The Horse and The Jaguar
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The Horse and The Jaguar...4 The Expeditions
[FONT="]
In late 1293, Shi-bi had dispatched two expeditions to explore the coasts to the north and south. The northbound flotilla sailed back into Alagh in mid April of 1294. They confirmed the Ngöbe tales of a powerful civilization with cities made of stone. They had returned with examples of wonderfully woven fabrics as fine as the best Chinese weaving, intricate gold work more exquisite than that of the Ngöbe and samples of what the captain of the expedition insisted was writing. Shi bi and his scholars were unable to make anything of the documents since the writing consisted of elaborately drawn symbols that were completely unintelligible to them. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi questions the captain at length regarding the cities they had encountered. How large were they? Did they have formidable defenses, walls or moats? Were they well armed? Did they possess iron? The captain said that the cities were sparsely populated for their size and that they seemed to have suffered a recent plague. The fields were poorly tended and there were signs that the many of the buildings were falling into disrepair. The cities were mostly walled, but the walls would not withstand a barrage of catapult or trebuchet and cannon would make very quick work of them. Additionally, because of the small populations it would be difficult to muster a sufficient force for defense.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The shamans and clerics asked about rituals, crafts, agriculture and daily life. The sculptures and reliefs in the cities lent credence to the Ngöbe stories of gods who demanded the blood of their worshipers. The workmanship of the gold and cloth that they had offered spoke to the level of skill possessed by the remaining people. The fields were poorly tended, but there did seem to be a great variety of plants that were cultivated, or had been cultivated. In all, these once rich cities seemed to be in their twilight, bereft of energy and slowly falling into cultural senility.[/FONT]
[FONT="]These dying cities were on the fringe of a greater civilization centered in the dense forests of the east which was still vigorous and powerful.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Here” said Shi-bi, “is a rich nation to our north, on it’s last legs.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“But” countered Ike Mense, “they have powerful friends to the east.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Mongols had encountered the Maya for the first time, and it had gone well. Their relations would never be as good again.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
The ships of the southern expedition returned a few weeks later. They had initially encountered people who were related to the Ngöbe and lived in a similar way, fishing, farming and in one location, harvesting pearls. As they journeyed farther along the coast the people and the settlements became more and more different. Eventually the shore became a barren desert interspersed with verdant valleys where the rivers coursed down from the mountains on the eastern horizon. Here, just as the northern expedition, they encountered great cities that were crowded and busy. One city had a population that they estimated at over 30,000 individuals. There had been an epidemic recently, but the people had survived it fairly well and were able to continue as before. Some of the cities were of baked mud, others had stone buildings, but all appeared to be rich. There were great palaces, huge fortresses, immense temples that rose into the sky. The kings of these lands wore garments of feathers and the finest, softest wool the captains had ever seen. Their weaving, gold work, pottery and all the skills they had seen rivaled those exhibited in China. But they had no horses, no cattle and no iron.
Most of these cities were also ceremonial centers where people from far and wide would gather to honor their gods. Notably, these gods did not require human blood or flesh, being content with food stuffs, animals, feathers and even ceramic representations of these things. Their gods were more familiar in their needs and demands.[/FONT]
[FONT="]There was a trade network along this coast that followed the coast from the pearl fishers to the great port cities of the south.[/FONT]
[FONT="]These could be good lands to conquer, but they were far away and difficult to reach by land.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Sometime after the departure of the two naval expeditions Shi-bi had also dispatched a company of men to explore the lands to the north and west. In due time they also returned to the camp and made their report to the General. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The interior was heavily forested and fairly rough with hills and mountains. The grasslands scattered through the uplands leading into the hills would be good pasturage for the cattle. Crossing the mountains there lay the other sea that the Ngöbe had spoken of and along it’s shores were villages similar to those of the Ngöbe. However, these villages were part of a trade network along the coast that extended to the cities of the Maya far to the North West. From here, a small amount of Mayan goods would find their way across the mountains to the Ngöbe.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Mongol riders had followed the coast northwestward for several weeks and arrived at a very large bay which had numerous villages scattered along it’s shoreline. Fishing was extremely good and there were some villages that were built over the waters in the shallows. Here they saw the great trading canoes that plied the coast. They were as long as some of the junks in the fleet and could carry substantial cargo. They learned from the villagers that Mayan traders had come some months before, fell ill with the plague that was rampant in the area at the time and died, leaving their canoes. The villagers had traded the goods brought by the Mayas with other villages and had done quite well for themselves. They were now using the canoes to fish in the sea beyond the mouth of the bay. The journey to those fishing grounds took a full day of paddling but the catch was worth it.[/FONT]
[FONT="]After exploring the area around the bay the expedition turned back toward Alagh re-crossing the mountains to the west of their outbound journey. Here the mountains’ were bigger and the way much rougher before they descended into the gentle hills that gradually led them to the Bay. They had covered more than 1800 li and discovered that they were on an isthmus less than 300 li across, filled with many villages. There were villages that had been wiped out by the plague and they were being quickly consumed by the forest. Most of the settlements had survived, some nearly intact, and most quickly recovering. Everywhere they had gone they were treated with reverence, primarily felt due to the strangeness of the horses. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Mongol army re-located their camp to the mainland, near the head of the bay. Supplying the camp would be easier, and there was a plentiful supply of water for both man and animal. There was discussion about whether to move the horses to new pastures near the camp. The issue was the prohibition against Ngöbe contact with the herd and concern that some might get loose. Horses were what enabled the Mongols to patrol the area efficiently and were still a great mystery to the Ngöbe who only saw them when they had a rider. They had seen the riders dismount and mount, but they had no knowledge of how the horses were controlled. The few occasions when they had been able to approach one of the animals resulted in a broken arm or badly bruised ego. It was decided to keep the horses on the island along with a detachment of troops to guard them.[/FONT]
[FONT="]All of the livestock was prospering. The pigs had begun to deliver their young in the early spring, followed shortly by the arrival of the lambs. The cattle began to calve in late summer. The horses would deliver their foals in the winter but the pregnant mares were healthy and there was little concern that there would be problems. From the horses to the chickens the animals were doing very well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Among the Ngöbe, many women had become pregnant since the plague and would be delivering in the New Year, but a few of the women who had been pregnant before the plague had survived and delivered strong healthy babies. As Shi-bi considered any children born of mixed parentage to be Mongols (even if the father was Chinese) he saw his numbers growing. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Based on his available cavalry, Shi-bi believed that he would be in a strong enough position to expand to the north and into the cities discovered by that expedition within three years. He would grow, village by village until he was ready to mount a true campaign, unless opportunities arose before that.[/FONT]
[FONT="]One of the factors that had given the Ngöbe the strength to hold together well during the plague was the relative calm of the Asians in their midst. With all the death that was besetting their people, Shi-bi and his officials retained level heads, largely because they were familiar with the disease and had a method to reduce it’s virulence, but also because they needed to seem to be in complete control of the situation. As strong as Shi-bi was, he was still greatly outnumbered in this country. The villages of The Bay were part of a loosely bound group of settlements that extended far up and down the coasts and well into the hinterlands. He relied on them for adequate food, labor and other support functions. Without them he might be driven back onto Aral Nagan, and possibly into the sea. It was necessary to keep the Ngöbe close, to treat them well. Eventually they would become the backbone of a great army. In time they might ride with his Mongols, once the herds were strong enough and once he was secure in what he was now seeing as a new homeland.[/FONT]
[FONT="]He continued to send exploratory expeditions into the lands along the coast. They were now tasked with persuading any villages they encountered to accept Mongol overlordship. The troops sent out were therefore larger than they had been and better equipped, in short, they were able to employ a degree of Mongol Diplomacy if needed to encourage the cooperation of the local headman.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Some of the Ngöbe men went with these missions as guides and translators. They understood that now, if the Mongols benefitted, the Ngöbe would as well. While the Ngöbe walked, the Mongols traveled on horseback, but they traveled with only one horse per man, not the usual minimum of three per soldier. They would be severely handicapped by this in battle, but the local population, who had only heard about horses as mystical beings, was unaware of this weakness and amazed that horses were real at all. The Mongols were able to dominate village after village with a minimum of difficulty, sending hostages back to the camp in Alagh and taking possession of many Spirit Necklaces.[/FONT]
[FONT="]By the end of the year, Shi-bi controlled all the territory surrounding the Bay of Alagh as far the large river mouth to the west and the river beyond the peninsula to the east, a distance of over 300 li. He also controlled the entire peninsula and the lands to the mountains in the north, a distance of nearly 270 li.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter 4[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Expeditions[/FONT]
In late 1293, Shi-bi had dispatched two expeditions to explore the coasts to the north and south. The northbound flotilla sailed back into Alagh in mid April of 1294. They confirmed the Ngöbe tales of a powerful civilization with cities made of stone. They had returned with examples of wonderfully woven fabrics as fine as the best Chinese weaving, intricate gold work more exquisite than that of the Ngöbe and samples of what the captain of the expedition insisted was writing. Shi bi and his scholars were unable to make anything of the documents since the writing consisted of elaborately drawn symbols that were completely unintelligible to them. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi questions the captain at length regarding the cities they had encountered. How large were they? Did they have formidable defenses, walls or moats? Were they well armed? Did they possess iron? The captain said that the cities were sparsely populated for their size and that they seemed to have suffered a recent plague. The fields were poorly tended and there were signs that the many of the buildings were falling into disrepair. The cities were mostly walled, but the walls would not withstand a barrage of catapult or trebuchet and cannon would make very quick work of them. Additionally, because of the small populations it would be difficult to muster a sufficient force for defense.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The shamans and clerics asked about rituals, crafts, agriculture and daily life. The sculptures and reliefs in the cities lent credence to the Ngöbe stories of gods who demanded the blood of their worshipers. The workmanship of the gold and cloth that they had offered spoke to the level of skill possessed by the remaining people. The fields were poorly tended, but there did seem to be a great variety of plants that were cultivated, or had been cultivated. In all, these once rich cities seemed to be in their twilight, bereft of energy and slowly falling into cultural senility.[/FONT]
[FONT="]These dying cities were on the fringe of a greater civilization centered in the dense forests of the east which was still vigorous and powerful.[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Here” said Shi-bi, “is a rich nation to our north, on it’s last legs.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]“But” countered Ike Mense, “they have powerful friends to the east.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Mongols had encountered the Maya for the first time, and it had gone well. Their relations would never be as good again.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
The ships of the southern expedition returned a few weeks later. They had initially encountered people who were related to the Ngöbe and lived in a similar way, fishing, farming and in one location, harvesting pearls. As they journeyed farther along the coast the people and the settlements became more and more different. Eventually the shore became a barren desert interspersed with verdant valleys where the rivers coursed down from the mountains on the eastern horizon. Here, just as the northern expedition, they encountered great cities that were crowded and busy. One city had a population that they estimated at over 30,000 individuals. There had been an epidemic recently, but the people had survived it fairly well and were able to continue as before. Some of the cities were of baked mud, others had stone buildings, but all appeared to be rich. There were great palaces, huge fortresses, immense temples that rose into the sky. The kings of these lands wore garments of feathers and the finest, softest wool the captains had ever seen. Their weaving, gold work, pottery and all the skills they had seen rivaled those exhibited in China. But they had no horses, no cattle and no iron.
Most of these cities were also ceremonial centers where people from far and wide would gather to honor their gods. Notably, these gods did not require human blood or flesh, being content with food stuffs, animals, feathers and even ceramic representations of these things. Their gods were more familiar in their needs and demands.[/FONT]
[FONT="]There was a trade network along this coast that followed the coast from the pearl fishers to the great port cities of the south.[/FONT]
[FONT="]These could be good lands to conquer, but they were far away and difficult to reach by land.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----
[/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The interior was heavily forested and fairly rough with hills and mountains. The grasslands scattered through the uplands leading into the hills would be good pasturage for the cattle. Crossing the mountains there lay the other sea that the Ngöbe had spoken of and along it’s shores were villages similar to those of the Ngöbe. However, these villages were part of a trade network along the coast that extended to the cities of the Maya far to the North West. From here, a small amount of Mayan goods would find their way across the mountains to the Ngöbe.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Mongol riders had followed the coast northwestward for several weeks and arrived at a very large bay which had numerous villages scattered along it’s shoreline. Fishing was extremely good and there were some villages that were built over the waters in the shallows. Here they saw the great trading canoes that plied the coast. They were as long as some of the junks in the fleet and could carry substantial cargo. They learned from the villagers that Mayan traders had come some months before, fell ill with the plague that was rampant in the area at the time and died, leaving their canoes. The villagers had traded the goods brought by the Mayas with other villages and had done quite well for themselves. They were now using the canoes to fish in the sea beyond the mouth of the bay. The journey to those fishing grounds took a full day of paddling but the catch was worth it.[/FONT]
[FONT="]After exploring the area around the bay the expedition turned back toward Alagh re-crossing the mountains to the west of their outbound journey. Here the mountains’ were bigger and the way much rougher before they descended into the gentle hills that gradually led them to the Bay. They had covered more than 1800 li and discovered that they were on an isthmus less than 300 li across, filled with many villages. There were villages that had been wiped out by the plague and they were being quickly consumed by the forest. Most of the settlements had survived, some nearly intact, and most quickly recovering. Everywhere they had gone they were treated with reverence, primarily felt due to the strangeness of the horses. [/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Mongol army re-located their camp to the mainland, near the head of the bay. Supplying the camp would be easier, and there was a plentiful supply of water for both man and animal. There was discussion about whether to move the horses to new pastures near the camp. The issue was the prohibition against Ngöbe contact with the herd and concern that some might get loose. Horses were what enabled the Mongols to patrol the area efficiently and were still a great mystery to the Ngöbe who only saw them when they had a rider. They had seen the riders dismount and mount, but they had no knowledge of how the horses were controlled. The few occasions when they had been able to approach one of the animals resulted in a broken arm or badly bruised ego. It was decided to keep the horses on the island along with a detachment of troops to guard them.[/FONT]
[FONT="]All of the livestock was prospering. The pigs had begun to deliver their young in the early spring, followed shortly by the arrival of the lambs. The cattle began to calve in late summer. The horses would deliver their foals in the winter but the pregnant mares were healthy and there was little concern that there would be problems. From the horses to the chickens the animals were doing very well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Among the Ngöbe, many women had become pregnant since the plague and would be delivering in the New Year, but a few of the women who had been pregnant before the plague had survived and delivered strong healthy babies. As Shi-bi considered any children born of mixed parentage to be Mongols (even if the father was Chinese) he saw his numbers growing. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Based on his available cavalry, Shi-bi believed that he would be in a strong enough position to expand to the north and into the cities discovered by that expedition within three years. He would grow, village by village until he was ready to mount a true campaign, unless opportunities arose before that.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
[FONT="]He continued to send exploratory expeditions into the lands along the coast. They were now tasked with persuading any villages they encountered to accept Mongol overlordship. The troops sent out were therefore larger than they had been and better equipped, in short, they were able to employ a degree of Mongol Diplomacy if needed to encourage the cooperation of the local headman.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Some of the Ngöbe men went with these missions as guides and translators. They understood that now, if the Mongols benefitted, the Ngöbe would as well. While the Ngöbe walked, the Mongols traveled on horseback, but they traveled with only one horse per man, not the usual minimum of three per soldier. They would be severely handicapped by this in battle, but the local population, who had only heard about horses as mystical beings, was unaware of this weakness and amazed that horses were real at all. The Mongols were able to dominate village after village with a minimum of difficulty, sending hostages back to the camp in Alagh and taking possession of many Spirit Necklaces.[/FONT]
[FONT="]By the end of the year, Shi-bi controlled all the territory surrounding the Bay of Alagh as far the large river mouth to the west and the river beyond the peninsula to the east, a distance of over 300 li. He also controlled the entire peninsula and the lands to the mountains in the north, a distance of nearly 270 li.[/FONT]
Deleted member 70191
The Horse and The Jaguar...5 Dairy, Chan Chan and Adoption
[FONT="]The cattle, sheep and mares in the Mongol’s herds produced large amounts of milk and there was a plentiful supply available to be consumed as dairy. Everything from plain milk to fermented milk yogurt to butter to cheese was being produced. The Asians had always been surprised that the Ngöbe could not tolerate dairy well. Whenever they drank milk they tended to become ill with stomach cramps and other discomforts. To the Mongols this was surprising because milk and dairy products were an integral part of their diet. The Ngöbe had no animals from which to get milk so the only time it was part of their lives was in infancy when mothers breastfed their children for an extended period of time. While the adults needed to avoid milk the infants seemed to have little difficulty digesting it and it’s use became widespread in the Ngöbe community.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A seemingly small thing, feeding cow’s milk to infants allowed their mothers to return to full productivity earlier that was the norm. Since they no longer needed to breast feed for months they began to leave their babies in the care of the old women earlier and went back to the fields or their pottery or their weaving. The old women would feed the children with cow’s milk or sheep’s milk and the children thrived in their doting care.[/FONT]
[FONT="]With the ability to return to their tasks earlier, the women also tended to become pregnant sooner after having given birth, resulting in what would become somewhat of a population boom in the Bay.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi continued his exploration of the region as usual. He sent men and ships to subdue the pearl islands that had been discovered by the southern expedition the previous year. These isles, some days sail away, proved to be reluctant to accept Mongol dominance. A few well thrown bombs and a demonstration that the men from the huge ships could set the sea on fire (with the help of a bit of sacrificed cooking oil) proved sufficient to make them change their mind and welcome the Asians with open arms. [/FONT]
[FONT="]This conquest provided him with a valuable commodity to trade and he organized a trade expedition to the great cities of the southern coast. The General consulted the Ngöbe headmen to find out what the most valuable trade goods they produced were. Stocks of ceramics, gold work and bolts of woolen cloth combining the skills and motifs of the Ngöbe and Asian weavers were loaded onto three transports. A few of the Ngöbe’s fine bows and a bit of silk from the limited remaining supply were also carried as gifts for the potentates they might encounter. The headmen sent their most experienced traders to join the mission, making it the first truly joint effort outside of Alagh. [/FONT]
[FONT="]In early spring the transports along with an escort of two war junks and several smaller ships set sail for the Pearl Islands. There they added a quantity of fine pearls to their cargo and continued along the coast. The islanders had a ready market for their pearls in the cities of the south and there was regular trade along the coast.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The voyage down the coast took them past forests and jungles, mountains an planes. The coast was interspersed with many rivers but the cities were far to the south. After many days of sailing they began to see the signs of major civilization; carefully tended fields with canals carrying irrigating water through them, occasional towers and sometimes a glimpse of a city farther inland. The Pearl islanders insisted that the flotilla continue on to a country they called Chimor. There, in the great city of Chan Chan, they could find the best trades for the pearls and other items.[/FONT]
[FONT="]They stopped at several cities along the coast to to conduct some minor trading and gain knowledge about the lands and relationships in this territory. These cities were so different from those in China and amazed the travelers. The people built great terraces on the valley sides that reminded the Asians of rice paddies, but were growing many different types of produce. The plague had struck these places as well, but it had been less deadly than farther north. Nonetheless the impact had been felt and there were some towns that were being abandoned as the populace moved to greener pastures and larger cities. In some areas the terraces were falling into disrepair and the temples had been vandalized, the gods had not protected their people from this disease after all. Some of the officials who met them came with heavily armed escorts and were exceedingly wary. They were not always made to feel welcome and often found there was nothing to trade for.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
The commander of the Yuan flotilla was a Chinese Captain named Chun Bo Fen. Rather young for the command of a war junk, he had risen rapidly during the past two years. Rewarded for some brilliant maneuvers at the Battle of Surabaya Strait with command of a squadron of ships, he had held his command together and not lost a single ship in the great journey from Java to Alagh. Yighmis, the Admiral of the fleet, had promoted him to Captain of the Fleet, subordinate to the Admiral and to the General only.[/FONT]
[FONT="]As his ships approached Chan Chan, he ordered them to be dressed with every flag and banner available in order to provide a suitable spectacle to the powers that be in the city. Knowing that pretty fluttering pieces of cloth would only go so far he ordered his flagship to have its cannon prepared to fire a salute on arrival. he wanted to make a splash however, so the cannon would fire at a steep angle in order to shorten the range so the cannonball came down relatively close to his ships and made a huge splash that was sure to impress the locals.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Many canoes and rafts came out to meet the Mongol ships as they sailed into view, their waving banners making them look as if they arrived in a cloud of color. Their travels had been the subject of much rumor along the coast and they had been expected. The Ruler of Chimor had retired to the mountains; ostensibly to review the work being done to repair some canals, but his real reason was to avoid contact until the nature of these mariners was known and to deprive them of the prestige of his presence until appropriate. The officials and functionaries that remained to great the flotilla were dazzled by the spectacle in front of them, they had never seen such colors and never seen such large vessels.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Flagship, which was in the midst of the rafts and canoes of the citizens of Chan Chan, attempted to break free in order to fire the cannon without striking any of the local craft. This proved to be impossible and Chun Bo Fen was faced with the decision to fire knowing that there was a good chance he would sink some of the boats around him and kill the occupants. He decided that strength demanded he proceed with his demonstration of power and issued the order to fire.[/FONT]
[FONT="]With a deafening roar, the cannon on the flagship erupted in a great cloud of flame and smoke. On shore, the officials watching from the roof of the palace dropped to their knees and covered their heads in fear. The occupants of the boats near the flagship were terrified and many dived into the water and swam for the shore, several drowning in the process. All but one of the descending balls fell dramatically, but harmlessly into the sea, sending up great sprays of water. That one ball went directly through the bottom of one of the larger canoes, splitting it in two. The occupants of that canoe were catapulted into the water some distance from the remains of their boat, but were only slightly injured.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The overall effect of the Mongol arrival in the capitol of the Chimor Empire was exactly what Chun Bo fen desired. Awe and Fear were the primary emotions the Chimor officials felt as they rose from their knees. They would need to go to the shore to meet these beings (for they might be gods) whether they wished to or not. The local craft were now rapidly moving away from the ships, which dropped anchor close in to shore, furling their sails. The people on shore watched with some concern, not knowing if the strangers were able to make the ground erupt as they could make the sea.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The trading went well. Chun Bo Fen made a show of his procession to the palace where he and the Ngöbe trades met the officials of the empire. Along the way they had picked up a native that spoke a related language to the Ngöbe and also the language of Chimor. Through multiple translations to the Ngöbe, the translator and the Chimor he learned that the King was not in the city. The Admiral expressed his disappointment, which may have been enhanced in translation because the officials began to retreat and cower, but he presented his gifts from Shi-bi, to the officials making them promise that the gifts would reach the King. Chun Bo fen gave them 30 Ngöbe bows and a single bolt of brilliant red silk. The officials were pleased with the bows, for the Ngöbe were renowned for these, but they were astonished at the silk. They wore themselves garments of wonderfully soft and light wool which was intricately decorated with geometric designs. This fabric, which was so richly colored shimmered in the sunlight and was covered with images of lizards and birds in more colors that they had ever seen. It was truly wondrous and even more that the vessels that made the sea erupt, lent credence to the idea that these men were from the gods. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Chimor officials were surprised to see that the Ngöbe were among the strangers. While they rarely ever came in direct contact they were aware of them because their gold work and bows were prized in some circles. That they had friends this powerful was not to be expected. Chun Bo Fen allowed the Ngöbe to lead the trading once the gifts had been presented because they were familiar with the customs and norms of business in this land. He watched and learned.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A few weeks later, without the king returning from his inspections in the mountains, Chun Bo Fen set his sails and sailed north to Alagh. His holds contained a large quantity of Chimor wool, pottery, examples of their metal work and stones from the mountains that had been carved into wonderful designs and strung as necklaces and bracelets. The Ngöbe deemed the trip profitable and were looking forward to their women embellishing the wool and trading that throughout the isthmus. Chun Bo Fen for his part knew that there were very rich cultures to their south who were susceptible to conquest. The population was substantial but their leaders were highly impressionable and perhaps easily duped. The officials in Chan Chan certainly had been, and this, he knew, was the premiere power on the region.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
As was traditional in Asian diplomacy and politics, Shi-bi took hostages when he exerted his power. Their purpose was twofold, to guarantee good behavior on the part of the Ngöbe and to help bridge the gaps between the two cultures. Many of these had died of the pox but the surviving hostages were well treated, fed and clothed. A young boy had captured the imagination of Shi-bi because of his insatiable curiosity, courage, daring and inventiveness.
There was a particular Ngöbe boy who was a guest of the Great General and being raised within the Mongol camp. His life was one of constant work, learning and testing, as befitted a young Mongol. He had initially caught Shi-bi’s attention when he was discovered spying on the patrols sent to investigate the Ngöbe village when the Mongols first arrived. When the Shi-bi specified which people he would have as guests, among the children of prominent villager and people of influence he chose this boy of nine years. He had been struck by the courage and nerve the boy had shown by spying on the General’s army. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The boy, whose name meant Mended Nets, was given to a captain of the Mongol cavalry to care for. Like all the guests of the General, he was well treated, fed and clothed. He learned the language of the Mongols, learned of the Tngri from Megujin the shaman and his acolytes and practiced archery with the Mongol bow. He became known for his curiosity and inventiveness. On many occasions he turned his lessons to a subject of his interest through clever questions or skillful responses.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi, had declared that horses were taboo to the Ngöbe and they were not permitted to spend time with the horse masters or to be around the horses while they grazed. Learning how to ride a horse was strictly forbidden. The herds had been kept under guard on the island so the natives would have no contact with them at all. The Ngöbe could only marvel at the skill of the Mongols as they rode here and there.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Mended Nets guardian was assigned to the camp that guarded the horses on the island, and brought the boy with him, as one would expect. The boy was greatly intrigued by the horses and missed no opportunity to observe them, even though it might get him in great trouble. One day, he discovered where the horses grazed and determined that he would go and watch them eat. [/FONT]
[FONT="]While his guardian was attending to his duties, Mended Nets was able to distract the attention of his minder long enough to escape into the forest surrounding the camp. The minder, not wishing to get into trouble did not raise the alarm and instead began to search for the boy alone.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Knowing the landscape of the island, Mended Nets quickly found to the pasture where the horses were grazing and watched them for several hours. Eventually he began to move among them and noticed that these animals seemed to ignore him. He began to stroke them and feed them handfuls of grass. [/FONT]
[FONT="]His minder found him and returned him to the camp. There he was upbraided by his guardian and the leaders of the Mongol cavalry. His acts were brought to the attention of the General and he was sentenced to 10 lashes for his violation of the law. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The lashes were delivered with a gentle hand for the boy was well liked in the camp and his wounds quickly healed. Shortly, Mended Nets was again running about in the camp, learning what he could and challenging his teachers. Within a month he again vanished, only to be found with the horses again. This time, he was astride a mare, as proud and grand as any Mongol.[/FONT]
[FONT="]This time he was brought before Shi-bi himself. The General upbraided the boy who showed no sign of remorse or fear. The General was taken aback by Mended Nets behavior and was prepared to mete out a severe punishment. Mended Nets then did something that completely amazed the General. In solid, but imperfect, Mongolian he told the Great General that he had gone to be with the horses because Qurmusata Tngri told him he should be there. Then he told the General that Köke Möngke Tngri told him he must climb on their backs and become a Mongol.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi ordered the boy away without setting punishment. He then sent for Megujin, the old Mongol Shaman. The General told the old man about the boy and his offenses. He told him about the courage with which the boy stood in front of him as he scolded him. He told him of the boy’s explanation for his behavior and his claim of divine instruction.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]What bothered Shi-bi was not the boy’s temerity, he rather liked that, or even the boy’s presence with the horses because he understood the curiosity of youth even in the face of severe punishment. He was troubled by the boy’s command of the Mongol tongue in so short a time and his invocation of the greatest of the spirits.
Megujin silently considered what he had been told by the General. Then he smiled. In a moment he chuckled and turned his head away. This annoyed Shi-bi, who was in no mood for laughter. The General asked what amused the old man and the smile stayed on the shaman’s face. He shook his head and laughed. Shi-bi, now angry, again challenged the old Shaman. Megujin, smiling, turned to the Great General and told him to think as if he himself were a boy of nine again.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The General was startled by this response, but it was the instruction of his Shaman. He was quiet for a moment. Then Megujin chuckled again, as if he could not help it and shook his head. At that moment it dawned on Shi-bi what the old Shaman had meant and a smile spread reluctantly across the General’s face. Megujin, seeing this, laughed. Shi-bi began to chuckle and momentarily they were both caught in fits of laughter. Megujin, the old Shaman, silently got up and left Shi-bi. Both he and the general were still laughing. [/FONT]
[FONT="]As Megujin had wished, Shi-bi had recognized himself in the boy, or at least what he liked to think he was like at that age. He also recognized something of his own son back in China. Mended Nets was not punished, he was taught to ride and hunt as a Mongol. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The great Shi-bi adopted the boy and gave him the name Nugün Ürije, Meaning Boy Stallion.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter 5[/FONT]
[FONT="]Dairy, Chan Chan and Adoption
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[FONT="]Dairy, Chan Chan and Adoption
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[FONT="]A seemingly small thing, feeding cow’s milk to infants allowed their mothers to return to full productivity earlier that was the norm. Since they no longer needed to breast feed for months they began to leave their babies in the care of the old women earlier and went back to the fields or their pottery or their weaving. The old women would feed the children with cow’s milk or sheep’s milk and the children thrived in their doting care.[/FONT]
[FONT="]With the ability to return to their tasks earlier, the women also tended to become pregnant sooner after having given birth, resulting in what would become somewhat of a population boom in the Bay.[/FONT]
[FONT="]------[/FONT]
[FONT="]This conquest provided him with a valuable commodity to trade and he organized a trade expedition to the great cities of the southern coast. The General consulted the Ngöbe headmen to find out what the most valuable trade goods they produced were. Stocks of ceramics, gold work and bolts of woolen cloth combining the skills and motifs of the Ngöbe and Asian weavers were loaded onto three transports. A few of the Ngöbe’s fine bows and a bit of silk from the limited remaining supply were also carried as gifts for the potentates they might encounter. The headmen sent their most experienced traders to join the mission, making it the first truly joint effort outside of Alagh. [/FONT]
[FONT="]In early spring the transports along with an escort of two war junks and several smaller ships set sail for the Pearl Islands. There they added a quantity of fine pearls to their cargo and continued along the coast. The islanders had a ready market for their pearls in the cities of the south and there was regular trade along the coast.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The voyage down the coast took them past forests and jungles, mountains an planes. The coast was interspersed with many rivers but the cities were far to the south. After many days of sailing they began to see the signs of major civilization; carefully tended fields with canals carrying irrigating water through them, occasional towers and sometimes a glimpse of a city farther inland. The Pearl islanders insisted that the flotilla continue on to a country they called Chimor. There, in the great city of Chan Chan, they could find the best trades for the pearls and other items.[/FONT]
[FONT="]They stopped at several cities along the coast to to conduct some minor trading and gain knowledge about the lands and relationships in this territory. These cities were so different from those in China and amazed the travelers. The people built great terraces on the valley sides that reminded the Asians of rice paddies, but were growing many different types of produce. The plague had struck these places as well, but it had been less deadly than farther north. Nonetheless the impact had been felt and there were some towns that were being abandoned as the populace moved to greener pastures and larger cities. In some areas the terraces were falling into disrepair and the temples had been vandalized, the gods had not protected their people from this disease after all. Some of the officials who met them came with heavily armed escorts and were exceedingly wary. They were not always made to feel welcome and often found there was nothing to trade for.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
The commander of the Yuan flotilla was a Chinese Captain named Chun Bo Fen. Rather young for the command of a war junk, he had risen rapidly during the past two years. Rewarded for some brilliant maneuvers at the Battle of Surabaya Strait with command of a squadron of ships, he had held his command together and not lost a single ship in the great journey from Java to Alagh. Yighmis, the Admiral of the fleet, had promoted him to Captain of the Fleet, subordinate to the Admiral and to the General only.[/FONT]
[FONT="]As his ships approached Chan Chan, he ordered them to be dressed with every flag and banner available in order to provide a suitable spectacle to the powers that be in the city. Knowing that pretty fluttering pieces of cloth would only go so far he ordered his flagship to have its cannon prepared to fire a salute on arrival. he wanted to make a splash however, so the cannon would fire at a steep angle in order to shorten the range so the cannonball came down relatively close to his ships and made a huge splash that was sure to impress the locals.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Many canoes and rafts came out to meet the Mongol ships as they sailed into view, their waving banners making them look as if they arrived in a cloud of color. Their travels had been the subject of much rumor along the coast and they had been expected. The Ruler of Chimor had retired to the mountains; ostensibly to review the work being done to repair some canals, but his real reason was to avoid contact until the nature of these mariners was known and to deprive them of the prestige of his presence until appropriate. The officials and functionaries that remained to great the flotilla were dazzled by the spectacle in front of them, they had never seen such colors and never seen such large vessels.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Flagship, which was in the midst of the rafts and canoes of the citizens of Chan Chan, attempted to break free in order to fire the cannon without striking any of the local craft. This proved to be impossible and Chun Bo Fen was faced with the decision to fire knowing that there was a good chance he would sink some of the boats around him and kill the occupants. He decided that strength demanded he proceed with his demonstration of power and issued the order to fire.[/FONT]
[FONT="]With a deafening roar, the cannon on the flagship erupted in a great cloud of flame and smoke. On shore, the officials watching from the roof of the palace dropped to their knees and covered their heads in fear. The occupants of the boats near the flagship were terrified and many dived into the water and swam for the shore, several drowning in the process. All but one of the descending balls fell dramatically, but harmlessly into the sea, sending up great sprays of water. That one ball went directly through the bottom of one of the larger canoes, splitting it in two. The occupants of that canoe were catapulted into the water some distance from the remains of their boat, but were only slightly injured.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The overall effect of the Mongol arrival in the capitol of the Chimor Empire was exactly what Chun Bo fen desired. Awe and Fear were the primary emotions the Chimor officials felt as they rose from their knees. They would need to go to the shore to meet these beings (for they might be gods) whether they wished to or not. The local craft were now rapidly moving away from the ships, which dropped anchor close in to shore, furling their sails. The people on shore watched with some concern, not knowing if the strangers were able to make the ground erupt as they could make the sea.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The trading went well. Chun Bo Fen made a show of his procession to the palace where he and the Ngöbe trades met the officials of the empire. Along the way they had picked up a native that spoke a related language to the Ngöbe and also the language of Chimor. Through multiple translations to the Ngöbe, the translator and the Chimor he learned that the King was not in the city. The Admiral expressed his disappointment, which may have been enhanced in translation because the officials began to retreat and cower, but he presented his gifts from Shi-bi, to the officials making them promise that the gifts would reach the King. Chun Bo fen gave them 30 Ngöbe bows and a single bolt of brilliant red silk. The officials were pleased with the bows, for the Ngöbe were renowned for these, but they were astonished at the silk. They wore themselves garments of wonderfully soft and light wool which was intricately decorated with geometric designs. This fabric, which was so richly colored shimmered in the sunlight and was covered with images of lizards and birds in more colors that they had ever seen. It was truly wondrous and even more that the vessels that made the sea erupt, lent credence to the idea that these men were from the gods. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Chimor officials were surprised to see that the Ngöbe were among the strangers. While they rarely ever came in direct contact they were aware of them because their gold work and bows were prized in some circles. That they had friends this powerful was not to be expected. Chun Bo Fen allowed the Ngöbe to lead the trading once the gifts had been presented because they were familiar with the customs and norms of business in this land. He watched and learned.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A few weeks later, without the king returning from his inspections in the mountains, Chun Bo Fen set his sails and sailed north to Alagh. His holds contained a large quantity of Chimor wool, pottery, examples of their metal work and stones from the mountains that had been carved into wonderful designs and strung as necklaces and bracelets. The Ngöbe deemed the trip profitable and were looking forward to their women embellishing the wool and trading that throughout the isthmus. Chun Bo Fen for his part knew that there were very rich cultures to their south who were susceptible to conquest. The population was substantial but their leaders were highly impressionable and perhaps easily duped. The officials in Chan Chan certainly had been, and this, he knew, was the premiere power on the region.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
As was traditional in Asian diplomacy and politics, Shi-bi took hostages when he exerted his power. Their purpose was twofold, to guarantee good behavior on the part of the Ngöbe and to help bridge the gaps between the two cultures. Many of these had died of the pox but the surviving hostages were well treated, fed and clothed. A young boy had captured the imagination of Shi-bi because of his insatiable curiosity, courage, daring and inventiveness.
There was a particular Ngöbe boy who was a guest of the Great General and being raised within the Mongol camp. His life was one of constant work, learning and testing, as befitted a young Mongol. He had initially caught Shi-bi’s attention when he was discovered spying on the patrols sent to investigate the Ngöbe village when the Mongols first arrived. When the Shi-bi specified which people he would have as guests, among the children of prominent villager and people of influence he chose this boy of nine years. He had been struck by the courage and nerve the boy had shown by spying on the General’s army. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The boy, whose name meant Mended Nets, was given to a captain of the Mongol cavalry to care for. Like all the guests of the General, he was well treated, fed and clothed. He learned the language of the Mongols, learned of the Tngri from Megujin the shaman and his acolytes and practiced archery with the Mongol bow. He became known for his curiosity and inventiveness. On many occasions he turned his lessons to a subject of his interest through clever questions or skillful responses.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi, had declared that horses were taboo to the Ngöbe and they were not permitted to spend time with the horse masters or to be around the horses while they grazed. Learning how to ride a horse was strictly forbidden. The herds had been kept under guard on the island so the natives would have no contact with them at all. The Ngöbe could only marvel at the skill of the Mongols as they rode here and there.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Mended Nets guardian was assigned to the camp that guarded the horses on the island, and brought the boy with him, as one would expect. The boy was greatly intrigued by the horses and missed no opportunity to observe them, even though it might get him in great trouble. One day, he discovered where the horses grazed and determined that he would go and watch them eat. [/FONT]
[FONT="]While his guardian was attending to his duties, Mended Nets was able to distract the attention of his minder long enough to escape into the forest surrounding the camp. The minder, not wishing to get into trouble did not raise the alarm and instead began to search for the boy alone.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Knowing the landscape of the island, Mended Nets quickly found to the pasture where the horses were grazing and watched them for several hours. Eventually he began to move among them and noticed that these animals seemed to ignore him. He began to stroke them and feed them handfuls of grass. [/FONT]
[FONT="]His minder found him and returned him to the camp. There he was upbraided by his guardian and the leaders of the Mongol cavalry. His acts were brought to the attention of the General and he was sentenced to 10 lashes for his violation of the law. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The lashes were delivered with a gentle hand for the boy was well liked in the camp and his wounds quickly healed. Shortly, Mended Nets was again running about in the camp, learning what he could and challenging his teachers. Within a month he again vanished, only to be found with the horses again. This time, he was astride a mare, as proud and grand as any Mongol.[/FONT]
[FONT="]This time he was brought before Shi-bi himself. The General upbraided the boy who showed no sign of remorse or fear. The General was taken aback by Mended Nets behavior and was prepared to mete out a severe punishment. Mended Nets then did something that completely amazed the General. In solid, but imperfect, Mongolian he told the Great General that he had gone to be with the horses because Qurmusata Tngri told him he should be there. Then he told the General that Köke Möngke Tngri told him he must climb on their backs and become a Mongol.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi ordered the boy away without setting punishment. He then sent for Megujin, the old Mongol Shaman. The General told the old man about the boy and his offenses. He told him about the courage with which the boy stood in front of him as he scolded him. He told him of the boy’s explanation for his behavior and his claim of divine instruction.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]What bothered Shi-bi was not the boy’s temerity, he rather liked that, or even the boy’s presence with the horses because he understood the curiosity of youth even in the face of severe punishment. He was troubled by the boy’s command of the Mongol tongue in so short a time and his invocation of the greatest of the spirits.
Megujin silently considered what he had been told by the General. Then he smiled. In a moment he chuckled and turned his head away. This annoyed Shi-bi, who was in no mood for laughter. The General asked what amused the old man and the smile stayed on the shaman’s face. He shook his head and laughed. Shi-bi, now angry, again challenged the old Shaman. Megujin, smiling, turned to the Great General and told him to think as if he himself were a boy of nine again.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The General was startled by this response, but it was the instruction of his Shaman. He was quiet for a moment. Then Megujin chuckled again, as if he could not help it and shook his head. At that moment it dawned on Shi-bi what the old Shaman had meant and a smile spread reluctantly across the General’s face. Megujin, seeing this, laughed. Shi-bi began to chuckle and momentarily they were both caught in fits of laughter. Megujin, the old Shaman, silently got up and left Shi-bi. Both he and the general were still laughing. [/FONT]
[FONT="]As Megujin had wished, Shi-bi had recognized himself in the boy, or at least what he liked to think he was like at that age. He also recognized something of his own son back in China. Mended Nets was not punished, he was taught to ride and hunt as a Mongol. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The great Shi-bi adopted the boy and gave him the name Nugün Ürije, Meaning Boy Stallion.[/FONT]
The Horse and The Jaguar...5 Factions
[FONT="]As 1295 wore on there was growing discontent among the Asian forces. Although Shi-bi had taken steps to integrate the nationalities in his army there continued to be a widening rift between the ethnic groups. Chinese, Vietnamese and some of the minor groups were on one side of the divide while Mongols Uyghurs and Central Asians were on the other. Increasingly, Shi-bi’s authority was being tested, although nothing even close to a mutiny seemed likely. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The General’s counted almost 7,000 men, mostly soldiers and cavalry, as completely loyal to him while the Chinese faction numbered over 11,000 with over a third being sailors. For the time being Shi-bi would be able to maintain control, but he knew if nothing was done a reckoning of sorts was coming.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The majority of the fleet’s ships were commanded and crewed by Chinese. The Koreans in The Generals camp were in command of the few remaining vessels, primarily more lightly armed fast junks and a few support ships. Shi-bi controlled the cattle, sheep and horses as well as most of the armaments and the Chinese were more actively integrated into the Ngöbe community. While the friction between the factions didn’t come to a head during the year there was increased jockeying for position, influence and power. Politics was making it’s presence felt.
In order to be successful, the two sides needed to work together in order to sustain a viable presence in the region. Shi-bi’s approach was to make the army even more interdependent by extending the mingling of troops beyond what he had already done. He tried to disrupt the internal relationships by moving and mingling the Chinese, Mongol, Uyghur and Korean elements of his force. The goal was to break the petty loyalties and strengthen the overarching loyalty, to him. This would result in an increased depth of talent and expertise among his forces. Men who had only rode horses and used the bow would learn something of farming. Those who had only wielded swords would learn how to make them and those who had taken care of cattle would be taught to shoot a compound bow. The value of each man would therefore increase while, at the same time, the ethnic divisions would weaken.[/FONT]
[FONT="]At least that was the plan.
The arts of horsemanship, carpentry, smithing and archery expanded. It would take time, but he believed his army would be far more effective once Mongols learned to sail like Koreans and Koreans to ride like Mongols.
Chun Bo Fen, the captain of the recent trade mission to the City of Chan Chan and master of the fleet’s largest war junk, was well respected among his countrymen as well as the non-Chinese in the fleet. He now held the fourth highest rank after Shi-bi, the Uyghur commander Ike Mense and Yighmis the Uyghur Admiral. Yighmis had fallen ill during mid summer and was unable to discharge his duties so Chun Bo Fen was placed in charge of implementing The Generals plan of integration. He was a practical man who knew how to make the most of a situation and how not to rock the boat. As he trained men who had grown up on the steppes to become sailors of the deep ocean he took the opportunity to limit the loss of the Chinese sailors to the infantry or other endeavors. He convinced Shi-bi that for the sake of safety, he needed most of his sailors in order to properly educate the Mongols and Uyghurs, not to mention the continued maintenance of the ships. He also strengthened his ties with the leading members of the Korean contingent, aware that they were in Shi-bi’s camp. Chun Bo Fen kept the Buddhist monks and scholars close to him as well, for when it came to making decisions their advice had great weight.
In the midst of all this change was Nugün Ürije, the adopted son of Shi-bi, taking advantage of every opportunity to learn from his many masters. The two things he relished the most were the time he spent on horseback and the time he spent on the ships. He had become a favorite of the cavalry and had been lent a horse to care for and to ride. While still only ten years old at the Winter Solstice, he was becoming a very good rider and lavished attention on the mount that had been provided for him. When not in the pastures or training with the cavalry, he could be found with the sailors on the fast scout ship of [/FONT][FONT="]Namgung Seok, the Korean captain who had made the first contact with the Ngöbe[/FONT][FONT="]. He absorbed the instructions of his Korean Sailing Masters, worked with the ships carpenter to make repairs and perform maintenance and listened quietly as the Captain lectured him in tactics and strategy.
The Ngöbe women who had joined their husbands in the camps proved to be a unifying force of their own. Ngöbe culture placed great value on maternal lineage and prestige. While their Asian husbands argued and schemed for advantage, the women united in their efforts to keep the peace and blunt the effects of all the intrigue. Nugün Ürije’s parents had died in the plague so his aunt saw to his maternal needs insuring that while he was learning the ways of a Mongol, he did not forget the ways of the Ngöbe.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter 5[/FONT]
[FONT="]Factions, part 2[/FONT][FONT="]
[/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The General’s counted almost 7,000 men, mostly soldiers and cavalry, as completely loyal to him while the Chinese faction numbered over 11,000 with over a third being sailors. For the time being Shi-bi would be able to maintain control, but he knew if nothing was done a reckoning of sorts was coming.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The majority of the fleet’s ships were commanded and crewed by Chinese. The Koreans in The Generals camp were in command of the few remaining vessels, primarily more lightly armed fast junks and a few support ships. Shi-bi controlled the cattle, sheep and horses as well as most of the armaments and the Chinese were more actively integrated into the Ngöbe community. While the friction between the factions didn’t come to a head during the year there was increased jockeying for position, influence and power. Politics was making it’s presence felt.
In order to be successful, the two sides needed to work together in order to sustain a viable presence in the region. Shi-bi’s approach was to make the army even more interdependent by extending the mingling of troops beyond what he had already done. He tried to disrupt the internal relationships by moving and mingling the Chinese, Mongol, Uyghur and Korean elements of his force. The goal was to break the petty loyalties and strengthen the overarching loyalty, to him. This would result in an increased depth of talent and expertise among his forces. Men who had only rode horses and used the bow would learn something of farming. Those who had only wielded swords would learn how to make them and those who had taken care of cattle would be taught to shoot a compound bow. The value of each man would therefore increase while, at the same time, the ethnic divisions would weaken.[/FONT]
[FONT="]At least that was the plan.
The arts of horsemanship, carpentry, smithing and archery expanded. It would take time, but he believed his army would be far more effective once Mongols learned to sail like Koreans and Koreans to ride like Mongols.
Chun Bo Fen, the captain of the recent trade mission to the City of Chan Chan and master of the fleet’s largest war junk, was well respected among his countrymen as well as the non-Chinese in the fleet. He now held the fourth highest rank after Shi-bi, the Uyghur commander Ike Mense and Yighmis the Uyghur Admiral. Yighmis had fallen ill during mid summer and was unable to discharge his duties so Chun Bo Fen was placed in charge of implementing The Generals plan of integration. He was a practical man who knew how to make the most of a situation and how not to rock the boat. As he trained men who had grown up on the steppes to become sailors of the deep ocean he took the opportunity to limit the loss of the Chinese sailors to the infantry or other endeavors. He convinced Shi-bi that for the sake of safety, he needed most of his sailors in order to properly educate the Mongols and Uyghurs, not to mention the continued maintenance of the ships. He also strengthened his ties with the leading members of the Korean contingent, aware that they were in Shi-bi’s camp. Chun Bo Fen kept the Buddhist monks and scholars close to him as well, for when it came to making decisions their advice had great weight.
In the midst of all this change was Nugün Ürije, the adopted son of Shi-bi, taking advantage of every opportunity to learn from his many masters. The two things he relished the most were the time he spent on horseback and the time he spent on the ships. He had become a favorite of the cavalry and had been lent a horse to care for and to ride. While still only ten years old at the Winter Solstice, he was becoming a very good rider and lavished attention on the mount that had been provided for him. When not in the pastures or training with the cavalry, he could be found with the sailors on the fast scout ship of [/FONT][FONT="]Namgung Seok, the Korean captain who had made the first contact with the Ngöbe[/FONT][FONT="]. He absorbed the instructions of his Korean Sailing Masters, worked with the ships carpenter to make repairs and perform maintenance and listened quietly as the Captain lectured him in tactics and strategy.
The Ngöbe women who had joined their husbands in the camps proved to be a unifying force of their own. Ngöbe culture placed great value on maternal lineage and prestige. While their Asian husbands argued and schemed for advantage, the women united in their efforts to keep the peace and blunt the effects of all the intrigue. Nugün Ürije’s parents had died in the plague so his aunt saw to his maternal needs insuring that while he was learning the ways of a Mongol, he did not forget the ways of the Ngöbe.
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The Horse and The Jaguar...6 Birth of the Silver Horde
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Asian roots grew deeper into the soil of the new world as they approached the third anniversary of their landing in Alagh. The increasingly strong family ties with the Ngöbe along with their investment of time and labor in the well being and prosperity of the community caused them to feel, more and more, that they were a part of the landscape. There was a growing need to establish their legitimacy and create a new identity that reflected the reality of their new circumstances. Many of the Shamans, Monks and other clerics and educated men in the fleet had partnered with Ngöbe women as well and as was Ngöbe tradition, became deeply involved with their native in-laws. They were the first to recognize this need for legitimacy within the community.
Nets-are-full, the Ngöbe chieftain had been among the casualties of the pox and the man that had risen to replace him as headman was terrified of the power of Shi-bi. The Ngöbe felt as if they had placed their trust in the wrong man and craved real leadership as well. Bereft of alternatives, they increasingly looked to the most powerful man in the area, Shi-bi.
Out of Necessity, The General had assumed many of the responsibilities of the headman, he ran the local economy, settled disputes, gave direction and made plans for the future. He had, however, stayed apart from the Ngöbe and their traditions. He had not taken a wife as so many of his officers had, and would select a young, unmarried woman from the village when he felt the need. They were always well treated and returned to their homes with gifts and signs of the favor of Shi-bi. Their status in the villages grew because they had been chosen by the General and many hoped to bear him a child, but as yet none had become pregnant.
The shamans, monks and clerics who had been discussing the future of the Asian and Ngöbe people now went to the native shamans, elders and holy men. The native leaders joined in the discussions of the future and counseled the Asians in local traditions and customs. The Asians knew how the Ngöbe selected their leaders, and it was in many ways similar to the customs of the steppes. As their discussions continued both sides came to the realization that in order to protect the people in the region, insure continued prosperity, prevent conflict and strife, a leader of all the people must be selected; a Great Headman as the Ngöbe’s called him, a Khan in the words of the Asians.
After returning to their people and discussing their idea the wise and holy men again gathered and came to the consensus that a formal ritual should be conducted to select and legitimize an overall leader of The Bay and it’s inhabitants. None of them had any question about who would be selected, but for legitimacy a selection must take place and a proper ceremony occur in order to sanctify that selection and investiture.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
Megujin arranged a meeting between Shi-bi and the religious, military and cultural leaders of the Asians and Ngöbe. He explained to the assembly the agreement among the “Council of the Wise” as they had dubbed themselves, that there needed to be formal, consecrated leadership of everyone and everything in the territory controlled by the Asians and Ngöbe. Megujin told Shi-bi that the Council had discussed many different ways of selecting a leader and decided that there must be a Kurultai of the entire population to elect a Khan. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi objected because foreigners could not participate in a Kurultai and there were not enough Mongols of sufficient rank. Ike Mense was somewhat offended that his Uyghurs, children of the steppes like the Mongols, were being referred to as foreigners. He spoke up and reminded the general that the custom of Kurultai was common among his people as well. Several of the other leaders noted that there were similar gatherings among their people as well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Megujin then spoke, noting that Great Blue Heaven had sent all of them, from all over the Great Kahn’s empire, to this place; Mongol, Uyghur, Korean, Chinese and all the others. It was, after much prayer, therefore true that [/FONT][FONT="]Köke Möngke Tngri considered the entire host to be one people. That they had been sent without women showed that the Tngri wanted them to create a new people to master this country. Because of these things, all who lived under the shadow of Shi bi must participate in the selection of a leader.[/FONT][FONT="]
Shi-bi had been convinced. But those who would take part in the Kurultai needed to be properly chosen. That meant many minor Kurultai needed to take place to select the representatives to the Great Kurultai.
And so the process began. Each man in the assembly was instructed by the Mongols in the proper way to select a leader by a Kurultai and each went back to his people to begin the process. It was a very strange custom for the men of China, for their leaders were always given to them by the Emperor. They had never been able to choose their leaders. Because the peoples of each country of Asia had been mingled together by Shi bi’s integration of the army, they needed to decide how to partition themselves to select their representatives to the Kurultai,
The generals decided to respect the organization of the army by having each zuun (unit of 100 men) in the army conduct a Kurultai to select their man to attend the Great Kurultai. Similarly, the men of the fleet came together by ship and selected their representative. [/FONT]
[FONT="]
Those who were not military, who were now farmers, fishermen and such living much as the Ngöbe did formed their own groups, tribes they could be called, many within the structure of their wives families. The Ngöbe villagers joined them and so their leaders were chosen.
Preparations for these minor Kurultai took several weeks as the people were instructed in the rituals and procedures. The Ngöbe wished to honor their own customs by combining them with Mongol customs. After much discussion the shamans decided to allow this. Doing so made the entire process of the Kurultai more meaningful to them and it became their own.
The last minor Kurultai were held in mid December and the shamans, monks and holy men declared the day following the last one a holy day for all and Feasts were held throughout the bay. Omens were read, auguries taken and the stars consulted by the holy men of all parties and they declared that the Great Kurultai would take place 28 days following the solstice in the grassy fields overlooking the bay.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Much needed to be prepared in a very short time. A great white felt must be made to carry the new Khan, food and beverages for a feast needed to be gathered, prepared and by ready and at the site. Tents and pavilions needed to be erected, horses prepared and their ceremonial tack fabricated and archery fields for contests and celebrations must be created. Above all, there needed to be a throne.
Much to Megujin’s surprise, there was substantial disagreement about the form the throne should take. The Mongols wanted it to resemble a saddle, the Chinese wanted a great chair decorated with dragons and phoenix, the Uyghurs desires a great gilded wagon and the Ngöbe wanted it to be like a grinding stone. Their great ceremonial seat was a ceramic stool with three legs. It was shaped like the stone that the Ngöbe women ground Maize and other grains on, but it was beautifully incised and painted in reds, blacks and creams.
There were no such high status artifacts on the fleet. While they had ornate chairs, they were just that, chairs. Their saddles were utilitarian, their wagons plain. The throne must be very special, unmistakable and unique.
An Ngöbe craftsman arrived at the solution. They would blend the shape of the grinding stone and the Mongolian saddle. This would be placed on a wagon which would be decorated with Chinese dragons and other symbols to represent all the peoples.
Craftsmen and artisans from all the cultures living in the region came together to work on the throne. It was decided that the Ngöbe custom of making the sacred throne of ceramics would be applied. It was heavily incised and decorated in colors that the Ngöbe had no idea how to make, brilliant reds, vibrant yellows and deep blues. A great wagon was built to carry it and was decorated with gold and copper ornaments that displayed the best of Ngöbe metalwork. When the Asian holy men saw it, they were very pleased and said it was as grand as that of the Great Khan himself. That was undoubtedly a gross exaggeration, but there can be no doubt that they were pleased.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The requirement for the great white felt provided the opportunity to teach the Ngöbe the art of felt making. The sheep were sheered and their wool was layered and pressed in soapy water until it was thich enough to support the weight of a man at least the size of Shi bi. There was no need to bleach the felt since only the wool from the purest white sheep had been used. The Shamans were a bit concerned about the size but decided that it would be sufficient. [/FONT]
[FONT="]January 11 of 1296 arrived. The great day of the Great Kurultai had arrived.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
The preparations were completed and nearly the entire population of the Bay of Alagh gathered in the Grassy Field. It was the largest gathering the Ngöbe had ever seen as most of the Asians and virtually all of the locals had come to witness this event. A great pavilion had been raised within which those attending the Kurultai would gather to select their Khan. At the entry of the pavilion stood a column of wood that had been carved and painted in the style of the Ngöbe, with effigies of the various animals that traditionally gave them sustenance, Fish, birds and deer along with caimans, snakes and other small animals. Next to that, a second pillar had been also been carved in the Ngöbe style, but this displayed cows, sheep, pigs and chickens along with horses. Near the top of the field stood an enclosure guarded by Mongol heavy cavalry, the walls of which utilized most of the remaining silk which waved gently in the morning breeze, giving an occasional glimpse of the throne which stood within.
At dawn, a Mongol rider appeared at the lower edge of the field. A horn was blown and the rider spurred his horse to a gallop up the slope toward the pavilion. The crowd scrambled to get out of the horseman’s path as he raised his bow and fired three arrows in quick succession from the back of the charging horse. Each arrow whistled as it flew, each with it’s own note. The sound of the three arrows came together for a brief moment, making a single harmonic chord before each one in turn buried it’s head in one of the poles before the pavilion and was silenced.
The rider wheeled his horse around and came to a stop between the totems, facing the way he had come. A great din of noise arose from the forest and what seemed like an army marched out from beneath the canopy of trees. Shi-bi and all the elected representatives to the Kurultai strode up the slope to the pavilion accompanied by horns and drums and cymbals. Mongol cavalry rode alongside them and cleared their path.
Nearly 300 people entered the pavilion and the cavalry took positions around it and did not let anyone come near. The Kurultai began. Discussions and negotiations went on for most of the day, food and drink were brought in to the assembly three times.
Late in the afternoon, the members of the Kurultai left the pavilion and gathered around the totems in front of the pavilions. They looked stern and solemn, as was appropriate to the occasion. Megujin came out of the pavilion and the representatives made way for him as he walked to the totems and pulled the arrows out one by one. As he removed the last arrow and held it over his head, the horns once again sounded and the drums began beating. Eight of the highest ranking representatives to the Kurultai came out of the pavilion carrying a large white felt, on which sat Shi-bi. (None were surprised by this, it had always been assumed that he would become Khan and he himself had made it clear to his subordinates that he was the only legitimate candidate.)
A general shout went up from the crowd and Shi Bi was carried toward the enclosure at the top of the field. The curtains around the throne were taken away displaying the throne on it’s great wagon. Mongol warriors joined the dignitaries and helped support the great felt and Shi bi was tossed into the air several times. They placed the felt on the great wagon so precious to the Uyghurs, in front of the throne. Shi-bi, stood up, Somewhat unsteadily from the exuberance of the men who threw him in the air. He turned, and sat on the throne.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Megujin then came to him with a new helmet that had been fashioned for him to wear. Made by the Asian armorers, the helmet was brightly painted with Mongolian motifs and the reinforcing metal straps that rose to the top were covered in gold that was incised with Ngöbe imagery. Tassels of pearls from the islands hung from the rim of the helmet and a plume of white horsehair flowed from the crest.
Megujin intoned a blessing and invoked the spirits of the Tngrii. He offered Shi-bi the helmet and Shi-bi accepted it from the shaman, stood holding it out in front of him and raised the helmet and placed it on his head to the sound of drums, horns, bells and cheers. Megujin then proclaimed him Songghumal Khan and the Silver Horde was born.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter 6[/FONT]
[FONT="]Birth of the Silver Horde[/FONT]
Asian roots grew deeper into the soil of the new world as they approached the third anniversary of their landing in Alagh. The increasingly strong family ties with the Ngöbe along with their investment of time and labor in the well being and prosperity of the community caused them to feel, more and more, that they were a part of the landscape. There was a growing need to establish their legitimacy and create a new identity that reflected the reality of their new circumstances. Many of the Shamans, Monks and other clerics and educated men in the fleet had partnered with Ngöbe women as well and as was Ngöbe tradition, became deeply involved with their native in-laws. They were the first to recognize this need for legitimacy within the community.
Nets-are-full, the Ngöbe chieftain had been among the casualties of the pox and the man that had risen to replace him as headman was terrified of the power of Shi-bi. The Ngöbe felt as if they had placed their trust in the wrong man and craved real leadership as well. Bereft of alternatives, they increasingly looked to the most powerful man in the area, Shi-bi.
Out of Necessity, The General had assumed many of the responsibilities of the headman, he ran the local economy, settled disputes, gave direction and made plans for the future. He had, however, stayed apart from the Ngöbe and their traditions. He had not taken a wife as so many of his officers had, and would select a young, unmarried woman from the village when he felt the need. They were always well treated and returned to their homes with gifts and signs of the favor of Shi-bi. Their status in the villages grew because they had been chosen by the General and many hoped to bear him a child, but as yet none had become pregnant.
The shamans, monks and clerics who had been discussing the future of the Asian and Ngöbe people now went to the native shamans, elders and holy men. The native leaders joined in the discussions of the future and counseled the Asians in local traditions and customs. The Asians knew how the Ngöbe selected their leaders, and it was in many ways similar to the customs of the steppes. As their discussions continued both sides came to the realization that in order to protect the people in the region, insure continued prosperity, prevent conflict and strife, a leader of all the people must be selected; a Great Headman as the Ngöbe’s called him, a Khan in the words of the Asians.
After returning to their people and discussing their idea the wise and holy men again gathered and came to the consensus that a formal ritual should be conducted to select and legitimize an overall leader of The Bay and it’s inhabitants. None of them had any question about who would be selected, but for legitimacy a selection must take place and a proper ceremony occur in order to sanctify that selection and investiture.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
Megujin arranged a meeting between Shi-bi and the religious, military and cultural leaders of the Asians and Ngöbe. He explained to the assembly the agreement among the “Council of the Wise” as they had dubbed themselves, that there needed to be formal, consecrated leadership of everyone and everything in the territory controlled by the Asians and Ngöbe. Megujin told Shi-bi that the Council had discussed many different ways of selecting a leader and decided that there must be a Kurultai of the entire population to elect a Khan. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Shi-bi objected because foreigners could not participate in a Kurultai and there were not enough Mongols of sufficient rank. Ike Mense was somewhat offended that his Uyghurs, children of the steppes like the Mongols, were being referred to as foreigners. He spoke up and reminded the general that the custom of Kurultai was common among his people as well. Several of the other leaders noted that there were similar gatherings among their people as well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Megujin then spoke, noting that Great Blue Heaven had sent all of them, from all over the Great Kahn’s empire, to this place; Mongol, Uyghur, Korean, Chinese and all the others. It was, after much prayer, therefore true that [/FONT][FONT="]Köke Möngke Tngri considered the entire host to be one people. That they had been sent without women showed that the Tngri wanted them to create a new people to master this country. Because of these things, all who lived under the shadow of Shi bi must participate in the selection of a leader.[/FONT][FONT="]
Shi-bi had been convinced. But those who would take part in the Kurultai needed to be properly chosen. That meant many minor Kurultai needed to take place to select the representatives to the Great Kurultai.
And so the process began. Each man in the assembly was instructed by the Mongols in the proper way to select a leader by a Kurultai and each went back to his people to begin the process. It was a very strange custom for the men of China, for their leaders were always given to them by the Emperor. They had never been able to choose their leaders. Because the peoples of each country of Asia had been mingled together by Shi bi’s integration of the army, they needed to decide how to partition themselves to select their representatives to the Kurultai,
The generals decided to respect the organization of the army by having each zuun (unit of 100 men) in the army conduct a Kurultai to select their man to attend the Great Kurultai. Similarly, the men of the fleet came together by ship and selected their representative. [/FONT]
[FONT="]
Those who were not military, who were now farmers, fishermen and such living much as the Ngöbe did formed their own groups, tribes they could be called, many within the structure of their wives families. The Ngöbe villagers joined them and so their leaders were chosen.
Preparations for these minor Kurultai took several weeks as the people were instructed in the rituals and procedures. The Ngöbe wished to honor their own customs by combining them with Mongol customs. After much discussion the shamans decided to allow this. Doing so made the entire process of the Kurultai more meaningful to them and it became their own.
The last minor Kurultai were held in mid December and the shamans, monks and holy men declared the day following the last one a holy day for all and Feasts were held throughout the bay. Omens were read, auguries taken and the stars consulted by the holy men of all parties and they declared that the Great Kurultai would take place 28 days following the solstice in the grassy fields overlooking the bay.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
Much to Megujin’s surprise, there was substantial disagreement about the form the throne should take. The Mongols wanted it to resemble a saddle, the Chinese wanted a great chair decorated with dragons and phoenix, the Uyghurs desires a great gilded wagon and the Ngöbe wanted it to be like a grinding stone. Their great ceremonial seat was a ceramic stool with three legs. It was shaped like the stone that the Ngöbe women ground Maize and other grains on, but it was beautifully incised and painted in reds, blacks and creams.
There were no such high status artifacts on the fleet. While they had ornate chairs, they were just that, chairs. Their saddles were utilitarian, their wagons plain. The throne must be very special, unmistakable and unique.
An Ngöbe craftsman arrived at the solution. They would blend the shape of the grinding stone and the Mongolian saddle. This would be placed on a wagon which would be decorated with Chinese dragons and other symbols to represent all the peoples.
Craftsmen and artisans from all the cultures living in the region came together to work on the throne. It was decided that the Ngöbe custom of making the sacred throne of ceramics would be applied. It was heavily incised and decorated in colors that the Ngöbe had no idea how to make, brilliant reds, vibrant yellows and deep blues. A great wagon was built to carry it and was decorated with gold and copper ornaments that displayed the best of Ngöbe metalwork. When the Asian holy men saw it, they were very pleased and said it was as grand as that of the Great Khan himself. That was undoubtedly a gross exaggeration, but there can be no doubt that they were pleased.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The requirement for the great white felt provided the opportunity to teach the Ngöbe the art of felt making. The sheep were sheered and their wool was layered and pressed in soapy water until it was thich enough to support the weight of a man at least the size of Shi bi. There was no need to bleach the felt since only the wool from the purest white sheep had been used. The Shamans were a bit concerned about the size but decided that it would be sufficient. [/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
[FONT="]January 11 of 1296 arrived. The great day of the Great Kurultai had arrived.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
The preparations were completed and nearly the entire population of the Bay of Alagh gathered in the Grassy Field. It was the largest gathering the Ngöbe had ever seen as most of the Asians and virtually all of the locals had come to witness this event. A great pavilion had been raised within which those attending the Kurultai would gather to select their Khan. At the entry of the pavilion stood a column of wood that had been carved and painted in the style of the Ngöbe, with effigies of the various animals that traditionally gave them sustenance, Fish, birds and deer along with caimans, snakes and other small animals. Next to that, a second pillar had been also been carved in the Ngöbe style, but this displayed cows, sheep, pigs and chickens along with horses. Near the top of the field stood an enclosure guarded by Mongol heavy cavalry, the walls of which utilized most of the remaining silk which waved gently in the morning breeze, giving an occasional glimpse of the throne which stood within.
At dawn, a Mongol rider appeared at the lower edge of the field. A horn was blown and the rider spurred his horse to a gallop up the slope toward the pavilion. The crowd scrambled to get out of the horseman’s path as he raised his bow and fired three arrows in quick succession from the back of the charging horse. Each arrow whistled as it flew, each with it’s own note. The sound of the three arrows came together for a brief moment, making a single harmonic chord before each one in turn buried it’s head in one of the poles before the pavilion and was silenced.
The rider wheeled his horse around and came to a stop between the totems, facing the way he had come. A great din of noise arose from the forest and what seemed like an army marched out from beneath the canopy of trees. Shi-bi and all the elected representatives to the Kurultai strode up the slope to the pavilion accompanied by horns and drums and cymbals. Mongol cavalry rode alongside them and cleared their path.
Nearly 300 people entered the pavilion and the cavalry took positions around it and did not let anyone come near. The Kurultai began. Discussions and negotiations went on for most of the day, food and drink were brought in to the assembly three times.
Late in the afternoon, the members of the Kurultai left the pavilion and gathered around the totems in front of the pavilions. They looked stern and solemn, as was appropriate to the occasion. Megujin came out of the pavilion and the representatives made way for him as he walked to the totems and pulled the arrows out one by one. As he removed the last arrow and held it over his head, the horns once again sounded and the drums began beating. Eight of the highest ranking representatives to the Kurultai came out of the pavilion carrying a large white felt, on which sat Shi-bi. (None were surprised by this, it had always been assumed that he would become Khan and he himself had made it clear to his subordinates that he was the only legitimate candidate.)
A general shout went up from the crowd and Shi Bi was carried toward the enclosure at the top of the field. The curtains around the throne were taken away displaying the throne on it’s great wagon. Mongol warriors joined the dignitaries and helped support the great felt and Shi bi was tossed into the air several times. They placed the felt on the great wagon so precious to the Uyghurs, in front of the throne. Shi-bi, stood up, Somewhat unsteadily from the exuberance of the men who threw him in the air. He turned, and sat on the throne.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Megujin then came to him with a new helmet that had been fashioned for him to wear. Made by the Asian armorers, the helmet was brightly painted with Mongolian motifs and the reinforcing metal straps that rose to the top were covered in gold that was incised with Ngöbe imagery. Tassels of pearls from the islands hung from the rim of the helmet and a plume of white horsehair flowed from the crest.
Megujin intoned a blessing and invoked the spirits of the Tngrii. He offered Shi-bi the helmet and Shi-bi accepted it from the shaman, stood holding it out in front of him and raised the helmet and placed it on his head to the sound of drums, horns, bells and cheers. Megujin then proclaimed him Songghumal Khan and the Silver Horde was born.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter 7[/FONT]
[FONT="]Governor Chun Bo Fen
[/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Khan tasked Admiral Chun Bo Fen with the provisioning of a vessel for the monks. Chun suggested that it would be a good time to send another, larger trade mission to Chan Chan along with a full complement of troops as a further demonstration of power. Again the Khan agreed and added that a small force should be left at the recently troublesome Pearl Islands to support his representative there.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
The Admiral assembled a squadron of five of the largest war junks which escorted ten transports and support ships as well as assorted smaller vessels; pickets, couriers and the like. The crews of his ships were mostly Chinese for the cross training was still in progress and the Uyghurs and Mongols were not yet up to the challenge of a great sea journey. He was able to separate a small contingent of thirty Chinese heavy cavalry and had also detached three hundred mostly Chinese Naval Infantry and five hundred combined regular infantry. The party of scholars consisted of ten Buddhist monks, and three Shamans, and an Imam. Lastly was a party of Ngöbe traders, eager to return to those lucrative markets.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chun Bo Fen’s fleet was ready to sail in early February and made straight for the Pearl Islands. They landed 150 mostly infantry on the islands and established a regular dispatch boats that would go between the islands and the Bay carrying news, supplies and pearls. The Khans man in the islands was charged with pacifying the people of the islands, maintaining the peace and expanding the interests of the Khanate. The islands were soon brought under the control of the Khan and within a week of the arrival of the Admiral’s fleet regular intercourse between the Pearl Islands and the Bay resumed.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Continuing on their voyage, the squadron of junks reached Chan Chan within a few weeks.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The city had suffered another outbreak of the pox and had been partially abandoned as this time the disease was more virulent. There had been greater death and the city leaders had forced the ill into the nearby desert where they died by the thousands. In the palace, the king and his family had been taken before the illness was controlled so the empire was at that moment without a head. The nobles and officials were trying to hold the empire together while they resolved the question of succession. Petty jealousies had become real rivalries as they all jockeyed for dominance.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Into this political vacuum sailed the fleet of Chun Bo Fen and the power of Songghumal Khan.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Admiral quickly realized that all was not well in the Chimor capital. There was no greeting by canoes and rafts as last time, perhaps they remembered the geysers of seawater and thundering flame from the ship, but there was more. There were fewer columns of smoke rising from the household fires of the city, the boats on the shore were placed haphazardly instead of the neat order of the previous trip and no officials came to the shore to welcome them. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Chun landed with the monks, traders and a contingent of 150 naval infantry. They proceeded through the city toward the palace as the few folk in the streets scattered before them. Parts of the city had fallen into disrepair as the residents failed to maintain their dried mud structures but the palace enclosure appeared to be in sound condition. The guards, such as they were, were a different story. With the death of the king, his army had dissolved before any of the nobles could co-opt it. The guards at the palace now were a collection of lackeys and retainers for the nobles within. The sight nearly 200 strange men, some dressed on brilliant colors and others obviously very well armed, terrified the erstwhile protectors of Chimor nobility and they melted away, leaving the palace wide open to the arrival of Chun Bo Fen.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The weakness of Chan Chan’s position had been made clear on the brief march to the palace and the behavior of the palace guards merely confirmed that weakness. Chun determined he would take as much advantage of the situation as he could. When an opportunity arose, he would seize it. He had no idea what he would do because that depended on the moment, but he never expected the moment to arrive as quickly as it did.[/FONT]
[FONT="]He found the leaders of Chimor gathered in a courtyard near a large pool of water. They had not even been told that the Yuan had returned and were startled by their arrival. The presence of the foreigners, at such an unfortunate and inopportune time and with so many men armed to the teeth, caused the squabbling nobility great consternation. Some trembled in fear and others had the control to try and appear strong, but the assembly was truly pitiable. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The Admiral immediately realized, only minutes after deciding to look for one, that this was the opportunity he sought. Through his interpreters he announced that the Khan of the Silver Horde, who was now their overlord, had sent him to them to be their governor. This news stunned everyone in the court other than Chun Bo Fen. It was not well received by the Chimor nobles, several of whom were insulted out of their fear. Chan Chan was the capitol of an empire that stretched down the coast and into the mountains. They had endured the plague and lost many of their people, they had sustained tremendous economic damage, but there had been no conquest. How could this “Khan” conquer them simply by stating that was the case?[/FONT]
[FONT="]
Chun had learned well at the feet of the Mongols. One of the lords stepped forward and challenged his assertion that the city had a new lord. His head rolled across the floor, stopping at the feet of Chun. The other lords, completely horrified at this act of brutality, looked upon the severed head of the Duke in shocked silence. Chun again announced that he was the governor sent by the Khan Songghumal and that the city and it’s empire were now under the protection of Songghumal Khan and the Silver Horde.
With the blood still flowing out of the old lords severed neck, the stunned Chimor nobility unsteadily bowed to Chun. He thanked them for their gracious welcome and bade them to tend to the old lord’s body with all the ceremony and honor due to him and his position.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
The Admiral, now Governor, Chun Bo Fen immediately dispatched a fast ship with some of the monks back to Alagh to inform the Khan of his new and wealthy province in the south. The monks presented the Khan with a cloak that had been liberated from the wardrobes of the palace. It was made of the finest and softest wool they had ever encountered and the outside was gorgeously embellished with exotic feathers from countless birds. Supposedly, this wool came not from sheep but from small, humpless camels. The monks described the city and it’s condition as well as the manner in which the Admiral had brought it into the Khanate. The Khan was pleased at this demonstration of opportunism on the part of his admiral and asked what was needed to secure the new territory. Chun had sent a list of requests along with the monks asking that bulls and cows be sent along with some pigs and sheep. Artisans and engineers were also needed to assist in the restoration and rebuilding of damaged buildings and facilities of the city. These things were immediately dispatched to the Chan Chan.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Chinese troops of Chun Bo Fen patrolled the streets of the city and prevented anyone from leaving. The Governor made it clear that the abandonment of Chan Chan was over. He sent mounted patrols into the countryside to find former residents who had left during the plague and bring them back. Once these families had returned to the city Chun assembled work crews and set them to restoring the terraces and irrigation canals as well as repairing the fishing boats and equipment. He insured that food once again flowed from the valleys to the city and life began to return to Chan Chan.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Chimu had never seen sheep or pigs, but the animals were not intimidating in size or behavior. The cattle, on the other hand were larger than any animal that lived on the entire continent. It took time for them to learn that all the animals the Khan sent were benign and for their benefit. The animals were soon grazing on the sparse grass around the city as the Asians schooled the natives in the art of herdsmanship. The artisans sent by Songghumal joined the returning craftsmen of Chan Chan to refurbish the temples and markets. Chun did not hamper the rituals at the temple, in fact he encouraged them as a way to bring the city back to life. The monks, whose idea this voyage had been, spent much time with the Chimu priests and scribes learning about their beliefs and way of life. They in turn shared the wisdom of the Buddha. [/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
As Chan Chan continued to recover the surrounding area willingly submitted to the Governor since they were weak but were seeing good things happening in the capital. There were some challenges but they quickly melted when faced with the reality of Asian strength. One of these trouble spots was the city of [/FONT][FONT="]Túcume[/FONT] [FONT="]in the Lambayeque valley to the north. Chun learned that the tributary king was defying Chimor authority, thinking that this was a good time to assert his independence. The Governor’s men had had no contact with the city and al their reports were via Chimu messengers. The region was supposed to be very fertile and.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chun determined that this king needed to be brought under control and his valley returned to the province of Chimor. While [/FONT][FONT="]trying to determine how best to do this with his limited forces, he determined that he would not be able to defeat [/FONT][FONT="]Túcume[/FONT][FONT="] with force alone. He needed to cajole compliance. Power and the confusion caused by the unfamiliar, applied in the service of diplomacy would be his tools. [/FONT]
[FONT="]He[/FONT][FONT="] realized that the Chimu did not use the wheel other than for children’s toys. There were no carts or wagons and the only beast of burden they had were small camels that came from the mountains. He instructed his artisans to build a great wagon to be pulled by oxen. The people of Chan Chan watched in wonder as a child’s toy of massive proportions took shape. They were astounded when eight oxen were tied to it and began to pull it to the palace. They had never conceived of using animals, however strange, in this way. At the palace, the Governor expressed his pleasure at the giant toy and instructed several of the monks to climb into the thing, which they gladly did. Several of the Chimu priests were in attendance and he instructed them to join their Buddhist brothers. Naturally, they were reluctant, even with the assurances from the monks that they would be safe and the increasingly annoyed governor before them. Finally, they were lifted bodily by soldiers and thrown unceremoniously into wagon. They survived.[/FONT]
[FONT="]There was a road of sorts that led from Chan Chan to the Lambayeque valley where this king reigned. Chun sent the wagon, with an escort of 200 infantry, a few mounted officers and several of the monks and the city priests north. It was an amazing sight and something never seen in this world. The great wagon had been embellished with gold and silver ornament from the city and it sparkled in the clear sunlight. Pulled by eight oxen and looking as if had come from the heavens with it’s bright paint and wonderful carvings, it carried the monks and priests in a grand procession from the capital toward the valley. [/FONT]
[FONT="]
The journey took time since the oxen would not be rushed.
Wherever they went they told of the rebirth of Chan Chan under the great Khan Songghumal and his governor Chun Bo Fen. Villages and towns along the way offered their loyalty to Chan Chan and it’s new rulers. News of the procession and the submission of one after another community to the Khan soon reached the ears of the king in [/FONT][FONT="]Túcume. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The pox was still among the people of [/FONT][FONT="]the Lambayeque but the king went out to meet the procession as they neared his valley. He was accompanied by a large number of warriors who were in varying states of health due to the plague. He commanded the procession to return the way they had come and not his realm. The monks and priests were all gathered on the great wagon and at the head of the company. They asked him for permission to continue alone without their escort and he again refused them. The commander of the escort, who had been behind the wagon observing the exchange now mounted his horse and rode to the front bringing his mount to a rearing halt right in front of the Kings palanquin. [/FONT]
[FONT="]
The king retained his composure although this combination of man and animal was undoubtedly possessed of frightening power. Chun Bo Fen’s Captain told the king that then entire procession would into the valley with or without the king’s consent because that is what their lord had ordered them to do. The king, still shaken at the presence of the mounted rider, replied that they were not to enter his lands. At a signal from their king, his escort of sickly troops moved to protect him. The king then asked who was this governor and his khan that felt the world belonged to them. The Captain, replied that the procession would pass into the valley and that he would answer the kings question as the governor and answered the Duke’s question in Chan Chan. The king, surrounded by his men, grunted and turned to leave in a dignified manner before the fighting broke out.
The Asian Captain gave a sign and the Asian archers put arrow to bow, swords were drawn and the rest of the mounted officers came to the fore. The king’s soldiers were stepping to the side to allow his palanquin to retreat when the Captain drew his sword and spurred his horse forward. He delivered the same answer the Governor had offered to the Duke and the head of the Chimu king fell to the ground and rolled amongst the wild flowers on the side of the road.
As the king’s head was separated from his body, the ministers and officials in his train fell on their faces in fear. The chief priest, seeing the high priest of the temple in Chan Chan in the great wagon, obviously in support of this new ruler, bowed his head in submission, but remained standing. The Dead king’s troops knew that they were in no condition to engage in a battle with the Asians. As few as there were, these strange men were healthy, well armed and had these huge animals. With the foreign commander wheeling his great animal in their midst, their king sitting headless on his palanquin, and their own priests bowing fear to the men of Chan Chan, the king’s troops lay their arms on the ground and cowered in fear of their lives. The King of Túcume was the only casualty that day.
The wagon and the bulls, the Asian troops and the monks and priests then proceeded into the valley past the body of the king and on to Túcume. His men collected his remains and at the instructions of the monks laid him to rest in a manner befitting his rank.[/FONT]
The Horse and The Jaguar...8 The Khan's Emissary
[FONT="]Songghumal Khan had sent Chun Bo Fen south to transport and assist Buddhist monks in their quest for knowledge. He did not send him to conquer an empire. Although he was not disappointed by Chun’s success, he noted that on subsequent voyages sent to re-enforce and re-supply him, Chun’s family had also traveled to Chan Chan. The governor had gathered his 3 wives and children around him in the old palace of the Chimu king. The relative independence of the Chinese Admiral was troubling to the Khan, not because there had ever been the slightest evidence of disloyalty, but because he was Chinese and nearly out of reach of his Mongol lord.
The Khan ordered Ike Mense to sail to Chan Chan in September of that year. Mense’s task, ostensibly, was to review the work of the Governor and the state of the new province in order to determine the proper level of tribute that the Khan would require. As important as that was, it could have been done by many others in the Yuan force, It did not require the presence of the second in command and Chun’s technical superior. Ike Mense true task was to remind the “Governor” of his true place in the hierarchy, determine his loyalty to Songghumal and bring back Chun’s one year old son to live at the Khan’s court in Alagh. The stated reason was, naturally, to guarantee the boy the best education and training available so he would grow into a fine leader of men. Not mentioned, but completely understood was that it was to guarantee the good behavior of Chun Bo Fen in his new province.
The Khan sent Ike Mense with an appropriate retinue and force. While bringing additional cattle and sheep as well as chickens to Chan Chan, the force must still be appropriate to the second most powerful man in this world. Six of the best war junks, along several smaller fighting junks along with the necessary transports, supply vessels and smaller support and picket craft were assembled for the fleet. To insure the cooperation of Chun, the Khan sent 1,500 soldiers, and 150 Mongol cavalry. This force far outnumbered Chun’s army.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Ike Mense’s expedition departed Alagh on September 10th and sailed directly for Chan Chan.[/FONT]
[FONT="]
Chun Bo Fen was receiving embassies from every part of the Chimor Empire. Envoys, nobles and kings came to pay homage to him and the great Songghumal Khan. Some of the cities were a bit reluctant and needed some gentle coaxing to swear their fealty and in a few of these cases the Governor himself would march to receive their submission. In late September he traveled to the valley of Jequetepeque to the north. It was between Chan Chan and the now humbled Lambayeque valley. The journey was successful in that as soon as the local lords saw him moving into the valley with horses in the lead, the great Oxcart following and a large number of Chimu troops behind, they surrendered. They were in no position to challenge him since they had also suffered from the recent return of the plague. Great ceremony was made of their loyalty to their new lords and Chun’s departure for Chan Chan was delayed while he traveled from city to city to receive their allegiance.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Ike Mense’s fleet arrived at Chan Chan in mid October, The Governor had not yet returned from his expedition to Jequetepeque. Surprised by his arrival, Chun’s functionaries were powerless when Ike Mense, as the emissary of the Khan, commandeered apartments in the palace and assigned his men to the guard. Chun’s men could hardly object and they gave way to the General, establishing themselves elsewhere in the city. Mense ordered that none should leave the city until the Governor returned and set his troops to patrolling the surrounding countryside to prevent word of his arrival from reaching Chun in the field.
When word of Chun’s approach reached the Uyghur General, Ike Mense went, with his cavalry, to meet him. Chun approached Chan Chan in panoply suited to a king rather than a governor, with bells and cymbals and drums, carried on a great palanquin. Banners of innumerable color flew around his entourage as it approached Chan Chan. The Uyghur commander rode out of the city in full military array, much to Chun’s consternation. Mense’s blockade had worked, the governor was not even aware that the general had come.
Chun ordered the procession to halt and descended from his palanquin. He greeted Mense as a brother, two commanders in the same army. The Governors horse was brought up and he rode alongside, but a little behind, his superior officer into the city. Chun showed Ike Mense everything he wanted to see and explained the lay of the land, the nature of the natives and the resources he had found. He provided samples of the goods the people made, including wonderful metalwork in gold, silver, copper and bronze. He offered bolts of exceedingly fine wool, nearly as good as the silk of China and wonderfully woven with colors and patterns that were strange and beautiful. A pair of the small camels without humps, those that provided the extraordinary wool, was provided for the General to take back to the Khan.
The Governor asked for more cattle and horses, chicken and pigs; for his herds were small and would take much time to grow. He was told that the matter would be discussed with the Khan. Ike Mense asked Chun how many subjects he had added to the Khanate, and was told that there were at least 15,000 in the city of Chan Chan, another 35,000 in the valley of Jequetepeque and equal amount in Lambayeque. There were perhaps 70,000 more scattered along the coast and in the many other valleys. The plague, striking twice in a short time, had been harsh here and the country was somewhat depopulated compared to what it had been a few years before. Ike Mense was taken aback; the population of Chimu, in it’s weakened state, was far in excess of that of Alagh or the territory that the Khan controlled directly. Chun, potentially, was more powerful than the Khan.
Ike Mense had taken a few weeks to survey the new province. He was amazed by what these people had created without oxen or horses or the wheel. It was reminiscent of china in its complexity, but completely different in execution. The valleys of the province of Chimu, reduced as it was, possessed more people, produced more food and goods and provided more skill and wealth than the Khan could ever hope for in Alagh. The contribution this province made to the Khanate would be substantial. [/FONT]
[FONT="]A few days before Ike Mense was to depart, he and Chun were riding in the countryside inspecting some of the repairs being made to canals and terraces. The General mentioned that the Khan desired that Chun send his son back to Alagh, where he could have the best Mongol upbringing and education possible. The Governor was upset that the Khan wanted his one year old son and protested that the boy was too young to be separated from his mother. Chun knew that as a “Guest” at the Court of the Khan, he might never see the boy again. Ike Mense agreed that the boy might be too young, but the asserted that the Khan was adamant in his desire to see the boy raised properly in Alagh; It would probably be best if his mother went with him to the court.
Chun was checked. He knew his men had been scattered throughout the city and that Mense’s men controlled every strategic location. The palace, while still his residence was in the general’s hands. Mense outnumbered him considerably and his cavalry was much more than ceremonial. Crestfallen and defeated he said that sending his son and the boy’s mother to the Khan in Alagh would probably be the best solution. The Khan could insure that the boy was properly raised. His heart screamed for he was losing his favorite wife and his first born son. This would long rest in his soul.
The ships of Ike Mense were re-supplied and preparations made for their departure back to the Bay. He was returning not only with the wife and son of Chun Bo Fen, but with the first payment of tribute from Chimu. His ships would carry gold and silver, Fine woolen cloth, ingots of copper and bronze, a strange tuber that was one of the primary foods of these people and came in many varieties and colors. He also brought several of the humpless camels as well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A flotilla of ships had sailed for Alagh shortly after Mense’s arrival, but before the Governor had returned. These ships were carrying goods north and as usual had an escort of armed ships, including war junks. Aside from the fleet of Ike Mense, the only war junk left in Chan Chan was that under the command of Chun Bo Fen. Mense knew that when the ships arrived in Alagh, they would be ordered to rejoin the fleet and the governor’s flotilla would be reduced. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The day before he sailed for Alagh, Ike Mense informed Chun that his own junk, the largest and most powerful in the fleet, was required by the Khan to explore the northern coast and that Songghumal had ordered it back to the Bay. Mense would leave two lesser war junks for his protection. Many of the smaller armed ships were still in the anchorage, so there was a respectable force being left.
Inside, Chun was in a rage. His favorite wife and son were being taken and his ship was being requisitioned. He was lord of this great land and these uncountable people. This insult, though gently delivered, was intolerable.
Ike Mense and his fleet departed Chan Chan for Alagh that day, with the governor’s wife, his son and his ship, now serving as Mense’s flagship. A substantial number of the General’s men had been left behind; not as soldiers but as agents of the Khan. A fast junk was left behind to carry messages about the state of the province to Alagh. The captain and crew were Koreans with unquestioned loyalty to Songghumal. Along with the regular posts of production reports and crop yields would be intelligence provided by the Khan’s agents[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chun Bo Fen inspected the ships left by Ike Mense in return for his war junk and was dismayed. The ships were among the oldest in the fleet. Both had significant leaks that could only be combated by frequent pumping and one was badly hogged. Their armament was limited to old catapults, trebuchets which were in need of total refurbishment, and a few cannon each. They were, however, fully stocked with bombs, projectiles, arrows and bows. There was an ample supply of powder for the cannon as well. The problem was that he knew the Khan had newer, better and more powerful weaponry.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Governor called the captains and officers of these ships to the palace, along with the captains of his own remaining combatant ships. In front of these men he ceased to be the ruler of these lands, whether in the name of the Khan or not, and appeared in the garb of the Admiral of the Fleet. How had these two ships been allowed to deteriorate so much? What was the maintenance regimen? Why had the captains endangered their men and the troops of the Khan by sailing in derelicts?[/FONT]
[FONT="]The captains were without explanation. It was a situation where they knew that no explanation would be sufficient. One said he did not have the material to maintain his ship and the other simply said he didn’t know. Both knew that with Mense gone, they were truly at the mercy of the Admiral/Governor.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chun turned to his own captains and asked what they would do in the same situation and there was a chorus of responses ranging from commandeering supplies to logging the forest for wood to melting down buckles to get the needed iron. The Governor was, naturally pleased, and stripped the two captains abandoned by Mense of their commands and reduced to officers on smaller vessels.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Governor needed to find out what his artisans and craftsmen could do with these two ships. After much inspection and discussion it was decided that the hogged ship would be scrapped and whatever was re-usable salvaged for repairs to the other ship and the rest of the flotilla. Lumber was one of the resources in very short supply in this country so there was no real option of building new ships. The wood saved from breaking up the old ship would be set out to dry and age and would be rationed for repairs to the other vessels.
[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chapter 8[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Khan’s Emissary[/FONT]
[FONT="]Songghumal Khan had sent Chun Bo Fen south to transport and assist Buddhist monks in their quest for knowledge. He did not send him to conquer an empire. Although he was not disappointed by Chun’s success, he noted that on subsequent voyages sent to re-enforce and re-supply him, Chun’s family had also traveled to Chan Chan. The governor had gathered his 3 wives and children around him in the old palace of the Chimu king. The relative independence of the Chinese Admiral was troubling to the Khan, not because there had ever been the slightest evidence of disloyalty, but because he was Chinese and nearly out of reach of his Mongol lord.
The Khan ordered Ike Mense to sail to Chan Chan in September of that year. Mense’s task, ostensibly, was to review the work of the Governor and the state of the new province in order to determine the proper level of tribute that the Khan would require. As important as that was, it could have been done by many others in the Yuan force, It did not require the presence of the second in command and Chun’s technical superior. Ike Mense true task was to remind the “Governor” of his true place in the hierarchy, determine his loyalty to Songghumal and bring back Chun’s one year old son to live at the Khan’s court in Alagh. The stated reason was, naturally, to guarantee the boy the best education and training available so he would grow into a fine leader of men. Not mentioned, but completely understood was that it was to guarantee the good behavior of Chun Bo Fen in his new province.
The Khan sent Ike Mense with an appropriate retinue and force. While bringing additional cattle and sheep as well as chickens to Chan Chan, the force must still be appropriate to the second most powerful man in this world. Six of the best war junks, along several smaller fighting junks along with the necessary transports, supply vessels and smaller support and picket craft were assembled for the fleet. To insure the cooperation of Chun, the Khan sent 1,500 soldiers, and 150 Mongol cavalry. This force far outnumbered Chun’s army.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Ike Mense’s expedition departed Alagh on September 10th and sailed directly for Chan Chan.[/FONT]
[FONT="]-----[/FONT]
Chun Bo Fen was receiving embassies from every part of the Chimor Empire. Envoys, nobles and kings came to pay homage to him and the great Songghumal Khan. Some of the cities were a bit reluctant and needed some gentle coaxing to swear their fealty and in a few of these cases the Governor himself would march to receive their submission. In late September he traveled to the valley of Jequetepeque to the north. It was between Chan Chan and the now humbled Lambayeque valley. The journey was successful in that as soon as the local lords saw him moving into the valley with horses in the lead, the great Oxcart following and a large number of Chimu troops behind, they surrendered. They were in no position to challenge him since they had also suffered from the recent return of the plague. Great ceremony was made of their loyalty to their new lords and Chun’s departure for Chan Chan was delayed while he traveled from city to city to receive their allegiance.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Ike Mense’s fleet arrived at Chan Chan in mid October, The Governor had not yet returned from his expedition to Jequetepeque. Surprised by his arrival, Chun’s functionaries were powerless when Ike Mense, as the emissary of the Khan, commandeered apartments in the palace and assigned his men to the guard. Chun’s men could hardly object and they gave way to the General, establishing themselves elsewhere in the city. Mense ordered that none should leave the city until the Governor returned and set his troops to patrolling the surrounding countryside to prevent word of his arrival from reaching Chun in the field.
When word of Chun’s approach reached the Uyghur General, Ike Mense went, with his cavalry, to meet him. Chun approached Chan Chan in panoply suited to a king rather than a governor, with bells and cymbals and drums, carried on a great palanquin. Banners of innumerable color flew around his entourage as it approached Chan Chan. The Uyghur commander rode out of the city in full military array, much to Chun’s consternation. Mense’s blockade had worked, the governor was not even aware that the general had come.
Chun ordered the procession to halt and descended from his palanquin. He greeted Mense as a brother, two commanders in the same army. The Governors horse was brought up and he rode alongside, but a little behind, his superior officer into the city. Chun showed Ike Mense everything he wanted to see and explained the lay of the land, the nature of the natives and the resources he had found. He provided samples of the goods the people made, including wonderful metalwork in gold, silver, copper and bronze. He offered bolts of exceedingly fine wool, nearly as good as the silk of China and wonderfully woven with colors and patterns that were strange and beautiful. A pair of the small camels without humps, those that provided the extraordinary wool, was provided for the General to take back to the Khan.
The Governor asked for more cattle and horses, chicken and pigs; for his herds were small and would take much time to grow. He was told that the matter would be discussed with the Khan. Ike Mense asked Chun how many subjects he had added to the Khanate, and was told that there were at least 15,000 in the city of Chan Chan, another 35,000 in the valley of Jequetepeque and equal amount in Lambayeque. There were perhaps 70,000 more scattered along the coast and in the many other valleys. The plague, striking twice in a short time, had been harsh here and the country was somewhat depopulated compared to what it had been a few years before. Ike Mense was taken aback; the population of Chimu, in it’s weakened state, was far in excess of that of Alagh or the territory that the Khan controlled directly. Chun, potentially, was more powerful than the Khan.
Ike Mense had taken a few weeks to survey the new province. He was amazed by what these people had created without oxen or horses or the wheel. It was reminiscent of china in its complexity, but completely different in execution. The valleys of the province of Chimu, reduced as it was, possessed more people, produced more food and goods and provided more skill and wealth than the Khan could ever hope for in Alagh. The contribution this province made to the Khanate would be substantial. [/FONT]
[FONT="]A few days before Ike Mense was to depart, he and Chun were riding in the countryside inspecting some of the repairs being made to canals and terraces. The General mentioned that the Khan desired that Chun send his son back to Alagh, where he could have the best Mongol upbringing and education possible. The Governor was upset that the Khan wanted his one year old son and protested that the boy was too young to be separated from his mother. Chun knew that as a “Guest” at the Court of the Khan, he might never see the boy again. Ike Mense agreed that the boy might be too young, but the asserted that the Khan was adamant in his desire to see the boy raised properly in Alagh; It would probably be best if his mother went with him to the court.
Chun was checked. He knew his men had been scattered throughout the city and that Mense’s men controlled every strategic location. The palace, while still his residence was in the general’s hands. Mense outnumbered him considerably and his cavalry was much more than ceremonial. Crestfallen and defeated he said that sending his son and the boy’s mother to the Khan in Alagh would probably be the best solution. The Khan could insure that the boy was properly raised. His heart screamed for he was losing his favorite wife and his first born son. This would long rest in his soul.
The ships of Ike Mense were re-supplied and preparations made for their departure back to the Bay. He was returning not only with the wife and son of Chun Bo Fen, but with the first payment of tribute from Chimu. His ships would carry gold and silver, Fine woolen cloth, ingots of copper and bronze, a strange tuber that was one of the primary foods of these people and came in many varieties and colors. He also brought several of the humpless camels as well.[/FONT]
[FONT="]A flotilla of ships had sailed for Alagh shortly after Mense’s arrival, but before the Governor had returned. These ships were carrying goods north and as usual had an escort of armed ships, including war junks. Aside from the fleet of Ike Mense, the only war junk left in Chan Chan was that under the command of Chun Bo Fen. Mense knew that when the ships arrived in Alagh, they would be ordered to rejoin the fleet and the governor’s flotilla would be reduced. [/FONT]
[FONT="]The day before he sailed for Alagh, Ike Mense informed Chun that his own junk, the largest and most powerful in the fleet, was required by the Khan to explore the northern coast and that Songghumal had ordered it back to the Bay. Mense would leave two lesser war junks for his protection. Many of the smaller armed ships were still in the anchorage, so there was a respectable force being left.
Inside, Chun was in a rage. His favorite wife and son were being taken and his ship was being requisitioned. He was lord of this great land and these uncountable people. This insult, though gently delivered, was intolerable.
Ike Mense and his fleet departed Chan Chan for Alagh that day, with the governor’s wife, his son and his ship, now serving as Mense’s flagship. A substantial number of the General’s men had been left behind; not as soldiers but as agents of the Khan. A fast junk was left behind to carry messages about the state of the province to Alagh. The captain and crew were Koreans with unquestioned loyalty to Songghumal. Along with the regular posts of production reports and crop yields would be intelligence provided by the Khan’s agents[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chun Bo Fen inspected the ships left by Ike Mense in return for his war junk and was dismayed. The ships were among the oldest in the fleet. Both had significant leaks that could only be combated by frequent pumping and one was badly hogged. Their armament was limited to old catapults, trebuchets which were in need of total refurbishment, and a few cannon each. They were, however, fully stocked with bombs, projectiles, arrows and bows. There was an ample supply of powder for the cannon as well. The problem was that he knew the Khan had newer, better and more powerful weaponry.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Governor called the captains and officers of these ships to the palace, along with the captains of his own remaining combatant ships. In front of these men he ceased to be the ruler of these lands, whether in the name of the Khan or not, and appeared in the garb of the Admiral of the Fleet. How had these two ships been allowed to deteriorate so much? What was the maintenance regimen? Why had the captains endangered their men and the troops of the Khan by sailing in derelicts?[/FONT]
[FONT="]The captains were without explanation. It was a situation where they knew that no explanation would be sufficient. One said he did not have the material to maintain his ship and the other simply said he didn’t know. Both knew that with Mense gone, they were truly at the mercy of the Admiral/Governor.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Chun turned to his own captains and asked what they would do in the same situation and there was a chorus of responses ranging from commandeering supplies to logging the forest for wood to melting down buckles to get the needed iron. The Governor was, naturally pleased, and stripped the two captains abandoned by Mense of their commands and reduced to officers on smaller vessels.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Governor needed to find out what his artisans and craftsmen could do with these two ships. After much inspection and discussion it was decided that the hogged ship would be scrapped and whatever was re-usable salvaged for repairs to the other ship and the rest of the flotilla. Lumber was one of the resources in very short supply in this country so there was no real option of building new ships. The wood saved from breaking up the old ship would be set out to dry and age and would be rationed for repairs to the other vessels.
[/FONT]
Admiral Matt
Gone Fishin'
Very interesting premise. Not sure about the currents/winds they'd be carried on.
They would have gotten caught up in the Equatorial counter current.
The premise relies on 1293 being an el-nino year and there is a reasonable probability of that being the case. I have not been able to find any records that go anywhere near the 13th century. The prevailing winds along the equator frequently shift toward the east in an el-nino. The second map is a NASA image that illustrates this situation from the 2002 / 2003 el-nino. Colors indicate water temp and the winds are shown by the arrows.
The Horse and The Jaguar...9 Expansion to the Other Sea
Around the time that Ike Mense was preparing for his voyage south, Songghumal Khan determined that it was time to send an expedition to the Other Sea with the objective of establishing a settlement there. His herds were growing, his flocks flourished and his people were productive and happy but the army needed a mission. He also needed a conquest of his own to counter that of Chun.
There had been other explorations of the other coast and villages had been located and traded with although they had little of value. He knew where these were located and determined to obtain their submission and bring them into the Khanate. Once that was accomplished he could begin looking for the people of the stone villages, assuming that they had not all been eaten by their gods.
Songghumal selected Orghui Biskigür, one of his trusted Mongol officers, to lead the expedition. Orghui was of similar age and a long time compatriot who had served the Khan well from his days on the steppes to his years as one of Kublai’s great generals. Orghui assembled a company of 1,500 soldiers to march across the isthmus and establish a base of operations on the coast. Once he had subdued the population, a second column would follow composed of farmers, craftsmen and their families. With this second column would also travel three carefully disassembled junks which were to be rebuilt on the other shore. The sailors of the three ships and a contingent of naval infantry would provide the guard for this train.
As Orghui progressed on his march he cut a road through the forests and built way stations where horsemen would be able to exchange mounts and rapidly deliver messages between Alagh and the new colony.
Both columns of the expedition numbered nearly 6,000 people. Orghui’s troops, the shipbuilders and crews of the ships, the men to build and maintain the stations, the soldiers to protect them, and all their wives and children. Additional craftsmen, herdsmen and animals would be sent once the settlement and the way were secure.
Orghui lead his troops west along the foothills and then north to avoid the highest of the mountains. As the way had been pioneered and partially cleared by previous scouting parties he was able to make good progress even while building the way stations. They were simple affairs, a hut, and corral and shed to shelter the horses. They would be improved and expanded in the future as need and use demanded. Within a month, Orghui was gazing at the Other Sea.
A few months prior to Orghui’s march across to the coast, a village near the future Mongol colony had been visited by one of the few great canoes seen that year from the people of the stone villages. Normally, these were trading missions, bartering for unique shells and crafts in exchange for special feathers and green jade. This canoe, however, carried no trade goods. It carried an official from Ahau Cuat Cocom, the King of the Stone Villages. The envoy’s name was Ah Kom Xiu.
When the Mayan canoe landed it was greeted by a party of young men. Xiu looked around and saw that all of the people on the beach watching their arrival were quite young. There were no old men or women. The party standing in front of him was the village headman and the village elders, such as they were, since all were in their twenties. They looked healthy and strong, but all bore the marks of the pox, as did he himself. Xiu, for his part, did not make the best appearance for a lord of the Mayans. His clothing was bedraggled, dirty and torn and his hair unkempt. His rank was only evidenced by the deference shown by the crew of the canoe, the gold ornaments in his ears, nose and around his neck, and the distinctive shape of his skull resulting from binding as an infant.
The King’s emissary and the village leaders walked to the headman’s hut and gathered in the cleared area in front. Stools were brought out for the headman and Xiu. Trying to be as dignified as possible considering his embarrassing appearance, Xiu asked the villagers if they had heard of the men from the west who sit on big animals and if they had seen any of them. He wanted to know everything the villagers knew of these strange men, for the King had only heard unbelievable rumors. Had they seen the winged temples that cross the waters, the walking tables that carry men and goods…Did they know of the shining cloth that these men wore or the rocks they throw that make hurricanes or the log that belches fire?
The headman told him that they had seen these strange men sitting on the animals who carried them wherever they wanted to go. They had seen the shining clothes and it was hard and cold as polished stone. These men had taken milk from their animals to drink and made food of it as well. They had heard of the thundering logs that throw fire and the stones that cause huts to fall, but they had not seen these things.
Ah Kom Xiu wanted to know how the villagers had come to know the men who sit on animals. The head man told him that the strangers had visited the area the year before. They had tried to trade lengths of finely woven cloth but were not pleased with the few things the village could offer. They were not impressed by the villager’s pottery although it was valued by many other villages. The only thing that interested them were pearls, gold and the Jade figures traded from the stone villages. They gave a few pieces of the wonderful cloth which they called silk, in exchange for ten times its weight of gold and jade.
They ate so much that the village suffered from food shortages for weeks after their visit and their animals ate an entire field to the soil. In order to get rid of them, the villagers made the strangers feel unwelcome by turning their backs, withholding supplies and finally tearing down the cloth huts that the strangers had made. They finally left, escorted by an armed party from the village, and traveled south west along the coast until they turned south, whence they had come and to their own land on the other side.
Ah Kom Xiu told them that his king, Ahau Cuat Cocom, was very interested in these strange men. He would be very generous to anyone who gave him information about them.
The headman told Xiu that the strangers had brought the pox with them and cursed his people with it. A few days after they left villagers began to fall ill and die. All the village elders along with the old women and many of the children were taken by this curse. The King would be wise to stay away from these men and their animals for they possessed great magic.
Xiu reminded the elders that his King was a great king and that the pox had already visited his people and the King and the gods had defeated it. They did not fear this curse because their gods had drank the blood of many who were sick and were even stronger for that. Many other cities had been struck by this curse as well but their kings and priest had not sacrificed the blood of the stricken and so had been greatly reduced. Mayapan had taken them into it’s arms and they now served Ahau Cuat Cocom.
A few days later, Ah Kom Xiu left the village and returned to his king. He told the headman and the shamans that if they learned anything, saw anything; they should send word to Ahau Cuat Cocom without delay. He gave them a standard to carry in their canoe which would guarantee safe passage to the harbors of the king, and then to Mayapan itself. There they would be able to give their knowledge to the king and return home.
The Headman knew, despite his few years, that this was not only a promise of generosity but also a threat should he withhold knowledge. Ahau Cuat Cocom was the leader of Mayapan, the greatest of the stone villages, and controlled vast territories and vast wealth. His people could not be counted. He was the most powerful man conceivable and his gods demanded the blood of humans; they even demanded the king’s own blood to protect and nurture his people.
Orghui traveled along the coast for several days and finally reached a fine bay where they had determined to settle the new colony. The land around the bay was fairly open and there was an easily defended headland that projected from the eastern shore.
There were a few native villages in the area that the Asians had made contact with in the past and there was reason to believe that they might not be welcomed with open arms. As they sought a ford across the river they were spotted by people from one of the villages who were tending their fields. These fled into the forest and made their way back to their village as fast as they could. Remembering the pox they wanted no contact with the strange men and their ravenous animals. They sounded the alarm in the village. The headman had everyone gather up what belongings they could, board the canoes and the villagers escaped down the river toward the sea.
When the Orghui’s outriders discovered the village, the signs of a hasty retreat were everywhere. Many pots lie broken where they were dropped, their contents scattered on the ground. Tools and some weapons for hunting and fishing had been left behind as well and there were ornaments and utensils and toys strewn about. Fresh footprints on the river bank and the drag marks from canoes told the Mongols that they had fled by water and since the company had approached the village from upstream he knew they had to have gone down.
As they took stock of the village they realized that the population had fallen steeply in the recent past. This was born out by the discovery of many graves where the earth had not recovered from being disturbed and numerous abandoned huts. Several of the fields surrounding the village were lying fallow and had not been recently worked. Orghui estimated that there had once been as many as 3,000 persons in this village, but knew that there were far fewer now.
The Mongol column camped near the village for the night and forded the river first thing in the morning. By mid afternoon they had arrived at the headland and began to prepare a strong encampment. Messengers were sent to advise the Khan of their arrival and Orghui began organizing his defenses.
The villagers reached the mouth of the river where another village of their people stood. This village was, in fact, the center of trade in the region and was frequently visited by peoples from the entire region, even traders from the great stone villages. This was, in fact, the same village that Ah Kom Xiu had visited a few months before. The two Headmen and the elders spoke and those who were in the fields were closely questioned about what they had seen. The young man who had been visited by Xiu asked his people to offer what comfort they could to the refugees and instructed them to be prepared in case they also needed to flee.
As he had been instructed by Ah Kom Xiu the headman ordered canoes prepared for a long journey and sent them off with the Mayan standard to tell the great King Ahau Cuat Cocom of the arrival of the men who sit on animals.
Orghui Biskigür set about the task of building a defensible settlement. He named the point where he was encamped Asi ügei, meaning Better than Expected, and the bay Umardu, meaning Northern. Pastures for the cattle were laid out and ground cleared and prepared for rebuilding the dismantled ships.
In the hills above the bay he found suitable timber for new ships and in the waters, plentiful fish and shellfish. In the forested hills were abundant deer, Turkey (which they had come to appreciate) and other game, so the Khan’s men ate well.
Scouting patrols surprised the village at the mouth of the river and were able to block their escape. The villagers quickly submitted to the Mongol patrol. Fifteen men had subdued nearly 1,200 inhabitants. The river mouth village continued as it had before and the upstream village was re-occupied and it’s people returned to their fields. Orghui ordered that the talismans of rank and power for each village were to be surrendered to his keeping, which was reluctantly done. Ngöbe guides had come with Orghui and were instrumental in convincing the head men to relinquish the objects. This would be his approach instead of sending a representative who would hold these talismans in the villages; he would assume these tokens of authority himself, on behalf of the Khan. His men in the villages would be his agents and enforcers.
Orghui now sent word back to Alagh that the way was clear for the second train to join them and it at Asi Ügei in late December. Cattle and horses were pastured in the newly cleared fields, plots of land were prepared for planting, Trees were felled and set to season for ship building and the reassembly of the junk brought overland commenced.
In short order, the Songghumal’s forces had subdued all the lands along the coast for a distance of more than 100 li. Control of villages near the road Orghui had hastily cut through the countryside was consolidated. A steady traffic of couriers between Alagh and Asi Ügei was in place and the first evidence of regular commerce had appeared. The territory of Songghumal Khan now stretched from the Bay of Alagh to the Olturigh Subud (Pearl Islands) and from Alagh to Umardu, from one sea to the other.
Chapter 9
Expansion to the Other Sea
Expansion to the Other Sea
There had been other explorations of the other coast and villages had been located and traded with although they had little of value. He knew where these were located and determined to obtain their submission and bring them into the Khanate. Once that was accomplished he could begin looking for the people of the stone villages, assuming that they had not all been eaten by their gods.
Songghumal selected Orghui Biskigür, one of his trusted Mongol officers, to lead the expedition. Orghui was of similar age and a long time compatriot who had served the Khan well from his days on the steppes to his years as one of Kublai’s great generals. Orghui assembled a company of 1,500 soldiers to march across the isthmus and establish a base of operations on the coast. Once he had subdued the population, a second column would follow composed of farmers, craftsmen and their families. With this second column would also travel three carefully disassembled junks which were to be rebuilt on the other shore. The sailors of the three ships and a contingent of naval infantry would provide the guard for this train.
As Orghui progressed on his march he cut a road through the forests and built way stations where horsemen would be able to exchange mounts and rapidly deliver messages between Alagh and the new colony.
Both columns of the expedition numbered nearly 6,000 people. Orghui’s troops, the shipbuilders and crews of the ships, the men to build and maintain the stations, the soldiers to protect them, and all their wives and children. Additional craftsmen, herdsmen and animals would be sent once the settlement and the way were secure.
Orghui lead his troops west along the foothills and then north to avoid the highest of the mountains. As the way had been pioneered and partially cleared by previous scouting parties he was able to make good progress even while building the way stations. They were simple affairs, a hut, and corral and shed to shelter the horses. They would be improved and expanded in the future as need and use demanded. Within a month, Orghui was gazing at the Other Sea.
-----
A few months prior to Orghui’s march across to the coast, a village near the future Mongol colony had been visited by one of the few great canoes seen that year from the people of the stone villages. Normally, these were trading missions, bartering for unique shells and crafts in exchange for special feathers and green jade. This canoe, however, carried no trade goods. It carried an official from Ahau Cuat Cocom, the King of the Stone Villages. The envoy’s name was Ah Kom Xiu.
When the Mayan canoe landed it was greeted by a party of young men. Xiu looked around and saw that all of the people on the beach watching their arrival were quite young. There were no old men or women. The party standing in front of him was the village headman and the village elders, such as they were, since all were in their twenties. They looked healthy and strong, but all bore the marks of the pox, as did he himself. Xiu, for his part, did not make the best appearance for a lord of the Mayans. His clothing was bedraggled, dirty and torn and his hair unkempt. His rank was only evidenced by the deference shown by the crew of the canoe, the gold ornaments in his ears, nose and around his neck, and the distinctive shape of his skull resulting from binding as an infant.
The King’s emissary and the village leaders walked to the headman’s hut and gathered in the cleared area in front. Stools were brought out for the headman and Xiu. Trying to be as dignified as possible considering his embarrassing appearance, Xiu asked the villagers if they had heard of the men from the west who sit on big animals and if they had seen any of them. He wanted to know everything the villagers knew of these strange men, for the King had only heard unbelievable rumors. Had they seen the winged temples that cross the waters, the walking tables that carry men and goods…Did they know of the shining cloth that these men wore or the rocks they throw that make hurricanes or the log that belches fire?
The headman told him that they had seen these strange men sitting on the animals who carried them wherever they wanted to go. They had seen the shining clothes and it was hard and cold as polished stone. These men had taken milk from their animals to drink and made food of it as well. They had heard of the thundering logs that throw fire and the stones that cause huts to fall, but they had not seen these things.
Ah Kom Xiu wanted to know how the villagers had come to know the men who sit on animals. The head man told him that the strangers had visited the area the year before. They had tried to trade lengths of finely woven cloth but were not pleased with the few things the village could offer. They were not impressed by the villager’s pottery although it was valued by many other villages. The only thing that interested them were pearls, gold and the Jade figures traded from the stone villages. They gave a few pieces of the wonderful cloth which they called silk, in exchange for ten times its weight of gold and jade.
They ate so much that the village suffered from food shortages for weeks after their visit and their animals ate an entire field to the soil. In order to get rid of them, the villagers made the strangers feel unwelcome by turning their backs, withholding supplies and finally tearing down the cloth huts that the strangers had made. They finally left, escorted by an armed party from the village, and traveled south west along the coast until they turned south, whence they had come and to their own land on the other side.
Ah Kom Xiu told them that his king, Ahau Cuat Cocom, was very interested in these strange men. He would be very generous to anyone who gave him information about them.
The headman told Xiu that the strangers had brought the pox with them and cursed his people with it. A few days after they left villagers began to fall ill and die. All the village elders along with the old women and many of the children were taken by this curse. The King would be wise to stay away from these men and their animals for they possessed great magic.
Xiu reminded the elders that his King was a great king and that the pox had already visited his people and the King and the gods had defeated it. They did not fear this curse because their gods had drank the blood of many who were sick and were even stronger for that. Many other cities had been struck by this curse as well but their kings and priest had not sacrificed the blood of the stricken and so had been greatly reduced. Mayapan had taken them into it’s arms and they now served Ahau Cuat Cocom.
A few days later, Ah Kom Xiu left the village and returned to his king. He told the headman and the shamans that if they learned anything, saw anything; they should send word to Ahau Cuat Cocom without delay. He gave them a standard to carry in their canoe which would guarantee safe passage to the harbors of the king, and then to Mayapan itself. There they would be able to give their knowledge to the king and return home.
The Headman knew, despite his few years, that this was not only a promise of generosity but also a threat should he withhold knowledge. Ahau Cuat Cocom was the leader of Mayapan, the greatest of the stone villages, and controlled vast territories and vast wealth. His people could not be counted. He was the most powerful man conceivable and his gods demanded the blood of humans; they even demanded the king’s own blood to protect and nurture his people.
-----
There were a few native villages in the area that the Asians had made contact with in the past and there was reason to believe that they might not be welcomed with open arms. As they sought a ford across the river they were spotted by people from one of the villages who were tending their fields. These fled into the forest and made their way back to their village as fast as they could. Remembering the pox they wanted no contact with the strange men and their ravenous animals. They sounded the alarm in the village. The headman had everyone gather up what belongings they could, board the canoes and the villagers escaped down the river toward the sea.
When the Orghui’s outriders discovered the village, the signs of a hasty retreat were everywhere. Many pots lie broken where they were dropped, their contents scattered on the ground. Tools and some weapons for hunting and fishing had been left behind as well and there were ornaments and utensils and toys strewn about. Fresh footprints on the river bank and the drag marks from canoes told the Mongols that they had fled by water and since the company had approached the village from upstream he knew they had to have gone down.
As they took stock of the village they realized that the population had fallen steeply in the recent past. This was born out by the discovery of many graves where the earth had not recovered from being disturbed and numerous abandoned huts. Several of the fields surrounding the village were lying fallow and had not been recently worked. Orghui estimated that there had once been as many as 3,000 persons in this village, but knew that there were far fewer now.
The Mongol column camped near the village for the night and forded the river first thing in the morning. By mid afternoon they had arrived at the headland and began to prepare a strong encampment. Messengers were sent to advise the Khan of their arrival and Orghui began organizing his defenses.
-----
The villagers reached the mouth of the river where another village of their people stood. This village was, in fact, the center of trade in the region and was frequently visited by peoples from the entire region, even traders from the great stone villages. This was, in fact, the same village that Ah Kom Xiu had visited a few months before. The two Headmen and the elders spoke and those who were in the fields were closely questioned about what they had seen. The young man who had been visited by Xiu asked his people to offer what comfort they could to the refugees and instructed them to be prepared in case they also needed to flee.
As he had been instructed by Ah Kom Xiu the headman ordered canoes prepared for a long journey and sent them off with the Mayan standard to tell the great King Ahau Cuat Cocom of the arrival of the men who sit on animals.
-----
Orghui Biskigür set about the task of building a defensible settlement. He named the point where he was encamped Asi ügei, meaning Better than Expected, and the bay Umardu, meaning Northern. Pastures for the cattle were laid out and ground cleared and prepared for rebuilding the dismantled ships.
In the hills above the bay he found suitable timber for new ships and in the waters, plentiful fish and shellfish. In the forested hills were abundant deer, Turkey (which they had come to appreciate) and other game, so the Khan’s men ate well.
Scouting patrols surprised the village at the mouth of the river and were able to block their escape. The villagers quickly submitted to the Mongol patrol. Fifteen men had subdued nearly 1,200 inhabitants. The river mouth village continued as it had before and the upstream village was re-occupied and it’s people returned to their fields. Orghui ordered that the talismans of rank and power for each village were to be surrendered to his keeping, which was reluctantly done. Ngöbe guides had come with Orghui and were instrumental in convincing the head men to relinquish the objects. This would be his approach instead of sending a representative who would hold these talismans in the villages; he would assume these tokens of authority himself, on behalf of the Khan. His men in the villages would be his agents and enforcers.
Orghui now sent word back to Alagh that the way was clear for the second train to join them and it at Asi Ügei in late December. Cattle and horses were pastured in the newly cleared fields, plots of land were prepared for planting, Trees were felled and set to season for ship building and the reassembly of the junk brought overland commenced.
In short order, the Songghumal’s forces had subdued all the lands along the coast for a distance of more than 100 li. Control of villages near the road Orghui had hastily cut through the countryside was consolidated. A steady traffic of couriers between Alagh and Asi Ügei was in place and the first evidence of regular commerce had appeared. The territory of Songghumal Khan now stretched from the Bay of Alagh to the Olturigh Subud (Pearl Islands) and from Alagh to Umardu, from one sea to the other.
The Horse and The Jaguar...10 Inca
In early 1297 Chun Bo Fen, Governor of Chimu, sent men out to explore the province he ruled. Their purpose was to report on the resources available to Chan Chan, both known by the Chimor people and familiar to the Chinese.
These expeditions traveled on foot for the most part, horses being too dear to send out on such a mission, but they used the small camel like animals to carry most of their kit for them. One group went north to the great valleys, another headed east into the forbiddingly huge mountains and the third followed the coast south in a small flotilla.
He continued to rebuild and strengthen Chan Chan while the market place grew and prospered. Goods flowed in from all parts of the province and were either traded outright or stored in warehouses for shipment back to Alagh. The Governor was busy in all parts of the city, making sure that the anchorage was in good condition, reviewing the progress on the new city walls, securing the water supply, for there was little rain in this place and the city relied on water brought down from the mountains by the canals. There were already great pools scattered in the various compounds that formed the core of Chan Chan and Chun was building new ones. These would be roofed over to reduce the loss of water to the winds.
Word had also reached the city of Songghumal’s expansion to Asi Ügei so the Governor was aware of additional lands and potential new resources. With every ship that sailed from Alagh, messages were sent to him by a Chinese monk who was highly placed in the Khan’s government, so that in distant Chan Chan he would remain well informed.
On an afternoon in mid April of that year, Chun was seated on the roof terrace of the palace receiving the report from the mission he had sent to the northern valleys. The news was good, plentiful fruit and vegetables growing in the terraces, commerce flowing through the cities and overall increasing prosperity. There was no Iron however and the lumber in the upper reaches of the forests was not the best for ship building, although it was useful for construction crafting and would make good charcoal. He was seated facing east in order to keep the sun from his eyes and was distracted by a cloud of dust rising from the Southeast road, in the direction of the mountains. As he listened to the report his attention was repeatedly drawn back to this cloud, which did not appear to be one of the dust storms that could plague the dry regions around the city, nor was he expecting the return of either of the other expeditions. The cloud indicated a very large number of men and animals descending into the coastal plain. Shortly, a runner arrived with a message that a large caravan was approaching the city.
Chun had had no evidence of large caravans in this land to date, so the fact that one was approaching Chan Chan was important news indeed. He dismissed the explorer and ordered a scouting patrol to ride out and confirm the messengers report. He remained on the terrace watching the cloud as it moved slowly toward the city and the scouts rode out to meet it. Eventually he saw one of the scouts returning at full gallop and descended to the reception hall to receive his report
It was indeed a caravan! And a very large one! They had many of the camels without humps loaded with goods, but theirs were larger than the animals in Chimor and their coats seemed to be rougher. There were men clothed in intricately woven fabric of many colors and others wearing only short tunics and still others that seemed to be soldiers. The finely dressed also wore much gold jewelry. The caravan was moving at a stately pace and would not reach the city before nightfall. The scout was sent back with a larger contingent of cavalry with orders that the caravan should camp for the night so their way into the city would be well lit by the morning sun.
The caravan arrived mid morning of the next day. Chun had it escorted to the great plaza before the palace where he and his officials, with a large “Honor Guard” waited. It was a glorious procession that arrived in the square. At the head was a company of his cavalry followed by nearly five hundred soldiers carrying clubs, wooden swords lined with shards of obsidian, axes of stone and bronze. They wore no armor but their colorful garments seemed to be heavily padded. After these came at lease a hundred of the camels carrying goods in bundles on each side, walking in line behind their keepers. And just in front of the remainder of Chun’s cavalry came another company of soldiers bearing a great palanquin in their midst. On the palanquin sat a magnificently dressed man, adorned with much gold, wonderful cloth, feathers and dressed in fine linen.
The palanquin was brought before Chun and the lord, for he must have been, rose and bowed to the Governor. The nod was delivered respectfully, but not submissively. The emissary had a translator for the Chimu language and Chun, who had learned much of the local language, was still more comfortable with a translation into Chinese.
The ambassador addressed the Governor in the following manner:
“Great lord of the Chimu, He who comes from the sea with the power and the strength of Imahmana Viracocha, He who makes thunder on the cloudless day, The great Lord of Cuzco, grandson of Inti, Son of Manco Capac, Inca of the world, Mayta Cápac sends his meaningless servant to convey his greetings as brother to brother.
He instructs me to offer to you these few tokens of his great and eternal brotherhood with the Lord of Chimu. Accept them as a symbol of his desire that you brother kings live in filial peace and mutual prosperity.”
With that, quantities of cloth, gold, silver, copper, gems, wool and other goods were delivered with great ceremony to the steps of the porch on which the Governor stood. Of all the goods, the fabrics again were the most extraordinary; Wool of quality that rivaled silk.
The Governor replied;
“Tell your lord that Chun Bo Fen, master Of Chimu and Admiral of the wide oceans shares his desire that our peoples shall have prosperity and peace. Be certain that We will consider the Son of Manco Cápac to be our closest and most beloved brother. Our Lord, the Great Khan in the land between the seas shares our desire to live in amity with all who rule around us.
Mayta Cápac’s emissary made note of the reference to the Governor having an overlord and asked his translator to verify what he had heard. A brief exchange between the two interpreters followed and the Incan was assured that he had received the correct translation. Chun asked his man what the exchange was about, because it was unseemly in such a formal moment and was told that he was merely asked to repeat something to be certain the translation was correct. Chun thought nothing more of the incident.
There followed several days in which the two men discussed many thins and asked many questions. Both of them tried to be circumspect in their answers but much was still learned. Chun asked about the Inca camels, which were larger and stronger than the camels of Chimu and was told that they were the gift of Inti to the Inca people. They give cloth, carry goods and are sacred to Mayta Cápac. Chun, feeling that these animals would be greatly appreciated by Songghumal, prevailed upon the ambassador to make a gift, on behalf of the Inca, of 20 of these creatures. This engendered a few additional questions from the Incan regarding his relationship with the Khan.
Chun, realizing Manco Cápac had perceived him as a king, and not a governor, sought to minimize the power of Songghumal over Chimor. He explained, not entirely correctly, that while the Khan was indeed higher than he in rank, they were equal in status. The Khan was far away and his power there, great as it was, was weak here and that Chun’s power in Chan Chan was as great as any king. The Ambassador mentally added ‘except Lord Manco Cápac,’ and accepted the explanation.
While the embassy was in Chan Chan, gifts had been prepared for them to take back to The Inca. The Ambassador was sent back with pearls, dried fish, lamb’s wool, leather, jade and some small iron trinkets. Chun asked the Ambassador to tell the Inca this
“The Great Inca has shown his generosity to be boundless and it has been greatly appreciated. The wealth of the Inca people has amazed our people. We are still new to this land of Chimor and are still bringing it back to the glory, wealth and power it once possessed. We cannot hope to return the generosity of Manco Cápac in like kind. As one brother to another, for so has Manco Cápac called us, we wish him to accept these few items as token of our brotherly love and hope for future mutual prosperity.”
There was no mention of the Khan in Alagh.
And so, China came into contact with the Inca.
When the Emissary returned to Cuzco the Inca was surprised that the gifts sent in return were so paltry. He did, rightly, interpret this to mean that the resources of Chimu were limited, and took some joy from that. The news that Chun had an overlord was interesting, but the explanation that he was very far away and that his power was very weak here made sense to him. An ambitious vassal can be as powerful as a distant emperor. Manco Cápac determined that he would continue to treat this Chun Bo Fen as nearly his equal. He ordered that regular caravans of normal size be sent to Chan Chan and the other Chimu cities. There would be agents of his in every entourage and they would bring him information about these men who conquered Chimor. He particularly wanted to know of their bows, which were so powerful, the thunder maker that belches fire and make the sea erupt and the animals that carry these men on their backs.
The Governor was operating on the concept of “what the Khan doesn’t know won’t hurt me”. He had gone to great lengths to isolate the Khan’s agents from much valuable information. He had created diversions, provided misinformation and was paying those who had become the Khan’s informants more than the Khan. Messages that had been sent back to Alagh regarding the visit of the Incas accurately described the event, but the nature of the exchange of gifts was somewhat different, as the finest of the gold, silver and wool remained behind although all the Camels, which the Inca called Llama were sent to Songghumal.
Chun desperately wanted to have his wife and son returned to Chan Chan but understood their purpose in Alagh. As long as the Khan saw him as a loyal servant they were safe, as long as he controlled Chan Chan, they were safe. Every ship that sailed north carried a request from the Chun Bo Fen to Songghumal to return his family.
In May, the expedition to the south sailed back into Chan Chan. They had sailed a great distance, thousands of li. The cities to the south, beyond the territory of Chimor, became widely separated as the land became more and more barren. There were many abandoned canals but there was no water for them to carry and lifeless terrace gardens where the soil blew away with the winds. Without the gift of water, cities that had once thrived had fallen into ruin.
It was here in this sparsely populated land of wide deserts separated by narrow fertile river valleys that they had discovered the greatest treasure imaginable.
Near the coast, 2,000 li to the south, there was iron!
To a man like Chun Bo Fen there was nothing in this world more important than controlling a source of iron. Without iron, they would eventually be reduced to copper arrowheads, would not have cannon, and could build no ships. With iron, this world would be theirs. The great nations that existed here now and those that had gone before them did not have, know or understand iron. For whatever reasons the gods had seen fit to keep the knowledge of ironworking from them.
Chun, holding a lump of ore that was brought as proof knew that as a servant of Songghumal Khan he was obligated to advise him of this discovery. But he also realized that the Khan had insulted him by taking his wife and son as hostages. When he sent a report to the khan about the mission he noted that the coast to the south was mostly barren desert, the few cities were poor and there was little to recommend the place other than fish. All of this was true, as long as iron was not mentioned. The Khan’s agents were fed a similar line of disinformation by èr nǎi or “Second Wives”. This was the information that reached Songghumal, along with the Llamas and a few poor gifts from Manco Cápac, Inca.
A small mission was dispatched by Chun to determine what was needed to take advantage of this great find. Chun was certain that he lacked much of what would be required. He would need to build harbors to ship and receive the metal and he would need to find suitable wood for ship to move the ore. Coal would be needed for smelting as well. This would be no small task. More men were sent to look for the needed resources.
[FONT="]Chapter 10[/FONT]
[FONT="]Inca[/FONT][FONT="]
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These expeditions traveled on foot for the most part, horses being too dear to send out on such a mission, but they used the small camel like animals to carry most of their kit for them. One group went north to the great valleys, another headed east into the forbiddingly huge mountains and the third followed the coast south in a small flotilla.
He continued to rebuild and strengthen Chan Chan while the market place grew and prospered. Goods flowed in from all parts of the province and were either traded outright or stored in warehouses for shipment back to Alagh. The Governor was busy in all parts of the city, making sure that the anchorage was in good condition, reviewing the progress on the new city walls, securing the water supply, for there was little rain in this place and the city relied on water brought down from the mountains by the canals. There were already great pools scattered in the various compounds that formed the core of Chan Chan and Chun was building new ones. These would be roofed over to reduce the loss of water to the winds.
Word had also reached the city of Songghumal’s expansion to Asi Ügei so the Governor was aware of additional lands and potential new resources. With every ship that sailed from Alagh, messages were sent to him by a Chinese monk who was highly placed in the Khan’s government, so that in distant Chan Chan he would remain well informed.
On an afternoon in mid April of that year, Chun was seated on the roof terrace of the palace receiving the report from the mission he had sent to the northern valleys. The news was good, plentiful fruit and vegetables growing in the terraces, commerce flowing through the cities and overall increasing prosperity. There was no Iron however and the lumber in the upper reaches of the forests was not the best for ship building, although it was useful for construction crafting and would make good charcoal. He was seated facing east in order to keep the sun from his eyes and was distracted by a cloud of dust rising from the Southeast road, in the direction of the mountains. As he listened to the report his attention was repeatedly drawn back to this cloud, which did not appear to be one of the dust storms that could plague the dry regions around the city, nor was he expecting the return of either of the other expeditions. The cloud indicated a very large number of men and animals descending into the coastal plain. Shortly, a runner arrived with a message that a large caravan was approaching the city.
Chun had had no evidence of large caravans in this land to date, so the fact that one was approaching Chan Chan was important news indeed. He dismissed the explorer and ordered a scouting patrol to ride out and confirm the messengers report. He remained on the terrace watching the cloud as it moved slowly toward the city and the scouts rode out to meet it. Eventually he saw one of the scouts returning at full gallop and descended to the reception hall to receive his report
It was indeed a caravan! And a very large one! They had many of the camels without humps loaded with goods, but theirs were larger than the animals in Chimor and their coats seemed to be rougher. There were men clothed in intricately woven fabric of many colors and others wearing only short tunics and still others that seemed to be soldiers. The finely dressed also wore much gold jewelry. The caravan was moving at a stately pace and would not reach the city before nightfall. The scout was sent back with a larger contingent of cavalry with orders that the caravan should camp for the night so their way into the city would be well lit by the morning sun.
The caravan arrived mid morning of the next day. Chun had it escorted to the great plaza before the palace where he and his officials, with a large “Honor Guard” waited. It was a glorious procession that arrived in the square. At the head was a company of his cavalry followed by nearly five hundred soldiers carrying clubs, wooden swords lined with shards of obsidian, axes of stone and bronze. They wore no armor but their colorful garments seemed to be heavily padded. After these came at lease a hundred of the camels carrying goods in bundles on each side, walking in line behind their keepers. And just in front of the remainder of Chun’s cavalry came another company of soldiers bearing a great palanquin in their midst. On the palanquin sat a magnificently dressed man, adorned with much gold, wonderful cloth, feathers and dressed in fine linen.
The palanquin was brought before Chun and the lord, for he must have been, rose and bowed to the Governor. The nod was delivered respectfully, but not submissively. The emissary had a translator for the Chimu language and Chun, who had learned much of the local language, was still more comfortable with a translation into Chinese.
The ambassador addressed the Governor in the following manner:
“Great lord of the Chimu, He who comes from the sea with the power and the strength of Imahmana Viracocha, He who makes thunder on the cloudless day, The great Lord of Cuzco, grandson of Inti, Son of Manco Capac, Inca of the world, Mayta Cápac sends his meaningless servant to convey his greetings as brother to brother.
He instructs me to offer to you these few tokens of his great and eternal brotherhood with the Lord of Chimu. Accept them as a symbol of his desire that you brother kings live in filial peace and mutual prosperity.”
With that, quantities of cloth, gold, silver, copper, gems, wool and other goods were delivered with great ceremony to the steps of the porch on which the Governor stood. Of all the goods, the fabrics again were the most extraordinary; Wool of quality that rivaled silk.
The Governor replied;
“Tell your lord that Chun Bo Fen, master Of Chimu and Admiral of the wide oceans shares his desire that our peoples shall have prosperity and peace. Be certain that We will consider the Son of Manco Cápac to be our closest and most beloved brother. Our Lord, the Great Khan in the land between the seas shares our desire to live in amity with all who rule around us.
Mayta Cápac’s emissary made note of the reference to the Governor having an overlord and asked his translator to verify what he had heard. A brief exchange between the two interpreters followed and the Incan was assured that he had received the correct translation. Chun asked his man what the exchange was about, because it was unseemly in such a formal moment and was told that he was merely asked to repeat something to be certain the translation was correct. Chun thought nothing more of the incident.
There followed several days in which the two men discussed many thins and asked many questions. Both of them tried to be circumspect in their answers but much was still learned. Chun asked about the Inca camels, which were larger and stronger than the camels of Chimu and was told that they were the gift of Inti to the Inca people. They give cloth, carry goods and are sacred to Mayta Cápac. Chun, feeling that these animals would be greatly appreciated by Songghumal, prevailed upon the ambassador to make a gift, on behalf of the Inca, of 20 of these creatures. This engendered a few additional questions from the Incan regarding his relationship with the Khan.
Chun, realizing Manco Cápac had perceived him as a king, and not a governor, sought to minimize the power of Songghumal over Chimor. He explained, not entirely correctly, that while the Khan was indeed higher than he in rank, they were equal in status. The Khan was far away and his power there, great as it was, was weak here and that Chun’s power in Chan Chan was as great as any king. The Ambassador mentally added ‘except Lord Manco Cápac,’ and accepted the explanation.
While the embassy was in Chan Chan, gifts had been prepared for them to take back to The Inca. The Ambassador was sent back with pearls, dried fish, lamb’s wool, leather, jade and some small iron trinkets. Chun asked the Ambassador to tell the Inca this
“The Great Inca has shown his generosity to be boundless and it has been greatly appreciated. The wealth of the Inca people has amazed our people. We are still new to this land of Chimor and are still bringing it back to the glory, wealth and power it once possessed. We cannot hope to return the generosity of Manco Cápac in like kind. As one brother to another, for so has Manco Cápac called us, we wish him to accept these few items as token of our brotherly love and hope for future mutual prosperity.”
There was no mention of the Khan in Alagh.
And so, China came into contact with the Inca.
When the Emissary returned to Cuzco the Inca was surprised that the gifts sent in return were so paltry. He did, rightly, interpret this to mean that the resources of Chimu were limited, and took some joy from that. The news that Chun had an overlord was interesting, but the explanation that he was very far away and that his power was very weak here made sense to him. An ambitious vassal can be as powerful as a distant emperor. Manco Cápac determined that he would continue to treat this Chun Bo Fen as nearly his equal. He ordered that regular caravans of normal size be sent to Chan Chan and the other Chimu cities. There would be agents of his in every entourage and they would bring him information about these men who conquered Chimor. He particularly wanted to know of their bows, which were so powerful, the thunder maker that belches fire and make the sea erupt and the animals that carry these men on their backs.
The Governor was operating on the concept of “what the Khan doesn’t know won’t hurt me”. He had gone to great lengths to isolate the Khan’s agents from much valuable information. He had created diversions, provided misinformation and was paying those who had become the Khan’s informants more than the Khan. Messages that had been sent back to Alagh regarding the visit of the Incas accurately described the event, but the nature of the exchange of gifts was somewhat different, as the finest of the gold, silver and wool remained behind although all the Camels, which the Inca called Llama were sent to Songghumal.
Chun desperately wanted to have his wife and son returned to Chan Chan but understood their purpose in Alagh. As long as the Khan saw him as a loyal servant they were safe, as long as he controlled Chan Chan, they were safe. Every ship that sailed north carried a request from the Chun Bo Fen to Songghumal to return his family.
In May, the expedition to the south sailed back into Chan Chan. They had sailed a great distance, thousands of li. The cities to the south, beyond the territory of Chimor, became widely separated as the land became more and more barren. There were many abandoned canals but there was no water for them to carry and lifeless terrace gardens where the soil blew away with the winds. Without the gift of water, cities that had once thrived had fallen into ruin.
It was here in this sparsely populated land of wide deserts separated by narrow fertile river valleys that they had discovered the greatest treasure imaginable.
Near the coast, 2,000 li to the south, there was iron!
To a man like Chun Bo Fen there was nothing in this world more important than controlling a source of iron. Without iron, they would eventually be reduced to copper arrowheads, would not have cannon, and could build no ships. With iron, this world would be theirs. The great nations that existed here now and those that had gone before them did not have, know or understand iron. For whatever reasons the gods had seen fit to keep the knowledge of ironworking from them.
Chun, holding a lump of ore that was brought as proof knew that as a servant of Songghumal Khan he was obligated to advise him of this discovery. But he also realized that the Khan had insulted him by taking his wife and son as hostages. When he sent a report to the khan about the mission he noted that the coast to the south was mostly barren desert, the few cities were poor and there was little to recommend the place other than fish. All of this was true, as long as iron was not mentioned. The Khan’s agents were fed a similar line of disinformation by èr nǎi or “Second Wives”. This was the information that reached Songghumal, along with the Llamas and a few poor gifts from Manco Cápac, Inca.
A small mission was dispatched by Chun to determine what was needed to take advantage of this great find. Chun was certain that he lacked much of what would be required. He would need to build harbors to ship and receive the metal and he would need to find suitable wood for ship to move the ore. Coal would be needed for smelting as well. This would be no small task. More men were sent to look for the needed resources.
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