1
文皇帝諱丕,字子桓,武帝太子也。 中平四年冬,生于譙。 〈《魏書》曰:帝生時,有雲氣青色而圜如車盖當其上,終日,望氣者以爲至貴之證,非人臣之氣。 年八歲,能屬文。 有逸才,遂博貫古今經傳諸子百家之書。 善騎射,好擊劔。 舉茂才,不行。 《獻帝起居注》曰:建安十五年,爲司徒趙溫所辟。 太祖表「溫辟臣子弟,選舉故不以實」。 使侍中守光祿勳郗慮持節奉策免溫官。〉 建安十六年,爲五官中郎將、副丞相。 二十二年,立爲魏太子。 〈《魏略》曰:太祖不時立太子,太子自疑。 是時有高元呂者,善相人,乃呼問之,對曰:「其貴乃不可言。」 問:「壽幾何?」 元呂曰:「其壽,至四十當有小苦,過是無憂也。」 後無幾而立爲王太子,至年四十而薨。〉 太祖崩,嗣位爲丞相、魏王。 〈袁宏《漢紀》載漢帝詔曰:「魏太子丕:昔皇天授乃顯考以翼我皇家,遂攘除羣凶,拓定九州,弘功茂績,光于宇宙,朕用垂拱負扆二十有餘載。 天不憖遺一老,永保余一人,早世潛神,哀悼傷切。 丕奕世宣明,宜秉文武,紹熙前緒。 今使使持節御史大夫華歆奉策詔授丕丞相印綬、魏王璽紱,領冀州牧。 方今外有遺虜,遐夷未賔,旗鼓猶在邊境,干戈不得韜刃,斯乃播揚洪烈,立功垂名之秋也。 豈得脩諒闇之禮,究曾、閔之志哉? 其敬服朕命,抑弭憂懷,旁祗厥緒,時亮庶功,以稱朕意。 於戲,可不勉與!」〉 尊王后曰王太后。 改建安二十五年爲延康元年。
Emperor Wen—whose personal name was Pi and courtesy name Zihuan—was the heir apparent of Emperor Wu (Cao Cao). He was born at Qiao in the winter of the fourth year of the Zhongping era (187 CE). 〈The Wei Book records that at his birth a greenish aura hung above him in a disk like a carriage canopy for the whole day; diviners of qi pronounced it the sign of supreme eminence—not the kind of portent that attends an ordinary minister. At eight he could already write polished compositions. Gifted with extraordinary ability, he went on to command the classics and their commentaries and the writings of the hundred schools past and present. He excelled at horsemanship and archery and delighted in swordplay. Nominated as a "flourishing talent," he declined to serve. According to the Daily Records of Emperor Xian, in Jian'an 15 (210 CE) he was recruited by Minister of Education Zhao Wen. The Grand Progenitor memorialized: "Zhao Wen has summoned my sons and younger relatives; therefore the selection is not according to reality." He had Palace Attendant and acting Supervisor of the Household Xi Lu carry the credential and deliver the edict stripping Zhao Wen of his post.〉 In Jian'an 16 (211 CE) he was appointed General of the Household for All Purposes and deputy to the Chancellor. In the twenty-second year of Jian'an (217 CE) he was named heir apparent of Wei. 〈The Wei Summary notes that Cao Cao had long delayed naming an heir, and the crown prince began to doubt his position. There was a physiognomist named Gao Yuanlü whom Pi summoned and questioned; Gao answered, "The degree of eminence is beyond words." Pi asked, "How long will he live?" Gao Yuanlü replied, "He will meet a brief ordeal at forty; after that, nothing to fear." Soon afterward Pi was installed as heir apparent of the King of Wei; he died in his fortieth year. When Cao Cao died, Pi succeeded him as Chancellor and King of Wei. 〈Yuan Hong's Han Annals preserves an imperial edict: "Heir apparent Pi of Wei: High Heaven once entrusted your late father to uphold Our house; he crushed the rebels, pacified the Nine Regions, and left achievements that fill heaven and earth—while I, leaning on the cushions at court, reigned at ease for more than twenty years. Heaven would not spare one wise elder to shelter Me alone; he left the world too soon, and My sorrow cuts deep. Pi carries forward a luminous succession; he should wield both civil and military authority and carry on the work begun before him. I therefore dispatch Bearer of the Imperial Insignia and Imperial Counselor Hua Xin to deliver the edict investing Pi with the Chancellor's seal and ribbon, the regalia of the King of Wei, and the governorship of Ji Province. Barbarians still linger beyond the frontiers, distant peoples have not yet come to court, signal drums stand posted along the borders, and arms cannot yet be laid aside—this is the very hour to broadcast great deeds and win lasting fame. How could you confine yourself to solitary mourning like a common heir or imitate only the filial retreats of Zengzi and Min Ziqian? Therefore obey this charge with reverence: set anxiety aside, uphold the legacy on every side, and in due course bring every task to fruition, that My wishes may be fulfilled. Ah—how could you do otherwise than strive with all your might!"〉" The queen consort was elevated to Queen Dowager of Wei. The twenty-fifth year of Jian'an was redesignated the first year of the Yan Kang era (220 CE).
2
元年二月 〈《魏書》載庚戌令曰:「關津所以通商旅,池苑所以御災荒也。 設禁重稅,非所以便民; 其除池籞之禁,輕關津之稅,皆復什一。」 辛亥,賜諸侯王將相已下大將粟萬斛,帛千匹,金銀各有差等。 遣使者循行郡國,有違理掊克暴虐者,舉其罪。〉 壬戌,以大中大夫賈詡爲太尉,御史大夫華歆爲相國,大理王朗爲御史大夫。 置散騎常侍、侍郎各四人,其宦人爲官者不得過諸署令; 爲金策著令,藏之石室。
In the second month of the first year of Yan Kang. 〈The Wei Book preserves an edict issued on the gengxu day: "Barrier crossings exist to keep trade flowing; imperial ponds and preserves exist to buffer times of famine. Heavy taxes and strict closure are no way to serve the people; therefore lift the embargoes on the royal fisheries, ease duties at the fords, and restore the ten-percent rate everywhere." On the xinhai day that followed, he granted the royal princes, the high ministers, and the senior generals ten thousand hu of grain, a thousand rolls of silk, and graded gifts of gold and silver. He sent inspectors through the commanderies and principalities to report any official who defied law, extorted the people, or ruled with cruelty. On the renxu day he named Grand Counselor Jia Xu Grand Commandant, Imperial Counselor Hua Xin Chancellor of State, and Court Administrator Wang Lang Imperial Counselor. He created four posts each of Regular Palace Gentlemen and Gentlemen Attendant at the Household; no eunuch in office might rise above the rank of director of a bureau; the rule was inscribed on a golden tablet and deposited in the stone archive.
3
初,漢熹平五年,黃龍見譙,光祿大夫橋玄問太史令單颺:「此何祥也?」 颺曰:「其國後當有王者興,不及五十年,亦當復見。 天事恒象,此其應也。」 內黃殷登默而記之。 至四十五年,登尚在。 三月,黃龍見譙,登聞之曰:「單颺之言,其驗茲乎!」 〈《魏書》曰:王召見登,謂之曰:「昔成風聞楚丘之繇而敬事季友,鄧晨信少公之言而自納光武。 登以篤老,服膺占術,記識天道,豈有是乎!」 賜登穀二百斛,遣歸家。〉
Formerly, in the fifth year of Han Xiping, a yellow dragon appeared at Qiao; Grand Counselor of the Household Qiao Xuan asked the Grand Astrologer Shan Yang: "What kind of auspice is this?" Shan Yang answered, "This land will one day produce a true king; within fifty years the dragon should appear again. Heaven's workings always leave images on earth—this was its sign." Yin Deng of Neihuang quietly committed the prophecy to memory. Forty-five years later Yin Deng was still living. In the third month another yellow dragon appeared at Qiao; when Yin Deng heard the news he declared, "So Shan Yang's prediction has come true after all!" 〈The Wei Book relates that the King summoned Yin Deng and told him, "Long ago Lady Cheng Feng heeded the oracle of Chuqiu and honored Ji You; Deng Chen trusted Shaogong's prophecy and threw in his lot with Guangwu. You are aged yet devoted to astrology and what Heaven records—could there be substance to what you heard?" He awarded Yin Deng two hundred hu of grain and sent him home.
4
已卯,以前將軍夏侯惇爲大將軍。 濊貃、扶餘單于、焉耆、于闐王皆各遣使奉獻。 〈《魏書》曰:丙戌,令史官奏修重、黎、羲、和之職,欽若昊天,歷象日月星辰以奉天時。 臣松之案:《魏書》有是言而不聞其職也。 丁亥令曰:「故尚書僕射毛玠、奉常王脩、涼茂、郎中令袁渙、少府謝奐、萬潛、中尉徐奕、國淵等,皆忠直在朝,履蹈仁義,並早即世,而子孫陵遲,惻然愍之,其皆拜子男爲郎中。」〉
On the jimao day he promoted Former General Xiahou Dun to Grand General. The Hu tribes, the king of Fuyu, Yanqi, and the ruler of Yutian each sent envoys with tribute offerings. 〈The Wei Book notes that on the bingxu day he instructed the court historians to revive the offices of Chong, Li, Xi, and He—those who once regulated the calendar—and align celestial observations with the seasons. Pei Songzhi remarks: The Wei Book mentions this reform but gives no details of the offices established. An edict issued on the dinghai day declared: "Former Deputy Director Mao Jie, Chamberlain for Ceremonials Wang Xiu, Liang Mao, Prefect of the Household Yuan Huan, Chamberlain Xie Huan and Wan Qian, Capital Commandant Xu Yi, Guo Yuan, and the rest served with upright loyalty and walked the path of humanity and justice, yet died young while their families fell into hardship. Out of compassion I hereby appoint each man's heir as a Gentleman of the Household."〉
5
夏四月丁巳,饒安縣言白雉見。 〈《魏書》曰:賜饒安田租,勃海郡百戶牛酒,大酺三日; 太常以太牢祠宗廟。〉 庚午,大將軍夏侯惇薨。 〈《魏書》曰:王素服幸鄴東城門發哀。 孫盛曰:在禮,天子哭同姓於宗廟門之外。 哭於城門,失其所也。〉
In the fourth month of summer, on the dingsi day, Rao'an County reported the sighting of a white pheasant. 〈The Wei Book adds that he remitted land tax for Rao'an, sent cattle and wine to a hundred households in Bohai for a three-day general feast; and had the Chamberlain for Ceremonials offer the grand sacrifice at the ancestral shrine. On the gengwu day Grand General Xiahou Dun died. 〈The Wei Book records that the King, dressed in mourning white, went to the east gate of Ye to mourn. Sun Sheng observes that ritual prescribes the emperor to mourn kinsmen outside the ancestral temple gate. To weep at the city gate was to choose the wrong place.
6
五月戊寅,天子命王追尊皇祖太尉曰太王,夫人丁氏曰太王后,封王子叡爲武德侯。 〈《魏略》曰:以侍中鄭稱爲武德侯傅,令曰:「龍淵、太阿出昆吾之金,和氏之璧由井里之田; 礱之以砥礪,錯之以他山,故能致連城之價,爲命世之寶。 學亦人之砥礪也。 稱篤學大儒,勉以經學輔侯,宜旦夕入侍,曜明其志。」〉 是月,馮翊山賊鄭甘、王照率衆降,皆封列侯。 〈《魏書》曰:初,鄭甘、王照及盧水胡率其屬來降,王得降書以示朝曰:「前欲有令吾討鮮卑者,吾不從而降; 又有欲使吾及今秋討盧水胡者,吾不聽,今又降。 昔魏武侯一謀而當,有自得之色,見譏李悝。 吾今說此,非自是也,徒以爲坐而降之,其功大於動兵革也。」〉
In the fifth month, on the wuyin day, the emperor authorized the King to posthumously elevate his grandfather the former Grand Commandant as "Grand King," Lady Ding as Grand Queen Mother, and to enfeoff Prince Rui as Marquis of Wude. 〈The Wei Summary states that Palace Attendant Zheng Cheng was named tutor to the Marquis of Wude, with an edict declaring, "The swords Longyuan and Tai'e were forged from Kunwu ore; He's bi disk came from a common field; whetted on grindstones and finished with stone from another hill—only thus could they command a city's ransom and become treasures for the age. Scholarship serves the same purpose for a man. Zheng Cheng is a devoted scholar—charge him to instruct the marquis in the classics, attending court morning and night until his purpose shines clear."〉" That month the Fengyi bandit leaders Zheng Gan and Wang Zhao surrendered with their followers, and both received marquisates. 〈The Wei Book recounts that when Zheng Gan, Wang Zhao, and the Lu River tribes submitted, the King read their capitulation aloud at court: "Some urged me to strike the Xianbei; I refused—and still they yielded; others wanted me to attack the Lu River tribes this autumn—I declined—and now they too have come in. Marquis Wu of Wei once crowed over a single clever stratagem until Li Kui mocked him for self-congratulation. I mention this not to boast—only to note that winning submission without drawing swords surpasses any campaign."〉"
7
酒泉黃華、張掖張進等各執太守以叛。 金城太守蘇則討進,斬之。 華降。 〈華後爲兖州刺史,見《王淩傳》。〉
Huang Hua in Jiuquan and Zhang Jin in Zhangye each detained his prefect and rose in revolt. Su Ze, prefect of Jincheng, attacked Zhang Jin and executed him. Huang Hua submitted. 〈Huang Hua later served as inspector of Yan Province; see the biography of Wang Ling.
8
六月辛亥,治兵于東郊, 〈《魏書》曰:公卿相儀,王御華蓋,視金鼓之節。〉 庚午,遂南征。 〈《魏略》曰:王將出征,度支中郎將新平霍性上踈諫曰:「臣聞文王與紂之事,是時天下括囊無咎,凡百君子,莫肯用訊。 今大王體則乾坤,廣開四聦,使賢愚各建所規。 伏惟先王功無與比,而今能言之類,不稱爲德。 故聖人曰『得百姓之歡心』。 兵書曰『戰,危事也』是以六國力戰,彊秦承弊,豳王不爭,周道用興。 愚謂大王且當委重本朝而守其雌,抗威虎卧,功業可成。 而今刱基,便復起兵,兵者凶器,必有凶擾,擾則思亂,亂出不意。 臣謂此危,危於累卵。 昔夏啟隱神三年,易有『不遠而復』,論有『不憚改』。 誠願大王揆古察今,深謀遠慮,與三事大夫筭其長短。 臣沐浴先王之遇,又初改政,復受重任,雖知言觸龍鱗,阿諛近福,竊感所誦,危而不持。」 奏通,帝怒,遣刺姦就考,竟殺之。 旣而悔之,追原不及。〉
On the xinhai day in the sixth month he reviewed the troops outside the eastern suburb, 〈The Wei Book describes the King touring under the ornate canopy while ministers lined his route and he watched the drum and bell signals. On the gengwu day he set out on the southern expedition. 〈The Wei Summary records that as the King prepared to march, Huo Xing of Xinping—Director of Expenditure—submitted a memorial: "I recall King Wen and King Zhou of Shang: in those days sensible men sealed their lips and would offer no counsel. Today Your Highness embraces heaven and earth in person and listens on every side, inviting wise and humble alike to speak. Your late father's deeds were unmatched, yet those who could praise him now withhold their voices. Hence the saying of the sages: win the people's hearts. The military treatises call warfare perilous: the six states exhausted one another until mighty Qin inherited their weakness, whereas the house that rose from Bin avoided reckless strife and the Zhou mandate flourished. I urge you to leave authority with the Han court for now, keep to the yielding stance of the Daoists, store your strength like a crouching tiger—then achievement will follow. Yet you have scarcely laid your foundations and already reach for arms—yet arms breed calamity, calamity breeds unrest, unrest slides into rebellion when least expected. To my mind this danger towers higher than a stack of eggs. When Qi of Xia mourned in seclusion for three years, the Zhou Yi promised a swift return from error, and the Analects praised those unafraid to mend their ways. Please weigh past and present with your chief ministers and reckon every gain and loss before you march. Your servant has bathed in the Former King's favor; moreover at the first change of government again receiving heavy responsibility—although knowing words touch dragon scales, flattery draws near fortune—I privately feel what was warned: peril yet not supporting." When the memorial arrived, Pi flew into a rage, handed Huo Xing to the secret police for interrogation, and had him executed. He soon regretted the deed, but it was too late to make amends.
9
秋七月庚辰,令曰:「軒轅有明臺之議,放勛有衢室之問,皆所以廣詢于下也。 〈管子曰:黃帝立明臺之議者,上觀於兵也; 堯有衢室之問者,下聽於民也; 舜有告善之旌,而主不蔽也; 禹立建鼓於朝,而備訴訟也; 湯有總街之廷,以觀民非也; 武王有靈臺之囿,而賢者進也:此古聖帝明王所以有而勿失,得而勿忘也。〉 百官有司,其務以職盡規諫,將率陳軍法,朝士明制度,牧守申政事,縉紳考六藝,吾將兼覽焉。」
On the gengchen day in the seventh month of autumn he issued an edict: "The Yellow Emperor held counsel at the Bright Tower; Yao sought opinion in the Crossroads Chamber—both widened consultation below the throne. 〈Guanzi explains that the Yellow Emperor founded the Bright Tower deliberations to survey military affairs from on high; Yao's Crossroads Chamber let him listen downward to the common people; Shun raised a banner for good counsel so that no worthy voice stayed hidden; Yu hung the petition drum at court so grievances could be heard; Tang maintained the assembly at Total Street to expose popular complaints; King Wu's Spirit Terrace park drew worthy men forward—the ancient sage-kings instituted such institutions and never abandoned them once gained."〉 Let every minister discharge remonstrance within his charge; let commanders publish martial regulations; court officers clarify statutes; regional governors report on administration; local elites expound the Six Classics—I shall review them all."
10
孫權遣使奉獻。 蜀將孟達率衆降。 武都氐王楊僕率種人內附,居漢陽郡。 〈《魏略》載王自手筆令曰:「吾前遣使宣國威靈,而達即來。 吾惟春秋襃儀父,即封拜達,使還領新城太守。 近復有扶老攜幼首向王化者。 吾聞夙沙之民自縛其君以歸神農,豳國之衆襁負其子而入酆、鎬,斯豈驅略迫脅之所致哉? 乃風化動其情而仁義感其衷,歡心內發使之然也。 以此而推,西南將萬里無外,權、備將與誰守死乎?」〉
Sun Quan sent envoys with tribute offerings. The Shu commander Meng Da surrendered with his troops. Yang Pu, king of the Di in Wudu, led his people to submit and was settled in Hanyang commandery. 〈The Wei Summary preserves the King's own brush order: "When I sent envoys abroad to display Wei majesty, Meng Da came at once to surrender. Just as the Spring and Autumn Annals honored Yifu of Zhu, I now enfeoff Meng Da and send him back to serve as prefect of Xincheng. More families—old and young together—have lately come forward to accept imperial rule. I read that the Sushen people bound their lord and delivered him to Shennong, and that the folk of Bin swaddled their infants and thronged into Feng and Hao—such movements were never forced marches at spearpoint. Moral sway stirred their hearts and humanity moved them inwardly until glad consent rose of itself—that is why they came. If this holds, the southwest will fold into the realm from border to border—which ally could Sun Quan or Liu Bei still rally for a doomed defense?"〉"
11
甲午,軍次于譙,大饗六軍及譙父老百姓于邑東。 〈《魏書》曰:設伎樂百戲,令曰:「先王皆樂其所生,禮不忘其本。 譙,霸王之邦,真人本出,其復譙租稅二年。」 三老吏民上壽,日夕而罷。 丙申,親祠譙陵。 孫盛曰:昔者先王之以孝治天下也,內節天性,外施四海,存盡其敬,亡極其哀,思慕諒闇,寄政冢宰,故曰「三年之喪,自天子達于庶人」。 夫然,故在三之義惇,臣子之恩篤,雍熙之化隆,經國之道固,聖人之所以通天地,厚人倫,顯至教,敦風俗,斯萬世不易之典,百王服膺之制也。 是故喪禮素冠,鄶人著庶見之譏,宰予降朞,仲尼發不仁之歎,子頹忘戚,君子以爲樂禍,魯侯易服,春秋知其不終,豈不以墜至痛之誠心,喪哀樂之大節者哉? 故雖三季之末,七雄之弊,猶未有廢縗斬於旬朔之閒,釋麻杖於反哭之日者也。 逮于漢文,變易古制,人道之紀,一旦而廢,縗素奪於至尊,四海散其遏密,義感闕於羣后,大化墜於君親; 雖心存貶約,慮在經綸,至於樹德垂聲,崇化變俗,固以道薄於當年,風穨於百代矣。 且武王載主而牧野不陣,晉襄墨縗而三帥爲俘,應務濟功,服其焉害。 魏王旣追漢制,替其大禮,處莫重之哀而設饗宴之樂,居貽厥之始而墜王化之基,及至受禪,顯納二女,忘其至恤以誣先聖之典,天心喪矣,將何以終! 是以知王齡之不遐,卜世之期促也。〉 八月,石邑縣言鳳皇集。
On the jiawu day the host camped at Qiao and gave a grand banquet for the six armies and for the elders and townsfolk east of the city. 〈The Wei Book records musicians and variety acts; an edict declared, "Ancient kings celebrated their native soil; ceremony never forgets its origins. Qiao bred founders of empire—the sage king himself sprang from here—so its taxes are remitted for two years." The elder worthies, officials, and commoners toasted his longevity, and the revelry lasted until evening. On the bingshen day he personally offered sacrifice at the imperial tombs near Qiao. Sun Sheng says: Formerly the former kings used filial piety to govern the realm—internally regulating heavenly nature, externally extending through the four seas; while alive they exhausted reverence, in death they exhausted grief; longing and mourning in silent darkness in the chamber, entrusting government to the grand steward—therefore it is said "the three-year mourning, from the Son of Heaven reaches to the common people." Thus the three-year rite carried real weight, subjects and sons repaid it in full, harmony spread and the state stood firm—by this the sages joined Heaven and earth, deepened the human bonds, proclaimed the highest teaching, and shaped the customs: an unchanging model that every throne has honored. Hence undyed caps in mourning earned Kuai mockery for premature court appearances; Zai Yu's shortened mourning drew Confucius's charge of heartlessness; Prince Tui's levity showed delight in disaster; the Duke of Lu's change of dress foretold ruin in the Annals—all betrayed genuine grief and violated the great rhythms of sorrow and joy. Even in the decadent ages of the three final dynasties and the strife of the seven powers, no one cast off sackcloth within weeks or laid aside the mourning staff on the day of the "returning lament." Then Emperor Wen of Han rewrote the old code: human duties collapsed overnight—mourning dress could be stripped by imperial fiat, the realm lost its solemn silence, regional lords ceased to feel moral awe, and the great moral order slipped between sovereign and kin; however thrifty his motives or urgent his statecraft, his fame for virtue and power to reform customs ran thin—the Way waned in his day and left posterity adrift. King Wu carried his father's spirit tablet into battle yet avoided a pitched clash at Muye; Duke Xiang of Jin wore ink-stained sackcloth yet yielded three generals as prisoners—great emergencies sometimes bend ritual; what harm came of it? Yet the King of Wei adopted Han's lax precedent: amid the gravest bereavement he staged feasts and music; at the very founding of his line he undercut royal virtue; at the abdication he brazenly took two imperial daughters—forgetting deepest grief and mocking the sages' teaching. Heaven's favor was forfeited—how could such a reign close well? Small wonder his reign proved short and his dynasty's allotted span ran thin. In the eighth month Shiyi County reported phoenixes gathering.
12
冬十一月癸卯,令曰:「諸將征伐,士卒死亡者或未收斂,吾甚哀之; 其告郡國給槥 〈槥音衞〉 櫝殯斂,送致其家,官爲設祭。」 〈《漢書》高祖八月令曰:「士卒從軍死,爲槥。」 應劭曰:「槥,小棺也,今謂之櫝。」 應璩百一詩曰:「槥車在道路,征夫不得休。」 陸機大墓賦曰:「觀細木而悶遲,覩洪櫝而念槥。」〉 丙午,行至曲蠡。
On the guimao day in the eleventh month of winter he issued an edict: "When armies march, fallen soldiers are sometimes left unburied—I mourn them bitterly; instruct every commandery and principality to issue coffins 〈Pronunciation gloss: the character (hui) is read the same as the common word wei, "defend."〉 For encoffining and laying out the remains, ship each body home, and let the officials sponsor the sacrificial offerings." 〈The Han shu quotes Emperor Gaozu's eighth-month decree: "Men who die on campaign shall receive a burial coffin (hui). Ying Shao glosses: "Hui is a small coffin—today we call it a case (du)." Ying Qu's "Hundred and One" poems say: "Coffin wagons line the roads while conscripts never rest." Lu Ji's Rhapsody on a Princely Tomb says: "The sight of plain boards brought gloom; the great outer coffin recalled the simple hui.""〉 On the bingwu day he marched as far as Quli.
13
是歲,長水校尉戴陵諫不宜數行弋獵,帝大怒; 陵減死罪一等。
That year Commandant of the Changshui encampment Dai Ling urged the emperor to stop his repeated hunting sorties, and the emperor flew into a rage; Dai Ling's sentence was commuted one rank below death.
14
二年春正月,郊祀天地、明堂。 甲戌,校獵至原陵,遣使者以太牢祠漢世祖。 乙亥,朝日于東郊。 〈臣松之以爲禮天子以春分朝日,秋分夕月; 尋此年正月郊祀,有月無日,乙亥朝日,則有日無月,蓋文之脫也。 案明帝朝日夕月,皆如禮文,故知此紀爲誤者也。〉 初令郡國口滿十萬者,歲察孝廉一人; 其有秀異,無拘戶口。 辛巳,分三公戶邑,封子弟各一人爲列侯。 壬午,復潁川郡一年田租。 〈《魏書》載詔曰:「潁川,先帝所由起兵征伐也。 官渡之役,四方瓦解,遠近顧望,而此郡守義,丁壯荷戈,老弱負糧。 昔漢祖以秦中爲國本,光武恃河內爲王基,今朕復於此登壇受禪,天以此郡翼成大魏。」〉 改許縣爲許昌縣。 以魏郡東部爲陽平郡,西部爲廣平郡。 〈《魏略》曰:改長安、譙、許昌、鄴、洛陽爲五都; 立石表,西界宜陽,北循太行,東北界陽平,南循魯陽,東界郯,爲中都之地。 令天下聽內徙,復五年,後又增其復。〉
In the first month of spring of the second year (Huangchu 2, 221 CE) he performed the suburban sacrifice to Heaven and Earth at the Bright Hall. On the jiaxu day the imperial hunt reached Yuanling, where he sent envoys to offer the grand sacrifice at Emperor Guangwu's tomb. On the yihai day he greeted the sun at the eastern suburban altar. 〈Pei Songzhi notes that ritual prescribes the emperor's salutation of the sun at the spring equinox and of the moon at the autumn equinox; here the suburban rite for the first month records the month but no cyclical day, while the solar ceremony records yihai without naming the month—likely a scribal omission. Mingdi's later observances followed the canonical calendar exactly, which confirms this entry is mistaken. He first decreed that any commandery or kingdom with a population of one hundred thousand could nominate one Filially Pious and Incorrupt candidate each year; truly outstanding talent might be recommended regardless of household quota. On the xinsi day he carved lands from the Three Excellencies' patrimonies to enfeoff one son or nephew of each as full marquis. On the renwu day he remitted one year's land tax for Yingchuan commandery. 〈The Wei Book preserves an edict: "Yingchuan was the furnace from which the late emperor launched his wars. When Guandu shattered every ally and neighbors hedged their bets, Yingchuan alone stood firm—every able man shouldered arms while elders hauled grain. Han Gaozu built his realm on the Guanzhong basin; Guangwu trusted Henei as his base—here I ascended the altar to receive the abdication. Heaven uses this commandery to uphold Great Wei."〉" Xu county was renamed Xuchang. The eastern precinct of Wei commandery became Yangping commandery and the western precinct Guangping commandery. 〈The Wei Summary adds that Chang'an, Qiao, Xuchang, Ye, and Luoyang were designated the "five capitals"; Stone pillars marked the inner capital belt—west to Yiyang, north along the Taihang range, northeast to Yangping, south through Luyang, east to Tan. People were encouraged to settle inside the belt with five-year tax relief, later extended further.
15
詔曰:「昔仲尼資大聖之才,懷帝王之器,當衰周之末,無受命之運,在魯、衞之朝,教化乎洙、泗之上,悽悽焉,遑遑焉,欲屈己以存道,貶身以救世。 于時王公終莫能用之,乃退考五代之禮,脩素王之事,因魯史而制春秋,就太師而正雅頌,俾千載之後,莫不宗其文以述作,仰其聖以成謀,咨! 可謂命世之大聖,億載之師表者也。 遭天下大亂,百祀墮壞,舊居之廟,毀而不脩,襃成之後,絕而莫繼,闕里不聞講頌之聲,四時不覩蒸甞之位,斯豈所謂崇禮報功,盛德百世必祀者哉! 其以議郎孔羨爲宗聖侯,邑百戶,奉孔子祀。」 令魯郡脩起舊廟,置百戶吏卒以守衞之,又於其外廣爲室屋以居學者。
An edict proclaimed: "Confucius bore the gifts of a supreme sage and the bearing of a king, yet at Zhou's twilight lacked Heaven's mandate; he wandered Lu and Wei and taught beside the Zhu and Si streams—restless, sorrowful—ready to humble himself to preserve the Way and risk reputation to redeem the world. When no throne would employ him, he withdrew to study the rituals of five ages and assumed the mantle of the uncrowned king—distilling the Spring and Autumn Annals from Lu's archives and tuning the Hymns with the grand music master—so that later ages treat his words as scripture for authorship and look to his sagacity as the measure of policy—oh! Truly he was the sage who defined his epoch and the teacher for ten thousand generations. Empire-wide turmoil shattered his cult: the hometown shrine lies in ruins unbuilt; Baocheng's line died out with no heir; no lectures echo in Queli and seasonal offerings miss the steaming rites—can this honor the teaching that ranks merit above all and demands perpetual sacrifice for supreme virtue? Let Gentleman Consultant Kong Xian be made Marquis Zongsheng, fief one hundred households, to attend Confucius's sacrifices." Lu commandery shall rebuild the ancient temple, station a guard of a hundred households, and erect dormitories round about for students.
16
三月,加遼東太守公孫恭爲車騎將軍。 初復五銖錢。 夏四月,以車騎將軍曹仁爲大將軍。 五月,鄭甘復叛,遣曹仁討斬之。 六月庚子,初祀五嶽四瀆,咸秩羣祀。 〈《魏書》:甲辰,以京師宗廟未成,帝親祠武皇帝于建始殿,躬執饋奠,如家人之禮。〉 丁卯,夫人甄氏卒。 戊辰晦,日有食之,有司奏免太尉,詔曰:「災異之作,以譴元首,而歸過股肱,豈禹、湯罪己之義乎? 其令百官各虔厥職,後有天地之眚,勿復劾三公。」
In the third month Liaodong prefect Gongsun Gong was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry. The five-zhu copper coin was restored to circulation. In the fourth month of summer General of Chariots and Cavalry Cao Ren was appointed Grand General. In the fifth month Zheng Gan rebelled again; Cao Ren was sent to crush him and took his head. On the gengzi day in the sixth month he sacrificed for the first time to the Five Sacred Peaks and Four Great Rivers and ordered all lesser cults regulated. 〈The Wei Book notes that on the jiachen day—ancestral shrines in the capital still unfinished—the emperor sacrificed to Emperor Wu in Jianshi Hall, personally presenting offerings as though among kin. On the dingmao day Lady Zhen died. On the last day of the month (wuchen) an eclipse occurred; officials urged the Grand Commandant's dismissal, but an edict replied: "Omens reprimand the sovereign—how does blaming my ministers match the spirit of Yu and Tang reproaching themselves? Let every minister fulfill his duty with care; when Heaven sends warning again, do not impeach the Three Excellencies."
17
三年春正月丙寅朔,日有蝕之。 庚午,行幸許昌宮。 詔曰:「今之計考,古之貢士也; 十室之邑,必有忠信,若限年然後取士,是呂尚、周晉不顯於前世也。 其令郡國所選,勿拘老幼; 儒通經術,吏達文法,到皆試用。 有司糾故不以實者。」 〈《魏書》曰:癸亥,孫權上書,說:「劉備支黨四萬人,馬二三千匹,出秭歸,請往埽撲,以克捷爲效。」 帝報曰:「昔隗嚻之弊,禍發栒邑,子陽之禽,變起扞關,將軍其亢厲威武,勉蹈奇功,以稱吾意。」〉
On the first day of the first month of the third year (bingyin) there was a solar eclipse. On the gengwu day he traveled to Xuchang Palace. An edict declared: "Today's merit examinations are the descendant of the Han tribute-student system; even a hamlet of ten holds loyal talent—if we insist on age quotas, men like Lü Shang would never have risen in antiquity. Therefore commanderies must nominate candidates without regard to age; classicists must master the canon, clerks must know statutes—every nominee serves on probation. Officials who falsify nominations will be prosecuted." 〈The Wei Book notes that on the guihai day Sun Quan wrote in to report: "Liu Bei's lieutenants—some forty thousand men and two or three thousand horses—have marched out of Zigui; allow me to strike them down and I will report victory." The emperor answered: "Wei Xiao fell when disaster struck Xunyi; Gongsun Shu was caught when lines collapsed at Han Pass—marshal your forces with vigor, seize the chance for a decisive blow, and satisfy my hopes."〉
18
二月,鄯善、龜茲、于闐王各遣使奉獻,詔曰:「西戎即叙,氐、羌來王,詩、書美之。 頃者西域外夷並款塞內附, 〈應劭《 〈漢書〉 注》曰:款,叩也; 皆叩塞門來服從。〉 其遣使者撫勞之。」 是後西域遂通,置戊己校尉。
In the second month the kings of Shanshan, Kucha, and Khotan each sent tribute; an edict ran: "The Documents praise how the western tribes were pacified and the Di and Qiang came to court. Now the outer peoples beyond the Western Regions have knocked at the frontier posts asking to submit; 〈Ying Shao's commentary on the 〈Book of Han〉 explains that kuan means knocking at the barrier gates; they all beat on the barrier gates seeking allegiance."〉 Let envoys be dispatched to soothe and labor them." Traffic with the west was thereafter regular, and the Wuji colonel was appointed to oversee it.
19
三月乙丑,立齊公叡爲平原王,帝弟鄢陵公彰等十一人皆爲王。 初制封王之庶子爲鄉公,嗣王之庶子爲亭侯,公之庶子爲亭伯。 甲戌,立皇子霖爲河東王。 甲午,行幸襄邑。 夏四月戊申,立鄄城侯植爲鄄城王。 癸亥,行還許昌宮。 五月,以荊、揚、江表八郡爲荊州,孫權領牧故也; 荊州江北諸郡爲郢州。
On the yichou day in the third month Prince Rui of Qi was raised to Prince of Pingyuan, and eleven imperial brothers—including Zhang, Duke of Yanling—were invested as kings. New rules fixed that a king's younger sons receive district-duke rank, a successor king's younger sons village marquisates, and a duke's younger sons village earldoms. On the jiaxu day Prince Lin was named Prince of Hedong. On the jiawu day he traveled to Xiangyi. On the wushen day in the fourth month of summer Cao Zhi was promoted from Marquis to Prince of Juancheng. On the guihai day he returned to Xuchang Palace. In the fifth month eight commanderies south of the Yangzi were grouped into a new Jing province because Sun Quan already styled himself its governor; the commanderies north of the Great River became Ying province.
20
閏月,孫權破劉備於夷陵。 初,帝聞備兵東下,與權交戰,樹柵連營七百餘里,謂羣臣曰:「備不曉兵,豈有七百里營可以拒敵者乎! 『苞原隰險阻而爲軍者,爲敵所禽』,此兵忌也。 孫權上事今至矣。」 後七日,破備書到。
In the intercalary month Sun Quan defeated Liu Bei at Yiling. Earlier, learning that Liu Bei had marched east to fight Sun Quan and had planted linked camps along seven hundred li of riverbank, Cao Pi told his ministers, "Liu Bei knows nothing of war—who ever defended a seven-hundred-li palisade? The Art of War warns that camping across marshes and broken ground invites capture—that is elementary doctrine. Sun Quan's dispatch should arrive any day now." Seven days later the bulletin of Liu Bei's defeat reached court.
21
秋七月,冀州大蝗,民饑,使尚書杜畿持節開倉廩以振之。 八月,蜀大將黃權率衆降。 〈《魏書》曰:權及領南郡太守史郃等三百一十八人,詣荊州刺史奉上所假印綬、棨戟、幢麾、牙門、鼓車。 權等詣行在所,帝置酒設樂,引見於承光殿。 權、郃等人人前自陳,帝爲論說軍旅成敗去就之分,諸將無不喜恱。 賜權金帛、車馬、衣裘、帷帳、妻妾,下及偏裨皆有差。 拜權爲侍中鎮南將軍,封列侯,即日召使驂乘; 及封史郃等四十二人皆爲列侯,爲將軍郎將百餘人。〉
In the seventh month of autumn locusts devastated Ji province and famine spread; Du Ji, Minister of the Secretariat, opened the granaries with imperial credentials to feed the people. In the eighth month the Shu general Huang Quan surrendered with his army. 〈The Wei Book records that Huang Quan and Acting Prefect of Nan commandery Shi He—318 men in all—presented themselves to the inspector of Jing province and returned their borrowed seals, ceremonial halberds, command banners, gate insignia, and drum carts. They were summoned to the emperor's mobile court, where he hosted a banquet with music and received them in Chengguang Hall. Huang Quan, Shi He, and their officers stepped forward to speak; the emperor lectured them on the fortunes of war and the choices that lay before them, and every officer left satisfied. Huang Quan received gold, silk, mounts, furs, tents, and household attendants in graded gifts that extended down to his subordinate officers. Huang Quan was named Palace Attendant and General Who Guards the South, invested as a full marquis, and summoned that same day to ride beside the emperor in the carriage. Forty-two others including Shi He received marquisates, and more than a hundred were commissioned as generals or colonels.〉
22
九月甲午,詔曰:「夫婦人與政,亂之本也。 自今以後,羣臣不得奏事太后,后族之家不得當輔政之任,又不得橫受茅土之爵; 以此詔傳後世,若有背違,天下共誅之。」 〈孫盛曰:夫經國營治,必憑俊喆之輔,賢達令德,必居參亂之任,故雖周室之盛,有婦人與焉。 然則坤道承天,南面罔二,三從之禮,謂之至順,至於號令自天子出,奏事專行,非古義也。 昔在申、呂,實匡有周。 苟以天下爲心,惟德是杖,則親疏之授,至公一也,何至后族而必斥遠之哉? 二漢之季世,王道陵遲,故令外戚憑寵,職爲亂階。 於此,自時昏道喪,運祚將移,縱無王、呂之難,豈乏田、趙之禍乎? 而後世觀其若此,深懷酸毒之戒也。 至於魏文,遂發一概之詔,可謂有識之爽言,非帝者之宏議。〉 庚子,立皇后郭氏。 賜天下男子爵人二級; 鰥寡篤癃及貧不能自存者賜穀。
On the jiawu day in the ninth month an edict declared: "When women meddle in government, disorder takes root. Henceforth ministers shall not route state business through the empress dowager; no maternal relatives may serve as regents or receive large fiefs without merit; publish this as perpetual law—whoever breaks it may be punished by all the realm." 〈Sun Sheng argues that ruling well requires wise ministers and that worthy advisers hold deliberative posts—even at Zhou's height women took part in council. Earth's virtue yields to Heaven; the ruler faces south alone; the "three obediences" define proper submission—but edicts must stem from the emperor alone, and memorials routed solely through a dowager breaks classical precedent. The houses of Shen and Lü once strengthened Zhou. If appointments serve the realm and rest on virtue alone, kin and stranger alike should be judged impartially—why ban maternal relatives outright? In Later Han the royal way decayed, so in-laws leveraged favor until they became rungs on the ladder to chaos. Once government grew dark and the mandate shifted, even without a Wang Mang or Lü Hou there were still disasters like Tian Fen or Zhao Feiyan. Later ages looked back with bitter lessons etched in memory. Emperor Wen of Wei then issued a sweeping prohibition—sound caution for a private gentleman, but hardly the balanced judgment expected of a sovereign. On the gengzi day Lady Guo was invested as empress. Every adult male in the realm received two steps of noble rank; widowers, widows, the severely disabled, and the destitute were given grain relief.
23
是月,孫權復叛。 復郢州爲荊州。 帝自許昌南征,諸軍兵並進,權臨江拒守。 十一月辛丑,行幸宛。 庚申晦,日有食之。 是歲,穿靈芝池。
That month Sun Quan rebelled again. Ying province was merged back into Jing province. The emperor marched south from Xuchang with converging columns while Sun Quan held the Yangzi line. On the xinchou day in the eleventh month he traveled to Wan. On the last day of the month (gengshen) there was a solar eclipse. That year work began on the Lingzhi Pond.
24
夏五月,有鵜鶘鳥集靈芝池,詔曰:「此詩人所謂污澤也。 曹詩『刺恭公遠君子而近小人』,今豈有賢智之士處于下位乎? 否則斯鳥何爲而至? 其博舉天下儁德茂才、獨行君子,以荅曹人之刺。」 〈《魏書》曰:辛酉,有司奏造二廟,立太皇帝廟,大長秋特進侯與高祖合祭,親盡以次毀; 特立武皇帝廟,四時享祀,爲魏太祖,萬載不毀也。〉
In the fifth month of summer pelicans gathered on Lingzhi Pond; an edict observed, "The Odes call such birds creatures of fouled marshes. The poem of Cao satirizes Duke Gong for shunning gentlemen and favoring petty men—are wise worthies now languishing in low posts? If not, why would such birds appear? Let every commandery recommend men of brilliant virtue, unusual integrity, and solitary excellence to answer the lesson of Cao's ode." 〈The Wei Book notes that on the xinyou day officials proposed building twin shrines: one for the Grand Emperor—sharing offerings with Gaozu until the generational tie lapsed—then to be dismantled in turn; a separate temple enshrined Martial Emperor as Wei Founder with quarterly sacrifices, never to be torn down.
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五年春正月,初令謀反大逆乃得相告,其餘皆勿聽治; 敢妄相告,以其罪罪之。 三月,行自許昌還洛陽宮。 夏四月,立太學,制五經課試之法,置春秋穀梁博士。 五月,有司以公卿朝朔望日,因奏疑事,聽斷大政,論辨得失。 秋七月,行東巡,幸許昌宮。 八月,爲水軍,親御龍舟,循蔡、頴,浮淮,幸壽春。 揚州界將吏士民,犯五歲刑已下,皆原除之。 九月,遂至廣陵,赦青、徐二州,改易諸將守。 冬十月乙卯,太白晝見。 行還許昌宮。 〈《魏書》載癸酉詔曰:「近之不綏,何遠之懷? 今事多而民少,上下相弊以文法,百姓無所措其手足。 昔泰山之哭者,以爲苛政甚於猛虎,吾備儒者之風,服聖人之遺教,豈可以目翫其辭,行違其誡者哉? 廣議輕刑,以惠百姓。」〉 十一月庚寅,以冀州饑,遣使者開倉廩振之。 戊申晦,日有食之。
In the first month of spring of the fifth year he first allowed informants only for capital treason; all other accusations were rejected; false denouncers would themselves suffer the penalty they sought. In the third month he returned from Xuchang to Luoyang Palace. In the fourth month of summer he founded the Imperial University, set examinations on the Five Classics, and appointed an erudite for the Guliang commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals. In the fifth month officials arranged for the high ministers to attend court on the first and fifteenth of each month to raise doubtful cases, deliberate major policy, and debate merits and faults. In the seventh month of autumn he toured east and lodged at Xuchang Palace. In the eighth month he raised a river fleet, boarded the imperial dragon barge, sailed the Cai and Ying rivers onto the Huai, and visited Shouchun. Throughout Yang province every officer, soldier, or commoner sentenced to five years or less was pardoned. In September he reached Guangling, issued amnesties for Qing and Xu provinces, and rotated the regional commanders. On the yimao day in the tenth month Venus appeared in daylight. He returned to Xuchang Palace. 〈The Wei Book preserves a guiyou day edict: "If those nearby lack peace, how can we embrace what lies far off? Today business overwhelms a shrinking populace; officials and people tie each other in legal knots until commoners cannot move hand or foot. The mourner at Mount Tai thought cruel government fiercer than tigers—I profess Confucian teaching and obey the sages; shall I mouth their words while acting against their warning? Let every minister propose lighter sentences to benefit the people."〉" On the gengyin day in the eleventh month, owing to famine in Ji province, envoys opened the granaries for relief. On the last day of the month (wushen) there was a solar eclipse.
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十二月,詔曰:「先王制禮,所以昭孝事祖,大則郊社,其次宗廟,三辰五行,名山大川,非此族也,不在祀典。 叔世衰亂,崇信巫史,至乃宮殿之內,戶牖之間,無不沃酹,甚矣其惑也。 自今,其敢設非祀之祭,巫祝之言,皆以執左道論,著于令典。」 是歲穿天淵池。
A December edict read: "Ancient kings framed ritual to show filial devotion to ancestors—chiefly the suburban rites to Heaven and earth, next the ancestral temples, then the luminaries, elements, famous peaks, and great rivers; nothing outside this list belongs in the canon of sacrifice. Degenerate ages exalted shamans until libations splashed even inside palace chambers—such folly ran rampant. From now, dare establish non-canon sacrifices, shaman invocator speeches—all treated by practicing left-path doctrine, recorded in ordinance canon." That same year saw excavation of the Tianyuan Pond.
27
六年春二月,遣使者循行許昌以東盡沛郡,問民所疾苦,貧者振貸之。 〈《魏略》載詔曰:「昔軒轅建四面之號,周武稱『予有亂臣十人』,斯蓋先聖所以體國君民,亮成天工,多賢爲貴也。 今內有公卿以鎮京師,外設牧伯以監四方,至於元戎出征,則軍中宜有柱石之賢帥,輜重所在,又宜有鎮守之重臣,然後車駕可以周行天下,無內外之慮。 吾今當征賊,欲守之積年。 其以尚書令潁鄉侯陳羣爲鎮軍大將軍,尚書僕射西鄉侯司馬懿爲撫軍大將軍。 若吾臨江授諸將方略,則撫軍當留許昌,督後諸軍,錄後臺文書事; 鎮軍隨車駕,當董督衆軍,錄行尚書事; 皆假節鼓吹,給中軍兵騎六百人。 吾欲去江數里,築宮室,往來其中,見賊可擊之形,便出奇兵擊之; 若或未可,則當舒六軍以遊獵,饗賜軍士。」〉 三月,行幸召陵,通討虜渠。 乙巳,還許昌宮。 并州刺史梁習討鮮卑軻比能,大破之。 辛未,帝爲舟師東征。 五月戊申,幸譙。 壬戌,熒惑入太微。
In the second month of spring of the sixth year inspectors toured from Xuchang east through Pei commandery, inquiring after hardships and granting grain loans to the poor. 〈The Wei Summary preserves an edict: "The Yellow Emperor posted advisers on four sides; King Wu spoke of ten ministers who could cure chaos—because sage rulers cherish worthy ministers when ordering state and heaven's task alike. At court ministers stabilize Luoyang; in the regions governors watch the corners—when the supreme commander campaigns there must be stalwart generals in the field and trustworthy ministers guarding supply lines; only then can the emperor journey safely without dread inside or out. I am about to strike the rebels and expect the duty to last several years. Chen Qun, Marquis of Yingxiang, is named General Who Guards the Army, and Sima Yi, Marquis of Xixiang, General Who Pacifies the Army. If I take the front line to brief the generals, the Pacification general stays in Xuchang to coordinate rear echelons and handle secretariat paperwork; the general who guards the army escorts the throne, commands the host, and holds traveling authority as head of the secretariat; each receives the credential, musicians, and six hundred guards from the central army. I will build a redoubt a few li from the river, move between it and the camp, and when the enemy offers a target I will sally with picked troops; if no opening appears I will exercise the six armies on hunt maneuvers and feast the troops."〉" In March he visited Shaoling and reopened the Taolu canal. On the yisi day he returned to Xuchang Palace. Liang Xi, inspector of Bing province, attacked the Xianbei chief Kebineng and routed him. On the xinwei day the emperor led the river fleet east. On the wushen day in the fifth month he visited Qiao. On the renxu day Mars entered the Supreme Palace enclosure.
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六月,利成郡兵蔡方等以郡反,殺太守徐質。 遣屯騎校尉任福、步兵校尉段昭與青州刺史討平之; 其見脅略及亡命者,皆赦其罪。
In the sixth month Licheng troops under Cai Fang rebelled and murdered Prefect Xu Zhi. Colonel Ren Fu of the garrison cavalry, Colonel Duan Zhao of the infantry, and the inspector of Qing province were sent to crush the rising; those coerced into joining or driven into outlawry received amnesty.
29
秋七月,立皇子鑒爲東武陽王。 八月,帝遂以舟師自譙循渦入淮,從陸道幸徐。 九月,築東巡臺。 冬十月,行幸廣陵故城,臨江觀兵,戎卒十餘萬,旌旗數百里。 〈《魏書》載帝於馬上爲詩曰:「觀兵臨江水,水流何湯湯! 戈矛成山林,玄甲曜日光。 猛將懷暴怒,膽氣正從橫。 誰云江水廣,一葦可以航,不戰屈敵虜,戢兵稱賢良。 古公宅岐邑,實始翦殷商。 孟獻營虎牢,鄭人懼稽顙。 充國務耕殖,先零自破亡。 興農淮泗間,築室都徐方。 量宜運權略,六軍咸恱康; 豈如東山詩,悠悠多憂傷。」〉 是歲大寒,水道冰,舟不得入江,乃引還。 十一月,東武陽王鑒薨。 十二月,行自譙過梁,遣使以太牢祀故漢太尉橋玄。
In the seventh month of autumn Prince Jian was named Prince of Dongwuyang. In August the emperor led the fleet from Qiao up the Wo River into the Huai, then went overland to Xu. In September he built the eastern inspection terrace. In the tenth month he toured old Guangling, reviewed more than a hundred thousand troops along the river, with banners stretching for hundreds of li. 〈The Wei Book quotes him composing on horseback: "I review the host beside the river—see how the current rolls! Halberds rise like a forest; black lacquer armor flashes in the sun. Fierce generals smolder with wrath; valor courses free through every rank. Who calls this river too wide? A reed could ferry us—better still to win without battle, sheathe swords, and pass as sages. The ancient lord built at Qishan and began the undoing of Yin. Meng Xian fortified Hulao until Zheng trembled and pressed brow to ground. Zhao Chongguo farmed the frontier until the Xianling tribes collapsed of themselves. Let us till the lands between Huai and Si, raise walls, and make Xu our base. Fit strategy to circumstance—then the six armies thrive in peace; unlike the Eastern Mountain ode with its endless ache of longing."〉" That winter bit deep; rivers froze and the fleet could not reach the Yangzi, so he withdrew. In the eleventh month Prince Jian of Dongwuyang died. In December he traveled from Qiao through Liang and sent envoys with the grand sacrifice to honor the late Han Grand Commandant Qiao Xuan.
30
七年春正月,將幸許昌,許昌城南門無故自崩,帝心惡之,遂不入。 壬子,行還洛陽宮。 三月,築九華臺。 夏五月丙辰,帝疾篤,召中軍大將軍曹真、鎮軍大將軍陳羣、征東大將軍曹休、撫軍大將軍司馬宣王,並受遺詔輔嗣主。 遣後宮淑媛、昭儀已下歸其家。 丁巳,帝崩于嘉福殿,時年四十。 〈《魏書》曰:殯於崇華前殿。〉 六月戊寅,葬首陽陵。 自殯及葬,皆以終制從事。 〈《魏氏春秋》曰:明帝將送葬,曹真、陳羣、王朗等以暑熱固諫,乃止。 孫盛曰:夫窀穸之事,孝子之極痛也,人倫之道,於斯莫重。 故天子七月而葬,同軌畢至。 夫以義感之情,猶盡臨隧之哀,況乎天性發中,敦禮者重之哉! 魏氏之德,仍世不基矣。 昔華元厚葬,君子以爲棄君於惡,羣等之諫,棄孰甚焉! 鄄城侯植爲誄曰:「惟黃初七年五月七日,大行皇帝崩,嗚呼哀哉! 于時天震地駭,崩山隕霜,陽精薄景,五緯錯行,百姓呼嗟,萬國悲悼,若喪考妣,恩過墓唐,擗踊郊野,仰想穹蒼,僉曰何辜,早世殞喪,嗚呼哀哉! 悲夫大行,忽焉光滅,永棄萬國,雲往雨絕。 承問荒忽,惛懵哽咽,袖鋒抽刃,歎自僵斃,追慕三良,甘心同穴。 感惟南風,惟以鬱滯,終於偕沒,指景自誓。 考諸先記,尋之哲言,生若浮寄,惟德可論,朝聞夕逝,孔志所存。 皇雖一沒,天祿永延,何以述德? 表之素旃。 何以詠功? 宣之管絃。 乃作誄曰:皓皓太素,兩儀始分,中和產物,肈有人倫,爰曁三皇,寔秉道真,降逮五帝,繼以懿純,三代製作,踵武立勳。 季嗣不維,網漏于秦,崩樂滅學,儒坑禮焚,二世而殲,漢氏乃因,弗求古訓,嬴政是遵,王綱帝典,闃爾無聞。 末光幽昧,道究運遷,乾坤迴歷,簡聖授賢,乃眷大行,屬以黎元。 龍飛啟祚,合契上玄,五行定紀,改號革年,明明赫赫,受命于天。 仁風偃物,德以禮宣; 祥惟聖質,嶷在幼妍。 庻幾六典,學不過庭,潛心無罔,亢志青冥。 才秀藻朗,如玉之瑩,聽察無嚮,瞻覩未形。 其剛如金,其貞如瓊,如氷之絜,如砥之平。 爵公無私,戮違無輕,心鏡萬機,攬照下情。 思良股肱,嘉昔伊呂,搜揚側陋,舉湯代禹; 拔才巖穴,取士蓬戶,唯德是縈,弗拘禰祖。 宅土之表,道義是圖,弗營厥險,六合是虞。 齊契共遵,下以純民,恢折規矩,克紹前人。 科條品制,襃貶以因。 乘殷之輅,行夏之辰。 金根黃屋,翠葆龍鱗,紼冕崇麗,衡紞惟新,尊肅禮容,矚之若神。 方牧妙舉,欽於恤民,虎將荷節,鎮彼四鄰; 朱旗所勦,九壤被震,疇克不若? 孰敢不臣? 縣旌海表,萬里無塵。 虜備凶徹,鳥殪江岷,權若涸魚,乾腊矯鱗,肅慎納貢,越裳效珍,條支絕域,侍子內賔。 德儕先皇,功侔太古。 上靈降瑞,黃初叔祜:河龍洛龜,淩波游下; 平鈞應繩,神鸞翔舞; 數莢階除,系風扇暑; 皓獸素禽,飛走郊野; 神鍾寶鼎,形自舊土; 雲英甘露,瀸塗被宇; 靈芝冒沼,朱華陰渚。 回回凱風,祁祁甘雨,稼穡豐登,我稷我黍。 家佩惠君,戶蒙慈父。 圖致太和,洽德全義。 將登介山,先皇作儷。 鐫石紀勳,兼錄衆瑞,方隆封禪,歸功天地,賔禮百靈,勳命視規,望祭四嶽,燎封奉柴,肅于南郊,宗祀上帝。 三牲旣供,夏禘秋甞,元侯佐祭,獻璧奉璋。 鸞輿幽藹,龍旂太常,爰迄太廟,鍾鼓鍠鍠,頌德詠功,八佾鏘鏘。 皇祖旣饗,烈考來享,神具醉止,降茲福祥。 天地震蕩,大行康之; 三辰暗昧,大行光之; 皇紘絕維,大行綱之; 神器莫統,大行當之; 禮樂廢弛,大行張之; 仁義陸沈,大行揚之; 潛龍隱鳳,大行翔之; 疏狄遐康,大行匡之。 在位七載,元功仍舉,將永太和,絕迹三五,宜作物師,長爲神主,壽終金石,等筭東父,如何奄忽,摧身后土,俾我棾棾,靡瞻靡顧。 嗟嗟皇穹,胡寧忍務? 嗚呼哀哉! 明監吉凶,體遠存亡,深垂典制,申之嗣皇。 聖上虔奉,是順是將,乃剏玄宇,基爲首陽,擬迹穀林,追堯慕唐,合山同陵,不樹不疆,塗車芻靈,珠玉靡藏。 百神警侍,來賔幽堂,耕禽田獸,望魂之翔。 於是,俟大隧之致功兮,練元辰之淑禎,潛華體於梓宮兮,馮正殿以居靈。 顧望嗣之號咷兮,存臨者之悲聲,悼晏駕之旣修兮,感容車之速征。 浮飛魂於輕霄兮,就黃墟以滅形,背三光之昭晰兮,歸玄宅之冥冥。 嗟一往之不反兮,痛閟闥之長扃。 咨遠臣之眇眇兮,成凶諱以怛驚,心孤絕而靡告兮,紛流涕而交頸。 思恩榮以橫奔兮,閡闕塞之嶢崢,顧衰絰以輕舉兮,迫關防之我嬰。 欲高飛而遙憩兮,憚天網之遠經,遙投骨於山足兮,報恩養於下庭。 慨拊心而自悼兮,懼施重而命輕,嗟微驅之是效兮,甘九死而忘生,幾司命之役籍兮,先黃髮而隕零,天蓋高而察卑兮,冀神明之我聽。 獨鬱伊而莫愬兮,追顧景而憐形,奏斯文以寫思兮,結翰墨以敷誠。 嗚呼哀哉!」〉
In the first month of spring of the seventh year he meant to visit Xuchang, but the south gate collapsed without cause; taking it as an ill omen he turned back. On the renzi day he returned to Luoyang Palace. In March he built the Nine Splendors Terrace. On the bingchen day in the fifth month of summer, gravely ill, he summoned Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, Cao Xiu, and Sima Yi and entrusted them by testament to guide his heir. Concubines ranked gentle ladies and below were sent home to their families. On the dingsi day he died in Jiafu Hall at the age of forty. 〈The Wei Book states that his bier rested in the front hall of Chonghua. On the wuyin day in the sixth month he was buried at Shouyang Mausoleum. From lying in state to interment every rite followed his own austere "final instructions." 〈The Wei shi chunqiu notes that Emperor Ming meant to join the funeral train but Cao Zhen, Chen Qun, Wang Lang, and others dissuaded him in the sweltering heat—so he desisted. Sun Sheng remarks that laying a parent to rest is the filial son's sharpest grief—nothing weightier in human duty. Hence the emperor waits seven months for burial so every carriage track may converge. Even ritual bonds demand the full grief at the grave—how much more the bond of nature for those who prize propriety! Such thin virtue ill suits lasting foundations for the house of Wei. Long ago Hua Yuan gave a lavish funeral; the nobles read it as abandoning his lord to wrong—what greater betrayal than Chen Qun's counsel to stay away? The Marquis of Juancheng, Cao Zhi, composed a dirge: "On the seventh day of the fifth month of Huangchu seven (226 CE) the late emperor passed away—alas, the sorrow! Heaven trembled and earth reeled; peaks shattered and frost fell; the sun's fire dimmed; the five planets left their tracks; people wailed and every polity grieved as for lost parents; kindness deeper than at Tang's tomb; mourners beat their breasts in the outer suburbs and scanned the sky—why must guilt strike him who died before his time? Alas, the sorrow! Alas for the departed sovereign—his light snuffed in an instant, forever lost to the realm; clouds have fled and the rains ceased. When the news reached me I reeled in confusion, voice choked—I would have drawn steel and struck myself down; I envied the three Good Men who followed Duke Mu into death and wished to share one tomb. The south wind stirs grief still pent within us—we shall perish together; I swear by the moving sun. Ancient texts and wise men taught that life is fleeting lodging and only virtue endures; "hear the Way at dawn, die content at dusk"—such was Confucius's pledge. Though he has passed in one stroke, Heaven's blessing flows onward—how shall we proclaim his merit? We inscribe it on the white funeral banner. How shall we sing his achievements? Let pipes and strings carry them abroad. The dirge continues: "Bright primal purity split into yin and yang and yielded the human order; the Three Sovereigns grasped the true Dao, the Five Thearchs followed in unstained line, and the Three Dynasties built institutions and trod the path of merit. Successors failed their bond; Qin's net tore—music fell and learning died, Confucians were buried and ritual texts burned; Er Shi fell within two reigns. Han arose yet spurned antique teaching and copied the First Emperor until royal norms seemed lost in silence. Twilight deepened until fortune shifted; heaven and earth rolled through cycles until the canon chose sages—and then He turned to the late emperor and entrusted him with the black-haired masses. The dragon throne rose, cosmic tallies aligned with High Heaven, the Five Agents received their stations, reign titles and years were renewed—radiant and august, he bore Heaven's mandate. His humane breezes bowed all creation; his power moved through ritual; augury marked his sacred nature, steadfast even in childhood grace. He aspired to the Six Canons, studied within his courtyard, pondered without guile, and raised his purpose toward the empyrean. Talent shone clear as polished jade; his hearing needed no prompting, his sight pierced what had not yet taken shape. He was hard as metal, constant as jade, pure as ice, level as a whetstone. He enfeoffed without favoritism and punished rebels without laxity; his mind mirrored every policy and illumined the people's plight. He sought worthy limbs of state, praised Yi Yin and Lü Wang, searched humble lanes and raised men like Tang's ministers; he drew talent from mountain caves and brushwood gates, binding office to virtue alone without respect to pedigree. Beyond the nine provinces he sought righteousness, scorned mere terrain, and watched over the six directions. All signed the covenant to guide the folk in simplicity, broadened the norms, and carried on the work of past kings. Statutes and ranks framed praise and blame by precedent. He rode Yin-style chariots and kept Xia's calendar. Gold-decked chariot and yellow canopy, kingfisher pennons and dragon scales on regalia; cords and crowns rose in splendor, hatstrings gleamed anew—his solemn ritual awe struck every eye like a god. Regional governors were wisely chosen and cherished the people; tiger generals bore credentials and pacified the marches; Wherever crimson banners swept the nine regions trembled—who could refuse submission? Who dared withhold allegiance? Banners flew beyond the eastern sea and ten thousand li knew no raider's dust. Liu Bei's host was broken along the rivers; Sun Quan gasped like a fish on dry land; Sushen sent tribute, Yuechang offered jades, even far Tiaozhi sent hostages to court. His virtue matched the ancient sovereigns; his deeds rivaled high antiquity. High Heaven sent omens and Huangchu knew felicity: dragons rose from the Yellow River and tortoises from the Luo, breasting the waves; the measuring cord hung true and divine phoenixes wheeled in dance; auspicious grain sprouted on the stairs; gentle winds turned aside the summer heat; white beasts and bright-plumed birds crossed the suburban preserves; spirit bells and bronze tripods took shape from native earth; sweet nectar washed the dust and bathed the palace roof; magic fungus crowned the ponds and crimson flowers shaded the islets. Soft southern breezes brought abundant rains; grain stood thick—our wheat and millet flourished. Every home cherished him as a gracious lord; every door knew him as a kindly father. He aimed at supreme harmony and mingled virtue with perfect righteousness. He prepared to climb Mount Jie as Shun once did, pairing ritual with the founder. He carved stone to record deeds and gathered every omen; about to mount Feng and Shan he returned merit to Heaven and earth, feasted the hundred spirits, inspected ordinances, sacrificed to the Four Peaks, burned grain offerings at the suburban altar, and honored High God in the ancestral shrine. Tripods steamed with three beasts; summer di and autumn chang rites brought chief marquises to assist, presenting disks and libation tablets. Phoenix carriages drifted in gloom; dragon banners flew from the Grand Constant guard; entering the Grand Temple bells and drums thundered while eight rows of dancers praised virtue and rehearsed his deeds. Imperial ancestors received the feast; his father joined in joy—the spirits drank their fill and poured forth fortune. When heaven and earth convulsed, the late emperor brought peace; when sun, moon, and stars grew dim, he lit them anew; when the royal net snapped, he restrung it; when the sacred regalia lacked a master, he took it up; when ritual and music collapsed, he stretched them taut; when humanity and justice sank from sight, he raised them high; when dragons hid and phoenixes vanished, he gave them flight; when distant Di tribes lacked peace, he set them right. Seven years on the throne—great deeds piled toward lasting harmony, rivaling the Three Dynasties—fit to be maker of laws and everlasting lord, to live long as bronze stone like Dongfang Shuo—yet suddenly earth swallowed him, leaving us orphaned with nowhere to turn our eyes. O mighty Heaven—how could you bear this deed? Alas, the sorrow! Clear-eyed toward fortune and fate, he gauged life and death from afar—his ordinances reach deep and instruct the heir. The sacred heir reverently follows—raising dark halls on Shouyang as Yao at Grain Grove—honoring Tang without mound rings or jeweled grave goods, only clay hearses and straw figures—no pearls hidden below. Spirits stand vigil as guests enter the shadowed hall; sacrificial oxen and penned beasts await the soaring soul. Now we await the tunnel's completion and choose an auspicious hour—the splendid form rests in the catalpa coffin while his spirit holds court in the main hall. The heir's keening rings out; mourners sob beside him—the curtained hearse departs all too soon. His soaring soul mounts thin air and sinks into yellow earth—turning from sun, moon, and stars it enters the shadow underworld. Alas—there is no returning from that journey; grief bolts the inner gate forever. We distant ministers stand helpless—news of death strikes like thunder; hearts break with none to tell; tears stream until cheeks meet. Imperial grace bids me gallop thither—yet palace gates rise sheer; I finger mourning hemp yet frontier posts bind me still. I would soar far to rest yet dread Heaven's wide net—I would cast my bones at the foothill and repay kindness in the lower court. Beating my breast I mourn—duty weighs heavy yet life seems slight; this mean frame would gladly die nine deaths for him—yet fate's ledger strikes gray heads first; Heaven is high yet sees the low—may spirits hear my plea. Brooding alone with none to speak—I pity this fading shadow and set forth these lines to lay bare devotion. Alas, the sorrow!"〉"
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初,帝好文學,以著述爲務,自所勒成垂百篇。 又使諸儒撰集經傳,隨類相從,凡千餘篇,號曰《皇覽》。 〈《魏書》曰:帝初在東宮,疫癘大起,時人彫傷,帝深感歎,與素所敬者大理王朗書曰:「生有七尺之形,死爲一棺之土,唯立德揚名,可以不朽,其次莫如著篇籍。 疫癘數起,士人彫落,余獨何人,能全其壽?」 故論撰所著《典論》、詩賦,蓋百餘篇,集諸儒於肅城門內,講論大義,侃侃無倦。 常嘉漢文帝之爲君,寬仁玄默,務欲以德化民,有賢聖之風。 時文學諸儒,或以爲孝文雖賢,其於聦明,通達國體,不如賈誼。 帝由是著太宗論曰:「昔有苗不賔,重華舞以干戚,尉他稱帝,孝文撫以恩德,吳王不朝,錫之几杖以撫其意,而天下賴安; 乃弘三章之教,愷悌之化,欲使曩時累息之民,得闊步高談,無危懼之心。 若賈誼之才敏,籌畫國政,特賢臣之器,管、晏之姿,豈若孝文大人之量哉?」 三年之中,以孫權不服,復班太宗論於天下,明示不願征伐也。 他日又從容言曰:「顧我亦有所不取於漢文帝者三:殺薄昭; 幸鄧通; 慎夫人衣不曳地,集上書囊爲帳帷。 以爲漢文儉而無法,舅后之家,但當養育以恩而不當假借以權,旣觸罪法,又不得不害矣。」 其欲秉持中道,以爲帝王儀表者如此。 胡沖吳歷曰:帝以素書所著《典論》及詩賦餉孫權,又以紙寫一通與張昭。〉
From youth he loved letters and devoted himself to authorship—his own brush filled nearly a hundred pieces. He had scholars compile classics and commentaries by topic—more than a thousand fascicles entitled Comprehensive Imperial Digest. 〈The Wei Book relates that while crown prince a plague ravaged the land and moved him to write his revered Wang Lang: "In life we span seven feet—in death we fill one coffin of earth; only virtue and fame defy decay; next best is leaving writings behind. Pestilence repeatedly arose—scholar gentlemen fell away—I alone what person—can complete their lifespan?" Hence his Dianlun and poems—over a hundred pieces—and debates with scholars inside Sucheng Gate on great themes that knew no fatigue. He admired Emperor Wen of Han as ruler—magnanimous, quiet, seeking to transform the people through virtue in sage-like fashion. Court scholars sometimes argued that Emperor Wen, worthy though he was, lacked Jia Yi's genius for discerning statecraft. Pi therefore authored "On Emperor Wen": "When the You Miao withheld tribute, Shun danced with shield and axe; when Zhao Tuo proclaimed himself emperor, Emperor Wen embraced him with kindness; when the Prince of Wu stayed away, Wen granted stool and staff—and the realm stayed calm; he promoted the lenient "three-chapter" reforms so people crushed by war could walk freely and debate without dread. As for Jia Yi's talent keen—plan layout state governance—merely worthy minister's vessel—Guan Yan's posture—how compare Emperor Wen great man's measure?" When Sun Quan still resisted, Pi reissued the essay empire-wide to show he preferred peace to arms. Another day he remarked calmly: "Yet I reject three of Emperor Wen's deeds—executing Bo Zhao; indulging Deng Tong; letting Lady Shen's skirts trail short and sewing petition satchels into bed curtains to advertise thrift. He thought Emperor Wen of Han was frugal but lacked method: the households of maternal uncles and empresses should only be supported with kindness, not entrusted with power. Once they violated the law, they had to be punished." Thus he aimed at the golden mean to model true kingship. Hu Chong's Wu Calendar records that Pi sent Sun Quan his Dianlun and poems in ink manuscript and gave Zhang Zhao a paper copy.
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評曰:文帝天資文藻,下筆成章,博聞彊識,才藝兼該; 〈《典論》帝自敘曰:初平之元,董卓殺主鴆后,盪覆王室。 是時四海旣困中平之政,兼惡卓之凶逆,家家思亂,人人自危。 山東牧守咸以春秋之義,「衞人討州吁于濮」,言人人皆得討賊。 於是大興義兵,名豪大俠,富室彊族,飄揚雲會,萬里相赴; 兖、豫之師戰於滎陽,河內之甲軍於孟津。 卓遂遷大駕,西都長安。 而山東大者連郡國,中者嬰城邑,小者聚阡陌,以還相吞滅。 會黃巾盛於海、岱,山寇暴於并、冀,乘勝轉攻,席卷而南,鄉邑望煙而奔,城郭覩塵而潰,百姓死亡,暴骨如莽。 余時年五歲,上以世方擾亂,教余學射,六歲而知射,又教余騎馬,八歲而能騎射矣。 以時之多故,每征,余常從。 建安初,上南征荊州,至宛,張繡降。 旬日而反,亡兄孝廉子脩、從兄安民遇害。 時余年十歲,乘馬得脫。 夫文武之道,各隨時而用,生於中平之季,長於戎旅之間,是以少好弓馬,于今不衰; 逐禽輒十里,馳射常百步,日多體健,心每不猒。 建安十年,始定冀州,濊、貊貢良弓,燕、代獻名馬。 時歲之暮春,句芒司節,和風扇物,弓燥手柔,草淺獸肥,與族兄子丹獵於鄴西,終日手獲麞鹿九,雉兔三十。 後軍南征次內蠡,尚書令荀彧奉使犒軍,見余談論之末,彧言:「聞君善左右射,此實難能。」 余言:「執事未覩夫項發口縱,俯馬蹄而仰月支也。」 彧喜笑曰:「乃爾!」 余曰:「埒有常徑,的有常所,雖每發輒中,非至妙也。 若馳平原,赴豐草,要狡獸,截輕禽,使弓不虛彎,所中必洞,斯則妙矣。」 時軍祭酒張京在坐,顧彧拊手曰「善」。 余又學擊劔,閱師多矣,四方之法各異,唯京師爲善。 桓、靈之閒,有虎賁王越善斯術,稱於京師。 河南史阿言昔與越遊,具得其法,余從阿學之精熟。 甞與平虜將軍劉勳、奮威將軍鄧展等共飲,宿聞展善有手臂,曉五兵,又稱其能空手入白刃。 余與論劔良久,謂言將軍法非也,余顧甞好之,又得善術,因求與余對。 時酒酣耳熱,方食芋蔗,便以爲杖,下殿數交,三中其臂,左右大笑。 展意不平,求更爲之。 余言吾法急屬,難相中面,故齊臂耳。 展言願復一交,余知其欲突以取交中也,因偽深進,展果尋前,余却脚鄛,正截其顙,坐中驚視。 余還坐,笑曰:「昔陽慶使淳于意去其故方,更授以祕術,今余亦願鄧將軍捐棄故伎,更受要道也。」 一坐盡歡。 夫事不可自謂己長,余少曉持複,自謂無對; 俗名雙戟爲坐鐵室,鑲楯爲蔽木戶; 後從陳國袁敏學,以單攻複,每爲若神,對家不知所出,先曰若逢敏於狹路,直決耳! 余於他戲弄之事少所喜,唯彈棊略盡其巧,少爲之賦。 昔京師先工有馬合鄉侯、東方安世、張公子,常恨不得與彼數子者對。 上雅好詩書文籍,雖在軍旅,手不釋卷,每每定省從容,常言人少好學則思專,長則善忘,長大而能勤學者,唯吾與袁伯業耳。 余是以少誦詩、論,及長而備歷五經、四部,史、漢、諸子百家之言,靡不畢覽。 《博物志》曰:帝善彈棊,能用手巾角。 時有一書生,又能低頭以所冠著葛巾角撇棊。〉 若加之曠大之度,勵以公平之誠,邁志存道,克廣德心,則古之賢主,何遠之有哉!
The historian remarks: Emperor Wen possessed literary genius—his brush shaped finished essays; his memory was vast and his arts wide-ranging; 〈The Dianlun preserves Pi's memoir: In the first year of Chuping Dong Zhuo murdered the emperor and poisoned the empress—overthrowing the Han house. The realm already suffered Zhongping misrule and hated Zhuo's brutality—every household dreamed of revolt and every man feared for himself. Governors east of the mountains cited the Spring and Autumn—"Wei punished Zhouxu at Pu"—claiming everyone might strike traitors. Righteous armies rose everywhere—heroes, magnates, wealthy clans swarmed like clouds from ten thousand li. Yan and Yu troops fought at Xingyang while Henei armor massed at Mengjin. Dong Zhuo then marched the court west to Chang'an. Great lords east of the mountains fused whole provinces; middling warlords sealed towns; petty bands held hamlets—each devouring the next. Yellow Turbans swarmed Bo Hai and Taishan while mountain bandits ravaged Bing and Ji—victors rolled south like wind—hamlets fled at dust clouds and walls fell—people died until bones carpeted the wilds. I was five when my father, seeing an age of chaos, taught me archery—I drew the bow at six—then riding—and could ride and shoot by eight. Because distress never ceased I rode with him on every expedition. Early in Jian'an my father marched south against Jingzhou, reached Wan, and Zhang Xiu surrendered. Ten days later he withdrew; my late brother Zixiu, nominated Filially Pious and Incorrupt, and my cousin Anmin were killed. I was ten and escaped on horseback. Civil arts and martial arts suit their age; born in the twilight of Zhongping and raised in armies, I loved bow and horse from boyhood and love them still; I have coursed game for ten li at a stretch and shot at full gallop across a hundred paces—years pile on yet the body stays strong and the heart never tires. In Jian'an 10, once Ji province was pacified, the Hu tribes sent fine bows and Yan and Dai offered famous horses. Late that spring, when Gou Mang governed the season, mild winds stroked the fields—bows crisp in hand, grass low and beasts fat—I hunted west of Ye with my cousin Dan and by day's end had bagged nine deer and thirty pheasants and hares. Later the army marched south and halted at Neilí; Supervisor Xun Yu came to reward the troops and, when talk drew to a close, said, "They say you excel at shooting to either side—that is truly rare. I answered, "Sir, you have not watched a neck-shot loosed by voice command—bolt dropping toward the stirrup and moon-blazon target snapping upright. Xun Yu laughed with delight: "So it can be done! I said, "But a shooting lane has fixed tracks and targets fixed stations—constant bull's-eyes are not supreme skill. If gallop plain—rush thick grass—intercept crafty beasts—cut light birds—cause bow not empty bend—what hits must pierce through—that is subtlety." Army Libationer Zhang Jing was present—he looked at Xun Yu, clapped his hands, and cried "Well said!" I also studied fencing under many masters—every region's style differs, yet the capital school is finest. Between Emperors Huan and Ling the palace guardsman Wang Yue excelled at it and was famed in Luoyang. Henan-born Shi A trained with Wang Yue and mastered his method; I studied under Shi A until my blade-work ran flawless. Once at wine with Generals Liu Xun and Deng Zhan I had long heard that Deng Zhan's arms were uncanny—that he knew every weapon and could slip bare-handed past naked steel. We debated swordsmanship until I told him his style was flawed; because I too loved the art and had picked up sound tricks, he pressed me for a bout. Wine had flushed our ears while we nibbled taro and cane—I seized a stalk as a sword, stepped off the dais, and crossed blades three times on his arm while the company roared. Deng Zhan smarted for pride and demanded another round. I explained my style chains rapid thrusts—it is hard to aim at the face in earnest combat, so I kept our blades level along the arms. He asked for another pass; knowing he would lunge for my trunk I feinted deep—when he rushed I snapped his forehead with a heel strike and the gathering gasped. Returning to my seat I laughed: "Once Yang Qing made Chunyu Yi throw away old prescriptions for secret cures—I urge General Deng to cast off stale tricks and learn the true essentials. The whole company roared approval. One must never boast one's skill; young, I mastered twin halberds and thought none could touch me; folk nicknamed paired ji "iron chamber" and inlaid shields "wooden shutters"; later Chen Yuan Min taught me to pit single halberd against twin until my moves seemed sorcerous—foes saw no opening—and he warned that meeting Min on a narrow path meant instant defeat! Other games bored me—only ball-board chess drew out every subtlety, and I wrote a youthful rhapsody on it. Luoyang once boasted masters such as the Marquis of Mahe township, Dongfang Anshi, and Lord Zhang—I always regretted missing a match with them. My father loved belles-lettres even on campaign—never without a scroll—and often mused that youth loves study with single mind yet grown men forget; among adults who still labor at books only I and Yuan Boye remain. Thus I memorized the Odes and Analects as a boy and later surveyed the Five Classics, four bibliographic divisions, the histories, Hanshu, and every philosopher. The Bowuzhi notes that the emperor excelled at ball-board chess and could flick pieces with his kerchief corner. A scholar was seen bending his head to snap pieces with the hemp kerchief he wore.〉 Had he joined those gifts with boundless tolerance, fairness, devotion to the Way, and ever-broadening virtue, how far would he stand from the sage rulers of old!