through another month of detailed talks. He recognised few faces or names from his time in Sung lands, but he knew the lords in that room could put a million men in the field if they chose to do so or were given a direct order by the emperor. Xuan had yet to see his cousin. The elderly emperor rarely left his palace and the actual business of the war was the concern of the lords. Yet the emperor had insisted Xuan attend the council, as one of the few men who had faced Mongol hordes and survived. His presence was tolerated, though he was not exactly welcomed as a long-lost son. Proud Sung nobles stopped just short of snubbing him completely. They had to endure his presence, but when he did not put his name down as a speaker, many of them were privately pleased, assuming he was intimidated by the powerful assembly.
They met twice every month, though it was rare for the seats to be filled as they had been on his first entrance. Through more regular attendance than half the lords there, Xuan learned of the second massive army Mongke Khan had brought into their lands. For a morning, the threat had almost swept aside the petty politics of the court. Two lords whose lands adjoined each other spoke without their usual barely concealed bitterness. It had not lasted beyond that first sense of truce and by the afternoon one of them had stormed out with his trail of servants and the other was frozen in rage at whatever insult he had perceived to his house and rank.
Despite the chaotic lack of leadership, actual fighting did take place. Xuan learned that in the south, the tumans with Kublai had smashed eleven armies, some three-quarters of a million men. Rather than allow them to grow strong on captured weapons, the only choice had been to throw regiment after regiment at the Mongols, forcing Kublai to keep moving and fighting, wearing him down. In his time in the debating chamber, Xuan had seen four nobles stand and make their farewells to take the field. None of them had returned and, as the news came in, their names were added to a scroll of the honoured dead.
As the third month began, Xuan entered the chamber with a lighter step. It was barely half full, but more were coming in behind him and taking their accustomed places. Xuan made his way to one of the scribes who reported the debates and stood in front of him until the man looked up.
‘I will speak today,’ Xuan said.
The scribe’s eyes widened slightly, but he nodded, bowing his head as he added Xuan’s formal name with his brushes and ink. It took some time for him to complete it but the scribe knew his business and did not have to check his records. The gathering lords had not missed the event. Many of them were staring at him as he returned to his seat and others sent runners to their allies. While Xuan waited patiently, more and more lords came from their homes in the city until the room was as packed as it had been on his first day.
Xuan wondered if any of them knew he had been summoned to the emperor’s palace the night before, taken from the barracks where he stayed with his men. It had been a short meeting, but he had been pleased to find his elderly cousin was not unaware of the war, or its lack of progress. The emperor of the Sung was just as frustrated as Xuan himself and had left him with one command - to shake the lords out of their complacency. The rest of the night had been spent with Sung scribes, and for once Xuan had been allowed to see any record he wanted. He had given up sleep to learn everything he could and as he sat peacefully in the debating chamber, his mind twitched with facts and stratagems.
He waited through the ritual opening of the council, though the formalities took an age. Two other men spoke before him and he listened politely until they were finished and minor votes took place. One of them appeared to know the assembled lords were waiting for Xuan and hurried his presentation, while the other was oblivious and rambled on for an hour about iron ore supplies in the eastern provinces.
When they sat down, the emperor’s chancellor spoke his name and Xuan stood. Heads craned to see him and on a whim he walked forward to the centre of the room, so that he faced them all in half-circles rising up to the balconies above. No one whispered or shuffled. He had their complete attention.
‘According to the imperial records in Hangzhou, more than two million trained soldiers are under arms, not counting the losses to date. The honourable lords in this room have eleven thousand cannon between them. Yet a Mongol force of barely a hundred thousand has made them look like children.’
A ripple of outrage ran around the room, but the calculated reference to records had not been lost on them. Only the emperor had such information and it silenced those who might have shouted him down. Xuan ignored the murmuring and went on.
‘In time, I believe sheer numbers would have brought success despite the lack of a unified command. Mistakes have been made, not least the assumption that the army of Kublai is in the field and must eventually return home to resupply. They have no need to do so, my lords. They are not in the field. They are merely in a new
He had to wait as voices spoke over him, but the majority wanted to hear what he had to say and the fiery arguments died for lack of support.
‘Even so, they would eventually have failed against the Sung regiments. But now the Mongol khan has brought a new army to the Sung, greater than any he has wielded before. The reports give the numbers as more than a quarter of a million men - this time without their camps. They have no cannon and so their strategy becomes clear.’
The silence was total then, as every lord strained to hear. Xuan deliberately dropped his voice so that no one would dare to interrupt him again.
‘He ignores Sung cities and moves incredible distances. If I had not read the scout reports in the emperor’s offices, I would not have believed it, but they are crossing vast stretches of land each day, heading south. Their intention is clearly to join up with Kublai’s tumans, clearing the field of any army in their way. It is a bold strategy, one that shows contempt for the armies of the Sung. Mongke Khan will destroy the men in the field and then take the cities at his leisure, either using captured cannon, or by siege. Unless he is stopped, he will be at the gates of Hangzhou in less than a year.’
As one, the lords began to shout indignantly at the slur on their courage and strength. To be lectured in such a way by a failed emperor was too much, insufferable. Cooler heads considered once again that he had the ear of the emperor, his cousin by blood. The noise died down to just a few, who eventually subsided back to their seats with angry expressions. Xuan continued as if there had been no interruption.
‘There must be no more personal actions by individual lords. Those have failed to end the threat - a threat which has now grown. Nothing less than the complete mobilisation of Sung forces is necessary.’ Two Sung lords rose from their seats in silence, indicating to the emperor’s chancellor that they wished to speak. ‘This is the moment to strike,’ Xuan went on. ‘The Mongol khan is with his armies. If he can be stopped, there will be a period of time when both Chin and Mongol lands can be conquered.’ Four more stood to speak. ‘It will no longer be a mere defensive war, my lords. If you gather your armies under a single leader, we have a chance to unite Chin and Sung once again.’
He paused. A dozen Sung lords had risen, their eyes moving from him to the emperor’s chancellor, whose task it was to impose some order to debates. Until Xuan sat down, he could not be formally interrupted, though the rule was often ignored. For once, they waited, aware of the importance of the debate to come. Xuan frowned, knowing the men who would speak were not those likely to add to a clear resolution.
‘This war can no longer be fought as individuals. Appoint a leader who will command complete authority. Send half a million men against Kublai and as many against the Mongol khan. Surround their small armies and crush them. In that way, you will be spared the sight of Hangzhou in flames. I have seen Yenking burn, my lords. That is enough.’
He sat down under the silent pressure of so many eyes, wondering if he had reached anyone in the room.
The voice of the emperor’s chancellor rang out.
‘The chamber recognises Lord Sung Win.’
Xuan hid his grimace at the name and waited. He had a right to reply before the end.
‘My lords, I have just two questions for the esteemed speaker,’ Lord Sung Win said. ‘Do you have the emperor’s direct order to unite the armies? And is it your intention that the command of the Sung should fall to your hands?’
A roar of derision went up from the rest of the men in the room and Xuan frowned more deeply. He recalled the watery eyes of his cousin at their brief meeting. The emperor was a weak man and Xuan could still feel the
