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| Marco Polo : vol.1 |
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Citation Information
7
8 THE GREAT KAAN FINDS NAIAN UNPREPARED MARCO POLO
R footmen whom he made up were those appointed for his body guard, ana the greater part R V his falconers, and men of his household and other men who were remaining about him; R VB and in twenty days they were assembled • to take vengeance on his enemies, and he went out in person to the field. And when the great Kaan had prepared these few people of whom
I have [34d] told you above, he has it seen by his astrologers with their arts of astrology,. R in the presence of the whole army, if he shall defeat his enemies and if he shall come to
v
VB a good end of it, or be the loser of this battle. And those, who well knew this day what FA V VB must come of this, •considered it by their art and •said, Sir, we tell thee good news; and • in the name of our gods promise that thou shalt return victorious over thine enemies, & told him FA to go confidently, for he shall conquer and have the honours and the victory and that he shall LT R deal with his enemies at his pleasure and put them to death. • The great Kaan used always
to do this performance of divination to inspirit his armies. • And when he had heard this then FB VB the great Kaan very joyful thereat, •giving thanks to the gods, promised not to return till he had seen the destruction of his enemies, and having cheered his army with most eloquent words R v R set himself with this firm hope on the way with all these his people and goes toward R the land of Naian, riding day and night, so that in twenty' days they came to a hill P R beyond which was seen a great plain where Naian was waiting for Caidu, • encamped VB with all his people, who were quite 400000 horsemen, that he might join with Caidu at the given time, & thinking that he stood secure without being able to imagine that Cublai R had surrounded him with so great a host. • Being arrived Cublai made his men rest for two V VA days. They came there one day' very early in the morning, and it was in such a secret R way that his enemies, Naian nor any of his people, knew nothing, because the great VA FB Kaan had made them so seize all those passes & the roads and watch them with his
spies that none who could know of his coming can go or come who was not taken, VB so that no one could go before him to let Naian know of his coming. And this was the reason FB why their enemies did not know their coming, at which they were all dismayed and
surprised. And I tell you that when these arrived there in that valley with his people, FA LT who were few in respect of those of Naian, Naian was in his tent with his wife•or concubine,. P FA whom he had brought with him, • and was asleep in his bed. And this was because the lord made his expedition very secretly and quickly, as I have told you. He was with his wife in LT FA bed and was enjoying himselfgreatly with her, for he was very exceedingly fond of her.3
79 • ERE HE BEGINS OF THE BATTLE OF THE GREAT KAAN AND OF NAIAN HIS
VA UNCLE. Now the Tartar set himself in such a place that Naian with all his people
knew nothing. And what shall I tell you of it ? When the dawn of the day
~
3
I,
~l.
1 R: 25 2 P: Norte
3 FA, FB have the last sentences of this chapter twice over, with slight variations.
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