Within the Mongolian Community, there was a clear hierarchy of the factions. At the top stood The Great Khan Faction. This faction was led by Ghenghis Khan, with his 3 greatest generals as his right-hand men, Subutai, Jebe, and Muqali. Currently, they had the same status that the Sun Alliance had in China, but nowhere near the wealth.

This group was the faction that led the Mongolians to claim third place in the previous Death Match Tournament. Had it not been for the unfortunate timing of the event, they may have even placed above the Chinese community. At that point in time, almost 1,000 years ago, Subutai had yet to reach Planet 4.

The next highest on the list was the Chanyu Confederacy, this faction wasn’t really a faction, but rather an entire community folded into the Mongolian community. After the ending of the last tournament, they immediately came to the Mongolians to set up an alliance. These 2 groups were fairly similar to each other, occupying similar swathes of land albeit at different points in history.

Not to mention, their style of warfare and many other aspects of life were similar to each other. So, they decided it was best to join up with what could be considered their “descendants” in hopes that they would all benefit from an alliance. Their most powerful strategist and leader was Modu Chanyu. Second in command was Laoshang Chanyu, and many more strategists with the surname Chanyu served under these two.

The final faction was folded into the Mongolian community as well. However, they only did so recently and so did not have as much influence as the other two factions. They called themselves the Hunnic Empire faction, headed by Attila the Hun, King Rugila, and King Octar. These three were powerful in their own right, but with the situation that their own community was in, it was either to perish in relevance through the passage of time or join with another community to keep the good fight going.

Needless to say, the latter option was the best choice going forward. Attila the Hun was a master negotiator. He made an alliance with the Great Khan faction that was favored his own interests better than what the Chanyu Confederacy had gotten. The ruling Mongolian faction was more than happy to welcome in such powerful allies.

Currently, Subutai was filling in Modu Chanyu of the Chanyu Confederacy, and Attila the Hun of the Hunnic Empire on what was going on in the mock tournament that would be held in the Chinese community. There may have been a hierarchy between them but in terms of prowess in warfare, they were fairly close to each other. Being too unruly to such high-level men, and allies nonetheless, never did anyone good.

“So, Modu Chanyu, and Attila, the mock tournament will be held in the Chinese community approximately a few decades from now. I should not need to remind you that we need to be prepared as we can possibly be. This tournament will be a precursor to how we will do in the upcoming Death Match Tournament.” Subutai announced to the leaders of the other two major factions.

“Oh? Where is Ghenghis Khan, Jebe, and Muqali? Are they off training somewhere?” Modu Chanyu asked.

“They are currently either in training or in other communities,” Subutai answered.

“And why are they in other communities when the time until the tournament is so close?” Attila the Hun inquired.

“That is because of what Sun Tzu has told us out of his respect for us.”

“What did he say?”

“That we were foolish to not invest in innovation, incorporating spies into other communities, and preparing for the future of warfare.”

“Did you seriously take that?”

“We didn’t have to take anything. Jebe faced him in a simulation and lost quite embarrassingly.”

“How is that possible, shouldn’t we all be on the same level of strategic prowess?”

“That was only part of it. He used weapons and vehicles of war we have never seen before. We were forced to believe it.”

“Impossible!”

“Very, very possible. We were so drunk off our assuredness that weapons couldn’t advance as fast it did that we didn’t bother with learning about our enemies. A big blunder on our part.”

“So what should we do now? I didn’t join your community only to find out that you were becoming obsolete.”

“Harsh words, but as of right now, they are a fair assessment. No, what we are doing now is to make sure we catch up to the other communities as fast as we possibly can before the start of the tournament. We are buying blueprints, learning how to use them, and figuring out how to deal with these new weapons of war at a frenzied pace.”

“Do you honestly think that will be enough?”

“Of course not, some of these communities have been practicing for centuries, we will need a long time to catch up. We’re hoping that we will become somewhat proficient when the Death Match Tournament commences in less than two centuries’ time.”

“Must they cut it so close between the two tournaments?”

“Well, it took a long time to negotiate a deal of this size between 12 of the biggest communities all with differing interests. You may be a master negotiator, Attila, but I don’t think even you could do much better. The complexities and gripes of this must be off the charts.”

“Subutai, be honest with me. If the Mongolian community is truly in such dire straits, why would Sun Tzu bother inviting us? He is one of the best thinkers in the Chinese community, surely he realized that we weren’t going to have a chance in his tournament early on. I may not have met him, but from what I have heard, he doesn’t seem like the type to let the past dictate his future decisions.”

“What are you saying?”

“All I’m saying is that I don’t think he did this out of respect for you. Nor did he invite you due to your previous placement as third-place. I think he is pitying you.”

“No, it is not out of pity. It is an unwillingness to see a once-mighty empire crumble in front of his eyes.”

“Sounds like it to me.”

“...Believe what you want. We have decided to consolidate the naval and aerial strategists onto our side with only a few branding themselves as land strategists. Meanwhile, both of your factions will continue to be land strategists only. This way, we will be able to maximize our time spent on various training exercises.”

“Not too bad of a plan. However, I hope you aren’t doing this because you don’t wish for us to stay stagnant in the new mediums of warfare.”

“Of course not, it’s just that we really can’t be wasting time teaching you when we haven’t even been practicing it for that long.”

“Alright, if you say so.”

“I know I haven’t been here long, but tell me, how many new recruits do you get?”

“...Unfortunately, it has been decreasing for some time now.”

“Uh oh, that’s not good. I was under the impression that you once boasted the highest number of new recruits each year. What happened?”

“It appears that we are no longer a country on Earth or a far cry from where we were. However, even with that being the case, our lands once stained with a floods’ worth of blood are no longer embroiled in warfare. Our way of the horse nomads is still present, somewhat. Since there are no more wars in our regions, fewer and fewer strategists come into our community.”

“This is really not good. Any amount of decrease in these types of activities on Earth has drastic effects on their Planet 4 counterparts. Basically, if this goes on for long enough then there is no way for the Mongolian community to rebound.”

“...We realize that… That is why we are working towards strengthening our core strategists so that we do not fall even further.”

“That is all well and good, however, you must know one thing Subutai.”

“And what’s that?”

“History does not favor the fallen. That has been the truth for Modu Chanyu, and my own community. Will you be strong enough to fight the inevitable or will your community be swallowed into another just like mine?”

“We are the Mongolians. We are always the exception! Have a little faith in us. We once ruled much of the known world.”

“Be careful of your words, Subutai. I was once that hubristic and look at where I am now. Forced to swallow my shame and partner with you. No matter how much it benefits my community, it is still a dent in my consciousness.”

“Attila, fret not. We will work together to make sure that such a situation never passes.”

“...That’s what I said to Rugila and Octar...yet pass it did.”

“If I can get a word in,” Modu Chanyu said after a few seconds of awkward silence. “How about we just wait until the end of the mock tournament to see where our community stands amongst the best?”

“Fine.”

“I’m willing to wait it out until then to continue this conversation.”

“Subutai, just know that if your community does not deliver results, I may just take my men elsewhere.”

“Are you willing to swallow your pride a second time?”

“The Huns are nothing but adaptable. If I can do it once, then I can do it a thousand more times. I don’t wish to, of course, but I will do what lies in my interests.”

“Very well. There is nothing more for us to discuss. I will send a few strategists to teach you about the warfare of the new age once we are confident enough of our own abilities. Until then, I have sent some recordings of our fights with the Chinese community to your faction facilities. Please study them at your own discretion.”

“Thank you, Subutai, we will do our best to further the Mongolian community,” Modu Chanyu said.

“Very well. I suppose we will try our best too,” Attila the Hun spoke a bit more reservedly than before.

“Good. There is much work to be done. It is for our collective interest if we were all to work together instead of against each other,” Subutai said with words of encouragement. However, deep down, he was quite unsure of where the Mongolian community stood. Quite a lot of work to do indeed.