Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-07-11
THE CITY THE JAPANESE CAPTURED
Ping-Yang's Picturesque Situation
and Its Advantages for Defense.

Ping-Yang's Picturesque Situation
and Its Advantages for Defense.
From the New York Sun.
Foreigners who have visited Corea say
that Ping Yang is one of the most pictur-
esque cities Of the land of the morning
calm. 1t is a walled city on the northern
bank of the Tatong. 1t Is the principal
town in the great northwestern province Of
Ping-an. The province Is one Of the largest
II not the largest in Corea. 1t is very
mountainous and in large part covered with
dense forests. 1t is cut by two rivers. the
Ta-tong and the Chong-gang. whose gem
eral 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 inhabited valleys,
are high mountain chains, some of whose
peaks reach an altitude of 1900 and 5000
feet. Travel across country is extremely
slow and difficult.
Before the invention of firearms. Ping
Yang was considered great stronghold. 1t
could only be approached by the mountain
passes or from the sea. The former could
be guarded by a few forts and garrisons,
while the latter was defended by a power
prompted the cid Monaghan kings to make
it their capital. long before the Christian
era. Furnily enough. it is still supposed to
be guarded by powerful navy, but 1t Is
only upon paper. The official blue book of the
king Of COrea gives navy list of 900 war
ships with 1900 naval officers. ranging from
admiralS down to lieutenants. One squad
ron of thirty, with some $50 officers, is set
aside for the defense of Ping-Yang and it's
adjacent cities. with Headquarters in the
Bay of Ta-Tong. AS matter of fact, the
BOO ships and the Ping Yang squadron exist
only on paper. Corea does not possess one
warship. though she owns a few merchant
men 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 seacoast on the
banks of the three rivers described and
their afiiuents The Chinese fugitives from
the battle in which the Japanese have been
the victors, and who must be some 5000 or
10000 In number, are now making their way
northward, in the hope of reaching the
1alu river, which is the boundary between
Corea and their own country. and crossing
1t into the imperial district of Lautang.
Those that have gone westward toward the
sea, and thence along the coast to the
destina ton.
In the late battle the Chinese had the ad-
vantage of the ground. the walls of the old
city. and OF ea-thworks which they them
evidence of the military superiority of the
Japanese that they were able to overcome
these advantages with such apparent ease
The ground Is rising and rocky, and con-
sists largely of boulders and broken rock
which have been dislodged from the noun
tains and brought down by water, ice, or
glaciers. 1t serves splendidly as ramparts
for defense and prevents any massed at
tack by infantry or cavalry. The city walls
are made of stone, brick, and tile laid in
cement. They were high and strong CEN
turtles ago, but today are dilapidated and
half broken down at numerous points They
would serve materially as protection
against bullets. but would be no defense
whatever against the lightest artillery. In
fact, they would increase it's efficiency A
single shot would sweep away several
square yards of surface of wall and b-uise
or wound every person in the immediate
neiShborhood. What few earthworks there
were must have been erected by the de-
tachment of Ii Hung Changes army which
alone stood It's groI nd and was cut to pieces
by the victors. These men have been thor
oughly drilled by European officers. and
had, among other things. d course of train
ing in raising earthworks according to the
latest German system. The Chinese them
selves seldom indulge in this kind of de-
Tense. They like to dig only to make mines
or else to turn a water course upon an