The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
History
The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)
Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
Korea -- History
In 1123 the king’s son Hă, posthumous title In-jong, came to the throne.
An official, Yi Ja-gyŭm, who had risen to the highest position under the
former king seemed to think himself in a sense on an equality with the
young king now on the throne, and wanted to have him bow to him, but the
other officials interfered and prevented it. In order to make his
position the more secure, and to strengthen his influence over the king,
Yi Ja-gyŭm bestowed upon him his four daughters to wife. Naturally he
incurred the bitter enmity of the other officials, who sought means for
destroying him, but without success. As a last resort they sent a band
of soldiers to the palace to kill him. But he escaped to his private
house, taking the king with him. From that place he governed the land as
he wished. Finding the king an incumbrance he tried to do away with him
by the use of poisoned bread, but someone warned the king, and instead
of eating the bread he threw it out of the window and the magpies, which
soon discovered it, fell dead on the spot. Thereupon the king sent a
secret message to one of his generals and soon the traitor was
travelling southward into exile and all his connections and followers
were put where they could do no more harm.
It was in the third year of this King, 1124, that the Kin armies finally
overthrew the Kitan power. The false report came to Koryŭ that China had
defeated the Kin forces and that the leader of the defeated power was
coming to find asylum in Koryŭ. The king was advised by some to take
this opportunity of dealing Kin a staggering blow, but the more cautious
advised delay until the report should be authenticated. This was
fortunate, for the report proved false.
It was in 1126 that the northern Sung dynasty came to an end at the
hands of the all-conquering Kin. The records state that Kin leaders
carried the last emperor of the Sung dynasty away and set up one Chang
Pang-ch‘ang as king in his stead, and changed the name of the dynasty to
Ch‘o. When this had been effected the Kin emperor sent Gen. Ya Ryul
Ka-geum to Koryŭ bearing his commands to the king, but what those
commands were the records do not tell.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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