The Successors of Genghis Khan - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian ...

THE SUCCESSORS OF GENGHIS KHAN
to fight.88 Then they returned, and in the seventh year8' from their
first approaching those lands they gave battle on the banks of the River
Keng Moren and beat a Nangiyas army of 80 tumens.90 They captured
that kingdom, killed the ruler, whose name was ,91 and also
conquered the countries of Kandar,92 Ikibiize,93 ,94 ,95
,96 Kafje-Guh,97 etc.
The Solangqas, who had submitted in the reign of Mongke Qa'an
and had then risen in rebellion again, came to Court and submitted
a second time when Qubilai Qa'an ascended the throne.98 As for the
province of Java, one of the countries of India, he sent an army to take
it by war.99 And he sent ambassadors by sea to most of the countries
of India [to call on them] to submit. They were compelled to promise
this and up to the present time ambassadors pass to and fro discussing
the terms of submission.100
88 All of this is in complete contradiction of the facts as given by the Chinese
authorities. Far from being involved in difficulties and requiring reinforcements,
Bayan and Aju were advancing rapidly down the Yangtse valley capturing city after
city when the former was recalled by Qubilai because of the threat from Qaidu
(see above, pp. 266-69). Having convinced the Great Khan that the war against the
Sung should receive priority, Bayan returned to the scene of operations to resume his
advance. See Franke, IV, p. 337.
89 Presumably in the seventh year from Aju's having laid siege to Siangyang in
1268. The final campaign against the Sung was not launched until August, 1274.
The "four years" referred to above, p. 271, must also refer to the siege of Siangyang,
on which see below, p. 290-91.
90 This is conceivably a reference to the desperate stand at Ch'ang chou, the presentday
Wutsin, in Kiangsu. See Franke, IV, p. 338.
91 Blank in all the MSS. Neither the then Emperor, Kung-tsung (1274-1276), nor
his brothers Tsuan-tsung (1276-1278) and Ti-ping (1278-1279) were killed by the
Mongols. The reference is perhaps to Ti-ping's death by drowning after the defeat
of his fleet in a sea-battle off Macao. See Franke, IV, pp. 348-49.
92 Yunnan. See above, p. 247 and note 23.
93 A2TCY /?WRH in the MSS : the I-ch'i-pu-hsieh of the Chinese sources, the name of a
tribe in southern China. Blochet's emendation—ANKR PWRH, that is, Angkor in
Cambodia—is, of course, to be rejected. See Pelliot 1920, p. 151.
9+ MQWMAN. « KLNK.
96 KYAY.
97 Polo's Caugigu, the Chiao-chih kuo of the Yuan shih, "Kingdom of Chiao-chih,"
that is, Tonking. Chiao-chih survives as the first element of Cochin China. See Polo I,
pp. 233-34. 98 See Franke, IV, p. 303.
99 For the details of this expedition, see Franke, IV, pp. 463-64.
100 On Qubilai's relations with the kingdoms of Malabar (the Coromandel Coast)
and Quilon (in Travancore), see Franke, IV, pp. 461-63.
272