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
The story of his desperate fight and final defeat at the hands of the
Han forces, of his flight northward to the wild tribe of Hyung-no, is
interesting; but we must turn from it to follow the fortunes of one of
his lieutenants, a native of the Yŭn, named Wi-man. Retreating eastward
alone and in disguise, according to some writers, or according to others
with an escort of 1,000 men, he eluded his pursuers and at last crossed
the P’ă-su (the Yalu of today) and was received with open arms by his
own kin who had already settled there. In the days of the Han dynasty
the word P’ă-su meant the Yalu River, but in the days of the Tang
dynasty it meant the Ta-dong. Hence much confusion has arisen.
Wi-man threw himself upon the protection of Ki-jun who, little knowing
the nature of the man he was harboring, good-naturedly consented and
accompanied his welcome with the substantial gift of a hundred _li_
square of land in the north. Wi-man, on his part, engaged to act as
border guard and give timely warning of the approach of an enemy. He was
already on good terms with the people of the Chin-bŭn tribe, and now he
began to cultivate their friendship more assiduously than ever. In a
short time he found himself at the head of a considerable following
composed partly of Yŭn refugees and partly of Chin-bŭn adventurers.
Being thus prepared and weighing all the chances, he concluded to stake
his whole fortune on a single throw. Sending a swift messenger to the
court of Ki-jun at P‘yŭng-yang, he informed that peace loving monarch
that an innumerable army was advancing from China in four divisions and
would soon be at the doors of Cho-sŭn, and that he, Wi-man, must hasten
to the capital with all his force to act as body-guard of the King. The
ruse was successful and before Ki-jun and his court had awakened to the
situation Wi-man was on them. An attempt was made to stop his advance
when quite too late, but it held the traitor in check long enough for
Ki-jun and his immediate court to load their treasure on boats; and as
the triumphal army of Wi-man entered the gates of P‘yŭng-yang the last
representative of the dynasty of Ki-ja slipped quietly down the river,
seeking for himself a more congenial home in the south. This occurred,
so far as we can judge from conflicting documents, in the year 193 B.C.
This was an event of utmost importance in the history of the peninsula.
It opened up to the world the southern portion of Korea, where there
were stored up forces that were destined to dominate the whole peninsula
and impress upon it a distinctive stamp. But before following Ki-jun
southward we must turn back and watch the outcome of Wi-man’s treachery.
Chapter III.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account