the horsewarriors had been the ones outside the city, they would have done the same thing to the Shou survivors.
As the general scanned Shou Kuan's rampart, however, he was interested in more than Tuigan faces. He was searching the brick-lined walls for a weakness that he could use to bring a quick end to the coming siege.
As Batu studied the fortifications, the Tuigan on the ramparts raised their bows. An instant later, a rain of black-shafted arrows brought an end to his inspection. Amidst a chorus of anguished wails and cries, he wheeled his horse about and galloped away from the city gate.
15
The morning sun touched the exterior of the tent, kindling an orange light inside. In his ire last night, Batu had driven away the engineers before they could stake the pavilion, so now its unsecured flaps slapped wildly in the late summer wind. The general's silk shirt was soaked with sweat, but he barely noticed. As he had been doing since before dawn, he stood motionless, staring out the tent's door.
The pavilion rested on a ridge overlooking Shou Kuan, giving Batu a clear view of the city's walls and towers. The general was trying to think of a way to bypass those fortifications, but he kept losing his thoughts. Over sixty thousand dead and wounded soldiers, both Shou and Tuigan, lay in front of the city. They had fallen in a triangular pattern that reminded Batu of an arrow pointing at the main gate.
A cloud of vultures and other carrion birds were already savoring the feast, Tuigan archers stood atop the bell tower, using tethered arrows to pick off the fattest birds. They were meeting with uncanny success, but the horsewarriors' accuracy did not surprise Batu. Yesterday, after the gate had closed on his unsuccessful bid to take the battle into the city, the enemy archers had killed ten thousand of his men in less than a minute. Given the precision of the barbarian bows, Batu counted himself lucky to be alive. He had dropped his sword as he fled, but that seemed a small price to pay for his life.
The other generals who had also ridden in the charge had not been so fortunate, however. Wang Kuo's general lay outside, awaiting a proper cremation. Kao Shan's fate remained unknown, though it was hardly a mystery. If the general had still been alive, someone would have brought him to the pavilion by now. The commanders of the Armies of Wak'an and Hai Yuan had both survived, for they had not been involved in the charge. They were seated on the far side of the tent, waiting for their new orders.
Kei Bot was not present, but Batu doubted that his second-in-command had fallen in battle, for the general should have been nowhere near the heavy fighting. Batu suspected Kei Bot was intentionally avoiding him, fearing retribution for his part in yesterday's setback. The tactic irritated Batu almost as much as the failure itself, so the general from Chukei had sent his adjutant to find the missing commander.
The same suspicion kept returning to Batu's mind: Kei Bot had deliberately neglected to give Wak'an the new orders. If so, the stocky general from Hungtze had committed a terrible military crime. Worse, he had lost the fight for Shou Lung and robbed Batu of his illustrious battle.
The General of the Northern Marches turned away from the door. Across the room, both of his subordinate generals rose to their feet expectantly.
Addressing the commander from Wak'an, Batu asked, 'What did Kei Bot tell you yesterday?'
The two first degree generals cast uneasy glances at each other. Wak'an asked, 'When, my commander?'
'Before the battle!' Batu snapped, pointing at Shou Kuan. 'When do you think?' Despite his lack of patience, the general understood the man's caution. When a plan went awry, Shou commanders often selected subordinates to serve as scapegoats, as Kwan had selected Batu himself after the battle of the sorghum field.
To reassure his subcommanders, Batu said, 'Have no fear. The blame for this disaster rests on my shoulders alone, but I must know what went wrong.'
Wak'an relaxed. 'He said you were going to charge the city.'
'And?' Batu prompted.
'He was to assume command until you returned.'
Batu's stomach churned at the thought of Kei Bot commanding his armies. 'Anything else?'
Wak'an shook his head.
As Batu started to ask his next question, he heard a small force of riders approach the pavilion and stop outside. A moment later, Pe entered the tent and bowed.
'General Kei,' the adjutant announced.
The general from Hungtze bustled into the pavilion behind Pe. Kei Bot's bow was very shallow, and Batu did not bother to acknowledge it.
Instead, he turned back to the general from Wak'an. 'Did General Kei tell you to follow me into the city?'
Before the man could answer, Kei Bot stepped forward and interrupted. 'I did not.'
When Batu turned toward him, the stocky general met his commander's gaze with a defiant stare. 'I thought it best to hold both Wak'an and Hai Yuan in reserve,' Kei Bot continued, sneering at Batu. 'Your plan was foolhardy and suicidal.'
'You cost us the battle,' Batu countered. 'If Wak'an had been behind the Army of Wang Kuo, we would have overwhelmed the barbarians and taken the gate.'
Kei Bot ignored his commander and shifted his gaze to the other two generals. 'When the barbarians massed for the attack, General Batu ignored my advice and refused to strike. Instead, he delayed until the city had all but fallen. Hoping to correct his mistake, our commander ordered a desperate charge. It was my duty to save what I could of our armies. At least the enemy is now trapped within Shou Kuan's walls.'
'Until he chooses to leave,' Pe retorted.
'Mind your place, young fellow!' Kei Bot snapped, barely sparing the adjutant a sidelong glance.
Batu did not immediately leap to Pe's defense, for he was pondering his subordinate's strategy. He had expected Kei Bot to make excuses or lie about his failure yesterday. Instead, the stocky commander seemed proud of his disobedience.
Without speaking, Batu stepped forward and stood face-to-face with his mutinous subordinate. In a quick, fluid motion, the General of the Northern Marches pulled Kei Bot's sword from its scabbard.
Staring at his sword's bejewelled hilt, Kei Bot gasped, 'What is the meaning of this?'
'You have deliberately disobeyed my orders, and now you're fostering rebellion,' Batu said, his voice cold and even. 'That is treason.'
'The emperor himself gave me command of the Army of Hungtze!' Kei Bot retorted, reaching for his weapon. 'You wouldn't dare suspend my commission!'
Batu sidestepped the clumsy lunge, then brought the blade up and drew it across the stocky general's throat. 'The penalty for treason is death,' he said.
Kei Bot clasped a hand over the wound, his mouth open in astonishment. The surprised mutineer dropped to his knees, blood oozing from between his fingers. Finally, he collapsed and pitched forward onto the dirt floor.
'What have you done?' gasped Wak'an.
'Kei Bot disobeyed a direct order,' Batu replied, nonchalantly cleaning the sword on the fallen man's k'ai. 'He cost us the victory.'
'Perhaps,' countered Hai Yuan, 'but to execute a general without a formal inquiry….'
Batu shrugged, then sheathed Kei Bot's ornate sword in his own empty scabbard. 'He admitted his crimes,' the general said wearily. 'I have chosen his punishment.'
Killing Kei Bot had cleared Batu's mind, and he finally felt as if he could concentrate. 'Pe, get me some brushes and paper,' he said, walking over to an empty table. 'From what the prisoners say, there are over a hundred thousand Tuigan inside the city. We'd better do some planning.'
Batu's two subordinates simply stared at him, astounded by his indifference to the man he had just executed. When they did not follow their superior to the table, the general from Chukei said, 'Gentlemen, your thoughts may
