14
Batu and a subordinate, General Kei Bot Li, lay on their stomachs at the crest of a hill. The mordant smell of burned grass filled their nostrils, and the dry acrid taste of soot coated their tongues. Normally, they would have avoided lying face down in a field of ash, but the best place for watching Shou Kuan happened to be this scorched hilltop.
The three miles of rolling terrain between them and the city was as black and as barren as the hill. Before fleeing, the citizens of Shou Kuan had set fire to most of the land surrounding the city. The barbarians had overgrazed the few fields the peasants had left untouched, turning them into bleak patches of ground.
The over-grazed land is a good sign, thought the general from Chukei. By forcing the enemy to siege Shou Kuan, Tzu Hsuang had greatly complicated the already difficult task of feeding so many horses and men. The Tuigan would be anxious to complete the siege and move on to better lands.
From what Batu could see, Yamun Khahan had already reached the end of his patience. Even now, the barbarians were preparing to attack. At this distance, the walls of Shou Kuan looked like no more than a ridge of clay surrounding an anthill. However, a dark band that could only be an enemy battle formation encircled the city. Batu guessed that there were over one hundred thousand riders in the dark ring.
More telling than the riders was the smoke in front of the main gate. From three miles away, the smoke appeared to be nothing more than a band of haze, but Batu knew that only a large fire could create so much fume.
Pointing at the smoke, Batu asked, 'What do you make of that, Kei Bot?'
The stocky general squinted at the gray column and watched it intently, as if he could magnify the image through obstinate study. It was a gesture typical of the general, Batu was learning. More than anything, it seemed to symbolize the headstrong determination that was the heart of Kei Bot's personality.
After the stocky general's assault on Yenching, Batu had made the ambitious man second in command. Though he had used the survivors from Kei Bot's army to garrison Yenching, it would have been an insult to leave the pudgy general with his troops after he had displayed so much bravery. Therefore, Batu had been forced to reward Kei Bot by promoting him.
It was an exigency the General of the Northern Marches regretted. In order to hold Kei Bot's dogged ambition in check, Batu kept the pudgy general with him at all times. Unfortunately, the two men did not enjoy each other's company.
Kei Bot finally finished his study of the smoke column. 'I would guess that they're burning prisoners,' he announced.
'To what purpose?' Batu asked, frowning at his sub-commander.
'Intimidation,' Kei Bot answered. 'I've seen it before.'
Batu shook his head. 'They wouldn't hesitate to commit such butchery, but they don't take captives.' He pointed at the riders encircling the city. 'To me, it looks like they're preparing to attack. The smoke must have something to do with storming the city.'
'If that's what you think,' Kei Bot answered stiffly, miffed that his conclusion had not been accepted. 'Shall I send the order to advance?'
'Not yet,' Batu said, still watching the city.
'But we've been here for three hours!' Kei Bot objected.
'We'll wait a while longer.' The young general faced the stocky commander. 'If we move before the enemy is fully engaged, it will stop its attack and turn to meet us.'
'From what we saw at Shihfang, the nobles are outnumbered five to one,' Kei Bot countered. 'The longer we wait, the greater the chance the enemy will sack Shou Kuan.'
'I know,' Batu replied, turning back to the city. 'Still, we can't move until the barbarians are fully engaged.'
Kei Bot's jaw dropped in open shock. 'The nobles will be wiped out! They'll never hold against those numbers.'
'Don't underestimate the nobles,' Batu replied, 'not while Tzu Hsuang still commands them.'
At Shihfang, Batu had discovered the reason for his father-in-law's long silence following the battle: the Mirror of Shao had been shattered. He was sorry to lose the artifact, but not nearly as sorry as he would have been to lose Tzu Hsuang. Still, the mirror's destruction was a serious blow. Batu had been counting on it to coordinate the attack with the noble armies. Without the Mirror of Shao, the general had to rely on nothing but his best guess to time his attack.
More to reassure himself than Kei Bot, Batu said, 'Tzu Hsuang will hold. His pengs have had three weeks of rest. Besides, even if the Tuigan breach the walls, they will find that city streets are poor places to fight from horseback.'
'Don't you think you're risking Hsuang's armies without sufficient reason?' Kei Bot asked. 'If the nobles collapse, the Tuigan will retreat into Shou Kuan when we attack.'
'I won't lose the advantage of surprise,' Batu replied sternly. He pointed at the ring encircling the city. 'From what I can see, the barbarians still have over a hundred thousand riders. Our only chance of destroying them is to catch them completely unprepared.'
Kei Bot would not be intimidated. 'If you must run this risk, at least send word to make ready for battle.'
Batu scowled, but realized that Kei Bot's suggestion had its merits. 'I see no harm in doing as you ask,' he snapped. Without taking his eyes off the pudgy general, he waved Pe forward.
The adjutant was waiting at the bottom of the hill, where he and Batu's fifty man escort would not be seen. It took Pe a few moments to crawl to the crest of the hill. Upon arriving, he removed his conical skullcap and scratched furiously at his matted hair. 'Now I understand why the barbarians shave their heads,' he said.
Like Batu and the other men in the provincial armies, Pe was dressed in Tuigan clothing. In addition to the fur-trimmed skullcap, he wore a greasy knee-length hauberk and wool trousers. The hauberk had an arrow hole and a bloodstain in the breast, and the trousers were so filthy that crawling through ash had done nothing to darken their color. In contrast to Batu, who felt strangely comfortable in the clothing, Pe looked awkward and clumsy.
The adjutant suddenly pulled his hand from his hair. Pinched between his thumb and forefinger was a white, squirming body the size of a rice grain. The youth squashed the louse, then wiped his hand on his pant leg. He renewed his scratching and commented, 'Filthy beasts.'
Batu was not sure whether Pe meant the lice or the barbarians. After the victory at Yenching, Batu had sent his cavalry to round up the enemy horses. In the meantime, he had instructed the remainder of the Most Magnificent Army of Shou Lung to clothe itself in Tuigan garb.
The order had not made the general a popular commander. The thought of wearing Tuigan clothing had turned the stomachs of the entire army, even the drunks and criminals. Nevertheless, Batu had insisted that his command be followed.
Two days later, the cavalry had collected more than eighty thousand barbarian horses. The number had been sufficient to mount the four armies that were still in battle condition. After a day of riding lessons, Batu had started for Shou Kuan with eighty thousand pengs disguised as Tuigan horse-warriors.
The General of the Northern Marches was wise enough to know that news of a large Shou army would quickly reach the ears of Yamun Khahan. That was why Batu had disguised his men as Tuigan. The presence of another barbarian force would not provoke nearly as much comment. Even if word of the army reached the khahan, Batu thought the reports would be less likely to alarm the Tuigan leader. It seemed possible that the khahan would dismiss the accounts as mere rumors or exaggerations. The last thing he would believe, Batu hoped, was that four Shou armies had disguised themselves as Tuigan in order to sneak up on him.
Unfortunately, in order to make the disguise believable, Batu's men had to act like barbarians. Several times, his scouts had given chase to frightened peasants. Once, they had even attacked and burned a Shou village the
