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Show CENTTJUIES OF WAR Many Battles Have "Waged About Mukden, the "Sacred City." Mukdon, Into which tho victorious Japanese Jap-anese hosts havo marched, Is known as Chlna'3 "Sacred City," tho cradlo of tho Manchu race, which has given tho present dynasty to tho throno of China-It China-It Is tho capital of Llnotung, ono of tho threo provinces of Manchuria, and Is situated on tho river Hun, about 500 miles northeast of Peking. Historically, .Mukden Is Invested with a peculiar interest Just now. for tho llerco warfaro between Russia and Japan whicli has reached its climax In the capturo of tho city brings Into promlnenco tho fact that for thousands of years tho placo has been ono of tho world's central battlo points. Tho blood of tens of thousands of warriors has stained the plains about Mukdon and tho ranges of tho Long "Whlto mountains. Accurato data is hard to obtain concerning con-cerning tho early Chinese or Mongolian history, but it Is known for a certainty that Mukden was a settlement long be-foro be-foro tho birth of Christ. In 3000 vears It Is estimated that 5,000,000 men "havo fought with each other for possession of tho ancient city, and that a scoro or moro of tho most noted battles of tho Orient havo talron place In tho immedkite vicinity. Tho city was strongly fortified, according ac-cording to tho standard of old-tlmo warfaro war-faro adopted by tho Chinese Tho forti-llcntlons forti-llcntlons aro laid in regular parallelograms, parallelo-grams, between ono nnd two miles each way, tho walls being built of squared stono or brick, thick and masslvo at tho bottom and tapering gradually at tho top. They aro forty feot in height, twenty-one twenty-one In width, and aro protected at the top by an olght-foot parapet. Thick buttresses but-tresses break tho monotony of tho long lines of masonry at regular lntorvala. Fifteen hundred years after Christ was born, when Mukden wan ono of tho most Important trading points of the North, Nurhachu, tho great ancestor of tho Manchus. has his scat of government south of tho Long "Whlto mountains, about 100 miles cant of Mukden. In 161G ho took to himHelf tho tltlo of "heaven decreed" and declared war on China. An army of 200.000 was sent against him, and tho Chineso historians relate that noijo returned. Nurhachu nsscniblcd a tremendous armj before tho gates of Mukdon. and, In 1C21, tho city was captured after an awful loss of life, far oxccodlng that which marked the battlo between tho Japaneso and Russians. If ono must be-llovc be-llovc tho ancient chroniclers. According to their accounts all prisoners wero promptly behended. In 1GU the Manchus marched Into China and placed ono of their number on tho throno and a Manchu has ruled thero ever since. In the center of Mukden Is a walled In-closure. In-closure. within which Is a small palace, tho holy of holies of tho people. It Is said to contain somo Interesting relics of Nurhachu. This man, according to legend, le-gend, was supcrnaturally born, and throughout his career displayed all tho attributes of divine origin. Another legend le-gend has It that thu great ancestor of tho Manchus wiik of humble birth, and paid his first visit to Mukden In tho character of a peddler with a puck on his back. This pack and the boots worn by Nurhachu aro supposed to b preserved as sacred relics within tho walls of tho palace. But tho peddler's pack and boots nro not tho only objects supposed to bo guarded In tho palace. Since tho establishment estab-lishment of tho present dynasty it has been tho custom of tho court to Rend ovcry year to Mukden G.000,000 taols to be stored there. Calculating at this rate, the treasure must by this time havo reached tho enormous Bum of 1,200,000,000 taels, for tho reign of tho present dynasty dy-nasty over a vnst territory of 400 provinces prov-inces dates back 200 years. Nurhachu's tomb Is four or five miles east of tho city and must have been n conspicuous object during tho terrible lighting of tho last two weeks between tho Russians nnd Japaneso It Is situated situ-ated In a pine grovo, which Is deemed evon moro sacred than tho city itself." So sacred la tho lnclosuro surrounding this tomb that death is tho punishment of nny ono entering who Is not of tho samo rnco as tho great ancestor. Tho tomb of Nurhachu's son nnd successor, Tal Tsung. lies In a grovo of cedars north of tho city, and is equally magnificent In Its 'design. Chicago Record-Herald. |