Volume 66 Biographies 36: Liu Hong; Tao Kan

劉弘，字和季，沛國相人也。祖馥，魏揚州刺史。父靖，鎮北將軍。弘有幹略政事之才，少家洛陽，與武帝同居永安裏，又同年，共研席。以舊恩起家太子門大夫，累遷率更令，轉太宰長史。張華甚重之。由是為甯朔將軍、假節、監幽州諸軍事，領烏丸校尉，甚有威惠，寇盜屏跡，為幽朔所稱。以勳德兼茂，封宣城公。太安中，張昌作亂，轉使持節、南蠻校尉、荊州刺史，率前將軍趙驤等討昌，自方城至宛、新野，所向皆平。及新野王歆之敗也，以弘代為鎮南將軍、都督荊州諸軍事，餘官如故。弘遣南蠻長史陶侃為大都護，參軍蒯恆為義軍督護，牙門將皮初為都戰帥，進據襄陽。張昌並軍圍宛，敗趙驤軍，弘退屯梁。侃、初等累戰破昌，前後斬首數萬級。及到官，昌懼而逃，其眾悉降，荊土平。

Liu Hong, whose courtesy name was Heji, came from Xiang in the kingdom of Pei. His grandfather Liu Fu had served the state of Wei as regional inspector of Yangzhou. His father, Liu Jing, held the rank of general who guards the north. Liu Hong had a gift for administration and strategic leadership. While still young he lived in Luoyang in the same lane as the future Emperor Wu—Yong'an ward—and, born the same year, they studied together as close companions. Thanks to that long-standing connection he first entered office as gentleman at the heir apparent's gate, then rose through the directorate for the heir's clepsydra office before becoming chief clerk to the grand tutor. Zhang Hua thought very highly of him. On that basis he was appointed general who pacifies the north, given a credential staff, and charged with supervising all military affairs in Youzhou while also serving as colonel of the Wuhuan. His blend of firm authority and generous rule cleared the roads of raiders, and the north praised his governance. For outstanding merit and moral stature he was invested as duke of Xuancheng. During the Tai'an years Zhang Chang rose in revolt. Liu Hong was reassigned as commissioner with full authority, colonel of the southern tribes, and inspector of Jingzhou, and he marched with Forward General Zhao Xiang and others against Zhang Chang. From Fangcheng south to Wan and Xinye, every objective he struck was brought to heel. After Prince Sima Xin of Xinye met defeat, Liu Hong succeeded him as general who guards the south and area commander over all Jingzhou forces, while keeping his other titles unchanged. Liu Hong appointed his chief clerk for the southern tribes, Tao Kan, as grand protector of the army; his adjutant Kuai Heng as commander of the volunteer corps; and the camp-gate officer Pi Chu as chief field commander. They advanced and secured Xiangyang. Zhang Chang concentrated his forces and invested Wan, routed Zhao Xiang's command, and forced Liu Hong to pull back and encamp at Liang. Tao Kan, Pi Chu, and their men fought Zhang Chang again and again, cutting off tens of thousands of heads in the course of the campaign. By the time Liu Hong reached his post, Zhang Chang had fled in panic and his followers had all capitulated, and peace returned to Jingzhou.

初，弘之退也，范陽王虓遣長水校尉張奕領荊州。弘至，奕不受代，與兵距弘。弘遣軍討奕，斬之，表曰：「臣以凡才，謬荷國恩，作司方州，奉辭伐罪，不能奮揚雷霆，折沖萬里，軍退于宛，分受顯戮。猥蒙含宥，被遣之職，即進達所鎮。而范陽王虓先遣前長水校尉張奕領荊州，臣至，不受節度，擅舉兵距臣。今張昌奸党初平，昌未梟擒，益梁流人蕭條猥集，無賴之徒易相扇動，飆風駭蕩，則滄海橫波，苟患失之，無所不至，比須表上，慮失事機，輒遣軍討奕，即梟其首。奕雖貪亂，欲為荼毒，由臣劣弱，不勝其任，令奕肆心，以勞資斧，敢引覆餗之刑，甘受專輒之罪。」詔曰：「將軍文武兼資，前委方夏，宛城不守，咎由趙驤。將軍所遣諸軍，克滅群寇，張奕貪禍，距違詔命。將軍致討，傳首闕庭，雖有不請之嫌，古人有專之之義。其恢宏奧略，鎮綏南海，以副推轂之望焉。」張昌竄於下雋山，弘遣軍討昌，斬之，悉降其眾。

Earlier, during Liu Hong's retreat, Prince Sima Xiu of Fanyang had already ordered Colonel Zhang Yi of the long-shore guard to take over Jingzhou. When Liu Hong arrived, Zhang Yi refused to hand over command and opposed him with armed force. Liu Hong sent troops against Zhang Yi, executed him, and submitted a memorial: "I am a man of middling ability who has nonetheless been showered with imperial favor and entrusted with a great province. Ordered to punish the guilty, I failed to strike like thunder or to shield the realm from harm a thousand miles away; my army fell back at Wan, and I deserve the heaviest punishment for that failure. Yet Your Majesty bore with me and, instead of punishment, sent me back to my post; I pressed on at once to the headquarters I hold. Meanwhile Prince Sima Xiu of Fanyang had already put the former colonel of the long-shore guard, Zhang Yi, in charge of Jingzhou. When I arrived, Zhang Yi refused my orders, raised troops on his own authority, and resisted me. Zhang Chang's confederates have only just been subdued, and Zhang Chang himself is still at large. Refugees from Yizhou and Liangzhou are pouring in, destitute and packed together, easy prey for any adventurer who stirs them up. One gust of rumor and the whole region could surge like a storm at sea. If men panic for their own safety, they will stop at nothing. Waiting for a memorial to reach the capital might cost us the critical moment, so I sent troops against Zhang Yi and had his head displayed at once. Zhang Yi may have been greedy for turmoil and eager to do harm, but the deeper fault is mine: I was too weak for the task and let him run wild until the axe had to fall. I accept the disgrace of incompetence and the charge of having exceeded my authority without hesitation." The court replied: "You are a commander equally at home with brush and sword. When the southern heartland was entrusted to you, the loss of Wan lay with Zhao Xiang, not with your leadership. The forces you dispatched crushed the rebels. Zhang Yi courted disaster by defying an imperial mandate. You moved against him and sent his head to the capital. Even if that skipped prior approval, the classics recognize occasions when a field commander must act on his own. Continue to unfold your grand design and steady the southern lands, so that the court's confidence in you—like the general whose chariot the ruler himself pushes—is fully justified." Zhang Chang fled into the hills at Xiachun. Liu Hong sent troops after him, took his life, and accepted the surrender of his entire army.

時荊部守宰多闕，弘請補選，帝從之。弘乃敘功銓德，隨才補授，甚為論者所稱。乃表曰：「被中詔，敕臣隨資品選，補諸缺吏。夫慶賞刑威，非臣所專，且知人則哲，聖帝所難，非臣暗蔽所能斟酌。然萬事有機，豪厘宜慎，謹奉詔書，差所應用。蓋崇化莫若貴德，則所以濟屯，故太上立德，其次立功也。頃者多難，淳樸彌凋，臣輒以征士伍朝補零陵太守，庶以懲波蕩之弊，養退讓之操。臣以不武，前退于宛，長史陶侃、參軍蒯恆、牙門皮初，戮力致討，蕩滅奸凶，侃恆各以始終軍事，初為都戰帥，忠勇冠軍，漢沔清肅，實初等之勳也。《司馬法》'賞不逾時'，欲人知為善之速福也。若不超報，無以勸徇功之士，慰熊羆之志。臣以初補襄陽太守，侃為府行司馬，使典論功事，恆為山都令。詔惟令臣以散補空缺，然沶鄉令虞潭忠誠烈正，首唱義舉，舉善以教，不能者勸，臣輒特轉潭補醴陵令。南郡廉吏仇勃，母老疾困，賊至守衛不移，以致拷掠，幾至隕命。尚書令史郭貞，張昌以為尚書郎，欲訪以朝議，遁逃不出，昌質其妻子，避之彌遠。勃孝篤著於臨危，貞忠厲於強暴，雖各四品，皆可以訓獎臣子，長益風教。臣輒以勃為歸鄉令，貞為信陵令。皆功行相參，循名校實，條列行狀，公文具上。」朝廷以初雖有功，襄陽又是名郡，名器宜慎，不可授初，乃以前東平太守夏侯陟為襄陽太守，余並從之。陟，弘之婿也。弘下教曰：「夫統天下者，宜與天下一心；化一國者，宜與一國為任。若必姻親然後可用，則荊州十郡，安得十女婿然後為政哉！」乃表「陟姻親，舊制不得相監。皮初之勳宜見酬報。」詔聽之。

Many county and commandery posts in Jingzhou stood vacant. Liu Hong asked permission to fill them, and the emperor agreed. He ranked candidates by merit and character and appointed each to a post suited to his abilities, which earned wide praise among contemporaries. He submitted a memorial: "I have received an edict from the palace instructing me to appoint officials to vacant posts strictly according to rank and seniority. Rewards, punishments, and the awe they inspire are not mine to monopolize. Even a sage finds it hard to read men truly; a dull provincial governor like myself can hardly pretend to judge every case perfectly. Yet every decision turns on fine points where a hair's breadth matters. I have therefore obeyed the edict to the letter while weighing each appointment with care. Nothing advances moral order like honoring genuine worth, especially in troubled times. The ancients ranked establishing virtue above establishing mere achievement, and I have tried to follow that scale. These years of disaster have eroded simple honesty. I have therefore appointed the recluse-scholar Wu Chao prefect of Lingling, hoping to curb reckless ambition and to foster a climate of modest restraint. Though I myself lacked military brilliance and once fell back at Wan, my chief clerk Tao Kan, adjutant Kuai Heng, and camp officer Pi Chu threw themselves into the campaign, rooted out the traitors, and restored order along the Han and Mian rivers. Tao Kan and Kuai Heng saw the operation through from start to finish; Pi Chu led the van with conspicuous loyalty and courage. The peace we now enjoy on that front is largely their doing. The Methods of the Marshal says, 'Rewards must not be delayed,' so that men see how quickly virtue brings its reward. Unless such men are rewarded promptly and generously, there is no way to encourage those who risk everything for the realm or to satisfy the zeal of our fiercest fighters. I therefore propose Pi Chu as prefect of Xiangyang, Tao Kan as acting marshal of my staff with responsibility for recording battle honors, and Kuai Heng as magistrate of Shandu. The edict limits me to filling vacancies with men of miscellaneous rank, yet Yu Tan, magistrate of Cen Township, showed blazing loyalty when he first rallied the loyalist cause. His example lifts the worthy and shames the slothful. I have therefore taken the liberty of promoting him to magistrate of Liling. Qiu Bo, an honest clerk in Nan commandery, refused to abandon his post when raiders came even though his aged mother lay gravely ill at home. They tortured him until he nearly died for that steadfastness. Guo Zhen, a clerk in the secretariat, was named a secretary-cavalier by Zhang Chang, who wanted his advice on state policy. Guo went into hiding and never appeared, so Zhang seized his family as hostages—yet Guo only withdrew further into concealment. Qiu Bo displayed filial devotion under the gravest danger; Guo Zhen proved his loyalty in the teeth of brute force. Though both men held only middling rank, their conduct is exactly what should be held up to instruct officials and strengthen public morals. I therefore nominate Qiu Bo as magistrate of Guixiang and Guo Zhen as magistrate of Xinling. In every case merit matches conduct; I have checked reputation against fact, drawn up detailed service records, and prepared the full documentary packet for the ministry." The court conceded that Pi Chu had earned distinction but argued that Xiangyang, a premier commandery, was too important an appointment to entrust to him. It named Xiahou Zhi, the former prefect of Dongping, as prefect of Xiangyang instead, while approving Liu Hong's other recommendations. Xiahou Zhi was Liu Hong's own son-in-law. Liu Hong issued a directive: "Whoever would rule the empire must stand with the whole empire as one mind. Whoever would transform a single kingdom must shoulder that kingdom's burdens as his own. If only in-laws may be employed, how could the ten commanderies of Jingzhou ever find ten sons-in-law fit to govern them all?" He therefore memorialized again: "Xiahou Zhi is my kinsman by marriage, and precedent forbids such overlap in supervision. Pi Chu's battlefield service deserves a fitting reward." The emperor approved his request.

弘於是勸課農桑，寬刑省賦，歲用有年，百姓愛悅。弘嘗夜起，聞城上持更者歎聲甚苦，遂呼省之。兵年過六十，羸疾無襦。弘湣之，乃謫罰主者，遂給韋袍復帽，轉以相付。舊制，峴方二山澤中不聽百姓捕魚，弘下教曰：「禮，名山大澤不封，與共其利。今公私並兼，百姓無復厝手地，當何謂邪！速改此法。」又「酒室中雲齊中酒、聽事酒、猥酒，同用曲米，而優劣三品。投醪當與三軍同其薄厚，自今不得分別。」時益州刺史羅尚為李特所敗，遣使告急，請糧。弘移書贍給，而州府綱紀以運道懸遠，文武匱乏，欲以零陵一運米五千斛與尚。弘曰：「諸君未之思耳。天下一家，彼此無異，吾今給之，則無西顧之憂矣。」遂以零陵米三萬斛給之。尚賴以自固。于時流人在荊州十餘萬戶，羈旅貧乏，多為盜賊。弘乃給其田種糧食，擢其賢才，隨資敘用。時總章太樂伶人，避亂多至荊州，或勸可作樂者。弘曰：「昔劉景升以禮壞樂崩，命杜夔為天子合樂，樂成，欲庭作之。夔曰：'為天子合樂而庭作之，恐非將軍本意。 '吾常為之歎息。今主上蒙塵，吾未能展效臣節，雖有家伎，猶不宜聽，況禦樂哉！」乃下郡縣，使安慰之，須朝廷旋返，送還本署。論平張昌功，應封次子一人縣侯，弘上疏固讓，許之。進拜侍中、鎮南大將軍、開府儀同三司。

Liu Hong then promoted farming and silk production, eased punishments, and cut taxes until harvests stabilized and the people loved him for it. One night Liu Hong rose and heard a night watchman on the wall sighing in deep distress; he had the man summoned and questioned him. The soldier was over sixty, frail and ill, and had no padded jacket against the cold. Moved to pity, Liu Hong fined the officer in charge, issued the old man a leather coat and warm cap, and ordered that such gear thereafter be issued in rotation to the watch. By longstanding rule the lakes between Mount Xian and Mount Fang had been closed to commoners who wished to fish. Liu Hong ordered: "The rites say that famous hills and great marshes must not be monopolized; their bounty belongs to everyone. Now official and private interests alike have seized those waters, leaving ordinary folk nowhere to earn a living. What sort of policy is that? Change this regulation at once." He added: "The government winery labels its stock hall wine, office wine, and common wine, yet all three are brewed from the same grain and starter even though they are sold as three grades of quality. When wine is poured out for the troops it should be the same strength for every rank. Henceforth do not draw petty distinctions." Meanwhile Luo Shang, the inspector of Yizhou, had been routed by Li Te and sent messengers begging urgently for grain. Liu Hong was willing to help, yet his staff officers argued that the supply line was dangerously long and resources thin; they wanted to send Luo Shang only a single consignment of five thousand hu from Lingling. Liu Hong replied, "You are not thinking the matter through. The empire is one household; west and east are not rivals. If I feed him now, we spare ourselves the worry of what happens on the western frontier later." He therefore shipped thirty thousand hu of rice from Lingling to Luo Shang. Luo Shang depended on that aid to hold his ground. At the time well over a hundred thousand refugee households were stranded in Jingzhou, penniless and far from home, and many drifted into banditry. Liu Hong allotted them farmland, seed, and rations, promoted able men among them, and assigned posts according to each man's talents. Musicians from the imperial Zongzhang and grand music bureaus, fleeing the wars, had flocked to Jingzhou, and some advisers urged Liu Hong to employ them for entertainment. Liu Hong answered: "Long ago Liu Biao, claiming that rites had collapsed and music with them, ordered Du Kui to compose a new court suite for the emperor. When it was finished Liu Biao wanted it played in his own courtyard. Du Kui replied, 'Music written for the Son of Heaven should not debut in a provincial courtyard; I doubt that was what you intended.' I have never ceased to sigh over that story. Our sovereign is still in exile and I have yet to prove my loyalty as a minister. Even private entertainments would be out of place, let alone the music of the imperial orchestra!" He therefore instructed the local authorities to comfort the musicians and hold them until the court returned to Luoyang, when they could be sent back to their original posts. For his part in crushing Zhang Chang he was entitled to have a second son enfeoffed as a county marquis, but Liu Hong repeatedly declined the honor until the throne accepted his refusal. He was promoted to palace attendant, grand general who guards the south, with the privilege of an independent headquarters equated to the three senior ministers.

惠帝幸長安，河間王顒挾天子，詔弘為劉喬繼援。弘以張方殘暴，知顒必敗，遣使受東海王越節度。時天下大亂，弘專督江漢，威行南服。前廣漢太守辛冉說弘以從橫之事，弘大怒，斬之。河間王顒使張光為順陽太守，南陽太守衛展說弘曰：「彭城王前東奔，有不善之言。張光，太宰腹心，宜斬光以明向背。」弘曰：「宰輔得失，豈張光之罪！危人自安，君子弗為也。」展深恨之。

When Emperor Hui was taken to Chang'an and Prince Sima Yong of Hejian held the emperor hostage, an edict instructed Liu Hong to march in support of Liu Qiao. Judging Zhang Fang's brutality a sign that Sima Yong could not last, Liu Hong sent messengers to place himself under Prince Sima Yue of the Eastern Sea. While the realm dissolved into chaos, Liu Hong alone commanded the middle Yangzi and Han river basins, and his authority ran unchecked through the south. Xin Ran, the former prefect of Guanghan, tried to draw him into a scheme of shifting alliances; Liu Hong flew into a rage and executed him. Prince Sima Yong of Hejian had appointed Zhang Guang prefect of Shunyang. Wei Zhan, the prefect of Nanyang, urged Liu Hong: "When the prince of Pengcheng fled eastward he spoke slanderously of your intentions. Zhang Guang is a trusted confidant of the grand tutor; execute him to show where you stand." Liu Hong retorted, "Whether the chief counselor is right or wrong is hardly Zhang Guang's fault. A gentleman does not buy his own safety by murdering another man." Wei Zhan nursed a bitter grudge against him from that day on.

陳敏寇揚州，引兵欲西上，弘乃解南蠻，以授前北軍中候蔣超，統江夏太守陶侃、武陵太守苗光，以大眾屯于夏口。又遣治中何松領建平、宜都、襄陽三郡兵，屯巴東，為羅尚後繼。又加南平太守應詹甯遠將軍，督三郡水軍，繼蔣超。侃與敏同郡，又同歲舉吏，或有間侃者，弘不疑之。乃以侃為前鋒督護，委以討敏之任。侃遣子及兄子為質，弘遣之曰：「賢叔征行，君祖母年高，便可歸也。匹夫之交尚不負心，何況大丈夫乎！」陳敏竟不敢窺境。永興三年，詔進號車騎將軍，開府及餘官如故。

When Chen Min invaded Yangzhou and marched west, Liu Hong transferred the southern tribes commission to Jiang Chao, former captain of the central camp of the northern army, and massed a large force—including Tao Kan, prefect of Jiangxia, and Miao Guang, prefect of Wuling—at Xiakou. He also sent his administrative aide He Song with troops from the three commanderies of Jianping, Yidu, and Xiangyang to encamp at Badong as a second line behind Luo Shang. Ying Zhan, prefect of Nanping, was further named general who pacifies the distance and placed in command of the riverine forces of three commanderies to follow Jiang Chao. Tao Kan came from the same commandery as Chen Min and had entered official service in the same year, which led some to whisper that he might defect, yet Liu Hong never doubted him. He therefore named Tao Kan vanguard commander and gave him full responsibility for the campaign against Chen Min. Tao Kan sent his son and nephew as hostages, but Liu Hong sent the boys home, saying, "Your uncle is on campaign and your grandmother is elderly; take this chance to go back to her. Even commoners keep faith among friends; would a man of true stature do less?" Chen Min never dared test Liu Hong's frontier again. In the third year of the Yongxing era an edict raised his rank to general of chariots and cavalry while leaving his other titles, including the independent headquarters, unchanged.

弘每有興廢，手書守相，丁寧款密，所以人皆感悅，爭赴之，咸曰：「得劉公一紙書，賢於十部從事。」及東海王越奉迎大駕，弘遣參軍劉盤為督護，率諸軍會之。盤既旋，弘自以老疾，將解州及校尉，適分授所部，未及表上，卒於襄陽。士女嗟痛，若喪所親矣。

Whenever Liu Hong instituted or abolished a policy he wrote personally to each local governor, his tone warm and meticulous. Officials vied to carry out his wishes and used to say, "One letter from Lord Liu is worth more than ten staff supervisors combined." When Prince Sima Yue of the Eastern Sea went to escort the imperial carriage eastward, Liu Hong sent his adjutant Liu Pan as coordinator of the allied forces to join him. After Liu Pan came home, Liu Hong—feeling the weight of age and illness—planned to surrender the provincial seal and the colonelcy and divide authority among his subordinates, but he died at Xiangyang before the memorial could be sent. Men and women throughout the region mourned as though they had lost a parent.

初，成都王穎南奔，欲之本國，弘距之。及弘卒，弘司馬郭勱欲推穎為主，弘子璠追遵弘志，於是墨絰率府兵計勱，戰于濁水，斬之，襄沔肅清，初，東海王越疑弘與劉喬貳於己，雖下節度，心未能安。及弘距穎，璠又斬勵，朝廷嘉之。越手書與璠讚美之，表贈弘新城郡公，諡曰元。

Earlier, when Prince Sima Ying of Chengdu fled south hoping to reach his princedom, Liu Hong barred his path. After Liu Hong died his marshal Guo Li tried to proclaim Sima Ying as ruler, but Liu Hong's son Liu Fan, determined to honor his father's loyalty, donned mourning black, led the headquarters troops against Guo Li, defeated him on the Zhuo River, and took his head, restoring calm to the Xiang and Mian region. Even so, Prince Sima Yue of the Eastern Sea had long suspected Liu Hong and Liu Qiao of divided loyalty: though he issued orders placing them under his command, he never quite trusted them. After Liu Hong blocked Sima Ying's advance, Liu Fan struck down Guo Li as well; the court commended their loyalty. Sima Yue wrote Liu Fan a personal letter of praise, and a memorial followed posthumously enfeoffing Liu Hong as duke of Xincheng with the posthumous epithet "Primordial" (Yuan).

陶侃，字士行，本鄱陽人也。吳平，徙家廬江之尋陽。父丹，吳揚武將軍。侃早孤貧，為縣吏。鄱陽孝廉範逵嘗過侃，時倉卒無以待賓，其母乃截髪得雙髲，以易酒肴，樂飲極歡，雖僕從亦過所望。及逵去，侃追送百餘里。逵曰：「卿欲仕郡乎？」侃曰：「欲之，困於無津耳。」逵過廬江太守張夔，稱美之。夔召為督郵，領樅陽令。有能名，遷主簿。會州部從事之郡，欲有所按，侃閉門部勒諸吏，謂從事曰：「若鄙郡有違，自當明憲直繩，不宜相逼。若不以禮，吾能禦之。」從事即退。夔妻有疾，將迎醫於數百里。時正寒雪，諸綱紀皆難之，侃獨曰：「資于事父以事君。小君，猶母也，安有父母之疾而不盡心乎！」乃請行。眾咸服其義。長沙太守萬嗣過廬江，見侃，虛心敬悅，曰：「君終當有大名。」命其子與之結友而去。

Tao Kan, whose courtesy name was Shixing, was a native of Poyang. After the conquest of Wu his family relocated to Xunyang in Lujiang commandery. His father, Tao Dan, had served the kingdom of Wu as general who displays martial might. Tao Kan lost his father while still young and grew up in poverty, taking work as a county clerk. When Fan Kui, a filially exemplary candidate from Poyang, visited Tao Kan unexpectedly, the household had nothing fit to serve a guest. Tao Kan's mother cut off her hair and sold the coils it yielded to buy wine and food. The party grew merry, and even the servants received more kindness than they had expected. When Fan Kui left, Tao Kan accompanied him on foot for over a hundred li. Fan Kui asked him, "Do you hope to take office in the commandery?" Tao Kan answered, "I do—but I am stranded with no bridge across." Fan Kui then called on Prefect Zhang Kui of Lujiang and spoke warmly of Tao Kan. Zhang Kui appointed him postal inspector and acting magistrate of Zongyang. He earned a name for competence and was promoted to chief clerk of the commandery. When a provincial investigator arrived intent on finding fault, Tao Kan barred the gates, assembled the clerks, and told the man, "If our commandery has erred, we will answer to the law ourselves; you need not hound us. If you refuse common courtesy, I can resist you myself." The investigator withdrew at once. Zhang Kui's wife fell ill, and he planned to fetch a physician from hundreds of li away. A blizzard was blowing, and every clerk shrank from the errand. Tao Kan alone said, "The same devotion one owes a father one owes a ruler. The mistress of the house is like a mother to us: how could we ignore her illness and withhold our utmost care?" He therefore volunteered to make the journey. The others, ashamed, conceded the moral point. When Wan Si, prefect of Changsha, passed through Lujiang and met Tao Kan, he was struck with sincere respect and said, "You are destined for a great reputation." He told his son to befriend Tao Kan and then continued his journey.

夔察侃為孝廉，至洛陽，數詣張華。華初以遠人，不甚接遇。侃每往，神無忤色。華後與語，異之。除郎中。伏波將軍孫秀以亡國支庶，府望不顯，中華人士恥為掾屬，以侃寒宦，召為舍人。時豫章國郎中令楊晫，侃州裏也，為鄉論所歸。侃詣之，晫曰：「《易》稱'貞固足以幹事'，陶士行是也。」與同乘見中書郎顧榮，榮甚奇之。吏部郎溫雅謂晫曰：「奈何與小人共載？」晫曰：「此人非凡器也。」尚書樂廣欲會荊揚士人，武庫令黃慶進侃於廣。人或非之，慶曰：「此子終當遠到，復何疑也！」。慶後為吏部令史，舉侃補武岡令。與太守呂岳有嫌，棄官歸，為郡小中正。

Zhang Kui recommended Tao Kan as filially exemplary, and in Luoyang Tao Kan called several times on Zhang Hua. Zhang Hua at first treated him coolly, thinking him a provincial outsider. Yet each visit found Tao Kan calm and unresentful. When Zhang Hua finally spoke with him at length, he was astonished by his quality. Tao Kan was appointed gentleman of the interior. General Sun Xiu, a collateral descendant of a conquered dynasty, commanded little prestige, and men of the central plains disdained posts in his staff; because Tao Kan came from a humble background, Sun Xiu recruited him as a household retainer. Yang Zhuo, the gentleman-director of the princedom of Yuzhang, hailed from the same region as Tao Kan and enjoyed wide local esteem. When Tao Kan called on him, Yang Zhuo said, "The Book of Changes praises steadfast integrity that can carry great tasks—Tao Shixing is exactly that sort of man." He took Tao Kan in his carriage to meet Gu Rong of the secretariat, who was greatly impressed. Wen Ya of the ministry of personnel asked Yang Zhuo, "Why share a carriage with a nobody?" Yang Zhuo replied, "This man is no ordinary vessel." Minister Yue Guang planned a gathering of scholars from Jingzhou and Yangzhou, and Huang Qing, director of the arsenal, recommended Tao Kan to him. Some objected, but Huang Qing said, "That young man will rise very high indeed—mark my words!" Huang Qing later served as a clerk in the ministry of personnel and recommended Tao Kan for appointment as magistrate of Wugang. He quarreled with Prefect Lu Yue, resigned his post, and at home was named a minor impartial judge for the commandery.

會劉弘為荊州刺史，將之官，辟侃為南蠻長史，遣先向襄陽討賊張昌，破之。弘既至，謂侃曰：「吾昔為羊公參軍，謂吾其後當居身處。今相觀察，必繼老夫矣。」後以軍功封東鄉侯，邑千戶。

When Liu Hong took up the inspectorship of Jingzhou, he summoned Tao Kan as chief clerk for the southern tribes and sent him ahead to Xiangyang to strike the rebel Zhang Chang, whom he crushed. After Liu Hong reached his post he told Tao Kan, "Long ago, as adjutant to Yang Hu, I was told I would one day stand in his shoes. Watching you now, I see that you will succeed this old man of mine." Later, for military merit, he was enfeoffed as marquis of Dongxiang with a fief of one thousand households.

陳敏之亂，弘以侃為江夏太守，加鷹揚將軍。侃備威儀，迎母官舍，鄉里榮之。敏遣其弟恢來寇武昌，侃出兵禦之。隨郡內史扈瑰間侃於弘曰：「侃與敏有鄉里之舊，居大郡，統強兵，脫有異志，則荊州無東門矣。」弘曰：「侃之忠能，吾得之已久，豈有是乎！」侃潛聞之，遽遣子洪及兄子臻詣弘以自固。弘引為參軍，資而遣之。又加侃為督護，使與諸軍並力距恢。侃乃以運船為戰艦，或言不可，侃曰：「用官物討官賊，但須列上有本末耳。」於是擊恢，所向必破。侃戎政齊肅，凡有虜獲，皆分士卒，身無私焉。後以母憂去職。嘗有二客來吊，不哭而退，化為雙鶴，沖天而去，時人異之。

During Chen Min's revolt Liu Hong appointed Tao Kan prefect of Jiangxia with the additional title general who displays the hawk's might. Tao Kan received his mother into the official residence with full ceremony, to the admiration of his home district. Chen Min dispatched his brother Chen Hui against Wuchang, and Tao Kan marched to meet him. Hu Gui, inner governor of Suizhou, whispered to Liu Hong that Tao Kan's old ties to Chen Min, combined with a large command and crack troops, might turn disloyal and shut Jingzhou's eastern gate. Liu Hong replied, "I have known Tao Kan's loyalty and competence for years. Do not speak such nonsense." When Tao Kan overheard the rumor, he immediately sent his son Tao Hong and his nephew Tao Zhen to Liu Hong to reaffirm his loyalty. Liu Hong enrolled them as adjutants, gave them provisions, and sent them back. Liu Hong further named Tao Kan protector of the army and ordered him to join the other commands against Chen Hui. Tao Kan converted grain barges into warships. When others objected, he said, "We are spending public equipment to crush public enemies—so long as we report the facts to the throne, it is lawful." He attacked Chen Hui and shattered every formation he met. Tao Kan ran a disciplined camp: all booty went to the troops, and he took none for himself. He later resigned to observe mourning for his mother. Once two mourners called, left without weeping, and were seen to mount into the sky as a pair of cranes—an omen people found uncanny.

服闋，參東海王越軍事。江州刺史華軼表侃為揚武將軍，使屯夏口，又以臻為參軍。軼與元帝素不平，臻懼難作，托疾而歸，白侃曰：「華彥夏有憂天下之志，而才不足，且與琅邪不平，難將作矣。」侃怒，遣臻還軼。臻遂東歸於帝。帝見之，大悅，命臻為參軍，加侃奮威將軍，假赤幢曲蓋軺車、鼓吹。侃乃與華軼告絕。

When the mourning period ended he joined the military staff of Prince Sima Yue of the Eastern Sea. Hua Yi, inspector of Jiangzhou, recommended Tao Kan as general who displays martial might and stationed him at Xiakou while appointing Tao Zhen his adjutant. Because Hua Yi and the Prince of Langya were on bad terms, Tao Zhen pretended illness, hurried home, and warned Tao Kan that Hua Yi, though public-spirited, lacked the ability to stand against the prince of Langya—trouble was brewing. Tao Kan angrily sent Tao Zhen back to Hua Yi. Tao Zhen instead went east to offer his service to the future Yuan emperor. The prince received him gladly, made Tao Zhen an adjutant, and bestowed on Tao Kan the titles general who rouses might together with the insignia of crimson banner, curved canopy carriage, and a military band. Tao Kan thereupon severed ties with Hua Yi.

頃之，遷龍驤將軍、武昌太守。時天下饑荒，山夷多斷江劫掠。侃令諸將詐作商船以誘之。劫果至，生獲數人，是西陽王羕之左右。侃即遣兵逼羕，令出向賊，侃整陣於釣台為後繼。羕縛送帳下二十人，侃斬之。自是水陸肅清，流亡者歸之盈路，侃竭資振給焉。又立夷市於郡東，大收其利。而帝使侃擊杜弢，令振威將軍周訪、廣武將軍趙誘受侃節度。侃令二將為前鋒，兄子輿為左甄，擊賊，破之。時周顗為荊州刺史，先鎮潯水城，賊掠其良口。侃使部將硃伺救之，賊退保泠口。侃謂諸將曰：「此賊必更步向武昌，吾宜還城，晝夜三日行可至。卿等認能忍饑鬥邪？」部將吳寄曰：「要欲十日忍饑，晝當擊賊，夜分捕魚，足以相濟。」侃曰：「卿健將也。」賊果增兵來攻，侃使硃伺等逆擊，大破之，獲其輜重，殺傷甚眾。遣參軍王貢告捷于王敦，敦曰：「若無陶侯，便失荊州矣。伯仁方入境，便為賊所破，不知那得刺史？」貢對曰：「鄙州方有事難，非陶龍驤莫可。」敦然之，即表拜侃為使持節、甯遠將軍、南蠻校尉、荊州刺史，領西陽、江夏、武昌，鎮於沌口，又移入沔江。遣硃伺等討江夏賊，殺之。賊王沖自稱荊州刺史，據江陵。王貢還，至竟陵，矯侃命，以杜曾為前鋒大督護，進軍斬沖，悉降其眾。侃召曾不到，貢又恐矯命獲罪，遂與曾舉兵反，擊侃督護鄭攀于沌陽，破之，又敗硃伺於沔口。侃欲退入溳中，部將張奕將貳於侃，詭說曰：「賊至而動，眾必不可。」侃惑之而不進。無何，賊至，果為所敗。賊鉤侃所乘艦，侃窘急，走入小船。硃伺力戰，僅而獲免。張奕竟奔於賊。侃坐免官。王敦表以侃白衣領職。

Soon afterward he was promoted to general who soars like the dragon and prefect of Wuchang. Famine gripped the empire, and hill tribesmen constantly blocked the river to rob convoys. Tao Kan ordered his officers to disguise warships as merchant craft to bait them. When the raiders struck, his men took prisoners who proved to be retainers of Prince Sima Rong of Xiyang. Tao Kan immediately pressured Prince Rong to drive the brigands out while Tao Kan himself formed a battle line at Diaotai as rear guard. Prince Rong handed over twenty household guards; Tao Kan executed them all. River and road traffic became safe again, and refugees flocked back until the highways were crowded; Tao Kan spent his own funds to feed them. He also opened a frontier market east of the city and drew large revenue from it. The court then ordered him against Du Tao, with Generals Zhou Fang and Zhao You placed under his orders. He made the two generals his van, his nephew Tao Yu the left horn, and smashed the enemy host. Zhou Yi, inspector of Jingzhou, had been holding Xunshui fort when the rebels carried off his people. Tao Kan sent Zhu Si to relieve him, and the raiders fell back to Lengkou. Tao Kan told his officers, "The enemy will march overland toward Wuchang. We must regain the city—a forced march can bring us there in three days. Can you endure hunger long enough to fight them off?" Wu Ji answered, "Give us ten days of hunger: we will fight by daylight and fish by night—that will keep us fed." Tao Kan said, "You are the kind of officer I need." The enemy did reinforce and attack, but Zhu Si's counterstroke routed them, seized their baggage train, and inflicted heavy casualties. He sent Wang Gong to report to Wang Dun, who said, "Without Lord Tao we would already have lost Jingzhou. Zhou Yi had scarcely crossed the border when the rebels smashed him—where was our inspector then?" Wang Gong answered, "Our province is in extremis; only General Tao the Dragon Soarer can save it." Wang Dun agreed and at once recommended Tao Kan as commissioner with full authority, general who pacifies the distance, colonel of the southern tribes, and inspector of Jingzhou, overseeing Xiyang, Jiangxia, and Wuchang from a base first at Dunkou and later on the Mian River. He dispatched Zhu Si against the Jiangxia bandits and destroyed them. A rebel named Wang Chong proclaimed himself inspector of Jingzhou and seized Jiangling. On his way back Wang Gong stopped at Jingling, forged orders in Tao Kan's name, appointed Du Zeng grand vanguard protector, advanced, executed Wang Chong, and absorbed his army. When Tao Kan summoned Du Zeng and he failed to appear, Wang Gong feared punishment for his forgery and joined Du Zeng in revolt. They struck Tao Kan's protector Zheng Pan at Zhenyang, routed him, and then defeated Zhu Si at the Han estuary. Tao Kan prepared to pull back into the Yun valley, but Zhang Yi, plotting defection, falsely urged him, "If you wait until the enemy is upon you before moving, the army will never hold." Tao Kan accepted the advice and halted his advance. The rebels soon arrived and routed him. They grappled Tao Kan's flagship; in desperation he scrambled into a skiff. Zhu Si fought a desperate rear-guard action so that Tao Kan barely escaped. Zhang Yi ultimately deserted to the enemy. Tao Kan was stripped of his titles for the defeat. Wang Dun asked the throne to let Tao Kan retain the command in civilian dress.

侃復率周訪等進軍人湘，使都尉楊舉為先驅，擊杜弢，大破之，屯兵於城西。侃之佐史辭詣王敦曰：「州將陶使君孤根特立，從微至著，忠允之功，所在有效。出佐南夏，輔翼劉征南，前遇張昌，後屬陳敏，侃以偏旅，獨當大寇，無征不剋，群醜破滅。近者王如亂北，杜弢跨南，二征奔走，一州星馳，其餘郡縣，所在土崩。侃招攜以禮，懷遠以德，子來之眾，前後累至。奉承指授，獨守危厄，人往不動，人離不散。往年董督，徑造湘城，志陵雲霄，神機獨斷。徒以軍少糧懸，不果獻捷。然杜弢懾懼，來還夏口，未經信宿，建平流人迎賊俱叛。侃即回軍溯流，芟夷丑類，至使西門不鍵，華圻無虞者，侃之功也。明將軍湣此荊楚，救命塗炭，使侃統領窮殘之餘，寒者衣之，饑者食之，比屋相慶，有若挾纊。江濱孤危，地非重險，非可單軍獨能保固，故移就高莋，以避其沖。賊輕易先至，大眾在後，侃距戰經日，殺其名帥。賊尋犬羊相結，並力來攻，侃以忠臣之節，義無退顧，被堅執銳，身當戎行，將士奮擊，莫不用命。當時死者不可勝數。賊眾參伍，更息更戰。侃以孤軍一隊，力不獨禦，量宜取全，以俟後舉。而主者責侃，重加黜削。侃性謙沖，功成身退，今奉還所受，唯恐稽遲。然某等區區，實恐理失於內，事敗於外，豪厘之差，將致千里，使荊蠻乖離，西嵎不守，脣亡齒寒，侵逼無限也。」敦於是奏復侃官。

Tao Kan then advanced with Zhou Fang into Hunan, sent Yang Ju ahead, shattered Du Tao, and camped west of the city. His staff drafted a plea to Wang Dun: "Prefect Tao rose alone from obscurity to prominence; his loyal service has succeeded wherever he was posted. South of the Great River he served under General Liu of the southern expedition, first against Zhang Chang, then against Chen Min; leading only a modest column he repeatedly took the field against major rebels, never fought a battle he did not win, and shattered their hosts completely. Lately Wang Ru has ravaged the north while Du Tao straddles the south; two field armies have fled and the whole province has scattered; commandery after commandery has crumbled. With courtesy he drew wavering bands to his side and with kindness he won the distant; refugees flocked to him in waves. He obeyed every directive, held a crumbling line alone, and his men neither wavered when others advanced nor broke when others fled. Year after year, as overall commander, he drove deep into Hunan with ambition touching the sky and plans taken solely in his own tent. He would have offered a victory memorial sooner had his troops not been starved of numbers and supplies. Du Tao flinched and withdrew to Xiakou, yet within a night or two the refugee settlers of Jianping went over to the rebels en masse. Tao Kan swung his fleet upriver, scoured out the traitors, and kept the western approaches open and the Huaji sector safe—that was his doing. You pitied the people of Jing and Chu, snatched them from ruin, and let Tao Kan lead their broken remnants, clothing the freezing and feeding the starving until every household rejoiced as though wrapped in new silk. The riverbank was exposed ground, not a fortress a lone corps could hold, so he shifted to higher ground at Zuo to escape the enemy's thrust. The vanguard struck lightly while the main body lagged; Tao Kan held them for days and cut down their chief officers. Then the rabble swarmed as dogs and sheep in a pack; Tao Kan, bound by a loyal minister's duty, had nowhere to retreat. Armored and spear in hand, he took the front rank and his men struck with such fury that every order was obeyed. The dead on that field were beyond counting. The enemy rotated fresh bands in and out of the fight. With a single isolated column he could not hold forever; he withdrew on sound judgment to preserve his force for another day. Yet his superiors blamed Tao Kan and stripped him of rank. Tao Kan is by nature modest: when the work is done he steps back. He now returns his commission without delay. Yet we fear that a hair's breadth of injustice within the court will undo everything without: the tribes of Jing would split away, the western flank would gape, and the old proverb—lips lost, teeth chilled—would bring endless invasion." Wang Dun thereupon memorialized for Tao Kan's restoration.

韜將王貢精卒三千，出武陵江，誘五溪夷，以舟師斷官運，徑向武昌。侃使鄭攀及伏波將軍陶延夜趣巴陵，潛師掩其不備，大破之，斬千餘級，降萬餘口。貢遁還湘城。賊中離阻，杜弢遂疑張奕而殺之，眾情益懼，降者滋多。王貢復挑戰，侃遙謂之曰：「杜弢為益州吏，盜用庫錢，父死不奔喪。卿本佳人，何為隨之也？天下寧有白頭賊乎！」貢初橫腳馬上，侃言訖，貢斂容下腳，辭色甚順。侃知其可動，復令諭之，截髮為信，貢遂來降。而韜敗走。進克長沙，獲其將毛寶、高寶、梁堪而還。

Du Tao's general Wang Gong took three thousand picked men down the Wuling waterway, rallied the Five Streams tribes, cut the government supply line by river, and struck straight for Wuchang. Tao Kan sent Zheng Pan and Tao Yan, general who calms the waves, on a night march to Baling, caught them unprepared, routed them, took more than a thousand heads, and accepted the surrender of over ten thousand people. Wang Gong fled back to the Xiang fort. Dissension spread through the rebel ranks until Du Tao distrusted Zhang Yi and executed him; morale collapsed and surrenders multiplied. When Wang Gong offered battle again, Tao Kan shouted across the lines that Du Tao had embezzled public funds as a Yizhou clerk and had failed to observe mourning for his own father. You were born a gentleman—why follow such a man? There are no grey-haired bandits under heaven—think what that means for you! Wang Gong had been lounging arrogantly in the saddle; when Tao Kan finished, he straightened up, swung down from his mount, and answered meekly. Seeing that the appeal had struck home, Tao Kan sent further word and cut off his own hair as a pledge of good faith; Wang Gong then capitulated. Du Tao broke and ran. He pressed on, seized Changsha, captured the enemy generals Mao Bao, Gao Bao, and Liang Kan, and marched home.

王敦深忌侃功。將還江陵，欲詣敦別，皇甫方回及硃伺等諫，以為不可。侃不從。敦果留侃不遣，左轉廣州刺史、平越中郎將，以王廣為荊州。侃之佐吏將士詣敦請留侃。敦怒，不許。侃將鄭攀、蘇溫、馬俊等不欲南行，遂西迎杜曾以距暠。敦意攀承侃風旨，被甲持矛，將殺侃，出而復回者數四。侃正色曰：「使君之雄斷，當裁天下，何此不決乎！」因起如廁。諮議參軍梅陶、長史陳頒言於敦曰：「周訪與侃親姻，如左右手，安有斷人左手而右手不應者乎！」敦意遂解，於是設盛饌以餞之。侃便夜發。敦引其子瞻參軍。侃既達豫章，見周訪，流涕曰：「非卿外援，我殆不免！」侃因進至始興。

Wang Dun deeply resented Tao Kan's fame. As he prepared to return to Jiangling he meant to call on Wang Dun to say farewell, but Huangfu Fanghui, Zhu Si, and others urged him not to go. Tao Kan refused to listen. Wang Dun kept him, refused his return, demoted him to inspector of Guangzhou and colonel who pacifies the Yue while appointing Wang Guang over Jingzhou. Tao Kan's staff officers and troops went to Wang Dun begging him to let their commander stay. Wang Dun angrily refused. Generals Zheng Pan, Su Wen, and Ma Jun, unwilling to march south, turned west to bring in Du Zeng against Wang Guang. Wang Dun thought Zheng Pan acted on Tao Kan's orders, armed himself with spear, and paced outside Tao Kan's quarters four times, poised to kill him. Tao Kan said coldly, "If you are bold enough to rule the realm, be bold enough to settle this one point." He rose as if to relieve himself. Mei Tao and chief clerk Chen Ban told Wang Dun, "Zhou Fang and Tao Kan are kin by marriage and move as one—no man chops off his own left hand while the right stays idle." Wang Dun relented and laid a sumptuous farewell banquet. Tao Kan slipped away that same night. Wang Dun kept his son Tao Zhan as a staff officer. Reaching Yuzhang and meeting Zhou Fang, Tao Kan wept, "Without your help outside I would not have survived." From there he pressed on to Shixing.

先是，廣州人背刺史郭訥，迎長沙人王機為刺史。機復遣使詣王敦，乞為交州。敦從之，而機未發。會杜弘據臨賀，因機乞降，勸弘取廣州，弘遂與溫邵及交州秀才劉沈俱謀反。或勸侃且住始興，觀察形勢。侃不聽，直至廣州。弘遣使偽降。侃知其詐，先於封口起發石車。俄而弘率輕兵而至，知侃有備，乃退。侃追擊破之，執劉沈于小桂。又遣部將許高討機，斬之，傳首京都。諸將皆請乘勝擊溫邵，侃笑曰：「吾威名已著，何事遣兵，但一函紙自足耳。」於是下書諭之。邵懼而走，追獲於始興。以功封柴桑侯，食邑四千戶。

Earlier the people of Guangzhou had rebelled against Inspector Guo Ne and invited Wang Ji of Changsha to replace him. Wang Ji sent another plea to Wang Dun asking for Jiaozhou instead. Wang Dun agreed, yet Wang Ji never moved south. Du Hong seized Linhe, used Wang Ji's offer of surrender to urge him to seize Guangzhou, and then conspired with Wen Shao and the Jiaozhou scholar Liu Shen. Some advised Tao Kan to pause at Shixing and watch events. He ignored them and marched straight for Guangzhou. Du Hong sent envoys pretending to capitulate. Tao Kan saw through the ruse and had stone-throwing engines set up at Fengkou. When Du Hong came up with light forces and found Tao Kan ready, he pulled back. Tao Kan pursued, routed him, and took Liu Shen at Xiaogui. He sent Xu Gao against Wang Ji, executed him, and sent the head to the capital. When his officers begged to pursue Wen Shao, Tao Kan laughed and said, "My name alone will finish it—one letter is enough." He sent a written summons instead. Wen Shao fled in panic and was run down at Shixing. For these services he was enfeoffed as marquis of Chaisang with a fief of four thousand households.

侃在州無事，輒朝運百甓於齋外，暮運於齋內。人問其故，答曰：「吾方致力中原，過爾優逸，恐不堪事。」其勵志勤力，皆此類也。

With little to do in Guangzhou he hauled a hundred bricks every morning from his office to the yard and back inside each evening. Asked why, he said, "I mean to strike north again; if I grow soft in comfort I will not endure the task." His self-discipline was of that stamp throughout.

太興初，進號平南將軍，尋加都督交州軍事。及王敦舉兵反，詔侃以本官領江州刺史，尋轉都督、湘州刺史。敦得志，上侃復本職，加散騎常侍。時交州刺史王諒為賊梁碩所陷，侃遣將高寶進擊平之。以侃領交州刺史。錄前後功，封次子夏為都亭侯，進號征南大將軍、開府儀同三司。及王敦平，遷都督荊、雍、益、梁州諸軍事，領護南蠻校尉、征西大將軍、荊州刺史，余如故。楚郢士女莫不相慶。

At the opening of the Taixing era he was promoted general who pacifies the south and soon given command over Jiaozhou as well. When Wang Dun rebelled, an edict named Tao Kan inspector of Jiangzhou in addition to his standing titles, then shifted him to area commander and inspector of Xiangzhou. After Wang Dun had his way he memorialized Tao Kan back to his former post with the added title cavalier attendant-in-ordinary. When Inspector Wang Liang of Jiaozhou fell to the rebel Liang Shuo, Tao Kan sent Gao Bao to crush the uprising. Tao Kan was concurrently named inspector of Jiaozhou. His accumulated honors won his second son, Tao Xia, a village marquisate at Douting and himself the titles general who conquers the south with an independent headquarters equated to the three senior ministers. After Wang Dun's fall he became area commander over Jing, Yong, Yi, and Liang, kept the colonelcy of the southern tribes, and was named general who conquers the west and inspector of Jingzhou, his other titles unchanged. Gentry and commoners across Chu and Ying rejoiced together.

侃性聰敏，勤於吏職，恭而近禮，愛好人倫。終日斂膝危坐，閫外多事，千緒萬端，罔有遺漏。遠近書疏，莫不手答，筆翰如流，未嘗壅滯。引接疏遠，門無停客。常語人曰：「大禹聖者，乃惜寸陰，至於眾人，當惜分陰，豈可逸遊荒醉，生無益于時，死無聞於後，是自棄也。」諸參佐或以談戲廢事者，乃命取其酒器、蒱博之具，悉投之于江，吏將則加鞭撲，曰：「樗蒱者，牧豬奴戲耳！《老》《莊》浮華，非先王之法言，不可行也。君子當正其衣冠，攝其威儀，何有亂頭養望自謂宏達邪！」有奉饋者，皆問其所由。若力作所致，雖微必喜，慰賜參倍；若非理得之，則切厲訶辱，還其所饋。嘗出遊，見人持一把未熟稻，侃問：「用此何為？」人云：「行道所見，聊取之耳。」侃大怒曰：「汝既不田，而戲賊人稻！」執而鞭之。是以百姓勤于農殖，家給人足。時造船，木屑及竹頭悉令舉掌之，咸不解所以。後正會，積雪始晴，聽事前餘雪猶濕，於是以屑布地。及桓溫伐蜀，又以侃所貯竹頭作丁裝船。其綜理微密，皆此類也。

Tao Kan was quick-witted, tireless in administrative detail, courteous and observant of ritual, and genuinely fond of cultivating men of talent. He sat bolt upright from dawn to dusk; though business poured in from every quarter, nothing slipped through his fingers. He answered every letter himself, his brush never faltering. He welcomed even humble callers, so that his gate was never idle. He used to say, "Even the sage-king Yu cherished every inch of daylight; common men should cherish every minute. How can we idle and drunk—useless in life, forgotten in death—and not call it throwing ourselves away?" When aides wasted office hours in chatter and games, he had their wine cups and dice boards seized and flung into the river, and clerks who offended were flogged, saying, "Dice is a game fit for pig-herds. The Daoist texts of Laozi and Zhuangzi are idle ornament, not the teaching of the ancient kings, and have no place in my administration. A gentleman sets his cap straight and composes his bearing—how dare we muss our hair for reputation and pretend to lofty ease?" Whenever gifts arrived he asked how they had been obtained. If they came from honest toil, however small the gift he accepted it gladly and returned double thanks. If they came by crooked means he cursed the giver and sent the goods back. Once on an outing he saw someone clutching a handful of unripe grain and demanded to know its purpose. The man said he had picked it casually along the road. Tao Kan roared, "You do not farm, yet you steal the farmers' grain for sport!" He had the man seized and flogged. From that day the people labored hard in the fields until every home had enough. When ships were built he ordered every scrap of wood and bamboo tip saved, though no one understood why. Later, at the new-year levee after a heavy snow, he carpeted the slick hall with those saved shavings. When Huan Wen campaigned into Shu he used Tao Kan's hoarded bamboo tips to fit out the fleet. His eye for detail ran to that level in everything.

暨蘇峻作逆，京都不守，侃子瞻為賊所害，平南將軍溫嶠要侃同赴朝廷。初，明帝崩，侃不在顧命之列，深以為恨，答嶠曰：「吾疆場外將，不敢越局。」嶠固請之，因推為盟主。侃乃遣督護龔登率眾赴嶠，而又追回。嶠以峻殺其子，重遣書以激怒之。侃妻龔氏亦固勸自行。於是便戎服登舟，星言兼邁，瞻喪至不臨。五月，與溫嶠、庾亮等俱會石頭。諸軍即欲決戰，侃以賊盛，不可爭鋒，當以歲月智計擒之。累戰無功，諸將請于查浦築壘。監軍部將李根建議，請立白石壘。侃不從，曰：「若壘不成，卿當坐之。」根曰：「查浦地下，又在水南，唯白石峻極險固，可容數千人，賊來攻不便，滅賊之術也。」侃笑曰：「卿良將也。」乃從根謀，夜修曉訖。賊見壘大驚。賊攻大業壘，侃將救之，長史殷羨曰：「若遣救大業，步戰不如峻，則大事去矣。但當急攻石頭，峻必救之，而大業自解。」侃又從羨言。峻果棄大業而救石頭。諸軍與峻戰陳陵東，侃督護竟陵太守李陽部將彭世斬峻於陣，賊眾大潰。峻弟逸復聚眾。侃與諸軍斬逸於石頭。

When Su Jun seized the capital and killed his son Tao Zhan, Wen Qiao, general who pacifies the south, begged Tao Kan to march to the rescue. Because he had been left off Emperor Ming's deathbed council, Tao Kan nursed a grudge and at first answered Wen Qiao, "I am only a frontier commander and dare not overstep my charge." Wen Qiao pressed him until he accepted leadership of the alliance. He sent Gong Deng to Wen Qiao, then countermanded the order. Wen Qiao wrote again, playing on Su Jun's murder of Tao Zhan to sting him into action. Lady Gong, his wife, also urged him to take the field in person. He donned armor, embarked, and raced by night without pausing even when his son's funeral train arrived. In the fifth month he joined Wen Qiao, Yu Liang, and the others at Stone Fort. The allies wanted a pitched battle, but Tao Kan held that the rebels were too strong for a frontal clash and must be worn down over time. After several indecisive fights his officers asked to throw up earthworks at Zhapu. Li Gen, a general under the army supervisor, urged him to fortify the White Stone height. Tao Kan refused at first, warning Li Gen, "If the work fails, you will answer for it." Li Gen replied that Zhapu was marshy and south of the river, whereas White Stone was steep, defensible, and could shelter thousands while hampering any assault—the sure way to destroy the enemy. Tao Kan laughed and said, "You are a good soldier." He accepted Li Gen's plan; the wall rose overnight and stood complete at dawn. The rebels gaped at the new fortress. When Su Jun stormed the Daye fort Tao Kan started to relieve it, but Yin Xian warned that splitting the army for a foot battle Su Jun would win would lose everything. Strike Stone Fort with everything you have, he urged, and Su Jun would abandon Daye to save his base. Tao Kan took Yin Xian's advice. Su Jun did pull out of Daye to rescue Stone Fort. East of Chenling the allies met Su Jun in battle; Peng Shi, an officer under Tao Kan's protector Li Yang, prefect of Jingling, cut Su Jun down on the field and the rebel army collapsed. Su Jun's brother Su Yi rallied the remnants. Tao Kan and the allied hosts executed Su Yi at Stone Fort.

初，庾亮少有高名，以明穆皇后之兄受顧命之重，蘇峻之禍，職亮是由。及石頭平，懼侃致討，亮用溫嶠謀，詣侃拜謝。侃遽止之，曰：「庾元規乃拜陶士行邪！」王導入石頭城，令取故節，侃笑曰：「蘇武節似不如是！」導有慚色，使人屏之。侃旋江陵，尋以為侍中、太尉，加羽葆鼓吹，改封長沙郡公，邑三千戶，賜絹八千匹，加都督交、廣、寧七州軍事。以江陵偏遠，移鎮巴陵。遣諮議參軍張誕討五溪夷，降之。

Yu Liang had won fame while young and, as brother of Empress Mingmu, bore heavy deathbed trust; many blamed him for the Su Jun disaster. After Stone Fort fell Yu Liang feared Tao Kan's vengeance and, on Wen Qiao's advice, came to offer a humble apology. Tao Kan stopped him short, exclaiming, "Is Yu Yuangui really going to bow to Tao Shixing?" When Wang Dao entered Stone Fort and asked for the old credential staff, Tao Kan laughed, "Su Wu's shepherd's staff did not look like that." Wang Dao flushed and had the matter hushed up. He withdrew to Jiangling, then was named palace attendant and grand commandant with full honors, re-enfeoffed as duke of Changsha with three thousand households and eight thousand bolts of silk, and made area commander over seven provinces including Jiao and Guang. Finding Jiangling too far upriver, he shifted his headquarters to Baling. He sent Zhang Dan against the Five Streams tribes and accepted their surrender.

屬後將軍郭默矯詔襲殺平南將軍劉胤，輒領江州。侃聞之曰：「此必詐也。」遣將軍宋夏、陳修率兵據湓口，侃以大軍繼進。默遣使送妓婢絹百匹，寫中詔呈侃。參佐多諫曰：「默不被詔，豈敢為此事。若進軍，宜待詔報。」侃厲色曰：「國家年小，不出胸懷。且劉胤為朝廷所禮，雖方任非才，何緣猥加極刑！郭默虓勇，所在暴掠，以大難新除，威網寬簡，欲因隙會騁其從橫耳。」發使上表討默。與王導書曰：「郭默殺方州，即用為方州；害宰相，便為宰相乎？」導答曰：「默居上流之勢，加有船艦成資，故苞含隱忍，使其有地。一月潛嚴，足下軍到，是以得風發相赴，豈非遵養時晦以定大事者邪！」侃省書笑曰：「是乃遵養時賊也。」侃既至，默將宗侯縛默父子五人及默將張醜詣侃降，侃斬默等。默在中原，數與石勒等戰，賊畏其勇，聞侃討之，兵不血刃而擒也，益畏侃。蘇峻將馮鐵殺侃子，奔于石勒，勒以為戍將。侃告勒以故，勒召而殺之。詔侃都督江州，領刺史，增置左右長史、司馬、從事中郎四人，掾屬十二人。侃旋于巴陵，因移鎮武昌。侃命張夔子隱為參軍，范達子珧為湘東太守，辟劉弘曾孫安為掾屬，表論梅陶，凡微時所荷，一餐咸報。

Rear General Guo Mo used a forged decree to murder Liu Yin, general who pacifies the south, and seized Jiangzhou. Tao Kan said at once, "This cannot be genuine." He sent Song Xia and Chen Xiu to seal Penkou and followed with the main army. Guo Mo sent singing girls, maids, a hundred bolts of silk, and a counterfeit palace edict. Most of his staff urged caution: "Without an imperial order Guo Mo would never dare such a thing. They said the march should wait on a court reply." Tao Kan answered sharply, "The throne is still held by a child who has not left the nursery. Besides, Liu Yin was honored at court; even if his appointment was a poor fit, nothing justified murdering him out of hand. Guo Mo is a brutal marauder who exploits every loosening of the law after the recent wars to run wild." He sent a memorial demanding permission to crush Guo Mo. He wrote Wang Dao, "Guo Mo murders a provincial inspector and is rewarded with a province— —murders a chief minister and expects to become chief minister?" Wang Dao answered that Guo Mo commanded the upper Yangzi and a ready fleet, so the court had temporized rather than provoke him. For a month, he explained, the court had secretly armed itself; now that Tao Kan's host was near they could strike together—was that not "biding the murky hour" to settle the crisis? Tao Kan read the letter and laughed, "That is biding time for the bandit, not for the realm." As Tao Kan approached, Guo Mo's officer Zong Hou bound Guo Mo, his five sons, and general Zhang Chou and surrendered them; Tao Kan executed Guo Mo and his party. Guo Mo had fought Shi Le repeatedly in the north and terrified other warlords; when Tao Kan moved against him he was taken without a blow being struck, which only deepened their awe of Tao Kan. Feng Tie, a general of Su Jun who had killed Tao Kan's son, fled to Shi Le, who made him a frontier commander. Tao Kan sent word of the blood feud to Shi Le, who summoned Feng Tie and executed him. An edict named Tao Kan area commander of Jiangzhou with the inspectorship, enlarged his staff with paired chief clerks, marshals, four senior adjutants, and twelve subordinates. After returning to Baling he transferred his headquarters to Wuchang. He appointed Zhang Yin's son to his staff, Fan Kui's son prefect of eastern Xiang, called Liu Hong's descendant Liu An into service, and again lifted up Mei Tao—every man who had once given him a meal he now repaid.

遣子斌與南中郎將桓宣西伐樊城，走石勒將郭敬。使兄子臻、竟陵太守李陽等共破新野，遂平襄陽。拜大將軍，劍履上殿，入朝不趨，贊拜不名。上表固讓，曰：「臣非貪於疇昔，而虛讓於今日。事有合于時宜，臣豈敢與陛下有違；理有益於聖世，臣豈與朝廷作異。臣常欲除諸浮長之事，遣諸虛假之用，非獨臣身而已。若臣杖國威靈，梟雄斬勒，則又何以加！」咸和七年六月疾篤，又上表遜位曰：

He sent Tao Bin with Huan Xuan, general of the center, west against Fancheng and drove off Guo Jing, a general of Shi Le. His nephew Tao Zhen and Li Yang, prefect of Jingling, took Xinye together and secured Xiangyang. He was named grand marshal with the honors of wearing sword and shoes in audience, entering court without hurrying, and being hailed without his name spoken. He memorialized a firm refusal: "I do not cling to past glories, yet I must decline what is offered now. When the times call for a thing, I would not set myself against Your Majesty; when principle serves the age, I would not quarrel with the court. I have always wished to cut empty offices and false appointments—not for my sake alone. Were I to wield the imperial majesty and strike down a tyrant like Shi Le, what higher honor could I seek?" In the sixth month of the seventh Xianhe year, gravely ill, he submitted another memorial asking to retire, saying:

臣少長孤寒，始願有限。過蒙聖朝曆世殊恩、陛下睿鑒，寵靈彌泰。有始必終，自古而然。臣年垂八十，位極人臣，啟手啟足，當復何恨！但以陛下春秋尚富，餘寇不誅，山陵未反，所以憤愾兼懷，不能已已。臣雖不知命，年時已邁，國恩殊特，賜封長沙，隕越之日，當歸骨國土。臣父母舊葬，今在尋陽，緣存處亡，無心分違，已勒國臣修遷改之事，刻以來秋，奉迎窀穸，葬事訖，乃告老下籓。不圖所患，遂爾綿篤，伏枕感結，情不自勝。臣間者猶為犬馬之齒尚可小延，欲為陛下西平李雄，北吞石季龍，是以遣毌丘奧於巴東，授桓宣於襄陽。良圖未敘，於此長乖！此方之任，內外之要，願陛下速選臣代使，必得良才，奉宣王猷，遵成臣志，則臣死之日猶生之年。

"From childhood I knew poverty and modest hopes." Yet reign after reign heaped favor on me, and Your Majesty's discerning eye raised me higher still. What begins must end—that has been true since antiquity. I am nearing eighty and have climbed as high as a subject may; when I close my hands in death I shall have no regrets. Only because you are still young, rebels remain, and the imperial tombs lie in enemy hands does grief keep me from rest. Though I cannot read heaven's will, my years are spent; the grace that made me duke of Changsha means that when I fall I wish my bones returned to that fief. My parents lie buried at Xunyang; I cannot bear to leave them; I have ordered my household to prepare their reburial next autumn, after which I meant to retire to my princedom. Instead my sickness has deepened; prostrate with grief I can scarcely master myself. Until lately I thought I might linger yet and westward crush Li Xiong and northward swallow Shi Hu—that is why I posted Wuqiu Ao in Badong and Huan Xuan at Xiangyang. Those plans are unfinished, and I must leave them forever. I beg you quickly to name a successor for this command, a worthy man who can carry out your design, so that my death may still serve the living.

陛下雖聖姿天縱，英奇日新，方事之殷，當賴群俊。司徒導鑒識經遠，光輔三世；司空鑒簡素貞正，內外惟允；平西將軍亮雅量詳明，器用周時，即陛下之周召也。獻替疇諮，敷融政道，地平天成，四海幸賴。謹遣左長史殷羨奉送所假節麾、幢曲蓋、侍中貂蟬、太尉章、荊江州刺史印傳啟戟。仰戀天恩，悲酸感結。

Though Your Majesty's talent overflows heaven and grows daily, these pressing tasks demand many able ministers. Minister Wang Dao sees deep and steady and has aided three reigns; Minister Yu Jian is plain, loyal, and trusted within and without; Yu Liang, general who pacifies the west, is calm, clear, and timely—the Duke of Zhou and Duke of Shao at your side. Let them counsel you freely and smooth the government until heaven and earth are level and the realm rests secure. I send Yin Xian to return my staff, banners, canopies, court regalia, seals of grand commandant and of the Jing and Jiangzhou inspectorates, and halberd credentials. I bow to your grace with a breaking heart.

以後事付右司馬王愆期，加督護，統領文武。

He left final dispositions to his right marshal Wang Yanqi as protector over civil and military affairs.

侃輿車出臨津就船，明日，薨于樊溪，時年七十六。成帝下詔曰：「故使持節、侍中、太尉、都督荊江雍梁交廣益甯八州諸軍事、荊江二州刺史、長沙郡公經德蘊哲，謀猷弘遠。作籓於外，八州肅清；勤王於內，皇家以寧。乃者桓文之勳，伯舅是憑。方賴大猷，俾屏予一人。前進位大司馬，禮秩策命，未及加崇。昊天不吊，奄忽薨殂，朕用震悼於厥心。今遣兼鴻臚追贈大司馬，假蜜章，祠乙太牢。魂而有靈，喜茲寵榮。」又策諡曰桓，祠乙太牢。侃遺令葬國南二十里，故吏刊石立碑畫像于武昌西。

He was carried in a litter to Linjin to embark and died the next day at Fanxi, aged seventy-six. Emperor Cheng's edict read: "The late commissioner, palace attendant, grand commandant, duke of Changsha—area commander of eight provinces—combined stored virtue with far-reaching counsel. On the frontier he kept eight provinces in order; within the realm he rallied the throne to safety. Like Huan and Wen of old, the court leaned on this uncle of mine. I looked to his great strategy to shield me. His promotion to grand marshal had not yet been fully honored with rites. Heaven showed no mercy: he is gone, and my heart is shaken with grief. I send the grand master of ceremonies to posthumously confirm him as grand marshal with the honey-colored seal and a great bull offering. May his aware spirit rejoice in this glory." His posthumous name is to be Huan, with the same grand sacrifice. His testament asked burial twenty li south of the capital; old subordinates carved a stele with his likeness west of Wuchang.

侃在軍四十一載，雄毅有權，明悟善決斷。自南陵迄于白帝數千里中，路不拾遺。蘇峻之役，庾亮輕進失利。亮司馬殷融詣侃謝曰：「將軍為此，非融等所裁。」將軍王章至，曰：「章自為之，將軍不知也。」侃曰：「昔殷融為君子，王章為小人；今王章為君子，殷融為小人。」侃性纖密好問，頗類趙廣漢。嘗課諸營種柳，都尉夏施盜官柳植之於己門。侃後見，駐車問曰：「此是武昌西門前柳，何因盜來此種？」施惶怖謝罪。時武昌號為多士，殷浩、庾翼等皆為佐吏。侃每飲酒有定限，常歡有餘而限已竭，浩等勸更少進，侃淒懷良久曰：「年少曾有酒失，亡親見約，故不敢逾。」議者以武昌北岸有邾城，宜分兵鎮之。侃每不答，而言者不已，侃乃渡水獵，引將佐語之曰：「我所以設險而禦寇，正以長江耳。邾城在江北，內無所倚，外接群夷。夷中利深，晉人貪利，夷不堪命，必引寇虜，乃致禍之由，非禦寇也。且吳時此城乃三萬兵守，今縱有兵守之，亦無益於江南。若羯虜有可乘之會，此又非所資也。」後庾亮戍之，果大敗。季年懷止足之分，不與朝權。未亡一年，欲遜位歸國，佐吏等苦留之。及疾篤，將歸長沙，軍資器仗牛馬舟船皆有定簿，封印倉庫，自加管鑰以付王愆期，然後登舟，朝野以為美談。將出府門，顧謂愆期曰：「老子婆娑，正坐諸君輩。」尚書梅陶與親人曹識書曰：「陶公機神明鑒似魏武，忠順勤勞似孔明，陸抗諸人不能及也。」謝安每言「陶公雖用法，而恆得法外意」。其為世所重如此。然媵妾數十，家僮千餘，珍奇寶貨富於天府。或云「侃少時漁于雷澤，網得一織梭，以掛於壁。有頃雷雨，自化為龍而去」。又夢生八翼，飛而上天，見天門九重，已登其八，唯一門不得入。閽者以杖擊之，因隧地，折其左翼。及寤，左腋猶痛。又嘗如廁，見一人硃衣介幘，斂板曰：「以君長者，故來相報。君後當為公，位至八州都督。」有善相者師圭謂侃曰：「君左手中指有豎理，當為公。若徹於上，貴不可言。」侃以針決之見血，灑壁而為「公」字，以紙裛，「公」字愈明。及都督八州，據上流，握強兵，潛有窺窬之志，每思折翼之祥，自抑而止。

Tao Kan spent forty-one campaigns under arms, stern, resolute, and decisive. From Nanling to White Emperor, thousands of li knew no theft on the road. During the Su Jun crisis Yu Liang's rash advance had cost the court dearly. Yu Liang's marshal Yin Rong apologized to Tao Kan, saying the general's error was beyond their power to stop. General Wang Zhang then said he alone was responsible, without Tao Kan's knowledge. Tao Kan observed, "Once I thought Yin Rong the gentleman and Wang Zhang the knave; today it is the other way around." Tao Kan was meticulous and inquisitive, much in the mold of Zhao Guanghan of Han. When he ordered willows planted along the camps, Commandant Xia Shi stole public saplings for his own doorway. Tao Kan later rode past, stopped his carriage, and demanded why the West Gate willows of Wuchang stood at Xia Shi's house. Xia Shi confessed in terror. Wuchang then teemed with talent—Yin Hao, Yu Yi, and others served on Tao Kan's staff. Tao Kan rationed his wine: merriment often remained when the cup was empty. When Yin Hao pressed him to take a little more, he answered sadly that a youthful drunken shame and his parents' vow kept him from breaking his rule. Advisers urged him to garrison Zhucheng on the north bank. Tao Kan ignored the talk until, during a hunt north of the river, he told his officers, "The Yangzi alone is my barrier against raiders. Zhucheng lies north of the river with no hinterland and opens onto barbarian country. Trade there breeds greed on our side and oppression on theirs, inviting invasion rather than preventing it. Even under Wu thirty thousand men there did little for the south; a garrison today would help Jiangnan even less. Nor would the fort give us decisive leverage against the Jie horsemen." Yu Liang later held Zhucheng and suffered the crushing defeat Tao Kan had predicted. In old age he practiced restraint and stayed clear of court intrigue. A year before his death he tried to retire to Changsha, but his staff implored him to remain. As his final illness drove him toward Changsha he inventoried every bolt, blade, ox, and hull, sealed the granaries, locked the treasury himself, and handed the keys to Wang Yanqi before embarking—an exit the whole capital admired. At the prefectural gate he turned to Wang Yanqi and said, 'This old fool shuffles on only thanks to the likes of you.' Mei Tao wrote a kinsman that Tao Kan matched Cao Cao in foresight and Zhuge Liang in loyalty—men like Lu Kang stood below him. Xie An used to say Tao Kan enforced statutes yet always caught their larger meaning. Such was the world's regard for him. Yet he maintained scores of concubines, over a thousand retainers, and wealth that outshone the palace storehouse. Legend says that as a youth fishing at Lei Marsh he caught a weaver's shuttle and hung it on his wall. After a storm it turned into a dragon and flew off. He dreamed of eight wings, soaring toward nine gates of heaven yet barred from the last. A gatekeeper struck him down and shattered his left wing. On waking his left side still ached. In a latrine vision a red-robed official told him, 'Because you are a man of years I bring tidings. You will rise to duke and command eight provinces.' The face-reader Shi Gui said the crease on his left middle finger betokened a dukedom. Were that line to reach the base of the finger, rank would be beyond words. He lanced the line until blood on the wall spelled the character gong (duke); blotting it on paper only sharpened the omen. Commanding eight provinces with a mighty army, ambition stirred, yet the broken-wing dream curbed him.

侃有子十七人，唯洪、瞻、夏、琦、旗、斌、稱、範、岱見舊史，餘者並不顯。

Of seventeen sons only Hong, Zhan, Xia, Qi, Qi (banner), Bin, Cheng, Fan, and Dai are recorded; the others faded from view.

洪，辟丞相掾，早卒。

Tao Hong entered the chancellery and died early.

瞻，字道真，少有才器，曆廣陵相，廬江、建昌二郡太守，遷散騎常侍、都亭侯。為蘇峻所害，追贈大鴻臚，諡湣悼世子。以夏為世子。及送侃喪還長沙，夏與斌及稱各擁兵數千以相圖。既而解散，斌先往長沙，悉取國中器仗財物。夏至，殺斌。庾亮上疏曰：「斌雖醜惡，罪在難忍，然王憲有制，骨肉至親，親運刀鋸以刑同體，傷父母之恩，無惻隱之心，應加放黜，以懲暴虐。」亮表未至都，而夏病卒。詔復以瞻息弘襲侃爵，仕至光祿勳。卒，子綽之嗣。綽之卒，子延壽嗣。宋受禪，降為吳昌侯，五百戶。

Tao Zhan, courtesy Daozhen, rose through Guangling and the two prefectures to cavalier attendant-in-ordinary with a Douting marquisate. Su Jun slew him; the throne posthumously made him grand herald with the posthumous name Min as ducal heir. Tao Xia succeeded as heir. Escorting the bier to Changsha, Tao Xia, Tao Bin, and Tao Cheng each commanded thousands against one another. They broke apart, but Tao Bin reached Changsha first and emptied the arsenal and treasury. When Tao Xia arrived he killed Tao Bin. Yu Liang argued that however vile Tao Bin's crime, law forbade a brother from personally executing kin. Before the memorial arrived Tao Xia died of illness. The throne let Tao Zhan's son Tao Hong inherit the title; he reached grand master of splendid horses. He died; Tao Chuozhi inherited. Tao Chuozhi was followed by Tao Yanshou. At the Song founding the house was reduced to marquis of Wuchang at five hundred households.

琦，司空掾。

Tao Qi was a clerk on the minister of works' staff.

旗，歷位散騎常侍、郴縣開國伯。咸和末，為散騎侍郎。性甚凶暴。卒，子定嗣。卒，子襲之嗣。卒，子謙之嗣。宋受禪，國除。

Tao Qi (banner graph) became cavalier attendant-in-ordinary and founding baron of Chen. Late in Xianhe he was attendant cavalier. He was brutish by nature. He died; Tao Ding succeeded. Tao Ding was followed by Tao Xizhi. Tao Xizhi was followed by Tao Qianzhi. The Liu-Song founding ended the fief.

斌，尚書郎。

Another Tao Bin, not the prince murdered in the fraternal feud, served as gentleman of the secretariat.

稱，東中郎將、南平太守、南蠻校尉、假節。性虓勇不倫，與諸弟不協。後加建威將軍。咸康五年，庾亮以稱為監江夏隨義陽三郡軍事、南中郎將、江夏相，以本所領二千人自隨。到夏口，輕將二百人下見亮。亮大會吏佐，責稱前後罪惡，稱拜謝，因罷出。亮使人於閣外收之，棄市，亮上疏曰：「案稱，大司馬侃之孽子，父亡不居喪位，荒耽於酒，昧利偷榮，擅攝五郡，自謂監軍，輒召王官，聚之軍府。故車騎將軍劉弘曾孫安寓居江夏，及將楊恭、趙韶，並以言色有忤，稱放聲當殺，安、恭懼，自赴水而死，韶於獄自盡。將軍郭開從稱往長沙赴喪，稱疑開附其兄弟，乃反縛懸頭於帆檣，仰而彈之，鼓棹渡江二十餘里，觀者數千，莫不震駭。又多藏匿府兵，收坐應死。臣猶未忍直上，且免其司馬。稱肆縱醜言，無所顧忌，要結諸將，欲阻兵構難。諸將惶懼，莫敢酬答，由是奸謀未即髮露。臣以侃勳勞王室，是以依違容掩，故表為南中郎將，與臣相近，思欲有以匡救之。而稱豺狼愈甚，發言激切，不忠不孝，莫此之甚。苟利社稷，義有專斷，輒收稱伏法。」

Tao Cheng was general of the center east, Nanping prefect, southern colonel, and bearer of the staff. He was violent and quarreled with his brothers. He later added the title general who establishes might. In the fifth Xiankang year Yu Liang put him over three commanderies with two thousand personal followers. He arrived at Xiakou with two hundred men to see Yu Liang. Yu Liang assembled his clerks, recited Tao Cheng's offenses, took his bow, and dismissed him. Yu Liang's men seized Tao Cheng for public execution and memorialized his bastardy, skipped mourning, drunkenness, embezzlement, seizure of five commanderies, self-styled supervision, and impressment of officials. Liu An, Yang Gong, and Zhao Shao died—two by drowning, one in prison—after his threats. Suspecting Guo Kai of siding with his brothers on the funeral journey, he bound him inverted to the mast, riddled him with arrows, and rowed twenty li past thousands of onlookers. He repeatedly concealed government soldiers and merited execution. I could not bring myself to report him immediately and only stripped his marshal. He railed without restraint, recruited generals, and plotted rebellion. Terrified officers dared not answer, delaying the plot's exposure. For Tao Kan's sake I temporized and even posted him nearby as general of the center south to salvage him. Instead he grew fiercer and more disloyal than any man I know. Where the altars are endangered righteousness allows summary justice—I have arrested Tao Cheng and put him to death.

范，最知名，太元初，為光祿勳。

Tao Fan was best known; early in Taiyuan he reached grand master of splendid horses.

岱，散騎侍郎。

Tao Dai was attendant cavalier.

臻字彥遐，有勇略智謀，賜爵當陽亭侯。咸和中，為南郡太守、領南蠻校尉、假節。卒官，追贈平南將軍，諡曰肅。

Tao Zhen, courtesy Yanxia, was brave and clever with a Dangyang village marquisate. In Xianhe he was Nan prefect and southern colonel with the staff of authority. He died in post and was titled posthumously general who pacifies the south, epithet Su.

臻弟輿，果烈善戰，以功累遷武威將軍。初，賊張奕本中州人，元康中被差西征，遇天下亂，遂留蜀。至是，率三百餘家欲就杜弢，為侃所獲。諸將請殺其丁壯，取其妻息，輿曰：「此本官兵，數經戰陣，可赦之以為用。」侃赦之，以配輿。及侃與杜弢戰敗，賊以桔槔打沒官軍船艦，軍中失色。輿率輕舸出其上流以擊之，所向輒克。賊又率眾將焚侃輜重，輿又擊破之。自是每戰輒克，賊望見輿軍，相謂曰：「避陶武威。」無敢當者。後與杜弢戰，輿被重創，卒。侃哭之慟，曰：「喪吾家寶！」三軍皆為之垂泣。詔贈長沙太守。

His brother Tao Yu was a fierce fighter promoted to general who displays might. Bandit Zhang Yi was a central-plains man sent west in Yuankang and marooned in Shu. He led three hundred households toward Du Tao when Tao Kan seized him. Officers urged slaughter and enslavement, but Tao Yu said they were imperial troops who could serve if pardoned. Tao Kan spared them for Tao Yu. During Tao Kan's defeat the rebels used well-sweep poles to sink government ships and terrified the army. Tao Yu ran light boats upstream and broke each assault. When they tried to burn the baggage Tao Yu defeated them again. Thereafter the cry was 'Beware Tao of Wuwei!' at sight of his host. None dared oppose him. He later died of grave wounds against Du Tao. Tao Kan mourned, 'I have lost the treasure of our house!' The entire host wept. An edict posthumously named him prefect of Changsha.

史臣曰：古者明王之建國也，下料疆宇，列為九州，輔相玄功，咨于四嶽。所以仰希齊政，俯寄宣風。備連率之儀，威騰閫外；總頒條之務，禮縟區中。委稱其才，《甘棠》以之流詠；據非其德，仇餉以是興嗟。中朝叔世，要荒多阻，分符建節，並紊天綱。和季以同里之情，申盧綰之契，居方牧之地，振吳起之風。自幽徂荊，亟斂豺狼之跡；舉賢登善，窮掇孔翠之毛。由是吏民畢力，華夷順命，一州清晏，恬波於沸海之中；百城安堵，靜寢於稽天之際。猶獨稱善政，何其寡歟！《易》云「貞固足以幹事」，于征南見之矣。士行望非世族，俗異諸華，拔萃陬落之間，比肩髦俊之列，超居外相，宏總上流。布澤懷邊，則嚴城靜柝；釋位匡主，則淪鼎再寧。元規以戚裏之崇，挹其膺而下拜；茂弘以保衡之貴，服其言而動色。望隆分陝，理則宜然。至於時屬雲屯，富逾天府，潛有包藏之志，顧思折翼之祥，悖矣！夫子曰「人無求備」，斯言之信，於是有征。

The historians write: Ancient kings mapped nine provinces and sought counsel from the four sacred peaks. They harmonized government above and sent their moral wind below. Governors bore ritual power that reached beyond the camps; they issued regulations and thickly spread ritual through the provinces. When worth fit post the people sang the Sweet Pear; when virtue failed even conscripts sighed. In the dynasty's decline every march was blocked; credentials multiplied until the imperial net snarled. Liu Hong, neighbor to the emperor, renewed Lu Wan's friendship, governed a vast region, and brought Wu Qi's vigor. From You to Jing he erased predator tracks; he lifted the good and gathered talents like peacock feathers. Officers and tribesmen toiled until the province stilled like quiet water amid a raging sea; a hundred cities rested easy though calamity loomed like piled-up heaven. Yet he alone was called a model—how seldom that happens! The Changes says steadfast duty can carry great tasks—General Tao Kan proved it. Tao Kan, no aristocrat and an outsider to Huaxia custom, rose from obscurity among the elite to command the whole middle Yangzi. His grace on the frontier hushed every night drum; when he laid down power to aid the throne the dynasty twice recovered. Yu Liang of the imperial clan bowed low; Wang Dao, pillar of state, listened and changed color. His eminence rivaled the old lords of the western march—only right. To amass power and riches rivaling the throne yet still heed the omen of a broken wing shows how even towering strength can contradict itself. Confucius said we should not demand perfection of any man—and here is the proof.

贊曰：和季承恩，建旟南服。威靜荊塞，化揚江澳。戮力天朝，匪忘忠肅。長沙勤王，擁旆戎場。任隆三事，功宣一匡。繄賴之重，匪伊舟航。

Eulogy: Liu Heji bore imperial favor and raised the standard in the southern lands. His authority stilled the Jing garrisons; his rule spread virtue along the great river. He strained every nerve for the dynasty and never slackened in loyal duty. The lord of Changsha rallied to the throne and bore his banner through every campaign. He was trusted with the highest offices and his service set the realm upright. The court leaned on him for far more than fleets and convoys alone.

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