Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/228

204 KITAN. removed from Kitan ; that the Chinese general Jang Jaijmi was on bad terms with the Chinese commander, and would put every obstacle in the way of a quick march ; and that as Basimi was light armed and greedy of spoil, it would be in the field long before its allies and would be easily defeated, after which the Chinese would not dare advance. And it turned out as he foretold. Basimi marched south-wards to find neither Eitan nor Chinese in the field ; and as they were thus alone against the warriors of Tookiie, they retreated in fear. They were 1000 li from home ; but Pijia, though eager to attack at once, listened to the same counsellor, who advised to harass them in the rear, and to attack only when they were within two days of home, when they would be weary with their marchings, eager to gain their home, and therefore not ready to fight so desperately as when every individual life depended on success. When they were within 200 li of their city of Yenting, general Dun, who had given the above advice, set off by forced marches and a circuitous route. He got to Yenting before the Basimi men, and destroyed it The main body of the Tookiie fell upon the rear of the retiring foe, completely routing and almost annihilating the wearied troops, the survivors fleeing towards their city to find it already in the hands of the enemy. Kitan had internal affiurs to setUe just then ; for one of the chiefs, Kotoogan, had won the hearts of all the people by his bravery. King Sogoo was both jealous and afraid of him, and therefore aimed at his destruction. Kotoogan got timely warning, collected some troops, marched against and defeated his king, who fled to Yingchow, to which the nominal, but remote, Doodoo of Yingchow sent a force of 500 Chinese to aid him. This force was waylaid, entirely destroyed, and its leader taken alive by Karka, the real Mongol land, they would have to cross Shamo, which is not men- tioned ; and again if they lived east of Gobi, why did they not communicate with Kitan on the way ? Their way back was a toearp one ; and it is not impossible that the Great Desert may have been the cause of the weariness. F^bability would therefore place Basimi to the north of Grobi, and not far from Hingan ling, for the " Turks " occupied all Inner Mongolia not under Kitan ; and that land became the birth-place of the formidable Genghis.