Of Course The Imperial Prince Puh-Lo Is Not The Same Person As The
Censor, Nor Is It Clear Who The (1) Pageant And (2) Tangut Puh-Los Were,
Except That Neither Could Possibly Have Been Marco, Who Only Arrived In
May - The Third Moon - At The Very Earliest.
"In the first moon of 1281 some gold, silver, and bank-notes were handed
to Puh-lo for the relief of the poor.
In the second moon of 1282, just
before the assassination of Achmed, the words 'Puh-lo the Minister'
(ch'eng-siang) are used in connection with a case of fraud. In the
seventh moon of 1282 (after the fall of Achmed) the 'Mongol man Puh-lo'
was placed in charge of some gold-washings in certain towers of the then
Hu Peh (now in Hu Nan). In the ninth moon of the same year a commission
was sent to take official possession of all the gold-yielding places in
Yuen Nan, and Puh-lo was appointed darugachi (= governor) of the mines.
In this case it is not explicitly stated (though it would appear most
likely) that the two gold superintendents were the same man; if they were,
then neither could have been Marco, who certainly was no 'Mongol man.'
Otherwise there would be a great temptation to identify this event with
the mission to 'una citta, detta Carazan' of the Ramusio Text.
"There is, however, one man who may possibly be Marco, and that is the
Poh-lo who was probably with Kublai at Chagan Nor when the news of
Achmed's murder by Wang Chu arrived there in the third moon of 1282. The
Emperor at once left for Shang-tu (i.e. K'ai-p'ing Fu, north of
Dolonor), and 'ordered the shu-mih fu-shi Poh-lo [with two other
statesmen] to proceed with all speed to Ta-tu (i.e. to Cambalu). On
receiving Poh-lo's report, the Emperor became convinced of the deceptions
practised upon him by Achmed, and said: "It was a good thing that Wang Chu
did kill him."' In 1284 Achmed's successor is stated (chap, 209, p.
9-1/2) to have recommended Poh-lo, amongst others, for minor Treasury
posts. The same man (chap. 209, p. 12-1/2) subsequently got Poh-lo
appointed to a salt superintendency in the provinces; and as Yang-chou is
the centre of the salt trade, it is just possible that Marco's
'governorship' of that place may resolve itself into this.
"There are many other Puh-lo and Poh-lo mentioned, both before Marco's
arrival in, and subsequently to Marco's departure in 1292 from, China. In
several cases (as, for instance, in that of P. Timur) both forms occur in
different chapters for the same man; and a certain Tartar called 'Puh-lan
Hi' is also called 'Puh-lo Hi.' One of Genghis Khan's younger brothers was
called Puh-lo Kadei. There was, moreover, a Cathayan named Puh-lo, and a
Naiman Prince Poh-lo.
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