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卷四十二 列傳第十二 王渾 王濬 唐彬

Volume 42 Biographies 12: Wang Hun; Wang Jun; Tang Bin

Chapter 42 of 晉書 · Book of Jin
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1
Wang Hun
2
Wang Hun, whose courtesy name was Xuanchong, came from Jinyang in Taiyuan commandery. His father Wang Chang had served the Wei as minister of works. He was steady, refined, and broad-minded. He succeeded to his father’s marquisate of Jingling and was hired as an aide on Grand General Cao Shuang’s staff. When Cao Shuang fell he lost his post like the rest of the staff. He was recalled as magistrate of Huai, joined Prince Wen’s eastern command staff, and rose through posts as cavalier gentleman at the Yellow Gate and regular cavalier attendant-in-ordinary. During Xianxi he commanded the agile cavalry regiment. After Emperor Wu took the throne he was named General Who Spreads Ferocity and inspector of Xu. In a time of famine he opened the granaries for relief, and the people owed him their lives. Early in Taishi his fief gained another eighteen hundred households. Later he became eastern center general, supervised Huai-north operations, and was stationed at Xuchang. He often submitted policy advice, much of which the court adopted.
3
He was made general who conquers captives with acting credentials, overseer of Yu military affairs, and inspector of the province. Along the Wu frontier he projected authority and won a steady stream of defections. Wu generals Xue Ying and Lu Shu advanced with a force said to number one hundred thousand—Lu Shu toward Yiyang, Xue Ying toward Xinxi. Provincial troops were on leave and he had only a single brigade, but he crossed the Huai by stealth and caught Ying off guard. He routed them and enfeoffed his second son Shang as marquis within the passes for the victory. He was promoted to general who guards the east, area commander for Yang Province, and stationed at Shouchun. Eastern Wu expanded state farms at Wancheng, plainly aiming to threaten Jin along the frontier. Wang Hun sent provincial inspector Ying Chuo to lead the Huai-south armies against the colony, overrun its outposts, and burn upward of 1.8 million hu of grain, more than four thousand qing of paddy, and over six hundred ships. He then massed forces along the eastern border, reconnoitered the ground, toured enemy strongholds, and weighed how they might be taken.
4
In the great offensive against Wu he marched from Hengjiang, sent Chen Shen and Zhang Qiao against Laixiang near Xunyang, defeated Wu gate captain Kong Zhong, and captured five Wu commanders including Zhou Xing. He also assigned Li Chun, protector of armies against Wu, to hold Gaowang city, routed the Wu general Yu Gong, and took many heads and prisoners. Two Wu officers—Chen Dai, a yamen gate general, and Zhu Ming, general who pacifies captives—surrendered in fear. Grand counselor Zhang Ti and Grand General Sun Zhen of Wu advanced tens of thousands of men toward Chengyang; Wang Hun sent Sun Chou and provincial inspector Zhou Jun to crush them, killed two generals on the field, and counted 7,800 heads and prisoners, which shook Wu.
5
使西使
He Zhi, Sun Hao's minister of education, and Sun Yan, general who establishes might, brought the seals of office to Wang Hun and capitulated. Before long Wang Jun took Shitou and forced Sun Hao to surrender, and his own fame grew even louder. The next day Wang Hun crossed the Yangzi for the first time, entered the Jianye palaces, and held a grand victory banquet with a libation rite. He believed he had seized the middle Yangzi first, shattered Sun Hao's main army, and only then halted—yet that pause had let Wang Jun finish ahead of him. Burning with humiliation and resentment, he showed it plainly and filed repeated accusations against Wang Jun, and his contemporaries mocked him for it. In an edict the emperor praised: "Wang Hun, credential bearer, Yangzhou area commander, general who guards the east, and marquis of Jingling, led his command and pressed on Moling, forcing the bandit Sun Hao to defend himself and preventing him from sending troops upstream, thereby completing the western army's mission; he also shattered the main enemy, captured Zhang Ti, and left Sun Hao at the end of his road, bound and begging surrender. The decree declared that Moling was thereby secured and his achievement resplendent. Increase his fief by eight thousand households, advance him to duke, make his son Wang Cheng a precinct marquis and his brother Wang Zhan a marquis within the passes, and award him eight thousand bolts of silk." After the edict he was appointed grand general who conquers the east and again stationed at Shouyang. Wang Hun disdained legalistic harshness; his rulings were clear and just. The newly submitted people of Wu were still deeply fearful. Wang Hun put travelers at ease, welcomed men with genuine openness, kept every seat filled, and turned no caller from his door. Men of talent east of the Yangzi readily rallied to him.
6
使 宿 駿 退 使
He was summoned as vice director of the left of the secretariat and given the concurrent title of regular attendant-in-ordinary. When ministers argued that Prince Sima You of Qi should be sent to his fief, Wang Hun memorialized in protest: "I have humbly received the sagely decree, which models itself on the old classics, elevates Prince You of Qi to senior duke, honors his rites, and sends him to his domain. When the Zhou founders built their realm they enfeoffed the house of Ji broadly to screen the throne, and that became the enduring model. Even the Duke of Zhou—King Wu's brother—stayed at court to manage affairs and help complete the great work instead of being packed off to a domain. That shows closest kin whose duty is clear must not be banished from the capital. Hence the Duke of Zhou could nurture the boy king with consummate virtue; his loyalty shines in the "Metal-bound Coffer", and he carried forward the humane wisdom of Kings Wen and Wu. Prince You in our Great Jin is the same sort of kinsman as the Duke of Zhou. He ought to support the throne and take part in government; he is, in truth, a trusted minister at your side who will not waver. Moreover Prince You is scrupulous, honest, and steadfast, and as your kinsman he is pledged to loyalty. Now you would send him to his fief with only the empty title of area commander and none of the real authority to raise troops or hold a region, cut off from the capital and excluded from governance. That rends the bond between mother and youngest son, scants the warmth due brothers, and I fear it does not match what the late emperor and Empress Dowager Wenming long meant for Prince You. If princely stature truly requires someone in the field, appoint Prince Sima Liang of Runan in his place. Sima Liang is a son of Emperor Xuan and younger brother of Emperor Wen, while Sima Zhou and Sima Jun already hold posts inside and outside the court; weighed against long-term concerns, their burden is hardly slight. Banishing Prince You now would only fuel partisan talk and tarnish the grace of your kindness. It would let the realm infer that you slight your nearest kin, which I cannot think a wise course. Hand power to in-laws and you invite another Wang Mang who toppled the Han or another Lü Chan who seized the court. Fear your own kinsmen and you summon the disaster of the Rebellion of the Seven States. Survey history, high stakes or low: wherever rulers obsess over one danger, harm follows. You cannot invent elaborate precautions for every hypothetical threat. The right path is to uphold just governance and choose loyal ministers. If everyone is read through a lens of suspicion, even family looks guilty, and those farther out have no way to feel safe! A court full of fear is no recipe for stability. That is the deepest fear of anyone who holds a throne or a household. I submit that the junior tutor to the crown prince stands open: keep Prince You in that office, share the guardians' college with Grand Commandant Sima Liang and Defender Yang Yao, and let them jointly steer the ministries. Three peers can balance one another—gaining breadth of counsel without letting any faction grow heavy enough to overturn the rest. You would show devotion to kin while Prince You still enjoys your sheltering favor. Your servant shares the dynasty's fortunes and must speak his mind; I cannot hold this back. Like the women of Lu who spoke to save their state, I risk my foolish counsel though it offends your majesty. I wish every decision of yours to be for the best and offer this mite of help. If I as your servant keep silent, who is fit to speak?" The emperor rejected the plea.
7
駿
Early in Taixi he became minister of education. Under Emperor Hui he was also named palace attendant, and a corps of artisan officers was assigned to his Jingling estate on the model used at Suiling. After Yang Jun's purge the court honored elder statesmen and authorized Wang Hun to retain armed guards. As minister of education he was a civil officer whose chief registrar bore no arms; armed attendants were crimson-clad staff under him. He knew his guards were an unusual favor, not precedent, and had them all dress in black instead of crimson. Commentators admired his humility and sense of decorum.
8
宿 宿使 使便
Prince Sima Wei of Chu was plotting to kill Sima Liang of Runan and the other princes. Gongsun Hong told Sima Wei: "When Emperor Xuan removed Cao Shuang, he brought Grand Commandant Jiang Ji to ride with him in order to add authority. A coup of this kind required a veteran whose prestige would steady the troops. Minister of Education Wang Hun has long had an imposing reputation and is trusted by the armies; invite him to ride with you, and the troops will have something to rely on." Sima Wei agreed. Wang Hun pleaded illness, retired home, and barred his gates with more than a thousand family retainers against Sima Wei. Sima Wei dared not force him. When Sima Wei was quickly executed for forging an edict, Wang Hun marched his men back to duty. At a New Year court the emperor asked Wang Hun how provincial accounting officers should be examined on local customs. Hun replied: "Your Majesty is reverent, luminous, sage, and wise; your radiance reaches near and far. Your bright edict is modest and even asks counsel of woodcutters, like King Wen's broad consultation and Confucius's refusal to be ashamed of asking those below him. By long custom, before the triple audience on New Year's day the clerks came below the gallery, an attendant-in-ordinary read the proclamation aloud, and they knelt to receive it. I believe the formula has been recited unchanged for ages; it no longer shows that you truly care about conditions in the provinces. Let the secretariat issue an explicit mandate asking about regional differences, notable talent, popular customs, farming and sericulture, whether justice is free of abuse, and whether prefects oppress the people. Give brush and paper to any who labor at good government so they can set out their views in full. That would show your concern reaches the farthest corners of the realm instead of recycling empty phrases. Their answers would also reveal how capable these officers really are. Under the late emperor, after the great audience he received in the Eastern Hall the senior staff of field commands, ministers of princely estates, and provincial chief clerks. If separate audiences are impractical, let them advance below the carriage porch while an attendant-in-ordinary poses your questions; this will conveniently examine the provinces." The emperor approved. He was further ordered to supervise the Secretariat.
9
He had won praise in every post until he reached the chancellorship; there his reputation slowly waned. In the seventh year of Yuankang, he died at seventy-five and received the posthumous epithet Yuan. His eldest son Shang died young; the second son, Ji, inherited his title.
11
Wang Ji
12
= 姿 殿 婿
Wang Ji, whose courtesy name was Wuzi, As a youth he showed rare ability, carried himself with dash, and towered over his generation; he excelled at riding and archery, possessed uncanny strength, mastered the "Book of Changes", the "Zhuangzi", and the "Laozi", and wrote with panache; his arts outclassed others, and he stood alongside his brother-in-law He Jiao and Pei Kai. He took the Princess of Changshan as his wife. At twenty he entered service as a gentleman of the palace secretariat but resigned to mourn his mother. Recalled as general of fierce cavalry, he rose to palace attendant alongside Kong Xun, Wang Xun, and Yang Ji—the outstanding men of the moment. Emperor Wu once gathered ministers and regional commanders in Shiqian Hall, glanced at Wang Ji and Kong Xun, and told the assembly, "My attendants are a model of dignity and talent!"—punning on their names. Whenever he attended court, the emperor consulted him on character and policy without fail. He excelled at Qingtan debate, shaped his words with care, and gave supple counsel that none at court could match. The sovereign came to favor him ever more warmly. Even his rapid rise was credited to ability rather than marriage into the imperial clan. Beneath the polish he was jealous and cutting, prone to barbed speech, and contemporaries quietly disdained him. He kept needling Wang Jun over his father's feud, and observers mocked him for it.
13
使
As Prince Sima You of Qi was sent away, Wang Ji had memorialized in vain; he then sent his wife and Zhen De's spouse, the Princess of Changuang, to throw themselves before the throne weeping, pleading that You be allowed to stay. The emperor snapped to Wang Rong, "Brothers are family; banishing Prince of Qi is my decision, yet Zhen De and Wang Ji keep dispatching their wives to shame me with public tears!" For the affront he was demoted to libationer of the imperial academy while retaining his regular attendant's rank. A few years later he was back at court as palace attendant. While Wang Hun served as vice director of the secretariat, Wang Ji enforced the rules ruthlessly whenever clerks erred. He was estranged from his cousin Wang You, whose followers claimed he dishonored his father—fuel for partisan sniping. Named governor of Henan, he lost the post before taking it because he had whipped an official of a princely household. Meanwhile Wang You started to gain substantive appointments. Pushed to the sidelines, he relocated his residence below Mount Mang north of Luoyang.
14
滿 便
He lived ostentatiously, draped in finery and dining like a king. When capital real estate was ruinously expensive, he bought land for a riding ring and carpeted it with coins—onlookers dubbed the place the "Gold Ditch." Wang Kai, the sovereign's maternal uncle, flaunted his wealth with an ox called "Eight-hundred-li Piebald," always polishing its hooves and horns. Wang Ji staked ten million cash on an archery contest against the animal. Wang Kai, confident in his marksmanship, let Wang Ji open the round. Wang Ji shattered the target in one shot, dropped onto a camp stool, ordered servants to fetch the ox's heart, carved a single slice when it came, and left. He Jiao, a miser, grew excellent plums yet sent the emperor only a handful when asked. Wang Ji waited for He Jiao's palace shift, stormed the garden with young companions, devoured the crop, chopped the tree down, and departed. On an imperial visit his table glittered with crystal vessels and extravagant dishes. The steamed gizzards were exquisite; asked how, he answered coolly, "Human milk." The sovereign's face darkened and he quit the meal unfinished.
15
使便
Wang Ji read horses well; once, riding a mount in layered mud-flaps, he stopped short of a stream and refused to ford. "It fears ruining the mud-flaps," he said. Men removed the guards and the horse crossed at once. Du Yu joked that Wang Ji was horse-mad.
16
使
The emperor asked He Jiao: "I am thinking of scolding Wang Ji and only then giving him office and rank. What do you think?" He Jiao replied: "Wang Ji is brilliant and proud; I fear he cannot be bent." The sovereign called him in, dressed him down, then demanded, "Are you ashamed?" Wang Ji answered, "The old ballad about brothers who starved each other shames me for you, sire. Other men may set kin against kin; I cannot make brothers cherish one another—that is how I shame you." The emperor had nothing to say.
17
Playing weiqi with Wang Ji while Sun Hao stood nearby, the emperor asked Hao: "Why did you enjoy flaying people's faces?" Sun Hao answered: "When I saw someone rude to his ruler, I flayed him." Wang Ji had his legs stretched under the board—Sun Hao's barb implied he was the rude subject.
18
使
Shortly afterward he was made to direct the Minister of Carriages while still in disgraced white robes. He died at forty-six, predeceasing his father, and was posthumously honored as general of swift cavalry. As the funeral approached, the elite of the capital all gathered. Sun Chu revered him, came late, and wept so bitterly that the mourners wept with him. When the lament ended he told the corpse, "You loved my donkey bray; hear it now." His mimicry was perfect and the mourners laughed despite themselves. Sun Chu glared around and cried, "You still live while Wang Ji lies dead?"
19
The princess he married was blind and fiercely jealous, bore no heir, yet accepted two sons by concubines. Wang Zhuo, courtesy name Wenxuan, inherited Wang Hun's title and became a gentleman attendant. The younger son Wang Yu, courtesy name Maoxuan, took the princess's estate as marquis of Minyang. His brothers Wang Cheng and Wang Wen—courtesy names Daoshen and Maoshen—were gifted writers who climbed to high office.
20
Wang Jun
21
姿 使
Wang Jun, whose courtesy name was Shizhi, came from Hu in Hongnong commandery. His forebears had held ministerial-grade salaries for generations. He read deeply and looked striking, yet neglected reputation and local opinion thought little of him. Later he remade himself—forthright, far-seeing, and hungry for great things. Building a manor, he carved a boulevard tens of paces wide outside his gate. When someone said this was excessive, Wang Jun answered: "I want room for long halberds and banners." They all laughed, and Wang Jun said: "Chen Sheng once said, 'How can swallows and sparrows know the will of a swan?'" He was hired as a clerk in Hedong. Dishonest county magistrates fled at word of his arrival. Xu Miao, inspector of Yan, had a gifted daughter who had found no husband. He assembled his aides and let her observe them from behind a screen. She chose Wang Jun; Xu Miao gave her to him in marriage. He later served on the southern campaign staff, where Yang Hu became his steadfast patron. Yang Hu's nephew Yang Ji told him: "Wang Jun is too ambitious and extravagantly unrestrained; he should not be entrusted with sole authority, and there should be some way to restrain him." Yang Hu replied: "Wang Jun has great talent. If he wants to accomplish what he aims at, he can certainly be used." Wang Jun moved to the chariot and cavalry command staff, and onlookers praised Yang Hu for promoting talent.
22
簿
He became governor of Ba. Hard service on the Wu frontier led families to abandon newborn boys. He stiffened the law but lightened taxes, rewarded child-rearing, and kept thousands of infants alive. As governor of Guanghan he ruled with mercy and won the people's trust. He dreamed of three knives on his rafters, then a fourth—he woke uneasy. Chief clerk Li Yi hailed it as an omen: three blades make the graph for "province," and a fourth foretold the Yizhou post. When Zhang Hong murdered Inspector Huangfu Yan, Wang Jun was raised to inspector of Yi as foretold. He plotted the strike, eliminated Zhang Hong's band, and earned a marquisate within the passes. He won border peoples with authority and grace until many tribes surrendered. He was recalled as general of the right guard and named minister of agriculture. Yang Hu, general of chariots, grasped his strategic mind and secured a second appointment as inspector of Yi.
23
Planning the conquest of Wu, Emperor Wu told Wang Jun to construct a river fleet. He built massive linked hulls, each deck a hundred twenty paces square and carrying over two thousand men. Timber ramparts and towered parapets ringed them with four gates where riders could charge. Fearsome figureheads were painted to cow the river gods. No fleet in memory matched their scale. Shipwrights in Shu sent so much scrap timber downstream that it carpeted the Yangzi. Wu Yan, Wu's governor of Jianping, fished out the floating wood and told Sun Hao: "Jin surely has a plan to attack Wu; Jianping should be reinforced. If Jianping does not fall, they will never dare to cross." Sun Hao ignored him. Court prophecy soon made Wang Jun dragon-leaping general with command over Liang and Yi. The fuller story is told in Yang Hu's biography.
24
While ministers at court all advised against attacking Wu, Wang Jun memorialized: "Your servant has repeatedly compared the differences between Wu and Chu. Sun Hao is dissolute, cruel, and rebellious, and wise and foolish alike in Jing and Yang sigh with resentment. The moment favored a rapid strike. Wait, and celestial fortune may turn against us. If Sun Hao died and a capable successor reorganized Wu, the south would become a stubborn enemy. I have spent seven years on this fleet; timbers rot daily; I am seventy and time is short. If any one of those three advantages is lost, the campaign will be hard to plan; I sincerely hope Your Majesty will not miss the opportune moment." The emperor took his advice to heart. Jia Chong and Xun Xu counseled delay, while Zhang Hua alone urged war. Du Yu weighed in as well, so the throne issued orders splintering command among the fronts. Wang Jun assumed field command. The youths Wang Jun had saved in Ba could now serve; their parents told them, "The inspector gave you life—fight without sparing yourselves!"
25
西 西
In the first month of Taikang 1 he left Chengdu with Tang Bin, seized Wu's Danyang, and took its governor Sheng Ji. The defenders chained the narrows and seeded the bed with yard-long iron spikes to snag Jin hulls. Yang Hu had already interrogated a Wu agent and knew every detail. Wang Jun floated armored straw figures on massive rafts so the hidden spikes tore free when they struck. Giant oiled torches melted the chains until the fleet could pass unhindered. In mid-spring he stormed Xiling and seized Liu Xian, Cheng Ju, and Yidu's governor Yu Zhong. Days later Jingmen and Yidao fell, along with the Wu overseer Lu Yan. He then seized Lexiang and captured the Wu fleet commander Lu Jing. Shi Hong, general who pacifies the west, defected with his command. The court named him general who pacifies the east with acting credentials over Yi and Liang.
26
滿 祿 輿 使
His march downriver was a cascade of bloodless surrenders past Xiakou and Wuchang. He then swept downstream toward Three Mountains. Sun Hao sent Zhang Xiang with ten thousand sailors; they surrendered at the first glimpse of Wang Jun's standards. Word that Wang Jun's pennants blacked out the river broke Sun Hao's court. On Xue Ying's advice he sent a capitulation opening with "Sun Hao of Wu kowtows in guilt. He recalled how Wu's founders carved out the south when the Han collapsed. He admitted that Jin's virtue covered the realm while Wu clung to false security. He described Jin's hosts camped along the shore as an unbearable humiliation. He begged for the conquerors' mercy. He offered the imperial seals through an envoy named Zhang Kui." On that day Wang Jun entered Shitou fortress. Sun Hao came in the full costume of submission—white cart, bound hands, jade in his mouth, sheep in tow, ministers mourning, a bier carried before him—leading the heir and princes to Wang Jun's camp. Wang Jun cut his bonds, took the offering disc, burned the ritual bier, and sent him north to Luoyang. He secured archives and treasuries and kept the troops from looting. The court sent officers to feast his soldiers.
27
使 西'西便 忿 使 便 便 宿 宿 使 使 便𠴲
Earlier orders had placed him under Du Yu until Jianping and under Wang Hun at Moling. When Du Yu reached Jiangling, he told the generals: "If Wang Jun can take Jianping, he will drive straight downstream and his fame will already be established; he should not be placed under my control. If he cannot take it, there will be no occasion for me to exercise command over him." Du Yu urged him by letter to drive straight on Moling and finish the war. A victory march to Luoyang, he said, would crown the age. Delighted, Wang Jun submitted Du Yu's letter to the throne. As Wang Jun neared Moling, Wang Hun sent a messenger asking him to stop briefly to discuss affairs, but Wang Jun raised sail and headed straight on, replying: "The wind is favorable; I cannot anchor." Wang Hun had shattered Sun Hao's main force and killed Zhang Ti but then froze. Wang Jun took the credit for accepting surrender, so Wang Hun accused him of insubordination. The ministry then pressed to summon Wang Jun in a caged cart. The emperor refused and issued a reproof to Jun: "Attacking a state is weighty, and command should be unified. The edict had told Wang Jun to obey Wang Hun, who had halted deliberately for coordination. The emperor charged him with rushing ahead for glory at the cost of good order. General, your merit is recorded in Our heart; you should have followed the edict and upheld the royal law, but in the end you relied on merit and acted as you pleased. How shall We command the realm?" Wang Jun submitted a letter defending himself, saying: Earlier I received the gengxu edict, which said, "The soldiers are riding victory, their fierce spirit is strong and vigorous, and you should follow the current in a long drive, going straight to Moling. " On the day I received the edict, I immediately went eastward downstream. Moreover, an earlier edict I received said, "Grand Commandant Jia Chong is to command all directions as a whole; from General-in-chief Who Guards the East You down to Hun, Jun, Bin, and the others, all are to receive Chong's direction." There was no wording ordering me separately to receive Hun's direction. From Baqiu onward, wherever I went, the enemy collapsed like grass before the wind. I knew that Sun Hao was exhausted and cramped and that his power could not reach anywhere. On the fourteenth day I reached Niuzhu, two hundred li from Moling, and overnight arranged the divisions and set the measures for attack and seizure. Earlier, when I reached Sanshan, I saw Hun's army on the northern bank. He sent me a letter saying that I might briefly come over and that there was something to discuss together; he also did not tell me that I was to receive his direction. My naval army had set out with the wind and was riding the momentum toward the rebel city. Added to this, the divisions arranged overnight moved in order, and there was no way in the long current to turn the boats back to visit Hun and make front and rear cut off from each other. In a short while, Hao sent an envoy and submitted to the mandate. I immediately replied in writing to Hun, also copied Hao's letter, and fully showed it to Hun, telling him to come quickly and that I would wait for him at Shitou. The army reached Moling at noon, and only at dusk did I receive the tally sent down by Hun saying that I should receive his direction. He wanted me on the next day, the sixteenth, to bring all those under my command back to surround Shitou and guard against Hao escaping. He also demanded fixed rosters of the Shu troops and the various armies of the General Who Guards the South. I considered that Hao had already come to surrender at the Dutting, and there was no reason for us together to make an empty encirclement. Moreover, fixed troop rosters could not be produced in haste; none of this was urgent for the present moment, and it could not be accepted and used. The palace edict says that I neglected and abandoned clear regulations and acted arbitrarily on my own authority. Bowing down and reading the stern edict, I was startled, frightened, terrified, and trembling, and did not know where to place my body and life. It was not only this old servant who felt fear and burning anxiety; the officers and men of the three armies all completely lost heart. I received the state's grace, and my responsibility was weighty and the affair great. I constantly feared that the trust placed in me would prove ineffective and that I would fail the sagely court, and therefore I cast myself into a place of death and fought across ten thousand li. I received the grace of broad forgiveness and was allowed to follow what was fitting in confronting the situation. For this reason, relying on your awe and spirit, I fortunately was able to succeed; all of this was Your Majesty's divine strategy and temple calculation. I merely received your instructions and served the use of hawks and hounds. What merit or labor did I have that I could rely on achievement and indulge my will? How would I dare be blinded by profit and violate the sagely edict? I reached Moling on the fifteenth, while the edict set out from Luoyang on the sixteenth. The gap between them was distant and they could not meet each other, so my offense should receive examination and pardon. If Sun Hao still had the power of a mantis raising its axe, and I had entered alone with light troops and suffered losses, then it would be right to condemn me. But the more than eighty thousand men under my command were riding victory and sweeping all before them. Hao's multitudes had rebelled and his kin had abandoned him; he no longer had wings and feathers. He stood alone as a common man, unable to protect even his wife and children, greedily clinging to life like a sparrow or rat and only begging to live. The armies north of the river did not know his true condition and did not bind and seize him early; this was their own small error. When I arrived and immediately obtained him, I instead met resentment and anger. They all said that they had guarded the rebel for a hundred days and let another man obtain him; their murmuring words could not be endured. According to the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals, when a grandee goes beyond the borders, he has room for independent action. Although I am foolish and dull, I consider the Way of serving one's ruler to be only this: exhaust integrity and loyalty, advance without regard for oneself, measure one's strength in accepting responsibility, make what is fitting when facing affairs, and if something benefits the altars of soil and grain, live or die by it. If one instead looks after suspicions and protects oneself in order to avoid blame, this is the profit of a disloyal subject and truly is not a blessing for an enlightened ruler or the altars of soil and grain. I did not measure myself, forgot my meanness and inferiority, spread out my cinnabar heart, and poured forth my liver and brain. I wished to exhaust the strength of thigh and arm and add loyalty and steadfastness to it, hoping surely to sweep away the fierce rebels, purify and unify the universe, and make the sagely age comparable in spiritual power to Tang and Yu. Your Majesty broadly perceived my foolish sincerity and recognized my honest wish to offer myself in service; therefore you granted me the responsibility of a regional governor and entrusted me with the affair of campaign and punishment. Even the ruler of Yan's trust in Yue Yi and the Han Ancestor's employment of Xiao He could not exceed this. The grace I received was deep and weighty, and even in death I could not repay it; yet because I am stubborn and coarse, my actions and measures lost what was fitting. Your Majesty, in your vast grace, has merely added urgent reproach. I am terrified, frightened, anxious, and unsettled, with no ground on which to place myself. I only wish Your Majesty to understand my red heart.
28
使 便 便 便 使 使 使 簿 忿 𠴲 使
Wang Hun circulated Zhou Jun's claim that Wang Jun's men looted Wu's hoard. Wang Jun again memorialized, saying: I received the renxu edict, which sent down the letter that the General Who Guards the East submitted from Yangzhou Inspector Zhou Jun, saying that my armies had obtained Sun Hao's precious goods and also saying that Gate General Li Gao set fire to Hao's false palace. I at once sent an official document up to the Secretariat, listing the whole beginning and end in detail. I have also heard that Hun is filing a case to entrap me. My received nature is foolishly loyal; in acting and moving, I trusted my heart and went forward, only hoping not to fail spirits and gods. The affairs at Moling were all as I previously memorialized, but those who hate the straight and vilify the correct are truly numerous. They wish to construct the Southern Winnowing Basket and weave this brocade of slander, publicly in a sagely age turning white into black. Flatterers and crooked men have harmed states this way since antiquity. Thus Wuji ruined Chu, Zai Pi destroyed Wu, and down to Shi Xian, who overturned and disordered the Han court, all are recorded in the texts and serve as warnings to the world. Formerly Yue Yi attacked Qi and took seventy cities, yet in the end he suffered slander and alienation, escaped with his body, and fled. After Yue Yang returned, letters of slander filled a box. How much less can I, stubborn and coarse, escape the mouths of slanderous wickedness? Yet my hope that my head and neck may be preserved truly depends on Your Majesty's sagely wisdom, reverence, and clarity, so that gradual seeping slanders cannot be carried out. I am a solitary root standing alone, with no factional support at court. Long abandoned in distant regions, cut off from human connections, I have tied hatred with powerful clans and drawn resentment from great families. With a body like stacked eggs, I stand in the path of thunder. With the substance of a small cocoon or chestnut, I face the road of jackals and wolves; when being swallowed, how could I resist with lips and teeth? If one offends those above and violates the ruler, the crime can still be rescued; if one crosses and offends honored ministers, then disaster is unpredictable. Thus Zhu Yun broke the railing and incurred anger at touching the reverse scale, but Qing Ji saved him and Emperor Cheng did not pursue the matter. But Xiao Wangzhi and Zhou Kan crossed Shi Xian; although the whole court sighed over them, death followed without turning the heel. This is what I greatly fear. Now Hun's branch parties, marriage kin, inside and outside, all are rooted like boulders and occupy hereditary positions. I hear that he has sent people in Luoyang who specialize in mutual plotting; their stolen words are very sweet, confusing what people see and hear. That Zeng Shen did not kill anyone was also clear, yet when three men transmitted the claim, his mother threw down her shuttle. Now my trustworthy conduct is not as manifest as Zeng Shen's. The slanderous constructions are boiling up, not merely the matching words of three men; outside and inside fan and assist one another, making the response of two fives. When a fierce beast blocks the road, even a qilin is afraid. How could I, frail and weak, dare not tremble? The ruler and ministers of the false Wu are now all alive and present; they can be examined and questioned to clarify false and true. Former false Gentleman General Kong Shu said that after Wuchang fell in the past second month, the naval army arrived. Hao inspected Shitou and returned, and those around him all leapt with swords and cried loudly, "We must fight one decisive battle to the death for Your Majesty. " Hao was greatly pleased in his mind and thought they would surely be able to do so, and he then brought out all his gold and treasure and bestowed it on them. The petty men had no proper form; once they got it, they took it and ran. Hao was afraid and then planned to surrender. Just as the surrender envoy left, those around him robbed and seized goods, carried off wives and concubines, and set fire to the palace. Hao fled with his body and hid his head, fearing he would not escape death. When I arrived, I sent the army consultant and officers in charge to rescue people and stop the fire, nothing more. Zhou Jun entered Hao's palace before the sixteenth. At the time I sent record-office clerks to inspect the books and documents, and Jun had them seized and bound. If there were remaining treasures, then Jun obtained them earlier; he should not shift the trail to someone who came later in hopes of seeking a careless escape. Earlier at Sanshan I received Jun's letter, which said, "Hao scattered treasures and goods to bestow on generals and soldiers, and the storehouses are mostly empty. " Yet now he again says, "Gold and silver in boxes and chests easily number in the tens of thousands," and suspects that my army obtained them. His words turn back and forth and no longer have beginning or end. I also entered with Army Administrator Zhang Mu, Runan Chancellor Feng Dan, and others to inspect Hao's palace, and there was not even a mat on which to sit. On a later day I again inspected Hao's boats with Mu and the others, but Hun had boarded those boats one day before me, and everything on the boats was what Hun knew and saw. All of my inspections came after him; if there were treasures and goods, Hun should have obtained them. Moreover, my generals have always been strict, and soldiers were not allowed to leave their units and formations recklessly. The various armies were at Moling. Altogether they numbered two hundred thousand men. My army arrived first and became master of the ground. The hearts of the common people all turned and looked up to me, and I urgently ordered those under my command not to violate so much as an autumn hair. Whenever there was buying or trading, there were group guarantors and witnesses, and it was clearly done according to tallies and contracts. Those who violated this were executed, thirteen men in all, as the people of Wu all know. The other armies roamed at will and falsely claimed to be my army, while my army were mostly men of Shu, fortunately distinct by this. How could it be that Jun's generals and soldiers alone were all Boyi and Shuqi, while all my armies were gathered Robber Zhis? At the time more than eight hundred men followed along Shitou city and robbed cloth and silk. My Gate General Ma Qian immediately arrested more than twenty men, listed the names of their supervising generals, and transferred them to Jun so he could judge and settle them himself, but there was silence and no reply. I suspect all were released, cutting off the clue. I also heard the people of Wu say that at the earlier battle with Zhang Ti, those killed were only two thousand men, yet Hun and Jun's victory bulletin spoke in the tens of thousands. They made Wu Gang's son Registrar and sent Gang to Luoyang, wishing to have Gang increase the number of heads cut off. Sun Hao and his various ministers can be fully questioned, and then the settled truth will be known. If what I heard is true, Jun and the others are false and deceitful and even deceive Your Majesty; why would they spare me? They say that I massed men of Shu and did not send Hao at the proper time because I intended to have signs of rebellion. They also frightened and stirred the people of Wu, saying that I would execute them all and seize their wives and children, hoping they would make disorder so they could indulge private anger. They still add rebellion and great treason to me; as for the rest of the slanders and murmurs, those follow naturally. Hun's case against me says, "He is a small vessel like a bottle or chime-stone, yet he received the state's thick grace and was repeatedly promoted and advanced, until he exceeded his responsibility." This statement of Hun's is most true, and when I examine myself within, I am ashamed and afraid. This year's pacification of Wu truly is a great celebration, but for my own person it has instead brought blame and accumulation of faults. I lacked Meng Ce's goodness in whipping his horse, and caused this elegant court to have slanderous and crooked men, damaging its solemn custom and impairing the beauty of the imperial age. It is because of my stubborn coarseness that things have come to this. As I bow and submit this memorial, sweat flows, and my words do not know their order.
29
便
At Luoyang prosecutors wanted him tried for omitting edict dates and ignoring Wang Hun after the general amnesty. An edict said: "Wang Jun first received an order to proceed directly to Moling, and only afterward was he ordered to receive Wang Hun's command. Late orders could not fairly be treated as refusal. Only the delay in reporting Wang Hun's message was culpable. Wang Jun has the labor of conquest to his credit; that is not enough to be buried under a single fault." Prosecutors also attacked him for burning 135 Wu ships after the pardon. The edict said, "Do not investigate." He was named bulwark grand general and colonel of infantry. The sixth infantry colonelcy was created for him. Clerks claimed the new title lacked senior perquisites. The emperor overruled them with wagons, escort, and a staff major. He received a marquisate of Xiangyang with a ten-thousand-household fief. His son Yi gained a lesser marquisate, silk, robes, cash, and provisions.
30
忿 ' '
Believing his reward meager, he quarreled with Wang Hun's faction, railed at audiences, and stormed out. Emperor Wu bore with his outbursts. His in-law Fan Tong, protector in Yi, offered counsel. Fan Tong told Wang Jun: "Your achievement is admirable, but I regret that the way you carried that admiration was not wholly good." Wang Jun asked: "What do you mean?" Fan Tong said: "On the day you returned with lowered banners, you should have worn a scholar's kerchief in your private house and not spoken of pacifying Wu. He should have credited only the emperor and his comrades. Such humility would have rivaled ancient paragons. This is how Lin Xiangru humbled Lian Po. Could Wang Hun have avoided shame?" Wang Jun answered: "At first I feared Deng Ai's fate and feared disaster would reach me, so I could not remain silent; nor could I dismiss it from my breast. That was my narrowness." Scholars petitioned, saying his honors were unjustly slight. The court raised him to garrison grand general with a rear-army command. Wang Hun had to pass a cordon of guards to see him.
31
After the conquest he flaunted wealth—jade tableware, brocade robes, lavish ease. He favored Shu-born aides to remember old ties. He was later made bulwark grand general with separate headquarters equaling the Three Excellencies, honored with the tejin distinction, and kept his old concurrent posts. In the sixth year of Taikang, he died at eighty with the posthumous epithet Wu, "martial." His tomb on Mount Baigu sprawled over forty-five li of walled parkland. His son Wang Ju inherited the title.
32
Wang Ju's brother Wang Chang served as gentleman cavalry attendant. In Taikang 10, Wang Chang's son Wang Cui married the Princess of Yingchuan and later became governor of Wei commandery.
33
西 使耀
Two grandsons fled south with the court yet went unrecorded in the rolls. Huan Wen, general who guards the west, was stationed at Jiangling and memorialized: "Your servant has heard that honoring virtue and rewarding merit comes first in government; He cited the duty to preserve extinguished houses. Merit and virtue, he said, deserved perpetual remembrance. He tied honors for heirs to dynastic gratitude. He praised Wang Jun's lone decision to save the realm. He noted that Jin ruled all under heaven while Wang Jun's marquisate lapsed. Imperial favor had not reached the living line. Huan Wen said the neglect shamed the court. Two grandsons lived in destitution by the Yangzi. He compared them to Gaozu's care for Yue Yi's line. And to Guangwu's revival of Zhuge Liang's house. Those who gave loyalty to another age and established merit in another state were still treated as goods shared by all under Heaven and were not allowed to disappear. How much more should Wang Jun be remembered: he established founding merit in his own time and left celebration after his death; the spiritual foundation took root on the southern frontier, the imperial fortune was restored east of the River, old institutions shone again, and the sacred vessel gleamed anew. Was this not due to that man's effort? He asked that their fief be restored. Then the sage court's grace will be proclaimed above, and loyal ministers' resolve will not fall to the ground." The court never acted on the plea.
34
Tang Bin
35
便鹿 簿 使 簿
Tang Bin, courtesy name Ruzong, came from Zou in Lu commandery. His father Tang Tai had been governor of Taishan. Tang Bin thought like a statesman and cared little for petty respectability. In youth he was a superb rider and archer, stood eight feet tall, could outrun a deer, and out-muscled ordinary men. Later he immersed himself in the canon, above all the "Changes," studied abroad, and came home to lecture to hundreds. He began as a commandery gate clerk and rose to chief clerk. Inspector Wang Shen convened his aides to plan anti-Wu strategy and canvassed clerks from nine jurisdictions. Tang Bin and Zhang Yun of Qiao argued that Wu could be taken; Wang Shen approved. He then had Tang Bin dismantle the anti-war case until every objection collapsed. He advanced through merit assessor, filial-and-incorrupt nomination, and provincial chief clerk to senior adjutant.
36
使 滿滿
Loyal and blunt in counsel, he served the chancellery mission so well that Sima Zhao's brilliant staff praised him to Prince Wen. Sima Zhao asked Kong Hao, who stayed silent out of jealousy. Chen Qian broke in: "Tang Bin is far my superior." Sima Zhao laughed and said: "Merely to match you is already hard to find. Why speak of surpassing you?" He hired Tang Bin for the armory office. Sima Zhao asked: "How did you earn the summons?" Tang Bin replied: "I cultivated learning in a humble lane, observed the traces left by the ancients, spoke throughout the realm without verbal fault, and acted throughout the realm without resentment or hatred." Sima Zhao looked around the room and said: "The reputation did not travel falsely." Later he told Kong Hao: "I recently met Tang Bin; you bear the blame for concealing a worthy."
37
使
Fearing mutiny after Deng Ai's death, Sima Zhao sent Tang Bin to sound Longyou opinion. Tang Bin returned and reported: "Deng Ai was jealous, harsh, deceitful, and narrow. He prided himself on ability and talent; those who obeyed him he called perceptive, and those who spoke frankly he called offensive. Even senior aides who misspoke faced abuse. His rudeness had cost him every bond of loyalty. He had also worn the people out with endless corvée. The northwesterners hated him and would not rally to his memory. Now the armies have arrived, enough to hold down affairs inside and outside. I hope you will not be worried."
38
He was soon named waterworks secretary in the ministry. Early in Taishi he received a marquisate within the passes. As magistrate of Ye he ruled through ritual and remade local custom in a month. As Yiyang's governor he posted clear laws and kept the people safe. He resigned to mourn his mother. With Yi Province facing Wu and the overseer seat empty, the court shortlisted Yang Zong and Tang Bin. Emperor Wu asked regular mounted attendant Wen Li about it, and Wen Li said: "Yang Zong and Tang Bin are both men who cannot be lost. But Tang Bin is much given to desire for wealth, while Yang Zong loves wine. Only Your Majesty can decide." The emperor said: "Desire for wealth can be satisfied; wine is hard to change." He picked Tang Bin. Tang Bin was soon made overseer of Ba-East with the rank of Guangwu general. His Wu campaign memorial suited Emperor Wu perfectly.
39
西
Beside Wang Jun he seized critical ground and led the van. Feints and timing won Xiling and Lexiang with heavy captures. East of Baling and the Han estuary every Wu garrison panicked and capitulated. Seeing victory certain, he halted two hundred li from Jianye feigning illness so no one could accuse him of racing for glory. While early victors fought over loot and credit, observers praised his restraint. When Wu was pacified, an edict said: "Guangwu general Tang Bin was entrusted with a corner of the realm, guarded eastward against the Wu invaders, supervised the Man and Yue to the south, soothed and pacified the frontier, and had achievements in calming and defense. It noted his zeal for service. Despite illness he had led the van and delivered captives. Therefore appoint Tang Bin general of the right and area commander of Ba-East military affairs." Recalled as colonel of the wing guards, he gained a Shangyong marquisate, six thousand households, and silk. He sat in on doubtful policy debates.
40
使 耀 綿
When steppe raiders hit Beiping, he became Youzhou overseer, Wuhuan protector-colonel, and general of the right. He trained soldiers, pushed agriculture, flashed force, and broadcast Jin's good faith. Two Xianbei confederations under Damokuai and Zhihe sent hostages and gifts. He rebuilt schools and taught patiently until his kindness covered the frontier. He recovered a thousand li of lost ground. He refortified the Qin wall from Wencheng to Jieshi, nearly three thousand li of watchtowers and camps. The steppe fell so quiet that no Han or Wei frontier had matched it. Fearing him, the Xianbei assassinated Damokuai. Planning a punitive strike without losing surprise, he requisitioned transport across You and Ji. His adjutant Xu Zhi tattled to the capital. Censors jailed him until an inquiry cleared his action. Locals raised a stele praising him while he still lived.
41
His teacher Yan De of Donghai, amid hundreds of pupils, marked him for high office. When Tang Bin rose, Yan De was dead, so he honored him with a monument.
42
使西
Early in Yuankang he became forward general, western-tribes colonel, and Yongzhou inspector. He issued an instruction: "This province is a famed metropolis and a gathering place of gentlemen. He named recluses whose integrity shone. He invited them with honors fit for peers, not underlings. He promised philosophical conversation without bureaucratic condescension. Let the commanderies and kingdoms prepare full rites and send them forth, matching the hopes of the district." All four came, and Tang Bin treated them deferentially. In the fourth year of Yuankang, he died on duty at sixty with the posthumous name Xiang, plus silk and cash. His eldest son Tang Si became governor of Guangling. His younger son Tang Qi served as major to the general who conquers captives.
43
Historians' judgment
44
使 退
The editors write that Sun Wu used terrain and astrology to defy the north. Both Wangs campaigned: Wang Hun triumphed at Hengjiang and Wang Jun took Jianye. Many commanded, but they decided Wu's fate. Had they shown Fan Wenzi's modesty and Chen Shi's generosity, trusting throne and troops, they might have matched the best beginnings and endings. Ignoring that example while chasing lesser goals— they flaunted pride, abused power, and traded accusations like court intriguers. Their quarrels shamed the court and warned future generals—a pity. Wang Ji aped his father's pettiness and scanted filial duty despite his gifts. Tang Bin's feigned delay showed a humility Wang Hun and Wang Jun lacked. The tradition says he was "not constrained by conduct checks"; how can that be the conduct of an elder!
45
退
The ode praises both Wangs on the Huai front. One envied worthies; the other boasted. Wang Ji, Wuzi, swaggered in office young. He wasted wit on wagers and racetracks. Tang Bin, Ruzong, chose retreat and kept his honor.
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