The Legend of How Fyzyl-Biy Defended Ura-Tyube

URA-TYUBE UNDER SIEGE

In the far west of Fergana lies a small flourishing region — Ura-Tyube. In the 18th century, it was an independent principality — a vilayet, ruled by the elderly sage Fyzyil-Biy. Surrounding it were powerful neighbors, and the wealth of the Ura-Tyube people did not let them rest.

In the summer of 1754, these neighbors conspired and besieged Ura-Tyube from all sides. From the west came the troops of the Bukhara emir Muhammad-Rahim; from the east — the Kokand forces of Irdana-Biy; from the north — the warriors of the Kyrgyz leader from the Kusch tribe, Kubat-Biy. How could the few warriors of Ura-Tyube withstand such might? True, help arrived in the form of the Hissar Bek Madamin, the son-in-law of Fyzyil-Biy, but what good would that do? Madamin had only a handful of horsemen. The Bukharians, Kokandians, and Kubat-Biy only laughed:
— How many fighters do our opponents have? Enough for a festive feast. Too few for a serious war. But we have prepared something for them...

Everyone was sure that within two weeks, Ura-Tyube would fall. Might is might.

But the old cunning Fyzyil-Biy thought otherwise.

...One night, a man with a covered face was brought into the tent of Madamin-Biy, the Hissar Bek. When he uncovered his face, the Bek recognized one of the horsemen of the Ura-Tyube ruler.

Madamin was a hot-headed, impulsive man. He jumped up in excitement:
— How is my noble father-in-law? Is his body and spirit healthy? What brings you here?

The messenger bowed and pressed a finger to his lips:
— Shh! Let no one else remain in the tent.

When the others left, the messenger said:
— The spirit of my lord is strong. I have come with a seal. And with a mission.
— What seal?
— The seal of Kubat-Biy. A fake.

The Bek was surprised:
— What do I need it for?
— To carry out the mission.

The Bek began to get angry.

— You speak in riddles!
— The matter is in the letter. And the messenger looked around, tiptoed, and began to whisper something in the Bek's ear.

The Bek listened and listened, then burst out laughing.

— Got it! Well done, father-in-law! He is wiser than seven sages and even Suleiman himself!

At dawn, the vigilant Bukhara guard captured two horsemen sneaking past the troops' position. They found a letter written in Kufic script, sealed with a large round seal. The centurion reported to the captain, who informed the commander. The literate commander, after reading the contents, clutched his chest and rushed to the tent of the emir himself...

— Treason! — shouted the emir, stomping on the luxurious carpet with bare feet. — And these are allies? May Allah strike them both down! Kubat-Biy is a traitor, Irdana is a traitor! They conspired with the enemies behind my back.

The proof is this letter with the personal seal of Kubat-Kyrgsha! What should we do?

The viziers and courtiers expressed their outrage with fervor. Of course! In the letter, Kubat-Biy openly suggested that the Ura-Tyube ruler unite with the Kokandians and jointly attack the Bukhara emir. And he even attached the seal, that scoundrel!

Irdana-Biy, directly accused by the emir of treason against the common cause, also became furious.

— How dare you! — he roared. — Suspect me of treachery, a descendant of Shah Rukh from the noble Ming lineage? The emir will pay dearly for this! Bring me the Quran!

In the presence of numerous witnesses, including the emir's envoys, Irdana-Biy swore on the holy book that he was not guilty of treason. Thus cleared, Irdana began to ponder:
— But the letter with the seal does exist. This means Kubat-Biy... Now both allies united against the Kyrgyz leader. The emir even moved his troops further away to avoid a treacherous night attack.

This finally infuriated Kubat-Biy:
— Fools! Do they, the steppe wolves, not understand that the snow leopard will never stoop to treachery and betrayal!

Hey! My loyal horsemen! Saddle the horses! We are going back to our native mountains! Let these two fight the Ura-Tyube people themselves and shove the fake letter with the false seal in each other's noses!

...The son-in-law and father-in-law met and embraced, as is proper for close relatives.

— I bow to your wisdom, father! — said the Hissar Bek. Only thanks to this cunning, worthy of Suleiman ibn Dawud, did we shame such numerous enemies.

Fyzyil-Biy also laughed with a rattling old man's laugh and stroked his white beard:
— Might is might, but sometimes wisdom is needed. We have few warriors for war, but enough for a feast. Hey, prepare a grand festive celebration..!

Myths and Legends