Peter stood at the window in the south of his winter residence in Novgorod. He watched the many twinkling lights of Timbuktu in to south. And he was in deep thought. Many of him already called im "the Great" which mainly was because he managed to keep Russia great and proud in spite of the Mongolian aggression far in the south. Timbuktu, capital and last refuge of the Mali had been besieged for hundreds of years by the Keshiks, the restless hordes of Mongolia.
But he smart Peter, great Peter, sought to befriend the Khans. He knew that they could be a strong ally for him. Barbarians kept raging through the country and with the legend of mighty Egypt, with the downfall of proud Mansa Musa it was even more likely for the future to come.
Peter was in deep thought.
Suddenly Ivan, his closest confidant, stood behind him and Peters dreams vanished in the dark night.
"What?", he asked. "What is it, that though disturbest me? Speak, Ivan!"
Ivan began to speak: "Lord, for sure thy knowledge surpasses the far lands as we know 'em. Though I bring tidings for you from Mongolia, from the Keshiks in the south. Not long ago when Strauss Khan fell at the siege of Timbuktu, he had already named a follower to keep the firm grasp of the Keshiks around the high walls of Timbuktu. General Ralph now on his way to the solemn ceremony in Karakorum was ambushed near Beshbalik by Barbarians, people say.
The Pvblivs Clan as seized power again in Mongolia, my Lord and ..."
He was interrupted by the Czar who could not hold anymore and laughed loud for a while: "That is good news, Ivan. The Pvblivs Clan has never been strong in Mongolia. It will be even been easier for us to befriend them now. A weak Mongolia can be a strong ally for us. What about the generous trade we spoke of before you left last year, Ivan?"
Ivan slowly turned pale but continued: "Lord, we gave them 140 bullions of gold, our knowledge of Sailing and revealed to them the mystery of our gods. In exchange they told our messengers how to create, keep and defend the power of a great king in a country."
The eyes of Peter widened. "Russia shall reward you richly, Ivan. Because what though art telling the Czar is indeed great tidings."
The siege of Timbuktu
Unknown artist
"No it is not, my Lord. Forgive me!", Ivan now almost whispered. "Hear now what I tell you. The day after our messengers returned we heard of the slaughter of Timbuktu. The ancient capital of the Mali is no more Lord. The Keshiks shut the people of Timbuktu into their proud town and slaughtered every single one." Ivan hardly managed to hold his tears. "They burned it, they destroyed it, Lord. And now they come upon us".
"Enough now, Ivan" the Czar cried. "I do not believe any word you say. A Keshik will never touch Russian soil. Mongolia needs us."
To war, Lord of Cossacks!
Blastoid, famous Mongolian painter
And as he spoke he could hear a strong and cold wind coming up from the south. Turning to the window he decided - too near for Mali territory - it had to be fires that he saw twinkling far behind the woods. And he perceived it would not be smoke of some camp fire he smelled, carried to him by the south wind. And he knew suddenly that the drums he had noticed since early in the evening could as well be the roaring hooves of a company of Keshiks hunting through is woods.
"All my fears have come true, Ivan. They are coming!", the Czar whispered, ran through the lodes of his palace, summoning guards, disappearing to the north.
A Threat from the South
Discovered in the ruins of a Russian village, unknown artist
RL in the form of a trip to Bangalore (amazing city) intervened.Looks like good progress, I will be back in the loop at the weekend!
(if you did, and I missed it: forget what I said here!) Hope you enjoyed your trip, I want to visit India myself too sometime
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