It was a blazing, hot day. The sun scorched the land below, burning any living creature that came in contact with the sun’s harmful rays. 

Ogodei briskly walked into the military ger covered with animal skin and filled with weapons and maps of the region they currently occupied, northern China. As he walked into the ger, the weight of his dad’s deel, decorated with luxurious silk, weighed him down and made him feel smaller. All of his attempts against the Jin to squash the revolts in northern China have failed. He was at the lowest point of his military career, experiencing loss after loss.

Ogodei sat down on his throne, hand-crafted by the best of artisans in the Mongol Empire, and began to ponder his current situation. “The latest battles against the Jin have to work. If we fail, our options to conquer China will run thin!” While he sat and waited for his military commanders to enter, Ogodei called his servant and demanded his standard tipple for his stressful meetings. 

A few moments later, Ogodei’s three generals entered, each as big as a bull and as cunning as a fox. They each took their place around the map on the grand center table. “Oh great Khan, our campaigns in the west have failed”, said the general in a wavering voice to Ogodei’s right. Ogodei felt his heart squeeze and panic. His finger dipped into his bitter drink. He was hoping he didn’t have to resort to his last chance; just enough resources and men for one final attack. Ogodei immediately cleared his face of any expression and questioned his generals in a commanding voice. “What city do we attack now? Several of our past attempts have failed, each allowing the Jin to get stronger! This is our last chance. We cannot mess up!” 

Ogodei surveyed the suddenly smaller room as silence hung in the air. Clearing his throat, the wary general opposite of Ogodei responded. “Oh Great Khan, all of our ideas have failed. As a general to your father, I cannot stress enough how embarrassed we are. But, there is a reason why your father chose you to succeed over your older brothers. You are known for your charisma, your humbleness, and above all, your intelligence. Use those traits your father trusted and devise an ingenious plan!” Ogodei swiftly turned around, his frustration visible in his profound breaths and agitated face. His patience started to wear thin. He was so irritated that he even uttered a few curses to Tenggri, the infamous sky god who gave Ogodei’s father the mission to conquer all lands. 

Almost as if Ogodei was granted an immediate blessing, as he glanced at the map of China on the table, he realized something that he hadn’t seen before. A particular city he never paid much attention to. Ogodei shouted with relief, “There is still a way we can beat the Jin! Instead of attacking smaller cities in a predictable pattern, we must attack a city that the Jin would deem unpredictable. A city that would lack proper defensive measures. A city like their capital, Kaifeng.” Ogodei’s words echoed throughout the ger, illuminating the faces of the hopeful generals. With the approval of his generals, Ogodei confidently shouted,  “Let us go and trounce the Jin!” 

After two days, Ogodei finished writing his official decree to his army, instructing them to attack Kaifeng and seize all Jin property. He hadn’t eaten or slept much in the past few days, mostly due to his excitement for exterminating the Jin once and for all. Handing his decree to the royal messenger, Ogodei then exited the military ger, mounted his midnight black steed, and rode over to his residential ger. 

Once he was inside, Ogodei meticulously prepared his handmade bow, elegant arrows, hardened helmet, and battle-tested armor. Sitting in his armory, Ogodei knew this battle would require everything he had, from manpower to sheer will. It was only a matter of time before the Jin met their fate. Or, a matter of time before Ogodei met his. 

Equipped for war, Ogodei rode over to his seasoned army, who were awaiting his presence. Leaping off his horse, Ogodei couldn’t help but feel the anxiety radiating from his army. He knew, one way or another, that his army was either going to capture Kaifeng or die trying. “My brethren”, shouted Ogodei, “it is time we reconquer this land in the name of our people, the Mongols. It is time we rewrite history itself!” Ogodei gathered his army together and prayed to their Shamanistic gods, wishing for courage and strength on the battlefield. Mounting his steed, Ogodei took off and led his army towards Kaifeng, thinking of what could be. 

An arrow whizzed by Ogodei’s ear as he sliced through a chink in his enemy’s armor. Glancing back, he saw the arrow jutting out of a Mongolian body fallen on the sunken battlefield. As far as he could tell, his army was fighting, not just with weapons, but with their hearts. “A cause worth fighting for”, Ogodei fittingly thought to himself. Slowly, Ogodei could feel his motivated army push the Jin soldiers away from the besieged city. He couldn’t help but smile underneath his blood-covered helmet. 

That’s when it happened. Ogodei’s smile quickly faded as the Jin unleashed something into the sky, blocking out the defiant sun. Ogodei tracked the large black sphere in the sky as it fell closer to the ground. Before he could realize it, the black sphere crushed the soldiers in front of him, killing them instantly. 

“Cannons!”, shouted Ogodei, “Fall back!” He reared his horse around as the black spheres of death rained upon his suddenly timid army. As Ogodei retreated to base camp, he saw a few injured soldiers stuck below a collapsed pillar. Without hesitation, Ogodei leaped off his horse and ran to the massive pillar, dodging the cannonballs from above. He grabbed the pillar, weighing several tons, and heaved it above his head, freeing the troops stuck below. The soldiers, crawling out from underneath, were visibly shocked at Ogodei’s supernatural strength. Even Ogodei was taken by surprise, but he didn’t have time to think about it. Ogodei then mounted his horse and galloped away towards camp, eager to assess the situation at hand. 

“This won’t work”, said Ogodei to his frustrated military commanders. Ever since the Jin forced his army to retreat, Ogodei evaluated various ways to mitigate the effects of the cannonballs. “The only way to nullify the cannonballs is to split the remaining half of the army into two groups. One group will attack from the northern side of Kaifeng and the second group will distract the Jin soldiers on the eastern side”, said Ogodei. His words echoed throughout the pile of debris that was left of the base camp. The generals couldn’t help but stare at Ogodei in awe. “It’s as if you have the powers of the war god himself”, said Ogodei’s Commanding General. 

Leading the northern group, Ogodei could sense that his plan had worked. It was evident that the Jin had focused all their troops on the eastern side of the city, leaving the north defenseless. And, to Ogodei’s knowledge, the cannonballs became less effective as he heard fewer cannons firing as the hours passed. Arriving at the city, Ogodei and his band of troops shattered through the interior walls of the city, beginning the reward of pillaging. Ogodei slowed down and stood by as his relentless army raided the homes, the library, and even the temples. Savoring the moment, Ogodei relished in the defeat of the Jin. Finally, he had conquered the Jin. Finally, he had conquered all of China.

The battlefield lay wasted, piles of fallen troops scattered around the weary ground. Dust continued to fall from the debris of the Mongol’s destruction. As the army finished pillaging the city, Ogodei came across the remaining soldiers of the once-Jin army. He halted his troops behind him and slowly walked towards the Jin soldiers, shackled to the ground. Ogodei emerged from the dust of the debris, casting a great shadow like that of a giant -- his breath powerful enough to clear the dust, his footsteps louder than earthquakes, and his arms burly enough to ravage any army-- striking fear into the hearts of the Jin soldiers. Ogodei drew his bow one last time, notching it with an arrow glinting in the sunlight. The Jin soldiers pleaded with him but he remained still, breathing calmly. Smiling at the Jin, Ogodei released his arrow, sealing the fate of the Jin. 

Silence spread through the atmosphere of the city. Then, Ogedei boasted to his army, while pride fluttered through his body, “I claim this land in favor of my father, Genghis Khan, and my people, the Mongols!”