Volume 251 Biographies 38: Tu Hai, Li Zhifang

列傳三十八

Biography 38.

圖海李之芳圖海，字麟洲，馬佳氏，滿洲正黃旗人。父穆哈達，世居綏芬。圖海自筆帖式歷國史院侍讀。世祖嘗幸南苑，負寶從，顧其舉止，以為非常人。擢內秘書院學士，授拜他喇布勒哈番，遷弘文院大學士、議政大臣。順治十二年，加太子太保，攝刑部尚書事。與大學士巴哈納等同訂律例。侍衛阿拉那與公額爾克戴青兩家奴鬥於市，讞失實，坐欺罔，免死，削職。世祖崩，遺命起用。聖祖即位，授正黃旗滿洲都統。

Tu Hai and Li Zhifang. Tu Hai, whose style was Linzhou, belonged to the Majia clan and was a Manchu of the Plain Yellow Banner. His father was Mu-hada, and the family had long lived at Suifen. Tu Hai advanced from clerk to reader in the National History Academy. When the Shunzhi Emperor once visited the Southern Park, Tu Hai attended carrying the imperial seals. The emperor noted his bearing and judged that he was no ordinary man. He was promoted to bachelor of the Inner Secretariat, granted the rank of baitalabule hašan, and then appointed grand secretary of the Hongwen Academy and councilor of state. In the twelfth year of Shunzhi he received the additional title of Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and served as acting Minister of Justice. Together with Grand Secretary Bahana and others, he helped revise the legal code. When a bodyguard of Alana and slaves belonging to the Duke and Erke Daiqing clashed in the market, his ruling did not accord with the facts. He was convicted of deception, spared execution, and dismissed from office. After the Shunzhi Emperor's death, his testamentary edict ordered Tu Hai restored to service. When the Kangxi Emperor took the throne, Tu Hai was appointed commander-in-chief of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner.

李自成餘眾郝搖旗、劉體純、李來亨嘯聚鄖、襄間。康熙二年，命圖海為定西將軍，副靖西將軍都統穆里瑪，將禁旅，會湖廣、四川諸軍討之，屢破賊。未幾，郝搖旗為副都統杜敏所擒，劉體純亦破滅，惟李來亨據茅麓山，恃險負固，圖海圍之，絕其外援。來亨窮蹙，自焚死，其下以眾降。執斬明新樂王及所署置官屬，俘三千餘以還。六年，復為弘文院大學士，進一等阿達哈哈番。頃之，以兼都統乞解機務，不許。九年，改中和殿大學士，兼禮部尚書。

Remnants of Li Zicheng's army—Hao Yaoqi, Liu Tichun, and Li Laiheng—gathered and raided between Yun and Xiangyang. In the second year of Kangxi, Tu Hai was made Pacifier of the West. Serving under Pacifier of the West Banner Commander-in-Chief Muri-ma, he led the imperial guard and joined forces from Huguang and Sichuan against the rebels, winning repeated victories. Before long Hao Yaoqi was captured by Vice Commander-in-Chief Du Min and Liu Tichun's force was wiped out. Only Li Laiheng held Maolu Mountain, trusting its defenses and refusing to yield. Tu Hai invested the position and severed all outside support. Cornered, Laiheng set himself on fire and died; his followers then surrendered with their entire force. He captured and executed the Ming Prince of Xinle along with the officials Li had installed, then returned with more than three thousand prisoners. In the sixth year he was reappointed grand secretary of the Hongwen Academy and promoted to first-class adaha hašan. Soon afterward he asked to be relieved of ministerial duties on account of his concurrent command of the banner, but the request was refused. In the ninth year he became grand secretary of the Hall of Central Harmony and concurrently held the post of Minister of Rites.

十二年，平南王尚可喜請老。七月，吳三桂繼之，實探朝旨。廷議移籓狀，莫洛、米思翰、明珠等皆主如所請，惟圖海持不可。上意決，遂黜圖海議。三桂既反，命攝戶部，理餉運。

In the twelfth year the Prince of Pingnan, Shang Kexi, petitioned to retire from office. In the seventh month Wu Sangui followed suit, in reality to test the court's intentions. When the court debated the princes' requests to leave their fiefs, Moluo, Misihan, Mingzhu, and others all favored acceding to them; Tu Hai alone opposed the move. The emperor had already made up his mind, and Tu Hai's dissent was overruled. Once Sangui had risen in rebellion, Tu Hai was ordered to act as head of the Ministry of Revenue and oversee the transport of provisions.

十四年，察哈爾布爾尼劫其父阿布柰以叛。命信郡王鄂扎為撫遠大將軍，圖海副之，討布爾尼。時禁旅多調發，圖海請籍八旗家奴驍健者率以行，在路騷掠，一不問。至，下令曰：「察哈爾元裔，多珍寶，破之富且倍！」於是士卒奮勇，無不一當百。戰於達祿，布爾尼設伏山谷，別以三千人來拒。既戰，伏發，土默特兵挫。圖海分兵迎擊，敵以四百騎繼進，力戰，覆其眾。布爾尼乃悉眾出，用火攻，圖海令嚴陣待，連擊大破之，招撫人戶一千三百餘。布爾尼以三十騎遁，科爾沁額駙沙津追斬之，察哈爾平。師還，聖祖禦南苑大紅門，行郊勞禮。敘功，進一等阿思哈尼哈番。

In the fourteenth year the Chahar leader Bu'erni seized his father Abunai and rose in rebellion. Prince Xin of the Blood, Ezha, was appointed Pacification Commissioner-in-Chief, with Tu Hai as deputy, to suppress Bu'erni. With most of the imperial guard already deployed elsewhere, Tu Hai requested that stalwart bondservants from the Eight Banners be registered and marched with the army. They looted along the route, and he ignored every complaint. On reaching the front he issued an order: "The Chahar are descendants of the Yuan and hold great treasure—defeat them and your wealth will more than double!" At that the troops fought with such ardor that each man seemed worth a hundred. At Dalu, Bu'erni laid an ambush in the valleys and detached three thousand men to meet the attack. Once fighting began the ambush was sprung and the Tumed contingent was thrown into disorder. Tu Hai detached troops to counterattack. The enemy sent four hundred horsemen in support, but after fierce fighting their entire force was wiped out. Bu'erni then committed his whole army and attacked with fire. Tu Hai held his lines firm, struck again and again, and routed the enemy completely, winning the submission of more than thirteen hundred households. Bu'erni escaped with thirty horsemen, but the Khorchin imperial son-in-law Shajin pursued and killed him, and the Chahar region was pacified. On the army's return, the Kangxi Emperor went to the Great Red Gate of the Southern Park to perform the suburban ceremony welcoming the troops home. His achievements were recognized with promotion to first-class ashan-i hašan.

陝西提督王輔臣以平涼叛應三桂，定西大將軍貝勒董額督諸軍攻之，久未下。三桂遣王屏籓、吳之茂等犯秦、隴，欲與平涼合。十五年，以圖海為撫遠大將軍，八旗每佐領出護軍二名，率以往。臨發，上御太和殿賜敕印，命諸軍咸聽節制。既至，明賞罰，申約束。諸將請乘勢攻城，圖海宣言曰：「仁義之師，先招撫，後攻伐。今奉天威討叛豎，無慮不克。顧城中生靈數十萬，覆巢之下，殺戮必多。當體聖主好生之德，俟其向化。」城中聞者，莫不感泣，思自拔。五月，奪虎山墩，虎山墩者，在平涼城北，高數十仞，賊守以精兵，通餉道。圖海曰：「此平涼咽喉也。」率兵仰攻，賊萬餘列火器以拒師。圖海令兵更迭進，自巳至午，戰益力，遂奪而據之，發大砲攻城，城人洶懼。圖海用幕客周昌策，招輔臣降。

Wang Fuchen, provincial commander of Shaanxi, rebelled at Pingliang in support of Sangui. Prince Dong'e of the Blood, Pacifier of the West, directed the siege for a long time without success. Sangui sent Wang Pingfan, Wu Zhimao, and others to strike into Qin and Long, aiming to link up with the Pingliang garrison. In the fifteenth year Tu Hai was appointed Pacification Commissioner-in-Chief. Each company captain of the Eight Banners supplied two guardsmen, and Tu Hai led them west. Before he set out, the emperor appeared in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, conferred the commission and seal, and ordered every army in the field to obey his command. On reaching the front he made rewards and punishments explicit and tightened discipline throughout the command. The generals urged an immediate assault on the city. Tu Hai declared publicly: "A benevolent army wins men over before it fights. We march now under Heaven's mandate to punish rebels, and victory is certain. Yet several hundred thousand people live inside the walls; when the nest is overturned, the killing will be immense. We ought to honor the sage emperor's love of life and wait until they submit of their own accord." All who heard this inside the city were moved to tears and began to think of surrender. In the fifth month they seized Tiger Hill Redoubt north of Pingliang—a height of several tens of ren held by elite rebel troops and guarding the supply line. Tu Hai said, "This is the throat of Pingliang." He led his men uphill; more than ten thousand rebels deployed firearms to block the advance. Tu Hai sent his men forward in relays from mid-morning until noon, fighting with mounting fury until they took and held the redoubt. He then turned heavy cannon on the city, throwing the defenders into panic. Tu Hai followed a plan devised by his adviser Zhou Chang to win Fuchen's surrender.

昌，字培公，荊門諸生。好奇計。佐振武將軍吳丹有勞，以七品官錄用。圖海次潼關，以策乾之，客諸幕。輔臣所署置總兵黃九疇、布政使龔榮遇皆昌鄉人，屢勸輔臣反正，以蠟丸告昌，昌白圖海。圖海即令昌入城諭降，輔臣遣其將從昌出謁，圖海聞上，上許之。乃假昌參議道，賚詔往撫。輔臣使榮遇上軍民冊，子繼貞繳三桂所授敕印，顧猶觀望，復命昌偕兄子保定諭之，乃薙發降。因令吳丹入城撫定。

Chang, whose style was Peigong, was a licentiate of Jingmen. He was fond of bold stratagems. For distinguished service under Pacifier of Martial Valor Wu Dan he was enrolled as a seventh-rank official. When Tu Hai encamped at Tong Pass he sought Chang's counsel and retained him on his staff. Regional commander Huang Jiuchou and provincial administration commissioner Gong Rongyu, whom Fuchen had appointed, were both natives of Chang's home district. They repeatedly urged Fuchen to return to the Qing side, sent messages to Chang in wax pellets, and Chang informed Tu Hai. Tu Hai immediately sent Chang into the city to negotiate surrender. Fuchen dispatched a general with Chang to pay his respects; Tu Hai reported to the throne, and the emperor gave his consent. Chang was then given the acting rank of participation commissioner and sent with an imperial edict to win Fuchen over. Fuchen had Rongyu submit the register of troops and civilians, and his son Jizhen returned the commission and seal Sangui had granted him. Still he wavered, so Chang was sent again with his nephew Baoding to persuade him, and only then did Fuchen shave his head and surrender. Tu Hai then ordered Wu Dan into the city to restore order.

吳之茂聞平涼下，自秦州遁，遣將軍佛尼勒敗之於牡丹園，又敗之於西和縣北山。將軍穆佔進攻王屏籓於樂門，敗賊於紅崖，復禮縣。輔臣所署置巡撫陳彭，總兵週養民、王好問等相繼降。秦地略定。敘功，進三等公，世襲。

Learning that Pingliang had fallen, Wu Zhimao fled from Qinzhou. General Fonile was dispatched, defeated him at Mudan Garden, and routed him again on North Mountain in Xihe County. General Muzhan attacked Wang Pingfan at Lemen, defeated the rebels at Hongya, and recovered Li County. Provincial governor Chen Peng, regional commanders Zhou Yangmin and Wang Haowen, and other officials Fuchen had appointed surrendered in succession. The Qin region was largely brought under control. His achievements were recognized with promotion to third-rank duke, inheritable by his descendants.

圖海疏請遣兵赴湖廣，會徵三桂，上命圖海親率精銳以行。圖海疏陳陝西初定、反側未安狀，乃授穆佔征南將軍，率滿洲兵及平涼降卒往，圖海仍留鎮。時平涼、慶陽雖下，漢中、興安猶為賊據。圖海奏調綠旗兵，期明年正月檄提督孫思克赴秦州，趙良棟赴鳳翔，與張勇、王進寶會師進取，勇等謂須俟夏秋。上慮克漢中、興安轉餉難，令守諸要隘，分兵赴荊州攻三桂。十六年，圖海招撫韓城等縣偽官，又遣兵逼禮縣、益門，先後敗賊五盤山、喬家山、塘坊廟、芭蕉園、沙窩諸處，复塔什堡。十七年，复疏請分兵下漢中、興安，上密諭止之。將軍佛尼勒等又敗賊牛頭山香泉，四川總督周有德亦敗賊秦嶺，复潼關堡五寨。慶陽賊袁本秀受三桂劄，謀亂。圖海發慶陽、宜君、延安三營兵，會王進寶討平之，斬本秀衛遠溝。頃之，入覲。十八年，還鎮。

Tu Hai memorialized requesting troops for Huguang to join the campaign against Sangui. The emperor ordered him to lead elite forces there in person. Tu Hai explained in a memorial that Shaanxi had only just been pacified and loyalties were still unsettled. Muzhan was therefore made Southern Campaign General and sent with Manchu troops and Pingliang surrender troops, while Tu Hai remained to hold the region. Although Pingliang and Qingyang had been recovered, Hanzhong and Xing'an were still in rebel hands. Tu Hai requested Green Standard reinforcements and planned to order Provincial Commander Sun Sike to Qinzhou and Zhao Liangdong to Fengxiang in the first month of the coming year for a joint advance with Zhang Yong and Wang Jinbao. Zhang Yong and the others insisted on waiting until summer and autumn. Fearing the difficulty of supplying troops once Hanzhong and Xing'an were taken, the emperor ordered key passes held and detachments sent to Jingzhou against Sangui. In the sixteenth year Tu Hai won over puppet officials in Hancheng and other counties and sent troops against Li and Yimen. His forces defeated the rebels in turn at Wupanshan, Qiaojiashan, Tangfangmiao, Bajiaoyuan, Shawo, and other places, and recovered Tashibao. In the seventeenth year he again asked permission to divide his forces and take Hanzhong and Xing'an, but the emperor privately instructed him to hold back. General Fonile and others again defeated the rebels at Niutoushan Xiangquan, while Sichuan Governor-General Zhou Youde routed them on the Qin Mountains and recovered the five stockades of Tongguan Fort. The Qingyang rebel Yuan Benxiu received a commission from Sangui and plotted an uprising. Tu Hai sent troops from the Qingyang, Yijun, and Yan'an camps, joined Wang Jinbao in putting down the revolt, and beheaded Benxiu at Weiyuangou. Before long he went to court for an audience. In the eighteenth year he returned to his post.

湖南、廣西平。上命亟攻寶雞，規取漢中、興安，定四川。圖海乃厲師攻益門鎮，破之。會賊毀偏橋，兵不得進，狀聞，詔嚴責。乃決策期分四路：圖海親率將軍佛尼勒等趨興安，總兵官程福亮為後援，屯舊縣關；將軍畢力克圖、提督孫思克等自略陽進，總兵官硃衣客為後援，駐西河；將軍王進寶、總兵官費雅達自棧道進，總兵官高孟為後援，駐寶雞；提督趙良棟自徽縣進。十月，師次鎮安，分兵為二隊，進敗三桂將王遇隆，渡乾玉河，奪梁河關。三桂將韓晉卿遁。進寶亦復漢中。良棟复徽縣、略陽。畢力克圖復成縣，又復階州，遣參將康調元復文縣。於是平利、紫陽、石泉、漢陰、洵陽、白河、竹山、竹溪、上津諸縣皆下。興安既克，圖海統大軍之半屯鳳翔，尋移漢中，護諸軍餉。會降將譚洪复叛，陝西總督哈佔溯江討之，詔圖海遙為聲援。

Hunan and Guangxi were pacified. The emperor ordered an immediate assault on Baoji, intending to seize Hanzhong and Xing'an and secure Sichuan. Tu Hai tightened discipline and attacked Yimen Town, which fell. The rebels then destroyed Pian Bridge and blocked the advance. When Tu Hai reported this, the emperor issued a stern rebuke. He then planned a coordinated advance in four columns: Tu Hai would personally lead General Fonile and others toward Xing'an, with Regional Commander Cheng Fuliang in reserve at Jiuxian Pass; General Biliketu and Provincial Commander Sun Sike would advance from Lueyang, with Regional Commander Zhu Yike in reserve at Xihe; General Wang Jinbao and Regional Commander Fei Yada would advance along the plank road, with Regional Commander Gao Meng in reserve at Baoji; Provincial Commander Zhao Liangdong would advance from Hui County. In the tenth month the army halted at Zhen'an, split into two columns, defeated Sangui's general Wang Yulong, crossed the Qianyu River, and seized Lianghe Pass. Sangui's general Han Jinqing fled. Jinbao also recovered Hanzhong. Liangdong recovered Hui County and Lueyang. Biliketu recovered Cheng County and then Jiezhou, and dispatched Assistant Regional Commander Kang Tiaoyuan to recover Wen County. Pingli, Ziyang, Shiquan, Hanyin, Xunyang, Baihe, Zhushan, Zhuxi, Shangjin, and the other counties then fell in succession. After Xing'an fell, Tu Hai took half the main army to Fengxiang and soon moved to Hanzhong to oversee supplies for all the columns. About then the surrendered general Tan Hong rebelled again. Shaanxi Governor-General Hazhan pursued him up the river, and the emperor ordered Tu Hai to lend distant support.

二十年，以疾徵還。卒，諡文襄。太宗實錄成，贈少保兼太子太傅。雍正初，追贈一等忠達公，配享太廟。子諾敏，襲爵，歷刑、禮二部尚書，正黃旗蒙古都統。諾敏子馬爾賽，自有傳。

In the twentieth year he was recalled to the capital because of illness. He died and was posthumously titled Wenxiang. When the Veritable Records of Taizong were completed, he was posthumously made Junior Tutor and Junior Preceptor of the Heir Apparent. Early in the Yongzheng reign he was posthumously made first-rank Duke of Loyal Achievement and granted a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. His son Nuomin inherited the title, served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Rites, and became commander-in-chief of the Mongol Plain Yellow Banner. Nuomin's son Ma'ersai is the subject of a separate biography.

周昌初入城，自陳父明季死流寇，母孫剜目破面觸棺死，原捐軀表母烈。及輔臣降，圖海以聞。上命旌其母，遣官致祭，授昌布政使參政。昌复參蔡毓榮軍事，事平，授山東登萊道，攝布政使，以與總兵互訐罷。昌既罷，猶喜言兵。噶爾丹擾邊，數上書當事陳利害。後卒於家。

On first entering the city, Zhou Chang explained that his father had been killed by bandits in the late Ming and that his mother Sun had gouged out her eyes, disfigured her face, and dashed herself against the coffin to die. He asked to give his own life in testimony to her martyrdom. After Fuchen surrendered, Tu Hai reported the fact to the throne. The emperor ordered honors for Chang's mother, sent officials to perform the sacrifices, and appointed Chang provincial administration commissioner. Chang again served on Cai Yurong's staff. When the campaign ended he was made intendant of the Deng-Lai circuit in Shandong and acting provincial administration commissioner, but was dismissed after quarreling with the regional commander. Even after his dismissal, Chang still loved to talk of military affairs. When Galdan raided the borderlands, he repeatedly wrote to those in power laying out the strategic stakes. He later died at home.

李之芳，字鄴園，山東武定人。順治四年進士，授金華府推官。卓異，擢刑部主事。累遷郎中，授廣西道御史。疏請革錢糧陋規，禁州縣官迎送。十七年，巡按山西。聖祖即位，裁巡按，召回。康熙元年，乞假歸。二年，复授湖廣道御史。五年，巡視浙江鹽政。入掌河南道事。

Li Zhifang, whose style was Yeyuan, was a native of Wuding in Shandong. Having passed the metropolitan examination in the fourth year of Shunzhi, he was appointed reviewing official of Jinhua Prefecture. Rated outstanding in performance, he was promoted to principal in the Ministry of Justice. He rose through successive posts to department director and was appointed investigating censor for the Guangxi circuit. He memorialized to abolish corrupt practices in tax collection and to forbid prefectural and county officials from the elaborate welcoming and escorting of superiors. In the seventeenth year he served as touring inspector of Shanxi. When the Kangxi Emperor took the throne, the touring inspector posts were abolished and he was recalled to the capital. In the first year of Kangxi he asked for leave to return home. In the second year he was again appointed investigating censor for the Huguang circuit. In the fifth year he inspected salt administration in Zhejiang. He was then put in charge of affairs for the Henan circuit.

大學士班布爾善坐鰲拜黨誅，之芳疏言：「昔大學士俱內直，諸司章奏，即日票擬。自鰲拜輔政，大學士皆不入直，疏奏俱至次日看詳。請復舊制，杜任意更改之弊。」又疏言：「世祖時賞罰出至公，督撫不敢恣睢無忌。十八年以後，督撫率多夤緣而得，有恃無恐。勒索屬員，擾害百姓。夫直省億萬之眾，皆世祖留遺之群黎，我皇上愛養之赤子，何堪此輩朘削？自與受同罪之法嚴，與者不承，則言者即涉虛，非特不敢糾督撫，且不敢糾司道守令。有貪之利，無貪之害，又何憚而不怙惡自恣？今皇上親政，乞親裁，罷黜溺職督撫，以肅吏治。」疏下部，尋甄別各省督撫，黜其尤者數人。進秩視四品，擢左副都御史。之芳數上封事，請嚴巡鹽考績，慎外官罰俸，皆關治體。遷吏部侍郎。

Grand Secretary Banbu'ershan was executed as a member of Oboi's faction. Zhifang memorialized: "In former times all grand secretaries served on inner duty, and memorials from the ministries received draft responses the same day. Since Oboi dominated the government, no grand secretaries entered inner duty, and memorials were not reviewed until the following day. He asked that the old system be restored to prevent arbitrary alterations." He also wrote: "Under the Shunzhi Emperor rewards and punishments issued from perfect impartiality, and governors-general did not dare act with reckless impunity. After the eighteenth year most governors-general obtained their posts through patronage and acted without fear of consequences. They extorted their subordinates and harassed the common people. The hundreds of millions in the provinces are the people the late emperor bequeathed and the children our present emperor nourishes—how can they endure such exploitation? Because the law that punishes both giver and taker alike is strictly enforced, if the taker does not confess the accuser is deemed to have lied—so men dare not impeach governors-general, and dare not even impeach circuit intendants, prefects, or magistrates. When corruption brings profit and no penalty, why should they not cling to evil and act as they please? Now that Your Majesty has taken power in person, he begged that you personally decide the matter, dismiss negligent governors-general, and restore discipline among officials." The memorial was sent to the ministries, and before long governors-general throughout the provinces were screened and several of the worst offenders were removed. He was promoted in rank to the equivalent of fourth grade and appointed left vice censor-in-chief. Zhifang repeatedly submitted sealed memorials calling for strict evaluation of salt patrols and careful use of salary fines against field officials—measures that all touched the foundations of good government. He was transferred to vice minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

十二年，以兵部侍郎總督浙江軍務。會吳三桂反，十三年，奏請復標兵原額，督習槍砲。疏甫上，耿精忠亦叛，遣其將曾養性、白顯忠、馬九玉數道闚浙，浙大震。之芳檄諸將扼仙霞關，調總兵李榮率副將王廷梅、牟大寅、陳世凱、鮑虎等分道禦寇。時上命都統賴塔率師入浙，五月，偕賴塔率滿洲兵千、綠旗兵二千、鄉勇五百，進駐衢州。眾皆謂會城重地，不宜輕委。之芳曰：「不然。衢踞上游，無衢，是無浙也。今日之事，義無反顧。」顯忠自常山陷開化、壽昌、淳安，養性自處州犯義烏、浦江、東陽、湯溪，沿河阻餉道。溫州鎮總兵祖弘勳叛，召寇陷平陽，再進陷黃岩，集悍卒數万窺衢州。

In the twelfth year, while serving as vice minister of war, he was made commander-in-chief of Zhejiang military affairs. When Wu Sangui rebelled, he memorialized in the thirteenth year to restore the garrison troops to their original strength and to supervise training in firearms. Hardly had the memorial been submitted when Geng Jingzhong rebelled as well, sending his generals Zeng Yangxing, Bai Xianzhong, and Ma Jiuyu in several columns to threaten Zhejiang. The province was thrown into alarm. Zhifang ordered his generals to hold Xianxia Pass and directed Regional Commander Li Rong, with deputy generals Wang Tingmei, Mou Dayin, Chen Shikai, Bao Hu, and others, to oppose the enemy on separate routes. The emperor had ordered Banner Commander-in-Chief Laita to lead troops into Zhejiang. In the fifth month Zhifang joined him with a thousand Manchu troops, two thousand Green Standard troops, and five hundred militia, and advanced to garrison Quzhou. Everyone said the provincial capital was too important to leave lightly defended. Zhifang said, "Not so. Quzhou commands the upper reaches; without Quzhou there is no Zhejiang. In today's fight there is no turning back." Xianzhong advanced from Changshan and took Kaihua, Shouchang, and Chun'an; Yangxing advanced from Chuzhou against Yiwu, Pujiang, Dongyang, and Tangxi, blocking supply routes along the river. Wenzhou garrison commander Zu Hongxun rebelled, called in the enemy, and seized Pingyang, then advanced and took Huangyan, gathering tens of thousands of fierce troops to threaten Quzhou.

七月，之芳與賴塔閱兵水亭門，率總兵官李榮、副都統瑚圖等薄賊壘，軍坑西。之芳手執刀督陣，或請少避，之芳曰：「三軍司命在吾，退即為賊乘。今日勝敗，即吾死生矣！」守備程龍怯戰，斬以徇。麾眾越壕拔柵，敗之。遣陳世凱乘勝复義烏、湯溪，鮑虎复壽昌、淳安，牟大寅破常山，王廷梅敗賊於金華石梁、大溝源，李榮亦復東陽，复敗賊於金華壽溪，馘賊將，毀寨十八。參將洪起元復嵊縣。詔嘉之芳調度有方。

In the seventh month Zhifang and Laita reviewed the troops at the Water Pavilion Gate, then led Regional Commander Li Rong, Vice Commander-in-Chief Hutu, and others to assault the rebel camp west of Junkeng. Zhifang took a blade in hand to direct the battle line. When someone urged him to withdraw a little, he said, "The fate of the whole army rests with me; if we fall back the enemy will seize the advantage. Today's victory or defeat is my life or death!" Garrison commander Cheng Long fought timidly and was beheaded as an example to the troops. He led his men over the moat, tore down the palisade, and routed the enemy. He sent Chen Shikai to press the victory and recover Yiwu and Tangxi; Bao Hu recovered Shouchang and Chun'an; Mou Dayin broke Changshan; Wang Tingmei defeated the rebels at Shiliang and Dagouyuan in Jinhua; Li Rong recovered Dongyang and again routed the rebels at Shouxi in Jinhua, beheading a rebel general and destroying eighteen stockades. Assistant Regional Commander Hong Qiyuan recovered Sheng County. An edict praised Zhifang for his skillful overall direction of the campaign.

十月，賊將桑明等五萬眾由常山逼衢州西溝溪，倚山為營，覬聯南路賊巢。之芳與賴塔議，出不意，遣廷梅與參領禪布夜趨溝溪，分隊進攻，又大破之，賊棄營遁。

In the tenth month the rebel general Sang Ming led fifty thousand men from Changshan against Xigouxi west of Quzhou, pitched camps along the mountainside, and sought to link up with rebel strongholds to the south. Zhifang and Laita agreed on a surprise attack, sent Tingmei and Battalion Leader Chanbu by night to Xigouxi, divided into columns, and routed the enemy again; the rebels abandoned their camps and fled.

十四年，康親王杰書破曾養性金華，复處州；貝子傅拉塔亦復黃岩，進圍溫州。惟九玉踞江山、常山、開化，連寨數十，與之芳相持。五月，乘大雨河溢，由南塘搗賊前嶺，陣斬七百餘級。十五年，遣將自遂安連破賊寨，遂復開化。

In the fourteenth year Prince Kang Jieshu defeated Zeng Yangxing at Jinhua and recovered Chuzhou; Prince Fu Lalta also recovered Huangyan and advanced to besiege Wenzhou. Only Jiuyu still held Jiangshan, Changshan, and Kaihua behind dozens of linked stockades, locked in stalemate with Zhifang. In the fifth month, exploiting heavy rain and flooded rivers, they struck the rebel forward ridge from Nantang and killed more than seven hundred in battle. In the fifteenth year he sent generals from Sui'an to break rebel stockades one after another and recovered Kaihua.

會鄭錦入漳、泉，耿繼祚方攻建昌潰營遁。上知閩中有變，命王撤溫州之圍取福建，之芳乃建議直搗仙霞關，曰：「進取之路，不在溫、處而在衢。雖九玉死守河西難猝破，然其南江山，西則常山，皆間道可襲。我兵一進，使彼首尾受敵，即河西之壘不能獨完。」王至衢州，從之芳議。遂進兵大溪灘，复江山，九玉走，欲別取道奪仙霞。諸將受之芳密檄，急據關夾擊，其將金應虎等窮蹙降。

When Zheng Jing invaded Zhang and Quan, Geng Jizuo was attacking Jianchang when his camp collapsed and he fled. Learning of disorders in Fujian, the emperor ordered the prince to lift the siege of Wenzhou and take Fujian. Zhifang then proposed striking directly at Xianxia Pass, saying, "The road of advance lies not through Wen and Chu but through Qu. Though Jiuyu stubbornly held the west bank of the river and could not be taken quickly, Jiangshan lies to his south and Changshan to his west—both are paths that can be struck. Once our troops advance, he will be caught between two fires and even the stockades on the west bank cannot hold by themselves." When the prince reached Quzhou he adopted Zhifang's plan. They advanced to Daxitan and recovered Jiangshan. Jiuyu fled, intending to take another route and seize Xianxia Pass. The generals received Zhifang's secret orders, rushed to hold the pass, and caught the enemy in a pincer; Jin Yinghu and other rebel commanders, cornered, surrendered.

王師下福建，臨行，之芳啟曰：「王但飭諸軍勿虜掠，即長驅入，兵可不血刃也。」未幾精忠降，溫、處賊皆潰散。精忠所署置總兵馬鵬、汪文生、陳山，將軍程鳳等猶踞玉山、鉛山、弋陽、德興，之芳請會剿。時吳三桂兵寇吉安、袁州，江西兵不能東，乃獨遣兵复玉山，文生遁；自白沙關趨德興，擒鵬；遣游擊郭守金等復鉛山、興安、弋陽、貴溪諸縣。上嘉之芳勦賊鄰省有功，加兵部尚書銜。

As the imperial army marched into Fujian, Zhifang submitted on the eve of departure: "Your Highness need only forbid looting, and you may advance at full speed without drawing a sword." Before long Jingzhong surrendered and the rebels in Wen and Chu all dispersed. Regional commanders Ma Peng, Wang Wensheng, and Chen Shan and General Cheng Feng, whom Jingzhong had appointed, still held Yushan, Qianshan, Yiyang, and Dexing. Zhifang requested a joint campaign against them. At the time Wu Sangui's troops threatened Ji'an and Yuanzhou, and Jiangxi's forces could not move east. Zhifang therefore sent troops on his own to recover Yushan, and Wensheng fled; from Baishaguan he pressed toward Dexing and captured Peng; he sent guerrilla officer Guo Shoujin and others to recover Qianshan, Xing'an, Yiyang, Guixi, and the other counties. The emperor praised Zhifang's meritorious suppression of rebels in a neighboring province and granted him the title of Minister of War.

十六年，遣參將蔣懋勳等敗賊玉山椒岩，山降。先是文生、鳳皆乞降，而鳳病死，其妻王玉貞籍所屬六萬八千餘人就撫，而精忠將林爾瞻猶擁眾石壟。之芳令懋勳等扼要隘，自以數十騎入寨，往撫慰之，爾瞻乃降。十七年，擊賊子午口，克八仙、老鼠諸洞，賊寨悉平。鄭錦寇瀕海，遣將嚴守禦，敗之於廟嶺湖，又敗之於溫州。錦將詹天樞詣世凱降。十八年，檄定海總兵牟大寅斬錦將童耀等孝順洋，奪獲船隻、器械以還。

In the sixteenth year he sent Assistant Regional Commander Jiang Maoxun and others to defeat the rebels at Jiaoyan in Yushan, and Chen Shan surrendered. Earlier Wensheng and Feng had both asked to surrender, but Feng died of illness. His wife Wang Yuzhen registered more than sixty-eight thousand followers for pacification, while Jingzhong's general Lin Erzhan still held a force at Shilong. Zhifang ordered Maoxun and others to block the key passes, then entered the stockade himself with several dozen horsemen to reassure them, and Erzhan surrendered. In the seventeenth year they attacked the rebel stronghold at Ziwukou, took the caves of Baxian and Laoshu, and pacified all the rebel stockades. Zheng Jing raided the coast. Zhifang sent generals to guard the approaches strictly, defeating him at Miaoling Lake and again at Wenzhou. Zheng's general Zhan Tianqi came to Chen Shikai to surrender. In the eighteenth year he ordered Dinghai garrison commander Mou Dayin to behead Zheng's general Tong Yao and others at Xiaoshunyang and return with captured ships and weapons.

之芳練世故，沉幾善謀。康親王師將行，問之芳：「所策固萬全乎？」之芳曰：「軍已發，猶豫則士氣沮。」乃詣王曰：「虜在吾目中久，明日捷書至矣！」前軍捷書果至，傑書大喜，以為神。在杭州，與將軍圖喇約為兄弟。精忠既叛，語圖喇勿縱兵暴民。有滿兵犯法，之芳縛詣圖喇，以軍法治之，一軍肅然。浙亂平，疏請蠲被兵州縣額賦，安輯流亡，甚有威惠。所拔偏裨，皆累功至方鎮，而之芳以督臣不敘。久之，追論大溪灘破賊功，授拖沙喇哈番，準襲一次。

Zhifang was seasoned in worldly affairs, deliberate in judgment, and skilled in strategy. When Prince Kang's army was about to march, he asked Zhifang, "Is your plan completely secure?" Zhifang replied, "The army has already set out; hesitation will sap morale." He then said to the prince, "I have had the enemy in my sights for some time; tomorrow the victory report will arrive!" The advance army's victory report indeed arrived the next day; Jieshu was overjoyed and thought it miraculous. At Hangzhou he swore brotherhood with General Tula. When Jingzhong rebelled he urged Tula not to let the troops abuse the people. When a Manchu soldier broke the law, Zhifang bound him and brought him before Tula for punishment under military law, and the whole army fell into strict discipline. When the disorders in Zhejiang were pacified he memorialized to remit tax quotas in war-stricken prefectures and counties and to settle displaced people, winning great respect and gratitude. The subordinate officers he promoted all rose through repeated merit to regional commands, yet Zhifang himself, as governor, received no credit in the merit rolls. Long afterward his achievement in defeating the rebels at Daxitan was reviewed and he was granted tosara hašan, inheritable once.

入為兵部尚書，調吏部。二十六年，授文華殿大學士。二十七年，御史郭琇疏劾大學士明珠，謂內閣票擬，皆聽明珠指揮，上既罷明珠，並命之芳休致。三十三年，卒於家，諡文襄。

He entered the capital as Minister of War and was transferred to the Ministry of Personnel. In the twenty-sixth year he was appointed grand secretary of the Hall of Literary Glory. In the twenty-seventh year Censor Guo Xiu memorialized to impeach Grand Secretary Mingzhu, charging that all draft responses in the Grand Secretariat followed Mingzhu's orders. The emperor had already dismissed Mingzhu and also ordered Zhifang to retire. In the thirty-third year he died at home and was posthumously titled Wenxiang.

之芳既卒，聖祖思其功，嘗諭群臣曰：「人能效命，即為勇士。耿精忠叛，時之芳為總督，雖不諳騎射，執刀立船首，率眾突前破敵。彼時同出征者，還京皆稱其勇。今承平久，善射，能約束士卒，尚不乏人。若屢經戰陣者，甚難得也！」世宗命立賢良祠，諭曰：「德若湯斌、功若之芳者，祀之。」乾隆間，錄勳臣後，命予恩騎尉，世襲。

After Zhifang's death the Kangxi Emperor recalled his achievements and once told his ministers, "A man who stakes his life in service is a true warrior. When Geng Jingzhong rebelled, Zhifang was governor. Though unskilled in riding and archery, he stood at the bow with a blade in hand and led his men in a frontal charge that broke the enemy. Those who had campaigned with him all praised his bravery on their return to the capital. In these long years of peace, men skilled in archery who can discipline troops are still not hard to find. But men who have repeatedly seen battle are very hard to find!" The Yongzheng Emperor ordered the Hall of Worthy Officials built and instructed, "Enshrine those whose virtue is like Tang Bin's and whose achievement is like Zhifang's." In the Qianlong reign, when recording descendants of meritorious officials, his line was granted the Enjiwei rank, inheritable in perpetuity.

論曰：圖海始阻撤籓之議，及其鷹揚西土，綏靖秦隴，卒收底川之績。川軍入滇，遂竟全功。之芳力扼三衢，敵雖東略，終不能得志仙霞。下閩之功，與有勞焉。雖曰遭時盤錯，抑亦聖祖馭材之效哉？並踐綸輔，易名曰襄。嗚呼，偉矣！

The commentator writes: Tu Hai had first opposed withdrawing the feudatories; later he took the field in the west with eagle vigor, pacified Qin and Long, and in the end secured the achievement of settling Sichuan. Once the Sichuan army entered Yunnan, the great enterprise was brought to completion. Zhifang strove to hold the three Qu prefectures; though the enemy thrust eastward, they never gained their aim at Xianxia Pass. In the conquest of Fujian, too, he had a share of the achievement. One may say they lived in a tangled age, yet was it not also the fruit of the sage emperor's skill in employing men? Both rose to grand councilor and received the posthumous character Xiang in their titles. Alas—how great they were!

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