chapter 77 The Khan Laughed
[FONT="]Chapter 77[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Khan Laughed
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Auqui Maita Tupac, Sapa Inca and emperor of Chimor sent another envoy abroad. Ninan Rimachi was ostensibly a merchant but he had great influence in Qusqu. In years past he had served the emperor in myriad ways, messenger, agent, spy, military commander and advisor. In this case he would travel as himself, a successful merchant seeking new markets. He would travel far to the north and once he had reached the western Mongol Khanate he was to make his way to the Great Khan himself.[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Inca wished him to inform the Great Khan of the danger posed by the Portuguese, and potentially the other kingdoms of Europe. That the Khan of the north had experienced hostile acts perpetrated by the Englishman Weston or that the Khan of the east had sent an ambassador to the King of the English; Maita Tupac was unaware. His relations with the Khanates were tenuous at best and he was grossly unaware of their affairs.
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[FONT="]Rimachi arrived at the city of Mash Ikh Boomt, the primary market port of the Western Khanate, the[/FONT][FONT="] Ordu lusöndür.[/FONT][FONT="] The other merchants of the small trading fleet went about their business while he melted into the town and then into the countryside. He bought horses and clothes, hired local guides and began to make his way eastward. Traveling across the mountains, from one valley to another, through the passes between peaks that rivaled the great Andes of his home he eventually reached the vast plains that extended beyond the horizon.
[/FONT] [FONT="]He had obtained new guides at a town called Awatovi and they led him to the edge of the land of the Great Khan. Having escaped the reach of [/FONT][FONT="]Khorghosun Khan he crossed into the realm of the great Jirghadai Khan, nominally ruler of all the lands north of the troublesome Mayans.
[/FONT] [FONT="]His journey to Orun Ergül went unnoticed until he reached Santsepasu where he was noticed by a soldier. He Ninan had failed to accept repeated offers of Airag, the fermented mare’s milk that was favored in the Khanate. The suspicious soldier gathered several of his compatriots and approached Ninan. The Incan told them that he had arrived with a group of merchants along the coast but that he was a scholar and wished to travel the lands of the Great Khan learning as he went. His guides supported his explanation saying that he had spent much time gathering plants and asking questions about every aspect of life in the Khanate.
[/FONT] [FONT="]Somewhat satisfied but still uncertain of the innocence of the Incan’s motives, the soldiers brought him before their commander who ordered them to bring him to Orun Ergül to face the Khan’s officials. This suited Ninan and he happily accepted his capture.
[/FONT] [FONT="]The city of Orun Ergül had grown tremendously since its founding and now had more than fifty thousand inhabitants. Its walls had been rebuilt every twenty or so years and were tremendously strong, designed as they were to counter artillery. The old city was still surrounded by high walls which towered over the new town, but they were overtopped by the massive stone pyramids, successors to the mounds of the Caddo, and mass of the Hall of the Great Khan, which dominated all aspects of the city.
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[FONT="]Ninan was suitably impressed. Even Qusqu and Chan Chan could not match the towering presence of the great buildings of the Khan’s capitol. In his homeland, structures seemed to grow out of the land and the rock, they were a part of the landscape, but here they sat on the land with even greater weight than the palaces and temples of the Mayans.
[/FONT] [FONT="]Ninan was brought before one military commander after another and each passed him on to their superior until he was before the commander of the Khan’s own Ordu. Here Ninan identified himself as a representative of the Sapa Inca, the great Emperor of Chimor, with a message meant for the Great Khan from his brother in the south.
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Three weeks later, Ninan was led from his comfortable confinement and mounted his horse, well fed and well groomed. In the company of thirty or so horsemen and a handful of palace officials, most of whom he had met in the intervening days, he was led far out onto the planes. His journey actually took three days. On the third day he was escorted into a Mongol camp. Several Large gers were clustered together on the shores of a lake.
None of the gers were larger, finer or grander than the others and Ninan despaired of meeting the Khan in this place, but he was wrong. As the sun set a troop of horsemen entered the camp escorting a large and finely fitted horse drawn cart. The cart carried three men, one of which lay on fine cushions. This was the Great Jirghadai Khan, ruler of all the north, lord of the three Khans.
[/FONT] [FONT="]The Great Khan was brought to the Ger closest to the lakeshore while Ninan watched. He thought it strange that he would be allowed to witness such weakness in a man of such great power. There were many differences in the way the Mongols approached the world and the way his own people did. Such infirmity of the Sapa Inca would never be made visible to the people of the empire, much less foreign emissaries.
[/FONT] [FONT="]Just as Ninan was finishing his evening meal he was summoned to the Khan’s ger. The Khan sat not on a throne or a great chair, but reclined on a couch covered with furs and hides. Ninan was gently forced to his knees by his guard and the Khan apologized for not greeting him on his feet. His legs, it seemed, were not his own at the moment.
[/FONT] [FONT="]Ninan looked on a man no older than himself, seemingly healthy, but unable to stand. The Khan had been out hunting and had bagged three antelope while kneeling in his cart. He was still an accomplished archer. Ninan, sensing a casual tone, inquired after the Khan’s health and learned that the Khan suffered from periods where his legs were weak, and had been since a hunting accident years before. The Khan was physically weak from the waist down, but powerful from the waist up. When his legs did not work, he compensated with his arms. The Khan was often a cripple.
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Ninan presented the warnings of the Inca against the Portuguese and the Emperor’s concerns about other European monarchs. Jirghadai listened patiently to the Incan, noting his odd speech patterns and the quirks of his pronunciation, but never missing the meaning of what he was saying. Finally the great Khan raised his hand in an unmistakable sign and Ninan fell silent.
“We know of the Europeans. They have visited the shores of our eastern and northern khanates. [FONT="]Menggetu[/FONT][FONT="] Khan has an ambassador in the court of the King of the English and Pulawej Khan has suffered insult at their hands. Indeed the representative of Menggetu was once a captive of the English while in the service of Pulawej.[/FONT]
[FONT="]One Khan courts them while another seeks vengeance. The Inca knows that relations between kings are never smooth. We know of the Portuguese, but have not met them, and also the King of Spain and his servants who are friends with rebellious factions among the Maya.[/FONT]
[FONT="]That these Portuguese are in both oceans is new to us. Your tales of their cruelty in the lands of the west troubles us greatly for we do not wish such treatment to be visited upon our own people. What does the Great Inca propose?”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Ninan replied;[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Auqui Maita Tupac does not presume to tell the Great Khan what he should do, but he wishes to be of one accord with the Khanates when it comes to dealing with this threat. Two of your subject khans appear to be going in two directions in regard to these English. We do not know these people. The Sapa Inca would hope that you and your khans would share his concerns regarding the Portuguese. You have men in Europe and are in a position to discern their conflicts, goals and interests. We would hope that you would share what you learn so we may approach these foreign nations with commonality.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]Jirghadai was silent for a moment;[/FONT]
[FONT="]“Tell the Sapa Inca that we’re in accord with him. Also tell him that we cannot absolutely guarantee the accord of our other khans. They feel the passing of Jirghadai in the wind and await their chance to supplant us. They see our legs and think us dead, but they do not see our arms. [/FONT]
[FONT="]Tell Auqui Maita Cápac that the Great Khan shares his concern and is with him. We will bring our children into agreement with us. We will guard against this Europe. [/FONT]
[FONT="]You will return to your Emperor accompanied by our own representative. You shall return to us as the ambassador of the Inca.”[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Great Khan then swung his legs over the edge of his chaise and stood, an impressive man. He looked down and said;[/FONT][FONT="]
[/FONT][FONT="]“When they are needed, they answer the call.” And the Khan laughed. [/FONT]
