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Our Little Korean Cousin by Henry Lee Mitchell Pike
page 26 of 56 (46%)

"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.'

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