Pathway to Japanese Literature

Three Acts, Six Scenes

Characters Genghis Khan　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Twenty-seven years old Jochi　　　　　　　　　　　Genghis Khan's younger brother　　　　　　　　　　　Twenty-four years old

Muqali – One of the Four Generals, Chief Guard – Thirty years old

Jebe – Veteran, One of the Four Generals – Sixty years old Khubilai – Chief of Staff, One of the Four Generals

Subutai – Archery Commander, One of the Four Generals

Jelme – Master of Horse Baratemu – Genghis Khan’s page – Fourteen years old Wang Ke'er – A hunchbacked jester, Genghis Khan's beloved entertainer – Around thirty years old. Archers, bodyguards, guards, sentries, numerous soldiers, a military band, and others. Jamukha – Lord of the Jadaran Clan – Thirty years old

Lady Kherkher – Jamukha’s wife – Twenty years old Taichar – Jamukha’s younger brother – Twenty-eight years old The Jadaran Clan's staff officers, Lady Kherkher's handmaidens, messengers, China (Jin Dynasty) traders with their attendants, Khwarazmian Islamic missionaries, Zadarann Castle refugees (men and women), and numerous other garrison soldiers.

Period

The Mongol year known as the Year of the Rat.

The first year of Genkyū of our Emperor Tsuchimikado (1204 CE).

Act I, Scene 1

Along the Orkhon River lay foothills leading into the Khangai Mountains. The Jadaran Clan’s mountain fortress stood built upon strategic heights called Nahu’s Cliff. A stone-built watchtower jutted over sheer precipices. Downstage ran a low bastion with embrasures along elevated stone pavement. Beside it rose a flagpole flying Jadaran’s banner—yellow field bearing white crescent clasping red star. Upstage loomed an iron door granting castle access. Far below stretched Tamir-Orkhon’s merging delta. Across river sands sprawled Genghis Khan’s tents like upturned bowls amid fluttering yak-tail standards and clustered battle flags—distant specks from cliffside vantage. Winding clouds dissolved into Khangai peaks on horizons.

The besieging army's military horses' hooves kicked up the desert sand, and the crimson dust, rising in towering columns, blotted out the sun.

Under a crimson sky—the clamor of clashing soldiers, warhorses' screams, clang of gongs, whistle of signal arrows, stone buckets hurled from the castle fortress—the curtain rises on the tumultuous din of battle.

The stage remained empty for a time.

The scene of the fierce battle raging in other parts of the castle. Downstage at the edge of the watchtower continuing from the cliff, there was a single place—a barely accessible entrance for ascending and descending along the stones. From the upstage door, a merchant from the Jin Dynasty, accompanied by an attendant, crawled out. Both men staggered from days of hunger and were terrified and dazed by today’s fierce assault. Merchant: “Ugh... ugh... This place seems safe enough. Arrows likely won’t reach this far. Honestly, if I have to suffer like this, I’d rather be dead.”

Attendant: “Indeed, sir. If only you had taken a different road from Karakorum and returned straight to your homeland back then.” Merchant: “Ah, when you say that to me, I’ve no face left to show. Coming all the way from our Jin Dynasty with textiles and ceramics to trade for Mongol sable furs, sheepskins, and placer gold was like twisting a baby’s hand to snatch something away. I got carried away by the huge profits and ended up venturing deep into this hinterland—”

Attendant (helping his master walk and timidly approaching the lower bastion): “Unexpectedly, Lord Genghis Khan of Karakorum came to attack the Naiman Kingdom beyond those”—(points to the distant Khangai Mountains)—“mountains, and in seeking to bring this Zadarann territory along his path under submission—well, it turned into a massive war.” From the desert below, a few arrows came flying toward this watchtower as well. The two of them panicked and threw themselves down onto the stone pavement. From the same upstage door entered Yoroboiizu, an Islamic missionary dispatched from Khwarazm to proselytize among the Mongols.

“Oh, are arrows coming here too?” cried the cleric. “Now that it’s come to this, there can be no doubt—this castle will fall today. Ah, Jin merchant sir—it seems we’ve both been caught up in quite an unexpected disaster.” The sound of war cries and the hum of arrows grew even more intense. “We were just discussing that,” said the merchant lifelessly. “Lord Genghis Khan attacked this Zadarann Castle during his Naiman campaign. It’s been over a month since Lord Jamukha barricaded himself here. We took refuge here only to suffer this collateral damage. There hasn’t been a scrap of food in the castle for ages. Days—I don’t know how many—since anyone last tasted venison.”

Attendant: “Master, please stop talking about food.” “These days I drift between wakefulness and sleep day and night—reduced to dreaming of roasted rice.”

Monk: “They ate every living thing in the castle. Dogs they ate. Cats they ate. Even rats they devoured.” He clutched his prayer beads tightly. “Ah... Not one rat remains.” Merchant’s voice cracked as he leaned against crumbling stonework: “This cramped fortress never stored provisions for a siege—yet every Zadarann tribesperson flooded through its gates at once! A full month we’ve endured this hell.” His stomach growled audibly. “If only I could return to Zhongdu... Stuff myself sick with millet porridge...” Attendant crouched closer, breath hot with desperation: “Master—they whisper it through chapped lips—the soldiers...” His eyes darted toward arrow slits where shadows moved. “They’re eating... eating their own fallen.”

“Ah! The fighting intensified again!” cried the merchant. A cacophony of agonized screams erupted all at once. The merchant and attendant covered their ears and prostrated themselves, while the monk gazed up at the sky, chanted “Allah,” and prayed for deliverance.

Kicking open the upstage iron door, Taichar—younger brother of castle lord Jamukha—emerged clutching a half-bow. Three or four warriors followed. All of the castle’s staff officers and soldiers appeared pallid from hunger and exhaustion—their military uniforms torn, some with bloodstained bandages around their heads or arms—bearing clear marks of desperate combat. Taichar: “What the—Genghis Khan’s little brat! “You may try to slaughter our Zadarann Castle as a blood sacrifice for your Naiman campaign, but as long as Zadarann has its lord Jamukha, his brother, and this Taichar here, we will never easily surrender this fortress!” (Looking up at the clan flag overhead) “Who—who would ever surrender to the likes of Genghis Khan in the face of this honorable Zadarann Clan’s flag?” “Hey! What’s going on? The defenses here are undermanned!”

As he ran downstage toward the crumbling edge of the fortress, he noticed three monks—

Taichar: “Hey! Out of the way! In this siege where we want to reduce even one mouth to feed, useless foreign monks and townspeople have fled into the castle—Hmm, right! If we kill you all and eat your flesh, we could hold out for another two or three days. A monk who deceives the masses to live in idleness and a merchant who does the same—both must have soft meat. You cowards—out of the way!” They rushed up to the fortress, concealed themselves in the shadow of the bastion, and incessantly shot arrows down through the embrasures. Three or four warriors also each shot from embrasures. The clamor of battle did not cease for an instant. As three monks attempted to flee into the castle, a large crowd of refugees from within—farmers, herders, men and women of all ages—came pouring out like an avalanche. Women clutching infants, old men leading grandchildren by the hand, and others like them. Simultaneously, arrows from the besieging army came flying in a torrent toward this watchtower, and the refugees all screamed in unison, gathering in a corner to tremble and cower.

Taichar: “Damn it—they’re concentrating their fire!” (Turning around) “Have these wretches come clamoring here again? With our troops depleted and provisions scarce in this castle, even the townsfolk have fled inside—leaving us with nothing but dead weight!” A refugee woman (shielding an infant frantically): “Lord Brother! What will become of our defenders? We’ve not had a decent morsel to eat—we’ll starve to death before the enemy ever slays us!” An old man (clasping his hands wildly): “Lord Taichar! By your mercy—open the gates and save our clan! Even Genghis Khan’s devilish horde wouldn’t harm elders and children!”

Taichar: “Enough! Be silent!” “You grain wasters!” “To think you’d lack even basic decency and propose surrender to this Taichar—what madness is this?!” “Since food is scarce anyway, I’ll shoot you all dead—” He aimed his bow at the crowd of refugees and released an empty string as a threat. From within the castle, a single soldier came running out and shouted.

“Lord Jamukha is arriving here at this very moment.”

Castle Lord Jamukha, accompanied by four or five staff officers and having drawn his long sword, hurriedly entered. Jamukha (seeing his brother about to shoot the tribespeople): “Taichar! In this prolonged siege—with defeat looming any day now—have you lost your mind? What do you think you’re doing, aiming your bow at the townspeople below the castle?” Taichar: “But, Brother. Because there are those uttering such outrageous words as wanting to open the castle gates and save themselves.” Jamukha: “That is not unreasonable. This siege is not merely a battle—is it any wonder the castle-town folk cannot comprehend that?” It was the Mongol Warring States era. The neighing of warhorses and the twang of bows were commonplace, but beneath this war lay a deep-seated emotion that loomed.

Through arrows falling like rain, Taichar ran up and grasped his brother Jamukha’s hand. “Brother!” “Please don’t say that.” “When you say that, my hatred for Genghis Khan blazes up like oil poured on a fire!” “He’s still nursing his grudge over Sister-in-law—that’s why this siege is so relentless!” “I—Taichar—want to charge into those enemy forces thick as clouds and... die cutting through them!”

Jamukha: (as if soliloquizing) Genghis Khan, who attacks, had his profound meaning—and I, who defend, had mine as well. Long ago, I vied with that Genghis Khan for a woman. That woman was Lady Kherkher, daughter of Sorgin Shira—though I won her love and she now stood as my consort, if one were to see through Genghis Khan’s eyes, the bitterness of his rejected heart must have smoldered as pure hostility toward me for years within those wolf-like depths of his breast. In undertaking this campaign against the Naiman Kingdom within the Khangai Mountains, his very attempt to subjugate Zadarann Castle along the way stemmed precisely from that grudge born of love. But I too was a Mongol warrior—was I to meekly hand over this castle to Genghis Khan, who came leading a great army driven by an old grudge of love?

“Hey, everyone—look! In each arrow flying toward us lies the grudge of Genghis Khan—the man defeated in love! His bitter frustration looms over us! Ha ha ha ha! Laugh at him! Hey, all of you—laugh at him! Ha ha ha ha!” (Suddenly noticing his own agitation, he forced calm.) This Zadarann banner—this crescent-and-star standard—had vied in height with the Khangai Mountains since ancestral times, blown by desert winds atop castle walls. Could this crescent-and-star flag ever be lowered? “It’s pride, Taichar—sheer pride! To protect Lady Kherkher and die with this castle as my pillow—! They claim lovers make weak warriors, but I, Jamukha of Zadarann, will prove strong in both love and war!”

Taichar: “Yes, Brother! For Sister-in-law Lady Kherkher, let us defend this castle beneath the crescent-and-star banner until we become the last soldier standing!” (He wiped away tears.) Jamukha: (suddenly guffawing) “Ha ha ha ha ha! The unstoppable rising sun that is Genghis Khan! They say this so-called peerless commander—unequaled from Mongol lands to the distant Jin Dynasty in the east and Khwarazm’s farthest reaches in the west—now besieges this isolated mountain fortress over some petty romantic grudge! How far short he falls of his vaunted reputation! No—a tarnished Genghis Khan! Petty man! Miserly man! I want to die laughing while hurling these insults in that bastard’s face—ha ha ha!”

Taichar: Brother!

The crowd of refugees, swelling by the moment, had collapsed in a corner from hunger, groaning as they listened intently. With each incoming arrow, they let out screams.

Jamukha: “It seems they intend to crush us in one go today.”

The castle soldiers were eerily quiet. Had they already lost the will to fight?

Gloomily approaching the edge of the fortress, he peered down from the bastion. Jamukha: "Hmm... Truly, Genghis Khan’s great army lives up to its renowned name." "Oh!" "They’ve already crossed the Orkhon River." Staff Officer 1: "Look! The vanguard has already reached the banks of the Tamir River." Jamukha: (shading his eyes) "Who are those four men leading Genghis Khan’s advancing forces?" Staff Officer 2: "Those are none other than Genghis Khan’s Four Generals—the desert’s four fierce hounds known as Jebe, Muqali, Khubilai, and Subutai." "They are the generals who sliced a black boar’s torso into rounds and drank its fresh blood to swear a life-and-death oath."

Jamukha: (startled) “And who’s pushing forward with the second unit?” Staff Officer 3: “That is the cavalry corps known as the Wild Eagles—led by Generals Yilügei and Mönglik—which knows only to advance, never to retreat.”

Jamukha: (concealing his mounting unease) “So—the Wild Eagles?” “And then—those there! Who are those charging like gray wolves in the third unit, kicking up clouds of sand with their horses?”

Staff Officer 4: “Yes, sir! That is none other than Jochi, brother of Supreme Commander Genghis Khan. In martial arts, none can rival him—especially excelling with the mighty bow. They say any who stand against him will have their foreheads pierced by his arrows. People fear this formidable man nicknamed Python.” Jamukha: (finally unable to suppress his terror) This fortress is like a lone skiff cast adrift on an endless sea. “There’s nowhere left to flee.”

Taichar: (stamping his feet) Blast it all! “Is everyone here singing praises to the enemy?!” “Has cowardice possessed every last one of you? Brother!” “This ends now.” “Let us march from the castle and wage decisive battle at the Tamir Riverbank.” “Lend this Taichar three hundred—no, five hundred—every soldier left in the castle!” Jamukha: (with every hair standing erect) No—Genghis Khan’s forces surge like ravenous hawks! “They say Genghis Khan’s body is tempered like solid bronze—that not even a needle could pierce the soles of his feet or his armpits!” “That a single glare from him could freeze tigers mid-stride—is this not what they claim?” (He covered his eyes in terror and staggered back.)

From below the fortress, a single messenger climbed up along the stone wall.

Messenger: “Reporting! Genghis Khan’s besieging army has abruptly commenced action, as if intending to overthrow the castle in one fell swoop. The vanguard has already passed Sambonmatsu Crossing and appeared at Ginsa Riverbed.” Jamukha: (turning pale) “What? Already at Ginsa Riverbed—! Is there no one who will sally forth from this castle to challenge them to single combat and win glory?”

Around this time, navy blue began to flow across the sky, and dusk started to drift in.

Messenger 2: (hurriedly climbing up to the bastion and pointing to the battlefield below) “Our scouts have been completely driven back to the castle gate! Look! The first moat—the second moat—both already in enemy hands!” Jamukha: (peering fearfully) “Raise the third drawbridge! Now!” Staff Officer 1: “There’s no time left for that!”

Taichar: “Someone go cut the ropes and drop the bridge!” An arrow came flying and pierced Jamukha’s armor sleeve. The arrow had a white horse’s tail tied to it. Everyone rushed over in commotion. Jamukha: (staggering while pulling out the arrow) “No—I am not wounded! Oh! This arrow has a white horse’s tail tied to it! What is the meaning of this?” Taichar: “Genghis Khan’s banners—look, just as you see there—are nine poles with white horse tails tied to their tops erected. Nine is considered a lucky number in Genghis Khan’s camp, they say.” (Thinking) Hmm, Brother! “That arrow is undoubtedly a surrender demand.”

Jamukha: “What? A surrender demand? Who would!—Blast it—!” He snapped the arrow in two, hurled it at his feet, and ground it to pieces under his heel. The refugees on one side all cried out, “It’s meaningless to persist with a defeated army! Open the castle gates quickly and save those of us in the town below!” they frantically shouted in unison. Taichar glared at the refugees. “Silence, you maggots! Brother! If we hold out until night, some plan will surely emerge. Hey! Isn’t there someone who can come lower the Third Drawbridge?”

Messenger 1 stripped naked, hurriedly tore his uniform into strips of cloth, and had Messenger 2 tightly bind the joints of both his arms and legs—shoulders, elbows, wrists, groin, knees, and ankles—with those strips. Clenching an unsheathed sword between his teeth, he began swiftly descending the fortress. “I’ll go.”

Jamukha: “Hmm, valiant! But you—what’s the meaning behind binding your body like that?” Messenger 1: “Sir! It’s to stanch bleeding. Should arrows pierce my arms or legs, or should I grapple with enemies and be cut down this way, blood would only seep between the bound cloths. As long as my lifeblood doesn’t drain entirely, I believed I could still fight on—”

Jamukha: “Go!” Messenger 1 clambered along the fortress walls and descended the cliff face. Arrows now rained thicker than before. Jamukha, Taichar, and all the defenders wordlessly drew their bows, firing desperately through embrasures to shoot down the attackers. Refugees screamed and scrambled in panic. For a time, nothing could be heard but the ferocious din of battle. Guard: (carrying the naked messenger’s body up to the bastion) A valiant warrior indeed—struck by enemy arrows before ever reaching the third moat. Reduced to this state.

They lowered the naked corpse pierced through with arrows across its entire body before Jamukha. Everyone stared despondently at the lifeless form.

A single castle soldier rushed in through the upper door. Castle soldier: “Lord. At this moment, a large man claiming to be Genghis Khan’s military emissary has arrived alone. How shall we proceed?”

Taichar: (knocking the hilt of his sword with bravado) “What? A messenger from Genghis Khan has come?” “Brother, why don’t we cut off that bastard’s head and hurl it into the enemy ranks?” Jamukha: (startled but) “Wait!” “He might have brought some terms with him.” “Very well. I will see him.” “Have him escorted to the great hall of Honmaru.” “You must not harm him.” The soldier bowed and rushed in. Jamukha urged Taichar and the staff officers onward and attempted to enter the castle through the upper door.

The refugees, while clearing a path for the castle lord’s retinue, all prostrated themselves in unison and prayed desperately, “O God, please let us be saved.” The Islamic missionary among them raised his voice even louder: “O Allah who dwells in heaven! Please save these innocent tribespeople,” he worshipped the heavens like a madman and prayed as though weeping. At those ghastly voices, Jamukha abruptly halted, turned back, seized by anxiety and terror—blackout.

Act I, Scene II

Likewise within the castle: the great hall of the main keep. A ruined room laid with stones.

A large terrace occupied the front of the stage. Below the cliff stretched a vast desert and river, with the Khangai Mountains shrouded in evening haze visible in the distance. Five or six thick stone columns stood before the terrace. Around their bases ran a stone enclosure approximately three shaku high (about 90 cm), separating it from the interior space. Within this partition hung a Jadaran clan banner matching the one from the watchtower in the previous scene—though far larger—a yellow field displaying white and red crescent-and-star motifs, draped like a tapestry.

On the right side of the stage, raised two or three steps higher there stood a throne. Beside it on an ornamental platform sat a great bronze censer from which incense smoke rose. Next to it lay a ceramic incense box adorned with Chinese lions. Behind the throne stood a tall two-panel folding screen embroidered with intricate designs. Jamukha sat upon the throne with Taichar, staff officers, and officials arrayed to his left and right while numerous soldiers stood behind him gripping drawn swords.

The crimson desert sunset streamed in from the terrace, illuminating the room brightly; the people’s faces glowed as if bloodstained.

On the upper and lower sides, a door each.

As the curtain rose, from the lower entrance emerged Genghis Khan’s military emissary and chief guard Muqali—a giant over six feet tall with bulging muscles—surrounded by four or five castle soldiers, his hands bound behind his back. Muqali (sitting cross-legged before Jamukha): “Is this Lord Jamukha?” “I am Genghis Khan’s military emissary, a man named Muqali.” “Your prolonged siege—the unimaginable state of exhaustion and hardship—I can well imagine.” Taichar (grabbing his sword): “Is that sarcasm?!” “However much our castle’s provisions may be lacking—even if we chew stones and gnaw dirt—the morale of our Jadaran clan will not wane!” “If you’re a military emissary, quit your prattling and state your business swiftly!”

Muqali: (shaking his bound hands angrily) "No! You clearly don't understand how to receive a military emissary - that's why this mouth won't utter the crucial message. First unbind these restraints and show proper courtesy!" Taichar: "Brother, shall we untie his ropes?" Jamukha: (standing rigidly in fear) "What nonsense! You think I'd let them loose? Look at that defiant face - who knows what he might attempt! Bind him tighter! Truss him up from shoulders to waist!"

Two or three castle soldiers bound Muqali from shoulders to abdomen as tightly as possible. Taichar (brandishing his drawn sword and standing behind him): “Watch your tongue.” “One strike is all it’ll take!” Muqali: (Does not resist. Calmly allowing himself to be bound) “Hahahaha! Am I alone so fearsome to you all? In Lord Genghis Khan’s army, there are plenty of men as large as I. Then this will do just fine.” (Rising forcefully, he glares at the throne) “I address Lord Jamukha of the Jadaran Clan. In a castle with no food, you’ve taken in innocent townspeople—what do you intend by inflicting this suffering upon them? Before tomorrow’s desert sun dyes the Tamir River’s waves crimson, Genghis Khan’s army will crush Zadarann Castle in one fell swoop—a task easier than tearing a lamb’s jaws apart with these arms. With all due respect, the castle’s fate has already been decided, Lord Jamukha. Our army, with a grand force of thirty thousand, has now surrounded this mere grain of a mountain fortress three layers—no, four or five layers deep. This is no longer the hour for idle grandstanding. Lord Jamukha, I, Muqali, have come under the command of our Great King Genghis Khan to advise your surrender.”

The group of refugees had been quietly entering the terrace since earlier, crouching in the shadow of the partition and fretting over the outcome, but upon hearing the surrender proposal, they began to murmur anxiously. Muqali: (looking toward the voices) “To slaughter all those townspeople over there surely cannot be the true intention of the wise Lord Jamukha. “However, should you refuse this offer, we regret to inform you that we will storm the castle before dawn and slaughter every last soul—down to the infants. “We will exterminate the Jadaran clan root and branch.”

In the shadow of the partition came screams from refugees and the rustle of children being clutched tight. The interior dimmed; stars twinkled in the evening sky beyond the front terrace, while far below, lights glowed in Genghis Khan’s army tents as bonfires flickered across the desert.

The battle was temporarily halted, leaving an uncanny silence.

Jamukha (after silent contemplation): "Impatient for glory, that heartless Genghis Khan." "In truth, there is reason—it concerns that bastard who nurses grievances against me." "No doubt he would do such a thing." "Will they slaughter even infants as enemy fragments? Shall every last soul of the Jadaran Clan become prey for that desert tiger Genghis Khan—?" The refugees shouted from behind the partition, urging Jamukha to surrender. The soldiers barked orders to restrain them.

Muqali: “Should you accept our terms and open the castle gates at once, our army will lift the siege before those seven stars vanish and begin advancing toward the Naiman Kingdom.” “In that case, we shall not raise a blade against a single member of the Jadaran clan—starting with Lord Jamukha’s household.” “For this oath, Great King Genghis Khan swears by a pure white camel.” The refugees cheered joyfully. At this moment, Lady Kherkher—Jamukha’s wife—quietly emerged with two or three maidservants and hid unnoticed in the shadow of the terrace’s round column, secretly standing to listen.

Jamukha: (as if soliloquizing) Hmm... If we surrender, the castle will be spared, and these innocent tribespeople saved from further suffering—Genghis Khan would then leave this castle behind and march toward the Khangai Mountains... But if we refuse surrender, our Jadaran clan will be exterminated—though surely there must be conditions to this surrender proposal. "State your terms." Muqali: (leaning forward on his knees) Then hear them. "As tribute for surrender, you must send Her Ladyship Kherkher alone to Genghis Khan's encampment tonight." "This is the sole condition."

In the shadow of the pillar, Lady Kherkher was secretly astonished. Jamukha: (aghast, his face paling) “What? You demand that I send my wife—Lady Kherkher—alone to Genghis Khan’s side for this single night?!”

Taichar (angrily): “Hmph! So they demand Lady Kherkher’s person for a single night?” Muqali: “That is correct. If Lady Kherkher comes alone to Genghis Khan’s encampment at sunset, well and good. Otherwise, we will trample both castle and people into dust.” “Jamukha!” “What’s your answer?!” Jamukha: “Silence! Disgusting!” “So Genghis Khan now seeks to forcibly reclaim the love he lost years ago.” “He means to use this chance to purge the delusional obsession with my wife Kherkher that’s burned in his breast ever since.”

Taichar: “That Genghis Khan—this ‘Mongolia’s greatest hero’ nonsense reeks of falsehood! To demand an enemy general’s wife as tribute for a night’s use—what a base cur! No—a beast ravenous for women’s flesh! Brother! We’ve no further need to parley with this emissary. The Jadaran clan’s fate is sealed. Every last one shall be expunged from the earth’s face.”

The refugees shrieked. Lady Kherkher stood dazedly in the shadow of a round column, sinking into deep thought.

Jamukha: “Brother!” “Well said!” “Had there been another way to save the tribespeople, I might have cast aside my warrior’s pride and opened the gates—but this condition goes beyond excessive.” “This does not concern me.” (Suddenly rising to glare contemptuously at Muqali) “How dare you?!” “I am no Jamukha who would trade his wife’s honor to preserve his clan!” “Not one soul in Zadarann Castle would barter their life for their consort’s virtue!” “Fool!” (Grabbing the Chinese lion-shaped incense box from the nearby decorative stand, he smashed it against the floor beneath the throne, shattering it to pieces.)

Taichar: “Damn you!” “Th-this cursed military emissary—what should I do with him?!” “That’s it!” “Chop off this bull-like neck and hurl it down from the fortress!” “We’ll fry the carcass in oil!” “Hey!” “All of you—come here!” “Haul the cauldron to the courtyard and prepare to boil the oil!”

He urged the soldiers on and rushed from the terrace into the upper area. Leaving behind four or five advisors attached to Jamukha and two or three guards watching Muqali, all the soldiers and officials ran away. The refugees, startled, all followed them from the terrace into the upper area.

Muqali: (calmly) “In that case, I won’t complain.” “If you don’t hurry to boil that oil, our army will come storming into this castle any moment now. Hahaha!” “Should Lady Kherkher not slip out of the castle by the time that pearl-like moon from the eastern sea rises over the desert horizon, we will take it as your refusal to accept our terms and attack without a moment’s delay.”

Jamukha: (quietly) “I pity Genghis Khan.” “Even such a hero does not hesitate to resort to commoner’s tactics when driven by love?” “A pitiful captive to his delusions.” “This battle was but the continuation of our romantic struggle from years past.” “Having triumphed in love and won Lady Kherkher, I shall prevail in this battle too!” “Absurd!” “How could I ever let Genghis Khan claim Lady Kherkher?!” (To Muqali) “A summer moth darting into flames—that’s you!” “Await hell’s welcome!”

Having said that dismissively, as he moved to go out to the terrace, Lady Kherkher appeared from behind a round column with two or three maids in tow.

Lady Kherkher: My Lord—! (Collapsing in tears) Jamukha (supporting her): “Oh—you were there?” “And did you hear what was said?” Lady Kherkher: “Yes.” “I heard every word.” “The one I detest is Genghis Khan.” “Most likely, ever since that time he contended with you for this humble one’s hand, he has been awaiting this very opportunity.” “Though I heard he has risen to become a great general, he remains the same reckless Genghis Khan of old!” “Ah, what in heaven’s name should this humble one do—” (Bursts into tears)

Jamukha (holding her with one arm): "There’s no need to grieve so." "I would never surrender you to him—not even if it meant our entire clan’s destruction." Lady Kherkher: "Yes." "With those words from you, this humble one could perish without regret." "Therefore—" Jamukha (suddenly reflective): "Ah, Kherkher—when you were still Sorukamushira’s daughter, and both Genghis Khan and I were nameless nomadic youths... how we fought for your love." "That I prevailed and won you planted this thorn in Genghis’s heart—twisted him into this merciless demon." "Even should I lose this war and our Star-Crescent Banner’s honor fall... I still possess you." "Ha ha ha! Th-this... Here stands Kherkher!"

Lady Kherkher: “For you to speak so earnestly—truly, this humble one is unworthy. Therefore, should my resolve alone save the people of the Zadarann Clan and ensure both Your Lordship and this castle emerge unscathed—know that I have made my decision. Please send this Kherkher to Genghis Khan’s encampment.”

Jamukha: (urgently) "Wh-what? What are you saying? Do you mean to make me—Jamukha of Zadarann—a cowardly samurai who bought his safety with his wife’s chastity—into history’s eternal laughingstock? Though defeated in war, I triumphed in love—that this is Jamukha’s sole comfort in his final moments, Kherkher! Do you not understand?" Lady Kherkher: (desperately) "No—it’s just that this humble one wishes only to save you and the people of the castle town by offering this body to that snake-like, tenacious Genghis Khan—"

Jamukha: "No—! I won't hear it! Have you gone mad? Just imagining such things makes my chest feel fit to burst! To protect you, I'd spare neither my life nor this castle! Let the townspeople vanish with the desert demons!" Lady Kherkher: (clinging desperately) "No—please—this humble one has her own resolve. I beg you—grant me leave to depart the castle alone!" Jamukha: "Enough! Must I spell out my heart in letters of fire?!" (To his staff officer) "The final battle approaches! All men—to arms!"

Shaking off Lady Kherkher, who clung to him weeping, Jamukha resolutely rushed away from the terrace into the interior.

The staff officers followed, running in. A long time passed. First Maid: (After seeing off her lord, she approaches Lady Kherkher, who hangs her head lost in thought) “My Lady, as a woman, you must find such profound devotion from His Lordship to be your heart’s utmost desire. We are all now prepared to accompany you, My Lady, and meet our deaths in battle.”

Second Maid (rushing out to the front terrace): “Ah! It seems the desert horizon has begun to glow faintly pale. Could it be that the moon is rising? At the signal of its rise, those fearsome warriors of Genghis Khan’s army are said to come charging in. Ah—what are we to do—”

“Look! Look!”

At the edge of those sand dunes, the faintly blue moonlight truly began to shine. Ah—how much life remained—Oh! In the courtyard, they began boiling oil to scald this military emissary. Ah—how horrifying! (They covered their eyes)

From beyond the terrace, thick purple oil smoke billowed upward. Lady Kherkher and the maids gazed intently at the world beyond the terrace. Lady Kherkher (as if to herself): That Genghis Khan’s love from long ago would come to seek such a terrible vengeance here— (She wept) Second Maid: I can imagine how you feel. First Maid: But His Lordship’s words—truly a woman’s greatest blessing—bring such tears of joy I can scarcely contain.

At this moment, a lone bloodstained officer came running in from the upper terrace and shouted.

Officer (saluting the consort, to Muqali’s guards): “Hey! Pile stones at the main gate and prepare defenses—even if it’s hopeless. We need every hand we can get. That military emissary’s tied up, right? Leave him as he is. All of you—come here!”

The guards, responding to the call, rushed off toward the upper terrace alongside the officer.

The stage dimly darkened, and starlight streamed in from the front terrace. The edge of the desert faintly turned blue, and the moon’s rise drew nearer with each moment.

Lady Kherkher (with firm resolve): “From what was just said—they are carrying stones to the castle gates. Even we women must do our part.” “You two should be able to carry at least one stone between you.” “I will manage here—go and assist.”

First and Second Maids: “But leaving you and this fearsome man here alone—” Lady Kherkher: “No—there’s no danger here. The defenses at the main gate are crucial. Hurry over there!”

The maids，though reluctant，nodded in agreement and chased after the soldiers，rushing into the upper terrace． Lady Kherkher：（After a long pause，staring intently at Muqali）Oh—there’s scarcely time before moonrise．“If they storm us now—” （She steels herself，nods resolutely，and draws her dagger with a flash．Swiftly approaching Muqali as if to strike—she cleanly severs his bonds instead．） “Now！ Escape quickly！ Tell Lord Genghis Khan that Kherkher shall follow！”

Muqali (startled, stands up): "My Lady—are you letting me escape?"

Lady Kherkher: “I have resolved myself.” “Even were His Lordship to command it so, how could I abandon those weeping townsfolk—the elderly with their numbered days, the beloved women and children—to perish alongside this castle?” “Though Genghis Khan is one I might hate beyond measure, as a woman, this meager offering is all I can contribute—I shall slip from the castle after you and go to him.” “To that person’s encampment—I shall go!” “You must race back ahead and deliver this report.” “And bid him halt the full assault.” (urging him onward while weeping inconsolably)

Muqali: “Then, Lady Kherkher—you will indeed come alone to our commander’s encampment?” “We will be waiting.” Lady Kherkher: “There is no need for concern.” “I have steeled myself—though even saying so quickens my pulse.” “Before Lord Taichar ascends here—quickly!” “Make haste and flee!” In the dimness, she beckoned Muqali and ushered him out through a small door at stage left. Lady Kherkher: “Descend these stone steps straight down, turn left at the corridor’s end, and you will emerge onto the grassland beside the castle.” “There should be few soldiers there—now go, with all speed!”

Muqali bowed and ran down. Lady Kherkher nodded to herself and rushed into the upper door leading to her own parlor.

The stage remains empty for a while.

Smoke from boiling oil billowed up all at once. The crowd’s screams resounded horrifyingly.

Immediately from the same upper door, Lady Kherkher, wearing a large deerskin over her formal attire, stealthily slipped out alone. She stopped at center stage, secretly took out a dagger from her bosom, drew it, and gazed intently. Lady Kherkher (to herself): When I married into the Jadaran Clan, I never imagined this protective dagger given to me by my father Sorqan Shira would serve such a purpose. If Genghis Khan acts with impropriety, I shall resolve myself to pierce this breast— (making a gesture of stabbing her own chest)

Nodding, she pulled the deerskin over her head and descended the stage-left stone steps where Muqali had departed. At that very moment, two maids hurriedly rushed out from the upper terrace,

First Maid: “Oh! Where is My Lady?” “Oh! The military emissary is gone too—My Lady! My Lady!” Second Maid: “Oh, if only no harm has come to My Lady’s person…” The two hurriedly search around the room. The stage grows darker by the moment, and beyond the terrace, the moon’s rise draws ever nearer.

Jamukha’s Voice (approaching): “Kherkher! Kherkher!” “Is Kherkher not here?” (Curtain)

Act 2, Scene 1

Outside the castle walls. In front of Genghis Khan’s grand tent, established at the delta where the Tamir and Orkhon Rivers converge.

A desert plaza.

The same time as the previous scene.

Slightly upstage center stood Genghis Khan’s tent with an entrance draped by a hanging curtain. Two sentries stood on either side of it, with one constantly patrolling back and forth in front to guard it. Downstage rear showed a great white river visible even to night-adjusted eyes; the opposite shore hazily continued into desert, its farthest reaches connecting to distant mountain ranges. Across that desert, the lights of military tents and bonfires twinkled and scattered far into the distance. Under a starry sky that rained down. The moon had not yet risen.

On the upper stage stood five or six trees, with Genghis Khan's pure white mount tethered to one of them. On the lower stage stood two or three trees, before which sat one or two camels like decorative objects. Through these lower-stage trees ran the path leading to the army's grand encampment. Outside Genghis Khan's tent at center stage stood nine banners with white horse tails fastened to their tips, alongside triangular pennants, spears, drums, gongs, and shields arranged as decorations. Great bonfires blazed at three locations: upper stage, lower stage, and center. Dried cow dung hardened for fuel lay piled in moderate heaps nearby. The flickering firelight cast an intense interplay of light and shadow across the entire stage.

The intermittent neighing of innumerable warhorses continued as the curtain rose. Three of the Four Generals—Elder Jebe, Chief of Staff Khubilai, Archery Commander Subutai—along with Master of Horse Jelme and numerous staff officers and guards had taken positions around bonfires, each maintaining their weapons: bows, arrows, spears, long swords, and tachi. The hunchbacked jester Wang Ke’er cavorted about alone with comical gestures, wielding a leafy branch as a makeshift sword. Wang Ke’er: “O esteemed steed of Great King Genghis Khan—you who have never shown your hindquarters to the enemy—might this Lord Wang Ke’er humbly beg a glimpse of your rear?” (He tiptoed with exaggerated stealth behind Genghis Khan’s white horse) “What a magnificent view indeed!” “O Allah! O Allah—”

The horse raised its hind leg and kicked Wang Ke’er.

Wang Ke’er (overdramatically startled, tumbling over): “Agh!” “Owwww!” “To kick your own sworn brother Wang Ke’er—tsk! How utterly heartless you are!” “Deaf to me, are you? Stone deaf I say!” (feigning a crying voice) The whole group burst into laughter.

Jebe: “Silence! The Great King sleeps! Yet here you are endlessly clowning around! Stand down, Wang Ke’er!”

When he snapped “Wang Ke’er!” in reprimand, Wang Ke’er— (He scurried stage-left, plopped down onto a seated camel’s back, and mimicked riding it) “Giddyup, giddyup! Move along!” “Onward, onward, Genghis Khan!” “Hearken, all who dwell afar! Let the sound reach your ears!” “Come close and see with your own eyes!” “I am he who is known throughout Great King Genghis Khan’s encampment as the one and only purveyor of buffoonery extraordinaire—a peppercorn small yet fiercely pungent—Grand Duke Wang Ke’er himself!” “Great King Genghis Khan’s number one favorite—hey there, you—Mr. Camel!”

Jochi (Genghis Khan’s younger brother) stomped in briskly from stage left. (As he passed by, pushing Wang Ke’er off the camel’s back) “Whoa!” “My profound apologies for this blunder, Your Excellency the Grand Duke.” (Parting the tent flap and attempting to enter) Khubilai: “Lord Jochi, the Great King is still napping.” Jochi: “Hmm,” (turned around) “Still asleep?” Still as carefree as ever, big brother.

(Suddenly looking stage-left) “Oh! The moon has risen! The moon has risen!” “Look! A huge moon has risen over the desert!” The bright moon had left the horizon, tinging the river’s ripples with silver. The crowd exclaimed in unison, “The moon! The moon! The moon has risen!” “Now, deploy! Advance!” they shouted with fervor, rising in a clamor to line up facing the moon. “Advance!” they roared, forming ranks under the lunar glow.

Khubilai adjusted his long boots, tightened his armor, squatted together with Subutai, used the tip of his sword to sketch a map on the ground, and began earnestly devising military strategies.

Jochi: “Muqali still hasn’t returned.” “Jelme! How are the warhorses faring?” “We’ll be storming Zadarann Castle any moment now, then pushing straight through to the Khangai Mountains. Feed them full—millet, straw, whatever it takes.” Jelme (Master of Horse): “No need to remind me.” “Every last horse—chestnuts and dapples alike—are chomping at the bit. See how they’re carrying on? Practically begging to charge into those arrows!” The distant and nearby neighing of massed warhorses.

Jochi: "Khubilai - we move to attack soon. Has the roll call been completed?" Khubilai: "Yes. It nears completion. The report should arrive momentarily." Jebe: "The moon rose long ago, and since Muqali hasn't returned, they must have refused surrender. Lord Jochi, you should urge His Lordship to order our departure."

Wang Ke’er (jumping around): “They say ‘steal a pot on a moonlit night,’ but us? We’ll swipe a whole castle under this moon!” Subutai: “Knew it. Pointless from the start. That bastard Jamukha would never agree to terms like sending his wife to our camp for one night.” Jebe: “Still—if we consider His Lordship’s heart—let’s hope Muqali drags Lady Kherkher back here proper-like.” Jochi: “Damn right. For Big Brother—a conqueror of his stature—to dawdle this long besieging some pissant castle instead of crushing it flat? Only one reason—he’s still hung up on that woman’s safety.”

Wang Ke’er (smugly crossing his arms and imitating Jochi’s falsetto): “So then—that Big Brother bastard’s still hung up on Lady Kherkher, huh?”

Subutai: “You fool! What if the Lord hears you?”

From between the standing trees stage-left, the chief guard came running.

Chief Guard: “Report!” “The roll call has been completed.” “All troops have readied fresh arrows on their bows, tightened the saddles on their horses’ backs, and now await the order for the full-scale attack at any moment.” Khubilai: “Understood.” “Of the thousand archers—?” Chief Guard: “Yes. In the siege battles up to today, there have been only eighty casualties.” Khubilai: “Hmm. One thousand imperial guards.” Chief Guard: “Yes. Today’s dead number merely six.” “Seventeen wounded.” Khubilai: “Imperial guards—one thousand—.”

“Yes, there are no casualties.”

“Good,” said Khubilai. “Await orders.”

The chief guard ran off. All the while, Wang Ke’er continued his solo antics in the cramped space—pulling horses’ tails, making faces at camels, sticking fingers up his nostrils to sneeze, or tumbling about—never staying still for even a moment. Since the group was accustomed to this, no one paid any attention.

Wang Ke’er (standing at the center of the crowd, tilting his head comically): “Hmm.” “Is that how it is?” “No—that must be it.”

Jochi: “Hey, you fool!” “What are you getting all impressed about?” Wang Ke’er: “Heroes favor beauty.” (Pointing briefly at the tent and winking) “Even the Great King is no match for love!” “A restless mind chases but won’t let go—Ah! Wah wah wah!” (Hurriedly covered his mouth.) (With no one paying him any heed.)

Jelme (impatiently running back and forth to stage-left, repeatedly shading his eyes toward the distant desert hazy under the moon) Tch! “Muqali! What are you doing? If only you’d hurry up and bring the surrender tribute already.” Subutai: “That’s right. I wish to present that tribute before His Lordship and offer him some comfort.” Jebe: “Are you still saying such things? Muqali must have been executed by now. It’s Muqali’s funeral battle. Look—the moon has already climbed so high! Lord Jochi, not a moment’s delay can be tolerated. Come now—inform His Lordship and obtain permission for deployment.”

Jochi (deep in thought, muttering to himself): I knew full well. In my brother’s heart, when it came to women, there existed only that Lady Kherkher. That was why he paid no heed to other women—no matter who urged him to wed, he remained unwedded to this day. When I thought of that—damn it all—!

(The group remained despondent for a long time.) Wang Ke’er (suddenly, in a sing-song voice): “No wonder, no wonder! Lady Kherkher of Zadarann is Mongolia’s greatest beauty—no, the desert’s goddess. Her eyes mirror Onggirad’s lakes, her lips rival turquoise, her breath whispers like a musk cat’s—”

Jochi: “Shut up!” Ah... There’s no helping it. All your efforts to please Big Brother have finally come to naught. (Resolutely tries to enter the tent but hesitates) What a predicament. Is he thundering again? I’m hopeless with Big Brother when he’s in a foul mood. “Hey Jelme—you go rouse him.” Jelme: “Absolutely not!” “To tell His Lordship we must attack because Lady Kherkher hasn’t come—I couldn’t possibly—you must excuse me this once.” (Clasping his hands) “Subutai—you do it.”

Subutai: “I’d sooner walk into a lion’s den than face His Lordship’s displeasure—and besides, I’ve suddenly developed this stomachache since earlier—ugh, this is intolerable. Ah! Oww! Khubilai, I’m relying on you. You go wake him.” Khubilai: “You must be joking. I’ve suddenly come down with a headache—” Jochi: “You can still walk with a headache.” Khubilai: “No—actually, my foot hurts—Oh! The pain! This is unbearable. Lord Jebe, this is clearly an old man’s duty. Elder, how about you take this one...?”

Jebe: "Well, uh... I'd love to head for the mountains, but what with age comes this night blindness—come nightfall, I can't see a thing—." Jochi: "Ha ha ha! What a mess—with the crucial Naiman campaign looming, all our top commanders suddenly taken ill!" "Alright then, let's all go in together." Wang Ke’er (pushing forward): "Hold there!" "Wait just a moment!" "That duty—please leave it to this humble one!" "Even should Lord Genghis Khan taste mustard, with this humble self at his side, instead of crying 'How bitter!', I'll have him roaring with laughter!" "Ahem! None other than Wang Ke’er the Splendid—His Lordship's foremost favorite!" "Everything—everything rests here in my breast! Men, no panicking!" "Ahem!" (Swaggered into the tent.)

The group gathered at the tent entrance and listened anxiously.

Genghis Khan’s voice (from inside the tent, sleepily): “Ugh... What a noisy grub.” “What? You’re starting the general assault because Muqali hasn’t returned yet?” (rebuking) “Enough of this clamor!” “Do as you please!”

At that very moment, from inside the tent, a ferocious tiger’s roar—roused by its master’s anger—rang out loudly once. At the same time, Wang Ke’er came tumbling out vigorously from the tent entrance, as though flung like a sack. Chasing after him, a massive ferocious tiger leaped out with a growl. Following this, Genghis Khan appeared with boyish cheerfulness, parting the entrance flap. Appearing completely carefree and beaming, he strode out with wide steps. Bala-Temur, the page, hurriedly followed behind, holding the golden helmet atop a crimson cloth.

The group straightened their bearing and performed the deepest of bows. Genghis Khan (cheerfully): “Tayan Khan!” (Calms the tiger) The tiger that had been excitedly lumbering about among the generals returned to Genghis Khan’s side as obediently as a cat and settled down neatly. Genghis Khan (stroking the tiger’s head, laughing uproariously): “Ha ha ha ha ha! Did I tell you all? “I’ve named this tiger Tayan Khan. “Tayan Khan—that’s the name of the Naiman king we’re about to attack. “Look here! Even Tayan Khan of Naiman—fierce as a tiger—has become nothing but a slave serving obediently at my side when faced with Genghis Khan! “Ha ha ha! Isn’t this a riot? “Hey there!”

Everyone collapsed in laughter. Wang Ke’er (to the tiger): “Lord Tayan Khan, Your Lordship pounces on me the moment you see me as if I were your mortal foe! Since I’ll humbly offer this—” (pointing to his own back) “—lump, let’s make peace with that, heh heh heh heh heh...” Genghis Khan (bluntly): “Even if I took that thing, I couldn’t eat it—don’t need it. Right, Lord Tayan Khan?” (Yawning loudly) “What’s happened to Muqali?”

“Muqali has not yet returned.”

Genghis Khan (hiding his loneliness): "Don't worry. If there were even one person in Zadarann Castle capable of laying a blade on Muqali, we wouldn't have needed to fight this dreary war." Jebe (resolutely): "My lord, it appears they have rejected the surrender terms. Lady Kherkher has not come." Everyone averted their eyes with pained expressions. Genghis Khan (suddenly gloomy): "Using your consideration as pretext—I've been obsessing over a single woman—" (suddenly cheerful) "Ha ha ha ha ha! What am I saying? My wife is war. I am wedded to war. This Genghis Khan's beloveds are warhorses! Bows and arrows! This very sword! Enemy blood! The desert wind—!" "Ha ha ha ha ha!"

Jebe: My lord!

Genghis Khan: “The one worth facing is Naiman’s Tayan Khan.” “Jochi!” “Look there—look at that!” “Up on the Khangai Mountains—don’t you see the moon beckoning?” “Jebe! Khubilai! Advance! Advance!” “Ah! What joy! What joy!” “Jelme—bring the horses here now!”

The group bustled about and began preparing for deployment.

Wang Ke’er (imitating Genghis Khan): “My wife is this lump on my back!” “I’m married to the lump!” “This Wang Ke’er’s lover is a lump! A dance! A dance! A lump—Ha ha ha!” (Dancing around comically to lift Genghis Khan’s spirits) Genghis Khan stood vacantly, looking desolate and deep in thought. Absentmindedly donning the helmet presented by page Bala-Temur,

Genghis Khan and Bala-Temur. Bala-Temur (kneeling on one knee before him): “Hah!” Genghis Khan: “You’re fourteen, aren’t you?” Bala-Temur (quizzically): “Huh?” Genghis Khan (softly): “No—I meant your age is fourteen.” Bala-Temur: “Yes.”

Genghis Khan (dreamily): “The flower of love… still a tight bud.” “But if you find your first love, tell me right away.” “I’ll make sure you two end up together.” “Get defeated in first love, and the desert wind will pierce your bones for life!” (Suddenly scolding) “You fool!” “You! What are you listening to?!”

Bala-Temur, startled, stepped back.

Khubilai, holding a gong, advanced toward the lower part of the stage and was just about to strike it once when— (Muqali’s voice from the lower part of the stage, in the distance) Wait—please wait!—

“Oh! Muqali! Muqali has returned—!”

Muqali (bursting in amidst the astonished joy of all): “My lord! Rejoice! Lady Kherkher will arrive here shortly.” Everyone raised a cheer. Genghis Khan (with mingled joy and sorrow): “So she comes.” “Kherkher comes.” “I see... Kherkher comes.” (Sneering) “You’d offer your precious wife and beg for life just to save your own skin.” “Hmph—poor Kherkher, shackled to such a worthless man.” (Laughing uproariously) “Hear me all! To fulfill my years-long love—Kherkher now comes alone!” “We postpone departure.” “How’s that?!” “A battle-hardened man conquers love too!” “This night clears the leader’s heart!” “Jebe! Subutai! Prepare a banquet!” “Set a wedding feast for bride and groom! Ah ha ha ha!”

The group scurried about and began preparing. The bonfires burst into flame all at once.

Wang Ke’er (advances before Genghis Khan, makes a strange gesture, and gazes at the moon): “Cloudy, then clear.” “Ah, what a fine moon this is.” (To himself) “You fool! Can’t keep your mouth shut!” (Grabbing his own mouth, he performs a backflip.) Genghis Khan (as if to himself): “On the night the woman I’ve longed for all these years finally comes—how could I possibly engage in th-that sort of dreary military business?” All these spears and shields—(kicking aside the assembled weapons, horse gear, etc.)—“Tonight, these things are an eyesore.” “They’re nuisances at the wedding feast.” “Clean this up quickly.”

Everyone, in high spirits, spread animal skins around the bonfire and prepared seating for the banquet. Genghis Khan (growing impatient): “I’ll treat the entire soldiery to drinks tonight.” “Let them drink their fill.”

A soul-shattering howl of wild dogs arose.

A single sentry stood before Lady Kherkher, who wore a deerskin cloak; two soldiers flanked her, thrusting bare spears from either side as they entered from stage left.

Sentry: “Just now, I discovered this suspicious individual sneaking near the honorable encampment.” “This one!” (He yanked off the deerskin cloak and shoved the lady forward.) Lady Kherkher and Genghis Khan stared fixedly into each other’s eyes. A long time. Everyone remained silent.

Genghis Khan (yielding to Lady Kherkher’s contempt-filled gaze and averting his eyes): “You came... you actually came.” “It has been too long, Kherkher.”

Subutai: “Ah! She’s come, she’s come! Lady Kherkher—Lord Genghis Khan had awaited this very night with such longing!” Wang Ke’er (takes Lady Kherkher’s hand): “Now, now—dear bride, this way, this way—”

Lady Kherkher shook off his hand and advanced before Genghis Khan. (Trembling with hatred) "It has been a long time, Lord Genghis Khan." "Now Your Excellency's renown spreads wider than the desert, surges higher than the Khangai Mountains—they say 'the tiger prowling the wastes' means none but you—and you have deigned to become so grand a commander." (With sardonic poise) "The Kherkher of old has now been brought before your military gates—as the wife of a defeated general." (Overwhelmed, she knelt and wrung her heart) "In exchange, I beg you—spare my husband above all, and the entire Jadaran clan."

Genghis Khan was deeply moved and nodded silently. Everyone took their seats. The soldiers brought food, drink, and other provisions.

Wang Ke'er (pushing Lady Kherkher aside and seating her next to Genghis Khan): "Now, bride—right here." "You needn’t act so shy." "Well now! What a matched pair—like imperial wedding dolls!" (Claps hands.)

Everyone dissolved into laughter. Genghis Khan and Lady Kherkher sat side by side on camp stools before the central bonfire. Mōko Taiyō Khan sat composedly beside Genghis Khan. Wang Ke'er continued clowning around by himself. Genghis Khan (in high spirits): “Today’s most meritorious individual is Muqali. Here, Muqali! Receive this goblet!” Muqali: “No, please—offer that goblet first to Lady Kherkher.” Genghis Khan: “Hmm, you’re right. If we don’t toast the bride, this occasion can’t be properly concluded. Kherkher, this is Genghis Khan’s goblet—the one who’s yearned for you since that time. Please accept it graciously.”

Wang Ke’er: “This is the Great King’s cup—he who has remained single until now, thinking only of you! Congratulations! Congratulations!” Lady Kherkher (with resolved composure): “Yes.” “Then I shall accept.” Bala Temur, the page, moved to pour the drink. Muqali: “Taking Your Excellency at your word in naming me today’s foremost meritorious individual—allow me to pour—” Amidst their uproarious laughter, the princess reluctantly accepted the cup with tears and returned it. Genghis Khan: “How I had longed for this night!” “None of you shall laugh.” “Even a desert tiger knows feeling—the moon upon our tent’s canopy, dew clinging to my helmet—through all these years, never did a day pass when I forgot you.”

Lady Kherkher remained silent, her face turned away. The Four Generals said in unison, “Congratulations.” They offered congratulations such as “We offer our felicitations” and toasted in unison.

Genghis Khan: “Hmm, you all drink as well. “Jelme! After enduring that long siege, Lady Kherkher must have suffered greatly. “It pains me to imagine. “Slaughter a sheep. “Bring out the kumis. “Fetch the fine tofu too. “Line up every delicacy before the princess.” At his command, various dishes were carried in, making the banquet grow livelier. The princess kept her face downcast, not touching a single morsel. Jebe: “To mark this celebration—and to lift Her Ladyship’s spirits—I would present our camp’s frenzied music for your consideration—”

Genghis Khan: “A spur-of-the-moment idea.” “Start immediately.”

A gorgeously attired group of military musicians marched in, carrying long copper trumpets, drums, gongs, conch shells, flutes, and other exotic instruments—Tsang, Denshiku, Horeho, Tserinin—and deafening music began. At the same time, five or six soldiers brandished spears adorned with small red, yellow, and purple flags and performed the signature spear dance of Genghis Khan’s encampment. Throughout this time, Genghis Khan wore a lonely smile and often sank into thought, but as if catching himself—lest others notice his demeanor—he turned to Lady Kherkher with a smile. Lady Kherkher kept her head bowed throughout and did not utter a single word.

Genghis Khan: “Do something more.” “Bring more wine.” “Is there no one who can make Lady Kherkher laugh?” (Simply, earnestly) “Come now, Kherkher—unlike Zadarann Castle, this camp of Genghis Khan has everything.” “Look—won’t you try this venison haunch?” “This is wolf stew.” “Ah—this prime cured hide is the pride of Genghis Khan’s camp.” “Please have as much as you like.” Jelme: “Now—the sheep has been brought in.”

They brought in a Mongolian pot and roasted the mutton over the bonfire. The group stood eating, skewering morsels on their sword tips. The moon grew ever brighter.

Wang Ke’er: “This humble jester will give it a try—let me make the princess laugh for all to see!” (Singing with comical gestures) “If we’re to list fearsome things: Mongol’s famous desert tornadoes, camel brawls and wolves in moonless nights, a jealous wife’s fury—no—the scariest of all is Great King Genghis’s single glare—oh!” “Even this doesn’t earn a laugh from you.” (Desperately flailed about through various mimicries and clownish dances) Genghis Khan: “It’s no good, no good!” “Lady Kherkher still isn’t laughing!” “This won’t do for proper hospitality!” “Is there no one who can make Lady Kherkher laugh?” “I will promote whoever makes her laugh to daimyo.” (Gradually getting excited) “Look! I’ll give this sword!” “No—this helmet too!” “Hey, I’ll give you my horse as well!” “Make her laugh, make her laugh!” “Find a way to make Lady Kherkher laugh!”

Wang Ke’er, seizing this crucial moment with full comedic flair, danced and leapt about. Genghis Khan grew increasingly despondent the more Wang Ke’er performed his frantic spinning dance. (Suddenly with anger) "Enough—stop this!" Wang Ke’er plopped down flat on his rear and breathed with his shoulders. Genghis Khan: "This isn’t amusing at all. Not only have you failed to amuse the princess—hey, look! She’s grown even more sullen! Disgraceful wretch. Get out of here!"

He changed color and sprang to his feet. Elder Jebe, perceiving the shift in mood, ushered all the officers and soldiers out urgently. And swiftly guided Lady Kherkher and escorted her away to Genghis Khan’s tent. Genghis Khan glared around, then abruptly entered the tent. The tiger sluggishly rose and followed after. As the page Balatimu was about to follow,

Wang Ke’er: Balatimu! “Wait—!”

He signaled with his eyes to stop him. Then, pulling the suspicious-looking Balatimu by the hand, he withdrew to stage left with the flair of a comic street performer.

The stage was empty.

The bonfire was dying down, and inside the main tent, a bright light shone, casting the swaying shadow of a large tiger. A long time passed.

Curtain.

Act II, Scene 2

Inside Genghis Khan’s private grand tent.

At stage left, they placed a large wooden bed and covered it with white sheepskins heaped high. Shields, armor, and such were arranged in suitable places. On the front wall hung a large, crudely drawn Mongol map.

An entrance opened at the rear of stage left, through which a desert filled with blue moonlight and a portion of a great river could be seen clearly. Beside the bed, they placed an animal-oil candlestick. Beneath it, a tiger lay sprawled. Moonlight from the stage left entrance poured in fully, and the stage was dimly bright. When the curtain rose, Lady Kherkher stood at center stage facing stage right, her head hung low. Genghis Khan stood precisely behind her.

A long time passes. (with uncharacteristic calm) Kherkher... It’s really been a long time, hasn’t it? "You haven’t changed at all." Staring intently at the princess’s neck, he attempts to seize her from behind but suddenly checks himself. Lady Kherkher (abruptly with indignation): You haven’t changed a bit either. "The same brute as ever—Genghis Khan—." (Sharply turns around) You’re a demon! "You’re a devil!" "Why don’t you use those arms you boast of to strike me down again and again right here and now?!" (Weeps)

Genghis Khan (with pained restraint): “The night deepens.” “Go rest at that bed.” “The siege dragged on with such hardship—you must have suffered terribly.” “Now that I look...you do seem thinner—”

Lady Kherkher covered her face, moved to the bed, lay quietly upon the sheepskin, and—should anyone approach—subtly gripped the dagger in her bosom and prepared to strike. She stared at Genghis Khan with eyes filled with hatred. Genghis Khan (sarcastically): “And how is your esteemed husband?” “Jamukha, who sends his beloved wife alone into the enemy camp like this to save himself—I hate him for your sake.” “I curse him.”

Lady Kherkher: “No, that is not true.” “This humble one slipped out secretly without his knowledge.” Genghis Khan (his face lighting up): “Oh! Then you too have been thinking of this Genghis Khan through all these long years?” Lady Kherkher (coldly): “What do you mean?” “This humble one has never once recalled you.” (She lies.) (With a desolate laugh) “To demand an enemy general’s wife as terms of surrender—on this very day, I have lost all regard for you as a human being.” “This humble one came to save my husband and the people of the castle town.” She rose forcefully from the bed, fixed Genghis Khan with a piercing glare, and stiffened her body like an inanimate object. A heart that had resigned itself and cast everything away recklessly. (Sharply) “Genghis Khan!” “Triumphant Genghis Khan!” “This body that has cost hundreds—thousands—of sacrifices! Go on—do with it as you will!” “Well? Why don’t you claim what’s yours?” (She closed her eyes.)

Genghis Khan: “What are you—” He strode purposefully toward the bed. But, overwhelmed by Lady Kherkher’s resolve, he froze rigidly in place. An intense moment. Lady Kherkher tightly closed her eyes, remaining perfectly still, and waited for Genghis Khan to attack. Genghis Khan (A suffocating pause. (Intense soliloquy) My subordinates sensed my feelings and made this arrangement for me. I used that to try to seize this opportunity I had long aimed for. But I cannot do it. Such a thing—I cannot do.

(Deep in thought.) (Suddenly addressing himself) "Hey! Genghis Khan! You're out of your mind. Wasn't your lover war? Didn't you cast every drop of your young blood into the desert sands scattered by warhorses' hooves?" (His eyes fell upon the large map on the wall, and he rushed over) "Oh!" (Drawing his sword and tracing the map) "Isn't this land of Önön Mongolia, where the three rivers—the Argun, Kherlen, and Uldz—flow, the very plain where your father, Yesügei Baghatur, first kindled his ambitions? This is your love. This is all of you." "Get a hold of yourself, Genghis Khan!" (Suddenly cheerful) "Ha ha ha ha! War! War! I am nothing but war! A man who needs only to wage war!" "Kherkher! Let me tell you a war story!" "Hey—this Genghis Khan has a brow of iron!" "This one bears a blade-edged mouth!" "There's more—I bear a lance for a tongue!" "A heart of stone!" "Mark this well—now!" "Thus I brandish my ringed-sword whip, drink the morning dew, and fly toward the enemy like the wind—"

Trying to distract himself, he summoned all his strength and performed battle gestures like a sword dance. Lady Kherkher watched in stunned silence.

Genghis Khan: “Ah, distracted—this won’t do.” “Damn it all!” (Once again exerting strength, making a grand gesture) “Where I, Genghis Khan, advance, not a single blade of grass nor lamb’s hide shall remain!” “Were I to loose arrows from five hundred fathoms in rage—five hundred men struck down! From nine hundred fathoms—nine hundred men slain!” (Suddenly noticing, he gave a bitter smile) “Well—so they claim.” “Now—off to sleep with you.”

With childlike cheerfulness, he sat awkwardly at the tent exit, hugging his knees. Genghis Khan: “Ah, what a beautiful moon.” The beauty of the moon shining on the desert evoked what one hears in travelers’ tales—the distant eastern sea they speak of. (A long silence)

Lady Kherkher (While staring at Genghis Khan from the bed and raising her upper body) “Genghis Khan! For what purpose have you summoned this humble one here?” Genghis Khan: “No one knows this heart of mine. No one does. Only the roaring silver-scaled waves of the Orkhon and Tamir Rivers know.” “Hmm?” (Noticing Kherkher’s question) “Why did I call you here?” “Ha ha ha ha! That... you’ll know come morning.” “I will guard you here all night long.” “Just trust Genghis Khan and sleep soundly.”

The fierce tiger by the bed suddenly emitted a terrifying roar.

Lady Kherkher: “Oh, how terrifying!” “Please take this tiger over there.” “But for this humble one, perhaps this tiger is still safer than the desert tiger Genghis Khan.”

Genghis Khan: “When the moon shines, this one remembers its homeland mountains and howls.” “Muqali!” “Isn’t Muqali here?”

At the entrance of the tent, the giant Muqali appeared. Genghis Khan: “Ha ha ha ha! Muqali! The one interrupting our wedding night is this heartless Tayang Khan. Take it away.” Muqali brandished a long whip, approached the tiger, and struck the floor with force. Muqali: “Out with you! Begone! You Tayang Khan of the Naiman!” (The whip cracked with a snarl.) (The fierce tiger, enraged, displayed hostility as if about to leap.) Genghis Khan (quietly rose and approached): “Tayang Khan!” (With a piercing glare, the tiger rose calmly and followed Muqali out of the tent.) (The moon shone ever brighter.)

Genghis Khan (returned to the tent entrance and sat on the floor) “Ha ha ha ha! To this Genghis Khan, the tiger in my heart toward you may be far more terrifying than that Tayang Khan.” “No—Lady Kherkher, there’s nothing for you to fear.”

He hugged his knees and gazed at the moon. From somewhere drifted the sound of soldiers playing horsehead fiddles. Lady Kherkher raised herself on the bed and stared fixedly at Genghis Khan with wonder. A long silence continued. A choked horsehead fiddle melody. The bluish-white moonlight bathing the entire stage began tilting faintly.

Genghis Khan (as if talking to himself): "How many years has it been since then? Do you remember? Back when my father Yesügei Ba'atur still lived, only a single forest separated my home from yours." Lady Kherkher listened with an expression of surprise. Genghis Khan: "Now... what was that forest called again—what did we call that forest?" Lady Kherkher turned her face sharply away without responding. Genghis Khan: "You know—the one with three great trees standing right at its heart? Have you forgotten?"

Lady Kherkher (curtly): “I don’t know.”

Genghis Khan: “Is that right…? “Have you forgotten that forest? “But I remember it well.” Lady Kherkher (inadvertently drawn in, in a low voice): “Black Cloud Forest—” Genghis Khan (slapping his knee): “That’s it! “Black Cloud Forest, Black Cloud Forest! “Don’t you remember the stream that ran along its edge?”

Throwing herself onto the bed, Lady Kherkher remained silent. Genghis Khan: “You're quite forgetful, aren't you?” “You know—that river where I often chased flocks of sheep to water.” “The banks were thick with reeds—in early springtime that water ran so cold it'd make your bones ache—I remember how that creek would gleam like a silver ribbon on moonlit nights when seen from our house windows.” “Ah... those memories.”

Lady Kherkher continued her cold silence. Genghis Khan (suddenly bursting into laughter) Ha ha ha ha! That’s right—you often came to that river carrying a bucket to fetch water. “Then one time—you know—you ended up letting that bucket get swept away in the river—” Lady Kherkher (striving not to engage but inevitably drawn in): “It wasn’t a bucket.” “It was a sheepskin bag.”

Genghis Khan: "No—it was a bucket." Lady Kherkher: "No—it was a sheepskin bag." Genghis Khan: "Was that how it was? That thing got swept away by the current, and there you stood on the bank, sniffling away. You must've been about ten then." "That's right—I was seventeen springs old at the time—that forest and stream must still be just as they were." "I'd like to go back." Lady Kherkher let out a quiet sob. A long moment.

Genghis Khan: “I’ve remembered! Back then, I jumped into the river and grabbed that leather bag being swept away—” Lady Kherkher (raises her face, tears glistening on her cheeks): “Yes—still wearing your boots just as you were—”

Genghis Khan: “That’s right! Then you—you laughed at how ridiculous I looked crawling out of the river soaking wet, your eyes brimming with tears. The crow that was just crying is already laughing—ha ha ha ha!” Lady Kherkher (now fully engaged): “Speaking of crows—do you remember that time we went to fetch a crow’s nest behind my house?”

Genghis Khan: “Crow’s nest?” “No—that was a sparrow’s nest.” Lady Kherkher: “Oh, that’s not true!” “It was a crow.” “You insisted on chasing them away and even brought out your father’s bow—” Genghis Khan: “Ah, that’s right.” “Crows—oh right, I really got an earful from my old man back then.” “Crows are sacred birds in Mongolia.” Lady Kherkher (completely reminiscing): “It’s been so long since then—there was such a thing as this.” “Do you remember?” “Why—there was that time you came hunting and graced my father’s house for water with your younger brother Lord Jochi, wasn’t there?”

Genghis Khan: "Did such a thing happen? When was that again?" Lady Kherkher: "You know—the year when merchant caravans first arrived from Samarugut."

Genghis Khan: “Hmm—that was the year after crowds came from afar to see a rare mirage in the Kadaan Desert, wasn’t it?” Lady Kherkher: “Yes—and then you declared you’d make me a white birch cane—”

Genghis Khan: “That’s right!” “I remember, I remember.” “It was a hot summer day, wasn’t it?” “No—it was a scorching heat.” “Riding on Jochi’s shoulders, as I tried to break a branch high up, I got a thorn stuck in my hand.”

Lady Kherkher: “Yes—this humble one made quite the commotion, borrowed a needle from Mother, and removed it for you.” Genghis Khan: “You licked that wound for me, didn’t you?” Lady Kherkher: “Do you remember?” Genghis Khan (staring intently at his own finger): “Of course I remember. Who could forget that? At that time, even the color of the sunset sinking beyond the desert now appears before my eyes.”

The intermittent sound of a huqin. A pause. Genghis Khan: "And what I can never forget—when the Tayichiud attacked my father Yesugei Baghatur—you saved me in that desperate hour." "You hid me three days and nights in a wool-laden cart—stood guard all that time—" Lady Kherkher: "How those Tayichiud soldiers kept thrusting blades into the very wool where you lay hidden—this humble one nearly died of fright."

Genghis Khan: “But what was more comical was after those Tayichiud bastards searched everywhere without finding me and left your Sorgon Shira estate. I finally crawled out of the cart—no! Ate! Ate! After all, it was on the third day I’d gotten any food. That mutton we had back then—truly delicious. I still haven’t forgotten.” Lady Kherkher: “Yes, yes. You’d eat any amount at all. I worried myself sick about your stomach,” she laughed breathlessly.

Genghis Khan: "Ah, you laughed!" "Ah, you laughed!" Lady Kherkher laughed. I finally made Kherkher laugh! Ahahahaha! (Suddenly coming to his senses, he calmly gazed at the moon) Hmm, what on earth was I saying? Ah, the edge of the mountains over there began to faintly lighten. Today they would cross that pass and invade the Naiman Kingdom. It had been over two months since departing from the capital of Karakorum. Both the people and the horses knew not a hint of fatigue. It was a blessing—hmm, yes. I supposed I would keep a campaign diary.

Muttering this, he took out a notebook from the breast of his military uniform and became silently engrossed in reading it by the moonlight indefinitely.

Lady Kherkher's weeping, grown sentimental from reminiscence, intensified. Genghis Khan continued reading intently, as though nothing could reach his ears. A long, long time. Lady Kherkher, finding that the night had ended without the terrors she had feared, finally understood Genghis Khan’s intent and let out a quiet sob as she lay down on the bed.

The moon had completely set, and now in the distance beyond the desert, the early Mongol dawn began to stir. In what had until now appeared as a sandy plain stretching as far as the eye could see, the waters of the Orkhon River began to glimmer into view.

Genghis Khan (suddenly noticing the hues of dawn but not turning around): “Ah, day breaks.” “This is the first morning of the Naiman campaign.” “Ah, how delightful!” “Kherkher—I became a shepherd of old once more and guarded your body through the night, just as one watches over a flock of sheep.”

Lady Kherkher (sitting up on the bed): “Lord Genghis Khan!” “I have come to fully understand your true intentions.” “Not knowing you cherished such profound feelings, I meant to stab you—” (She drew the dagger from her bosom and tried to plunge it into her own chest.) Genghis Khan (rushing over to knock it away): “What are you doing!” “Should you die, my purpose would be rendered void.” “Come—morning has broken.” “I shall have Muqali escort you now. Please return to the castle.”

Lady Kherkher (staring intently at Genghis Khan): “This humble one’s heart is filled with shame.” “No—my husband Jamukha’s feelings toward you are also filled with shame.”

Genghis Khan: “Ah, when you say that, I’m the one who falters.” “I should be the one ashamed.” “I’ll confess—from the start, I never meant to send you back untouched.” “But finding ourselves alone in this tent... I realized I must become greater.” “No—I’ve discovered that I am a greater man than that.” “It was you, Kherkher, who taught me this.” “For that, I thank you.” “Muqali!” “Muqali!” (Muqali appears at the entrance) “Escort Lady Kherkher back to the castle.”

Muqali: “Yes, my lord.” Lady Kherkher (as if only now feeling nostalgic, her heart lingering, reluctant to part): “Then I pray you conquer Naiman safely. We shall never meet again. I will pray in secret for your success.”

She gave a bow and left dejectedly, accompanied by Muqali.

Genghis Khan (struggling to suppress the urge to chase after her but inevitably running to the doorway): "Kherkher!" "Take care of yourself." "Give my regards to Jamukha." (He watches intently.) A long time. (With a cheerful soliloquy) Ah, this was for the best. Now everything was clear. Now, my heart was unburdened. Now, I needed only seize control of the basins of the three rivers—Anak, Kerulen, and Urdus—and return in triumph to Karakorum. Today marked the first day of my hegemonic enterprise! "Hey!" "Mr. Sun Khan of Naiman!" "Come out!" (calls the tiger)

The entire stage was filled with a dazzling golden morning sun.

It was a beautiful morning.

In response to the voice, a fierce tiger came running in. Genghis Khan, seeming unbearably delighted, grabbed the tiger by the ears and slapped its cheeks with his open hands. Genghis Khan (to the tiger): “How about that? Impressive, right? I am!” “Ha ha ha ha ha! What a good feeling!” “What a relief!” “How about that? You must be impressed, ha ha ha!” He did things like thrusting his fist into the tiger’s mouth. A giant tiger leaped at Genghis Khan like a cat. Genghis Khan, while roaring with laughter, tumbled about the tent—now on top, now underneath—wrestling with the tiger. He frolicked playfully with the fierce tiger like a child. Elder Jebe came running in.

Jebe: “Oh—the Sun Khan is here—” Genghis Khan (playing beneath the tiger while lying on his back): “Hey, old friend! Fine weather we’re having. Let’s get moving. How about letting me enjoy some proper warfare for once?” Jebe: “What of Lady Kherkher?” Genghis Khan: “She’s already returned.” Jebe: “Then we march on Naiman at last—” Genghis Khan (springing up vigorously): “Right! We move out!”

Jebe: “Yes, sir!”

He brought out a gong from a corner, stood at the tent entrance, and began striking it resoundingly. Outside the tent, sudden chaos erupted—the clang of weapons, warhorses neighing, hooves pounding, Mongol dogs barking. With Jochi at the forefront, Khubilai, Subutai, page Bala Temur, and numerous staff officers and others rushed in under strict arms and lined up before Genghis Khan. Simultaneously, as numerous soldiers rushed about clattering to fold the tents, beyond the Orkhon River, the Khangai Mountains glowed in the rising sun, transforming the entire stage into an open plain.

Genghis Khan (donning the helmet offered by the page, fastening his cuirass, and swiftly completing his military preparations): “Now then—today we take the Khangai Mountains!” “You lot must be itching for action.” (conducting a roll call of sorts) “Jochi’s hands—all ten fingers are venomous snakes; Jebe’s white hair is a hedgehog; Khubilai’s chest is an iron shield.” “Subutai’s legs are renowned among the enemy as those of a stag that ranges a thousand miles!” “Today, it seems we’ll finally have something resembling a proper army.”

Wang Ke'er (peering out from between someone's legs): “Commander! You ain’t gonna forget about me, are ya?” Genghis Khan: “Hmm, there was a caterpillar. Ha ha ha! That lump of yours would put a camel to shame.” The entire group burst into uproarious laughter. Genghis Khan's white horse was led by Jelme and arrived. Genghis Khan casually leaped onto it. A clarion trumpet call resounded. The entire army across the stage stirred with fervor. Genghis Khan (drawing his sword on horseback): “Advance!”

Amidst clamorous noise came the prolonged roar of a fierce tiger. Wang Ke'er tumbled off his horse time and again.

Curtain.

Act III, Scene 1

Zadarann Castle, the castle gate. Before a heavily fortified gate constructed of piled stones, surrounded by a moat in the desert and built with high stone walls.

The same time.

A multitude of refugees from the Prologue’s first act stretched their necks and kept watch toward Genghis Khan’s distant military encampment. Man 1: “It seems Lady Kherkher had not returned last night after all.” Man 2: “She had become our tribespeople’s substitute.” “What a heartbreaking thing.”

“When I think of what that kind Lady Kherkher must have endured in the terrifying Genghis Khan’s camp—”

Man 3: “Lord Jamukha has gone completely mad. Oh—we can even hear His Lordship’s shouting all the way here.” Man 4: “But when you consider His Lordship’s feelings, it’s only natural.” Man 5: “He lost to the army. To have even our Lady taken... truly, there’s no refuge left for us.”

Woman 2 (pointing into the distance): “Look, look! In Genghis Khan’s army, they’ve suddenly dismantled the tents! Could they be departing already?”

Man 6: “Oh, it’s true! They finally appeared to be lifting the siege of this castle and advancing into Naiman!” Man 1: “Oh! Then we were saved!” Woman 3: “Huh? Are we truly saved? Oh, thank heavens! Thank heavens—!” The crowd leapt up. They all embraced each other in wild jubilation. There were those overwhelmed to tears of joy. Man 7: “Ah! Lady Kherkher approaches. Oh! Is that not Lady Kherkher returning over there, accompanied by that giant man?”

Man 2: “That’s right. Her Ladyship!” “Oh!” “The giant man parts ways there and heads back alone!” “Hmm—he escorted her all the way near the castle.”

The refugees cried out in unison, “Lady Kherkher!” As they shouted, “She’s our lifesaver!” and “The one who saved the Zadarann Clan from annihilation!”, Taichar, the castle lord’s younger brother, burst forth from the castle gate with a frantic look.

Taichar: "What? Lady Sister-in-law has returned? Without even considering Big Brother’s feelings, acting all high-and-mighty doing as she pleases—spending a night in the enemy commander’s camp! Tch! What face does she think she can show coming back? No—I’d love to see that face." Lady Kherkher appeared from below like a sleepwalker and, seemingly unaware of the crowd, attempted to enter the castle gate as she was. At her appearance—as if possessed—the crowd stood stunned and wordlessly parted to make way.

Taichar (suddenly grabbing Kherkher's arm): “Sister-in-law! How dare you have the gall to commit such a disgraceful act. What face do you think you can show by returning? Come now—Lord Brother has been waiting.” He forcibly dragged her into the castle. The crowd of refugees, eager to express their gratitude, continued pressing forward, each with hands reverently grasping at Lady Kherkher’s sleeves and the hem of her robe. Passing each other at the castle gate, a gold merchant with servants carrying his luggage and an Islamic missionary from Khwarezm came tumbling out.

Merchant (looking back at the castle): “What a painful thing.” “Thanks to that person, we all managed to save our lives—but as for Her Ladyship’s fate… what will become of her—”

The servant could not afford to worry about others' affairs. He was able to leave the castle for the first time in a month. He had to hurry to the neighboring village and get something to eat. Ah, what a terrible ordeal he went through. He'd had enough of traveling with the Mongols.

Missionary: “Caught in the crossfire, I endured a month like a nightmare.” “No—like a ferry battered by storms. When I look back, this too will make a tale to tell for a lifetime.” “Whether our paths cross again—stay well—” He bowed to the merchant and servant before withdrawing, glancing back at the castle. The merchant and his servant forgot even to return the courtesy, scrambling away in disarray as they urged each other onward.

Curtain.

Act 3 Scene 2

The same as Prologue, Scene 2: the main hall of the castle's inner keep. Everything remained as previously described. Lord Jamukha, the castle lord who had paced the room all night without sleep, tore at his hair, rattled the long sword at his waist, and strode back and forth with a fearsome expression. Two or three maids huddled in a corner, trembling in terror.

Taichar’s voice (approaching from the upper part of the front terrace): “Hey, you!” “What are you bastards doing following along?” “You beggars!” “I’ll cut you down!”

while scattering the refugees, he brought Lady Kherkher in. Lady Kherkher raised her head proudly and stood before her husband Jamukha. The maids tried to rush over, crying “Oh, Lady Kherkher!”, but at Taichar’s fierce glare that commanded “Away with you!”, they startled in fear and hurriedly retreated from the room.

Jamukha (glared fiercely at Kherkher): “Taichar, go over there.” Taichar entered the upper part of the terrace. Lady Kherkher kept her head bowed. (Pause.) Jamukha (stepped back wildly): “Why did you return, Kherkher? Why did you return?” “How dare you stand before me like this!” “You’re no longer the same woman you were until yesterday!” “To Genghis Khan—the enemy general—” (Trembled, pale) “You... Kherkher! How dare you meddle like this without understanding my heart!” “You may find comfort in becoming the castle’s substitute—in sacrificing yourself for those peasants below—but I—this I—argh!” “Say something!” “Won’t you say anything?!”

He grabbed Kherkher’s shoulders and shook her, but snapped back to his senses and released his hands. Jamukha (hysterically): “Ugh! Disgusting! Th-those shoulders—did that Genghis Khan embrace them? Ah! I—I used my wife’s body to beg mercy from the enemy! Wh-where can I take this agony?!”

Lady Kherkher (coolly): “It is a misunderstanding.” “Though this humble one did indeed spend the night at Genghis Khan’s military encampment, that man did not lay a single finger upon me.” Jamukha: “What? He didn’t lay a single finger on you?” “Not a single finger?!” “Hahaha! Wh-who would believe such a thing?” “Kherkher!” “Even having lost my castle and people—everything—I thought I still possessed you! But my army lies defeated, and now even you have been defiled... Ah! What am I to do?!”

Lady Kherkher (desperately): “Please listen to me.” “Please believe what this humble one has told you.” “Genghis Khan treated this humble one with great courtesy as the wife of an enemy general, and truly nothing occurred.” Jamukha (shoving Kherkher away): “Adulteress!” Lady Kherkher (sneering): “My, what accusations you make.” “For the lord of a castle to become so flustered over merely one woman—isn’t that rather unbecoming?”

“Enough! Be silent, adulteress! You’ve made me taste suffering worse than death! You—don’t move!”

Impulsively, he drew his long sword. Lady Kherkher: “My, have you gone mad? With such resolve, no wonder you’ve been defeated by Genghis Khan—ah, how pitiful—” Jamukha: “Enough! Let madness take me!” “What does it matter if I’m mad?” “What? Ah—now I see!” “So it was you—you’ve been yearning for Genghis Khan!” “No—you’re in love with him!” “Ah, that’s it!” “You’ve been waiting for a chance like last night all along, haven’t you?” (Mad with jealousy) “Speak! Are you thinking of Genghis Khan? Are you in love with Genghis Khan? Say it!” “Say it!” “Won’t you speak?!” “You wretch! Take this!” (Suddenly slashed down.)

Lady Kherkher pressed her deep wound as she staggered, her face dreamlike. (A pause—) “Genghis Khan!” Jamukha: “What are you—?!” He delivered another sword strike. Lady Kherkher smiled brightly and collapsed. As Jamukha stood dazedly looking down at his wife’s corpse, the distant sound of war trumpets rose, and a commotion surged from the tribespeople rejoicing at the castle’s surrender.

From the terrace, small white banners could be seen swaying faintly as they snaked their way up through the distant mountain pass in a winding procession. Jamukha stood unsteadily, as though his spirit had fled.

Taichar rushed in. Taichar: Elder Brother! "Genghis Khan has audaciously come to the castle alone at this very moment!" (Noticing Lady Kherkher's corpse) Ah! Elder Brother! "You executed Lady Kherkher?!"

Jamukha: “What?” “Genghis Khan?” (Vehemently) “Now he dares to mock me further?!” “Fine!”

Taichar: “Elder Brother! Lady Kherkher’s foe!” “Damn him!” “I’ll carve him into mincemeat!” Taichar turned toward the upper terrace and waved his sword in signal. Five or six castle soldiers carrying spears and unsheathed blades slipped out quietly, hiding in shadows behind the terrace’s inner partition to form an ambush. Jamukha and Taichar exchanged urgent glances through their eyes. They pulled down a banner hanging on the partition to shroud Lady Kherkher’s corpse, then fetched a tall two-panel embroidered screen from behind the throne and laid it sideways over her body to conceal all traces. As both men stood watchful and waiting through this preparation, from the lower door entered Genghis Khan—the supreme commander resplendent in full armor—striding briskly forward with a faint smile playing on his lips.

Genghis Khan (cheerfully): “Hey, Jamukha.” “I’m sorry for tormenting you all this time—hahahaha!” “I had something I absolutely had to confess to you, so midway through my journey I turned back alone and came galloping here on horseback.”

Jamukha: “Hmph! Even after crushing me beneath your heel, you still aren’t satisfied? Now you’d spit in my face too?” “Dare you mock me to my eyes?” “Go on—laugh!” “Laugh at me!” (He advances threateningly) Taichar slid his blade loose in its scabbard, poised to strike at any opening. Genghis Khan (calmly): “I came hoping you’d laugh at me.” “I came wanting you to spit upon this face.” “Hear my full tale first—then mock me as you will.” “This past month’s siege—your suffering as defender mirrors mine as attacker.” “Each report of your castle’s starvation cut through me like steel.” “Besieging Zadarann was never my true intent.” “I meant to strike straight at Naiman lands, but my Four Generals and men believed I nursed old grudges over Lady Kherkher—insisted we slaughter your people first.” “I’m no saint either.” “I exploited their loyalty to pursue this love for Kherkher that’s burned in my chest for years.” “Hence last night’s surrender demand—” (Self-loathing sharpens his voice) “Demanding the enemy general’s wife for a night—” (He plants himself firmly before Jamukha, palms striking the floor) “Jamukha!” “I was wrong!” “Forgive me!”

"Last night in that moonlit tent - where Lady Kherkher had turned cold as ice after sacrificing herself for her husband and people - when I saw her eyes... this man called Genghis Khan... this human called me... I saw myself as a mud-stained sandal before her purity." "I looked as repulsive as a caterpillar." (From his core) How could this wretched being dare lay a finger upon Lady Kherkher's heart and body - divine as any god's? At the very moment dawn's hues began creeping across the Khangai Mountains' shoulders, daylight broke within my soul too. "I lost to Lady Kherkher." "Jamukha!" "You're a fortunate man." "To possess such an extraordinary wife - from my heart's depths - I truly envy you."

Jamukha and Taichar hung their heads and listened intently.

Genghis Khan: “Jamukha! I simply couldn’t bring myself to leave like this. I came before you like this, pressing my hands down, to apologize from the bottom of my heart. Please, forgive me. Please... I beg you to forgive me.”

Jamukha and his brother stood dazedly. Genghis Khan (cheerfully rising): Ah, now I feel cleansed. "It’s as if all the filth within me has been washed away." (With boyish innocence) "Well then, Jamukha—I’ll crush Naiman and swing by on my return." "When that time comes, have Lady Kherkher join you in treating me to a proper feast." "I swear it." "See you then!" He began leaving with boyish nonchalance. The drawn sword clattered from Jamukha’s hand.

Jamukha (gasping): “Genghis Khan! Wait!” Genghis Khan: “What? Something you need?” (He lightly turned back.) Jamukha, unable to bear it, rushed over, grasped Genghis Khan’s arm, and wordlessly pulled him toward the corpse, tears streaming. He then swiftly removed the folding screen hiding the body. The corpse of Lady Kherkher, covered by a flag, appeared.

Jamukha: “Genghis Khan! Look at this!” Genghis Khan knelt and quietly took the flag. He froze in shock. Jamukha (collapsing, heartrending): “I—I—what a fool I am! With my own hands—I’ve destroyed an irreplaceable jewel…” (He threw himself down in despair.) Genghis Khan forcefully rose. Looking down despondently at the corpse for a long time: “Kherkher was dead. The one who killed her—where even the desert wind dares not blow across Genghis Khan’s path—could no human power have stopped this single blossom from falling? A dream—a desert dream—”

Taichar slumps where he sits and offers condolences to his sister-in-law. The sound of trumpets grows more distant moment by moment，on the verge of vanishing.

Outside the terrace, in the distant gorges of the Khangai Mountains, nine white banners of Genghis Khan's army fluttered and climbed upward, appearing small.

Curtain.