1
王世充,字行滿,本姓支,西域胡人也。 寓居新豐。 祖支頹耨,早死。 父收,隨母嫁霸城王氏,因冒姓焉,仕至汴州長史。 世充頗涉經史,尤好兵法及龜策、推步之術。 開皇中,以軍功拜儀同,累轉兵部員外郎。 善敷奏,明習法律,然舞弄文法,高下其心。 或有駁難之者,世充利口飾非,辭議鋒起,眾雖知其不可而莫能屈。
Wang Shichong, whose courtesy name was Xingman, was originally of the surname Zhi—a man of Hu origin from the Western Regions. His family had settled in Xinfeng. His grandfather Zhi Tuinou had died young. His father Shou had gone with his mother into a remarriage with the Wang clan of Bacheng and taken their surname; he eventually served as chief administrator of Bian Prefecture. Shichong had read widely in the classics and histories and was especially devoted to military science, tortoise-shell divination, and calendrical reckoning. During the Kaihuang reign he won appointment as Bearer of the Imperial Insignia for military service and was promoted step by step to assistant in the Ministry of War. He wrote memorials fluently and knew the law well, yet he twisted legal texts to suit his own purposes. If anyone challenged him, Shichong answered with a glib tongue, papered over his errors, and flooded the debate with words; everyone knew he was wrong, yet no one could best him in argument.
2
大業中,累遷江都丞,兼領江都宮監。 時煬帝數幸江都,世充善候人主顏色,阿諛順旨,每入言事,帝必稱善。 乃雕飾池臺,陰奏遠方珍物,以媚於帝,由是益暱之。 世充知隋政將亂,陰結豪俊,多收群心,有繫獄抵罪,皆枉法出之,以樹私恩。 及楊玄感作亂,吳人朱燮、晉陵人管崇起兵江南以應之,自稱將軍,擁眾十餘萬。 隋遣將軍吐萬緒、魚俱羅等討之,不克。 世充為其偏將,募江都萬餘人,頻擊破之。 每有克捷,必歸功於下,所獲軍實,皆推與士卒,由此人爭為用,功最居多。
Under Emperor Yang he rose repeatedly to assistant prefect of Jiangdu and concurrently overseer of the Jiangdu palace. The Emperor visited Jiangdu often; Shichong watched his mood closely, flattered him, and agreed with whatever he wished. Each time he came forward with business, the Emperor praised him. He had pools and terraces lavishly decorated, secretly reported exotic tribute from distant regions, and so drew the Emperor even closer. Seeing that Sui rule was collapsing, he quietly cultivated bold men, won people over, and whenever someone sat in prison he bent the law to set them free and bind them to himself in gratitude. When Yang Xuangan rebelled, Zhu Xie of Wu and Guan Chong of Jinling answered him with armies in the south, styled themselves generals, and gathered more than a hundred thousand men. The Sui court sent Generals Tuwenshu, Yu Jurong, and others against them, but they failed to win. Shichong served as a subordinate commander, raised more than ten thousand men from Jiangdu, and repeatedly routed them. After every victory he credited his subordinates and gave the captured supplies to the rank and file; men therefore rushed to follow him, and his record of achievement stood first.
3
十年,齊郡賊帥孟讓自長白山寇掠諸郡,至盱眙,有眾十餘萬。 世充以兵拒之,保都梁山,為五柵,相持不戰,乃倡言兵走,羸師示弱。 讓笑曰:「王世充文法小吏,安能領兵? 吾令生縛取之,鼓行而入江都。」 時百姓皆入壁,野無所掠,賊眾漸餒,又苦柵當其道,不得南侵,即分兵圍五柵。 世充每日擊之,陽不利,走還入柵。 如是數日,讓益輕之,乃稍分人於南方抄,留兵才足以圍柵。 世充知其懈,乃於營中夷灶撤幕,投方陣,四面外向,毀柵而出,奮擊,大破之,讓以數十騎遁去,斬首萬餘級,俘虜十餘萬人。 煬帝以世充有將帥才略,復遣領兵討諸小盜,所向盡平。
In the tenth year the bandit leader Meng Rang of Qi Commandery swept down from Mount Changbai, raided the commanderies, and reached Xuyi at the head of more than a hundred thousand men. Shichong met him with troops, held Mount Duliang behind five palisades, refused battle, then spread word that his army was retreating and deliberately showed weakness. Rang laughed and said, "Wang Shichong is a petty legal clerk—what does he know of command? I'll have him taken alive and bound, then march straight into Jiangdu." The people had all withdrawn into walled settlements, leaving nothing to raid in the countryside; the bandits grew hungry, and the palisades blocked their southward advance, so they split up and besieged the five camps. Shichong attacked them every day, pretended to lose, and fell back into the palisades. After several days Rang grew even more contemptuous and gradually sent men south to forage, leaving only enough troops to keep up the siege. When Shichong saw their guard relax, he leveled the camp stoves, stripped the tents, formed a square facing outward on all four sides, tore down the palisades, charged out, and smashed them; Rang escaped with a few dozen horsemen while more than ten thousand heads were taken and more than a hundred thousand men captured. The Emperor, judging that Shichong had real command ability, again sent him against the lesser bandits and wherever he went he cleared them out.
4
十一年,突厥圍煬帝於雁門。 世充盡發江都人將往赴難,在軍中蓬首垢面,悲泣無度,曉夜不解甲,藉草而臥。 煬帝聞之,以為忠,益信任之。 十二年,遷江都通守。 時厭次人格謙為盜數年,兵十餘萬在豆子中,為太僕卿楊義臣所殺,世充帥師擊其餘眾,破之。 又擊盧明月於南陽,虜獲數萬。 後還江都,煬帝大悅,自執杯酒以賜之。 及李密攻陷洛口倉,進逼東都,煬帝特詔世充大發兵,於洛口拒密,前後百餘戰,未有勝負。 又遣就軍拜世充為將軍,趣令破賊。 世充引軍渡洛水,與李密戰,世充軍敗績,溺死者萬餘人,乃率餘眾歸河陽。 時天寒大雪,兵士在道凍死者又數萬人,比至河陽,才以千數。 世充自繫獄請罪,越王侗遣使赦之,徵還洛陽,置營於含嘉倉城,收合亡散,復得萬餘人。
In the eleventh year the Turks besieged the Emperor at Yanmen. Shichong mustered every man in Jiangdu to march to the rescue; on campaign he let his hair hang unkempt, smeared his face with dirt, wept without restraint, never doffed his armor day or night, and slept on bare grass. The Emperor took this for loyalty and trusted him all the more. In the twelfth year he was promoted to defender of Jiangdu. Ge Qian of Yanci had led bandits for years with more than a hundred thousand men in the Douzi hills until Grand Stablemaster Yang Yichen killed him; Shichong then struck the survivors and broke them. He also attacked Lu Mingyue at Nanyang and took several tens of thousands captive. When he returned to Jiangdu the Emperor was delighted and personally raised a cup of wine to honor him. After Li Mi seized Luokou Granary and pressed the Eastern Capital, the Emperor ordered Shichong to raise a great army to hold Luokou against him; they fought more than a hundred engagements without a clear victor. The court also sent envoys to camp to appoint Shichong general and urgently ordered him to destroy the rebels. Shichong crossed the Luo to give battle to Li Mi and was routed; more than ten thousand drowned, and he withdrew the survivors to Heyang. It was bitter cold and snowing heavily; tens of thousands more froze to death on the march, and by the time they reached Heyang only about a thousand men remained. Shichong put himself in bonds to ask punishment; Prince of Yue Yang Tong sent envoys to pardon him, recalled him to Luoyang, and set camp at Hanjiacang, where he gathered the scattered and recovered more than ten thousand men.
5
俄而宇文化及作難,太府卿元文都、武衛將軍皇甫無逸、右司郎中盧楚,奉越王侗嗣位於東都,拜世充為吏部尚書,封鄭國公。 文都謂楚等曰:「今化及弒逆,讎恥未報,吾雖志在枕戈,而力所不及。 為國計者,莫如以尊官寵李密,以庫物權啖之,使擊化及,令兩賊自鬬,化及既破,而密之兵固亦疲矣。 又其士卒得我之賞,居我之官,內外相親,易為反間,我師養力以乘其弊,則密亦可圖也。」 楚等以為然。 即日遣使拜密為太尉、尚書令,令討化及。 密遂稱臣奉制,以兵拒化及於黎陽。 每戰勝,則遣使告捷,眾皆悅。 世充獨謂其麾下諸將曰:「文都之輩,刀筆吏耳,吾觀其勢,必為李密所擒。 且吾軍人每與密戰,殺其父兄子弟,前後已多,一旦為之下,吾屬無類矣!」 出言以激怒其眾。 文都知而大懼,與楚等謀,因世充入內,伏甲而殺之,期有日矣。 納言段達庸懦,恐事不果,遣其女婿張志以楚等謀告世充。 其夜,勒兵圍宮城,將軍費曜、田闍等拒戰於東太陽門外,曜軍敗,世充遂攻門而入,無逸以單騎遁走,獲楚殺之。 時宮門閉,世充遣人扣門言於侗曰:「元文都等欲執皇帝降於李密,段達知而告臣,臣非敢反,誅反者耳。」 初,文都聞變,入奉侗於乾陽殿,陳兵衛之,令將帥乘城以拒難。 段達矯侗命,執文都送於世充,至則亂擊而死。 達又矯侗命,開門以納世充。 世充悉遣人代宿衛者,然後入謁陳謝曰:「文都等無狀,謀相屠害,事急為此,不敢背國。」 侗與之盟。 其日,進拜尚書左僕射,總督內外諸軍事。 世充去含嘉城,移居尚書省,專宰朝政。 以其兄世惲為內史令,入居禁中,子弟咸擁兵馬,鎮諸城邑。
Soon Yuwen Huaji rebelled; Grand Treasury Director Yuan Wendu, Martial Guard General Huangfu Wuyi, and Right Department Aide Lu Chu installed Prince of Yue Yang Tong at the Eastern Capital, made Shichong Minister of the Civil Service, and enfeoffed him as Duke of Zheng. Wendu told Chu and the others, "Huaji has murdered the Emperor and our vengeance is still unpaid; though I would sleep on my spear, I lack the strength for it. For the state's sake we should honor Li Mi with high rank, tempt him with treasury goods, and set him on Huaji so the two rebels tear each other apart; once Huaji falls, Mi's army will be spent as well. And if his soldiers take our rewards and our offices, inner and outer circles will draw close and subversion will be easy; we can husband our strength and strike when they are worn down, and then Mi too can be taken." Chu and the others agreed. That same day they sent envoys to appoint Mi Grand Commandant and Director of the Imperial Secretariat and ordered him against Huaji. Mi thereupon declared himself a subject, accepted the imperial orders, and met Huaji with arms at Liyang. After each victory he sent envoys with news of success, and everyone rejoiced. Shichong alone told his commanders, "Wendu's crowd are nothing but brush-wielding clerks; in their position they'll be taken by Li Mi. And our men have fought Mi again and again and killed his fathers, brothers, and sons—many of them; once we submit to him, none of us will be left alive!" He spoke thus to inflame his troops. Wendu learned of it and was terrified; with Chu and the others he plotted to hide armed men and kill Shichong when he entered the palace; a day was fixed. Chief Censor Duan Da was timid and feared failure; he sent his son-in-law Zhang Zhi to warn Shichong of the plot by Chu and the others. That night he led troops to surround the palace; Generals Fei Yao and Tian Shan resisted at the outer Eastern Sun Gate; Yao's force was broken; Shichong forced the gate, Wuyi fled alone on horseback, and Chu was taken and killed. The palace gates were shut; Shichong sent men to knock and tell Tong, "Yuan Wendu and the others meant to seize Your Majesty and surrender to Li Mi; Duan Da learned of it and told me; I do not rebel—I am killing rebels." When Wendu first heard of the uprising he brought Tong to the Qianyang Hall, posted guards, and ordered the commanders to man the walls. Duan Da, forging Tong's order, seized Wendu and sent him to Shichong, who had him beaten to death on arrival. Duan Da again forged Tong's order and opened the gate to admit Shichong. Shichong replaced every palace guard, then entered to apologize: "Wendu and the others plotted murder; the crisis forced my hand; I have not turned against the state." Tong made a covenant with him. That day he was promoted to Left Vice Director of the Imperial Secretariat with overall command of all military affairs. Shichong quit Hanjiacang and moved into the Imperial Secretariat, seizing control of the court. He made his elder brother Shiyun Chief Secretary and lodged him in the inner palace; his sons and brothers all held troops and garrisoned the towns.
6
未幾,李密破化及還,其勁兵良馬多戰死,士卒疲倦。 世充欲乘其弊而擊之,恐人心不一,乃假托鬼神,言夢見周公。 乃立祠於洛水,遣巫宣言周公欲令僕射急討李密,當有大功,不則兵皆疫死。 世充兵多楚人,俗信妖言,眾皆請戰。 世充簡練精勇,得二萬餘人,馬二千餘匹,軍於洛水南。 密軍偃師北山上。 時密新破化及,有輕世充之心,不設壁壘。 世充夜遣三百餘騎潛入北山,伏溪谷中,令軍人秣馬蓐食,遲明而薄密。 密出兵應之,陳未成列而兩軍合戰。 其伏兵發,乘高而下,馳壓密營,又縱火焚其廬舍,密軍潰,降其將張童仁、陳智略,進下偃師,密走保洛口。 初,世充兄世偉及子玄應隨化及至東郡,密得而囚之於城中,至是盡獲之。 又執密長史邴元真妻子、司馬鄭虔象之母及諸將子弟,皆撫慰之,各令潛呼其父兄。 世充進兵,次洛口,邴元真、鄭虔象等舉倉城以應之。 密以數十騎走河陽,率餘眾入朝。 世充盡收其眾,振旅而還。 侗進拜世充太尉,以尚書省為其府,備置官屬。 世充立三榜於府門之外:一求文才學識堪濟世務者,一求武藝絕人摧鋒陷陣者,一求能理冤枉擁抑不申者。 於是上書陳事,日有數百,世充皆躬自省覽,慇勤慰勞。 好行小惠,下至軍營騎士,皆飾辭以誘之。 當時有識者見其心口相違,頗以懷貳。 世充嘗於侗前賜食,還家大嘔吐,疑遇毒所致,自是不復朝請,與侗絕矣。 遣雲定興、段達入奏於侗,請加九錫之禮。 二年三月,遂策授相國,總百揆,封鄭王,加九錫備物。 有道士桓法嗣者,自言解圖讖,乃上《孔子閉房記》,畫作丈夫持一竿以驅羊。 釋云:「隋,楊姓也。 干一者,王字也。 王居羊後,明相國代隋為帝也。」 又取《莊子人間世》、《德充符》二篇上之,法嗣釋曰:「上篇言『世』,下篇言『充』,此即相國名矣,明當德被人間,而應符命為天子也。」 世充大悅曰:「此天命也。」 再拜受之,即以法嗣為諫議大夫。 世充又羅取雜鳥,書帛繫其頸,自言符命而散放之。 有彈射得鳥來而獻者,亦拜官爵。 段達、雲定興等入見於侗曰:「天命不常,鄭王功德甚盛,願陛下揖讓告禪,遵唐、虞之跡。」 侗怒曰:「天下者,高祖之天下,若隋德未衰,此言不可發,必天命有改,亦何論於禪讓? 公等皆是先朝舊臣,忽有斯言,朕復當何所望!」 段達等莫不流涕。 世充又使人謂曰:「今海內未定,須得長君,待四方乂安,復子明辟。 必若前盟,義不違負。」 四月,假為侗詔策禪位,遣兄世惲廢侗於含涼殿,世充僭即皇帝位,建元曰開明,國號鄭。 先封同姓王隆為淮陽王,整為東郡王,楷為馮翊王,素為樂安王。 次封叔瓊為陳王,兄世衡為秦王,世偉為楚王,世惲為齊王。 又封瓊子辯為杞王,衡子虔壽為蔡王,偉子弘烈為魏王,行本為荊王,琬為代王; 惲子仁則為唐王,道誠為衛王,道詢為趙王,道夌為燕王; 兄世師子太為宋王,君度為越王。 立子玄應為皇太子,封子玄恕為漢王。 世充每聽朝,必慇勤誨諭,言辭重復,千端萬緒,百司奉事,疲於聽受。 或輕騎遊歷街衢,亦不清道,百姓但避路而已,按轡徐行,謂百姓曰:「昔時天子深坐九重,在下事情,無由聞徹。 世充非貪寶位,本欲救時,今當如一州刺史,每事親覽,當與士庶共評朝政。 恐門禁有限,慮致壅塞,今止順天門外置座聽朝。」 又令西朝堂受抑屈,東朝堂受直諫。 於是獻書上事,日有數百,條疏既煩,省覽難遍,數日後不復更出。
Before long Li Mi defeated Huaji and returned, but his best troops and horses were mostly dead and his men exhausted. Shichong wanted to strike while they were spent but feared disunity; he therefore feigned a vision and said he had dreamed of the Duke of Zhou. He built a shrine at the Luo and sent shamans to proclaim that the Duke of Zhou wanted the Vice Director to attack Li Mi at once for great merit—or else the army would die of plague. Most of Shichong's troops were men of Chu, where omens were trusted; all clamored to fight. Shichong drilled picked veterans—more than twenty thousand men and two thousand horses—and camped south of the Luo. Li Mi's army lay on Mount Beishan at Yanshi. Fresh from defeating Huaji, Mi despised Shichong and built no fortifications. By night Shichong sent more than three hundred horsemen to slip onto the northern mountain and lie in the ravines; the men fed their horses and ate from their bedrolls, then at dawn closed on Mi. Mi sent troops to meet them; the two armies collided before his lines were set. The ambush burst forth, charged down the heights, trampled Mi's camp, and set the huts ablaze; Mi's army broke; Generals Zhang Tongren and Chen Zhilue surrendered; Yanshi fell; Mi fled to Luokou. Shichong's elder brother Shiwei and son Xuanying had followed Huaji to Dongjun; Mi had captured and imprisoned them in the city; now Shichong recovered them all. He also took the wives and children of Mi's chief clerk Xing Yuanzhen, Marshal Zheng Qianxiang's mother, and the sons and brothers of Mi's generals, comforted them, and had each secretly call out to father or brother. Shichong advanced to Luokou; Xing Yuanzhen, Zheng Qianxiang, and others opened the granary city to him. Mi fled with a few dozen horsemen to Heyang and led the survivors to surrender to the court. Shichong gathered all of Mi's followers and marched back in good order. Tong promoted Shichong to Grand Commandant, made the Imperial Secretariat his headquarters, and fully staffed his office. Shichong posted three notices outside his gate: one for literary talent and learning fit to serve the age; one for unmatched martial prowess in the assault; one for those who could right wrongs and suppressed grievances. Memorials poured in by the hundreds each day; Shichong read every one himself and answered with earnest encouragement. He loved small favors; even common cavalrymen in camp he wooed with fine words. Observant men saw the gap between his words and his heart and largely kept their loyalty divided. Once, after eating before Tong, Shichong went home and vomited violently; he suspected poison and from then on stopped attending court and broke with Tong. He sent Yun Dingxing and Duan Da to memorialize before Tong requesting the Nine Bestowments. In the third month of the second year he was invested Chancellor with overall charge of affairs, enfeoffed King of Zheng, and granted the Nine Bestowments in full. A Daoist named Huan Fasi, claiming to read omens, submitted the Record of Confucius in Seclusion, showing a man with a pole driving sheep. He explained: "Sui is the Yang surname. Gan-one forms the character for 'king.' Wang stands behind sheep—clearly the Chancellor will replace Sui as emperor." He also submitted the Zhuangzi chapters "The Human World" and "Signs of Full Virtue"; Fasi explained: "The upper chapter says 'shi,' the lower 'chong'—the Chancellor's name; clearly his virtue should fill the world and answer Heaven's mandate as Son of Heaven." Shichong was delighted and said, "This is Heaven's mandate." He bowed twice, accepted it, and made Fasi Remonstrance Counselor. Shichong also caught birds, tied silk inscribed with omens to their necks, and released them as signs of mandate. Anyone who shot down such a bird and presented it was also given rank. Duan Da, Yun Dingxing, and others appeared before Tong and said, "Heaven's mandate is not fixed; the King of Zheng's merit is great; we beg Your Majesty to abdicate and follow the example of Tang and Yu." Tong angrily said, "The realm belongs to the Founding Emperor; if Sui virtue still holds, such words must not be spoken; and even if Heaven's mandate shifts, why speak of abdication? You are all ministers of the former reign—suddenly to speak thus, what hope have I left!" Duan Da and the others all wept. Shichong also sent word: "The realm is unsettled; a mature ruler is needed; when the four quarters are pacified, the son will be restored to enlightened rule. If our former covenant holds, I will not break faith." In the fourth month he forged Tong's abdication edict; his elder brother Shiyun deposed Tong in the Hanliang Hall; Shichong seized the throne, proclaimed the era Kaiming, and named his state Zheng. First he enfeoffed clansmen: Wang Long as King of Huaiyang, Zheng as King of Dongjun, Kai as King of Pingyi, and Su as King of Le'an. Next he enfeoffed his uncle Qiong as King of Chen, his elder brother Shiheng as King of Qin, Shiwei as King of Chu, and Shiyun as King of Qi. He also enfeoffed Qiong's son Bian as King of Qi, Shiheng's son Qianshou as King of Cai, Shiwei's son Honglie as King of Wei, Xingben as King of Jing, and Wan as King of Dai; Shiyun's sons Rence as King of Tang, Daocheng as King of Wei, Daoxun as King of Zhao, and Daoling as King of Yan; his elder brother Shishi's son Tai as King of Song and Jundu as King of Yue. He made his son Xuanying crown prince and enfeoffed his son Xuan'nu as King of Han. Whenever Shichong held court he lectured at length in earnest tones, repeating himself endlessly; the hundred offices grew weary just listening. Sometimes he rode lightly through the streets without clearing the way; people merely stepped aside as he held the reins and said slowly, "Formerly the Son of Heaven sat deep in the palace and could not hear what happened below. Shichong is not greedy for the throne; I meant to save the age. Now I shall be like a provincial prefect, examine every affair myself, and judge policy with scholars and commoners alike. I fear the gates are too narrow and will cause congestion; hereafter I shall hear petitions only outside the Shuntian Gate." He also ordered the western audience hall to receive the wronged and the eastern to receive direct remonstrance. Memorials then poured in by the hundreds daily; the entries were too many to read; after a few days he stopped appearing altogether.
7
五月,世充禮部尚書裴仁基及其子左輔大將軍行儼、尚書左丞宇文儒童等數十人謀誅世充,復尊立侗。 事洩,皆見害,夷其三族。 六月,世惲因勸世充害侗,以絕眾望。 世充遣其侄行本鴆殺侗,謚曰恭皇帝。 其將軍羅士信率其眾千餘人來降。 十月,世充率眾東徇地,至於滑州,仍以兵臨黎陽。 十一月,竇建德入世充之殷州,殺掠居人,焚燒積聚,以報黎陽之役。
In the fifth month, Minister of Rites Pei Renji, his son Left Assistant Grand General Xingyan, Vice Director of the Left Secretariat Yuwen Rutong, and several dozen others plotted to kill Shichong and restore Tong. The plot leaked; all were killed and their clans exterminated to the third degree. In the sixth month Shiyun urged Shichong to kill Tong and extinguish lingering loyalty. Shichong sent his nephew Xingben to poison Tong, who was given the posthumous title Emperor Gong. General Luo Shixin led more than a thousand men to surrender. In the tenth month Shichong marched east as far as Hua Prefecture and again threatened Liyang with troops. In the eleventh month Dou Jiande entered Shichong's Yin Prefecture, slaughtered and plundered the people, burned stores, and repaid the Liyang campaign in kind.
8
三年二月,世充殿中監豆盧達來降。 世充見眾心日離,乃嚴刑峻制,家一人逃者,無少長皆坐為戮,父子、兄弟、夫妻許其相告而免之。 又令五家相保,有全家叛去而鄰人不覺者,誅及四鄰。 殺人相繼,其逃亡益甚。 至於樵採之人,出入皆有限數,公私窘急,皆不聊生。 又以宮城為大獄,意有所忌,即收繫其人及家屬於宮中。 又每使諸將出外,亦收其親屬質於宮內。 囚者相次,不減萬口,既艱食,餒死者日數十人。 世充屯兵不散,倉粟日盡,城中人相食。 或握土置甕中,用水淘汰,沙石沉下,取其上浮泥,投以米屑,作餅餌而食之,人皆體腫而腳弱,枕倚於道路。 其尚書郎盧君業、郭子高等皆死於溝壑。 七月,秦王率兵攻之,師至新安,世充鎮堡相次來降。 八月,秦王陳兵於青城宮,世充悉兵來拒,隔澗而言曰:「隋末喪亂,天下分崩,長安、洛陽,各有分地,世充唯願自守,不敢西侵。 計熊、谷二州,相去非遠,若欲取之,豈非度內? 既敦鄰好,所以不然。 王乃盛相侵軼,遠入吾地,三崤之道,千里饋糧,以此出師,未見其可。」 太宗謂曰:「四海之內,皆承正朔,唯公執迷,獨阻聲教。 東都士庶,亟請王師,關中義勇,感恩致力。 至尊重違眾願,有斯吊伐。 若轉禍來降,則富貴可保; 如欲相抗,無假多言。」 世充無以報。 太宗分遣諸將攻其城鎮,所至輒下。 九月,王君廓攻拔世充之轘轅縣,東徇地至管城而還,於是河南州縣相次降附。 竇建德自侵殷州之後,與世充遂結深隙,信使斷絕。 十一月,竇建德又遣人結好,並陳救援之意。 世充乃遣其兄子琬及內史令長孫安世報聘,且乞師。
In the second month of the third year, Palace Supervisor Dou Ludda surrendered. Seeing loyalty drain away daily, Shichong imposed harsh law: if one member of a household fled, every age was put to death; fathers, sons, brothers, and spouses were allowed to inform on one another to save themselves. He also made every five households mutual guarantors; if a whole household fled unnoticed, all four neighboring households were killed. Executions followed one after another, yet flight only increased. Even woodcutters were rationed in going out and coming in; public and private life alike were unbearable. He turned the palace into a great prison; anyone he suspected, with his family, was locked inside. Whenever he sent generals out he also held their families hostage in the palace. Prisoners numbered no fewer than ten thousand; food ran short and dozens starved each day. Shichong kept his army in camp without release; granaries emptied and people in the city ate one another. Some put earth in jars, washed it, skimmed the floating mud, mixed it with rice bran, and baked cakes; bodies swelled, legs failed, and men lay along the roads. Secretariat aides Lu Junye, Guo Zigao, and others died in the ditches. In the seventh month the Prince of Qin attacked; when his army reached Xin'an, Shichong's forts surrendered in succession. In the eighth month the Prince of Qin drew up at Qingcheng Palace; Shichong mustered his full force to resist; across a stream he called out, "When Sui fell the realm split; Chang'an and Luoyang each had its share; I only wish to hold my ground and dare not march west. Bear and Gu Prefectures are not far off; if you wanted them, they lie within your reach. Out of neighborly regard I have not taken them. Yet Your Highness presses deep into my land; the Three Xiao road requires grain hauled a thousand li—on such a campaign I see no success." Taizong answered, "Within the four seas all accept the imperial calendar; only you cling to error and block the throne's teaching. The people of the Eastern Capital urgently call for the royal army; the volunteers of Guanzhong gladly give their strength. Your Highness defies the people's will and therefore faces this punitive expedition. Turn from disaster and submit, and wealth and honor may be preserved; if you choose resistance, spare the words." Shichong had no reply. Taizong sent his generals against Shichong's walled towns; each fell as they arrived. In the ninth month Wang Junkuo took Shichong's Huanyuan County, marched east to Guancheng, and returned; then the prefectures and counties of Henan submitted in succession. After Dou Jiande's raid on Yin Prefecture, he and Shichong broke deeply and messengers ceased. In the eleventh month Dou Jiande again sent envoys to renew friendship and offer rescue. Shichong sent his nephew Wan and Chief Secretary Zhangsun Anshi to return the visit and beg for troops.
9
四年二月,世充率兵出方諸門,與王師相抗,世充軍敗。 因乘勝追之,屯其城門。 世充步卒不得入,驚散南走,追斬數千級,虜五千餘人。 世充從此不復敢出,但嬰城自守,以待建德之援。 三月,秦王擒建德並王琬、長孫安世等於武牢,回至東都城下以示之,且遣安世入城,使言敗狀。 世充惶惑,不知所為,將潰圍而出,南走襄陽,謀於諸將,皆不答,乃率其將吏詣軍門請降。 於是收其府庫,頒賜將士。 世充黃門侍郎薛德音以文檄不遜,先誅之,次收世充黨與段達、楊注、單雄信、楊公卿、郭士衡、郭什柱、董浚、張童仁、朱粲等十餘人,皆戮於洛渚之上。
In the second month of the fourth year Shichong marched out the Fangzhu Gate against the royal army and was defeated. The victors pursued hotly and camped at his city gate. Shichong's foot soldiers could not re-enter and fled south in panic; several thousand were cut down in pursuit and more than five thousand taken. After that Shichong dared not sally forth but clung to the walls, waiting for Jiande's relief. In the third month the Prince of Qin captured Jiande with Wang Wan, Zhangsun Anshi, and others at Wulao, brought them beneath the Eastern Capital walls for display, and sent Anshi into the city to announce the defeat. Shichong was panic-stricken; he planned to break out south to Xiangyang, consulted his generals, and got no answer; he then led his officers to the army gate and surrendered. The victors then seized his treasury and distributed it among the troops. Palace Attendant Xue Deyin was executed first for an insolent proclamation; then Shichong's partisans Duan Da, Yang Zhu, Dan Xiongxin, Yang Gongqing, Guo Shiheng, Guo Shizhu, Dong Jun, Zhang Tongren, Zhu Can, and more than ten others were all executed on the Luo bank.
10
秦王以世充至長安,高祖數其罪,世充對曰:「計臣之罪,誠不容誅,但陛下愛子秦王許臣不死。」 高祖乃釋之。 與兄苪、妻、子同徙於蜀,將行,為仇人定州刺史獨孤修德所殺。 子玄應及兄世偉等在路謀叛,伏誅。 世充自篡位,凡三年而滅。
When the Prince of Qin brought Shichong to Chang'an, Gaozu counted his crimes; Shichong answered, "Judged by my crimes, death is not excessive; but Your Majesty's son the Prince of Qin promised I would not die." Gaozu then spared him. He was banished to Shu with his elder brother Rui, his wife, and his sons; as they set out he was killed by his enemy Dugu Xiude, prefect of Dingzhou. His son Xuanying and elder brother Shiwei plotted rebellion on the road and were executed. From his usurpation to his fall was three years.
11
竇建德,貝州漳南人也。 少時,頗以然諾為事。 嘗有鄉人喪親,家貧無以葬,時建德耕於田中,聞而嘆息,遽輟耕牛,往給喪事,由是大為鄉黨所稱。 初,為里長,犯法亡去,會赦得歸。 父卒,送葬者千餘人,凡有所贈,皆讓而不受。
Dou Jiande came from Zhangnan in Beizhou. In youth he made keeping his word his chief virtue. Once a neighbor lost a parent and was too poor to bury the dead; Jiande was plowing, heard of it, sighed, stopped work, and gave his ox for the funeral—after which the village praised him greatly. He first served as village head, broke the law and fled, then returned when an amnesty was declared. When his father died more than a thousand mourners came; every gift offered he refused.
12
大業七年,募人討高麗,本郡選勇敢尤異者以充小帥,遂補建德為二百人長。 時山東大水,人多流散,同縣有孫安祖,家為水所漂,妻子餒死。 縣以安祖驍勇,亦選在行中。 安祖辭貧,白言漳南令,令怒笞之。 安祖刺殺令,亡投建德,建德舍之。 是歲,山東大飢,建德謂安祖曰:「文皇帝時,天下殷盛,發百萬之眾以伐遼東,尚為高麗所敗。 今水潦為災,黎庶窮困,而主上不恤,親駕臨遼,加以往歲西征,瘡痍未復,百姓疲弊,累年之役,行者不歸,今重發兵,易可搖動。 丈夫不死,當立大功,豈可為逃亡之虜也? 我知高雞泊中廣大數百里,莞蒲阻深,可以逃難,承間而出,虜掠足以自資。 既得聚人,且觀時變,必有大功於天下矣。」 安祖然其計。 建德招誘逃兵及無產業者,得數百人,令安祖率之,入泊中為群盜,安祖自稱將軍。 鄃人張金稱亦結聚得百人,在河阻中。 蓚人高士達又起兵得千餘人,在清河界中。 時諸盜往來漳南者,所過皆殺掠居人,焚燒舍宅,獨不入建德之閭。 由是郡縣意建德與賊徒交結,收繫家屬,無少長皆殺之。 建德聞其家被屠滅,率麾下二百人亡歸。 士達自稱東海公,以建德為司兵。 後安祖為張金稱所殺,其兵數千人又盡歸於建德。 自此漸盛,兵至萬餘人,猶往來高雞泊中。 每傾身接物,與士卒均執勤苦,由是能致人之死力。
In the seventh year of Daye men were recruited against Goguryeo; the commandery picked its bravest for junior command and Jiande was made leader of two hundred men. Great floods then ravaged Shandong and scattered the people; in his county Sun Anzu's home was swept away and his wife and children starved. Because Anzu was fierce and brave, the county also selected him for the expedition. Anzu pleaded poverty before the magistrate of Zhangnan and was flogged in anger. Anzu killed the magistrate, fled, and sought Jiande, who sheltered him. That year Shandong starved; Jiande told Anzu, "Under Emperor Wen the realm was rich; a million men were sent against Liaodong and still Goguryeo beat them. Now flood and famine ruin the people while the sovereign ignores them and marches on Liaodong; add last year's western war, unhealed wounds, exhausted folk, and men who never return from years of service—another levy will easily stir revolt. Men who refuse to die should win great merit—how can we be fugitive captives? I know Gaojipo: hundreds of li of reed marsh where we can hide; strike when we can and plunder enough to live. Gather men, watch the times, and we may yet win great merit under Heaven." Anzu agreed. Jiande gathered deserters and destitute men—several hundred—and sent Anzu to lead them into the marsh as bandits; Anzu styled himself general. Zhang Jincheng of Yu also gathered a hundred men in the river marshes. Gao Shida of Gaoyu also raised more than a thousand men in the Qinghe region. Bandits passing through Zhangnan killed, plundered, and burned—only Jiande's lane they spared. The commandery therefore suspected Jiande colluded with bandits, seized his family, and killed every age. Learning his family was slaughtered, Jiande fled home with his two hundred followers. Shida styled himself Duke of the Eastern Sea and made Jiande army marshal. Later Anzu was killed by Zhang Jincheng and his several thousand men passed to Jiande. From then he grew until his force passed ten thousand, still moving in and out of Gaojipo. He always received others humbly and shared hardship with his men; thus he won death-defying loyalty.
13
十二年,涿郡通守郭絢率兵萬餘人來討士達。 士達自以智略不及建德,乃進為軍司馬,咸以兵授焉。 建德既初董眾,欲立奇功以威群賊,請士達守輜重,自簡精兵七千人以拒絢,詐為與士達有隙而叛之。 士達又宣言建德背亡,而取虜獲婦人紿為建德妻子,於軍中殺之。 建德偽遣人遺絢書請降,願為前驅,破士達以自效。 約信之,即引兵從建德至長河界,期與為盟,共圖士達。 絢兵益懈而不備,建德襲之,大破絢軍,殺略數千人,獲馬千餘匹,絢以數十騎遁走,遣將追及於平原,斬其首以獻士達。 由是建德之勢益振。
In the twelfth year Defender of Zhuo Commandery Guo Xuan led more than ten thousand men against Shida. Shida, knowing himself outmatched, made Jiande army marshal and gave him all the troops. New to command, Jiande wanted a striking victory to awe the bandits; he had Shida guard the baggage while he picked seven thousand elites to meet Xuan, feigning a break with Shida and defection. Shida also proclaimed Jiande a traitor, took captive women for Jiande's wife and children, and killed them before the army. Jiande sent a forged letter to Xuan offering surrender as vanguard to break Shida and prove his worth. Xuan believed him, followed Jiande to the Changhe border, and agreed to ally against Shida. Xuan's guard slackened; Jiande struck, routed him, killed and plundered several thousand, and took more than a thousand horses; Xuan fled with a few dozen horsemen; pursuers overtook him on the plain, took his head, and presented it to Shida. From this Jiande's power surged.
14
隋遣太僕卿楊義臣率兵萬餘人討張金稱,破之於清河,所獲賊眾皆屠滅,餘散在草澤間者復相聚而投建德。 義臣乘勝至平原,欲入高雞泊中,建德謂士達曰:「歷觀隋將,善用兵者,唯義臣耳。 新破金稱,遠來襲我,其鋒不可當。 請引兵避之,令其欲戰不得,空延歲月,將士疲倦,乘便襲擊,可有大功。 今與爭鋒,恐公不能敵也。」 士達不從其言,因留建德守壁,自率精兵逆擊義臣。 戰小勝,而縱酒高宴,有輕義臣之心。 建德聞之曰:「東海公未能破賊而自矜大,此禍至不久矣。 隋兵乘勝,必長驅至此,人心驚駭,吾恐不全。」 遂留人守壁,自率精銳百餘據險,以防士達之敗。 後五日,義臣果大破士達,於陣斬之,乘勢追奔,將圍建德。 守兵既少,聞士達敗,眾皆潰散。 建德率百餘騎亡去,行至饒陽,觀其無守備,攻陷之,撫循士眾,人多願從,又得三千餘兵。 初,義臣既殺士達,以為建德不足憂。 建德復還平原,收士達敗兵之死者,悉收葬焉。 為士達發喪,三軍皆縞素。 招集亡卒,得數千人,軍復大振,始自稱將軍。 初,群盜得隋官及山東士子皆殺之,唯建德每獲士人,必加恩遇。 初得饒陽縣長宋正本,引為上客,與參謀議。 此後隋郡長吏稍以城降之,軍容益盛,勝兵十餘萬人。
The Sui court sent Grand Stablemaster Yang Yichen with more than ten thousand men against Zhang Jincheng and broke him at Qinghe; captured bandits were slaughtered; survivors in the marshes gathered again and joined Jiande. Yichen pursued to Pingyuan and meant to enter Gaojipo; Jiande told Shida, "Among Sui generals only Yichen truly knows war. Fresh from beating Jincheng, he comes from afar; his edge cannot be met head-on. Let us withdraw and deny him battle, drag out the months until his men tire, then strike by opportunity for great gain. If we meet his edge now, I fear you cannot stand against him." Shida refused; he left Jiande to hold the camp and led elites to meet Yichen. He won a small victory, feasted heavily, and grew contemptuous of Yichen. Jiande heard and said, "The Duke of the Eastern Sea has not broken the enemy yet already swells with pride—disaster will come soon. The Sui army will ride victory straight here; panic will break us." He left men on the walls and took more than a hundred picked troops to hold difficult ground against Shida's defeat. Five days later Yichen routed Shida, killed him in battle, pursued the fugitives, and was about to surround Jiande. The guard was small; hearing of Shida's defeat, the camp broke. Jiande fled with a hundred horsemen; at undefended Raoyang he took the city, comforted the garrison, and gained more than three thousand followers. At first, after killing Shida, Yichen thought Jiande negligible. Jiande returned to Pingyuan, gathered Shida's dead, and buried them all. He mourned Shida and the whole army wore white. He gathered scattered soldiers—several thousand—and revived the army; he first styled himself general. Bandits had killed every Sui official and Shandong scholar they caught; Jiande alone always treated captured scholars with favor. When he first took Raoyang County Magistrate Song Zhengben, he made him honored guest and consulted him on plans. After that Sui prefects gradually surrendered their cities; his battle-ready force passed a hundred thousand.
15
十三年正月,築壇場於河間樂壽界中,自稱長樂王,年號丁丑,署置官屬。 七月,隋遣右翊衛將軍薛世雄率兵三萬來討之,至河間城南,營於七里井。 建德聞世雄至,選精兵數千人伏河間南界澤中,悉拔諸城偽遁,云亡入豆子中。 世雄以為建德畏己,乃不設備。 建德覘知之,自率敢死士一千人襲擊世雄。 會雲霧晝晦,兩軍不辨,隋軍大潰,自相踏藉,死者萬餘,世雄以數百騎而遁,餘軍悉陷。 於是建德進攻河間,頻戰不下。 其後城中食盡,又聞煬帝被弒,郡丞王琮率士吏發喪,建德遣使吊之,琮因使者請降,建德退舍具饌以待焉。 琮率官屬素服面縛詣軍門,建德親解其縛,與言隋亡之事,琮俯伏裴哀,建德亦為之泣。 諸賊帥或進言曰; 「琮拒我久,殺傷甚眾,計窮方出,今請烹之。」 建德曰:「此義士也。 方加擢用,以勵事君者,安可殺之! 往在泊中共為小盜,容可恣意殺人,今欲安百姓以定天下,何得害忠良乎?」 因令軍中曰:「先與王琮有隙者,今敢動搖,罪三族。」 即日授琮瀛州刺史。 始都樂壽,號曰金城宮,自是郡縣多下之。
In the first month of the thirteenth year he raised an altar in the Le Shou district of Hejian, styled himself King of Changle, took the era name Dingchou, and appointed officials. In the seventh month the Sui court sent Right Wing Guard General Xue Shixiong with thirty thousand men; he camped south of Hejian at Qili Well. Jiande picked several thousand elites and hid them in marshes south of Hejian; he emptied the cities in feigned flight, claiming flight into the Douzi hills. Shixiong thought Jiande feared him and took no precautions. Learning this, Jiande led a thousand dare-to-die men against Shixiong. Cloud and mist darkened the day until the armies could not tell friend from foe; the Sui force collapsed in mutual trampling; more than ten thousand died; Shixiong fled with a few hundred horsemen and the rest were lost. Jiande then pressed Hejian but could not take it. When the city starved and news came that the Emperor had been murdered, Assistant Prefect Wang Cong led mourning; Jiande sent condolences; Cong asked surrender through the envoy; Jiande withdrew and prepared a feast. Cong came in plain dress, bound, to the camp gate; Jiande untied him himself and spoke of Sui's fall; Cong bowed in grief and Jiande wept with him. Some bandit chiefs stepped forward and said: "Cong resisted us long and killed many; driven to extremity he surrendered—boil him now." Jiande said, "This is a man of righteousness. I shall promote him to encourage loyal service—how can I kill him! Once in the marsh we were petty robbers and could kill freely; now I mean to settle the people and pacify the realm—how can I harm the loyal?" He ordered the army: "Whoever once bore grudges against Wang Cong and now makes trouble—clan punished to the third degree." That day he made Cong prefect of Ying. He first made Le Shou his capital, called it Jincheng Palace; from then commanderies and counties mostly submitted.
16
武德元年冬至日,於金城宮設會,有五大鳥降於樂壽,群鳥數萬從之,經日而去,因改年為五鳳。 有宗城人獻玄珪一枚,景城丞孔德紹曰:「昔夏禹膺籙,天錫玄珪。 今瑞與禹同,宜稱夏國。」 建德從之。 先是,有上谷賊帥王須拔自號漫天,擁眾數萬,入掠幽州,中流矢而死。 其亞將魏刀兒代領其眾,自號歷山飛,入據深澤,有徒十萬。 建德與之和,刀兒因弛守備,建德襲破之,又盡並其地。
On the Wude winter solstice he feasted at Jincheng Palace; five great birds descended on Le Shou followed by tens of thousands; after a day they left; he changed the era name to Wufeng. A man of Zongcheng presented a black jade tablet; Jingcheng Assistant Magistrate Kong Dekao said, "When Yu of Xia received the mandate Heaven gave a black jade tablet. Today's omen matches Yu's; you should name the state Xia." Jiande agreed. Earlier the Shanggu bandit Wang Xuba styled himself Mantian, raided Youzhou with tens of thousands, and died of an arrow wound. His lieutenant Wei Daor took command, styled himself Lishanfei, held Shenze, and mustered a hundred thousand. Jiande made peace with him; Daor relaxed his guard; Jiande struck, broke him, and annexed his lands.
17
二年,宇文化及僭號於魏縣,建德謂其納言宋正本、內史侍郎孔德紹曰:「吾為隋之百姓數十年矣,隋為吾君二代矣。 今化及殺之,大逆無道,此吾仇矣,請與諸公討之,何如?」 德紹曰:「今海內無主,英雄競逐,大王以布衣而起漳浦,隋郡縣官人莫不爭歸附者,以大王仗順而動,義安天下也。 宇文化及與國連姻,父子兄弟受恩隋代,身居不疑之地,而行弒逆之禍,篡隋自代,乃天下之賊也。 此而不誅,安用盟主!」 建德稱善。 即日引兵討化及,連戰,大破之。 化及保聊城,建德縱撞車拋石,機巧絕妙,四面攻城,陷之。 建德入城,先謁隋蕭皇后,與語稱臣。 悉收弒煬帝元謀者宇文智及、楊士覽、元武達、許弘仁、孟景,集隋文武官,對而斬之,梟首轅門之外。 化及並其二子同載以檻車,至大陸縣斬之。
In the second year Yuwen Huaji seized the throne at Wei County; Jiande told Chief Counselor Song Zhengben and Secretariat Vice Director Kong Dekao, "I was Sui's subject for decades; Sui was my lord for two generations. Huaji has murdered him—monstrous treason; he is my enemy; will you join me in punishing him?" Dekao said, "The realm has no master and heroes compete; you rose from common cloth at Zhangpu and Sui officials flocked to you because you moved with righteousness to pacify the realm. Huaji was tied to the dynasty by marriage; his family held unsuspected rank yet wrought regicide and usurped Sui—he is the realm's bandit. If he is not punished, what use is a leader!" Jiande approved. That day he marched on Huaji and routed him in successive battles. Huaji held Liaocheng; Jiande deployed ingenious battering engines and catapults, attacked on four sides, and took the city. Entering the city, Jiande first paid respects to Empress Xiao of Sui and styled himself her subject. He gathered the regicides Yuwen Zhiqi, Yang Shilan, Yuan Wuda, Xu Hongren, and Meng Jing, assembled Sui officials, and beheaded them in pairs; their heads hung outside the gate. Huaji and his two sons were loaded in a cage cart and beheaded at Dailu County.
18
建德每平城破陣,所得資財,並散賞諸將,一無所取。 又不啖肉,常食唯有菜蔬、脫粟之飯。 其妻曹氏不衣紈綺,所使婢妾才十數人。 至此,得宮人以千數,並有容色,應時放散。 得隋文武官及驍果尚且一萬,亦放散,聽其所去。 又以隋黃門侍郎裴矩為尚書左僕射,兵部侍郎崔君肅為侍中,少府令何稠為工部尚書,自余隨才拜授,委以政事,其有欲往關中及東都者亦恣聽之,仍給其衣糧,以兵援之,送出其境。 攻陷洺州,虜刺史袁子干。 遷都於洺州,號萬春宮。 遣使往灌津,祠竇青之墓,置守冢二十家。 又與王世充結好,遣使朝隋越王侗於洛陽。 後世充廢侗自立,乃絕之,始自尊大,建天子旌旗,出警入蹕,下書言詔。 追諡隋煬帝為閔帝,封齊王暕子政道為鄖公。 然猶依倚突厥。 隋義城公主先嫁突厥,及是遣使迎蕭皇后,建德勒兵千餘騎送之入蕃,又傳化及首以獻公主。 既與突厥相連,兵鋒益盛。
Whenever Jiande took a city or broke a line, he distributed the spoils to his generals and kept nothing. He ate no meat; his daily fare was vegetables and husked millet. His wife Lady Cao wore no silk; her maids numbered only a dozen. By now he had taken a thousand palace women of beauty; he released them at once. He also released more than ten thousand remaining Sui officials and guards, free to go where they wished. He made Sui Palace Attendant Pei Ju Left Vice Director, Ministry of War Vice Director Cui Junsu Palace Attendant, and Treasury Director He Chou Minister of Works; others he appointed by talent; those bound for Guanzhong or the Eastern Capital he freed with clothing, grain, and armed escort to his border. He captured Ming Prefecture and took Prefect Yuan Zigan. He moved his capital to Ming Prefecture and named it Wanchun Palace. He sent envoys to Guanjin to sacrifice at Dou Qing's tomb and set twenty households to guard it. He also befriended Wang Shichong and sent envoys to attend Prince of Yue Yang Tong at Luoyang. When Shichong deposed Tong and seized the throne, Jiande broke with him, assumed imperial airs, raised royal banners, traveled with imperial guard, and issued edict-like documents. He posthumously titled Emperor Yang as Emperor Min and enfeoffed Prince Yang's son Zhengdao as Duke of Yun. Yet he still leaned on the Turks. Princess of Yicheng of Sui had married into the Turks; she now sent envoys for Empress Xiao; Jiande escorted her into the frontier with a thousand horsemen and sent Huaji's head as tribute. Linked with the Turks, his military edge grew stronger.
19
九月,南侵相州,河北大使淮安王神通不能拒,退奔黎陽。 相州陷,殺刺史呂玟。 又進攻衛州,陷黎陽,左武衛大將軍李世勣、皇妹同安長公主及神通並為所虜。 滑州刺史王軌為奴所殺,攜其首以奔建德,曰:「奴殺主為大逆,我何可納之!」 命立斬奴,而返軌首於滑州。 吏人感之,即日而降。 齊、濟二州及兗州賊帥徐圓朗皆聞風而下。 建德釋李世勣,使其領兵以鎮黎州。
In the ninth month he invaded south to Xiang Prefecture; Hebei Grand Ambassador Prince of Huai'an Li Shentong could not resist and fled to Liyang. Xiang Prefecture fell and Prefect Lu Min was killed. He pressed We Prefecture, took Liyang, and captured Left Martial Guard Grand General Li Shiji, the Emperor's sister Princess Tong'an of Chang, and Shentong. Hua Prefect Wang Gui was killed by a slave; the slave brought his head to Jiande, who said, "A slave who kills his master commits great treason—how can I accept him!" He had the slave beheaded at once and returned Gui's head to Hua. Officials and people were moved and submitted the same day. Qi, Ji, and Yan bandit chief Xu Yuanlang all submitted at the news. Jiande released Li Shiji and had him guard Li Prefecture with troops.
20
三年正月,世勣舍其父而逃歸,執法者請誅之,建德曰:「勣本唐臣,為我所虜,不忘其主,逃還本朝,此忠臣也,其父何罪!」 竟不誅。 舍同安長公主及神通於別館,待以客禮。 高祖遣使與之連和,建德即遣公主與使俱歸。 嘗破趙州,執刺史張昂、邢州刺史陳君賓、大使張道源等,以侵軼其境,建德將戮之。 其國子祭酒凌敬進曰:「夫犬各吠非其主,今鄰人堅守,力屈就擒,此乃忠確士也。 若加酷害,何以勸大王之臣乎?」 建德盛怒曰:「我至城下,猶迷不降,勞我師旅,罪何可赦?」 敬又曰:「今大王使大將軍高士興於易水抗禦羅藝,兵才至,士興即降,大王之意復為可不?」 建德乃悟,即命釋之。 其寬厚從諫,多此類也。 又遣士興進圍幽州,攻之不克,退軍旅籠火城,為藝所襲,士興大潰。 先是,其大將王伏寶多勇略,功冠等倫,群帥嫉之。 或言其反,建德將殺之,伏寶曰:「我無罪也,大王何聽讒言,自斬左右手乎?」 既殺之,後用兵多不利。
In the first month of the third year Li Shiji abandoned his father and fled home; officers asked to kill the father; Jiande said, "Shiji was Tang's minister, my captive; he did not forget his lord and fled home—a loyal man; what crime has his father!" In the end he was not killed. He lodged Princess Tong'an and Shentong separately and treated them as guests. Gaozu sent envoys to ally; Jiande sent the princess back with them. Once he took Zhao Prefecture and seized Prefect Zhang Ang, Yan Prefect Chen Junbin, and Grand Ambassador Zhang Daoyuan; because they had encroached on his borders he meant to execute them. Director of the Imperial University Ling Jing said, "Every dog barks at a stranger's gate; these neighbors held firm until captured—they are steadfast men. Kill them and how will you encourage your own ministers?" Jiande angrily said, "They would not submit even at the walls and wore out my army—how can that be pardoned?" Jing said again, "You sent Grand General Gao Shixing against Luo Yi at Yishui; his troops had barely arrived when Shixing surrendered—was your intent not the same?" Jiande understood and ordered them released. His generosity in accepting remonstrance was mostly of this kind. He also sent Shixing to besiege Youzhou; the attack failed; withdrawing, the army ringed the city with campfires; Yi struck and Shixing was routed. Earlier his great general Wang Fubao, brave and resourceful, outshone all; the bandit chiefs envied him. Some said he rebelled; Jiande meant to kill him; Fubao said, "I am innocent; why heed slander and cut off your own hands?" Once he was killed, campaigns often failed.
21
九月,建德自帥師圍幽州,藝出兵與戰,大破之,斬首千二百級。 藝兵頻勝而驕,進襲其營,建德列陣於營中,填塹而出,擊藝敗之。 建德薄其城,不克,遂歸洺州。 其納言宋正本好直諫,建德又聽讒言殺之。 是後人以為誡,無復進言者,由此政教益衰。
In the ninth month Jiande personally besieged Youzhou; Yi fought and routed him; more than twelve hundred heads were taken. Yi's repeatedly victorious army grew arrogant and struck his camp; Jiande formed lines inside, filled the moat, sallied forth, and beat Yi. Jiande pressed the city but could not take it and returned to Ming Prefecture. Chief Counselor Song Zhengben liked blunt remonstrance; Jiande again listened to slander and killed him. After that men took warning and none spoke; governance declined.
22
先,曹州濟陰人孟海公擁精兵三萬,據周橋城以掠河南之地。 其年十一月,建德自率兵渡河以擊之。 時秦王攻王世充於洛陽,建德中書舍人劉斌說建德曰:「今唐有關內,鄭有河南,夏居河北,此鼎足相持之勢也。 聞唐兵悉眾攻鄭,首尾二年,鄭勢日蹙而唐兵不解。 唐強鄭弱,其勢必破鄭,鄭破則夏有齒寒之憂。 為大王計者,莫若救鄭,鄭拒其內,夏攻其外,破之必矣。 若卻唐全鄭,此常保三分之勢也。 若唐軍破後而鄭可圖,則因而滅之,總二國之眾,乘唐軍之敗,長驅西入,京師可得而有,此太平之基也。」 建德大悅曰:「此良策矣。」 適會世充遣使乞師於建德,即遣其職方侍郎魏處繪入朝,請解世充之圍。
Earlier Meng Haigong of Jiyin in Caozhou held Zhouqiao with thirty thousand elite troops and raided Henan. That eleventh month Jiande personally crossed the river to strike him. While the Prince of Qin besieged Wang Shichong at Luoyang, Secretariat Draftsman Liu Bin urged Jiande: "Tang holds Guanzhong, Zheng Henan, Xia Hebei—three legs of a cauldron. Tang throws all its strength at Zheng for two years; Zheng weakens daily yet Tang does not lift the siege. Tang is strong, Zheng weak; Zheng must fall; once Zheng falls Xia will feel the cold-teeth fear. Rescue Zheng: Zheng holds within, Xia strikes without—victory is certain. Repel Tang and save Zheng and you keep the three-way balance. If Tang breaks and Zheng can then be taken, destroy it; unite both hosts, ride Tang's defeat west, take the capital—that is the foundation of peace." Jiande was delighted and said, "An excellent plan." Shichong had just begged troops; Jiande sent Protocol Director Wei Chuhui to court to ask relief for the siege.
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四年二月,建德克周橋,虜海公,留其將范願守曹州,悉發海公及徐圓朗之眾來救世充。 軍至滑州,世充行臺僕射韓洪開城納之,遂進逼元州、梁州、管州,皆陷之,屯於滎陽。 三月,秦王入武牢,進薄其營,多所傷殺,並擒其將殷秋、石瓚。 時世充弟世辨為徐州行臺,遣其將郭士衡領兵數千人從之,合眾十餘萬,號為三十萬,軍次成皋,築宮於板渚,以示必戰。 又遣間使約世充共為表裡。 經二月,迫於武牢,不得進。 秦王遣將軍王君廓領輕騎千餘抄其糧運,獲其大將張青特,虜獲甚眾。 建德數不利,人情危駭,將帥已下破孟海公,皆有所獲,思歸洺州。 凌敬進說曰:「宜悉兵濟河,攻取懷州河陽,使重將居守。 更率眾鳴鼓建旗,逾太行,入上黨,先聲後實,傳檄而定。 漸趨壺口,稍駭蒲津,收河東之地,此策之上也。 行此必有三利:一則入無人之境,師有萬全; 二則拓土得兵; 三則鄭圍自解。」 建德將從之,而世充之使長孫安世陰齎金玉,啖其諸將,以亂其謀。 眾咸進諫曰:「凌敬,書生耳,豈可與言戰乎?」 建德從之,退而謝敬曰:「今眾心甚銳,此天贊我矣。 因此決戰,必將大捷。 已依眾議,不得從公言也。」 敬固爭,建德怒,扶出焉。 其妻曹氏又言於建德曰:「祭酒之言可從,大王何不納也? 請自滏口之道,乘唐國之虛,連營漸進,以取山北,又因突厥西抄關中,唐必還師以自救,此則鄭圍解矣。 今頓兵武牢之下,日月淹久,徒為自苦,事恐無功。」 建德曰:「此非女子所知也。 且鄭國懸命朝暮,以待吾來,既許救之,豈可見難而退,示天下以不信也?」 於是悉眾進逼武牢,官軍按甲挫其銳。 及建德結陣於汜水,秦王遣騎挑之,建德進軍而戰,竇抗當之。 建德少卻,秦王馳騎深入,反覆四五合,然後大破之。 建德中槍,竄於牛口渚,車騎將軍白士讓、楊武威生獲之。 先是,軍中有童謠曰:「豆入牛口,勢不得久。」 建德行至牛口渚,甚惡之,果敗於此地。 建德所領兵眾,一時奔潰,妻曹氏及其左僕射齊善行將數百騎遁於洺州。 餘黨欲立建德養子為主,善行曰:「夏王平定河朔,士馬精強,一朝被擒如此,豈非天命有所歸也? 不如委心請命,無為塗炭生人。」 遂以府庫財物悉分士卒,各令散去。 善行乃與建德右僕射裴矩、行臺曹旦及建德妻率偽官屬,舉山東之地,奉傳國等八璽來降。 七月,秦王俘建德至京師,斬於長安市,年四十九。 自起軍至滅,凡六歲,河北悉平。 其年,劉黑闥復盜據山東。
In the second month of the fourth year Jiande took Zhouqiao and captured Haigong; he left General Fan Yuan at Caozhou, mustered Haigong's and Xu Yuanlang's forces, and marched to save Shichong. At Hua Prefecture Shichong's Mobile Grand Secretariat Vice Director Han Hong opened the gates; they took Yuan, Liang, and Guan Prefectures and camped at Xingyang. In the third month the Prince of Qin entered Wulao, pressed their camp, killed and wounded many, and captured Generals Yin Qiu and Shi Zan. Shichong's brother Shibian, Mobile Secretariat of Xuzhou, sent General Guo Shiheng with several thousand men; combined forces passed a hundred thousand, claimed three hundred thousand, halted at Chenggao, and built a palace at Banzhu to show they would fight. Secret envoys also arranged mutual action with Shichong inside and out. For two months, pinned at Wulao, they could not advance. The Prince of Qin sent General Wang Junkuo with more than a thousand light horsemen to raid grain convoys; he captured great general Zhang Qingte and took many prisoners and goods. Jiande lost repeatedly; morale cracked; generals fresh from beating Meng Haigong had loot and wished to return to Ming Prefecture. Ling Jing urged: "Cross the river in full force, take Huai Prefecture and Heyang, and leave a heavy garrison. Then beat drums and raise banners over the Taihang into Shangdang; thunder first, substance after; pacify by proclamation. Press Hukou, threaten Pujin, gather Hedong—this is the best plan. It brings three gains: first, marching into empty country, the army is safe; second, expanding territory and gaining troops; third, Zheng's siege lifts of itself." Jiande was about to agree when Shichong's envoy Zhangsun Anshi secretly bribed his generals with gold and jade to wreck the plan. All remonstrated: "Ling Jing is only a bookish man—what does he know of war?" Jiande sided with them and apologized to Jing: "The army's spirit is high—Heaven aids me. A decisive battle will bring great victory. I have followed the host and cannot take your counsel." Jing argued on; Jiande angrily had him escorted out. Lady Cao also told Jiande: "The Chief Counselor's words should be heeded—why not accept them? Take the Fukou road, exploit Tang's weakness, advance camp by camp into the northern mountains, and have the Turks raid west into Guanzhong; Tang must recall its army and Zheng's siege ends. Now you stall below Wulao while days pass—you only torture yourself; I fear it will fail." Jiande said, "Women cannot know this. Zheng hangs by a thread waiting for me; having promised rescue, how can I retreat at hardship and show the realm I break faith?" He then mustered all and pressed Wulao; the imperial army held its ground and blunted their edge. When Jiande formed lines at Sishui, the Prince of Qin sent horsemen to provoke him; Jiande advanced; Dou Kang met them. Jiande fell back slightly; the Prince of Qin charged deep, wheeling four or five times, then broke them utterly. Jiande took a spear wound and fled to Niukou Ford; Cavalry General Bai Shirang and Martial Guard General Yang Wuwei took him alive. Earlier a children's song in the army said, "When the bean enters the ox's mouth, the trend cannot long endure." When Jiande reached Niukou Ford he hated the omen; indeed he was defeated there. Jiande's army collapsed at once; Lady Cao and Left Vice Director Qi Shanxing fled to Ming Prefecture with several hundred horsemen. Remnants wished to make Jiande's adopted son leader; Shanxing said, "King Xia pacified Hebei with strong armies; captured in one morning—is Heaven's mandate not elsewhere? Better to submit sincerely than drown the living in misery." He divided the treasury among the soldiers and ordered them to disperse. Shanxing then with Right Vice Director Pei Ju, Mobile Secretariat Cao Dan, and Jiande's wife led the court, offering Shandong and the eight imperial seals in surrender. In the seventh month the Prince of Qin brought Jiande captive to the capital; he was beheaded in Chang'an at forty-nine. From raising troops to destruction was six years; Hebei was entirely pacified. That year Liu Heita again seized Shandong.
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史臣曰:世充奸人,遭逢昏主,上則諛佞詭俗以取榮名,下則強辯飾非以制群論。 終行篡逆,自恣陸梁,安忍殺人,矯情馭眾,凡所委任,多是叛亡,出降秦王,不致顯戮,其為幸也多矣。 建德義伏鄉閭,盜據河朔,撫馭士卒,招集賢良。 中絕世充,終斬化及,不殺徐蓋,生還神通,沉機英斷,靡不有初。 及宋正本、王伏寶被讒見害,凌敬、曹氏陳謀不行,遂至亡滅,鮮克有終矣。 然天命有歸,人謀不及。
The historiographer says: Shichong was a treacherous man who served a benighted lord; above he flattered and deceived for glory; below he argued fiercely and glossed error to control opinion. He usurped the throne, ran wild, killed without restraint, and feigned virtue to rule; most he trusted were deserters; surrendering to the Prince of Qin he escaped execution—his luck was great indeed. Jiande won righteousness in his village, seized Hebei, comforted soldiers, and gathered worthy men. He broke with Shichong, beheaded Huaji, spared Xu Gai, returned Shentong alive, and showed deep design and bold decision—all had good beginnings. When Song Zhengben and Wang Fubao were slandered to death and the plans of Ling Jing and Lady Cao were ignored, he fell—few finish as well as they begin. Yet Heaven's mandate had its place; human plans could not alter it.
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贊曰:世充篡逆,建德愎諫,二凶即誅,中原弭亂。
The encomium says: Shichong usurped; Jiande refused good counsel; both villains were executed and chaos in the central plains was stilled.