Chapter 43
The Zhen Plague, 29-30 K
(Measles Epidemic, 1397-8)
As I drew near the closest village north of our settlement, I could see that something was wrong. Horses were running free. There was no smoke coming from the houses and, indeed, no sign of any activity at all, except for some barking dogs. I went through the village. It had been fairly small, only about a dozen of the large houses. From the look of it, it had been abandoned in the late spring or early summer. There were a few partial skeletons about, picked clean and scattered by the animals. The dogs had found and finished the abandoned stores of smoked salmon and were looking hungrily at my horses and me. They would soon be a wild pack and would likely find my family before long. I decided I couldn’t take that chance and shot as many of them as I could before they began to scatter. I waited a while and got a few more when they came back to feed on their dead. I had a feeling this epidemic was going to get ugly. I spent the night in the village, selecting the strongest house and keeping the horses inside with me. The next morning as I left, I shot a few more of the dogs, leaving only a couple.
I continued north and found similar scenes in each village: no people, a few partial skeletons, horses running wild, and hungry and threatening dogs. I thinned out the last group whenever I could. At last I reached the Alsi River and finally found a few people. It looked as though they had again shrunk down to a few scattered villages. As I rode into the closest village, the haunted survivors gathered and stared at me, first in disbelief, then with tears and wailing. Puzzled, I asked why my coming upset them.
“Because you are too late, Raven,” one of them wailed. “We are all but gone, and now you come to save us. You never should have left and allowed this to happen.”
“Surely you know I was sent away?”
“Yes, we know you would not have chosen to leave us in our hour of need. But it has passed; we are not worth saving any longer. Almost all of our children are dead; most of our young people are dead; only a few of the older people were not taken ill. Our shaman could do nothing. The neighboring tribes were also affected, and their shaman could do nothing. The Ordu could do nothing. The Great Spirit grows weary of us and wants us all dead.”
“You are too great a people to go into oblivion so quietly,” I chided them. “There are enough of you left to rebuild your tribe. There is always hope where there is life.”
“We were already four tribes reduced to one, by the pox. Now we are become nearly invisible by this new plague. Will there not be another in a few years to finish the work of the first two?”
“Not necessarily. A great shaman in the east predicted that this great death would make all the people of the land stronger and enable them to thwart an even greater evil in the distant future. He saw this as a winnowing of the people, and he welcomed it. You have survived two great plagues―you must be strong indeed. Would not your children also be strong?”
“Perhaps.” There seemed to be a glimmer of hope in them.
I sat down with them and had them describe the disease to me. They said it seemed to come out of nowhere. No one ill visited the village, but all of a sudden people began to take ill. At first, they felt tired and strangely uncomfortable; then they would begin to have a fever with running noses or coughs, and their eyes would become red and sensitive to light. After two or three days, the fever would get worse and a blotchy rash would appear. The rash would first intensify a bright red color, and then it would fade after a few days. Those that recovered would do so at this point. The others either kept the fever or began to feel pain in their ear, throat, chest, or stomach. The second malady would then kill them. I shuddered when I realized what the disease was.
It was the same plague that had killed off my mother and sister and almost got me when I was a child. It was considered to be a type of pox, related to the barbarian pox. The Hanjen thought it was a milder form of the pox, but the Persian al-Razi thought it was worse. It was generally held to only attack children or adults that had lived isolated lives. It left no marks like the pox did, but like it, one could only get it once. One of my teachers told me that he felt it was growing weaker, since it did less damage each time it attacked. He would be surprised to see how strong it had become again. There was no cure and no prevention, but there was treatment.
“Those of you who survived this plague need have no more fear of it,” I said. “It can only strike you once. If any of you did not catch it, you may get it if it comes back again. Any children born now may also get the disease if it returns. It cannot be prevented like the pox, and it cannot be cured, but you can treat it. What you must do is make the victim rest and relieve his discomfort. Keep him in the dark, give him your medicines that reduce fever, soothe itching, and relieve chest discomfort. Make sure that they take plenty of liquids and broths to keep up their strength. If you do these things, few will die. Usually it only kills the weak.”
They admitted that they had not done all those things. They had treated the fever and some of the other discomforts, but the victims had tried to keep working through the early stages and many lay in the sun thinking it would help heal them. Few of the sick ate much, and caring for the sick became such a full-time occupation, no one else ate properly, either, and almost all came down with it. They thanked me for my advice and promised to try to rebuild their shattered tribe. I was sure they would succeed.
I continued north through more abandoned villages until I finally came upon the remnants of the Tillamook. They were huddled fearfully in a single village on the banks of their namesake river. I managed to inject some hope in them as in their southern neighbors before I moved on. Next, I eventually came upon a band of Tsinuks. They were gamely getting their weirs ready for the salmon runs. They greeted me cheerily and in general seemed much less defeated than their neighbors to the south, and I asked them about their experience with the plague.
“It came and most of us came down with it, but the Koryo shaman at the Salmon Ordu that you had sent for told us how to treat it, and many of us recovered. Even in your absence you saved us, Raven.”
I assumed that my suggestion to the Koryo merchant had been followed after all. I wondered why the treatment information had not been sent farther south. I decided it was time to find out what was going on in the world. I continued on to the Salst River and got a ride across in one of the Tsinuk boats. The man who ferried me was greatly honored to have me in his boat. I remounted on the north bank and rode up to the Salmon Ordu. As I approached the first sentry, he just stared at me in disbelief and said not a word. No one challenged me in any way as I went directly to the commander’s yurt. At the yurt, the guard merely took my reins and opened the flap to admit me. As I walked in, Padraig, looking much older, glanced up at me and smiled broadly.
“I knew you’d return this year. What have you heard so far?”
“I only know about the arrival of the plague. This spring, no doubt, and on the merchant’s ship?”
“We don’t really know.” He shrugged. “None of the seamen were ill. It broke out after they left. Cho Yi, the Koryo physician you sent us, thinks it was in the silk. Imagine such a thing, a disease hiding in silk. In any case, it first broke out among those handling the cargo, and then spread everywhere. It spread all along the yam system; almost all of the yam families were stricken. From them, it spread all over the land. The death has been daunting. I recognized it as that children’s disease we all got when we were young, so did Cho Yi. Then to my surprise, people began dying from it. Even strong vigorous men were dying. Cho Yi told us how to treat it, and more and more men began to recover. I sent word of the treatment along the yam system, but because they had been so devastated by the disease, it did not move quickly at all. Loss of life in the east was quite heavy. I don’t know about the far south, but south of here the losses were devastating. I lost about a quarter of the Ordu. All of my children pulled through it, but many others didn’t. How is your family?”
“They were well when I left them, but now I’m afraid to return to them. I must talk to this Cho Yi. But first, what else has happened?”
“By midsummer, the plague was under control around here, and we were able to restaff the yam system, at least to the east. That’s when we found out that it had spread along the system and raged all over the east. A Tsinuk who had been transferred to the Eagle Ordu as a minghan commander apparently got word that his wife and child, who had remained in his home village, had died of the disease. He blamed Kuyuk for it, and when he got his chance, fired an arrow into him. Kuyuk died instantly, for it was a great shot. The Tsinuk was also cut down immediately. Then, since Kuyuk had never repudiated his original pronouncement, Juchi was sent for to succeed him. He arrived in the early fall and immediately sent me the order to find you and send you back to him.”
“Did he mention anything about George in his message?”
“No, but George sent you a note also. Here.”
George’s note indicated that he had come down with the disease, but had recovered. He also told me that he had married one of the Ben Zah women and was anxious to have her meet us. He also had three children he was anxious for us to meet. They had come down with the disease, but only one of them had succumbed. It had been a son he had named after me. He had been sickly much of his young life, but was dearly loved and would be sorely missed. He regretted that I would not get to meet him. So did I. That put me back in mind to talk to the physician.
Cho Yi was still fairly young, perhaps in his thirties. He had a friendly smile and ready wit, unlike most of the rather gruff almost rude Koryo with whom I was accustomed. He thanked me profusely for suggesting that the merchant bring a physician with him. He was very happy in the new land, and best of all, he was alive. He had received word from his relatives that he was being sought as a likely supporter of the old regime. It was true; he had been. After all, his grandfather had been a Mongol, and, although more recent hard times had forced him to find a profession, his family had once prospered under the old regime. He felt right at home in the Ordu and was sure his children would do well in this land.
I told him about my family and asked what he thought I should do. He said it would be best if they could come immediately to him. He suggested that I have them come quickly along the yam system. They should arrive in about five days hopefully before they get too sick. He could then take care of them. In the long run, it was best to catch the disease and get it over with, rather than try to avoid it. I thanked him and returned to Padraig.
“I really should retrieve my family before going on to Juchi. They are about five days’ ride south of here, and if the yam system is in order, I should be able to get them here in that time.”
“I can go get them for you and send them on to you in the spring. You should get going east before the mountain passes become too difficult to cross. Juchi urgently needs you with him. You must think of more than your family for this is a very difficult time.”
“You are right, but it will be very hard for me to go east before I am sure they are safe.”
“I can send my son and a large escort to make certain they are safe. They can leave in the morning. As soon as we get them back here safe and sound, I will send you a message. Don’t worry about them, just go on and help Juchi. I’ll take care of them as though they were my own.”
I finally agreed, but with grave misgivings. I wrote a note for Nial, Padraig’s son, to give to Paula. I explained where they were and showed him the exact place on the map. Padraig laughed when I told them that we had been in that area all this time. He said that he knew we were somewhere in the land, but he had guessed north rather than south along the coast. He hadn’t thought we would try to beat the coastal current. I explained that we had gone beyond the current until we were south enough to make a try for shore. He was shocked that we would go that far out into the ocean in one of the local boats. I assured them they were quite seaworthy. I told them about our experiences, and they told me more about what had happened in the rest of the land.
There had been much resentment over my exile, and Kuyuk had been unable to find anyone like Juchi or me to continue the conquest of the land. He finally ordered Juchi to attack southeastward along the narrow part of the land and take the rest of the Maya lands. He sent him insufficient men to do the job, perhaps with a view toward getting him killed, but Juchi had been progressing steadily anyway and had gotten beyond the last of the Maya when he was recalled to be Khan. He must have run into the plague on his way back. It was likely raging in the south still. Who knew how far it would go? I told them about my experience with the wild dogs and suggested a concerted pruning of their numbers was called for. Unlike wolves, the dogs were used to and insufficiently afraid of humans and could be quite dangerous. They agreed, and Padraig promised to send a reconnaissance in force southward in a few weeks to see what was going on in that direction.
The next morning, I saw off Nial and, with a heavy heart, started on my way back to the Eagle Ordu. It was a very long trip. Even using the yam system, it took almost two months. It was not a pleasant journey either. Not only was I concerned about my family, but also there was much unhappiness all along the route. Most of the yam attendants had lost family members and relatives to the last plague, and all of them blamed Kuyuk in particular and the Mongols in general. I was hard-pressed to pacify their resentments, but most of them knew and trusted me, and I was able to mollify them somewhat. The old Pansfalaya shaman’s prophecy came in very handy as a final argument.
There was a dusting of snow on the ground when I reached the Hawk Ordu. Henry and his family were all well. Only his youngest children and his grandchildren had come down with the disease, and all had recovered. He had recognized it immediately, of course, and knew just what to do. Even so, there had been some death in the Ordu and much unrest. Juchi’s accession had come just in time to stave off a revolt and civil war. Henry was pessimistic about the future of the Khanate, but had to admit we had no place to go, so we might as well do whatever we could to save it. He surprised me by saying that he felt better about its chance of survival now that I was back. I never realized he had such confidence in me. I told him about my “exile,” and brought him up to date on his newest relatives. He told me that he had seen George and his new family, and I would be quite proud of them. I left the next morning.
The Eagle Ordu was blanketed in snow when I arrived, and in fact it had been steadily snowing all during the last day of my journey, making progress increasingly difficult. The sentry came toward me when I drew into view and turned out to be George. He embraced me with more emotion than I was used to, but he had been clearly worried about me, since they expected me sooner and the snowstorm was beginning to look like a blizzard. He led me right to Juchi’s yurt. He wanted desperately to take me to meet his family, but Juchi’s need was greater he assured me. I asked if Juchi was well, and he replied that he was in good health, but in poor spirits. I didn’t know exactly what to expect.
I was ushered immediately into Juchi’s yurt by his guard, who gave me a look as if I had just saved his life. I hurried in and found Juchi pacing madly in front of an untouched meal. He stopped when I entered and threw his arms around me in a most unexpected bear hug. Actually it was more like the grasp of a drowning man.
“Thank Tengri, or whatever torturer mocks me from above, that you have made it here at last! Sit, tell me your family is well, and let me bring you into my misery.”
“My family was well when I left them, and I should hear about them soon. Padraig urged me to come here immediately, and it looks like he urged me correctly.”
“He must be rewarded for that service. I don’t know what to do. The Khanate is falling apart. Some of the Ordu have lost half their men. Whole villages have been reduced to bands. Large bands of bandits are roaming the land killing anyone they find and destroying what they can’t carry off. Whole tribes are repudiating our alliance and attacking our envoys. In the south, it is even worse. With the Ordu weakened by disease, there are revolts everywhere. There is even word your old friend Tezozomoc is behind it. Furthermore, my uncle is unhappy that I succeeded my father without his being consulted and is threatening to unseat me. Fortunately, he has not gotten any encouragement, but I must deal with him and his sons, before we have civil war.”
“Was not Tului head of the Eagle Ordu?”
“He was, but he transferred a few years ago to the Cranes. I think he expected my father to move against him. You must admit it was a good move. Tului’s son, Sartak, commands the Falcon Ordu now, so the two Ordu are close together and just across the river from Murenbalikh, long a hotbed of rebellion. But their concentrated strength of numbers proved to be their weakness. The plague devastated the area. The losses in their Ordu were the worst of all. Murenbalikh was also devastated. Still, the longer their challenge goes unanswered, the stronger it will get.”
“It would not be good to have one Ordu move against another. Do you know anyone among the Cranes and the Falcons on whom you can rely?”
“Yes, I do. Borgurchi’s son Jebei is one of the minghan commanders in the Falcons. Two of Khassar’s sons are still with the Cranes. He is here now as commander of the Eagles and most loyal to me. Borgurchi is commander of the Hawks.”
“Minghan commanders always are closer to their men than Ordu commanders. Have them arrest your uncle and his sons and bring them to you. You will then have to either execute or exile them. They have left you no choice. I also suggest you decide as soon as possible which of your sons should succeed you and make it generally known so that we don’t have a recurrence of this unpleasantness. Have you given that any thought yet?”
“No, I haven’t. They are rather young and unformed yet, but I promise to keep an eye on them and decide as soon as possible.”
“Good. Once your uncle and cousins are neutralized, you must order all the Ordu to move immediately against the bandits. Such predators are easy to track down for they make no friends and many enemies. Once they are destroyed, you can move against the tribes that have repudiated our alliance. I suspect once they see we are reestablishing control, there will be a change in leadership and a renewal of alliance. I would strongly suggest that you not show any mercy to the leaders who turned on us, but complete mercy to the tribe. As to the south, you must send someone you can trust completely and let him do what he must to restore order. That will free you to deal with the north. You will find it quite taxing enough.”
“I only know one such man, Raven. You.”
“Surely there is another? I feel you need my help here.”
“I do need your help here, but I need it even more in the south. You are the only man loyal enough, wise enough, and brave enough to deal with the south. You must do this for me.”
“But I should start right away if I’m to go there and I must know my family is safe before I go.”
“You must go as soon as weather permits. Take my sons with you, and I’ll keep George with me. I’ll send word of your family to you by the fastest courier as soon as it reaches here. Can I count on you?”
“Of course you can. I will leave tomorrow. Have you any word on Smoking Mirror?”
“I reached him right after the plague did. He was too busy to say much, but I have since heard that he had to withdraw to Xicalanco when the Maya revolted. He is probably safe there, but the sooner you arrive, the better. I am appointing you my regent in the south. All our subjects are to obey you as though they were obeying me. It will greatly simplify your efforts. Of course, it would help if I know what you plan to do, so keep me informed as you go along. We don’t have a clear picture of the situation, so you will have to adjust to whatever situation you find.”
“I see. Is the Horse Ordu still functioning?”
“Yes, they did not suffer much from the plague. They are a tough lot.”
“Can you spare them?”
“Yes, and you could also take the Coyotl Ordu. They suffered some losses, but are largely intact and could use some action.”
“Very well. Meanwhile, if you need me back here, don’t hesitate to send for me.”
“I will, but knowing you’re within reach will be enough to give me hope. I will also keep you informed about the north.”
“Good. It won’t do to save the province while the Khanate is lost.”
“It will not be lost. We will talk again before you leave. Go meet your son’s family. I have some messages to send.”
George had taken up residence in my old yurt. It had needed a little renovation but was quite serviceable still. His wife was named Pinopias. She was a beautiful woman. The three surviving children were also quite attractive, with large luminous eyes. I congratulated him on his choice of wives and on his lovely children. Pinopias drew a bath for me, and afterward, I brought them all up to date on our “exile” and on their new relatives, over a light meal. George was very attentive and continued to be curiously tactile, constantly touching his wife, his children, and me. They also seemed to be possessed of the same propensity, and I found it puzzling and, frankly, irritating. I managed to hide my feelings, or at least I thought I had, until we were alone a moment and George asked me if I did not approve of his wife.
“What is not to like?” I was bewildered. “She is beautiful, gracious, attentive, has given you lovely, healthy children, and is even a good cook. Have I done something to offend you?”
“No, it was just that you seem a little cold and stiffen when I touch you. I thought perhaps you were not pleased with us.”
“George, you and I campaigned all through the south together for several years. I doubt if in all that time I ever actually touched you. I know we’ve been apart for several years, but it is you who have changed, not I. I need time to get used to the new you, but alas, I will not have it.”
“Oh, of course, I had forgotten. Pinopias has always been so affectionate with me and the children that I have gotten used to it and, it seems, outdone her. I had better be more aware of it so as not to annoy you and the rest of the family when they arrive.”
“No, they won’t be annoyed, just puzzled. Let them get used to it, slowly. It is a bit overwhelming at first.”
“I will tell Pinopias; she’ll be so relieved.”
I finally drifted off to sleep, and when I awoke the next morning to get ready for my next trip south, I recalled Seagull’s interpretation of Theodore’s first vision quest attempt. I found it unsettling that such things could be foreseen so accurately, and then remembered what Seagull had predicted as his fate when he told me about the plague. It was maddening that I had to continue traveling before I knew that they were safe. I urged George to be sure and send me word as quickly as possible once he knew their fate. I embraced him and each of his family as warmly as I could, much to their delight and went tramping through the snow to see Juchi.
Juchi introduced me to his two sons, Mukali, the oldest, and Jelme. Both were fine-looking young men. I had not seen them since they were mere boys. I teased Juchi that they must take after their mother since they were much better looking than he was. He laughed heartily and for a moment looked like the young man with whom I had gone to find a new land so long ago. He admonished his sons to follow my every order without question and learn from me as much as possible. He then told them to get my escort ready to leave. When they had left, he turned back to me.
“Don’t be easy on them. Make them show their mettle, and tell me honestly how they fare.”
“I will.”
“I have already sent orders to have my uncle and cousins arrested. I will let them choose death or exile to Koryo. I will spend the rest of the winter visiting each Ordu, shaking up their leadership if necessary and reasserting central command. The bandits will all be dead before next spring, and by next fall, there will be a united Khanate in the north. Once that is done, I will send you as many tumen as you need for your campaign.”
“There are sufficient tumen in the south. I would be surprised if any of them have revolted. I think I know where I will find revolt, and I will be ready for it. I suspect the worst of it will be among those people you conquered, so I will welcome your sons’ suggestions in dealing with them.”
“They are fierce, but we greatly reduced them during the campaign, and the plague must have further scattered them. But you are wise to be aware of them and take them seriously, especially the Tya Nuu. They were the toughest people we subdued. To a lesser degree, the Maya were also tough. They fight valiantly, but can be easily divided and conquered, for they seem to hate each other as much as they hate us. Of course, they also look right at you, agree with everything you say, then go right on doing things the way they are accustomed. You will not find a more obstinate people completely indifferent to new ideas. But you must know that, since you also dealt with them.”
“The ones I encountered were not quite the same. They hated their overlord and his mercenaries more that they hated us. At least that was the situation then. I suppose things have changed.”
“Indeed. Smoking Mirror will be quite glad to see you. Will you go there first?”
“Yes, but only to gather him up. It is far more important to secure the central plateau of Anahuac first, and then radiate out from there. From what you tell me, I should probably leave the Maya for last.”
“I knew you were the right man for the job. I already consider the south dealt with.”
I sincerely hoped his faith in me was not misplaced. I also hoped his sons were half the men he was. I had been surprised that he had felt so overwhelmed by the responsibilities of the Khan, but I realized he just needed a plan to follow, some advice to give him a departure point. It was unfortunate he didn’t have a Givevneu or a Donduk like his grandfather had. I certainly learned a lot from them. It was a shame Kaidu had not placed Juchi in his council instead of me, or even better, as well as me. In any case, I had confidence in Juchi and felt sure he would pacify the north by next fall. I suspected my task would take a little longer. I joined my escort, and we rode south. The snow was not as deep as we had feared, and we made good progress through it.
We reached the Owl Ordu and were ferried across the river before nightfall to get a head start on the rest of the trip. We headed straight for the Horse Ordu through Kitikiti’sh country. I was greeted like a returning hero in all the villages we encountered. I could see they had suffered some losses from the plague, but they were full of hope and very supportive of the Khanate now that Juchi was the Khan and I was back at his side. They also made a big fuss over Juchi’s sons and not a few of their young women made their interest known. I didn’t care if they dallied while I slept as long as they were in the saddle the next morning, and they never let me down. I was more interested in any news from the south, but there was none to be had. It took about a month to reach the Horse Ordu.
The Horse Ordu was in good shape. The men were in fighting trim and were only a little under strength. They were most eager for a campaign. They had already cleared their area of the bandit bands and were not looking forward to a quiet winter. Their commander was none other than Isadowa, the son of the Kitikiti’sh chieftain who had guided me to my first encounter with the Kadohadacho and my meeting with Smoking Mirror and his half brother. He was delighted to see me and brought me up to date on all the news of the neighboring tribes. He had not heard much from the south but was finally able to establish contact with the Lizard Ordu in the Huaxteca lands. It had been severely reduced by the plague and was having trouble restoring order. The Coyotl Ordu was also having trouble chasing down all the bands of bandits and would not be able to help me at this point. I was sorry not to have their help, but they did need to restore order locally before going on campaign. In any case, the Horse Ordu consisted of splendid, hardened warriors. I had enough. We set out southward within a few days.