1
周浚
Zhou Jun
2
周浚，字開林，汝南安成人也。 父裴，少府卿。 浚性果烈。 以才理見知，有人倫鑒識。 鄉人史曜素微賤，眾所未知，浚獨引之為友，遂以妹妻之，曜竟有名於世。 浚初不應州郡之辟，後仕魏為尚書郎。 累遷御史中丞，拜折沖將軍、揚州刺史，封射陽侯。
Zhou Jun, whose courtesy name was Kailin, came from Ancheng in Runan. His father, Pei, had served as Director of the Palace Treasury. He was by nature resolute and uncompromising. His talent and clarity of mind won him recognition, and he had a keen eye for character. A townsman, Shi Yao, had long been poor and obscure, and everyone else overlooked him, but Jun alone befriended him, married his sister to him, and Yao eventually made a name for himself in the world. He at first refused appointments from provincial and commandery authorities, then entered Wei service as a Gentleman of the Masters of Writing. He rose through several posts to Palace Assistant Secretary, was named General Who Subdues the Foe and Inspector of Yang province, and enfeoffed as Marquis of Sheyang.
3
隨王渾伐吳，攻破江西屯戍，與孫皓中軍大戰，斬偽丞相張悌等首級數千，俘馘萬計，進軍屯于橫江。 時聞龍驤將軍王濬既破上方，別駕何惲說浚曰：「張悌率精銳之卒，悉吳國之眾，殄滅于此，吳之朝野莫不震懾。 今王龍驤既破武昌，兵威甚盛，順流而下，所向輒克，土崩之勢見矣。 竊謂宜速渡江，直指建鄴，大軍卒至，奪其膽氣，可不戰而擒。」 浚善其謀，便使白渾。 惲曰：「渾暗於事機，而欲慎己免咎，必不我從。」 浚固使白之，渾果曰：「受詔但令江北抗衡吳軍，不使輕進。 貴州雖武，豈能獨平江東！ 今者違命，勝不足多； 若其不勝，為罪已重。 且詔令龍驤受我節度，但當具君舟楫，一時俱濟耳。」 惲曰：「龍驤克萬里之寇，以既濟之功來受節度，未之聞也。 且握兵之要，可則奪之，所謂受命不受辭也。 今渡江必全克獲，將有何慮？ 若疑於不濟，不可謂智； 知而不行，不可謂忠，實鄙州上下所以恨恨也。」 渾執不聽。 居無何而濬至，渾召之不來，乃直指三山，孫皓遂降於浚。 渾深恨之，而欲與浚爭功。 惲箋與浚曰：「《書》貴克讓，《易》大謙光，斯古文所詠，道家所崇。 前破張悌，吳人失氣，龍驤因之，陷其區宇。 論其前後，我實緩師，動則為傷，事則不及。 而今方競其功。 彼既不吞聲，將虧雍穆之弘，興矜爭之鄙，斯愚情之所不取也。」 浚得箋，即諫止渾，渾不能納，遂相表奏。
He campaigned with Wang Hun against Wu, stormed the Jiangxi garrisons, and clashed with Sun Hao's main force, taking several thousand heads including those of the puppet chancellor Zhang Ti and others and tens of thousands of captives, then pushed forward and encamped at Hengjiang. Word arrived that General Who Spreads Might Wang Jun had already broken the upper defenses, and He Yun, the assistant officer, urged Jun: "Zhang Ti committed Wu's best troops and virtually its entire army here, and they were wiped out; the whole of Wu is shaken. Wang Jun has now seized Wuchang, his army is formidable, and sweeping downriver he wins every fight; the collapse of Wu is plain to see. I believe we should cross the Yangzi at once, drive straight on Jianye, and hit the capital before they recover their nerve so we can take them without a pitched battle." Jun approved the plan and had the proposal put to Wang Hun. He Yun replied that Wang Hun was blind to the moment and only wanted to shield himself from blame, and that he would not listen to them. Jun insisted on passing it up, and Hun answered as expected that his orders were only to hold Wu north of the river, not to advance recklessly. Your command may be strong, but it cannot by itself subdue everything east of the river! If we defy those orders now, even victory would count for little; if we lose, the fault will be crushing. Besides, the edict puts Wang Jun under my command; you have only to ready your flotilla and we can all cross together. Yun objected that he had never heard of a general who had crushed an enemy a thousand miles away and already crossed the river being told to take orders after the fact. The heart of command is to seize the opportunity when you can—that is accepting a mandate without letting wording tie your hands. A crossing now would complete the victory; what is there to fear? To doubt success is not wisdom; to see the right course and refuse it is not loyalty—and that is exactly why everyone in this command seethes with frustration. Hun would not budge. Soon Wang Jun arrived, ignored Wang Hun's summons, and drove on to Mount San, where Sun Hao surrendered into Jin hands. Hun bitterly resented him and tried to wrest the credit. He Yun wrote to Jun: "The Classic of Documents honors deference, the Changes praises the light of modesty—values the old texts celebrate and every thoughtful man respects. We broke Zhang Ti and broke Wu's morale; Wang Jun rode that success into their heartland. Measured from start to finish, our wing really held the army back: any move on our part would have been risky, and we missed the decisive stroke. Yet now he is scrambling for the glory. If he will not keep silent, he will spoil the larger harmony and stir up petty boasting—something I cannot in good conscience endorse. Jun took the letter and urged Hun to relent, but Hun refused, and the two sides bombarded the court with competing memorials.
4
浚既濟江，與渾共行吳城壘，綏撫新附，以功進封成武侯，食邑六千戶，賜絹六千匹。 明年，移鎮秣陵。 時吳初平，屢有逃亡者，頻討平之。 賓禮故老，搜求俊乂，甚有威德，吳人悅服。
Once Zhou Jun had crossed the Yangzi, he toured Wu's fortifications with Wang Hun, pacified the newly submitted population, and for his service was promoted to Marquis of Chengwu with six thousand households and a gift of six thousand bolts of silk. The following year he moved his headquarters to Moling. Wu had only just been conquered, and desertions flared repeatedly; he put each outbreak down in turn. He honored local elders, sought out able men, carried real moral authority, and won the Wu gentry's willing allegiance.
5
初，吳之未平也，浚在弋陽，南北為互市，而諸將多相襲奪以為功。 吳將蔡敏守於沔中，其兄珪為將在秣陵，與敏書曰：「古者兵交，使在其間，軍國固當舉信義以相高。 而聞疆場之上，往往有襲奪互市，甚不可行，弟慎無為小利而忘大備也。」 候者得珪書以呈浚，浚曰：「君子也。」 及渡江，求珪，得之，問其本，曰； 「汝南人也。」 浚戲之曰：「吾固疑吳無君子，而卿果吾鄉人。」
Before Wu fell, while Jun was stationed at Yiyang, Jin and Wu still traded across the border, yet many generals staged raids on those markets to pad their battle records. The Wu general Cai Min held a post along the Han while his brother Gui served at Moling; Gui wrote to him: "Even when armies face each other, diplomats still pass between them, and both sides are expected to show good faith. Yet I hear our frontier is full of raids on the border markets—that cannot stand. Brother, do not chase petty profit and forget the larger defense. Patrols intercepted Gui's letter and brought it to Jun, who said, "Here is a true gentleman." After crossing the river he searched out Gui, found him, and asked where he came from; Gui replied— "I am from Runan. Jun teased him: "I used to think Wu had no gentlemen left; now I see one of my own countrymen after all."
6
遷侍中。 武帝問浚：「卿宗後生，稱誰為可？」 答曰：「臣叔父子恢，稱重臣宗； 從父子馥，稱清臣宗。」 帝並召用。 浚轉少府，以本官領將作大匠。 改營宗廟訖，增邑五百戶。 後代王渾為使持節、都督揚州諸軍事、安東將軍，卒于位。 三子：顗、嵩、謨。 顗嗣爵，別有傳云。
He was promoted to Palace Attendant. Emperor Wu asked him which younger members of the Zhou clan he rated most highly. He answered: "My cousin Hui, son of my uncle, is regarded as the solid pillar of the family; and my kinsman Fu, known for integrity, is the one they call the family's man of clear character. The emperor summoned both men and gave them posts. Jun moved to Director of the Palace Treasury while continuing as Court Architect. When the imperial temple project was complete, his fief was enlarged by five hundred households. He later succeeded Wang Hun as military governor of Yang province and General Who Guards the East, holding the credential staff, and died in that post. He had three sons: Zhou Yi, Zhou Song, and Zhou Mo. Zhou Yi inherited the title and has his own biography elsewhere.
8
子嵩
His son Zhou Song
9
=嵩字仲智，狷直果俠，每以才氣陵物。 元帝作相，引為參軍。 及帝為晉王，又拜奉朝請。 嵩上疏曰：「臣聞取天下者，常以無事。 及其有事，不足以取天下。 故古之王者，必應天順時，義全而後取，讓成而後得，是以享世長久，重光萬載也。 今議者以殿下化流江漢，澤被六州，功濟蒼生，欲推崇尊號。 臣謂今梓宮未反，舊京未清，義夫泣血，士女震動； 宜深明周公之道，先雪社稷大恥，盡忠言嘉謀之助，以時濟弘仁之功，崇謙謙之美，推後己之誠； 然後揖讓以謝天下，誰敢不應，誰敢不從！」 由是忤旨，出為新安太守。
Zhou Song, courtesy name Zhongzhi, was rigid, blunt, bold, and chivalrous, and habitually rode roughshod over others with his talent and swagger. While still serving as grand counselor, the future Yuan-di appointed him an army adviser. When his patron was invested as Prince of Jin, Song was named a courtier for palace appearances. Song presented a memorial: "I have read that those who win the realm do so in times of calm. When crisis drives policy, that is no longer enough to win the realm. The ancient kings answered Heaven and the season: they took power only when justice was complete and yielded only when deference was real, which is why their lines lasted and their virtue shone for ages. Now some argue that because Your Highness's influence spreads through the Jiang and Han heartland, your bounty reaches six provinces, and you have saved the common people, the time has come to press an exalted title on you. I say the late emperor's catafalque has not returned, the old capital is still in enemy hands, loyal men weep blood, and the realm is shaken; you should follow the Duke of Zhou's example, avenge the state's deepest humiliation first, heed loyal counsel, in due course complete the work of restoring benevolent rule, prize modest deference, and show you put the realm ahead of private ambition; only then yield the throne in ritual gratitude to the world—who then would dare refuse you, who would dare not follow! The advice offended the throne, and he was sent out as administrator of Xin'an.
10
嵩怏怏不悅，臨發，與散騎郎張嶷在侍中戴邈坐，褒貶朝士，又詆毀邈，邈密表之。 帝召嵩入，面責之曰：「卿矜豪傲慢，敢輕忽朝廷，由吾不德故耳。」 嵩跪謝曰：「昔唐虞至聖，四凶在朝。 陛下雖聖明禦世，亦安能無碌碌之臣乎！」 帝怒，收付廷尉。 廷尉華恆以嵩大不敬棄市論，嶷以扇和減罪除名。 時顗方貴重，帝隱忍。 久之，補廬陵太守，不之職，更拜御史中丞。
Sullen at the demotion, on the eve of departure he sat with the gentleman of scattered cavalry Zhang Yi in Palace Attendant Dai Miao's quarters, passed judgment on court figures, and abused Miao as well; Miao slipped a secret memorial to the throne. The emperor called him in and rebuked him to his face: "You swagger and despise the court because you think me without virtue. Song knelt and shot back: "Even under the sage-kings Yao and Shun, the Four Fiends still sat in council. A sage on the throne may still be stuck with mediocre men in his service! Enraged, the emperor had him arrested and sent to the Commandant of Justice. Commandant Hua Heng urged execution in the marketplace for gross lèse-majesté; Zhang Yi won a reduced sentence for trying to calm the dispute and was dismissed from office. Because Zhou Yi was then powerful at court, the emperor swallowed his anger for the moment. After a long interval he was named administrator of Luling but never took up the post, and was instead made Palace Assistant Secretary.
11
是時帝以王敦勢盛，漸疏忌王導等。 嵩上疏曰：
By then Wang Dun's power had grown so great that the emperor began to distance himself from Wang Dao and his circle. Song drafted another memorial—
12
疏奏，帝感悟，故導等獲全。
When it reached the throne, the emperor took the point, and Wang Dao and his allies were spared.
13
王敦既害顗而使人吊嵩，嵩曰：「亡兄天下人，為天下人所殺，復何所吊！」 敦甚銜之，懼失人情，故未加害，用為從事中郎。 嵩，王應嫂父也，以顗橫遇禍，意恆憤憤，嘗眾中云：「應不宜統兵。」 敦密使妖人李脫誣嵩及周筵潛相署置，遂害之。 嵩精於事佛，臨刑猶於市誦經云。
After Wang Dun murdered Zhou Yi he sent messengers to console Song, who retorted: "My brother belonged to the realm; the realm killed him—what is left to condole? Dun nursed a deep grudge but dared not kill him for fear of popular backlash, so he named Song a staff supervisor instead. Song was Wang Ying's uncle by marriage; Zhou Yi's murder left him simmering, and he once declared in public that Wang Ying was unfit to hold military command. Dun then had the charlatan Li Tuo fabricate charges that Song and Zhou Yan were plotting clandestine appointments, and had Song killed on that pretext. Song was a devout Buddhist; even on the execution ground he was said to be chanting scripture.
15
子謨
His son Zhou Mo
16
=謨以顗故，頻居顯職。 王敦死後，詔贈戴若思、譙王承等，而未及顗。 時謨為後軍將軍，上疏曰：
Zhou Mo, owing to Zhou Yi's standing, repeatedly rose to prominent offices. After Wang Dun's death the court posthumously ennobled Dai Ruosi, Prince Cheng of Qiao, and others, yet still omitted Zhou Yi. Mo was then Rear Army General and submitted a memorial—
17
疏奏，不報。 謨復重表，然後追贈顗官。
The throne never answered. Mo pressed the issue with a second memorial, and only then did the court posthumously restore Zhou Yi's honors.
18
謨曆少府、丹陽尹、侍中、中護軍，封西平侯。 卒贈金紫光祿大夫，諡曰貞。
Mo served as Director of the Palace Treasury, administrator of Danyang, palace attendant, and General Who Guards the Army, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Xiping. At his death the court awarded him the posthumous title of grand master of golden purple gleam and the posthumous epithet "Loyal" (Zhen).
20
從父弟馥
His paternal cousin Zhou Fu
21
=馥字祖宣，浚從父弟也。 父蕤，安平太守。 馥少與友人成公簡齊名，俱起家為諸王文學，累遷司徒左西屬。 司徒王渾表「馥理識清正，兼有才幹，主定九品，檢括精詳。 臣委任責成，褒貶允當，請補尚書郎」。 許之。 稍遷司徒左長史、吏部郎，選舉精密，論望益美。 轉御史中丞、侍中，拜徐州刺史，加冠軍將軍、假節。 徵為廷尉。
Zhou Fu, courtesy name Zuxuan, was Zhou Jun's paternal cousin. His father, Zhou Rui, had been administrator of Anping. In his youth he had been as celebrated as his friend Cheng Gongjian; both began as tutors to imperial princes and rose to serve as senior clerk on the minister of education's western staff. Minister Wang Hun reported that Fu's judgment was upright, that he combined talent with administrative skill, and that as chief arbiter of the nine-rank system his vetting had been meticulous. Hun added that he had delegated real authority to Fu, that Fu's praise and blame of candidates had been fair, and asked the court to appoint Fu gentleman of the Masters of Writing. The request was approved. He rose to chief clerk on the minister of education's left and gentleman of the personnel bureau, where his appointments were meticulous and his reputation steadily improved. He moved on to Palace Assistant Secretary and palace attendant, became inspector of Xu province, and was given the extra titles of General Who Crowns the Army and credential staff. The court summoned him to serve as Commandant of Justice.
22
惠帝幸鄴，成都王穎以馥守河南尹。 陳眕、上官已等奉清河王覃為太子，加馥衛將軍、錄尚書，馥辭不受。 覃令馥與上官已合軍，馥認已小人縱暴，終為國賊，乃共司隸滿奮等謀共除之，謀泄，為已所襲，奮被害，馥走得免。 及已為張方所敗，召馥還攝河南尹。 暨東海王越迎大駕，以馥為中領軍，未就，遷司隸校尉，加散騎常侍、假節，都督諸軍事于澠池。 帝還宮，出為平東將軍、都督揚州諸軍事，代劉准為鎮東將軍，與周玘等討陳敏，滅之，以功封永甯伯。
While Emperor Hui was at Ye, Sima Ying, Prince of Chengdu, named Fu acting intendant of Henan. Chen Zhen and Shangguan Yi raised Sima Tan, Prince of Qinghe, as crown prince and offered Fu the posts of General Who Guards the Army and supervisor of the Masters of Writing; Fu refused them. Sima Tan told Fu to merge his troops with Shangguan Yi's, but Fu judged Yi a vicious upstart who would become a scourge to the realm, so he conspired with Metropolitan Commandant Man Fen and others to eliminate him. The plot leaked, Yi struck first, Man Fen was killed, and Fu barely escaped with his life. After Yi was routed by Zhang Fang, Fu was recalled to resume duty as intendant of Henan. When Sima Yue, Prince of Donghai, escorted the emperor back, Fu was named central army commander before he could take up the post he was shifted to metropolitan commandant, given the concurrent titles of gentleman for all purposes and credential staff, and placed in overall command at Mianchi. After the emperor reached the capital again, Fu left court as General Who Pacifies the East and military governor of Yang province, succeeding Liu Zhun as General Who Guards the East; with Zhou Di and others he crushed Chen Min and earned the title Baron of Yongning.
23
馥自經世故，每欲維正朝遷，忠情懇至。 以東海王越不盡臣節，每言論厲然，越深憚之。 馥睹群賊孔熾，洛陽孤危，乃建策迎天子遷都壽春。 ，與長史吳思、司馬殷識上書曰：「不圖厄運遂至於此！ 戎狄交侵，畿甸危逼。 臣輒與祖納、裴憲、華譚、孫惠等三十人伏思大計，僉以殷人有屢遷之事，周王有岐山之徙，方今王都罄乏，不可久居，河朔蕭條，崤函險澀，宛都屢敗，江漢多虞，於今平夷，東南為愈。 淮揚之地，北阻塗山，南抗靈嶽，名川四帶，有重險之固。 是以楚人東遷，遂宅壽春，徐邳、東海，亦足戍禦。 且運漕四通，無患空乏。 雖聖上神聰，元輔賢明，居儉守約，用保宗廟，未若相土遷宅，以享永祚。 臣謹選精卒三萬，奉迎皇駕。 輒檄前北中郎將裴憲行使持節、監豫州諸軍事、東中郎將，風馳即路。 荊、湘、江、揚各先運四年米租十五萬斛，布絹各十四萬匹，以供大駕。 令王浚、苟晞共平河朔，臣等戮力以啟南路。 遷都弭寇，其計並得。 皇輿來巡，臣宜轉據江州，以恢王略。 知無不為，古人所務，敢竭忠誠，庶報萬分。 朝遂夕隕，猶生之願。」
Fu had seen enough of the world's troubles and longed to steady the tottering court; his loyalty was fervent and plain. He openly reproached Sima Yue, Prince of Donghai, for falling short of a subject's duty, and Yue grew deeply wary of him. Seeing rebel armies rage unchecked and Luoyang isolated in peril, he drew up a plan to escort the emperor and relocate the capital to Shouchun. With Chief Clerk Wu Si and Major Yin Shi he then memorialized: "We never dreamed calamity would come to this pass! Rong and Di raiders press in from every side, and the capital heartland is squeezed to breaking. We, together with Zu Na, Pei Xian, Hua Tan, Sun Hui, and some thirty others, have weighed a larger strategy: the Shang kings moved their capital more than once, the Zhou kings withdrew into the Qi hills, and today Luoyang is stripped bare and cannot be held long. The north is a wasteland, the Xiao–Han passes are treacherous, Nanyang has fallen again and again, and the Jiang and Han basins are still unsettled—only the southeast is comparatively calm. The Huai–Yang region is shielded by Tu Mountain to the north, great ranges to the south, and four belts of major rivers—a natural fortress. That is why the southern lords once moved east and made Shouchun their seat, while Xuzhou, Pi, and Donghai still offer enough depth to defend. Grain barges can reach it from four directions, so supplies need not run dry. However wise the sovereign and however capable his ministers, however frugally they guard the altars, nothing matches reading the terrain and shifting the capital to secure lasting fortune. We have assembled thirty thousand picked troops to escort Your Majesty. We have already ordered the former North Army middle general Pei Xian to take credential staff, supervise Yu province, and lead the eastern middle army—he is marching at full speed. Jing, Xiang, Jiang, and Yang are each to forward four years of grain—one hundred fifty thousand hu—and one hundred forty thousand bolts each of cloth and silk for the imperial train. Let Wang Jun and Gou Xi together secure the Yellow River plain while we open a southern line with every force we can muster. Moving the capital and crushing the raiders can be done in the same stroke. Once Your Majesty moves, we should shift our base to Jiangzhou to extend the dynasty's strategic reach. The ancients held that whatever duty demands must be done; we venture this counsel in the hope of repaying the throne in some small measure. Even if we fall from dawn to dusk, we will count the sacrifice worthwhile."
24
越與苟晞不協，馥不先白於越，而直上書，越大怒。 先是，越召馥及淮南太守裴碩，馥不肯行，而令碩率兵先進。 碩貳於馥，乃舉兵稱馥擅命，已奉越密旨圖馥，遂襲之，為馥所敗。 碩退保東城，求救於元帝。 帝遣揚威將軍甘卓、建威將軍郭逸攻馥于壽春。 安豐太守孫惠帥眾應之，使謝摛為檄。 摛，馥之故將也。 馥見檄，流涕曰：「必謝摛之辭。」 摛聞之，遂毀草。 旬日而馥眾潰，奔于項，為新蔡王確所拘，憂憤發病卒。
Because Sima Yue and Gou Xi were at odds, Fu bypassed Yue and sent the memorial straight to the throne; Yue was furious. Earlier Yue had summoned Fu and Pei Shuo, administrator of Huainan; Fu stalled but told Shuo to march ahead with the troops. Shuo turned on Fu, raised troops accusing him of acting without orders, claimed he had Yue's secret warrant to move against him, and attacked—but Fu defeated him. Shuo fell back to Dongcheng and appealed for help to Sima Rui, the Prince of Langya. The prince dispatched Gan Zhuo, General Who Displays Might, and Guo Yi, General Who Establishes Might, to strike Fu at Shouchun. Sun Hui, administrator of Anfeng, brought his troops over to their side and had Xie Chi compose the call to arms. Xie Chi had once served under Fu. When Fu read the proclamation he wept and said, "Only Xie Chi could have written this. When Chi heard that, he destroyed his draft. Within days Fu's army melted away; he fled to Xiang, was seized by Sima Que, Prince of Xincai, and died of grief and rage in captivity.
25
初，華譚之失廬江也，往壽春依馥，及馥軍敗，歸於元帝。 帝問曰：「周祖宣何至於反？」 譚封曰：「周馥雖死，天下尚有直言之士。 馥見寇賊滋蔓，王威不振，故欲移都以紓國難。 方伯不同，遂致其伐。 曾不逾時，而京都淪沒。 若使從馥之謀，或可後亡也。 原情求實，何得為反！」 帝曰：「馥位為征鎮，握兵方隅，召而不入，危而不持，亦天下之罪人也。」 譚曰：「然。 馥振纓中朝，素有俊彥之稱； 出據方嶽，實有偏任之重，而高略不舉，往往失和，危而不持，當與天下共受其責。 然謂之反，不亦誣乎！」 帝意始解。
Earlier, after Hua Tan lost Lujiang, he had taken refuge with Fu at Shouchun; when Fu fell, he went over to Sima Rui. The prince asked, "How did Zhou Fu come to be called a rebel?" Hua Tan replied, "Zhou Fu is dead, but the realm still has men willing to speak plain truth. He saw rebels overrun the country and royal authority fail, and wanted to move the capital to ease the dynasty's peril. The regional commanders disagreed with him, and that brought the armies down on him. Before long Luoyang itself fell. Had the court followed his plan, the catastrophe might have come later—if at all. Weigh the facts: how can anyone call that rebellion? The prince answered: "He held a border command and an army; when summoned he would not come, and in crisis he would not stand firm—he too bears the realm's blame. Tan said, "That is true. At court he had long been praised as a leading talent; sent out to a great regional command, he bore heavy responsibility, yet he never carried through a larger strategy, often quarreled with peers, and failed to hold the line in danger—he must share the blame with everyone else. Still, to brand him a traitor is sheer calumny!" The prince's anger eased.
26
馥有二子：密、矯。 密字泰玄，性虛簡，時人稱為清士，位至尚書郎，矯字正玄，亦有才幹。
Fu left two sons, Mi and Jiao. Mi, courtesy name Taixuan, was modest and retiring and was known as a man of integrity; he rose to gentleman of the Masters of Writing. Jiao, courtesy name Zhengxuan, was capable in office as well.
27
成公簡
Cheng Gongjian
28
成公簡，字宗舒，東郡人也。 家世二千石。 性樸素，不求榮利，潛心味道，罔有幹其志者。 默識過人。 張茂先每言：「簡清靜比楊子雲，默識擬張安世。」 後為中書郎。 時馥已為司隸校尉，遷鎮東將軍。 簡自以才高而在馥之下，謂馥曰：「揚雄為郎，三世不徙，而王莽、董賢位列三司，古今一揆耳。」 馥甚慚之。 官至太子中庶子、散騎常侍。 永嘉末，奔苟晞，與晞同沒。
Cheng Gongjian, courtesy name Zongshu, came from Dong commandery. His family had held ministerial rank for generations. He was plain and unworldly, indifferent to rank and profit, and gave himself wholly to the Way, letting nothing distract him. His memory and silent learning were extraordinary. Zhang Hua used to say, "In quiet purity Gongjian matches Yang Xiong; in retentive memory he rivals Zhang Anshi." He later served as gentleman of the palace secretariat. By then Zhou Fu was metropolitan commandant and had been promoted to General Who Guards the East. Gongjian thought his gifts outranked Fu's yet he stood below him in the table of ranks, and told him, "Yang Xiong remained a court gentleman for three reigns without promotion while Wang Mang and Dong Xian vaulted to the three highest offices—the past and present rhyme the same way." Fu was deeply embarrassed. He rose to household supervisor of the heir apparent and gentleman for all purposes. At the close of the Yongjia era he fled to Gou Xi and died with him.
29
苟晞
Gou Xi
30
苟晞，字道將，河內山陽人也。 少為司隸部從事，校尉石鑒深器之。 東海王越為侍中，引為通事令史，累遷陽平太守。 齊王冏輔政，晞參冏軍事，拜尚書右丞，轉左丞，廉察諸曹，八坐以下皆側目憚之。 及冏誅，晞亦坐免。 長沙王乂為驃騎將軍，以晞為從事中郎。 惠帝征成都王穎，以為北軍中候。 及帝還洛陽，晞奔范陽王虓，虓承制用晞行兗州刺史。
Gou Xi, courtesy name Daojiang, came from Shanyang in Henan. He began as a clerk under the metropolitan commandant, and Commandant Shi Jian thought the world of him. When Sima Yue, Prince of Donghai, was palace attendant, he took Xi on as master of documents for general affairs, and Xi rose to administrator of Yangping. While Prince Sima Jiong of Qi directed the government, Xi served on his military staff, then became right assistant in the Masters of Writing and shifted to left assistant; his audits of every bureau had even senior ministers watching him sideways in fear. When Sima Jiong was executed, Xi lost his post as an associate. When Prince Sima Yi of Changsha was cavalry-in-ordinary general, he appointed Xi staff supervisor. During Emperor Hui's expedition against Sima Ying, Prince of Chengdu, Xi was named North Army middle commander. After the emperor returned to Luoyang, Xi joined Sima Xiao, Prince of Fanyang, who by interim warrant put him in charge as acting inspector of Yan province.
31
汲桑之破鄴也，東海王越出次官渡以討之，命晞為前鋒。 桑素憚之，於城外為柵以自守。 晞將至，頓軍休士，先遣單騎示以禍福。 桑眾大震，棄柵宵遁，嬰城固守。 晞陷其九壘，遂定鄴而還。 西討呂朗等，滅之。 後高密王泰討青州賊劉根，破汲桑故將公師籓，敗石勒于河北，威名甚盛，時人擬之韓白。 進位撫軍將軍、假節、都督青兗諸軍事，封東平郡侯，邑萬戶。
When Ji Sang sacked Ye, Sima Yue, Prince of Donghai, encamped at Guandu to strike him and named Xi vanguard. Ji Sang, who had long feared him, threw up palisades outside the city. Before closing in, Xi rested his troops and sent a lone rider to spell out surrender or ruin. Ji Sang’s army panicked, abandoned the stockade, fled by night, and then locked themselves inside the walls. Xi stormed nine fortified camps, pacified Ye, and withdrew. He marched west, crushed Lu Lang and allied bands, and wiped them out. Later Prince Sima Tai of Gaomi campaigned against the Qingzhou rebel Liu Gen, broke Gongshi Fan, a former lieutenant of Ji Sang, and defeated Shi Le north of the Yellow River; his reputation was so formidable that contemporaries likened him to Han Xin and Bai Qi. He was promoted to General Who Pacifies the Army with credential staff, military governor of Qing and Yan, and enfeoffed as marquis of Dongping with a fief of ten thousand households.
32
晞練于官事，文簿盈積，斷決如流，人不敢欺。 其從母依之，奉養甚厚。 從母子求為將，晞距之曰：「吾不以王法貸人，將無後悔邪？」 固欲之，晞乃以為督護。 後犯法，晞杖節斬之，從母叩頭請救，不聽。 既而素服哭之，流涕曰：「殺卿者兗州刺史，哭弟者苟道將。」 其杖法如此。
Xi was a master administrator: his desk overflowed with papers, yet he cleared cases like running water and no one dared deceive him. A widowed aunt lived under his roof, and he supported her lavishly. Her son asked for a command; Xi refused: "I do not bend the law for kin—will you not regret pressing me?" The youth insisted, and Xi relented and named him a protector. When the nephew broke the law, Xi executed him in full regalia; his aunt pleaded in vain. Then, dressed in mourning for a commoner, he wept and said, "The inspector of Yan province passed sentence; your elder brother Gou Daojiang weeps for you." Such was his ruthlessness under the law.
33
晞見朝政日亂，懼禍及己，而多所交結，每得珍物，即貽都下親貴。 兗州去洛五百里，恐不鮮美，募得千里牛，每遣信，旦發暮還。
Seeing the court slide into chaos, Xi feared being dragged down and cultivated the great families of Luoyang with lavish gifts whenever he acquired rare goods. Yan province lay five hundred li from the capital, so he requisitioned legendary long-distance ox carts that could deliver fresh delicacies from his camp to Luoyang between dawn and dusk.
34
初，東海王越以晞復其仇恥，甚德之，引升堂，結為兄弟。 越司馬潘滔等說曰：「兗州要衝，魏武以之輔相漢室。 苟晞有大志，非純臣，久令處之，則患生心腹矣。 若遷於青州，厚其名號，晞必悅，公自牧兗州，經緯諸夏，籓衛本朝，此所謂謀之於未有，為之於未亂也。」 越以為然，乃遷晞征東大將軍、開府儀同三司，加侍中、假節、都督青州諸軍事，領青州刺史，進為郡公。 晞乃多置參佐，轉易守令，以嚴刻立功，日加斬戮，流血成川，人不堪命，號曰「屠伯」。 頓丘太守魏植為流人所逼，眾五六萬，大掠兗州。 晞出屯無鹽，以弟純領青州，刑殺更甚于晞，百姓號「小苟酷于大苟」。 晞尋破植。
Sima Yue, Prince of Donghai, regarded Xi as the man who had avenged his humiliation and treated him like a sworn brother, even receiving him in the inner hall. His major, Pan Tao, warned him: "Yan province is the pivot of the realm—the seat from which Cao Cao once steadied the Han. Gou Xi harbors larger ambitions than a loyal minister should; leave him there too long and he will become a dagger at your own breast. Shift him to Qingzhou with a grander title and he will be mollified; you yourself can hold Yan province, knit the central plains together, and shield the throne—true "planning before the crisis" and "acting before the rebellion." Yue agreed: Xi was promoted to General Who Conquers the East with independent headquarters and three excellencies–rank ceremony, made palace attendant with credential staff, military governor of Qing province, concurrent inspector of Qing province, and elevated to a commandery duke. Xi then packed his staff with hatchet men, shuffled every local magistrate, and ruled through terror—executions mounted until blood ran in streams; the people could not endure him and nicknamed him the "Butcher Earl." Wei Zhi, administrator of Dunqiu, was overrun by fifty or sixty thousand displaced people who pillaged Yan province. Xi marched to Wuyan while his brother Chun held Qing province; Chun’s killings outdid his own, and folk said, "The younger Gou is crueler than the elder." Xi soon smashed Wei Zhi’s host.
35
時潘滔及尚書劉望等共誣陷晞，晞怒，表求滔等首，又請越從事中郎劉洽為軍司，越皆不許。 晞於是昌言曰：「司馬元超為宰相不平，使天下淆亂，苟道將豈可以不義使之？ 韓信不忍衣食之惠，死於婦人之手。 今將誅國賊，尊王室，桓文豈遠哉！」 乃移告諸州，稱己功伐，陳越罪狀。
Pan Tao, Liu Wang, and other ministers slandered Gou Xi; he retaliated with a memorial demanding their heads and asked to place Liu Qia of Yue’s staff over his army—Sima Yue refused every point. Gou Xi then declared openly, "Sima Yue sits as chief minister yet throws the realm into chaos—do you think Gou Daojiang can be ordered about unjustly? Han Xin could not resist small favors and died at a woman’s hands. I mean to execute the traitors and restore the throne—the age of Duke Huan and Duke Wen is not far off! He then circulated proclamations through every province, trumpeting his own victories and listing Sima Yue’s crimes.
36
時懷帝惡越專權，乃詔晞曰：「朕以不德，戎車屢興，上懼宗廟之累，下湣兆庶之困，當賴方岳，為國籓翰。 公威震赫然，梟斬籓、桑，走降喬、朗，魏植之徒復以誅除，豈非高識明斷，朕用委成。 加王彌、石勒為社稷之憂，故有詔委統六州。 而公謙分小節，稽違大命，非所謂與國同憂也。 今復遣詔，便施檄六州，協同大舉，翦除國難，稱朕意焉。」 晞復移諸征鎮州郡曰：
Emperor Huai, resenting Sima Yue’s monopoly of power, sent Gou Xi an edict: "Lacking virtue, We have brought repeated war; We fear for the altars above and pity the people below, and must lean on great regional commanders as bulwarks of the dynasty. Your prestige is formidable: you beheaded Gongshi Fan and Ji Sang, routed and accepted the surrender of Qiao and Lang, and wiped out men like Wei Zhi—surely that is foresight and resolve; We therefore place full trust in you. With Wang Mi and Shi Le threatening the state, We have ordered you to coordinate six provinces. Yet you cling to petty scruples and stall on the great commission—that is not how a loyal bulwark shares the dynasty’s peril. We therefore repeat Our order: issue calls across six provinces, join in a concerted campaign, and remove this mortal threat to the realm—that is Our wish. Gou Xi followed with another circular to every provincial and garrison command:
37
會王彌遣曹嶷破琅邪，北攻齊地。 苟純城守，嶷眾轉盛，連營數十里。 晞還，登城望之，有懼色，與賊連戰，輒破之。 後簡精銳，與賊大戰，會大風揚塵，遂敗績，棄城夜走。 嶷追至東山，部眾皆降嶷。 晞單騎奔高平，收邸閣，募得數千人。
Meanwhile Wang Mi sent Cao Yi to storm Langya and drive north into Qi. Gou Chun held the walls while Cao Yi’s army swelled into linked camps dozens of li long. When Gou Xi came back and mounted the wall he blanched at the sight, yet in skirmish after skirmish he still broke the enemy. He later led picked troops into a major battle, but a dust storm blinded his lines, his army collapsed, and he abandoned the city by night. Cao Yi pursued him to Dongshan, where Gou Xi’s men went over to the enemy wholesale. Gou Xi rode alone to Gaoping, seized government storehouses, and scraped together a few thousand followers.
38
帝又密詔晞討越，晞復上表曰：
The emperor sent another secret order for him to strike Sima Yue, and Gou Xi answered with a memorial:
39
五年，帝復詔晞曰：「太傅信用奸佞，阻兵專權，內不遵奉皇憲，外不協比方州，遂令戎狄充斥，所在犯暴。 留軍何倫抄掠宮寺，劫剝公主，殺害賢士，悖亂天下，不可忍聞。 雖惟親親，宜明九伐。 詔至之日，其宣告天下，率齊大舉，桓文之績，一以委公。 其思盡諸宜，善建弘略。 道澀，故練寫副，手筆示意。」 晞表曰：「奉被手詔，委臣征討，喻以桓文，紙練兼備，伏讀跪歎，五情惶怛。 自頃宰臣專制，委杖佞邪，內擅朝威，外殘兆庶，矯詔專征，遂圖不軌，縱兵寇掠，陵踐宮寺。 前司隸校尉劉暾、御史中丞溫畿、右將軍杜育，並見攻劫。 廣平、武安公主，先帝遺體，咸被逼辱。 逆節虐亂，莫此之甚。 輒祗奉前詔，部分諸軍，遣王贊率陳午等將兵詣項，龔行天罰。」
In the fifth year the emperor wrote again: "The grand tutor trusts villains, keeps armies under private control, flouts imperial law at court and refuses to work with the provinces abroad, until Rong and Di raiders overrun the land. He Lun’s detachment loots monasteries, robs princesses, murders worthies—outrages no loyal ear can bear. Kinship cannot excuse him: the statutes provide for traitors. When this edict goes out, proclaim it to the realm, muster the hosts, and finish what Dukes Huan and Wen began—We lay that charge on you. Think through every detail and lay a strategy worthy of the charge. Because the roads are unsafe We enclose a fair copy in Our own brush to show Our mind." Gou Xi replied: "I have received Your Majesty’s autograph commissioning me to punish the traitors, invoking the model of Dukes Huan and Wen; holding the duplicate copy I knelt, read, and trembled with awe. For years chief ministers have seized power, handed staff to sycophants, bullied the court and butchered the people, forged orders for private wars, harbored treason, and let soldiers sack even palace chapels. The former metropolitan commandant Liu Tun, palace assistant secretary Wen Ji, and General Who Guards the Right Du Yu were all robbed under arms. Even the princesses of Guangping and Wu’an—daughters of the late emperor—were violated. Treason has never sunk lower. I therefore obey the earlier edict, array the armies, and dispatch Wang Zan with Chen Wu and others toward Xiang to carry out Heaven’s sentence."
40
初，越疑晞與帝有謀，使游騎于成阜間，獲晞使，果得詔令及朝廷書，遂大構疑隙。 越出牧豫州以討晞，復下檄說晞罪惡，遣從事中郎楊瑁為兗州，與徐州刺史裴盾共討晞。 晞使騎收河南尹潘滔，滔夜遁，及執尚書劉會、侍中程延，斬之。 會越薨，盾敗，詔晞為大將軍大都督、督青徐兗豫荊揚六州諸軍事，增邑二萬戶，加黃鉞，先官如故。
Sima Yue had suspected secret traffic between Gou Xi and the throne; patrols between Chenggao seized Gou Xi’s courier and found the palace letters, which opened a fatal breach between them. Yue left Luoyang to take Yu province in person against Gou Xi, published a bill of particulars, named Yang Mao acting inspector of Yan, and joined Pei Dun, inspector of Xu, in a pincer attack. Gou Xi sent horsemen to arrest Pan Tao, intendant of Henan; Pan escaped by night, but Liu Hui of the Masters of Writing and palace attendant Cheng Yan were taken and executed. When Sima Yue died and Pei Dun collapsed, the court named Gou Xi grand general and overall commander of six provinces, added twenty thousand households to his fief, gave him the yellow axe, and left his other titles intact.
41
晞以京邑荒饉日甚，寇難交至，表請遷都，遣從事中郎劉會領船數十艘，宿衛五百人，獻穀千斛以迎帝。 朝臣多有異同。 俄而京師陷，晞與王贊屯倉垣。 豫章王端及和鬱等東奔晞，晞群官尊端為皇太子，置行台。 端承制以晞領太子太傅、都督中外諸軍、錄尚書，自倉垣徙屯蒙城，贊屯陽夏。
Seeing Luoyang starving and besieged, he asked to evacuate the court, sent Liu Hui with dozens of transports, five hundred guards, and a thousand hu of grain to bring the emperor out. The ministers were deeply divided. Luoyang soon fell; Gou Xi and Wang Zan held Cangyuan. Sima Duan, Prince of Yuzhang, fled east to his camp; Gou Xi’s officers hailed him as crown prince and set up a traveling administration. Sima Duan appointed Gou Xi grand tutor to the heir apparent, overall commander, and supervisor of the Masters of Writing, moved from Cangyuan to Mengcheng, and stationed Wang Zan at Yangxia.
42
晞出於孤微，位至上將，志頗盈滿，奴婢將千人，侍妾數十，終日累夜不出戶庭，刑政苛虐，縱情肆欲。 遼西閻亨以書固諫，晞怒，殺之。 晞從事中郎明預有疾居家，聞之，乃舉病諫晞曰：「皇晉遭百六之數，當危難之機，明公親稟廟算，將為國家除暴。 閻亨美士，奈何無罪一旦殺之！」 晞怒白； 「我自殺閻亨，何關人事，而舉病來罵我！」 左右為之戰慄，預曰：「以明公以禮見進，預欲以禮自盡。 今明公怒預，其若遠近怒明公何！ 昔堯舜之在上也，以和理而興； 桀紂之在上也，以惡逆而滅。 天子且猶如此，況人臣乎！ 願明公且置其怒而思預之言。」 晞有慚色。 由是眾心稍離，莫為致用，加以疾疫饑饉，其將溫畿、傅宣皆叛之。 石勒攻陽夏，滅王贊，馳襲蒙城，執晞，署為司馬，月餘乃殺之。 晞無子，弟純亦遇害。
Raised from nothing to the empire’s highest command, Gou Xi grew arrogant: nearly a thousand slaves, dozens of concubines, he rarely left his compound, and his justice turned savage and capricious. Yan Heng of Liaoxi remonstrated firmly in writing; Gou Xi had him killed. His staff supervisor Ming Yu, ill at home, dragged himself up to say, "The house of Jin faces its worst hour; you hold the dynasty’s strategy and mean to crush the rebels. Yan Heng was a good man—why murder him without cause? Gou Xi snarled back, "I killed Yan Heng myself—what is it to you that you limp here to insult me? His attendants shook with fear; Ming Yu said, "You honored me with courtesy; I meant to answer with courtesy unto death. Now you rage at me—what will you do when the whole country rages at you? When Yao and Shun ruled, harmony built their power; when Jie and Zhou ruled, cruelty destroyed them. If even sovereigns are judged so, what of mere ministers? Set aside your anger and weigh what I have said." Gou Xi colored with shame. After that his men drifted away, plague and famine struck, and generals Wen Ji and Fu Xuan deserted him. Shi Le stormed Yangxia, wiped out Wang Zan, raced to Mengcheng, captured Gou Xi, briefly kept him as marshal, then killed him within a month. Gou Xi left no sons; his brother Gou Chun perished with him.
43
華軼
Hua Die
44
華軼，字彥夏，平原人，魏太尉歆之曾孫也。 祖表，太中大夫。 父澹，河南尹。 軼少有才氣，聞於當世，泛愛博納，眾論美之。 初為博士，累遷散騎常侍。 東海王越牧兗州，引為留府長史。 永嘉中，曆振威將軍、江州刺史。 雖逢喪亂，每崇典禮，置儒林祭酒以弘道訓，乃下教曰：「今大義頹替，禮典無宗，朝廷滯議，莫能攸正，常以慨然，宜特立此官，以弘其事。 軍諮祭酒杜夷，棲情玄遠，確然絕俗，才學精博，道行優備，其以為儒林祭酒。」 俄被越檄使助討諸賊，軼遣前江夏太守陶侃為揚武將軍，率兵三千屯夏口，以為聲援。 軼在州其有威惠，州之豪士接以友道，得江表之歡心，流亡之士赴之如歸。
Hua Die, courtesy name Yancai, came from Pingyuan and was the great-grandson of Wei grand commandant Hua Xin. His grandfather Hua Biao served as grand counselor of the palace. His father, Hua Dan, had been intendant of Henan. From youth Hua Die was talented and celebrated, generous to all, and widely admired. He began as an erudite and rose to gentleman for all purposes. When Sima Yue governed Yan province he named Hua Die chief clerk of his rear headquarters. During Yongjia he served as General Who Rouses Might and inspector of Jiang province. Even amid chaos he upheld ritual, created the post of libationer for Confucian scholars, and announced, "Great principle has collapsed and standards are lost; court debate stalls with no one to fix it—I mean to appoint a libationer to revive learning. Army consultant Du Yi lives withdrawn in study, stands apart from the vulgar crowd, and unites learning with conduct—let him be libationer for Confucian scholars." Soon Sima Yue ordered him against the rebels; Hua Die sent the former Jiangxia administrator Tao Kan as General Who Rouses Martiality with three thousand men to Xiakou as a demonstration. In Jiang province he balanced severity with mercy, befriended local notables, won the south’s loyalty, and drew refugees as if to a haven.
45
時天子孤危，四方瓦解，軼有匡天下之志，每遣貢獻入洛，不失臣節。 謂使者曰：「若洛都道斷，可輸之琅邪王，以明吾之為司馬氏也。」 軼自以受洛京所遣，而為壽春所督，時洛京尚存，不能祗承元帝教命，郡縣多諫之，軼不納，曰：「吾欲見詔書耳。」 時帝遣揚烈將軍周訪率眾屯彭澤以備軼，訪過姑孰，著作郎干寶見而問之，訪曰：「大府受分，令屯彭澤，彭澤，江州西門也。 華彥夏有憂天下之誠，而不欲碌碌受人控禦，頃來紛紜，粗有嫌隙。 今又無故以兵守其門，將成其釁。 吾當屯尋陽故縣，既在江西，可以捍禦北方，又無嫌於相逼也。」 尋洛都不守，司空荀籓移檄，而以帝為盟主。 既而帝承制改易長吏，軼又不從命，於是遣左將軍王敦都督甘卓、周訪、宋典、趙誘等討之。 軼遣別駕陳雄屯彭澤以距敦，自為舟軍以為外援。 武昌太守馮逸次於湓口，訪擊逸，破之。 前江州刺史衛展不為軼所禮，心常怏怏。 至是，與豫章太守周廣為內應，潛軍襲軼，軼眾潰，奔于安城，追斬之，及其五子，傳首建鄴。
While the emperor was isolated and the realm splintered, he still meant to restore order and never failed to send tribute east to Luoyang like a loyal minister. He instructed envoys, "If Luoyang is unreachable, deliver the goods to the Prince of Langya to show that I still serve the house of Sima." He believed his commission came from Luoyang, not from Sima Rui’s headquarters at Shouchun; while the western capital still stood he refused the Prince of Langya’s orders, ignored advice from his magistrates, and said, "I answer only to an imperial edict." The emperor sent Zhou Fang, General Who Displays Fierceness, to Pengze to watch Hua Die; passing Gushu he told Gan Bao, "My orders are to hold Pengze—the western gate of Jiang province. Hua Die cares for the realm and will not be a puppet; lately we have quarreled and grown apart. To park troops on his threshold without cause will only deepen the feud. I will instead camp at old Xunyang west of the river—there I can shield the north without seeming to choke him." Soon Luoyang fell; minister Xun Fan issued a circular naming Sima Rui covenant chief. When Sima Rui began appointing his own governors Hua Die still defied him, so Rui sent Wang Dun to lead Gan Zhuo, Zhou Fang, Song Dian, Zhao You, and others against him. Hua Die posted Chen Xiong at Pengze to block Wang Dun and kept a river flotilla in reserve. Wuchang administrator Feng Yi anchored at Penkou until Zhou Fang smashed him. The former Jiang inspector Wei Zhan had been slighted by Hua Die and nursed a grudge. He now joined Yuzhang administrator Zhou Guang in a coup, struck Hua Die’s camp by surprise, hunted him to Ancheng, executed him and his five sons, and sent their heads to Jianye.
46
初，廣陵高悝寓居江州，軼避為西曹掾，尋而軼敗，悝藏匿軼二子及妻，崎嶇經年。 既而遇赦，悝攜之出首，帝嘉而宥之。
Earlier Gao Kui of Guangling had lived in Jiangzhou; Hua Die had refused him office, yet when Die fell Gao Kui hid Die’s two sons and wife for a year on the run. When an amnesty came he brought them in; the emperor praised and spared him.
47
劉喬
Liu Qiao
48
劉喬，字仲彥，南陽人也。 其先漢宗室，封安眾侯，傳襲曆三代。 祖暠，魏侍中。 父阜，陳留相。 喬少為秘書郎，建威將軍王戎引為參軍。 伐吳之役，戎使喬與參軍羅尚濟江，破武昌，還授滎陽令，遷太子洗馬。 以誅楊駿功，賜爵關中侯，拜尚書右丞。 豫誅賈謐，封安眾男，累遷散騎常侍。
Liu Qiao, courtesy name Zhongyan, came from Nanyang. His clan descended from Han imperial stock enfeoffed as marquis of Anzhong for three generations. His grandfather Liu Gao had been Wei palace attendant. His father, Liu Fu, had governed Chenliu. He began as secretary gentleman and joined Wang Rong’s staff as army adviser. In the conquest of Wu he crossed the Yangzi with Luo Shang, took Wuchang, then became magistrate of Xingyang and household groom to the heir apparent. For helping execute Yang Jun he was enfeoffed marquis within the passes and named right assistant in the Masters of Writing. He took part in killing Jia Mi, was made baron of Anzhong, and rose to gentleman for all purposes.
49
齊王冏為大司馬，初，嵇紹為冏所重，每下階迎之。 喬言於冏曰； 「裴、張之誅，朝臣畏憚孫秀，故不敢不受財物。 嵇紹今何所逼忌，故畜裴家車牛、張家奴婢邪？ 樂彥輔來，公未嘗下床，何獨加敬於紹？」 冏乃止。 紹謂喬曰：「大司馬何故不復迎客？」。 喬曰：「似有正人言，以卿不足迎者。」 紹曰：「正人為誰？」 喬曰：「其則不遠。」 紹默然。 頃之，遷御史中丞。 冏腹心董艾勢傾朝廷，百僚莫敢忤旨。 喬二旬之中，奏劾艾罪釁者六。 艾諷尚書右丞苟晞免喬官，復為屯騎校尉。 張昌之亂，喬出為威遠將軍、豫州刺史，與荊州刺史劉弘共討昌，進左將軍。
When Sima Jiong was grand marshal he honored Ji Shao so deeply that he would descend his steps to greet him. Liu Qiao told Sima Jiong, "After Pei and Zhang were killed the ministers feared Sun Xiu and dared not refuse his bribes. What hold does anyone have on Ji Shao that he should warehouse Pei’s carts and oxen and Zhang’s bondmaids? You never left your couch for Le Yanfu—why single out Ji Shao for such honors? Sima Jiong dropped the practice. Ji Shao asked Liu Qiao why the grand marshal had stopped receiving visitors. Liu Qiao answered, "Some honest man must have said Ji Shao was not worth the courtesy." Ji Shao asked, "Who was this paragon of virtue? Liu Qiao answered, "You will find him close at hand." Ji Shao had no reply. Soon he was promoted to Palace Assistant Secretary. Dong Ai, Sima Jiong’s favorite, dominated the court, and no minister dared cross him. Within twenty days Liu Qiao filed six memorials detailing Dong Ai’s crimes. Dong Ai persuaded Gou Xi, right assistant in the Masters of Writing, to strip Liu Qiao of his post; Qiao was relegated to colonel of garrison cavalry. When Zhang Chang rose, Liu Qiao became General Who Deters from Afar and inspector of Yu province, joined Liu Hong of Jing in the suppression, and was promoted to General of the Left.
50
惠帝西幸長安，喬與諸州郡舉兵迎大駕。 東海王越承制轉喬安北將軍、冀州刺史，以范陽王虓領豫州刺史。 喬以虓非天子命，不受代，發兵距之。 潁川太守劉輿昵于虓，喬上尚書列輿罪惡。 河間王顒得喬所上，乃宣詔使鎮南將軍劉弘、征東大將軍劉准、平南將軍彭城王釋與喬並力攻虓於許昌。 輿弟琨率眾救虓，未至而虓敗，虓乃與琨俱奔河北。 未幾，琨率突騎五千濟河攻喬，喬劫琨父蕃，以檻車載之，據考城以距虓，眾不敵而潰。
When Emperor Hui withdrew to Chang’an, Liu Qiao and other provinces mobilized to escort the throne back east. Sima Yue, Prince of Donghai, reassigned Liu Qiao as General Who Pacifies the North and inspector of Ji province while naming Sima Xiao, Prince of Fanyang, acting inspector of Yu. Liu Qiao refused to yield because Sima Xiao lacked an imperial mandate, and took up arms to resist him. Yingchuan’s Liu Yu was Sima Xiao’s confidant, so Liu Qiao memorialized the capital with a bill of particulars against him. Sima Yong, Prince of Hejian, took Liu Qiao’s memorials and issued orders for Liu Hong, Liu Zhun, Prince Shi of Pengcheng, and Liu Qiao to converge on Sima Xiao at Xuchang. Liu Kun marched to relieve Sima Xiao, but Xiao collapsed before he arrived; Xiao fled north of the Yellow River with Liu Kun. Soon Liu Kun forded the Yellow River with five thousand horse; Liu Qiao seized Liu Kun’s father Liu Fan, caged him, and held Kaocheng until his lines broke under pressure.
51
喬復收散卒，屯于平氏，河間王顒進喬鎮東將軍、假節，以其長子祐為東郡太守，又遣劉弘、劉准、彭城王釋等率兵援喬。 弘與喬箋曰：「適承范陽欲代明使君。 明使君受命本朝，列居方伯，當官而行，同獎王室，橫見遷代，誠為不允。 然古人有言，牽牛以蹊人之田，信有罪矣，而奪之牛，罰亦重矣。 明使君不忍亮直狷介之忿，甘為戎首，竊以為過。 何者？ 至人之道，用行舍藏。 跨下之辱，猶宜俯就，況於換代之嫌，纖介之釁哉！ 范陽國屬，使君庶姓，周之宗盟，疏不間親，曲直既均，責有所在。 廉藺區區戰國之將，猶能升降以利社稷，況命世之士哉！ 今天下紛紜，主上播越，正是忠臣義士同心戮力之時。 弘實暗劣，過蒙國恩，願與使君共戴盟主，雁行下風，掃除凶寇，救蒼生之倒懸，反北辰於太極。 此功未立，不宜乖離。 備蒙顧遇，情隆于常，披露丹誠，不敢不盡。 春秋之時，諸侯相伐，復為和親者多矣。 願明使君回既往之恨，追不二之蹤，解連環之結，修如初之好。 范陽亦將悔前之失，思崇後信矣。
Liu Qiao rallied at Pingshi; Sima Yong promoted him to General Who Guards the East with staff, named his son Liu You administrator of Dong commandery, and sent Liu Hong, Liu Zhun, and Prince Shi to reinforce him. Liu Hong wrote to Liu Qiao: "I hear Sima Xiao intends to replace you. You hold an imperial commission as a regional commander and should serve the throne; an arbitrary replacement is unjust. The ancients said: driving your ox across another’s furrow is wrong, but confiscating the ox is excessive punishment. If you nurse a private grudge and become the first to draw swords, I think that a mistake. Why? The sage acts when the time serves and withdraws when it does not. Even the humiliation under a bridge must be borne when necessary—let alone a quarrel over a post! Sima Xiao is a cadet prince and you are another surname; in the Zhou model kinship outweighs distance—once justice is weighed, blame falls where it belongs. Even Lian Po and Lin Xiangru, mere Warring States generals, swallowed pride for the state—how much more should you? The realm is in chaos and the emperor adrift—this is when loyal men must pull together. I am a mediocre man overfavored by the court, yet I beg you to join me under the covenant chief, fall in behind him like geese in flight, drive off the rebels, lift the people from their peril, and set the throne aright. Until that work is done we should not divide our forces. You have honored me beyond the usual; I lay my heart bare and speak without reserve. Even in the Spring and Autumn era rivals often made peace after war. Turn from old anger, seek reconciliation, untie this knot, and renew your former amity. Sima Xiao will regret his rashness and honor a fresh pledge.
52
東海王越將討喬，弘又與越書曰：「適聞以吾州將擅舉兵逐范陽，當討之，誠明同異、懲禍亂之宜。 然吾竊謂不可。 何者？ 今北辰遷居，元首移幸，群後抗義以謀王室，吾州將荷國重恩，列位方伯，亦伐鼓即戎，戮力致命之秋也。 而范陽代之，吾州將不從，由代之不允，但矯枉過正，更以為罪耳。 昔齊桓赦射鉤之仇而相管仲，晉文忘斬祛之怨而親勃鞮，方之於今，當何有哉！ 且君子躬自厚而薄責於人，今奸臣弄權，朝廷困逼，此四海之所危懼，宜釋私嫌，共存公義，含垢匿瑕，忍所難忍，以大逆為先，奉迎為急，不可思小怨忘大德也。 苟崇忠恕，共明分局，連旗推鋒，各致臣節，吾州將必輸寫肝膽，以報所蒙，實不足計一朝之謬，發赫然之怒，使韓盧東郭相困而為豺狼之擒也。 吾雖庶姓，負乘過分，實願足下率齊內外，以康王室，竊恥同儕自為蠹害。 貪獻所懷，惟足下圖之。」 又上表曰：「范陽王虓欲代豫州刺史喬，喬舉兵逐虓，司空、東海王越以喬不從命討之。 臣以為喬忝受殊恩，顯居州司，自欲立功于時，以徇國難，無他罪闕，而范陽代之，代之為非。 然喬亦不得以虓之非，專威輒討，誠應顯戮以懲不恪。 然自頃兵戈紛亂，猜禍鋒生，恐疑隙構于群王，災難延于宗子，權柄隆於朝廷，逆順效於成敗，今夕為忠，明旦為逆，翩其反而，互為戎首，載籍以來，骨肉之禍未有如今者也。 臣竊悲之，痛心疾首。 今邊陲無備豫之儲，中華有杼軸之困，而股肱之臣不惟國體，職競尋常，自相楚剝，為害轉深，積毀銷骨。 萬一四夷乘虛為變，此亦猛獸交鬪，自效于卞莊者矣。 臣以為宜速發明詔，詔越等令兩釋猜嫌，各保分局。 自今以後，其有不被詔書擅興兵馬者，天下共伐之。 《詩》云：『誰能執熱，逝不以濯？』 若誠濯之，必無灼爛之患，永有泰山之固矣。」
When Sima Yue prepared to strike Liu Qiao, Liu Hong wrote again: "I hear you mean to punish our general for driving out Sima Xiao—a proper response to mutiny. Yet I believe you should not. Why? The capital has moved and the emperor is on the road; lords everywhere rise for the dynasty. Our general holds a weighty commission—this is the season to beat the drum and spend every life in the king’s service. Sima Xiao tried to replace him unjustly; our general refused because the order was wrong—only zeal overshot the mark, not treason. Duke Huan forgave Guan Zhong’s murder attempt; Duke Wen embraced Bo Di after trying to kill him—how petty is today’s quarrel by comparison! A gentleman is hardest on himself; with villains twisting the court the whole realm trembles—set private scores aside, uphold the public good, swallow insults, treat the great rebels as the first foe and the emperor’s return as the urgent task, and do not sacrifice the greater duty to pique. If you show good faith and clear lines of command, our general will give you his utmost; do not for one morning’s mistake loose a rage that leaves both sides tangled like the hounds of Han and the rabbit of Dongguo for jackals to devour. I am no kinsman of yours and hold office beyond my deserts, yet I beg you to steady the house of Sima within and without; I am ashamed to see allies tear at one another like borers in timber. I offer these thoughts in all bluntness—please weigh them." He also memorialized: "Sima Xiao sought to replace Liu Qiao as inspector of Yu; Liu Qiao drove him out; Sima Yue attacked Qiao for disobedience. Liu Qiao owed the throne much and held a great post; he meant only to serve in crisis and committed no other crime, whereas Sima Xiao’s replacement was illegitimate. Yet Liu Qiao was wrong to wage private war; he deserved public censure. Still, war breeds suspicion among princes, disaster among imperial kin, and shifting loyalties at court—never have royal houses suffered such mutual slaughter. I grieve to the marrow. The borders are bare, the heartland exhausted, yet ministers claw at one another like worms in the guts of the state until slander wears bone away. If the barbarians strike while we feud, we are only tigers tearing each other for Bian Zhuang’s kill. I urge a clear edict commanding Sima Yue and both camps to drop their suspicions and hold their assigned posts. Henceforth any who mobilize without an edict may be attacked by all. The Classic of Poetry says, "Who can grasp what burns and not plunge into water? Cool the grudge and you avoid the burn; you will stand firm as Mount Tai."
53
時河間王顒方距關東，倚喬為助，不納其言。 東海王越移檄天下，帥甲士三萬，將入關迎大駕，軍次於蕭，喬懼，遣子祐距越于蕭縣之靈壁。 劉琨分兵向許昌，許昌人納之。 琨自滎陽率兵迎越，遇祐，眾潰見殺。 喬眾遂散，與五百騎奔平氏。 帝還洛陽，大赦，越復表喬為太傅軍諮祭酒。 越薨，復以喬為都督豫州諸軍事、鎮東將軍、豫州刺史。 卒于官，時年六十三。 湣帝末，追贈司空。 子挺，潁川太守。 挺子耽。
Sima Yong, still holding the pass against the east, needed Liu Qiao and ignored this advice. Sima Yue summoned the realm, marched thirty thousand men toward the pass to recover the emperor, and halted at Xiao; Liu Qiao sent Liu You to block him at Lingbi. Liu Kun detached a column toward Xuchang, and the city opened its gates. Liu Kun marched from Xingyang to join Sima Yue, met Liu You, was routed, and fell in battle. Liu Qiao’s army melted away; he fled to Pingshi with five hundred horse. When the emperor returned to Luoyang under general amnesty, Sima Yue again named Liu Qiao libationer for army consultation to the grand tutor. After Sima Yue died Liu Qiao was restored as military governor of Yu, General Who Guards the East, and inspector of Yu. He died in office at sixty-three. Under Emperor Min he was posthumously named minister of works. His son Liu Ting became administrator of Yingchuan. Liu Ting’s son Dan
55
孫耽
Liu Dan; the transmitted text writes the surname as Sun.
56
=耽字敬道。 少有行檢，以義尚流稱，為宗族所推。 博學，明習《詩》、《禮》、三史。 曆度支尚書，加散騎常侍。 在職公平廉慎，所蒞著績。 桓玄，耽女婿也。 及玄輔政，以耽為尚書令，加侍中，不拜，改授特進、金紫光祿大夫。 尋卒，追贈左光祿大夫、開府。 耽子柳。
Liu Dan, courtesy name Jingdao, In youth he was disciplined and esteemed for integrity, and his clan looked to him. He was widely read in the Odes, the Rites, and the three histories. He served as masters of writing for revenue and gentleman for all purposes. In office he was fair, frugal, and left a record of achievement. Huan Xuan was his son-in-law. When Huan Xuan took power he offered Dan the chief ministership with palace attendant rank; Dan declined and accepted exceptional advance and grand master of golden purple gleam instead. He died soon after and was posthumously named grand master of the left gleam with independent headquarters. His son Liu Liu (section heading).
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耽子柳
His son Liu Liu (repeated heading).
59
=柳字叔惠，亦有名譽。 少登清官，曆尚書左右僕射。 時右丞傅迪好廣讀書而不解其義，柳唯讀《老子》而已，迪每輕之。 柳云：「卿讀書雖多，而無所解，可謂書簏矣。」 時人重其言。 出為徐、兗、江三州刺史。 卒，贈右光祿大夫、開府儀同三司。 喬弟乂，始安太守。 乂子成，丹陽尹。
Liu Liu, courtesy name Shuhui, also enjoyed a fine name. He rose through pure posts to vice director of the Masters of Writing on both left and right. The right assistant Fu Di read widely but shallowly; Liu Liu studied only the Laozi, and Fu mocked him. Liu Liu retorted, "You read librariesful and understand nothing—you are a walking bookcase. The age respected the barb. He became inspector of Xu, Yan, and Jiang provinces in turn. At his death the court named him grand master of the right gleam with three excellencies–rank ceremony. Liu Qiao’s brother Liu Yi governed Shi’an. Liu Yi’s son Liu Cheng became intendant of Danyang.
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史評
The historians’ verdict
61
史臣曰：周浚人倫鑒悟，周馥理識精詳，華軼動顧禮經，劉喬志存諒直，用能曆官內外，咸著勳庸。 而祖宣獻策遷都，乖忤於東海，彥夏系心宸極，獲罪於琅邪，乃被以惡名，加其顯戮，豈不哀哉！ 向若違左衤任于伊川，建右社於淮服，據方城之險，藉全楚之資，簡練吳越之兵，漕引淮海之粟，縱未能祈天永命，猶足以紓難緩亡。 嗟乎！ 「不用其良，覆俾我悖」，其此之謂也。 苟晞擢自庸微，位居上將，釋位之功未立，貪暴之釁已彰，假手世龍，以至屠戮，斯所謂「殺人多矣，能無及此乎」！
The historians say: Zhou Jun read character keenly; Zhou Fu’s judgment was exact; Hua Die heeded the rites; Liu Qiao stood for plain integrity—each served inside and outside court with real achievement. Yet Zhou Fu’s capital plan crossed Sima Yue; Hua Die’s loyalty to Luoyang angered Sima Rui—both were slandered and struck down, a bitter fate. Had they fortified the central plains, built new altars on the Huai, held Xiangyang’s heights, mobilized Chu’s strength, trained southern troops, and fed armies from the Huai canals, they might not have won eternity, but they could have bought time against ruin. Alas! As the Classic of Poetry says, "They would not use their good officers, and brought themselves to this confusion"—just so here. Gou Xi rose from obscurity to supreme command without earning grace by yielding power; his greed and cruelty were notorious, and Shi Le—styled Shilong—finished him. So runs the adage: "He who slays too many cannot escape the reckoning."
62
贊曰：開林才理，爰登貴仕，績著折沖，化行江汜。 軼既尊主，馥亦勤王，背時獲戾，違天不祥。 喬為戎首，未識行藏。 道將鞠旅，威名克舉，領虐有聞，忠勤未取。
The verdict reads: Zhou Jun by talent rose high, broke enemies on the Yangzi, and spread order along the river. Hua Die honored the emperor; Zhou Fu labored for him; both were out of step with the hour and paid for it. Liu Qiao drew first sword without knowing when to yield. Gou Daojiang drilled armies and won renown, yet cruelty was his legend and loyal service went unrewarded.