1
衛青字仲卿。 其父鄭季，河東平陽人也，以縣吏給事侯家。 平陽侯曹壽尚武帝姊陽信長公主。 季與主家僮衛媼通，生青。 青有同母兄衛長及姊子夫，子夫自平陽公主家得幸武帝，故青冒姓為衛氏。 衛媼長女君孺，次女少兒，次女則子夫。 子夫男弟步廣，皆冒衛氏。
Wei Qing’s courtesy name was Zhongqing. His father, Zheng Ji, came from Pingyang in Hedong and had served as a county clerk in a marquis’s household. The Marquis of Pingyang, Cao Shou, was married to the Princess of Yangxin, Emperor Wu’s elder sister. Zheng Ji took up with Wei Ao, a bondservant in the princess’s household, and she gave birth to Qing. Qing had a maternal elder brother named Wei Zhang and an elder sister, Zifu. After Zifu, from the Princess of Pingyang’s household, became favored by Emperor Wu, Qing adopted the surname Wei. Wei Ao’s daughters were, in order: Junru, Shaor, and then Zifu. Zifu’s younger brother by the same mother was Bu Guang; they all bore the surname Wei.
2
衛青為侯家人，少時歸其父，父使牧羊。 民母之子皆奴畜之，不以為兄弟數。 青嘗從人至甘泉居室，有一鉗徒相青曰：「貴人也，官至封侯。」 青笑曰：「人奴之生，得無笞罵即足矣，安得封侯事乎！」
While Qing still lived as part of a marquis’s household, he was sent in boyhood to his father’s home, where his father put him to herding sheep. His father’s legitimate sons treated him as little better than a slave and refused to acknowledge him as a brother. Once, when Qing had accompanied someone to the Ganquan residence, a shackled convict skilled in physiognomy told him, “You are destined for nobility; your office will rise to a marquisate.” Qing laughed and replied, “I was born a slave’s son—as long as I am spared the rod and curses, I shall be content. What business have I with a marquisate?”
3
青壯，為侯家騎，從平陽主。 建元二年春，青姊子夫得入宮幸上。 皇后，大長公主女也，無子，妒。 大長公主聞衛子夫幸，有身，妒之，乃使人捕青。 青時給事建章，未知名。 大長公主執囚青，欲殺之。 其友騎郎公孫敖與壯士往篡之，故得不死。 上聞，乃召青為建章監，侍中。 及母昆弟貴，賞賜數日間累千金。 君孺為太僕公孫賀妻。 少兒故與陳掌通，上召貴掌。 公孫敖由此益顯。 子夫為夫人。 青為太中大夫。
When he came of age, Qing served as a mounted attendant in the marquis’s household and rode with the Princess of Pingyang. In the spring of the second year of Jianyuan (139 BCE), his sister Zifu entered the palace and became a favorite of the throne. The empress was the Grand Princess’s daughter; she had borne no heir and was consumed by jealousy. When the Grand Princess learned that Wei Zifu was with child and in favor, jealousy moved her to have Qing arrested. Qing was then on duty at the Jianzhang Palace and was still unknown to the wider court. The Grand Princess had Qing bound and held in custody, intending to put him to death. His friend Gongsun Ao, a mounted attendant, rallied bold men and rescued him by force, so he survived. When the emperor learned of this, he summoned Qing and named him superintendent of Jianzhang and a palace attendant. Within days of his mother and siblings being raised to favor, gifts and rewards poured in until they amounted to a thousand pounds of gold. Junru was married to Grand Coachman Gongsun He. Shaor had previously been involved with Chen Zhang; the emperor called Zhang to court and ennobled him. From that time Gongsun Ao’s standing grew. Zifu was advanced to the rank of lady. Qing was appointed grand counselor of the palace.
4
元光六年，拜為車騎將軍，擊匈奴，出上谷； 公孫賀為輕車將軍，出雲中； 太中大夫公孫敖為騎將軍，出代郡； 衛尉李廣為驍騎將軍，出雁門：軍各萬騎。 青至籠城，斬首虜數百。 騎將軍敖亡七千騎，衛尉廣為虜所得，得脫歸，皆當斬，贖為庶人。 賀亦無功。 唯青賜爵關內侯。 是後匈奴仍侵犯邊。 語在匈奴傳。
In the sixth year of Yuanguang (129 BCE), he was named chariot-and-cavalry general and led a strike against the Xiongnu, advancing from Shanggu; Gongsun He served as light-chariot general and issued from Yunzhong; Grand counselor of the palace Gongsun Ao was cavalry general and marched from Dai commandery; Commandant of the guards Li Guang was swift-cavalry general and advanced from Yanmen. Each column fielded ten thousand mounted men. Qing reached Longcheng and took several hundred heads and prisoners. Cavalry general Gongsun Ao lost seven thousand horsemen; Commandant Li Guang fell into enemy hands but broke free and returned. Both faced capital sentence and commuted it by ransom, becoming commoners. Gongsun He likewise achieved no distinction. Only Qing was enfeoffed with the rank of marquis within the passes. Afterward the Xiongnu continued to raid the frontier. The details are given in the “Account of the Xiongnu.”
5
元朔五年春，令青將三萬騎出高闕，衛尉蘇建為遊擊將軍，左內史李沮為彊弩將軍，太僕公孫賀為騎將軍，代相李蔡為輕車將軍，皆領屬車騎將軍，俱出朔方。 大行李息、岸頭侯張次公為將軍，俱出右北平。 匈奴右賢王當青等兵，以為漢兵不能至此，飲醉，漢兵夜至，圍右賢王。 右賢王驚，夜逃，獨與其愛妾一人騎數百馳，潰圍北去。 漢輕騎校尉郭成等追數百里，弗得，得右賢裨王十餘人，眾男女萬五千餘人，畜數十百萬，於是引兵而還。 至塞，天子使使者持大將軍印，即軍中拜青為大將軍，諸將皆以兵屬，立號而歸。 上曰：「大將軍青躬率戎士，師大捷，獲匈奴王十有餘人，益封青八千七百戶。」 而封青子伉為宜春侯，子不疑為陰安侯，子登為發干侯。 青固謝曰：「臣幸得待罪行間，賴陛下神靈，軍大捷，皆諸校力戰之功也。 陛下幸已益封臣青，臣青子在繈褓中，未有勤勞，上幸裂地封為三侯，非臣待罪行間所以勸士力戰之意也。 伉等三人何敢受封！」 上曰：「我非忘諸校功也，今固且圖之。」 乃詔御史曰：「護軍都尉公孫敖三從大將軍擊匈奴，常護軍傅校獲王，封敖為合騎侯。 都尉韓說從大軍出窴渾，至匈奴右賢王庭，為戲下搏戰獲王，封說為龍哣侯。 騎將軍賀從大將軍獲王，封賀為南窌侯。 輕車將軍李蔡再從大將軍獲王，封蔡為樂安侯。 校尉李朔、趙不虞、公孫戎奴各三從大將軍獲王，封朔為陟軹侯，不虞為隨成侯，戎奴為從平侯。 將軍李沮、李息及校尉豆如意、中郎將綰皆有功，賜爵關內侯。 沮、息、如意食邑各三百戶。」 其秋，匈奴入代，殺都尉。
In the spring of Yuanshuo 5 (124 BCE), the court ordered Qing to take thirty thousand cavalry through Gaoque, with Su Jian as mobile-corps general, Li Ju of the left interior as strong-crossbow general, Gongsun He as cavalry general, and Li Cai, chancellor of Dai, as light-chariot general, all under the chariot-and-cavalry general’s command, issuing together from Shuofang. Grand messenger Li Xi and Zhang Cigong, Marquis of Antou, held general’s commissions and advanced together from Youbeiping. The Xiongnu right worthy king lay athwart Qing’s line of march. Thinking Han forces could never reach him, he feasted until drunk; Han troops arrived in the night and ringed the right worthy king. The right worthy king panicked and fled under cover of darkness with only his favorite concubine and a few hundred horsemen, punching through the ring and galloping north. Han light-cavalry colonels led by Guo Cheng chased them for several hundred li without overtaking him, but they captured more than ten petty kings under the right worthy, over fifteen thousand men and women, and livestock counted in the tens of millions, then withdrew. At the frontier the emperor dispatched an envoy with the great general’s seal and, in the field, invested Qing as great general. The subordinate generals transferred their commands to him, took their new titles, and marched home. The emperor declared, “Great General Qing led the troops in person; the army scored a major victory and took more than ten Xiongnu kings. Add eight thousand seven hundred households to Qing’s fief.” He enfeoffed Qing’s sons: Kang as marquis of Yichun, Buyi as marquis of Yin’an, and Deng as marquis of Fagan. Qing pressed his refusal: “I have been privileged to serve in the ranks awaiting judgment; by Your Majesty’s divine favor the army triumphed—that is entirely the work of the colonels who fought to the limit. You have already graciously added to my fief; my sons are still in the cradle and have done no service. To split off lands and create three new marquisates for them is not how I, serving in the ranks under sentence, mean to spur men to battle. How could Kang and the other two dare accept such titles!” The emperor answered, “I have not forgotten the colonels’ service; I am still working out their rewards.” He then instructed the imperial secretary: “Commandant for the protection of the army Gongsun Ao accompanied the great general on three campaigns against the Xiongnu, consistently shielding the host and escorting the colonels until a king was taken—invest him as marquis of Heqi. Commandant Han Shuo marched with the main force through Tianhun to the court of the Xiongnu right worthy king, closed in combat beneath the general’s standard, and seized a king—invest him as marquis of Longkou. Cavalry general Gongsun He followed the great general and took a king—invest him as marquis of Nanjiao. Light-chariot general Li Cai twice accompanied the great general and captured a king—invest him as marquis of Le’an. Colonels Li Shuo, Zhao Buyu, and Gongsun Rongnu each went three times with the great general and brought in a king—invest Li Shuo as marquis of Zhizhi, Zhao Buyu as marquis of Suicheng, and Gongsun Rongnu as marquis of Congping. Generals Li Ju and Li Xi, colonel Dou Ruyi, and Zhonglang general Wan all earned distinction and received the rank of marquis within the passes. Li Ju, Li Xi, and Dou Ruyi were each granted three hundred households of income.” That autumn the Xiongnu invaded Dai and slew the commandant.
6
明年春，大將軍青出定襄，合騎侯敖為中將軍，太僕賀為左將軍，翕侯趙信為前將軍，衛尉蘇建為右將軍，郎中令李廣為後將軍，左內史李沮為彊弩將軍，咸屬大將軍，斬首數千級而還。 月餘，悉復出定襄，斬首虜萬餘人。 蘇建、趙信并軍三千餘騎，獨逢單于兵，與戰一日餘，漢兵且盡。 信故胡人，降為翕侯，見急，匈奴誘之，遂將其餘騎可八百奔降單于。 蘇建盡亡其軍，獨以身得亡去，自歸青。 青問其罪正閎、長史安、議郎周霸等：「建當云何？」 霸曰：「自大將軍出，未嘗斬裨將，今建棄軍，可斬，以明將軍之威。」 閎、安曰：「不然。 兵法『小敵之堅，大敵之禽也。』 今建以數千當單于數萬，力戰一日餘，士皆不敢有二心。 自歸而斬之，是示後無反意也。 不當斬。」 青曰：「青幸得以胏附待罪行間，不患無威，而霸說我以明威，甚失臣意。 且使臣職雖當斬將，以臣之尊寵而不敢自擅專誅於境外，其歸天子，天子自裁之，於以風為人臣不敢專權，不亦可乎？」 軍吏皆曰「善」。 遂囚建行在所。
The following spring the great general issued from Dingxiang with Gongsun Ao as central general, Gongsun He as left general, the Marquis of Xi Zhao Xin as van, Su Jian as right general, Zhonglang commandant Li Guang as rear, and Li Ju of the left interior as strong-crossbow general, all under the great general’s command; they took several thousand heads and withdrew. A little over a month later they again sortied from Dingxiang and killed or captured more than ten thousand. Su Jian and Zhao Xin, with a little over three thousand horsemen between them, ran headlong into the shanyu’s host and fought for more than a day until the Han detachment was all but annihilated. Zhao Xin was a Hu who had surrendered and been enfeoffed as Marquis of Xi; pressed to extremity, he yielded to Xiongnu blandishments and led the eight hundred or so riders left to him in desertion to the shanyu. Su Jian’s command was wiped out; he alone got away and presented himself to Qing. Qing put the question of Jian’s offense to colonel for discipline Zheng Hong, chief clerk An, advisory counselor Zhou Ba, and the rest: “What sentence does Jian deserve?” Zhou Ba said, “Since the great general took the field he has never executed a lieutenant general. Jian threw away his command—execute him to establish the general’s authority.” Zheng Hong and chief clerk An replied, “No. The Art of War says, ‘Stubborn resistance by the weak delivers them into the hands of the strong.’ Jian held several thousand against the shanyu’s tens of thousands and fought a full day and more without his men wavering. To cut off his head after he made his own way back would signal to future officers that there is no reward in returning. He ought not to be executed.” Qing said, “I have been privileged to serve in the ranks as an imperial in-law; I need no borrowed severity, yet Zhou Ba would have me strike fear into the army—that is far from how a subject should think. Moreover, even if my office authorized me to execute a general, my rank and favor forbid me to kill on my own beyond the frontier. I will remit Jian to the emperor and let the throne decide—thus teaching that no subject may arrogate the power of life and death. Is that not the right course?” The staff officers all said, “It is right.” They therefore held Jian in custody at the imperial field headquarters.
7
是歲也，霍去病始侯。
That same year Huo Qubing was first enfeoffed as a marquis.
8
霍去病
Huo Qubing
9
霍去病，大將軍青姊少兒子也。 其父霍仲孺先與少兒通，生去病。 及衛皇后尊，少兒更為詹事陳掌妻。 去病以皇后姊子，年十八為侍中。 善騎射，再從大將軍。 大將軍受詔，予壯士，為票姚校尉，與輕勇騎八百直棄大將軍數百里赴利，斬捕首虜過當。 於是上曰：「票姚校尉去病斬首捕虜二千二十八級，得相國、當戶，斬單于大父行藉若侯產，捕季父羅姑比，再冠軍，以二千五百戶封去病為冠軍侯。 上谷太守郝賢四從大將軍，捕首虜千三百級，封賢為終利侯。 騎士孟已有功，賜爵關內侯，邑二百戶。」
Huo Qubing was the son of Qing’s elder sister Shaor. His father, Huo Zhongru, had earlier been involved with Shaor and fathered Qubing. After Empress Wei gained prominence, Shaor was given in marriage to Chen Zhang, who served as chamberlain for the palace. As the empress’s nephew, Qubing was made a palace attendant at eighteen. He excelled in horsemanship and archery and twice campaigned with the great general. The great general, acting on imperial orders, detached picked troops and appointed him colonel of agile raiders; with eight hundred swift, daring horsemen he drove several hundred li ahead of the main column to strike for gain, taking heads and prisoners far in excess of his numbers. The emperor therefore announced, “Colonel of agile raiders Huo Qubing slew or captured two thousand twenty-eight, seized a chancellor and a household head, cut down Jiru Marquis Chan of the shanyu’s grandfather’s line, and took his uncle by the father Luogubi; twice he has led all in merit—invest him with two thousand five hundred households as marquis of Champion. Hao Xian, prefect of Shanggu, accompanied the great general on four expeditions, took thirteen hundred heads, and was enfeoffed as marquis of Zhongli. The mounted warrior Meng Yi also earned distinction and received the rank of marquis within the passes with an income of two hundred households.”
10
是歲失兩將軍，亡翕侯，功不多，故青不益封。 蘇建至，上弗誅，贖為庶人。 青賜千金。 是時王夫人方幸於上，甯乘說青曰：「將軍所以功未甚多，身食萬戶，三子皆為侯者，以皇后故也。 今王夫人幸而宗族未富貴，願將軍奉所賜千金為王夫人親壽。」 青以五百金為王夫人親壽。 上聞，問青，青以實對。 上乃拜甯乘為東海都尉。
That campaign cost two generals and the defection of the Marquis of Xi; gains were modest, so Qing received no addition to his fief. When Su Jian reached the capital, the emperor spared his life; he commuted sentence by ransom and was reduced to commoner status. The court presented Qing with a thousand pounds of gold. About then Lady Wang had newly won the emperor’s favor. Ning Cheng told Qing, “Your battlefield laurels are still modest, yet you hold a ten-thousand-household income and all three sons are marquises—that rests on the empress’s position. Lady Wang is rising in favor while her clan still lacks rank and wealth. I urge you to devote part of that imperial gift—a thousand pounds of gold—to toast the longevity of Lady Wang’s mother.” Qing accordingly sent five hundred pounds of gold for Lady Wang’s mother’s birthday. When the emperor heard of it, he questioned Qing, who reported the facts. The emperor thereupon named Ning Cheng commandant of the Eastern Sea.
11
校尉張騫從大將軍，以嘗使大夏，留匈奴中久，道軍，知善水草處，軍得以無飢渴，因前使絕國功，封騫為博望侯。
Colonel Zhang Qian marched with the great general. Having once been dispatched to Daxia and detained long among the Xiongnu, he showed the army the way and knew where forage and water lay, so the troops went neither hungry nor thirsty. For his earlier service in piercing the barrier to distant realms he was invested as marquis of Bowang.
12
去病侯三歲，元狩三年春為票騎將軍，將萬騎出隴西，有功。 上曰：「票騎將軍率戎士隃烏盭，討遫濮，涉狐奴，歷五王國，輜重人眾攝讋者弗取，幾獲單于子。 轉戰六日，過焉支山千有餘里，合短兵，鏖皋蘭下，殺折蘭王，斬盧侯王，銳悍者誅，全甲獲醜，執渾邪王子及相國、都尉，捷首虜八千九百六十級，收休屠祭天金人，師率減什七，益封去病二千二百戶。」
Three years after his enfeoffment, in the spring of Yuanshou 3 (120 BCE), he was named swift-cavalry general, led ten thousand cavalry out of Longxi, and distinguished himself. The emperor declared, “The swift-cavalry general drove his men over Wuli, struck Chipu, crossed Hunu, and traversed five kingdoms; he left baggage trains and frightened common folk untouched and nearly bagged the shanyu’s heir. For six days he carried the fight, crossed Yanzhi Mountain well over a thousand li, closed to sword’s length below Mount Gaolan, slew King Zhelan, cut down King Luhou, executed the stubborn fighters, captured mail and prisoners intact, took the shanyu’s son of King Hunye together with a chancellor and commandant, counted eight thousand nine hundred sixty heads and captives, seized the golden idol King Xiutu used for Heaven worship, and lost seven men in ten from his own ranks—add two thousand two hundred households to Qubing’s fief.”
13
其夏，去病與合騎侯敖俱出北地，異道。 博望侯張騫、郎中令李廣俱出右北平，異道。 廣將四千騎先至，騫將萬騎後。 匈奴左賢王將數萬騎圍廣，廣與戰二日，死者過半，所殺亦過當。 騫至，匈奴引兵去。 騫坐行留，當斬，贖為庶人。 而去病出北地，遂深入，合騎侯失道，不相得。 去病至祁連山，捕首虜甚多。 上曰：「票騎將軍涉鈞耆，濟居延，遂臻小月氏，攻祁連山，揚武乎鱳得，得單于單桓、酋涂王，及相國、都尉以眾降下者二千五百人，可謂能舍服知成而止矣。 捷首虜三萬二百，獲五王，王母、單于閼氏、王子五十九人，相國、將軍、當戶、都尉六十三人，師大率減什三，益封去病五千四百戶。 賜校尉從至小月氏者爵左庶長。 鷹擊司馬破奴再從票騎將軍斬遫濮王，捕稽且王，右千騎將王、王母各一人，王子以下四十一人，捕虜三千三百三十人，前行捕虜千四百人，封破奴為從票侯。 校尉高不識從票騎將軍捕呼于耆王王子以下十一人，捕虜千七百六十八人，封不識為宜冠侯。 校尉僕多有功，封為煇渠侯。」 合騎侯敖坐留不與票騎將軍會，當斬，贖為庶人。 諸宿將所將士馬兵亦不如去病，去病所將常選，然亦敢深入，常與壯騎先其大軍，軍亦有天幸，未嘗困絕也。 然而諸宿將常留落不耦。 由此去病日以親貴，比大將軍。
That summer Qubing and Marquis of Heqi Gongsun Ao both advanced from Beidi by separate columns. Marquis of Bowang Zhang Qian and Zhonglang commandant Li Guang likewise issued from Youbeiping by different routes. Li Guang with four thousand horsemen reached the field first; Zhang Qian followed with ten thousand. The Xiongnu left worthy king brought several tens of thousands of riders and surrounded Li Guang. For two days Guang fought on; he lost more than half his men but inflicted casualties equally out of proportion. When Zhang Qian arrived, the Xiongnu lifted the siege and withdrew. Zhang Qian was sentenced to death for dilatory marching; he bought off execution and was reduced to commoner status. Meanwhile Qubing pushed out from Beidi deep into the steppe; Marquis of Heqi Gongsun Ao missed his route and never joined him. Qubing reached the Qilian range and took a very large toll of heads and captives. The emperor declared, “The swift-cavalry general crossed Junqi, crossed Juyan, advanced to the Lesser Yuezhi, stormed the Qilian line, struck fear at Lude, and brought in the shanyu’s kings Danhuan and Qiutu, together with chancellors, commandants, and more than two thousand five hundred men of their following who yielded. Here is a commander who knows when to accept surrender, recognize a settled victory, and halt.” The butcher’s bill ran to thirty thousand two hundred heads and prisoners, five kings, a queen mother, a shanyu consort, fifty-nine princes, and sixty-three chancellors, generals, household heads, and commandants. Casualties ran to about three in ten—increase Huo Qubing’s fief by fifty-four hundred households. Colonels who had accompanied him to the Lesser Yuezhi were raised to the rank of left chief of the people. Major Ponu of the eagle-strike corps twice rode with the swift-cavalry general: he slew King Chipu, seized King Jiju, took a king and queen mother of the right thousand-cavalry command, forty-one nobles below the rank of prince, thirty-three hundred thirty captives, and fourteen hundred more in the lead column—invest Ponu as marquis attendant on the swift-cavalry. Colonel Gao Bushi marched with the swift-cavalry general, seized King Huyuqi and eleven princes and nobles beneath him, and seventeen hundred sixty-eight captives—invest Bushi as marquis of Yiguan. Colonel Puyou also earned distinction and was enfeoffed as marquis of Huiqu.” Marquis of Heqi Gongsun Ao was sentenced to death for loitering and missing his rendezvous with the swift-cavalry general; he commuted the sentence and was stripped to commoner status. The veteran generals could not match the quality of his troops—Qubing habitually led an elite corps—yet he still drove deep, usually racing ahead of the main body with picked riders, and his columns enjoyed a kind of fortune that never left them trapped or destitute. The older commanders, by contrast, habitually fell behind and failed to keep pace with him. Henceforward Qubing rose day by day in imperial favor until he stood on a par with the great general.
14
其後，單于怒渾邪王居西方數為漢所破，亡數萬人，以票騎之兵也，欲召誅渾邪王。 渾邪王與休屠王等謀欲降漢，使人先要道邊。 是時大行李息將城河上，得渾邪王使，即馳傳以聞。 上恐其以詐降而襲邊，乃令去病將兵往迎之。 去病既度河，與渾邪眾相望。 渾邪裨王將見漢軍而多欲不降者，頗遁去。 去病乃馳入，得與渾邪王相見，斬其欲亡者八千人，遂獨遣渾邪王乘傳先詣行在所，盡將其眾度河，降者數萬人，號稱十萬。 既至長安，天子所以賞賜數十鉅萬。 封渾邪王萬戶，為漯陰侯。 封其裨王呼毒尼為下摩侯，雁疪為煇渠侯，禽黎為河綦侯，大當戶調雖為常樂侯。 於是上嘉去病之功，曰：「票騎將軍去病率師征匈奴，西域王渾邪王及厥眾萌咸奔於率，以軍糧接食，并將控弦萬有餘人，誅獟悍，捷首虜八千餘級，降異國之王三十二。 戰士不離傷，十萬之眾畢懷集服。 仍興之勞，爰及河塞，庶幾亡患。 以千七百戶益封票騎將軍。 減隴西、北地、上郡戍卒之半，以寬天下繇役。」 乃分處降者於邊五郡故塞外，而皆在河南，因其故俗為屬國。 其明年，匈奴入右北平、定襄，殺略漢千餘人。
Later the shanyu, furious that King Hunyex in the west had been repeatedly shattered by Han and had lost tens of thousands of men to the swift-cavalry columns, resolved to summon him and put him to death. King Hunyex conspired with King Xiutu and others to defect to Han and dispatched envoys to clear the way with the frontier posts. Grand messenger Li Xi was then fortifying the Yellow River line; he intercepted King Hunyex’s messenger and rushed the news to court by post-station relay. Fearing a false capitulation meant to ambush the frontier, the emperor ordered Qubing to take an army forward to receive them. Once Qubing had crossed the river, he drew up in full view of King Hunyex’s host. Among the lieutenant kings slated to parley with the Han, many had second thoughts about surrender and slipped away in large numbers. Qubing spurred straight into the column, met King Hunyex in person, and cut down eight thousand would-be deserters. He then put the king on relay carriages to the emperor’s field headquarters, shepherded the entire following across the river—several tens of thousands of capitulators who boasted their number at a hundred thousand. At Chang’an the emperor’s gifts ran into the hundreds of millions. He invested King Hunyex with ten thousand households as marquis of Luoyin. His lieutenant kings received titles as well: Hudu’ni as marquis of Xiamo, Yanzhi as marquis of Huiqu, Qinli as marquis of Heqi, and grand household head Diaosui as marquis of Changle. The emperor then extolled Qubing: “The swift-cavalry general led the host against the Xiongnu; King Hunyex of the Western Regions and his followers submitted in a body, drew rations from our baggage train, and mustered more than ten thousand archers. He cut down the die-hards, counted more than eight thousand heads and captives, and brought thirty-two foreign kings to heel.” His men held formation with light losses, and the vast host that had marched in now submitted as one. The effort reached the river frontier, easing the threat along the northern line. Add seventeen hundred households to the swift-cavalry general’s fief. Cut the standing garrisons of Longxi, Beidi, and Shang by half to spare the empire’s labor levies.” The capitulators were resettled south of the river beyond the old wall of five frontier commanderies and organized as dependent states under their own customs. The following year Xiongnu raiders struck Youbeiping and Dingxiang, killing or capturing over a thousand Han subjects.
15
其明年，上與諸將議曰：「翕侯趙信為單于畫計，常以為漢兵不能度幕輕留，今大發卒，其勢必得所欲。」 是歲元狩四年也。 春，上令大將軍青、票騎將軍去病各五萬騎，步兵轉者踵軍數十萬，而敢力戰深入之士皆屬去病。 去病始為出定襄，當單于。 捕虜，虜言單于東，乃更令去病出代郡，令青出定襄。 郎中令李廣為前將軍，太僕公孫賀為左將軍，主爵趙食其為右將軍，平陽侯襄為後將軍，皆屬大將軍。 趙信為單于謀曰：「漢兵即度幕，人馬罷，匈奴可坐收虜耳。」 乃悉遠北其輜重，皆以精兵待幕北。 而適直青軍出塞千餘里，見單于兵陳而待，於是青令武剛車自環為營，而縱五千騎往當匈奴，匈奴亦從萬騎。 會日且入，而大風起，沙礫擊面，兩軍不相見，漢益縱左右翼繞單于。 單于視漢兵多，而士馬尚彊，戰而匈奴不利，薄莫，單于遂乘六臝，壯騎可數百，直冒漢圍西北馳去。 昏，漢匈奴相紛挐，殺傷大當。 漢軍左校捕虜，言單于未昏而去，漢軍因發輕騎夜追之，青因隨其後。 匈奴兵亦散走。 會明，行二百餘里，不得單于，頗捕斬首虜萬餘級，遂至窴顏山趙信城，得匈奴積粟食軍。 軍留一日而還，悉燒其城餘粟以歸。
The next spring the emperor told his generals, “Zhao Xin the Marquis of Xi has advised the shanyu that Han armies cannot cross the desert in light order and remain there. If we now raise a massive force, we shall finally get what we want.” The year was Yuanshou 4 (119 BCE). That spring he gave each of the great general and the swift-cavalry general fifty thousand horsemen, with hundreds of thousands of infantry and train troops in their wake, while every officer eager to strike deep was placed under Qubing. Qubing was first slated to issue from Dingxiang and take the shanyu head-on. Prisoners reported the shanyu lay to the east, so the plan was reversed: Qubing would sortie from Dai while Qing advanced from Dingxiang. Li Guang became van general, Gongsun He left general, Zhao Shiyi of the nobility bureau right general, and Xiang the Marquis of Pingyang rear general, all under the great general’s command. Zhao Xin urged the shanyu: “Once the Han host crosses the desert, men and mounts will be spent—you can bag them at leisure.” Accordingly he shifted his baggage train far north and posted elite forces north of the sands to receive them. Qing’s column broke out of the barrier well over a thousand li and found the shanyu’s army formed and waiting. Qing had his armored wagons wheel into a fortified ring, then sent five thousand cavalry to probe the Xiongnu line; the enemy answered with ten thousand riders. Dusk was falling when a gale sprang up, sand blasting their faces until neither side could see. Han then threw both wings wide in an attempt to envelop the shanyu. The shanyu saw how numerous the Han were and how fresh their mounts; the Xiongnu line wavered. Near nightfall he sprang onto a team of six mules, surrounded by a few hundred picked horsemen, and bored straight through the Han ring toward the northwest. In the twilight the two hosts tangled in a confused melee with roughly equal losses. Prisoners taken by Han’s left wing reported that the shanyu had quit the field before nightfall; light horse were sent in night pursuit, with Qing trailing the pursuit column. The Xiongnu ranks likewise broke and ran. At daybreak, after more than two hundred li without overtaking the shanyu, they had still chalked up over ten thousand heads. They pushed on to Zhaoxin City below Mount Xianyan, seized the enemy granaries, and fed the troops from them. They rested a day, torched the remaining stores in the city, and marched back.
16
青之與單于會也，而前將軍廣、右將軍食其軍別從東道，或失道。 大將軍引還，過幕南，乃相逢。 青欲使使歸報，令長史簿責廣，廣自殺。 食其贖為庶人。 青軍入塞，凡斬首虜萬九千級。
While Qing engaged the shanyu, van general Li Guang and right general Zhao Shiyi had taken a separate eastern track and gone astray. Qing brought his command back across the desert’s southern rim and there linked up with them. Qing meant to dispatch a courier to court and told his chief clerk to summon Li Guang for a formal inquiry; Guang took his own life. Zhao Shiyi commuted sentence by ransom and was reduced to a commoner. When Qing’s army re-entered the barrier, its tally stood at nineteen thousand heads and prisoners.
17
是時匈奴眾失單于十餘日，右谷蠡王自立為單于。 單于後得其眾，右王乃去單于之號。
For ten days and more the Xiongnu had been without their shanyu; the right Guli king declared himself ruler. When the true shanyu reassembled his following, the right king quietly abandoned his claim.
18
去病騎兵車重與大將軍軍等，而亡裨將。 悉以李敢等為大校，當裨將，出代、右北平二千餘里，直左方兵，所斬捕功已多於青。
Qubing fielded cavalry, wagons, and trains on the same scale as the great general yet commanded no lieutenant generals. He relied on Li Gan and others as grand colonels acting as lieutenant generals, drove more than two thousand li from Dai and Youbeiping into the eastern wing, and ran up a butcher’s bill that surpassed Qing’s.
19
既皆還，上曰：「票騎將軍去病率師躬將所獲葷允之士，約輕齎，絕大幕，涉獲單于章渠，以誅北車耆，轉擊左大將雙，獲旗鼓，歷度難侯，濟弓盧，獲屯頭王、韓王等三人，將軍、相國、當戶、都尉八十三人，封狼居胥山，禪於姑衍，登臨翰海，執訊獲醜七萬有四百四十三級，師率減什二，取食於敵，卓行殊遠而糧不絕。 以五千八百戶益封票騎將軍。 右北平太守路博德屬票騎將軍，會興城，不失期，從至檮余山，斬首捕虜二千八百級，封博德為邳離侯。 北地都尉衛山從票騎將軍獲王，封山為義陽侯。 故歸義侯因淳王復陸支、樓剸王伊即靬皆從票騎將軍有功，封復陸支為杜侯，伊即靬為眾利侯。 從票侯破奴、昌武侯安稽從票騎有功，益封各三百戶。 漁陽太守解、校尉敢皆獲鼓旗，賜爵關內侯，解食邑三百戶，敢二百戶。 校尉自為爵左庶長。」 軍吏卒為官，賞賜甚多。 而青不得益封，吏卒無封者。 唯西河太守常惠、雲中太守遂成受賞，遂成秩諸侯相，賜食邑二百戶，黃金百斤，惠爵關內侯。
When both columns were home, the emperor announced: “The swift-cavalry general led Xunyu tribesmen he had impressed into his ranks, marched light across the desert, crossed the shanyu’s channel warden Zhangqu, slew King Beicheqi, turned on the left grand general Shuang, seized his drums and banners, passed the fief of Marquis Dunan, forded the Gonglu River, captured three kings including Tuntou and Han, together with eighty-three generals, chancellors, household heads, and commandants, sacrificed on Mount Langjuxu, performed the subsidiary rite at Guyan, looked out over the Han sea, took seventy thousand four hundred forty-three living captives, lost only two men in ten, fed his army from the enemy, and pushed farther than any prior column without running out of grain.” Add fifty-eight hundred households to the swift-cavalry general’s fief. Lu Bode, prefect of Youbeiping, served under the swift-cavalry general, kept his rendezvous at Xingcheng, followed to Mount Chiyu, and accounted for twenty-eight hundred heads—invest Lu Bode as marquis of Pilü. Wei Shan, commandant of Beidi, rode with the swift-cavalry general and seized a king—invest him as marquis of Yiyang. The former submission marquises—Fuzhizhi of the Yichun and Yijian of the Loujian—both distinguished themselves under the swift-cavalry general; Fuzhizhi became marquis of Du, Yijian marquis of Zhongli. Ponu the marquis attendant on the ticket and Anji the Marquis of Changwu both earned merit with the swift-cavalry general; each received three hundred added households. The Yuyang prefect surnamed Xie and Colonel Li Gan each took enemy drums and standards and were made marquises within the passes—three hundred households for Xie, two hundred for Gan. Colonel Ziwei was raised to left chief of the people.” Officers and men were promoted and heaped with rewards. Qing himself received no addition to his fief, and none of his subordinates were given new marquisates. Only Chang Hui of West River and Suicheng of Yunzhong were singled out—Suicheng’s stipend was lifted to a feudal chancellor’s level, with two hundred households and a hundred pounds of gold, while Hui received the rank of marquis within the passes.
20
兩軍之出塞，塞閱官及私馬凡十四萬匹，而後入塞者不滿三萬匹。 乃置大司馬位，大將軍、票騎將軍皆為大司馬。 定令，令票騎將軍秩祿與大將軍等。 自是後，青日衰而去病日益貴。 青故人門下多去事去病，輒得官爵，唯獨任安不肯去。
The two hosts had filed out with a hundred forty thousand government and private mounts past the barrier muster; fewer than thirty thousand animals came back in. The court then created the post of grand marshal, and both the great general and the swift-cavalry general were named to it. Regulations were revised so that the swift-cavalry general’s grade and pay matched the great general’s. Afterward Qing’s star waned as Qubing’s rose. Former clients drifted from Qing’s gate to Qubing’s and walked away with titles; only Ren An stayed loyal.
21
去病為人少言不泄，有氣敢往。 上嘗欲教之吳孫兵法，對曰：「顧方略何如耳，不至學古兵法。」 上為治第，令視之，對曰：「匈奴不滅，無以家為也。」 由此上益重愛之。 然少而侍中，貴不省士。 其從軍，上為遣太官齎數十乘，既還，重車餘棄粱肉，而士有飢者。 其在塞外，卒乏糧，或不能自振，而去病尚穿域鸲鞠也。 事多此類。 青仁，喜士退讓，以和柔自媚於上，然於天下未有稱也。
Qubing was reticent and close-mouthed, but bold and decisive once in the field. The emperor once offered to tutor him in the Wu and Sunzi classics; he answered, “Victory turns on planning, not on poring over old manuals.” When the emperor had a fine house built for him and asked his opinion, he said, “Until the Xiongnu are gone, I have no business tending a private home.” The emperor only prized him the more for it. Raised young inside the palace, he never learned sympathy for the rank and file. On campaign the throne sent the imperial kitchen after him with dozens of supply carts; on his return he left wagons full of spoiled grain and meat while his men starved. Beyond the wall, with men too weak from hunger to stand, he would still stake out a field and kick a ball. His conduct was often of that kind. Qing was kindly, cultivated scholars, and deferred to others, winning favor through gentleness—yet the world offered him little praise.
22
自去病死後，青長子宜春侯伉坐法失侯。 後五歲，伉弟二人，陰安侯不疑、發干侯登，皆坐酎伉失侯。 後二歲，冠軍侯國絕。 後四年，元封五年，青薨，諡曰烈侯。 子伉嗣，六年坐法免。
After Qubing’s death, Qing’s eldest son Kang, marquis of Yichun, forfeited his title for a legal offense. Five years later Kang’s younger brothers—Buyi, marquis of Yin’an, and Deng, marquis of Fagan—also forfeited their titles when the communal-wine-gold inquest implicated Kang’s line. Two years after that the Champion marquisate died out for lack of an heir. Four years later, in the fifth year of the Yuanfeng era (106 BCE), Qing died and received the posthumous title Marquis Lie. His son Kang inherited the title but was stripped in the sixth year for a legal infraction.
23
自青圍單于後十四歲而卒，竟不復擊匈奴者，以漢馬少，又方南誅兩越，東伐朝鮮，擊羌、西南夷，以故久不伐胡。
Fourteen years passed between Qing’s envelopment of the shanyu and his death; Han launched no further major strikes because horse stocks had dwindled, while campaigns consumed the south against both Yue, the east against Joseon, and the interior against the Qiang and southwestern tribes—so the northern frontier stayed quiet for years.
24
初，青既尊貴，而平陽侯曹壽有惡疾就國，長公主問：「列侯誰賢者？」 左右皆言大將軍。 主笑曰：「此出吾家，常騎從我，柰何？」 左右曰：「於今尊貴無比。」 於是長公主風白皇后，皇后言之，上乃詔青尚平陽主，與主合葬，起冢象廬山云。
Early in Qing’s eminence the Marquis of Pingyang, Cao Shou, fell gravely ill and retired to his estate. The Grand Princess asked her attendants, “Which of the marquises is worth taking?” Every voice named the great general. She laughed and said, “He was raised in my own house and used to ride at my stirrup—how could I marry him?” They answered, “No man in the realm now ranks higher.” She dropped a hint to the empress, who spoke to the throne; an edict then joined Qing in marriage to the Princess of Pingyang. They were laid in a shared tomb mound shaped to echo Mount Lu.
25
最大將軍青凡七出擊匈奴，斬捕首虜五萬餘級。 一與單于戰，收河南地，置朔方郡。 再益封，凡萬六千三百戶； 封三子為侯，侯千三百戶，并之二萬二百戶。 其裨將及校尉侯者九人，為特將者十五人，李廣、張騫、公孫賀、李蔡、曹襄、韓說、蘇建皆自有傳。
Great General Qing campaigned against the Xiongnu seven times and accounted for more than fifty thousand heads and prisoners. He met the shanyu in battle once, reclaimed the Ordos south of the Yellow River, and founded Shuofang commandery. His fief was enlarged twice, for a total of sixteen thousand three hundred households; three sons were enfeoffed at thirteen hundred households each, bringing the combined household count to twenty thousand two hundred. Nine lieutenant generals and colonels under him won marquisates; fifteen rose to independent command. Li Guang, Zhang Qian, Gongsun He, Li Cai, Cao Xiang, Han Shuo, and Su Jian are treated in separate chapters.
26
李息，郁郅人也，事景帝。 至武帝立八歲，為材官將軍，軍馬邑； 後六歲，為將軍，出代； 後三歲，為將軍，從大將軍出朔方：皆無功。 凡三為將軍，其後常為大行。
Li Xi came from Yuzhi and had served Emperor Jing. Eight years into Emperor Wu’s reign he was made timber-and-barracks general and stationed at Mayi; six years after that he held a general’s commission and advanced from Dai; three years later he was again a general and followed the great general from Shuofang—each time without distinction. He served three tours as a general, then spent the remainder of his career as grand messenger.
27
公孫敖
Gongsun Ao.
28
公孫敖，義渠人，以郎事景帝。 至武帝立十二歲，為騎將軍，出代，亡卒七千人，當斬，贖為庶人。 後五歲，以校尉從大將軍，封合騎侯。 後一歲，以中將軍從大將軍再出定襄，無功。 後二歲，以將軍出北地，後票騎，失期當斬，贖為庶人。 後二歲，以校尉從大將軍，無功。 後十四歲，以因杅將軍築受降城。 七歲，復以因杅將軍再出擊匈奴，至余吾，亡士多，下吏，當斬，詐死，亡居民間五六歲。 後覺，復繫。 坐妻為巫蠱，族。 凡四為將軍。
Gongsun Ao came from Yiqu and had served Emperor Jing as a gentleman-attendant. Twelve years into Emperor Wu’s reign he led a cavalry column out of Dai, lost seven thousand men, faced capital sentence, and bought his way down to commoner status. Five years later he rode with the great general as a colonel and was invested as marquis of Heqi. The next year he served as central general on a second Dingxiang expedition under the great general and won no distinction. Two years after that he held an independent command from Beidi, fell behind the swift-cavalry column, missed his rendezvous, faced death, and ransomed out to a commoner. Two years later he again followed the great general as a colonel and achieved nothing notable. Fourteen years on, as Yangan general he constructed the fortress for receiving capitulations. Seven years later he once more held the Yangan commission, campaigned twice against the Xiongnu as far as Yuwu, shed troops on a ruinous scale, was remanded for trial, faced execution, faked his death, and lived as a fugitive among commoners for five or six years. When the deception was uncovered he was seized again. He was destroyed in the witchcraft purge: his wife had been implicated, and the entire lineage was executed. He held a general’s commission on four occasions.
29
李沮，雲中人，事景帝。 武帝立十七歲，以左內史為彊弩將軍。 後一歲，復為彊弩將軍。
Li Ju came from Yunzhong and had served Emperor Jing. Seventeen years into Emperor Wu’s reign he left the left interior to become strong-crossbow general. The following year he served a second tour as strong-crossbow general.
30
張次公
Zhang Cigong.
31
張次公，河東人，以校尉從大將軍，封岸頭侯。 其後太后崩，為將軍，軍北軍。 後一歲，復從大將軍。 凡再為將軍，後坐法失侯。
Zhang Cigong of Hedong followed the great general as a colonel and was invested as marquis of Antou. After the empress dowager’s death he took command as general of the Northern Army garrison. A year later he campaigned again under the great general. He twice held general’s rank, then forfeited his marquisate for a legal offense.
32
趙信，以匈奴相國降，為侯。 武帝立十八年，為前將軍，與匈奴戰，敗，降匈奴。
Zhao Xin had been a Xiongnu chancellor who defected and received a marquisate. Eighteen years into Emperor Wu’s reign he led the van against the Xiongnu, was beaten, and went over to the enemy.
33
趙食其
Zhao Shiyi.
34
趙食其，祋祤人。 武帝立十八年，以主爵都尉從大將軍，斬首六百六十級。 元狩三年，賜爵關內侯，黃金百斤。 明年，為右將軍，從大將軍出定襄，迷失道，當斬，贖為庶人。
Zhao Shiyi came from Dihu. Eighteen years into the reign he followed the great general as chief commandant for nobility and logged six hundred sixty counted kills. In Yuanshou 3 (120 BCE) he received the rank of marquis within the passes and a hundred pounds of gold. The next year, as right general on the great general’s Dingxiang expedition, he went astray, faced capital sentence, and ransomed down to commoner status.
35
郭昌，雲中人，以校尉從大將軍。 元封四年，以太中大夫為拔胡將軍，屯朔方。 還擊昆明，無功，奪印。
Guo Chang of Yunzhong served under the great general as a colonel. In the fourth year of Yuanfeng (107 BCE) he was promoted from grand counselor to general for subduing the Hu and took up station at Shuofang. Recalled to campaign against Kunming, he accomplished nothing and had his general’s seal taken away.
36
荀彘，太原廣武人，以御見，侍中，用校尉數從大將軍。 元封三年，為左將軍擊朝鮮，無功，坐捕樓船將軍誅。
Xun Zhi of Guangwu in Taiyuan entered court as an imperial driver, rose to palace attendant, and repeatedly campaigned as a colonel under the great general. In Yuanfeng 3 (108 BCE) he commanded the left wing against Joseon without distinction and was put to death for seizing the tower-ship general.
37
最票騎將軍去病凡六出擊匈奴，其四出以將軍，斬首虜十一萬餘級。 渾邪王以眾降數萬，開河西酒泉之地，西方益少胡寇。 四益封，凡萬七千七百戶。 其校尉吏有功侯者六人，為將軍者二人。
Swift-cavalry general Huo Qubing campaigned against the Xiongnu six times, four of them as supreme commander, and accounted for more than one hundred ten thousand heads and prisoners. King Hunyex’s defection brought tens of thousands of followers, opened Hexi and Jiuquan to Han settlement, and from then on western marauders grew scarce. His fief was enlarged four times, for a total of seventeen thousand seven hundred households. Six colonels and officers under him won marquisates for merit; two rose to general’s rank.
38
路博德
Lu Bode.
39
路博德，西河平州人，以右北平太守從票騎將軍，封邳離侯。 票騎死後，博德以衛尉為伏波將軍，伐破南越，益封。 其後坐法失侯。 為彊弩都尉，屯居延，卒。
Lu Bode of Pingzhou in West River followed the swift-cavalry general as prefect of Youbeiping and was invested as marquis of Pilü. After Qubing’s death Lu Bode, as commandant of the guards, took the wave-quelling general’s baton, crushed the Southern Yue, and gained a larger fief. He later lost his title to a legal conviction. He ended his career as strong-crossbow commandant stationed at Juyan, where he died.
40
趙破奴
Zhao Ponu.
41
趙破奴，太原人。 嘗亡入匈奴，已而歸漢，為票騎將軍司馬。 出北地，封從票侯，坐酎金失侯。 後一歲，為匈河將軍，攻胡至匈河水，無功。 後一歲，擊虜樓蘭王，後為浞野侯。 後六歲，以浚稽將軍將二萬騎擊匈奴左王。 左王與戰，兵八萬騎圍破奴，破奴為虜所得，遂沒其軍。 居匈奴中十歲，復與其太子安國亡入漢。 後坐巫蠱，族。
Zhao Ponu came from Taiyuan. He had once run off to the Xiongnu, then come back to serve Han as the swift-cavalry general’s chief of staff. He earned the title marquis attendant on the swift-cavalry column from the Beidi campaign, then lost it in the communal-wine-gold inquest. A year later he led the Xiongnu River expedition deep into barbarian territory without notable success. The next year he captured the king of Loulan and was later enfeoffed as marquis of Zhuoye. Six years after that, as Juji general, he took twenty thousand cavalry against the Xiongnu left king. The left king met him with eighty thousand riders, surrounded him, took him alive, and annihilated his command. He spent ten years in captivity, then escaped back to Han with his heir Anguo. He was later caught in the witchcraft prosecutions and his whole clan was executed.
42
自衛氏興，大將軍青首封，其後支屬五人為侯。 凡二十四歲而五侯皆奪國。 征和中，戾太子敗，衛氏遂滅。 而霍去病弟光貴盛，自有傳。
When the Wei house rose to power, the great general was the first ennobled; five more collateral kinsmen later received marquisates. Within twenty-four years every one of those five marquisates had been stripped away. In the Zhenghe era Crown Prince Ju’s plot collapsed, and the Wei house was wiped out. Huo Qubing’s younger brother Guang, however, climbed to supreme power—a life told in a separate chapter.
43
贊曰：蘇建嘗說責「大將軍至尊重，而天下之賢士大夫無稱焉，願將軍觀古名將所招選者，勉之哉！」 青謝曰：「自魏其、武安之厚賓客，天子常切齒，彼親待士大夫，招賢黜不肖者，人主之柄也。 人臣奉法遵職而已，何與招士！」 票騎亦方此意，為將如此。
The historian’s judgment records that Su Jian once urged him: “You stand at the summit of rank and favor, yet the empire’s best men do not celebrate your name. Study how the great captains of old chose their followers—and strive to match them.” Qing answered, “Ever since Wei Qi and Tian Fen showered favors on their clients, the throne has looked on such patronage with gritted teeth. Deciding whom to advance and whom to cast aside belongs to the sovereign alone. A subject’s duty is to obey statute and office—what business have I recruiting clients?” The swift-cavalry general took the same view; both men commanded in that spirit.