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卷四 本紀第四 簡文帝

Volume 4: Emperor Jianwen

Chapter 4 of 梁書 · Book of Liang
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1
Book of Liang, Volume 4, Annals 4
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Emperor Jianwen
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殿 使 使 西 使 使西
Taizong Emperor Jianwen, personal name Gang, courtesy name Shizuan, childhood name Liutong, was Gaozu's third son and Zhaoming Crown Prince's younger brother by the same mother. On dingwei in the tenth month of Tianjian 2 he was born in Xianyang Hall. In year 5 he was made Prince of Jin'an with a fief of eight thousand households. In year 8 he became General of the Cloud Banner, took charge of Shitou garrison affairs, and had aides appointed as required. In year 9 he was made Bearer of the Staff and commander of the five Yan, Qing, Xu, and Ji provinces, General Who Proclaims Resolution, and South Yanzhou inspector. In year 12 he entered court as General Who Proclaims Grace and intendant of Danyang. In year 13 he went out as Bearer of the Staff, commander of Jing, Yong, Liang, the two Qin, Yi, and Ning, Colonel of the Southern Barbarians, and Jingzhou inspector, retaining his generalship. In year 14 he was reassigned commander of Jiangzhou, General of the Cloud Banner, and Jiangzhou inspector, still Bearer of the Staff. In year 17 he was recalled as Leader of the Palace Gentlemen of the West with Shitou garrison duties, then again General Who Proclaims Grace and Danyang intendant, with Palace Attendant added. In Putong 1 he went out as Bearer of the Staff, commander of Yi, Ning, Yong, Liang, the two Qin, and Sha, and Yi province inspector; before taking office he was reassigned General of the Cloud Banner and South Xuzhou inspector. In year 4 he was reassigned Bearer of the Staff, commander of Yong, Liang, the two Qin, and related districts, General Who Pacifies the West, Colonel of Pacified Barbarians, and Yongzhou inspector. In year 5 he was promoted to General Who Pacifies the North. In year 7 he was provisionally made commander of Jing, Yi, and South Liang. That year, when his birth mother Honored Consort Mu died, he asked to resign but was ordered back to his post. In Zhongdatong 1 an edict granted him the usual suite of drums and pipes. In year 2 he was recalled as commander of South Yang and Xu, General of Agile Cavalry, and Yangzhou inspector. On yisi in the fourth month of year 3 Crown Prince Zhaoming died. On bingshen in the fifth month an edict said, "Without utmost fairness one cannot hold the realm; without universal love one cannot govern the four seas. Therefore Yao and Shun yielded the throne, giving it only to the virtuous; King Wen passed over Bo Yi Kao and installed King Wu, harmonizing above and below and shining across the four quarters. Now the sacred mountain is empty and the heavenly steps are hard; pure custom is still troubled and the people unrested—without brightness, wisdom, martial merit, and culture, who could bear the sacred regalia and succeed to the dragon throne? Prince Gang of Jin'an was gifted in letters and principles, naturally filial and respectful, his authority and kindness known abroad and his virtue keen within; the lords praised him and the realm took him to heart. He is to be established as crown prince. On yihai in the seventh month he was invested at the throne hall; while the Eastern Palace was repaired he lodged temporarily at the Eastern Mansion. In the ninth month of year 4 he returned to the Eastern Palace.
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便 使
On bingchen in the fifth month of Taiqing 3 Gaozu died. On xinsi he took the throne. An edict said, "Ill-fated as I am, I have long borne this grief. The late emperor has suddenly left the myriad realms; in longing and wailing I have nowhere to set myself. With slight virtue I have undeservedly risen above the people; alone in grief I know not whom to trust, and must rely on the feudatories to keep the altars secure. Respectfully following the prior command and the grace of the deathbed charge, the hundred millions should receive added benefit. A general amnesty is proclaimed for the empire. On renwu an edict said, "In nurturing things be broad; in governing the people be kind—the Way of founding kings was never meant for servitude. Some who opened their gates in loyalty were seized at once; some on the borders were wantonly raided. Two states contend—what crime have the common people! I, slight and dull, have newly received the great enterprise; now that I rule all within the seas and my transforming influence fills the cosmos, how could I wish them alone to be outcasts? Northerners now held as slaves and maidservants in the provinces, with wives and children, may all be released. On guiwei Consort Wang was posthumously titled Empress Jian.
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西
On bingxu in the sixth month the heir of Nankang Prince Huili was made Minister of Works. On dinghai Prince Daqi of Xuancheng was established as crown prince. On renchen Duke Daxin of Dangyang became Prince of Xunyang, Duke Dakuan of Shicheng Prince of Jiangxia, Duke Dalin of Ningguo Prince of Nanhai, Duke Dalian of Lincheng Prince of Nan commandery, Duke Dachun of Xifeng Prince of Anlu, Duke Dacheng of Xintu Prince of Shanyang, and Duke Dafeng of Linxiang Prince of Yidu.
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西
On jiayin in the seventh month of autumn Guangzhou inspector Yuan Jingzhong plotted to join Hou Jing; West River Protector Chen Baxian rose against him; Jingzhong killed himself and Baxian installed Dingzhou inspector Xiao Bo as inspector. On wuchen Wu commandery was made Wu province, with Prince Dachun of Anlu as inspector. On gengwu the heir of Nankang Prince Huili, Minister of Works, also became Director of the Masters of Writing; Prince Dalin of Nanhai became Yangzhou inspector; Prince Dazhuang of Xinxing became South Xuzhou inspector. That month Jiujiang suffered great famine; one in fourteen or fifteen people ate human flesh.
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On guimao in the eighth month Grand General Who Conquers the East Xiao Yuanzao, Bearer of the Full Staff, and South Xuzhou inspector, died.
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On dingwei in the tenth month of winter there was an earthquake.
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使
In the twelfth month Baekje sent envoys with tribute.
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西 西
On xinhai, the new-year's day of Dabao 1, national mourning prevented the court assembly. An edict said, "All under Heaven is the sacred vessel of utmost fairness; in antiquity the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors took the throne only when they could not refuse. Thus the work of emperors and kings is what sages leave as surplus. Chariot and cap are adornments that come by chance alone. Grand Ancestor the Literary Emperor held vast hidden brilliance and laid the foundation of the Western Earl. Gaozu the Martial Emperor made the Way fill the two principles and his wisdom encompass the myriad things. When Qi neared its end pestilence returned and moral order collapsed, kin suffered the calamity of the park, and the ruler nursed insatiable desires—then came the fortune of willing elevation, the hearts of the hundred millions were followed, their allied strength was taken up, and this shame was avenged. The deed was not for oneself; in righteousness one truly followed the people. Therefore when the work was done he did not keep it, dwelt in low halls and ate plain food, great compassion spread widely, and edicts like those of Fenyang were issued again and again. For four reign cycles there has been no fully fitting praise. I, slight and dull, am in deepest grief and distress; the living are exhausted and my will does not aim at wholeness; bowing low I await shade and hope to inherit the great succession. Banners hang over thin ice—words can scarcely tell it. Pain deepens as recovery is slow; mourning seclusion grows keener still. I should keep dark silence within and lodge my mind outside affairs. Yet the kingly Way is not yet straight and the heavenly steps still hard; I must rely on chief ministers to broaden the myriad affairs of state. At the year's beginning I establish the era name, looking up to the old statutes. A general amnesty is proclaimed and Taiqing 4 is changed to Dabao 1. On dingsi yellow sand fell from the sky. On jiwei Venus crossed the heavens; on xinyou it stopped. Western Wei raided Anlu, seized Sizhou inspector Liu Zhongli, and took all the lands east of the Han. On bingyin the moon was visible by day. On guiyou former Jiangdu magistrate Zu Hao rose, attacked Guangling, and beheaded the rebel South Yanzhou inspector Dong Shaoxian. Hou Jing personally led land and river forces against Hao.
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西
On guiwei in the second month Hou Jing took Guangling; Hao and the others were all killed. On bingxu Prince Dachun of Anlu was made East Yangzhou inspector. Wu province was abolished and Wu was again a commandery as before. An edict said, "Recently the eastern marches were disturbed and Jiangyang ran wild. Chief ministers deployed strategy and bold warriors fought fiercely; Wu and Kuaiji were cleared, Ji and Yan were calm, and within the capital precincts there was no need for armor. Court palaces of rank and the attendants left and right within the fasting quarters may all stand down from alert. On yisi Wang Ke, Vice Director of the Masters of Writing, became Left Vice Director. That month Prince Lun of Shaoling came from Xunyang to Xiakou; Jingzhou inspector Prince Ke of Nanping yielded the province to him. On bingwu Hou Jing forced Taizong to go to Xizhou.
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On gengwu in the fifth month of summer General Who Conquers the North and heir of Poyang Prince Fan, Bearer of the Full Staff, died. From spring through summer famine was severe; people ate one another, especially in the capital.
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西
On xinsi in the sixth month Prince Dalian of Nan commandery was put in charge of Yangzhou affairs. On gengzi former Sizhou inspector Yang Yaren fled from the Masters of Writing to Xizhou.
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On wuchen in the seventh month of autumn the rebel Mobile Headquarters Ren Yue raided Jiangzhou; inspector Prince Daxin of Xunyang surrendered the province to him. That month Prince Dalian of Nan commandery was made Jiangzhou inspector.
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On jiawu in the eighth month Prince Yi of Xiangdong sent Army Inspector General Wang Senbian with troops to press Yingzhou. On yihai Hou Jing made himself Chancellor of State and enfeoffed twenty commanderies as King of Han. Prince Lun of Shaoling abandoned Yingzhou and fled.
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西 西
On yiwei in the tenth month of winter Hou Jing again forced Taizong to a banquet at Xizhou and made himself Grand General of the Cosmos and commander of the Six Harmonized Directions. The princes Dagun, Dawei, Daqiu, Daxin, Dazhi, and Dayuan were enfeoffed as princes of Xiyang, Wuning, Jian'an, Yi'an, Suijian, and Yuele commanderies. On renyin Hou Jing killed the heir of Nankang Prince Huili.
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西
In the eleventh month Ren Yue advanced and held Xiyang, detached troops to raid Qichang, seized Prince Xian of Hengyang and sent him to the capital, then killed him. Prince Yi of Xiangdong sent former Ningzhou inspector Xu Wensheng to command the armies against Yue. Zhang Biao, former central army officer of the Prince of Nan commandery, rose on Ruoye Mountain in Kuaiji and overran the counties of eastern Zhejiang.
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西
In the second month of spring, year 2, Prince Lun of Shaoling fled to Dongcheng in Anlu, was attacked by Western Wei, was defeated, and died.
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西
In the third month Hou Jing personally led his army west on campaign. On dingwei day he marched from the capital; from Shitou to Xinlin, boats stretched bow to stern without a break.
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西
In the fourth month he reached Xiyang. On yihai day Hou Jing detached the rebel generals Song Zixian and Ren Yue to strike Yingzhou. On bingzi day they seized inspector Xiao Fangzhu.
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On jiazi in the intercalary month Hou Jing pressed on Baling; Wang Senbian, the commanding general Prince Yi of Xiangdong had sent, fought again and again but could not win.
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On guwei in the fifth month Prince Yi of Xiangdong urgently sent mobile corps general Hu Sengyou and Xin province inspector Lu Fahe to relieve Baling; Hou Jing sent Ren Yue with an army to block them.
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On jiachen in the sixth month Sengyou and his forces routed Ren Yue and took him prisoner. On yisi day Hou Jing broke the siege and fled under cover of night; Wang Senbian led the combined armies in pursuit. On gengshen day they stormed Lushan fortress, took it, and captured Wei minister of education Zhang Huaren and formation companion Men Hongqing. On xinyou day they pressed the siege of Yingzhou, took the city, and captured the rebel chiefs Song Zixian and others. Hou Zhen, a former officer of the Prince of Poyang, raised troops and struck the rebel formation companion Yu Qing at Yuzhang; Qing was beaten and fled.
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On dinghai day in the seventh month of autumn Hou Jing returned to the capital. On xinchou day Wang Senbian's army camped at Pencheng; Fan Xirong, the rebel officer in charge of Jiangzhou, abandoned the city and fled.
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殿 西 使
On bingwu in the eighth month Wang Sengzhen and Zheng Chong of Jinxi rose and stormed the commandery seat; the rebel Jinzhou inspector Xiahou Weisheng and formation companion Ren Yan fled. On wuwu day Hou Jing sent minister of the guard Peng Jun and palace section commander Wang Senggui with troops into the hall, deposed Taizong as Prince of Jin'an, and imprisoned him in Yongfu Palace. He killed Crown Prince Daqi, the princes of Xunyang, Xiyang, Wuning, Jianping, and Yi'an, and twenty sons of the Prince of Xunyang. He forged an abdication edict in Taizong's name to the successor prince of Yuzhang, Dong, proclaimed a general amnesty, and changed the reign title. Envoys were sent to kill Prince Dailin of Nanhai at Wu, Prince Dalian of Nanjun at Gudu, Prince Dachun of Anlu at Kuaiji, and Prince Dazhuang of Xinxing at Jingkou.
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使
On renyin in the tenth month of winter the emperor said to attendant Yin Buhai, "Last night I dreamed I swallowed earth—please interpret it for me." Buhai said, "Long ago Chong'er was given a clod of earth and at last returned to Jin. Surely Your Majesty's dream matches that sign?" Then Wang Wei and the others came forward with a toast and said, "The chancellor, seeing Your Majesty's long grief, has sent us to offer longevity wine." The emperor smiled and said, "Longevity wine—must it not be drunk to the dregs?" They then gave wine and food, a curved-neck pipa, and drank with him. Knowing he could not escape, the emperor drank his fill and said, "I never thought merriment could come to this!" When he was drunk and asleep, Wang Wei and Peng Jun brought in a bag of earth; Wang Xiuzuan sat on it—and Taizong died in Yongfu Palace at the age of forty-nine. The rebels gave him the posthumous title Bright Emperor and the temple name Gaozong. The next year, on jichou in the third month, Wang Senbian led the former hundred officials to raise the coffin to the audience hall; Shizu posthumously honored him as Emperor Jianwen with temple name Taizong. On yichou in the fourth month he was buried at Zhuang Mausoleum.
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At first, when Taizong was held captive, he wrote on the wall: "I, Xiao Shizuan of Lanling, upright man of Liang, one in conduct from start to finish—though wind and rain darken the sky, the cock crows without cease. I would not deceive a dark room—how much less the sun, moon, and stars; to come to this count is fate—what can be done!" He also wrote two "Linked Pearls" pieces, their tone deeply mournful.
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便 便 簿
Taizong from childhood was quick and perceptive, his insight beyond others; at six he could write, and Gaozu marveled at his early gift but did not believe it. He was tested before the throne, and his literary grace was superb. Gaozu sighed and said, "This boy is our family's Dong'e." When he grew up, his bearing was broad and calm; anger and delight never showed on his face. Square of cheek and full below, beard and temples like painted lines; a sidelong glance lit upon men like fire. In reading he took in ten lines at a glance. Of the nine schools and hundred thinkers, whatever passed his eye he remembered; in essays, rhapsodies, and verse he took up the brush and finished on the spot. He mastered Confucian classics and was skilled in Neo-Daoist discourse. From age eleven he could handle routine affairs himself; repeatedly tried in frontier posts, wherever he went he won praise. Mourning Noble Consort Mu, grief wasted him to bone; day and night he wept without pause, and the mat he sat on rotted from wetting. At Xiangyang he memorialized for a northern campaign and sent chief clerk Liu Jin, marshal Dong Dangmen, martial valor general Du Huaibao, far-shaking general Cao Yizong, and others with the armies; they took Nanyang, Xinye, and other commanderies, Wei's south Jingzhou inspector Li Zhi surrendered Anchang fortress, and territory expanded more than a thousand li. As regent he was broadly lenient in many matters, yet in documents and ledgers not the finest thread could be falsified. He welcomed literary men and rewarded them tirelessly, constantly discussing texts and then writing himself. When Gaozu composed his Expositions on the Five Classics, Taizong once lectured on them at the Dark Garden; listeners filled court and countryside. He loved poetry by nature; in his preface he wrote, "At seven I had a poetry mania, and as I grew I never tired of it." Yet he was faulted for frivolous ornament, and his age called it the "Palace Style." His works included Biography of the Heir Apparent Zhaoming in five scrolls, Biographies of the Princes in thirty scrolls, Great Meaning of the Rites in twenty scrolls, Meaning of the Laozi in twenty scrolls, Meaning of the Zhuangzi in twenty scrolls, Recorded Meaning of Eternal Spring in one hundred scrolls, and Treasured Laws Linked Pearls in three hundred scrolls—all circulated in his day.
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[1]
The historian writes: In youth Taizong was clever and perceptive, his fair renown marked from of old, his heavenly talent unrestrained, foremost in past and present. In literature he was at times burdened by frivolous ornament—what gentlemen do not take up. When he cultivated virtue in the Eastern Palace, his fame reached barbarians and Chinese alike; when he succeeded to the throne, he truly had a ruler's excellence. Just as he was to match Wen and Jing, fate struck the hexagrams Tun and Bo; constrained by the rebel minister, he could not unfold what he held within, and at last suffered the cruelty of Huai and Min—alas! Editorial footnote marker in the source text.
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The full text was collated against the Zhonghua Shuju edition of the Book of Liang (May 1973).
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