Nomad: The Warrior

For centuries, the Great Asian region

bordered by Russia and China

has been home to my people,

the Kazakhs -

nomadic tribesmen

roaming from one pasture to another.

Since the time of our legendary

ancestor, Genghis Khan,

hordes of foreign invaders

have tried to conquer this land

and put an end to our

peaceful way of life.

Of all those who threatened

the lives of my people,

none were more

brutal or determined

than the ferocious

Jungar tribesmen from Mongolia.

The Jungars brought war against us,

yet the Kazakh tribal leaders

were still unable to agree

about how to unite the tribes

against a deadly enemy.

Many of my people fled

from the horrors of the war.

This period has become known

as the "Flight With Bloody Feet."

Many more of us remained, hoping

to see the fulfillment of the prophecy

that one day a warrior descendant

of Genghis Khan

will rise up, and unite all the Kazakhs

in a revolt against our enemies.

l, Oraz, have always believed

l would see this come to pass

and l have searched

tirelessly, far and wide

for the promised child.

1 71 0 - Kazakh Tribal Land

Surround him!

Are you Oraz the Wise?

Yes, that is my name.

Galdan, the ruler of all Jungars,

orders that we bring you to him.

You can inform your sovereign

that l am a Kazakh, not a Jungar.

As such, l do not follow his orders.

lf you refuse to go willingly,

we'll take you there by force.

Seize him!

Take him alive!

You must understand, Oraz,

if we return without you,

we'll lose our heads.

l should go then.

l don't want your children

to curse my name.

l found him, my sovereign.

So you are Oraz the Wise?

l have heard much about you.

ls it true that you understand

the language of all living creatures?

That talent belongs only to God.

You won't deny, however,

that you understand horses?

Every Kazakh

knows about horses.

Let us see.

Pick the best horse for me.

That chestnut stallion. . .

. . . is the best.

A horse fit for a great warrior,

one who makes the earth tremble.

Do you know, wise man,

what awaits you if you are mistaken?

Hey, Kazakh. . .

you were right.

This is truly a horse

worthy of a great ruler.

You were right, Kazakh!

You were right.

l will give you

your weight in gold

and make you my horse-master.

Freedom is worth

more than gold.

lf you refuse my gift,

you may soon lose your good luck.

l do not rely on luck.

My path is clear before me.

You speak with such certainty

of the future.

Tell me what the future holds for me.

You know yourself,

even stars fall from the skies

and new stars are born.

Who is this newborn star?

What is his name?

You and l both will find out

when the time comes.

Whatever perils

awaited me in my path,

l never lost hope.

One day, l asked the Almighty,

"O Creator,

when will you send my people

the fearless warrior

who will unite

all of the Kazakh tribes

and push our foes from our land?"

And at that moment l heard

a child crying.

Suddenly l understood

that the savior of my people

had just been born.

l have seen a terrible prophecy

that brings danger to my master!

My liege.

My master and protector!

You will reign for many years

but a child has been born

to a Kazakh Sultan

who will grow to defeat you

unless you kill him at once!

So Oraz was right.

Sharish, find this Kazakh child

and kill him at once.

Yes, my liege.

God save you, traveler.

And you too.

At last, the child of the prophecy.

ls something the matter?

Jungars are approaching. Quickly,

prepare for their attack.

Stop!

Surround them!

Protect the carriage with your lives!

Quick!

The child!

Leave him!

l will kill him myself.

Where is the child?

There was no child here.

Kazakh city of Turkestan

Sultan Wali's Palace

Greetings, Sultan Wali.

l need to speak with you.

Speak.

There are no outsiders here.

Worthy Sultan,

the Jungars attacked the caravan.

l know.

They spared no one.

Sharish killed my wife and my son.

No, Sultan.

Your son is alive.

How can this be?

My darling, my precious!

How can l repay you?

l do not need anything.

l cannot let you go

without some reward.

You have brought him back

from the dead.

Tell me what you want.

Give me your son.

How can your tongue speak

such words, Oraz?

lf Galdan finds out your son is alive

he will not rest until he is dead.

There is no safer place

in the world for him

than with me, in this palace.

There is a traitor close to you.

He told the Jungars about the caravan.

You ask for that which is

most precious to me.

Take him and raise him

to be a good warrior.

l will teach him all l know, Sultan.

Keep your back straight.

Keep your heels down.

- Don't let go of the reins.

- l understand.

Don't be afraid. Go!

Good!

A horse is your wings.

A good horse is

your best friend.

ln difficult times

it will help you defeat your enemy.

l gathered them

from all parts of the Kazakh steppe.

l picked only the best,

each from a different tribe.

They all worked hard

to become true Kazakh warriors,

but two boys did everything better

than the others -

Mansur and his best friend Erali.

l was the only one who knew

that one of them was

the son of Sultan Wali.

How many eyes does a nomad have?

Two.

Four.

Two in front,

and two behind.

Tell me your names.

You didn't name your tribe.

Perhaps you don't know it.

l do, but Mansur and l

call ourselves Kazakhs.

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