1
慕容皝
Murong Huang of Former Yan.
2
慕容皝，字元真，廆第三子也。 龍顏版齒，身長七尺八寸。 雄毅多權略，尚經學，善天文。 廆為遼東公，立為世子。 建武初，拜為冠軍將軍、左賢王，封望平侯，率眾征討，累有功。 太甯末，拜平北將軍，進封朝鮮公。 廆卒，嗣位，以平北將軍行平州刺史，督攝部內。 尋而宇文乞得龜為其別部逸豆歸所逐，奔死於外，皝率騎討之，逸豆歸懼而請和，遂築榆陰、安晉二城而還。
Murong Huang, whose courtesy name was Yuanzhen, was Murong Hui’s third son. He had an imperial bearing, unusually square teeth, and stood seven feet eight inches tall. He was bold, resourceful, devoted to the classics, and adept at reading the stars. When Murong Hui was named duke of Liaodong, Huang was made his heir. Early in the Jianwu era he was named general who champions the army and left worthy prince, created marquis of Wangping, and led troops on several successful expeditions. Late in the Taining era he became general who pacifies the north and was promoted to duke of Chaoxian. When Hui died he succeeded him, serving as general who pacifies the north and acting governor of Pingzhou with authority over the whole command. Soon afterward Yuwen Qidegui was driven out by a rival kinsman, Yidougui, and died in exile; Huang led cavalry against Yidougui, who sued for peace; Huang then built Yuyin and Anjin and withdrew.
3
初，皝庶兄建威翰驍武有雄才，素為皝所忌，母弟征虜仁、廣武昭並有寵於廆，皝亦不平之。 及廆卒，並懼不自容。 至此，翰出奔段遼，仁勸昭舉兵廢皝。 皝殺昭，遣使按檢仁之虛實，遇仁於險瀆。 仁知事發，殺皝使，東歸平郭。 皝遣其弟建武幼、司馬佟壽等討之。 仁盡眾距戰，幼等大敗，皆沒於仁。 襄平令王冰、將軍孫機以遼東叛於皝，東夷校尉封抽、護軍乙逸、遼東相韓矯、玄菟太守高詡等棄城奔還。 仁於是盡有遼左之地，自稱車騎將軍、平州刺史、遼東公。 宇文歸、段遼及鮮卑諸部並為之援，
His elder half-brother Murong Han, who held the title general who establishes might, was a brilliant warrior whom Huang resented, while his full brothers Murong Ren and Murong Zhao, both favored by Hui, also stirred his jealousy. When Hui died they all feared for their lives. Murong Han fled to Duan Liao, while Murong Ren urged Murong Zhao to revolt and depose Huang. Huang executed Zhao and sent agents to probe Ren, meeting him at the Xiandu defile. Ren saw his plot exposed, killed the messenger, and fled east to Pingguo. Huang dispatched his brother Murong You and Marshal Tong Shou against him. Ren threw his whole army into the fight and crushed You’s force, capturing every commander. Magistrate Wang Bing of Xiangping and general Sun Ji turned Liaodong against him, while Feng Chou, Yi Yi, Han Jiao, Gao Xu, and others abandoned their posts and fled. Ren then controlled all territory east of the Liao, proclaiming himself general of chariots and cavalry, governor of Pingzhou, and duke of Liaodong. Yuwen Gui, Duan Liao, and other Xianbei chiefs backed him.
4
咸和九年，皝遣其司馬封弈攻鮮卑木堤于白狼，揚威淑虞攻烏丸悉羅侯于平岡，皆斬之。 材官劉佩攻乙連，不克。 段遼遂寇徒河，皝將張萌逆擊，敗之。 遼弟蘭與翰寇柳城，都尉石琮擊敗之。 旬余，蘭、翰復圍柳城，皝遣甯遠慕容汗及封弈等救之。 皝戒汗曰：「賊眾氣銳，難與爭鋒，宜顧萬全，慎勿輕進，必須兵集陣整，然後擊之。」 汗性驍銳，遣千餘騎為前鋒而進，封弈止之，汗不從，為蘭所敗，死者大半。 蘭復攻柳城，為飛梯、地道，圍守二旬，石琮躬勒將士出擊，敗之，斬首千五百級，蘭乃遁歸。
In the ninth year of Xianhe, Huang sent Marshal Feng Yi to strike the Xianbei leader Muti at Bailang and Shuyu to strike the Wuhuan Siluohou at Pinggang; both enemy heads were taken. Engineering officer Liu Pei assaulted Yilian without success. Duan Liao then invaded Tuhe, but Huang’s general Zhang Meng intercepted and routed him. Duan Lan and Murong Han attacked Liucheng until commandant Shi Cong drove them off. Ten days later Duan Lan and Murong Han (the kinsman who had joined Duan Liao) again besieged Liucheng; Huang sent Murong Han, who held the title of general who pacifies the distance, together with Feng Yi, to relieve the city. Huang warned Murong Han (the general of pacifying distance): “The foe is numerous and keen—do not trade blows rashly; wait until your force is formed, then attack.” Murong Han was impetuous: he sent a thousand horse ahead as a van, ignored Feng Yi’s warning, and was routed by Duan Lan with heavy losses. Duan Lan renewed the siege with ladders and tunnels, but after twenty days Shi Cong sallied forth, killed fifteen hundred men, and forced Lan to withdraw.
5
是歲，成帝遣謁者徐孟、閭丘幸等持節拜皝鎮軍大將軍、平州刺史、大單于、遼東公，持節、都督、承制封拜，一如廆故事。
That year Emperor Cheng invested him as general who guards the army, governor of Pingzhou, great shanyu, and duke of Liaodong, with full authority to enfeoff subordinates as Hui had held.
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皝自征遼東，克襄平。 仁所署居就令劉程以城降，新昌人張衡執縣宰以降。 於是斬仁所置守宰，分徙遼東大姓於棘城，置和陽、武次、西樂三縣而歸。
Huang led the army in person and captured Xiangping. Liu Cheng, whom Ren had installed at Juqiu, yielded the town, while Zhang Heng of Xinchang seized the magistrate and capitulated. He executed Ren’s officials, relocated the leading Liaodong families to Jicheng, set up three new counties, and marched home.
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咸康初，遣封弈襲宇文別部涉奕於，大獲而還。 涉奕于率騎追戰于渾水，又敗之。 皝將乘海討仁，群下咸諫，以海道危陰，宜從陸路。 皝曰：「舊海水無淩，自仁反已來，凍合者三矣。 昔漢光武因滹沱之冰以濟大業，天其或者欲吾乘此而無之乎！ 吾計決矣，有沮謀者斬！」 乃率三軍從昌黎踐淩而進。 仁不虞皝之至也，軍去平郭七里，候騎乃告，仁狼狽出戰，為皝所擒，殺仁而還。
Early in Xiankang he sent Feng Yi against the Yuwen chieftain Sheyiyu and returned with rich spoils. Sheyiyu counterattacked at the Hun River and was beaten again. When Huang planned a seaborne strike on Ren, his advisers objected that the route was too perilous and urged a march by land. Huang replied, “This gulf seldom froze in the past, yet since Ren’s revolt it has frozen solid three winters running. Han Guangwu once crossed the Hutuo on the ice to win his empire—Heaven may mean me to use this freeze against Ren! My mind is made up; anyone who dissuades me dies!” He then marched the host across the frozen bay from Changli. Ren never expected him: Huang’s vanguard was seven li from Pingguo before Ren learned of it; Ren scrambled into battle, was taken, and executed.
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立藉田於朝陽門東，置官司以主之。
He set aside a ritual field east of the Chaoyang Gate and staffed it with officials.
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段遼遣將李詠夜襲武興，遇雨，引還，都尉張萌追擊，擒詠。 段蘭擁眾數萬屯於曲水亭，將攻柳城，宇文歸入寇安晉，為蘭聲援。 皝以步騎五萬擊之，師次柳城，蘭、歸皆遁。 遣封弈率輕騎追擊，敗之，收其軍實，館穀二旬而還。 謂諸將曰：「二虜恥無功而歸，必復重至，宜於柳城左右設伏以待之。」 遣封弈率騎潛于馬兒山諸道。 俄而遼騎果至，弈夾擊，大敗之，斬其將榮保。 遣兼長史劉斌、郎中令陽景送徐孟等歸於京師。 使其世子俊伐段遼諸城，封弈攻宇文別部，皆大捷而歸。
Duan Liao’s night raid on Wuxing failed in the rain; Zhang Meng ran down Li Yong and captured him. Duan Lan massed tens of thousands at Qushui to strike Liucheng while Yuwen Gui hit Anjin in coordination. Huang met them with fifty thousand foot and horse; both enemy columns fled from Liucheng. Feng Yi chased with light horse, seized their supplies, and fed his men from enemy granaries for twenty days. He told his commanders, “They will return in force to save face—we should lay ambushes around Liucheng.” Feng Yi hid cavalry along the Ma’er Mountain tracks. When Duan Liao’s riders appeared, Feng Yi caught them in a pincer, slew Rong Bao, and routed the column. He sent Liu Bin and Yang Jing to escort Xu Meng’s party to the capital. His heir Murong Jun stormed Duan Liao’s towns while Feng Yi struck the Yuwen—both returned in triumph.
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立納諫之木，以開讜言之路。
He erected a public complaint board to invite candid advice.
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後徙昌黎郡，築好城于乙連東，使將軍蘭勃戍之，以逼乙連。 又城曲水，以為勃援。 乙連饑甚，段遼輸之粟，蘭勃要擊獲之。 遼遣將屈雲攻興國，與皝將慕容遵大戰于五官水上，雲敗，斬之，盡俘其眾。
He shifted his seat to Changli, built Haocheng east of Yilian, and stationed Lan Bo there to choke the enemy. He fortified Qushui to back Lan Bo. When Yilian starved, Duan Liao sent grain; Lan Bo seized the convoy. Qu Yun attacked Xingguo but Murong Zun destroyed him at Wuguan River and took his entire force.
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封弈等以皝任重位輕，宜稱燕王，皝於是以咸康三年僭即王位，赦其境內。 以封弈為國相，韓壽為司馬，裴開、陽騖、王寓、李洪、杜群、宋該、劉瞻、石琮、皇甫真、陽協、宋晃、平熙、張泓等並為列卿將帥。 起文昌殿，乘金根車，駕六馬，出入稱警蹕。 以其妻段氏為王后，世子俊為太子，皆如魏武、晉文輔政故事。
Feng Yi urged that Huang’s duties outweighed his title, so in Xiankang 3 he assumed the kingship of Yan and proclaimed an amnesty. He named Feng Yi chancellor, Han Shou marshal, and distributed ministerial and command posts among Pei Kai, Yang Wu, and the rest. He built Wenchang Hall, rode the six-horse imperial carriage, and received full royal escorts. He made Lady Duan queen and Murong Jun crown prince, citing Cao Cao and Sima Zhao as precedents.
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皝以段遼屢為邊患，遣將軍宋回稱籓于石季龍，請師討遼。 季龍於是總眾而至。 皝率諸軍攻遼令支以北諸城，遼遣其將段蘭來距，大戰，敗之，斬級數千，掠五千餘戶而歸。 季龍至徐無，遼奔密雲山。 季龍進入令支，怒皝之不會師也，進軍擊之，至於棘城，戎卒數十萬，四面進攻，郡縣諸部叛應季龍者三十六城。 相持旬餘，左右勸皝降。 皝曰：「孤方取天下，何乃降人乎！」 遣子恪等率騎二千，晨出擊之。 季龍諸軍驚擾，棄甲而遁。 恪乘勝追之，斬獲三萬餘級，築戍凡城而還。 段遼遣使詐降于季龍，請兵應接。 季龍遣其將麻秋率眾迎遼，恪伏精騎七千於密雲山，大敗之，獲其司馬陽裕、將軍鮮于亮，擁段遼及其部眾以歸。
Troubled by Duan Liao, he sent Song Hui to submit to Shi Hu and beg for an allied expedition. Shi Hu thereupon marched his whole host to join the war. Huang stormed Duan Liao’s strongholds north of Lingzhi, crushed Duan Lan, took thousands of heads, and carried off more than five thousand households. Shi Hu reached Xuwu while Duan Liao fled into Miyun Mountain. Shi Hu entered Lingzhi, furious that Huang had not coordinated, drove on to Jicheng with hundreds of thousands of men; thirty-six towns went over to him. After a fortnight’s siege his officers begged him to yield. Huang snapped, “I mean to seize the realm—why would I surrender?” He sent Murong Ke with two thousand horse in a dawn sally. Shi Hu’s host panicked and bolted, leaving their armor. Murong Ke pursued, killed or captured thirty thousand, and fortified Fancheng on the withdrawal. Duan Liao feigned submission to Shi Hu and asked for an escort. Shi Hu sent Ma Qiu to fetch him; Murong Ke ambushed seven thousand elite riders at Miyun, captured Yang Yu and Xianyu Liang, and brought Duan Liao in.
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帝又遣使進皝為征北大將軍、幽州牧，領平州刺史，加散騎常侍，增邑萬戶，持節、都督、單于、公如故。
The court promoted him to general who campaigns north, governor of Youzhou, concurrent Pingzhou, cavalier attendant-in-ordinary, with ten thousand extra households and unchanged barbarian titles.
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皝前軍帥慕容評敗季龍將石成等於遼西，斬其將呼延晃、張支，掠千餘戶以歸。 段遼謀叛，皝誅之。
Murong Ping crushed Shi Cheng in western Liaodong, slew Huyan Huang and Zhang Zhi, and brought home a thousand captives. When Duan Liao plotted revolt, Huang put him to death.
16
季龍又使石成入攻凡城，不克，進陷廣城。 皝雖稱燕王，未有朝命，乃遣其長史劉祥獻捷京師，兼言權假之意，並請大舉討平中原。 又聞庾亮薨，弟冰、翼繼為將相，乃表曰：臣究觀前代昏明之主，若能親賢並建，則功致升平；
Shi Hu sent Shi Cheng against Fancheng without success but seized Guangcheng. Though he called himself king of Yan, the court had not recognized it, so he sent Liu Xiang to report victories, explain his provisional rule, and ask for a northern expedition. When Murong Huang learned that Yu Liang had died and Yu Bing and Yu Yi held power, he submitted a memorial: I have studied wise and foolish rulers of past ages. When they favored the worthy and elevated them together, the realm rose to peace;
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若親黨后族，必有傾辱之禍。 是以周之申伯號稱賢舅，以其身籓於外，不握朝權。 降及秦昭，足為令主，委信二舅，幾至亂國。 逮于漢武，推重田蚡，萬機之要，無不決之。 及蚡死後，切齒追恨。 成帝暗弱，不能自立，內惑豔妻，外恣五舅，卒令王莽坐取帝位。 每覽斯事，孰不痛惋！ 設使舅氏賢若穰侯、王鳳，則但聞有二臣，不聞有二主。 若其不才，則有竇憲、梁冀之禍。 凡此成敗，亦既然矣。 苟能易軌，可無覆墜。 陛下命世天挺，當隆晉道，而遭國多難，殷憂備嬰，追述往事，至今楚灼。 跡其所由，實因故司空亮居元舅之尊，勢業之重，執政裁下，輕侮邊將，故令蘇峻、祖約不勝其忿，遂致敗國。 至今太后發憤，一旦升遐。 若社稷不靈，人神無助，豺狼之心當可極邪！ 前事不忘，後事之表，而中書監、左將軍冰等內執樞機，外擁上將，昆弟並列，人臣莫疇。 陛下深敦渭陽，冰等自宜引領。 臣常謂世主若欲崇顯舅氏，何不封以籓國，豐其祿賜，限其勢利，使上無偏優，下無私論。 如此，榮辱何從而生！ 噂𠴲何辭而起！ 往者惟亮一人，宿有名望，尚致世變，況今居之者素無聞焉！ 且人情易惑，難以戶告，縱今陛下無私于彼，天下之人誰謂不私乎！ 臣與冰等名位殊班，出處懸邈，又國之戚昵，理應降悅，以適事會。 臣獨矯抗此言者，上為陛下，退為冰計，疾苟容之臣，坐鑒得失。 顛而不扶，焉用彼相！ 昔徐福陳霍氏之戒，宣帝不從，至令忠臣更為逆族，良由察之不審，防之無漸。 臣今所陳，可謂防漸矣。 但恐陛下不明臣之忠，不用臣之計，事過之日，更處焦爛之後耳。 昔王章、劉向每上封事，未嘗不指斥王氏，故令二子或死或刑。 谷永、張禹依違不對，故容身苟免，取譏於世。 臣被髮殊俗，位為上將，夙夜惟憂，罔知所報，惟當外殄寇仇，內盡忠規，陳力輸誠，以答國恩。 臣若不言，誰當言者！
when they favored kin and the empress's clan, overthrow and humiliation were sure to follow. Shen Bo of Zhou was praised as a worthy maternal uncle because he held a frontier fief and did not grasp court power. Even King Zhao of Qin, a capable ruler, trusted his two maternal uncles and nearly ruined the state. Emperor Wu of Han elevated Tian Fen until every vital decision passed through him. After Fen died, the emperor gnashed his teeth in bitter regret. Emperor Cheng was weak and could not stand alone; beguiled within by a beautiful consort and indulging the five maternal uncles without, he finally let Wang Mang seize the throne. Reading such cases, who does not feel pain and regret! If maternal uncles were worthy like the Marquis of Rang or Wang Feng, one would hear of two ministers, not two rulers. If they lacked talent, disasters like those of Dou Xian and Liang Ji followed. The lesson of these successes and failures is already plain. Change course in time and collapse can be avoided. Your Majesty is heaven-born to exalt Jin's Way, yet the state has met repeated calamity; grief presses on every side, and recalling the past still burns. The root cause was the late Minister of Works Yu Liang: as chief maternal uncle he wielded overwhelming power, judged subordinates harshly, and insulted frontier generals until Su Jun and Zu Yue, unable to bear their rage, ruined the state. The Empress Dowager has died in indignation. Had the altars not been numinous and heaven not aided us, would the hearts of wolves and jackals have been allowed to run their course! Past affairs are not forgotten, yet Yu Bing as directorate counselor and left general, with his brothers, inwardly holds the pivot and outwardly commands armies, unmatched among ministers. Your Majesty deeply honors family ties; Bing and his brothers ought to withdraw of their own accord. I have often said: if a ruler wishes to honor maternal kin, enfeoff them in frontier states, enrich their stipends, and limit their power so that the throne shows no partial favor and the realm no private suspicion. Then whence would honor or disgrace arise! Whence would slander spring! Formerly Yu Liang alone, though long renowned, still brought turmoil; how much more those who hold power today and were never heard of before! Human feelings are easily swayed and cannot be told house to house; even if Your Majesty is impartial, who in the realm will believe it! Bing and I differ in rank and station, yet as kin of the state I ought by rights to yield and rejoice at the occasion. I speak against the tide alone: for Your Majesty above and for Bing's sake below, hating ministers who only flatter and judging gain and loss plainly. If one does not right what is overturned, of what use is that minister! Formerly Xu Fu warned against the Huo clan; Emperor Xuan did not heed him, and loyal ministers became a traitorous house because he did not examine carefully or guard against gradual encroachment. What I now set forth is prevention at the first sign. I fear only that Your Majesty may not see my loyalty or use my plan, and that after disaster passes you will again stand amid the ashes. Formerly Wang Zhang and Liu Xiang denounced the Wang clan in every sealed memorial and ended dead or punished. Gu Yong and Zhang Yu equivocated and preserved themselves, winning only the age's ridicule. I wear disheveled hair in a foreign land, hold supreme command, worry day and night how to repay the state, and can only destroy enemies abroad and offer loyal remonstrance within. If I do not speak, who will!
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又與冰書曰：君以椒房之親，舅氏之昵，總據樞機，出內王命，兼擁列將州司之位，昆弟網羅，顯布畿甸。
He also wrote to Yu Bing: By empress kinship and maternal closeness you hold the pivot, issue and receive royal commands, and with your brothers hold command and provincial posts, your network displayed across the capital region.
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自秦、漢以來，隆赫之極，豈有若此者乎！ 以吾觀之，若功就事舉，必享申伯之名； 如或不立，將不免梁竇之跡矣。 每睹史傳，未嘗不寵恣母族，使執權亂朝，先有殊世之榮，尋有負乘之累，所謂愛之適足以為害。 吾常忿歷代之主，不盡防萌終寵之術，何不業以一土之封，令籓國相承，如周之齊、陳？ 如此則永保南面之尊，復何黜辱之憂乎！ 竇武、何進好善虛己。 賢士歸心，雖為閹豎所危，天下嗟痛，猶有能履以不驕，圖國亡身故也。 方今四海有倒懸之急，中夏逋僭逆之寇，家有漉血之怨，人有復仇之憾，甯得安枕逍遙，雅談卒歲邪！ 吾雖寡德，過蒙先帝列將之授，以數郡之人，尚欲併吞強虜，是以自頃迄今，交鋒接刃，一時務農，三時用武，而猶師徒不頓，倉有餘粟，敵人日畏，我境日廣，況乃王者之威，堂堂之勢，豈可同年而語哉！
Since Qin and Han, has splendor reached such a height! In my view, if your work succeeds you will enjoy Shen Bo's fame; if not, you will not escape the fate of Liang Ji and Dou Xian. History shows that rulers who pamper the maternal clan and let them rule always win brief glory and then the ruin of "love becomes harm." I resent that successive rulers never fully guarded against early favor; why not grant a single fief and let frontier states succeed one another, as Qi and Chen of Zhou? Then they would forever preserve honor facing south, with no fear of dismissal or disgrace! Dou Wu and He Jin loved goodness and humbled themselves. Worthy men rallied to them; though eunuchs endangered them and the realm mourned, they could still walk without pride and gave their lives for the state. Now the realm hangs inverted, rebels roam China, families bear blood-soaked grievances and men thirst for vengeance; how can one rest at ease and talk elegantly through the year! I am little in virtue, yet the former emperor made me a column commander; with several commanderies I still mean to swallow strong foes. From lately until now I farm one season and fight three, yet my armies do not fail, my granaries hold surplus, the enemy daily fears us and our borders widen daily; how much more the majesty of a king and stately power, how can these be compared!
20
冰見表及書甚懼，以其絕遠，非所能制，遂與何充等奏聽皝稱燕王。
Yu Bing, terrified yet unable to coerce him from afar, joined He Chong in recommending that the court recognize the title of king of Yan.
21
其年皝伐高句麗，王釗乞盟而還。 明年，釗遣其世子朝於皝。
That year he invaded Goguryeo; King Gao Zhen sued for peace and he withdrew. The next year Gao Zhen sent his heir to pay homage to Huang.
22
初，段遼之敗也，建威翰奔于宇文歸，自以威名夙振，終不保全，乃陽狂恣酒，被髮歌呼。 歸信而不禁，故得周遊自任，至於山川形便，攻戰要路，莫不練之。 皝遣商人王車陰使察翰，翰見車無言，撫膺而已。 車還以白，皝曰：「翰欲來也。」 乃遣車遺翰弓矢，翰乃竊歸駿馬，攜其二子而還。
After Duan Liao’s fall Murong Han fled to Yuwen Gui, reckoned his fame would never let him live, and feigned madness—drinking, singing, and disheveled hair. Yuwen Gui trusted the act and left him free, so Han mapped every defile and road. Huang sent the trader Wang Che to spy; Murong Han met him in silence, only clutching his chest. Wang Che reported the sign; Huang said, “He wants to come home.” He sent Wang Che with a bow and arrows; Murong Han stole horses and rode back with his two sons.
23
皝將圖石氏，從容謂諸將曰：「石季龍自以安樂諸城守防嚴重，城之南北必不設備，今若詭路出其不意，冀之北土盡可破也。」 於是率騎二萬出蠮螉塞，長驅至於薊城，進渡武遂津，入于高陽，所過焚燒積聚，掠徙幽、冀三萬餘戶。
Planning against the Shi, he told his commanders, “Shi Hu trusts his garrisons at Anle and neglects the open country north and south of the wall—a sudden raid could overrun the whole Ji plain.” He led twenty thousand horse through Wengong Pass, raced to Ji, crossed Wusui Ford into Gaoyang, burned depots, and carried off thirty thousand households from You and Ji.
24
使陽裕、唐柱等築龍城，構宮廟，改柳城為龍城縣。 於是成帝使兼大鴻臚郭希持節拜皝侍中、大都督河北諸軍事、大將軍、燕王，其餘官皆如故。 封諸功臣百餘人，
He had Yang Yu and Tang Zhu build Longcheng, raised palaces and shrines, and renamed Liucheng county Longcheng. Emperor Cheng then sent Guo Xi to invest him as palace attendant, grand commander north of the river, grand general, and king of Yan, leaving other posts unchanged. He enfeoffed more than a hundred deserving officers.
25
咸康七年，皝遷都龍城。 率勁卒四萬，入自南陝，以伐宇文、高句麗，又使翰及子垂為前鋒，遣長史王寓等勒眾萬五千，從北置而進。 高句麗王釗謂皝軍之從北路也，乃遣其弟武統精銳五萬距北置，躬率弱卒以防南陝。 翰與釗戰於木底，大敗之，乘勝遂入丸都，釗單馬而遁。 皝掘釗父利墓，載其屍並其母妻珍寶，掠男女五萬餘口，焚其宮室，毀丸都而歸。 明年，釗遣使稱臣于皝，貢其方物，乃歸其父屍。
In the seventh year of Xiankang, he moved his capital to Longcheng. He took forty thousand veterans through the southern defile against Yuwen and Goguryeo, with Murong Han and Murong Chui as van while Wang Yu led fifteen thousand from Beizhi. King Gao Zhen assumed the main thrust would come from the north, sent fifty thousand under his brother Wu to Beizhi, and held the southern defile with weaker troops. Murong Han routed him at Mudi, pressed into Wandu, and Zhen fled alone on horseback. Huang opened Gao Zhen’s father’s tomb, carried off the coffin, the queen, treasures, and fifty thousand captives, fired the palaces, and razed Wandu. Next year Gao Zhen sent tribute and his father’s body was returned.
26
宇文歸遣其國相莫淺渾伐皝，諸將請戰，皝不許。 渾以皝為憚之，荒酒縱獵，不復設備。 皝曰：「渾奢忌已甚，今則可一戰矣。」 遣翰率騎擊之，渾大敗，僅以身免，盡俘其眾。
Yuwen Gui sent Moqian Hun; Huang’s generals begged to fight but he refused. Moqian Hun assumed Huang was afraid and gave himself to drink and hunting without precautions. Huang said, “Moqian Hun’s arrogance has peaked—now we can strike.” Murong Han shattered his army and took nearly every man alive.
27
皝躬巡郡縣，勸課農桑，起龍城宮闕。
Murong Huang toured his domains, pushed farming and sericulture, and raised palaces at Longcheng.
28
尋又率騎二萬親伐宇文歸，以翰及垂為前鋒。 歸使其騎將涉奕於盡眾距翰，皝馳遣謂翰曰：「奕於雄悍，宜小避之，待虜勢驕，然後取也。」 翰曰：「歸之精銳，盡在於此，今若克之，則歸可不勞兵而滅。 奕于徒有虛名，其實易與耳，不宜縱敵挫吾兵氣。」 於是前戰，斬奕於，盡俘其眾，歸遠遁漠北。 皝開地千餘里，徙其部人五萬餘落于昌黎，改涉奕於城為威德城。 行飲至之禮，論功行賞各有差。
He soon took twenty thousand horse against Yuwen Gui, with Murong Han and Murong Chui as van. Yuwen Gui sent Sheyiyu to hold Murong Han; Huang sent word: “Sheyiyu is fierce—spar lightly until he grows reckless, then strike.” Murong Han replied, “Yuwen Gui’s best troops are here; crush them and his realm falls without a long campaign. Sheyiyu is overrated and brittle—we must not let him sap our morale.” He attacked, slew Sheyiyu, took his army, and drove Yuwen Gui deep into the steppe. He annexed a thousand li of pasture, resettled fifty thousand Yuwen dependents at Changli, and renamed Sheyiyu’s fort Weide. He held a victory feast and handed out graded rewards.
29
以牧牛給貧家，田于苑中，公收其八，二分入私。 有牛而無地者，亦田苑中，公收其七，三分入私。 皝記室參軍封裕諫曰：臣聞聖王之宰國也，薄賦而藏于百姓，分之以三等之田，十一而稅之；
Poor households received draft oxen to till the royal park on an eighty-twenty revenue split with the state. Householders who owned cattle but no land tilled the park on a seventy-thirty split. Murong Huang's secretary Feng Yu remonstrated: I have heard that a sage king keeps taxes light and stores wealth among the people, divides land into three grades, and levies one part in ten;
30
寒者衣之，饑者食之，使家給人足。 雖水旱而不為災者，何也？ 高選農官，務盡勸課，人治周田百畝，亦不假牛力； 力田者受旌顯之賞，惰農者有不齒之罰。 又量事置官，量官置人，使官必稱須，人不虛位，度歲入多少，裁而祿之。 供百僚之外，藏之太倉，三年之耕，餘一年之粟。 以斯而積，公用于何不足？ 水旱其如百姓何！ 雖務農之令屢發，二千石令長莫有志勤在公、銳盡地利者。 故漢祖知其如此，以墾田不實，征殺二千石以十數，是以明、章之際，號次升平。 自永嘉喪亂，百姓流亡，中原蕭條，千里無煙，饑寒流隕，相繼溝壑。 先王以神武聖略，保全一方，威以殄奸，德以懷遠，故九州之人，塞表殊類，繈負萬里，若赤子之歸慈父，流人之多舊土十倍有餘，人殷地狹，故無田者十有四焉。 殿下以英聖之資，克廣先業，南摧強趙，東滅句麗，開境三千，戶增十萬，繼武闡廣之功，有高西伯。 宜省罷諸苑，以業流人。 人至而無資產者，賜之以牧牛。 人既殿下之人，牛豈失乎！ 善藏者藏于百姓，若斯而已矣。 邇者深副樂土之望，中國之人皆將壺餐奉迎，石季龍誰與居乎！ 且魏、晉雖道消之世，猶削百姓不至於七八，持官牛田者官得六分，百姓得四分，私牛而官田者與官中分，百姓安之，人皆悅樂。 臣猶曰非明王之道，而況增乎！ 且水旱之厄，堯、湯所不免，王者宜浚治溝澮，循鄭白、西門、史起溉灌之法，旱則決溝為雨，水則入於溝瀆，上無《雲漢》之憂，下無昏墊之患。 句麗、百濟及宇文、段部之人，皆兵勢所徙，非如中國慕義而至，咸有思歸之心。 今戶垂十萬，狹湊都城，恐方將為國家深害，宜分其兄弟宗屬，徙于西境諸城，撫之以恩，檢之以法，使不得散在居人，知國之虛實。 今中原未平，資畜宜廣，官司猥多，遊食不少，一夫不耕，歲受其饑。 必取於耕者而食之，一人食一人之力，游食數萬，損亦如之，安可以家給人足，治致升平！ 殿下降覽古今之事多矣，政之巨患莫甚於斯。 其有經略出世，才稱時求者，自可隨須置之列位。 非此已往，其耕而食，蠶而衣，亦天之道也。 殿下聖性寬明，思言若渴，故人盡芻蕘，有犯無隱。 前者參軍王憲、大夫劉明並竭忠獻款，以貢至言，雖頗有逆鱗，意在無責。 主者奏以妖言犯上，至之于法，殿下慈弘苞納，恕其大辟，猶削黜禁錮，不齒於朝。 其言是也，殿下固宜納之； 如其非也，宜亮其狂狷。 罪諫臣而求直言，亦猶北行詣越，豈有得邪！ 右長史宋該等阿媚苟容，輕劾諫士，己無骨鯁，嫉人有之，掩蔽耳目，不忠之甚。 四業者國之所資，教學者有國盛事。 習戰務農，尤其本也。 百工商賈，猶其末耳。 宜量軍國所須，置其員數，已外歸之于農，教之戰法，學者三年無成，亦宜還之于農，不可徒充大員，以塞聰俊之路。 臣之所言當也，願時速施行； 非也，登加罪戮，使天下知朝廷從善如流，罰惡不淹。 王憲、劉明，忠臣也，願宥忤鱗之愆，收其藥石之效。
he clothes the cold and feeds the hungry until every household is provided for. Why then are flood and drought not disaster? Because high agricultural officers are chosen and encouragement enforced, each man tends a full hundred mu without borrowing oxen; those who labor receive honors and the idle are punished. Offices are matched to need, men do not hold empty posts, and salaries are trimmed to yearly revenue. Beyond supplying officials, grain is stored in the Great Granary until three years' plowing leaves one year's surplus. Stored thus, how could public use fail? Flood and drought, what can they do to the people! Yet though farming orders issue repeatedly, no magistrate or two-thousand-bushel official works the land with public zeal. Knowing this, Han's founder executed more than ten such officials for false land reports, and under Ming and Zhang the age was nearly peaceful. Since the Yongjia calamity the people have fled; the central plain is desolate and hunger fills the ditches. Murong Hui, by divine martial strategy, preserved this region, destroyed traitors by might and won the distant by virtue; people of the nine provinces and foreign tribes came carrying infants for ten thousand li like children to a loving father. Refugees outnumbered the old population more than tenfold; land was scarce and fourteen in ten had no fields. Your Highness, with heroic endowment, has extended the former enterprise: south you crushed strong Zhao, east you destroyed Goguryeo, opened three thousand li and added a hundred thousand households, rivaling the great Earl of the West. Reduce the royal parks and settle refugees on the land. Grant cattle to those who arrive without property. If the people are yours, how could the cattle be lost! True storage is storage among the people; that is all. You have fulfilled the hope of a happy land; the people of China will welcome you with food. Who can compare with Shi Hu! Even Wei and Jin, though the Way faded, did not reduce the people below seven or eight tenths; official-ox farmers gave six parts to the state and four to the people, private-ox farmers split evenly, and all rejoiced. I still say this is not the way of a clear king, and how much more if burdens increase! Flood and drought, which Yao and Tang did not escape, require dredged canals and irrigation like Zheng Bai, Ximen, and Shi Qi; drought is eased by channels and flood by drainage, ending worry above and mire below. Goguryeo, Baekje, Yuwen, and Duan peoples were moved by force, not like Chinese who came admiring righteousness; all long to return home. With households nearing a hundred thousand crowded against the capital, divide their kindred and move them to western border cities, ruling them with kindness and law so they do not learn the state's strength and weakness. The central plain is not pacified and stores must grow, yet offices multiply and idlers abound; one man who does not plow makes the year hungrier. Food taken from plowmen feeds idlers; tens of thousands eat without plowing, and the loss is the same; how can every household be provided for and the realm governed to peace! Your Highness has read past and present; no governmental evil exceeds this. Men of world-ranging talent may be placed as needed. Beyond this, plow to eat and raise silkworms to clothe, as heaven ordains. Your Highness is broad and clear, thirsting for counsel; men speak even humble truths without hiding. Staff officer Wang Xian and Grand Master Liu Ming spoke with full loyalty; though they ruffled scales, they meant no offense. Officials charged them with demonic speech; Your Highness pardoned their capital crime yet still barred them from court. If their words were right, you ought to accept them; if not, make allowance for blunt integrity. To punish remonstrating ministers while seeking straight words is like going north to reach Yue! Right chief clerk Song Gai and others flatter, impeach remonstrators lightly, have no backbone yet envy it in others, and cover eyes and ears, most disloyal. The four occupations sustain the state; teaching and learning are its great affair. War training and agriculture are especially the root. Merchants and craftsmen are the branch. Measure army and state needs, set posts, return the rest to farming, teach battle methods, and send students who fail after three years back to the fields; do not fill posts vainly and block worthy men. If I am right, enact this swiftly; if not, punish me, so the realm knows the court follows good like flowing water and punishes evil without delay. Wang Xian and Liu Ming are loyal ministers; pardon their bluntness and gather the benefit of their medicine-stone counsel.
31
皝乃令曰：「覽封記室之諫，孤實懼焉。 君以黎元為國，黎元以穀為命。 然則農者，國之本也，而二千石令長不遵孟春之令，惰農弗勸，宜以尤不修辟者措之刑法，肅厲屬城。 主者明詳推檢，具狀以聞。 苑囿悉可罷之，以給百姓無田業者。 貧者全無資產，不能自存，各賜牧牛一頭。 若私有餘力，樂取官牛墾官田者，其依魏、晉舊法。 溝洫溉灌，有益官私，主者量造，務盡水陸之勢。 中州未平，兵難不息，勳誠既多，官僚不可以減也。 待克平凶醜，徐更議之。 百工商賈數，四佐與列將速定大員，余者還農。 學生不任訓教者，亦除員錄。 夫人臣關言於人主，至難也，妖妄不經之事皆應蕩然不問，擇其善者而從之。 王憲、劉明雖其罪應禁黜，亦猶孤之無大量也。 可悉復本官，仍居諫司。 封生蹇蹇，深得王臣之體。 《詩》不云乎：'無言不酬。 '其賜錢五萬，明宣內外，有欲陳孤過者，不拘貴賤，勿有所諱。」
Huang issued an edict: “Feng Yu’s words frighten me. The ruler exists for his people; the people live on grain. Agriculture is the foundation, yet magistrates ignore spring plowing—those who leave fields idle should face punishment to wake the commanderies. Let bureaus audit every case and report in full. Close the hunting reserves and give that land to landless peasants. Give each destitute household a draft ox. Whoever wishes to rent state oxen and state land may do so under Wei–Jin precedent. Dig irrigation works for public and private good—let engineers plan every channel. The heartland is still at war, so I cannot yet cut official posts. We will revisit staff cuts after victory. Cap tradesmen and aides to fixed quotas; everyone else goes back to the plow. Strike idle students from the rolls. Ministers who speak truth deserve patience—ignore wild rumors but heed good counsel. Even Wang Xian and Liu Ming, though punished, show my own lack of forbearance. Restore censured advisers to their posts. Feng Yu spoke as a true minister should. As the Odes says, “No good word goes unanswered.” Award him fifty thousand cash and invite anyone, high or low, to criticize me freely.”
32
時有黑龍、白龍各一，見於龍山，皝親率群僚觀之，去龍二百餘步，祭乙太宰。 二龍交首嬉翔，解角而去。 皝大悅，還宮，赦其境內，號新宮曰和龍，立龍翔佛寺於山上。
A black dragon and a white dragon appeared on Long Mountain; Huang led his court within two hundred paces and offered the great sacrifice. The beasts intertwined, sported in the air, dropped their horns, and flew away. Elated, he returned, proclaimed an amnesty, renamed the palace Helong, and built a Buddhist monastery on the height.
33
賜其大臣子弟為官學生者號高門生，立東庠于舊宮，以行鄉射之禮，每月臨觀，考試優劣。 皝雅好文籍，勤于講授，學徒甚盛，至千餘人。 親造《太上章》以代《急就》，又著《典誡》十五篇，以教胄子。
He labeled elite students “high-gate pupils,” reopened the eastern school for archery rites, and each month examined their progress. He loved books, lectured tirelessly, and kept more than a thousand students. He wrote a primer to replace the Rush to Literacy and fifteen moral essays for the royal sons.
34
慕容恪攻高句麗南蘇，克之，置戍而還。 三年，遣其世子俊與恪率騎萬七千東襲夫餘，克之，虜其王及部眾五萬餘口以還。
Murong Ke seized Nansu from Goguryeo and left a garrison. In his third regnal year he sent Murong Jun and Murong Ke with seventeen thousand horse against Puyu; they captured the king and fifty thousand subjects.
35
皝親臨東庠考試學生，其經通秀異者，擢充近侍。 以久旱，丐百姓田租。 罷成周、冀陽、營丘等郡。 以勃海人為興集縣，河間人為寧集縣，廣平、魏郡人為興平縣，東萊、北海人為育黎縣，吳人為吳縣，悉隸燕國。
He tested students at the eastern school and promoted the best as attendants. He remitted rent during a drought. He abolished several empty commanderies such as Chengzhou, Jiyang, and Yingqiu. He grouped refugees from Bohai, Hejian, Guangping, Wei, Donglai, Beihai, and Wu into new counties under Yan.
36
皝嘗畋於西鄙，將濟河，見一父老，服硃衣，乘白馬，舉手麾皝曰：「此非獵所，王其還也。」 秘之不言，遂濟河，連日大獲。 後見白兔，馳射之，馬倒被傷，乃說所見。 輦而還宮，引俊屬以後事。 以永和四年死，在位十五年，時年五十二。 俊僭號，追諡文明皇帝。
While hunting on the western frontier Murong Huang was about to cross a river when he saw an old man in cinnabar robes on a white horse, who waved him off and said, "This is not a place for hunting; Your Majesty should return." He kept silent, crossed the river, and enjoyed great sport for days. Later he charged a white hare, was thrown and hurt, and told the omen. They carried him home; he briefed Murong Jun on the succession. He died in Yonghe 4 (348 CE) after fifteen years on the throne, aged fifty-two. After Murong Jun took the throne he posthumously styled his father Emperor Wenming.
37
慕容翰
Murong Han (defector general).
38
慕容翰，字元邕，廆之庶長子也。 性雄豪，多權略，猿臂工射，膂力過人。 廆甚奇之，委以折沖之任。 行師征伐，所在有功，威聲大振，為遠近所憚。 作鎮遼東，高句麗不敢為寇。 善撫接，愛儒學，自士大夫至於卒伍，莫不樂而從之。
Murong Han, courtesy name Yuanyong, was Murong Hui’s eldest son by a concubine. He was bold, cunning, a superb archer, and immensely strong. Murong Hui prized him and gave him the hardest fighting assignments. Every campaign brought success; neighbors far and near feared him. While he held Liaodong, Goguryeo dared not raid. He won men from gentry to ranks by kindness and a love of learning.
39
及奔段遼，深為遼所敬愛。 柳城之敗，段蘭欲乘勝深入，翰慮成本國之害，詭說于蘭，蘭遂不進。 後石季龍征遼，皝親將三軍略令支以北，遼議欲追之，翰知皝躬自總戎，戰必克勝，乃謂遼曰：「今石氏向至，方對大故，不宜復以小小為事。 燕王自來，士馬精銳。 兵者凶器，戰有危慮，若其失利，何以南禦乎！」 蘭怒曰：「吾前聽卿誑說，致成今患，不復入卿計中矣。」 乃率眾追皝，蘭果大敗。 翰雖處仇國，因事立忠，皆此類也。
Duan Liao honored him after his defection. After Liucheng Duan Lan wanted to push on, but Murong Han feigned advice that spared Yan a deeper strike. Later when Shi Hu campaigned against Duan Liao and Murong Huang personally led an army to raid north of Lingzhi, Duan Liao debated pursuit. Knowing Huang commanded in person and must win, Murong Han told Duan Liao, "Now the Shi are about to arrive and you face a great enemy; you should not again take up small matters. Murong Huang’s host is elite. War is peril—if you lose here, how will you hold the south?” Duan Lan snapped, “Your last ‘advice’ ruined me—I will not heed you again.” He chased Huang and was crushed. Even in exile Murong Han worked secretly for Yan’s good.
40
及遼奔走，翰又北投宇文歸。 既而逃，歸乃遣勁騎百餘追之。 翰遙謂追者曰：「吾既思戀而歸，理無反面。 吾之弓矢，汝曹足知，無為相逼，自取死也。 吾處汝國久，恨不殺汝。 汝可百步豎刀，吾射中者，汝便宜反； 不中者，可來前也。」 歸騎解刀豎之，翰一發便中刀鐶，追騎乃散。
When Duan Liao fell he fled north to Yuwen Gui. Yuwen Gui sent a hundred picked riders after him. He shouted to them, “I mean to go home—I will not turn back. You know my archery—do not force a fight. I have lived among you too long—I should have killed you. Plant a blade at a hundred paces—if I ring it, withdraw; if I miss, come on.” They fixed a blade; his first arrow struck the ring and they broke off the chase.
41
既至，皝甚加恩禮， 建元二年，從皝討宇文歸，臨陣為流矢所中，臥病積時。 後疾漸愈，於其家中騎馬自試，或有人告翰私習騎，疑為非常。 皝素忌之，遂賜死焉。 翰臨死謂使者曰：「翰懷疑外奔，罪不容誅，不能以骸骨委賊庭，故歸罪有司。 天慈曲湣，不肆之市朝，今日之死，翰之生也。 但逆胡跨據神州，中原未靖，翰常克心自誓，志吞醜虜，上成先王遺旨，下謝山海之責。 不圖此心不遂，沒有餘恨，命也奈何！」 仰藥而死。
Huang welcomed him with rich honors. In the second year of Jianyuan, he joined the war on Yuwen Gui, took a stray shaft, and lay long ill. When he tried riding at home, informers called it sedition. Huang, who had always feared him, sent him poison. Murong Han told the messenger, “I fled in fear and deserved death, yet I would not die in a foreign hall, so I came home to face judgment. The king spared me a public execution—this death is mercy. Yet the Hu still hold the Central Plain; I had hoped to cleanse them for Murong Hui’s sake. That hope dies with me—such is fate.” He drank the poison and died.
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陽裕
Yang Yu.
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陽裕，字士倫，右北平無終人也。 少孤，兄弟皆早亡，單煢獨立，雖宗族無能識者，惟叔父耽幼而奇之，曰：「此兒非惟吾門之標秀，乃佐時之良器也。」 刺史和演辟為主簿。 王浚領州，轉治中從事，忌而不能任。
Yang Yu, courtesy name Shilun, came from Wuzhong in right Beiping. Orphaned young, with brothers dead early, he stood alone; few in the clan knew him, but his uncle Dan marveled at him even in youth and said, "This child is not only our clan's outstanding ornament but an instrument to serve the age." Governor He Yan made him chief clerk. Under Wang Jun he rose to administration aide but was distrusted.
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石勒既克薊城，問棗嵩曰：「幽州人士，誰最可者？」 嵩曰：「燕國劉翰，德素長者。 北平陽裕，幹事之才。」 勒曰：「若如君言，王公何以不任？」 嵩曰：「王公由不能任，所以為明公擒也。」 勒方任之，裕乃微服潛遁。
After Shi Le took Jicheng he asked Zao Song, "Among the gentlemen of Youzhou, who is most worthy?" Zao Song said, "Liu Han of Yan, whose virtue is that of a plain elder. Yang Yu of Beiping for administrative talent.” Shi Le asked, "If what you say is so, why did Prince Wang not employ him?" Song answered, “Because he could not use them, you captured him.” Shi Le meant to employ Yang Yu, who fled in disguise.
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時鮮卑單于段眷為晉驃騎大將軍、遼西公，雅好人物，虛心延裕。 裕謂友人成泮曰：「仲尼喜佛肸之召，以匏瓜自喻，伊尹亦稱何事非君，何使非民，聖賢尚如此，況吾曹乎！ 眷今召我，豈徒然哉！」 泮曰：「今華夏分崩，九州幅裂，軌跡所及，易水而已。 欲偃蹇考槃，以待大通者，俟河之清也。 人壽幾何？ 古人以為白駒之歎。 少遊有雲，郡掾足以廕後，況國相乎！ 卿追蹤伊、孔，抑亦知機其神也。」 裕乃應之。 拜郎中令、中軍將軍，處上卿位。 曆事段氏五主，甚見尊重。
Duan Juan, Xianbei chieftain and Jin general, sought him eagerly. Yang Yu told his friend Cheng Pan, "Confucius rejoiced at Bi Xi's summons and likened himself to a gourd; Yi Yin too said, 'What affair is not that of the lord? What people are not his subjects?' Even sages were thus, how much more we! Duan Juan’s summons is no empty gesture!” Cheng Pan replied, “China is shattered; beyond the Yi River there is no refuge. To hide and wait for peace is to wait for the Yellow River to run clear. How long is a life? The ancients sighed at time’s white colt. Even a county post can bless one’s heirs—let alone chancellor. You follow Confucius and Yi Yin—you know when Heaven calls.” Yang Yu accepted Duan Juan’s offer. He was named palace director and central army general, ranking among the highest ministers. He served five successive Duan lords and won deep respect.
46
段遼與皝相攻，裕諫曰：「臣聞親仁善鄰，國之寶也。 慕容與國世為婚姻，且皝令德之主，不宜連兵構怨，凋殘百姓。 臣恐禍害之興，將由於此。 願兩追前失，通款如初，使國家有太山之安，蒼生蒙息肩之惠。」 遼不從。 出為燕郡太守。 石季龍克令支，裕以郡降，拜北平太守，徵為尚書左丞。
When Duan Liao and Murong Huang clashed, Yang Yu urged, “A state’s greatest treasure is to cherish kindness and befriend one’s neighbors. The Murong house and yours have intermarried for generations; Murong Huang is a man of virtue—you must not exhaust the people in vendetta. I fear calamity will come of this feud. Let both sides forget old quarrels and restore peace so the realm stands firm as Taishan and the people can lay down their burdens.” Duan Liao refused. He left court to become grand warden of Yan commandery. When Shi Hu seized Lingzhi, Yang Yu surrendered his commandery, was named grand warden of Beiping, then recalled as left assistant in the secretariat.
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段遼之請迎于季龍也，裕以左丞領征東麻秋司馬。 秋敗，裕為軍人所執，將詣皝。 皝素聞裕名，即命釋其囚，拜郎中令，遷大將軍左司馬。 東破高句麗，北滅宇文歸，皆豫其謀，皝甚器重之。 及遷都和龍，裕雅有巧思，皝所制城池宮闔，皆裕之規模。 裕雖仕皝日近，寵秩在舊人之右，性謙恭清儉，剛簡慈篤，雖曆居朝端，若布衣之士。 士大夫流亡羈絕者，莫不經營收葬，存恤孤遺，士無賢不肖皆傾身待之，是以所在推仰。
When Duan Liao asked Shi Hu for an escort, Yang Yu served as chief clerk under Ma Qiu. Ma Qiu’s defeat left Yang Yu a prisoner on his way to Murong Huang. Murong Huang, who had long admired him, freed him at once, named him palace director, then promoted him to senior major on his staff. He helped plan the eastern victory over Goguryeo and the northern destruction of Yuwen Gui, and Huang came to rely on him heavily. When the capital shifted to Helong, Yang Yu’s engineering shaped every wall and tower Murong Huang built. Though he rose above older favorites, he lived modestly and treated everyone like a poor scholar. He buried exiles, aided their orphans, and honored every gentleman he met, winning universal esteem.
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初，范陽盧諶每稱之曰：「吾及晉之清平，曆觀朝士多矣，忠清簡毅，篤信義烈，如陽士倫者，實亦未幾。」 及死，皝甚悼之，時年六十二。
Lu Chen of Fanyang once said, “In times of peace I have known many officials, but few match Yang Yu in loyalty, austerity, and steadfast faith.” When he died at sixty-two, Murong Huang mourned him deeply.