The Khan, His Court and Capital

CHAPTER 25. The 12 Barons who are set over all the Affairs of the Great Kaan.

The Great Kaan had chosen 12 great Barons to whom he hath committed all the necessary affairs of 34 great provinces.

They reside all together in a very rich and handsome palace inside the city of Cambaluc.

It consists of a variety of edifices, with many suites of apartments.

To every province is assigned a judge and several clerks, and all reside in this palace, where each has his separate quarters.

These judges and clerks administer all the affairs of the provinces to which they are attached, under the direction of the 12 Barons.

When there is a very important affair, the 12 Barons lay in before the Emperor.

He decides as he thinks best.

The power of those 12 Barons is so great that they choose the governors for all those 34 great provinces.

Only after they have chosen do they inform the Emperor of their choice.

This he confirms, and grants to the person nominated a tablet of gold such as is appropriate to the rank of his government.

Those 12 Barons also have such authority that they can dispose of the movements of the forces, and send them wherever they please.

This is done with the Emperor’s cognizance. But still the orders are issued on their authority.

They are styled Shieng, which is as much as to say “The Supreme Court”.

Their palace is also called Shieng.

This body forms the highest authority at the Court of the Great Kaan.

They can favour and advance whom they will.

CHAPTER 26. How the Kaan’s Posts and Runners are sped through many Lands and Provinces

From Cambaluc proceeds many roads and highways leading to a variety of provinces, one to one province, another to another.

Each road receives the name of the province to which it leads.

It is a very sensible plan.

The messengers of the Emperor in travelling from Cambaluc, be the road whichsoever they will, find at every 25 miles of the journey a station which they call Yamb or the “Horse-Post-House.”

These stations are used by the messengers.

There is a large and handsome building for them to put up at, in which they find all the rooms furnished with fine beds and all other necessary articles in rich silk, and where they are provided with everything they can want.

If even a king were to arrive at one of these, he would find himself well lodged.

Some of these stations have 400 horses standing ready for the use of the messengers.

At others there shall be 200, according to the requirements, and to what the Emperor has established in each case.

At every 25-30 miles, you find one of these stations.

On all the principal highways leading to the different provincial governments. The same is the case throughout all the chief provinces subject to the Great Kaan.

Even when the messengers have to pass through a roadless tract where neither house nor hostel exists, still there the station-houses have been established just the same.

This is except for the intervals are greater, and the day’s journey is fixed at 35-45 miles, instead of 25-30.

But they are provided with horses and all the other necessaries just like those we have described, so that the Emperor’s messengers, come they from what region they may, find everything ready for them.

This is done on the greatest scale of magnificence ever seen.

Never had emperor, king, or lord, such wealth as this manifests!

All these posts taken together has more than:

• 300,000 horses kept up, specially for the use of the messengers.
• 10,000 buildings, all richly furnished.

The thing is on a scale so wonderful and costly that it is hard to bring oneself to describe it.

By the Great Kaan’s orders there is a little for every 3 miles between those post-houses.

• Each fort has some 40 houses around it, in which dwell the Emperor’s foot-runners.

Every one of those runners wears a great wide belt, set all over with bells, so that as they run the 3 miles from post to post their bells are heard jingling a long way off.

Thus on reaching the post the runner finds another man similarly equipt, and all ready to take his place, who instantly takes over whatsoever he has in charge, and with it receives a slip of paper from the clerk, who is always at hand for the purpose.

And so the new man sets off and runs his 3 miles.

At the next station he finds his relief ready in like manner. And so the post proceeds, with a change at every 3 miles.

In this way the Emperor, who has an immense number of these runners, receives despatches with news from places:

• 10 days’ journey off in 1 day and night
• 100 days’ journey off in 10 days and nights

That is no small matter!

In fact in the fruit season, many a time fruit shall be gathered one morning in Cambaluc, and the evening of the next day it shall reach the Great Kaan at Chandu, a distance of 10 days’ journey.

The clerk at each of the posts notes the time of each courier’s arrival and departure. There are often other officers whose business it is to make monthly visitations of all the posts, and to punish those runners who have been slack in their work.

The Emperor exempts these men from all tribute, and pays them besides.

There are also at those stations other men equipt similarly with girdles hung with bells, who are employed for expresses when there is a call for great haste in sending despatches to any governor of a province, or to give news when any Baron has revolted, or in other such emergencies.

These men travel a good 200 or 250 miles in the day, even in the night.

They take a horse from those at the station which are standing ready saddled, all fresh and in wind.

They mount and go at full speed, as hard as they can ride in fact.

When those at the next post hear the bells they get ready another horse and a man equipt in the same way.

He takes over the letter or whatever it be, and is off full-speed to the third station, where again a fresh horse is found all ready, and so the despatch speeds along from post to post, always at full gallop, with regular change of horses.

By night, however, they cannot go so fast as by day, because they have to be accompanied by footmen with torches, who could not keep up with them at full speed.

Those men are highly prized. They could not do it unless they bound hard the stomach, chest and head with strong bands.

Each of them carries with him a gerfalcon tablet, in sign that he is bound on an urgent express.

If by chance his horse breaks down, or he gets into an accident, he can make another horseman dismount and give up his horse.

Nobody dares refuse in such a case; so that the courier hath always a good fresh nag to carry him.

All these numbers of post-horses cost the Emperor nothing.

Every city, or village, or hamlet, that stands near one of those post-stations, has a fixed demand made on it for as many horses as it can supply.

These it must furnish to the post.

In this way, are provided all the posts of the cities, as well as the towns and villages round about them.

Only in uninhabited tracts the horses are furnished at the expense of the Emperor himself.

Nor do the cities maintain the full number of 400 horses always at their station.

Monthly, 200 shall be kept at the station, and the other 200 at grass, coming in their turn to relieve the first 200.

If there is some river or lake to be passed by the runners and horse-posts, the neighbouring cities are bound to keep 3-4 boats in constant readiness for the purpose.