Volume 108 Biographies 46: Xu Ding, Hou Zhi, Ba Hulu, Shi Anshi

胥鼎，字和之，尚書右丞持國之子也。大定二十八年擢進士第，入官以能稱，累遷大理丞。承安二年，持國卒，去官。四年，尚書省起複為著作郎。上曰：「鼎故家子，其才如何？」宰臣奏曰：「為人甚幹濟。」上曰：「著作職閑，緣今無他闕，姑授之。」未幾，遷右司郎中，轉工部侍郎。泰和六年，鼎言急遞鋪轉送文檄之制，上從之，時以為便。至甯初，中都受兵，由戶部尚書拜參知政事。

Xu Ding, whose style name was Hezhi, was the son of Chi Guo, Vice Director of the Right of the Secretariat. In the twenty-eighth year of the Dading reign he passed the jinshi examination; once in office he won a reputation for competence and rose in repeated steps to Assistant Director of the Court of Judicial Review. In the second year of Cheng'an, when Chi Guo died, he resigned his post. In the fourth year the Secretariat recalled him from mourning and appointed him Compiler in the Academy. The emperor said, "Ding comes from a long-serving official family—what is his ability like?" The chief ministers replied, "He is a thoroughly capable and resourceful man." The emperor said, "The Compiler post is a light one; since there are no other openings just now, give it to him for the time being." Before long he was moved to Director of the Right Bureau and then promoted to Vice Minister of Works. In the sixth year of Taihe, Ding proposed reforms to the express relay system for forwarding documents and orders; the emperor adopted them, and people at the time found the change a great convenience. Early in the Zhiyou reign, when the Central Capital was besieged, he was promoted from Minister of Revenue to Vice Councilor.

貞祐元年十一月，出為泰定軍節度使，兼兗州管內觀察使，未赴，改知大興府事，兼中都路兵馬都總管。二年正月，鼎以在京貧民闕食者眾，宜立法振救，乃奏曰：「京師官民有能贍給貧人者，宜計所贍遷官升職，以勸獎之。」遂定權宜鬻恩例格，如進官升職、丁憂人許應舉求仕、官監戶從良之類，入粟草各有數，全活甚眾。四月，拜尚書右丞，仍兼知府事。五月，宣宗將南渡，留為汾陽軍節度使，兼汾州管內觀察使。十一月，改知平陽府事，兼河東南路兵馬都總管，權宣撫使。

In the eleventh month of the first year of Zhenyou he was posted out as Military Commissioner of the Taiding Army and concurrent Regional Inspector of Yanzhou; before he could take up that post he was reassigned to administer Daxing Prefecture and to command all military forces of the Central Capital Circuit. In the first month of the second year, noting that many of the capital's poor were going hungry, Ding argued that relief legislation was needed and memorialized: "Officials and commoners in the capital who can support the poor should have their charity counted toward promotion and advancement, as an incentive and reward." Thereupon provisional regulations were drawn up for selling official favors—advancement in rank, permission for those in mourning to take examinations and seek office, release of households under official supervision, and the like—with fixed quotas of grain and fodder, and a great many lives were saved. In the fourth month he was appointed Vice Director of the Right of the Secretariat while continuing to administer the prefecture. In the fifth month, when Emperor Xuanzong was preparing to move the court south across the river, Ding was left behind as Military Commissioner of the Fenyang Army and concurrent Regional Inspector of Fen Prefecture. In the eleventh month he was reassigned to administer Pingyang Prefecture, made Commander-in-Chief of the Southeastern Shanxi Circuit forces, and given acting authority as Pacification Commissioner.

三年四月，建言利害十三事，若積軍儲、備黃河、選官讞獄、簡將練卒、鈔法、版籍之類，上頗採用焉。又言：「平陽歲再被兵，人戶散亡，樓櫓修繕未完，衣甲器械極少，庾廩無兩月食。夏田已為兵蹂，複不雨，秋種未下。雖有複業殘民，皆老幼，莫能耕種，豈足徵求。比聞北方劉伯林聚兵野狐嶺，將深入平陽、絳、解、河中，遂抵河南。戰禦有期，儲積未備，不速錯置，實關社稷生靈大計。乞降空名宣敕一千、紫衣師德號度牒三千，以補軍儲。」上曰：「鼎言是也，有司其如數亟給之。」

In the fourth month of the third year he proposed thirteen measures touching matters of state—stockpiling military supplies, securing the Yellow River, selecting officials and adjudicating cases, streamlining commanders and drilling troops, paper currency, household registers, and the like—and the emperor adopted a good many of them. He also reported: "Pingyang has been struck by war twice in a single year; households have fled and been lost; walls and towers are still unfinished; armor and arms are desperately scarce; and the granaries hold less than two months' provisions. Summer crops have already been ruined by the armies, rain has failed again, and the autumn planting has not gone in. Even where a few survivors have returned to their farms, they are mostly old or young and cannot work the fields—how can taxes be collected from them? We have lately heard that Liu Bolin in the north is massing troops at Yehu Ridge and intends to push deep into Pingyang, Jiang, Jie, and Hezhong, and then on into Henan. Fighting may come at any time, yet our reserves are not ready; unless measures are taken at once, the fate of the realm and its people is at stake. I ask that the court issue one thousand blank appointment edicts and three thousand ordination certificates conferring purple robes and honorific Buddhist titles, so that their sale may replenish military supplies." The emperor said, "Ding is right; let the responsible offices issue them in those numbers without delay."

七月，就拜本路宣撫使，兼前職。朝廷欲起代州戍兵五千，鼎上言：「嶺外軍已皆南徙，代為邊要，正宜益兵保守，今更損其力，一朝兵至，何以待之？平陽以代為籓籬，豈可撤去。」尚書省奏宜如所請，詔從之。又言：「近聞朝廷令臣清野，切謂臣所部乃河東南路，太原則北路也，大兵若來，必始於北，故清野當先北而後南。況北路禾稼早熟，其野既清，兵無所掠，則勢當自止。不然，南路雖清，而穀草委積於北，是資兵而召之南也。臣已移文北路宣撫司矣，乞更詔諭之。」既而大兵果出境，賜詔獎諭曰：「卿以文武之才，膺兵民之寄，往鎮方面，式固邊防，坐釋朕憂，孰如卿力。益懋忠勤之節，以收綏靜之功，仰副予心，嗣有後寵。」尋以能設方略退兵，進官一階。

In the seventh month he was formally appointed Pacification Commissioner of the circuit, retaining his other offices. When the court proposed to call up five thousand garrison troops from Dai, Ding objected: "The armies beyond the passes have already been shifted south. Dai is a critical frontier post and ought to receive more troops, not fewer—if the enemy strikes tomorrow, how will we hold it? Pingyang relies on Dai as its shield; those troops cannot be pulled away." The Secretariat recommended accepting his request, and the emperor agreed. He added: "I have heard that the court has ordered me to clear the countryside. My district is the Southeastern Shanxi Circuit; Taiyuan is the Northern Circuit. If the enemy army comes, it will strike from the north first, so the scorched-earth policy should begin in the north and only then extend south. Moreover, crops in the north ripen early; once that countryside is stripped bare the enemy will have nothing to seize and should halt of their own accord. Otherwise, even if the south is cleared, grain and fodder will still lie in the north—feeding the enemy and drawing them southward. I have already written to the Northern Circuit Pacification Commission; I ask that the court send them further orders as well." Soon afterward the enemy army did withdraw beyond the frontier, and the emperor sent a commendatory edict: "With your civil and military gifts you bear the trust of army and people alike; posted to guard a region you have strengthened the border and lifted my cares from afar—who has served me as you have? Redouble your loyalty and diligence, secure the peace you have won, answer my hopes, and further rewards will follow." Soon afterward, for devising the strategy that drove the enemy back, he was promoted one step in rank.

十月，鼎上言：「臣所將義軍，皆從來背本趨末，勇猛兇悍、盜竊亡命之徒，苟無訓練統攝官以制之，則朋聚黨植，無所不至。乞許臣便宜置總領義軍使、副及彈壓，仍每五千人設訓練一員，不惟預為防閑，使有畏忌，且令武藝精熟，人各為用。」上從之。

In the tenth month Ding reported: "The volunteer troops under my command have always been men who turn their backs on honest livelihoods—fierce, violent, thieving desperadoes. Without training officers to command and restrain them, they will band together in factions without limit. I ask leave to appoint, as circumstances require, a chief commander and deputy for the volunteer forces, with disciplinary officers, and one training officer for every five thousand men—not only to keep them in check through fear, but to sharpen their fighting skills so that each man can be made useful." The emperor approved.

四年正月，大兵略霍、吉、隰三州，已而步騎六萬圍平陽，急攻者十餘日，鼎遣兵屢卻之，且上言：「臣以便宜立官賞，預張文榜，招還脅從人七千有奇，績至者又六千餘，俱令複業。竊謂凡被俘未歸者，更宜多方招誘，已歸者所居從便，優加存恤，無致失所。」制可。二月，拜樞密副使，權尚書左丞，行省於平陽。時鼎方抗表求退，上不許，因進拜焉，且遣近侍諭曰：「卿父子皆朕所知，向卿執政時，因有人言，遂以河東事相委，果能勉力以保無虞。方國家多難，非卿孰可倚者？卿退易耳，能勿慮社稷之計乎！今特授卿是任，咫尺防秋，更宜悉意。」

In the first month of the fourth year the enemy overran Huo, Ji, and Xi prefectures, then sixty thousand foot and horse troops besieged Pingyang and pressed the assault for more than ten days. Ding sent troops and beat them back repeatedly, reporting: "On my own authority I set up rewards for office, posted proclamations in advance, and brought back more than seven thousand people who had been forced to follow the enemy; another six thousand and more kept arriving, and all were restored to their livelihoods. I believe that for everyone still held captive we should use every means to lure them back; for those already returned, let them settle where they choose, treat them generously, and see that none are left destitute." The emperor approved. In the second month he was made Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs and acting Vice Director of the Left of the Secretariat, with provincial authority at Pingyang. Ding was then memorializing to decline the appointment, but the emperor refused and promoted him anyway, sending a close attendant to tell him: "I know both you and your father. When you were at court, on someone's recommendation I entrusted you with Shanxi east of the passes, and you have indeed kept it secure through your efforts. The realm is in grave trouble—who else can I rely on but you? For you to step down would be easy enough—but can you set aside the needs of the realm? I now give you this post in earnest; autumn defense is upon us, and you must give it your whole heart."

時河南粟麥不令興販渡河，鼎上言曰：「河東多山險，平時地利不遺，夏秋薦熟，猶常藉陝西、河南通販物斛。況今累值兵戎，農民浸少，且無雨雪，闕食為甚。又解州屯兵數多，糧儲僅及一月。伏見陝州大陽渡、河中大慶渡皆邀阻粟麥，不令過河，臣恐軍民不安，或生內患。伏望朝廷聽其輸販，以紓解州之急。」從之。

At that time grain from Henan was barred from being sold and shipped across the river. Ding objected: "Shanxi east of the passes is rugged and mountainous; even in normal times its land cannot fully support itself, and though the summer and autumn harvests come in, the region still depends on trade with Shaanxi and Henan for grain. Now, after repeated campaigns, the farming population has dwindled, rain and snow have failed, and hunger is severe. Jie Prefecture moreover holds a large garrison, with barely a month's grain in store. I see that at Dayang Crossing in Shaan and Daqing Crossing in Hezhong officials are blocking grain shipments from crossing the river; I fear the troops and people will grow restless and internal disorder may follow. I beg the court to allow such trade, to ease the crisis at Jie Prefecture." The court agreed.

又言：「河東兵革之餘，疲民稍複，然丁牛既少，莫能耕稼，重以亢旱蝗螟，而饋餉所須，征科頗急，貧無依者俱已乏食，富戶宿藏亦為盜發，蓋絕無而僅有焉，其憔悴亦已甚矣。有司宜奉朝廷德意，以謀安集，而潞州帥府遣官於遼、沁諸郡搜括餘粟，懸重賞誘人告訐，州縣憚帥府，鞭箠械系，所在騷然，甚可憐憫。今大兵既去，惟宜汰冗兵，省浮費，招集流亡，勸督農事。彼不是務，而使瘡痍之民重罹茲苦，是兵未來而先自弊也。願朝廷亟止之，如經費果闕，以恩例勸民入粟，不猶愈于強括乎！」又言：「霍州回牛、夙樓嶺諸厄，戍卒幾四千。今兵既去而農事方興，臣乞量留偵候，餘悉遣歸，有警複征。既休民力，且省縣官，萬一兵來，亦足禦遏。舉一事而獲二利，臣敢以為請。」詔趨行之。

He also reported: "After the wars in Shanxi, the exhausted population has begun to recover, but there are too few men and oxen to work the fields, and drought, locusts, and crop pests have made matters worse. Yet levies for military supplies remain harsh; the destitute are starving, and even the hidden grain of wealthy households is being looted. There is almost nothing left, and the people's suffering is extreme. Officials ought to carry out the court's humane policy and work for recovery, yet the Lu command sends officers through Liao, Qin, and neighboring prefectures to seize whatever grain remains, offering large rewards for informers. Local officials fear the commandery and resort to beatings and imprisonment; the whole region is in turmoil, and the suffering is pitiable. Now that the enemy has withdrawn, we should cut redundant troops, reduce waste, recall refugees, and encourage farming. Instead they ignore these priorities and visit fresh suffering on a people already ravaged by war—we are defeating ourselves before the enemy even returns. I urge the court to stop this at once. If funds are truly short, let people contribute grain through the favor-selling system—is that not better than outright confiscation?" He added: "At Huiniu, Sulou Ridge, and other passes in Huo Prefecture, garrison troops number nearly four thousand. Now that the enemy has gone and farming is resuming, I ask to keep only a scouting force and send the rest home, to be called up again if danger threatens. This would spare the people's strength and reduce local costs, yet still be enough to hold the passes if the enemy returns. One measure with a double benefit—I submit this request." The emperor ordered it implemented at once.

又言：「河東兩路農民浸少，而兵戍益多，是以每歲糧儲常苦不繼。臣切見潞州元帥府雖設鬻爵恩例，然條目至少，未盡勸誘之術，故進獻者無幾。宜增益其條，如中都時，仍許各路宣撫司俱得發賣，庶幾多獲貯儲，以濟不給。」於是尚書省更定制奏行焉。

He also reported: "On both Shanxi circuits the farming population keeps shrinking while garrisons grow, so grain stores fall short every year. I note that although the Lu command has set up favor-selling regulations, the options are too few to draw contributors, and very little grain has been offered. The list of benefits should be expanded, as when the capital still stood in the north, and every Pacification Commission should be allowed to sell them, so that more grain can be stockpiled to meet the shortage." The Secretariat then revised the regulations, submitted them, and put them into effect.

又言：「交鈔貴於通流，今諸路所造不敷所出，苟不以術收之，不無闕誤。宜從行省行部量民力征斂，以裨軍用。河中宣撫司亦以寶券所支已多，民不貴，乞驗民貧富征之。雖然，陝西若一體徵收，則彼中所有，日湊於河東，其與不斂何異。又河北寶券以不許行于河南，由是愈滯，將誤軍儲而啟釁端。」時以河北寶券商旅齎販南渡，致物價翔貴，許可權路分行用，因鼎有言，罷之。

He also said: "Paper notes must circulate freely, yet the circuits are printing less than is being spent. Unless we recover notes systematically, shortfalls are inevitable. The provincial offices should levy taxes according to local capacity to support the army. The Hezhong Pacification Commission likewise reports that too many treasure notes have been issued and the people no longer value them, and asks to levy according to each household's means. Yet if Shaanxi is taxed as a whole, everything it holds will drain eastward into Shanxi—which is scarcely different from taking nothing at all. Moreover, Hebei treasure notes are barred from Henan and stagnate further, which will disrupt military supplies and invite trouble." At the time merchants had been carrying Hebei notes south, driving prices up, and the court had allowed limited circulation on authorized routes; on Ding's advice this policy was withdrawn.

又言：「比者朝廷命擇義軍為三等，臣即檄所司，而潞帥必蘭阿魯帶言：'自去歲初置帥府時已按閱本軍，去其冗者。部分既定，上下既親，故能所向成功。此皆血戰之餘，屢試可者。且又父子兄弟自相赴援，各顧其家，心一而力齊，勢不可離。今必析之，將互易而不相諳矣。國家糧儲，常恐不繼，豈容僥冒，但本府兵不至是耳。況潞州北即為異境，日常備戰，事務方殷，而分別如此，彼居中下者，皆將氣挫心懈而不可用，慮恐因得測吾虛實。且義軍率皆農民，已各散歸田畝，趨時力作。若徵集之，動經旬日，農事廢而歲計失矣。乞從本府所定，無輕變易。 '臣切是其言。」時阿魯帶奏亦至，詔遂許之。

He also reported: "The court recently ordered volunteer forces sorted into three grades. I issued orders at once, but the Lu commander Bianlan Arudai replied: 'Since the command was set up last year I have already reviewed this army and cut the redundant ranks. Their organization is set, officers and men know one another, and that is why they fight successfully wherever they are sent. They are veterans of hard fighting, tried again and again and proved reliable. Fathers, sons, and brothers rally to one another's aid, each guarding his own household; their hearts are united and their strength combined, and they cannot be broken apart. If we break them up now, men will be shuffled among strangers who do not know one another. The state's grain stores are always short—how can we tolerate padded rolls? It is only that this commandery's forces are not inflated to that degree. Moreover, Lu Prefecture borders enemy territory to the north and is always on a war footing. To reshuffle ranks now would demoralize the middle and lower grades and leave them useless; I fear the enemy would learn our true strength from the disruption. Most of these volunteers are farmers who have already returned to their fields for the season's work. To call them up again would take weeks on the march, ruin the farming season, and lose the year's harvest. I ask that the commandery's existing arrangements be left unchanged. I fully agree with what he says." Arudai's memorial arrived about the same time, and the emperor approved his request.

又言：「近偵知北兵駐同、耀，竊慮梗吾東西往來之路，遂委河中經略使陀滿胡土門領軍赴援。今兵勢將叩關矣，前此臣嘗奏聞，北兵非止欲攻河東、陝西，必將進取河南。雖已移文陝州行院及陝西鄰境，俱令設備，恐未即遵行。乞詔河南行院統軍司，議所以禦備之策。」上以示尚書省，宰臣奏：「兵已逾關，惟宜嚴責所遣帥臣趨迎擊之，及命鼎益兵渡河以掣其肘。」制可。既而鼎聞大兵已越關，乃急上章曰：「臣叨蒙國恩擢列樞府，凡有戎事，皆當任之。今入河南，將及畿甸，豈可安據一方，坐視朝廷之急，而不思自奮以少寬陛下之憂乎。去歲頒降聖訓，以向者都城被圍四方無援為恨，明敕將帥，若京師有警，即各提兵奔赴，其或不至自有常刑。臣已奉詔，先遣潞州元帥左監軍必蘭阿魯帶領軍一萬，孟州經略使徒單百家領兵五千，由便道濟河以趨關、陝，臣將親率平陽精兵直抵京師，與王師相合。」又奏曰：「京師去平陽千五百餘裏，倘俟朝廷之命方圖入援，須三旬而後能至，得無失其機耶？臣以身先士卒倍道兼行矣。」上嘉其意，詔樞府督軍應之。

He also reported: "Scouts lately report the enemy camped at Tong and Yao. I fear they may cut our east-west communications and have sent the Hezhong frontier commissioner Tuoman Hutumen with troops to reinforce the area. The enemy is now about to strike the passes. I have warned before that their aim is not only Shanxi and Shaanxi—they will push on into Henan. I have written to the Shaan branch office and neighboring districts to prepare defenses, but I fear they may not act quickly enough. I ask that the Henan branch office and the central military command be ordered to plan defensive measures." The emperor referred the matter to the Secretariat. The chief ministers replied: "The enemy has already crossed the passes. We should urgently order our commanders forward to engage them, and instruct Ding to send more troops across the river to threaten their flank." Approved. Soon afterward Ding learned that the enemy had crossed the passes and urgently memorialized: "I have been undeservedly promoted to the Bureau of Military Affairs; every military crisis is my responsibility. They are entering Henan and will soon threaten the capital region. How can I hold my post in comfort while the court is in peril, and not strive to ease Your Majesty's burden even a little? Last year Your Majesty's edict lamented that when the capital was besieged no aid came from the provinces, and clearly ordered all commanders: if the capital is threatened, each must march to its relief at once, on pain of the usual penalties for failure. I have already obeyed that order. I have sent Bianlan Arudai, Left Military Supervisor of the Lu command, with ten thousand men, and Tushan Baijia, frontier commissioner of Meng Prefecture, with five thousand, by the shortest routes across the river toward the passes and Shaanxi. I shall lead Pingyang's best troops myself straight to the capital to join the imperial forces." He added: "The capital lies more than fifteen hundred li from Pingyang. If I wait for further orders before marching to its relief, thirty days will pass before I can arrive—will not the moment be lost? I am already leading my men in person by forced marches." The emperor praised his resolve and ordered the Bureau of Military Affairs to coordinate the relief force.

初，鼎以將率兵赴援京師，奏乞委知平陽府事王質權元帥左監軍，同知府事完顏僧家奴權右監軍，以鎮守河東，從之。至是，鼎拜尚書左丞，兼樞密副使。是時，大兵已過陝州，自關以西皆列營柵，連亙數十裏。鼎慮近薄京畿，遂以河東南路懷、孟諸兵合萬五千，由河中入援，又遣遙授河中府判官僕散掃吾出領軍趨陝西，並力禦之。且慮北兵扼河，移檄絳、解、吉、隰、孟州經略司，相與會兵以為夾攻之勢。已而北兵果由三門、集津北渡而去。

Earlier, as Ding prepared to march to the capital's relief, he asked that Wang Zhi, administrator of Pingyang, be left as acting Left Military Supervisor and Wanyan Sengjianu, co-administrator, as acting Right Military Supervisor to hold Shanxi; the court agreed. At this time Ding was appointed Vice Director of the Left of the Secretariat and Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs. By then the enemy had passed Shaan Prefecture; west of the passes their camps and palisades stretched in an unbroken line for dozens of li. Fearing the enemy was closing on the capital, Ding assembled fifteen thousand troops from Huai, Meng, and other districts of the Southeastern Shanxi Circuit, marched them through Hezhong to reinforce the capital, and sent Pusasan Saowu, remotely appointed judge of Hezhong Prefecture, with another force toward Shaanxi so that both wings could resist together. He also feared the enemy might seize the river crossings and wrote to the frontier commissions of Jiang, Jie, Ji, Xi, and Meng, urging them to unite their forces for a converging attack. Soon afterward the enemy did cross north at the Sanmen and Jijin fords and withdrew.

鼎複上言：「自兵興以來，河北潰散軍兵、流亡人戶，及山西、河東老幼，俱徙河南。在處僑居，各無本業，易至動搖。竊慮有司妄分彼此，或加迫遣，以致不安。今兵日益盛，將及畿甸，倘複誘此失職之眾使為鄉導，或驅之攻城，豈不益資其力。乞朝廷遣官撫慰，及令所司嚴為防閑，庶幾不至生釁。」上從其計，遣監察御史陳規等充安撫捕盜官，巡行郡邑。大兵還至平陽，鼎遣兵拒戰，不利乃去。

Ding memorialized again: "Since the wars began, broken troops from Hebei, displaced families, and the old and young of Shanxi and eastern Shanxi have all fled into Henan. Living as refugees wherever they settle, without their former livelihoods, they are easily unsettled. I fear officials may arbitrarily distinguish locals from outsiders or press them to leave, breeding unrest. The enemy grows stronger daily and will soon threaten the capital. If they recruit these desperate people as guides or drive them to assault our walls, will they not only strengthen the enemy? I ask the court to send officials to reassure them and order local authorities to keep strict watch, so that disorder may be prevented." The emperor adopted his plan and sent Investigating Censor Chen Gui and others as pacification and anti-bandit officers to tour the prefectures. When the enemy returned to Pingyang, Ding sent troops to engage them; the fight went badly and the enemy withdrew.

朝廷詔鼎舉兵伐宋，且令勿複有言，以沮成算。鼎已分兵由秦、鞏、鳳翔三路並進，乃上書曰：「竊懷愚懇，不敢自默，謹條利害以聞。昔泰和間，蓋嘗南伐，時太平日久，百姓富庶，馬蕃軍銳，所謂萬全之舉也，然猶亟和，以偃兵為務。大安之後，北兵大舉，天下騷然者累年，然軍馬氣勢，視舊才十一耳。至於器械之屬，亦多損弊，民間差役重繁，浸以疲乏，而日勤師旅，遠近動搖，是未獲一敵而自害者眾，其不可一也。今歲西北二兵無入境之報，此非有所憚而不敢也，意者以去年北還，姑自息養，不然則別部相攻，未暇及我。如聞王師南征，乘隙並至，雖有潼關、大河之險，殆不足恃，則三面受敵者首尾莫救，得無貽後悔乎？其不可二也。凡兵雄於天下者，必其士馬精強，器械犀利，且出其不備而後能取勝也。宋自泰和再修舊好，練兵峙糧，繕修營壘，十年於茲矣。又車駕至汴益近宋境，彼必朝夕憂懼，委曲為防。況聞王師已出唐、鄧，必徙民渡江，所在清野，止留空城，使我軍無所得，徒自勞費，果何益哉？其不可三也。宋我世仇，比年非無恢復舊疆、洗雪前恥之志，特畏吾威力，不能窺其虛實，故未敢輕舉。今我軍皆山西、河北無依之人，或招還逃軍，脅從歸國，大抵烏合之眾，素非練習，而遽使從戎，豈能保其決勝哉？雖得其城，內無儲蓄，亦何以守？以不練烏合之軍，深入敵境，進不得食，退無所掠，將複遁逃嘯聚為腹心患，其不可四也。發兵進討，欲因敵糧，此事不可必者。隨軍轉輸，則又非民力所及。沿邊人戶雖有恆產，而賦役繁重，不勝困憊。又凡失業寓河南者，類皆衣食不給。貧窮之迫，盜所由生，如宋人陰為招募，誘以厚利，使為鄉導，伺我不虞突而入寇，則內有叛民，外有勍敵，未易圖之，其不可五也。今春事將興，若進兵不還，必違農時，以誤防秋之用，此社稷大計，豈特疆埸利害而已哉！其不可六也。臣愚以為止當遴選材武將士，分佈近邊州郡，敵至則追擊，去則力田，以廣儲蓄。至於士氣益強，民心益固，國用豐饒，自可恢廓先業，成中興之功，一區區之宋何足平乎。」詔付尚書省，宰臣以為諸軍既進，無複可議，遂寢。

The court ordered Ding to attack Song and forbade further remonstrance lest he undermine the settled plan. Ding had already sent columns forward by the Qin, Gong, and Fengxiang routes when he submitted a letter: "I cannot keep silent out of earnest concern and respectfully set forth the pros and cons. During the Taihe reign we did campaign southward when the realm had enjoyed long peace, the people were prosperous, and our horses and troops were at their peak—a campaign thought foolproof—yet we still sought peace quickly and made ending the war our priority. Since Da'an the northern armies have campaigned repeatedly and the realm has been in turmoil for years, yet our military strength is scarcely a tenth of what it once was. Weapons too are largely worn out, corvée burdens have exhausted the people, and constant mobilizations unsettle the realm. We are harming ourselves before striking a single blow—the first reason this cannot be done. This year we have no reports of invasion from the northwestern enemy—not because they fear us, but likely because they withdrew last year to recuperate, or because other divisions are fighting among themselves and cannot yet turn on us. If we march south and they seize the chance to strike together, Tong Pass and the Yellow River will scarcely protect us. Attacked on three sides we cannot save both flanks—will we not regret it? This is the second reason. That is the second reason. Armies prevail when their men and horses are elite, their weapons sharp, and they catch the foe unprepared. Since Taihe restored relations, Song has drilled troops, stockpiled grain, and fortified camps for ten years now. With the court now at Bian, closer than ever to Song territory, they must be on constant guard and fortifying every defense. Our army has already marched from Tang and Deng; Song will surely move the people south across the river, clear the countryside, and leave empty cities. Our troops will gain nothing and exhaust themselves for no profit—the third reason. That is the third reason. Song is our hereditary enemy and has long wished to recover lost territory and avenge old defeats, but they fear our strength and cannot gauge our condition, and so have not dared move rashly. Our forces now are mostly destitute men from Shanxi and Hebei, recovered deserters, and men coerced back into service—a rabble never properly trained, yet suddenly sent to war. How can we expect victory? Even if we capture a city, with no supplies inside, how can we hold it? Send an untrained rabble deep into enemy country where they cannot find food advancing and have nothing to loot retreating, and they will flee and band together as rebels at home—the fourth reason. To campaign hoping to live off enemy supplies is no sure thing. Supplying the army by transport is beyond what the people can bear. Border households, though they own land, are crushed by taxes and corvée. Moreover, the displaced living in Henan mostly lack food and clothing. Desperation breeds banditry. If Song secretly recruits them with rich rewards as guides and strikes when we are unprepared, we will face rebels within and a strong foe without—the fifth reason. Spring planting is at hand. If troops do not return, we will miss the season and ruin autumn defense—a matter of national survival, not mere border advantage—the sixth reason! That is the sixth reason. I believe we should post able commanders along the border, strike when the enemy comes, farm when they leave, and build up our reserves. When morale, popular loyalty, and state revenue have recovered, we can restore our former dominion and achieve revival—what is petty Song worth conquering now?" The emperor referred the memorial to the Secretariat. The chief ministers held that since the armies had already marched, nothing more could be debated, and the matter was dropped.

既而元帥承裔等取宋大散關，上諭鼎曰：「所得大散關，可保則保，不可則焚毀而還。」於是鼎奏：「臣近遣官問諸帥臣，皆曰散關至驀關諸隘，其地遠甚，中間堡壘相望，如欲分屯，非萬人不可。則又有恆州、虢縣所直數關，宋兵皆固守如舊，緩急有事，當複分散關之兵。餘眾數少，必不能支，而鳳翔、恆、隴亦無應援，恐兩失之。且比年以來，民力困于調度，今方春，農事已急，恐妨耕墾，不若焚毀此關，但屯邊隘以張其勢，彼或來侵，互相應援易為力也。」制可。

Soon afterward Commander Chengyi and others captured Song's Great Scatter Pass. The emperor told Ding: "Hold the pass if you can; if not, burn it and withdraw." Ding replied: "I have asked the commanders. From Scatter Pass to Mo Pass the ground is vast, with fortresses strung along the route. To garrison it in sections would take at least ten thousand men. Heng Prefecture and Guo County moreover hold several passes where Song troops remain entrenched; in an emergency we would have to divide our forces among the passes again. The remaining troops would be too few to hold, and Fengxiang, Heng, and Long could not reinforce us—we risk losing everything. The people have been exhausted by levies for years. Spring farming is urgent, and garrisoning the pass would disrupt it. Better to burn the pass and hold only the border defiles to show strength; mutual support will be easier if Song attacks." Approved.

二年四月，鼎乞致仕，上遣近侍諭曰：「卿年既耄，朕非不知，然天下事方有次第，卿舊人也，姑宜勉力以終之。」鼎以宣宗多親細務，非帝王體，乃上奏曰：「天下之大，萬機之眾，錢谷之冗，非九重所能兼，則必付之有司，天子操大綱、責成功而已。況今多故，豈可躬親細務哉？惟陛下委任大臣，坐收成算，則恢復之期不遠矣。」上覽其奏不悅，謂宰臣曰：「朕惟恐有怠，而鼎言如此何耶？」高琪奏曰：「聖主以宗廟社稷為心，法上天行健之義，憂勤庶政，夙夜不遑，乃太平之階也。鼎言非是。」上喜之。

In the fourth month of the second year Ding asked to retire. The emperor sent a close attendant to say: "I know you are old, but the realm's affairs are only now settling into order. You are an old servant of mine; exert yourself a little longer to see them through." Ding believed Emperor Xuanzong's habit of attending to minor details was unbecoming an emperor and memorialized: "The realm is vast, affairs innumerable, and fiscal business too tangled for the throne to manage alone. These must be left to the responsible offices; the Son of Heaven need only hold the broad outline and demand results. In these troubled times, how can Your Majesty personally manage petty details? If Your Majesty entrusts the chief ministers and holds to the settled strategy, restoration will not be far off." The emperor read the memorial with displeasure and said to his ministers: "I fear only slacking in my duties—what does Ding mean by this?" Gao Qi replied: "The sage ruler holds the ancestral altars and the realm in his heart, emulates Heaven's unceasing vigor, and toils day and night over every affair of state—that is the path to peace. Ding is wrong." The emperor was pleased.

三年正月，上言：「沿邊州府官既有減定資歷月日之格，至於掌兵及守禦邊隘者，征行暴露，備曆艱險，宜一體減免，以示激勸。」從之。二月，上言：「近制，軍前立功犯罪之人，行省、行院、帥府不得輒行誅賞。夫賞由中出則恩有所歸，茲固至當。至於部分犯罪，主將不得施行，則下無所畏而令莫得行矣。」宰臣難之，上以問樞密院官，對如鼎言，乃下詔，自今四品以下皆得裁決。

In the first month of the third year he proposed: "Border officials already benefit from reduced qualification periods. Those who command troops and guard passes, exposed on campaign and enduring every hardship, should receive the same reduction as an incentive." The court agreed. In the second month he reported: "A recent regulation forbids provincial offices, branch offices, and commanderies from executing or rewarding soldiers who merit or offend on campaign. Rewards from the center are proper, for grace then has a clear source. But if commanders cannot punish offenses within their units, subordinates will not fear them and orders cannot be enforced." The chief ministers objected, but when the emperor asked the Bureau of Military Affairs, they agreed with Ding. An edict followed granting commanders of the fourth rank and below authority to decide such cases.

時元帥內族承裔、移剌粘何伐宋，所下城邑多所焚掠，於是鼎上言：「承裔等奉詔宣揚國威，所謂'弔民伐罪'者也。今大軍已克武休，將至興元。興元乃漢中、西蜀喉衿之地，乞諭帥臣，所得城邑姑無焚掠，務慰撫之。誠使一郡貼然，秋毫不犯，則其餘三十軍將不攻自下矣。若拒王師，乃宜有戮。」上甚是其言，遂詔諭承裔。鼎以年老屢上表求致仕，上謂宰臣曰：「胥鼎以老求退，朕觀其精力未衰，已遣人往慰諭之。鼎嘗薦把胡魯，以為過己遠甚，欲以自代。胡魯固佳，至於駕馭人材，處決機務，不及鼎多矣。」俄以伐宋有功，遷官一階。

Commander Chengyi of the imperial clan and Yelü Nianhe were campaigning against Song and burning and looting the cities they took. Ding objected: "Chengyi and the others were sent to display our might—what is called 'consoling the people and punishing wrongdoing. Our army has taken Wuxiu and is approaching Xingyuan. Xingyuan is the gateway to Hanzhong and western Shu. I ask that the commanders be told not to burn or loot captured cities but to reassure the people. If one district is pacified and not a hair harmed, the other thirty armies will submit without a fight. Only those who resist the imperial army deserve punishment." The emperor strongly approved and sent instructions to Chengyi. Ding repeatedly asked to retire on grounds of age. The emperor told his ministers: "Xu Ding seeks to withdraw because he is old, but his vigor is undiminished. I have sent someone to dissuade him. Ding had recommended Ba Hulu as far his superior and wished to be replaced by him. Hulu is capable, but in managing talent and deciding critical affairs he is no match for Ding." Soon afterward he was promoted one rank for his merit in the Song campaign.

八月，上言：「臣奉詔兼節制河東，近晉安帥府令百里內止留桑棗果木，餘皆伐之。方今秋收，乃為此舉以奪其事，既不能禦敵而又害民，非計也。且一朝警急，其所伐木豈能盡去，使不資敵乎？他木雖伐，桑棗舍屋獨非木乎，此殆徒勞。臣已下帥府止之，而左都監完顏閭山乃言嘗奉旨清野，臣不知其可。」詔從鼎便宜規畫。是時，大元兵大舉入陝西，鼎多料敵之策，朝臣或中沮之，上諭樞密院官曰：「胥鼎規畫必無謬誤，自今卿等不須指授也。」尋又遣諭曰：「卿專制方面，凡事得以從宜規畫，又何必一一中複，徒為逗留也。」

In the eighth month he reported: "I have been ordered to command eastern Shanxi. The Jin'an command recently ordered that within a hundred li only mulberry, jujube, and fruit trees be spared and all other trees cut down. It is harvest season, yet this order disrupts the harvest. It will neither repel the enemy nor help the people—a poor policy. And if the enemy strikes suddenly, can all the felled timber be cleared before it supplies them? Other trees may be cut, but mulberry, jujube, and houses are wood too—this is probably wasted effort. I have ordered the commandery to stop, but Left Director Wanyan Lüshan says he received orders to clear the countryside—I do not know whether that is right." The emperor authorized Ding to decide as circumstances required. At this time the Mongols launched a major invasion of Shaanxi. Ding devised many strategies to anticipate the enemy, though some courtiers tried to block them. The emperor told the Bureau of Military Affairs: "Xu Ding's plans are never mistaken. From now on do not second-guess him." He soon added: "You have full authority in your region and may act as circumstances require. Why report every matter to the center and delay action?"

六月，晉陽公郭文振奏：「河朔受兵有年矣，向皆秋來春去，今已盛暑不回，且不嗜戕殺，恣民耕稼，此殆不可測也。樞府每檄臣會合府兵進戰，蓋公府雖號分封，力實單弱，且不相統攝，方自保不暇，朝廷不即遣兵為援，臣恐人心以謂舉棄河北，甚非計也。伏見前平章政事胥鼎，才兼將相，威望甚隆，向行省河東，人樂為用。今雖致政，精力未衰，乞付重兵，使總制公府，同力戰禦，庶幾人皆回應，易為恢復，惟陛下圖之。」

In the sixth month Duke Guo Wenzhen of Jinyang reported: "Hebei has been at war for years. The enemy used to come in autumn and leave in spring. Now they remain through the summer heat, refrain from killing, and let the people farm—this is hard to fathom. The Bureau keeps ordering me to unite the princely forces and attack, but those establishments, though called fiefs, are weak and do not coordinate, barely able to defend themselves. If the court does not send aid at once, people will think we have abandoned Hebei—a disastrous policy. I note that former Grand Councilor Xu Ding combines civil and military talent and enjoys great prestige. When he governed eastern Shanxi, men were glad to follow him. Though retired, his vigor is undiminished. I beg that heavy forces be entrusted to him to command the princely establishments and fight together, so that all may respond and recovery become possible—may Your Majesty consider this."

鼎通達吏事，有度量，為政鎮靜，所在無賢不肖皆得其歡心。南渡以來，書生鎮方面者，惟鼎一人而已。

Ding was thoroughly versed in administration, magnanimous, and calm in government; wherever he served, worthy and unworthy alike came to respect him. Since the court moved south, he was the only scholar to hold regional command.

侯摯，初名師尹，避諱改今名，字莘卿，東阿人。明昌二年進士，入官慷慨有為。承安間，積遷山東路鹽使司判官。泰和元年，以課增四分，特命遷官二階。八年七月，追官一階，降授長武縣令。初，摯為戶部主事，與王謙規措西北路軍儲以代張煒，摯上章論本路財用不實，至是降除焉。貞祐初，大兵圍燕都，時摯為中都曲使，請出募軍，已而嬰城有功，擢為右補闕。二年正月，詔摯與少府監丞李向秀分詣西山招撫。宣宗南渡，轉勸農副使，提控紫荊等關。俄遷行六部侍郎。三年四月，同簽樞密院阿勒根訛論等以謂「今車駕駐南京，河南兵不可易動，且兵不在多，以將為本。侯摯有過人之才，倘假以便宜之權，使募兵轉糧，事無不克，可升為尚書，以總制永錫、慶壽兩軍。」於是以摯為太常卿，行尚書六部事，往來應給之。

Hou Zhi, originally named Shiyin, changed his name to avoid imperial taboo; his style name was Shenqing, and he was from Dong'e. He passed the jinshi examination in the second year of Mingchang and entered office as a generous, enterprising man. During the Cheng'an reign he rose in stages to Judge of the Shandong Circuit Salt Commission. In the first year of Taihe, because tax receipts rose by forty percent, he was specially promoted two ranks. In the seventh month of the eighth year he was demoted one rank and appointed magistrate of Changwu County. Earlier, as a principal clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, he and Wang Qian had reorganized northwestern military supplies to replace Zhang Wei. Zhi had memorialized that the circuit's accounts were false, and for this he was now demoted. Early in Zhenyou, when the enemy besieged the Yan capital, Zhi was a metropolitan district commissioner. He volunteered to recruit troops and later won merit in the city's defense, and was promoted to Right Remonstrator. In the first month of the second year he and Li Xiangxiu of the Palace Workshops were ordered separately to the Western Hills to recruit and pacify the people. When Emperor Xuanzong moved the court south, he became Vice Commissioner for Encouraging Agriculture and was put in charge of Zijing and other passes. Soon afterward he was made Acting Vice Minister of the Six Ministries. In the fourth month of the third year, Associate Signatory Aligen Elun and others argued: "The court is at Nanjing; Henan troops must not be shifted lightly, and armies depend not on numbers but on their commanders. Hou Zhi has exceptional talent. Given discretionary authority to recruit troops and move grain, he would succeed in every task. He should be promoted to Director and placed in command of the Yongxi and Qingshou armies." Zhi was therefore appointed Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, with acting authority over the Six Ministries, to organize supplies back and forth.

摯遂上章言九事，其一曰：「省部所以總天下之紀綱，今隨路宣差便宜、從宜，往往不遵條格，輒劄付六部及三品以下官，其于紀綱豈不紊亂，宜革其弊。」其二曰：「近置四帥府，所統兵校不為不眾，然而弗克取勝者，蓋一處受敵，餘徒傍觀，未嘗發一卒以為援，稍見小卻，則棄戈遁去，此師老將怯故也。將將之道，惟陛下察之。」其三曰：「率兵禦寇，督民運糧，各有所職，本不可以兼行，而帥府每令雜進，累遇寇至，軍未戰而丁夫已遁，行伍錯亂，敗之由也。夫前陣雖勝，而後必更者，恐為敵所料耳，況不勝哉。用兵尚變，本無定形，今乃因循不改覆轍，臣雖素不知兵，妄謂率由此失。」其四曰：「雄、保、安肅諸郡據白溝、易水、西山之固，今多闕員，又所任者皆柔懦不武，宜亟選勇猛才幹者分典之。」其五曰：「漳水自衛至海，宜沿流設備，以固山東，使力穡之民安服田畝。」其六曰：「近都州縣官吏往往逋逃，蓋以往來敵中失身者多，兼轉輸頻並，民力困弊，應給不前複遭責罰，秩滿乃與他處一體計資考，實負其人。乞詔有司優定等級，以別異之。」其七曰：「兵威不振，罪在將帥輕敵妄舉，如近日李英為帥，臨陣之際酒猶未醒，是以取敗。臣謂英既無功，其濫注官爵並宜削奪。」其八曰：「大河之北，民失稼穡，官無俸給，上下不安，皆欲逃竄。加以潰散軍卒還相剽掠，以致平民愈不聊生。宜優加矜恤，亟招撫之。」其九曰：「從來掌兵者多用世襲之官，此屬自幼驕惰不任勞苦，且心膽懦怯何足倚辦。宜選驍勇過人、眾所推服者，不考其素用之。」上略施行焉。

Zhi then memorialized on nine matters. The first: "The Secretariat and ministries exist to govern the realm's regulations, yet circuit envoys with discretionary powers often ignore the statutes and issue orders directly to the Six Ministries and officials of the third rank and below. This throws government into disorder and should be reformed." The second: "Four commanderies have lately been established with no few troops, yet they cannot win because when one is attacked the others only watch, never sending a single soldier to help. At the slightest setback they throw down their weapons and flee—the army is weary and the generals timid. The art of commanding commanders is for Your Majesty to judge." The third: "Leading troops and supervising grain transport are separate duties and should not be combined, yet commanderies constantly mix them. When the enemy comes, the laborers flee before the army fights and the ranks fall into disorder—that is why we lose. Even if the front line wins, the rear must still rotate, which the enemy can anticipate—how much worse when we lose? Warfare prizes adaptability and has no fixed form, yet we follow precedent and repeat the same mistakes. Though I am no soldier, I believe our defeats come chiefly from this." Fourth: Xiong, Bao, and Ansu prefectures sit on the natural defenses of the White Ditch, the Yishui, and the Western Hills. Too many posts stand empty, and the men filling them are timid and unwarlike. Choose fierce, capable officers at once and put them in charge, each in his own district. Fifth: From Wei to the sea, the Zhang River should be fortified along its length to hold Shandong firm and let farmers work their fields in peace. Sixth: Officials in counties near the capital often abandon their posts. Many are lost crossing enemy lines; transport levies come one on another; the people are worn out; promised supplies never arrive—and the officials are punished anyway. When their terms end they are graded for promotion no differently from men serving elsewhere. That is a real injustice to them. I ask that the throne order the authorities to establish preferential grades and treat them separately. Seventh: When our armies lose their edge, the blame falls on commanders who underestimate the enemy and act recklessly. Li Ying, appointed commander not long ago, went into battle still drunk—that is why he was beaten. In my view, Ying has earned nothing; every rank and title he was given should be revoked. Eighth: North of the Yellow River the people have lost their crops, the state cannot pay salaries, and high and low alike are desperate to flee. On top of that, broken soldiers prey on one another, and ordinary folk find life harder still. Show them mercy, relieve them, and win them back quickly. Ninth: Those who command armies rely too much on hereditary officers—men spoiled from childhood, unwilling to endure hardship, faint of heart. How can we depend on them? Pick men of proven courage whom the troops will follow, regardless of whether they have held office before. The throne adopted and carried out part of the memorial.

時元帥蒲察七斤以通州叛，累遣諜者間摯，摯恐為所陷，上章自辯。詔諭之曰：「卿朕素知，豈容間耶。其一意於職，無以猜嫌自沮也。」八月，權參知政事。俄拜參知政事，行尚書省于河北。先是，摯言：「河北東、西兩路最為要地，而真定守帥胡論出輒棄城南奔，州縣危懼。今防秋在邇，甚為可憂，臣願募兵與舊部西山忠義軍往安撫之。」制可，故是有命。十一月，入見。壬申，遣祭河神於宜村。十二月，複行省于河北。

At that time Marshal Puchai Qijin rebelled at Tongzhou and repeatedly sent agents to drive a wedge between Zhi and the court. Fearing a trap, Zhi submitted a memorial in his own defense. An edict reassured him: "I have known you for years—how could I let others come between us? Devote yourself wholly to your post; do not let suspicion weaken you." In the eighth month he was made acting Vice Grand Councillor. Shortly afterward he was confirmed as Vice Grand Councillor and sent to direct the Secretariat in Hebei. Earlier Zhi had argued: "The eastern and western routes of Hebei are the most critical ground, yet Hulun Chu, the defending commander at Zhending, keeps abandoning the city and fleeing south, and the whole region is terrified. Autumn campaigning is near, and the situation is grave. I ask to raise troops and go with my former Western Hills Loyalty Army to restore order." The request was approved, and he received the commission. In the eleventh month he came to court for audience. On the renshen day he was dispatched to offer sacrifice to the River God at Yicun. In the twelfth month he returned to direct provincial affairs in Hebei.

四年正月，進拜尚書右丞。嘗上言，宜開沁水以便饋運，至是，詔有司開之。是時，河北大饑，摯上言曰：「今河朔饑甚，人至相食，觀、滄等州斗米銀十餘兩，殍殣相屬。伏見沿河上下許販粟北渡，然每石官糴其八，彼商人非有濟物之心也，所以涉河往來者特利其厚息而已，利既無有，誰複為之？是雖有濟物之名，而實無所渡之物，其與不渡何異。昔春秋列國各列疆界，然晉饑則秦輸之粟，及秦饑，晉閉之糴，千古譏之。況今天下一家，河朔之民皆陛下赤子，而遭罹兵革，尤為可哀，其忍坐視其死而不救歟！人心惟危，臣恐弄兵之徒，得以藉口而起也。願止其糴，縱民輸販為便。」詔尚書省行之。

In the first month of the fourth year he was promoted to Right Vice Director of the Ministry of Works. He had earlier urged that the Qin River be dredged to ease grain transport; now an edict ordered the work begun. Hebei was in the grip of famine. Zhi memorialized: "North of the river people are starving so badly they eat one another. In Guan, Cang, and neighboring prefectures a dou of grain costs more than ten taels of silver, and the dead lie in heaps. Grain may legally be sold north across the river, but the government seizes eight-tenths of every shi. Merchants are not trying to feed the hungry—they cross the river only for the profit. Take the profit away and who will make the trip? We have the name of relief, but no grain actually crosses—it might as well be banned. In the Spring and Autumn era every state had its border, yet when Jin starved Qin sent grain—and when Qin starved, Jin closed the market. History has mocked that ever since. How much more now, when the realm is one family and the people north of the river are Your Majesty's own children, battered by war—can we watch them die and do nothing? Hearts are unstable; I fear men with weapons will seize the excuse to rebel. Stop the government levy and let people carry and sell grain freely—that is the better course." The Ministry of Works was ordered to carry out the change.

時紅襖賊數萬人入臨沂、費縣之境，官軍敗之，生擒偽宣徽使李壽甫。訊之，則雲其眾皆楊安兒、劉二祖散亡之餘，今複聚及六萬，賊首郝定者兗州泗水人，署置百官，僭稱大漢皇帝，已攻泰安、滕、兗、單諸州，及萊蕪、新泰等十餘縣，又破邳州硇子堌，得船數百艘，近遣人北構南連皆成約，行將跨河為亂。摯以其言聞於上，且曰：「今邳、滕之路不通，恐實有此謀。」遂詔摯行省事于東平，權本路兵馬都總管，以招誘之，若不從即率兵捕討。興定元年四月，濟南、泰安、滕、兗等州土賊並起，肆行剽掠，摯遣提控遙授棣州防禦使完顏霆率兵討之，前後斬首千餘，招降偽元帥石花五、夏全餘党壯士二萬人，老幼五萬口。

At that time tens of thousands of Red Jacket rebels entered Linyi and Fei counties. Government forces defeated them and took alive the false Commissioner of the Imperial Attendants, Li Shoufu. Under questioning he said his force was what remained of Yang An'er and Liu Erzu's bands, now regrouped to sixty thousand. Their leader Hao Ding, a man of Sishui in Yanzhou, had set up a full court and proclaimed himself Emperor of Great Han. He had already overrun Tai'an, Teng, Yan, and Shan and more than a dozen counties including Laiwu and Xintai, broken through Piaozi'gu in Pizhou, and seized hundreds of boats. He had lately sent envoys north and south; every pact was made, and he was poised to cross the river and rise in revolt. Zhi reported this to the throne, adding: "The routes through Pi and Teng are already cut—I fear the plan is real." He was then ordered to direct provincial affairs from Dongping with interim authority as overall commander of the circuit's forces—to offer terms first, and if the rebels refused, to march against them. In the fourth month of Xingding 1 local bandits rose across Jinan, Tai'an, Teng, Yan, and other prefectures and looted freely. Zhi sent Intendant Wanyan Ting—remotely appointed Defender of Di Prefecture—to suppress them. In successive actions more than a thousand heads were taken; the false Marshal Shi Huawu and remnants of Xia Quan's party surrendered—twenty thousand fighting men and fifty thousand dependents.

是年冬，升資德大夫，兼三司使。二年二月，摯上言：「山東、河北數罹兵亂，遺民嗷嗷，實可哀恤，近朝廷遣官分往撫輯，其惠大矣。然臣忝預執政，敢請繼行，以宣佈國家德信，使疲瘵者得以少蘇，是亦圖報之一也。」宰臣難之，無何，詔遣摯行省于河北，兼行三司安撫事。既行，又上言曰：「臣近曆黃陵崗南岸，多有貧乏老幼自陳本河北農民，因敵驚擾故南遷以避，今欲複歸本土及春耕種，而河禁邀阻。臣謂河禁本以防閑自北來者耳，此乃由南而往，安所容奸，乞令有司驗實放渡。」詔付尚書省，宰臣奏「宜令樞府講究」，上曰：「民饑且死，而尚為次第何耶？其令速放之。」

That winter he was promoted to Qualifications Worthy Grand Master and appointed Commissioner of the Three Departments. In the second month of year 2 Zhi memorialized: "Shandong and Hebei have been ravaged again and again; the survivors are starving and wretched, and deserve compassion. The court's recent dispatch of officials to pacify them was a great mercy. As one of those who govern, I ask to continue the work myself—to proclaim the state's good faith and give the exhausted a little breathing room. That would be one way to repay what I owe." The chief councillors hesitated, but soon an edict sent Zhi to direct Hebei and concurrently handle Three Departments pacification. On the road he memorialized again: "I have just passed the south bank of Huangling Ridge. Many poor elderly and children say they were Hebei farmers who fled south before the enemy and now want to go home for spring planting—but river controls block them. The river ban was meant to stop people coming from the north. These are going south to north—where is the danger? I ask that officials verify their cases and let them cross." The memorial went to the Ministry of Works. The chief councillors replied that the Military Affairs Commission should review it. The Emperor said: "People are starving to death—why debate procedure? Let them cross at once."

四月，招撫副使黃摑阿魯答破李全於密州。初，賊首李全據密州及膠西、高密諸縣，摯督兵討之。會高密賊陳全等四人默白招撫副使黃摑阿魯答，願為內應，阿魯答乃遣提控硃琛率兵五百赴之。時李全暨其党於忙兒者皆在城中，聞官軍且西來，全潛逸去，忙兒不知所為。阿魯答馳抵城下，鼓噪逼之，賊守陴者八百人皆下乞降，餘賊四千出走，進軍邀擊之，斬首千級，俘百餘人，所獲軍實甚眾，遂複其城。是夜，琛又用陳全計，拔高密焉。六月，上遣諭摯曰：「卿勤勞王家，不避患難，身居相職而往來山堌水寨之間，保庇農民收穫二麥，忠恪之意朕所具知。雖然，大臣也，防秋之際亦須擇安地而處，不可墮其計中。」摯對曰：「臣蒙大恩，死莫能報，然承聖訓，敢不奉行。擬駐兵於長清縣之靈岩寺，有屋三百餘間，且連接泰安之天勝寨，介於東平、益都之間，萬一兵來，足相應援。」上恐分其兵糧，乃詔權移邳州行省。

In the fourth month Pacification Vice Commissioner Huangka Aluda defeated Li Quan at Mizhou. Earlier the rebel leader Li Quan had held Mizhou and counties such as Jiaoxi and Gaomi. Zhi directed the campaign against him. Chen Quan of Gaomi and three others secretly contacted Pacification Vice Commissioner Huangka Aluda and offered to act as inside men. Aluda sent Intendant Zhu Chen with five hundred soldiers to join them. Li Quan and his lieutenant Mang'er were both in the city. When word came that government troops were approaching from the west, Quan slipped away in secret; Mang'er was left helpless. Aluda raced to the walls, drumming and shouting. Eight hundred defenders on the ramparts came down to surrender; four thousand others broke out. He pursued, killed more than a thousand, took over a hundred prisoners, seized a large store of arms and supplies, and recovered the city. That same night Zhu Chen, again following Chen Quan's plan, took Gaomi as well. In the sixth month the Emperor wrote to Zhi: "You have served the dynasty tirelessly, never shirking danger. Though a chancellor, you move among mountain forts and river camps so farmers can bring in the wheat harvest—your loyalty is not lost on me. Still, you are a senior minister. During autumn campaigning you must also keep to safer ground—you must not let the enemy draw you into a trap." Zhi answered: "Your grace is more than I can repay even with my life. I will obey your instruction. I plan to camp at Lingyan Temple in Changqing—more than three hundred rooms—linked to Tiansheng Fort in Tai'an, between Dongping and Yidu. If fighting comes, we can support one another." The Emperor worried about splitting his forces and supplies, and ordered him instead to move the provincial headquarters temporarily to Pizhou.

九月，摯上言：「東平以東累經殘毀，至於邳、海尤甚，海之民戶曾不滿百而屯軍五千，邳戶僅及八百，軍以萬計。夫古之取兵以八家為率，一家充軍七家給之，猶有傷生廢業、疲于道路之歎。今兵多而民不足，使蕭何、劉晏複生，亦無所施其術，況于臣者何能為哉。伏見邳，海之間，貧民失業者甚眾，日食野菜，無所依倚，恐因而嘯聚以益敵勢。乞募選為兵，自十月給糧，使充戍役，至二月罷之，人授地三十畝，貸之種粒而驗所收穫，量數取之，逮秋複隸兵伍。且戰且耕，公私俱利，亦望被俘之民易於招集也。」詔施行之。

In the ninth month Zhi memorialized: "East of Dongping has been wrecked again and again; Pi and Hai are worst hit. At Hai fewer than a hundred households remain while five thousand soldiers are posted; at Pi barely eight hundred households support ten thousand troops. In old times one household in eight supplied a soldier and seven supported him—yet even then people complained of ruined livelihoods and exhaustion on the roads. Today there are too many soldiers and too few people. If Xiao He and Liu Yan came back to life they could do nothing—what can I do? Between Pi and Hai many poor have lost their work and live on wild greens with nowhere to turn. I fear they will band together and strengthen the enemy. Recruit them as soldiers, pay grain from the tenth month through garrison duty until the second month, then release them. Give each man thirty mu, lend seed, and take a fixed share of the harvest; in autumn enroll them again in the ranks. They would fight and farm by turns—good for state and people alike—and captured folk would be easier to win back." An edict ordered the plan carried out.

是時，樞密院以海州軍食不足，艱於轉輸，奏乞遷於內地。詔問摯，摯奏曰：「海州連山阻海，與沂、莒、邳、密皆邊隅沖要之地，比年以來為賊淵藪者，宋人資給之故。若棄而他徙，則直抵東平無非敵境，地大氣增，後難圖矣，臣未見其可。且朝廷所以欲遷者，止慮糧儲不給耳。臣請盡力規畫，勸喻農民趨時耕種，且令煮鹽易糧，或置場宿遷，以通商旅，可不勞民力而辦。仍擇沭陽之地可以為營屯者，分兵護邏，雖不遷無患也。」上是其言，乃止。

At that time the Military Affairs Commission, finding Haizhou short of rations and hard to supply, asked to withdraw the garrison inland. The throne consulted Zhi. He replied: "Haizhou lies between mountains and sea; with Yi, Ju, Pi, and Mi it guards a vital corner. It became a rebel nest chiefly because Song fed them. If we pull out, the road to Dongping becomes enemy country; their reach grows and we may never get it back. I do not see how that helps. The court wants to move them only because grain runs short. Let me plan in earnest—urge farmers to plant on time, trade boiled salt for grain, or open a depot at Suqian for merchants. We can solve this without crushing the people. Choose camp farmland at Shuyang and post troops to guard the frontier. Even without moving the garrison, we need not worry." The Emperor accepted his advice and dropped the withdrawal.

十月，先是，邳州副提控王汝霖以州廩將乏，扇其軍為亂。山東東路轉運副使兼同知沂州防禦使程戩懼禍及己，遂與同謀，因結宋兵以為外應。摯聞，即遣兵捕之，訊竟具伏，汝霖及戩並其党彈壓崔榮、副統韓松、萬戶戚誼等皆就誅，至是以聞。三年七月，設汴京東、西、南三路行三司，詔摯居中總其事焉。十月，以裏城畢工，遷官一階。四年七月，遷榮祿大夫，致仕。

In the tenth month—earlier, Pizhou Vice Intendant Wang Rulin, seeing the prefectural granary nearly empty, had stirred the garrison to mutiny. Eastern Shandong Transport Vice Commissioner and Concurrent Assistant Defender of Yi Prefecture Cheng Ji, fearing he would be implicated, joined the plot and arranged Song troops as outside support. When Zhi learned of it he sent troops at once. Under interrogation all confessed. Rulin, Ji, and their accomplices—including Suppression Commissioner Cui Rong, Vice Commander Han Song, and Ten-Thousand Households Qi Yi—were executed. The report reached the throne only afterward. In the seventh month of year 3 the eastern, western, and southern Three Departments offices of Bianjing were set up, with Zhi to oversee them centrally. In the tenth month, when the inner wall was finished, his rank was raised one step. In the seventh month of year 4 he was promoted to Glory and Emolument Grand Master and retired from office.

摯為人威嚴，禦兵人莫敢犯。在朝遇事敢言，又喜薦士，如張文舉、雷淵、麻九疇輩皆由摯進用。南渡後宰執中，人望最重。

Zhi was a stern man; under his command no soldier dared disobey. In council he spoke without fear, and he loved to advance talent—Zhang Wenju, Lei Yuan, Ma Jiuchou, and others all rose through his patronage. After the move south, no chief councillor commanded greater public respect.

把胡魯

Ba Hulu

把胡魯，不詳其初起。貞祐二年五月，宣宗南遷，由左諫議大夫擢為御前經歷官，上面諭之曰：「此行，軍馬朕自總之，事有利害可因近侍局以聞。」三年十一月，出為彰化軍節度使，兼涇州管內觀察使。四年五月，改知京兆府事，兼本路兵馬都總管，充行省參議官。

Ba Hulu—nothing is known of his early career. In the fifth month of Zhenyou 2, when Emperor Xuanzong moved south, he was promoted from Left Remonstrance Censor to Palace Front Staff Officer. The Emperor told him in person: "On this march I will command the army myself. Report anything that bears on our fortunes through the Palace Attendants Bureau." In the eleventh month of year 3 he was posted as Military Commissioner of Zhanghua Army and Concurrent Observation Commissioner for Jing Prefecture. In the fifth month of year 4 he became Administrator of Jingzhao Prefecture, Concurrent Overall Commander of the circuit's forces, and deliberative commissioner of the provincial staff.

興定元年三月，授陝西路統軍使，兼前職。二年正月，召為御史中丞。三月，上言：「國家取人，惟進士之選為重，不求備數，務在得賢。竊見今場會試，考官取人氾濫，非求賢之道也。宜革其弊，依大定舊制。」詔付尚書省集文資官雜議，卒依泰和例行之。

In the third month of Xingding 1 he was made Commander-in-Chief of Shaanxi Circuit while keeping his other titles. In the first month of year 2 he was recalled to serve as Censor-in-Chief. In the third month he memorialized: "In choosing officials the state rightly puts the jinshi examination first—not to fill quotas, but to find the truly able. Yet in today's palace and provincial exams the graders pass candidates indiscriminately. That is not how you find good men. Reform the abuse and restore the Dading rules." An edict sent the proposal to the Ministry of Works for discussion among civil officials; in the end the Taihe precedent was kept.

是月，拜參知政事。六月，詔權左副元帥，與平章胥鼎同事防秋。三年六月，平涼等處地震，胡魯因上言：「皇天不言，以象告人，災害之生，必有其故，乞明諭有司，敬畏天戒。」上嘉納之，遣右司諫郭著往閱其跡，撫諭軍民焉。四年四月，權尚書右丞、左副元帥，行尚書省、元帥府于京兆。時陝西歲運糧以助關東，民力浸困，胡魯上言：「若以舟楫自渭入河，順流而下，庶可少紓民力。」從之。時以為便。

That month he was appointed Vice Grand Councillor. In the sixth month he was made acting Left Vice Marshal and, with Senior Councillor Xu Ding, took charge of autumn defense. In the sixth month of year 3 earthquakes struck Pingliang and other places. Hulu memorialized: "Heaven does not speak—it warns through omens. Disasters have causes. I ask that officials be plainly told to heed heaven's warning." The Emperor approved and sent Right Remonstration Censor Guo Zhu to survey the damage and reassure soldiers and civilians. In the fourth month of year 4 he served as acting Right Vice Director of the Ministry of Works and Left Vice Marshal, directing the Secretariat and Marshal's headquarters at Jingzhao. Shaanxi then shipped grain each year to support Guandong, and the people were worn down. Hulu memorialized: "If we move grain by boat from the Wei into the river and downstream with the current, we could lighten the burden somewhat." The proposal was approved. At the time everyone regarded it as a practical improvement.

五年正月，朝議欲複取會州，胡魯上言：「臣竊計之，月當費米三萬石、草九萬稱，轉運丁夫不下十余萬人。使此城一月可拔，其費已如此，況未必耶。臨洮路新遭劫掠，瘡痍未複，所須芻糧決不可辦，雖複取之慶陽、平涼、鳳翔及邠、涇、甯、原、恆、隴等州，亦恐未能無闕。今農事將興，沿邊常費已不暇給，豈可更調十余萬人以餉此軍。果欲行之，則數郡春種盡廢矣。政使此城必得，不免留兵戍守，是飛挽之役，無時而已也。止宜令承裔軍於定西、鞏州之地，護民耕稼，俟敵意怠，然後取之。」詔付省院曰：「其言甚當，從之可也。」

In the first month of year 5 the court debated retaking Huizhou. Hulu memorialized: "By my reckoning it would cost thirty thousand shi of grain and ninety thousand bundles of fodder each month, and more than a hundred thousand transport laborers. Even if the city could be taken in a month, the cost would already be this great—and success is far from certain. Lintao Circuit has just been ravaged and has not yet recovered; the fodder and grain required simply cannot be raised. Even if we levied Qingyang, Pingliang, Fengxiang, and the prefectures of Bin, Jing, Ning, Yuan, Heng, and Long again, I fear supplies would still fall short. Spring planting is about to begin, and the border districts can barely meet their ordinary costs—how can we call up another hundred thousand men to feed this army? If the campaign goes forward, spring sowing across several prefectures will be ruined. Even if the city were taken, we would still have to leave troops to hold it—and the forced transport of supplies would never cease. We should only have Chengyi's army hold the region of Dingxi and Gong Prefecture, protect the farmers, and wait until the enemy's resolve weakens before retaking the city." An edict went to the Secretariat and Bureau: "His advice is sound. Follow it."

三月，上言：「禦敵在乎強兵，強兵在乎足食，此當今急務也。竊見自陝以西，州郡置帥府者九，其部眾率不過三四千，而長校猥多，虛糜廩給，甚無謂也。臣謂延安、風翔、恐州邊隅重地固當仍舊，德順、平涼等處宜皆罷去。河南行院、帥府存沿邊並河者，餘亦宜罷之。」制可。

In the third month he memorialized: "To resist the enemy we need strong armies, and strong armies need ample provisions. This is the urgent business of the day. From Shaan westward I find nine prefectures and counties each given a commandery, yet their forces generally number no more than three or four thousand while senior officers are far too numerous, wasting grain from the storehouses to no purpose. Yan'an, Fengxiang, and Qin Prefecture are vital frontier posts and should remain as they are; Deshun, Pingliang, and the like should all be abolished. Of the Henan branch office and commanderies, only those on the frontier and along the river should be kept; the rest should be abolished as well." The edict approved the proposal.

六月，召為大司農，既至汴，遂上言曰：「邇來群盜擾攘，侵及內地，陳、潁去京不及四百里，民居稀闊，農事半廢、蔡、息之間十去八九。甫經大赦，賊起益多，動計數百，驅牛焚舍，恣行剽掠，田穀雖熟，莫敢獲者。所在屯兵率無騎士，比報至而賊已遁，叢薄深惡，複難追襲，則徒形跡而已。今向秋成，奈何不為處置也。」八月，複拜參知政事，上謂之曰：「卿頃為大司農，巡行郡縣，盜賊如何可息？」對曰：「盜賊之多，以賦役多也。賦役省則盜賊息。」上曰：「朕固省之矣。」胡魯曰：「如行院、帥府擾之何。」上曰：「司農官既兼採訪，自今其令禁止之。」

In the sixth month he was summoned to serve as Grand Minister of Agriculture. When he reached Bian he memorialized: "Bandits have lately run wild, even penetrating the interior. Chen and Ying lie less than four hundred li from the capital; settlements are thin and farming half ruined—between Cai and Xi, eight or nine households in ten are gone. Hardly had a general amnesty been proclaimed when bandits multiplied; bands of several hundred drive off cattle, burn houses, and loot at will. Though the grain stands ripe in the fields, no one dares harvest it. Local garrisons generally have no cavalry; by the time word arrives the bandits are gone, and in thick scrub and deep wilds pursuit is nearly impossible—they leave nothing but tracks. The autumn harvest is near—how can we do nothing?" In the eighth month he was again appointed Vice Grand Councillor. The emperor asked him: "You recently served as Grand Minister of Agriculture and toured the counties—how can banditry be stopped? He answered: "Bandits are numerous because taxes and corvée are heavy. Reduce taxes and corvée, and banditry will cease." The emperor said: "I have already cut them back. Hulu said: "What of the harassment from branch offices and commanderies?" The emperor said: "Since the Minister of Agriculture also serves as inspector, from now on forbid it by edict."

初，胡魯拜命日，巡護衛紹王宅都將把九斤來賀，御史粘割阿裏言：「九斤不當遊執政門，胡魯亦不當受其賀，請並案之。」於是詔諭曰：「卿昔行省陝西，擅出系囚，此自人主當行，非臣下可專，人苟有言，其罪豈特除名。朕為卿地，因而肆赦，以弭眾口，卿知之乎？今九斤有職守，且握兵柄，而縱至門下，法當責降，朕重卿素有直氣，故複曲留。公家事但當履正而行，要取人情何必爾也，卿其戒之。」是年十二月，進拜尚書右丞。

When Hulu first received his appointment, Ba Jiujin, chief commander of the patrol guard for Prince Shao's residence, came to congratulate him. Censor Zhannian Ali objected: "Jiujin should not be visiting a chief councillor's door, and Hulu should not accept his congratulations. I ask that both be investigated. An edict then addressed him: "When you served as provincial commissioner in Shaanxi you released prisoners on your own authority—that is the sovereign's prerogative, not a subject's. Had anyone spoken against you, your offense would have been far more than dismissal. I made room for you and issued a general amnesty to silence criticism—do you understand? Jiujin now holds office and commands troops, yet was allowed to come to your door—by law he should be punished with demotion. I kept you because I value your long-standing integrity, and so made an exception. In public affairs you need only act uprightly—why court favor like this? Take heed." In the twelfth month of that year he was promoted to Vice Director of the Right of the Secretariat.

師安石

Shi Anshi

師安石，字子安，清州人，本姓尹氏，避國諱更焉。承安五年詞賦進士。為人輕財尚義。初補尚書省令史，適宣宗南遷，留平章完顏承暉守燕都。承暉將就死，以遺表托安石使赴行在，安石間道走汴以聞。上嘉之，擢為樞密院經歷官。時哀宗在春宮，領密院事，遂見知遇。元光二年，累遷御史中丞。其七月，上章言備禦二事，其一曰：「自古所以安國家、息禍亂，不過戰、守、避、和四者而已。為今之計，守、和為上。所謂守者，必求智謀之士，使內足以得戍卒之心，外足以挫敵人之銳，不惟彼不能攻，又可以伺其隙而敗之。其所謂和，則漢、唐之君固嘗用此策矣，豈獨今日不可用乎。乞令有司詳議而行。」其二曰：「今敵中來歸者頗多，宜豐其糧餉，厚其接遇，度彼果肯為我用，則擇有心力者數十人，潛往以誘致其餘。來者既眾，彼必轉相猜貳，然後徐起而圖之，則中興之功不遠矣。」上嘉納之。

Shi Anshi, whose style name was Zian, came from Qing Prefecture. His family surname had been Yin; he changed it to avoid the dynastic taboo. In the fifth year of Cheng'an he earned the jinshi degree in the rhapsody and prose category. He was generous with money and held righteousness dear. He first entered service as a clerk in the Secretariat. When Emperor Xuanzong moved south, Chief Councillor Wanyan Chenghui was left to hold the Yan capital. As Chenghui faced death he entrusted his final memorial to Anshi to carry to the mobile court. Anshi made his way by hidden routes to Bian and delivered the report. The emperor commended him and promoted him to staff officer of the Bureau of Military Affairs. Emperor Aizong was then crown prince and head of the Bureau of Military Affairs, and Anshi came to his notice. In the second year of Yuanguang he rose through successive posts to Censor-in-Chief. In the seventh month he memorialized on two matters of defense. The first read: "Since antiquity the ways to secure the state and still turmoil have been only four: fight, defend, withdraw, and make peace. For the present, defense and peace are the best course. Defense means finding men of wisdom and strategy who can win the loyalty of the garrison within and blunt the enemy's edge without—so that the foe cannot attack, and we can watch for openings and defeat them. As for peace, emperors of Han and Tang used that strategy—why should it alone be unusable today? I ask that the responsible offices be ordered to deliberate and act on this. The second read: "Many defectors are now coming from the enemy camp. We should give them ample rations and generous treatment. Once we judge they are truly willing to serve us, select several dozen capable men and send them secretly to win over the rest. When the defectors grow numerous, the enemy will turn on one another in suspicion and division; then we can move gradually against them, and restoration will not be far off." The emperor praised the advice and accepted it.

九月，坐劾英王守純附奏不實，決杖追官。及哀宗即位，正大元年，擢為同簽樞密院事。二年，複御史中丞。三年，工部尚書、權左參政。四年，進尚書右丞。五年，台諫劾近侍張文壽、張仁壽、李麟之，安石亦論列三人不已，上怒甚，有旨謂安石曰：「汝便承取賢相，朕為昏主，止矣。」如是數百言。安石驟蒙任用，遽遭摧折，疽發腦而死，上甚悼惜之。

In the ninth month he was beaten with rods and dismissed from office for impeaching Prince Ying Shouchun on the basis of a false supplementary memorial. When Emperor Aizong took the throne, in the first year of Zhengda he was promoted to Associate Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs. In the second year he again became Censor-in-Chief. In the third year he was Minister of Works and acting Left Participation Councillor. In the fourth year he was promoted to Vice Director of the Right of the Secretariat. In the fifth year the censorate impeached the close attendants Zhang Wenshou, Zhang Renshou, and Li Linzhi, and Anshi kept denouncing the three without letup. The emperor was furious and addressed Anshi: "You may as well take the worthy chancellor's place; I will play the benighted sovereign. Enough. The rebuke ran to several hundred words. Anshi, who had been suddenly raised to power and just as suddenly broken, died when an abscess burst in his head. The emperor mourned him deeply.

贊曰：宣宗南遷，天命去矣，當是時雖有忠良之佐、謀勇之將，亦難為也。然而汝礪、行信拯救於內，胥鼎、侯摯守禦於外，訖使宣宗得免亡國，而哀宗複有十年之久，人才有益於人國也若是哉。胡魯養兵惜穀之論，善矣。安石不負承暉之托，遂見知遇，以論列近侍觸怒而死，悲夫！

The encomium reads: When Emperor Xuanzong moved south, Heaven's mandate was already lost. At that hour, even loyal ministers and brave generals could accomplish little. Yet Gao Ruli and Zhang Xingxin saved the court from within, while Xu Ding and Hou Zhi held the frontier without—so that Xuanzong escaped total ruin and Aizong gained another ten years. Such is the way talent serves a nation. Hulu's counsel to husband troops and spare grain was sound. Anshi did not betray Chenghui's trust and won the throne's favor, yet died for denouncing the emperor's close attendants—how tragic!

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