2
赫連勃勃，字屈孑，匈奴右賢王去卑之後，劉元海之族也。 曾祖武，劉聰世以宗室封樓煩公，拜安北將軍、監鮮卑諸軍事、丁零中郎將，雄據肆盧川。 為代王猗盧所敗，遂出塞表。 祖豹子招集種落，復為諸部之雄，石季龍遣使就拜平北將軍、左賢王、丁零單于。 父衛辰入居塞內，苻堅以為西單于，督攝河西諸虜，屯於代來城。 及堅國亂，遂有朔方之地，控弦之士三萬八千。 後魏師伐之，辰令其子力俟提距戰，為魏所敗。 魏人乘勝濟河，克代來，執辰殺之。 勃勃乃奔于叱幹部。 叱幹他鬥伏送勃勃于魏。 他鬥伏兄子阿利先戍大洛川。 聞將送勃勃，馳諫曰：「鳥雀投人，尚宜濟免，況勃勃國破家亡，歸命於我？ 縱不能容，猶宜任其所奔。 今執而送之，深非仁者之舉。」 他鬥伏懼為魏所責，弗從。 阿利潛遣勁勇篡勃勃于路，送于姚興高平公沒奕于，奕于以女妻之。
Helian Bobo, styled Qujie, traced his line to the Xiongnu Right Worthy King Qubei and belonged to the same clan as Liu Yuanhai. His great-grandfather Wu, in Liu Cong's day, received the title Duke of Loufan as a member of the imperial house and held the posts of General Who Pacifies the North, overseer of Xianbei military affairs, and Central Commandant of the Dingling, ruling the Silu River country as a regional power. Defeated by Dai King Yilu, he withdrew beyond the border. His grandfather Baozi rallied the tribes and once more rose to leadership among them; Shi Jilong dispatched envoys to invest him as General Who Pacifies the North, Left Worthy King, and Chanyu of the Dingling. His father Wei Chen moved inside the frontier, where Fu Jian named him Western Chanyu, entrusted him with the barbarian peoples of Hexi, and stationed him at Dailai. Once Fu Jian's realm collapsed into disorder, he held Shuofang with thirty-eight thousand archers under arms. When Wei marched against him, Chen sent his son Lishiti to hold the line, but Wei broke them. Wei crossed the river on the momentum of victory, took Dailai, captured Chen, and put him to death. Bobo fled to the Chigan tribe. Tadoufu of the Chigan delivered Bobo to Wei. Tadoufu's nephew Ali was already stationed on the Daluo River. When he learned Bobo was to be turned over, he rode in haste to protest: "Even a sparrow that flies to a man deserves mercy—how much more a man whose kingdom is gone and whose house is ruined, who has come to us for shelter? If we cannot keep him, we should at least let him go where he chooses. To bind him and send him off would be a deed far from humane." Tadoufu, afraid Wei would hold him accountable, refused to listen. Ali secretly sent bold men to snatch Bobo on the road and convey him to Moyiyu, Duke of Gaoping under Yao Xing, who gave Bobo his daughter in marriage.
3
勃勃身長八尺五寸，腰帶十圍，性辯慧，美風儀。 興見而奇之，深加禮敬，拜驍騎將軍，加奉車都尉，常參軍國大議，寵遇逾於勳舊。 興弟邕言于興曰：「勃勃天性不仁，難以親近。 陛下寵遇太甚，臣竊惑之。」 興曰：「勃勃有濟世之才，吾方收其藝用，與之共平天下，有何不可！」 乃以勃勃為安遠將軍，封陽川侯，使助沒奕于鎮高平，以三城、朔方雜夷及衛辰部眾三萬配之，使為伐魏偵候。 姚邕固諫以為不可。 興曰：「卿何以知其性氣？」 邕曰：「勃勃奉上慢，禦眾殘，貪暴無親，輕為去就，寵之逾分，終為邊害。」 興乃止。 頃之，以勃勃為持節、安北將軍、五原公，配以三交五部鮮卑及雜虜二萬餘落，鎮朔方。 時河西鮮卑杜崘獻馬八千匹于姚興，濟河，至大城，勃勃留之，召其眾三萬餘人偽獵高平川，襲殺沒奕於而並其眾，眾至數萬。
Bobo stood eight feet five inches tall, with a waist ten handspans around; he was quick-witted and eloquent, and carried himself with striking grace. Yao Xing was struck by him at once, honored him lavishly, and made him General of Valiant Cavalry with the additional title Chariot Commandant; Bobo took part in every major council of war and state, and was favored beyond the old servants of merit. Yao Xing's younger brother Yong said to him, "Bobo is ruthless by nature and not a man one can trust. Your Majesty honors him far too much; I cannot make sense of it." Xing replied, "Bobo has the talent to set the age aright. I mean to use what he can do and win the realm with him—what harm is there in that!" He then made Bobo General Who Pacifies the Distant and Marquis of Yangchuan, set him to aid Moyiyu in holding Gaoping, and gave him thirty thousand men drawn from the mixed tribes of Sancheng and Shuofang and from Wei Chen's following, with orders to reconnoiter against Wei. Yao Yong pressed his objections and said it must not be done. Xing asked, "How do you know what sort of man he is?" Yong answered, "He is slack toward his lord, harsh with his men, greedy, brutal, and faithless, and he shifts allegiance lightly. Honor him beyond measure and he will become a scourge on the borderlands." Xing held back and did not proceed. Not long after, he made Bobo Bearer of the Staff, General Who Pacifies the North, and Duke of Wuyuan, gave him more than twenty thousand households of the three-jiao Wubu Xianbei and other barbarian peoples, and posted him in Shuofang. About then the Hexi Xianbei chief Du Lun brought eight thousand horses as tribute to Yao Xing, crossed the river, and came to Dacheng. Bobo held him there, called up his own force of more than thirty thousand under the guise of a hunt on the Gaoping River, struck and killed Moyiyu, took over his troops, and raised his following to tens of thousands.
4
In the third year of Yixi he declared himself Heavenly King and Grand Chanyu, proclaimed a general amnesty, took the era name Longsheng, and appointed a full roster of officials. He claimed descent from the Xiongnu and from the house of Xia, and named his state Great Xia. He appointed his eldest brother Youdidai chancellor and Duke of Dai, his second brother Lishiti grand general and Duke of Wei, Chigan Ali censor-in-chief and Duke of Liang, his younger brother Aliluoyin General Who Conquers the South and Director of the Masters of Writing, Ruomen Director of the Masters of Writing, Chiyijian General Who Conquers the West and Left Vice Director of the Masters of Writing, Yidou General Who Conquers the North and Right Vice Director of the Masters of Writing, and filled the remaining posts in rank below them.
5
其年，討鮮卑薛幹等三部，破之，降眾萬數千。 進討姚興三城已北諸戍，斬其將楊丕、姚石生等。 諸將諫固險，不從，又復言於勃勃曰：「陛下將欲經營宇內，南取長安，宜先固根本，使人心有所憑系，然後大業可成。 高平險固，山川沃饒，可以都也。」 勃勃曰：「卿徒知其一，未知其二。 吾大業草創，眾旅未多，姚興亦一時之雄，關中未可圖也。 且其諸鎮用命，我若專固一城，彼必並力於我，眾非其敵，亡可立待。 吾以雲騎風馳，出其不意，救前則擊其後，救後則擊其前，使彼疲於奔命，我則游食自若，不及十年，嶺北、河東盡我有也。 待姚興死後，徐取長安。 姚泓凡弱小兒，擒之方略，已在吾計中矣。 昔軒轅氏亦遷居無常二十餘年，豈獨我乎！」 於是侵掠嶺北，嶺北諸城門不晝啟。 興歎曰：「吾不用黃兒之言，以至於此！」 黃兒，姚邕小字也。
That same year he campaigned against the three Xianbei tribes led by Xuegan, broke them, and accepted the surrender of ten thousand and several thousand. He pushed forward against Yao Xing's posts north of Sancheng, killing the generals Yang Pi, Yao Shisheng, and others. His officers urged him to dig in and hold defensible ground, but he refused. They spoke to him again: "If Your Majesty means to rule the realm and seize Chang'an in the south, you must first make the foundation firm so that hearts have something to cling to. Only then can the great work stand. Gaoping is strong by nature, its land fertile—fit to be your capital." Bobo said, "You see one thing and miss the other. My state is still in its first days and my army is small. Yao Xing is a formidable man of his time, and Guanzhong is not yet within reach. Besides, his frontier posts answer his call. If I lock myself into one fortress, he will throw every force at me. I cannot match him in numbers, and ruin would follow quickly. I will move like wind-driven cavalry and strike where no one looks for me. Let them rush to save the van and I will fall on the rear; let them save the rear and I will fall on the van. I will keep them exhausted while my men forage freely. In less than ten years everything north of the ridges and east of the river will be mine. After Yao Xing dies, I will take Chang'an in my own time. Yao Hong is a feeble boy. The way to seize him is already laid in my mind. Even the Yellow Emperor wandered without a fixed seat for more than twenty years—why should I alone be blamed for it!" He then harried the country north of the ridges, and there the city gates stayed shut even by day. Yao Xing sighed, "Had I listened to Yellow Boy, I would never have come to this pass!" Yellow Boy was the childhood name of Yao Yong.
6
勃勃初僭號，求婚於禿髮傉檀，傉檀弗許。 勃勃怒，率騎二萬伐之，自楊非至於支陽三百餘里，殺傷萬餘人，驅掠二萬七千口、牛馬羊數十萬而還。 傉檀率眾追之，其將焦朗謂傉檀曰：「勃勃天姿雄驁，禦軍齊肅，未可輕也。 今因抄掠之資，率思歸之士，人自為戰，難與爭鋒。 不如從溫圍北渡，趣萬斛堆，阻水結營，制其咽喉，百戰百勝之術也。」 傉檀將賀連怒曰：「勃勃以死亡之餘，率烏合之眾，犯順結禍，幸有大功。 今牛羊塞路，財寶若山，窘弊之餘，人懷貪競，不能督厲士眾以抗我也。 我以大軍臨之，必土崩魚潰。 今引軍避之，示敵以弱。 我眾氣銳，宜在速追。」 傉檀曰：「吾追計決矣，敢諫者斬！」 勃勃聞而大喜，乃于陽武下陝鑿淩埋車以塞路。 傉檀遣善射者射之，中勃勃左臂。 勃勃乃勒眾逆擊，大敗之，追奔八十餘里，殺傷萬計，斬其大將十餘人，以為京觀，號「髑髏台」，還於嶺北。
Soon after Bobo first took royal rank, he asked Tufa Rutan for a marriage alliance, and Rutan declined. Enraged, Bobo led twenty thousand cavalry against him. From Yangfei to Zhiyang—more than three hundred li—he killed and wounded over ten thousand men, carried off twenty-seven thousand people, and drove away tens of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses before turning back. Rutan pursued with his host. His officer Jiao Lang warned him, "Bobo is a born warrior, and his army is disciplined and hard to break. Do not underestimate him. They are laden with booty and filled with men who want to go home. Each soldier will fight for himself. It will be hard to meet them head on. Better to cross north from Wenwei, strike for Wanhudui, and camp where the river narrows their road. Hold the choke point—that is the way to win every fight." Rutan's officer Helian said angrily, "Bobo commands the wreckage of defeat, a crowd patched together overnight. He has defied heaven and courted ruin, and only by fortune gained a great victory. Now their road is blocked with livestock and their wagons heaped with plunder. Exhausted as they are, the men are greedy and unruly. He cannot keep them in line to face us. When my main force falls on them, they will break like a crumbling dike or fish stranded in a dry pool. To pull back now would show them we are afraid. Our troops are eager. We should chase them at once." Rutan said, "My decision stands. Anyone who argues against the pursuit dies!" When Bobo heard this he was delighted. At Yangwu he dug ditches, buried carts, and blocked the way. Rutan sent his best bowmen against him, and one arrow hit Bobo in the left arm. Bobo wheeled his men and counterattacked, crushing them. He chased the rout more than eighty li, killing and wounding beyond number, took the heads of more than ten senior commanders, and raised a mound of skulls he named the "Skull Platform" before withdrawing north of the ridges.
7
At Qing Shi Plain Bobo fought Yao Xing's general Zhang Fusheng, defeated him again, and killed or captured five thousand seven hundred men. Yao Xing sent General Qi Nan with twenty thousand men against him, and Bobo fell back toward the river bend. Believing Bobo was already distant, Qi Nan allowed his men to ravage the fields. Bobo slipped a force behind him, took more than seven thousand prisoners, and seized horses, armor, and arms. Qi Nan withdrew, but Bobo pursued him to Mucheng, stormed the place, captured Qi Nan, and took thirteen thousand soldiers and ten thousand horses. Tens of thousands of tribesmen and settlers north of the ridges came over to him, and Bobo appointed magistrates to govern them. Bobo led twenty thousand cavalry into Gaogang and on to Wujing, carried off more than seven thousand mixed barbarian households from Pingliang for his rear guard, and moved forward to camp on the Yili River.
8
Yao Xing marched against him and reached Sancheng. Bobo watched until Xing's columns were still scattered, then led his cavalry in a sudden blow. Yao Xing was terrified and sent General Yao Wenzong to hold him off. Bobo pretended to flee and laid an ambush. Xing sent Yao Yusheng and others in pursuit, but troops hidden on both flanks sprang up and took them all. Xing's officer Wang Xi had gathered more than three thousand Qiang and barbarian households at Chiqi Fortress, and Bobo marched to besiege it. Wang Xi was a brutal fighter in close combat, and many of Bobo's soldiers fell to him. Bobo's men then dammed the stream that fed the fort. Trapped without water, the defenders seized Wang Xi and surrendered. Bobo told Wang Xi, "You are a faithful servant! I mean to settle the realm with men like you." Wang Xi answered, "If Your Majesty would show mercy, let it be a swift death." Then he and several dozen of his companions drew their blades and killed themselves. Bobo attacked Yao Xing's general Jin Luosheng at Huangshi Fort and Mijie Haodi at Wuluocheng, took both places, relocated more than seven thousand households to Dacheng, and put his chancellor Youdidai in charge as Governor of Youzhou.
9
He sent Director of the Masters of Writing Jin Zuan with ten thousand cavalry against Pingliang. Yao Xing marched to relieve the city, broke Jin Zuan, and killed him. Bobo's nephew Luoti, Left General, led ten thousand foot and horse against Yao Guangdu at Dingyang, took the city, entombed more than four thousand soldiers alive, and gave the women and children to his troops as booty. He made Guangdu Director of Ceremonial. Bobo attacked Yao Shoudu at Qingshui. Shoudu fled to Shanggui, and Bobo resettled sixteen thousand households of the local people in Dacheng. That year Qi Nan and Yao Guangdu plotted revolt, and both were put to death.
10
11
That year Bobo led thirty thousand cavalry against Anding and on the north plain of Qing Shi defeated Yao Xing's general Yang Fusong, accepted the surrender of forty-five thousand of his men, and took twenty thousand horses. He pushed on against Yao Xing's general Dang Zhilong at Dongxiang, accepted his surrender, made him Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, and resettled more than three thousand of his households at Ercheng. Wang Maide, staff officer to Yao Xing's northern frontier command, defected to Bobo. Bobo told Wang Maide, "I am descended from Yu the Great. My forebears have long held the northern lands. In their days of power they stood as equals to Han and Wei. Later generations could not keep pace and were forced to serve others. I have lacked the strength to restore what my fathers built. My kingdom was broken, my house was ruined, and I was driven into exile as a captive. Now I mean to rise with fortune and renew the work of Yu the Great. What do you say to that?" Wang Maide answered, "Since Jin lost the mandate and the imperial regalia went south, strong men have risen on every side and every heart has turned toward the throne. Your Majesty carries merit through many generations and has brought light again to the northern frontier. Your warlike genius outshines the Han emperors and your design surpasses the founders of Wei. How can heaven's moment pass without your completing the great work? Qin's power may be fading, but its border commands still hold. I beg Your Majesty to store up strength, watch the hour, and move only after careful planning." Bobo was pleased and made him Military Adviser Commandant.
12
乃赦其境內，改元為鳳翔，以叱幹阿利領將作大匠，發嶺北夷夏十萬人，于朔方水北、黑水之南營起都城。 勃勃自言：「朕方統一天下，君臨萬邦，可以統萬為名。」 阿利性尤工巧，然殘忍刻暴，乃蒸土築城，錐入一寸，即殺作者而並築之。 勃勃以為忠，故委以營繕之任。 又造五兵之器，精銳尤甚。 既成呈之，工匠必有死者：射甲不入，即斬弓人； 如其入也，便斬鎧匠。 又造百練剛刀，為龍雀大環，號曰「大夏龍雀」，銘其背曰：「古之利器，吳、楚湛盧。 大夏龍雀，名冠神都。 可以懷遠，可以柔逋。 如風靡草，威服九區。」 世甚珍之。 復鑄銅為大鼓，飛廉、翁仲、銅駝、龍獸之屬，皆以黃金飾之，列於宮殿之前。 凡殺工匠數千，以是器物莫不精麗。
He proclaimed another amnesty, changed the era name to Fengxiang, appointed Chigan Ali Director of Palace Construction, and drafted one hundred thousand tribesmen and settlers north of the ridges to raise a capital on the north bank of the Shuofang River and south of the Black Water. Bobo declared, "I mean to unite the realm and rule every land under heaven. Let the city be called Tongwan—Unified Ten Thousand." Ali was a master craftsman but savage by nature. He steamed earth to raise the walls, and whenever an awl sank one inch into the masonry he killed the builder and built the corpse into the wall along with the earth. Bobo took this for loyalty and therefore put him in charge of building the city. He also forged weapons of every kind, their edges surpassingly sharp. When weapons were finished and tested, craftsmen died: if an arrow failed to pierce armor, the bow-maker was beheaded; if it pierced, the armorer was beheaded. He forged hundred-fold steel blades called Great Xia Dragon Sparrow, inscribed on the back: "Ancient Wu and Chu prized Zhanlu. Great Xia Dragon Sparrow—its name crowns the divine capital. It can win the distant and soften those afar. Like wind over grass, it brings the nine regions to heel." The age treasured them greatly. He cast great bronze drums and statues of Flying Li, Weng Zhong, camels, and dragons, all gilded and set before the palaces. Thousands of craftsmen were killed in the process; every object he made was surpassingly fine.
13
They then debated attacking Qifu Chipan. Wang Maide remonstrated: "An enlightened king wages war by virtue, not by violence. Chipan is our ally and has just lost his father—if we attack now, how is that acting in accord with heaven's harmony? To prey on another's mourning—even a common man would be ashamed; how much more a Son of Heaven!" Bobo said: "Well said. Without you, how would I have heard this!"
14
That year he decreed: "My ancestor, migrating north to You and Shuo, took the surname Si; the sound differed from China, so he took his mother's surname Liu. For a son to bear his mother's surname is not proper ritual. Ancient clans took names from birth or from royal forebears. I shall change it as righteousness requires. The emperor is heaven's son, joined to the sky; I change my surname to Helian to accord with heaven and enjoy endless blessing. Heaven's honor cannot be shared with collateral lines; illegitimate branches take the surname Tieba, that my clan may be sharp as iron and smite all foes." He made his wife Lady Liang queen, his son Gui crown prince, and enfeoffed Yan as Duke of Yangping, Chang as Duke of Taiyuan, Lun as Duke of Jiuquan, Ding as Duke of Pingyuan, Man as Duke of Henan, and An as Duke of Zhongshan.
15
16
He sent Wuluo Gu to ally with Juqu Mengxun: "Since Jin's fall, calamity has engulfed the realm; the two capitals lie in weeds and the people have nowhere to turn. Heaven repents; fortune unites our houses. Our borders meet and our Ways align—we should be allies in hardship. Since antiquity, states need oaths to bind the spirits and severed gold to seal eternal friendship. Yet Jin and Chu, Wu and Shu broke their oaths before the blood was dry. Our bond unlike old days: before a word was spoken we felt kinship; one meeting brought trust. Let us still the dust of war and ford the realm together. If trouble comes, both raise the banner of righteousness; when peace returns, honor Lu and Wei together. Through ease and peril we aid each other, trade goods, and bind our descendants to this bond forever." Mengxun sent his general Juqu Hanping to seal the alliance.
17
勃勃聞姚泓將姚嵩與氐王楊盛相持，率騎四萬襲上邽，未至而嵩為盛所殺。 勃勃攻上邽，二旬克之，殺泓秦州剌史姚平都及將士五千人，毀城而去。 進攻陰密，又殺興將姚良子及將士萬餘人。 以其子昌為使持節、前將軍、雍州刺史，鎮陰密。 泓將姚恢棄安定，奔于長安，安定人胡儼、華韜率戶五萬據安定，降於勃勃。 以儼為侍中，韜為尚書，留鎮東羊苟兒鎮之，配以鮮卑五千。 進攻泓將姚諶於雍城，諶奔長安。 勃勃進師次郿城，泓遣其將姚紹來距，勃勃退如安定。 胡儼等襲殺苟兒，以城降泓。 勃勃引歸杏城，笑謂群臣曰：「劉裕伐秦，水陸兼進，且裕有高世之略，姚泓豈能自固！ 吾驗以天時人事，必當克之。 又其兄弟內叛，安可以距人！ 裕既克長安，利在速返，正可留子弟及諸將守關中。 待裕發軫，吾取之若拾芥耳，不足復勞吾士馬。」 於是秣馬厲兵，休養士卒。 尋進據安定，姚泓嶺北鎮戍郡縣悉降，勃勃於是盡有嶺北之地。
Hearing Yao Hong's general Yao Song fought the Di king Yang Sheng, Bobo led forty thousand horse to raid Shanggui; Song was killed before he arrived. Bobo took Shanggui in twenty days, killed Governor Yao Pingdu and five thousand men, razed the city, and withdrew. He attacked Yinmi and killed Xing's general Yao Liangzi and more than ten thousand soldiers. He made his son Chang Bearer of the Staff, Forward General, and Governor of Yong Province, garrisoning Yinmi. Yao Hui abandoned Anding for Chang'an; Hu Yan and Hua Tao held Anding with fifty thousand households and surrendered to Bobo. He made Yan Attendant-in-Ordinary and Tao Master of Writing, left the General Who Garrisons the East, Yang Gou'er, to garrison Anding with five thousand Xianbei. He attacked Yao Chen at Yongcheng; Chen fled to Chang'an. Bobo encamped at Mei; Hong sent Yao Shao against him; Bobo withdrew to Anding. Hu Yan killed Gou'er and surrendered the city to Hong. Bobo withdrew to Xingcheng and laughed: "Liu Yu attacks Qin by land and sea with stratagems beyond his age—how can Yao Hong stand alone? By heaven's signs and human affairs he is sure to win. His brothers rebel within—how can he resist outsiders? Once Yu takes Chang'an he will hurry home, leaving only sons and generals to hold Guanzhong. When Yu departs I shall take it like picking up a mustard seed—no need to weary my army." He fed horses, sharpened weapons, and rested his troops. He seized Anding; Hong's garrisons north of the mountains all surrendered, and Bobo held the north.
18
俄而劉裕滅泓，入于長安，遣使遺勃勃書，請通和好，約為兄弟。 勃勃命其中書侍郎皇甫徽為文而陰誦之，召裕使前，口授舍人為書，封以答裕。 裕覽其文而奇之，使者又言勃勃容儀瑰偉，英武絕人。 裕歎曰：「吾所不如也！」 既而勃勃還統萬，裕留子義真鎮長安而還。 勃勃聞之，大悅，謂王買德曰：「朕將進圖長安，卿試言取之方略。」 買德曰：「劉裕滅秦，所謂以亂平亂，未有德政以濟蒼生。 關中形勝之地，而以弱才小兒守之，非經遠之規也。 狼狽而返者，欲速成篡事耳，無暇有意于中原。 陛下以順伐逆，義貫幽顯，百姓以君命望陛下義旗之至，以日為歲矣。 青泥、上洛，南師之沖要，宜置遊兵斷其去來之路。 然後杜潼關，塞崤、陝，絕其水陸之道。 陛下聲檄長安，申布恩澤，三輔父老皆壺漿以迎王師矣。 義真獨坐空城，逃竄無所，一旬之間必面縛麾下，所謂兵不血刃，不戰而自定也。」 勃勃善之，以子璝都督前鋒諸軍事，領撫軍大將軍，率騎二萬南伐長安，前將軍赫連昌屯兵潼關，以買德為撫軍右長史，南斷青泥，勃勃率大軍繼發。 璝至渭陽，降者屬路。 義真遣龍驤將軍沈田子率眾逆戰，不利而退，屯劉回堡。 田子與義真司馬王鎮惡不平，因鎮惡出城，遂殺之。 義真又殺田子。 於是悉召外軍入於城中，閉門距守。 關中郡縣悉降。 璝夜襲長安，不克。 勃勃進據咸陽，長安樵采路絕。 劉裕聞之，大懼，乃召義真東鎮洛陽，以硃齡石為雍州刺史，守長安。 義真大掠而東，至於灞上，百姓遂逐齡石，而迎勃勃入于長安。 璝率眾三萬追擊義真，王師敗績，義真單馬而遁。 買德獲晉甯朔將軍傅弘之、輔國將軍蒯恩、義真司馬毛脩之於青泥，積人頭以為京觀。 於是勃勃大饗將士于長安，舉觴謂王買德曰：「卿往日之言，一周而果效，可謂算無遺策矣。 雖宗廟社稷之靈，亦卿謀獻之力也。 此觴所集，非卿而誰！」 於是拜買德都官尚書，加冠軍將軍，封河陽侯。
Liu Yu destroyed Hong, entered Chang'an, and sent envoys proposing brotherhood with Bobo. Bobo ordered his Palace Secretariat Attendant Huangfu Hui to compose a text and memorize it secretly; he summoned Yu's envoy forward, dictated it orally to a clerk to write, sealed it, and returned it to Yu. Yu read the letter and marveled; the envoy said Bobo's bearing was magnificent and his valor unmatched. Yu sighed: "I am not his equal!" Bobo returned to Tongwan; Yu left his son Yizhen at Chang'an and went home. Bobo was delighted and asked Wang Maide: "I mean to take Chang'an—tell me how." Maide said: "Liu Yu ended Qin by disorder, not by virtue—the people have no relief. Guanzhong is strategic ground, guarded by a weak boy—not a far-sighted plan. He hurries home to usurp the throne and has no time for the central plains. Your Majesty attacks rebellion with justice; the people have awaited your banner for years. Qingni and Shangluo are the southern army's vital passes—set roaming troops to cut their retreat. Then block Tong Pass and Xiao and Shan and cut their roads by land and water. Proclaim grace at Chang'an and the three auxiliaries will welcome you with wine. Yizhen sits in an empty city with nowhere to flee; within ten days he will bind himself before you—arms without blood, victory without battle." Bobo approved: Gui led twenty thousand horse on Chang'an, Chang held Tong Pass, Maide blocked Qingni, and Bobo followed with the main army. Gui reached Weiyang; surrenderers lined the road. Yizhen sent the Dragon-Soaring General Shen Tianzi against him; Tianzi was beaten back to Liuhui Fort. Tianzi quarreled with Yizhen's marshal Wang Zhen'e and killed him when he left the city. Yizhen then killed Tianzi. He recalled all outside troops, shut the gates, and held the city. Guanzhong's commanderies and counties surrendered. Gui raided Chang'an by night and failed. Bobo took Xianyang; Chang'an's supply roads were cut. Liu Yu in alarm recalled Yizhen to Luoyang and sent Zhu Lingshi to hold Chang'an. Yizhen plundered as he fled east; at Bashang the people expelled Lingshi and welcomed Bobo into Chang'an. Gui pursued Yizhen with thirty thousand; the Jin army was routed and Yizhen escaped alone. Maide captured the Jin General of Pacifying the North Fu Hongzhi, the Pacification General Kuai En, and Yizhen's Marshal Mao Xiuzhi at Qingni and piled heads into a victory mound. Bobo feasted his officers in Chang'an and told Maide: "Your words of former days bore fruit after one year's circuit—no strategy left unused. The ancestral spirits helped—but so did your counsel. This cup is for you alone!" He made Maide director of the masters of writing, champion general, and marquis of Heyang.
19
Helian Chang attacked Lingshi and the Dragon-soaring General Wang Jing at Cao Gong's old rampart on Tong Pass, took it, seized Lingshi and Jing, and sent them to Chang'an. The ministers urged him to take the throne; Bobo said: "I have no talent to save the realm; twelve years at war and enemies still burn—how can I face posterity? I shall find a worthy man, yield the throne, and retire to Shuofang with zither and books. The imperial title—how can my shallow virtue bear it!" The ministers pressed him and he consented. He made an altar at Bashang, took the throne, amnestied the realm, and proclaimed the Changwu era. He sent Chinu Houti with twenty thousand men against Mao Dezu at Puban; Dezu fled to Luoyang. He made Houti governor of Bing and garrisoned Puban.
20
Bobo returned to Chang'an and summoned the recluse Wei Zusi of Jingzhao. Zusi was overly deferential; Bobo raged: "I summoned a national scholar—why treat me as less than human! You would not bow to Yao Xing—why bow to me? I am not dead yet you deny me an emperor; when I die you will write history—where will you put me!" He killed him.
21
The ministers urged Chang'an as capital; Bobo said: "I know Chang'an was the emperors' old capital, fortified by mountains and rivers! But Jing and Wu are far and pose no threat. Eastern Wei borders us only hundreds of li north—if we capital at Chang'an, the northern capital may not hold. At Tongwan they will never dare cross the river—you have not seen this!" All said: "Beyond our understanding." He set up the Southern Terrace at Chang'an and made Gui grand general, governor of Yong, and director of its secretariat.
22
23
夫庸大德盛者，必建不刊之業； 道積慶隆者，必享無窮之祚。 昔在陶唐，數鐘厄運，我皇祖大禹以至聖之姿，當經綸之會，鑿龍門面辟伊闕，疏三江而決九河，夷一元之窮災，拯六合之沈溺，鴻績侔於天地，神功邁於造化，故二儀降祉，三靈葉贊，揖讓受終，光啟有夏。 傳世二十，曆載四百，賢辟相承，哲王繼軌，徽猷冠于玄古，高範煥乎疇昔。 而道無常夷，數或屯險，王桀不綱，網漏殷氏，用使金暉絕于中天，神轡輟于促路。 然純曜未渝，慶綿萬祀，龍飛漠南，鳳峙朔北。 長轡遠馭，則西罩昆山之外； 密網遐張，則東亙滄海之表。 爰始逮今，二千餘載，雖三統迭制於崤、函，五德革運于伊、洛，秦、雍成篡殺之墟，周、豫為爭奪之藪，而幽朔謐爾，主有常尊於上； 海代晏然，物無異望於下。 故能控弦之眾百有餘萬，躍馬長驅，鼓行秦、趙，使中原疲於奔命，諸夏不得高枕，為日久矣。 是以偏師暫擬，涇陽摧隆周之鋒； 赫斯一奮，平陽挫漢祖之銳。 雖霸王繼蹤，猶朝日之升扶桑； 英豪接踵，若夕月之登濛汜。 自開闢已來，未始聞也。 非夫卜世與乾坤比長，鴻基與山嶽齊固，孰能本枝于千葉，重光于萬祀，履寒霜而逾榮，蒙重氛而彌耀者哉！
Men of great virtue and merit establish imperishable achievements; those whose Way accumulates and blessing endures enjoy fortune without end. Under Yao, fortune turned adverse; our ancestor Yu with sage bearing ordered the realm, opened Dragon Gate, cleared the rivers, and saved the world—his merit matched heaven and earth, the two regulators blessed him, and he founded Xia. Twenty generations, four hundred years—worthy heirs and sage kings carried on, their principles crowning antiquity and their models shining through former ages. Yet the Way knows no constant peace: Jie lost the thread of rule, Yin's net broke, and golden splendor failed at mid-heaven. Yet pure radiance endured and blessing ran ten thousand generations; the dragon flew beyond the desert, the phoenix stood in the northern wilds. Driving far on long reins, the west reached beyond Kunshan; casting nets afar, the east reached the blue sea. For more than two thousand years, though the three successions in turn ruled at Xiao and Hangu, the five virtues changed fortune at Yi and Luo, Qin and Yong became battlegrounds, and Zhou and Yu arenas of strife, You and Shuo stayed calm and the lord kept constant honor. The frontier was peaceful and the people knew no other master. A million bowmen rode through Qin and Zhao, wearing the central plains to exhaustion for ages. A partial force once blunted Zhou's edge at Jingyang; one fierce charge broke Han's ancestor at Pingyang. Though hegemons followed, they were like the morning sun over Fusang; heroes came in succession like the evening moon over Mengsi. Since the world's beginning, nothing like it was heard. Unless fortune matches heaven and earth and the foundation mountains—who could flourish through a thousand branches, grow brighter through frost, and shine through miasma!
24
於是玄符告征，大猷有會，我皇誕命世之期，應天縱之運，仰協時來，俯順時望。 龍升北京，則義風蓋于九區； 鳳翔天域，則威聲格於八表。 屬奸雄鼎峙之秋，群凶嶽立之際，昧旦臨朝，日旰忘膳，運籌命將，舉無遺策。 親禦六戎，則有征無戰。 故偽秦以三世之資，喪魂于關、隴； 河源望旗而委質，北虜欽風而納款。 德音著於柔服，威刑彰於伐叛，文教與武功並宣，俎豆與干戈俱運。 五稔之間，道風弘著，暨乎七載而王猷允洽。 乃遠惟周文，啟經始之基； 近詳山川，究形勝之地，遂營起都城，開建京邑。 背名山而面洪流，左河津而右重塞。 高隅隱日，崇墉際雲，石郭天池，周綿千里。 其為獨守之形，險絕之狀，固以遠邁於咸陽，超美于周洛，若乃廣五郊之義，尊七廟之制，崇左社之規，建右稷之禮，禦太一以繕明堂，模帝坐而營路寢，閶闔披霄而山亭，象魏排虛而岳峙，華林靈沼，崇台秘室，通房連閣，馳道苑園，可以陰映萬邦，光覆四海，莫不鬱然並建，森然畢備，若紫微之帶皇穹，閬風之跨后土。 然宰司鼎臣，群黎士庶，僉以為重威之式，有闕前王。 於是延王爾之奇工，命班輸之妙匠，搜文梓于鄧林，采繡石于恆嶽，九域貢以金銀，八方獻其瑰寶，親運神奇，參制規矩，營離宮於露寢之南，起別殿于永安之北。 高構千尋，崇基萬仞。 玄棟鏤榥，若騰虹之揚眉； 飛簷舒咢，似翔鵬之矯翼。 二序啟矣，而五時之坐開； 四隅陳設，而一禦之位建。 溫宮膠葛，涼殿崢嶸，絡以隋珠，綷以金鏡，雖曦望互升於表，而中無晝夜之殊； 陰陽迭更於外，而內無寒暑之別。 故善目者不能為其名，博辯者不能究其稱，斯蓋神明之所規模，非人工之所經制。 若乃尋名以求類，蹤狀以效真，據質以究名，形疑妙出，雖如來、須彌之寶塔，帝釋、忉利之神宮，尚未足以喻其麗，方其飾矣。
Then heaven's sign appeared; our emperor was born to his age, answered heaven's mandate, and harmonized with the people's hope. The dragon rose in the northern capital and righteous wind covered the realm; the phoenix soared in heaven's realm and awe reached the eight directions. In an age of rival warlords he held court from dawn to dusk, strategized without waste, and commanded without error. He led the six armies in person and conquered without fighting. False Qin with three generations' wealth lost heart at Guan and Long; the River Source submitted at his banners, northern tribes offered allegiance to his wind. Virtue won the gentle, arms punished rebels; civil and martial teaching spread together. Within five years his Way shone; in seven his rule was complete. He looked to King Wen of Zhou for the foundation of rule; he studied mountains and rivers and founded the capital. Backed by mountains, facing floods, with the Yellow River on the left and layered passes on the right. High walls hid the sun and met the clouds; stone ramparts and heaven's pool ran a thousand li. As a solitary stronghold and an unsurpassed strategic position, it far exceeded Xianyang and outshone Zhou and Luo. Its design broadened the meaning of the five suburbs, honored the system of the seven temples, raised the left altar of soil and the right altar of grain, repaired the Bright Hall for Taiyi, patterned the imperial seat for the main palace, lifted the Changhe Gate and watchtowers into the clouds, set the palace towers like mountains in the void, and laid out the Flowery Forest, Spirit Pool, lofty terraces, hidden chambers, connected rooms, linked galleries, racing roads, and parks. All were richly built and fully equipped, able to shade the ten thousand states and shine over the four seas, like Purple Tenuity girdling the imperial vault or Langfeng spanning the earth below. Yet ministers and people held that his majesty's awe still lacked something before former kings. He summoned the marvelous craftsmen of Wang Er and the subtle artisans of Ban Shu, gathered timber and stone from every quarter, and personally directed wonder—building detached palaces south of the open chamber and north of Yong'an. Structures rose a thousand ren on foundations ten thousand ren deep. Dark beams and carved rafters arched like rainbows; flying eaves spread like the peng bird's wings. Two halls opened and seats for the five seasons were set; four corners were arrayed and the imperial seat established. Warm and cool halls towered, bound with pearls and mirrors—within, no difference of day or night; without, yin and yang changed; within, no cold or heat. Keen eyes could not name it, eloquence could not describe it—this was the work of gods, not men. By name and form it surpassed even the Buddha's pagoda and Indra's palace in splendor.
25
昔周宣考室而詠于詩人，閟宮有侐而頌聲是作。 況乃太微肇制，清都啟建，軌一文昌，舊章唯始，咸秩百神，賓享萬國，群生開其耳目，天下詠其來蘇，亦何得不播之管弦，刊之金石哉！ 乃樹銘都邑，敷贊碩美，俾皇風振于來葉，聖庸垂乎不朽。 其辭曰：
King Xuan of Zhou built his chamber and poets sang; so too this palace called forth praise. How much more this founding of the capital, ordering spirits and feasting nations—the realm sang of repose; how could it not be carved in stone and sung on strings! He set inscription in the capital that imperial wind might shake coming ages and sage merit endure. The text says:
26
於赫靈祚，配乾比靈斯。 巍巍大禹，堂堂聖功。 仁被蒼生，德格玄穹。 帝錫玄珪，揖讓受終。 哲王繼軌，光闡徽風。 道無常夷，數或不競。 金精南邁，天輝北映。 靈祉逾昌，世葉彌盛。 惟祖惟父，克廣休命。 如彼日月，連光接鏡。 玄符瑞德，乾運有歸。 誕鐘我後，應圖龍飛。 落落神武，恢恢聖姿。 名教內敷，群妖外夷。 化光四表，威截九圍。 封畿之制，王者常經。 乃延輸、爾，肇建帝京。 土苞上壤，地跨勝形。 庶人子來，不日而成。 崇台霄峙，秀闕雲亭。 千榭連隅，萬閣接屏。 晃若晨曦，昭若列星。 離宮既作，別宇雲施。 爰構崇明，仰准乾儀。 懸薨風閱，飛軒雲垂。 溫室嵯峨，層城參差。 楹雕虯獸，節鏤龍螭。 瑩以寶璞，飾以珍奇。 稱因褒著，名由實揚。 偉哉皇室，盛矣厥章！ 義高靈台，美隆未央。 邁軌三五，貽則霸王。 永世垂節，億載彌光。
Ah, numinous fortune, matching heaven's splendor. Towering Great Yu, hall of sage achievement. Benevolence spread to the people, virtue reached heaven. Heaven bestowed the dark tablet; he yielded and received the throne. Sage kings continued the line, opening eminent wind. The Way knows no constant peace; fortune sometimes fails. Golden splendor moved south, heaven's light shone north. Blessing flourished, the house's generations thrived. Forefathers extended the fine mandate. Like sun and moon, joined in light. Heaven's sign and auspicious virtue—fortune returns. Our sovereign was born to the chart; the dragon flies. Lofty divine martial, vast sage bearing. Teaching spread within, demons subdued without. His transforming light reached the four quarters, his awe the nine borders. The royal domain—kings' constant law. He summoned Shu and Er and founded the imperial capital. Earth embraced the upper realm, ground crossed triumphant terrain. The people came like sons; it was finished in no day. Lofty terraces pierced heaven, elegant towers touched clouds. A thousand pavilions linked corners, ten thousand towers joined screens. Bright as dawn, clear as stars. Detached palaces rose, separate halls spread like clouds. He built Chongming, looking up to heaven's model. Suspended rafters passed the wind, flying galleries hung like clouds. Warm chambers towered, layered walls rose uneven. Pillars carved with horned beasts, nodes with dragon wyrms. Gleaming with jade, ornamented with wonder. Name follows substance, praise follows merit. Great the imperial house, flourishing its glory! Righteous as the Spirit Terrace, grand as Weiyang. Surpassing the Three and Five, bequeathing models to kings. Forever hanging through ages, shining for a hundred million years.
27
This was the text of the Director of the Palace Library Hu Yizhou. He named the gates: south Attending Song, east Summoning Wei, west Serving Liang, north Pacifying Shuo. He posthumously honored his forebears as emperors Yuan, Jing, Xuan, and Huan, with temple name Taizu, and his mother as Empress Huanwen.
28
Bobo was by nature fierce, violent, and murderous, without regard for stable rule. He lived atop the wall with bow and sword at hand; he killed those he resented, gouged the eyes of those who stared, cut the lips of those who laughed, and cut out the tongues of remonstrators before beheading them. Barbarian and Chinese alike clamored; men had no way to live. He reigned thirteen years; Song received the mandate; he died in the second year of Yuanjia. His son Chang succeeded him and was soon captured by Wei. His brother Ding seized power at Pingliang and was destroyed by Wei. From Bobo to Ding was twenty-six years, then extinction.
29
【評贊】
Critical Praise
30
The historian writes: Helian Bobo was a barbarian breed who seized the north when the central plains split, sounding bow and whistle across Shuofang. He patterned palaces on the divine capital, stole kings' titles, aped Chinese ritual, and eyed the realm. Yet his insight was keen and his bearing remarkable; Yao Xing marveled and Liu Yu was stirred. Did the Yin Mountains breed strange spirit—how else produce such a man! Though his strategy surpassed others, cruelty remained; he rejected remonstrance and harmed ministers until loyalty fell silent. Destruction should have fallen on him alone—yet it reached his heirs; that was no accident.
31
The eulogy says: A distant descendant of Chunwei, remnant of famous kings. He howled with desert dragons and seized the chance to raid. He built palaces and halls in place of felt tents. Though he wielded the imperial regalia, he was still called a treacherous bandit chief.