CONCLUSION.
1227
Death of the khan's oldest son.--Effects of this calamity.--Plan for
the invasion of China.--The khan's sons.--His sickness.--Change for
the worse.--Farewell address.--He claims the right to name his
successor.--Other arrangements.--Death of the emperor.--His grave and
monument.--Visits of condolence to the new emperor.--Fate of the empire.
After the grand convocation described in the last chapter, Genghis
Khan lived only three years. During this time he went on extending his
conquests with the same triumphant success that had attended his
previous operations. Having at length established his dominion in
Western Asia on a permanent basis, he returned to the original seat of
his empire in the East, after seven years' absence, where he was
received with great honor by the Mongul nation. He began again to
extend his conquests in China. He was very successful. Indeed, with
the exception of one great calamity which befell him, his career was
one of continued and unexampled prosperity.
This calamity was the death of his son Jughi, his oldest, most
distinguished, and best-beloved son. The news of this event threw the
khan into a deep melancholy, so that for a time he lost all his
interest in public affairs, and even the news of victories obtained in
distant countries by his armies ceased to awaken any joyful emotions
in his mind.
The khan was now, too, becoming quite advanced in life, being about
sixty-four years old, which is an age at which the mind is slow to
recover its lost elasticity. He did, however, slowly recover from the
effects of his grief, and he then went on with his warlike
preparations. He had conquered all the northern portion of China, and
was now making arrangements for a grand invasion of the southern part,
when at length, in the spring of the year 1227, he fell sick. He
struggled against the disease during the summer, but at length, in
August, he found himself growing worse, and felt that his end was
drawing nigh.
His mind was occupied mainly, during all this interval, by arranging
the details of the coming campaign, and making known to the officers
around him all the particulars of his plans, in order that they might
carry them out successfully after his decease. He was chiefly
concerned, as well he might be, lest the generals should quarrel among
each other after he should be gone, and he continually exhorted them
to be united, and on no account to allow discord or dissensions to
creep in and divide them.
His oldest son, next to Jughi, was Jagatay, but he was of a mild and
amiable temper, and not so well qualified to govern so widely-extended
an empire as the next son, whose name was Oktay. The next son to
Oktay, whose name was Toley, was with his father at the time when his
sickness at last assumed an immediately alarming character.
This change for the worse, which convinced the emperor that his death
was drawing nigh, took place one day when he was traveling with a
portion of his army, being borne on a litter on account of his infirm
and feeble condition. A halt was ordered, a camp was formed, and the
great conqueror was borne to a tent which was pitched for him on the
spot near the borders of the forest. The physicians and the
astrologers came around him, and tried to comfort him with encouraging
predictions, but he knew by the pains that he felt, and by other
inward sensations, that his hour had come.
He accordingly ordered that all of his sons who were in the camp, and
all the princes of his family, should be called in to his bedside.
When they had all assembled, he caused himself to be raised up in his
bed, and then made a short but very solemn address to them.
"I leave you," said he, "the greatest empire in the world, but your
preserving it depends upon your remaining always united. If discord
steals in among you all will most assuredly be lost."
Then, turning to the great chieftains and khans who were standing
by--the great nobles of his court--he appealed to them, as well as to
the princes of his family, whether it was not just and reasonable that
he, who had established the empire, and built it up wholly from the
very foundations, should have the right to name a successor to inherit
it after he was gone.
They all expressed a full assent to this proposition. His sons and the
other princes of his family fell on their knees and said, "You are our
father and our emperor, and we are your slaves. It is for us to bow in
submission to all the commands with which you honor us, and to render
the most implicit obedience to them."
The khan then proceeded to announce to the assembly that he had made
choice of his son Oktay as his successor, and he declared him the khan
of khans, which was the imperial title, according to the constitution.
The whole assembly then kneeled again, and solemnly declared that they
accepted the choice which the emperor had made, and promised
allegiance and fidelity to the new sovereign so soon as he should be
invested with power.
The aged emperor then gave to his second son, Jagatay, a large country
for his kingdom, which, however, he was, of course, to hold under the
general sovereignty of his brother. He also appointed his son Toley,
who was then present, to act as regent until Oktay should return.
The assembly was then dismissed, and very soon afterward the great
conqueror died.
Toley, of course, immediately entered upon his office as regent, and
under his direction the body of his father was interred, with great
magnificence, under a venerable tree, where the khan had rested
himself with great satisfaction a few days before he was taken sick.
The spot was a very beautiful one, and in due time a magnificent
monument was erected over the grave. Trees were afterward planted
around the spot, and other improvements were made in the grounds, by
which it became, at length, it was said, one of the finest sepulchres
in the world.
As soon as Oktay, whom the emperor had designated as his successor,
returned home, he was at once proclaimed emperor, and established
himself at his father's court. The news of the old emperor's death
rapidly spread throughout Asia, and a succession of embassadors were
sent from all the provinces, principalities, and kingdoms throughout
the empire, and also from such contiguous states as desired to
maintain friendly relations with the new monarch, to bring addresses
and messages of condolence from their respective rulers. And so great
was the extent of country from which these embassadors came that a
period of six months was consumed before these melancholy ceremonies
were ended.
* * * * *
The fate of the grand empire which Genghis Khan established was the
same with that of all others that have arisen in the world, from time
to time, by the extension of the power of great military commanders
over widely-separated and heterogeneous nations. The sons and
successors to whom the vast possessions descended soon quarreled among
themselves, and the immense fabric fell to pieces in less time than it
had taken to construct it.
THE END.
TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES:
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