President Vagabundi
President Vagabundi was reading this ancient document for hours already. Sometimes it was not easy to understand, but he enjoyed it so much that time flew fast. What a power of the mind, the observation. What level of understanding the events and the will to manage the results. It was shocking and not at the same time. The events were known to some degree, but Batu was not. Batu definitely knew what he was doing and did it anyway. Was it the fare of the time? Was that expected of them? Blood and the brutal force were justified by greed or the necessity. Was killing the need? Was it? Was that the diplomacy of the day? Batu was not just the scary picture any longer; he had a voice and what voice that was. It was amazing.
Batu Khan was a brilliant man indeed, and they called him a barbarian. No, his thinking and the knowledge were well advanced. He was not much different from us now. He was superior, and that is why he was winning. Atrocities… They are happening even now, as we speak and for a lesser reason. Often, there was no reason at all. Just mass murder… This document may change the prevailing opinion of the great man and spark so many arguments. Now, we try to match facts with the stories. It sounded as Batu was pretty educated for the time, and that was on top of the military genius. No one doubted he was a genius. He was perfect in war, and his administration was unchallenged for so many years. Well, probably some tried, but they should’ve known better. Definitely, they did not die in bed from old age. Does it happen now? How often? Often. More often than not. It may happen today but not then and there. It was not that kind of society. Yes, he was a born master of power. He was destined to rule, and he ruled. What power. He made life and death decisions for so many. Almost every second of every day… And, this guy Subutai… A sociopath. A rapist. A murderer. He was a common criminal and a war criminal by any standard but then again, a military genius. He was the mastermind of the entire campaign. Are all military talents — criminals, or the other way around? Could you win a war and not break a few laws? War was always about violating the rules. You had your own set of rules. It’s like making an omelet without breaking the eggs. Was it even possible?
The Minister of Science and the Scientific/Technical Advisor to the President made a perfect copy of the original document translated to the modern Mongolian but filled with well-preserved integrity of the old manuscript. The translation from Mongolian to Mongolian was needed due to the eight hundred years gap between the present and the past. It was different now. Many things changed; everything changed.
Yet, it was beautiful, and the pages looked like they met Batu Khan himself but survived the encounter. That was a masterpiece of history, science, archeology, document restoration, and the preservation of the ancient artifacts. There were not too many written documents from that period and none from Batu or anyone of his station. They had done a better job than the President could expect. The photos of the original document were promptly attached, and the President could see the condition of it and the real handwriting of the second or the third most famous Mongol, Batu Khan — the conqueror of Russia and Eastern Europe. There could be a scribe recording his words, but no one knew that for sure. All we know that Batu could read and write. There were just a few of the Mongols that people remember, and he was one of them. Some parts of the document, not too many though, were missing due to the age and the condition of the manuscript. These pages have simply disintegrated with time and because of the humidity and the biologics in the grave filled with the bodies of soldiers killed in the battle or a few fights. Apparently, these bodies were added to the mass grave over the centuries, and the scientists did not know that until recently. There should be many places like that spread out around the world. This kurgan was only one of them yet, how many battles were fought and how many bodies had to be buried. What if we multiply it by thousands of years… This place was not too far from the Golden Horde location, so, everything was entirely possible. Still, this was one of the most important archeological discoveries of the century, and this President of Mongolia would enter the history books as the first non-scientist reading this diary. Batu Khan… The Golden Horde… Reading your word was like meeting you personally. What an honor to meet you, Great Khan. I would not ask, “How are you?”. I know it from the diary already. You just spoke to me, in your loud voice and told the story. What a story. Are there more stories you want to tell me? What would you say if you were here and now? What else was on your mind back then and there? Would you tell me more? Please, do.
The material was fascinating. All of it was strange, so unusual. Batu Khan was talking so openly, so plainly; not hiding anything. He was just sharing his thoughts and observations, and he saw everything, not missing even a slight bit. He was talking to a friend, to himself, to the future. Batu Khan was tasked with conquering everything west of Volga River, and he was set to do that no matter what. Nothing could stop his conquest, not the enemies, and not even friends. The Mongols and the other Nomads were adapted to harsh climates, hard living conditions, hunger, thirst, sicknesses, the violence of wars, and they dealt with the people they met with the same harshness. That was their way, their understanding. If you chose to stand in their way, you would be treated without mercy.
Why should you be any different? They kept moving forward no matter what and not looking back. That’s the life of a Nomad. Why even to look back? What was there but the wasteland and the past? You do not want to go back to the past, not really. Past had more past, and that’s what you escaped from moving forward. That was why you were moving forward in the first place. You just want to remember it, maybe. Would the locust look back at the empty field it just left? Would the fire look back at the burnt down house? Would the Mongols and the Tatars look back at the village they just atrophied? No, the excellent feeding grounds were just ahead, out there, in the West. That’s the goal. West was waiting for them but not welcoming. There could be a death, but then, there could be a treasure beyond the imagination. So, what is it going to be? No, it was not clear at all. Thus, go there as far as only possible, as far as the earth takes you, to the last sea. Go there, conquer it, get your fill, and by the time you get back, the wasteland you left would flourish again. That’s what you always liked. That was beautiful. Now, you can settle down and live off the land if that’s what you desire. Or start a new cycle.
Ever since the President received it early in the morning via the secret service messenger, he was reading it non-stop. President Vagabundi had canceled all meetings and appointments for today. The schedule was free entirely. He even ate at the desk where he was reading. He was sitting in his celebrated Presidential office surrounded by the national flag, ancient weapons, paintings of the vast Mongolian steppes and the photographs of the Mongols riding the small but so famed horses. These horses were responsible for the vast empire as much as the Mongols themselves. No one could make it without those horses, and no one had. Well, but the Great Khans led them both. There, across the room, was an antique Chinese painting on silk of Ogedei Khan (Son of Genghis Khan) — the only Mongolian Emperor of China. He founded the Yuan dynasty that ruled the Mongolian Empire, including China for about a hundred years. A hundred years was not that long in the history of the world but in the history of one country, the country where the thrones could go in any direction with no prior warning, it was an eternity. Thrones — what a powerful magnet that was. And, the invaders, the low barbarian Mongols by the Chinese standards, kept it for a hundred years. That was amazing and quite cunning. How could they do it and for so long? The competition was fearless. Reading this diary, the personal account of the Kiev siege, the President, could see that the ancient Mongols were quite “crafty” with everything they needed, when they needed it. Lies and betrayals were a part of everyday life. Did they lie to each other that easily as well? Did they betray each other that easily as well? They built such powerful alliances that lasted for a long time. Some continued for dozens of years. That could not be based on lies and betrayals. That could be found only on truth, trust, and honor. And, we are talking of Machiavelli. Machiavelli? Italians, French, Germans… Poles and the Russians? Machiavellianism was just a foolish child play in comparison with the Mongols at their peak. They really did it. The Trojan Horse… How could you even relate it to the Kiev siege by Batu Khan? The cunning of Subutai… The Golden Horde and all other hordes at all times. The Greeks took ten years to work out the betrayal, and the Trojan Horse and the Mongols did it just in a few months. No, that was the pinnacle of deception of all times. It was cruel but wise. It was fascinating, just fascinating. One would not even dream of something like that. How did Batu Khan look like? What were his likes and dislikes? No, how did he really look like? How did Subutai look like? What did he like and dislike? Do we have pictures of him, them? The President wanted to see anything and everything belonging to one of the most infamous, butchers in the history of humanity. He wanted to see if there were any human qualities, any realism in any of those pictures.