Volume 45: Kuai , Wu, Jiang and Xifu

卷四十五蒯伍江息夫傳第十五

Volume 45: Biographies of Kuai Tong, Wu Bei, Jiang Chong, and Xifu Guang—Part 15.

蒯通，范陽人也，本與武帝同諱。楚漢初起，武臣略定趙地，號武信君。通說范陽令徐公曰：「臣，范陽百姓蒯通也，竊閔公之將死，故吊之。雖然，賀公得通而生也。」徐公再拜曰：「何以吊之？」通曰：「足下為令十餘年矣，殺人之父，孤人之子，斷人之足，黥人之首，甚眾。慈父孝子所以不敢事刃於公之腹者，畏秦法也。今天下大亂，秦政不施，然則慈父孝子將爭接刃於公之腹，以復其怨而成其名。此通之所以吊者也。」曰：「何以賀得子而生也？」曰：「趙武信君不知通不肖，使人候問其死生，通且見武信君而說之，曰：『必將戰勝而後略地，攻得而後下城，臣竊以為殆矣。用臣之計，毋戰而略地，不攻而下城，傳檄而千里定，可乎？』彼將曰：『何謂也？』臣因對曰：『范陽令宜整頓其士卒以守戰者也，怯而畏死，貪而好富貴，故欲以其城先下君。先下君而君不利之，則邊地之城皆將相告曰『范陽令先降而身死』，必將嬰城固守，皆為金城湯池，不可攻也。為君計者，莫若以黃屋硃輪迎范陽令，使馳騖於燕、趙之郊，則邊城皆將相告曰『范陽令先下而身富貴』，必相率而降，猶如阪上走丸也。此臣所謂傳檄而千里定者也。』徐公再拜，具車馬遣通。通遂以此說武臣。武臣以車百乘、騎二百、侯印迎徐公。燕、趙聞之，降者三十餘城。如通策焉。

Kuai Tong was from Fanyang; his original personal name had been the same character later tabooed under Emperor Wu. At the outset of the struggle between Chu and Han, Wu Chen seized control of Zhao and took the title Lord Wuxin. Kuai Tong said to Magistrate Xu of Fanyang: "I am Kuai Tong, a man of your county. I grieve that you stand on the brink of death, and I have come to offer my condolences. Yet I also congratulate you: meeting me may be what saves your life." Magistrate Xu bowed twice and asked, "Why do you say I am about to die?" Kuai Tong replied: "You have held this magistracy for more than ten years. You have put fathers to the sword, left sons fatherless, ordered mutilations and branding—far too many to count. The only reason grieving fathers and dutiful sons have not plunged a knife into your gut is that they still feared the laws of Qin. The realm is in chaos now, and Qin's punishments no longer hold them back. Those same fathers and sons will vie to run you through, to settle old scores and win a reputation for vengeance. That is why I said I mourned for you." Magistrate Xu asked, "Then why do you say my meeting you will save my life?" Kuai Tong said: "Lord Wu Xin of Zhao does not know my faults; he has sent to ask whether I still live. I am going to see him and urge this: 'If you insist on winning every battle before you take ground, on storming every wall before you accept surrender, I believe you court disaster. Follow my counsel, and you can occupy territory without a fight, take cities without a siege, and bring a thousand li to heel with nothing more than a written summons—will you hear me out? He will ask what you mean by that." You answer: 'The magistrate of Fanyang is the sort who should drill his troops for defense, but he is a coward who clings to life and a miser who craves rank. He wants to hand you the city first. If he surrenders first and you give him no reward, every garrison along the frontier will say, 'The magistrate of Fanyang yielded and was executed anyway.' They will bar their gates and fight to the last; each town will become a fortress you cannot storm. Better plan: receive the magistrate of Fanyang in a ruler's carriage with the vermillion wheels of honor and parade him through Yan and Zhao. Then every border post will hear that the man who yielded first lives in wealth and rank. They will surrender in droves—like marbles racing down a slope. This is what your servant calls transmitting a proclamation and a thousand li being settled." Magistrate Xu bowed again, furnished a carriage and escort, and sent Kuai Tong on his way. Kuai Tong laid the same argument before Wu Chen. Wu Chen sent a hundred chariots, two hundred horsemen, and a marquis's seal to welcome Magistrate Xu. When word spread through Yan and Zhao, more than thirty cities submitted without a fight. Events unfolded exactly as Kuai Tong had predicted.

後漢將韓信虜魏王，破趙、代，降燕，定三國，引兵將東擊齊。未度平原，聞漢王使酈食其說下齊，信欲止。通說信曰：「將軍受詔擊齊，而漢獨發間使下齊，寧有詔止將軍乎？得以得無行！且酈生一士，伏軾掉三寸舌，下齊七十餘城，將軍將數萬之眾，乃下趙五十餘城。為將數歲，反不如一豎儒之功乎！」於是信然之，從其計，遂度河。齊已聽酈生，即留之縱酒，罷備漢守禦。信因襲歷下軍，遂至臨菑。齊王以酈生為欺己而亨之，因敗走。信遂定齊地，自立為齊假王。漢方困於滎陽，遣張良即立信為齊王，以安固之。項王亦遣武涉說信，欲與連和。

Later, Han's general Han Xin took the King of Wei captive, crushed Zhao and Dai, forced Yan to yield, and consolidated three kingdoms before marching east against Qi. Before he had crossed the plain of Pingyuan, he learned that the King of Han had sent Li Yiji to talk Qi into submission. Han Xin was ready to call off the campaign. Kuai Tong said to him: "Your orders were to attack Qi. The court sent Li Yiji on a private mission to win Qi by diplomacy. Has any edict actually ordered you to halt? How can you possibly hold back now? You must march. Moreover, Li Yiji is a single scholar who leaned on his chariot rail and wagging a three-inch tongue took seventy Qi cities, while you commanded tens of thousands and barely wrested fifty-odd towns from Zhao. After years as a general, will you let your record be eclipsed by some pedant with a clever tongue?" Han Xin accepted the advice, followed Kuai Tong's plan, and crossed the Yellow River. Qi had already taken Li Yiji at his word, kept him as a guest for feasting, and stood down the defenses on Han's border. Han Xin struck the garrison at Lixia by surprise and drove straight to the capital, Linzi. The king of Qi decided Li Yiji had betrayed him and had him boiled alive in a cauldron, then fled the field in defeat. Han Xin secured Qi and declared himself acting king of Qi. While Han was hard pressed at Yingyang, it sent Zhang Liang to confirm Han Xin as king of Qi in order to bind his loyalty. King Xiang Yu likewise sent Wu She to urge Han Xin toward an alliance.

蒯通知天下權在信，欲說信令背漢，乃先微感信曰：「僕嘗受相人之術，相君之面，不過封侯，又危而不安；相君之背，貴而不可言。」信曰：「何謂也？」通因請間，曰：「天下初作難也，俊雄豪桀建號壹呼，天下之士雲合霧集，魚鱗雜襲，飄至風起。當此之時，憂在亡秦而已。今劉、項分爭，使人肝腦塗地，流離中野，不可勝數。漢王將數十萬眾，距鞏、雒、岨山河，一日數戰，無尺寸之功，折北不救，敗滎陽，傷成皋，還走宛、葉之間，此所謂智勇俱困者也。楚人起彭城，轉斗逐北，至滎陽，乘利席勝，威震天下，然兵困於京、索之間，迫西山而不能進，三年於此矣。銳氣挫於險塞，糧食盡於內藏，百姓罷極，無所歸命。以臣料之，非天下賢聖，其勢固不能息天下之禍。當今之時，兩主縣命足下。足下為漢則漢勝。與楚則楚勝。臣願披心腹，墮肝膽，效愚忠，恐足下不能用也。方今為足下計，莫若兩利而俱存之，參分天下，鼎足而立，其勢莫敢先動。夫以足下之賢聖，有甲兵之眾，據強齊，從燕、趙，出空虛之地以制其後，因民之欲，西鄉為百姓請命，天下孰敢不聽！足下按齊國之故，有淮、泗之地，懷諸侯以德，深拱揖讓，則天下君王相率而朝齊矣。蓋聞『天與弗取，反受其咎；時至弗行，反受其殃』。願足下孰圖之。」

Kuai Tong saw that the balance of power rested with Han Xin and meant to persuade him to break with Han. He began obliquely: "I once studied physiognomy. Your face shows no higher fortune than a marquis's rank—and even that is fraught with danger. Read your back, and your eminence is beyond words—turn your back on Han, and greatness is yours." Xin said: 'What does this mean?' Kuai Tong asked leave to speak in private. "When rebellion first swept the land, every bold spirit who raised a banner drew followers like clouds and mist, packed tight as fish scales, swept along like windblown rain. In those days the only fear was whether Qin could be overthrown. Now Liu Bang and Xiang Yu tear the realm between them. Men lie with their brains dashed out on the field; refugees choke the roads beyond counting. The King of Han has thrown army after army—hundreds of thousands—against the passes from Gong and Luoyang to the barrier of mountain and river. He fights day after day yet wins no ground; his lines collapse faster than they can be patched. He lost Yingyang, was bloodied at Chenggao, and fell back to stumble between Wan and Ye. That is what it means to be spent in wit and nerve alike. The Chu army marched out from Pengcheng, drove the enemy before it all the way to Yingyang, and rode its victories until its name shook the world—yet for three years now it has been pinned between Jing and Suo, blocked by the western hills, unable to advance another step. Their keen edge has been ground down on stubborn terrain; their granaries are empty; the people are at the end of their strength and see no lord worth dying for. In my judgment, unless some true sage appears, neither side can end this catastrophe. Today the lives of both kings hang on your decision. Throw your weight to Han, and Han wins. Throw it to Chu, and Chu wins. I am ready to lay bare my heart and spill my guts in loyal counsel—though I doubt you will heed it. The soundest course for you now is to let both rivals survive while you profit: divide the empire in three and stand like a tripod leg—then neither side will dare move against you first. With your gifts, your seasoned troops, all of Qi in your grasp, Yan and Zhao ready to follow, you could strike at their undefended rear and ride the people's longing for peace. March west in the name of the common folk, and who would dare defy you? Hold fast to Qi's ancient heartland, add the basins of the Huai and Si, win the regional lords with kindness, and sit in calm courtesy on your throne: the kings of the realm will soon be lining up to pay homage at your court. The saying runs, 'What Heaven bestows and you refuse, turns to punishment. When the moment comes and you fail to act, you invite disaster instead." I urge you to weigh this with care."

信曰：「漢遇我厚，吾豈可見利而背恩乎！」通曰：「始常山王、成安君故相與為刎頸之交，及爭張黶、陳釋之事，常山王奉頭鼠竄，以歸漢王。借兵東下，戰於鄗北，成安君死於泜水之南，頭足異處。此二人相與，天下之至□也，而卒相滅亡者，何也？患生於多欲而人心難測也。今足下行忠信以交於漢王，必不能固於二君之相與也，而事多大於張黶、陳釋之事者，故臣以為足下必漢王之不危足下，過矣。大夫種存亡越，伯句踐，立功名而身死。語曰：『野禽殫，走犬亨；敵國破，謀臣亡。』故以交友言之，則不過張王與成安君；以忠臣言之，則不過大夫種。此二者，宜足以觀矣。願足下深慮之。且臣聞之，勇略震主者身危，功蓋天下者不賞。足下涉西河，虜魏王，禽夏說，下井陘，誅成安君之罪，以令於趙，脅燕定齊，南摧楚人之兵數十萬眾，遂斬龍且，西鄉以報，此所謂功無二於天下，略不出出者也。今足下挾不賞之功，戴震主之威，歸楚，楚人不信；歸漢，漢人震恐。足下欲持是安歸乎？夫勢在人臣之位，而有高天下之名，切為足下危之。」信曰：「生且休矣，吾將念之。」

Han Xin replied, "The King of Han has dealt generously with me. I cannot chase gain and cast gratitude aside." Kuai Tong said: "Zhang Er, king of Changshan, and Chen Yu, lord of Chengan, were sworn brothers who would die for each other—until they fell out over Zhang Yan and Chen Shi. Then Zhang Er fled like a cornered rat and threw himself on the King of Han's mercy. Zhang Er took Han troops east, met Chen Yu north of Hao, and left him dead south of the Zhi River, head severed from trunk. Their friendship was as close as any in the world, yet they ended by destroying each other. Why? Because disaster grows from endless wants and the human heart cannot be read. You stake everything on loyalty toward the King of Han, but you cannot be tighter with him than Zhang Er and Chen Yu were with each other, and what stands between you and Liu Bang is already graver than their feud over Zhang Yan and Chen Shi. To be certain he will never move against you is a dangerous delusion. Minister Zhong rescued Yue from destruction, raised King Goujian to overlordship, built immortal renown—and was put to death for it. The proverb says, 'When the last bird is shot, the hunting dogs go into the pot. When the rival state falls, the strategist perishes with it. In friendship you go no deeper than Zhang Er and Chen Yu once did. In loyal service you have done no more than Zhong of Yue. Those two examples should be lesson enough. Think on it long and hard. I have also heard that when courage and cunning awe one's sovereign, the man is already in peril, and when his achievements overshadow the realm, no reward can suffice. You crossed the west-bank Yellow River, took the king of Wei, captured Xia Shuo, forced Jingxing, avenged Chen Yu's wrongs and bent Zhao to your will, overawed Yan and pacified Qi, shattered Chu hosts in the hundreds of thousands, struck down Long Ju, and wheeled west to answer the King of Han—achievements without parallel and stratagem seldom seen in any age. Yet you now hold achievements too great to be rewarded and a reputation that terrifies your sovereign. If you went over to Chu, the Chu camp would never trust you. If you stay with Han, every minister at court flinches at your shadow. Where can you take that standing and hope to remain safe? To remain a subject yet tower above every name in the empire—sir, I tremble for you." Han Xin said, "Leave it for now. I need time to think."

數日，通復說曰：「聽者，事之候也；計者，存亡之機也。夫隨廝養之役者，失萬乘之權；守儋石之祿者，闕卿相之位。計誠知之，而決弗敢行者，百事之禍也。故猛虎之猶與，不如蜂蠆之致□；孟賁之狐疑，不如童子之必至。此言貴能行之也。夫功者，難成而易敗；時者，難值而易失。『時乎時，不再來。』願足下無疑臣之計。」信猶與不忍背漢，又自以功多，漢不奪我齊，遂謝通。通說不聽，惶恐，乃陽狂為巫。

A few days later Kuai Tong resumed: "To heed counsel is to read the signs of events. To plan well is to grasp the hinge of survival or ruin. The man who stoops to a groom's errands forfeits an emperor's leverage. The clerk who clings to a pittance of pay will never reach ministerial rank. To see the right course yet shrink from acting invites every kind of disaster. A tiger that cannot strike is less to be feared than wasps and scorpions that do. Meng Ben the strongman, if he wavers, is less use than a boy who sees a thing through. The point is that resolve must show in deeds. Merit is hard won and easily lost. The moment is hard to catch and quick to slip away. Time, time—once gone it does not return. Do not doubt my counsel." Han Xin still could not bring himself to betray Han. He told himself his deeds were too many for Liu Bang to strip him of Qi, and he dismissed Kuai Tong. Seeing that Han Xin would not listen, Kuai Tong took fright and pretended madness, passing himself off as a medium.

天下既定，後信以罪廢為淮陰侯，謀反被誅，臨死歎曰：「悔不用蒯通之言，死於女子之手！」高帝曰：「是齊辯士蒯通。」乃詔齊召蒯通。通至，上欲亨之，曰：「昔教韓信反，何也？」通曰：「狗各吠非其主。當彼時，臣獨知齊王韓信，非知陛下也。且秦失其鹿，天下共逐之，高材者先得。天下匈匈，爭欲為陛下所為，顧力不能，可殫誅邪！」上乃赦之。

After the realm was pacified, Han Xin was degraded to marquis of Huaiyin for an offense, then executed for conspiracy. On the scaffold he cried, "I rue the day I ignored Kuai Tong—to die at a woman's hand!" The High Emperor said, "That is Kuai Tong, the sharp-tongued counselor of Qi." He then sent an edict to Qi ordering Kuai Tong brought to court. When Kuai Tong arrived, the emperor meant to boil him alive and demanded, "Why did you once urge Han Xin to revolt?" Kuai Tong replied, "Every hound barks at strangers, not at its own master. In those days I knew only my king, Han Xin of Qi; I did not know Your Majesty. Besides, when Qin dropped the hunt, every contender in the realm chased the prize, and the ablest reached it first. The empire seethed with men who would gladly have done what you did had they had the strength—would you boil every one of them?" The emperor spared him.

至齊悼惠王理，曹參為相，禮下賢人，請通為客。

In the days of King Daohui of Qi, while Cao Shen held the chancellorship, Cao treated worthy men with deference and took Kuai Tong into his household as a guest adviser.

初，齊王田榮怨項羽，謀舉兵畔之，劫齊士，不與者死。齊處士東郭先生、梁石君在劫中，強從。及田榮敗，二人醜之，相與入深山隱居。客謂通曰：「先生之於曹相國，拾遺舉過，顯賢進能，齊功莫若先生者。先生知梁石君、東孝先生世俗所不及，何不進之於相國乎？」通曰：「諾。臣之裡婦，與裡之諸母相善也。裡婦夜亡肉，姑以為盜，怒而逐之。婦晨去，過所善諸母，語以事而謝之。裡母曰：『女安行，我今令而家追女矣。』即束縕請火於亡肉家，曰：『昨暮夜，犬得肉，爭鬥相殺，請火治之。』亡肉家遽追呼其婦。故里母非談說之士也，束縕乞火非還婦之道也，然物有相感，事有適可。臣請乞火於曹相國。」乃見相國曰：「婦人有夫死三日而嫁者，有幽居守寡不出門者，足下即欲求婦，何取？」曰：「取不嫁者。」通曰：「然則求臣亦猶是也，彼東郭先生、梁石君，齊之俊士也，隱居不嫁，未嘗卑節下意以求仕也。願足下使人禮之。」曹相國曰：「敬受命。」皆以為上賓。

At first King Tian Rong of Qi nursed a grudge against Xiang Yu, schemed to rise in arms against him, dragooned the scholars of Qi, and executed whoever refused to follow. The Qi recluses Dongguo Xiansheng and Liang Shijun were caught in that dragnet and marched along under duress. After Tian Rong fell, both men were ashamed of what they had done and withdrew together into the mountains to live in seclusion. A client said to Kuai Tong, "For Chancellor Cao you have supplied what was missing, called out missteps, brought worthy men to light, and promoted the able—no one in Qi has served him better than you. You know that Liang Shijun and Dongguo Xiansheng are men the common run cannot match. Why not put their names before the chancellor?" "Very well," said Kuai Tong. There was a neighbor woman in my lane who was close to the older women there. One night meat went missing from her house; her mother-in-law took her for a thief, flew into a rage, and drove her away. At dawn she left, stopped by the matrons who were fond of her, explained what had happened, and took her leave. One of the matrons told her, "Walk on without fear—I have already sent word that your family will come after you." She twisted hemp into a slow-burning wick, went to the house that had lost the meat, and borrowed a light, saying, "Last night our dogs fought over a piece of meat until they killed each other; I need a coal to tend to them." The household that had lost the meat rushed out shouting for their daughter-in-law to come home. That matron was no trained rhetorician, and borrowing fire with a hemp wick was no orthodox way to fetch a wife back—yet when circumstances strike the right note, the simplest device can move the world. I mean to borrow that same kind of fire from Chancellor Cao." He went in to see Cao and asked, "Some widows remarry three days after their husband dies; others shut their doors and keep widow's seclusion. If you were choosing a wife, which sort would you take?" "The one who will not remarry," said Cao. Kuai Tong said, "Choosing a minister is the same. Dongguo Xiansheng and Liang Shijun are the finest talents in Qi; they live in retirement as chastely as a widow who refuses a second marriage and have never debased their integrity to chase an office. Send messengers to honor them with proper ceremony." Chancellor Cao bowed and said, "Your advice is accepted." Both men were received as guests of the highest rank.

通論戰國時說士權變，亦自序其說，凡八十一首，號曰《雋永》。

Kuai Tong wrote on the stratagems of the Warring States persuaders, prefaced his own speeches, and collected eighty-one pieces under the title Juan Yong.

初，通善齊人安其生，安其生嘗干項羽，羽不能用其策。而項羽欲封此兩人，兩人卒不肯受。

Kuai Tong had long been friendly with the Qi scholar Ansheng, who once pressed his counsel on Xiang Yu—counsel Yu never adopted. Even so, Xiang Yu wanted to ennoble them both, and both steadfastly declined.

伍被，楚人也。或言其先伍子胥後也。被以材能稱，為淮南中郎。是時淮南王安好術學，折節下士，招致英雋以百數，被為冠首。

Wu Pi was a native of Chu. Some say his clan descended from Wu Zixu. Celebrated for talent, he rose to palace gentleman in the court of the king of Huainan. King An of Huainan doted on scholarship, humbled himself before men of learning, and drew several hundred brilliant retainers to his court; Wu Pi stood first among them.

久之，淮南王陰有邪謀，被數微諫。後王坐東宮，召被欲與計事，呼之曰：「將軍上。」被曰：「王安得亡國之言乎？昔子胥諫吳王，吳王不用，乃曰『臣今見麋鹿游姑蘇之台也。』今臣亦將見宮中生荊棘，露沾衣也。」於是王怒，系被父母，囚之三月。

In time the king began to nurse treasonable designs, and Wu Pi remonstrated again and again in oblique terms. Later the king received him in the Eastern Palace to discuss his schemes and called up the steps, "Come closer, general." Wu Pi said, "Why speak the language of a doomed kingdom? When Zixu warned the king of Wu and went unheeded, he said, "I shall live to see deer grazing on the terraces of Gusu." I shall yet see brambles springing in your halls and the dew of mourning soaking your robes." The king flew into a rage, seized Wu Pi's parents as hostages, and kept him in chains for three months.

王復召被曰：「將軍許寡人乎？」被曰：「不，臣將為大王畫計耳。臣聞陪者聽於無聲，明者見於未形，故聖人萬舉而萬全。文王壹動而功顯萬世，列為三王，所謂因天心以動作者也。」王曰：「方今漢庭治乎？亂乎？」被曰：「天下治。」王不說，曰：「公何言治也？」被對曰：「被竊觀朝廷，君臣、父子、夫婦、長幼之序皆得其理，上之舉錯遵古之道，風俗紀綱未有所缺。重裝富賈周流天下，道無不通，交易之道行。南越賓服，羌、僰貢獻，東甌入朝，廣長榆，開朔方，匈奴折傷。雖未及古太平時，然猶為治。」王怒，被謝死罪。

When he summoned Wu Pi again he asked, "Will you stand with me now, general?" Wu Pi answered, "No—but I can still lay out a plan for Your Highness. They whose ears are sharp catch truth in silence; they whose eyes are clear read fate before it takes shape. That is why the sage is never caught unprepared. King Wen made one decisive move and his fame has lasted ten thousand generations among the Three Kings—because he moved in step with Heaven's will." The king asked, "Is the Han court well governed or in chaos today?" "It is well governed," said Wu Pi. The king scowled. "Why call it well governed?" Wu Pi replied, "I have watched the court closely. The bonds between ruler and minister, father and son, husband and wife, elder and younger all hold as they should; the throne follows the model of the ancients; custom and law are intact. Rich merchants with heavy wagons cross the empire unhindered, and trade runs everywhere it should. Nanyue has accepted vassal status, the Qiang and Bo peoples send tribute, Eastern Ou pays court, the northern frontier runs from Changyu to Shuofang, and the Xiongnu have been broken on the field. We are not yet in the golden age of high antiquity, but this is still an ordered realm." The king's fury flared; Wu Pi threw himself on the ground and begged to be spared for lèse-majesté.

王又曰：「山東即有變，漢必使大將軍將而制山東，公以為大將軍何如人也？」被曰：「臣所善黃義，從大將軍擊匈奴，言大將軍遇士大夫以禮，與士卒有恩，眾皆樂為用。騎上下山如飛，材力絕人如此，數將習兵，未易當也。及謁者曹梁使長安來，言大將軍號令明，當敵勇，常為士卒先；須士卒休，乃捨；穿井得水，乃敢飲；軍罷，士卒已逾河，乃度。皇太后所賜金錢，盡以賞賜。雖古名將不過也。」王曰：「夫蓼太子知略不世出，非常人也，以為漢廷公卿列侯皆如沐猴而冠耳。」被曰：「獨先刺大將軍，乃可舉事。」

The king pressed him again. "If trouble breaks out east of the passes, the court will surely send the Grand General to crush it. What manner of man is he, in your eyes?" Wu Pi said, "My friend Huang Yi campaigned under the Grand General against the Xiongnu. He says the commander treats scholars with respect, shares every hardship with the ranks, and the whole army is eager to die for him. His horsemen fly up and down hills; his own strength is superhuman; he has led veteran hosts again and again—no easy foe. Cao Liang the usher, back from Chang'an, says his orders are lucid, his courage in battle legendary—he always fights in the van. He will not take quarters until the men have rested. He will not drink until a well has been dug and the water proved safe. When the army disengages, he does not cross the river until the last soldier is over. The gold the empress dowager sends him he passes straight to the troops as bounty. The commanders of old did no more than that." The king said, "Liu Bi, king of Wu, was a strategist without peer; he used to say every minister and noble at court was a monkey in a hat." "Then you must kill the Grand General first," said Wu Pi. "Only then can you move."

王復問被曰：「公以為吳舉兵非邪？」被曰：「非也。夫吳王賜號為劉氏祭酒，受几杖而不朝，王四郡之眾，地方數千里，采山銅以為錢，煮海水以為鹽，伐江陵之木以為船，國富民眾，行珍寶，賂諸侯，與七國合從，舉兵而西，破大梁，敗狐父，奔走而還，為越所禽，死於丹徒，頭足異處，身滅祀絕，為天下戮。夫以吳眾不能成功者，何也？誠逆天違眾而不見時也。」王曰：「男子之所死者，一言耳。且吳何知反？漢將一日過成皋者四十餘人。今我令緩先要成皋之口，周被下穎川兵塞轘轅、伊闕之道，陳定發南陽兵守武關，河南太守獨有雒陽耳，何足憂？然此北尚有臨晉關、河東、上黨與河內、趙國界者通谷數行。人言『絕成皋之道，天下不通』。據三川之險，招天下之兵，公以為何如？」被曰：「臣見其禍，未見其福也。」

The king again asked Pi: 'Do you think Wu's raising troops was wrong?' "It was a fatal mistake," said Wu Pi. The king of Wu bore the Liu surname's honor of chief mourner, leaned on the gift of staff and stool to skip court, ruled four commanderies across thousands of li, coined money from his copper hills and salt from his boiling pans, built a fleet from Jiangling timber, grew rich and strong, bought allies among the kingdoms, joined the seven-state league, marched west, took Daliang, broke the army at Hufu, then fled headlong until Yue ran him down at Dantu—head severed from body, line extinguished, a cautionary tale for the world. Why, with all those hosts, did he still fail? Because he defied Heaven, alienated the people, and misread the times." The king said, "A man will die for a single word of honor. Besides, how could Wu have known any better than to rebel? In a single day more than forty Han generals rode through Chenggao. If I put Huan at the throat of Chenggao, send Zhou Bei down the Yingchuan corridor to seal Huanyuan and Yique, and Chen Ding up from Nanyang to hold Wuguan, the governor of Henan is left with Luoyang alone—what is there to fear? North of that line lie Linyi Pass, Hedong, Shangdang, and the Henei border with Zhao—half a dozen defiles still open. Men say, 'Cut Chenggao and the empire is split in two,' yet the map tells another story. Seize the choke points of the three river basins and call the realm to arms—do you truly think that enough?" "I see nothing ahead but ruin," said Wu Pi.

後漢逮淮南王孫建，系治之。王恐陰事洩，謂被曰：「事至，吾欲遂發。天下勞苦有間矣，諸侯頗有失行，皆自疑，我舉兵西鄉，必有應者；無應，即還略衡山。勢不得不發。」被曰：「略衡山以擊廬江，有尋陽之船，守下雉之城，結九江之浦，絕豫章之口，強弩臨江而守，以禁南郡之下，東保會稽，南通勁越，屈強江、淮間，可以延歲月之壽耳，未見其福也。」王曰：「左吳、趙賢、硃驕如皆以為什八九成，公獨以為無福，何？」被曰：「大王之群臣近幸素能使眾者，皆前系詔獄，余無可用者。」王曰：「陳勝、吳廣無立錐之地，百人之聚，起於大澤，奮臂大呼，天下響應，西至於戲而兵百二十萬。今吾國雖小，勝兵可得二十萬，公何以言有禍無福？」被曰：「臣不敢避子胥之誅，願大王無為吳王之聽。往者秦為無道，殘賊天下，殺術士，燔《詩》、《書》，滅聖跡，棄禮義，任刑法，轉海瀕之粟，致於西河。當是之時，男子疾耕不足於糧饋，女子紡績不足於蓋形。遣蒙恬築長城，東西數千里。暴兵露師，常數十萬，死者不可勝數，殭屍滿野，流血千里。於是百姓力屈，欲為亂者十室而五。又使徐福入海求仙藥，多繼珍寶，童男女三千人，五種百工而行。徐福得平原大澤，止王不來。於是百姓悲痛愁思，欲為亂者十室而六。又使尉佗逾五嶺，攻百越，尉佗知中國勞極，止王南越。行者不還，往者莫返，於是百姓離心瓦解，欲為亂者十室而七。興萬乘之駕，作阿房之宮，收太半之賦，發閭左之戍。父不寧子，兄不安弟，政苛刑慘，民皆引領而望，傾耳而聽，悲號仰天，叩心怨上，欲為亂者，十室而八。客謂高皇帝曰：『時可矣。』高帝曰：『待之，聖人當起東南。』間不一歲，陳、吳大呼，劉、項並和，天下響應，所謂蹈瑕釁，因秦之亡時而動，百姓願之，若枯旱之望雨，故起於行陣之中，以成帝王之功。今大王見高祖得天下之易也，獨不觀近世之吳、楚乎！當今陛下臨制天下，一齊海內，泛愛蒸庶，布德施惠。口雖未言，聲疾雷震；今雖未出，化馳如神。心有所懷，威動千里；下之應上，猶景響也。而大將軍材能非直章邯、楊熊也。王以陳勝、吳廣論之，被以為過矣。且大王之兵眾不能什分吳、楚之一，天下安寧又萬倍於秦時。願王用臣之計。臣聞箕子過故國而悲，作《麥秀》之歌，痛紂之不用王子比干之言也。故孟子曰，紂貴為天子，死曾不如匹夫。是紂先自絕久矣，非死之日天去之也。今臣亦竊悲大王棄千乘之君，將賜絕命之書，為群臣先，身死於東宮也。」被因流涕而起。

Soon afterward Han authorities seized the king's grandson Liu Jian for questioning. Fearing exposure, the king told Wu Pi, "If it comes to the worst I mean to rise at once. The people are weary and ripe for change; the regional kings stumble in their duties and mistrust one another. If I strike west, others will surely rise with me. If no one answers the call, I can still wheel about and overrun Hengshan. The moment will leave me no choice." Wu Pi answered, "You might push from Hengshan into Lujiang, float Xunyang war junks, garrison Xiazhi, close the Jiujiang landings, seal Yuzhang's river mouth, line heavy crossbows along the bank to block a descent from Nanjun, shield Kuaiji on the east, and link arms with Yue in the south—stubbornly holding the Huai and Yangzi might buy you a little time, but I still see no blessing in it." The king said, "Zuo Wu, Zhao Xian, and Zhu Jiaoru all put our odds at eight or nine in ten. Why are you alone so bleak?" "Your majesty's proven commanders are already in the imperial jail," said Wu Pi. "Who is left to lead?" The king retorted, "Chen Sheng and Wu Guang held not an inch of soil—a hundred desperate men in a swamp. They waved their arms, shouted once, and a million and two hundred thousand answered them all the way to Xi. My kingdom is small, yet I can put two hundred thousand seasoned troops in the field—how can you speak only of disaster?" "I do not fear sharing Zixu's fate," said Wu Pi, "but I beg you not to do as the king of Wu did and deafen yourself to counsel. When Qin lost the Way it scourged the empire, murdered scholars, burned the classics, erased the traces of the sages, cast aside ritual for the whip and rod, and dragged grain by sea to feed the armies on the western river. Men ploughed until they dropped yet could not fill the commissary trains; women spun until their fingers bled yet could not clothe the hosts. The First Emperor sent Meng Tian to raise the Long Wall for thousands of li east to west. Armies camped in the open by the hundreds of thousands; the dead were beyond counting, corpses carpeted the fields, and blood ran for a thousand li. The common people were broken in body and spirit; half the households in the land were ready to rise. Then he sent Xu Fu across the sea after elixirs, laden with treasure, with three thousand youths and maids and artisans of every trade. Xu Fu found wide plains overseas, declared himself king, and never sailed home. Grief and resentment spread; six households in ten were muttering rebellion. He sent Wei Tuo over the Five Ridges against the Yue tribes; Wei Tuo saw how hollowed out the heartland had become, halted, and crowned himself king of Nanyue. The conscripts never came home, the expeditions never returned, and loyalty to the throne crumbled until seven households in ten were muttering rebellion. He ran the imperial carriages of state, raised Epang Palace, taxed the people beyond half their yield, and drafted even the paupers of the lanes for the frontier. Fathers could not rest for their sons, nor brothers for brothers; law grew crueler by the day. Every family craned its neck, strained its ears, beat its breast at Heaven, and cursed the throne—eight in ten were ready to revolt. A stranger said to Gaozu, "The hour has come." Gaozu answered, "Not yet. Heaven will first raise a sage in the southeast." Within the year Chen Sheng and Wu Guang raised the cry; Liu Bang and Xiang Yu took up the tune; the empire answered like thunder. They stepped into the crack Qin had opened, struck when the dynasty was already dying, and rode a popular longing thick as drought for rain—rising from the ranks to forge an emperor's work. You think seizing the realm was easy for Gaozu—have you looked at what became of Wu and Chu? The Son of Heaven today holds the four seas in one hand, loves the common people like his own children, and rains down grace on every quarter. Though he has not spoken a word, his will rolls like thunder. Though no edict has gone out, his transforming power already runs like a god's. What the ruler feels in his breast can shake the realm a thousand li away; and the people answer the throne as shadow answers form, as echo answers voice. The Grand General is no Zhang Han or Yang Xiong—his gifts lie in another class entirely. To measure our chances by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang, as Your Highness does, is badly mistaken. Your hosts are not a tenth of what Wu and Chu fielded, while the empire today is ten thousand times more settled than under the First Emperor. I beg you to heed my counsel. When Jizi crossed the ruins of Yin he wept and sang The Wheat's Ears, mourning a king who would not hear Bigan. Mencius said that though Zhou sat as Son of Heaven, he died with less dignity than a commoner. He had already severed himself from Heaven long before the last day; Heaven did not abandon him in a single morning. I grieve to see you cast aside a kingdom of a thousand chariots, wait for the warrant that ends your line, go to the scaffold before your own courtiers, and breathe your last in the Eastern Palace you built for treason." Wu Pi rose with tears streaming down his face.

後王復召問被：「苟如公言，不可以繳幸邪？」被曰：「必不得已，被有愚計。」王曰：「奈何？」被曰：「當今諸侯無異心，百姓無怨氣。朔方之郡土地廣美，民徙者不足以實其地。可為丞相、御史請書，徙郡國豪桀及耐罪以上，以赦令除，家產五十萬以上者，皆徙其家屬朔方之郡，益發甲卒，急其會日。又偽為左右都司空、上林中都官詔獄書，逮諸侯太子及幸臣。如此，則民怨，諸侯懼，即使辯士隨而說之，黨可以徼幸。」王曰：「此可也。雖然，吾以不至若此，專發而已。」後事發覺，被詣吏自告與淮南王謀反蹤跡如此。天子以伍被雅辭多引漢美，欲勿誅。張湯進曰：「被首為王畫反計，罪無赦。」遂誅被。

Later the king called him back. "If matters stand as you say, is there no way to snatch a lucky break?" "If we are driven to the wall," said Wu Pi, "I have a desperate stratagem." "What is it?" asked the king. "The regional kings are loyal," said Wu Pi, "and the people bear the throne no grudge. The northern commanderies around Shuofang are rich and empty—settlers have never filled them. Forge orders from the chancellor and chief clerk: relocate every notable and every convict above the tattooing grade whose household is worth half a million cash, pardon them in the text of the edict, pack their kin to Shuofang, and call up extra troops on a short deadline. Forge warrants from the capital work bureaus and the Shanglin prison to seize crown princes and favorite ministers of the kingdoms. Popular anger will flare, the kings will panic, and your rhetoricians might then squeeze a slim chance from the chaos." "That could work," said the king. Still, I doubt we need go that far—a straight rising of arms will suffice." When the plot leaked, Wu Pi walked into the yamen and confessed every step of the treason he had plotted with the king of Huainan. The emperor was inclined to spare him: Wu Pi's testimony had praised the Han at every turn. Zhang Tang objected: "He was the first to draw up rebellion for his master—there can be no pardon." Wu Pi was put to death.

江充字次倩，趙國邯鄲人也。充本名齊，有女弟善鼓琴歌舞，嫁之趙太子丹。齊得幸於敬肅王，為上客。久之，太子疑齊以己陰私告王，與齊忤，使吏逐捕齊，不得，收系其父兄，按驗，皆棄市。齊遂絕跡亡，西人關，更名充。詣闕告太子丹與同產姊及王后宮奸亂，交通郡國豪猾，攻剽為奸，吏不能禁。書奏，天子怒，遣使者詔郡發吏卒圍趙王宮，收捕太子丹，移系魏郡詔獄，與廷尉雜治，法至死。

Jiang Chong, courtesy name Ciqian, came from Handan in Zhao. His birth name was Zhao Qi; his younger sister was a gifted musician and dancer who became the concubine of Crown Prince Dan of Zhao. Zhao Qi won favor with King Jingsu of Zhao and was received as a honored retainer. In time the crown prince decided Qi had betrayed his secrets to the king, broke with him, and sent officers to hunt Qi down. When Qi vanished, they jailed his father and brothers, tortured confessions from them, and left them all exposed in the marketplace. Zhao Qi vanished into the west, crossed the passes, and reemerged as Jiang Chong. At the palace gate he charged Prince Dan with incest with his half-sister and the harem women, with hiring ruffians across the realm for robbery and mayhem that local magistrates could not check. The memorial enraged the emperor, who ordered troops to seal the Zhao palace, seized Prince Dan, sent him to the imperial jail in Wei commandery for joint trial with the commandant of justice, and sought the death penalty.

趙王彭祖，帝異母兄也，上書訟太子罪，言「充逋逃小臣，苟為奸訛，激怒聖朝，欲取必於萬乘以復私怨。後雖亨醢，計猶不悔。臣願選從趙國勇敢士，從軍擊匈奴，極盡死力，以贖丹罪。」上不許，竟敗趙太子。

King Liu Pengzu of Zhao—half-brother to the emperor—filed a counter-memorial defending his son: "Jiang Chong is a runaway petty clerk spinning lies to bait the throne into doing his private vengeance. Let him be boiled alive and he will still feel no remorse. I beg to lead Zhao's bravest against the Xiongnu and buy my son's life with blood." The emperor refused, and Prince Dan was destroyed in the end.

初，充召見犬台宮，自請願以所常被服冠見上。上許之。充衣紗□禪衣，曲裾後垂交輸，冠禪纚步搖冠，飛翮之纓。充為人魁岸，容貌甚壯。帝望見而異之，謂左右曰：「燕、趙固多奇士。」既至前，問以當世政事，上說之。充因自請，願使匈奴。詔問其狀，充對曰：「因變制宜，以敵為師，事不可豫圖。」上以充為謁者使匈奴，還，拜為直指繡衣使者，督三輔盜賊，禁察逾侈。貴戚近臣多奢僭，充皆舉劾，奏請沒入車馬，令身待北軍擊匈奴。奏可。充即移書光祿勳、中黃門，逮名近臣侍中諸當詣北軍者，移劾門衛，禁止無令得出入宮殿。於是貴戚子弟惶恐，皆見上叩頭求哀，願得入錢贖罪。上許之，令各以秩次輸錢北軍，凡數千萬。上以充忠直，奉法不阿，所言中意。

When Jiang Chong was first summoned to Quetai Palace, he asked leave to appear in his own distinctive dress. The emperor agreed. He came in a sheer gauze gown, a skirt whose panels crossed behind him, and a tall gauze cap hung with swaying kingfisher plumes. He was a giant of a man, with a fierce, soldierly face. The emperor stared, then murmured to his attendants, "Yan and Zhao breed singular men." When Jiang Chong stepped forward, the emperor questioned him on policy and liked every answer. He volunteered for an embassy to the Xiongnu. Asked how he would proceed, he said, "One must adapt to circumstance, learn from the foe, and never fix a plan in advance." The emperor named him envoy to the Xiongnu, then on his return made him a straight-pointing embroidered-gown inspector with charge over capital banditry and sumptuary abuse. He impeached every powerful family and palace favorite for extravagance, seized their carriages and horses by memorial, and packed the owners off to serve in the northern army against the Xiongnu. The throne approved his memorial. He sent writs to the superintendent of the household and the yellow-gate eunuchs, listing every minister and attendant bound for the northern camp, and ordered the gate wardens to lock the palace so none could slip in or out. The great families panicked, threw themselves before the emperor, and offered to buy their way off the conscription lists with gold. The emperor agreed: each man might commute his service by paying into the northern-army fund according to rank, until several tens of millions had poured in. The court decided that Jiang Chong was upright, unbending in the law, and always spoke the emperor's mind.

充出，逢館陶長公主行馳道中。充呵問之，公主曰：「有太后詔。」充曰：「獨公主得行，車騎皆不得。」盡劾沒入宮。

Leaving an audience, Jiang Chong met the elder Princess of Guantao racing her carriage down the imperial express lane. Chong shouted and questioned her; the princess said: 'There is the empress dowager's edict.' "The edict covers you alone," said Jiang Chong. "Your escort may not use this road." He impounded every carriage and driver and sent them to the palace stores.

後充從上甘泉，逢太子家使乘車馬行馳道中，充以屬吏。太子聞之，使人謝充曰：「非愛車馬，誠不欲令上聞之，以教敕亡素者。唯江君寬之！」充不聽，遂白奏。上曰：「人臣當如是矣。」大見信用，威震京師。遷為水衡都尉，宗族、知友多得其力者。久之，坐法免。

Later, riding with the emperor to Ganquan, he caught the crown prince's household steward speeding along the reserved track and turned him over to the law. The crown prince sent messengers to apologize: "I am not hoarding carriages for myself; I only hoped to spare my father the shame that his heir was never drilled in routine discipline. I beg you, Lord Jiang, to let this pass." Jiang Chong refused and filed an open memorial. The emperor said, "That is how a minister should behave." From that day Jiang Chong was trusted as few men were, and his name terrified the capital. He rose to superintendent of waters and parks, and half his kinsmen and friends rode his coattails to office. In time he broke the law and was stripped of rank.

會陽陵硃安世告丞相公孫賀子太僕敬聲為巫蠱事，連及陽石、諸邑公主，賀父子皆坐誅。語在《賀傳》。後上幸甘泉，疾病，充見上年老，恐晏駕後為太子所誅，因是為奸，奏言上疾祟在巫蠱。於是上以充為使者治巫蠱。充將胡巫掘地求偶人，捕蠱及夜祠，視鬼，染污令有處，輒收捕驗治，燒鐵鉗灼，強服之。民轉相誣以巫蠱，吏輒劾以大逆亡道，坐而死者前後數萬人。

Then Zhu Anshi of Yangling denounced Grand Coachman Gongsun Jingsheng, son of Chancellor Gongsun He, for witchcraft, dragging in Princesses Yangshi and Zhuyi; both father and son died under the law. The full account stands in Gongsun He's biography. When the emperor fell ill at Ganquan, Jiang Chong saw his gray hair and feared the crown prince would execute him at the next succession, so he invented a plot: the sickness, he claimed, came from witchcraft. The emperor named him special commissioner for witchcraft cases. He marched foreign shamans through the capital, dug up yards for straw dolls, raided midnight shrines, smeared false evidence, then arrested, tortured with red-hot irons, and extorted confessions. Neighbors denounced neighbors until clerks could pin great treason on anyone; tens of thousands died in the witch hunt.

是時，上春秋高，疑左右皆為蠱祝詛，有與亡，莫敢訟其冤者。充既知上意，因言宮中有蠱氣，先治後宮希幸夫人，以次及皇后，遂掘蠱於太子宮，得桐木人。太子懼，不能自明，收充，自臨斬之。罵曰「趙虜！亂乃國王父子不足邪！乃復亂吾父子也！」太子繇是遂敗。語在《戾園傳》。後武帝知充有詐，夷充三族。

The emperor was old and suspicious: he believed everyone near him worked curses in the dark, and no victim dared plead innocence. Reading the emperor's fear, Jiang Chong announced a miasma of witchcraft inside the walls, searched the neglected concubines first, then the empress, and finally turned up a wooden doll buried in the heir's garden. The crown prince could not clear his name in terror, seized Jiang Chong, and cut off his head with his own hand. He shouted, "You Zhao dog! Was it not enough to wreck your own king and crown prince in Zhao? Must you now tear the Han father and son apart as well?" From that moment the heir's cause was lost. The story is told in the biography of the Li heir's park. When Emperor Wu saw the fraud, he extirpated Jiang Chong's three lineages.

息夫躬

Xifu Guang.

息夫躬字子微，河內河陽人也。少為博士弟子，受《春秋》，通覽記書。容貌壯麗，為眾所異。

Xifu Gong, courtesy Ziwei, was a native of Heyang in Henei commandery. As a young doctoral student he mastered the Spring and Autumn Annals and read widely in history. He was tall and striking, and men stared wherever he went.

躬既親近，數進見言事，論議亡所避。眾畏其口，見之仄目。躬上疏歷詆公卿大臣，曰：「方今丞相王嘉健而蓄縮，不可用。御史大夫賈延墮弱不任職。左將軍公孫祿、司隸鮑宣皆外有直項之名，內實□不曉政事。諸曹以下僕脩不足數。卒有強弩圍城，長戟指闕，陛下誰與備之？如使狂夫嘄□於東崖，匈奴飲馬於渭水，邊竟雷動，四野風起，京師雖有武蜂精兵，未有能窺左足而先應者也。軍書交馳而輻湊，羽檄重跡而押至，小夫心耎臣之徒憒眊不知所為。其有犬馬之決者，仰藥而伏刃，雖加夷滅之誅，何益禍敗之至哉！」

Once admitted to the inner court he spoke his mind at every audience and pulled no punch in debate. The court feared his tongue and looked away when he passed. He filed a memorial running down the high ministers: "Chancellor Wang Jia is hale enough to serve yet curls up like a hedgehog—useless. Grandee of the imperial secretariat Jia Yan is soft clay in a soldier's gloves. General of the Left Gongsun Lu and Metropolitan Superintendent Bao Xuan pass for blunt men of principle, yet behind the pose they are plodders who know nothing of governing. The ranks below them are not worth naming. If strong archers ring the capital and halberds point at your gates, who will stand at your side? If rebels howl from the eastern hills while nomad riders water their horses at the Wei, if the frontier shudders like thunder and alarm sweeps the countryside, even Chang'an's picked troops will not know which way to step first. Dispatch riders will pile orders at the gates, urgent signals will come two deep, and the soft men who fill your ministries will stare at one another without a plan. The bravest among them will swallow poison or fall on their swords; even mass executions will not stave off ruin."

躬又言：「秦開鄭國渠以富國強兵，今京師土地肥饒，可度地勢水泉，廣溉灌之利。」天子使躬持節領護三輔都水。躬立表，欲穿長安城，引漕注太倉下以省轉輸。議不可成，乃止。

Gong also said: 'Qin opened the Zheng Guo canal to enrich the state and strengthen the army; now the capital region's land is fat and fertile—one can measure terrain and water springs, broadly extend irrigation's benefit.' The emperor gave him a staff and put him in charge of waterworks for the three approaches around the capital. He staked out a channel to cut through Chang'an itself and feed the Grand Granary by water, sparing the cart trains. Counselors blocked the plan and it died.

董賢貴幸日盛，丁、傅害其寵，孔鄉侯晏與躬謀，欲求居位輔政。會單于當來朝，遣使言病，願朝明年。躬因是而上奏，以為「單于當以十一月入塞，後以病為解，疑有他變。烏孫兩昆彌弱，卑爰□強盛，居強煌之地，擁十萬之眾，東結單于，遣子往侍。如因素強之威，循烏孫就屠之跡，舉兵南伐，並烏孫之勢也。烏孫並，則匈奴盛，而西域危矣。可令降胡詐為卑爰□使者來上書曰：『所以遣子侍單于者，非親信之也，實畏之耳。唯天子哀，告單于歸臣侍子。願助戊己校尉保惡都奴之界。』因下其章諸將軍，今匈奴客聞焉。則是所謂『上兵伐謀，其次伐交』者也。」

As Dong Xian's star rose, the Ding and Fu factions grew jealous; Marquis Yan of Kongxiang conspired with Xifu Gong to seize a seat at the center of power. The Chanyu was due at court but pleaded illness and asked to defer his visit a year. Xifu Gong seized the chance to memorialize: "The nomad chief should have entered the passes in the eleventh month; this sudden illness smells of treason. The two Wusun regents are weak while the Beilian chief waxes strong on the Huang steppe with a hundred thousand riders, has bound himself to the Chanyu in the east, and has sent a son to attend the nomad court. If the nomads use the Qiang surge and copy Wusun Jiutu's path, marching south to swallow Wusun whole, the western tribes would fall under one yoke. Once Wusun is gone the Xiongnu dominate the steppe and the road west becomes a killing ground. Send a turncoat Hu in the guise of the Beilian chief's envoy with a memorial reading, "I did not send my son to the Chanyu's court out of love; I sent him because I dared not refuse. I beg the Son of Heaven to take pity and order the Chanyu to send my boy home. I will help the colonel of the garrison hold the line at Edu slave." (Edu slave is a place name on the frontier.) Leak that memorial to every general and let the Xiongnu hostages in Chang'an spread the word. That is the art of war Sunzi praised: break their plots first, then their alliances."

書奏，上引見躬，召公卿將軍大議。左將軍公孫祿以為「中國常以威信懷伏夷狄，躬欲逆詐造不信之謀，不可許。且匈奴賴先帝之德，保塞稱蕃。今單于以疾病不任奉朝賀，遣使自陳，不失臣子之禮。臣祿自保沒身不見匈奴為邊境憂也。」躬掎祿曰：「臣為國家計幾先，謀將然，豫圖未形，為萬世慮。而左將軍公孫祿欲以其犬馬齒保目所見。臣與祿異議，未可同日語也。」上曰：「善。」乃罷群臣，獨與躬議。

The emperor read the paper, brought Xifu Gong before the court, and called the high command into council. General of the Left Gongsun Lu said, "China has always bound the barbarians with trust and prestige. Xifu Gong would replace that with lies; his plan must be refused. The Xiongnu still live on the late emperor's grace: they hold the frontier for us and call themselves subjects. The Chanyu is ill and cannot travel for the New Year audience; he has explained himself through envoys and has broken no feudal courtesy. I stake my life that the nomads will not threaten the passes while I draw breath." Xifu Gong rounded on him: "I think generations ahead, read omens before they ripen, and guard a throne you cannot see. You would wager the empire on the short sight of an old warhorse. He and I are not even arguing in the same language." "Well spoken," said the emperor— rashly. He sent the court away and closeted himself with Xifu Gong alone.

因建言：「往年熒惑守心，太白高而芒光，又角星□於河鼓，其法為有兵亂。是後訛言行詔籌，經歷郡國，天下騷動，恐必有非常之變。可遣大將軍行邊兵，敕武備，斬一郡守，以立威，震四夷，因以厭應變異。」上然之，以問丞相。丞相嘉對曰：「臣聞動民以行不以言，應天以實不以文。下民微細，猶不可詐，況於上天神明而可欺哉！天之見異，所以敕戒人君，欲令覺悟反正，推誠行善。民心說而天意得矣。辯士見一端，或妄以意傅著星曆，虛造匈奴、烏孫、西羌之難，謀動干戈，設為權變，非應天之道也。守相有罪，車馳詣闕，交臂就死，恐懼如此，而談說者雲，動安之危，辯口快耳，其實未可從。夫議政者，苦其諂諛傾險辯慧深刻也。諂諛則主德毀，傾險則下怨恨，辯慧則破正道，深刻則傷恩惠。昔秦繆公不從百里奚、蹇叔之言，以敗其師，悔過自責，疾詿誤之臣，思黃髮之言，名垂於後世。唯陛下觀覽古戒，反覆參考，無以先人之語為主。」

Thereupon Gong proposed: 'In recent years Mars lingered in the heart lodge, Venus rode high with a long tail, and the Horn star met the River Drum—by the canons of astrology these mean armed rebellion. Since then forged prophecies have raced the provinces and the people are restless. Something terrible is gathering. Send the Grand General to the frontier, sharpen weapons, strike off one governor as a warning, terrify the border tribes, and choke the ill luck before it blooms." The emperor liked the idea and turned to Chancellor Wang Jia. Wang Jia answered, "The people follow action, not slogans; Heaven answers sincerity, not theater. You cannot fool the meanest peasant; do you imagine you can fool Heaven? Omens are Heaven's memos to the throne: wake up, mend your ways, rule with mercy. Win the people and you have answered Heaven. Sophists clutch at single stars, invent Xiongnu and Wusun panics, and clamor for war—none of that answers Heaven's warning. A guilty governor races to the capital to die with folded arms—so deep runs fear of the law. Glib men who promise to save the throne by risking it are pleasant to hear and fatal to follow. Statecraft sickens when flatterers, plotters, clever cynics, and cruel men hold the floor. Flattery rots the sovereign's character, intrigue turns the people against you, wit without wisdom wrecks the true path, and cruelty kills the trust that holds a dynasty up. Duke Mu of Qin once spurned Baili Xi and Jian Shu, lost an army, then humbled himself, banished liars, and listened to old men—history still honors him. Read the old warnings, sift every counsel twice, and do not let the last man who spoke own your policy."

上不聽，遂下詔曰：「間者災變不息，盜賊眾多，兵革之征，或頗著見。未聞將軍惻然深以為意，簡練戎士，繕修干戈。器用□惡，孰當督之！天下雖安，忘戰必危。將軍與中二千石舉明習兵法有大慮者各一人，將軍二人，詣公車。」就拜孔鄉侯傅晏為大司馬衛將軍，陽安侯丁明又為大司馬票騎將軍。

The emperor brushed Wang Jia aside and proclaimed, "Disaster follows disaster, rebels multiply, and the drums of war are sounding. Yet I hear no general drilling men or mending armor. Our arsenals rot while no one is called to account. Peace itself is perilous when a state forgets how to fight. The Grand General and every minister at two thousand shi shall each name one strategist and two field commanders and report to the talent office at once." That day he named Fu Yan of Kongxiang grand marshal and guard general and Ding Ming of Yangan grand marshal of swift cavalry.

是日，日有食之，董賢因此沮躬、晏之策。後數日，收晏衛將軍印綬，而丞相御史奏躬罪過。上繇是惡躬等，下詔曰：「南陽太守方陽侯寵，素亡廉聲，有酷惡之資，毒流百姓。左曹光祿大夫宜陵侯躬，虛造許諼之策，欲以詿誤朝廷。皆交遊貴戚，趨權門，為名。其免躬、寵官，遣就國。」

A solar eclipse followed the edict; Dong Xian used it to kill Fu Yan's and Xifu Gong's plan. Within days Fu Yan was stripped of his command and the ministers indicted Xifu Gong. The emperor turned on the whole cabal: "Zhu Chong of Fangyang, governor of Nanyang, is a known tyrant who has poisoned his district. Xifu Gong of Yiling spun lies to bait the throne. Both men traded on palace connections and chased the mighty for fame. Dismiss them both and pack them off to their estates."

躬歸國，未有第宅，寄居丘亭。奸人以為侯家富，常夜守之。躬邑人河內掾賈惠往過躬，教以祝盜方，以桑東南指枝為匕，畫北斗七星其上，躬夜自被髮，立中庭，向北斗，持匕招指祝盜。人有上書言躬懷怨恨，非笑朝廷所進，候星宿，視天子吉凶，與巫同祝詛。上遣侍御史、廷尉監逮躬，系雒陽詔獄。欲掠問，躬仰天大呼，因僵仆。吏就問，雲咽已絕，血從鼻耳出。食頃，死。黨友謀議相連下獄百餘人。躬母聖，坐祠灶禍詛上，大逆不道。聖棄市，妻充漢與家屬徙合浦。躬同族親屬素所厚者，皆免廢錮。哀帝崩，有司奏：「方陽侯寵及右師譚等，皆造作奸謀，罪及王者骨肉，雖蒙赦令，不宜處爵位，在中土。」皆免寵等，徙合浦郡。

Xifu Gong went home landless and slept in a roadside inn. Thieves decided a marquis must still be rich and staked out the inn. A fellow townsman named Jia Hui showed him a charm against thieves: carve the Northern Dipper on a southeast-pointing mulberry twig, then at midnight stand disheveled in the yard, face the pole star, and curse the stalkers with the twig as a wand. An informer charged him with sneering at promotions, casting the emperor's horoscope, and hiring witches to curse the throne. The court sent censors and jailers to take him to the Luoyang prison. As the questioners raised the rods, Xifu Gong howled at the sky and dropped as if dead. They leaned close; he whispered that his throat had been cut, though blood only ran from nose and ears. He was gone before the porridge cooled. Over a hundred allies followed him into the cells. His mother Sheng was judged for cursing the emperor before the hearth spirit—capital treason. Sheng died in the marketplace; his wife and the rest of the household were exiled to Hepu. Every relative he had enriched was stripped of rank and forbidden to serve. When Emperor Ai died, officials reported: 'Marquis of Fangyang Chong and Master of the Right Tan all devised wicked plots; their guilt touched the royal bone and flesh; though they received amnesty, they ought not to hold rank in the central plain.' They were cashiered like Chong and banished to Hepu.

初，躬待詔，數危言高論，自恐遭害，著絕命辭曰：「玄雲泱鬱，將安歸兮！鷹隼橫厲，鸞徘徊兮！ □若浮□，動則機兮！叢棘手戔□棧棧，曷可棲兮！發忠忘身，自繞罔兮！冤頸折翼，庸得往兮！涕泣流兮萑蘭，心結□兮傷肝。虹蜺曜兮日微，孽杳冥兮未開。痛人天兮鳴呼，冤際絕兮誰語！仰天光兮自列，招上帝兮我察。秋風為我吟，浮雲為我陰。嗟若是兮欲何留，撫神龍兮□其須。游曠迥兮反亡期，雄失據兮世我思。」後數年乃死，如其文。

Long before, while he was still a waiting scholar, Xifu Gong had penned a death song from fear of his own tongue: "Black vapor stacks the sky—where can I flee? Hawks tear straight through the gale; the phoenix hangs back in the storm. I drift like foam on a trigger sea—one twitch and the bolt flies. Thorns close on every side—there is no branch to rest on. Loyalty has ruined me; I tied the net myself. Neck wrung, wings snapped—how can I ever cross? Tears mix with the reeds; grief knots the liver. Rainbows outshine the dying sun; disaster broods in endless dusk. Heaven and earth howl together; I am cut off—who will hear my case? I call the bright sky to witness and summon High God to read my heart. Let autumn wind be my dirge and moving clouds my pall. Why linger in such an hour—only to stroke the dragon's beard and burn my hand? I wander the endless dark with no way home; the champion loses his footing—let later ages pity me." Years later he died exactly as his own poem foretold.

贊曰：仲尼「惡利口之覆邦家」，蒯通一說而喪三俊，其得不亨者，幸也。伍被安於危國，身為謀主，忠不終而詐讎，誅夷不亦宜乎！《書》放四罪，《詩》歌《青蠅》，春秋以來，禍敗多矣。昔子□謀桓而魯隱危，欒書構□而晉厲弒。豎牛奔仲，叔孫卒； □伯毀季，昭公逐；費忌納女，楚建走；宰嚭讒胥，夫差喪；李園進妹，春申斃；上官訴屈，懷王執；趙高敗斯，二世縊；伊戾坎盟，宋痤死；江充造蠱，太子殺；息夫作奸，東平誅；皆自小覆大，繇疏陷親，可不懼哉！可不懼哉！」

The appraiser says: Confucius "hated glib tongues that overturned states and clans"—Kuai Tong with one persuasion cost three heroes; that he escaped the cauldron was luck. Wu Pi made himself chief strategist of a traitor king, then bought his life with betrayal—little wonder the axe found him. The canon banished the Four Fiends and the Odes warned of green flies; from Spring and Autumn onward, slander has toppled more houses than war. A Lu prince plotted for Qi and left Duke Yin exposed; Luan Shu framed a minister and Duke Li of Jin died for it. Shu Niu harried Zhong until Uncle Sun died; A noble slandered Ji, and Duke Zhao fled Lu. Fei Ji married her daughter into the palace and Crown Prince Jian of Chu had to run; Zai Pi destroyed Wu Zixu and King Fuchai lost everything; Li Yuan fed his sister to Lord Chunshen and buried him with her; Shangguan forged a plea and King Huai walked into a trap; Zhao Gao broke Li Si and the Second Emperor died on the silken cord; Yi Li faked a blood oath and Heir Zhu of Song died for it; Jiang Chong planted dolls and the heir died; Xifu Gong schemed and the prince of Dongping went to the block; Each began as a petty stranger's lie that swallowed a throne—can such lessons not terrify? Who could face such a list and not tremble?”

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