He'll still have to divorce her, but at least there's no Pope to intervene with that.
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He'll still have to divorce her, but at least there's no Pope to intervene with that.
Definitely this:
If you disallow half of your population to ever become more than Khatun mother, some of them are bound to take drastic steps to at least achieve that. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Chapter 30 - Wedding and Warring
Chapter 30 Wedding and Warring
April 23, 880 AD
Zachariah stood at the edge of the large square in the middle of the big festival tent, his newlywed wife by his side, and watched with enjoyment as a group of his wedding guests performed a traditional Crimean folk dance. He and his new wife Irge, a Yabguid princess from the Caspian region who had previously been sold off to Bashkiria as a concubine to a lower Khan, had been married in the morning.
Irge had the heart and the physique of a warrior, although the traditions in the steppes didn't permit women in the military in any case. Her father had been Khagan in the lands north of the Caspian Sea until his death about four years ago. Her oldest brother was deposed and executed by usurpers from the Subashi Clan upon inheriting the Khaganate. Her younger brothers were under arrest or on the run. There seems to be a pattern, Zachariah thought upon hearing of this. I have to prepare my sons better than those lads were.
There was little doubt Irge would have wished for her husband to be someone more virtuous, but virtue didn't get you far as a leader in the Steppes – and being the Khatun of Khazaria sure was infinite times better than being a concubine in the middle of nowhere. Zachariah in turn was mostly happy that people looked up to his wife's clan. His first impulse had been to marry Virág, because she was the mother of his heir and to safely prevent the same thing from happening again in time - but he quickly was informed that while it was fine to father children with lowborn women, marrying one as a Khagan would be seen as highly inappropriate.
In contrast, divorcing the treacherous Asli, though unconventional even for the Steppes, posed no big issue apart from a small administrative fee to the Court Rabbi.
Yet Zachariah just hadn't been able to make the time and search for a new wife earlier. While he had been hardly surprised upon hearing of his wife's traitorous plans, the news she had slipped through the hands of her captors upset him greatly. He ordered the immediate execution of the herbalist, despite the man's desperate pleas he had nothing to do with the escape. Furthermore, war on Burtas was declared within the hour, though the horde was still a good two weeks away from the border. Zachariah needed to vent his anger, and Burtas wouldn't pose a problem whatsoever - the Bulanid were hardly able to defend them in the current state of their realm and their only other ally, Sol of Pechenegs, in no shape to contribute anything.
Only days after the war declaration, reports came in that Bulçan's troops in the Bulanid territory destroyed the trade post in Tana. Manasseh had erected it in his reign to make Tana the main Black Sea port of the northern Silk Road branch. Now it lay in shatters, as if to symbolize the rapid downfall of the Bulanid clan.
Zachariah's and his generals' assertion of Burtas' strength and the unwillingness of the Bulanid to intervene proved to be correct, and the war on Burtas was quick and uneventful. They had surrendered to Ashina suzerainty one week ago and made way for the marriage preparations.
The dancing continued, and the children were chasing around the yard. Tarkhan, his second-born twin, ran towards Zachariah waving in excitement. "Daddy!"
Zachariah took him up in his arm. "What's it, my big one? Man, you're getting stronger by the day! Soon I won't be able to take you up without breaking my back!" Both laughed.
"Dad, we've been wondering." Tarkhan now looked very serious. "Özlem has told us earlier that her brother can't be here because he is dead because he went to the potty too much. But me, Muhan and the others have never heard of that. Can that even be true?"
Zachariah looked at him in visible astonishment. What do you tell a seven-year-old about dysentery? "Uhm.....well, that can happen, yes. But Yavantey was very sick. No one dies just because of going to the potty."
Tarkhan looked a little relieved. "Okay. I knew it! The big girls tried to scare us, but I didn't believe them anyway. Thanks!" And off he bolted again to join the other kids.
His father stood in amusement. Tarkhan continued to surprise him. He was a light-hearted kid that didn't worry or care much about dangers. He rather explored the camp or played war with his friends. In that, he was very different from his brother Muhan, who was introvert and thoughtful for his age and in that resembled their younger half-sister Ikalay more. They came after Zachariah in their own way, and he was very proud of all of them.
Although Zachariah does have more children, the pictured Poland is not one of them.
Zachariah hadn't told his own kids about Yavantey's demise yet despite Ikalay's betrothal to him, mostly because he had no clue how to address the issue. Now they'd know it anyway. Probably not for the worst. Good that Özlem seems to be fine and not taking it too heavily. Hezekiah must be under a lot of pressure now, with four daughters and no heir.
His vassals had honoured their Khagan with his presence at the wedding, independent from their political differences, and Hezekiah had brought his whole family – his daughters along with his wife and his three concubines. Indeed he looked more tired and stressed than usual since his sons' untimely death for obvious reasons. Two of his girls were infants (from different mothers) and had been conceived in his renewed tries to sire an heir.
Dearly missed by Zachariah and his family was 'Uncle' Yavdi of Jabdertim, who had sent his best wishes from the southern outskirts of Polotsk. He was leading his men into his most ambitious campaign so far: The High Chiefdom of Polotsk, the largest Russian force all around, should be subjugated in total and become Yavdi's vassal.
That was considered bold by everyone, risky by many and foolish by a few. No one had forgotten the wars on Könugardr and what the hordes were able to do to tribal armies, but Polotsk was an entirely different affair. The lands they would have to take were huge, the winters icy and the summers muddy - and it was close to impossible to sustain an army for long behind the borders. Attrition wars weren't suited to the hordes' way of fighting and conquering quickly and decisively. Yavdi was most literally treading new ground. Should he win, the reward would be equally great.
His sister Yeldem, the Duchess of Strymon had to excuse herself, too – she was in the final weeks of her first pregnancy. Her marriage was going well, and Strymon had prospered in the last years, doubtlessly not without her contribution.
Ezra approached Zachariah, who had by now sat down to have another ale and keep his new wife company, and congratulated him for the great wedding celebration.
"But that's not what I'm here for. I've overheard Khan Bulçan talking about how he's thinking of expanding into Pecheneg, but is unsure whether the Bulanid are going to intervene as he's missing intelligence about their whereabouts in the South."
Zachariah was intrigued. "Hmm. He's been discontent with the situation for quite some time, and frankly he unnerves me with it. And our army is still around the corner with the war on Burtas just won."
Ezra nodded. "That's what I've been thinking. We know well that the Bulanids don't want to take on us. They didn't risk it for Burtas, and they won't for a piece of land from a tributary that is destined to fail sooner or later."
Zachariah took a drag of his ale. "That means it would be another quick war and Bulçan would owe me. It's definitely worth at least looking into. I'll talk to Hezekiah and tell him to send the army eastwards. The war declaration can wait until they're ready to strike. You never know."
"Very well. New ale? My oldest daughter and my wife are sore at each other again, and I'd rather not get in their way too soon."
"Be my guest. And one for Irge, too – just make it as big as mine."
Irge smiled at Zachariah. She had criticized a server earlier for bringing her a smaller glass than her husband's and refused the implication she could drink less, then emptied the new and bigger mug with one drag to the general amusement and admiration of the guests. Zachariah had apparently quickly learned that lesson.
April 23, 880 AD
Zachariah stood at the edge of the large square in the middle of the big festival tent, his newlywed wife by his side, and watched with enjoyment as a group of his wedding guests performed a traditional Crimean folk dance. He and his new wife Irge, a Yabguid princess from the Caspian region who had previously been sold off to Bashkiria as a concubine to a lower Khan, had been married in the morning.
Irge had the heart and the physique of a warrior, although the traditions in the steppes didn't permit women in the military in any case. Her father had been Khagan in the lands north of the Caspian Sea until his death about four years ago. Her oldest brother was deposed and executed by usurpers from the Subashi Clan upon inheriting the Khaganate. Her younger brothers were under arrest or on the run. There seems to be a pattern, Zachariah thought upon hearing of this. I have to prepare my sons better than those lads were.
There was little doubt Irge would have wished for her husband to be someone more virtuous, but virtue didn't get you far as a leader in the Steppes – and being the Khatun of Khazaria sure was infinite times better than being a concubine in the middle of nowhere. Zachariah in turn was mostly happy that people looked up to his wife's clan. His first impulse had been to marry Virág, because she was the mother of his heir and to safely prevent the same thing from happening again in time - but he quickly was informed that while it was fine to father children with lowborn women, marrying one as a Khagan would be seen as highly inappropriate.
In contrast, divorcing the treacherous Asli, though unconventional even for the Steppes, posed no big issue apart from a small administrative fee to the Court Rabbi.
Yet Zachariah just hadn't been able to make the time and search for a new wife earlier. While he had been hardly surprised upon hearing of his wife's traitorous plans, the news she had slipped through the hands of her captors upset him greatly. He ordered the immediate execution of the herbalist, despite the man's desperate pleas he had nothing to do with the escape. Furthermore, war on Burtas was declared within the hour, though the horde was still a good two weeks away from the border. Zachariah needed to vent his anger, and Burtas wouldn't pose a problem whatsoever - the Bulanid were hardly able to defend them in the current state of their realm and their only other ally, Sol of Pechenegs, in no shape to contribute anything.
Only days after the war declaration, reports came in that Bulçan's troops in the Bulanid territory destroyed the trade post in Tana. Manasseh had erected it in his reign to make Tana the main Black Sea port of the northern Silk Road branch. Now it lay in shatters, as if to symbolize the rapid downfall of the Bulanid clan.
Zachariah's and his generals' assertion of Burtas' strength and the unwillingness of the Bulanid to intervene proved to be correct, and the war on Burtas was quick and uneventful. They had surrendered to Ashina suzerainty one week ago and made way for the marriage preparations.
The dancing continued, and the children were chasing around the yard. Tarkhan, his second-born twin, ran towards Zachariah waving in excitement. "Daddy!"
Zachariah took him up in his arm. "What's it, my big one? Man, you're getting stronger by the day! Soon I won't be able to take you up without breaking my back!" Both laughed.
"Dad, we've been wondering." Tarkhan now looked very serious. "Özlem has told us earlier that her brother can't be here because he is dead because he went to the potty too much. But me, Muhan and the others have never heard of that. Can that even be true?"
Zachariah looked at him in visible astonishment. What do you tell a seven-year-old about dysentery? "Uhm.....well, that can happen, yes. But Yavantey was very sick. No one dies just because of going to the potty."
Tarkhan looked a little relieved. "Okay. I knew it! The big girls tried to scare us, but I didn't believe them anyway. Thanks!" And off he bolted again to join the other kids.
His father stood in amusement. Tarkhan continued to surprise him. He was a light-hearted kid that didn't worry or care much about dangers. He rather explored the camp or played war with his friends. In that, he was very different from his brother Muhan, who was introvert and thoughtful for his age and in that resembled their younger half-sister Ikalay more. They came after Zachariah in their own way, and he was very proud of all of them.
Although Zachariah does have more children, the pictured Poland is not one of them.
Zachariah hadn't told his own kids about Yavantey's demise yet despite Ikalay's betrothal to him, mostly because he had no clue how to address the issue. Now they'd know it anyway. Probably not for the worst. Good that Özlem seems to be fine and not taking it too heavily. Hezekiah must be under a lot of pressure now, with four daughters and no heir.
His vassals had honoured their Khagan with his presence at the wedding, independent from their political differences, and Hezekiah had brought his whole family – his daughters along with his wife and his three concubines. Indeed he looked more tired and stressed than usual since his sons' untimely death for obvious reasons. Two of his girls were infants (from different mothers) and had been conceived in his renewed tries to sire an heir.
Dearly missed by Zachariah and his family was 'Uncle' Yavdi of Jabdertim, who had sent his best wishes from the southern outskirts of Polotsk. He was leading his men into his most ambitious campaign so far: The High Chiefdom of Polotsk, the largest Russian force all around, should be subjugated in total and become Yavdi's vassal.
That was considered bold by everyone, risky by many and foolish by a few. No one had forgotten the wars on Könugardr and what the hordes were able to do to tribal armies, but Polotsk was an entirely different affair. The lands they would have to take were huge, the winters icy and the summers muddy - and it was close to impossible to sustain an army for long behind the borders. Attrition wars weren't suited to the hordes' way of fighting and conquering quickly and decisively. Yavdi was most literally treading new ground. Should he win, the reward would be equally great.
His sister Yeldem, the Duchess of Strymon had to excuse herself, too – she was in the final weeks of her first pregnancy. Her marriage was going well, and Strymon had prospered in the last years, doubtlessly not without her contribution.
Ezra approached Zachariah, who had by now sat down to have another ale and keep his new wife company, and congratulated him for the great wedding celebration.
"But that's not what I'm here for. I've overheard Khan Bulçan talking about how he's thinking of expanding into Pecheneg, but is unsure whether the Bulanid are going to intervene as he's missing intelligence about their whereabouts in the South."
Zachariah was intrigued. "Hmm. He's been discontent with the situation for quite some time, and frankly he unnerves me with it. And our army is still around the corner with the war on Burtas just won."
Ezra nodded. "That's what I've been thinking. We know well that the Bulanids don't want to take on us. They didn't risk it for Burtas, and they won't for a piece of land from a tributary that is destined to fail sooner or later."
Zachariah took a drag of his ale. "That means it would be another quick war and Bulçan would owe me. It's definitely worth at least looking into. I'll talk to Hezekiah and tell him to send the army eastwards. The war declaration can wait until they're ready to strike. You never know."
"Very well. New ale? My oldest daughter and my wife are sore at each other again, and I'd rather not get in their way too soon."
"Be my guest. And one for Irge, too – just make it as big as mine."
Irge smiled at Zachariah. She had criticized a server earlier for bringing her a smaller glass than her husband's and refused the implication she could drink less, then emptied the new and bigger mug with one drag to the general amusement and admiration of the guests. Zachariah had apparently quickly learned that lesson.
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I forget if ive asked this before, but is Muhan the heir too just the Ashina Lands or the whole Khaganate, and if Tarkhan should get more prestige than his brother than is he the new heir?
Right now he's heir to Ashina only, because he's underage. Once he hits 16, the Khaganate would be his too. And yes, Tarkhan would be the new heir with more prestige - it's essentially an open contest.
Fun fact: his new wife tried the same thing a few years down the road, but was caught quickly and simply told to cut the bullsh*t. Plotting seriously doesn't pay off in Khazaria, as it seems.
Chapter 31 - Feverish
Chapter 31 - Feverish
Summer, 880 AD
While the Khazarian army was on its way to the Pecheneg border, Alania finally fell to the Hashimids and was integrated into the realm. That would have freed the Bulanid army of its defense mission had it ever taken it seriously, but as it was, they continued looting the countryside regardless of its new lord. Duke Hashim now ruled over the whole nothern Caucasus, but was still tributary to Kibar Bulanid, although few people expected it to stay this way forever, with the way the Bulanid acted in their subjects' territory.
Back in Oleshye, Khagan Zachariah struggled with increasingly frequent relapses of fever and rashes. Azariah, dutiful as usual, did his best to keep him free from greater harm and Zachariah's bodily constitution wasn't affected much, but keen observers started to notice that he got increasingly quaint. The old habit of imagining conspiracies against him and the realm had already resumed after the flight of Asli back to Cumania. Her supposed influence from afar became an obsession soon. Each time Zachariah recovered from a fever it got a little worse. Soon he was reported to talk to himself and/or to non-existent dialogue partners.
His councillors, especially the always diligent and loyal Ezra, did their best to cushion or at least circumvent the occasional oddities in Zachariah's behaviour. The Khaganate was ruled in constant consolation of its subdivisions and its council, and the potential for dangerous solo runs was manageable – but Zachariah's instability would also complicate things further when it came to the regular business.
In July, shortly before the army was expected to arrive at the eastern border and march into the Pecheneg lands, the Khagan had the idea to gather them back in Oleshye to publicly heed service to the fallen "national hero" Árpád Álmos, who had sought and found his death in the duel ring at staggering 70 years' age. Zachariah proclaimed that without him leaving Magyar, the Ashina Khaganate of Khazaria would have never been possible, thus only the greatest military honor could ever be enough to honor him.
His marshal Hezekiah was no big supporter of the intended war on Pecheneg, so he asked no questions and headed out to give according orders. Only in the last minute could Bulçan, Buzer and Ezra convince Zachariah that while he was beyond doubt right to be thankful towards Árpád's involuntary contributions, it would suffice to pay respects in a way that was less disruptive to his own plan. Hezekiah was whistled back and the war on Pecheneg declared a week later.
When the council voted in the war, the majorities were as expected. Notable was that Bulçan, seemingly against his own interest, refrained to vote for Zachariah, but he had in turn asked the otherwise malcontent Tähtani for approval so the vote would safely go through.
Zachariah wasn't feeling particularly well that day and was very unapproving of this kind of political trickery. When the war declaration was officially passed, he turned on Tähtani, accused her of treachery and of subduing his authority by working for Bulçan instead of him. That was met with general astonishment, considering she had just voted with him and against Bulçan, but Zachariah didn't care in the slightest and promptly dismissed the supposed traitor. Firing unlanded courtiers was one of the things he could very well pull off on his own.
It was only when Zachariah looked for a suitable replacement for her that he recognized his courtiers had somehow taken their distance from him since he had become Khagan, and more so recently. Hardly anyone was particularly eager to prove his worth to the Khan - though Zachariah wasn't aware of it, word had spread that he was increasingly hard to work with, the recent bouts of weirdness only adding to the challenge. In the end, he promoted his commander Simsam, who at least showed friendly indifference as always, to his special military advisor.
Virág gave birth to a daughter in late August. Zachariah, suspicious as usual, had sent spies after her to find out if everything was as it should, only to be confirmed in that assertion (and paying a rather hefty price for this information). Unfortunately it soon turned out that little Sarantay wasn't as healthy and strong as the other children, which only brought back suspicions in his recently more troubled mind.
When autumn broke, news came in from the western neighbourhood in short succession. King Boris of Bulgaria had run out of luck when he tried to snatch soutchern Sicily from the Aghlabid Sultanate – he had made gains in the beginning against a foe engaged in another war on the mainland, but the Aghlabids were able to finish off the neighbouring Rustamids quicker than Boris had expected and subsequently pushed back his invasion army with ease. The cost of a naval campaign and the due reparations to the Aghlabid Sultan tore a huge hole in his coffers, which was seen with interest by the Khazarian council and Zachariah.
A few days later, the notorious Dyre of Könugardr faced his maybe final defeat. He had to hand over all of his numerous High Chief titles and all his vassals. He was now a lowly chief in Zaslav – back where he had started over 20 years ago when he and his people arrived on the shores of the Dnieper.
Zachariah was staunchly convinced by this point that the ownership of Kiev, be it in titular form or of the actual place, carried a curse that led to inevitable downfall and decay, and sooner or later affected anyone around the unlucky victims. He swore he'd never set foot into these lands or send a single man there as long as he lived.
At the same time, his friend and advisor Khan Yavdi of Jabdertim made slow progress in Polotsk, but his armies were now experiencing the differences in the environment first-hand. Disease and supply problems were abound, although at least little was to see of the Polotskian armies – maybe because they had a peasant revolt to deal with at the same time and their land was full of enemies. Hezekiah's troops and other hordes from the East had been raiding the frontier for the past months as well. This large hostile presence never gave the armies of the Polotskian High Chief and his vassals the chance to properly gather.
December 12, 880 AD
General Khatir sighed deeply and dismissed the discontent soldier that had approached him with complaints about the recent change of plans. This had to be the twentieth time or so that he had to explain to a soldier what he had no real explanation for himself. Only two weeks ago, when the capitulation from the Pechenegs had freshly come in, his superior Marshal Hezekiah had promised to the soldiers in his victory speech that they would see their families soon and he himself would take care that the council blocked any attempts to initiate another war. Khatir was already suspicious when the retreat order didn't occur as usual. The army was ordered by the Khagan in person to stay in the lands they had just conquered on Bulçir's behalf until further notice.
And now they were soon to be marching east again, to make Khagan Tatus of Bashkiria a tributary. Nobody had expected something like that, and hardly anyone understood what they should accomplish there. Bashkiria was vast and thinly populated. It was far off from the Ashina lands and had no military to endanger the Khazarian troops. The main reason for their weakness was a perpetual conflict with the Cumans over Yaik, an otherwise rather ordinary piece of land in the southern outskirts of the Ural mountains. Khagan Sirçan of Cumania, the older brother of the former Khatun Asli, claimed all lands east to the Ural as his, but hadn't been able to get a hold on Yaik for the four and a half years the war was running by now.
Hezekiah himself had returned to the armies from his courtal duties bearing the news, to the general disgruntlement of the simple soldiers who had enough of fighting in the desert and the officers who wished for operations with less unpredictable follow-up risks.
"The Marshal will have to explain a few things." Simsam had been commanding the armies alongside Khatir for years and had recently been promoted to military advisor, mainly because Khatir had taken his demotion from Marshal in vain and held a grudge on the Khagan. "In the end he was the one who gave the missing vote for the war declaration on Bashkiria. Said he had no choice and the speech to the soldiers was a mistake."
Khatir, who had more experience with political matters, replied "He's usually opposed to the Khagan consolidating his power, so I can well imagine that he actually did have no choice. Hezekiah is a formidable warrior who tries too hard to be a politician. Maybe that's inevitable if you lead a clan. One way or the other, he's constantly ending up beind indebted to half the world. I'm almost sure he's paid back some of these debts by casting his vote like this.
Also, don't feign compassion for the soldiers. I know you, comrade." Khatir grinned at Simsam. "You're bored by sieges in the desert with no opponents ever showing up, that's why you don't want to attack Bashkiria."
"Look at this place! Who can blame me?" Simsam smiled too. "Also, I think many of the men think the same way. They're in the Horde to fight for fame and glory, not to drink tea and wait until a bunch of civilians gives up because they have no more supplies."
"It doesn't matter - the big men in Oleshye need to know themselves what they're doing. Following orders is part of the deal too. And it's our duty now to make sure everybody remembers that."
"You're right. No use in complaining. We'd rather get this over with quickly."
Summer, 880 AD
While the Khazarian army was on its way to the Pecheneg border, Alania finally fell to the Hashimids and was integrated into the realm. That would have freed the Bulanid army of its defense mission had it ever taken it seriously, but as it was, they continued looting the countryside regardless of its new lord. Duke Hashim now ruled over the whole nothern Caucasus, but was still tributary to Kibar Bulanid, although few people expected it to stay this way forever, with the way the Bulanid acted in their subjects' territory.
Back in Oleshye, Khagan Zachariah struggled with increasingly frequent relapses of fever and rashes. Azariah, dutiful as usual, did his best to keep him free from greater harm and Zachariah's bodily constitution wasn't affected much, but keen observers started to notice that he got increasingly quaint. The old habit of imagining conspiracies against him and the realm had already resumed after the flight of Asli back to Cumania. Her supposed influence from afar became an obsession soon. Each time Zachariah recovered from a fever it got a little worse. Soon he was reported to talk to himself and/or to non-existent dialogue partners.
His councillors, especially the always diligent and loyal Ezra, did their best to cushion or at least circumvent the occasional oddities in Zachariah's behaviour. The Khaganate was ruled in constant consolation of its subdivisions and its council, and the potential for dangerous solo runs was manageable – but Zachariah's instability would also complicate things further when it came to the regular business.
In July, shortly before the army was expected to arrive at the eastern border and march into the Pecheneg lands, the Khagan had the idea to gather them back in Oleshye to publicly heed service to the fallen "national hero" Árpád Álmos, who had sought and found his death in the duel ring at staggering 70 years' age. Zachariah proclaimed that without him leaving Magyar, the Ashina Khaganate of Khazaria would have never been possible, thus only the greatest military honor could ever be enough to honor him.
His marshal Hezekiah was no big supporter of the intended war on Pecheneg, so he asked no questions and headed out to give according orders. Only in the last minute could Bulçan, Buzer and Ezra convince Zachariah that while he was beyond doubt right to be thankful towards Árpád's involuntary contributions, it would suffice to pay respects in a way that was less disruptive to his own plan. Hezekiah was whistled back and the war on Pecheneg declared a week later.
When the council voted in the war, the majorities were as expected. Notable was that Bulçan, seemingly against his own interest, refrained to vote for Zachariah, but he had in turn asked the otherwise malcontent Tähtani for approval so the vote would safely go through.
Zachariah wasn't feeling particularly well that day and was very unapproving of this kind of political trickery. When the war declaration was officially passed, he turned on Tähtani, accused her of treachery and of subduing his authority by working for Bulçan instead of him. That was met with general astonishment, considering she had just voted with him and against Bulçan, but Zachariah didn't care in the slightest and promptly dismissed the supposed traitor. Firing unlanded courtiers was one of the things he could very well pull off on his own.
It was only when Zachariah looked for a suitable replacement for her that he recognized his courtiers had somehow taken their distance from him since he had become Khagan, and more so recently. Hardly anyone was particularly eager to prove his worth to the Khan - though Zachariah wasn't aware of it, word had spread that he was increasingly hard to work with, the recent bouts of weirdness only adding to the challenge. In the end, he promoted his commander Simsam, who at least showed friendly indifference as always, to his special military advisor.
Virág gave birth to a daughter in late August. Zachariah, suspicious as usual, had sent spies after her to find out if everything was as it should, only to be confirmed in that assertion (and paying a rather hefty price for this information). Unfortunately it soon turned out that little Sarantay wasn't as healthy and strong as the other children, which only brought back suspicions in his recently more troubled mind.
When autumn broke, news came in from the western neighbourhood in short succession. King Boris of Bulgaria had run out of luck when he tried to snatch soutchern Sicily from the Aghlabid Sultanate – he had made gains in the beginning against a foe engaged in another war on the mainland, but the Aghlabids were able to finish off the neighbouring Rustamids quicker than Boris had expected and subsequently pushed back his invasion army with ease. The cost of a naval campaign and the due reparations to the Aghlabid Sultan tore a huge hole in his coffers, which was seen with interest by the Khazarian council and Zachariah.
A few days later, the notorious Dyre of Könugardr faced his maybe final defeat. He had to hand over all of his numerous High Chief titles and all his vassals. He was now a lowly chief in Zaslav – back where he had started over 20 years ago when he and his people arrived on the shores of the Dnieper.
Zachariah was staunchly convinced by this point that the ownership of Kiev, be it in titular form or of the actual place, carried a curse that led to inevitable downfall and decay, and sooner or later affected anyone around the unlucky victims. He swore he'd never set foot into these lands or send a single man there as long as he lived.
At the same time, his friend and advisor Khan Yavdi of Jabdertim made slow progress in Polotsk, but his armies were now experiencing the differences in the environment first-hand. Disease and supply problems were abound, although at least little was to see of the Polotskian armies – maybe because they had a peasant revolt to deal with at the same time and their land was full of enemies. Hezekiah's troops and other hordes from the East had been raiding the frontier for the past months as well. This large hostile presence never gave the armies of the Polotskian High Chief and his vassals the chance to properly gather.
December 12, 880 AD
General Khatir sighed deeply and dismissed the discontent soldier that had approached him with complaints about the recent change of plans. This had to be the twentieth time or so that he had to explain to a soldier what he had no real explanation for himself. Only two weeks ago, when the capitulation from the Pechenegs had freshly come in, his superior Marshal Hezekiah had promised to the soldiers in his victory speech that they would see their families soon and he himself would take care that the council blocked any attempts to initiate another war. Khatir was already suspicious when the retreat order didn't occur as usual. The army was ordered by the Khagan in person to stay in the lands they had just conquered on Bulçir's behalf until further notice.
And now they were soon to be marching east again, to make Khagan Tatus of Bashkiria a tributary. Nobody had expected something like that, and hardly anyone understood what they should accomplish there. Bashkiria was vast and thinly populated. It was far off from the Ashina lands and had no military to endanger the Khazarian troops. The main reason for their weakness was a perpetual conflict with the Cumans over Yaik, an otherwise rather ordinary piece of land in the southern outskirts of the Ural mountains. Khagan Sirçan of Cumania, the older brother of the former Khatun Asli, claimed all lands east to the Ural as his, but hadn't been able to get a hold on Yaik for the four and a half years the war was running by now.
Hezekiah himself had returned to the armies from his courtal duties bearing the news, to the general disgruntlement of the simple soldiers who had enough of fighting in the desert and the officers who wished for operations with less unpredictable follow-up risks.
"The Marshal will have to explain a few things." Simsam had been commanding the armies alongside Khatir for years and had recently been promoted to military advisor, mainly because Khatir had taken his demotion from Marshal in vain and held a grudge on the Khagan. "In the end he was the one who gave the missing vote for the war declaration on Bashkiria. Said he had no choice and the speech to the soldiers was a mistake."
Khatir, who had more experience with political matters, replied "He's usually opposed to the Khagan consolidating his power, so I can well imagine that he actually did have no choice. Hezekiah is a formidable warrior who tries too hard to be a politician. Maybe that's inevitable if you lead a clan. One way or the other, he's constantly ending up beind indebted to half the world. I'm almost sure he's paid back some of these debts by casting his vote like this.
Also, don't feign compassion for the soldiers. I know you, comrade." Khatir grinned at Simsam. "You're bored by sieges in the desert with no opponents ever showing up, that's why you don't want to attack Bashkiria."
"Look at this place! Who can blame me?" Simsam smiled too. "Also, I think many of the men think the same way. They're in the Horde to fight for fame and glory, not to drink tea and wait until a bunch of civilians gives up because they have no more supplies."
"It doesn't matter - the big men in Oleshye need to know themselves what they're doing. Following orders is part of the deal too. And it's our duty now to make sure everybody remembers that."
"You're right. No use in complaining. We'd rather get this over with quickly."
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Zacharias fall continues......hopefully the council can try and limit the effects of his insanity.
A lunatic leader can be a curse or a blessing. They can be crazy as a loon or crazy like a fox.
It might seem so - but never underestimate Zachariah's habit of falling up stairs.
True that. And more often than not, it's somewhere in between. Judging from his past, the "fox" option doesn't seem all to unrealistic.
What I can already say: Zach is not going to turn into the typical "cruel/wroth/lunatic" sadist tyrant.
Chapter 32 - Painful Losses
Chapter 32 - Painful Losses
Spring, 881 AD
The new year saw another war ending in territorial losses for Sol of Pechenegs, whose reign was now closer than ever to collapsing while Khan Yavantey of Ezgil continued his winning streak. The holdings of Sol's vassal Khan Konel of Kurtsituur were sacked so thoroughly that he was thereafter known as Yavantey "the Despoiler". He now ruled over a large swath of land and was suzerain to the large tribal realm of Perm further to the North. By law he was still subject to Khagan Batir of Bolghar, but there was little doubt about the true power in the realm.
A little later, another war that had already cast its shadows broke out in the open. The Kingdom of the Kievan Rus declared a subjugation war on the competing High Chiefdom of Kiev that was under the command of Voislav, the former Chief of Belz, since Dyre's final downfall. Upon hearing this, Zachariah gave his council an emotional, if somewhat scattered, speech about the inevitability of this conflict due to the "Kievan curse" that consumed everyone within its reach.
Violence also erupted in the heartland of the Bulanid, whose main host was still raiding their own tributary on the Caucasus and left only a small force to defend their own lands. Khan Hezekiah apparently wanted his piece of the cake too.
In Polotsk, the High Chief had managed to push back Yavdi, mainly due to enormous attrition on the Jabdertim armies. That was when grim news spread from his capital hillfort: The peasant revolt that had formed in the neighbouring chiefdom of Lukoml had made their way into the fortifications and caused a massacre among the guards and courtiers. Among the victims were the oldest sons of High Chief Yelisey, who managed to escape with his wife and the children but was heavily wounded. The war on his southern border, although a military success until now, came with a terrible price tag.
The only place where fewer people died than anyone expected seemed to be Bashkiria. Although the Khazarian troops weren't exactly content with their new course, they plowed through the lands with no opposition to speak of and by June, the Khagan readily offered his surrender.
The reason for the suspiciously easy win was disclosed to Zachariah less than two weeks later when the call to arms from Khagan Tatus against the Cumans arrived. His ambassador praised Zachariah's deeds and carefully hinted at how a participation in the war might be an opportunity to get hold of Asli (who by all information was still trying to get her hands on Zachariah's eldest son) without risking much should anything not go as expected. There would also be no need for the council to be considered in case of a tributary asking for assistance. A simple positive answer from him personally would suffice, and possibly save his son.
Zachariah's general staff including Hezekiah was still in Bashkiria and organizing the supposed return voyage of the victorious army, so no one was there to point out that the Cumans fielded a formidable army from all parts of the country, totalling over 3500 men and this war would be considerably harder to fight than the previous ones. The Khagan happily accepted, to the shock of his commanders who were caught in surprise, but had little choice but to cooperate and now orchestrate a campaign even farther east – in Cumania.
September 21, 881 AD
A few weeks after the unexpected entry in this "new" war, the mentioned Cuman army was marching toward the Khazarians, who were laying siege to the Cuman court in Or, but barely managed to avoid them by turning south. Khagan Tatus and his other allies had just been beaten in a battle further north and were on the retreat, and the Khazarian generals who were slightly outnumbered by themselves didn't want to risk an open field battle.
A delegation of messengers from Oleshye came along their way, with urgent and highly worrisome news for the commanders. Minutes later, Simsam rode along Khatir with sweat on his forehead and his face pale.
"The Khagan orders Hezekiah and me to come to Oleshye immediately. Khan Yavdi is dead. Succumbed to cancer. No one knew it until he collapsed in an army camp marching towards Bryansk. The Jabdertim war on Polotsk has been called off with immediate effect."
Khatir gasped. "What?! But we have the Cumans on our heels....we don't have time for a reorganization of command now!"
"The orders are definite - we've been officially stripped from commanding anything as by now. Our new superior is Yavdi's son Itakh. The Khagan made very clear that the consequences of disobeying would be dire. We have to come up with something. Fast."
"Without you two, two divisions will be without proper leadership. We don't have anything close to a replacement, and there's nothing of this Itakh to be seen. Why didn't he ride along the messengers? What are we supposed to come up with? This is madness....may Adonai have mercy on us."
Khatir was as white as a sheet. His desperation was tangible. Without proper command, the Khazarian army would stand no chance in the fluid, situational combat typical for battles between Steppe hordes. They would be fodder for the enemies' arrows and swords. What was the Khagan thinking?
Upon hearing of Khan Yavdi's unexpected death, Khagan Zachariah had gone blind with anger and sorrow. He gave out the fateful order to call in everyone of rank for the funeral and pronounced draconic punishment for non-attendance, then had secluded himself and refused to speak with anyone until now. Even Ezra, probably the only one who could have done something, did not get through to him and had to leave empty-handed after various accusations and threats by the grieving Zachariah.
The funeral was held as soon as the concillors and courtiers were fully gathered, with the military men hardly able to think about anything else but the Khazarian army that was now trapped in Cuman lands with the enemy coming towards them. Khatir was a formidable man, but he couldn't manage a march of three full divisions on his own and support from Oleshye wasn't in sight. After the burial, the changes in the council that had already been disclosed to its members were proclaimed. Several chairs were switched, Hezekiah now (to his surprise) being Court Rabbi and Commander to make way for the new Khan of Jabdertim, whose talents beyond military matters were all but overseeable. His fathers' steward position was awarded to the man whose statue still graced a bay on the shores of Theodosia: Kundaç, the former steward of the Ashina Khanate before Zachariah's ascension to Khagan, made a comeback.
Itakh, Simsam and Hezekiah (who was still a General, though no longer Marshal) rushed towards Cumania after the burial - but they came too late. The inevitable had already happened - the Cumans had caught up to the disorganized armies of Khazaria. The rest of the command ran into an army in hasty retreat and could only join them on their way back into Khazarian lands.
The men reported that the battle in Or was fought relentless and heroically, but to no avail. Although the enemy had more archers on his side, the Ashina troops had managed to inflict a lot of casualties during the beginning of the battle. The tide turned when the light cavalry of the Cumans on the flanks managed to outmaneuver the Khazarian troops and slay many of them before they could regroup. Khatir, caught in the center of the battlefield that had been doing considerably better until then, could only intervene on one side with his troops and had to make a near-impossible call. Predictably, as soon as he rode to the right flank that was about to collapse, the left side gave way and the enemy could rush toward Khatir's men from behind. All that the remainder of the Khazarian army could do was storm ahead, make their way through the enemy lines to open ground and retreat.
Khatir himself proved his devotion and his courage when he rode back several times into the carnage to get isolated troops out of harms' way and to safe ground. He paid for it with his life, fallen to an enemy arrow volley after having saved dozens of lives personally, and probably hundreds more with the bold decision to storm the front instead of getting surrounded entirely.
Zachariah's blind grief had cost almost 1000 more lives, among them the most accomplished war hero from Ashina lands, Khatir Azizid. After Khan Yavdi, the second state funeral had to be announced in Oleshye.
Spring, 881 AD
The new year saw another war ending in territorial losses for Sol of Pechenegs, whose reign was now closer than ever to collapsing while Khan Yavantey of Ezgil continued his winning streak. The holdings of Sol's vassal Khan Konel of Kurtsituur were sacked so thoroughly that he was thereafter known as Yavantey "the Despoiler". He now ruled over a large swath of land and was suzerain to the large tribal realm of Perm further to the North. By law he was still subject to Khagan Batir of Bolghar, but there was little doubt about the true power in the realm.
A little later, another war that had already cast its shadows broke out in the open. The Kingdom of the Kievan Rus declared a subjugation war on the competing High Chiefdom of Kiev that was under the command of Voislav, the former Chief of Belz, since Dyre's final downfall. Upon hearing this, Zachariah gave his council an emotional, if somewhat scattered, speech about the inevitability of this conflict due to the "Kievan curse" that consumed everyone within its reach.
Violence also erupted in the heartland of the Bulanid, whose main host was still raiding their own tributary on the Caucasus and left only a small force to defend their own lands. Khan Hezekiah apparently wanted his piece of the cake too.
In Polotsk, the High Chief had managed to push back Yavdi, mainly due to enormous attrition on the Jabdertim armies. That was when grim news spread from his capital hillfort: The peasant revolt that had formed in the neighbouring chiefdom of Lukoml had made their way into the fortifications and caused a massacre among the guards and courtiers. Among the victims were the oldest sons of High Chief Yelisey, who managed to escape with his wife and the children but was heavily wounded. The war on his southern border, although a military success until now, came with a terrible price tag.
The only place where fewer people died than anyone expected seemed to be Bashkiria. Although the Khazarian troops weren't exactly content with their new course, they plowed through the lands with no opposition to speak of and by June, the Khagan readily offered his surrender.
The reason for the suspiciously easy win was disclosed to Zachariah less than two weeks later when the call to arms from Khagan Tatus against the Cumans arrived. His ambassador praised Zachariah's deeds and carefully hinted at how a participation in the war might be an opportunity to get hold of Asli (who by all information was still trying to get her hands on Zachariah's eldest son) without risking much should anything not go as expected. There would also be no need for the council to be considered in case of a tributary asking for assistance. A simple positive answer from him personally would suffice, and possibly save his son.
Zachariah's general staff including Hezekiah was still in Bashkiria and organizing the supposed return voyage of the victorious army, so no one was there to point out that the Cumans fielded a formidable army from all parts of the country, totalling over 3500 men and this war would be considerably harder to fight than the previous ones. The Khagan happily accepted, to the shock of his commanders who were caught in surprise, but had little choice but to cooperate and now orchestrate a campaign even farther east – in Cumania.
September 21, 881 AD
A few weeks after the unexpected entry in this "new" war, the mentioned Cuman army was marching toward the Khazarians, who were laying siege to the Cuman court in Or, but barely managed to avoid them by turning south. Khagan Tatus and his other allies had just been beaten in a battle further north and were on the retreat, and the Khazarian generals who were slightly outnumbered by themselves didn't want to risk an open field battle.
A delegation of messengers from Oleshye came along their way, with urgent and highly worrisome news for the commanders. Minutes later, Simsam rode along Khatir with sweat on his forehead and his face pale.
"The Khagan orders Hezekiah and me to come to Oleshye immediately. Khan Yavdi is dead. Succumbed to cancer. No one knew it until he collapsed in an army camp marching towards Bryansk. The Jabdertim war on Polotsk has been called off with immediate effect."
Khatir gasped. "What?! But we have the Cumans on our heels....we don't have time for a reorganization of command now!"
"The orders are definite - we've been officially stripped from commanding anything as by now. Our new superior is Yavdi's son Itakh. The Khagan made very clear that the consequences of disobeying would be dire. We have to come up with something. Fast."
"Without you two, two divisions will be without proper leadership. We don't have anything close to a replacement, and there's nothing of this Itakh to be seen. Why didn't he ride along the messengers? What are we supposed to come up with? This is madness....may Adonai have mercy on us."
Khatir was as white as a sheet. His desperation was tangible. Without proper command, the Khazarian army would stand no chance in the fluid, situational combat typical for battles between Steppe hordes. They would be fodder for the enemies' arrows and swords. What was the Khagan thinking?
Upon hearing of Khan Yavdi's unexpected death, Khagan Zachariah had gone blind with anger and sorrow. He gave out the fateful order to call in everyone of rank for the funeral and pronounced draconic punishment for non-attendance, then had secluded himself and refused to speak with anyone until now. Even Ezra, probably the only one who could have done something, did not get through to him and had to leave empty-handed after various accusations and threats by the grieving Zachariah.
The funeral was held as soon as the concillors and courtiers were fully gathered, with the military men hardly able to think about anything else but the Khazarian army that was now trapped in Cuman lands with the enemy coming towards them. Khatir was a formidable man, but he couldn't manage a march of three full divisions on his own and support from Oleshye wasn't in sight. After the burial, the changes in the council that had already been disclosed to its members were proclaimed. Several chairs were switched, Hezekiah now (to his surprise) being Court Rabbi and Commander to make way for the new Khan of Jabdertim, whose talents beyond military matters were all but overseeable. His fathers' steward position was awarded to the man whose statue still graced a bay on the shores of Theodosia: Kundaç, the former steward of the Ashina Khanate before Zachariah's ascension to Khagan, made a comeback.
Itakh, Simsam and Hezekiah (who was still a General, though no longer Marshal) rushed towards Cumania after the burial - but they came too late. The inevitable had already happened - the Cumans had caught up to the disorganized armies of Khazaria. The rest of the command ran into an army in hasty retreat and could only join them on their way back into Khazarian lands.
The men reported that the battle in Or was fought relentless and heroically, but to no avail. Although the enemy had more archers on his side, the Ashina troops had managed to inflict a lot of casualties during the beginning of the battle. The tide turned when the light cavalry of the Cumans on the flanks managed to outmaneuver the Khazarian troops and slay many of them before they could regroup. Khatir, caught in the center of the battlefield that had been doing considerably better until then, could only intervene on one side with his troops and had to make a near-impossible call. Predictably, as soon as he rode to the right flank that was about to collapse, the left side gave way and the enemy could rush toward Khatir's men from behind. All that the remainder of the Khazarian army could do was storm ahead, make their way through the enemy lines to open ground and retreat.
Khatir himself proved his devotion and his courage when he rode back several times into the carnage to get isolated troops out of harms' way and to safe ground. He paid for it with his life, fallen to an enemy arrow volley after having saved dozens of lives personally, and probably hundreds more with the bold decision to storm the front instead of getting surrounded entirely.
Zachariah's blind grief had cost almost 1000 more lives, among them the most accomplished war hero from Ashina lands, Khatir Azizid. After Khan Yavdi, the second state funeral had to be announced in Oleshye.
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Zacharias circle grows smaller, he wil need to find new allies.....what age are his sons at the time of this chapter
It's lonely at the top. One has to be allowed a certain leeway in the sanity department when one is all the way up there
Turning 8 during the events of this chapter. Zach will need to hold through for a while. But he's got a real good physician.
It's actually fortunate for Zach that he isn't as lonely as one would expect. As long he's useful to the other Khans, he gets all the leeway he needs. Which is going to be quite a lot.
Chapter 33 - Tectonic Shifts
Chapter 33 - Tectonic Shifts
Winter, 881/882 AD
Although the Jabdertim had to retreat, the violence in Polotsk wouldn't stop taking its toll anytime soon. While on the run with the remainder of his family and without proper medical care available, High Chief Yelisey of Polotsk tragically succumbed to the infection of a wound he had sustained in the narrow escape. His brother was now the High Chief of Polotsk and got two of Yelisey's four chiefdoms, while his remaining son Vysheslav inherited two chiefdoms as well and formed the now independent High Chiefdom of Pronsk, quite far away from its original location. The split of Yelisey's demesne left his brother with even less manpower to fend off the unruly peasants that had taken over large parts of the realm in the West. The Jabdertim-Polotskian war truly knew nothing but losers, and Zachariah was more than ever convinced that Khazarians meddling in Russia could only lead to death and despair for everyone involved.
Yavdi's son Itakh wasn't a big supporter of that notion. He remembered that his father Yavdi had been the only Khazarian to successfully conquer Russian lands until now, and in an effort to follow in his footsteps declared war in the final days of 881 to make a tributary of the remains of the High Chiefdom of Kiev. Its leader Voislav was besieged by the Rus' troops by now, and two other neighbours had declared claims on land. Making him a tributary would probably not hold for long – if Itakh managed to win the war at all before Kiev was subjugated by the larger Kiev.
Less than half a year later, Radoslav of Polotsk had to admit that trying to defend his realm against the angry peasants in the west was futile. Vyshata, the King of the Kievan Rus, offered his help in return for Radoslav becoming a vassal to him, just like the prophecy that his rule grounded upon said (this was an overexaggeration - like most prophecies, it was rather vague). Radoslav, though himself no big believer in prophecies and the like, rather could live with a somewhat united Polotsk under the Kievan Rus than with its further disintegration. Thus he had no choice but to succumb – but at least Vyshata kept his promise and quickly obliterated the peasant troops that had already done so much damage.
The Russian lands along the Khazarian border were indeed almost unified now. The Kievan Rus was a larger and more powerful force than anything the region had seen to date. Zachariah, who was by now absolutely devout to the tough that a curse was lasting on Kievan lands, was confused by Vyshata's apparent success, but entirely sure that he never wanted anything to do with that kingdom.
Only a few weeks later, the High Chief of Kiev surprisingly chose to surrender to Itakh, maybe hoping that the Khan of Jabdertim was sending reinforcements to the other wars Voislav was still running. Itakh made clear to his fellow Khans though that his only intention was to prove his troops' worth and he wouldn't take any action whatsoever to defend Voislav from his inevitable subjugation under the ever growing Kievan Rus. That was met with much relief by the Khazarian council, particularly the Khagan.
On the other side of the realm, the Khazarian host who had been so soundly defeated by the Cumans had now set up camp again in the familiar Pecheneg lands. Khagan Sol, in another iteration of his streak of bad ideas, had married his son to the notorious Asli, Zachariah's ex-wife, and forged an alliance with the Cumans not too long ago. He had accepted the call (mostly for formal reasons) before the Khazarians were called in and was now paying the price once again, with his lands being an easy target for the Khazarian host who did not want to afford another open battle after the failure in Or.
Additional to helping with the larger war effort, there were spoils ripe for the taking. When the Ashina troops marched into Uzen, the seat of the young Khan of Kuertsituur (the only vassal of Sol of Pecheneg), they managed to get hold of his family. Taking prisoners was uncommon in the Steppes, mostly because noble families usually had a lot of retreating ground in case of an incoming hostile army, and the opportunity to press for ransom money was new to Zachariah.
Although Yeke of Kuertsituur was by no means rich (which was no surprise, with his lands being pillaged all the time) and Zachariah would have liked to make an example of them what happened if you stood against the Khagan of Khazaria, the additional gold for the treasury posed the stronger incentive. Zachariah had adopted an increasingly extravagant lifestyle since his ascension, procuring exotic animals and all kinds of foreign luxuries to entertain himself and the guests at his frequent and lavish carousals. Money was always needed, and soon Zachariah ordered his armies to also take hostages in Cumania.
Trouble was also returning to the Caucasus, where the Alanian chiefs were highly discontent with Duke Hashim of Aghbania, who hadn't managed to come off as anything but a foreign invader since his subjugation of the Alanian lands. The Bulanid, Hashim's suzerain and supposed protectors, had been plundering the same lands for many months now, with no signs of it stopping soon. The Alanian chiefs had enough and revolted, less than two years after Hashim's victory. Although their endeavour would be hard to pull off, the Duke was busy with a war on Georgia and was caught off guard. The rebels quickly gained territory, slightly benefitting from the Bulanid troops still refusing to take land and instead proceeding to loot Abkhazia after they were done in the Alanian lands.
Ever since he was Khagan, Zachariah had to keep a lot more things on his mind than as a mere Khan. His days were now filled with strategy meetings, diplomatic encounters and requests by courtspeople and peasants alike. Half of Zachariah's councillors had their own Khanates to manage and their own agenda. Without him realizing it, he had become stuck in a routine he never had wished for, and he spent little time around his new wife Irge, who in turn felt underappreciated and isolated in a foreign land. The nightly screaming and crying soon resumed around Zachariah's quarters.
It was after a particularly nasty argument, when Irge stated she was disgusted by him and threatened to move out of his bedchambers, that Zachariah apparently came to his mind. He promised to Irge to spend more time living the good life with her from now on and show her what it was like to be a true Khatun. These sudden mood swings weren't unusual for the Khagan, who got more erratic and unpredictable by the day – but by that promise he stood.
October 19, 882 AD
The Khazarians had returned to Or upon the sack of the Pecheneg lands. The Cuman army, although victorious the last time, was worn out from the long war. The encampment of the Cumans had seen much suffering over its course and was only staffed by the Khagan's lifeguard of a few dozen men, and it was overrun within days. With so little time and much of the surrounding lands under occupation by the Bashkirians, there was no opportunity for Khagan Sirçan's family, now the priority targets, to escape. A troop of soldiers approached the Khazarian High Command yurt with four startled women and two children, a five-year old boy and a toddler barely able to walk who didn't understand a bit what was happening.
"Marshal Itakh, General Simsam, General Hezekiah" – the platoon leader saluted very accurately before the three most important men in the Khazarian army – "I present to you the wife, the concubines and the two sons and potential heirs to Khagan Sirçan. We found them in the outskirts of Or, trying to pass off as a peasant family, but my men knew better. The spies who are supposed to know the lands confirmed their identities."
All three commanders saluted. Hezekiah replied to him. "Thank you, Sergeant Belet. We will see that you and your men are richly rewarded for this valuable catch." He lowered his voice. "Now I have a very special assignment for you: You and your men positively need to keep absolute secrecy about this until the war is concluded. To everyone, including other officers. If you manage to keep quiet, this is going to be very soon and a promotion waits every one of you. If not....well, this war has been running since the summer of 876. Do you comprehend me?"
The sergeant thought he had got something wrong. He had just come to his superiors reporting that the primary mission directive had been accomplished, and he was supposed to tell no one? "I don't understand...."
"That's relatable. I promise you will get all the answers as soon as we're all on our way home – which, I repeat, will be very soon if you keep your mouth shut. In case anyone already has taken notice, tell them you've been mistaken by the spies and it was actually only a peasant family. We will back the story up."
The sergeant vowed to not say a word to anyone, although he was visibly confused about it.
Itakh of Jabdertim had only sat and listened the whole time. He was now superior commander of all things directly troop-related, but Hezekiah was the far more experienced and talented politician. Itakh was outgoing and generous, and he tried hard to become better at ruling quickly - but his talents clearly lay on the battlefield, and he believed in wars being decided by blood and iron rather than secrecy and intrigue. He still had agreed to Hezekiah's plan – everyone knew the men were weary and wanted to return home at last.
Two weeks later, Cumania surrendered, agreeing to a declaration of responsibility for all hostilities and to the ensuing reparations. Over six years after Sirçan of Cumania's war declaration, Tatus of Bashkiria and his allies had won.
November 24, 882 AD
Extravagant feasts had become more common in the last months, with Zachariah and Irge always in the middle of attention. It seemed as this was what Irge had always wished for, and their marriage had taken a better turn again. Today the victory over the Cumans and the successful defense of the still quite new tributary to Khazaria was to be celebrated lavishly.
To everyone's delight, Yeldem and her family were among the guests this time, and she was overjoyed of seeing the lands along the Black Sea coast once again on the trip to Oleshye. Her husband, by now a seasoned veteran of several wars against Hungary, had inherited more land when King Boris "Ironside" died about three months ago and was now the Duke of Strymon and Vidin. His older brother Gavril was now King of Bulgaria. Yeldem and Simeon were enamored with their two-year-old and very adorable daughter Borislava, and she was always cared for by a myriad of maids.
Yeldem was happy in Strymon and much respected, despite her being Jewish and thus only able to exert political influence behind closed doors. Still she followed all news from Khazaria with enthusiasm and regularly sent messengers to keep up with the antics of her brother and the other people from her former life. She was impressed by Zachariah actually somehow handling his affairs without greater desaster abounding since he had become Khagan – but from all her experience and what she had witnessed during the carousal, she suspected that just like him being able to rise to power his success had to do with capable advisors and favorable circumstances rather than Zachariah's great rulership.
"I hope you all like the larks' tongues, wrens' livers, chaffinch brains, jaguars' earlobes and wolf nipple chips", Zachariah addressed her and Simeon during the feast, not without pride in the numerous amenities he had come by with the help of his new Roman chef. "It's cost a fortune to import them. Irge had the idea to diversify our cuisine a bit. Isn't that the best idea anyone ever had?"
"Definitely, Zach." Yeldem couldn't conceal a smirk. The Roman treats, as exotic as they looked, were mostly disgusting. People ate them out of politeness and coquetry (except Irge whose tastes had always been odd) because Zachariah wouldn't stop going on about it. "Maybe save for the five executions as the highlight of today's program. Who were the unlucky souls?"
Zachariah replied eagerly. "Oh, just some concubines from the east. War spoils, nothing of big notice. What's so exciting about it was that each of them was subject to a different technique of traditional execution methods. Although we don't practice Tengrism anymore, some traditions need to be protected, don't they?"
"Sure that. Though I can't recall the tradition of executing innocent women for public entertainment from my times." was the dry answer.
"Ha-ha! Just because we didn't fight as many wars back in the day. You've always been a crazy one, Yeldem. Executions were always a favorite pastime of Ashina rulers."
Yeldem remained serious. "I take it your men didn't manage to catch Asli. That's a shame. This traitorous snake would be one that actually deserved justice. Will you continue to hunt her?"
"You're right, but Marshal Itakh and General Hezekiah said that she was probably knowing what was coming and will be on the run somewhere further east. The armies are tired and we don't know in the least where to look for her. In addition, Ezra is sure she still has eyes and ears around Oleshye and will be a step ahead of us. And all those wars take the focus away from my feasts. No, we'll have to stop chasing Asli, as much as it infuriates me to even think about her."
Yeldem was pleasantly surprised. Zachariah was clearly less sensible on the whole than he had been in earlier days, but at least there were still people getting through to him at times.
In eastern Europe, everyone talked about the rapid ascension of the Kievan Rus and its continuing unification of tribal lands from Ruthenia to Novgorod. King Rurik had surrendered to Polotskian troops shortly, and only a few smaller states remained independent, among them the new Jarldom of Pronsk that had split apart from Polotsk after Yelisey's passing. Khazaria had an increasingly long border with them, and lands considered rightfully Russian were on their side of it. Itakh of Jabdertim had the decency not to go against the Rus, but there would be more tensions. Some sense would be needed sooner or later.
Winter, 881/882 AD
Although the Jabdertim had to retreat, the violence in Polotsk wouldn't stop taking its toll anytime soon. While on the run with the remainder of his family and without proper medical care available, High Chief Yelisey of Polotsk tragically succumbed to the infection of a wound he had sustained in the narrow escape. His brother was now the High Chief of Polotsk and got two of Yelisey's four chiefdoms, while his remaining son Vysheslav inherited two chiefdoms as well and formed the now independent High Chiefdom of Pronsk, quite far away from its original location. The split of Yelisey's demesne left his brother with even less manpower to fend off the unruly peasants that had taken over large parts of the realm in the West. The Jabdertim-Polotskian war truly knew nothing but losers, and Zachariah was more than ever convinced that Khazarians meddling in Russia could only lead to death and despair for everyone involved.
Yavdi's son Itakh wasn't a big supporter of that notion. He remembered that his father Yavdi had been the only Khazarian to successfully conquer Russian lands until now, and in an effort to follow in his footsteps declared war in the final days of 881 to make a tributary of the remains of the High Chiefdom of Kiev. Its leader Voislav was besieged by the Rus' troops by now, and two other neighbours had declared claims on land. Making him a tributary would probably not hold for long – if Itakh managed to win the war at all before Kiev was subjugated by the larger Kiev.
Less than half a year later, Radoslav of Polotsk had to admit that trying to defend his realm against the angry peasants in the west was futile. Vyshata, the King of the Kievan Rus, offered his help in return for Radoslav becoming a vassal to him, just like the prophecy that his rule grounded upon said (this was an overexaggeration - like most prophecies, it was rather vague). Radoslav, though himself no big believer in prophecies and the like, rather could live with a somewhat united Polotsk under the Kievan Rus than with its further disintegration. Thus he had no choice but to succumb – but at least Vyshata kept his promise and quickly obliterated the peasant troops that had already done so much damage.
The Russian lands along the Khazarian border were indeed almost unified now. The Kievan Rus was a larger and more powerful force than anything the region had seen to date. Zachariah, who was by now absolutely devout to the tough that a curse was lasting on Kievan lands, was confused by Vyshata's apparent success, but entirely sure that he never wanted anything to do with that kingdom.
Only a few weeks later, the High Chief of Kiev surprisingly chose to surrender to Itakh, maybe hoping that the Khan of Jabdertim was sending reinforcements to the other wars Voislav was still running. Itakh made clear to his fellow Khans though that his only intention was to prove his troops' worth and he wouldn't take any action whatsoever to defend Voislav from his inevitable subjugation under the ever growing Kievan Rus. That was met with much relief by the Khazarian council, particularly the Khagan.
On the other side of the realm, the Khazarian host who had been so soundly defeated by the Cumans had now set up camp again in the familiar Pecheneg lands. Khagan Sol, in another iteration of his streak of bad ideas, had married his son to the notorious Asli, Zachariah's ex-wife, and forged an alliance with the Cumans not too long ago. He had accepted the call (mostly for formal reasons) before the Khazarians were called in and was now paying the price once again, with his lands being an easy target for the Khazarian host who did not want to afford another open battle after the failure in Or.
Additional to helping with the larger war effort, there were spoils ripe for the taking. When the Ashina troops marched into Uzen, the seat of the young Khan of Kuertsituur (the only vassal of Sol of Pecheneg), they managed to get hold of his family. Taking prisoners was uncommon in the Steppes, mostly because noble families usually had a lot of retreating ground in case of an incoming hostile army, and the opportunity to press for ransom money was new to Zachariah.
Although Yeke of Kuertsituur was by no means rich (which was no surprise, with his lands being pillaged all the time) and Zachariah would have liked to make an example of them what happened if you stood against the Khagan of Khazaria, the additional gold for the treasury posed the stronger incentive. Zachariah had adopted an increasingly extravagant lifestyle since his ascension, procuring exotic animals and all kinds of foreign luxuries to entertain himself and the guests at his frequent and lavish carousals. Money was always needed, and soon Zachariah ordered his armies to also take hostages in Cumania.
Trouble was also returning to the Caucasus, where the Alanian chiefs were highly discontent with Duke Hashim of Aghbania, who hadn't managed to come off as anything but a foreign invader since his subjugation of the Alanian lands. The Bulanid, Hashim's suzerain and supposed protectors, had been plundering the same lands for many months now, with no signs of it stopping soon. The Alanian chiefs had enough and revolted, less than two years after Hashim's victory. Although their endeavour would be hard to pull off, the Duke was busy with a war on Georgia and was caught off guard. The rebels quickly gained territory, slightly benefitting from the Bulanid troops still refusing to take land and instead proceeding to loot Abkhazia after they were done in the Alanian lands.
Ever since he was Khagan, Zachariah had to keep a lot more things on his mind than as a mere Khan. His days were now filled with strategy meetings, diplomatic encounters and requests by courtspeople and peasants alike. Half of Zachariah's councillors had their own Khanates to manage and their own agenda. Without him realizing it, he had become stuck in a routine he never had wished for, and he spent little time around his new wife Irge, who in turn felt underappreciated and isolated in a foreign land. The nightly screaming and crying soon resumed around Zachariah's quarters.
It was after a particularly nasty argument, when Irge stated she was disgusted by him and threatened to move out of his bedchambers, that Zachariah apparently came to his mind. He promised to Irge to spend more time living the good life with her from now on and show her what it was like to be a true Khatun. These sudden mood swings weren't unusual for the Khagan, who got more erratic and unpredictable by the day – but by that promise he stood.
October 19, 882 AD
The Khazarians had returned to Or upon the sack of the Pecheneg lands. The Cuman army, although victorious the last time, was worn out from the long war. The encampment of the Cumans had seen much suffering over its course and was only staffed by the Khagan's lifeguard of a few dozen men, and it was overrun within days. With so little time and much of the surrounding lands under occupation by the Bashkirians, there was no opportunity for Khagan Sirçan's family, now the priority targets, to escape. A troop of soldiers approached the Khazarian High Command yurt with four startled women and two children, a five-year old boy and a toddler barely able to walk who didn't understand a bit what was happening.
"Marshal Itakh, General Simsam, General Hezekiah" – the platoon leader saluted very accurately before the three most important men in the Khazarian army – "I present to you the wife, the concubines and the two sons and potential heirs to Khagan Sirçan. We found them in the outskirts of Or, trying to pass off as a peasant family, but my men knew better. The spies who are supposed to know the lands confirmed their identities."
All three commanders saluted. Hezekiah replied to him. "Thank you, Sergeant Belet. We will see that you and your men are richly rewarded for this valuable catch." He lowered his voice. "Now I have a very special assignment for you: You and your men positively need to keep absolute secrecy about this until the war is concluded. To everyone, including other officers. If you manage to keep quiet, this is going to be very soon and a promotion waits every one of you. If not....well, this war has been running since the summer of 876. Do you comprehend me?"
The sergeant thought he had got something wrong. He had just come to his superiors reporting that the primary mission directive had been accomplished, and he was supposed to tell no one? "I don't understand...."
"That's relatable. I promise you will get all the answers as soon as we're all on our way home – which, I repeat, will be very soon if you keep your mouth shut. In case anyone already has taken notice, tell them you've been mistaken by the spies and it was actually only a peasant family. We will back the story up."
The sergeant vowed to not say a word to anyone, although he was visibly confused about it.
Itakh of Jabdertim had only sat and listened the whole time. He was now superior commander of all things directly troop-related, but Hezekiah was the far more experienced and talented politician. Itakh was outgoing and generous, and he tried hard to become better at ruling quickly - but his talents clearly lay on the battlefield, and he believed in wars being decided by blood and iron rather than secrecy and intrigue. He still had agreed to Hezekiah's plan – everyone knew the men were weary and wanted to return home at last.
Two weeks later, Cumania surrendered, agreeing to a declaration of responsibility for all hostilities and to the ensuing reparations. Over six years after Sirçan of Cumania's war declaration, Tatus of Bashkiria and his allies had won.
Hezekiah had been successful. Instead of Zachariah in Oleshye, an immediate notification went out to the Khagan of Bashkiria, who offered freedom for Khagan Sirçan's sons in exchange for a full surrender and secrecy about the side deal. Sirçan's war efforts had been in bad shape for quite some time, mostly due to the more adept strategical decision-making by the Bashkirians that had moved the "fronts" far into Cuman territory and kept them away from Yaik. The capturing of his heirs would pose the decisive strike to his morale, that much was ensured.
The only possible disruption would have been Zachariah refusing to hand over the children for peace and demanding gold instead. With Zachariah's increasingly erratic decision-making and his recent enthusiasm for ransom money, this would have been the expectable course – had not Hezekiah pulled the strings in advance, from the moment the order to take prisoners arrived. Zachariah was presented with the wife and concubines of the Khagan and was content enough to not ask further questions.
The only possible disruption would have been Zachariah refusing to hand over the children for peace and demanding gold instead. With Zachariah's increasingly erratic decision-making and his recent enthusiasm for ransom money, this would have been the expectable course – had not Hezekiah pulled the strings in advance, from the moment the order to take prisoners arrived. Zachariah was presented with the wife and concubines of the Khagan and was content enough to not ask further questions.
November 24, 882 AD
Extravagant feasts had become more common in the last months, with Zachariah and Irge always in the middle of attention. It seemed as this was what Irge had always wished for, and their marriage had taken a better turn again. Today the victory over the Cumans and the successful defense of the still quite new tributary to Khazaria was to be celebrated lavishly.
To everyone's delight, Yeldem and her family were among the guests this time, and she was overjoyed of seeing the lands along the Black Sea coast once again on the trip to Oleshye. Her husband, by now a seasoned veteran of several wars against Hungary, had inherited more land when King Boris "Ironside" died about three months ago and was now the Duke of Strymon and Vidin. His older brother Gavril was now King of Bulgaria. Yeldem and Simeon were enamored with their two-year-old and very adorable daughter Borislava, and she was always cared for by a myriad of maids.
Yeldem was happy in Strymon and much respected, despite her being Jewish and thus only able to exert political influence behind closed doors. Still she followed all news from Khazaria with enthusiasm and regularly sent messengers to keep up with the antics of her brother and the other people from her former life. She was impressed by Zachariah actually somehow handling his affairs without greater desaster abounding since he had become Khagan – but from all her experience and what she had witnessed during the carousal, she suspected that just like him being able to rise to power his success had to do with capable advisors and favorable circumstances rather than Zachariah's great rulership.
"I hope you all like the larks' tongues, wrens' livers, chaffinch brains, jaguars' earlobes and wolf nipple chips", Zachariah addressed her and Simeon during the feast, not without pride in the numerous amenities he had come by with the help of his new Roman chef. "It's cost a fortune to import them. Irge had the idea to diversify our cuisine a bit. Isn't that the best idea anyone ever had?"
"Definitely, Zach." Yeldem couldn't conceal a smirk. The Roman treats, as exotic as they looked, were mostly disgusting. People ate them out of politeness and coquetry (except Irge whose tastes had always been odd) because Zachariah wouldn't stop going on about it. "Maybe save for the five executions as the highlight of today's program. Who were the unlucky souls?"
Zachariah replied eagerly. "Oh, just some concubines from the east. War spoils, nothing of big notice. What's so exciting about it was that each of them was subject to a different technique of traditional execution methods. Although we don't practice Tengrism anymore, some traditions need to be protected, don't they?"
"Sure that. Though I can't recall the tradition of executing innocent women for public entertainment from my times." was the dry answer.
"Ha-ha! Just because we didn't fight as many wars back in the day. You've always been a crazy one, Yeldem. Executions were always a favorite pastime of Ashina rulers."
Yeldem remained serious. "I take it your men didn't manage to catch Asli. That's a shame. This traitorous snake would be one that actually deserved justice. Will you continue to hunt her?"
"You're right, but Marshal Itakh and General Hezekiah said that she was probably knowing what was coming and will be on the run somewhere further east. The armies are tired and we don't know in the least where to look for her. In addition, Ezra is sure she still has eyes and ears around Oleshye and will be a step ahead of us. And all those wars take the focus away from my feasts. No, we'll have to stop chasing Asli, as much as it infuriates me to even think about her."
Yeldem was pleasantly surprised. Zachariah was clearly less sensible on the whole than he had been in earlier days, but at least there were still people getting through to him at times.
In eastern Europe, everyone talked about the rapid ascension of the Kievan Rus and its continuing unification of tribal lands from Ruthenia to Novgorod. King Rurik had surrendered to Polotskian troops shortly, and only a few smaller states remained independent, among them the new Jarldom of Pronsk that had split apart from Polotsk after Yelisey's passing. Khazaria had an increasingly long border with them, and lands considered rightfully Russian were on their side of it. Itakh of Jabdertim had the decency not to go against the Rus, but there would be more tensions. Some sense would be needed sooner or later.
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Zacharia grows crueler by the day. The Khagan might not want anything to do with Kievan Rus, but by the looks of it he may have no choice should they get greedy, are they about equal in terms of strength?
Zachariah is going to make quite a name for himself is going to keep on doing this.
Hard to determine. The Kievans have considerably more troops if we count all vassals in, but both parts have their internal disagreements. And last time the steppe hordes were curbstomping tribal levies regardless of numbers. A sensible Kievan ruler would probably not attack out of the blue, but he'd also keep prepared for a mistake.
Oh, he's only started....
