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bring their old and feeble relatives along with them, on pain of death. But 王潮 Ông-teâou and his brethren ventured to carry with them their aged mother. Ông-sē reproved them, saying, “All armies have laws, and there are no armies without them; you have now disobeyed my laws, and if I do not punish you, it will be the same as if we had no laws.” Ông-teâou and his brethren replied, “All men have mothers, and there are no men without them; how is it that your Excellency would have us to throw away our mother.” Ông-sē was enraged, and ordered them to behead the old woman; but Ông-teâou and his brethren interfered, saying, “We must serve our mother, as much as our general; if you kill the mother, what will be the use of the sons? we beg therefore to die first.” The troops then interposed, and the matter was passed over. A certain fortuneteller told Ông-sē, that there was in the army an individual, who would one day become a king; whereupon Ông-sē put to death all the soldiers who appeared to have the least spark of bravery, or any disposition to assume command. This rendered the troops uneasy, and when they came as far as Lâm-an 南安 (Lâm-wⁿa); in the district of 泉州 Chwân-chew, Ông-tëâou directed the commander of the advanced guard to conceal some stout fellows among the bamboo bushes, in order to seize Ông-sē, and binding him, expose him to public scorn. Upon this Ông-tëâou was made general, and led his troops to the siege of 泉州 Chwân-chew.
In the 5th year of 眧宗 Chëaou-chong, A. D. 883, 王潮 Ông-teâou took possession of 福州 Hok-chew. About this time 陳巖 Tîn-gâm, the Governor of 福建 Hok-këèn, was sick, and summoned 王潮 Ông-teâou, the ruler of 泉州 Chwân-chew, in order to deliver over to him the command of the district, but died before his arrival. His Lieutenant, 范暉 Hwàn-hwūy, immediately appointed himself to succeed, and sent out troops to oppose Ông-tëâou, but upon Ông-tëâou's attacking 福州 Hok-chew, Hwàn-hwūy gave up the city and fled: Ông-teaôu then succeeded to the Government. In the winter of the same year, Ông-tëaôu was regularly invested, by the Emperor, with the dignity of Governor of 福建 Hok-kèën province; from which period is dated the elevation of his family to independent sway in that part of China.
In the 9th year of 眧宗 Chëaou-chong, A. D. 888, Ông-teâou died. Before his death he had elevated his brother 王審知 Ông-Sím-te to the rank of Lieutenant-Governor, and on one occasion, for some error which he had committed, had struck him with his staff; Sím-te did not however take offence at this; and Ông-tëâou, in his last illness, set aside his own son, and ordered Sím-te to superintend the affairs of the province. This 審知 Sím-te is still worshipped by the Hok-këèn people, as being the founder of their state.
In the 3rd year of 染太祖 Lëâng-T'haè-choé, A. D. 900, 王審知 Ông-Sím-te was appointed, by the Emperor, to be King of 閩 Bân. He was a man of economical and sparing habits, wore hempen shoes, and dwelt in a mean abode, without ever thinking of enlarging or beautifying the place of his residence. He was gentle in punishments, and sparing in exactions, so that all ranks became rich as happy, and his whole territory was tranquil.