Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/308

 284 COBEA. hundred families who had entered Corea firom Warka^ its northern NUjun neighbour, came over to the llanchu& Taidsoong ordered the capital to be plundered, while he crossed the river and routed the relieving army from Julia and Joong- ching. Messengers were sent to the Corean king, complaining of his chief ministers, who had caused the misunderstanding, and who were now demanded as prisoners by the Manchua In March, the Manchus encamped on the north bank of the river, twenty li from the capital Zooi chin-wang, who had marched eastwards through Changshan pass, took Changchow, and defeated the relieving armies from An, Hwang, Ning, and the border cities, numbering 15,000 men. He now joined tiie main body at the capital. The Beira Dodo also arrived with the heavy artillery, having come down by the Linjin river, and reunited with the main army. The Corean king had early sent messengers for aid firom the Chinese; who, however, had their hands too full, because of the robbers then covering the land with their plundering armie& The lieutenant-general of Tungchow and Laichow in Shantung was ordered to cross over ; but as a contrary wind was blowing at the time, he dared not set sail The Coreans had therefore no hope from outside; and their own armies from the east and south, raised to relieve the capital, dispersed ; while those on the west and north dared not advance. The city was running short of provisions, while the Manchus were plundering the country around in all directions. What they did not take they burnt, and the greatest terror prevailed. This brought the king at last to reason ; and he sent ambassadors to pray for peace, who, however, would be listened to only on condition, that the ministers who urged the king to renounce the former treaty, be handed over to the Manchus. The king was unwilling to grant those terms, and pleaded to be permitted to remain in the city, — ^to prevent the humiliation of acknowledging formally the sovereignty of the Manchus. While all this fighting, robbing, and burning were wasting Oingi Do, and while all the mainland was in terror of the Manchu