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李靖客師令問彥芳
Li Jing — with sections on Keshe, Lingwen, and Yanfang.
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李勣孫敬業
Li Ji — with a section on Sun Jingye.
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李靖,本名藥師,雍州三原人也。 祖崇義,後魏殷州刺史、永康公。 父詮,隋趙郡守。 靖姿貌瑰偉,少有文武材略,每謂所親曰:「大丈夫若遇主逢時,必當立功立事,以取富貴。」 其舅韓擒虎,號為名將,每與論兵,未嘗不稱善,撫之曰:「可與論孫、吳之術者,惟斯人矣。」 初仕隋為長安縣功曹,後歷駕部員外郎。 左僕射楊素、吏部尚書牛弘皆善之。 素嘗拊其床謂靖曰:「卿終當坐此。」 大業末,累除馬邑郡丞。 會高祖擊突厥於塞外,靖察高祖,知有四方之志,因自鎖上變,將詣江都,至長安,道塞不通而止。 高祖克京城,執靖將斬之,靖大呼曰:「公起義兵,本為天下除暴亂,不欲就大事,而以私怨斬壯士乎!」 高祖壯其言,太宗又固請,遂舍之。 太宗尋召入幕府。 武德三年,從討王世充,以功授開府。 時蕭銑據荊州,遣靖安輯之。 輕騎至金州,遇蠻賊數萬,屯聚山谷。 廬江王瑗討之,數為所敗。 靖與瑗設謀擊之,多所克獲。 既至硤州,阻蕭銑,久不得進。 高祖怒其遲留,陰敕硤州都督許紹斬之。 紹惜其才,為之請命,於是獲免。 會開州蠻首冉肇則反,率眾寇夔州,趙郡王孝恭與戰,不利。 靖率兵八百,襲破其營,後又要險設伏,臨陣斬肇則,俘獲五千餘人。 高祖甚悅,謂公卿曰:「朕聞使功不如使過,李靖果展其效。」 因降璽書勞曰:「卿竭誠盡力,功效特彰。 遠覽至誠,極以嘉賞,勿憂富貴也。」 又手敕靖曰:「既往不咎,舊事吾久忘之矣。」 四年,靖又陳十策以圖蕭銑。 高祖從之,授靖行軍總管,兼攝孝恭行軍長史。 高祖以孝恭未更戎旅,三軍之任,一以委靖。 其年八月,集兵於夔州。 銑以時屬秋潦,江水泛漲,三峽路險,必謂靖不能進,遂休兵不設備。 九月,靖乃率師而進,將下峽,諸將皆請停兵以待水退,靖曰:「兵貴神速,機不可失。 今兵始集,銑尚未知,若乘水漲之勢,倏忽至城下,所謂疾雷不及掩耳,此兵家上策。 縱彼知我,倉卒徵兵,無以應敵,此必成擒也。」 孝恭從之,進兵至夷陵。 銑將文士弘率精兵數萬屯清江,孝恭欲擊之,靖曰:「士弘,銑之健將,士卒驍勇,今新失荊門,盡兵出戰,此是救敗之師,恐不可當也。 宜自泊南岸,勿與爭鋒,待其氣衰,然後奮擊,破之必矣。」 孝恭不從,留靖守營,率師與賊合戰。 孝恭果敗,奔於南岸。 賊舟大掠,人皆負重。 靖見其軍亂,縱兵擊破之,獲其舟艦四百餘艘,斬首及溺死將萬人。 孝恭遣靖率輕兵五千為先鋒,至江陵,屯營於城下。 士弘既敗,銑甚懼,始徵兵於江南,果不能至。 孝恭以大軍繼進,靖又破其驍將楊君茂、鄭文秀,俘甲卒四千餘人,更勒兵圍銑城。 明日,銑遣使請降,靖即入據其城,號令嚴肅,軍無私焉。 時諸將咸請孝恭云:「銑之將帥與官軍拒戰死者,罪狀既重,請籍沒其家,以賞將士。」 靖曰:「王者之師,義存吊伐。 百姓既受驅逼,拒戰豈其所願? 且犬吠非其主,無容同叛逆之科,此蒯通所以免大戮於漢祖也。 今新定荊、郢,宜弘寬大,以慰遠近之心,降而籍之,恐非救焚拯溺之義。 但恐自此已南城鎮,各堅守不下,非計之善。」 於是遂止。 江、漢之域,聞之莫不爭下。 以功授上柱國,封永康縣公,賜物二千五百段。 詔命檢校荊州刺史,承制拜授。 乃度嶺至桂州,遣人分道招撫,其大首領馮盎、李光度、寧真長等皆遣子弟來謁,靖承製授其官爵。 凡所懷輯九十六州,戶六十餘萬。 優詔勞勉,授嶺南道撫慰大使,檢校桂州總管。 十六年,輔公祏於丹陽反,詔孝恭為元帥、靖為副以討之,李勣、任瑰、張鎮州、黃君漢等七總管並受節度。 師次舒州,公礻石遣將馮惠亮率舟師三萬屯當涂,陳正通、徐紹宗領步騎二萬屯青林山,仍於梁山連鐵鎖以斷江路,築卻月城,延袤十餘里,與惠亮為犄角之勢。 孝恭集諸將會議,皆云:「惠亮、正通並握強兵,為不戰之計,城柵既固,卒不可攻。 請直指丹陽,掩其巢穴,丹陽既破,惠亮自降。」 孝恭欲從其議。 靖曰:「公祏精銳,雖在水陸二軍,然其自統之兵,亦皆勁勇。 惠亮等城柵尚不可攻,公祏既保石頭,豈應易拔? 若我師至丹陽,留停旬月,進則公祏未平,退則惠亮為患,此便腹背受敵,恐非萬全之計。 惠亮、正通皆是百戰餘賊,必不憚於野戰,止為公祏立計,令其持重,但欲不戰,以老我師。 今欲攻其城柵,乃是出其不意,滅賊之機,唯在此舉。」 孝恭然之。 靖乃率黃君漢等先擊惠亮,苦戰破之,殺傷乃溺死者萬餘人,惠亮奔走。 靖率輕兵先至丹陽,公祏大懼。 先遣偽將左遊仙領兵守會稽以為引援,公祏擁兵東走,以趨遊仙,至吳郡,與惠亮、正通並相次擒獲,江南悉平。 於是置東南道行台,拜靖行台兵部尚書,賜物千段、奴婢百口、馬百匹。 其年,行台廢,又檢校揚州大都督府長史。 丹陽連罹兵寇,百姓凋弊,靖鎮撫之,吳、楚以安。 八年,突厥寇太原,以靖為行軍總管,統江淮兵一萬,與張瑾屯大谷。 時諸軍不利,靖眾獨全。 尋檢校安州大都督。 高祖每云:「李靖是蕭銑、輔公祏膏肓,古之名將韓、白、衛、霍,豈能及也!」 九年,突厥莫賀咄設寇邊,征靖為靈州道行軍總管。 頡利可汗入涇陽,靖率兵倍道趨豳州,邀賊歸路,既而與虜和親而罷。
Li Jing, whose original name was Yaoshi, came from Sanyuan in Yong Province. His grandfather Chongyi had served as Governor of Yin Prefecture under the Later Wei and held the title Duke of Yongkang. His father Quan had been Administrator of Zhao Commandery in Sui times. Jing was imposing in build and bearing and showed civil and military ability from an early age. He often told those close to him, "When a man of stature finds his sovereign and his moment, he must win merit and make his mark to earn wealth and rank." His uncle by marriage, Han Qinhu, a general of celebrated name, would discuss warfare with him and unfailingly speak well of him, patting his shoulder and saying, "Of all those with whom one could discuss the strategies of Sunzi and Wuzi, this is the man." He first entered Sui service as records clerk in Chang'an County and later rose to vice director in the imperial transport office. The Left Vice Director Yang Su and the Minister of Personnel Niu Hong both took a liking to him. Yang Su once patted his own seat and told Jing, "You will one day sit in this place." Toward the end of the Daye era he was appointed, after several promotions, assistant magistrate of Mayi Commandery. When Gaozu was campaigning against the Turks beyond the passes, Jing sized him up and saw that he harbored empire-wide ambitions. Jing therefore put himself in chains and prepared a denunciation to carry to the Sui emperor at Jiangdu, but when he reached Chang'an the roads were blocked and he went no farther. After Gaozu took the capital he seized Jing and was about to execute him. Jing shouted, "You raised your army to rid the realm of tyranny and chaos — will you abandon the great cause and kill a able man over a private grievance?" Gaozu was struck by his boldness, and Taizong pleaded insistently on his behalf, so he was spared. Taizong soon brought him onto his staff. In Wude year 3 he took part in the campaign against Wang Shichong and, for his service, was made a Champion of the state. Xiao Xian then held Jingzhou, and Jing was dispatched to pacify the region. Riding with a light force he reached Jin Prefecture and found tens of thousands of tribal raiders massed in the mountain valleys. The Prince of Lujiang, Yuan, had attacked them but had been beaten back again and again. Jing and Yuan laid a plan together and struck them, winning many victories and much booty. Once he reached Xia Prefecture he was blocked by Xiao Xian and could not advance for a long time. Gaozu was furious at the delay and secretly ordered the commissioner of Xia Prefecture, Xu Shao, to put him to death. Xu Shao valued his ability and pleaded for his life, and so he was spared. About then the tribal leader of Kai Prefecture, Ran Zhaize, rebelled and led his followers against Qie Prefecture. The Prince of Zhao Commandery, Xiaogong, met him in battle but fared badly. Jing led eight hundred men in a surprise attack that broke their camp. Later he laid an ambush in difficult terrain, slew Zhaize in the fighting, and took more than five thousand prisoners. Gaozu was delighted and told his ministers, "They say it is better to use a man's fault than his merit — Li Jing has proved it." He sent down an imperial letter of praise: "You have given your utmost loyalty and effort, and your achievements stand out. Reading your devotion from afar, I reward you most highly — have no fear for your fortune and rank." He also wrote Jing a personal edict: "The past is not held against you — I have long forgotten the old affair." In year 4 Jing submitted ten stratagems for bringing down Xiao Xian. Gaozu accepted the plan and made Jing campaign commander, with concurrent duty as chief clerk on Xiaogong's staff. Because Xiaogong had little field experience, Gaozu entrusted the entire army to Jing. That August he gathered his forces at Qie Prefecture. Xiao Xian reckoned that autumn floods had swollen the Yangzi, that the Three Gorges were impassable, and that Jing could not advance — so he stood his army down and made no preparations. In the ninth month Jing led his army forward. As they were about to enter the gorges, every general urged a halt until the floods subsided. Jing said, "War prizes speed — the moment must not be lost. Our forces have only just gathered and Xian does not yet know it. If we ride the flood and reach his walls in a flash, it will be like thunder before he can cover his ears — the supreme stratagem of war. Even if he learns of us, he cannot levy troops in time to meet us — we are sure to take him." Xiaogong agreed and pushed on to Yiling. Xiao Xian's general Wen Shihong had tens of thousands of crack troops at Qingjiang. Xiaogong wanted to attack at once. Jing said, "Shihong is Xian's best commander and his men fight fiercely. Having just lost Jingmen, he has thrown his whole force into the field — an army fighting to reverse defeat. I fear we cannot face them head-on. We should anchor on the south bank and refuse battle until their ardor fades, then strike hard — and we are sure to break them." Xiaogong would not listen. He left Jing to hold the camp and led his army into battle. Xiaogong was indeed beaten and fled to the south bank. The enemy ships looted freely and every man was weighed down with plunder. Seeing their ranks in disorder, Jing loosed his troops and routed them, taking more than four hundred vessels and killing nearly ten thousand by blade and drowning. Xiaogong sent Jing ahead with five thousand light troops. Reaching Jiangling, he pitched camp below the walls. With Shihong defeated, Xian was terrified and only then began raising troops south of the river — but they never arrived. Xiaogong came up with the main force. Jing defeated Xian's crack generals Yang Junmao and Zheng Wenxiu, took more than four thousand armored men prisoner, and pressed the siege of Xian's city. The next day Xian sent envoys to surrender. Jing entered the city at once, enforced strict discipline, and allowed no private looting. The generals all urged Xiaogong: "Xian's officers who died fighting us are guilty of grave crimes — let us confiscate their households to reward the troops." Jing said, "The army of a true king exists to succor the suffering and punish the guilty. The people were driven to fight — how could resistance have been their wish? Besides, a dog barks at a stranger, not its master — they cannot be classed with rebels. That is why Kuai Tong escaped execution under the Han founder. Jing and Ying are newly pacified — we should show magnanimity to reassure hearts near and far. To confiscate the property of men who have surrendered is hardly the spirit of rescuing those in fire and flood. I fear only that from this day every southern town will hold out stubbornly — that would be poor policy." The proposal was dropped. Throughout the Jiang and Han regions, every district rushed to submit on hearing of it. For his service he was made Pillar of the State, enfeoffed as Duke of Yongkang County, and given two thousand five hundred bolts of silk. He was ordered to serve as acting Inspector of Jing Prefecture with authority to appoint and invest officials on the emperor's behalf. He crossed the ranges into Gui Prefecture and sent parties by several routes to win over the tribes. The great chieftains Feng Ang, Li Guangdu, Ning Zhenchang, and others all sent sons or younger brothers to pay court, and Jing invested them with offices and titles by imperial commission. In all he brought ninety-six prefectures and more than six hundred thousand households into allegiance. An edict of praise and encouragement appointed him Pacification Commissioner for the Lingnan circuit and acting commander of Gui Prefecture. In year 16 Fu Gongshi rebelled at Danyang. Xiaogong was named supreme commander with Jing as his deputy to suppress him. Li Ji, Ren Gui, Zhang Zhenzhou, Huang Junhan, and six other commanders were all placed under their command. The army halted at Shu Prefecture. Gongshi sent Feng Huiliang with thirty thousand river troops to hold Dangtu, while Chen Zhengtong and Xu Shaozong held Qinglin Mountain with twenty thousand foot and horse. At Liang Mountain they stretched iron chains across the river, built the Receding Moon fortress for more than ten li, and formed a pincer with Huiliang's fleet. Xiaogong called a council of his generals. All said, "Huiliang and Zhengtong hold strong forces and mean to avoid battle. Their fortifications are too solid to storm. Let us march straight on Danyang and strike their nest. Once Danyang falls, Huiliang will surrender of his own accord." Xiaogong was inclined to agree. Jing said, "Gongshi's best troops may be split between river and land, but the men he leads himself are all crack fighters. If Huiliang's fortifications cannot be taken, how can we expect to pluck Gongshi easily from Stone City? If we reach Danyang and linger half a month, Gongshi will still stand before us while Huiliang threatens our rear — we would be caught between two fires. That is no sure plan. Huiliang and Zhengtong are hardened veterans and are not afraid of field battle. They act only for Gongshi's sake, counseling him to stand on the defensive and wear our army down without fighting. To strike their fortifications now is to catch them unawares — our chance to destroy the rebels lies in this move alone." Xiaogong agreed. Jing led Huang Junhan and others against Huiliang first. After a hard fight he broke the enemy fleet, killing or drowning more than ten thousand men, and Huiliang fled. Jing pressed ahead with light troops to Danyang, and Gongshi was terrified. He sent the rebel general Zuo Youxian to hold Kuaiji as a reserve and fled east with his army to join him. At Wu Commandery he was captured, followed in turn by Huiliang and Zhengtong, and the entire south was pacified. The Southeast Circuit Executive was then established, and Jing was made its Minister of War, with gifts of a thousand bolts of silk, a hundred slave women, and a hundred horses. That year the executive was abolished, and he was made acting chief administrator of the Yangzhou metropolitan command. Danyang had suffered repeated warfare and the people were destitute. Jing pacified the region, and Wu and Chu were restored to calm. In year 8 the Turks raided Taiyuan. Jing was made campaign commander of ten thousand troops from the Jiang and Huai regions and, with Zhang Jin, encamped at Dagu Valley. While other armies fared badly, Jing's force alone came through unscathed. He was soon made acting metropolitan commander of An Prefecture. Gaozu often said, "Li Jing was the mortal sickness of Xiao Xian and Fu Gongshi — how could the great captains of old, Han Xin, Bai Qi, Wei Qing, and Huo Qubing, match him?" In year 9 the Turkic khan Mohezhuo raided the frontier, and Jing was summoned as campaign commander on the Lingzhou route. When Khan Jieli reached Jingyang, Jing forced his march to Bin Prefecture to cut the Turks' retreat. Soon afterward a marriage alliance was concluded with the nomads and the campaign ended.
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太宗嗣位,拜刑部尚書,並錄前後功,賜實封四百戶。 貞觀二年,以本官兼檢校中書令。 三年,轉兵部尚書。 突厥諸部離叛,朝廷將圖進取,以靖為代州道行軍總管,率驍騎三千,自馬邑出其不意,直趨惡陽嶺以逼之。 突利可汗不虞於靖,見官軍奄至,於是大懼,相謂曰:「唐兵若不傾國而來,靖豈敢孤軍而至?」 一日數驚。 靖候知之,潛令間諜離其心腹,其所親康蘇密來降。 四年,靖進擊定襄,破之,獲隋齊王暕之子楊正道及煬帝蕭后,送於京師,可汗僅以身遁。 以功進封代國公,賜物六百段及名馬、寶器焉。 太宗嘗謂曰:「昔李陵提步卒五千,不免身降匈奴,尚得書名竹帛。 卿以三千輕騎深入虜庭,克復定襄,威振北狄,古今所未有,足報往年渭水之役。」 自破定襄後,頡利可汗大懼,退保鐵山,遣使入朝謝罪,請舉國內附。 又以靖為定襄道行軍總管,往迎頡利。 頡利雖外請朝謁,而潛懷猶豫。 其年二月,太宗遣鴻臚卿唐儉、將軍安修仁慰諭,靖揣知其意,謂將軍張公謹曰:「詔使到彼,虜必自寬。 遂選精騎一萬,齎二十日糧,引兵自白道襲之。」 公謹曰:「詔許其降,行人在彼,未宜討擊。」 靖曰:「此兵機也,時不可失,韓信所以破齊也。 如唐儉等輩,何足可惜。」 督軍疾進,師至陰山,遇其斥候千餘帳,皆俘以隨軍。 頡利見使者,大悅,不虞官兵至也。 靖軍將逼其牙帳十五里,虜始覺。 頡利畏威先走,部眾因而潰散。 靖斬萬餘級,俘男女十餘萬,殺其妻隋義成公主。 頡利乘千里馬將走投吐谷渾,西道行軍總管張寶相擒之以獻。 俄而突利可汗來奔,遂復定襄、常安之地,斥土界自陰山北至於大漠。 太宗初聞靖破頡利,大悅,謂侍臣曰:「朕聞主憂臣辱,主辱臣死。 往者國家草創,太上皇以百姓之故,稱臣於突厥,朕未嘗不痛心疾首,志滅匈奴,坐不安席,食不甘味。 今者暫動偏師,無往不捷,單于款塞,恥其雪乎!」 於是大赦天下,酺五日。 御史大夫溫彥博害其功,譖靖軍無綱紀,致令虜中奇寶,散於亂兵之手。 太宗大加責讓,靖頓首謝。 久之,太宗謂曰:「隋將史萬歲破達頭可汗,有功不賞,以罪致戮。 朕則不然,當赦公之罪,錄公之勳。」 詔加左光祿大夫,賜絹千匹,真食邑通前五百戶。 未幾,太宗謂靖曰:「前有人讒公,今朕意已悟,公勿以為懷。」 賜絹二千匹,拜尚書右僕射。 靖性沉厚,每與時宰參議,恂恂然似不能言。 八年,詔為畿內道大使,伺察風俗。 尋以足疾上表乞骸骨,言甚懇至。 太宗遣中書侍郎岑文本謂曰:「朕觀自古已來,身居富貴,能知止足者甚少。 不問愚智,莫能自知,才雖不堪,強欲居職,縱有疾病,猶自勉強。 公能識達大體,深足可嘉,朕今非直成公雅志,欲以公為一代楷模。」 乃下優詔,加授特進,聽在第攝養。 賜物千段、尚乘馬兩匹,祿賜、國官府佐,並依舊給,患若小瘳,每三兩日至門下、中書平章政事。 九年正月,賜靖靈壽杖,助足疾也。 未幾,吐谷渾寇邊,太宗顧謂侍臣曰:「得李靖為帥,豈非善也!」 靖乃見房玄齡曰:「靖雖年老,固堪一行。」 太宗大悅,即以靖為西海道行軍大總管,統兵部尚書、任城王道宗、涼州都督李大亮、右衛將軍李道彥、利州刺史高甑生等三總管征之。 九年,軍次伏俟城,吐谷渾燒去野草,以餧我師,退保大非川,諸將咸言春草未生,馬已羸瘦,不可赴敵。 唯靖決計而進,深入敵境,遂逾積石山。 前後戰數十合,殺傷甚眾,大破其國。 吐谷渾之眾遂殺其可汗來降,靖又立大寧王慕容順而還。 初,利州刺史高甑生為鹽澤道總管,以後軍期,靖薄責之,甑生因有憾於靖。 及是,與廣州都督府長史唐奉義告靖謀反。 太宗命法官按其事,甑生等竟以誣罔得罪。 靖乃闔門自守,杜絕賓客,雖親戚不得妄進。 十一年,改封衛國公,授濮州刺史,仍令代襲,例竟不行。 十四年,靖妻卒,有詔墳塋制度,依漢衛、霍故事; 築闕象突厥內鐵山、吐谷渾內積石山形,以旌殊績。 十七年,詔圖畫靖及趙郡王孝恭等二十四人於凌煙閣。 十八年,帝幸其第問疾,仍賜絹五百匹,進位衛國公、開府儀同三司。 太宗將伐遼東,召靖入閣,賜坐御前,謂曰:「公南平吳會,北清沙漠,西定慕容,唯東有高麗未服,公意如何?」 對曰:「臣往者憑藉天威,薄展微效,今殘年朽骨,唯擬此行。 陛下不棄,老臣病期瘳矣。」 太宗愍其羸老,不許。 二十三年,薨於家,年七十九。 冊贈司徒、并州都督,給班劍四十人、羽葆鼓吹,陪葬昭陵,謚曰景武。 子德謇嗣,官至將作少匠。
When Taizong succeeded to the throne, Jing was appointed Minister of Punishments. His past and present achievements were recorded together, and he received a substantive fief of four hundred households. In Zhenguan year 2 he was made acting Director of the Central Secretariat while retaining his existing post. In year 3 he was transferred to Minister of War. As the Turkic tribes broke away, the court prepared an offensive and made Jing campaign commander on the Daizhou route. He led three thousand elite horsemen from Mayi in a surprise march straight to Wuyang Ridge to press the enemy. Khan Tuli had not expected Jing. When the imperial army appeared without warning, he was terrified and his men said to one another, "If the Tang had not sent their full strength, how would Jing dare come alone?" They were alarmed several times in a single day. Jing saw his chance and secretly sent agents to sow discord among the khan's inner circle. Tuli's close associate Kang Sumi came over to the Tang. In year 4 Jing advanced against Dingxiang and took it, capturing the Sui prince Yang Zhengdao, son of Prince of Qi Yang Zhao, and Empress Xiao of Emperor Yang, whom he sent to the capital. The khan escaped with only his own person. For this achievement he was advanced to Duke of Dai, with six hundred bolts of silk, fine horses, and precious vessels. Taizong once told him, "Long ago Li Ling led five thousand foot soldiers yet still fell captive to the Xiongnu — and his name was written into history nonetheless. You took three thousand light horsemen deep into the steppe, recovered Dingxiang, and shook the northern tribes — a feat unmatched in any age, and enough to answer for the battle at the Wei River years ago." After the fall of Dingxiang, Khan Jieli was terrified. He withdrew to Iron Mountain, sent envoys to court to confess his crimes, and asked to submit his whole people. Jing was again made campaign commander on the Dingxiang route and sent to receive Jieli. Though Jieli asked to come to court, he still hesitated in secret. That February Taizong sent the Grand Master of Ceremonies Tang Jian and General An Xiuren to reassure him. Jing read his mind and told General Zhang Gongjin, "When the envoys arrive, the Turks will surely let down their guard. He chose ten thousand elite horsemen, loaded twenty days' rations, and led them down the White Route in a surprise attack." Zhang Gongjin said, "The throne has already accepted their surrender, and our envoys are among them. It is not yet the time to strike." Jing replied, "This is the chance war gives us, and the moment will not wait. It is how Han Xin destroyed Qi. As for men like Tang Jian, they are hardly worth grieving over." He drove the army forward at full speed. When they reached Yinshan they overran more than a thousand Turk scout camps and took every man captive to march with the column. Jieli welcomed the envoys in high spirits, never imagining that imperial troops were already near. Not until Jing's army was within fifteen li of the khan's camp did the Turks realize what was happening. Jieli fled ahead of the rest, terrified by their strength, and his host collapsed in rout. Jing's men took more than ten thousand heads and over a hundred thousand captives, and killed Jieli's wife, the Sui princess Yicheng. Jieli fled on a swift horse toward Tuyuhun, but Zhang Baoxiang, commander on the western route, captured him and sent him in. Soon afterward Khan Tuli came over to the Tang side. Dingxiang and Chang'an were restored, and the border was pushed from Yinshan north to the edge of the desert. When Taizong first heard that Jing had broken Jieli, he was overjoyed and told his ministers, "They say that when the ruler is troubled, the minister feels shame, and when the ruler is shamed, the minister should die. When the dynasty was first being built, the Retired Emperor bowed to the Turks for the people's sake. I have never ceased to burn with shame and rage, longing to destroy them, unable to rest in my seat or taste my food. Now a single wing of the army has moved out and won everywhere it went. The chanyu has come to the frontier in submission—has that shame not been wiped clean!" He then granted a general amnesty to the empire and declared five days of celebration. Censor-in-Chief Wen Yanbo, jealous of Jing's victory, accused him of letting his troops run wild so that the Turks' rare treasures fell into the hands of looting soldiers. Taizong sharply reproached him, and Jing prostrated himself in apology. Some time later Taizong told him, "Under the Sui, the general Shi Wansui defeated Khan Datou, but his merit went unrewarded and he was executed on a false charge. I am not like that. I will pardon your faults and honor your achievements." An edict appointed him Left Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, gave him a thousand bolts of silk, and confirmed his permanent fief at five hundred households in all. Before long Taizong told Jing, "Someone slandered you before, but I see clearly now. Do not let it weigh on you." He gave him two thousand bolts of silk and made him Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. Jing was grave and reserved by nature. In council with the chief ministers he was so deferential that he seemed barely able to speak at all. In the eighth year he was appointed envoy of the metropolitan circuit to inspect local customs. Soon afterward he petitioned to retire on account of a foot ailment, in language of deep sincerity. Taizong sent the Vice Director of the Secretariat, Cen Wenben, to tell him, "From ancient times until now, I have seen few men who stood in wealth and power and knew when they had enough. Wise or foolish, almost none can judge themselves honestly. Even when unfit for office they cling to rank, and even when ill they drag themselves back to duty. You understand the larger truth, and that is deeply admirable. I am not only granting your wish; I mean to hold you up as a model for your whole generation." He then issued a gracious edict, promoted him to Special Advance, and allowed him to convalesce at home. He gave him a thousand lengths of goods and two horses from the imperial stables. Salary, perquisites, and household staff were unchanged. If his illness eased, he was to attend deliberations at the Secretariat and Chancellery every few days. In the first month of the ninth year he gave Jing a cane of lingzhi wood to help him with his foot ailment. Before long Tuyuhun raided the border. Taizong turned to his ministers and said, "If only we could have Li Jing as commander—would that not be ideal!" Jing went to Fang Xuanling and said, "I am old, but I am still equal to one more campaign." Taizong was delighted and at once made Jing grand campaign commander on the Western Sea route, putting him over Minister of War Prince Daozong of Rencheng, Liangzhou commander Li Daliang, General of the Right Guard Li Daoyan, Li Prefecture governor Gao Zengsheng, and the other route commanders for the expedition. That year the army reached Fuqi City. Tuyuhun burned the pasture to starve the Tang horses and fell back on Da Feichuan. The generals all said the spring grass had not yet come in, the horses were already thin, and they could not advance to fight. Jing alone decided to press on. He drove deep into enemy country and crossed Jishi Mountain. In dozens of engagements they killed and wounded vast numbers of the enemy and broke Tuyuhun's power. The Tuyuhun then killed their own khan and submitted. Jing installed Prince Ning of Dading, Murong Shun, as ruler and marched home. Earlier, when Li Prefecture governor Gao Zengsheng served as commander on the Salt Marsh route, he had arrived late. Jing rebuked him lightly, and from that Zengsheng nursed a grudge. Now he joined with Tang Fengyi, chief clerk of the Guangzhou area command, in accusing Jing of plotting rebellion. Taizong ordered a judicial inquiry, and Zengsheng and his accomplices were convicted of slander. Jing then shut his gates and withdrew from the world. He refused all visitors, and even kinsmen were not allowed in without good reason. In the eleventh year he was re-created Duke of Wei and made governor of Pu Prefecture. Hereditary succession was again ordered, but the practice was never actually applied. In the fourteenth year Jing's wife died. An edict ordered that her tomb be laid out after the Han precedents of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing; and a gate-tower was built in the forms of Iron Mountain among the Turks and Jishi Mountain in Tuyuhun, to honor his extraordinary victories. In the seventeenth year an edict ordered portraits of Jing, Prince Xiaogong of Zhao Commandery, and twenty-two others painted in the Lingyan Pavilion. In the eighteenth year the emperor visited his home to ask after his health, gave him five hundred bolts of silk, and promoted him to Duke of Wei with the privilege of an office equal to the Three Excellencies. When Taizong prepared to campaign against Liaodong, he summoned Jing to the inner hall, seated him before the throne, and said, "You pacified the south, cleared the northern desert, and settled the Murong westward. Only Goguryeo in the east still defies us. What do you think?" Jing answered, "In the past I borrowed the emperor's might and achieved a little. Now, though I am old bones in my last years, this is the campaign I have my heart set on. If Your Majesty does not cast me aside, even this old man's illness may yet mend." Taizong, moved by pity for his frail age, refused. In the twenty-third year he died at home, at the age of seventy-nine. He was posthumously created Minister of Education and area commander of Bingzhou, granted forty ceremonial guards and an imperial funeral escort, buried beside Zhaoling, and given the posthumous name Jingwu. His son Deqian succeeded him and rose to vice director of palace construction.
5
靖弟客師,貞觀中,官至右武衛將軍,以戰功累封丹陽郡公。 永徽初,以年老致仕,性好馳獵,四時從禽,無暫止息。 有別業在昆明池南,自京城之外,西際澧水,鳥獸皆識之,每出則鳥鵲隨逐而噪,野人謂之「鳥賊」。 總章中卒,年九十餘。
Jing's younger brother Keshe served in the Zhenguan era as general of the Right Martial Guard and was repeatedly enfeoffed as Duke of Danyang for his battle honors. At the start of the Yonghui era he retired on account of age. He loved the hunt and rode after game through all four seasons without pause. He kept a country estate south of Kunming Pond. From beyond the capital west to the Li River, every bird and beast knew him. Whenever he rode out, birds and magpies followed shrieking after him, and country folk called him "the Bird Thief." He died during the Zongzhang era, aged more than ninety.
6
大和中,令問孫彥芳,鳳翔府司錄參軍,詣闕進高祖、太宗所賜衛國公靖官告、敕書、手詔等十餘卷,內四卷太宗文皇帝筆跡,文宗寶惜不能釋手。 其佩筆尚堪書,金裝木匣,製作精巧。 帝並留禁中,令書工模寫本還之,賜芳絹二百匹、衣服、靴笏以酬之。
In the Dahe era Jing's descendant Yanfang, a recorder in Fengxiang Prefecture, came to court with more than ten scrolls of patents, edicts, and autograph orders that Gaozu and Taizong had given the Duke of Wei. Four bore Taizong's own hand, and Emperor Wenzong treasured them so dearly he could not put them down. Even the brush Jing had carried still wrote well, kept in an exquisitely made case of gold-mounted wood. The emperor kept them in the palace, had scribes copy them and returned the originals, and rewarded Yanfang with two hundred bolts of silk, clothing, boots, and court regalia.
7
李勣,曹州離狐人也。 隋末徙居滑州之衛南。 本姓徐氏,名世勣,永徽中,以犯太宗諱,單名勣焉。 家多僮僕,積粟數千鐘,與其父蓋皆好惠施,拯濟貧乏,不問親疏。 大業末,韋城人翟讓聚眾為盜,勣往從之,時年十七,謂讓曰:「今此土地是公及勣鄉壤,人多相識,不宜自相侵掠。 且宋、鄭兩郡,地管御河,商旅往還,船乘不絕,就彼邀截,足以自相資助。」 讓然之,於是劫公私船取物,兵眾大振。 隋遣齊郡通守張須陀率師二萬討之,勣與頻戰,竟斬須陀於陣。 初,李密亡命在雍丘,浚儀人王伯當匿於野,伯當共勣說翟讓奉密為主。 隋令王世充討密,勣以奇計敗世充於洛水之上,密拜勣為東海郡公。 時河南、山東大水,死者將半,隋帝令飢人就食黎陽,開倉賑給。 時政教已紊,倉司不時賑給,死者日數萬人。 勣言於密曰:「天下大亂,本是為飢,今若得黎陽一倉,大事濟矣。」 密乃遣勣領麾下五千人自原武濟河掩襲,即日克之,開倉恣食,一旬之間,勝兵二十萬餘。 經歲餘,宇文化及於江都弒逆,擁兵北上,直指東郡。 時越王侗即位於東京,赦密之罪,拜為太尉,封魏國公; 授勣右武候大將軍,命討化及。 密遣勣守倉城,勣於城外掘深溝以固守,化及設攻具,四面攻倉,阻塹不得至城下,勣於塹中為地道,出兵擊之,大敗而去。
Li Ji came from Lihu in Cao Prefecture. At the end of the Sui his family moved to Weinan in Hua Prefecture. His original surname was Xu and his name Shiji. In the Yonghui era, to avoid Taizong's taboo, he shortened his name to Ji. The household kept many servants and stored several thousand zhong of grain. He and his father Gai were both generous by nature, helping the poor without regard to kin or stranger. At the end of the Daye era Zhai Rang of Weicheng raised a band of rebels, and Ji joined him. He was seventeen and told Rang, "This country is yours and mine. The people know one another here. We should not prey on our own neighbors. Song and Zheng commanderies lie along the Imperial Canal, where merchants and boats pass without end. If we intercept traffic there, we can support ourselves well enough." Rang agreed. They began seizing goods from public and private boats, and their force grew rapidly. The Sui sent Zhang Xituo, administrator of Qi Commandery, against them with twenty thousand men. Ji fought him again and again and finally killed him on the field. Earlier Li Mi was a fugitive at Yongqiu, and Wang Bodang of Junyi was living in hiding. Bodang and Ji together persuaded Zhai Rang to accept Mi as leader. The Sui ordered Wang Shichong to suppress Mi. Ji defeated Shichong on the Luo with a clever stratagem, and Mi created him Duke of Donghai. Henan and Shandong were then ravaged by flood, and nearly half the people died. The Sui emperor ordered the hungry to go to Liyang for grain and opened the storehouses for relief. By then government had collapsed into chaos. The granary officials failed to distribute relief in time, and tens of thousands died each day. Ji told Mi, "The empire is in chaos because people are starving. If we can take the granary at Liyang, the great enterprise will be won." Mi sent Ji with five thousand men to cross the Yellow River from Yuanwu in a surprise attack. They took the place the same day, opened the granaries, and within ten days had more than two hundred thousand fighting men. More than a year later Yuwen Huaji murdered the emperor at Jiangdu, gathered an army, and marched north toward Dong Commandery. Prince Yue Yang Tong had then taken the throne in the Eastern Capital. He pardoned Mi, made him Grand Marshal, and created him Duke of Wei; and appointed Ji grand general of the Right Martial Guard with orders to suppress Huaji. Mi sent Ji to hold Cang City. Ji dug deep trenches outside the walls to stand firm. Huaji brought up siege engines and attacked from all sides, but the trenches kept him from the walls. Ji dug tunnels beneath the trenches, sallied out, and routed him.
8
武德二年,密為王世充所破,擁眾歸朝。 其舊境東至於海,南至於江,西至汝州,北至魏郡,勣並據之,未有所屬,謂長史郭孝恪曰:「魏公既歸大唐,今此人眾土地,魏公所有也。 吾若上表獻之,即是利主之敗,自為己功,以邀富貴,吾所恥也。 今宜具錄州縣名數及軍人戶口,總啟魏公,聽公自獻,此則魏公之功也。」 乃遣使啟密。 使人初至,高祖聞其無表,惟有啟與密,甚怪之。 使者以勣意聞奏,高祖大喜曰:「徐世勣感德推功,實純臣也。」 詔授黎陽總管、上柱國,萊國公。 尋加右武候大將軍,改封曹國公,賜姓李氏,賜良田五十頃,甲第一區。 封其父蓋為濟陰王,蓋固辭王爵,乃封舒國公,授散騎常侍、陵州刺史。 令勣總統河南、山東之兵以拒王世充。 及李密反叛伏誅,高祖以勣舊經事密,遣使報其反狀。 勣表請收葬,詔許之。 勣服衰絰,與舊僚吏將士葬密於黎山之南,墳高七仞,釋服而散,朝野義之。 而竇建德擒化及於魏縣,復進軍攻勣,力屈降之。 建德收其父,從軍為質,令勣復守黎陽。 三年,自拔歸京師。 四年,從太宗伐王世充於東都,累戰大捷。 又東略地至武牢,偽鄭州司兵沈悅請翻武牢,勣夜潛兵應接,克之。 擒其偽刺史荊王行本。 又從太宗平竇建德,降王世充,振旅而還。 論功行賞,太宗為上將,勣為下將,與太宗俱服金甲,乘戎輅,告捷於太廟。 其父自洺州與裴矩入朝,高祖見之大喜,復其官爵。 勣又從太宗破劉黑闥、徐圓朗,累遷左監門大將軍。 圓朗重據兗州反,授勣河南大總管以討之,尋獲圓朗,斬首以獻,兗州平。 七年,詔與趙郡王孝恭討輔公祏,孝恭領舟師巡江而下,勣領步卒一萬渡淮,拔其壽陽,至硤石。 公祏之將陳正通率兵十萬屯於梁山,又遣其大將馮惠亮帥水軍十萬,鎖連大艦以斷江路,仍於江西結壘,分守水陸,以御王師。 勣攻其壘,尋克之。 惠亮單舼而遁。 勣乘勝逼正通,大潰,以十餘騎奔於丹陽。 公祐棄城夜遁,勣縱騎追斬之於武康,江南悉定。 八年,突厥寇并州,命勣為行軍總管,擊之於太谷,走之。 太宗即位,拜并州都督,賜實封九百戶。 貞觀三年,為通漠道行軍總管。 至雲中,與突厥頡利可汗兵會,大戰於白道。 突厥敗,屯營於磧口,遣使請和。 詔鴻臚卿唐儉往赦之。 勣時與定襄道大總管李靖軍會,相與議曰:「頡利雖敗,人眾尚多,若走渡磧,保於九姓,道遙阻深,追則難及。 今詔使唐儉至彼,其必弛備,我等隨後襲之,此不戰而平賊矣。」 靖扼腕喜曰:「公之此言,乃韓信滅田橫之策也。」 於是定計。 靖將兵逼夜而發,勣勒兵繼進。 靖軍既至,賊營大潰,頡利與萬餘人欲走渡磧。 勣屯軍於磧口,頡利至,不得渡磧,其大酋長率其部落並降於勣,虜五萬餘口而還。 時高宗為晉王,遙領并州大都督,授勣光祿大夫,行并州大都督府長史。 父憂解,尋起復舊職。 十一年,改封英國公,代襲蘄州刺史,時並不就國,復以本官遙領太子左衛率。 勣在并州凡十六年,令行禁止,號為稱職。 太宗謂侍臣曰:「隋煬帝不能精選賢良,安撫邊境,惟解築長城以備突厥,情識之惑,一至於此! 朕今委任李世勣於并州,遂使突厥畏威遁走,塞垣安靜,豈不勝遠築長城耶?」
In the second year of Wude, Wang Shichong broke Mi's force and Mi came over to the Tang with his followers. Ji still held Mi's old domain, from the sea in the east to the Yangzi in the south, Ru Prefecture in the west, and Wei Commandery in the north, and had not yet declared for any side. He told his chief administrator Guo Xiaoke, "Since Duke Wei has submitted to Great Tang, these people and this land belong to him. If I memorialized the throne and offered it all up myself, I would be profiting from my lord's fall and claiming the credit to win rank and riches. That is what I would be ashamed to do. We should instead record every prefecture, county, soldier, and household and report the whole to Duke Wei, so that he may present it himself. Then the merit will be his." He then sent envoys to inform Mi. When the envoys first arrived, Gaozu was puzzled to find no memorial from Ji, only a report addressed to Mi. When the envoys explained Ji's intent, Gaozu was delighted and said, "Xu Shiji honors his lord and yields the credit. He is a minister of true integrity." An edict made him area commander of Liyang, Upper Pillar of State, and Duke of Lai. Soon afterward he was made grand general of the Right Martial Guard, re-created Duke of Cao, granted the imperial surname Li, and given fifty qing of good land and a first-rank mansion. His father Gai was created King of Jiyin, but Gai firmly refused a royal title and accepted instead the dukedom of Shu, with appointment as palace attendant and governor of Ling Prefecture. Ji was placed in overall command of the armies of Henan and Shandong to hold Wang Shichong at bay. When Li Mi rebelled and was executed, Gaozu, knowing Ji had once served under him, sent envoys to inform him of Mi's treason. Ji petitioned for permission to bury Mi properly, and the request was granted. Ji put on mourning dress and, with Mi's old officers and men, buried him south of Mount Li in a mound seven ren high. When the rites were done they dispersed, and all who heard of it praised his loyalty. Meanwhile Dou Jiande captured Huaji at Wei County, then marched against Ji and forced him to surrender. Jiande took Ji's father hostage with the army and ordered Ji back to the defense of Liyang. In the third year he broke free and returned to the capital. In the fourth year he followed Taizong against Wang Shichong at the Eastern Capital and won victory after victory. He also pushed east as far as Wulao. Shen Yue, registrar of the Zheng army, offered to turn the fortress, and Ji sent troops by night to meet him and took the place. He captured the Zheng prefect, Prince Jing Xingben. He then followed Taizong in defeating Dou Jiande and accepting Wang Shichong's surrender, and marched home in triumph. When rewards were given for merit, Taizong took the place of upper commander and Ji that of lower commander. Together in golden armor they rode the war chariot to report victory at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. His father came to court from Ming Prefecture with Pei Ju. Gaozu was delighted to see him and restored his office and noble title. Ji again served under Taizong against Liu Heita and Xu Yuanlang and rose by stages to general of the left gate guard. When Yuanlang again seized Yanzhou and rebelled, Ji was made grand commander of Henan to put him down. He soon captured Yuanlang, sent his head as tribute, and Yanzhou was pacified. In the seventh year he was ordered with Prince Xiaogong of Zhao to campaign against Fu Gongshi. Xiaogong led the fleet downriver while Ji crossed the Huai with ten thousand foot soldiers, took Shouyang, and advanced to Xiashi. Gongshi's general Chen Zhengtong encamped at Liangshan with a hundred thousand men. His commander Feng Huiliang brought another hundred thousand sailors, chained great warships across the river, and built fortifications on the west bank to hold both land and water against the imperial forces. Ji stormed the fort and took it shortly thereafter. Huiliang escaped alone in a small boat. Ji pressed the victory against Zhengtong and routed his force. Zhengtong fled to Danyang with barely a dozen riders. Gongshi abandoned his city and fled under cover of night. Ji sent cavalry in pursuit and killed him at Wukang, and all of Jiangnan was pacified. In the eighth year, when the Turks raided Bingzhou, Ji was made campaign commander, defeated them at Taigu, and drove them off. When Taizong came to the throne, Ji was made military governor of Bingzhou and granted a fief of nine hundred households. In Zhenguan 3 he was made commander of the campaign on the Tongmo route. At Yunzhong he met the army of the Turk khan Jieli and fought a major battle on the White Route. The Turks were beaten and encamped at Qikou, where they sent envoys suing for peace. An edict sent the Grand Master of Ceremonies Tang Jian to grant them a pardon. Ji had joined Li Jing, grand commander on the Dingxiang route, and they discussed the situation: "Jieli is defeated, but his following is still large. If he crosses the desert and takes refuge with the Nine Surnames, the way will be long and hard, and we may not catch him. With Tang Jian there on the emperor's mission, they will surely let down their guard. We can follow right behind and strike — and bring the foe to heel without a battle. Jing slapped his wrist and cried, "That is the very plan Han Xin used to destroy Tian Heng!" They settled on the plan. Jing marched his men out at nightfall and Ji brought his army up behind. When Jing's army arrived, the enemy camp collapsed. Jieli and more than ten thousand men tried to flee across the desert. Ji blocked Qikou. When Jieli arrived he could not cross the desert, and the great chieftains brought their tribes to surrender to Ji. He took more than fifty thousand captives and returned. At the time Gaozong, then Prince of Jin, was nominal grand military governor of Bingzhou. Ji was made Grand Master for Splendid Happiness and acting chief administrator of the Bingzhou governor's office. He left office to observe mourning for his father, then was soon recalled to his former post. In the eleventh year he was created Duke of Ying and was also to inherit the governorship of Qizhou in succession, but he took up neither post and remained at Bingzhou while also serving as left defender of the crown prince. Ji spent sixteen years at Bingzhou. His rule was firm and effective, and he was counted a capable governor. Taizong told his ministers, "Emperor Yang of Sui could not choose worthy men or secure the frontiers — he knew only to build the Long Wall against the Turks. What a folly of judgment! By placing Li Shiji at Bingzhou I have made the Turks fear our power and withdraw, and the frontier is quiet. Is that not better than building a distant wall?"
9
十五年,徵拜兵部尚書,未赴京,會薛延陀遣其子大度設帥騎八萬南侵李思摩部落。 命勣為朔州行軍總管,率輕騎三千追及延陀於青山,擊大破之,斬其名王一人,俘獲首領,虜五萬餘計,以功封一子為縣公。 勣時遇暴疾,驗方云,鬚灰可以療之,太宗乃自翦鬚,為其和藥。 勣頓首見血,泣以懇謝,帝曰:「吾為社稷計耳,不煩深謝。」 十七年,高宗為皇太子,轉勣太子詹事兼左衛率,加位特進,同中書門下三品。 太宗謂曰:「我兒新登儲貳,卿舊長史,今以宮事相委,故有此授。 雖屈階資,可勿怪也。」 太宗又嘗閒宴,顧勣曰:「朕將屬以幼孤,思之無越卿者。 公往不遺於李密,今豈負於朕哉!」 勣雪涕致辭,因噬指流血。 俄而沉醉,乃解御服覆之,其見委信如此。 十八年,太宗將親征高麗,授勣遼東道行軍大總管,攻破蓋牟、遼東、白崖等數城,又從太宗摧殄駐蹕陣,以功封一子為郡公。 二十年,延陀部落擾亂,詔勣將二百騎便發突厥兵討擊。 至烏德鞬山,大戰破之。 其大首領梯真達於率眾來防,其可汗咄摩支南竄於荒谷,遣通事舍人蕭嗣業招慰部領,送於京師,磧北悉定。 二十二年,轉太常卿,仍同中書門下三品。 旬日,復除太子詹事。 二十三年,太宗寢疾,謂高宗曰:「汝於李勣無恩,我今將責出之。 我死後,汝當授以僕射,即荷汝恩,必致其死力。」 乃出為疊州都督。 高宗即位,其月,召拜洛州刺史,尋加開府儀同三司,令同中書門下,參掌機密。 是歲,冊拜尚書左僕射。 永徽元年,抗表求解僕射,仍令以開府儀同三司依舊知政事。 四年,冊拜司空。 初,貞觀中,太宗以勳庸特著,嘗圖其形於凌煙閣,至是,帝又命寫形焉,仍親為之序。 顯慶三年,從幸東都,在路遇疾,帝親臨問。 麟德初,東封泰山,詔勣為封禪大使,乃從駕。 次滑州,其姊早寡,居勣舊閭,皇后親自臨問,賜以衣服,仍封為東平郡君。 又墜馬傷足,上親降問,以所乘賜之。
In the fifteenth year he was summoned as Minister of War. Before he reached the capital, the Xueyantuo sent the khan's son Dadushe south with eighty thousand horsemen against Li Simo's tribe. Ji was made campaign commander at Shuozhou. With three thousand light cavalry he caught the Xueyantuo at Qingshan, routed them, killed one of their titled princes, seized many leaders, and took more than fifty thousand captives. For this he had one son enfeoffed as a county duke. Ji fell suddenly ill. According to a tested prescription, beard ash could cure the ailment, so Taizong cut his own beard and mixed it into the medicine. Ji kowtowed until his forehead bled and wept his thanks. The emperor said, "I did it for the realm. Do not thank me overmuch. In the seventeenth year, when Gaozong became crown prince, Ji was made counselor to the crown prince and left defender, promoted to special advance, and accorded third-rank standing with the chancellors. Taizong told him, "My son is newly made heir, and you were once his chief administrator. I am entrusting the palace to you — hence this appointment. It may seem a demotion in rank, but do not be offended. At another informal banquet Taizong turned to Ji and said, "I mean to entrust my young heir to you, and I can think of no one better. You did not fail Li Mi. How could you fail me now! Ji wept as he answered and bit his finger until it bled. He soon drank himself into a stupor, and Taizong took off his own robe to cover him — such was the trust he enjoyed. In the eighteenth year Taizong prepared to lead a personal campaign against Goguryeo. Ji was made grand commander on the Liaodong route, took several cities including Gaimou, Liaodong, and Baiya, and helped Taizong break the Zhupi line. One son was enfeoffed as a commandery duke for his service. In the twentieth year the Xueyantuo tribes fell into turmoil. Ji was ordered to take two hundred horsemen and immediately mobilize Turk forces against them. At Mount Wudejian he fought a great battle and routed them. Their great chieftain Tizhen Dayu came out to oppose him, while their khan Duomozhi fled south into a wild ravine. Ji sent the interpreter-attendant Xiao Siye to win over the tribal leaders and escort them to the capital, and all north of the desert was pacified. In the twenty-second year he became minister of ceremonies while retaining third-rank standing with the chancellors. Ten days later he was again made counselor to the crown prince. In the twenty-third year, as Taizong lay ill, he told Gaozong, "You owe Li Ji nothing. I am going to demote him and send him away. After I die, promote him to vice director. Grateful for your favor, he will give you his utmost loyalty. Ji was then sent out as military governor of Diezhou. When Gaozong came to the throne, he summoned Ji that same month as governor of Luozhou, soon added the title of honorary grand general of third rank, and put him among the chancellors to share in state secrets. That year he was formally appointed left vice director of the Department of State Affairs. In Yonghui 1 he petitioned to resign as vice director but was kept in office with his honorary third-rank title and duties unchanged. In the fourth year he was appointed minister of works. Back in Zhenguan, Taizong had placed Ji's portrait in the Lingyan Pavilion for his extraordinary service. Now the emperor ordered a new portrait and wrote the inscription himself. In Xianqing 3, while accompanying the emperor to the eastern capital, he fell ill on the road and the emperor visited him in person. At the opening of the Longde era, when the emperor went east to perform the feng and shan rites on Mount Tai, Ji was made envoy for the ceremony and joined the imperial procession. At Huazhou they paused. Ji's elder sister, long a widow, lived in his old neighborhood. The empress visited her in person, gave her clothing, and created her Lady of Dongping. He also fell from his horse and hurt his foot. The emperor came to inquire in person and gave him the horse he had been riding.
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乾封元年,高麗莫離支男產為其弟男建所逐,保於國內城,遣子獻城詣闕乞師。 總章元年,命勣為遼東道行軍總管,率兵二萬略地至鴨綠水。 賊遣其弟來拒戰,勣縱兵擊敗之,追奔二百里,至於平壤城。 男建閉門不敢出,賊中諸城駭懼,多拔人眾遁走,降款者相繼。 勣又引兵圍平壤,遼東道副大總管劉仁軌、郝處俊、將軍薛仁貴並會於平壤,犄角圍之。 經月餘,克其城,虜其王高藏及男建、男產,裂其諸城,並為州縣,振旅而旋。 令勣便道以高藏及男建獻於昭陵,禮畢,備軍容入京城,獻太廟。 二年,加太子太師,增食實封通前一千一百戶。 其年寢疾,詔以勣為司衛正卿,使得視疾。 尋薨,年七十六。 帝為之舉哀,輟朝七日,贈太尉、揚州大都督,謚曰貞武,給東園秘器,陪葬昭陵。 令司平太常伯楊昉攝同文正卿監護。 及葬日,帝幸未央古城,登樓臨送,望柳車慟哭,並為設祭。 皇太子亦從駕臨送,哀慟悲感左右。 詔百官送至故城西北,所築墳一准衛、霍故事,象陰山、鐵山及烏德鞬山,以旌破突厥、薛延陀之功。 光宅元年,詔勣配享高宗廟庭。
In Qianfeng 1, Goguryeo's Nanchan was expelled by his brother Nangian and shut himself in the inner citadel. He sent his son to surrender the city and seek aid at court. In Zongzhang 1 Ji was made commander on the Liaodong route and led twenty thousand men in a sweep to the Yalu River. The enemy sent Nangian's brother to fight. Ji routed him, pursued the fleeing army two hundred li, and reached Pyongyang. Nangian shut the gates and would not come out. Cities across Goguryeo panicked; many emptied their populations in flight, and surrender followed surrender. Ji then invested Pyongyang. Liu Rengui and Hao Chujun, deputy grand commanders on the Liaodong route, and General Xue Rengui joined him there and pressed the siege from all sides. After more than a month they took the city, captured King Go Jang along with Nangian and Nanchan, carved the conquered territory into prefectures and counties, and marched home in triumph. Ji was ordered to present Go Jang and Nangian at Zhaoling by a direct route. When the rite was done he entered the capital in full martial array and offered the captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. In the second year he was made grand preceptor to the crown prince and his fief was increased to eleven hundred households in all. That year he fell bedridden with illness. An edict made him director of the palace guards and granted him leave to convalesce. He soon died, at the age of seventy-six. The emperor mourned him, suspended court for seven days, posthumously created him grand preceptor and grand military governor of Yangzhou with the posthumous title Zhenwu, granted the Eastern Garden funerary regalia, and had him buried at Zhaoling. He ordered Yang Fang, vice director of the court of imperial sacrifices, to serve as acting director and supervise the funeral. On the day of burial the emperor went to the old city of Weiyang, climbed a tower to see him off, gazed at the willow-draped bier and wept aloud, and set out offerings. The crown prince also joined the procession to see him off, and his grief moved all who were present. An edict ordered all officials to escort the bier to the northwest of the old city. The tomb mound followed the precedent of Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, with likenesses of Mount Yin, Mount Tie, and Mount Wudejian to honor his victories over the Turks and Xueyantuo. In Guangzai 1 an edict ordered Ji to share offerings in Gaozong's ancestral temple.
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勣前後戰勝所得金帛,皆散之於將士。 初得黎陽倉,就倉者數十萬人。 魏徵、高季輔、杜正倫、郭孝恪皆游其所,一見於眾人中,即加禮敬,引之臥內,談謔忘倦。 及平武牢,獲偽鄭州長史戴胄,知其行能,尋釋於竟,推薦咸至顯達,當時稱其有知人之鑑。 又,初平王世充,獲其故人單雄信,依例處死,勣表稱其武藝絕倫,若收之於合死之中,必大感恩,堪為國家盡命,請以官爵贖之。 高祖不許,臨將就戮,勣對之號慟,割股肉以啖之,曰:「生死永訣,此肉同歸於土矣。」 仍收養其子。 每行軍用師,頗任籌算,臨敵應變,動合事機。 與人圖計,識其臧否,聞其片善,扼腕而從。 事捷之日,多推功於下,以是人皆為用,所向多克捷。 洎勣之死,聞者莫不淒愴。 與弟弼特存友愛,閨門之內,肅若嚴君。 自遇疾,高宗及皇太子送藥,即取服之; 家中召醫巫,皆不許入門。 子弟固以藥進,勣謂曰:「我山東一田夫耳,攀附明主,濫居富貴,位極三台,年將八十,豈非命乎? 修短必是有期,寧容浪就醫人求活!」 竟拒而不進。 忽謂弼曰:「我似得小差,可置酒以申宴樂。」 於是堂上奏女妓,簷下列子孫。 宴罷,謂弼曰:「我自量必死,欲與汝一別耳。 恐汝悲哭,誑言似差,可未須啼泣,聽我約束。 我見房玄齡、杜如晦、高季輔辛苦作得門戶,亦望垂裕後昆,並遭痴兒破家蕩盡。 我有如許豚犬,將以付汝,汝可防察,有操行不倫、交遊非類,急即打殺,然後奏知。 又見人多埋金玉,亦不須爾。 惟以布裝露車,載我棺柩,棺中斂以常服,惟加朝服一副,死倘有知,望著此奉見先帝。 明器惟作馬五六匹,下帳用幔布為頂,白紗為裙,其中著十個木人,示依古禮芻靈之義,此外一物不用。 姬媼已下,有兒女而願住自養者,聽之; 余並放出。 事畢,汝即移入我堂,撫卹小弱。 違我言者,同於戮屍。」 此後略不復語,弼等遵行遺言。
All the gold and silk Ji won in battle he distributed among his officers and soldiers. When he first took the Liyang granary, hundreds of thousands came to its stores. Wei Zheng, Gao Jifu, Du Zhenglun, and Guo Xiaoge all visited him. Spotting them in a crowd he would at once show them honor, bring them to his private chamber, and talk and jest with them far into the night. When Wugao fell he captured Dai Zhou, chief administrator of Zheng under the Zheng regime. Recognizing his talent, he soon released him and recommended him for office; all rose to prominence, and men praised his eye for talent. Again, when Wang Shichong was first defeated he captured his old friend Shan Xiongxin, who by precedent was to be executed. Ji petitioned that Xiongxin's martial skill was unmatched, that if spared from death he would be deeply grateful and serve the state with his life, and asked to redeem him with office and rank. Gaozu refused. As Xiongxin was about to be executed, Ji wept before him, cut flesh from his own thigh and fed it to him, saying, "We part forever in life and death; let this flesh return to earth together. He also took in and raised Xiongxin's son. Whenever he took the field he relied heavily on calculation; facing the enemy he adapted swiftly, and his moves always fit the moment. When planning with others he could tell sound counsel from bad, and if he heard even a scrap of good sense he would seize upon it. When victory came he often gave the credit to his subordinates, so that all were eager to serve him and his campaigns usually succeeded. When Ji died, all who heard the news were deeply grieved. He was especially devoted to his younger brother Bi, and within the household he was as stern as a strict father. From the time he fell ill, whenever Gaozong and the crown prince sent medicine he took it at once; but if the household called in physicians or shamans he would not let them through the gate. When his sons pressed medicine on him, Ji said, "I am only a farmer from Shandong who clung to a wise sovereign and undeservedly rose to the highest rank, nearly eighty years old. Is this not heaven's decree? Life and death have their appointed span. Why should I beg doctors for more time! In the end he refused and would not take it. Suddenly he told Bi, "I think I am a little better. Let us set out wine and make merry. Musicians played in the hall while his sons and grandchildren lined up beneath the eaves. When the feast was over he told Bi, "I know I am dying and only wanted to say goodbye. I lied about feeling better because I feared your tears. Do not weep yet — hear my last commands. I have seen Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Gao Jifu painstakingly build up their houses and hope to leave comfort to their heirs — only to have witless sons squander everything. I have so many worthless sons. I leave them to you. Watch them closely: if any behaves disgracefully or keeps bad company, kill him at once and then report it. And do not bury gold and jade in my grave, as so many do. Carry my coffin only on a plain cart draped in cloth. Dress me in ordinary clothes with one court robe added, so that if the dead have awareness I may wear them to greet the late emperor. For grave goods make only five or six horses. Let the lower canopy have a curtain-cloth top and white-silk sides, with ten wooden figures inside, following the ancient custom of straw spirit-servants. Use nothing else. As for concubines and nursemaids, if any have children and wish to stay and raise them, allow it; Release all the rest as well. When all is done, move into my hall at once and look after the women and children. Whoever defies my instructions shall be treated as though his corpse were hacked apart in punishment. After that he barely spoke again. Bi and the others carried out his final wishes.
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勣少弟感,幼有志操。 李密之敗也,陷於王世充,世充逼令以書召勣,感曰:「家兄立身,不虧名節,今已事主,君臣分定,決不以感造次改圖。」 卒不肯。 世充怒,遂害焉,時年十五。 勣長子震,顯慶初官至桂州刺史,先勣卒。
Ji's younger brother Gan showed strong character even as a boy. When Li Mi was defeated, Ji was captured by Wang Shichong, who forced Gan to write summoning Ji to surrender. Gan replied, "My elder brother stands on his reputation and will not betray his honor. He already serves a lord, and the bond between ruler and subject is settled. I will never use myself to make him abruptly change course. In the end he refused. Shichong flew into a rage and had him killed. He was fifteen. Ji's eldest son Zhen became Prefect of Guizhou early in the Xianqing era and died before Ji did.
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勣孫敬業。 高宗崩,則天太后臨朝,既而廢帝為廬陵王,立相王為皇帝,而政由天后,諸武皆當權任,人情憤怨。 時給事中唐之奇貶授括蒼令,長安主簿駱賓王貶授臨海丞,詹事司直杜求仁黝縣丞,敬業坐事左授柳州司馬,其弟盩啡令敬猷亦坐累左遷,俱在揚州。 敬業用前盩啡尉魏思溫謀,據揚州。 嗣聖元年七月,敬業遣其黨監察御史薛璋先求使江都,又令雍州人韋超詣璋告變,雲「揚州長史陳敬之與唐之奇謀逆」,璋乃收敬之系獄。 居數日,敬業矯制殺敬之,自稱揚州司馬,詐言「高州首領馮子猷叛逆,奉密詔募兵進討。」 是日開府庫,令士曹參軍李宗臣解繫囚及丁役、工匠,得數百人,皆授之以甲。 錄事參軍孫處行拒命,敬業斬之以徇。 遂據揚州,鳩聚民眾,以匡復廬陵為辭。 乃開三府:一曰匡復府,二曰英公府,三曰揚州大都督府。 敬業自稱匡復府上將,領揚州大都督,以杜求仁、唐之奇、駱賓王為府屬,余皆偽署職位。 旬日之間,勝兵有十餘萬。 仍移檄諸郡縣曰:
Ji's grandson was Sun Jingye. After Emperor Gaozong's death, Empress Dowager Wu took control of the court. She soon deposed the emperor as Prince of Luling and enthroned the Prince of Xiang, but real power belonged to Wu. Members of the Wu clan held key posts, and public resentment ran deep. At the time Tang Zhiqi, a supervising secretary, had been demoted to magistrate of Kuocang; Luo Binwang, a chief clerk in Chang'an, to assistant magistrate of Linhai; Du Qiuren, a palace attendant, to assistant magistrate of You County; Jingye himself, punished for an offense, to assistant in Liuzhou; and his younger brother Jingyou, magistrate of Zhoufei, was implicated and demoted as well. All of them were in Yangzhou. Jingye, aided by Wei Siwen, former commandant of Zhoufei, seized Yangzhou. In the seventh month of the first year of Sisheng, Jingye sent his follower, Supervising Censor Xue Zhang, to obtain a mission to Jiangdu, then had a man from Yongzhou named Wei Chao report to Zhang that "Yangzhou Chief Administrator Chen Jingzhi and Tang Zhiqi are plotting rebellion." Zhang thereupon arrested Jingzhi and imprisoned him. A few days later Jingye forged an imperial order, executed Jingzhi, styled himself military adjutant of Yangzhou, and falsely announced, "Feng Ziyou, leader of Gaozhou, has rebelled. By secret edict I am raising troops to march against him. That day he opened the government stores, had army staff officer Li Zongchen free prisoners, conscript laborers, and craftsmen — several hundred men in all — and issued armor to each. Recording officer Sun Chuxing refused. Jingye beheaded him and displayed the corpse as a warning. He then held Yangzhou, gathered the people, and proclaimed the goal of restoring the Prince of Luling. He then established three headquarters: the Office of Restoration, the Duke of Ying's Office, and the Grand Military Headquarters of Yangzhou. Jingye styled himself supreme general of the Office of Restoration and commander of Yangzhou, appointed Du Qiuren, Tang Zhiqi, and Luo Binwang to his staff, and handed out the rest of the posts by false commission. Within ten days his effective forces swelled to more than a hundred thousand men. He then sent a proclamation to the commanderies and counties:
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偽臨朝武氏者,人非溫順,地實寒微。 昔充太宗下陳,嘗以更衣入侍。 洎乎晚節,穢亂春宮。 密隱先帝之私,陰圖後庭之嬖。 入門見嫉,蛾眉不肯讓人; 掩袖工讒,狐媚偏能惑主。 踐元後於翬翟,陷吾君於聚麀。 加以虺蠍為心,豺狼成性,近狎邪僻,殘害忠良,殺姊屠兄,弒君鴆母。 人神之所同嫉,天地之所不容。 猶復包藏禍心,窺竊神器。 君之愛子,幽之於別宮; 賊之宗盟,委之以重任。 嗚呼! 霍子孟之不作,硃虛侯之已亡。 燕啄皇孫,知漢祚之將盡; 龍漦帝后,識夏廷之遽衰。
The Wu woman who has unlawfully seized the throne is neither gentle by nature nor noble in birth. Once she served among Emperor Taizong's junior consorts, attending him even during his changing of robes. In her later years she corrupted the heir's palace with scandal. She concealed the late emperor's private affairs while secretly scheming for the favors of the inner palace. No sooner had she entered the palace than her beauty provoked rivalry — those arched brows would yield to no rival; She mastered the art of slander behind her sleeve; with foxlike allure she alone could bewitch her sovereign. She usurped the empress's place in full ceremonial dress and trapped our sovereign in the shame of sharing one household with a stepmother. Worse still, her heart is poison and her nature that of wolf and jackal. She keeps company with the wicked, destroys the loyal, murdered her elder sisters, slaughtered her brothers, and has even killed her sovereign and poisoned her mother. She is hated by gods and men alike and cannot be tolerated by heaven and earth. Even now she harbors treacherous intent and covets the throne itself. The emperor's beloved son she has imprisoned in a distant palace; while she gives the rebels of her own clan the weightiest offices. Alas! No Huo Guang rises to restore the throne; the Marquis of Zhuxu is long dead. As when a swallow pecked the imperial grandson, we see the dynasty's mandate nearing its end; As when dragon spittle fell upon the empress, we know a dynasty's swift collapse when we see it.
15
敬業皇唐舊臣,公侯冢胤,奉先君之成業,荷本朝之舊恩。 宋微子之興悲,良有以也; 袁君山之流涕,豈徒然哉! 是用氣憤風雲,志安社稷,因天下之失望,順宇內之推心。 爰舉義旗,誓清妖孽。 南連百越,北盡三河,鐵騎成群,玉舳相接。 海陵紅粟,倉儲之積靡窮; 江浦黃旗,匡復之功何遠! 班聲動而北風起,劍氣沖而南斗平。 喑嗚則山嶽崩頹,叱咤則風雲變色。 以此制敵,何敵不摧? 以此圖功,何功不克?
Jingye is an old servant of Tang, heir of a line of dukes and marquises, heir to his ancestors' achievements and bound by this court's ancient favors. The grief of Weizi of Song had good cause; and Yuan Junshan's tears were not shed for nothing! Therefore my spirit rises with the storm, and my purpose is to restore the realm — answering the world's disappointment and the heartfelt wish of all within the four seas. I now raise the banner of righteous revolt and swear to purge the realm of this evil. Our forces link the southern Yue lands in the south and reach the Three Rivers in the north; iron cavalry stand in massed ranks, and polished warships lie hull to hull. At Hailing the granaries overflow with rice; and on the river's banks our yellow banners fly — how distant can restoration be! When our drums roll, the north wind rises; when our swords gleam, the southern stars tremble. Our war cry will shake the mountains; our shout will darken the sky. With such a host, what foe can stand? With such an army, what goal cannot be won?
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公等或家傳漢爵,或地協周親,或膺重寄於爪牙,或受顧命於宣室。 言猶在耳,忠豈忘心? 一抔之土未乾,六尺之孤何托? 倘能轉禍為福,送往事居,共立勤王之師,無廢舊君之命,凡諸爵賞,同裂山河。 請看今日之域中,竟是誰家之天下!
Some of you inherit Han-era titles; some share blood ties with the imperial house; some were entrusted as the emperor's right arm; some received the late emperor's final command in the Xuan Room. His words still ring in your ears — can loyalty be forgotten? Before a single handful of earth has dried on the late emperor's tomb, to whom can his orphan son turn? If you would turn disaster to blessing, honor the dead and serve the living, join us in raising an army to restore the throne and keep faith with the late emperor's will, every title and reward shall be shared among us as we carve up the realm. Look upon the realm today and ask whose empire it has become!
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則天命左玉鈐衛大將軍李孝逸將兵三十萬討之,追削敬業祖、父官爵,剖墳斫棺,復本姓徐氏。 初,敬業兵集,圖其所向,薛璋曰:「金陵王氣猶在,大江設險,可以自固。 且取常、潤等州,以為霸基,然後治兵北渡。」 魏思溫曰:「兵貴神速,但宜早渡淮而北,招合山東豪傑,乘其未集,直取東都,據關決戰,此上策也。」 敬業不從。 十月,率眾渡江,攻拔潤州,殺刺史李思文。 先是,太子賢為天后所廢,死於巴州,敬業乃求狀貌似賢者,置於城中,奉之為主,雲賢本不死。 孝逸軍渡淮,至楚州,敬業之眾狼狽還江都,屯兵高郵以拒之。 頻戰大敗,孝逸乘勝追躡。 敬業奔至揚州,與唐之奇、杜求仁等乘小舸,將入海投高麗。 追兵及,皆捕獲之。 初,敬業傳檄至京師,則天讀之微哂,至「一抔之土未乾」,遽問侍臣曰:「此語誰為之?」 或對曰:「駱賓王之辭也。」 則天曰:「宰相之過,安失此人?」 中宗返正,詔曰:「故司空勣,往因敬業,毀廢墳塋。 朕追想元勳,永懷佐命。 昔竇憲干紀,無累安豐之祠; 霍禹亂常,猶全博陸之祀。 罪不相及,國之通典。 宜特垂恩禮,令所司速為起墳,所有官爵,並宜追復。」 勣諸子孫坐敬業誅殺,靡有遺胤,偶脫禍者,皆竄跡胡越。 貞元十七年,吐蕃陷麟州,驅掠民畜而去。 至鹽州西橫槽烽,蕃將號徐舍人者,環集漢俘於呼延州,謂僧延素曰:「師勿甚懼,予本漢五代孫也。 屬武太后斫喪王室,吾祖建義不果,子孫流落絕域,今三代矣。 雖代居職任,掌握兵要,然思本之心,無忘於國。 但族屬已多,無由自拔耳。 此地蕃漢交境,放師還鄉。」 數千百人,解縛而遣之。
Wu Zetian ordered Left Jade Seal Guard General Li Xiaoyi to march against them with three hundred thousand men. She posthumously stripped Jingye's grandfather and father of rank, opened their graves and coffins, and restored the family's original surname of Xu. When Jingye's forces first assembled and debated their direction, Xue Zhang said, "Jinling still holds royal auspice, and the Yangtze provides a natural barrier — we can make our stand there. Seize Chang, Run, and the other prefectures to build our base, then train the army and cross north. Wei Siwen said, "Speed is the soul of war. Cross the Huai at once and march north. Rally the magnates of Shandong, strike before the enemy gathers, seize the eastern capital, and hold the passes for the decisive battle. That is the best plan." Jingye refused. In the tenth month he crossed the Yangtze, captured Run Prefecture, and killed its prefect, Li Siwen. Earlier Crown Prince Xian had been deposed by Wu and died in Bazhou. Jingye found a man who resembled him, installed him in the city, and proclaimed him ruler, claiming Xian had never died. Li Xiaoyi's army crossed the Huai and reached Chuzhou. Jingye's beaten forces fled back to Jiangdu and made their stand at Gaoyou. After repeated defeats, Li Xiaoyi pressed his advantage in pursuit. Jingye fled to Yangzhou and, with Tang Zhiqi, Du Qiuren, and others, took a small boat, intending to put to sea and seek refuge in Goguryeo. Pursuers overtook them and took them all captive. When Jingye's proclamation first reached the capital, Wu read it with a faint smile — until she came to the line, "Before a single handful of earth has dried." She abruptly asked her ministers, "Who wrote this?" One replied, "It is Luo Binwang's wording." Wu said, "That is the fault of the chief ministers — how could they have lost a man like this?" When Emperor Zhongzong was restored, an edict said, "The late Grand Preceptor Ji, because of Jingye's rebellion, had his tomb violated. We recall his founding service and always remember his aid in establishing the dynasty. When Dou Xian rebelled, the shrine of the Marquis of Anfeng was left untouched; when Huo Yu disturbed the order of things, the sacrifices to Huo Guang were preserved. Punishment does not extend to the innocent — that is a universal principle of state. We should restore him to honor: let the proper offices rebuild his tomb at once, and restore all his ranks and titles. Ji's descendants were executed for Jingye's crime, and none survived. Those who by chance escaped fled beyond the frontier. In the seventeenth year of Zhenyuan, the Tibetans took Lin Prefecture, seized people and livestock, and withdrew. At Hengcao Beacon west of Yan Prefecture, a Tibetan officer known as Vice Director Xu gathered the Han captives at Huyanzhou and told the monk Yansu, "Do not be afraid, Master. I am a fifth-generation descendant of a Han family. When Empress Wu wrecked the dynasty, my ancestor raised a revolt and failed. His line has lived in exile ever since — three generations now. Though we hold office and command troops generation after generation, we have never forgotten our homeland. But our clan is too large — there is no way for us to escape. This is the border between Tibetan and Han lands. I release you to return home. He freed and sent home several thousand captives.
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史臣曰:近代稱為名將者,英、衛二公,誠煙閣之最。 英公振彭、黥之跡,自拔草莽,常能以義籓身,與物無忤,遂得功名始終。 賢哉,垂命之誡! 敬業不蹈貽謀,至於覆族,悲夫! 衛公將家子,綽有渭陽之風。 臨戎出師,凜然威斷。 位重能避,功成益謙。 銘之鼎鐘,何慚耿、鄧。 美哉!
The historian writes: Among the great generals of recent times, the Dukes of Ying and Wei rank highest — the finest names on the merit rolls. The Duke of Ying cast off the path of bandit kings like Peng Yue and Qing Bu, rose from humble origins, lived by duty, harmed no one, and kept his fame intact to the end. How wise were his dying instructions! Jingye ignored that legacy and brought ruin on the whole clan — a tragedy! The Duke of Wei came from a military family and bore something of the Wei clan's martial spirit. On campaign he was formidable and resolute. When power grew heavy he knew how to step aside; when success came he grew more humble. Honors engraved on bronze and bell need not pale beside Geng and Deng. Admirable indeed!
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贊曰:功以懋賞,震主則危。 辭祿避位,除猜破疑。 功定華夷,志懷忠義。 白首平戎,賢哉英、衛。
In praise: great merit earns great reward, but merit that overawes the throne brings peril. Declining rank and yielding place dispels envy and suspicion. Their deeds pacified the realm; their hearts held fast to loyalty. They fought on into old age — admirable, the Dukes of Ying and Wei.