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NЯice of Japan in the Hái-kwak Tú Chi.
MARCH,
the chief command, and to look into the state of the army. He was a covetous man, who promoted the undeserving and left merit unre- warded; so that the troops became more and more disorganized. Cháng King and Li Tienchung were both put in chains, and superseded by Chau Chung and Hú Tsunghien. A month elapsed, and the former ended his career, being relieved by Yang ĺ-shi. The robbers mean- while extended their power gradually on the north and south of the Yángtsz' kiáng, and the east and west of the river Cheh, until there was no place in which traces of them were not to be met with.
Every new Japanese reinforcement fired its own vessels. From Hángchau fő they passed west, and pillaging Shun-ngán, fell suddenly on the district town of Hih in Hwuichau; thence they came to Tsih- ki and Sing-teh, and marched rapidly through Kinghien to Nanling. From this they passed on to Wú-hú, burned Nán-ngán, burst upon the prefecture of Tái-ping, attacked the market-town of Kiángning, and moved directly upon Nanking Dressed in red, with yellow caps, they attempted the great gate Nganteh of that city, and Kiáh-kang, in good order, but [unable to make an impression] they retired quick- ly upon Moh-ling-kwán, passed through Lib-shui to Lih-yang and 1-hing, which they plundered; then, hearing that the government troops were advancing from the Great Lake, they crossed Wú-tsin, and on reaching Wúsih halted at Hwui-shán, after flying in one day and night some 180 k. At Hú-yé, they were surrounded by the troops, and pursued to Yanglin Bridge, where they were entirely cut to pieces.
In this affair, the robbers were never above 60 or 70 in number, and yet they marched several tens of A, massacred and wounded perhaps 4000 people; and this during some eighty days before they were externiinated. These things came to pass in the 9th moon of the 34th year (1554), and Tsáu Páng-fú, sivnfú oi Yingtien reported a victory. Cháu Wan-hwá, envious of his fame, assembled the forces of Cheliking and Chiblí, and accompanied by Tsung Hien, came with them in person, engaging Tsáu-Pang-fú to cooperate with him in exterminating the Japanese in their haunt at Tau-tsih. They pushed forward simultaneously by different routes, and pitched their camp by the brick bridge of Sungkiáng. The enemy, all tried men, came on to the assault, and put them to great rout. Cháu Wan-hwa’s courage failed him, while that of the banditti increased. In the 10th moon, some Japanese landed in Lohtsing, and made a foray into Hwang-yen, Sien-kii, Funghwa, Yüyáu, and Shang-yu. The multi- tude killed or captured by them was incalculable, and though the whole number in Ching-hien, where they were all destroyed, did not amount
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