Page:History of Corea, ancient and modern; with description of manners and customs, language and geography (1879).djvu/86

62 TEN WAKO. overwhelm theoL Hence thirty-six cities belonging to Yen Wang o})ened their gates at the summons of Jao Wang. Few, on the other hand, replied to the invitation which Yen Wang had sent to all the neighbouring tribes to join him. And Gaogowli prepared for the inevitable destruction of Whang, and the certain dissolution of his power, by marching in force into Lolang to defend themselves against Jao Wang, after he should have crushed Yen Wang. Swun Yoong, Whang's commandant in the fortified city of Changli, discovered a plot by some of his officers — ^Lolang men— -to open the gates to Jao Wang. The conspirators he put to death, freeing those who had confessed their crima Our old friend Fung, now a Taishow, hurried with 200 men into Jichung when he heard of Jao Wang's sudden march against it ; for the latter believed he could take it with a spring. The city was soon completely invested. A brief but successful sally of a few hundred men raised the spirits of the garrison. ^' Stone Tiger " closely pressed the siege on all sides ; but the spirit of the besieged was as desperate as Gao could wish it So incessant and daring were their sallies for ten days running, that the siege had to be raised. The rear of the retreating army was so mercilessly cut up by 2,000 of the best horse in Whang's army, which hung upon it like hornets, that the retreat became a rout, and the assailants, every moment becoming more numerous, threw the troops of Jao Wang^ into such disorder, that 30,000 (?) of them became prisoners or were slain. All fear of any damage from Jao Wang being now at an end, the victorioas and jubilant Whang marched at once against the revolted cities, all of which fell in a brief space. The principal agents in the revolt fled to GaogowIL The revolted soldiers Whang put to death, and handsomely rewarded his army. But though defeated in his first attempt. Stone Tiger was by no means at the end of his resources, nor would his grand design fall to the ground because of one £Etilura He sent his men across the gulf to Liaotnng; sent three million