Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/293

 MODEBN CAPITAL OF COBEA. 269 the Chinese court to Corea ; and in token of his good will, the Corean king sent his sons and younger brothers to the Owodau College to learn Chinese. This king was succeeded by his son Yii, who had the misfortune to have a minister more able than himself, and unscrupulous to boot Til was therefore thrust aside ; — ^first imprisoned, and then murdered ; and his son Mao was placed on the throne. This minister, Li Tinyin, had a son, li Chunggwei, who made away with Mao, and occupied the throne hunself ; thus finishing the story of the Corean Mayor of the Palace. He repeatedly sent messengers to Nanking to have his title confirmed ; and at length had his prayers granted. He founded the dynasty which still rules Corea, and which has, therefore, swayed the Corean sceptre for more than four cen- turies. He moved his capital to its present site, to the city of Hanchung, on the Han river, — ^the name Seool or Sheoul simply meaning ''The Capital'" He also changed the name Gaoli, which had prevailed since the Tang dynasty, to Chaosien, the oldest known name of Corea^ or of any portion of it This is the name by which it is now called. The land has remained exactly as he left it^ — bounded on the north-west by the Yaloo, on the north by the Niijun, and elsewhere by the sea. The Japanese were probably emboldened by their repeated victories over the Chinese or Corean armies sent to annex their land, and were inclined to cross the sea and to retaliate. It was, doubtless, their ascertained superiority over their wealthy neighbours which tempted them to build their ships, and assume the part of eastern Vikings ; for immediately on the accession of the Ming, a band of Japanese descended upon the coasts of Shantung and pillaged them. Their visits must have repaid the trouble, and been more frequent than welcome ; for in 1387, many fortifiexi cities had to be built along the eastern Chinese coasts to watch them. They were not so successful in a raid on Liaotung ; which, most probably, was then not so wealthy along the coast as it is now, and the Japs may have been tempted to march too £eu: from their shipa At any rate, they were thoroughly defeated by Lieutenant-General Liw Yoong; but