|
3
Road Council
The Wend found them four hours later. The men had already turned in for the night, and were
huddled in small groups behind the half tents and wind breaks they had erected on the streambed. Gor’s sentry spied a rider just after midnight and sent for Drekk. It was Artuk the Wend, dressed in the
traditional garb of Khotan with a large chapan out-coat to protect him from the elements and a thick, oval fur cap. His charug leather boots were soiled from long wear and he had a haggard look about him.
“Late again, Wend?” Drekk taunted him.
“Farah!” Artuk brushed the greeting aside, telling Drekk to ‘get lost.’
Drekk was a northerner, a mongrel with a mix of Mongol and Sogdian blood, and the men out of Samarkand were not to his liking. Even though their lands and cities were often beset by enemies, they resisted conquest,
maintaining a stubborn identity of their own and meddling in all matters relating to trade on the roads into the Empire. He had heard tales of how they conspired to cheat other merchants in the oasis bazaars where
the Sogdians always seemed to have a resident Tradesmaster in the thick of things. While Drekk never seemed that interested in trade, he still had a crafty edge to him that always left Artuk on guard. He was a big
man, with a dark, swarthy aspect, and heavy brows over deep-set eyes. His curly black beard was short, and often smelled of the strange seeds he chewed on while scouting. Yes, he was more Sogdian than Mongol, Artuk
thought. He did not like the food they ate, the stories they told, the gods they paid homage to, or their women. He tolerated Drekk, as the man was chief guide scout in Tando’s train, but they often
quarreled over the route.
“No doubt you’ve been up to Miran, Drekk?” Artuk’s dark eyes flashed
with the light of the waning moon. “Glad to see your sour face again there, were they? Well don’t plague me. I’ve news for Tando that won’t keep.” The Qishlaq accent of Khotan was thick
on his speech, though strangely tinted with another accent that Drekk could never quite place.
Artuk was as much a mystery as he was an annoyance as far as Drekk was concerned. The man had
come to Tando in the trade bazaars of Khotan during the eastern leg of their journey. Tando was haggling for jade and the man kept inserting himself in the bargain, whispering things in Tando’s ear. When Tando
closed the deal, he invited Artuk to the inn where they were staying for the night, and they talked for long hours. Somehow, the man had convinced Tando to take him along when the caravan headed east to Dun Huang.
“He can serve as a scout, Drekk,” Tando told him. “Take him under your wing
and show him the roads. He claims that he has much knowledge of these lands. Perhaps he can be useful.”
Drekk wanted nothing to do with the man, however, and it was only with great reluctance that he
agreed, at Tando’s urging, to train him in the ways of the caravan scout. In time, he saw that Artuk did seem to have a natural gift for the road. He handled a horse well for a younger man, and his nose was
good. He brought in much useful information, though Drekk resented the added voice each night when they would meet in Tando’s tent for the ‘Road Council,’ as Tando called it. Tonight the Wend was
late. Drekk had all the time he needed to urge Tando to head north without interference from Artuk. He looked at the man now, noting the red flush on his high cheekbones, and the tanned smoothness of his skin. That
won’t last, he thought. The dry desert airs and blowing sands had a way of sapping the vitality from a man. Soon his face will be as weathered as mine, he thought. He gave Artuk a sidelong glance as though he
had little interest in the information the man was bringing with him.
“What news? We’ve had all the news we need from the wainsmen. You missed a good
meal, and Jagham—fresh from the kiln at Tando’s hand! Where the devil have you been?”
“Just lead me to Tando’s tent.” Artuk dismounted, handing off his reins to one
of the cameleers who had run up from the outskirts of the camp. Drekk noted the sheen of perspiration on the animal and knew the Wend had been riding hard for hours.
“He’s off there near the face of the gully,” said Drekk. “Probably fast
asleep by now. Good then, let’s go and wake the captain after his hard day’s ride and after his fresh brew of Jagham, I might add. I’m sure he’ll be very happy to see you just now.”
“It can’t be helped,” said Artuk. “I have urgent news for the Road Council.”
“Road Council? That was over long ago! You’re late!” Drekk was more eager to
learn what Artuk knew than he let on, but he did not want to appear too concerned. “Tando’s set his mind on the morrow without your urgent news. It’s not like you to tarry in the saddle like this,
Artuk. The moon is low and the camp is asleep.”
“Well, they will have to wake,” Artuk waved him away, spying Tando’s tent
ahead in the gloom. He could sense Drekk’s veiled interest in spite of the man’s awkward attempt to downplay the moment. Yes, you wait, you lice ridden scum, Artuk thought. You were in with the dusk, no
doubt, and bending Tando’s ear while I was still riding hard in the Altun Shan. What do you know?
The two men made their way to a large round tent and Drekk was surprised to see the soft glow of
a small fire within. Tando was awake; that was not a good sign. They knelt just outside the entrance, sitting back on their heels in the customary way.
“Biya, Padesh,” Artuk whispered a traditional greeting.
“Ayo? Incha? Yes? What is it now!” Tando’s thick arm emerged from the tent
portal as he threw the door curtain aside. “Ah!” he said, spying the Wend. “You’ve decided to join us at last, Artuk.”
“Balad Rahbar!” The Wend greeted him formally now.
“Barghastán!” Tando returned. “Enter my tent, both of you.”
The two men bowed and got up, stooping to pass through the tent portal. They sat down in silence
and Tando gave them a scowl as he settled himself on a cushion. They knew it was considered improper to enter a man’s tent after dark and Tando was appropriately perturbed. He could see Drekk was fighting a
half grin, his dark eyes sparkling under thick bristly brows as he glanced at the Wend, knowing that Artuk bore the responsibility for interrupting his train captain’s rest. Artuk had a strange look about him,
however, and the glimmer of warning in his eyes. The scout threw off his cap and ran a forearm across his brow, sighing as after a hard exertion.
“Are you hungry?” Tando was suddenly concerned. “You look very tired, Artuk.”
“Thank you, I will eat later, captain.”
“Then you have news for me? Ayo? You have news that will not wait for the dawn?”
“I have come up from the Altun Shan.”
“So you were out chasing the Zari. Or they were chasing you from the looks of it.”
“I came upon a troop of seven men, a small Zari patrol. I followed them into the footlands
of Bash-Kurghan. I do not think they saw me. They were in a great hurry.”
“They could probably smell you!” Drekk jibed at him.
“Yes, for I’ve been too long in your company!” Artuk returned, angrily.
“None of that nonsense!” said Tando. “This is Road Council.”
“Road Council?” Drekk protested. “The moon is nearly down, Tando! Why should
we haggle on the road now when the way is clear? He is late! He should have been here at dusk!”
“True, but he missed his meal and I will let that stand as lesson enough for tonight. Road
Council! I declare it now and I expect you both to act accordingly!”
The two men nodded an apologetic bow to each other and to Tando, but the captain could see that
they had been quarreling long before they entered his tent. It was not simply the natural rivalry of one scout with another. Each one always wanted to be in first with the best information; that was natural. These
two had something else between them. Drekk was a Sogdian out of Samarkand, and Artuk was a Wend from Khotan. The difference was enough to create a bothersome friction between them, and that was that. Still, he would
not brook their squabbles in his tent. Not after Jagham, and not on a night before he set his course for another month or more of hard journey—Not at Road Council.
“Say on then.” Tando motioned to Artuk, yielding him the right to speak first.
“As I said, Tando, the Zari patrol was hastening south towards Bash-Kurghan. I followed
them into the footlands, unseen, I am sure now. There are many gorges and dry streambeds there, like this one; many places to hide. I was able to work my way well into the highlands and followed my nose. I tethered
my mount in a narrow gorge where she could wait unseen while I went up on foot to a high ridge. From there I could hear them, many voices echoing in the canyon below. They made no effort to conceal themselves! This
surprised me, considering they are enemies of the T'ang. We have seen so many Chinese soldiers on the road of late and this camp was not well hidden. Then I saw why they were so heedless. There was a very
great camp there! Many fires and tents; several hundred men—perhaps a thousand!”
“That many?” Tando was surprised at the number.
“Easily, captain. They were busy with their night meal, drinking and cavorting about the
camp. The smell of their roasted barley was on the wind, so they were just at the end of their feast. But so many men, Tando! I decided to have a look around north of Bash-Kurghan. There are at least two more camps,
just as large!”
Tando leaned forward, suddenly concerned and very attentive. “You are sure?” He knew
the Wend well enough to be certain his information was correct. Artuk nodded in affirmation and waited.
Tando pursed his lips thoughtfully before speaking. “The wainsmen said there have been
raiding parties coming down from the Altun Shan of late, but nothing that big. There was word of a raid earlier today.”
“Probably just a foraging party out scouring the vales for Tamarisk branches. They did not
appear to be settling in, Tando. I think the main camps will move at first light. We are not safe here. I rode as hard as I could, five hours straight. Forgive me for not returning sooner but I got wind of
something and I thought I should follow it. We are not safe!”
“You think they mean to strike north at dawn?”
“I do.”
“With a thousand men?”
“More.”
Drekk was clearly uncomfortable with this news. He shifted impatiently, waiting his turn to
speak, and eyeing the Wend with some suspicion. This is just the sort of last minute trick I might expect of the Wend, he thought. The man is afraid Tando will heed my advice and take the northern route to
Kara-Kum! Curse you, Wend, and all your kind. You’ve had your way too many times this trip. Sticking your nose in my business again are you? Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we? Why should Tando
go south now with the Zari at hand? You slit your own throat with this news!
Tando seemed to voice Drekk’s inner thoughts as he questioned the Wend further.
“Why? Why should they bring so many men down here to the basin? Difficult to quarter so many men, ayo? What would they be doing out here with numbers like that? There are not many caravans for the taking this
time of year. Ours may be one of the first out for the winter haul. I don’t understand it. What would they gain by raiding north with so many men?”
“Your pardon, captain. This is no raiding party! If they come this way in such numbers
then they mean to stay.” He let that sink in, saying nothing more and waiting for Tando to consider the implications. Drekk was getting more agitated now, but Tando had one last question for Artuk.
“In your opinion, where will they strike on the morrow?”
“At Miran.”
They both looked at Drekk and Tando nodded to him to speak his mind.
“They would not dare such a thing!” he said darkly. I was near the watchmen at Miran
just yesterday. I spoke with the guards at their out towers. They say there are forty mounted archers, and a troop of sixty spearmen at Miran. Each one has eyes. They have been on the watch for months now. They said
nothing of this great war party you speak of, Wend!”
“Argue,” said Tando, extending an open hand and giving both men permission to
contest the matter.
“How far south do the watchmen ride, Drekk?” Artuk spoke quickly. “Surely not
to Bash-Kurghan as I have done today. They are charged with keeping a watch on the road and little more.”
“They are the eyes and ears of the Empire!” Drekk acted as if he had been insulted
personally, though he bore no great love for the T'ang. “They would know such a thing, if it were true.”
“Perhaps,” said Artuk, “but this is a recent development. The Zari have only
just come up from the south. They were burning toghrak poplar trees as well; I could smell them on the wind. Those trees do not grow near the road much, but there are stands well south, up in the hills. I say this
war band only just arrived tonight, and that more will follow them.”
“Nonsense!” Drekk was adamant. “If they set one foot in the shadow of Miran
they will pay dearly.”
“There were a thousand or more, Drekk!” Artuk raised his voice for the first time,
then stilled himself, not wanting the men sleeping in the camp to hear them. “Think about this, by the Great Buddha, and use your head. How long can the garrison at Miran hold out against numbers like
that?”
Drekk scowled at him, but said nothing. Tando looked from one man to the other and then snapped
his open hand closed in a fist. The argument was to be over, at least for the moment.
“How it is you are certain they are going to move on the morrow? Tell me that
Artuk,” Tando asked.
“I studied their camp closely, captain. They were not digging any permanent dugouts. There
was no well site in the making. They had a string of small tarpan horses with them, but not many. Most were foot soldiers. There were many yak nearby, and each was well loaded with sacks and barrels of food
and drink. The horsemen were grooming their mounts, but they did not unsaddle them. There was no sign that they meant to make a permanent camp there at all. No—They mean to move again at dawn! Perhaps
they plan to take the outpost at Miran by surprise.”
“It will take them all day to reach Miran!” Drekk could not help breaking in. Tando
gave him a stern glance, but he let it pass and Artuk answered.
“You have no fear of them, Drekk, ayo?” He asked the question to make his point.
“Your countrymen live far to the north and the Zari do not get up over the Tien Shan easily. Even here in the basin they have not come north in any strength for years. There has been very little fighting here
of late, only these intermittent raids. I would guess the Chinese garrison at Miran has no fear of them either. Well, things have changed. We passed too many Chinese soldiers on the road out. The T'ang are
leaving their western outposts to the Zari—and rest assured, they will come! Is the watch on Miran ready for them? A hundred men there you say? They will sweep over the walls of Miran like the wind and set
their camp there tomorrow night!” He waited, having spoken his full mind.
Drekk sat in silence. Tando watched them both for a moment and then he took a deep breath.
“We decide now,” he said. It was time for action and he indicated that Artuk should speak first.
“May I see the map, captain?”
Tando knew he would need it, and he was already fishing in his night pack for the thin-pressed
leather guide map. He untied the cords and rolled it out on the floor of the tent so all could see.
“Break camp and head west at once,” Artuk pointed a gloved finger at the road
leading to Miran. “We are here and the road forks not far ahead. The Chinese troops have set up a water cairn on the road for their patrols. We can fill our bags if we must, but we have need of great haste now
and there are four more hours of darkness that will be our friend. If we move quickly, we should be about here by sunrise, near the out-tower at Phakta-Bulak. Once there we can convince them to light their warning
fire, or one of us can ride on ahead to the fort for help. It will only be one fast march to Miran by then. Once we get beyond the fort, the Zari won’t be able to spot us easily. They are coming for Miran and
will not bother with us with the fort at our backs. They’ll come up to Miran along the road from Bash-Kurghan and when they reach the fort there will be a fight for that place. The battle will not last
long. Still, it will give us the time we need to head south and west to Charkhlik and Taran. After that, I would advise us to head down through Lashgar to the edge of the desert. The Zari will have no mind for the
desert and we will be safe.”
“Drekk?” Tando looked at his other scout.
“Yes, we break camp at once, but we head north at the fork, on the road that bypasses the
fort at Miran and makes for the Tarim River. I ride ahead to warn the garrison at once. If it’s help you want, then the soldiers in Miran must be alerted as soon as possible. By dawn the caravan should
be just north of Miran where the Tarim River empties into the marshland of Kara-Kashun. We follow the river and cross over to the north bank somewhere here.” He pointed at a bend in the river where it curved
west towards the marshland. “The bed is mostly dry and the crossing will not be difficult. Once we are on the north bank we stay with the river north to Kara-Kum, just the way the wainsmen came. And yes, Miran
will be a strong shield at our back for a while, but we must go north, as I have said all along.”
Tando extended an open palm to hear one last round of argument.
Artuk spoke first. “If they move out just before dawn, and march hard, the Zari can be at
the water cairn fork by mid-day.”
“Yes, and we’ll be about here,” Drekk put in, pointing a thumb at the river.
“Or here,” Artuk countered, “just reaching the fort. We’ll have a good
three or four hour lead on them. That will give us the time to get through the settlement of Miran to the west of the fort. We can even take on provisions there. We need fodder for the camels, Tando.”
“There will be plenty of scrub for them along the river,” said Drekk, but Artuk
ignored the remark. He pointed at the map again, just west of the settlement at Miran.
“I know this road well,” Artuk said. “There is a drift of sand across the road
not far from Miran. Remember? It will mask our tracks as we head west. From there we will be out on a gravel slope again and we should make good time west. The camels will be tired, but if we only take a brief rest
at Miran they should make it. We will have to climb a low ridge for a while, but once we get over the crest we cannot be seen from Miran. That is the key. We can camp in the dry bed of the Toghrak River beyond the
crest.”
“Better camp on the north bank of the Tarim,” said Drekk.
“We won’t make it if we go that way!” Artuk forced as much urgency into his
argument as he could.
“How dare you say that!” Drekk was suddenly angry. “You are too set on
returning to Khotan, Wend!”
“I do not speak against your counsel for that reason, Drekk. Look! The road north from the
fork at the cairn drops down into the scrubland and descends to the river, ayo?”
“And what of that?”
“The southern fork to the fort at Miran is on higher ground, that is what! It skirts the
scrubland but it stays well up on the bare gravel beds of the mountains. Now, the Zari are heading for the fort. If we move as you advise they will see us when they reach the water cairns. They’ll see
everything north to the river and they have cavalry. They’ll sweep north and take us just before dusk.”
“Nonsense!” Drekk spat, flustered by the Wend’s argument. Yet the lay of the
land did not lie. Even if his other reasoning was sound, the Wend had put his finger on the crux of the matter at last. The real danger point would be the roads between the cairn and Miran or the cairn and the
river. Drekk’s route was fatally exposed.
Tando frowned, deciding.
Drekk made one last challenge to the Wend’s line of reasoning. “Who is to say they
will not see us on the southern fork to Miran?”
“They may, but it will be much more difficult. The winds will be up again and the haze
will mask us on that road. But if we head north, down into the scrubland, they will see us easily from the higher ground.” Artuk allowed a good long space of silence, but Drekk did not say anything more. Then
Artuk lowered his voice, looking only at Tando. “If we go north we’ll be exposed. They’ll be no escape if they send riders after us, understand? We can’t run the camels fast enough, or far
enough, to reach the river. They’ll take us before nightfall.”
“You have said yourself that the Zari are coming for the fort!” Drekk countered, his
anger flaring again. “Won’t they be right on our heels if we go south as you say?”
“Ayo,” Artuk assented, remaining calm. “But we can be under the protection of
the fort by the time they reach the water cairn…We need to get past the fort, Tando. Even if they should spy us on the way to Miran, it would take them two or three hours to reach us. They won’t know how
strong the garrison at the fort is, so they will approach with some caution. With a bit of luck they may decide to set camp and attack the fort later. The fort may not hold for long, but it buys us time to get over
the ridge. It’s our only chance.” He folded his arms firmly on his chest, indicating that he had spoken his entire mind on the matter.
Drekk was red faced with anger and frustration. What could he say? Desperate, he made one last
argument. “I’ll ride to the garrison and convince them we need their protection at once,” he said quickly. “I’ll ride hard to them with this warning and we’ll light signal fires
on Miran to beckon help from every settlement in the region. If reinforcements come, then perhaps I can convince the watch captain to send his men east to the cairn and fight a delaying action there. The Chinese
also have cavalry, ayo? Forty mounted archers! I will offer to lead the party myself! We can hold out at the water cairn for a while and then give way if the Zari come in such numbers as he says. We’ll
hold them until dusk!” He was beginning to convince himself, if no one else.
“They will be cautious, just as you say Wend, and we will teach them manners with our
arrows. Then we fall back at dusk, while you are heading north with the camels to the river, Tando. So they won’t see the caravan and you’ll be under the protection of the men of Miran.
They’ll act as a strong rear guard for you. I’ll lead them personally, I tell you! I am not afraid of the Zari!” He gave Artuk an accusing look, but the Wend let the insult pass, knowing that Drekk
was at the end of his rope.
“The alarm will be up and the Zari will pay. Others will see the beacon fire, and they
will come. In three days we’ll have a thousand men at Miran and there will be many dead Zari at the foot of her walls.” Drekk folded his arms in a huff, his anger vented.
Tando clenched his open palm to a fist. The matter was concluded.
“Artuk,” Tando said quickly, “give orders to break camp at once, ayazz, very
fast! And tell the wagonsmaster to get his animals tethered to the wagons and to follow us. He’s a toothless lout going by the name of Locca. Tell him I’m afraid he will have to forsake his journey to
China for a while. Gená! Go on now!”
Artuk bowed quickly and was up at once, but Drekk remained seated, anxiously awaiting
Tando’s next order.
“Drekk, ride hard for Miran and warn the garrison as you counsel. I do not think they will
be so bold as to sally out as you say, or to allow you to lead them. That is nothing against you, of course, but the Chinese have become too complacent. They will sit in their fort, I fear, and do little else. As
for the reinforcements—well, perhaps it would be wise to signal for help, but I doubt if there are a thousand men in the entire province, Drekk. Still, you can at least give them fair warning at Miran. If
there is fighting there tomorrow, I leave it to you to stay or to join us as you see fit.”
“But which way are you heading?”
“You will see that clearly from the towers of Miran. Now go! Gená!”
Drekk was unsatisfied. He stared at Tando with a strange, lingering look in his eye, as if he
saw things on the road ahead for them now—hidden implications of the decision Tando was about to make. “Tando,” he said quietly, his voice trying to mask an unsettling emotion that was rising in
him. “If you follow the road to the fort as the Wend counsels, remember that there is also a road leading north from Miran to the river. Think on this as you ride. I will see what I can learn at the
fort.”
Tando nodded, his face grave, though he said nothing in return. Drekk hesitated a moment and
then gave a quick bow before he crept out of the tent. There was nothing more he could say. It was Tando’s choice now, for good or for ill. He was soon running quickly to find his mount.
The alarm was out and the campsite was already astir. The camels began to grumble their stubborn
protests at the noise. Men were rising groggily on unsteady legs, but they moved ever more quickly as Tando emerged from his tent, dragging his night pack with him. He was very tired. The Jagham had refreshed him
somewhat and he was glad he had taken the cup tonight, but he had only two hours sleep under him and did not look kindly on another stint in the saddle. Where is the harm in that, he asked himself? Your fat ass is
nothing you can bargain with! It’s the Jagham that matters! You’ve come all this way; too far to let it slip now. See to the Jagham!
“You there,” he shouted at a porter. “Where’s Gor?”
“Here, captain!” Gor came huffing up out of the dark. “What’s the
matter? Raiders? I’ve got five spearmen ready by the cargo, the others are stringing the bows!”
“No, stand down and get your men up on their horses. We’re moving out. I want you
out to the south, about half a league, with five men. Make it the archers, and make sure they have a signal fire. Leave the other five with me for a train guard and post them at the rear. We’ve got to
move fast now. Stay close enough to see us!”
“Ayo!” Gor was away with great haste.
Good men, thought Tando. I would hate to lose any of them, tomorrow. He thought of Drekk,
realizing something inwardly with a stab of regret. Then he reached into his night sack and drew out a small pouch. He spied Drekk near the edge of the camp and moved toward him as quickly as his thick legs would
carry him. By the time he reached him, Drekk was up on his sturdy mount.
“Yol Bolsun,” Tando spoke the old saying of farewell, breathing heavily. “You
have served us well, Drekk, and if things go ill, on either road tomorrow…” He said nothing more, but pressed the leather pouch into the scout’s hands as he spoke, holding tightly for a brief
moment. “Take this and keep it safe for me! Join us soon!”
Drekk looked at the pouch. He suddenly knew that Tando would not be heading north at the fork in
the road, and the strange emotion rising in him became a tightness in his throat. He set his jaw, clasping the small pouch along with the reins as Tando let him go.
“May the Buddha’s compassion go with you!” said Tando.
“Yol Bolsun,” Drekk said quietly. “May there be a way, Tando!” Then he
spurned his mount, and rode quickly away down the empty road to fort Miran.
READ MORE >
|
