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卷一百十二 列傳第四十二: 逆臣上

Volume 112 Biographies 42: Rebellious Officials 1

Chapter 112 of 遼史 · History of Liao
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Chapter 112
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Rebellious Officials, Part One
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• Yelü Xiadǐ (Dialite)]〉 Yelü Chaguo, Yelü Louguo, and Yelü Chongyuan (Nielugu)]〉 Yelü Huage
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The 《Book of Changes》 says: "Heaven is honored and earth is lowly; thereby Qian and Kun are set in place; Low and high are arrayed in order, and the noble and the base assume their stations." Once noble and base have assumed their stations, the distinction between ruler and minister is settled; once ruler and minister are settled, heaven and earth come into harmony; once heaven and earth are in harmony, the myriad things are formed and fulfilled. The rule of the Five Emperors and Three Kings rested on this principle. Since the Three Dynasties, ministers have murdered their rulers, and sons have murdered their fathers. Confucius wrote the 《Spring and Autumn Annals》 to embody the kingly law, condemning the dead before all eyes to warn the living who followed—a design whose reach was profoundly far-sighted. When Ouyang Xiu compiled the 《Book of Tang》, he inaugurated the 《Biographies of Rebellious Ministers》—surely in the same spirit as the 《Spring and Autumn》. Liao counts twenty-two rebellious ministers, and tracing their deeds one finds cases still worse—yet such outcomes are never the work of a single day or night alone. They are recorded in the 《Biographies》 so that condemnation may be made public under Heaven and a warning set forth for all.
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西
Xiadǐ, whose style name was Nieliegun, was the son of Dila, ürün chijin of the Yaonian tribe and a descendant of the dynastic founder Suzu. As a youth he was sharp-witted and quick of tongue, and many crafty sycophants of the day rallied to him. During the reign of Khan Hendejin of the Yaolian line, his elder half-brother Angu'zhi served as ürün chijin of the Yaonian tribe. By established custom, whoever assumed the office of ürün chijin was entitled to perform the rebirth ceremony. While Angu'zhi was still in his tent changing clothes, Xiadǐ seized a red robe and a sable cicada cap, mounted a white horse, and rode forth. He ordered his partisans to cry out: "The ürün chijin has emerged!" The crowd prostrated themselves in ranks; he then performed the chice ritual of investiture and declared himself ürün chijin. He shared governance of the realm with Yelü Shilu, who held the honorary title of yuyue. After Shilu was killed, Xiadǐ feared others would plot against him; he fled to Bohai with his sons Dialite and Shuogua and pretended to be blind. Later, at a ball-game meeting, he and his two sons seized fine horses and raced back to the Khitan realm. He grew still more wicked, yet time and again talked his way out of punishment with clever speeches. When Emperor Taizu was about to ascend the throne, he offered the realm to Xiadǐ; Xiadǐ replied, "The Son of Heaven is a sage ordained by Heaven—how could a subject such as I dare accept it!" The emperor then appointed him yuyue. When the emperor led troops in person against the southwestern tribes, Xiadǐ incited Cige and others to revolt and killed those who refused to join. When the imperial procession returned to Chishui City, Xiadǐ took fright and fled north with Cige; at the Yu River they were overtaken and captured. Emperor Taizu asked, "When I first took the throne I offered you the realm, and you, Uncle, declined it; why do you now seek to set up my younger brother instead?" Xiadǐ answered, "At first I did not grasp how exalted the Son of Heaven was. After Your Majesty took the throne, your escort was so strict and so unlike that of common men that when I once presented a memorial my heart stirred, and only then did I begin to covet the throne. I judged that Your Majesty was heroic and martial and could never be overthrown; your younger brothers were weak—once one of them held power, he would be easy to overthrow. Had the plot succeeded, would I have spared your brothers!" The emperor said to his brothers, "You actually listened to this man!" Yaonian replied, "Great undertakings require men like him; once the deed is done, he must certainly be removed." Xiadǐ said nothing more. After months in confinement he was strangled.
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便
Before the execution, Emperor Taizu said, "Uncle, your crime deserves death, and I dare not pardon you. If anything would serve the realm, speak of it fully." Xiadǐ said, "The Yaonian tribe is large and strong, which is why it so often rebels; divide it in two to weaken its power." His son was Dialite.
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鹿 鹿
Dialite, whose style name was Hailin. He was powerfully built and skilled at mounted archery; even when his horse stumbled he would not be thrown. He was uncannily gifted in medicine; when he examined an illness it was as though he saw through a veil—nothing was hidden from him. Even before Taizu took the throne he had favored Dialite; once enthroned, he appointed him ürün chijin of the Yaonian tribe. Taizu once craved pickled deer to clear his head after drinking; as it could be found in the hills, he asked who could fetch it. Dialite said, "I can get it. He mounted a horse from the imperial stables, chased deer, and brought one down with a shot. As he prepared a second shot, the horse stumbled and fell dead. Dialite sprang forward without slackening his bow and took another deer. The emperor was delighted and exclaimed, "My brother is a match for ten thousand men!" When the emperor suffered heart pain, he summoned Dialite to examine him. Dialite said, "There is congealed blood the size of a pellet in the deepest recesses of the chest; medicine cannot reach it—only acupuncture will cure you. The emperor agreed. He vomited the clotted blood and the pain stopped. Because he was kin, the emperor showered him with gifts; yet knowing his character, he never gave him real responsibility. Later he joined Cige's rebellion and was strangled along with his father Xiadǐ.
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使
Chaguo, whose style name was Ouxin, was the son of Prince Ming'an Anduan. He was skilled at mounted archery. His manner was respectful but his heart was cunning, and people mistook him for a coward. Taizu said, "He is vicious and stubborn—not timid at all." Once when his father sent him to report at court, Taizu told his attendants, "This man's eyes are like a camel's in a gale, and his face bears the look of a rebel. If I am alone, do not let him through the door." When Emperor Shizong took the throne at Zhenyang, Anduan heard the news and tried to hedge between the rivals. Chaguo said, "The Imperial Younger Brother is jealous and cruel; if he really becomes emperor, he will never spare us! Prince Yongkang is generous and friendly with Liu Ge—we should go consult with them. Anduan then joined Liu Ge in plotting to submit to Shizong. When peace was concluded, he was enfeoffed as Prince of Taining for his service.
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西 使
When Anduan became Grand Commander of the Southwest, Chaguo pretended to denounce his father and secretly informed the emperor, who summoned him at once. Before the throne he wept as though overcome with grief; the emperor took pity on him and put him in command of the Nüshilie army. He moved freely within the inner palace and was favored again and again. Whenever the emperor hunted, Chaguo claimed a hand ailment, carried no bow, and rode about gripping only a forged mace. He repeatedly reported trifling household matters to the emperor, who took this as proof of sincerity. Because his kinsmen's camps were scattered and he could not act freely, he gradually moved his tents nearer the traveling palace. Yelü Wuzhi, commander of the Right Pishi, detected his treachery and memorialized the emperor with a full account. The emperor refused to believe it and showed the memorial to Chaguo. Chaguo said Wuzhi bore him a grudge and broke into choking sobs. The emperor said, "I have never believed this—why weep over it!" Chaguo sometimes muttered complaints; Wuzhi told him, "Even if you mean no harm, my suspicions have put you under a cloud—do not do anything improper." Another day Wuzhi pleaded again; the emperor said, "Chaguo turned against his father to serve me—he can be trusted." Wuzhi replied, "A man unfilial to his father cannot be loyal to his lord!" The emperor would not listen.
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祿 使
In the seventh month of Tianlu 5, the emperor visited Taiye Valley and lingered there drinking for three days; Chaguo plotted a revolt but failed. On campaign against Zhou, the court reached Xianggu Mountain; the empress dowager and emperor offered sacrifice to Emperor Wenxian at the traveling palace, and the whole court was drunk. Chaguo went to Prince Shou'an and asked to speak with him; the prince refused. Chaguo revealed the plot to Yelü Pendu, who joined him. That night they led their troops in and murdered the empress dowager and the emperor, then seized the imperial title. Officials who refused to follow had their families seized as hostages. That night he inspected the inner treasury, found an agate bowl, and exclaimed, "A treasure of the age—and now it is mine!" He showed it proudly to his wife. His wife said, "Prince Shou'an and Wuzhi are still alive—we shall not leave a soul alive; what good is this bowl!" Chaguo said, "Shou'an is young, and Wuzhi commands only a handful of slaves—they will come to court at dawn; there is nothing to fear." His follower Shengsi alerted Shou'an and Wuzhi that troops had surrounded them outside; Chaguo then sent men to murder the empress before the coffin and hurried out to give battle in confusion. Prince Shou'an sent a messenger to declare, "You have already murdered your sovereign—what do you plan to do next?" An ürün chijin named Hua laid down his arms and went over to Prince Shou'an; the rest of the troops watched him and drifted over one by one. Seeing that he could not prevail, Chaguo bound the officials' families, took up bow and arrow, and threatened, "I need only kill this crowd! He shouted for them to come out at once. Among those bound was the linya Yelü Dilie, who came forward and said, "Unless someone is removed, how can Prince Shou'an ascend the throne? Use that as your plea and you may yet save yourselves." Chaguo said, "If you are right, who shall go as envoy?" Dilie offered to go with Yansage to negotiate; Chaguo agreed. Prince Shou'an then had Dilie lure Chaguo out and had him hacked to pieces. His sons were all put to death.
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祿使 西
Louguo, whose style name was Mianxin, was a son of Emperor Wenxian. In Tianlu 5 he was appointed Military Commissioner of Wuding by remote commission. When Chaguo rebelled, Muzong and Wuzhi adopted the linya Dili's stratagem to lure him out, and Louguo killed Chaguo with his own hand. He was transferred to serve as prefect of Nanjing. Muzong drowned himself in wine and neglected affairs of state; Louguo began to covet the throne and incited Dilie and other malcontents to plot rebellion. When the plot was discovered, he was interrogated under torture but would not confess. The emperor said, "When I was still Prince Shou'an, you raised this very matter with me again and again—can it be empty talk today?" Louguo had no answer. After the remaining conspirators had submitted, he was strangled in the western valley of Kehan Prefecture, and an edict directed the authorities to choose a burial site that would cut off his line forever.
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使 使 使
Chongyuan, whose childhood name was Beijizhi, was the second son of Emperor Shengzong. His talent and bravery were unmatched; his face was handsome and clear; he spoke and laughed little, and men feared him at first sight. In Taiping 3 he was enfeoffed as Prince of Qin. After Shengzong's death, Empress Dowager Qin'ai ruled as regent and secretly plotted to set Chongyuan on the throne. Chongyuan reported the plot to the emperor, who valued him all the more and enfeoffed him as Imperial Younger Brother. He served in turn as Commissioner of the Northern Commission, Prefect of Nanjing, and Director of the Marshal's Bureau. Though Chongyuan held a military post, he never strayed far from the imperial carriage. Previously, when Khitan broke the law they were tried by Han officials, and many were wronged. Chongyuan memorialized that each of the Five Capitals should have Khitan patrol commissioners; the court approved, and he was granted a golden pledge certificate. When Daozong ascended the throne, Chongyuan was made Imperial Younger Uncle, exempted from bowing and from having his name spoken aloud, appointed Grand Marshal of all armies under Heaven, and again given golden certificates, a four-peaked cap, and a two-colored robe—honors never granted before. In Qingning 9, while the emperor hunted on the Luan River, Chongyuan—acting on the long-laid plot of his son Nielugu—joined Prince of Chen Chen Liu, Northern Commissioner Xiao Hudu, and more than four hundred others to coerce the crossbow troops into forming battle lines outside the curtain palace. Just before battle, many of his followers repented and went over to the emperor, scattering in flight. Realizing his plan had failed, Chongyuan fled north into the desert and cried, "Nielugu has brought me to this pass! Thereupon he took his own life.
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Earlier, when Chongyuan was about to rebel, blood-red rain fell before his tent; those who read omens called it a sign of ruin. His son was Nielugu.
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使 使 使宿
Nielugu, whose childhood name was Yeluwan. He was secretive and ruthless by nature. At first sight Emperor Xingzong said, "This boy's eyes bear the look of a rebel." In Chongxi 11 he was made Prince of Anding. In the seventeenth year he was promoted to Prince of Chu and appointed tiyin. In Qingning 3 he was posted as Military Commissioner of Wuding. In the seventh year he took charge of Southern Commission affairs and urged his father Chongyuan to feign illness so that when the emperor came to inquire in person, they could strike. During the autumn hunt of the ninth year, the emperor adopted Yelü Liang's counsel and urgently summoned Nielugu. When Nielugu learned the plot was exposed, he hastily raised troops and assaulted the traveling palace. Southern Commissioner Prince Xu Renxian and others led the palace guards against him. Nielugu spurred his horse and broke out of the line, but was shot down by the close attendant commander Bohai Asi and the guard Su.
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