1
列傳第七十二外國上○西夏
Biography 72: Foreign Countries (Part 1) — Western Xia
2
The King of Xia was Li Qianshun. His forebear Tuoba Sigong served under Emperor Xizong of Tang as military commissioner of Xia, Sui, Yin, and You. Together with Li Maozhen, Li Keyong, and others he routed Huang Chao, restored the capital, and received the imperial surname Li. In the closing years of Tang the empire fell into chaos as military governors warred among themselves, yet Xia Prefecture never troubled the dynasty. The line passed through the Five Dynasties and into Song for several generations until Yuanhao, who was the first to proclaim himself emperor. The Liao Khitan bestowed a princess on the Li house, and for generations the Xia court kept up tribute and embassies without interruption, as recorded in the History of Liao.
3
In the sixth year of Tianfu (1122), Jin routed the Liao armies and the Liao emperor fled toward the Yin Mountains. Xia general Li Liangfu marched thirty thousand troops to Liao's aid and camped at Yegu on the Tiande frontier. Wulu and Loushi defeated them at Yishui and pursued them to Yegu, where flash floods in the ravine drowned countless soldiers. Zongwang reached the Yin Mountains and, acting on his own authority, opened peace talks with Xia. His letter read: "By imperial command: Xia King—you were born of Liao's own line and have stood firm from beginning to end, rescuing each other in peril. Now that Liao has been brought down, if you resume tribute and service as you did for Liao, you may present yourself freely—let there be no hint of divided allegiance. Should the Liao emperor reach your realm, seize him and send him to us." In the second year of Tianhui (1124), they first submitted a sworn memorial, accepted vassal status on the Liao model, and asked to receive the territories Jin was granting them. Zonghan, acting on imperial command, granted them the lands north of Xia Fortress, south of the Yin Mountains, and west of the Tulu Bo marshes of the Yishi Yegua tribe.
4
天會二年三月，乾順遣把裏公亮等來上誓表，曰：「臣乾順言：今月十五日，西南、西北兩路都統遣左諫議大夫王介儒等齎牒奉宣，若夏國追悔前非，捕送遼主，立盟上表，仍依遼國舊制及賜誓詔，將來或有不虞，交相救援者。 臣與遼國世通姻契，名系籓臣，輒為援以啟端，曾犯威而結釁。 既速違天之咎，果罹敗績之憂。 蒙降德音以寬前罪，仍賜土地用廣籓籬，載惟含垢之恩，常切戴天之望。 自今已後，凡于歲時朝賀、貢進表章、使人往復等事，一切永依臣事遼國舊例。 其契丹昏主今不在臣境，至如奔竄到此，不復存泊，即當執獻。 若大朝知其所在，以兵追捕，無敢為地及依前援助。 其或徵兵，即當依應。 至如殊方異域朝覲天闕，合經當國道路，亦不阻節。 以上所敘數事，臣誓固此誠，傳嗣不變，苟或有渝，天地鑒察，神明殛之，禍及子孫，不克享國。」 所謂西北，西南兩路都統者宗翰也。 蓋宗望以太祖命與之通書，而宗翰以便宜割地議和雲。
In the third month of Tianhui 2, Qianshun dispatched Bali Gongliang and others with the sworn memorial: "Your subject Qianshun reports: On the fifteenth of this month Wang Jieru, Left Remonstrating Grandee, and others bearing documents from the Southwest and Northwest circuit commanders announced that if Xia repents its past offenses, captures and delivers the Liao emperor, seals alliance in writing, and keeps to the old Liao protocols and the sworn edict Jin has granted, then in any future emergency we shall aid each other. My house and Liao have been joined by marriage for generations; I was registered as Liao's vassal, yet I took arms as their ally, offending your Majesty and inviting war. I soon drew Heaven's punishment and suffered crushing defeat. Your gracious edict pardoned my earlier crimes and granted lands to widen my frontier—an indulgence I hold in awe, with gratitude as deep as for life itself. Henceforth seasonal audiences, tribute memorials, and all exchange of envoys shall forever follow the customs of my service to Liao. The deluded Khitan emperor is not within my realm; should he flee here, I will not shelter him but will seize and deliver him at once. If the Great Court learns his whereabouts and sends troops in pursuit, I will neither give him refuge nor aid him as I did before. Should you call upon my forces, I will answer the summons. Foreign realms paying court at the capital, if their route crosses my land, shall pass without hindrance. On all the points above I swear this oath for myself and my heirs; should I break it, may Heaven and Earth bear witness, the spirits destroy me, calamity fall on my descendants, and my line lose the throne." The "Southwest and Northwest circuit commanders" referred to here were Zonghan. Zongwang had exchanged letters with Xia under the founding emperor's orders; Zonghan had ceded territory at his own discretion to conclude the peace.
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Emperor Taizong sent Wang Ahai and Yang Tianji to deliver the sworn edict: "In Tianhui 2, year jiachen, on the first day of the intercalary third month, the Emperor bestows this sworn edict upon Xia King Qianshun: The late emperor received Heaven's mandate and founded our great enterprise, yet your state holds Xia Terrace on Liao's western border, serving a deluded sovereign and thereby drawing Our armies into war. The late emperor judged that loyalty to one's sovereign deserved mercy; now that I have succeeded the throne I follow his testament. You have deeply repented your past errors, willingly submitted, sent envoys with tribute, and accepted vassal status with full ministerial devotion. We bestow favor to renew our friendship; regarding the granted territories, diplomatic protocol, and mutual aid, all shall follow the regulations of the previous reign. Your request to answer when troops are called upon is granted. With Heaven as witness, I shall not break my word; should I fail, may I suffer as you swore for yourself. From afar I send this charge: do not let your loyalty falter."
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Song and Xia had both received Shanxi territories, but Song seized portions of Xia's share. Qianshun sent envoys to thank Jin for the sworn edict and to protest Song's encroachments. An edict replied: "We have received your memorial and understand it; the Southwest and Northwest circuit commanders are authorized to settle the matter as they see fit." Zonghan was still at court and had not returned; the Xia memorial was forwarded to Acting Commander Wulu with orders to settle, as circumstances required, both Song's encroachment on newly granted lands and the dispute over ceremonial gifts with envoy Wang Ahai through consultation with Xia.
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初，以山西九州與宋人，而天德遠在一隅，緩急不可及，割以與夏。 後破宋都獲二帝，乃畫陝西分界，自麟府路洛陽溝東距黃河西岸、西曆暖泉堡，鄜延路米脂穀至累勝寨，環慶路威邊寨過九星原至委布穀口，涇原路威川寨略古蕭關至北谷川，秦鳳路通懷堡至古會州，自此直距黃河，依見今流行分熙河路盡西邊以限封域。 複分陝西北鄙以易天德、雲內，以河為界。
Initially the nine Shanxi prefectures were granted to Song, but Tiande lay too remote for timely reinforcement, so that region was ceded to Xia instead. After Jin captured the Song capital and took the two emperors captive, a Shaanxi boundary was drawn: from Luoyang Gully on the Qinfu Circuit east to the Yellow River's west bank and west through Nuanquan Fort; on the Fuyan Circuit from Mizhi Valley to Leisheng Stockade; on the Huanqing Circuit from Weibian Stockade across Jiuxing Plain to Weibu Valley; on the Jingyuan Circuit from Weichuan Stockade past ancient Xia Pass to Beigu Valley; on the Qinfeng Circuit from Tonghuai Fort to ancient Huizhou—thence due south to the Yellow River, and along current practice the entire western Xihe Circuit was partitioned to fix the frontier. The northwestern Shaanxi marches were then reallocated, trading Tiande and Yunnei with the river as the boundary.
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When Loushi secured Shaanxi, Poluhuo led the vanguard to capture Weirong. East of Weirong they met the enemy, drove them off, and took two prisoners alive. Questioning revealed that Xia general Li Yu had seized Weirong, so they released the captives and opened correspondence with Li Yu. Li Yu held Weirong from the west and Pucha from the east, and envoys were dispatched to consult Loushi. Loushi replied: "Marshal headquarters has ruled that when our forces approach the Xia border, we and the Xia shall coordinate as allies and not attack each other." Li Yu's envoy said: "Xia has surrendered Tiande and Yunnei to the Great State, and the Great State granted us the northwestern Shaanxi marches—that is why we are here." Pucha and his forces then withdrew. Once Emperor Ruizong had secured Shaanxi, marshal headquarters was reluctant to cede the northwestern marches to Xia; an edict said: "You are to weigh what is appropriate and act accordingly."
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In Tianjuan 2 King Qianshun died and his son Renxiao succeeded. Jin sent envoys to invest him, conferring the ranks of Kaifu Yitong Sansi and Supreme Pillar of State. In Huangtong 1 they requested a frontier trading post, and the request was approved.
10
When Wang Ahai first delivered Emperor Taizong's sworn edict to Xia, Qianshun received the envoys by the old Khitan protocol, remaining seated. Ahai objected: "Under the Khitan, Xia was Liao's nephew by marriage, so your king could sit while the envoy performed the rites. Great Jin and Xia are now sovereign and subject; in receiving envoys of the Great State you must observe the proper ceremony." The dispute lasted several days before Qianshun finally rose to receive the edict standing. Jin had not previously sent birthday-congratulation envoys; only now were they first dispatched.
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Mu Wei had first surrendered Huan Prefecture to Jin; when Shaanxi and Henan were ceded to Song he fled to Xia, which appointed him a Shan'e chieftain. When Salihua reconquered Shaanxi, Wei sought to return to Jin. Xia discovered his intent, executed his entire clan, and reported the matter; Jin issued a rebuking edict. When Hailing murdered Emperor Xizong and sent envoys to announce the change at the border, the Xia asked: "Why was the Sagely Virtue Emperor deposed?" They refused to admit the envoys. The court then had the appropriate offices send a formal dispatch explaining the deposition and succession. In the seventh month of Tiande 2, Xia envoys led by Censor-in-Chief Zala Gongji came to offer congratulations according to the established rites.
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At the end of Zhenglong Jin campaigned against Song; Song forces entered Qin and Long, and Xia also seized the opportunity to capture the fortresses of Dangqiang, Tongxia, Jiuyang, Huichuan, and others. Song also invaded Xia territory. When Emperor Shizong succeeded, Xia again returned the fortresses and also requested troops to recover territory seized by Song. An edict commended them, and Wanyan Daji, a director in the Ministry of Personnel, was sent to investigate the situation in Shaanxi. Border officials memorialized that although Xia had returned the fortresses, the people, livestock, and goods they had plundered had not yet been restored, and requested that recovery be demanded. On jiazi day in the second month of Dading 4, Xia sent Military Merit Grand Master Niuwo Wenzhong and others to congratulate the Wan Spring Festival. They entered audience and submitted a memorial report, which in summary said: "When the armies were broken and scattered, scarcely one in ten escaped; afterward came deaths from cold and hunger—how many remain? Moreover, as Xia has clashed with Song forces, many people and livestock have been captured and slaughtered. Year after year the troops have been kept in the field, exposed to the elements, and their strength has been worn down. Further, because we are constrained by the Song, our loyal intent has had no means of making itself known—this is known within and without. We beg that recovery-by-agreement demands be halted and that Your subject's words be heeded—this would be the utmost good fortune of our lesser state." Thereafter they repeatedly made the same request, and an edict granted it.
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In time his minister Ren Dejing seized control of government and sought to carve up the Xia state. When congratulating the New Year of Dading 8, Xia sent memorial envoys led by Palace Commander Balichangzu with a petition from Renxiao requesting a skilled physician for Dejing's illness. An edict ordered Preservation Officer Wang Shidao, bearing a silver tablet, to proceed. The edict instructed Shidao: "If the illness is beyond cure, do not treat it. If it can be treated, return within one month." When Dejing recovered somewhat, he sent gratitude envoy Ren Decong, and Dejing also attached a memorial with gifts. The emperor said: "Dejing has his allotted fate; neither the memorial nor the gifts may be accepted." All were declined.
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初，仁孝嗣位，其臣屢作亂，任得敬抗禦有功，遂相夏二十餘年，陰蓄異志，欲圖夏國，誣殺宗親大臣，其勢漸逼，仁孝不能制。 大定十年，乃分西南路及靈州羅龐嶺地與得敬，自為國，且上表為得敬求封。 世宗以問宰相，尚書令李石等曰：「事系彼國，我何預焉，不如因而許之。」 上曰：「有國之主豈肯無故分國與人，此必權臣逼奪，非夏王本意。 況夏國稱籓歲久，一旦迫於賊臣，朕為四海主，甯容此邪？ 若彼不能自正，則當以兵誅之，不可許也。」 乃卻其貢物，賜仁孝詔曰：「自我國家戡定中原，懷柔西土，始則畫疆于乃父，繼而錫命於爾躬，恩厚一方，年垂三紀，籓臣之禮既務踐修，先業所傳亦當固守。 今茲請命，事頗靡常，未知措意之由來，續當遣使以詢爾。 所有貢物，已令發回。」
When Renxiao first succeeded, his ministers rebelled repeatedly; Ren Dejing distinguished himself in suppressing them and served as chief minister for more than twenty years. He secretly harbored ambitions against the state, executed imperial kinsmen and high officials on false charges, and grew so powerful that Renxiao could no longer restrain him. In Dading 10 he carved off the Southwest Circuit and the Luopang Ridge region of Ling Prefecture for Dejing, who proclaimed himself a separate ruler, and submitted a memorial asking Jin to enfeoff him. Emperor Shizong consulted his chief ministers. Grand Secretary Li Shi and others said: "This is their internal affair—why should we interfere? Better to grant the request." The emperor replied: "Would any sovereign willingly cede his realm without cause? This must be a powerful minister seizing power by force—not the Xia king's true will. Xia has been our vassal for many years; shall I, sovereign of all under Heaven, stand by while a traitorous minister forces its partition? If they cannot correct this themselves, we shall send troops to punish the traitor—the request cannot be granted." Their tribute was refused, and an edict was sent to Renxiao: "Since Our dynasty pacified the Central Plain and embraced the western lands, we first drew your father's borders, then invested you personally. For nearly three decades we have shown you deep favor; you have diligently observed vassal rites, and the patrimony you inherited must be firmly upheld. This present request is most irregular; we do not know what prompted it, and shall send envoys to inquire of you. All tribute goods have been ordered returned."
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Dejing secretly appealed to Song for help; Song replied in a wax-sealed message, which Xia intercepted. Dejing had first used the medical mission to present gifts and test Emperor Shizong's intentions; when that failed and enfeoffment was denied, Renxiao plotted his execution. On the last day of the eighth month Renxiao executed Dejing and his followers, submitted a memorial of thanks, and forwarded the captured Song agents and the wax-sealed letter. The memorial of thanks read: "After Dejing received his partitioned lands he once sent envoys to the Great Court requesting enfeoffment; your edict refused approval—this was the court's compassionate grace, for which Xia is profoundly grateful. Xia presumptuously troubled the court by seeking enfeoffment for a traitor—a grave breach of propriety. Now that the traitor has been executed, the Great Court need not send envoys to inquire. Dejing's partitioned lands border Jin's Xi-Qin Circuit; fearing further incidents since the partition, we have investigated and imposed restrictions—we beg the court to impose matching restrictions as well."
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十二年，上謂宰臣曰：「夏國以珠玉易我絲帛，是以無用易我有用也。」 乃減罷保安、蘭州榷場。
In the twelfth year the emperor told his ministers: "Xia trades pearls and jade for our silk and cloth—they exchange what is useless to them for what is useful to us." The frontier markets at Bao'an and Lanzhou were then scaled back and closed.
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Renxiao deeply appreciated Emperor Shizong's generosity; in the seventeenth year he presented a hundred-headed tent of Xia manufacture. The emperor said: "Xia's tribute has its established categories; this may be declined." Renxiao submitted another memorial: "The tent presented is not especially rare, and our envoys have already reached the border. If it is not accepted, our lesser state has no way to express its sincerity, and neighboring states will think Xia no longer enjoys the Great Court's favor—how could we bear that?" Permission was then granted for it to arrive with the New Year envoys.
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Previously the Department of State Affairs memorialized: "The Xia state and Shaanxi border people have been crossing the frontier in secret, stealing livestock and goods. Scoundrels trade under the pretense of frontier-market commerce and thereby come and go—we fear this will become a border threat. Envoys entering the interior to barter with wealthy merchants should also be prohibited." The Suide frontier market was then abolished again, leaving only Dongsheng and Huan Prefecture. Renxiao submitted a memorial requesting restoration of the Lanzhou, Bao'an, and Suide frontier markets as before, and also asked that envoys be permitted to enter the frontier to barter goods. An edict said: "Bao'an and Lanzhou have no hemp or silk; only at Suide shall a frontier market be established to circulate goods and wealth. Envoys coming and going may stay and trade at Duting." When Emperor Zhangzong succeeded, an edict said: "Trade by Xia envoys within the guest quarters is henceforth ended." In Mingchang 2 the earlier arrangements were restored. Before long Xia herded livestock in the Zhenrong marches; border troops drove them off, and Xia seized the border troops and took them away. Border general A Ludai led troops to interrogate them; Xia vice-prefecture officers Wu Mingqi, Xinlindu, Bu Xiang, and Xu Yuli lay in ambush with three thousand men in a ravine. A Ludai took an arrow in the mouth and died, and they took his bow and armor and withdrew. An edict demanded those who had killed A Ludai; Xia punished them with penal servitude. When demands continued unabated, Xia then executed Mingqi and the others.
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In Mingchang 4 Renxiao died and his son Chunyou succeeded him. In Cheng'an 2 the Lanzhou and Bao'an frontier markets were re-established. In Cheng'an 5 Chunyou's mother suffered a stroke and sought medical aid; an edict dispatched Senior Imperial Physicians Shideyuan and Wang Lizhen, along with imperial medicine. In the eighth month medicine was sent again. In the third month of Taihe 6, Renxiao's nephew Anquan, son of Renyou, deposed Chunyou and seized the throne; one month later Chunyou died in confinement. In the seventh month Chunyou's mother Lady Luo submitted a memorial stating that Chunyou could not maintain the throne, that she and the chief ministers had agreed to install Anquan as king, and envoys were dispatched to report the change. The Xia envoy privately asked the escort officer: "Has the memorial report been approved?" The escort officer replied: "That is not for you to ask." The Xia envoy said: "Tomorrow I shall ask the Reception Office; if they refuse again, I shall petition before the throne." When the emperor heard of this, he had the Reception Office inform them that their request was granted, then sent an edict to Lady Luo inquiring of her intent. When Xia submitted Lady Luo's memorial again, Anquan was enfeoffed as King of Xia.
20
In Da'an 3 Anquan died, and his clansman Zunxu succeeded. Zunxu had previously passed the examinations as zhuangyuan and served as Director of the Metropolitan Grand Commandery Office. He was enthroned one month before Anquan died—the Veritable Records for Prince Shao of Wei do not explain why. Yet at that time Jin forces suffered defeat at Huihe Fort; Xia seized on their defeat to raid the border, while diplomatic exchanges continued as before.
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In the third month of Chongqing 1 they attacked Jia Prefecture. In the sixth month of Zhiyong 1 they attacked Bao'an Prefecture. In the eleventh month of Zhenyou 1 they attacked Huizhou; Commander Tudan Chou'er drove them off. In the twelfth month they captured Jing Prefecture. In the eighth month of the second year the repatriated subject Qiao Cheng delivered a Xia letter complaining that Jin border officials were encroaching and begging that they be restrained. An edict ordered a written reply; the chief ministers said: "Since this is not an official dispatch, if we press them for answers they will only dress up their excuses—empty formalities that accomplish nothing." The matter was then dropped. Soon afterward Xia forces attacked Qingyuan, Yan'an, and Jishi Prefecture, and the court ordered a formal written rebuke.
22
In the eleventh month Lanzhou interpreter Cheng Chenseng colluded with Xia forces to rebel with the prefecture; border generals defeated three thousand of their troops. In the first month of the third year Xia troops attacked Wuyanchuan. Emperor Xuanzong said: "This is no great concern—they may be entering by another route." Soon afterward it was learned that Jin border officials had encroached on Xia territory; Xia then attacked Huan Prefecture, and an edict ordered the border officials punished. Xia troops attacked Jishi Prefecture; Commander Jiang Botong defeated them. Xia troops entered Anxiang Pass; Commanders Cao Jiseng and the ten-thousand-household officer Hu Sanshi drove them back. In the second month they attacked Huan Prefecture; Prefect Wugulun Yanshou defeated them at the frontier.
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三月，詔議伐夏，陝西宣撫司奏：「往者，夏人侵我環、慶，河、蘭、積石以兵應之，悉皆遁去，遽還巢穴，蓋為我備也。 今蘭州潰兵猶未集，軍實多不完，沿邊地寒，春草始生，未可芻牧，兩界無煙火者三百餘裏，不宜輕舉。」 從之。
In the third month the court debated a campaign against Xia. The Shaanxi Pacification Commission reported: "When Xia invaded our Huan and Qing circuits in the past, He, Lan, and Jishi responded with troops and the enemy fled straight back to their lairs—they were on guard against us. Lanzhou's scattered troops have not yet reassembled, supplies are incomplete, the frontier is still cold, spring grass has only just sprouted and cannot yet feed herds, and for more than three hundred li along both borders there is no habitation—a rash campaign is inadvisable." The court accepted this advice.
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In the fourth month an edict ordered Hezhou Controller Cao Jiseng and Tongyuan Army Military Commissioner Wanyan Gou'er to suppress Cheng Chenseng; Xia forces came to his aid. In the ninth month they captured Xiguan Fort. Xia forces again attacked the Fifth Commandery city; the ten-thousand-household officer Yang Zaixing drove them off. An edict authorized the Shaanxi Pacification Commission and border generals to issue blank appointment edicts: officers of fifth rank and below who distinguished themselves in battle could be promoted on the spot. In the tenth month they attacked Bao'an and Yan'an; Commander Wanyan Guojianu defeated them. They then pushed deep into Lintao; Commander Tuoman Hutumen could not hold them. Shaanxi Pacification Vice Commissioner Wanyan Hushilai marched to relieve Lintao but was routed at Weiyuan Fort; the city fell and Hushilai was captured. In the eleventh month Xia troops were defeated at Kerong Stockade and again at Shuyang Stockade. The chief ministers came to congratulate him, and Emperor Xuanzong said: "This is the work of loyal servants." Xia troops advanced to besiege Lintao; Tuoman Hutumen defeated them. In the fourth month of the fourth year Xia Pa'e tribe Commander Wang Sanlang surrendered with his followers, presenting a thousand sheep; the court accepted them and paid generously. Laiyuan Town captured a spy reporting that Song and Xia had allied to attack; an edict ordered the Shaanxi Branch Secretariat to prepare defenses.
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Xia built a pontoon bridge across the border river at Laicheng; Marshal Right Controller Wanyan Saibu burned it and killed many of the enemy. In the sixth month the Fuyan Circuit reported that Xia dispatches used their Guangding reign title; an edict ordered the dispatches sealed and returned unopened. In the intercalary month Qingyang Commander Qingshannu campaigned against Xia from Huan Prefecture. The Shaanxi Branch Secretariat proposed splitting his army, with Qingshannu advancing from Huaian Stockade of the Third Commandery and Huan Prefect Wanyan Hulu from Huan Prefecture. Emperor Xuanzong said: "I hear Xia has shifted troops to guard their capital—they may still be trying to deceive us; do not fall into their trap." Controller Wanyan Gou'er reached Lanzhou's Xiguan Fort and recruited nine of his former retainers. He ambushed Xia troops at Ami Bay and killed more than a hundred officers and men. In the eighth month Left Controller Wugulun Qingshou defeated Xia troops at Ansa Fort. Right Controller Saibu drove off Xia troops at Jieyezui Stream and defeated them again at Che'er Fort. In the eleventh month Controllers Shizhan Hexi and Yang Wolie lifted the siege of Dingxi.
26
On bingyin of the twelfth month Emperor Xuanzong and the crown prince planned a campaign against Xia: Left Controller Tuoman Hutumen and Yan'an Commander Gulijia Shilun would attack Yan, You, and Xia Prefectures; Qingyang Commander Qingshannu and Pingliang Prefect Yila Dabuye would attack Wei, Ling, An, and Hui Prefectures.
27
In the first month of Xingding 1 thirty thousand Xia troops were returning from Ning Prefecture; Qingshannu intercepted and defeated them. An edict ordered Hedong Branch Secretariat Xu Ding to select thirty-five thousand troops for Tuoman Hutumen's Xia campaign; Xu Ding urgently memorialized against it and the plan was halted, as recorded in his biography. Right Controller Wanyan Zhongyuan proposed testing Jin's forces against Western Xia, arguing that a surprise strike would win a complete victory, restore military prestige, and strengthen the state. An edict referred the proposal to the Secretariat and Bureau of Military Affairs for deliberation.
28
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In the fifth month Xia troops entered Dabeicha; Commander Geshilie Zhugou ambushed and defeated them. Emperor Xuanzong wished to negotiate peace with Xia. Right Controller Qingshannu, stationed at Yan'an, memorialized: "Xia will never agree to peace—we would only be deceived." Soon afterward a captured spy reported that Zunxian, hearing Jin was about to negotiate peace, had ordered his troops not to violate the western border. The chief ministers memorialized: "Even if this is true, border defenses must not be relaxed." Emperor Xuanzong agreed.
30
Right Controller Wanyan Lüshan defeated Xia troops at Huanghe Pass. Xia forces besieged Yanghen Stockade; Commander Dang Shichang engaged them. Wanyan Gou'er sent Commander Jiagu Rui to raid the Xia camp by night and lift the siege, but the enemy still camped nearby. Left Controller Baisha sent Dingxi elite troops and Longgu Vice Commander Bao Xiaocheng's Crimson-Winged-Wing army, and together they drove the Xia off. In the eighth month at Anding Fort's Majiaping, Chief Commander Li Gongzhi defeated three thousand Xia troops. In the ninth month Commander Luo Shihui repulsed Xia troops at Kerong Stockade.
31
In the third month of Xingding 2 Right Controller Qingshannu reported: "Xia appears willing to sue for peace; Bao'an, Suide, and Jia Prefectures have received written requests to restore mutual trade and renew the old alliance. In my view this comes from Zunxian himself—border officials would not dare decide such a matter on their own." The court did not accept this.
32
In the fifth month Xia forces entered Jia Prefecture; Qingshannu defeated them at Maji Peak. In the seventh month they attacked Longgu; Jiagu Rui and Zhao Fang defeated them and pursued to Zhigu Fort. In the intercalary month of the third year Xia forces captured Tongqin Stockade; Controller Nahe Maizhu defeated them and they fled along Jialu Stream. Huazhou Marshal Wanyan Heda marched from Anzhai Fort to Long Prefecture and defeated two thousand Xia troops. He advanced on Long Prefecture, captured its southwest quarter, and withdrew at dusk. In the twelfth month an edict ordered the responsible offices to send a formal dispatch to Xia.
33
In the second month of the fourth year Xia forces attacked Zhenrong and Jin suffered defeat. Xia's official dispatch used disrespectful language; an edict ordered court writers to draft a rebuttal. In the fourth month Xia troops raided the border; Marshal Shizhan Hexi met them at Lu'er Plain; Controller Wugulun Shixian routed them with a detached force, and Commander Wang Ding defeated their main body again at Xinquan City. Marshal Qingshannu attacked You Prefecture and besieged Shendui Prefecture, tunneling into the walls until some soldiers scaled them. Relief troops arrived and Jin drove them off, taking two thousand heads, more than a hundred prisoners, and more than three thousand head of livestock. In the eighth month Xia captured Huizhou; Prefect Wugulun Shixian surrendered. They attacked Longgu again; Jiagu Rui defeated them in successive battles and Xia withdrew. That month an edict ordered the responsible offices to negotiate peace by written dispatch; the effort ultimately failed.
34
Thirty thousand Xia troops from Gaofeng Town besieged Dingxi; Prefect Aishen Ashila and Controllers Wugulun Changshou and Wendun Yongchang drove them off. In the ninth month Xia besieged Suiping Stockade and Anding Fort; soon they captured Xining Prefecture and then attacked Dingxi; Wugulun Changshou repulsed them. They then raided Gong Prefecture; Shizhan Hexi met them in battle, fighting more than ten engagements in a single day before they withdrew.
35
In the first month of the fifth year the Bureau of Military Affairs was ordered to discuss Xia affairs; they reported: "Xia is massing troops on the border and intends to enter through Huizhou; Branch Secretariat Baisha has already been sent to set ambushes at strategic passes. The Fuyan Marshal's headquarters will strike their rear when opportunity arises—there is no cause for alarm." In the second month Ningyuan Army Military Commissioner Jiagu Haishou defeated Xia troops at Souwei Fort. In the third month Laicheng was recaptured. In the tenth month they attacked Longgu; Baisha defeated them repeatedly. In the first month of the first year of Yuanguang Xia captured Datong City; Jin then recaptured it. In the third month Controller Li Shilin defeated Xia troops at Yongmu Ridge. In the eighth month they attacked Ning'an Stockade; in the tenth month Shenlin Fort; in the twelfth month they entered Zhigu Fort; Controller Tangguo Fang defeated them.
36
In the second year Zunxian sent his crown prince Deren to campaign against Jin. Deren remonstrated: "Their armies are still strong—we would do better to negotiate peace." Zunxian laughed and said: "That is beyond your understanding. They lost Lanzhou and could not even recover it—what strength do they have?" Deren remonstrated again but was not heeded; he asked to renounce the crown prince's position and become a monk. Zunxian was enraged, imprisoned him in Ling Prefecture, and sent another to command in his stead; drought intervened and the campaign did not take place.
37
38
隴安軍節度使完顏阿鄰日與將士宴飲，不治軍事，夏人乘之，掠民五千余口、牛羊雜畜數萬而去。
Long'an Army Military Commissioner Wanyan Alin spent his days feasting with his officers and neglected military affairs. Xia took advantage and carried off more than five thousand civilians and tens of thousands of cattle and sheep.
39
自天會議和，八十餘年與夏人未嘗有兵革之事。 及貞祐之初，小有侵掠，以至構難十年不解，一勝一負精銳皆盡，而兩國俱弊。
From the peace concluded at Tianhui, Jin and Xia had gone more than eighty years without war. By the beginning of Zhenyou there were small raids, leading to ten years of unresolved hostility. Victory and defeat alternated until both sides had exhausted their best troops and both states were worn down.
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Earlier, Xia envoy Wang Lizhi, the Jingfang Guiqiashi, had come on a diplomatic mission; before he could report home his state had fallen. An edict settled him in Jingzhao as special commissioner for suppression, in charge of Xia surrendered households. In the fifth month of the eighth year more than thirty members of Lizhi's family reached Huan Prefecture; an edict reunited them with Lizhi and bestowed silks and cloth. Lizhi memorialized that his ancestors were originally from Shen Prefecture; he asked to decline office and live in Shen Prefecture. An edict granted his request; he was to live in Shen Prefecture in his present office, supervising Xia surrendered households in Tang, Deng, Shen, Yu, and elsewhere under the Tang-Deng Marshal's command, with a grant of a thousand mu of superior fields, oxen, and farm tools.
43
The encomium says: Xia's founding is ancient. Minister Luo Shichang's genealogical account states that when Northern Wei declined, those dwelling at Song Prefecture took their old surname and became the Tuoba clan. According to the Book of Tang, among the eight Tangut tribes was the Tuoba tribe; those Tangut who settled between Yin and Xia were called the Pingxia tribe. Tuoba Sigong received the surname Li for defeating Huang Chao; brothers succeeded one another as military commissioners, dwelling at Xia Prefecture south of the Yellow River. Jiqian re-established the state; Yuanhao first made it great, then crossed the river northward, walled Xing Prefecture, and made it his capital.
44
其地初有夏、綏、銀、宥、靈、鹽等州，其後遂取武威、張掖、酒泉、燉煌郡地，南界橫山，東距西河，土宜三種，善水草，宜畜牧，所謂涼州畜牧甲天下者是也。 土堅腴，水清冽，風氣廣莫，民俗強梗尚氣，重然諾，敢戰鬥。 自漢、唐以水利積谷食邊兵，興州有漢、唐二渠，甘、涼亦各有灌溉，土境雖小，能以富強，地勢然也。
Their territory initially comprised Xia, Sui, Yin, You, Ling, Yan, and other prefectures; later they seized Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang. Their southern border was Heng Mountain and their eastern limit the Western River. The soil supported three crops; grass and water were abundant and animal husbandry thrived—hence the saying that Liangzhou pasturage was finest under Heaven. The soil was firm and fertile, the water clear and pure, the winds harsh and wide; the people were tough and proud, honoring their word and bold in battle. Since Han and Tang they had used irrigation to store grain and feed border troops; Xing Prefecture had the Han and Tang canals, and Gan and Liang each had irrigation works. Though their territory was small, they could grow rich and strong—such was the advantage of their land.
45
五代之際，朝興夕替，制度禮樂，蕩為灰燼，唐節度使有鼓吹，故夏國聲樂清厲頓挫，猶有鼓吹之遺音焉。 然能崇尚儒術，尊孔子以帝號，其文章辭命有可觀者。 立國二百餘年，抗衡遼、金、宋三國，偭鄉無常，視三國之勢強弱以為異同焉。 故近代學者記西北地理，往往皆臆度言之。 聖神有作，天下會於一，驛道往來視為東西州矣。
In the Five Dynasties era regimes rose and fell overnight; institutions, rites, and music were reduced to ashes. Tang military commissioners had wind and percussion ensembles, so Xia music was clear, sharp, and abrupt, yet still bore traces of those ensemble traditions. Yet they honored Confucian learning and revered Confucius with an imperial title; their documents and edicts contain passages worth reading. For more than two hundred years they contended with Liao, Jin, and Song, shifting allegiance without fixed loyalty, adjusting their stance according to which of the three powers was ascendant. Thus scholars of recent times who recorded northwestern geography often spoke from mere conjecture. When the sage sovereign arose, all under Heaven was united; post roads ran east and west and the region was treated as provinces of a single realm.