Page:A Chinese Biographical Dictionary.djvu/674

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A Chinese Biographical Dictionary
655


the Emperor on tour, and was re-instated. Canonised as ^^t and included in the Temple of Worthies.

Shih K*o-& ^ fff ft (T- M't.)' Died A.D. 1644. A native 1716 of Ta-hsing in Chihli, whose mother, before giving birth to him, dreamt that the great patriot, WSn T4en-hsiang, visited the house. Graduating as cliin $hth in 1628, he soon began to take part in the war&re which was desolating the empire; and at the head of small bodies of troops he succeeded in inflicting several checks upon the rebels. Short of stature, fiery in temperament, dark- complexioned, and with flashing eyes, he gained the confidence of his men by sharing all their toils and hardships. By 1643 he had risen to be President of the Board of War at Nanking. The fall of Peking in the following year caused him such grief that he put on mourning garb. Under J^ ^ Prince Fu he became President of the Board of Bites, and was entrusted with the defence of Yang- chou, the west gate of which, being the post of danger, he allotted to himself. As his wife had borne no children, he wrote to his mother, appointing an heir, and asking that his bones might be buried near the Imperial Tombs. After two days' siege, the dij was carried by assault, and Shih E^o-& deliberately cut his own throat; but he had not done the work effectually, and called upon his lately-adopted son to finish the deed. The latter was quite unable to do so, and while he was hesitating, the enemy's soldiers rushed in upon them. *^I am General Shih," he cried; ^^kill me!" He was offered his life if he would own allegiance to the Manchus; but he spurned the offer with scorn, and was then put to death. Shih K'nang 0j0 ^ . A blind musician of old , who after the 1717 manner of Orpheus was able by his musical skill to charm super- natural beings.

Shih Lang M ^ (T. :^>^. H. a|f ^). A.D. 1621-1696. 1718 A native of Fuhkien, noted for his strength and courage. Originally