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卷五十四 列傳第四: 王世充 竇建德

Volume 54 Biographies 4: Wang Shicong, Dou Jiande

Chapter 58 of 舊唐書 · Old Book of Tang
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1
滿西
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
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
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
使
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
使 使 使 婿 殿 宿
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
竿 使 殿 西
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
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
殿 使 西 使
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
使
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
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
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
西
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
涿 紿
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
便
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
使使退
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
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
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
使 使 使 使
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
使退 使
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
使使 使 使 退
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
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
西 使
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.
23
使 使 使 退 西 退
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.
24
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.
25
The encomium says: Shichong usurped; Jiande refused good counsel; both villains were executed and chaos in the central plains was stilled.
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