T H E M O N G O L S

A HISTORY

BY

JEREMIAH CURTIN

AUTHOR or“ MYTHS AND FOLK - LOBE or IRELAND,” “

HERO - TALES

or IRELAND,

”MYTH AND FOLK - TALES or THE nussxms,

WESTERN smvs, AND MAGYARS ,”

cmun ox au rasoraxn vn AMER ICA,” me.

WithaForeword byTHEODORE R OOSEVELT

BOSTON

LITTLE,BROWN,

AND COMPANY

1908

ROOSEVELT, President of the United StatesI dedicate to you the present volume entitled

The Mongols , aH istory .

”I do this because on September

5th , 190 1 , in the city of Burlington where you addressed Vermont

veterans , Iasked permission to make the dedicationand you gaveit. You were Vice-Presidentat that time .

I made this request because I have great respectandadmirationfor youasaman ,asaleader of men ,andascholar ; and becauseof the way in which I came first to know you .

In 189 1 you , as Chairman of the CivilService Commission ,

were in Washington . I had just returned to that city fromaworkof two yearsamong Pacific Coast Indians . Of these, two tribes

in Californiahadaskedme to intercede for themwith the President ,who in those days was Benjamin Harrison . These Indians wereamong the truly wretchedand sufiering . One tribe of them hadbeen almost ex terminated through amassacre inflicted by white

men . The other reduced toafeeble remnant through various mankilling processes . Still they were worthy of earnest attention .

Their myths haveabeautyandavalue which should preserve

them tillliterature perishes . These two tribes were the Wintuand the Yanawho seaccount of the worldand its origin I pub

lished later on in Creation Myths of Primitive America.”On reaching Washington I went to Frederick T . Greenhalge,

my classmate, who then representedapart of Massachusetts inCongress , butafterwardwas one of that Commonwealth ’s renownedgovernors . Greenhalge tried to induceastrong man or two fromthe Senate or H ouse toassist us toact on the President, but, though

no man came with support,and we wentaloneto the White H ouse. The case had been stated clearly on two pageswhich I held ready for delivery . When I had given the reason

V

vi Dedicat ionof my coming the Presidentanswered I see no way to help

you . What can I do in this matter ? You can give, ” repliedI ,“the ex ecutive impulse. S end this statement to the Secretary of

the Interior , and direct him toact on it. ” That willsuffice, ”addedGreenhalge . I willdo it,”

said the President,after thinkingamoment . H e took my paper, jotted down the directions I hadsuggested,and sent them to the Secretary .

We came away greatly satisfied, and halted some moments atthe head of the staircase. The President

’

s chamber was on the

second story . Allat once in the large room below us I sawayoung man , alert in his bearingand perfectly confident . H e

gazedat the ceilingand walls of the room, and was thoroughlyoccupied. There was no one else in theapartment. I askedGreenhalge to look at him. That man ,

”

said I , looks

preciselyas if he had examined this building,and finding it suitable has made up his mind to inhabit it .

”

H e isaliving pictureof that purpose, ” replied Greenhalge. But do you not know him .

9

That is Theodore Roosevelt, Chairman of the CivilService Commis sion ,

Imustmake youacquainted. Bu t firstlisten toaprophecyThat man down there who wants this house willget it . H e will

live hereas President. ”On reaching the foot of the staircase Greenhalgemet youandmade

usacquainted. We conversed for somemoments ,and then you werecalled to the President . You and I did not meet for some yearsafter that dayat the White H ouse. You were toilingat problemsof governmentand service, lookingaheadalways , looking to thingsover which youare broodingand toiling this moment . Some ofthe problems have been solved, others stilldemand solu tion .

My work led me to various parts of the earth , andaround it .Bu tat home orabroad I watched youractivity with careand deepinterest . N ot very longafter that prophecy I read for the first timethis statement concerning you We need jus t suchaman to be

President.”

These words , u ttered casuallyat that juncture, werelike the stillsmallvoice, their might was in their quality .

Whenafew years of service, unique in many ways , had broughtyou to the Navy youaccomplished your task in that placeandwentfarther immediately . By this time your name and the office ofPresident were as sociated in the minds of many people . N ext

came the Cuban war with ex perienceand triumph . And then you

Dedicationwere governorat Albany. While stillin that Office you were named

elected. Later you were President . But

only when elected by the people could youactas seemed best to youand notasantecedents commanded.

I have watchedand studied your career with deeper interest thanthat ofany man who has ever been President of the United States .

There is no case in our history of such concordance between the

judgment ofapeopleand theacts ofaman . Thou hast beenfaithfuloverafew things, I willmake thee ruler overmany .

”

ST . HYACINTHE, P. Q., S eptember 6, 1 906.

FOREWORD

T HE death of Jeremiah Curtin robbed Americaofone of her two or three foremost scholars . M r. Curtin ,

who was by birthanative of Wisconsin ,at one timewas in the diplomatic service of the Government ;but his chief work was in literature . The ex traordinaryfacility with which he learnedany language , his gif tof sty le in his own language , his industry , his restless

activityand desire to see strange nationsand ou t of

the way peop les , and his great ' g ift of imaginationwhich enabled him to appreciate the epic sweep of

vitalhistorical events ,allcombined to render h is workof pecu liar value . His ex traordinary translations of

the Po lish novels of Sienkiewicz , especially of those

dealing with medievalPo landand h er strugg les with

th e Tartar, the Swedeand the German , wou ld in them

se lves have been enough to estab l ishafirst class reputation forany man . In addit ion h e did remarkab lework in connect ion with Indian , Celtic and other

fo lk tales . But nothing that h e didwas more importantthan his studies of the rise of the migh ty Mongol

Empireand its decadence . In this particular fie ld no

other American or Engl ish scho lar has everapproachedhim.

Indeed, it is ex traord inary to see how ignorant even

x Foreword

the best scholars of Americaand Englandare of the

tremendous importance in worl d h istory of the nat ionshattering hIongolinvas ions . A no ted Engl ishman of

le tters no t many yearsago wroteacharming essay on

the Th irteen th Century an essay show ing his w i de

learn ing , his grasp of h istorical events ,and the lengthof t ime that he had devoted to the study of the cen tury .

Yet the essay ist no t on ly never mentione d b u t wasevi dently ignorant of the most s tupendous fac t of the

cen tury the rise of Gengh is Khanand the spread of

the Mongo l power from the Ye l low Seato the Adriat icand the Pers ian Gu lf . Ignorance l ike th is is partly dueto the natural tendency among men whose cu lture

is that of Western Europe to th ink of h istoryas on lyEuropean h istory and of European h istory as on lythe h istory of Lat inand Teu ton ic Europe . But this

does no t entire ly ex cuse ignorance of such an event

as the Mongo l-Tartar invas ion , wh ich affected hall

of Europe far more profound ly than the Crusades .It is th is ignorance , of course accentuate d amongthose who are not scholars , wh i ch accounts for the

poss ib i l i ty of such comical ly absurd remarks as the

one no t infrequently madeat th e t ime of the JapaneseRuss ian war, that for the first t ime s ince SalamisAs iahad conquered Europe . Asamatter of fact therecent mi l i tary supremacy of the wh i te or Europeanraces is amatter of only some th ree centuries . For

th e four preced ing centuries , that is , from the beg inningo f th e th irteenth to the seventeenth , the Mongo l andTurk ish armies generally had the upper hand inanycontest w i th European foes , appearing in Europealwaysas invadersand oftenas conquerors ; wh i le no

ru ler of Europe of the ir days had to his cred i t such

Foreword x i

migh ty feats ofarms , such wide conquests ,as GenghisKhan ,as Timour th e Limper,as Bajazet, Se l imandAmurath ,as Baberand Akbar.

The r ise of the Mongo l power under Gengh is Khanwas unheral dedand unforeseen ,and it took the worldas comp lete ly by surpriseas the r ise of the Arab powersix centuries before . Wh en the thirteenth centuryopenedGengh is Khan was mere ly oneamonganumberof other obscure Mongolchiefsand ne ith er he nor his

tribe hadany repu tation whatever ou tside of the barrenp lains of CentralAsia, wh ere they and th e ir fe l low

barbarians lived on horsebackamong the ir flocksandh erds . Neither in civil ized nor semi- civi l ized Europe ,nor in c ivi l ized nor semi- civilized As ia, was he knownor feared , any more , for instance , than the civi lized

world of today knows or fears the Senoussi, oranyobscure b lack mahdiin the reg ion sou th of the Sahara.At the moment , Europe had lost fear ofaggress ion fromeither As iaor Africa. In Spain the power of the Moors

had just been reduced to insignifi cance . T he crusading spiri t , it is true , had been thorough ly discredi tedby the w icked Fourth Crusade , when the Franksand Venet ians took Constan tinop le and destroyedth e old bu lwark of Europe against the Infide l . Bu t

in th e crusade in wh ich he himse lf lost his life the

Emperor Barbarossahad comp lete ly broken the powerof th e Seljouk Turks in Asia-Minor , and tho Jeru

salem had been lost it wasabout to b e regaine d by thats trangeand bri l l iant man , the Emperor Fre derick II ,“the wonder of the world.

”

The Slavs of Russiawere organ iz ed intoakind of loose confederacy , andw ere s low ly ex tending themse lves eastward, makingsettlements like Moscow in th e midst of various Finnish

x ii Foreword

peop les . Hungary and Po land were great warriorkingdoms , thoacoup le of centuries were to pass beforePo land wou ld come to her fu llpower. T h e Cal iphss til l ru ledat Bagdad. In IndiaMohammedan warredw i th Rajpu t ; and the Ch inese Emp ire was probab lysuperior in c iv i l izationand in mi litary strength to .anynat ion of Europe .

Into th is world burst the Mongo l . Allhis earlyyears Gengh is Khan spent in obtain ing first the control

of his own tribe ,and then in estab l ish ing theabso lu tesupremacy of th is tribe over all its ne ighbors . In

th e first decade of th e th irteenth century th is workwas accomp l ished. His supremacy over the wil d

mounted h erdsmen was abso lu te and unquestioned.

Every formidab le compet itor, every man who wou l d

not b ow with unquestioning obed ience to his w i l l ,

had been ru th less ly s lain , and h e had deve loped anumber ofab le men who were w i l ling to b e his

'

devoted

s laves ,and to carry ou t his every command with um

h es i tat ing obedience and dreadfu l prowess . O ‘

lt of

the Mongo l horse-bowmen and h orse- swordsmen he

speed i ly made the most formidab le troops then in

ex istence . East, westand sou th he sent h is armies ,and under himandhis immed iate successors theareaofconquest w i dened by leaps and bounds ; wh i le two

generations went by beforeany troops were found inAs iaor Europe who onany s tricken fie l d cou l d ho l d

the ir own w i th the terrib le Mongo l horsemen , andthe ir subject-al l ies and remo te k insmen , the TurkoTartars who serve d w i thand under them. Few con

quests have ever been so h ideousand on the who le so

nox ious to mank ind . The Mongo ls were savages ascrue las they were braveand hardy . There were Nes

Foreword x v

or ofany oth er nation ; th is wasafter the Hungarianshad been conquered.

T h e scourge Of th e Mongolconquests was terrib lebeyond be lief , so that even wherealand was floodedb u t for amoment , the memory long remaine d . I t

is not long s ince in certain church es in Eastern Europethe l i tany s ti l l con tained the prayer, From th e furyof the Mongo ls , good Lord de liver us . T he Mongolarmies deve lopedacertainant- l ike or b ee- l ike powerOf jo int action wh ich enab led them to win w i thou t

much regard to the personal ity of th e leader ;aFrenchwriter has we l l contrasted th e great anonymous

Victories Of th e Mongo ls with the pure ly personaltriumph s of that grim Turkish conqueror wh om we

know best as Timour the Tartar, or Tamerlane .

T h e c iviladministration th e Mongols estab l ished inaconquered country was borrowed from China, andwh ere they settledas conquerors the conduct Of th e

Chinese bureaucracy maddened th e subject peop lesalmostas muchas the wildand law less bru tal i ty Of th e

Mongol so ldiers themse lves . Gradual ly the ir emp ire ,after sp l itting up, pastawayand left l ittle direct influence inany country ; b u t it wasat th e t ime so pro

digious aph enomenon , fraugh t with such vast anddire poss ibilities , thatafu llknowledge of th e h istoryOf th e Mongolpeop le is imperative ly necessary toallwho wou ld understand th e deve lopment Of AsiaandOf Eastern Europe . NO o th er writer Of Eng lish wasso wellfitted to te llthis historyas Jeremiah Curtin .

THEODORE ROOSEVELT .

SAGAMORE HILL , September 1 , 19 07 .

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I PAS!

Geographical spread of the word Mongol.—Beginning of the Mongol

career.—Myt hicalaccount of T emudj in

’s origin.

—Kaidu, ancestorof the great historicalMongols — Origin Of the Urudaiand Manh udaitribes —Family of Kaidu .

—Origin O f the Taidjuts.—Bartan, grand

father Of T emudj in — Y essugai, father O f T emudjin.—Kabul’s visit

to China—Cap ture and escape O f Kabul. - Shaman killed for the

death Of apatient —Death o f Ambagai.—Death O f Okin Barka.March of Ku tulaagainst China. —Kaidan, Tudaand Yessugai holdacouncil.—Attack of the Durbans.—Bartan, the father of Yessugai,dies —Triumph of Yessugai

CHAPTER I IRivalry between descendants of Kabuland Ambagai.—Kidnapping of

H oelun by Yessugai. —Birth and naming of Temudjin.— Y essugai

fi nds awife for Temudjin—Death of Yessugai, 1175.—Neglect of

Hoelun .-Targutai draws away Yessugai’s people —Temudjin b e

.gins his career by the murder of his half - brother.—Capture of

Temudjin by the Taidjuts .—T emudjin

’

s escape f rom captivity.Assistance rendered by Sorgan Shira. —Marriage o f Temudjinto Bot tai.—Friendship o f T emudjin and BO

'

O'

rchu .—Alliance

O f Togrul and T emudjin.—Chelmai, son of Charchiutai.

Capture of Bortai by the Merkits .—Pursuit O f T emudjin.

—Origin of the worship of Mount Burham.—~ Assistance o f Togrul

in recovering Bortai. —Ancestors of Jamuka.— Temudjin made Khan.—Appointment of oflicers.—Temudjin

’s fi rst victory in battle.

T emudjin’

s brutalpunishment O f prisoners.—Juriats j oin Temudjin’

s

f orces —Marriage O f T emudjin’s sister to Podu .

—Marriage ofT emudjin

’s mother to Munlik .

- Barins withdraw fromalliance.E ff orts of Temudjin to win the f riendship of Jamuka

CHAPTER III

h ttack of Temudj inand Togrulupon the Lake Buyur Tartars.—Togrul

is given the title of Wang Khan —Attack of Temudj in upon theChurkis.

-Origin of the Churkis.- Death of Buri Buga. —Adopted

sons of Hoclun , mother of Temudjin.- Temudj in and Wang Khanattack the Merkits, 1197 .

—Desertion of Wang Khan —Wang Khan’s

men routed by Neimans .- Rescue of Wang Khan by Temudjin.

xvui Contentsu se

Second defeat of the Nation s — T emudj in and Wang Khan becomeas fatherand son to each other.- Wang Khanand Temudj in marchagainst the Taidj uts , lQOO.

— Taidj uts are j oined by several neighboring tn b es .

—O ffering made by Taidj uts and their allies when

taking oath — De feat O f Taidjuts and Merkits by T emudj in.

Jamukais made Khan —E ff ort of Jamukato surprise and killT emudj in , lQOl.

— S hamans cause windand rain to strike T emudj in.

De feat o f Jomuka—Punishment of Temudj in’s brother, Belgu tai, forex posing plans — Temudj in marches against the Tartars —Marriageo f T emudj in to Aisugan.

— De feat o f TuktaBij hi, aMerkit chie f .Temudj in asks for Wang Khan’

s granddaughter for Juchi.— E ff ortso f Jamukato rouse the j ealousy O f S engun, son o f Wang Khan.

Sengun tries to break the alliance between his father and Temudj in.

Discovery of aplot to killT emudj in.— Attack o f Wang Khanand

Sengun upon T emudj in.— Victory o f Temudj in — Death o f H uildar.

Message o f T emudj in to Wang Khan.— Message o f T emudj in to

S engun.—Message o f Temudj in to Jamuka. —Attack o f T emudj in

upon Wang Khan — De feat O f Wang Khanand S engun.— Temudj in

rewards his warriors — T emudj in takes as wife the daugh ter of

Jaganho, Wang Khan’

s brother.— Death of Wang Khanand Sengun,

1903

CHAPTER IVAttack upon T emudj in by Baibuga, his father- in-law.

— Councilheld byTemudj in, lQOl.

- Battle with the Naimans , autumn o f

Capture O f Kurbassu, the wife o f Baib uga.— S urrender to T emudj inO f tribes allied to Jamuka.—Subj ection of the Merkits.

—Marriageof Temudj in to the daughter of Dair Usun.

—Revolt and pu rsuit o fthe Merkits .

— Death o f Toh toa.— De featand capture o f Jamuka.Death o f Jamuka.— T emudj in is made Grand Khan, takes the titleJinghis .

— T emudj in rewards his O ffi cers —T emudj in gives his wife

to Churchadai.— T emudj in distrusts his brother, Kas sar.—De fence

of Kassar by his mother, H oelun — Death o f H oelun — T emudj inalarmedat the power o f Taib tengeri,aS haman. Murder o f Taib tengeri.— Jinghis Khan’

s (T emudj in) campaign against Tanguts .

Jinghis Khan’

s position secured in Northeastern Asia— KaraKitai,geographically.

—The Uigu rs .— Triumphs o f Jinghis alarm China.

Mission o f Jinghis’

envoys to the Uigurs .—Indignation o f the Uigurs .

—Mongols invade Tangut , lQO7.— Tangut King gives his daughter in

marriage to Jinghis .—Return of Jinghis .

— Arslan Khan o f the Karluks gives homage to Jinghis .

—Marriage of Arslan to Altun Bij hi,Jinghls

’daughter. .

CHAPTER V

China, 618 to 9 07, A . n.—Fallo f Tang dynasty . - The Kitans .

— Parlnproclaims himself Emperor. 9 16.

— H ouse o f Sung unites nearly allChina. 960 .

— Tribute paid by the Sung Emperor to the Kitans, 1004.

—Victory over the Kitans by Agu tain 1l14 . Founding o f anew

S tate , Kin kwe. by A trium— Death o f Aguta. - Invasion o f No rthChinaby Kin Emperor, - Kin Emperor besieges Kai fongf u. ” QR — S ung Emperor se ized and sent to Manchuria.—Mes

sage o f Jingh is Khan to the sovereign o f China. — Jinghls sets out

t o subdue the Chinese Empire, M I L— S ons O f Magma—Armyequipment .—~ Advance o f miles to the Great Wall o f China.—Frlcndshl o f the Ongu ts .

— Insurrectlon o f the Kitans .—Chong

tu lnvcs tcT—Jlnghls sends S ubotal agains t the Merklts .- Jin

Contents x ixPAGE

ghis resumes activity in China, 19 13.—Attack of Tangu t on China,

1213.—Mongols attack lands bordering on the Hoang H o, 19 14.

Defence o f Chong tu .—Mongols attack Nan king

— Defeat o f the

Merkits .—Corea’s submission to Jinghis, 1218 .

—Death of Boroul,19 17 .

— O rigin o f Muk uli, one o f Jinghis’ greatest generals .

— Jinghis’

fourthattack on the Tanguts , 1218 .— O rigin o f KaraKitai, — Victory

of Y eliu over Kashgar.— Invasion of Kwaresm by Y eliu .

- Treacheryo f Gutchluk .

— Ex ecution o f Gutchluk by Chepe.— KaraKitai at

tacked by Shah Mohammed.— The VVorld- Shaking Limper (Tamer

lane ) .— A ttack o f KaraKitans by Mongols .

—Death o f the Gurkhano f -KaraKitai, 1136

CHAPTER VIAddition of KaraKitai to Mongol domains .

—End o f S elj uk rule.

Kuth ud din Mohammed made Kwaresmian Shah — Mohammed seizes

Balkand H erat .— Invasion o f the lands o f th e Gurkhamby Mohammed,1208 .

—Def eat and capture o f Shah Mohammed — Mohammed andO sman makeanattack on the Gurkham— Success of the KwaresmianShah —Mohammed gives his daugh ter in marriage to Osman, ruler

o f Samarkand. Kwaresmians killed by Osman.— S torming o f Samar

kand by Mohammed —Death o f O sman .- S eizure o f apart of the

Gur Kingdom.

—Assassination o f Ali Shir by command o f Mohammed,his brother, 19 13.

—Winning o f Ghazni by Mohammed, 12l6.- Dis

covery of letters f rom the Kalif warning the Gursagainst Mohammed.

—Efi"orts o f Nassir the Kalif to stop Kwaresmian growt h — Limitedpower o f the Kalif . —Envoy sent by Mohammed to the Kalif . — Ali ul

Muluk is recognized as Kalif . - Murder o f Ogulmush by commando f the Kalif .

—Annexation of Irak by Mohammed — Mohammedadvances on Bagdad.

— Retreat o f Mohammed —Mohammed alarmed

by Mongol movements —Mohammed receives envoys f rom Jinghis

Khan , 19 16- 17 .— Sunnites and Shiites .

— Determination o f the Kaliftoask Jinghis to defend the S unnites .

— Invitation to Jinghis brandedon the head of the envoy —Message o f Jinghis to Shah Mohammed.

Arrest o f Mongolian merchants .— S econd message f rom Jinghis to

Mohammed —Murder of Baj ra, Jinghis Khan’s envoy .—Turkan

Khatun , the mother o f Shah Mohammed — Trouble caused by TurkanKhatun.

—A Mongol tempest — Conspiracy of Bedr ud dim— Ar

rangement o f the Mongolarmy — Investment of O trar, November,19 18 .

— Capture o f O trar, April, 1219 .— Slaugh ter of the Turk garri

son at Benakit .— Escape of Melik Timur .

— Investment of Bokhara,June , —Surrender o f Bokhara, — Feeding o f Mongol horses in

the Grand Mosque — S torming of the f ortress.—March o f Jinghis on

Samarkand.— Surrender of Samarkand.

— Pursuit of the Kwaresmianruler

CHAPTER VI IIndecision of Shah Mohammed,

— Escape of Mohammed to Nishapur.

Submission of Balkh .— Proclamation of the Shah to Nishapur.

Pursuit of Mohammed.—\Vithdrawal o f Mohammed f rom Nishapur.

—Sack o f Nishapur .— Fligh t o f Mohammed to an island in the

Caspian .— Death o f Shah Mohammed January 10 , N HL— Escape of

Turkan Khatun to the mountains — S uccession o f Jelal ud din .

Surrender o f Ilakand o f Turkan Khatun .— Siege and capture o f the

Kwaresmian capital. Attack made on the Talekan district by Jinghis .- Siege of Ghazni. - March o f Tului agains t Khorassan, 1990 .

Attack on Nessa. —Attack and capture of Merv.—Revenge of

x x ContentsPAGE

Togachar’s widow.—March of the Mongols against Herat.—Turk

mans near Nerv escapeand form the nucleus o f the O ttoman Empire.

—Jelalud din at Ghazni, 1921 .—Death o f agrandson o f Jinghis.

Revenge o f Jinghis ,— Retreat o f Jelal f rom Ghazni.— Pursuit of

J elal by Jinghis .— Battle at the Indus between Jelaland Jinghis .

Leap o f Jelalinto the Indus — Siege of H erat, lQQQ.—Mongolarmy

march es on Heratasecond time

CHAPTER V I II

Jinghis passes the winter near the Indus, 1922- 23.—Resolve of Jinghis

to return to Mongolia, 1293.—~ Myths regarding this resolution .

Command o f Jinghis to killu seless prisoners .—l\larch o f Chepe Noyon

to Tiflis .— Command o f Jinghis to Chepe Noyon to ex terminate the

Polovt si.—March o f Chepe to T iflis .—Chepe’s alliance with the

Polovtsi.—/ Betrayalof the Polovt si, their fligh t to Russia.—Mystislavaids the Polovt siagainst the Mongols .—De feat o f the Russians on the

Kalka, 129 4 .— Terror o f S outhern Russia.— Jinghis at his home on

the Kerulon , 1925 Mukuli’

s conquest o f lands belonging to the Kin

dynasty, 19 16. eath of Mukuli, 1293.— Jinghis enters Tangut . 1996.

—S iege o f Ling chau .— S ubmission of Ling chau .

— Death o f Jinghis

Khan , lQQ7 .— Burial o f Jinghis .

—Jinghis Khan’s disposal o f his

Empire . 7L Kurultai o f election held on the Kerulon, 19 99 .

- Accession

o f O gotai. H is plans o f ex peditions .— Ofl

’

erings made to the shadeo f Jinghis

— First work o f Ogotai

CHAPTER IX

Condition of Persian Irakat the time of Jinghis Khan’s death — Flighto f Jelal ud din to Delhi.— Marriage o f Jelal to the daugh ter o f

Iletmish .— Efi

'

ort o f Jelal to take possession o f his inheritance .

Founding o f the KaraKitan dynasty o f Kerman.- Marriage o f Jelal

to the daughter o f Borak .— Advance o f Jelal into Fars .

—Marriageo f J elalto the daugh ter of the A tabeg o f S hiraz .

—Efl'

ort o f Jelaltoovercome his brother, Ghiath .

— Jelalmarches against Nassir, Kali!o f Islam.

—Capture o f Dakukaby Jelal, Baa— Possession o f Tebrizby J elal. E x peditionagainst Georgia, S econd march o f J elalto Tiflis, Eliza—!Conquest o f GeorgiaJ—Jelalattacks Kars .

—Defeato f aMongol division by Jelal. — Attack o f the Mongols on J elal inI spahan, 199 7 .

— Murder o f Mohammed, afavorite o f Jelal. - Ghiathud din strangled by Borak .—Jelaldemands tribute f rom the ShirvanS hah — Attack o f Jelal on the combined armies o f GeorgiaandArmenia—S econd siege o f Khelat by Jelal.—Death of Nassir the

Kalif , lQQS .— S ucces sion o f Zahir as Kalif and then o f Mos tansir .

J elalinvested with the title o f Shah in Shah .—Capture o f Khelat by

J elal, E SQ — De feat o f Jelalat Kharpert .—March o f Jelal on

Khelat .—March o f J elalon Gandja.— A ttackand defeat of JelalbyM ongols .

~—Death o f Jelal, 1931 .- End o f Kwaresmian dynas ty

CHAPTER X

Ravage o f Amidand Mayafarkin by Mongols . Devastation of Azerbaidjan.

— Capture o f Erbilby Mongols — Mongols in Arabian I rak , IQBS .

Capture o f Gandjaby Mongols , 1235 . Cap ture o f T iflis by Mongols ,mail— Mongols advance to the Tigr is — Visit o f Prince Ava‘k andhis sister, Tamara, to O go tai, mo.

—Mongols in Syria,

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

x x i i ContentsPAGE

o f Rashid, his successor.- Assassin doctrine as delivered to S indjar.

S uccession o f Mohammed, 1 138 .— l\

'

ur ed din in Syria— A ttackagains t Damascus , 1 154 . Friendship o f Nur ed din f or the

Abbasids .

— '

l‘

riumph o f Nur ed din in Haram.— A rrival o f

S hawe r in Damascus — S hawer's request for aid against the

C rusaders — Plot o f S hawer to destroy S hirkuh .—Death o f S hirkuh ,

1 169 .

— Saladin‘

s o rigin.— Saladin firs t vizir o f the Kalif . —E x posure

o f the secrets o f the Assassins by Hassan Il.— Efl

'

orts o f Hassan to

es tablished h is descent f rom Kalifs o f Egypt — Death o f Hassan.

Death o f Nur ed din, 1174 .— Egypt governed by Saladin in the name

o f Salih . De feat o f the troops o f Aleppo , by Saladin, ll75 .— End

o f the Fatimid Kalifat.— Saladin attacked by A ssassins — Attacko f Mas snat by Saladin.

— Comp romise o f S inan. Death o f MohammedIl.

- S uccession o f J elal ud din Hassan, son o f Mohammed, 19 13.

Jelal’s retu rn to the true faith .—Death o f J elalud din, 1225 . Succes

sion o f his son, Alai ed dim— Death o f Alai ed dim— S ucces sion o fRokn ud dim— Attack o f H ulagu upon the Assassins — S urrender of

Rokn ud dim—Visit o f Rokn ud din to the court of Mangu , 1957 .

Death o f Rokn ud dm

CHAPTER XI II

Message o f Hulagu to Kalif of Bagdad, 1957 . Kalif rebukes Hulagu.

H ulagu ’

s envoys insulted by the people .— Second message o f the

Kalif to H ulagato warn himagainst making war on the Abbasids .

— A ttempted treason o f Ake, commandant o f Daritang — Possessiono f the Daritang road by H ulagu .

—Prediction o f the astrologer.

Capture o f Luristan by the Mongols .— Advance o f Feth ud din to

mee t the Mongoldivision.— Opening o f canals f rom the Tigris by the

Mongols — Triumph o f Hulaga. — S ubmission o f the Kalif o f Bagdad.

—Bagdad sacked by the Mongols.— Death o f Kalif o f Bagdad, 1958 .

—Appointment o f Ben Amranas pre fect .— Alb Argun’

s accession tothe th rone o f Luristan.

— S ummons o f Hulagu to Bedr ud din, Pri ice

o f Mosul. Presents given by the Prince o f Mosulto H ulagu . Deatho f Salih , 1249 .

—Death o f Turan S hah , successor o f Salih .— Accession

o f Eibeg to the throne o f Egypt .— Attempt o f Nassir to drive 13nf rom the throne .

—Message o f Hulagu to Nassir.— Advance o f

H ulagu'

s army into Syria.— Accusation o f Hulagaagainst Kamil,the Eyub ite prince .

- S ummons sent by Hulagu to the P rince o f

Mardin.— Message o f Nassir to Mogith .

— Succession o f M ensur, son

o f Eibeg . Kutuz becomes S ultan.—S iege o f El Biret. - Mongols

camp near Aleppo . Assaultand capture o f Aleppo, January 95, 1960 .

Damascus le f t defenceless by Nassir

CHAPTER XIV

News o f the death o f Mangu, 1959 .— Desire o f Kutut to take the field

against the Mongols .— Imprisonment o f H ulagu'

s envoy .—Mee ting

o f the two armies on the plain o f Ain Jalut. 1960 .— De feat o f the

Mongols by Kama— Arrival o f Kutuz in Damascus — Pursuit o f

the Mongols by Belhara. — Deatb o f Kutuz, 1960 .

— Enthronement ofBeibars .

—Youth o f Belhara.—Y shmut. son o f H ulaga, demands thesurrender o f Mayafarkin .

- Death o f Kamil. —Attack o f Y shmut on

Mardin.— Kalif’ s investiture o f Belharawith the sovereignty —De

parture f rom Cairo o f the S ultanand the Kalif , B BQ — Entrance of

Mos tansir into H itt .—Attack o f Sanjar on the Mongols who were

Contents

moving against Mosul.—Death of Sanjar.—Siege of Mosul.

Slaughter of the inhabitants of Mosul.—Death o f Prince of Mosul.Death o f Salih .

—Visit o f Salih , the Melik o f Mosul, to Beibars inEgypt .— Enthronement o f Beibars .

— Berkai’s criticism of H ulaga.Defeat o f Hulagu by Nogai.— Return of H ulagu to Tebriz .

—Lettero f Beibars to Berkai.—Detention o f envoys by MichaelPalaelogus .

Desire of Berkai foranallianceagains t H ulagu .—A ttack of Hayton,

King of Cilicia, on Egyptian territory. -Death of Seif ud din Bitikdji,l963.

—Troubles in Fars . Reception of Selj uk Shahat the O x us, byH ulagu .

—Death o f Abu Bekr, 1960 .—Accession o f Mohammed Shah

to the throne o f Fars, 1969 .—Death of S elj uk Shah .

— Uns Khatunplaced on the throne of Fars, 1964 .

- Sherif ud din claims to b e the

Mahdi promised by the Shiites .—March of the Mongolsagains t Sherif

ud dim— Siege of ElBiret , 1964 .— Death o f H ulagu , l9 65 .

—Deathof Hulagu’

s wife Dokuz Khatun .- Berkai’s second campaign to the

Caucasus, l964 .—Death of Berkai, l966.

—Nogai’s army retreats on

Shirvan O 0 Q 0 O 0 0 O O O O O 0 0 m

CHAPTER XVKin Emperor sends off erings to the spirit o f Jinghis Khan, 1999 .

Mongols continue warfare in China. - Siege of Li ho chin by Mongols ,l99 7 .

— King Yangattacked by Mongols, l999 .— Def eat of the Mon

gols by Y rabuka, l930 .— Advance of Ogotaiand Tului on China.

O gotaianx ious to seize H onan .—S urrender o f Fong tsiang. —Arrival

o f Y rabuka, the Kin generalat Teng chu , 1934 .— Talai’s report to

Ogotai of the situation in H onan. Siege of Yiu chin by Tului—Capture and death of Y rabuka.— Ogotai visits Tului. - O gotaiasks theKin Emperor to submit . Advance of Mongols on Shan chiu . FallofH onan.

— Siege of Nan King —Appearance of the plague . Fligh t ofthe Emperor f rom his capital.— A ttack of the capitalby Sabotai.Defence of Pian king — Surrender o f Pian king — E x ecu tion of

Baksan.—Appearance o f Mongols near Tsai chiu .

— Attack of Tsaichiu by Tatchar, son o f Boronl.—Nin kiasu yields the throne to

Ching lin .- Death of Nin kiasu .

— Death of Ching lin .—Death of

Tului, October, 1939 .—End of dominion of the Kins in China, 1934

CHAPTER XV I

Kurultai summoned by Ogotaiat Talantepe, l934. Kurultai summonedby Ogotaiat KaraKurum, 1935 . Batu march es West. Anarmy sentto Cashmirand India.— Ex pedition agains t China. —Assassination of

Tsui li.—Recall of Sub otai.— Reoccupation o f Ching tu by the

Chinese l939 .— Sack of Ching tu by Mongols —Entrance into Hu

kuang of Ku tchu , 1936.—Death o f Kutchu .

— Attack on Liu chiu byChagan, aMongol general, 1938 .

- Withdrawal of Chagan.— Three

victories of Meng kong over Mongols, 1939 .- O fi

‘

ers of peace by Wangtsie,aMongolenvoy.

—Death of Ogotai, 194 1 .— Infiuence of Ab dar

Rahman over the widow of Ogotai—Delay o f Batu in coming to theKurultai—Election of Kuyuk as Emperor .

—Death of Turakina,Ogotai’s widow.

— Death of Fatima, afavorite of Turakina.—~ Batulearns of the death of Kuyuk, l948 .

— Kurultai called by Batu .

Mangu, son of Tului, salutedas Emperor, 195l.—Refusal of Ogo

tai’s sons to recognize the legality o f the Kurultai which appointedMangu.

—Discovery o f aplot to assassinate Mangu .—Death

of Siurkukt eni, mother of Mangu, 1959 .~ Desire of Mangu to

ContentsPAGE

kill the partisans of Ogotai’s sons —Removal of all Uigurs favorable to Ogo tai’s descendants by Mangu .— Mangu gives H onan to

Kub ilai, 19 59 .— Tali the capital of Nan chao under Mongol rule.

Return o f Kub ilai to Mongolia—Journey o f Uriang Kadai to

Mangu ’

s cou rt to report on work done in the South , beyond China.Return of Uriang Kadai, 1954.

—Summons of Uriang Kadai to Chenchi kung, sovereign o f Tung king (Gan nan ) , to own himself tributaryto Mangu .

— S urrender o f Kiao chi, the Gan nan capital, to UriangKadai. — Chen chi kung resigns in favor of his son, l9s3.

— Popularityo f Kub ilai in China—Jealousy o f Manga—Recallof Kub ilai, 1957 .

— March o f Mangu to the S ung Empire —March of Mangu againstKu chu yai,afortress west of Pao ning.—Mangu’

s conquest o f Western S u chuan.

—Death o f Mangu , 1959 .—Kubilaiat Ju in Honan,

1959 .— Efi

’

ort of Arik Buga, masterat KaraKurum, to u surp power.

—Treaty o f Kiase taoand Kub ilai. — Encampment o f Kubilai outsideth e walls o f Pekin .

—Electionand enthronement of Kub ilai.—Battlebetween Kub ilaiand Arik Buga.—Defeat of Arik Buga

CHAPTER XV II

March of Arik Bugato KaraKurum.—Attack of Arik Bugaon Kubilai

northeast o f S hang tu .—De feat of Arik Buga.—Reverses of Arik

Buga.— Appeal of Arik Bugato the mercy o f his brother, 1964 .

Death of Arik Buga, 1966.— Claim of Kaidu, grandson o f O gotai, to

headship o f the Mongols .— Decision of Kub ilai to conquer all China.

- Revolt of Litan, one of Kub ilai’s generals .—Death of Litan.

Kub ilaimovesagainst Sou thern China, 1967 . Kub ilai’s command to Atchu to besiege Siang yang, 1968 .

— A ttack o f Mongols on Fan ching,19 73. The Emperor’s discovery of the siege o f S iang yang by the Mon

gols — Control of Fan ehing by the Mongols .— Surrender o f S iang

yang by Liu wen hwan .— Death o f T u tsong, the Emperor, August,

19 74 .— Surrender o f many cities to Bayan.

— Surrender o f Su chuan,19 78 .

- Bayanadvises Kub ilai to continue operations in China. Ar

rival o f the Emperor and Empress at Kub ilai’s court —March o f

Bayanagainst Lin ngan . Election o f Y wangas governor o f the Empire . Command obtained f rom the Emperor, by Bayan, ordering S ungsubj ects to submit to the Mongols .

— Chinese de fections follow Mongolsuccesses . Efl

’

ort o f Alihaiyato bribe Maki to surrender Kwe lin tu,the capital o f Kiang se .

—De feat and capture o f Maki. Death o f

Toan tsong, 19 78 .— Kuang Wang is made Emperor under the name

T i ping — Destruction o f thearmy o f the S ung Emperor.— Blocking

o f Chinese vessels by Mongolbarges .— Capture o f more than 800 Chi

nese vessels —Death o f Chang shi kie .- Kubilai finds himself master

o f China, January 31, 1979 336

CHAPTER XV III

Struggle o f Kub ilaiwith Kaidu lasting f rom the death of Arik Bugato thedeath o f Kub ilai.—End o f the S ung dynasty.—Departure of troopsfo r (b rew—Mongolfleet encounters astorm.

—Return o f the fleet.—A ttack and de feat o f the King o f Burma.— Death o f S utu, adistinguished Mongol general.— Kub ilai plans asecond Japaneseex pedition — Victory o f Kub ilai s fo rces over the Tung king men in

seventeen engagements —Visit o f Yang ting pie to the islands southo f Ch ina, 198 5 .

— Arrivalo f the ships o f ten kingdoms in Tsinan chiu.—Desire of T ok Timur to put S hireki, son o f Mangu, on the throne,

Contents my

pas s1977.

—Tok Timurattacked by Bayan —Fligh t of Tok Timur.—Tok

Timurasksaid o f Shireki; failing to get it he sets up Sarban. Forming ofanew leagueagainst Kubilai by Kaidan with Nayanas leader.

—Cap tureand death o f Nayan .- Gif t of KaraKurum to Bayan,as

headquarters.—Kub ilai’s departure f rom Shang tu for the West.

Recall o f Bayan.— Kub ilai sends athousand ships toattack Java.

Efi'

ort of Wang chu to f ree the Chinese Empire.—Death o f Ahmed,

Kub ilai’s Minister o f Finance —Ex ecution o f Wang chm—Ex ecutionof Sanga.—Death o f Kubilai, February, 1994 .

— Election of Timur .

Death o f Bayanat theage o f fi f ty- nine.

— Treaty o f Timur with theKing o f Tung king —Spread of revolt —Death of Kaidu , 1301 .

Daugh ter o f Kaidu .— H omage rendered Chabaras Kaidu’

s successor.

- Timuracknowledgedas overlord.— War between Chabar and Dua,

1306.—Death of Dua. - Gebek , son o f Dua, proclaimed successor.

Attack of Chabar on Geb ek .—Defeat of Chabar

CHAPTER XIXAccession of Ananda, grandson of Kub ilai. Removalof Ananda. Suc

cession o f Khaishan, under the name of Kuluk .— Death of Khaishan,

1311 .—Batrais proclaimed under the name Bayantu —Cause and

beginning of the ruin of Mongol power in China—Appointment ofShudi Balaas successor of Bayantu .

—Death o f Bayantu in 139 0 .

A ssassination o f Shudi Bala. The fi rst death byassassination in the

Imperial family. —Succession of Yissun Timur.— Appointment of

Asuk ebaas heir.—Death of Yissun Timur.

—The widow o f Yissun

Timur proclaims A sukeba. —Efi '

ort of T ob Timur to secure the thronef or his bro ther, Kashala.— De f eat o f the partisans o f Asukeba.Ex ile of the Empress .

— Sudden death of Kushalawhile feasting,1399 .

- Tob Timur is made Emperor .—Death of Tob Timur.

—Deathof the young son of Kushala. —Accession of Togan Timur, Kushala’seldest son.

- Revolt in H onan, Su chuanand Kwang tung.— Removalof Tob Timur’s tablet f rom the hall o f Imperialancestors, 1340 .

Completion of theannals of the Liao, the Kin,and the Sung dynasties.—Insurrection in S outh China, 134 1 .— Fang kwe chin, apirate,

harries the coas t o f Che kiang —Declaration o f Han chan tong of theappearance of Buddhato f ree Chinaf rom the Mongol yoke.

—Death of Han chan tong —Departure of Mongols f rom the

Yang t se region.- Capture of Han yang and Wu chang in

Hakwang by Siu chiu hwei. —Recapture of Hang chiu by the

Mongol general, Tong pu .—Appearance of Chang se ehing in Kiang

nan . Siu chiu hwei proclaims himself Emperor. Defeat ofaMongolgeneralby Ni wen tsian .

— Appearance of Chu yuan chang, the mandestined to destroy Mongol rule, and f ound the Ming dynasty.Capture o f Nan king, Yang chiu and Chin kiang by Chm— De feato f adherents of Ming wang, the pseudo Sung Emperor, by ChaganTimur,aMongolgeneral.— Controlo f Hu kwangand Kiang si by Siuchiu hwei.— Chin proclaims himself Emperor.

— Plans o f ChaganTimur to captu re Nan king. — Aiyu chelitalanamedas heir by ToganTimur.

— Invitation of Ali hwei to Togan Timur to yield what is lef to f Mongol power .

—Defeat of Tukien Timur.— Assassination of

Chagan Timur by Wang se ching.—Appearance of Ming yu chin asEmperor.

—March of Chu , the coming Emperor o f China,agains t Chinyiu liang. - Defeat of Chin yiu liang.—Surrender o f cities to Chu .

Efl’ort of P0 10 Timur to capture Tsin ki.— Defeat o f P 0 10 Timur byKu ku M un—The heir of the Mongolthroneactsagains t the Grand

Conten tsPAGE

Khan, his father.—Polo Timur made commander- in- chief by TOgan

Timur.News o f the capture o f S hang tu .

— Death of Ming yu chin,

1366.—Disappearance o f Han lin ulh .

— Efi'

orts o f Chu to liberateCh ma. —S urrender o f all cities to Chu’

s generals.— Terror of T OganTimur caused by conquests o f Chu .

— Chu proclaimed Emperor, th ename Ming is given to his dynasty .

—Entrance o f Chu into Tatu,1368 .

— Death o f Togan Timur.- Capture of T Ogan Timur’s grand

son by Ming forces .— Advance o f S u tu , the Ming general, to the

Kerulon.—Death o f the Mongol heir. S uccession o f his son Tukus

Timur, 1378 .—De feat o f Tukas Timur by Chu forces — Assassination

o f T ukus Timur.— Civilwar roused by Yissudar .

—Invitation o f the

Emperor o f Chinato Buin Sharato declare himself vassal. - Invasiono f MongoliabyaChinese army.— Yung lo’s advance to the Kerulon.

Defeat o f the Mongols .—Death of Buin Shara, l419 .

—The Manchudynasty.— End of Mongol power 0

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2 T he Mongols

though inaminority . In As iaIVIinor the Mongol is master, for theTurk is stillsovere ign ,and willb e tillagreat rearrangement iseffected.

Five groups of Mongols have made themselves famous in

Europe : the Huns with their migh ty ch ief Attila, the Bulgars , th e7Magyars , the Tu rks or Osmanli , and the Mongol invaders of

Russ ia. Allth ese fi ve willhave their due places later on in this

h istory .

In Af ri cath ere have beenandare stillMongol people . The

Blamelukesand th eir forcesat Cairo were in th e ir t ime remarkable ,

andTurkish dominion ex ists till the present ,at least theoretically ,in Egypt ,andwest of it .

Not restricted to th e Eastern h emisphere the word Mongol isstillfurth er used to includeaboriginal man in America.Thus th is greataggregat ion of people is found in each part ofboth h emisph eres ,andwe cannot cons ider the Mongols h istoricallyinawide sense unless we cons iderallmankind .

In the first , that is the originaland narrowest sense of the worditapplies to those Mongolsalone who during twelve centuries or

longer have inhabited the country just south of Lake Baikal,andnorth of the great Gobi desert . I t is from these Mongols properthat the name hasat last been extended to the whole yellow race inbo th hemispheres .

Th e wordMongol began , it is said , with the Ch inese, b ut thisis not certain . It is certain , however, that the Chinese made itknown to the great world outs ide ,and thus opened the way to thatimmenseapplication now given it . Th e Tang dynasty las ted from618 to 9 07 and left its own history . In that history the term

Mongolappearsas Mong -ku , and in the annals of the Kitandynas ty wh ich followed the Tang Mong - ku - l i is the formwhich isgiven us . T he Kitans were succeeded by the Golden Khans , orKin Emperors ,and in theannals of their line the Mong- kuarement ioned very o ften .

The Mongols began their career somewhat south of Lake Baikalwhere six rivers rise inavery remarkable mountain land. Th e

Onon , th e Ingodaand the Kerulonare the main western sources

o f that immense s tream the Amoo r,wh ich enters the Seao f Okhotskand thus finds th e Pac ific . Th e second th ree ri vers : the Tula,Orhon ,andSelingaflow into Lake Baikal,and thence , through the

Clas sification, Myth and Reality 3

Lower Angaraand Yenissei,are merged in Arcti c waters directlyin front of NovaZembla.Th ese two water systems begin in th e Kentei Khan mountains

which haveas their ch ief elevation Mount Burhan . T he six ri verswhile flowing toward the Amoorand Lake Baikal water the wholestretch of country where theMongols began theiract ivityas knownto us . Th ere th ey movedabout with their largeand smallcatt le,fought , robbed ,and hunted ,ateand drankand slew oneanotherduringages without reckoning . In that region of forestand grassland, of mountainsand valleys , of greatand smallri vers theairis wholesome though piercingly cold during winter,andexceedinglyhot in the summer months . Th ere was subs istence enough foraprimit ive life in that coun try , but men had to fight for it savagely .

Flocksand h erds when grown numerous need immense spaces tofeed in ,and those spaces of land caused unending struggleandbloodshed . Th e flocksand h erds werealso objects of struggle, notflocks and h erds only , but women . The des irable woman wassnatch edaway, kidnapped; th e goodherd of catt le was stolen ,andafterward fough t for ; th e grass covered mountain or valley, or theforest with grass or good branch es , or shrubbery for brows ing wasseizedand th en kept by th emen who wereable to hold it .

This stealing of cattle , this grabbing of pastureand forest , thisfigh ting , th is killing , this capture of women cont inued forages withnoapparent results except those which were personal, local,andtransient t illT emudjin th e great Mongolappeared in that harshmountain country . This man summed up in himself ,and intens ifi ed to th e utmost th e ideas , strength , temperand spirit of his raceas presented in action and lif e up to his day . He placed theMongols on the stage of th e world withaskillandapower thatwere s imply colossalandall- conquering . The results which hewon were immediateand terrifying . No man born of woman hashad thus far in historyasuccess so peculiar, so thoroughand perf eet , so completelyacknowledged by mankindas the success wonby T emudjin . There is in his careeran unconquerable sequence,afinish ,aoneness of character that sets itapartamongallthecareers of thosemighty ones in history who worked for th is lif eandno oth er, and strove for no object save that which is tang ible,materialand present ; success of such kindand success so enor

mous thatacommon intelligence migh t yearn for it , but have no

4 T he Mongols

more chance of winning than of reaching the stars , or of see ing thesun during nigh t hours .

T h e career of th is Mongolis unique in th e world , unapproachable , s ince its object was unmixedand immediateand his success

inattain ing it was so great that it seems , we migh t say , superhuman .

Th eaccount wh ich is given us of T emudjin’

s origin isamythtale , exceptingafew generations directly preceding him. Genealogy in the form o famyth tale is no exception in the case ofanypeople ,

no wonder. I t is the ruleand inevitable , th e one methodused by each primi ti ve folk to explain its own origin . Allearlymen in the ir own accounts are descended from gods who aree ith er divine myth ican imals , or elements , or forces , or phenomenawh ich become later on the progen itors of nations , or the ir to tems .

T h e first myth ic parents or founders of T emudjin’

s family wereablue wolfandagray doe . Th ese two swamacrossalake , reachedthe ri ver Onon near its sourcesand settled down permanentlyatthe foot of l\Iount Burhan ,

wh ereason called Es tach i was bornto them. Ninth in descent from Batachi were DuvaSohor,andDoben . Th e former had only one eye wh ich was fixe din the

middle of his foreh ead , b ut with that eye he saw beyond threemountain ranges . Once th ese two brothers climbed up Mount

Burhan , and were gaz ingat the world from th e top o f it whenDuvaSohor beheld many people moving down th e T ungeli.

There is the wife formy brother, unless sh e is married ,

”

th ough tDuva. Goand see her, said h e th en to Doben . Doben wentto the new people s traigh twayand learned that the woman wass ingleand that her name was Alan Goa. T he moving peoplewere dependents of one Horilartai.In time befo re that Bargudai, who owned Bargudj in on LakeBaikal, hadadaugh ter whom h e gave to Horilartai o f Horn tu

madun . From th is marriage came Alan Goa,bornat Alih Usun .

Th ey had left the ir old place s ince the hunting o f ermine andsqu irrels had been stopped there . Horilartai removed to Mount

Burhan , wh ere game was abundant . He jo ined Sh inch i Boyan ,

the master o f Mount Burhan ,and began the clan Horilar. ThusDoben found Alan Goa

,who bore him two sons , Bugundaiand

Bailgun Etai.Duvathe one -eyed had four sons . T h e two bro thersand th eir

C lassificat ion, Myth and Reality 5

six sons lived in one company tillDuva’s death ;after that Duva’sfour sons deserted the ir uncle, and founded th e clan knownasDorbian .

O ne day wh ile Doben was hunting he found in the forestaman roasting vensionand straigh twayasked meat of him. The

man kept one flankand th e lungs , and gave the remainder toDoben who t ied what he got to his saddle

,and started off home

ward. He met on the roadapoor manandasmallb oy . Whoart thou ? ” inqu ired Doben . Iam of the Malish Boyandai, ”said th e poor man , Iam in need , give me ven ison , I pray thee,I willgive th ee my son in return for it .

” Doben gave th e manadeer leg , took th e boy home ,andmade him hisattendant .

Some years passed , th e b oy grew ,and Doben died . Th e b oy,

nowaman , served th e widow . Wh ileawidow Alan Goaborethree sons ; the eldest was BugaHatagi, th e second T usalchi,th e third Boduanchar . Th e two sons born of Doben said once to

each o th er Our mother has no husband, no brother of our

father has ever been in this yurta, st illsh e has three sons . Th ereis only one man in the house , h e has lived with usalways ; is henot th eir fath er ?Alan Goalearned that the two elder brothers were curiousconcern ing th e other three , so one day sh e called in h er fi ve sons

and seat ing th em together gave each oneanarrowand told himto break it . Each broke hisarrow . She th en bound fivearrowsfirmly togetherand commanded to break th em not one of the

brothers could break th e fi vearrows when t ied inabundle .

Ye are in doubt , said sh e th en to h er eldest and secondson , as to who is the father of my third , fourthand fifth sons .

Y e wonder,and with reason , for ye know not thatagolden huedman makes his way to this yurta. He enters through th e door bywhich ligh t comes

, he enters in through th e smoke hole like sun

shine . T he brightness wh ich comes fromhim fills me wh en I lookat him. Going off on th e rays of th e sun or th e moon h e runs likeaswif t yellow dog t illh e vanish es . Cease talk ing idly . Your threeyoungest brothersare children of Heaven ,and no one may likenth em to common men . Wh en th eyare khans ye willknow th is .

”

Alan Goainstructed her sons then ,and said to them : Yeallare my children , yeareallsons of mine . If ye standapart liketh ose five brokenarrows it willb e very easy to break you , but if ye

6 The Mongols

keep onemindandone spirit no man on earth will b eable to injureyou , ye willb e l ike those fi vearrows in the bundle .

”

Alan Goadied soonafter th is talk with her ch ildren . Four ofth e bro th ers took what belonged toallfi ve of them,

count ing theyoungest aweak l ing and s imple they gave him no propertywhatever. He , see ing that they would not treat him with justice ,

said in his own mind : I willgo from th is place , I willleaveth em.

” Then mountingasorry roan horse with galled backandmangy tail h e left h is four bro thersand rodeaway up the Ononto li veat some new spo t in freedom. Wh en he reached Baljunalah e bu iltasmallyurta, or butat the place wh ich seemed best tohimand l ived in it . O ne day he sawafalcon swoop down onawoodcock and seize it there near his yurta; h e plucked hairsfrom the mangy tai l of his horse , madeasnare , caugh t the falcon ,

and trained it . Wh en the wolves drove wild beasts toward theyurtain hunting he killed th em witharrows , or took for h imselfand th e falcon what the wol ves left uneaten . Thus he li ved thefirst winter. When spring came the falcon caught ducks andgeese in great numbers .

Beyond the ridge of Mount Duilyan , wh ich was th ere near hisyurta, flowed the T ungeli,andat the river livedanew people .

Boduanchar, who went to hunt dai ly with his falcon , discovered th ispeopleanddrank in their yurtas , mare’s milk wh ich they gave him.

They knew not whence he had come ,and heasked not who theywere , though they met every day with good feeling .

At last Boduanchar’s eldest brother, Batagi , set out to fi nd

him if poss ibleand reached the Tangeli , wh ere h e saw th e new

people wi th whom Boduanchar was in friendsh ip .

Have ye seen ayoung man with amangy tailed horse ?asked h e . O n th e horse

’

s backare wh ite spots wh ichare markso f old gall sores . We have seen the young man with that horsehe hasalsoafalcon . He comes h ere each day to drink mare ’

s

milk , b ut we know not th e place of his yurta. Wh enever windblows from the northwes t it dri ves h itheras many (luckand goosefeathe rsas thereare flakes inasnows to rm. He must live withh is falcon no rthwes t o f u s . Bu t wait h ereawh ileand thou wiltsee him.

” Soon they saw the young man coming . Boduancharbecame reconciledand went home with Hatagi.A man is comple te who hasahead on his body , said Bodu

Class ificat ion, Myth and Reality 7

anchar to himself . Andaloud he saidas th ey traveled , A coatis complete wh enacollar is sewed to it .

”The brother said noth

ing on h earing these words for th e first t ime ; Boduanchar repeatedth e saying . What dost thou mean ? asked Hatagi. Thosemen on the river,

”

said Boduanchar, have no h ead in th eir company ; greatand smallareallone to th em. We migh t take th eirulus

1 very eas ily .

” Well,”

replied Hatagi, wh en we reach homewe willtalk of this ; if weagree we will take th e place .

”

Th e fi ve brothers talked over th e planand were willing . Boduanchar led them back to th e village . Th e first person seized byhimwasawoman . O f what stockart thou P asked Boduanchar.

I am of th e Charchiuts , ” answered the woman . Th e fi ve

brothers ledallthe people to th eir own place ;after that th ey hadcattle ; th ey hadalsoattendants to wait on them, wh en eating .

Boduanchar took his first captiveas wifeand she bore himasonfrom whom the Balin clan was descended . Boduanchar tookanother wifeand by h er begat Babich i , who in t ime hadasonMainyan Todan who tookas wife M onalun , from whom sevensons were born to him; th e eldest of th ese was Katchi Kyuluk ,and th e youngest , Nachin .

Monalun loved command ; she was harsh in h er householdand severe toallpeople . With h er Mainyan Todan gained greatwealth ofallkinds ,andlivedat Nush Argi . Though there was noforest land near his yurtah e had so many cattle when th e herdswere dri ven home , that not fi ve ells of ground with in eyes ightcould b e found with no beast on it .

Mainyan Todan departed from l ife wh ile his seventh son wasan infant . At this t ime th e Jelairs , that is , some descendants of

Dobenand Alan Goa, who had settled on th e Kerulon near th eGolden Khan ’

s border, warred with his people very often . On

atime th e Golden Khan sent his forcesagainst th em; th e Jelairsth ink ing the ri ver impassable sneeredat th e enemy ,and takingth eir caps off fellto mockingand shout ing Would ye not liketo come overand takeallour horsesand families ? Roused byth is ridiculeand banter th e enemy made rafts under cover,andcrossed th e Kerulon qu ickly . They rush ed forwardand defeatedthe Jclairs . Th ey slewallwhomth eymet or cou ld fi nd, not sparingeven ch ildren . Most of the Jelairs were slain , except some who

A village or community.

8 T he Mongo ls

had camped in aplace where th e enemy did not reach them.

Th ese survivors found refuge at Monalun ’

s settlement,wh ere

th ey fell to digging roots for subsistence , and spo i ledalargespace u sed in training young horses .

T he widow was enragedat th is trespass . Sh e was riding inacart wh en she saw it . Rush ing in withattendants sh e trampleddown some o f the people , and dispersed th em. Soonafter th isthose same Jelairs stole from th e sons of the widowalarge herd of

horses . W'

lien th ey h eard of th is robbery those sons hurried o ff

to recover th ean imals . In their great haste th ey forgot to takearmor . hlonalun sent th eir wives on in carts with th e armor,and sh e herself followed. Her sons were lying dead wh en theirwives brough t th earmor . T he Jelairs th en slew the women ,andwh en she came up th ey killedMonalunalso .

T h e descendants of Katch i Kyuluk werealldead now exceptthe youngest son , who was livingapart from the o thersat Bargudjin on the eastern shore of Lake Baikal,and Kaidu his eldest

son’

s only o ffspring ,asmallboy who was saved by his nurse , whob id wi th th e child under firewood .

\Vh en news came to Nach in that his family had been slaugh teredh e hurried on to Nush Argiand found there some wretch ed old

women wi th the little boy Kaidu ,and th e nurse who had savedhim. Nach in wasanx ious to examine th e Jelair country , recoversome part o f his bro th ers ’ lost property ,and takeastern vengean ceon the Jelairs , b ut he had no horse to ride on th is journey . Justth enasorrelstallion from th e h erd that had been stolen by theJelairs wandered back to Nush Argi . Nach in took th is beas tandset ou talone to reconno i tre . T he first men to mee t him were twohunters on horseback ,asonand his fath er, who were ridingapartfrom each o th er . Each hadahawk on his wrist ,and Nach in sawthat bo th birds had belonged to his broth ers .

lias t thou seenabrown s tallion , with mares , go ing eastward Pasked h e o f the younger man . I have not ,

”

said the stranger,b u t has t thou seen ducks or geese on thy journey ?

” I haveseen many ;” replied Nach in ; come , I willshow them to thee .

”

T he man followedNach in , whoat his own time wellselected turnedo n th is Jelairand kille dhim. He fe ttered the horse , tied the hawkto the saddle , tu rnedand rode toward th e secondman ; upon reaching him h easked if he had seenabrown stallion ,

andmares go ing

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10 The Mongols

th ird son had six sons , who were the founders of six clansamonghlongols . T umb inai, son o f Hosh in , Kaldu ’

s eldest son , had twosons , Kabuland Sinsaichilai. Kabulhad seven sons ; the secondof these , Bartan , had four sons ; the th ird of these four sons

was Yessugai.Kabulwas made khan ,and though he had seven sons he did

not wish to give rule toany one of them. So he gave it to SengunBilghe , the father of Ambagai . Kabulthe Khan , son of T umbinai,was renouned for great courage . His fame reached the Emperoro f China, who had such regard for th is ch ief that h e sent envoysinviting him to the courtasan evidence o f friendsh ip ,and withthe concealed hope of makingatreaty through wh ich the Mongolsmigh t act with North Ch ina. Kabulmade the journey . T he

Emperor rece ived him with honor,and entertained h im with thebest foodand drink in the country . But , s ince the Ch inese weregiven to dece it very greatly ,as Kabul though t ,andattacked eachopponent fromanambush , h e feared wilesandmost ofallpoison ;h ence b eavo ided foodand drinkandwithdrew fromafeast underpretexts , b ut returned later on when relieved of suspicion,and fellto eatingand drinking with very great relish . T he Ch inese wereastoundedat s igh t of his th irstand his hunger. High Heavenmust have made him to rule ,

”

exclaimed they , else how could hedrinkand eat so enormously , and stillhaveanappetiteand besober.

”

Butafteratime he seemed t ipsy , clapped his hands ,reeled toward the Emperor, se ized his beardand stroked his ear,to the horror of ministers , who cried outat once ,and were readyto ru shat the Mongol .T he Khan turned then to the Emperorand smiled very coolly .

If the Golden Khan holds me gu ilty , ” said he ,

“let him know

that the willo f my hand is to blame , not my own will. My handhas done that wh ich displeases my own willand I condemn myband’

saction .

”

T he Emperor was calmand del iberate ;at that time he wishedaboveallth ings to wheedle his vis itor, so he reasoned in his mindas follows If I punish th is man hisadherents , whoare many ,may riseand beginalong war with me .

” Hence he kept down hisanger, and commanded to bring from his treasure house s ilkenrobes , embro idered in gold , o f righ t s ize fo r theMongol. A crownandagoldgirdle were brough t with them. He put these on Kabul ,

Classificat ion , Myth and Reality 1 1

and showing marks of high honor dismissed him with friendsh ipwh en the time came for part ing .

When Kabulhad set out for home the min isters ins isted thatit would not b e possible to leave the man ’

s conduct unnoticed .

Rousedat last by these speeches th e Emperor sent offan envoyrequesting Kabulto return to him. Kabulreplied harshly ,andkept on his journey . Th e Emperor was enraged now in earnestand sent menasecond time not to request but to summon ,andwith themagood force of warriors to bring in the Mongolbyviolence if need b e . Kabu l had gone far on his journey , and,

since the Golden Khan ’

s messengers tookanew road by mere

hazard , they missed him. They wentallthe way to his yurta,andas he had not yet returned his wives said on h earing the

message : He willfollow the Golden Khan’

s wish es .

”

The

messengers turned from the yurtaandafterawh ile met Kabu lhastening homeward ; th ey seized himand led him off qu icklyfor delivery to their master . On the journey they haltedat thehouse ofaSaljut , who was friendly to the captive .

Thesemenare taking thee to death O Kabul, said the Saljut ,I must save thee . I haveahorse wh ich outstrips every wind ,and is swifter than lightning . If thou sit on th is beast thou canstsave thyself thou wilt escape at the first chance . Kabulmounted that horse, but his foot was made fast to the ch ief envoy ’sstirrup . In the n ight he unbound it , however,and shotaway inthe darkness . They pursued and hunted him with all speed ,but onlyat Kabul ’s own yurtawere th eyable to come upwith him.

Th ere he received them withallhospitality ,and gave his enemiesasplendid new tent which belonged toawife whom he had justtaken ; he gavealso the best entertainment . Soonafter, he summouedhis servants (his sons were not with him) . These people ,

”

said he, wish to take me to the Golden Khan to b e killed by himwith terrible torture . Ye must save me .

T he servants fellunawares on the Golden Khan’

s messengers ,and killed every man of them. Kabulwas saved that t ime , butsoon after he fell illand died— very likely of poison— thus

leaving theworld to his seven sons , who were veryambitious . Thesesons were so great through their valor -and courage that no combination of enemies could meet them successfully . They wereallof one mother, Kulku Goa,aKunkurat woman, whose younger

12 T he Mongols

bro ther, Sa’in Tegin , was the cause of involving the family inaterrible blood feud .

Sa'in Tegin fellilland they called inashaman of th e Taidjutsto cure him. He died notwithstanding theart of th is shaman ,

who was slain e ither on his way home or soonafter, by the relativeso f the dead man . Th is causedagreat battle between the Taldjuts and Sa’in T egin

’

s adherents and relatives , jo ined now byKabul’s sons , who favored the cause of their uncle . In th is battleKaidan metaTaidjut in s ingle encounter, split open his saddle,swept him down from his horse , and wounded him dreadfully .

T he Taidjut, who recovered onlyafteratwelve month of suff ering ,begananew struggleas soonas strength came to him. Kaidanbrough t horseand rider to the earth

, each wounded grievously ;though ten mounted men rushedat the victor, he so used spearandsword on them that he came out in triumph . Thus began th e

great blood feud wh ich later on T emudjin used with such deadlyeflect on the TaidjutsandTartars .

Between Lake Buyurand Lake Kulon isariver, on th is riveralarge group of Tartar tribes l ivedat that period . Ambagai , son of

Sengun , went to fi ndanew wifeat Lake Buyur b ut was se iz ed bysome Tartarsand sent to the Kin Emperor, who took his life verycruelly . Before his captors had set out with Ambagai he sent home

th is message Tell Ku tula, fourth son of my cous in Kab Ll, whohas seven sons ,andKaidan , one o f my ten sons , that I , who ruledmen ,amaprisonerandmust die in great su ffering . And remember

these words of mine ,allo f you : Though ye were to wear everynailfrom the fingers of each hand ,and lose the ten fingers on both

hands , ye mustavenge me .

”

T he Golden Khan in return for o ffenses committedagainst himby Ambagai’s relatives , had him nailed toawoodenass , flayedalive , and then chopped into small pieces slowly , beginning withhis fingersand to es , tillhis whole body was finished .

Okin Barka, Kabul’s eldest sonandabro ther of Kutula, hadbeen captured by the Tartars , sent to the Golden Khan ,

and putto death in the same wayas Ambagai . This was done becauseKabulhad killed the Golden Khan ’

s messengers .

Befo re Ambagai was to rtured h e sent Bulgadj i, his slave , tothe Golden Khan with th is warning It is shamefulto kill me .

I was se iz ed mos t pe rfidiously, I am here wi thout reason . If

Clas sification, Myth and Reality 13

thou kill meallchiefs among Mongols will riseandavenge theinjust ice .

”

The Golden Khan paid no h eed to the message, butafter the h ideous execution he sent Bulgadji on courier horses toMongoliawith the command to tellallth ere that Ambagai hadbeen nailed to the woodenass , his skin stripped from him wh ilel iving ,and his body then chopped into pieces b it by bit . On the

way Bulgadjipassed through the land of the Durbans , who wouldnot give horses ,and no matter what h e said they took no note of

him. When his horses were so weary that th ey could go no fartherhe left them, went home on footand toldallto Kaidan , whose

son ,Tuda, told the whole tale to Katu laandYessugai, his nephew .

Kaidan ,Tudaand Yessugai h eld acouncil immediatelyand

resolved with many Mongols toavenge Okin Barkaand Ambagai .Kutulawas chosen khan th en to lead the expedition . They h eldagreat feast when th e elect ion was over,andallbecame grandlyexcited . Th ey danced round awide- spreading tree with greatenergy, and stamped out aditch of such depth that they wereh idden to their knees in it .

Kutulaassembled allwarriors who were willing to go , andmarchedagainst China. The Golden Khan ’

s forces were defeated,

and routed with terrible slaugh ter. The Mongols took bootyo f unspeakable value , tookallthat men could bear with th em,

o r that horses could carry . They came h ome filled with delight ,bringing woven stu ffs ofallspecies , every kind of rich furn iture ,weaponsand implements ,and driving before them immense herdso f horses ,andlargeand smallcattle .

While on the way home Kutulawh en pass ing through the landof the Durbans went to hunt withasmallforce of followers . On

s ee ing these people the Durbansassembledanumerous partyandattacked them; th ey killed some ,and scattered the oth ers . Kutulaleftalone savedh imself by fleeing ,anddrove his swift horse throughaswamp to the opposite edge of th e soft place . Th e beast stoppedand stuck fast there ; Kutulastood on the saddleand sprang tofi rmground from it . Th e Durbans see ing him on foot , were wellsatisfied . Oh let him go ,

”

said they , of what use isamanwhen his horse is gone . Then , while they stood looking , hepulled his horse out of the quagmire , mountedand rodeaway inth eir presence . Th e swamp ex tended

'

so far on e ither hand thatthey cared not to follow .

14 T he Mongols

Kutula’s survi vingattendants returned to thearmy , spread newsof his death ,

and declared that the Durbans had killed him. His

warriors reach ed home somewhat earlier than the Khan ands ince he had notappeared on the roadand hisattendants saidthat he had been killed by the Durbans Yessugaimadeafuneralfeas t for their leaderand went to Kutula’s wife toannounce herhusband ’

s deathand with her drink the cup to his memory . O n

appearing before her h e began to lament , and weep bitterly .

Why has t thou come P asked she , andwhyart thou weeping PHe told the cause of his griefand his coming . I bel ieve notaword ofallthou hast told me , said the woman . Would Kutulalet Durbans killhim, Kutulawhose vo ice is like thunder in the

mountains , avo ice wh ich reaches h igh h eaven , would Kutulalet common men kill him? He would not , his delay hasano thercause . He is living . He has stopped for some work of importance ,he willcome later on .

”

But the warriorsandKutula’sattendants felt sure that th e Khanhad been murdered .

When Kutulahad pulled his horse out of the quagmire , andriddenaway safely , he was savagelyangry . How have thosevile , wretched Durbans brough t me to such trouble , raged he ,anddri ven o ffallmy servants ? Must I go home empty - handed

No , I willnot leave these places unplundered.

” Th en h e rode

tillh e foundabrown stallion ,alsoagreat herd of maresand theircolts wi th them. He mounted the s tallion , let out his own horse

which ran forward , then drove the mares wh ich followed the saddlebeas t . Riding farther in the s teppes he found nests o f wild geese ;dismounting he took o ff his boo ts , filled the great legs of themwithgoo se eggs , remountedand rodeaway home on the stallion , holding

the boo tsand dri ving the maresand the ir colts to his yurta.A vas t crowd of peo ple hadassembled to lamentand show honor

to thememoryof Kutula,and now ,astonishedat his suddenarrival,they re jo iced beyond measure , and turned alltheir sorrowandwailing intoafeas t o f triumphand gladness . Ha! said thewi fe then to Yessugai, did I not tell thee that no Durbans , oro ther men could bring down Kutula?After his great success against Ch ina, Kutulamoved on the

Tartarsand punished them unsparingly for sending Okin Barka,his bro ther, to the Golden Khan for destruction .

Class ificat ion, Myth and Reality 15

But now broke outafresh the great hatred of the ten sons of

Ambagai for Kutulaandhis brothers . Those ten Taidjut brothersfellon the six surviving sons of Kabu land killed fi ve of them,

killedallexcept Bartan , who burst his way out of the murderousencounter with three serious wounds in his body , and fled withfourattendants . His son Yessugai, who had been hurled to theearth from his saddle, sprang up qu icklyand, though only th irteenyears ofage , sent his spear through the body ofaTaidjut who wasmounted , brought him down dying , sprang to the empty saddle ,rushed away and caught up with his fath er . Through th iswonderful promptnessand sk ill h e wasable to save h imself .

Bartan ’

s wife , Maral Kayak , fled on foot from h er yurtawiththree other sons , Mangutu , Naigunand Daritai,and reached h erwounded husband .

T h e Taidjut triumph was perfect foraseason . Bartan ’

s powerhaddeparted, he died soonandgave place to his son ,ayoung h ero .

This son was Yessugai, the name means number n ine , his ful lname was YessugaiBahadur, th e n inth hero . He was n inth too indescent from that youngest son of Alan Goa, Boduanchar, whorode offalone from injustice .

At this time the tendency had increased very greatlyamongch iefs of Mongol clans to make oth er ch iefs subordinates , or

assistants . Th is was true spec ially of men descended from Kabu land from Ambagai . If rival or smaller chiefs would notacceptth e posit ionaconfli ct resu lted ,attacks were made by smallpart iesor larger ones , or through war or po ison ; th e weaker men wh enambit ious were swept from existence . T h e continualinterferenceof Chinaby intrigue or byarms , or by bribery through t itles or

presents , through rewards to individuals , or dire ghastly pun ishments where punishment seemed more eff ect ive , did someth ingalso to strengthenand consolidate the loosely coh erent society of

th e Mongols ,and thus helped unwittingly the work of strong men

seeking power north of Ch ina.Yessugai, through act ivityand keenness succeeded in winn ing

co- operat ion sufficient to undo the great Taidjut triumph . Kabul

’

s sonsagain got th e primacy .

CHAPTER II

TEMUDJIN BEGINS H IS MIGHTY CAREER

HIS intense rivalry between the descendants of Kabul andAmbagai was the great ruling fact among Mongolsat th is

epoch . KabulandAmbagai were second cous ins , both being th irdin descent fromKaidu , that l ittle b oy saved by his nurse from the

Jelairs ; the Kaidu whose descendants were the great rulingMongols of h istory . Kabu land Ambagaiare remarkable themselves ,andare notablealsoas fathers of men who sough t powerbyallmeans wh ich they could imagineand bring into practice .

Yessugaiwith his brothers was now triumphantand prosperous .

He was terribly hostile to the Buyur Lake Tartars ; he was everwatch ing the Taidjut oppos ition , wh ich though restingat timesnever slumbered . Once in the days of his power Yessugaiwh ilehawking along the Onon saw aMerkit named Yeke Chilaidutaking home with himawife from the Olkonots . Seeing that thewoman wasabeauty Yessugai hurried back to his yurtaandreturned with his eldestand youngest brothers to hel p him. When

Yeke saw the three bro thers coming he grew frigh tened , struckhis horseand rushedaway to fi nd some good h iding place , b ut

found noneand rode back to the cart where his wife was . Thosemenare very hostile , said the woman . Hurry o ff , or they willkillthee . If thou survive fi ndawife suchas Iam, if thou rememberme callher by my name . Then she drew o ff her sh iftand gaveit to Yeke . He took it , mounted qu icklyand, seeing Yessugaiapproaching wi th his bro thers , galloped up the river.

The three men rushedafter Yeke , but did not overtake him,

so they rode back to the woman , whose name was Hoelun . She

was weeping . Her screams when they seized her raised waveson the ri ver

,and shook trees in the valley .

”

The husband has crossed many ridges already , and many10

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18 The Mongols

T emudjin . O n the road home he s topped at Cheksarand metTartars whoarranged th ereafeast for him. Being hungryandth irs ty from traveling he halted . His hosts , who kn ew wellthat hehad capturedand killed very many of the ir people , T emudjin Ugewi th others , had po ison made ready ,and gave it in drink to him.

Yessugai rodeawayand reached home in three days , b ut fellillon the journey ,and his trouble increasedas he traveled . Th ereis pain in my h eart , ” said he , who is near me ? At that timeMunlik ,ason of Charaba

, happened inat the yurta,andYessugaicalled him. My ch ildrenare young , ” said h e , I went to fi ndabride formy son T emudjin ,andhave found her . O n the way homeI was po isoned by enemies . My h eart is very sore in me , so go

thou to my brothersand see them, see their wivesalso . I givethee th isasaduty ; tellthemallthat has happened . But firstbring me T emudjin very qu ickly .

Yessugaidied1 shortlyaf ter without seeing T emudjin .

Munlik went withallhaste to Desaiehan . Yessugai, said he,wants to see T emudjin , he has sent me to bring the boy .

”

If

Yessugaiis grieving let Temudjin go ,and return to meafterward .

Munlik took T emudjin homeas instructed. In the spring following when Ambagai’s widows were preparing the o fferings to

ancestors before moving to the summer place they refused to sharesacrificed meats with Hoelun , and thus shut her out from the irruling circleand relationsh ip . Better leave th is woman here withher ch ildren , she must no t go with us ,

”

said the widows . TargutaiKurultuk , who was then inauthori ty , went from the winter placewi thout turning to Hoelun ,

or speaking . He wi th T odoyanJirishahis brother had enticedaway Yessugai’s peo ple . Munlik

’

s

father, Charaba,an oldman ,s trove to persuade Targutaiand his

bro ther to take Hoelun , but they would not l isten to him or toanyman . T he deep water is gone , the brigh t stone is broken ,

”

saidT odoyan , we canno t restore them, we have noth ing to do with

that woman ,and her ch ildren . And wh en Targutai with hisbro ther was s tart ing ,awarrior of his thrustaspear into Charaha’sbackand the oldman felldown mo rtally wounded .

T emudjin went to talk with Charabaand take advice fromhim. Targu taiand his bro ther, ” said the old man ,

haveledawayallthe peopleassembled by thy father,and our re latives .

”

1 1175.

Temudj in Begins H is M ighty CareerT emudjin wept then and turned to his mother forassistance .

Hoelun resolved qu ickly ; sh e mounted,and, directing h erattendants to take lanees , set outat th e h ead of th em. She overtook thedesert ing peopleand stopped one half of them, but even that halfwould not go back with her. So Targutaiand T odoyan had defeatedHoelun with her ch ildren ,and taken one half of Yessugai’speople ; the second half jo ined oth er leaders . But Hoelun , astrong , resolute woman , protected h er familyand foundmeans tosupport it . Her children lived in poor, harsh conditions ,and grewup in th emidst of host ilityandhatred . T oass istand give help toth eir mother they made b ooks out of needlesand fished in th e

river Onon which was close to th eir dwelling . Once T emudjinand Kassar went to fi sh with their half broth ers , BaiktarandBelgutai, Yessugai’s ch i ldren byanoth er wife . T emudjin caughtagolden hued troutand his half broth ers took it from him. He

went th en with Kassar to Hoelun . We caugh tagolden huedfi sh , said they , but Baiktarand Belgutai took it . Why do

ye quarrel ? asked th e moth er, we have no friendsat present ;allhave deserted us ; noth ing st icks to us now but our shadows .

We have no power yet to pun ish th e Taidjuts . Why do yeactlike the sons of Alan Goa,and quarrel ? Why notagreeand gainstrengthagainst enemies ?T emudjin was dissatisfied ; he wish ed Hoelun to take his s ideand goagainst Baiktar. The oth er day, ” said h e , I shotabirdand Baiktar took th is birdalso . Heand his brother to-daysnatched my fi sh fromme . If th eyactalways in th is way how can

aI live with th emr And h e turned from his moth er very qu ick ly .

Both brothers rush ed out , slammed the doorflap behind themandvanished .

Wh en they were out th ey saw Baiktar onah ill herding horses .

T emudjin stole up from behind,and Kassar in front ; they hadtakenarrowsandwereaiming when Baiktar turnedand saw them.

Why treat me l ikeasplinter in the mouth , orahair on th e

eyeball ? asked he . Though ye kill me spare my brother, donot killBelgutai. Then b e bent his legs under him,andwaited .

T emudjin from beh indandKassar in front killed Baiktar witharrows . Wh en they went home Hoelun knew by the ir faces whathadhappened. Thou wert born ,

”

said she to T emudjin , grasping bloodin thy fingers . Thouand thy brotherare l ike dogs when

20 The Mongols

devouringavillage , or serpents wh ich swallowal ive what theyspring upon , or wolves hunting prey inasnow storm. T he iajuries done us by the Taidjutsare terrible , ye migh t plan to growstrongand then pun ish the Taidjuts . But whatare ye do ing ?Wellmigh t sheask ,

for she did not know then her wonderful sonT emudjin , for whom it wasas natural to removeahalf brother, orevenabrother, by killing himas to setas ideany other obstacle .

He who workedallhis life t illits end to eliminate opponents wasthat day beginning his migh ty career,andhis first real work was themurder of his half brother Baiktar, whose father was his own

father, Yessugai.No matter who T emudjin ’

s enemies were he removed themas coo llyasateacher in his classroom rubs figures fromablackboard . He struck down the Taidjutsas soonas he felt himselfstrong enough , but before he could do that his task was to weedoutand train his own family . T he first work before him wasthe empire of his household . Ne ither mother, nor brother,noranyone must stand between T emudjinand his object ; in thathe showed his great s ingleness of purpose , his invincible will power,his wisdom in winning the success wh ich his mind saw. Th e wis

dom of Temudjin in bu ilding up empire wasan unerring clearinstinct like the instinct ofab ee in constructing its honeycomb ,or th e judgmentand skill ofabird in finding the proper naterial,and weaving the round perfect nest for its eggsand its little ones .

T emudjin began his career in realpractice by killing h is halfbro th ermainly through the hand of his full brother Kassar, whowasfamed later onas the unerring strongarch er,andwho in t ime triedunsuccessfully to rival the invincible T emudjin .

T emudjin was now master inavery smallregion , but he wasmas ter. His motherand brothers did not dominate , or interfere ,theyassis ted him. T he family lived foratime in seclus ionanduninjured tillat last Targutai roused up his followers to action .

T emudjinand his brothers have grown ,

”

said b e , they ares tronger .

” Taking with him some comrades he rodeaway qu icklyto fi nd T emudjin wi th his family . Fromafar Hoelun and herch ildren saw the men coming and were frigh tened. T emudjinse iz ed his horse qu ickly ,and fled befo re o thers to the mountain .

Belgu tai hid his half bro thers and s is ter inacl i ff ,after that hefelled trees to stop the horsemen . Kassar sentarrows to h inder

T emudj in Beg ins H is M ighty Careerth e Taidjuts . We want only T emudjin , we want no one else,said they . T emudjin had fled to Mount Targunaiand h iddenth ere in dense th ickets whith er they could not fo llow . Theyrounded Targunaiand watched closely ,

He spent three days in secret places ,and then led his horse outto flee from the mountain . When near the edge of th e forest the

saddle fell . He saw that breast strapand girth were both fixedsecurely A saddle may fall, ” though t b e , though th e girthbe wellfastened , but how can it fall wh en the breast strap is holdingit ? I see now that Heaven is protecting me .

”

He turned backand passed three oth er days h iding ; then hetried to go outasecond t ime—agreat rock fellin front of him,

blocked the roadand stopped his passage . Heaven wills that Istay here stilllonger,

”

said T emudjin . He went backand spentthree other days on the mountain , n ine days inallwithout eat ing .

Must I die herealoneand unh eard of ?”

though t he despairingly . Better goatallhazards .

”

He cutaway near the rockand led his horse down the mountain s ide .

The Taidjuts , who were watching outs ide very carefully, seizedT emudjinand took him to Targutai, who commanded that akang b e put on him,andalso fetters ,and that h e l ive one dayandnight in each tent . So he passed from one family toanother insuccession . During th ese changes he gained the close friendshipof one Sorgan Sh ira,and ofan old woman . The old woman waskindand put rags on the kangat the po ints where his shoulderswere galled by it .

Once the Taidjuts madeafeast near th e Ononand went homeafter sunset ,appo int ingaboy to watch over the capt ive . T emudjinhad beenable to break his own fetters ,and seeing thatallhadgonehome felled the b oy with the kang in wh ich his own headand bothhands were fastened . Then he ran toaforestalong the Ononandlay down there , but , fearing lest they might fi nd him, h e rose ,

hurried on to the ri verand sank in it , leaving only his faceabovewater .

T he boy soon recoveredand screamed that the capt ive had fledfrom him. Some Taidjuts rushed qu ickly together on hearinghim, and searched around everywh ere . Th ere was moonligh tthat even ingand Sorgau Sh iraof the Sulduts , who was search ingwith others ,andhadgone qu iteadistanceah ead , found T emudjin,

22 T he Mongols

but did no t callout . The Taidju ts hate th ee because thou hastwisdom,

”

said h e to the capti ve , thou wilt die if they fi nd thee .

Stay where thou art for the present , and b e careful, I willnotbetray thee toany one .

”

T he pursuers went some distance wh ile search ing . Th is manescaped during dayligh t , ” said Sorgau Sh ira, when he overtookth em. It is n igh t nowand di fficult to fi nd him. Better searchnearer places , we can hunt h ere to -morrow . He has no t come thus

far, —how could he run such adistance with akang on his

shoulders

O n th e way back Sorgau Sh irawent to T emudjinasecond time .

\'Ve shallcome h ither to -morrow to search for thee , ” said h e .

Hurry o ff now to thy motherand bro thers . Shouldst thou meet

any man tellhim not that I saw thee .

” When Sorgan Sh irahadgone , T ermudjm fell to th inking and though t in th is manner :Wh ile s toppingat each tent I passedaday with Sorgan Sh ira;Ch ilaand Ch inbo his sons showed me pity. They took o ff

the kang in the dark frommy shouldersand letme lie down thenin freedom. He saw me to -day, I cannot escape t illth is kang istaken o ff , h e willdo that , I willgo to him. He willsave me .

So T emudjin wentand when h e entered the yurtaSorgan Sh irawas frigh tened .

“ Why come now to me ?” inqu ired h e . I

told thee to go to thy motherand brothers . Wh enabird ispursued byafalcon , said T emudjin , it h ides in th ick grassandthus saves itself .

”

We should b e of less value than grass were we not to help th ispoor youth , who thus begs us ,

”

said to h imself Sorgan Sh ira. Th eboys took the kang from the captiveand burned it , then they hidT imudj in inacart which they piled h igh with wool packsand toldKadan , the ir s ister, to guard the woo l carefully ,and not speak of

T emudjin toany living person .

T he Taidjutsappeared on the th ird day . Has no one here seen

that runaway ? asked they of Sorgan . Search where ye will, ”was the answer. They searched the whole yurta, then theysearchedaround the house inallplaces ,and threw out the woo lt illthey came to the cart bo x . They were go ing to empty th isalsowhen So rgan laughedat them, saying , How couldany manlive inacart load o f woolth is ho t weather ? They prodded thewoolth en with lances ; one o f these entered T emudjin

’

s leg , but

T emudjin Begins H is M ighty Career 23

he was silentand moved not . The Taidjuts were satisfied ,andWentaway without emptying the cart box .

Thou hast come very near killing me, ” said Sorgau to T emud

j in . Th e smoke of my house would have van ished,andmy fi rewould have died out forever had they found thee . Go now to thy

motherand brothers .

”

He gave T emudjinawh ite- nosed , sorrel mare withoutasaddle ,gave himabo iled lamb wh ich was fat because reared by twomothers

,gave himaskin of mare ’

s milk ,abowand twoarrows ,but no flint lest h e strike fi re on th e way,and betray h imself .

T emudjin went to th e ru ins of his first houseand then h igherup th e Onon t illhe reach ed the Kimurha. He saw tracks nearthat riverand followed th em on to Mount Baitar . In front of thatmountain is asmaller one , Horehukin ; th ere h e foundallhisbroth ers and Hoelun his moth er. T emudjin moved now withth em to Mount Burhan . Near Burhan is th e high land Gulyalgu ,

through th is land runs the river Sangur, on the bank of that riverisah illcalled KaraJirugeandagreen co lored lake near th efoot of it . At this lake T emudjin fixed his yurta, trapped marmotsand field mice , and thus th ey l ived onforaseason . At

last some Taidjut thieves drove off e ight horses from T emudjin ,

leaving only the wh ite- nosed sorrelmare wh ich Sorgan had givenh im,andon wh ich Belgutaihadgone to hunt marmots . He came

back that even ing withaload of th em.

Th e horses have been stolen , said T emudjin . I will gofor them, said Belgutai. Thou cou ldst not fi nd them, answeredKassar, I willgo . Ye couldnot fi ndthem,andif ye found themye could not bring th em back , called out T emudjin , I willgo .

”

T emudjin set his broth ersasideas uselessat that juncture, theirauthorityand worth were to himas noth ing . T emudjin

’

s is the

only , the genu ine authority . He rode off on the wh ite- nosedsorrelmare,and fo llowed th e trailof th e eight stolen horses . He

traveled three daysand on the fourth morning early h e saw nearthe roadayoungman who hadled upamareandwasmilk ing her.

Hast thou seen eigh t gray horses ? asked T emudjin . Beforesunrise eigh t horses went past me , I willshow thee the trailoverwhich they were driven .

”

T emudjin’

s weary beast was let out thento pasture ;awh ite horse withablack stripe on its spine was ledinto go farther. Th e youth hid his leather pailand his bag in the

24 The Mongols

grass very carefully Thou art tired, said he to T emudj in ,

andartanxious . My name is Boorchu , I willgo with thee forthy horses . Nahu Boyan is my father, Iam his one sonand heloves me .

”

So th ey set out togetherand traveled three days in company .

O n the th ird day toward evening they came toacamp groundand saw the e igh t horses . Stayat th is place O my comrade ,said T emudjin , I willgoand drive o ff those horses .

”

If I have come h ither to help thee why should I stayaloneand do no th ing ? asked Boorchu . So they went on togetheranddrove o ff the horses . T he th ieves hurriedafter th em promptlyand one , who rodeawh ite stallion , hadalassoandwas gaining onthe comrades . Give me thy qu iverand bow ,

”

said Bob' rchu ,

“ Iwillmeet him withanarrow .

”

Let me use th e b ow ,

”answeredTemudjin , those enemies migh t wound thee . T h e man on the

wh ite horse was directing his lasso and ready to hurl it whenT emudjin

’

sarrow pu tan end to hisaction . That nigh t T emudjinand Boorchu madeajourney wh ich would have taken three daysforany o ther men , and saw the yurtaof Nahu Boyan in the

distanceat daybreak .

W i thout thy help , said T emudjin, I could not have broughtback these horses . Without thee I could have done noth ing , so letus divide now these eigh t beasts between us .

” I decide d to helpthee ,

” answered Boorchu . because I saw thee weighed downand weary from sorrowand loneliness , why should I take what isth ine from thee ? Iammy father’s one son , his wealth is enoughfor me , more is not needed . If I should take th ine how couldstthou call me thy comrade ?When they entered the yurtaof Nahu Boyan they found the old

man grieving bitterly for Boo’ rchu O n seeing them he shed tearsand reproached his son sharply . I know not , said Bob'rchu inanswer, how I though t ofassisting th is comrade , but when Isaw him wornandanxious I had to go wi th him. Th ingsare nowwellagain , for Iam with thee , my father . Nahu Boyan becamesatisfi ed when h e h eard the whole story . Bo

'

circhu rode o ff then

and brought the leather milk pail,killedalamb , filledabag with

mare ’

s milk ,and tying it to the horse likeapack gave T emudjinallto sustain him. Yeare young , ” said Nahu Boyan , be ye

friends , and b e faith ful. ” T emudjin took farewell of Boorchu

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26 T he Mongols

thou wert born , said Charchiutai to T emudjin , I gave theealined sable wrap , I gave thee too my son Chelmai, b utas he wasvery li ttleat that t ime , I kept the boy with meand trained him,

b ut now wh en h e is grown upand skilfulI bring him. Let himsaddle thy horseand open doors to thee .

” W ith that he gave hisson Chelmai to T emudjin .

Some short timeafter th is , just before daybreak one morn ing ,Hoakchin ,an oldwoman , Hoelun

’

s faithf ul servant , who slept onthe ground , sprang up qu icklyand called to h er mistress Omo th er, rise , I h ear the earth tremble O mo ther, the Taidjutsarecoming , our terrible destroyers ! Hasten ,

O mother !” Rouse

up the ch ildren ,

”

said Hoelun , wake themallqu ickly Hoelun

rose to h er feetas she was speaking . T emudjinand his bro therssprang upand ran to their horses . Hoelun carried her daugh terTaimulun . T emudjin had only one saddle beast ready . Th erewas no horse for Bortai, so h e galloped off with his brothers .

Thus showing that self - preservation was his one though t .

Hoakchin , the old woman , hid Bortai, sh e stowed h eraway inasmallblack kibitka(cart ) ,attachedapied cow to itanddrovealongth e river T ungela. As the n igh t darkness clearedand ligh t wasapproach ing some mounted men overtook the old woman . Wh o

art thou asked they , riding up to her . I goaroundand sh earsheep for rich people , Iamon my way home now ,

”

saidHoakchin .

Is T emudjinat his yurta? askedahorseman . Wh ere is it ?

His yurtais no t far, but I know no t where he isat th is moment ,

answered Hoakchin .

When the men had ridden o ff the oldwoman urged on the cow ,

b u t jus t then theaxle broke . Hoakchin wished to hurry on foot

to the mountain wi th Bortai, b ut the horsemen had turned backalreadyand came to her. Wh o is in there ? askedamanas h epo intedat the k ibi tka. I have wool there replied the old

woman . Let us lookat th is wool, brothers , said one o f the

mounted men . They dragged Bortai out . and then put her on

ho rseback w i th Hoakchin . Next they followed on T emudjin’

s

tracks to Mount Burhan , b u t could no t come up with him. W ishing to enter the mountain land s traigh tway they tried one andano ther place , b ut found no road o fany kind open . In one partas ticky mo rass , inanotheradense growth o f fo restand th icket .They did no t fi nd the secret roadand could no t break inatany

T emudjin Begins H is M ighty Career 27

point . These horsemen were from three clans of M erkits . The firsthad been sent by TuktaBijhiof theUduts ; th e second byDairUsunof the Uasits ; th e third by Bastai Darmalaof the Haats . Theyhad come to wreak vengeance on Temudjin because Yessugai,his father, had snatchedaway Hoelun from Chilaidu , and th isHoelun was Temudjin ’

s moth er . Th ey now carried off Bortai,T emudjin

’

s wife, who was thus taken in vengeance,as they said,for the stealing of Hoelun .

Temudjin , fearing lest they migh t b e inambush , sent his halfbrother, Belgutai, and Boorchu , with Ch elmai to examineanddiscover . In three days when these men were wellsatisfied thatthe M erkits had gone from themountain , Temudjin left his h idingplace . He stood , struck his breastand cried looking h eavenward :Thank s to th e ears ofaskunk ,and the eyes ofan ermine in the

head of old Hoakchin , I escaped capture . Bes ides that Mount

Burhan has savedme,and from th is day I will make ofl’ering to themountain ,and leave to my ch ildrenand th eir ch ildren th is dutyof sacrifice .

” Th en he turned toward th e sun , put his girdle on

his back , took his cap in his hand,and striking his breast bent hisknees n ine times in homage ; h emade nextalibation of tarasun ,al iquor distilled out of mare ’

s milk .

Af ter that T emudjin with Kassarand Belgutaiwent to Togru lon the Tulaand implored him, O fatherand sovereign ,

”

saidT emudjin , three clans of M erkits fellon us suddenly,and stolemy wife, Bortai. Is it not poss ible to save h er ?Last year, ” said Togrul, wh en th e cloak of black sable was

brough t to me, I promised to lead back thy people who deserted ,and those who were scattered . I remember th is well,and becauseof my promise I willroot out the M erkits , I willrescueand return

to thee Borts i . Inform Jamukathat thy wife has been stolen .

Ta0 tumans 1 of warriors willgo with me, let Jamukalead out thesame number.

”

Jamuka, ch ief of th e Juriatsat that time, was descended fromabrother of Kabu l Khan , and was th ird cous in therefore to

T emudjin . Temudjm sent his brothers to Jamukawith th ismessage : Th e M erkits have stolen my wife, thouand I haveth e same origin ; can we notavenge this great insult ? He sent

Togrul’

s statementalso . I have h eard,

”

said Jamuka, that‘A tuman is ten thousand.

28 The Mongols

T emudjin’

s wife has been stolen , Iam grieved very greatlyat histroubleand willh elp him.

”

He told where the three clans werecamping ,and promised toaid in bringing back Borts i .TellT emudj inandTogrul, saidhe , that myarmy is ready .

lVith meare some people belonging to T emudj in ; from th em Iwillgather one tuman of warriorsand take the same number of

my own folk with them, I willgo up to Bu tohan Boreb i on the

Onon where Togrulwillmeet me .

” They took back theanswerto T emudjin ,and went to Togru l with the words fromJamuka.Togrulse t out with two tumans of warriors toward the Kerulon

andmet T emudjinat the river Kimurha. O ne tuman of T ogrul’

s

men was led by Jaganbo , his brother . Jamukawaited th ree daysat Butohan Borchi for Togruland Jaganbo ; he was angryandf ullof reproaches when he met them. Wh en conditions aremade betweenallies , said he , though windand rain come toh inder, men should meetat the seasonappo inted . T he time of

our meeting was settled,agiven word is the sameasan oath , if

the word is not to b e kept noally should b e invitedI have come three days late , ” said Togrul . Blame , and

punish me , Jamuka, my brother, unt ilthouart satisfied.

”

T he warriors went on now crossed the Kilbo to Buurawh erethey se iz edallthe peopleandWith themthewife of theMerkit ,TuktaBijhi. TuktaBijhi, who was sleeping , would have been apturedhad not his huntersandfishermen hurried on in the nigh t timeandwarned him. Heand Dair Usun , his bro ther, ru shedaway downthe ri ver to Bargudjin . Wh en the M erkits were flee ingat n igh tdownalong the Selinga, T ogrul

’

s men hunted on fiercelyandwereseiz ing them. In that rush ing crowd T emudjin shou ted : BortaiO Borts i She was with the flee ing people ; she knew T emud

j in ’

s vo iceand sprang fromasmallcovered cart with Hoakchin ,

the oldwoman . Runn ing up,sh e caugh t T emudjin

’

s horse by thebridle . T he moon broke through clouds that same moment ,andeach knew the o ther.

T emudjin sent to Togru l without waiting . I have found ,said b e , those whom I was seeking ; let us camp nowand goon no farther to - nigh t .

” They camped there . Wh en the M erkits

wi th three hundred men attacked T emudjin to take vengeancefor snatch ing o ff Chilaidu ’

s wife , Hoelun , TuktaBijhi, thebro ther o f Cbilaidu ,

with two other leaders rode three t imes

Temudjin Begins H is M ighty Career 29

round Mount Burhan , but could not fi nd T emudjin , and onlytook Bot tai . They gave heras wife to Chilger,ayounger brotherof Chilaidu , th e first husband of Hoelun ,

T emudjin’

s moth er.

(Th is Chilaidu was perhaps T emudjin’

s father .) Now, whenagreatarmy was led in b y Togruland Jamuka, Chilger was cruellyfrigh tened . I have been doomed likeacrow ,

”

said h e , to eatwretched scraps of old skin , b ut I should like greatly th e taste of

some wild goose . By my ofl’ensesagainst Bortai I have brought

evilsu ffering on th e Merkits ; the harm wh ich now has befallenthem may crush mealso . T o save my life I must hide in some

smalland dark corner.

” Having said this he vanished . HaataiDarmalawas the only man captured; they putakang on his neckand went straigh t toward Mount Burhan .

Those three hundred M erkits who rode thrice round Mount

Burhan were slain every man of them. The ir wives , who were fi tto continue as wives , were given to new husbands ; those who

should only b e slaves were delivered to slavery .

Thou ,O my father,and thou myanda, said T emudjin to

Togruland Jamuka, Heaven through theaid which ye gaveme has strength ened my hands to avengeagreat insult . The

M erkits who attacked me are ext ingu ish ed , th eir wi ves aretaken capt ive , the work is now ended .

” That same year Bortaigave birth to her first son , Juch i ,and because of h er capt ivity thereal fath er of Juchiwasalwaysaquest ion in the mind of T emud

jin .

The Uduts had left in th eir campabeautifulsmall boy, Kuichu .

He had splendid bright eyes, was dressed in river sable,and on

his feet were boots made of deer hoofs . Wh en th e warriors tookthe camp they seized Ku ich iand gave him to Hoelun . Temudjin ,

Togruland Jamukadestroyedall th e dwellings of the M erkits

and captured the womenleft in th em. Togrulreturned then to th eTula. T emudjinand Jamukawent to Horho Nach i'iburandfixedacamp there . The twomen renewedformer t imesand the originof their friendsh ip ; each promised now to love the other more

firmly thanaforetime , if possible . Temudjin was in his boyhood,

eleven years ofage, when they made th emselves andas the

first day ; both were guests of Togrulat that period . Now th eyswore friendshipagain ,

— became andas asecond time . Th eydiscussedfriendsh ip with each oth er : Oldpeople,” saidT emudjin ,

30 The Mongols

declare that when men becomeandas both have one l ifeas itwere ; ne itherabandons the other,and each guards the life of his

anda. Now we strengthen our friendsh i panew,and refresh it .”

At these words T emudjin girded Jamuka, with agolden belt ,wh ich he had taken from the M erkits ,and Jamukagave himarichgirdle ,andasplendidwh ite stallion , wh ich he had captured . Theyarrangedafeas t underabroad spreading tree near the cli ff knownas Huldah ,andat night they slept under one blanket together .

T emudjinand Jamuka, from love ,as it were , of each other,

l i ved eigh teen month s in glad, careless company , b ut really eachof the two men was studyingand watch ing hisandaand workingagainst him withallthe power poss ibleas was shown very clearlyin the sequel. At last during April, while moving , the two friendsspurred onah ead of th e kibitkasand were talkingas usual: If

we camp near that mountain in front , ” said Jamukaallat once ,the horseherds will get our yurtas . If we camp near the ri ver

the shepherds willhave food for th eir gullets .

”

T emudjin madenoanswer to words wh ich seemed darkand fateful, so he haltedto wait for his wifeand his mother ; Jamukarode fartherandlefthim. When Hoelun had come up to him T emudjin told her thewords of Jamuka,and said , I knew not what they could s ignify ,h ence I gave him noanswer. I have come toask thy opin ion ,

mother. Hoelun had not t ime to reply because Bortai wasqu icker . Peo ple say , declared Bortai, that thy friend seeksthe newand despises the old; I th ink that he is tired of us . Is

there not some trick in these words wh ich he has given thee ? Is

there not some danger beh ind them? \Ve ough t not to halt , letus go onallnigh t byanew road , and not stop untildaybreak .

It is better to part in good health from Jamuka. ” Bortai talkswisdom,

”

said T emudjin . He went on then by his own road,as idefrom Jamuka

,and pas sed near one camp of the Taidjuts whowere frigh tened when they saw him; they rose upand hurriedawav that same n igh t to Jamuka. Those Taidjuts left in the ircampasmallb oy , Kokochu . T emudjin

’

s men found the ladandgave himas apresent to Hoelun .

After th is swi ft , alln igh t ’s jo urney wh en day came T emudjin’

s

party was jo ined by many Jelairs . Ho rchiof the Barin clan cameth en to T emudjinafter daybreak and spoke to h imas follows :I know througharevelation of the spiri t what will happen ,and

T emudj in Begins H is M ighty Careerto th ee I now tellit : Inavis ion I sawapied cow coming up toJamuka; she stopped , looked at him, dug th e earth near hisyurtaand broke off one horn as sh e was digging . Then she

bellowedvery loudly ,and cried : Give back my horn ,O Jamuka.

After thatastrong hornless bullcame drawing the pins ofagreatruler

’

s tent behind T emudjin’

s kibitka. Th is great bulllowedashe traveled, and said : Heavenappoints T emudjin to b e lordof dominion , Iam taking his power to him.

’ Th is is what thespirit revealed in my vis ion . What deligh t wilt thou give me for

this revelation ? ” When I become lord of domin ion ,I will

make thee commander of ten thousand , ” said T emudjin .

“ Ihave told thee much of h igh value , ” said Horchi. If thou

make me merely commander of ten thousand what great deligh tcan I get from the office ? Make me that ,andlet me choosealsoas wives thirt y beautifulmaidens wh erever I fi nd them,and giveme bes ides what Iask of thee .

”

T emudjin nodded ,and Horchi

was sat isfied .

Next cameanumber of men from four oth er clans . Th ese hadallleft Jamakafor T emudjin ,and jo ined himat the river Kimurha. And then was completedawork of great moment : Altan ,

Hucharand Sachai Baiki took counselwithalltheir own kinsmen ,

and when they had fin ished th ey stood before T emudjin andspoke to himas follows We wish to proclaim th ee,

”

said th ey .

When thouart Khan we shallb e in the front of every battleagainst all thy enemies . Wh en we capture beaut iful women

and take splendid stallionsand mares we willbringall to thee

surely ,and whenat th e hunt thouart beating in wild beasts wewillgo inadvance of othersand give th ee the game taken by us .

If in battles we transgress thy commands , or in peace wework harmto thee inany way, take from us everything , take wivesand propertyandleave us out th en in wild, barren places to perish .

”

Having sworn thus th ey proclaimed T emudjin ,andmade him Khanoverallof them.

T emudjin , now Khan in the land of the four upper rivers , commandedhis comrade Boorchu , whomhe called youngest brother,

”

together with Ogelayu ,Hochiun , Chedaiand T okolku to carry

his bows and his qu iver. Vanguru and Kadan Daldur to

dispense foodand drink, to b e masters of nourishment . Dagaiwas made master of shepherds , Guchugur was made master of

32 T he Mongols

kibitkas . Dodai became master of servants . After that b e commanded Kub ilai, Chilgu taiand Karkaito Kuraun with Kassarhis bro ther to b e swordbearers ; his half brother Belgutai withKaralDaito Kuraun to b e masters of horse training . Daichu ,

Daihu t , MorichiandMuthalhu were to b e masters of horseherds .

Then h e commandedArkai Kassar, Tagaiand SukagaiChaurhanto b e like nearand distantarrows , that is , messengers to nearanddistan t places . Sabotai the Valiant spoke up then and said :I will b e likean oldmouse in snatch ing , I will b e l ikeajackdaw

in speed , I willb e likeasaddlecloth to h ide things , I willward o ffevery enemy ,as felt wards ofl' wind , that is what I shall b e for thee .

T emudjin turned then to Boorchuand Chelmai. Wh en I wasalone , ” saidhe , ye two before othermen came to meas comrades .

I have no t forgotten th is . Be ye first inallth isassembly .

” Thenh e spoke further, and said to other men T o you who havegathered in hereaf ter leaving Jamuka, and have jo ined me , Ideclare that if Heaven keepsand upholds meas h itherto

, ye willallb e my fortunate helpersand stand in h igh honor before me ;th en b e instructed them how to perform their new duties .

T emudjin sent Tagaiand Sukagai toannounce hisaccessionto Togrul of the Keraits . I t is well,

”

said Togrul, that T emud

jin is made Khan ; how could ye live even to th is time withoutacommander ? Be not false to the Khan whomye have chosen .

”

T emudjin sent Arkai Kassarand Belgu tai with s imilar tidingsto Jamukawhoanswered : TellAltanand Huchar, T emudjin

’

s

uncleand cous in ,that they by calumn ies have parted me now from

my anda, andask them why they did not proclaim T emudjinwhen heand I were one person in spirit ? Be yeallact iveas s istants to T emudj in . Le t his h eart b eat rest through your faithfulness .

Th is was the formal o fficial reply , Jamuka’s real answer wasgiven soonafter .

Taichar,ayounger bro ther o f Jamuka, was l i ving not far fromMount Chalma, andaslave of T emudjin , named Darmela, wass topping fo raseas onat Sari Keher aslave was cons idered inthe customs o f thatageand peopleasabro ther hence wasasabro ther in cons ideringavendettaand dealing with it Taicharstoleaherd of ho rses from Darmalawhoseas sistants feared tofollow and restore them,

Darmalarushedalone in pursu itand

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34 The Mongols

spear thrust, was the man who had brought home T emudjinfrom the house of Desaiehan his father- in-law when his own

fath er, Yessugai, was dying .

Soonaf ter the bo iling to death of those captives in the forest

adivis ion o f the Juris ts , that is Jamuka’s own clansmen ,came

and jo inedT emudjin for the following reason : The Juriat landstouched those of T emudjin

’

s people ,and onacertain day men of

both s ides were huntingand the parties met by pure chance inthe evening . Let us pass the nigh t here wi th T emudjin ,

”

saidsome of the Juriats . Others would not consent ,and one half ofthe party , made upaltogether of four hundred, went home ; theother two hundred remained in the forest . T emudj in gave thesemenallthe meat needed,

and kettles in which they could bo ilit,h e treated them generouslyand with friendsh ip .

These Juris ts halted stilllongerand hunted with T emudjin’

s

party . They received every evening somewhat more of the gamethan was due them;at part ing they were satisfi ed with T emudjin ’

s

kindnessand thanked him s incerely . At h eart they felt sad, for

their po sition was painful. They wished greatly to jo in T emudjin,

but desired not to leave their own people ;and on the way homethey said to oneanotheras they traveled : “

The Taidjutsare gone,th ey willnot th ink of us in future . T emudjin cares for his peopleand do es everyth ing to defend them.

”

O n reach ing home theytalkedwith their elders . Let us settle stillnearer to T emudjin,

said they , and obey him, give him service .

” What harm havethe Taidjuts done you ? was theanswer . Theyare k insfolk ;how could we become one wi th the ir enemy ,and leave them?No twi thstanding th isanswer Ulug Bahadurand Tugai Talu withth e ir kinsmenand dependents wentaway inabody to T emudjin .

We have come ,

”

said they , likeawoman beref t of h er husband, o rah erd wi thoutamas ter, oraflock withoutashepherd .

In friendsh i pandagreement we would live with th ee , we woulddraw our swords to defend thee ,and cut down thy enemies .

”

I was likeasleeping man wh en ye came to me,”

said T emud

j in , ye pulled me by the fo relockand roused me . I was s ittinghere in sadness , and ye chee red me , I willdo what I can now to

satis fy your wishes . He made various rules andarrangementswhich pleased them,and they were satisfied perfectly ,at leas t foraseas on .

T emudj in Beg ins H is M ighty Career 35

T emudjin wished to strengthen his position sti ll further, anddes ired to win to hisallian ce Podu who was chief of the Kurulats,whose lands wereadjacent to the Argun . Th is ch ief was renownedasanarcherandawarrior . T emudjin offered him his sister in

marriage . T h e offer wasacceptedwith gladness . Podu was readyto give T emudjin half his horses ,and proffered th em.

Oh , said T emudjin , thou and I willnot ment ion e ithertaking or giving ; we twoare broth ersandallies , not traffickersor traders . M en in the old t ime have said that one h eartand one

soulcannot b e in two bodies , but th is is just what in our case Ishallshow toallpeopleas existing . I desire noth ing of th eeandthy people , but friendship . I wish to extend my domin ionandonlyask faithfulh elp from my s ister’s husband and his tribesmen . The marriage took placeand Podu was hisally .

Soonafter th is first group of Juriats had joined T emudjin ,

some more of their people discussed at ameet ing as followsT h e Taidjuts torment us unreasonably , th ey give us nothingwhatever, wh ile T emudjin takes th e coat from his back andpresents it . He comes down from th e h orse wh ich h e has mountedand gives that same horse to th e needy . He isagenuine leader,h e is toallasafath er . His is th e best governed country .

” Th isfractionalso joined T emudjin .

Anoth er marriage to b e ment ioned was that of T emudjin’

s

moth er to Munlik , son of Charaba,and fath er of th e seven broth ersth e great figh ters . Allth eseaccess ions of power,andhis victory

so strength ened Temudjinand rejoiced him that h e made for hismoth erand step -moth ers and kinsfolk , with allth e new people ,afeast near th e ri ver Onon , inaforest . At th is feast femin inejealousy touch ing pos it ion ,and the stealing ofabridle , brough taboutadisputeandan outbreak . In spite of T emudjin

’

s powerandauthorityan encounter took placeat th e feast wh ich causedone ch ief , Sidje Bijhi of th e Barins , to withdraw with his party .

He withdrew not from the feastalone , but from hisalliance withT emudjin .

T he quarrel began in th is way : T emudj in sentajar of mare ’

s

milk first of allto his mother, to Kassarand to Sachai Baiki .Thereupon HolichinandHurchin , his two step-mothers grewangry .

Why not give milk to us before those people , why not givemilkto usat the same time with T emudjin ’

s mother ?” asked they

36 The Mongols

as th ey struck Shikiurwho was master of provisions . Th is strikingbrought on adisturbance . Thereupon T emudjin commandedhis half brother, Belgutai, to mount his horse and keep orderand take Buri Bugaon the part of th e Churkis to h elp him. Aman of th e Hadjin clanand connected with th e Churkis stoleabridleand was discovered by Belgutaiwho stopped him. BuriBuga, feeling bound to defend this man , cut th rough Belgutai’ssh oulder piece ,

wounding him badly .

Belgutaimade no complaint wh en his blood flowed Temudjin ,

who was underatree look ing on , noted everyth ing . W'

hy su ffer

such treatment ? inqu ired he of Belgutai. Iam wounded,

”

said Belgutai, but the wound is not serious ; cous ins should notquarrel because of me .

”

T emudjin brokeabranch from the tree ,

se izedami lk paddle , sprang h imselfat the Churkisand beat them;then seiz ing his step -moth ers he brough t them back to their places ,and to reason .

T he two Juriat part ies wh ich had jo ined T emudjin grew coo linal legiance soonafter that feastat th e river. They were brough tto this state of mind beyond doubt by intrigues of Jamuka; nextthey fough t with each other,and finally deserted .

Jamukawasaman of immense power in plotting ,and one who

never ceased to pursue his object . T emudjin tried to win some showof kindness from Jamuka. In other words he made ever

v

effort

to subdue him by deep subtle cunning , but all efforts provedfru itless . These men were bound to win power. W ithout powerlife was no l ife for e ither one of the two mas ter tricks ters . Whatever hisact ion or seemingatany t ime Jamukawas T emudjin

’

s

mortal enemyalways . He kept undying hatred in his heart ,andwas ever planning some blowat his ri val. Wh en the Juriats wereat the ir best he was plotting , when they were scatteredand weakandhad in part gone to T emudjin he was none the lessactiveandmade common cause with the enemies of his opponent whereverhe could find them. T emudjin cared for no man or woman ,

andfor no th ing on earth if opposed to his plans of domin ion.

CHAPTER III

WANG KHAN OF THE REBAITS

FRESH opportun ity came now to T emudjin to beat downan enemyand strengthen h imself at th e same t ime . T he

Kin Emperor sent Wang Kin, his minister, with an armyagainst the Lake Buyur Tartars s ince they would neither do whathe wished , nor pay tribute . Not having strength to res ist, theymoved to new places , higher up on th e Ulcha. T emudjinactednow inadoublemanner ; on the one hand he seemedas if helpingtheKin sovereignand represented hisaction to the Golden Khan ’

s

minister in that way . Meanwh ile whenassembling his intimateshe said : Those Buyur men killed both my father and uncle ;now is the t ime toattack them, not to help the Kin sovereign ,

but toavenge our own people .

”

T o Togrul he sent in greathaste th is statement : The Golden Khan is pursu ing the LakeBuyurTartars ; those menare thy enemiesandmine, so do thouhelp me , my father.

”

Togrulcame withaid qu ickly . T emudjin sent to Sachai Baikiand Daichu of the Churkisandasked help of themalso . He

waited six days for reinforcements , but no manappeared fromthe Churkis . Thereupon he with Togrulmarched down the

Ulchaand fellon the Tartars . He was on one bank ,andTogru lon the other. T he Tartars could not retreat s ince the GoldenKhan ’

s men were pursuing , so they raisedastrong fortressagainstthem. T emudjin and Togru l broke into th is fortress ; manyTartars were slain ,andmany captured ,among them their leader.

T emudjin put th is man to death in revenge for his father . Im

mense booty was taken by T emudjinand hisally in capt ives , incattleand property ofallsorts ; among other th ings taken wasas i lver cradleandacloth of gold wh ich lay over it . T emudjinrece ived praise for hisact ion . W ithout strikingablow the Kin

37

38 T he I\Iongols

minister hadaccomplish ed his miss ion ,and later he took to himself , before his sovere ign , the merit of making Togruland T emudjin do his work for him. He gave T emudjin the t itle ChaoHuri ,and to Togrulthe t itle of Wang Khan was given . Iamthankful, said the min ister . “th en I return I willreportalltomy sovere ign , and win for you as tillh igher title .

” Then hedeparted.

T emudjin ,and Togru l now Wang Khan ,and thus we shallcallhim hereaf ter, went to the ir own placesalso .

In the captured Tartar camp ab oy was discovered ; he hadagold ring in his nose , around his waist wasabelt edged withsableand it had golden tassels . They took the lad straigh twayto Hoelun ,

who made him her s ixth son , and named him. He

was known everafteras Shigi Ku tuku . T emudj in had leftatHalil Lake many people ; wh ile he was absent th e Churkis

stripped fifty of these men, tore the ir clo th es o ff ,and slew ten of

them. T emudjin was enragedat th isact ion .

“ Why endure deeds of th is kind from the Churkis ? ex

claimed he . At our feast in the forest they cut Belgu tai in theshoulder . “Th en I wasavenging my fatherand uncle they wouldno t giveaid to us , they went to our enemiesand helped them, now

I w illpun ish those people b efi ttingly .

”

So he led out his men to ru in the Churkis . At Dolon Boldau on

the Kerulon he captured every Churki warrior except Sachai Baiki,and Daichu who rushedaway empty - handed. T emudjin huntedthese two men untiringly tillh e caugh t them. We have not donewhat we promised , ” said they in reply to his ques tions . Theys tretched out their necksas th ey said th is ,andT emudjin cut th e irh eads o ff . He returnedafter that to Dolon Boldau and led o ff

into slavery what remained of the Churkis .

T he origin o f the Churkis wasas follows : KabulKhan ,T e

mudj in ’

s great grandfather, had seven sons . O f these the eldest

was Okin Barka. Kabulchose s trong , daring , skilled archersand gave themasattendan ts to Okin Barka. No matter wherethey went thoseattendants vanqu ish edallwho opposed them,andat las t no man dared vie wi th such champions

, hence they rece ivedthe name Churki .KabulKhan ’

s second son , Bartan , was father o f Yessugai,T emudjin

’

s supposed father. Kabul’s grandson , ch ild of his th ird

Wang Khan of the Keraits 39

son Munlair, was Buri Bugathe comrade of the grandsons of OkinBarka. Buri Bugahad given his adh es ion to the Khan much

earl ier than others , b ut he remained independent in feeling ,h ence T emudjin did not trust him.

Though no man among Mongols could equal Buri Bugainstrength or in wrestling h e did not escapeacrueldeath . Sometime af ter the reduct ion of the Churkis Temudjin commandedBelgutaiand Buri Bugato wrestle in his presence . Wh eneverBelgutai wrestled with Buri Bugathe latter wasable with one

legand one hand to hold himas stillas if lifeless . Th is timeBuri Buga, who feigned to b e beaten , fellwith his face to the earthunder Belgutai, who having him down turned toward T emudjinfor direct ion . T emudjin b it his lower lip ; Belgutai knew whatthis sign meant ,and put t ing his knee to the spine of Buri Bugaseized his neck with both hands ,and broke the backbone of his

opponent .

I could not lose in this struggle , said th e dying Buri Buga,but , fearing the Khan , I feigned defeat ,and then yielded ,and

now thou hast taken my life fromme .

”

At th is t ime Talaigutu ,aman of th e Jclairs who had three sons,commanded the eldest, named Gunnawith his two sons , Mukuliand Bugato go to T emudjinand say to him These sons of

mine willserve thee forever. If they leave thy doors draw fromth eir legsallth e s inews within them,after that cut th eir heartsout ,andalso their l ivers .

” Then Talaigutu commanded Chilaun ,

his second son , to present himself with Tungeand Hashi his own

two sons , and speak as follows : Let th ese my sons guardthy golden doors carefully . If they fail take their li ves fromth em.

After that Talaigutu gave Ch ebke his third son to T emudjin’s

broth er, Kassar. Chebke had found in the camp of th e Churkiab oy, Boronl, whom he gave to Hoelun . Hoelun having placedth e four boys : Kuichu , Kokochu , Shigi Kutuku , and Boronlwith her own children , watched overallwith her eyes duringdayligh t , and listened to them with her ears in the nigh t time ;thus did she rear them.

Who was Togrulof theKeraits, known betteras Wang Khan ?Th is isaquestion of deep interest in the h istory of the Mongols ,for this man had great transactions with T emudjin, h e hadmuch to doalso with Yessugai, T emudjin ’

s fath er. Markuz

40 The Mongols

Buyuruk , Togrul’

s grandfather, who ruled in his day, was capturedby Naur,aTartar Ch ieftain ,and sent to the Kin emperor who hadhim nailed toawoodenass ,and then chopped into pieces . His

widow resol ved to take vengeance on Naur for th is dreadfu ldeath of her husband . She set out some time later on to giveafeigned homage to Naurand to marry him if poss ible ,as wasstated in confidence by some of h er servitors . She brough t to Naurahundred sheepand ten mares , besides ahundred large cow

skins holding ,as was said, distilled mare ’

s milk , but each sk in heldin factawellarmed l iving warrior.

A feast was given straigh tway by Naur during wh ich the hundred men were set free from th e cowskins ,and,aided byattendantsof the widow, th ey slew the Khanand his household .

Markuz left four sons , the two most distingu ished wereKurjaKuz and Gurkhan . KurjaKuz succeeded his father.

Togrul succeeded KurjaKuz his own father by slaying two

uncles , besides anumber of cous ins . Gurkham, his remaininguncle , fled and found asylum with Inanji, Taiyang of

,the

neighboring Naimans , whom h e roused toass ist him. Gurkhanth en with the Naiman troops drove out Togruland made himself ruler. Togru l ,attended byahundred men , went to Yessugaiand implored aid of him. Yessugai reinstated Togrul , andforced Gurkhan to flee to Tangut .Togru l vowed endless friendsh ip to hisallyand became to himasworn friend or anda. ” Wh en Yessugai was po isoned byTartars , T emudj in his son ,ab oyat that t ime , lostauthorityandsu ffered for years from the Taidjuts . Togrulgave h elpand harbored him. After that ,as has beenalready related, when T emudjinhad married and the M erkits stole his wife , Togru lass isted inrestoring her,and with herapart of T emudjin

’

s people . In

1 19 4 he was given the title Wang Khan . Later his brotherexpelled him, and th is time he fled to the Uigurs; but sough taid in vain from the Idiku t , or ruler, of that people . He ledawretched li fe for some time without resource or property ,andlived,as is s tated, on milk fromasmall herd of goats , his sole

sus tenance . He learnedat last that T emudjin had grown in

power, hence he begged aid from him,and got it .

T emudjin gave Wang Khan cattleand in theautumn of thatyear, 1196, made afeas t for th is his old benefactor, and

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42 The Mongols

n igh t . T emudj in thus deserted was forced to withdraw whichh e did unobserved .

Gugsu Seirak followed Wang Khan in hot hasteand overtookhis two bro thers . He captured their families , as well as the irproperty and cattle . Then he entered W

’ang Khan ’

s land andfound there rich booty ofallkinds . “fang Khan sent Sengun ,

h is son , to meet Seirak ; meanwh ile he hurr ied o ff messengerst o T emudjin ,

and begged of himassistance . T emudjin eon

sidering the plight of hisally , bu t stillmore his own perilshouldWang Khan ’

s men b e routedand captured by the Naimans , senthis fourablest chiefs toass ist him. These were Boorchu , Muku li ,Borouland Jilaun . These four led theirmen by hurriedmarches

,

and had just reached the battle- ground when Wang Khan ’

s force

was broken , his best leaders killedand Sengun ,his son , onalame

Wounded stallion , was flee ing . Allth e Khan ’

s property had beentaken by the Naimans . Boorchu dashed up with allspeed to

Sengun ,gave him the horse on wh ich h e h imself had ridden up

to that momentand sat th en on the gray steed wh ich T emudjinhad given himasamark of great favor. He was not to strike

th is horse forany reason ; h e hadmerely to rub the wh ipalonghis mane to make him rush with ligh tning speed duringaction .

Boorchu sent forward his fresh troops , chosen warriors ,and nexthe rallied Sengun

’

s scattered forces to help themagainst theNaimans . Th e Naimans , drunk with victory and no t th inkingof defeat, were soon brough t to their senses . T emudj in

’

s heroes

recovered everyth ing snatch ed from Wang Khan ’

s people , bo th

horsesand property . Wang Khan on the field there thanked hisfi rmallyand thanked the four splendid leaders in the warmestwords poss ible . He gave Boorchu ten golden goble tsandamantleof honor ; he rewarded o thers with very great bounty ,and saidasthey were leaving him: Once Iappearedasafugitive , nakedand hungry ; T emudjin received me , h e nourishedand clothed

me . How can I thank my magnificent son for his goodness ?In fo rmer davs Yessugai brough t back my people , and now

T emudjin has sent his four h eroes ; with Heaven ’

s help theyhave vanquished the Naimans ,and saved me ; I willth ink of thesebenefits ,and never forget them.

”

When the old Khan had gone back to his yurtaandallhadgrown quiet on every side T emudjin went to visit his fath er

Wang Khan of the Keraits 43

and anda. At th e Black Forest the two men expressed to eachother th eir feelings , andat last T emudjin described with much

truth ,and very carefully , though with few words , the realposit ion :I cannot l ive on in safety without thyas sistance , my father.

Th e Naimans on one s ideandmy false, plotting relat ives on the

other, affl ict me . My relat ives rouse up th e Taidjutsand everyenemyagainst me , b ut seeing thy love forme th ey know that wh ilethouartali veand unchanged,andart ruling they cannot destroyme . Thou too , O my father, canst not live on in safety withoutmy fi rm friendship . W ithout me thy false brothersand cousins,ass isted by theirallies , would split up thy peopleand snatch thydomin ion . They would killthee unless by swift fligh t thou wertable to save thyself from ru in . Sengun , thy son , would gain noth

ing , he too would b e swept both from powerand ex istence , thoughh e does not see th isat present . Iam his best stay,as wellas th ine,O my father . Thouart my greatest stay tooand support . Without theeallmy enemies would rise upat once to overwhelmme,but were I gone ,andmy power in th eir hands thy power wouldpass soon to thy deadliest enemies , thy relat ives . O ur one way tokeep powerand l ive on in safety is through afriendship wh ichnoth ing can shatter . That friendsh ip exists now , and we needonly proclaim it . Were I thy elder sonallwould b e qu ietandsettled for both of us .

”

Wh en Wang Khan wasalone he spoke thus to himselfand con

sidered : Iam old, to whom shallI leave the direction of mypeople ? My younger broth ersare without lofty qualities ; mybrother Jaganbo isalso unable to standagainst enemies . Sengunis the only man left me , but whatever Sengun ’

s merits may beI willmake Temudjin his elder brother . W ith these two sons to

h elp me I may live on securely .

”

At the Black Forest T emudjin became elder son to WangKhan . Up to that time h e had called th e old chieftain his fatherthrough friendsh ip , because heand Yessugai had both been hisandas andallies . Now Wang Khanand T emudjin used thewords son and father in conversingand with their realvalue . Th isadoption of T emudjin excluded Sengun in realityfrom the earliest inh eritance ,and T emudjin knew well, of course,that immense oppos it ion would come from Sengunand Jamuka.We shallfigh t s ide by s ide in waragainst enemies, ” said Wang

44 The Mong ols

Khan to his new elder son . In go ingagainst wild beasts weareto hunt wi th common forces . If men try to raise quarrels betweenus we willlend no ear toanyone ,and believe only when we havemetand talked carefully together over every th ing ,and provedit . ”Thus they decided,and the ir friendsh ip on that day was perfect .The crush ing defeat of the Naimans , wh ich lowered them much ,

immediately raised T emudjin above every ri val. Jamuka’splotting had turned agains t h imself most completely , and if hehad planned to help T emudjin he could not have helped better.

Somewhat later Juchi Kassar snatchedano ther victory from the

Naimans ,and weakened them further . TuktaBijhi, the Merkitch ief , sent O rdjankand Ku tu , his brothers , to rouse up the Taidjuts afreshagainst T emudjin . O ngku and Hakadju tookarmsand made ready to help Targutai, the Taidjut ch ief , with Kudodarand Kurul.T emudjin and Wang Khan march ed in the spring of 120 0

and met those opponentsat the edge of the great Gobi desert,wh ere they crushed them completely . Targutaiand Kudodarwere both slain . Targu taiwas the man who hadacted so bitterlyagainst T emudjinafter his father was po isoned . Th is Taidju tleader fellnowat the hand of Jilaun ,ason of that same SorhanSh ira, who had rescued T emudjin from the river Onon , taken thekang from his neckand h idden him under wool racks . Hakadjuand O ngku , who had helped on th is war by enabling TuktaBijhito rouse up the Taidjuts fled now to Bargudjin wi th TuktaBijhi

’

s two bro thers , wh ile Kurulfoundarefuge wi th the Naimans . Stillth is defeat did not end Taidju t rancor . T he Katkins and Saljuts shared also th is hatred . T emudjin strovehowever, to win them,

and sent an envoy with th is message :Each Mongolclan should support me , I then could pro tectallwithou t exception .

” Th is envoy was insulted; some snatchedentrails fromapo tand slapped his face with them; they s truckhim righ tandleftand drove him o ffamid jeers ,and loud howling .

These people knew clearly,o f course , thatafter insults o f that

kind they were in great danger. T he Taidju ts had been crushed,

and stillearlier the Naimans . T he blow wh ich was sure to come

soon would s trike them unsparingly , h ence they fo rmedaleaguequ icklyandme tat Arab ulak wi th some o f the Jelairs , the Durbans ,the Kunkurats ,andTartars . These fi ve peoples killedwi th swords

Wang Khan of the Keraits 45

astallion ,abull ,adog ,aramandahe goat . 0 Heavenandearth hear our wordsand bear witness cried theyat the sacrifice :We swear by the blood of these Victims , themselves ch iefs of

races , that we deserve death in this same manner if we keep notthe promisemade here to -day .

” Th ey vowed then to guard eachs ecret faithfully,andattack theallies without warning or mercy .

T emudjin wasadvised of the pactand the oath by Dayin NoyonaKunkurat Chieftain , hence he had time to meet those confederatesnear Buyar Lake, where he dispersed th emafter figh tingafierce ,stubborn battle . Somewhat later he metadetachment of Taidjutsand some M erkits near the Timurhaand crushed themalso .

Meanwhile the Kunk urats ceased th eir res istance , and set out

to join T emudjin , b ut Kassar, his brother, not knowing theirpurpose ,attackedand defeated them. Th ey turned th ereupon toJamukaand joined his forces .

In 120 1 the Katkins and Saljuts with Kunkurats, Juriats ,Ikirats , Kurulats , Durbans and Tartars met at Alhuibulaandchose Jamukafor their Khan . Th ey wentafter that to the Tulaand took this oath inassembly Shouldany man disclose th eseour plans may h e fallas th is earth falls,and b e cut offas th esebranch esare cut off . ” W ith that th ey push ed downapart of th eri ver bank ,andhacked off with their sabres the branch es ofatree .

Th ey made plans th en to surprise T emudjin wh en unguarded ,and slay him.

A certainman named Kuridai, who had been presentat th e oathtaking , slippedaway homeand told th e whole tale to his broth er- in

law , M ergitai,aKurulat , who happened inat the yurta. M ergitaiinsisted that Kuridai shou ld gallop ofl’ swif tly to Gulyalguandexplain the plot to T emudjin s ince he , Kuridai, with his own earshad h eard it . Take my gray horse with stumpy ears , he willbear thee in safety , ” said M ergitai. Kuridaimountedand rodeaway swif tly . On the road h e was captured byasentry , bu t thatsentry , aKurulat also , was devoted sou land body in secret to

T emudjin , so not only did he free Kuridaiwh en h e h eard of his

errand , but he gave him his own splendid stall ion . On this

horse,”

said the Kurulat , thou canst overtakeany man , but no

man onanoth er beast could overtake thee .

Kuridai hurried off . On the way h e saw warriors bearingasplendid white tent for Jamuka. Someattendants of these men

46 The Mongols

pursued him, but soon he was swept out of sigh t by the stall ion.

In due time he found T emudjin , who on h earing the t idingssprang qu ickly to action . He sent men to Wang Khan who

brough t h is army with promptness and the two allies marcheddown the Kerulonagainst their opponent .Jamukawho intended to fall unawares on his rival was caugh t

h imselfataplace called Edekurgan . Wh ile he was marshallinghis forces Buiruk and Kuduk , his two shamans , raised awindand made rain fall to strike in the face T emudjinand hisallies ,b ut the windand rain turned on Jamuka. T heair became darkand the men tumbled into ravines , and over rough places .

“ Heaven is not gracious to -day,

”

said Jamuka, “that is why

th is misfortune is meeting us .

”

His army was scattered. The

Naimansand others then left him,and, taking those who had pro

claimed him, Jamukawithdrew down the ri ver.

Khan pursued Jamukawh ile T emudjin followed Au tchuof th e Taidjuts ,and those who went with him. Au tchu escaped ,hurried home , rallied his people, crossed the Ononand beganact ion . Aftermany encounters there wasafierceallday battle wi thT emudjin , then both s ides promised to hold the ir places that n igh ton the battle- ground . T emudjin had been wounded in the neckandhad fainted from blood loss . Chelmai, hisattendantand com

rade , sucked out the blood wh ich was s tiffening ,andlikely tachokehim. Th e chief regained consciousnessat midnigh t . Chelmaihadstripped h imself naked, to escape the more easily if captured ,and stolen into the enemy ’s camp to fi ndmare ’

s milk , but foundonly creamwh ich he took with such deftness that no one no ted him

e ither wh ile coming or go ing . He went then for water, mixed theth ick cream with it , and hadadrink ready . T emudj in drankwith much eagerness , drawing three breaths very deeply , ands topped onlyafter the th ird one . My eyes have gained s ight ,said he ,

my soulis now clearagain .

W i th these words he rose toas itting po sition . Wh ile he wass itt ing there day dawned,and he sawagreat patch of sti ff bloodthere by his beds ide .

“ What is th is ? ” asked b e ,

“why is

that blood so near me ? I did no t th ink of far or near, ”answered Ch elmai, I feared to go from thee , evenas matterswere I bo th spat blood and swallowed it No talittle of thyblood has gone into my stomach in spite of me .

”

Wang Khan of the Keraits 47

When I was in those great straits , asked T emudj in , who now

understood what had taken place , how hadst thou courage tostealto the enemyallnaked? If th ey had caught th ee wouldstthou not have said that I was here wounded ? ”

If they hadcaugh t me I should have told them that I had surrendered to

them, but that thou hadst then seiz edme,and learn ing that I hadsurrendered hadst stripped meand wert just ready to cut off myh eadwh en I sprangaway ,and ran to them for refuge . Th ey wouldhave believed every word, given me cloth es ,and sent me to labor.

I should have stolen ahorse soon and ridden back to thee .

”

When th e M erkits were seeking my life on Mount Burhan , saidT emudjin , thou didst defend it , now thou hast sucked stiffenedblood frommy neckand saved me . Wh en I was dying of th irstthou didst risk thy own life to get drinkand restoreme, I shall notforget wh ile I live th ese great services .

”

T emudjin saw next day that Jamuka’s men had scattered inthe n ight while his own men were stillon the battle - ground. He

hunted after the enemy th en for some distance ' allat onceonahillawoman dressed in red was heard shouting : T emud

jin ! T emudjin very loudly . He sent to learn who she was ,andwhy she was shouting . Iam Kadan , the daugh ter of SorgauSh ira, ” said the woman . The people have tried to cut downmy husband,and I was call ing Temudjin to defend him.

”

T emudjin sent qu ickly to save Kadan ’

s husband, but he wasdead wh en they found him. Temudjin then calledKadan to sitathis s ide, because of the t ime wh en she guarded him under woodpacksat her fath er’s . One day later Sorgau Sh irah imself cameto T emudjin . Why come so late ? inqu ired T emudjin . I

have beenalways on thy s ide ,”

replied Sorgan , andanxious tojo in thee , but if I had come earlier th e Taidjuts wou ld havekilledallmy relat ives .

Temudj in pursued farther, and when h e had killed Autchu ’

s

ch ildrenandgrandchildren h e passed with his warriors to Hubahaiwhere h e spent that winter . In 1202 T emudjin moved in springagain st those strong Tartars east of him. That people inhabitedthe region surrounding Buyur Lake and east of it , hence theywere ne ighbors of the Juichis of that day, knownas Manchus inour t ime . Those Tartars had seventy thousand yurtas andformed six divis ions . Their conflicts with each other were frequent,

48 The Mongols

and each tribe plundered every o ther. Between these BuyurTartarsandtheMongols bitter feuds ragedatallt imes . T emudjinfellon two tribes called Iltchiand Chagan . Before the encounter

b e instructedhis warriors very strictly : Hunt down those people,whenye conquer slay without pity , sparing noman . T ouch no bootytilltheaction is over ;after thatallwillb e honestly divided.

”

He

heardlater on that KudjeirandDaritaihis two uncles , with Altanhis cous in had disregarded th is orderand se ized what they cameUpon . He deprived these men s traigh tway ofallthat they hadtaken ,and whenadivis ion was madeat the end of the struggleno part was given them. Through th is strictnessand pun ishmentT emudj in lost the goodwillof those ch iefs who opposed him in

secretand confirmed later on the great rupture made betweenhimand \Vang Khan by Jamuka.T emudjin had slain many Tartars in th is conflictand captured

most of the survivors , now he counseled with his relativesas towhat should b e done with those capt ives . They deserve pun ishment ,

”

said h e ; “they killed our grand uncleand our father.

Let us slay everymale who is h igher than the hub ofacart wh eel .When that is done we must make slaves of th e oth ersand dividethem between us .

”

Allwho were presentaccepted th is method .

T he question being settled in that way Belgu tai went from the

councfl.

What have ye fixed on to -day ? inqu ired Aike Cheran , aTartar captive belonging to Belgu tai. T o killevery male of

you , who is h igher than the hub o facart wheel, said Belgutai.T he o ther prisoners on learning th is broke out and fled, neverstopping till they reachedastrong plac e in the mountains andseiz ed it .

Go and capture the ir stronghold , commanded T emudj in .

Th is was done wi th much troubleand bloodshed . T he Tartarsfough t with desperationandwere slain to the las t one , bu t many ofT cmudjin

’

s choicest warriors were lost in the slaugh ter . Belgu taitold the enemy our secrets ,

”

said T emudjin , many good men

have perished because o f th is . Belgu tai is excluded fromcouncil,hereafter le t him stay ou t o f doorsand guardagainst thefts , figh tsand quarrels . Belgu taiand Daritaimay come to us only whencounselsare ended.

Wh en T emudjin had killed all the male Tartars who were

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50 The Mongols

retreat greatly weakened ; they lostmenandhorses ki lled by fall ingin the fog over prec ip ices , wh ile mult itudes perished in wild placesfrom frostand bitter cold . Jamukawas moving on to join theNaimans , but when he saw the sad plight of the confederates he fellto plunderingapart of them,andafter he had taken good bootyfrom the Saljuts and the Katkins he encamped near T emudjinand his ally , observed very closely what was happen ing , andwaited .

Temudjmand Wang Khan passed th e winter on level landnear the mountains where snow servedas water . Wh ile there

he asked in marriage Wang Khan ’

s granddaughter, ChaurBijhi, for his own eldest son , Juch i , and Wang Khan men

tioned T emudj in’

s daugh ter, Kutch in Bijhi, for Sengun’

s son

Kush Buga. These two marriage contracts , ag reed onat first,

were broken later for various not well explained reasons . Jamukawas beyond doubt the great cause in th is matter,and raisedthe whole quarrel . Th is rupture was followed by wranglingand coolness between the two allies , thus giving astillfurtherchance to Jamuka. As he had never beenable to estrange WangKhan thorough ly from T emudjin he turned now in fi rm confi e

dence to Sengun . He conquered Wang Khan ’

s son and heirwith the following statements T emudjin has grown strong ,and des ires to b e the greatestamong men . He has de erminedto b e the one ruler, he cannot b e th is unless he destroys thy wholefamily , h e has reso lved to destroy it ,and he willdo so unless thou

prevent him. T emudjin has madeafi rm pact with thy enemyBaibuga, Taiyang of the Naimans ; he is to get help fromBaibuga,and is only waiting for the moment to ru in thy father, that donehe willseizeandkill thee , he willtake thy whole country ,andkeepit .

”

In th is way Jamukafilled Sengun ’

s heart with great fearandkeen hatred , feelings strengthened immensely by T emudjin

’

s

uncles , Daritaiand Kudjeir, who , wi th Altan , his cous in , wereenragedat the loss of the ir boo ty ,and for other reasons . Thesemen declared that every word u ttered by Jamukawas true . Agreat plo t was formed ,anddirected by Jamuka, to surprise T emud

jinand killhim. Jamuka, who was watch ing eventsand workingkeenly , took with him Altanand others ,at the end of 1202 ,andwentagain to Sengun ,

who was then l iving north of Checheher,and

Wang Khan of the Keraits 51

wh ileattacking T emudjin spokeas follows : Envoysare movingcont inually between Temudjinand the Naimans ; those envoys

are fixing the conditions of thy ru in . Allthis time T emudjin is

talking of th e ties between h imselfand thy father whom h e callshis

‘

father also . T hy father has made Temudjin his elder son .

Thou art now T emudjin’

s younger brother, and hast lost thyinheritance , soon thou wilt lose thy lifealso . Unless thou destroy

this man ,very qu ickly he willkillthee . Dost thou not see th is

Wh en Jamukahad fin ish ed , Sengun wentat once to his friendsto explainand take counsel. If weare to end him, I myself

will fallon his flank . Say the word , I willdo so immediately .

For thee we willslay Hoelun’

s children to the last one ,

”

said AltanandKudjeir . I willdestroy him handand foot , said Ebugechin .

No , take his people , ” saidanother, what can he do withoutpeople ? Whatever thy wish b e , Sengun ,

I willclimb to the h ighest

top with thee ,and go to the lowest bottom when needed .

”

Sengun listened to his comradesand JemukaHe sent SaihanTodai to report their discourses to his father . Why think thus

of my elder son ,T emudjin ? askedWang Khanasananswer .

We have trusted him thus far . If we hold unjust , evilthough tstouching him, Heaven will turn from us . Jamukahas beenthousand tonguedalwaysand is unworthy of credit .

” ThusWangKhan rejected all the words sent him. Sengun again sent amessage : Everyman who hasamou th withatongue in it speaksevenas I do , why not believe what is evident ?Again Wang Khananswered that h e could notagree with them.

Sengun th en went himself to his father : T o -day thouart living ,”saidhe , but stillth is T emudjinaccounts theeas nothing . Whenthouart dead willhe let me rule th e peopleassembled by theeandthy father with such effort ? W illhe even leave life to me ?

My son ,

”said Wang Khan ,

howam I to renounce my own

promiseand counsel? We have trusted T emudjin up to this time .

If without cause we think evilnow of him, how can Heaven favorus ? Sengun turned in anger from his father . Wang Khancalled him back to remonstrate . It is clear, 0 my son ,

”

said he ,that Heaven does not favor us . Thou wilt reject T emudjin

no matter what I tell thee , thou wiltact in thy own way, I see that ,but victory, if thou win it, must b e th ine through thy own workand fortune .

52 T he Mongo ls

Sengun turned to his father for th e las t t ime' Th ink on th is

scourge risenagainst us , ” said he . If thou stop not th is T emud

jin weare lost , thouand I , without hope ; if thou spare him, we

shallboth die very soon . We must putan end to the man , or

b e ru ined . He willkill thee first ofall,and then my turn willcome very qu ickly .

”

Wang Khan would hear noth ing of th is murder ; he wou ldatleast have no part in it . Bu t strongly pressed by his son he saidfinally If ye do such adeed ye must b ealone in it . Keepaway from me strictly .

”

T emudjin’

s death was the great object now for Sengun andJamuka. T emudjin

’

s unclesand one of his cousins were in the

plot also . Sengun himself formed the planand described it inthese words very clearly : Some timeago ,

”

said he , T emudjinasked our daugh ter for his eldest son , Juch i ; we did not give herat that t ime , but now we willsend to him saying that weaccepthis propo sal. We willmakeagreat feast of betrothaland invitehim. If he comes to it we will seize the vile traitorand killhim.

”

Wh en they had settled on th is plan Sengun sent envoys to T emud

j inaccept ing the marriage proposals ,and inviting him to th e feastof betrothal. Temudjin acceptedand set out with attendants .

O n the way he stopped at the house of Munlik his stepfather , the husband of Hoelun . M unlik became though t 'ulandseriousas he heard of the invitation . Wh en weasked for the irmaiden ,

”

said b e , “they were haugh ty and refused her ; why

invite now toafeast of betrothal Better not go to them; excusethvself saying that thou hast no beas t fi t to travel , that it is springand thy horsesarealloutat pas ture .

T emudj in agreed with Munlik and instead of go ing h imselfsent Bugatai with Kilatai to the festival, and returned homevery qu ickly . When Sengun saw the two men sentas substituteshe knewat once that T emudjin had seen through h is stratagem.

He calledacounci l immediately . We mustact qu ickly now ,

”

said he .

“Vt

'

e willmove with all force against T emudj in to

mo rrow , b ut send, meanwh ile ,astrong party to seize him wh ilesou th of hlount Mao .

” Aike Charan ,who was Altan ’

s youngestbro therand one o f Wang Khan ’

s chosen leaders , had beenat thecouncil. He hastened home that same eveningand told his wife ,Alikai, Sengun ’

s entire stratag em.

“ Th ey have settledat last

Wang Khan of the Keraits 53

to capture the Khan , said he , and to -morrow they will seizehim. If some man to - n igh t would warn T emudjin his rewardwould b e enormous .

” Speak not idle words ,”

said th e woman .

O ur servants may h ear thee ,and think thy talk serious .

”

Badai ,ahorseherd who had just brough t in mare ’

s milk , overheard Aik e Charanand theanswer of Alikai. He turnedat onceand told Kishlik . I too willlisten ,

”

said Kishlik who was hiscomrade . Kishlik went in then and saw Aike Charan ’

s son,

Narinkeyan , wh ittl ingarrowsand lookingat his parents . Wh ichof our servants , ” asked h e , should lose his tongue lest h e tellwhat ye have said to each other ? Kishlik h eard th ese words ,though Narinkeyan did not know it . Oh Kishlik ,

”

saidNarinkeyan , turn ing to the horseherd, Bring me in the white horseand the gray one , I will go riding to -morrow .

”

Kishlik went out . qu ickly . Thou hast told the truth , saidh e to Badai . We must ride now tremendously , thou and I ,we must ride to -n igh t to T emudjin and save him

,tell him

everyth ing .

” They ran to the pasture , caugh t both horsesand rodeoff with out see ing Narinkeyan . They reportedallto Temudjin ,

told him Aike Charan ’

s whole storyand the words of Narinkeyan .

T emudjin summoned his trust iest servants immediately andhurried off to the northern s ide of Mount Mao . Chelmaihe commanded to followand watch every

'

movement of the on -march ingenemy . At noon the next day T emudj in halted brieflyand twohorseh erds

,Alchidaiand Chidai, brough t in t idings that th e enemy

wasadvancing very swiftly . A great dust cloud was rising upfrom th emandwas vis ible on the south of Mount Mao . T emud

jin hurried on t illhe reached Kalanchin ,aplace selected.

by himfor battle . There h e stopped , disposedallhis forces,andassembled his leaders .

Meanwhile Sengun with Wang Khan , who hadat last by muchurging been persuaded to jo in th is expedition , wereadvanc ingatallthe speed possible , and soon men could see them. Th eyhaltedat once for battle . Whoare th e best menamong T emud

j in ’

s warr iors ? ” asked Wang Khan of Jamuka. Th e Uruts

andManhutsare best , ” said Jamuka, theyare never disordered ;they have used swords and spears from their boyhood . Wh enthey strike th ou wilt see dreadfulfigh t ing . Well,

”

said WangKhan,

“let our hero Hadakji fallon them first with his Jirkins ;

54 T he Mongo ls

after him willgo Ach ik Sh ilun with the Omans ,and T unkaits ,and Shilaimun ,

w i thastrong force of our body guards . If these

do not fin ish them our own special warriors will g ive them the

death blow .

”

“7h ile Wang Khan was thus making dispos itions , Temudjinon his s ide spoke to the Ur ut commander : Uncle Churchadai,I would give thee th e vanguard , what is thy own wish ? Churchadai was just ready toanswer when Huildar spoke up OKhan , my dear friend (he was T emudjin

’

sanda), I willmount

my strong steedand break , with my Manhu ts , through allwhooppose us . I willplant thy tailstandard on Gub tan, that h i llatthe rearand left flank of the enemy . From that h ill I willshowthee my firmness and valor. I f I fall, thou wilt nourish mych ildren ,

thou wilt rear th em Relying on Heaven it isallone tome when my fate comes .

”

Go thou ,

”

said T emudjin , andtake Gub tan .

Huildar fixed the tail standard on Gub tan . Churchadaispoke when his turn came . I willfigh t ,

”

said he , “ in front ofthe Khan , I will b e in the vanguard with my Uru ts .

”

And b e

arranged his strong warriors in pos ition . Barely were they readywhen Hadakgiand the Jirkins made the first onrushand openedthe battle . They were met by the Uruts , who not only rece ivedthe irattack withallfirmness , b u t drove them back in disorder.

While the Uru ts were following th is broken vanguard WangKhan sent Achik Sh ilunand his Omans to strike on the Uru ts .

B uilderattacked from Gub tan th is new reinforcementand brokeit , bu t being thrown from his horse byaspear cast the Omansrallied , and were sent with the T unkaits against Churchadai.Both forces were hurled back by th e Uru ts , strengthened greatlyby T emudjin . Shilaimunattacked next with Wang Khan ’

s own

body - guards . Thesealso were broken by Churchadai reinforcedthis time by T emudjin . Sengun now ,

without leave from his

father, ru sh ed into the struggle taking with him Wang Khan ’

s

specialwarriors . T he battle raged to the u tmost and Sengunhad some chance of victory wh en anarrow from Churchadai’sbow pierced his cheekand he fellbadly wounded .

When the Keraits saw the ir ch ief down ,and n igh talready on

them, they stopped figh ting . Sengun had not carried his point ,and T emudjin held the field , hence the victory was on his s ide

Wang Khan of the Keraits 55

although very sligh tly . It was late in the even ingand dark , sohe brought togeth er his menandwas carefulto seek outand saveHuildar . Temudjin during that n ight withdrew from the battleground , andat daybreak discovered that Ogotai, his son , withBorouland Boorchu wereall three of them miss ing . Thosetwo faithful men ,

”

said T emudjin , have l ived with my son ,andnow they have died with him.

”

He grieved that day greatly .

T he next nigh t he fearedanattack ,and heldallhis people inreadiness to receive it . At daybreak he sawaman riding in fromth e battle-ground ,and recogn ized Boorchu ; he turned his faceheavenward, struck his breast ,and was grateful.

My horse ,”

said Boorchu , wh en he had ridden up to T emudjin ,

was killed by the enemy ; wh ile escaping on foot I sawapackhorse that had wandered far from the Keraits . He hadalean ingburden . I cut the straps , let the pack fall, thenmounted the beastand rode hither .

”

A second horsemanappeared somewhat later. Wh en he haddrawn near it was seen that bes ides his legs two others werehanging down near them. OgotaiandBoronlwere on that horse .

Boroul’

s mouth wasallblood besmeared; h e had sucked st iffenedblood from Ogotai’s neck wound; T emudjin wept when he sawthis . He burned the wound with fi re straigh tway, and gaveOgotaiadrink to revive him.

A great dust has risen near the enemy, said Boroul, theyare moving southwardas it seems towardMount Mao .

”

T emudjin marched now to Dalan Naimurgas where KadanBaldur brough t him t id ings Wh en Sengun was wounded , ”said Kadan , Wang Khan said to his counsellor : We haveattackedaman with whom we should not have quarreled . It is

sad to see whatanailhas been driven into Sengun , but he is

livingandcan makeanew trialimmediately .

’ Ach ik Sh ilun spokeup then : When thou hadst no son ,

’

said he , thou wert prayingto receive one , now when thou hastason thou Shouldst spare him.

’

Wang Khan yieldedandgave up further though t of battle .

‘ Carrymy son back with care , ’ said h e to hisattendants , ‘

do not shak ehim.

’ Fatherand son then turned homeward .

T emudjin marched toward the East . Before starting he

reviewed the remnant of hisarmyand found only five thousandmenaltogether. On the way his men hunted . While beating

56 T he Mongols

in game T emudjin tried to restrain Huildar whose wound hadno t healed, b ut he rushed qu ickly at awild boar, his woundOpened,

and he died shortlyafter . They buried him on O rnéii,ah illnear the Kalka. At the place where that river falls intoLake Buyur li ved the Ungirats ; T emudjin sent Churchadaiwiththe Urutsand Manguts to talk with that people . Rememberour blood bond ,

”

said he to them in T emudjin’

s name , “andsubmit to me ; if not, b e ye ready immediately for battle .

” Afterth is declaration they submitted,

hence T emudjin did not harmthem. When he had thus won the Ungirats he went to the easternbank of the

’

I\1geli, and thence sent Arkai Kassarand SiwegeChaun i to Wang Khan wi th the following message Wearenow east of the T ugeli, grass here is good, and our horsesaresatisfied . Why wert thou angry with me , O my father, whydids t thou bring such great fear on me ? If thou hadst the wishto blame , why not give the blame reasonably , why destroyallmypro perty ? People divided us , b ut thou knowest well ouragreement , that if men should talk to e ither one of us to the harm of

the other we would not believe what was said tillwe , thouand I ,should explain questions personally . But my father, have wehadany personal explanation ? Though small, I am worthmany large men , though ugly Iam worth many men of much

beauty . Moreover thouand Iare two shafts o fas ingle k ibitka,if one shaft is brokenan ox cannot draw the kibitka. wearel ike two wheels of that kibitka; if one wheel is broken the kibitkacanno t travel. May I not b e likened to the shaft , or the wheel ofakibitka? T hy father had forty sons ; thou wert the eldest,

therefore thou wert made Khan . After that thou didst killTaiTimurandBugaTimur ; these were two of thy uncles ; thou hadstthe wish also to kill Erke Kara, thy brother , b ut he fled to

the Naimans . A th ird uncle , in avenging his brother , wentagainst thee withanarmy ,and thou didst flee with one centuryof men to the Haraun defile . At that time thy daugh ter was givenby thee to TuktaBijhi the Merkit ,and from him thou didst come

to my father withaprayer forass istance . l\Iy father drove out thy

uncle who fled then to Kash in ,and my father brought back thypeo ple . In the Black Forest o f Tulathou dids t make thyself

anandato my father . And moved in those days by gratitude ,thy words to him were of th is kind : For thy benefactions to me

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58 T he Mongols

firs t to make thee k han s ince thouart the son of Naigun , b ut thou

wert unwilling . Thy father, O Altan , ruledas khan once , hence

we wished to choose thee to rule over u s ; thou wouldst not yieldto our wish es . Sachai BaikiandTaichu , sons of Bartan had stillh igher claims , b u t both men rejected our o ffer . Af ter that yeandwi th you the whole people proclaimed meas khan ,

though ,as yeknow , I was unwilling . Ye have wi thdrawn from me nowandare helping \Vang Khan . Bu t ye have begun what ye never canfinish . Iadvise you to meet me with confidence for wi thout me

yeare powerless . “fork well with me to hold the headwaters of

our rivers ; let no stranger come in to snatch them fromour people .

”

T emudj in commanded to say to aslave named Togrul: Ihave called thee my bro th er for the following reas on : O natimeT umb inaiand his bro ther Charabahadaslave knownas O kda.Th is slave hadason Subaigaiand heason Kirsan Kokocho ,andheason AigaHuantohar, this last man begat thee . Why dost

thou flatter \Vang Khanandadh ere to him? Altanand Hucharwould never let o ther men rule overmy flock . Thouart my slaveby inheritance , hence Iaddress theeas brother.

”

T o Sengun T emudjin sent th is message : Iamason of thy

father born with my clothes on ; thouart his son born in nakedness . Once our father showed equalkindness to bo th o f us , but

dark suspicionattacked thee ,and thou , fearing les t I n igh t trickthee in some way, concei vedagreat hatredand expelled me

unjustly . Cease caus ing grief to thy father, go to him nowanddrive out his sorrow . Unless thou expelfrom thy heart thatold envyagainst me it will b e clear that thou has t the wish to b eKhan ere thy father dies naturally . Shouldst thou wish to con fer

wi th me , and come to agreement send h ither two men for thatpurpo se .

” Arkai Kassarand Suge Gaichaun gave these wordsto Sengun ,and heanswered

When T emudj in spoke of my fatheras Khan he called himold mu rderer wh ile he did so ,and when he called me his swornfriend he jeeredat me touch ing the M erkits ,and said that I cameto th is wo rld to handle rams

’

tails and remnants . I know the

h idden sense o f his speeches , I know what his plansare . Battleis my firs tandlas tanswer to T emudj in . Bilge BaikiandT odoyanraise ye the great s tandard; feed our s teeds carefully .

”

Wh en Arkai Kas sar returned he told every th ing . T emudj in

Wang Khan of the Keraits 59

went to the lake called Baljunawhere many of the Kurulats cameto him. Juch i Kassar had disobeyed T emudjin his elder brother,he had in fact been disloyaland had tampered with the enemy .

Not presentat the great Kalanchin battle he had e ither favoredWang Khan , or been captured with his ch ildren , his wifeand hisfollowers . After that h e escaped with two servantsand searchedin hardsh ipand hunger for Temudjin tillfinally he found himatLake Tunga. Kassar turned now to his broth er ’s s ide thorough ly,and the two men examined how best they migh t fallon WangKhan unexpectedly . They worked out th eir stratagemand sent

HaliutarandChaurhanas if go ing to Wang Khan w ith th ismessagefromKassar : I have seen notashadow of my brother ; I havegone overallroads without finding him; I called him, but he

heard me not . I sleepat n ight with my face toward the starsandmy h ead onahillock . My ch ildren and wife are with thee , OKhan , my father. If thou sendatrusty person I w illgo to thee .

I will return and b e faithful. Go , said T emudjin to the

messengers , we willleave this place straightway , wh en ye return

come to Arhalgougion the Kerulon .

”

T emudj in then commandedChurchadaiand Arkai Kassar to lead th e vanguard .

Kassar’s two servants appeared before Wang Khanand gavehim the messageas if coming from their master . Wang Khanhad set upagolden tentandarrangedagreat feast in it . Whenhe heard the words , he said If that is true , let Kassar cometo us .

”

He sent with the two messengers Iturgyan , atrustedwarrior . When not far from Arhalgougi Iturgyan judged byvarious s igns thatacamp must b e near th em,

so he turnedandru shedaway . Haliutar, whose horse was far swifter, spurred on

ahead of him, but not venturing to seize th e man , blocked the roadto his stall ion . Chaurhan , who followed , struck Iturgyan ’

s horse

in the spine withanarrow,brough t him down to his haunches ,

and stopped him. They seized Iturgyan then and took him to

T emudjin , who sent him to Kassar, who killed him.

T he two messengers then said : Wang Khan has madearichgolden tent ; he is carelessand is feasting . Th is is th e th e to

attack him.

” “ Very well,”

said T emudjin ,

“let us hasten .

”

When theyarrivedat the place they surrounded Wang Khan ,andafierce battle followed . On the th ird day of th is battle the Keraitshad not strength to figh t longer. Wang Khanand Sengun had

60 T he Mongols

bo th van ished , no one knew by what road they had saved themselves , or when they hadfled from the battle - ground.

I could not let you killmy sovere ign , said Hadak , the ch iefleader to T emudjin , and I fough t long to give Wang KhanandSengun time to save themselves . If thou command I shalldie ,bu t if thou give life I willserve thee . A man figh tingas thouhas t. to rescue his lord isahero , saidT emudjin ,

b e oneamongmineand stay with me .

”

So he made Hadakacommander of

one hundred , and bestowed him on Huildar’s widow . SinceHuildar had planted the standard on Gub tan and fough t withs uch valor his descendants had received for all time rewardsassigned widows and orphans . T emudjin now divided the

K eraitsamong his comrades ,andass istants .

\Vang Khan ’

s brother, Jaganb o , had two daugh ters , the eldero f thesewas Ibaba. T emudjin h imself took Ihaha,andSorkaktani,the younger, he gave to Tulu i , his son . Because of these daugh ters ,Jaganb o ’

s inh eritance was not given to other men . T o Kishlik

and Badai , the two horseherds who had warned him, h e gaveWang Khan ’

s golden tent with allthe gold dishes set out in it ,

and the men who had servedat the tables . Kishlikand Badaiwith their ch ildren and grandch ildren were to keep everyth ingwon by them in battle ,andallthe game taken in hunting .

These two men ,

”

said T emudjin , as he gave the ir r

'

gh ts to

them, saved my l ife from Sengunand his father,and by Heaven ’

s

help and protection I have crushed all the Kerai t forces andwon my dominion . Let my descendants remember the measureof th is service . My enemies , not knowing Heaven ’

s will, wishedto killme . Kishlik who brough t warning of the ir treachery , wasin that hour Heaven ’

s envoy ; h ence I have given him WangKhan ’

s golden tent with u tens ilsandmus ic ,as I migh t toaprinceof my family .

”

Wang Khanand Sengun had fledalmost unattended towardthe land of the Naimans . At Didik ,aford on the Naikun, WangKhan ,

who was tortured wi th th irst , stopped to drink from the

ri ver. A Naiman watch , guarding the passage , seized the old

Khan , and killed him \Vang Khan told who he was ,b ut the guard would not credit his s tory . He cut his head off

immediately , and sent it to Baib uga. Sengun , being at somedistance , did not rush up to rescue his father, b ut went with Ko

Wang Khan of the Keraits 61

kocha, hisattendant ,and Kokocha’s wife , farther west past th eNeimans . He stopped to drink somewhat laterand seeingawildhorse which flies were torment ing , he stole up to killhim. Ko

kochawished now to desertand take Sengun ’

s saddle horse ; heintended to tell T emudjin where Sengun was , b ut his wife wasindignant . How leave thy master, who gave thee foodandgoodclothing , how desert him

'

? She refused to advance and wasveryangry . Thou wilt not go w ith me ? Dost wish to b e wifeto Sengun , perhaps ? asked Kokocha. If thou go , 0 Kokocha,leave that gold cup behind . Let Sengun have even somethingto drink from. Kokochathrew down the cup,and hurried off

to findT emudjm.

How receive service fromany man of th is kind ? ” askedT emudjin when h e heard how Kokochahad treated his master.

T he deserter told his tale, and was put to death straightway.

But his wife was rewarded for her loyalty to Sengun .

Wh en Wang Khan ’

s h ead was brought to Baib ugahis mother,Gurbaisu , had mu51c before it with an offering . In the time of

this ceremony th e face seemed to smileat the honor . Baibuga,who though t the smile mockery, was offendedandmade the skullintoadrinking cup rimmedand ornamented with silver .

In the East , ” said Baibuga, is that man T emudjin who

drove out Wang Khan and brought him to ru in . This manmay b e thinking to make himself lord overallof us . There isonly one sun in the h eavens ; how can two real lords b e on earthat the same t ime ? I will go to th e Eastand seize this T emudjin ,

I willtakeallhis people .

Sengun wh en deserted by Kokochafled toward the Tibetanborderand subs isted foraseason by plundering , b ut was capturedsome time laterand slain by Kilidj Arslan , the ruler of that region ,

who sent Sengun’

s children and wives back to T emudjin , andsubmitted to his sovereignty .

Thus perish ed the Khan of the Keraitsand his son ,and withth em th e separate existence of their people .

CHAPTER IV

TEMUDJIN TAKES THE TITLE OF JINGH IS AND REWARDS H IS

EMPIRE BUILDERS

NE more great struggle was in store now for T emudj in , thatwith Baibuga, the Naiman , his father- in-law . Baibuga,alarmedat the rising power of his own daughter’s husband, sent

an envoy to AlaKush Tegin , the O ngut ch ief , to getaid. Thouknowest ,

”

said Baibuga, “that two swords cannot b e in one

scabbard , or two souls in one body . Two eyes cannot b e in one

socket , or two sovereigns in one region . Make haste then to

seize the horn of empire wh ich th is upstart is seeking .

”

AlaKushand the O nguts lived next the Great W'allof Ch ina,andguarded it,at leas t , during intervals , for the emperor of Ch ina.Th is O ngut ch ief was sagacious ; he was near T emudjin andremote from Baibuga; b e judged that the former was risingandthe latter declining ; hence af ter some though t he neglectedBaibuga, lef t his message unanswered, and sent an envoy to

explain the whole matter to T emudjin . Baibugafound other

allies , however.

Knowing clearly his father- in- law ’

s intention , T emudj in did

no t failto b e firs t on the battle- ground. As the spring of 1204

was beginning he heldagreat councilo f his leaders . Some though tthe ir horses too weakafter winter, bu t o thers preferred to movepromptly . Ac tion pleased T emudjin ,

hence he set out immediatelv,

b ut haltedbe fo re h e reach ed the Naiman boundary . I t wasau tumn when he entered the enemy ’s country ,and foundarrayedthere agains t him men from th e M erkits , the Keraits , Uirats ,Durbans , Katkins , Tartars . _

and Salju ts . In fact , fo rces fromeach ho stile people were ready be fo re him in the hope of des troying ,o rat leas t undermining his primacy . There wasalso Jamuka,his irrepress ible enemy . T emudjin ranged his army foraction .

62

T emudjm Rewards H is Emp ire Builders 63

T o Juch i Kassar, his brother, he confided the center . Overseeinghimself the entirearmy, h e reservedacertain part for his own use .

Wh en Jamukasaw th is arrangement he said to his officersMy friends , T emudjin knows how to range men for battle muchbetter than Baibuga. And foreseeingan evilend to Baibugainthataction Jamukafled from the field of battle qu ickly .

The two armies met and fough t desperately from sunrise tosunset . Many t imes th e great issue seemed doubtful, but whenallwas wavering like two even scales ofabalance T emudjin came withnew forcesat the perilous momentand gave greater weigh t to hisown s ide . Just after sunset the Naiman force broke and fledin conf us ion , sweeping with it Baibuga, badly wounded. The

Taiyang fled on foot , first to aneighboring mountain whereKurbassu , his wife was . Later on he was hurried toaplace of

more safety, where he died soon of woundsand of blood loss .

Temudjin , ever swift to pursue , hunted down his fleeing fatherin-law ; his men captured Kurbassu , who was joined'

to his house

hold. They capturedalso Baibuka’s sealkeeper, Tatungo ,anUigur of learn ing . Brough t before T emudjin h e explained whataseal is .

“ Remain with me , ” said the conqueror,“use the

seal in my name ,and teach my sons the language ,and lore of th e

wise Uigurs .

”

Allallies of the Naimans submitted , except th e M erkitsand theTartars , who fled from the battlefield . Gutchluk , Baibuga’sson , sough t safety with Buiruk his uncle .

At this t ime the Chatalans , the Katkins ,andallothers who hadfollowed Jemuka, surrendered to T emudjin . T emudjin now

hurried in pursu it of TuktaBijhi, the chief of th e M erkits . He

hunted him to Sari Keher, and captured many of his people ;but TuktaBijhi fled farther with Chilaunand Katu ,andafewat tendants .

At the beginning of the Merkit subjection , Dair Usun , ch ief ofthe Uasit M erkits , gave Kulan Khatun , his daugh ter, to T emudjin . When he was taking th e girl to the conqueror th e road wasimpassable through disorder. He met on the wayaman ,

Nayaof the Barins . Iam giving my daugh ter to T emudjin ,

”

saidDair Usun to Naya. Come with me , answered Naya. If

th ou goalone, wandering warriors willkill theeand do what theylike with thy daughter.

”

So heand Dair Usun traveled three

64 T he Mongols

days together,andafter that Kulan was given to T emudjm, who

on learning that she had been three days in company with Naya,wasangry .

“ Torture th is Naya, said T emudj in ,learn allhis secrets

and killhim. \Vh en they set about torturing Naya, Kulanspoke up to save him. O n the road Nayamet us ; he said thath e was one o f the Khan ’

s men ,and s ince on the way there weremany disorderly warriors h e o ffered to help us . My fatherandI were th ree days in his company . W i thout Naya’s help I knowno t what would have happened. Torture him not, but if the

Khan willb e merciful examine my innocence .

”

I serve my lord faithf ully , ” said Naya. I hold it my dutyto bring to him beautifulwomen ,and the best ofallhorses . I f

thereare though ts beyond th is in me , Iam ready to dieatanymoment .

”

Kulan speaks with wisdom, said T emudj in . That same daythe girl was examined . T emudj in grew convinced that she wastruthf uland l iked her the more for h er wisdom. He dismissedNaya, saying : Th is man is not false , we may trust him withtasks of importance .

”

After the subjection of the M erkits Kuda, the wife of TuktaBijhiwas given to T emudjin

’

s son , Ogotai. Later on one - half o fthe M erkits revolted , ret iredand took Taikalafortress in themountains . Th e son of Sorgan Sh irawas sent toattack th emT emudjin h imself went to the Altai ,and there passed the winter.

In the spring he crossed the mountains in search of Tuk taBijhi. At that time Gutchluk jo ined TuktaBijhi; they drewup their army at the Irt ish near its sources , and there

T emudjin found and attacked them. TuktaBijhi waskilled in avery fierce battle , his sons were unable to bearo ff the body , so they cu t his head from the trunk and thus

saved it . T he M erkits fled from the battlefield ,and more thanhalf o f those warriors were drowned in the Irt ish , the res t

scatteredand saved the ir livesas best they could . Gutchluk fled

to the land o f the Karluks ,and s tillfarth er westward to the Gur

khan . Kutuand Chilaun fled th rough Kanli and Kincha.Wh ileallth is was happening So rgan Sh ira’s son captured the

fortres s at Taikaland killed or seized allthe Merkits . Thosewho had no t left the ir own home land revoltedas wellas the

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66 The Mongols

before the eyes of Jamukato whom h e sentat the same t ime th ismessage : Once I made theeashaf t of my kib itka, but thoudidst desert me . Thou hast jo ined meagain , so now b e my comrade . Should one of us forget , th e other willremind him. If one

falls asleep the other willrouse him. Though th ou didst leaveme , thou wert s till in reality myass istant . Though thou didstoppose I go t no harm in the end from thataction . When thouandI hadabattle thy h eart was regretful,apparently . When I warredwith \Vang Khan thou didst send me his discourses . That wasth e earlies t service . \Vh en I was battling with the Naimansthy words made their hearts shake ; that wasanother good ser

V1ce .

These words were taken to Jamukaand h eanswered : Whenwe becameandas in boyhood weate food too s trong for our stomach s ; we gave words to each other wh ich noth ing can take fromour memory . People roused u s to quarrel and we parted . Iblush when I th ink of my speeches u ttered once to myanda,andI dare no t look nowat thee . I t is thy wish that I b e for the futurethy comrade . I might call myself thy comrade , bu t I could b eno comrade to thee in reali ty . Thou hast jo ined peoples together,thou has t bu ilt up domin ion , no man on earth can now b e thycomrade . Unless thou killme I shallb e for thee henceforth likealouse on thy collar ou ts ide , orathorn in thy inner neck - band .

Thou wouldst no t b eat res t in the daytime ,wh ileat night thou

wouldst sleep withalarm in thy bosom were I to b e near thee .

T hy mother is prudent , thou thyselfartahero ,thy bro thersare

gifted, thy comradesare champions , thou has t seventy- three leaders

,b ut from ch ildhood I have had ne ither father nor mother, I

have no bro thers , my wife isababbler, my comradesare trai tors ,hence , O myanda, whomHeaven has preferred,

give me death themo re qu ickly that thy heart may b e qu iet . If thou let me die

withou t blood loss I , after deathand forages , willhelp thy descentlantsand pro tect them.

”

O n hean ng th isanswe r T emudj in said Jamuka, myanda,went his own way in life , b ut his words have in fact never harmedme . He is aman who migh t change even now , b u t h e has no t

the wish to live longer. I have tried divination to search out

good reasons to killhim, b u t have no t discovered them thus far.

What must I do ? He isaman o f dis tinction , and we may not

T emudj in Rewards H is Empire Builders 67

take his life without reasons . Ah , now I have found the rightreason ! Say th is to him : Because of horse stealingand quarrelsbetween Taichar, my slave ,andDarmala, thy brother, thou didstattack meandfigh tat Baljuna; thou didst frighten me dreadfully .

I w ish now to forgive thee ,andmake thee my comrade, but thouart unwilling . Iam sorry that thy life should b e taken , but thou

wilt not permitme to save it ; h ence wemust do what thou wish est .

”

T emudjin then commanded to take life from Jamukawithoutblood loss ,and bury him with honor. Altanand Huchar wereput to deathalsoat that t ime .

Wh en T emudjin had subdued to his own undivided dominionth e various peoples opposed to him he raised on th e Upper Onon ,

in 1206, his great standard of n ine white’

tails ‘and took the t itleJinghis (Mighty) to distingu ish him fromallother Khans . Afterthat h e rewarded Munlik , Boorchu , Mukuli and others who

had h elped him in bu ilding th e Empire ,and those who hadshownspecialservice . Thou hast been to meacomrade , said Jinghis(as we shallnow callT emudjin) , to Munlik his step- father , thou

hast h elpedme very often , butaboveallwhen Wang Khanandhis son were enticing me toafalse feast to killme . If I had not

halted that day I should have dropped into hot fi reanddeep water .

I remember this service of thine,and willnot let my descendantsforget it . Henceforth thou wilt sit first in thy order . As I rewardthee by the year, or the month , so will that reward b e cont inuedtoallthy descendants unbrokenly .

”

Inmy youth ,

”

said Jinghis to Boorchu , Taidjut th ieves stolemy eigh t horses ; I had chased three daysand n igh tsafter th emwh en I met thee ; thou didst become then my comradeand ridethree days and n igh ts with me to fi ndand restore those e igh thorses . Why did it happen that Nahu Boyan , thy rich father,who had only one son , let that son b e my comrade ? Because inthee traits of h igh just ice were evident . After that when I calledthee to help me thou didst not refuseandwert prompt in thy com

ing . Wh en the three Merkit clans drove me into the forests of

Mount Burhan thou didst not desert me ; thou didst share mygreat su ffering . Wh en I spentan igh t before the enemyat Talanandagreat blinding rain came thou didst give me rest ,and spreadout thy felt robeabove me ,and stand thereand hold it ,and not

let that rain touch me . Thou didst stand in that painfulpos ition

68 The Mongols

until daybreak , resting first on one legand then on the other.

Th is proves thy unbounded devot ion . It would not b e poss ibleto recountallthe good deeds wh ich thou hast done s ince I sawthee the first day . Bes ides thouandMukuliadvised me to thatwh ich was proper, and stopped me from that wh ich should beomitted. Through do ing the righ t th ing in every great trialIhave reached my h igh powerand dominion . Sit thou now withafew menaboveallo thers . I free thee from pun ishment for

n ine death offenses . Beacommander of ten thousand ,and ru lethe land westward t il l thou touch the Golden Mountains .

” 1

Then he turned to Mukuliand said to him : When we wereat Hérho Nachubur at the th ick spreading tree under wh ichKhan Kutulamade merry and was dancing , Heaven bestowedwisdomand t idings wh ich became clear to th ee . I rememberthe words given then by thy keen father, Gunna,and I make theeprince now because of those words ,and thy conduct everafter.

Sit thouabove othermen in society , b eacommander of ten thousand on the left wing ,and govern on the east to the Haraun mountains . T hy descendants wil l inherit thy dign ity .

”

“In you th ,

”

said Jinghis to Horchi,“thou didst prophesy

touch ing me ; thou didst share with me to ilsafter thatand wertto meatrue comrade . Now when thy words of fore- knowledgeare verifiedand proven , I give thee what thou didstask forat thattime : I give thee the righ t to choose for thyself th irty beau tifu lmaidens and women among all conquered nations . Bring to

geth er three thousand of the Bal i , th e Adarkiand other clans ruledby Ach ikand by Togai ,and when thou hast ten thousandassembled command themand govern those people . Pu t up thy campsas may please theeamong forest nations on the Irtish ,and guardwellthat region . Le tallaffairs there b e under thy management ,

thou has t now thy heart ’s wish .

Jinghis turned then to Churchadai T hy greatest service ,

”

said he , was in that dreadful battle at Kalanchinagains t the s trong Khan o f the Keraits . When Huildar declared that he would seize and hold Gub tan thou didsttake the vanguard. Success in that desperate encounter camefrom thee beyond any man . Thou didst break and lntrlbackthe Jirkins , the s tronges t of the enemy ,andafter them came still

Th e Altai.

T emudjm Rewards H is Empire Builders 69

others who broke the l ine of my own chosen body- guard , who heldthe strong central pos ition . Thou didst wound with thy own

hand Sengun in the cheek wh ile he was making the last fearfu lonrush . Hadst thou not struck him then , it is unknown whatwou ld have followed . Later on ,

when we were moving down theKalka

,I relied upon theeas I migh t onalofty immovable moun

tain . Onarrivingat Baljunathou didst figh t in the vanguardagain ,and with Heaven ’

s greatassistance we cru shed the Keraitsat last ,and because of that triumph the Naimansand the M erkits

couldnot res ist us ,andwere scattered . Wh en they were scattered ,Jaganb o gave me his daugh tersand thus saved his people , butlater on h e revolted; th en thou didst think outaplan to entraphimand capture his people . That is thy second great service .

W ith th ese words Jinghis gave Churchadaihis own wife , Ibaba,the daughter of Jaganb o , to whom h e spoke then as followsIbaha, I do th is not becau se I have ceased to love thee , not b e

cause thou hastan evil temper of mind, orart lacking in beauty .

I give thee to Churchadaito reward him in the h igh est way poss ible .

I give thee to Churchadai because of his inestimable service,and

I des ire those of my sonsand descendants who shallreceive thethroneafter me to honor the dign ityand fame of Ibaha. Now

th ou wilt grantmeafavor : T hy father gave with thee AshiTimur,who is master of thy kitchenand two hundred men to work under

him. In go ing leave with me one hundred of those men , andleavealso Ashi. Then Jinghis said to Churchadai: I com

mand thee to govern four thousand of th e Uruts . Thou didst tamethe wild ,and bring down the rebellious , thouand Ch elmai withChepe and Subotai. Ye have been l ike four raging watch - dogsin swiftness . If I sent you toany place ye crushed hard immense

stones into gravel , ye overturned cliffs ,and stopped the great ru shof deep waters , hence I command you to b e in the battle front .

T he four heroes : Bobrchu , Mukuli , Boronland Chilaun I command to b e behind me . Churchadai to b e in front , andthus make my heart free to b e fearless . Kub ilai b e th e elderinallwarl ik emattersand decis ions .

” Then headded : Becauseof disobedience I do not make Baidunacommanderapartandindependent ; I jo in him to thy person , that is better. Let himact with th ee ,and see thou what willcome of it .

”

After that Jinghis said to B0 orehuand others : Hunan is like

70 The Mongols

afearless wolf in the nigh t time , in the day he is l ikeablack raven.

He jo ined meand never wouldact with bad people . In everysfl

'air take ye counsel with Hunanand Kokosi . Let Hunan b ecommander of ten thousand under my eldest son

,Juch i . No

matter what Hunanand Kokos iandDaigaiand Usun heardandsaw th ey kept back no word ,and never distortedaword whichthey told me .

”

Wh en I was bornat the river Onon , said Jinghis to Chelmai,thy father came from Mount Burhan with the bellows of ablacksmith on his shou lders , and brought asable wrap to putaroundme . Thou wert in swaddl ing clo thes that day , O Chelmai,andhe gave thee to serve me for l ifeand inseparably . Thou hastgrown up wi th me ,and shown immense service . Thouart myfortunate comrade . I release thee from nine death penaltiesand reward thee .

”

In former t imes , said Jinghis to Vanguru , the master of

nourishment ,“thou with three yurtas of the T okuru ts ,and five

yurtas of T orguts ,andwith the Chanshikitsand the Baiyu ts madeone s ingle camp with me . In darknessand fog thou hast neverlost thy way march ing . In scattering and disorder thou hastnever lost thy head, thou hast endured cold and wet with mealwaysand noth ing could shake or discourage thee . What rewarddost thou wish o f me this day ?

If thou in thy favor command me to choose ,said anguru ,

I should wish to collectallthe Baiyuts whoare scattered .

”

Jinghis consented .

“ Collect them, b e their commanderandgovern them,

”

was hisanswer. And he continued : VanguruandBoronlwh i le managing on the righ tand the leftas mas ters ofnourishment ,anddispens ing food justly , ye have pleased my heartwell, so henceforth sit ye on horseback when foodand drinkaredispensed to great gatherings in the open . “mile feas ting in tentstake your places on the righ tand the leftat the door on the south

s ide ,and send foodand drink toallpresent .

mo ther took you ,

”

saidJingh is to Sh igi KutukuandBoroulandKuichuandKokochu , from camps where men left you , she

made you her sons , she rearedand prepared you to b e comradesto us , her own ch ildren . Ye have paidher wellfor th is benefaction .

Boroulwas my comrade in the perils o f battle , in nigh ts of snowandof rainand of tempest . When exposed to the enemy he never

T emudj in Rewards H is Empire Builders 71

let me lack drink or food . Onat ime when we had destroyednearlyallof the Tartars, one of them, HargilSh ila, while flee ingfor his life felt great hungerand turned to get food frommymother.

If th ou desire food ,’

said she to th e Tartar, sit on that s ide of

the entrance .

’

He satat the west of the doorand there waited .

Just then Tulu i , my son , who was fi ve years ofage , came inandwas go ing out soonafter when the Tartar caught him, thru st himunder hisarmand snatchedakn ife qu ickly . He willkill thechild !’ screamed my moth er. Altani, Boroul’s wife , who wass itting east of the door, rushedat the Tartar, caugh t his hair withone handand pulled his kn ife with the other so vigorously thatsheand the knife fell together. Now Ch edaiand Ch elmai, whohad just killedacowal ittle north of the yurta, heardAltaniscreaming . They ran , one withakn ife , the other withanax eand killedth e stranger. tani , Ch edaiand Chelmai disputed thenas towho had shown the greatest service . If we had not run up,

’

said Chedaiand Chelmai, thou couldst not have managed theTartar, O woman , and he would have finished Tu lu i . ’ If

I had not screamed , ’ said Altani, ye would not have run

up,and if I had not seized his hairand snatched the kn ife fromhim, Tulu i would have perish ed ere ye could have saved him.

’

Boroul’

s wife won the word battle . In the struggle with WangKhanat Kalanchin , Ogotai was wounded in the neck with anarrow. Boroul sucked the blood from the wound , and thus

saved him from stifling . He has repaid very richly the troubleof rearing him by saving two sons of mine . In th e most difficu ltplaces he was never neglectful, hence n ine t imes will I save himfrom suffering the death penalty .

”

Jinghis spoke next to Sorgau Sh ira: When I was young ,said he, Targutai Kurultuk , with his brethren the Taidjuts,captured me . Thou , with thy son , hidmeat thy yurtaand com

manded Kadan , thy daugh ter, to serve me,and ye then gave me

freedom. Dayand n igh t I remember this service, but ye cameto me lateand only nowam Iable to reward you . What mayyour wish b e ? We should l ike,

”answered they , “ to makeacamp in the Merkit land,at Sailyange,andwhatever other rewardmay b e poss ible, let the Khan give it .

” “Let it beas ye wish ;

make your camp in that country . Bes ides , letallyour descendantsbeararrowsand bows ,and drinkacup of wine in the camp of the

72 The Mongols

Khan when ye come to it . Nine death offenses wi ll b e forgiven

you .

”

T o Chilaunand Ch inbo , sons of Sorgan Sh ira, he said :How could I forget the words spoken once onatime by you ,

and the deeds done when ye spoke thus . Now shouldanyth ingfail you come yourselvesand inform me , and he said further :Sorgau Sh ira, Badai and Kishlik , ye are free . Keepall thebooty wh ich yemay take during warfareatany t ime ,and whatevergame ye killin hunting . Sorgan Sh ira, once thou wert T odayan’

s

servant . Badaiand Kishlik , ye were horseherds to Aike Cheran ;l ive with me henceforthand b e happy .

”

Wh en thou with thy father se ized Targutai, ” said Jinghis toNaya, thou didst say : How could we yield up our master ? ’

Ye let him go thenand came to meas subjects . For that reasonI said : Those people understand lofty du ty , I willtrust them.

’

Boorchu is now commander of ten thousand on the righ t hand.

Mukuli is commander of ten thousand on the left , he thou acommander in the center .

Jinghis then directed Daigai, his shepherd , to collect homelesspeopleand command them. Whenallwho had labored to bu ildup the Empire had rece ived their rewards and o ffices JinghisKhan ’

s step- father, Munlik , brough t his seven sons to theas semblyand rece ived for th em good recogn ition . T he fourth man of these

was ashaman , Kokochu ,aman of boundlessambition . Taib

tengeri was his second name . No one could tell whoamong thes eseven bro thers was the most self -willedand bitter . O ne day theyattacked Juch i Kas sarandbeat him. Kassar complained to -Jinghis

of th is treatment ; Jinghis becameangry . Thou hast boas ted ,

”

said h e ,

“that no man is thy equal in valor and skill. If

that b e true why let those fellows beat thee ? ” Kassar shedtears from vexation , went out ,and for th ree daysafter that madeno vis i t to his bro th er. Meanwh ile Taib tengeriwent to Jinghis toincense himagains t Kas sar . T he spirit has given measacredcommand from High He

'aven, said the shaman , Jinghis will

rule peopleat first , and then willcome Kassar. If thou set not

Kas saras ide thy rule willb e short -lived.

When Jingh is h eard these wo rds he went that same nigh t toseize Kas sar. Kuichuand o thers informed Hoelun ,

who set out

that n igh talso inakibi tkadrawn byaswift go ing camel. She

reached Kas sar’s yurtaat sunrise , just as Jinghis , having tied

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74 The Mongols

wi thablanketaround h erand, sh edding tears meanwh ile , spokeas follows : Th is man has beaten Kassar ,and now he has forcedT emugu to his kn ees to b eg pardon . What kind of order is th isin th y dominion ? If wh ile thouart living they ru in thy brothers ,majesticas cedars

, wh en thouart dead the people , whoare likegrass blown by wind , oramere flock o f birds , willnot obey thysmall, helpless ch ildren .

”

Taib tengeriwillcome to -day , said Jinghis to T emugu . Dealwith himas thou pleasest .

”

T emugu went outandagreed withth ree very strong wrestlers . l\

'

Iunlik came later with his sevensons ,and wh en Taib tengeri sat near th e door on th e west s ide ,

T emugu ,as h e passed, se izedhim roughly by the collar . Yesterday ,

”

said he , thou didst forceme to my knees ; I willtry strengthto -day with thee . Wh ile T emugu was struggling with him the capfell from th e h ead of the shaman ; Munlik took the capand putit under hisarm. IVrestle not here ! cried Jinghis , go out

s ide .

” Wh en the two men stepped forth from the yu rtaTaibtengeri was seized by the wrestlers who broke his spineand threwhimas ide to the left where he fellnear the wheelofakibitka.Taib tengeri, said T emugu to Jinghis , forced me to my kneesyesterday to beg pardon ; now when I wish to try strength with him,

h e l ies downand refuses to rise . It is clear that he isacoward .

”

M unlik understoodand began to weep bitterly . O Khan ,

said he , I was thyass istant before thou wert evenat the beginning of thy greatness ,and I have cont inued to serve thee tillth isday .

” Wh ile he was speaking his six sons stood near the centerof the yurtaand watched the door. They began to pu t up the irsleevesas if forastruggle . Jinghis rose . He was frightened , b u tshou ted with stemnessandauthority , As ide ,

I wish to go out !

He went out , and his body - guard of archers surrounded him.

See ing that Taib tengeri was dead , Jinghis commanded to pitchhis own tentabo ve the shaman ’

s body ,and then he went toanotherplace . In the tent put over the body the doorand upperaperturewere fastened ,andat firstaguard was placedaround it . O n the

third dayat dawn the upperaperture opened,and the body of

the wi zard was l ifted out through it . When inqu iries were made ,alllearned that the body had vanished through the upperaperture ,or smoke hole .

“Taib tengeri calumniated my brothersand beat them, said

T emudj in Rewards H is Emp ire Builders 75

Jinghis , hence Heaven looked on him withanger,and snatchedaway both his life and his body . Af ter that he reproachedMunlik sharply °

“ Thou hast failed,

”

said he , to teach thysons what was needed very greatly in their case— obedience .

Th is one tried to equalme , h ence I ext ingu ish ed him. Had Iknown thee earlier I should have pu tan end to thee ,as I have toJamuka, to Altanand Kudjeir . But ifaman givesaword inthe morn ingand breaks it ere n igh t comes , or gives it in the eve

ningand breaks it in the morn ing , the judgment of people willshame him. I have promised to save thee from death , so let us

now end this matter .

After these words Jinghis Khan ’

sanger was dimin ished. WhenTaib tengeriwas dead the van ity of M unlikandhis sons decreasedgreatlyand soon disappearedaltogether .

In 120 7 anew and victorious campaign was begun againstTangut wh ich had failed to pay tribu te , but was brough t downnow , thoroughly, at least , foraseason . The subject ion of the

Kirghisand th is new victory over Tangut secured the pos ition of

Jinghis in North eastern As ia. Th ere was not one man now to

challenge his domin ion . Groups of people , or tribes , migh t rebel ,but th ere was no power to stop him or modify his policy . He

was preparing to meet foreign nat ions . T he first turn was forCh ina.KaraKitai (Black Cathay) wasat that t imeavery large Empirecomposed of many nat ions . Th e ruler of each of th ese nationsacknowledged the overlordsh ip of the Gurkhan or sovere ign . In

length KaraKitai extended westward fromTangut to the Kwaresmian Empire ,and in width from th e Upper Irt ish to the Pamirh ighlands . W ith in its borders were the lakes now known asBalkash , Issikkuland Lob Nor . O f cit ies now existing , Kuldjawould b e close to th e center, Kashgarand Yarkendagood distance from its western border, wh ile Khotan would b e well removed from its south ernmost limit .

Nearly allCentralAsiawas included in th is Empire , wh ilevassal states extended far beyond its western and southwesternborders . T h e Uigurs , whose ch ief city was Bish Calik , lived inthe north east corner of the Empireand touch ed on the Naimans .

These Uigursare famous ,at leastamong scholars ,as having beenthe most devoted to learn ing ofallTurkish nations ; from them

76 The Mongols

it was that the Mongols rece ivedanalphabetand the ir earl iestinstruction .

T he Idiku t, or ruler, of the Uigursacknowledged th e Gurkhanas overlord, b ut the yearly tribute wh ich he paid,and th e dailytyranny of theagent near h is court, soannoyed him that he tookth is o ffi cial’s lifeataplace knownas KaraKodja. He reso lvedthereupon to seek the protection of Jinghis , whose triumphsandwhose power were threaten ing even Ch ina, and filling allAs iawith amaz ementand terror . Bardjuk , the watch fulIdiku t, hadappo intedan embassy to the conquero r

,b ut events had delayed

its departure .

When th e three sons of TuktaBijhiand their uncle fled takingth e ir father’s head , wh ich th ey had cu t with allhaste from his

body on the battlefield, they despatch edan envoy in advanceto the Idikut to b eg arefuge for th emselves , and pro tection .

T he Idiku t , seeing danger in th e ir vis it , slew th e envoy ,took the field against the brothers , and scattered all theirforces . Bu t later on he was troubled greatly by th is actfor these new opponents migh t s ide with the Mongols , or theymigh t jo in the Gurkhan : th ey migh t rouse e i th er party to moveagainst him. T he Idikut s deligh twas great , therefore ,andgenu inewhen h ‘Iongolenvoys appeared before him. Jinghis had heardof the Idikut

’

s resolve ,and, knowing well what good migh t risefrom it , had takenaction very promptly , and despatchedas eu

voys Alp Utugand Durbai to the ruler of the Uigurs .

T he Idikut showed the h ighest honor to these envoys , anddismissed them wi th every mark of courtesy and friendship ,as sociating two envoys o f his own to bear to Jinghis Khan the

following message : T he fame of the world- conquering sovereignhas come to me . I haveagreed t illvery recently with the Gurk han ,

and was jus t preparing to explain th roughan embas syachangein my pos i tion , and to yield myself with uprigh t heart to thee ,

allconquering and migh ty sovere ign . Wh ile th inking over th isI saw thy envo ys coming toward me , and then I beheldablueh eaven th rough th e clouds around me . I beheldabrigh t sun

in the sky . I saw bes idesablue sh in ing river where jus t beforethe ice had h idden every th ing . I was filled with deligh t to myinnermos t be ing . I yield to thee the land o f th e Uigurs . I myselfam the servantand son o f Jinghis Khan the Immovable .

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78 The Mongols

in the Mongol service he would have one wishalone ungratifiedto b e the fif th son of the great Khan . Jinghis , divining th is wishof his , or learn ing of it , had it gratified . He gave Arslan hisdaugh ter, Altun Bigh i , in marriage ,and with her the t itle of fifthson wasadded .

Thus Jinghis Khan was intrenched in KaraKitai very firmly .

His next move was on Kitai itself , the great North ChinaEmpire .

He was now master of migh ty legions drawn fromalltribes whoseleadersand ch iefs he had driven from existence in that fierce figh tfor domin ion , during wh ich no mercy had been manifest on eithers ide , b ut in wh ich greater wisdom, with keennessand skil l ,alsofortune to some extent, were with Jinghis .

CHAPTER V

JINGH IS KHAN’

s TRIUMPHANT ADVANCE BEYOND THE GREATWALL or CH INA

ANY provinces of Chinahad been subject to fore ign rulefor three centuries . Af ter the fallof the Tang dynasty,

rmedapart of the Manchu stock , held thatcountry from the Sungari southwardas faras the present Shanhai kuan , and from the Kh ingan range on the west to Corea.These people had foralong t ime been vassals of Tartar Khans,and next of Chinese Emperors . Th ey were divided into e igh ttribes , each with its own chief or manager . Abaki , the head of

the Sheliyu tribe , wh ich owned the district knownat the presentas Parin , gained supreme power in 9 07 ,andused the whole strengthof the Kitans to subdue Northern As ia. In 9 16, h e proclaimedh imself sovereign

,and when h e died, ten years later, his dominion

extended eastward to the ocean , and westward to the GoldenMountains or to the Altai .Tekoan , the son of this first Kitan ruler, by giving theaid of his

arms toarebelchieftain in China, secured vi ctory,andathronefor him. In return for such service the newly made Emperor,who fixed his res idence or capitalat the present Kaifong fu on the

south bank of the Hoang Ho , or Yellow River, ceded sixteen districts to Tekoan in Pehche li, Shan siandLiao tung , engagingalsoto furn ish three hundred thousand pieces of s ilkas hisannualtribute .

The new Ch inese Emperor took the posit ion of vassal to theKitan, and termed himself his grandson and subject . The

79

80 The Mongols

successor to th is Ch inese ru ler sough t to modify these conditions .

Tekoan made war on him; conqueredallthe provinces north of

the Hoang Ho , seized Pien (Kai fong fu) , captured the Emperorand sent him to regions north of Ch ina.Following Ch inese usage the Kitan tookanew name for his

dynasty , calling it Liao , that is Iron .

After th e fallof the Tang dynasty fi ve petty lines followed one

anoth er on the throne of Kaifong fu in th e course of fi ve decades .

O n the ru ins of these dynasties in 9 60 the house of Sung un itednearlyallCh ina. Th is house made war on the Ki tans , but fai ledto win back the districts previously ceded to them

,and in 1004,

because of hosti leaction by the Kitans , the Sung Emperor, to gainpeace , engaged to payanannualtribute both in s ilkand s ilver.

The Ki tan Empire lasted two centuriesandassumed in its

functions Ch inese forms ,at least externally , b ut Chinese methodsmade it feeble . Af ter strongand warlike ch iefs came weakandtimid Emperors . At lastagreat man named Agutaroseamongthe Jutchis ,anomad people living in the lands between th e Amoor,

the Eastern Oceanand the Sungari River . These formed part ofth e same Tungus stockas did the Kitans , but they were untouchedas yet by luxury .

In 1 114 Agutagainedavictory over the Kitans ,and the following year proclaimed himself Emperor of the Jutchis . T he new

State he called Aidjin Kurun (Kin kwe in Ch inese) , that is , GoldenKingdom. He would no tact , he said, like the Kitans , who hadtaken the name ofametal that is eaten by rust very easilyandru ined .

Agutasubdued the whole Ki tan Empire , and died in 1128 .

Two years later his successor se ized Yelin yen hi, the ninth

and las t Emperor o f the Kitan dynasty , wh ich had endured nineyearsand two centuries .

T he Sung Emperor hadabetted Agu ta, and even urged him

towards victory , hoping thus to regain the lands lying be tween theYellow Seaand the Yellow River . T he Kitans were crushed in

the conflict , bu t the new power (the Kin dynasty) was more dangerous for him than the old,as he learned to his cost very qu ickly .

In 1 125 the Kin Empero r invadedNorth Ch ina; the year followinghe reached the Hoang Ho ,

or Yellow River, and bes ieged Kaifong in wh ich l ies south o f it . T he Sung Emperor, who vis i ted

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82 The Mongols

should recei ve th eannouncement while kneel ing , inaccordancewi th the etiquette of China.

Who is th is new Emperor ? asked Jinghis of the envoy .

Prince Chong hei. ”

O n hearing the name Jinghis spat toward the South ,and thenadded : I though t that the Son of Heaven must b e loftyanduncommon ,

b u t how is th is idiot Chong h ei to sit onathrone,and

why should I lower myself in his presence ? Then he moun tedhis s teedand rodeaway without further word or explanation . He

summoned his leadersat once ,and said to them : lVIy forefatherssufl

'

ered very greatly , as ye know , from Ch inese monarchs ; andstillthose same monarch s failed to conquer th is land of oursaftercenturies o f e ffort . Heaven has granted me victory over everyopponentand permitted me to mount the h ighest round of fortune .

If yeact wi th me faithfully , that same Heaven will grantaglorioustriumph over Ch ina. Th rough th is triumph the Mongols willwin the greatest wealthandmagnificence ; the ir fame will neverceas eamong nations .

Allwere deligh ted , allpraised their conquering ruler . Theyagreed with him then to sendan envoy to the Altyn Khan (GoldenKhan) 1 with the following message : O f course it has come to

thv knowledge that we , by Heaven ’

s favor, have been chosen fromamongallthe l\/Iongols to hold the reins of Empireand of gu

idance .

T h e fame of our conquering host has gone forth ,and is spreading .

Weare planting our banners overallthe earth ’

s surface ,and soon

every peopleandallnations willsubmi t withou t delay or hes itation to our prosperous direction , and share in its many benefactions . But shouldany rise and res ist, the ir houses , goods ,property and dependents willbe ru ined wi thout mercy . Praiseand honor to High Heaven , our dominion is so well ordered thatwe can vis it Ch ina. W i th us will go instruments of every sort ,andcrush ing weapons . W ith us willmarchanarmy wh ich is likearoaring ocean . We can meet enmity or friendsh ip with the sametranqu ilfeeling . If the Golden Khan in wisdom selects the wayof friendshipand conco rd ,andmeets us in congress , we willsecureto him th e management o f Ch inain proper formand s trong po sses s ion . If he cannot come h imself, le t him send his honored sons

to us as hostages with treasures . But should he res is t, wh ich

Golden Khan, the title o f the Kin Emperor in Mongol.

Jinghis Khan’s Advance 83

Heaven forbid , we must wait for warfareand for slaughter, wh ichwill last tillHeaven puts the diadem of victoryand power on the

head of him whom it chooses, and puts the rags of miseryandwant on him whom it des ires to wear th em.

”

On rece iving these words, suchas no man had ever sentasovereign in China, Chong hei burst intoablaz ing rageand dismissedthe envoy with contempt and with injury . If Jinghis hasplanned war and slaugh teragainst us ,

”

replied he, who canprevent him from tempt ing fortune ?The last word had been uttered,and both s idesmade ready now

for warfare .

Direct ing Tuguchar to guard home lands from every possible

put his girdle round his neckand called High Heaven to h elphim Boundless Heaven ,

”said he , Iam go ing toavenge the

blood of Berkaiand Ambagai , my uncles whom th e Altyn Khansput to death with infamyand torture . If thou favor me sendaidfrom out th e lofty places , but on earth send men to help me ; send

also spirits goodand evil .”

His four sons , Juch i , Jagatai , Ogotaiand Tulu i ,accompan iedthe Mongo l sovereign .

t ime of forced march es each man carried with him some milkandasmallport ion of flesh food .

T o reach the Great Wallth e Mongols crossedaspace ofabouttwelve hundred miles cons ist ing in part of the desert knownas Shamo in Ch inese andas the Gobi in Mongol . The firstsuccess of th e invaders was made eas ier by AlaKu sh Tegin of the

O nguts, whose duty it was to guard the GreatWall for the Emperor,

84 The Mongols

the Pekin of the present , was invested . T he Ch inese commanderKin kicn sent hlingan ,atru stedo fficer, to reconno itre theMongols .

Mingan desertedand gaveallneeded informationabout places tothe enemy , whoattacked Kin kienand routed his forces ; the irmounted men trampled his infantryand cu t it to pieces . T he

NIongols pressed on toward the ch ief Ch inesearmy , wh ich did not

stopped by his guards , who swore to figh t to the death for their

couldnot capture Taitong fu , though in August , 1212, he bes iegedit in person . He was wounded in front of the place byanarrow,

and withdrew to the north foraperiod.

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86 The Mongols

Tangut and Ch inahad passed eigh ty years in mutualgoodfeeling and friendsh ip when the Tangu t sovereign , attacked byJinghis fo r th e th ird time ,askedaid from the Kin sovere ign , but

having failed to rece ive it , madeanagreement (1210 ) wi th the

Mongols , and severed relations with Ch ina. T he Empire wasweakened by defections so numerous that Jinghis Khan formed

fi f ty - six brigades o f men with officers and generals who hadpassed from the Ch inese to h is service . These were jo ined to hisarmy ,and now begananattack onallthose lands bounded on th e

wes tand sou th by the Hoang Ho or Yellow Riverand 0 11 the eastby the Hoang Hai or Yellow Sea,and forming the provinces of

Shan si, Pe che liand Shan tung .

self - defence , escaped ru in . T he booty was immense in goldands ilk stu ffs , in capti ves maleand female ,and in horsesand cattle .

Th is great raid took place in the first month s of 1214 . Allthe

Mongolarmies wereassembled with their booty in Apri l of thatyear,ataplace some leagues west of Chong tu . Jinghis wouldpermit noattack on that capital . T o the Emperor he sent two

ofi cers wi th the following message : Allplaces north of the HoangHoare mine , save Chong tu , wh ich isallthat remains in thy ser

vice . Heaven has brough t thee down to th is impo tence ; were Ito haras s th ee stillfurther I should dread Heaven ’

sanger . W iltthou treat myarmy well,and satisfy the generals ?

Five hundred youths , as many maidens , and three thousandhors es went forth with his bride to the conqueror.

Peace now concluded with Jinghis , Utuhu proclaimed complete

amnes ty toall, b u t not feeling safe , he left his he ir in Chong tu ,

Jinghis Khan’

s Advance 87

though victorious, he sent envoys at once to Jinghis . Theseenvoys tendered submiss ion ,andasked foraid straigh tway .

TheMongolKhan did not hesitate ; he sentadivis ion ofMongolsunder Samuka,andadivis ion of Jutchis underMingan , with ordersto join the KaraKitansand capture the capital. Mukul i , thebestMongol leader in China, was sentat the same time to strengthenLyuko , from whomaKinarmy had retaken the greater part of

his kingdom.

son to Nan king immediately . Chong tn , the capital , was poorlyprovis ioned, the Mongols were near it , the ir ferocity was famous ;

attacked this strongarmy . Li ing, who was drunk when they fellon him, was killed. The battle was lost,and the transport wasseizedand swept off by the victors . At news of th is dreadfuldisaster th e troops of two oth er Kin generals dispersedand th emen went home to their famil ies .

Connection with the city was broken . The investment wasmerciless ; want came ,and next famine, with hunger so cruel thatth e dead were devoured ,and then l iving men killed to b e eaten .

Fu s ing , the governor, proposed to Chin chong, the commandant ,toattack the Mongols with every force in the city,and diearmsin hand or else conquer. Chin chong had not th is view of duty .

Fu sing , unwilling to witness the loss of the city in which he wasgovernor, made ready to die with propriety . He gaveallhe hadto his servitors , took po ison,and ended his earthly existence .

Chin chong hastened then to escape before the Mongols couldenter. The Imperial princesses implored him to tak e them fromthe city, and save them, but, not wishing to hamper his fligh t,Ch in chongasked some t ime to prepare for their journey . Oncebeyond the

88 The Mongols

he was only two leagues from it, bu t h is troops being few , he wasforced to retreat empty- handed. He madeasecondattempt theyear followingand was nearer success without reach ing it .Meanwh ile the Kin dynasty wasapproach ing its doom,and th e

day of ext inction .

In the Spring of 1216 Jinghis , from his home on the Kerulon,

again sent Sub o taiagainst the brotherandthree sons of TuktaBijhi,th e las t Khan of the M erkits . T uguchar was to h elp should the

need come . Subotaime t the M erkits near the Jem River in theAl taiand defeated them. Two sons of TuktaBijhiandKutu , his

brother, were slain in theaction ; the th ird son , Kultuk Khan ,agreat archer, was captured and taken to Juch i , eldest son o f

Jinghis . When Juch iasked foraproof of his skill, the youngman sentanarrow intoagoal,and then split that firstarrow withasecond one . Juch i begged his father to spare th is Kultuk ,

1but

in vain . Th is greatarcher, the last son of TuktaBijhi, had to

die like the o thers .

Wh ile the Mongol Khan was in Ch ina, Baitulu , who was ch iefof the T umats , withdrew fromobedience . At command of Jinghis ,Boroulmarched in 1217against the T umatsand cru shed them,

b ut los t h is own life in the conflict , wh ich was closeand very bitter .

Jinghis hadaskedaid of the Kirghis . Bu t they too roseagainsthim,and Juch i was sent to reduce th is recalc itrant people . He

did the work thoroughly before leaving the upper waters of the

Irtishand the Yenissei.In 1214 Mukuli had been sent ,as we remember, to the Ki tans ,

whose country had been greatly overrun by Kinarmies . Duringthe two years wh ich followed , th is best ofallMongolleaders wonback that whole region by excellent strategy , finesse , and grandfigh ting . Th is work was indispensable in the conquest o f Ch ina.During 12 17 th is great generalappeared before Jinghis encampedthen on the Tula. Mukuli was rewarded beyondallo ther generals up to that day,andaf ter it . Jinghis praised him in publ ic ,lauded his great mentalg ifts and his services , called him Kwe

Wang , or prince in the Empire , and made th is ti tle heredi tary .

He created him lieu tenant commanding in Ch ina,andgave himaseal made o f goldasas ign o fau thori ty . I have conqueredthe North ,

"

said Jinghis , subdue thou the South for me . And

One of the faults with wh ich Jingh is reproached Juch iwas tenderness .

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90 T he Mongols

next large stream east of the Yaxartes River . In 1136,wh i le

preparing for waragainst the Kin sovereigns to win back the

Empire which they had snatched from his family, he died , leavingonly one son , thenaminor . Till1 142 this son was under the

tutelage of his mother. Dying in 1155 he leftason, Chiluku , for

whom hisaunt , Pussuen , was regent t ill1 167 wh en he came tomajority . When the son of the last Naiman ruler came in 1208

to seekanasylum in KaraKitai , Chiluku was stillruling . He

showed the fleeing Khanakind welcome ,and gave himhis daughter in marriage .

Chiluku was occupied mainly in hunting wild beasts , and inseeking for pleasure . Th is weakness caused the defect ion of

great vassals : the Idikut of the Uigurs ; th e K han of T ransox iana;the Kwaresmian Shah ,and now it led his perfidious new son - in

law to dethrone him.

Th e Naiman Khan hadattracted some of Chiluku’

s com

manders ,and on collecting th e wreck of his late father’sarmy hesaw h imself at the head of cons iderable forces . T o begin his

plot eas ily he begged leave of the Gurkhamtoassemble th e scattered remnants of the Naiman army , then wandering throughnortheastern lands of the KaraKitan Empire . Th ese men

migh t b e employed , he said , in Chiluku’

s service . The weakand kindly old sovere ign consented , gave his daugh ter’s husbandrich presents , and confirmed his t itle Gutchluk , or th e StrongMan . The false son- in -law went on his miss ion . From Iwil,Kayalikand Bishbalik ,

crowds ru shed to his standard . He wasjo ined by the chief of the M erkits ,who hadfled before the Mongo ls .

These men began to win wealth by incurs ions in every direction .

Further hope o f booty caused o ther bands to follow qu ickly . StillGutchluk could not se ize the Empire without anally , and the

Empire , orat leastalarge part of it, was his object .He turned to Shah Mohammed who had wi thdrawn from sub

jcction to Chiluku ,and had rece ived even the homage of Osman ,

the Khan ruling then over T ransox ianaand Samarkand. Gutch

lukasked Shah Mohammed to fall on the Empire ,and seize thewes tern part for th is service . T h e Shah gaveafavorableanswer.

MeanwhileaKaraKitanarmy was despatched to Samarkand byChiluku to bring Osman back to obedience . Shah Mohammedhas tened to renderaid to his vassal , but before his arri val the

Jinn Khan ’

s Advance 9 1

KaraKitans were recalled to meet Gutchluk , who hadnow openedwar on his father- in -law, the Gurkhan .

Wh ile Chiluku ’

s army was absent in Samarkand , Gutchlukseized in Uzkend the state treasures ,and hurried then by forcedmarches to surprise BelaSagun . Chiluku , though old,

took thefield promptly in person ,and defeated his son- in -law , who retiredin despairafter los ingalarge force of warriors who were killed or

taken capt ive .

Meanwh ile Shah Mohammed had crossed the western boundaryaccompan ied by Osman ,

and met the KaraKitan forces com

manded by Tanigu . Heattacked theseand captured the com

mander . The defeated troops wh i le marching home robbedtheir own fellow subjectsand plundered without distinct ion ; BelaSagun ,

which preferred Mohammed , wou ld not open its gates tothem. Besieged by th e troops of their own sovereign th ey foughtfor s ixteen days , hoping daily to see the Shah ’

sarmy . T he citywas taken byassault , and the people were slaugh tered . Fiftyseven thousand persons perished under the sword edge .

As KaraKitan treasures had van ished , the state treasury wasempty . Mahmud Bai,an immensely rich general who feared forhis own wealth and substance , advised the Gurkhamto forcearestorat ion ofallthat had been seized by Gutchlukand his followers . Th earmy ch iefs , unwilling to yield up their plunder, werefurious on h earing th is proposal. Gu tchluk appeared then on

asudden , and seized his father- in -law , the Gurkham. Oncemaster of the sovereign ’

s person he used sovereignauthority , soChiluku , without power himself , retainedavain t itle t ill death

against the KaraKitan usurper, his ennemy . Gutchluk fled fromKashgar with apart of his forces . On entering the city Chepeproclaimed freedom of rel igion to allmen . The inhabitantsmas sacred Gutchluk ’

s warriors , who had been quartered in theirhouses . Chepe hurried off in pursu it of the fugitive ,and neverdrew bridle t illhe had hunted him over the Pamir,and caugh thimin the Badakshan mountains , where he cut his head off .

Wh en Jinghis heard of th is h e commanded Chepe not to b e

proud of success, for pride had undone Wang Khan of the Keraits

92 The Mongols

and the Taiyang of the Naimans ,as wellas Gutchluk ,and brough tru in to every recent ru ler .

Th is vic torious Chepe some years later carriedMongolarms toArmeniaacross Georgiaandalarge part of Russ ia. He was of

the Yissuts , al\Iongoltribe wh ich had fough tagainst Jinghis ,knownat that timeas T emudjin . Onaday T emudjin wroughtacrushing defeat on the Yissuts ; Chepe fled with some others to

the mountains,and hid there from death , which he looked onascertain in case he were captured . O ne daywhen T emudjin was outhunting his beaters inclosed and caugh t Chepe . T he Khanwished to slay him, but Boorchu , his earliest comradeand one of

his four chosen leaders , begged foracombat with Chepe . T emud

jin ag reed , and gave himawh ite muzz led horse for the trial.B oorchu shot an arrow wh ich fai led to reach Chepe . Chepe ,moreadro it than his enemy , sentashaft wh ich brought down theh orse under him,and the next instant he ru shedaway with l ightn ing speed . Reduced to want some t ime later Chepe offered hisservice to T emudjin , the strong victor. T emudjin knew theman ’

s

worthandaccepted his offer. The Khan made Chepeach ief often men to begin with , then ofahundred , later on ofathousand ,

andat last of ten thousand warriors .

Wh en Chepe brough t back Gutchluk’

s head he wished to givearecompense for th e wh ite muzzled horse wh ich he kill( 1 whenBoorchu attacked him, so in Kashgar he collected athousandwh i te muzz led horsesand brough t them to Jinghisasapresent .

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94 T he Mongols

Caspian . Under the descendants of Seljuk these fierce sons of wildherdsmen pushed th e ir way on to the Propontisand to Palestine ;campedin Pers ia,andin lands lying west of it . These self - seeking ,mercilessadventurers brough t torture , oppress ion ,and brigandagetoallpeople equally , t illat last intestine wars and socialchaosputan end to Seljuk rule toward the close of the twelfth century .

Kuth ud din Mohammed , son of the manumitted slave , NushT ejin ,andalso his successor, won the title of Kwaresmian Shah ,at itle used before the Arab conquest . Ats iz , son of Kutb uddin ,

raisedarms repeatedlyagainst Sindjar, the son of Mel ik Shah ,

andwas forced to render tribute to the Gurkhan . Wh en Sindjardied (1157 ) IlArslan , son of Ats iz , seized West Kh orassan ; hisson , T ukush , took Pers ian Irak from Togrul, who fellin battle .

By the death of Togruland Sindjar, both Pers ian Seljuk linesbecame ext inct .

T ukush obtained invest iture at Bagdad from the Kal if , andPers iapassed from one line of Turkish tyrants toanother. Mo

hammed , who succeeded his father T ukush , in 1200 , seized theprovinces of BalkhandHeratandmade h imself lord of Khorassan .

Soonaf ter th is Mazanderanand Kerman passed under his poweranddirection . Mohammed now planned to shake o ff theauthorityof the Gurkhan of KaraKi tai , to whomhe ,and three of his predecessors , had paid yearly tribute . Bes ides he was urged to th isstep by Osman , Khan of Samarkand and T ransox iana, who ,beingalsoavassal of the Gurkhan , endured wi th vexation the

insolence ofagents who took th e tribute in his provinces . Osmanpromised to recognize Mohammedas his suzerain , and pay thesame tribu te that he hadpaid to the Gurkhan . The Shahacceptedth is o ffer with gladness ; he merely wai ted forapretext , wh ichappeared very qu ickly : An official came to receive the yearlytribu te ,

and seated h imselfat the Shah ’

s s ide , the usual place insuch cases , though it seemed now that he did so somewhat boldly .

Mohammed’

s pride ,increased much by recent victory over Kip

chaks living north of the Caspian , would endure th is no longer,so in rage he commanded to cu t down theag entand hack him to

pieces .

After th isact Mohammed invaded the lands of the Gurkhanimmediately b ut was defeated in the ensuing battle , andcaptured with one o f his o fficers . T he officer had the wit to de

Destruct ion of the Kwaresmian Emp ireclare that the Shah , whose person was unknown in those regions ,wasaslave of his . Inashort t ime theamount of ransom for theofficer was settled; he ofl’ered to send his slave to get the sum

needed. This offer was takenandan escort sent with the slaveto protect him. Thus did Mohammed return in servile gu ise tohis domin ions , wh ere reports of his death had preceded him. In

Tab eristan his broth er, Ali Shir, had proclaimed his own ru le ,and his uncle , the governor of Herat , was taking sovereign powerin that region .

T he following year Mohammedand Osman , the Samarkandruler, madeasecondattack on th e Gurkham. Cross ing the SyrDaryaat T enakit , they met their opponents , commanded byTanigu ,and wonavictory .

Th ey conqueredapart of the countryas faras Uzkend ,andinstatedagovernor . T h e news of this sudden success causedimmense joy in the Kwaresmian Empire . Embass ies were sent

by neighboring princes to congratulate the victor . Af ter his nameon the sh ield wasadded Shadow of God upon earth .

” Peoplewished toaddalso Second Alexander, ” but he preferred the nameSindjar, since the Seljuk pr mce Sindjar had reigned forty- one

years successfully . Af ter his return th e Shah gave his daughterinmarriage to Osman ,andthe Gurkhan ’

s l ieutenant in Samarkandwas replaced byaKwaresmian agent . Soon ,

however, Osmanwas so dissat isfied with thisagent that he gave back hisallegianceto the Gurkhan ,and killed the Kwaresmians in his capital.Mohammed enrag edat this slaugh ter, march ed to Samarkand ,

stormed the City , and for three daysand n igh ts his troops didnaught else but slay peopleand plunder ; th en he laid s iege to thefortress and captured it . Osman came out dressed in agrave shroud ;anaked sword hung from his neck down in frontof him. He fellbefore Mohammedand begged for l ifeabjectly .

T he Shah would have spared him, but Osman ’

s wife , the Shah ’

s

daughter, rushed inand demanded th e death of h er husband . He

had preferredan earlier wife , th e daugh ter of the Gurkhan ,andhad forced her, the Shah ’

s daugh ter, to serveatafeast that detestedand inferior woman . Osman had to die , and with himdied his whole family, including the daugh ter of the Gurkhan .

Mohammed jo inedallOsman ’

s lands to the Empire ,andmadeSamarkand anew capital . He further increased his Empire

96 T he Mongols

byapart of the k ingdom of Gur, wh ich extended from Herat tothe sacred river of India, the Ganges .

After th e death , in 1205 , of Sh ihab ud din , fourth sovere ign of

the Gur l ine , his provinces passed under o fficers placed thereasprefects . When lVIohammed took Balkh and Herat, Mahmud ,nephew of Sh ihab , kept merely Gur the specialdomain of th e

family , and even for th is h e was forced to give homage to th e

Kwaresmian monarch . hIahmud had reigned seven years inthat reduced state when h e was killed in his own palace . PublicOpin ion in th is case held the Shah to b eamurderer,and beyonddoubt wi th fulljustice .

AliSh ir, the Shah ’

s brother, who had proclaimed h imself sover

eign so hurriedly when Mohammed was return ing , disgu isedasaslave , from his waragainst th e Gurkhan , was nowat the Gur

capital; h e declared h imself Mahmud ’s successorand begged theShah to confirm himas vassal. Mohammed sentan officer, asit seemed , for th is ceremony , b ut wh en Ali Sh ir wasabout to puton th e robe of h onor sent h im the officer swept o ff his h ead withasword stroke , and produced thereupon the command of his

master to do so . Af ter th is revolting deed the Gur principal itywas jo ined to Mohammed ’

s domin ionThree years later, 1216, Mohammed won Ghazn i fromaTurk

general onceasubject of Sh ihab ud din . Th is Turk hMlseizedthe provinceat the dissolution of Gur domin ion . In thearch iveso f Ghazn i the Shah came on letters from the Kalif Nass irat Bagdadto the Gur Khans , in which he gave warn ingagainst the Kwaresmian Shahs ,and inc ited toattack them,

advis ingajunct ion withthe KaraKitans for that purpose .

These letters roused th e Shah ’

s wrath to the u tmost . T he

Kalif , Nass ir, who ascended the th rone in 1 180, had labored

wi thout success , though unceas ingly , to stop Kwaresmian growthandaggress ion . He could not employ h is own forces to th is end,

s ince he had none . T he temporalpower of the Proph et ’s successors had shrunk to the narrow limits of Kuzistanand ArabianIrak . Th e o th er parts of the ir once vast dominions had passed tovarious dynas ties whose sovere igns were supposed to rece ive landsin fi ef from the Kalif . I f these sovereignsasked for inves titureit was s imply for religious , or perhaps more correctly , for politicalreasons .

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98 The Mongols

true faith or, if they will not accept the true faith , to paytribu te PT he Ulemadeclared that in such cases depos ition was justified .

Armed with th is decis ion the Shah recognized Ali ulMu luk of

Termed ,adescendant of Ali ,as Kal if ,and ordered that in publi cprayers the name of Nass ir b e omitted . T h e Shah assembledanarmy to carry out the sentenceagainst Nass ir .

Ogulmush ,aTurk general who had subdued Pers ian Irakandthen rendered fealty to Mohammed , was murderedat direction of

theKalif , under whose controlanumberof Assass ins hadbeen placedby their ch ieftainat Alamut . In Pers ian Irak the name of the

Shah was dropped from public prayers ,after the slaying of Ogu lmush . T he princes of Farsand Azerbaidjan hastened promptlyto seize upon Irak ,at the instance of Nassir . Said,

prince of Ears ,was taken captive , b ut secured freedom by ceding two strongholds ,and promising the th ird of hisannual incomeas tribute . Euzb ek

of Azerbaidjan fledafter defeat ,and the Shah would not pursue ,as the capture of two ru lers in the space of one year was unlucky .

Euzb ek , on reach ing home , sent envoys with presents ,and proclaimedh imselfavassal . Mohammedannexed Irak to the Empire,andmoved his troops on toward Bagdad.

Nass ir sent words of peace to his enemy , b ut those words hadno influence ,and themarch continued . Nass ir strove to stre ngthenBagdadand defend it , wh ile Mohammed was writing diplomas ,wh ich turned Arabian Irak , that whole land of wh ich Bagdad wasthe capital, into military fi efsand tax - paying districts .

The Shah ’

s vanguard,fifteen thousand strong ,advanced toward

Heulvan by the way of the mountains ,and was followed soon byasecond divis ion of the same strength . Though the t ime wasearlyau tumn

,snow fellfor twenty days in success ion , the largest

tents were buried under it ; menand horses died in great numbers ,bo th when they were march ing th rough those mountains andwhen they hal ted . A retreat was commandedat las t whenadvance was imposs ible . Turks and Kurds then attacked the

re treating forces so savagely that the ru in of thearmy was wellnigh to tal. Th is wasattributed by Sunni te belief to Divineangerfor that impiousattack on th e person of the Kalif .

T he repo rts o f Mongolmovements alarmed the Shah greatlyand he has tened homeward , firs t to Nishapur, and later on to

Destruct ion of the Kwaresmian Emp ire 9 9

Bukhara, where he rece ived the first envoys from Jinghis Khan ,

his new neighbor.

It is well to go back to th e t ime when the Shah choseanewKalif fromamong th e descendants of Ali, the cousinand son - in-lawof Mohammed . In the Moslem world th ere are seventy- three

or more sects , varying in s izeand degree of importance , but thetwo great divisions of Islamare the Sunn iteand Sh i ite , wh ichdiffer mainly on the success ion . Among Sunnites the successionwas fromAbbas , the uncle of Mohammed th e Proph et of Islam;that is the success ion wh ich took place in h istory . Among Sh i itesth e succession wh ich ,as th ey th ink , should have taken place , butwh ich did not , was that through Ali, the husband of Fat ima, thedaughter of Mohammed .

T h e Sh i ites of Pers iathought that the day of justice had comeafter six centuries ofabasementandwaiting ,and that the h eadshipof Islamwould b e theirs through theaccess ion of Al i 11] Muluk ofT ermid to the Kalifat . In their eyes th e Kwaresmian Shah hadbecomeanagent of Allah ,asacred person . Hisact createdanimmense effect throughout Persia, and certainly no less in the

capitalof Islamat Bagdad, where the Kal if Nassir calledacouncilat once to findmeans of defenceagainst so dreadfu lan enemyasShah Mohammed . After long discussion , one sageamong th oseassembled declared that Jinghis Khan , whose fame was soundingth en throughout Western As ia, was the man to bring the ragingShah to his senses .

The Kalif , greatly pleased with this statement , resolved to sendan envoy , but the journey was perilou s , s ince every road to theMongols lay through Shah Mohammed ’s dominions . Shouldthe envoy b e takenand his message read , the Shah , roused byresentmentandanger, would spare no man involved in the plot ,least ofallKalif Nassirand his servants . T oavo id th is chance ,they shaved the envoy ’s h eadand wrote out , or branded, his

commiss ion upon it . His skullwas then covered with paint , oramixture of some kind . The ent ire message to Jinghis was fixedwellin the mind of the envoy,and he set out on his journey .

After four month s of hard traveling he reached Mongo l headquarters , del ivered his message in words ,and wasadmitted soon

after to the Khan of the Mongols in secret . T he envoy ’s headwas shornasecond t imeand the credent ials traced with fi re on his

100 T he Mongols

crown became vis ible . There was branded inalsoan invitationto invade the Kwaresmian Empire , and destroy the re igningdynasty .

Jinghis meditated over th is invitation . The though t of con

queringanew Empire did no t leave him, butas he had spokennot long before with its ruler in friendsh ip , he waited tillareasonto justifyattack should present itself .In 1216—17 in Bukhara,as mentionedalready , Shah Mohammed

rece ived three envoys from Jinghis ; these men brough t ingots of

s ilver, musk , jadeand costly wh ite robes of camels ’ hair,allcreationsand products of Central As ia, sentas presents to the Kwaresmian sovere ign .

“Th e great Khan has charged us ,

”

said the

envoys , to give this message : I salu te thee ! I know thy powerand the great extent of thy Empire . T hy re ign is overalargepart of the earth ’

s surface . I have the greatest wish to l ive inpeace with thee ; I look on theeas my most cherished son . Thouartaware that I have subdued Ch ina,and broughtallTurk nationsnorth of it to obedience . Thou knowest thatmy country is swarming with warriors ; that it isamine of wealth ,and that I have noneed to covet lands of other sovereigns . I and thou have anequalinterest in favoring commerce between our subjects .

’

Th is message was in factademand on Mohammed to declareh imselfavassal , s ince various degrees of relationsh ip we re usedamong ru lers in As iato denote corresponding degrees of submiss ion .

T he Shah summoned one of the envoys in the nigh t - time .

Has Jinghis Khan really conquered China? asked b e . Thereis no doubt of that , ” said the envoy . Who is th is who calls mehis son ? How many troops has h e ? T he envoy , see ing Mo

hammed’

s excitement , replied that Mongol forces were not to b e

compared wi th his inany case . The Shah was calmed ,andwhenthe time came he dismissed the envoys withapparent good feelingand friendliness . Wh en they reached the boundary of the Shah ’

s

land they were safe , for wherever Jinghis Khan became sovereignthere was saf ety for travelers immediately , even in plac es whererobbery had been the rule for manyages .

Since KaraKi tai had fallen , Mohammed ’s possess ions reachedthe heart o f Central As ia, and touched the land of the Uigurs ,now tribu tary to Jinghis , hence commercialrelations were directand o f very great value . Soonafter the Khan ’

s envoys hadmade

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102 The Mongols

among military leaders ; the ir power was enormous , s ince commanders of troops governed with very wide latitude . Amidth isaristocracy of figh ters the power of th e sovere ignwas uncertain ;h e was forced to satisfy theambition of men who saw inallth ingsth eir own profit only . T h e troops controlled by those governorswere the scourge of peaceful people ; th ey ru ined every regionwh ich they l ived in or vis ited .

Turkan Khatun , the head of th is military faction , not onlyequalled her son inauthority , but of ten surpassed him. Wh entwo orders of different orig inappeared inany part of the Empire ,the date dec ided wh ich hadauthority ; that order was alwayscarried out on wh ich the date was most recent ,and the order of

recent date was th e order of that watch fulwoman . When Mo

hammed wonanew province h ealwaysass ignedalarge part totheappanage of his mother. She employed seven secretariesatallt imes , men distingu ish ed forability . The inscript ion on her

decrees was Protectress of the world and the fai th , Turkan,

queen of women .

”

Her device was : Godalone is my refuge .

”

Lord of the world was her title . The following example showsclearly the character of the Shah ’

s mother : She had obtained fromhiohammed the elevat ion of Nass ir ud din ,aformer slave of hers ,to th e pos i tion of vi z ir, or prime min ister of the Empire ; soon the

Shah came to hate the man , for personalandalso other r easons .

Hisability was small,and his greed without limit . At N ishapurthe Shahappo intedanew judge , one Sadr ud din ,and forbadehim to give the viz irany presents . Friends , however, warnedthe judge not to neglect th is prime dign itary , so he sent Nass ir uddin asealed purse contain ing four thousand gold pieces . T h e

Shah , who was watching both judgeand viz ir, caused the latterto send the purse to him. It was sent straigh tway,and the sealwas intact on it . T he judge was summoned ,and when heappeared the Shah asked before witnesses what gift he had madethe viz ir ; h e denied having madeany, pers isted in denial , andswo re by th e head o f his sovere ign that he had no t given one co into the min ister. T he Shah had the purse brough t ; the judgewas depri ved of his dignity . T he viz ir was sent home withouto ffi ce to his patroness .

Nass ir ud din went back to the Shah ’

s mother. O n the wayhe dec ided every case that men brought him. On the viz ir’s

Destruct ion of the Kwaresmian Emp ire 103

approach Turkan Khatun ordered people ofallranksand classesto go forth and meet him. The viz ir grew more insolent now

than he had been . The Shah sentan officer to bring the recalcitrant minister’s head to him. Wh en the officer came to h er capital,Turkan Khatun sent him to the viz ir, who was then in the divanand pres iding . She had given the officer this order : Salute theviz ir in the Shah ’

s name ,and say to him : I have no viz ir exceptthee , continue in thy funct ions . No man in my Empire maydestroy th ee ,

’

or failin respect to thee .

’

The officer carried out the command of the woman . Nassiruddin exercised hisauthority in defiance of Mohammed ; he cou lddo so s ince Turkan Khatun upheld him,and she had beh ind heralegion of her murderous kin smen . The sovereign , who haddestroyed so many ru lers unsparingly, had not the power or the

means to manage one insolent upstart who defied him.

The murder of the merchants in Otrar was followed soon bysuch atempest of ru inas had never been witnessed in As iaorelsewhere . Shah Mohammed had mustered at Samarkand alargearmy to moveagainst Gutchluk , whom he wish ed to bringdown to subjection or destroyaltogether , but h earing thatabodyof M erkits wasadvancing through Kankal i regions lying north of

Lake Aral, he marched to Jend straigh twayagainst them,andlearned upon reaching that city , that those Merkits , be ingalliesof Gutchluk , were hunted by Jinghis ,and that Gutchluk himselfhad been slain by the Mongols .

He returned swiftly to Samarkand foraddit ional forces ,and following the tracks of botharmies , foundafield strewn with corpses,among wh ich he sawaMerkit badly wounded ; from th is manthe Shah learned that the Jinghis had gainedagreat victory,and gone forward .

O ne day later Mohammed came up with themand formed hisforce straigh tway toattack them. T he Mongol leader (perhapsJuchi) declared that the two states wereat peace ,and that h e hadcommands to treat th e Shah ’

s troops with friendl iness ; h e evenofl’eredapart of his bootyand prisoners to Mohammed. The

latter refused theseandanswered : If Jinghis has ordered theenot to meet me in battle, God commands me to fall on thy forces .

I wish to inflict sure destruction on infidelsand thus earn D i vinefavor.

”

104 The Mongols

The Mongols , forced to give battle , came very near victory .

They had put Mohammed ’s left wing to fl ight , pierced th e centerwhere the Shah was ,and would have dispersed it , but for timelyaid brough t by Jelal ud din , the Shah ’

s son , who rushed from the

righ tand restored the battle, wh ich lasted tilleveningandwas leftundec ided .

T he Mongols l igh ted vast numbers of camp fires ,and retired inth e dark with such swif tness thatat daybreak they hadmade twodays ’ journey .

Af ter th is encounter the Shah knew Mongol strength veryclearly . He to ld intimates that h e had never seen men fightasthey had.

Jinghis , having ended Gutchlukand his kingdom summoned his own fami lyand officers toacounci l where they discussed war with Mohammed , and settled everyth ing touch ingth is enterpriseandits management . That sameautumn the M on

golconqueror began his march westward , leaving the care of homeregions to his youngest brother . He spentallthe following summernear the Upper Irt ish , arranging his immense herds of horses

and cattle . The march was resumed in theautumn , when he wasjoined by the prince of Almal ik, the Idikut of the Uigurs ,and byArslan , Khan of the Karluks .

Shah Mohammed wasalarmed by the oncoming of th is immense

host of warriors , more correctly th is great group ofarmies , thoughhis own force was large , s ince it numbered four hundred thousand .

His troops were in some ways superior to the Mongols , bu t theylacked iron disciplineand blind confidence in leaders ; th ey lackedalso that experience of hardsh i p , fatigueand privation , that skillindesperate figh ting , wh ich made the Mongols not merelyaterror,b u t , at that time, invincible . T he Kwaresmian armies weredefendingapopulation to wh ich they were indi fferent ,and wh ichthey were protecting , hence victory gave scant rewards in the

best case , wh ile th e Mongols , inattacking rich , flourish ing coun

tries , were excited byallthat can rouse human greed , or temptwild cupidity . T he dispari ty in leaders was still moreapparent .

O n the Mongols ide wasach ief o f incomparable genius inallthathe was do ing ; on the other s ide avacillating sovereign withwarring and wavering counsels . T he Shah had been crush ingandassas s inating rulersallhis reign ,and now he feared to meet

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106 T he Mongols

directed against Benakit on th e river , south of Jend . Wh ilethe three divis ions were taking these cities on the Syr Darya ,Jinghis h imself moved toward Bokharato bar Shah Mohammedf rom the T ransox iana, and prevent him from re inforcing anygarrison between the two ri vers .

Otrarwas invested late in November, 1218 . T he walls had beenstrengthened, and the c ity , with its fortress

,provis ioned very

carefully . T he strong garrison had been increased by ten thou

sand horsemen . Afteras iege of fi ve months th e troopsand thec i tizens were discouraged ,and the commander though t it best tosurrender, b ut Inaldjuk , the governor, could not hope for his l ife ,s ince he was the man who had slain the Mongo l merchants ;h ence , he would not hear of surrender. He would figh t , as hesaid , to the death , for his sovereign . T he chief of the horsemen

felt di fferently ,and led out his best troops in the nigh t to escape ,but was captured . Heand they offered then to serve the b e

siegers . T he Mongols inqu iredabout condit ions in the city ,and,when the ch ief had told what he knew , they informed him that heand his men ,

being unfaithf ul to the ir master, could not b e true

toanother. They thereupon slew him,andallwho were wi th him.

T he city was taken that day , April, 1219 ,and its inhabitantsdriven to the country outs ide , so that the captors might pillagethe place inabsolute freedom. Inaldjuk , the governor, 1 fithdrew

wi th twenty thousand men to the fortress , and fough t for twomonths in that stronghold . When the Mongols burst in h e hadonly two men left ; with these he retired toaterrace . T he two

menat his s ide fell soonafter . Wh en hisarrows were gone hehurled brickbats . T he bes iegers had orders to seize the manl iving . He struggled likeamaniac , but they caughtand boundhimat last ,and bore him to the camp before Samarkand . Jinghishad molten s ilver poured into his ears and eyes to avenge the

slaughtered merchants . T he surviving inhabitants of Otrar werespared b ut the fortress was levelled.

Juch i , before march ing on Jend , went to Signakandasked thatthe gates b e thrown open . Scarcely had the message been givenwhen the furious inhabitan ts tore Hassan Hadji , Juchi’s envoy ,to piecesand called on God ’s nameas they did so .

Juch i gave the orderat once toattack ,and forbade his men to

cease figh ting till the c ity was captured . Fresh troops rel ieved

Destruction of the Kwaresmian Emp ire 107

those who were wearied . After seven days of storming the Mon

gols burst inandslew every soul in that city .

Juch i madeason of Hassan Hadj i commandant of the ru ins ;then h e moved up the riverand sacked every place that he vis ited .

As the Mongols drew near to Jend , Katluk Khan , the commandant , fled in the nigh t t ime , crossed the Syr Daryaand took thedesert road for Urgendj beyond the southern shore of the Oxus .

Juch i demanded surrender through Ch in Timur his envoy . De

sertedby their ch ief , the people were in doubt what to do ,andwhenChin Timur came they wished to kill him, but he told them of

Signak , and promised to turnas ide Mongol vengeance in casethey were prudent . The people th en freed him, but very soon

saw the enemy under the walls , wh ich they though t proofagainstevery besieger . T he Mongols scaled those walls qu ickly , andrush ed in fromallsides . N0 hand was raised thenagainst them.

The inhabitants were driven to the open countryand left nine

days and nights there , wh ile th e pillage cont inued. Exceptingthose who hadabused Ch in Timur, the people were spared, s incethey had made no res istance .

Meanwhileadetachment of thearmy had seized Yengikend ,the last town on the river,and Juchi’s work was done on the rightbank with thoroughness .

T he th ird divis ion of thearmy moved from Otrar to the leftup the river, andattacked Benakit which was garrisoned byKankalis . At the end of three days the officers wished to capitulate . Their lives were promised them, and th ey surrendered .

T h e inhabitants were driven from the city . T he Turks weretaken out to one s ide ,and cut down to the last man , with swordsand other weapons . Be ing warriors whom the Mongols cou ld nottrust , they were slaugh tered . T heart isans were sparedand divitedamong the Mongolarmy . Unskilled , young , and strongmen were taken to ass ist in bes ieging ; allother people wereslain immediately .

The march was cont inued to Khodjend,and soon the invaderswere in front of that city ,and storming it . In Khodjend,

Timur

Melik ,aman of great valor, commanded . He took one thousandchosen warriors toafort onan island far enough from e ither bankto b e safe from stonesandarrows . T he bes iegers were re inf orcedby twenty thousandMongols for conflict ,andfifty thousand nat ives

108 The Mongols

of the country to carry on s iege work . Th ese nat ives were employed first ofallat bearing stones fromamountain three leaguesdistant ,and bu ildingaroad from the shore to the fortress in the

river. Timur Melik meanwhile bu ilt twelve covered barges ,protected from fi re with glazed earth , wh ich was first soaked invinegar. Every day six of these boats went to each shoreandsentarrows , through openings , at the Mongols . Nigh tattackswere made suddenlyand wrought much harm on th e invaders .

But despite every effort Timur saw that failure would comeif he stayed there . He was met by preponderantand crush ingnumbersat last . So he put menand baggage in seventy strongboats and his chosen warriors in the twelve covered barges ;and they sped down the swift river at n ight by the ligh t ofmany torches fixed on the boats of his flotilla. T he boats snappedachain s tretchedacross from one bank to the other by l\*Iongolsnear Benakit , and passedalong , hunted by the enemy on boths ides .

Timur learned now that Juchi had postedalarge corps of menon the two banks , close to Jend , captured recently ; h e learnedalso that balis tas were readyand thatabridge of boats had beenmade near the same place . He debarked h igher up, therefore ,andtook to horse toavo id capture . Pursued by the enemy , he gavebattle tillhis baggage was brough t near him. He repeat ed th isdayafter day tillforcedat last toabandon the baggage . Finally ,having lostallhismen , he wasaloneandpursued by three Mongols .

He had only threearrows left, one of these had no metalpo int onit ; he sho t thatand put outan eye of the nearest pursuer . Thenhe cried to the other men : Thereare twoarrows stillin myqu iver, ye would better go back with your eyes ight . ” They didso . Timur Melik made his way to Urgendj,and joined Jelal uddin , whom h e followed tillthe death of that sovere ign .

Meanwh ile Jinghis moved against Bokharawith his mainforcesandarrivedat that city during June of 1219 . O n the wayhe sei zed Nurand Chamuk , which he pillaged ; then he tookfrom those placesallstalwart men useful in s iege work . Bokhara,the great city withagarrison o f twenty thousand,

was invested on

alls ides ,andattacked by relays o f fresh warriors , who gave ne itherrespite nor res t to it .

Af ter some days the defenders lost hope of successand reso lved

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1 10 The Mongols

nowagainst you . Then he said that he required no one to

deliver wealth wh ich wasabove ground , his men could discoverthat very eas ily , b ut heasked for h idden treasures . T he wealthymen were then forced to name theiragents ,and thoseagents hadto yield up the treasures , or b e tortured . All strong men wereset to filling themoats encircling the city ; even copies of the Koranand furniture of mosques were hurled in to fillditch es . The

fortress was stormedandnotaman of its defenders foundmercy .

When the fortress was taken , allits inhabitants were drivenfrom th e c ity with noth ing but the clothes wh ich th ey had on theirbodies . Then began the great pillage . T he victors slew allwhom they found inany place of h iding . At las t Mongo l troopswere sent out to surround the inhabitants on the plain ,and dividethem into part ies . Deeds were done there wh ich baffle description .

Every poss ible outrage was enacted before those to whom it wasmost dreadful to b e present , and have eyes igh t . Some hadstrength to choose death instead of looking at those horrors ;among spectators of th is kind were the ch ief judge of th e city ,andthe first Imam, who seeing the dishonor of their women rushedto save them,and perished .

Finally the city was fired ; everyth ing wooden was consumed,

noth ing was left save the main mosque ,andafew brick palaces .

Jinghis Khan lef t the smoking ru ins of Bokharathe Noble,to march on Samarkand , wh ich was only fi ve days distant . He

passedalong the pleasant valley of Sogd, coveredat that t ime withbeautiful fields , orchardsand gardensand with houses hereandthere in good number . Allinhabitants of Bokharataken to toilin the coming s iege were dri ven on beh ind thearmy . Whoso grewweak on the way or too weary for march ing was cut downatonce without pity .

Samarkand was one of the great commercial cities of th e world .

I t hadagarrison wh ich numbered forty thousand . Both the

cityand the citadel had been fortified with care ,andallmen con

sidered thatas iege of that place would continue for month s , nay,for years perhaps .

T he three o therarmy corpsappeared now , for every place on

the lower ri ver had been taken ,and Northern T ransox ianawassubjected. These divisions brough t wi th themallcaptives whowere young , fi rmand stalwart , men who might be of service in

Destruct ion of the Kwaresmian Emp ire 1 11

s iege work ; there wasan immense host of those peoplearranged ingroups of ten ,

and each ten hadabanner. Jinghis , to impose on

the doomed city , paraded his legions before it ; cavalry, infantry,andat last those unfortunate capt ives who had the seeming of

regular warriors .

Two days were spent in examin ing the city defensesand out

works ; on the thirdmorn ing early th e Mongolconqueror soundedth e onset . A host of brave c itizens madeagreat sally,andat firstsweptallbefore them but not be ing sustained by their own troops,who feared the besiegers , they met adreadful disaster . The

Mongols retired before the onrushing people , who pressed forwardwith vigor till they fellinto ambush ; being on foot they weresurrounded very quicklyand slaugh tered before the eyes of the

many thousands looking from the walls ,and the housetops . Th isgreat defeat crushed the hopes of the c itizens .

T he Kankali troops being Turks believed that the Mongolswould treat them most surelyas kinsmen . In fact Jinghis hadpromised, as they though t , to take them to his service . Hencethis great multitude , the realstrength of the c ity , issued forth thatsame day with th eir leaders , their families ,and the ir baggage, inone word , with allthat belonged to them. O n the fourth day,justas the storm was to b e sounded , the chief men of the c itywent to the Mongol camp , wh ere they rece ived sat isfactoryanswers concern ing themselves with their familiesand dependentshence they opened the gates of Samarkand to th e conqueror ;but they were driven from the city save fifty thousand who hadput themselves under the protection of the cadiand the mufti .These fifty thousand were safe- guarded , the others were allslaughtered .

The n ight following the surrender, Alb Khan ,aTurk general ,madeasortie from the citadelandhad th e fortune to break throughthe Mongols , thus saving himself and those under him. At

daybreak the citadel was attacked simultaneously on all s ides .

That struggle lasted till the evening , wh en one storming partyburst in ,and the stronghold was taken . O ne thousand defenderstook refuge in amosque and fought with desperation . The

mosque was fired then ,andallwere burned to death in it . T he

Kankalis who had yielded on the th ird day , that is the first dayof figh t ing , were conducted toaplace beyond the cityand kept

112 ;The Mongols

apart from others . Their horses , arms , and outfits were takenfrom th em,and the ir hair was shaved in front, Mongol fashion ,asif they were to formapart of th earmy . Th is wasatrick to dece ivethem t ill the executioners were ready . In one n ight the Kankalisweremurdered to the very las tman .

Wh en vas t numbers of the citizens had been slaughtered acensus was made of the remnant : Th irty thousand persons of

variousarts , occupationsand crafts were given by Jinghis to hissons , his wi ves , and his officers ; th irty thousand more werereserved for s iege labor ; fifty thousand ,after they had paid twohundred thousand gold pieces , were permitted to return to the

city , which received Mongol commandants . Requ isitions of

men were madeat later periods repeatedly ,and, s ince few of those

persons returned to their homes , Samarkand stood ruined andunoccupied foralong t ime .

Jinghis Khan so disposed his forces from the first , that ShahMohammed cou ld not relieve any c ity between the two rivers ;nowallthose c ities were taken , and the forces defending themwere slaugh tered. T he next great work was to seize Shah Mo

hammed h imself ,and then slay him,and with him his family .

Th irty thousand chosen men were employed now in chas ing theKwaresmian ruler . Never hadasovereign been hunted l ike th isvictim of the lVIongols . He fled like afo x , orahare he washuntedas if he had beenadreadfulwild beast , wh ich had killedsome h igh or holy person , oras if he were some outcas t , who hadcommitted adeed wh ich migh t make awhole nat ion shudder .

But here we must sayafew words concerning the hunted man ,

and explain his position .

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1 14 The Mongols

me thy forces . I will dri ve back th e Mongols ,and l iberate theEmpire .

” Every discussion , however, was fru itless ; the Shahtreatedallhis son ’

s reasonsas folly . Success ,”

said Mohammed ,is fixed from eternity , defeat isaverted byachange in the stars ,andnot otherwise .

”

Before h e left his pos itionat Balkh Mohammed sent men to

Pendjde ,apo int north of Termed, to collect information of the

enemy ’s movements . Tidings came qu ickly that Bokharahadbeen captured , that Samarkand had surrendered . Delaying hisjourney no longer, the Shah started o ff in hot haste throughKh orassan . Most of the troops who went with him were Turkswhose ch iefs were his moth er

’

s adherents and kinsmen ; these

formed aplot very qu ickly to killhim. Forewarned of theirtreachery , Mohammed left his tent during night hours ; next morn

ing it was seen to b e riddled with arrows . His fears increasedgreatly ,and he hastened on t ill he reached Nishap, where hehalted , th inking that the Mongols would not cross the ri ver Oxu sinany case .

From Samarkand Jinghis despatched Chepe with ten thousand ,Subotai withasecond ten thousand ,and T uguchar withath irdcorps of s imilar numbers . T he order given these was to ride withallspeed to the camp of the Shah . If they found himat the headof large forces to wait tillreinforcements came up to them; if he

had few , toattackand secure him; if fleeing , to pursue ,and withHeaven ’

s help takeand keep him; to spare ci ties wh ich yielded ;to ru in u tterly those wh ich res isted .

T he pursu ing Mongols swept through Khorassan untiringly .

Th is splendid province had four famous cities : Balkh , Herat ,Merv and Nishapur . Bes ides these there were others of con

siderable , though minor, importance . When th e Mongols werenear Balkh that city sent forth adeputation with presentsandsubmiss ion . A Mongol governor was placed in it . Zaveh closedits gatesand refusedallsupplies ; unwilling to lose time thereats iege work the Mongols pressed forward, but since people mountedthe walls then ,and stood beating drumsandabus ing them, theyturnedandattacked that foolish c ity wh ich reviled them. Theystormed the place , put to the sword every man in it,and burnedwhat they had not the power to take wi th them.

On and on rode the Mongols . People met on the way to

Flightand Death of Mohammed 1 15

N ishapur were seiz edand put to torture t illthey told what theyknew of th e fleeing Mohammed . Cities were summoned to

surrender ; those that surrendered were sparedand received new

commandants . If cities wh ich res isted were weak, they werestormed ; if strong , th ey were left t i llalater occas ion , s ince thework then on handwas to capture Mohammed .

Wh en the Shah learned that the enemy had entered Kh orassanhe left Nishapur with asmall escort under pretext of hunting .

Consternat ion filled that place when the truth grew apparent .

Af ter the Shah deserted the city the viz ir with the muft iand th ecadi ruled , pending thearrival ofagovernor, who was on the wayfromUrgendj, theKwaresmian capital. Thisman diedwhen threedays from the end of his journey ; his household officials kept hisdeath secret lest the escort migh t seizeallhis movable property .

One of the regents went forthas if to meet him,and brought inhis treasure . T h e escort , one thousand in number, would not

stay in th e c ity , but went in search of Mohammed . Next daythose men , when n ine miles from Nishapur, were met byanewhost of Mongols who attacked very qu ickly and cut them to

pieces .

The city was summoned to open its gatesand the three regentsgaveansweras follows : Wh en Shah Mohammed is captured ,Nishapur willsurrender. Th e first Mongolparty that demandedprovisions received themand vanished . Dayafter day new bodiesrushed up to the city , recei ved what theyasked forand rodeawayswiftly . At last Chepe came and commanded the viz ir, themuftiand cadi toappearat headquarters . Three suppos itit iousmen were sent out to meet him with gif tsand provis ions . T he

general gave these men the Khan ’

s proclamat ion in Uigur characters ,and th is was its import : O commandants , officialsandpeople ! Know ye that Heaven has given me the Empire of the

earth , both the eastand the west of it . Those who submit wil lb e spared ; woe to those who res ist , they willb e slaughtered withtheir ch ildren ,and wivesand dependents . Give provisions toalltroops that come,and th ink not to meet water with fi re , or to trustin your walls , or the numbers of those who defend them. If ye

try to escape utter ru in will seize you .

”

The three bodies of Mongols , ten thousand each which werespeeding on now in pursu it of Mohammed were rush ing toward

116 The Mongols

Irak . Subotai passed through Damegan and Simnau , andcrossed the Kumus River . Chepe Noyon, who had gone byMazanderan , rejoined Subotaiat Rayi. Th is place they took bysurprise ,and then sacked it .

From Nishapur Mohammed has tened on to Kazvin, where hisson Rokn un din hadanarmy ; there he took counsel wi th th eleaders of thatarmy wh ich was thirty thousand in number,andsent for Hezerasp, prince of Lur, whoadvisedaretreatacrossthe mountain chain lying between Fars and Lur . The Shahwished to stay in Irak and increase his defense there ; he hadjust stated that wish when news came that Rayi had been takenand plundered . Chiefsand princes fled straigh tway on hearingthis . Each went his own road , and the wholearmy vanishedimmediately , so great was the terror inspired by the onrush ingMongols .

T h e Shah fled for safety to his sons in Karun . O n the wayMongol forces were in s ightandalmost caught him, unwittingly .

They sentarrowsat the flee ing man though not knowing who hewasand wounded the horse wh ich he was riding , but the beastheld outand bore him safely to the fortress . Next morn ing hefled fartheralong the road lying westward toward Bagdad . Barelyhad he riddenaway when the Mongols , who knew now whosehorse they had wounded, rushed in ,

thinking to se ize the huntedman surely . Theyattacked the fort furiouslyat first , but learn ingsoon that the Shah had escaped they hurriedafter him. O n the

way they met men who professed to b e gu ides dismissed by Mo

hammed; from thesemen they h eard that hewas fleeing to Bagdad .

They took the gu ides thenand rushed forward , but the Shah wasonanew roadat that time . T he Mongols soon saw that they hadlost his trail,and were tri cked, so they cut down the gu idesandreturned to Karun .

Mohammed had fled to Serdjihan ,astrong place north east ofKaz vin onamountain . Seven days he remained there ; he thenfled to Gilan ,

andnext to Mazanderan ,where heappeared s tripped

of propertyandalmost unattended. The Mongols had precededhim, having sacked two towns already , Amol the capital, andAs trabadaplace o f much commerce . “iheream I to fi nd safetyfrom Mongols ? Is there no spo t on earth where I can b e free

of themP Such was the cry of Mohammed. Go to some l ittle

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1 18 The Mongols

hisattack on the Kal if of Islam, ru led overavast countryandfoundsuccess everywhere save in the struggles with his mother .

Before cross ing the Oxus , Mohammeddirected Turkan Khatun ,

who governedUrgendj, the modern K hiva, to retire to Mazanderanandlive there in the mountains , taking with her h is harem. Jin

gh is , informed clearly of the quarrels between the Shahand hismother, sent Danishmend, his chancellor, to that relentless , harshwoman , and th is was his message “

T hy son is ungrateful, Iknow that . If thouagree with me I willnot touch Kwaresm,

wh ich thou art ruling . I will give thee , moreover, Kh orassanwhen I win it . Sendatrusty man, he will hear th isassurance frommy own lips directly .

”

Turkan K hatun gave noanswer, b ut left Kwaresmas soonasshe heard that her son hadfledwestward . Before go ing , however,she put to deathallthe princes whom the Shah had despoiledandimprisoned ;among these were both sons of Togrul, the last Seljuksultan of Irak ; the Balkh princeand his son the sovereign of

Termed ; the prince of Bamian ; the Vakh sh prince , the two sons

of the lord of Signak ,and the two sons of Mahmud , last prince ofGur. She hadallthese men thrown into the Oxusand drowned ,sparing only Omar, Khan of Yazer, who could b e of use on her

journey , s ince he knewallthe roads wh ich led to his own landand birthplace . In fact he served the woman well, tillthey werenear Yazer, when his head was cut o ffat her order,as she had no

further use for him.

Wh en Mohammed had fled to Mazanderan he directed hismother,as we have seen , to live in Ilak , the best stronghold inallthat great region ofmountain . Later on Subotai, who was huntingMohammed , leftabody of men to invest that strong fortress . As

Ilak was inarainy , damp climate no reservo irs had been made fordry periods ; wh ile the place was inves ted that happened wh ichcame to pass rarely ,adry season . Af terablockade o f somemonths

drough t forcedasurrender. But justaf ter the Mongols had takenposses s ion , the sky was covered densely wi th clouds wh ich brough tagreat rainfall.Turkan Khatunand the harem were taken to the camp of

Jinghis , who was befo re Telekan at that timeand bes ieging it .She was held captive there s trictly . Allthe sons of Mohammedfound in the harem were pu t to death promp tly . Two of his

Flightand Death of Mohammed 119

daugh ters were given to Jagatai, whomade one of themhis concub ine,and gave th e oth erasapresent to his manager ;athird wasgiven as wife to the chancellor, Danishmend. The widow of

Osman ,Khan of Samarkand , she who had insisted on the

execution of her husband ,and was the daughter of the Gurkham,was given in marriage toadyer, but byanoth eraccount she wasg iven to Juchi, who hadby h erafterward several children . TurkanKhatun , the strong , brutal woman , was taken to KaraKurum,

the Mongolcapital , where she died e igh t years later. Just beforeshe was captured aeunuch had urged h er to fi nd refuge withJelal uddin , her own grandson , who was near by , h e declared, withanumerousarmy . Turkan replied that capt ivity of any kindwas sweeter to her than salvationat his hand . Such was the hatewhich she felt toward her grandson . Nass ir ud din, the viz irwho had defied Shah Mohammed , was put to deathat Talekanwithanumber of others .

Mohammed ’s three elder sons made th eir way to Mangishlakby the Caspianand thence to Urgendj, the Kwaresmian capital .S ince the flight of th eir grandmother the capitalhad been withoutrule ; in her haste she hadleft no governor there . Seventy thousand men gathered round the three princes immediately . The

commanders, being Kankal i Turks , were dissatisfied that Jelalud din had succeeded his father ; they feared his strong willandplotted to killhim. The new Shah saw very clearly that his one

chance of safety was fligh t , and h e seized that chance qu ickly .

With three hundred warriors under Timur Melik , that Kh odjendcommandant who had escaped through the Mongol investment ,

h e fledacross the desert to Nessa.After the capture of Samarkand Jinghis stationed his troops

between that placeand Naksheb where they spent the spring of

1221 andalso th e summer . Toward autumn his forces werereorganized thoroughly . Having rested they were strongand nowready foraction . T he return of Mohammed

’

s sonsat Urgendjand the gathering of forces there roused the Khan ’

s vig ilance , soh e despatchedthitheranarmyat once under his sons , Juch i , JagafaiandOgotai. T o cut off retreat toward the Indus he formedacordonon the southern rim of the desert ;apart of th is cordon wasalreadynear Nessawhen Jelalud dinand his partyarrived there . He

attacked this l ine of men val iantly, forced it to fligh tand pushed

120 T he Mongols

on without stopping . Th is was the first victory won overMongolsin the Kwaresmian Empire . T he two younger brothers , hearingof theadvance on Urgendj, set out three days later, but failed of

such fortuneas the ir brother, and perished near Nessa. The irheads fixed on lances were borne through Kh orassan .

When the Mongol troopsarrived before Urgendj, Juch i , who wasin command, sent to the capitalasummons to surrender, informingthe people that his father had given him the c ityand that he didnot wish to injure it inany way . As noattention was paid to th issummons the s iege was begunat once . T h e Mongols endeavoredto divert th e waters of the Oxusabove the town , but with no

success , for the workmen were killed by the garrison . Quarrelsbetween Juch i and Jagatai impeded s iege work very greatly .

Jinghis ,angered by th is delay , placedOgotaiin command . Juch iwas enragedat be ing thus superseded byayounger brother, buth e could not withdraw . T he s iege lasted seven monthsandgainedgreat renown th rough th e desperate defense made by cit izens .

Af ter the generalassault wh ich dec ided the fate of the city thepeople continued res istance with fury ; driven from one streetthey fough t in the next . Womenand even ch ildren took part inth ese struggles , wh ich continued seven days and nigh ts wi thoutceasing . At last the inhabitantsasked to capitulate . We havefelt thy wrath ,

”

declared they to the Mongolcomm: nder,“thy

time has come now to show favor . How exclaimed Ogotai.Th ey mention our wrath , they who have slain so many of our

army ? We have felt their wrath very h eavilyand now we willshow them what ours is !He orderedallthe inhabitants to go forth from the c ityandwait

on the plain ; theart isans were to group themselves separately .

Theseartisans were spared , but were sent to Mongolia. Some of

them fearing such an exile , joined wi th the peopleand wai ted.

Exceptart isans no one was spared unless you thfulwomen ,andalso ch ildren ; allwere cut down by Ogotai, without mercy .

After th is slaugh ter th e Mongols plundered Urgendj of everything wh ich had value . Then they opened the slu ices of the Oxusand flooded the ci ty ; those who were h idden there perished. In

o th er places some persons saved themselves always , but here ,those who escapedMongolfuryand hid themselves were drownedby the water let in on them.

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122 The Mongols

returned to his fatherafter was ting Khorassan , the richestandmostbeau tifulpart of the Empire . When Tulu i had set out for th iswork of des truction Kh oras san had.

been already ravaged bySub o taiand by Chepé , who did the work only in partas th eyrushedalong hunting Mohammed . These two ch iefs leftacommandant in each place which yielded . Af ter they had passed ,andwhen news came of victories won ,as men said , by Mohammed,

people h itherto terrified recovered the ir courage . For instance ,the ch ief of militiain T us killed the Mongolcommandantandsent his head to Nishapur, the next city ,asatrophy ; but th isch ief su ffered soonafter for his levityand rashness . A strangecaptain came withadetachment to T us , put nearlyallnative troopsto the sword,and forced the T us c itizens to destroy the ir defenses .

Wh en Tulu i rece ived the command in 1220 to march on Kho

ras san h e sent forward ten thousand men , under T ogachar,as avanguard . Th is bodywent on toward Nessaandwhenapproach ingthat cityapart of itmet with res istance . Belgush , its commander,fellin theaction wh ich followed. T ogachar, toavenge the death of

Belgu sh , bes ieged Nessa. Shah hlohammed, when flee ing , hadsentan o fficialtoadvise Nessapeople : T he Mongols ,

”

said he ,

willabandon the Empire when they have plundered it , so fleeto the desert , or to mountainous regions , unless ye wish to rebuildthe old fo rtress , wh ich was razed by my father The) rebuilt theold fortress .

T ogacharattacked Nessa, us ing twenty catapults handled bycapti ves , who ,

whenever they fellback , were massacred by Mongolsbeh ind them. O n the s ixteenth dayat dawnabreach in the wallwas e ffected ; the l\I ongols burst throughanddrove ou t the inhabitants . O n th e plain near Nessasome were forced to bind o thers ;

when the hands of each man were bound beh ind his back the M on

gols slaugh teredallwho were there , seventy thousand in number.

T heanc ient city o f Meru , or Merv , renowned in Pers ian s tory ,and stillmo re in Sanscri t poems , was the first placeattacked byTulu i with the mainarmy . I t was one o f the four ruling c ities ,and the one wh ich Melik Shah and Sindjar, the Seljuk Sultans ,had favo red. lt stood on abroad , fert ile plain through wh ichflowed the Murghab , o r Bird, River . “7hcnMohammedfled fromJinghis h e directedMerv troopsand oflieials to re tire on Meraga,aneighboring fortress . Allpeople who remain must rece ive

Flightand Death of Mohammed 123

Mongol troops with submiss ion , this was his order . Mohammed ’s fear, not his counsel, remained in that city . His governor,Bebai ulMulk, did not th ink Meragastrongand found elsewherearefuge ; some chiefs returned to Merv, oth ers fled to distant places .

The new governor,aman of no value , declared for submission ,

and so did the mufti , but the judgeanddescendants of th e Prophetdemanded resistance . T he governor lost his place soonand wasfollowed in office byaformer incumbent named Mojir ulMulk,who manag ed Merv matters till Tuluiappeared with aforceseventy th ousand in number, made up in some part of capt ives .

Next day he surrounded the outworksand with inaweek ’

s t ime

his wholearmy had inclosed that doomed city , February , 1221 .

The bes ieged made two sort ies from different s ides , but werehurled back each t ime with great violence . Th eassailants thenpassed the whole n ight near the ramparts, so that no living soulmigh t escape them. Moj ir ulMulk sentavenerable Imam nextmorn ing to vis it headquarters . This holy man brough t back such

mild words and fair speeches , that the governor himself wentto visit the camp , hearing with him rich presents . Tulu i promisedhim the office of governor,and the lives ofallcitizens . He gavehimarich robe of honorand spoke of the governor’s friendsandadherents : I desire to attach them to my person ,

”

said he,

and confer on them fi efsand high office .

”

The governor sent

for his friendsandadh erents . When Tulu i hadallthese men inhis power he bound them. He bound Moj ir ui Mulkalsoandforced him to name the richest Merv citiz ens . A list was drawnup of two hundred great merchantsand men of much property ,who were sent to the Mongols w ith four hundredart isans . Af terthis the troops entered the cityand drove out the people . The

command had been given that each man must go forth with hisfamilyandallhe had of most value . Th e multitude spent fourwhole days marching out of the city .

Tulu i mountedagilded throne onaplain near the suburbsandhad th e war chiefs brough t first to his presence . That done h ecommanded to hew off the ir heads in presence of th e immense

wailing multitude of people , for whom no better lot was inwaiting .

M en, women , and children were torn from oneanother nevertomeet in th is lif eafter that day. The whole place was filled with

124 The Mongols

groans , shrieksand wild terror ; the people were gi ven in groupsto divis ions of thearmy whose o ffice it was to cut them down tothe las t wi thout pity or exception . Only four hundredart isanswere setas ide and some boysand girls intended for servitude .

Wealthy persons were tortured unsparingly till th ey told where theirtreasures were h idden when the treasures were found these

men were slaugh teredas wellas the others . T he city was plundered to the u tmost ; the tomb of the Sultan , Sindjar, was pillagedthe walls of theancient cityand the fortress were made level withthe countryabout them.

Before h e left that c ity of carnageand terror Tulu iappo intedagovernor, one of the inhabitants whom he had spared for some

reason ,and then he jo inedaMongol commandant to that man .

Wh en thearmy had marchedaway to destroy Nishapur, abo utfi ve hundred persons crept forth fromunderground places of h iding

,

b ut short was the breath ing space given them. Mongol troopsfollowing Tulu i wishedalsoashare in the bloodshed . Haltingou ts ide the dark ru ins , theyasked that these ill- fated people bringwh eat to their camp ground . T he unfortunates were sentandwere slaugh tered .

This corps cut down every man whom it met in the wake of

Tulu i .Nishapur stood twelve days ’ journey distant fromM t rvand inattacking it Tulu i was preparing toavenge T ogachar, his s ister’shusband , killedat Nessa. T he Nishapur people had done whatthey could to the harm of th e Mongols , and had prepared to

defend themselves with allthe s trength of their soulsand theirbodies . They hadmounted three thousand ballistas on the walls ,and fi ve hundred catapults .

T he s iege was begun by laying waste the whole province , of

wh ich Nishapur was the capital . Three thousand ballistas , th reehundred catapults , seven hundred mach ines to th row pots of buming naph tha, and four thousand ladders were among the s iegeimplements . At s igh t of these ,and of th e vast mu ltitude o f savagewarriors surrounding their city , the leaders felt courage go fromthem.

A deputation o f notables , wi th the ch ief judge of Kh orassan ,

went to o ff er Tului submiss ion ,andanannualtribute .

Tu lui refused every o fferand held the judge captive . Nex t

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126 T he Mongols

moved westward ,andafter some wandering in As iaM inor, settledat las t near Angoraunder Ertogrultheir tribe ch ieftain . Theynumbered in those days four hundredand forty fami l ies . TheseTurkmans formed the nucleus of the O ttoman Empire , so famousin h istory untilour day .

Af ter he had destroyed Talekan , Jinghis held his summer campforatime in the neighboring mountains . His sons , JagataiandOgotai, returned from Urgendjand other ru ined places on the

Oxus . Juchiwent north of Lake Araland in deepand unquenchableanger began to establish the monarchy of Kipchak , knownlateras th e Golden Horde ,andneveragain saw his father. Jinghislearning , toward theau tumn of 1221 , that Jelalud din had largeforces in Ghazni , directed his march toward that city to crush

T he great Khan was detainedawhole monthat Kerduan ,afi rm fortress , but he destroyed itat last , with allits defenders .

He crossed the Hindu Kush after that and bes ieged Bamian ,

where he lost one grandson stricken dead byanarrow ; th is wasMoatagan , son of Jagatai . To avenge this death Bamian wasstormed promptly ,and taken . Jinghis wouldnot have it inanotherway . T he command was given to leave noth ingalive ,and tak eno booty ofany kind . Every l iving creature had to die ,andeveryth ing of value was broken or burned. Bamian was renamedl\Iobalig (the city of woe) ,and the regionabou t it was turned toadesert . A hundred years later it contained no inhabitants .

Just after th is des truction came the news o f Jelal ud din ’

s

victory overaMongoldivis ion , commanded by Kutuku , who hadbeen protecting the Khan ’

s operationsand those of Tulu i on the

sou th s ide . Th is victory was gained at Peruan , not far f romthe Bamian boundary . It brough t more harm to the victor,however, than profit , for it causedasudden rupture between hiscommanders , some o f whomdesertedandledaway many warriors .

\Vith reduced ranks he was fo rced to fallback upon Ghazn i ,andthence farther sou th when he heard that Jinghis wasadvancingrapidly toavenge the de feat o f Ku tuku , his general .T he Mongo larmy reachedGhazn i fifteen daysaf ter its opponent

had retreated. Jinghis leftagovernor in the city ,andflew towardth e Indus wi thallthe speed poss ible to horses when menare s i ttingon themand urging them to the u tmos t . But th is time the great

Flightand Death of Mohammed 127

Mongol had to do withaman of more mettle than he hadmet inhis warfaring thus far . Jelalud din had gathered in forces fromallsides ; he sent urgent messages to th e ch iefs who had left him,

but , though willing to return , they had no chance to do soat thatday . Jinghis was between themand their leader .

The Mongols urged forward the ir horses with th e energy of

madmen . The great task was to stop the young Shah fromcross ing the Indus with hisarmyand his harem his wivesandch ildren wereallwith him. Time was in th is case preeminent invalue . The Mongols pressed Jelalud din savagely , but h e was ,asever, unterrifi ed. Just before reach ing the Indus h e fellat nighton the rear of his enemy ’s vanguard ,and cut it down toamanvery nearly .

O n reaching the river there was no t ime to cross , so the Shahranged his army for battle . T he left wing was covered by amountain , wh ich ended sheer in the river . T he mountain cou ldnot b e turned,and could not b e crossed ,as the Shah though t ; itprotected th e left from flankattackalso ; the Indus protected theright from flankmovements ,and Jelal uddin could b emet straightin front only . Hisarmy was thirty th ousand , while that of his

enemy was many times larger.

And now began the unequal and desperate encounter. The

Shah ’

s right wing , to which h e sent reinforcements repeatedly,repulsed the left wing of theM ongols ,and he himself broke JinghisKhan ’

s center. Forat ime the hIongolconqueror was in personalperil, s inceahorse was k illed under him in the struggle . Jelalud din would have h eld his own ,and perhaps wonavictory, hadnot BelaNoyon been sent with ten thousand picked men to passthe mountainatallcosts . Over cliffsand on the edge ofabyssesthe Mongols crept carefully , push ing forward tillat last they werein th e rear of the weakened left wingand the center which ,attacked from rearand front , were pierced throughand forced out

of contact with each oth er .

Rallying seven thousand menaround him Jelal ud din madeadesperate charge on the line of his enemy

,which gave way for

some distance , th en he turned qu ickly , sprang onafresh horse ,threw off hisarmorand spurring to the Indus leaped fromabankgiven variouslyas from twenty to s ixty feet h igher than the plainof the water. His sh ield wasat his shoulder,and his standard

128 T he Mongols

in his hand . Jinghis , who spurred to the river bank swiftlyandgazedat his flee ing opponent, cried : How could Shah Mohammedb e the father o f th is man !T he eldest son of Jelaluddin wasalad of eigh t years . He with

his bro thers were tossed into the Indusand drowned like superfluous puppies . Jinghis disposed of the haremand treasuresaspleas ed him.

Jelalud din vanished then foratime from the conflict toappearlater on in various struggles tillweakness , treacheryand deathputan end to him. lVIongolgenerals crossed the ri verand pursued, b ut returnedafter fruitless endeavors .

Jinghis marched up the righ t bank of the Indus in the springof 1222 ,

and sent his son O gotai to take Ghazniand destroy it .

Here ,as in most o ther places , the inhabitants were sent from th e

city,as it were to b e counted , but were slaughtered most brutally ;

none were spared exceptartisans . Anarmy corps was sentalsoto ru in Herat , the one city left in Khorassan . Herat had risenin revolt on hearing of the Peruan triumph over hIongols ; the

people had had suchaction in view s ince the t ime of surrender,

and had storedawayarmsand supplies under pretext that theywere for Mongol use should the need come .

Not far from Herat was the Kaliun fortress , known later onasNerretu . T o reach th is strong place men had to pass siigle fileon the h igh , narrow ridge ofamountain wh ich resembled the backofacolossalhog of the razor- back species . T he place was beyondreach ofarrows , or o f stones sent by catapults . Though they hadattacked Kaliun twice , the Mongols had failed in their eflorts to

take it . T he Kaliun men , fearing lest they migh t comeathirdt ime ,and impress Herat people ,

had planned to involve that strongand wealthy ci ty , wh ich would then have one cause with them.

They sent le tters to th e Mongolgover nors ruling in Herat statingWeare ready to surrender, b ut fearMongolrigor ; we b eg forawritten safe - conduct . ”

T he governorsanswered that they would give suchaletter,andadvised the peti tioners to vis it the c ityand come to them. Th iswas allthat the o ther men needed ; so seventy strong warriorswent down from Kal iun , disgu isedas s imple hu x ters ; they hadarms covered up in the packs wh ich they carried. They enteredthe city , each man by h imself , combined later onand slew both

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130 T he Mongols

remain in thy country . Th is enemy was Nuh Jaudar, the ch ief

o f fi ve or six thousand Kolluj families . Azam sent back th isanswer : Never has there beenamong Moslems such needas therenow is not to quarrel . ” And taking an escort of fifty , Azamfollowed to make peace between Agrakand Jaudar . He could notmove o rak or persuade him; theyate toge therandalso drankwine ; Agrak ’

s brain grew excited, hemounted, took one hundredmenand rode to the camp of the Kollujes . Jandar thinking thatAg rak wished peace rode forth with his son to greet him.

O n seeing his enemy Agrak drew his sabreas if to strike , andwas cu t down by Jaudar’s men the next moment . When Ag rak ’

s

adh erents h eard that their leader had been slain they though t thatJaudarand Azam had plotted his ru in ,and righ taway they slew

Azam. Then theyattacked Jaudar’s camp , where they mas sacredhimand his children . Soonafter th is they encountered th e Gur

menandkilledagreat number . Asaclose to th is tragic insanity ofactionacorps of moun ted Mongols fell uponalland slew themindiscriminately ;asmallremnant fled in various directions .

CHAPTER VIII

DEATH AND BURIAL OF THE CONQUEROR

INGEIS had passed th e winter of 1222—3 near the Indus ,andin the spring of IQQS he resolved, rather suddenlyas it seemed,

to march up th e Indusand return through Tibet to Tangu tandChina. T h e reasons given by historians for this moveare various .

Th ere were troubles in Tangut and there was no imperat i vereason for remaining in Kwaresm, s ince that Empire was utterlyh elpless ; it had been depopulatedand ru in ed in most parts .

Some people thought that Jinghis , if not horrified, was atleas t set to th inking by the boundless slaugh ters committedathis direction . We have twoaccounts touching th is matter wh ichare of interest , though both bear the myth stamp ,andare opin ion sof oth er menas to Jinghis , not the great Khan ’

s own though tsasexpressed by his words or hisactions . In the Chinese h istoryTung Kian KangM u ,

”

th e following cause is given for his sudden

dec is ion : Wh en Jinghis wasat the Iron Gate of North Indiahisguards sawacreature which resembledadeer, but its h eadwas likethat ofahorse with one horn on its foreh ead,and there was greenhair on its body . This creature had power of speech , for it saidto the guards : I t is time for your master to return to his own

land.

”

Jinghis , troubled by th is message, consulted Ye liu chu

t sai , who said : “That creature is Kotwan , it knows everylanguage .

I tappearsasasign that bloodshedis needlessat present . For four

years the great army is warring in western regions . Heaven ,

wh ich hasahorror of bloodshed,gives warning through Kotwan .

Spare the Empire for Heaven ’

s sake . hioderation will giveboundless pleasure .

Th e otheraccount is qu ite diff erent in characterand importI was ,

”

says aGurjistan cadi, “in Herat on atower , wh ich

stood just in front of Tului’

s headquarters . Arrows came in131

132 T he Mongols

such numbers that I went downand was lost in the dust ,amongMongols . They se ized and took me then to Tulu i . When heheard myadventure he wondered : An angel, or it may b e ademon , is trifling with thee ,

’

said he . Neither,’

replied I . How

thenart thou h ere ? asked he . I lookedatallth ings with theeye ofasovereign ,

’

was myanswer, hence no harm struck me .

’

Th is answer so pleased Tulu i that he showed me much favor.

Take this gift , ’added he ,

‘

for thouartaman of rare wisdom.

Be true to Jinghis the great Khan , for thou wilt now serve him.

’

He sent me then to his father, who rece ived me in Talekan withhigh favor . Jinghis spoke to me of Turkish sufferings repeatedly .

Dos t thou th ink ,

’asked he one day, that the blood wh ich I haveshed will b e rememberedagainst me by mankind ? ’

He heldadart in his hand wh ile he looked in my faceand put que stions .

I willanswer, ’ replied I ,‘

if your majesty secures l ife to me .

’

Speak , ’ said the Khan ,and Ianswered : If your majesty slaysas many personsas you please , men willgive you whatever famepleases them.

’

His face coloredat these words ,and he shoutedin rage tillthe dart dropped fromhis fingers . I felt death standingnear me that moment , but he soon recoveredand said : I havethough t on the wisdom of sages ,and see that I have plunderedandslain without the righ t knowledge in that region where Mohammed

’

s horse lost his way ; but what care I for men P and he wentfrom the chamber. I could remain in those places no longer, suchwas my fear in that horde ,and I fled from it .

”

Before starting for home Jinghis gave command to kill allsuperfluous prisoners , that is ,allwho had done the work becauseof wh ich th ey had been spared from death on th e day when theywere taken ; onlyartisans were left , men needed for their skill inMongolia. This command was not carried out , however, tillthecaptives had hulledan immense store of rice for the Mongols ;that done they were slain in one nigh t wi thoutany exception .

T he Mongols took the road toward Tibet , butafter some daysthey turned back from that difficult regionand went to Peshawur,where were the roadsalong wh ich they had come in the firs t place .

As he passed Balkh on the Samarkand road Jinghis Khan issuedorders to slayallwho hadmade the ir way back to that ci ty .

After the death o f Shah Mohammed,Chepe NoyonandSub otai,

two of the three who hadhuntedhimdown to extinction , plundered

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134 T he Mongols

law to help him: T o-day, said he , the Mongols have takenour land, th ey will take yours to -morrow . Ass ist us ; if not we

shallb e beaten on one dayandyou the day following .

”

Mystislav called the Russ ian princes to acouncil, at wh ichthey resolved to giveaid to the Polovt si. Unless we help them,

said Mystislav , they willgo with the Mongols and strengthenthem. A deputation went north to ask aid of the princes inSuzdal . Troops were collectedand the Russ ian princes movedagainst the enemy in confidence . O n the way they met l\'Iongol

envoys who delivered th is message : We have heard that , convinced by the Polovt si, yeare march ingagainst us , b ut we havenot come toattack you . We have comeagainst our own horse

boysand slaves , the vile Polovtsi; weare notat war with you .

If the Polovtsiflee to your country drive them out of it ,and se iz ealltheir property . They have harmed you ,

as men tellus ; theyhave harmed usalso ; that is why weattack them.

”

T he Russianprinces gaveanswer by killing the envoys .

Some distance down that great river the Dnieper,anew Mongolembassy met the Russ ian princes with these words : If throughobedience to the Polovtsi ye have cut down our envoys ,andarenow bringing war on us , Heaven will judge youraction ; we havenot harmed you .

” Th is time th e princes spared the envovs .

“h en the Russ iansand Polovtsihadassembledat the Dn ieperMystislav crossed wi th one thousand men . He attacked th e

Mongoloutpostsand scattered them. Af ter some hes itation the

Mongols retired. Moving eastward , th ey lured on the Russ ians ,who soon met alarger detachment of warriors . These theyattacked and defeated , dri ving them far into the s teppe landand se iz ing all their cattle . Encouraged by th is success , theRuss ians moved forward e ight days in succession till they nearedthe ri ver Kalka. Then cameanaction with outpostsandath irdRuss ian victory . Mys tislav ordered Daniel of Galitch , son of

Roman , to cross the Kalka;after him wentallthe other princesand encamped on the s teppe beyond the river . T he Polovtsi

were po sted inadvance , some o f them servingas sentries . .Mys

tislav rode forward to reconno itre . Being satisfied with Whatwas revealed to him he returned has tily , ordered out his own menandalso Daniel, giving no command to o ther princes who wereleft in their campawaiting orders ; there was keen rivalry between

Deathand Burialof the Conqueror 135

himand them. Mystislav thought , as it seems , to win victorywithout themand believed that h e had power thus to win it . He

knew not that he was to meet Chepe Noyon who had hunted todeath both Gutchluk and Mohammed, the sovereigns of two

Empires ; he knew nothing of th e Mongols , their numbers , their

power or their methods .

The battle was opened by Dan ielwho , in the forefront h imself ,attacked with great valor and was wounded very early in the

action ,wh ich was obst inate . Observing the danger, Mystislav

supported him,and the Mongols were repulsed to some extent .

At th is po int, for some unknown cause , the whole force of the

Polovtsi stampeded , turned,rushed back in panic terrorand filled

the Russ ian camp with disorder . T he Mongols rallied qu ickly ,brough t up fresh forces ,and sweptallbefore them. Th e Russ ians,not engaged for the greater part , were waiting near the river . The

Polovtsi not only left the field , but in fact h elped the enemy

h ence victory was perf ect for the Mongols . Never in Russia,states the chron icler, was thereadefeat so disastrousas this oneThree Russ ian princes , who hadnot taken part in the battle, held

their ground firmly near the river, onah illwhich they fortifiedwith palisades . Th ey fought there with two divis ions of Mongols,wh ich remained at the Kalka the others followed Mystislavtoward the Dnieper . Three days did those brave men figh tat theriver, tillas sured that they would b e freed on surrender, if ransomed. They trusted the plighted word of the Mongols andyielded .

The Mongol chiefs bound those three princes handand foot ,and laid them side by s ide on the groundat some distance one

fromanother . Th ey th en placedah eavy platform upon them,

sat on that platformandateand drank wh ile the princes werelyingbeneath in desperate torture . Thus the three Russ ians died wh ilethe Mongols were feastingabove them.

Six princesandagreat number of their men perished whileflee ing toward the Dnieper. Mystislav, and those in his company, including Dan iel, reached th e riverand crossed it . The

prince burned his boats on th e west bank , or had them cut

into pieces lest the enemy migh t follow him farther, but theMongols turned back before reach ing the Dnieper. The north

136 T he Mongols

ern contingent , commanded by the Rostofl prince , Vas silko,heardat Chernigoff of the Kalkadisaster and returned home,being too weak , as they though t , to face such an enemy .

O n their way eastward the Mongols used fi reand sword with outmercy wh erever they foundmenand property . They filled southern Russ iawith terror ; they swept through th e Crimeaandravaged it ; th ey captured Bulgar on the Volgaand ru ined thatopulent city . Sated with bloodshedand laden with booty theyreturned that same year to h eadquarters east of the Caspian .

Thus one divis ion of Jinghis Khan ’

s greatarmy overranan immense part of Europe without meeting effective res istance inanyplace .

O n leaving Samarkand for MongoliaJinghis gave commandto the mother , the widowsand the kinsfolk of Shah Mohammedto standat the roads ideand takeafarewelllookat their nativeland . They did thisand wailed in loud vo icesas they saw it forthe last t ime .

In February of 1225 the migh ty manslayer had returned to hishomeland between the rivers , where we may leave him foratimeand turn to Ch inaAf ter Jinghis left the Kin Empire in 1216 the Kins reoccu

pied the land seized from themexcepting Chong tuand the northernrim of Fe che l iand Shan si. Mukuli , the great Mongolgeneral ,reentered Ch inain 1217 . During that yearand the fi ve yearswh ich followed he conqueredallthe lands of the Kin dynastyexcept ing one province ,

Honan ,wh ich l ies sou th of the Hoang Ho

and extends from the bend of that riverat Tung kwan to its

mouthat the Yellow Sea. Mukuli died in April , 1223, leaving histi tleand command to his only son , Boru .

After the death of th is renowned warrior bo th Ch inese dynastiesbecame increas ingly active and hostile . T he king in Tangutfollowedalso their counseland influence . Beyond doubt , it wasto mee t th is new growth of enmi ty that Jinghis had returned toMongolia. T he Kin Emperor had sentan embassy to Jinghis

in the west wi th the o ffer to yield upallplaces north of th e HoangHo , and to b e ayounger brother . Th is was refused . Jinghisanswered that the Kin Emperor must b e content with the titleo f Prince of Honan , and the pos i tion o f avassal. During thetwo years following there rose greatand very active res istance .

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138 The Mong ols

T he order to slay the Tangu t sovere ignand the people of the

city was carried ou t strictly,and the kingdom of Tangut wasaddedto th e Mongol Empire .

Since the beginning of t ime, writes the Ch inese historian

,

no barbarous people have ever been so migh tyas the Mongolsareat present . They destroy empiresasaman plucks out h erbs bythe roots , such is the power in their possess ion . Why does Heavenlet them have it ?T he remains of the great Khan were taken back to his birth

place . Lest his death migh t b e known the troops who conductedt hem slew every person whom they metas th ey traveled . Onlyw hen theyarri vedat the home of Jinghis was his death publishedt oallmen .

As the life of Jinghis was unique and original , so were the

circumstances of his deathand the details of his funeral . A greatnumber of cau ses were given for his death . It wasascribed to

an arrow , to po ison , to drown ing , to ligh tn ing , to the witcheryof Kurb eljin Goath e Tangut queen , who had the fame of greatbeauty ,andwhom Jinghis had takenas it seems fromher husbandandadded to the number of his many wives . It is stated by some

h istorians that h e hadmore than 40 0 wivesand concubines . But

Bortai, the mother of Juch i , Jagatai , Ogotaiand Tulu i alwaysh eld the first place . Ssanang Setzen , the chronicler,adescendanth imself of Jinghis , describes the last days , death and funeralofhisancestor . This account reads like one of those myth taleswh ich I found in Siberia. First we have the lifeand death strugglebetween Jinghis and the King of Tangut whose name in the

chron icle is Shidurgo . Shidurgo opens the struggle by becomingaserpent , Jinghis becomes king ofallbirds , and then Shidurgoturns intoatiger, Jinghis changesat once toalion ;at last Sh idurgo isab oyand Jinghisappearsas ch ief of the Tengeri or beavemly divin i ties ,and Shidurgo isat his mercy . If thou killme ,

”

said Shidurgo ,

“theact will b e fatal to thee ; if thou spare me it

will b e fatal to thy ch ildren . Jinghis struck , b ut the blow did not

harm his opponent . There is only one weapon in the worldthat can killme , atriple dagger made of magnet wh ich is now

between my firstand second boot soles .

” With that the Tangutking drew forth the bladeand gave it to his enemy . Kill me ;if milk comes from the wound it will foretoken illto thee , if blood

Death and Burialof the Conqueror 139

illto thy posterity . Before taking Kurb eljin Goa, my wife , lookto her previous life very carefully .

Jinghis stabbed Shidurgo in the neck , blood flowedand hedied. Next th e queen was brough t in . Allwondered wh en theysaw her . I had much greater beau ty before , said she . Iam grimy from dust now , but wh en I bathe in th e river my beautywill come to me .

”

Sh e went to the KaraBluren (the Hoang Ho)and plunged into it . Wh en sh e returned sh e hadallh er formergreat beau ty . The following n igh t while Jinghis layasleep she

bewitch ed him; h e grew feebleand illand never gained strengthagain . She left him, went down to the KaraMurenand disappeared in that river .

Jinghis lay helpless in bedandat last death was near him.

He spoke then to Kiluken , his old comrade , th e gray hero : Be

thou atrue friend to my widow Bortai Fudjin ,and to my sons

Ogotaiand Tulu i , b e thou true to th em fearlessly . T he preciousjade has no cru st , the polisheddagger no dirt on it ; man born to lifeis not deathless , h e must go h ence without home, without restingplace . Th e glory ofadeed is in being fin ished . Firmand umbending is h e who keepsapligh ted word faithf ully . Follow not

th e willofanoth erand thou wilt have the good-willof many . T o

me it is clear that I must leavealland go hence from you . T he

words of th e boy Kubilaiare very weigh ty ; note what h e says ,note itallof you . He willsit on my throne some dayand will,as I have done , secure h igh prosperity .

Kilukenandmany princes went to bear th e corpse of th eirmightyleader back to the KenteiKhan region , through the greater partof Tangutandacross th e broad Gobi . A long ,an immense trainof people followed it . As th ey marched th ey wailedand raisedthe ir vo ices together lament ing , Kiluken leading ,as follows

In times whichare gone thou didst swoop likeafalcon beforeus . T o-dayacar bears th ee onas it rumblesadvancing .

O thou my Khan !Hast thou left us indeed , hast thou left wif eand children ,

O thou my Khan ?Hast thou left us , hast thou left the Kurultaiof thy nat ion ,

O thou my Khan ?Sweeping forward in pride , as sweeps forwardan eagle thou

didst lead usaforet ime,

140 T he Mongols

O thou my Khan ,

But now thou hast stumbled ,andart down , l ikeacolt st illunbroken ,

O thou my Khan .

Thou didst bring peaceand joy to thy people for s ixtyand six

years , but now thouart leaving th em,

O thou my Khan .

When the process ion had reached the MonaKhan mountainsthe funeralcar stopped in blue miry clayand the best horsescould not move it . Allwere discouragedand grief stricken,

whenanew chant rose , led by Kiluken the gray h eroO lion of the Tengeri , thou our lord , wilt thou leave us P Wilt

thou desert wifeand nation in th is quagmire ? T hy firmly bu iltstate , with its laws and its much devoted people ; thy goldenpalace , thy state raised on just ice , the numerous clans of thynation ,allth eseareawaiting th ee o ff there .

T hy birth land , th e ri vers in wh ich thou didst bathe ,alltheseareawaiting th ee off there .

Thy subjects the Mongols devotedand fru itfulareawaitingthee off th ere .

Thy ch iefs , thy commanders , thy great kinsfolkareawaitingthee o ff there .

T hy birthplace , Deligun Bulak on the Onon ,isawait.ng th ee

o ff there .

Thy standard of Yak tai ls , thy drums , fi fesand trumpets , thygolden houseandallthat is in it ,areawaiting thee o ff there .

The fields of th e Kerulon , where firs t thou didst sit on thythroneas Jinghis ,areawaiting thee o ff there .

Bortai Fudjin , the wife of thy youth , Boorchu and Mukulithy faithf ul friends , thy fortunate land and thy great goldenmansion , that wonderfu l bu ilding , areawaiting thee o ff there .

\Vilt thou leave us now here in th is quagmire , because th is landpleases thee ? because so many Tanguts are vanqu ished ? be

cause Kurb eldjin Goawas beau tiful ?We could not save thy noble life in th is kingdom,

so let us bearthy remains to their las t homeand resting place . Let us bearthy remains wh ich are as fairas the jade stone . Let us giveconsolation to thy people .

”

After this chant the carmoved from the blue clay , went forward ,

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142 The Mongols

the youngest, inh erited his father’s home places between KaraKurumand the Onon River region .

These dispositions , made somewhat earlier,ag reed with Mongolcustomand usage , by wh ich elder sons received portionsas theycame to maturity ; his father’s houseandallthat belonged to itfellto the youngest sonalways .

Wh en the las t rites had been rendered,and the last honors paidto the great conqueror, each of the four sons returned to his possess ions , and it was onlyafter two years that the family held theKurultaiof election . In the spring of 1229allassembledagain on

th e Kerulon . 7'

fTh ey were metand rece ived by Tu lu i ,actingasregent t illthey should choo seanew sovereignj

C

From the regions northandwest of Lake Aral came the descendants of Juch i , that eldest son who had dared to defy his own

terrible father . Jagatai brough t his sonsand grandsons from the

Hi: and Ogotai came from the Imilnear wh ich he had beenlivmg .

After three days of the Kurultaihadbeen passed in feast ingandpleasure , the assembly proceeded to chooseaGrand Khan , or

sovereignfi lflany were in favor of Tulu i , but Ye liu chu tsai . thegreat sageandmin ister, begged them to settle on Ogotai, the cho iceof Jinghis ,andavo idalldissens ionsand discordf ‘

T ului did not

h es itate in following th is counseland read immediately th e>grdi

nance of his father in which Ogotaiwas namedas sovereign :The princes turned th en to Ogotaiand declared him the ruler

Ogotaianswered that his brothersand uncles were far better fittedthan he for the sovereignty . He mentioned especiallyas the rightman Tulu i who had remained with his father, or near himatalltimes

,andwas trained beyondany in the wisdom of the conqueror.

Jinghis h imself has chosen thee !” cried the others to Ogotai,

howactagainst his commandand his wishes ?Ogotai still resisted, and forty days passed in feasting ere he

yielded. O n th e forty - fi rst day, wh ich was po inted out by magiciansas the time most propitious , he was conducted to the throneby Jagataiand by Utchuken his uncle , Jinghis Khan ’

s youngestbro ther. Tulu i gave him the goblet used on occas ions of thatkind, and thenallwho were in the pavil ion ,and those outside ,bared their heads , put their girdles on their shoulders and fel lprostrate . Nine times did they fall before Ogotai, invoke on him

Death and Bur ialof the Conqueror 143

prosperi ty ,and salute himwith his t itle KhaKhan , or Khaan , the

Wh ite Khan of the Mongols .

The newly made monarch , followed by theassembly , went outthenand bowed down three t imes to the sun in due h omage . The

immense throngs of people th ere present gave the like h omagealso . When Ogotai reentered the tentagreat feast was servedstraigh tway .

In choosing Ogotai the family swore toadh ere to his descendants ,and th e following strange words were used by th em : We

swear not to seat on the throneanoth er branch of our family so

longas there shallb e of thy descendantsamorselof flesh which ,

cast upon grass , migh t stopabullock from eating , or cast into fatmight stopadog from devouring .

”

Jinghis Khan ’

s treasures were spo ils fromagreat part of Asia,and Ogotai commanded to bring them before him ; that done hedistributed those precious objects to the princes , commanders,and warriors .

During three entire days they made offerings to the shade of

Jinghis, their greatancestor. Ogotai chose from the families ofprinces and commanders forty most beautifu l virgins ; h e hadth emattired in the rich est of garments , andadorned with rarejewels . These forty virgins were slain , and thus sent toattendthe mighty conqueror in that world which h e occupied . W iththe virgins were slain and sent also the best and the costlieststall ions of north ern As ia.T h e first work of Ogotaiwas to establish th e code of Jinghis ,

and pardon offences committed s ince th e death of the conqueror.

Ye liu chu tsai , the sage who had exercised on Jinghis so muchinfluence , and whose power still continued , prevailed then on

Ogotai to fix the rank of each officer and official,and to defineevery diflerence between princes of Jinghis Khan ’

s houseandother

subjects . He wish ed also to restrain the boundless power of

Mongo l chiefs in conquered places . Thosemen disposed of humanlifeas each wh im of the irs shaped itself ; whenever they chose to

condemnaman he died,as didalso his family .

At Chu tsai ’sadvice Ogotai refi x edallforms ofact ion in casesof th is kind . T heamount of yearly tribute was settled for thefirst t ime s ince the Mongolconquest . In the west it wasataxon every male person of legalage . In Chinathe system of th e

144 The Mongols

country was chosenand th e tribute was levied on houses . Landstaken from the Kin dynas ty were divided into ten provinces ineach of these was establ ishedatribunal forassessmentand col

lection of tribute . Chu tsai even proposed to the Wh ite Khan touse in governing his possessions the rules of Confucius . Th e

Empire has been conquered on horseback , ” said the sage , but

no man can rule it from the saddle .

”

Theadvice was l istened to with benevolence ,and scholars wereplaced by degrees in public office .

Now that the Mongolsagain hadasovereign they gave moreforce to th eir conquests along those vast lines of action whichJinghis had explained on his deathbed . Three great expeditionswere arranged at the Kurultai of election : An army of th irtythousand was sent to destroy the rising power of Jelaluddin , who

had returned from lands south of th e Indusand regained somepart of his father’s dominions . A secondarmy of s imilar numberswas sent under Kuyukand Subotai to conquer th e Kipchaksandother peoples . This Juchi would have done had he followed theadvice of his father. O n the third expedition Ogotai the GrandKhan set out with Tulu iand oth er princes to end the Kin Empire .

These expedi tions we will follow in the order mentioned .

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146 The Mongols

Jelal ud din when defeatedat the Indus , which he swamwithsuch daring , had been pursued fiercely in Indiaby Jinghis Khan ’

s

warr iors unt il h e was very near Delh i .T he sovereign at that capitalwas Sh ems ud din Iletmish , a

Turkmanand onceaslave of the Sultan of Gur , the last ruler ofhis l ine in that country . When the Gur dynasty fell, Iletmishseizedagood part of north Indiaand was ruling unchallenged .

He feared now the coming of so brave and incisi veamanasJelal ud din , hence he sent him rich gif tsand declared that theclimate of Delh i was unwholesome . Jelal would fi nd, he feltcertain ,afar better residence in Multan andamuch more salub rious cl imate . Jelal withdrew, but he gathered much booty of

valueas h e traveled .

Bleanwhile from Irak came many generals who were enragedat Ghiath ud din , his brother . They brought with them warriorswho were ready for service since service meant plunder . Jelalcou ld meet now the Scinde prince , Karadja, whom he hated . He

entered Karadja’s dominions , sacked many citiesand routed hisarmy . Hearing that Iletmish wasadvancing to strengthen Karadjahe set outat once to encounter th e Sultan of Delh i .But Iletmish o fferedpeace ,and the hand of his daugh ter instead

of hostil ities ; Jelal took peaceand th e woman . Still Iletmishmadealeague with Karadjaand others to dri ve out the Kwaresmian if need b e . Jelal, who could not make head againstall,tookadvice of his generals . Those who had qu itted his brotherwishedareturn to home regions . It would b e easy , they told him,

to snatch command from Ghiath his brother, aweakling , andfoolish . But Euzb eg , one of the generals , declared that Jelalshould remain where h e was in full safety fromMongols who weremore to b e feared thanallthe princes in India. Jelalud din ,

swept o ff by the hope of regaining his father’s dominion , decidedon go ing to Pers ia. He left Euzb eg to watch over his fortunesin Indiaand to VefaMel ik he gave the whole government of Gur

and of Ghazn i .Wh ile cross ing the desert lying north of th e Indus Jelallostapart o f hisarmy by disease , exhaustionandhunger,andwhen hereached Kerman , his whole force had shrunk to four thousand .

A Turk commander named Borak ,wi th the surname Hadjib ,

that is Chamberlain , had won that whole region . Borak had

Persiaat Jinn Khan ’

s Death 147

s erved Shah Mohammed as Chamberlain , hence the surname

Hadjib from his service . Later on Ghiath ud din gave himoffice in Ispahan ,

making him governor, bu t , embro iled in the

sequel with Ghiath ’

s viz ir , Borak got permiss ion to go to Jelalthen in India. While cross ing Kerman the Kevashir governorattacked him, incited to do so by Ghiath , who wish ed at thatjuncture to seizeallth e baggageand women belonging to Borak ’sass istants .

Theaggressor was beaten , put to fligh tand driven intoaneighboring fortress , wh ere Borak killed him. Borak not sat isfied yetwith th is outcome hadattacked Kevashir where the son of the

recent , but then defunct , governor was commanding . While

thus engaged he h eard allat once that Jelal was in Kerman .

Borak sent rich gifts to his vis itor straightwayand hurried off to

rece ive him. He offered one of his daugh ters while greeting theSultan , who took her in marriage without h es itat ion . Wh en Jelalstood before Kevashir the place yieldedand opened its gates to

The Sultan had passedawhole month in Kerman wh en helearned that his fath er- ia-law was pondering treason . Orkhan ,

ageneral, advised thearrest of Borak andaseizure of allhispossessions, but the viz ir, Kh odjaJihan , declared that if hastewere exh ibited in pun ishing the man who had been the first toacknowledge the Sultan many minds would b e shaken , s ince therewas no chance to prove clearly the existence of treason .

Jelal chose to feign ignorance , and cont inued his journey .

Borak remained master of Kerman . After him n ine of his familyduring eighty- six years succeeded in authority . These formedthe KaraKitan dynasty of Kerman , so called because of this

Borak, th e Hadjib , its founder .

{E'

elaladvanced into Fars wh ere for twenty - four years had beenreign ing the Atabeg , Sad, son of Zengwr,aprince who claimed hisdescent fromaTurk chief named Salgar . Sankor, the grandsonof Salgar, was established in Fars ,andwhen the Seljuks had fallenhemade h imself master of that region ,and princes descended fromSalgar, that is the Salgarids , thus gained domin ion .

On nearing Shirez , Jelalannounced hisarrival to the Atabeg ,who sent his son with fi ve hundred horsemen to welcome theSu ltan ,and excused himself saying that he had once madeavow

148 T he Mongols

not to meetany person whatever . Jelalaccepted the statement .

He knew that the Atabeg was hostile to Ghiath ,who had invaded

his countryashort time before and had even retained certainparts of it . Jelalgave back those parts th en to Saidand to gainthe man thoroughly married his daugh ter.

T he Sultan madeabrief stay in Shiraz , being eager to win backIrak from his brother , for Ghiath could not restore peace to thosecountries given up to disorderandanarchy s ince the return of

Jinghis to Mongolia. Each l ittle district had its own cruel masterand th ose petty tyrants completed in great part the ru in begunwi th such terror by th e hIongols . Ghiath ’

s name was repeatedatprayer in the mosques , b ut no man gave him tribute . Having nomoney to pay his Turk troops h e was forced to permit th em to

take what they could from the peopleand thus strip the country .

Whenan officer of rank came for pay to the Sultan , the man hadto take the next h igher title ,an emir was made mel ik ,andamel ikmade khan . That was the reward for his service . He wasforced next to subs ist by realrobbery in some shape .

After Jelalhad reach ed Ispahan he set out very qu ickly withapicked band for Rayi near wh ich his brother was recru itinganarmy . He had givenallhis horsemen wh ite banners l ike thoseused by the Mongo ls . Wh en Ghiath saw those wh ite banners hethough t that Mongols wereadvancing toattack him,and he tookto fligh t straigh tway , but returned soon withaforce th irty th ousandin number. Jelal had recourse now toastratagem. He sent to

his brother, throughan equerry , th is message : Having suflered

cruel hardsh ips I have come to fi nd rest here , but since you meetme wi th swords , I withdraw to other places .

”

Ghiath believing th is message , and th inking besides that hisbrother was powerless to harm him, came back to Rayiand dismissed his large forces .

Jelal sent out an agent who gave immense promises to the

generals o f his bro ther,and gave them ringsalso in proo f of hisfavor . Many yielded wh ile o thers went promptly to Ghiathandshowed the rings given them. He hadhis brother’sagentarrested.

But Jelal, feeling that most of the warriors were with him,advanced with only th ree thousand picked horsemen . Th isadvancewas successful; Ghiath fled to afo rtres s b u t reassured by mildmessages he left hisasylumandwent to his brother’s headquarters .

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150 The Mongols

battle . Jelal , forced to figh t withan enemy greatly superior, putapart of his smallarmy inambush ; he charged thriceafter thatwithatroop of fi ve hundredandfled,as it were , in disorder. T he

enemy followed , fell into the trap , and were attacked on bothflanks with great fury . Kush Timur was cut down in the struggle ;hisarmy was brokenand then pursued to the gates of the capital.

Jelalafter winning th is victory captured Dakuka andsacked it . Next h e moved against Takrit , and learn ing thatMozafl'ar

, the Prince of Erbil, was approaching with anarmy ,and had goneah ead withasmallforce to surpriseand take him

,

he set ou t withahandful of h eroesand capturedMozafl’ar , whomhe freedafterward on his promise to return to his own landsandstay in them.

Jelal droppedallhis plansagainst Bagdad ; Azerbaidjan wasthe place which now lured him. March ing first to Meragahefellto clearingaway the ru ins , but left that task qu ickly on hearingthat Togan Taissi, his uncle on th e moth er

’

s s ide ,andalso hisbroth er- in -law , was moving from Azerbaidjan to take Hamadanand the ne ighboring distri cts , the investiture of which had beengiven him by the Kalif . Togan had spent the whole winter inArranand on his journey through Azerbaidjan he pillaged thatcountryasecond t ime .

Jelalarrivedabout midnight near th e camp ground of Togan ,

around wh ich were gathered vast numbers of sheep , mu les , horses ,asses ,and cattle .

Wh en th is Turk general, who though t that th e Sultan was thenin Dakuka, saw his tr0 0 psafter daybreak ,and knew by the regalumbrellathat Jelal h imself was th ere with them, h e was so dis

concerted that h e forgot every ideasave the s ingle one of winn ingfavor . He sent his wife , Jelal’s s ister, to make peace if poss ible .

She made it and Togan thereupon ranged his troops with th e

Sultan ’

sand under his banners ;after that th ey returned toMeraga.Euzb eg , who was ruler in Az erbaidjan , had gone fromTebriz

to Gandjath e capital of Arran . In spite of the dangers wh ichthreatened his country h e passed his time drinking , leaving allcares o f State to his consort ,adaugh ter of Sultan Togrul, the las tSeljuk ruler in Irak . Sh e had remained in Tebriz ,and Jelal, whowas eager to win that famed c ity , laid s iege to it . After fi ve daysof figh tingand justas h e was ready to storm it , the inhabitants

Persiaat Jinghis Khan ’

s Death 151

asked to surrender . Th e Sultan reproach ed th emwith murdering ,ayear earlier , certain warr iors of his father,and sending th e irh eads to the Mongols . Th ey assured him that not th ey butth eir ruler had toanswer for that ; they had been powerless tos top him.

Th e Sultanaccepted this statementand spared th em. Theybegged him to guarantee Euzb eg ’

s wife the possess ion of Kho '

i,

andafew oth er places . Jelal consented , and sentan escort toconvey her to Kh o

‘

i.

Wh en Jelalhad taken Tebriz h e stayed for some days in thatc ity . Meanwhile his men se ized the neighboring districts . Thenh e set out onan expeditionagainst GeorgiaSince Euzb eg was neglectfuland indolent th e Georgians made

raids into Arranand Az erbaidjan ; they ravaged Erzerumalso ,

and later on Shirvan . They had scourged the Moslems of these

regions severely . Eager for vengeance Jelal had no sooner madehimself masterat th e Caspian than he declared war on th e Geor

g ians ,who sent back thisanswer : We havemeasured our strengthwith th e Mongol, who took allhis lands from thy fath eranddestroyed him. He wasaman of more courag eand power thanart th ou . Those Mongols who killed himmet us,and ended byfleeing .

”

Jelal began by the capture of Tovin , which the Georgians hadse ized some years earl ier ; next he march ed against the mainGeorgianarmy, seventy th ousand in number,attacked it in the

valley of Karn i near Tovin , and put it to fligh t with aloss of

twenty thousand . Many generals were captured , among others

Shalové, the master of Tovin . T he chief commander, Ivane ,escaped to th e fortress of Kegh e , wh ich the Sultan invested whileth e rest of hisarmy spread out over Georgia, - bringing fi reand thesword toallplaces . He would have begunarealconquest had henot though t that h emust go to Teb riz . Wh en ready to march intoGeorgiathe Sultan got news from his viz ir thataplot had beenformed in Tebriz to give back the country to Euzb eg . The

Sultan kept this knowledge secretand only when Georgiawascrush ed did he tell the whole tale to his generals . He gave thencommand of hisarmy to Ghiath his broth er, hastened back toTebriz , put its mayor to death ,andarrested the ringleaders of th econspiracy . Wh en he had strengthened thus his authority he

152 The Mongols

married Euzb eg ’

s wife ,and wh ile in Tebri z urged forward troopswho took Gandja, th e capital of Arran ,

whence Euzb eg madehis way to Alandja.Tebrizand Gandjabeing brough t to obedience ,

Jelalreturnedqu ickly to Georgia, whose people meanwh ile had raisedanewarmy in wh ich were found Alans , Lesgians , Kipchaksand others .

Th is army struck now by Jelallos t h eavily and was scattered .

Af ter the victory Jelalmarched onT iflis , wh ich he captured throughaid from hlohammedans who l ived in that city . AllGeorgianswere put to the sword except those whoacknowledged the supremacy of the Sultan . Womenand ch ildren fellto the conquerors ,the ci ty was yielded to pillage . Jelaltook fullvengeance on the

Georgians for all that they had done to Mohammedans . His

troops were enriched by the property of Christians, he slew a

vast number of those infidels ,” as h e though t them,and drove

the ir ch ildrenand wives into slavery .

Leaving Georgia,adesert in great part he turned his face nextto Kh elat on th e north of Lake Van in Armenia. Th is city belonged to Ashraf ,an Eyub ite prince , lord over Harranand Roha.His bro ther, Moaz zam, the prince of Damascus , who defendedhimself against Ashraf ,and Kamil, his eldes t bro ther, who wasSultan of Egypt , had sent his ch ief confidant ,an o fficer, to Jelalthen in Tiflis ,and begged him to makeanattack Upon Kh elat ,and give in th is wayass istance . Moaz zamadmired the Kwaresmian Sultan immensely ,and h eld itan honor to weararobe wh ichhad come from him,and ride onasteed wh ich Jelalhad thoughtproper to send him. During nigh t banquets Moazzam neverswore except by the head of the Sultan .

T he Kwaresmian warriors laid s iege to Khelat very willinglys ince the place promisedbooty inabundance . But th ey hadbarelyarri vedat the walls of the ci ty whenadvice came to Jelal thatBorak

, the governor o f Kerman , had withdrawn fromallegiance ,

and even sent men to the Mongols to explain the increas eandimpo rtance o f Jelal’s newarmy .

T he Sultanabandone dthe s iegeand set out for Kerman . Bo

rak ,who hadlearned that he was coming , wi thdrew toastronghold

and sent wo rds of fe igned loyaltyand obedience . It would havebeen di ffi cult to capture the s tronghold, so Jelal thought it best todissemble , to rece iveat the ir li teralvalue the words brough t to

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154 T he Mongols

They moved on T ifiis inabodyand put to deathallMohammedans , and s ince they despaired of defending the cityagainstJelal they fired it .

T h e Ismailians , that is , the Assass ins of Pers ia, had just killedageneralto whom the Sultan had given Gandjaand th e landswh ich went with it . T o inflict vengeance for th isact Jelal tookfi reand sword to the land of those death dealing sectaries . Adivis ion of Mongols meanwh i le had moved westward towardDamegan . Against th is force the Sultan march ed swiftly ; herepulsedand then hunted it for many days in success ion .

Wh ile Jelalon the east was thus occupied Hussam ud din Ali ,Ashraf ’s commanderat Kh elat ,appeared in the west unexpectedly ,invited to Az erbaidjan by those of the people who liked not the

Sultan ’

s strange ways , and who were brough t down to need bythe greed of his warriors . Euzb eg

’

s former wife too wasactive .

Sh e had had h er own way with h er first husband . Fixed now to

Jelalthrough marriage she could not endure the efi'acement that

came from th is un ion . She remembered the pastand jo ining thepeople of Kh 0 1 tookaction . She invited Hussam to se ize thatwhole region . He consentedand took many places ; that done ,h e march ed back to Kh elat , Jelal’s new, but dissatisfied , consortgo ing with him.

But there was need soon to faceamore serious opponent . T h e

hiongols were moving in force toward Irakand soonappearedatits border . Jelal sent four thousand horsemen toward RayiandDamegan to watch them. Pressed by th e Mongols th ese fourthousand fellback upon Ispahan , wh ere th e Sultan had fixedhish eadquarters . The enemy following stopped one day ’s marchfrom the c ity ,and east of it . T h e Mongolforce ,made up of fi ve

divisions , was commanded by TadjiBaku , Anatogan , TaimazandTainal. Astrologers counseled the Sul tan to wai t four days beforefigh ting ; h e compliedand showed confidence ofakind to rouse

courage inallwho came near him.

At the firs t news of that Blongolapproach his generals werealarmedand repaired to the palace inabody . He recei ved th emin the courtyard, and talked long o f th ings wh ich concerned not

attack on the ci ty , to show that h e was in no way uneasy . Thenb e seated themand (liscoursed on the order of battle . Before thedismissalhe madealltakean oath not to turn from the enemy

Persiaat Jinghis Khan ’

s Death 155

or prefer life to the death ofahero . He took the same oath himself ,andappointedaday for the struggle . Command was thengiven the chief judgeand the Ispahan mayor to review thearmedcit izens .

Since Jelaldid not move from the city the Mongols supposedthat he had not strength or even courage to meet them h ence theyprepared foras iege and sent two thousand horse into Lur to

co llect provis ions . Th e Sultan hurried three thousand menafterthem. These took every defile in the rear of the foragers , anc

i/barred retreat ;many Mongols were killedand four hundred w'

er

captured. Jelalgave some of these men to the populace/by whomthey were massacred in the streets of the city . T he Sgl

‘tan cut off

with his own hand the heads of others in the courtyard of his

palace ;and their bodies were hurled out to b e eaten by vulturesand dogs .

Augu st 26, 1227 , was the day fixed for battle Jinghis haddied in Tangut eight days earlier . Wh ile the Su ltan was ranginghis men for the conflict Ghiath , his own broth er, betrayed him,

deserted. Jelaldid not seem to take note of th e defect ion . Evenwhen he saw the Mongols in order of battle he though t that hismen were more than sufficient to conquer such an enemy , andordered the Ispahan guards to reenter the city . At the beginn ingof the conflict th e two wings of th e Su ltan ’

s forces were too farfrom each other for mutualass istance . During afierce onset

his right wing pierced the left of th e enemy , and pursued it toKash in . T he left had not yet been in action . The sun wasdeclin ingand Jelalwas rest ingat th e edge ofadefile . Just thenIlan Buga,an officer ,approached Jelaland said withanimation :We have long implored Heaven foraday suchas th is to takevengeance on those outcasts . Success is now with us ,and stillwe neglect it . T o - n igh t th is vile enemy willmakealong two days ’journey ,andwe shallrepent wh en too late that we let th em escapeus . Ought we not to make this day ’s victory perfect ?Struck by these words the Sultan remounted , but hardly hadhe

crossed th e ravine wh enachosen corps of th e enemy h idden byah eigh t , ru shed on the left wing , rolled it back on the centerandbroke it . The generals of that wing now kept the ir oath faithfullyand died weapons in hand, except three of th em.

The Sultan remained in the center, wh ich th en was surrounded

156 T he Mong ols

completely . He had only fourteen of th e guards near his person,and h e slew with his own hand his standard bearer who wasfleeing ; then he himself cutaway through the enemy . Fugitivesfrom the centerand left rushed in every direction . Some fledtoward Fars , o thers toward Kerman ,

wh ile Az erbaidjan was arefuge forath ird group . Those who had lost their horses in thebattle went back on foot to the ci ty . At the end o f two days therigh t wing came from Kashan , believing th e rest of th earmyvictorious . t en they heard o f its defeat they disbandedat once .

Though the l\Iongols won the battle, th eir sufl

'

erings andlosses were greater than those of the hI oslems . Advancing tothe gates of the city they were repulsed and pursued wi th suchs peed that in three days of fligh t they reached Bayi wh ence byth e Nishapur road they fled farther . O n th is retreat they lostmany men both in killedand in prisonersN0 one knew wh ither the Sultan had van ished . Some sough t

for his corpse on the battle- fi eld,oth ers though t that th e enemy

had captured him. At Ispahan people talked ofanew sovere ign ,

wh ile the mob wished to se ize the womenand goods of the Kwaresmians . But the cadi prevailed uponallto waitafew days t ill

the Bairam feast opened . Heagreed , however, with the princ ipalc itizens that should th e Sultan not come to th e prayer on that feastday th ey would chooseas ruler Togan Taissi, who th rough hisvirtues deserved supreme power before o thers .

When the people hadas sembled on the feast day Jelalcame tothe prayerand caused great rejo icing . Fearing lest he migh t b ebes ieged in the city he had no t returned to it when the battle wasover, b u t had waited on the Luris tan s ide till the enemy hadvanished . The Sultan now stayed some days wai ting for fugitivesand rewarding ch iefs of the righ t wing by giving the ti tle of khanto those who were meliks . He gave h igh rank also to s implewarrio rs who had deserved fame for the ir action in the battle .

Certain cowardly generals were led through th e city with ve ils on

the ir fac es in the manner o f women .

Ghiath ud din , Jelal’s bro ther, had retired to the mountainsand was s triving to win back dominion through ass istance fromthe Kalif . Hatred between the two brothers had been intens ifiedby murder. Mohammed, son of Karmil , ofafamily illustriousin Gur, was in very h igh favor with Jelalwho , charmed wi th his

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158 T he Mongols

selfand his father wasaSultan , we cannot surrender him, but

he will not take your dominions , we guarantee that . Should hecommitanyact of hostility youare free to treat usas may pleaseyou .

”

Th is statement seemed satisfactory to Jelal,andan oathaddeds trength to it . Jelal on his part swore to give the past to oblivion ,

and the question was ended . But Ghiath h imself went fromAlamut to seek refuge in Kerman . Some daysafter hisarrivalBorak showedawish to marry Ghiath ’

s mother,Beglu A

'

i,who

had come wi th him. Th ey were bo th in Borak ’

s powerandresistance would have been futile . Stillthe princess yielded onlyafter much res istance . Conducted to Kevashir th e capital of

Kerman , th e motherand son had hardlyarrived when two relativesof Borak proposed toassass inate that governorand installGhiath .

Ghiath rejected the offer, but Borak , hearing that his relativeshadmade it, tortured the two men so cru elly that they confessedto him. Th ey were then cut to pieces in the presence of Ghiathwho , confi ned straigh tway in the citadel, was strangled with abowstring . His mo th er, who had rush ed inat his cries , met her

death in the same way . T he fi ve hundred followers who hadcome with him were cut down every man of them.

Borak sent th e head of his vict im to Ogo taiKhan who receivedit wi th gladness . This gif t secured Mongolfriendsh ipand Borakwas confirmed in h is Kerman possess ions .

Th e Kankali Turksand the Kipchaks had been closely connectedwith the re igning Kwaresmian family by marriages ; because of

this fact , Jinghis Khan hadattacked bo th those peoples inflex ibly,

and Jelal now sough t the ir friendsh i p with growing endeavor .

Af ter his Ispahan failure the Sultan sent to get menandaid fromthe Kankalis . They agreed,

as it seems , with much readinessto give them. Kur Khan , one of theirleaders , embarkedwith threehundredmen on the Cas pianand passed the next winter wi th theSultan on the plain of Mughan ,arich pasture land in that season .

I t was decided that Jelalwas to gain the strong fortat Derbendwith its one narrow passand retain it . By th is pas salone couldlargearmies go sou th o f the Caucasus from Kipchak . A force of

fi fty thousand from the north was toaid in securing th is road nearthe sea, wh ile Jelalwas to give the prince ruling Derbend o ther

fi ef s in payment for it . The plan failed, however. Jelal secured

Persiaat Jinn Khan ’

s Death 159

now the district Gush tasfi between th e ri vers Kur (Cyrus)andAraxes . This land wasapart of the Sh irvan Shah ’

s kingdom,

and he had given it to his son Jelal ud din Sultan Shahand sent

him to Georgiato marry the daughter of Rusudan , the famousand beautifulqueen of that country . Detained th ere perforce hewas freedwhen Jelal took T iflisandlaid waste the country .

Jelalclaimed tribute now from the Shirvan Shah forallhispossess ions . Th is was done , s ince Jalal’s house had succeededth e Seljuks, to whomwhen in power those Sh irvan Shahs had paidtribute .

The unqu ietambition of Jelal had forced many people of the

Caucasus toaleague with the Georgiansagainst him. Anarmymade up from n ine nat ionsand forty thousand in number hadgathered north of Arran . T he Sultan marched against th isarmyand pitch ed his campat Mendur . Since his forces weregreatly inferior in number to those of the enemy , Sherif ulMulk ,his viz ir,advisedatacounci l to limitallaction to stopping provis ionsand meeting the enemy with advantage when want came .

Thisadvice enraged Jelalso seriously that h e struck his vizir on

the head with awriting case . Theyare mere sheep ; wouldalion b e troubled by the number of such weak littleanimals ? ”

cried h e ,and he fined the viz ir fi fty thousand dinars for daring tooffer such counsel.Next day th earmies were facing each other. The Sultan , to

encourage his men , gave them presents ,and shared with some hisbest horses . H orn the top ofah illhe saw two tumans of Kipchakswho had come to giveaid to the Georgians . Byan officer he sent

breadand salt to those Kipchaksand told them that he had savedthe lives of many of th eir people taken captive by his father.

Willyou now raise th e sword to repay me with bloodshed ? ”asked h e .

The Kipchaks withdrew on receiving th is statement . The

Georgiansadvanced, but Jelalsent th is message to their leader :Your men must b e wearied by long marches ; if they wish rest

for to -day the best warriors fromboth s ides mayamuse themselvesby trying their strengthandaddress in the presence of thearmies .

”

This proposition wasaccepted .

One of the bravest of Georgia’s great veterans rode forth to thespace between the two forces . The Sultan rushed to meet th is

160 T he Mongols

strong champion , and pierced him through with one lance thrust.Three sons of the man came forth then toavenge himand werekilled in succession by Jelal . Next cameafifth man , enormousin stature . T he Sultan ’

s horse was wearied , th ere was no t ime forachange ,and had it not been for his marvelous skill in escapingfrom blowsand in parrying , Jelal would have seen his last hour inthat confl ict . But when the Georgian was rush ing lance in rest

at him, the Sultan sprang to the ground , disarmed the oncominggiant ,and killed him. He gave with his whip thenas ignal forthe onset , and, in spite of the truce , his wholearmy rushedatthe Georgians , surprisedand defeated them.

Free of his enemies now Jelal marched in 1229 on Khelat tobes iege itasecond time . He remainedallthe winter before it ,but was forced by keen coldand deep snow to lodgeagreat partof his troops in the villages of that region . T o his camp came theErzerum prince , Rokn ud din Jiban Shah , who belonged to abranch of the Seljuks of Rum. Th is prince , having had quarrelsbefore that with Jelal ;wished now toarrange them, show homage,and give presents ten thousand dinars in value .

T he Sultan received him with every distinction ,and in takingfarewellasked for s iege engines . Rokn ud din sentagreat catapult , shieldsand many engines of value . The princes of Amidand Mardin sent their submission through envoys . Next camean embassy from Bagdad . Nass ir, the Kalif , had died during1225 in the forty- s ixth year of his rule , the longest rule ofany manin th e whole l ine of Abbas ids . Zahir, Nass ir’s sonand successor,had been only n ine months in office when he died. M ostansir,his son , then succeeded . Mostansir now sentan envoy to maketwo demands upon Jelal ; first that the Sultan would claim no

righ ts of asovereign in Mosul , Erbil , Abuye and Jebal whoseprinces were vassals of the Kalif ; second that h e would restore

the name of the Kalif inallpublic prayers throughout Pers ia.Shah Mohammed, his father, hadabol ished th is practice when hewas march ing on Bagdad ,and had not restored it . T he Sultangranted both reques ts straigh tway and commanded that in allhis s tates every Moslem should pray for Mostansir. When theenvoy returnedaChamberlain of the Sultan went with him. Th ischamberlain came back wi th two officials , who brought from the

Kalifarobe of investiture to Jelal,and splendid presents to him

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162 The Mongols

Th ey complained of hostil ity shown KeiKubad by his cous inandvassal, the Erzerum prince ,andasked that Jelalyield th is princeup, and let Kei Kubad take his country . Th is request rousedJelal, who answered wi th spiri t : “ Though I have complaintsagainst Jihan Shah , he has come to my courtandnow isaguest init . It would no t b e proper for me to deli ver him toan enemy .

”

Discontent in the envoys was h eigh tened immensely by insolencefrom Jelal’s viz ir.

O ne day when Nessaviwas vis iting th is minister he heard rudespeech and boasting : If the Sultan permi tted I would enter

your countryand subject it with the troopsat my order, saidSherif . Wh en the envoy had gone I asked the viz ir,

”

saysNessavi, for th e cause of his rudeness , s ince Kei Kubad hadtestified friendsh ip .

‘

Th e presents brough t by those envoys ,’

replied the viz ir, are not equal to two thousand dinars .

’

T he envoys ,accompan ied by three others from Jelal , went homel ittle pleased with their mission . When theyarrivedat the boundary of Rum the two hurried on inadvance to their sovereign . On

h earing their narrati ve KeiKubad despatched one of them straigh tway to makeanalliance with Ashraf .

Af ter six month s of s iege work Jelal stormed Kh elatand tookit April2 , 1230 . He wished that his men should not pillageandru in the city , b ut his generals declared that the s iege had beenlong , that the warriors had lost many horses with cattle andproperty , that if he forbade pillage no new campaign would bepossibleatany time ; allmigh t desert inabody . T he generalsins isted so firmly that Jelalhad to yield to them.

Khelat was given up foratime to thearmy ; for three daysandnigh ts did wild, savage men work their will on it . A greatmany people expired under torture inflicted to force them to tellwh ere the ir treasures were h idden . Women and ch ildren weresaved for capti vity . T he Georgian wife of Prince Ashraf wastaken by Jelal, who made her his concubine .

T wo younger bro thers , Yakuband Abbas , fellinto the power ofthe conquero ralso . T h e Sultan now had the walls of the cityrepaired,and gave land in that region to his generals . Jelalwaspreparing to s trike Manazgu erd when the Erz erum prince , whoduring the s iege o f Khelat had given him provisions , and thus

earned the hatred of Ashraf,came to inform him that Ashraf

Persiaat Jinn Khan ’

s Death 163

and the Sultan of Rumwere concludingatreaty , hence headvisedwithallearnestness to forestall the two princes byattacking th e irforces before they could poss ibly unite them.

Af ter the death of Moazzam of Damascus Ashraf had receivedfrom his brother Kamil, who was Sultan of Egypt , Damascus inbarter for Surud , Harran , Rohaand three other districts . Wh en

h e heardof the fall of Kh elatand the capture of his consort, Ashrafrushedaway to his brother Kamil, who wasat that t ime in Rakka.Ashraf met there that envoy from the Sultan of Rum who wascharged with concludingatreaty with himagainst Jelal . T he

Kh elat Prince tookadvice from Kamilthe Sultan of Egypt , whofavored thealliance, but Kamilhimself hurried back straigh twayto Cairo on learning that Salih , his son whomhe hadleft there, wasplotting to dethrone him.

Ashraf set out with seven hundred horsemen for Harran . Thereh e demanded contingents from Aleppo ,

Mosuland th e landslying between the Euphratesand Tigris . When those troops hadappeared he wentat th e head of them to join KeiKubadat Sivaswhence they would march with combinedarmies on Kh elat .Jelalhad resolved to advance on Kharpert , hoping toattack

the first of thearmies which moved to jo in the other . He sum

monedhis troops to Kharpertand went thither himself inadvanceof them, but falling illat that place he was in such straits that thegenerals thought his life lostand were ready the moment breathleft him to rush offand se ize each man the province that pleasedhim. Jelalrecovered, but meanwhile his enemies had united theirforces . Hisarmy was smallif compared with the troops rangedagainst it . He had not summonedinmen fromArran , Azerbaidjan ,

Irak or Mazanderan who had gone on leave somewhat earlier .

His viz ir’s corps was at Manazguerd, another corps also wasattack ing Berkeri, stillhe moved onand in Erzendjan met theenemy .

Kei Kubad’

s force was twenty thousand , Ashraf ’s only fi ve ,but allchosen warriors . Jelalwas defeated most cruelly , andlost many warriors . Among prisoners was the Erzerum princewho had promised Jelalagood part of Kei Kubad’

s kingdom,

b ut who was forced then to yield up strong placesand treasuresof his own to his cousin . Th e victors beheadedallth eKwaresmianoffi cers whom they captured .

164 The Mongols

Jelal fled to Manazguerd,and taking the troops then besiegingthat fortress marched on Khelat wh ich b e stripped of all thathad valueand was movable ; that done b e burned the remainder .

Then , taking with him the Georgian wife of Prince AshrafandAshraf ’s two brothers , Yakub and Abbas , he moved into Azerbaidjan . T he viz ir with his troops was posted in Sekman Abadto follow the movements of the enemy ; he himself halted nearKho

'

i. His generals had deserted .

Jelal’s enemies did not pursue . O n the contrary his viz ir gotaletter from Ashraf , who had parted with Kei Kubadafter thevictory ,and gone to Khelat, wh ich he foundasad ru inand deserted. Your master, ” wrote he to Sherif , “

is the Sultan of

Moslems , the first rampart of Islamagainst Mongol enemies .

We know that to weaken him s ignifies ru in to religion , that hislosses willaffect every Moslem. Why do you with your wonderfu lexperience not give him peace - loving counsels ? I guarantee to

the Sultan true friendsh ip with the strongaid of KeiKubad ,andmy brother, the Sultan of Egypt .

”

These propos itions were followed by discussion , and the two

princes made peace . T he Sultanagreed to ceaseallattacks uponKhelat , but despite every effort he would make no promise re

garding KeiKubad . He could not forgive him thealliance withAshraf . He knew only later how his viz ir had o ffendedthat prince ’

s envoys . But when h e learned that the Mongolswere entering Irak he swore to respect all the lands of Kei

Kubad .

Th is Mongo l army , th irty thousand in number, was takenfromall the troops under Ogotai. It was led by Chormagun.

whom the Grand Khan had deputed to finish the conquest of

Pers iaand establish h imself there with his warriors . Chorrnagun ,

who wished firs t o fallto hunt Jelal to death ,as Jinghis the greatKhan had hunted Jelal’s father, moved through Khorassan veryswiftly by the Esferain road,and past Rayi.Jelal, who had gone from Kho ’

i to Tebri z , hoped that theseMongols would winter in Irak ; he needed delay o f that length togather in fo rces and concentrate . He despatchedaPehlevanst raigh tway to Irak to watch allth e movements of the Mongols .

Th is man metavanguard o f the enemy between Zendjan andEbher. He fled with fourteen men ,allhe had,and was the only

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166 The Mongols

given the Sultan in th is letter . Manymiss i ves wh ich were similarto this one in part went to governors to corrupt them. O ne of

th ese was sent to the Sultan who knew now that Sherif stoppedallKwaresmian officers who came near his fortand wrung theirpossessions from them by torture . He learnedalso that Sherifhad instructed the Turkman ch ief not to yield up the harem or

treasures of the Sultan toany one,not even to Jelal h imself shou ld

he come for them. In this letteralso h e styled him FallenTyrant .

”

T he Sultan , knowing now the vizirand his treason , hadorders sent to disregard hisauthority .

Jelal , who remainedallthe winter (1231) in t gan , went toArran in the spring upon hearing that the Mongols were movingfrom Odjan to fi nd him. Wh en near Sherif ’s castle he sent for

the traitorous viz irand feigned to know noth ing of his treason .

Sherif came withashroud on his neck . Jelalhad wine brough tto him,anact notagreeing with etiquette , s ince th e Kwaresmiansultans neveradmitted viz irs to their banquets . Sherif thoughth imself thenat the summit of favor, but soon he had reason to

th ink oth erwise , for though he followed the Sultan the latterass igned h im no duties .

T he bad condition of Jelal’saffairsaflected the people of the

two Caspian provinces recently subjected . In Tebriz the populat ion , roused toanger by the men who commanded in the name of

the Sultan , were ready to massacreallthe Kwaresmiansand thuswin good grace from the Mongols . Revolts broke out in manyplaces of Azerbaidjanand of Arran . M en in the service of the

Sultan were killedand their heads carried o ffas presents to theenemy .

Jelal wish ing toassemble the troops of Arran ,and unable totrust any Turkman in his service , prevailed on Mohammed of

Nessatoaccept th is most delicate mission ,wh ich he carried out

with such thoroughnessand so deftly that Jelal soon hadastrongforce at his command. At repo rt of th is explo it the Mongoldivision wh ich had marched into Arran withdrew to the maincampat Odjan . An envoy sent to the Bailecan governor to e ff ect

his surrender was brough t before Jelalimmediately . O n be ingasked touch ing Chormagun ’

s army, and promised his life if he

told the tru th sacredly (the man wasaMoslem) , he declared thatthearmy roll counted twenty thousand on the day of review near

Pers iaat Jinghis Khan ’

s Death 67

the Bokhara suburbs . Jelal, lest his troops lose their courageand scatter, had the man killedat once .

Then ,fearing that th e viz ir might ru shaway onasuddenand

rouse many men to rebellion , the Sultan set out for Jaraper followed stillby the traitor. He ordered then the commandant of

th e Jaraper fortress ,acru el old Turkman , toarrest the viz irandput him in irons the moment that h e , the Sultan , moved farther .

Th is was done,and soon-after, the old Turkman sent six guards

to take life from Sherif . Th e moment h e saw the men coming th eviz ir knew that his last hour was present . He beggedashortrespite during wh ich to implore the Almigh ty . He made hisablutions , then prayed , read some l ines in the Koran ,and said thatthe guards migh t enter . On reappearing theyasked him wh ichh e preferred, the cord or the sabre . Th e sabre , ” answeredSherif . It is not the usage that great people die by the sabre ,said the guard, anddeath by the cordis far eas ier . Th e taskis yours , replied Sherif . Do what seems best to you . I receivethat wh ich comes to himalways who trusts the ungrateful . ”These were the last words of Sh erif . He was strangled .

Jelal’s next move wasaqu ickmarch on Gandja, where th e populace had slainallKwaresmians in the city . He pitch ed his campat the walland strove to persuade the sedit ious to obedience by

pleasant messagesand mildness ; but the crowd grew more insolentandrushed forth to fall on him. The Sultan charged fiercely .

The popu lace fled, and returned through th e gate in disorder .

T he victors were eager for plunder, but the Sultan restrainedthem. He wish edaboveallto discover the leaders of the outbreak .

Thirty were namedand Jelalcut th eir h eads off .

Th e Sultan remained fifteen days in the city , th inking onaction .

At last b e resolved toaskaidasecond time of Ashraf . He hatedto do this , but yielded to counsel.

Ashraf , on hearing that envoys were coming from Jelal , tookajourney to Egypt . Th e envoys were made to delayat Damascus ,where the Syrian prince forced th em to lo iterandamused th em byletters declaring that he would return soon from Cairo with troopsfor their master .

At last Jelal’s envoys sent word to him that Ashraf would stayin Egypt , as they thought , t ill the whole Mongol quest ion wassettled without him. Jelalsent his chancellor then to Mozafl'er,

168 The Mongols

who had received Kh elat from Ashraf his brother . He invitedth is prince to come with his own troopsand bring with himalsothe princes of MardinandAmid , with their forces . He said thatthen he cou ld win without Ashraf . His envoy was to explain toM ozafl'er with all clearness poss ible that if they , with God ’sfavor, should conquer the Mongols he would put Mozafl’er inacountry compared with wh ich Kh elatandits lands wereas noth ing .

Th is was said by Jelalin the presence of his generals , but toMohammed of Nessawhen alone with him his speech was asfollows : I have no faith in the people to whom youare going ,but these here ,

” meaning his Turkman commanders , are satisfi ed only with vis ions ,and their h igh est desire is to escape seriousfighting . Thus have they bafl‘led every plan made by me . I send

you now on th is miss ion knowing well that you will bring backananswer taking from th emallhope ofaid.

T he Sultan had fixed on Ispahan the capitalas his stronghold .

At his command six thousand men went to pillage in Rumwhencethey drove back immense herds of cattle .

When Mohammed of Nessagave M ozaffer the message , thatprince replied in th is fash ion : If I have givenan oath to Jelal ,I have given onealso to KeiKubad ; I know too that your sovereignhas ravaged KeiKubad’

s country ,and that is not what h e promisedon the day of the oath taking . Bes ides Iam not my own master ;I depend on my brothers , the Sultan of Egypt ,and the ruler of

Syria, I could not helpanyman unless those two permitted . More

over whataid could my l ittlearmy give Jelal , or o thers ? As to

the princes of Mardinand Amid, theyare not my dependents .

Theyare discuss ing with the Su ltan touch ingaid. I know that ,I know too that he is trying them. He willfi nd soon that theyarenot tru thful , wh i le Ashraf is eager in the interest of th e Sultan ,andis faithfulto promises . His only object in go ing to Egypt is to

get troopsandlead them back with him.

At the end of some days Mohammed took leave of Mozafferwh ile declaring that whatever th e end was the latter wou ld regrethis decision . I f Jelal triumph s , ” said h e , you can never b ereconciled ; if he is conquered the Mongols willbring bitter griefon you if not destruction .

”

T he Kh elat princeanswered that hedoubted not the words of the envoy, butadded , Iam not myown master .

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1 70 T he fMong ols

Sultan ’

s pavil ion wh i le he was stillsleeping off his carousal . One

general, Orkhan , galloped up with his troopsand drove the enemyaway . The officers of Jelal’s own household stro ve hard in th istrial; they had barely t ime to give Jelalaligh t colored tun ic ,andput him on horseback . He though tat that moment of one of his

wives who was with him, adaughter of the Fars prince , andcommanded two of his principalofficers to guard h er wh ile fleeing .

Seeing that the Mongols were terribly swift in pursu ing , Jelalordered Orkhan to rush inanother direction with his forces ,anddraw off the enemy . He h imself took the road to Amid with one

hundred horsemen . Th e gates of that city were closed to him.

Persuas ion was powerless to open them, h ence he fled on towardthe Tigris , but soon turningas ide h e rush ed back ,and thus followed the counsel of Otuz Khan ,

who declared that the best wayt o flee from the lVIongols was to double backand b e beh ind them.

H e reachedasmallvillage in th e region of Mayafarkinand stoppedfor the nightatagranary . Wh ile he was sleeping Otuz Khansl ippedaway , and deserted . At daybreak the Mongols caughtup with the Sultan , who had barely the time to mountand b e off

while his guards fough t th e enemy .

Most of Jelal’s men were slain while defending their masterthat morning . Fifteen of the Mongols , on learn ing that he whohad fled was the Sultan , rushedalong after him madly . Two

reached the swift rider, but he slew bo th of them. T he others

could not come up with the fugitive whose horse beyond doubtwas superior .

Jelal hurried onalone now ,andmade his way into the moun

tains . Th ere he was captured by Kurds , whose work was to stri pevery wayfarerand slay him. They stripped the Sultanat onceandwere go ing to killhimwhen he told the ir ch ief secretly who hewas ,asking the man to conduct him to the Erbilprince , M ozafl'er,who would load him with benefits for doing so ; if not to conducthim to some place in the Sultan ’

s own kingdom. T he Kurd chose

the latterand taking with h im to his own habitation the Sultan ,

whom he left in the care of his wife , h e went out to fi ndhorses .

Meanwh ileanother Kurd came in , and inqu ired of the womanwho the Kwaresmian was

, and why th ey had not killed him.

She replied that he was under her husband’

s pro tection ,and

added, that he was the Kwaresmian Sultan . How know that

Persiaat Jinn Khan ’

s Death 171

h e is telling you the truth ? asked the Kurd . But if he is th e

Sultan , he killedat the s iege of Kh elat my own brother,afarbetter man than he is .

”

W ith that he sprang at Jelal ud din,

pierced himwith his javelin ,and killed him. Aug . 15,1231 .

IVith Jelal ud din perished th e Kwaresmian dynas ty .

Jelalud din ,

”

says Mohammed of Nessa, was of mediumstature . He hadaTurk face , his complexion was very dark , forhismoth er was from India. He was brave to excess , calm,

graveands ilent , never laugh ing exceptat th e po ints of his lips . He spokeTurkishand Persian .

” Jelaluddin was no statesman ,h e had

neither fores igh t nor wisdom;attach ed to his whims h e reconciledno man . t sieand wine gave him most of his pleasure . He

always went to b ed drunk , evenat times when the Mongols werehunt ing him like bloodh ounds . He did not retain th eaflectionof his warriors , who receiving no pay had to live on th e countryandru in it . Reckless conduct estranged fromhim those whomighthave uph eld him. A wise

“and strong leader could have raisedupand directedaresistance which would have stopped Hulaguin his conquests . What might have comeafterwards is of courseanew problem.

Soonafter the death of th is Sultan , Prince Mozafler sent men

to collect his effects . Th ey found his h orse, saddleand sabre .

These , being shown to his generals , were recogniz ed. Mozafferthen had his corpse broughtand put inamausoleum.

Inaf ter years report ran that Jelalhad been seen in variousplaces of Iran . A manat Ispidar gave himself outas the Sultan .

Th e Mongolcommanders called in men who had seen Jelaluddin . The imposter was discoveredand put to death promptly .

Twenty- two yearsafter this death of th e Sultanapoorman dressedasafakir while cross ing the Oxus spoke to th e boatmenas follows :Iam Jelal ud din the Kwaresmian Shah reportedas killed by

the Kurds in the mountains of Amid. It was not I who was killedth en . but my equerry . I have wanderedabout many years withoutletting men know me . Taken by the boatmen toan officer of

the Mongols close to that ri ver h e was tortured , but insisted t il ldeath that he was Jelal uddin th e Kwaresmian Sultan .

CHAPTER X

CONDIT ION or PERS IA IN 1254, WHEN HULAGU CAME TO

CONQUER AND TO S LAUGHTER

AD was the fate of th e people in Rum through disunion,

s tupidityandthough tlessness . After Jelaluddin lost his life inthe mountains his warriors dispersed and were fin ished by landtillers , by Kurds ,and by Bedu ins . T heMongols fell straigh tway toravaging Amid,

Erzerumand Mayafarkin . Afteras iege of fi ve

days they captured Sarad , two days ’ journey fromMardin ,and eastof it , and though the ci ty had surrendered they slaugh tered itsinhabi tants to the number of fifteen thousand ,as is stated . Tanzamet the same fateasalso didMardin , whose sovereign took refugein the fortress . The district of Nisib in was changed toadesert ,though the ci ty itself was not taken by the Mongols who , enteringthe country o f Sinjar sackedElKhaburandAraban . O ne c ivision

of them took the road toMosulandhastened to pillage ElMunassa,on the road between Mosul and Nis ibin . T he people o f thatplace and the flat countryaround it took refuge in abu ildingnear the middle of the city whereallsave des irable women weremassacred. A man of that region being h idden inahouse lookedou t th roughacrannyand saw what was happeningandafterwardtold lb n alAthir

,the h istorian . Each time the Mongols slew

some one they shouted Laillah i . ’ Th is massacre finished , theypillaged the placeand departed leadingaway the women selected .

I saw them, said the h idden man ,

“rejo ic ing on horseback .

T hey laughed, sang songs in their language and shouted wh ilemocking the Moslems .

”

Ano ther Mongoldivis ion marched on Bitlis . Some of the

people fled to the mountains,o thers took refuge in the c itadel .

T he Mongols set fi re to the cityand burned it . They stormedBalri, afortified place in the region of Kh elat , and s laughtered

172

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174 The Mong ols

o ther products . The chief judgeand the mayor with th e principalpeople went to th e Mongol commander, who ordered to send out

to him weavers s ince h e wished to have certain stuffs made for hissovereign . Th ey obeyed and the citizens paid for those costlyfabrics . Heaskedalsoatent for his master . O ne was made forhim ofakind that had never been equalled in that city . It wascovered with s ilk embro idered in goldand ornamented with sableand beaver . Tebriz agreed to an annual tribute in stuflsandin s ilver .

Th e Mongols were sacking the lands of Erbil , afi ef of the

Kalif ,M ostansir, who had summoned toass ist himMohammedansovere ignsas wellas the Arabs . Kamil, Sultan of Egypt , whosedomin ions beyond the Euph rates were also threatened, had set

out from Cairoat the head ofanarmyandarrivedat Damascuswhence he moved eastward very promptly . His army beingnumerous , took various roads in crossing the desert . Since waterwas lacking , many horses died on that journey ,andmanymenalso .

O n learn ingat Harran that the Mongols had gone out of Kh elat,Kamil bes ieged Amid . T he capture of th is place

,which belonged

toagrandson of Ortok , was the real cause of his coming fromEgypt . With him was Ashraf , his brother, who had persuadedhim to make the expedition . The Eyubite princesand the Sultanof R flm marchedalso with Kamil.T he s iege lasted fi ve daysaltogeth er. Prince Massud,aweak

l ingandaman enamoured of pleasure , surrendered his capitalto Kami l , who gave itasanappanage (1232) to his faithless son

Salih ,who previously had wished to dethrone him. Massud

received certain lands lying in Egypt ; to those lands h e wentand settled down ignominiouslyas became him. Mas ter of AmidKamilattacked Hossn-Keifa, wh ich yielded also . He had now

gained his object .Mongol troops under Chormagun ’

s orders , and after thatgeneral’s death , under Baidju , continued during two entire decadesto slaugh ter, rob , pillage and devastate lands west of Pers ia.They ru ined whole regions ,and cu t down the people in wantonnessand by thousands . In 1236—7 they madeasecond invas ion of the

districts near Erbil,andadvanced to the Tigris . Next they tookErbiland found there rich boo ty . T hey burnedagreat number ofhouses , but could not take the fortress where the inhabitants had

Condit ion of Pers iain 1 254 175

rallied , and though perishing from th irst fough t with amarvelous valor . At the end of forty days th e Mongols ret iredon receipt of large sums in gold from the people .

Th ey ravagedafter that the north edge of Arabian Irakas faras Zenk Abadand Sermenra’i, wh ich they pillaged . The Kalifmade Bagdad defens ibleand in 1237 in his wish to rouse everyMoslem, h easked the Ulema Which gives more merit ,apilgrimage to Mecca, orawar on the infidel ? ”

Th e holy war, ”answeredallas one person . T he war was proclaimed then .

Great persons , men of law , common people,allwent out dailyto learn the art of wielding weapons . T h e Kalif himself

wished to march with the forces , but prudentadvisers dissuadedhim. His troops met the enemyat Jebel Bamrin north of Tacrit ,on the bank of the Tigris , put them to fligh t , cut down many ,andfreedallthe capt ives seiz edat Dakukaand Erbilashort t imebefore . In 1238 f ifteen thousand Mongols invaded th e territory ofBagdad,andadvanced to Jaferiye , but retiredatapproach of the

forces of the Kalif made up of TurksandArabs .

That same year , Arabian Irak was reentered by Mongolsfrom ten to fif teen thousand in number . Theyadvanced to

Khanekin , aplace some leagues south of Heulvan . The Kalifsent seven thousand h orsemen against th em under orders of

Jemaluddin Be'

ilek . T h eMongols , employing th eir old stratagemsuccessfully, lured on th e forces of Bagdadandattacked th emfromambush . They put to th e sword nearlyallth e detachment .

Beilek , th eir leader, disappeared without tidings .

In 1235 the Mongols took Gandjathe capitalof Arran , givingth e city to flamesand th e people to slaugh ter . T he year following ,1236, Chormagun left Mugan and swept through Armen ia,Alban iaand Georgia, sackingallthe best cit ies . Georgiahad so

recently been plundered by Jelalud din that unable to defendthemselvesagainst the Mongolinvaders , the princesand peoplesough t refuge in themountains . Queen Rusudan ,awoman famousfor her beautyand her lack of virtue , choseasasylum the im

pregnable fortress of Usaneth in Imeretia.Chormagun seized the country between the Araxes and the

Cyrus . One of his generals , Gadagan , took Kedapagu andVarsanashod. Another one , Mular, seiz ed Shamkarand everystrongholdaround it . Chormagun ’

s brother Jolatook th e fortress

176 The Mongols

of Katchen . Jelal, the master of the place, fled to Khok Castle

near Kandzassar . Wh en summoned to surrender he gave the

GrandKhanallegiance with tributeandmilitary service . Jagatai ,anoth er leader of Mongols , took Lori wh ich belonged to

Shah in Shah , prince of Ani, sacked the cityand slaugh tered thepeople . Next after th is , and in 1239 , the Mongols burst intoGeorgiaand captured T iflis with many other places . WhenJagatai hadmadeallhis circu its through the country with terrorin front of himand ruin behind, he sweptagain through Armenia,bes ieging now the old capital Ani. ll’hen theancient c ity wassummoned to yield , theauthoritiesanswered that wi thout Shahin Shah they could not surrender, s ince he was prince of thatregion . T h e envoy was returning with th is statement when the

populace grew furious and killed him. Chormagun laid siegeimmediately to Ani. Not having supplies , the people learned soon

the fullmeaning of famine . T o escape from it many went out

and surrendered. Chormagun metallthose people with kindness ,and gave them provis ions ; th is enticed o thers t illmore than one

half had gone ou t of Ani. Af ter that those men , captured thus bythe ir stomachs and Chormagun ’

s cunn ing , were drawn up in

companiesand delivered to warriors , who cu t them down to the

very las t person . Ani could no t defend itself longer, so pillageand fi re destroyed the old city .

O n h earing of the dread destruction wh ich had fallen uponAni,and the slaugh ter o fallwho had l ived in it , the inhabitantso f Kars fearing the doom wh ich , as th ey though t , would meetthem unless th ey couldavert it , carried the keys of the ir cityto the Mongol commander . Notwithstanding th is voluntary submiss ion and surrender,adreadful massacre followed, for Chor

magun gave direc tion to put all to the sword except ch ildren ,

des irable women ,andart isans of skill, who were needed by theBlongols .

Kars had been ruined the invaders returned to the

plains o f Mugan ,wh ich abounded in rich winter pas tures .

In 1240 Prince Avak o f T iflisand his s ister Tamarawent togi ve homag eat Ogo tai’s court ,and were met there wi th kindness .

The Grand Khan gave theman order commanding Chormagunto reinstate themand o ther Georgian princes ;asecond commandwas sentalso to take from themonly the tri buteagreed onalready .

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178 The Mongols

T he Mongols waited not to lay s iege to Malattia, they spedforwardat command of Noyon Yassaur to Aleppo ,

demandedaransom, received it , and vanished . O n his way back , Yassaurmadeahaltat Malattiaand fe ignedanattack on it . The prefectcollected much plate ,also gold from church pictures , bes ides othertreas ures taken from the Nestorian cathedral ; the value inallreached forty thousand gold pieces . After rece iving th is ransomYassaur continued his march toward the boundary of Pers ia.Yassaur was the Mongol ch ief , probably , who in 1244 , toward theend of the summer, summoned Bohemond V . ,

Prince of Antioch,

to levelthe walls of his cities , send inallthe revenue of his princedom, and give bes ides th ree thousand maidens . T he princerefused , the Mongol commander refrained fromattacking , butlater on the Antioch prince furnished tribute to the Mongols .

T he Grand Khan ’

s lieutenant had summonedallsovereigns inWestern As iato obedience . Sh ihab ud din in 124 1 gotaletterfroman envoy of the Mongols . The letter sent to other princesaswellas to him began in th is way : T he lieutenant on earth ,

of the Blaster of Heaven , commandsallthe following princes toacknowledge hisauthorityand leveltheir defences ; the namesthen were given . T he princeanswered that h e wasaweak , pettyru ler if compared wi th the sovereigns of Rum, Syriaand Egypt .Go to them first ,

”

said he , I willfollow their example .

Hayton , the king of Cilicia, had promised to bring to the Sultanof Rumawhole corps of Armen ians ; he delayed march ing , however,andawaited developments . T he kingdom of Rum was nowsubject to Mongols , and Hayton though t it wellto win Mongolfavor if possible . O n securing consent from the ch ief men of his

kingdom he sent envoys in 1244 , during spring , with rich presentsto Baidju . T he envoys turned to Jalal,an Armenian prince thenin Katchen ,

who presented them to Baidju , to Chormagun ’

s widow ,

and to Mongol commanders . Baidjuasked first that Haytondeli ver the wife , daugh terand mother of Kei Kosru , who werethen in Cilicia. That request made , he took leave of the envoys ,and sent with themmen o f his own to their sovereign . T he con

ditions were grievous to Hayton , b ut he yielded the women to

Baidju '

s o ffi cialsand sent on new envoys . T heMongolcommanderwas satisfi ed, and concludinganalliance with Hayton , giving himadiplomawh ichaffi rmedhis po s i tionas vassalto the Grand Khan .

Condit ion of Persiain 1254 179

T he Mongols during 1245 took regions north of Lake Van ,among

oth ers Khelat , which throughan order of Ogotai had been givento Tamaraof Georgia. After th is th ey marched into regionsbetween the Euphrates and Tigris , taking Roha, Nisibinand other cities wh ich the peopleabandonedatapproach of the

dread enemy . But great summer heat brough t down most of

their horses , h ence the Mongols were forced to withdraw veryspeedily to save themselves .

Mongol dominion was extending cont inually . Bedr ud din

Lulu the Prince of Mosul declared in aletter to th e Prince of

Damascus that he hadin his own name concludedatreaty by wh ichthe inhabitants of Syriawould give the Mongolsafixed tributeaocording to wealthandability . T he tax of the rich wouldamountto ten dirhems , mediummen would pay fi ve ,and poor people one

dirhem. Th is letter was published at Damascus , and officialsbegan to collect the taxes decreed by it .

The same year, 1245 , news came to Bagdad, by pigeons , thatthe Mongols had entered Sheherzur , e ight days ’ travelnorthwardfrom Bagdad , and sacked the whole city, whose prince , l\/Ielikud din Mohammed , had fled toastronghold .

T he Mongolsadvancing in 1246 to Yakubawereattackedanddri ven off by Bagdad troops ,and some of th em were captured .

Baidju did not feel himself master of Georgiawh ile QueenRusudan remained in Usaneth and refusedallsubmiss ion . In

vain did h e send her rich presents ,andask foran interview duringwhich sheand h e migh tarrange , he declared, analliance withfriendsh ip . T he queen would not go from her stronghold ,andgave no betteranswer toamessage from Batu , who s ince Ogatai’sdeath

,in December,1241 , was th e firstamong Jinghis Khan ’

s grandsons . She sent her son David, however, to Batuas hostage ,andpleoed him under that strong Khan ’

s protection . Baidju ,wrathf ul

at Rusudan ’

s stubbornness , resolved to give Georgiaaruler sub

servient to Mongols . Rusudan ’

s brother, Lasha, hadason bornoutside wedlock whom the queen had despatched into Rumwhen her daughter went th ith er to marry KeiKosru . This son of

Lasha, named David , was detained for ten years in Cesaraea.Freed now for th is special state trick , h e was brough t to the campof the Mongols where certain princes proclaimed him,

andtook the oath of allegiance . Georgian troops and Armen ians

180 The Mongols

went wi th David to M tskhete the seat of the Patriarch , whoano inted him.

David, the new kingand tool of the Mongols , in 1246attackedRusudan in her fortress where , reduced to extremities , she tookpo isonand in dying recommended

’

her son to Batu the Khan of

the Kipchaksandmas terat that time in Russ ia.T he young King of Georgiaset out to b e presentat the in

stallation of Kuyuk T he names given of subject rulerspresentat th is great Kurultai show how far- reach ing was the

power o f the Mongols : th e Prince of Fars ; th e ruler of Kerman ;Bedr ud din Lulu , Prince of Mosul; Yaroslav, Grand Prince of

Russ ia; Ambassadors from the Kal if of Bag dad ; the Prince of

the Assass in Kingdom; and many other noted ru lers . Therewere presentalso two monks who came from the Pope one of

whom,Du Plano Carpino , has left usanaccount of the Kurultai

and Rusudan ’

s son .

The rivalry of the King of GeorgiaandRusudan’

s son broughtaboutadivis ion of their country . David got GeorgiaproperandRusudan ’

s son , Imeretia, Mingreliaand Abbasia. Both menwere called kings , but David was the Suzerain . The CilicianKing Hayton who sent Sempad, his brother, to b e present atKuyuk

’

s enth ronement , recei ved from the Grand Khan morec ities seized from Ciliciaby the Sultans of Rum.

In 1249 freshalarm rose in Bagdad,for the Mongolsadvanced

to Dakukaand killed Bilban the prefect . In 1250—1 Nas sir thePrince of Damascus gotaletter of safe- conduct from the GrandKhanand bore it in his girdle . Splendid gif ts wereaproof of hisgrati tudeand pleasure . Lands between the EuphratesandTigriswereagain vis ited by the Mongols . T he dis tricts of DiarbekrandMayafarkin with Reesainand Sarudj were given over to pillage .

T he invaders cu t down in th is raid more than ten thousand people .

A caravan wh ich had set out fromHarran for Bagdad wasattackedby those Mongols

,who massacred every man in it . They tooka

large boo ty ; among other objects they got six hundred camelloads of sugarand cloth s tuffs from Egypt , bes ides six hundredthousand dinars in money . After such splendid robbery theywent back to Khelat for enjoyment .

A corps under Yas saur , who e igh t years before that had struckat Malattia, attacked now th is c ity ’s environs and slewallthe

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182 The Mongols

and went toameeting place . He was seized with his vizirandtaken to Kon ia. No harm was done h im, h owever . Yzz ud din

joined in the sovereignty Alai ud din his th ird brother.

Kuyuk died in 1248 ; Mangu his successor was inaugurated July ,125 1 . In 1254 , three yearsafterMangu ’

s elevat ion , Yzz uddin wascalled to Mongolia, but h e feared toabsent h imself , knowing thatRokn ud din had many partisans , h ence he decided to send Alaiuddin the th ird brother

,who set out , with many presents , traveling

along the Black Seaand the borders of Kipchak . Yz z ud din

craved forgiveness from Mangu for sending his own youngerbrother instead ofappearing in person . Th is , h e said

, he regrettedmost keenly , but h e was forced to remainanddefend his possess ionsfrom Greeks and Armen ians , his most implacable enemies ; hehoped soon , however, to o ffer homage in person .

Rokn ud din ’

s partisans now sough t means to uphold th e claims

of their master in the presence of the Grand Khan . They forgedaletter from Yz z uddin to Tarantaiand his colleague , in wh ichthe Sultan commanded to confide Alai ud dinand the presentsto the chancellor Shems ud dinand the Emir Se if ud din Jalish ,

the bearers of the letters , who would go with the prince to Mon

golia. Tarantaiand his colleague were summoned to Konia.T he Emirand the chancellor set out with th is letterand over

took Alai ud dinat Sarai , Batu ’

s capital. Batu gave themanaudienceand to him they explainedhow Yz z uddin haddiscoveredTarantai’s evil plottingandalso that of his colleague . Onatime ,as they said , Tarantaihad been stricken by ligh tning , hence shouldnot stand in the presence of Mangu . Shujaeddin , hisassociate,wasaleech greatly skilled inallmagic ,and had with him po isonto use for th e Grand Khan ’

s undoing ; hence the Sultan had sent

them to replace those two envoys , who must go back immediatelyto Konia.Batu commanded to search the effects of the envovs ; certain

roo ts were found in them,among o ther th ings scammony . Theydirected Shu jato swallow the drugs in his baggage . He swallowedparts of each except scammony . Batu though t th is last to b e po ison ,

b ut his doctor declared itaplant used in medicine . Af ter that theKhan decided that Alai ud din must go with the new envoys ,wh ile the two o thers must take wi th them the presents .

Each party went its own way . Alai uddin died on the journey .

Condition of Pers iain 1254 183

When th eyarri vedat the court of Mangu , the oppos ing officialsdefended each two of th em their own cause . Th e Grand Khandecided that Rum must b e given to both brothers

,Yz z ud din

getting everyth ing west of the Sivas ,and Rokn ud dinallthat layeast of that river, as faras the Erzerum border . The tributewas fixed , wh ich each Sultan must send inannually .

Af ter Alai ud din had set ou t for Mongolia, Rokn ud din ’

s

partisans , thinking that Yz z uddin wished to b e rid of th is broth er,had him slipaway from th e capital whereagents were watchinghim. He went to Cesaraca, gathered troops th ereandled th em to

Kon iawhere, defeated in battle, he was capturedand imprisoned .

In 1255 , one year later, Baidju being impatientat Yzz ud din ’

s

lo itering with th e tribute , entered Rum, march edagainst Konia,and met the Sultan ’

s forces between Ak Serai and the capitalwhere h e scattered them. Yzz uddin fledand found refuge in thes tronghold Anthalia.Baidju then took Rokn ud din out of prisonand installed himas Sultan inallthe Ram provinces . Yz z uddin fled nowasecondtime and found refuge with th e Byzantine Emperor who wasvis iting Sardis . This emperor, Theodore Lascaris , fearing Roknud din’

s part isans ,as wellas the Mongols ,advised the fleeing Sultan to return to his kingdom. Yzz ud din took theadvice,ando ffered submiss ion to Hulagu , who upheld the division of Rumbetween the two brothers .

Wh en Mangu became Grand Khan in 1251 the Cilician king ,Hayton ,

begged Batu to recommend him to the new Mongolsovereign . Batu counseled him thus wise : Go to Manguands top on the way to conf er with me .

”

The Armenian ,alarmed bythe length of th e journey,and knowing that evils might happen toth e country in hisabsence , was fearful to leave it . MeanwhileArgun, the collector, with agreat horde of Moslemas sistants,appeared in Armen ia. Th ese men caused immense hardship toChristians . Wh oso could not pay, ” declares an Armenianh istorian , suffered torture . Owners of land were dr i ven fromtheir places , their children and women were sold into slavery .

Any man trying to emigrateand caught in th eact was stripped ,beatenand torn to pieces by raging dogs kept for that purpose .

The King, learn ing of these savage deeds in Armenia, decidedto go to the Grand Khanand intercede for the people of his nation,

184 T he Mongols

b ut the death of his queen , Isabella, detained him. He set outatlas t in 1254and, traveling in disgu ise , crossed As iaMinor. He

passed th rough Derbend to the court of Batu ,and to that of Sartak ,Batu ’

s son , said then to b eaChristian . From Batu ’

s Horde hespent fi ve months in reach ing Mangu , who received him with distinction . Letters patent were given the King . Th ese were to

serveasasafeguard to himand his country ,andasacharter of

freedom to the church in Armenia. He remained fifty daysat thecourt ,and returned in 1255 to Ciliciathrough T ransox ianaandPers ia. Hulagu hadat th is t imearrived with hisarmy .

Great was the ru in effected by Mongols in As iaMinor betweenJelal uddin ’

s deathand the coming of Hulagu . Great too were theravages wrough t by Jelal through his variousadventures . ThoughChormagun ’

sarmyand that under Baidju were vastly inferior tothose of the princes in Western Asia, the dissens ions of those

princes were so hopelessand the ir wretched self - seeking so pitifuland paltry that the enemy brough t most of them down to death or

submiss ion ,and thousands upon thousands of people to destructionor torture .

Af ter Jinghis Khan had returned from the west to Mongol iahiseldest son ,

Juch i , left Ch in Timur in Kwaresmas its governor.

Wh en Chormagun was sent out by Ogotaiagainst Jelalud din,

Chin Timur was commanded tomarch with the troops of I '

waresm,

and keep guard in Kh orassan wh ile Chormagun was destroyingthe Sultan . Ch in Timur remained in Khoras sanas governor,havingas colleagues four officersappo inted by the heads of the

four groups in Jinghis Khan ’

s family , namely : Kelilat by theGrand Khan ; Nussalby Batu ; KulTogaby Jagatai ,andTungaby the widowand sons of Tulu i . Those countries west of the

T ranso x iana,and south of it, were the undivided inheritance of

Jinghis Khan ’

s family . Despite all the horrors committed inKho rassan there was someth ing stillleft there to pillag e . Manydistricts had escaped th rough ready submiss ion ,andat their firstcoming th e Mongols knew not prec isely the value of treasures ,but Ch in Timur knew the value of jewelsand gold,andwas eagerto get them. People were tortured by him to disclose h iddenwealth ,and on learn ing where it was he killed them very promptly .

T he few who were spared had to buy back the ir homes . Bes idesthere was st illanother misery . Kwaresmian bands ravag ed

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186 T he Mongols

great regions various small princes who had given their submiss ion .

KaraKurum now beheld for the first t ime princes of Iran .

When Ogotai heard of the ir coming he was gratified greatly .

He compared Ch in Timur '

s methods with Chormagun ’

saction .

Chormagun , master in richand broad countries , had never sent

to his sovereign even one fromamong vassalrulers . Ch in Timur

was made governor,and with him wasassociated Kelilat ; bothwere free of Chormagun and every other commander . Ogotaigave feasts to honor the Pers ian princes , his vassals . He showedth em many marks of h igh favor, and when they were go ing b econfirmed each one of th em in his own region .

Ch in Timur made Sherif ud din of Kwaresm his sealkeeper,and Bebai ud din Juveini the minister of Finance . Commandersof troops belonging to the three other branches of Jinghis Khan ’

s

family had each oneanagent in the ministry of Finance .

Ch in Timur dying in 1235 was succeeded by Nussal,ahIongolcommander who was nearly one hundred years old when he tookup his o ffice , and soon h e gave way to Kurguz , Ch in Timur

’

s

chancellorand favorite . It is said that Kurgaz had organizedhonestlyand welltheaffairs of Kh orassanand had repressedawhole legion of fiscal ext ort ioners . Th is of course made himenemiesamong whom were Sherif ud din , the viz ir,and Kelilat

,

the commander, who were work ingat Ogotai’s court to destroyhim.

Kurguz wasan UigurandaBuddh istand had risen mainlyth rough merit . Born in avillage not far from Bishbalik , the

Uigur capital, he had stri ven in early life to master Uigur lettersand penmansh i p . That done , he began service with an o fficerattached to Prince Juch i . O ne day wh i le th e prince was out

huntingaletter was brough t him from his father . None of his

secretaries were present , so search was made foraman to readUigur . Kurguz was brough t inandhe read Jinghis Khan ’

s letterto Juch i ; h e was the only man in that party who could read it .

Juch i took him then to his service . Since his penmansh i p wasbeautiful, Kurguz was sent to teach lettersand wri t ing to th e

ch ildren o f Juch i wh ich h e did tillCh in Timur was made governorof Kh orassan . Kurgu z was then attached to himas secretary ;h e soon won his confidenceand was made minister. He kept his

Condition of Persiain 1254 187

office under Nussal, but was summoned to Mongo liato explainthe affairs of Khorassan . Danishmend Hadjib , an enemy of

Chinkai , Ogotai’s min ister and the special friend of Kurguz ,

was toilingat that t ime to put Ongu Timur, Ch in Timur ’s son ,

in th e place held before by his father, while Chinkai was usingevery efl

'

ort to make Kurguz master, h ence , choosingamoment

when he wasalone with th e GrandKhan , Chinkai explained thatth e ch ief men of Kh orassan were anxious that Kurguz shouldmanage their country ,and h e obtainedan ordinance from Ogotai,by wh ich Kurguz was sent to collect forat imeallthe taxesandmakeacensus of Mazanderanand Kh orassan . While this taskwas in progress no man was to trouble him forany cause . If

Kurguz did his work wellhe would b e rewarded .

Kurguz came back to Kh orassan with th is patentand commenced work with vigor . Nussal, setas ide by th is document , wasoldand qu ite powerless, but Kelilat , his aid, being aman of

capacity and keenly ambit ious , raised his vo ice in opposition .

Kurguz showed his patent Here is the order that no manmay trouble me in my labor. Kelilat found noanswer on thatday . Kurguz reorgan iz ed Mazanderanand Kh orassan , puttingdownas he did soawholearmy of extort ionersand tyrants .

Meanwhile Sherif uddin , the viz ir,andKelilat , who were powerlessagainst Ogotai’s patentand Kurguz , with his strong willandpurpose , urged Ongu toask with ins istence for the place of his

fath er . The viz ir, wh ile feigning to b e th e fast friend of Kurguz ,

was rousing up every power poss ibleagainst him. Sweptawayby these eflorts , Ongu sentaneph ew to Ogotaiwith falseaccusat ions , incriminat ing Kurguz . Th ese accusat ions were upheldwithact i vity byallwho were host ile to Ch inkai . Ogotainow sent

Argun with two others to investigateand report to him. Kurguz ,

on learn ing that Ongu had sentanagent to Ogotai, set out himself

to explain the position , leaving Behai ud din to manage in hisabsence . At T enakit h e came on th e members of Argun

’

s commiss ion ,

who declared that h e must go back to Tus with them.

He refused. Th ereupon there was violenceand he ’

lost one tooth

inapersonalencounter . He returned , but before start ing he sent

atrusty friend in the n ight time to Ogotai, bearing one of his

garments wh ich was blood stained .

When the commission arrivedat Kh orassan the commanders

188 T he Mongols

of troops with Kelilat, Onguand Nussal, expelled from the res idence of Kurguz his secretaries and oth er ass istants . Kurguz

h imself wanted s imply to hold the pos ition t illhis messengerreturned from Mongolia. Th is man cameat last withan orderto the ci vilandmilitary ch iefs to state each man his case beforeOgotai, who had been incensed by the bloody garment .

Kurguz communicated th is order to his enemies ,and set outatonce without waiting for theiranswers . Many persons of dis

tin ction went with him. Kelilat, Onguand others followed qu icklyand both part ies reached Bukharas imultaneously . In the timeof afeast wh ich was given them by the governor, Kelilat wasassassinated .

Wh en the Opponents reached Ogotai’s capitalth e Grand Khanw ish ed to dine inabeaut ifultent wh ich Ongu had just given him.

Af ter th emealhe went out for some minutes; intending to reenter ,

b utas soonas he had left the pavil ionablast of wind overturned

it . T he Grand Khan , throughannoyanceand superstition , com

manded to rend the tent in pieces immediately .

Some days lateratent was erected wh ich with its contents

Kurgu z had given Ogotai. Ins ide were displayed curious th ingso f many kindsandmuch value ;allth ese were gifts to the GrandKhan .

Among oth er objects wasagirdle set with stones known

as yarkan .When Ogotai put on th is girdle h e was freed f roma

pain in the lo ins wh ich had troubled him somewhat . He drankthat day freely and was in excellent humor . Kurguz might

cons ider his causeas triumphant . Ch inkai , his protector, hadbeenappo inted with oth er Uigurs to examineallstatements of therivals . O n one s ide was Kurguz , helped by persons of value ,

positionand substance ; he h imself had much keenness . O n the

o ther, s ince Kelilat’s death , there were only that general ’s sons ,

who were stilll ittle ch ildren ,and Ongu ,

ayoung man devo id of

experience . Bu tat th e end of some months theaffair was stillpending . Ogotai, wish ing peace between th e two rivals , com

manded OnguandKurguz to live in one tentand drink from the

same goble t . Care had been taken to remove every weapon .

Th is plan proved resultless ,and Ch inkaiandhisaids gave 1D the1r

repo rt to the sovereign .

O gotai summoned the two s ides before him. Wh en he hadquestioned each one he condemned bo th Onguand his part isans .

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190 T he Mongols

power byafestival wh ich lasted some days , during wh ich the

new ordinances were issued .

He sent his son with officials of finance to take from Chormagun ’

s officers control over districts in Az erbaidjan and in

Irak wh ich they were ru ining by exactions . Every noyon , everyo fficeracted wi th absolu te power in the region or c ity where hefunctioned,and se ized for h imself the main income of the treasury .

Th ese petty despots lost the ir placesand were forced to restore

even large sums of money .

Kurguz protected the livesand the property o f Pers iansagainstMongol officers , who now could not bend people ’

s heads when theymet th em. T he warrior lost power to vex peacefulpeoplealongroads over wh ich he was march ing . Kurguz was both fearedand respected. He raised T usagain from its ruins . O n the eve

of his coming there were only fifty inhabited houses with in its

limits . Wh en he had chosen it as ares idence Pers ian lordscame to live in that capitalandwith inaweek land roseahundredfoldas to value .

Herat too reappeared out ofashesand fragments . After theru inand sack of that city in 1222 its s ite had been occupied byvery few persons , bu t in 1236, when Ogotai commanded to raiseup K horas san , it was planned to repeople Herat , once so prosperons . An Emir, Yz z ud din , whom with one thousand familiesTulu i had transported to Bishbalik from Herat , rece ived now

command to come back with one tenth of his following . Thesepeopleat first had much diffi culty in finding subsistence , throughlack of draugh t cattle . hien ofallranks had to draw ploughsin the manner of oxen . Earth tillers were forced to irrigate landout of water pots ,allcanals be ing choked upand ru ined When

the fi rs t harvest was gathered, twenty strong men were chosento bear each twenty menns of cotton to the country of the Afghans ,and sellit . They did soand brough t back implements for tillage .

In 124 1 the ch iefs of th is settlement sent to the Grand K hanfor mo re people . At the end of fi ve months two hundred new

families wereadded to Herat . A census taken the year followingshowed the c i tyas having six thousand nine hundred inhabitants .

In following years the increas e became rapid .

O narri ving at T us Kurgaz pu takang on his enemy Sherif .

He drew from himafterward confess ions wh ich were sent to the

Condition of Pers iain 1254 191

court in Mongol ia. His messenger learned on the road that theGrand Khan was dead. Kurguz h imself had set out to explainth e whole system introduced by him recently in Persia. Wh ilepassing through Transox ianahe hadaquarrel with an officerof Jagatai ’s household . Threatened with complaint before thatprince ’

s widow he replied that h e cared not . Thisanswer whentaken to th e widow roused wrathand keen hatred. Alarmed byth e quarrelandhearing of Ogotai’s death with th e loss of protection ,

he judged best to turn backand h e did so .

Meanwh ile th e wife of Sherif had sent people promptly to theJinn Khan princes imploring protect ion for h er husband. Thosemes sengers had been seized on the way save oneamongallof th em.

This man escapedand reached Ulug Iff , the chief res idence of

Jagatai , whose wivesand sons sent Argun out with orders to bringth emKurguz of his own willor, if need b e , in spite of him. On

h earing th is order Kurguz , who had given Sh erif to the prefect ofSeb zevar who was to kill him, sent command straigh tway to staythe execut ion . When Argun was approaching , Kurguz foundretreat inastorehouse . Since the governor would not yieldhimselfwillingly, Argun requ iredaid of the district commandersand gotit . These men wereallfoes of Kurguz s ince h e had fought th eirabuses . When they were ready to burst inand take him, he threwth e gates open declaring that he was no enemy .

Kurguz was taken to Jagatai ’s sonsand examined. After thathe was sent to the court of Turakina, Ogotai’s widow, who wasregent in Mongolia. Ch inkai , his protector, was gone . He hadfled from the hatred of th e regent which intrigue had rousedwrong q yagainst him. T o crown his misfortune , the governorof Pers iawas penn iless , h ence had no power to establish hisinnocence . He was sent backat command of th e regent to Jagatai ’s sons to b e judged by them. Heanswered straigh tforwardlyallquestions which they put to him, nevertheless , KaraHulaguadjudged death to th e governor . His mouth was crammed thenwith earthand in that way they strangledand killed him.

Kurguz being dead , Sh erif hadachance now to prove h imself ,

and he did so ; h e engaged to collect four thousand balishes due,as h e stated, from Mazanderan and Khorassan . This Sherif ,dest ined to death by Kurguz very recently , was th e son ofaporterof Kwaresm. He became page to the governor of the country ,

192 The Mongols

who chose him because of his personal beauty . When ChinTimur was commanded to enter Kh orassanandassist Chormagunin that country h e wantedasecre tary . N0 man wished that o fficebecause the incumbent mustactagainst Moslems ,and the issueof the enterprise seemed doubtful. Th e governor of Kwaresm

,

whose feelings had cooled toward Sherif , who by that time hadlostyouthfulfreshnessand wasacting onlyas secretary , gave h im to

Ch in Timur . Sherif had learned the Mongol languagealreadyand,

being the only man able to interpret , all business passedth rough his handsand he became greatly important .

When Argun wentas governor to Kh orassan manyag ents of

Turakina, the regent , went with him. Th ese h e left in the provinceto gather the impostsand taxes , go ing h imself into Az erbaidjanand to Irak to rescue those countries from Mongol commanders ,whoactedas if the whole conquest had been made by them only ,and for their sole personalprofit . At Tebriz he received envoysfromRumand from Syria, who implored his protect ion . He sent

men to those countries to gather tribute .

All this time Sherif , who had received from Argun perfectl iberty o f action , wrested taxes from people with unparalleledaudacityand harshness . Each collector was boundand instructedto spare no man . T o extort from the victims all that washumanly possible ,armed warriors of the garrison were quarteredin houses ; people were seizedand imprisoned , kept without foodor even water, nay more , they were tortured . Moslem ulemas ,exempt fromalltribute to Mongolsand h ithert o treated respectfully , came toask mercy for themselvesand for others . Widowsand orphans , exempt by the laws of Jinghis and Mohammed ,came to implore s imple justice . These people were treated withthe utmos t contempt ,andwere flouted by Sherif ’sass istants . M en

pledgedat Tebriz their own ch ildren , and somet imes they soldthem to findmeans to pay taxes . O ne collector on entering ahouse wh ereadeadman was laid out for burial,and finding no

o ther property to seiz e , had the shroud s tripped from the body ,andtook it .

Sheri f’

sagentsassembledat Bayiafter pas sing through Irak on

their great round of robbery . They brough t the fru its of the irmercilessactivi tyand extort ion to the ch ief mosque ,and placedthem in piles there . Beas ts of burden were dri ven into that edifice,

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194 The Mong ols

example of th is justi ce : Hindudjak , ageneraland ch ief of tenthousand,

who had taken life fromamelik of Rumwithout reason ,

was pu t to death , though aMongol, outs ide th e T us gate bydirection of Mangu . His property , familyand slaves were dividedamong the four parts of the Jinghis Khan family .

Wh en he hadfixedadministration in Pers ia, Argunat commandof the Grand Khan went back to Mongoliato explain th e position .

Eas t Pers iahad been given by Manguasafi ef to Melik Shemsuddin hIohammedKurt , lordof the castle of Kh issar in Kh orassan .

Osman M ergani, his grandfather, had been made governor of th isstronghold by h is brother, Omar h'Iergani, th eall- powerfulviziro f Ghiath ud din of th e Gur line of princes . When Osman diedAbu Bekr succeeded him. Abu Bekr marriedadaugh ter of

Ghiath ud din ; from th is union came Melik Shems ud din Mo

hammed , who in 1245 lost his fatherand inheri ted the Gur kingdom. He went to the Kurultaiandarr ived on the day of elec tion .

He was presented by Mangu ’

s officials , who informed the GrandKhan of the merits o f the fatherand grandfath er of the man thenbefore him, not forgetting , of course , Shems ud din ’

s own highquali ties .

Mangu received Shems uddin with distinctionand invested himwith Heratand its dependencies wh ich extended from the Oxus

to the Indus , including Merv , Gur, Seistan , Kabul,andAfgamistan .

Mangu commanded besides , that Argun del iver to hisagents fiftytumansasapresent .

Next dayatan intimateaudience the Grand Khan gave thefavori tearobe from his own shoulders , three tablets ,and objects

of th e value of ten thousand dinars ; asabre from India,aclubwith the h ead ofabull on it ,abattleax e ,alanceandadagger .

Shems uddin then set out for Heratattended by one of the GrandKhan ’

s own o fficers . He turnedas ide onarriving in Pers iato gowi th asalu tation to Argun , to whom the commands o f Manguwere exh ibi ted. The governor treated him with great respect ,and had fifty tumans delivered to hisagents .

Shems ud din re igned in Heratasasovere ignand took manystrongholds in Afgan istan , Guermsir,and o ther places .

Kerman was h eldat that time by th e son of Borak Hadj ib .

After slaying Ghiath ud din , th e broth er o f Jelalud din , th e las tShah of Pers ia, Borakasked the ti tle o f Sultan from the Kalif ,and

Condit ion of Persiain 1 254 195

received it . Kutlug Sultan was th e name wh ich he gave h imself .Wh en Sair Bahadur laid s iege to Seistanat the head ofaMongold ivision , h e summoned Borak to show the Grand Khan obedienceand furn ish troopsalso . Borak declared that h e cou ld take theplace with his own men , th e Mongols migh t spare th emselvestrouble . His greatage , headded , h indered him from going tothe Grand Khan , but his son would go th ither instead of him.

In fact he sent Rokn ud din Kh odja. Wh ile on the road toMongoliath is young prince heard of the death of his father,andthe usurpat ion of power by Kuth ud din his own cousin . He

cont inued the journey , however,andwas received wellby Ogotai,who , to reward him for coming so far to look on the face of the

GrandKhan , gave him Kerman which he was to hold in his character of vassalwith the t itleandname of his father,Kutlug Sultan .

Kutb uddin now receivedasummons toappearat the court inMongolia. Shortly after his arri val h e was sent to Chinaunder command of Yelvadji. After Ogotai’s death Kutb ud

din went to that Kurultaiat which Kuyuk was elected , andstrove then to get Kerman , but met only failure . Chinkai , themin ister, was the fi rm friend of his rival, and h e h imselfwas commanded to go back to Yelvadji. Soonafter, h e wentwith th is governor from Ch inato the new Kurultai, which choseMangu fromwhom,and with th eaid of Yelvadji, h e obtained thethrone of Kerman . When Kutb ud din was approach ing Ker

man , Rokn ud din was departing with treasures to Lur wh ere heaskedanasylum from the Kalif . Th e Kalif , not wishing toangerth e Mongols , refused it ,and now Rokn ud din resolved to repairto the court of Mangu to fi nd justice .

T h e two rivals were summoned to the Grand Khan ’

s tribunal .Rokn ud din lost his caseand was given to his cousin , who struckhim down with his own hand ,and killed him. Kuth ud din ruledin Kerman t ill his death in 1258 . He was son of that Tanigu thetreacherous prefect of Taraz under the last sovereign of KaraKitai . Tanigu was Borak Hadjib ’

s own brother .

When Hulagu came with hisarmy to Pers ia, Kutb ud din methimat Jend to show homageand honor .

This was th e pos ition in Pers iain 1254 when Hulagu went tothat country to conquer, to slaugh ter,and to regulate . His veryfi rst task was to root outanddestroy th e Ismailians who hadformed

196 The Mongols

the famed mountain Commonwealth of Assassins ,and then h e

was to bring to obedience or ru in the successor of Mohammedth e Abbas id Kal ifat Bagdad .

That the importance of th is expedition may b e understoodabrief sketch of th e originand history of the As sassins must begiven .

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198 T he Mongols

Muaviaat Damascus ,and Alyat Kufa. In 661 Aly fell by thehand ofanassassin . Aly ’s son , Hassan , succeeded him, but re

s ignedafter six months of rule ,and retired to Medinawhere one

of his many wives po isoned him, inci ted, as partisans of Alyins isted , by Muavia. Muaviawas now the sole Kalif of Islam.

Election had been attended with peril; there was danger of

ou tbreaks and slaugh ter . In three cases the chance had beennarrow ,and the fourth cho ice had brough t bitter warfare . Three

elec tions had been heldat hledina,andmade by the men of thatci ty ; the fifth , that of Hassan ,at Kufa. Muaviahad been chosen

at Damascus . Since Medinawas no longer th e capitalreally , itcould not chooseaKalif or confirm him. Election must b eat thech ief place of government , ifanywhere .

Troubles suchas those wh ich had followed the elect ion of Alymigh t recur in the future and threaten , or even cut short the

existence of Is lam. T he system of election was unsafe in thatturbulent society . T oavo id these great peri ls Muaviaplannedto chooseasuccessor wh ile he h imself was st ill ru ling . His own

son Yezid was th e candidate . If he could win for Yezidan oathofallegiance frommost of the hI oslems h e would secure power forhis familyand preventacontested elect ion . After workingat imewith great industryand keenness Muaviasucceeded . Deputationsfromallthe ch ief cities , also from each province , appeared atDamascus to do the h idden willof Muavia.These deputationsallnamed Yezidas heir of the Kalifand

chose him. They gave thenan oath ofallegianceand homage .

Arabian Irakand Syriaalso jo ined in th is oath .

Muaviawent next to the two holy citiesas it were onagrimage , b ut his great ruling purpose was to win or to force the

consent of Medinaand Meccato the recent elect ion . T he ch iefdissentients in lVIedinawere Hussein , son of Aly , AbdalRahman,

son of Abu Bekrand both Abdallahs , sons of Omarand Zob eir.

Muaviatreated them so rudely that toavo id offense they departedimmediately for M ecca. The rest of the peopleaccepted Yezidand gave him the oath without waiting . hinaviawent on then to

hiecca, where he bore h imself mildly towardallmen , but near theendof his vis i t he spoke to the ci ty concern ingan he ir to the Kal ifat .

It wasanswered that the election ofan h eir was opposed to prece

dent but Meccamen ofl'

ered toacceptany one o f three methods :

The Assas sin Commonwealth 199

fi rst , that of the Proph et who left th e election to Medina, or thatof Abu Bekr who choseaKalif from the Koreish , or of Omar whoappo inted electors to choose fromamong themselvesacandidate ;the Kalif omitt ing , like Omar, his sonsand the sons of his father .

As for the earliest method ,”

said Muavia, there is no manamong us who is like Abu Bekr to b e chosen by the people . As

to the oth er two methods I fear th e bloodsh edand struggles wh ichw illfollow if the succession b e not settled wh ileaKalif is living .

Sinceallhis reasons proved powerless , Muaviasummoned his

attendantsand forced Meccamenat the sword po int to give theoath ofallegiance to Yezid.

T he example of Syria, Irakand the two holy cities was followedthroughout the whole Empire,and th is new method conquered inlarge measureafterward .

T he theory ofarigh t of elect ion residing in the people existed inf orm, but the right was not real. In practice th e oath ofallegiancewas obtained by th e swordagainst every refusal .Af ter th e days of Muavia, th e Kalif in power proclaimedas his

h eir or successor the fittestamongallhis sons that one of coursewho most pleased him. T o himas the heiran oath ofallegiancewas given . T o increase theassurance of safety two heirs weresometimes created , one of whom was elected to follow th e other .

Th is method begun by the Ommayed line was cont inued by theAbbasids .

Muaviadied in 680 . Yezid, who succeeded , made those first ofalltake the oath to himwho had refused itat Medina. Th e sons

of Omarand Abbas gave this oath straigh tway , b ut Hussein , son

of Aly,and the son of Zob eir went to Meccaasking time to con

s ider . N0 one had dared toattack that holy c ity s ince its captureby Mohammed ,and th ere in full safety every plotter could workout his planagainst th e Kalif or others .

Ibn Zob eir,as Muaviahad noted, was eager for domin ion , but

wh ile Hussein was li ving he feigned to work only for that grandsonof the Prophet . Offers of support went from Kufato Husse inwithadvice toappear there immediately . True friends of Husseinat Meccadistrusted these offersand strove to dissuade him from

going , but Ibn Zob eir, who in secret burned to b e rid of this rival ,urged him on always . Hussein yielded at last and set out for

Kufa. Musl im, his cous in , had been sentahead to prepare for

00 T he Mongols

his coming . Th is move became knownat Damascus, so Yezid

summoned hastily to KufaO b eidallah , then govern ing in Bus

sorah with unpitying severity . O narriving he sough tand foundMuslim, who was lodging with Hani ,anadherent of the Alyite

family .

At firstamajority of the people s ided with Husseinand rose

promptlyagainst O b eidallah . Theyattacked him in his castleand came very near killing him, bu t theirardor cooled qu ickly .

O b eidallah was triumphant , Musl im was takenand killed withhis co -worker Han i .Toward the end of 680 Hussein rode out of Meccawith his

family andasmallband of followers , allkinsmen . When the

desert was crossed,and h e wasadvancing on Kufa, news came to

himthatMuslim’

s life hadbeen taken . Hemigh t have turned backthen to BIecca, but Muslim’

s kinsmen were clamorous for ven

geance . Besides there remained the wild hope that those whohad invited himmigh t rallyat last ; but each man whom he met

gave darker t idings .

Farazdak the poet , who had left Kufarecently , had only thesewords to offer : T he heart of the city is on thy s ide , but its swordisagainst thee .

T he Bedu ins , ever ready for warfare , had been coming to Hus

sein , b ut wh en they saw his cause weakening they fellaway qu ickly ,and no one was left except the original party . A chance ch ieftainpass ing southwardadvised him to turn to the Selmah illsand toAja. In ten days , said the man ,

“the Ben i Tayand twenty

thousand lancesabove them willb e with thee .

”

How could I take these ch ildrenand women to the desert ?asked Hussein , I must move forward .

And h e rode northward tillalarge troop of horsemen fromKufa,underan Arab named Horr , s tood before him.

Command has been given me , said Horr, to bring thee tothe governor . If thou come not , then go to the left, or the right ,b u t return no t to Mecca. ”Leaving Kufaon his righ t , Hussein turned to the leftandmoved

wes tward. O b eidallah soon sentasecondman , Amr, son of Sad,

with four thousand horse , andasummons . Hussein now fi xedhis camp on the plain o f Kerbalanear the river, fi veand twentymiles abo ve Ku fa. There h e den ied every though t of hostility

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202 The Mongols

Mohammed . Hussein ’

s s ister, his two little sons, Aly Ashgarand

Amr, with two daugh ters , sole descendants of Hu sse in,were treated

wi th seeming respect by th e governor,and sent with the h ead of

the ir father to the Kalif . Yezid disowned every share in the

tragedy . Husse in ’

s family were lodged in the Kalif ’s own res idenceat Damascus foratime

,and then sent with honor to l\Iedina,

where their coming causedagreat outburs t of griefand lamentat ion . Many objects in that c i ty made the day o f Kerbalaseemdreadful. T he deserted houses in wh ich had dwelt those kinsmen

o f Mohammed who had fallen ; the orphaned li ttle ch ildren ,andth e widows , gave great reality to every word u ttered . T he storywas told to weeping pilgrims in that c ity of the Prophet by women

and by ch ildren who with the ir own eyes had lookedat the deadand the dyingand had lived through the day o f Kerbala. T he

tale , repeated in many places , was h e ightened by new horrors

retold by pilgrims in the ir homes and on their journeys fromBledina, it spreadat last to every village of Islam.

T he righ t o f Aly ’s line to dominion had been l ittle thought oft il l that massacre , but compass ion for Aly ’s descendants , whowere also the great grandsons of Mohammed , sank into men

’

s

minds very deeplyafter that dreadfulslaugh ter on the field of

Kerbala. T he woefu l death of the grandsons of the Prophetseized hold of the Arab mind migh tily , and fascinated millionsof people . Th is tragic tale h elped greatly to ru in th e Ommayeddynastyand when , through itand other causes , the Abbasids rose

to dominionand hunted to death or to ex ile the descendantsandkinsmen of Muavia, that same tale affected the Ab basids andmade it poss ible to raise upagainst themanation in Pers iaandadynas ty in Egypt . So strong were men

’

s feelings on th is po int inIslamand so many the people who favored the descendants of Aly

that Mamun , the son o f HarunalRash id , madean effort to con

solidate the Alyiteand Abbas id fami lies . l\Ioreover th e teach ingo f Pers ianadherents of Aly had such influence that they capturedth is Kalif intellectually .

In Mamun ’

s day the Moslemworld became greatly imbued withideas fromPers iaand India

,andwi th Greek theoriesandlearn ing .

The Ko ran was treatedas never before tillthat period . Opinionsand sys tems o fallsorts were brought into Islam. A time of tre

mendons disturbance succeeded as the fru i t , or result, of these

The A ssassin Commonwealth 203

teach ingsand these wereallconnected , both in lif eand in politicswith views touch ing Aly .

O ne Babek ,aman of great energy ,appeared in 8 16 of our eraasaleader in religion , in practicallife , and in management of

people , preach ing indifference ofact ionandcommun i ty of property .

Through various myst ic doctrines most cunningly compoundedwith inc itements to robberyand lust and dishonor, h e ralliedmult itudes to his standard , and during twenty whole years hevis itedmany parts of the Empire with ru inand slaugh ter . He hadfixed himself firmly in those strong mountain places west andsou th of the Caspian , and th ence scattered terror in variousdirect ions through sudden attacks which were everattended byterrible bloodsh ed, tillat last his forces were defeated in great partand driven westward .

In 835 Motassim, th e Kal if , sent Afshin , one of the bestamongallhis Turk generals , to se ize th isarch enemyanddestroyeratallcosts . Onlyafter two years of most desperate figh t ingandmanydeceitfu l devices , were Bab ek ’

s strong placesalltakenandhis ownperson captured. Thou sands of womenand ch ildren were takenwith him,

and restored to the ir families ; andallthe treasureswh ich during two decades had been gath ered by th is murderousdeceiver fellnow to the Turk general, Afshin .

Babek had defeated six famous generals of Islamand slain ,assome state

,amillion of people during twenty years of rebell ion .

O ne of his ten execut ioners declared that h ealone had taken thel ives of twenty thousand men ; so merciless was the struggle b etween the part isans of the Kalifatand th eadvocates of freedomand equality .

The prisoner was brought by his captor to Samirain chainsandconfined th ere . Motassim went in disgu ise to the prison to lookat th is demon of Khorassan , th is Shaitan (Satan), as theycalled him. When th e Kalif had gazedat Babek sufficiently thecapt ive was exhibited through th e cityasaspectacle ,and brough tat last to th e palace wh ere M otassim, surrounded by his warriors ,commanded Bab ek ’

s own execut ioner to cut off th earmsandlegsof his master, and then plunge akn ife into his body . The

execut ioner obeyed,Babek meanwh ile smiling as if to prove

his own character ,and the correctness of his surname , Khur

remi (Th e Joyous) . The severed head was ex hibited in tlt e

204 The Mongols

c ities o f Kh orassan , and the body impaled near the palace of

the Kalif .

In the n inth century ,and contemporaneous with these horrors ,there l ived in Southern Pers ia, at A hwas , acertain Abdallah ,

whose father, Maimun Kaddah , and grandfather, Daisan the

Dualist , had taugh t him Pers ian politics and religion . Th isAbdallah conce ivedabroad system

,and plannedagreat project

to overturn Arab rule in his countryand reestablish theancientfaithandEmpire of Pers ia. Th is invol ved complete change in thestructure of Islam,

andallits present ideals . He cou ld not declareopen waragainst theaccepted religionand dynasty , s inceallthemilitary power wasat their command : hence he decided to undermine them in secret .

FromAhwas he went to Bussorahand later to Syriawh ere h esettledat Salemiya, whence his teach ings were spread by Ahmed,

his son , by two sons of that Ahmed,andalso by his Dayis , men who

performed each of themallthe various duties of spy, secretagent ,andapostle . T he most active of those Dayis was Hussein o f

Ahwas , who , in the province of wh ich Kufawas the capi tal, instructed manyagents in the secrets of revoltand in pervers ion of

the teach ings of Islam. Among theseagents the most no ted wasone famous lateras Karmath Th is man delayed not in showinghis characterand principles through torrents of blood,and des truction of cities . Crowds of men rallied to his war cry .

T he Karmathites declared that noth ing was forbidden , everyth ing wasamatter of indifference , just ified by the fac t of its existence , hence should rece ive ne ither punishment nor reward . T he

commands of Mohammed were pronounced parables disgu isingpoli ticalmaximsand injunctions . They di ffered from Abdallah ’

s

disciples in that they began action immediately , and, in most

cases , openly , wh ile the o thers were preparing foranew throne in

Islam to b e occupied byaman of their own ,atrueand z ealousco - believer .

T he Karmathite outbreak was more terrible , continuous , andenduring than that begun twenty years earlier by Babek ,and farmo re dangerous . T he Karmathites fought savage battles in the

Eas tand the Wes t, in Irakand Syria. They plundered caravansand des troyed what they found with tiger-like fury unless it wasvaluableand they could bear itaway with them. Theyattacked

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206 T he Mongols

In 9 9 1 Aleppo was added to the Fatimid Empire wh ich , be

ginningat the river Orontesand the desert of Syria, extended toMorocco . In view of th is great success and its danger to the

Abbasids the worldwas informed now from Bagdad that the Fatimiddynas ty was spurious ; that th e first Kalif installedat Mahdiyawas no descendant of the Prophet, he was merely the son of thatAhmed who wasason of Abdallah , son of Maimun Kaddah , son

o f Daisan the Dualist , his mother beingaJewess . Hence he wasson of that Ahmed whose emissary , Husse in o f Ahwas , hadraised upand trained the detestable Karmath ,

whose crimes ,andthe crimes of whose followers , had torturedallIslam foracentury .

That society , or order, wh ich metat the famed House of Sciencein Cairo ,

was dreaming of power nigh tand dayand strugglingalways to win it . Power it could reach by supplanting the Ahbas ids , b ut not in another way, h ence this orderaimedat theoverthrow of the Abbas ids . I talso spread secret doctrines by itsDayis (politicaland religious missionaries) continually . Throughth isacti vi ty the Fatimids were ris ing . hieanwhile th e Abbas idswere failing t illEmir Bessassiri,apartisan of the Fatimids , seizedand h eld for one year the two h igh est marks of dominion in Islam,

the mintand the pulpitat Bagdad in the name of Mostansir theKalifat Cairo ,andwould have held themmuch longer had no t his

career been cu t short in 1058 by Togru l the first Seljur: Sultan ,

who hastened to the rescue of the Abbas ids . Meanwh ile the Dayisfrom Cairo and theiraids filledagreat part of As iawi th the irlabors .

O ne of these Dayis , Hassan Ben Sabah , founded asect , theEas tern Ismailites , renownedlateras the Assass ins . Th is Hassanwas son o f Ali,aSh i ite o f the old ci ty Rayi, who claimed that hisfather, Sabah Homairi, had gone from Kufato Kumand later toRayi. People from T us in Kh oras san , and o thers ins isted thathisancestors hadpassedalltheirlives in Kh orassan . Ali, suspectedo f heres y , made lying oaths and confessions to clear h imself ;

s ince his success was b u t partialhe strove to increase it by sendingHas san , his son , to the Nishapur schoolof Movaffi k , asag e o f

e ig h ty yearsat that period, and the first scholaramong Sunni tebelievers .

Th is sage , it was said, brough t happinessandgood fortune toallwhom he instructed . His schoo l was frequented by multitudes ,

The A ssassin Commonwealth 207

and the success of his pupils was proverbial . Among his laststudents were three classmates , later on very famous : OmarKhayyam, the astronomer and poet ; Nizam ulMulk , the firststatesman of the period,

and Hassan Ben Sabah , who foundedasect upon soph isms ,andaState upon murder .

Hassan ’

sambition wasactive from the earl iest ; wh ile in thatNishapur schoolh e bound both his classmates by apromise .

Nizam ulMulk h imself tells the story : M en believe,’

remarkedHassan one day to us ,

‘

that the pupils of our masterare sure to

b e fortunate ; let us promise that should success vis it one of us

only , that favored one willshare with the other two .

’ We promised.

” Years later when Nizam ulMulk was grand viz ir to AlpArslan ,

Sultan of the Seljuks , he showed Omar Khayyam s incerehonorand friendsh ip ,and oflered him the dignity of second viz ir,wh ich the poet rejected, but at his request the viz ir gave himone thousand gold pieces each year instead of the office . Thenceforward Omar Khayyam was enabled to follow his bentand dogreat work ,asastronomerand poet .

Hassan Ben Sabah lived on in obscurity tillthe death of AlpArslan in 10 72 .

N izamulMulk retainedhis h igh office with Mel ik Shah the newSultan . Hassan Sabah went now to his friendand quot ing bitterwords from the Koran reproached him with forgetting sacredpromises , and ment ioned theiragreement of schooldays . The

viz ir, who was kind, took his classmate to the sovereign andgained for him favor .

Hassan Sabah , who had reproached his old friend out of perfidy,soon won great influence through cunn ing , fe igned franknessand hypocrisy . In no long t ime Melik Shah called him frequentlyto his presence ,advisedwith him,and followed his counsels . SoonNizam ulMulk was in danger of los ing his office . Hassan hadresolved to ru in his benefactorand classmate ; in one word tosupplant him. Each apparent omiss ion of the great man wasreported by tortuous ways to the sovereign , whose mind wasbrought to doubt the viz ir,and to test him Themost painfulblowof all,according to Nizam ulM ulk

’

s own statement , was givenwhen Hassan promised to finish in forty days th e whole budgetof the Empire . Nizam ulMulk needed ten t imes that period forthe labor.

208 The Mongols

Melik Shah gaveallthe men called for by Hassan ,and wi ththeiraid the work was accomplished . But to defeat the vizirwas not easy ; Nizam ulMulk hadabstracted certain pages ,hence Hassan ’

s budget was imperfect . He could not explain whythe pages were lacking , and he could not restore them, so he

went onasudden to Bayiand to Ispahan somewhat later . In

the latter c ity he li ved in concealmentat the house o f Abu Fazl ,the mayor, whom he converted , and who became his mostintimateadherent .

O ne day in 10 78 , when complaining of Nizam ulMulkand theSultan , Hassanadded “

Had I but two friends of unbendingfidelity I would soon end th is rule of the Turkand the peasant(Sultanand These words describe Hassan ’

s forecast completely ,and show the germof the Assass in creation , wh ich was coldbloodedmurder, carefully pondered , though t out with slowness , butexecuted onasudden . Abu Fazlcou ld not credit that statement ,and thought Hassan demented . T o restore his mentalbalance heplaced on the table before himmeatand drink mixed with saff ronwh ich was believedat that time in Pers iato b eamind s trengthening herb . Hassan noted his meaning immediately , wasangry ,and would not remain longer . Abu Faz l did what was poss ibleto detain the apo stle of murder, but every e ffort on his partwas fru i tless ; Hassan left Ispahan qu ickly for Egypt .

T he Ismailite mysteries ofatheismand immorality had beentaugh t to Hassan Ben Sabah byaFatimidapostle in Persia. He

hadalso conversed longand intimately with others . He knewallthe secrets o f Cairo , and had been triedand found worthy tospread the bel iefs of the great House o f Science . T he fame of

his learn ingand gifts , and the h igh pos i tion wh ich he had heldat the court o f Melik Shah ,

went before him. Mostansir desiredto show honor toaservant who migh t help him to wider domin ion .

T he ch ief o f the new House of Science was therefore sent to the

boundary wi th greetings ; aresidence wasassigned to the vis i tor,wh ile through minis tersand digni taries he was loaded wi th favorsuntilagreat quarrelbroke ou t onasudden in Egypt .

Mos tansir had declared his son ,Nesar, as his successor, and

heir to the Kali fat ; thereupon roseafaction . T he commanderin- ch ief o f the war forces wasat the h ead of it . He ins is ted thatM os teali,ano ther son o f Mos tansir, was the only one fi tted for

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210 The Mongols

paid to him. He learned then that Mosaffer was adevotedfollower of Hassan Ben Sabah ,and one of his earl iestadherents .

Alamu tlwas the largestand s trongest of fifty castles in that

country . I t was bu ilt in 860 by Hassan Ben Se id Bakeri ,and nowin 109 0 Has san Sabah , who had h itherto sought in vain forastronghold, was in possession of it . Heat once began to bu ild wallsand rampartsaroundhis fortressand hadacanaldug wh ich wouldensureawater supply . Gardensand orchards were planted in thesurrounding country and the inhabitants were soon engaged inagriculturalpursu its . M en of power in the Seljuk country Hassanwon by secretly placing Assassinsat their service ; whoso wished inthose days to ru inany man had bu t toaccuse him of conn ivancewith Hassan Ben Sabah . Informers increased , suspic ion wasgeneral. Melik Shah distrusted his most intimateassociatesandservants whom ill—willor envy strove to ru in . But nowan Emir towhomMelik Shah hadgiven Rudbar in fi ef , that is the whole regionin wh ich Alamu t was the main stronghold , stopped every road tothe fortressand cut offallsupplies . The inhabitants were readytoabandon the place , but Hassanassured them that fortune wouldsoon show them favor,as in fact it did ,and the name Abode of

Good Fortune was bestowed on the castle . Melik Shah , who

h itherto had treated Ismailians with contempt , resolved now to

crush them. He commanded Arslan Tash , his Emir, to destroyHassan Sabah withallhis followers .

Though Hassan had only seventy men and not much foodto give th em, he defended the fortress with great courage tillAbu Ali, his Dayi , hastened up in the night t ime with three hundred men . These , with the seventy of the garrison ,attacked thebes iegersand dispersed them.

Melik Shah who was greatlyalarmed by th is defeat sent troopsfrom Khorassan against Hussein Kaini , Hassan Sabah ’

s mainagent , who was spreading heresy in the Kuhistan province .

Husse in retreated to acastle in Mumin where soon he wasbe sieged and in no less danger than Has san had been veryrecently in Alamu t .Up to th is time Hassan hadactedasapol iticalagentand re

ligious nunc io in the name of Mos tansir, but now he sawan op

portunity fo r securing power for h imselfand he did no t hes itate .

Eagle ‘

s nest .

The Assassin Commonwealth 211

Knowing well that lawlessness of the people brough t des truct ionto the throne , he establish edasystem of religion and politicsbased uponatheismandabsolute freedom ofaction wh ich became

th e tenet of th e Assass ins , known , however, to but fewandconcealedunder the veilof religion .

Hassan determined to deliver his first great blowat this junctureand begin his career of surprises . He had resolved to rid himself

of opponents unsparingly ,and to terrify those of his enemies whomh e left living . His first victimwas Nizam ulMulk , his classmate,friendand benefactor,astatesman renowned throughou t one halfo f As iaas chief viz ir under three Seljuk Sultans , the first of theirdynasty ,aman of profound wisdomand keen foresigh t , whoseTreatise on the Principles of Government was written for MelikShahandadoptedas his code . In this code the wise viz ir explainsin the cleares t terms th e duties ofasovereign . Melik Shah , the

most famousand best of the Seljuk Sultans , died three weeks laterT h e sudden deaths of these two great men filled

Western As iawith terror . T he viz ir was cut down by HassanSabah ’

s Fedavi , or devotedassistants . Melik Shah died of po ison .

His loss was greatly lamented for he had ruled with just iceandmade his country prosperous . He was bothastatesmanandawarrior . T o ext end commerce h e had built bridgesand canals ;to ensure the safety of merchantsandallwho traveled h e hadmadeeach villageandhamlet responsible for the crimes committedwithinits precincts . In this way the ent ire populationassisted in the

suppression of robbery , one of the great evils of that time . Hassan hadmadeanotable beginn ing h e hadalarmedallAs ia.What were the doctrines of th e Ismailians , used by Hassan BenSabah PTh e Ismailianapostles trained in the House of Science in Cairo ,

wh ich had been foundedand developed in th e Fat imid interest ,taugh t their secret doctrines toafew chosen followers . Th esedoctrines were commun icated slowlyand with many precautions .The ch iefs orapostlesat Cairo , the prime masters of allsacredwisdom, initiated disciples . There were nine degrees throughwhich those of the faithfulhad to pass to rece ive the greatmystery .

But before giving the first degree toany novice whatever theMastertook fromhiman oath devot ing the appl icant to the greatestcalamities of this life,and th e keenest suffering s of the nex t , if he

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kept not strict s ilence touch ing that wh ich was revealed to him,

o r if he ceased to b e the friend ofallfriends of the Ismailians ,and the enemy ofalltheir enemies . Wh en the oath wasacceptedtheMaster tookafee for that wh ich he was go ing to communicate,and he neveradvancedany novice from degree to degree , tillhesaw that the man hadass imilated to the utmost everyth ing taugh thim.

T he first step in instruction was that God hasatalltimes giventhe task of establish ing His worsh ip ,and preserving it , to Imams ,

his chosen ones , whoare the sole gu ides of the fai thful . As God

has created the most beautifu l ofallth ingsand the noblest , bysevens , such as the heavens and the planets

, he has fixed the

number of Imamsat seven , namely : Aly, Hassan ,Hussein , Ali

ZaynalAbidin ,Mohammed Bakir, Jaffar es Sadik ,and Ismail,

or Mohammed , the son of Ismail, who surpassesallother Imamsin occult wisdomand in knowledge of the mystic sense of th ingsvisible . He explains th ese mysteries to those of th e initiated whoinqu ire , for h e has been instructed by God h imself ,and h e communicates his marvelous gifts to the Bayis , or Ismail ianapostles ,to the exclus ion ofallother sectaries of Ali.Like the Imams , th e word - endowed proph ets sent to establish

new religions were seven in number . Each prophet had one vicar(siwes) as aid who upheld true religion after the dea.h of his

principal ,and six other vicars , who appearedafter himamongmen . In distinction to th e word - endowed prophets the vicars werecalled “

the dumb ,” because they merely walked in the way

wh ich had been traced for them previously . When these sevenvicars pas s from the earth ,anew prophet comes who setsas ide thepreceding religionand is followed by seven mute vicars . These

changes follow oneanother t ill the coming of the seventh wordendowed prophet , who is th e lord o f the present , that is , lord of

th eag e in wh ich he is manifest .

T he first prophet was Adam, for whom his son Seth servedasvicar ;after Adam his religion had seven successi ve vicars . Noahwas the second prophet , and his vicar was Sem; Abraham wasthe th ird prophe t , his son ,

Ismail was his vicar ; hloses , the fourth ,

had Aaron his bro ther firstas Vicar,after Aaron ’

s death Joshua,son o f Nun ,

was his vicar . T he last o f his vicars was John ,son

of Zachary ; Jesus , son of Mary , the fifth prophet , had Simeonas

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2 14 T he Mong ols

Allthat is said of creationand ofabeginn ing , describes inas imilethe o riginand changes of matter . Anapostle deli vers to mankindthat wh ich heaven has revealed to him. For the sake of justiceand order, b eadapts his religion to the needs of the race . Wh enthis religion is needed for the generalwelfare it is binding , butth e ph ilosopher is not bound to put it into practice . The ph ilosopher is free , is bound to noth ing ; knowledge for him is sufficient ,s ince it contains the truth , that towards wh ich he is stri ving .

He should know its wholemeaning ,allthat it binds men to execu te ,b ut he need not b e subjec t to vexations , wh ichare no t intendedfor sages . Finally it is explained to the disciple that if wordendowedapostles have the mission to uphold orderamong mankind in general, sagesare charged to teach wisdom to individuals .

Fromall that has been preserved by the chroniclers of those

days regarding the As sass in kingdom, it is clear that in greatpart these teachings were borrowed from Greece , Palestine , andPers ia.The Fatimid Kalif s of Egypt had many secret agents ' in

Pers iaand Syria. T he Assassins went to Syriaabout the sametime as the Crusaders . In the first year of the XIIth

century Jenah - ed- devlet , then Prince of Emesa, died by theirdaggers wh i le he was hastening to the castle of the Kurds ,Hosn Ak Kurd , which the Count of St . Gilles was b es ieging .

He had been attacked four years earlier in his palaceby three Pers ian Assassins , bu t had succeeded in saving his life .

Risvan , the Prince of Aleppo , was suspected of caus ing this

attack . Th ere was reason to suspect him, s ince he wasabitterenemy of Jenah - cd- devlet,andafriend of the Assassins .

Risvan had been won to the Order by one o f itsagents who wasvery persuasive ; an astrologer and aphysician , who had the

power toattract by methods of his own , which were separate fromthose o f the Order. Fourand twenty daysafter th is unsuccess fu lattempt , the astrologer died, bu t his place was soo n filled by agoldsmith from Pers ianamed Abu Tah ir Essaigh , who roused

Risvan to s tillgreateractivity . Th is Prince of Aleppo was hostileto every Cru sader,and to h is own bro ther, Dokah , the Prince of

Damascus . He wasanxious foranew influx of Assass ins , s incetheirac ts favored his policy .

AbulFe ttah , the nephew o f Hassan Sabah , wasat that time

The Assassin Commonwealth 215

Grand Prior in Syria; his ch ief res idence was Sarmin,afort ifiedplace one day ’s journey from Aleppo .

Some years later, wh en the people of Apameaimploredaid of

Abu TahirEssaigh , th e goldsmith , now th e commandant in Sarmin ,

against Khalaf , their governor from Egypt , he had Khalaf slain byAssass ins under AbulPettah ,and took Apaméafor Risvan , but he

could not hold itagainst Tancred , who seized the placeand tookAbu Tah ir to Antioch wh ere he kept him till ransomed . Abu lPettah expired under torture . Other captives were given to

Khalaf ’s sons . Tancred took from th e Assassins the strong castleo f Kefrlana.Abu Tahir on return ing to the Prince of Aleppo usedallhis

influence to kill Abu Harb Issa,agreat Khojendmerchant , whohad come to Aleppo with fi ve hundred camels bearing much mer

chandise . Th is man had done what h e cou ld to cause harm to

th e Order . A man named Ahmed , who was secretlyan As sassin ,

had been present in the caravan from the boundary of Kh orassan ,

and was watching toavenge his brother slain by the people of thatmerchant . On reaching Aleppo h e went to Abu Tahir andR isvan , whom he won through accounts of Abu Harb ’s immense wealth , and his hatred of the As sassins . On aday,while the merchant was counting his camels , the murderers fellupon him, but his slaves , who were near, showed the ir courageands lew the attackers before th ey could injure Abu Harb . Th e

merchant complained to Syrian princes and they reproachedRisvan bitterly , but he den ied every share in that act ion . No

one believed him, however . Abu Tah ir, to save himself frompun ishment , fled to North Pers iaand remained there for as eason .

Hassan ’

s pol icy swept through the country , selecting its victimsfrom the powerfuland the rich . In 1 113 M evdud, then Princeo f Mosul, fell, stabbed to death while walking with T ogteghin of

Damascus through the forecourt of the great mosque in thatprince

’

s capital. Th e Assassin who killed him was decapitateds traightway . That same year died Risvan , Prince of Aleppo ,

who had long protected the murderous Order most carefully,and had used it effectually in extending his own domin ions .

Risvan ’

s son , Akh ras , succeeded him. Th is youth of sixteenwasass isted in governing by Lulu ,aeunuch . He began rule by

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condemn ing to deathallpeople belonging to the Assassin Order .

By th is sentence more than three hundredmen , womenand ch ildren were slain

,and two hundred were thrown into prison . Abu l

Pettah ,ason of Abu Tahir the goldsmith ,andhis successoras headof the Assass in Order in Syria, met withadeath no less terrible thanthat of his namesake , the nephew of Hassan Ben Sabah . The

trunk of his body was hacked into piecesat the gate looking eastward toward Irak , his legsandarms were burned ,and his headwas borne through Syriaasaspectacle . Ismail,abrother of thatastrologer who had brough t the Order into friendsh ip with Risvan ,

died with the others . Many Assass ins were hurled into the moatfrom the top of the fortress . Hossam ed din , son of Dimlatsh ,aDayi who had just come from Pers iafled from the rage of the

people to Rakkawhere death found h im promptly . Many savedthemselves by fligh t , and were scattered in towns throughoutSyr ia; others , toavo idallsuspicion of belonging to the Order,denounced the ir own brothers , and killed th em. T he treasuresof the Order were searched out and taken . Thus did Akhras ,Prince of Aleppo , take vengeance on the Assassins for the ir evilinfluence over his father.

Later on the Order avenged th is persecution in variousways , and most cruelly . Inanaudience given by the Kal if of

Bagdad to T ogteghin , the Atabeg of Damascus , three .murderersattacked and killed the Emir, Ahmed Bal, then governor of

Kh orassan , whom they mistook , as it seems , for the Atabeg .

The Emir was their enemy , b ut not the enemy whom they hadcome to destroy with the ir daggers ,— though of th is they wereignorant .In 1 120 Ilghazi rece i ved acommand from Abu Mohammed ,

the ch ief of the Assass ins in Aleppo , to surrender the castle of

Sherif . Ilghazi, who feared the Order, feigned to yield up the

cas tle , b ut ere the envoy could return with th isanswer the peoplehad pulled down the walls , filled the moats ,and jo ined the castleto Aleppo . Khashab , who had though t out th is explo itand savedafortress from the Assas s ins , paid with his life for the service .

Bedti the governor of Aleppo became their victim,as didalso one

of his sons . His o ther sons cut down the murderers , bu tath irdslayer sprang forwardand gave one of them,

wounded already ,his death blow . Wh en seizedand taken to T ogteghin the surviving

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218 T he Mongols

ments . As to the knowledge of God, said he, one of two

courses must b e followed : Claim to know God by th e sole ligh tof reason , oradmit that one cannot know him by reason , but thatmen need instructors . Now he who rejects the first statement maynot reject another man ’

s reason without admitt ing thereby the

necess ity of gu idance .

” Hassan combated in th is way th e claimsof Greek sages . T he need ofagu ide beingadmitted we mustknow if every teacher is good , or if we must have infallible instruct ion . Now h e who maintains that every teacher is good maynot reject his opponent ’s instru ctor without acknowledging th e

need ofateacher deserving the obedienceand confidence of allmen . It is shown , added h e , “

that mankind has need ofatrueand infallible teacher . Th is teach er must b e known so that men

may accept his instruction with safety . He must have beendes ignatedand chosen ; h e must b e installed ; his truth must b eproven . It would b e folly to go onajourney withoutaskilledgu ideand director . Th is gu ide must b e found before start ing on

the journey .

Variety of opin ion isareal proof of error ,accord in opinionshows truth ,and unity is the sign of it . Divers ity isaclear s ign of

error ; unity comes from teach ing obedience , di vers ity from free

dom of though t ; unity indicates submiss ion toan Imam, freedom

o f thought goes with sch ism,andmany leaders .

”

Apparently austere in his morals and respecting the Koran ,

Hassan Sabah forcedallhis subjects to live justas he did. T he

sternness of his methods may b e known from these examples .

He had one son clubbed to death for mere suspicion of being con

nected wi th the slaying of the Kuhistan governor without orders ;th e other for wine drinkingand dissolu te conduct . In the ex ecu

tion o f h is elder son h e gave to his subjects an example of the

penalty paid for interfering with the prerogative of the GrandPrior . T h e execution of the younger showed them the result of

disobedience to principles the principles rulingat Alamut .

Just before his death in 1124 Hassan Sabah made his old com

rade KiaBusurgomid his successor . Under th is second ch ief

murder increas ed very greatly ; not merely enemies of the sect

fellnow by the dagger, b utany prince or man who hadan enemycould h ire one of the Order to murder h im. Rather than expose

themsel ves to death ,sovere igns and men of authority lived in

The As sassin Commonwealth 219

apparentaccord with th e Assass insand obtained from the chiefasaprice of good-willanumber of his devoteesasaids in carryingout their own evilschemes foraggrandizement . Those men slewallpointed out to them, frequently , however, whole populationswere punished for these crimes of the ir co - religion ists . KiaBusurgomidwasaman of greatactivity who followed th e methods

of Hassan ,destroying the most illustrious leaders of th e enemy .

Mahmud , the successor of Sindjar,at first met the Assass inswith th eir own tact ics of murderand deceit ; but , foran unknownreason ,after be ing in open war with KiaBusurgomid for some

t ime , heasked thatan envoy b e sent to discuss terms of peace .

Th e‘

envoy from th e Assass ins was recei ved courteously by th eSultan , but upon leaving the presence of Mahmud h e was seizedandmurdered by the enrag ed populace . Th e Sultan sentan en

voy to Alamut immediately to assure KiaBusurgomid that th isunfortunate incident was due wholly to the hostil ity of the citiz ens ,and that he himself was in no way to blame .

KiaBusurgomidreplied that h e had believed in theassurances ofsafety which the Sultan had given . If the Sultan would deliver themurderers of theman to the Assass ins there would b e no difficulty,otherwise he would take revenge for the death of his envoy . Mahmud fearing the rage of the people gave no reply,andwas shortlyafter attacked byalarge number of As sass ins who killed fourhundred menand carried off many horsesand camels .

In 1 129 the Sultan got possession of th e Alamut fortress , but

was soon forced to relinquish it . Not longafter hfahmud died ,probably by po isonadministered byamember of the Order .

In Risvan ’

s time ,asalready stated , the Assass ins en joyed immense influenceat Aleppo , but under his son they were hunteddownand slaugh tered . A somewhat s imilar fate struck them in

Damascus wh ere during Busi’s t ime Behram,an Assassin fromAstrabad, won over to his s ide the Viz ir who gave him in 1128 the

castle of Ban ias , wh i ch immediately became the center of influencein Syria,and so remained unti l twelve years later when the Assassinsmade Massiat th eir capital. On gainingafirm foothold in Syriaby possession of Ban ias , th e Assassins flocked to th eir new capitalfromall s ides . No prince now had courage to give any manprotectionagainst th em. But the career of Behram the shrewdAssass in was of short duration .

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Dohak, the ch ief man in Taim,apart of the distri ct of Baalbek,determined toavenge the death of his brother who had been murderedat command of Behram, hence h e summoned the warriorsof Taim wi th ass istance from Damascus and places around it .Behram planned to surprise Dohak and his armyand crushthem

, but he fell into the ir power unwarily,and they killed him.

His h eadand hands were taken to Egypt,where the Kalif had

them borne in triumph to Cairo ,andgavearich gold embroideredrobe to the man who brought them. Those Assass ins who escapedfled from Taim to Ban ias , where before the expedition Behramhad given ch ief command to Ismail,an Assass in from Pers ia.Tah ir, the viz ir, wasas ready to negot iate with Ismailas he had

been with Behram. Ismai l hadasaid AbulWefa,aman withoutfaith or principle , butadro itand successful . T he Crusaders , whosepower was then ris ing in Syria, seemed to Abu l Wefathe bestalliesposs ible for Assass ins . Enemies of Mohammedanism, they weref riends to its opponents . Attacked fromwithout by Crusadersandcorrupted from within by Ismailian teach ings , Abbasid Mo

hammedanism seemed nearing its downfall. Abul Wefanowmade atreaty with the King of Jerusalem, through wh ich h eengaged to give him Damascus onacertain Friday . Wh ile Bus i ,the Emir, and his great men , wereassembled in the mo squeatdevotionallapproaches were to b e opened to the kingandhis forces .

In return for th is service the king was to give Abul Wefathe c ity

of Tyre on the seacoast . The Templars ’ earl iest Grand Master,Hugo De Payens ,appearsas mainagent , it is stated , in urg ing

the king to th isarrangement .

Duringadecade of yearsafter its organization , the Order of

Templars remained in obscurity , observing vows of poverty ,chast ity ,and obedience ,and. performing the labor of protect ingallpilgrims . It was , however, merelyaprivate societyat that t imewithout distingu ish ing habit or statutes . Rules given by St .Bernardand confirmed by the Pope raised it to b eagreat Ordercreated to defend the Holy Sepulchreand pilgrims .

During th is year, 1 129 , Hugo arrived in Jerusalem with anumerous escort of pilgrims and knigh ts , who through his in

fluence had taken the crossand raisedarms in defence of Christ ’s

sepul chre .

T he winning of Damascus was now decided upon , but mar

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CHAPTER XII

HULAGU DESTROYS THE AS SAS S IN COMMONWEALTH

HE valiantand powerful Prince of Mosul , Aksonkor Bursh i ,was one of the first victims of the second Grand Prior.

He was justand daring , aman greatly feared not only by theAssassins butalso by the Crusaders wi th whom he had recentlyfough tabattle . Shortlyafter his return from th is encounter hewasattacked by e ight Assassins who , disgu isedas dervishes , fellupon him in the ch ief mosque of Mosul while he was taking hisplace on the throne . Protected byarmor he defended h imselfwith immense courage . Three of the Assass ins he killed , butbefore hisassistants could come to hisaid he rece ivedawoundwhich soon proved fatal. All the other Assassins were slainsave one who fledand escaped from the wrath of the people .

Wh en the mother of th is man learned of Aksonkor’

s death she

adorned herself immediately through pride in the success of the

onset for wh ich ,as she supposed , h er son had given his l ife . But

when he came home uninjured sh e cut o ff her hairand blackenedh er face in deep sorrow , since he had not died with his comradesin honor such was h er view of honor .

Bus i the Prince of Damascus wasmarked for destruction . Tah irthe f riend of th e Assassins hadbeen executedandsix thousand of theOrder hadbeenmassacred in 1129at that prince ’s command ; therefore th ere was no escape for Bus i . W ith in two years of thatmassacreh e wasattacked byaband of Assass insand escaped with difficulty ;the year following , however, brough t death to him from the effectsof wounds received in that encounter .

T he vengeance o f the Assassins continued for years ; it waitedfor t ime

,oppo rtuni ty ,and place , nay more, it passed from one

generation to ano ther . They never forgot and never forgave .

Shems ulMuluk ,son of Busi , as wellas many other people of

renown fellunder the daggers o f the Order. The mufti of Kasvin222

HulagaDestroys the As sassin Commonwealth 223

and the mayors of Ispahan and Tebriz wereamong those whoperished . Besides rulersand great menamultitude of merchantsand ordinary men were murdered by the tools of Hassan Ben

Sabahand his successors the se - calledapostles of Islam.

But in spite of the bitter enmity between the Abbas idsand theFatimidsand the fact that the Assass ins ,an offshoot of the Fatimids , had worked longand industriously to overthrow their op

ponents , the throne of the Kalif of Bagdad had not been stainedwith the blood of its occupants thus far . But the time had now

come when the Order dared to murder even the successor of the

Prophet . Through astrange retribution , however, Kalif AbuAli Mansur the tenth of the Fatimid dynasty was the first to dieby the hand ofan As sassin , but whether this death was effectedby the policy of th e Order or by private revenge is unknown . I t

was though t by many that the murderer was employed by thefamily of Efdhal, the grand vizir.

Efdhalhad beenas dangerous for the Kali fat Cairo throughthe immense power wh ich he wielded in Egyptas for the Crusaders because of his hatred for themand the great energy withwh ich he warred against them. He was cut down by two menwho belonged to th e Order . No one knew who had employedthose two persons , whether the murderers were the tools of

the Crusaders , or of the Kalif . At first suspicion fell on the

Kalif . T he son of Efdhal, Abu Ali, who was imprisonedimmediately upon the death of his fath er, was set freeafter theas sassinat ion of th e Kalifandgiven th e officeand t itles of the vizir.

But Assassins soonattackedandkilled Abu Ali . Itmay be thatallthree murders were caused by the machinat ions of unknownenemies .

Egypt from this t ime on presents scenes of turmoiland disorderproduced by great struggles between part isans of the Kalifs of

Bagdadand Cairo , or in other words between the Abbas idsandth e Fat imids .

M ostershed th e twenty- n inth Abbasid Kal if held power from1 118 to 1 135 , but his power was limitedand his throne mo st in

secure . When they made themselves guardians of th e KalifsatBagdad the Sel juk Sultans took from th emallmarks of temporalpower except the Friday prayers from th e pulpit ,and the co inageof money . When Massud became Sultan he immediately took

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th is last evidence ofauthority from th e Kalifandappo inted Fridayprayers in his own name . Th is encroachment was tolerated byBios tershed b ut he did notaccept it . Some t ime lateranumberof o fficers with the men under them left Massudand jo ined theKali f ’sarmy . These officersassured the Kalif that it would not

b e di fficult to conquer Massud. Deceived by their statementsMostershed marched against the Sultan ,

b u t, deserted by hiswarriors in the first onset , he was captured by Massud andtaken to Merag ha. He was freed however on his promise to re

main thereafter in Bagdadand payayearly tribute to the Sultan .

T he Ismailians had hoped that th is war would end the Abbas ids ;hence they were bitterly disappointed,and determined to take thework into their own handsat onceandatallcosts . Wh en Massudleft Mostershed in his camp near Meragha, the As sass ins cut

down the Kalif and hisattendants . Then not satisfiedwith themurder, they mutilated the corpses by cutting off their earsandnoses .

People had scarcely recovered from the terror caused by th isslaugh ter of Mostershed when they learned that his successorRashid had been killed . The Assassins had thought that by themurder of Mostershed they would bring about the ru in of the

Kalifat . But hope deceived them. Rash id on taking the throneplanned his own policyand determined to begin his rule byavenging the death of his father. He went first , however, onajourneyto Ispahan , intending when he returned to deal with the Assass ins .

T he Order everalertand watchful discovered his purpose . Fouractiveadh erents followedRashid ,andat.last when the chance cameth ey stole into his tentandstabbed him. He was buried in Ispahan ,

and the warriors whom he had assembled to march againstthe Order scatteredat once .

t en news o f the Kal if ’s death came to the Grand Prior therewas great joy in Alamut . For seven daysand nigh ts kettledrumssounded to announce the happy event to that whole mountainregion . Th is murder brough talarmand terror to the Abbas idworld . I t is said thatafter the death of Rashid Abbas id Kali fsvery rarely , if ever, showed themselves in public . Agents of the

Order now went in crowds through As ia. Fortresses alreadyheld by them were s trengthened wh ile new ones were bu ilt or elsepurchased. In Syriathey obtained Kadmos in 1 134 , Kahaf four

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226 The Mongols

them. These are the rules on wh ich rests our rel igion ,and ifthey please not the Sultan let him sendatheologian to talk withus .

In 1138 began the ru le of KiaMohammed , aman not onlylacking in witandab ility but wholly untrained in theart of governing . T he power of the Order had now reached its height . Its

authorityand influence wereapparent in many countries of As ia.There was need ofastrong manat Alamut . Nearly fifty yearshad passed s ince Hassan Ben Sabah began his career of murder ;

years during wh ichallthe teach ings of Islamwere observed with thegreatest strictness by the common people who believed in their ru lersand yielded ready obedience . But KaiMohammed did not win

th e confidence of his subjects ; they greatly disliked him. Hassan,

his son , wasaman of unlimitedambit ion ,and early in l ife gained

the love of the peopleand th e reputationof having keen insigh tandmuch learning ,areputat ion wh ich he used for theattainment ofhis own objectsand not for theadvancement of the Order . He

knewand did not contradict the report wh ich his part isans spreadvery carefully that he was the Imam whom Hassan Ben Sabahhad promised . But the Prior of Alamut heard of his son

’

s

action ; of the opin ions of the peopleand the report that Has sanwas the long looked for Imam,and he declared his displeasureatonce . Hassan is my son ,

”

said he . Iamnot the Imam but oneof his precursors ; whoever th inks differently isan infidel ! andhe ordered the immediate execution of two hundredand fifty of

Hassan ’

sassociatesand partisans ; others were banished . Hassanthrough fear for his own safety wroteagainst hisadherentsandsupported his father . Heavoided pun ishment thus by removingsuspicion . Since h e drank wine in secret , however ,and practisedmany things wh ich were forbidden , hisadherents though t him surelythe promised Imam whose coming was to end proh ibition ofallkinds .

But nowappear themen destined to destroy the Fat imid dynastyof Egypt , Nur ed din Mahmud Ben Amed Es Zenky, son of

Zenky , son of Ak Sunkur,and Saladin , son of Eyub the friend of

Zenky . Ak Sunkur, aslave whom Melik Shah made his court

Chamberlainandlater the governor of the Province of Aleppo , diedin 109 4 leavingason ,

Zenky , ten years ofage . Not longaf ter his

H ulagu Destroys the Assassin Commonwealth 227

father’s death Zenky was summoned to the court of Kur Bugathen Prince of Mosul. He soon becameafavoriteand compan ionof the princeandaccompan ied him on his campaigns . In 1122

the prince gave himWas itand Basrain fi ef . Wh en in March of

the following year th e Arabs , led by Dub egarenowned Emir of

the Asad tribe , marchedagainst Bagdad, M ostersh ed the Kalifcrossed the river with hisarmyand was received on the bank byhis vassals the Prince of Mosul, Zenky of Basra, and others .

T he combinedarmies thenattacked Hillathe enemy ’s stronghold ,and though Dub eg

’

s army was much larger than that of th e

Kalif ’s the Arabs were defeated owing ch iefly to the skilfulmovements of Zenky . Somewhat later Zenky went to Hamadan to

the court of the Seljuk Sultan , Mahmud ,and soon married thewidow of Kundughly, the richest noble of the court . In 1 124 h e

returned to BasraandWasit where b e ruled with great severity .

Inabattle between the Sultanand the Kalif , Zenky took the partof the Sultanand sent him reinforcements , thus obliging the Kalifto make peace . Wh enafter this victory the Sultan took up hisabode in Bagdad Zenky rece ivedahigh offi ce . In 1127 he wasmade governor of Mosuland Jez iraand took upon himself the

task of defending the countryagain st the Crusaders . Not longafter th is h e became master of Aleppo . In 1131 the Seljuk Sultandiedand there wasabitter conflict over the succession . Zenkynow determined to get possess ion of Damascus but his attempt ,made four yearsafter the death of the Sultan , brought him no

success . In 1 144 he bes iegedand captured Edessah eldat thatt ime by the Crusaders . Two years after th is great victory hedied by the hand of one of his own attendants , leavingason , Nur ed din , to fin ish his work by becoming master of

Damascus .

In 1 132 wh en fleeing fromKarajaby whomhe hadbeen defeatedin battle, Zenky was saved by Eyub commandant of the castle of

T enkrit on the bank of the Tigris . Th is service was never forgotten . In 1 138 onan ight when Eyub , who had been driven fromthe castle of T enkrit , was seekinganasylum with Zenkyat Mosul

ason was born to him. Th is son h e named Yessuf Salaled din(Saladin) . A year later Zenky took possession of BaalbekandEyub was made governor there . Saladin was n ine years oldwhenZenky wasmurdered . Zenky

’s possess ions were shared by his two

228 The Mongols

sons , Seif ud din who rece ived Mosul,and Nur ed din who ruledth e Syrian province .

Nur ed din wasawiseand just ruler,as wellasabraveandfearless warrior,andaresolute defender of Islam. Be ing masterof Mosuland Aleppo he wasalso mas ter of North Syr ia, b ut inthe south he lacked power through no t having Damascus . M ejred din Abak the las t of the Seljuks o f Damascus ruled there

, or

more correc tly , his viz ir ruledat his commiss ion . After Zenky’

s

death Damas cus sent troops to retake Baalbek . Eyub madetermsand surrendered the c i ty rece iving in re turn ten villages inthat region . A few years later he became commander- in - ch ief ofthe Damascusarmy , aposi tion wh ich he held when Nur eddin

marchedagainst Damascus in 1154 . Shirkuh , bro ther of Eyub ,hadmeanwh ile taken service with Nur ed din . When the Syrianarmyappeared before the city Sh irkuh opened negotiations withhis brotherand Eyub surrendered the place to the son of his old

friend . Thus Damascusabandoned its hereditary sovereignandMejr ed din wi thdrew from the city . He received in exchangeEmesa, then Balis ,and went finally to Bagdad .

An earthquake had nearly ru ined Damas cus , but Nur ed din

restored the c i tyand made it his capital . During his reign of

twenty- eigh t years he captured fifty cas tles ormoreand es tablishedmosquesand schools in every city of his dominion . Pol icyas wellas religion caused Nur ed din to favor the Abbasid l ine instead of

the Fatimids of Cairo . T he time seemed to him ri pe then to end

Cairo helplessness ,agenu ine helplessness s ince civil war ragedthere between Darghamacommanderand Shawer the viz ir whounder the Kalif were s truggling for mastery .

Early in 1 163, the year following that in wh ich Nur ed din hadconquered Haramand taken possess ion of many Syrian fortresses ,Shawer who had been dri ven from Cairo came to Damascusandpromised no t only to pay the cost ofan invas ion b utafterward toyield up one th ird o f the income o f Egypt if Nur ed din wouldgive him certain aidagainst Dargham. Nur ed din was not

oppo se dto obtainingafoo thold in the country , s tillb e wi thheldass istance tillAprilo f the following year, when he sent hisableandambi tious governor o f Emesa, Essed ed din Sh irkuh ,

wi thanarmy into Egypt . Dargham was slainand Shawer was res toredto his former pos ition . Freed from his enemy and safe , as he

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230 The Mongols

But peace was of short duration ; theadvantag e wh ich came tothe King of Jerusalem by the terms of the treaty induced him to

violate his promise in the hope of eventually gett ing controlofth e country . Incited by th e Hospitalers , whose ch ief wished tokeep his Order in Belbeis wh ich h e had charged withadebt ofmore than one hundred thousand ducats , Amalric advancedearly in th e winter of 1 168 but this time he entered Egyptasanenemy .

He arri ved at Belbe is in November, captured that city andslaugh tered its inhabitants . He then besieged Cairo . A wallatwh ich womenand children were toiling both by dayand by n ighthad been raisedaround th e c ity . November 12th Fustat the most

ancient part , called usually Old Cairo ,was by command of Shawer

set on fi re to hamper the enemy , and it continued to burn forfi fty

- four daysand n ights . Adhad, the Kal if , despatched courierafter courier with letters to Syriaimploring Nur eddin to help him

,

and to picture the greatness of his need he inclosed locks of hairfrom the heads of his wives ,as if saying T he enemyare dragging our women by the hair . Comeand rescue !Nur ed din was in Aleppoand Sh irkuhat Emesa. Nur ed din,

however,at no t ime indifferent to the importance of gaining influence and power, gave two hundred thousand gold ducats toShirkuh and sent him to Egypt immediately (December ,Six thousand chosen Syrians marched with himand two thousandpicked Turkman warriors from Damascus . Saladin , urged byhis uncle ,accompanied the expedition .

Meanwh ile Shawerand Amalric were negotiat ing the former

to l iberate , th e latter to win Cairo . Shawer promisedamillion of

ducats in the name of the Kalif ,and the King of Jerusalem wasglad to rece ive fifty thousand in ready money . Th e Crusaderswithdrew wh en the Syrians under Sh irkuhappeared before Cairoin January , 1169 . T he Kalif went to the camp on avis it immediately , and complained very bitterly of Shawer who hadbrough t the Cru saders into Egypt , burned Fustat ,and ru ined thecountry . He begged Sh irkuh to obtain for him th e head of the viz ir,he h imself being unable to get it .

Shawer felt now his own danger,and,while fe igning friendsh i p

for the Syrians , resolved to destroy , under cover of abanquet,bo th Sh irkuh ,and Saladin , his neph ew

,with the princes of the ir

H ulagu Destroys the As sassin Commonwealth 231

su ite . The plot became known in good season , however, andwhen Shawer was approaching on avisit to Shirkuh , he wasseizedand killed ,and his head was sent to the Kalif .Sh irkuh took Shawer’s placeas viz irand the Kalif gave him the

t itle of Al Mel ik Al Mansur (T he Victorious King) .Sh irkuh died two month s later, March 26, and his neph ew

Yussuf Salah ed din ,now thirty- one years of age , was invested

with th e same dign it ies of offi ceand received the same t itle .

Saladin was now the viz ir of the Kalif ,and Nur ed din ’

s com

mander, thus his pos it ion was peculiar ; he was the viz ir of aSh i ite Kalifand the commander ofaSunn ite king . He therefore

caused the name of Nur ed din to b e mentioned in public prayersevery Fridayafter that of the Kalif .

Nur ed din though t that the time had come toabol ish the Fat imidKalifat , b ut Saladin delayed s ince the people clung toAdhad,the last representat ive of the dynasty . Adhad fell ill, however,and died opportunely . Saladin transferred the prerogat ive of

prayer then from the Fat imid line to that of the Abbas id September10 , 1 17 1 . In this way Saladin delivered th e blow wh ich destroyedthe main branch of the Western Ismailites . The Abbas id Kalifatnow prevailed over that of the family of Ali for wh ich the Ismailiteshad taughtand conspiredand in whose name they had deceivedthe people for nearly three centuries .

Th is wasan event of vast importance in the h istory of the East,as wellas in that of the Assass in Order before whom Saladin , now

afamous warriorandanardent champion of the Abbas ids, stoodforth asapowerf uland dangerous enemy .

Eight years before the fall of th e Fat imid dynasty Mohammedthe Grand Prior of the Assass ins died,and Hassan H assumedpower . As we have seen

, Hassan began his career during his

father’s life, by winn ing part isansand spreading the bel ief that h ewas the promised Imam. In his youth he had spent many yearsin acqu iringathorough knowledge of ph ilosophyand history,and in receiving instruct ion regarding the mysteries of the Order.

Unprincipledandprofligate he now determined not only to indulgewithout limit in every vice but to favoralike indulgence in oth ers .

T o castas ideallconcealmentand give the secrets of th e Ismail iansto the world . T oannounce th e same license to the leaders of theOrderand favor impunity of vice not merely by example but by

232 The Mongols

preach ing from the pulpit that crime is permiss ibleand innocent .In Ramadan of the 559 th year of the Hegira 1163 the in

habitants of Rudbar were as sembled at Alamut by his command . A pulpit was placedat the foot of the castleand lookingtoward Meccato wh ichallprofessors of Islam turn when praying .

Hassanascended the pulpitandmade known to his hearers themax ims of arenewedand strengthened religion . Heannouncedto them that they were freed fromallobligations of the law , for

they had come to an erain wh ich they were to know God byin tu ition ; they were released from the burden of every commandand brough t to the day of Resurrection , that is to the man ifestationof the Imam before whom they were now standing . They wereno longer to pray fi ve times each day , or observe other rites of

religion . Then ,after h e had explained thatanallegoricalsense

should b e given to the dogmas of Resurrection , Hell,andParadise ,he descended from the pulpitand the people heldagreat banquet ,yielding themselves to pleasures ofallkinds , to dancing , to mus ic,to wineand to sport in celebration of the day of Resurrection ,

the day when the Imam was made manifest .

From that hour whenallth ings were lawf ulaccording to Hassanthe name M olahids , or the Lo st Ones , which previou sly had beengiven to the Karmathitesand other great criminaldisturbe rs , wasgiven not only to the disciples of Hassan but toallthe Ismailians .

Through their Grand Prior the Order after concealing its true

doctrine from mankind for years had revealed it on asuddenand exposed to the worldasoc iety founded onatheism,

assass inat ion and immorality . Thenceforth the Order was doomed to

rapid internaldestruction .

T he Ismailians hadadopted the view that the uni verse hadneverbegunand would never end. T he end in their eyes meant merelyaphase , the close ofan epoch in existence wh ich would b e followedbyano ther whose length would depend Upon the movementsandposi t ion of the heavenly bodies . By Resurrection was meant thepresence of men befo re Godat the close ofan epoch ,

andwhen thatterm came every practice o f religion was included , s ince man ’

s

one concern is the es timate of hisactions .

T he 17 th Ramadan was celebrated with banquetsand games ,not onlyas the feas t o f th e mani festation , butas the true date of

publish ing the ir doc trine . As the followers of Islam reckon their

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234 The Mongols

after the death of Mostansir, and had brought with himasonof Nesar whom he confi ded to Hassan Ben Sabah . Hassan treatedthe envoy wi th great respec tand gave the young man ,also calledNesar,avillage near the castleasares idence . Nesar marriedandhadason to whom the name Blessed be his Memory wasgiven . t en Nesar’s wife was delivered of her ch ild the wife of

Mohammed , the Grand Prior of Alamut, also hadachild . Anurse carried “ Blessed b e his Memory into the cas tle ands ubstituted him for the son of Mohammed .

Th is tale instead of satisfying the people was received withridiculeand declared to b e untrue . Thenas ,according to new

I smaili te teach ing , allwas indifferentand nothing forbidden , the

builders of Hassan ’

s genealogy found it best to maintain thatN esar had met lVIohammed’

s wife in secret , the result being Has ~

san , the Grand Prior, Imam,and Kal if , Blessed be his M em

ory .

Ismai lites who in this way tried to prove that Hassan wasadescendant of Nesar were called by the ir opponents the Nesari , ”at itle wh i ch involved extreme obloquy .

Crime and immorality now reigned wherever the Order hadpower or influence . M en who had h itherto been Assass ins throughobedience to those in powerand in the belief that they were fulfillingareligious duty by removing persons who were harmfultoIs lam, now murdered people wantonly .

Hassan H died in the fourth year of his reign by the dagger ofhis brother- in -lawat the cas tle of Lamsir .

Disorders caused through the revelation by Hassan were not

stopped by his murder . Crimes of every kind increased greatlyduring the reign of his sonand successor, Mohammed II , whosefirstact was toavenge the murder of his father . Nanver , the latePrior’s brother- in -lawandassass in . died by theax e of the ex ecu

tioner ,and with him diedallhis kindred, maleand female .

Mohammed II preach edand taugh t wi th even more ins istencethan had Hassan , his father, the doctrine of l icense , crime ,andvice ,and like him claimed to b e the Imam. Deeply read in

philosophy he though t h imself unequalled in th isand other forms

o f knowledge . He was aman devoted to evil, and though here igned for fortv - six years there is b u t little information to be

obtain ed regarding the Order during that period .

H ulagu Destroys the Assassin Commonwealth 235

In the eyes of the Orthodox the Assass ins wereaband of vileheretics ,anassemblage of outcasts ; but that Orderwas still defiantand migh ty . Fakhr ulIslam of Ruyan was the first doctor of

the law to pronounce it impious . This he did in Kaz vin byafetva. On his return fromKaz vin to Ruyan h e fellbyan Assass in .

A doctor of greater repu tation was treated more tenderly : Fakhrud din Ras i ,aprofessor of theologyat Bayi , never failed in hislectures to refutealltheir doctrines ,addingas he did so MayGod curse and destroy them.

”

T he Ismailian Prior sent anagent to Bayi . This manappearedasastudent , heard lecturesand bided his t ime . At last , finding that Fakhr ud din wasalonein his cabinet , h e walk ed in , shut the door, placed the point of

adaggerat the breast of his masterandwaited . What is this ?cried the latter in terror . Why do you curse the Ismailiansandtheir doctrines unceas ingly ? asked the Assassin . I willspeakof them no more ,

”

said the teach er, I swear this to you most

solemnly .

”

W illyou keep this oath ? After strongassurancethe agent was sat isfied , drew back his dagger, and cont inued :I had no command to killyou ; if I had noth ing could have

turned me from duty . My master salutes youand says that hecares not for common men

’

s words , bu t he regards your discourses ,s ince they willl ive in the memory of people . He invites you to

visit himat Alamut . for he wishes to prove his h igh esteem to you

in person .

”

Fakhr ud din would not go , but promised s ilence . T heagentthen put downapurse of three hundredmiskals ,and said : You

will rece ive every yearapurse suchas this . I have brough t youtwo tunics of Yeman bes ides ; th eyare now in my lodgings .

”

That said th e man disappeared. Some t imeafter th isadiscipleof the teach erasked why h e did not curse the Ismailians . How

can I curse them ? replied Fakhr ud din ,

“theirargumentsare

so trenchant .

In Arslan Kushad, the Ismailians surprised in the nightacastletwo leagues from Kazvin on the top ofahigh mountain . T he

people of that place were in despairat having such ne ighbors,and implored variou s princes to free them but in vain , t illacertainSheikh , Ali, persuaded the Kwaresmian Sultan , Tagash , toass isthim. Th e Sultan laid s iege to th e castle , took it , allowed th eIsmail ians to withdraw,and placedasmallgarrison on the moun

36 The Mongols

tain . Barely had the investing troops gone when the Ismai l iansreentered the strongholdat n ight throughan underground passageknown to them onlyand slew the whole garrison . T he SheikhAl i implored Tagashagainandhe came now in person . The peopleo f Kaz vin jo ined his forcesandafteras iege of two months the

Ismailians yielded the castle on condition that they should b e

allowed to retire unmolested . They promised to leave in two

di vis ions . If the first passed in safety the second would follow,

if not it would keep up the struggle . T he first party descended ,rendered homage to the Sultan and vanished. T he besiegerswai ted for the second divis ion , waited long and discoveredatlast that the garrison had gone in one party . T he castle was thenrazedat command o f the Sultan . But the Ismailians took ven

geance on She ik h Ali. Wh ile return ing fromapilgr image to

Meccahe was slain by one of their Assassins in amosque atDamascus .

SyriaandEgyptat this t ime demandattention since it was therethat the enemies of Saladin wereacting .

In Cairo was the Sultan ’

s great palace where for two hundredyears the Fatimids had been collecting the wealth not only of

Egypt , b u t of Syriaand Arabia. t enafter the death of the

Sultan , Saladin took possess ion of th is palace ,he found there

jewels ofavalue beyond estimate . There were magnificent pearls ;an emerald aspan longandas th ickasafinger , ” there was furniture of ebonyand i vory , there were coffers inlaid with goldandornamented wi th precious stones . There was wealth of every kind.

There wasalsoasplendid library containing ,as some. h istorianss tate , volumes , others mentionamuch smaller numberb ut it was , inany case ,at that t ime the largest library in Europe .

Some o f those treasures Saladin gave to the o fficers of hisarmy,

some he sent to Nur ed dinand others were disposed of to obtainsums needed for campaignsagainst the Crusadersand for erectingfort ifications , mosquesand schools .

Though there wasastrong party in Cairo hostile to Saladin ,a

party compo sed o f o fficers in the Egyptianarmy , palace dependentsand even some o f the Syr ian o fficers who were embittered by therapidadvance of so young aman , s tillhis adherents were in

ng . Nur ed din saw wi thalarm the influenceand power o f

his l ieutenant bu t he knew wellthat embro iled wi th the Cru saders

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238 The Mongols

across the desertand entered the city on the 27th of November.

Making his brother Governor of Damascus he set out for Aleppo .

Upon hisarrivalat that place he sent toassure the prince thath e was in Syriato defend cities threatened by Crusadersand bySe if ed din of hiosul. When the governorand Gumushtegin

closed the gatesand refused him entrance Saladin laid s iege tothe city , declaring that he did so to rescue his sovereign .

T he eunuch now had recourse to the Assassins . Rashid ed din

Sinan , the Grand Prior in Syrial ived in those daysat Massiat,the s trongest of the fortresses belonging to the Ismailians of thatcountry .

He was the most politicand learnedas wellas one of the worstof the rulers of the Assass in Kingdomand was at this momentall- powerful in the mountains of North Syria. Saladinasastrongchampion of the Abbas id Kal ifsandaman who seemed likely tobecome sovereign was the natural enemy of the Order, henceSinan was willing toass ist Gumush tegin especiallyas his requestthat Saladin shoulddieat the earliest wasaccompanied byalargesum of money . Three Assass ins were sentat once whoal thoughthey reached Saladin ’

s tentand even his presence failed of their

purposeand were cut down by hisattendants .

At th is criticalmoment the Christians madean attack uponEmesawhereapart of the Egyptian troops were stationed. Saladinwas obliged to raise the s iege of Aleppo and march to Emesawhere he soon had possess ion both of the townand the citadel . Afew days later b e occupied Baalbek .

T he Prince of Mosuland his brotheralarmed by the success of

Saladin now jo ined their forces to those of Aleppoandadvancedagainst him. T hearmies met Apri l 13, 1175 , near Hamath . T he

troo ps of Aleppoand Monsul were routed most thorough lyandpursued even to the gates o f Aleppo .

Saladin , now the greatest power in Egyptand Syria, waited no

longer ; h e at once proclaimed himself King and named the

dynasty wh ich he founded T he Eyub ite dynasty in honor of

his father . Twelve month s later the Prince of Mosul , who hadbrough t together anumerous army , met Saladin near Aleppowhereafierce battle was fough t Apri l 29 , 1176 . Seif ed din wasdefeate dand lo st his campand hisarmy .

Very soo nafter this vi ctory Saladin took three important for

H ulagu Destroys the Assassin Commonwealth 239

tresses : Bosaa, Manbidj,and Azaz , the latter onlyafterasiegelasting nearlyamonth . During this s iege the king was againattacked by Assassins ; the first struckat his h ead withakn ifebut Saladin seiz ed the man ’

s handandanattendant ru shed forwardand killed him. A secondand evenathirdmurderer sprangforth but met with no better success .

Saladin,greatlyalarmed by these repeatedattacks , determined

to destroy the Assassins , orat least dri ve them out of Syria. In

1177 , af ter peace was established with Mosuland Aleppo , he

advanced with alarge forceand blockaded Massiat which wasbuilt onanalmost inaccess ible peak commandingadeep ravine .

Moslem historiansassure us that h e would have'

captured thisallimportant fortressand thus ended the Order in Syriahad not his

uncle , Shihab ed din, Lord of Hamath , begged him to makepeace on theassurance of Sinan that th e king would thereafterb e protected from Assass ins . Other historiansassert that he wasterrified by the threats of Sinanand relate how onan ight Saladinawokeand found by his b ed some hot scones ofas izeand shapepeculiar to the Assass ins . Near them, pinned down byadagger,was apaper containing athreatandawarn ing . Whateverthe cause may have been Saladin with drew to Damascus withoutcapturing the Assassin stronghold . Then leaving Turan Shah incommand of Syriahe returned to Cairoafteranabsence of two

years .

Thereafter Saladin campaigned both in Egyptand Syria, tookpossess ion of the principal cities held by the Crusaders ,and wonth e Holy Land for Mohammedans , but was neveragainattackedby Assas s ins .

Mohammed II diedat Alamut in 1213 from poison,as is stated ,leavingason , Jelaluddin Hassan , who was tw enty-fi ve years ofageat that time . From boyhood he had been opposed to the practicesof the Assassins . As years passed this oppos ition became so intensethat fatherand son feared each otherand when Mohammed diedsuddenly suspicion rested on Jelal. As soonas the new GrandPrior assumed command he announced his return to the true

tenets of Islam, and gave not ice to the Kalif at Bagdad, the

Kwaresmian Shahand the Governor of Irak of this change in theteachingsat Alamut , undertakingat the same t ime to bringall

240 The Mongols

Ismailians to follow his example . Bel ief seems to have been givento theseassurances , for when his wifeand mother went onapilgrimage to Meccathey were rece ived with distinctionat Bagdadand the party of pilgrims who marched under the banner of the

Alamut ruler precededallothers . He livedonly twelve yearsaftercoming to the throne but during those years he bu ilt mosques ,established schoolsand called in learnedmen to teach his peo ple thetrue faith . Some h istorians cons ider Jelaluddinashrewd politicianrather thanareformerandassert that h e remainedanapostle of

athe ism. Be th isas it may he did forashort time suppressassassination b ut it re instated itself qu ickly when po ison removedhimand his son , Alai ed din Mohammed,ab oy nine years ofage,reached the throne . During Alai ed din ’

s reign women of the

harem ruledat Alamut . Every law es tablished by Jelaluddin , his

father, wasabol ishedandatheismand the dagger held swayas in thedays of Hassan Ben Sabah . Wh en nearing manhood Alai ed dinshowed symptoms of mental disorder but no man had the courageto say that the ch ief was in need ofass istance . Hadaphys iciandared to tellthe truth on that subject he would have been torn

l imb fromlimb by the rabbleat Alamu t . As his illness increasedhis conduct becamealmost beyond su fferance , though hisassociatesdeclared that what he saidand did was divine in its origin . “rhen

Alai ed din was e igh teen years of ageason was born to him.

Th is son he named Rokn ud din Kurshah and made him his

successor.

From ch i ldhood the Ismai l ians looked upon Rokn ud dinasth eir future Grand Priorand showed him honor equal to thatgiven his father . Th is rousedanger in Alai ed din and he re

solved to depose his sonandappointanother successor . When

hisadvisors declared that the nomination was finalhe was enragedand from that time on annoyed and tormented his son , t illatlas t Rokn ud din disclosed his whole mind to those courtiers whowereas much dissatisfi ed with his fatheras he was . He declaredthat Alai ed din was ru ining the Commonwealth ,and that Mongolarms would des troy it because of his conduct . I willwithdrawfrom my father, ” said he , send envoys to the Grand Khanandmake terms wi th him.

T he greater number o f the ch ief menagreed with Rokn 11d din

and promised to defend him to the u tmost, but in cas e o fattack

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242 The Mong ols

th e conquest of Kuhistan wh i ch the latter had begun two yearsearlier .

,

He had made rather slow progressalone , bu taided byGugaIlgahe captured T un and slewall the people

, exceptingyoung womenand ch ildren . Th is done both commanders joinedHulagu .

Af ter Hulag u had received Shah inshahat headquarters he sent

Rokn uddin this message : Since thou hast sent thy brother withexpress ions of submiss ion we willforgive the crimes committed bythy father . Raze thy castles and come to our camp . No harmwillb e done to the country .

”

When Rokn ud din had demolished severalcastles and dismounted the Alamut gates with those of M eimundizandLemsh er,

Yassaur left Ismailian territory . But Rokn ud din , wh ile givingassurances of obedience ,and receivingaMongolgovernor,askedthe term of one year in wh ich to do homage to Hulagu .

Hulagu sent envoysasecond t ime to induce the Alamut ru ler,through promisesand threats , to vis it him. When these envoyswere return ing Rokn uddin sent with themacous in of his father,and his own viz ir Shems ud din Kileki, who were to present hisexcusesand obtain the delay which heasked for . He beggedalsoto retain the three castles , Alamut , Lemsherand La], engagingin th is case to surrenderallothers . He hoped by th is yielding towin the delay wh ich he needed . He was merely wai t ing forwinter, wh i ch would stop every action in that entire mountainregion .

T he onlyanswer given by Hulagu , who had just captured thecas tle of Shahdiz , wasasummons to his camp pitched at thatt ime near Demavend. Headded that if Rokn uddin neededafewdays to bring hisaffairs into order he migh t have them, b ut he

must send his son s traigh tway .

Rokn ud din , in great dread on rece i ving th is message , repliedthat h e was sending his son ,andalsoacontingent of three hundredwarriors . He declared that h e would demolish castles if the landwere no t invaded. But ins tead of his son he sent his half bro ther,ab oy o f seven years , the son of his fatherandaKurdistan woman .

Hulagu saw the trick , bu t dissembled , was kind to the b oyandsent him bac k saying that the ch ild was too young . He requ iredo f Rokn uddin now his second bro ther, Shah inshah . T h e Alamutchief sent th is bro ther, hoping that his own presence would not

H ulagu Destroys the As sassin Commonwealth 243

b e demanded . Later on winter would come ,as he thought ,andc onfine him to his castle ; it wouldalso ward off every enemy .

At this juncture Hulagu sent Shaninshah to Rokn ud din withthe following message Thou must destroy M eimundiz , andcome qu ickly . If thou come thou wilt find here good treatment ,

if not God knowsandHealone what willhappen .

Rokn uddin repeated his worn out excuses . Hulagu wou ld notrece ive them,

and commanded his troops to march into Rudbarfrom various points s imultaneously, The right wing moved fromMazanderan , the left by the Khar routeand over Lemnan , wh ilethe center went by the Talekan highway . By order of Hulagu ,

whoadvanced with the center, the three hundred men sent byRokn uddin were cut down near Kazvin , slain in secret . ReachingMeimundiz he made atour of the fortress and summoned acouncil . Five days were given Rokn ud din for surrender . If he

yielded in that t ime nq harm would b e done him or his subjects,butafter that termanassault would b e ordered .

It wasanswered that Rokn uddin was thenabsent , that withouthis command no man could surrender . T he Mongols preparedfor immediateaction . Trees were cut downand shapedinto beamsof righ t s ize , borne by men to th e neighboring summitsandmadeinto catapults . Hulagu fixed his tent on the highest pos ition .

On the morrow th e conflict hadalready begun when Rokn ud din

sentamessage declaring that s ince h e knew now where the princewas heasked thatallact ion b e suspended ,and on that day, or themorrow, h e would vis it h eadquarters . Next day h e des ired tosurrender in writing . The vizir AtaulMulk Juveiniwas deputedto frame the surrender . The paper was sent to Rokn ud dinandhe promised to yield up th e stronghold , but when his brother wasleaving th e fortress suchatumultarose that h e was stopped ,andevery man threatened with death who declared for surrender .

Rokn ud din informed Hulagu of th is trouble,and the peril inwhich he then found himself . Inanswer Hulagu begged him not

to expose his l ife needlessly . Meanwhile the catapults weremountedand the following morn inganattack was begun fromallpoints . The combat lasted t illevening and was strenuous on

both s ides . Ataseason when tempestsand snow had t ill thatyear madeallmountain places impassable the weather was favorable for siege workandanewattack . The

'

fourth day was opening

244 The Mongols

when Rokn ud din though t it best toabandon the fortress . He

sent his ch ief men wi th his son to the camp of the lVIongols ,andwent h imself the next morning to fallprostrate in presence of

Hulagu . ‘Vith him went his minister, the famous astronomer,Nass ir ud din ,and two great phys icians , who hadalwaysadvisedasurrender.

Nex t day the Mongols marched into Meimundiz . Hulagutreated Rokn ud din kindly , b ut Mongolo fficers watched himand he was forced to direc t Ismailian commandants to surrender

their fortresses . He h imself had to go wi th Hulag u ’

sagents toeff ect every transfer. More than forty s trong castles surrendered ;allwere destroyed when the ir garrisons had wi thdrawn . Alamut

and Lemsher were the last strongholds left standing and the ircommandants declared that they would yield only when Hulagucame in person ,and Rokn ud din ordered the transfer.

Hulagu set out for Alamutand halted nine daysat Sheherek ,

the ancient res idence of the Dilem rulers , where he celebratedth e happy end of his enterprise . After that heappeared beforeAlamutand sent Rokn ud din to summon his people to surrender.

The commandant refused . Hulagu sent nowalarge corps of mento lay s iege to the fortress . At th is the garrison offered to yield ,and sent deputations repeatedly to Rokn ud din to intercede inthe ir favor,and save them.

Three days were given to remove what belonged to the garrisonpersonally . O n the fourth day the Mongolsand Pers ians marchedin seized what was leftand set fi re to the buildings . Hulagu ,

it is

sa1d, h imself vis ited the fortressand was amazedat the heighto f the mountainsaround it .

T he library of Alamut was renowned in those regions , bu t theviz irand h istorian , AtaulMel ik Juveini, whoaskedand obtainedHulagu ’

s permiss ion des troyed every manuscript wh ich related toIsmailian opinionsand teach ing .

T he foundations o f th is famed fortress were laid in 860 .and thecas tle ,

eno rmously s trong th rough its works and pos ition ,was

richly provis ioned. Th is was the true headand capi talo f thatkingdom o f murder. Connected with the cas tle were greatapartments cut into the rock , fo r s to rage o f provis ions bo th solidandliqu id; o f the latter th ere was wine , honeyand vinegar . It wassaid that those s to res had been put there one hundredand seventy

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244 The Mongols

when Rokn ud din though t it best toabandon the fortress . He

sent his ch ief men with his son to the camp of the h 'Iongols ,andwent himself the next morning to fallprostrate in presence of

Hulagu . \Vith him went his minister, the famous astronomer,Nassir ud din ,and two great phys icians , who hadalwaysadvisedasurrender.

Next day the Mongols marched into Meimundiz . Hulagutreated Rokn ud din kindly , but Mongol officers watched himand he was forced to direc t Ismailian commandants to surrendertheir fortresses . He h imself had to go wi th Hulagu ’

sagents toeffect every transfer . More than forty strong castles surrendered ;allwere destroyed when their garrisons had withdrawn . Alamutand Lemsher were the last strongholds left standing and theircommandants declared that they would yield only when Hulagucame in person ,and Rokn uddin ordered the transfer .

Hulag u set out for Alamutand halted n ine daysat Sheherek ,

the ancient residence of the Dilem ru lers , where he celebratedth e happy end of his enterprise . After that heappeared beforeAlamutand sent Rokn uddin to summon his people to surrender.

T he commandant refused. Hulagu sent nowalarge corps of mento lay s iege to the fortress . At th is the garrison offered to yield ,and sent deputations repeatedly to Rokn ud din to intercede intheir favor,and save them.

Three days were given to remove what belonged to the garrisonpersonally . O n the fourth day the Mongolsand Pers iansmarchedin seized what was leftand set fi re to the bu ildings . Hulagu , it is

sa1d, himself vis ited the fortressand was amazedat the heighto f the mountainsaround it .

T he library of Alamut was renowned in those regions , but theviz irand h istorian , AtaulMel ik Juveini, whoaskedand obtainedHulagu ’

s permiss ion des troyed every manuscript wh ich related toIsmailian opinionsand teaching .

T he foundations o f th is famed fortress were laid in 860 ,and thecas tle ,

enormously strong through its works and po sition ,was

richly pro vis ioned. Th is was the true h eadand capi talof thatkingdom o f murder . Connected with the cas tle were greatapartments cu t into the rock , for s torage o f provis ions bo th solidandliqu id ; o f the lat ter th ere was wine

, honeyand vinegar . It wassaid that tho se s to res had been put there one hundredand seventy

H ulagu Destroys the Assassin Commonwealth 245

years earl ier, in th e days of Hassan Ben Sabah ,and were preservedperfectly owing to th e cleanliness of the place ,and the pure moun

tainair of that region . T h e waters of the river Bahir, conductedto th e foot of the fortress , filledamoat which inclosed half thestronghold .

A Mongol officer of Pers ianand Mongol militianow receivedthe command to raz e Alamut . Much t imeand great labor wereneeded to do this .

Hulagu then went to Lemsh er, butas that fortress would not

yield he left Tair Bugawithastrong corps to take it ,and returned

to h eadquarters where he gaveagreat feast , e ight days in durat ion .

Rokn ud din followed Hulagu to Hamadan whence h e sent

officers with those of Hulagu to Syriato order the commandantsof Ismail ian cas tles in that country to surrender to the Mongols .

Wh ile in Hamadan the late master of Alamut became enamored of

aMongol maiden of low origin . Hulagu gave the girl to himandh e married h er . Thus far th e fallen chief had been usefulto the

hIongolwho hadtreated himwith kindness while commanding himto deliver up strongholds wh ich migh t have stood the s iege foryears had the Ismailians res isted . Wh en he had no further use

for the man he wished to b e rid of him, but he had given suchapromise of safety that he did not like to break his word openly .

Rokn uddin saved him from embarrassment by express ingawishto vis it the court of Mangu ,

th e Grand Khan . Hulagu beyonddoubt suggested this ideavery deftly through others . He sent the

fallen chief with nineattendants of his own people underan escort

of MongolsWh en Rokn uddin reached the Mongolcourt Mangu would not

see him,and said that theauthorities in Pers iashould not havepermitted the journey , which wearied post horses for noth ing .

Rokn ud din turned homeward , but wh en near the mountainT ungat , th e escort cu t him down with hisattendants . Accordingto Rashid , Mangu had himkilled on the way to Mongolia, not wh ilereturn ing .

Since the Grand Khan had given orders to exterminate the

Ismailians , Rokn ud din ’

s subjects had been distributedamongMongollegions . Wh en the Assassin chief had set out on this

journey , which was ignominousand doleful, command was givenMongol officers to slay the Assassins ,and spare no man , woman

246 The Mongols

or ch ild; henceallwere massacred . Infantsat the breast werenot sparedanymore than theirmothers . Notachild orarelativeof Rokn ud din was left l iving .

This last ru ler of the Assass ins wasamong the most loath someof characters in h istory apitiless coward who had caused th edeath of his own father, killed the murderer of that father withouttrial lest he tell what he knew of his master’s evil do ing , andburned the ch i ldren of the murderer with the corpse of th eirfather lest they too migh t expose him. He gaveaway power withoutan effort to save it,and lost his own life with indignity.

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24 8 The Mongols

I have no wish to rouse war, that scourge ofallnations . I desireno t that troops should at my command wring curses from mysubjects , espec iallyas Iamafriend to the Grand Khan ,as wellasto Hulag u . If thou sow seeds of friendsh ip how canst thou b econcerned with the moats and ramparts of Bagdad ? Walk inthe ways o f peaceand return to Khorassan .

”

Three o fficers carried th is answer ; they went with Hulagu ’

s

envoys , who were met outs ide Bagdad by an immense mass of

people who covered them with insults , tore their clothes , spat inthe ir faces ,and would have slain themallhad not guards rushedoutand saved the men promptly .

T he Kalif isas crookedasabow , said Hulagu on recei vinglVIostassim’

s sharpanswer, bu t I willmake himas straightasanarrow . Heaven has given the Empire of the earth to Jinghis Khanand his descendants . Since your mas ter refuses submiss ion to

th is power,” added he to the envoysat parting , war isallthat

remains to him.

Mostassim in doubt what to do turned to his viz ir whoadvisedhim to send precious gifts to the Mongols . There is no betteruse for wealth ,

”

said he ,“than to spend it in defending the

Kalifat .

”

T he chancelloraccused the viz ir of h igh treason ,andaddedWe hold every road touch ing Bagdad ; if giftsare se it out to

the enemy we willse ize them.

”

T he Kalif told the viz ir that hisfears were unfounded , that the Mongols would merely threaten ;that should they make bold to move on the Abbas ids they wouldrush to their own certain ru in .

Sule iman Shah , the ch ief general , and others has tened to the

viz ir and stormedagainst the Kal if , saying Given over tobu ffoons and to dancers he has no mind left for warriors or

seriousness . If measures b e no t taken immediately we shallseethe foeat our gates ,and Bagdad will su ffer the fate o fallc itiestaken by Mongols ; ne ither h igh nor low , rich nor poor will escapedeath by mas sacre . Weareable to collectalargearmy ; we holdallapproach es ; we may fallon the enemy and triumph , or if

fortune sho uld failus we canat leas t die with honor .

”

T hese wo rds were brough t to the Kalifand roused him. He

charged the viz ir to make levies , s trengthen Suleiman ,and guardwithallpower the safety o f Bagdad. T he viz ir made the levies ,

Destruct ion of the Kalifat 249

but made them very slowly . The troops were ready onlyat theendof fivemonth s . Even then the neglectfu l Mostassimwould notgive the co in needed . Mongolspies knew what was happeningatallpo ints . There was no chanceat that day to stop Hulagu ’

s

armies , or surprise th em.

The Kalif sent envoysasecond t ime to warn Hulaguagainstwar on the Abbas ids whose house would endure,as h e said, tillthe end ofallages . Cases were cited of those who had touchedthat sacred house to their own ghastly ru in , the last be ing ShahMohammed, who died in dire misery onan island of the Caspian .

Keep their fate in mind if thou has t their plans in thy counsel .”This was the Kalif ’s sharp warn ing .

Hulagu paid smallattent ion to warn ings of that kind . He waspreparing troops .to besiegeagreat city which might have manydefenders . His chief camp wasat Hamadan ,and Bagdad must betaken , hence his first po int was to seizeallthe roads between thosetwo cities . One road, that over which the left wing of hisarmymust travel, layamong mountainsand over high passes , snowcoveredalmostatallt imes . In these difficult districts was the fortress Daritang which commandedadefileandguarded Arabian Irakat its boundary . In Daritang the commandant Ake wasamanwho had griefs of his own brough tabout by the Kalif . Hulagusent for this person , seduced him with favors , engaged him to

yield his own fortress ,andwin over other commandants if poss ible .

Onceat home Ak é felt his heart change ; he repented . Throughafriend h e made knownat Bagdad the plans of the enemy ,anddeclared that if the Kalif would send him one corps of trained horsemen he would furn ishahundred thousand good warriors , TurkmansandKurds ; with these h e would stop every Mongoladvanceagainst Bagdad. This o ff er was laid before the viz ir, but theKalif refused it . Hulagu knewallth ese details soonafterandsentastrongmounted force to settle with the Daritang commandant . T he Mongolon nearing the fortress called out the com

mandant to consult with him,as he said . Aké appeared andwas seized that same moment . If thou wish to save lifefor thyself , and save also thy office , call out all thy people :weare takingacensus .

”

Aké was submiss iveand called out the

people . If faithful, thou wilt tear down the fortress .

”

T he

commandant saw that he had been discovered , st ill he obeyed

250 T he Mongo ls

calmlyand had the fortress demolished . Then he was slain withallthe men under him,andalso his household . Emir Said , Ak e ’sson , fled quicklyand wanderedabout in the mountains , but hesough t safety in Bagdadat last where they killed him.

T he Daritang road once secured , Hulagu called in theastrologerwhom the Grand Khan , his brother, hadgiven him, to choose dayspropitious foraction ofallsorts . Th is man ,areligiousadherentc f the Kalif ,and bribed perhapsalso , predicted six great calamitiessh ould Mongols lay s iege to the capitalof Islam. Nassir ud din ,

th e as tro loger of Alamut , aShiite , was summoned . Hulaguasked him : Will these six th ings predicted come true ? Surelyno t one of them.

” What then will happen ? T he c ity of

the Kalif willb e taken by Hulagu ,

”

replied theadherent of Ali.Nass ir then met the otherastrologerand overcame him by namingthe Kalifs who hadbeen killed without caus ing calamity tomankind.

Command was now given the Mongols to converge upon Bag

dad. Those in Rumand the West were to march through Mosul,

halt somewhat west of the capitaland encamp there . These men

would form the right wing of Hulagu ’

s army . Th e left wingwould march on the road by Daritang to camp northeast of thecapital. Hulagu h imself was to b e in the center, hence he took .

the road through Heulvan by wh i ch Mohammed Shah hadadvanced when he met his disas ter . From Essed Abad new envoyswere sent to the Kalif inviting him to vis it headquarters . Mostassim refused this , but promisedanannualtri bute if Hulagu wouldleadawayallhis warriors . The princeanswered that be ing so

near he could not go back without see ing the Kalif . But beforego ing farther Hulagu despatchedath ird embassyask ing to sendthe viz ir, wi th the chancellor .

Meanwh ile Luristan in greater part had been taken by the

Mongols . Wh en the righ t wing was drawing near on the southern

bank o f the Tigrisarealpanic seizedallpeople who were li vingin that region and immense crowds sough t refuge in Bagdad.

Such was the panic that menand women rushed into the waterin the ir greatanxiety to cross the ri ver. Rich bracelets ,

orallthegold co ins wh ichaband could grasp , were given gladly to boatmen

forapas sage to the ci ty .

Now the chancellor who wi th the general, Feth ud din , hadanarmy disposed on the Heulvan roadway , moved to mee t this

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252 The Mongols

b ut these two hadno more success than the o thers . On the following day Hulagu sent two messengers into the city with th is order

Bring to me Suleiman Shah wi th the Chancellor. The Kalif maycome , or no t come ,as he chooses .

” These two men were brough t ,and then sent back to the city to say toallpeople with whom theyhad contact that they would b e taken to Syria,and were to issueforth through the gates without h indrance . In the hope of findingsafe ty in some place many persons left Bagdad . These peoplewereall parceled outamong Mongol divis ions ,and died by thesword every man of them. T he Chancellor was put to deathfi rst, then Sule iman was led with bound hands into Hulag u ’

s

presence . Since thou hast knowledge of th e stars , why not

.see the fatal day coming ,and give to thy sovereign due not ice ?asked the Mongol. The Kalif was bound by his destiny , andwould not hear faithful servants , ” replied the commander .

Suleiman was put to death , and his whole household died withhim, seven hundred personsallcounted . T he son of the Chancellordied with the others .

It was the Kalif ’s turn then ; he went forth with his three sons

from Bagdad, three thousand persons went with him, h igh digu itariesand officials . Wh en heappeared before Hulagu the princeaskedabout his health veryaffably ,and then said that he must

proclaim to the city thatallmen were to lay down theirarms ,andcome out to b e counted . hf ostas sim returnedand proclaimed tothe people of Bagdad that whoso wished for his l ife had to lay downhisarmsand repair to the camp of the Mongols . Thenallpeople ,

both warriorsand c ivilians , pressed in crowds toward the gates of

the city . When outs ide they were slaugh tered , slain every one of

them, save the Kalifand his sons who were taken to the armyon the left wing , and guarded there s trictly . From thatmoment the h igh priest of Islam could see his own fate veryplainly .

Th ree days later on began the sackand the pillage of Bagdad .

Th e Blongols rush ed in fromalls ides s imultaneously ; they sparedonly houses o f Christiansand those o fafew foreigners . O n the

second day of the c i ty ’s undo ing Hulagu went to the palace inBagdadand gaveagreat feast to his commanders ; toward the

end o f that feas t the Kalif was brought in to s tand before Hulagu .

Thouart mas ter o f th is house ,”

said the conqueror, Iam the

Destruct ion of the Kalifat 253

guest in it . Let us see what thou hast which might b eagoodandproper gif t to me .

”

The Kalif had two thousand rich robesand ten thousand golddinars brough tandmany rich jewelsalso . Hulagu would not lookat them. O ur men ,

”

remarked h e, will fi ndallwealth of thatk ind , wh ich is for my servitors . Show hidden treasures .

”

The

Kalif described thenaplace in the courtyard . M en went to workstraightwayand dug t ill they came to two cisterns filled with goldpieces , each pieceahundred miskals . In various parts of the

palace the Mongols found goldand s ilver vessels ; of these theymade no moreaccount than if they had been tin or copper.

Hulagu desired then thatallpersons in the harem b e counted .

Seven hundred womenand slave girls were found there,and one

thousand eunuch s . The Kalif begged to have those women givenhim who had never been under sunlight or moonligh t directly.T he conqueror gave him one hundred . M ostassim chose relat ivesand they were led forth from the palace . Allthe Kalif ’s besttreasures were taken to Hulagu ’

s camp ground. Around the immense tent of Jinghis Khan ’

s grandson were piled up greatmasses of wealth ,

beingaport ion of that which the Abbasids hadtaken frommen during halfamillennium.

The sack of the city cont inued seven daysand nigh ts in suc

cession ; most of the mosques were burned during that t ime . Adeputation came then to b eg pity of the conqueror . Seeing thatthe place if h e spared it might yield him some profit h e relentedafter e igh t hundred thousand human be ings had been slaughtered .

Those who had hidden from death came forth now into daylightwith safety ; few were they in numberand pit iful to look at .Many Christ ians hadassembled in achurch strongly guardedand were saved from deathand every evil by the Mongols . The

Nestorian Patriarch had power to effect this . A few wealthyMoslems had entrusted the best of th eir treasures to th e Patriarchto keep for them; they had hoped to survive , butallperished .

Hulagu withdrew to the village of Vakaf , some distance fromBagdad , because theair of the city had grown pestilent ial andloath some . He summoned Mostassim. T he trembling Kalifasked Ibn Alkamiyaif there was no way of salvation . My beardis long,

”

replied the viz ir, referring toataunt of the chancellor]!1 u Long b eard, sh ort wit ,”an Arab ic proverb.

254 The Mongols

The Kal ifand his eldest son were placed each inafelt sack ,andtrampled to death under horse hoofs . Mostassim’

sattendants werecut down , and slaugh tered by various methods . Next day the

youngest son of th e Kalif died ,andallof the Abbasids whosenames were on the l ist of that rul ing family were then put todeath .

The Kal if , whosemotherwasan Eth iopian slave , was the th irtyseventh of his l ine . He was forty- six years ofage when he died ,February 21 , 1258 , afterare ign of fifteen years . Hulagu appo inted new dignitaries for Bagdad . The old viz ir, Ibn Alkamiya,was continued in office . Among newmen was one qu ite deservingof notice ; th is was Ben Amran , prefect ofaplace east of Bagdadand touch ing it . Th is man had beenaservant to the governor ofYakuba. O ne day when stroking the soles of that governor’sfeet to bring sleep to him Ben Amran himself began to slumber .

Roused by his master he said that he had just hadamarvelousvision . What was it like ? ” asked the governor. I thoughtthat Mostassimand the Kalifat were gone , and that I was the

governor of Bagdad . His master gave him inanswerakick of

such force that he fell over backward. Be ing in Bagdad duringthe s iege days Ben Amran h eard that provis ions were scarce inth e camp of the Mongols . He t iedaletter toanarrowand shot

it over the wallwith this message If Hulagu would learn some

th ing of value let him send for Ben Amran .

”

T he le tter was takento the Mongol,and he sent for Ben Amran . T h e Kalif , who wasfoolish inallth ings , permitted the man to go from the c ity . Whenbrough t to the ch ief o f the hlongols he declared that he couldobtainagreat s tock of provisions . Hulagu , though not greatly believinghis phrases , sent him o ff with an o fficer ; Ben Amran took theman to large underground granaries near Yakubawhere there

was wheat enough to supplyallthe Mongols forafortnigh t,andthus he enabled Hulagu to continue the s iege without trouble .

Ben Amran rece ived the reward o f his treachery , and now wasmade prefect .

Ilm Alkamiya, the viz ir, wasaccused of treason bo th before thefallo f the ci ty ,andafter ward Foralong time the books used in

schools bo re th is sentence Cursed of God b e he who curses

no t Ib n Alkamiya. ” O n the Friday nextafter the death of the

Kalif these words were pronounced in place of the usualinvoca

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256 T he Mongols

which he neededand was seeking . T h e brothers were reconciledand Rum was divided between them.

Hulagu now summoned Bedr ud din Lu lu of Mosul to his presence . Th is prince was then more than eigh ty years oldand verycraf ty . He had beenaslave of Nur ud din Arslam, Shah of Diarbekr , whoat death left himas guardian to his son Mas sud. Lulugoverned Mosul for th is Mas sudwho died in 1218 leaving two sons

of tender years . These boys followed their father to that other

existence before two years had passed ,and the former slave becameso vere ign . He had reigned in Mosul forty years lacking one ,

before coming to Hulagu ’

s presence with splendid giftsandapparently unl imi ted obedience . When leaving Mosul, Lulu

’

s

friends were in dread for his safety , but he calmed them,and gavethisassurance : I willmake the Khan mild ,and even pullhisears wh ile I speak to him.

”

Lulu was rece i ved by Hulagu very graciously and when the

officialgifts hadallbeen del ivered h eadded : I have someth ingfor the Khan ’

s person spec ially , ” and he drew forthapair of goldearrings in wh ich were set two pearls of rare beauty . WhenHulag u hadadmired them Lu lu continued : If the Khan wouldb u t grantme the honor to put these two jewels in theirplaces I shouldb e exalted immediately in the eyes ofallrulers ,and in those of mysubjects . Permiss ion was granted , so h e took th e Khan ’

s earsandput the two rings in them very deliberately . Then h e glancedathis own su ite , thus telling them that h e had kept h is s trangeprom1se .

T he fate of both Christiansand Jews had been painf ul andbitter under Abbas id dominion . Favor and solace now camefrom the Mongols . T he invaders cared no moreat that time forChristians than for the followers of Mohammed , but whenattacking new lands it was to their interest to win populations whichwere hostile to the dominant nation . T he pro tection o f the con

querors , and the shattered condition of Islam,weakened by such

dire devastation , had roused hopesamong Christians to dominatetho se who had trampled them for centuries . Upon the cho icewh ich the conqueror would make between the religions their fatewas depending ,and the issue o f that s truggle to win the Mongolswas for some time uncertain

, b ut surely momentous .Christians

o f the Orient ,as wellas Crusaders , were rejo iced to see Hulagu

Destruction of the Kalifat 257

making ready to march upon Syr ia,and to them it seemed sure

that they saw inadvance the destruct ion of Islam in regions whereChristian blood had been shed soabundantly .

On the eve of this Mongolinvas ion Syriawas ru led by Salih ,

adescendant of Saladin , but Saladin ’

s grand- neph ews had lost

Egyptalittle before that . Wh ile th earmy of Saint Lou is was inDamiettathe Sultan , Salih , died His death was keptsecret t illhis son Moazzam Turan Shah shouldarri ve from his

appanage between the two rivers , that is the EuphratesandTigr is .

T h e French army was ruined , and Saint Lou is was captured.

Three weeks later on Turan Shah fellby th e daggers of men who

had beenMameluk chiefs in the reign of his father . He hadwishedto replace these by friends of his own , so th ey slew him. Afterth is deed the chiefs gave allegiance to Shejer ud dur, the lateSultan ’

s slave girland concub ine . She had en joyed his fullconfidence,andwas governing till Turan Shah might reach Cairo .

Eib eg ,aMameluk chief , was elected commander . Shejer uddurnow married Eib egand when three month s had passed she re

s igned in his favor . In mount ing th e throne the new Sultan tookth e t itle Moiz z , and choseas associate El Ashraf , an Eyubite

prince six years old, the great - grandson of Kamil the Sultan .

This revolution, which placedaMameluk chief on the throne of

the Eyubites , shows how powerful th ese warriors had become thenin Egypt . Saladin ,

on gaining power in 1 169, had disbanded th e

troops of the Fatimid Kalifs . Those troops were negro slaves ,Egypt ians, and Arabs , and h e put Kurds and Turks in theirplaces . This new force was formed of twelve thousand horsemen .

Saladin ,and the Sultans who followed him, were fond of buyingyoung Turks , whom they reared very carefully to military service,but Salih , rul ing sixthafter Saladin , preferredMameluks to others .

Before coming to power th is prince had tested the Mameluksandesteemed th em; when Sultan h e increased the number of themgreatly , by purchase . Th ese new men were brought from regionsnorth of the Caucasusand the Caspian , from those tribes knownin the Orientas Kipchak ,andas Polovt si by the Russians . At

first it was difficult to obtain them, butaf ter the Mongol invas ionof Russiayoung prisoners were sold in large numbers into Egyptand Syria. Salih hadathousand , whom he lodged in the fortressof Randhat , onan island in front of Cairo ; he called them the

258 The Mongols

Bahriye , or men of the ri ver. Th ese young slaves were broughtup in the practice of arms ,and in the religion of Islam. T he

guard of the Sultan was composed who lly of Mameluks . Salihchose from the ir ch iefs the great officers of his household,and hismost trustedadvisers . Theyattained the h ighest military offices ,

enjoyed the ri chest fi efs , and rece ived th e best revenues ; theysavedEgyptatMansura,and did most to destroy the Frencharmy ;their power lay in esprit de corps and ambition . Their ch iefsrose to domin ion in Egypt ,and then pu tacheck on the Mongols .

Syriabelonged now to Nas s ir Salah ud din Yusseif , who fromhis father, Az iz ,agrandson of Saladin , inherited the principalityo f Aleppo in 1236, and took in 1250 , after the slaying of TuranShah , the principality of Damascus , wh ich belonged to the Sultanof Egypt . Mas ter now of the best part of Syria, Nass ir Salihundertook to drive from the throne of Egypt the Turkish freedman , who had recently usurped it , but he was beaten by Eibeg,andan envoy of the Kalif proposed mediation ; peace was made ,andNassir 125 1 ceded to the Sultan Jerusalem, Gazaand the coastup to Nablus . Faris uddin Ak tai ,agreat ch iefamong Mameluks ,

wasassassinatedat command of Eib eg , whom he had o ffended .

Seven hundred troopers of th is ch ief and some Bahriye officers

fled,among others Beibarsand Kelavun , both of whom occupiedthe Egyptian throne later on . They left Cairo in the night,went to Syria,and obtained of Prince Nass ir permiss ion toappearat his court . They rece i ved money , robes of honor, and then

theyadvised him to march on Cairo . Nass ir was distrustful ofthese men ,against whomEib eg had roused his suspicions by letter,but he made u se of the incident to demand back the lands wh ichhe had ceded to Egypt , because the Mameluks who had receivedthemas fi efs were now in his service .

Eib eg gave back the lands ,andNassir confirmed the Mameluks

in the use of them. But those ri ver Mameluks did no t remainfai thful to Nass ir, s ince they though t him too feeble for theirpro jects . They went toanother Eyub ite , Mogith Omar, Princeof Karak ,andasked him toaid in theattack upon Eib eg ,allegingfalsely that they had been called to thataction by generals inCairo .

Mogith , ason o f the Sultan Adi], had been confined byTuran Shah in the cas tle of Shub ek ,

when Turan had been

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260 T he Mongols

vo ice gives out th e sligh test of murmurs ? ’ Weare honest, hencegive you th is warning .

Since Nass ir had no hope ofaid to fight Hulagu he chose tomake common cause with every Mohammedan ,and sent backabraveanswer . Th eseare some words of it : Ye say that Godhasremoved from your hearts every pity . That is the condition of

devils , not sovereigns . But is it not strange to threaten lions withbru ises , tigers wi th hyenas , and heroes with clodhoppers ? Re

sistance to you is obedience to the Highest . If we slay you our

prayers have beenanswered ; if ye slay us we go into paradise .

We willnot flee from death to exis t in opprobrium. If we sur

vi ve weare happy ; if we die weare martyrs . Ye demand thatobedience wh ich we render the vicar of the Prophet , ye shallnothave it ; we would rather go to the place in wh ich he is . Tellthe man 1

who indited your message that we care no more for hiswords than for the buzz ofafly or the squeak ofaPers ian fiddle .

”

Hulagu gave command to hisarmy to march into Syria. He

summoned Bedr ud din Lulu , who , excused because of greatage,had to send his son , Mel ik Salih Ismail, with the troops of Mosul .When th is young manarri vedat the camp of the Mongols Hulagumade him marry adaugh ter of Jelalud din , the las t Shah of

Kwaresm. KitaBugawent with the vanguard , Sinkur, adescendant of Kassar ,andBaidju led the right wing , the left was commanded by Sunjak . Hulagu set out with the center, September12 , 1259 . He passed Hakkar, whereallKurds whom they metwere cut down by the sword , not one man being spared . On

entering D iarbekr Hulagu took Jeziret on the Tigris ,and sent

his son Yshmut with Montai Noyon to take Mayafarkin ,an old

and famous town north east of Diarbekr, whose Eyubite prince ,KamilNas ir ud din Mohammed, he wished to punish for hosti lityto the Mongols . He was all the more angry s ince th is manhad been recei ved well years before that by Mangu the GrandKhan ,and given letters wh ich put his lands under that sovereign ’

s

protection . Hulagu accu sed Kamilnow of crucifyingaSyrianpriest , who had come to h is court with the Grand Khan’

s safeconduct ; with having expelled Mongol prefects ,and with havingsentacorps of troops to help Bagdadat demand of the Kalif

'Thls man was Nas sir ud din th eas tronomer who had beenat Alamut,andhad conf ounded theas trologer favorable to the Kalif .

Destruct ion of the Kalifat 261

these troops when they had gone half the distance turned backon learn ing that the capitalhad fallen . T o fin ishall, Kamilhadbeen in Damascusasking Prince Nass ir to march on the Mongols .

It was at th is t ime that Hulagu sent his son to punish PrinceKamil, who had barely returnedwith vain promises when he foundh imself sealed inat Mayafarkin securely .

Hulagu summoned next to obedience Said Nedjmud din el

Gaz i,Prince of Mardin . That prince sent his son , Mozafl’er

Kar Arslan , his ch ief judge ,andan emir with presents ,andaletterin wh ich healleged severe illness as his excuse for not givingpersonalhomage . Hulagu sent th e followinganswer, making thejudge goalone with it to his master : T h e prince says that heis ill, he says this because he fears Nass ir of Syr ia,and thinks thatif I should triumph h e must b e friendly with me h ence h efeigns th is illness ,andif I fail h e willb e on good terms with Nassir .

”

The son of Bedr ud din Lulu was sentagainst Amid . Hulaguh imself took Nisibin . He had encamped close to Harran , andreceived the submiss ion of its people, who were spared,as werealso the inhabitants of Koha, who followed the example of Harran ;but the people of Sarudj, who sent no deputat ion to b eg for th eirl ives , were cut down with the sword every man of them.

Hulagu ’

s march spread dismay throughout Syr ia. Prince Nassirhad spent his time thus far in discuss ing with Mogith . T he yearbeforeacorps of three thousand horsemen came to Syria; thesewere deserters from Hulag u ’

s army, so called Sheherzurians ,

doubtless Kurds of Sheherzur . Nassir took these men to his service ,and gave them good treatment ; on hearing that they wishedto desert him for Mogith b e doubled his bounty, but stilltheypassed over to Mogith . With these men and the Mameluks

PrinceMogith considered that he could master Damascus . Nass irwent out to meet himand camped near Lake Ziza. He staidthere six month s discuss ing conditions with Mogith , throughenvoys . It wasagreedat last that the latter would yield up his

Mameluks to Nass ir,and discharge the Bahriyes .

This treaty concluded, Nass ir went back to Damascus . On

learn ing that Hulagu was at Harran , he consu lted his generalsand resolved on resistance . Nass ir fixed his campat Berze , ashort distance north of Damascus , but he could not confide inhisarmy ; volunteers , TurksandArabs , h e knew that his generals

262 The Mongols

and soldiers greatly feared Hulagu ’

s victors . He h imself wasaman of weak character who roused no respect in hisarmy .

See ing Nassir’salarm, Zein ud din elHafi zzi, the vizir, ex tolledHulag u ’

s greatnessand counseled submiss ion . Indignantat th isanemir, Beibars Bundukdar, sprang up one day, rushedat the vizir,struck the man , cursed him,and said that he wasatraitor seekingthe destruction of Islam. Ze in uddin complained to Nassir of th eseinsults . Nas s ir himself wasassailed that same nigh t inagarden,

by Mameluks , who had determined to cu t him down immediately,

and chooseanew Sultan ; he barely succeeded in fleeing to thecitadel , but returned later on to the campat the prayer of his

officers . Beibars left for Gazawhence he sentan officer namedTaibars to Mansur the new sovereign of Egypt with his oath of

fidelity .

Atacouncil, held to discuss coming perils , it was settled withoutany dissent , that the prince , his off icers ,and his warriors shouldsend th eir famil ies to Egypt . Nass ir sent th ither his wife ,adaugh ter of Kei Kobad , the Seljuk Sultan , he sentalso his son ,

and his treasures . Next followed the wives , sonsand daughtersof o fficers ,andagreat throng of people . The fears of individualswere commun icated to thearmy , officers went ,as if to take farewellof their families , but many of those oflicers never returned to theirplaces . Thus Nass ir’sarmy was disbanded .

Nass ir nowaskedassistance of Mogith ,and besides sent Sah ibKemaluddin Omar to Cairo to obtainaid from the Sultan . Eib eghad just been slain by the hands of Shejer ud dur , his wife ,who , convinced that he was ready to slay her, had been too qu ickfor him. Prompt punishment was inflicted : Shejer was given tothe widow of Sultan Az iz , who ,as sisted by eunuch sand females ,beat her to death , stripped her bodyand hurled it over the wallto the moat of the fortress , where it lay severaldays wi thout cloth ingor burial.Eibeg

’

s son , Mansur,aboy fifteen years ofage , was raised to thethrone , wi th Aktai ,aformer comrade of his father,as guardian , or

Atabeg , to be followed soon by Kutuz , who hadonce beenaslave ofhis . When Nas sir’s envoyarrived the Egyptian generalheld counci lin pres ence o f the Sultan . At the counci l th is ques tion was putto the ch ief judgeand the elders : Is it possible to levyalegalwar tax on the nation ? ”

T heanswer was thatafter needless

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264 T he Mong ols

left garrisons in El Biret , Nedjram, Joab er, Kallomkos ,andLash ,

having put to the sword the ir inhabitants . After that he marchedwithallhisarmed strength on Aleppo .

The terror wh ich preceded the Mongols drove multitudes of

people from the city to seek shelter in Damascus , wh ile still greaternumbers were fleeing from Damascus to Egypt . T h e season waswinter, many perished from cold on the journey , the majority hadbeen robbed of their property ,and to complete the ir distressandgreat wretchedness the plague was then raging throughout Syriaand worst ofallin Damascus .

O ne Mongoldivision came nowand camped near Aleppo , apart of it marched on the city from wh ich the garrison salliedforth followed by volunteers from among the lowest people .

These, finding the enemy superior in numbers , and resolute ,

returned through the gates very qu ickly . Next day the bulk of

the Mongoldivision approached the walls closely . The ch iefsof the garrison went ou t to the square where they counseled .

Though Prince Moaz zam Turan Shah , the governor, had forbiddenattacks onan enemy so evidently superior,apart of thetroops ,and with themacrowd of common people , marched out

to the mountain Bankussawh ich they occupied . See ing Mongolsadvancing , some of those on the mountain hurried down toattackthem. T he Mongols turned to flee , the others pursued f )l‘ thespace ofan hourand fell intoanambush . Those who escapedfrom the trap fled back toward Aleppo , pursued by the enemy .

Whenabreast of Bankussathe people who had remained on the

mountain rushed down toward th e gates of the city ,andagreatnumber perished . That same day the Mongolsappearedat Azay ,atown somewhat north of Aleppo ,

and took it .

Inafew days Hulagu cameand summoned Prince Moazzam,

its governor, to surrender : Thou canst not res ist us , ” saidHulagu .

Rece iveacommandant fromus in th e city ,andone in the citadel .Weare march ing now to meet Nass ir ; should he be defeated thecountry willb e ours , and Moslem blood willb e spared by thee .

If weare beaten thou canst expelour commandants , or kill them.

”

T he Prince of Erzen ur Rumbore th is summons to wh ich Moazzamanswered : There is noth ing between theeandme but the sabre .

”

The walls of Aleppo were s trong ,and inside wasagood stockof weapons . The besiegers made in one nigh tafi rm counter wall;

Destruct ion of the Kalifat 265

twenty catapu lts were trained on the c ity, wh ich was taken byassault on the seventh day of investment January 25 , 1260 . WhenAleppo had been sacked during fi ve daysand n ights ,andmost ofthe inhabitants had been cut down ,

Hulagu proclaimedan end to

th e massacre . T he streets were blocked up with corpses . Onlythose men escaped who found refuge in four houses of dignitaries ,inaMohammedan school,andasynagogue ,allthese were safeguarded . O ne hundred thousa’nd womenand ch ildren were soldinto slavery . Th e walls of Aleppo were leveled, its mosques weredemolished, its gardens uprootedand ru ined. O ne month lateron the citadelyielded. The victors found immense booty in the

strongholdandalso manyart isans whom they spared for captivity .

Prince Nass ir was in his campat Berze near Damascus , when hereceived news of the sack of Aleppo . His generaladvised to

retreat upon Gazaand implore the Sultan Kutuz forass istance .

Nass ir left Damascus defenselessand set out for Gazawith the

Hamat Prince, Mansur,andafew others who had clung to him.

By Nassir’s commandallwho could go to Egypt were to start:immediately . Terror reigned in Damascus ; property was sold

forasong , wh ile the value of camels was fabu lous .

Nass ir haltedashort t imeat Nablus , and when on the wayfrom that c ity to Gazatwo officers whom he had left there withtroops were captured by Mongols and slaughtered . Th is swiftapproach of the enemy made him retire to ElArish , wh ence hesent an envoy to Sultan Kutuz , imploring him to send succorqu ickly .

Af ter Nassir had gone Zein uddin elHafi zzi, the vizir, closed thegates of Damascus ,and decided with the notables to surrender to

the envoys who had been sent by Hulagu to see Nass irat Berze .

Henceadeputat ion of the most distingu ishedmen went with richpresentsand the keys of the city to Hulagu ’

s camp near Aleppo .

Hulagu putamantle of honor on the chief of these men , andmade him grand judge in Syria. Th is cadi returned to Damascusimmediatelyand calledanassembly . Appearing in the mantle ,he read his diploma,andan edict which guaranteed safety toallmen . But in spite of grand words of th is kind consternationanddread were universal.

Two commandants came now, oneaMongol , the otheraPers ian , who gave orders to follow the wishes of Zein uddin elHafi zzi,

266 The Mongols

and treat the inhabitants with justice . Soonafter th is KitaBugaarri ved with abody of Mongols , safety was proclaimedat hiscoming ,and respect for l ifeand property . The c itadelrefused tosurrender but was takenafter s ixteen days of s iege labor . The

commandantand hisaid were beheadedat Hulagu ’

s direction .

Ashraf , the Eyubite princeand grandson of Sh irkuh , whoafterthe departure of Nassir for Egypt went to give homage to Hulagunear Aleppo , had been reinstated in the sovereignty of Hims ,wh ich Nass ir had taken from him twelve years before

,giving

Telbashir in exchange for it . Hulagu now made Ashraf his ch iefl ieutenant in Syria. Ashraf arri vedat Merj -Bargut and KitaBugacommanded Zein uddin elHafi zziand the otherauthoritieso f Damascus to yield up their power to him.

Af ter reducing Aleppo Hulagu movedagainst Harem,afortresstwo days ’ journey toward Ant ioch . T he garrison was summonedto surrender with apromise under oath that no man would b einjured . T he defenders replied , that the rel igion wh ich Hulaguheld was unknown to them,

h ence they knew not how to cons iderhis promise , but ifaMoslem wou ld swear on the Koran that theirl ives would b e spared , they would surrender the castle . Hulaguasked whom they wishedas the man to give oath to them; theyreplied Fakh r ud din Saki , last commandant in the citadelof

Aleppo . Hulagu sent th is man with directions to swear to everyth ingasked of him. O n the faith of his oath the place was del ivered . Allthen were ordered to go forth from Harem. Hulagu ,

angry that his word had been questioned , put Fak hr ud din to

death straigh tway, and slaughtered the whole populat ion , not

pitying even infants . He spared one person only ,an Armenian,

ajeweller of skill , whom he needed .

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268 The Mongols

to order the commandant to surrender that fortress to the Mongols .

T he commandant obeyed after certain res istance and Ajalon ,

that s tronghold bu ilt by Iz iz ud din , one o f Saladin ’

s emirs, was

leveled to the ground. T he Mongols hadashort t ime beforetaken possess ion of Baalbekand ru ined that cityand its ci tadel.KitaBuganow sent Nass ir to Tebriz with his brotherand Salih ,

son of the Hims prince . Mogith , Prince of Karak , sent his son

Az iz ,ab oy six years ofage , with him. When they passed throughDamascus Nassir was greatlyaffectedand when he saw the ru insof Aleppo he wept, unable to restrain his grief .

Hulag u received Nass ir welland promised to reinstate him in

Syriawhen he should subdue Egypt .Egypt, up to that timearefuge for those who were fleeing from

Blongols , now felt the terror ofathreatened invas ion . T he M on

gols had conquered alllands invaded by th em thus far, h encemos t men felt certain that they would take Egypt . T he Africansl iving in Cairo returned to the ir distant homes because of th isconviction . Soon after Hulagu ’

s departure for Persiaenvoysannounced th emsel ves in Cairo , and summoned the Sultan to

obedience ; war was threatened in case of refusal. Kutuz calledagreat councilimmediately to decide upon finalaction . Nass irud din Kaimeri,aKwaresmian generalwho had just left the service o f Nass ir, favored war and declared for it .

“No one ,

”

he

said , could believe Hulagu who has broken faith with the Alamut

ch ief , wi th the Kalif , with Ake , commandant o f Dari tang , andwith the Prince of Erbil. Beibars , the emir from Damascus ,called for waralso After some debate every ch ief presentagreedwi th the Sultan . I t is well,

”

said Kutuz . We take the field .

Victors or vanqu ished we shall do our whole duty,

and Moslems

hereaf ter willnever make mention of usas of cowards .

I t was then decided that Hulagu ’

s envoys must die ,hence they

were thrown in to prison to awai t execu tion . T he Sultan madeimmense efl

'

orts ; b e levied tribute , illegal in Islam; h e taxed .

revenues , he taxed h eads , bu t that was s tillinsuff icient ; then heseized the goods o fallwho had desertedNass ir for his sake . Nass ir’s w i fe had to yield upapart of her jewels ; o ther women wereforced to make s imilar sacrifices . Those who did not part withthe ir jewels willingly were ill- treated . When ready for march ingKulux tookan oath o f fideli ty from his generals ,and set out from

Victory of Kutuz , Sultan of Egypt 269

his castle called th e Castle of the Mountain July 26, 1260 . His

forces ofahundredand twenty thousand strong were composedo f th earmy of Egypt , of Syrians who had passed to his service , ofArabs ,andalso of Turkmans . On the day of departure he hadthe chief Mongol envoyand the three next in dignity beheaded ,o ne in each quarter of Cairo . T h e four h eads were exposedat thegate of Zavila; of the twenty- six envoys remain ing he spared onlyo ne ,ayoung man whom he placed inacompany of Mameluks .

A summons was issued throughout Egypt for every warriorto march in that struggle for Islam. All had to go , ifany mantried to h ide h imself the bastinado was used on him withoutmercy .

Kutuz sentan envoy to demandaid of Ashraf of Hims , the ch ief

governor of Syriaunder Hulagu ’

s orders ,and Said , who had beenliberated from prison in ElBiretand had rece ived Sebaib etandBan iasas his port ion . Saidabused the envoy , but Ashraf receivedhim, and in private prostrated himself in his presence throughrespect for Kutuz , who had sent him,

andadded inanswer to themessage : I kiss the earth before th e Sultan ,and say to him,

that Iam his servant ,and subject to his orders . Iam thankfulthat God has raised up Kutuz , for th e succor of Islam. If he

combats the Mongols our triumph is certain .

”

At Salahiyet Kutuz held acouncil; the greater part of the

leaders refused to go farther ; they wished to waitat Salahiyet .

O chiefs of Islam,

”

said the Sultan I march to th is holy war,the man who is willing to fight in it willfollow me ; hewho is

unwillingmay return , but Godwillnot take his eye off that recreant .

O n his h ead willb e counted th e dishonor of our womenand themin of our country .

” From every leader who l iked him h e tookan oath th en to followand next morn ing he sounded the s ignalto marchagainst the Mongols . The ch iefs who had wished not

t o go were borneaway now by the example of oth ers ; the wholearmy moved forward and entered the desert . Beibars , whocommanded the vanguard, had, with other Bahriyan ch iefs,qu itted Nassirand joined Kutuz , who gave him the district of

Kaliub asan income . Beibars found the Mongolsat Gaza, butt hey left th e place straightway ,andhe entered it unopposed . The

Sultan made onlyabrief haltat Gaza,andmovedalong near thec oast l ine . KitaBuga, who heardat Baalbek of this host ilead

270 T he Mongols

vance , sent his family and baggage to Damascus , collected histroops ,and set out to encounter the forces of Egypt .The twoarmies saw each other first on the plain of Ain Jalut(Fountain of Goliah ), between Baissanand Nablus . Before thebattle Ku tuz spoke with great feeling to his generals ,and strengthened them for the conflict . He mentioned the peoples whom the

Mongols had ru ined ,and he threatened his hearers with the samelot unless they won victory . He roused them to l iberate Syria

,and

vindicate Islam; if not they would earn Heaven ’

s wrath anddire punishment . Moved by his words they shed tears ,and sworeto doallthat was in them to hurl back the enemy .

T he twoarmies met September 3, 1260 . T he Egyptians enteredthe battle without confidence . At first they were timidand con

fus ionappeared in the left wing wh ich turned to flee ; at thatmoment the Sultan cried out O God, give Thou victory to thyservant Kutuz . He charged then in person , cu t into the th ickof the enemy ,and performed miracles of valor . He chargedagainandagain , encouraging others to meet death ,and fear noth ing .

Meanwhile the left wing had rallied , re - formed,and reappearedon the battlefield. Th ese warriors fough t now with invinciblefury ,and stopped not till they had broken the ranks of the Mon

gols , who fledafter having lost most of the ir officers . Ki taBugawas killed in the action . A Mongol divis ion entrenched on aneighboring he igh t wasattacked , and cut to pieces . T he emir,Beibars , surrounded the fugitives , of whom only avery smallnumber escaped . Some hidamong reeds near the battle- ground ;Kutuz set fi re to the reedsandallthose men perished . When the

great battle was over the Sultan came down from his horse ,andreturned thanks to God inaprayer of two verses . Prince Said ,who had fough t on the s ide o f the Mongols , came now to sur

render . O n dismounting he went to the Sultan to kiss his hand ,but Kutuz kicked his mouth ,and commandedan equerry to cut

his head o ff immediately,In the rage of that terrible battle the young Mongol placed by

Kutuzamong Mameluks foundachance ,as h e though t, toavengehis fath er ; but one o f those near him seiz ed his hand in time toturn as ide the missile which , miss ing Kutuz , killed the horse on

wh ich he was riding .

T he camp of the Mongols , their women , and ch ildren , and

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272 The Mongols

the government of Aleppo , and failing to get it , conce ived suchresentment that with six other malcontents he formedaplot toassass inate the Sultan .

Between Koissemand Salahiyet the Sultan lef t his road forashort hunting trip ; the conspirators followed tillthey foundhimun

attended. Beibars thenapproached Ku tuzand begged forafavorwh ich was granted ; he took the Sultan ’

s hand to kiss it ; that mo

ment one of th e six struck Ku tuz on the back of the neck withasabre ,asecond man pushed him down from the horse , ath irdpierced his body withanarrow,

and Beibars withalas t blow tooklife from the Sultan ,

October 25 , 1260 . T heassassins left the bodyo f Kutuz where h e diedand hastened on to his campat Salahiyet .

Th ey entered the Sultan ’

s pavilion and immediately set aboutenthroning Bilhan ,an emir, the most cons iderable personamongth em. Fariud din Aktai , the Atabeg , ran inandaskedwhat th eywere do ing . Taking th is man for Sultan ,

”

said theyas th eypo inted at Bilbau .

“ What is the Turk usage in cases of th iskind ? inqu ired Aktai . T h e slayer succeeds ,

”

was theanswer.

\Vho slew the Sultan ? That man ,

”

said they po inting toBeibars . T h e Atabeg took Beibars by the handand led him to

the th rone o f the Sultan I seat myself here in the name of the

Highest ,”

said Beibars now give your oath to me .

”

I t is for

thee to swear first ,”

sa1d the Atabeg , “to treat them with loyalty

and give themadvancement . T he new Sultan made promisesin that senseand swore to them, the others then gave their oatho fallegiance .

Af ter th is unexpected enthronement Beibars s tarted for Cairowhere hearri ved justat midnigh t . The city had beenadornedatallpo ints for Kutuz , the deliverer of Islam. T he people werewaitingand expecting to see their famed ruler,and rejo iceat thevictory of the faithful . What was the ir wonderandamazementwhen heraldsat daybreak pas sed throughallCairoand shou tedO people , implore divine favor for the soulo f ElMozaffer Ku tuz ,and pray for Ez Zah ir Beibars your new Sultan .

”

Allwere in great cons ternation for they feared the Bahriyansand the ir tyranny . Beibars ,aman of the Kipchak ,

or Polovts i

Turks , had been soldat Damascus for e igh t hundred drachmas ,b u t the purchas er found awh i te spo t on his eyeand broke thebargain . He was bough t then by Emir Eidikin Bundukdar ;

Victory of Kutuz , Sultan of Egypt 273

f ollowing Mameluk usage h e called h imself Beibars elBundukdari . In 1246 the Eyubite Sultan , Salih , disgraced Eidikin , tookhis Mameluk ,andadvanced Beibars untilh e became oneamongth e h ighest Bahriyans .

Beibars now made his old ownerageneral ,and gave him the

government of Damascus . Hulagu had given Damas cusand itsprovince to Prince Nass ir,and had sent him fromHamadan ,

withan escort of three hundred Syrians , on the eve of the day when newscame that the Mongols were crushedat Ain Jalut . It was suggested to Hulagu then byaSyrian that Nassir on getting Damascuswould join Ku tuz surely . Thereupon Halagu sent three hundred

Mongols on horseback to follow Nass ir . They came up with the

prince in the mountains of Salmas where they killed him, andspared no man of his su ite except theastrologer, who gave thehistorian Bar Heb raeus the details of this slaugh ter . Hulaguwas impatient to avenge the defeat of Ain Jalut , but , occupied

greatly by the death of Mangu , h e could not beginan expeditionat that t ime .

As we have stated , Mayafarkin had been summoned to surrenderand then besieged by Yshmut while his father, Hulagu , wasadvancing on Aleppo . Prince Kamilof Mayafarkin gave thisanswert o the summons : I have learned from the fate of other sovereignst o put no trust whatever in Mongolsand willfight to the utmost .

”

I nflaming th e courage of his people, h e openedallhis suppliesand every treasure , not wish ing ,as h e said , toact like th e Kalif ofBagdad who lost lifeandan Empire throughavarice . He began

‘

byasortie , in which h e slew many bes iegers . He had in his serviceaman of rare skillin hurling great stones with catapults .

T h is man did immense harm to theassailants ; th ey too hadaman of muchart in this matter whom they got from Bedr ud din

Lulu , late prince of Mosul. It is said that once the two men dis

charged the ir enginesat th e very same instantand the two stones

from their catapults met in theairand sh ivered each other to

fragments . Two champions of wonderfulstrength came out of

Mayafarkin each t ime withasortie, and never retired till th eyhad left on the plain many Mongols . The s iege turned in timeto ablockade , and with the blockade appeared famine . T he

bes ieged were forced to eat dogs , cats , shoes ,andat last theyatepeople . Af ter the blockade hadcont inuedafullyearandres istance

274 The Mongols

was ex hausted , the inhabitants sent to Yshmut declaring that th erewere no more defenders in Mayafarkin . He sent O roktu Noyon ,

who found only seventy half famished people . T he Mongolsrushed in to pillage . T he two champions went toahouse topwhence they killed menas they passed them; surroundedat lastth ey refused to surrenderand died figh ting desperately . In the

spring of 1260 the famous old town of Mayafarkin was in the

possess ion of Mongols . Prince Kamiland nine Mameluks werecaptured, taken to Telbashir,andled into the presence of Hulagu ,

who put Kamil to death inahorrible manner : bits of flesh weretorn from his bodyand thrust down his throat untillife left him.

His head , cut offandfixed onalance , was borne from Aleppo to

Hamath ,and taken finally to Damascus . There it was carriedthrough th e streetsand tambourinesand s ingers moved before it .At las t it was t ied to the wall next the gate ElFeradis (Paradise)where it hung t illKutuz made his entry after the victory of Ain

Jalut . T he Sultan had th is head placed in the mausoleum of

Husse in , son of Ali.

O f the n ine Mameluks in Mayafarkin e igh t were put to death .

T h e last man was spared because he had been ch ief hunter for thePrince of hfayafarkin ,and Hulagu took him into his service .

Yshmut nowattackedMardinat command of his father. Hulaguhad invited Séiid of Mardin to come to him, b ut S

'aid was distrustful, and sent his son Mozaffer, to render homage at Aleppo ;Hulagu sent him back to Mardinand said Tellthy father tocome ; prevent his revoltand thus save him. T he father wouldnot lis ten and imprisoned Mozaffer ; then Hulagu sent troopsagainst Mardin . T he place was onaheigh t beyond reach of pro

jectiles ,and theattackers were forced to blockade it . At the end

of e igh t month s an epidemic and famine had produced fearfulravages ; Prince Said died of the malady or, as some h istorianss tate , of po isonadministered by his son . Mozaffer was set free

thenand surrendered ; Hulagu gave him Mardin wh ich he kepttill his death in 1296 .

After the capture of Bagdadand the destruction of the Kal ifatAbulKas s in Ahmed, an uncle o f the Kalif Mostassim, had suc

ceeded in escaping and had foundarefuge among Bedu ins inIrak till 1261 , when he went to Damas cus attended by Arabs .

Beibars sent ordersat once to treat th is descendant o f Abbas wi th

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276 The Mongols

goldand s il ver coins fromabove on his person ,and thus interruptth e discourse wh ich he was gi ving .

Beibars now formed for the Kal if ahousehold with all theofficers , horsemenand servants wh i ch were requ is ite . Headdedone hundred Mameluks , each having three dromedaries andthree horses ; h e gavealso two thousand mounted warriors ,andabody of Bedu ins .

The Sultanand the Kal if left Cairo for Damascus September 4th ,

1262 . O n the 10th of October the Kal if took the road for Bagdad, attended by the generals Seif ud din Bilban and Sonkorof Rum who had been deputed to go with him to the Euphrates ,and to hold themselves ready to follow into Irak at the firsts ignalfrom the Kalif .

T he three sons of Bedr ud din Lulu , then princes of Mosul ,Jeziretand Sindjar, set out with the Kalif , but haltedat Rahbahdespite his entreaties , leaving with him, however, sixty Mamluks .

Mostansir was jo ined at that place by Yezid,an emir who wasch ief of the Al Fazl,and had with him four hundred Bedu ins,and by Eidikin ,an emir who brought with him th irty horsemenfrom Hamath .

Advancing by the western bank of the Euphrates they metatAnathe Abbas id Iman , Al Hakim,attended by seven hundredTurkmen ; Al Buruml i , the Marmaluk ch ief who had seizedcommand of Aleppo in spite of the Sultan , had made Al Hakimset out with these horsemen . T h e Kalif overtook Hakimand hispartyat the ri ver where the seven hundred Turkmen deserted .

Thereupon Hakim adhered to Mostan sir, and was ready toas sist in installing himat Bagdad . T h e people of Anahad re

fused to recei ve Hakim. The Sultan of Egypt . they said , hadrecognized aKal if who was coming ; to himalone would theyOpen the gates of the ir city .

When Mostansir appeared he was met with due homage .

Haditseacted like Ana, but Hitt refused stemly to open its gatesd was taken by violence . T he Kalif entered the city November

24 with his warriors , who plundered both Christiansand Jews without mercy .

KaraBuga, the commander o f those Mongols who guardedArabian Irak , hearing of Mostansir’sapproach marchedagainstAnbar wi th fi ve th ousand cavalry . Anbar was friendly to th e

Victory of Ku tuz , Sultan of Egypt. 277

Kalifandmigh t give himaid. KaraBugaentered the c ity ona.sudden and cut down the people on all s ides . Bahadur Ali ,governor of Bagdad, went hitheralso with the troops in his garrison . These two commanders after jo in ing the ir forces nearAnbar encountered the new Kalif who , ranging th e Turkmans onhis right , the Arabs on his left , charged himself in the center .

Bahadur’s troops took to fligh tand th e greater part threw themselves into the ri ver . KaraBugaput some of his forces inambushand waited . When the Turkmenand Arabs met the Mongolsthey fought very little ,and ru shed off in panic . The center, now

left unsupported, was surroundedand overpowered , crush ed intodisorderand cut to pieces . Th e Kalif was lost in that chaos ,andwas never seenagain . According to some he was killed , others

said that h e escaped to Arabsanddied of his wounds whileamongthem.

lVIostansir was ,as is said ,aman of great strength and goodcourage , with aloftiness of bearing very different indeed fromMostassim, the last Kalif of the Kalifat , who was trampled to deathunder horsehoofsat Hulagu ’

s camp ground . But whatever hismerits th isadventure reached theacme of folly . It is difficult toexplain how th e Sultan of Egypt withallhis shrewd manag ementcould have spent so much treasure onajourney foredoomed b eyond doubt to disaster, unless h e hadas inister mot ive in the

enterprise ,and wished it to end in the destruction of that Kalifwhom he had perhaps inaugurated through diplomacyand for hisownaggrandizement . One h istorian declares that Beibars wassending ten thousand warriors to set up the Kal if in Bagdad,andgiving himasaids the Prince of Mosulandhis brothers , when one

of these warned the Sultan that the Kalif if settled in Bagdadmight take Egypt from him. We may we ll suppose that Beibars

ed simply to establish his own power with firmness , andgive himself freedom in Islam,and that h e wished to be rid of the

new Kalif soas to put in his placeaman who could not be strong ,and who would b e obedient . Hakim, who met the late Kal if atAnbar, claimed to be fourth in descent froml\/Iostershedwho wasslain in 1135 by the Assass ins . This Hakim now fled to Egypt,where Beibars rece ived him with distinct ion and gave himares idence in th e palace calledMunasiralKeb esh . His duties weres imply to legitimize with the holiness of Is lam the Sultan of Egypt ,

278 T he Mong ols

and ward offallFatimid pretens ions . His power beyond that wasas noth ing . He was styled Shadow of God upon Earth ,

Rulerby command of God.

”

He l ived th is life for forty yearsand wasfirs t in that line of Egyptian Kalifs who were puppets of the

hiameluke sovere igns . An end was put to that l ine only whenEgypt was conquered by Selim I .and the Turkish Sultans tookto themselves the Kal ifat, and became the successors of Mo

hammed .

Salih , the eldest son of Bedr ud din of Mosul , metaworse fateby far than the Kalif . Soonafter theaccess ion of Beibars Salih ’

s

brother Said , who had been driven fromAleppo by the Mamelukes ,went to Egypt , whence he wrote to his bro theradvis ingavis it toBeibars , who when h e had conquered the Mongols could makeSalih ruler not of some petty place in theWest but of great Easternregions . Th is letter was kept very carefully by Salih , who took itto bed with him. Ibn Yunus ,an official who had beenagreatpersonage in Bedr ud din ’

s day , stole it from under the coverletwhile Salih was sleeping . He set out immediately for Baashikahisbirthplace in the province of Nineveh .

O n miss ing the letter Salih sent two slaves to Baashika. Ibn

Yunus , fearing dire punishment if caugh t , turned toward Erbilandat Bak teli, on th e way , headvised one Abad Ullah to flee withallhis people without waiting , for Salih would destroy every Christiand escape straightway to Egypt . He fled then to Erbil .Meanwh ile Salih , fearing lest Ibn Yunus migh t give theletter to

the Mongols , withdrew with his son , Alai ulMulk , toward Syria.Turkan Khatun , his wife ,

would not go with him. She t e

mained in Mosul with Yasan ,the Mongol prefect . She and

Yasan shut the gatesand preparedadefence for the city . O ne of

Salih ’

s o fficers , Alam ud din Sanjar, left him wh ile journeyingandreturned to occupy Mosul . He found the gates closedand beganto attack them. Thisattack las ted severaldays unsuccessfully .

At las tanumber of citizens threw the gates openand he entered .

The prefec tand Salih ’

s wife fled to the c itadel.Sanjar killedallthe Christians who would notaccept Islam,

hence many renounced the ir religion to save themselves .

Meanwh ile the Kurds attacked places in the surroundingco untry ,and slewagreat number o f Christians . They took the

Kudidaconvent by stormand put to death many of its inmates .

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280 T he Mongols

tan would send reinforcements . The defence wasabrave oneandeffective . O ne day eigh ty Mongols succeeded in scaling the bulwarks , b u t were killed every man of themand their heads shot outfrom catapults to their comrades .

Samdagu felt need of re inforcements wh ich came to himpromptlyfrom Hulag u . At last the Sultan commanded Akkush , who wasgovern ing Aleppo , to march on Mosuland relieve it . He set out,

and sentapigeon with news of his coming . Th is bird settleddown , byawonderfulchance, onacatapult in Samdagu ’

sarmy,

was caugh t ,and through the letterattached to it gave notice not

to the Prince of Mosul but to Samdag u .

Samdagu sent straigh twayas trong corps of warriors to beatAkkush back and destroy him if poss ible . The Mongols wereplaced in three ambushes where they waited . T he Egyptianssu ffered partly from theseambushesand partly fromafierce windwh ich blew in th eir faces

,and hurled clouds of sand at them.

T he Sultan ’

sarmy was slaugh tered exceptamere remnant . T he

Mongolsattacked then the people of Sinjar, killed nearlyallthemenand seized captive the womenand children . Next they puton the clo th ing of Akkush

’

s dead warriors and moved towardMosul. When nearing that city they were seen from the watchtowers by the people , who mistook them for forces sent by theSultan , and went out in large numbers to meet them Thesec itizens were surrounded immediately by the Mongolsand slain toth e very las t person .

When the s iege had continued six months the fierce heat of

summer was ragingand each s ide ceased itsaction . T he Mongo lcommandermadeapromise to sparealland send Salih to Hulaguwitharequest for fullpardon . Thereupon Salih yieldedand sent

to Samdagualetter containing the terms of surrender .

He went to the Mongolcamp from the city June 25 , 1262 , withpres ents and dainties , preceded by dancers , musiciansand harlequins . T he Mongolcommander, forgettingallpromises , wouldnot rece ive Salih , or lookat him, naymore , h e put the prince underastrong guard immediately .

But Samdagu reas sured the people ; they were to b e of goodcheer he declaredand fear noth ing . Meanwh ile they mus t teardown the wallsand remove them. They did th is work straigh tway,andwhenallwas cleared,and the whole place was laid open,

Victory of Kutuz , Sultan of Egypt 28 1

amassacre began in that woebegone city . Nine days did thatterrible slaughter cont inue , t illthe sword had fin ished every one .

Mosulwas deserted , notasoulnow remained there . It was onlywhen the Mongols hadmoved faraway that eight or ten hundredpeople who had h idden in the h illsand in caverns crept outandcame back to inhabit the city .

The first governor of th is spectraland death - stricken Mosulwas that Ibn Yunus who had stolen the letter from Salih andbetrayed him.

Salih was sent to Hulagu forajudgment . The sentence wasrevoltingand h ideous . The late Prince of Mosul was deprivedof his cloth ingand wrapped inasheepskin just stripped from the

animal. Th is skin was fastened firmly round Salih who, exposed

to the sun of July in that climate, suffered terribly . T he skin wassoon covered with alife most repulsiveand theallconqueringworm now l ived with Salih . The Prince had passed awholemonth in that horr ible sheepskin when death came to him.

His son , Alai ud din ,aboy of three years , was sent back toMosuland put to death there . They made the ch ild drunk , t iedcordsaround his middle very tigh tly in such fash ionas to forceupward his entrails ; they then cut his bodyacross into two piecesandhung one on each bank of the Tigris , onagibbet . Mohai , sonof Zeblak , who with others had opened the gates to Salih , wasbeheaded.

Samdagu after his triumph at Mosulmarched on to Jeziret

to wh ich he laid s iegeall~ the following winterand springandapart of the summer of 1263. Th is place was saved from destruc

t ion by the bishop , Hanan Yeshua(Grace of Jesus),aNestorian ,

who through his knowledge ofalchemy wasafavorite of Hulagu ,

to whom he went straightwayand obtainedayarlyk , or decree

securing their lives to the people . Th e gates were thrown open toSamdagu , who had the walls leveledat once . Gulbeg ,an officerof the Jeziret prince , wasmade governor, but Samdagu on learn ingsoonafter that Gulbeg had given the late prince ’s messenger goldwh ich that prince h imself had secreted , put Gulbeg to deathpromptly .

About th is time Salar of Bagdad,adeserting emir, went fromIrak to Egypt . Th is man wasanat ive of Kipchakand had oncebeenaMameluk of Dhah ir, the Kalif ,and from him rece ived rule

282 T he Mongols

over Vassit , Knietand Hillet ; th is b e retained under Mostassimand Mostansir. After the ru in of Bagdad by Hulagu ,

Salarjo ined his forces with o thers in res isting the Mongols , but findingthat they had not strength to doanything effective he went to thedesert of Hidjazand was six months in it whenamessage fromHulagu bestowed former rule on him. He went and took it .

When Beibars became Sultan he wrote to Salar repeatedly invitinghim to Cairo . Salar was inclined to the vis it but deferred it ; hewished to secureallhis treasures .

hieanwhile the Sultan said one day to Kilidj of Bagdad : Salarthy friend is coming to see me .

” I do no t th ink he willcome ,

”

said the other, he is ruling in Irak , why leave what he has wh ichis certain for someth ing in Egypt ? Very well,

”

said the Sultan ,

unless he comes of h imself I will force him.

”

Beibars then sent

amessenger to Salar with letters ,as it were in reply to some others ;

he sentasecond manalso to kill the firstas soonas he crossed

Salar’s boundary ,andleave the man where he fell wi th the lettersupon him. Allthis was doneas Beibars had commanded. Mon

goloutposts discovered the bodyand searched it . The letters weresent to the court for perusal. In Hulagu ’

s service there were sons

o f former Mameluks of the Kalif . These men told Salar directlywhat had happened and h e knew straigh tway that Beibarshad tricked him. He received soon an order to appear atthe Mongol court , bu t fearing death there from Hulagu he

fled to the Sultan of Egypt , leaving beh ind both his family andproperty .

Beibars recei ved him with distinction and bestowed on the

fugi tiveamilitary command withafi ef of good value .

Hulagu was stopped now very seriously in his plansagainstSyriaand Egypt by the Golden Horde K han ,

Berkai, his cous in ,

so n o f Juch i . T he death o f Batu , 1255 ,was followed qu ickly

by that o f Sartak his sonand successor. Nextafter Sartak cameSartak ’

s infant son , Ulakchi, under the care of his mo ther. The

ch ild died some months laterand Berkai, the th ird son of Juch i ,was put on the throne in 1256 . Berkai had been converted toIslamand was spreading its doctrines effecti vely . Strong throughsupport o f Mangu , the Grand Khan , whom he had helped to

the Empire ,Berkai now reproached Hulagu with needless cruel

t ies , with slaugh ter o f bo th friends and enemies ; with the

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284 The Mongols

and for three days continued to drink ,and to yield themselves upto every indulgenceaccess ible .

Allonasudden Nogai reappeared with hisarmy . Hulagu ’

s

men were surprised near the riverand thoroughly defeated (January 13, The only escape for survivors was to cross thefro zen river . They tried th is , the ice brokeand immense numberssank in the Terek . Hulagu returned to Tebriz greatly grievedandcas t down by the overthrow,

b ut b e summonedat onceanewarmyandavenged his wrath on those merchants of Kipchak whom hefound in Tebrizat his coming . He put them to death ,and thenseized their property . Berkaianswered straigh tway by killingalltraders with in his reach who were subjects of Hulagu ,and livingin Kipchak . Hulagu next killed Bokharapeople . Po pulat ionhadgrown in that city , though not greatly , s ince its ru in . It reachedseventeen thousandaccording toacensus . O f these fi ve thousandwere subjects of Kipchak , three thousand belonged to Siurkukteni,the mo ther of Hulagu ,and the rest to the Grand Khan . Hulagucommanded that those fi ve thousand subjects of Berkai be drivento the plains near the city ; there the men were slaugh tered withswords ; the womenand ch ildren were reduced to captivity .

In 1Q64 , the year following , report ran that Nogai was to leadanattack on lands south of the Caucas us . W

'

h ile Hulagu waspreparing to meet th is , Jelalud din , son of the second chancellorto the late Kal if , told Hulagu that there were thousands of

Kipchaks then living in Pers iawho would serve in the vanguardwi th readiness . They knew northern methods of warfare , andwould b e ,as he said , of use beyond o thers in the campaignagainstBerkai. Hulagu sent th is man to summon those warriors , andcommanded that supplies , arms , and money b e given him in

sufi ciency ,and that no one should thwart him.

When Jelalbadassembled those people of Kipchak he declaredthat Hulagu would put them in the vanguard to b e slain there .

I do not wish th is , said he . Fo llow meandwe willfree our

selves fromMongols .

”

He gave the men moneyandarms fromthe treas uryandarsenals of Bagdad ; then , he told the commandantof the city that to gather provis ions he was makingaraidagainstKafadje Arabs , at war wi th Hulagu ; that done , he wouldmarch toward Sh irvan . He crossed the Euphrates ,allhis menfollowing , taking with them their familiesand baggage . Then he

Victory of Kutuz , Sultan of Egypt 285

declared to th em that he was going to Syriaand Egypt . Hulaguwas beside h imself withanger when he learnedof Jelal’s treachery .

Beibars , th e shrewd Sultan of Egypt , noting Hulagu ’

salertness ,and the movements of Berkai, which migh t mean ,as he thought ,an invas ion of Syria, sent mountedmen toward the boundary of

Persiato reconno itre . Later on h e commanded the people of

Damascus tomove to Egypt with their families for safety ,and thusleave more food for his warriors . He instructed the governor of

Aleppo to burnallthe grass in the regions toward Amid . Thiswas done to the width of ten days ’ journey . Informat ion came nextto the Sultan thataKipchak detachment hadappeared in histerritory . Th ese men , people told him, were subjects of Berkaiand were from the cont ingent given Hulagu on his coming toPersia. Berkai had recalled th em, if stopped they were to takerefuge in Egypt .

The Sultan commanded his officials to treat these men well, togive them provisionsand clothing . Th ey came to Cairoabouttwo hundred strongand under four captains . Each captain t e

ceived the land given to commanders ofahundred . Beibars gavealso clothing , horses and money . All became Moslems . This

generous treatment induced others to seekanasylum in Egypt .

Wh en he had talked with these strangers concern ing theirsovereignand country th e Sultan resolved to send envoys to Berkai. He chose for th is offi ce Se

’

if ud din Keshrik ,aman who hadonce served Jelalud din the Kwaresmian Sultan ; he knew the

country to wh ich h e was sentand its language . Madjd uddin,ajuris - consu lt, went with him. Twomen of th e Kipchaks who hadreceived hospitality from Beibars wereattached to th e party . The

envoys borealetter from Beibarsassuring Berkai of the Sultan’

s

good feel ingand urging him toactagainst Hulagu .

The Sultan ’

s troops made up of many nations were lauded ; hisvassals , Mohammedanand Christ ian, were ment ioned ; the letterended by stat ing thatabody of warriors had vis ited Cairoanddeclaring themselves subjects of Berkai, had been received gladlybecause of him. T o this letter the pedigree of the new Kalif ,Hakim, wasadded .

The envoyand hisassociates set out for the Volga, but werestopped in Greek regions by the EmperorMichael 1 who had com

MichaelPalalogus .

286 The Mongols

plaintsagainst Berkaiwhose troops had been raid ing his possess ions . Michael had sent some t ime beforeaGreek document inwh ich he had sworn peaceandamity to the Sultan .

Beibars summoned straigh tway the Patriarchand bishop to gettheir dec is ion on oath breaking . They declared that by breakingan oathasovereignabjures his rel igion . Beibars sent to the Emperor this document s igned by the Patriarchand bishops ; he sent

alsoaletter to Berkai, in wh ich he implored him to stopallattackson the Empire .

Michaelnow freed the envoys , who sailed over the Black Seaandlandedat Sudak whence they crossed the Crimeaandwent toSarai s ituated somewhat east of the Volga. They were twenty daysmak ing that journey . Berkai ’s viz ir, Al EIN SSl, went out to meetthem. When instructed in Sarai ceremonial they were taken to

Berkai, who was inatent large enough for fi ve hundred persons .

They left beh ind every weaponand were carefulnot to touch thethreshold wh ile entering . Presented on the left of the throne theywere taken with the su ite to the right of it ,after the letter fromBeibars had been read before Berkai. At the right of the Khansat his principalwife . Fifty or s ixty high officers occupied stoo lsnear him.

Th e Khanaddressed several questions to the envoys . He didnot detain themat Sarai without needand sent with them envoysto the Sultanat Cairo where Seif uddinarrivedaf teranabsence oftwo years .

About six months af ter the Sultan’

s men had started fromCairo two envoys fromBerkaiarri ved in that city ; both men wereMussulmansand had passed through the Byzant ine capital . O ne

wasan officer, Jelaluddin clKadi , the otheraSheik , Nur uddin

Ali. Beibars , who had jus t come from Syr iaafter the taking of

Karak , gave themanaudience in the Cas tle of the Mountain inpresence o f his commandersandanumerousassembly .

Berkaiannounced inaletter that he with his four bro thers hadrece ived Islam. He proposedanallianceagainst Hulagu ,askingto sendacorps o f Egyptians toward the Euphrates . He expressedalso inte res t in one of thc Rum Sultans , Yzz uddin,andaskedBeibars toaid him.

Th e Sultan gave these envoys from Berkai many proofs of

munifi cence ,andwhen they were go ing b eadded his envoys to the

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28 8 T he Mongols

Beibars , informedalways wi thaccuracy of what was happeningnear his borders , hadalready commanded troops in HamatandHims to march on Aleppo . Egyptian troops followed qu ickly .

T he Armenians were surprised,and put to fl ight wi th some loss .

Hayton summoned in seven hundred Blongols , who were in

Rumat that juncture ,andadvancing , was jo ined by one hundredand fifty fromAntioch . Th is littlearmy encamped on the steppeso f Haremwh ere it suff ered from rain , snowand scant foodandwasat las t forced to retreat , los ing meanwh ile many warriors .

Hayton hadathousand Mongolcoatsand caps wh ich h e puton his men to make it seem that Mongol troops had come to him.

Th is trick merely brought more Egyptiansagainst him. TheyattackedHayton in forceand dispersed his smallarmy ;after thatthe Sultan ’

s men rushed into An tioch lands ,and committed greathavoc .

Beibars was informed now by secret servants in Irak that Hulaguhad sent twoagents to corrupt leading offi cers of Egypt ,and thatthese men would vis it Sissas they traveled . Th is news was con

firmed by hisagents in that capitalof Armen ia. The Sultan learnedafterward fromAcre that those twoagents had gone to Damascus ;h e commanded toarrest them directly . Brough t to Cairo theycould not deny theaccusation , so Beibars hanged them p romptly .

The Egyptians intercepted th is same yearaletter fromHulagu toMogith , Prince of Karak ; t his seemedananswer to some com

munication , from wh ich it migh t be inferred that the prince hadbeenasking the Mongols to take Egypt ,andalso Syriato Gaza.Beibars set out straigh tway for Gaza,and feigning great friendsh ipfor Mogith invi ted him to Gaza. M ogith made the vis it , b ut themoment he entered the camp he was seized .

Beibars next summoned the ch ief judge of Damascus , theprinces , feudatories , commanders and no table persons , alsoEuropeanambassadors ,and had Hulagu ’

s letters to Mogith readin the ir presence . He declared thereupon that th is le tter wasthe cause o f the prince ’

s de tention . After that he se ized Karakand returned to Cairo where he took Mogith

’

s l ife wi thout waiting .

Hulagu was interested greatly during the last year o f his rule

in bu ildingapalace at Alatag , and in finish ing the observatoryat Meraga. T hough no t ascholar h imself h e l iked to con

verse with learned men , especially as tronomersandalchemists ,

Victory of Kutuz , Sultan of Egypt 289

but beyondall the latter, who had known how to captivatehis fancy ,and on whom b e expended large sums of money .

Administration had now, become greatly important .Hulagu ’

s rule extended from the Oxus to Syriaand the

Byzantine Empire . He gave his eldest son , Abaka, Mazanderan ,

Irakand Khorassan ; to Yshmut his th ird son ,Azerbaidjanand

Arran ; to Tudan , one of his commanders , Diarbekrand Diarrabiat up to th e Euphrates ; Rum he gave to Moyin ud din Per

vane ; to the Melik Sadr uddin , the province of Tebriz,andEars

toan emir, Ikiatu . According to Rash idhe gave Kerman to T ur

kan Khatun ,b ut th is is questioned by some h istorians . In 1263

he hadput to death his vizir Se'

if uddin Bitikdjiwh ile on themarchfrom Shemaki to Derbend , and put in his place Shems ud din

Juve‘

ini, whose brother, Ala'i ud din , AtaulMulk , was madegovernor of Bagdad . Th is same year Hulagu condemned to

death Ze in ud din Muyyed Sule iman , son of the emir ElAkarbani, better knownas ElHafi zzi,aname wh ich he had takenfrom his formermaster, Prince Hafi zzi. He wasaccusedof havingturned to his own profitapart of the income from the province of

Damascus . Hulagu reproached him for his perfidy . Thou hastbetrayed me, said he

,thou didst betrayalso Prince Nassir,

and before him Prince Hafi zzi, and earl ier thanallthe Baalbekprince .

The death sentence wh ich struck down El Hafi zzi includedhis family, his brothers , his relat ivesand clients , fifty personsinall. Only two escaped , one was his son , and the other his

nephew .

The troubles in Farsat th is t ime roused Hulagu ’

sattention verykeenly . Th e princes of that region were subject to Mongol domin ion fromth e first . After the death , in 1231 , of theAtabeg of Fars,said Abu Bekr, his sonand successor, sent his brother T ehemtenwith his homage to Ogotaiandalso rich presents . The GrandKhan gaveapatent of investiture with the t itle Kutlug Khan .

Fars had been saved by prompt submiss ion from every Mongolhostility . Its sovereign paid the Grand Khan each year th irtythousand gold dinars , asmall sum if the wealth of that regionb e considered ; presentsalso were given .

Wh en Hulagu came to the T ransox ianaAbu Bekr’

s nephew,

Seljuk Shah , came with rich presents to greet him. Seljuk Shah

290 T he Mongo ls

was b efi ttingly received at the Oxus by Hulagu ; b ut wasaf terward imprisoned.

Abu Bekr died in 1260 ,afterareign of th irty years . His son

Said succeeded him but died twelve daysafter reach ing the throne ,leaving ason of tender years in the care of his mother, TurkanK hatun . Th is ch ild , named Mohammed , died in 1262

, and the

Fars throne fell to Mohammed Shah , one of his uncles ,ason of

Salgar Shahand grandson of Said , son of Zengwi. Th is princehad commanded the contingent of Fars in Hulagu ’

s great campaignagainst Bagdad . Brave , but unsparingand dissolute , his tyrannyhad roused great complaints uponalls ides . Called to the campby Hulagu , who fe ignedades ire to consult him concern ing Fat smatters , the prince delayed him under various excuses till TurkanKhatun , now his wife , who was displeased with his conduct , b utespecially with his treatment of h erself , had the man se izedas hewas pass ing the haremand taken to Hulagu , whom she informedthat Mohammed Shah was unfi tted to govern . Th is decis ion of

the princess found favor with Hulagu , so she had h er husband ’

s

brother, Seljuk Shah , freed from prison , and though his temperwas untamedand fiery , sh e married him soonafter .

O ne nigh t when flushed with wineatabanquet Sel juk Shahwas taunted with having risen through the favor o f his wife ,andnot throughany other cause,and when bes ides her conduct wasdescribed ,afi t of fury se iz ed the man . He commandedaeunuchto cut h er head o ff immediatelyand bring it to him. When theblack man brough t the head of the princess , Seljuk Shah tore twosplendid pearls from the ears ,and threw them to mus icians whowere playingat the banquet .When th is raging man heard that Hulagu ’

s prefects in Sh iraz ,OgulBegandKutluk Bitikdji, disapproved of this horribleaction,

ins tead of trying toappease them he killed one with his own hand ,and cu t down the o ther through his servants ; he murderedalsothe peopleattach ed to them. At news of these horrors Hulagucommanded to execute Blohammed Shah , to whom he had justgiven permiss ion to return to his country ,and ordered his generals ,Altadju

iand Timur, to march against Seljuk Shah . Their two

divis ions were to b e s trengthened by troops from Ispahan , Yezd ,Itchand Kerman .

Altadju sent Seljukamessage from Ispahan , stating that if

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292 The Mongols

towards Sh iraz with his followers whoalready formed asmal larmy .

T he Mongol commanderat Sh iraz and Uns Kah tun ’

s ch iefminister took proper measuresandmarchedagainst th is descendant of Mohammed. They met near Guvar . Many thought thatthe Madh i wasass isted by spirits ,and that whosoattacked himwould b e paralyzed . For some time no man in thearmy of Sh irazwould raiseahandagainst Sherif . At last two warriors venturedto dischargearrowsat him, oth ers followed th is example . The

Mongols then charged the insurgents , who fled; Sh erif waskilled in the melee with most of his followers .

At the first news of th is upris ingHulagu commanded to bastinadoAltadju for sparing the people of Sh iraz ,and he orderedatumanof warriors to punish them. Wh en h e learned, however, thatSherif ud din had been slain ,

and that the people of Sh iraz wereinnocent , for the greater part , he recalled his first order .

When Uns Khatun had ruled for one year she was sent to the

Ordu to marry Mangu Timur, son of Hulagu , to whom she brough tarich dowry . Fars was managed thenceforth by the Divan,

though in the name of Uns , who died during 1287 in Tebriz .

With h er died the Salgarid dynasty .

At the end of 1264 the hiongols laid s iege to El Biret . Th isplace was cons idered the master stronghold of Syria. Akkushcommanded for the Sultan of Egypt . T he Mongols filled up the

fosse of the fortress with wood . The bes ieged madeatunnel tothat fosse and burned allthe wood wh ich then filled it . The

Mongols worked with seventeen catapults , but they met fi rmandactive res istance , women showing more courage than men in thatstruggle .

News had reached Beibars earl ier that Franks wereadvis ing theMongols , by letter, to march into Syriaduring spring when the

troops wereat home ,and their horses were out graz ing . As soon

as he heard that the Mongols wereattacking ElBiret , the Sultansentacorps of four thousand to oppose them. He sent four dayslateranother four thousand , who were to reach ElBiret by forcedmarches . Th e Sultan h imself set ou t January 27 , 1265 ,and byFebruary 3 wasat Gaza, where he learned that th e enemy hadraised the s iegeand retreated .

T he Mongolsatapproach of their opponents had removedall

Victory of Kutuz , Sultan of Egypt 293

their catapults , sunk the ir boats ,and fled qu ickly . Beibars gavecommand to bring inarmsand supplies forasiege that migh t lastawhole decade . Three hundred robes of honorandahundredthousand drachmas in money were sent out by him to reward thosewho had fought in ElBiret .

Hulagu died suddenly February 8 , 1265 ,at theage of forty- eight .He was buried on the summit of thatmountainous island calledTalain th e lake of Urumiawhereafortress had been bu ilt to containhis ch ief treasures . According to the custom of Mongols muchgoldandmany gems were placed in the grave with him. Youthfu lmaidens of rare beauty , richly dressedandadorned to the utmost ,

were buriedalive to go with him. Four month sand eleven dayslater died Dokuz Khatun , his ch ief wife , who was aChristian .

Sh e was the grand- daugh ter of Wang Khanand so wiseawomanthat Mangu had in 1253 enjo ined on Hulagu to take no stepwithout consulting her . Rash id ud din states that through h erinfluence Hulagu had favored the Christiansand permitted themto bu ild church es in many parts of the Empire .

The death of Hulagu and his consort was deplored by the

Christians , to whom both had shown great respect . Near th eentrance of Dokuz Khatun ’

s palace wasachurch with its bellwh ich tolledatallseasons . Hulagu had fi ve wives ; from these,

not count ing other women , he had thirteen sons and sevendaugh ters .

Accounts have come down to us of interesting judgments con

nected with Hulagu . O nat ime certain people came to him for

justice ;afile-maker had killedanear relat ive of theirs ,and theyasked that the criminalb e given them for punishment Are file

makers numerous in the country ? ” asked Hulagu . Theyarefew ,

”

was theanswer . Hulagu thoughtamomentandanswered :I willgive youamaker of pack saddles ; s ince thereare many of

these we can spare one more easily than afile -maker .

”

The

friends of the dead man declared that th ey wanted the murderer.

Hulagu would not yield , and gave themacow as an equ ivalent .

A man lost his eye inaquarrel withaweaver,and came to getjust ice : The prince put out the eye ofamaker ofarrows in sat isfact ion . Some oneasked why he did th is .

“ A weaver, ” saidhe , needs both his eyes , wh ile one is enough for thearrowsmith ;

294 The Mongols

healways closes the other when he tests the straightness ofanarrow .

”

A letter without signature or date was sent to Hulagu from 3

Pope , supposed to b e Alexander IV , though ass igned to 1261.

In th is letter the Pope declared his del igh t on hearing that Hulaguwished to b eaCatholic . Th ink ,

” continued b e , how yourpower to subjugate Saracens will b e increased if Christian warriorsassist you openlyand with force ,as with God ’

s grace theywould , sustained by Divine power under the sh ield of Christ ian ity .

In shaping youractions by Catholic teach ing you willhe igh tenyour powerandacqu ire endless glory .

”

Hulagu is credited not

only with favoring Christians , but learned men ofallcreeds .

In the spring of 1266 Berkai beganasecond campaign in landssouth of the Caucasus . Abaka, who was Hulagu ’

s eldest sonandsuccessor, held the righ t bank of the Kur with his forces . Abakasent forward Yshmut , his brother, who met Berkai ’s firstarmycommanded by Nogai . A stubborn engagement took place nearthe Aksu . Nogai’sarmy was forced to retreat on Sh irvan in disorder, Nogai h imself being wounded . Abakanow crossed the Kur,bu t hearing of Berkai ’sadvance with anumerousarmy , b e re

erossedand destroyedallthe bridges .

Berkai came up with his forcesand the twoarmies camped on

oppos ite s ides of the river . They remained fifteen days in their

places discharging arrows at each o ther, and sending words of

defianceand ridicule . Ne ither could cross , hence no battle wasposs ible . At last Berkaimarched up the river intending to crossatsome po int east of T iflis , but he died on the road,and that endedhostilities . His body was taken to Sarai ,and there it was buried ,1266 . Hisarmy d isbanded .

We must now return to the Kin Emp'

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296 The Mongols

Elated by success , Yrabukafreed from confinementan envoywhom during his regency Tulu i had sent with peace messages .

Wh ile dismissing him the Kin general boasted unwisely in the

following phrases We have had t ime to make ready . If ye

wish battle now ye have only to come to us .

” Th is challenge wastaken to Ogotaiwho actedat onceand set out with his brotherTulu i for Ch ina. They crossed the Hoang Ho and pushed on

toward the southern part of Shen si, where they took s ixty fortsand laid s iege to Fong ts iang ,alarge city .

The Kin government now saw the error in their treatment ofthe envoy , and sent new terms of peace to the Mongols . The

Grand Khan tried to persuade th is envoy to visit Fong tsiangandobtain its surrender, but though threatened with death the manwas immovable . Ogatai had the beard of the envoy cut offandth en he imprisoned him. The siege of Fong tsiang was continuedwi th vigor .

The Kin emperor, seeing that his generals were slow in sendingaid, hurried off Bai kua, hisass istant, to urge them. They re

plied that their troops were too few to challenge the great Mongo larmy . T he Emperor commanded to take men from Tung kwan,

the strong fortress , give battleat once to the enemy,and force therel ief of Fong tsiang wh ich was sorely beleaguered .

3 Anattack was made soon , but the battle was indecisive . The

Kin forces fell back the n ight following , however,and left tne placeto its own strength and fortune . Antchar, who commanded theMongols , blockaded that city , captured places around it , keptoutallprovis ions , and when foodand supplies were ex haustedFong tsiang had no choice save surrender.

Master of Shen si, Ogotaiwas eager now for Honan , the lastland of the Kin Emperor, but th is region was difficult to capture .

O n the north it was bounded by the Hoang Ho , on the west it wasguarded by h igh rugged mountains ,and the strong Tung kwanfortress . The Mongol officers were seeking formeans to overcomeor elude these great obstacles when Li chang go ,aKin offi cer,

who had jo ined Ogotai’s service onlyafter Fong tsiang had sur

rendered, proposed to enter Honan from the south ,and tracedoutaroute for the conquest . Tulu i saw that the plan was thesameas that traced by Jinghis on his death b ed,and commendedit to Ogotai, his bro ther, immediately . Ogotai consulted his

Destruction of the Kin Empire 29 7

generals,accep ted the plan,and commissioned Tulu i to followit .

It wasagreed that thearmies of the northand the south shouldmeetat Nan king in the following February . Ogotai sent Chubugan to the Sung Emperor for permiss ion to pass throughapartof his country , but the envoy was killedafter cross ing the boundary .

The deedastounded the Mongols , s ince the Sung court had re

quested theiralliance somewhat earlier. Th is killing gaveagoodpretext later on , however, forattacking the Empire .

Tuluimarched straigh tway on Pao kiwhere heassembled th irtythousand mounted warriors . First he captured the fortress

Tasan kuan , destroyed the city Fong chinand openedawaythrough the Hwamountains , though with immense labor . Thismountain chain divides the Hoai water system from the Hanandformed for some distance the boundary between the two Empiresin Ch ina. Tulu i crossed th is chainand thus entered Kin regions .

When he had taken one hundredand forty townsand strong places ,slain people in vast numbers ,and dri ven others to barren regions.

where they perished , he fixed his camp near the Hanand there he.

rested .

On seeing the enemyat the southern border the Kin Empire wasterrified . At the council called by the Emperor to fi ndmeans ofdefence themajority were in favor of placing thearmy in towns nearNan king , where great stores must be gathered in qu ickly . The

Mongols , worn o ut by long march ing , cou ld notattack in the openandwould be forced back by sure famine . Th is plan did not pleasethe Kin Emperor . He declared that his subjects hadmade everysacrifice for thearmy, he wou ld not leave them then in that peril.

Hemust defend Honan on the northand the southat its boundaries ;that was his finaldecision .

in view of the Emperor’s wishesanarmy corps was formednorth of the Hoang Ho ,andanotherat Teng chu on the southern

border. Th is secondarmy was composed of the forces of WanienKhadaand Yrabukawhoarrivedat Teng chu in 1232 duringJanuary,and were jo ined by Yang wu yan ,

Cheng ho Shang ,andWu shan , three Kin generals . Wh ile these generals were discussingwhether they were to fallon Tulu iat the cross ing of the Han , or

after he had crossed it , they learned that he was on their s idealready . They marched immediatelyand discovered the enemy

298 The Mongols

at the foot of Mount Yui inachosen pos ition . The Kin forcesattackedandasharp struggle followed . The Mongols were inferior in numbersand withdrew , but withdrew unmolested .

After some days the Kin generals were informed that the enemyhad retired to aforest . They resolved to return to Teng chu ,

subs ist on the provis ions of the city ,and spare the ir own rations .

They passed bymere chance near the forest ; the Mongols sall iedforth andattacked , but only fe igned serious fight ing . Meanwh ile the Kin cavalry seized the Mongolbaggage .

O n reach ing Teng chu the Kin generals reported that they hadwonagreat victory . Rejo icingsat the court were sincere, butvery short in duration .

W’

h ile Tulu i was advancing Ogotai was bes ieging Ho chung ,o r Pu ch iu ,astrong city on the Hoang H0

, in Shan si near itss outhwestern corner . A pyramidal tower two hundred feet h igh ,

immense earth mounds , and tunnels were among the worksused inattacking . Soon the towersandwooden works on the wallsof the city were ru ined . Besiegedand bes iegers had fought handto hand fifteen days when the city was taken . Th irty - fi ve dayshad the place been invested . The governor Tsao ho was capturedarms in handand put to deathat direction of Ogotai. Bau tse ,the commandant , escaped by the ri ver with three thousand men ,

and went to Nan king , where the Kin Emperor killed him.

Ogotai received now , throughacourier,anaccount fromTulu iof the Honan s ituationand crossed the Hoang Ho withou t waiting .

He ordered Tulu i to meet him. O n hearing o f th is movement byOgotai, the Kin Emperor gave orders to cut dikes near the capital ,flood the countryabout it ,and thus stop the enemy . Th irty thousand men were sent to guard the great ri ver, b u t when Kiakusaho , the commander, learned that Ogotai was already on the

sou th s ide he retreated . In the ir march forward the Mongolscame on the men cutting dikes ,attacked them, stopped the ir work ,and slew many thousands .

Tulu i dividedhisarmy into numerous detachments . With theseb e coveredagreat stretch of country ,and watched the Kinarmyas it moved northward slowly . Harassed on the ir march , retardedby wind , rain ,

and snow , ex hausted by march ingand hunger, theKin troops were met finally byaeunuch of the Emperor withanorder to move to the capitalspeedi and succor it . They had

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300 The Mongols

valorand endurance of his warriors ,and the fortuneattendant onthe sovereign of the Mongols .

“h en he heard of T ului’

sachievement , the Kin Emperor sum

mened to his capitalalltroops entrusted with defending Honanon its western border ; hence the two generals commanding on thats ide ,and the governors of Tung lm'an , the great fortress , unitedtheir forces , wh ich amounted to one hundredand ten thousandfoot with fi ve thousand horsemen ,andmoved toward Shan ch iu ,ac ity south of the Hoang Ho . Two hundred barges were to bearsupplies eas tward , b ut the Mongols seized those suppl ies beforethey were laden ,and when the ir forces appeared at Tung kwanthe man left in command there deli vered that mighty defence o f

Honan to them,and be trayedallthe movementsabout to b e madeby his Emperor ’sarmy .

T he Mongolsadvanced on Shan ch iu , without obstacle . The

Kins retired toward the mountains of Th ie l ing followed byvas t crowds of people of every age and both sexes , who hadhoped forashelter in the mountains . As theyadvanced melting snow made the roads very difficultand sometimes impassable .

Pursued by the victors , the iraged peopleand ch ildren who laggedbeh ind were cut down without mercy . O ne Kin general sur

rendered , b ut still the captors beheaded him; th e o thers wereovertakenand slainas was also the ch ief Tung kwan governor.

Defence in the west of Honan collapsed utterly . Fourteencities fell; only two held out bravely . O ne of these , Ho yang , orHo nan fu , became famous . Th is place was defended by threethousand men who remained from the western army . Afterafurious bombardment , continu ing some days , the Mongols madeabreach in the walls of Ho yang . T he governor deemed the placelost , and,

s ince he would not survive the disgrace of surrender,he sprang into the moatand thus drowned h imself . The defendersthen chose Kiang ch in ,arealhero , to lead them. Under himamost desperate res istance was organized . T he place held out f or

three months , tillthe Mongols , stillth irty thousand in number,

grown s ickand weary ofattacking , left that brave cityafter one

hundredand fiftyassaults had been made on it .

O gotai, now mas ter o f nearlyallplacesaround the Kin capital,fixed his camp fourteen leag ues to the west of it , and sent

Subo tai to finish the struggle .

Destruction of the Kin Emp ire 301

Nan king (Southern capital) at that time was twelve leaguesin circumf erence . Inside the walls ahundred thousand men

wereassembled to defend it . Des iring to rouse public feelingto the h ighest the Emperor gave out astirring appeal to the

people written by Chao wun ping , agreat scholar . The siegehad begun when Ogotai sentan envoy to persuade the Kin

Emperor to submit h imself . Ogotaiasked that the followingpeople b e sent first ofallto himas hostages : Chao wun ping ,asage of distinction ; Kung yuan tse ,adescendant of Confuc ius ,with some other great scholars ,and twenty - seven familiesamongthe most noted ;allfamilies of men who had submitted to the

Mongols ; the wife and children of Yrabuka, the heroic Kingeneral; young women skilled in embroidery , andalso men

trained wellas falconers . The Kin Emperor accepted everycondition and offered Uko , his nephew, besides , as ahostagewhile Egudeh , his procurator, was discussing final peace with theKhan of the Mongols .

In Spite of these marks of submiss ion Subotai cont inued thes iege with great vigor . The command had been given him, he

said, to capture the capitalandhe was obeying it . He hadplantedlong lines of catapults ; capt ive women , young girls , oldmen ,andchildren were carrying fascinesand bundles of straw to fillmoatsand ditches . Fearing to stop negot iations , the Kin generalcommanding forbade to reply toattacks of the Mongols . Th is order

roused indignation . The Kin Emperor showed h imself in the cityto the people,attended byafew horsemen only . A body of officerscame to him complaining that they were notallowed to defendthemselves , though the moat wasalready half filled by the enemy :Iam ready to b eamere tributaryandavassal to safeguard my

subjects ,”

said the Emperor. I send my one son th is dayasahostage , so b e pat ient tillhe has gone fromme . If the enemy doesnot ret ire there willb e t ime then foralifeand death struggle .

”

The young prince set out that same day with Li tsi, astateminister, butas the attack was continued , the Kin ru ler indignantat Mongol duplicity gave the signalforact ion .

Subotai had set upan immense line of catapultsand hurledlarge , jagged millstones with dreadfu l impetus . At the end of

some days of ceaseless hurling , stones were piled upat po intsalmost to the top of the ramparts ; the towers , though bu ilt of

302 The Mongols

strong timber fromold palaces , were broken . To deaden the effectof these millstones the towers were backed with h uge bags filledwith wheat - straw ,and horse dung , covered with feltand t ied withcords very firmly ,also planks faced with untanned h ides of buf

faloes . The Mongols hurled fi re with ballistas to burn the defences .

No projectile , however, could injure those strange massive wallsof the fortress , wh ich were mainly of clay grownas solidas iron .

T he bes ieged made use of inflammable pro jectiles , that is , ironpots filled with powder of some kind. Th ese pots hurled out byballistas or let down by strong chains burst with great no ise ,maimingmen or destroying themahundred feet from the placeof explos ion . Attack and defence were originaland vigorous .

Some of the Mongols , well sh ielded by raw h ides of bu ffalo ,

approached , dug holes in the wallsand remained thereat worksafe from all miss iles . The bes ieged hurled spears carryingfireworks wh ich exploding burned everyth ing with in th irty feetofrthem. These two kinds of pro jectiles were greatly fearedby the Mongols .

After assaults which continued s ixteen days , almost withoutinterval , during which t ime it was said, though of course incorrectly,thatamillion of men fell, Subotai sentamessage declaring thatas discuss ions for peace were in progress hostilities would ceasealtogether,and he prepared to withdraw to some distance .

The Emperor inanswer sent rich part ing presents to the Mon

golgeneraland his officers . O ne monthafter th is truceaplaguebroke out in the capital, and during fifty days coffins to the

number of nine hundred thousand , as the account runs , wereborne from the city ; bes ides there were corpses of indigentpeople wh ich were put in the earth without coffins or boxes .

During discu ss ions for peace , aMongol envoy , Tang tsing ,withasu ite of th irty persons , was slain in Pien king by the populace . Th is deed went unpun ishedand unnoted by the Ch inese ,hence command was given Sub otai toattack the Kin capitalasecond time . Ogo taihadalsoanother complaintagainst the Kinsovere ign : Nin kiasu had taken into his service , and even re ~

warded , ageneralo f the Mongols who ,not enduring his ch ief ,

had pas sed to the Kin s ide and yielded up cities wh ich wereunder his control.

When his capital was investedasecond t ime the Kin Emperor

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304 The Mongols

Mongol commander. He h imself carried news of his failure tothe Emperor, whom he urged to recross the Hoang Ho , retreat toKwe te fuand b e safe there . T he Emperor crossed in the nigh twith seven oflicers ,and found refuge in the place po inted out to

h im. Th e troops heard of their Emperor’s flight the day following,and scattered immediately .

T he people of Pien k ing lost courage greatly, but still theyres isted . T he Mongols closed in on them; food soon rose to

fabulous prices , people perished of hunger, offi cials of the Empirebegged on the streets : there were evenmen whoate the ir own wivesand children . Houses were torn down for fuel. The Emperorsentan official to conduct out his consortand the dowager Empress in secret, b ut he failed in the effort . Th isattempt rousedthe populace He has left us to our fate , said they , in despair .

At th is evil juncture Tsu i l i , who commanded the eastern s ideo f the capital, made h imself master of the city inallparts . He

had the governor of the palace , the minister of stateand ten other

h igh dign itaries killed in his presence . Immediately afterwardhe proclaimed themas worthy of death for the ir failure in duty .

He entered the palace witharmed hand, heldacounc iland proclaimed Prince VVan ien tsung koas regent . He sent men in thename of the Emperor

’

s mother to bring that prince to the city .

He came without delayandwas now regent . Tsu i limade h imselffirst minister, ch ief commanderand head of the Imperial Council .O ne of his brothers was made ci ty governor,andano ther one prefeet of the palace . Allhis dependents had places . He judged nowthat he needed the Mongols to protect him in office ,and he sent

his submiss ion to Sub otai. That commander approached the

main gate of the c ity . Tsu i l i ,arrayed in royalfas hion , went outwithabrilliantattendance to the Mongol,as he migh t toafather.

O n return ing Tsu i l i , to prove his submission to Sub otai, burnedthe outlooksand the wooden towers on the walls o f the city . Alittle later he had the regent , the Empresses ,andallmembers of

the re ign ing familyas semble inapalace wh ich was guarded byhis confidants . He went h imself then to live in the Emperor’spalace . He sent jewels and other precious objects to Sub otaifrom the treas ury ; he sent even the s tate robes o f the Emperorand Empressas gifts to the Mongolcommander .

Tsui l i summoned now to his palace the daughtersand wives

Destruction of the Kin Empire 305

of all those great lords who had gone with the Emperor, anddetained those of them who pleased him. Next camean edictcompelling the people to bring their s i lverand gold to the palace .

Af ter th is came domiciliary vis its ,andmany men perished undertorture while stri ving to save even some of the ir wealth fromTsu i li’s endless rapacity . Duringavisit made by th is manandhis wife to the Empresses , who recompensed him for servicesalleged but never rendered , the two helpless women gave Tsui l ithe most precious eflects in their possess ion . He brough t thedowager to write to her son , the Emperor, urging him to submitto the Mongols . Th is letter was taken to Nin kiasu by his nurse ,an old woman . Tsuilinow se iz ed the two Empresses , the regent ,allmembers of the reigning family, maleand female , to the numberof fi ve hundred, and sent them to Sub otai’s camp ground inchariots ; he sent Kung yuan tse ,avery wise person ,adescendanto f Conf ucius ; he sent men learned in law and ph ilosophy , andin the Tao ist religion ; h e sentalso physicians ,art ists ,actorsandembroiderers .

Allmen of the re igning family were put to death straightwayby Sub otai. T he two Empressesand the princesses were sent to

M ongolia; while traveling to KaraKurum they suffered wantand pri vations of every kind .

Foreseeing the fallof the capital Sub otaimadeastatement toO gotai, the Grand Khan , substantially as follows : T he cityhas made such res istance , so many warriorsand officers of the

M ongols have fallen ,that , by the law of Jinghis , we should pillage

it .

”

Ye liu chu tsai hurried to the Khanand explained that thosepeople would b e his subjects , thatamong them were many meno f great skilland value , that by killing them he would ruin the

profi t of his conquest . Ogotai hearkened to the wise counselof

Ye liu ,and ordered that none should suffer death except membersof the Kin family . Thus the k ind min ister saved many people .

Healso had the law canceled which ordained death to inhabitantso f cities taken by storm, or by s iege operations .

And now let us fi nd the Kin sovereign . Soonafter hisarri valat Kwe te fu the fleeing Emperor, to sat isfy his troops , who declaredthat Baksan had caused the defeats in Shan tung , had the mant ried byacouncil of warand then executed .

Fuchakuan nu ,acertain general, seized control of Kwe te fu

306 The Mongo ls

af ter kill ing Li tsiwith three hundred mandarins,andalso the governor. Kuan nu

’

smo ther had been capturedaf ter Baksan ’

s defeat .T emutai, aMongol commander, was bes iegingatown twentyleagues south of Kwe te fu ; the Emperor chargedKuan nu to ins inuate to T emutai that if his (Kuan nu

’

s) mother were restored he

wouldbring the Emperor toaccept peace conditions . T emutaisentback the woman ,and began to negotiate . Kwan nuandT emutaihad heldmany meetings . Meanwh ile Kwan nu preparedasecretattack ,and surprised the Mongolcamp during nigh t hours ;arrowswi th fireworks increased the confus ion . T emutai’s forces fled,and he lost more than three thousand men in crossingari ver .

Kwan nu , made ch ief commander because of th is victory , now

obtained complete control,and left notatrace ofauthori ty to theEmperor.

At this juncture Uku lun hao , governor of districts in SouthernHonan , proposed that the Emperor make Tsai ch iu his capital .Nin kiasu was qu ite willing , but Kuan nu would not hear ofachange wh ich would cost him control of the Emperor’s person .

There was no ou tcome now for the Emperor b ut to b e rid of the

minister, so one day Kuan nu was killedwh ile entering his sovereign

’

s chamber . T he falling monarch had stillone hope left inconnection with Tsai ch iu : Wu shan ,ageneralin th e. sou th of

Honan , hadaforce seventy thousand in number . Ogo tai the yearprevious had madeatreaty with Li tsong , the Sung Emperor,andthe latter, th inking it time to destroy theancient foe of his dynasty,hadagreed to send troops to Honan on condition thataf ter thefallof the Kins that whole region b e restored to his Empire .

hieng kong , who led the Sungarmy , nowattackedand defeatedWu shan in the l\Iateng group of mountains . He captured,

moreover, n ine forts wh ich that generalhad held there , receivingbes ides the surrender ofallthat was left of hisarmy .

T he Kin Empero r had set ou t for Tsai ch iu before th is disaster.

His escort was nearly three hundredmen ; o f these only fifty weremounted. O narri ving he placedat the head ofaffairs Hu shahu ,

amember o f his family,ageneralof skillandastatesman . Th is

minis ter made every po ss ible e ffort to formanewarmy ; soon he

had ten thousand mounted men ,as the nucleus of his fo rces . It

was his plan to convey the Emperor to Kong chang ,asafe placein Shen si,andact then w ith vigor, but the sovereign

’

s intimates

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308 The Mongols

dynas ties by wickedness , th is is the one th ing wh ich torturesme .

Sovereigns who survive loss of powerare kept in confinement , ordespised by men generally ; I wou ld not survive to b e treated inei ther way . Heaven knows my decis ion .

”

Nin kiasu , however, made one moreattempt to save h imself .He gaveallhis goods to men of the garrison , tookafew followers ,and sall ied forth in disgu ise during nigh t hours , but he could not

elude the keen watch of the enemy ,andwas forced to return to the

city . He yielded to fate thenand had his horsesallkilled to b efood for the garrison . O n the day of the new year the bes iegedheard songsand sounds of music ; the Mongols were celebratingtheir festi val . In distressand dire need the besieged had boiledandeatenallthe h idesand leather in the city ,also old drums , bootsand saddles , and they had left to themameal of grass andweeds with the pounded bones of dead menandanimals theyhad eatenalready the oldand decrepit inhabitants , the captivesand the wounded ,and now they would eat the crushed bones of

those people when the flesh wasallstripped from them.

Meng kong , the Sung general , informed by deserters of th isterrible hunger, resolved to surprise th e failing city . His men

with their mouth s gagged moved to the storm in safe silence . Withladders they entered through fi ve breaches made in the westernwalls of the city ,and fough t with desperation tillsunset waen theywere forced out decis ively , but the bes ieged had lost their first .

ch iefsand best warriors . During the nigh t Nin kiasu yielded thethrone to Ch ing lin , brother of Baksan who was put to death forthe Shan tung disaster . Th is prince , descended directly from the

Emperor Ho l i pu , was charged with defending the Eastern s ideof th e city . Ching lin had no wish toaccept the sad gift ,and fel lprostrate with weeping . I give thee the throne during terribleneedand disaster, said the Emperor .

“Th e s ize of my '

bodyprevents me from flee ing on horseback , but thou mayest save thyself , thouart courageousand swift ; thou mayst rescue the dynastyand bring back dominion ; th is is the real position .

”

Ch ing lin took the seal, and was raised to the throne on the .

morrow . But even wh ile th is ceremony was in progress the

wes tern gate was broken downand Meng kong rushed into the

c i ty . Kiang haiand Tatchar rush ed in with him. Hu shahufough t in the s treetsat the head ofachosen thousand of warriors .

Destruct ion of the Kin Empire 30 9

Nin kiasu , see ing no escape poss ible onany s ide ,announced tohis intimates that he was ready to dieand charged them to burnhis dead body . After that he hanged himself .

Hu shahu now told his oflicers that further resistance wasuseless , and,

lest some ignoble hand might take l ife from him,

he sprang into the riverand drowned himself . Five officers withfive hundred men followed his example , and died in that river .

The palace officials burned the Emperor ’s body immediately .

Ching lin ,when he learned what had happened, hurried to pay

the last tribute to the body ; he had barely fin ishedallneedfull ibat ions when the city was taken .

Meng kong shared with Tatchar everything belonging to the

Emperor, bes ides all the jewels wh ich th ey could find in th e

palace . Ching lin was slain that same day by his own warriors . In

this way the Kins were deprived of domin ion in Ch inaMay, 1234 .

Their dynasty of n ine sovereigns re igned one centuryand e igh teenyears . Excepting Kong chang fu allplaces which belonged tothat dynasty surrendered . Th e Sung Emperor rejo iced muchandgave many fest ivals while thu s rejo icingat th e fall ofan enemy .

He offered theashesand bones of the last of the Kins to hisaneestors . Fool ish man , he had givenaid toamuch greaterandmore terrible enemy than the one who had vanished, and hadassured the near destruct ion of his own houseand dynasty .

Ogotai, the Grand Khan , and Tulu i , his brother, returnedto KaraKurum two years before the Kin downfall . AfterOgotaihad crossed the Hoang Ho ,and Tulu i had passed throughHonan, the complet ion of the work was left to the competentSub otai. Tulu i died in October, 1232, soonafter his return to M on

gol ia. He was forty years ofage . Juve'

ini states that his life wasshortened by excessive drinking . He was the favorite son of

Jinghis under whom he had learned war in allits phases anddetails . His campaign in Honan wasadmired with much reason .

When stillab oy his father had him married to Siur Kukteni,aniece of Wang Khan , and daughter of Jagambu his brother,awoman noted for wisdom. From this princess N ui had foursons : Mangu, Kubilai, HulaguandArik Buga.

CHAPTER XVI

EXPEDITION AGAINST CH INA AND DEATH OF OGOTAI

N 1284agreat Kurultaiwas summoned by OgotaiatTalantepe ,and oneat KaraKurum, his new capital, the year following .

At the second Kurultai it was decided to make three great ex

peditions : O neagainst the Sung Empire ;another to bring downCorea, wh ich had shaken o ff Mongol rule ; ath ird to countriesnorth of the Caspian , the Caucasusand the Black Sea,and westward indefin itely . T he Grand Khan wished to march h imselfw ith this last expedition ,

b ut at the instance of princes of his

family he yielded , andappo inted Batu , second son of Juch i , toch ief command in those regions .

Anarmy under Hukatu was sent to th e borders of CashmirandIndia. Pers iahad been reconquered by Chormagun . Jelal uddin had perished in 1231 , there was no male descendmt of the

Kwaresmian Shah ,and Iran was governed by Mongolofficials .

Theattack on Coreawas of easy execution , b ut the expeditionagainst Ch inawas difficult,and to it we willturn inadvance of

the o thers .

Af ter the destruction of the Kin dynasty the hIongols disregardedthe irag reement with the Sung sovere ignand yielded upmerelya.smallpart of Honan ,asoutheastern b it of that province , jo in ingallthe rest to the ir own immense Empire . Chao fanand Chaokwe , two Imperial princes , were indignant at th is perfidy, andexplained to the ir Emperor, that the Hoang Ho was the true

northern boundary of the Empire , to wh ich sou thern Shen si

should b eadded ; they urged the need o f us ing force to win thatwh ich had been refused them, that wh ich was theirs , bo th byrigh tandagreement . T hey must regain the irancient capitals :Pien king , Lo yang , and Si ngan fu . hlemhers of the council

declared that th is policy would bring back the Nlongols , that it310

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312 The Mongols

also the Sung generals left Pien kingand turned southward . The

cities of Northern Honan were nearly deserted ,andallof themsuffered from hunger .

Ogotai recalled Subotai, whom he destined for Europe , andsent to the Sung courtan envoy to reproach it with oath breaking .

Li tsong sent his envoy to KaraKurum toallay the coming tempest , b ut the journey was useless , war had been fixed at theKurultai. Threearmy corps were now toattack the Sung Empire ,

one under command of Prince Kutan , Ogotai’s second son ,aidedby Tagai , ageneral who was to invade Su chuan , that greatwestern province ;asecond , under Prince Kutchu , the t

‘iird son

of Ogotai, wh ile the generals T emutaiand Chauju were to marchon Hu kuangand subject it . In Kiang nanath irdarmy was toact under Chaganand Prince Khon Buga.Ku tan marched through Shen siand, wh ile passing Chung

changan , rece i ved from the governor the submission of that city ,the only one inallthe Kin Empire wh ich had not yielded to theMongols . Kutan left the governor in office , but commanded himto march with his warriors who were placed in the vanguard .

Kutan passed through Han chong southwestward , took Mianch iu , whose commandant Gao kiawas killed during battle . Chaoyan us , the governor of Han chung , has tened to occu py Tsing

yen , the key of Sn chuan ,and was besieged there by Mongols ,but Tsao yuan , the commandant of Lu ch iu , hurried forward tohelp him, and drove the Mongol ch ief northward. Next Tsaothrew h imself on Taan , besieged by Wang shi h ien, saved thatci ty , at least foraseason , and retired , after defeating alargeMongo l force in the neighborhood .

These successes were gained over Kutan ’

s advance guard .

When his main forcesappeared the Ch inese , who were greatlyinferior in numbers , met them between Su chuan and Shen si,

in wildmountain defiles , but had to flee near Yang pingand ceasetheir resistance . After th is victory the Mongols entered Su chuanwithout serious effort . In one month they took many cities , seizedthe best parts o f the province ,andmassacred multitudes of people .

The governor of Wen chau , unable to defend the place , po isonedhis family , cremated the ir bodies , burned up what belonged to thetreasury , burned his own property , his diplomaof office ,and thens tabbed himselfas the Mongols were bursting into the c ity . His

Death of Ogotai 313

l ieutenant was chopped into bits by the victors , who put to thesword every sou l that remained , both of troopsand inhabitants .

Wh en he had ru ined Su chuan in the west Prince Kutan wentback to Shen si,and the Ch inese returned to the ir ru ins . In 1237

Ch ing tu was reoccupied by the Ch inese, but in 1239 Tagai ,Kutan ’

s assistant , reentered Su chuan , captured many places ,took Ch ing tuand sacked itasecond t ime . He wished now to

enter Eu kuang , the next province , by Kwe i chiu ,ac ity on the

north bank of the river Yang tse , but Meng kong , the Sung general ,had put western Hu kuang into suchagood state of defence , thatthis plan wasafailure ; he even took Kwe i chiu from the Mon

gols .

Meanwh ile Prince Kutchu , whose chief camp was at Tengchu in Honan , entered Hu kuang in 1236 . T o him the com

mandants of Siang yang fu surrendered the city with immense

stores in it . Kutchu took Tsao yang , he tookalso L i ngan , but

died shortlyafter .

Prince Kutchu was beloved greatly by Ogotai,and to him he

had dest ined the Empire .

T emutailaid s iege now to King chiu , but Meng kong , who wassent by the governor of the province , defeated himat the walls ofthe cityand freed twenty thousand Ch inese who were capt i ves .

At the end of 1237 Khon Buga, the Mongol prince , capturedthree c it iesabandoned by the ir commandants , andadvanced toHoang chiu on the ri ver Yang tseand besieged the place , but wasforced later on to withdraw from it . He laid s iege toanotherlarge city the year following but failed to take it .

In 1238 the Mongolgeneral, Chagan , invested Liu ch iu ,acityof Kiang nan ;asuddenand vigorous sort ie forced his withdrawal,andhe lost some part of his force wh ile retreating . In 1239 Mengkong gained three victories over the Mongolsand captured fourc ities . In February , 1240 , Wang tsie , the Mongolenvoy ,appearedat the Sung court for the fifth t ime , with offers of peace wh ich wererejected . Wang tsie died before his miss ion was ended ,and theSung governor del i vered his body to the Mongols . In the beginn ing of 1240alsoanumber of Mongolarmy corps marched byvarious roads into Ch ina. No further ment ion , however, of

figh ting is made t illafter Ogotai’s death the year following .

Wh ile Mongolarmies wereattacking Corea, ravaging Ch ina,

314 The Mongols

devas tating Russia, Hungary ,and Poland ,and spreading dismaythroughout Western Europe , Ogotai was passing his t ime in

deligh ts , enjoying the chase ,and his own taste for drinking . At

KaraKurum, where he had bu iltamagnificent palace called theOrdu Balikand by th irty- seven relays of posts connected the citywith Ch ina, he passed only one month of the springtime , the rest

of that season he li vedaday ’s journey from the capital,inapalace

called Kertchagan bu ilt by Pers ians , who strove to outdo or to

rivalthosearch itects from Ch inawhoat KaraKurum had shownwhat their skillwas . From Kertchagan he went back to KaraKurum for some daysand then passed the summerat O rmektuawhere he held court inawh ite Ch inese tent , linedwith s ilk emb roideredwi th gold very def tly . In th is tent , knownas the Sarai Ordu ,

or Golden Horde , there was room for one thousand persons . T he

Grand Khan spent forty days at Lake Kosa. From there he

went to O ngki near the Great Gobi desert where he livedallthewinter ; that was the t ime of grand hunt ing and field sports .

In th is region Ogotaihadan enormous corral, or inclosure of earthand stakes called chehik . It was six miles in c ircu it , and hadmany doors to it . Troops stationedat long distances onalls ideshad orders toadvance on th is centralinclosureand urge forwardbeasts , dri ving them through the doors into th is immense rooflessprison . Game was killed first by the Grand Khanand then byhis family , permiss ion go ing down by degrees t ill common menhad the ir chance finally .

Ogotaidrank to excess , for wh ich Jinghis had reprimanded himfrequently . Jagatai , to whom he deferred very no tably , chargedan o fficial to see that he drank onlyagiven number of cups eachevening . Ogotai dared not disobey his elder brother, but h ecluded the order by using larger cups ,and the o fficer was silent .

O ne day Ye liu chu tsai brough t inan iron ring greatly rustedby wine . If wineacts on iron in th is way , how must it injurethe s tomach ?

said Chu tsai . Th is example s truck Ogo taigreatly ,

b ut he could no t shake o ff the habi t . O ne day in March ,

124 1 , he fellillafter hunting . Turakina, his wife ,alarmed veryseriously , turned to Chu tsai hoping that he migh t bring Heavento restore the Grand K han to h er . Chu tsai counseled just deedsand benevolence . Power has been given by the Khan ,

”

said he ,

to men who sell places , and traffic in jus tice . Innocent

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316 T he Mongols

had fixed the income of parts lying north of the Hoang Hoat fivehundred thousand ounces of s ilver . After Honan had beenconquered the rece ipts rose to one million one hundred thousand .

Abd ur Rahman o ffered two million two hundred thousand ;Chu tsai replied that fi ve millions might be collected , but that sum,

he said , would be grievous to tax payers . Turakina,pu ttingaside

theadvice of Chu tsai , now gave Abd ur Rahman controlof th e

finances of the Empire . It is stated that Chu tsai , foreseeing thedestruction ofallthat he had labored for, grew despondentanddied of grief . Inany case th is remarkable man died June , 1244 ,at theage of fi fty

- fi ve years . By his influence over Ogotaihe hadsaved many lives . He hadalso founded two colleges , one atYan King , the otherat Pin Yan in Shan si,and publishedaworkonastronomy .

Soonafter Ogotai 3 death T emugu , his uncle , who was JinghisKhan ’

s youngest brother,approached the Khan ’

s residence withhisarmy ,andmadeafaint move towardase izure of the Empire .

Turakinasent toask why he came to his daughter so numerouslyattended , and sent him his son , who had been l ivingatOgotai’s res idence . O n hearing that Kuyuk hadarri ved from the

westand had reached the Imilwhere his yurtawas establ ishedT emugu dropped his plan ,and repl ied that he wished to condolewith his daughter on the loss of her husband ;after that b e withdrew to his own place .

Theassembly to electanew sovereign was to b eat Talantepe ,but did not meet t ill 1246, because of Batu ’

s endless lo itering .

Batu l iked ne ither Kuyuk , nor the regent , his mother,and feignedto haveasore leg wh ich prevented his travel ing . As he was theeldest prince of the family the other members were loath to electanew sovere ign in hisabsence .

At the prayer of the regent Batuat last gave his word to bepresent at the Kurultai, but he came not , so the Kurultaiwasassembled without him,and Kuyuk was elected .

Turakinadied two monthsafter Kuyuk was made Grand Khanthereupon the many enemies of Fatima, aPers ian woman , the

adviserand intimate of Turakina, conspired to destroy her . She

was accused byaSamarkand Moslem,named Sh ira, of having

brough t on Prince Ku tan , Kuyuk’

s brother, the disease fromwh ichhe was sufleringat that time . Kutan sentan officer to Kuyuk to

Death of Ogotai 317

complain of Fatima,and demand that she b e punished should hisillness prove fatal. Kutan died, hence Kuyuk commanded thetrialof Fatima. She was bastinadoedand tortured t ill she declaredherself gu ilty . Every opening of her body save her nose wassewed upand closed tightly ; after su ffering dreadfulangu ish forat ime she was wrapped in felt blankets fi rmlyand thrown intoari ver ; her friends were put to deathalso . T he turn came soon

to Sh irah imself who ,accused of bewitchingason of Kuyuk , wasput to death with his wifeand whole family .

Kuyuk , sufl’ering from gout , the result of drinkand dissipat ion,

set out in 1248 , during spring , for his own domains to findamorefavoring climate . SiurKukteni, T ului

’

s widow , fearing lest Kuyukmight b e host ile to her nephew Batu , who had not come to do homage , warned the latter to b e on his guardatallseasons . Therewasno reason , however, for th is caut ion , s ince Kuyuk died on the road,b e ing seven days ’ journey from Bish Balik , the Uigur capital.Af ter Kuyuk

’

s death , wh ich took place in his forty- th ird year,the usualprecaut ions were taken to keep back the news t illthe

principalch iefs of the family were informed of it . Allways weres toppedand informat ion was sent to Siur Kukteni,and to Batu .

Batu had set outat last from the bank s of the Volgato give thenew sovere ign due homage ,and had come to Alaktak when newsof Kuyuk

’

s sudden death reached him. He haltedat once under

pretext of rest ing his horsesand, observing the nat ional usage,gave his consent to the regency to OgulGaimish , who held thefirst place among Kuyuk ’

s consorts . She was the daugh ter of

Kutuk , ch ief of the Uirats . Meanwh ile Batu calledaKurultaiatAlaktak . The descendants of Ogotai refused to attend,

s incethe Kurultaishould b e held ,as they said , in the land of the Mongols .

They sent , however, Timur Noyon , governor of KaraKurum, withfull powers toact for them,andto confirm the decis ions of Batu,andthe majority of princes .

At this Kurultai, composed mainly of Juchi’s descendantsandthose of Tulu i , that is descendants of Jinghis Khan ’

s youngestandeldest sons , Ilch i Kidai of the Jelairs declared that they had en

gaged to choose no manas sovere ign unlessadescendant of Ogotaiso longas that branch remained li ving . Yes ,

”answered Kubilai, son of Tulu i , but ye were the fi rst to infringe Jinghis Khan ’

s

laws , and disregard Ogotai’s will . Ye put Altalun , Jinghis’

318 The Mongols

daugh ter, to death without reference to Jinghis Khan ’

s statutethat no descendant of his may su ffer death until judged byanassembly of his or her equals . Ye put Kuyuk on the throne in

defiance of Ogotai, who hadappo inted Shiramun to succeed

him.

”

These two complaints were brough t up by those who had determined to take the throne fromdescendants of Ogotai. Batu ,

who

wasalso the ir enemy , hadagreed with Siur Kukteni, to elect hereldest son , Mangu . Th is widow of Tulu i hadanallpowerfu lsupport in thearmy . Thearrangements by wh ich Jinghis hadgiven the greater part of his troops to Tulu iassured preponderanceto th is branch . When the throne heldan Emperor the combinedarmy was under the sovere ign , b ut in t ime of interregnum eachpart of it recogn ized theau thority of that prince to whom it b e

longed, and who was its only commander . After the death of

Tulu i hisarmy of one hundredand one thousand out ofatotalofone hundredand th irty passed to his four sons by his ch ief wifeSiur Kuk teni: Mangu , Kub ilai, Arik BugaandHulagu . Duringthe minority of these princes their mother, sure of the commanderwhom she had bound to her , governed with rare judgment thenumerous tribes wh ich were subject to her ch ildren . Honored byBatuand many other princes it was easy for her to place one of

her sons on the throne , s ince the candidates among O gotai’s descendants were too young in years yet to b e personally cons idered .

Mangusar ,ageneral, was the first in theassembly to proposePrince Mangu ,

whose courageandwit he extolled, giving instanceof his brilliant career, under Kuyuk , in Ch ina, and in westernlands under Batu .

But princes o ffered the throne first ofallto Batu ,as the eldestof his family . When he refused they begged him to po int outacandidateand promised in writing to choose him. Batu refusedto do th is , b u t , changing his mind in the n igh t , b e deferred the nextday to the ir wishes ,and said in the meet ing , that to govern the

Empireaprince ofabili ty was needed ,and one who knew JinghisK han ’

s yassainallpo ints . In view of th is he proposed to themManguas his candidate .

This prince refused the great honor,and res isted the prayers ofthe Kurultai for many days in success ion , till his brother rose ,

and said : We haveallpromised to fo llow Prince Batu ’

s dec is ion .

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320 The Mongols

the heads of the houses of Ogotaiand Jagatai to share in the

meeting . An officer sent to OgulGaimish ,andanother to Yissu ,

son o f Jagatai ,announced that the o ther princes hadassembled ,and were waiting . Khodjaand Nagu , see ing that oppos ition wasfru itless , gaveapromise to come ,and fixed the date ofarrival .T he term passed, b ut they came not . An order was given to

astrologers to name the dayand the hour for installation . The

installation took place July , 125 1 , with the ceremonies wh ich wereusualand proper . When the princes inside the Imperialpavilionpu t their girdles on their shouldersand prostrated themselves ninet imes before Mangu , their example '

was followed by ten thousandwarriors ranged round the tent on the outs ide .

T he GrandKhan commanded that no man should work on thatday, thatallshou ld forget every quarreland yield themsel ves upto rejoicing . He wished to make Nature part icipate in the festi val,and enjo ined that no man was to sit onahorse , or putaburden on

anyth ing l iving . No person was to kill ananimal, hunt , fi sh ,

wound the earth by digging , or otherwise, or trouble the calm of

the waters , or the ir purity .

On the morrowarich feast was given by Mangu inatent ofrare stuffsand great splendor . At his righ t sat the princes descended from Jinghis ,at his left the princesses . A s imi lar feast wasgiven each day for seven days in success ion . Each day every guestworeadress of new co lor ; each day three hundred horsesandbullocks with fi ve thousand sheep were eaten , wh i le two thousand cartloads of wineand kumis were drunk to dri veaway th irstand con

sole the great company .

In the midst of th is feastingand pleasureaman , knownasKishk , made his way to the Grand Khan ’

s pavil ion with the

statement that he had discoveredaplotagainst Manguand theprinces assembled . He declared that wh ile looking foramulewh ich had strayed from him he fell in withabody of men go ingforward with cart s , wh ichat first he had though t to b e filled withSupplies for the Kurultai. He came onaladandwalked forat imewith him. T he ladmistook Kishk for one of the party ,andaskedthe mule owner to help him in fixing his cart wh ich was injured .

Kishk turned toass ist ;and see ing the cart filled wi tharmsaskedt h e ladwhy he was taking them. I have the sameas the o thers ,repl ied he . Kishk wasastonishedat th is ,andafter some cautious

Death of Ogotai 321

inqu iries discovered that the princes Shiramun, NaguandKhodjawere go ing to the Kurultai to make use of the moment whenallwould be drunk to finish Manguand his followers . Kishk declared that through eagerness to tell what he knewat the, earl iesthe hadmade 1n one day three days ’ journey .

The story was rece i ved withaston ishmentat first,and seemedaltogether unreal . Kishk wasasked to repeat it , so he toldallthe detailsagainand in such fash ion th is t ime that every doubtvanished . Each prince wished to go h imself and look into the

matter . I t was decided to send Mangusar, the ch ief general,and the first person who in the Kurultai proposed that Mangushou ld b e raised to the throne ; with him went two or three thou

sand men . T he princes were not more than two days from the

Ordu .

Mangusar reached the ir camp very early in the morn ingand,having surrounded it ,approached the tent of the princes with one

hundred horsemen . He called to them that it had been reportedto Mangu that they were coming with evil intent ions . If that werefalse they could clear themselves qu ickly by go ing to the Orduatonce . If they wou ld not go , he had orders to take them. The

princes came out of the ir tent , and, seeing that their camp wassurrounded , said that they were on the way to give homage toMangu , and wereabout to cont inue the ir journey . They wereforced , however, to follow Mangusar,and were permitted to takeonly twenty men with themasan escort .

Arri vingat the Ordu they offered their presents by n inesaccording to Mongol custom. The first two days they took part in thefest ivalunquestioned , but on the th ird day the three princes werearrested when ready to enter the Grand Khan ’

s pavil ion . Nextday Mangu h imself quest ioned them. He began by saying that ,though the charges might seem improbable , he was bound to con

vince himselfand thus destroyallsuspicionsagainst them,andpun ish theiraccusers .

The princes den ied the whole story with firmness . Manguquest ioned Shiramun ’

s governor, who was forced by the bastinadotoavow the conspiracy , but it was made , he declared , by himandhis officers without knowledge of the princes ; after these wordshe drew his own sabreand killed h imself . A commiss ion of gen

erals under Mangusar was formed to report on the confessions of

322 The Mongols

the officers of the three princes from whom theavowal ofaplotwasat last forced .

Mangu wished to pardon these officers , but his generalsandrelatives declared that he shou ld not let slip that chance to b e rid

of his enemies . Yielding to th isadvice he had the officers put inirons ; s tillhe waveredandagainaskedadvice of his ch ief men .

Theyadvised him oneafteranother, b u t even then he continuedirresolute . At last see ing Mahmud Yelvadje , the one man whotillthen had kept s ilence , he summoned himandasked why hesaid noth ing . Yelvadje cited Alexander , who sent aconfidantto ask Ar istotle how to treat adetected conspiracy . Aristotletook the man toagarden ; wh ile they were walking he ordered topullup some wellrooted treesand plant feeble saplings instead of

them. No otheranswer was given . T he man went backand toldAlexander, who understood ; he hadall the conspirators slain ,

and sent their young sons to replace them.

Mangu , struck by the story , put to death seventy officers . Amongthem were two sons of Ilch i Kidai then in Pers ia. Stones wereforced into the mouths of these sons who were stifled in that way ;the father wasarrested in K horassanand conveyed to Batu whotook life from him. The three princes were pardoned through theintercess ion of Mangu ’

s mo ther .

In February , 1252 , Mangu lost his mother, SiurKukteni. She

wasaniece of Wang KhanandaChristian ; they buried her nextto her husband , Tulu i . In August , 1252 , Mangu went to KaraKurum to judge hostile princes and princesses . With OgulGaimish , he was especiallyangry , s ince she , when summoned to

render h im homage , hadanswered that Mangu and the other

princes had sworn no t to ChooseaGrandKhan unless fromamongthe descendants of Ogotai. Both handsandarms of OgulGaimish were sewed up inaleather bag , and she with Shiramun ’

s

mo ther was taken to the residence of Siur Kuk teni. Mangusarstri pped her there o fallclo th ingand then proceeded to interrogate .

She reproached him indignantly with expos ing her body , wh ichhad never been seen byany man saveasovereign . Both womenwere declared guilty o f trying to killMangu by mag ic . Theywere rolled up in felt rugsand drowned immediately . T he sons

of these two women confessed that the ir mo thers had incited themnot to recognize Mangu . Kadakand Ch inkai , the ch ief counsel

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324 The Mongols

in marriage . Th is marriage was deferred by the death of the

conqueror . Ogotai wished to carry out the des ire of his father,but before he could do so Altun Bigh i herself died ,and Bardjukdied soonafter . Bardjuk ’

s son Kishmain went to Ogotai’s courtand rece ived his father ’s t itle of Idikut , or sovereignamong theUigurs . He too died soonafter,and Turakina, the regent , appo inted her brother Salendi to the Uigur dynasty .

Th is new Idikut , who wasaBuddh ist ,made haste to give homag e to Manguat the t ime of hisaccess ion , but justafter he hads tartedaslaveaccused him of planning to slayallMohammedans ,not only in the capital, but throughout the whole Uigur kingdom,

whenassembled in the ir mosques onaFriday . O ne of Mangu ’

s

oflicials received theaccusat ionand sentamessenger straigh twayfor the Idikut . Salendi returned without delay to Bish Balikandwas confronted with the slave , who told the whole plan minutely .

Salendi denied every po int with great firmness . The slave demanded to take theaflair to Mangu to b e judged by him. Se ifud din , the official, sent him to the Grand Khan ,and soonafterthe Idikut was summoned for trial . Questioned and put to

torture , he ended by confess ing that he was gu ilty . T he GrandKhan sent him back to Bish Balik for execution . O naFridayhis head was cut o ff by his own brother, O kendji. T vo of his

higher o ffi cials , condemnedasaccomplices , met death by havingtheir bodies cut in four pieces crosswise . A th irdman , named Bela,was condemned to deathalso , but Mangu , wish ing to win fromHigh Heaven the cure of his mother, reprievedallwho were sen

tenced to death upon that day . Belawasalreadyat the place of

execution and stripped of his garments when grace came , but

his ch ildrenand wivesand his possess ions were takenand he wassent onamiss ion to Syriaand Egypt .

When Mongol princes granted life toacriminal he was e ithersent to thearmy , where he migh t die with some profit to his sover

eign , or he was employed onaperilous miss ion , or was sent to

some country withadeath -dealing climate .

T he slave who hadaccused Salendi got his recompense andbecameaMohammedan . When he returned to Bish Balikafterthe death o f the Idikut , he roused so much terror in the Uigurswho would b e endangered by his ill-willthat they hastened to paycourt to himand ofler rich pre sents .

Death of Og otai 325

After Mangu had rid h imself ofallthe Uigurs who might favorOgotai’s descendants he gave the kingdom to Okendji, who hadbeen his own brother’s execut ioner .

Af ter Ogotai’s death the Mongolforces , disposed on the southernborder of what had been once the Kin Empire , madeattacks fromt ime to time on Su chuan , Kiang nanandHu kuang ; they merelyravaged , took cities ,and ret ired then with booty . I t migh t b e saidthat in Mangu ’

s reign the only th ing favorable to Mongols was thedeath of Meng kong , the greatest generalof Ch ina, the man whohad frequently stopped them,

and often defeated their forces .

In'

1252Mangu gaveHonan to Kubilai, his brother,asanappanage ,andapart of Shen siwith italso . In the same year, havingpreviously consulted Ch inese sagesas toallneedf uland properdetails , he madeagreat sacrifice to Heaven fromamountain top.

The year following he directed thatacensus b e taken of the peoplein Russia. Yun nan was made upat that t ime of severalsmallkingdoms , independent for the greater part . Toward the end of

1252Wang te chen ,acommander of Mongols , made someadvancein Su chuan . He pillaged Ching tu ,and took Kiating fu , thirtyleagues to the south of it , thus opening Kubilai’s way to him.

Kubilai in October, 1253, marched from Lin taow, where he hadassembledanarmy . Under him was Uriang Kadai whose father,Subotai, had done most towardMangu ’

s elevation . Uriang Kadaiwas charged by the Grand Khan with the real command of this

expedit ion .

KubilaitraversedallSu chuan ,andafteramarch of great trials ,over mountains wh ich seemed qu ite impassable foranarmy , hecrossed on rafts the Kin sha(Golden Sand) ,alarge river . T he

king of the Mussu man , the first people beyond the Kin sha, submitted. The sovereign of the next people , the Fe man , made no

resistance , but his nephew defended the capital. Kubilai took thecity ,andput the nephew to death , but b e spared the inhabitants .

Tali , the capital of Nan chao , rece ived Mongolru le withoutfigh t ing . Yao shu , hisadviser, told Kub ilai how Tsao pin , sent

byaSung Emperor to seize Nan shan , did the work without killingaperson ,and even without stoppingany traflic in the city . Kubilai declared that he would showal ike wonder . Shortlyafter th ishe mounted his stallion ,andarrivingat the walls of Tali , he um

furled s ilk banners, on which it was written in large characters

326 The Mongols

that to kill man or woman was forbidden under penalty of death .

In virtue of th is statement on the flags ,and poss ibly for some othercausealso , Tali openedits gates ,and th is conquest cost only fi velives , those of the c ity ’s two commandants , who slew the three

officers sent toask for surrender .

Kub ilai did not go beyond Tali ; he returned to Mongoliaandleft Uriang Kadai to master those southern regions . Af ter Nanchao , th e Mongolch iefattackedand subjected the Tupo or Tibetans ,awar-loving people , between oneand two millions in numb er . Many of these entered hisarmy , wh ich was thereby strengthened greatly . Some even served in the vanguard andactedasscouts inattacking .

Towards the end of 1254 Uriang Kadai left hisarmies in the

field ,and returned to Mongol iato report to Mangu the work donein the south beyond Ch ina. Sent back the next year, he enteredthrough Lower Tibet , and continued his conquests . The kingdom of Avaas wellas two others , was e ither subjected or terrifi edinto yielding . Two years later, in 1257 , the lVIongolgeneralappeared on the edge of Tung king (Gan nan)and summoned itssovereign , Chen chi kung ,avassalof the Sung Emperor, to own

h imself tribu tary to Mangu . Since his envoys did not return to

him the generalentered Gan nanandmarched to the ThaRiver,wh ich runs through the whole kingdomlengthwise . O n the oppos ite bank he saw the enemy ’

sarmy withan immense force of ele

phants in order of battle . T he Mongols , disposed in three parts ,crossed and routed the enemy . The king hurried intoaboat ,sailed with the currentand fled toan island ;apart of hisarmyescaped in boatsalso .

Uriang Kadai ordered Che she tu to leadadivision to the o ther

bank o f the river, b ut not to give battle t illthe rest of thearmy hadcrossed over . Che she tu was to seizeallthe boats , or takeastandbetween themand the enemy . Instead of obeying he put theenemy to flight before the o ther divis ions could cro ssand preventedthereby the capture of thearmy . Uriang Kadai in his rage gaveabiting reproof and threatenedatrial, whereupon Che she tu

immediately took po isonand died .

Kiao chi, the Gan nan capital, surrendered , and now UriangKadai found his envoys in prison . They had been bound withbamboo cords so firmly that the bonds had entered their flesh ,and

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328 The Mongo ls

gols bes ieged Ho ch iu , before wh ich they were defeated by Wangkian , th e c ity governor . T he Ch inese , to show how much peacewas des ired by them, freed the su ite of the late envoy , orat leastthose who were stillliving .

In October, 1257 Mangu set out for the Sung Empire , leavinggovernmentat home to Arik Buga, his brother, with Alemdarasanass istant . In May of the following year he marched to Shen si

and fixed his camp near the Liu pan mountains , made famous bythe death of his grandfather . In August , three months later,headvanced to Su chuan , his first field ofaction .

Mangu hadadoptedan elaborate plan by wh ich Su chuan ,

Hu kuang and Kiang nan would be attacked s imultaneously .

He wouldmarchagainst Su chuan withanarmy in three divisions ;asecondarmy , under Kub ilai, wouldlay s iege toWu chang , whereUriang Kadai was to jo in himaftermarch ing directly fromGan nan(Tung king) through the provinces of Kuang siand Kwei ch iu .

T ogachar, son of the Utchugen , was to strike King shan in the

province of Kiang nan withath irdarmy .

Niuli with astrong force , preceding the Emperor, moved on

Ch ing tu ,where

~

Adaku , aMongol commander , was bes iegedby Liu ch ing ,aSung general, whomNiuli defeated , thus relievingthe city . Af ter that he marched forward, b ut no soonc r had hegone than the place was attacked by Pu ko chi, the Su chuangovernor. Adaku was killed in theaction wh ich followed,and thecity was taken by the governor . Niuli turned back then andthrust in his forces between Ch ing tuand the Sungarmy outs ideit . Through lack of provis ions the c i ty surrenderedasecondt ime , b u t now to the hlongols ,and the Sungarmy then retreated .

Niulirece ived the submiss ion of many places in that regionand therank of general- in - ch ief was conferred on himas reward.

M eanwh ile the Grand Khanarrivedat Han chungand wishedgreatly to capture Ku chu yai, afortress twenty leagues west of

Pan ningand commanding the road through the mountains . Niuli

leftat Ch ing tuas trong garrisonandmarched to take th is mountainstronghold. Chang shi,aSung generalcaptured recently , was sentinadvance to persuade the commandant o f Ku chu yai to surren

der. Chang shi entered the c i ty , b u t , instead of persuading thecommandant to surrender, o r trying to persuade h imand then

return ing to Kiul i , he remained in the stronghold.

Death of Ogotai 329

Mangu h imself now marchedagainst the placeand, overcomingallobstacles , brought hisarmy up to it . After ten days of siegework one gate of th e city was surrendered by Chao Chung ,atraitorous officer of the garrison . T he Mongols entered in secret , but

there was soonafierceand keen struggle in the streets , duringwh ich Yang li , the commandant , was killedand th e garrisonscattered . Th e house of Chao chung , the traitor, was sparedin th e lootingand destruction wh ich followed; he h imself wasrewarded witharich robe of honor,and the command ofacity .

Chang shi, the Sung general who did not , or would not persuadethe city to surrender, was capturedasecond t ime ,and next day theGrandKhan hadhim quartered, that is , his body was cut lengthwiseand crosswise . Af ter th is , much of Western Su chuan wassubjected . T he struggle was stubborn and desperate in someparts ; in others there was only indiff erence , or treason . O n

February 18 , 1259 , the MongolNew Year,agreat feast was givenby Mangu , near th e mountain Chung kwe . At this feast Togan ,

ach ief of the Jelairs, declared that South Ch inawas dangerousthrough its climate ,and that the Grand Khan should go northwardfor safety . Baritchi of the Erlats called th is advice cowardly,andadvised the Grand Khan to remain with hisarmy . Thesewords pleased Mangu ,

who remained , wish ing greatly to captureHo ch iu .

' Ts in ko pao was sent to the city withasummons , butWang kian had him slainasatraitor immediately .

Now began the siege of Ho ch iu , very famous for stubbornnesson both s ides . Yang tayuan , the investing commander of the

Mongols , began th eact ion , but Mangu h imselfarri ved soon withthe bulk of his forcesand took his posit ion in front of th is city,wh ich stood between the Kialingand Fiu Rivers . During MarchandAprilanumber ofassaults were delivered. In May there wasadreadfultempestand rain poured down for three weeks withoutceasing , Each s ide tried to cut o ff supplies from the otherandharass it . Af ter desperate strugglesadivision of the Sung forcesdestroyedabridge of boats built on the Fiu by the Emperor . Overth is bridge the bes iegers were bearing provisions . A Sung corps ,ascending the Kialing onathousand barges , wasattacked fromboth banks by the Mongols ,ahundred barges were sunkand therest dri ven back to Chung king , whence they started.

In Juneassaults were very frequent , but with no profit to either

t 330 The Mongols

s ide . O ne nigh t in JulyahIongolgeneral sealed the rampartswi th picked warriorsand held his pos ition t i lldaybreak . Then ,

seeing “rang k ian , the Sung commander, who wasabout to beginactionagain , he shouted : Wang kian , life is granted to warriors ,as wellas to citizens ; it is better to surrender in season .

” Barelyhad he u ttered the words whenastone fromacatapult killed him.

Hismen on the ramparts were nowleft unsupportedandfled. Th iswas the lastattack made on Ho ch iu by the Mongolsat that t ime .

The irassaults had been many and resolute , and they had lostthousands of men in them; dysentery was raging, Mangu h imselfhad fallen i ll of it ,and he resol ved now to deferallattacksandblockade the pos ition . Leaving three thousand picked men , he

led the rest of his troops to Chung king , wh ich he intended tocapture , but twelve days later he died (Aug , 1259 )at Tiao yu ,amountain one league from Ho ch iu ,and to the east of it . The

ch iefs of thearmy decided to raise the s iegeand retire toward thenorth , taking with them the body of their sovereign . Mangu ’

s son

Assutai conducted the corpse to Mongo l ia, where it was buried ,near the graves of Jinghisand Tulu i .Mangu was generous but stern by nature . He often distributed

largess freelyamong his troops , b ut ins isted that they should b eheld under severe disciplineatalltimes . In the Su ch uan campaign he strictly forbade hismen to plunder . O n learn ing thatAssutai, wh ile out hunting , haddestroyedawheatfi eld, he reproved himsternlyand had several of his companions punished. He carrieddiscipline so far that once , whenasoldier disobeyed ordersandforcibly tookan onion fromapeasant , he was put to death immediately . Though tolerant ofallreligions he was superstitious ,andunder the influence of shamans an influenceapparently baneful .A story is told of one of Mangu s wives , who , having given birth toason , summonedashaman to read the boy ’s horoscope . T he

man predicted long l ife , but the ch ild died inafew days . Severelycensured by the mother, the shaman for self - protec tionaccusedanurse , recentlv executed for caus ing by sorcery the death of aprincess . The mo ther, toavenge the death of her ch ild , had thesonand daugh ter of that nurse killed , the first byaman , the latterbyawoman . Th is soangeredMangu that he imprisoned his wifefor seven days ,and banished her from his presence foramon th .

He commanded that theman who killed the boy of the nurse should

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332 T he Mongols

vigor. Kiase tao engaged that the Sung Emperor would own

himselfavassal of the Grand Khan , the sovereign of the Mongols .

Kub ilai had rece ivedan o fficialaccount of th e death of Mangu ,

st illhe re jec ted the min ister’

s proposal . Bu t when letters came

from his partisans , who urged him to has tenand prevent theattempts to b e made by Arik Buga, he consulted his generals ,andHao king ,

one of them, explained very clearly that Arik Buga,mas terat KaraKurum, the home capital,andDuredji, governor ofYen king (now Pekin) , th e capitalof Ch ina, wouldactas onemanto exclude him,

whoas first prince of the blood should be regentand pres ideat the Kurultai; hence the urg ent need that he go toMongoliaimmediately . Arik Bugawished supreme rule andKubilai knew that Alemdarand Duredj 1 would help him to win

it in every way po ss ible . Because of all th is Kub ilai decidedto accept the conditions just oflered by Kiase tao , wh ich ,

moreo ver, were favorable . I t was agreed then that the SungEmperor was to own himselfavas salof the Grand K han ,andgivetwo hundred thousand ounces of s ilver, with two hundred thousandrolls of s ilk yearlyas tri bute . The Yang tse was to be the boundaryo f his lands .

These conditions concluded, Kub ilaimarched northward withthe best of the cavalry , leaving orders with his genera’ s toawaitUriang Kadai . Uriang Kadai had been commanded by Manguto jo in Kub ilai’sarmyatW'

u chang , bringing with him the thirteen

thousand men furn ished by subject nations on the south , beyondCh ina. Af ter he had defeated ,

on the border,armies more numerous by far than his own , he laid s iege to Kwe i tiu , the capitalofKiang si, defeatedasecond Ch inesearmy ,and reached SouthernHu kuang , where he laid s iege to Chang shi. The treaty now

made by Kubilai forced him to des istand cross the Yang tse withhis forces .

T he two southern generals in command ofauxiliaries , reducednow from th irteen to fi ve thousand , led the rear guard of thearmy ,

and were cro ss ing the ri ver onabridge bu ilt of boats when Kiasetao broke th is bridge by sending barges in fullsailagainst it . O ne

hundredand se venty men left on the southern bank were cut downby the minister .

Kiase tao kept the Sung Emperor in ignorance o f the tneaty ,andattributed the Mongo l retreat to his own splendid valor and

Death of Ogotai 333

management . The massacre of Uriang Kadai 5 rear party wasexhibitedasatriumphandKiase tao was summoned to the courtto b e honored byabrilliant reception .

Kub ilai encamped outs ide the walls of Yen king, and complained to Arik Bugaof the levies of men , beastsandmoney whichthe latter was making . Arik Bugagave qu ieting answers ; h ewish ed toattract Kubilaiand his part isan s to the Kurultaiwhichhad been summoned . Beyond doubt he e ither had takenmeans toassureamajority on his side, or he wished to get Kubilai into hisclutch esand killhim.

Duredji, who was then at Pekin , urged that Kubilaiand theprinces in hisarmy proceed to the Kurultai. It was answered ,that Kub ilai must post his troops first on their cantonments .

Duredjisent thisanswer to Arik Buga,and remainedwith Kubilai,who went to Shang tn , the place fixed by hisadh erents foraspeciale lection .

Kub ilai’s party met ,and s ince th e position was so seriousas tobrook no delay , it was imposs ible for th em to wait for Juchi’sandJagatai’s descendan ts or for Hulagu ,

who was then in Pers ia. Kubilai was elected immediatelyandwith out oppositionandplaced onthe throne with th e usualformalities , 11260 .

— This election was thebeginning ofacontest which in th e sequel destroyed th e MongolEmpire .

—A deputation of one hundred was now sent to informArik Bugaof Kubilai’s electionand enthronement . Duredji triedto flee , but wasarrestedand forced to reveal the intrigues of ArikBuga; he was th en put in prison . Kub ilaiappointed Apishga,son of Buri ,as successor to Jagatai ,and sent him home with hisbrother, but both these princes were se ized in Shen siand taken toArik Buga, who kept them in prison .

Meanwhileat KaraKurum Arik Bugawas not idle . He sent

Alemdar to levy troopsamong tribes in the north ,and distributesilkand silveramong them; he sent two oth ermen to Shen si,andthese two wereable to induce certain governorsand generals inCh inato declare for Arik Buga, who , supported in this way, didnot h es itate to take the sovere ign t itle . At th e head of his partywas Kutuktai, once the ch ief wife of hiangu . W ith her wereassociatedliangu ’

s sons : Assutai, YurungtashandShireki,also severalo f Jagatai ’s grandsons .

Th e two claimants cont inued to send envoys to each otherall

334 T he Biongols

that season without reach inganagreement . In theautumn ArikBugasent ou tanarmy commanded by Karadjar,and by Chumukur, ason of Hulagu . Th is force was defeated by Kub ilai’svanguard . Discouraged by th is check , Arik Buga’s troops scattered,and he h imself sought Kirghis regions for protectionafterh e had put to death Apishgaand his brother those two Jagataiprinces friendly to Kub ilai and the deputation of one hundredsent with news of that emperor’s election .

In Shen si Arik Bugamade no better progress : Straigh twayafter his election Kubilai sent to that provinceand to Su chuanasgovernor Lien hih ien ,an Uigur by birth , oneamong the best of hisgenerals . Th is new governor hastened to Si ngan fuand madeKub ilai’sauthority triumphant very qu ickly . Arik Buga’sagentshadarrived two days earlier,andwere striving to winallthat regionfor the irmaster . T he new governor seized those two menand castth em into prison . Learning meanwh ile that Kub ilai had issuedanamnesty wh ich would arri ve very soon

, he had the two put

to death wh ile in prison ,and published the edictafter itsarri val.

Three corps of troops led by Prince Kadan were now sent by thegovernoragainst Kundukai, Arik Buga’s commander, who , unableto take Si ngan fuand needing re inforcements , withdrew north

ward to meet Alemdar, who was bringing fresh troops fromMon

gol ia. After these two generals had jo ined forces , they turnedtoward the southandweremet by Kub ilai’sarmy inM iddle Shen si,

somewhat east of Kin chau . T he battle wh ich followed wasstubborn to the utmost ,and for some t ime the issue was doubtful ,butat last Arik Bugawas surroundedand suffered so bloodyandcru sh ingadefeat that the campaign was ended . KundukaiandAlemdar were both killed in th is battle ,and Ch inawas secured toKub ilai, who nowmoved northand, entering Mongolia, establishedhis campat the ri ver Ungki for that winter . KaraKurumlackedsupplies and, s ince it rece ived them from Ch ina, Kub ilai determined to stop every movement to Mongol iaand had means toenforce th is decis ion . Want soonappeared in the capital. ArikBugawas in need ofarmsand provis ions ; still he pers isted,andtransf erring to Algu , who was with him, the inheritance of Jagatai ,h e directed th e new Khan to sendarmsand supplies ,and to guardthe west strictly , so that noaidmigh t reach Kub ilaifromHulagu ,

or from Berkai. Arik Bugawas stillin the Kem Kemdju t region ,

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CHAPTER XVII

KUB ILAI KHAN DESTROYS THE SUNG DYNAS TY

HE summerandautumn of 1261 were pas sed very qu ietly .

Arik Buga’s horses recovered; he assembled large forces

and set out for KaraKurum,the ch ief capitalof Mongolia. T o put

Yessugkao ff his guardand lullallsuspicions , he sentamessageannouncing his vis itand with it submiss ion . After that b eappearedonasuddenandfellupon Yessugka’smen , whomhe crushed .

Hurrying southwardat once to strike Kub ilai, he met himat somedistance northeast of Shang tu , on the eastern rim of the great Gobidesert . Arik Bugawas beatenand fled northward.

Kubilai, thinking his brother defeated most thoroughly , forbadeto pursue him,and turn ing , marched southward . Arik Bugaonhearing of this changed his course , followed qu ickly ,andmadeasecondandmore desperate trial. The battle was envenomedandlasted tillnight pu tan end to it . Both part ies withdrew from the

field,and Arik Bugafough t no more that year, for justafter th isbattle he learned of Algu

’

s defection .

Algu , made Khan of Jagatai ’s Horde by Arik Buga, took thegovernment from Organa, KaraHulagu ’

s widow . His sway thenextended fromAlmalik to the Syr Darya,and soon he hadanarmyof one hundredandfifty thousand. Arik Buga, poorandweakaftersuch numerous reverses , sent threeagents to Algu to levyacontribution in cattle , arms , and money . T heabundant proceeds of

th is levy tempted Algu . He se ized Arik Buga’s men , s ince ,as he

s tated , they hadmade o ffens i ve discoursesagainst h im. After thatAlgu met hisadvisers , who h inted that it would have been betterto counselere he movedagainst Arik Bugasoactively , b ut s ince

it was late to retrieve the error, he mustacknowledge Kub ilaiassovere ignand take h is s ide openly .

Algu put the threeagents to death , seizedallthe wealth wh ich336

Kubilai Khan Destroys the Sung Dynasty 337

they had gath ered ,and gave the greater part of it to hisarmy .

Astonishedat th isact , Arik Bugaresolved to marchagainst Alguat the earliest . He went back to KaraKurum, gave permiss ion tothe heads of the various religions toaccept Kubilaishould th e needcome ,and then he moved westward very qu ickly .

Kub ilaiappeared soonafter his brothers ’ departure, received thesubmission of people ,and wasabout to pursue Arik Bugawhencouriers brough t tidings of trouble in Ch ina, hence he turnedandmarched back to that Empire . KaraBuga, who commanded Ar ikBuga’sadvance , met Algu near the city of Pulad,andlost his lifein the battle wh ich followed . Algu thought himself safe throughth is victory . He returned to his home on the Iliand very foolishlydismissed his forces . But Assutai,at the head ofaseconddivis ion ,

passed the Iron Gate , crossed the Ili, capturedAlmalik ,and seiz edeven the private lands of Algu , who ret ired toward Kh odjendandKashgar with his righ t wing , wh ich thus far had been idle . At

th is t imeappearedAr ik Bugaand took up winter quarters on theIli near Almalik while Algu was retreat ing toward Samarkand .

Arik Bugaplundered ruth lesslyallwinter,and killed every warrioro f Algu

’

s whom he captured. When spring came vast numbersperished from hunger . Arik Buga’s own oflicers were furiousat hist reatment of prisoners and most of them jo ined Yurungtash .

Yurungtash , son of Mangu , th e late Emperor, was leadingat thatt ime Kubilai’s forces in the Altai . Onlyahandfu l of men wereleft Arik Buga, who , knowing that Algu was ready toattack him,

tried to make terms with this enemy .

Wh en Arik Bugaarr ived the year previous, KaraHulagu ’

s

widow , Organa, came to his campand declared that she had beendispossessedat his order,and was then waiting for recompense .

Thereupon Arik Bugasent Organawith Massud Bey to efl'

ectanagreement with Algu . Wh en Organaappeared before Alguandtold him th e cause of her coming h e married h er ; Massud Beyh e placedat th e h ead of his finances . This min ister levied largecontr ibut ions on Bokharaand Samarkand . Algu had great needof moneyat that juncture , s ince Kaidu , the grandson of Ogotai,aided by Berkai, the successor of Batu , wasadvancing to seize hispossess ions . He now had the strength to repelhim.

Arik Buga, left without friends , troops or resources , decided in1 264 toappeal to the mercy of his brother,and went to him. On

338 The Mongols

appearingat Kubila1 s tent men threw the curtain of the entrancearound him; thus covered he made his prostrations . Such wast he usage in cases of that k ind . Admitted to the interior

, he stoodin the place given usually to secretaries . Kubilai lookedat himlong ,and, see ing that h e wept , cou ld not repress his own tearsandemotion . Ah , my brother,

”

said heat last, who was righ t , thouor I ? Iat first , but to-day the right is on thy s ide , repliedArik Buga.At th is moment Atchigai, brother of Apishga, approached

Assutaiandasked : Is it thou who killed my brother ?” I

killed himat command of Arik Buga,at that t ime my sovereign .

He

.

did not wish thataprince of our h ouse should die by the handof some common man . Kubilai is my so vereign now ; shouldhe command, I would kill even thee in l ike manner .

”

Kubilai imposed silence ,andadded : Th is is not the time forsuch speeches .

”

T ogachar,anephew of Jinghis , rose thenand said : The Khandes ires no mention today of the past . He wish es you to fee lnothing b ut pleasantness .

” Turning to Kub ilai then , headdedArik Bugais standing ; what place dost thou give him ? He

was seated with Kubilai’s sonsand they passed that day in com

pany . O n the morrow , however, Arik Buga’s oflicers .vereallput in irons ,and Kubilaiappointedacommiss ion of four princesand three generals to interrogate Arik Bugaand his partisans .

Ar ik Bugadeclared that healone was respons ible , that his officerswere not gu ilty inany way . How not gu ilty ? asked Kubilai.The generals opposed to Mangu drew no bowagainst him; st il l

it is known to thee how they were pun ish ed , s imply for intentions .

Ye who have begun civilwarand slain so many princes andwarriors , whatare your deserts ? ”

The o fficers made no reply .

My friends , said Tuman Noyon , the mostagedamong them,

do ye no t remember, that in rais ing Arik Bugato the throne weswore to die for his cause should the need come ? The momenthas come to make good that promise .

”

Kub ilaipraised th is fidelityandasked Arik Bugaagain ,who had

roused him to the enterprise . He declaredat las t that Alemdarand Bolgahad said to him : Hulaguand Kubilaiare on distantexpeditions ,and our late sovereign has left youat the h ead of the

princ i pal ulus o f the Mongols . Why hesitate ? Make yourself

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340 T he Mongols

the only man l ivingat that t ime in Ch inawho knew of it . The

great po int forKiase tao was that the Sung Emperormust continuein ignorance of his thraldom. Th is man , whose sacredduty it wasto explain the pos ition , used his best power to concealit , andadhered to his own direfulpolicyatallcosts . No one knew the

great tragedy of Ch ina’s pos ition save Kiase tao ,first minister of

the Empire .

T hearrest of his envoy called forth from Kubilaiastatement.

in 1261 : Since my coming to the throne ,” declared he , I have

striven to secure peace to my subjects , hence I sentan envoy to thecourt of the Sung Emperor to makeafi rmagreement ofamity .

That court , li ttle mindfulof the future , has become more incurs iveand insolent . There is no day in wh ich some of its warriors do not

harass our borders . I commanded my generals last spring to b e ;

ready , but , remembering the sad fru its of warfare, and trusting

that Hao king , my new envoy , would return with the results wh ichI hoped for, I waited . I foundmyself duped very sorely . My envoywasarrested ,againstallthe rules wh ich exist between sovereigns,and during six months I looked in vain for his coming .

Ho stili ties continue ,and thus it is clear, that the Sung governmentwishes no longer for peace with us . Ough tanation ,

wh ich for somany years has vaunted its wisdomand observance of th rules of

good government , to treat us in th is way ? Its conduct is little '

inaccordwith the laws wh ich it boasts of ,and resembles that shadeinapicture wh ich , giving contrast

, brings out the ligh t with morebrilliancy ,and causes the shade to seemdarker . Thus the beautyof Ch ina’s laws is in contrast with its government ;hence we see the

bad faith of the latter more clearly .

” Then he notified alltoprepare horsesand weapons foraction ,

andadded : T he tru th

o f my intentions ,and the justice of my causeassure victory .

Bu t the war wh ich the Grand Khan had to wage with his bro ther,forced him to lo iter inactionagainst the Sung sovereign . Barelyhad he come to Yen kingafter those two stubborn battles wi thArik Bugaon the eas tern edge of the desert wh en h e heard that oneo f his commanders , Li tan , had revolted. Th is generalin Shantung , seiz ing Se tian cheand I tu , slew Blongolgarrisons in th eseando ther c i ties . and declared fo r the Sung Empero r . Kub ilai sent

Prince Apich c and G eneral Se tian che agains t Li tan . Theyinves ted him closely in T si nan , where the defence grew most

Kubilai Khan Destroys the Sung Dynasty 341

stubborn . When provis ions were exhausted the bes iegedate theflesh of th e citiz ens . After four month s of bitter struggle Li tankilled his wifeand his concubinesand then sprang into Tan ing ,ashallow lake , from wh ich he was rescued, and immediately Set ian che cut his head off . As was known , th is revolt was upheldby the Snugs , although t imidly . Notwith standing Sung act ionKubilai delayed serious war forat ime .

When h e had re igned forty years and lived s ixty- two L itsong , the Sung Emperor, died, November, 1264 . Having no son ,

he left the throne to his nephew, Chao ki, who took the name

T u tsong when made Emperor .

It was only in 1267 that Kubilaimovedagainst Southern Ch ina.In planning the campaign he made use of the knowledge of Liu

ching , one of Ch ina’s best officers , who hadleft the Sung causeandgone over to the Mongols . Liu ch ing had been governor of Lu

ch iu in Su chuan some t ime previousand had been calumn iatedbefore Kiase tao , the ch ief min ister, by th e Sn chuan governor.

Fearing for his life , he took service with the Mongols . In 1261 he

appeared before Kub ilai, who made him governor of Kwei ch iu ,

acity on the Hu kuangand the Sn chuan border . War be ingdecided , through hisadvice it was planned to begin by the s iege of

Siang yang on th e north ern bank of th e Han ; the possess ion of

this city would facilitate the conquest of th e great Yang tse region .

Kiase tao , ei ther wish ing to win back Liu ch ing , or to discreditthis dignitary with th e Mongols , made him prince of Yen ,and sent

himagold sealwith the diplomaand insign iaof this office . Liu

chingarrested the officialwho brough t th e emblems,andwent with

him to the res idence of Kubilai, before whom he renewed hisexpressions of fidelity . The Emperor treated him with honorandcut off the head of the Chinese offic ial.At command of Kubilai, Liu chingand At chu son of UriangKadai , went with seventy thousandgoodmen to b es1ege Siang yangin October, 1268 . She t ian tse was made commander—in—ch ief ofallforces directedagainst the Sung Empire , and many men of

dist inct ion from various lands of the great MongolEmpire , suchas Uigurs , Persians , Arabs , Kipchaks and others , ofl’ered th eirservices to this renown ed general.It was decided that th e city could sustainalong s iege ,and that

they must reduce it by famine . Allcommun ication by land was

342 The lflongols

cut o ff , but th e Ch inese hadanumerous flotillaand could receivearmsand re inforcements by the river. T he besiegers constructedfif ty great barges on wh ich warriors were exercised dailyat warfareon th e water ; stillth ey could not preventawellmanned flot illawh ich was laden witharmsand provisions from reach ing the cityin the followingautumn (1269 ) during very h igh water . At chu

pun ished the Chinese wh ile they were nearing Siang yang ,and on

their way back he se ized fi ve hundred boats from them.

Afterablockade of one year the Mongols saw the need of investing Fan ch ing , on the oppos ite s ide of the river . T he c it ies wereconnected by bridges of boats ; both s ides of the river were dottedwith posts and intrenchments , wh ile the ri ver was barred withstrong chainsandarmed barges . Siang yang seemedabandonedto its fate , for Kiase tao did noth ing to succor it , b ut he took immense pains all th is t ime to h ide from his sovere ign what washappening in the Empire . Despite his precautions the Emperorheard in 127 1 that the Mongols were besieging Siang yang , thatbeing the th ird year of the investment . He demanded information ;the ch ief minister declared that the s iege had been raised ,and theenemy was retreating . Th e min isterat first was unable to learnwho had enl igh tened the Emperor, b ut later on he discovered themanand had him put to death for some other cause . StilltheEmperor

’

s questions roused the min ister from torpor,and he sent

anarmy under Fan wen hu to relieve the two cities .

O n his part Kub ilaiassembled troops to strengthen the besiegers .

He opened the prisons of North Ch ina,and thus obtained twentythousand new warriors . These men gave good serviceand some

of them reached h igh pos itions . They marched in three corpsandby different routes ,andmet on the bank of the Han below the po intwhere the flotillaof the Sungs had been s tationed . These new

troops jo ined bo th banks byaboat bridge ,and captured nearlyallthe flo tilla. At chu came upon thearmy ofahundred thousandled by Fan wen huand sent by the min ister . T he two vanguardsmet ,and that o f the Ch inese was cut to pieces , or scattered .

Th is check spread suehaterroramong the Sung warriors thatthe whole army fled, leaving standardsand baggage behind it .Still the bes ieged , whose chiefs were not cast down by reverses ,stood fi rm,andat the end o f four years the city was s tillwellsupplied with provisions , though saltandafew otherart icles were

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344 The Mongols

only in November . T he mach ines made aterrible noise ; the

enormous stone missiles crushed all that they fell upon . The

bes ieged ru shedaway from exposed spots in terror . Fear spreadth rough the city . Liu ch ing , who knew Liu wen hoan, the commandant ,asked now for parley ,and got it , but the two men hadbarely begun to converse when Ch inese warriors sentarrows fromthe fortressand Liu ch ing was saved only by th e goodness of his

armor .

The Mongols , indignantat th isaction , wished to storm the placestraigh tway , but were stopped by the generals , who informed thebes ieged thatamessage had just come to them fromKub ilai. It

was read inaloud vo iceand its import wasas follows : A splendiddefence , of fi ve years , covers you with great glory . Each faithfu lsubject should serve his own sovereign with his life blood , but tosacrifice thousands of people through stubbornness , only th ink , isthat reasonable or proper, especially for you whoare exhausted ,withoutaid, or even hope of it ? Submitand no harm willmeetany one . We promise to give each of you honorable employment .

Ye will b e satisfied . We pledge our true word ofan Emperor thatye will b e satisfied .

Liu wen hoanaccepted these promises ,and surrendered the

city . He went with Alihaiyathen to Kub ilai, who slowed himclear marks of esteemand named him commandant of troops inSiang yang . T he officers under himwere given good places in thearmies of Kub ilai.The defection of Liu wen hoan producedacolossal sensation .

His family was one of the best in the Empire ,and many of h is .

relatives sent in their res ignations s ince they had the evil fate to b econnected by blood with that traitor . Kiase tao , who was afriend of the family , did not present even one resignation to theEmperor .

Kub ilai, exercised by the war in his own family , was incl ined tocease action on the Yang tse for the present , but his generalsexplained the great value of the capture of Siang yang in continu ing the s truggleand urged that he strike his enemies wh ile theadvantage was on his s ide . T he Emperor, T u tsong , had just died,

August , 1274 ,and had leftallaffairs to Kiase tao ,and o thersasindi fferentas that minister to the interests o f Ch ina. The ch ief

men wished to put on the throne Chao she , eldest son of Tu tsong ,

Kubilai Khan Destroys the Sung Dynasty 345

b ut Kiase tao cons idered that he h imself would hold power morecompletely,and longer, by choos ing the second son , Chao h ien ,ach ild of four years . Th is boy was chosen . T he new Emperorrece ived the name Kong tsong ,and the Empress Sie i shi,awidowof T u tsong

’

s father, was raised to the regency .

Wh ile preparing to continue the conquest of Ch inamost effect

ively , Kub ilai, to explainand to justify hisaction , issuedarescript declaring that Jinghis , Ogotaiand Mangu had striven to

establish fi rm peace with the Sung Empire ,and that he h imselfwhen onlyaprinceand commander ofarmies hadmadeatreatywith the Sung court , but that the court broke every promiseas soonas he had withdrawn his forces . On ascending the throne hehad sentan envoy to re inforce peaceand good feeling , but theenvoy had been seizedand imprisonedwithallhisattendants ,andwas held in confinement t illthat day .

After th is declarat ion had been made , Kubilaiappo inted Shet ian tseand Bayan to commandallthearmies invading Hu kwangand he gave themas lieutenants At chu , Alihaiya,and Liu wenhoan . Anotherarmy was toact in Kiang nan under Polo hwanand four other commanders . These two great groups of warriorsreached perhaps two hundred thousand . She t ian tse diedsoon after his appo intment and the whole command of thatfirst group was given to Bayan , the best leaderamongalltheMongols .

Bayan was of the Barin tribe . He had passed his youth inPers ian regions ,and had come onan embassy from AbakatheIlkhan . Kubilaiwas so pleased with Bayan ’

s speechand bearingthat in 1265 he took the man into his service,and made himMin ister of State very qu ick ly .

From Siang yang , Bayan sailed down the Han toward Ngan 10with anumerous flot illa, but the ri ver was blocked firmly withchains , with piles lashed together,andwith barges on wh ich werelarge forces of warriors wellarmedand using ballistas . MoreoverNgan 10 itself was protected by walls of stone strongandmass ivein structure . Bayan judged that he could not take suchaplaceWithout los ing much t imeandmany warriors , hence he ponderedwell over the problem. A Ch inese prisoner showedaway out of

the trouble , and Bayan took the city . The Mongols madetrack of strong beams from the ri ver to Lake Teng into wh ich they

346 T he Mongols

draggedallthe ir vesselsand barges . From th is lake they sailedto the Han by an outlet , thus pass ing Ngan lo without battle .

Having taken Sin h ing chauand Shayang , two cities on the rightbank of the Han , they sailed down to its mouth , where in commandof Hiakweastrong flot illawas posted to guard the great ri ver .

Bayanattacked th is line of boatsand feigned to force on the left

flankawayatallcosts through it , but wh ile the battle was ragingon that s ide he se ized Shafu kwe on the other flank , took one

hundred war barges ,and reached the Yang tse on its north bank ,taking nearlyallhis boats with him. He sentat onceastrong fleetacross the Yang tse under At chu . Hiakwe , the Ch inese general,fearing lest he migh t be cut off , sailed down withallhis flot illa,thus leaving Bayan perfect freedom ofact ion .

Yang lo on the north bank was captured. Han yang surren

dered . Bayan crossed the great river with his army , and waspreparingas iege forWu chang fu when Chang yen kienandCh ingpong , the commandants of that city , surrenderedand passed withthe ir men to the service of Kub ilai. Bayan leftastrong garrisonunder Alihayaand moved toward the east with the rest of his

forces .

Ch ing pong had been charged by Bayan with effect ing the sub

mission of Ch in y , the Hoang ch iu commandant . Ch in y demandedagood office . Bayan promised tomake himch ief inspectorof landsalong the Yang tse . Ch in y then opened the gates of

Hoang ch iu to the Mongols ; he induced the governor of Ki ch iuto jo inalsoand surrender his city . Many commandantsalongthe Yang tse had served under Liu wen hoan , or men of his

family , and these surrendered without waiting for asummons .

Ch in yen ,acommandant in Kiang nan ,and son of Ch in y , followed the example of his father . T he governor of Kiu kiangopened his gates to Bayan , who rece ived in th is c ity the surrenderof Nan king , T e ngan fu ,and Lu ngan . T he kindly receptiongiven by Bayan to all Ch inese facilitated his conquests immensely .

Kiase tao , nowmaster of the Sung Emperor, had collected meanwh ileagreatarmy ,and brough t to Wu hu , or toapo int near it ,agreat ri ver fleet wh ich was joined by Hiakwe ’

s large flotilla.T he first minister sent now to BayanahIongolcapt iveas envoy ,bearing presents of beau tifulfru itsand proposals of peace on the

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348 The Mongo ls

illon the road , and diedafter reach ing Yen king (Pekin), thecapital of the Empire .

Kubilai sentan embassy soonafter this to make new peace proposals . Lien hi kien , the ch ief of th is embassy

, stoppedat Nanking

,Bayan ’

s h eadquarters ,and obtained fi ve hundred menasanescort . Bayan forbade hosti leacts on the part of hisarmy,andthusavo idedallpretext s for violence to the embassy . In spite of

th is , Lien hikien wasattacked on the way by Ch inese troops , whowoundedhimandkilledhis colleague . T hey took him to Lin ngan ,

where he died of his injuries . The Sung court sentan officer toNan king inallhaste withaletter declaring that theattack hadbeen made without its knowledge ; that theauthors of the violencewould b e discoveredand punished ; that the Emperor was readyto declare h imself Kubilai’s vassal .Bayan was distrustful , and recei vedallthese statements very

coolly . He sent to Lin ngan with the bearer of th is letter Changyu , his own officer, to treat for peace formally , b ut really to see the

condition of the capital . Chang yu was assass inated on the

journey . Bayan , indignantat such treachery , demanded permiss ion of Kub ilai to continue hosti l ities . The Grand Khan, in

answer, recalled himat once to the North to take commandagainstKaidu , whoat that time was press ing him sorely .

Kao shi kie , governor of Yu chau in Hu kwang , plannedanattack en Wu chang fu . He manned several thousand large boatsand se ized the straits of King kiang . Alihaiya, the Wu changcommandant , advanced with afleet against Kao shi kie , who ,

fearing th e risk ofabattle , raisedanchorand retired to the greatTong ting lake , where he made his boats ready foract ion . Ali

haiyaformed h is fleet into severalsquadrons , wh ich put the Ch ineseto fl igh t with great promptness . They se ized Kao shikie ’

s boat ,took him prisonerand then cut his head o ff . T he h ead was fixedonalance po intand shown beneath the walls o f Yu chau , wh ichsurrendered when summoned .

Alihaiyanowattacked Kiang ling . The governor of th is city,Kao ta, wasamong the best o fficers in Ch ina. Dissatisfied withthe court wh ich had pu t o th er menabove him irregularly , he sur

rendered his city . After some days he wrote to commandantswi th in his jurisdiction advis ing surrender, and soon fifteen of

them vielded. Alihaiyaleftallwho surrendered in command of

Kubilai Khan Destroys the Sung Dynasty 349

their cit ies . Alihaiyawasafavorite of Kub ilai, who now sent th is

generalaletter of thanks for hisaction ,and gave Kao tathat sameoffice wh ich the Sung government had refusedhim.

Southern Su chuan was still unconquered, but now Wangliang ch in , th e Mongol governor, defeated Tsan wan chiu , the

Sung general commanding , and bes ieged him in Kiat ing , hiscapital. Tsan wan ch iu surrendered, giving alsoanaccount of

every place in his province . He was retained then in office . StillSu chuan didnot submitaltogether till1278 . Th e great questionnow for the government was to b e rid of Kiase tao , who had grownodiou s toallmen ,and in 1274 the regent depri ved him of office .

T h is did not sate public hatred , however. T enaccusations wereleveledagainst this vile min ister, but the regent whom he hadcreated could not make up hermind to destroy theman , so she con

fi scated his property ,andass igned Eu kien to himasaplace of

life exile . An officialwhose father the min ister had ban ished wasg iven the task of conducting the condemn ed man . Th is officialmade it his pleasure to torment the fallen min isteras he traveled ,and fin ished by killing him near the end of the journey . For th isact he was put to death straigh tway .

At chu resolved now toattack Chang shi kie, who hadavastfleet of boats on the ri ver . In front of his own fleet b earrangedhis largest boatsand placed upon them one thousand crossbowmen who discharged blaz ingarrows to fi re the oppos ing flotilla.He followed closely beh ind to sustain them.

The Mongol fleet bore down with all force on the Chinese .

T he thousand bowmen sent burning arrows in every direct ion ,

and soon the great riverwas covered with blaz ing bargesand boats .

T oavoid being burned or taken captive by Mongols many Ch ineseh urled th emselves into the riverand perished . Chang she kie

fled, leaving more than seven hundred boats in the hands of the

Mongols .

Bayan saw the Grand Khanat Shang tu ,and convinced himthatharmalone could result from stopping operat ions in Chinafore venashort t ime . Bayan was sent back to his officeand the plano f campaign was fix ed promptly . Bayan was to march straigh tway and take the Sung capital . Hisas s istants were tooperate on the rightand the left in the Hoai nanand Kiang si

provinces . His ownarmy was divided into three partsand its

350 T he Mongols

action repeated in some sense the movements of the combinedMongolforces . T he part of th isarmy in wh ich Bayan , the greatch ief , was present marched through Chang chan ; Liu wen hoanled its vanguard .

T he Sung court sent corpsaf ter corps to succor the city . Bayancrushedallthat he met in the field,and then summoned Changchau to surrender . When both threatsand promises proved use

less he destroyed the suburbs ,and rais ingarampart to the heigh tof the walls , he then captured the city . O f the four ch iefs whocommanded three fell, wh ile the fourth fledand saved h imself .The inhabitants were put to the sword without pity . Bayan ’

s

generals , Arganand Tong wen ping , carried everyth ing beforethem; people were fleeing to Lin ngan in thousands ; there waspanic in all parts , and terror in the capital . Ch in y chongthe first minis ter forced to the ranks every male above fi fteenyears ofage . The Empress sentan envoy to Bayan to explainthat the evildone had been done by Kiase tao , whom she hadpunished , that the sovereign was sti llin tender years ,and thatallwould be remedied .

Bayananswered that Kiase tao had not murdered Lien hih ien,

and bade her remember that when the Sung dynasty won its

dominion , the last of the Cheu line , from wh ich the Snugs hadsnatched Empire , wasalsoan infant . Th ink it not strange ifyour infant is treatedas you treated that one .

”

Bayan advanced farther . T he same envoy appeared from

Ch in y chongand the Empress to declare that the young Emperorwouldagree to call h imself the nephew of Kubilai,and pay tribute .

Th is too was rejected . Now the Empress sent to say that theEmperor would own h imselfasubject of Kubilai,and pay yearlytri bu te . Th is o ffer was made without the knowledge o f Ch iny yehong , who wished the court to remove to southern regionsandfigh t to the end there with valor . T he Empress would not hearo f th is pro ject . Bayan wasapproach ing the capitalirresistiblyno th ing co uld stop him. T he Sung princesadvised now to send

Ki wang and Sin wang , the Emperor ’s half- bro thers , to more

remo te reg ions , and preserve in th is manner the dynas ty . The

Empress consentedand, changing the title o f Ki wang to Y wang ,and Sin wang - to Kwang wang , sent them both to Fu kicn , but to

di fferent places in the province .

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352 T he Mongols

order continued . Bayan , whom the Emperorand Empress damanded to see , excused h imself under pretext that h e knew not

the righ t ceremonialon suchan occas ion ,and next day he left thecity . Two Ch inese dignitaries were charged with watch ing thepalace , for no reason whatever were they to lose s igh t of the

Empress . Th is was done under gu ise of showing boundless respectfor her.

Very soonafter, Atabai ,ageneral, withalarge su ite of officers ,appearedat the palace . His firstact was toabolishalletiquetteobservedwith the Emperorand Empress . Meanwh ile he invitedthe Emperorandhis mother to set out for Kub ilai’s court in Shangtu , without waiting . After th is not ice had been given , the Empresswith streaming eyes embraced her l ittle b oy, lately heir to the Empire : T he son of Heaven spares thy life , ” said she . It is properto thank him.

” Th is heir of seven years ,acreation of the deadKiase tao , fell on his kneesat the s ide of his mother ; the ir faceswere turned toward the north , toward Shang tu ; n ine times didthey strike the floor with their foreheads in saluting Kubilai theGrand Mongol .T he sonandmother were then placed inan equ ipageand left

Lin ngan and the ir Empire forever. With them went agreatcompany contain ing allthe princes and princesses of the Sungfamily who were in the capitalat that time , bes ides ministers , h ighfunct ionaries , men of letters of great noteand marked influence .

All these took the road northward ,and surelyamournful process ion followed the Emperor .

The regent , the Emperor’

s grandmother, fell illand was left inLin ngan for recovery . A number of Ch inamen , desperate atseeing their Emperor led captive with the ch ief men of the governmentand some of the best minds of Ch ina, made e fforts to savethem. Twice did they rushat the escort of Mongols wh ich wasled by Atahaiand Li ting , but the escort was too strong to b ebroken ; the Mongols repelled the Ch inese after adesperateencounter in each case .

When the young Emperor was reach ing Shang tu , Kubilai senthis first minister to meet him. Orders had been given to treatallcaptives properly . T he Emperor was reduced to b eakong , or

prince of the th ird order ; Hiao Kong was the t itleaccorded him.

T he Empress motherand the regent were stripped of the ir titles .

iKubilai Khan Destroys the Sung Dynasty 353

JambuiKhatun , the Grand Khan ’

s ch ief wife , tried to soften the

lot of the mother by delicateattent ion .

Lin ngan , the capital of the Emperor, is said to have been verylargeandmagn ificent . It was bu iltamid lagoonsand had twelvehundred bridges , some having piers of such great height that vesselsof two hundred tons could sailunder the bridge . In the ci ty wasabeaut ifullake surrounded with palacesandmansions .

-O n the

islands of th is lake were pleasure houses where marriage feastswere heldand great banquets given . There were three thousandbaths in Lin ngan , each large enough toaccommodate one hundredpersonsatatime . Marco Po lo states that the Emperor’s palacewas the largest in the world . It contained twenty halls , the most

capacious of wh ich was usedasastate banquet room;aside fromthese there were one thousand chambers richly decorated in goldand colors . T he city contained ten largemarkets ; houses

and seven hundred temples . T he inhabitants dressed richly ,all,except the lowest class of laborersand cool ies, wearing silk .

The Grand Khan had rece i ved the gold , silverandother preciousobjects taken in Lin ngan from the palace . The princesandprincesses of Kubilai’s court gazed with delight on these spoils ofamighty dynasty , but Jambui Khatun cou ld not keep back hertearsas she turned to the Grand Khanand said to him : It hascome to my mindat th is moment that the Empire of the Mongolsalso will fin ish in this way .

”

South Chinaremained still ~ unconquered . While Bayan wasmoving on Lin ngan invincibly , Alihaiyawasadvancing throughHu kuangand had laid s iege to Chang cha. Heattacked withsuch vigor thatafter some days the city suffered excess ively . The

Mongols deliveredageneralassault , won the rampart ,and thefate of the place was decided ;apart was on fi re ,and the fall ofthe whole wasaquestion of hoursat the utmost . At th is juncturean official fromacity of importance , who chanced to b e therewith two sons who had just come ofage , made those sons put

hats on their heads (the hat beingasymbol of manhood) . Thatdone , he cast h imself into the flames with themand his household ;L i fu , the governor of Chang cha, honored greatly the memory of

th is visitor,and feeling sure that every official would b e true tothe dynasty , b e summonedacertain Ch in tsongand said to him :

I will not dishonormy blood by surrender ; Iask you to despatch

354 The Mongols

allmy family ,and then show to me the same service . In vaindid Ch in tsong strike the earth with his forehead , in vain did heb eg of the governor to re l ieve him from such aterrible service .

Li fu was unbending , andas he ins isted , Ch in tsong , weepingbitterly ,agreed to obey him. W ine was givenallwho were readyto die , and while under its influence death touched them eas ily .

Wh en Li fu presented his head it was swept from him with one

blow ofasabre . Ch in tsong set fi re to the palace immediately ;then he ran to his house

,where he slew his own wifeand ch ildren ;

that done , he killed h imself . Allthe officials , save two ,andagreat number of officersand people followed the governor ; somesprang into wells , others hanged themselves , or took po ison .

On entering Chang chathe Mongols wereastonished to fi nd theplacealmost deserted .

Alihaiyathen summoned the other cities of Southern Hu kuang ;nearlyallof them surrendered without raisingaweapon to defendthemselves . At the same t ime in Kiang si Sung tu kai madegreat progress . Eleven cities of th is province submitted,andFuchaualso was taken . Bayan had been summoned toappearatShang tu immediately . Sung tu kai told himat parting , that theSung princes hadassembled many troops in Fu kienand Kuangtung ,and that they intended to enter Kiang si. Bayan enjoinedon Argan and Tong wen ping , whom he left in command nearLin ngan , to leave those princes no time to strengthen the irarmies .

When the Sung princes , brothers of the Emperor, came to Wen

chau from Lin ngan , the officers who followed or jo ined them,

made Y wang , the elder, ch ief governor of the Empire ,andassociated with him his brother Kwang wang . These brothersentered Eu kien , where the two leading cities were on the po into f submitting to Hoang wan tau , whom Bayan hadmade governorof that province very recently . T he new governor hadguaranteedto reduce the whole province . The Sung partisans se iz edarmsimmediately . T he Mongol governor was defeatedand dri ven out

o f the province ; his troops desertedand joined the Sung forces .

T he two princesarrivedat Eu chau , the capital ,and Y wang ,

who was n ine years o fage , was made Emperor wi thallneedfulceremony . T he sovereign had anumerous army divided intofour corps , wh ich were to operate in the southandalong the Yangtse , on both s ides o f that river . At th is junctureappeared Wen

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356 The Mongols

was dragged out of it promptlyandwith Kiang tsai hurried back toYang ch iu . At chu left noth ing undone to win these two men toKub ilai, but s ince both were unbending he killed them.

Tong wen pingand Argan made progress in Che kiang . Theywonavictory over the Sungarmy in Chu ch iu ,and in Fu kientookafortress , called Sha11 . These Mongolsuccesses were followed by Ch inese defectionsand the surrender of cities . Th isconstrained the Sung court to th ink of its safety . Ch in y chongand Chang shikieassembledavery large fleet ,andaconsiderablearmy . T he Emperor embarked with his courtand thearmyandsailedaway southward to Tsuen ch iu (the Zaitun of Marco Po lo) .Th is port was the seat of much commerce ; the harborwas crowdedwith vesselsatalltimes . T he commanders now seized certainsh ips wh ich they needed . These,as it seemed , belonged mainlyto the governor, avery rich merchant . T he governor was so

greatly enragedat th isaction that heattackedallwho landed ,and even forced the fleet to sail out of the harbor ; that done, hedelivered his city to the Mongols .

Alihaiyahad laid s iege for three months , with great vigor, toKwe lin fu , the capital of Kuang si, but failing to conquer thedesperate resistance of the governor Maki, he tried softermethods .

He obtained fromKub ilaiadiplomaappointing Makicommanderin- ch ief of Kuang si, and sent him the document byan officer .

Maki burned the diploma,and cut down the o fficer . Kwe lin fu,

bu iltat the meeting of two rivers , was exposedat one sidealone ,where the whole garrison could faceany enemy . T he hlongol

generaldug ou t new beds for the ri versand turned them; the citywasassailable now upon every s ideand he stormed it . Hisarmyswept over the walls likeatorrent , but Makimet the foe worth ily .

He fought from street to street , from one square toanother, tillat las t , when covered with wounds ,and bleeding his life out , thatbrave man was captured, but died shortly afterward. All the

inhabi tants were put to the sword without pi ty .

T he capital taken , Alihaiyadivided his army into variousdetachments , wh ich he sent to seize the ch ief cities of thatprovince .

Ki wang , or Y wang , the young Emperor, sailed to Hwe ’

ich iu ,

not far from the present Hong Kong ,and sent one of his o fficersto Sutu , the Mongo l commander

,with aletter for Kubilai, in

Kubilai Khan Destroys the Sung Dynasty 357

wh ich he offered submiss ion . Sutu sent his son to Shang tuwith the bearer of th is letter . Meanwhile operations cont inued ,and soon the whole province of Kuang tung , attacked the

year previous , had submitted .

At this juncture Kubilai summoned Bayan from South China,directing him to leave there only those who were needed to guardconquered places . Li heng would command troops of that kind .

Allothers were to strike in th e Northat his enemy Kaidu . AfterBayan ’

s departure th e Sung partyattackedand retookmany cities inthe four southern provinces . Chang shikiemade great levies in R1kien , equ ippedalarge fleetandlaid s iege to Tsuen chiu , but Sutuforced himafterward to raise it . Sutu declared that the Ch inesewere not to b e trusted ,and fellback on the oldMongo l method ofslaugh ter . Cityafter c ity was put to the sword without mercyor favor . Since many southern c it ies had been retaken by Sungforces Kub ilaiin 1278 sent fresh troops to that part of the Empire ,and ordered Tachu , Li heng ,and Liu se kwe to cross the Taynling mountains , wh ile the fleet , under Sutuand others , wouldattack the Sung squadron .

Sutu now sweptallthings before him till he reached Chao chiu ,

where he met fi rm resistance . Not wish ing to delay , lest he belate in the south , he sailed on , and jo ined the land forces nearCanton ,

wh ich surrendered. After this success he returned toChao ch iu and laid s iege to it regularly . The place was builtstrongly,andMafa, the commandant , was soact iveand resolute

thatafter battering it for twenty daysand storming it repeatedlySutu could show only small progress . Th en the commandantmadeasort ie in wh ich he burned the battering engines of theMon

gols , but surroundedat last by greater forces , he perished inamurderous struggle . His men broke and fled to the c ity ; the

enemy ran with them, rushed in throngs to the gates , swept throughthemafter the Ch inese , took the place ,and putallto the swordwithout exception .

T he young Emperor had no port in wh ich to anchor hisvessels with safety . Hence he wanderedabout on the seawithoutaresting - place , tillin May , 1278 , at th eage of eleven , he

died , on Kang chuen ,adesert island. Most of the offi cialsandh igh personages who followed him wereaverse to th is wanderingexistence,and were ready to submit to Kubilai, but Liu sin fu

358 T he Mongols

oppo sed themwith the uttermost vigor . We have , said he , ason of

'

I\1 tsong with us yetand we must make him the Emperor.

We shallfi nd warriorsand o fficers in plenty . If Heaven has notdecreed ru in to the Sungs , do ye doubt that it can raise the ir throneto its former magn ifi cence ? ”

These words roused the ch iefs ; they placed Kuang wang onanearth mound , knelt ,and rendered homage . Ti ping was the namegiven the new Emperor . Liu sin fuand Chang shi kie were hismin isters . T he Ch inese headquarters were mainly on water, the irfleet was very great ,and carried large forces . Th is fleet retiredto strai ts in the Gulf of Canton wh ich lay between the mountainKicheand the island of Yai . T he pos ition ,as it seems , wasagood one . In every case it was the las t refugeand stronghold of

the Sung dynasty . Chang shikie had bu ilt on the summit of theislandamodern palace for the Emperor, and barracks for thewarriors . He worked with great zealto revictual the vesselsandprovideallthat was needfulfor every one . Provis ions came fromCantonand o ther places , from cities wh ich were subject to the

hiongols ,as wellas the Ch inese . Wen tien s iang , in spite of hislosses , recaptured Canton ,

and held it ,at leas t foraseason .

At th is time Chang hong fan explained to Kub ilai inaletterthat to end the great struggle successfully Kuang wang must b e

mas tered . Kubilai sent himasword set with jewels ,and madehim commander- in - ch ief of thearmies appo inted to subdue the

new Emperor . The firstact o f the general was to crush the landforces ; as these were mainly new levies and the Mongols wereveterans , they fledat the earl iest onsetand the ir offi cers were takencaptive . Among them were Wen tien s iang , ch ief commander,with Liu tse tsiunandTs iu fong . T he las t of these killed h imselfand the second was burned to death overaslow fi re . Wen tiens iang begged for death earnestly , b ut Chang hong fan would not

grant it . Afterasking him in vain to give homage by bowingnorthward, Chang hong fan sent him to Kub ilai,and freedallhisfriends and relatives who were captive .

T hearmies o f the Sung Emperor were destroyed . T he last blowremained , thatagainst the seaforces . Chang hong fan put hisarmy in sh i ps and sailed in past the island called Yai. T he

Ch inese land troo ps were intrenched on the island very firmly ,andthe Ch inese flee t seemed secure fromattack on the north s ide , s ince

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360 T he Mongols

discussion ,andwas followed by the ladies of her service . Changshikie found her bodyand buried it on the mainland . He then

sailedaway for Tung king , where he had faithfulallies with whomhe intended to returnand instalanew Emperor if po ss ible . But

in cross ing th e Gu lf of Tung king , Chang shi kie was met byaterrible tempest ,and perished .

M eanwhile Su liu i , his colleague , fell , slain by his own men .

When he was deadallpeople in Ch inasubmitted,andKub ilaiKhanfound h imself master ofan Empire , for wh ich the Mongols hadbeen figh ting for more than fi ve decades . Thus the Sung familyvanishedafter ruling threeand one-fif th centuries over China.

CHAPTER XVIII

KUBILAI’

S ACT IVITY IN CH INA AND WAR WITH KAIDU

HE struggle of KubilaiKhanagainst Arik Buga, his brother, hasbeen described in some detailalready ,as wellas the downfall

anddeath of the latter . Next came Kaidu ,amore dangerous opponent , who claimed Mongolsovereignty through descent from his

grandfather Ogotai. Ogotai had been designated by Jinghis

to the khanship of the Mongols ,and when th is cho ice was con

firmedat the first Kurultai of elect ion the dign ity was fixedamongO gotai’s descendants . By the election of Mangu ,ason of Tulu i ,th is pact was rejectedand broken . Longand stubborn strugglesand ruin were entailed on the Mongols by that change .

The war with Kaidu lasted from the death of Arik Bugato the ‘

end of Kubilai’s l ifeand somewhat beyond it . Before touch ingon th is bloody conflict it willb e perhaps better to show whatKubilaiKhan didafter conquering Ch ina(January 31 ,No sooner had the Grand Khan ended the Sung dynasty than he

turned to Japan , wh ich had paid tribute formerly to Ch ina. In

1Q7O h e had invited the Japanese monarch , throughan envoy , toacknowledgeas his suzerain the master of the earth , who wasalsoth e son of Heaven , but the envoy was given noaudience . Otherenvoys , sent later, were put to death promptly by the Japanese .

Kubilai resolved now to conquer those eastern islands , though hisbest counsellors tried to dissuade him. They saw the perils of

the enterpriseand did not believe that success would inany casepay for the outlay , but Kubilaiwas inflexible ,and the order wasgiven to sendanarmy one hundred thousand strong to conquerthe islands . The troops embarkedat Lin nganandTsuen ch iu futoward the end of 1280 ; the fleet bearing them sailed for Coreatob e jo ined byacontingent of that country composed of n ine hundred ships, which carried ten thousand warriors . Th is immense

361

362 The Mongols

flee t with its forces was struck near the Japanese coast byatempest ; th e sh ips wentashore for the greater part ,and the menwere taken prisoners . Sixty thousand Ch inese were se izedandof Mongols th irty thousand were slain by the Japanese . In the

autumn of 19 8 1afeeble remnantand wreck of th is greatarmymade its way back to Ch ina.“lien the Sung family had fallen the King of Cochin Ch ina

rendered homage to Kub ilaiand sent him tribute . Not contentwith the tribute thus brough t him, Kubilaisent to that countryaruling councilcomposed of his own o fficers . Af ter two years theheir of Coch in Ch ina, indignantat the s igh t of foreign men rulinghis country , movedhis father toarrest them. T o pun ish th is rebellion ,as he called it , Kub ilai sentafleet from South Chinawithanarmy under General Sutu , who landed in 128 1 at the capital,w h ich he captured . T he king ’s son retired toward the moun

tains , and occupied Sutu with phrases of submiss ion . lVIeanwhile he was preparing to defeat him if poss ible . Sutu learnedshortlyafter that men wereadvancing frommany directions to cut

him off from his vessels . He found it well for this reason toreturn to Canton .

Westem Yun nan was formed of two princedoms , La’i liuand Yung chang , which must b e brough t to obedience

, such wasthe order of the Emperor . T he King o f Mien t ien , the Burmaofour day, to whom,as it seems , the two princedoms paid tribute,set out in 19 77 to drive back the Mongols . Headvanced withaforce s ix ty thousand in number formed of horsemenand infantry .

His first line was of elephants bearing towers wh ich heldarchers .

Atapproach of th is Burmesearmy , the Mongols , whose flank waspro tected byaforest , rode out from beh ind their intrenchments to

charge on the enemy thenadvancing , b ut the ir horses ran in terrorfrom the elephants , and for some minutes no man could checkthe beas t under him. ‘Vhen the panic was over Nas s ir ud din

commanded his men to dismount , put their beasts in the fores t,

and, advancing on foo t , attack the first line of elephants witharrows . T he elephants , unpro tected byarmor o fany kind , werecovered wi th wounds very quickly . Maddened by pain , theyturnedand rushed through the ranks just behind them. Manyfled to the forest, where they broke the towers on their backsand hurled down '

the men who were in them.

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364 The Mongols

try in 1285 during Januaryand on rafts crossed the Eu l iangRiver . At the other bank stood the enemy in order of battle , butthey fled,and their host ile King vanished . Togan thought thewar ended , but the enemy ralliedand harassed his marches . The

great heat of summerand the rains brough t disease to his northernwarriors . T hearmy was forced to fall back on Yun nanand washarassed cont inually wh ile retreating . Li heng , who commandedunder T ogan ’

s direction , was wounded withanarrow,and diedvery soon , for thearrow had been po isoned .

Sutu , who was twenty leagues distant from th isarmyandhadnoaccount of its trouble ,

was cut off by Tung king men ,and perishedinabattleat the Kien moan River . Kub ilaigrieved much for the

loss of so giftedageneral . T o th is loss wasadded the death of

Chingkin , that son whom he had declared his successor,amanof great wisdom, instructed inallCh inese learning , esteemed for

his probityand his love of justice . Chingkin was forty - three

years ofage when he died . He left three sons : Kamala, DharmaBala,andTimur of whomwe shall hearmuch hereaf ter .

In 1286 the Japanese expedition was still pending . All forceswere ready , however,and the sh ips were to meet in SeptemberatHupu , the great rendez vous . Meanwh ile the president of the

tribunal of mandarins dissuaded the Emperor from so hazardousaproject . He left Japan in peace , b utanew expedition was sent to

Coch in Ch ina. Alihaiyawas to take troops from South Ch inagarrisons ,and fall on Tung king with the uttermost vigor. PrinceTogan, who had command of th isarmy , entered Tung king in1287 during February ; he had under him the generals Ch ingpong feiand Fan tsie . Meanwh ileafleet fromKuang tung boreasecond goodarmy under Situr, agreat Kipchak leader whobrough t with him o ffi cersand warriors of his people .

Kub ilai’s forces beat the Tung king men in seventeen en

gagements , ravagedapart of the country , pillaged the capital,se ized immense wealth , and retired on Yun nan with rejoicing . T he King , Ch in ge suan , had sailedaway , no one knewwh ither, bu t now , when the Mongols had gone , heappeared withlarge forcesasecond time .

Togan reentered the country in 1288 ,and found the inhabitantsarmedand ready forac tion . T he campaign was continued t illsummer,which brough t much disease ,and forcedTogan to fall back

Kubilai’s Activity in China 365

on Kuang si foraperiod. Ch in ge suan nowattacked himandstrove to stop his retreataltogether . Togan lost many men invarious batt les ,among others the generals Fan tsieandApatchi,and was saved only by the valor of Situr, who put himselfat thehead of the vanguardand openedaway for thearmy .

Notwithstanding his victory the king thought it wise now to

o ffer submission ; he begged Kubilaito forget past eventsandwithhis prayers sentagold statue . Kubilai, in pun ishment for defeat , took Yun nan rule from Prince Togan , forbade him the

palace , andas s igned him Yang chiuasaresidence .

In 1285 Kubilai had charged Yang t ing pie to vis it the islandssouth of Ch inaand inform h imself secretly of the forcesand thewealth on them. The mission was successfu l , for in October of1286 the sh ips of ten kingdoms sailed into Tsuen ch iu ,aport ofthe Fu kien province , bearing tribute ,as was stated . It is qu itel ikely , however, that these ships brought s imply presents .

T he chiefand perhaps the one reason why Kubilaidropped hiscampaignagainst the Japanese islands was the menacingaction of

Kaidu , who had struggled two decades to win headship in the

Empire . Kaidu , the grandson of Ogotai, claimed the Mongolthroneasaright which no man might question , or venture to takefromhim, since it came from the willof Jinghis ,andalso from the

solemn decision of the fi rst MongolKurultai. For many years ,and under varying pretexts , Kaidu hadavo ided appearing atKubilai’s courtand now he declared himself openly host ile . The

Emperor reckoned on the support of Borak , whomhe had madeKhan of Jagatai ,and whose domin ions touched those of Kaidu on

the western border.

These two rulers did , in fact, beg in war byabattle on the Syr

Daryaor Yaxartes . Borak gained the victory throughanambush .

H e made many prisoners ,and took rich booty . Later on Kaidugotassistance fromMangu Timur of the Golden Horde,adescendant of Juchi, who sentanarmy commanded by Bergatchar, hisuncle . With his ownand these forces Kaidu met Borakand def eated him inamurderous battle . The defeated man then withdrew to T ransox ianaand recru ited his army , which he weldedtogether again through treasures obtained from BokharaandSamarkand, those famous old cit ies between the two rivers . He

was preparing forasecond struggle when peace proposals were

366 The Mongols

brough t him fromKaidu by Kipchak Ogul ,agrandson of Ogotai,and friendly to both th ese opponents . The proposals wereagreeable to Borak , who immediatelyaccepted them. He formedanalliance th en with Kaiduand each man became to th e otherasworn friend or anda. ”Th is union gave contro l to Kaidu of the Jagataicountrymade up

of Turkistan and T ransox iana. Borak died in 1270 , and hissuccessor, Nikb ey, son of Sarban ,and grandson of Jagatai , havingtakenarmsagainst Kaidu was attacked in 1272 ,and killed inabattle . Next came TogaTimur ; after his death Kaidu put on

the throne Dua, son of Borak , his own anda. ” In 1275 KaiduandDuainvaded the country of the Uigurs withanarmyahundredthousand in numberand laid s ieg e to the capital. Theseallieswished to force the Idikut to jo in in the waragainst Kub ilai, butat th is juncture the Idikut recei vedaid from the Emperor’s troops ,wh ich appeared in that region .

That same year Kubilai sent westwardanumerousarmy commanded by his son Numugan, who had under himas generalHantum,aminister of State ,andadescendant ofMuku l i , Jinghis Khan ’

s

most belovedand perhaps his most gifted commander . Guekji,Numugan’

s brother,and Shireki, son of Mangu , wentalso with hisarmy ,as wellas T ok Timurand other princes with th eir warriors .

Numugan wasappo inted ch ief governor of Almalikat the outset .

In 1277 T ok Timur, dissatisfied with Kub ilai, proposed to putShireki, son of Mangu , on the throne of the Mongols . Shireki

accepted the offer ; Kub ilai’s two sonsand the general, Hantum,

were seized in the night t ime . Both princes were deli vered toMangu Timur, the sovereign of Kipchak ; Hantum was given toKaidu . Sarban , son of Jagatai , was won for the cause somewhatlater,ando ther princes of th is branchas wellas that of Ogotai. At

th is juncture Kub ilaisummoned Bayan from South Ch inaand puthimat the head ofanarmy to crush theabove combination . Bayanfound his foes well entrenched on the Orgun . He cut o ff the irsuppliesand they , dreading hunger,accepted the wag er of battle .

T he conflict on wh ich such great interests depended was stubbornto the utmost . For hours it raged with equal chances , tillBayan ’

s skillturned the scale finally . Shireki was defeatedandwithdrew toward the Irt ish . T ok Timur fled to the land of the

Kirghis , where Kub ilai’s forces surprised himand seizedallhis

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368 T he Mongols

lai s son, Numugan , who had been se ized by Shireki was set

free .

T en years after these struggles Kaidu formed anew leagueagainst the Emperor. Th is t ime he drew to his s idemen descendedfrom Jinghis Khan ’

s brothers , namely : Nayan , fifth in descentfrom the Utchugen , youngest brother of Jinghis Khan ; Singtur,descended from Juch i Kassar ;and Kadan , who was fourth indescent from Kadjiun ,alsoabrother of Jinghis . These princeswereallin the present Manchuria. Nayan had forty thousandmen under himand was waiting for Kaidu , who had promised tobring one hundred thousand picked warriors . T o prevent themee t ing of these forces the Emperor sent Bayan to the west , wherehe was to hold Kaidu in check while Kubilaih imself was crushingNayanand the others .

Kubilai, who had sent forward provis ions by seato the mouth

of the river Liao , moved on Nayan by forced marches ,and foundhim near that same ri ver,at some distance south of Mukden inManchuria. The Emperor had sent scouts farahead of his forcesso that no knowledge of his movements migh t reach the managainst whom he was march ing . Kub ilai di vided hisarmy intotwo parts , one composed of Ch inese , under Li ting ,aManchu ,

the other of Mongols , under Yissu Timur,agrandson c f Boorchu ,

one of Jinghis Khan ’

s four great heroes .

Af ter consult ing his as trologers , who promisedavictory , theEmperor gave the s ignalforaction . He had th irty regiments of

cavalry , in three divisions . Before each regiment were fi ve hundredinfantry with pikesand sabres . These foo t- soldiers were trainedto mount beh ind horsemenand thusadvance swif tly ; when nearthe enemy they slipped down , used their pikes and next their

sabres . If the cavalry retreated,or moved toanother part those

foo tmen sprang up beh ind them. Kub ilai’s place was inawoodentower borne by four elephants ; these beasts were covered with

clo th of gold put onabove strong leatherarmor . T he Imperialstandard with the sunand the moon on it waved over th is tower,wh ich was mannedand surrounded by crossbowrnenandarchers .

Wh en the twoarmies were drawn up in order o f battle the wholespace wh ich they occupied,andabroad beltaround it , was filledwithagreat blare o f trumpe tsand the music of many wind - instru

ments . Th is was followed by songs from the warriors on bo th

Kubilai’s Activity in China 369

s ides ,and then the great kettledrum sounded the onset . Theairwas filled with clouds ofarrows ; when the opponents drew nearerspears were used deftly,and they closed finally with sabresandhand to hand weapons . Nayan ’

sarmy showed great resolut ion ,

fighting from dawn until midday , butat last numbers triumphed .

Nayan ,whenalmost surrounded , strove to escape , but was cap

tured. Kubilai had him killed on the field without waiting ; hewas wrapped inapair of felt blanketsand beaten to death withoutbloodshed. It is said that h e was aChristianand bore on his

standardacross in contrast to the sunandmoon of the standardsof Kub ilai.The Emperor returned to Shang tu after th is great encounterand triumph . The princes Singturand Kadan were stillinarms ,

h ence Kubilai sent his grandson , Timur, against both with the

generals Polo kh wan ,Tutuka, Yissu Timurand Li t ing shi. Af ter

ato ilsome campaign , which took place in the following summer,

Timur defeated Singturand Kadan, and recei ved the submis

s ion of Southern Manchuria.The chief enemy who had raised the whole confli ct remained in

t heWest ,andagainst him the Emperor now turnedhis efforts . T o

guard western front iers most surely, Kub ilaigave KaraKurum to

Bayanas headquarters . Th is great commander rece ived powerwithout limit , since hewas to watchallhome regionsandhold thems ecurely . Before Bayan hadarrivedat thearmy Kamala,ason of

Chingkin, ledacorps inadvanceand tried to stop Kaidu fromc rossing the mountains of Kang kai. Kamala, Kub ilai’s favoritegrandson , was defeatedand surrounded near the river Selinga. He

was barely rescued by Tutukaand his Kipchak warriors .

Affairs now seemed so serious that the Emperor, despiteadvancedage , thought it best to march forward in person . He sent

f or Tutukatoact with him,and praised the recent explo it of thatgeneral . Kubilai left Shang tu for the West July , 1289 , but returned without meet ing Kaidu , or coming near him.

For four years now Bayan held Kaidu in check , ti llat lengthbeingac cused of inact ion ,and even of connivance with the Emperor

’

s rival, Kub ilairecalled the great general ,andgave commandto Timur, his own grandson . But before Timur came to take overthe office Bayan had gone forth to meet Kaiduand had defeatedhisarmy . On returning to headquarters he yielded commandand

370 The Mongols

gave Timurabanquetat wh ich hemade himrich presents . Bayanth en departed for Tai tung fu ,assigned himalreadyasares idence .

O narri ving he found therean order to stand before Kubilai. T heEmperor, who had shaken offallhis prejudice in the meanwh i le ,recei ved the famed leader with every distinction , praised him in

public , exalted his zealand his services , made him first ministerand commander of the guardsand other troops in both capitals(Shang tuand Tatu) .Kub ilailiked to send envoys to various countries south of Ch inawhence sh ips came in large numbers bearing rare objectsas presents . He sent onceaChinese min ister to visit the sovereign ofaland called Kuava(Java) . This ruler for some unknown reasonhad the minister branded on the fac e ,and sent him home withgreat insult . Kubilaifelt the outrage ,andallhis officers demandedsharp vengeance . In 1293athousand sh ips with th irty thousandmen on themand provis ions foratwelvemonth set sailfor Kuava.Chepi ,aChinese , who knew the language of Java, commanded th issquadron . The King of Kuavagave pretended submissionandpersuaded Chepi to conquer Kolang ,anear kingdomat war thenwith Kuava. Chepi wonagreat victory over the King of Kolangwhom he se izedand killed straigh tway . The King of Kuavatriednow to get rid of the Ch inese ,and strove to cut themo ff from the irvessels . Chepi reached the fleet , th irty leagues distant , with ditficulty ,af ter some serious encounters in wh ich he lost th ree thousandwarriors , though he brough taway much goldand many jewels .

O narrivingat court he gave these to the Emperor, but Kubilai,enraged because Chepi had no t conquered th e kingdom of Kuava,condemned him to seventy blows ofastick ,and took one th ird of

his property .

O n coming to the throne Kub ilai had confided his finances toSeyid Edjell,aBukhario te ,andanadherent of Islam, aman whohadagreat repu tation for probity . Th is min ister died in 1270 .

Next came Ahmed,anative o f Fenaket ,ac ity on the Syr Darya.Ahmed

’

s good fortune came from his intimacy with JambuiKhatun , the firstand favori te wife of the Emperor ; th is intimacybegan when Jumbuiwas still in the house of her father, IltchiNoyon ,ach ief o f the Kunkurats . Ahmed becameattached to thecourt o f the Empress ,andadro it , ins inuating , rich in expedients ,he had the chance o f winning favor from Kub ilai, who after

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372 The Mongols

allhis most distingu ished officers to b e present . But griefat thetragic death of his favorite was followed soon by furious anger.

Seeking to fi ndalarge diamond for his own use ,asan ornament ,

he discovered that some time before two merchants had broughthimastone of rare s izeand qual ity wh ich they had left for deliverywith Ahmed . Th is same stone was now found in possess ion of

the principal wife of the late minister . T he Emperor ’s wrath wasso excited by th is and by other disclosures , and intens ified byChingkin

’

s strong speeches , that h e ordered that Ahmed’

s bodyb e dug up immediately ,and the head cu t from itand exposedasa.spectacle . Whenallth is was done the body was hurled to the dogsto b e eaten . That one of Ahmed’

s widows who had worn the

diamond was put to death with her two sons ; his forty other

wivesand four hundred concubines were distributedas gifts tovarious people . Ahmed ’s property was confiscated,andhis cl ientsto the number of seven hundred suffered variously in proport ionas they had shared in hisabuses ,andassisted him in deceiving theEmperor .

T he min istry of finance was given now to an Uigur namedSanga, whose brother was the principal Lama. Sangahadoccupied his dign ity e igh t years , following closely the ex

ample of Ahmed, when one of Kub ilai’s officers undertook to

expose the evildeeds of the minister . In time ofahunt he spokewith the Emperorabout Sanga. Kub ilai though t himavilifi erand had the man beaten . Later on the Emperor tried to forcefrom th is officeraconfession that he was serving the hatred of menwho were envious of Sanga. The officer declared that he was inno way opposed to the ministerand was only trying to renderservice to h is sovereign ,and benefit the country . Kub ilaifound oninqu iry that the officer had spoken the truth ,and if no one beforehim had reported the evil do ings of Sanga, it was because peopledreaded the merciless revenge of that min ister . At las t Sangawas des troyed in the mind of the Emperor .

O ne day Kub ilaiasked pearls o f theminister ; the latter declaredthat he had none . A Pers ian who was favored by Kubilai,andwho detes ted the minis ter, made haste to declare that he had seen

agreat quantity of pearls and precious stones in possess ion of

Sanga, and if the Emperor would de ign to occupy Sangasomemoments he would bring those same pearls from that minister’s

Kubilai’s Activity in China 373

mansion . The Emperoragreed ,and inashort t ime the Persianreturned bringing with him two caskets filled with pearls of greatvalue . How is th is ? cried the Emperor to Sanga; “

thou hastallthese pearlsandart unwilling to give me evenafew of them?Where didst thou fi nd such great riches ? The min isteranswered that he got them from various Mohammedans who weregovernors of provinces in China. Why have these men broughtme noth ing ? asked Kubilai. Thou bringest me trifles andfor thyself keepestallthat is most precious .

” They were givenme, said th e minister. If it is thy wish I will return them to

the donors .

Kub ilai in his rage had Sanga’s mouth filled with excrementand condemned him to death without waiting for further inqu iry .

His immense fortune was seizedand the Emperor, incensedat thosefunctionaries whose duty it had been to expose the excesses of theminister, demanded of the censors of the Empire what punishmentthey hadmerited . By decis ion of the censors they were strippedof office . Two Mohammedan governors lost their lives , as didmany others involved in the recentabuses .

Thusafter the death of SeyidEdjell, forabout one fifth ofacentury the ch iefs of finance in Chinawere men from other countries,as were most of theiragents . These persons kept themselves inpower by revolt ing exact ions . Kubilai, ever greedy of money s incehe needed endless sums of it , choseasagents in finance men whowere ready to increase the state income if phys ically poss ible ,andgave power to persons who stopped before noth ing . Extort ion ,

false witness, confiscation ,and even murder were means used bythem frequently . Oldjai followed Sangaas min ister .

Kub ilaidied in 1294 during February , in Tatu , the Pekin of the

present day . He was eighty years oldat the t ime of his deathandsovere ign over the largest domain ever ruled by one person .

Besides bu ilding his beaut ifulcity Kubilaididmuch to improvethe generalcondition of Ch ina. Among other great public workswhich he carried out was the building of the Grand Canal wh ichjoined his capitalwith themore fert ile districts of the country . He

also extendedan excellent post system. According to Marco Poloallthe principalroadsmetat Tatu . Along those roadsat intervalsof twenty-fi ve or thirty miles were well equ ipped post houses ,atsome of wh ich four hundred horses were kept , two hundred for

374 T he Mongols

immediate use and two hundred at pasture . Three hundredthousand horses were engaged in th is service ,and there were tenthousand post stations .

Two systems of carriers were maintained by the government .

Th e foot messengers wore belts with bells attached and werestationedat intervals of three milesapart . When the bellsannounced theapproach ofarunnerafresh man prepared to takehis place at once . Each man ran at his greatest speed . The

mounted couriers byas imilar system of relief could travelfourhundred miles in twenty - four hours , the distance coveredat n ightbeing much less than that during day, forat n ight footmen withtorchesaccompan ied the mounted cour ier .

Kub ilai bu ilt his capital near the ancient capital of the KinEmperors . Marco Polo states that it was twenty- four milesin circu it . I ts ramparts were fifty feet in width and fifty feethigh ; at each corner was an immense bastion and on eachs ide were three gates , each gate garrisoned by one thousandmen . T he palace itself was surrounded by two walls , the outer

one beingamile squareand ornamented with battle scenes paintedin brigh t co lors . Between the two walls were parksand pleasuregrounds through which were paved roads raised two cubitsabovethe levelof the ground . In the center of the enclosure rose the

magn ificent palace .

His summer palace was at Shang tu and was similar to the

one in Tatu . Inagrove not far from the palace wasabeau tifulbamboo dwelling supported by gilt and lacquered columns , aresort for the Emperor during the warmer days . Th is bamboopalace was stayed by two hundred s ilk ropesand could very easilyb e put upand taken down .

Kub ilai enjoyed hunting . In March of each yearagreat huntwas organized . Marco Polo says that there were two mastersof the hunt

, each having under himten thousandmen , fi ve thousanddressed in redand fi ve thousand in blue . These men surroundedan immense spaceand drove in theanimals . When everyth ingwas ready the Khan set out with his ten thousand falconers . He

traveled inapalanqu in carried by four elephants . Th is palanqu inwas lined wi th goldand covered with lion skins . T en thousandtents were erected near the hunting ground . The Emperor’sgreat tent where receptions were heldaccommodated one thousand

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376 The Mongols

of s ilkandgold , that their breathmigh t not offend him. Wheneverhe raised the wine cup to his l ips the mus icians began to play ,andprincesand officials went down on one knee .

Kubilaihad five principal wives the ch ief of whomwas JambuiKhatun . Each wife had her own courtandwasattended by notfewer than three hundred damselsas wellas by many pagesandeunuchs . The Kunkurats were celebrated for the beauty of theirwomenandsuppliedmost of the wivesandconcubines of the Khan .

Officials were often sent to select several hundred girlsandpay theirparents for them, est imating their valueaccording to their beauty .

The girls were sent to the courtand examined byanumber of

matrons . Polo states : These women make the girls sleep withthem in turn toascertain that they haveasweet breathandarestrong of l imb .

”

T h e few who passed th is examinationattendedth e Khan , the rejected married officers or became palace em

ployees .

It is stated by chron iclers of that t ime that Kubilai became,

through the influence of Jambui Khatun,aLamaist . St ill, tosecure good fortune , he prayed to Christ, Mohammed , Moses

and Buddha, whom he reveredas th e four great prophets of the

world .

Kubilaiwasaman ofmediumstature . He hadafair complexionand keen black eyes ,and was ofakindly dispos ition . He haddesignatedas heir his fourth son , Numugan , but wh ile that princewasaprisoner in the war with Kaidu he chose Chingkin , his

second son ,as successor . Some t imeafter th is Numugan was set

free ,andas he criticized theappo intment of his brother he incurredKub ilai’s wrath ,andwas banished . He died soonafter . Chingkin

diedalso before his father.

In 1293, e ight yearsafter the death of Chingkin, his widow,

Guekjin , urged the great general , Bayan , to remark to the Emperorthat he had not namedasuccessor . Thereupon Kub ilaiappo intedhis grandson , Timur, whom he had sent to KaraKurumas itsgovernor,and charged Bayan toannounce to that prince hisappo intment ,and instalhimas heir with due festivalsandceremonies .

Af ter Kub ilai’s death ,February , 1294 ,aKurultaiof election was

heldat Shang tu , the summer capital . Timur went to that cityfrom hisarmyand, though he was formally he ir, his elder brother,Kamala, aspired to the Empire . The princes of the family

Kubilai’s Activity in China 377

wavered forat ime, but the generalsand the Ch inese ofi cials gaveTimur the iradh erence . At last Bayan, who by characterandofficehad th e greatest influence in that meeting , took his sabre anddeclared that he would suffer noman on the throne save himwhomKub ilai had selected . Th is ended debate, andKamalaknelt tohis brother ; the other princes followed his example,and Timurwas proclaimed then Grand Khan of the Mongols .

The first work of Timur was to give Imperial rank to his parents,andnex t to rearamonument to Kubilai, Jambui, the late Empress,andChingkin , his own father. Kamalawas made the ch ief governor of Mongol iawith KaraKurumas his residence . GuekdjuandKurguez , Timur

’

s brothers- in-law , received command over troopsopposed to KaiduandDuaon the northwestern border . Timur’scousin , Prince Ananda, was made governor of Tangut , that regionwest of the Yellow River . Bayan Fentchan kept the min istry .

Bayan , the ch ief commanderand greatest general of Kubilai’sreign, died early in 1295 ,at theage of fi fty

- nine years . HeandYe liu chu tsai , Ogotai’s faith fuladviser, were renowned for loftycharacterand justice beyondallmen in th e h istory of Mongols .

Both tried to spare human blood ,and both were endowed withrare modesty .

Only two events of note came to pass in Timur’s t ime : awarin the regions wh ich lie between Ch inaand India,andawar in thewestagainst Kaidu .

Once on the throne , Timur made peace with the King of Ngannanandopened communication with India,wh ich had been stoppedby the warand operat ionsagainst Java. For several years T itiya,King of Mien t ien (Burma) , had failed to send tribute,andTimurwas preparing large forcesagainst him when T itiya’s son , Sinhobati , came with both homageand tribute in the name of his father.

Throughapatent Timur then declared Titiyaking , with his son

Sinhobatias successor ,and gave to th e princeasquare sealwith thefigure of at iger . Mongol generals on the borders of Burmarece ived the command to respect that vassal Stateand protectcommerce between itand the Empire .

Three years later on T itiyawas dethroned ,and then killed byAsankoye , his brother . His son went to b eg the assistance of

Ch ina. Timur sent th is command to Seitchaur, then governingin Yun nan for the Empire : March into Mien t ien ; se izeand

378 The Mongols

bring me Asankoye . Seitchaur met many checksand returnedto Yun nan

,spreading meanwhile the statement that he had

quelledallrebellion , butanumber of his officers were punished withdeath because they had been bribed by the rebels ; th is had beenproven . T he Emperor degraded Seitchaur and seized allhisproperty .

Wh ile the war in Mien t ien was progressing Timur learned thatPape si fu , wh ich lies west of Yun nan , had refused Ch ina’scalendar, and would not obey that great Empire . He took theadvice of Li yu ch in , whomhe sent withaforce of th irty thousand tobringallto obedience . Th isarmy was reduced very soon to one

th ird of its numbers by difficult marchesand the tropicalclimate .

Demands in Yun nan for provis ionsandhorses roused revoltamongh ill tribes , whom the Ch inese called barbarous . Song long tsi,ach iefamong these people , pu t h imselfat the head of the ir forces ,surrounded Li yu ch in , the Imperial commander,and would havecut his whole army to pieces had not the V iceroy Hugatchi,Timur’s uncle , marched very qu ickly from Yun nanand savedhim.

The Emperor at th is juncture commanded his generals Liukwe kieand Yang saiyu pwatoassemblealltroopsavailable inSu chuan , Yun nanand Hu kuangandadvance to support Li yuch in ,

who , pressed by Song long tsimost unsparingly , was retreating , or rather, flee ing toaplace of protection . He hadabandonedhis baggageand lost many warriors .

T he revolt spread now onalls ides ,andmany new tribes joinedit . Detached bands plundered towns , and ravaged loyalplaces .

Liu kwe kie held his own t ill fresh men came by swift marches tos trengthen him; with these new forcesand his own he pushed intothe country of the rebels , and defeated them. Large numberswere captured ,andamong them Che tsiwe ,awoman who hadledmountain men from the first in that struggle . She was killedwi thout hesitation or pity .

In the North the long war continued . T he Imperial troops ledby Chohaugur, who in 129 7 succeeded his father Tutuka, wonadvantages over KaiduandDua, who in the ir turn gainedavictory ,thanks to neglect on the o ther s ide . A divis ion of Dua’sarmyattacked the cordon wh ich stoodagainst himand hisally . Th iscordon was o f cavalry placed onaline from southwest stretch ing

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380 The Mongols

Durduka, coming up onasudden , defeated themand slew or

drown edagreat number.

In 130 1 Kaidu was leading the largestarmy that he had everassembled . W ith him went Duaand forty princes descendedfromhis grandfatherandfromhis grand- uncle Jagatai. Khaishan ,

Timur’

s nephew, who had comeashort t ime before to learn warunder Yuetcharand Chohaugur, summoned promptly the fi ve

army corps stationed in that regionand gave battle between KaraKurumand the Tamir River . T he h istorian Vassaf descri besthe battleas resulting in victory for Kaidu , who died while histroops were march ing homeward , but th is westwardmarch seemsto prove that the victory , if there was one , could not have been on

his side decisi vely .

Kaidu hadassumed the title Grand Khan , thus claiming theheadsh ip of the Mongols , which belonged to him by the willof

Jinghis ,and the solemn oath of the earliest Kurultai. Could hehave lived some years longer he might have obtained the greatprimacy , s inceafter Timur the Mongolsovere igns of Chinadeterioratedand became not merely paltry but pitifuland wretched,

wh ile Kaidu wasageniusandalsoahero . He was loved in theWest very greatly ,and his veterans were renowned evenamongMongols . Kaidu was exalted by his people for magnanimityandkindness . His boundless bravery and strength of body rousedadmirationand wonder. He had forty sonsand one daughter,named Aiyaruk (Sh ining Moon), whom Marco Polo stateswas famous for beauty and still more famous for the

strength of her body ; she surpassed every warrior of thatday , not only among Mongols , but all surrounding nations .

Th is young princess declared that she would marry no mansave him who could conquer her in wrestling . When the t imecame notice was given to every one that Kaidu ’

s only daugh terwould marry the man who could throw her in wrestling , but if hewere thrown by the princess he would loseahundred horses . Manafter man came tillthe princess had thrownahundred su itorsandwon ten thousand horses . After th is hundred came the best mano fall,ayoung hero fromarich remote kingdom,aman who hadnever met an equalin any land. He felt sure of victory , andbrough t wi th himaforfe it o f not one hundred , but one thousandhorse s . Kaiduand the young lady ’s mother were charmed with

Kubilai’s Activity in China 381

th is su itor when th ey saw him,and, being the son ofagreatandfamous sovere ign , begged their daughter to yield in case she werewinning in the struggle, but sheanswered : I willnot yield unlessh e can throw me . If he throws me, I will marry him.

” A daywasappointed for the meeting ,andan immenseaudience came towitness the trial . Wh enallthe great company was ready the strongmaidand the young man came into the courtyardand closed inthe struggle . They wrestled with great skilland energyand itseemed foralong t ime that ne ither could conquer the other, but

at last the damsel threw the young hero . Immense was the

su itor’s confusionas he lay in the courtyard , but he roseandhurriedoff withallhisattendants , leaving the one thousand horses behindhimas forfe it .Kaidu ’

s warriors mourned the death of their ru ler with loudintense wailing . Dua, to whom he had told his last wishes, proposed to the princes who stood round the bier of the sovere ign tochooseas su ccessor the eldestamong the dead man ’

s forty sons,

namely, Chabar,who was thenabsent . Duaon his part owedmuchto Chabar . When ,after the death of Borak , the members of his

family repaired to the court of Kaidu , as custom commanded ,Dua, though not the eldest of Jagatai ’s descendants, obtained hissuccession through the influence of Chabar. All presentagreedwith Dua,and each of the princes sent officers toattend Kaidu ’

s

body to its resting- place .

Chabararrived very soon ,and the princes , with Duaat the head

of them, rendered him homage as Kaidu ’

s successor. Wh enChabar was installed in Ogotai’s dominion , Duaproposed to

acknowledge overlordship of Timur, grandson of Kubilai, andthus end the strife wh ich had raged for three decades in JinghisKhan ’

s family . This advice was accepted by Chabarandallother princes ,andthey sent envoys immediately to offer submiss ion .

Th is pledge of peace was received with great gladness by Timur,

who now saw hisauthority recognized by every member of his

But this agreement was short - lived . In the year following ,

disputes burst forth between Chabarand Duawhich invo lvedthe two sides of Jinn Khan ’

s family . In 1306,at Dua’s persuas ion ,

Timur, who was watchful, of course,and suspicious ,attackedChabar, the son of Kaidu his recent opponent . Chabar was

382 The Mongols

deserted immediately by most of hisadherents . He turned indistress then to Duato support him. Duatreated his guest withdistinction , but took that guest ’s states from him, and jo inedTurkistan to T ransox iana. He thus reestablished well- n ighin completeness the dominions of Jagatai , wh ich Kaidu had dismembered .

So Chabar, the successor of Kaidu of Kuyukandof Ogotai, wasthe las t realsovere ign descended fromOgotai, son of Jinghis thatOgotaito whom the great conqueror hadgiven supreme ru le in theworld of the Mongols ; Ogotai, whose descendants , despo iledby Batu , son of Juch i , had won for themselves immense regionsthrough the fru itfulactivityand genius of Kaidu .

Dua, son of Borak , died in 1306 ; his son , Gundjuk , who suc

ceeded him, held power one yearandahalf only . After Gund

juk’

s death supreme power was next captured by Taliku ,who

through Moatagan was descended from Jagatai . Tal iku hadgrown old in combats ;aMohammedan by rel igion , he strove tospread his beliefamong Mongols .

Meanwh ile two princes , descended from Jagatai , insisted , weapons in hand, that the throne belonged by righ t toason of Dua;these two were vanqu ished . Many others were preparing to

avenge the defeat wh ich these men had su ffered when T : liku waskilledatabanquet by oflicers who wished to raiseason of theirformer sovere ign , Dua, to dominion . The conspirators then proclaimed Dua’s youngest son, Geb ek Th is prince was barelyinstalled when Chabar, leagued with other princes descendedfrom Kaidu , attacked him. Chabar being vanquished in th isstruggle , crossed the Ili. Onlyafew followers went with him,andheand they foundarefuge in the lands of the Emperor . Afterth is victory over Chabar, wh ich destroyed every hope amongOgotai’s descendants , the Jagatai branch heldaKurultaiat wh ichthey chose Issen Buga,abrother of Gebek ,as the ir ruler . Th isprince , who was then in the terri tory of the Grand K han ,

camefo r the sovere ignty , wh ich Geb ek gave himwi th willingness . AfterIssen Buga’s death ,

- we know no t when it happened , - Gebek

rece ived powerand used it .

Bloody quarrels o f th is kind brough t ru in to Turkistan regionsand to T ransox iana. Prosperity could not exist long wi th such

sovereigns . When the fru it of any labor grew evident it was

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CHAPTER XIX

EXPUIS ION OF THE MONGOLS FROM CH INA

HE late Emperor was childless . His widow ,Bulagan , who

toward the end of her husband’

s reign had great influence ,wished to pu t on the throne Ananda,ason of Mangkalaandgrandson of Kub ilai. He was livingat that time in Tangutas its viceroy . Tangut in those days included Shen si, with Tibetand Suchuanalso in some part . Wh ile Timurlay on his death - b ed Bulagan warned Anandain secret to hasten to the capital . She wishedto keep the throne from Khaishanand Ayu rbali Batra, the twosons of Chingkin

’

s son Tarmabala; she had had the mother of

these two princes sent to Coreaasan exile . Khaishan was on thenorthwestern borderat that time , commandinganarmy of observat ion ,and had won h igh repute through discret ionand bravery inthe struggle with Kaidu . Batrawas with his mother in exile .

Bulagan , now the regent , was sustained in support ing Anandaby Agutai, the first min ister,and by others . She disposed troopsalong the roads of Mongol iato h inder Khaishan in reachingTatu . There was , however, aparty wh ich favored the sons of

Tarmabala. Karakhass , who was ch ief of th is party , sent secretlyto hurry Khaishan on his journey and mentioned the route bywh ich he should travel to avo id mee ting enemies . He urgedBatraalso to be in Tatu ,and Batradid no t failto come promptlywith his mother . Meanwhile Ananda’sadherents had se ttled theday on wh ich to instal him.

Khaishan ’

s party saw that there was no time for lo itering .

They could no t wait for the ir candidate ; he was too far from the

capital . So Prince Tulu brough t inalargearmy corps wh ich hewas commanding ,andacted. Mel ik Timur,ason o f Arik Buga,was one o f Ananda’s ch ief part isans . He had served in thearmyo f Chabar, had revolted,and then fled to Ch ina; th is Mel ik Timur

Ex pulsion of the Mongols from China 385

was put in chains , conveyed to Shang tu ,and immured there

securely . Agutaiand other partisans of Anandawerearrestedandcondemned to die for endeavoring to dispose of the thronearbitrarily, but the execution was deferred till Khaishan ’

s arrival .Bulaganand'

Anandawere guarded in the palace . The princesof the bloodasked Batrato proclaim h imself Emperor, but herefused , saying that the throne belonged to his elder brother.

Batranow sent the seal of the Empire to that brother,and took thet itle of regent till Khaishan’

s arrival, holding down meanwhilethe part isans of the Empress .

Khaishan hurried to KaraKurum, where he took counsel with

princesandgenerals . T hearmy, in which he wasagreat favorite,desired to proclaim him in the homeland . Khaishan refusedandstarted for Shang tu withapicked force th irty thousand in number.

He sentamessage to his motherand brother inviting them to

assist at his installation . Batraset out at once for Shang tu ,

where Khaishan was saluted as sovereign by the princes andgenerals assembled in aKurultai. He took the name KulukKhan, raised his mother to b e Empressand gave his dead fatherthe t itle of Emperor . He acknowledged at the same t ime the

services of his brother by making himhe ir, though he had heirs inhis own sons .

Khaishan ’

s firstact was to give homage to hisancestors in the

temple devoted to their service . Next he carried out the judgmentpassed by Batraagainst theadh erents of Ananda. Anandahimself , with Melik Timur, his close intimate,and Bulagan , the Em

press had to dieaccording to sentence . They had broken the

laws of the Yassaby their efforts to dispose of the throne withoutwinning consent from Jinghis Khan ’

s family .

Khaishan ’

sactsas aruler were not merely paltry ,“ they wereharmful, except th is , that he had one work of Confucius translatedinto Mongol ,andalso many sacred texts of the Buddhists . He

angered the Chinese by favoring Lamas beyond measure . A lawwas passed that whosoever struckaLamahis hand should b e cut

off ,and whoso spokeagainstaLamashou ld have his tongue cut

out . Given to womenand wine , Khaishan died at theage of

th irt y- one , in the year 1311 . His brother Batrawas then proclaimed Emperor, but with the condit ion thatason of Khaishanshould b e his heir. The feas t of installat ion lastedforaweek . At

386 The Mongols

an hour designated byastrologers heascended the throneandwassaluted under the name Bayantu . The firstact of th is sovere ignwas to punish those ministers who ,

takingadvantage of Khaishan ’

s

incompetence , hadacqu ired wealth for themselves through injust ice ; he put to death some of these ,and sent others to exile .

Notwith standingan ordinance made by Kub ilai, examinations ofscholars had not been reestablished . Bayantu brought themnow into use , thus winning good will from the learned . He pro

hib ited the employment of eunuchs in every office , though heinfringed his own law the year following by making aeunuch Grand Mandarin . Bayantu was himselfascholarandencouraged learned men . Among many whoare mentioned asbeing guestsat his court is Chahan

,one of the most celebrated

scholars of his t ime .

Now comes the great cause ,and beginning of ru in for the rul ingl ine of the Mongols in Ch ina: the struggleamong members of thatl ine for domin ion . Though Bayantu was made heir on conditionthat heappoint to that dignity one of his nephews , he removedhis nephew , Kushala, the eldest son of Kuluk Khan (Kaishan)the late Emperor,and sent him to l ive in Yun nanas its governor.

T he officers of Kushala’s household looked upon th isas exile ,and in cross ing Shen si they persuaded many Mongol commanders in those parts to take arms in Kushala’s favor . But

when Kushalasaw h imself abandoned soon after by those veryofficers , he fled to the Altai for refugeamong the Khans of Jagatai .Thereupon the Emperorappo inted as heir his own son ShudiBala.Bayantu died in February , 1320 , hisage be ing somewhat beyond

th irty years .

His first minister wasaMongol named T emudar, who madeh imself odious by countless deeds of injustice . Accused by thecensors of the Empire , he was driven from office ,andgivenadeathsentence

, but the Empress delayed the execution . Wh ile the casewas stillpending Bayantu died ,and the Empress reinstated herfavo ri te inallformer dign ities . Shudi Bala, or Gheghen Khan ,

the new Emperor,mourned s incerely for his father, fasted longandgave large sums in charity . Through regard for his mother he

did no tactagains t T emudar, but he gave his confidence to Baidju,adescendant of Mukul i , Jinghis Khan ’

s great commander. T e e

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388 T he Mong ols

bu t when th e ministers remarked that he had cut o ff Baidju ’

s

shoulder withasabre stroke , Sonan suffered death with the others .

Those princes of the blood who had jo ined the conspiracy weresent to various places of ex ile .

Yissun Timur entered T : tu in December, 1323,and early thefollowing year b eappo intedas he ir his son Asukeba. Th is paltrymonarch did noth ing of note while in power,and died when th irtysix years of age . Though Asukeba, who was eldestamong thefour sons of the Emperor, was heir byappo intment , his right tothe Empire was challenged . It will be remembered that whenBayantu had succeeded Kuluk Khan he did so on condition thathe makeason of the latter his he ir . Instead of do ing that hekept the place for his own sonand removed toadistance Kuluk

’

s

sons , T ob Timurand Kushala. When the conspiracy againstShudi Bala, or Gheghen Khan , had succeeded , the second of

Kuluk’

s sons was in Southern Ch ina, the first in the west farbeyond the Altai .I t was easy for Yissun Timur to seize power in theirabsence,and he did so . Five years later he died in Shang tu , where he hadgone to pas s the summer .

T he Empress now sent Upetala,amin ister of State , to Tatu tose ize each department seal. Her son Asukeba,at th ‘

tt t ime nineyears ofage , had been declared he ir when in his fifth year, b utYang Timur, governor of the capital, was the ch ief ofaparty wh ichwishedason of Ku luk Khan to b e Emperor. Yang Timur, sonof Choahugur, was distingu ishedasawarrior, wh ile his positionwas strengthened by the fame of his father and grandfather .

Raised to h igh dign ities through Kuluk Khan , by whom he wasfavored , th is governor felt h imself bound to the sons of that Emperor by gratitude ,as wellas self - interest . When setting out for

Shang tu some month s earlier Yissun Timur had given him powerin the capital. Yang Timur now summoned h igh o fficials to thepalaceand proposed the elevation of one of Kuluk

’

s sons to Empire , th reatening wi th death allwho showed opposition . Afterth is declaration hearrested Upetala,and o ther h igh functionaries ;these men b e replaced by others in whom he had confidence .

Th e troops , who had no knowledge yet of his intentions , wereordered to kneel , looking sou thward, and touch the earth withthe ir foreheads . Th is was to indicate that through them Yang

Ex pulsion of the Mongols from Ch ina 389

T imur had proclaimed T ob Timur Emperor . That prince wasthen in Nan king . Themin ister hadurged himto hasten ,andnowannounced his earlyarrival .Three descendants of Jinghis with fourteen high officials con

spired to slay the first min ister for his unparalleled daring . YangTimur, learn ing of their plot, seized the seventeenand put to deathevery man of them.

Meanwh ile the Empress had Asukebaproclaimedat Shang tu ,

and chose PrinceWan ts in ,agrandson of Kamala,as firstminister .

She choseas commander of thearmy Taché Timur,ason of th e

min ister Toto ,aKankali ,and gave him the word toattack YangTimur, who was trying to cut off Shang tu by seiz ing other placesof importance .

T ob Timurappeared now in Tatu ,assumed powerandmadeappo intments to office . He put to death Upetala, the min ister ,and sent Toto to exile with other persons whom Yang Timur hadimprisoned . The governor urged the prince to proclaim h imself

Emperor, but he ins isted that power belonged by righ t to his

elder brother, Kushala, who bes ides had more merit because of

his services . At last , however, heagreed to the installat ion ,andpromised toact t illthe coming of Kushala, but he declared that hewould yield up the throne on hisarrival.

T he Empire once established , Yang Timur marched towardL iao tung to meetanarmy moving in the interest of Asukeba,b ut learn ing that Wan ts in had seizedafortress on the way fromShang tu to the capital, he wheeledabout qu ickly , fellonWan tsin ,

and forced him to retreat toward Mongol ia. Other generals inthe interior declared for Asukeba. T emukuadvanced from the

south on Honan with considerable forces , wh ile Prince Kokohoa,leading troops from Shen si, took possess ion of Tung Kwan , the

great fortress . Yessen Timur proclaimed Asukebain that sameprovince , andadvanced on the capital. Yang Timur facedallthese enemiesand conquered . He met Yessen Timur when fourleagues from Tatuand vanqu ished hisarmy completely .

BukaTimur, uncle of Yang Timurand commander- in- ch iefofallforcesat the Liao tung border, on hearing of T ob Timur’saccess ion invited Prince Yuelu Timur to jo in forcesandmarch on

Shang tu with him. Taolachu , who commandedat the summer

palace , sall ied forth repeatedly with part isans of Asukeba, to battle

390 The Mongols

with bes iegers , but reduced finally , he yielded . He surrenderedthe sealof the Empireand gave upalso the rich jewels belongingto As ukeba. T he young Emperor died shortlyafter, no one knowsin what manner . T emuku , the Liao tung governor, was killedduring battle , weapons in hand. Yuelu Timur, now master of

Shang tu , and possess ing the seal of domin ion, conducted the

Empress mo ther to the capi tal. T he min ister Tao lachu traveledwith her . YessenTimurandmany other t itled prisoners wentalso .

T he Empress was exiled toaplace in Pe che li,and Tao lachu ,

Wan ts in , Yessen Timurand other lords of their party suff ereddeathat the capital.News of th is tragedyat Shang tu spread soon throughout Ch ina,and caused the part isans of Asukebato ceaseallres istance .

T ob Timur sent offi cers now to Kushalabeyond the Gobidesert , to declare what had happened and urge him to hasten .

Kushala,as if distru sting his brother,and feel ing that danger wasbefore him, advanced very slowly , but when near the Mongolcapital h e proclaimed h imself sovereign . T ob Timur sent his

first min ister to KaraKurum to Kushalawith the great seal ofState ,as wellas the robesand regaliaof Empire . Kushalawascourteousand genialin meeting his brother’s first min ister,andcharged himat parting to tellT ob Timur that he wc uld confirmhis appo intments . At the same t ime the new Emperor namedhis own min isters , and sent one of them to inform T ob Timurthat the throne was made h is in success ion .

Tob Timurand his first min ister set ou t for Shang tu now without lo itering ,andmet the new sovereignalittle north of the city .

That same evening , wh ileatafeast , Kushalabecame illonasuddenand died some days later A report wentabroad thathe had been po isoned ; suspicion touched Yang Timur

, the firstminis ter . Kushalawas th irty years old when he died , andwasenti tledMing tsong in Ch inese .

Eigh t daysaf ter the death o f Kushala, T ob Timur was madeEmperor the second time .

T ob ‘Timu r’

s reign , however , was brief , and during his daynoth ing happened o f importance , except the personal plottingandtreason o f T ukien .aprince o f the bloodandgovernor in the Yun

nan province , who in 1330 took the title o f King of Yun nan ,

and revolted. He was pu t down by force the year following th is

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392 The Mongols

to his min ister, T ob Timur became anonent ity . He diedin 1332at Shang tu , be ing twenty- n ine years ofage when his lifeended.

Though th e throne had beenappo inted toason of Kushala,Yang Timur proposed to the Empress Putacheli to inaugurateason of the late Emperor . T ob Timur had so loved the firstminister that he gave him his one son to educate , bestowing on theyouth the new name Yang T ekus ,and took Targai , theminister’sson , to b e reared in the palace . T he Empress wished to enthroneab oy of seven years , Ylechebe , second son of Kushala, who hadbeen named heir by the late sovereign . She had th is boy proclaimed,and then became regent , b ut the health of Ylecheb e wasfeeble ,and he died some monthsafterward . T he Ch inese name

Ning tsong was bestowed on him.

Yang Timur now made fresh efforts in favor of Yang T ekus ,

b u t the Empress objected that th is prince was too young ; T ob

Timur, she declared , had promised Kushalato leave the throne toason of his ,and she informed the ex -minister that she had sentanofficer to vis it Kuang siand bring Togan Timur, Kushala’s eldestson , to Tatuat the earliest .T he prince was th irteen years ofageat that period . At the

beginning of T ob Timur’s reign , Putacheli had put to death the

Empress Papucha, wife of Kushala, and sent her son , ToganTimur, toan island o ff the coas t of Coreawith the command tolet no man whateverapproach him. Whenayear had passed thereport ran that Togan Timur had been exiled because he was thetrue and righ tful heir to the Empire . T ob Timur declared inreply , that Kushalahad had no ch ildren in Mongolia, hence ToganTimur was no son of his . But he brough t the boy backand sent

him to l iveat Kuang siin South Ch inaWhen Togan Timur was some leagues from the capital , YangTimur , with princesand persons of distinction , set out to meet

h im. But , little satisfied with the reception given him by Toganand the persons accompany ing h im,

Yang Timur delayed the

enthronement . T he coming Emperor saw his fault,and tried torepair it by marrying Payao ,

Yang Timur’s daugh ter . Wh ile

discuss ing th is matter, and settling its details , death struck the

min is ter . Since T ob Timur’

s advent to au thority th is ministerhad beenall- powerful ; no person or combination o f persons how

Ex pulsion of the Mongols from China 393

evermigh ty had beenable to successfully oppose him; he had donewhat h e wished inallcases ; he had forced the widow of Yissun

Timur ,an Empress , to marry him,and had dared to take fortyprincesses descended from Jinghis , th e great conqueror, andmake them his concubines ; some of th em he retained for threedays only . His death , hastened by incontinenceanddrink ,

assuredthe throne to the o son of Kushala. The Empress published thelast willof th e late Emperor,andTogan Timurwas made sovere ignimmediately, with the promise to demand of the Empress thatYang T ekus , her son , would succeed him.

T he new Emperor’s bent was toward luxuryand pleasure ,andhe did nothing of service toany one . Peyen became min ister,andSatun ch ief commander of thearmy . Satun , Yang Timur

’

s eldest

broth er, died soonafter he had entered on his office , and wassucceeded by Tang Kichi, the eldest son of that renownedmin ister,and th erefore brother of Peyao , the young Empress . ToganTimur, wish ing now to win Yang Timur ’s powerfulfamily , hadraised Peyao to the h ighest rank poss ible to awoman . TangKich i , fieryand envious by nature , was enragedat seeing Peyendecide by h imself the h ighest questions , hence he formedaplot toraise to the throne Hoan ho Timur, agrandson of Mangu the

Emperorandason of Shireki.

The conspirators ,among whomwith Tang Kich i wereTargai , hisbrother,andTalientali,TangKichi’s uncle , planned to secrete troopsandseize the Shang tu summer palace . Peyen , inf ormed of th is plotbyaprince of the blood , gave command toarrest Tang Kich iandTargai in the palace . Tang Kichi, who strove to defend h imself ,was cut downand killed where they found him. Targai fled totheapartment of his s ister, the Empress ,who tried to concealhimwith her garments ; but she failed for themen hunt ingTargai carednot for her modesty , hence he was discoveredand sabred to deathin her presence . Peyao herself fared no better, for Peyen obtainedfrom the Emperoran order to killher,and charged himself withthe office of headsman .

When Peyao saw him enter herapartments she divined what hewanted , and rush ing to the Emperor’s chamber, begged l ife of

him. Little touched by the tears of his consort , Togan Timurreplied very coolly that her uncleand her brothers had plottedagainst him,and he would do noth ing to save her . She was taken

394 The Mongols

from the palace to some house where Peyen h imself killed her.

Talientali defended his lifearms in hand till he fled to Hoan hoTimur

’

s mans ion , where the bloodhunters slew him. Hoan ho wasforced to raise hands on h imself , and b e his own execut ioner.

Thus the great family of Yang Timur, the late min ister, wasext ingu ished.

Emperors ofaday, palace tragedies , murders , c ivil war, andweakness roused up the Ch ineseat last ,and they began to cast o ffthe Blongolyoke . Revolts broke out in Honan , Su chuan ,andKuang tung simultaneously ; they were stifledat the very inception .

T he lVIongolcourt became thoroughly suspicious of the Ch inese .

In 1336 it proh ib ited them from having horsesandarmsand for.bade them to use the language of the Mongols , theirmas ters .

Peyen , theall- powerful min ister, had reached now theacme of

h is influence ,and wasapproach ing his ru inand his doom. Th isman had the boldness to put to death without the Emperor’sknowledgeaprince of the blood of Jinghis ,and to exile two others .

Ambitiousandmerciless , greedyand insolent to the utmost, he had

drawn to his person the hatred of allsave the Emperorand hisown toolsand creatures . Togan Timur knew noth ing whatever o f

Peyen’

s act ivity , be ing guarded most strictly by that minister’sservants , who owedallthey had to their master . T he blow camein 1340 from Peyen

’

s own nephew , T oktagha. Th is man ,amere

officer of the guards , undertook to explain to the Emperor therealcondition of the countryand succeeded . Measures taken insecret secured Peyen

’

s downfall. The moment was chosen whenthe min ister wasabsent onahunting trip ; when he returned hewas not permitted to reenter the capital. He was driven to anexile in South Ch ina, and died , as exiles u sually died, wh ile on

the way . His bro ther, Blachartai, took his placeas first minister .

Th is same year, 1340 , the Emperor removed from the hall ofImperialancestors T ob Timur’s tablet ,and excluded from his

court the Empress widow . He exiledalso , to Corea, Yang T ekus ,

treatedas heir up to that time . Th isaction was explained byanedict wh ich was worded thuswise in substance : At the deathof Kuluk Khan the Empress , yielding to intrigues , excluded fromcourt KushalaKhan , my own father, and made him prince of

Yun nan to b e rid of him. When Shudi Bala(Gheghen Khan)was slain , the throne was given to Kushala, who for safety had

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396 The Mongols

successors , were but sl igh tlyadvanced when Togan Timur becameEmperor. T o finish them he established , under T oktagha,acommiss ion of t he most eminent scholars in the Empire . These menproducedannals o f those three dynasties . Bes ides there were inthese works calendars ; methods ofastronomicalresearch ; l ists ofgreat menand the ir biograph ies ; l ists o f books published byscholars ;and in the Sung h istoryalibrary of books onallsubjects .

There werealso statistics touch ing severalfore ign countries ,anddetaileddescription o f States paying tribute to the dynasties .

At the end of three years T ok tagha, disgusted with court l ife ,retired from o ffice . When consultedaboutasuccessor he recom

mended Alutu ,adescendant in the fourth generation from Boorchu ,

the first man of Jinghis Khan ’

s comrades and one of his four

bravest warriors . Alutu when in office exiled MaehartaiandT ok tagha. In 1347 his place was taken by Pierkie Buga, son o f

the min ister Agu tai, who had been put to death by Kuluk Khan ’

s

order. Th is las t man held the place onlyafew months . Turch i ,h is successor, demandedas colleague Tai ping who ob tained the

recallof T oktagha, whose father, Maehartai, had died wh ile in

exile . Tok taghawas not slow in regaining the Emperor’s favor,wh ich he made use of to send Tai ping of whom he was jealousinto exile .

Allth is time the insurrection was spreading rapidly in SouthernCh ina. In 1341 two private persons had raised troops in Hu kuang ,and seized many cities . D iscontent had grown rife in Shan tung ,wh ile robber bands ravaged o ther regions . A pirate ch ief , Fangkwe ch in ,

harried the coas ts of Che kiangand Kiang nan . Th isman sailed up southern rivers , plundered c ities ,and ru ined com

merce turn ing specially to vessels filled with grain , riceandvariousprovis ions in tended for th e capital . T he Mongols seemed to

disregard these the earlies tattacks ,and disorders increased veryrapidly . Those who raised them made use of the great publicwo rks undertaken in 135 1 by the government .

T he damage wrough t by Hoang Ho floods caused the plan of

o pening anew l) Cd for apart o f the river. An embankment

e igh ty leagues long was undertaken . More than seventy thousandmen were employed at th is labo r, e i ther warriors ,

or men who

l ived on bo th banks o f the river, or near them. T he insurgentsenrolled some impressed laborers ,as wellas men whose lands had

Ex pulsion of the Mongols from China 397

b een taken for the new river b ed,and who were to find land inother places . Fresh taxes imposed to carry out those works increased dissat isfact ion .

Han chan tong ,an obscure pri vate person , seeing the ferment ofminds, raised the report that Fohi (Buddha) had nowappeared todeliver the Ch inese fromMongol oppress ion . He roused rebellionin Honan ,

Kiang nan ,and Shan tung , b ut the ch ief leaders , knowing that th is story would not b eaccepted unless strengthened , gaveout to the world that Han chan tong was of the Sung dynasty ,ande igh th in descent fromHwe i tsung . Th ey tookan oath to him, sacrifi cingablack bull ,andawh ite stallion . They chose thenaredcapas ens ign . Th is pretender to Sung blood had very poor fortune , however. Attacked by the Mongols, he was capturedandkilled by them, but his wife ,andhis son , Han lin ulh , fledandcontinued the struggle .

T he first reverse didnot cast down those rebels . Th e ir principalch ief , Liau fu tong , captured c it ies in Kiang nanand passed overthen to Honan with anumerous army . Other ch iefs enrolledmalcontents in Kiang nanand Hu kuangand gave them the red

capas ens ign . One rebel ch ief , Siu chiu hwei , was proclaimedEmperorat Ki ch iu ,acity in Hu kuang ,and he gave the t itleT ien wan to the dynasty wh ich he was seeking to establish .

Af ter afeeble res istance the Mongols abandoned the wholeYang tse region . A cometappeared now ,andareport was spreadwidely by the rebels that th is heraldedTogan Timur’s early downfall. The MongolGovernment to conciliate men who had the

most influence over peopleadmitted to offices ofallkinds thoseCh inese scholars in the south , who tillthen had beenable to actonly in matters touching literature and commerce

,and were

wholly unfi tted for military command.

The government despatched to Honananarmy commanded byYessenTimur, abrother of T oktagha, the prime min ister, andexiled to the distant north Yng kwe ,atrue descendant of the Sungfamily , withan order not to let him commun icate withany man .

T h is was done s ince most rebel ch iefs hid their plans ofambit ion under pretext of putt ing the prince on the throne of his fathers .

Siu ch iu hwe i cont inued his triumph s ,and toattach men to his

f ortunes more surely , b e let them pillageallcit ies wh ich he captured. He took Han yang ,andWu chang in Eu kuang,as wellas

398 The Mongols

Kiu kiang in the north of Kiang si. He defeated Fan chikingandmastered Hang chau , wh ich the Sung dynasty had once made itscapital, bu t th e Mongol general, Tong pu siao , crossed the Yangts e ,and laying s iege to Hang chau , regained itaf ter desperate carnage . Yessen Timur, who had been sent to put down rebellionin Honan , defeated by Li fu tong , retired to Kaifong fu ,and thusleft the field to the rebels . Th is incompetent generalwas reprimandedand soonafter the increase of the uprising caused theEmperor to replace himby his brotherT oktagha. T ok tagha, leading Honan forces , defeated the insurgents near Pe sui ch iu , but

Sing ki, who commandedallImperialtroops in Yang tse regions,was defeatedandlost his life inabattleagainstanew rebelarmy .

Fang kwe ch in , the pirate ch ieftain , was veryactive . He con

tinued to capture sh ips sailing northward,and thus deprived Tatuof supplies from South Ch ina,andalso of tribute . Besides th is . he

killed most perfidiously TaiBuga,ageneral. Hence the government , greatlyanxious to win the bold ,active pirate , charged T ieli Timur to confer with him. The pirate gaveassurance that hewould submitand disband his forces if b e , with his brothers , twoin number, were made mandarins of the fifth class . T ie l i Timur,deligh tedat th is offer, gave the three brothers Hiu chin , Kuang te ,and Siu ch iu in the Che kiang province . T he pirate , however, forreasons wh ich healone knew , refused the places when the t imecame to take them, raised sail,and disappeared with his shipandhis cutthroats .

In 1354 , Chang se ching ,anew rebel ,appeared in Kiang nanandthough his troops werealllevies b e routed Tach i Timur, who hadbeen sent out to crush him. At th is juncture , the first minister,T oktagha, fell on Chang se ch ing , beat him thoroughly ,and retookthe ci ties wh ich he had captured. But wh ile T ok taghawasretrieving the losses of his sovereign , his own co lleagueat the capitalwas working his ruin . Hamaand Sue sue , two brothers , no toriousfor dissolute conduct , had become migh ty in the Emperor’s councils . Th ey were Kankali Turks ,adventurers in the worst sense ,hardened profligates , and thoroughly perfidious . When he hadreac hed power T ok taghagave Hamaoccupation , and thenappo inted himminister . Very soon th is new minister made h imselfindependent of T oktaghaand ro se every day to greater influence .

In due time he found support in Ki , the Empress ,aCorean princess

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400 The Mongols

his victory ,and march ing directly toward Po ch iu , he overtookandagain defeated Liau fu tong , who fled for rel ief toward Nganfongand took his Emperor with him.

After T oktagha’s disgrace Hamawas created first ministerandSue sue , his brother, ch ief censor of th e Empire . All power nowwas in those two brothers . Since Hamahad noth ing to fear,ashe though t , save the return of T oktagha, he had the late ministerkilledat the place of his ban ishment . But noting soon that theEmpire was decaying very swiftly,and the sovereign was depravedbeyond repentance ,aresult to wh ich Hamah imself had contributedimmensely , he though t of means to cure the evilsaround him,anddecided to raise to the throne the heirapparent ,aperson of somewitandaself seeker . Th is des ign was discoveredandHamawassentenced to exileand in 1356 his enemies had him strangled.

In 1355appeared the man destined to destroy Mongolrule inCh inaandfound theMing dynasty .

—Chu yuan chang ,aBuddhist,andalsoapriest who cast off his habit in Kiang nan to becomeas imple warrior underKo tse l ing ,arebel ch ief tain . Th is Chu wasnot slow in creatingaparty . Continualsuccess , with moderation,brought him many supporters ,and his renown increased daily .

Advancing to the river Yang tse he was met by the people in Taipingas their saviour . After he had captured Nan king , Yang ch iuand Chin kiang he laid s iege to Chang ch iu near the mouth of the

ri ver . Th is city was held by the troops of Chang se ch ing , whoh imself was not present . Th is rebel leader, though defeated byT oktagha, had recovered through Mongol remissness ,and madeh imself mas ter of many cities . Chang se ch ing sent his bro therChang se te to succor Chang ch iu , b u t th is brother was defeatedand captured .

Chang se ch ing wrote now to the future Emperor of Ch inaandentreated him to cease his s iege laborand liberate Chang se te,promis ing in return to become his vassalandpayalarge yearly tribute in grain , goldand s ilver . Chu , convinced of Chang se ch ing ’sthorough perfidy , held firmly to his prisonerand captured the city .

In the North theadherents of Ming wang , the pseudo SungEmperor who desolated Shen siandHonan ,

were beaten in Shen si

by Chagan Timur, the Mongo l general. Liau fu tong , Mingwang ’s firs t minis ter, had mas tered Honan for the greater part ,and now wished to capture Kaifong fu

, the capi tal of Honan,and

Ex puls ion of the Mongols f rom China 401

establish in that place the court of his sovere ign . Two armycorps wh ich h e had sent to Shan tung committed great rava

ges .

Pe pu sin , ch ief of one corps of these warriors, entered Shen si

somewhat later, captured Ts in long with Kong chang ,and laids iege to Fong ts iang . Chagan Timur, who hastened to rescue th iscity , surprised Pe pu sinand captured his baggage . Pe pu sin fled

to Su chuanand thus saved h imself . The rebelforce wh ich hadburst into Shan tungand taken many c ities defeated Talimache liandlaid s iege to T sinan , the ch ief city of Shan tungandits capital.

W'

hen Tong toan s iaoarrived from Honan withaMongoldivis ion b e defeated the rebelsat the walls of T sinanand then left theplace ; but barely had he gone whenMao kwe , who commanded thepseudo Sung forces ,attacked this centralcity of Shan tungandcaptured it . Then h e pursued Tong toan s iao , closed with his forces ,andkilled him in battle . After th is victory in 1357 Mao kwe seizedthe c ity of Ho kienandmade raids to the very edge of Tatu , the

capitalof the Mongol Empire . It was thought by some members of the council, that the Emperor should immediatelywithdraw from Tatu , but the min ister, Tai ping , opposed this,and summoned Liu karaBuga, agood general, who defeatedMaok we , and forced him back on T si nan , wh ich he hadtaken . Wh ile one of his detachments was threaten ing the

capital in th is way Liau fu tong seized Kai fong fu , fromwh ich the governor had withdrawn on asudden . Liau fu

t ong then established his Emperor in that city , wh ich had beenares idence of the Kin dynasty just previous to its downfall. Thenh e sent north of the Hoang Ho two divis ions of warriors under

Kwan s ien sengand Po te 11 pan , who had ravaged Shan sifor the

greater part . The first of these leaders tookalong turn northwardto Liao tung, whose capital, Liao yang , he plundered ,and event ouched the border of Coreawh ile ravaging . Doubling back , hemade the long march to the Emperor ’s great summer res idence ,Shang tu , wh ich h e capturedand pillaged ;andhis warriors burnedKub ilaiKhan ’

s splendid palace in that city .

In the South Siu ch iu hwe i hadmade h imself master of most

o f Hu kwangandapart of Kiang si. Chu yuan chang , the comingEmperor , strengthened his pos ition in Kiang nan ,and setaboutconquering Che kiang in its Eastern divis ion . He received the submiss ion of the p irate, Fangkwe ch in ,who , threatened in theWest by

402 The Mongols

Chang se ch ingand in the south by Ch in yiu t ing , master in Eukien ,

preferred to b e vas salofaman whom he trusted . The pirateagreed to surrender Wen chau , Tai chu ,and King yuen insouthern Che kiang when they came to him; he sentalso his sonFang kwanasahostage . Chu , believing the word of th is pirate ,sent his son back to him,and on receiving theabove mentioneddistricts he returned to Nan king , where he formedastrong councilto govern those newly won places .

Wh ile Chu yuan chang was thus increas ingandstrengthening hispower, divis ion was rapidly weaken ing the other two part ies . The

life ofMao kwe , the Sung general, was taken by his colleague , Chaokiun yong . T oavenge Mao kwe , Siu ki tsu set outat once fromLiao yangand overtook Chao kiun yongat Y tu , where he struckhimdown straigh twayand killed him'

. Dissens ions were still morerifeamong Siu ch iu hwe i ’s partisans . Ch in yiu l iang ,ageneralof th is founder of the Tien wan would- be dynasty , had just capturedSin ch iu (Kuang sin) on the eastern border of Kiang siafteras iege wh ich was famous for desperate res istance The

defenders were led by Tach in nu of the blood of Jinghis ,and byBeyen Buga,adescendant of the Idikut of th e Uigurs . Both thesemen perished in the deadly encounter . T he provis ions in the garrison became so reduced that the warriorsate the flesh of those of

th e ir comrades who had perished . At last they killedallof theinhabitants who through age or weakness could notaid in thedefenceand used them for food . T he place was finally capturedby means ofan underground passage . At th is juncture Siu ch iuhwe i wished to transfer his capital fromHan yang to Nan chang fu ,

arecent conquest , though the general who was with him opposedit les t his influence migh t b e lessened .

T he pretender went by way of Kiu kiang . Ch in yiu l iang wentout to meet him under pretext of showing great honor, but whenSiu ch iu hwei had entered Kiu kiang , the gates were closed qu icklybeh ind him,and troops , waiting s ilently in ambush , cut downhis attendants . Ch in , mas ter now of the Emperor’s person ,

spared his lifeand his t itle , but b e confined him,and called h imse lfPrince of Han . Somewhat later he marched on Taiping , with hispri soner,and when he had captured that city he beat the Sin ch iuto death in his barge , withacrowbar .

Ch in now proclaimed h imself Emperor , named his dynasty the

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404 The Mongols

himwith troops in defending his dominions ; but now one of these

princes , Ali hwe i Timur, seventh in descent from Ogotai, tried tose ize the throne for his own u se , instead of helping its occupant .

Th is prince wasadvancing withaid, but when some days marchfrom the GreatWallof Ch ina, he declared that Togan Timur th e

Emperorwas powerless to preserve that wh ich he hadrece ived fromhisancestors ; that he had lost more than half of italready . Al ihwe i then invited the Emperor to yield what remained of the in

heritance . T ukien Timur, whom the Emperor sent to cru sh th isbold rebel, was beatenand withdrew on Shang tu to fi nd refuge .

T he Mongo l court was in terrorand hurr ied on forces , butat th isjuncture the rebelprince was betrayed by his own men ,and del ivered to the Emperor’s general who commanded him to b e put

to death immediately .

Chagan Timur, having won back Honan , put garrisons in the

principal c itiesand pas sed over then to Shan tung to restore it to

the Mongols . On reach ing th is province he received the sub

miss ion of Tien fongandWang se ch ing , two ch iefs of the rebels .

He divided hisarmy into severalcorpsand sent these intoactiononalls ides . He h imself went to T sinan , the ch ief city , or capital ,to bes iege it ,and took th e placeafter three months’ investment .

Af ter that heattacked Y tn, the only place left those insurgentsatthat time

,1369 . Tien fongandWang se ch ing repented now of

’

having aided th is shrewd leader of the Mongols , so they plotteddeath to him. Tien fong invited the general toareview of hisarmy,andChagan Timur, whoaccounted Tien fongas the bestamongallof his intimates , took with him onlyadozen attendants . Barelyhad he entered the tent of his host whenWang se ch ing gave himadeath blow . T he two friends hurried then with their forcesandenteredY tuas had beenagreed wi th the governor. Kuku Timur,the murdered man ’

s son byadoption , inherited his dignitiesandt itle ,and continued the s iege of Y tu in obedience to the Emperor .

Heattacked the place eagerly ,and finding res istanceas braveasthe onset , he turned to dig tunnels ,and dug tillhe worked h imself

into that ci tyand took it . T he ch ief o f the rebels he sent to the

Emperor, b ut Tien fongand Wang se ch in b e reserved for his

personaland exqu is i te vengeance . He brough t them boundandalive to the co ffin o f Chagan Timur, and there tore their hearts .

ou t , tho se hearts he then o ff ered to the spirit o f his father . All

Ex pulsion of the Mongols from China 405

the troops of these men who had followed them into the c ity were

put to the sword without exception .

A new Emperorappeared now in Su chuan ,an officer namedMing yu chin , who had been sent to conquer th is province bySiu chiu hwe i just before he was beaten to death withacrowbar .

Ming yu ch in , having learned of the murder of his master, madeconquests for h imself and fin ished by capturing the Sn chuancapital, where he proclaimed h imself Emperor and called his

dynasty the Hia.Now began war between Chu yuan chang , the coming Emperor ofCh ina,and Ch in yiu liang, that seeker for Empire who , whenageneral

,had beaten to death with acrowbar his own wou ld- b e

Emperor, Siu ch iu hwei . Chin had taken Tai pingandadvancedto the lands of Nan king . Chu yuan marchedagainst him, andwhen he had taken Nan king he found Chin near Kiu kiangandcut hisarmy to pieces . Chin fled to Wu chang . Chu yuan capturedKiu kiang ,and then Nan chang fu . Master of th is capital,he rece ived submiss ion from the principal c ities of Kiang si.

Ch in,wish ing to win back Nan chang fuatallhazards

, equ ippedavast number of vesselsand laid s iege to the c ity

,which b e pressed

cruelly, hoping to take the place before Chu yuan chang couldappear with relief for it ; but those in command madeagallantdef enceandwereable to notify Chu yuan of their peril . Chu yuansailedaway fromNan king toassist them with his flotilla, bearingon itanumerousarmy . T o cut off retreat from his enemy heranged allhis craf t near Hu kiu , where Lake Poyang jo ins theKiang si throughachannel. Chin, who had bes ieged Nan changeighty- fi ve days in success ion , raised the s iege straightway, andentered the lake , where he met Chu ’

s flotilla. T he battle ragedfor three days , when Ch in , who had lost most of his vessels , waskilled byanarrow. Ch in chan ulh , his eldest son , named by himsuccessor, was captured ,and his principal officers yielded to the

victor . Ch in li, the second son , fled toWu chang and proclaimed

h imself Emperor ; but bes ieged, and seeing his cause in utter

chaos , he yielded withoutasking conditions . The surrender of

this capital of Hu kuang was followed by that of the province .

Conquest was made easy now by Chu yuan chang ’s reputat ionfor len iency ,and the discipline of hisarmy .

Before th is campaign wh ich destroyed the would- b e new dynasty

406 The Mongols

o f Han , Chu yuan , learning that Chang se ch ingandLiu ch in hadcap tured Ngan fong , where the Sung Emperor was l iving ,andthat they had slain Liau fu tong , his commander in that city,advanced toward itand defeated Liu ch in . Giving up commando f hisarmy then to his general, Su ta, Chu charged him in 1366

with the investing of Hiu ch iu . The Mongols recaptured Nganfongafter Chu yuan chang had departed.

Now new troubles burst forth among the Mongols , and firstthat wh ich seemed most serious : Af ter the murder of ChaganTimur, th e one man who might have restored Mongol authorityin Ch ina, Polo Timur, his opponent , strove to capture Ts inki, and, in spite of repeated commands from the Emperor,he sent troops to take the place . These troops were defeated byKuku Timur, son of Chagan . Polo Timur then des isted , butanother eventarmed him soonagainst even the Emperor . T he

weakness of the sovere ign favored factions ,and the he ir, whowas unprincipledandambitious , tookactive part in the strugglesof ri vals . Cho se kien ,

the first minister, persuaded the heir thatmany great persons , whom he named , were ready to rise in

rebellion ; he then induced him to ru in them. T he princeaccused these men to his father, and through his power of in

s istence brough t death to two leading persons .

Cho se kienand the eunuch , Papu hwa, bound to each other

by criminalplotting , now feared lest T ukien Timur,afriend of thetwo men just done to death withou t reason , mightavenge them,

hence they decided to destroy T ukienalso . They brought acriminalactionagainst him. Polo Timur rousedadefender toact for him. T he heir, enraged by th is daring ,accused Polo himself of complicity with T ukienand had him stripped of his office .

Polo refused to yield up commandand his enemy Kuku Timurwas sent to constrain him. Polo knew that th is order had beengiven wi thout the Emperor’s knowledge ,and induced T ukien tomakeafeint on the capital , hence he se ized the Kiu yong kwanfortress . They wished to bring the Emperor to banish the manwho had taken possess ion of him. Ye su , who commanded theplace next that fortress ,attacked T ukien Timur, but his forceswere utterly broken . Thereupon the heir, not feel ing secure inthe capi tal, fled northward for safety . T ukien nowadvancedto the ri ver Ts ing ho , where b e halted to wait for the Emperor’s

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408 .The Mong ols

army were dissatisfi ed with P0 10 , so b eassembled the ch ief ones ,and in counselit was resolved to obey that first minister no longer .

They therefore turned back toward Yong pingashort distance,from wh ich po int Ye su informed Kuku Timurand the princesin Mongoliaof the resolve they had taken .

Polo Timur in despair at th is defection sent against Ye su

Yao pc yen Buga, his best general. Ye su surprised th is man ,

cut hisarmy to pieces , took him prisoner,and killed him. PoloTimur took the field now h imself , butarain storm wh ich lastedthree daysand n igh ts prevented all immediate action , and hereturned to the capital. T he oppos it ion wh ich he met renderedhim so distru stful that he put severalofficers to death on suspic ion .

Seeking to drown in wine his sad humor,and the grief wh ich hadse ized him, he grew both ferociousand pit iless . More than once ,

while in those moods he killed men with his own hand ,and hesoon became odious to every one .

Ho chang , son of the Prince of Wei chun , gotasecret orderfrom the Emperor to putan end to P0 10 and his part isans ,andsoon he found the occas ion to do so .

Polo receiving news of the capture of Shang tu ,avictory overMongoladherents of the he ir, hurried on to inform the Emperor,b ut justas he was entering the palace he was s topped by Ho

chang ’s men who opened his skullwithasabre stroke . When newsof this death reached T ukien ’

sarmy the off icers deserted theirgeneral. T ukien was arrested , and put to death straightway .

T he Emperor sent Polo ’

s head to the heirat Ki n ingandan orderfor him toappearat the palace . T he prince returned now withKuku Timur , who became commander- in - ch iefand first minister.

T he heir strove to force Kuku Timur to persuade the Emperor tores ign in his favor , and not finding the min ister compliant grewenrag edat him. T he Emperor was unwilling toabdicate , bu t he

gave his son poweralmost equalto that wh ich he h imself had,

making him lieutenant in the Empire . Kuku Timur tried to

prevent th is b ut failed,andwas stri pped of his dignities . Thereupon , he retired to Shang si, where he l ived inastronghold .

Wh ile the Mongo l court was thus tornasunder by dissens ion Chuyuan chang was extending his Empire continually . He livedatNan king , workingalways to establishagovernment on justiceandorder,as recommended byancient ph iloso phers of Ch ina. Mean

Ex puls ion of the Mongols from China 409

wh ile his generals Su taand Chang yu ehunattacked Chang si

ch ing , who was master yet ofapart of Che kiangand Kiang nan .

In 1366 th ese two dist ingu ished chiefs wonagreat victory overChang si ch ing , took Hiu chiu , one of the wealth iest cities in Chekiang ,andalso Hang chau ,

the capitalof that province . The nextyear they captured Chang si ch ing in Ping liang , and took himto Nan king directly . Chu yuan gave the man liberty in return

for his word that he would not go from the city inany case .

Chang gave his word to remain in it ,and then hanged h imself .

Ming yu chin , who had declared himself Emperor of the Hiadynasty , died in 1366 . M n ching , his son, who was ten years of

ag e , succeeded , with his motheras regent . This same year Hanlin ulh , who claimed to b e of the Sung dynasty , van ished,andwithhimwent hisadh erents .

Fang kwe ch in submittedat last . Th is faith - breaking piratehad refused not“only toappear before Chu yuan chang ,and sendtribute , but he hadactedagainst himin the North inalliance withKuku Timur,and in the South with Ch in yiu t ing , who heldapartof the Eu kien province . Chu then sent his general , Tang ho , totake the c it iesWen chan ,TaichuandKing yuen . At theapproachof his forces the pirate retired toan island in the sea. Whenallthose c ities soonafter opened the ir gates to Tang ho the piratesent his son with submiss ion ,and put h imselfalsoat commandof the general, who sent him off to Nan king under escort .

Chu yuan chang undertook now the liberat ion ofallCh ina. Su

ta, his great general ,andChang yu chun marched northward withan army wh i ch numbered one fourth of amillion . Wh ile Huting shu i ,ath ird general, reduced Fu kienandKuang tung , Yangking took Kwang siand held it . These southern provinces , t iredof oppress ion from strangers , made no res istance whatever . FirstofallSu taand his colleague took the country between the HoaiandHoang Ho , then they crossed the latter riverand entered Shantung , proclaiming that barbarians , l ike theMongols ,were unfi ttedto

ruleapolished people from whom they themselves should receivelawandorder ; that theMongols hadconquered the Empire , not bytheirmerit , but through Heaven ’

saidgiven purposely to punish theCh inese . Heaven , roused now by the crimes of the Mongols , hadtaken power from them to give it toawarrior filled with virtueandgreatness ,awarrior lovedand respected byallmen who knew him.

4 10 The Mongols

The generals met no res istance inany place . WhenallShantung had submitted they passed to Honan ,

where they had successof the same kind the gates of every city were opened to the irstandards .

Togan Timur, who was terrifiedat the swiftness of these con

quests , sent courierafter courier for Kuku Timur, but that generaldid noth ing to rescue the capital ; he heldaloofandmarchedawaytoward Taiyuen .

Master of Ch ina, Chu yuan chang proclaimed h imself EmperoratNan king on the first day of the Ch inese year, February , 1368 . He

gave the name Ming to his dynasty , wh ich means ligh t ,and to theyears of his re ign Hung wu (lucky war) ,atermappliedalso to th isemperor h imself , whoafter his death received the title Taitsu ,

founder or greatancestor, wh ich in Ch inais usually given to thefounder ofadynasty .

Chu yuan chang , thenew Emperor, left Nan king in August , 1368 ,crossed the Hoang Hoat Ping lien ,and marched on the capitalallcities submitted to him will ingly . At the same t ime his twogenerals entered Pe che l i from Shan tung . At th is juncture Chel i n ien , one of Togan Timur’s ministers , took fromthe temple ofancestorsalltablets of the MongolEmperorsandfled to the north , thehe ir flee ing with him. Togan Timur decided to follow immediately ,and naming Timur Bugahis l ieu tenant , b eappointed King tongas defender of the capital. Then ,assembling the princes , princessesand h igh officials , he declared his resolve to retire to Mongolia.He set out that same night for Shang tu with h is family . T he

new Emperor of Ch inawas soonat the gates of Tatu , wh ich heenteredafteravery slight struggle . Mongoldomin ion in Ch inawas ended .

NearlyallCh inanow rece ived the Ming Emperor,and he set

abou t winn ing what was stillunder controlo f the Mongols . Thatdone he intended to follow them to the ir birthlandand take it . T he

flee ing hlongolEmperor, Togan Timur, did not th ink h imselfsafe in Shang tu , hence he hurried northward to Ing chang on

the bank o f Lake Ta] , where in 1370 his l ife came to its end. He

had re igned th irty - fi ve years ,and was fi fty- one years ofage .

Th e Ming fo rces se ized Ing chang and captured Maitilipala,Togan Timur’s grandson , as well as many princes and princessesand distingu ished persons who were all taken back to

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412 The Mongols

groups under various small Ch ieftains, each of whom bore the t itleKhan .

T he Kalkas were in the North in the birth land of the Mongols .

West of th em the lands of the former Naimansand the Uigurs wereoccupied by the Eleuts ; the Chakars ,and the Ordos lived in thecountry between the Great Walland the Gobi desert . The

Manchu dynasty wh ich during 1644 won dominion in Ch inatookunder its pro tection first the easternmost Mongolsand the Kalkas .

Strengthened by them, it conquered the Chakars , and later theOrdos . The Kalkas had preserved thus far independence , butattacked by the Eleuts they found themselves forced to seekaidfrom the Manchu sovere ign of Ch ina. In 169 1 the EmperorKang hireceived homage from the three KalkaKhans forty leaguesnorth of the GreatWall . At las t toward 1760 the Eleuts themselveswere reduced , so thatmost of the Mongols properare to -day subjectto Ch ina, while the restare under the control of Russia.Remarkable as has been the part played by the Mongols in

history the part to b e played by them yet may b eHow greatand how varied it may beand of what character isthe secret of the future.

THE END.

INDEX

Abaka, Hulagu ’s eldest sonand heir,

294 .

Abbasid Kalif s , 97 , 199 , 202, 206, 223;Ras hid killed, 224, 231, 238 , 247,258 .

Abdallah , son of Kaddah , plans toestablish ancient faith of Persia,204 .

Abu Abdallah , sent to Af rica; announcesaMahdi;assassinated byObedallah ,

205 .

Ab u Ali Mansur, tenth Kalif of the

Fatimidline,assassinated, 223.

Abu Bekr , the first Kalif , 197 .

Abul Pettah , nephew of HassanSabah , 215 .

AbulWefa,an Assassin from Persia,makesatreaty with the King ofJerusalem, 220 .

Abu Mohammed, Grand Prior of theAssassins of S a, 216.

Adhadthe Ka,asksaid of Nur edhis death , 231 .

Agata, subdues the Kitans ; hisdeath , 80 .

Aike Cliaran , reveals aplot to killTemudjin, 52 .

Aiyaruk , daugh ter of Kaidu , 380 .

Aiyuchelitala, heir of Togan Timur,103, 404 .

Alai ed din , Kei Kubad, Sultan ofRum,

makes an alliance withAshraf , 161 , 162 .

AlaKush , Ongut envoy, 62 ; makesinvas ion easy

Alamut , Seluk fortress , seized by

giasan Saah , 210 , 239 , 240 , 241 ,Alan Goa, daugh ter of Bargudai,her death , 6 ; descendants , 7 .

Aleppo , added to the Fatimid Empire , 264 ; Saladin’

s great- grandsonrules the principality, 258 ; be

sieged by Hulaga, 264 ;captured byassaul,t 265 .

gu , deserts Arik Buga, 336.

ihaiya, Mongol offi cer , attacksKiang ling ; city surrenders, 348 ;favorite of Kub ilai, 349 ; layssiege to Chang cha, 353; capturesthe city, 354 ; ordered to Tungking, 364 .

Ali hweiTimur tries to seize power,404 .

Ali Shir, brother of Kwaresm Shah ,95 .

AliulMulk ,acknowledgedas Kalif byShah Mohammed, 98 .

Aly , son- in-law of Mohammedelected ,

rulesat Kufa; assassinated, 197 ,Amalric, King of Jerusalem, raisesthe siege of Alexandria, 229 ; vio

lates his promise, 230 .

Ambagai, descendant of Taidjuts , 9 ;seized by Tartars , 12 ; nailed to

woodenass,13 ; his widows , 18 .

Amid, Kub ilai Khan ’s Minister of

Finance , killed by Wang chu , 371 .

Amid ulMulk , vizir , favors retreatof Shah Mohammed, 113.

Ananda,attempts to seize power, 384 ;murdered, 385 .

Antchin , sent to concludeanalliancewith Lyuko , 84 .

Argun ,sent to capture Kurguz , 19 1 ;

becomes governor, 192 ; visitsMangu ’

s court , 193.

Arik Buga, brother of Hulagu ,wishes

to be Grand Khan ,283 ; left in

commandby Mangu , 328 beginsaru

ggle

.

for Empire , 332 ; putsApis ain prison ; takes sovereigntitle, 333; defeated, 334

°

sends

message to Kub ilai, 335 ; defeated,

336 ; resolves to march against

414

Aigu ; re turns to China, 337 ; hisdeath , 339 .

Arslan , Khan of the Karluks , 77 ;marries Altun Bighi, daughter of

Jinghis , 78 .

Ashraf , acts agains t Kwaresmians ,153 ; sends acommander to the

West , 154 ; sets out for Harran ;joins Kei Kubad, 163 , 168 ; sends

message to Jelal; makesajourneyto Egypt , 169 .

Assas sms , see Hassan Sabah , KiaMohammed,

Hassan II , etc .

Assu tai, one of the Arik Buga’scommanders , passes the lron

Gate ,

”337 .

Asukeba, heir of Yissu Timur, 388 ;proclaimedat Shang tu , 389 .

AtaulMulk Juveini, vizirand his torian ,

243,244 .

At chu,Mongolcommander of fleet ,

captures seven hundred boats , 349 .

Aziz ,grandson of Saladin ,

258 .

8 16,defeatedand cap

tared,203.

Badai,dis coversalot to killTemud

'

in , 53; rewar ed by the Grandhan , 60 .

Baibuga, Naiman chief , makes WangKhan '

s skullintoadrinking-cup,

61 ;alarmedat Temudjin ’s growing

power, 62 ; defeatand death , 63 .

Baidju ,succeeds Chorma in Persia,

177 ; demands mot er of Kei

Korsu , 178 ; trouble with QueenRusudan , 179 .

Baik tar, killed b v Temudj in ,his half

brother, 19 , 20 .

Baisutaiclan . origin of , 9 .

Baitulu ,chie f of Tumats , withdraws

from obedience ,88 .

Banias ,acas tle in Syria, 219 .

Barana. de feated by Temudjin . 41 .

Bardjuk . chief of the Uigurs , receivesJinghis Khan ’

s envoy , 76 ; aboutto marry t he daugh te r of Jinghis ,323 .

Bartan . grandfather of Temudjin ,10 ;

his death . 15 .

Batra, grandson o f Chingkin ,384 ;

se ts out for Shang tu . 385 ; pro

claimed Empe ror : takes the title

Byantu : appoints his son ; his

death , 386 .

Batu so n o f Juchi: Khan of the

Golden Horde : loiters , 316 ; callsaKurultai, 317 ; sends troops to

Index

escort Man gu to the Kurultai, 318his death , 282 .

Bar Hebraeus ,ahistorian ,273.

Bayan , receives command, 345 ; captures Yang sends Chang yuto make peace ; demands permission to continue hostilities , 348 ;visits the Grand Khan

,349 ; cap

tures Chang chau , 350 ; sends Empress and Emperor to Kub ilai;summoned to move on Kaidu , 352 ;headquartersat KaraKurum

,369 ;

declares for Timur ; his death , 377 .

Bedr ud din Lulu , Prince o f Mosul,arranges for Syriato pay atax ,

179 ; summone d by Hulagu ; hisorigin ,

256 .

Bedr ud din of O trar, his hatred forShah Mohammed,

105 .

Beibars Bundukdar,

Nassir of Damascus ; strikes thevizir ; goes to Gaza; sends his

oath of fidelity to t he Sultan ofEgypt

,262 ; declares for war, 268 ;

commands the Egyptian vanguard,

269 ; sent to pursue the Mongols ,

minister of

27 1 ; asks for govemment of

Aleppo ; plots to assassinateKutuz ; murders the Sultan ; is

made Sultan ; arrives in Cairo ; a.Polovtsi by origin

,272 ; gives his

former owner the government of

Damas cus , 273; sends for AbulAhmed

,274 ; invested with sover

eignty ; orders t he provinces to

receive Ahmedas Kalif , 275 ; sendstroops to t he boundary of Persia,285 ; sends envoys to the Khanof the Golden Horde , 286 , 287 ;hangs Hulagu ’

s envoys , 288 .

Berkai, son of Juchi; Khan of theGolden Horde ; converted to Is

lam,282 ; desires the election of

Arik Buga. 283 ; sends anarmy

against lulagu . 284 , 285 , 287 ;be gins anew campaign ; dies

wh ile marching agains t Abaka,llulagu ’

s successor, 294 .

Ben Amran .atraitor , 254- 255 .

Belgutai, half- brother o f Temudj in ,

19 ; goes with Temudjin for his

bride . 25 ; woundedatafeas t , 36 ;kills BuraBuga; is ex cluded fromcouncil, 48 ; made master of horset raining . 43.

Beglu Ali. mother of Jelaluddin, 158 .

Boduanchar, son of Alan Goa, 5 ;leaves home , 6 ; findsawife , 7 .

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416 Index

dynasty , captures Sin chiu ; beatst he Emperor to death withacrowbar, 402 , 405 .

Chin y , commandant o f Hoang chiu,

surrenders t he City , 346 .

Chohaugur, leader of t he Imperialt roo p s . succeeds Tutuka; defeatsKaidu . 378 , 380 ; his son , 388 .

Chong hei, Emperor of China, 8 1 , 82,Chormagun , leader ofarmy sent in

pursu it o f Jelalud din ,164, 166,

174 , 175 . 176 . 177 .

Cho se kien ,min ister of Togan Timur ,

403, 406 ,407 .

Churchadai, leader of the Uruts , 33,54 ; o ff ers to lead t he vanguard,56, 59 , 68 ; rewarded, 69 .

Chu yuan chang , aBuddhis t priestdestined to destroy Mongol rule ,400 ,

40 1 ; gains power, 402 , 405 ,406 ,

409 ; proclaims himself Emperor, names his dynas ty Ming,4 10 .

Crusaders , 220 , 221, 230 .

Dair Usun, chief of BoasiMerkits , 28 ,Bargham, acommander in Egypt ,Desaiehan , father o f Bortai, 17 , 34 .

Dalb ek put on the Mongol throne,411 .

Doben ninth in descent from Batach i, 4 ; b oy received in exchangefor venison , 5 ; descendants of

Dobenand Alan Goa, 7 .

Dokuz Khatun , anddaugh ter of

Wang Khanan wife of Hulagu ,

255 ; her death , 256 .

Dua, put on the Jagatai throne byKaidu

,366 ; deserted by his

troops , 379 ; proposes Chabaras 1mur’s successor ; roposes

to acknowledge overlor ship o f

Timur,Kub ilai’s son ; his death ,

38 1.

Egypt , scene o f great s tru gles b etween Kalifs o f Bagfad andCairo . 223 . See Saladin

, Nur eddin , Kutu s .

Eibe g , aMameluk chie f , marriesconcubine o f Sultan Salih . rulesEgypt , 257 ; restores lands b e

longing to Nas sir o f Syria. 258 ,

259 ; slain by h is wife , 262 , 263.

Euzbeg ,ageneral, watches Indiafor

Jelalud din , 146 ; his neglect , 151,152 .

Eyub , commandant of Tenk rit cas tle,father of Saladin ,

227,228 , 238 .

Fakhr ud din Saki, las t commandanto f Aleppo ,

266,267 .

Fang kwe chin,apirate , 396 ; shows

greatactivity, 398 ; submits,409 .

Faris ud din Ak tai, acelebratedMameluk chief , 258 ; makes Beibars Sultan

,272 .

Fatimids,fi rst Kalif . Ob eidallah ,

205 ; their territory ; declaredspurious by Bagdad; struggle to

sup lant the Abbasids , 206 ; trainedin t e House o f Science , 2 11 ; doc

trine , 212 ; agents in PersiaandSyria, 2 14, 231, 233. See Assassins .

Georgians , make aleae againstJelal ud din, 159 ; efeated byJelal, 160 .

Ghiath ud din , son of Shah Mohammed,

retires to Karun ;marchesagains t Ispahan , 145 ; quarrelswith his brother, 146

, 148 , 151 ;arrests Jelal’s envoys ; betraysJelal, 155 ; retires to the mountains ; kills Mohammedatafeas t ;goes to the Assassins , 157 ; goesto Kerman ; strangled by Borak ,head sent to Ogotai, 158 , 194 .

Goltsi, gains power in Mongolia, 411 .

Gumush tegin , aeunuch , uardiano f Salih , son o f Nur ed in

,237 ;

hires Assas sins to killSaladin ,238 .

Gutchluk , given as title to son—ialaw of the KaraKitai ruler, 90 ;makes war on his father- in-law,

9 1 , 9 2 .

Gutchluk,

son o f Baibugaof theNaimans , 103, 10 4 .

Hayton ,King of Cilicia

, 178 , 180 ;decides to visit Mang u the GrandKhan . 183 ; sets out , 287 ;aids theMongols . 288 .

Hakim. 276 : claims to b e fourth indescent from Mostershed; goesto E t

,277 : is Kalif , 285 .

Hama. asan evilinfluence in councils

of the Emperor, 398 , 39 9 ,400 .

Han lin nlh , son o f Sung pretender,396 ; disappears ,

40 9 .

Herat , summoned to surrender, 125 ,128 , 129 , 131 ; repeopled, 190 , 19 4 .

Index

Hoan ho Timur, grandson of Mangu ,

393, 394 .

oelun ,catpured by Yessugai, 16 ,

gives birt to Temudjin , 17 , 18 , 19 ,20 , 39

° warns Temudjin againstJamuka32 ; saves her son Kassarher death, 73.

Borebi, describesavision ,30 ; given

thirty beautifulwomen, 68 .

Huildar, leader of the Manhuts ;plants Temudjm

’8 standard on

Gub tan ,his deatl1

,56.

Hulagu marches into AsiaMinor, 184,195 ° advances to ex terminate t heAssassins , 241 ; sends envoys to

Grand Prior, 242, 243; surrender

of Alamut,244 ;

'

ves agreatfeas t, 245 ; killsallt e Ismailians ;sets out to destroy the Kalifat , 247 ;s educes commandant of Daritang,

slaughters the inhabitants of Bagdad,

252 ; kills theKalif , 254 ; warns Nassir of Syria,259 , 260 , 261 ; summons Aleppoto surrender, 264 ,

sacks Aleppo ;receives keys of Damas cus , 265 ;receives news of Mangu ’

s death ,266 ; promises to reinstate Nass1r,267 ; kills Nassu 273; troublewith Berkai, son of Juchi, 282 ;defeated near Shemaki; victori

ous at Shirvan , 287 builds apalace at Alatag, 288 ; ex tent ofrule, 289 ;places Uns Khatun on theFar’8 throne ,

29 1 , quells an uprising, 292 ,

his death,293.

Hassan Ben Sabah , son of Ali, sent tothe Nishapur school, 206 ; class~mate of Omar Khaam,

207 ;gains influence over elik Shah ,208 ; favors the second son of the

Sultan of Egypt ; gets possessionof Alamut , 209 ; wins followers ,secures power, 210 ; causes the

death of Nizam ul Mulk and ofMelik Shah , 211 ; his secret doctrines , 212 ; selects victims , 215 °

warns Sindjar, Sultan of the Sel

uks , 217 ; makes KiaBusurgomidis successor : his death ,

218 .

Hassan ,son ofKiaMohammed, Grand

Prior of the As sassins , spreadsreport that he is the promisedIman ,

226 ; becomes Grand Prior ;determines to ex pose the secrets

of the Order, 231 ; proclaims himself the Iman ; celebrates the 17thRamadan, 232 ; driven to prove

417

Ismailians , 154 , 196,doctrine

,225

,

See Assassins .

Ib nalAthir, t he historian , 172, 173.

Ibn Yunus , stealsaletter from Salihof Mosul

,278 ° fi rst governor of

Mosul, 28 1 .

21 1 ; Ismailian234

,236, 240 , 245 .

himself adescendant of FatimidKalifs , 233; teachesatheismandimmorality ; assassinated, 234 .

Hussein , son of Aly , 198 ; offers ofsupport from Kufa, 19 9 ; leavesMecca, 200 ; attacked by thetroops of the governor of Kufa;his death , 20 1 , 202 .

Hgs

l

s

gin Kaini

,anactive Bayis , 204,

Jagatai, marches to Chinawith Jinghis , his father, 83 ; receives commandat Otrar, 105, 119 ; quarrelswith Juchi, his brother, 120 ; re

turns to Jinghis , 126, 138 ; his

dominion , 141 , 314, 315 ; his son,

333, 334 , 336, 366, 380 .

Jamuka, chief of the Juriats ; de

scended from KabulKhan ,27 , 29 ,

30 ; formsaparty, 31 ; his brotherTaichar, 32 ; allies himself withTemudjin

’s enemies , 33, 34 , 36 ;

influences Sengun ,43; attacks

Wang Khanand Jamuka, 46 ; hisforces scatter, 47 ; fills Sengun

’s

heart with fear, 50 , 51 ; conspiresto killTemudjin,

52 ; battle withTemudjin , 53; message from Te

mudjin , 57 ; betrayed and sur

rendered to Temudjin ,63; words

from Temudjin ,66 ; his death , 67 .

Jamb uiKhatun ,wife of Kub ilai, 353,

370 , 376, 377 .

Jelairs ,aclan ; origin , 7 ; killMonalun , 8 ; crushed by Nachin ,

9 ;

oath taken to destroy TemudjinandWang Khan ,9 , 44 .

Jelaluddin ,son of Shah Mohammed,

saves his father, 104 ; joined byTimur Melik , 108 ; Opposes re

treat , 113 ; with his two brothershe reaches Urgendj ; attacked byKankali Turks , 1 19 ; defeats theMongolsat Ghazni, 121 ; defendshimselfat the Indus , 127 springsin to the Indus, 128 ; pursued to

India, marries the daugh ter of

the Sultan of Delhi, 146 feignsignorance of his father- ia-law’

s

4 18

treason , 147 ; marries daughter of

84d o f Fars , 148 ; campaignagainst Nassir t he Kalif ; sends

let ter to Prince o f Damascus , 149 ;marches to Azerbaidjan . 150 ; captures Tovin ; learns of plotagains thim in Tebriz , 15 1 ; abandonssiege o f Khalat ; sets out for Ker

man ,152 ; marches agains t t he

Assassins o f Persia; repulses Mon

ols , 154 ; betrayed by his brother ;efeated b Mongols , 155 ; learnsthat Ghiat has gone to the As

sass ins , 157 ; secures t he districtof Gush tas fi , 158 ; fines his vizirfor

‘ving advice 159 ; besiegesKhaatasecond time ; commandsMoslems to ray for Mos tansu ,

160 : takes K alat , 162 ; falls ill;de feated, 163 ; goes to Mugan to

obtain warriors , 165 ; surprisedby Mongols ; discovers the treasono f his viz ir, 166 ; sets out for Jaraper, 167 ; surrounded by Mon ols ,169 ; captured by Kurds ; is ki led;appearanceas described by Nessa,171 .

Jelalud din Hassan of Alamut , sono f Mohammed I I , 239 ; o posed

to t he doctrines taugh tat amut ;poisoned. 240 .

Jin his Khan (see early life under

emudjin ) , rewards his Empirebuilders , 68 . 69 ; jealous o f his

bro ther ; reproved b his mother,73 ; angry at Muali 75 ; sends

envoy to Idikut of the Uigurs , 76 ;intrenched in KaraKitai, 78 ;seeks co—ope ration of the Kitans ,8 1 ; informed o f the succession

o f Chong hei. 8 1 ; sends messageto the Chinese Emperor, 2 ; movesfrom the Kerulon to conquerCh ina: crosses Gobi; inves ts Taitong fu , 8 4 ; resumes activity inChina, 8 5 : marries a. daughtero f Utuhu . 86 ; marches on Tangut.;rece ives submiss ion o f Co rea, 8 9 ;Kalif reque s ts his aid : sendsmes sag e to Shah Mohammed. 100 ;resolves to e x t inguish Gu t chluk ,

10 1 °

ends Gut chlukand his kingdom marches wes tward : placeshis sons in command, 10 5 ; movesagain to Bokhara. 106 108 ; ente rsmosque on horseback ; marchesagains t Samarkand; cu ts o ff Jelal’eretreat , 1 19 ; camps on t he Nak

Index

sheb step s ; besieges Termend;destroys erduan ; takes Bamian ;randson killed, 126 ; attackselalat the Indus , 127 ; cuts downmen faith fulto Jelalud din . 129 ;pas ses winter near t he Indus ;resolves to return to China; givescommand to killprisoners ; leavesSamarkand; back in homeland1225 ; enters Tan ut , 137 ; hisdeath ; remains taen to birthplace, 138 ; funeral chan t , 139 ,140 .

Juchi, son of Temudjin , his birth , 29 ,50 , 52 ; goes to ChinaWith Jinghis ,83 ; tries to save Kultuk

, 88 ; sent

toactagainst cities from Jend to

Lake Aral; gives orders toat tackt he city o f Jend, 106 , 10 7 , 108 ,

1 19 ;quarrels With Jagatai, 120 ; goesnorth of Lake Araland es tablishest he Golden Horde , 126 ; Juchi

’

s

heirs inherit fromJinghis , 14 1 , 144 ;his grandson, 367 .

Kabul, son of Tumb inai, visits Chinataken prisoner, 1 1 , 12 , 15 ; rivalrybetween descendants of KabulandAmbagai, 16 .

Kaidan ,meets Taidjut in single

combat , 12 , 13.

Kaidu,saved by his nurse , 8 ; from

him are descended t h e greates this toricalmen of the Mongols

, 9 ;grandfather of Tumb inai, 10 , 16 .

Kaidu , great- grandson of Jin hisKhan , advances to attack gu ,

337 , 339 . 361 ; makes war on

Kub ilai, 365 ; gets controlo f the

Jagatai co untry , 366 ; formsanewleague . 368 ; held in check byBayan . 369 , 376 ; ass umes thet itle o f Grand Khan ; his death ,380 . 38 1 . 38 2 .

Kamala. Kub ilai s grandson , 369aspires to Empire , 376 , 377 , 387 .

Kamil. Prince o f Mayafarkin ,273,

274 .

Kamil. Sultan o f EKankalis . 10 1 , 10 7 ; ex pe c t to bet reated as kinsmen . 1 11 : areslaugh te red. 1 12 ; dissatisfiedwithJelalud din 1 19 ° move we t ard;fo rm nucleus o f Ottoman Emp ire ,126 °

closelv co nne ctedwith Kwaresmian rule rs . 158 .

Kagiz

Buga, Mongolcommander, 276.

gypt , 163 , 174 .

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420 Index

KurjaKuz , father of Wang Khan(Togrul) . 40 .

Kush Timur leads Bagdad forces ,149 ; killed, 150 .

Ku tuz ,general o f Eib eg , ruler o f

Egypt,259 . 262 ; h is origin ; b e

comes mas ter in Egypt , 263 ; callsacouncil; decides on war, 268 ;sends envoy to Syria, 269 ; addresses his generals , 270 ; wins agreat victory ; names his lieu tenan ts iaSyria; leaves for Egyp t ;as sas sinated by Beibars . 272 .

Kuyuk , installed Grand Khan, 180 ,18 1 , 182 ; h is death , 182 .

Kwaresmian Shah , see Shah Mohammedand Shah Jelalud din .

Kwan sien seng,cap tures Shang tu ,

10 4 .

Liau fu tong . chief of the Sung pretender . 39 7 ; proclaims Han lin

ulh , 399 ,400 ; seizes Kai fong fu,

40 1 ; escapes to Ngan fong , 403;slain , 406 .

Lien hi hien,aUigur, Arik Buga’sbest general, 3

Li ting shi, tries to rescue his Emperor, 355 ; rescued from drown

ing ,and slain,356 .

Li tsong , Sung Emperor, 311, 312 ;his death , 34 1, 358 .

Liu karaBuga, aMongol general,40 1 .

Liu sin fu , minis ter o f the Sung Empero r, 357 , 358 , 359 .

Liu wen hoan ,minis ter o f Sung Em

peror, 343 ; surrenders Siang yang ,Lyuko , prince o f Kitan dynas ty,joins Jinghis , 84 , 85 .

Mahmud, successo r o f Sindjar, 219 .

Maki. governor o f Kuang si, resis tsthe Mongols

,356 .

Mamun . son o f Harun al Ras hid,

makesan e ff o rt. to unite the Alyitcsand Abbas ids . 20 2 .

Mang u son o f Tului; his brothers ,318 : ele c tion declared illegal. 319 :feas t o f ins tallation ; plo tagains this life , 3220 : deat h o f his mo ther,322 : g oes to KaraKurum: killshis cousin . 323 : has Ogo tai’sandson drowned. 323 ; give s

gonan to Kub ilai Khan . 325

makes ready to march agains tthe Sung Empire , 327 ; se ts out

for the Sung Empire , 328 ; givesagreat feas t , 329 ; his death , 330 ,331 ; wifeand sons , 333.

Mangu Timur of the Golden Horde ,

descendant of Juchi, 365 ; sov

ereig ii o f Kipchak , 366 , 367 .

Mansur, son o f Eib eg of Egypt,262 ;

imprisoned by Kutuz, 263.

Mao kwe , commander of the Sungforces

,40 1 ; his death , 402 .

Massud, Selj uk Sultan , takesauthor

ity from Abbas id Kalifs , 223.

Melik Salih Ismail, son of Bedr iiddin Lulu ; marries t he daughtero f Jelalud din ,

las t Shah o f Kwaresm,

260 .

Melik Shah , Seljuk Sultan , 93 ; givesan o ffice to Hassan Ben Sabah ,207 ,

208,20 9 ;alarmed by t he de feat o f

h is troops , 2 10 ; murdered byHassan Ben Sabah ’s Assassins , 211 .

Melik Timur, son o f Arik Buga,partisan o f Ananda, 384 ; murdered, 385 .

Merkit , clan , the people from WhomHoelun , the mo ther o f Temudjin ,

was s tolen , 16 ;avenge the kidnapping , 27 ; hunted by Wang Khanand Temudjin , 28 . 29 , 30 , 49 , 56,58 , 62, 63, 64 , 65 .

Merv , attacked by ‘

Tului’s army,

122 ; invested; s urrenders ; slaughter o f its citizens

, 123 ; re

peopled, 128 ; again destroyed,129 .

Mien yan taken by Siu chiu hwei,lost to t e Mongols ,

39 9 .

Mingan , adistinguished Chinesegeneral. 84 ; praised for siegework

, 8 7 .

Ming yu chin , anew Em eror ,apears in Su chuan,

405 ; is deat409 .

Moaz zam, Prince o f Aleppo,re fuses

to surrender the city , 264; Aleppodestroyed,

265 .

Mohammed, Shah o f Kwaresm. withdraws from sub

'

ection to Chiluku

ruler in KaraKitai. 90 , 9 1 ; in

vades t he lands o f t he Gurkhan ,

9 4 ; is de feated,95 ; kills lns

bro the r . 9’i : resolves to destroy

t he Abbas id Kalifat , movestoward Bagdad, 98 : receives en

vo vs fromJinghis . 10 0 ; his mother,10 1 : assembles alarge army atSamarkand. 103

' alarmedat theapproach o f the Mongolarmy, 104.

Index

105 ; chased by thirt y thousandmen , 1 12, 113, 114, 1 15 ; suff eringfrom pleurisyand Weakness , takesrefu e on an island, 1 17 ; his

deat ,1 17 .

Mohammed of Nessa, the his torian ,

161 describesappearance of Jelalud din , 171 .

Mohammed I I of Alamut , son of

Hassan I I ,avenges the death of his

father ; preaches t he doctrine of

license, crime,and vice, 234 ; deathfrom poison ,

239 .

Monalun , mother of Katchi Kyulukand Nachin , 7 ; quarrels with theJelairs; is murdered by them, 8 .

Mongith , Prince of Karak , 288 ;murdered by Hulagu ,

288 .

Mostansir, Fatimid Kalif at Cairo ,160 , 161, 206, 208 , 209 .

Mostassim,Kalif in Bagdad in 1257 ;

his answer to Hulagu ’

s summonsto level t he walls , 247 ; advisedto send gifts to t he Mongols , 248 ,249 ; refuses to visit Mongolcamp,250 ; bound to his destiny, 252 ;begs for the lives of his family,253 ; murdered by Hulagu ,

254,274 .

Mostershed,the twenty—nin th Ab

basid Kalif , 223; marchesagainstSeljuk Sultan ,

224 ; killed by theAssassins , 224 .

Mozaffer, son of Bedr ud din Lulu,given Aleppo ,

27 1 .

Mozafi'

er, son of Said of Mardin,

rewarded by Hulagu ,275 .

Muavia,governor of Syria, made

Kalif to overthrow Aly ; winsEgyptas fi rst OmmayadKalif . 19 7 ;sole Kalif of Islam

,198 ; forces

the election of Yezid; his death ,199 ; ex ile of his descendants

,202 .

Mukuli,aJelair, given to Temudjin

by his (Mukuli’s) father, 39 ; re

warded by Jinghis , 67 , 68 ; re

warded beyondallother generals ,88 reenters China, 136 ; hisdeath , 136.

Munlik , son of Charaba, goes afterTemudjin when Yessugai is dying,18 , 33

° marries Temudjin ’

smother,35 ; gives Temudjinadvice whichsaves his life , 52 ; is rewardedby Jinghis , 72 ; one of his sevensons killed by Jinghis , 74 , 75 .

Mystislav , Russian prince, defeatedat the Kalka, 135.

421

Nachin,uncle of Kaidu, 7 , 8 , 9 .

Nassir, Kalif of Bagdad, ascends

the throne , 96, 9 7 ; strengthensBagdad, 149 ; his death , 160 .

Nassir Salah uddin Yusseif , descendant of Saladin , 180 , 257 ; rulesSyria; undertakes to drive Eib egfrom the Egyptian throne

,258 ;

envoys received by Hulagu ,259 ;

concludes atreaty with Mogith ,260

,261 ; alarmed by the ap

proach of the Mongols,262 ; t e

ceives aletter from Kutuz,263;

hears of the sack of Aleppo,265 ;

betrayed,and seized by the Mongols

,267 , 269 , 273.

Nassir ud din, vizir of Turkan

Khatun , mother of Shah Mohammed, ex ercises authority in spiteof Mohammed

,103.

Nassir ud din,famous astronomer,

244 .

Naur, murders the grandfather ofWang Khan (Togrul) , 40 .

Nin kai su ,Kin Emperor

,295

,300 ;accepts every condition , 30 1 ;aban

dons t he capital,303 ; sets out to

make Tsai chiu his capital,306 ;

loses courage, 307 ; makes one

moreattempt to s- ve himself , 308 ;

yields the throne to Ching lin ;augs himself

,309 .

Nishapur, twelve days ’ journey fromMerv, attacked by Tului, 124 ;city occupied, 125 .

NizamulMulk,studentat the Nisha

pur schoolof Movaflik ,206 ; first

statesman of his period, 207

Nizam’

s own statement ; killedby Hassan Ben Sabah , 211 .

Nogai,Berkai’s commander

,283,

surprises Hulagu ’smen ,

284 ; forcedto retreat ; is wounded, 294 .

Nur ed din ,Prince of Damascus ,

receives command from the As

sassins , 2 17 ; son of Zenky , 226 ;rules the Syrian province , 228 ;con uers Haram; receives news

of t e advance of Amalric . Kingof Jerusalem,

229 ; sends Shirkuhto Egypt , 230 ; wishes toabolishthe Fatimid Kalifat , 231 ; sees

with alarm the growing influ

ence of Saladin,236; his death ,

237 .

Nusrat ikuh , in the Talekan district,defends itself for six weeks

, 121;no living soulis spared, 122 .

422

Ob eidallah , governs in Bussorah ;kills Muslim, 200 ; ins ists onab solute surrender oi Hussein ,

20 1 ;slays Hussein and his followers ,202 .

Obeidallah , son of Mohammed Alhab ib . summoned to AfricabyAbdallah ; imprisoned; rescuedby Abdallah ; made the firs t Fatimid Kalif , 20 5 .

Ogotai, is wounded. 55 ; is given the

Wife of TuktaBijhi, 64, 7 1 ; goeswit h Jingh is , his father, to Ch ina,placed in commandat O trar,

10 5 ; given commandat Urgendj120 ; sent to take Ghazni, 128 ,

receives his inheritance , 14 1 , 143,144 : Borak sends him t he heado f Ghiat h , 158 ; receives the bodyo f Shah Mohammed

, 161 , 164 ;Tamarao f Georgiavis its hiscourt . 176 ; receives Kelilat

, 185 ;gratifi ed byavisit from t he princeso f Iran , 186, 187 ; receives presentsfromKutuz , 188 ; commands to raiseup Khoras san , 190 , 19 1 , 193 ; givescommand over Chinese troops to

three generals o f that race . 29 5 ;mas ter o f Shen si, 296,

29 7 ; re

ceives amessage from Tului inHonan ,

298 : visits Tului, 299 ;master o f all places around Kincapital, 300 ; as ks for hostages ,30 1 alliance with Sung Em

pero r, 30 7 : returns to Kara

x urum, 30 9 ; holds agreat Ku

rultai, 310 ; recalls Sub o tai, 312 ;

death o f Kutchu , his favorite son .

312 ; passes his time in huntingand drinking . 314 ; falls ill; hisdeath ,

315 ; his widow as semblesaKurultai; the in fluence o f Yeliu chu tsai

,314 . 316 .

OgulGaimish , Kuyuk’

s widow, 319 ;

pu t to death . 323 .

Okin Barka. son o f Kabul, 13, 14 .

O ngu t s ,at ribe living near the GreatWallo f China

, 62 .

Onon Rive r, its source ,2,4 .

O rder o f Templars , 220 .

Osman . ruler o f Samarkand, makesanat tack on the Gurkhan o f KaraKitai; wins avictory ; killsKwaresmians ; death caused byhis wife , 95 .

Papu hwa, aeunuch , kee s ToganTimur under his evil influence,

Index

Risvan , Prince of Aleppo , afriendof the Assassins , 2 14 ; loses Apaméa; reproached by Syrianprinces ; his death ,

215 .

Rokn ud din , son of Shah Mohammed

,holds Persian Irak , 113;

slain by Mongols . 145 .

Rokn ud din Kelidj Arslan , son o f

KeiKosru , sovereign o f Rum, 18 1 ;his partisans , 182 ; receives theland west o f the Sivas ; installedas Sultan 183 ; receives news of

his father s death ; visits Ogotai;asks asvlum o f the Kalif ; his

death , 19 5 .

Rokn iid din,son of Alai ed din ,

Grand Prior of the As sas sins ,240 ;

made heir ; opposes his father ;causes the assassination o f his

father 24 1 ; demolishes castlesand gives the Mongols as suranceo f obedience , 242 ; is given' fi ve

days for surrender. 243 : visitsHulagu : marriesaMongolwoman ;goes to Mongolia: his death ,

Rusudan , Queen o f Georgia. 159

finds anas ylum in Imere tia, 175 ,

re fuses to leave Usane th ; sends

her sonas hostage to Batu . 179 ;attacked by King David; recommends her son to Batu . Khan o f

the Golden Horde ; takes poisonand dies , 180 .

408 , 406; Tu kien delivers hissovereign from the traitor, 40 7 .

Peyao , daugh ter of Yang Timur,marries Togan Timur, 392 ; murdered by Peyen , 393, 39 4 .

Peyen ,fi rs t minis ter of Togan Timur,

discoversaplot toassassinate theGrand Khan,

393 ; kills the Empress I’eyao , 39 4; his downfalland ex ile

,39 4 .

Polo Timur, governor of Tai tung,quarrels With Chaan Timur, 403 ;s t rives to capture sin ki; refusesto yield up command, 406 ; reins tated in oth ee, 407 pu ts to deathTolo Timur ; despair over thede fection o f his bes t general, 408 ;his head sent to the heir of ToganTimur, 408 .

Polovtsi,atribeakin to t he Mongolsbefriend t he Mongols ; are bet rayedand slaugh tered, 133 ; seizedwith terror, they desert theiralliesat the Kalka, 134, 135 .

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424

Borgan Shira, saves the life of Te

mudjin ,2 1 ' places Temudjin in

acart piled high with wood,22

,

23, 46, 47 ; his son,64 ; is rewarded,

7 1 .

Subotai, called the Valiant , 32 ;sent by Temudjin to seiz e the sons

o f TuktaBijhi, 65 °

rewarded forservices , 69 ; sent the second timekills the two young men , 88 , 114 ,

sacks Rayi, 1 16 , 132 , 29 9 ; sent

to subdue Kin capital, 300 withdraws ° attacks the capitalasecond time ,

302,303 ; sends the

Empresses to Mongolia, 305 .

Sn ta, generalo f C u yuan chang ,attacks Chang siching , 408 ; winsagreat victory ; captures Changsi ching , 409 ; marches to the

Kerulon River.

Sutu , aMongol commander, 356 ;semis his son to Shang tu , 357 ;moves against King of CochinChina; returns to Canton ,

362 , 363 ;perishesat Kien moan River, 364 .

Sue sue , aman whose influence in‘

ures the Grand Khan Toganimur, 398 , 400 .

Tache, Mongolleader, defeated byLiau fu tong , 399 .

Tadj i Baku , one o f the commanderssentagainst Jelalud din, 154 .

Taib ten eri (see Kokochu) , pu tsasaddle on Temugu, 73; is killedb Temu 74 .

Tai juts . escendants of Ambagai,9 ; kill sons of Kabul, 15 , 20 ;capture Temudjin ,

21,22 , 23 ;attack Temudjin ,

26, 30 . 33, 34 , 44 .

Taimulon ,sis ter o f Temudjin ,

17 .

Talai ta, gives his andchildren ,

Mu uliand Bugatoglremudjin , 39 .

Tang dynas t its duration ,2, 79 .

Tangut,mae to patribute , 75 ;

fresh disorders breaout , 77 .

Tasan kuan,afortress belonging to

the Sung Emperor, is captured byTului, 29 7 .

Tatchar son of Boroul, one of Jingh isKhan 8 great heroes , 30 7 , 308 , 30 9 .

Tatungo , aUigu r of learning , Baibuka's seal kee

lpe r, taken by

Temudj in ; teac ies Temudjm’s

sons , 63.

Tekoan , sonof Abaki, the fi rs t Kitanruler ; secures the throne for aChinese rebel, 79 ; makes war on

Index

this rebel’s successor ; captureshim'

calls his dynas ty Liao ,

”80 .

Temudjin Uge , aTartar chieftainfrom whom Temudjin (JinghisKhan) received his name , 17 ;

Temudjin ,his birth , 17 ; fi nds a

bride , 18 ; his character, 20 ;seized by Sorgan Shira, 22 ; wifestolen by Merkits

,27 °

recoversBortai, 28 ; is

‘

oined by Jelairs ;vision of Horc i

, 30 ; is madeKhan ; a

ppoin ts offi cers , 31 ; an

nounces is accession to Togruland Jamuka, 32 ;attacks Jamuka,33 ; boils his risoners ; joinedby several t ri es ; strengthensposition by marriages

, 35 ; quarrelatafeas t, 35 ; tries to win Ja

muka, 36 ; marches agains t Naimans , 4 1 ; deserted by WangKhan ;aids Wang Khan ,

42 ; con

versation with Wan Kangadopted by Wang I han ,43

wounded in battle , 46 ; is savebyChelmai, 46 ; saves daugh ter

0 Sorgan Shira; moves agains tTartars , 47 ; punishes uncles andcousin for disobedience ; excludesBelgutai from council, 48 ; marries Aisugan 49 ; asks WangKhan’

s granddaugh ter for Juchi,55 ;assembles forcesat Kalanchin ;reviews army, 55 ; sends amessage to Wang Khan

, 56 ; sends

message to Jamuka, 57 ; defeatsWang Khan

,59 ; s truggle with

Baib uga, 62 ; takes Kulan Khatunas wife 63 ; passes the winter nearthe Altai moun tains , 64 ; killsJamuka; takes the title Jinghis

Khan , 67 . See Jinghis Khan.

Timur, son of Chingkin , given command by Kub ilai, his grandfather,369 ; givenaban ue t by Bayan ,

370 ; chosen by ub ilaias suc

ce ssor. 376 ; Bayan declares for

him, 377 ; commands Seitchaur tomarch into Mien tien , 378 , 379 ,380 . 38 1 ; h is deathat Tatu , 383.

Tob Timur , son o f Kuluk Khan, 388 ,

389 ; sends messengers to hisbrother ; is informed b Kushelathat the throne willbe is in suc

cess ion , 390 ; made Emperor asecond time after the murder ofKushala, 390 , 39 1 ; favors Buddhism, 39 1 ; becomesanonentity ;his death . 392 .

Index

Togachar, son of Jinghis Khan’s

youngest brother, 122, 328 , 338 .

Togan,son of Kubilai, ordered to

march to Cochin China, 363, 364;is punished by t he Emperor, 365 .

Togan Tais si, uncle of the KwaresmShah ,

Jelalud din ,moves on Azer

baidjan ; surprised by Jelaluddin ,

150 sends his wife to make peace ;chosenasaruler, 156.

Togan Timur, son of Kushala, marries Peyao ,

daughter of YangTimur , 392 ; made sovereign , 393;allows Peyen to killthe Empress ,394 ; removes Tob Timur ’s tabletfrom Hall of Ancestors , 394 ;causes theannals of the Liao ,

Kin,and Sung dynas ties to b e com

leted, 396, 398 . 403 ; makes Poloimur commander- in- chief , 407 ;terrifi ed by Chinese conquests ;his death , 410 .

ToghaTimur , brother of Batu, Khanof the Golden Horde , 223.

Togrul, Khan of the Keraits, hisorigin, 39 ; implores aid of Yes

sugai, 40 ; deceived by Jsmuka, 41 .

See Wang Khan .

Toktagha, Togan Timur’s fi rst minister, 395 ; tires of court life ; is

ex iled; Tai ping obtains his recall,396, 397 ; leads Honan troops ,398 ; is accused of dishones ty ;ex iled, 399 .

Tok Timur, offi cer in Kubilai sarmy ,366 ; wishes to put Shireki on thethrone ; is defeated; seized byShireki; his death , 367 .

Tsui li, seizes Kin capital; proclaimsWanien tsung regent ; sends thekeys of the city to t he Mongols , 304 .

Tuguchar, left by Jinghis to guardhome lands , 83.

Tu kien Timur, sentagains t Ali hweiTimur, 403 ; is defeated, 404 ;enemies seek to destroy him,

406,407 .

Tuk taBijhi, chief of the Merkits , 27 ;death of his son

,41 ; rouses the

Taidjuts against Temudjin ,44 ;

movesagainst Temudjin ,49 ; pur

sued by Jinghis , 63; his death . 64 .

Tukue Timur , becomes Grand Khanin 1378 ; defeated by the Chinese ;assassinated,

411 .

TulaRiver, its source , 2 .

Tului, saved by Boroul’s wife , 71 ;goes to China, 83 ; receives com

425

mand tomarch on Khorassan, 122

was tes the countryand returns toJinghis ; destroys Merv, 123 ; hiscruelty ; movesagains t Nishapur,124 , 125 , 131 , 132 ; inherits homeplaces , 138 , 141 , 142 , 296 ; followst he lan traced out by Jin hison death- b ed; entersregions , 29 7 , 298 , 299 , 300 ; re

turns to KaraKurum; his death ,309 .

Tumb inai, ances tor of Jinghis andTamerlane , 9 , 10 , 58 .

Tung Kwan ,afortress on t he Honanborder, 296; betrayedand sur

rendered, 300 .

Turkan Khatun ,mother of the Kwar

esm ruler, Shah Mohammed, 10 1,102 ; leaves Kwaresm; puts to

death many princes ; capturedand taken to Jinghis , 1 18 ; commanded to lookat her country forthe last time , 136.

Tu tsong, Sung Emperor, 344 ; suc

ceeded by Chao hien ,345, 358 .

Uigurs , 40 ; their language , 63; theirterritory , 75 ; their yearly tribute ,76; their envoys received withhonor, 77 , 89 cease to pay tributeto KaraKitai, 90 ; the Idikutmeets Jinghis , 104, 325, 366,4 12 .

Ulakchi, sonand successor of Sartakt he son of Batu of the GoldenHorde , 282 .

Uns Khatun, las t of the Salgariddynasty , placed on the Farethrone , 29 1 ; marries Mangu Timur,son of Hulagu ,

292 .

Uriang Kadai, son of Sub otai, 325left to mas ter southern regions ,

Urut , clan , descended from Urudai,ason of Nachin ,9,33, 69 .

Utchugen , atitle given JinghisKhan’

s youngest brother, Temugu,father of Togachar, 328 , 367 , 368.Utuhu ,

becomes Emperor of China,85 .

Vanguru , made mas ter of nourishment , 70 .

Vassaf ,ahistorian , 380 .

Wang Khan (Togrulup to pagereceives his title ,

38 , 39 : his grandfather

,40 ; wins avictory and

426

keeps all the booty 41 desertsTemudjin ; is forced to b e forassis tance , 42; becomes “ fat er

”

to Temudjin , 43 ; marches withTemudj in to the Gobi desert ,44 ; supports Temud

'

in ,49 ; joinsa

conspiracy to kill einudjin , 53;Withdraws from the bat tle- field,55 receives Juchi Kas sar's messeagers , 59 ; surrenders ; escapes ;is killedat Didik , 60 ; skullmadeintoadrinking- cup , 61 .

Wang se chin ,murderer of Chagan

Timur ; his heart torn out by KukuTimur, Chagan ’

sadop ted son,40 4 .

WanicaKhada, Kin commander,29 7 ; forces his way to Yiu chiu ;is captured and brough t be foreSob o tai, 299 .

Wen tien siang , made fi rs t minister,35 ; detained by Bayan ; sent to

Kub ilai; escapes , 351 ; recapturesCanton , 358 ; begs for death ; is

freed, 358 .

Yang saiy upwa, Mongolcommander,as sembles troops in Su chuan , 378 .

Yang Tekus made heir by ToganTimur . 39 " 393; exiled to Corea,39 4 , 39 5 .

Yang Timur . son o f Choahugur, 388 ;marches toward Liao tung, 389 ;tries to as sis t Yang Tekus , 39 2 ,393 ; his family e x t inguished, 39 4 .

Yao shu ,adviser of Kub ilai, 327 .

Yassaur , Mongol commander ; attacks Malat t ia, 180 ; movesagains tAlamut , 241 ° leaves Ismailianterritory , 2 1°

Ye liu chu t sai,adviser o f JinghisandOgo tai, 142 ; prevails on Ogo taito fix rank o f o ffi cers , 143; savesmany people . 305 ; chides Ogo taifor drinking . 314 ; dies o f grie f , 316 ;renownedasafaith fuladvise r . 377 .

Yeliu Tashi, founde r o f KaraKitai;takes t h e title o f Gurkhan of KaraK itai. 8 9 : his death . 9 0 .

Yessen Ti'n ur. proclaims Asukebaandadvance s on the cap ital. 38 9 ;de feated; capturedand slain . 390 .

Yessugai. son o f Bartan . 10 , 13 °

es capes f r om the Taidju t s , 15 .

kidnaps Hoelun . 16 . 17 ; po isonedb v Tartars . 18 . 20 . 40 .

Yezid, son of Muavia; heir of the

Index

Kalif , 198 , 199 ; summons Obcidallah to Kufa, 200 ; denies con

gggtion with plot to killHussein ,

Yissu Timur, grandson of Boorchu

ggx

éen command by Kub ilai, 368 ,

Yissudar, Mongol commander atHamadan , 241 ;assassinates TukusTimur, 4 11 .

Yissun Timur ,son of Kamala, pro

claims himself Emperor at theKerulon River, 38 7 ; en ters Tatu1323 ; appoints his son Asukebaheir ; diesat Shang tu , 388 .

Yissuts ,aMongoltribe which fough tagainst Temudjin , 92 .

Ylechebe , second son o f Kashala,made Emperor when seven yearso fage , dies soonafter

,39 2 .

Yshmu t , son of Hulagu ,sent to take

Mayafarkin , 260 ,273 ; attacks

Mgairdin,

274 ; mee ts Berkai’sarmy,2

Yuelu Timur , 389 ; mas ter o f Shangtu , 390 , 39 1 ; his death , 39 1 .

Yung lo , the third Emperor o f theMing dynas ty , advances to theKerulon River , 4 11 .

urungtas h , son of Mangu , leadero f Kub ilai’s forces in the AltaiMoun tain coun tr 337 .

Y wang , half- bro t er o f the SungEmperor; his title changed fromKi wang to Y wang . 350 ;made chief governor of the Empire ,

made Emperor whennine years o fage ,

355, 356 ; has no

port toanchor in ; his death . 357 .

Yz z ud din ,son o f KeiKosru , Sultan

o f Rum, 18 1 . joins in the sov

ereignty his bro ther, Alaiud din ,

182 ; o ff ers submission to Hulagu,

183, favored by Berkai, 286.

Zahir,son and successor o f Kalif

Nassir ; his death . when nine

months in o ffice , 160 .

Zein uddin .vizir o f Kalif Nassir. sent

to Hulagu .259 ,

insulted by Beibars . 262 ; closes the gates of

Damascus , 265 ; yields power to

Mongols . 266 .

Zenkvf son o f Ak Sunkurand fathero f Nur ed din ,

226 ; receives highoffi ce , 227 ; his death , 228 .