old at the time of his accession. Twelve years later the new monarch
took up the reins of government, and soon began to make his influence
felt. Fairly tall and well proportioned, he loved all manly exercises,
and devoted three months annually to hunting. Large bright eyes lighted
up his face, which was pitted with smallpox. Contemporary observers vie
with one another in praising his wit, understanding, and liberality of
mind. He was not twenty when the three feudatory princes broke into open
rebellion. Of these, Wu San-kuei, the virtual founder of the dynasty,
who had been appointed in 1659, was the chief; and it was at his
instigation that his colleagues who ruled in Kuangtung and Fuhkien
determined to throw off their allegiance and set up independent
sovereignties. Within a few months, K`ang Hsi found vast portions of
the empire slipping from his grasp; but though at one moment only the
provinces of Chihli, Honan, and Shantung were left to him in peaceable
possession, he never lost heart. The resources of Wu San-kuei were
ultimately found to be insufficient for the struggle, the issue of which
was determined partly by his death in 1678, and partly by the
powerful artillery manufactured for the Imperial forces by the Jesuit
missionaries, who were then in high favour at court. The capital city
of Yünnan was taken by assault in 1681, upon which Wu San-kuei's son
committed suicide, and the rebellion collapsed. From that date the
Manchus decided that there should be no more "princes" among their
Chinese subjects, and the rule has been observed until the present day.

Under the Emperor K`ang Hsi a re-arrangement of the empire was planned
and carried out; that is to say, whereas during the Mongol dynasty there
had only been thirteen provinces, increased to fifteen by the Mings,
there was now a further increase of three, thus constituting what is
known as the Eighteen Provinces, or China Proper. To effect this, the
old province of Kiangsan was divided into the modern Anhui and Kiangsu;