"From
Ch'eng-tu via Si-ngan to Peking the road does not touch Han-chung, but
20 li west of the city strikes north to Pao-ch'eng. The road from
Han-chung to Ch'eng-tu made by Ts'in Shi Hwang-ti to secure his conquest of
Sze-ch'wan, crosses the Ta-pa-shan." - H.C.]
It seems to me almost impossible to doubt that the Plain of Acbalec
represents some part of the river-valley of the Han, interposed between
the two ranges of mountains called by Richthofen T'sing-Ling-Shan and
Ta-pa-Shan. But the time, as just stated, is extravagant for anything
like a direct journey between the two termini.
The distance from Si-ngan fu to Pao-ki is 450 li, which could be done in
3 days, but at Polo's rate would probably require 5. The distance by the
mountain road from Pao-ki to the Plain of Han-chung, could never have
occupied 20 days. It is really a 6 or 7 days' march.
But Pauthier's MS. C (and its double, the Bern MS.) has viii. marches
instead of xx., through the mountains of Cuncun. This reduces the time
between Kenjanfu and the Plain to 11 days, which is just about a proper
allowance for the whole journey, though not accurately distributed.
