Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/128

 104 IMPERIAL YEN. Wun had sometime ago marched into the field again from the south, had defeated the Yen army before Showchwun, and besieged the city. Mimg Gao was on his way to raise the siege, when the floods of Chin, pouring in from the west, recalled him ; and to add to the Yen difficulties, local rebellions rose up on all hand& Ping, now that matters had come to this push, manifested his knowledge of his own incapacity, by showing the greatest terror* though at the head of an army immensely larger than that of Mung. He dared not remain in Loochuen, but began a retreat thence. But if Fing was terrified, Mung was cautious ; for he knew what the descendants of the Hienbi could do, if irritated. Dung, his impetuous second in command, urged an immediate attack, and was quite angry at the delays of Mung, who refused to risk all in a single battle. Mung said to him that he did deserve to die ; but as his fault was eagerness to fight, his life would be spared. Dung returned to his own quarters in high dudgeon, and prepared to attack Mung as a traitor, saying, they are near, should we lie here permitting them to escape ? '' But he was finally pacified by Mung. The cowardice and incapacity of Ping were severely censured by his lord Wei ; and he was driven, against his will, to face Mung in the neighbourhood of the modem Taiyuen hien, close to the capital of Shansi When Mung saw the numbers of his opponents, and their well-kept ranks, he sent a message to Dung, saying : " Without your excellency's assistance, I cannot break through these ; and you know it is from no fault of mine that we are brought into this pass," — ^he had evidently pushed ahead to please Dung, farther than his better judgment recommended. But Dung boldly took all the responsibility upon himself. As soon as the Yen men came near enough. Dung charged them furiously, breaking through and through their ranks ; now in, now out, just as he pleased. The few hundreds he slew were nothing to the havoc he made of the enemy's line, which he threw into the utmost confusion. Yen had no head, though arms enough.
 * Did we not receive orders to fight the far rebels ; and now that