Volume 49: Yuan Ang and Chao Cuo

卷四十九爰盎晁錯傳第十九

Volume 49: The Biographies of Yuan Ang and Chao Cuo, number nineteen.

絳侯為丞相，朝罷趨出，意得甚。上禮之恭，常目送之。盎進曰：「丞相何如人也？」上曰：「社稷臣。」盎曰：「絳侯所謂功臣，非社稷臣。社稷臣主在與在，主亡與亡。方呂後時，諸呂用事，擅相王，劉氏不絕如帶。是時絳侯為太尉，本兵柄，弗能正。呂後崩，大臣相與共誅諸呂，太尉主兵，適會其成功，所謂功臣，非社稷臣。丞相如有驕主色，陛下謙讓，臣主失禮，竊為陛下弗取也。」後朝，上益莊，丞相益畏。已而絳侯望盎曰：「吾與汝兄善，今兒乃毀我！」盎遂不謝。及絳侯就國，人上書告以為反，征系請室，諸公莫敢為言，唯盎明絳侯無罪。絳侯得釋，盎頗有力。絳侯乃大與盎結交。

When the Marquis of Jiang left court, he hastened from the hall with an air of immense self-satisfaction. The Son of Heaven showed him marked courtesy and would stand watching until he was out of sight. Yuan Ang stepped forward and asked, "What manner of minister is the chancellor? He replied, "A pillar of the state. Yuan Ang said, "The Marquis of Jiang is a man who earned his place by merit; he is not the kind of minister whose fate is bound to the altars of state. The true minister of the altars shares the ruler's life and shares his death—there is no separating their fortunes. Under Empress Lü, her kinsmen ran the government, handed out kingdoms as they pleased, and the Liu imperial line survived by a hair's breadth. The Marquis of Jiang was Grand Commandant with the army in his hands, yet he failed to correct the situation. After her death the senior ministers rose together and extirpated the Lü; the Grand Commandant led the soldiery and was there when victory came—that is a man who seized his moment of merit, not a minister whose loyalty is welded to the dynasty itself. If the chancellor wears insolence toward his sovereign while you defer to him, the proper order between lord and minister is broken; I beg you not to indulge it. At the next audiences the emperor carried himself with greater gravity, and the chancellor grew visibly uneasy. Soon the Marquis of Jiang fixed Yuan Ang with a stare and said, "Your brother and I were friends—how dare you, his junior, speak ill of me? Yuan Ang offered no apology. After the Marquis of Jiang retired to his state, a denunciation reached the throne accusing him of rebellion; he was arrested and locked in the Qingshi interrogation cell, and not one of the great lords would plead his case—only Yuan Ang swore he was guiltless. The marquis was freed, and Yuan Ang's intervention counted for much. From that day the Marquis of Jiang counted Yuan Ang among his closest allies.

淮南厲王朝，殺辟陽侯，居處驕甚。盎諫曰：「諸侯太驕必生患，可適削地。」上弗許。淮南王益橫。謀反發覺，上征淮南王，遷之蜀，檻車傳送。盎時為中郎將，諫曰：「陛下素驕之，弗稍禁，以至此，今又暴摧折之。淮南王為人剛，有如遇霜露行道死，陛下竟為以天下大弗能容，有殺弟名，奈何？」上不聽，遂行之。

Prince Li of Huainan came to the capital, slew Marquis of Piyang, and carried himself with outrageous arrogance. Yuan Ang urged the throne: "Overmighty vassals breed calamity; Your Majesty should trim their domains while there is still time. The emperor refused. The king of Huainan only grew bolder. When his treason came to light, the emperor recalled him, reassigned him to the Shu frontier, and shipped him west in a prison wagon. Yuan Ang, then a chief of the household guard, said: "You have spoiled him for years without a word of restraint until things came to a head; now you mean to break him in an instant. He is a proud man; if he should sicken and die on the march, the empire will say you could not abide your own brother and you will wear the stain of fratricide—how will you answer that? The emperor would not be moved and carried out the transfer.

淮南王至雍，病死。聞，上輟食，哭甚哀。盎入，頓首請罪。上曰：「以不用公言至此。」盎曰：「上自寬，此往事，豈可悔哉！且陛下有高世行三，此不足以毀名。」上曰：「吾高世三者何事？」盎曰：「陛下居代時，太后嘗病，三年，陛下不交睫解衣，湯藥非陛下口所嘗弗進。夫曾參以布衣猶難之，今陛下親以王者修之，過曾參遠矣。諸呂用事，大臣顓制，然陛下從代乘六乘傳，馳不測淵，雖賁、育之勇不及陛下。陛下至代邸，西鄉讓天子者三，南鄉讓天子者再。夫許由一讓，陛下五以天下讓，過許由四矣。且陛下遷淮南王，欲以苦其志，使改過，有司宿衛不謹，故病死。」於是上乃解，盎繇此名重朝廷。

By the time he reached Yong he was dead—officially, of illness. Word reached the throne; the emperor pushed away his meal and wept as if his heart would break. Yuan Ang came in, kowtowed, and asked to be punished for his bad counsel. The emperor said, "We are here because I would not heed you. Yuan Ang said, "Set your mind at ease, Son of Heaven—what is done cannot be undone. Besides, you have three acts that set you above ordinary rulers; this affair cannot undo your reputation. The emperor asked what those three were. Yuan Ang said: "In your years at Dai the empress dowager lay ill three full years; you went without sleep and without changing your robes, and no draught touched her unless you had sipped it first. Even Zeng Shen, a commoner, struggled to match such devotion; you did it as heir to a kingdom—you have outdone Zeng Shen by a wide margin. When the Lü faction held the court in thrall and great ministers ruled by fiat, you rode post-haste from Dai with a six-horse relay train into mortal uncertainty—courage like Ben and Yu's would not have matched yours. At the lodge in Dai you declined the imperial seat three times while facing west, and twice more while facing south. Xu You yielded the world once; you yielded it five times—you have exceeded him fourfold. You sent him away to humble his spirit and teach him amendment; the guards were negligent and he died—that is the truth of it, not your hand. The emperor's grief lifted, and Yuan Ang's standing in the capital was never higher.

盎常引大體慷慨。宦者趙談以數幸，常害盎，盎患之。盎兄子種為常侍騎，諫盎曰：「君眾辱之，後雖惡君，上不覆信。」於是上朝東宮，趙談驂乘，盎伏車前曰：「臣聞天子所與共六尺輿者，皆天下豪英。今漢雖乏人，陛下獨奈何與刀鋸之余共載！」於是上笑，下趙談。談泣下車。

Yuan Ang was known for invoking the larger interests of the state in passionate terms. The palace eunuch Zhao Tan, often in the emperor's confidence, worked steadily against him, and Yuan Ang lived in dread of it. His nephew Zhong, a household cavalry attendant, warned him: "Humiliate him before the court and, however much he hates you afterward, the Son of Heaven will not give him the same credence. At the next audience in the Eastern Palace Zhao Tan took the attendant's seat in the imperial car; Yuan Ang threw himself across the shafts and said, "They say whoever rides beside the ruler must be a champion of the empire. Han may be short of talent, but must you share your coach with a man mutilated by the executioner's blade? The emperor laughed and ordered Zhao Tan down from the chariot. Zhao Tan climbed down in tears.

上從霸陵上，欲西馳下峻阪，盎攬轡。上曰：「將軍怯邪？」盎言曰：「臣聞千金之子不垂堂，百金之子不騎衡，聖主不乘危，不僥倖。今陛下聘六飛，馳不測山，有如馬驚車敗，陛下縱自輕，奈高廟、太后何？」上乃止。

On a visit to Baling the emperor wished to race his team down the western escarpment; Yuan Ang caught the horses' bits. "Are you afraid?" asked the emperor. Yuan Ang replied: "They say the heir to a great fortune does not court danger under a high roof, the heir to a middling fortune does not ride the balance-beam, and a wise ruler neither hazards his person nor trusts to chance. Yet here you urge six thoroughbreds over a sheer mountainside—if a wheel slips or a horse shies, you may think your own life cheap, but what of the shrines of Gaozu and the empress dowager? The emperor reined in.

上幸上林，皇后、慎夫人從。其在禁中，常同坐。及坐，郎署長布席，盎引卻慎夫人坐。慎夫人怒，不肯坐。上亦起，起。盎因前說曰：「臣聞尊卑有序則上下和，今陛下既以立後，慎夫人乃妾，妾、主豈可以同坐哉！且陛下幸之，則厚賜之。陛下所以為慎夫人，適所以禍之也。獨不見『人豕』乎？」於是上乃說，入語慎夫人。慎夫人賜盎金五十斤。

When the Son of Heaven hunted Shanglin, the empress and Lady Shen went along. Inside the inner palace they were often given seats side by side. At seating time the chief usher arranged the cushions; Yuan Ang moved Lady Shen's place to the rear. Lady Shen flared up and would not take her seat. The emperor got to his feet as well and remained standing, ill at ease. Yuan Ang said: "Rank exists for a reason; you have named a queen, and Lady Shen is a concubine—lord and servant cannot share one bench. Honor her with gifts and titles if you favor her. The favor you think you show her is the very thing that will destroy her. Have you forgotten the fate of the 'human swine'? The emperor saw his point, went within, and explained it to Lady Shen. Lady Shen sent him fifty catties of gold in thanks.

然盎亦以數直諫，不得久居中。調為隴西都尉，仁愛士卒，士卒皆爭為死。遷齊相，徒為吳相。辭行，種謂盎曰：「吳王驕日久，國多奸，今絲欲刻治，彼不上書告君，則利劍刺君矣。南方卑濕，絲能日飲，亡何，說王毋反而已。如此幸得脫。」盎用種之計，吳王厚遇盎。

Because he spoke his mind too often, he could not long stay at court. Posted as commandant of Longxi, he treated his men with kindness and they would have died for him willingly. He rose to chancellor of Qi, then was moved to the same office in Wu. As he set out, Zhong warned him: "The king of Wu has been proud a long time; his domain crawls with villains. If you try to rule him with a tight rein, he will denounce you to the throne or put a blade in your ribs. The south is steamy and low; drink your wine every day, mind your own business, and do no more than talk him out of rebellion. That is how you may come through alive. Yuan Ang followed the advice, and the king of Wu showered him with hospitality.

盎告歸，道逢丞相申屠嘉，下車拜謁，丞相從車上謝。盎還，愧其吏，乃之丞相捨上謁，求見丞相。丞相良久乃見。因跪曰：「願請間。」丞相曰：「使君所言公事，之曹與長史掾議之，吾且奏之；則私，吾不受私語。」盎即起說曰：「君為相，自度孰與陳平、絳侯？」丞相曰：「不如。」盎曰：「善，君自謂弗如。夫陳平、絳侯輔翼高帝，定天下，為將相，而誅諸呂，存劉氏；君乃為材官蹶張，遷為隊帥，積功至淮陽守，非有奇計攻城野戰之功。且陛下從代來，每朝，郎官者上書疏，未嘗不止輦受。其言不可用，置之；言可采，未嘗不稱善。何也？欲以致天下賢英士大夫，日聞所不聞，以益聖。而君自閉箝天下之口，而日益愚。夫以聖主責愚相，君受禍不久矣。」丞相乃再拜曰：「嘉鄙人，乃不知，將軍幸教。」引與入坐，為上客。

On leave bound for home he met Chancellor Shen Tu Jia, dismounted to pay his respects, and received only a nod from the passing carriage. Mortified before his own staff, he went to the chancellor's gate and asked for a formal interview. He was kept waiting a long time before being admitted. Yuan Ang knelt and asked for a private word. The chancellor said: "If this is state business, take it to my office and let the senior clerks hear it; I will memorialize whatever they endorse; if it is personal, I do not hear private pleas. Yuan Ang rose and said: "You sit as chancellor—how do you rank yourself beside Chen Ping and the Marquis of Jiang? "I am not in their class," said the chancellor. Yuan Ang said, "You admit you fall short—that is honest. Chen Ping and the Marquis of Jiang raised Gaozu, won the empire, served as general and chancellor, extirpated the Lü, and saved the Liu line; you began as a crossbow-puller in the engineers, made company captain, and climbed to governor of Huaiyang on routine service—you never took a city by stratagem or won a field battle. Since the emperor returned from Dai, not once has he let a coach roll past a memorial from the gentlemen attendants without stopping to take it in hand. What could not be used he set aside; what was sound he praised without stint. Why? To draw the best men of the empire to his ear, to learn something new every day, and to grow in wisdom. You have bolted every mouth in the land and grown more ignorant by the day. When a wise sovereign finds his chief minister a fool, retribution follows soon enough. Shen Tu Jia bowed twice and said, "I am a boor; I did not understand—thank you for the lesson, general. He led Yuan Ang inside, seated him as an honored guest, and heard him out.

及晁錯已誅，盎以泰常使吳。吳王欲使將，不肯。欲殺之，使一都尉以五百人圍守盎軍中。初，盎為吳相時，從史盜私盎侍兒。盎知之，弗洩，遇之如故。人有告從史，「君知女與侍者通」，乃亡去。盎驅自追之，遂以侍者賜之，復為從史。及盎使吳見守，從史適在守盎校為司馬，乃悉以其裝繼買二石醇醪，會天寒，士卒飢渴，飲醉西南陬卒，卒皆臥。司馬夜引盎起，曰：「君可以去矣，吳王期旦日斬君。」盎弗信，曰：「何為者？」司馬曰：「臣故為君從史盜侍兒者也。」盎乃驚，謝曰：「公幸有親，吾不足累公。」司馬曰：「君疵去，臣亦且亡，辟吾親，君何患！」乃以刀決帳，道從醉卒直出。司馬與分背。盎解節旄懷之，屐步行七十里，明，見梁騎，馳去，遂歸報。

After Chao Cuo's death Yuan Ang was dispatched to Wu as Grand Master of Ceremonies. The king of Wu offered him a command; he declined. Intent on killing him, the king detailed a commandant to pen Yuan Ang in with five hundred soldiers. Years before, while Yuan Ang was chancellor in Wu, a clerk had stolen his favorite concubine. Yuan Ang knew but said nothing and treated the man as always. When someone warned the clerk, "He knows about you and the girl," the man ran away. Yuan Ang chased him down in his own carriage, gave him the girl outright, and kept him on staff. When Yuan Ang was hemmed in at Wu, that same clerk was deputy marshal of his guard; he spent his savings on two hundred liters of spirits, and on a bitter day when the men were parched and starving he feasted the southwest watch until they collapsed drunk. At night the marshal shook him awake: "Leave now—the king means to take your head at dawn. Yuan Ang did not credit it: "What are you saying? "I am the clerk who stole your concubine long ago," he replied. Yuan Ang started and said, "You have a family—I cannot ask you to risk them for me. The marshal said, "Once you are gone I am a dead man anyway; I will get my people clear of this—worry only for yourself. He slashed the tent open with his blade and guided Yuan Ang past the snoring guards. They split and fled in opposite directions. He broke the ceremonial tassel from his credentials, tucked it inside his robe, and stumbled seventy li in wooden sandals; at first light he spotted Liang horsemen, spurred toward them, and rode back to make his report.

吳、楚已破，上更以元王子平陸侯禮為楚王，以盎為楚相。嘗上書，不用。盎病免家居，與閭里浮湛，相隨行鬥雞走狗。雒陽劇孟嘗過盎，盎善待之。安陵富人有謂盎曰：「吾聞劇孟博徒，將軍何自通之？」盎曰：「劇孟雖博徒，然母死，客送喪車千餘乘，此亦有過人者。且緩急人所有。夫一旦叩門，不以親為解，不以在亡為辭，天下所望者，獨季心、劇孟。今公陽從數騎，一旦有緩急，寧足恃乎！」遂罵富人，弗與通。諸公聞之，皆多盎。

After the defeat of Wu and Chu, the throne named a younger son of Prince Yuan—Marquis Pinglu—as king of Chu and gave Yuan Ang the chancellorship of that kingdom. He once sent up a memorial; the court took no action on it. Illness forced him home, where he kept loose company—cockfights, dog races, the life of the lanes. Ju Meng of Luoyang called on him once, and Yuan Ang received him as an honored guest. A wealthy Anling burgher asked him, "Ju Meng is nothing but a gamester—why should a man of your rank seek him out? Yuan Ang replied, "Ju Meng may haunt the gaming houses, but when his mother died over a thousand carriages followed her bier—there was greatness in him. Besides, every man meets moments of peril or reprieve. When disaster strikes your gate, you will want men who ask no questions about kinship or whether you are at home—the names the empire trusts are Ji Xin and Ju Meng alone. You ride abroad with a handful of escorts—when trouble comes, what good will they do you? He cursed the man roundly and cut him off. The gentlemen of the capital heard the story and esteemed him the more.

盎雖居家，景帝時時使人問籌策。梁王欲求為嗣，盎進說，其後語塞。梁王以此怨盎，使人刺盎。刺者至關中，問盎，稱之皆不容口。乃見盎曰：「臣受梁王金刺君，君長者，不忍刺君。然後刺者十餘曹，備之！」盎心不樂，家多怪，乃之□生所問占。還，梁刺客後曹果遮刺殺盎安陵郭門外。

Even in retirement Emperor Jing's messengers came often for his advice on policy. The prince of Liang pressed to be named crown prince; Yuan Ang spoke against it, and the proposal died. The prince of Liang nursed a grudge and hired killers. The killer reached Guanzhong and asked after Yuan Ang; everywhere he went men praised him to the skies. He presented himself and said, "The prince of Liang paid me to cut you down, but you are a gentleman—I will not strike. Ten more bands are behind me—you must guard yourself. Uneasy in mind and troubled by omens at home, he went to a fortune-teller for a reading. On his way back the second team of Liang hit men caught him outside the Anling gate and cut him down.

晁錯，穎川人也。學申、商刑名於軹張恢生所，與雒陽宋孟及劉帶同師。以文學為太常掌故。

Chao Cuo came from Yingchuan. He studied the legalist doctrines of Shen Buhai and Shang Yang under Zhang Huisheng of Zhi, alongside Song Meng of Luoyang and Liu Dai. His scholarship won him the post of erudite clerk in the chamber of the Grand Master of Ceremonies.

錯為人峭直刻深。孝文時，天下亡治《尚書》者，獨聞齊有伏生，故秦博士，治《尚書》，年九十餘，老不可征。乃詔太常，使人受之。太常遣錯受《尚書》伏生所，還，因上書稱說。詔以為太子舍人，門大夫，遷博士。又上書言：「人主所以尊顯功名揚於萬世之後者，以知術數也。故人主知所以臨制臣下而治其眾，則群臣畏服矣；知所以聽言受事，則不欺蔽矣；知所以安利萬民，則海內必從矣；知所以忠孝事上，則臣子之行備矣：此四者，臣竊為皇太子急之。人臣之議或曰皇太子亡以知事為也，臣之愚，誠以為不然。竊觀上世之君，不能奉其宗廟而劫殺於其臣者，皆不知術數者也。皇太子所讀書多矣，而未深知術數者，不問書說也。夫多誦而不知其說，所謂勞苦而不為功。臣竊觀皇太子材智高奇，馭射技藝過人絕遠，然於術數未有所守者，以陛下為心也。竊願陛下幸擇聖人之術可用今世者，以賜皇太子，因時使太子陳明於前。唯陛下裁察。」上善之，於是拜錯為太子家令。以其辯得幸太子，太子家號曰「智囊」。

Chao Cuo was rigid, uncompromising, and unforgiving. Under Emperor Wen no one in the empire still taught the Book of Documents except old Master Fu in Qi—a former Qin academician, past ninety and too frail to travel to court. The throne ordered the Grand Master of Ceremonies to dispatch a student to learn the text at his side. The office sent Chao Cuo to study with Master Fu; when he came back he memorialized in glowing terms on what he had learned. He was named gentleman attendant on the heir apparent, then gatehouse grandee, and soon rose to erudite. He wrote again: "A sovereign's fame endures because he masters the arts of rule. Know how to command ministers and manage the people, and every official will obey; know how to hear petitions and dispatch business, and flattery cannot hide the truth; know how to enrich and protect the common folk, and the realm will rally; know how loyalty and filial piety bind subject to sovereign, and the way of the minister and the son is whole. These four lessons, I submit, the heir apparent needs above all. Some say the heir need not trouble with government yet; I respectfully disagree. Every ancient lord who lost his temples to a minister's dagger had failed to learn those arts. The heir has read widely but not pressed the glosses—so the techniques of rule still elude him. Recitation without understanding is labor wasted. His wit and his riding and shooting are superb, yet he has no anchor in statecraft because he trusts wholly in you. Choose from the sages' teaching what fits this age, give it to the heir, and bid him rehearse it in your presence from time to time. I beg you to weigh this memorial. The emperor approved the plea and named Chao Cuo household commandant to the crown prince. His sharp tongue won the heir's confidence, and the inner household nicknamed him the "wisdom bag.

是時匈奴強，數寇邊，上發兵以御之。錯上言兵事，曰：

The Xiongnu were pressing the border; the court mobilized armies to meet them. Chao Cuo laid before the throne a long memorial on war, which began:

臣聞漢興以來，胡虜數入邊地，小入則小利，大入則大利；高後時再入隴西，攻城屠邑，驅略畜產；其後復入隴西，殺吏卒，大寇盜。竊聞戰勝之威，民氣百倍；敗兵之卒，沒世不復。自高後以來，隴西三困於匈奴矣，民氣破傷，亡有勝意。今茲隴西之吏，賴社稷之神靈，奉陛下之明詔，和輯士卒，底厲其節，起破傷之民以當乘勝之匈奴，用少擊眾，殺一王，敗其眾而大有利。非隴西之民有勇怯，乃將吏之制巧拙異也。故兵法曰：「有必勝之將，無必勝之心。」繇此觀之，安邊境，立功名，在於良將，不可不擇也。

"Since the founding of Han the steppe peoples have struck the frontier again and again: a small raid yields small plunder, a large raid yields great plunder; under Empress Gao they twice swept Longxi, stormed towns, butchered the people, and drove off herds; later they returned to Longxi, cut down garrisons, and looted on a grand scale. The shock wave of victory lifts popular morale a hundredfold; a beaten army may never rise again. Longxi has been broken three times; the people there lost heart and ceased to believe in victory. Yet today Longxi's magistrates, by the grace of the state altars and your orders, have steadied their troops, hardened their nerve, and led a battered populace against a triumphant foe; outnumbered, they slew a king, shattered the horde, and won a signal success. The difference lay not in the peasants' courage but in the skill of their commanders. The Art of War says, "Victory rests in the general, not in wishful thinking. Peace on the frontier and glory on the field ride on picking the right men—nothing matters more.

臣又聞用兵，臨戰合刃之急者三：一曰得地形，二曰卒服習，三曰器用利。兵法曰：丈五之溝，漸車之水，山林積石，經川丘阜，草木所在，此步兵之地也，車騎二不當一。土山丘陵，曼衍相屬，平原廣野，此車騎之地，步兵十不當一。平陵相遠，川谷居間，仰高臨下，此弓弩之地也，短兵百不當一。兩陳相近，平地淺草，可前可後，此長戟之地也，劍楯三不當一。萑葦竹蕭，草木蒙蘢，枝葉茂接，此矛鋋之地也，長戟二不當一。曲道相伏，險厄相薄，此劍楯之地也，弓弩三不當一。士不選練，卒不服習，起居不精，動靜不集，趨利弗及，避難不畢，前擊後解，與金鼓之指相失，此不習勤卒之過也，百不當十。兵不完利，與空手同；甲不堅密，與袒裼同；弩不可以及遠，與短兵同；射不能中，與亡矢同；中不能入，與亡鏃同：此將不省兵之禍也，五不當一。故兵法曰：「器械不利，以其卒予敵也；卒不可用，以其將予敵也；將不知兵，以其主矛敵也；君不擇將，以其國予敵也。四者，兵之至要也。

When armies clash, three things decide the hour: position, drill, and equipment. Ditches, flooded fords, wooded hills, and stony streams are country for infantry; there, two chariots or riders together cannot match one foot soldier. Rolling hills and open steppe favor chariots; ten infantry cannot match one rider. Broken ground with height over depth is country for crossbows; a hundred swords cannot match one bow. Shallow grass between close ranks favors the long halberd; three swordsmen cannot stand against one. Marsh reeds and tangled groves call for the short spear; two halberdiers fall to one spearman. Twisted defiles and blind corners favor the shield and blade; three archers cannot stop one fighter. Ill-chosen, ill-drilled men who miss the drumbeat and scatter under stress—useless by hundreds against ten veterans. Blunt arms are empty hands; rotten mail is naked skin; bows that cannot reach are no better than knives; arrows that fly wide might as well not exist; strikes that glance off might as well be blunt arrowheads—five such troops equal one good man. These five failures mark a commander who never inspected his arsenal. "Unready gear hands your men to the foe; useless soldiers hand your general to the foe; a general who knows no soldiercraft delivers his sovereign to the foe; a ruler who picks the wrong commander gives his realm away. These four are the root of every campaign.

臣又聞小大異形，強弱異勢，險易異備。夫卑身以事強，小國之形也；合小以攻大，敵國之形也；以蠻夷攻蠻夷，中國之形也。今匈奴地形、技藝與中國異。上下山阪，出入溪澗，中國之馬弗與也；險道傾仄，且馳且射，中國之騎弗與也；風雨罷勞，飢渴不困，中國之人弗與也：此匈奴之長技也。若夫平原易地，輕車突騎，則匈奴之眾易撓亂也；勁弩長戟，射疏及遠，則匈奴之弓弗能格也；堅甲利刃，長短相雜，游弩往來，什伍俱前，則匈奴之兵弗能當也；材官騶發，矢道同的，則匈奴之革笥木薦弗能支也；下馬地鬥，劍戟相接，去就相薄，則匈奴之足弗能給也：此中國之長技也。以此觀之，匈奴之長技三，中國之長技五。陛下又興數十萬之眾，以誅數萬之匈奴，眾寡之計，以一擊十之術也。

Size, strength, and terrain each demand their own plan. A small kingdom bows to a greater neighbor; a league of lesser powers strikes a peer; the Middle Kingdom hires steppe against steppe. The Xiongnu way of war is not ours. Their ponies outclimb ours in the broken hills; they can wheel and shoot on a cliffside where our cavalry would fall; they outlast wind, hunger, and thirst that would break Han troops—these are their strengths. Put them on flat ground with our light cars and charging horse, and their ranks unravel; our heavy crossbows and long spears outreach anything they carry; plate, blade, and rotating bowmen in mixed order crush their line; volleys from our corps archers punch through leather screens; dismounted, shield to shield, we outfight men who live in the saddle—these are our edges. They hold three advantages on their ground; we hold five on ours. You field hundreds of thousands against tens of thousands—classic odds of one beating ten.

雖然，兵，匈器；戰，危事也。以大為小，以強為弱，在俯卬之間耳。夫以人之死爭勝，跌而不振，則悔之亡及也。帝王之道，出於萬全。今降胡義渠蠻夷之屬來歸誼者，其眾數千，飲食長技與匈奴同，可賜之堅甲絮衣，勁弓利矢，益以邊郡之良騎。令明將能知其習俗和輯其心者，以陛下之明約將之。即有險阻，以此當之；平地通道，則以輕車材官制之。兩軍相為表裡，各用其長技，衡加之以眾，此萬全之術也。

Even so, arms are ill-omened tools; battle is a wager with fate. Fortune can reverse between one breath and the next. Gambling lives for glory—one slip, and remorse never arrives in time. True kings move only when the odds are sure. The thousands of surrendered Hu and Yiqu who eat and fight like the Xiongnu should be clad in mail and furs, given our best bows, and stiffened with frontier horse. Place them under a general who knows their ways and can bind their loyalty with your clear orders. In broken country, let them bear the brunt; on open roads, loose our chariots and picked bowmen to finish the work. Let native auxiliaries and Han troops back each other, each bringing its best arms to bear while the main host holds the balance—that is how a campaign stays safe.

傳曰：「狂夫之言，而明主擇焉。」臣錯愚陋，昧死上狂言，唯陛下財擇。

The classic line runs: even a fool's counsel may hold a grain the wise prince keeps. I am a dull man offering rash advice at the peril of my head; I leave every word to your judgment.

文帝嘉之，乃賜錯璽書寵答焉，曰：「皇帝問太子家令：上書言兵體三章，聞之。書言『狂夫之言，而明主擇焉』。今則不然。言者不狂，而擇者不明，國之大患，故在於此。使夫不明擇於不狂，是以萬聽而萬不當也。」

Wen praised the memorial and answered with an edict under the imperial seal: "The throne acknowledges your three-part essay on the nature of war. You yourself quoted the saying that a clear-sighted lord picks sense even from a madman's mouth. Yet the case before us is the opposite. The adviser is no lunatic, but the listener fails to see—that is how a realm courts ruin. When a dim ruler sorts sane counsel, every audience miscarries.

錯復言守邊備塞、勸農力本，當世急務二事，曰：

Chao Cuo wrote again on frontier defense and on promoting farming—the twin crises of the hour:

臣聞秦時北攻胡貉，築塞河上，南攻楊粵，置戍卒焉。其起兵而攻胡、粵者，非以衛邊地而救民死也，貪戾而欲廣大也，故功未立而天下亂。且夫起兵而不知其勢，戰則為人禽，屯則卒積死。夫胡貉之地，積陰之處也，木皮三寸，冰厚六尺，食肉而飲酪，其人密理，鳥獸毳毛，其性能寒。楊粵之地少陰多陽，其人疏理，鳥獸希毛，其性能暑。秦之戍卒不能其水土，戍者死於邊，輸者僨於道。秦民見行，如往棄市，因以謫發之，名曰「謫戍」。先發吏有謫及贅婿、賈人，後以嘗有市籍者，又後以大父母、父母嘗有市籍者，後入閭，取其左。發之不順，行者深恐，有背畔之心。凡民守戰至死而不降北者，以計為之也。故戰勝守固則有拜爵之賞，攻城屠邑則得其財鹵以富家室，故能使其眾蒙矢石，赴湯火，視死如生。今秦之發卒也，有萬死之害，而亡銖兩之報，死事之後不得一算之復，天下明知禍烈及已也。陳勝行戍，至於大澤，為天下先倡，天下從之如流水者，秦以威劫而行之之敝也。

Under Qin the court struck north against the steppe peoples and walled the river line, then turned south against the Yue and planted garrisons there. Those wars were not waged to shield the frontier or spare the people; they were wars of greed. No lasting gain came of them, only empire-wide revolt. March blind to terrain and climate and you lose every battle; sit idle on the wall and disease stacks the corpses. The northern steppe is yin country: thick bark, yards of ice, a diet of meat and milk, tight-pored skin, shaggy beasts—life there is built for frost. The southern marshes are the reverse—open pores, thin pelts, a constitution made for damp heat. Qin sent interior peasants who could not bear alien soil: the guards died at the posts, the supply columns dropped along the way. Each levy looked like a march to the headsman's block, so the court branded the drafts as penal exile—"relegation garrisons. The first waves were convicts, live-in sons-in-law, and tradesmen; then anyone ever on the market register, then their children and grandchildren; finally agents swept the lanes for the "left-side" households. Unfair drafting bred terror in the ranks and turned every column toward mutiny. Men stand a siege or charge a line to the death when policy gives them reason to. Qin promised rank for a stand, booty for a sack—so soldiers would brave bolts and blades as if they were walking home. Qin's levies meant near-certain death for no pay, no tax remission for the widowed kin—every family saw the trap closing on itself. Chen Sheng's guard detail reached Daze and sparked the rebellion; the empire poured after him because Qin had marched men forward only with the whip.

胡人衣食之業不著於地，其勢易以擾亂邊境。何以明之？胡人食肉飲酪，衣皮毛，非有城郭田宅之歸居，如飛鳥走獸於廣野，美草甘水則止，草盡水竭則移。以是觀之，往來轉徙，時至時去，此胡人之生業，而中國之所以離南畝也。今使胡人數處轉牧行獵於塞下，或當燕、代，或當上郡、北地、隴西，以候備塞之卒，卒少則入。陛下不救，則邊民絕望而有降敵之心；救之，少發則不足，多發，遠縣才至，則胡又已去。聚而不罷，為費甚大；罷之，則胡復入。如此連年，則中國貧苦而民不安矣。

The steppe peoples do not root their food and dress in fixed fields, so they can strike the line whenever they please. How do we know? They herd and hunt like wildlife—no farms, no walls—moving on when pasture fails. Their ceaseless drift is their economy—and the reason Han farmers cannot stay on the southern fields in peace. Let them wheel their herds along the wall now facing Yan-Dai, now facing Shangjun, Beidi, or Longxi, probing for thin garrisons—and wherever the line is weak they pour through. Fail to answer a raid and the frontier folk lose hope and think of yielding to the raiders; send too few and the relief is swallowed; send a host from the interior and the horsemen have vanished before the column arrives. Keep the army standing and the treasury bleeds; disband it and the raids resume the next week. Years of that cycle beggar the central plain and leave the people sleepless.

陛下幸憂邊境，遣將吏發卒以治塞，甚大惠也。然令遠方之卒守塞，一歲而更，不知胡人之能，不如選常居者，家室田作，且以備之。以便為之高城深塹，具藺石，布渠答，復為一城其內，城間百五十歲。要害之處，通川之道，調立城邑，毋下千家，為中周虎落。先為室屋，具田器，乃募罪人及免徒復作令居之；不足，募以丁奴婢贖罪及輸奴婢欲以拜爵者；不足，乃募民之欲往者。皆賜高爵，復其家。予冬夏衣，廩食，能自給而止。郡縣之民得買其爵，以自增至卿。其亡夫若妻者，縣官買與之。人情非有匹敵，不能久安其處。塞下之民，祿利不厚，不可使久居危難之地。胡人入驅而能止其所驅者，以其半予之，縣官為贖其民。如是，則邑裡相救助，赴胡不避死。非以德上也，欲全親戚而利其財也。此與東方之戍卒不習地勢而心畏胡者，功相萬也。以陛下之時，徙民實邊，使遠方亡屯戍之事，塞下之民父子相保，亡系虜之患，利施後世，名稱聖明，其與秦之行怨民，相去遠矣。

Your care for the border—sending officers and men to rebuild the wall—is already a vast mercy. Rotating interior conscripts yearly never teaches them the steppe; better settle families there to farm and fight from home. Raise inner and outer ramparts a hundred fifty paces apart, stock rolling logs, sow caltrops, and dig a killing ditch between the rings. Plant market-towns of at least a thousand hearths on every choke point and valley road, each ringed with palisaded camps. Issue seed, ploughs, and roof-timber first, then fill the sites with convicts and men buying out penal labor; if more bodies are needed, take slaves whose owners pay fines in human chattel; then open the rolls to any freeman willing to go west for a grant. Every volunteer receives a noble rank and tax relief for his kin. The state clothes and feeds them until their own fields answer. Interior households may buy companion ranks up to the senior ministerial grade to help fund the scheme. Bachelors and widows on the line are paired at public expense. People will not put down roots without spouses and neighbors they trust. No one will live under the sword unless the pay and perquisites are rich. Half the recovered captives go to the rescuer as loot; the treasury redeems the rest for their families. Neighbor will fight for neighbor—not from abstract loyalty but to save kin and property. They are not chasing abstract virtue; they are guarding cousins and cattle. That beats importing eastern peasants who fear the grasslands by a factor of ten thousand. Resettle the interior on the wall, end the annual relay of conscripts, let frontier fathers and sons shield one another, and free the realm from slave raids—your name will shine for ages where Qin's only legacy was hatred.

上從其言，募民徙塞下。錯復言：

The throne adopted the plan and opened recruitment for colonists beyond the wall. Chao Cuo followed with another memorial:

陛下幸募民相徒以實塞下，使屯戍之事益省，輸將之費益寡，甚大惠也。下吏誠能稱厚惠，奉明法，存恤所徙之老弱，善遇其壯士，和輯其心而勿侵刻，使先至者安樂而不思故鄉，則貧民相募而勸往矣。臣聞古之徙遠方以實廣虛也，相其陰陽之和，嘗其水泉之味，審其土地之宜，觀其草木之饒，然後營邑立城，制裡割宅，通田作之道，正阡陌之界，先為築室，家有一堂二內，門戶之閉，置器物焉，民至有所居，作有所用，此民所以輕去故鄉而勸之新邑也。為置醫巫，以救疾病，以修祭祀，男女有昏，生死相恤，墳墓相從，種樹畜長，室屋完安，此所以使民樂其處而有長居之心也。

Your order to shift households to the border has cut rotating guard duty and supply trains—that is already a great boon. Magistrates must live up to it: clear statutes, gentle handling of the frail, respect for the able, no squeeze on the pioneers—then the first arrivals stay content and the poor of the interior will crowd west for a place. Ancient colonizers sent surveyors to read water, soil, and aspect before they staked towns, platted lanes, opened fields, and roofed cottages—hall, two rooms, barred gate—so families stepped off the cart into a working farm; that is how the court persuaded people to leave home. Add healers, priests, weddings, mutual burial societies, orchards, herds, and sound roofs—then the settlers come to love the soil.

臣又聞古之制邊縣以備敵也，使五家為伍，伍有長；十長一里，裡有假士；四里一連，連有假五百；十連一邑，邑有假候：皆擇其邑之賢材有護，習地形知民心者，居則習民於射法，出則教民於應敵。故卒伍成於內，則軍正定於外。服習以成，勿令遷徙，幼則同游，長則共事。夜戰聲相知，則足以相救；晝戰目相見，則足以相識；歡愛之心，足以相死。如此而勸以厚賞，威以重罰，則前死不還踵矣。所徙之民非壯有材力，但費衣糧，不可用也；雖有材力，不得良吏，猶亡功也。

Old frontier law grouped five hearths under a squad chief; ten squads became a hamlet under a deputy; four hamlets formed a company under a deputy captain; ten companies made a cantonment under an acting colonel—each officer a local man who knew ground and temper, who taught shooting in peacetime and battle in war. Sound squads at home make an army that holds the line abroad. Keep the colonists in place: boys who played together become men who march together. Night sorties work because friends recognize friends' voices; daylight charges work because neighbors know neighbors' faces. Affection bred in the lane makes men die for each other willingly. Layer generous bounties and stern penalties on that bond and men will not flinch from the front rank. Weak settlers eat stores without adding a spear to the line; stout bodies without honest magistrates still win nothing.

陛下絕匈奴不與和親，臣竊意其冬來南也，壹大治，則終身創矣。欲立威者，始於折膠，來而不能困，使得氣去，後未易服也。愚臣亡識，唯陛下財察。

You have renounced heqin with the Xiongnu; I expect a winter raid—one crushing response now cripples them for a generation. Autumn is the season to show strength; let a raiding band ride home unpunished and you will never humble them again. I am a dull man; I leave the decision to you.

後詔有司舉賢良文學士，錯在選中。上親策詔之，曰：

Later the court called for worthy literati; Chao Cuo's name was on the list. The emperor set the examination question in his own hand:

惟十有五年九月壬子，皇帝曰：「昔者大禹勤求賢士，施及方外，四極之內，舟車所至，人跡所及，靡不聞命，以輔其不逮；近者獻其明，遠者通厥聰，比善戮力，以翼天子。是以大禹能亡失德，夏以長□。高皇帝親除大害，去亂從，並建豪英，以為官師，為諫爭，輔天子之闕，而翼戴漢宗也。賴天之靈，宗廟之福，方內以安，澤及四夷。今朕獲執天子之正，以承宗廟之祀，朕既不德，又不敏，明弗能燭，而智不能治，此大夫之所著聞也。故詔有司、諸侯王、三公、九卿及主郡吏，各帥其志，以選賢良明於國家之大體，通於人事之終始，及能直言極諫者，各有人數，將以匡朕之不逮。二三大夫之行當此三道，朕甚嘉之，故登大夫於朝，親諭朕志。大夫其上三道之要，及永惟朕之不德，吏之不平，政之不宣，民之不寧，四者之闕，悉陳其志，毋有所隱。上以薦先帝之宗廟，下以興愚民之休利，著之於篇，朕親覽焉，觀大夫所以佐朕，至與不至。書之，周之密之，重之閉之。興自朕躬，大夫其正論，毋枉執事。烏乎，戒之！二三大夫其帥志毋怠！」

Fifteenth year, ninth month, day renzi—the edict began: Yu the Great sought talent to the ends of the earth; wherever cart or keel could reach, he demanded counsel to patch his own blind spots; the near brought vision, the far brought news, all striving together to shoulder the Son of Heaven; and so Yu never slipped from the Way, and the house of Xia endured—though the tablet here is damaged. Gaozu swept away the tyrant, raised lieutenants as teachers and critics to fill his gaps, and propped the Han altars; Heaven and the shrines smiled within the passes and the favor spread beyond the four barrens. We hold the regalia yet lack both virtue and wit—our sight does not reach, our judgment does not rule—as you ministers know too well. We therefore charge every bureau, every king, every duke, every minister, every prefect to nominate men who grasp statecraft, human affairs, and fearless counsel—each to a quota—to mend our rule. You few who walk those three paths have Our praise; We have called you to the hall to hear Our mind plain. Speak the three themes plainly, then weigh Our want of virtue, corrupt clerks, blocked policy, restless commons—four gaps—and hide nothing. Write answers that may honor the dead emperors and profit the living; We will read each page and see how far you truly steady Our hand. Record your replies, bind them close, seal them thrice. The fault is Ours; speak straight and do not trim for your portfolios. Take heed. You who were chosen—do not fail Us.

錯對曰：

Chao Cuo answered:

平陽侯臣窋、汝陰侯臣灶、穎陰侯臣何、廷尉臣宜昌、隴西太守臣昆邪所選賢良太子家令臣錯昧死再拜言：臣竊聞古之賢主莫不求賢以為輔翼，故黃帝得力牧而為五帝先，大禹得咎繇而為三王祖，齊桓得管子而為五伯長。今陛下講於大禹及高皇帝之建豪英也，退托於不明，以求賢良，讓之至也。臣竊觀上世之傳，若高皇帝之建功業，陛下之德厚而得賢佐，皆有司之所覽，刻於玉版，藏於金匱，歷之春秋，紀之後世，為帝者祖宗，與天地相終。今臣□等乃以臣錯充賦，甚不稱明詔求賢之意。臣錯草茅臣，亡識知，昧死上愚對，曰：

The board of recommenders—Marquis of Pingyang Cao Kui, Marquis of Ruoyin, Marquis of Yingyin Guan He, the minister of justice Yichang, the governor of Longxi Kunxie—placed your servant Chao Cuo on the list. I kowtow twice and say: every sage king sought helpers; the Yellow Emperor won Limu and led the Five Thearchs, Yu won Gao Yao and founded the Three Dynasties, Huan won Guan Zhong and headed the Five Hegemons. You rehearse the deeds of Yu and Gaozu, then call yourself dim while summoning talent—that is humility carried almost too far. The annals already hold Gaozu's wars and your own virtue in gathering ministers—texts graven in jade, locked in golden chests, meant to outlast heaven and earth. Yet the board has stuffed the quota with me—hardly what your call for sages intended. I am a nobody from the thatch; risking execution I offer this dull response:

詔策曰「明於國家大體」，愚臣竊以古之五帝明之。臣聞五帝神對，其臣莫能及，故自親事，處於法官之中，明堂之上；動靜上配天，下順地，中得人。故眾生之類亡下覆也，根著之徒亡不載也；燭以光明，亡偏異也；德上及飛鳥，下至水蟲草木諸產，皆被其澤。然後陰陽調，四時節，日月光，風雨時，膏露降，五穀熟，襖孽滅，賊氣息，民不疾疫，河出圖，洛出書，神龍至，鳳鳥翔，德澤滿天下，靈光施四海。此謂配天地，治國大體之功也。

On "grasping the great body of state"—I take the Five Thearchs as my mirror. The Five Thearchs were gods among men; no minister matched them, so they ruled from the Bright Hall with their own hands; motion and rest aligned with heaven, earth, and humanity; so every creature had sky above and soil below; their light fell without favor; their virtue soaked birds, fish, plants, and grain alike. Then the seasons ran true, rain and sun kept time, grain ripened, plagues ceased, the rivers yielded their charts, dragons and phoenixes answered, and the realm swam in blessing. That is what it means to stand with heaven and earth and to grasp the whole body of statecraft.

詔策曰「通於人事終始」，愚臣竊以古之三王明之。臣聞三王臣主俱賢，故合謀相輔，計安天下，莫不本於人情。人情莫不欲壽，三王生而不傷也；人情莫不欲富，三王厚而不困也；人情莫不欲安，三王扶而不危也；人情莫不欲逸，三王節其力而不盡也。其為法令也，合於人情而後行之；其動眾使民也，本於人事然後為之。取人以己，內恕及人。情之所惡，不以強人；情之所欲，不以禁民。是以天下樂其政，歸其德，望之若父母，從之若流水；百姓和親，國家安寧，名位不失，施及後世。此明於人情終始之功也。

On "knowing human affairs from start to finish"—I answer with the Three Kings. The Three Kings matched wise lords with wise ministers, planned together, and never lost sight of what flesh-and-blood people need. Every man wants to live long; those kings fostered life instead of shortening it;" every man wants wealth; they enriched the people instead of beggaring them;" every man wants peace; they steadied the realm instead of rocking it;" every man wants rest; they husbanded labor instead of grinding men to dust." They promulgated only laws that fit human nature, then enforced them;" they drafted armies and corvée only after weighing real human cost." They measured others by themselves and forgame as they wished to be forgiven. They never forced on the people what they themselves would hate;" they never banned what honest hearts naturally crave." The empire embraced their rule as children embrace parents and followed their edicts like water downhill;" kinship ran warm inside the walls, the dynasty rested easy, ranks stayed firm, and the blessing reached grandchildren." That is the fruit of truly knowing the human heart from birth to death.

詔策曰「直言極諫」，愚臣竊以五伯之臣明之。臣聞五伯不及其臣，故屬之以國，任之以事。五伯之佐之為人臣也，察身而不敢誣，奉法令不容私，盡心力不敢矜，遭患難不避死，見賢不居其上，受祿不過其量，不以亡能居尊顯之位。自行若此，可謂方正之士矣。其立法也，非以苦民傷眾而為之機陷也，以之興利除害，尊主安民而救暴亂也。其行賞也，非虛取民財妄予人也，以勸天下之忠孝而明其功也。故功多者賞厚，功少者賞薄。如此，斂民財以顧其功，而民不恨者，知與而安己也。其行罰也，非以忿怒妄誅而從暴心也，以禁天下不忠不孝而害國者也。故罪大者罰重，罪小者罰輕。如此，民雖伏罪至死而不怨者，知罪罰之至，自取之也。立法若此，可謂平正之吏矣。法之逆者，請而更之，不以傷民；主行之暴者，逆而復之，不以傷國。救主之失，補主之過，揚主之美，明主之功，使主內亡邪辟之行，外亡騫污之名。事君若此，可謂直言極諫之士矣。此五伯之所以德匡天下，威正諸侯，功業甚美，名聲章明。舉天下之賢主，五伯與焉，此身不及其臣而使得直言極諫補其不逮之功也。今陛下人民之眾，威武之重，德惠之厚，令行禁止之勢，萬萬於五伯，而賜愚臣策曰「匡朕之不逮」，愚臣何足以識陛下之高明而奉承之！

On "fearless remonstrance"—I take the Five Hegemons' ministers as my text. The hegemons knew they fell short of their advisers, so they handed them the government whole. Their ministers were honest men: no self-dealing, no nepotism in the law, no boasting of loyalty, no shrinking from death, no envy of better men, no salaries above their worth, no sitting in a high seat they could not fill. That is the profile of a straight-arrow minister. Their statutes aimed at public good—lifting the people, shielding the throne, crushing disorder—not at traps for the innocent. Their bounties were not bribes; they paid cash for loyalty and filial piety and made merit visible to all." Great deeds won heavy gifts, small deeds light ones." The people paid taxes without grudge because they saw the coin come back as order and safety. Their executions punished treason and parricide, not private tantrums of the throne." Weight of sentence matched weight of guilt." Condemned men went to the block without cursing the judge—they knew they had earned the rope. That is what even-handed law looks like. Bad clauses were revised before they hurt the commons;" when the sovereign turned cruel, ministers pushed back without breaking the realm." They patched his slips, hid his stains, sang his virtues, and kept his reputation clean at home and abroad. That is fearless counsel in its highest form. Hence the hegemons set the world to rights by moral weight, cowed vassals by dread, and left a bright name. They rank among history's best lords because they admitted inferiority to their ministers and let blunt words fill the gap. You surpass the hegemons in every measure—people, arms, bounty, command—yet you ask me to "mend your faults." I am too dull to compass your heights, let alone answer them.

詔策曰「吏之不平，政之不宣，民之不寧」，愚臣竊以秦事明之。臣聞秦始並天下之時，其主不及三王，而臣不及其佐，然功力不遲者，何也？地形便，山川利，財用足，民利戰。其所與並者六國，六國者，臣主皆不肖，謀不輯，民不用，故當此之時，秦最富強。夫國富強而鄰國亂者，帝王之資也，故秦能兼六國，立為天子。當此之時，三王之功不能進焉。及其末塗之衰也，任不肖而信讒賊；宮室過度，耆欲亡極，民力罷盡，賦斂不節；矜奮自賢，群臣恐諛，驕溢縱恣，不顧患禍；妄賞以隨喜意，妄誅以快怒心，法令煩憯，刑罰暴酷，輕絕人命，身自射殺；天下寒心，莫安其處。奸邪之吏，乘其亂法，以成其威，獄官主斷，生殺自恣。上下瓦解，各自為制。秦始亂之時，吏之所先侵者，貧人賤民也；至其中節，所侵者富人吏家也；及其末塗，所侵者宗室大臣也。是故親疏皆危，外內咸怨，離散逋逃，人有走心。陳勝先倡，天下大潰，絕祀亡世，為異姓福。此吏不平，政不宣，民不寧之禍也。今陛下配天象地，覆露萬民，絕秦之跡，除其亂法；躬親本事，廢去淫末；除苛解嬈，寬大愛人；肉刑不用，罪人亡帑；非謗不治，鑄錢者除；通關去塞，不孽諸侯；賓禮長老，愛恤少孤；罪人有期，後宮出嫁；尊賜孝悌，農民不租；明詔軍師，愛士大夫；求進方正，廢退奸邪；除去陰刑，害民者誅；憂勞百姓，列侯就都；親耕節用，視民不奢。所為天下興利除害，變法易故，以安海內者，大功數十，皆上世之所難及，陛下行之，道純德厚，元元之民幸矣。

On corrupt clerks, blocked policy, restless people—I turn to Qin's lesson. Qin's king was no match for the Three Kings, his ministers no match for theirs—yet Qin conquered fast. Why?" Geography favored them, treasuries were full, and the people learned to live by the sword." Their rivals were six weak courts with foolish lords, divided counsels, and idle armies—so Qin grew richest first." A rich kingdom beside collapsing neighbors is the stuff of empire—Qin rode that wave to the throne." Even the Three Kings' prime could not have outpaced that moment." At the end Qin trusted knaves and flatterers;" palaces multiplied, appetites ran wild, corvée broke the peasant, taxes knew no ceiling;" the First Emperor preened while ministers cringed, pride swelled, peril went unseen;" rewards followed whims, executions followed moods, statutes multiplied, torture turned casual, lives ended on a nod—sometimes by the emperor's own bow;" the empire froze—no one felt safe in his bed." Petty judges seized the muddle of codes to play tyrant; yamen runners held life-and-death in their palms." Court and countryside split; every office became a separate law." Early in the rot clerks preyed on the poor;" midway they bled the rich and the petty official class;" at the end even princes and chief ministers were stripped." Kin and stranger, capital and province—all hated the throne; men drifted toward exile or revolt. Chen Sheng struck first; the dynasty shattered, the temple fires went out, and another house picked up the pieces. That is the price of venal clerks, mute policy, and a raging mob. You mirror heaven and earth, shelter every subject, and have torn up Qin's cruel code;" you plough the sacred field yourself and starve the useless trades;" you repealed the cruel statutes and ruled with a wide hand;" mutilation vanished, light felons go unchained;" speech crimes were dropped and false-mint charges cleared;" internal customs gates fell so vassals need not smuggle;" you feast the gray-haired and pension the fatherless;" sentences run to a set date, surplus concubines are sent to wed commoners;" filial sons win grants, tillers skip the land tax;" orders praise the generals and stroke the gentry;" honest men rise, sneaks fall;" secret tribunals end, public enemies die;" you fret over the commons and pack the nobles off to their states;" you tighten the palace purse and shun display so the people may breathe." You have scored dozens of reforms our ancestors never matched—pure policy, deep virtue, and the black-haired millions are the better for it.

詔策曰「永惟朕之不德」，愚臣不足以當之。

On "ponder my want of virtue"—I dare not pretend to answer that theme.

詔策曰「悉陳其志，毋有所隱」，愚臣竊以五帝之賢臣明之。臣聞五帝其臣莫能及，則自親之；三王臣主俱賢，則共憂之；五伯不及其臣，則任使之。此所以神明不遺，而賢聖不廢也，故各當其世而立功德焉。傳曰「往者不可及，來者猶可待，能明其世者謂之天子」，此之謂也。竊聞戰不勝者易其地，民貧窮者變其業。今以陛下神明德厚，資財不下五帝，臨制天下，至今十有六年，民不益富，盜賊不衰，邊境未安，其所以然，意者陛下未之躬親，而待群臣也。今執事之臣皆天下之選已，然莫能望陛下清光，譬之猶五帝之佐也。陛下不自躬親，而待不望清光之臣，臣竊恐神明之遺也。日損一日，歲亡一歲，日月益暮，盛德不及究於天下，以傳萬世，愚臣不自度量，竊為陛下惜之。昧死上狂惑草茅之愚，臣言惟陛下財擇。

On "hide nothing"—I cite the Five Thearchs' ministers. When no adviser equaled the thearch, the thearch ruled alone;" when lord and minister were both wise, they worried as one;" when the hegemon fell short, he delegated and trusted." Thus no age lacked talent, and each generation left its mark. The classic says the past is gone but the future may still be shaped—he who reads his own times is the true Son of Heaven. Losing armies need new terrain; starving peasants need new work. Sixteen years on the throne, yet the people are no richer, thieves no fewer, the steppe still restless—I fear you leave too much to ministers who lack your vision. Your bench is full of picked men, yet none basks in your full light—they are assistants, not partners. If you stay aloof from what only you can see, the "numinous clarity" of rule will slip away. Each day the chance ebbs; your towering virtue may never fully reach the people or be sealed for posterity—I grieve for that, though I am unworthy to say so. I risk execution to bleat like a fool from the weeds; use or discard these words as you will.

時，賈誼已死，對策者百餘人，唯錯為高第，繇是遷中大夫。錯又言宜削諸侯事，及法令可更定者，書凡三十篇。孝文雖不盡聽，然奇其材。當是時，太子善錯計策，爰盎諸大功臣多不好錯。

Jia Yi was in the grave; of a hundred examinees only Chao Cuo took top rank and rose to grandee of the palace. He also urged stripping the kingdoms and rewriting the code—thirty memorials in all. Wen did not adopt every plan but admired the man. The crown prince loved his schemes; Yuan Ang and the old guard detested him.

景帝即位，以錯為內史。錯數請間言事，輒聽，幸傾九卿，法令多所更定。丞相申屠嘉心弗便，力未有以傷。內史府居太上廟□中，門東出，不便，錯乃穿門南出，鑿廟□垣。丞相大怒，欲因此過為奏請誅錯。錯聞之，即請間為上言之。丞相奏事，因言錯擅鑿廟垣為門，請下廷尉誅。上曰：「此非廟垣，乃□中垣，不致於法。」丞相謝。罷朝，因怒謂長史曰：「吾當先斬以聞，乃先請，固誤。」丞相遂發病死。錯以此愈貴。

Jing named him inner secretary to the capital. He won private audiences, overshadowed the nine ministers, and rewrote half the regulations. Chancellor Shen Tu Jia bridled but could not strike. His office sat inside the high temple precinct; the official gate faced east and was awkward, so he opened a southern gate through the temple's outer wall—the lacuna marks an illegible graph in the text. The chancellor meant to hang the sacrilege charge on him and demand his head. Chao Cuo raced to the palace for a private word with the emperor. At the next audience Shen Tu Jia accused him of breaching the temple wall and asked the Minister of Justice to behead him. The emperor replied, "That was the outer screen wall, not the sacred enclosure itself—no crime worth the courts." (The manuscript has a lacuna.) The chancellor withdrew his charge. After court he snarled to his chief clerk, "I should have cut him down first and reported afterward—asking leave was my blunder." He sickened with rage and died. Chao Cuo climbed higher still.

遷為御史大夫，請諸侯之罪過，削其支郡。奏上，上令公卿、列侯、宗室雜議，莫敢難，獨竇嬰爭之，繇此與錯有隙。錯所更令三十章，諸侯□嘩。錯父聞之，從穎川來，謂錯曰：「上初即位，公為政用事，侵削諸侯，疏人骨肉，口讓多怨，公何為也？」錯曰：「固也。不如此，天子不尊，宗廟不安。」父曰：「劉氏安矣，而晁氏危，吾去公歸矣！」遂飲藥死，曰「吾不忍見禍逮身。」

Raised to imperial counselor, he listed each king's offenses and moved to confiscate outlying counties. The throne sent the proposal to a joint council; only Dou Ying objected—there the feud between them began. The thirty new clauses set the kingdoms in an uproar—the damaged graph likely describes their outcry. Chao Cuo's father rode from Yingchuan and said, "The new emperor trusts you, yet you strip the kings and set brother against brother—the whole realm will curse your name. Why?" Chao Cuo replied, "It has to be done." Without this the throne stays weak and the altars tremble." "The Lius will thrive," he said, "but our clan is finished—I am going home." He swallowed poison, saying he would not live to watch the reckoning come.

後十餘日，吳、楚七國俱反，以誅錯為名。上與錯議出軍事，錯欲令上自將兵，而身居守。會竇嬰言爰盎，詔召入見，上方與錯調兵食。上問盎曰：「君嘗為吳相，知吳臣田祿伯為人乎？今吳、楚反，於公意何如？」對曰：「不足憂也，今破矣。」上曰：「吳王即山鑄錢，煮海為鹽，誘天下豪桀，白頭舉事，此其計不百全，豈發乎？何以言其無能為也？」盎對曰：「吳銅、鹽之利則有之，安得豪桀而誘之！誠令吳得豪桀，亦且輔而為誼，不反矣。吳所誘，皆亡賴子弟，亡命鑄錢奸人，故相誘以亂。」錯曰：「盎策之善。」上問曰：「計安出？」盎對曰：「願屏左右。」上屏人，獨錯在。盎曰：「臣所言，人臣不得知。」乃屏錯。錯趨避東箱，甚恨。上卒問盎，對曰：「吳、楚相遺書，言高皇帝王子弟各有分地，今賊臣晁錯擅適諸侯，削奪之地，以故反名為西共誅錯，復故地而罷。方今計，獨有斬錯，發使赦吳、楚七國，復其故地，則兵可毋血刃而俱罷。」於是上默然良久，曰：「顧誠何如，吾不愛一人謝天下。」盎曰：「愚計出此，唯上孰計之。」乃拜盎為泰常，密裝治行。

Within a fortnight Wu, Chu, and five other kingdoms rose in arms demanding Chao Cuo's head as their public pretext. In council Chao Cuo urged the emperor to take the field in person while he held the capital. Dou Ying mentioned Yuan Ang; a summons brought him to court while Jing was still haggling over grain and battalions with Chao Cuo. The emperor asked, "You governed Wu—what sort of man is Tian Lubo?" With Wu and Chu in revolt, what is your reading?" Yuan Ang said, "Do not fret—they are already beaten in spirit." "The king of Wu mints his own cash and boils the sea for salt; he has bought every adventurer in the empire and now moves with white hair—would he strike without a sure plan?" Why call him a hollow threat?" Yuan Ang answered, "Copper and salt do not buy heroes;" had he real champions they would steady his hand, not fire a rebellion;" his camp is drifters, counterfeiters, and wastrels egging each other on." Chao Cuo muttered that Yuan Ang had the right of it. "Then what is your counsel?" asked the emperor. Yuan Ang asked everyone to withdraw. The room emptied except for Chao Cuo. Yuan Ang said, "What follows is for the throne alone." He motioned Chao Cuo out. Chao Cuo withdrew to the eastern gallery, furious at the slight. Alone with the emperor Yuan Ang said the rebel manifesto claimed Gaozu gave each prince his fief, while the minister Chao Cuo illegally pared those domains; they marched west, so they said, to kill Chao Cuo, win back their old borders, and disband. Execute Chao Cuo, send heralds offering pardon, return their lands—then the armies melt away without a battle." Jing sat silent, then said, "If that ends it, one life is a cheap price." Yuan Ang added, "It is a bitter remedy—weigh it yourself." He was named Grand Master of Ceremonies and packed for a secret mission.

後十餘日，丞相青翟、中尉嘉、廷慰歐劾奏錯曰：「吳王反逆亡道，欲危宗廟，天下所當共誅。今御史大夫錯議曰：『兵數百萬，獨屬群臣，不可信，陛下不如自出臨兵，使錯居守。徐、僮之旁吳所未下者可以予吳。』錯不稱陛下德信，欲疏群臣百姓，又欲以城邑予吳，亡臣子禮，大逆無道。錯當要斬，父母妻子同產無少長皆棄市。臣請論如法。」制曰：「可。」錯殊不知。乃使中尉召錯，紿載行市。錯衣朝衣，斬東市。

Ten days later the chancellor Qing Zhai (the name is often read as Tao Qing), metropolitan commandant Jia, and minister of justice Ou indicted Chao Cuo: the king of Wu menaces the imperial shrines and must be crushed by the realm— yet Counselor Chao Cuo has argued that a host of hundreds of thousands cannot be left to ministers—that you must lead the army yourself while he guards the capital. He would even cede the country around Xu and Tong still outside Wu's grasp." He belittles your virtue, sets court and people against you, and bargains away walled towns—no subject's duty there; it is treason. He should die by waist chop, kin to the last cousin executed in the marketplace." We ask sentence under the code." The edict read: "Granted." Chao Cuo heard nothing of it. The commandant of the capital lured him into a carriage bound for the execution ground. Still in full court dress they cut his throat in the eastern market.

錯已死，謁者僕射鄧公為校尉，擊吳、楚為將。還，上書言軍事，見上。上問曰：「道軍所來，聞晁錯死，吳、楚罷不？」鄧公曰：「吳為反數十歲矣，發怒削地，以誅錯為名，其意不在錯也。且臣怒天下之士箝口不敢復言矣。」上曰：「何哉？」鄧公曰：「夫晁錯患諸侯強大不可制，故請削之，以尊京師，萬世之利也。計劃始行，卒受大戮，內杜忠臣之口，外為諸侯報仇，臣竊為陛下不取也。」於是景帝喟然長息，曰：「公言善。吾亦恨之！」乃拜鄧公為城陽中尉。

When Chao Cuo was dead, Deng Gong—grand usher—was serving as a colonel against Wu and Chu. He came back from the front, wrote up the campaign, and was received in audience. "On the march," asked Jing, "did you hear that Wu and Chu disbanded once Chao Cuo died?" Deng Gong said, "Wu has nursed rebellion for decades; losing counties enraged them, but Chao Cuo's death was never their true aim." I am indignant as well that honest men across the realm will seal their lips and never dare counsel you again." "How so?" asked the emperor. Deng Gong said, "Chao Cuo pared the kingdoms because they threatened the capital—that was a policy for the ages;" the blade had barely fallen on his plan when you struck off his head—silencing loyal counsel abroad while handing the rebels a victory at home. That was a mistake, Son of Heaven." Emperor Jing exhaled long and said, "You speak truth." I regret it now myself." He named Deng Gong metropolitan commandant of Chengyang.

鄧公，成固人也，多奇計。建元年中，上招賢良，公卿言鄧先。鄧先時免，起家為九卿。一年，復謝病免歸。其子章，以修黃、老言顯諸公間。

Deng Gong came from Chenggu and was full of stratagems. When Wu-di called for talent, the high ministers named Deng Xian. Deng Xian had been out of office; he leapt from private life to the nine ministers. A year later he begged off ill and went home. His son Zhang won fame at court for expounding Huang-Lao doctrine.

贊曰：爰盎雖不好學，亦善傅會，仁心為質，引義慷慨。遭孝文初立，資適逢世。時已變易，及吳壹說，果於用辯，身亦不遂。晁錯銳於為國遠慮，而不見身害。其父睹之，經於溝瀆，亡益救敗，不如趙母指括，以全其宗。悲夫！錯雖不終，世哀其忠。故論其施行之語著於篇。

The historian says: Yuan Ang was no scholar, yet he could weave argument to the moment; kindness was his core, and he spoke principle with heat. He rose while Wen was founding the new reign and his temper fit the times. When the age turned and counsel over Wu and Chu came into play, he leaned too hard on sharp speech and paid with his life. Chao Cuo foresaw the realm's peril but not his own. His father chose suicide in a ditch—a useless gesture beside Zhao Kuo's mother, who denounced her son to save the family. Sad indeed. Chao Cuo died young, yet later ages mourn his loyalty. His memorials and deeds are preserved in this chapter.

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