I 3 9 • INVASION OF THE FENCED CITIES OF MANGI ."MARCO POLO
FB VB of arms nor had he any other care, but his delight was with women, and he was a quiet FB and peaceful ruler and a man. who greatly did good to poor people. And know that in FB all his province were no horses, nor were they used to battle nor to arms nor to VB troops; nor did he believe that any ruler in the world could harm him, because this province L TA of Mangi is a very exceedingly strong place and of very strong passes, • that he who P wished might defend it against the world; • and it was considered impregnable, nor did any dare P P to invade it. For [bid] all the cities of the kingdom are surrounded with ditches full of water broad and deep, so that there is no city which has not water round it more than a cross-bow shot wide and very deep, so that I tell you that if the people TA TA had been men of arms to defend the entrance they would never have lost it, nor would the great Kaan ever have taken it. But they lost it because they were not valiant nor used FB to arms. For I tell you that into all the cities the entry is by this bridge.' Now it happened that in the 1268 year of the incarnation of Christ the great Kaan who VB now reigns, that is Cublai lord of the Tartars, a man of the contrary nature to king Facfur, who took delight in nothing but in war and in conquest and in making himself a great lord, R VB thought after his vast conquests • of many provinces and kingdoms • to conquer the province of VA Mangi, and he sends there a baron of his who was a very valiant knight who had Baian VB Cingsan for name, which means to say in our tongue Baian Hundred Eyes. Moreover FB I tell you that the king of Mangi found by his astronomy that he cannot lose his FB kingdom except by a man who should have a hundred eyes. So he held himself to be very safe, because he could not think that any natural man could have a hundred eyes. But he was deceived in this because he did not see the name of this man. This Baian came away to VA conquer that province of Mangi with a vast people whom the great Kaan gives him on FB FB horseback and on foot. And then he had a great number of men and of boats which VB carried the horsemen and men on foot when he required. The king Facfur, having always in his days kept his country in peace, and his people not fitted for war, though he might have had a much greater number of people, gathered together a great multitude of troops and set himself to meet the enemy. When he could not withstand the vigour of the armies of the Tartar, they, entering into the country, conquered a great part of the country in a very short time; and the king Facfur retired to his city called Quinsai. And when Baian was come with all his people to the entry of Mangi, that is to this city of Coigangiu where we are now and of which we will tell you all afterwards, he told them that they should FB give themselves up to his lord the great Kaan. They answer that they would do
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