IIIF Color HighRes
National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
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| IIIF Color HighRes |
| The Book of Ser Marco Polo : vol.2 |
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Citation Information
CHAP. LXV. TIIF, CONQUEST OF MANZI
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was completed by the surrender of the capital IíïizOE-szé (Lin-ngan, now IIang-chau) to his arms in the beginning of 1276. He was then recalled to court, and immediately despatched to Mongolia, where he continued in command for seventeen years, his great business being to keep down the restless Kaidu. [" The biography of this valiant captain is found in the Yuen-ski (eh. cxxvii.). It is quite in accordance with the biographical notices Rashid gives of the same personage. He calls him Bayan." (Bretschneider, Med. Res. I. p. 271, note).]
[" The inventory, recórds, etc., of Kinsai, mentioned by Marco Polo, as also the letter from the old empress, are undoubted facts : complete stock was taken, and 5,692,656 souls were added to the population (in the two Chah alone). The Emperor surrendered in person to Bayan a few days after his official surrender, which took place on the 18th day of the 1st moon in 1276. Bayan took the Emperor to see Kúblái." (E. H. Parker, China Review, XXIV. p. To5.) —H. C.]
In 1293, enemies tried to poison the emperor's ear against Bayan, and they seemed to have succeeded ; for Kúblái despatched his heir, the Prince Teimur, to supersede him in the frontier command. Bayan beat Kaidu once more and then made over his command with characteristic dignity. On his arrival at court, Kúblái received him with the greatest honour, and named him chief minister of state and commandant of his guards and the troops about Cambaluc. The emperor died in the beginning of the next year (1294), and Bayan's high position enabled him to take decisive measures for preserving order, and maintaining Kúblái's disposition of the succession. Bayan was raised to still higher dignities, but died at the age of 59, within less than a year of the master whom he had served so well for 3o years (about January, 1295). After his death, according to the peculiar Chinese fashion, he received yet further accessions of dignity.
The language of Chinese historians in speaking of this great man is thus rendered by De Mailla ; it is a noble eulogy of a "Tartar warrior :-
" He was endowed with a lofty genius, and possessed in the highest measure the art of handling great bodies of troops. When he marched against the Sung, he
directed the movements of 200,000 men with as much ease and coolness as if there
had been but one man under his .orders. All his officers looked up to him as a prodigy ; and having absolute trust in his capacity, they obeyed him with entire
submission. Nobody knew better how to deal with soldiers, or to moderate their
ardour when it carried them too far. He was never seen sad except when forced to shed blood, for he was sparing even of the blood of his enemy. . . . His modesty
was not inferior to his ability. . . . He would attribute all the honour to the conduct of his officers, and he was ever ready to extol their smallest feats. He merited the praises of Chinese as well as Mongols, and both nations long regretted the loss of this great man." De Mailla gives a different account from Rashiduddin and Gaubil, of the manner in which Bayan first entered the Kaan's service. (Gaubil, 145, 159, 169, 179, 183, 221, 223-224 ; Erdmann, 222-223 ; De Mailla, IX. 335, 458, 461-463.)
NOTE 4.—As regards Bayan personally, and the main body under his command, this seems to be incorrect. His advance took place from Siang-yang along the lines of the Han River and of the Great Kiang. Another force indeed marched direct upon Yang-chau, and therefore probably by Hwai-ngan chau (infra, p. 152) ; and it is noted that Bayan's orders to the generals of this force were to spare bloodshed. (Gazrbil, 159 ; D' Olzsson, II. 398. )
NOTE 5.—So in our own age ran the Hindu prophecy that Bhartpúr should never fall till there came a great alligator against it ; and when it fell to the English assault, the Brahmans found that the name of the leader was CODZBERMERE = Kunhhír-Mír. the Crocodile Lord !
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" Be those juggling fiends no more believed
That palter with us in a double sense ; That keep the word of promise to our ear And break it to our hope !"
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