he was styled Nine Thousand Years, i.e. only one thousand less than the
Emperor himself, the Chinese term in the latter case being _wan sui_,
which has been adopted by the Japanese as _banzai_. All successes were
ascribed to his influence, a Grand Secretary declaring that his virtue
had actually caused the appearance of a "unicorn" in Shantung. In 1627,
he was likened in a memorial to Confucius, and it was decreed that he
should be worshipped with the Sage in the Imperial Academy. His hopes
were overthrown by the death of Hsi Tsung, whose successor promptly
dismissed him. He hanged himself to escape trial, and his corpse was
disembowelled. His paramour was executed, and in 1629, nearly three
hundred persons were convicted and sentenced to varying penalties for
being connected with his schemes.

Jobbery and corruption were rife; and at the present juncture these
agencies were successfully employed to effect the recall of a really
able general who had been sent from Peking to recover lost ground, and
prevent further encroachments by the Manchus. For a time, Nurhachu had
been held in check by his skilful dispositions of troops, Mukden was
strongly fortified, and confidence generally was restored; but the fatal
policy of the new general rapidly alienated the Chinese inhabitants, and
caused them to enter secretly into communication with the Manchus. It
was thus that in 1621 Nurhachu was in a position to advance upon
Mukden. Encamping within a mile or two of the city, he sent forward
a reconnoitring party, which was immediately attacked by the Chinese
commandant at the head of a large force. The former fled, and the
latter pursued, only to fall into the inevitable ambush; and the Chinese
troops, on retiring in their turn, found that the bridge across the
moat had been destroyed by traitors in their own camp, so that they were
unable to re-enter the city. Thus Mukden fell, the prelude to a series
of further victories, one of which was the rout of an army sent to
retake Mukden, and the chief of which was the capture of Liao-yang, now
remembered in connection with the Russo-Japanese war. In many of these
engagements the Manchus, whose chief weapon was the long bow, which they
used with deadly effect, found themselves opposed by artillery, the
use of which had been taught to the Chinese by Adam Schaal, the Jesuit
father. The supply of powder, however, had a way of running short, and
at once the pronounced superiority of the Manch