Chapter 19
End of the Second Hotcangara Campaign, 6 K
(IL, OH, MO, IO, SD, 1374)
When I reported to Donduk, he assigned me to stay with him as part of his staff. Two of the tumen, the Kestrels and the newer Bears, were well to the east of us. Juchi’s Foxes would continue south along the Missi Sipi River and the Ospreys would go a short distance east and then move south also. We would stop when we ran out of Hotcangara territory. So far, the Hotcangara had been quite cooperative. Even the ones in the north, who protested our “unprovoked” threats, did not want to fight us. Of course, when ten thousand warriors surround one’s village of at most two thousand people, it is no disgrace to surrender. Their northern settlements were quite scattered and mostly small, and although they were in contact with each other, they did not seem to be in much contact with the group we had fought and were quite surprised at our aggression. Once the tumen got farther south, however, it was different. Most were expecting us, but from the west or south, not the north. The majority surrendered, but some resisted, and a few tried to flee. Most of the latter were on the battlefield north of the city. The former were strewn about in their now-destroyed towns. Only five towns had resisted. The largest town in the north was among them. The tumen had reached the townabout eight days previously and were attacked before they had fully surrounded it. The siege was brief, however, since everything was made of wood or straw and was quite dry this fall. A barrage of fire arrows forced the villagers from their palisades into our arrows and swords.
Each of the tumen had a mapmaker with them, so when the campaign was over, I should be able to piece together a good picture of the Hotcangara country. Meanwhile, I could just observe. While each member of the forest tumen had a horse, they were only used in open country, to arrive at a jump-off point, or in the unlikely event of a retreat. Otherwise, they were left behind with one man holding six horses. The horse holder was usually a boy too young to fight, but old enough to hold onto six horses no matter what happened. The warriors would then move forward silently on foot through the woods. When a good forward position was found for the horses, they were sent for and brought up. At night, they would always be close at hand. It made good sense to do it this way. I was amazed how silently the men glided through the forest even with dense underbrush. The towns we encountered were usually surrounded before they knew we were there.
We moved east for two days before turning south. We soon came upon a fair-sized town along a river. It was already surrounded when I arrived. It did not resist, although they protested that they were not allied to the city. The pattern was repeated as we moved south. After five days, we began to run into scouts from the Fox Tumen. The Missi Sipi had turned east, so we moved farther east to accommodate them. Three days later, we came to a very wide river flowing sluggishly westward. We moved upstream and soon came upon another fairly large town. We surprised and captured a hunting party, on its way back to the town. The land was all cleared around the town, so it was impossible to surround it on foot. The horses were brought up, and the men broke out of the forest and surrounded the palisade. This was a bit complicated since it was built on a bluff above the broad bottom along the river, but by moving along the riverbank both up and down stream, the Hotcangara caught below the town fled back to the town and were allowed to do so by our deliberate advance. Once inside the palisade, we sent their hunting party to deliver our surrender demand. An intense-looking older man in chief regalia left the palisade and approached our lines.
Donduk and the staff moved forward a little to meet him. He looked us over dourly and asked who was our “war chief.” Donduk was indicated to him by one of the Ocheti shakowin. He then raised his war club and rushed him screaming a battle cry. Before anyone else could react Smoking Mirror cut him off and struck him down with his strange swordlike weapon, cutting deeply into his head much like a heavy sword might. Meanwhile, the Hotcangara warriors rushed from their palisade, and our men began the usual archery maneuver (fire until they got close, retreat a short distance, fire again, repeat until they started retreating, then move forward firing until none were left). The enemy soon retreated back inside their palisade. While we readied the fire arrows, Donduk thanked Smoking Mirror for his quick reaction and asked if something had tipped him off as to the old man’s intention. He replied that the man’s eyes were full of arrogant defiance, and even though dressed as a peace chief, he was obviously a war chief. Donduk thanked him for his insight and turned back to the battle.
The fire arrows soon had the town ablaze, and the light wind fanned the flames. In time, the Hotcangara started pouring out of the opening or over the palisade and into the waiting arrows and swords of the attackers. When all resistance stopped, the men moved about the fallen, dispatching the wounded and recovering arrows. Once the fires burned themselves out, the town was inspected, and to our surprise there were few remains inside and no sign of any women or children. It looked like our attack had been expected, and they had sent their dependents away. But where had they sent them?
Donduk decided to cross the river using the boats the Hotcangara had left on the shore. First he wanted to check up on the other tumen, and he sent out messengers to them, while we camped near the town for the night. A strong force was placed near the boats on the shore just in case, and, indeed, there was attack in the night. It was likely aimed at destroying the boats, but had been easily beaten off with little loss to either side because of the moonless night. By morning all the messengers had reported back. The Foxes were heading toward us and, in fact, were already filtering in. They had met no resistance all the way down to the point where this river enters the Missi Sipi, and the town at that point assured them there were no Hotcangara allies on the far side of the river. They had then turned upriver to find us and had met no resistance in the two towns they had found on their way. The Bears had run into the river northwest of us and, like us, found a town that needed to be reduced. They then turned east and soon encountered another town that would not surrender. Finally, they ran into the Kestrels and started back toward us. The Kestrels had met very little resistance but instead had run into a seemingly different tribe (although they spoke a similar language) along a large river that flowed into this one from the north. They called themselves the Wazhazhe, and the Ocheti shakowin in the tumen also insisted that these were no more Hotcangara than they were.
Donduk decided to cross the river with the two tumen at hand, have the Bears take up a position right where we were now, and have me go to the Kestrels and look over these Wazhazhe. If I felt they were Hotcangara, I could make use of the Kestrels to take their surrender or destroy them. While the Donduk’s Ordu began crossing the river, Smoking Mirror and I began following the river upstream. This led us at first southeast, then sharply north across a huge bottom that had been extensively exploited. We could see two large rivers emptying into this one on the far side. The second day, we ran into the Bears and soon passed the first of the cities they had destroyed. The river then led us east and toward late afternoon we came upon the second destroyed town. The smell was such that we pressed on almost until dark to escape it.
“Raven, am I correct in assuming your people never take captives?” Smoking Mirror asked while we ate a light meal.
“As a rule, we kill all those who resist us,” I replied. “We found it tends to discourage others from resisting also.”
“But that means you also kill women and children.” He frowned. “Had there been any in that town we attacked, would not they also have been killed?”
“Yes,” I admitted, “that is our way. But surely you see that if we spared the women and children, the men would be more likely to fight? Whereas, if they knew any resistance on their part would forfeit the lives of their loved ones, they are more likely to submit.”
“But what if you find the women and children of that town when you cross the river,” he persisted. “Will you then slay them?”
“Not unless they admit to being of that town,” I suggested. “And even so, they could be spared since they didn’t actually take part in the resistance. It would be up to the commander’s judgment. What do your people do when you take an enemy village?”
“Well”—he shrugged—“such an occurrence would be rare. Most of our battles are mere skirmishes. The men not killed are taken captives and sacrificed to the Sun. The women and children are sometimes made slaves, but usually adopted into the tribe.”
“Do you consider ritual torture and murder or slavery preferable to a quick, clean kill?” I pressed.
“The sacrifice honors the Sun and the captive,” he replied evenly. “The slavery is not harsh and usually ends in adoption. Death is merely death.”
“Among the Mongols,” I continued, “slavery was almost always permanent. Kaidu considers owning slaves as owning the seeds of our own destruction and forbids it. In any case, we do not attack anyone without provocation. All we meet can either join us, confederate with us, or remain independent of us in peace. It is only if they attack first that we turn on them.”
“In theory, what you say seems more than just,” he rejoined. “In practice, however, your attack on the whole Hotcangara nation, because of a minor and harmless provocation by one simple town only loosely connected to the others, is rather extreme. The rest that followed was in response to your provocation. Do you equate roughing up and throwing out a stranger with surrounding a town and giving them the choice of surrender or death?”
“It is possible that we overreacted”—I shrugged—“but in order to establish oneself and gain respect sometimes that is most expedient. Besides, they could have just surrendered.”
“No war chief of the Hotcangara would ever condone surrender without a fight.” He looked at me as though I were mad. “And if he did, he would not long be a war chief. They had to respond to your challenge and admittedly, your destruction of the considerable force they sent against you established your people as a force to be respected. Add to this what I have seen, a huge army, divided into both plains and forest divisions, with superior weapons and mobility and led by very brave and able commanders. If you keep absorbing all the scattered tribes in the north, there is nothing that can resist you in all the land. I’m glad you are led by a man like Kaidu, but who will succeed him?”
“It is interesting,” I mused, “that your ‘brother’ had the same question. I would guess that one of Kaidu’s sons would succeed him. But I really can’t say. He will make known his preference to the tumen commanders, and they will choose a successor when he dies. It need not be the one he recommends, but with his prestige it most likely will be. Then the choice is presented to the Mongols, and they either agree or not. At the moment most of the commanders are from the old land, but in time they will not be and things may change.”
“What about you, Raven?” he smiled. “Will you be Khan one day?”
“No”—I laughed—“even if such a thing were likely, I wouldn’t want it.”
“Really?” He also laughed.
Late the next day, we arrived at the camp of the Kestrels. They were on a rise above the river bottom within sight of the river we had been following and the one that joined it from the north. On another rise to the north of the broad cleared and harvested bottom was the town of the Wazhazhe. We stayed with the Ordu that night and I went in to see the commander, Togun, a cousin of Kaidu. He told me they had been ordered to set up the Ordu right here for the winter, but to cooperate with me should I need them. It seemed that as soon as the other forest tumen were finished, they would also winter to the north of here in Hotcangara country. Meanwhile, more intense training was in progress in the north among the Anishinabe, the Dzitsiistas, the Kensistenoug, and newly allied Potawatamink and Ottawa to raise more forest tumen. He also mentioned that large numbers of my western tribes had come east to train at the Hawk Ordu. They would remain there for the winter. I would have a large pile of maps to reconcile when I got back.
The next morning, Smoking Mirror and I set out with a small escort to visit the Wazhazhe town. A high palisade that was open along a narrow corridor surrounded the town. The houses were much like those of the Hotcangara and the Ocheti shakowin. The men shaved their heads except for a small lock in the back. They wore a breechcloth and leggings with slipperlike shoes. Their women wore a sort of tunic like dress that fastened on the right side. They practiced limited tattooing. Both of us were viewed with some curiosity as we went to the chief’s house. I still hadn’t learned the Ocheti language, so I needed an interpreter. It was fairly obvious that these were not the Hotcangara and extending our hostility to them would have been unjustified. The chief was named Hehlashishe and was dressed as a peace chief. I explained that we had no quarrel with them and instead would welcome them as either members or confederates, explaining the usual at length. He explained that their organization was a loose one, and he could only speak for his town. I pressed for a meeting of the various chiefs, perhaps at a central location. He agreed to try to arrange such a meeting, but it would take time. I asked if I might stay and learn his language while we waited for the meeting. He agreed and assigned me one of his men to help learn their language. I sent word to Togun of the situation and my intention to try to recruit.
We were assigned one of their houses and brought food as honored guests. The language was not as complicated as I feared it would be, and both Smoking Mirror and I learned it rather easily over the next several days. After a few days, Hehlashishe informed me that he had arranged a meeting of the chiefs, at a town about six days’ journey up the larger river. It seemed their tribe was on both sides of the river for some distance upstream. I decided to name it after them, since they were more worthy than the Hotcangara, who lived farther downstream. We set out for the town the next day. We crossed the river to the east of the town (which I decided to name for Hehlashishe) and continued east along the Wazhazhe. The terrain remained hilly, with broad bottoms along the rivers. The trees were of the same hardwoods, the oak and odd nut-bearing tree, that seemed to predominate along the southern half of the Mongol River. Just before we reached the town, however, we ran into what looked like larger versions of the beeches and maples found in the old land. The Wazhazhe River twisted about quite a bit, but led us generally east and a little north. During one of the northward swings, we came upon the town. It was fairly large and located above a huge bottom cut by many small rivers and streams.
We were ushered into a large meetinghouse and after the inevitable weed burning, I gave them the usual pitch. I had to explain the attack on the Hotcangara at length, but I threw in the fact that their other “relatives,” the Ocheti shakowin, the Numakiki, and the Hewaktokto, had joined us outright. One of my escorts was one of the Ocheti, and he was also questioned at length. The questions were good ones about whether they had lost their identity, were treated poorly, still respected their chiefs, etc. He answered very positively, to their satisfaction. Next, I was asked about the disposition of the defeated Hotcangara. They thought that was fair. Finally, one of them wanted to know who Smoking Mirror was. When this was explained, they decided to also send a group of observers to stay with us for a year and report back the following fall. They also mentioned that there was another related group to the east of them, farther up the Wazhazhe, who were called the Amani yukhan. If I wished, they would inform them of my offer. I did wish and thanked them.
The next day, I set off back down the river with a small army of observers in tow. When we got back to the Kestrel Ordu, they had set up camp and already had their fall hunt. Togun told me that the other tumen were back across the Wazhazhe and were either on their way or already established in winter quarters. They had swept the southern shore of the river and found more Hotcangara-like people, who insisted that they were not Hotcangara, as well as another strange tribe. Juchi had tried to recruit them and was rebuffed by the former, but the latter had sent along some observers. The last of the “real” Hotcangara were either rounded up and returned across the river or dead. Togun kept most of my recruits but thought it best that a couple of them go on to the Eagle Ordu with me. He issued me a few extra horses to speed me back. We cut straight across to the city taking five days for the trip. I visited Tatanka Ska Koda in the city and asked him how the governorship was working out. He said he was honored by Kaidu’s trust, and so far the Hotcangara had been peaceful if unfriendly. He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to win them over.
The pontoon bridge was still up, speeding our crossing of the Missi Sipi, but even as we crossed, they started taking it down. We continued up the Mongol reaching the Owl Ordu in seven more days. The Titskan watitch bands had arrived and were already riding horses and learning our ways. Both Sanukh and Kwesh greeted me in Mongol; the former almost smiled. Both were anxious to know if Smoking Mirror was going to join, but he said it was up to his “brother.” We continued upstream and eight days later finally got back to the Eagle Ordu. I greeted Paula and George first, got Smoking Mirror settled in with us, and then went on to report to Kaidu.
Kaidu had already received dispatches from Donduk and Togun, so he knew most of what I reported. He was glad that the Wazhazhe had sent along some observers. He asked me what I thought about them. I said that they were a lot like the Hotcangara, more so than the Ocheti shakowin. Still, they would likely confederate and might join. I also mentioned their willingness to pass on our offer to their related neighbors to the east. Finally, I mentioned Tatanka Ska Koda’s misgivings about winning over the Hotcangara. He said that in the spring a group of them would be sent to each Ordu for preliminary training. Also a large contingent of them would be brought along on the campaign the following year. They would soon get the chance to prove themselves. He then handed me a pile of maps and said all my mapmakers had made it back to the Ordu and were at my disposal for debriefing. He wanted me to coordinate all the maps rather than anything else, and I should report back to him when I was finished.
When I got back to my yurt, I started looking over the maps. Smoking Mirror wanted to see them and grasp their significance more fully. I showed him the route we had followed from the time he had joined me. He was soon fascinated and wondered how we had come up with such an idea. I had to admit that it came from the Hanjen. He asked about them, and I tried to explain a little about them. He wanted to know where they were, and I showed him the route we had taken from the Karamuren to the Mongol. Grasping the distances and the nature of the terrain involved, I think he gained a new respect for us. Then he wanted to know where my people came from. I dug out an old map my grandfather George had given me. It was crude, and I knew it wasn’t too accurate in the old Khanate, but it was all I had of the Far West, and I tried to show him from where my people originally hailed. He spent quite a while contemplating the map, and finally said it would likely take years for me to return to my people. I explained to him that it had taken my ancestor three years just to reach Karakorum from the west, but anyway they were no longer my people, and I couldn’t even speak their language. We did still learn the book language, but we all spoke Mongol at home not the other language. Grandfather George knew some of it, but I had never learned it. I didn’t ever remember my father speaking it either.
While I worked on the maps, Smoking Mirror kept pouring over them and asking questions. Meanwhile, I called in each of my mappers in turn to discuss their efforts. Tahhachet had returned to his Salst by taking the Tungus River, the first river that joined the Mongol after it turned south. It was the one that had looked as though it might be the Mongol since it was so muddy. It led him north for a while before turning west and was joined by many smaller rivers. He eventually came upon another river that led him to the north end of a large lake. He had circled the lake to get it all on the map, then followed a good-sized river from the southern end of it to his people. He had continued to map the river (which he named the Salst), until it was time to return. It was quite a river, snaking through the mountains. He said it eventually emptied into the sea, but, of course, did not get that far. He had brought a larger group of recruits back with him since the tribe had decided to confederate. He had followed another river (the South Salst) back. It eventually led him around another lake and onto a new pass through the mountains and to a small river (the Small River), which brought him to what turned out to be a southern tributary of the Salst. He followed the tributary (South Fork) back upstream until it ended in the hills; then continuing east, he found a small river heavily dammed by beavers (Beaver River) which finally led him back to the Mongol well above the falls. His maps were quite good. He had a very sure hand. It was a shame he didn’t have much imagination.
Kulkulstuhah had taken the river that joined the Mongol right at the falls (Great Falls River). He followed it upstream until it turned north, and then took a southern tributary (Shining River) to its source. Over the mountains he found a north-flowing river (Sparkling Cold Seeking River), so he followed its southwestern tributary (Dark Boiling Creek) to its source. Again over the mountains, he found a west-flowing river (Bright Burning River) that emptied into Tahhachet’s South Fork River. He followed it to a tributary that joined it from the south (Sharp Bitter Root River) that led him to another pass. Across the pass, he found the Churning White Water River, which eventually led him to the Kimooenim River downstream from where the Nimipu joined it. He mapped it up to the juncture and beyond to fill in my map. His people had also decided to be confederated with us, so with a large group of recruits, he returned up the Nimipu, taking the river (White Mountaintop River) that joined it from the north just where it turned west when we were following it. It led him to another pass over which he found a broad open valley with a river flowing north and west (Great Open Place Among the Mountain’s River) which finally led him to the Mongol well above the Three Forks. His work was also quite good. It was a shame he had too much imagination.
Trehero had returned up the Absaroke River to the Naishandina River and followed it up to the river we didn’t take the year before (Wind River). The country was indeed quite dry. He followed it to the large open place we had been the year before and then followed the same path we had taken the year before to the Kimooenim. His tribe had also chosen to confederate, and he led a large group up a tributary (North Branch) that joined the Kimooenim from the north just as it turned east not long before we left it the year before. It led him to a pass over which he found the source of the middle branch (Little Mongol—I changed it to Merkit) of the Mongol River. Recognizing the Three Forks when he reached them, he followed the third fork (Tiny Mongol—I changed it to Tatar) to near its source, then picked up the Absaroke and followed it back.
Woksihi had mapped the North Chahicks River to its source, which turned out to be quite near that of the South Chahicks. He also did some mapping around the mountains at the source and of some tributaries of both rivers. Mahohivas mapped all the unexplored tributaries of the Absaroke River as far as the Naishandina. He named the two major ones the Horn and the Feather. The rest were mostly small intermittent creeks. Mehkwasskwan mapped the entire Inuna River from its source to Lake Winnipeg, then mapped the land around the lake, a marshy land of many lakes and streams. Pesequan mapped all around Lake Gichigami, as well as the Wooded Lake to its northwest; then he mapped the north shore of another large lake east of Gichigami and connected to it by a waterfall and a short river. He named it for the Ottawa who live there.
Shingabaossin had mapped for Juchi, and I had already seen his maps, but his three assistants had been sent on special mapping expeditions in the far east and had returned much later. Watang’a had mapped along the northern shore of the deep bay they had found. He saw and mapped two very large islands offshore, although he couldn’t finish the second one because his party was attacked by the locals, a strange tribe who painted themselves red. The land continued north beyond the second island, but it was too late in the year to continue mapping, and he returned. Desthewa had mapped the southern shore of the same bay. He found a large peninsula cut by another bay and a generally rough irregular coastline. There was a long narrow island near shore just north of a very large wide peninsula with a very narrow neck. He had eventually run into Anawangmani, and both had returned through the North Country. Anawangmani had been sent east the last time Juchi touched the shore. He had also found a very rough irregular shoreline cut with many bays and rivers.
The mapping was a little sketchy during the running battle with the Mingue, but once past them it looked like there was another large lake south of the one named for the Ottawa. It was connected to the latter by a short river with a small lake in its middle. Shingabaossin had been able to fill in most of the lakeshore missed by Pesequan. At its western tip, it was connected by a strait to yet another large lake to the south and west, that the locals called Lake Michigamaw. The western shore of this lake was well mapped by the forest tumen during their sweep of the Hotcangara. Much of the area swept seemed to be the same mix of open prairie and woods that I had seen in the land of the Chahiksichahiks. They had also found two tribes between the Wazhazhe and the southern shore of Lake Michigamaw. They were somewhat related to or allied with the Twanhtwanh and were called the Iliniwek and the Shawunogi. They had been quite pleased that we were destroying the Hotcangara and had sent some observers to look us over.
Smoking Mirror had known nothing about the northeast and northwest and was amazed how far it extended. He had traded with his tribe’s neighbors to the east, but had not penetrated very far in that direction. Most of his travels had been to the south and west. He was very enthusiastic and wanted to learn how to make maps himself. He also wanted to learn to read and write. Once again, it looked like I would be giving winter classes. I took the finished maps to Kaidu, and he poured over them. There was a very large blank area where the Mingue were, but we could not be sure how numerous they were or how much of that blank spot belonged to them. I suggested we ask any visitors from the flanking tribes where their territories ended and any other information they might have about the Mingue. He agreed, and we found representatives of most of the tribes in camp. It seemed that there were at least ten separate tribes of Mingue, but no one agreed just where they were. Their numbers were obviously exaggerated and, of course, they were all taller than Padraig and fiercer than the huge western bears. One of the Leni lenape, however, insisted that they also fought among themselves. That piece of information was of great value. It looked like they would not be too hard to defeat since they were not united. I suggested we line up as many forest tumen as we had and sweep eastward from the lake as far south as we reached and take out as many as we found until we reached the Leni lenape borders. Kaidu said that that was what he had in mind and was glad I had some strategic ability since I would be leading one of the tumen. He wanted me to report to the training camps in the spring. The attack would begin in early fall. My first military command!