CHAPTER III
THE NORTHERN POWERS
The state of Tsin in Shan Si—In 771 B.C.: its ruler escorts the Emperor to his new capital—Only in 671 B.C. does Confucius mention Tsin—Divided from Ts'in by the Yellow River—Important difference between the sounds Tsin and Ts'in—Importance of the whole Yellow River as a natural boundary—The state of Ts'i also engaged in buffer work against Tartar inroads—Remote origin of Ts'i-Ts'in, Tsin, and Ts'i grow powerful as the Emperor grows weaker—The state of Yen in the Peking plain—The founder of Yen immortalized in song—Complete absence of tradition concerning Yen's origin—Its possible relations with Corea and Japan—Centre of political gravity transferred for ever to the north—Tartar movements in Asia generally 800-600 B.C.—Never was a Tarter empire—Reason for using the loose word "Tartars"—Race divisions then probably very much as now—Attempt to classify the Tartars in definite groups—Ch'wan unknown by any name—Nothing at all was known in China of the north and west: á fortiori of Central Asia