1
李綱，字文紀，觀州蓚人也。 祖元則，後魏清河太守。 父制，周車騎大將軍。 綱少慷慨有志節，每以忠義自許。 初名瑗，字子玉，讀《後漢書·張綱傳》，慕而改之。 周齊王憲引為參軍。 宣帝將害憲，召僚屬證成其罪，綱誓之以死，終無撓辭。 及憲遇害，露車載屍而出，故吏皆散，唯綱撫棺號慟，躬自埋瘞，哭拜而去。
Li Gang, whose courtesy name was Wenji, came from Zhuo in Guan Province. His grandfather Yuanze had served as Administrator of Qinghe under the Later Wei. His father Zhi had been Grand General of Chariots and Cavalry in the Northern Zhou. From his youth Gang was open-handed and high-minded, and he constantly held himself to a standard of loyalty and righteousness. He had originally been named Yuan, with the courtesy name Ziyu; after reading the biography of Zhang Gang in the Book of Later Han, he admired the man so much that he took Gang as his name. The Prince of Qi, Xian, brought him onto his staff as an aide. When Emperor Xuan was preparing to destroy Xian, he called in the prince's staff to confirm his guilt; Gang vowed he would die before he would bend, and to the end never softened his testimony. After Xian was killed, his body was borne out on an open cart while his former retainers scattered; Gang alone clung to the coffin and cried aloud, dug the grave and buried him with his own hands, then left after weeping and bowing.
2
隋開皇末，為太子洗馬。 皇太子勇嘗以歲首宴宮臣，左庶子唐令則自請奏琵琶，又歌《武媚娘》之曲。 綱自勇曰：「令則身任宮卿，職當調護，乃於宴座自比倡優，進淫聲，穢視聽。 事若上聞，令則罪不測，豈不累於殿下？ 臣請遽正其罪。」 勇曰：「我欲為樂耳，君勿多事。」 綱趨而出。 及勇廢黜，文帝召東宮官屬切讓之，無敢對者。 綱對曰：「今日之事，乃陛下之過，非太子罪也。 勇器非上品，性是常人，若得賢明之士輔導之，足堪繼嗣皇業。 方今多士盈朝，當擇賢者居其任，奈何以絃歌鷹犬之才侍側，至令致此？ 乃陛下訓導不足，豈太子之罪耶！」 辭氣凜然，左右皆為之失色。 文帝曰：「令汝在彼，豈非擇人？」 綱曰：「臣在東宮，非得言者。」 帝奇其對，擢拜尚書右丞。 時左僕射楊素、蘇威當朝用事，綱每固執所見，不與之同，由是二人深惡之。 會遣大將軍劉方誅討林邑，楊素言於文帝曰：「林邑多珍寶，自非正人不可委。」 因言綱可任，文帝以為行軍司馬。 劉方承素之意，屈辱綱，幾至於死。 及軍還，久不得調。 後拜齊王府司馬。 未幾，蘇威復令綱詣南海應接林邑，久而不召。 綱後自來奏事，威復言綱擅離所職，以之屬吏。 綱見善卜者，令筮之，遇《鼎》，因謂綱曰：「公易姓之後，方可得志而為卿輔。 宜早退； 不然，有折足之敗也。」 尋會赦免，屏居於鄠。
Near the close of Emperor Wen's Kaihuang reign, he was appointed Groom of the Heir Apparent. On one New Year's occasion Crown Prince Yong entertained the palace staff, and his Left Assistant Tang Lingze offered to play the pipa and sing the song "Lady Wu Meiniang." Gang addressed Yong directly: "Lingze holds a senior post in your household and ought to guide your conduct, yet at this banquet he acts like a street entertainer, offers indecent music, and corrupts everyone present. If the emperor hears of it, Lingze's fate is unpredictable—and would not Your Highness be dragged down with him? I ask leave to deal with him immediately." Yong replied, "I only want a little pleasure—do not make trouble." Gang strode out at once. After Yong was removed as heir, Emperor Wen called in the Eastern Palace staff and scolded them harshly, but no one dared answer. Gang answered, "What has happened today is Your Majesty's failing, not the crown prince's fault. Yong is not gifted above the common run and his temperament is ordinary; with wise counselors at his side he could still have carried on the imperial line. The court today overflows with talent, and the wise should fill every post—how could companions skilled only in music, hawking, and hunting stand at his side until matters reached this pass? The fault lies in insufficient guidance from Your Majesty—how can this be laid on the crown prince!" He spoke with such stern force that everyone present lost color. Emperor Wen said, "Did I not send you there precisely to choose the right men?" Gang replied, "In the Eastern Palace I was not free to speak my mind." The emperor was struck by his answer and promoted him to Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. Left Vice Directors Yang Su and Su Wei then dominated the court; Gang consistently stood by his own judgment and refused to go along with them, and the two came to detest him deeply. When Grand General Liu Fang was dispatched to campaign against Lin-yi, Yang Su told Emperor Wen, "Lin-yi is rich in treasure—only a man of integrity should be put in charge." He added that Gang was suitable, and the emperor named him campaign marshal on the expedition. Liu Fang followed Su's wishes and humiliated Gang to the point of near death. After the army came home, he went a long time without reassignment. He was later made Military Adjutant in the household of the Prince of Qi. Before long Su Wei again ordered Gang to the southern coast to handle Lin-yi affairs, and left him there for a long time without recall. When Gang later returned on his own to present a report, Wei again accused him of abandoning his post without permission and turned him over to the magistrates. Gang consulted a skilled diviner, who cast the stalks and obtained the hexagram Ding; he then told Gang, "Only after the dynasty changes its surname will you find your ambition fulfilled and serve as a chief minister. You should withdraw soon; otherwise you will suffer the calamity of a broken leg." He was soon released in a general amnesty and withdrew to live quietly at E.
3
大業末，賊帥何潘仁以綱為長史。 義師至京城，綱來謁見。 高祖大悅，授丞相府司錄，封新昌縣公，專掌選。 高祖踐祚，拜禮部尚書，兼太子詹事，典選如故。
Near the end of the Daye reign, the rebel leader He Panren appointed Gang his chief clerk. When the founding army reached the capital, Gang came to present himself. Emperor Gaozu was delighted, named him Registrar of the Chancellor's Office, created him Duke of Xinchang, and entrusted him exclusively with appointments. After Gaozu ascended the throne, Gang was made Minister of Rites and concurrently Steward of the Heir Apparent, continuing to oversee appointments as before.
4
先是，巢王元吉授并州總管，於是縱其左右攘奪百姓，宇文歆頻諫不納，乃上表曰：「王在州之日，多出微行，常共竇誕遊獵，蹂踐谷稼，放縱親暱，公行攘奪，境內獸畜，取之殆盡。 當衢而射，觀人避箭以為笑樂。 分遣左右，戲為攻戰，至相擊刺疻傷致死。 夜開府門，宣淫他室。 百姓怨毒，各懷憤嘆。 以此守城，安能自保！」 元吉竟坐免。 又諷父老詣闕請之，尋令復職。 時劉武週率五千騎至黃蛇嶺，元吉遣車騎將軍張達以步卒百人先嘗之。 達以步卒少，固請不行。 元吉強遣之，至則盡沒於賊。 達憤怒，因引武周攻陷榆次，進逼并州。 元吉大懼，紿其司馬劉德威曰：「卿以老弱守城，吾以強兵出戰。」 因夜出兵，攜其妻孥，棄軍奔還京師，并州遂陷。 高祖怒甚，謂綱曰：「元吉幼小，未習時事，故遣竇誕、宇文歆輔之。 強兵數萬，食支十年，起義興運之資，一朝而棄。 宇文歆首畫此計，我當斬之。」 綱曰：「賴歆令陛下不失愛子，臣以為有功。」 高祖問其故，綱對曰：「罪由竇誕不能規諷，致令軍人怨憤。 又齊王年少，肆行驕逸放縱，左右侵漁百姓，誕曾無諫止，乃隨順掩藏，以成其釁，此誕之罪。 宇文歆論情則疏，向彼又淺，王之過失，悉以聞奏。 且父子之際，人所難言，歆言之，豈非忠懇？ 今欲誅罪，不錄其心，臣愚竊以為過。」 翌日，高祖召綱入，升御坐謂曰：「今我有公，遂使刑罰不濫。 元吉自惡，結怨於人。 歆既曾以表聞，誕亦焉能制禁？」
Earlier, when Prince Yuanji of Chao was made Regional Commander of Bingzhou, he allowed his entourage to rob the people at will. Yuwen Xin remonstrated again and again without effect and finally submitted a memorial: "During the prince's tenure he often slipped out in disguise, hunted constantly with Dou Yan, rode down standing crops, and let his favorites plunder openly until game and livestock within the province were nearly exhausted. He would shoot down the main streets and laugh at people scrambling to dodge his arrows. He set his men to mock battles until they stabbed one another and killed companions in sport. At night he threw open the mansion gates and forced himself on women in other houses. The common people seethed with hatred, each nursing outrage and despair. With such a man defending a city, how could it stand!" Yuanji was ultimately dismissed because of this. He also incited local elders to petition at court for his reinstatement, and was soon restored to office. When Liu Wuzhou advanced with five thousand cavalry to Huangshe Ridge, Yuanji sent General Zhang Da with a hundred infantry to test the enemy first. Zhang Da protested that a hundred foot soldiers were far too few and begged repeatedly to be excused. Yuanji compelled him to march anyway, and the detachment was wiped out on contact. In fury Zhang Da then guided Wuzhou to capture Yuci and advance on Bingzhou. Terrified, Yuanji deceived his adjutant Liu Dewei: "You will hold the city with the aged and weak; I will lead the main force out to give battle." That night he slipped out with his family, abandoned the army, and fled to the capital, and Bingzhou was lost. Gaozu was furious and told Gang, "Yuanji is still young and inexperienced in government, which is why I sent Dou Yan and Yuwen Xin to guide him. Tens of thousands of seasoned troops and provisions for ten years—the very foundation of our uprising—thrown away in a single morning. Yuwen Xin was the first to propose this scheme—I shall have him beheaded." Gang replied, "Thanks to Xin Your Majesty did not lose a beloved son—I call that a service." When Gaozu asked why, Gang answered, "The blame falls on Dou Yan, who failed to counsel the prince and let the troops grow resentful and furious. The prince was young and ran wild in arrogance and excess while his men preyed on the people; Yan never checked him but went along and covered things up until disaster ripened—that is Yan's guilt. Yuwen Xin was not close to the prince by family ties, yet he reported every one of the prince's faults to the throne. Between father and son there are truths men shrink from speaking—Xin spoke them anyway; was that not loyal candor? To execute him now without weighing his intent seems to me a mistake." The next day Gaozu called Gang in, took his seat on the throne, and said, "With you at my side, punishments are no longer reckless. Yuanji brought hatred on himself through his own conduct. Xin had already laid the facts before you in memorials—how could Yan have restrained him?"
5
時高祖拜舞人安叱奴為散騎常侍，綱上疏諫曰：「謹案《周禮》，均工、樂胥不得預於仕伍。 雖復才如子野，妙等師襄，皆身終子繼，不易其業。 故魏武使祢衡擊鼓，衡先解朝服，露體而擊之，雲不敢以先王法服為伶人之衣。 雖齊高緯封曹妙達為王，授安馬駒為開府，既招物議，大絜彝倫，有國有家者以為殷鑑。 方今新定天下，開太平之基。 起義功臣，行賞未遍； 高才碩學，猶滯草萊。 而先令舞胡，致位五品； 鳴玉曳組，趨馳廊廟，顧非創業垂統貽厥子孫之道也。」 高祖不納。 尋令參詳律令。
When Gaozu promoted the dancer An Chinu to Regular Attendant of the Scattered Cavalry, Gang submitted a memorial of protest: "The Rites of Zhou bar directors of craftsmen and masters of music from the official ranks altogether. Even men gifted as Ziye or skilled as Master Xiang spent their lives in the craft and passed it to their sons, never leaving their station. When Emperor Cao Cao ordered Mi Heng to beat the drum, Heng stripped off his court robes and struck it bare-bodied, declaring he would not wear the ritual garb of former kings as a entertainer's costume. When Northern Qi Gaowei made Cao Miaoda a king and gave An Maju an opening-government commission, the court drew public scorn and violated the great norms of governance—every ruler who holds a realm takes that as a warning. Your Majesty has only just pacified the realm and is laying the foundation of an age of peace. The meritorious men of the uprising have not yet all received their rewards; men of outstanding talent and learning still languish in obscurity. Yet a dancing foreigner is raised to the fifth rank; with jade pendants chiming and official ribbons trailing as he hurries through the halls of state—surely this is not how one founds a dynasty, sets a standard for posterity, and bequeaths it to one's heirs." Gaozu did not heed the advice. Soon afterward he was assigned to help revise the statutes and ordinances.
6
綱在東宮，隱太子建成初甚禮遇。 建成常往溫湯，綱時以疾不從。 有進生魚於建成者，將召饔人作鱠。 時唐儉、趙元楷在座，各自讚能為鱠，建成從之，既而謂曰：「飛刀鱠鯉，調和鼎食，公實有之； 至於審諭弼諧，固屬於李綱矣。」 於是遣使送絹二百匹以遺之。 建成後漸狎無行之徒，有猜忌之謀，不可諫止。 又思筮者之言，頻乞骸骨。 高祖漫罵之曰：「卿為潘仁長史，何乃羞為朕尚書？ 且建成在東宮，遣卿輔導，何為屢致辭乎？」 綱頓首陳謝曰：「潘仁，賊也，誠在殺害，每諫便止，所活極多，為其長史，故得無愧。 陛下功成業泰，頗自矜伐，臣以凡劣，才乖元凱，所言如水投石，安敢久為尚書？ 兼以愚臣事太子，所懷鄙見，復不探納，既無補益，所以請退。」 高祖謝曰：「知公直士，勉弼我兒。」 於是擢拜太子少保，尚書、詹事並如故。 綱又上書諫太子曰：「綱耄矣，日過時流，墳樹已拱，幸未就土，許傅聖躬，無以酬恩，請效愚直，伏願殿下詳之。 竊見飲酒過多，誠非養生之術。 且凡為人子者，務於孝友，以慰君父之心，不宜聽受邪言，妄生猜忌。」 建成覽書不懌，而所為如故。 綱以數言事忤太子旨，道既不行，鬱鬱不得志。 武德二年，以老表辭職，優詔解尚書，仍為太子少保。 高祖以綱隋代名臣，甚加優禮，每手敕未嘗稱名，其見重如此。
While serving in the Eastern Palace, Gang was at first treated with great respect by the Heir Apparent Li Jiancheng. Jiancheng often visited the hot springs, and Gang sometimes stayed behind on account of illness. When someone presented live fish to Jiancheng, he was about to call the kitchen staff to prepare sashimi. Tang Jian and Zhao Yuankai were present and each boasted of his skill at sashimi; Jiancheng let them proceed, then remarked, "Flying-knife carp sashimi and seasoning the royal stew—you two truly excel at that; but weighing counsel and harmonizing policy—that belongs to Li Gang alone." He then sent an envoy with two hundred bolts of silk as a gift for Gang. Later Jiancheng grew close to worthless men and nursed schemes of suspicion that no remonstrance could check. Remembering the diviner's prophecy, Gang repeatedly asked to resign. Gaozu chided him lightly: "You served as chief clerk to the bandit Pan Ren—why shrink from being my Minister of Rites? Besides, I posted you to the Eastern Palace to guide Jiancheng—why do you keep trying to quit?" Gang bowed low and answered, "Pan Ren was a rebel who meant to kill; each time I remonstrated he stopped, and countless lives were spared—serving as his chief clerk, I can hold my head up for that. Your Majesty's triumph is complete, yet you have grown somewhat self-satisfied; I am a mediocrity, far from the stature of your greatest ministers, and my words fall like water on stone—how could I dare remain Minister for long? Serving the crown prince, my humble counsel is never heeded; I can do no good there, and that is why I ask to step down." Gaozu apologized in turn: "I know you for an honest man—do your utmost to guide my son." He then promoted Gang to Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent while keeping him Minister of Rites and Steward of the Heir Apparent. Gang wrote again to counsel the crown prince: "I am old; the years outrun me, and the trees at my grave already bend—yet I am spared the earth and allowed to instruct your sacred person, with no way to repay that grace. I offer this blunt counsel and beg Your Highness to weigh it carefully. I see that you drink too heavily, which is no way to preserve your health. Every son owes filial devotion and brotherly harmony to comfort his father the emperor; you should not heed malicious talk and let suspicion take root without cause." Jiancheng read it with displeasure but went on as before. Because Gang repeatedly spoke against the crown prince's wishes and his counsel went unheeded, he grew despondent and unfulfilled. In Wude year 2 he asked to retire on grounds of age; an edict graciously relieved him of the Ministry post while he remained Junior Mentor of the Heir Apparent. Because Gang had been a renowned minister under the Sui, Gaozu treated him with exceptional honor, never addressing him by name in personal edicts—such was the regard in which he was held.
7
貞觀四年，拜太子少師。 時綱有腳疾，不堪踐履，太宗特賜步輿，令綱乘至閣下，數引入禁中，問以政道。 又令輿入東宮，皇太子引上殿，親拜之。 綱於是陳君臣父子之道、問寢視膳之方，理順辭直，聽者忘倦。 太子每親政事，太宗必令綱及左僕射房玄齡、侍中王珪侍坐。 太子嘗商略古來君臣名教竭忠盡節之事，綱凜然曰：「托六尺之孤，寄百里之命，古人以為難，綱以為易。」 每吐論發言，皆辭色慷慨，有不可奪之志。 及遇疾，太宗遣尚書左僕射房玄齡詣宅存問，賜絹二百匹。 五年卒，年八十五。 贈開府儀同三司，謚曰貞。 太子為之立碑。 初，周齊王憲女孀居孑立，綱自以齊王故吏，贍恤甚厚。 及綱卒，其女被髮號哭，如喪所生焉。
In Zhenguan year 4 he was made Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. Gang suffered from a foot ailment and could not walk; Taizong gave him a sedan chair so he could be carried to the council hall and often brought him into the inner palace to discuss statecraft. He also sent the chair into the Eastern Palace, where the crown prince received him in the hall and bowed to him in person. Gang then expounded the duties of ruler and minister, father and son, and the proper forms of filial attendance at court; his reasoning was clear and his words forthright, and those who heard him forgot fatigue. Whenever the crown prince presided over government business, Taizong always ordered Gang, the Left Vice Director Fang Xuanling, and the Attendant-in-Ordinary Wang Gui to sit beside him. When the crown prince once discussed how ancient ministers had upheld loyalty and moral duty to the death, Gang said sternly, "To entrust an orphan and stake the fate of the realm upon oneself—the ancients called that hard; I call it easy." Whenever he spoke, his tone was impassioned and his resolve unshakable. When he fell ill, Taizong sent the Left Vice Director Fang Xuanling to visit him at home and bestowed two hundred bolts of silk. He died in the fifth year of the reign, at the age of eighty-five. He was posthumously made Grand Master of the Palace with ceremonial privileges equal to the Three Excellencies, and given the posthumous title Upright. The crown prince had a memorial stele erected for him. A daughter of Prince Xian of Zhou had been left a solitary widow; Gang, as a former retainer of the prince, supported her generously. When Gang died, she let down her hair and wailed as though she had lost her own father.
8
孫少植
His grandson Shaozhi
9
子少植，隋武陽郡同功書佐，先綱卒。
His son Shaozhi had served as a clerical aide in Wuyang commandery under the Sui and predeceased him.
10
少植子安仁，永徽中為太子左庶子。 屬太子被廢，歸於陳邸，宮僚皆逃散，無敢辭送者，安仁獨涕泣拜辭而去，朝野義之。 後卒於恆州刺史。
Shaozhi's son Anren served as Left Assistant of the Heir Apparent during the Yonghui reign. When the crown prince was deposed and sent to the residence of the Prince of Chen, the palace staff scattered in flight and none dared bid him farewell; Anren alone wept, bowed in leave-taking, and departed, and the court and people praised his conduct. He later died in office as Inspector of Hengzhou.
11
鄭善果
Zheng Shanguo
12
鄭善果，鄭州滎澤人也。 祖孝穆，西魏少司空、岐州刺史。 父誠，周大將軍、開封縣公。 大象初，討尉遲迥，力戰遇害。 善果年九歲，以父死王事，詔令襲其官爵。 家人以其嬰孺，弗之告也，受冊悲慟，擗踴不能勝，觀者莫不為之流涕。 隋開皇初，改封武德郡公，拜沂州刺史。 大業中，累轉魯郡太守。 善果篤慎，事親至孝。 母崔氏，賢明曉於政道，每善果理務，崔氏嘗於閣內聽之。 聞其剖斷合理，歸則大悅； 若處事不允，母則不與之言，善果伏於床前，終日不敢食。 崔氏謂之曰：「吾非怒汝，反愧汝家耳。 汝先君在官清恪，未嘗問私，以身徇國，繼之以死。 吾亦望汝繼父之心。 自童子承襲茅土，今位至方伯，豈汝身能致之耶？ 安可不思此事而妄加嗔怒？ 內則墜爾家風，或亡官爵； 外則虧天子之法，以取罪戾。 吾寡婦也，有慈無威，使汝不知教訓，以負清忠之業，吾死之日，亦何面以事汝先君乎！」 善果由此遂勵己為清吏，所在有政績，百姓懷之。 及朝京師，煬帝以其居官儉約，蒞政嚴明，與武威太守樊子蓋者為天下第一，各賞物千段，黃金百兩，再遷大理卿。 後突厥圍煬帝於雁門，以守禦功，拜右光祿大夫。 從幸江都。 宇文化及弒逆，署為民部尚書，隨化及至遼城。 淮安王神通圍化及，善果為化及守禦督戰，為流矢所中。 及神通退還，竇建德進軍克之。 建德將王琮獲善果，誚之曰：「公隋室大臣也，自尊夫人亡後而清稱益衰，又忠臣子，奈何為弒君之賊殉命苦戰而傷痍若此？」 善果深愧赧，欲自殺，偽中書令宋正本馳往救止之。 建德又不為之禮，乃奔相州。 淮安王神通送於京師，高祖遇之甚厚，拜太子左庶子，檢校內史侍郎，封滎陽郡公。 善果在東宮，數進忠言，多所匡諫。 未幾，檢校大理卿，兼民部尚書。 正身奉法，甚有善績。 制與裴寂等十人，每奏事及侍立，並令升殿，與從兄元璹在其數，時以為榮。 尋坐事免。 及山東平，持節為招撫大使，坐選舉不平除名。 後歷禮部、刑部二尚書。 貞觀元年，出為岐州刺史，復以公事免。 三年，起為江州刺史，卒。
Zheng Shanguo came from Xingze in Zhengzhou. His grandfather Xiaomu had been Junior Minister of Works under Western Wei and Inspector of Qizhou. His father Cheng had been a Grand General of Zhou and Duke of Kaifeng county. Early in the Daxiang reign he campaigned against Yuwen Jiong, fought to the end, and was killed in battle. Shanguo was only nine when, because his father had died in the emperor's service, an edict ordered him to inherit his father's rank and titles. His family, thinking him too young, had not told him the reason; when he received the patent of succession he wept in anguish, beating his breast and stamping his feet until he collapsed, and all who watched wept with him. Early in the Kaihuang reign his title was changed to Duke of Wude commandery and he was made Inspector of Yizhou. During the Daye reign he rose through several posts to Grand Defender of Lu commandery. Shanguo was conscientious and deeply filial toward his mother. His mother, Lady Cui, was wise and versed in government; whenever Shanguo adjudicated cases, she would listen from an inner room. If she heard that his judgments were fair, she was delighted when he returned; if his decisions were unjust, she would not speak to him; Shanguo would kneel at her bedside and go the whole day without eating. Lady Cui told him, "I am not angry with you; I am ashamed for your family. Your late father served with integrity, never sought private gain, gave his life for the state, and died in that service. I hoped you would carry on your father's spirit. You inherited rank as a child and now hold a regional governorship—do you imagine you earned that by yourself? How can you fail to reflect on that and indulge your temper? Within the family you will destroy your house's reputation and perhaps lose your rank; outwardly you will violate the emperor's law and invite punishment. I am a widow with kindness but no authority, and if you fail in discipline and betray your father's legacy of integrity, what face will I have when I meet your father in death!" From that time Shanguo resolved to be an upright official; wherever he served he left a record of good governance, and the people loved him. When he attended court at the capital, Emperor Yang ranked him with Fan Zigai, Grand Defender of Wuwei, as the finest officials in the realm for frugal conduct and strict, clear governance; each received a thousand lengths of goods and a hundred taels of gold, and Shanguo was promoted again to Minister of Justice. When the Turks later besieged Emperor Yang at Yanmen, Shanguo was made Right Grand Master for Splendid Happiness for his role in the defense. He accompanied the emperor to Jiangdu. After Yuwen Huaji murdered the emperor, he appointed Shanguo Minister of the Household and took him to Liaocheng. When Prince Huai'an Li Shentong besieged Huaji, Shanguo commanded the defense on Huaji's behalf and was wounded by a stray arrow. After Shentong withdrew, Dou Jiande marched in and captured the city. Dou Jiande's general Wang Cong captured Shanguo and taunted him: "You were a great minister of the Sui, yet since your mother's death your reputation for integrity has only faded; you are the son of a loyal martyr—why die in bitter battle for a regicide and end up wounded like this?" Deeply ashamed, Shanguo tried to take his own life, but the bogus Secretariat Director Song Zhengben rode out and stopped him. When Dou Jiande likewise failed to honor him, he fled to Xiangzhou. Prince Huai'an Shentong sent him to the capital, where Gaozu received him warmly, made him Left Assistant of the Heir Apparent and Acting Vice Director of the Secretariat, and created him Duke of Xingyang commandery. In the Eastern Palace Shanguo repeatedly offered loyal counsel and remonstrated on many matters. Soon he was made Acting Minister of Justice while also serving as Minister of the Household. He conducted himself uprightly, enforced the law faithfully, and achieved a strong record of service. An edict grouped him with Pei Ji and nine others who were always allowed to ascend the hall when reporting to the throne or attending the emperor; his cousin Yuanshan was among them, and contemporaries regarded it as a great honor. He was soon dismissed after an offense. After Shandong was pacified he served as Commissioner for Pacification with imperial credentials, but was removed from office for biased appointments. He later served in turn as Minister of Rites and Minister of Punishments. In Zhenguan year 1 he was sent out as Inspector of Qizhou but was again dismissed for an official offense. In year 3 he was recalled as Inspector of Jiangzhou and died in office.
13
從兄元璹
His cousin Yuanshan
14
元璹，隋岐州刺史、沛國公譯子也。 少以父功拜儀同大將軍，襲爵沛國公，累轉右武候將軍，改封莘國公。 大業中，出為文城郡守。 義師至河東，元璹以郡來降，征拜太常卿。 及定京城，以本官兼參旗將軍。 元璹少在戎旅，尤明軍法，高祖常令巡諸軍，教其兵事。 突厥始畢可汗弟乙力設代其兄為叱羅可汗，又劉武周將宋金剛與叱羅共為掎角，來寇汾、晉。 詔元璹入蕃，諭以禍福，叱羅竟不納，乃欲總其部落，入寇太原，以為武周聲援。 未幾，叱羅遇疾，療之弗愈，其下疑元璹令人毒之，乃囚執元璹，不得歸，叱羅竟死。 頡利嗣立，留元璹，每隨其牙帳，經數年。 頡利後聞高祖遺其財物，又許結婚，始放元璹來還。 高祖勞之曰：「卿在虜庭，累載拘繫，蘇武弗之過也。」 拜鴻臚卿。 尋而突厥又寇并州，時元璹在母喪，高祖令墨絰充使招慰。 突厥從介休至晉州，數百里間，數騎數十萬，填映山谷。 及見元璹，責中國違背之事，元璹隨機應對，竟無所屈，因數突厥背誕之罪，突厥大慚，不能報。 元璹又謂頡利曰：「漢與突厥，風俗各異，漢得突厥，既不能臣，突厥得漢，復何所用？ 且抄掠資財，皆入將士，在於可汗，一無所得。 不如早收兵馬，遣使和好，國家必有重賚，幣帛皆入可汗，免為劬勞，坐受利益。 大唐初有天下，即與可汗結為兄弟，行人往來，音問不絕。 今乃舍善取怨，違多就少，何也？」 頡利納其言，即引還。 太宗致書慰之曰：「知公已共可汗結和，遂使邊亭息警，爟火不然。 和戎之功，豈唯魏絳，金石之錫，固當非遠。」 元璹自義寧已來，五入蕃充使，幾至於死者數矣。 貞觀三年，又使入突厥，還奏曰：「突厥興亡，唯以羊馬為準。 今六畜疲羸，人皆菜色，又其牙內炊飯，化而為血。 征祥如此，不出三年，必當覆滅。」 太宗然之。 無幾，突厥果敗。 元璹後累轉左武候大將軍，坐事免。 尋起為宜州刺史，復封沛國公。 元璹有干略，所在頗著聲譽。 然其父譯事繼母失溫凊之禮，隋文帝曾賜以《孝經》； 至元璹事親，又不以孝聞，清論鄙之。 二十年卒，贈幽州刺史，謚曰簡。
Yuanshan was the son of Yi, who had been Inspector of Qizhou and Duke of Pei under the Sui. In youth he was made General of the Palace with Equal Honor through his father's merit, inherited the dukedom of Pei, rose through several posts to General of the Right Martial Guard, and was re-enfeoffed as Duke of Shen. During the Daye reign he was sent out as Defender of Wencheng commandery. When the founding army reached Hedong, Yuanshan surrendered his commandery and was summoned to court as Minister of Ceremonies. After the capital was secured, he kept his post while also serving as General of the Banner of Participation. Yuanshan had spent his youth in the army and was especially versed in military regulations; Gaozu often sent him to inspect the forces and instruct them in military affairs. Yilish, younger brother of the Türk qaghan Shibi, succeeded his brother as Chiluo qaghan; Song Jingang, general of Liu Wuzhou, coordinated with Chiluo in a pincer attack on Fen and Jin. Yuanshan was ordered into the steppe to explain the consequences of war and peace; Chiluo refused to listen and prepared to rally his tribes, invade Taiyuan, and support Liu Wuzhou. Soon Chiluo fell ill and could not be cured; his followers suspected Yuanshan of poisoning him, imprisoned him, and held him captive; Chiluo died in the end. When Jieli succeeded as qaghan, he kept Yuanshan with him, and Yuanshan followed the royal camp for several years. Jieli later learned that Gaozu had sent him gifts and promised a marriage alliance, and only then allowed Yuanshan to return. Gaozu welcomed him, saying, "You were held captive in the steppe for years—your endurance was no less than Su Wu's." He was appointed Director of the Court for Diplomatic Reception. Soon the Turks raided Bingzhou again; though Yuanshan was in mourning for his mother, Gaozu ordered him to wear mourning garb without hemming and go as envoy to negotiate with them. From Jiexiu to Jinzhou the Turks stretched for hundreds of li, hundreds of thousands of horsemen filling every valley. When they met Yuanshan they accused China of breaking faith; he answered point by point without yielding, then listed the Turks' own breaches of treaty, leaving them deeply ashamed and unable to reply. Yuanshan also told Jieli, "Han and the Turks follow different ways of life; even if Han conquered the Turks it could not rule them, and if the Turks seized Han territory, what good would it do them? Besides, the spoils of raiding all go to your officers and soldiers—the qaghan himself gains nothing. You would do better to withdraw your forces early, send envoys to make peace, and accept the rich gifts the court will send—all the silks and cloths would go to you, without toil, while you sat and reaped the profit. When the Tang first won the realm, your qaghan and ours swore brotherhood; envoys traveled back and forth without interruption. Why now abandon friendship for enmity and break a broad alliance for a narrow grievance?" Jieli accepted his argument and withdrew at once. Taizong wrote to commend him: "I know you have made peace with the qaghan, so that the border posts are quiet and the beacon fires unlit. Your achievement in pacifying the frontier rivals that of Wei Jiang; rewards of gold and jade cannot be far off." From the Yining era onward Yuanshan had entered the steppe as envoy five times and several times nearly lost his life. In Zhenguan year 3 he was sent into the Türk lands again and reported on his return, "The fortunes of the Turks rise and fall solely with their flocks and herds. Now their livestock are exhausted, the people are gaunt with hunger, and rice cooked in the royal tent turned to blood. With omens like these, they will surely fall within three years." Taizong agreed. Before long the Turks were indeed defeated. Yuanshan later rose to General of the Left Martial Guard but was dismissed after an offense. He was soon recalled as Inspector of Yizhou and re-created Duke of Pei. Yuanshan was capable and earned a strong reputation wherever he served. Yet his father Yi had failed in filial duty toward his stepmother, for which Emperor Wen of Sui once sent him a copy of the Classic of Filial Piety; and Yuanshan himself was not known for filial conduct toward his parents, which men of discernment held against him. He died in year 20; posthumously he was made Inspector of Youzhou with the posthumous title Simple.
15
弟孫杲知名，則天時為天官侍郎。
His younger brother's grandson Gao became well known and served as Vice Director of the Bureau of Appointments under Empress Wu.
16
楊恭仁
Yang Gongren
17
楊恭仁，本名綸，弘農華陰人，隋司空、觀王雄之長子也。 隋仁壽中，累除甘州刺史。 恭仁務舉大綱，不為苛察，戎夏安之。 文帝謂雄曰：「恭仁在州，甚有善政，非唯朕舉得人，亦是卿義方所致也。」 大業初，轉吏部侍郎。 楊玄感作亂，煬帝制恭仁率兵經略，與玄感戰於破陵，大敗之。 玄感兄弟挺身遁走，恭仁與屈突通等追討獲之。 軍旋，煬帝召入內殿，謂曰：「我聞破陵之陣，唯卿力戰，功最難比。 雖知卿奉法清慎，都不知勇決如此也。」 納言蘇威曰：「仁者必有勇，固非虛也。」 時蘇威及左衛大將軍宇文述、御史大夫裴蘊、黃門侍郎裴矩等皆受詔參掌選事，多納賄賂，士流嗟怨。 恭仁獨雅正自守，不為蘊等所容，由是出為河南道大使，討捕盜賊。 時天下大亂，行至譙郡，為硃粲所敗，奔還江都。 宇文化及弒逆，署吏部尚書，隨至河北，為化及守魏縣。 時元寶藏據有魏郡，會行人魏徵說下寶藏，執恭仁送於京師。 高祖甚禮遇之，拜黃門侍郎，封觀國公。 尋為涼州總管。 恭仁素習邊事，深悉羌胡情偽，推心馭下，人吏悅服，自蔥嶺已東，併入朝貢。 未幾，遙授納言，總管如故。 俄而突厥頡利可汗率眾數萬奄至州境，恭仁隨方備御，多設疑兵，頡利懼而退走。 屬瓜州刺史賀拔威擁兵作亂，朝廷憚遠，未遑征討。 恭仁乃募驍勇，倍道兼進，賊不虞兵至之速，克其二城。 恭仁悉放俘虜，賊眾感其寬惠，遂相率執威而降。 久之，征拜吏部尚書，遷左衛大將軍、鼓旗將軍。 貞觀初，拜雍州牧，加左光祿大夫，行揚州大都督府長史。 五年，遷洛州都督。 太宗曰：「洛陽要重，古難其人。 朕之子弟多矣，恐非所任，特以委公也。」 恭仁性虛澹，必以禮度自居，謙恭下士，未嘗忤物，時人方之石慶。 恭仁弟師道，尚桂陽公主，從侄女為巢剌王妃，弟子思敬，尚安平公主，連姻帝室，益見崇重。 後以老病乞骸骨，聽以特進歸第。 十三年卒，冊贈開府儀同三司、潭州都督，陪葬昭陵，謚曰孝。
Yang Gongren, whose original name was Lun, came from Huayin in Hongnong; he was the eldest son of Prince Xiong of Guan, who had served as Minister of Works under the Sui. During the Renshou reign he was appointed Inspector of Ganzhou after several transfers. Gongren focused on broad principles rather than petty scrutiny, and both Chinese and non-Chinese subjects lived in peace under his rule. Emperor Wen said to Xiong, "Gongren has governed his province with remarkable wisdom. I chose well—but credit belongs equally to your example at home." At the start of the Daye era he was made Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel. When Yang Xuangan rebelled, Emperor Yang ordered Gongren to take command; at Poling he routed Xuangan's forces. Xuangan and his brothers fled; Gongren, Qutu Tong, and others hunted them down and captured them. After the campaign, Emperor Yang summoned him to the inner palace and said, "At Poling I am told you alone fought with the greatest valor—no one else's achievement comes close. I knew you for your scrupulous and careful regard for law, but never imagined such courage and decisiveness." Attendant Counselor Su Wei said, "The benevolent must also be brave—that old saying is no empty phrase." At that time Su Wei, General-in-Chief of the Left Guard Yuwen Shu, Censor-in-Chief Pei Yun, Vice Director of the Yellow Gate Pei Ju, and others had all been ordered to help manage official appointments; they accepted bribes freely, and men of rank murmured in outrage. Gongren alone held himself to upright standards and would not go along with them; Pei Yun and his circle made no room for him, and he was sent out as Henan Circuit Commissioner to hunt down bandits. The empire was in turmoil; near Qiao Commandery he was defeated by Zhu Can and fled back to Jiangdu. After Yuwen Huaji murdered the emperor, he made Gongren Director of the Ministry of Personnel; Gongren followed him north to Hebei and held Wei County for Huaji. Yuan Baocang held Wei Commandery; when the envoy Wei Zheng persuaded Baocang to surrender, Baocang seized Gongren and sent him to the capital. Emperor Gaozu received him with high honor, made him Vice Director of the Yellow Gate, and created him Duke of Guan. He was soon made Area Commander of Liangzhou. Gongren had long experience on the frontier and understood the ways of the Qiang and Hu peoples; he led his subordinates with openness and trust, winning the loyalty of officials and commoners alike; from the Pamirs eastward, all submitted tribute to the court. Before long he was given the title Attendant Counselor in absentia while retaining his post as area commander. Soon Jieli Qaghan of the Turks swept in with tens of thousands of men; Gongren readied defenses on every side and deployed many decoy forces until Jieli, unnerved, withdrew. When Hebawei, Inspector of Guazhou, raised troops in rebellion, the court shrank from the distance and could not mount a campaign in time. Gongren raised a force of elite troops and marched at forced speed; the rebels never expected him so soon and lost two cities to him. Gongren released all his prisoners; moved by his mercy, the rebels in turn seized Wei and surrendered. After some years he was recalled as Director of the Ministry of Personnel and promoted to General-in-Chief of the Left Guard and General of Drum and Banner. Early in the Zhenguan era he became Governor of Yongzhou, was given the additional rank of Left Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, and served as chief administrator of the Yangzhou Grand Area Command. In year 5 he was transferred to Area Commander of Luozhou. Taizong said, "Luoyang is a post of vital importance, and since antiquity it has been hard to fill. I have many sons and kinsmen, but none I trust for this duty—I appoint you especially to it." Gongren was by nature modest and retiring; he held himself to ritual propriety, treated men of learning with humility, and never gave cause for offense; contemporaries compared him to Shi Qing. Gongren's younger brother Shidao married Princess Guiyang; a niece by younger brother became consort to Prince Chao the Assassin; his nephew Si Jing married Princess Anping—with such marriages into the imperial family, the clan grew ever more honored. He later sought retirement on grounds of age and illness and was permitted to leave office as Special Advancement and return home. He died in year 13 and was posthumously made Grand Master of the Office with Equipage equal to the Three Excellencies and Area Commander of Tanzhou; he was buried at Zhaoling with posthumous title Filial.
18
子思訓
Si Xun, his son
19
子思訓襲爵。 顯慶中，歷右屯衛將軍。 時右衛大將軍慕容寶節有愛妾，置於別宅，嘗邀思訓就之宴樂。 思訓深責寶節與其妻隔絕，妾等怒，密以毒藥置酒，思訓飲盡便死。 寶節坐是配嶺表。 思訓妻又詣闕稱冤，制遣使就斬之。 仍改《賊盜律》，以毒藥殺人之科，更從重法。
Si Xun inherited the peerage. During the Xianqing era he served as General of the Right Garrison Guard. General-in-Chief of the Right Guard Murong Baojie kept a favorite concubine in a separate house and once invited Si Xun there for a feast. Si Xun sharply reproached Baojie for estranging his wife from him; the concubines in anger secretly poisoned the wine, and Si Xun died after drinking it. Baojie was exiled to the southern frontier for this. Si Xun's widow appealed at court; an edict dispatched agents to execute Baojie on the spot. The Law on Bandits and Robbers was then amended so that murder by poison carried heavier penalties.
20
思訓孫睿交，本名璬，少襲爵觀國公，尚中宗女長寧公主。 預誅張易之有功，賜實封五百戶。 神龍中，為秘書監。 後被貶，卒於絳州別駕。
Si Xun's grandson Ruijiao—originally named Jiao—inherited the dukedom of Guan while young and married Emperor Zhongzong's daughter, Princess Changning. He took part in the killing of Zhang Yizhi and was rewarded with a fief of five hundred households. During the Shenlong era he served as Director of the Imperial Library. He was later demoted and died while serving as Vice Administrator of Jiangzhou.
21
恭仁弟續，頗有辭學。 貞觀中，為鄆州刺史。
Gongren's younger brother Xu was a man of considerable literary talent. During the Zhenguan era he served as Inspector of Yunzhou.
22
續孫執柔，則天時為地官尚書，則天以外氏近屬，甚優寵之。 時武承嗣、攸寧相次知政事，則天嘗曰：「我今當宗及外家，常一人為宰相。」 由是執柔同中書門下三品，尋卒。 執柔子滔，開元中官至吏部侍郎、同州刺史。 執柔弟執一，神龍初，以誅張易之功封河東郡公，累至右金吾衛大將軍。
Xu's grandson Zhirou served as Director of the Bureau of Revenue under Empress Wu, who favored him greatly as a close relation on her mother's side. When Wu Chengsi and Youning were handling government in succession, Empress Wu once said, "Henceforth I shall keep one person from the imperial house and one from my mother's kin in the chancellorship." Zhirou was therefore made a Fellow of the Secretariat and Chancellery at the third rank, but died soon after. Zhirou's son Tao rose during the Kaiyuan era to Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel and Inspector of Tongzhou. Zhirou's younger brother Zhiyi was created Duke of Hedong for his part in killing Zhang Yizhi at the start of the Shenlong era and eventually rose to General-in-Chief of the Right Golden Guard.
23
少弟師道
The youngest brother, Shidao
24
恭仁少弟師道，隋末自洛陽歸國，授上儀同，為備身左右。 尋尚桂陽公主，超拜吏部侍郎，累轉太常卿，封安德郡公。 貞觀七年，代魏徵為侍中。 性周慎謹密，未嘗漏洩內事，親友或問禁中之言，乃更對以他語。 嘗曰：「吾少窺漢史，至孔光不言溫室之樹，每欽其餘風，所庶幾也。」 師道退朝後，必引當時英俊，宴集園池，而文會之盛，當時莫比。 雅善篇什，又工草隸，酣賞之際，援筆直書，有如宿構。 太宗每見師道所制，必吟諷嗟賞之。 十三年，轉中書令。 太子承乾逆謀事洩，與長孫無忌、房玄齡同按其獄。 師道妻前夫之子趙節與承乾通謀，師道微諷太宗，冀活之，由是獲譴，罷知機密。 轉吏部尚書。 師道貴家子，四海人物，未能委練，所署用多非其才，而深抑貴勢及其親黨，以避嫌疑，時論譏之。 太宗嘗從容謂侍臣曰：「楊師道性行純善，自無愆過。 而情實怯懦，未甚更事，緩急不可得力。」 未幾，從征高麗，攝中書令。 及軍還，有毀之者，稍貶為工部尚書，尋轉太常卿。 二十一年卒，贈吏部尚書、并州都督，陪葬昭陵，賜東園秘器，並為立碑。 子豫之，尚巢剌王女壽春縣主。 居母喪，與永嘉公主淫亂，為主婿竇奉節所擒，具五刑而殺之。
Gongren's youngest brother Shidao came over from Luoyang at the end of the Sui and was made Senior Household Companion, serving in the personal guard. He soon married Princess Guiyang, was promoted directly to Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel, rose through posts to Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and was created Duke of Ande. In Zhenguan year 7 he replaced Wei Zheng as Palace Attendant. He was careful and discreet by nature and never divulged inner-court business; when friends asked about palace affairs, he would change the subject. He once said, "As a youth I read the History of Han and admired Kong Guang, who never breathed a word about the emperor's private chamber—that is the standard I aspire to." After court Shidao always gathered the finest minds of the day for feasts in his gardens; no literary salon of the age could match his. He excelled at poetry and at cursive and clerical calligraphy; in the heat of convivial enjoyment he could pick up a brush and write at once, as though the work had been prepared long before. Whenever Taizong read Shidao's compositions, he would recite them aloud in admiration. In year 13 he was made Director of the Secretariat. When Crown Prince Chengqian's conspiracy was exposed, he joined Zhangsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling in investigating the case. Zhao Jie, Shidao's stepson, had conspired with Chengqian; Shidao hinted obliquely to Taizong in hope of saving him and was censured, losing his role in confidential state affairs. He was reassigned as Director of the Ministry of Personnel. Shidao came from a great house and lacked broad experience with men of talent from across the realm; many of his appointments were ill-chosen, yet he went out of his way to slight the powerful and their kin to avoid suspicion—contemporaries scorned him for it. Taizong once remarked casually to his ministers, "Yang Shidao is pure in character and conduct and has no fault of his own. But he is truly timid and inexperienced, and cannot be counted on when matters grow urgent." Before long he accompanied the Goguryeo campaign as acting Director of the Secretariat. After the army returned, slanderers brought him down a step to Director of the Ministry of Works, and soon afterward to Director of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices. He died in year 21 and was posthumously made Director of the Ministry of Personnel and Area Commander of Bingzhou; he was buried at Zhaoling with imperial funeral gifts and a memorial stele. His son Yuzhi married the Princess of Shouchun District, daughter of Prince Chao the Assassin. While mourning his mother he had an affair with Princess Yongjia; her son-in-law Dou Fengjie seized him and had him executed with the full five punishments.
25
師道兄子思玄，高宗時為吏部侍郎、國子祭酒。 玄弟思敬，禮部尚書。 師道從兄子崇敬，太子詹事。
Shidao's nephew Si Xuan served under Emperor Gaozong as Vice Director of the Ministry of Personnel and Rector of the Imperial University. Si Jing, Xuan's younger brother, served as Director of the Ministry of Rites. Shidao's cousin Chongjing served as Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent.
26
始恭仁父雄在隋，以同姓寵貴，自武德之後，恭仁兄弟名位尤盛，則天時，又以外戚崇寵。 一家之內，駙馬三人，王妃五人，贈皇后一人，三品已上官二十餘人，遂為盛族。
From the first Gongren's father Xiong had risen to favor and rank under the Sui as a clansman of the imperial house; after Wude the Gongren brothers reached still greater eminence, and under Empress Wu the clan was again elevated as maternal kin. Within a single generation the family could count three imperial sons-in-law, five princess consorts, one woman posthumously made empress, and more than twenty officials of third rank or higher—it became one of the great lineages of the age.
27
皇甫無逸
Biography of Huangfu Wuyi
28
皇甫無逸，字仁儉，安定烏氏人。 父誕，隋并州總管府司馬。 其先安定著姓，徙居京兆萬年。 仁壽末，漢王諒於并州起兵反，誕抗節不從，為諒所殺。 無逸時在長安，聞諒反，即同居喪之禮。 人問其故，泣而對曰：「大人平生徇節義，既屬亂常，必無苟免。」 尋而凶問果至。 在喪柴毀過禮，事母以孝聞。 煬帝以誕死節，贈柱國、弘義郡公，令無逸襲爵。 時五等皆廢，以其時忠義之後，特封平輿侯。 拜涓陽太守，甚有能名，差品為天下第一。 再轉右武衛將軍，甚見親委。 帝幸江都，以無逸留守洛陽。 及江都之變，與段達、元文都尊立越王侗為帝。 王世充作難，無逸棄老母妻子，斬關而走，追騎且至，無逸曰：「吾死而後已，終不能同爾為逆。」 因解所服金帶投之於地，曰：「以此贈卿，無為相迫。」 追騎競下馬取帶，自相爭奪，由是得免。 高祖以隋代舊臣，甚尊禮之，拜刑部尚書，封滑國公，歷陝東道行台民部尚書。 明年，遷御史大夫。 時益部新開，刑政未洽，長吏橫恣，贓污狼藉； 令無逸持節巡撫之，承製除授。 無逸宣揚朝化，法令嚴肅，蜀中甚賴之。 有皇甫希仁者，見無逸專制方面，徼幸上變，云：「臣父在洛陽，無逸為母之故，陰遣臣與王世充相知。」 高祖審其詐，數之曰：「無逸逼於世充，棄母歸朕。 今之委任，異於眾人。 其在益州，極為清正。 此蓋群小不耐，欲誣之也。 此乃離間我君臣，惑亂我視聽。」 於是斬希仁於順天門，遣給事中李公昌馳往慰諭之。 俄而又告無逸陰與蕭銑交通者，無逸時與益州行台僕射竇璡不協，於是上表自理，又言璡罪狀。 高祖覽之曰：「無逸當官執法，無所迴避，必是邪佞之徒，惡直丑正，共相構扇也。」 因令劉世龍、溫彥博將按其事，卒無驗而止，所告者坐斬，竇璡亦以罪黜。 無逸既返命，高祖勞之曰：「公立身行己，朕之所悉。 比多譖訴者，但為正直致邪佞所憎耳。」 尋拜民部尚書，累轉益州大都督府長史。 閉門自守，不通賓客，左右不得出門。 凡所貨易，皆往他州； 每按部，樵採不犯於人。 嘗夜宿人家，遇燈炷盡，主人將續之，無逸抽佩刀斷衣帶以為炷，其廉介如此。 然過於審慎，所上表奏，懼有誤失，必讀之數十遍，仍令官屬再三披省； 使者就路，又追而更審，每遣一使，輒連日不得上道。 議者以此少之。 母在長安疾篤，太宗令驛召之。 無逸性至孝，承問惶懼，不能飲食，因道病卒。 贈禮部尚書，太常考行，謚曰「孝」。 禮部尚書王珪駁之曰：「無逸入蜀之初，自當扶侍老母，與之同去，申其色養，而乃留在京師，子道未足，何得為孝？」 竟謚為良。
Huangfu Wuyi, courtesy name Renjian, came from Wushi in Anding. His father Dan was Vice Administrator of the Bingzhou headquarters under the Sui. The family was an eminent Anding clan that had moved to Wannian in the Jingzhao region. At the end of the Renshou reign, when Prince Liang of Han rebelled at Bingzhou, Dan refused to join him and was killed by Liang. Wuyi was in Chang'an at the time; on hearing of Liang's rebellion he at once began mourning rites for his father. Asked why, he wept and answered, "My father lived by loyalty and rectitude; once rebellion broke out, he could not hope to survive." Before long word of his death arrived as he had foreseen. In mourning he wasted himself beyond what ritual required and became known for filial devotion to his mother. Emperor Yang honored Dan's martyrdom with posthumous rank as Pillar of State and Duke of Hongyi and had Wuyi inherit the title. The five-tier peerage had been abolished, but as the son of a loyal martyr he was specially created Marquis of Pingyu. As Prefect of Juanyang he earned a strong reputation for competence and was graded the best administrator in the realm. After two further transfers he became General of the Right Martial Guard and enjoyed the emperor's close trust. When the emperor traveled to Jiangdu, Wuyi was left to hold Luoyang. After the turmoil at Jiangdu he joined Duan Da and Yuan Wendu in enthroning Prince Yue Tong as emperor. When Wang Shichong rebelled, Wuyi abandoned his aged mother, wife, and children, broke through the pass, and fled; as pursuers closed in he declared, "I would die before I joined you in treason." He took off his gold belt and cast it down, saying, "Take this—do not press me further." The pursuers dismounted to fight over the belt and he escaped. Emperor Gaozu treated him with great respect as a former Sui minister, made him Director of the Ministry of Justice and Duke of Huaguo, and later Director of the Ministry of Revenue of the Eastern Shaanxi Branch Secretariat. The following year he was made Censor-in-Chief. The Yi region had only recently been incorporated; law and administration were unsettled, local leaders ruled by force, and corruption ran rampant; Wuyi was sent with imperial credentials to inspect the region and appoint officials by imperial order. Wuyi enforced the imperial law with rigor and brought order to Shu, which came to rely on him greatly. One Huangfu Xiren, seeing Wuyi wield sole power in the region, tried to turn calamity to profit by lodging a denunciation: "While my father was in Luoyang, Wuyi secretly sent me to make contact with Wang Shichong on account of his mother." Emperor Gaozu saw through the fraud and rebuked him: "Wuyi was forced by Shichong to abandon his mother and came over to me. The trust I place in him now is unlike that I give anyone else. In his post at Yizhou he was scrupulously honest and clean-handed. This surely comes from petty men who cannot abide him and seek to slander him falsely. This is an attempt to sow discord between us and cloud my judgment." He then had Xiren executed at Shuntian Gate and sent Attendant-in-Ordinary Li Gongchang posthaste to reassure Wuyi. Soon afterward someone again denounced Wuyi for secretly colluding with Xiao Xian. Wuyi was then on bad terms with Dou Qin, Vice Director of the Yizhou Field Army, so he submitted a memorial in his own defense and laid out Qin's crimes. Gaozu read the memorial and said: "Wuyi serves in office by enforcing the law without flinching. This must be the work of treacherous flatterers who despise honest men and stir up one another against him." He ordered Liu Shilong and Wen Yanbo to investigate. The charges proved groundless, the accuser was executed, and Dou Qin was dismissed in disgrace. When Wuyi returned from his assignment, Gaozu reassured him: "How you govern yourself is well known to me. The recent flood of denunciations against you comes only from your integrity, which the wicked cannot abide." Shortly afterward he was made Minister of Population and eventually rose to Chief Administrator of the Yizhou Great Protectorate. He kept his doors closed and lived in seclusion, admitting no visitors, and would not even let his attendants step outside. For any purchase or sale he traveled to other prefectures, When he toured his district, even woodcutters and foragers took care not to trespass on private land. Once he spent the night at a peasant's home. When the lamp burned out and the host moved to trim a new wick, Wuyi drew his knife, cut his own belt sash, and burned that instead—so scrupulous was he. Yet he was excessively cautious. Fearing mistakes in his memorials, he would read each one dozens of times and have his staff review it repeatedly. Even after a courier had set out, he would summon him back for another review; each dispatch was delayed for days. Commentators faulted him for this. When his mother fell gravely ill in Chang'an, Taizong sent a courier to summon him at once. Wuyi was deeply filial by nature. Distressed by the summons, he could neither eat nor drink and died of illness on the journey. He was posthumously honored as Minister of Rites. The Court of Imperial Sacrifices reviewed his life and granted him the posthumous name Filial. Minister of Rites Wang Gui objected: "When Wuyi first went to Shu, he should have brought his aged mother with him and cared for her there. Instead he left her in the capital. His filial conduct fell short—how could he be called Filial?" In the end his posthumous name was changed to Good.
29
孫忠，開元中為衛尉卿。
His grandson Zhong became Chamberlain for the Imperial Insignia during the Kaiyuan reign.
30
李大亮
Biography of Li Daliang
31
李大亮，雍州涇陽人。 後魏度支尚書琰之曾孫也。 其先本居隴西狄道，代為著姓。 祖綱，後魏南岐州刺史。 父充節，隋朔州總管、武陽公。 大亮少有文武才幹，隋末，署韓國公龐玉行軍兵曹。 在東都與李密戰，敗，同輩百餘人皆就死，賊帥張弼見而異之，獨釋與語，遂定交於幕下。 義兵入關，大亮自東都歸國，授土門令。 屬百姓饑荒，盜賊侵寇，大亮賣所乘馬分給貧弱，勸以墾田，歲因大稔。 躬捕寇盜，所擊輒平。 時太宗在籓，巡撫北境，聞而嗟嘆，下書勞之，賜馬一匹、帛五十段。 其後，胡賊寇境，大亮眾少不敵，遂單馬詣賊營，召其豪帥，諭以禍福，群胡感悟，相率請降。 大亮又殺所乘馬，以與之宴樂，徒步而歸。 前後降者千餘人，縣境以清。 高祖大悅，超拜金州總管府司馬。 時王世充遣其兄子弘烈據襄陽，令大亮安撫樊、鄧，以圖進取。 大亮進兵擊之，所下十餘城。 高祖下書勞勉，遷安州刺史。 又令徇廣州巴東，行次九江，會輔公祏反，大亮以計擒公礻石將張善安。 公祏尋遣兵圍猷州，刺史左難當嬰城自守，大亮率兵進援，擊賊破之。 以功賜奴婢百人，大亮謂曰：「汝輩多衣冠子女，破亡至此，吾亦何忍以汝為賤隸乎！」 一皆放遣。 高祖聞而嗟異，復賜婢二十人，拜越州都督。 貞觀元年，轉交州都督，封武陽縣男。 在越州寫書百卷，及徙職，皆委之廨宇。 尋召拜太府卿，出為涼州都督，以惠政聞。 嘗有台使到州，見有名鷹，諷大亮獻之。 大亮密表曰：「陛下久絕畋獵，而使者求鷹。 若是陛下之意，深乖昔旨； 如其自擅，便是使非其人。」 太宗下之書曰：「以卿兼資文武，志懷貞確，故委籓牧，當茲重寄。 比在州鎮，聲績遠彰，念此忠勤，無忘寤寐。 使遣獻鷹，遂不曲順，論今引古，遠獻直言，披露腹心，非常懇到，覽用嘉嘆，不能便已。 有臣若此，朕復何憂！ 宜守此誠，終始若一。 古人稱一言之重，侔於千金，卿之此言，深足貴矣。 今賜卿胡瓶一枚，雖無千鎰之重，是朕自用之物。」 又賜荀悅《漢紀》一部，下書曰：「卿立志方直，竭節至公，處職當官，每副所委，方大任使，以申重寄。 公事之閒，宜尋典籍。 然此書敘致既明，論議深博，極為治之體，盡君臣之義，今以賜卿，宜加尋閱也。」 時頡利可汗敗亡，北荒諸部相率內屬。 有大度設、拓設、泥熟特勒及七姓種落等，尚散在伊吾，以大亮為西北道安撫大使以綏之，多所降附。 朝廷愍其部眾凍餒，遣於磧石貯糧，特加賑給。 大亮以為於事無益，上疏曰：
Li Daliang came from Jingyang in Yong Province. He was a great-grandson of Yanzhi, Minister of Revenue under the Northern Wei. His family originally came from Didao in Longxi and had been a distinguished clan for generations. His grandfather Gang had served as Inspector of Southern Qizhou under the Northern Wei. His father Chongjie had been Overall Commander of Shuozhou under the Sui and held the title Duke of Wuyang. Daliang showed civil and military promise from youth. At the end of the Sui he served as a staff officer on Pang Yu's campaign staff. He fought Li Mi at the Eastern Capital and was defeated. More than a hundred of his comrades were executed, but the rebel commander Zhang Bi, struck by his bearing, spared him alone and spoke with him, and they became friends under the tent. When the rebel forces entered the Pass, Daliang came over from the Eastern Capital and was appointed magistrate of Tumen. Famine and bandit raids afflicted the district. Daliang sold his own horse and distributed the proceeds among the poor, urging them to cultivate the land, and that year the harvest was abundant. He personally hunted down bandits, and every raid he led ended in victory. Taizong, then Prince of Qin, was touring the northern frontier. Impressed by the report, he sent a letter of praise and granted Daliang a horse and fifty bolts of silk. Later, when nomadic raiders invaded the district, Daliang's forces were too few to resist. He rode alone into the enemy camp, summoned the tribal leaders, and reasoned with them on the consequences of their actions until they were moved to surrender en masse. Daliang slaughtered his horse to feast the chieftains, then walked home alone. More than a thousand tribesmen surrendered in all, and the county was pacified. Gaozu was delighted and abruptly promoted him to army marshal of the Jinzhou command. Wang Shichong had sent his nephew Honglie to hold Xiangyang. Daliang was charged with pacifying Fan and Deng to prepare for an offensive. Daliang advanced and attacked, capturing more than a dozen cities. Gaozu sent a letter of praise and transferred him to governor of Anzhou. He was next ordered to advance toward Badong in Guangzhou. At Jiujiang he encountered Fu Gongshi's rebellion and by stratagem captured Zhang Shan'an, one of Fu's generals. Gongshi soon besieged Youzhou. Governor Zuo Nandang held the city under siege, and Daliang marched to his relief and routed the rebels. For his service he was awarded a hundred captives as slaves. Daliang told them: "Most of you are sons and daughters of good families brought low by ruin. How could I bear to keep you as bond servants?" He freed them all. Gaozu marveled at the act and again granted him twenty maidservants, appointing him overall commander of Yuezhou. In 627 he was transferred to overall commander of Jiaozhou and enfeoffed as Baron of Wuyang. While serving in Yuezhou he copied a hundred volumes of books and left them all in the yamen when he moved on. He was soon recalled as Minister of the Palace Storehouse, then posted as overall commander of Liangzhou, where his humane administration became renowned. Once an imperial envoy visited the prefecture, saw a prized hunting hawk, and subtly suggested that Daliang offer it as tribute. Daliang sent a secret memorial: "Your Majesty long ago gave up hunting, yet this envoy asks for a hawk. If this reflects Your Majesty's wish, it contradicts your earlier resolve; If he acted on his own, then the wrong man was chosen for the mission." Taizong replied in writing: "Because you possess both civil and military gifts and hold steadfast principles, I entrusted you with this important frontier post. Your reputation at your post has spread far and wide. I think of your loyalty and diligence day and night. When the envoy asked for the hawk, you refused to oblige. Drawing on precedent to address the present, you spoke frankly from afar with extraordinary sincerity. Reading your words, I could only marvel and applaud. With a minister like you, what have I to fear! Hold to this integrity without wavering. The ancients said a single truthful word is worth a thousand gold. Your words are precious indeed. I now grant you a Western bottle. Though it does not weigh a thousand yi, it is something I use with my own hands." He also granted a copy of Xun Yue's Annals of Han and wrote: "Your conduct is upright, your service utterly devoted. In every post you honor the trust placed in you. Greater tasks await to justify this heavy charge. In spare moments from your duties, you should turn to the classics. This book narrates with clarity and argues with depth, encompassing the essentials of governance and the duties of ruler and subject. I give it to you now—study it well." About then Jiali Khan was defeated and destroyed, and the northern tribes submitted in succession. Dadu She, Tuo She, Nisiu Teli, and the seven-clan tribes remained scattered at Yiwu. Daliang was appointed Northwest Circuit Pacification Commissioner to win them over, and many tribes submitted. The court, pitying their people for cold and hunger, ordered grain stored at Qishi and granted special relief. Daliang believed this was impractical and submitted a memorial:
32
臣聞欲綏遠者，必先安近。 中國百姓，天下本根； 四夷之人，猶於枝葉。 擾於根本，以厚枝附，而求久安，未之有也。 自古明王，化中國以信，馭夷狄以權。 故《春秋》云：「戎狄豺狼，不可厭也； 諸夏親暱，不可棄也。」 自陛下君臨區宇，深根固本，人逸兵強，九州殷盛，四夷自服。 今者招致突厥，雖入提封，臣愚稍覺勞費，未悟其有益也。 然河西氓庶，積御蕃夷，州縣蕭條，戶口鮮少，加因隋亂，減耗尤多。 突厥未平之前，尚不安業； 匈奴微弱已來，始就農畝。 若即勞役，恐致妨損。 以臣愚惑，請停招慰。 且謂之荒服者，故臣而不內。 是以周室愛人攘狄，竟延七百之齡； 秦王輕戰事胡，四十載而遂絕。 漢文養兵靜守，天下安豐； 孝武揚威遠略，海內虛耗。 雖悔輪台，追已不及。 至於隋室，早得伊吾，兼統鄯善，既得之後，勞費日甚，虛內致外，竟損無益。 遠尋秦、漢，近觀隋室，動靜安危，昭然備矣。 伊吾雖已臣附，遠在蕃磧，人非中夏，地多沙鹵。 其自豎立稱籓附庸者，請羈縻受之，使居塞外，必畏威懷德，永為蕃臣，蓋行虛惠，而收實福矣。 近日突厥傾國入朝，既不能俘之江淮，以變其俗； 置於內地，去京不遠，雖則寬仁之義，亦非久安之計也。 每見一人初降，賜物五匹、袍一領，酋帥悉授大官，祿厚位尊，理多縻費。 以中國之幣帛，供積惡之凶虜，其眾益多，非中國之利也。
I have heard that to win over distant peoples one must first secure those nearby. The people of the heartland are the foundation of the empire; the foreign tribes are but branches and leaves. To strain the root while nourishing the branches in hope of lasting peace has never succeeded. Since antiquity, wise rulers have governed the heartland through integrity and handled the frontier tribes through firmness. As the Spring and Autumn Annals says: "The Rong and Di are wolves that can never be satisfied; the civilized states are kin and must not be abandoned." Since Your Majesty took the throne, you have strengthened the foundation at home. The people prosper and the army is strong; the realm flourishes and the frontier tribes submit willingly. Yet in summoning the Turks into the empire, I see only cost and trouble, and cannot perceive the benefit. The people of Hexi have long borne the burden of frontier defense. Their prefectures are depopulated, their households few, and the Sui chaos reduced them still further. Before the Turks were subdued, they could not even farm in peace; only since the Xiongnu threat faded have they begun to return to the fields. If forced into corvée duty now, I fear further damage. In my humble judgment, I ask that these recruitment and relief efforts be halted. The regions called the wild domain are acknowledged as subjects but not absorbed within. The Zhou cherished its people and kept the barbarians at bay, and endured seven hundred years; the First Emperor treated war with the Hu lightly, and his dynasty perished within forty years. Emperor Wen of Han preserved his armies and held the frontier in peace, and the realm prospered; Emperor Wu projected power far abroad, and the empire was drained. Though he repented at Luntai, it was too late to recover. Under the Sui, early possession of Yiwu and Shanshan brought ever-rising costs—hollowing the interior to sustain the frontier, with loss and no gain. Looking back to Qin and Han and forward to the Sui, the lessons of strength and ruin are clear enough. Though Yiwu has submitted, it lies deep in the barbarian wastes. Its people are not Chinese, and its soil is mostly sand and salt. Those who declare themselves vassals should be received under loose suzerainty and kept beyond the frontier. Once they fear our strength and honor our virtue, they will remain tributaries forever—a nominal kindness that yields real gain. The Turks recently submitted en masse. Since we cannot resettle them in the Jiang-Huai to change their ways, keeping them in the interior near the capital, though generous in intent, is no plan for lasting peace. Each new defector receives five bolts of cloth and a robe; chieftains are given high rank and generous stipends—all of it a heavy drain on resources. To spend the empire's wealth feeding long-hostile barbarians only swells their numbers—to China's detriment.
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太宗納其奏。 八年，為劍南道巡省大使。 大亮激濁揚清，甚獲當時之譽。 及討吐谷渾，以大亮為河東道行軍總管。 與大總管李靖等出北路，涉青海，歷河源，遇賊於蜀渾山，接戰破之，俘其名王，虜雜畜五萬計。 以功進爵為公，賜物千段、奴婢一百五十人，悉遺親戚。 仍罄其家資，收葬五葉宗族無後者三十餘喪，送終之禮，一時稱盛。 後拜左衛大將軍。 十七年，晉王為皇太子，東宮僚屬，皆盛選重臣。 以大亮兼領太子右衛率，俄兼工部尚書，身居三職，宿衛兩宮，甚為親信。 大亮每當宿直，必通宵假寐。 太宗嘗勞之曰：「至公宿直，我便通夜安臥。」 其見任如此。 太宗每有巡幸，多令居守。 房玄齡甚重之，每稱大亮有王陵、周勃之節，可以當大位。 大亮雖位望通顯，而居處卑陋，衣服儉率。 至性忠謹，雖妻子不見其惰容。 事兄嫂有同於父母。 每懷張弼之恩，而久不能得。 弼時為將作丞，自匿不言。 大亮嘗遇諸途而識之，持弼而泣，恨相得之晚。 多推家產以遺弼，弼拒而不受。 大亮言於太宗曰：「臣有今日之榮，張弼力也。 有官爵請回。」 太宗遂遷弼為中郎將，俄代州都督。 時人皆賢大亮不背恩，而多弼不自伐也。 十八年，太宗幸洛陽，令大亮副司空玄齡居中。 尋遇疾，太宗親為調藥，馳驛賜之。 臨終上表，請停遼東之役，又言京師宗廟所在，願深以關中為意。 表成而嘆曰：「吾聞禮，男子不死婦人之手。」 於是命屏婦人，言終而卒，時五十九。 死之日，家無珠玉可以為唅，唯有米五石、布三十端。 親戚孤遺為大亮所鞠養，服之如父者十五人。 太宗為舉哀於別次，哭之甚慟，廢朝三日。 贈兵部尚書、秦州都督，謚曰懿，陪葬昭陵。
Taizong approved his memorial. In the eighth year he was appointed touring commissioner of the Jiannan Circuit. Daliang purged corruption and uplifted the honest, winning great acclaim. When the court campaigned against Tuyuhun, Daliang was appointed campaign commander of the Hedong Circuit. With Grand General Li Jing and others he took the northern route across the Qinghai Sea and through the River's Source, met the enemy at Mount Shuhun, routed them in battle, captured their chief, and took some fifty thousand head of livestock. For his achievements he was raised to duke and given a thousand bolts of goods and a hundred and fifty servants, all of which he gave away to his relatives. He also spent his entire fortune burying more than thirty childless kinsmen across five generations, and the funeral rites were praised at the time as unmatched in splendor. He was later appointed general of the Left Guard. In the seventeenth year the Prince of Jin was made crown prince, and the Eastern Palace staff were drawn from the most eminent ministers. Daliang was made Right Guard Leader of the crown prince and soon also Minister of Works, holding three posts at once while guarding both palaces by night—a man the emperor trusted deeply. On night watch Daliang always pretended to doze the whole night through. Taizong once told him with gratitude: "With you standing watch, I can sleep soundly all night. Such was the degree of trust he enjoyed. Whenever Taizong traveled, he usually left Daliang behind to hold the capital. Fang Xuanling thought highly of him and often said Daliang had the steadfastness of Wang Ling and Zhou Bo and was fit for the highest office. Though his rank and fame were great, Daliang lived in a humble house and dressed plainly. Utterly loyal by nature, he never showed his wife or children a careless face. He treated his elder brother and sister-in-law as he would his own parents. He always remembered Zhang Bi's kindness to him, but for years could not locate him. Bi was then an assistant director in the Directorate of Palace Buildings and kept himself hidden, saying nothing. Daliang once met him on the road and recognized him at once; he embraced Bi and wept, grieving that they had found each other so late. He tried again and again to give Bi his family property, but Bi refused every offer. Daliang told Taizong: "Whatever honor I enjoy today, I owe to Zhang Bi. I ask that any rank and stipend due me be given to him instead. Taizong then promoted Bi to commandant and soon appointed him governor of Daizhou. People praised Daliang for never forgetting a debt of gratitude, and admired Bi all the more for never boasting of his own merit. In the eighteenth year Taizong went to Luoyang and left Daliang in the capital as deputy to Minister of Works Fang Xuanling. He soon fell ill, and Taizong personally mixed medicine for him and sent it by express courier. On his deathbed he submitted a memorial urging an end to the Liaodong campaign and reminding the throne that the capital housed the ancestral temples and that Guanzhong deserved the deepest care. When the memorial was done he sighed and said: "The rites teach that a man must not die in a woman's hands. He then ordered the women withdrawn; he finished speaking and died, aged fifty-nine. When he died his household had no pearls or jade for the burial rite—only five shi of rice and thirty bolts of cloth. Fifteen orphaned relatives he had raised mourned him as they would a father. Taizong held mourning rites for him in a side hall, wept bitterly, and suspended court for three days. He was posthumously made Minister of War and governor of Qinzhou, given the posthumous name Yi, and buried beside Taizong at Zhaoling.
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兄子道裕，永徽中為大理卿。
His nephew Daoyu served as director of the Court of Judicature and Revision during the Yonghui reign.
35
族孫迥秀
Jiongxiu, a clansman of Daliang.
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迥秀，大亮族孫也。 祖玄明，濟州刺史。 父義本，宣州刺史。 迥秀弱冠應英材傑出舉，拜相州參軍，累轉考功員外郎。 則天雅愛其材，甚寵待之。 掌舉數年，遷鳳閣舍人。 迥秀母氏庶賤而色養過人，其妻崔氏嘗叱其媵婢，母聞之不悅，迥秀即時出之。 或止云：「賢室雖不避嫌疑，然過非出狀，何遽如此？」 迥秀曰：「娶妻本以承順顏色，顏色苟違，何敢留也？」 竟不從。 長安初，歷天官、夏官二侍郎，俄同鳳閣鸞台平章事。 則天令宮人參問其母，又嘗迎入宮中，待之甚優。 迥秀雅有文才，飲酒斗余，廣接賓朋，當時稱為風流之士。 然頗托附權幸，傾心以事張易之、昌宗兄弟，由是深為讜正之士所譏。 俄坐贓，出為廬州刺史。 景龍中，累轉鴻臚卿、修文館學士，又持節為朔方道行軍大總管。 所居宅中生芝草數莖，又有貓為犬所乳，中宗以為孝感所致，使旌其門閭。 俄代姚崇為兵部尚書，病卒。 子齊損，開元十年，與權梁山等構逆伏誅，籍沒其家也。
Jiongxiu was a distant kinsman of Daliang. His grandfather Xuanming had been governor of Jizhou. His father Yiben had been governor of Xuanzhou. At twenty Jiongxiu passed the Outstanding Talent examination, became a staff officer in Xiangzhou, and rose through the ranks to deputy director in the Ministry of Personnel. Empress Wu admired his ability and treated him with great favor. After supervising the examinations for several years, he was promoted to attendant of the Phoenix Pavilion. Though Jiongxiu's mother was of humble birth, he cared for her with exceptional devotion; when his wife Lady Cui scolded a maidservant and his mother took offense, Jiongxiu immediately divorced her. Some tried to dissuade him: "Your worthy wife's fault hardly warrants divorce—why act so abruptly? Jiongxiu replied: "One marries to please one's parents; if my mother is displeased, how can I keep her?" He would not be persuaded. At the start of the Chang'an era he served as vice director of the Ministries of Personnel and War in turn, and soon became a chief minister of the Phoenix Pavilion and Luan Terrace. Empress Wu sent palace women to inquire after his mother and once had her brought to court, treating her with exceptional kindness. Jiongxiu was a gifted writer who could drink more than a gallon of wine at a sitting and kept a wide circle of friends; contemporaries called him a man of refined taste. Yet he curried favor with the powerful and devoted himself to the brothers Zhang Yizhi and Changzong, earning the scorn of upright men. He was soon convicted of corruption and demoted to governor of Luzhou. During the Jinglong era he rose to Minister of Ceremonies and academician of the Xiunwen Hall, and also served as grand campaign commander of the Shuofang Circuit with imperial authority. Several stalks of auspicious fungus sprang up at his house, and a cat was nursed by a dog; Emperor Zhongzong took this as a sign of filial devotion and had his gate honored with an imperial commendation. He soon succeeded Yao Chong as Minister of War and died of illness. His son Qisun, in the tenth year of Kaiyuan, joined Quan Liangshan and others in a rebellion and was executed; the family's property was confiscated.
37
史臣曰：孔子雲，「邦有道，危言危行。」 如李綱直道事人，執心不回。 始對隋文，慷慨獲免； 終忤楊素，屈辱尤深。 及高祖臨朝，諫舞胡鳴玉，懷不吐不茹之節，存有始有卒之規，可謂危矣。 非逢有道，焉能免諸？ 《易》曰，「王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故」，李綱有焉。 善果幼事賢母，長為正人。 元璹於國有功，祗練邊事，承家不孝，終為匪人。 恭仁仕隋忠厚，馭眾謙恭。 破賊立功，方見仁者有勇； 掌選被斥，所謂獨正者危。 自偽歸朝，懷才遇主，連婚帝室，列位籓宣，始終無玷者鮮矣！ 師道慎密純善，怯懦無更事之名； 抑勢避嫌，署用致非才之誚。 無逸知父守節陷難，離母避逆終吉，忠信之道著矣； 絕賓客以閉府門，斷衣帶以續燈炷，廉介之志彰矣。 於乎，蜀道初開，親老地梗，至孝滅性，子道可知，不得謚為「孝」也，惜哉！ 大亮文武兼才，貞確成性。 賣馬勸農，是為政也； 投身諭賊，略也； 放奴婢從良者，仁也； 因鷹諫獵，臨終上表，忠也； 論伊吾之眾，智也； 葬五葉無後，報張弼恩，義也； 侍兄嫂如父母，孝也； 不死婦人之手，禮也； 無珠玉為唅，廉也。 房玄齡雲，大亮有王陵、周勃之節，名下無虛士矣！ 迥秀諂事權幸，爰至台司，余不足觀，清風替矣。
The Historian writes: Confucius said, "When the state follows the Way, one speaks boldly and acts boldly. Li Gang was such a man—serving with integrity, his heart never wavering. Before Emperor Wen of Sui he spoke boldly and was spared. In the end he offended Yang Su and suffered deep humiliation. When Gaozu took the throne, he remonstrated against the Hu dance and jade chimes, steadfast in principle from first to last—truly a perilous course. Had he not served a righteous sovereign, how could he have survived? The Book of Changes says, "The king's minister faces hardship after hardship—not for himself but for his sovereign"—this was Li Gang. Shangguo served a worthy mother in youth and grew into an upright man. Yuanxu served the state well on the frontier, yet was unfilial at home and in the end became a villain. Gongren served the Sui with loyal honesty and governed his men with humility. In defeating the enemy and winning merit, one sees that the benevolent can also be brave. Yet when he oversaw appointments and was driven out, one saw the truth of the saying that the upright man stands in peril. From surrender after the false Tang through finding favor, marrying into the imperial clan, and holding frontier posts—few remained unstained from start to finish! Shidao was discreet, honest, and good-hearted, yet timid and without a reputation for practical experience. In curbing influence and avoiding suspicion, his appointments drew criticism for favoring mediocrity. Wuyi honored his father's steadfastness in adversity, left his mother to escape rebellion, and was spared in the end—the path of loyalty and faithfulness was plain. In shutting his gates to visitors and tearing his sash to trim a lamp wick, his incorruptible spirit shone through. Alas! When the road to Shu was first opened, with aged parents and the land cut off, his filial devotion cost him his life—the son's duty was clear, yet he could not receive the posthumous title "Filial"—what a pity! Daliang united civil and military gifts, and uprightness was the core of his character. Selling horses to promote farming—that was good governance. Risking himself to persuade bandits—that was strategic daring. Freeing slaves and servants to live as commoners—that was benevolence. Remonstrating against the hunt by returning a hawk, and submitting a final memorial—that was loyalty. Counsel on the people of Yiwu—that was wisdom. Burying childless kinsmen across five generations and repaying Zhang Bi's kindness—that was righteousness. Treating his elder brother and sister-in-law as parents—that was filial piety. Refusing to die in a woman's hands—that was observance of ritual. Leaving no pearls or jade for his burial—that was integrity. Fang Xuanling said Daliang had the steadfastness of Wang Ling and Zhou Bo—his reputation was fully deserved! Jiongxiu flattered the powerful to reach the highest office—the rest is not worth recounting; a stain upon the age's integrity.
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贊曰：李綱守道，言行俱危。 善果母訓，清貞是資。 元璹父子，要道何虧。 恭仁獨正，令德無違。 師道慎密，抑勢見機。 無逸廉介，終於孝思。 大亮才德，陵、勃名隨。 迥秀托附，實污台司。
In praise: Li Gang held to the Way—perilous in word and deed alike. Shangguo drew on his mother's teaching; purity and integrity were his foundation. Yuanxu, father and son—what essential virtue did they not betray? Gongren stood alone in integrity; his noble conduct never faltered. Shidao was discreet and cautious; in curbing influence he knew when to act. Wuyi was incorruptible and upright, and died in filial devotion. Daliang's talent and virtue—worthy of the names Wang Ling and Zhou Bo. Jiongxiu clung to patrons—in truth he disgraced the highest office.