From its first establishment the state of Chou had been surrounded by tribes of inferior civilisation. The geographical position,, in relation to' the Middle Kingdom, occupied by these tribes was indicated by several general terms. The tribes living in the South were called, the man. Those of the North, the Tib. The east, yi. The West, Jung or Chiang. ach general term comprehended several tribes.
The people living outside the civilised State might be reduced to two, viz, aborigines and invaders. The aborigines were those dwelling to the south and east. The invaders, the nomartic tribes of the west and north, To the aborigines the subjects of the house of Chou were an invading people. To the western and northern tribes the kingdom of Chou appeared as a desirable possession, one upon which they cast longing eyes and into which they made many an incursion. Whilst therefore the people of Chou invaded lands of the aborigines the Nor-them and Western hordes invaded the people of Chou, Upon these tribes vigilant eye had ever to keep watch. Against them military expeditions had frequently to be undertaken, but they were never completely subjugated. It has become common to speak of these tribes og Tartars, The attitude adopted by the kings of Chou towards the Tartar tribes is thus repre sented:—'*From of old these tribes were difficult to improve and indeed the kings were not very anxious that they should be improved. If the tribes voluntarily submitted to the Royal authority, the king restrained them a little. If they did not willingly submit, the king left them to themselves. If, however, the tribes committed acts of aggression against the king then, he employed his army against them." Some of the chief difficulties encountered by King Hsuan grew out of the predatory conduct of the wild tribes infesting the northern and western borders of his Kingdom. At first he successfully repelled them, According to the Bamboo Books, in the third year of his reign he made war upon the hordes of the west. In his fifth year his forces were: victorious over the northern tribes as far as Taiyuanfu, Shansi, And a year later he was again engaged against the Jung tribes.
Tu spite of these checks, however, the Tartars still held up their heads in defiance of the House of Chou. They actually defeated the Royal forces at Taiyuan, in the 83rd year of the reign of King Hsuan. Five years later they obtained another victory over the Royal army. Whilst the: 39th year of King Hsuan the Western Dartars were actively opposing the King's authority: and so serious did this opposition appear that the King deemed it necessary, not only to suppress it by military force, but to lead his troops in person.
This.rising of the Tartar against King Hsuan was a memorable event inthe history of Chou. The dynasty had long since passed the acme of its glory. and fame, but during the early years of King Lis credit had. been raised in the public mind. In his 39th year, however, his House received a blow from. which it never recovered.
What extraordinary events were about to happen there were other, and to a superatitious people, far more important indications. Nine years previously hares had been seen gambolling in the metropolis. Two years later a horse changed into a man. and only two years ago a horse had changed into a fox.
The king led his army in person against the western Tartars. This act unfortunately was attended with disaster, conse-that the king should have.gone to is represented as a "great miscalculation." It was not only unnecessary but derogatory to the dignity of the Son of Heaven.
"Former kings found it sufficient if they laid their commands upon their soldiers and generals. The House of Chou was then in a flourishing condition; was there no man among courtiers or ministers that might have been put in command The lessening of majesty was by no means the greatest evil attending the expedition in question. The King not only failed to inflict punishment upon the wild tribes, his army was even routed under him. "(This battle is supposed to have been fought at Thousand Acres, near Lisochou in Eastern Shansi, Moreover, the defeat was left unavenged.)
These misfortunes constituted a loss which the State of Chou cvuid badly afford to sustain. The general consequences "are thusser forth. ' Majesty being diminished the Ministers of Stata thought lightly of the King. The awe inspired by the Middle Kingdom being destroyed a feeling of contempt for the State filled the minds of the barbarous tribes. The defeat being left una-veuved produced Inughter in all quart Though defeated and disgraced, King Hsuan intended to retrieve his misfortunes, and with this object in view he began to raise another army. Consequently, in the following year the King numbered his people at Taiyuan, in the county of Chinyang, Shansi. The numbering of the people proceeded thus:—The local registers were carefully examined and men selected acy cording to the number of names entered therein; carts, horses, food and fodder were impressed and put in a state of readiness for the war."
"This second campaign was not viewed favourably by the prime minister, Chung Shan-fu. He protested against it even in the presence of the King. However, the Royal piryose romained unaltered. The King's headstrong determination to a second expedition against the Tartars is represent ed as a blunder equalled only by his personally conducting the fist. This was more over, 80 it is implied, the beginning of a sories of other blunders that covered him with shame and finally brought his ruin, For instance, it was while military preparations were proceeding that certain reports considered as divinely inspired an! Suggestive of dynastic ruin were mysteriously circulated in the capital. Moreover, these reports first reached the cara of the king while returning to the metropolis, immediately after numbering the people at Taiyuan.
King Hsiinn, it is said, by dint of hard Ariving entered the city at ey-ning. When his chariot was passing the, market-place the King sudden-ly heard a group of ten young children singing song. The children Sang as withjone voice and King Hsuan stopped his chariot tollisten, The song was as follows "The moon is about to increase The sun is about to decline.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.