The Tale of Manas. The Great Campaign. Almambet Becomes the Leader of the Army

The Great Campaign. Almambet takes command of the army.

Manas, riding at the head of the army, arrived at the plain of Chemuyuch, by the banks of the Chu, set up tents, and sat down to play chess. When Almambet, who was at the very end of the army, arrived and saw that everyone had unsaddled their horses, that many had undressed, made themselves shade from the sun with their capes, and carelessly collapsed to sleep, he was filled with anger. He approached Manas and said:

- My Tere! What is this lying around? What is this carelessness? Did your warriors gather for a dangerous campaign, not for a leisurely one? It is not easy to defeat the Chinese. I will not go on a distant campaign with such a disorganized army.

Hearing Almambet's words, Manas agreed with him and sent to Bakai, Azhibai, and Serek, asking him to convey the khan's title to Almambet. He ordered them to communicate his request to Bakai in such a way as not to offend him.

When the envoys arrived at Bakai, he agreed, and Almambet was elevated to khan.

Taking command, Almambet gathered the commanders of tens, hundreds, and thousands and ordered them to check the count of the army.

- If anyone in the ten does not have at least one person, - he said, - that one will lose his head. After the check, we will set off on a forty-day journey. During this time, no one will lay out a dastorkon, no one will loosen their belts, no one will take off their shoes, no one will lie down to sleep. Remember this, for the khan's order is not repeated twice.

He finished, the drums began to beat, the kernei and surnai sounded, and the army set off on its way.

For forty-one days, the huge army moved forward without stopping. The elders reached such a state that they could barely stay on their horses, the horses also began to stagger from fatigue, and many warriors were exhausted.

The elder Kyrgyl, the former commander of forty choro, approached Bozuul, who had become the commander of the ten:
- I have just turned sixty, and I have never seen such a campaign. If we count the days and nights that we have been shaking without rest on horseback, it has already reached eighty-two. Does Manas, having made this Kalmyk offspring a khan, want to destroy the Kyrgyz warriors? Who will answer for the fate of such a multitude of people? My shoulders have lost their former strength, my hands have weakened. It would be better if you cut off my head, Bozuul, and take it to Manas, telling him the whole truth about the state of the army.

At these words of Kyrgyl, Bozuul, who did not know how to vent his anger, burst out with angry words:
- Oh, you old Kyrgyl! Stop talking nonsense! I have no desire to bring down the wrath of Kankor upon myself because of you. The khan's order is not ambiguous. If you die your own death, then die. We will tie your corpse to the horse Akborchuk, and when we arrive at Oghuzotmek and Taiotmek and begin to count the troops, I will say: "I brought eight for the check, I count myself as the ninth, the tenth among us was Kyrgyl, but that pig has already died."

Kyrgyl was enraged by these words:
- Oh, you unfortunate commander! Since you have become my chief, you should behave wisely, help me in difficult times, and yet you talk such nonsense. May the cursed Kalmyk never see good! It is he who introduced these orders, let the one who invented these checks of tens perish forever!

Offended, Kyrgyl after these words caught up with Manas and asked him:
- What do you want, to destroy the whole people?

Manas felt that Kyrgyl was angry and laughed:
- What can be done? Who is enjoying the ride now? The khan of the army is now Almambet. Calm your irritation for now, return back and join your ten, - he advised.

Kyrgyl did just that.

Manas rode out into the open field, took his spyglass, and began to watch the passing army. He saw that indeed many were exhausted, many were tied to the backs of their horses, as they had already lost the strength to sit. Then he caught up with Almambet, who was riding ahead, and said to him:
- Kyrgyl complained to me that he is almost at death's door, but I ordered him to return and join his ten.

Then I looked through the spyglass and saw that it is true, many among the warriors are tired and exhausted. If you agree, it would be good to arrange a halt today.

But Almambet was angered by Manas's words:
- Do not disturb my soul with tales of your Kyrgyl. If you are dissatisfied with my command, then take the title of khan from me, but do not torment me with such conversations!

He angrily spurred his horse and rode away, continuing on his way. Manas approved of Almambet's iron firmness and decided to act according to Almambet's orders.

- For no reason, Kyrgyl complained about Almambet and brought shame upon me before him. How dare he do that? - he thought.

Almambet led the army for another day without stopping and, finally noticing the dire state of the people, made a halt on the banks of Sharap. He himself swam across the blue waters of the Orkhon River and went on reconnaissance.

At the edge of the Chinese territories, the great hero of China Muradyl, son of Kyrim, was constantly on guard. From time to time, at certain intervals, he patrolled the roads to check if any enemy troops were approaching. Almambet had long known the time when Muradyl set out on his patrol. He wanted to surprise Muradyl while he was patrolling the paths and catch him off guard. That is why he drove the army forward without stopping.

Almambet arrived at the place where the Chinese hero was, but it turned out that that very morning he had returned to Beijing. Before this, he had spent forty days here with his retinue, hunting kulans, feasting, having fun, and chasing gazelles. The trace of his camp was visible. Ashes from pipes and fires were scattered everywhere, and arrows from bows lay here and there.

Almambet was very upset that he could not capture Muradyl and rode back to the army. Upon returning, he began to influence the weather.

He made it snow, sent blizzards for several weeks, and froze the rivers. When the bad weather passed, the Kyrgyz army approached the Orkhon River.

The waters of the Orkhon roared and bubbled,
The waves crashed against the shore with a roar,
Streams from the peaks of eternal snows poured into it,
From all sides flowed the waters
Into the vast Orkhon from sixty rivers.
Its water was dark as blackness,
Its waters flowed, breathing the scent of blood.
The white foam bubbled,
Hitting here and there,
Forming bends like chamgarak.
On these banks of the Orkhon,
In the expanses of its valleys
Marsh grasses splashed like banners,
Reeds bowed their heads in the wind.
Black fish the size of horses
Leapt up with a sharp splash and fell.
If you looked at the surface of the river,
It was raging and foaming like a mountain stream.
At stones the size of an entire yurt
Whirlpools formed - eddies.

If it were not for the hero Almambet, no one living on earth would have dared to approach the river closely. But Almambet, with his magical powers, made the waters of the raging river shallow and led the entire army across it.

Then, a little while later, the Kyrgyz entered the waterless and desolate desert of Biyaban and traveled through it for seven scorching days and seven stifling nights. Having passed through this area, they arrived in the region of Salangu, where all sorts of wonderful beasts and birds lived. There, the army settled down to rest.

Since the start of the campaign, nine months had passed, winter had come, and the horses' tongues had turned black.

In the region of Salangu, everything was marvelous:
The nightingale was there with the rooster,
And the rooster was the size of an ostrich.
The size of the turtles was no less
Than a bowl six spans in circumference.
The marsh grass, cow parsnip,
Grew thicker than the trunks of poplars.
Witches lived there,
Like newlywed brides.
There flew the marvelous bird Alp Karakush,
From its wings rose the wind,
Like storms on the black mountain.
The horseflies were the size of a sheep's head,
Deposits of silver and gold
Lay there in abundance, like stones in a shallow river.
The size of the wolves there
Was equal to that of four-year-old horses,
The flies were as big as birds,
And the small birds were the size of eagles.
The mice were as big as puppies,
And the lizards were long like snakes,
The snakes were long like lassos,
The ants in these places were like hunting dogs,
The deer in the bushes
Were as numerous as sheep in flocks.
It turns out, there are all kinds of places!
There were places where kuldzhis swarmed,
There were rivers that flowed with bends,
There were hills where the bugus whitened,
The height of the riverside reeds
Reached a thousand spans.
The plain swarmed
With wild animals, like sheep in a herd.
In the valleys, larks sang,
In the lakes, frogs croaked,
On the green trees, sweet-sounding cuckoos cooed,
In various ways, the nightingale's trills flowed,
Bubbling, overflowing, were the springs.
Reeds, marsh plants, birches, and willows,
Rose thickly from the ground.
You look and are amazed at their multitude,
Everything is here - just look and be amazed!
To anyone who looks, all this seems like a miracle.
There were many diverse birds there,
That spoke in human language.

In this place, Alma arranged a check of the entire army. In the ten of Tazbaymat, one fighter was missing. Almambet wanted to cut off his head as punishment, but Serek stopped him:
- Wait, do not kill Tazbaymat unnecessarily. In my opinion, there should not be fewer people in his ten. Manas is surely recorded there, and no one remembered him. Check the army not by number, but by the name list, - he advised.

When they checked the list by names, it turned out that the tenth lost was Manas, and Tazbaymat, in his agitation and haste, had forgotten about him.

- Not noticing, I almost perished,
Oh my hero Manas, because of you!
By the hand of your servant from China
I almost perished a bloody death, -
Tazbaymat cried out to Manas.
The whole crowd burst into laughter,
Even the most noble laughed,
Manas himself laughed.
The whole crowd only now understood
The strictness of Almambet.
Then Manas spoke his word:
Very angry, he said:
- Ah, may you be cursed, Tazbaymat,
You are not ashamed to speak to me like that!
It turns out, you lost your jolbars.
It is you, it turns out, who speaks to me!
Ah, may you be cursed, Tazbaymat,
If one of my commanders is you,
And I, forgotten by mankind,
Almambet did not punish you enough.
If you do not remember me,
I should have permission from Almambet
To deprive you of your empty head!
But at this moment, Kankor could not hold back,
And roared with heroic laughter.
The mighty Manas thundered,
And everyone saw that Tazbaymat was greatly shamed
And tormented by shame.

When the check of the troops was completed, Almambet came to Manas for advice:
- Who should I send for reconnaissance?

But among those sitting around, no one volunteered to go on reconnaissance in unknown lands. Then Manas said to Almambet:
- If you do not go, born and raised in Beijing, knowing the heights and depths of its land, having driven cattle in the vicinity many times, having tasted the sweetness and bitterness of life here, then who else should go? No one else is suitable for such a difficult reconnaissance.

And although Alma was himself a khan, he could not contradict Manas's words. Manas suggested to him:
- Choose any jigit from the army as your companion, take any horse you want from the herds.

Almambet said:

- There is a bold one, who does not recognize death,
His eyes are like flames of fire.
When he sees an approaching enemy,
His battle cry is always impressive.
In a clash with the enemy, he never turns his spear away.
No matter how fierce the enemy is, he never retreats.
His valor is known to all.
He never delays a swift attack,
He has the temperament of a wild boar.
He has never faltered before the enemy,
He has the grip of a jolbars.
He rarely grieves and never tires.
Like the lion Manas himself,
His friend's character is steadfast.
In his hand, he holds a sharp spear.
I value him alone as a thousand men.
I choose for myself as a companion
The descendant of a lion - Syrgak.

Then Alma began to choose horses.

- I will not take the black stallion Kalakaman, as he is already old and will bring misfortune. The bay horse Tokatoy also does not suit. I like the dark chestnut stallion Azhibai, who does not throw off his rider even on the steepest ascents, who does not throw off his rider on the most difficult descents. He can endure a forty-day battle without water. Even in complete darkness, he finds the right path. If he is let into the khan's herd, he will lead the entire herd without error. In him, the form of tulpar is visible.

Created from the wind Kartkuryong,
Mature, dark-chestnut, fast as a downpour,
Came into the hands of Almambet,
Whoever looked at them from their own,
Experienced joy, while enemies felt fear.
Girded in blue-steel iron
Dressed in impenetrable armor,
Almabatyra sat majestically,
And in him was seen the image of Rustem.
Next to him was the Kyrgyz jolbars,
His companion, the mountain eagle Syrgak.
He was dressed in armor, like ice,
His courage boiled and surged.
Both of them were girded with iron not lighter than a pood.
Their appearance was fearsome to the enemy.
Quickly mounting the white stallion,
Displaying the steel of the spear,
Extending the copper spur,
The lion Syrgak rode out majestically,
Firmly holding a patterned spear in his hands.
For reconnaissance of Chinese land
Brave heroes gathered.
Sitting on selected horses,
They brought misfortunes and troubles
To the yurts of the Chinese.
Dressed in clothes impenetrable to bullets,
Shielded with shields impenetrable to arrows,
Their faces were fearsome,
Like an approaching storm.

Almambet and Syrgak set out on the roads of Kiyku and Kent towards Kakana.

The Tale of Manas. The Great Campaign. The March Out. Part - 2