The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1 / Page 639 (Color Image)

0639	The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.1

CHAP. H. THE REVOLT OF NAYAN 333

excellent captain. But after coming to the throne he

never went to the wars in person save once.3 This

befel in the year of Christ, 1286, and I will tell you why

he went.

There was a great Tartar Chief, whose name was

N AYAN, 4 a young man [of thirty], Lord over many lands

and many provinces ; and die was Uncle to the Emperor

Cublay Kaan of whom we are speaking. And when he

found himself in authority this Nayan waxed proud in

the insolence of his youth and his great power ; for

indeed he could bring into the field 300,000 horsemen,

though all the time he was liegeman to his nephew, the

Great Kaan Cublay, as was right and reason. Seeing

then what great power he had, he took it into his head

that he would be the Great Kaan's vassal no longer ;

nay more, he would fain wrest his empire from him if

he could. So this Nayan sent envoys to another Tartar

Prince called CAIDU, also a great and potent Lord, who

was a kinsman of his, and who was a nephew of the

Great Kaan and his lawful liegeman also, though he

was in rebellion and at bitter enmity with his sovereign

Lord and Uncle. Now the message that Nayan sent

was this : That he himself was making ready to march

against the Great Kaan with all his forces (which were

great), and he begged Caidu to do likewise from his

side, so that by attacking Cublay on two sides at once

with such great forces they would be able to wrest his

dominion from him.

And when Caidu heard the message of Nayan, he

was right glad thereat, and thought the time was come

at last to gain his object. So he sent back answer

that he would do as requested ; and got ready his host,

which mustered a good hundred thousand horsemen.

Now let us go back to the Great Kaan, who had

news of all this plot.

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