Up to this time Eusas had not directly interfered in these quarrels between the suzerain and his vassals:  he may have incited the latter to revolt, but he had avoided compromising himself, and was waiting till the Mannai had decided to make common cause with him before showing his hand openly.  Ever since the skirmish of the year 719, Mitatti had actively striven to tempt the Mannai from their allegiance, but his intrigues had hitherto proved of no avail against the staunch fidelity first of Iranzu and then of Aza, who had succeeded the latter about 718.  At the beginning of the year 716 Mitatti was more successful; the Mannai, seduced at length by his promises and those of Eusas, assembled on Mount Uaush, murdered their king, and leaving his corpse unburied, hastened to place themselves under the command of Bagadatti, regent of Umildish.  Sargon hurried to the spot, seized Bagadatti, and had him flayed alive on Mount Uaush, which had just witnessed the murder of Aza, and exposed the mass of bleeding flesh before the gaze of the people to demonstrate the fate reserved for his enemies.  But though he had acted speedily he was too late, and the fate of their chief, far from discouraging his subjects, confirmed them in their rebellion.  They had placed upon the throne Ullusunu, the brother of Aza, and this prince had immediately concluded an alliance with Eusas, Mitatti, and the people of Andia; his example was soon followed by other Eastern chiefs, Assurli of Karallu and Itti of Allabria, whereupon, as the spirit of revolt spread from one to another, most of the districts lately laid under tribute by Tiglath-pileser took up arms—­Niksama, Bitsagbati, Bitkhirmami, Kilam-bafci, Armangu, and even the parts around Kharkhar, and Ellipi, with its reigning sovereign Dalta.  The general insurrection dreaded by Sargon, and which Eusas had for five years been fomenting, had, despite all the efforts of the Assyrian government, at last broken out, and the whole frontier was ablaze from the borders of Elam to those of the Mushku.  Sargon turned his attention to where danger was most urgent; he made a descent on the territory of the Mannai, and laid it waste “as a swarm of locusts might have done;” he burnt their capital, Izirtu, demolished the fortifications of Zibia and Armaid, and took Ullusunu captive, but, instead of condemning him to death, he restored to him his liberty and his crown on condition of his paying a regular tribute.  This act of clemency, in contrast with the pitiless severity shown at the beginning of the insurrection, instantly produced the good effects he expected:  the Mannai laid down their arms and swore allegiance to the conqueror, and their defection broke up the coalition.  Sargon did not give the revolted provinces time to recover from the dismay into which his first victories had thrown them, but marched rapidly to the south, and crushed them severally; commencing with Andia, where he took 4200 prisoners with their cattle, he next