Chapter 557: Inching Closer to the Throne
"Qoridai then goes alone to the valley, with only his bow, his saber and a horn filled with fermented mare milk. He rides his horse and infiltrated the enemy camp alone"
"The merchants told me a more long-winded stories about how Qoridai crawls through rock cervices and swim through cold streams, using trickery and then freed the children and then set fire to the kidnappers"
Aeryon look at Qoridai
"is that true?"
"Some of it" Qoridai answered nodding his head
"It is true that there was a group of people kidnapped the children of Korun. But I did not go alone. There were other youths that follow me. It is true that I climbed rock to go up the valley"
"But as for the tricks, there is not too many tricks. I just blend with the night, and slit the throats of the guards that was on duty. I then open the gates of the bandit nest, and my tribes’ members enters and wreak havoc"
"I let one of my tribes’ members to bring the child out of the area and then I fought them in the snow in winter"
"After I killed around ten men, I jumped onto my horse and rides away"
"They pursued me; I lead them into a ravine. And then...." He paused for a second a bitter smile on his face
"Then what happens is quite lucky on my part. I shot an arrow. The wind picks up the arrow and my never to miss shot...missed" Aeryon eyebrows raised. He had seen how accurate Qoridai is with his arrow.
"But it was actually good luck. The arrow strikes a cliffside. And somehow that trigged an avalanche. It buried all of them while I managed to run outside of the ravine"
"as for the stories" he chuckles a bit
"They made it even more legendary than I thought"
Aeryon listening to this could not help but laugh. They all laughed and dispelling some of the tense atmosphere in the tent
The commander also knows this new person and they talk a little and then Aeryon finally started the meeting in earnest
The meeting mostly become the welcoming of Korun tribe to the kingdom.
Aeryon notified the commanders of the people that would join the army, of the chief who would enter the council and of the wealth that would enter the tribe
But there is no smile on the commander face.
Mayeux on the other hand is calm as ever.
Unlike others, Mayeux and Aeryon had spoken about this matter before so he knows all the ins and out of the matter.
"Kan, what about Esbizuk?" one of them ask. Aeryon smiles. He had been expecting this question.
Inwardly he sighed. He look at his commander in the room and he could not help but sighed in his heart
He had always planned to take Korun later in time.
Maybe when the conflict between the tribe and Esbizuk tribe reached fever pitch and both are ready to fight each other.
At that time, he would accept Korun into the fold. But that could only be realized if Utgard was on his side.
That is what prompted him to finally accept Korun submission.
Because Utgard now has become an unstable factor.
Even though he believe that the Utgard tribe would not ally with Esbizuk tribe, this did not mean that others would believe it so.
Aeryon knows that sometimes-saving things for too long makes it rotten
What if the Korun tribe thinks that the Esbizuk tribe chances of winning is higher?
If he keep delaying and did not accept the Korun tribe into the fold, there is always a chance that this tribe could instead follow the Esbizuk tribe.
And Korun could really be desperate like that.
After all, before they did not have Utgard and Esbizuk tribe breathing on their necks. If because of his hesitation Korun changes their allegiance and decided to side with the Esbizuk tribe, this is weakening his own power and strengthening the enemy
"I will marry the daughter of the Korun tribe"
Aeryon suddenly announce.
Hearing this some of the commander eyes sharpened.
They did not say anything but there is silence in the tent.
Mayeux hearing this only close his eyes, appearing like he knows nothing about this matter. Aeryon only smiles looking at this
"And...." He paused for a moment and then declares "Seven days from now, I would declare myself Khan!" Aeryon suddenly announced.
The moment he announced this the eyes of the commander in the tent all sharpened.
"Yes, Kan!"
There is smiles on the faces of all the commanders.
Everyone knows that the moment Aeryon claims himself Khan, his ambition could be declared.
And it would also be used to counter Dama tribe claim to the Southern Great Steppe.
Aeryon could not help but feel that there is a sense of destiny and fate in the background pushing this world to a certain destination
He had used the title Kan before because it is a common title in the ancient Empire of the Steppe.
He had wanted to claim the title Kan, and then after he took over the entire Southern Great Steppe, he would coronate himself as the Qayan of the South.
That.... was the plan.
But then Dama found a way to give him a more ancient title.
Khan.
Aeryon could only play along. And not the kind of resigning to play along but more like eagerly playing along, acknowledging this title and he himself is now thinking of taking this tile
Because he always wanted to give himself the title Khan.
After all, even though he did not emulate all of Genghis Khan methods, he uses Genghis Khan as his template of unifying the Steppe
To others, this is just an ancient title in ancient books. But for Aeryon this title of Khan meant something else.
It is very similar to the title of Khan in his world. There is a sense of him being in history itself. That is why for him taking the title of Khan is a very special thing in his heart
"After this meeting, I will summon the others to come to my coronation of Khan"
Aeryon also must discus this with Ashana.
Asking those who are versed in the history of the Steppe to create or emulate the rituals of the coronations
It might be labor consuming but there is reason why coronation is important and must be done in ancient times
Aeryon understood this the most.
It is not just formality.
It is a sacred symbolic act that forges the legitimacy of a ruler in the eyes of gods, ancestors, allies and rivals alike
For him, a coronation is not a waste of time or resources, it is a crucial maneuver to gather people hearts
Even in history, there is many such cases.
Liu Xiu claimed himself Emperor to gather people hearts, Liu Bei claimed himself Emperor to prop up the Han dynasty and there is many examples whether it is in the East or the West.
It is the legitimacy that one seek.
Legitimacy gathers people hearts and gathering people hearts means gathering strength.
And while the Steppe, the grassland tribes are not exactly a stickler for rules and have organized etiquette like the more settled societies, it did not mean that they did not have rituals and etiquette at all.
It is just that it is different
Simpler and sometimes unpretentious.
But at times, the rituals could be solemn.
When one is going to war for example, some chief consult Ashana, some consult the skies and the stars.
Some consult the bones and some consult the river water or dreams.
Power is tied to many things, chiefly conquest.
That is how Aeryon carved his kingdom in the Southern Great Steppe.
But to assure the people, it would be best if he could mix it with perceived divine and ancestral favor.
He is chosen by the Skyfather and blessed by the Earth Mother. Whether it is true or not, he must make the people under his rule believe it
If they believe it, he can gather their hearts, and if their hearts are with him, even if he loses, he could always fight again
In the ancient times, people are not important. But they are also important.
One must distinguish when it is important to have people on your side and when it is not important.
Aeryon believe the power of the people is powerful.
But only if this power could be unified.
If not, it would be like the sands blown by the winds
Aeryon look at his men who is overjoyed at his announcement.
They would spread it to one person, that one person would spread it to another and before Aeron knows it, he believes the new about his coronation would be spread all over the city by tomorrow.
And it is not like Aeryon wanted to hide this story.
He wanted the entire Southern Great Steppe to know
..