98 HIENBI. and cause of a more compacted state^ and a more civilised communiiy. They were, however, far from being able to cope with their powerful cousins the Hiwngnoo, part of whose people then occupied the north of Shansi ; for they got worsted in a tussle with them while on that Taiyuen raid They found it easier and more profitable to make yearly incursions into northern China and Huentoo. Corruptions and necessary weakness within the Chinese Court invited encroachments from without The cleaving open of many hills, and the twenty-three earthquakes in the Han capital and provinces, indicated the anger of Heaven against the reigning dynasty, and were ominous of great evils about to fall upon the empire. And more serious than the earthquakes, was the succession of famine years in several provinces ; — ^which moral fear and physical sufferings made easy the active aggressions of the Hienbi, whose troops, combined now with those of Whimai, now with those of Woohung, and again alone, penetrated far into Chinese soiL The condition and resources of Liaotung may be judged from the fact that Soo Booyen proclaimed himself its king at the head of 1,000 men, at the same time as Woohung moved southwards with 8,000 men and occupied the north of Liaosi One, Woo Yen, with 800 men, assumed similar rank at Yowbeiping * But of all the eagles hovering over the dying body of the Han, Hienbi was the strongest, most active, and daring, ranging, almost at will, for nearly a century, over the north of China. Their power had gradually assumed such proportions, and the troubles caused by them were becoming so alarmingly serious along the east, north, and north-west frontiers of China, that, in 177, a great effort was made to crush them. It was not before time ; for China was losing all influence over her north-eastern neighbours, and ahready had Huentoo Commander to acknow- ledge the supremacy of OaogowU to prevent annihilation. Jao Bao, the Chinese Commander of Liaosi, had collected an army of 20,000 men, with whom he was keeping Hienbi in check*
- Modem Tsimhwa, noith-eart of Peking.
