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耶律沙耶律抹只蕭幹附:討古耶律善補耶律海裏
Yelu Sha, Yelu Mozhi, Xiao Gan, appended biography Taogu, Yelu Shanbu, and Yelu Haili
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耶律沙
Yelu Sha
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耶律沙，字安隱。 其先嘗相遙輦氏。 應歷間，累官南府宰相。 景宗即位，總領南面邊事。 保寧間，宋攻河東，沙將兵救之，有功，加守太保。 乾亨初，宋復北侵，沙將兵由間道至白馬嶺，阻大澗遇敵。 沙與諸將欲待後軍至而戰，冀王敵烈、監軍耶律抹只等以為急擊之便，沙不能奪。 敵烈等以先鋒渡澗，未半，為宋人所擊，兵潰。 敵烈及其子蛙哥、沙之子德裏、令穩都敏、詳穩唐筈等五將俱沒。 會北院大王耶律斜軫兵至，萬矢俱發，敵軍始退。 沙將趨太原，會漢駙馬都尉盧俊來奔，言太原已陷，遂勒兵還。 宋乘銳侵燕，沙與戰於高梁河，稍卻； 遇耶律休哥及斜軫等邀擊，敗宋軍。 宋主宵遁，至涿州，微服乘驢車，間道而走。 上以功釋前過。 是年，復從韓匡嗣伐宋，敗績，帝欲誅之，以皇后營救得免。 睿智皇后稱制，召賜几杖，以優其老。 復從伐宋，敗劉廷讓、李敬源之軍，賜賚優渥。 統和六年卒。
Yelu Sha, whose courtesy name was Anyin. His family had once served as ministers to the Yaolian clan. During the Yingli era he rose through successive posts to become Chancellor of the Southern Office. When Emperor Jingzong acceded, Sha was placed in overall charge of affairs along the southern frontier. In the Baoning period, when the Song attacked Hedong, Sha led troops to its relief and distinguished himself; he was promoted to Acting Grand Guardian. Early in the Qianheng era, when the Song again pressed northward, Sha marched by a concealed route to White Horse Ridge, where a deep ravine brought him face to face with the enemy. Sha and his fellow commanders wanted to hold action until the rear guard came up; the Prince of Ji, Dilie, the army supervisor Yelu Mozhi, and others argued for an immediate assault, and Sha could not prevail against them. Dilie and his colleagues took the vanguard across the ravine, but before they were even halfway over the Song struck them and the force broke in rout. Dilie, his son Wage, Sha's son Deli, the lingwen Dumin, the xiangwen Tanghua, and three other commanders—five generals in all—were killed. At that moment the Northern Chancellor Yelu Xiezhen arrived with his troops; when ten thousand arrows flew as one, the enemy at last drew back. Sha was pressing toward Taiyuan when the Han Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant Lu Jun came over to his side and reported that Taiyuan had already fallen; Sha thereupon turned his army back. The Song, emboldened by their momentum, thrust into Yan; Sha met them at the Gaoliang River and gave ground; but then Yelu Xiuge, Xiezhen, and others cut across their path and routed the Song army. The Song emperor fled under cover of night; reaching Zhuozhou, he went in disguise in a donkey cart along back roads to safety. The emperor pardoned his earlier failures in light of this success. That same year he again joined Han Kuangsi in a campaign against the Song and met with defeat; the emperor meant to put him to death, but the empress pleaded for him and he was spared. When the Sagacious Empress Dowager assumed the regency, she summoned him and granted him a folding stool and staff as marks of esteem for his advanced years. He took the field once more against the Song, routed the forces of Liu Tingrang and Li Jingyuan, and received a generous grant of rewards. He died in the sixth year of the Tonghe reign.
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耶律抹只
Yelu Mozhi
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蕭幹，小字項烈，字婆典，北府宰相敵魯之子。 性質直。 初，察割之亂，其黨胡古只與幹善，使人召之。 幹曰：「吾豈能從逆臣！」 縛其人送壽安王。 賊平，上嘉其忠，拜群牧都林牙。 復以伐烏古功，遷北府宰相，改突呂不部節度使。 乾亨初，宋伐河東，乘勝侵燕，詔幹拒之，戰於高梁河。 耶律沙退走，幹與耶律休哥等並力戰敗之，上手敕慰勞。 自是每征伐必參決軍事。 加政事令。 二年，宋兵圍瓦橋，夜襲我營，幹及耶律勻骨戰卻之。 時皇后以父呼幹。 及後為皇太后稱制，幹數條奏便宜，多見聽用。 統和四年卒。 侄討古。
Xiao Gan, whose childhood name was Xianglie and courtesy name Podian, was the son of the Northern Chancellor Diru. By nature he was forthright and plain-spoken. Early in Chagai's rebellion, one of his partisans, Huguzhi, who was on friendly terms with Gan, sent envoys to summon him. Gan replied, "How could I follow a traitor! He bound the envoy and sent him to the Prince of Shou'an. After the rebels were suppressed, the emperor commended his loyalty and appointed him Chief Forest Master of the Herds. He was later promoted to Northern Chancellor for his service against the Wugu and made Military Commissioner of the Tulübu tribe. Early in Qianheng, when the Song attacked Hedong and, riding their victory, pressed into Yan, the court ordered Gan to hold them off; he gave battle at the Gaoliang River. Yelu Sha had already fallen back, but Gan joined Yelu Xiuge and others in a combined assault that broke the enemy; the emperor sent a personal edict of commendation. From then on he took part in every major military decision. He was further appointed Chief of Political Affairs. In the second year, when Song forces besieged Wagiao and raided the Liao camp by night, Gan and Yelu Jungu drove them back. The empress addressed him as "Father." Later, when she ruled as empress dowager, Gan submitted one practical proposal after another, and many of his recommendations were adopted. He died in the fourth year of the Tonghe reign. His nephew was Taogu.
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〈附〉 討古
〈Appended biography〉 Taogu
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討古，字括寧，性忠簡。 應歷初，始入侍。 會冀王敵烈、宣徽使海思謀反，討古與耶律阿列密告於上，上嘉其忠，詔尚樸謹公主。 保寧末，為南京統軍使。 乾亨初，宋侵燕，討古與北院大王奚底拒之，不克，軍潰。 討古等不敢復戰，退屯清河。 帝聞其敗，遣使責之曰：「卿等不嚴偵候，用兵無法，遇敵即敗，奚以將為！」 討古懼。 頃之，援兵至，討古奮力以敗宋軍。 上釋其罪，降為南京侍衛親軍都指揮使。 四年卒。
Taogu, whose courtesy name was Kuoning, was loyal and unassuming by nature. At the opening of the Yingli era he first entered palace service. When the Prince of Ji, Dilie, and the Xuanhui Commissioner Haisi conspired rebellion, Taogu and Yelu Alie reported them in secret; the emperor praised their loyalty and married Taogu to Princess Pujin. Late in Baoning he was made Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Capital. Early in Qianheng, when the Song invaded Yan, Taogu and the Northern Chancellor Xidi tried to hold them off but failed and their army broke in rout. Taogu and his colleagues dared not give battle again and fell back to encamp at Qinghe. When the emperor learned of the defeat, he sent an envoy to rebuke them: "You kept poor watch, handled your troops without discipline, and broke the moment you met the enemy—what sort of commanders are you! Taogu was terrified. Before long reinforcements arrived, and Taogu fought with renewed vigor to rout the Song army. The emperor pardoned him but reduced him to Commander of the Southern Capital Palace Guard. He died in the fourth year of Qianheng.
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耶律善補
Yelu Shanbu
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耶律善補，字瑤升，孟父楚國王之後。 純謹有才智。 景宗即位，授千牛衛大將軍，遷大同軍節度使。 及伐宋，韓匡嗣與耶律沙將兵由東路進，善補以南京統軍使由西路進。 善補聞匡嗣失利，斂兵還。 乾亨末，與宋軍戰於滿城，為伏兵所圍，斜軫救之獲免。 以失備，大杖決之。 統和初，為惕隱。 會宋來侵，善補為都元帥逆之，不敢戰，故嶺西州郡多陷，罷惕隱。 以其叔安端有匡輔世宗功，上湣之，征善補為南府宰相，遷南院大王。 會再舉伐宋，欲攻魏府，召眾集議。 將士以魏城無備，皆言可攻。 善補曰：「攻固易，然城大叵量，若克其城，士卒貪俘掠，勢必不可遏。 且傍多巨鎮，各出援兵，內有重敵，何以當之？」 上乃止。 善補性懦，守靜。 凡征討，憚攻戰，急還，以故戰多不利。 年七十四卒。
Yelu Shanbu, whose courtesy name was Yaosheng, was a descendant of the younger line of the King of Chu. He was conscientious, prudent, and gifted with ability. When Emperor Jingzong came to the throne, he was made Grand General of the Thousand-Ox Guard and then Military Commissioner of the Datong Army. In the campaign against the Song, Han Kuangsi and Yelu Sha advanced along the eastern route while Shanbu, as Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Capital, moved up the western route. When Shanbu learned that Kuangsi had been defeated, he drew his troops back. Late in Qianheng he fought the Song at Mancheng, was caught in an ambush, and was saved only when Xiezhen came to his relief. For his lack of preparedness he was sentenced to a severe beating. Early in Tonghe he was made tiyin. When the Song invaded again, Shanbu went out as supreme commander to meet them but would not give battle; many districts west of the passes therefore fell, and he was dismissed from the office of tiyin. Because his uncle Anduan had helped secure Emperor Shizong's succession, the court showed him favor: Shanbu was recalled to serve as Southern Chancellor and promoted to Great King of the Southern Office. On a later campaign against the Song, when the court planned to strike Weizhou, he called the commanders together for counsel. The officers and men, seeing Weizhou undefended, all urged an assault. Shanbu said, "The assault would be easy enough, but the city is vast; if we took it, the men would gorge on captives and loot, and the rush would be impossible to hold in check. Besides, great fortified towns lie all around; each would send relief, and we would face powerful enemies on every side—how could we stand against them? The emperor thereupon abandoned the plan. By nature Shanbu was timid and preferred quiet. On campaign he shrank from battle and withdrew at the first opportunity, and for this reason his engagements usually went badly. He died at the age of seventy-four.
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耶律海裏
Yelu Haili
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論曰：當高梁、朔州之捷，偏裨之將如沙與抹只，既因休哥、斜軫類見其功，所謂失之東隅，收之桑榆。 若蕭幹、海裏拒察割之招，討古告海思之變，則不止有戰功而已。 其視善補畏懦，豈不優哉！
The historian remarks: At the victories at Gaoliang and Shuozhou, subordinate commanders such as Sha and Mozhi—though they had first been disgraced—won distinction alongside men like Xiuge and Xiezhen; this is truly a case of losing at dawn yet making good the loss at dusk. As for Xiao Gan and Haili, who refused Chagai's enticements, and Taogu, who exposed Haisi's conspiracy—their worth lay in more than battlefield success alone. Set beside Shanbu's timid caution, were they not plainly the better men!