1
涼武昭王
Prince Wuzhao of Liang
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武昭王諱暠，字玄盛，小字長生，隴西成紀人，姓李氏，漢前將軍廣之十六世孫也。 廣曾祖仲翔，漢初為將軍，討叛羌於素昌，素昌即狄道也，眾寡不敵，死之。 仲翔子伯考奔喪，因葬于狄道之東川，遂家焉，世為西州右姓。 高祖雍，曾祖柔，仕晉並歷位郡守。 祖弇，仕張軌為武衛將軍、安世亭侯。 父昶，幼有令名，早卒，遺腹生玄盛。 少而好學，性沈敏寬和，美器度，通涉經史，尤善文義。 及長，頗習武藝，誦孫吳兵法。 嘗與呂光太史令郭黁及其同母弟宋繇同宿，黁起謂繇曰：「君當位極人臣，李君有國土之分，家有騧草馬生白額駒，此其時也。」
Prince Wuzhao of Liang was Li Gao, courtesy Xuansheng, childhood name Changsheng, from Chengji in Longxi of the Li clan—the sixteenth generation down from the Han general Li Guang. Li Guang's ancestor Zhongxiang served as a Han general against rebel Qiang at Suchang—that is, Didao—and died when his men were overwhelmed. His son Bokao came east to bury him below Didao, and the Li line put down roots there as one of the great houses of the northwest. His remote ancestors Yong and Rou both served the Jin and rose to prefectural rank. His grandfather Yan was General Who Guards the Marches under Zhang Gui and village marquis of Anshi. His father Chang was famed in youth but died young; Xuansheng was a posthumous child. He loved books from boyhood—grave, quick, and even-tempered, with an imposing presence—and he read widely, excelling above all at letters and argument. As a man he took up the military arts and committed Sunzi and Wuzi to memory. Once he spent the night with Guo Nen, grand astrologer under Lu Guang, and Nen's half-brother Song Yao. Nen told Yao, "You will rise to the highest offices; this Li is fated for a realm of his own—when your dun mare drops a white-faced colt, the time has come."
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呂光末，京兆段業自稱涼州牧，以敦煌太守趙郡孟敏為沙州刺史，署玄盛效穀令。 敏尋卒，敦煌護軍馮翊郭謙、沙州治中敦煌索仙等以玄盛溫毅有惠政，推為甯朔將軍、敦煌太守。 玄盛初難之，會宋繇仕於業，告歸敦煌，言于玄盛曰：「兄忘郭黁之言邪？ 白額駒今已生矣。」 玄盛乃從之。 尋進號冠軍，稱籓於業。 業以玄盛為安西將軍、敦煌太守，領護西胡校尉。
Near Lu Guang's fall, Duan Ye of Jingzhao declared himself governor of Liang and named Meng Min of Zhao prefect of Dunhuang and Sha province, with Li Xuansheng as magistrate of Xiaogu. When Meng Min died soon after, Dunhuang protector Guo Qian and administrator Suo Xian, finding Li Xuansheng gentle, firm, and a just magistrate, raised him to General Who Pacifies the Shakes and prefect of Dunhuang. Li Xuansheng hesitated until Song Yao, home on leave from Duan Ye's court, said, "Brother, have you forgotten what Guo Nen foretold? The white-faced colt is already in your stable. Li Xuansheng then accepted. He soon took the title General Who Crowns the Army and acknowledged Duan Ye as his suzerain. Duan Ye named him General Who Pacifies the West and prefect of Dunhuang, with the added office of colonel of the western Hu.
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及業僭稱涼王，其右衛將軍索嗣構玄盛於業，乃以嗣為敦煌太守，率騎五百而西，未至二十里，移玄盛使迫己。 玄盛驚疑，將出迎之，效穀令經邈及宋繇止之曰：「呂氏政衰，段業暗弱，正是英豪有為之日，將軍處一國成資，奈何束手於人！ 索嗣自以本邦，謂人情附己，不虞將軍卒能距之，可一戰而擒矣。」 宋繇亦曰：「大丈夫已為世所推，今日便授首於嗣，豈不為天下笑乎！ 大兄英姿挺傑，有雄霸之風，張王之業不足繼也。」 玄盛曰：「吾少無風雲之志，因官至此，不圖此郡士人忽爾見推。 向言出迎者，未知士大夫之意故也。」 因遣繇覘嗣。 繇見嗣，啖以甘言，還謂玄盛曰：「嗣志驕兵弱，易擒耳。」 於是遣其二子士業、讓與邈、繇及以司馬尹建興等逆戰，破之，嗣奔還張掖。 玄盛素與嗣善，結為刎頸交，反為所構，故深恨之，乃罪狀嗣于段業。 業將且渠男又惡嗣，至是，因勸除之。 業乃殺嗣，遣使謝玄盛，分敦煌之涼興、烏澤、晉昌之宜禾三縣為涼興郡，進玄盛持節、都督涼興已西諸軍事、鎮西將軍，領護西夷校尉。 時有赤氣起于玄盛後園，龍跡見於小城。
When Duan Ye took the title King of Liang, his guard general Suo Si poisoned the ear of the throne against Li Xuansheng; Ye named Suo Si prefect of Dunhuang and sent him west with five hundred horse, halting twenty li out to demand that Li Xuansheng step aside. Li Xuansheng wavered and meant to ride out to meet Suo Si, but Jing Miao of Xiaogu and Song Yao barred him: "Lu's power fades and Duan Ye is a weakling—this is the hour for a strong hand. You already hold a ready state—why surrender meekly? Suo Si fancies himself a local favorite and assumes the people will flock to him; he never thinks you can defy him—one stroke will take him. Song Yao added, "You are already the choice of the hour—to lay your neck before Suo Si would make the empire laugh. Your bearing is kingly; you carry the air of a hegemon—the petty thrones of ordinary lords are beneath you." Li Xuansheng answered, "I never dreamed of greatness; office brought me here. I never thought your gentry would thrust this burden on me. I spoke of riding out only because I had not yet taken your measure." He sent Song Yao to scout Suo Si. Song Yao paid Suo Si honeyed compliments, returned, and reported, "He is cocky and his force is thin—easy prey." He then sent his sons Shiye and Rang with Jing Miao, Song Yao, Yin Jianxing, and others to meet Suo Si in the field, broke him, and drove him back to Zhangye. Though he and Suo Si had been sworn friends, Suo Si had betrayed him with slander; Li Xuansheng nursed a bitter grudge and memorialized every crime to Duan Ye. Juqu Nan, another of Ye's generals, loathed Suo Si and now urged his execution. Ye executed Suo Si, apologized to Li Xuansheng, carved three counties from Dunhuang and Jinchang into a new Liangxing commandery, and promoted him to baton-bearing area commander west of Liangxing, General Who Garrisons the West, and colonel of the western Yi. A red mist rose from his rear garden and dragon prints showed on a lesser rampart.
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，晉昌太守唐瑤移檄六郡，推玄盛為大都督、大將軍、涼公、領秦涼二州牧、護羌校尉。 玄盛乃赦其境內，建年為庚子，追尊祖弇曰涼景公，父昶涼簡公。 以唐瑤為征東將軍，郭謙為軍諮祭酒，索仙為左長史，張邈為右長史，尹建興為左司馬，張體順為右司馬，張條為牧府左長史，令狐溢為右長史，張林為太府主簿，宋繇、張謖為從事中郎，繇加折沖將軍，謖加揚武將軍，索承明為牧府右司馬，令狐遷為武衛將軍、晉興太守，氾德瑜為甯遠將軍、西郡太守，張靖為折沖將軍、河湟太守，索訓為威遠將軍，西平太守，趙開為騂馬護軍、大夏太守，索慈為廣武太守，陰亮為西安太守，令狐赫為武威太守，索術為武興太守，以招懷東夏。 又遣宋繇東伐涼興，並擊玉門已西諸城，皆下之，遂屯玉門、陽關，廣田積穀，為東伐之資。
Then Tang Yao of Jinchang sent a call across six commanderies, raising Li Xuansheng to grand commander, grand general, Duke of Liang, governor of Qin and Liang, and colonel of the Qiang. He proclaimed an amnesty, adopted the Gengzi era name, and posthumously titled his grandfather Yan Prince Jing of Liang and his father Chang Prince Jian of Liang. He filled his government from Tang Yao eastward to the marches—Guo Qian as war counsel, Suo Xian and Zhang Miao as left and right chiefs, Yin Jianxing and Zhang Tishun as marshals, a sweep of frontier prefects from Wuwei to Hehuang, and a host of other posts—to draw the east under his influence. He sent Song Yao east against Liangxing and the towns beyond Yumen, took them all, and planted garrisons at Yumen and Yang Pass, farming and granarying for a future march east.
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初，呂光之稱王也，遣使市六璽玉于于闐，至是，玉至敦煌，納之郡府。 仍于南門外臨水起堂，名曰靖恭之堂，以議朝政，閱武事。 圖贊自古聖帝明王、忠臣孝子、烈士貞女，玄盛親為序頌，以明鑒戒之義，當時文武群僚亦皆圖焉。 有白雀翔於靖恭堂，玄盛觀之大悅。 又立泮宮，增高門學生五百人。 起嘉納堂於後園，以圖贊所志。
Lu Guang, when he claimed kingship, had sent to Khotan for the jade of the six imperial seals; that stone now reached Dunhuang and was locked in the treasury. South of the south gate, overhanging the water, he built the Hall of Serene Reverence for state councils and martial reviews. Its walls bore portraits and hymns of ancient paragons—sage kings, loyal ministers, filial sons, and steadfast women—with prefaces in his own brush to teach mirror and warning; his high officers too sat for their likenesses. White sparrows wheeled above the hall; he watched them with deep pleasure. He founded a state academy and raised the student body to five hundred. In the rear garden he built the Hall of Joyful Reception to picture and hymn his aims.
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，玄盛改元為建初，遣舍人黃始、梁興間行奉表詣闕曰：
He then adopted the Jianchu era and sent Huang Shi and Liang Xing by covert paths to the capital with a memorial that began:
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昔漢運將終，三國鼎峙，鈞天之曆，數鐘皇晉。 高祖闡鴻基，景文弘帝業，嗣武受終，要荒率服，六合同風，宇宙齊貫。 而惠皇失馭，權臣亂紀，懷湣屯邅，蒙塵於外，懸象上分，九眼下裂，眷言顧之，普天同憾。 伏惟中宗元皇帝基天紹命，遷幸江表，荊揚蒙弘覆之矜，五都為荒榛之藪。 故太尉、西平武公軌當元康之初，屬擾攘之際，受命典方，出撫此州，威略所振，聲蓋海內。 明盛繼統，不損前志，長旌所指，仍辟三秦，義立兵強，拓境萬里。 文桓嗣位，奕葉載德，囊括關西，化被崐裔，遐邇款籓，世修職貢。 晉德之遠揚，翳此州是賴。 大都督、大將軍天錫以英挺之姿，承七世之業，志匡時難，克隆先勳，而中年降災，兵寇侵境，皇威遐邈，同獎弗及，以一方之師抗七州之眾，兵孤力屈，社稷以喪。
When the Han waned, the three kingdoms balanced like a tripod until Heaven's calendar swung to the great Jin. The dynastic founder laid the base; Wen and Jing widened the throne; the successor took the mandate; the farthest wastes bowed; the realm breathed as one. Then Emperor Hui lost the reins, great ministers wrecked the law, and Emperors Huai and Min wandered in dust without court; heaven showed fissures and the nine provinces gaped; every loyal heart grieved as one. Your ancestor Emperor Yuan took up Heaven's thread south of the river, while Jing and Yang sheltered under him and the five capitals turned to wilderness. Zhang Gui, late grand commandant and Duke Wu of Xiping, in the first Yuankang years took charge of this march amid turmoil and brought such awe that his name filled the realm. His brilliant heir carried the work forward: wherever banners flew, Sanqin opened again, and righteous arms stretched the frontier ten thousand li. Wen and Huan kept the line in virtue, held all lands west of the pass, and spread civilization to the western marches until every neighbor sent tribute generation after generation. The Jin's glory abroad rested on this province alone. Zhang Tianxi, last grand commander of Former Liang, bore seven generations of duty and meant to save the times, yet midlife disaster struck: invaders ringed him while the distant throne could send no aid. One province faced seven and fell; the state died with him.
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臣聞歷數相推，歸余於終，帝王之興，必有閏位。 是以共工亂象于黃農之間，秦項篡竊于周漢之際，皆機不轉踵，覆束成凶。 自戎狄陵華，已涉百齡，五胡僭襲，期運將杪，四海顒顒，懸心象魏。 故師次東關，趙魏莫不企踵； 淮南大捷，三方欣然引領。 伏惟陛下道協少康，德侔光武，繼天統位，志清函夏。 至如此州，世篤忠義，臣之群僚以臣高祖東莞太守雍、曾祖北地太守柔荷寵前朝，參忝時務，伯祖龍驤將軍、廣晉太守、長寧侯卓，亡祖武衛將軍、天水太守、安世亭侯弇毗佐涼州，著功秦隴，殊寵之隆，勒於天府，妄臣無庸，輒依竇融故事，迫臣以義，上臣大都督、大將軍、涼公、領秦涼二州牧、護羌校尉。 臣以為荊楚替貢。 齊桓興召陵之師，諸侯不恭，晉文起城濮之役，用能勳光踐土，業隆一匡，九域賴其弘猷，《春為》恕其專命。 功冠當時，美垂幹祀。 況今帝居未復，諸夏昏墊，大禹所經，奄為戎墟，五嶽神山，狄汙其三，九州名都，夷穢其七，辛有所言，於茲而驗。 微臣所以叩心絕氣，忘寢與食，雕肝焦慮，不遑寧息者也。 江涼雖遼，義誠密邇，風雲苟通，實如脣齒。 臣雖名未結於天臺，量未著於海內，然憑賴累祖寵光餘烈，義不細辭，以稽大務，輒順群議，亡身即事。 轅弱任重，懼忝威命。 昔在春秋，諸侯宗周，國皆稱元，以布時令。 今天台邈遠，正朔未加，發號旋令，無以紀數。 輒年冠建初，以崇國憲。 冀杖寵靈，全制一方，使義誠著於所天，玄風扇於九壤，殉命灰身，隕越慷慨。
I have read that when one dynasty nears its term, another must rise between the cracks of fate. So Gonggong troubled the age between Huangdi and Shennong, and Qin and Xiang seized power between Zhou and Han—each fell as fast as he rose. The barbarians have trampled the heartland for a century; the five Hu have seized thrones in turn; the mandate thins; every eye turns toward your capital. When your host camped at Dongguan, Zhao and Wei watched on tiptoe; and the great victory at Huainan set three corners of the realm straining to see. Your Majesty matches Shao Kang in purpose and Guangwu in virtue; you have taken Heaven's line and mean to cleanse the north. This land has been loyal age after age. My officers cite my ancestors' service under the Jin and the Former Liang—granduncle Zhuo, grandfather Yan, and the rest who built Liangzhou—and the honors recorded in the celestial archive; though I am unworthy, they pressed me, as Dou Rong was once pressed, to take grand command, the dukedom of Liang, and the governorship of Qin and Liang with the Qiang colonelcy. I note that tribute from Jing and Chu has failed. Duke Huan of Qi marched when lords withheld duty; Duke Wen of Jin struck Chengpu and so lit his name at Ji'tu and raised the work of uniting the realm—the nine provinces rode on his design, and the Spring and Autumn Annals excused his acting without orders. Their merit crowned their age and still shines a thousand years later. Today the capital lies in ruins, the heartland drowned; lands Yu once traced are barbarian wastes; three of the five sacred peaks are defiled and seven of the nine great cities lie in alien hands—Xin You's warning has come true. That is why I tear my breast, forsake sleep and food, and cannot rest a single night. River and Liang are far apart, yet in duty we are lip to tooth; should wind and clouds once align, we would stand as close as mouth to mouth. Though I am unknown at court and untried in the realm, I lean on my forebears' honors and cannot, in good faith, shrink from the great charge; I have bowed to my officers' will and staked my life on the work. My team is weak for so heavy a load; I dread shaming your mandate. In the Spring and Autumn era the lords honored Zhou and each styled his first month "yuan" to proclaim the calendar. The court is far and your correct calendar has not reached us; we have no regnal count to follow. I therefore prefix my dates with Jianchu to honor your law. May I, leaning on your favor, hold this corner loyally, spread your breeze through the nine provinces, and spend my life and body in your service.
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玄盛謂群僚曰：「昔河右分崩，群豪競起，吾以寡德為眾賢所推，何嘗不忘寢與食，思濟黎庶。 故前遣母弟繇董率雲騎，東殄不庭，軍之所至，莫不賓下。 今惟蒙遜鴟跱一城。 自張掖已東，晉之遺黎雖為戎虜所制，至於向義思風，過於殷人之望西伯。 大業須定，不可安寢，吾將遷都酒泉，漸逼寇穴，諸君以為何如？」 張邈贊成其議，玄盛大悅曰：「二人同心，其利斷金。 張長史與孤同矣，夫復何疑！」 乃以張體順為甯遠將軍、建康太守，鎮樂涫，征宋繇為右將軍，領敦煌護軍，與其子敦煌太守讓鎮敦煌，遂遷居於酒泉。 手令誡其諸子曰：
Li Xuansheng told his council that when the Hexi broke apart and heroes contended, they had chosen him, though he lacked virtue, and that he had not slept for thinking of the people. I sent my brother Yao east at the head of our best horse to punish rebels, and every town his banners touched submitted. Only Juqu Mengxun still squats like an owl on a single hold. East of Zhangye the Jin survivors, though under barbarian rule, long for your grace more keenly than the Shang once longed for the lord of the west. The great work must be finished; we cannot sleep at ease. I will shift the seat to Jiuquan and close on the enemy—what say you?" Zhang Miao backed the plan. Li Xuansheng exclaimed, "Two minds as one can cut through metal. The chief clerk stands with me—what doubt can remain?" He named Zhang Tishun General Who Pacifies the Distance and prefect of Jiankang to hold Lègu, recalled Song Yao as General of the Right and Dunhuang protector with his son Rang as Dunhuang prefect, and moved his own seat to Jiuquan. He wrote his sons a private admonition that began:
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初，玄盛之西也，留女敬愛養于外祖尹文。 文既東遷，玄盛從姑梁褒之母養之。 其後禿髮傉檀假道於北山。 鮮卑遣褒送敬愛於酒泉，並通和好。 玄盛遣使報聘，贈以方物。 玄盛親率騎二萬，略地至於建東，鄯善前部王遣使貢其方物，且渠蒙遜來侵，至於建康，掠三千餘戶而歸。 玄盛大怒，率騎追之，及于彌安，大敗之，盡收所掠之戶。
When he first marched west he left his daughter Jing'ai in the care of her grandfather Yin Wen. When Yin Wen went east, his aunt, Liang Bao's mother, took the girl in. Later Tufa Rutan asked passage through the northern hills. The Xianbei sent Liang Bao to escort Jing'ai to Jiuquan and sue for peace. Li Xuansheng answered with envoys and gifts of his own. He led twenty thousand horse to raid east as far as Jiandong; the king of Shanshan sent tribute, but Juqu Mengxun struck Jiankang and dragged off three thousand households. Li Xuansheng, furious, chased him to Mi'an, broke his army, and recovered every captive household.
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初，苻堅建元之末，徙江漢之人萬餘戶于郭煌，中州之人有田疇不辟者，亦徙七千餘戶。 郭黁之寇武威，武威、張掖已東人西奔敦煌、晉昌者數千戶。 及玄盛東遷。 皆徙之於酒泉，分南人五千戶置會稽郡，中州人五千戶置廣夏郡，余萬三千戶分置武威、武興、張掖三郡，築城于敦煌南子亭，以威南虜，又以前表未報，復遣沙門法泉間行奉表，曰：
Late in Fu Jian's Jianyuan era he had resettled over ten thousand Jiang-Han families at Dunhuang and seven thousand more idle farmers from the central plain. When Guo Nen struck Wuwei, thousands of families east of Wuwei and Zhangye fled west into Dunhuang and Jinchang. When Li Xuansheng shifted his seat eastward, he resettled them at Jiuquan—five thousand southerners in a new Kuaiji command, five thousand northerners in Guangxia, the rest across Wuwei, Wuxing, and Zhangye—and walled Ziting south of Dunhuang to overawe the southern tribes. With no answer to his first memorial, he sent the monk Faquan again by hidden ways with a letter that read:
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江山悠隔，朝宗無階，延首雲極，翹企遐方。 伏惟陛下應期踐位，景福自天，臣去乙巳歲順從群議，假統方城，時遣舍人黃始奉表通誠，遙途險曠，未知達不？ 吳涼懸邈，蜂蠆充衢，方珍貢使，無由展禦，謹副寫前章，或希簡達。
Mountains and rivers divide us from your court; I can only crane my neck toward the sky and long for the capital. Your Majesty has taken the throne as Heaven ordains. In the past yisi year I bowed to my officers, took provisional command, and sent Huang Shi with a letter of loyalty along roads so long and rough that I still do not know if it reached you. Wu and Liang are sundered; bandits choke the roads; no tribute train can get through. I enclose a fresh copy of my earlier memorial in hope it may win through.
14
臣以其歲進師酒泉，戒戎廣平，庶攘茨穢，而黠虜恣睢，未率威教，憑守巢穴，阻臣前路。 竊以諸事草創，倉帑未盈，故息兵按甲，務農養士。 時移節邁，荏苒三年，撫劍歎憤，以日成歲。 今資儲已足，器械已充，西招城郭之兵，北引丁零之眾，冀憑國威席捲河隴，揚旌秦川，承望詔旨，盡節竭誠，隕越為效。
That year I marched on Jiuquan and warned my host at Guangping, meaning to scour the land, but a cunning foe defied your command, clung to his den, and barred my road. I judged the state still new and the bins thin, so I stood the army down and turned to plowing and schooling. Three years slid by while I fingered my sword and nursed my anger day by day. Stores are full and arms ready; I can call garrisons from the west and Dingling riders from the north. If I may lean on your majesty, I mean to sweep He and Long and plant your banners in the Qin valleys—awaiting only your word to spend my life in your service.
15
又臣州界回遠，勍寇未除，當順鎮副為行留部分，輒假臣世子士業監前鋒諸軍事、撫軍將軍、護羌校尉，督攝前軍，為臣先驅。 又敦煌郡大眾殷，制禦西域，管轄萬里，為軍國之本，輒以次子讓為甯朔將軍、西夷校尉、敦煌太守，統攝昆裔，輯甯殊方。 自余諸子，皆在戎間，率先士伍，臣總督大綱，畢在輸力，臨機制命，動靖續聞。
My march is vast and foes remain; I must split command between field and garrison. I therefore name my heir Shiye to lead the vanguard as supervisor of forward forces, General Who Comforts the Army, and colonel of the Qiang, riding before me. Dunhuang is thickly peopled, rules the Western Regions for ten thousand li, and is the root of army and state; I name my second son Rang General Who Pacifies the Shakes, colonel of the western Yi, and Dunhuang prefect to bind the western marches and quiet distant lands. My other sons serve in the ranks ahead of the men while I hold the grand plan—every move will be reported as it comes.
16
玄盛既遷酒泉，乃敦勸稼穡。 郡僚以年穀頻登，百姓樂業，請勒銘酒泉，玄盛許之。 於是使儒林祭酒劉彥明為文，刻石頌德。 既而蒙遜每年侵寇不止，玄盛志在以德撫其境內，但與通和立盟，弗之校也。 是時白狼、白兔、白雀、白雉、白鳩皆棲其園囿，其群下以為白祥金精所誕，皆應時邕而至，又有神光、甘露、連理、嘉禾眾瑞，請史官記其事，玄盛從之。 尋而蒙遜背盟來侵，玄盛遣世子士業要擊敗之，獲其將且渠百年。
Once settled at Jiuquan, Li Xuansheng threw his energy into agriculture. His officers, seeing crop after crop succeed and the people thrive, asked leave to carve a monument at Jiuquan, and he agreed. He had Liu Yanming, libationer of the academy, draft the inscription and set it in stone to hymn his rule. Juqu Mengxun raided year after year, yet Li Xuansheng meant to rule within by virtue: he kept a treaty and would not answer blow for blow. White wolves, hares, sparrows, pheasants, and doves nested in his parks; his courtiers called it metal-phase auspice and asked the chronicler to record a shower of omens—sweet dew, twin trunks, bumper grain—and he consented. When Mengxun broke the pact, Li Xuansheng sent his heir Shiye to ambush him, broke his army, and took the general Juqu Bainian.
17
玄盛上巳日宴於曲水，命群僚賦詩。 而親為之序。 於是寫諸葛亮訓誡以勖諸子曰：「吾負荷艱難，寧濟之勳未建，雖外總良能，憑股肱之力，而戎務孔殷，坐而待旦。 以維城之固，宜兼親賢，故使汝等未及師保之訓，皆弱年受任。 常懼弗克，以貽咎悔。 古今之事不可以不知，苟近而可師，何必遠也。 覽諸葛亮訓勵，應璩奏諫，尋其終始，周孔之教盡在中矣。 為國足以致安，立身足以成名，質略易通，寓目則了，雖言發往人，道師於此。 且經史道德如采菽中原，勤之者則功多，汝等可不勉哉！」 玄盛乃修敦煌舊塞東西二圍，以防北虜之患，築敦煌舊塞西南二圍，以威南虜。
On the spring purification day he feasted by the winding stream and set his officers to verse. He added a preface in his own brush. He copied Zhuge Liang's family admonitions for his sons: "I carry a heavy load in hard times; peace is not yet won. Though able men serve abroad and loyal arms support me, war never sleeps—I sit awake until dawn. A realm needs kin and worthies like cords around a wall, so I have given you office young, before tutors could finish your training. I dread daily that I may fail you and leave you shame and regret. Past and present are a mirror: what lies close at hand can teach—why search far off? Read Zhuge Liang's warnings and Ying Qu's frank memorials from start to finish; the way of the sages is all there. They teach how to settle a state and build a man in plain words—clear at a glance—yet though ancient men spoke them, they are masters for us today. The classics and histories are like gleaning beans in the heartland—the more you toil, the more you gain—so strive!" He then rebuilt the old Dunhuang wall, twin ramparts east and west against the northern tribes, and twin works southwest to overawe the south.
18
玄盛以緯世之量，當呂氏之末，為群雄所奉，遂啟霸圖，兵無血刃，坐定千里，謂張氏之業指期而成，河西十郡歲月而一。 既而禿髮傉檀入據姑臧，且渠蒙遜基宇稍廣，於是慨然著《述志賦》焉，其辭曰：
Li Xuansheng, a man fit to rule the times, was raised by the heroes at the fall of the Lu; he opened a hegemon's design and, almost without bloodshed, stilled a thousand li. He thought the Zhangs' work could be finished on a timetable and the ten Hexi commanderies gathered in months. Then Tufa Rutan seized Guzang and Juqu Mengxun's power swelled; he sighed and wrote his "Rhapsody on Stating My Purpose," which runs:
19
涉至虛以誕駕，乘有輿於本無，稟玄元而陶衍，承景靈之冥符。 廕朝雲之庵藹，仰朗日之照煦。 既敷既載，以育以成。 幼希顏子曲肱之榮，遊心上典，玩禮敦經。 蔑玄冕於硃門，羨漆園之傲生； 尚漁父于滄浪，善沮溺之耦耕，穢鵄鳶之籠哧，欽飛鳳於太清； 杜世競於方寸，絕時譽之嘉聲。 超霄吟於崇嶺。 奇秀木之陵霜； 挺修幹之青蔥，經歲寒而彌芳。 情遙遙以遠寄，想四老之暉光； 將戢繁榮于常衢，控雲轡而高驤； 攀瓊枝于玄圃，漱華泉之淥漿； 和吟鳳之逸響，應鳴鸞于南岡。
Through the void I rein my chariot, ride form on the formless, draw dark source into the world, and take Heaven's silent tally. Veiled in morning mist, I lift my face to the sun's warmth. Once spread and filled, they breed and bring all to completion. In youth I envied Yan Hui's joy in a bent elbow, fed my mind on the classics, and steeped myself in ritual. I scorned court caps at vermillion gates and envied Zhuangzi in his lacquer garden; I praised the Canglang fisherman and Ju and Ni at the plough, loathed the kite's cage-cry, loved the phoenix in clear sky; I shut out the world's scramble in a square inch and silenced the hunger for fame. I rose above night song on high peaks. I marveled at the rare tree that defies frost; Straight stems, green through winter, growing sweeter in the cold. My heart drifted far, drawn to the four white-haired recluses' gleam; I would leave the common road's riot, yet rein cloud-steeds to gallop high; Climb jade boughs in the mystic garden, rinse in flower-spring's green stream; Match the phoenix's wandering cry, answer the calling simurgh on southern hills.
20
時弗獲青彡，心往形留，眷駕陽林，宛首一丘； 沖風沐雨，載沈載浮。 利害繽紛以交錯，歎感迴圈而相求。 乾扉奄寂以重閉，天地絕津而無舟； 悼貞信之道薄，謝慚德於圜流。 遂乃去玄覽，慶世賓，肇弱巾於東宮，並羽儀于英倫，踐宣德之秘庭，翼明後於紫宸。 赫赫謙光，崇明奕奕，岌岌王居，詵詵百辟，君希虞夏，臣庶夔益。
Time never granted ease: mind flew but the body stayed; I longed for sunlit woods yet bowed to a single hill; Wind and rain struck; I sank and rose with the flood. Gain and loss snarled together; grief and longing chased in circles. Heaven's gate slammed shut; heaven and earth broke the ford—no boat; I mourned how thin loyalty had grown and begged pardon of the turning stream for my failing virtue. So I left reclusion, entered the world, bound a youth's cap in the eastern palace, joined splendid peers, trod halls of virtue, and served the bright lord in the purple depths. Brilliant modesty shone; the throne rose steep; lords thronged the hall; the ruler sought Yu and Xia; ministers strove like Kui and Yi.
21
張王頹岩，梁後墜壑，淳風杪莽以永喪，搢紳淪胥而覆溺。 呂發釁於閨牆，厥構摧以傾顛； 疾風飄于高木，回湯沸於重泉； 飛塵翕以蔽日，大火炎其燎原； 名都幽然影絕，千邑闃而無煙。 斯乃百六之恆數，起滅相因而迭然。 於是人希逐鹿之圖，家有雄霸之想，暗王命而不尋，邀非分於無象。 故覆車接路而繼軌，膏生靈於土壤。 哀餘類之忪懞，邈靡依而靡仰； 求欲專而失逾遠，寄玄珠於罔象。
The Zhang kings fell from the heights, the Liang line into the pit; pure wind died in the wilds; the gentry drowned together. The Lu house bred strife in the inner chambers and saw its rafters crash; Storm wind struck the treetops; boiling surge churned the deep springs; Dust clouds hid the sun; wildfire raced the plain; Great cities went dark; a thousand towns stood empty, without a cooking smoke. So runs fate's hundred-six cycle—rise and ruin chasing each other. Then every man craved the deer, every house dreamed of empire, forgot the king's mandate, and grasped at more than fate allows. Wrecked chariots lined the roads; the people were ground into mud. I pitied our remnant folk, trembling, with nowhere to lean; The tighter they clutched desire, the wider the miss; they sought the pearl in the imageless deep.
22
悠悠涼道。 鞠焉荒凶，杪杪餘躬，迢迢西邦，非相期之所會，諒冥契而來同。 跨弱水以建基，躡昆墟以為墉，總奔駟之駭轡，接摧轅於峻峰。 崇崖崨嶪，重險萬尋，玄邃窈窕，磐紆嶔岑，榛棘交橫，河廣水深，狐狸夾路，鴞鵄群吟，挺非我以為用，任至當如影響； 執同心以禦物，懷自彼於握掌； 匪矯情而任荒，乃冥合而一往，華德是用來庭，野逸所以就鞅。
Long, long ran the road through Liang— waste and woe; I, a speck of self, far in the west—not where I meant to be, yet fate drew us together. We forded weak water for a base, took Kunlun's waste for walls, yoked frightened teams, and hitched broken axles to jagged peaks. Cliffs split the sky, gorges sank ten thousand feet; thorns choked the path, rivers ran wide; foxes and owls thronged the way; I used what was not mine, trusting rightness to answer like an echo; With one heart I met events, held others as in my palm; not feigning yet trusting the void, I merged with fate in one stride; worth came to court, hermits took rein.
23
休矣時英，茂哉雋哲，庶罩網以遠籠，豈徒射鉤與斬袂！ 或脫梏而纓蕤，或後至而先列，采殊才于岩陸，拔翹彥於無際。 思留侯之神遇，振高浪以蕩穢； 想孔明於草廬，運玄籌之罔滯； 洪操盤而慷慨，起三軍以激銳。 詠群豪之高軌，嘉關張之飄傑，誓報曹而歸劉，何義勇之超出！ 據斷橋而橫矛，亦雄姿之壯發。 輝輝南珍，英英周魯，挺奇荊吳，昭文烈武，建策烏林，龍驤江浦。 摧堂堂之勁陣，鬱風翔而雲舉，紹攀韓之遠蹤，侔徽猷于召武，非劉孫之鴻度，孰能臻茲大祜！ 信乾坤之相成，庶物希風而潤雨。
Rest, heroes of the hour; flourish, wise men—cast the wide net, not only the tales of hook and sleeve! Some shook off chains for tasselled caps; some came late yet led the file; they drew genius from the crags and plucked sages from the wilds. I thought of the Marquis of Liu's fated meeting, raising waves to scour the mire; I pictured Kongming in his hut, turning dark strategies without halt; Great purpose coiled, fervent, rousing three hosts to hone the blade. I sang the heroes' path, praised Guan and Zhang's lightning valor, their oath to quit Cao for Liu—courage past measure! They barred the broken bridge with leveled spears—heroic bearing in full flare. Bright southern pearls, Zhou and Lu's splendor, genius of Jing and Wu in civil flame and martial fire—strategy at Wulin, dragon banners on the Yangzi shore. They broke the mighty line, wind and cloud lifting; they traced Han's path, rivaled Shao and Wu in design—without Liu and Sun's vast scope, who could win such fortune! Truly heaven and earth complete each other; creation waits on wind and rain.
24
崏益既蕩，三江已清，穆穆盛勳，濟濟隆平，禦群龍而奮策，彌萬載以飛榮，仰遺塵於絕代，企高山而景行。 將建硃旗以啟路，驅長轂而迅征，靡商風以抗旆，拂招搖之華旌，資神兆於皇極，協五緯之所寧。 赳赳幹城，翼翼上粥，恣馘奔鯨，截彼丑類。 且灑游塵于當陽，拯涼德於已墜。 間昌寓之驂乘，暨襄城而按轡。 知去害之在茲，體牧童之所述，審機動之至微，思遺餐而忘寐，表略韻於紈素，托精誠于白日。
Ba and Shu were stilled, the three rivers cleared; glorious merit, peace in hosts; driving dragons with the whip, glory for ten thousand years; I gaze at tracks of a lost age and crane toward peaks of bright example. I will raise scarlet banners, race long axles on swift march, lean on autumn wind for the pennant, brush the Dipper's bright flags, trust omens at the pole, align the five planets' peace. Stalwart shields, ministers like wings at the throne, hew the fleeing whale, cut off the vile breed. Wash the dust at Dangyang, raise fallen Liang virtue from the dust. I shall ride with Chang Yu's escort, halt at Xiangcheng and gather rein. Knowing here lies the cure, taking the herd boy's lesson, seeing how fine the trigger, forgetting food and sleep, tracing brief verse on silk, pledging my heart to the sun.
25
玄盛寢疾，顧命宋繇曰：「吾少離荼毒，百艱備嘗，於喪亂之際，遂為此方所推，才弱智淺，不能一同河右。 今氣力惙然，當不復起矣。 死者大理，吾不悲之，所恨志不申耳。 居元首之位者，宜深誡危殆之機。 吾終之後，世子猶卿子也，善相輔導，述吾平生，勿令居人之上，專驕自任。 軍國之宜，委之於卿，無使籌略乖衷，失成敗之要。」 十三年，薨，時年六十七。 國人上諡曰武昭王，墓曰建世陵，廟號太祖。
Li Xuansheng, dying, told Song Yao, "I tasted bitterness young and every hardship in the ruin; this land raised me, though my talent was slight and I never united the Hexi. My strength is spent; I will not rise again. Death is nature's law—I do not mourn it; I only regret unfinished purpose. Whoever sits first must heed the brink of ruin. After I am gone the heir is your son—guide him, tell him my life, never let him lord it over others in pride. Army and state are yours—do not let counsel wander from the mark or miss the hinge of victory. In the thirteenth year of his reign he died at sixty-seven. His people gave him the posthumous title Prince Wuzhao, buried him at the Jianshi tumulus, and named his temple Taizu.
26
先是，河右不生楸、槐、柏、漆，張駿之世，取于秦隴而植之，終於皆死，而酒泉宮之西北隅有槐樹生焉，玄盛又著《槐樹賦》以寄情，蓋歎僻陋遐方，立功非所也。 亦命主簿梁中庸及劉彥明等並作文。 感兵難繁興，時俗喧競，乃著《大酒容賦》以表恬豁之懷。 與辛景、辛恭靖同志友善，景等歸晉，遇害江南，玄盛聞而吊之。 玄盛前妻，同郡辛納女，貞順有婦儀，先卒，玄盛親為之誄。 自餘詩賦數十篇。 世子譚早卒，第二子士業嗣。
Catalpa, locust, cypress, and lacquer would not grow in Hexi until Zhang Jun imported them from Qin and Long—all died—yet a locust sprouted at Jiuquan's northwest corner. Li Xuansheng wrote his "Rhapsody on the Locust Tree" to voice how far he was from the center where merit counts. He also set Liang Zhongyong, Liu Yanming, and others to compose matching pieces. Troubled by endless war and a shrill age, he wrote the "Great Wine-Vessel Rhapsody" to show a calm, open mind. He was close to Xin Jing and Xin Gongjing; when they went south to the Jin and were killed, he mourned them from afar. His first wife, Xin Na's daughter from his commandery, was chaste and proper; she died before him, and he wrote her dirge himself. He left dozens of other poems and rhapsodies. His heir Tan died young; the second son Shiye succeeded.
27
涼後主
Last ruler of Liang
28
涼後主諱歆，字士業。 玄盛薨時，府僚奉為大都督、大將軍、涼公、領涼州牧、護羌校尉，大赦境內，改年為嘉興。 尊母尹氏為太后，以宋繇為武衛將軍、廣夏太守、軍諮祭酒、錄三府事，索仙為征虜將軍、張掖太守。
The last ruler of Liang was Li Xin, courtesy Shiye. At Li Xuansheng's death his officers raised Li Xin to grand commander, grand general, Duke of Liang, governor of Liang, and colonel of the Qiang, proclaimed a general amnesty, and adopted the Jiaxing era. They honored Lady Yin as empress dowager, named Song Yao guard general, prefect of Guangxia, war counsel, and recorder of the three bureaus, and Suo Xian as general who punishes captives and prefect of Zhangye.
29
且渠蒙遜遣其張掖太守且渠廣宗祚降誘士業，士業遣武衛溫宜等赴之，親勒大軍為之後繼。 蒙遜率眾三萬，設伏於蓼泉。 士業聞，引兵還，為遜所逼。 士業親貫甲先登，大敗之，追奔百餘里，俘斬七千餘級。 明年，蒙遜又伐士業，士業將出距之，左長史張體順固諫，乃止。 蒙遜大芟秋稼而還。 是歲，朝廷以士業為持節、都督七郡諸軍事、鎮西大將軍、護羌校尉、酒泉公。
Juqu Mengxun sent Juqu Guangzong of Zhangye with a sham capitulation to bait Li Shiye, who dispatched Wen Yi and followed with the main host. Mengxun took thirty thousand men and ambushed him at Liaoyuan. Li Shiye turned back on the news and was harried by Mengxun. Li Shiye armored himself and led the charge, shattered the enemy, chased them a hundred li, and killed or took over seven thousand. The next year Mengxun struck again; Li Shiye meant to meet him in the field, but Zhang Tishun remonstrated until he stayed his hand. Mengxun stripped the autumn fields and withdrew. That year the Jin named him baton-bearing commander of seven commanderies, grand general who guards the west, colonel of the Qiang, and duke of Jiuquan.
30
士業用刑頗嚴，又繕築不止，從事中郎張顯上疏諫曰：「入歲已來，陰陽失序，屢有賊風暴雨，犯傷和氣。 今區域三分，勢不久並，並兼之本，實在農戰，懷遠之略，事歸寬簡。 而更繁刑峻法，宮室是務，人力凋殘，百姓愁悴。 致災之咎，實此之由。」 主簿氾稱又上疏諫曰：
Li Xin's justice ran harsh and his building never stopped; Zhang Xian memorialized: "Since the new year yin and yang have slipped their course; gales and storms have battered the harmonious breath. The realm is in three parts and cannot stay so; union rests on plow and spear; winning the far shore means mercy and ease. Yet you heap cruel laws and chase palace work while men fail and the people groan. These omens spring from this very fault. Recorder Fan Cheng added a memorial that began:
31
臣聞天之子愛人後，殷勤至矣。 故政之不修，則垂災譴以戒之。 改者雖危必昌，宋景是也； 其不改者，雖安必亡，虢公是也。 元年三月癸卯，敦煌謙德堂陷； 八月，效谷地烈； 二年元日，昏霧四塞； 四月，日赤無光，二旬乃復； 十一月，狐上南門； 今茲春夏地頗五震； 六月，隕星于建康。 臣雖學不稽古，敏謝仲舒，頗亦聞道于先師，且行年五十有九，請為殿下略言耳目之所聞見，不復能遠論書傳之事也。
I have heard that Heaven's Son loves the people with tireless care. When rule falters, Heaven sends warnings. Change your ways and even peril turns to fortune—that was Duke Jing of Song; refuse reform and even peace ends in ruin—that was the duke of Guo. In the first year, third month, day guimao, Dunhuang's Hall of Modest Virtue collapsed; in the eighth month the soil of Xiaogu cracked; on New Year's day of the second year fog sealed every quarter; in the fourth month the sun burned dull red for twenty days before clearing; in the eleventh month a fox scaled the south gate; this spring and summer the earth shook five times; in the sixth month a meteor fell on Jiankang. I am no scholar to match Dong Zhongshu, yet at fifty-nine I have heard teachers' lessons and will tell you only what I have seen—no distant book lore.
32
乃者咸安之初，西平地烈，狐入謙光殿前，俄而秦師奄至，都城不守。 梁熙既為涼州，藉秦氏兵亂，規有全涼之地，外有撫百姓，內多聚斂，建元十九年姑臧南門崩，隕石於閑豫堂，二十年而呂光東反，子敗於前，身戮於後。 段業因群胡創亂，遂稱制此方，三年之中，地震五十餘所，既而先王龍興瓜州，蒙遜殺之張掖。 此皆目前之成事，亦殿下之所聞知。 效谷，先王鴻漸之始，謙德，即尊之室，基陷地裂，大凶之征也。 日者太陽之精，中國之象，赤而無光，中國將為胡夷之所陵滅。 諺曰：「野獸入家，主人將去。」 今狐上南門，亦災之大也。 又狐者胡也，天意若曰將有胡人居於此城，南面而居者也。 昔春秋之世，星隕于宋，襄公卒為楚所擒。 地者至陰，胡夷之象，當靜而動，反亂天常，天意若曰胡夷將震動中國，中國若不修德，將有宋襄之禍。
Early in Xianan the earth split at Xiping, a fox entered the Modest Light Hall, and Qin armies soon took the capital. Liang Xi seized Liangzhou in Qin's chaos, taxed the people within while claiming to soothe them without—then Guzang's south gate fell, a stone struck the Idle Ease Hall, and in the twentieth year Lu Guang revolted eastward, his son ruined before him, himself slain after. Duan Ye rode tribal revolt to claim power; fifty quakes shook the land in three years; then your father rose at Guazhou until Mengxun slew him at Zhangye. These are facts before your eyes and well within your memory. Xiaogu was where your father first spread his wings; Qiande was the hall of his enthronement—their ruin and cracking are dire signs. The sun stands for the throne; dull crimson means the heartland will fall to steppe peoples. The proverb runs, "Beasts in the hall mean the master must leave. A fox on the south gate is calamity indeed." Fox sounds like "Hu": Heaven warns that Hu will hold this city and face south as lords. When a star fell on Song in the Spring and Autumn era, Duke Xiang ended in Chu's hands. Earth is yin—the barbarians' image; when it stirs, Heaven warns that they will shake China unless China returns to virtue, as at Song Xiang's disaster.
33
臣蒙先朝布衣之眷，輒自同子弟之親，是以不避忤上之誅，昧死而進愚款。 願殿下親仁善鄰，養威觀釁，罷宮室之務，止遊畋之娛。 後宮嬪妃、諸夷子女，躬受分田，身勸蠶績，以清儉素德為榮，息茲奢靡之費，百姓租稅，專擬軍國。 虛衿下士，廣招英雋，修秦氏之術，以強國富俗。 待國有數年之積，庭盈文武之士，然後命韓白為前驅，納子房之妙算，一鼓而姑臧可平，長驅可以飲馬涇渭，方江面而爭天下，豈蒙遜之足憂！ 不然，臣恐宗廟之危必不出紀。
I ate the old court's bread like a son of the house, so I risk your anger to speak plain truth. Befriend the worthy and your neighbors, husband your strength and watch for your chance, end palace works, and give up the chase. Put consorts and tribal girls to field and loom, honor plain living, stop waste, and pour every grain of rent into defense. Humble yourself to talent, call in heroes, use Qin's methods of state, and enrich people and law. When the bins are full and the hall bristles with talent, send your Han Xin and Bai Qi ahead with Zhang Liang's plots—one stroke takes Guzang, then you may water horses on the Jing and Wei and face the great river to win the realm. Mengxun would be nothing. Otherwise I fear the altars will fall within a twelve-year span."
34
士業並不納。
Li Shiye ignored every word.
35
士業立四年而宋受禪，士業將謀東伐，張體順切諫，乃止。 士業聞蒙遜南伐禿髮傉檀，命中外戒嚴，將攻張掖，尹氏固諫，不聽，宋繇又固諫，士業並不從。 繇退而歎曰：「大事去矣，吾見師之出，不見師之還也！」 士業遂率步騎三萬東伐，鎰於都瀆澗。 蒙遜自浩亹來，距戰於懷城，為蒙遜所敗。 左右勸士業還酒泉，士業曰：「吾違太后明誨，遠取敗辱，不殺此胡，復何面目以見母也！」 勒眾復戰，敗於蓼泉，為蒙遜所害。 士業諸弟酒泉太守翻、新城太守預、領羽林右監密、左將軍眺、右將軍亮等西奔敦煌，蒙遜遂入於酒泉。 士業之未敗也，有大蛇從南門而入，至於恭德殿前； 有雙雉飛出宮內； 通街大樹上有烏鵲爭巢，鵲為烏所殺。 又有敦煌父老令狐熾夢白頭公衣帢而謂熾曰：「南風動，吹長木，胡桐椎，不中轂。」 言訖忽然不見。 士業小字桐椎，至是而亡。
Four years into his reign the Liu Song took the mandate; Li Shiye meant to march east until Zhang Tishun talked him down. Hearing that Mengxun had gone south against Tufa Rutan, he mobilized for Zhangye; his mother Lady Yin and Song Yao begged him to stay his hand, but he refused both. Song Yao withdrew, sighing, "The cause is lost—I see our host march out but not march home!" Li Shiye then took thirty thousand foot and horse east and camped at the Dudu defile. Mengxun marched from Haogan to Huai and shattered Li Shiye there. His staff begged him to run for Jiuquan; he cried, "I spurned my mother's counsel and marched to shame—if I do not kill this Hu, how can I face her?" He forced another battle, lost at Liaoyuan, and died at Mengxun's hands. His brothers Fan, Yu, Mi, Tiao, Liang, and the rest bolted west to Dunhuang while Mengxun walked into Jiuquan. Before his fall a great serpent slid in the south gate to the Reverent Virtue Hall; a pair of pheasants burst from the palace; on a main-street tree crows tore a magpie from its nest and killed it. A Dunhuang elder, Linghu Chi, dreamed a white-haired man in a kerchief say, "South wind rises, long timber bends; the paulownia peg will not fit the hub. He vanished before the words faded. Li Shiye's pet name was "Wooden Peg"—the riddle named his end.
36
翻及弟敦煌太守恂與諸子等棄敦煌，奔於北山，蒙遜以索嗣子遠緒行敦煌太守。 元緒粗險好殺，大失人和。 郡人宋承、張弘以恂在郡有惠政。 密信招恂。 恂率數十騎入于敦煌，元緒東奔涼興，宋承等推恂為冠軍將軍、涼州刺史。 蒙遜遣世子德政率眾攻恂，恂閉門不戰，蒙遜自率眾二萬攻這，三面起隄，以水灌城。 恂遣壯士一千，連版為橋，潛欲決隄，蒙遜勒兵逆戰，屠其城。 士業子重耳，脫身奔于江左，仕于宋。 後歸魏，為恆農太守。 蒙遜徙翻子寶等於姑臧，歲餘，北奔伊吾，後歸於魏，獨尹氏及諸女死于伊吾。
Li Fan and his brother Li Xun fled the city for the northern hills; Mengxun put Suo Yuanxu in Dunhuang. Suo Yuanxu was brutal and bloody and lost every heart. Song Cheng and Zhang Hong knew Li Xun had ruled Dunhuang with kindness. They wrote secretly to call him back. Li Xun rode in with a few dozen horse; Yuanxu ran east to Liangxing; Song Cheng raised Li Xun to general and governor. Mengxun sent his heir Dezheng; Li Xun shut the gates; Mengxun then brought twenty thousand men, ringed Dunhuang with dikes, and tried to drown it out. Li Xun sent a thousand men on a plank bridge to cut the dikes; Mengxun met them in battle and sacked the town. Li Shiye's son Chong'er slipped away to the south and served the Liu Song. He later went north to Wei and became prefect of Hongnong. Mengxun moved Li Fan's son Bao and kin to Guzang; a year later they fled to Yiwu, then to Wei, while Lady Yin and her daughters died in the desert.
37
玄盛以安帝隆安四年立，至宋少帝滅，據河右凡二十四年。
Li Xuansheng rose in An's fourth Longan year; the house held Hexi twenty-four years until the Liu Song snuffed it out.
38
【史評】
Historian's commentary
39
史臣曰：王者受圖，咸資世德，猶混成之先大帝，若一氣之生兩儀。 是以中陽勃興，資豢龍之構趾； 景亳垂統，本吞燕之開基。 涼武昭王英姿傑出，運陰陽而緯武，應變之道如神； 吞日月以經天，成物之功若歲。 故能懷茺弭暴，開國化家，宅五郡以稱籓，屈三分而奉順。 若乃《詩》褒秦仲，後嗣建削平之業； 頌美公劉，末孫興配天之祚。 或發跡於汧渭，或布化於邠岐，覆簣創元天之基，疏涓開環海之宅。 彼既有漸，此亦同符，是知景命攸歸，非一朝之可致，累功積慶，其所由來遠矣。
The chronicler writes: A king who receives Heaven's chart rests on ages of piled virtue, as the cosmos bred the two poles from a single breath. So the Liu clan rose on piled merit like the dragon-tamer's tracks; Shang took the mandate from swallowed Yan's ancient root. Prince Wuzhao of Liang stood heroically above his age, wove yin and yang into strategy, and read change like a spirit; he took sun and moon to thread the sky and ripened the realm like a harvest year. He stilled chaos, opened a house, held five commanderies as vassal, and bowed to a realm split in three. As the Odes praise Qin Zhong and his heirs built a pacifying reign; as they hymn Duke Liu whose distant line won Heaven-matching fortune; some rose between Qian and Wei, some taught Bin and Qi—tilting the basket to lay heaven's base, cutting streams to open the encircling sea. They had their long growth; so did he—bright mandate is never won in a morning; piled merit travels a long road.
40
贊曰：武昭英睿，忠勇霸世。 王室雖微，乃誠無替。 遺黎飲德，絕壤沾惠。 積祉丕基，克昌來裔。=
The eulogy reads: Wuzhao was keen and brave, a loyal hegemon of his day. Though the Jin grew faint, his faith never wavered. Survivors drank his kindness; the farthest marches felt his grace. He heaped blessing on a great base and left his line to flourish.