1
邵續
Shao Xu
2
邵續，字嗣祖，魏郡安陽人也。 父乘，散騎侍郎。 續樸素有志烈，博覽經史，善談理義，妙解天文。 初為成都王穎參軍，穎將討長沙王乂，續諫曰：「續聞兄弟如左右手，今明公當天下之敵，而欲去一手乎？ 續竊惑之。」 穎不納。 後為苟晞參軍，除沁水令。
Shao Xu, courtesy Sizu, came from Anyang in Wei Commandery. His father, Shao Cheng, had risen to gentleman attendant at leisure. Shao Xu lived plainly and held fierce convictions; he read deeply across the classics and histories, argued principle with ease, and read the stars with uncommon skill. He first joined the staff of Prince Chengdu, Sima Ying. When Ying prepared to strike Prince Changsha, Sima Yi, Shao Xu urged him: "They say brothers are like a man's two hands; you stand against the whole realm—would you willingly cut one off? He could not fathom Ying's plan. Ying would not listen. He later served on Gou Xi's staff and was named magistrate of Qinshui.
3
時天下漸亂，續去縣還家，糾合亡命，得數百人。 王浚假續綏集將軍、樂陵太守，屯厭次，以續子乂為督護。 續綏懷流散，多歸附之。 石勒既破浚，遣乂還招續，續以孤危無援，權附於勒，勒亦以乂為督護。 既而段匹磾在薊，遺書要續俱歸元帝，續從之。 其下諫曰：「今棄勒歸匹磾，任子危矣。」 續垂泣曰：「我出身為國，豈得顧子而為叛臣哉！」 遂絕於勒，勒乃害乂。 續懼勒攻，先求救於匹磾，匹磾遣弟文鴦救續。 文鴦未至，勒已率八千騎圍續。 勒素畏鮮卑，又聞文鴦至，乃棄攻具東走。 續與文鴦追勒至安陵，不及，虜勒所署官，並驅三千餘家，又遣騎入抄勒北邊，掠常山，亦二千家而還。
As the empire slid toward chaos, Shao Xu quit his post, went home, and gathered several hundred outlaws around him. Wang Jun named him acting General Who Pacifies and Gathers and prefect of Leling, stationed him at Yanci, and put his son Shao Yi in charge as chief of staff. He sheltered displaced people, and a great many rallied to his banner. When Shi Le had broken Wang Jun, he sent Shao Yi back to win his father over; isolated and without allies, Shao Xu submitted for the moment to Shi Le, who again named Shao Yi chief of staff. Before long Duan Pidi, holding Ji, wrote urging Shao Xu to come south with him to Emperor Yuan, and Shao Xu agreed. His officers warned him: "Turn from Shi Le to Duan Pidi and the son you left as hostage is lost. Shao Xu wept and said, "I entered public life for the dynasty—am I to save my boy and turn traitor? He broke with Shi Le; Shi Le then executed Shao Yi. Fearing Shi Le's assault, he appealed first to Duan Pidi, who sent his brother Wenying to his rescue. Shi Le reached him first with eight thousand cavalry and threw a ring around his position. Shi Le had always dreaded the Xianbei; at word of Wenying's approach he abandoned his engines and bolted east. Shao Xu and Wenying chased him to Anling but could not catch him; they took the officials Shi Le had installed, marched off over three thousand families, sent riders to scour his northern marches and sack Changshan, and came back with two thousand more households besides.
4
匹磾既殺劉琨，夷晉多怨叛，遂率其徒依續。 勒南和令趙領等率廣川、渤海千餘家背勒歸續。 而帝以續為平原樂安太守、右將軍、冀州刺史，進平北將軍、假節，封祝阿子。 續遣兄子武邑內史存與文鴦率匹磾眾就食平原，為石季龍所破。 續先與曹嶷互相侵掠，嶷因存等敗，乃破續屯田，又抄其戶口，續首尾相救，疲於奔命。 太興初，續遣存及文鴦屯濟南黃巾固，因以逼嶷，嶷懼，求和。 俄而匹磾率眾攻段末杯，石勒知續孤危，遣季龍乘虛圍續。 季龍騎至城下，掠其居人，續率眾出救，季龍伏騎斷其後，遂為季龍所得，使續降其城。 續呼其兄子竺等曰：「吾志雪國難，以報所受，不幸至此。 汝等努力自勉，便奉匹磾為主，勿有二心。」
Once Duan Pidi had murdered Liu Kun, many Chinese and tribal followers turned against him, so he brought his host to Shao Xu's side. Zhao Ling of Nanhe, serving under Shi Le, led over a thousand families from Guangchuan and Bohai to defect to Shao Xu. The court named him prefect of Pingyuan and Le'an, General of the Right, and inspector of Ji, then promoted him to General Who Pacifies the North with baton of authority and created him viscount of Zhu'e. He dispatched his nephew Cun, Wuyi's interior governor, with Wenying to escort Pidi's people into Pingyuan for supplies; Shi Hu shattered their force. Shao Xu and Cao Yi had long raided one another; after Cun's defeat Yi overran his military farms and seized his people, leaving Shao Xu racing from front to rear until he was worn threadbare. Early in the Taixing era he sent Cun and Wenying to hold the old Yellow Turban stronghold at Jinan and squeeze Cao Yi until Yi sued for peace. Then Pidi marched against Duan Mobo; Shi Le, seeing Shao Xu left exposed, sent Shi Hu to fall on him while his guard was down. Shi Hu rode to the walls and dragged off the townsfolk; Shao Xu sortied to save them, but Hu's hidden horse cut his retreat and took him prisoner, then ordered him to talk the garrison down. He called his nephews Zhu and the rest: "I meant to clear the throne's disgrace and repay every favor the court showed me; fate has brought me here instead. Bear up, every one of you, take Duan Pidi as your chief, and never divide your loyalty."
5
時帝既聞續沒，下詔曰：「邵續忠烈在公，義誠慷慨，綏集荒餘，憂國亡身。 功勳未遂，不幸陷沒，朕用悼恨於懷。 所統任重，宜時有代。 其部曲文武，已共推其息緝為營主。 續之忠誠，著於公私，今立其子，足以安眾，一以續本位即授緝，使總率所統，效節國難，雪其家仇。」
Learning of Shao Xu's fall, the emperor promulgated an edict: "Shao Xu served the realm with blazing loyalty; his sense of duty ran high; he gathered the broken remnants of the north and gave his life for the dynasty. His work was unfinished when disaster swallowed him; I carry sorrow and regret in my breast. The post he held was too grave to stand empty; a successor must be named at once. His staff and troops have together raised his son Ji to lead the camp. His faithfulness shone at court and in the ranks alike; naming his heir will steady the army—invest Ji with every title his father held, let him lead the old command, serve the throne through this ordeal, and wipe away the family's blood-debt."
6
季龍遣使送續於勒，勒使使徐光讓之曰：「國家應符撥亂，八表宅心，遺晉怖威，遠竄揚越。 而續蟻封海阿，跋扈王命，以夷狄不足為君邪？ 何無上之甚也！ 國有常刑，于分甘乎？」 續對曰：「晉末饑亂，奔控無所，保合鄉宗，庶全老幼。 屬大王龍飛之始，委命納質，精誠無感，不蒙慈恕。 言歸遺晉，仍荷寵授，誓盡忠節，實無二心。 且受彼厚榮，而復二三其趣者，恐亦不容于明朝矣。 周文生於東夷，大禹出於西羌，帝王之興，蓋惟天命所屬，德之所招，當何常邪！ 伏惟大王聖武自天，道隆虞夏，凡在含生，孰不延首神化，恥隔皇風，而況囚乎！ 使囚去真即偽，不得早叩天門者，大王負囚，囚不負大王也。 釁鼓之刑，囚之恆分，但恨天實為之，謂之何哉！」 勒曰：「其言慨至，孤愧之多矣。 夫忠於其君者，乃吾所求也。」 命張寶延之於館，厚撫之，尋以為從事中郎。 今自後諸克敵擒俊，皆送之，不得輒害，冀獲如續之流。
Shi Hu sent Shao Xu to Shi Le, who had Xu Guang rebuke him: "Our house holds the mandate and stills turmoil; the world turns to us; the rump Jin tremble and scatter toward the Yangzi and the south. Yet you crouch like ants on a coastal hillock and flout the Son of Heaven—do you imagine that we barbarians are unfit to rule? Never have I seen such contempt for authority! The law has its fixed penalties; will you go to your fate willingly? Shao Xu answered: "When the Jin collapsed in famine and riot there was nowhere to run; I drew my clansmen together only to keep the old and the young alive. At your first rising I offered my life and sent hostages; my good faith never moved you, and I was shown no mercy. When I went back to the Jin they heaped rank on me; I swore the fullest loyalty and never wavered inwardly. Besides, a man who took their lavish favors and then tacked with every wind would find no room even in a clear-sighted court. King Wen sprang from the eastern Yi, Great Yu from the western Qiang—dynasties rise where Heaven places them and virtue calls; what single rule could bind them? I dare say your sacred might is heaven-sent and your virtue outshines Yu and Xia—every living soul longs for your transforming rule and is ashamed to stand outside your breeze—how much more a prisoner in your hands! Should you force me from truth into treachery and bar me from serving the rightful court, the fault will be yours, Great King, not mine. Death on the drum is what any prisoner expects; I only grieve that Heaven willed it so—what more is there to say? Shi Le said, "He speaks from the depths; I am ashamed before him. A man loyal to his sovereign is the very thing I prize." He told Zhang Bao to lodge him with honor, showered him with gifts, and soon named him palace retainer. Henceforth every time you break an enemy and seize a noted leader, bring him here alive—never kill such men on your own; I want more captives with Shao Xu's mettle.
7
初，季龍之攻續也，朝廷有王敦之逼，不遑救恤。 續既為勒所執，身灌園鬻菜，以供衣食。 勒屢遣察之，歎曰； 「此真高人矣。 不如是，安足貴乎！」 嘉其清苦，數賜穀帛。 每臨朝嗟歎，以勵群官。
While Shi Hu besieged Shao Xu, the court was pinned by Wang Dun and could spare no rescue. Once in Shi Le's hands he tended gardens and peddled greens with his own hands to earn his keep. Shi Le sent watchers again and again, then sighed and said: "Here is a man who stands apart from the crowd. Were it otherwise he would not be worth honoring at all!" He admired his austerity and sent grain and cloth time after time. At every audience he praised Shao Xu aloud to steel his ministers.
8
續被獲之後，存及竺、緝等與匹磾嬰城距寇，而帝又假存揚武將軍、武邑太守。 勒屢遣季龍攻之，戰守疲苦，不能自立。 久之，匹磾及其弟文鴦與竺、緝等悉見獲，惟存得潰圍南奔，在道為賊所殺。 續竟亦遇害。
After Shao Xu fell, Cun, Zhu, Ji, and the rest held the walls with Duan Pidi against the foe while the court named Cun General Who Rouses Valor and prefect of Wuyi. Shi Le hurled Shi Hu against them again and again until attack and defense alike broke their strength. In time Pidi, Wenying, Zhu, and Ji were all taken; only Cun burst the ring and ran south, only to die at bandit hands on the road. Shao Xu too was put to death in the end.
9
李矩
Li Ju
10
李矩，字世回，平陽人也。 童齔時，與群兒聚戲，便為其率，計畫指授，有成人之量。 及長，為吏，送故縣令于長安，征西將軍梁王肜以為牙門。 伐氐齊萬年有殊功，封東明亭侯。 還為本郡督護。 太守宋胄欲以所親吳畿代之，矩謝病去。 畿恐矩復還，陰使人刺矩，會有人救之，故得免。 屬劉元海攻平陽，百姓奔走，矩素為鄉人所愛，乃推為塢主，東屯滎陽，後移新鄭。
Li Ju, courtesy Shihui, came from Pingyang. Even as a boy, when he played with neighborhood children he always commanded them, laying plans like a grown man. As a young man he served as a clerk; escorting a former magistrate to Chang'an, he was recruited as a gate guard by Sima Rong, Prince of Liang, the general commanding the western expedition. He won outstanding distinction against the Di rebel Qi Wannian and was created village marquis of Dongming. Back home he became chief of staff of his commandery. Prefect Song Zhou meant to swap him for a favorite, Wu Ji; Li Ju pleaded illness and stepped down. Wu Ji dreaded his return and hired an assassin; a passerby saved him and he lived. When Liu Yuan stormed Pingyang and the people scattered, the locals, who loved Li Ju, made him chief of their fort; he moved east to Xingyang and later shifted to Xinzheng.
11
矩勇毅多權略，志在立功，東海王越以為汝陰太守。 永嘉初，使矩與汝南太守袁孚率眾修洛陽千金堨，以利運漕。 及洛陽不守，太尉荀籓奔陽城，衛將軍華薈奔成皋。 時大饑，賊帥侯都等每略人而食之，籓、薈部曲多為所啖。 矩討都等滅之，乃營護籓、薈，各為立屋宇，輸穀以給之。 及籓承制，建行臺，假矩滎陽太守。 矩招懷離散，遠近多附之。
Bold, resolute, and full of schemes, he burned to make his mark; Prince Donghai, Sima Yue, named him prefect of Ruyin. Early in the Yongjia reign he and Yuan Fu, prefect of Runan, were ordered to restore Luoyang's Qianjin weir for the grain boats. When Luoyang fell, grand commandant Xun Fan ran to Yangcheng and guard general Hua Hui to Chenggao. Famine stalked the land; the outlaw Hou Du and his gang seized people for food, and many of Xun Fan's and Hua Hui's followers were eaten. Li Ju destroyed Hou Du, then sheltered Fan and Hui, building houses for both and sending grain to keep them fed. When Xun Fan took acting authority and raised a field headquarters, he named Li Ju provisional prefect of Xingyang. He called in the displaced and won over people from every quarter.
12
石勒親率大眾襲矩，矩遣老弱入山，令所在散牛馬，因設伏以待之。 賊爭取牛馬。 伏發，齊呼，聲動山谷，遂大破之，斬獲甚眾，勒乃退。 籓表元帝，加矩冠軍將軍，軺車幢蓋，進封陽武縣侯，領河東、平陽太守。 時饑饉相仍，又多疫癘，矩垂心撫恤，百姓賴焉。 會長安群盜東下，所在多虜掠，矩遣部將擊破之，盡得賊所略婦女千餘人。 諸將以非矩所部。 欲遂留之。 矩曰：「俱是國家臣妾，焉有此彼此！」 乃一時遣之。
Shi Le marched in person against him; Li Ju sent the noncombatants into the hills, turned cattle and horses loose across the countryside, and laid a trap. Shi Le's men scrambled to round up the livestock. The ambush sprang; a single roar shook the valleys; Li Ju shattered the army with heavy slaughter and drove Shi Le back. Xun Fan recommended him to Emperor Yuan, who added General Who Crowns the Army, a light chariot with canopy, raised his fief to county marquis of Yangwu, and let him serve jointly as prefect of Hedong and Pingyang. Famine and plague ran together; Li Ju poured his energy into relief, and the people clung to him. When eastern raiders from Chang'an swept through the region, he sent a deputy to crush them and recovered over a thousand women they had taken. His officers argued that these captives were not from his own command. They wanted to keep the women for themselves. Li Ju said, "They are all the emperor's people—how can we draw a line between his household and mine? He sent every one of them home together.
13
時劉琨所假河內太守郭默為劉元海所逼，乞歸於矩，矩將使其甥郭誦迎致之，而不敢進。 會劉琨遣參軍張肇，率鮮卑範勝等五百餘騎往長安，屬默被圍，道路不通，將還依邵續，行至矩營，矩謂肇曰：「默是劉公所授，公家之事，知無不為。」 屠各舊畏鮮卑，遂邀肇為聲援，肇許之。 賊望見鮮卑，不戰而走。 誦潛遣輕舟濟河，使勇士夜襲懷城，掩賊留營，又大破之。 默遂率其屬歸於矩。 後劉聰遣從弟暢步騎三萬討矩，屯于韓王故壘，相去七里，遣使招矩。 時暢卒至，矩未暇為備，遣使奉牛酒詐降於暢，潛匿精勇，見其老弱。 暢不以為虞，大饗渠帥，人皆醉飽。 矩謀夜襲之，兵士以賊眾，皆有懼色。 矩令郭誦禱鄭子產祠曰：「君昔相鄭，惡鳥不鳴。 凶胡臭羯，何得過庭！」 使巫揚言：「東裏有教，當遣神兵相助。」 將士聞之，皆踴躍爭進。 乃使誦及督護楊璋等選勇敢千人，夜掩暢營，獲鎧馬甚多，斬首數千級，暢僅以身免。
Guo Mo, Liu Kun's acting prefect of Henan, was harried by Liu Yuan and begged Li Ju for refuge; Li Ju meant to send his nephew Guo Song to escort him in, but Song hesitated to move. Just then Liu Kun dispatched Zhang Zhao with over five hundred Xianbei horse under Fan Sheng toward Chang'an; blocked by the siege of Guo Mo, they turned back toward Shao Xu and halted at Li Ju's camp. Li Ju told Zhang Zhao, "Guo Mo holds Liu Kun's commission; whatever serves your patron's interest, I will do." The Tuge had always dreaded Xianbei horse, so they waylaid Zhang Zhao and begged him to show a banner of support; Zhao agreed. The besiegers sighted the Xianbei and bolted without offering battle. Guo Song slipped light boats across the river and sent picked men to storm Huai by night, falling on the enemy rear camp and routing them again. Guo Mo then brought his command to Li Ju. Later Liu Cong dispatched his cousin Liu Chang with thirty thousand foot and horse against Li Ju, pitching camp on Han Wang's old fort seven li off, and sent a herald to call Li Ju in. Liu Chang came on too fast for Li Ju to ready a defense, so he sent oxen and wine as a sham surrender while hiding his veterans and parading only the aged and feeble. Liu Chang dropped his guard, threw a great feast for his chiefs, and they all drank themselves full. Li Ju meant to strike by night, but his men blanched at the size of the enemy host. He told Guo Song to pray at Zichan of Zheng's temple: "When you ruled Zheng, ill-omened birds fell silent. What business have murderous Hu and reeking Jie in this court! He set shamans to cry abroad: "The eastern god has spoken—heaven will send warriors to our aid. The troops heard it and surged forward, each man eager to be first. He sent Guo Song with Yang Zhang and other picked men—one thousand bold fighters—to fall on Chang's camp at night. They took stacks of armored horses, heaped up thousands of heads, and Chang alone slipped away alive.
14
先是，郭默聞矩被攻，遣弟芝率眾援之。 既而聞破暢，芝復馳來赴矩。 矩乃與芝馬五百匹，分軍為三道，夜追賊，復大獲而旋。
Before this, Guo Mo had learned that Li Ju was pressed and dispatched his brother Zhi with troops to help. When word came that Chang was broken, Zhi raced back to Li Ju's side. Li Ju handed Zhi five hundred horses, split his force into three night columns, ran the enemy down, and came home laden with spoil.
15
先是，聰使其將趙固鎮洛陽，長史周振與固不協，密陳固罪。 矩之破暢也，帳中得聰書，敕暢平矩訖，過洛陽，收固斬之，便以振代固。 矩送以示固，固即斬振父子，遂率騎一千來降，矩還令守洛。 後數月，聰遣其太子粲率劉雅生等步騎十萬屯孟津北岸，分遣雅生攻趙固於洛。 固奔陽城山，遣弟告急，矩遣郭誦屯洛口以救之。 誦使將張皮簡精卒千人夜渡河。 粲候者告有兵至，粲恃其眾，不以為虞。 既而誦等奄至，十道俱攻，粲眾驚擾，一時奔潰，殺傷太半，因據其營，獲其器械軍資不可勝數。 及旦，粲見皮等人少，更與雅生悉餘眾攻之，苦戰二十餘日不能下。 矩進救之，使壯士三千泛舟迎皮。 賊臨河列陣，作長鉤以鉤船，連戰數日不得渡。 矩夜遣部將格增潛濟入皮壘，與皮選精騎千餘，而殺所獲牛馬，焚燒器械，夜穴圍而出，奔武牢。 聰追之，不及而退。 聰因憤恚，發病而死。 帝嘉其功，除矩都督河南三郡軍事、安西將軍、滎陽太守，封修武縣侯。
Earlier Liu Cong had posted Zhao Gu at Luoyang; Zhou Zhen, Gu's chief of staff, hated him and denounced him in secret to the throne. In the rout of Liu Chang, Li Ju captured an order from Liu Cong telling Chang to finish off Li Ju, then swing through Luoyang, arrest Zhao Gu, put him to death, and install Zhou Zhen in his place. Li Ju forwarded the letter to Zhao Gu, who at once beheaded Zhou Zhen and his sons, rode in with a thousand horse to defect, and was sent back to guard Luoyang. Months later Liu Cong dispatched the crown prince Liu Can with Liu Yasheng and a host of one hundred thousand to the north shore at Mengjin, while Yasheng was sent to strike Zhao Gu in Luoyang. Gu bolted to Yangcheng Mountain and begged for help; Li Ju stationed Guo Song at the Luo estuary to relieve him. Guo Song told Zhang Pi to take a thousand elite men across the Yellow River under cover of dark. Liu Can's pickets reported an approaching force, but he trusted his mass of men and never tightened his guard. Then Guo Song struck from nowhere along ten fronts at once. Liu Can's army panicked and stampeded; over half were cut down. Song seized the camp and cartloads of arms and supplies beyond reckoning. At daybreak Liu Can saw how few Zhang Pi's men were and threw every survivor, with Yasheng, into a siege that ground on for twenty days without success. Li Ju marched to the rescue and floated three thousand picked men downriver to lift Zhang Pi out. The enemy drew up along the bank and rigged long hooks to snare the boats; day after day of fighting still left Li Ju's men unable to cross. Li Ju sent Ge Zeng by night to ford into Zhang Pi's ring; together they took a thousand crack horsemen, slaughtered the draft animals, torched their gear, burrowed through the lines after dark, and broke for Wulao. Liu Cong gave chase but could not catch them and turned back. Liu Cong sickened with fury and died of it. The court commended him, named him area commander for the three Henan commanderies with the titles General Who Pacifies the West and prefect of Xingyang, and created him marquis of Xiuwu.
16
及劉粲嗣位，昏虐日甚，其將靳准乃起兵殺粲，並其宗族，發聰塚，斬其屍，遣使歸矩，稱「劉元海屠各小丑，因大晉事故之際，作亂幽并，矯稱天命，至令二帝幽沒虜庭。 輒率眾扶侍梓宮，因請上聞」。 矩馳表於帝，帝遣太常韓胤等奉迎梓宮，未至而准已為石勒、劉曜所沒。 矩以眾少不足立功，每慷慨憤歎。 及帝踐阼，以為都督司州諸軍事、司州刺史，改封平陽縣侯，將軍如故。 時弘農太守尹安、振威將軍宋始等四軍並屯洛陽，各相疑阻，莫有固志。 矩、默各遣千騎至洛以鎮之。 安等乃同謀告石勒，勒遣石生率騎五千至洛陽，矩、默軍皆退還。 俄而四將復背勒，遣使乞迎，默又遣步卒五百人入洛。 石生以四將相謀，不能自安，乃虜宋始一軍，渡河而南。 百姓相率歸矩，於是洛中遂空。 矩乃表郭誦為揚武將軍、陽翟令，阻水築壘，且耕且守，為滅賊之計。 屬趙固死，石生遣騎襲誦，誦多計略，賊至，輒設伏破之，虜掠無所得。 生怒，又自率四千餘騎暴掠諸縣，因攻誦壘，接戰須臾，退軍堮阪。 誦率勁勇五百追及生於磐脂故亭，又大破之。 矩以誦功多，表加赤幢曲蓋，封吉陽亭侯。
Under Liu Can the throne turned ever more vicious and depraved until Jin Zhun mutinied, slaughtered Can and his kin, rifled Liu Cong's grave, mutilated the dead emperor's body, and wrote Li Ju that "Liu Yuan, that Tuge chieftain, used the Jin's collapse to riot through You and Bing while pretending to a mandate, leaving both our emperors rotting in alien hands, and I now march the army to escort the late emperors' catafalques and beg you to lay this before the Son of Heaven." Li Ju sent a flying memorial; the court dispatched Han Yin and others to meet the hearses, but before they arrived Jin Zhun had been crushed by Shi Le and Liu Yao. His force was too slight to win lasting fame, and he often broke into bitter, helpless sighs. At the new emperor's accession Li Ju became area commander for Si province and its inspector, traded his title for marquis of Pingyang county, and kept his old general's rank. Hongnong prefect Yin An, Song Shi the General Who Rouses Might, and two other columns all camped at Luoyang, eyeing one another with suspicion and no stomach for a stand. Li Ju and Guo Mo each detached a thousand riders to steady the garrison. Yin An and his fellows then jointly tipped off Shi Le, who sent Shi Sheng with five thousand horse; Li Ju and Guo Mo both pulled their men back. Before long the four commanders turned on Shi Le again, begged for rescue, and Guo Mo pushed another five hundred foot into the city. Shi Sheng, unnerved by their collusion, seized Song Shi's whole command, forded south, and quit the city. The townspeople streamed to Li Ju until Luoyang stood hollow. He then recommended Guo Song for General Who Rouses Might and magistrate of Yangzhai, had him throw up dikes and forts along the water, plow and hold the line, and starve the enemy out. When Zhao Gu died, Shi Sheng sent raiders against Guo Song, who was never short of tricks—each attack walked into an ambush and came away empty-handed. Furious, Shi Sheng led over four thousand horse on a sweep of the countryside, then stormed Guo Song's walls; after a short clash he drew off to the Eban ridge. Guo Song took five hundred of his best fighters, ran Shi Sheng down at the old Panczhi post station, and thrashed him again. Li Ju cited Guo Song's heavy service and won him a crimson command canopy plus village marquis of Jiyang.
17
郭默欲侵祖約，矩禁之不可，遂為約所破。 石勒遣其養子匆襲默，默懼後患未已，將降于劉曜，遣參軍鄭雄詣矩謀之，矩距而不許。 後勒遣其將石良率精兵五千襲矩，矩逆擊不利。 郭誦弟元復為賊所執，賊遣元以書說矩曰：「去年東平曹嶷，西賓猗盧，矩如牛角，何不歸命？」 矩以示誦，誦曰：「昔王陵母在賊，猶不改意，弟當何論！」 勒復遺誦麈尾馬鞭，以示殷勤，誦不答。 勒將石生屯洛陽，大掠河南，矩、默大饑，默因復說矩降曜。 矩既為石良所破,遂從默計，遣使於曜。 曜遣從弟岳軍于河陰，欲與矩謀攻石生。 勒遣將圍岳，嶽閉門不敢出。 默後為石匆所敗，自密南奔建康。 矩聞之大怒，遣其將郭誦等齎書與默，又敕誦曰：「汝識脣亡之談不？ 迎接郭默，皆由於卿，臨難逃走，其必留之。」 誦追及襄城，默自知負矩，棄妻子而遁。 誦擁其餘眾而歸，矩待其妻子如初。 劉嶽以外援不至，降于石季龍。
Guo Mo meant to strike Zu Yue; Li Ju forbade it but could not hold him, and Mo was shattered. Shi Le dispatched his foster son Shi Cong against him; dreading an endless vendetta, Guo Mo prepared to go over to Liu Yao and sent Zheng Xiong to sound Li Ju out, but Li Ju turned him down flat. Later Shi Le sent Shi Liang with five thousand veterans against Li Ju, who met them head-on and lost. The enemy captured Guo Song's brother Yuan and sent him with a letter: "Eastward you feuded with Cao Yi of Dongping, westward you leaned on Yilu—you stand between them like a cow's horn—why not bend the knee? Li Ju showed Guo Song the letter. Song answered, "Wang Ling kept his loyalty even when his mother was hostage—why should a brother weigh more? Shi Le followed with a flywhisk and whip as gifts of courtesy; Guo Song never answered. While Shi Sheng held Luoyang and stripped Henan bare, Li Ju and Guo Mo starved, and Mo again talked of defecting to Liu Yao. Broken by Shi Liang, Li Ju yielded to Guo Mo and sent feelers to Liu Yao. Liu Yao posted his cousin Liu Yue on the north bank at Heyin to concert with Li Ju a strike on Shi Sheng. Shi Le ringed Liu Yue with troops; Liu Yue shut his gates and refused to sortie. Guo Mo was later beaten by Shi Cong and ran south from Mi toward Jiankang. Li Ju, hearing of it, flew into a rage. He sent Guo Song with a letter for Guo Mo and warned him, "Have you forgotten how teeth and lips fall together? You alone talked me into sheltering Guo Mo; when danger came you bolted and abandoned him. Guo Song overtook him at Xiangcheng; knowing he had betrayed Li Ju, Guo Mo deserted his family and ran. Guo Song rounded up the stragglers and marched home; Li Ju sheltered Guo Mo's wife and children as before. With no relief column coming, Liu Yue yielded to Shi Hu.
18
矩所統將士有陰欲歸勒者，矩知之而不能討，乃率眾南走，將歸朝廷，眾皆道亡，惟郭誦及參軍郭方，功曹張景，主簿苟遠，將軍騫韜、江霸、梁志、司馬尚、季弘、李瑰、段秀等百餘人棄家送矩。 至於魯陽縣，矩墜馬卒，葬襄陽之峴山。
Some of Li Ju's men were slipping away to Shi Le; he saw it but dared not purge them, so he struck south for the capital. The army melted away on the march until only Guo Song, Guo Fang, Zhang Jing, Gou Yuan, Qian Tao, Jiang Ba, Liang Zhi, Sima Shang, Ji Hong, Li Gui, Duan Xiu, and a hundred-odd loyalists forsook home to stay with him. At Luyang he was thrown from his horse and died; they laid him on Xian Hill outside Xiangyang.
19
段匹磾
Duan Pidi
20
段匹磾，東部鮮卑人也。 種類勁健，世為大人。 父務勿塵，遣軍助東海王越征討有功，王浚表為親晉王，封遼西公，嫁女與務勿塵，以結鄰援。 懷帝即位，以務勿塵為大單于，匹磾為左賢王，率眾助國征討，假撫軍大將軍。 務勿塵死，弟涉復辰以務勿塵子疾陸眷襲號。
Duan Pidi belonged to the eastern branch of the Xianbei. His people were fierce horsemen who for generations had ruled as chieftains. His father Wuwuchen had sent warriors to fight beside Prince Donghai Sima Yue; Wang Jun had him titled the Jin-allied king, created duke of Liaoxi, and married him a daughter to seal the frontier pact. Emperor Huai named Wuwuchen grand chanyu and Pidi left worthy king, brought their tribes in on imperial campaigns, and gave Pidi the acting title grand general who comforts the army. When Wuwuchen died, his brother Shefuchen installed Wuwuchen's son Jilujuan as heir.
21
劉曜逼洛陽，王浚遣督護王昌等率疾陸眷及弟文鴦、從弟末杯攻石勒于襄國。 勒敗還壘，末杯追入壘門，為勒所獲。 勒質末杯，遣使求和于疾陸眷，疾陸眷將許之，文鴦諫曰：「受命討勒，寧以末杯一人，故縱成擒之冠？ 既失浚意，且有後憂，必不可許。」 疾陸眷不聽，以鎧馬二百五十匹、金銀各一簏贈末杯。 勒歸之，又厚以金寶采絹報疾陸眷。 疾陸眷令文鴦與石季龍同盟，約為兄弟，遂引騎還。 昌等不能獨守，亦還。
As Liu Yao closed on Luoyang, Wang Jun dispatched Wang Chang to lead Jilujuan, Wenying, and Mobo against Shi Le at Xiangguo. Shi Le fell back to his ramparts; Mobo chased through the gate and was taken alive. Shi Le held Mobo hostage and sued for peace; Jilujuan was ready to agree when Wenying objected: "We were ordered to crush Shi Le—would you loose a cornered prey for one man? You would forfeit Wang Jun's trust and court future peril—this must not be allowed. Jilujuan refused the counsel and sent two hundred fifty barded horses plus baskets of gold and silver to buy Mobo back. Shi Le released him and heaped gold, gems, and brocades on Jilujuan in return. Jilujuan had Wenying swear brotherhood with Shi Hu and then marched his cavalry home. Wang Chang could not hold the field alone and withdrew as well.
22
建武初，匹磾推劉琨為大都督，結盟討勒，並檄涉復辰、疾陸眷、末杯等三面俱集襄國，琨、匹磾進屯固安，以候眾軍。 勒懼，遣間使厚賂末杯。 然末杯既思報其舊恩，且因匹磾在外，欲襲奪其國，乃間匹磾於涉復辰、疾陸眷曰：「以父兄而從子弟邪？ 雖一旦有功，匹磾獨收之矣。」 涉復辰等以為然，引軍而還。 匹磾亦止。 會疾陸眷病死，匹磾自薊奔喪，至於右北平。 末杯宣言匹磾將篡，出軍擊敗之。 末杯遂害涉復辰及其子弟黨與二百餘人，自立為單于。
Early in the Jianwu era Pidi raised Liu Kun to supreme commander, forged a league against Shi Le, and called Shefuchen, Jilujuan, and Mobo to converge on Xiangguo from three directions while he and Liu Kun camped at Gu'an to wait for them. Shi Le, alarmed, slipped Mobo a heavy bribe through a covert messenger. Mobo meant both to repay an old debt and, with Pidi away, to seize his domain; he whispered to Shefuchen and Jilujuan, "Why should fathers and uncles take orders from sons and nephews? Even if the day brings victory, Pidi alone will pocket the glory. Shefuchen and his kin thought him right and marched home. Pidi too stopped in his tracks. When Jilujuan died, Pidi raced from Ji to the funeral and reached Youbeiping. Mobo accused Pidi of plotting usurpation, took the field, and broke his force. He then slaughtered Shefuchen, over two hundred sons and followers, and declared himself chanyu.
23
及王浚敗，匹磾領幽州刺史，劉琨自并州依之，復與匹磾結盟，俱討石勒。 匹磾復為末杯所敗，士眾離散，懼琨圖己，遂害之，於是晉人離散矣。 匹磾不能自固，北依邵續，末杯又攻敗之。 匹磾被瘡，謂續曰：「吾夷狄慕義，以至破家，君若不忘舊要，與吾進討，君之惠也。」 續曰：「賴公威德，續得效節。 今公有難，豈敢不俱！」 遂並力追末杯，斬獲略盡。 又令文鴦北討末杯弟于薊城，及還，去城八十里，聞續已沒，眾懼而散，復為石季龍所遮，文鴦以其親兵數百人力戰破之，始得入城。 季龍復抄城下，文鴦登城臨見，欲出擊之，匹磾不許。 文鴦曰：「我以勇聞，故百姓杖我。 見人被略而不救，非丈夫也。 令眾失望，誰復為我致死乎！」 遂將壯士數十騎出戰，殺胡甚多。 遇馬乏，伏不能起。 季龍呼曰：「大兄與我俱是戎狄，久望共同。 天不違願，今日相見，何故復戰？ 請釋杖。」 文鴦罵曰：「汝為寇虐，久應合死，吾兄不用吾計，故令汝得至此，吾寧死，不為汝擒。」 遂下馬苦戰，槊折，執刀力戰不已。 季龍軍四面解馬羅披自鄣，前捉文鴦。 文鴦戰自辰至申，力極而後被執。 城內大懼。
After Wang Jun's fall Pidi became inspector of You; Liu Kun came down from Bing to lean on him, and the two renewed their pact against Shi Le. Pidi lost again to Mobo and his army melted away; dreading Liu Kun's designs, he murdered him, and the Chinese followers drifted away. Unable to stand alone, Pidi fled north to Shao Xu; Mobo struck him once more and broke him. Wounded, Pidi told Shao Xu, "We steppe folk clung to honor until our houses were ruined; if you still honor our old pledge and march with me against the foe, you will do me the greatest kindness. Shao Xu replied, "It was your prestige that let me serve the throne at all. Now you are in peril—how could I hang back? They joined forces, ran Mobo down, and killed or captured almost every man. He sent Wenying north against Mobo's brother at Ji; on the way back, eighty li from the walls, word came that Shao Xu had fallen—the army panicked and broke. Shi Hu barred the road, but Wenying cut through with a few hundred household guards and fought his way inside. Shi Hu raided the suburbs again; Wenying mounted the wall, itching to sortie, but Pidi forbade it. Wenying said, "My name is courage—the people lean on me for that. To watch folk dragged away and do nothing is unworthy of a man. If the army loses heart, who will die for me again? He led several dozen picked horsemen out and piled Hu corpses high. His mount gave out and threw him; he could not remount. Shi Hu shouted, "We are both steppe men; I have long wanted us on the same side. Heaven grants the meeting—why trade blows now? Drop your lance. Wenying snarled back, "You have ravaged like a wolf and earned death a hundred times; my brother spurned my counsel and let you come this far—I will die before I let you take me. He leapt down to fight on foot; his spear snapped, so he seized a knife and kept slashing. Shi Hu's men ringed him with horse ropes and leather screens, then closed to seize him. He fought from dawn past noon until strength failed and they took him. Panic swept the walls.
24
匹磾欲單騎歸朝，續弟樂安內史洎協兵，不許，洎復欲執臺使王英送于季龍，匹磾正色責之曰：「卿不能遵兄之志，逼吾不得歸朝，亦以甚矣，復欲執天子使者，我雖胡素，所未聞也。」 因謂英曰：「匹磾世受重恩，不忘忠孝。 今日事逼，欲歸罪朝廷，而見逼迫，忠款不遂。 若得假息，未死之日，心不忘本。」 遂渡黃河南。 匹磾著朝服，持節，賓從出見季龍曰：「我受國恩，志在滅汝。 不幸吾國自亂，以至於此。 既不能死，又不能為汝敬也。」 勒及季龍素與匹磾結為兄弟，季龍起而拜之。 匹磾到襄國，又不為勒禮，常著朝服，持晉節。 經年，國中謀推匹磾為主，事露，被害。 文鴦亦遇鴆而死，惟末波存焉。 及死，弟牙立。 牙死，其後從祖就陸眷之孫遼立。
Duan Pidi meant to ride alone to the Jin court, but Shao Xu's brother Ji, interior governor of Le'an, mobilized troops and barred the way; Ji even meant to seize imperial envoy Wang Ying and hand him to Shi Hu. Pidi rebuked him coldly: "You refuse your brother's purpose and block me from the capital—that is bad enough; now you would lay hands on the emperor's messenger. I am a barbarian by blood, yet even I have never heard the like. Turning to Wang Ying he said, "My house has eaten the Jin's bounty for generations; we have not forgotten loyalty or duty. Circumstances drive me now—I would lay my guilt before the throne, yet I am hemmed in until my good faith cannot reach it. If I gain a little breathing space, I shall not forget where I came from while I still draw breath. He then forded the Yellow River to the south. In full court dress, baton in hand, he stepped out with his train to face Shi Hu and said, "The dynasty favored me; I meant to destroy you. My own people tore themselves apart until we came to this pass. I can neither die a clean death nor bow to you. Shi Le and Shi Hu had once sworn brotherhood with him; Shi Hu rose and bowed. At Xiangguo he still refused to humble himself before Shi Le, going about in Jin court dress with the Jin baton in hand. A year later a plot to make him ruler came to light and he was executed. Wenying too was poisoned; only Mobo was left alive. When Mobo died, his brother Ya inherited. Ya's death left the chieftaincy to Liao, a grandson of the Jiulujuan branch.
25
自務勿塵已後，值晉喪亂，自稱位號，據有遼西之地，而臣禦晉人。 其地西盡幽州，東界遼水。 然所統胡晉可三萬餘家，控弦可四五萬騎，而與石季龍遞相侵掠，連兵不息，竟為季龍所破，徙其遺黎數萬家于司雍之地。 其子蘭復聚兵，與季龍為患久之。 及石氏之亡，末波之子勤鳩集胡羯得萬餘人，保枉人山，自稱趙王，附于慕容俊。 俄為冉閔所敗，徙於繹幕，僭即尊號。 俊遣慕容恪擊之，勤懼而降。
From Wuwuchen's day through the Jin collapse they styled themselves kings, held western Liaoxi, and governed their Chinese subjects in feudal order. Their realm ran west to the edge of You and east to the Liao River. They counted some thirty thousand Hu and Chinese households and forty or fifty thousand archers on horseback, yet they skirmished endlessly with Shi Hu until he broke them and deported tens of thousands of survivors into Si and Yong. His son Lan rallied another army and plagued Shi Hu for years. After the Shi fell, Mobo's son Qin mustered over ten thousand Hu and Jie on Mount Wangren, declared himself king of Zhao, and submitted to Murong Jun. Ran Min soon broke him and drove him to Yimu, where he claimed the imperial style. Murong Jun sent Murong Ke against him; Qin yielded in terror.
26
魏浚
Wei Jun
27
魏浚，東郡東阿人也，寓居關中。 初為雍州小吏，河間王顒敗亂之際，以為武威將軍。 後為度支校尉，有幹用。 永嘉末，與流人數百家東保河陰之硤石。 時京邑荒儉，浚劫掠得穀麥，獻之懷帝，帝以為揚威將軍、平陽太守，度支如故。 以亂不之官。 及洛陽陷，屯於洛北石梁塢，撫養遺眾，漸修軍器。 其附賊者，皆先解喻，說大晉運數靈長，行已建立，歸之者甚眾。 其有恃遠不從命者，遣將討之，服從而已，不加侵暴。 於是遠近感悅，繈負至者漸眾。 劉琨承制，假浚河南尹。 時太尉荀籓建行臺在密縣，浚詣籓諮謀軍事，籓甚悅，要李矩同會。 矩將夜赴之，矩官屬以浚不可信，不宜夜往。 矩曰：「忠臣同心，將何疑乎！」 及會，客主盡歎，浚因與矩相結而去。 劉曜忌浚得眾，率眾軍圍之。 劉演、郭默遣軍來救，曜分兵逆于河北，乃伏兵深隱處，以邀演、默軍，大破之，盡虜演等騎。 浚夜遁走，為曜所得，遂死之。 追贈平西將軍。 族子該領其眾。
Wei Jun came from Dong'e in the eastern commandery but had settled in Guanzhong. He began as a minor clerk in Yong; amid Prince Hejian Sima Yong's defeat he was named General Who Displays Might. He rose to commissary colonel and proved capable in office. Late in the Yongjia era he led several hundred refugee families east to hold the Xiashi defile north of the river. The capital was starving; Wei Jun seized grain and sent it to Emperor Huai, who named him General Who Rouses Might and prefect of Pingyang while keeping him on supply duty. The chaos kept him from taking his post. After Luoyang fell he built a fort on the stone bridge north of the river, gathered survivors, and slowly rebuilt an arsenal. To those who had served the rebels he preached that the great Jin still enjoyed Heaven's favor and a new emperor already sat on the throne; multitudes came back. Defiant holdouts he chastised by arms, then stopped the moment they yielded, without needless cruelty. Word spread, and refugees with children on their backs streamed to him. Liu Kun in plenipotentiary orders made him acting metropolitan governor of Henan. Grand commandant Xun Fan had a field headquarters at Mi; Wei Jun rode there to plan strategy. Fan was delighted and asked Li Ju to join the council. Li Ju meant to travel by night, but his staff said Wei Jun was untrustworthy and a night ride unwise. Li Ju answered, "Loyal men share one mind—what is there to fear!" At the meeting host and guests were moved alike; Wei Jun and Li Ju swore friendship and parted. Liu Yao, jealous of his following, brought an army to besiege him. Liu Yan and Guo Mo sent relief, but Liu Yao split a force to block the north bank, laid an ambush in rough country, shattered the column, and took every horseman of Yan's command. Wei Jun slipped away at night, fell into Liu Yao's hands, and died there. The court posthumously named him General Who Pacifies the West. His kinsman Wei Gai took command of the remnant.
29
族子該
Kinsman Wei Gai
30
=該一名亥，本僑居京兆陰磐。 河間王顒之伐趙王倫，以該為將兵都尉。 及劉曜攻洛陽，隨浚赴難，先領兵守金墉城，故得無他。 曜引去，餘眾依之。
Wei Gai was also called Hai and had lived as a sojourner at Yinpan in Jingzhao. When Prince Hejian marched against Prince Zhao, Sima Lun, he named Wei Gai colonel of troops. During Liu Yao's siege of Luoyang he rode with Wei Jun to the rescue and held the Metal Moat first, so the line held. When Liu Yao drew off, the survivors rallied to him.
31
時杜預子尹為弘農太守，屯宜陽界一泉塢，數為諸賊所抄掠。 尹要該共距之，該遣其將馬瞻將三百人赴尹。 瞻知其無備，夜襲尹殺之，迎該據塢。 塢人震懼，並服從之。 乃與李炬、郭默相結以距賊。 荀籓即以該為武威將軍，統城西雍涼人，使討劉曜。 元帝承制，加冠軍將軍、河東太守。 督護河東、河南、平陽三郡。
Du Yu's son Yin held Hongnong from the Yiquan fort on the Yiyang border and suffered repeated bandit raids. Du Yin called on Wei Gai for help; Gai sent Ma Zhan with three hundred men. Ma Zhan saw the garrison was slack, stormed it by night, murdered Du Yin, and installed Wei Gai in the fort. The defenders were terrified into submission. He then allied with Li Ju and Guo Mo against the rebels. Xun Fan at once named him General Who Displays Might over the western Yong and Liang communities and sent him against Liu Yao. Emperor Yuan in acting authority added General Who Crowns the Army and prefect of Hedong. He was given staff authority over Hedong, Henan, and Pingyang.
32
曜嘗攻李矩，該破之。 及矩將迎郭默，該遣軍助之，又與河南尹任愔相連結。 後漸饑弊，曜寇日至，欲率眾南徙，眾不從，該遂單騎走至南陽。 帝又以為前鋒都督、平北將軍、雍州刺史。 馬瞻率該餘眾降曜。 曜徵發既苦，瞻又驕虐，部曲遣使呼該，該密往赴之，其眾殺瞻而納該。 該遷於新野，率眾助周訪討平杜曾，詔以該為順陽太守。
When Liu Yao struck Li Ju, Wei Gai broke his attack. He sent troops to help Li Ju escort Guo Mo and joined Henan governor Ren Yin. Starvation and Liu Yao's daily raids wore them down; when Wei Gai tried to move the army south, the men refused, and he fled alone to Nanyang. The court named him vanguard commander, General Who Pacifies the North, and inspector of Yong. Ma Zhan led what was left of his force to Liu Yao. Liu Yao's conscriptions had crushed the men, and Ma Zhan ruled them with cruelty until his officers secretly called Wei Gai back; they killed Ma Zhan and restored Gai. He withdrew to Xinye, marched with Zhou Fang to crush Du Zeng, and was enfeoffed prefect of Shunyang.
33
王敦之反也，梁州刺史甘卓不從，欲觀該去就，試以敦旨動之。 該曰：「我本去賊，惟忠於國。 今王公舉兵向天子，非吾所宜與也。」 遂距而不應。 及蘇峻反，率眾救臺，軍次石頭，受陶侃節度。 峻未平，該病篤還屯，卒於道，葬于武陵。 從子雄統其眾。
When Wang Dun rose, Gan Zhuo of Liang province stayed neutral and sounded Wei Gai with a forged order from Dun. Wei Gai replied, "I left the rebels to serve the throne alone. Now a prince marches on the emperor—nothing could make me take his part. He refused outright. When Su Jun mutinied he brought his men to relieve the palace, halted at Stone City, and served under Tao Kan. Su Jun was still in the field when Wei Gai, mortally ill, turned for his camp, died on the march, and was buried at Wuling. His nephew Wei Xiong inherited the command.
34
郭默
Guo Mo
35
郭默，河內懷人。 少微賤，以壯勇事太守裴整，為督將。 永嘉之亂，默率遺眾自為塢主，以漁舟抄東歸行旅，積年遂致巨富，流人依附者漸眾。 撫循將士，甚得其歡心。 默婦兄同郡陸嘉取官米數石餉妹，默以為違制，將殺嘉，嘉懼，奔石勒。 默乃自射殺婦，以明無私。 遣使謁劉琨，琨加默河內太守。 劉元海遣從子曜討默，曜列三屯圍之，欲使餓死。 默送妻子為質，並請糴焉，糴畢，設守。 曜怒，沈默妻子于河而攻之。 默遣弟芝求救于劉琨，琨知默狡猾，留之而緩其救。 默更遣人告急。 會芝出城浴馬，使強與俱歸。 默乃遣芝質于石勒，勒以默多詐，封默書與劉曜。 默使人伺得勒書，便突圍投李矩。 後與矩並力距劉、石，事見矩傳。
Guo Mo came from Huai in Henan. Born poor, he won a place through sheer nerve as a staff commander under Prefect Pei Zheng. When Yongjia tore the realm apart he made himself lord of a river fort, robbed eastbound travelers from boats, grew rich over the years, and drew a swelling crowd of refugees. He knew how to handle his soldiers and kept their loyalty. His brother-in-law Lu Jia stole a few sacks of government grain for Mo's wife; Mo called it a capital offense. Lu Jia ran to Shi Le for his life. To prove his impartiality he shot his own wife dead. He sent envoys to Liu Kun, who named him prefect of Henan. Liu Yuan sent Liu Yao against him; Yao ringed him with three camps and tried to starve him out. He handed over his family as hostages, bought grain, then threw up defenses the moment the grain was in. Liu Yao, furious, drowned his hostages and stormed the fort. Guo Mo sent his brother Zhi to Liu Kun for help; Kun, knowing Mo's cunning, held Zhi back and slow-walked the relief. Mo sent fresh pleas for aid. When Zhi rode outside to water the horses, Mo had him seized and dragged back in. Mo then sent Zhi as hostage to Shi Le, who distrusted Mo and forwarded his letter sealed to Liu Yao. Mo's agents intercepted Shi Le's packet; he burst the siege and fled to Li Ju. He later fought Liu Yao and the Shi alongside Li Ju, as told in Li Ju's biography.
36
太興初，除潁川太守。 默與石匆戰敗，矩轉蹙弱，默深憂懼，解印授其參軍殷嶠，謂之曰：「李使君遇吾甚厚，今遂棄去，無顏謝之，三日可白吾去也。」 乃奔陽翟。 矩聞之，大怒，遣其將郭誦追默，至襄城，及之。 默棄家人，單馬馳去。 默至京都，明帝授征虜將軍。 劉遐卒，以默為北中郎將、監淮北軍事、假節。 遐故部曲李龍等謀反，詔默與右衛將軍趙胤討平之。
Early in Taixing he was named prefect of Yingchuan. Beaten by Shi Cong while Li Ju weakened, Guo Mo panicked, handed his seal to Yin Yao, and said, "Li Ju has been generous; I cannot face him if I slip away—announce my flight in three days. He bolted for Yangzhai. Li Ju, enraged, sent Guo Song after him and ran him down at Xiangcheng. Guo Mo abandoned his family and galloped off alone. At the capital Emperor Ming named him General Who Punishes Captives. After Liu Xia died he became north camp general of the guard, supervisor of Huai defense, with baton of authority. Liu Xia's old followers Li Long and others plotted revolt; the court ordered Guo Mo and Zhao Yin of the right guard to crush them.
37
朝廷將征蘇峻，懼其為亂，召默拜後將軍，領屯騎校尉。 初戰有功，及六軍敗績，南奔。 郗鑒議于曲阿北大業裏作壘，以分賊勢，使默守之。 峻遣韓晁等攻默甚急，壘中頗乏水，默懼，分人馬出外，乃潛從南門蕩出，留人堅守。 會峻死，圍解，徵為右軍將軍。
When the court moved against Su Jun it feared Guo Mo might stir trouble, so it summoned him as rear general and colonel of the camp cavalry. He fought well at first, but when the imperial host collapsed he ran south. Xi Jian proposed a fort north of Qu'a at Daye to split Su Jun's strength and put Guo Mo in charge of it. Su Jun sent Han Mian to hammer the fort; water ran low and Guo Mo panicked—he slipped part of his force outside, then broke out the south gate under cover while leaving a rear guard. When Su Jun died the ring broke, and Guo Mo was recalled as general of the right army.
38
默樂為邊將，不願宿衛，及赴召，謂平南將軍劉胤曰：「我能禦胡而不見用。 右軍主禁兵，若疆場有虞，被使出征，方始配給，將卒無素，恩信不著，以此臨敵，少有不敗矣。 時當為官擇才，若人臣自擇官，安得不亂乎」胤曰：「所論事雖然，非小人所及也。」 當發，求資於胤。 時胤被詔免官，不即歸罪，方自申理，而驕侈更甚，遠近怪之。
Guo Mo preferred life on the border to palace duty. When the summons came he told General Who Pacifies the South, Liu Yin, "I can hold the steppe line yet the court will not use me. The general of the right leads the household guards: if the frontier flares, he is sent out on the spur of the moment, given troops he has never led—no bond of trust—and that is how he meets the enemy. Small wonder he almost always loses. The court should pick the man for the post, not the man the post. Let every officer choose his own job and the realm falls to ruin." Liu Yin answered, "You speak truth, but such things are above my station. As he prepared to leave he hit Liu Yin for travel money. Liu Yin had been dismissed but stayed on to plead his case, all the while living more arrogantly than ever; people talked from every quarter.
39
初，默之被征距蘇峻也，下次尋陽，見胤，胤參佐張滿等輕默，倮露視之，默常切齒。 至是，胤臘日餉默酒一器，肫一頭，默對信投之水中，忿憤益甚。 又僑人蓋肫先略取祖煥所殺孔煒女為妻，煒家求之，張滿等使還其家，肫不與，因與胤、滿有隙。 至是，肫謂默曰：「劉江州不受免，密有異圖，與長史司馬張滿、荀楷等日夜計謀，反逆已形，惟忌郭侯一人，-{云}-當先除郭侯而後起事。 禍將至矣，宜深備之。」 默既懷恨，便率其徒候旦門開襲胤。 胤將吏欲距默，默呴之曰：「我被詔有所討，動者誅及三族。」 遂入至內寢。 胤尚與妾臥，默牽下斬之。 出取胤僚佐張滿、荀楷等，誣以大逆。 傳胤首于京師，詐作詔書，宜視內外。 掠胤女及諸妾，並金寶還船。 初-{云}-下都，俄而還，停胤故府，招桓宣、王愆期。 愆期懼逼，勸默為平南、江州，默從之。 愆期因逃廬山，桓宣固守不應。
When Guo Mo had first marched against Su Jun, he stopped at Xunyang and met Liu Yin; Zhang Man and other staffers sneered at him and made a public spectacle of his shame. Guo Mo never forgot it. On the year-end la festival Liu Yin sent wine and a salted shank; Guo Mo had the courier watch as he flung the gifts into the river, his hatred sharper than ever. The refugee Gai Tun had earlier seized Kong Wei's daughter—Kong Wei murdered by Zu Huan—and made her his wife. Her kin demanded her back; Zhang Man forced Tun to release her, but Tun refused, which set him against Liu Yin and Zhang Man. Then Tun told Guo Mo, "Liu Yin of Jiangzhou ignores his recall and plots treason with Zhang Man, Xun Kai, and the rest day and night. The thing is ripe; he only fears you, Lord Guo—word is he means to kill you first, then move. Ruin is at hand; you must brace for it. Burning with old grudges, Guo Mo brought his men to the yamen gates at dawn and stormed Liu Yin. Liu Yin's officers meant to fight; Guo Mo roared that he carried an imperial warrant—anyone who moved would die with three degrees of kin. He pushed through to the private chambers. Liu Yin was still abed with a concubine; Guo Mo dragged him out and struck off his head. He seized Zhang Man, Xun Kai, and the rest of Liu Yin's staff on trumped-up charges of treason. He shipped Liu Yin's head to the capital, forged an edict, and had it read aloud inside and out. He looted Liu Yin's daughters, concubines, and treasure and withdrew to his fleet. He first announced a descent on the capital, then doubled back, occupied Liu Yin's old yamen, and called in Huan Xuan and Wang Yanqi. Wang Yanqi, afraid of being cornered, talked Guo Mo into claiming the titles General Who Pacifies the South and governor of Jiangzhou, and Mo agreed. Wang Yanqi bolted to Mount Lu while Huan Xuan shut his gates and refused the summons.
40
司徒王導懼不可制，乃大赦天下，梟胤首於大航，以默為西中郎將、豫州刺史。 武昌太守鄧岳馳白太尉陶侃，侃聞之，投袂起曰：「此必詐也。」 即日率眾討默，上疏陳默罪惡。 導聞之，乃收胤首，詔庾亮助侃討默。 默欲南據豫章，而侃已至城下築土山以臨之。 諸軍大集，圍之數重。 侃惜默驍勇，欲活之，遣郭誦見默，默許降，而默將張醜、宋侯等恐為侃所殺，故致進退，不時得出。 攻之轉急，宋侯遂縛默求降，即斬於軍門，同黨死者四十人，傳首京師。
Wang Dao, fearing he could not contain him, proclaimed a general amnesty, spiked Liu Yin's head on the Great Floating Bridge, and named Guo Mo west camp general of the guard and inspector of Yu province. Deng Yue of Wuchang raced word to Tao Kan, who flung down his robe and cried, "This is a lie. That very day he marched against Guo Mo and memorialized every crime. Wang Dao, hearing this, recovered Liu Yin's head and ordered Yu Liang to join Tao Kan against Guo Mo. Guo Mo meant to slip south into Yuzhang, but Tao Kan was already below the walls throwing up siege mounds. Imperial columns ringed him layer on layer. Tao Kan admired Guo Mo's valor and meant to spare him; he sent Guo Song to treat for surrender. Guo Mo agreed, but Zhang Chou, Song Hou, and other officers feared Tao Kan would slaughter them, so they stalled and would not yield. As the assault tightened, Song Hou bound Guo Mo and offered capitulation; Tao Kan had him beheaded at the camp gate along with forty accomplices, and sent the head to the capital.
41
【史評】
Historian's appraisal
42
史臣曰：邵、李、魏、郭等諸將，契闊喪亂之辰，驅馳戎馬之際，威懷足以容眾，勇略足以制人，乃保據危城，折沖千里，招集義勇，抗禦仇讎，雖艱阻備嘗，皆乃心王室。 而矩能以少擊眾，戰勝獲多，遂使玄明憤恚，世龍挫衄。 惜其寡弱，功虧一簣。 方之數子，其最優乎！ 默既拔跡危亡，參陪朝伍，忿因眥睚，禍及誅夷，非夫狂悖，豈宜至此！ 段匹磾本自遐方，而系心朝廷，始則盡忠國難，終乃抗節虜廷，自蘇子卿以來，一人而已。 越石之見誅段氏，實以威名； 匹磾之取戮世龍，亦由眾望：禍福之應，何其速哉！ 《詩》云：「無言不酬，無德不報」，此之謂也。
The chronicler writes: Through collapse and exile, Shao Xu, Li Ju, Wei Jun, Guo Mo, and their like rode the storm—humane enough to hold a following, bold enough to master events. They clung to doomed towns, blunted enemies a thousand li away, rallied loyal bands, and faced down hated foes. They tasted every hardship yet kept faith with the Jin. Li Ju in particular beat larger hosts again and again, stinging Liu Yao into fury and bruising Shi Hu. They were too few and too weak, and victory slipped from their grasp at the last. Set beside the others, Li Ju was the finest of them all. Guo Mo climbed from the wreckage into court, then murdered over a sidelong glance—only a man deranged beyond measure ends so. Duan Pidi was a man of the far steppe yet pinned his heart on the Jin: first he spent his loyalty in the dynasty's darkest hour, then died unbent in a barbarian court—since Su Wu there has been only one such man. Liu Kun fell to the Duan blade chiefly because his fame terrified them; Duan Pidi died at Shi Hu's hands for the same reason—the expectations of the crowd. How swiftly blessing turns to bane! As the Classic of Poetry says, "No word spoken goes unanswered; no kindness shown goes unrepaid"—here is the proof.
43
贊曰：邵李諸將，實惟忠壯。 蒙犯艱危，驅馳亭鄣。 力小任重，功虧身喪。 匹磾勁烈，隕身全節。 默實凶殘，自貽罪戾。
The eulogy reads: Shao Xu and Li Ju were men of steadfast loyalty. They braved every danger and rode the border forts. Their strength was slight for the weight they bore; their work unfinished, they perished. Duan Pidi was iron to the core: he died but kept his honor whole. Guo Mo was savagery itself and reaped the ruin he sowed.