Travels Of Marco Polo: Thirty Nine

The Great Khan sends messengers and feelers throughout the country to assess the progress of farming. There may be crop failure due to untimely rain, or because of draught. In such cases he does not collect any taxes or tribute from them.  Instead he sends them grains and also seeds for the next season. In seasons of good harvest he arrange the surplus to be taken to the granaries and stored to issued in times of distress.  In times of scarcity he cause them to be sold at below market price.  Thus there cannot be any severe famine. In addition to this he causes to distribute grains free of coast to needy families.  Bread is not refused to anyone who comes and beg for it. Because of this charity people adore him as God.  The wool, silk, and help that comes to his exchequer as part of tax.  He cause to make them into garments using corvee labour.  Every artisan is obliged to perform corvee on one day of the week.  Garments thus made are distributed among destitute families in winter. The dress of the armies of the provinces are made out of the collection of tax in that province.  It must be known that Tartars as per their custom never give alms.  Some idolators like Baksis exhort the Great Khan the virtues of giving alms, and the Great Khan obliges them and bestows food and clothes to destitutes who come to his court.  He has also arranged that in all the highways by which the messengers, merchants, and other persons travel, trees are planted on both sides so as to give them direction as well as shade. But this arrangement does not work in deserts, or over rocky mountain.  There, stones are to be set up or column erected to guide the traveller. Officers of the rank are appointed to oversee these matters properly arranged and the roads constantly kept in good order. Besides other motives, the Great Khan is influenced by the declaration of sooth sayers and astrologers, that those who plant trees, receives long life as reward.

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