“So still dissatisfied with Zhenjin? It was a remarkable hunt.” Says Jochi.

  “He is a Ladies man. He does not hide it.” Argues Arghun

  “I think it’s a good thing. The ladies seem to like a handsome man.” Subotai tells Arghun

  “What the ladies like is of little importance. We must retain our basic identity. We are Kharak”

  “Zhenjin has the admiration of the young Kharak Warriors and the Herders”. Temur pipes in.

  “The land will change if we change. If we retain our basic Kharaks identity, the land will not change.” Arghun doggedly arguing.

  “Without the cooperation of those temple monks we will not be able to grow the grain” BhatuKhan emphasizes

  “If they don’t do as we tell them, we will trample them under the hooves of our horses. We are Kharaks”.

  ————————————————

  The Gascari leave Madjajanga for Dhaka.

  Three days at sea, Zalir releases the birds Guvercin sent him. The balangay carrying the Madjapahit Royal House is seen at sunset in the open sea. Above, Terbang soars. Terbang is a respected member of the ship's crew; he tells them where there is plenty of fish and brings news to Zalir.

  Master Po’s Mission

  As the caravans prepare for Kharkhassus, Zhenjin sends both Huaizong and Master Po to Annam to ascertain news about the Princess Huyen Tran.

  "The Lady Tran has been betrothed to the Cham Agatub. Those Chams are Vedics—they'll burn her," Zhenjin fretted.

  "You need not worry; he is at least thirty years younger than Lady Tran. She will likely die ahead of him and will not face the suttee. The Cham Agatub understands this. He is totally struck by her beauty and grace. He is in love," Huaizong said optimistically.

  "We can't always be so cynical," Mahintha input.

  "Please, Master Po, return to Annam. Send a message to the Lady Tran. And please check if indeed the Cham warrior is thirty years younger than her. Make sure she knows she can use the mountain trails to return to Xanadu. I shall set guards to wait for her. Send her my regards," Zhenjin sighed, truly worried.

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  "Your regards? Or your love?" Huaizong and Mahintha broke out into overly dramatic love songs.

  "Shut up!" Zhenjin said quietly but firmly. Huaizong and Mahintha hit a sore nerve.

  "Yes, Khazan. We will travel south immediately," Tan Po accepted his mission.

  "We rendezvous at Chengdu," Zhenjin ordered.

  "Yes, Khazan! I leave for Annam tonight with Prince Huaizong," Tan Po acquiesced.

  "Travel well, Master Po," Zhenjin bid him farewell.

  The Trek to Kharkhassus

  Zhenjin, the vassal heirs, and his half-brothers, along with ten elite Palace Guards, rode toward Kharkhassus, guided by M?ngke and his men. M?ngke traveled light, his Kheshig made up only of a handful of bearded giants. Even the most highly trained palace guards seemed intimidated by them; M?ngke's men resembled bears.

  "Uncle," Zhenjin began, trying to cut through the oppressive silence with the formality of his duty. "I bring gifts from my father, the Emperor of all Xina, for his brother, the King of Kharkhassus. I bring herbs and spices, salt, plum wine, pickled figs, yams, and tubers. Bolts of silk—cool in the summer, warm in the winter. Wax and lard. Cured meats, leather, and hemp. And," Zhenjin paused, allowing the word to carry weight, "I bring gunpowder."

  M?ngke roared. The sound was raw, tearing through the cold air. "Gunpowder! That lightens the work! Digging a mine is the work of the damned! Let us prepare a feast when we get to Kharkhassus!"

  M?ngke was a giant. His six bearded giants were massive—each as big as a bear. Though they were fierce warriors who preferred the quiet cold of the North, they were also monks without a temple. They rarely spoke. They were unshaven, dressed in animal skins, living in the wild. They had the ability to talk to animals. They looked at the fine woven fabrics from Xanadu—the silks, the treated leather, and furs—with amazement. The bath they took at the Khuriltai was the only one they had that year.

  "Dirt keeps you warm, nephew," M?ngke chuckled, scratching his unwashed beard. "And gives you that scent women love. So, I hear the Lady Huyen Tran is marrying her champion."

  Zhenjin kept his gaze fixed forward. "Yes, Uncle. What of it?"

  "Doesn't bother you, huh?"

  "She is trying to broker a peace agreement."

  "Fell in love with her, didn't you?"

  Zhenjin took a sharp breath, his voice tightening. "I was a child, Uncle. Four feet high. She was not only grown, she was... broken. Her father was dead, and she and her brothers, who were infants even younger than I, were running for their lives. The evil Shi had sneaked into their Kingdom after they fled Xanadu. They thought we would help them."

  M?ngke's eyes glinted with amusement. "So all this time your father has been planning an invasion of Annam, you have been consorting with the enemy."

  "Consorting? You consort with enemies. The Annamese are not our enemies, Uncle. They have no intention to invade our lands; they mean us no harm. For that matter, reinforcing Uncle Hulagu might just be the better thing to do. Waging two wars is splitting the Khanate. Besides, the Annamese king, Huyen's father, was killed by Chancellor Shi Dao's widow. We have a common enemy."

  "You could be right," M?ngke conceded, the wildness softening to cunning. "My brothers all have things to prove. They all want to be Emperor. Big, big men they are! Have you told your father?"

  "I will. I have."

  "Did he listen to you, my Khazan?"

  Silence.