Winter passed quickly, yet the Ulaan Tribe showed no signs of leaving their location. Usually, they would pack up the settlement and start heading towards cooler, fertile lands. However, this year was different.
The early spring had arrived. Animals woke from hibernation, rivers swelled from the melting snow, and dark clouds occasionally marred the skies. The vast green lands once again surfaced all over the Plains, renewed with the warm spring vitality.
This year, the air in the Great Desolate Sumerû Plains felt strange; it was thick with pressure, but not the unpleasant kind—this was the pressure of anticipation.
As the temperature rose, trading caravans once again became active, and since antiquity, merchants have been the greatest spreaders of information. Naturally, news of the Liang Dynasty's fragility had already spread among all the Tribes of the Plains.
Everyone knew what this meant. It was almost a decided matter; the hot-blooded barbarians of the Sumerû Plains wouldn't miss such a heaven-sent opportunity. This was why the various Tribes, under their respective Khans, were not hurried to migrate. It seemed everyone was waiting for something, looking towards the Central Plains for the event to unfold.
Noyan was also patiently waiting for the opportunity, but he was much calmer than the others, who were restless to the point of eagerness to begin the raids, plunder the fertile and prosperous Southern Paradise, taste the Chin women, and shed blood on the battlefield.
Noyan had a smile on his face as he observed the scene before him. On this day, the entire Ulaan Tribe was present. The commoners surrounded the large arena prepared especially for the Naadam Festival.
The cheers and spirited yells of the tribesmen echoed with fervor. Lord Batu, sitting on his throne on a platform, nodded with satisfaction, his lips curved in a smile as his gaze swept over the crowd, eventually landing on Noyan momentarily before moving past him to take in the entire scene.
The arena was a vast, open field encircled by towering wooden palisades, its perimeter lined with banners bearing the crimson sigil of the Ulaan Tribe, fluttering in the crisp spring breeze.
At the northern edge, a raised wooden platform served as the seat of honor, where Lord Batu and his council sat beneath a grand canopy of embroidered felt, sipping fermented mare's milk as they observed the spectacle. The common tribesmen gathered in a wide, circular formation around the battlefield, some seated on rough-hewn wooden benches, others standing atop carts or boulders for a better view. Smoke from roasted meats and sizzling fat wafted through the air, mingling with the scent of damp earth and the distant musk of horses. The ground itself, once hardened by winter, had softened under the warmth of spring, its trampled grass and churned-up dust serving as a testament to the warriors who had already fought there.
Beneath the open sky, where the sun cast long golden streaks across the plains, the arena pulsed with anticipation, the rhythmic pounding of drums and war cries igniting the restless energy of the gathered warriors.
The arena was divided into three parts across the vast empty land. In the west, there was a shooting range for archers; in the east, a large arena ring for duels; and in the south, wooden fences created several narrow tracks for horse racing.
Lord Batu was quite satisfied with the arrangements. Seeing the rising spirits of the Tribe, he stroked his beard contentedly. He was very proud to see the growth of the tribe under his leadership.
The upcoming expedition was a good opportunity to grow the Tribe's wealth and influence, making it very important to delegate young talents properly. Therefore, this year's Naadam Festival was particularly significant.
Lord Batu stood up from his throne, knowing the time had come to begin. Immediately, the crowd fell silent, their gazes fixed on him, brimming with excitement and anticipation.
"Everyone…" Lord Batu began, stretching out his hands. "As is known, this year there will be special rewards for the winners and those who perform well in the Naadam Festival!"
Hearing this, everyone cheered, understanding the implicit meaning of Lord Batu's words, especially the common tribesmen, who saw this as an opportunity to completely change their lives.
"I won't beat around the bush; soon, we will join the expedition force at the Four Clans base. This time we must show the strength of our tribe to the others! Those who do well today will lead our Tribe's forces into battle!" Lord Batu spoke loudly, his fists clenched, a confident smile on his lips.
The crowd suddenly erupted. The young warriors' eyes blazed with ambition while the nobles smiled calculatingly. Suddenly, it was as if the air grew warmer from the hot-blooded spirit of the crowd.
Lord Batu's gaze swept over everyone once again. He could see naked ambition blazing in his sons' eyes. Among the entire crowd, only the eldest prince and Noyan remained calm.
Thinking of the good show that would come as Noyan finally stepped up to the occasion, Lord Batu couldn't help but feel amused.
His gaze turned towards the Tribe's altar where an old man with a long white beard stood solemnly. "Begin the Festival by Sacrificing to the Holy Spirit and The Eternal Starry Sky!"
With this declaration, the crowd erupted once more in cries of "Ho! Ho!". The old priest of the tribe stepped forward solemnly and began the sacrificial ritual. Muttering under his breath, the priest's eyes were closed as he prayed with utmost reverence.
Then, he picked up the large machete and chopped horizontally, beheading the cattle beneath the altar in one blow, spraying blood all over.
Immediately, the crowd's fervor reached a new peak.
Noyan, sitting alongside his mother and sister, narrowed his eyes and stood up. His gaze met Lady Naran's, and he nodded with determination.
At the same time, Lord Batu gestured once again, silencing the crowd, "First, archery… begin!" He announced heartily.
As he said this, interested archers walked out from the crowd one by one, heading towards the archery ground. Noyan was among them.
The Ulaan Tribe treated everyone equally, at least on the surface, so there was no distinction between a commoner child or the son of Lord Batu himself. Therefore, not many people raised their brows when Noyan, along with other sons of Batu, stepped out from under the canopy.
On the other hand, some were indeed surprised, especially seeing Noyan stepping up to the occasion.
"Mother, look! Noyan is going to try archery…" Oyuun said with a curious look.
"Looks like I was right; your sixth brother is not hiding anymore. Let's see what he's got!" Lady Aynur narrowed her eyes and muttered.
Oyuun suddenly stood up, his eyes kindled with competition, "I'm also going!" saying this, he left in excitement.
From the side, Bartu saw his brothers go and chuckled in boredom. Then, his gaze fell on another young man in the crowd. The young man, sensing the gaze, turned his head to look at Bartu.
The two young men smiled perfunctorily, but upon closer inspection, one could easily notice the rivalry between them.
Meanwhile, on the archery ground, everything was prepared. There were twenty slots for archers to compete at one time. The contestants picked up their bows and ten arrows each, standing at the starting line. From one teng away, targets were placed for them to hit.
As the first twenty archers took their positions, the rest watched from the side with curiosity. These archers were focused; some were sons and daughters of elders or common tribesmen, while others came from noble families or were children of soldiers and warriors. All of them were the cream of the crop and couldn't be underestimated.
Bows stretched, and the crowd became silent. The air was thick with anticipation as the archers waited patiently for the sound of the horn.
Twang!
The strings of twenty bows released simultaneously as the horn's deep sound reverberated. The arrows whistled through the air and latched onto the targets.
Noyan, observing from the side, narrowed his eyes in astonishment as his gaze fixed on one person.
Impressive! Who is he? Perfect posture, good strength, and incredible technique!
Noyan mused inwardly. The result of the first volley was that everyone hit their targets, as expected since the 'barbarians' were famed for being elite archers. However, accuracy varied; only three arrows landed at the exact center of the target while the rest pierced the outer parts.
"Who is that?" Noyan pointed at the young man who had impressed him and asked the person standing beside him subconsciously.
Hearing Noyan's question, the man with the pointy chin and eyes like two slits was startled. Looking at Noyan, he became puzzled. "Ehh? Who is this pretty boy?" The man spat out impatiently as he sneered.
Noyan was not angry. Or rather, some random guy was not worth his ire, so he just turned his head and looked at the man expressionlessly.
The man suddenly felt uneasy. When he took a closer look at Noyan, his eyes widened as if he remembered something. Then, he instantly broke out in cold sweat upon recognizing Noyan's identity. "Oh mother… my bad mouth! This beautiful face… this dandy body… there's only one person like that…"
Noyan saw the man's face turn from purple to pink with anger and immediately understood what was going on. He raised his brow in exasperation and laughed, "Look at your face changing colors like a pig's liver… alright, don't worry about it, okay? Why don't you tell me who that guy is?"
The man wiped his sweat and put on a very awkward smile. Then, he said, "Ah! Prince Noyan, forgive my dog eyes for not recognizing you earlier… ahem, your brilliance blinded my dog eyes.. haha…"
What an interesting guy! Noyan thought as he rolled his eyes. Then, he put on a stern face and said, "Are you answering me or not?"
"Yes, yes!" The man relaxed and continued, "Reporting to the sixth Prince… that guy is the son of General Ukhtai. His name is Baasan. He is very, very good at archery.. uhm.. as you can see."
Noyan nodded and then fell silent. Seeing this, the man with the pointy chin and slit eyes became restless and anxious like a rabbit, thinking that Noyan was still displeased. Then, his eyes shone with brilliance.
The Prince is known to be reclusive, so naturally, he doesn't know many people in the tribe! The man thought as he began introducing every contestant to Noyan, who did not care but felt amused nonetheless.
In the meantime, the twenty contestants continued shooting all their ten arrows, attempting to be as accurate as possible. But only a few managed to get full points by hitting the center.
The crowd looked in awe as Baasan shot five arrows one after another without wasting a single second, and astonishingly, all the arrows pierced the center spot. What was even more astonishing was that there was now a small hole on the target in the center, as each arrow pierced through the arrow already latched there.
Everyone was impressed, and cheers erupted. Even Lord Batu leaned forward with interest. Noyan felt the same, showing genuine admiration in his eyes as he watched the performance. Like father like son, Noyan appreciated talent greatly.
Soon, the first round ended, and the person responsible for keeping records of the performances wrote down every archer's total points. Unsurprisingly, Baasan had the highest score—a perfect score!
The crowd looked at the victorious young man with admiration and respect, as did the other contestants. The second round began and ended swiftly, followed by the third and fourth.
And although there were many impressive archers, someone had already overshadowed everyone by a large margin. In so many rounds, no one could come close to the General's son's score.
Finally, after watching for a while, with only a few final contestants remaining, Noyan stepped out and entered the arena.
The young man who had been accompanying Noyan was surprised, not expecting the recluse prince to participate. Few people had seen Noyan around, but due to his uniqueness, everyone recognized him almost immediately. Therefore, he captured all eyes as soon as he stepped into the arena.
"Interesting… the sixth Prince may not be so strong, but I've heard his archery skills are not bad at all! Also… I somehow feel he's not as simple as they say…" The pointy-chinned young man grinned sheepishly, recalling his earlier experience.