The
Inhabitants Are Idolaters, And Manufacture, Stuffs Of Silk And Gold, Using
Only Paper Money.
This country produces large revenues to the khan,
especially in the customs which he receives from trade.
Sian-Fu is a large and noble city in the province of Mangi, having twelve
great and rich cities under its jurisdiction. This city is so strong that
it was three years besieged by the army of the Tartars, and could not be
vanquished at the time when the rest of the kingdom of Mangi was subdued.
It was so environed with lakes and rivers, that ships came continually with
plenty of provisions and it was only accessible from the north. The long
resistance of this city gave much dissatisfaction to the khan; which coming
to the knowledge of Nicolo and Maffei Polo, then at his court, they offered
their services to construct certain engines, after the manner of those used
in Europe, capable of throwing stones of three hundred weight, to kill the
men, and ruin the houses in the besieged city. The khan assigned them
carpenters, who were Nestorian Christians, to work under their direction,
and they made three of these engines, which were tried before the khan and
approved of. These were accordingly sent by shipping to the army before
Sian-fu, and being planted against the city, cast great stones into it, by
which some of the houses were beaten down and destroyed. The inhabitants
were very much astonished and terrified by the effect of these machines,
and surrendered themselves to the authority and dominion of the khan, on
the same conditions with the rest of Mangi; and by this service, the
Venetian brethren acquired great reputation and favour.
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