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| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
CHAP. LIV.
MONGOL INVASION OF BURMA
III
silver of which I have been telling you, they were
greatly astonished, and sent word thereof to the Great
Kaan, asking what he would have them do with the two
towers, seeing what a great quantity of wealth there was
upon them. And the Great Kaan, being well aware
that the King had caused these towers to be made for
the good of his soul, and to preserve his memory after
his death, said that he would not have them injured, but
would have them left precisely as they were. And that
was no wonder either, for you must know that no Tartar
in the world will ever, if he can help it, lay hand on any-
thing appertaining to the dead.'
They have in this province numbers of elephants and
wild oxen ; 3 also beautiful stags and deer and roe, and
other kinds of large game in plenty.
Now having told you about the province of Mien, I
will tell you about another province which is called
Bangala, as you shall hear presently.
NOTE 1.—The name of the city appears as A;nien both in Pauthier's text here, and in the G. Text in the preceding chapter. In the Bern MS. it is Aanziezz. Perhaps some form like Anzien was that used by the Mongols and Persians. I fancy it may be traced in the Annzan or Unzaîz of Rashiduddin, probably corrupt readings (in Elliot I. 72).
NOTE 2.--M. Pauthier's extracts are here again very valuable. We gather from them that the first Mongol communication with the King of Mien or Burma took place in 1271, when the Commandant of Tali-fu sent a deputation to that sovereign to demand an acknowledgment of the supremacy of the Emperor. This was followed by various negotiations and acts of offence on both sides, which led to the campaign of 1277, already spoken of. For a few years no further events appear to be recorded, but in 1282, in consequence of a report from Násruddin of the ease with which Mien could be conquered, an invasion was ordered under a Prince of the Blood called Siangtaur [called Sianz-g hu-talh, by Visdelou.—H. C.]. This was probably Singlur, great-grandson of one of the brothers of Chinghiz, who a few years later took part in the insurrection of Nayan. (See D' Ohsson, II. 461.) The army started from Yun-nan fu, then called Chung-khing (and the I áclzi of Polo) in the autumn of 1283. We are told that the army made use of boats to descend the River Oho to the fortified city of Kiangtheu (see supra, note 3, ch. lii.), which they took and sacked ; and as the King still refused to submit, they then advanced to the " primitive capital," Taikung, which they captured. Here Pauthier's details stop. (Pp. 405, 416 ; see also D'Ohsson, II. 444 [and Visdelou]. )
It is curious to compare these narratives with that from the Burmese Royal Annals given by Colonel Burney, and again by Sir A. Phayre in the J. A. S. B. (IV. 401, and XXXVII. Pt. I. p. ioi.) Those annals afford no mention of
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