Page:China historical and descriptive.djvu/53

Rh statesman, they together concerted the gigantic plan of subjecting the whole vast Empire of China to the sway of one sovereign. Hwang-te resolved not only to make himself famous, but to outdo by his achievements all former deeds of glory, and by the unheard-of splendour of his exploits make his successors despair of ever excelling them. He determined to be sole Emperor, not merely in name, but in actual authority, and to hold in his own hands the power which the incapacity of his predecessors had permitted to be divided amongst vassal chiefs, who had become their equals. To this end he secretly amassed an enormous treasure, and then sowed discord amongst the petty princes, who soon became so weakened that he experienced no difficulty in overcoming them one by one, and making himself master of the whole empire. Hitherto he had only borne the name of Ching-wang, but, flushed with pride and victory, he regarded himself as so infinitely superior to any of the former monarchs that he adopted the title of Che-hwang-te, signifying "the first absolute sovereign of the dynasty of Tsui." Under his directions the science of astronomy, which during the troubles of the preceding reigns had fallen into disuse, was revived, and a new calendar published. He also built a splendid palace, the grounds of which were tastefully laid out, and the interior magnificent beyond anything previously known.

But although he was undisputed ruler of so vast a country his energetic spirit was restless, and he turned his victorious arms against the Huns, whose country, situated