The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-09-21
THE clTY.THE JAPANESE scAPTuRED
Ping, Yang's Picturesque Situation and Its
Advantage for Defence.

Foreigners who have visited Corea say
that Ping Yang is one of most pictur-
esque cities of the Land of the Morning
Calm. 1t is a walled city on the South
ern bank Of the Tatong. 1t is the prin-
cipal town in the great northwestern
province Of Ping-Yang. The province is
one of the largest if not the largest in
Corea 1t is very noun famous and in
large part covered with dense forests. 1t
is cut by two rivers, the Ta-tong and
the Chong-gang, whose general course
is from northeast to southwest. The
Yalu River, by far the greatest with
which the Coreans have to do, forms the
northwest boundary of the province and
of Corea. Between these three streams,
which run in rocky and thinly inhabit-
ed valleys, are high mountain chains
some of whose peaks reach an altitude
country is extremely slow and difficult.
Before the invention of firearms
Ping Yang was considered great strong
hold. 1t could only be approached by;
the mountain passes or from the sea.
The former could be guarded by few
forts and garrisons while the latter was
defended by powerful navy. 1t was
this state of affairs which prompted the
old Monaghan kings to make it their
capital long before the Christian era.
FunnilY enough it is stilIs supposed to
be guarded by powerful navy but it
is only upon paper. The official blue
book of the King Of Corea gives a navy
list OF $500 war ships with 5000 naval
officers ranging from admirals down to
Eeutenants. One squadron of thirty
with some $50 officers is set aside for the
defence OF Ping-Yang and it's adjacent
cities with head-q uarterS in the Bay of
Ta-Tong squadron exist only on paper.
Corea does not possess one war ship
though she owns a few merchantmen
which carry tribute and rice to Che
mulpo.
In Ping-an-do or the province of Ping
an there are forty two towns of which
nearly all are either on the sea coast or
on The banks of the three rivers de-
scribed and their affiuents. The Chinese
fugitives from the battle in which the
japanese have been the victors and who
must be some 5000 or 10000 in mum b sr
are now making their way nortbward
in the hope of reaching the Yalu River
which is the boundary between Corea
s ana their own country and crossing it
into the imperial district of Liau tang.
Those that have gone westward toward
the sea and thence along the coast to
the north stand a fair. chance of reaehino
their destination.
in the late battle the Chinese had the
advantage Of the ground, the walls OF
the old city and of ea1 thworks which
they themselves constructed. It is a
wonderful device of military superiority
OF the Japanese that they were able to
overcome these advantages with such APP
parent ease. The ground is RISING and
rocky and consists largely of bonlders
and broken rock which have been dis
lodged from The mountains and broupht
down by water, ice or glaciers 1t serves
splendldly as ramparts for defence and
prevents any massed attack by infantry
or cavalry. The city walls are made of
stoue, brick and tile laid in cement.
They were high apdistrong centuries ago
but to-day are diIapidated and half brok
en- down at numerous points. They
would serve materially as a protection
against bullets but would be no defence
whatever against the lightest artillery.
In fact they would increase its efficiency
A single shot would sweep away several
square yards of surface of wall and
bru1se or wound every person in the
immediate neigh borhood. What few
earthwor.,s there were must have been
erected by the detachment of Ling Ell u
Changes army, which alone stood its
ground and was cut to pieces
BY the victors. These men have been
thoroughly drilled by European officers
and had among others things
course of training in raising
earthworks according to the latest Ger
man system. The Chinese themselves
seldom indulge in this kind of defence.
They like to dig only to make mines or
else to turn water course upon AN
enemy.