Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/38

 14 CHAOSIEK. to show his loyalty, he prepared to at once send his heir to the Chinese court with a present of 5000 horses, together with the plunder and prisoners taken after the defeat& This heir had an escort of 10,000 armed men ; the number of which led both the messenger and Dso, the commander of the Chinese army, west of the river, to suspect a trick. The heir was on his part quite as suspicious of them, so that when he got to the east bank of the river he determined not to risk the crossing. Nor was his caution at all groundless, after the former experiences of his country of the value to be placed on Chinese honour. The messenger returned to court empty handed, and was executed for his share in the blunder. Dso was more fortunate. He had crossed the Bei, defeated the northern Chaosien army, and set up his camp to the north of the city; while Commander Low, at the head of his disembarked naval troops, pressed it on the south. Though the Yen* men of Dso's army behaved well, and died bravely in great numbers, many months passed away making no impression on the city. The chief attention of the besieged was directed to Dso ; while they endeavoured, secretly, to form a treaty with Low, who, after his first defeat, was not eager to press nearer. The manoeuvring came to nothing, for the Chinese commanders and the Chaosien king were all mutually suspicious Being at a loss to account for the length of time spent in taking a single city, the emperor sent the Taishow or governor of Tsinan in Shantung to investigate. To him Dso stated that the reason why the siege was not long ago at an end, was that he was not properly seconded by Low. The naval commander was therefore summoned to appear at Dso's camp, where the Taishow imprisoned him. All the forces, on both sides of the city, were put at the disposal of Dso, who pressed the siege with redoubled vigour. Five Chaosien officers, seeing that their king was determined never to yield, and knowing, because of the wasted strength of the garrison, that the siege must end disastrously, sent trusty men secretly, who murdered their king,
 * See above description of Yen kingdom, p. 11.