Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/188

 364 siKLO. of Shuji at Yenchow. Anahu is now simply defending its families from captivity, and its property from plunder." by the emperor as o£Scers. They now came before him saying, that " his slaves dare not but give their best counsels. The men of Anshu are fighting to preserve their wives and families. But the city of Woogoo is under the rule of an old chief who cannot be vigorous in his measures. . With a sudden attack one night and a day would be sufiBicient to take Woogoo. The surrounding email cities, hearing of its fall, would be deserted, and the army could march all the way to Fingyang to the roll of the drum, and Pingyang would soon falL" Some ministers, desirous to follow ordered to make a dash on and siege Woogoo,* and to go on to Pingyang. But the emperor believed that the counsel of Wooji was best, which was to press on the siege of Anshu to its fieJI, then march on Jienan, and all would soon fall. . The emperor one day heard a great and unusal noise inside the city, and said to Shuji : " We have long surrounded this city, and ithe ascending smoke is daily les& The besieged are, doubtless, preparing for a night saUy ; let the army therefore be in good order to receive them.*' That night several hundred Qaoli were^let down by ropes over the walL They were, however, heard by the emperor, who got below the city, and summoned his men. Some scores of Coreans were slain, the rest retired back into the city. . Daodsoong set about building an artificial hill at the south-east comer of the city, and was determined to make it higher than the walL In order to prevent the rise of this mound, which would seal the fate of the city, the garrison made daily sallies for six or seven days in succession. But in vain ; for Jieither day nor night was there any rest in raising the great tumulus, till it became a hill which commanded the city ; and the city was now in the grasp of. Tang. This mound, represented 500,000 imit days' labour, and was the work of sixty days, so that about 8,600 men were daily at work on it A tower was. erected over it Foongai was
 * Yenshow, and his second in command, Whishun, were retained
 * this advice, said, that as Jang Liang was in Bisha, he could be
 * No^ P> 1^ ; appMently aomevherv about Siwyeiu. ^ '^