Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/163

 FRIGHTFUL DEFEAT. 1Z9 already dispirited and famiahing army. The rear rushed upon^ the centre^ the centre pushed against the van ; and that army, a few weeks ago so formidable, became a confused rabble of fugitives, without any attempt at order, and the exercise of authority was impossible. Every man ran at his greatest speed, fled for twenty-four hours on end, and in their terror, rested only on the east bank of the Yaloo, having run 450 li Only one man, Tinhoong, proved his capacity for his post; for he retained his division in form sufficient to check the Gaoli in the rear* But of those 305,000 men, only 2,700 got to Liaotung city. In their famishing condition the deaths in that flight must have been enormous ; for there was no possibility of obtaining pro^ visions. But large numbers were taken prisoners; for many Chinese, left in Qaoli hands by the Swi Emperor, were released again to the Tang dynasty. The Coreans who prevented com- munication while the Chinese were on the offensive, would doubtless send some Chinese prisoners to Hoor, with the news of the overwhelming disaster ; for he heard, when too late, of the arrival of his colleague and of his fate, and beat a retreat The Chinese army was lost by imbecility. The arms which fell into the hands of the Coreans, with other spoil, are mentioned as "myriads of myriads of myriada"" This undreamed of collapse roused the Emperor to a frenzy of fury, and the chief officers concerned in the flight, who set the example, or did not set a better, were publicly executed. Joonggwan was degraded to rank with the common people, but Wun, though degraded at the time, was regarded as more unfortunate than guilty, and restored to his command. The grain of the besieging army was also all but exhausted, and the Emperor, in his spleen, ordered every man to And his way home as he best could. Soon after the return of this wrecked army to the capital, the President of the Board of Works died, probably from his internal worry ; for his imperfect bridges began the series of misfortunes which befell, perhaps, the largest army which China ever brought together to one place, and which had been set in motion at an