Conqueror: The Complete 5-Book Collection. Conn Iggulden
it would not suit me, Wen,’ he said. ‘The tribes must move when the hunting is poor. I would starve to death in that stone mountain, I think.’
‘You would not, my lord, because your servants would buy food in the markets. They would raise animals to eat and grow crops to make bread and rice for you. You could have a thousand wives and never know hunger.’
‘And that appeals to Togrul,’ Temujin said softly. ‘I see how it could.’ His mind was whirling with so many strange new ideas, but he still had not heard the reason for Wen to seek him out in the wilderness, so far from his home. He offered Wen a cup and filled it with airag. When he saw the man was setting his jaw to stop his teeth from chattering, Temujin grunted.
‘Rub it on your hands and face and I will refill the cup,’ he said.
Wen inclined his head in thanks before doing as Temujin suggested. The clear liquid brought a flush to his yellow skin, making it bloom with sudden heat. He drained the rest down his throat and emptied the second as soon as Temujin had poured it, holding the cup out for a third.
‘Perhaps I will journey east some day,’ Temujin said, ‘and see these strange things with my own eyes. Yet I wonder why you would leave all that behind, to travel where my people rule with sword and bow. We do not think of your emperor here.’
‘Though he is father to us all,’ Wen said automatically. Temujin stared at him and Wen regretted drinking so quickly on an empty stomach.
‘I have been among the tribes for two years, my lord. There are times when I miss my people very much. I was sent here to gather allies against the Tartars in the north. Togrul of the Kerait believes you are one who shares our dislike for those pale-skinned dogs.’
‘Togrul is well informed, it seems,’ Temujin replied. ‘How does he know so much of my business?’ He refilled Wen’s cup a fourth time and watched as it too went the way of the others. It pleased him to see the man drink, and he filled a cup of his own, sipping carefully to keep his head clear.
‘The khan of the Kerait is a man of wisdom,’ Wen Chao replied. ‘He has fought the Tartars for years in the north and received much gold as tribute from my masters. It is a balance, you understand? If I send an order to Kaifeng for a hundred ponies to be driven west, they come in a season and, in return, the Kerait spill Tartar blood and keep them away from our borders. We do not want them straying into our land.’
One of the listening tribesmen shifted uncomfortably and Temujin glanced at him.
‘I will want your advice on this, Arslan, when we talk alone,’ Temujin said.
The man settled himself, satisfied. Wen looked around at them all.
‘I am here to offer you the same arrangement. I can give you gold, or horses …’
‘Swords,’ Temujin said. ‘And bows. If I agree, I would want a dozen sets of the armour your men are wearing outside, as well as a hundred ponies, mares and stallions both. I have no more use for gold than I have for a house of stone I cannot move.’
‘I did not see a hundred men in the camp,’ Wen protested. Inside, he rejoiced. The bargaining had begun with more ease than he could have imagined.
‘You did not see them all,’ Temujin said, with a snort. ‘And I have not said I agree. What part does Togrul play in this? I have never met the man, though I know of the Kerait. Will he come after you to beg me for my help?’
Wen coloured, putting down the cup of airag he had raised.
‘The Kerait are a strong tribe, with more than three hundred men under arms, my lord. They heard from Tartar prisoners that you were raiding further and further north.’ He paused, choosing his words. ‘Togrul is a man of vision and he sent me, not to beg, but rather to have you join your force to his. Together, you will drive the Tartars back for a dozen generations, perhaps.’
The man Temujin had called Arslan seemed to bristle again, and Wen saw Temujin drop a hand to his arm.
‘Here I am khan, responsible for my people,’ he said. ‘You would have me bend the knee to Togrul in return for a few ponies?’ A subtle menace had come into the crowded ger and Wen found himself wishing Yuan had been allowed to accompany him.
‘You have merely to refuse and I will leave,’ he said. ‘Togrul does not need a bondsman. He needs a war leader with ruthlessness and strength. He needs every man you can bring.’
Temujin glanced at Jelme. After the endless winter, he knew as well as anyone that the Tartars would be thirsting for revenge. The idea of joining forces with a greater tribe was tempting, but he needed time to think.
‘You have said much of interest, Wen Chao,’ Temujin said after a time. ‘Leave me now to make my decision. Kachiun? Find warm beds for his men and have some stew brought to ease their hunger.’ He saw Wen’s gaze drop to the half-empty skin of airag by his feet. ‘And some airag to warm him tonight, as well,’ he added, carried away by his own generosity.
They all stood as Wen rose to his feet, not quite as steady as when he had come in. The man bowed once more, and Temujin noticed how it was a fraction deeper than the first attempt. Perhaps he had been stiff from travelling.
When they were alone, Temujin turned his bright gaze on his most trusted men.
‘I want this,’ he said. ‘I want to learn as much as I can about these people. Houses of stone! Slaves by the thousand! Did it not make you itch?’
‘You do not know this Togrul,’ Arslan said. ‘Are the silver people for sale, then?’ He snorted. ‘These Chin think we can be bought with promises, awed with talk of the teeming millions in their cities. What are they to us?’
‘Let us find out,’ Temujin said. ‘With the men of the Kerait, I can drive a spike into the Tartars. Let the rivers run red with what we will do.’
‘My oath is to you, not to Togrul,’ Arslan said.
Temujin faced him. ‘I know it. I will not be bondsman to any other. Yet if he will join his strength with us, I will have the greater part of the bargain. Think of Jelme, Arslan. Think of his future. We are too full of life to build our tribe in ones and twos. Let us leap upwards in great bounds and risk it all each time. Would you sit and wait for the Tartars?’
‘You know I would not,’ Arslan said.
‘Then my decision is made,’ Temujin said, filled with excitement.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Wen Chao stayed for three days in the camp, discussing terms. He allowed them to press skins of airag on him before he lowered the gold curtains of his litter and Yuan gave the signal for him to be lifted.
Behind the silk hangings, Wen scratched himself, convinced he had picked up lice from the gers. It had been a trial, as he had expected, but they seemed as keen on war with the Tartars as Togrul had hoped. It was no surprise, Wen thought to himself as he was borne over the plains. The tribes raided each other even in winter. Now that the spring had brought the first grass through the frozen ground, they would be at their business in earnest. It had always been their way. Wen smiled to himself as he read the works of Xun Zi and drowsed, occasionally making notes in the margins. The minister had been right to send someone with his diplomatic skills, he thought. Little Zhang could not have brokered such a deal, even with the promises of ponies and armour. The lisping eunuch would certainly have shown his disgust at the wedding ceremony Wen Chao had witnessed the previous day. He shuddered at the thought of the hot drink of milk and blood he had been given. Xun Zi would have applauded his discipline then. The woman Borte had been as stringy and hard as her husband, Wen reflected. Not his taste at all, though the young raider seemed to find her pleasing. What Wen would have given for a night with one of the Willow women! There was no place for sleek, powdered thighs in that hard