2
Sheng Yong was a man of unknown origins. Under Hongwu he advanced through the ranks until he reached the post of Chief Commander. When Jianwen took the throne, he served as a deputy general under Geng Bingwen in the expedition against the Prince of Yan. When Li Jinglong replaced Geng Bingwen, Sheng Yong was transferred to Jinglong's command. In the fourth month of Jianwen 2 (1400), Jinglong was beaten at the Baigou River and retreated to Jinan. The Yan forces pursued, and Jinglong fled south once more. Sheng Yong and the chief administrator Tie Xian held the city with all they had; the Yan army laid siege for three months and could not break in. Yong and Tie Xian stole out under cover of night and struck the Yan camp; the invaders were routed, and the siege was lifted. They pressed their advantage and retook Dezhou. That September he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Licheng, with a stipend of one thousand piculs of grain. Soon after he was named General for the Pacification of Yan and placed in supreme command of the army. Chen Hui and Ping An became his deputies, Ma Pu and Xu Zhen his wing commanders, and Tie Xian was promoted to Minister of War to advise on strategy.
3
時吳傑、平安守定州，庸駐德州，徐凱屯滄州，為犄角。 是冬，燕兵襲滄州，破，擒凱。 掠其輜重，進薄濟寧。 庸引兵屯東昌以邀之，背城而陣。 燕王帥兵直前薄庸軍左翼，不動。 復沖中堅，庸開陣縱王入，圍之數重。 燕將朱能帥番騎來救，王乘間突圍出。 而燕軍為火器所傷甚眾，大將張玉死於陣。 王獨以百騎殿，退至館陶。 庸檄吳傑、平安自真定遮燕歸路。 明年正月，傑、平安戰深州不利，燕師始得歸。 是役也，燕精銳喪失幾盡，庸軍聲大振，帝為享廟告捷。 三月，燕兵復南出保定。 庸營夾河。 王將輕騎來覘，掠陣而過。 庸遣千騎追之，為燕兵射卻。 及戰，庸軍列盾以進。 王令步卒先攻，騎兵乘間馳入。 庸麾軍力戰，斬其將譚淵。 而朱能、張武等帥眾殊死鬥。 王以勁騎貫陣與能合。 庸部驍將莊得、皂旗張等俱戰死。 是日，燕軍幾敗。 明日復戰，燕軍東北，庸軍西南，自辰至未，互勝負。 兩軍皆疲，將士各坐息。 復起戰，忽東北風大起，飛塵蔽天。 燕兵乘風大呼，左右橫擊。 庸大敗走還德州，自是氣沮。 已而燕將李遠焚糧艘於沛縣，庸軍遂乏餉。 明年，靈璧戰敗，平安等被執。 庸獨引軍而南，列戰艦淮南岸。 燕將邱福等潛濟，出庸後。 庸不能支，退為守江計。 燕兵渡淮，由盱眙陷揚州。 庸禦戰於六合及浦子口，皆失利，都督陳瑄帥舟師降燕，燕兵遂渡江。 庸倉卒聚海艘出高資港迎戰，復敗，軍益潰散。
Wu Jie and Ping An held Dingzhou, Yong kept Dezhou, and Xu Kai was posted at Cangzhou, the three positions forming a mutual defense. That winter the Yan forces struck Cangzhou, broke the defense, and took Xu Kai prisoner. They seized the supply train and advanced on Jining. Yong moved his troops to Dongchang to block their path and formed his battle line with the city behind him. The Prince of Yan drove his men straight at Yong's left wing, but the line held firm. The prince charged again at the center; Yong deliberately opened a gap, let him in, and closed ranks around him in layer upon layer. Zhu Neng led allied cavalry to the rescue, and the prince found a gap and fought his way out. The Yan army, however, took heavy losses from gunpowder weapons, and their great commander Zhang Yu was killed in the field. The prince himself covered the retreat with a hundred horsemen and fell back to Guantao. Yong sent word to Wu Jie and Ping An at Zhending to cut off the Yan army's withdrawal. The next year, in the first month, Wu Jie and Ping An were defeated at Shenzhou, and only then were the Yan forces able to get home. In that battle the Yan army's best troops were nearly wiped out; Yong's fame soared, and the emperor held a temple offering to proclaim triumph. In the third month the Yan forces marched south again from Baoding. Yong pitched his camp on the banks of the Jia River. The prince rode out with light cavalry to scout the enemy lines, sweeping past them in a feint. Yong sent a thousand horsemen after him, but Yan archers drove them off. When the armies clashed, Yong's troops advanced behind a wall of shields. The prince sent his foot soldiers forward first, then sent his cavalry charging through the gaps. Yong rallied his men for a bitter fight and killed the Yan general Tan Yuan. Zhu Neng, Zhang Wu, and others, however, led their men in a desperate counterattack. The prince broke through with elite horsemen and linked up with Zhu Neng. Among Yong's champions, Zhuang De, Zhang of the Black Banner, and others were all killed. That day the Yan army came close to ruin. They fought again the next day, the Yan force to the northeast and Yong's to the southwest; from morning until mid-afternoon neither side could gain the upper hand. Both armies were spent, and the soldiers on both sides sank down where they stood to catch their breath. They went at each other once more, when a fierce northeast wind sprang up and whirling dust blotted out the sky. The Yan troops used the wind, roared their battle cries, and struck from both sides. Yong was routed and fled back to Dezhou; from that day his army lost heart. Soon afterward the Yan general Li Yuan burned the supply fleet at Pei County, and Yong's troops were left without rations. The following year, after the defeat at Lingbi, Ping An and the others were taken prisoner. Yong alone marched south with his army and lined his war junks along the south bank of the Huai. The Yan generals Qiu Fu and others forded in secret and got in behind Yong's position. Yong could not hold his ground and pulled back to mount a defense of the Yangzi line. The Yan forces crossed the Huai, marched through Xuyi, and captured Yangzhou. Yong fought them at Liuhe and at Puzikou and lost both times; Chen Xuan, commander of the fleet, defected to Yan, and the Yan army crossed the Yangzi. Yong hastily gathered what sea vessels he could and sailed out of Gaozi Harbor to meet them; he was beaten again, and his army broke apart.
4
When Chengzu entered the capital, Yong surrendered with his remaining troops and was immediately ordered to hold Huaian. Soon an edict arrived: "Because Shandong was not yet settled, I ordered you to garrison Huaian. Now Tie Xian has been captured and every commandery is pacified. I reflect that Shandong has long been ravaged by war and exhausted by supply transport. You should stand down your troops and restore the people, in keeping with my intent." In Yongle 1 he retired from office. Before long Battalion Commander Wang Qin denounced Yong's crimes, and Qin was promptly promoted to vice commander. Thereupon Censor-in-Chief Chen Ying impeached Yong for resentment and treasonous intent. Yong killed himself.
5
Ping An was a native of Chuzhou; his childhood name was Baor. His father Ding had followed the founding emperor in the uprising and held the post of assistant commander of the Jining Guard. He marched with Chang Yuchun to take the Yuan capital and was killed in action. Ping An had first been the founding emperor's adopted son; he was a fierce fighter who could lift weights of several hundred jin. He succeeded to his father's office, was posted as commander at Miyun, and rose to vice commissioner-in-chief of the Right Army.
6
In Jianwen 1, in the campaign against Yan, Ping An followed as a column general. When Li Jinglong replaced the commander, Ping An was made vanguard. As the Prince of Yan was about to cross the Baigou River, Ping An lay in wait on the bank with ten thousand horsemen to intercept him. The Prince of Yan said, "Ping An is but a stripling. Last year he followed me beyond the frontier and knows how I fight; now I must break him first." When they fought, he could not break Ping An. At the time the southern army numbered six hundred thousand and formed battle lines along the river. The prince led his officers and men charging into the formation; they fought until dusk, with casualties on both sides. When night deepened, each side withdrew its troops. The Prince of Yan lost his way, with only three horsemen still with him. He dismounted, lay flat to study the river's flow, distinguished east from west, and only then found his camp. The next day they fought again; Ping An defeated the Yan generals Fang Kuan and Chen Heng. Seeing matters desperate, the Prince of Yan personally braved arrows and stones and fought with all his might. His horse was wounded, his arrows spent, and his sword broken so he could fight no longer. He ran up onto the embankment and feigned raising his whip to summon the rear horsemen and deceive the enemy. When Gaoxu arrived in relief, he escaped. At that time Ping An fought harder than any other general, and the prince was nearly struck by his spear. In the end he was defeated. The details are given in the Basic Annals of Chengzu.
7
The Yan army laid siege to Jinan. Ping An encamped at Danjia Bridge and planned a sortie along the Grand Canal to seize the Yan supply fleet. He also picked five thousand seasoned river troops, crossed the river, and prepared to strike at Dezhou. The siege was lifted. Ping An and Wu Jie moved up and encamped at Dingzhou. The next year, after defeating Sheng Yong at the Jia River, the Yan army turned back and fought Ping An at Danjia Bridge. Ping An struck hard, routed them completely, and took the Yan general Xue Lu prisoner. Before long Xue Lu escaped. They clashed again on the Hutuo River, and Ping An routed them once more. In the field Ping An had a wooden tower several zhang high erected; when the fighting grew fierce he would climb it to survey the field and loose heavy crossbows at the Yan ranks, killing a great many. Suddenly a violent wind sprang up, tearing off roofs and uprooting trees with a roar like thunder. Chief commanders Deng Jian and Chen Peng and others were cut off in the enemy lines, and Ping An was driven back to Zhending. The Prince of Yan fought the southern forces again and again, always leading the charge in person and sweeping all before him—yet only Ping An's and Sheng Yong's armies repeatedly turned him back. At the Hutuo River the prince's standard bristled with arrows like a hedgehog's quills. The prince sent the banner to Beiping and told his heir to preserve it carefully as a memorial for future generations. Gu Cheng, already a prisoner with the Yan army, wept when he saw it and said, "I have soldiered since I was young; I am old now and have seen many battles, but never anything like this."
8
逾月，燕師出大名。 安與庸及吳傑等分兵擾其餉道。 燕王患之，遣指揮武勝上書於朝，請撤安等息兵，為緩師計。 帝不許。 燕王亦決計南下。 遣李遠等潛走沛縣，焚糧舟，掠彰德，破尾尖寨，諭降林縣。 時安在真定，度北平空虛，帥萬騎直走北平。 至平村，去城五十里而軍。 燕王懼，遣劉江等馳還救。 安戰不利，引還。 時大同守將房昭引兵入紫荊關，據易州西水寨以窺北平，安自真定餉之。 八月，燕兵北歸。 安及燕將李彬戰於楊村，敗之。 四年，燕兵復南下，破蕭縣。 安引軍躡其後，至淝河。 燕將白義、王真、劉江迎敵。 安轉戰，斬真。 真，驍將。 燕王嘗曰：「諸將奮勇如王真，何事不成！」 至是為安所殺。 燕王乃身自迎戰，安部將火耳灰挺槊大呼，直前刺王。 馬忽蹶，被擒。 安稍引卻。 已，復進至小河，張左右翼擊燕軍，斬其將陳文。 已，復移軍齊眉山，與諸將列陣大戰。 自午至酉，又敗之。 燕諸將謀北還，圖後舉。 王不聽。 尋阻何福軍亦至，與安合。 燕軍益大懼，王晝夜擐甲者數日。
A month later the Yan army marched out from Daming. Ping An, Sheng Yong, Wu Jie, and others split their forces to raid his supply lines. The prince, worried by these raids, sent Commander Wu Sheng to petition the court to recall Ping An and the others and halt hostilities—a ruse to buy time. The emperor refused. The prince resolved to march south in any case. He sent Li Yuan and others secretly to Pei County to burn the grain fleet, raided Zhangde, stormed Weijian Stockade, and induced Lin County to submit. Ping An was then at Zhending; judging Beiping undefended, he led ten thousand horsemen straight for the city. He reached Pingcun and pitched camp fifty li from the city. The prince was alarmed and sent Liu Jiang and others racing back to relieve the city. Ping An was beaten and pulled back. Meanwhile Fang Zhao, the Datong garrison commander, marched through Zijing Pass and held the West Water Stockade at Yizhou to threaten Beiping; Ping An supplied him from Zhending. In the eighth month the Yan army marched north again. Ping An fought the Yan general Li Bin at Yangcun and routed him. In the fourth year of the war the Yan forces marched south again and captured Xiaoxian. Ping An followed in pursuit as far as the Fei River. The Yan generals Bai Yi, Wang Zhen, and Liu Jiang came out to meet him. In the swirling fight Ping An killed Wang Zhen. Wang Zhen had been one of the prince's boldest commanders. The prince had once said, "If all my generals fought as fiercely as Wang Zhen, what could we not accomplish!" Now Wang Zhen was killed by Ping An. The prince came out to fight in person; Ping An's officer Huo'erhui levelled his spear, roared, and charged straight at the prince. His horse stumbled suddenly and he was taken. Ping An drew his line back a little. Soon he advanced again to the Xiao River, sent his wings against the Yan army, and killed the Yan general Chen Wen. He then moved his army to Qimei Mountain and, with the other commanders, formed battle lines for a major engagement. From midday until evening he routed them again. The Yan generals urged a retreat to the north and a fresh attempt later. The prince would not hear of it. Soon He Fu's army, which had been holding the line of advance, arrived and joined Ping An. The Yan army was more alarmed than ever; for several days the prince wore his armor day and night.
9
He Fu planned to wear the Yan army down in a war of attrition, shifted camp to Lingbi, and dug deep trenches and high ramparts to hold his ground. Yan forces cut off his grain supply in secret, and no provisions could reach the camp. Ping An sent troops to escort the supplies; the prince intercepted them with elite cavalry and cut Ping An's force in two. He Fu marched out of the camp to relieve them and was beaten by Gao Xu. The generals decided to move toward the Huai for supplies and gave orders that three cannon shots at night would be the signal to retreat. The next day the Yan army rushed the ramparts and fired three cannon shots. The southern troops took it for their own signal and surged for the gates in panic. The Yan army pressed the rout; men and horses filled the ditches and moats as they fell. He Fu fled alone on horseback; Ping An, Chen Hui, Ma Pu, Xu Zhen, Sun Cheng, and thirty-seven others were taken prisoner. More than a hundred and fifty civil officials and eunuchs with the army were also captured; the day was xinsi in the fourth month.
10
Ping An had long held Zhending, repeatedly beating the Yan army and killing several of their boldest commanders; no Yan officer dared face him head-on. When he was finally taken, the Yan camp erupted in cheers: "From now on we shall have peace!" Men clamored to have Ping An executed. The prince prized his ability and courage, sent elite guards to escort him to Beiping, and told the heir and Guo Zi and others to treat him well.
11
When the prince became emperor, he made Ping An chief commander of Beiping. Soon after he was promoted to vice commissioner-in-chief of the Rear Military Commission. In the third month of Yongle 7 the emperor toured Beijing. On the way he read through memorials, saw Ping An's name, and said to his attendants, "Is Ping Baor still alive?" When Ping An heard of it, he took his own life. The emperor ordered that his son receive a commander's stipend.
12
He Fu was a native of Fengyang. Early in the Hongwu reign he rose through merit to vice commander of the Rear Jinwu Guard. He marched with Fu Youde against Yunnan and was promoted to vice commissioner-in-chief. He also followed Lan Yu beyond the frontier as far as Buyur Lake. In the twenty-first year Marquis of Jiangyin Wu Gao led surrendered northerners on a campaign south. At the Yuan River the troops mutinied; they broke out through Sizhou toward Jing and Fan, followed the Wei River route, and tried to flee back to the steppe. The next year, in the first month, He Fu and Commissioner-in-chief Nie Wei pursued them, caught them at Fu and Yan, and wiped them out. He then moved against the Duyun tribes and killed or captured tens of thousands.
13
二十四年，拜平羌將軍，討越州叛蠻阿資，破降之。 擇地立柵處其眾，置寧越堡。 遂平九名、九姓諸蠻。 尋與都督茅鼎會兵，徇五開。 未行，而畢節諸蠻復叛，大掠屯堡，殺吏士。 福令畢節諸衛嚴備，而檄都督陶文等從鼎搗其巢。 擒叛酋，戮之。 分兵盡捕諸蠻，建堡設戍，乃趨五開。 請因兵力討水西奢香，不許。 三十年三月，水西蠻居宗必登等作亂，會顧成討平之。 其冬拜征虜左將軍，副西平侯沐春討麓川叛蠻刀幹孟。 明年，福與都督瞿能逾高良公山，搗南甸，擒其酋刀名孟。 回軍擊景罕寨，不下。 春以銳軍至，賊驚潰。 幹孟懼，乞降。 已而春卒，賊復懷貳。 是時太祖已崩，惠帝初即位，拜福征虜將軍。 福遂破擒刀幹孟，降其眾七萬。 分兵徇下諸寨，麓川地悉定。 建文元年，還京師，論功進都督同知。 練兵德州，進左都督。 與盛庸、平安會兵伐燕，戰淮北不利，奔還。
In the twenty-fourth year he was named General for the Pacification of the Qiang, defeated the rebel chieftain Azi of Yuezhou, and accepted his surrender. He chose a site, built stockades for the surrendered people, and established Ningyue Stockade. He then pacified the Jiuming, Jiuxing, and other tribal groups. Soon he joined Vice Commissioner Mao Ding and marched on Wukai. Before they could march, the Bijie tribes rebelled again, sacked garrison posts, and killed officials and troops. He Fu ordered the Bijie guards to stand ready and sent Vice Commissioner Tao Wen and others with Mao Ding to strike their stronghold. They captured the rebel leader and executed him. They split their forces to round up the tribes, built stockades and garrisons, and then advanced on Wukai. He asked to use his troops against She Xiang of Shuixi, but the court refused. In the third month of the thirtieth year the Shuixi chieftain Juzong Bideng and others rose in revolt; Gu Cheng happened to be campaigning there and put them down. That winter he was named Left General for the Punishment of Barbarians and served under Marquis of Xiping Mu Chun against the Luchuan rebel Dao Ganmeng. The next year He Fu and Vice Commissioner Qu Neng crossed Gaolianggong Mountain, struck Nandian, and captured the chieftain Dao Mingmeng. On the return march they attacked Jinghan Stockade but could not take it. Mu Chun arrived with elite troops and the rebels broke and fled. Dao Ganmeng was terrified and sued for peace. Soon afterward Mu Chun died, and the rebels wavered in their submission again. By then the founding emperor was dead and the Hui Emperor had just taken the throne; He Fu was appointed General for the Punishment of Barbarians. He Fu then defeated and captured Dao Ganmeng and accepted the surrender of seventy thousand of his followers. He sent detachments to subdue the outlying stockades, and the whole Luchuan region was pacified. In Jianwen 1 he returned to the capital and was promoted to vice commissioner-in-chief for his service. He drilled troops at Dezhou and was promoted to left commissioner-in-chief. He joined Sheng Yong and Ping An against the Prince of Yan; beaten north of the Huai, he fled back.
14
When the Yongle Emperor took the throne, he trusted He Fu—a veteran who knew war—and used him with complete confidence. He betrothed Fu's niece of the Xu clan to the Prince of Zhao. Soon he was given the seal of General for the Punishment of Barbarians, made supreme commander at Ningxia, and placed in charge of the armies of Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Henan. At his post He Fu proclaimed the court's goodwill and drew in distant peoples; tribes beyond the frontier submitted in succession. With the border quiet, he proposed post stations, military colonies, grain reserves, and fixed rules of reward and punishment as a lasting plan. Slanderers spoke against him. The emperor paid no heed and sent an edict praising and reassuring him.
15
In the eighth month of Yongle 5 he was transferred to garrison Gansu. He Fu ran a tight army, and many of his subordinates resented it. The emperor now and then sent word warning Fu to look to his own safety and not be undone by petty men. In the sixth year He Fu asked that tribal generals from the capital be sent to command the surrendered northerners. The emperor replied, "You have long commanded both tribal and Han troops; I fear your great strength invites slander. You are an old general; I rely on you with full sincerity—have no misgivings." Soon he proposed trading cloth for horses, selecting the best for separate herds, and appointing officials with seals to oversee them. Horses multiplied greatly as a result. Pasturing horses at the Yongchang imperial park began from this.
16
The next year Benyashiri rallied Arugtai for an invasion but was beaten by the Oirats, fled to the Tula River, and tried to rally scattered tribesmen to threaten Hexi. The court ordered He Fu to hold his army in strict readiness. More than ten northern princes, state dukes, and situ and below led their followers to camp at Ejin and asked to submit. He Fu reported this; the emperor sent Junior Mentor Yang Rong to assist him, and all their people submitted. He Fu went in person to Ejin to pacify them and sent their chiefs to the capital. The emperor praised his service, had Yang Rong enfeoff him in camp as Marquis of Ningyuan with a stipend of one thousand piculs, and decreed that in military affairs he might act first and report afterward.
17
In the eighth year the emperor marched north and summoned He Fu to accompany him beyond the frontier. At first the emperor favored He Fu above other generals for his talent and strategic sense. He Fu also knew how to avoid arousing suspicion and never decided important matters on his own. While in command he once asked to take horses kept at Gongchang by the Marquis of Xiping's household to replenish his breeding herds. The emperor replied, "In our late father's time the noble and close families were often allowed to keep horses, to show that wealth and honor were to be shared. Your proposal serves the state, but it is not how meritorious kin should be treated." The request was refused. Other requests he generally carried out at once; the trust placed in him was very great. On campaign he repeatedly disobeyed orders. When ministers spoke of his offenses, He Fu grew resentful and voiced complaints. When the army returned, Censor-in-chief Chen Ying impeached him again. He Fu, in fear, hanged himself, and his title was abolished. The Princess of Zhao was soon deposed as well.
18
顧成，字景韶，其先湘潭人。 祖父業操舟，往來江、淮間，遂家江都。 成少魁岸，膂力絕人，善馬槊，文其身以自異。 太祖渡江，來歸，以勇選為帳前親兵，擎蓋出入。 嘗從上出，舟膠於沙，成負舟而行。 從攻鎮江，與勇士十人轉鬥入城，被執，十人皆死。 成躍起斷縛，仆持刀者，脫歸。 導眾攻城，克之，授百戶。 大小數十戰，皆有功，進堅城衛指揮僉事。 從伐蜀，攻羅江，擒元帥以下二十余人，進降漢州。 蜀平，改成都後衛。 洪武六年，擒重慶妖賊王元保。 八年調守貴州。 時群蠻叛服不常，成連歲出兵，悉平之。 已，從潁川侯傅友德征雲南，為前鋒，首克普定，留成列柵以守。 蠻數萬來攻，成出柵，手殺數十百人，賊退走。 余賊猶在南城，成斬所俘而縱其一，曰：「吾夜二鼓來殺汝。」 夜二鼓，吹角鳴炮，賊聞悉走，獲器甲無算。 進指揮使。 諸蠻隸普定者悉平。 十七年，平阿黑、螺螄等十余寨。 明年奏罷普定府，析其地為三州、六長官司。 進貴州都指揮同知。 有告其受賕及僭用玉器等物者，以久勞不問。 二十九年遷右軍都督僉事，佩征南將軍印。 會何福討水西蠻，斬其酋居宗必登。 明年，西堡、滄浪諸寨蠻亂，成遣指揮陸秉與其子統分道討平之。 成在貴州凡十余年，討平諸苗洞寨以百數，皆誅其渠魁，撫綏余眾。 恩信大布，蠻人帖服。 是年二月，召還京。
Gu Cheng, courtesy name Jingshao, came of a family originally from Xiangtan. His grandfather Ye was a boatman on the Yangzi and Huai routes and eventually settled the family at Jiangdu. As a youth Gu Cheng was tall and imposing, with extraordinary strength; skilled with the cavalry lance, he tattooed his body to set himself apart. When the founding emperor crossed the Yangzi, he came over in submission; for his valor he was chosen as a personal guard and bore the imperial canopy on campaign. Once when he accompanied the emperor, the boat ran aground; Gu Cheng shouldered it and carried it forward. At the attack on Zhenjiang he fought his way into the city with ten brave men, was captured, and all ten companions were killed. Gu Cheng leaped up, broke his bonds, knocked down the man with the blade, and escaped. He led the assault, took the city, and was appointed centurion. In dozens of battles large and small he distinguished himself and was promoted to assistant commander of the Jiancheng Guard. He marched on Shu, attacked Luojiang, captured the enemy commander-in-chief and more than twenty officers under him, and advanced to accept Hanzhou's surrender. When Shu was pacified he was transferred to the Rear Chengdu Guard. In Hongwu 6 he captured the Chongqing rebel sorcerer Wang Yuanbao. In the eighth year he was transferred to garrison Guizhou. The tribes submitted and rebelled by turns; Gu Cheng campaigned year after year until all were pacified. He then followed Marquis of Yingchuan Fu Youde against Yunnan as vanguard, was first to take Puding, and was left there to build stockades and hold the place. Tens of thousands of tribesmen attacked; Gu Cheng sallied from the stockade and killed several hundred with his own hand, and the rebels fled. The remaining rebels held the south city; Gu Cheng beheaded the prisoners but released one, telling him, "At the second watch tonight I shall come to kill you." At the second watch he sounded horns and fired cannon; the rebels fled at the noise, and the arms and armor captured were beyond counting. He was promoted to commander. All tribes under Puding were pacified. In the seventeenth year he pacified Ahei, Luosi, and more than ten stockades. The next year he memorialized to abolish Puding Prefecture and divide its territory into three prefectures and six native offices. He was promoted to vice commander of Guizhou. He was accused of taking bribes and using jade vessels reserved for the throne, but because of his long service the charges were not pursued. In the twenty-ninth year he was made vice commissioner-in-chief of the Right Army and given the seal of General for the Southern Campaign. When He Fu campaigned against the Shuixi tribes, Gu Cheng beheaded the chieftain Juzong Bideng. The next year the tribes of Xibao, Canglang, and other stockades rebelled; he sent Commander Lu Bing and Cheng's son Tong by separate routes to put them down. Gu Cheng spent more than ten years in Guizhou, pacifying several hundred Miao stockades; he executed the ringleaders in each case and soothed the rest. His kindness and authority spread far, and the tribes submitted. That year, in the second month, he was recalled to the capital.
19
In Jianwen 1 he served as Left Regional Commander; following Geng Bingwen against the Yan army, he fought at Zhending and was captured. The Prince of Yan undid his bonds and said, "Heaven has delivered you to me!" He was sent to Beiping to assist the heir apparent in holding the city. When the southern army besieged the city, defense and deployment were entirely at Gu Cheng's discretion. When the Prince of Yan took the throne, for merit he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Zhenyuan with a stipend of 1,500 shi and granted a hereditary patent. He was ordered to continue garrisoning Guizhou. In Yongle 1 he submitted a memorial asking that the northwestern frontiers be strictly guarded and that the eastern palace be established early. The emperor praised and answered him. In the third month of the sixth year he was summoned to the capital, bestowed gold and silks, and sent back. Sizhou Pacification Commissioner Tian Chen and Sinan Pacification Commissioner Tian Zongding raised troops against one another; an edict ordered Gu Cheng to press their borders with fifty thousand troops, and Chen and the others were captured. Thereupon the lands of Sizhou and Sinan were divided, new prefectures and districts were established, and the Guizhou Provincial Administration Commission was created. In the eighth month of that year Tailuo Miao Puliang and others rebelled; an edict ordered Gu Cheng to lead troops of two provincial commands and three guards to pacify them.
20
Gu Cheng was loyal and conscientious and read widely in books and histories. When he first lived at Beiping he often offered strategic advice, yet he refused to command troops and would not accept weapons bestowed on him. When he returned to Guizhou he repeatedly pacified rebel tribes in Bozhou, Duyun, and elsewhere; his authority awed the south, and the local people built living shrines in his honor. When he was summoned to the capital he was ordered to assist the crown prince in overseeing the state. Gu Cheng kowtowed and said, "The crown prince is benevolent and wise, and the court ministers are all capable; guidance is beyond this humble servant—I beg to return to guard the frontier against the tribes." Petty men at court were plotting to displace him, and the crown prince was ill at ease. Taking leave in the Wenhua Hall, he told the prince, "Your Highness need only serve your father with complete devotion and labor constantly for the people's welfare. All else rests with Heaven; petty men are not worth troubling over." He died in the fifth month of the twelfth year, at the age of eighty-five. He was posthumously enfeoffed as Duke of Xia with the posthumous title Wuyi.
21
He had eight sons. The eldest, Tong, was commander of the Puding Guard; because Gu Cheng had surrendered to Yan, he was executed.
22
Tong's son Xingzu succeeded to the marquisate. When Renzong took the throne, the tribes of Guangxi rebelled. An edict appointed Gu Xingzu regional commander to suppress them. He successively pacified the Miao of Xunzhou, Pingle, Si'en, and Yishan, and very many submitted. In the Xuande reign Li Li of Jiaozhi rebelled again, seized Ailiu Pass, and besieged Qiuwen. At the time Gu Xingzu was at Nanning; for holding his troops and not coming to the rescue he was summoned and imprisoned in the Embroidered Uniform Guard prison. After more than a year he was released. At the end of the Zhengtong reign he joined the northern campaign, escaped from Tumu, and was sentenced to death. When Esen pressed the capital, his honors were restored; he served as deputy commander-in-chief and repelled the enemy outside the walls. He was appointed vice commissioner-in-chief and garrisoned Zijing Pass. In Jingtai 3 he was convicted of taking bribes, imprisoned again, and soon released. Through the favor granted at the establishment of the eastern palace, he was given the rank of earl. At the beginning of Tianshun he was restored to the marquisate and garrisoned Nanjing. He died. His grandson Chun succeeded him. He died without a son.
23
His younger cousin Pu succeeded him and held the right wing of the Five Armies. In Hongzhi 2 he was named General for the Pacification of the Tribes and posted to Huguang. On arrival he captured and executed the worst offenders among the Miao. In the tenth month of the fifth year the Duyun Miao chieftain Yefujia rebelled in Guizhou, proclaimed himself King of Dushun, and blocked the roads to Yunnan and Sichuan. The court ordered Pu to take supreme command and lead eighty thousand troops against him. He divided his force into five columns that advanced on a fixed date, executed Yefujia and his son, and took tens of thousands of heads. He was made Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent and his stipend was increased by two hundred piculs. He was recalled to supervise the training corps and manage the Front Army Commission. In the sixteenth year he died. He was given the posthumous title Xiangke. Pu was pure, careful, and law-abiding; when he died his purse was empty, and Duke of Ying Zhang Mao provided cloth and silk for his burial.
24
His son Shilong succeeded him, commanded the left wing of the Divine Engine Corps, and won the soldiers' loyalty. Early in the Zhengde reign he was posted as overall commander of grain transport and repeatedly petitioned for relief for his troops. He was posted at Huaian for more than ten years and was known for integrity. When the Wuzong emperor toured the south, Jiang Bin bullied the high officials shamelessly; only Shilong would not bow to him. Early in the Jiajing reign he was transferred to Huguang. He was soon recalled and rewarded for his service in welcoming the new emperor and holding the defense. He was made Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent and put in charge of the Central Army Commission. Wang Bangqi, a chiliarch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, hated Grand Secretary Yang Tinghe and Minister of War Peng Ze and memorialized the throne: "The Hami disaster was their doing." The emperor was furious and arrested Yang Tinghe's sons and sons-in-law. Supervising Secretary Yang Yan memorialized in their defense and offended the emperor. The matter was referred to the five commissions, nine ministers, and censorial officials; Shilong said, "Yang Tinghe's service to the state is beyond question. Bangqi is a petty man who uses frontier affairs to mislead the throne and harm the dignity of the state." An edict sharply rebuked him; he pleaded illness and resigned his post. He died. He was posthumously made Grand Preceptor with the posthumous title Rongjing.
25
His son Huan succeeded him and served as garrison commander of Nanjing. By imperial order he reviewed prison cases and reversed many wrongful convictions. In the seventeenth year he became overall commander of grain transport. The next year, when Empress Xian's coffin was sent to Chengtian, three thousand grain boats fell behind because they had to yield to the funeral procession. Disasters had struck both north and south of the Yangzi; Huan asked that grain transport be suspended for a year in the affected areas and commuted to cash payments, to the benefit of troops and civilians alike. He also submitted seven proposals for reforming grain transport, all of which were adopted. Those who profited from abuses in the transport system resented him and spread rumors; Supervising Secretary Wang Jiao impeached him. Investigation proved the charges false, and he was posted again at Huaian. When trouble broke out in Annam he was transferred to the two Guang provinces.
26
Mo Hongyan was the son of Mo Fuhai, the commissioner-in-chief of Annam. When Fuhai died, Hongyan was still a child. The powerful minister Ruan Jing and his clansman Mo Zhengzhong raised troops against each other; civil war broke out, and Zhengzhong fled into Qinzhou. Some at court urged seizing the opportunity to conquer Annam; Huan and supervising vice minister Zhou Yan decided otherwise, petitioned the throne to confirm Hongyan as commissioner-in-chief, and Annam was stabilized. This was in the thirtieth year. Soon afterward he campaigned and pacified the rebel Yao of Guilin and Pingle. He was posted again to the Huai region and distinguished himself against the wokou pirates. He was recalled to command the metropolitan camps and made Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent. He was sent out again to supervise grain transport. He was recalled. He requested retirement. In Longqing 5 he was specially recalled and appointed governor of the metropolitan camps. Soon afterward he asked to retire. When the Wanli emperor succeeded, he was recalled to manage the Left Army Commission. After a long time he retired from office. He was made Junior Guardian. He died in Wanli 9. He was posthumously made Grand Mentor with the posthumous title Rongxi.
27
From Pu through Huan, three generations were mild, honest, and upright, strict in private conduct, and accomplished in letters and the arts. Shilong and Huan for two generations supervised grain transport, and both were diligent in their duties. Three generations later the line reached the grandson Zhao Ji; when the capital fell he died at the hands of the rebels.
28
The commentator says: At Dongchang and the Xiao River, Sheng Yong and Ping An repeatedly turned back the Yan army and killed their boldest commanders—an achievement of real stature. Yet when they were defeated and captured they could not die for principle but clung to life in shame—how can they face Tie Xian, Bao Zhao, and men like them without shame? He Fu and Gu Cheng were both veteran generals of the founding reign who won distinction on the frontier. Yet once they met the Yan army, one retreated south in flight, the other was taken prisoner. The Yongle Emperor overlooked their flaws for old service's sake and enfeoffed them all alike—they were fortunate indeed. Fu did not end in glory, yet Cheng's line extended to later generations—when honor cannot outweigh disgrace, what is there to admire?