Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/154

 130 GAOGOWLI. of Swi, in 587, A.D., he became alarmed for his own possessions, and began to store up grain, and to drill soldiers to be ready to defend his border. The rumour of those preparations reached the Swi court, and the emperor despatched a messenger imme- diately, who stated, that '' the Liao river was not so wide as the Yangtsu, nor the men of Tang so numerous as were those of the recently destroyed Chun." The arrival of the messenger with so threatening a message caused Tang such terror, that he took ill and died. The Swi emperor conferred upon his son Yuen, who succeeded him, the title of Duke of Liaotung. Yuen sent messengers to court to express his gratitude, and to pray for the higher title of Wang. To this also the emperor agreed ; and never, thenceforth, did he let Gaoli slip out of his thoughts, and on this rock he broke his head. If Yuen succeeded to his father's kingdom, he did not inherit his father's fear. He believed he might as well exercise his soldiers on foreign soil, and therefore sent 10,000, chiefly Mogo men, across the Liao, who ravaged Liaosi, under which designation a large portion of the modem Chihli, was even then included. This force was ultimately driven back by the commandant Governor (Tsoonggwan) of Ying-Chow.* This insult at once enraged the Emperor, and gave him the longed for opportunity of annexing Corea. He set about pre- paring an army of 300,000 men to attack Corea by land and water. The main army marching through Linyugwan, 480 li west of Liwchimg,* got to the Liao river before their provisions, with the result of thinning their ranks by a raging epidemic, for it was hot July weather. The provision carts could not wade through the mire, into which the heavy rains had converted the roada Eight-t/cnths of the army are said to have died before they saw an enemy. The navy which sailed from Laichow, under Jowlo How, fared no better; for it encountered terrific gales, which foundered a large proportion of the vessels on the way to the capital of Corea. The Corean capital then was Pingyang on the Datong, a city • See note, p, 65,