1
恭閔惠皇帝諱允炆。 太祖孫，懿文太子第二子也。 母妃呂氏。 帝生潁慧好學，性至孝。 年十四，待懿文太子疾，晝夜不暫離。 更二年，太子薨，居喪毀瘠。 太祖撫之曰：「而誠純孝，顧不念我乎。」 洪武二十五年九月，立為皇太孫。 二十九年，重定諸王見東宮儀制，朝見後於內殿行家人禮，以諸王皆尊屬也。 初，太祖命太子省決章奏，太子性仁厚，於刑獄多所減省。 至是以命太孫，太孫亦復佐以寬大。 嘗請於太祖，遍考禮經，參之歷朝刑法，改定洪武《律》畸重者七十三條，天下莫不頌德焉。
Emperor Gongmin Hui—Zhu Yunwen—bore the tabooed name Yunwen. He was Taizu's grandson and the second son of the heir apparent Yiwen. His mother was Consort Lü. From childhood he was keen-witted and devoted to study, and filial piety ran to the marrow of his nature. At fourteen, while nursing the heir apparent Yiwen through his illness, he kept his bedside day and night without a single absence. Two years later the heir apparent died, and in mourning he wasted nearly to death. Taizu drew him close and said, "Your filial devotion is pure—but have you no room left to think of me? In the ninth month of Hongwu 25, he was installed as heir apparent grandson. In the twenty-ninth year the court revised how princes attended the Eastern Palace: after the formal audience they were to observe family courtesy in the inner hall, for the princes were all the heir's senior kin. Earlier Taizu had set the heir apparent to sift and decide memorials; humane by temperament, the heir often lightened penalties in criminal matters. The same charge passed to the heir apparent grandson, who again tempered judgment with mercy. He once asked Taizu to comb the ritual classics and, against the penal codes of past dynasties, soften seventy-three harsh articles of the Hongwu Code; the empire rang with praise.
2
秋七月，召漢中府教授方孝孺為翰林院侍講。 詔行寬政，赦有罪，蠲逋賦。 八月，周王橚有罪，廢為庶人，徙雲南。 詔興州、營州、開平諸衛軍全家在伍者，免一人。 天下衛所軍單丁者，放為民。 九月，雲南總兵官西平侯沐春卒於軍，左副將何福代領其眾。
In the seventh month Fang Xiaoru, professor at Hanzhong Prefecture, was called to serve as Hanlin Reader-in-Waiting. An edict proclaimed clemency: criminals were pardoned and arrears in tax forgiven. In the eighth month Prince Zhou Zhu Su was found guilty, stripped of rank, and exiled to Yunnan. An edict ruled that in the Xingzhou, Yingzhou, and Kaiping guards, where every male of a household stood on the rolls, one man was to be released. Across the empire, sole surviving sons in guard and battalion service were discharged to civilian life. In the ninth month Mu Chun, Marquis of Western Pacification and commander in Yunnan, died on campaign; Deputy Commander He Fu assumed his troops.
3
冬十一月，工部侍郎張昺為北平布政使，謝貴、張信掌北平都指揮使司，察燕陰事。 詔求直言，舉山林才德之士。 十二月癸卯，何福破斬刀干孟，麓川平。 是月，賜天下明年田租之半，釋黥軍及囚徒還鄉里。
In the eleventh month Zhang Bing, vice minister of works, became Beiping administration commissioner; Xie Gui and Zhang Xin were set over the Beiping regional command to probe Prince Yan's hidden designs. An edict called for unsparing memorials and commended reclusive men of talent and virtue. On guimao of the twelfth month He Fu routed and slew Dao Gan Meng, and Lucian was brought to peace. That same month the court remitted half the land tax empire-wide for the coming year and sent branded troops and convicts home.
4
是年，暹羅、占城入貢。
That year embassies arrived from Siam and Champa.
5
建文元年春正月癸酉，受朝，不舉樂。 庚辰，大祀天地於南郊，奉太祖配。 修《太祖實錄》。 二月，追尊皇考曰孝康皇帝，廟號興宗，妣常氏曰孝康皇后。 尊母妃呂氏曰皇太后，冊妃馬氏為皇后。 封弟允熥為吳王，允熞衡王，允熙徐王。 立皇長子文奎為皇太子。 詔告天下，舉遺賢。 賜民高年米肉絮帛，鰥寡孤獨廢疾者官為牧養。 重農桑，興學校，考察官吏，振罹災貧民，旌節孝，瘞暴骨，蠲荒田租。 衛所軍戶絕都除勿勾。 詔諸王毋得節制文武吏士，更定內外大小官制。 三月，釋奠於先師孔子。 罷天下諸司不急務。 都督宋忠、徐凱、耿王瓛帥兵屯開平、臨清、山海關。 調北平、永清二衛軍於彰德、順德。 侍郎暴昭、夏原吉等二十四人充採訪使，分巡天下。 甲午，京師地震，求直言。
In the first month of Jianwen 1, on guiyou, Jianwen held audience without music. On gengchen the emperor offered the great joint sacrifice to Heaven and Earth at the southern altar, with Taizu enshrined beside him. Work began on the Veritable Records of Taizu. In the second month the emperor posthumously honored his father as Emperor Xiaokang, temple name Xingzong, and his mother Lady Chang as Empress Xiaokang. Consort Lü, his mother, was raised to empress dowager, and Consort Ma was invested as empress. His brothers Zhu Yun Teng, Zhu Yun Jie, and Zhu Yun Xi were enfeoffed as princes of Wu, Heng, and Xu. His eldest son Wen Kui was installed as heir apparent. An edict rang through the empire calling for overlooked men of worth. The aged received grain, meat, and cloth; widows, orphans, the solitary, and the disabled were placed under official care. The court stressed sericulture, revived schools, inspected officials, relieved the disaster-stricken poor, honored chastity and filial piety, buried the unburied dead, and remitted tax on famine lands. Extinct military-household lines in guards and battalions were struck from the rolls with no further pursuit. An edict forbade princes to command civil and military officers and reworked the hierarchy of inner and outer offices. In the third month the court offered the sacrifice to Confucius as First Teacher. Nonessential business was struck from every office in the realm. Regional commanders Song Zhong, Xu Kai, and Geng Juan encamped troops at Kaiping, Linqing, and Shanhaiguan. Forces of the Beiping and Yongqing guards were shifted to Zhangde and Shunde. Vice ministers Bao Zhao, Xia Yuanji, and twenty-two others were sent as touring investigators to sweep the provinces. On jiawu the capital was struck by earthquake, and the emperor again called for blunt counsel.
6
夏四月，湘王柏自焚死。 齊王榑、代王桂有罪，廢為庶人。 遣燕王世子高熾及其弟高煦、高燧還北平。 六月，岷王楩有罪，廢為庶人，徙漳州。 己酉，燕山護衛百主戶倪諒上變，燕旗校於諒等伏誅。 詔讓燕王棣，逮王府官僚。 北平都指揮張信叛附於燕。
In the fourth month Prince Xiang Zhu Bai set himself afire and died. Princes Qi and Dai, Zhu Fu and Zhu Gui, were found guilty and reduced to commoners. Prince Yan's heir Gao Chi and his brothers Gao Xu and Gao Sui were sent back to Beiping. In the sixth month Prince Min Zhu Zhen was stripped of rank and exiled to Zhangzhou. On jiyou Ni Liang, a company commander of the Yanshan guard, laid information against Prince Yan; Yan's military runners implicated with Liang and his party were put to death. An edict rebuked Prince Yan Zhu Di and commanded the seizure of his household staff. Zhang Xin, regional commander of Beiping, turned traitor and joined Prince Yan.
7
秋七月癸酉，燕王棣舉兵反，殺布政使張昺、都司謝貴。 長史葛誠、指揮盧振、教授余逢辰死之。 參政郭資、副使墨麟、僉事呂震等降於燕。 指揮馬宣走薊州，僉瑱走居庸。 宋忠趨北平，聞變退保懷來。 通州、遵化、密雲相繼降燕。 丙子，燕兵陷薊州，馬宣戰死。 己卯，燕兵陷居庸關。 甲申，陷懷來，宋忠、俞瑱被執死，都指揮彭聚、孫泰力戰死，永平指揮使郭亮等叛降燕。 壬辰，谷王橞自宣府奔京師。 長興侯耿炳文為征虜大將軍，駙馬都尉李堅、都督甯忠為左、右副將軍，帥師討燕。 祭告天地宗廟社稷，削燕屬籍。 詔曰：「邦家不造，骨肉周親屢謀僭逆。 去年，周庶人橚僭為不軌，辭連燕、齊、湘三王。 朕以親親故，止正橚罪。 今年齊王榑謀逆，又與棣、柏同謀，柏伏罪自焚死，榑已廢為庶人。 朕以棣於親最近，未忍窮治其事。 今乃稱兵構亂，圖危宗社，獲罪天地祖宗，義不容赦。 是用簡發大兵，往致厥罰。 咨爾中外臣民軍士，各懷忠守義，與國同心，掃茲逆氛，永安至治。」 尋命安陸侯吳傑，江陰侯吳高，都督耿瓛，都指揮盛庸、潘忠、楊松、顧成、徐凱、李友、陳暉、平安，分道併進。 置平燕布政使司於真定，尚書暴昭掌司事。 八月己酉，耿炳文兵次真定，徐凱屯河間，潘忠、楊松屯鄚州。 壬子，燕兵陷雄縣，潘忠、楊松戰於月漾橋，被執。 鄚州陷。 壬戌，耿炳文及燕兵戰於滹沱河北，敗績，李堅、甯忠、顧成被執，炳文退保真定。 燕兵攻之不克，引去。 召遼王植、寧王權歸京師，權不至，詔削護衛。 丁卯，曹國公李景隆為征虜大將軍，代耿炳文。 九月戊辰，吳高、耿瓛、楊文帥遼東兵，圍永平。 戊寅，景隆兵次河間，燕兵援永平，吳高退保山海關。
In the seventh month, on guiyou, Prince Yan Zhu Di rose in arms, killing Commissioner Zhang Bing and Commander Xie Gui. Chief steward Ge Cheng, Commander Lu Zhen, and Reader Yu Fengchen died defending the city. Commissioner Guo Zi, Deputy Mo Lin, Assistant Lü Zhen, and others went over to Yan. Commander Ma Xuan fled toward Ji Prefecture; Commissioner Yu Tan toward Juyong. Song Zhong marched on Beiping but, hearing of the revolt, fell back to defend Huailai. Tongzhou, Zunhua, and Miyun fell to Yan one after another. On bingzi Yan's army seized Ji Prefecture; Ma Xuan fell fighting. On jimao Yan's forces stormed Juyong Pass. On jiashen Huailai was lost; Song Zhong and Yu Tan were taken and killed; Commanders Peng Ju and Sun Tai died in fierce combat; Guo Liang of Yongping and others defected to Yan. On renchen Prince Gu Zhu Hui fled Xuanfu for the capital. Changxing Marquis Geng Bingwen was appointed punitive grand general; Li Jian the imperial son-in-law and Commander Ning Zhong served as his deputies, marching to crush Prince Yan. The emperor reported to Heaven, Earth, the ancestral temple, and the altars of soil and grain, and struck Prince Yan from the clan rolls. The edict ran: "The realm has fallen on evil days; royal kin have again and again conspired treason. Last year the deposed Prince Zhou Zhu Su overstepped all bounds, and his confession tied Yan, Qi, and Xiang in the same plot. Out of kinship I punished Su alone. This year Prince Qi Zhu Fu plotted rebellion with Prince Yan and Prince Xiang; Xiang answered for his guilt in fire; Fu is already a commoner. Prince Yan stands closest in blood, and I had not yet pressed the inquiry to its end. Now he has taken up arms and stirred rebellion, scheming against the altars of state; he has offended Heaven, Earth, and the ancestors, and righteousness will not spare him. I therefore marshal a great host to visit punishment upon him. To every officer and soldier, within the court and without: hold fast to loyalty, stand with the throne, scour away this treason, and settle the realm in lasting peace. Soon Wu Jie of Anlu, Wu Gao of Jiangyin, Commander Geng Juan, and the commanders Sheng Yong, Pan Zhong, Yang Song, Gu Cheng, Xu Kai, Li You, Chen Hui, and Ping An were ordered to advance on converging routes. A Pacification Commission for Yan was set up at Zhending under Minister Bao Zhao. On jiyou of the eighth month Geng Bingwen halted at Zhending; Xu Kai at Hejian; Pan Zhong and Yang Song at Mozhou. On renzi Yan's army took Xiong County; at Moon-ripple Bridge Pan Zhong and Yang Song were defeated and seized. Mozhou fell. On renxu Geng Bingwen met Yan's host north of the Hutuo and was broken; Li Jian, Ning Zhong, and Gu Cheng were taken; Bingwen fell back on Zhending. Yan's army assaulted the city without success and drew off. Princes Liao and Ning, Zhu Zhi and Zhu Quan, were recalled to court; Quan refused to come, and an edict stripped his guard. On dingmao Cao Duke Li Jinglong replaced Geng Bingwen as punitive grand general. On wuchen of the ninth month Wu Gao, Geng Juan, and Yang Wen invested Yongping with Liaodong troops. On wuyin Li Jinglong halted at Hejian; Yan marched to relieve Yongping, and Wu Gao fell back on Shanhaiguan.
8
冬十月，燕兵自劉家口間道襲陷大寧，守將硃鑒死之。 總兵官劉真、都督陳亨援大寧，亨叛降燕。 燕以寧王權及朵顏三衛卒歸北平。 辛亥，李景隆重圍北平，燕兵還救。 十一月辛未，李景隆及燕兵戰於鄭村壩，敗績，奔德州，諸軍盡潰。 燕王棣再上書於朝。 帝為罷齊泰、黃子澄官，仍留京師。
In the tenth month Yan's men slipped through Liujiakou by a hidden track, stormed Daning, and killed its defender Zhu Jian. Commander Liu Zhen and Regional Commander Chen Heng marched to relieve Daning; Heng turned traitor and joined Yan. Prince Yan brought Prince Ning Zhu Quan and the Uriankhai auxiliaries back to Beiping. On xinhai Li Jinglong pressed Beiping hard; Yan's army wheeled home to its relief. On xinwei of the eleventh month Li Jinglong met Yan at Zheng Village Dam, was shattered, fled to Dezhou, and the host dissolved. Prince Yan Zhu Di again memorialized the throne. Jianwen dismissed Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng from office yet kept them in the capital.
9
二年春正月丙寅朔，詔天下來朝官勿賀。 丁卯，釋奠於先師孔子。 二月，燕兵陷蔚州，進攻大同。 李景隆自德州赴援，燕兵還北平。 保定知府雒僉叛降燕。 甲子，復以都察院為御史府。 均江、浙田賦。 詔曰：「國家有惟正之供，江、浙賦獨重，而蘇、松官田悉準私稅，用懲一時，豈可為定則。 今悉與減免，畝毋逾一斗。 蘇、松人仍得官戶部。」 三月丙寅朔，日有食之。 賜胡廣等進士及第、出身有差。
In the second year, on the bingyin new moon of spring, an edict forbade visiting officials from offering New Year congratulations at court. On dingmao the court sacrificed to Confucius as First Teacher. In the second month Yan's army took Weizhou and pushed on Datong. Li Jinglong marched from Dezhou to relieve the siege; Yan's forces withdrew to Beiping. Luo Qian, prefect of Baoding, went over to Yan. On jiazi the Censorate was restored as the Office of the Censor. Land tax in Jiangsu and Zhejiang was brought to a uniform rate. The edict declared: "A realm has its proper dues, yet Jiangsu and Zhejiang alone bear crushing levies; Suzhou and Songjiang assess official fields at private rates—a wartime expedient, not a law for all time. Henceforth all such charges are cut; per mu let the levy not exceed one dou. Suzhou and Songjiang households may still register as official households with the Ministry of Revenue. On the bingyin new moon of the third month the sun was eclipsed. Hu Guang and the other new jinshi, with those passed by seniority, received graded honors.
10
夏四月己未，李景隆及燕兵戰於白溝河，敗之。 明日復戰，敗績，都督瞿能、越巂侯俞淵、指揮滕聚等皆戰死，景隆奔德州。 五月辛未，奔濟南。 燕兵陷德州，遂攻濟南。 庚辰，景隆敗績於城下，南走。 參政鐵鉉、都督盛庸悉力御之。 六月己酉，遣尚寶丞李得成諭燕罷兵。
On jiwei of the fourth month Li Jinglong met Yan's army at White Ditch River and drove it back. The next day battle was joined again and he was broken; Commander Qu Neng, Marquis Yu Yuan of Yuexi, Commander Teng Ju, and others fell on the field; Jinglong fled to Dezhou. In the fifth month, on the xinwei day, Li Jinglong rushed to Jinan. The Prince of Yan's army took Dezhou and pressed on against Jinan. On the gengchen day, Li Jinglong was routed beneath the city walls and fled south. Participating Secretary Tie Xian and Commander-in-Chief Sheng Yong threw everything they had into the defense. On the jiyou day of the sixth month, the court dispatched Palace Storehouse Director Li Decheng to order the Prince of Yan to stand down.
11
秋八月癸巳，承天門災，詔求直言。 戊申，盛庸、鐵鉉擊敗燕兵，濟南圍解，復德州。 九月，詔錄洪武中功臣罪廢者後。 辛未，封盛庸歷城侯，擢鐵鉉山東布政使，參贊軍務，尋進兵部尚書。 以庸為平燕將軍，都督陳暉、平安副之。 庸屯德州，平安及吳傑屯定州，徐凱屯滄州。
In the eighth month of autumn, on the guisi day, fire ravaged the Chengtian Gate; the throne called for blunt counsel from the officials. On the wushen day, Sheng Yong and Tie Xian broke the Yan forces, lifted the siege of Jinan, and won Dezhou back. In the ninth month, an edict directed that the heirs of Hongwu-era ministers stripped of rank for crimes be restored to the rolls. On the xinwei day, Sheng Yong was created Marquis of Licheng; Tie Xian was raised to Shandong administrative commissioner to assist in the war effort and shortly after made Minister of War. Sheng Yong was appointed General Who Pacifies Yan, with Commanders-in-Chief Chen Hui and Ping An as his seconds. Sheng Yong held Dezhou; Ping An and Wu Jie held Dingzhou; Xu Kai held Cangzhou.
12
冬十月，召李景隆還，赦不誅。 庚申，燕兵襲滄州，徐凱被執。 十二月甲午，燕兵犯濟寧，薄東昌。 乙卯，盛庸擊敗之。 斬其將張玉。 丙辰，復戰，又敗之，燕兵走館陶。 庸軍勢大振，檄諸屯軍合擊燕，絕其歸路。
In the tenth month of winter, Li Jinglong was recalled to court and spared the death penalty. On the gengshen day, Yan troops stormed Cangzhou and took Xu Kai prisoner. On the jiawu day of the twelfth month, the Yan army struck at Jining and closed on Dongchang. On the yimao day, Sheng Yong routed them. The Yan general Zhang Yu was killed in the fighting. On the bingchen day the armies clashed again; Sheng Yong won again and drove the Yan forces back toward Guantao. Sheng Yong's army took heart; he sent summons to every garrison to close on the Yan forces and sever their retreat.
13
三年春正月辛酉朔，凝命神寶成，告天地宗廟，御奉天殿受朝賀。 乙丑，吳傑、平安邀擊燕兵於深州，不利。 辛未，大祀天地於南郊。 丁丑，享太廟，告東昌捷。 復齊泰、黃子澄官。 三月辛巳，盛庸敗燕兵於夾河，斬其將譚淵。 再戰不利，都指揮庄得、楚智等力戰死。 壬午，復戰，敗績，庸走德州。 丁亥，都督何福援德州。 癸巳，貶齊泰、黃子澄、諭燕罷兵。 閏月己亥，吳傑、平安及燕戰於藁城，敗績，還保真定。 燕兵掠真定、順德廣平、大名。 棣上書讀召還諸將息兵，遣大理少卿薛岩報之。 是月，《禮制》成，頒行天下。
In the third year, at the xinyou new moon of spring's first month, the Ningming Sacred Seal was finished; the court reported to Heaven, Earth, and the imperial ancestors, and the emperor took congratulations in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. On the yichou day, Wu Jie and Ping An tried to ambush the Yan army at Shenzhou and were beaten back. On the xinwei day, the emperor offered the great suburban sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. On the dingchou day, he sacrificed at the Imperial Ancestral Temple and proclaimed the triumph at Dongchang. Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were reinstated in their posts. On the xinsi day of the third month, Sheng Yong defeated the Yan army at Jiahe and killed their general Tan Yuan. In the fighting that followed, the tide turned; Commander-in-Chief Zhuang De, Chu Zhi, and others sold their lives and fell. On the renwu day they met again in battle; Sheng Yong was routed and retreated to Dezhou. On the dinghai day, Commander-in-Chief He Fu marched to relieve Dezhou. On the guisi day, Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were cashiered and the Prince of Yan was again ordered to lay down his arms. On the jihai day of the intercalary month, Wu Jie and Ping An fought the Yan army at Gaocheng, were defeated, and fell back on Zhending. Yan forces looted Zhending, Shunde, Guangping, and Daming. Zhu Di sent up a memorial asking that the field generals be recalled and the armies stand down; the court dispatched Junior Counselor of the Court of Judicial Review Xue Yan with a reply. That month the Rites Code was finished and issued empire-wide.
14
夏五月甲寅，盛庸以兵扼燕餉道，不克。 棣復遣使上書，下其使於獄。 六月壬申，燕將李遠寇沛縣，焚糧艘。 壬午，都督袁宇邀擊之，敗績。
In the fifth month of summer, on the jiayin day, Sheng Yong tried to choke the Yan supply lines and failed. Zhu Di sent envoys with another memorial; the court threw his messengers into prison. On the renshen day of the sixth month, the Yan general Li Yuan struck Pei County and burned the grain fleet. On the renwu day, Commander-in-Chief Yuan Yu moved to intercept them and was routed.
15
秋七月己丑，燕兵掠彰德。 丁酉，平安自真定攻北平。 壬寅，大同守將房昭帥兵由紫荊關趨保定，駐易州西水寨。 九月甲辰，平安及燕將劉江戰於北平，敗績，還保真定。
In the seventh month of autumn, on the jichou day, Yan troops ravaged Zhangde. On the dingyou day, Ping An marched out of Zhending to strike at Beiping. On the renyin day, Fang Zhao, garrison commander of Datong, led his men through Zijing Pass toward Baoding and made camp at the Xishuizhai stockade west of Yizhou. On the jiachen day of the ninth month, Ping An and the Yan general Liu Jiang fought at Beiping; beaten, he pulled back to hold Zhending.
16
冬十月丁巳，真定諸將遣兵援房昭，及燕王戰於齊眉山，敗績。 十一月壬辰，遼東總兵官楊文攻永平，及劉江戰於昌黎，敗績。 己亥，平安敗燕將李彬於楊村。 十二月癸亥，燕兵焚真定軍儲。 詔中官奉使侵暴吏民者，所在有司系治。 是月，駙馬都尉梅殷鎮淮安。 《太祖實錄》成。
On the dingsi day of the tenth month of winter, the generals at Zhending sent reinforcements to Fang Zhao; they met the Prince of Yan at Qimei Mountain and were crushed. On the renchen day of the eleventh month, Yang Wen, supreme commander of Liaodong, attacked Yongping; Liu Jiang met him at Changli and broke his army. On the jihai day, Ping An defeated the Yan general Li Bin at Yangcun. On the guihai day of the twelfth month, Yan forces burned the military granaries at Zhending. An edict commanded that any palace eunuch on assignment who bullied officials or commoners was to be seized and prosecuted by the local authorities. That month, Chief Commandant of Horse Administration Mei Yin took command at Huai'an. The Veritable Records of Emperor Taizu were completed.
17
四年春正月甲申，召故周王橚於蒙化，居之京師。 燕兵連陷東阿、東平、汶上、兗州、濟陽，東平吏目鄭華，濟陽教諭王省皆死之。 甲申，魏國公徐輝祖帥師援山東。 燕兵陷沛縣，知縣顏伯瑋、主簿唐子清、典史黃謙死之。 癸丑，薄徐州。 二月甲寅，都督何福及陳暉、平安軍濟寧，盛庸軍淮上。 己卯，更定品官勛階。 三月，燕兵攻宿州，平安追及於淝河，斬其將王真，遇伏敗績，宿州陷。
In the fourth year, on the jiashen day of spring's first month, the former Prince of Zhou, Zhu Su, was recalled from Mengzi and housed in the capital. The Yan army overran Dong'e, Dongping, Wenshang, Yanzhou, and Jiyang in turn; Zheng Hua, clerical officer of Dongping, and Wang Sheng, district instructor of Jiyang, died defending their posts. On the jiashen day, Xu Huihu, Duke of Wei, took the field to relieve Shandong. The Yan army took Pei County; Magistrate Yan Bowei, Registrar Tang Ziqing, and Clerk Huang Qian died holding the city. On the guichou day, the Yan army closed on Xuzhou. On the jiayin day of the second month, He Fu joined Chen Hui and Ping An at Jining while Sheng Yong held the line on the Huai. On the jimao day, the court revised the merit ranks for graded officials. In the third month the Yan army besieged Suzhou; Ping An overtook them on the Fei River, killed their general Wang Zhen, walked into an ambush, and was driven off; Suzhou fell.
18
夏四月丁卯，何福、平安敗燕兵於小河，斬其將陳文。 甲戌，徐輝祖等敗燕兵於齊眉山，斬其將李斌，燕兵懼，謀北歸。 會帝聞訛言，謂燕兵已北，召輝祖還，何福軍亦孤。 庚辰，諸將及燕兵大戰於靈璧，敗績，陳暉、平安、禮部侍郎陳性善、大理寺卿彭與明皆被執。 五月癸未，楊文帥遼東兵赴濟南，潰於直沾。 己丑，盛庸軍潰於淮上，燕兵渡淮，趨揚州。 指揮王禮等叛降燕，御史王彬、指揮崇剛死之。 辛丑，燕兵至六合，諸軍迎戰，敗績。 壬寅，詔天下勤王，遣御史大夫練子寧、侍郎黃觀、修撰王叔英分道徵兵。 召齊泰、黃子澄還。 蘇州知府姚善、寧波知府王璡、徽州知府陳彥回、樂平知縣張彥方各起兵入衛。 甲辰，遣慶成郡主如燕師，議割地罷兵。
In the fourth month of summer, on the dingmao day, He Fu and Ping An routed the Yan army at Xiaohe and killed their general Chen Wen. On the jiaxu day, Xu Huihu and his colleagues broke the Yan army at Qimei Mountain and killed their general Li Bin; the Yan troops wavered and talked of marching north again. Just then the emperor heard a rumor that the Yan army had already withdrawn north; he recalled Xu Huihu, leaving He Fu's force stranded alone. On the gengchen day the loyalist generals met the Yan army in a great battle at Lingbi and were destroyed; Chen Hui, Ping An, Vice Minister of Rites Chen Xingshan, and Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review Peng Yuming were all taken. On the guwei day of the fifth month, Yang Wen marched the Liaodong army toward Jinan and was shattered at Zhigu. On the jichou day, Sheng Yong's army broke on the Huai; Yan forces crossed the river and drove on Yangzhou. Commander Wang Li and others turned traitor and opened the gates to the Yan; Censor Wang Bin and Commander Chong Gang died defending the city. On the xinchou day, the Yan army reached Liuhe; the loyalist forces went out to meet them and were beaten. On the renyin day, an edict summoned the empire to rise for the throne; Grand Censor Lian Zining, Vice Minister Huang Guan, and Compiler Wang Shuying were dispatched by different routes to raise armies. Qi Tai and Huang Zicheng were recalled to the capital. Yao Shan, prefect of Suzhou; Wang Jin, prefect of Ningbo; Chen Yanhui, prefect of Huizhou; and Zhang Yanfang, magistrate of Leping, each mustered local forces and marched to defend the throne. On the jiachen day, Princess Qingcheng was sent to the Yan camp to bargain for a territorial settlement and a ceasefire.
19
六月癸丑，盛庸帥舟師敗燕兵於浦子口，復戰不利。 都督僉事陳瑄以舟師叛附於燕。 乙卯，燕兵渡江，盛庸戰於高資港，敗績。 戊午，鎮江守將童俊叛降燕。 庚申，燕兵至龍潭。 辛酉，命諸王分守都城，遣李景隆及兵部尚書茹瑺、都督王佐如燕軍，申前約。 壬戌，復遣谷王橞、安王楹往。 皆不聽。 甲子，遣使齊蠟書四齣，促勤王兵。 乙丑，燕兵犯金川門，左都督徐增壽謀內應，伏誅。 谷王橞及李景隆叛，納燕兵，都城陷。 宮中火起，帝不知所終。 燕王遣中使出帝後屍於火中，越八日壬申葬之。
On the guichou day of the sixth month, Sheng Yong led the river fleet and beat the Yan army at Puzikou, then lost the rematch. Commander Chen Xuan turned the river fleet and went over to the Prince of Yan. On the yimao day, the Yan army crossed the Yangzi; Sheng Yong gave battle at Gaozigang and was routed. On the wuwu day, Tong Jun, garrison commander of Zhenjiang, defected to the Prince of Yan. On the gengshen day, the Yan army reached Longtan. On the xinyou day, the princes were ordered to man separate sectors of the capital; Li Jinglong, Minister of War Ru Yao, and Commander Wang Zuo were sent to the Yan camp to plead the old terms again. On the renxu day, the Prince of Gu, Zhu Hui, and the Prince of An, Zhu Ying, were dispatched as well. The Prince of Yan would not hear them. On the jiazi day, the court sent envoys bearing four wax-sealed summons to hurry the relief armies forward. On the yichou day, the Yan army struck the Jinchuan Gate; Left Commander-in-Chief Xu Zengshou plotted to open the walls from within and was quietly put to death. The Prince of Gu and Li Jinglong turned traitor and let the Yan army in; the capital was lost. Flames swept the palace; no one knew what became of the emperor. The Prince of Yan sent eunuchs to recover the emperor's body from the blaze; eight days later, on the renshen day, it was buried.
20
或云帝由地道出亡。 正統五年。 有僧自雲南至廣西，詭稱建文皇帝。 恩恩知府岑瑛聞於朝。 按問，乃鈞州人楊行祥，年已九十余，下獄，閱四月死。 同謀僧十二人，皆戍遼東。 自後滇、黔、巴、蜀間，相傳有帝為僧時往來跡。 正德、萬曆、崇禎間，諸臣請續封帝後，及加廟諡，皆下部議，不果行。 大清乾隆元年，詔廷臣集議，追諡曰恭閔惠皇帝。
Others held that he had slipped away through a hidden passage. In the fifth year of the Zhengtong reign. A monk came up from Yunnan into Guangxi and pretended to be the Jianwen emperor. Cen Ying, prefect of En'en, reported the matter to the throne. Under interrogation he proved to be Yang Xingxiang of Junzhou, already past ninety; he was thrown into prison and died four months later. Twelve monks who had aided the plot were all exiled to Liaodong. After that, across Yunnan, Guizhou, Ba, and Shu, people kept saying they could trace the emperor's wanderings from the years he had lived as a monk. Under the Zhengde, Wanli, and Chongzhen emperors, ministers repeatedly asked that the Jianwen line be enfeoffed again and that temple rites and a posthumous title be granted; each proposal went to the ministries and died there. In the first year of the Qianlong reign, the Qing court ordered its ministers to convene and bestowed the posthumous title Emperor Gongmin Hui.