AN LOOSHAN. 209 against Kitan. He was defeated, and sentenced to beheading. When sentence was about to be carried out, he turned round and said, "Does not General Showgwei desire the extinction of Kitan? Why then kill Looshan? The general pitied his young o£Scer, respited and sent him to the capital for examina- tion. The old minister, Jiw Lingpi, strenuously objected to any annulling or abatement of the original sentence, pleading ancient history to prove such clemency dangerous. The emperor, seeing that Looshan was a young man of parts, pitied and reprieved him. Jiw, however, persisted in his opposition, avowing that in the man's appearance there was indicated danger for the future, if he were permitted to live. The emperor quietly rebuked the old man for his suspicions, and pardoned Looshan. The latter returned to Yowchow, and with a few horsemen seized, one day, some dozens of Kitan, and drove them into camp ; and Showgwei loved him as his own son. His dashing bravery got Looshan the command in Fingloo, whence every one brought excellent reports of his conduct, — so much so that he was elevated to the rank of Yingchow Doodoo to look after the four foo of Bohai, Heishwi, and the two Kitan, whose raids into Chinese soU had given great trouble,— a trouble which was yearly increasing with their gathering power. And as Looshan was successful in parrying those attacks, the emperor raised him to be Jidooshu. In 742 he had under him 37>500 men, stationed chiefly at Yingchow and Pingchow,* to guard against Shiwei in the north, and Mogo in the east There were, besides, 30,000 men camped in Yowchow, and 61,400 in the chows of Ki, Wei, Tan, Yi, Hung, Ting, Mo,f and Tsang, all in ChihE These 128,900 men were set to guard against Kitan and Tookiie. There were then in camp on the frontiers of China, and in more or less severe active service, 490,000 men, with over 80,000 horses. Thirty years before, the war expenditure was
- Linyn in N.E of Chihli (GbineBO Imp. Directory),
t Paoting foo.
