Volume 62 Biographies 32: Liu Kun; Zu Di

劉琨

Liu Kun

劉琨，字越石，中山魏昌人，漢中山靖王勝之後也。祖邁，有經國之才，爲相國參軍、散騎常侍。父蕃，清高沖儉，位至光祿大夫。琨少得俊朗之目，與范陽祖納俱以雄豪著名。年二十六，爲司隸從事。時征虜將軍石崇河南金谷澗中有別廬，冠絕時輩，引致賓客，日以賦詩。琨預其間，文詠頗爲當時所許。秘書監賈謐參管朝政，京師人士無不傾心。石崇、歐陽建、陸機、陸雲之徒，並以文才降節事謐，琨兄弟亦在其間，號曰「二十四友」。太尉高密王泰辟爲掾，頻遷著作郎、太學博士、尚書郎。

Liu Kun, courtesy name Yueshi, came from Weichang in Zhongshan and traced his line to Prince Jing of Zhongshan under the Han. His grandfather Liu Mai was a statesman who served as army adviser to the minister of state and gentleman for all purposes. His father, Liu Fan, was austere and modest, rising to grand master of splendid carriage. In youth he was hailed as brilliant and bold, and stood with Zu Na of Fanyang among the age’s boldest spirits. At twenty-six he entered service as an attendant clerk under the metropolitan commandant. General Shi Chong kept a villa in Henan’s Gold Valley gorge that outshone every rival salon of the day, where he gathered literati for daily verse-making. Liu Kun joined their circle, and his poems won wide acclaim. When Jia Mi ran the palace library and politics together, the Luoyang elite flocked to his faction. Shi Chong, Ouyang Jian, the Lu brothers, and others lent their literary fame to Jia Mi’s salon; the Liu brothers were numbered among the so-called Twenty-Four Friends. Prince Sima Tai of Gaomi took him on staff; he rose to editorial director, imperial academy erudite, and gentleman of the masters of writing.

趙王倫執政，以琨爲記室督，轉從事中郎。倫子荂，即琨姊婿也，故琨父子兄弟並爲倫所委任。及篡，荂爲皇太子，琨爲荂詹事。三王之討倫也，以琨爲冠軍、假節，與孫秀子會率宿衞兵三萬距成都王穎，戰于黃橋，琨大敗而還，焚河橋以自固。及齊王冏輔政，以其父兄皆有當世之望，故特宥之，拜兄輿爲中書郎，琨爲尚書左丞，轉司徒左長史。冏敗，范陽王虓鎮許昌，引爲司馬。

When Sima Lun, Prince of Zhao, seized the government, Liu Kun became recorder-in-chief supervisor, then staff supervisor. Sima Lun’s son Sima Fu was Liu Kun’s brother-in-law, so the whole Liu family served Lun’s regime. When Lun took the throne, Sima Fu became crown prince and Liu Kun his household supervisor. During the coalition against Sima Lun, Liu Kun was named General Who Crowns the Army and, with Sun Hui and thirty thousand guards, faced Sima Ying at Yellow Bridge; routed, he burned the bridge to stem pursuit. Sima Jiong spared the Lius for their prestige, named Liu Yu gentleman of the palace secretariat, Liu Kun left assistant in the masters of writing, then chief clerk on the minister of education’s left. After Sima Jiong fell, Sima Xiao, Prince of Fanyang, who held Xuchang, took Liu Kun on as his major.

及惠帝幸長安，東海王越謀迎大駕，以琨父蕃爲淮北護軍、豫州刺史。劉喬攻范陽王虓於許昌也，琨與汝南太守杜育等率兵救之，未至而虓敗，琨與虓俱奔河北，琨之父母遂爲劉喬所執。琨乃説冀州刺史溫羨，使讓位於虓。及虓領冀州，遣琨詣幽州，乞師于王浚，得突騎八百人，與虓濟河，共破東平王懋於廩丘，南走劉喬，始得其父母。又斬石超，降呂朗，因統諸軍奉迎大駕于長安。以動封廣武侯，邑二千戸。

While Emperor Hui was in Chang’an, Sima Yue named Liu Fan defender north of the Huai and inspector of Yu province as part of a plan to restore the court eastward. When Liu Qiao struck Sima Xiao at Xuchang, Liu Kun marched with Du Yu of Runan to relieve him but arrived too late; fleeing north with Xiao, he lost his parents to Liu Qiao’s captors. Liu Kun persuaded Ji province’s Wen Xian to step aside for Sima Xiao. Once Sima Xiao held Ji province, Liu Kun went to Wang Jun for eight hundred horsemen, recrossed the Yellow River, defeated Sima Mao at Linqiu, drove Liu Qiao back, and ransomed his parents. He cut down Shi Chao, accepted Lu Lang’s surrender, and led the allied armies to escort the emperor in Chang’an. For these services he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Guangwu with a two-thousand-household fief.

尋拜並州刺史，加振威將軍，領匈奴中郎將。琨在道屢上表陳請，朝廷多從之。

He was soon named inspector of Bing province with the added titles General Who Rouses Might and Xiongnu leader-of-court. On the march he petitioned repeatedly and the court largely approved.

時東嬴公騰自晉陽鎮鄴，并土饑荒，百姓隨騰南下，餘戸不滿二萬，寇賊繼橫，道路斷塞。琨募得千餘人，轉鬪至晉陽。府寺焚毀，僵屍蔽地，其有存者，饑羸無復人色，荊棘成林，豺狼滿道。琨翦除荊棘，收葬枯骸，造府朝，建市獄。寇盜互來掩襲，恆以城門爲戰場，百姓負楯以耕，屬鞬而耨。琨撫循勞徠，甚得物情。劉元海時在離石，相去三百許里。琨密遣離間其部雜虜，降者萬餘落。元海甚懼，遂城蒲子而居之。在官未期，流人稍復，雞犬之音復相接矣。琨父蕃自洛赴之。人士奔迸者多歸於琨，琨善於懷撫，而短於控御。一日之中，雖歸者數千，去者亦以相繼。然素奢豪，嗜聲色，雖暫自矯勵，而輒復縱逸。

Duke Sima Teng of Dongying had shifted from Jinyang to Ye, leaving Bing a wasteland: fewer than twenty thousand souls remained, bandits ruled the roads, and famine stalked the province. Liu Kun scraped together a thousand fighters and battled his way into Jinyang. The city was charnel ground: ruined offices, corpses stacked deep, survivors gaunt as ghosts, brambles choking the streets and wolves prowling at noon. He cleared the scrub, buried the dead, rebuilt a seat of government, and restored markets and jails. Raiders struck again and again at the gates; farmers tilled with shields on their backs and weeded with quivers at their belts. His care for refugees won him deep loyalty among the people. Liu Yuan lay at Lishi, only some three hundred li away. Liu Kun’s agents peeled away more than ten thousand barbarian camps from Liu Yuan’s coalition. Liu Yuan grew alarmed and moved his capital into fortified Pu. Within a year refugees trickled back until dogs barked and cocks crowed again across the land. Liu Fan left Luoyang to join his son. Fugitive gentry rallied to Liu Kun, who welcomed them warmly yet could not hold them in discipline. In one day thousands might arrive—and hundreds depart again. He was by nature lavish and sensual; bursts of self-discipline soon collapsed into old excesses.

河南徐潤者，以音律自通，游於貴勢，琨甚愛之，署爲晉陽令。潤恃寵驕恣，干預琨政。奮威護軍令狐盛性亢直，數以此爲諫，並勸琨除潤，琨不納。初，單于猗迤以救東嬴公騰之功，琨表其弟猗盧爲代郡公，與劉希合眾於中山。王浚以琨侵己之地，數來擊琨，琨不能抗，由是聲實稍損。徐潤又譖令狐盛於琨曰：「盛將勸公稱帝矣。」琨不之察，便殺之。琨母曰：「汝不能弘經略，駕豪傑，專欲除勝己以自安，當何以得濟！如是，禍必及我。」不從。盛子泥奔于劉聰，具言虛實。聰大喜，以泥爲鄉導。屬上黨太守襲醇降於聰，雁門烏丸復反，琨親率精兵出禦之。聰遣子粲及令狐泥乘虛襲晉陽，太原太守高喬以郡降聰，琨父母並遇害。琨引猗盧並力攻粲，大敗之，死者十五六。琨乘勝追之，更不能克。猗盧以爲聰未可滅，遺琨牛羊車馬而去，留其將箕澹、段繁等戍晉陽。琨志在復仇，而屈於力弱，泣血屍立，撫慰傷痍，移居陽邑城，以招集亡散。

A Henan musician named Xu Run curried favor with the great; Liu Kun doted on him and named him magistrate of Jinyang. Xu Run abused Liu Kun’s favor and meddled in administration. The blunt protector Linghu Sheng urged Liu Kun repeatedly to be rid of Xu Run; Liu Kun refused. After Yiyi’s rescue of Sima Teng, Liu Kun had memorialized his brother Yilu as duke of Dai and combined forces with Liu Xi at Zhongshan. Wang Jun attacked again and again over border disputes, and Liu Kun could not hold him off, so his prestige waned. Xu Run whispered that Linghu Sheng meant to push Liu Kun toward the throne. Without inquiry Liu Kun had Linghu Sheng executed. His mother warned him: "You kill rivals instead of rallying heroes—you will never save Bing this way! "If that is your course, ruin will find us all. He would not listen. Linghu Ni fled to Liu Cong and betrayed every weakness of Jinyang’s defense. Liu Cong rejoiced and used Linghu Ni as his guide. When Shangdang surrendered and Yanmen Wuhuan rose, Liu Kun marched out in person with picked troops. Liu Cong sent Liu Can and Linghu Ni to strike Jinyang while Liu Kun was away; Taiyuan defected, and Liu Kun’s parents were killed. Liu Kun and Yilu smashed Liu Can’s army, killing the larger part of his force. Liu Kun pressed the pursuit but could not finish Liu Can. Yilu judged Liu Cong still too strong, gifted Liu Kun livestock and wagons, withdrew, and left Ji Dan and others to hold Jinyang. Burning for vengeance but too weak to strike, he wept until he swayed, nursed the wounded, and moved to Yangyi to rally survivors.

湣帝即位，拜大將軍、都督并州諸軍事，加散騎常侍、假節。琨上疏謝曰：

Emperor Min named him grand general and military governor of Bing with staff and gentleman for all purposes. He presented a memorial of thanks—

陛下略臣大愆，錄臣小善，猥蒙天恩，光授殊寵，顯以蟬冕之榮，崇以上將之位。伏省詔書，五情飛越。

"You overlook my grave errors yet note my small services, shower me with honors and the cap of high office, and name me first general—reading your edict I tremble in every fiber.

臣聞晉文以郤縠爲元帥而定霸功，高祖以韓信爲大將而成王業，咸有敦詩閱禮之德，戎昭果毅之威，故能振豐功于荊南，拓洪基於河北。

"Jin Wen and Han Gaozu built empires through men of both civil and martial genius—how dare a mediocrity like me claim their mantle?

況臣凡陋，擬蹤前哲，俯懼折鼎，慮在覆餗。昔曹沫三北，而收功于柯盟；馮異垂翅，而奮翼于澠池，皆能因敗爲成，以功補過。

"Yet Cao Mo and Feng Yi rose from failure—may I too mend my faults with deeds.

及麹允敗劉曜，斬趙冉，琨又表曰：

After Qu Yun’s victory over Liu Yao, Liu Kun sent another memorial:

逆胡劉聰，敢率犬羊，馮陵輦轂，人神發憤，遐邇奮怒。

"Liu Cong’s barbarian hordes insult the throne; all the realm burns for revenge.

臣前表當與鮮卑猗盧克今年三月都會平陽，會匈羯石勒以三月三日徑掩薊城，大司馬、博陵公浚受其偽和，爲勒所虜，勒勢轉盛，欲來襲臣。城塢駭懼，志在自守。又猗盧國內欲生奸謀，幸盧警慮，尋皆誅滅。遂使南北顧慮，用愆成舉，臣所以泣血宵吟，扼腕長歎者也。勒據襄國，與臣隔山，寇騎朝發，夕及臣城，同惡相求，其徒實繁。自東北八州，勒滅其七，先朝所授，存者唯臣。是以勒朝夕謀慮，以圖臣爲計，窺伺間隙，寇抄相尋，戎士不得解甲，百姓不得在野。天網雖張，靈澤未及，唯臣孑然與寇爲伍。自守則稽聰之誅，進討則勒襲其後，進退唯-{谷}-，首尾狼狽。徒懷憤踴，力不從願，慚怖征營，痛心疾首，形留所在，神馳寇庭。秋穀既登，胡馬已肥，前鋒諸軍並有至者，臣當首啟戎行，身先士卒。臣與二虜，勢不並立，聰、勒不梟，臣無歸志，庶憑陛下威靈，使微意獲展，然後隕首謝國，沒而無恨。表文所陳，止於此處。

"I had planned to meet Yilu at Pingyang in the third month, but Shi Le struck Ji, took Wang Jun, and now threatens me. Every garrison froze in fear and dug in for self-defense. Even Yilu’s own camp nearly mutinied until he purged the plotters. North and south plans fell apart—hence my sleepless laments. "Shi Le holds Xiangguo a ridge away—his raiders can ride from dawn to my walls, and his allies multiply. "He has swallowed seven of the northeast’s eight provinces; I alone remain of the old commissions. "He schemes against me day and night; my men never shed armor and the people dare not leave the walls. "Heaven’s justice tarries while I stand alone among wolves. "If I stay, Liu Cong crushes me; if I march, Shi Le stabs my rear—I am caught fore and aft. "I burn with shame yet cannot strike; my body is here but my soul is already on the battlefield. "Autumn stores are in and barbarian horses fat; the vanguard is massing—I mean to lead from the front. "I cannot coexist with Liu Cong and Shi Le; grant me your majesty’s backing and I will spend my life repaying it, or fall without regret. So ends the memorial’s argument.

三年，帝遣兼大鴻臚趙廉持節拜琨爲司空、都督並冀幽三州諸軍事。琨上表讓司空，受都督，克期與猗盧討劉聰。尋猗盧父子相圖，盧及兄子根皆病死，部落四散。琨子遵先質于盧，眾皆附之。及是，遵與箕澹等帥盧眾三萬人，馬牛羊十萬，悉來歸琨，琨由是復振，率數百騎自平城撫納之。屬石勒攻樂平，太守韓據請救於琨，而琨自以士眾新合，欲因其銳以威勒。箕澹諫曰：「此雖晉人，久在荒裔，未習恩信，難以法-{御}-。今內收鮮卑之餘穀，外抄殘胡之牛羊，且閉關守險，務農息士，既服化感義，然後用之，則功可立也。」琨不從，悉發其眾，命澹領步騎二萬爲前驅，琨自爲後繼。勒先據險要，設伏以擊澹，大敗之，一軍皆沒，並土震駭。尋又炎旱，琨窮蹙不能復守。幽州刺史鮮卑段匹磾數遣信要琨，欲與同獎王室。琨由是率眾赴之，從飛狐人薊。匹磾見之，甚相崇重，與琨結婚，約爲兄弟。

In the third year the court sent Zhao Lian to name Liu Kun minister of works and governor of Bing, Ji, and You. He declined the ministry but kept military command and fixed a date with Yilu against Liu Cong. Soon Yilu’s family feuded; he and his nephew Gen died and the tribes melted away. Liu Zun, long a hostage to Yilu, was acclaimed by the tribes. Zun then led thirty thousand Xianbei and vast herds back to Liu Kun, who rode out from Pingcheng to welcome them and felt his strength return. When Shi Le besieged Leping, Han Ju begged help; Liu Kun, trusting his newly swollen host, meant to overawe Shi Le. Ji Dan warned: "These troops are long out of Chinese discipline—law alone cannot harness them yet. "Stockpile grain, raid stray herds, hold the passes, farm and rest until they truly accept us—then strike. Liu Kun ignored him, threw in every man, and sent Ji Dan ahead with twenty thousand while he followed. Shi Le seized the choke points, ambushed Ji Dan, annihilated his army, and shook Bing province. Drought followed; Liu Kun could no longer hold his ground. Duan Pidi of You, a Xianbei chief, urged Liu Kun to join him in restoring the Jin house. Liu Kun marched to him through Flying Fox pass into Ji. Duan Pidi received him with honor, married into his family, and swore brotherhood.

是時西都不守，元帝稱制江左，琨乃令長史溫嶠勸進，於是河朔征鎮夷夏一百八十人連名上表，語在《元紀》。令報曰：「豺狼肆毒，薦覆社稷，億兆顒顒，延首罔系。是以居於王位，以答天下，庶以克復聖主，掃蕩讎恥，豈可猥當隆極，此孤之至誠著於遐邇者也。公受奕世之寵，極人臣之位，忠允義誠，精感天地。實賴遠謀，共濟艱難。南北迥邈，同契一致，萬里之外，心存咫尺。公其撫甯華戎，致罰丑類。動靜以聞。」

With Chang’an lost and Sima Rui regent in the south, Liu Kun had Wen Qiao draft the joint memorial of one hundred eighty northern commanders urging him to take the throne—the text stands in Rui’s annals. Sima Rui answered: "Savages have overturned the realm; the people crane their necks with no lord to bind them. I hold the regency only to restore the emperor—not to seize the throne myself. You enjoy generations of grace and the highest ministerial rank; your loyalty moves heaven and earth. We depend on your long view to weather this storm. North and south are far apart yet of one mind; distance cannot sever us. Pacify Chinese and barbarian alike and punish the rebels. "Keep me informed of every move.

琨與匹磾期討石勒，匹磾推琨爲大都督，歃血載書，檄諸方守，俱集襄國。琨、匹磾進屯固安，以俟眾軍。匹磾從弟末波納勒厚賂，獨不進，乃沮其計。琨、匹磾以勢弱而退。是歳，元帝轉琨爲侍中、太尉，其餘如故，並贈名刀。琨答曰：「謹當躬自執佩，馘截二虜。」

Liu Kun and Duan Pidi swore a blood oath at Xiangguo, named Liu Kun supreme commander, and called every garrison to join them against Shi Le. Liu Kun and Duan Pidi moved forward and camped at Gu'an to wait for the allied forces. Duan Pidi's cousin Duan Mobo had taken heavy bribes from Shi Le; he alone held back, and the operation fell through. Liu Kun and Duan Pidi pulled back because their position was too weak. That year Emperor Yuan moved Liu Kun to Palace Attendant and Grand Commandant, left his other appointments unchanged, and presented him with a celebrated blade as well. Liu Kun answered, "I will wear it at my belt in person and strike down the two rebel hosts.

匹磾奔其兄喪，琨遣世子群送之，而末波率眾要擊匹磾而敗走之，群爲末波所得。末波厚禮之，許以琨爲幽州刺史，共結盟而襲匹磾，密遣使齎群書請琨爲內應，而爲匹磾邏騎所得。時琨別屯故征北府小城，不之知也。因來見匹磾，匹磾以群書示琨曰：「意亦不疑公，是以白公耳。」琨曰：「與公同盟，志獎王室，仰憑威力，庶雪國家之恥。若兒書密達，亦終不以一子之故負公忘義也。」匹磾雅重琨，初無害琨志，將聽還屯。其中弟叔軍好學有智謀，爲匹磾所信，謂匹磾曰：「吾胡夷耳，所以能服晉人者，畏吾眾也。今我骨肉構禍，是其良圖之日，若有奉琨以起，吾族盡矣。」匹磾遂留琨。琨之庶長子遵懼誅，與琨左長史楊橋、并州治中如綏閉門自守。匹磾諭之不得，因縱兵攻之。琨將龍季猛迫於乏食，遂斬橋、綏而降。

When Duan Pidi went to attend his brother's funeral, Liu Kun sent his heir apparent Liu Qun to see him off; Duan Mobo then ambushed Duan Pidi with troops and drove him off, and Liu Qun fell into Mobo's hands. Mobo honored Liu Qun lavishly and promised to install Liu Kun as inspector of Youzhou; they swore alliance and planned to attack Duan Pidi. A secret messenger carried Liu Qun's letter urging Liu Kun to act from within—but Duan Pidi's scouts intercepted it. Liu Kun was camped apart at the minor fort of the old northern expedition headquarters and knew nothing of this. So Liu Kun came to see Duan Pidi, who showed him Liu Qun's letter and said, "I never doubted you in intent; I am only telling you openly. Liu Kun replied, "We joined you in alliance to sustain the house of Jin; I looked to your strength in the hope of avenging the nation's humiliation. Even if my son's letter had reached me in secret, I would never have sacrificed my duty to you for the sake of one child. Duan Pidi respected Liu Kun deeply and had meant him no harm at first; he was ready to let him go back to his camp. His younger brother Shujun was learned and shrewd and enjoyed Duan Pidi's confidence. He told Duan Pidi, "We are barbarians; the Jin submit to us only because they fear our numbers. Now our own kin are tearing one another apart—their opening has come. If anyone raises Liu Kun against us, our whole line is finished. Duan Pidi then kept Liu Kun in custody. Liu Kun's eldest son by a concubine, Liu Zun, feared execution; with Liu Kun's senior clerk of the left Yang Qiao and Bingzhou headquarters aide Ru Sui he shut the gates and held the compound. Duan Pidi could not talk them down and sent troops to storm the position. Liu Kun's general Long Jimeng, starving for supplies, cut down Yang Qiao and Ru Sui and capitulated.

初，琨之去晉陽也，慮及危亡而大恥不雪，亦知夷狄難以義伏，冀輸寫至誠，僥倖萬一。每見將佐，發言慷慨，悲其道窮，欲率部曲列於賊壘。斯謀未果，竟爲匹磾所拘。自知必死，神色怡如也。爲五言詩贈其別駕盧諶曰：

When Liu Kun had left Jinyang he knew he faced ruin while the great shame of defeat went unavenged; he understood too that nomads could not be bound by moral appeals alone, yet he hoped candor might win an unlikely opening. Whenever he met his officers he spoke with fierce clarity, grieving that his options had run out and wishing to march his retainers straight to the enemy lines. The plan never came off; he ended in Duan Pidi's custody. Certain he would die, he remained composed in face and bearing. He addressed a pentasyllabic poem to his administrative aide Lu Chen:

琨詩託意非常，攄暢幽憤，遠想張陳，感鴻門、白登之事，用以激諶。諶素無奇略，以常詞酬和，殊乖琨心，重以詩贈之，乃謂琨曰：「前篇帝王大志，非人臣所言矣。」

Liu Kun's poem spoke with unusual intensity, venting buried grievance; echoing Zhang Liang and Chen Ping and the crises at Hongmen and Baideng, he meant to galvanize Lu Chen. Lu Chen had never been a strategist; he answered in bland verse that missed Liu Kun's intent entirely. When Liu Kun sent another poem, Lu told him, "Your previous poem voiced an emperor's ambitions—it is not language fit for a minister.

然琨既忠於晉室，素有重望，被拘經月，遠近憤歎。匹磾所署代郡太守辟閭嵩，與琨所署雁門太守王據、後將軍韓據連謀，密作攻具，欲以襲匹磾。而韓據女爲匹磾兒妾，聞其謀而告之匹磾，於是執王據、辟閭嵩及其徒黨悉誅之。會王敦密使匹磾殺琨，匹磾又懼眾反己，遂稱有詔收琨。初，琨聞敦使到，謂其子曰：「處仲使來而不我告，是殺我也。死生有命，但恨仇恥不雪，無以下見二親耳。」因歔欷不能自勝。匹磾遂縊之，時年四十八。子侄四人俱被害。朝廷以匹磾尚強，當爲國討石勒，不舉琨哀。

Yet Liu Kun's loyalty to Jin and his long-standing prestige meant that when he languished under arrest for months, people everywhere seethed with anger and sorrow. Pilü Song, whom Duan Pidi had installed as governor of Dai, joined Wang Ju and Han Ju—the governor of Yanmen and general of the rear whom Liu Kun had appointed—in a plot. They forged siege gear in secret to attack Duan Pidi. Han Ju's daughter was a concubine of Duan Pidi's son; she overheard the scheme and told Duan Pidi, who arrested Wang Ju and Pilü Song and put their whole party to death. Wang Dun had secretly ordered Duan Pidi to kill Liu Kun; Duan Pidi also feared his men might rebel, so he claimed an imperial warrant to arrest Liu Kun. Earlier, upon hearing Wang Dun's messenger had come, Liu Kun said to his son, "If Zhong sends an envoy and keeps me in the dark, he means to kill me. Life and death are Heaven's—but I hate that I cannot wash away our shame and have no face to meet my parents in the grave. He broke into tears he could not hold back. Duan Pidi strangled him; Liu Kun was forty-eight. Four of his sons and nephews died with him. The court, judging Duan Pidi still useful against Shi Le for the realm, declined to observe mourning for Liu Kun.

三年，琨故從事中郎盧諶、崔悅等上表理琨曰：

In the third year of the reign, Liu Kun's former administrative aides Lu Chen and Cui Yue memorialized to clear his name:

:{{blue|臣聞經國之體，在於崇明典刑；立政之務，在於固慎關塞。況方嶽之臣，殺生之柄，而可不正其枉直，以杜其奸邪哉！竊見故司空、廣武侯琨，在惠帝擾攘之際，值群後鼎沸之難，戮力皇家，義誠彌厲，躬統華夷，親受矢石，石超授首，呂朗面縛，社稷克寧，鑾輿反駕，奉迎之勳，琨實爲隆，此琨效忠之一驗也。其後并州刺史、東贏公騰以晉川荒匱，移鎮臨漳，太原、西河盡徙三魏。琨受任并州，屬承其弊，到官之日，遺戸無幾，當易危之勢，處難濟之土，鳩集傷痍，撫和戎狄，數年之間，公私漸振。會京都失守，群逆縱逸，邊萌頓僕，苟懷宴安，咸以爲并州之地四塞爲困，且可閉關守險，畜資養徒，抗辭厲聲，忠亮奮發，以爲天子沈辱而不隕身死節，情非所安，遂乃跋履山川，東西征討。屠各乘虛，晉陽沮潰，琨父母罹屠戮之殃，門族受殲夷之禍。向使琨從州人之心，爲自守之計，則聖朝未必加誅，而族黨可以不喪。及猗盧敗亂，晉人歸奔，琨于平城納其初附。將軍箕澹又以爲此雖晉人，久在荒裔，難以法整，不可便用。琨又讓之，義形於色。假從澹議，偷于苟存，則晏然於並土，必不亡身于燕薊也。琨自以備位方嶽，綱維不舉，無緣虛荷大任，坐居三司，是以陛下登阼，使引衍告遜，前後章表，具陳誠款。尋令從事中郎臣續澹以章綬節傳奉還本朝，與匹磾使榮邵期一時俱發。又匹磾以琨王室大臣，懼奪己威重，忌琨之形，漸彰於外。琨知其如此，慮不可久，欲遣妻息大小盡詣京城，以其門室一委陛下。有征舉之會，則身充一卒；若匹磾縱凶慝，則妻息可免。具令臣澹密宣此旨，求詔敕路次，令相迎衞。會王成從平陽逃來，説南陽王保稱號隴右，士眾甚盛，當移關中。匹磾聞此，私懷顧望，留停榮邵，欲遣前兼鴻臚邊邈奉使詣保，懼澹獨南，言其此事，遂不許引路。丹誠赤心，卒不上達。匹磾兄眷喪亡，嗣子幼弱，欲因奔喪奪取其國。又自以欺國陵家，懷邪樂禍，恐父母宗黨不容其罪，是以卷甲櫜弓，陰圖作亂，欲害其從叔驎、從弟末波等，以取其國。匹磾親信密告驎、波，驎、波乃遣人距之，匹磾僅以身免。百姓謂匹磾已沒，皆憑向琨。若琨于時有害匹磾之情，則居然可擒，不復營於人力。自此之後，上下並離，匹磾遂欲盡勒胡晉，徙居上-{谷}-。琨深不然之，勸移厭次，南憑朝廷。匹磾不能納，反禍害父息四人，從兄二息同時並命。琨未遇害，知匹磾必有禍心，語臣等云：「受國厚恩，不能克報，雖才略不及，亦由遇此厄運。人誰不死，死生命也。唯恨下不能效節于一方，上不得歸誠于陛下。」辭旨慷慨，動於左右。匹磾既害琨，橫加誣謗，言琨欲窺神器，謀圖不軌。琨免述囂頑凶之思，又無信布懼誅之情，崎嶇亂亡之際，夾肩異類之間，而有如此之心哉！雖臧獲之愚，廝養之智，猶不爲之，況在國士之列，忠節先著者乎！}}

"We your ministers have learned that the foundation of ruling the realm rests on holding up law and precedent as the standard; the business of government lies in sealing and guarding the borders with care. How much more must regional ministers who hold the power of life and death judge crooked and straight without error and shut the door to villainy! Consider the late minister of works and marquis of Guangwu, Liu Kun: when Emperor Hui's reign dissolved into chaos and rival princes tore the realm apart, he strained every nerve for the throne; his zeal mounted as he led Hu and Han alike under hostile fire—Shi Chao lost his head and Lü Lang was bound; the dynasty steadied and the imperial carriage returned. Among those who helped restore the court, none surpassed Liu Kun; here is one plain witness to his loyalty. Later the Bingzhou inspector and Prince of Dongying, Sima Teng, finding the central plains exhausted of grain, moved his headquarters to Linzhang and evacuated Taiyuan and Xihe into the three Wei commanderies. Liu Kun took Bingzhou in that wreckage: when he entered office almost no people remained. He stood where collapse was easiest on ground hardest to salvage—yet he gathered the shattered, pacified the tribes, and within a few years public stores and private livelihoods began to revive. When Luoyang fell and rebels ran free, the frontier populace lay in ruins. An easier course would have been to seal Bingzhou's mountain barriers, hoard supplies, and wait—but Liu Kun refused ease while the emperor suffered shame; loyalty blazed in him, and he marched back and forth across the north to fight east and west. The Tuge struck while the defense was hollow; Jinyang collapsed. Liu Kun's parents were butchered and his entire clan swept away. Had Liu Kun listened to local opinion and dug in only for self-defense, the court might never have faulted him and his kin might have survived. When Tuoba Yilu's host unraveled, displaced Jin subjects streamed back; Liu Kun took them in at Pingcheng when they first rallied to him. General Ji Dan argued that although they were ethnically Jin, years on the frontier had left them beyond quick discipline—they could not be thrown straight into the ranks. Liu Kun reproached him again; moral conviction showed plain on his face. Had he yielded to Ji Dan and chosen bare survival, he could have stayed safely on Bingzhou soil and would never have died in the Yan–Ji region. Liu Kun knew he held a governor's post yet failed to impose order; he had no wish to bear grand titles empty-handed. When Your Majesty took the throne he cited precedent and offered to step aside—memorial after memorial laid his sincerity bare. He soon ordered his administrative aide Xu Dan to send the seals, ribbons, tally, and courier credentials back to court at the same hour as Duan Pidi's envoy Rong Shao departed. Duan Pidi saw Liu Kun as a pillar of the dynasty and feared losing stature to him; his mistrust soon showed for all to see. Seeing this, Liu Kun knew he could not endure long in place and wished to send every wife and child to the capital and leave his household entirely in Your Majesty's hands. Whenever war called, he would enlist as a common soldier; should Duan Pidi turn vicious, at least his family would be beyond reach. He instructed Xu Dan in secret to relay this and asked for an edict ordering escorts along the road to receive them. Then Wang Cheng escaped from Pingyang with word that Prince of Nanyang Sima Bao had styled himself west of Long with a large army and meant to move into Guanzhong. Duan Pidi hesitated: he held Rong Shao back and meant to send the former vice minister Bian Miao to Sima Bao—yet feared Xu Dan would reach the south alone and expose the plan, so he refused safe-conduct. His loyal heart never reached the throne. When Duan Pidi's brother Duan Juan died leaving a young heir, Duan Pidi meant to exploit the funeral and seize his domain. He had wronged the court and his kin, relished intrigue and disaster, and feared his clan would not forgive him—so he packed arms and plotted in secret to murder cousins such as Duan Lin and Duan Mobo and seize their lands. Duan Pidi's confidants tipped off Duan Lin and Mobo, who blocked him—Duan Pidi barely escaped alive. The people assumed Duan Pidi was dead and turned to Liu Kun for leadership. Had Liu Kun meant to destroy Duan Pidi then, he could have taken him with ease—no elaborate maneuver would have been needed. After that, ruler and followers split; Duan Pidi meant to drive every Hu and Han follower into Shang-{gu}- commandery. Liu Kun opposed this fiercely and urged shifting to Yanqi to keep the south anchored to the court. Duan Pidi would not listen and struck at Liu Kun's house—four sons or sons and fathers fell together with two nephews by Liu Kun's cousins in the same slaughter. Before he died Liu Kun knew Duan Pidi meant him ill. He told us, "The state favored me beyond my deserts and I repaid it poorly—partly from limited ability, partly from cruel fortune. All men die; life and death are Heaven's sentence. I only regret I could not prove loyal on my frontier or lay my heart before Your Majesty. His words thrilled and moved everyone present. After murdering Liu Kun, Duan Pidi slandered him wildly—claiming he coveted the throne and plotted rebellion. Liu Kun was no Wei Ao nursing treason in the hills, nor Han Xin nor Ying Bu dreading the headsman's axe—hemmed by chaos and alien armies, how could he dream of usurping the mandate! The meanest slave would shrink from such a plot—let alone a man honored as a pillar of the state whose loyalty was already proven!

:{{blue|匹磾之害琨，稱陛下密詔。琨信有罪，陛下加誅，自當肆諸市朝，與眾棄之，不令殊俗之豎戮臺輔之臣，亦已明矣。然則擅詔有罪，雖小必誅；矯制有功，雖大不論，正以興替之根咸在於此，開塞之由不可不閉故也。而匹磾無所顧忌，怙亂專殺，虛假王命，虐害鼎臣，辱諸夏之望，敗王室之法，是可忍也，孰不可忍！若聖朝猶加隱忍，未明大體，則不逞之人襲匹磾之跡，殺生自由，好惡任意，陛下將何以誅之哉！折沖厭難，唯存戰勝之將；除暴討亂，必須知略之臣。故古語云「山有猛獸，藜藿爲之不采」，非虛言矣。自河以北，幽-{并}-以南，醜類有所顧憚者，唯琨而已。琨受害之後，羣凶欣欣，莫不得意，鼓行中州，曾無纖介，此又華夷小大所以長歎者也。}}

When Duan Pidi murdered Liu Kun, he claimed a secret order from Your Majesty. If Liu Kun were guilty, Your Majesty would execute him in the public square for all to see—you would never leave a frontier upstart to butcher a chief minister of state; that much is plain. Usurping an imperial command is a crime—small as it may be, it must be punished; while forging orders for gain, however great, goes unpunished—precisely because dynastic survival turns on this principle, and the floodgates of abuse must stay shut. Yet Duan Pidi respects no limits: he thrives on chaos, kills at will, counterfeits royal orders, tortures chief ministers, humiliates the hopes of the civilized regions, and tramples the laws of the throne—if that may be borne, what cannot! If the court still shrinks from acting and misses the larger issue, every adventurer will imitate Duan Pidi—killing at pleasure, rewarding or ruining on a whim—and how then will Your Majesty hold anyone to account! To blunt enemy blows and end crises you look to generals who actually win; to purge cruelty and rebellion you need ministers of judgment and strategy. The proverb says, "Where a mountain holds fierce beasts, even wild greens go unpicked"—and that is no idle phrase. North of the Yellow River and south of You-{Bing}-, among hostile bands the only man they still feared was Liu Kun. Once Liu Kun fell, every villain rejoiced; they marched unchecked through the Central Plain while Chinese and barbarians alike groaned—another reason for endless lament.

:{{blue|伏惟陛下睿聖之隆，中興之緒，方將平章典刑，以經序萬國。而琨受害非所，冤痛已甚，未聞朝廷有以甄論。昔壺關三老訟衞太子之罪，-{谷}-永、劉向辨陳湯之功，下足以明功罪之分，上足以悟聖主之懷。臣等祖考以來，世受殊遇，人侍翠幄，出簪彤管，弗克負荷，播越遐荒，與琨周旋，接事終始，是以仰慕三臣在昔之義，謹陳本末，冒以上聞，仰希聖朝曲賜哀察。}}

Your Majesty's sagely brilliance lifts the restoration; you are just ordering law and precedent to bring the realm under rule. Yet Liu Kun died wrongfully and his grievance runs deep—still the court has issued no judgment to set the record straight. Once the three elders of Huguan indicted the crimes of the heir of Wei; Gu Yong and Liu Xiang defended Chen Tang's achievements—such pleas clarify right and wrong below and move the ruler above. Our families have enjoyed imperial favor for generations—attending the throne within and bearing credentials abroad—yet we fled to the frontier and stood by Liu Kun from first to last. In the spirit of those ancient memorialists we lay out the whole story at risk to ourselves and beg the court's compassionate review.

太子中庶子溫嶠又上疏理之，帝乃下詔曰：「」贈侍中、太尉，諡曰湣。

Palace aide to the heir apparent Wen Jiao also memorialized on Liu Kun's behalf; the emperor issued an edict posthumously appointing him Palace Attendant and Grand Commandant with the posthumous name Min.

琨少負志氣，有縱橫之才，善交勝己，而頗浮誇。與范陽祖逖爲友，聞逖被用，與親故書曰：「吾枕戈待旦，志梟逆虜，常恐祖生先吾著鞭。」其意氣相期如此。在晉陽，常爲胡騎所圍數重，城中窘迫無計，琨乃乘月登樓清嘯，賊聞之，皆淒然長歎。中夜奏胡笳，賊又流涕歔欷，有懷土之切。向曉復吹之，賊並棄圍而走。子群嗣。

In youth Liu Kun was ambitious and talented in the strategist's vein; he sought out men greater than himself but could be boastful. He was friends with Zu Di of Fanyang; when Zu received appointment Liu Kun wrote to friends, "I sleep with my spear beside me, ready to behead the rebels—yet I keep fearing Zu Di will strike before I do. Such was the rivalry that fired them both. At Jinyang, Hu horsemen ringed the walls again and again while the city ran out of options. One moonlit night Liu Kun mounted a tower and gave a long, clear whistle—the besiegers heard it and sighed in sorrow. At midnight he played the nomad pipes; the enemy wept and sobbed, hearts aching for home. Near dawn he played again, and the besiegers broke camp and fled. His son Liu Qun inherited his rank.

琨子群

Liu Kun's son Liu Qun

=群字公度，少拜廣武侯世子。隨父在晉陽，遭逢寇亂，數領偏軍征討。性清慎，有裁斷，得士類歡心。及琨爲匹磾所害，琨從事中郎盧諶等率餘眾奉群依末波。溫嶠前後表稱：「姨弟劉群，內弟崔悅、盧諶等，皆在末波中，翹首南望。愚謂此等並有文思，於人之中少可湣惜。如蒙錄召，繼絕興亡，則陛下更生之恩，望古無二。」，成帝詔徵群等，爲末波兄弟愛其才，托以道險不遣。

Liu Qun, courtesy name Gongdu, was invested as heir to the marquisate of Guangwu while still young. He followed his father at Jinyang through years of raids and repeatedly commanded detachments on campaign. Cool-headed and decisive, he won the confidence of the educated elite. After Duan Pidi killed Liu Kun, Lu Chen and the other staff led the survivors and Liu Qun to take refuge with Duan Mobo. Wen Jiao memorialized repeatedly: "My cousins Liu Qun, Cui Yue, and Lu Chen remain with Mobo's force, craning their necks toward the south. They are cultivated men who deserve sympathy—among the lost few merit pity. If Your Majesty recalls them, you will rescue the stranded as only a renewer of lives—no precedent in history surpasses it. Emperor Cheng summoned Liu Qun and his companions, but Mobo's brothers prized their talents and refused to send them, citing the hazards of the journey.

石季龍滅遼西，群及諶、悅同沒胡中，季龍皆優禮之，以群爲中書令。至冉閔敗後，群遇害。時勒及季龍得公卿人士多殺之，其見擢用，終至大官者，唯有河東裴憲，渤海石璞，滎陽鄭系，潁川荀綽，北地傅暢及群、悅、諶等十餘人而已。

When Shi Hu conquered Liaoxi, Liu Qun, Lu Chen, and Cui Yue fell into Hu hands; Shi Hu treated them generously and named Liu Qun director of the palace secretariat. After Ran Min fell, Liu Qun was killed. Shi Le and Shi Hu slaughtered most captured officials; only a dozen or so—such as Pei Xian of Hedong, Shi Pu of Bohai, Zheng Xi of Xingyang, Xun Chuo of Yingchuan, Fu Chang of Beidi, plus Liu Qun, Cui Yue, and Lu Chen—rose to high office.

琨兄輿

Liu Kun's elder brother Liu Yu

=輿字慶孫。雋朗有才局，與琨並尚書郭奕之甥，名著當時。京都爲之語曰：「洛中奕奕，慶孫、越石。」辟宰府尚書郎。兄弟素侮孫秀，及趙王倫輔政，孫秀執權，並免其官。妹適倫世子荂，荂與秀不協，復以輿爲散騎侍郎。齊王冏輔政，以輿爲中書侍郎。東海王越、范陽王虓之舉兵也，以輿爲潁川太守。及河間王顒檄劉喬討虓於許昌，矯詔曰：「潁川太守劉輿迫協范王虓，距逆詔命，多樹私黨，擅劫郡縣，合聚兵眾。輿兄弟昔因趙王婚親，擅弄權勢，凶狡無道，久應誅夷，以遇赦令，得全首領。小人不忌，爲惡日滋，輒用苟晞爲兗州，斷截王命。鎮南大將軍弘，平南將軍、彭城王釋，征東大將軍准，各勒所領，徑會許昌，與喬並力。今遣右將軍張方爲大都督，督建威將軍呂朗、陽平太守刁默，率步騎十萬，同會許昌，以除輿兄弟。敢有舉兵距違王命，誅及五族。能殺輿兄弟送首者，封三千戸縣侯，賜絹五千匹。」虓之敗，輿與之俱奔河北。虓既鎮鄴，以輿爲征虜將軍、魏郡太守。

Liu Yu, courtesy name Qingsun, He was brilliant and able, a nephew of Minister Guo Yi like Liu Kun, and his name shone in that generation. The capital ran a rhyme: "In Luoyang the brightest lights are Qingsun and Yueshi. He was summoned to serve as a gentleman of the masters of writing in the ministerial headquarters. The brothers had long mocked Sun Xiu; when Prince Zhao Sima Lun dominated the court and Sun Xiu seized power, both brothers were dismissed. Their sister had married Sima Lun's heir Sima Fu; when Fu quarreled with Sun Xiu, Liu Yu was restored as gentleman attendant at leisure. When Prince of Qi Sima Jiong directed affairs, Liu Yu became palace attendant. When Prince Donghai Sima Yue and Prince of Fanyang Sima Xiao raised armies, Liu Yu was named governor of Yingchuan. Prince Hejian Sima Yong ordered Liu Qiao to strike Sima Xiao at Xuchang with a forged edict: "The governor of Yingchuan, Liu Yu, coerces Prince of Fanyang Sima Xiao, defies lawful orders, packs offices with cronies, hijacks counties without authority, and rallies troops. The Liu brothers once exploited ties to Prince Zhao to wield power—vicious and lawless men long overdue for execution—yet amnesties spared their heads. Restraint means nothing to them; their crimes mount—they promoted Gou Xi to Yanzhou and choke off the imperial command. General Who Guards the South Liu Hong, General Who Pacifies the South Prince of Pengcheng Sima Shi, and General Who Conquers the East Sima Zhun are each to march their commands straight to Xuchang and join Liu Qiao. Right general Zhang Fang is named supreme commander over General Who Establishes Might Lü Lang and Yangping governor Diao Mo; they will bring one hundred thousand foot and horse to Xuchang and destroy the Liu brothers. Anyone who takes arms against this decree will suffer the five-clan penalty. Kill the Liu brothers and deliver their heads and you will be made county marquis at three thousand households with five thousand bolts of silk. When Sima Xiao lost, Liu Yu fled north into Hebei with him. Once Sima Xiao secured Ye, he named Liu Yu general who conquers captives and governor of Wei commandery.

虓薨，東海王越將召之，或曰：「輿猶膩也，近則汙人。」及至，越疑而-{御}-之。輿密視天下兵簿及倉庫、牛馬、器械、水陸之形，皆默識之。是時軍國多事，每會議，自潘滔以下，莫知所對。輿既見越，應機辯畫，越傾膝酬接，即以爲左長史。越既總錄，以輿爲上佐，賓客滿筵，文案盈機，遠近書記日有數千，終日不倦，或以夜繼之，皆人人歡暢，莫不悅附。命議如流，酬對款備，時人服其能，比之陳遵。時稱越府有三才：潘滔大才，劉輿長才，裴邈清才。越誅繆播、王延等，皆輿謀也。延愛妾荊氏有音伎，延尚未殮，輿便娉之。未及迎，又爲太傅從事中郎王俊所爭奪。御史中丞傅宣劾奏，越不問輿，而免俊官。輿乃説越，遣琨鎮并州，爲越北面之重。洛陽未敗，病指疽卒，時年四十七。追贈驃騎將軍。先有功封定襄侯，諡曰貞。子演嗣。

After Sima Xiao died, Prince Donghai Sima Yue meant to summon Liu Yu; someone warned, "Liu Yu clings like grease—get too close and he stains you. When Liu Yu arrived, Sima Yue hesitated—yet kept him on staff anyway. Liu Yu secretly reviewed national rosters, granaries, livestock, arms, and river and road routes until he knew them by heart. With army and court overwhelmed, meetings left even Pan Tao and those below speechless. Once Liu Yu faced Sima Yue he answered every question with plans; Yue warmed to him at once and named him senior clerk of the left. As Sima Yue ran the realm he relied on Liu Yu as chief aide: guests packed his hall, paperwork buried his desk, and thousands of letters arrived daily—yet Yu worked day and night without tiring and kept everyone engaged. His orders ran like water and his replies were thorough; contemporaries ranked him with Chen Zun for sheer competence. People said Sima Yue's headquarters held three gifts—Pan Tao's breadth, Liu Yu's reach, and Pei Miao's clarity. Sima Yue's execution of Miao Bo and Wang Yan was Liu Yu's doing. Wang Yan's favorite concubine Lady Jing was a musician; before Yan's body lay in the coffin Liu Yu took her as his bride. Before the wedding came off, grand tutor aide Wang Jun seized her for himself. Imperial counselor Fu Xuan impeached the affair; Sima Yue spared Liu Yu and dismissed Wang Jun instead. Liu Yu urged Sima Yue to send Liu Kun to hold Bingzhou as the northern anchor of his power. Before Luoyang fell he died of a finger abscess at forty-seven. He was posthumously named general of agile cavalry. Earlier merit had earned him the marquisate of Dingxiang; his posthumous name was Zhen. His son Liu Yan inherited the title.

輿子演

Liu Yu's son Liu Yan

演字始仁。初辟太尉掾，除尚書郎，以父憂去職。服闋，襲爵，太傅、東海王越引爲主簿。遷太子中庶子，出爲陽平太守。自洛奔琨，琨以爲輔國將軍、魏郡太守。琨將討石勒，以演領勇士千人，行北中郎將、兗州刺史，鎮廩丘。演斬王桑，走趙固，得眾七千人。爲石勒所攻，演距戰，勒退。元帝拜爲都督、後將軍，假節。後爲石季龍所圍，求救于邵續、段鴦，鴦騎救之，季龍走，隨鴦屯厭次，被害。

Liu Yan, courtesy name Shiren, He began as clerk to the grand commandant, became gentleman of the masters of writing, then resigned for mourning. When mourning ended he inherited the title and Prince Donghai Sima Yue took him on as chief clerk. He rose to palace aide to the heir apparent, then left the capital as governor of Yangping. He fled Luoyang to Liu Kun, who named him general who aids the state and governor of Wei commandery. When Liu Kun prepared to strike Shi Le he gave Liu Yan a thousand picked troops as acting north central-inspector general and inspector of Yanzhou, stationed at Linqiu. Liu Yan slew Wang Sang, drove off Zhao Gu, and recruited seven thousand men. Shi Le attacked him; Liu Yan held his ground and Shi Le pulled back. Emperor Yuan named him area commander and general of the rear with credential staff. Later Shi Hu besieged him; he called on Shao Xu and Duan Yang for relief—Duan Yang's cavalry broke the siege and Shi Hu withdrew. Liu Yan then joined Duan Yang at Yanqi and was killed.

弟胤爲琨引兵，路逢烏桓賊，戰沒。胤弟挹初爲太傅、東海王越掾，與琨俱被害。挹弟啟，啟弟述，與琨子群俱在末波中，後併入石季龍。啟爲季龍尚書僕射，後歸國，穆帝拜爲前將軍，加給事中。，隨中軍將軍殷浩北伐，爲姚襄所敗，啟戰沒。述爲季龍侍中，隨啟歸國，拜驍騎將軍。

His brother Liu Yin led troops for Liu Kun and fell fighting Wuhuan raiders on the march. Younger brother Liu Yi had served Sima Yue as clerk and died with Liu Kun. His brothers Liu Qi and Liu Shu, like Liu Qun, were with Mobo and later passed into Shi Hu's service. Liu Qi became Shi Hu's vice director of the masters of writing, later returned south; Emperor Mu named him general of the front and attached him to the palace as imperial counselor. He joined central army general Yin Hao's northern campaign, lost to Yao Xiang, and Liu Qi died in the fighting. Liu Shu had been Shi Hu's palace attendant; he followed Liu Qi south and was named general of fierce cavalry.

祖逖

Zu Ti

祖逖，字士稚，范陽遒人也。世吏二千石，爲北州舊姓。父武，晉王掾上-{谷}-太守。逖少孤，兄弟六人。兄該、納等並開爽有才幹。逖性豁蕩，不修儀檢，年十四五猶未知書，諸兄每憂之。然輕財好俠，慷慨有節尚，每至田舍，輒稱兄意，散穀帛以周貧乏，鄉黨宗族以是重之。後乃博覽書記，該涉古今，往來京師，見者謂逖有贊世才具。僑居陽平。年二十四，陽平辟察孝廉，司隸再辟舉秀才，皆不行。與司空劉琨俱爲司州主簿，情好綢繆，共被同寢。中夜聞荒雞鳴，蹴琨覺曰：「此非惡聲也。」因起舞。逖、琨並有英氣，每語世事，或中宵起坐，相謂曰：「若四海鼎沸，豪傑並起，吾與足下當相避于中原耳。」

Zu Ti, courtesy name Shizhi, came from Qiu in Fanyang. For generations his family held salary rank at two thousand piculs—a distinguished northern clan. His father Zu Wu had served as clerk to the prince of Jin and governor of Shang-{gu}-. Zu Ti lost his father young and had five brothers. His brothers Zu Gai, Zu Na, and the rest were open-hearted men of ability. Zu Ti was freewheeling and careless of etiquette; at fourteen or fifteen he still barely read, and his brothers worried. Yet he spurned riches and loved bold deeds; visiting the countryside he would invoke his brothers' names and give grain and cloth to the needy—kinsmen and neighbors respected him for it. Later he read widely in letters and history; traveling to the capital he was hailed as a man fit to rescue the age. He lived as a guest in Yangping. At twenty-four Yangping nominated him as filial and incorrupt and the metropolitan command recommended him as flourishing talent—he declined both. He and Minister Liu Kun both served as chief clerk of Sizhou; they were inseparable bedmates under one quilt. One midnight a stray cock crowed; Zu Ti kicked Liu Kun awake and said, "That is no ill omen. They got up and danced. Both men burned with ambition; talking politics at midnight they would sit up and say, "If the realm boils over and heroes rise everywhere, you and I had best watch each other on the Central Plain.

辟齊王冏大司馬掾、長沙王乂驃騎祭酒，轉主簿，累遷太子中舍人、豫章王從事中郎。從惠帝北伐，王師敗績于蕩陰，遂退還洛。大駕西幸長安，關東諸侯范陽王虓、高密王略、平昌公模等競召之，皆不就。東海王越以逖爲典兵參軍、濟陰太守，母喪不之官。及京師大亂，逖率親黨數百家避地淮泗，以所乘車馬載同行老疾，躬自徒步，藥物衣糧與眾共之，又多權略，是以少長咸宗之，推逖爲行主。達泗口，元帝拟用爲徐州刺史，尋徵軍諮祭酒，居丹徒之京口。

He served Prince of Qi as clerk to the grand marshal and Prince of Changsha as libationer to the swift-rider general, moved to chief clerk, then rose to attendant of the heir and administrative aide to the prince of Yuzhang. He joined Emperor Hui's northern campaign; after the rout at Dangyin he pulled back to Luoyang. When the court fled west to Chang'an, Prince of Fanyang, Prince of Gaomi, Duke Pingchang, and other lords east of the pass vied to enlist him—he refused every offer. Prince Donghai Sima Yue named him army adviser and governor of Jiyin, but mourning for his mother kept him from taking post. When Luoyang collapsed he led hundreds of kinsmen toward Huai and Si: he put the aged and infirm in his carts and walked himself, sharing medicine and food—his resourcefulness won every age, and they chose him head of the column. At Sikou Emperor Yuan meant to make him inspector of Xuzhou, then recalled him as libationer for army consultation and housed him at Jingkou in Dantu.

逖以社稷傾覆，常懷振復之志。賓客義徒皆暴傑勇士，逖遇之如子弟。時揚土大饑，此輩多爲盜竊，攻剽富室，逖撫慰問之曰：「比復南塘一出不？」或爲吏所繩，逖輒擁護救解之。談者以此少逖，然自若也。時帝方拓定江南，未遑北伐，逖進説曰：「晉室之亂，非上無道而下怨叛也。由籓王爭權，自相誅滅，遂使戎狄乘隙，毒流中原。今遺黎既被殘酷，人有奮擊之志。大王誠能發威命將，使若逖等爲之統主，則郡國豪傑必因風向赴，沈弱之士欣于來蘇，庶幾國恥可雪，願大王圖之。」帝乃以逖爲奮威將軍、豫州刺史，給千人稟，布三千匹，不給鎧仗，使自招募。仍將本流徙部曲百餘家渡江，中流擊楫而誓曰：「」辭色壯烈，眾皆慨歎。屯于江陰，起冶鑄兵器，得二千餘人而後進。

With the dynastic altars in ruins Zu Ti burned to reconquer the north. His followers were rugged fighters; he treated them like family. Famine stalked the south; many of his men turned to raiding the rich. Zu Ti only smiled and asked, "Another night raid on South Bank mansions? When officials moved against them, he shielded his men. Critics thought less of him for it; he remained unconcerned. The emperor was still securing the south, so Zu Ti urged him: "The Jin collapse did not come because the throne lacked virtue and the people turned traitor. Princely rivals tore one another apart and gave the nomads their opening—poison spread across the Central Plain. The survivors have tasted cruelty; every heart yearns to strike back. If Your Highness will issue orders and let men like me lead, regional heroes will rally to the wind, the downtrodden will rejoice at deliverance, and the nation's shame may yet be avenged—I beg you to consider it. The emperor named Zu Ti general who rouses might and inspector of Yuzhou with rations for one thousand men and three thousand bolts of cloth—no arms or armor—and told him to raise the rest himself. He led his hundred-odd refugee households across the Yangzi; midstream he struck the oar and swore, "If I fail to recover the Central Plain and return across this river, may the Yangzi sweep me away like this paddle!" His voice shook his followers to tears. He camped at Jiangyin, forged arms, and recruited over two thousand fighters before pushing inland.

初，北中郎將劉演距于石勒也，流人塢主張平、樊雅等在譙，演署平爲豫州刺史，雅爲譙郡太守。又有董瞻、于武、謝浮等十餘部，眾各數百，皆統屬平。逖誘浮使取平，浮譎平與會，遂斬以獻逖。帝嘉逖勳，使運糧給之，而道遠不至，軍中大饑。進據太丘。樊雅遣眾夜襲逖，遂入壘，拔戟大呼，直趣逖幕，軍土大亂。逖命左右距之，督護董昭與賊戰，走之。逖率眾追討，而張平餘眾助雅攻逖。蓬陂塢主陳川，自號甯朔將軍、陳留太守。逖遣使求救於川，川遣將李頭率眾援之，逖遂克譙城。

While Liu Yan held Shi Le at bay, refugee fort leaders Zhang Ping and Fan Ya controlled Qiao—Liu Yan named Zhang Ping inspector of Yuzhou and Fan Ya governor of Qiao commandery. More than a dozen bands led by Dong Zhan, Yu Wu, Xie Fu, each a few hundred strong, all answered to Zhang Ping. Zu Ti persuaded Xie Fu to eliminate Zhang Ping; Fu lured Zhang Ping to a meeting, slew him, and sent his head to Zu Ti. The emperor honored Zu Ti's service and ordered grain sent, but it never arrived—the army starved. He advanced and seized Taiqiu. Fan Ya struck by night: his men burst the camp, brandished halberds, and drove straight for Zu Ti's headquarters until the lines broke. Zu Ti ordered a counterattack; protector Dong Zhao fought and drove the raiders off. Zu Ti pressed the pursuit while Zhang Ping's survivors joined Fan Ya against him. Chen Chuan of the Pengpi fort styled himself general who pacifies the north and governor of Chenliu. Zu Ti begged Chen Chuan for help; Chen sent Li Tou with reinforcements, and Zu Ti took Qiao.

初，樊雅之據譙也，逖以力弱，求助於南中郎將王含，含遣桓宣領兵助逖。逖既克譙，宣等乃去。石季龍聞而引眾圍譙，含又遣宣救逖，季龍聞宣至而退。宣遂留，助逖討諸屯塢未附者。

When Fan Ya first held Qiao, Zu Ti was too weak and begged south central-inspector Wang Han for troops; Wang sent Huan Xuan to his aid. After Qiao fell, Huan Xuan withdrew. Shi Hu besieged Qiao in response; Wang Han sent Huan Xuan again, and Shi Hu retreated when he arrived. Huan Xuan stayed to help Zu Ti reduce the forts that still held out.

李頭之討樊雅也，力戰有勳。逖時獲雅駿馬，頭甚欲之而不敢言，逖知其意，遂與之。頭感逖恩遇，每歎曰：「若得此人爲主，吾死無恨。」川聞而怒，遂殺頭。頭親黨馮寵率其屬四百入歸於逖，川益怒，遣將魏碩掠豫州諸郡，大獲子女車馬。逖遣將軍衞策邀擊于-{谷}-水，盡獲所掠者，皆令歸本，軍無私焉。川大懼，遂以眾附石勒。逖率眾伐川，石季龍領兵五萬救川，逖設奇以擊之，季龍大敗，收兵掠豫州，徙陳川還襄國，留桃豹等守川故城，住西臺。逖遣將韓潛等鎮東臺。同一大城，賊從南門出入放牧，逖軍開東門，相守四旬。逖以布囊盛土如米狀，使千餘人運上臺，又令數人擔米，偽爲疲極而息於道，賊果逐之，皆棄擔而走。賊既獲米，謂逖士眾豐飽，而胡戍饑久，益懼，無復膽氣。石勒將劉夜堂以驢千頭運糧以饋桃豹，逖遣韓潛、馮鐵等追擊于汴水，盡獲之。豹宵遁，退據東燕城，逖使潛進屯封丘以逼之。馮鐵據二臺，逖鎮雍丘，數遣軍要截石勒，勒屯戍漸蹙。候騎常獲濮陽人，逖厚待遣歸。咸感逖恩德，率鄉里五百家降逖。勒又遣精騎萬人距逖，復爲逖所破，勒鎮戍歸附者甚多。時趙固、上官巳、李矩、郭默等各以詐力相攻擊，逖遣使和解之，示以禍福，遂受逖節度。逖愛人下士，雖疏交賤隸，皆恩禮遇之，由是黃河以南盡爲晉土。河上堡固先有任子在胡者，皆聽兩屬，時遣遊軍偽抄之，明其未附。諸塢主感戴，胡中有異謀，輒密以聞。前後克獲，亦由此也。其有微功，賞不逾日。躬自儉約，勸督農桑，克己務施，不畜資產，子弟耕耘，負擔樵薪，又收葬枯骨，爲之祭醊，百姓感悅。嘗置酒大會，耆老中坐流涕曰：「吾等老矣！更得父母，死將何恨！」乃歌曰：「幸哉遺黎免俘虜，三辰既朗遇慈父，玄酒忘勞甘瓠脯，何以詠恩歌且舞。」其得人心如此。故劉琨與親故書，盛讚逖威德。詔進逖爲鎮西將軍。

Li Tou had fought Fan Ya with distinction. Zu Ti had taken Fan Ya's fine horse; Li Tou longed for it in silence until Zu Ti read his wish and gave him the mount. Grateful for Zu Ti's kindness, Li Tou often said, "If only he were my commander—I could die content. Chen Chuan heard and murdered Li Tou in rage. Li Tou's kinsman Feng Chong brought four hundred followers to Zu Ti; Chen Chuan raged and sent Wei Shuo to ravage Yuzhou, seizing people and stock. Zu Ti's general Wei Ce ambushed Wei Shuo at the Gu River, recovered every captive, sent them home, and kept nothing for the army. Terror drove Chen Chuan to surrender his force to Shi Le. Zu Ti marched on Chen Chuan; Shi Hu brought fifty thousand men and lost to Zu Ti's ruse. Shi Hu pulled back through Yuzhou, shipped Chen Chuan to Xiangguo, left Tao Bao to hold the old fort on the west mound. Zu Ti posted Han Qian on the east mound. Within one walled city the enemy used the south gate to herd livestock while Zu Ti held the east gate; the standoff lasted forty days. Zu Ti filled sacks with earth to look like grain and had men haul them up the mound; others carried real rice and feigned exhaustion by the road. When the enemy rushed them they dropped the loads and fled. Seeing the grain, the enemy assumed Zu Ti's men were well fed while their own Hu troops had starved so long they lost heart. Shi Le's officer Liu Yetang drove a thousand donkeys of supplies to Tao Bao; Han Qian and Feng Tie ambushed them on the Bian River and seized everything. Tao Bao slipped away by night to Dongyan; Zu Ti pushed Han Qian forward at Fengqiu to squeeze him. Feng Tie held both mounds while Zu Ti headquartered at Yongqiu, repeatedly cutting Shi Le's lines until Le's garrisons shrank. Patrols often took men from Puyang; Zu Ti treated them well and sent them home. Grateful for his kindness, five hundred local households came over to him. Shi Le sent ten thousand picked horsemen and lost again; ever more of his border posts defected. Zhao Gu, Shangguan Si, Li Ju, and Guo Mo were raiding one another; Zu Ti mediated, explained costs and gains, and brought them under his command. Zu Ti honored talent and humored common soldiers alike—every humble ally received courtesy—until south of the Yellow River flew Jin banners. River forts with hostages held by the Hu were allowed to serve both sides; Zu Ti sent raiders to strike them in pretense, proving they had not truly submitted to the enemy. Fort commanders repaid him with loyalty and leaked every Hu intrigue. His victories owed much to that network. The smallest merit earned reward within the day. He lived plainly, pushed farming, gave away what little he had, kept no estates, made kin till the soil and gather fuel, buried the dead with offerings—the people loved him. At a banquet the elders wept in their midst: "We are old! Yet we have found parents again—what is death to us now! They sang: "The spared people quit bondage; sun, moon, and stars shine again under a gentle father; plain wine and gourd meat erase our toil—how else repay him but in song and dance! Such was the hold he had on hearts. Liu Kun wrote home praising Zu Ti's prestige and kindness. An edict promoted him to general who garrisons the west.

石勒不敢窺兵河南，使成皋縣修逖母墓，因與逖書，求通使交市，逖不報書，而聽互市，收利十倍，於是公私豐贍，士馬日滋。方當推鋒越河，掃清冀朔，會朝廷將遣戴若思爲都督，逖以若思是吳人，雖有才望，無弘致遠識，且已翦荊棘，收河南地，而若思雍容，一旦來統之，意甚怏怏。且聞王敦與劉隗等構隙，慮有內難，大功不遂。感激發病，乃致妻孥汝南大木山下。時中原士庶咸謂逖當進據武牢，而反置家險厄，或諫之，不納。逖雖內懷憂憤，而圖進取不輟，營繕武牢城，城北臨黃河，西接成皋，四望甚遠。逖恐南無堅壘，必爲賊所襲，乃使從子汝南太守濟率汝陽太守張敞、新蔡內史周閎率眾築壘。未成，而逖病甚。先是，華譚、庾闡問術人戴洋，洋曰：「祖豫州九月當死。」初有妖星見於豫州之分，曆陽陳訓又謂人曰：「今年西北大將當死。」逖亦見星，曰：「爲我矣！方平河北，而天欲殺我，此乃不祐國也。」俄卒於雍丘，時年五十六。豫州士女若喪考妣，譙梁百姓爲之立祠。冊贈車騎將軍。王敦久懷逆亂，畏逖不敢發，至是始得肆意焉。尋以逖弟約代領其眾。約別有傳。逖兄納。

Shi Le dared not probe Henan; he had Zu Ti's mother's tomb tended at Chenggao and wrote seeking envoys and trade. Zu Ti ignored the letter yet allowed border markets—profits multiplied tenfold—state and army alike grew rich. He was ready to vault the Yellow River and clear Ji and the northern plain when the court meant to send Dai Ruosi as overall commander. Dai was a Wu man of reputation but no breadth of vision; Zu Ti had cleared thorns and reclaimed Henan—yet a polished outsider would suddenly command him, and his heart sank. Word that Wang Dun and Liu Wei were at odds warned him of civil strife—his great project might fail. Grief and rage broke his health; he moved his family to the foot of Mount Damu in Runan. Northerners expected Zu Ti to seize Wulao Pass; instead he parked his family in danger—advisers protested in vain. Though sick at heart he kept planning offensives, rebuilt Wulao town above the Yellow River facing Chenggao with views far in every direction. Fearing no strong southern bastion would tempt raiders, he told his nephew Ji—governor of Runan—and governors Zhang Chang and Zhou Hong to raise fortifications. Before the works finished Zu Ti fell gravely ill. Earlier Hua Tan and Yu Chan had asked the diviner Dai Yang, who said, "Grand Protector Zu will die in the ninth month. A comet had appeared over Yuzhou's sky; Chen Xun of Liyang told folk, "This year a great general of the northwest will die. Zu Ti saw the portent too and said, "That means me! The north was nearly pacified, yet Heaven would cut me down—the realm goes unwatched. Soon afterward he died at Yongqiu at fifty-six. Yuzhou mourned like orphaned children; Qiao and Liang built shrines to him. Posthumous patent named him chariot and cavalry general. Wang Dun had long plotted rebellion but feared Zu Ti; only now could he proceed unchecked. Zu Yue soon succeeded him in command. Zu Yue has his own biography. Zu Ti's elder brother Zu Na

=逖兄納=

Subheading: Zu Ti's elder brother Zu Na.

納字士言，最有操行，能清言，文義可觀。性至孝，少孤貧，常自炊釁以養母，平北將軍王敦聞之，遺其二婢，辟爲從事中郎。有戲之曰：「奴價倍婢。」納曰：「百里奚何必輕于五羖皮邪！」轉尚書三公郎，累遷太子中庶子。歷官多所駁正，有補于時。

Zu Na, courtesy name Shiyan, was the most principled of the brothers; his Pure Conversation and essays impressed contemporaries. Deeply filial, he grew up poor, cooked for his mother himself—Wang Dun gave him two maids and summoned him as administrative aide. Someone joked, "Those slaves cost twice what maids do. Zu Na replied, "Was Baili Xi worth less than five ram hides? He moved to gentleman of the masters of writing for the three dukes and rose to palace aide to the heir apparent. In every post he corrected abuses and served the age.

齊王冏建義，越王倫收冏弟北海王實及前前黃門郎弘農董祚弟艾，與冏俱起，皆將害之，納上疏救焉，並見宥。後爲中護軍、太子詹事，封晉昌公。以洛下將亂，乃避地東南。元帝作相，引爲軍諮祭酒。納好奕棋，王隱謂之曰：「禹惜寸陰，不聞數棋。」對曰：「我奕忘憂耳。」隱曰；「蓋聞古人遭逢，則以功達其道，若其不遇，則以言達其道。古必有之，今亦宜然。當晉未有書，而天下大亂，舊事蕩滅，君少長五都，游臣四方，華裔成敗，皆當聞見，何不記述而有裁成？應仲遠作《風俗通》，崔子真作《政論》，蔡伯喈作《勸學篇》，史遊作《急就章》，猶皆行於世，便成沒而不朽。僕雖無才，非志不立，故疾沒世而無聞焉，所以自強不息也。況國史明乎得失之跡，俱取散悉，此可兼濟，何必圍棋然後忘憂也！」納喟然歎曰：「非不悅子之道，力不足耳。」乃言之於帝曰：「自古小國猶有史官，況于大府，安可不置。」因舉隱，稱「清純亮直，學思沈敏，五經、群史多所綜悉，且好學不倦，從善如流。若使修著一代之典，褒貶與奪，誠一時之俊也。」帝以問記室參軍鐘雅，雅曰：「納所舉雖有史才，而今未能立也。」事遂停。然史官之立，自納始也。

When Prince Qi Sima Jiong raised the army of righteousness, Prince Zhao Sima Lun seized Sima Jiong's brother Prince of Beihai Sima Shi and Ai—brother of Hongnong gentleman Dong Zuo—who had risen with Jiong and were marked for death; Zu Na's memorial saved them all. He became central protector and household superintendent to the heir, enfeoffed as duke of Jinchang. Foreseeing chaos in Luoyang he withdrew to the southeast. When Emperor Yuan served as minister he named Zu Na libationer for army consultation. Zu Na loved weiqi; Wang Yin told him, "The sage Yu prized every moment—I hear nothing of counting stones on a board. Zu Na answered, "I play to forget care. Wang Yin replied, "When ancient worthies met their hour they advanced the Way through deeds; when they did not, they advanced it through writing. So it was then and should be now. Jin still lacks a standard history while the realm lies in ruins—memory fades. You grew up in the capitals and traveled the empire; you witnessed triumph and disaster among Chinese and barbarians alike—why not shape that into a chronicle? Ying Shao's Fengsu Tong, Cui Yin's Zheng lun, Cai Yong's primer, Shi You's Ji jiu chapter—all lived after their authors and kept their names alive—why not you? I lack genius yet refuse aimlessness—I dread leaving life unheard—that keeps me striving. National history clarifies right and wrong—salvaging scattered records serves court and countryside alike—you need not weiqi to banish sorrow! Zu Na sighed, "I do not reject your counsel—I lack the strength. He told the emperor, "Petty states kept historians—how can our great headquarters do without them? He recommended Wang Yin as "pure, upright, learned across the classics and histories, tireless in study and quick to improve. Entrust him with a chronicle of our age—judgment and verdict—and you gain the finest scholar of the hour. The emperor asked Zhong Ya, who answered, "Zu Na's nominee has talent for history, yet we cannot establish the office yet. The matter was dropped. Still, the push for historians began with Zu Na.

初，弟約與逖同母，偏相親愛，納與約異母，頗有不平，乃密以啟帝，稱：「約懷陵上之性，抑而使之可也。今顯侍左右，假其權勢，將爲亂階」。人謂納與約異母，忌其寵貴，乃露其表以示約，約憎納如仇，朝廷因此棄納。納既閒居，但清談、披閱文史而已。及約爲逆，朝野歎納有鑒裁焉。溫嶠以納州里父黨，敬而拜之。嶠既爲時用，盛言納有名理，除光祿大夫。

Zu Yue shared a mother with Zu Ti and was favored; Zu Na, born to another wife, nursed jealousy and secretly told the emperor, "Zu Yue would bully his sovereign—keep him low if you must. Yet now he attends Your Majesty and wields power—that invites rebellion. Critics called it stepbrother spite; someone leaked the memorial to Zu Yue, who hated Zu Na like an enemy, and the court cast Zu Na aside. Zu Na lived in retirement, debating Pure Conversation and reading histories. When Zu Yue rebelled, everyone conceded Zu Na's foresight. Wen Jiao, as an elder townsman, bowed to him in respect. Once back in office Wen Jiao praised Zu Na's philosophical clarity and had him named grand master of splendid happiness.

納嘗問梅陶曰：「君鄉里立月旦評，何如？」陶曰：「善褒惡貶，則佳法也。」納曰：「未益。」時王隱在坐，因曰：「《尚書》稱『三載考績，三考黜陟幽明』，何得一月便行褒貶！」陶曰：「此官法也。月旦，私法也。」隱曰：「《易》稱『積善之家必有餘慶，積不善之家必有餘殃。』稱家者豈不是官？必須積久，善惡乃著，公私何異！古人有言，貞良而亡，先人之殃；酷烈而存，先人之勳。累世乃著，豈但一月！若必月旦，則顏回食埃，不免貪污；盜蹠引少，則爲清廉。朝種暮獲，善惡未定矣。」時梅陶及-{鍾}-雅數説餘事，納輒困之，因曰：「君汝潁之士，利如錐；我幽冀之士，鈍如槌。持我鈍槌，捶君利錐，皆當摧矣。」陶、雅並稱「有神錐，不可得槌」。納曰：「假有神錐，必有神槌。」雅無以對。卒於家。

Zu Na once asked Mei Tao, "What of your village's first-of-month character reviews? Mei Tao answered, "To praise virtue and blame vice—that would be an excellent method. Zu Na said, "Not much improvement. Wang Yin, present at the talk, said, "The Document states trials every three years across three cycles—how can judgment run every month? Mei Tao replied, "That is the statute for officials. The first-of-month court is private opinion. Wang Yin said, "The Changes promises blessing to families that heap good deeds and calamity to those that heap evil. When it speaks of houses, does it not mean offices? Merit and guilt emerge only after generations—what separates public from private judgment? The ancients said the loyal and good may still die—the fault lies with ancestors; while the cruel may live on ancestral merit. Character shows across generations—not in a single month! Force monthly verdicts and Yan Hui gnawing dust looks corrupt; while Zhi the robber offering a sip seems incorrupt. Sow at dawn and reap at dusk—good and evil have no time to show. Mei Tao and Zhong Ya kept raising side points until Zu Na cornered them: "You Ru-Ying speakers are sharp as awls; we northerners are blunt as mallets. Put my mallet against your awl and both should splinter. Mei Tao and Zhong Ya chorused, "A divine awl admits no mallet. Zu Na answered, "Where there is a divine awl there is a divine mallet. Zhong Ya had no reply. He died at home.

史評==

Section heading: historians' judgment.

史臣曰：劉琨弱齡，本無異操，飛纓賈謐之館，借箸馬倫之幕，當於是日，實佻巧之徒歟！祖逖散穀周貧，聞雞暗舞，思中原之燎火，幸天步之多艱，原其素懷，抑爲貪亂者矣。及金行中毀，乾維失統，三后流亡，遞縈居彘之禍，六戎橫噬，交肆長蛇之毒，於是素絲改色，跅弛易情，各運奇才，並騰英氣，遇時屯而感激，因世亂以驅馳，陳力危邦，犯疾風而表勁，勵其貞操，契寒松而立節，咸能自致三鉉，成名一時。古人有言曰：「世亂識忠良。」益斯之謂矣。天不祚晉，方啟戎心，越石區區，獨-{御}-鯨鯢之銳，推心異類，竟終幽圄，痛哉！士稚葉跡中興，克復九州之半，而災星告釁，笠轂徒招，惜矣！

The historians write: In youth Liu Kun cut no unusual figure—he flourished his silks in Jia Mi's salon and plotted at Prince Zhao's feast; in those days he was just another restless wit. Zu Ti gave grain to the needy and danced to the midnight cock, longing for the burning Central Plain and greeting Heaven's hard trials—yet measured against his deeper bent he too chased profit amid chaos. When the Jin mandate shattered and the heavenly axis broke, consorts wandered in exile and northern tribes ran riot like serpents—men of white silk turned gray and temperaments hardened: each seized the hour with soaring talent, sweating blood for a tottering court, braving gales to prove steadfast resolve and claiming the highest posts for a season. The proverb says, "In chaos we know the loyal. Surely it meant men such as these. Heaven withdrew favor from Jin and stirred barbarian ambition: Liu Kun alone faced leviathan foes, laid his heart before alien hosts, and ended in a traitor's jail—how bitter! Zu Ti strode through the revival and clawed back half the realm—yet ill stars foretold disaster and glory turned to ash: tragic!

贊曰：越石才雄，臨危效忠，枕戈長息，投袂徼功，崎嶇汾晉，契闊獯戎。見欺段氏，於嗟道窮！祖生烈烈，夙懷奇節。扣楫中流，誓清凶孽。鄰醜景附，遺萌載悅。天妖是徵，國恥奚雪！

Encomium: Liu Kun towered in crisis and proved loyal—sleeping beside weapons he sighed away the nights, shook his sleeves into peril on Fen and Jin, and kept faith beside tribal allies. The Duan clan betrayed him—alas, his road ran out! Zu Ti burned with zeal and nursed rare honor from youth. He struck his oar midstream and vowed to scourge the rebels. Neighbors rallied like shadows and scattered peoples rejoiced. Yet Heaven sent dread signs—how could national shame be washed away?

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