Seeing Himself
At The Head Of So Many Valiant Men, He Determined To Leave The Northern
Deserts; And Commanding His
People to provide themselves with bows and
other weapons, he began to reduce the neighbouring cities and provinces
under his
Dominion, in which conquests he placed such just governors, that
the people were perfectly reconciled to his authority. In all his conquests
he carried the chief persons along with him, bestowing upon them provisions
and other gifts, and by that means attached them to his person, and
continually augmented his power. After sometime, finding himself advanced
to power and glory, he sent ambassadors to Umcan, to entreat that he would
bestow his daughter upon him for a wife. Umcan received this message with
the utmost indignation, saying to the messengers; "Does my servant presume
to demand my daughter? Begone, and tell your master, that if ever he dare
to repeat so insolent a proposal, I will make him die a miserable death."
Zingis seems only to have wanted a reasonable pretence to justify him in
the estimation of his nobles for entering into war against Umcan; he
therefore immediately levied a great army, with which he marched boldly
against Umcan, and encamped in a great plain named Tanduc[4], sending a
message to Umcan to defend himself. Upon this Umcan collected a vast army,
with which he advanced into the plains, and pitched his camp within ten
miles of that of the Tartars. Zingis commanded his astrologers to shew him
what was to be the event of the approaching battle; on which they split a
reed into two pieces, on one of which they wrote the name of Zingis, and
the name of Umcan on the other, and struck them separately into the ground,
saying to Zingis:
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