Chapter - 477 The Great Army Heads West (12)

One particular day the weather was clear and the air was fresh, the sky stretched out for tens of thousands miles, blue like it was fresh from the laundry. The one hundred and fifty thousand Mongolian cavalry were arranged in row after row on the prairie. Genghis Khan offered a sacrifice to the heaven and earth, making a vow before going into battle. Toward all his generals he said, "Stone has no skin, but there is a limit to human's life. My hair and beard have all turned white. This time I go to war, don't know if I am going back home alive. My concubine has reminded me last night, and I think she was right. I have to assign one of my sons today to lift high my banner after I am gone."

The generals had fought hundreds of battle, following Genghis Khan's attacks to the east and expeditions to the west. His white hair had been gray. Suddenly hearing the Great Khan was going to appoint his successor, they were all surprised and delighted at the same time. All eyes gazed toward his face, waiting for him to say his successor's name.

Genghis Khan said, "Jochi, you are my eldest son, tell me, whom should I appoint?" Jochi's heart skipped a beat. He was very capable, had rendered the most service, besides, he was the eldest son. He had always thought that when his father king died, naturally the position would fall into his lap. Now that the Great Khan suddenly asked, he did not know how to reply.

Genghis Khan's second son, Chagatai, was like a raging fire. He did not live harmoniously with his eldest brother. Hearing his father king asking his brother, he opened his mouth, "He wants Jochi to speak, what order will he receive? How can we let this Mergid bastard rule over us?"

Actually when Genghis Khan was young, his army was weak; as a result his wife was captured by their enemy, the Mergids. After several years in captivity, his wife was taken back, but by that time she had already given birth to Jochi. Genghis Khan accepted this fact with an open mind; he regarded Jochi as his own son.

Listening to his own brother's insult Jochi could not hold his patience any longer, he charged forward, grabbing Chagatai's chest, shouted, "Father King had never regarded me as an outsider, how dare you insulted me? What skill do you have that I don't? You are nothing more than an irritable hot-tempered arrogant man. Let's go out and have a duel; if I lost to you in archery, I will rip my own thumb. If I lost to you in martial arts, I will throw myself on the ground and never get up!" Turning his head toward Genghis Khan he said, "Father King, please give your order." Two brothers grabbed each other's chest, ready to have a duel right then and there.

The rest of the generals stepped forward to separate them; Bourchu pulled Jochi's hand, while Mukhali held Chagatai's hand.

Genghis Khan was silent; he remembered his own disgrace in his youth that he was not even able to defend his wife's honor, which had caused today's dispute. The generals all blamed Chagatai for bringing up past events and hurt their parents' hearts.

"Both of you, drop it!" finally Genghis Khan said, "Jochi is my eldest son; I will always love him no matter what. I forbid anyone to speak bad about him."

Chagatai let Jochi go, he said, "Jochi is very capable, everybody knows that. But in term of generosity and benevolence, he is inferior to the third brother, Ogedei. I vote for Ogedei."

"Jochi, what do you say?" Genghis Khan asked.

Jochi could see the unfavorable situation; he knew his hope to be the Great Khan was shattered. He had always had good relationship with his third brother; he knew the third brother was kindhearted, certainly would not do him any harm in the future, therefore, he said, "Very well, I also support Ogedei."

The fourth prince Tuolei did not challenge that nomination, Ogedei was about to decline; but Genghis Khan said, "You don't need to decline. Your battle skill is inferior to your two elder brothers, but you treat people kindly. When you become the Great Khan in the future, all princes and generals won't fight each other. We the Mongolian people will have no enemy as long as we don't fight each other. What are we anxious about then?"

That day Genghis Khan threw a big feast in celebration of the newly appointed crown prince. All the troops, from the generals to the soldiers drank until very late that night. Guo Jing went back to his tent a little tipsy. He was just about to take out his clothes to sleep when suddenly one of his officers came rushing in, gave him this report, "'Fu Ma Ye' [Master Consort], it's not good; the First Prince and the Second Prince were drunk. Each took his troops to kill each other."

Guo Jing was stunned, quickly said, "Inform the Great Khan!"

"The Great Khan is also drunk, we couldn't wake him up," the officer replied.

Guo Jing knew both Jochi and Chagatai had loyal followers, the troops under their flags were ferocious; if they killed each other the Mongolian army's strength would be hurt considerably. They were having a brawl in the Great Khan's presence earlier, but this time both were drunk; he had the urge to help, but how could he separate them? He was lost at what to do, pacing back and forth inside his tent while tapping his own forehead, musing, "If only Rong'er is here, she would know what to do." He heard a distant battle cry, looked like both troops were about to kill each other.

Guo Jing was getting more anxious than ever; but suddenly Lu Youjiao rushed in and handed him a piece of paper with this message, "Use 'coiled snake' to cut off two armies, then use 'winged tiger' to capture those who refuse to surrender." By that time Guo Jing had mastered the 'Wumu's Legacy' from top to bottom. As soon as he saw these two lines of characters his mind was enlightened. He shouted, "How could I be so stupid? What's the use of reading the military strategy book?" Immediately he gave orders for his own troops to move.

The discipline among the Mongolian army was very strict; even though all the officers and soldiers were drunk once the order was given, they armed themselves and mounted their horse; in a very short time had formed a neat battle formation.

The drums were sounded three times, the bugle was blown, the troops under Guo Jing's command started to move toward the northeast. Several li's later his scout came back reporting that the First and the Second Princes' troops had started to battle each other; their 'He hu! He hu!" shouts were heard from afar.

Guo Jing was anxious, "I am afraid I come one step too late and not able to prevent this big calamity." Hastily he waved his hand to give orders; his ten thousand men divided itself, the right-hand 'hou tian' [rear sky]'s three axes moved forward, the right-hand 'hou di' [rear earth]'s three axes moved toward the tail; the right 'hou tian' charged, the right 'hou di' charged, moved toward northwest and northeast they occupied the right-hand position. Their corresponding left-hand teams did the same and occupied the left-hand position; while Guo Jing's big banner moved in the center, followed by a 'coiled snake' formation fiercely broke through the front.

Jochi and Chagatai had each brought their twenty-thousand men, fighting with long saber in their hands. Guo Jing's 'coiled snake' suddenly charged in between still maintaining their neat formation. The battling troops were startled, they scattered slightly disorderly.

Chagatai's loud voice was heard, "Who's there? Who's there? Are you coming to help me or to help this bastard Jochi?"