y already occupied by the Manchus. In the battle which ensued,
all these hopes were dashed; Li sustained a crushing defeat, and fled
to Peking. There he put to death the Ming princes who were in his hands,
and completely exterminated Wu San-kuei's family, with the exception of
the girl above mentioned, whom he carried off after having looted and
burnt the palace and other public buildings. Now was the opportunity of
the Manchus; and with the connivance and loyal aid of Wu San-kuei, the
Great Ch`ing Dynasty was established.

Li Tz{u}-ch`eng, who had officially mounted the Dragon Throne as Emperor
of China nine days after his capture of Peking, was now hotly pursued
by Wu San-kuei, who had the good fortune to recover from the rebels the
girl, who had been taken with them in their flight, and whom he then
married. Li Tz{u}-ch`eng retreated westwards; and after two vain
attempts to check his pursuers, his army began to melt away. Driven
south, he held Wu-ch`ang for a time; but ultimately he fled down the
Yang-tsze, and was slain by local militia in Hupeh.

Li was a born soldier. Even hostile writers admit that his army was
wonderfully well disciplined, and that he put a stop to the hideous
atrocities which had made his name a terror in the empire, just so soon
as he found that he could accomplish his ends by milder means. His men
were obliged to march light, very little baggage being allowed; his
horses were most carefully looked after. He himself was by nature calm
and cold, and his manner of life was frugal and abstemious.

CHAPTER III--SHUN CHIH

The back of the rebellion was now broken; but an alien race, called in
to drive out the rebels, found themselves in command of the situation.
Wu San-kuei had therefore no alternative but to acknowledge the Manchus
definitely as the new rulers of China, and to obtain the best possible
terms for his country. Ever since the defeat of Li by the combined
forces of Chinese and Manchus, it had been perfectly well understood
that the latter were to be supported in their bid for Imperial power,
and the conditions under which the throne was to be transferred were
as follows:--(1) No Chinese women were to be taken into the Imperial
seraglio; (2) the Senior Classic at the great triennial examination, on
the results of which successful candidates were drafted into the public
service, was never to be a Manchu; (3) Chinese men were to adopt the
Manchu dress, shaving the front part of th