Volume 1 Book of Later Liang 1: Taizu Annals 1

太祖神武元聖孝皇帝，姓朱氏，諱晃，本名溫，宋州碭山人。其先，舜司徒虎之後。高祖黯，曾祖茂琳，祖信，父誠。帝即誠之第三子，母曰文惠王皇后。《五代會要》：梁肅祖宣元皇帝諱黯，舜司徒虎四十二代孫；開平元年七月，追尊宣元皇帝，廟號肅祖，葬興極陵。敬祖光獻皇帝諱茂琳，宣元皇帝長子，母曰宣僖皇后范氏；開平元年七月，追尊光獻皇帝，廟號敬祖，葬永安陵。憲祖昭武皇帝諱信，光獻皇帝長子，母曰光孝皇后楊氏；開平元年七月，追尊昭武皇帝，廟號憲祖，葬光天陵。烈祖文穆皇帝諱誠，昭武皇帝長子，母曰昭懿皇后劉氏；開平元年七月，追尊文穆皇帝，廟號烈祖，葬咸寧陵。以唐大中六年歲在壬申，十月二十一日夜，生於碭山縣午溝裏。是夕，所居廬舍之上有赤氣上騰。里人望之，皆驚奔而來，曰：「朱家火發矣！」及至，則廬舍儼然。既入，鄰人以誕孩告，眾鹹異之。昆仲三人，俱未冠而孤，母攜養寄于蕭縣人劉崇之家。帝既壯，不事生業，以雄勇自負，里人多厭之。崇以其慵惰，每加譴杖。唯崇母自幼憐之，親為櫛發，嘗誡家人曰：「朱三非常人也，汝輩當善待之。」家人問其故，答曰：「我嘗見其熟寐之次，化為一赤蛇。」然眾亦未之信也。

Taizu, styled the Divine Martial, Primordially Sagely, Filial Emperor, was of the Zhu clan; his taboo name was Huang, his birth name Wen, and he came from Dangshan in Songzhou. His line traced back to Hu, Minister of Works in the age of Shun. His great-grandfather was An, his grandfather Maolin, his grandfather Xin, and his father Cheng. The emperor was Cheng's third son; his mother was known as the queen of the Cultured and Gracious King. The 《Institutional Essentials of the Five Dynasties》 records that Liang's Sagely Ancestor, Emperor Xuan Yuan, taboo name An, was forty-second in descent from Shun's Minister of Works Hu; In Kaiping 1.7 he was posthumously honored as Emperor Xuan Yuan, given the temple name Sagely Ancestor, and interred at Xingji Mausoleum. The Revered Ancestor, Emperor Guangxian, taboo Maolin, was the eldest son of Emperor Xuan Yuan; his mother was Honored Empress Xuanxi, née Fan; In Kaiping 1.7 he was posthumously honored as Emperor Guangxian, given the temple name Revered Ancestor, and buried at Yong'an Mausoleum. The Exalted Ancestor, Emperor Zhaowu, taboo Xin, was the eldest son of Emperor Guangxian; his mother was Honored Empress Guangxiao, née Yang; In Kaiping 1.7 he was posthumously honored as Emperor Zhaowu, given the temple name Exalted Ancestor, and buried at Guangtian Mausoleum. The August Ancestor, Emperor Wenmu, taboo Cheng, was the eldest son of Emperor Zhaowu; his mother was Honored Empress Zhaoyi, née Liu; In Kaiping 1.7 he was posthumously honored as Emperor Wenmu, given the temple name August Ancestor, and buried at Xianning Mausoleum. He was born on the night of the twenty-first day of the tenth month of Dazhong 6 (852), in Wugou village, Dangshan County. That night red vapor rose above the family's hut. Neighbors who saw it came running in alarm, crying, "The Zhu house is burning!" But when they reached the spot the hut stood untouched. Inside they learned a child had been born, and everyone took it for an omen. All three brothers lost their father before coming of age; their mother raised them as guests in the home of Liu Chong of Xiao County. As a young man he shunned honest work, swaggered in his strength, and was widely disliked in the neighborhood. Chong beat him often for idleness. Only Chong's mother had favored him since boyhood, combing his hair herself, and once told the family, "Zhu the Third is no ordinary man—you must treat him kindly." When they asked why, she said, "Once, while he slept soundly, I saw him become a red serpent." Still, no one quite believed her.

二年二月，巢以帝為同州防禦使，使自攻取。帝乃自丹州南行，以擊左馮翊，拔之，遂據其郡。時河中節度使王重榮屯兵數萬，糾合諸侯，以圖興復。帝時與之鄰封，屢為重榮所敗，遂請濟師於巢。表章十上，為偽左軍使孟楷所蔽，不達。又聞巢軍勢蹙，諸校離心，帝知其必敗。九月，帝遂與左右定計，斬偽監軍使嚴實，舉郡降于重榮。重榮即日飛章上奏。時僖宗在蜀，覽表而喜曰：「是天賜予也！」乃詔授帝左金吾衛大將軍，充河中行營副招討使。仍賜名全忠。自是率所部與河中兵士偕行，所向無不克捷。三年三月，僖宗制授帝宣武軍節度使，依前充河中行營副招討使，仍令候收復京闕，即得赴鎮。四月，巢軍自藍關南走，帝與諸侯之師俱收長安，乃率部下一旅之眾，仗節東下。七月丁卯，入于梁苑。是時，帝年三十有二。時蔡州刺史秦宗權與黃巢餘孽合從肆虐，共圍陳州。久之，僖宗乃命帝為東北面都招討使。時汴、宋連年阻饑，公私俱困，帑廩皆虛，外為大敵所攻，內則驕軍難制，交鋒接戰，日甚一日；人皆危之，惟帝銳氣益振。是歲十二月，帝領兵于鹿邑，與巢眾相遇，縱兵擊之，斬首二千餘級，乃引兵入亳州，因是兼有譙郡之地。

In the second month of the second year Huang Chao made him defender of Tongzhou and told him to seize the post on his own. He marched south from Danzhou, stormed Zuofengyi, and held the commandery. Wang Chongrong, governor of Hezhong, had tens of thousands in the field and was rallying the lords to restore the Tang. Bordering Chongrong's territory, he suffered repeated defeats and begged Chao for reinforcements. He sent ten memorials, but Meng Kai, the rebel Left Army commissioner, blocked every one. Hearing that Chao's forces were failing and his officers wavering, he saw defeat coming. In the ninth month he plotted with his intimates, executed the rebel inspector Yan Shi, and surrendered his commandery to Chongrong. Chongrong that day rushed a memorial to the throne. Emperor Xizong, then in Shu, read the report and exclaimed, "Heaven has sent him to me!" He appointed him Grand General of the Left Golden Guard and deputy campaign commissioner of the Hezhong field army. The court also granted him the name Quanzhong—"wholly loyal." From then on he fought beside the Hezhong army and won wherever he turned. In the third month of the third year Xizong named him military governor of Xuanwu, kept him as Hezhong's deputy campaign commissioner, and told him to take up the post once the capital was recovered. In the fourth month, as Chao fled south through Languan, he joined the allied armies in retaking Chang'an, then marched east at the head of a detachment. On dingmao day in the seventh month he entered Liang Park. He was thirty-two years old. Qin Zongquan of Cai Prefecture had joined Huang Chao's remnants in ravaging the countryside and was besieging Chenzhou. Only after long delay did Xizong name him grand campaign commissioner of the northeast. Bian and Song had suffered famine for years; treasuries were empty, a great enemy pressed from without, unruly troops within, and fighting grew fiercer by the day; others despaired, but his fighting spirit only rose. That twelfth month he met Chao's band at Luyi, routed them, and took more than two thousand heads; he then entered Bozhou and with it gained Qiao commandery.

四年春，帝與許州田從異諸軍同收瓦子寨，殺賊數萬眾。是時，陳州四面，賊寨相望，驅擄編氓，殺以充食，號為「舂磨寨」。帝分兵翦撲，大小凡四十戰。四月丁巳，收西華寨，賊將黃鄴單騎奔陳。帝乘勝追之，鼓噪而進。會黃巢遁去，遂入陳州，刺史趙犨迎于馬前。俄聞巢党尚在陳北故陽壘，帝遂徑歸大樑。是時，河東節度使李克用奉僖宗詔，統騎軍數千同謀破賊，與帝合勢于中牟北邀擊之，賊眾大敗于王滿渡，多束手來降。時賊將霍存、葛從周、張歸厚、張歸霸皆匍匐于馬前，悉宥而納之，遂逐殘寇，東至於冤句。

In the spring of the fourth year he joined Tian Congyi of Xuzhou and others to take Wazi Stockade and kill tens of thousands of rebels. Rebel camps ringed Chenzhou on every side, dragging off civilians to kill for food in camps they called "Pounding and Grinding." He sent detachments to destroy them in forty engagements large and small. On dingsi day in the fourth month he took Xihua Stockade; the rebel Huang Ye fled alone into Chen. He pressed the pursuit with drums and shouts. Huang Chao had already fled; he entered Chenzhou, where Prefect Zhao Chou met him at his horse. Learning that Chao's men still held the old Yang camp north of the city, he marched straight back to Daliang. Li Keyong of Hedong, under imperial orders, brought thousands of horsemen to join him; north of Zhongmou they smashed the rebels at Wangman Ford, and many surrendered with hands bound. Rebel generals Huo Cun, Ge Congzhou, Zhang Guihou, and Zhang Guiba threw themselves before his horse; he spared them and enrolled them, then chased the survivors east to Yuanju.

五月甲戌，帝與晉軍振旅歸汴，館克用於上源驛。既而備犒宴之禮，克用乘醉任氣，帝不平之。是夜，命甲士圍而攻之。會大雨雷電，克用因得於電光中逾垣遁去，惟殺其部下數百人而已。六月，陳人感解圍之惠，為帝建生祠堂於其郡。是歲，黃巢雖歿，而蔡州秦宗權繼為巨孽，有眾數萬，攻陷鄰郡，殺掠吏民，屠害之酷，更甚巢賊，帝患之。七月，遂與陳人共攻蔡賊于溵水，殺數千人。九月己未，僖宗就加帝檢校司徒、同平章事，封沛郡侯，食邑千戶。

On jiaxu day in the fifth month he returned to Bian with Keyong's army and lodged Keyong at Shangyuan Post. He prepared a reward feast, but Keyong, drunk and overbearing, angered him. That night he sent armored men to surround and attack him. A thunderstorm broke; Keyong leapt the wall in a flash of lightning and escaped, though several hundred of his men were killed. In the sixth month the people of Chen, grateful for the relief of the siege, built him a living shrine in their prefecture. Though Huang Chao was dead, Qin Zongquan of Cai became an even greater scourge, with tens of thousands of men ravaging neighboring prefectures with cruelty worse than Chao's; the emperor brooded over him. In the seventh month he joined the Chenzhou men to strike Qin's men at Yinshui and kill several thousand. On jiwei day in the ninth month Xizong promoted him to acting Minister of Works and co-rector of state, enfeoffed him as Marquis of Pei with a thousand-household fief.

二年春，蔡賊益熾。時唐室微弱，諸道州兵不為王室所用，故宗權得以縱毒，連陷汝、洛、懷、孟、唐、鄧、許、鄭，圜幅數千里，殆絕人煙，惟宋、亳、滑、潁僅能閉壘而已。帝累出兵與之交戰，然或勝或負，人甚危之。

In the spring of the second year the Cai rebels grew bolder still. The Tang court was feeble and provincial armies served their own masters, so Zongquan ran unchecked through Ru, Luo, Huai, Meng, Tang, Deng, Xu, and Zheng—a wasteland thousands of li wide—while only Song, Bo, Hua, and Ying could still hold their walls. He fought them again and again with mixed success, and men grew fearful.

三月庚辰，僖宗降制就封帝為沛郡王。是月，僖宗移幸興元。五月，嗣襄王煴僭即帝位于長安，改元為建貞。遣使齎偽詔至汴，帝命焚之於庭。未幾，襄王果敗。七月，蔡人逼許州，節度使鹿宴宏使來求救，帝遣葛從周等率師赴援。師未至而城陷，宴宏為蔡賊所害。十一月，滑州節度使安師儒以怠於軍政，為部下所殺。帝聞之，乃遣朱珍、李唐賓襲而取之，由是遂有滑台之地。十二月，僖宗降制就加帝檢校太傅，改封吳興郡王，食邑三千戶。

On gengchen day in the third month Xizong enfeoffed him as Prince of Pei. That month Xizong moved his court to Xingyuan. In the fifth month the heir Prince of Xiang, Yun, usurped the throne at Chang'an and proclaimed the era Jianzhen. When a forged edict reached Bian, he had it burned in the courtyard. Before long the Prince of Xiang was overthrown. In the seventh month Cai forces besieged Xuzhou; Governor Lu Yanhong begged for aid, and he sent Ge Congzhou to relieve the city. The relief army arrived too late; the city fell and Yanhong was killed. In the eleventh month An Shiru of Huazhou, negligent in military affairs, was murdered by his own men. Hearing of it, he sent Zhu Zhen and Li Tangbin to seize the province and thereby gained Huatai. In the twelfth month Xizong promoted him to acting Grand Tutor and changed his title to Prince of Wuxing with a three-thousand-household fief.

是歲，鄭州為蔡賊所陷，刺史李璠單騎來奔，帝宥而納之，以為行軍司馬。宗權既得鄭，益驕，帝遣裨將邏于金隄驛，與賊相遇，因擊之，賊眾大敗，追至武陽橋，斬首千餘級。帝每與蔡人戰於四郊，既以少擊眾，常出奇以制之，但患師少，未快其旨。宗權又以己眾十倍於帝，恥於頻敗，乃誓眾堅決以攻夷門。既而獲蔡之諜者，備知其事，遂謀濟師焉。

That year Zhengzhou fell to the Cai rebels; Prefect Li Fan fled alone on horseback; he pardoned him and made him campaigning staff officer. Emboldened by taking Zheng, Zongquan grew arrogant; a patrol at Jindi Post routed his men and pursued them to Wuyang Bridge, taking more than a thousand heads. Fighting the Cai men in the suburbs with inferior numbers, he relied on surprise, but always wished for more troops. Shamed by repeated defeat despite outnumbering him ten to one, Zongquan swore his army to a final assault on Yimen. Capturing a Cai spy, he learned the plan and set about raising reinforcements.

三年春二月乙巳，承制以朱珍為淄州刺史，俾募兵於東道，且慮蔡人暴其麥苗，期以夏首回歸。珍既至淄、棣，旬日之內，應募者萬餘人。又潛襲青州，獲馬千匹，鎧甲稱是，乃鼓行而歸。四月辛亥，達於夷門。帝喜曰：「吾事濟矣。」是時，賊將張晊屯於北郊，秦賢屯於版橋，各有眾數萬，樹柵相連二十餘里，其勢甚盛。帝謂諸將曰：「此賊方今息師蓄銳以俟時，必來攻我。況宗權度我兵少，又未知珍來，謂吾畏懼，止於堅守而已。今出不意，不如先擊之。」乃親引兵攻秦賢寨，將士踴躍爭先，賊果不備，連拔四寨，斬首萬餘級，時賊眾以為神助。庚午，賊將盧瑭領萬餘人于圃田北萬勝戍，夾汴水為營，跨河為梁，以扼運路。帝擇精銳以襲之。是日昏霧四合，兵及賊壘方覺，遂突入掩殺，赴水死者甚眾，盧瑭自投於河。河南諸賊連敗，不敢復駐，皆並在張晊寨。自是蔡寇皆懷震讋，往往軍中自相驚亂。帝旋師休息，大行犒賞，由是軍士各懷憤激，每遇敵，無不奮勇。五月丙子，出酸棗門，自卯至未，短兵相接，賊眾大敗，追斬二十餘里，僵僕就枕。宗權恥敗，益縱其虐，乃自鄭州親領突將數人，徑入張晊寨。其日晚，大星隕於賊壘，有聲如雷。辛巳，兗、鄆、滑軍士皆來赴援，乃陳兵于汴水之上，旌旗器甲甚盛。蔡人望之，不敢出寨。翌日，分佈諸軍，齊攻賊寨，自寅至申，斬首二萬餘級。會夜收軍，獲牛馬、輜重、生口、器甲不可勝計。是夜，宗權、晊遁去，遲明追之，至陽武橋而還。宗權至鄭州，乃盡焚其廬舍，屠其郡人而去。始蔡人分兵寇陝、洛、孟、懷、許、汝，皆先據之，因是敗也，賊眾恐懼，鹹棄之而遁。帝乃慎選將佐，俾完葺壁壘，為戰守之備，於是遠近流亡復歸者眾矣。是時，揚州節度使高駢為裨將畢師鐸所害，復有孫儒、楊行密互相攻伐，朝廷不能制，乃就加帝檢校太尉，兼領淮南節度使。

On yisi day in the second month of the third year he commissioned Zhu Zhen prefect of Zi to recruit on the eastern circuit, planning to return by early summer before the Cai men could trample the wheat. Within ten days at Zi and Di he raised more than ten thousand men. He also raided Qingzhou for a thousand horses and matching armor, then marched back in triumph. On xinhai day in the fourth month he reached Yimen. The emperor exclaimed, "My cause is saved." Zhang Zhi held the northern suburbs and Qin Xian Banqiao, each with tens of thousands in camps strung twenty li, and their strength seemed overwhelming. He told his generals, "The enemy is resting and sharpening his edge; he will surely attack us. Zongquan thinks us few, does not know Zhen has arrived, and expects us only to cower behind the walls. Strike before he expects it—attack first." He led the assault on Qin Xian's camp himself; his men rushed the unprepared rebels, took four camps in succession, and killed more than ten thousand—the enemy thought heaven fought for him. On gengwu day Lu Yan held Wansheng garrison north of Putian with ten thousand men, camped on both banks of the Bian River, and bridged it to choke supply lines. He chose elite troops for a surprise attack. Dusk fog hid the assault until they were on the camp; they slaughtered the garrison; many drowned; Lu Yan threw himself into the river. Defeated rebels across Henan fled to Zhang Zhi's camp. From then on the Cai army shook with fear and panicked at shadows. He rested his army and lavished rewards until every soldier burned to fight. On bingzi day in the fifth month he sallied from Suanzao Gate and from mao to wei fought hand to hand; the rebels broke; pursuit ran twenty li with the dead piled like pillows. Humiliated, Zongquan turned more savage and rode from Zhengzhou with picked raiders into Zhang Zhi's camp. That evening a great star fell on the rebel camp with a thunderous crash. On xinsi day reinforcements from Yan, Yun, and Hua arrived; he paraded them on the Bian River in splendid array. The Cai men looked on and dared not leave their camp. The next day he arrayed his forces for a joint assault on the rebel camps; from yin to shen they took more than twenty thousand heads. At night he drew off the army with cattle, horses, supplies, prisoners, and arms in incalculable quantity. That night Zongquan and Zhi escaped; at dawn he pursued them to Yangwu Bridge and turned back. Reaching Zhengzhou, Zongquan burned the city to the ground, massacred its people, and fled. The Cai rebels had earlier garrisoned Shan, Luoyang, Meng, Huai, Xu, and Ru; now, shattered in defeat, they abandoned every post and fled in terror. He chose his officers with care, had the walls restored and defenses readied, and refugees streamed back from far and near. Gao Pian of Yangzhou had fallen to Bi Shiduo; Sun Ru and Yang Xingmi were tearing Huainan apart beyond the court's control, and the throne therefore promoted the emperor to acting Grand Commandant with concurrent command of Huainan.

九月，亳州裨將謝殷逐刺史宋袞，自據其郡；帝親領軍屯于太清宮，遣霍存討平之。帝之禦蔡寇也，鄆州朱瑄、兗州朱瑾皆領兵來援。及宗權既敗，帝以瑄、瑾宗人也，又有力於己，皆厚禮以歸之。瑄、瑾以帝軍士勇悍，私心愛之，乃密于曹、濮界上懸金帛以誘之，帝軍利其貨而赴者甚眾，帝乃移檄以讓之。朱瑄來詞不遜，乃命朱珍侵曹伐濮，以懲其奸。未幾，珍伐曹州，執刺史丘禮以獻，遂移兵圍濮。兗、鄆之釁，自茲而始矣。《通鑒考異》引高若拙《後史補》云：「梁太祖皇帝到梁園，深有大志。然兵力不足，常欲外掠；又虞四境之難，每有鬱然之狀。時有薦敬秀才于門下，乃白梁祖曰：'明公方欲圖大事，輜重必為四境所侵。但令麾下將士詐為叛者而逃，即明公奏於主上，及告四鄰，以自襲叛徒為名。 '梁祖曰：'天降奇人，以佐於吾。 '初從其議，一出而致眾十倍。」

In the ninth month Xie Yin, a Bozhou officer, drove out Prefect Song Gun and seized the commandery; the emperor marched in person to the Supreme Unity Palace and sent Huo Cun to crush the revolt. While he fought the Cai rebels, Zhu Xuan of Yanzhou and Zhu Jin of Yunzhou both marched to his aid. After Zongquan's defeat he sent Xuan and Jin home with rich honors—they were kinsmen who had fought for him. Admiring his fierce troops, Xuan and Jin secretly offered gold and silk on the Cao–Pu border to lure deserters; so many men went that the emperor rebuked them in writing. Zhu Xuan answered with insolence; the emperor sent Zhu Zhen into Cao and Pu to punish their treachery. Soon Zhu Zhen took Cao, captured Prefect Qiu Li, and turned to besiege Pu. The feud between Yan and Yun began here. The 《Zizhi Tongjian: Examination of Discrepancies》 quotes Gao Ruozhuo's 《Supplement to the Later History》: "When Liang's founding emperor came to Liang Garden, his ambition burned bright. Yet his forces were too few, and he longed to raid beyond his borders; yet he feared attack from every side and often looked troubled. Someone then recommended Scholar Jing, who told the Liang founder: "My lord aims at great things, yet your baggage will be prey on every frontier. Let your officers pretend to desert and flee; then report to the throne and the neighboring powers that you are punishing traitors in your own ranks. The founder replied: "Heaven has sent me a wonder to aid my cause. He took the counsel; one raid swelled his army tenfold."

十月，僖宗命水部郎中王贊撰紀功碑以賜帝。是月，帝親帥騎數千巡師於濮上，因破朱瑄援師于範縣。丁未，攻陷濮州，刺史朱裕單騎奔鄆。尋為鄆人所敗，逾月乃還。十二月，僖宗遣使賜帝鐵券，又命翰林承旨劉崇望撰德政碑以賜帝。閏月甲寅。帝請行營司馬李璠權知淮南留後，乃遣大將郭言領兵援送以赴揚州。

In the tenth month Xizong ordered Wang Zan of the Waterways Bureau to compose a merit stele and bestow it on the emperor. That month he led several thousand horsemen on patrol along the Pu front and routed Zhu Xuan's relief column at Fan County. On dingwei he took Pu; Prefect Zhu Yu rode alone to Yanzhou. Soon the men of Yun defeated him, and he did not return for more than a month. In the twelfth month Xizong sent an iron certificate of grace and had Liu Chongwang, Hanlin Academician-in-Attendance, compose a stele praising his governance. Intercalary month, jiayin day. He asked that Li Fan serve as acting regent of Huainan and sent Guo Yan with an escort to Yangzhou.

五月己亥，昭宗制以帝檢校侍中，增食邑三千戶。戊辰，昭改帝鄉衣錦，裏曰沛王裏。是月，帝以兼有洛、孟之地，無西顧之患，將大整師徒，畢力誅蔡。會蔡人趙德諲舉漢南之地以歸於朝廷，且遣使送款於帝，仍誓戮力同討宗權。帝表其事，朝廷因以德諲為蔡州四面副都統。又以河陽、保義、義昌三節度為帝行軍司馬，兼糧料應接。至是，帝領諸侯之師會德諲以伐蔡賊于汝水之上，遂薄其城。五日之內，樹二十八寨以環之，蓋象列宿之數也。時帝親臨矢石，一日，飛矢中其左腋，血漬單衣，顧謂左右曰：「勿泄。」九月，以糧運不繼，遂班師。是時，帝知宗權殘孽不足為患，遂移兵以伐徐。十月，先遣朱珍領兵與時溥戰于吳康鎮，徐人大敗，連收豐、蕭二邑；溥攜散騎馳入彭門。帝命分兵以攻宿州，刺史張友攜符印以降。既而徐人閉壁堅守，遂命龐師古屯兵守之而還。是月，蔡賊孫儒攻陷揚州，自稱淮南節度使。

On jihai in the fifth month Zhaozong made him acting Palace Attendant and added three thousand households to his fief. On wuchen he renamed the emperor's home district "Returning in Splendor" and its hamlet Prince of Pei Hamlet. That month, secure in Luo and Meng and free of western threats, he prepared to marshal his full strength against Cai. Zhao Deyin of Cai then surrendered southern Han to the court, sent envoys to the emperor, and pledged to join him against Zongquan. The emperor reported this, and the court made Deyin deputy commander on all four sides of Cai. Heyang, Baoyi, and Yichang were also assigned as his campaign staff, charged with grain and supply. He then led the allied hosts with Deyin to the Ru River, where they pressed the Cai rebels against their walls. In five days he ringed the city with twenty-eight camps—the number of the lunar mansions. He stood in the arrow storm himself; one day a shaft struck his left armpit and blood soaked his tunic. He told his attendants, "Tell no one." In the ninth month, with supplies failing, he drew off the army. Judging Zongquan's remnants no longer dangerous, he turned his army against Xu. In the tenth month he sent Zhu Zhen against Shi Pu at Wukang; the Xu army broke, and Feng and Xiao fell in succession; Pu fled on horseback into Pengcheng. He sent columns against Suzhou; Prefect Zhang You came out with seal and ribbon to surrender. The Xu men then shut themselves behind the walls; he left Pang Shigu to hold the siege and withdrew. That month Sun Ru of Cai took Yangzhou and proclaimed himself military governor of Huainan.

大順元年四月丙辰，宿州小將張筠逐刺史張紹光，擁眾以附時溥。帝率親軍討之，殺千餘人，筠遂堅守。乙卯，時溥出兵暴碭山縣，帝遣朱友裕以兵襲之，敗徐軍三千餘眾，獲沙陀援軍石君和等三十人，斬於宿州城下。六月辛酉，淮南孫儒遣使修好於帝，帝表其事，請以淮南節度授於儒焉。辛未，昭宗命帝為宣義軍節度使，充河東東面行營招討使，時朝廷宰臣張浚將兵討太原故也。八月甲寅，昭義都將馮霸殺沙陀所署節度使李克恭來降，帝請河陽節度使硃崇節為潞州留後。戊辰，李克用自率蕃漢步騎數萬以圍潞州，帝遣葛從周率驍勇之士，夜中銜枚犯圍而入於潞。九月壬寅，帝至河陽，遣部將李讜引軍趨澤、潞，行至馬牢川，為晉人所敗。帝又遣朱友裕、張全義率精兵至鄆州北以為應援。既而崇節、從周棄潞來歸。戊申，帝廷責諸將敗軍之罪，斬李讜、李重允以徇，遂班師焉。十月乙酉，帝自河陽赴滑台。時奉詔將討太原，先遣使假道于魏，魏人不從。先是，帝遣行人雷鄴告糴于魏，既而為牙軍所殺。羅宏信懼，故不敢從命，遂通好於太原。十二月辛丑，帝遣丁會、葛從周率眾渡河取黎陽、臨河，又令龐師古、霍存下淇門、衛縣，帝徐以大軍繼其後。

In Dashun 1.4, on bingchen, Zhang Yun, a junior officer at Suzhou, drove out Prefect Zhang Shaoguang and went over to Shi Pu. The emperor marched in person, killed more than a thousand men, and Yun held the walls. On yimao Shi Pu raided Dangshan; the emperor sent Zhu Youyu, broke three thousand Xu troops, and beheaded thirty captives—including the Shatuo officer Shi Junhe—below the walls of Suzhou. On xinyou in the sixth month Sun Ru sent envoys seeking peace; the emperor memorialized that Huainan be granted to him. On xinwei Zhaozong made him military governor of Xuanyi and commander of the eastern campaign against Hedong, for Chief Minister Zhang Jun was marching on Taiyuan. On jiayin in the eighth month Feng Ba of Zhaoyi killed Li Ke Gong, the Shatuo appointee, and surrendered; the emperor asked that Zhu Chongjie of Heyang hold Luzhou. On wuchen Li Keyong himself invested Luzhou with tens of thousands of steppe and Chinese horse and foot; the emperor sent Ge Congzhou with picked men to slip through the siege at midnight, gags in their mouths. On renyin in the ninth month he reached Heyang and sent Li Dan toward Ze and Lu; at Malao River the Jin army broke him. He sent Zhu Youyu and Zhang Quanyi with elite troops north of Yunzhou as reinforcement. Soon Chongjie and Congzhou abandoned Luzhou and came home. On wushen he rebuked his generals in open court for the defeat, executed Li Dan and Li Chongyun as examples, and withdrew. On yiyou in the tenth month he went from Heyang to Huatai. Under orders to attack Taiyuan, he first asked passage through Wei; Wei refused. Earlier he had sent Lei Ye to Wei to buy grain; the guard soldiery killed him. Luo Hongxin, in fear, defied the order and made peace with Taiyuan instead. On xinchou in the twelfth month Ding Hui and Ge Congzhou crossed the river and took Liyang and Linhe; Pang Shigu and Huo Cun took Qimen and Weixian; the emperor followed with the main host.

二年春正月，魏軍屯于內黃。丙辰，帝與之接戰，自內黃至永定橋，魏軍五敗，斬首萬餘級。羅宏信懼，遣使持厚幣請和。帝命止其焚掠而歸其俘，宏信由是感悅而聽命焉。乃收軍屯於河上。八月己丑，帝遣丁會急攻宿州，刺史張筠堅守其壁，會乃率眾於州東築堰，壅汴水以浸其城。十月壬午，筠遂降，宿州平。十一月丁未，曹州裨將郭紹賓殺刺史郭饒，舉郡來降。是月，徐將劉知俊率眾二千來降，自是徐軍不振。十二月，兗州朱瑾領軍三萬寇單父，帝遣丁會領大軍襲敗之敗于金鄉界，殺二萬餘眾，瑾單馬遁去。

In the second year, first month, the Wei army camped at Neihuang. On bingchen he fought them from Neihuang to Yongding Bridge; the Wei army lost five battles and more than ten thousand heads. Luo Hongxin, terrified, sent envoys with rich gifts to sue for peace. The emperor halted the burning, returned prisoners, and Hongxin submitted in gratitude. He then withdrew and camped on the riverbank. On jichou in the eighth month Ding Hui pressed Suzhou; Prefect Zhang Yun held the walls while Hui's men built a dam east of the city and diverted the Bian River to flood it. On renyang in the tenth month Yun surrendered and Suzhou was pacified. On dingwei in the eleventh month Guo Shaobin, a Cao officer, killed Prefect Guo Rao and surrendered the commandery. That month Liu Zhijun of Xu came over with two thousand men, and Xu's strength never recovered. In the twelfth month Zhu Jin of Yan raided Shanfu with thirty thousand men; Ding Hui met him at Jinxiang, killed more than twenty thousand, and Jin fled alone.

二年四月丁丑，龐師古下彭門，梟時溥首以獻。八月，帝遣龐師古移兵攻兗，駐於曲阜，與朱瑾屢戰，皆敗之。十二月，師古遣先鋒葛從周引軍以攻齊州，刺史朱威告急於兗、鄆。既而朱瑄以援兵至，遂固其壘。

In the second year, on dingchou in the fourth month, Pang Shigu took Pengcheng and sent up Shi Pu's head. In the eighth month he sent Pang Shigu against Yan; camped at Qufu, Pang defeated Zhu Jin again and again. In the twelfth month Pang sent Ge Congzhou against Qizhou; Prefect Zhu Wei cried for aid to Yan and Yun. Zhu Xuan came with relief and fortified his camp.

乾甯元年二月，帝親領大軍由鄆州東路北次於魚山。朱瑄覘知，即以兵徑至，且圖速戰。帝整軍出寨，時瑄、瑾已陣於前，須臾，東南風大起，我軍旌旗失次，甚有懼色，即令騎士揚鞭呼嘯。俄而西北風驟發，時兩軍皆在草莽中，帝因令縱火。既而煙焰亙天，乘勢以攻賊陣，瑄、瑾大敗。殺萬餘人，餘眾擁入清河，因築京觀於魚山之下，駐軍數日而還。

In Qianning 1.2 the emperor led his main force east from Yanzhou and halted at Yushan. Zhu Xuan learned of it, marched straight at him, and sought a quick fight. He drew up outside the camp while Xuan and Jin were already formed before him. A fierce southeast wind threw his banners into confusion and fear spread; he ordered his horsemen to crack their whips and shout. Soon a northwest gale rose. Both armies stood in dry grass; the emperor ordered the field set ablaze. Smoke blotted out the sky; he drove into the enemy line and broke Xuan and Jin completely. He killed more than ten thousand; the rest were driven into the Qing River. He raised a victory mound below Yushan, camped several days, and withdrew.

二年正月癸亥，遣朱友恭帥師復伐兗，遂塹而圍之。未幾，朱瑄自鄆率步騎援糧欲入于兗，友恭設伏以敗之，盡奪其餉于高吳，因擒蕃將安福順、安福慶。二月己酉，帝領親軍屯于單父，以為友恭之援。四月，濠、壽二州復為楊行密所陷。是時，太原遣將史儼兒、李承嗣以萬騎馳入於鄆。朱友恭遂歸於汴。八月，帝領親軍伐鄆，至大仇，遣前軍挑戰，設伏於梁山以待之。既而獲蕃將史完府，奪馬數百匹。朱瑄脫身遁去，復入於鄆。十月，帝駐軍于鄆，齊州刺史朱瓊遣使請降，瓊即瑾之從父兄也。帝因移軍至兗，瓊果來降。未幾，瓊為朱瑾所紿，掠而殺之，帝即以其弟玭為齊州防禦使。十一月，朱瑄復遣將賀瑰、柳存及蕃將何懷寶等萬餘人以襲曹州，庶解兗州之圍也。帝知之，自兗領軍策馬先路至钜野南，追而敗之，殺戮將盡，生擒賀瑰、柳存、何懷寶及賊党三千餘人。是日申時，狂風暴起，沙塵沸湧，帝曰：「此乃殺人未足耳。」遂下令盡殺所獲囚俘，風亦止焉。翼日，縶賀瑰等以示於兗。帝素知瑰名，乃釋之，惟斬何懷寶於兗城之下，乃班師。十二月，葛從周領兵復伐兗。既至，與朱瑾戰於壘下，殺千餘眾，擒其將孫漢筠已下二十人，遂旋師。

On guihai in the second year, first month, he sent Zhu Yougong to besiege Yan with trenches. Soon Zhu Xuan marched from Yanzhou with grain for the relief of Yan; Yougong ambushed him at Gaowu, seized the supplies, and captured the barbarian generals An Fushun and An Fuqing. On jiyou in the second month he camped at Shanfu to support Yougong. In the fourth month Yang Xingmi retook Hao and Shou. Taiyuan then sent Shi Yan'er and Li Chengsi with ten thousand horsemen into Yanzhou. Zhu Yougong withdrew to Bian. In the eighth month he marched on Yanzhou as far as Daqiu, sent his vanguard to provoke battle, and laid an ambush at Liangshan. He captured the barbarian officer Shi Wanfu and took several hundred horses. Zhu Xuan escaped and fled back into Yanzhou. In the tenth month he camped at Yanzhou; Zhu Qiong of Qizhou offered surrender—he was Zhu Jin's elder cousin. He moved to Yan, and Qiong came in as promised. Soon Jin tricked Qiong, seized him, and killed him; the emperor appointed his younger brother Min defender of Qizhou. In the eleventh month Zhu Xuan sent He Gui, Liu Cun, and the barbarian He Huaibao with more than ten thousand men to raid Cao and break the siege of Yan. Forewarned, he rode ahead from Yan to south of Juye, overtook them, slaughtered nearly all, and took He Gui, Liu Cun, He Huaibao, and more than three thousand alive. At the shen hour that day a wild wind rose and sand boiled up. The emperor said, "This means we have not killed enough." He ordered every captive killed, and the wind fell still. The next day he bound He Gui and the others and paraded them before Yan. Knowing Gui's name, he spared him, beheaded only He Huaibao below the walls of Yan, and withdrew. In the twelfth month Ge Congzhou marched again against Yan. On arrival he fought Zhu Jin at the ramparts, killed more than a thousand, captured Sun Hanjun and twenty officers, and withdrew.

三年正月，河東李克用既破邠州，欲謀爭霸，乃遣蕃將張汙落以萬騎寨于河北之莘縣，聲言欲救兗、鄆。魏博節度使羅宏信患之，使來求援。二月，帝領親軍屯于單父，會寒食，帝乃親拜文穆皇帝陵于碭日縣午溝裏。四月辛酉，河東泛漲，將壞滑城。帝令決堤岸以分其勢為二河，夾滑城而東，為害滋甚。是月，帝遣許州刺史朱友恭領兵萬人渡淮，以便宜從事。時黃、鄂二州累遣使求援，故有是行。五月，命葛從周統軍屯于洹水，以備蕃軍。六月，李克用帥蕃漢諸軍營於斥丘，遣其男落落將鐵林小兒三千騎薄于洹水，從周與戰，大敗之，生擒落落以獻。克用悲駭，請修舊好以贖其子，帝不許，遂執落落送于羅宏信，斬之。越七日，我軍還屯陽留以伐鄆。八月，復壁于洹水。是時，昭宗幸華州，遣使就加帝檢校太師，守中書令。

In the first month of the third year Keyong of Hedong, having seized Binzhou and bent on hegemony, sent the barbarian Zhang Wuluo with ten thousand horse to camp at Shen County in Hebei, claiming he would relieve Yan and Yun. Weibo's governor Luo Hongxin, alarmed, begged for help. In the second month he camped his personal army at Shanfu; during Cold Food Festival he visited his father Wenmu's tomb at Wugou in Dangshan. On xinyou day in the fourth month the Yellow River flooded and threatened Huazhou. He breached the dikes to split the flood into two channels east of the city, which only worsened the damage. That month he sent Xu Prefect Zhu Yougong with ten thousand men across the Huai with discretionary authority. Huang and E prefectures had repeatedly begged for aid, which prompted the expedition. In the fifth month he stationed Ge Congzhou at Huanshui to block the barbarian army. In the sixth month Keyong camped at Chiqu and sent his son Luoluo with three thousand Iron Forest horsemen against Huanshui; Congzhou crushed them and presented Luoluo alive. Keyong, stricken, offered peace to ransom his son; the emperor refused and sent Luoluo to Luo Hongxin, who beheaded him. Seven days later the army encamped at Yangliu to attack Yunzhou. In the eighth month he fortified Huanshui again. Zhaozong, then at Huazhou, promoted him to acting Grand Preceptor and guardian of the Secretariat.

四年正月，帝以洹水之師大舉伐鄆。辛卯，營于濟水之次，龐師古令諸將撤木為橋。乙未夜，師古以中軍先濟，聲振於鄆，朱瑄聞之，棄壁夜走。葛從周逐之至中都北，擒瑄並其妻男以獻。尋斬汴橋下。鄆州平，乙亥，帝入於鄆，以朱友裕為鄆州兵馬留後。時帝聞朱瑾與史儼兒在豐沛間搜索糧饋，惟留康懷英以守兗州，帝因乘勝遣葛從周以大軍襲兗。懷英聞鄆失守，俄又我軍大至，乃出降；朱瑾、史儼兒遂奔淮南。兗、海、沂、密等州平。乃以葛從周為兗州留後。五月丁丑，朱友恭遣使上言，大破淮寇于武昌，收復黃、鄂二州。八月，陝州節度使王珙遣使來乞師。是時，珙弟珂實為蒲帥，迭相憤怒，日尋干戈，而珙兵寡，故來求援。帝遣張存敬、楊師厚等領兵赴陝，既而與蒲人戰於猗氏，大敗之。九月，帝以兗、鄆既平，將士雄勇，遂大舉南征。命龐師古以徐、宿、宋、滑之師直趨清口，葛從周以兗、鄆、曹、濮之眾徑赴安豐。淮人遣朱瑾領兵以拒師古，因決水以浸軍，遂為淮人所敗，師古沒焉。葛從周行及濠梁，聞師古之敗，亦命班師。

In the first month of the fourth year he marched from Huanshui in force against Yunzhou. On xinmao day he camped on the Ji River; Pang Shigu had his officers build a bridge from felled timber. On the night of yiwei, Shigu's center crossed first with a roar that shook Yunzhou; Zhu Xuan abandoned his walls and fled by night. Ge Congzhou pursued him north of Zhongdu, captured Xuan with his wife and sons, and presented them. He was soon beheaded below the Bian Bridge. Yunzhou fell; on yihai day he entered the city and made Zhu Youyu its military commissioner. Learning that Zhu Jin and Shi Yan'er were foraging between Feng and Pei while Kang Huaiying held Yanzhou, he sent Ge Congzhou to strike Yan in pursuit of victory. Huaiying heard Yun had fallen and the main army was upon him; he surrendered; Zhu Jin and Shi Yan'er fled to Huainan. Yan, Hai, Yi, and Mi were pacified. He made Ge Congzhou military commissioner of Yanzhou. On dingchou day in the fifth month Zhu Yougong reported a great victory over the Huai rebels at Wuchang and the recovery of Huang and E. In the eighth month Wang Gong of Shanzhou begged for troops. Gong's brother Ke held Pu Prefecture; the brothers feuded daily; Gong's forces were few, so he asked for aid. He sent Zhang Cunjing and Yang Shihou to Shan; at Yishi they routed the Pu army. In the ninth month, with Yan and Yun secure and his army eager, he launched a great southern campaign. Pang Shigu was to drive on Qingkou with the armies of Xu, Su, Song, and Hua; Ge Congzhou was to strike Anfeng with the forces of Yan, Yun, Cao, and Pu. The Huai army sent Zhu Jin against Shigu, breached the dikes to flood his camp, and destroyed him; Shigu died. Ge Congzhou, reaching Haoliang, heard of Shigu's defeat and ordered a retreat.

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