The Conqueror series is a novel series written by Conn Iggulden about Genghis Khan and his successors, set during the time of the Mongol Conquest of the 12th and 13th centuries. The series comprises Wolf of the Plains (2007) titled Genghis: Birth of an Empire, Lords of the Bow (2008) titled Genghis: Lords of the Bow, Bones of the Hills (2008) titled Genghis: Bones of the Hills.
Empire of Silver (2010) titled Genghis: Empire of Silver, Conqueror (2011). Conn Iggulden studied English at London University and then worked as a teacher for 7 years before becoming a full-time writer. The genre of his novels is historical fiction. His wildly successful one was ‘The Dangerous Book for Boys, and notable one includes the Conqueror series, Emperor Series, wars of the Roses Series and Empire of Salt Trilogy.
1. “It’s all you can say when the end comes: ‘I did not waste my time.’ I think that matters. I think it may be all that matters.”
This line is from the novel Conqueror, the last novel in the series. What matters is that you didn’t waste your time. The proper function of man is to live, not just to exist. We shouldn’t just exist and go with the flow in which life is taking us, but we should live our life, enjoying the things that we like, living it with friends and family and doing the things that we really wish to desire.
Time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels, and only when the clock stops does time come to life. The time is way too valuable to be wasted on people that can’t accept who you are. At the end, when your life is getting over, the only thing that matters is that you didn’t waste your precious time on someone who was not worth it or on situations that don’t require your consideration of mind and soul.
2. “You do not placate a tiger by feeding it your own flesh.”
This line is taken from the novel Conqueror, which is the last novel in the series. Tiger is the most ferocious animal; they only eat meat and feed on large mammals. As they are solitary hunters, they search for their prey at night quietly. They are good swimmers and have the speed that no one can match up to. But to feed a tiger to calm and to appease him, we cannot influence it to the point that they become content by feeding it your own flesh.
We cannot put ourselves in danger and cannot feed our flesh to the tiger to content it. Having a tiger or a person who is ferocious in nature can be useful in many instances, but we cannot risk it if it comes to attacking us.
3. “Hawks and eagles don’t fly together. They are of a totally different kind.”
This line is from the novel Conqueror, the last novel in the series of the Conqueror. Hawks and eagles both belong to the same family and hunt during the day while they sleep at night. They are differentiated on the basis of their size. Eagles measure larger than the hawks, due to which they possess more strength, which allows them to hunt a wider variety of prey.
So no two powerful creatures can exist in the same area when two birds with almost the same capability cannot fly together because they are different in size and strength. Hence no two people or individuals can coexist in the same area. There will be clashes among them which will result in big conflicts.
4. “I will finish what I have begun. I have said it. This is my khanate.”
This line is from the novel Conqueror, the last novel in the series of the Conqueror. Khanate was politically ruled by Khan, and it was equivalent to a chiefdom, kingdom or, better say, empire. After Genghis Khan established appanages for his family in the Mongol Empire during his rule, his sons, daughters and grandsons inherited separate sections of the empire.
What is being started should be finished, and if you have said that, we should stick to it. Khans are known for keeping their word even if it would kill them. If they have said something, they tend to fulfill it by all means. They have the capability and capacity to fulfill all the words and stand on them. For their tribe or empire, they are trained and prepared to fight, keeping in mind the pride of the Khans.
5. “No worthy goal can be achieved easily. A virtue is born in suffering.”
This line is from the novel Conqueror, the last novel in the series of the Conqueror. For creatures like us, suffering is an inevitable part of life and yet we have intuitions about its value. All the sufferings seem bad at first, but this is the very notion of suffering. Some sufferings are good because they can fortify us in various ways.
Sufferings are necessary for virtue as there are kinds and circumstances of suffering that contribute to a good life. Goals can only be achieved when there is suffering, and that suffering leads satisfaction that we get after completing our goals. Having the easy way around is never an option for anyone. If the way is easing to achieve a certain goal without much suffering, then that sense of accomplishment is lost, and the goal seems to be unworthy.
6. “The eagles ruled the air as the tribes ruled the land.”
This line is from the novel Birth of an Empire, the first novel in the series of the Conqueror. An eagle is a bird that is more powerful than a buteo and resembles like vulture inbuilt and flight characteristics but has a fully feathered head and strong feet equipped with great curved talons.
It subsists on lively prey and is ponderous for effective aerial pursuit but tries to surprise and overwhelm its prey on the ground. Eagles have been a symbol of war and imperial power for a long time as the eagles rule the sky like a king, and the strongest tribe rules the land. The one who is powerful survives the end of the war.
7. “If a man has gold, he lives with the terror that someone will take it away from him, so he builds walls around it. Then everyone knows where the gold is, so they come and take it. That’s the way it always goes, brother. Fools and gold, together.”
This quote comes from the novel, The Empire of Silver which is the fourth novel in the series of Conqueror. People who have lots of riches have a tendency to protect themselves from the outside world. They wanted to protect it from being stolen, so they guarded it. They live in fear of the gold or the riches being stolen.
We all know the fact that if there is a locker room, then it’s obvious that there is gold or something valuable which is kept in it. But in the earlier times, when the man got gold which was the most valuable asset at that time, they tended to build high walls around it so that they could guard and protect it from burglars and from being stolen.
The thieves then get the idea that walls are built where the gold is kept; otherwise, no one will build long walls. They came when the time was suitable and stole it when they found time. That’s the way things are done and always are done. The fools build the wall in order to protect their gold but give insights to the thieves about where the gold is.
8. “No man could be a khan to his mother.”
This line is from the novel Birth of an Empire, the first novel in the series of the Conqueror. Khans have a rich history, and there’s a reason Khans feel proud when people call them Khan. From being aggressive and violent to brave heroes, you will find a Khan everywhere. If Genghis Khan was a cruel ruler, the frontier Gandhi aka Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, won independence against the biggest empire in the history of planet Earth.
Sir Syed needs no introduction, and he was also a Khan. In fact, the latter two better describe how to be a Khan to others. Having said that, if you are ready to call a Khan King, you should not forget who his mother is. Of course, she is the king-maker! Khan exists just because of his mother, whom he loves the most. So, he can be a Khan to others, but for her mother, he is just her Laal.
9. “Know the enemy, and you will know how to kill him.”
This line is from the novel Bones of the Hills, the third novel in the series the Conqueror. To kill someone, you should know them properly. A friend who is close to you can kill you more swiftly than a stranger whom you have never met. People who are friends, relatives or family could be easily killed without much suspicion. When you know someone, you know their habits, lifestyle, what they eat, what they don’t eat, what are their weak and strong points, when they sleep and when they are least conscious.
Killing someone whom you know is a much easier task as you already know the weakest point of the other person on which you can attack. They will never think in their dreams that you could do something this unexpected, but then killing someone whom you don’t know becomes a harder task.
You will not know their lifestyle and weak spots on which you can act. Hence killing someone you know is an easier task, but as a human being of good nature, you shouldn’t stab from behind.
10. “We are nothing but the oath we give.”
This line is from the novel Bones of the Hills, the third novel in the series the Conqueror. An oath is a formal promise especially made when you are loyal to that person. Having loyalty to someone is like either black or white. Either you are completely loyal to them, or you are not loyal to them.
It is a noble quality that is hard to find, easy to lose and vulnerable. The oath we give is the reflection of our soul on the other individual. If we are not giving an oath, then it defines that at some point in time, you may betray. Tribes in the earlier time will always ask to give oaths so that they could be trusted, without which they seem to be neglected by everyone. Even in the court, an oath is taken by the people to trust their words.
11. “A man should always care about pleasing his wife.”
This line is from the novel Bones of the Hills, the third novel in the series the Conqueror. Pleasing gives one happiness. When one is happy, one can do anything for one’s near and dear ones. One can save their day no matter what’s the cost. A wife is exactly what makes a house home! She is the umbrella you need on a rainy day, she is that foundation on which the world’s highest skyscrapers rely, and she is, of course, that pillar on which your roof rests.
N she is such a selfless creature that she gives her husband everything unconditionally. She completes half his Deen when they are married. And she raises their kids. So, the utmost priority that a man should have is to please his wife. If he strives to make her smile, he will smile twice in return.
If he makes her happy, he will be happier with her. This is how they create a home-like Jannah in which their love for each other is the ibadah! There exists exactly an opposite word for that house in which a man does not care about pleasing his wife.
12. “The point of war is to win, Kachin. It does not matter how we do it or how long it takes.”
This line is from the novel Bones of the Hills, the third novel in the series the Conqueror. Winning isn’t always about finishing first, but sometimes it relates to finishing. The point is not about doing and fighting but winning at any cost, no matter how many lives are lost or can be lost. The only point is to win the war. It doesn’t matter how long it takes.