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Untitled - Sabrizain.org

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ANAM. 317<br />

together with all of the royal family who fell into their<br />

hands. The city of Saigon, in the province of Don-<br />

nai, was supposed to be favourable to the cause of the<br />

deposed sovereign; an army was therefore marched<br />

against it, the walls were levelled to the ground, and<br />

20,000 of its inhabitants put to the sword. In their<br />

arrangements for the future government of this ex-<br />

tensive country, it was determined that Yinyac should<br />

possess the southern and central divisions of Chang<br />

and Don-nai; Long-niang, that of Hue", bordering<br />

on Tongkin; and the youngest brother was to be<br />

high -priest of all Cochin China.<br />

Long-niang was soon involved in hostilities with<br />

the King of Tongkin, then a tributary to the Emperor<br />

of China, and defeated him in battle. The vanquished<br />

king fled to Pekin, and Tongkin was overrun by the<br />

victorious usurper. Kien-Long sent an army of<br />

100,000 men to replace the King of Tongkin on his<br />

throne; but Long-niang so skilfully harassed the Chinese<br />

army, laying waste the country in their line of<br />

march, that they retired in distress for provisions before<br />

they had reached the frontiers of Tongkin. The<br />

consequence was a treaty, whereby the Chinese emperor<br />

recognised and confirmed Long-niang as sovereign<br />

of Cochin China and Tongkin, which were to be<br />

held as tributary to the emperor.*<br />

* Mr. Barrcrvr gives a truly curious account of the result of this<br />

Chinese expedition. Foo-chang-tong, the commander, -was so<br />

miserably harrassed in his retreat by the usurper, that no fewer<br />

than 50,000 men are said to have perished by famine and the sword,,<br />

without any general battle having been fought. To prevent inevitable<br />

disgrace, he resolved therefore to open a negotiation with<br />

the usurper ;<br />

but Long-niang assumed the tone of a conqueror.<br />

Under these circumstances, the Chinese general had recourse to<br />

the bold expedient of transmitting to the court of Pekin an account<br />

of the unparalleled success of his expedition :<br />

the arms of the em-

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