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
Though the king was badly frightened he continued his evil course of
life without abatement. The generals wanted to kill him but were
dissuaded. The persecution of the civil officials continued but there
was some discrimination, for two of them who were better than the rest
were spared and protected. A civil official, returning from China,
learned of this _emeute_ and, gathering forces in the country,
approached the capital; but at a certain pass an unfavorable omen was
seen in the shape of a tiger sitting in the road. The omen was true, for
the improvised army was defeated by the insurrectionists. One Chöng
Chung-bu was the leading spirit in this business and he now proceeded to
pull down all the houses of the civil officials, turning a deaf ear to
the expostulations of those who pitied the widows and orphans. From this
time dates the custom of destroying the house of any official or
gentleman who is guilty of any serious crime against the king.
Gen. Chöng came to the conclusion that the king was a hopeless case and
so he banished him to Kö-je in Island, Kyŭng-sang Province, and the
Crown Prince to the island of Chin-do, and made way with a large number
of the king’s relatives and hangers-on. He then put the king’s younger
brother Ho on the throne. His posthumous title is Myŭng-jong. This was
in 1171.
Then all the offices were filled by military officials, Gen. Im
Keuk-ch’ung becoming Prime Minister. Mun Keup-kyŭm was one of the civil
officials who were spared, and he now feigned to be well content with
the condition of things and gave his daughter to the son of one of the
generals in marriage. An envoy was sent to the Kin court saying that as
the king was old and sick his brother had been given the reins of power.
One of the generals, Yi Ko, desired to effect a revolution and,
gathering his friends about him, promised them high honors in case the
attempt should succeed. Thereupon he took with him to a feast a number
of his followers with swords hidden in their sleeves. Gen. Ch’oa Wŭn,
however, suspected something and communicated his suspicions to Gen. Yi
Eui-bang who managed to get Gen. Yi Ko out into the anteroom and there
felled him to the ground with an iron mace and dispatched him. His
followers were also seized and killed.
The emperor suspected that the deposed king had been forcibly ejected
and so sent a letter severely blaming his successor. An envoy was
dispatched to the Kin court to explain matters. He talked well but the
emperor still suspected something and refused to answer the king’s
letter. The envoy thereupon sat down and deliberately began to starve
himself to death. This secured the desired answer and the envoy returned
to Song-do. The emperor sent a commission to enquire into the matter.
The commissioner was feasted at the capital and told that the deposed
king was old and sick and had gone away to a distant part of the country
and could not be produced.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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