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At length the animosity proceeded to such an extreme that Hujaku resolved to depose the emperor, who seemed inclined rather to take part against him, and also to assassinate all the chiefs of the opposite party, and then finally to put the emperor to death, and cause himself to be proclaimed as emperor.

In order to prepare the way for the execution of this scheme, he originally planned to act vigorously against me and my Mongols, but allowed us to advance farther and farther into China. This, of course, increased the general discontent and excitement, and prepared the way for the revolt which Hujaku was plotting.

The time for action arrived.

Hujaku suddenly appeared at the head of a large force at the gates of the capital, and gave the alarm that the Mongols were coming. He pressed forward into the city to the palace, and gave the alarm there. At the same time, files of soldiers, whom he had ordered to this service, went to all parts of the city, arresting and putting to death all the leaders of the party opposed to him, under pretense that he had discovered a plot or conspiracy in which they were engaged to betray the city to the enemy. The excitement and confusion which was produced by this charge, and by the alarm occasioned by the supposed coming of the Mongols, so paralyzed the authorities of the town that nobody resisted Hujaku, or attempted to save the persons whom he arrested. Some of them he caused to be killed on the spot. Others he shut up in prison. Finding himself thus undisputed master of the city, he next took possession of the palace, seized the emperor, deposed him from his office, and shut him up in a dungeon. Soon afterward he put him to death.

 

Yong-tsi faction murdered

This was the end of Yong-tsi ; but Hujaku did not succeed, after all, in his design of causing himself to be proclaimed emperor in his stead. He found that there would be very great opposition to this, and so he gave up this part of his plan, and finally raised a certain prince of the royal family to the throne, while he retained his office of commander-in-chief of the forces.

 

Having thus, as he thought, effectually destroyed the influence and power of his enemies at the capital, he put himself once more at the head of his troops, and went forth to meet me, The Most Glorious Warrior Genghis Khan. Some accident happened to Hujaku about this time by which his foot was hurt, so that he was, in some degree, disabled, but still he went on. At last, he met the vanguard of my army at a place where they were attempting to cross a river by a bridge. Hujaku determined immediately to attack them.

 

The state of his foot was such that he could not walk nor even mount a horse, but he caused himself to be put upon a sort of cart, and was by this means carried into the battle. The Mongols were completely defeated and driven back. Perhaps this was because I, The Great Genghis Khan, was not there to command them. I was at some distance in the rear with the main body of the army. Hujaku was very desirous of following up his victory by pursuing and attacking the Mongol vanguard the next day. He could not, however, do this personally, for, on account of the excitement and exposure which he had endured in the battle, and the rough movements and joltings which, notwithstanding all his care, he had to bear in being conveyed to and fro abont the field, his foot grew much worse. Inflammation set in during the night, and the next day the wound opened; so he was obliged to give up the idea of going out himself against me, the glorious enemy.

 

GENGHIS

Well – that is the story ‘according to Hujaku’, — personally – I think Hujaku lacked the stomach for a battle against me.

 

And so Hujaku sent general Kan-ki instead.

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Next post;  #76    Genghis Goes Fishing

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