Our Little Korean Cousin | Page 9

But in this case Taijo's daughter proved to be of much
help in making her father the king of Cho-sen.
"One of these daughters was married to the reigning king. Thus Taijo
became father-in-law to his sovereign. You can easily see that in this
relationship he must have had a large influence both over the king and
over the people.
"Being a brave man and courageous fighter, Taijo was idolized by his
soldiers. He was also very popular with all the people because he was
always strictly honest and just in all his dealings with them.
"Taijo proved his bravery and his reliance on the soldiers and on the
people by attempting to bring about a change in the conduct of the king,
who abused his power and treated his subjects without mercy.
"The king, however, refused to listen to the advice of his father-in-law,
and, as a consequence, the hatred of the people for him grew in volume
and force every day.
"Meanwhile, the king was having other troubles. In former years,

Korea had paid an annual tribute or tax to China, but for some time it
had been held back by this king. Consequently the Chinese (or Ming)
emperor sent a large army to enforce his demand for the amount of
money due him.
"The Korean ruler neglected the matter and finally refused to pay. He
then ordered that more soldiers be added to his army, that the Chinese
forces might be resisted; but with all his efforts the enemy's army was
much the larger. Nevertheless, he ordered Taijo, at the head of his
forces, to attack the Chinese. Upon this, Taijo thus addressed his
soldiers:
"'Although the order from the king must be obeyed, yet the attack upon
the Ming soldiers, with so small an army as ours, is like casting an egg
against a rock, and no one of us will return alive. I do not tell you this
from any fear of death, but our king is too haughty. He does not heed
our advice. He has ordered out the army suddenly without cause,
paying no attention to the suffering which wives and children of the
soldiers must undergo. This is a thing I cannot bear. Let us go back to
the capital, and the responsibility shall fall on my shoulders alone.'
"The soldiers were quite willing to take the advice of their courageous
leader, and resolved to obey his orders rather than the king's. They went
to the capital, forcibly removed the king from his throne, and banished
him to the island of Kang-wa.
"Not yet, however, was Taijo made king. The deposed ruler plotted and
planned all kinds of schemes whereby he might be restored to his old
position of authority. Taijo heard of some of his plots, and finally did
that which would for ever extinguish the authority of the old king or
any of his family. He removed from the temple the tablets on which
were inscribed the names of the king's ancestors. More than this, he
ordered that no more sacrifices be offered to them.
"The king could have suffered no greater insult than this, for, like all
Koreans, he held as sacred the memory of his ancestors, and even to
speak ill of one of them was an unpardonable crime. But this time he
was powerless to resent the indignity or to punish the offender, and

consequently he lost what little influence he had been able to retain.
"Taijo was now formally proclaimed king. He was able to make peace
with the Chinese emperor, and under his rule the Koreans enjoyed
freedom from war and oppression. His descendants still sit upon the
throne of Korea."
CHAPTER VI.
THE MONK'S STORY
One evening, after Yung Pak had finished his supper, he sat talking
with his father and Wang Ken.
The early evening hour was often spent in this way. It was a time of
day when Ki Pak was generally free from any official duty, and he was
glad to devote a little time to his son. He would inquire about the boy's
studies as well as about his sports, and Yung Pak would regale his
father with many an amusing incident or tell him something he had
learned during study hours. Sometimes he would tell of the sights he
had seen on the streets of Seoul, while on other occasions he would
give account of games with his playmates or of his success in shooting
with a bow and arrow.
This latter sport was very common with the men and boys of Korea. It
was approved by the king for the national defence in time of war, and
often rewards were offered by rich men for winners in contests. Most
Korean gentlemen had private archery grounds and targets in the
gardens