All that remained was to select the champions who would fight.

"You would see the fate of our clans rest on the shoulders of two men?" Ambaghai asked, looking at Boldbator levelly.

"Pick as many as you like," Boldbator said, shrugging. "With my ten men providing music, I have up to ninety for you to challenge, not counting myself, my brother, or my bannerman Gerel."

"But it is your especially that I want to see fighting, o lord of the vaunted Tengger," the old man replied. "You and your brother, for if you perish, then none remain but women to lead your clan. Let their docility show your people the path they will tread as the price for your ambition and arrogance."

"These sands will run red with blood tonight, o khan," Boldbator said levelly, his eyes not leaving Ambaghai's. "But I think you will not like the source form which it runs. Choose your warriors, old man. We three stand ready."