238 NUJUN. took place, which small in themselves, as the head stream of a river, gave rise to great and serious consequencea One of these was the flight of a Liao man from Yowchow south to the court of Sung, to lay before that dynasty a plan for overthrowing the Liao. This plan was to form a close alliance with the Nujun, whose growing power was proved by the annexation of the tribe Hoahilie, on its west ; whose chief, Ashoo, was compelled to flee to Liao for refuge. The alliance could be consummated by sending Chinese messengers from Tungchow and Laichow in Shantung, to Changbaishan. This suggestion was well considered, much approved, and attempts made to carry it into efiPect. The Gaoli king, favourably disposed to the Sung dynasty, urged the emperor to take no such step, but rather to support the Liao against the Niijun, — ^for if the former were dogs, the latter were tigers ; adding that the Chinese should be thankful that the Liao were there as a buffer. But like the horse which prayed the man to ride him to be revenged, the Sung emperor was eager for vengeance on the northern barbarian, who had so disgracefully humiliated his family and people ; and no consideration would move him from looking with a friendly eye to the barbarian further removed, and who had as yet done him no harm. The second event was the sporting expedition of the Liao king to the Songari* to fish. The chiefs of the "savage Nujun collected there to pay their respects to their powerful neighbour. The king, in his good humour, ordered the sons and younger brothers of the chiefs to get up and dance. One yoimg man, the heir of the Changbaishan chief, silently refused, even though thrice ordered. The ministers of the king, seeing the stubborn spirit of the youth, quietly urged the king to apprehend him and
- His residence was said to be 1500 li north of Xaiyuen, and called " Chuanchow,
on the Hwnntoong," which is the name of the Songari as it flows east. The modem Petuna, the Jaochow of Kin, is stiU the centre of a most extensive fisheiy, which supplies all Manchuria, a good deal of Ohihli, and especially the imperial table, with a large variety of fresh-water fish, of which White fish, the Sturgpon and the Carp, are the prindpaL Chuanchow, from its distance, would not be far from Petuna, but somewhere to the south, and on the west of the river, which* Agooda had to crofls in his flight.
