1
王建，陳州項城人。 唐末，隸名於忠武軍。 秦宗權據蔡州，懸重賞以募之，建始自行間得補軍候。 廣明中，黃巢陷長安，僖宗幸蜀。 時梁祖為巢將，領眾攻襄、鄧，宗權遣小校鹿晏宏從監軍楊復光率師攻之，建亦預行。 是歲，復光入援京師，明年破賊收京城。 初，復光以忠武軍八千人立為八都，晏宏與建各一都校也。 復光死，晏弘率八都迎扈行在，至山南，乃攻剽金、商諸郡縣，得兵數萬，進逼興元，節度使牛叢棄城而去，晏宏因自為留後，建等為屬郡刺史，不令之任。 俄而晏宏正授節旄，恐部下謀己，多行忍虐，由是部眾離心。 建與別將韓建友善，晏宏益猜二建，偽待之厚，引入臥內。 二建懼，夜登城慰守陴者，因月下共謀所向，謂韓建曰：「僕射甘言厚德，是疑我也，禍難無日矣，早宜擇利而行。」 韓曰：「善。」 因率三千人趨行在，僖宗嘉之，賜與巨萬。 分其兵為五都，仍以舊校主之，即晉暉、李師泰、張造與二建也，因號曰隨駕五都，田令孜皆錄為假子。 及僖宗還宮，建等分典神策軍，皆遙領刺史。
Wang Jian came from Xiangcheng in Chen Prefecture. In the closing years of the Tang, he was listed on the rolls of the Zhongwu Army. When Qin Zongquan held Cai Prefecture and posted heavy bounties to raise troops, Wang Jian went on his own and was enrolled as a military scout. During the Guangming reign, Huang Chao captured Chang'an and Emperor Xizong fled to Shu. The future Liang founder was then one of Huang Chao's generals, leading forces against Xiangyang and Dengzhou. Qin Zongquan sent the junior officer Lu Yanhong with the supervising commander Yang Fuguang to oppose him, and Wang Jian marched with them. That year Yang Fuguang marched to relieve the capital; the following year he defeated the rebels and retook the city. Yang Fuguang had first organized eight thousand Zhongwu troops into eight commands, with Lu Yanhong and Wang Jian each commanding one. After Yang Fuguang's death, Lu Yanhong led the eight commands to join the emperor's wandering court. Reaching the Shannan region, he turned to plundering Jinzhou, Shangzhou, and neighboring districts until his forces numbered in the tens of thousands. He then advanced on Xingyuan; Military Governor Niu Cong fled the city, and Yanhong declared himself acting governor. Wang Jian and the others were appointed prefects of subordinate commanderies but were not permitted to take up their posts. Before long Lu Yanhong received formal appointment as military governor. Fearing mutiny among his men, he ruled with increasing cruelty, and his followers began to turn away from him. Wang Jian was close to another officer named Han Jian. Lu Yanhong grew increasingly suspicious of the two men named Jian, treating them with feigned warmth while summoning them into his private quarters. Both men were afraid. That night they climbed the wall to encourage the rampart guards, and in the moonlight plotted their next move. Wang Jian said to Han Jian, "His sweet talk and lavish favors mean he suspects us. Disaster cannot be far off—we should choose our advantage and move while we can." Han Jian said, "Agreed." They then led three thousand men straight to the emperor's camp. Emperor Xizong praised them and rewarded them lavishly. Their force was split into five commands under their former officers—Jin Hui, Li Shitai, Zhang Zao, and the two Jians—and was styled the Five Commands of the Imperial Escort. Tian Lingzi took them all as his adoptive sons. When Emperor Xizong returned to the capital, Wang Jian and the others were given shared command of the Shence Army, each also holding a distant prefectural appointment.
2
光啟初，從僖宗再幸興元，令孜懼逼，求為西川監軍，楊復恭代為觀軍容使。 建等素為令孜所厚，復恭懼不附己，乃出五將為郡守，以建為壁州刺史。 天子還京，復恭以楊守亮鎮興元，尤畏建侵己，屢召之。 建不安其郡，因招合溪洞豪猾，有眾八千，寇閬州，陷之，復攻利州，刺史王珙棄城而去。 建播剽二郡，所至殺掠，守亮不能制。 東川節度使顧彥朗，初於關輔破賊時與建相聞，每遣人勞問，分貨幣軍食以給之，故建不侵梓、遂。 西川節度使陳敬瑄憂其膠固，謀於監軍田令孜，曰：「王八，吾子也，彼無他腸，作賊山南，實進退無歸故也。 吾馳咫尺之書，可以坐置麾下。」 即飛書招建。 建大喜，遣使謂彥朗曰：「監軍阿父遣信見招，仆欲諸成都省阿父，因依陳太師得一大郡，是所願也。」 即之梓州見彥朗，留家寄東川，選精甲三千之成都。 行次鹿頭，或謂敬瑄曰：「建，今之劇賊，鴟視狼顧，專謀人國邑，儻其即至，公以何等處之？ 彼建雄心，終不居人之下，公如以將校遇之，是養虎自貽其患也。」 敬瑄懼，乃遣人止建，遽修城守。 建怒，遂據漢州，領輕兵至成都。 敬瑄讓之曰：「若何為者，而犯吾疆理？」 建軍吏報曰：「閬州司徒比寄東川，而軍容太師使者繼召，今復拒絕，何也？ 司徒不惜改轅而東，來北省太師，反為拒絕，慮顧梓州復相嫌間，謂我何心故也。 使我來報，且欲寄食漢州，公勿復疑。」 時光啟三年。 居浹旬，建盡取東川之眾，設梯沖攻成都，三日不克而退，復保漢州。 月餘，大剽蜀土，進逼彭州，百道攻之，敬瑄出兵來援，建解圍，縱兵大掠，十一州皆罹其毒，民不聊生。
Early in the Guangqi reign, Wang Jian again accompanied Emperor Xizong to Xingyuan. Tian Lingzi, fearing pressure at court, asked to become military supervisor in Xichuan, and Yang Fugong replaced him as Commissioner of Army Supervision. Wang Jian and the others had long been favored by Tian Lingzi. Yang Fugong feared they would not side with him, so he posted the five generals as prefects, making Wang Jian prefect of Bi. After the emperor returned to the capital, Yang Fugong stationed Yang Shouliang at Xingyuan and especially feared that Wang Jian might threaten his position, summoning him again and again. Unhappy in his post, Wang Jian rallied fierce leaders from the hill country until he had eight thousand men. He raided Langzhou and captured it, then attacked Lizhou; Prefect Wang Gong abandoned the city and fled. Wang Jian spread terror through both prefectures, killing and looting wherever he went, and Yang Shouliang could not stop him. Gu Yanlang, military governor of Dongchuan, had first known Wang Jian when they fought rebels in the Guanzhong region. He regularly sent envoys with gifts and shared supplies with him, and for that reason Wang Jian did not attack Zizhou or Suizhou. Chen Jingxuan, military governor of Xichuan, worried about Wang Jian's entrenched position and consulted the military supervisor Tian Lingzi. "Wang the Eighth is my adopted son," he said. "He has no other designs. He turned bandit in Shannan only because he had nowhere else to go. A short letter from me will bring him into my service without my lifting a finger." He at once sent an urgent summons to Wang Jian. Wang Jian was delighted and sent an envoy to Gu Yanlang: "My adoptive father the military supervisor has summoned me. I mean to go to Chengdu to see him and, with Grand Mentor Chen's backing, win a major prefecture—that is what I want." He went at once to Zizhou to see Gu Yanlang, left his family in Dongchuan's care, chose three thousand elite troops, and set out for Chengdu. When Wang Jian reached Lutou Pass, someone warned Chen Jingxuan: "Wang Jian is the fiercest rebel of the day—rapacious and watchful, bent on seizing others' domains. If he arrives soon, how will you receive him? Wang Jian has grand ambitions and will never serve under another. If you treat him as an ordinary officer, you are raising a tiger that will bring ruin on you. Chen Jingxuan was alarmed, sent men to halt Wang Jian, and hurriedly strengthened the city's defenses. Wang Jian flew into a rage, seized Hanzhou, and led light troops straight to Chengdu. Chen Jingxuan rebuked him: "What do you think you are doing, violating my territory? Wang Jian's officer answered: "Your Minister of Langzhou lately left his family in Dongchuan's care, and the Army Supervisor Grand Mentor's envoys summoned him repeatedly. Why refuse him now? He did not hesitate to turn east and come north to see the Grand Mentor, only to be turned away. He fears Gu Yanlang at Zizhou will take offense again and wonder what we mean by this. He sent me to say that he only seeks to provision his men at Hanzhou—please harbor no further suspicion." It was the third year of the Guangqi reign. Within ten days Wang Jian mustered all the troops Gu Yanlang could spare, raised siege ladders and rams, and assaulted Chengdu. After three days he failed and withdrew, again holding Hanzhou. For more than a month he ravaged Shu, advanced on Pengzhou, and attacked from every side. Chen Jingxuan sent relief; Wang Jian raised the siege and unleashed his troops in a great pillage. Eleven prefectures suffered his depredations, and the people could barely survive.
3
建軍勢日盛，復攻成都，敬瑄患之，顧彥朗亦懼侵己。 昭宗即位，彥朗表請雪建，擇大臣為蜀帥，移敬瑄他鎮，乃詔宰臣韋昭度鎮蜀，以代敬瑄。 敬瑄不受代，天子怒，命顧彥朗、楊守亮討之，時昭度以建為牙內都校，董其部兵。 〈（《鑒戒錄》云：昭度以部兵置行府。）〉 及王師無功，建謂昭度曰：「相公興數萬之眾，討賊未效，餉運交不相屬。 近聞遷洛以來，藩鎮相噬，朝廷姑息不暇，與其勞師以事蠻方，不如從而赦之，且以兵威靖中原，是國之本也。 相公盍歸朝覲，與主上畫之。」 昭度持疑未決。 一日，建陰令軍士於行府門外擒昭度親吏，臠而食之，建徐啟昭度曰：「蓋軍士乏食，以至於是耶！」 昭度大懼，遂留符節與建，即日東還。 才出劍門，建即嚴兵守門，不納東師。 月餘，建攻西川管內八州，所至響應，遂急攻成都，田令孜登城謂建曰：「老夫與八哥相厚，太師久以知聞，有何嫌恨，如是困我之甚耶！」 建曰：「軍容父子之恩，心何敢忘，但天子付以兵柄，太師孤絕朝廷故也。 茍太師悉心改圖，何福如之！」 又曰：「吾欲與八哥軍中相款，如何？」 曰：「父子之義，何嫌也。」 是夜，令孜攜蜀帥符印入建軍授建。 建泣謝曰：「太師初心太過，致有今日相戾，既此推心，一切如舊。」 翌日，敬瑄啟關迎建，以蜀帥讓之，建乃自稱留後，表陳其事。 明年春，制授檢校太傅、成都尹、西川節度副大使知節度事、管內觀察處置、雲南八國招撫等使，時龍紀元年也。 移敬瑄於雅州安置，仍以其子為刺史，既行，建令人殺之於路，令孜仍舊監軍事。 數月，或告令孜通鳳翔書問，下獄餓死。 〈（《蜀梼杌》云：「敬瑄廢處雅州，以其子為刺史。 既行，建遣殺於三江，令孜仍監其軍，復以令孜陰附鳳翔，下獄餓死。）〉
Wang Jian's power grew daily. He attacked Chengdu again. Chen Jingxuan was alarmed, and Gu Yanlang feared he would be next. When Emperor Zhaozong came to the throne, Gu Yanlang memorialized asking that Wang Jian be pardoned, that a senior minister be sent to command Shu, and that Chen Jingxuan be transferred elsewhere. The court appointed Chief Minister Wei Zhaodu military governor of Shu to replace him. Chen Jingxuan refused to step down. The emperor was furious and ordered Gu Yanlang and Yang Shouliang to attack him. Wei Zhaodu meanwhile made Wang Jian commander of the palace guard and put him in charge of his own troops. (The 《Record of Mirrors and Warnings》 states that Wei Zhaodu set up his field headquarters with his division troops.)〉 When the imperial campaign failed, Wang Jian told Wei Zhaodu, "Your Excellency raised tens of thousands of men to punish the rebel without success, and supplies no longer keep pace. Since the court moved to Luoyang, the military governors have been tearing one another apart and the throne has barely kept up. Rather than exhaust your army in the south, it would be better to pardon him and turn your strength to pacifying the central plains—that is the foundation of the realm. Why not return to court and lay the matter before the emperor. Wei Zhaodu hesitated, unable to decide. One day Wang Jian secretly had his soldiers seize Wei Zhaodu's personal clerk outside headquarters, butcher him, and eat him. Wang Jian then told Wei Zhaodu calmly, "I suppose the men were simply out of food and driven to this! Terrified, Wei Zhaodu left his credentials with Wang Jian and returned east the same day. Hardly had he passed Jianmen Pass when Wang Jian sealed the gate with a strong garrison and refused entry to the eastern army. After more than a month Wang Jian attacked eight prefectures under Xichuan's control, meeting support everywhere, then pressed hard on Chengdu. Tian Lingzi mounted the wall and called to him: "Brother the Eighth and I have always been close, and the Grand Mentor has long known it. What grudge drives you to besiege me so fiercely! Wang Jian replied, "How could I forget the bond between father and son that we share? But the emperor gave you the army, and you have cut yourself off from the court—that is the trouble. If you would wholeheartedly change course, what blessing could be greater!" He added, "I would like to entertain you in camp, Brother the Eighth—what do you say?" Wang Jian answered, "Between father and son, what need for scruple." That night Tian Lingzi brought the commander's tally and seal into Wang Jian's camp and surrendered them. Wang Jian wept and thanked him: "Your first resolve went too far and brought us to this breach. Now that you have opened your heart to me, all shall be as before. The next day Chen Jingxuan opened the gates to receive him and yielded command of Shu. Wang Jian declared himself acting governor and memorialized the court. The following spring the throne appointed him Honorary Grand Tutor, Prefect of Chengdu, and full military governor of Xichuan with authority over observation, disposition, and pacification of Yunnan—it was the first year of the Longji reign. Chen Jingxuan was sent into retirement at Yazhou, with his son appointed prefect there. Once they had departed, Wang Jian had them killed on the road. Tian Lingzi continued as military supervisor. Months later someone accused Tian Lingzi of corresponding with Fengxiang. He was thrown into prison and starved to death. (The 《Annals of Shu》 records: "Chen Jingxuan was deposed and sent to Yazhou, with his son made prefect there. Once they had departed, Wang Jian had them killed at Sanjiang. Tian Lingzi continued to supervise the army until he was accused of secretly siding with Fengxiang and was imprisoned and starved to death.")〉
4
建雄猜多機略，意常難測，既有蜀土，復欲窺伺東川，又以彥朗婚姻之舊，未果行。 會彥朗卒，弟彥暉代為梓帥，交情稍怠。 李茂貞乘其有間，密構彥暉，因與茂貞連盟，關征疆吏之間，與蜀人得失。 大順末，建出師攻梓州，彥暉求援於鳳翔，李茂貞出師援之，建即圍解，自是秦、川交惡者累年。 後建大起蜀軍，敗岐、梓之兵於利州，彥暉懼，乞和，請與岐人絕，許之。 景福中，山南之師寇東川，彥暉求援於建，建出兵赴之，大敗興元之眾。 洎軍旋，建承虛奄襲梓州，據彥暉，置於成都，遂兼有兩川，自此軍鋒益熾。 天復初，李茂貞、韓全誨劫遷車駕在鳳翔，梁祖攻圍歷年。 建外修好於汴，指茂貞罪狀，又陰與茂貞間使往來，且言堅壁勿和，許以出師赴援，因分命諸軍攻取興元。 比及梁祖解圍，茂貞山南諸州皆為建所有，自置守將。 及茂貞垂翅，天子遷雒陽，建復攻茂貞之秦、隴等州，茂貞削弱不能守。 或勸建因取鳳翔，建曰：「此言失策，吾所得已多，不俟復增岐下。 茂貞雖常才，然名望宿素，與朱公力爭不足，守境有餘。 韓生所謂入為扞蔽，出為席藉是也。 適宜援而固之，為吾盾鹵耳。」 及梁祖將謀強禪，建與諸藩同謀興復，乃令其將康晏率兵三萬會於鳳翔，數與汴將王重師戰，不利而還。 趙匡凝之失荊、襄也，弟匡明以其幹奔蜀，建因得夔、峽、忠、萬等州。 及梁祖開國，蜀人請建行劉備故事。 建自帝於成都，改元永平。 五年，改元通正。 是年冬，改元天漢，又改元光天。 在位十二年，年七十二。 子衍嗣。
Wang Jian was fierce, suspicious, and endlessly scheming; his intentions were often impossible to read. Once he held Shu he again cast his eye on Dongchuan, but because of his old marriage tie with Gu Yanlang he held back. When Gu Yanlang died, his younger brother Yanhui became commander at Zizhou, and their friendship cooled. Li Maozhen seized the opening and secretly won Yanhui over. Yanhui allied with him, and at the passes and border posts their officials and Shu agents wrestled for advantage. Late in the Dashun reign Wang Jian attacked Zizhou. Yanhui sought help from Fengxiang, and Li Maozhen marched to his relief, forcing Wang Jian to raise the siege. From then on Qin and Shu were enemies for years. Later Wang Jian raised a great Shu army and defeated the Fengxiang and Zizhou forces at Lizhou. Yanhui was terrified, sued for peace, and asked to break with Fengxiang; Wang Jian agreed. During the Jingfu reign the Shannan army invaded Dongchuan. Yanhui asked Wang Jian for help; he marched out and routed the Xingyuan forces. When his army returned, Wang Jian seized the moment to strike Zizhou, captured Yanhui, and kept him in Chengdu. He now held both river basins, and his military power grew fiercer still. Early in the Tianfu reign Li Maozhen and Han Quanhui seized the emperor and held him at Fengxiang. The Liang founder besieged them for years. Outwardly Wang Jian courted Bian while denouncing Li Maozhen's crimes. In secret he exchanged envoys with Maozhen, urging him to hold firm and refuse peace while promising relief, even as he ordered his armies to seize Xingyuan. By the time the Liang founder lifted the siege, all of Maozhen's Shannan prefectures belonged to Wang Jian, who appointed his own garrison commanders. When Maozhen's power collapsed and the emperor moved to Luoyang, Wang Jian again attacked his Qinzhou, Longzhou, and other holdings. Maozhen was too weak to defend them. Some urged Wang Jian to seize Fengxiang while he could. He said, "That would be a mistake. I have already gained enough and need not add more territory under Qi. Maozhen is only a man of ordinary talent, but his name is old and weighty. He cannot match Lord Zhu in force, yet he has more than enough to hold his borders. This is what Han Feizi meant by a shield within and a mat without. The right move is to support and strengthen him as my shield and rampart. When the Liang founder prepared to seize the throne by force, Wang Jian joined the other governors in plotting restoration and sent his general Kang Yan with thirty thousand men to Fengxiang. Kang Yan fought several engagements with the Bian general Wang Chongshi, fared poorly, and withdrew. When Zhao Kuangning lost Jingzhou and Xiangzhou, his younger brother Kuangming fled to Shu with his staff. Wang Jian thereby gained Kuizhou, Xiazhou, Zhongzhou, Wanzhou, and others. When the Liang founder founded his dynasty, the people of Shu urged Wang Jian to follow Liu Bei's example and declare himself emperor. Wang Jian declared himself emperor at Chengdu and adopted the era name Yongping. In his fifth year he changed the era name to Tongzheng. That winter he changed the era name to Tianhan, then again to Guangtian. He reigned twelve years and died at the age of seventy-two. His son Yan succeeded him.
5
衍，建之幼子也。 建卒，衍襲偽位，改元乾德。 六年十二月，改明年為鹹康。 秋九月，衍奉其母、徐妃同遊於青城山，駐於上清宮。 時宮人皆衣道服，頂金蓮花冠，衣畫雲霞，望之若神仙，及侍宴，酒酣，皆免冠而退，則其髻髽然。 又構怡神亭，以佞臣韓昭等為狎客，雜以婦人，以恣荒宴，或自旦至暮，繼之以燭。 偽嘉王宗壽侍宴，因以社稷國政為言，言發涕流，至於再三。 同宴佞臣潘在迎等並奏衍云：「嘉王好酒悲。」 因翻恣諧謔，取笑而罷。 自是忠正之臣結舌矣。
Yan was Wang Jian's youngest son. When Wang Jian died, Yan took the throne and adopted the era name Qiande. In the twelfth month of his sixth year he renamed the coming year Xian'kang. In the ninth month Yan took his mother and Consort Xu on an excursion to Mount Qingcheng and stayed at the Shangqing Palace. The palace women all wore Daoist robes and golden lotus crowns, their garments painted with clouds and mist so that from a distance they looked like immortals. When they served at the banquet and the wine ran deep, they removed their caps to withdraw, revealing their bare topknots. He also built the Pleasing-the-Spirit Pavilion, where sycophants such as Han Zhao served as his boon companions amid a crowd of women, feasting without restraint from dawn to dusk, one round of candles following another. The Prince of Jia, Zongshou, attended the banquet and spoke of the realm and its governance, weeping as he spoke, again and again. The sycophants at the table, Pan Zaiying and the rest, told Yan together, "The Prince of Jia loves his wine and loves his tears. They then turned to coarse jokes and ridicule until the moment passed. From then on loyal ministers held their tongues.
6
時中國多故，衍得以自安。 唐莊宗平梁，遣使告捷於蜀，蜀人恟懼，致禮復命，稱「大蜀國主致書上大唐皇帝」，詞理稍抗，莊宗不能容，遣客省使李嚴報聘，且市宮中珍玩，蜀人皆禁而不出。 衍既沖呆，軍國之政，鹹委於人。 有王宗弼者，為六軍使，總外任； 宋光嗣者，為樞密使，總內任。 洎嚴至蜀，光嗣等曲宴，因言中國近事，嚴亦引近事折之，語在嚴傳。 光嗣等聞嚴辯對，畏而奇之。 及嚴使還，奏莊宗曰：「王衍呆童耳，宗弼等總其兵柄，但益家財，不恤民事，君臣上下，惟務窮奢。 其舊勛故老，棄而不任，蠻蜓蜑之人，痛深瘡痏。 以臣料之，大兵一臨，望風瓦解。」 莊宗深然之，遂蒐兵括馬，有平蜀之志。 唐師未起時，偽東川節度使宋承葆獻計於衍云：「唐國兵強，不早為謀，後將焉救？ 請於嘉州沿江造戰艦五百艘，募水軍五千，自江下峽，臣以東師出襄、鄧，水陸俱進，東北沿邊，嚴兵據險。 南師出江陵，利則進取，否則退保硤口。 又選三蜀驍壯三萬，急攻岐、雍，東據河、潼，北招契丹，啖以美利，見可則進，否則據散關以固吾圉，事縱不捷，亦攻敵人之心矣。」 衍不從。
With turmoil rampant across the central realm, Yan was left undisturbed. When Tang Emperor Zhuangzong destroyed Liang, he sent envoys to announce victory in Shu. The Shu court was alarmed and replied with gifts, addressing their letter "The Lord of Great Shu writes to the Emperor of Great Tang"—wording Zhuangzong found insolent. He sent the guest-house envoy Li Yan on a return mission and sought to buy palace treasures; the Shu authorities refused to let any leave. Yan was dull and childish, and he left all military and civil affairs to others. One Wang Zongbi served as commander of the Six Armies and controlled external appointments; Song Guangsi served as Commissioner of Confidential Affairs and controlled internal appointments. When Li Yan reached Shu, Guangsi and his circle entertained him privately and spoke of recent events in the central realm. Yan answered with recent events of his own to refute them; the full account appears in Yan's biography. Guangsi and the others heard Yan's sharp replies and were both afraid and impressed. When Yan returned he reported to Emperor Zhuangzong: "Wang Yan is a foolish boy. Zongbi and the rest hold all military power, enriching their families while ignoring the people. From top to bottom the court cares only for extravagance. Old ministers of merit are cast aside and unused, while the tribal peoples of the south bear wounds as grievous as open sores. In my judgment, when the imperial army arrives they will collapse at the first blow. Emperor Zhuangzong strongly agreed and began gathering troops and horses, resolved to conquer Shu. Before the Tang army marched, the Shu military governor of Dongchuan Song Chengbao urged Yan: "Tang is militarily strong. If we do not act now, how will we be saved later? Build five hundred warships at Jiazhou along the river and recruit five thousand sailors to descend through the gorges. I will lead eastern forces from Xiangyang and Dengzhou. Land and water forces will advance together, with strong garrisons holding the northeastern passes. Southern forces will march from Jiangling, advancing when the advantage is ours and falling back to hold Xiakou if not. Further, choose thirty thousand elite troops from the Three Shu, strike quickly at Qi and Yong, seize the east at the Yellow River and Tong Pass, and entice the Khitans in the north with rich rewards. Advance when you can; otherwise hold Sanguan Pass to secure our borders. Even if we do not win outright, we will shake the enemy's resolve. Yan refused to follow this advice.
7
唐同光三年九月十日，莊宗下制伐蜀，命興聖宮使魏王繼岌為都統，樞密使郭崇韜為行營都招討。 其月十八日，魏王統闕下諸軍發洛陽。 十一月二十一日，魏王至德陽，衍報云：「比與將校謀歸國，偽樞密使宋光嗣、景潤澄，南北院宣徽使李周輅、歐陽晃等四人異謀熒惑，臣各已處斬，今送納首級。」 是日，衍上表曰：「臣衍先人建，久在坤維，受先朝寵澤，一開土宇，將四十年。 頃以梁孽興災，洪圖版蕩，不可助逆，遂乃從權，勉徇眾情，止王三旬，固非獲已，未有所歸。 臣輒紹鎡基，且安生聚。 臣衍誠惶誠恐，伏惟皇帝陛下，嗣堯、舜之業，陳湯、武之師，廓定寰區，削平兇逆，梯航垂集，文軌混同。 臣方議改圖，便期納款，遽聞王師致討，實抱驚危。 今則將千里之封疆，盡為王土； 冀萬家之臣妾，皆沭皇恩。 必當輿櫬乞降，負荊請命。 伏惟皇帝陛下，回照臨之造，施覆幬之仁，別示哀矜，以安反側。 儻墳塋而獲祀，實存沒以知歸，臣無任望恩虔禱之至。 乙酉年十一月日，臣王衍上表。」 其月二十七日，魏王至成都北五里升仙橋，偽百官班於橋下，衍乘行輿至，素衣白馬，牽羊，草索系首，面縛銜璧，輿櫬於後。 魏王下馬受其璧，崇韜釋其縛，及燔其櫬，衍率偽百官東北舞蹈謝恩。 禮畢，拜，魏王、崇韜、李嚴皆答拜。 二十八日，王師入成都。 自起師至入蜀城，凡七十五日。 〈（案：以下原本殘闕。 據《歐陽史》云：同光四年，衍行至秦川驛，莊宗用伶人景進計，遣宦者向延嗣誅其族。 天成二年，封衍順正公，以諸侯葬。 《五代史補》：王建在許下時，尤不逞，嘗坐事遭徒，但無杖痕爾。 及據蜀，得馬涓為從事，涓好詆訐，建恐為所譏，因問曰：「竊聞外議，以吾曾遭徒刑，有之乎！」 涓對曰：「有之。」 建恃無杖痕，且對眾，因袒背以示涓曰：「請足下試看，有遭杖責而肌肉如是耶！」 涓知其詐，乃撫背而嘆曰：「大奇，當時何處得此好膏藥來。」 賓佐皆失色，而涓晏然。 王建之僭號也，惟翰林學士最承恩顧，侍臣或諫其禮過，建曰：「蓋汝輩未之見也。 且吾在神策軍時，主內門魚鑰，見唐朝諸帝待翰林學士，雖交友不若也。 今我恩顧，比當時才有百分之一爾，何謂之過當耶！」 論者多之。 杜光庭，長安人，應《九經》舉不第。 時長安有潘尊師者，道術甚高，僖宗所重，光庭素所希慕，數遊其門。 當僖宗之幸蜀也，觀蜀中道門牢落，思得名士以主張之。 駕回，詔潘尊師使於兩街，求其可者，尊師奏曰：「臣觀兩街之眾，道聽途說，一時之俊即有之，至於掌教之士，恐未合應聖旨。 臣於科場中識《九經》杜光庭，其人性簡而氣清，量寬而識遠，且困於風塵，思欲脫屣名利久矣，以臣愚思之，非光庭不可。」 僖宗詔而問之，一見大悅，遂令披戴，仍賜紫衣，號曰廣成先生，即日馳驛遣之。 及王建據蜀，待之愈厚，又號為天師。 光庭嘗以《道》、《德》二經註者雖多，皆未能演暢其旨，因著《廣成義》八十卷，他術稱是，識者多之。）〉
On the tenth day of the ninth month of Tongguang year 3, Emperor Zhuangzong ordered an expedition against Shu, naming Prince of Wei Jiji supreme commander and Commissioner of Confidential Affairs Guo Chongtao overall field commander. On the eighteenth of that month the Prince of Wei led the imperial armies out of Luoyang. On the twenty-first of the eleventh month the Prince of Wei reached Deyang. Yan reported: "I had lately plotted with my officers to surrender to the empire, but the Commissioners of Confidential Affairs Song Guangsi and Jing Runcheng and the palace commissioners Li Zhou'e and Ouyang Huang led me astray with contrary counsel. I have executed all four and now send their heads. That same day Yan submitted a memorial: "My forebear Wang Jian long held the southwest, received the former dynasty's favor, and opened a domain that has stood for nearly forty years. When the Liang usurper brought calamity and the empire was shaken, I could not aid rebellion. I yielded to expediency and popular pressure, reigning as king for only thirty days—not from choice, but because I had nowhere else to turn. I then inherited his foundation and sought only to settle the people. I am filled with fear and trembling before Your Majesty, who inherits the legacy of Yao and Shun, marshals armies like those of the Shang founders, pacifies the realm, destroys the wicked, gathers tribute from every quarter, and unifies the empire under one order. I was just planning to change course and offer submission when suddenly I learned that the imperial army had come against me. I am truly alarmed and in peril. Now a thousand li of territory shall all become imperial soil; and I hope that countless households may all receive the emperor's grace. I shall surely come bearing my coffin to beg surrender and carrying thorns to plead for my life. I beg Your Majesty to look back on the grace of your nurturing care, extend the mercy of your protecting canopy, and show special compassion to settle those who waver. If my ancestral tombs may still receive sacrifice, the living and dead will know where they belong. I cannot express my gratitude and pray with utmost devotion. On a day in the eleventh month of the yiyou year, your servant Wang Yan submits this memorial. On the twenty-seventh of that month the Prince of Wei reached Ascension Bridge five li north of Chengdu. The Shu officials formed ranks below the bridge. Yan came in a traveling carriage, dressed in white on a white horse, leading a sheep, with a grass rope about his neck, bound face-forward and holding a jade disk, with a coffin borne behind. The Prince of Wei dismounted to receive the jade disk. Guo Chongtao released his bonds and burned the coffin. Yan led the Shu officials in the ritual dance toward the northeast to thank the throne for its grace. When the rites were finished they bowed, and the Prince of Wei, Guo Chongtao, and Li Yan all returned the bow. On the twenty-eighth the imperial army entered Chengdu. From the raising of the army to entry into the Shu capital, seventy-five days in all. (Note: Below this point the original text is defective and incomplete. According to Ouyang's History: In Tongguang year 4, as Yan traveled to Qinchuan Post, Emperor Zhuangzong followed the actor Jing Jin's counsel and sent the eunuch Xiang Yansi to execute his entire clan. In Tiancheng year 2 he was enfeoffed as Duke of Shunzheng and buried with the rites due a feudal lord. The Supplement to the History of the Five Dynasties records: When Wang Jian was at Xuchang he was especially unruly. Once he was sentenced to penal servitude for an offense, but bore no marks of beating. Once he held Shu he took Ma Juan as an aide. Juan loved to slander others, and Wang Jian feared his mockery. He asked, "I hear outsiders say I once suffered penal servitude—is that true? Juan answered, "It is true." Wang Jian, confident he bore no beating marks, bared his back before the assembly and said to Juan, "Look, sir—could flesh look like this after a beating?" Juan saw through the deception. He stroked Wang Jian's back and sighed, "Remarkable—where did you find such fine salve?" The guests all blanched, but Juan remained perfectly calm. When Wang Jian declared himself emperor, Hanlin academicians received the greatest favor. Some courtiers said his courtesies went too far. Wang Jian replied, "You simply have not seen how it was done before. When I was in the Shence Army and held the keys to the inner gate, I saw how Tang emperors treated Hanlin academicians—even their closest friends were not honored so richly. My favor today is only one hundredth of what it was then—how can you call that excessive? Many commentators praised his reply. Du Guangting came from Chang'an. He took the Nine Classics examination and failed. In Chang'an there was Master Pan, a Daoist of great renown whom Emperor Xizong esteemed. Guangting had long admired him and often visited his house. When Emperor Xizong fled to Shu, he saw that the Daoist community there was in decline and wished to find a leading figure to revive it. When the emperor returned to the capital, he sent Master Pan to search the Two Streets for a suitable candidate. Pan memorialized: "Among the Daoists of the Two Streets one may find men of passing talent who repeat hearsay, but as for one fit to lead teaching, I fear none will meet Your Majesty's intent. I know Du Guangting from the examination grounds—a man of simple nature and clear spirit, broad in capacity and far in insight, weary of the world's turmoil and long eager to cast off fame and profit. In my humble judgment, none but Guangting will do. Emperor Xizong summoned Guangting and was delighted at first sight. He had him invested as a Daoist priest, bestowed purple robes, styled him Master of Broad Completion, and sent him post-haste to Shu that same day. When Wang Jian held Shu he treated Guangting even more generously and again styled him Celestial Master. Guangting once observed that although many had commented on the Dao and De Classics, none had fully unfolded their meaning. He therefore composed the Broad Completion Exegesis in eighty chapters and was likewise praised in other arts—men of insight approved him.")〉
8
孟知祥，字保裔，邢州龍岡人也。 祖察，父道，世為郡校。 伯父方立，終於邢洺節度使，從父遷，位至澤潞節度使。 知祥在後唐莊宗同光三年，授西川節度副大使，知節度事。 天成中，安重誨專權用事，以知祥莊宗舊識，方據大藩，慮久而難制，潛欲圖之。 是時，客省使李嚴以嘗使於蜀，洞知其利柄，因獻謀於重誨，請以己為西川監軍，庶效方略，以制知祥，朝廷可之。 及嚴至蜀，知祥延接甚至，徐謂嚴曰：「都監前因奉使，請兵伐蜀，遂使東、西兩川俱至破滅，川中之人，其怨已深。 今既復來，人情大駭，固奉為不暇也。」 〈（案：此句疑有舛誤。）〉 即遣人拽下階，斬於階前。 〈（《歐陽史》云：李嚴至境上，遣人持書候知祥，知祥盛兵見之，冀嚴懼而不來，嚴聞之自若。 天成二年正月，嚴至成都，知祥置酒召嚴，因責嚴曰：「今諸方鎮已罷監軍，公何得來？」 《鑒戒錄》云：李嚴於天成初復來臨護，孟祖加之禮分，從容數其五罪，命劍斬之。 與《薛史》異。）〉 其後朝廷每除劍南牧守，皆令提兵而往，或千或百，分守郡城。 時董璋作鎮東川已數年矣，亦有雄據之意。 會朝廷以夏魯奇鎮遂州，李仁矩鎮閬州，皆領兵數千人赴鎮，復授以密旨，令制禦兩川。 董璋覺之，乃與知祥通好，結為婚家，以固輔車之勢。 知祥慮唐軍驟至，與遂、閬兵合，則勢不可支吾，遂與璋協謀，令璋以本部軍先取閬州，知祥遣大將軍李仁罕、趙廷隱率軍圍遂州。 長興元年冬，唐軍伐蜀，至劍門。 二年，以遂、閬既陷，又糧運不接，乃班師。 三年，知祥又破董璋，乃自領東、西兩川節度使。 應順元年，以劍南東兩川節度使、王稱我帝於蜀，改元明德。 七月卒，年六十一。 〈（案：《孟知祥傳》，《永樂大典》原闕，今采《冊府元龜》僭偽部以存梗概。）〉
Meng Zhixiang, styled Baoyi, came from Longgang in Xing Prefecture. His grandfather was Cha and his father Dao; for generations the family served as prefectural military officers. His uncle Fangli became military governor of Xing-Ming; his uncle Qian rose to military governor of Ze-Lu. In Later Tang Tongguang year 3, Emperor Zhuangzong appointed Zhixiang deputy military governor of Xichuan with full authority over military affairs. During the Tiancheng reign An Chonghui monopolized power. Because Zhixiang was an old acquaintance of Zhuangzong and now held a great frontier post, An feared he would grow ungovernable and secretly plotted against him. The guest-house envoy Li Yan, who had once served as envoy to Shu and knew its leverage points well, offered An Chonghui a plan: appoint him military supervisor of Xichuan so he could apply stratagems to control Zhixiang. The court agreed. When Li Yan reached Shu, Zhixiang received him with the utmost courtesy and said slowly, "Supervisor, on your former mission you requested troops to attack Shu and brought ruin on both eastern and western Chuan. The people of the river valleys bear deep resentment. Now that you have come again, the people are terrified. I truly have no leisure to receive you." (Note: This sentence is suspected of textual corruption.)〉 He immediately had men drag Yan down the steps and behead him on the spot. (Ouyang's History records: When Li Yan reached the border he sent a letter ahead to Zhixiang. Zhixiang displayed his army in strength, hoping Yan would be afraid and turn back. Yan heard of this and remained perfectly composed. In the first month of Tiancheng year 2 Li Yan reached Chengdu. Zhixiang set out wine and summoned him, then rebuked him: "Every other frontier post has abolished military supervisors—how dare you come? The Record of Mirrors and Warnings records: Li Yan returned early in the Tiancheng era as military supervisor. Meng Zhixiang treated him courteously, calmly enumerated five crimes, and ordered him executed by the sword. This differs from Xue Juzheng's History.")〉 Thereafter whenever the court appointed a Jiannan prefect or governor, it ordered him to bring troops—a thousand or a hundred—and garrison the prefectural cities. By then Dong Zhang had held Dongchuan for several years and likewise harbored ambitions of domination. The court stationed Xia Luqi at Suizhou and Li Renju at Langzhou, each leading several thousand troops, and gave them secret orders to control both Chuan regions. Dong Zhang perceived the threat and made peace with Zhixiang, sealing the bond with a marriage alliance to strengthen their mutual support. Zhixiang feared that if Tang troops arrived suddenly and joined forces from Suizhou and Langzhou he could not hold out. He plotted with Zhang: Zhang would seize Langzhou first with his own troops while Zhixiang sent Generals Li Renhan and Zhao Tingyin to besiege Suizhou. In the winter of Changxing year 1 the Tang army attacked Shu and reached Jianmen Pass. In the second year, with Suizhou and Langzhou already fallen and supplies cut off, the Tang army withdrew. In the third year Zhixiang defeated Dong Zhang and assumed command of both eastern and western Chuan himself. In Yingshun year 1, as military governor of both Chuan regions, he declared himself emperor in Shu and adopted the era name Mingde. He died in the seventh month at the age of sixty-one. (Note: Meng Zhixiang's biography was originally missing from the Yongle Encyclopedia; the present text draws on the usurpers section of the Imperial Archive of the State to preserve the outline.")〉
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昶，知祥之第三子也。 〈（《宋朝事實》云：昶，初名仁贊。 《揮麈餘話》云：昶，字保元。）〉 母李氏，本莊宗之嬪御，以賜知祥。 唐天祐十六年，歲在己卯，十一月十四日，生昶於太原。 及知祥鎮蜀，昶與其母從知祥妻瓊華長公主同入於蜀。 知祥僭號，偽冊為皇太子。 知祥卒，遂襲其偽位，時年十六，尚稱明德元年。 及偽明德四年冬，偽詔改明年為廣政元年，是歲即晉天福三年也。 偽廣政十三年，偽上尊號為睿文英武仁聖明孝皇帝。 皇朝乾德三年春，王師平蜀，詔昶舉族赴闕，賜甲第於京師，迨其臣下賜賫甚厚，尋冊封楚王。 是歲秋，卒於東京，時年四十七，事具皇家日曆。 自知祥同光二年丙戌歲入蜀，父子相繼，凡四十年而亡。 〈（《五代史補》：孟知祥之入蜀，視其險固，陰有割據之志。 洎抵成都，值晚，且憩於郊外。 有推小車子過者，其物皆以袋盛，知祥見，問曰：「汝車所勝幾袋？」 推者曰：「極力不過兩袋。」 知祥惡之，後果兩代而亡。 知祥與董璋有隙，舉兵討之。 璋素勇悍，聞知祥之來也，以為送死。 諸將兩端，李鎬為知祥判官，深憂之。 及將戰，知祥欲示閑暇，自寫一書以遺董璋。 無何，舉筆輒誤書「董」為「重」字，不悅久之。 鎬在側大喜，且引諸將賀於馬前，知祥不測，曰：「事未可測，何賀耶！」 鎬曰：「其『董』字『艹』下施『重』。 今大王去『艹』書『重』是『董』已無頭，此必勝之兆也。」 於是三軍欣然，一戰而董璋敗。）〉
Chang was Meng Zhixiang's third son. (The Facts of the Song Dynasty records that Chang's original name was Renzan. The Remaining Tales Waving the Whisk gives his style as Baoyuan.")〉 His mother Lady Li had originally been a concubine of Emperor Zhuangzong, given to Meng Zhixiang as a gift. In Tang Tianyou year 16, on the fourteenth day of the eleventh month of the jimao year, Chang was born at Taiyuan. When Meng Zhixiang took command of Shu, Chang and his mother entered Shu together with his wife, the Eldest Princess of Qionghua. When Meng Zhixiang declared himself emperor, he named Chang crown prince. When Meng Zhixiang died, Chang succeeded to the throne at sixteen, still in the first year of the Mingde era. In the winter of Mingde year 4 an edict renamed the coming year Guangzheng year 1—the same year as Jin Tianfu year 3. In Guangzheng year 13 the court bestowed on him the honorific title Emperor Sagacious in Culture, Heroic in Arms, Benevolent and Sage, Bright and Filial. In the spring of Our Dynasty's Qiande year 3 the imperial army pacified Shu. An edict summoned Chang and his entire clan to court, granted them a fine mansion in the capital, richly rewarded his ministers, and soon enfeoffed him as King of Chu. That autumn he died in the Eastern Capital at the age of forty-seven; the full account appears in the imperial calendar. From Meng Zhixiang's entry into Shu in Tongguang year 2, father and son ruled in succession for forty years before the state fell. (The Supplement to the History of the Five Dynasties records: When Meng Zhixiang entered Shu he saw how rugged and defensible it was and secretly resolved to carve out his own domain. When he reached Chengdu it was already evening, and he rested in the suburbs. A man pushing a small cart passed by, his goods packed in bags. Zhixiang asked, "How many bags can your cart hold? The man answered, "At most two bags, with all my strength." Meng Zhixiang took this as a bad omen—and indeed, two generations later the state fell. Meng Zhixiang fell out with Dong Zhang and raised an army against him. Dong Zhang had always been fierce and bold. When he heard Meng Zhixiang was coming, he thought Zhixiang was marching to his death. The generals wavered. Li Gao, Meng Zhixiang's aide, was deeply worried. On the eve of battle Meng Zhixiang wished to appear at ease and personally wrote a letter to Dong Zhang. Before long he kept mistakenly writing the character for Dong as the character for heavy, and was displeased for a long while. Li Gao beside him was delighted and led the generals in congratulation before his horse. Meng Zhixiang could not understand and said, "The outcome is not yet known—why congratulate! Li Gao said, "The character for Dong has the grass radical on top with heavy beneath it. Your Highness has removed the grass and written heavy—Dong has lost his head. This is surely an omen of victory. The three armies took heart, and in a single battle Dong Zhang was defeated.")〉
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史臣曰：昔張孟陽為《劍閣銘》云：「惟蜀之門，作固作鎮，世濁則逆，道清斯順。」 是知自古坤維之地，遇亂代則閉之而不通，逢興運則取之如俯拾。 然唐氏之入蜀也，兵力雖勝，帝道猶昏，故數年間得之復失。 及皇上之平蜀也，煦之以堯日，和之以舜風，故比戶之民，悅而從化。 且夫王衍之遭季世也，則赤族於秦川； 孟昶之遇明代也，則受封於楚甸。 雖俱為亡國之主，何幸與不幸相去之遠也！
The historiographer writes: Long ago Zhang Mengyang composed the Inscription on Jiange Pass: "Shu is the gate of the realm—made firm, made a barrier. When the age is corrupt men rebel; when the Way is clear they submit. From this we know that since antiquity the southwest has been closed off in ages of chaos and taken as easily as picking something from the ground when fortune smiles. Yet when the Tang entered Shu, though their armies prevailed, the imperial Way was still clouded, and within a few years what they gained they lost again. When Our Emperor pacified Shu, he warmed it with the sun of Yao and harmonized it with the wind of Shun, so that household after household gladly submitted. Wang Yan, meeting a degenerate age, had his entire clan exterminated in the Qin river region; Meng Chang, meeting a bright age, was enfeoffed in the Chu domains. Although both were rulers of fallen states, how vast is the distance between fortune and misfortune!