"Conquered by the Huns in the latter part of the fourth century, some of
the Alans moved westward, others settled on the northern slopes of the
Caucasus; though long prior to that, in A.D. 51, they had, as allies of
the Georgians, ravaged Armenia.
(See Yule, Cathay, 316; Deguignes, I.,
pt. ii. 277 et seq.; and De Morgan, I. 217, et seq.)
"Mirkhond, in the Tarikhi Wassaf, and other Mohammedan writers speak of
the Alans and As. However this may be, it is thought that the Oss or
Ossetes of the Caucasus are their modern representatives (Klaproth, Tabl.
hist., 180; De Morgan, i. 202, 231.)" Aas is the transcription of
A-soo (Yuen-shi, quoted by Deveria, Notes d'epig., p. 75). (See
Bretschneider, Med. Res., II., p. 84.) - H.C.]
NOTE 3. - The Chinese histories do not mention the story of the Alans and
their fate; but they tell how Chang-chau was first taken by the Mongols
about April 1275, and two months later recovered by the Chinese; how
Bayan, some months afterwards, attacked it in person, meeting with a
desperate resistance; finally, how the place was stormed, and how Bayan
ordered the whole of the inhabitants to be put to the sword. Gaubil
remarks that some grievous provocation must have been given, as Bayan was
far from cruel. Pauthier gives original extracts on the subject, which are
interesting. They picture the humane and chivalrous Bayan on this occasion
as demoniacal in cruelty, sweeping together all the inhabitants of the
suburbs, forcing them to construct his works of attack, and then
butchering the whole of them, boiling down their carcasses, and using the
fat to grease his mangonels!
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