Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/149

 COREAN GROWTH. 125 be buried, as we have seen countiy people in Scotland prepare their grave clothea In the third century they had three capitals ; their officials were of twelve grades, the chief being DadooUoo and the next Soogoodo. They had then the Five Classics of China ; Odes, History, Changes, Rites, Spring and Autumn Annals. There is no serious argument against the possibility of this, yet I question its truth, especially as a Histoiy of the '* Three Kingdoms " is also mentioned as one of their books. It seems rather too soon to have so much Chinese among them ; but the question can be decided only when free access is had to Corean history on Corean soiL From its geographical position, it was, xmlike Chaosien, beyond the reach of Chinese immigrants or refugees, whose roving propensities could be fiilly gratified and spent within the bounds of Liaotung, Chaosien, and Mahan. In AJy. 9, Gaogowli was, politically, so insignificant that it was placed, as a small district, under the supervision of Huentoo, one of the four divisions into which Chaosien had been broken up. But it soon manifested signs of vigorous life ; for in 82, it had not only a king, but one who considered himself sufficiently important ix> send "tribute'* to the Imperial Court of Han. And in 51, it was thought advisable by the emperor to call in his aid, with that of Hienbi, to attack the eastern flank of the all- powerful Hiwngnoo, — the scourge of his own and preceding dynastiea But the actual march westwards of Gaogowli began only in 70, when they had the audacity to plunder Liaotung, whence they were driven back by Gung, the Liaotung governor, after he had allowed them to scour the country for half a year. In the summer of 110, they harried the kingdom of Whi, when Hienbi, sometime their ally, was ravaging liaosL In 121, their power and audacity had so grown, that the governor of Yowchow was compelled to march east, to the side of him of Liaotung and Huentoo, to compel this upstart kingdom to behave itself. The king feigned submission, sent his son to Court as guarantee of sincerity; and, as soon as the Yowchow contingent withdrew, he attacked and defeated Huentoo and Liaotung troops, slaying