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Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books

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R. S.   From Baljtina Changiz moved to the banks of a river flowing at the foot of a

mountain on the border of Khita, and here he mustered his army, which numbered only four thousand six hundred men. From this he moved on to the Nor or Nawar _" Lake," and from there sent. envoys to treat with the Ktxnghrat tribe, who came and

joined him. He next sent envoys to arrange a peace with Aong Khan, but they returned unsuccessful, and war followed. Changiz defeated Aong Khan, who fled for asylum to Tayang Khan, but he was attacked on the way by some nomad robbers, who killed him and sent his head to their Chief ; and he had the skull set in a gold frame, and in memory of their old enmity used to address it with words of reviling. Sanjtin, on this occasion, escaped to Tibet, and thence made his way to Kishghar, where he was executed by its Chief in 599 H.=1202 A.D.

Changiz by this victory subjugated all the Mughol tribes, and at the age of

forty-nine years ascended the throne at Shaman Gara, his favourite camp ground in the same year 1202A.D. According to Mughol custom he was raised aloft on a pile of felt carpets, and putting on the crown with magnificent ceremony, changed his name from Tamtigin to Changiz.

Now, in the following year, 1203A.D., Tayang Khan, Nfiymin, dreading the

power of the rising conqueror, sent envoys to arrange an alliance with Alacosh Namugin, the King of the Angait, but he refused the advances made, and joined Changiz, who was already on the march against the Nay-man. His army camped on the Gulbaty plain till the end of the summer harvest, and then the vanguard advanced to the Altay river, where it came up with the army of Tayang Khan, and his allies, the Makrit, Karait, Awrit, Jajrat; and other tribes.

Changiz defeated them all. 'Hying died of his wounds, and Koshluk, his

son, escaped to his uncle, Btiyurtic Khan. The tribes of Tatar, Caycay, Durman, and Saljût submitted, but that of Makrit held out. Changiz returned for winter to Shaman Gara, and in the spring marched against Tocta Begi, the ruler of the Makrit. He, with his son, Kara Namoda, fled to Btiyurtic Khan, the brother of Tayang Khan, and Changiz subjugated the Makrit. He then went against Tangaor Cashmin, destroyed its fort, and slew all who offered resistance, as was his established rule.

Changiz after these victories extended his ydsâ yûsûn code over all the sub-

jugated tribes, whom he now incorporated into his military organization, framed on the decimal systems, by which the whole population capable of bearing arms was enrolled in his army. They were divided into companies of ten called do ; of a hundred, called yûz; of a thousand, called ming ; and of ten thousand, called tûmân.

.And each of these was under a commander, called respectively Onbuski, Yi zbûski,

Mingb%ski, and Ti mûn Agkâ, who was directly subordinate to the commander next in superiority to him, so that each commander had direct control of only ten units : thus the Ttima.n Agha of ten Mingbashi, the Mingbashi of ten Ytizbashi, the Ytizbashi of ten Onbishi, and the Onbashf of ten men. The system was rigidly enforced, and governed by strict regulations for the conduct and responsibility of each rank. A nd practically it worked with that success which enabled its originator to achieve the surprising conquests that in less than ten years laid the whole of Asia at his mercy, of which alas ! it knew not even the semblance.

In the following spring he held a grand national assembly, or Curultây, and,

mounted on a magnificent throne, confirmed the change of his name from Tamiijin to Changiz ; established the yâsâ yûsin, written now for the first time in the Uighur, character, as the law of his realm ; held high festival, and then set out on a campaign against the resisting Btiyurtic Khmn. He was killed, and his country ravaged, but his nephew, Koshluk, escaped to Tocti Begi, and they both retired to the country of Arwish. Changiz returned from this campaign to quell a revolt in Tangût, and then turned his arms against the Kirghiz on his western borders. They, however, met him with a prompt tender of submission and tribute, and were in return granted the privilege of holding their lands in Sûy ryh tmisk, or " military fief," and Changiz retraced his steps triumphant to Shaman Gara.

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