A Chinese Biographical Dictionary 659

An Lu-shan, whose fellow-coantryman he was, in his campaign against the Eitans. After the rebellion and death of An Lu-shan, he remained for some time openly in opposition to his son An Ching-hsU bnt secretly leaning towards the rebel side; and at length in 759 he threw off his allegiance, put An ChHng-hsti to death, and proclaimed himself Emperor under the title of |^ ^ ^ ^ of the Great Yen dynasty. He ennobled his eldest son Shih ^ ^ Ghao-i as Prince, but in consequence of a severe defeat suffered by the latter, he disinherited him in favour of his younger son Shih ^ ^ Chao-ch4ng. The elder son, resenting this, plotted his destruction; and he was shot in the back when in the act of mounting his horse. As he fell , he was seized and put to death by strangling. His body was wrapped in a piece of felt and sent to the capital, and Shih Chao-i reigned in his stead; but in 762 he too was overthrown and put to death, and their four-year old dynasty came to an end.

Shih Ta-k*ai ^ ^ ^ . Originally a Well-to-do native of the 1729 District of ^ "^uei in Euangsi, he was driven to subscribe to the fund collected for the T^ai-p'ing rebellion, and was appointed an Assistant Prince. In 1868, when the great rebellion was practically at an end, Shih Ta-k*ai led a large body of his troops into Sstich^uan; but he was defeated in several engagements and ultimately taken prisoner by the Imperialist forces under Lo Ping-chang, aided by bands of Lolds who helped to surround the rebels and reduce them to starvation. Shih Ta-k*ai was conveyed to Ch*4ng-tu and put to death by the lingering process.

Shih T*ien-ni ^^^ (T. 5(50 "^ )• Died A.D. 1225. Elder 1730 brother of Shih T4en-tsd. At his birth a white vapour was seen to permeate the house, and when he grew up he was so handsome that a Taoist priest declared he would one day rise to the highest

honours. He was very fond of study, but in 1211 he failed to take