212 KITAN. making the commander of the Hodoong contingent share the blame with him. Both these*he beheaded. The commander of the Pingloo contingent, fearing a similar fate, fled to the momitain gullies, where he remained 20 days, during which time 700 of the run-away soldiers gathered about him. Looshan's old friend, Brilliant-Thought, was the magistrate of Pingloo, and sent on 3000 picked men to take Looshan off When he got to Pingloo, he wept that he had not a single soldier of his own ; but when the magistrate went to call upon him, he rose off his seat, took Brilliant-Thought by the hand saying, "Why should I grieve now that I have foimd you?" But Brilliant-Thought was not easily deceived ; for on going out he said, " Had I been with him in the field, my head would have followed Gosie's. As Shichow was besieged by the victorious Kitan, Brilliant-Thought was ordered against, and compelled them to raise the siege. To wipe out his disgrace, Looshan collected an army of 260,000 men to march against Kitan, and prayed the emperor to order Aboosu, a chief of the Tookiie, who had joined the Court cause, and was by the emperor made a Wang, to second him with several myriads of horse. He was a man of considerable ability, for which reason Looshan desired, on a former occasion, to have him as a subordinate ; but, for the same reason, Aboosu would not have a subordinate position. Knowing that Looshan heartily hated him for previously refusing to become a subordinate, he was afraid of foul play if once he were entirely in his power. He therefore, through one of the ministers, none of whom was very friendly towards Looshan, prayed the emperor to permit him to remain at court ; but fearing his prayer would not be granted, he fled to the Gobi desert with all his followers. Looshan was therefore compelled to camp his men, and could not march against the Kitan, — ^partly perhaps from lack of proper lieutenants, partly doubtless for fear that Aboosu would descend upon the unprotected north. And Aboosu justified the latter supposition by scouring the country round about Tatung of Shansl
