66 HIENBI. at sea, they steered westwards instead of southwards, and made for Whang, who then, for the first time, was made aware of the imperial commands. This was in Januaiy, 836, two years after the messengers had touched liaotung shores. The character of the message was soon known to both Dwan and Yiiwun ; and both, jealous of the power of Whang, and desirous, therefore, to support and prepare Yin, sent on messengers to let him know the nature of the embassy he had detained and let go. Whang heard of their interference, sent a band, in hot haste, after the Yiiwim messengers, and killed ten of them. Whang, now assured of imperial sanction to his enterprise, hurried on large preparations to crush his brother, and had his plans ready by February, 337. One of his ministers said that the gods were in league with him against Yin; for that ever since by his rebellion Yin had deserted his countiy and betrayed his friends, the sea had been frozen over every winter, — a thing unheard of to such an extent before. Such a portent was, manifestly, a declaration of the mind of the godEf, and, doubtless, meant urgency to punish the rebel ; for the road thus provided for the faithful people was a direct one across the sea. Other ministers objected to making use of the ice as a road, and^expressed doubts as. to its safety. But Whang received the supernatural explanation with great gladness ; and when several of the councillors still urged the use of the land road, which, if longer, was perfectly safe^ Whang angrily declared that his plans were formed, and the daring man would be slain who would venture to oppose them. He ordered his younger brother to march on the ice fix>m Changli to Lilin Kow,* also called Haipo Kow, a distance of 300 11 Yin was unaware of the march of this army till it got within
- 300 li east of Changli, if measured across the sea, would point to the modem
Kewchwang or Tingtsn, as the destination of the daring adventurers ; or, better stiU, to the mouth of the Kaichow river, whence the distance to Finggm> would not be great, and the route taken would account for the ignorance of Tin. The sea is now frozen every winter along the shore of Liaotung between Kingchow and Kaichow, and the winters were necessarily more severe when a sparse population was unable to contend with the forests and maxshei of the plains.
