222 KITAN. younger brother, which greatly offended the Chinese emperor. To escape punishment he fled to Kitan, by whom he was placed over a considerable number of Chinese soldiers in Yingchow. He had secret overtures made to him, hinting that^ as the fonner emperor was dead and a new one on the throne, it might be an easy matter to annul the past if he presented himself at court without delay; but that it might be more difficult after the emperor was sometime on the throne. He took the hint; and as the Chinese under him were also eager to return to their native land, they rose with him against their masters, slew the Kitan commander and his men, driving before them 100,000 people and 8000 tents and carts as captives from Yingchow. These they made a peace offering. The Kitan had their revenge however, for in 928 they attacked and took Fingchow with its commandant, Jang Sijoong. He was much trusted by the Kitan commandant. His men, who were also preserved alive, got home-sick when there a year and half, and bitterly wept before him, praying him to find some means of returning home. He told them he could deceive and kill the commandant, and that they could easily fight their way off in the consequent confusion. He therefore provided a feast, and when the commandant was drunk, had him killed, and the body thrown into a well, into which he had previously poured a quantity of quicklime. He then marched his men against the barracks in the north of the city, the soldiers in which, being wholly unprepared for such an attack, were easily thrown into confusion and flight He therefore made his way with his men and 20,000 people into Chinese soil, and was highly complimented and rewarded by the emperor. The Kitan, however, did not lose any of their main posts ; for they had taken Tingchow, and were then plundering Yunchow.* And as they had so strong and firm a footing in the north of China^ they interfered, and effectually, among the strugglingrivalsfortheimper- ial crown. They had, however, suffered two crushing defeats when assisting Woo, one claimant, to retain Tingchow, against Choo,
- The modem Kihien of Taiyuen.
