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『Crossing the Sea of Hidaka in 92 BC』[094] Chapter 5: The Mongolian Plateau

2023年6月27日 10:53

By Tomohiko Adachi

【Main Characters of Chapter 5】
Naoto ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ A young man from Hidaka who crossed the Sea of Japan and passed through Fuyo to visit the Xiongnu
Eregzen ∙∙∙ A young Xiongnu man who captured Naoto. He teaches Naoto how to ride a horse
Zaya ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ A Xiongnu girl, Eregzen's cousin. She grows fond of Naoto
Menahim ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ Zaya's father, Eregzen's uncle. A garrison commander for the Xiongnu's Wise King of the Left
Ishik ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ A skilled blacksmith living in Tuva, north of the Tannu-Ola mountains. A Ninsha person
Bakhtiyar ∙∙∙∙ Zaya's older brother
Kakeru ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙ A Hidaka ship captain who crossed to the continent to trade with the Xiongnu. Naoto's brother-in-law

Synopsis of "Chapter 5: The Mongolian Plateau"
After spending a month crossing the plains of Fuyo and traversing the Khingan mountains, Naoto stood to the west of a large lake where water overflowing from the ground seemed to cover the lush green grassland.
A kite circled above the treetops of a sparse forest. As Naoto looked up, two men on horseback appeared, led by a white dog. They were Xiongnu cavalrymen.
Captured, Naoto was ordered by the younger cavalryman to follow him, and he ran to a garrison beyond the hills. He entered one of the yurts standing in a row and was interrogated through gestures.
The man had a dagger tucked into his leather belt that he claimed was Persian. Naoto, having been taught by Joseph at the Fuyo inlet that Sogdian was close to Persian, tried saying the Sogdian word he had just learned for "sea," |Darya|. It was understood. A conversation began between the two.
Naoto would later learn that the young Xiongnu, who had lost his father at a young age, had the Israelite name Eregzen.
The Xiongnu had never seen anyone from Hidaka. Once they realized he posed no threat, Naoto was kept as a guest in the eastern pastures of the Xiongnu nation.
In the plains of Fuyo, which he had crossed while hiding from enemies, food had been scarce. Concerned for Naoto, who had grown quite thin, Eregzen's cousin, a girl named Zaya, brought him items made from goat and sheep milk.
Zaya was the first Xiongnu girl Naoto had ever seen. Yet, her posture somehow resembled that of his older sister Kaede, who lived with Kakeru on the shores of Hidaka.
Having learned to ride from Eregzen and spent the short autumn doing things like making charcoal in the way he had learned in Hidaka, Naoto finally faced his first harsh winter since crossing to the continent. [End of Chapter 5 Synopsis]

Chapter 5: The Mongolian Plateau
Section 1: An Encounter in the Forest

[094] ■ Episode 1: The First People I Saw on the Mongolian Plateau [Late August, 92 BC]
Naoto proceeded in a |northwesterly| direction along a |game trail| that continued with gentle ups and downs.
On the way down a |valley|, there was a large tree that looked like an |elm|. The mountains were scary in the dark, so even though there was still sunlight left, he climbed to a thick branch extending horizontally to take a nap. There were many insects.
The next morning, he woke up before sunrise, washed his face with river water, slapped his face with both hands, and started walking along the mountain stream in the dim light.
He had come a long way from the riverbank. Judging by the trees growing there, it did not seem like low ground, but he was no longer descending. There were many pines in the area. The drizzle had stopped, and the forest was |fragrant|. He thought it was just like Hidaka.
He had crossed the mountains. The slightly large sleeveless deer-hide garment that had protected him from the dampness of the forest and river could probably be taken off now.

As the number of tall trees increased, the forest gradually became deeper. To ensure he did not lose his way, he found a suitable tree and climbed it, seeing a dark green lake surface reflecting the light in the distance. It looked as if it were floating on a grassy plain.
--Just as Joseph said. First, let's head to the south of that lake.
He had no idea |where| he was going. For now, he decided to look for the log house near the mountains, rivers, and large rocks where Joseph's son, Uriel, was said to live. If he could get that far, he would surely find the Xiongnu.
His only clues were Joseph's words and a simple map drawn on a scrap of leather. Half a month to hurry due west north of Harbin and cross the mountains. Once he saw the large lake, six days from its southern |shore|...
Yesterday evening, he headed toward the space between the mountains where the sun had set. He had no doubts about the direction.
Three days later, Naoto was in a |sparse| forest of trees spreading along a river. He heard the "pi-hyoro" cry of a kite, and he could see its figure flying in large circles, appearing and disappearing between the |trees| he looked up at.
A creaking sound of stepping on deeply piled pine needles could be heard from deep within the grove.
--What could that be?
Naoto stopped and watched the corner that was bright, catching the lingering sunlight of summer. He had already |marked| a tree to climb and escape to if a |beast| were to jump out.
Just as the sound of |hooves| echoed in the |vicinity| from a horse that had smoothly slipped through the |grove| with a white dog running ahead, two men suddenly appeared before his eyes. They had approached to within less than ten paces and were looking at him from horseback. Rather than looking, they were glaring.
Naoto was calm as usual and looked back at the two quite naturally. The older man, who had been watching him intently, slowly turned his head to the left and said something to the young man next to him.
".... Zochilomutogoe"
That is what it sounded like. Thinking it was a name, Naoto immediately memorized it.
--Zochilom...
When one of them turned his horse's head and rode off with the dog, only Zochilom remained. He looked a little older than Naoto.
Zochilom jumped off his horse and gestured for Naoto to show his hands. Because Naoto did not move, he roughly |grabbed| his right hand, turned it over, looked at it intently, and said,
"A slave's hand."
He would learn the meaning of this later. After that, he said,
"Follow me."
Realizing that Naoto did not seem to understand the language, Zochilom gestured with an air that allowed no objection and returned to his horse. He moved the horse forward, looked back to confirm that Naoto was following right behind, and then kicked the horse's belly lightly and started running.
Guided by that, Naoto passed through the |sparse forest|, climbed a hill, and descended.
Naoto was confident in his feet, but he could not keep up with someone on horseback. Zochilom would occasionally look back, stop, wait for Naoto to catch up and catch his breath, and then start running again. It seemed they were heading south.

To Section 1, Episode 2 [095]
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To the Table of Contents and (Full) Synopsis [000]

Proceed to the next chapter, Chapter 6

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