Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/298

274 COREA. of him as king — a very inferior official, with a poor retinue and mean presents. Siwgi declared this an insult, not only to him, but to the emperor, and was deeply offended at the indignity offered him. He sent magnificent presents to the emperor ; but refused, in the face of that insult from the Corean king, to Arithdraw any of his forces. 20,000 Chinese had fallen ; and the Japanese at length withdrew from the capital, only after their provisions had failed them. They, however, retained fast hold of Fooshan; and the Chinese could not therefore retire out of Corea. In the fourth year of Japanese occupation, a kind of peace was patched up, when the Corean king was acknowledged by the Japanese ; and the Chinese had agreed to the tribute to be paid the Japanese by Corea The peace was nominal, however ; for a Censor, appointed from Peking to Corea, to look after the interests of that country, was recalled in disgrace ; for after he lost 20,000 men, he was in terror of the Japanese. It was only in 1598, after severe fighting with the Chinese troops, sent east- wards the preceding year, that the Japanese made terms of peace, and finally withdrew, — Siwgi dying that year. Duripg those seven years' war, the Coreans lost hundreds of thousands of men, and many millions of taels. In connection with this conquest, it is strange that the Coreans persist in believing and stating that Japan has always paid them tribute. We can account for it only on the supposition that the Japanese brought some presents for the Corean king, and that Corea followed the example of China in calling these by the name of tribute. The preceding account of the Japanese occupation of Corea is proof sufficient of the character of the Coreans as drawn by the Ming historians, — ^that they were a people timid and weak, though excellent students and capital scholars, full of veneration for their numerous priests, much afraid of demons ; and hating the slaughter of men or animals. I'he same historians state of the Coreans that, when going outside, the least wind would blow off their hats, — ^implying that they wore three centuries ago the same broad brimmed, high, conical, horse-hair hat worn now. Their dress