‘I put guards on the inns in town, first thing,’ Bayar said.
Kublai grinned at him. ‘Of course you did. Very well, show me.’
Both men turned at the sound of running footsteps. Kublai felt his mouth go dry at the sight of one of his scouts, sweat-stained and dusty. The man was close to collapse and he leaned on one of the tables, barely noticing the wealth it held as he gasped out his message.
‘There is a Sung army, my lord, force-marching in this direction.’ He went white for a moment as if he might vomit. Kublai gripped him by the shoulder.
‘How far away?’ he demanded.
The scout took gulping breaths, his body shuddering under Kublai’s touch.
‘Maybe fifty miles, maybe less. I did it in one long reach.’
‘How many?’
‘More than the tumans. I don’t know for certain. I caught sight of them and then rode clear as fast as I could.’ His eyes looked for approval, worried that he should have stayed longer.
‘You did well,’ Kublai assured him. ‘Get yourself food and find a place on a cart to sleep. We won’t be staying here.’ He turned to Bayar, all the lightness gone from his manner. ‘It won’t stop now, general. I’d hoped for a little more time, but we have stuck a hand into the wasp nest and they will throw everything they have at us, every army they can raise and march.’
‘We’ll destroy them,’ Bayar said.
Kublai nodded, but his eyes were shadowed. ‘We have to win every battle. They only have to win one.’
‘I’ve known worse situations,’ Bayar said with a shrug.
Kublai blinked at him and then laughed, some of the tension going out of him.
‘We have entered the heartland of the Sung, Bayar. You have
‘Our people beat the Chin emperor,’ Bayar replied, unabashed. ‘City by city, army by army. Have faith in your men, my lord. We will not let you down.’
For a moment, Kublai was unable to speak. He had led the tumans at first as an intellectual exercise, enjoying the challenge of manoeuvres and tactics, of finding ways to confound his enemies. Bayar’s words made him think it all through again. He would ask them to die for him, for his family. It was madness of a sort that they would follow him at all. Kublai found himself touched by what he saw in the faces of Bayar and the scout. He stopped himself from explaining, remembering almost too late that he had to keep a distance. He had not yet managed to codify the skill of leading men. It happened around him like a strange form of alchemy. It was more than rank or discipline, more than the structure of the army his family had built, more even than the legend of his grandfather. Some of them followed for those things, or just because they enjoyed the life of the tumans. Others, the best of them, would risk it all for Kublai because they knew him. They had measured him and gave their lives freely into his hands. For once, Kublai was unable to express what it meant to him and he chose refuge in gruff orders.
‘Get the silver packed up, general. I will send scouts back to the camp to let them know they are on their own for a while longer. Have your men find a good place for us to stand and face these Sung. We will walk over them all.’
Bayar grinned, seeing the fire kindle in Kublai once again.
Chabi was outside her ger as Kublai came riding in. She put down the goatskins she had been cutting and sewing when she saw him. Zhenjin spotted his father at the same moment and darted to the wall of the ger, where he had placed a stool. As Kublai reined in and dismounted, his son climbed onto the felt roof and clung precariously over the door. All around them, women were gathering for news. They would not interrupt the khan’s brother, but Chabi knew they would press in with questions the moment he left.
‘Another army on the way,’ Kublai said. He was panting slightly as she handed him a skin of airag and he took a long pull at it. ‘I need to change clothes and it’s time to break camp.’
‘There’s a threat to us?’ Chabi asked, trying to remain calm. Kublai shook his head.
‘Not so far, but if the tumans have to move fast, I don’t want to leave you vulnerable. I must keep the families in range.’
Chabi looked up as a ger suddenly collapsed nearby, going from a home to spars and felt rolls in an instant. Kublai had not come in alone and she could hear shouts all over the camp as it went from peaceful stillness to rapid dismantling. Everything was designed to be moved quickly and she had servants for the task. She saw two of them coming with reins and harness over their shoulders for the ox-cart.
‘Come down, Zhenjin,’ Kublai called to his son. He knew the boy had been waiting to jump on him as he passed, but there was no time for games. Zhenjin scowled at him, but clambered down.
‘You look worried,’ Chabi said softly.
Kublai shrugged and smiled at her.
‘We have better men, but the numbers, Chabi! If the Sung lords band together, they can put an army in the field that makes mine look like a raiding group.’
‘They don’t have anyone like you,’ she said. He nodded.
‘There is that,’ he replied with a smile. ‘I am an unusual man.’
Chabi could sense his distraction as Kublai’s gaze flickered around the camp, taking in every detail.
‘You don’t have to worry about us,’ she said.
Kublai turned slowly, trying to listen to his wife at the same time as solving some other problem and failing at both.
‘Hmm?’
‘We are not defenceless, Kublai. There are, what, three hundred thousand in the camp? It’s a
Kublai dragged his attention back to his wife. He saw she was trying to ease his mind and stifled his irritable impulse to describe the savage terror of an attack on a camp. It would do no good to make her afraid. Thousands of lives rested on his ability to protect them. Words and promises meant nothing in the face of such a burden. In the end, he just nodded and she seemed relieved.
‘There’s cold mutton and some spring onions in the pot. I’ll cut you some slices. I have flatbread you can use to wrap it and eat it as you go.’
‘And garlic,’ he said.
‘I’ll get it, while you talk to your son. He’s been waiting to jump on you for three days. A man can’t ride past the ger without him scampering up the roof to be ready.’
Kublai sighed.
‘Zhenjin! Come out here.’
The boy reappeared, still sulking. Kublai gestured at the ger.
‘Go on then, I don’t have long.’
Chabi snorted with laughter as Zhenjin’s face lit up. The boy scrambled up the felt wall and once again waited like a spider above the door.
‘I thought I could see my son,’ Kublai said. ‘Perhaps he is inside.’ He ducked to enter and Zhenjin leapt at him, his weight sending Kublai staggering backwards as Kublai roared in mock surprise. After a moment, he let the boy down to the ground.
‘That’s enough now. Help your mother and the servants. We’re moving camp.’
‘Can I come with you?’ Zhenjin asked.
‘Not this time. When you’re older, I promise.’
‘I’m older now.’
‘That’s true, but older still.’
Zhenjin began to complain in a high voice as Chabi came out with two wrapped packages of food. In the time since his arrival, hundreds of gers had come down and been loaded onto carts, as far as they could see in any direction.
‘You will beat them all, Kublai. I know it. You will show your brother he was right to send you against the Sung.’ She reached up and kissed her husband on the neck.
