of home, to live on the enemy’s country and advance?’ Fan Wen-hu, etc., would not agree to this and said:  ’When we see the Emperor, we will bear all the blame; you have no share in it.’  Chang Hi gave them a number of his boats.  At that instant there were 4,000 soldiers encamped on Hirado Island without any boats.  Chang Hi said, ‘How can I bear to leave them?’ And then he jettisoned all the seventy horses in the boats in order to enable them to get back.  When they got to Peking, Fan Wen-hu, etc., were all disgraced.  Only Chang Hi escaped punishment.”

5. Chapter on Ch’u Ting, an An Hwei man.—­“He was with Fan Wen-hu’s force when the sudden storm arose.  His craft was smashed, but Ch’u Ting got hold of a piece of wreckage, and drifted about for three days and three nights, until he fell in with Fan Wen-hu’s ship at a certain island, and was thus able to get to Kin Chou in Corea.  The soldiers encamped in the Hoh P’u bay also drifted in, and were collected and taken home by him.”

Chapter on Hung Tsun-k’i, alias Hung Ts’a-k’iu, a Corean of ancient Chinese descent.—­“[After recounting how Kublai placed him in charge of the well-disposed Corean troops, how he served in the Corean and Quelpaert campaigns, and against Japan in 1274 and 1277, the Mongol History goes on:] In 1281, in company with Hintu [a Ouigour], he led a naval force of 40,000 men via Kin Chou and Hoh-P’u in Corea to join the 100,000 men coming by sea from Ningpo under Fan Wen-hu.  Forces were joined at the Iki, Hirado, and other islands of Japan; but before the hostile forces were encountered, in the 8th month, a storm smashed the ships, and he returned.”

Extract from Japanese Riokuji, or Historical Handbook.—­“In the 5th moon of 1281 the Mongols raided us on a wholesale scale.  Our troops were unsuccessful in resisting them at Iki and Tsushima.  The enemy advanced and occupied Five Dragon Mountains in Hizen.  The Hojo-tandai led the troops bravely to the fight.  The enemy retired upon Takashima.  In the intercalary 7th moon a great wind blew.  The enemy’s war-ships were all broken to pieces.  Our troops energetically attacked and cut them up, the sea being covered with prostrate corpses.  Of the Mongol army of 100,000 only three men got back alive.  Henceforward the Mongols were unable to pry about our coasts again.”

MARCO POLO

Of so great celebrity was the wealth of Cipango (Japan), that a desire was excited in the breast of the grand khan Kublai, now reigning, to make the conquest of it, and to annex it to his dominions.  In order to effect this, he fitted out a numerous fleet, and embarked a large body of troops, under the command of two of his principal officers, one of whom was named Abba-catan, and the other Vonsancin.[76]

The expedition sailed from the ports of Zaitun and Kinsai,[77] and, crossing the intermediate sea, reached the island in safety; but in consequence of a jealousy that arose between the two commanders, one of whom treated the plans of the other with contempt and resisted the execution of his orders, they were unable to gain possession of any city or fortified place, with the exception of one only, which was carried by assault, the garrison having refused to surrender.