Sui and Tang · General

Chen Ling 陳棱

Attested AD 613 - AD 618

Passages: 3
Chapters: 1
Histories: 1

Overview

Chen Ling was a general.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Nickname	Old Dame Chen	陳姥

Life and dates

Attested activity

AD 613 to AD 618 隋大業九年
Dated from the passage context · New Book of Tang 92, passages 18-19

Career and standing

Right Imperial Guard General 右禦衛將軍
Held
Directly stated · New Book of Tang 92, passage 18

References in the histories

New Book of Tang, Chapter 92Volume 92 Biographies 17: Du, Kan, Wang, Li, Yuan, Luo, Wang · 3 passages

煬帝遣右禦衛將軍陳棱以精兵討之，棱不敢戰，伏威遺以婦人服，書稱陳姥，怒其軍。 Emperor Yang sent Right Imperial Guard General Chen Ling with picked troops against him. Ling would not give battle, so Fuwei sent him women's garments and a letter addressed to "Old Dame Chen," deliberately to humiliate him and stir his army to anger.

棱果悉兵至，伏威迎出挑戰，棱軍射中其額，伏威怒曰：「不殺汝，矢不拔！」 Chen Ling duly marched out with his full army. Fuwei rode forth to challenge him. Ling's archers struck Fuwei in the forehead. Fuwei roared, "I will not pull out this arrow until you are dead!"

遂馳入棱陣，大呼沖擊，眾披靡，獲所射將，使拔箭已，斬之，攜其首入棱軍示之，又殺數十人，遂大潰，棱走而免。 He spurred straight into Chen Ling's ranks, shouting as he charged. The enemy lines crumbled. He seized the archer who had shot him, made the man draw out the arrow, then cut off his head and bore it into Ling's camp to display it. After killing several dozen more men he put the whole army to rout. Ling himself escaped.