Konurbai Invades Kenkol and Numerous Warriors Protect Talas
With the help of Kulchoro and Kenchoro, Semetei killed Chinkojow and Toltoy, one of his most important and die-hard accomplices. Immediately after forcing the enemy forces to raise the siege, the newly wedded couple returned the Kenkol Plain and settled down in their imperial palace at Talas.
With the help of the loyal and virtuous persons, Semetei became a wise khan. During his reign, the country of the Kyrgyz people began to thrive and prosper day by day.
After the decisive battle breaking out in Beijing between Manas’ grand army and Konurbai’s troops was over, Konurbai was coerced into submission. He had to sue for peace and consented to pay tribute. In the following ten years, Konurbai had no power to launch another war against Kyrgyz people mainly because the enduring war had already sapped the combat effectiveness and morale of the warlord’s forces. Accordingly, Qalmaq tribes’ economic strength had been severely weakened as well. On the other hand, Kyrgyz tribes, which were scattered in the grassland, lacked a military strongman who could be qualified to make rival claims as an equal after the death of the daring khan Manas. Konurbai knew for sure that fighting the tribes without a genuine adversary did not make any sense. What was worse, the war of this kind might impair his fame. It is also the reason why he did not condescend to declare war
Konurbai Invades Kenkol and Numerous Warriors Protect Talas
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at Kyrgyz people for a long time. However, the old warmonger was astonished
at the news of how Semetei succeeded in revitalizing the Kyrgyz tribes. He was
especially jittery because he felt Semetei was as great as his father Manas. He felt
it was time for him to seek a chance of launching the war.
First of all, Konurbai asked a businessman to serve as a spy nosing about
for information in Kyrgyz communities. The businessman received the kind
hospitality from the wicked Qalmaq warlord. Konurbai promised that he
would get the munificent bonus if he succeeded in spying on what was going
on inside the palace of Semetei.
The efforts of the merchant committing espionage paid off finally. He
provided a lot of important and accurate intelligence to the warlord. According
to the snitch, almost all the young herdsmen had left their ranches on the
plain for those in the mountainous area. Apart from the young khan, only
a few senile persons, children and women were still living in the downtown
area. What was worse, a serious pestilence triggered off by water pollution was
raging in the downtown area, taking the lives of a large number of people.
In addition, Semetei made a fatal mistake. He sent his magical steed in the
mountainous area so that it would graze on the fresh grass right there. However,
the young khan did not expect that he could hardly move a single step without
his magical horse, let alone engage in fighting. Shortly after obtaining the
intelligence, Konurbai was wild with great joy. In his opnion, it was time
for him to pit himself against Kyrgyz tribesmen once again. He will never
deign to launch an over-all war in the new situation. Thereafter, he directed
hundreds of thousands of troops to close in on the Kenkol Plain.
Semetei should be blamed for a series of mistakes. Kanikei and Aichurek
once doubted if he made the right choices. However, the young khan turned
down their advice.
After the young khan married Aichurek, he never visited the yurt of
Chiachikei in a bid to heal the severed relationship. The vixen always behaved
in a patronizing manner before the fairy maiden. On the contrary, Aichurek
always showed patience and tolerance to the vixen.
On one night, the newlyweds wrangled with each other over how to deal
with Chiachikei. “Your Majesty. She was a spoiled but noble princess so you
should not snub her any longer. She did not look very well today. So you’d
better go to her place and stay with her right there all night long so as to give
Legend of Manas
her comfort,” the fairy maiden said to her husband. Thereafter, she pushed him out of her own yurt. At night, she lay down alone on her bed but could not fall asleep. She had a hunch that something unexpected might happen on that night. She got out of bed and could make out several figures moving in the distance outside her yurt. In addition, she could hear the rustles of sound. The fairy maiden with quick wits thought:
“My great Khan.
You fought many battles in different places.
Will formidable enemies launch a sneak raid tonight?
Will the warriors carrying the war flags come?
Will the generals come to avenge their dead comrades-in-arms?
Will the demons come to prey on people?
Will the khans come to encroach on our land?”
Aichurek knew what had happened as soon as she saw enemy soldiers encircling her yurt. She flew from the yurt window into the mid-air in a deliberate manner. Then she flew over swarms of enemy troops, heading for the yurt of Chiachikei.
Aichurek came closer to the bed, seeing her husband sound asleep. She tried to awake her husband twice in order to tell him about the imminent danger. However, she drew back her hand simply because she did not want to disturb her husband who was fast asleep at that time. She was afraid of being scolded by him as he awoke tired and pale. Furthermore, she thought that she would show disrespect to Chiachikei if she did so. She mustered up her courage and stretched out her hand for the third time. She gently touched the arm of Chiachikei with her fingers out of anxiety. As a matter of fact, Chiachikei rejoiced with great excitement that night. She affected to be fast asleep at the beginning. As Aichurek touched her arm, the vixen flew into a fury and hurled insults at Aichurek once again.