Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/98

 74 YEN WANG. they nearly touched the lands of Yen. There they dwelt negligently, thmking of no evil. Whang, therefore, sent 17,000 cavalry, which attacked them suddenly ; and took captive their King Hiien, and 50,000 of his people. Whang made Hiien a chief commander; giving him one of his own daughters in marriage. We now turn again from these Liaotung digressions to Jao Wang, in the north of China proper, who had long assumed the imperial title, and whose family was said to be the chief cause of the miseries which were then rending China in pieces. The Tsin Emperor, himself utterly unable to cope with his difficulties, sought the aid of Whang in the east, and of Jang Jwun in the west, at once to put down the arrogant Jao Wang, and to drive the Hiwngnoo out of Chungtu, which they had taken. He also nominated a day and place for the junction of their troops with those of the empire. But the proposal came to nothing at that time. In Feb. 349, Jao Wang, the " Stone Tiger,'' took unwell in the midst of preparations against a proposed attack by Jwun, son and heir of Whang. In May he died, and was buried with imperial pomp. Jwun was urged to march in upon Jao Wang's land ; the distracted state of the empire being pressed upon him as a reason. He was not unwilling, now that the man chiefly to be feared was gone ; and he got ready 200,000 men under his well tried generals, Ba, Ping, and Go. Jwun was now lord of Yen ; for his father, the talented Whang, died before Jao Wang ; both thus leaving their respective heirs to fight out their strife. The Tsin Emperor nominated Jwun also governor of Yowchow and Pingchow. And all his councillors urged him to war; placing the imperial crown before his eyes as an easy priza He laughed ; but made his arrangements in earnest : for if the dragon throne was at the top of an arduous climb, it did seem nearer than ordinary, and its attainment appeared not at all impossible, for the kingdom of Jao was bled almost to death, and Moyoong had been steadily growing. He also made an alliance with Jang Joonghwa of Liangchow in Shensi, who joined