"Everyone, follow Ahno's lead!" "Hurray!" "Balsan, look at this." "My arrow hit the target again." "And what of it?" "It may be true that your arrow hit the target, but isn't it also true that my arrow went farther last time?" "Don't make me laugh." "I can't make you look bad all the time, now can I?" "All right." "I will admit my defeat in accuracy, but I can still shoot the farthest." "Let's see!" "Do you see those bushes over there?" "Just behind the sand dunes?" " I bet I can shoot farther." " It's a bet." "Balsan, sure you can beat the princess?" "Come on." "Halt!" "That way!" "That way, that way." "Let's go." "We're under attack!" "Come on." "Come on." "Who are you people?" "Why did you come here onto our land and attack us?" "Please, calm down." "Explain your assault on our Grand Lama Galdan's caravan." "Heavens above." "It's Grand Lama Galdan." "This is a gift from God." "Uh, I beg your forgiveness." "I am responsible for this." "I'm the one who shot the arrow without realizing that the caravan was here." "Your Holiness, I hope your travels" " have been all right." " They have been fine." "What is your name, young woman?" "My name is Ahno, I am the daughter" " of Ochirt Tsetsen." " I see." "How far is your home from here?" "It is not far." "Just beyond those sand dunes." "My daughter Ahno will turn 18 this year." "My daughter is very dedicated to her studies." "Not only is she an excellent student, she's also skilled in archery." "I know your mother Lady Yum-Agas." "I'm sure she misses you very much, Your Holiness." "Grand Lama Galdan, how long will you stay with us?" "I leave early tomorrow morning." "I'm sure my mother eagerly awaits me." "My brother is here." "Beloved Mother, how are you?" "I'm very well, my son." " Please have a seat." " Yes." "As you know... your brother Senge claimed the family throne... when your dear father died all those many years ago." "Our tribe has always been grateful to Lord Ochirt Tsetsen." "He supported us through hard times and we will never forget his kind deeds." "And now, son... your brother has decided to ask Lord Ochirt Tsetsen... for the honor and privilege of taking his daughter Ahno's hand in marriage." "What do you think?" "I promise to love your beloved daughter more than any of my other queens, Lord Ochirt Tsetsen." "And when she gives me a son, then he alone shall inherit my throne." "Honestly, when your dear father was taken from this world" "I was truly overwhelmed with grief." "Ahno was born at that time and I've loved her ever since." "I have treasured Ahno more than life itself." "She is my precious daughter." "I ask that you love her... as much as I do." "I accept your proposals." "Father!" "Why is this happening?" "Why have the heavens cursed me in this way-- hearing my parents tell me that I have to marry someone I don't love?" "Yes, I know." "And who is the man you really love?" "If I may speak openly?" "I'm afraid there is no chance of you and Galdan ever being together." "He is a Grand Lama and he cannot break his vow of celibacy." "Mandarvaa." "Also, it's said that a person who is born in the Year of the Monkey tends to be smart and honest." "But on the other hand, he is likely to face a troubled life as he gets older." "Something for you, milady, from Grand Lama Galdan." "What is it?" "Tomorrow morning" "I won't wake up in my own bed... but in a foreign land with no desire to be there." "Now listen, sister, once you get to your new home," "I assure you I will send you all the best archers from our homeland." "Promise me, brother... that you will come and visit me all the time." "Please, brother, will you promise me this?" "Yes, I promise." "According to our tradition, you will be able to come back home after three years." "My lord," "I have terrible news about Senge." "He was murdered last night." "What?" "!" "If Tsetsen takes the throne from your dead brother, they will do more harm to us and to our country." "It will be disastrous." "I am sure of it, my son." "Mother." "Please don't become upset by allowing yourself to have such terrible thoughts about other people." "The same way the sun rises and sets, we must all die." "Please, Mother, you must calm your nerves." "And once you are calm," "I'll be at peace as well." "How can I calm down?" "No, oh no, son." "Listen." "Son." "Look at me." "when your father passed away..." "I was young and I took a holy vow... not to-- not to marry anyone after his death." "I became celibate and looking after both of you was my only purpose in life!" "And-- and every day I have prayed that... that this is what your father would have wanted-- his boys to become strong men." "It would mean I'd done my job." "My son!" "Mother?" "Mother!" "I vowed to remain a holy monk." "Don't you dare say to me... that I came here all for nothing." "If so, then you're no longer... my son." "I'm afraid I have to disown you." "Mother." "Mother!" "Mother?" "Mother." "Mother?" "How do you know... that they are the murderers?" "How can you be sure?" "I'm positive." "I found this beside your brother's corpse." "The crest symbol that's on this button... belongs to Tsetsen." "The crest symbol that's on this button... belongs to Tsetsen." "There is no need to worry." "I can assure you that my men will never speak a word of it." "Now that Yum-Agas is not here, we must act quickly." "We must seize Senge's throne now." "We must be patient." "I think it would be wiser to wait until the time is right." "Senge's son..." "Tseveenravdan will be of age soon." "What will we do if we wait and he takes the throne?" "What happens then?" "He's a long way from becoming the next khan." "He's too young." "Very true." "In the year 1671," "Galdan breaks his sacred vows." "He takes over his brother's throne and marries Ahno." "And now let us all welcome the bride." "She's lovely." "Come this way." "Have you all seen the bride's face?" " We have." " Yes." "And now" "I would like everyone here to help me bless their eternal love and happiness." "The eternal flame bonds their union forever." "Look at Uncle Tsukhur." "He's a good actor, pretending like nothing ever happened." "So speaking of Tsukhur Uvsh, we're always doing the dirty work... and he could pin everything on us." "I'll step outside and order my men" " to drink less and stay alert." " Go on." "Good." "And now... let's welcome our new queen to her throne." "We celebrate this union." "I'll go, just to be sure." "As you know, our great tribe is famous for?" "Its whistling winds and chirping birds." "And now, my children, let us all dance like the winds and birds." "You should go after your brother." "Yes, Mother." "Emperor Kangxi's messenger." "The Qing Dynasty has asked me to present this gift from our Highness to Lord Galdan with the message," ""May our kingdoms prosper together."" "That's a good point." "I ask myself," ""What could have been going through your mind when I almost married Senge?"" "I..." "I always knew your heart belonged to me always." "Here, please take this." "And always keep it with you." "My Highness, Galdan and Tsetsen are on the verge of battle." "When two Mongolians are at each other"; throats, that's good for me." "May one wolf devour the other." "Listen, I'd like to spend more time with you and the children." " Daddy!" " Daddy!" " Mommy." " Hi, darling." "Easy now, sweetie." "There's my boy." "Did you miss Daddy?" " Yes, Daddy." " I missed you." " Me too." " Daddy?" "I'm hungry." "Aren't you always, huh?" "I would like to thank Tsukhur Uvsh, one of the wisest and most respected of the Western Mongolians, for inviting us to be here with his son... on this beautiful afternoon." "Ochirt Tsetsen, you speak far too highly of me, for I am not nearly as noble as you are." " Nor will I ever be." " Hmm." "I think it would be worthwhile to repeat what you just said to our son-in-law Galdan." "It is a lesson he needs to learn for his own sake." "My overly ambitious nephew is much too proud." "He acts as if he is the only nobleman" " in Western Mongolia." " He has become far too powerful." "Just look at what he controls now:" "Samarkand, Kazakh and Kyrgyz." "We cannot let this go on." "If we don't act swiftly, we won't be able to stop him." "Aravdan, Zaisan," "Aldartaij-- all of you conspire to tear us apart, to produce a rift between the Western Mongolians!" "Father, listen." "You said this would be a feast, but instead this is a conspiracy." "I refuse to take part!" "Father, have you stopped for one moment" "To think about Ahno?" "Calm down, son." "Easy now." "Lord Tsukhur Uvsh, haven't you had enough of political schemes?" "Listen, all of you here." "I warn you this will end very badly." "My lord, do you really plan to attack my father?" "Please tell me it isn't true." "My men are forced to pay taxes to Ochirt Tsetsen, and those who couldn't were attacked by his soldiers." "Up until this point," "I've done nothing because of his old age and of course his relation to you." "I have overlooked his arrogance." "But from what I heard, your Uncle Tsukhur is behind all of this!" "So what?" "I've always suspected that." "The two of them-- Tsukhur Uvsh and your father-- were plotting." "It was because of you, Ahno," " that I closed my eyes." " But this is not the time to fight amongst each other." "My lord, it's time to strengthen our armies and unite so we can prosper together!" "Precisely!" "Those are nice words, but they don't reflect your actions, Ahno." "You told me you wanted to help build a great nation, and yet you insist on protecting your father?" "Who's plotting against us!" "Why do you protect him?" "My lord, Darkhan has arrived with his army of 1,000 troops." "Thank you, General Makhan." "Wait." "Go and remind Danjilla how to punish a slave who disobeys his king and ruler." "Yes, of course, my lord." "The disobedient slave who acts against his ruler?" "Shall be put to death." "So it is come to this then?" "So now..." "I must choose between my husband and my father?" "Answer me, Galdan." "You know it breaks my heart to see you cry, Ahno." "However, this is no longer simply a family matter." "My lord, this is extremely important to me." "I am begging you, please listen to what I'm saying." "Please, my lord, for the sake of our children we love, please forgive my father." "Ahno." "Listen, I..." "Please don't tell me that." "I've always thought of you as the anchor in my life." "I have thought of you in times of joy and grief, but please, don't tell me... that I'm wrong about this." "I will hunt down and slaughter everyone who goes against me!" "You will?" "There's a saying that once you have pulled your bow... you must let go." "My lord, we've captured the traitor." "It is done." "Let's go." "Do you really believe I will not plead for my life?" "!" "Far from it, nephew!" "Let me give you some very valuable advice." "Listen carefully." "The Central Mongolians will never ever recognize someone like you as their khan!" "You don't belong to the dynasty." "Even Emperor Kangxi is wiser than you." "He has much better chances of uniting the Mongols under one rule than you ever will!" "You hear me?" "Now you listen to me!" "I spared your life when you took the part in that traitorous conspiracy to murder my brother Senge." "I let it go!" "You are the one who started this feud which has divided our people and created a rift between all of us." "I cannot ignore your betrayal one moment longer!" "Give him a slow and painful death!" "How was your journey, my dear Father?" "It was fine." "Oh, what a sweet child." "There." "Oh, you're cute as can be." "How old are you, hmm?" "Father?" "Ahno, your daughter, is here." "Is it true?" "Ahno!" "My child!" "Come here." "Come." "How are you feeling, Father?" "My daughter." "How was your trip?" " Are you exhausted?" " Hm-mmm." " I had a good trip." " I can't believe you're here." "Please don't worry about me." " Here." " You don't know how many times I prayed, my dear Ahno." "I prayed for this." "I asked God to let me see my beautiful daughter again before I die." " My dream has come true!" " Yes." "My sweet daughter." "You have suffered so much because of your father's and your husband's political ambitions and conflicts." "It must have been hard for you." "It is okay, Father." "I'm just glad the nightmare is finally over..." " Mmm." " ...and that everything is better." "My daughter... take good care of yourself." "Yes, Father." "Come." "It is time for your father's medicine." "I'll prepare some for him." "Father?" "Your medicine." "Father?" "Father?" "Father!" "Father!" "It's me" " Ahno." "I'm here." "Father." "My lady, Prince Tseveenravdan is here." "You shine even brighter than the moon every single time I see you." "So how have you been?" "You say I shine brighter than the moon?" "That's pretty bright." "Now tell me, do you really mean it or are you just teasing me, hmm?" "Of course I do." "You are as bright as the moon and the sun, like they say in the fairy tales." "What are you painting?" "My father brought me some oil colors yesterday." "I'm trying them out." "It looks beautiful-- very vibrant." "Careful." "If you're looking at me like that, your great queen might get jealous." "I think you're the one who is jealous." "I came to tell you I want to make you my second queen, and live happily with you." "Live happily?" "And what if my father refuses?" "I have a feeling if you were the king then maybe... it would be a different story." "Check!" "You know you're giving away your knight." "I'm afraid it's mine now." "Then I take it back." "You do it all the time." "All right." "If you say so, my dear." "I've been playing terribly." "I don't know what's going on." "As they say, a fallen wrestler always has his excuses." "Ahno." "Yes?" "There's something I need to tell you." "Uh, what is it?" "I" "I've decided to take a second queen." "And who is this girl you speak of?" "Who is she?" "Please tell me." "She-- she's your brother's eldest daughter..." "Akhai." "Akhai?" "!" "But she is engaged to your nephew Tseveenravdan!" "I have already grown fond of her." "I've decided I want her as my second wife, and who she's engaged to means nothing to me." "Galdan, please reconsider." "You can take anyone else, but not her." "And what if I don't need anyone else?" "It's Akhai I want." "If you take Akhai's hand in marriage, then Tseveenravdan will rise up against you." "Hmph!" "I know Tseveenravdan has been plotting against me to take my throne." "And I also know that he's resented me his entire life!" "But no matter what, I will marry Akhai and no one else." "Only her." "I am telling you this not to seek your approval, but because you're my great queen." "My lord... the Dalai Lama sent a messenger." "He arrived today and brought us a loyalty gift." "A loyalty gift." "Why?" "May the gods help my husband realize his mistakes." "Danjilla?" "Why haven't you gotten married yet?" "Forgive me." "Greetings, brother." "They say that you are going to join Galdan and become his subject, as if losing your fiancée to him wasn't bad enough." "Queen Ahno has found me another girl to marry." "She too will make a suitable queen." "I do not need Akhai." "What do you think of that?" "Are you serious?" "Who cares?" "!" "Her husband shamelessly took Lady Akhai away from you, and the queen's gesture is one of pity." "And to top it all off... you want to become his servant?" "I don't believe you." "Brother." "You know we cannot compare ourselves with Lord Galdan." "Even Kangxi fears him and the great army he amassed." "Why do you speak so fondly of him?" "The man is pompous and ignorant!" "Didn't he steal from us?" "That throne is ours by birthright and he took it." "When will we take back everything we've lost?" "Listen, why don't we accept Kangxi's help and fight against and defeat Galdan?" "Think about it, brother." "It's our only hope." "No, never!" "I'd rather take my own life than join Kangxi!" "Brother, let's use Kangxi's forces to defeat Galdan." "After that, we can sever all ties with him." "I'm telling you it's possible and we can do it." "Brother... don't be such a fool." "We are the sons of Senge of Western Mongolia." "No matter how far we fall, we will never join forces with the Manchurians!" "All right, if that's the case, our path ends here." "Listen carefully, brother, you will regret this." "I only hope that your stomach can hold down Galdan's feast!" "My lord, my uncle, I would like to speak." "You are the man who united all the Western Mongolian tribes and it is a great honor to stand before you here today and tell you what I am about to say." "I pledge my unfailing loyalty to you, my lord and uncle." "My lord?" "Forgive me being frank, but I must tell you I don't believe your nephew is here to pledge his loyalty." "Why do you say that?" "Why would you say something like that to me knowing it could mean the destruction of my relationship with my nephew?" "It's a feeling I have deep in my gut." "As your mother used to say... be alert in times of peace, be patient in times of trouble." "She was a wise woman." "That's enough." "I do not want to hear?" "Any more of your treacherous words tonight." "I would like to share that I am truly delighted by your words." "As all of you witnessed, my brother's son joined us in this feast today to pledge his loyalty to me, his Lord." "Now that he has joined forces we will be more powerful, and I grant him his own territory to rule." "Our country just became even stronger." "Father!" "Father, the messenger came back with tragic news." "The Lord of the Central Mongols killed my uncle and slaughtered his whole army." "Tusheet Khan!" "Danjilla, what is that supposed to mean?" "Please, my lord, you must calm down." "Both Central and Western Mongols have their own objectives, but all Mongols share the same goal." "One common aim." "Father, the Central Mongols also killed another leader who was on his way to join forces with us here." "They took over his army of 10,000 troops." "What did you say?" "!" "Did they also kill my friend Degdeekhei?" "Damn it!" "My lord." "I know that Kangxi is behind all of this!" "He's the one who created this division between us Mongols." "He wants me to be alone at the end of this, so he can finally defeat me!" "I'm sure of it!" "I bet the Central Mongols are proud of their foolish trick." "Mark my words, I will deliver a crushing blow to them all... before they go too far!" "Wouldn't it be better to wait and check the facts?" "Be quiet!" "If two Mongols fight one another, it will only give the enemy an advantage." "Please, sir!" "These Central Mongols, they murdered my brother and my good friends, too." "Who has broken the ancient rules that have always been held by the Mongol people?" "Rules that were respected and adhered to?" "It is him-- it is Tusheet Khan who has destroyed our peace." "They may have managed to kill my brother," "But I will stop at nothing-- nothing" "To make sure the Manchu-s never take control of our land!" "I personally will unite the Western Mongols and the Central Mongols." "I will rebuild our great empire once again!" "Balsan, why do you enter this sacred room so rudely?" "Please, Your Highness, forgive me." "Go ahead." "My queen, I have terrible news." "Tseveenravdan has taken all of our supplies." "He has gone and he took everything with him." "What?" "When did this happen?" "It happened three days ago, my queen." "A messenger found out this morning." "Tseveenravdan is on the move." "There's more, my queen." "Several of his men came during the night and those men kidnapped Queen Akhai." "Prepare the horses, we are going after them!" "Throw the stars now!" "Let's go!" "May the heavens punish those who betray their home!" "The gods may not forgive me, but I know they will bless my brother instead!" " Did you bring the wood?" " Yeah yes, here you go." "It's cold up in these mountains, really cold." "Yes." "We need to keep the fire going." "When are we going to eat?" "I am famished." "Aren't you?" "My lord, there is someone here to see you." "Who?" "I prayed every night that I would see my loved ones again soon." "And God heard my prayers." "Tseveenravdan is contemptible." "I chased down he and his men along with my archers, and we managed to catch up with them, near Tsagaandavaa, but..." "Tseveenravdan escaped and then his brother attacked." "We had no choice." "About Akhai..." "I didn't have any strong feelings for her." "When I think about it, it was because of my love for you... that I" " I had broke my holy vow as a monk." "It feels like our wedding was just yesterday, doesn't it?" "As a monk, I thought... that we foolish humans tend to... mistake moments of suffering for moments of true happiness." "When I look back, I get the sense that..." "I brought you more pain than joy." "I'm afraid a man's life is simply too short." "No, don't say that!" "I have been the happiest woman in the land since the day I married you." "Will] remember?" "I fell in love with you the very first time I saw you." "I was young then and I have never stopped loving you." "I could die for you a thousand times and more if you asked me to." "You look as beautiful as when I first saw you." "If our life were a book... then your wrinkles would tell me everything that you endured for me." "We need to catch them off guard." "What if we ambush all three Manchurian forces... and take them by surprise?" "Could that work?" "Our best move is to isolate their troops coming from the northwest and strike them one by one." "Yes, I" " I agree." "And by ambushing them here, along the middle route, we will gain a strong advantage." "And if we succeed, we can turn this war around?" "And lead our men to victory." "General Makhan along with General Dugarravdan will set out today and take 10,000 men with them." "They'll hide in the woods and strike from there." "Bulad Baatar and Darkhan Baatar will go in the opposite direction, taking the remaining 10,000 men and trap Yan Huachen's army at the riverhead." "Your Highness." "We arrived at the riverhead yesterday morning." "It seems Galdan and his men are hiding somewhere in the vicinity." "Your Highness." "How were your travels, Your Highness?" "Has everything been going well?" "Victory comes to the many over the few." "I am quite curious." "Why does Galdan want to fight against my 200,000 men?" "Is he crazy, is that it?" "The Mongolian land is incredibly vast." "Capture Galdan alive." "I want to question him." "Yes sir." "I don't believe it!" "Kangxi amassed more troops!" "Danjilla, how many cannons do they have?" "They have plenty." "More than our scouts could count." "But there is another problem:" "all of his soldiers are equipped with firearms." "There are reports that they are very good marksman." "My lord, it would seem that they have been trained by the Europeans." "We're vastly outnumbered by the Manchu army." "You must send our daughters away, into the mountains with Mandarvaa and along with the others." "As for you, you stay here." "Wait by the base camp, all right?" "Lord Namjil's 10,000 men are my only hope." "Galdan..." "I can't just sit here and be idle while you go off to certain death." "Alive or dead, I want to be by your side always." "Ahno." "I can't take you with me into open battlefield." "Father." "Father, please don't die." "Father." "That's not gonna happen." "I'll be back." "My daughters... always listen to Mandarvaa and always stay with her." "Do you understand?" " Now." " Blow the horns!" "And sound the drums!" "War!" "To War!" "I will always love you, my queen." "Balsan." "You must never be apart from your queen." "Good bye." "Fire!" "Fire back!" "Keep firing!" "Fire." "I'll kill you!" "Brother... what do we do now?" "Run now." "You have to flee." "Deliver a message... that we're outnumbered." "But I can't leave you here." "Run!" "I won't leave you here!" "Just go!" "Your Highness," "Galdan's reinforcement troops are joining us just as we planned." "I admire a man who keeps his promise." "The Mongols fight against the Mongols!" "We should send Lord Namjil's men to the front line and expose his betrayal." "Don't you think, Your Highness?" "Galdan has only his arrogance to blame." "He should have accepted my offer to take Manchu Queen." "All this could've been avoided." "It shall be known that... those who rebel against the Sage Dragon will suffer." "Listen to me carefully." "Wait here and if I'm not back tomorrow afternoon, gather some supplies and some strong horses and start heading west- due west." "And eventually this will lead you back home." "You understand?" "Yes, we understand, Mandarvaa." "Bumaa, always do as your sister tells you." "I have to go now, girls." "Burn it." "Sister Mandarvaa." "Come on, men, hurry it up." "We don't have all day here." "Just burn everything." "All that you see, throw it in the flames." "Torch it, come on." " There's not too much time." " Burn it all down." "Balsan, what happened?" "My queen, the Manchurians have killed our women and children on the mountainside." "What?" "!" "But there is still hope for your daughters." "They were seen together, fleeing with the few remaining survivors, heading west on horseback." "They were still alive." "Gerelt, prepare my armor and the deer horn." "Wait." "You know the deer horn is traditionally worn as a last stand in battle, my queen." "Please reconsider." "You must think this through." "I'm sure you realize that if you wear that that you will be easily noticed by Kangxi's forces." "We might have to sacrifice our lives to preserve our Mongolian soil, but I won't give up without a fight." "Fire!" "Father, General Dugarravdan has arrived." "My lord..." "General Makhan fought until his last breath." "I managed to flee and break the enemy line... to get back here to our camp." "But unfortunately I am the only one out of the whole unit... that has survived." "My lord." "Our women and children... on the mountain" "I don't know how to tell you this, my lord." "The Manchu soldiers came and massacred them all!" "War is cruel." "Men might kill one another, but killing women and children?" "!" "My warriors!" "To war!" "To war!" "To war!" "Everyone follow Ahno's lead!" "Galdan!" "Your Highness, we just learned that Galdan managed to escape again." "Shall we pursue him?" "There is no need." "He might have gotten away with his body, but his heart will always lie here." "Victory is ours at last, Pyangu." "Aren't you happy about that?" "Your Highness, you know I have been planning this war against the Mongols for three years." "If it weren't for his Queen Ahno, there is no doubt in my mind that Galdan would have been captured." "We won, but he escaped and so today is a day when victory feels more like defeat." "Let's return home." "Even if God wants a grain of sand... from our land, we say," ""Never!"" "Uuuhay!" "Uuuhay!" "Uuuhay!" "Uuuhay!" "Uuuhay!" "Uuuhay!" "Uuuhay!"