Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/138

 n 11 4 IMPERIAL YEK. and annexed all Liaotung, they crossed the Liao, scoured the country up to Hukun, a city north-east of Loongchung. They even terrified the commandant of Pingchow, Moyoong Qwei, into flight Again, in 404, the Gaogowli men repeated their western expedition, and swept the land of Yen. Next year Yen Wang made an effort^ collected an army, and marched eastwards to chastise Gaogowli, and bring it back to its proper allegiance. He got to Liaotung city, which he besieged ; but in vain, for he was compelled to recross the Liao and get home. Liaotung city had to stand, and stood, much more formidable sieges, as we shall see. Another expedition, in the following spring, suffered great hardships on the march ; many men and horses dying from the extreme cold.* The survivors of the army, after marching 3000 li,-f- got to Moodi city, which they attacked in vain ; and again Yen had to beat an inglorious retreat^ which was morally as injurious to the state as a great battle lost *In 408, Yun, the king of Yen, nominated Gwei Duke of Liaotung ; but his was an empty title, for he was never able to occupy his dukedom. Seven years after, Yinti was made Taishow of Liaotung ; but after collecting his army, he thought it easier to set up a kingdom for himself. He was, however, taken and slain before his measures were completed. Thus did Yen drag out a slow existence in the land of its birth ; and our old acquaintance Chin had many days of bitter fortune, suflScient to cause it to rue the day it refused to listen to Yen appeal for aid. For as soon as the Yen buffer was gone, it had to feel the full weight of the arm of Wei, which was a very rough one. In one siege of Changan, a himdred thousand persons died of famine, and the survivors lived only as cannibals. But Chin, too, existed, though in a frail condition. Wei alone below zero in Liaotung, and it is now not so cold as it would have been when the mountains were forests and the plains marshy woods. fThis is ten tames too much. Sung writers were ignorant of Liaotung. Hoodi was near the present Kinchow in Regent's Sword of Liaotung.
 * At present Fahrt goes down, for a few days in the depths of winter, to li"