Ch.24The Yeke Mongol Ulus (3)

“Please calm down, Chilaidu Khan.”

“Do I look calm to you?”

Chilaidu Khan had been grumbling continuously since losing Yesugei.

Tayan, who had been silently watching this, stood before Chilaidu as if he could no longer endure it.

“Stop your grumbling, Chilaidu.”

“Ha! Are you challenging me to a fight, Tayan Khan?”

“You’re making the alliance falter with your personal emotions. I can’t stand by any longer.”

“Wasn’t it you who made the alliance falter, not me? If you and Tagar hadn’t been watching from behind, we would have captured Yesugei easily.”

Chilaidu’s provocation.

Despite having rescued Chilaidu when he fell into a trap, Tayan was now being blamed instead. He could no longer contain himself.

“One more word and I’ll kill you before I kill Yesugei, you bed-wetter.”

Chilaidu had nearly lost his life while pursuing Yesugei.

When Tayan pointed out how he had wet himself then, Chilaidu drew his sword, overcome with shame and anger.

“You dare insult me! You rootless bastard, how dare you be so disrespectful!”

Chilaidu struck at Tayan’s painful spot—becoming khan of his tribe only by age after killing the eldest son.

Tayan was no longer willing to tolerate Chilaidu, who had not only exposed his weakness but was openly mocking him.

“I’ll kill you right here and now.”

“Try it if you dare.”

With swords drawn, they were on the verge of fighting.

Tagar, who had been watching, stepped forward to mediate between the two.

“Please, both of you, calm yourselves. Fighting among ourselves with the enemy before us only benefits our foes.”

“…Hmph.”

“Fine.”

At Tagar’s mediation, Tayan and Chilaidu sheathed their swords and left the ger.

“Hah…”

A deep sigh escaped Tagar’s lips.

He could feel the position of Kerait leadership he desired slipping further away.

* * *

Clop, clop, clop.

The sound of hoofbeats galloping across the steppe.

Men with spears appeared to block a stranger on horseback.

“Halt!”

“This is Khongirad territory!”

However, they seemed intimidated by the man’s size, hesitating as they addressed him.

The armored man looked down at the soldiers blocking him without dismounting.

“I am Munglig, who serves the Red Warrior, Gurkhan, wise leader of the Khamag Mongol. I’ve come to meet the Khongirad Khan.”

An indescribable pressure emanated from his imposing figure.

Even though he was alone, his armor and presence made the soldiers feel their lives were threatened.

“W-what should we do? The Khan ordered us not to let anyone in…”

“What do you mean what? Could you stop that monster if he suddenly attacked?”

“Time is short. I must see the Khongirad Khan immediately.”

As Munglig pressed them, a man wearing a red deel approached with more soldiers.

“Who are you to cause trouble in our tribe?”

The middle-aged man wore a hat woven with gold thread and traditional red Mongolian clothing.

Hearing his question, Munglig immediately dismounted and bowed respectfully to the Khongirad Khan.

“O Khongirad Khan with the noble wolf’s spirit. I am Munglig, serving the Khan of the Khamag Mongol.”

“Khamag Mongol… We have no reason to participate in conflicts of ulus where our blood has not been spilled.”

On the steppe, all relationships of debt and obligation were expressed through blood.

This was the Khongirad’s way of saying they had no reason to participate in the conflict between Tagar and Toghrul, which had nothing to do with their interests.

This was a natural position for the leader of a small tribe that had to survive among the five great tribes of the Mongolian steppe.

Instead of answering, Munglig took out something wrapped in cloth.

When he unfolded it, it revealed the head of a Kerait tribesman.

“…Who is this?”

“A nameless man. But a proud warrior of the steppe who died fulfilling his duty to protect his family.”

“Why show me the head of a dead man?”

“This man was beheaded by the sword of Tagar’s son, Ong Khan, who rebelled against his own Kerait tribe.”

In short, this meant he had violated the law of the steppe.

Understanding this, the Khongirad Khan silently gazed at the head Munglig had shown him.

The head of the Kerait tribesman, who had died in agony with bulging eyes, seemed to stare at the Khongirad as if saying they would be next.

“If Tagar, who mercilessly kills people of his own tribe, gains supremacy over the steppe, the law of the steppe will be shaken, our ancestors will cry out, and the sacred mountain Burkhan Khaldun will crumble.”

The Khongirad Khan remained unmoved by Munglig’s persuasion.

As Munglig was about to continue, the Khan raised his hand to stop him.

“However, this is an internal matter of the Kerait. It is not sufficient reason for us to join hands with the Khamag Mongol and Kerait.”

At the Khan’s point, Munglig continued with his head bowed, as if he had anticipated this.

“My Khan, before I continue, I humbly ask something.”

“What is it?”

“I understand that you lead the Khongirad tribe with wisdom and compassion, feeling the pain of your family as if it were your own.”

“That is correct.”

“Then how can you refuse the request of Gurkhan, who is like family?”

Munglig paused and turned to look at the man beside the Khongirad Khan.

“Khan of the Olkhunut clan, do you know that Ho’elun, Gurkhan’s companion, is from the Olkhunut tribe?”

“I know. Ho’elun was a wise child with the spirit of a female warrior.”

At the Olkhunut Khan’s words, he knelt before the Khongirad Khan, seemingly moved by Munglig’s words.

“Rightful leader of the Khongirad. My family seeks help. Please help us. This will not only uphold the law of the steppe but also aid family.”

Seeing the Khongirad Khan hesitate, others around him also knelt like the Olkhunut Khan.

They began to persuade the Khongirad Khan.

“The Olkhunut Khan is right. If the Khamag Mongol and Kerait fall, our chances of survival without helping Tagar are slim.”

“Indeed. Moreover, Tagar has violated the law of the steppe. We cannot allow a tyrant to rule the steppe.”

“Khongirad Khan, we ask you to make the right choice.”

After the persuasion from the tribal chiefs of the Khongirad, the Khan finally broke his long silence.

“The wolf-like Tagar, who has violated the law of the steppe, threatens our family, the Khamag Mongol.”

The Khongirad Khan took a breath before continuing.

“All men, gather here with well-sharpened swords, sturdy bows, and two quivers of quality arrows. It is time to save our brothers and family of the steppe!”

The Khongirad Khan then drew his sword.

The tribal chiefs bowed, showing respect to their leader for making a wise decision.

* * *

The sun was setting over the Mongolian steppe.

As the battle became prolonged, discontent within the Naiman-Merkit alliance grew.

“Is this right?”

“I don’t know. We’re just following orders from above.”

The grumbling Naiman soldiers had their reasons for complaining.

In the Central Plains, building fortifications on the battlefield to prepare for the next battle was common.

Their main force was infantry, and it was important to use these infantry to break down defensive forces using walls as shields.

But in Mongolia, there were typically no walls,

and battles usually involved cavalry clashing with cavalry in mounted combat.

In other words, most steppe battles were decided in half a day.

So as the battle dragged on, soldiers couldn’t help but express their dissatisfaction.

“By the way, we didn’t eat properly again tonight.”

“Eating nothing but gruel makes it hard to maintain strength…”

As the battle dragged on, the alliance’s problems began to surface.

The biggest current problem was supplies.

The current battlefield situation had the Naiman-Merkit alliance attacking the Kerait tribe.

This meant they were far from their original base, which meant it took time for supplies to arrive.

Moreover, the Naiman-Merkit alliance had more troops than the Kerait-Khamag Mongol alliance, making it difficult to maintain adequate supplies.

“I can’t fight like this with this food…”

Finally, a soldier who couldn’t stand it anymore got up.

“Are you planning to desert?”

“Desert? I’m just going to catch rabbits or mice nearby to fill my empty stomach.”

“You know you’re not supposed to leave your post, right?”

The soldier remained unmoved by his comrade’s persuasion.

He turned to look at the elaborately decorated ger.

“Don’t you know that the khans eat delicious food to their fill every day, unaware of our suffering? Yet we who risk our lives fighting are only given gruel?”

His comrade no longer tried to stop the enraged man.

Instead, he seemed moved by his words, nodding and standing up.

“I agree. We have the right to eat our fill too.”

“Haha. Now you’re talking sense! If we hunt quickly and return, there won’t be any problems.”

So the Naiman soldiers left their guard posts.

A man watching all this from the darkness took out a mirror from his chest and signaled.

“Everyone, prepare for battle.”

The words of a man in a red cloak.

At his command, those who had been holding their breath in the darkness, waiting for the signal, began to draw weapons hidden in their clothes.