Chegis Chohn
Research for this paper was done by Dr Cusian Chirpi, Professor of History, University of Skwerrel, Scincia.
Contents
Pre-Wall History
Early Life
Chengis was born in the small fishing village of Skweek in the eastern island of Skwerrel. At that time, Skwerrel consisted of many tribes that occasionally warred with each other. The island was constantly raided by roving bands of pirates.
When Chengis was about 10, the raiders hit his village, killing his parents and most of the rest of the village. A nearby village took in the refugees, but Chengis' life was rough. He had to work hard in order not to starve to death. He joined hunting parties and raids on other villages. His reputation for being a skillful hunter and leader grew.
At the age of 17, his adopted village was raided. While others prepared to run, Chengis organized a retreating defense, saving a majority of the villagers. After they were relatively safe, Chengis organized a counter attack on the raid. The unexpected attack sent the raiders back to their boats. The story spread and soon, all the nearby villages asked Chengis to organize defenses. Warriors started to flock to him. He organized training and soon he had an army loyal to him.
Villages started to support the army in exchange for protection. His army fought raiders. The first few battles went poorly, but Chengis and the men he trusted learned quickly. His army soon developed tactics that proved effective.
Uniting the Tribes
Chengis' vision started to widen. He felt that the only way to protect the people was to unite under a single banner. By this time, 10 villages were under his protection. He sent runners to all the villages he could contact. The offer was simple. If a village agreed to support the army and send warriors, he would train them. The other condition was that the warriors would swear their allegiance to Chengis' army.
True to his word, Chengis' army only defended those villages that supported the army. Initial refusals changed to acceptance as fear drove more to his camp. Difficulties managing the army arose and this was a dark period for Chengis. The success that the army initially found was set back by communication and fighting with in his generals.
By the age of 25, every major village had sent support. Victories cemented the villager's loyalty to Chengis. The warrior's oath of allegiance prevented fighting between village and pride. Any infighting was dealt with severely. Chengis started to appoint generals to observe and command regions. These generals eventually started to take on the role of regional lords and a feudal system set up. Chengis was universally acknowledged as the lord among the lords. While his methods were not harsh, he his rule was noted by a firm justice.
Construction of the Great Wall
Chengis commissioned Chorpa Chi to build a wall around the island to help defend the island. This wall was to be 3 meters tall and have watch towers ever 500 meters. These watch towers would have beacon fires to alert the other towers and defenders inland to danger. This was a daunting task. Corpa Chi spent the first few years surveying the island. It was at this time the first complete and mostly accurate map was drawn.
The second task was to find an adequate supply of stone to complete such a massive project. It was finally decided to use the stone from an area that is not referred to as the Skwerrel Depression. A village was build near the quarry and ships ferried the stone to various parts of Skwerrel. The construction of the wall started in 10 places, with the goal of meeting up to for the Great Wall.
Pirates eventually got wind of the wall and started attacking the construction sites. This was both an obstacle and a bonus. This slowed the construction of the wall greatly, but it also let up pressure from the villages. The army was also able to concentrate its efforts in protecting the wall.
It was during this period that he met his wife, Corla.
Final Years
Chengis only saw the construction of a fraction of his Great Wall. He didn't end the raids, as was his original goal. He did manage to create a since of unity amongst the tribes of Skwerrel and united them into one nation. He created a sense of identity shared by all the people of Skwerrel.
Near the end of his life, he turned the generals that where in charge of various regions into governors of those regions. Chengis desinated the fishing village of Akor into the capital of the nation and started construction of castle and city. He also created a Council of Elders. Every village, town and city could send an Elder to this council that would help determine the laws of the land.
Right before his death at age 50, Chengis appointed his son the as his successor. This choice was accepted by the Council of Elders and the governors. His death was mourned by the fledging nation.
