issues was produced. As Hoangti made himself
famous by the Great Wall, so Kublai won fame by the far more useful work
of the Great Canal, which was largely due to his fostering care, and has
ever since been of inestimable value to China, while the Wall never kept
out a Tartar who strongly desired to get over its threatening but
useless height.

Having said so much about the conditions of palace and capital, it may
be of interest to extract from Polo's narrative some account of the
method pursued in war during Kublai's reign. The Venetian attended a
campaign made by the emperor against one of his kinsmen named Nayan, who
had under him so many cities and provinces that he was able to bring
into the field an army of four hundred thousand horse. His desire for
sovereignty led him to throw off his allegiance, the more so as another
rebel against the Grand Khan promised to aid him with a hundred thousand
horsemen.

News of this movement soon reached Kublai, and he at once ordered the
collection of all the troops within ten days' march of Kambalu,
amounting in all to four hundred and sixty thousand men. By forced
marches these were brought to Nayan's territory in twenty-five days,
reaching there before the rebel prince had any warning of their
approach. Kublai, having given his army two days' rest, and consulted
his astrologers, who promised him victory, marched his army up the hill
which had concealed them from the enemy, the great array being suddenly
displayed to the astonished eyes of Nayan and his men.

Kublai took his station in a large wooden castle, borne on the backs of
four elephants, whose bodies were protected with coverings of thick
leather hardened by fire, over which were spread housings of cloth of
gold. His army was disposed in three grand divisions, each division
consisting of ten battalions of horsemen each ten thousand strong, and
armed with the great Mongol bow. The right and left divisions were
disposed so as to outflank the army of Nayan. In front of each battalion
were stationed five hundred infantry, who, whenever the cavalry made a
show of flight, were trained to mount behind them, and to alight again
when they returned to the charge, their duty being to kill with their
lances the horses of the enemy.

As soon as the order of battle was arranged, wind instruments of various
kinds and in great numbers were sounded, while the host of warriors
broke into song, as was the Tartar practice before engagi