1
2
Cao Wenzhao was a native of Datong. He was bold and resolute, with a gift for strategy. He took service in eastern Liaodong under Xiong Tingbi and Sun Chengzong, and by steady achievement advanced to guerrilla commander. In the winter of Chongzhen 2 (1629), he marched with Yuan Chonghuan to the capital's defense. The next February, supreme commander Ma Shilong entrusted him with the imperial sword he had been granted and sent him, with assistant generals Wang Chengyin and Zhang Shujia and regional commander Zuo Liangyu, to lie in wait at Yutian, Kushu, and Hongqiao. After fierce fighting with notable success, he was promoted to assistant general. He fought his way from Dachanshan toward Zunhua, then joined Shilong in taking Da'an City and the Catfish Passes. For helping recover the four cities, he was promoted to vice commissioner-in-chief. In the seventh month, with Shaanxi rebels raging, he was appointed deputy commander on Yansui's eastern front.
3
The rebel leader Wang Jiayin had long held Hequ. In the fourth month of Chongzhen 4, Wenzhao took the city. Jiayin slipped away and raided south into the Yangcheng hills. Wenzhao ran him down; his men killed him to surrender, and Wenzhao was made commander at Lintao for the victory.
4
The rebel called Lamp-Lighter crossed from Shaanxi into Shanxi. Wenzhao pursued him to Jishan and induced seven hundred men to surrender. Lamp-Lighter escaped but was soon taken and put to death.
5
Li Laochai and Lone Wolf had seized Zhongbu; grand coordinator Lian Guoshi and Yansui commander Wang Chengen laid siege to them. In the fifth month, the Qingyang rebels Hao Lin'an and Liu Daojiang marched to relieve them. Wenzhao was then marching west; with Yulin administrator Zhang Fuzhen he struck jointly, killed Laochai and his lieutenant One Dragon, and drove the survivors toward Moyun Valley. Deputy commander Zhang Hongye and guerrilla commander Li Mingfu were killed in the fighting. Wenzhao then split his guerrilla commanders Zuo Guangxian, Cui Zongyin, and Li Guoqi against rebels in Suide, Yijun, Qingjian, and Mizhi. Victories at Huaining River, Heiquan Ravine, Fengjia Gully, and Mianhu Ravine followed, and the rebel called Sweeping-Earth King lost his head.
6
紅軍友、李都司、杜三、楊老柴者，神一魁余黨也，屯鎮原，將犯平涼。 國事檄甘肅總兵楊嘉謨、副將王性善扼之，賊走慶陽。 文詔從鄜州間道與嘉謨、性善合。 五年三月，大戰西濠，斬千級，生擒杜三、楊老柴。 余黨糾他賊掠武安監，陷華亭，攻莊浪。 文詔、嘉謨至，賊屯張麻村。 官軍掩擊，賊走高山。 遊擊曹變蛟、馮舉、劉成功、平安等噪而上，賊潰走。 變蛟者，文詔從子也。 會性善及甘肅副將李鴻嗣、參將莫與京等至，共擊斬五百二十余級。 追敗之鹹寧關，又敗之關上嶺。 追至隴安，嘉謨、變蛟夾擊，復敗之。 賊余眾數千欲走漢南，為遊擊趙光遠所遏，乃由長寧驛走張家川。 其逸出清水者，副將蔣一陽遇之敗，都司李宮用被執。 文詔乃縱反間，紿其黨，殺紅軍友，遂蹙敗之水落城。 追至靜寧州，賊奔據唐毛山，變蛟先登，殄其眾。
Red Army Friend, Li Dusi, Du San, and Yang Laochai were survivors of Shen Yikui's band; encamped at Zhenyuan, they were poised to strike Pingliang. Guoshi ordered Gansu commander Yang Jiamo and deputy Wang Xingshan to block them, and the rebels withdrew toward Qingyang. Wenzhao marched by a hidden route from Fuzhou and united with Jiamo and Xingshan. In the third month of Chongzhen 5 they fought a major battle at West Moat, killing a thousand men and capturing Du San and Yang Laochai alive. The survivors rallied other rebels, raided Wu'an Post, took Huating, and assaulted Zhuanglang. When Wenzhao and Jiamo arrived, the rebels were holding Zhangma Village. Government troops struck from cover and drove the rebels into the high hills. Guerrilla commanders Cao Bianjiao, Feng Ju, Liu Chenggong, and Ping An led a shouting charge uphill, and the rebels broke and ran. Bianjiao was Wenzhao's nephew. Xingshan arrived with Gansu deputy Li Hongsi and assistant general Mo Yujing; together they killed more than five hundred twenty rebels. They pursued and routed them at Xianning Pass and again at Guanshang Ridge. At Long'an, Jiamo and Bianjiao caught them in a pincer and defeated them once more. Several thousand survivors tried to flee south of the Han but guerrilla commander Zhao Guangyuan blocked them, so they turned by Changning Post toward Zhangjiachuan. A band that slipped out at Qingshui was beaten by deputy Jiang Yiyang, though regional commander Li Gongyong was taken prisoner. Wenzhao sowed discord among them, tricked their followers into killing Red Army Friend, then cornered the rest and crushed them at Shuiluo City. The pursuit reached Jingning, where the rebels fled to Tangmao Mountain; Bianjiao was first up the slope and wiped them out.
7
可天飛、郝臨庵，劉道江為王承恩所敗，退保鐵角城。 獨行狼、李都司走與合，可天飛、劉道江遂圍合水。 文詔往救。 賊匿精銳，以千騎逆戰，誘抵南原，伏大起。 城上人言曹將軍已歿。 文詔持矛左右突，匹馬縈萬眾中。 諸軍望見，夾擊，賊大敗，僵屍蔽野，余走銅川橋。 文詔率變蛟、舉、嘉謨及參將方茂功等追及之，大戰陷陣，賊復大敗。 尋與寧夏總兵賀虎臣、固原總兵楊麒破賊甘泉之虎兕凹。 麒復追賊安口河、崇信窯、白茅山，皆大獲。 總督洪承疇斬可天飛、李都司於平涼，降其將白廣恩，余賊分竄。 文詔追擊之隴州、平、鳳間。 十月三戰三敗之，遂蹙賊耀州錐子山，其黨殺獨行狼、郝臨庵以降。 承疇戮四百人，余散遣。 關中巨寇略平。
Ketianfei, Hao Lin'an, and Liu Daojiang, beaten by Wang Chengen, fell back to Iron Horn City. Lone Wolf and Li Dusi joined them, and Ketianfei and Liu Daojiang laid siege to Heshui. Wenzhao marched to relieve the city. The rebels hid their best troops, met him with a thousand horsemen, drew him onto the southern plain, and then sprang a great ambush. Men on the walls cried that General Cao was already dead. Wenzhao levelled his spear and charged to and fro, one horse threading through a host of ten thousand. The troops saw him and closed in from both flanks; the rebels were routed, the field strewn with dead, and the survivors fled toward Tongchuan Bridge. Wenzhao pursued with Bianjiao, Ju, Jiamo, and assistant general Fang Maogong, fought through their lines, and routed them again. Soon he joined Ningxia commander He Huchen and Guyuan commander Yang Qi in defeating the rebels at Tiger-and-Rhino Hollow in Ganquan. Qi pursued them further at Ankou River, Chongxin Kiln, and Baimao Mountain, winning major victories at each place. Governor-general Hong Chengchou executed Ketianfei and Li Dusi at Pingliang, accepted the surrender of their general Bai Guang'en, and the remaining rebels scattered. Wenzhao pursued them through the country between Longzhou, Pingliang, and Fengxiang. In the tenth month he fought three times and won three times, then drove the rebels onto Awl Mountain in Yaozhou, where their men killed Lone Wolf and Hao Lin'an to surrender. Chengchou executed four hundred men and sent the rest away. The great rebel bands of Guanzhong were largely subdued.
8
Censor-grand coordinator Fan Fucui reported a combined head count of more than 36,600; Wenzhao ranked first in merit, Jiamo second, Chengen and Qi after them. In Shaanxi Wenzhao fought dozens of engagements and won the greatest credit, yet Chengchou omitted him from the honors list. Touring censor Wu Shen commended him in the strongest terms, and Fucui submitted another memorial on his behalf. The Ministry of War downgraded his credit, and in the end he received no reward.
9
Seeing Shaanxi's armies strong, most rebels poured into Shanxi under seven major chiefs—Purple-Gold Beam, World-Wrecker King, Ji Guansuo, Eight Great Kings, Cao Cao, Rush-the-Sky, and Xing Jiaha Li—hosts of up to ten thousand men or half that, ravaging Fenzhou, Taiyuan, and Pingyang. Censor Zhang Chenji said: "These rebels come from Qin. The Qin general Cao Wenzhao's fame is long established; soldiers and civilians have a rhyme: 'In the army there is a Cao—western rebels hear it and their hearts shake.' He has already distinguished himself in Jin, and the Qin rebels were nearly wiped out. He should be ordered into Jin to join the suppression campaign." The court then placed all Shaanxi and Shanxi generals under Wenzhao's command.
10
In the first month of Chongzhen 6 he reached Huozhou, defeated rebels on the Fen River and around Yu, and overtook them at Shouyang. Grand coordinator Xu Dingchen sent strategist Zhang Zai ahead of the main force to probe the rebels, and they broke in panic. In the second month Wenzhao pursued them and killed World-Wrecker King at Bixia Village. The survivors were harried by Meng Ru Hu, met Wenzhao at Fangshan, and were beaten again. Rebels in Wutai, Yu, Dingxiang, and Shouyang were all subdued. Dingchen stationed Wenzhao at Pingding to guard Taiyuan's east and Zhang Yingchang at Fenzhou to guard its west. Wenzhao defeated rebels in turn at Taigu, Fancun, and Yushe, and the Taiyuan rebels were nearly wiped out.
11
The emperor, noting Wenzhao's many victories, ordered districts along his route to stock grain and provisions for his men and commanded him to finish off the rebels quickly. The Shanxi supervising eunuch Liu Zhongyun reported that during Wenzhao's campaigns at Xugou, Yu, and Dingxiang, local officials withheld rations and even struck his men with artillery stones. The emperor at once sent censors to investigate. In the third month rebels climbed the Taihang from Henei; Wenzhao routed them at Zezhou. The rebels fled toward Lu'an; at Yangcheng Wenzhao let them pass, then marched secretly from Qinshui and struck them at Qindi and Liucunzhai, taking more than a thousand heads. In the fourth month rebels held Runcheng while another band took Pingshun and killed magistrate Xu Mingyang. When Wenzhao arrived the rebels fled; he raided Runcheng at midnight and killed fifteen hundred of them. Purple-Gold Beam and Old Huihui fled from Yushe toward Wuxiang, and Guo Tianxing toward Gaozeshan; Wenzhao defeated them all. Other rebels were besieging She County; when they heard Wenzhao had beaten the band at Licheng, they raised the siege and withdrew.
12
In the fifth month the emperor assigned eunuch Sun Maolin as Wenzhao's inner staff commander. Rebels struck Qinshui; Wenzhao routed them, captured their chief Big Tiger, and beat them again west of Maoling in Liaocheng. Repeatedly beaten, the rebels avoided Wenzhao's front and mostly poured into Hebei. The emperor then ordered Wenzhao to march there to suppress them. The rebels had already beaten Deng Qi's force at Lin County; Wenzhao led five camps in a night attack and routed them. In the seventh month he routed the Huaiqing rebels at Chailing Village, killed their chief Rolling Earth Dragon, and pursued Old Huihui to Jiyuan and killed him.
13
While stationed at Hongtong, Wenzhao had quarreled with retired censor Liu Lingyu. Now Lingyu was inspecting Henan; in Sichuan the Shiqi native-official Ma Fengyi's army was wiped out at Houjiazhuang, and only Wenzhao's swift advance drove the rebels back. He had barely doffed his armor when he met Lingyu, and their words clashed again. Wenzhao flung his robe aside, rose, and rebuked him to his face. Enraged, Lingyu blamed Wenzhao for Fengyi's defeat. The ministry ruled that Wenzhao had grown arrogant on his victories and transferred him to Datong.
14
In the seventh month of Chongzhen 7 the Qing army marched west against Chahar; on the return it entered Datong, took Desheng Fort—assistant general Li Quan hanged himself—and besieged Huairen County, Jingping Fort, and Yingzhou. Wenzhao and governor-general Zhang Zongheng took post at Huairen and held the city. In the eighth month the siege lifted; he moved to Zhencheng, offered battle, was beaten, and withdrew. Soon Lingqiu and many other forts fell, and the Qing army withdrew. In the eleventh month all three were punished: Wenzhao, Zongheng, and grand coordinator Hu Zhan'en were sentenced to frontier military exile. The order had barely been issued when Shanxi grand coordinator Wu Shen recommended Wenzhao as a skilled commander and asked that he be used in Jin. He was appointed relief-suppression commander-in-chief, to redeem himself through merit. Henan's crisis was especially grave; the emperor had approved the ministry's plan and ordered Wenzhao to rush south against the Henan rebels. Wu Shen submitted another forceful memorial asking that Wenzhao finish the Shanxi rebels before entering Henan; the emperor refused. Grateful to Wu Shen, Wenzhao took the road through Taiyuan and was kept there by him.
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會賊高加計已殲，而鳳陽告陷，遂整兵南，以八年三月會總督洪承疇於信陽。 承疇大喜，即令擊賊隨州，文詔追斬賊三百八十有奇。 四月，承疇次汝州。 以賊盡入關中，議還顧根本。 分命諸將扼要害，檄文詔入關，文詔乃馳至靈寶謁承疇。 承疇以賊在商、雒，聞官兵至，必先走漢中，而大軍由潼關入，反在其後，乃令文詔由閿鄉取山路至雒南、商州，直搗賊巢，復從山陽、鎮安、洵陽馳入漢中，遏其奔軼。 曰：「此行也，道路回遠，將軍甚勞苦，吾集關中兵以待將軍。」 拊其背而遣之，文詔跌馬去。 五月五日抵商州。 賊去城三十里，營火滿山。 文詔夜半率從子參將變蛟、守備鼎蛟、都司白廣恩等敗賊深林中，追至金嶺川。 賊據險以千騎逆戰，變蛟大呼陷陣，諸軍並進，賊敗走。 變蛟勇冠三軍，賊中聞大小曹將軍名，皆怖懾。
Gao Jiaji's band was already destroyed, but Fengyang had fallen; Wenzhao marched south and in the third month of Chongzhen 8 joined Hong Chengchou at Xinyang. Chengchou was delighted and sent him against the rebels at Suizhou; Wenzhao pursued and killed more than three hundred eighty of them. In the fourth month Chengchou made camp at Ruzhou. With the rebels all in Guanzhong, they debated turning back to secure the base. Generals were posted at key points and Wenzhao was summoned into the passes; he galloped to Lingbao to see Chengchou. Chengchou judged that rebels in Shang and Luo would flee to Hanzhong once they heard government troops were coming, leaving the main army entering through Tong Pass behind them. He ordered Wenzhao by mountain paths from Wenxiang to Luonan and Shangzhou to strike their lair, then through Shanyang, Zhen'an, and Xunyang into Hanzhong to cut off their escape. He said: "This march will be long and hard. I will gather the Guanzhong troops and wait for you." He clapped his back and sent him off; Wenzhao vaulted into the saddle and rode away. On the fifth day of the fifth month he reached Shangzhou. The rebels were thirty li from the city, their campfires covering the hills. At midnight Wenzhao led his nephews, assistant general Bianjiao and garrison commander Dingjiao, together with regional commander Bai Guang'en and others, routed the rebels in the deep forest, and pursued them to Jinling River. A thousand rebel horsemen held the high ground; Bianjiao shouted and charged their lines, the whole force pressed forward, and the rebels broke and fled. Bianjiao's courage was unmatched in the army; among the rebels the names of the elder and younger General Cao inspired dread.
16
已而闖王、八大王諸賊犯鳳翔，趨汧陽、隴州，文詔自漢中馳赴。 賊盡向靜寧、泰安、清水、秦州間，眾且二十萬。 承疇以文詔所部合張全昌、張外嘉軍止六千，眾寡不敵，告急於朝，未得命。 六月，官軍遇賊亂馬川。 前鋒中軍劉弘烈被執，俄副將艾萬年、柳國鎮復戰死。 文詔聞之，瞋目大罵，亟詣承疇請行。 承疇喜曰：「非將軍不能滅此賊。 顧吾兵已分，無可策應者。 將軍行，吾將由涇陽趨淳化為後勁。」 文詔乃以三千人自寧州進，遇賊真寧之湫頭鎮。 變蛟先登，斬首五百，追三十里，文詔率步兵繼之。 賊伏數萬騎合圍，矢猬集。 賊不知為文詔也，有小卒縛急，大呼曰：「將軍救我！」 賊中叛卒識之，惎賊曰：「此曹總兵也。」 賊喜，圍益急。 文詔左右跳蕩，手擊殺數十人，轉鬥數里。 力不支，拔刀自刎死。 遊擊平安以下死者二十余人。 承疇聞，拊膺大哭，帝亦痛悼，贈太子太保、左都督，賜祭葬，世蔭指揮僉事，有司建祠，春秋致祭。 文詔忠勇冠時，稱明季良將第一。 其死也，賊中為相慶。
Soon Rush-the-Sky King, Eight Great Kings, and others struck Fengxiang and pressed toward Qianyang and Longzhou; Wenzhao galloped from Hanzhong to meet them. The rebels converged on the country between Jingning, Tai'an, Qingshui, and Qinzhou, nearly two hundred thousand strong. Chengchou saw that Wenzhao, together with Zhang Quanchang and Zhang Waijia, had only six thousand men—far too few—and appealed urgently to court, but received no reply. In the sixth month government troops met the rebels at Luanma River. Vanguard commander Liu Honglie was taken prisoner; soon deputies Ai Wannian and Liu Guozhen were also killed. Hearing this, Wenzhao glared and cursed; he hurried to Chengchou and asked to go at once. Chengchou said gladly: "Only you can destroy these rebels. But my forces are already scattered, and I have none left to send in support. When you march, I will hurry from Jingyang toward Chunhua as your rear." Wenzhao advanced from Ningzhou with three thousand men and met the rebels at Qiutou Town in Zhenning. Bianjiao led the charge, took five hundred heads, and pursued thirty li; Wenzhao followed with the infantry. Tens of thousands of horsemen sprang from ambush and closed the ring; arrows fell thick as a hedgehog's quills. The rebels did not yet know it was Wenzhao; a young soldier, bound tight, cried out: "General, save me!" A defector in the rebel ranks recognized him and cried: "This is Commander Cao!" The rebels rejoiced and pressed the ring tighter. Wenzhao fought on every side, killing dozens with his own hands, and battled for several li. His strength gave out; he drew his sword and took his own life. Guerrilla commander Ping An and more than twenty officers died with him. Chengchou beat his breast and wept; the emperor mourned him deeply, posthumously making him Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent and Left Chief Commander, granting state burial and a hereditary vice commandership, and ordering a shrine with spring and autumn sacrifices. Wenzhao's loyalty and courage were unmatched in his day; he was called the finest general of the late Ming. When he died, the rebels celebrated among themselves.
17
His younger brother Wenyao campaigned with him and won merit repeatedly. At Hequ he took many heads and prisoners. Later, fighting rebels at Xinzhou, he was killed below the walls. The court granted him posthumous honors. His nephew Bianjiao has a separate biography.
18
Zhou Yuji was a native of Jinzhou Guard. As a youth he was strong and bold and loved the hunt. He later entered the army, was always first in the assault, and rose to guerrilla commander in the capital forces. Most capital commanders were sons of nobles and eunuchs; seeing Yuji's plain, rough manner, they looked down on him. Yuji said: "You are all silk-pants dandies—how could you face a real enemy? Why not train your courage in peacetime for the day it is needed, instead of wasting your rations!" His comrades all eyed him and laughed.
19
In Chongzhen 9 the capital came under attack. Serving under Minister Zhang Fengyi he fought several bloody engagements with distinction, was promoted two ranks, and became deputy commander of the vanguard camp. The next winter he joined Sun Yingyuan against Henan rebels and won major victories at Guangshan and Gushi. In the eleventh year the army returned; he was promoted and rewarded. The next autumn he campaigned again, defeated Hu Keshou at Xichuan, and accepted the surrender of his whole band. When Yang Sichang marched from Xiangyang, Yuji went with eunuch Liu Yuanbin to join him. As Zhang Xianzhong approached Fang County, Sichang guessed he would try Yutan Ford; he posted Yuji at Huai Tree Pass and Zhang Yilong at Guanghua, and the rebels did not dare advance. In the twelfth month Xianzhong was beaten at Xing'an and headed for Zhushan and Zhuxi; by Sichang's order Yuji blocked Shihua Street and Caodian, and the rebels thereafter poured into Sichuan. Yuji then garrisoned Jingmen with Yuanbin, charged solely with guarding the Xian Mausoleum. The next year he and Sun Yingyuan routed Luo Rucai at Fengyi Plain. The year after that he and Huang Degong pursued and defeated rebels at Fengyang. The army then returned; he defeated Li Qingshan at Shouzhang, pursued him to Dongping, and nearly wiped out his band; Qingshan surrendered. He was repeatedly promoted to Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and Left Chief Commander.
20
In the winter of Chongzhen 15 Shanxi commander Xu Dingguo was sentenced to death for his crimes; Yuji replaced him. On arrival he cut the old and weak, repaired arms and armor, drilled the brave, and made the army exceptionally sharp. In the twelfth month of the following year Li Zicheng overran Shaanxi and prepared to invade Shanxi. Along more than a thousand li of river the rebels could cross anywhere; Yuji posted troops on the upper reaches, left the lower crossing at Puban to grand coordinator Cai Maode, and asked the court for reinforcements. The court sent deputy Xiong Tong with two thousand men. In the first month of Chongzhen 17 Yuji ordered Tong to guard the river. Pingyang commander Chen Shangzhi had already sent envoys to welcome the rebels and urged Tong to return to camp and negotiate surrender. Yuji rebuked him: "The state has shown me great favor—would I join you in rebellion! You command two thousand men and cannot kill rebels—yet you play the envoy!" He executed him at once and sent his head to the capital. On the seventh day of the second month Taiyuan fell and Maode died defending it. The rebels then took Xinzhou and besieged Daizhou.
21
遇吉先在代遏其北犯，乃憑城固守，而潛出兵奮擊。 連數日，殺賊無算。 會食盡援絕，退保寧武。 賊亦踵至，大呼五日不降者屠其城。 遇吉四面發大炮，殺賊萬人，火藥且盡，外圍轉急。 或請甘言紿之，遇吉怒曰：「若輩何怯邪！ 今能勝，一軍皆忠義。 即不支，縛我予賊。」 於是設伏城內，出弱卒誘賊入城，亟下閘殺數千人。 賊用炮攻城，圮復完者再，傷其四驍將。 自成懼，欲退。 其將曰：「我眾百倍於彼，但用十攻一，番進，蔑不勝矣。」 自成從之。 前隊死，後復繼。 官軍力盡，城遂陷。 遇吉巷戰，馬蹶，徒步跳蕩，手格殺數十人。 身被矢如猬，竟為賊執，大罵不屈。 賊懸之高竿，叢射殺之，復臠其肉。 城中士民感遇吉忠義，巷戰殺賊，不可勝計。 其舍中兒，先從遇吉出鬥，死亡略盡。 夫人劉氏素勇健，率婦女數十人據山巔公廨，登屋而射，每一矢斃一賊，賊不敢逼。 縱火焚之，闔家盡死。
Yuji had first blocked their northern advance at Daizhou; he then held the walls while secretly sallying out to strike hard. For days they killed rebels beyond counting. When provisions ran out and relief failed, they fell back to Ningwu. The rebels followed close behind, shouting that anyone who did not surrender within five days would see the city massacred. Yuji fired great guns on every side and killed ten thousand rebels; as powder ran low the ring closed tighter. Some urged flattering words to deceive the enemy; Yuji snapped: "Why are you so afraid! If we win now, the whole army will be loyal and righteous. If we cannot hold, bind me and hand me to the enemy." He laid an ambush inside the walls, sent weak troops to lure rebels in, then dropped the gates and killed several thousand. The rebels battered the walls with cannon; twice breaches were repaired, and four of their best generals were wounded. Zicheng grew afraid and wanted to withdraw. His generals said: "We outnumber them a hundredfold; send ten men for every one of theirs, rotate the assaults in waves, and we cannot fail." Zicheng agreed. The front ranks died and those behind took their place. Government troops were spent and the city fell. Yuji fought in the lanes; his horse fell, and on foot he killed dozens with his own hands. Arrows stuck in him thick as a hedgehog's quills; at last he was taken, cursed his captors, and would not yield. The rebels hung him on a tall pole, shot him to death, and carved up his flesh. Moved by Yuji's loyalty, soldiers and civilians fought in the lanes and killed rebels beyond counting. The youths of his household who had marched out with him were nearly all dead. His wife Lady Liu was famously bold; she led several dozen women to the hilltop office, shot from the roof, and killed a rebel with every arrow; none dared come near. They set the building afire; the whole family died.
22
Zicheng gathered his commanders and said: "We have taken Ningwu, but my officers and men have suffered heavily. From here to the capital, through Datong, Yanghe, Xuanfu, and Juyong, every pass has strong garrisons. If every place fights like Ningwu, will any of my men survive! Better to return to Qin, rest, and plan another campaign." He set a date to withdraw, but Datong commander Jiang Xiang's surrender arrived, and Zicheng was overjoyed. While entertaining their envoys, Xuanfu commander Wang Chengyin's surrender arrived as well, and Zicheng rejoiced all the more. He then decided to march straight through Datong and Xuanfu to Juyong. Eunuch Du Zhiji and commander Tang Tong opened the gates to them, and the capital fell. The rebels often said: "If every pass had another Commander Zhou, how could we have come this far?" Under the Prince of Fu he was posthumously made Grand Guardian, given the title Loyal Martial, and enshrined in the Shrine of Loyal Merit.
23
Huang Degong, sobriquet Hushan, was a native of Kaiyuan Guard; his family had moved from Hefei. Orphaned early, he lived with his mother, Lady Xu. As a youth he had an uncommon spirit and courage beyond ordinary men. At twelve he drank all the wine his mother had brewed. His mother scolded him; he laughed and said: "That's easy to repay." With the Liaodong crisis urgent, he took a blade, joined the ranks, brought back two heads, won the standard fifty taels of silver, gave them to his mother, and said: "I've repaid the wine." He then joined the commissioner-general's personal guard and rose to guerrilla commander.
24
In Chongzhen 9 he became deputy commander in charge of the capital guard. In the eleventh year he led the imperial guard with governor-general Xiong Wencan against rebels at Wuyang and fought fiercest between Guangshan and Gushi. In the eighth month he again joined the attack on Ma Guangyu at Wucun and Wangjia Stockade in Xichuan and routed him. He was made Grand Preceptor of the Heir Apparent with acting commander rank. In the thirteenth year he followed eunuch Lu Jiude in defeating rebels at Banshi Plain; five camps including Leather-Wrapped Eye surrendered. In the fourteenth year he and Wang Xian guarded the Fengyang and Sizhou mausoleums as commanders; Degong was posted at Dingyuan. Zhang Xianzhong attacked Tongcheng and brought camp officer Liao Yingdeng to the walls to urge surrender. Degong and Liu Liangzuo struck them at Baojia Ridge; the rebels fled; at Qianshan they captured and killed Rush-the-World King Ma Wu and Three-Hawks Wang Xingguo. Three-Hawks was Xianzhong's adopted son and the fiercest of his fighters. An arrow struck his face, but he fought all the harder; for more than ten days he battled the rebels and killed more than any other. The next year he was transferred to Luzhou. In Chongzhen 17 he was made Earl Who Pacifies the South. When the Prince of Fu ruled south of the Yangtze, he was promoted to marquis. He was soon named one of the Four Garrisons with Liu Liangzuo, Liu Zeqing, and Gao Jie.
25
初，督輔史可法慮傑跋扈難制，故置得功儀真，陰相牽制。 適登萊總兵黃蜚將之任，蜚與得功同姓，稱兄弟，移書請兵備非常。 得功率騎三百由揚州往高郵迎之，傑副將胡茂楨馳報傑。 傑素忌得功，又疑圖己，乃伏精卒道中，邀擊之。 得功行至土橋，方作食，伏起，出不意，上馬舉鐵鞭，飛矢雨集，馬踣，騰他騎馳。 有驍騎舞槊直前，得功大呼，反鬥，挾其槊而抶之，人馬皆糜。 復殺數十人，跳入頹垣中，哮聲如雷，追者不敢進，遂疾馳至大軍，得免。 方鬥時，傑潛師搗儀真，得功兵頗傷，而所俱行三百騎皆歿。 遂訴於朝，願與傑決一死戰。 可法命監軍萬元吉和解之，不可。 會得功有母喪，可法來吊，語之曰：「土橋之役，無智愚皆知傑不義。 今將軍以國故捐盛怒，而歸曲於高，是將軍收大名於天下也。」 得功色稍和，終以所殺亡多為恨。 可法令傑償其馬，復出千金為母赗。 得功不得已，聽之。 明年，傑欲趨河南，規取中原。 詔得功與劉良佐守邳、徐。 傑死，得功還儀真。 傑家並將士妻子尚留揚州，得功謀襲之。 朝廷急遣盧九德諭止，得功遂移鎮廬州。 四月，左良玉東下，以請君側為名，至九江，病死，軍中立其子夢庚。 命得功趨上江禦之，駐師荻港。 得功破夢庚於銅陵，解其圍。 命移家鎮太平，一意辦賊，論功加左柱國。
Supervising minister Shi Kefa feared Gao Jie's arrogance and stationed Degong at Yizhen to check him. Denglai commander Huang Fei was about to take office; he shared Degong's surname, called him brother, and asked for extra troops. Degong led three hundred horsemen from Yangzhou to Gaoyou to meet him; Gao Jie's deputy Hu Maozhen rode to warn Jie. Jie had long resented Degong and suspected a plot; he hid elite troops along the road and ambushed him. At Tuqiao Degong was eating when the ambush sprang up; he mounted, raised his iron whip, arrows fell like rain, his horse went down, and he leaped to another horse and fled. A fierce rider charged with his lance; Degong shouted, turned, seized the lance, and struck—rider and horse were smashed. He killed dozens more, leaped into a ruined wall, and roared like thunder until pursuers dared not come near; he galloped back to the main force and escaped. While he fought, Jie secretly struck Yizhen; Degong's men were badly hurt, and all three hundred horsemen with him were killed. He appealed to court, demanding a fight to the death with Jie. Kefa sent the army supervisor Wan Yuanji to mediate, but a settlement could not be reached. Degong was mourning his mother; Kefa came to condole and said: "Everyone knows Jie was wrong at Tuqiao. If you set aside your anger for the state's sake and lay the blame on Gao, you will win great renown throughout the realm." Degong's face softened, but he still grieved the many dead. Kefa made Jie pay for his horses and gave a thousand gold for his mother's funeral. Degong had no choice but to accept. The next year Jie planned to march to Henan and recover the Central Plain. Degong and Liu Liangzuo were ordered to guard Pi and Xu. When Jie died, Degong returned to Yizhen. Jie's family and his officers' wives and children were still in Yangzhou; Degong planned to attack them. The court sent Lu Jiude to stop him; Degong then moved his garrison to Luzhou. In the fourth month Zuo Liangyu marched east on the pretext of purging the court; he died at Jiujiang, and the army made his son Menggeng commander. Degong was ordered upriver to oppose them and encamped at Digang. Degong defeated Menggeng at Tongling and lifted the siege. He was ordered to move his household and garrison to Taiping and devote himself solely to dealing with the rebels; for his merit he was additionally made Left Pillar of State.
26
The Qing army had crossed the Yangtze; learning the Prince of Fu had fled, they sent detachments against Taiping. Degong was gathering his troops at Wuhu when the Prince of Fu slipped into his camp. Degong cried in shock: "Your Majesty should have held the capital to the death—we could still have fought—why listen to villains and flee here in such haste! And I am facing the enemy—how can I escort Your Majesty?" The prince said: "There is no one else I can rely on." Degong wept and said: "I will die for you." At Digang his arm was wounded nearly to the point of falling off. He wore plain hemp, bound his arm with silk, sword at his side, sat in a small boat, and sent his eight commanders forward to meet the enemy. But Liu Liangzuo had already surrendered and shouted from the shore urging them to yield. Degong roared: "You have surrendered!" An arrow struck him just left of the throat. Knowing all was lost, he threw down his sword, took the arrow he had pulled out, and drove it into his throat. His wife heard and hanged herself as well. Commander Weng Zhiqi drowned himself in the river; central commander Tian Xiong seized the Prince of Fu and surrendered.
27
得功粗猛不識文義。 江南初立，王詔書指揮，多出群小。 得功得詔紙或對使罵裂之。 然忠義出天性，聞以國事相規誡者，輒屈己改不旋踵。 北來太子之獄，得功抗疏爭曰：「東宮未必假冒，先帝子即上子，未有了無證明，混然雷同者。 臣恐在廷諸臣，諂徇者多，抗顏者少，即明白識認，亦不敢抗詞取禍矣。」 時太子真偽莫敢決，而得功忠憤不阿如此。 得功每戰，飲酒數鬥，酒酣氣益厲。 喜持鐵鞭戰，鞭漬血沾手腕，以水濡之，久乃得脫，軍中呼為黃闖子。 始為偏裨，隨大帥立功名，未嘗一當大敵。 及專鎮封侯，不及一年余而南北轉徙，主逃將潰，無所一用其力，束手就殪，與國俱亡而已。 其軍行紀律嚴，下無敢犯，所至人感其德。 廬州、桐城、定遠皆為立生祠。 葬儀真方山母墓側。
Degong was rough and fierce and barely literate. When the southern regime was first set up, the prince's orders mostly came from petty men at court. When he received an edict he sometimes cursed the messenger and tore it up. Yet loyalty was in his nature; when admonished on matters of state, he humbled himself and changed at once. In the case of the crown prince brought from the north, Degong submitted a forceful memorial: "The heir apparent may not be a fake; the late emperor's son is the present emperor's son. No case lacks all proof yet ends in unanimous agreement. I fear too many at court flatter while too few speak plainly; even those who know the truth dare not contradict and invite disaster." None dared decide whether the prince was genuine, yet Degong's loyal anger would not bend. Before each battle he drank several dou of wine; when warmed by drink his spirit grew fiercer. He fought with an iron whip; when blood glued it to his wrist he had to soak it in water before he could pull free—the army called him Yellow Charger. He began as a junior officer under great commanders and had never faced a major enemy alone. Once he held independent command and a marquisate, in little more than a year the court fled south, armies collapsed, he had no chance to use his strength, and was cut down with the state. His army marched under strict discipline; none dared offend, and people everywhere were moved by his virtue. Living shrines were built to him in Luzhou, Tongcheng, and Dingyuan. He was buried at Yizhen on Mount Fang beside his mother's grave.
28
The commentator says: Cao Wenzhao and his peers were fierce by nature; wherever they turned they shattered the enemy, and each was called a match for ten thousand men. When the dynasty's mandate had already collapsed, good generals fell with it. These three were the most loyal and brave, and died the most fiercely in service; therefore they are given a chapter of their own.