The Epic of "Manas". The Appointment of Almanbet as Commander-in-Chief

Appointment of Almanbet as Commander-in-Chief

In the valley of the Sary-Tal river
The warriors on the march
Set up a large camp.
They stuck their spears in the soft ground,
Threw their swords into the bushes,
And let the horses graze.
Some, escaping the heat,
Bathed naked in the river,
Others slept under the tent.
Having trampled the grass in a circle,
They organized a game of ordo.
Appointing a large baiga,
They played toguz-korgol here.
As if a thousand troops
Had set off on a great campaign
To eat, sleep, and play!
Seeing this, Almanbet
Was angry and furious,
And immediately arrived at the khan's camp.
— Forgive me, great khan!
It’s time to turn back!
With such a wild crowd
We won’t reach Beijing.
With a wild herd like this
We will never win!
And if we set out, no one
Will remain alive there!
I will not go with you on the march!
I will not lead such a wild horde
To destruction!
And forty mighty warriors,
Along with the old man Kyrgyl,
Not daring to say anything,
Stood with their eyes downcast
(It seems they burned with shame).
— You are right, my brave Almanbet!
There is no order in our troops.
On the march to Great China
It was Baakay’s duty to monitor the army.

And if he could not take command,
Then our brother must have grown old.
From now on, let Almanbet be
The battle khan on the march!
Go to your uncle now
And deliver my order! —
Manas said decisively.
And immediately Azhbay, Serek
Rode to Baakay’s camp.
To not upset the elderly abaka
With the news,
They didn’t know how or where to start.
Noticing this, Khan Baakay
Said: — I see you both
Have come to tell me something.
You are afraid, if the news is bad,
I will order your heads to be chopped off.
Do not be afraid, I will listen to you.
What did Khan Manas command me?
Azhbay gathered his courage:
— Forgive me, uncle Baakay.
When we set out on the march,
You were the battle khan.
Now all military authority
Alma has decided to transfer…
Here er-Baakay laughed:
— As long as I have lived to old age,
Whatever position I held!
I was a khan, and a tor-aga,
But, as you see, friends,
I did not grow horns on my forehead!
I value er-Almanbet
Higher than the khan himself.
He is clever, cunning, brave, and bold,
A great expert in military affairs.
And er-Manas knows this.
He gave a wise order!
As soon as Azhbay and Serek
Conveyed Baakay’s words,
The loud warrior Yrchuu ul
Immediately informed the troops
That all power over the army
Had passed to Almanbet alone,
So that everyone should obey him
In the rear, on the march, and in battle.
And if anyone objects,
Their head will roll from their shoulders!
Having gained power, Almanbet
Immediately went around the troops,
Counted the people in formation,
To keep strict account on the march,
He ordered to appoint seniors.
In the ten, the senior is the bashi,
In the hundred, the senior is the juz bashi,
In the thousand, the senior is the min bashi.
And he strictly commanded all of them
To count their numbers in the mornings,
And then again in the evenings.
And if there is a discrepancy,
Their head will be cut off immediately.
And every warrior must know —
We will not rest on the march,
Until we reach our goal!
In strict order and formation
The troops moved forward again
Through forests, fields, and meadows.
They crossed rivers by fording,
Made short stops for the night —
And so, for about forty days,
Not knowing rest or sleep,
The entire army of the Kyrgyz marched.
The leader of the warriors — Kyrgyl
Was completely exhausted on the way:
He chafed blisters between his legs,
Sitting without rest in the saddle,
He rubbed his backside raw.
Overcoming pain and itching,
He said to the ten-man Buzuul:
— I cannot ride any further.
Our khan Manas has completely lost it —
He handed all power to the Chinese.
He wants to destroy the people,
To drive the horses on the road.
I fear I will die on the way.
I will not go further on the march!
I want to return alive to the rear! —
Kyrgyl moaned in despair.
And then Buzuul replied to him,
Angry at the old man:
— When everyone was counted,
You were in the ten, old devil!
When Alma counts us again,
You will not be there.
To keep your head from being lost,
I will report to Almanbet
That you, Kyrgyl, died on the way!
The leader of the warrior band,
Kyrgyl was hardened in battles,
And with such shameless rudeness
The old warrior was offended.
And he went to Manas himself.
— You led us on campaigns!
Now I do not understand, Manas,
Who is leading us this time?
And why are the Kyrgyz going to battle
Led by a Chinese against China?
Give a reasonable answer to the people!
The people are tired and exhausted.
The horses are hungry, they need feed,
And blood seeps under the saddle.
We will all perish on the road —
And we will not reach Beijing!
Or maybe your Chinese
Decided to destroy us on the way?
The people are completely worn out —
They will not go further on the march!
They asked me: — Pass it on,
Let your China be cursed!
Listening to the old warrior,
Manas walked through the troops
And ordered Almanbet
To give the people rest and a halt.
But first, Manas commanded
To count the people in formation,
And where there is a discrepancy,
Their head will be cut off from the body.
And before him, the troops passed:
In full strength were the bashis,
And juz bashis, and min bashis —
All three hundred thousand people!
But then one misfortune struck:
In the ten, where Manas himself was,
And he was bashi Tazbaymat,
No matter how they counted, they could not
Find the tenth warrior!
And Alma then said:
— It seems, one coward has run away.
And you, bald Tazbaymat,
Were you bribed or did you oversleep!
Chop off his head! —
Alma ordered in anger.
And immediately six choro
Led Baymat to the block,
To chop off the bald head
With an axe immediately,
And prepared a bucket
To drain the poor fellow’s blood.
— Wait! — shouted Serek. —
And maybe Tazbaymat the fool
Did not include Manas in the list?
He thought the khan was not a person!
— You are my batyr! I am your zheldet.
I am not in your ten!
It turns out, you, rascal,
Did not consider me a person?!
Why did you, my good Serek,
Save Tazbaymat from death! —
Manas laughed louder than anyone.
Having received permission for rest,
All the warriors fell to the ground.
On the way, the exhausted horses
Were let to graze in the meadows.
Having slaughtered fat mares,
They arranged a camp feast.
They treated those who were ill,
And slept soundly under the moon,
As they say, without their hind legs.
And at dawn, Khan Almanbet
Came to Manas for counsel.
— My khan, I report to you,
Here, at last, we have approached
The Chinese lands, the cities.
And to scout the approaches,
We need to send a reconnaissance.
— The Kyrgyz do not know this land —
You must go to China yourself! —
Khan Manas replied to him.
— I am ready to carry out the order,
But I ask you one thing:
To avoid any doubts,
Let a reliable, devoted friend of mine
Go with me on the reconnaissance,
Your youngest choro,
Proven in battles, —
Fearless, valiant Syrgak.
In China, we will need
Azhbay’s horse Kartkuron,
A reliable lead stallion,
He may come in handy there, —
Almanbet said to Manas.
— Prepare, let the valiant Syrgak
Go with you on the reconnaissance.
You will find out on the way,
How to approach Beijing,
How the enemy fortified his city.
I wish my falcons
To return alive and safe! —
Blessed the batyr Manas.
And soon Almanbet, Syrgak
On an unknown path,
Leading with him
The horse named Kartkuron,
Set off on reconnaissance beyond the border.

Epic "Manas". The Great Campaign to China. Part - 2