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卷三 魏書三 明帝紀

Volume 3: Book of Wei 3: Annals of Emperor Ming

Chapter 3 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
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1
姿 使 鹿 鹿使鹿
Emperor Ming—personal name Rui, courtesy Yuanzhong—was the crown prince of Emperor Wen (Cao Pi). From infancy Cao Cao (posthumously Emperor Wu of Wei) doted on the boy and kept him constantly at his side. 〈The Wei Shu relates that even as a small child he showed unusual promise; Cao Cao marveled and told him, "You will be the foundation for three generations of my line." At banquets and assemblies he was brought in with the adults, standing beside Palace Attendants and senior ministers inside the curtain. He was studious and well read, with a particular eye for law and jurisprudence.〉 At fifteen he received the title Marquis of Wude; in Huangchu 2 he was made Duke of Qi, and in Huangchu 3 Prince of Pingyuan. Because his birth mother had been put to death, he was not immediately named successor. 〈The Wei Lue records that Empress Guo had no children, so Emperor Wen ordered her to adopt the boy as her own. He still burned with resentment over the unjust fate of his natural mother. In time he had no choice but to honor Empress Guo; each day he sent senior attendants to ask after her, and she, childless herself, responded with growing affection. Cao Pi saw the boy's discontent and for a time considered naming another son—the Prince of Jingzhao—as heir, so Rui went long without the crown prince's title. The Wei Mo Zhuan tells how he once joined his father on a hunt and came upon a doe and fawn. Cao Pi killed the doe and ordered the boy to shoot the fawn; Rui refused: "You have already slain the mother—I cannot bring myself to kill the young." He burst into tears. Cao Pi lowered his bow and was struck by the boy's character; from then on his mind was set on making Rui his heir.〉 In the fifth month of summer in the seventh year of Huangchu, as Cao Pi lay dying, Rui was at last named crown prince. On dingsi he ascended the throne and issued a general amnesty. The empress dowager was elevated to grand empress dowager, and the empress became empress dowager. Officials were ennobled according to their merit. 〈The Shi Yu notes that Rui had kept to himself before his accession; once on the throne, the whole court was eager to see what kind of ruler he would be. A few days in, he held a private, day-long interview with only Liu Ye, the Palace Attendant. Others strained to overhear; when Liu Ye emerged, they pressed him: "Well? What is he like?" Liu Ye replied: "In the mold of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han—perhaps a notch below in sheer ability."〉 On guiwei he posthumously ennobled his mother Lady Zhen as Empress Wenzhao. On renchen his younger brother was invested as Prince of Yangping.
2
退
That August Sun Quan struck Jiangxia; Grand Warden Wen Pin refused to yield. The court wanted to dispatch a relief force, but the emperor objected: "Sun Quan lives on the water—he only braves a land attack to catch us off guard. He is already tied down by Wen Pin; besiegers wear down faster than defenders, and Sun Quan will not linger." The court had already sent Imperial Clerk Xun Yu to comfort the borderlands; when he reached Jiangxia he mustered county troops along his route, took a thousand of his escort up a ridge, and lit signal fires—whereupon Sun Quan broke off the siege and withdrew.
3
西西鹿 西 宿 姿 西 西
On xinsi Prince Jiong was invested as Prince of Qinghe. When Wu generals Zhuge Jin and Zhang Ba struck Xiangyang, Sima Yi routed them and executed Ba; Cao Xiu then crushed their detached force at Xunyang. Rewards were handed out according to merit. In the tenth winter month Prince Jiong of Qinghe died. In December Zhong Yao became grand tutor, Cao Xiu grand marshal, Cao Zhen grand general, Hua Xin grand commandant, Wang Lang minister of education, Chen Qun minister of works, and Sima Yi grand general of chariots and cavalry. In the first month of spring, Taihe 1, he offered the suburban sacrifice to Emperor Wu (Cao Cao) as Heaven's counterpart and honored Emperor Wen in the Bright Hall as God's counterpart. The southern portion of Jiangxia was split off and placed under a new southern Jiangxia commandant. Qu Ying rose in Xiping, murdered the magistrate of Linqiang and the chief of Xidu; Generals Hao Zhao and Lu Pan were sent to crush the revolt and executed him. On xinwei in the second month the emperor performed the spring plowing rite in the sacred field. On xinsi a temple for Empress Wenzhao was dedicated at Ye. On dinghai he performed the rite to the sun at the eastern suburban altar. In the fourth month of summer, on yihai, the five-zhu coin was put into circulation. On jiashen work began on the imperial ancestral shrine. In the eighth month of autumn he sacrificed to the moon at the western suburban altar. On bingyin in the tenth winter month he reviewed the army at the eastern suburbs. The ruler of Yanqi sent a royal son to the Wei court as hostage-attendant. In the eleventh month Lady Mao was enthroned as empress. Every male subject received two steps in rank; grain was granted to widowers, widows, orphans, and others unable to fend for themselves. In the twelfth month the empress's father, Mao Jia, was made a full marquis. When Grand Warden Meng Da rebelled at Xincheng, Sima Yi was ordered to lead the punitive expedition. 〈The Sanfu Juelu introduces "Bo Lang," a Liangzhou native registered as Bu Lingxiu. The gloss identifies him as Meng Ta of Fufeng—Bo Lang was his nickname. This was under Emperor Ling of Han. Eunuch Zhang Rang dominated the court; a steward-slave ran his household. Meng Ta could not get ahead in office, so he poured his fortune into bribing that steward, sealed the tie with a marriage—and ruined himself over several years. The slaves were all ashamed; they asked what he desired, and he said, "I wish to obtain your company's bows to me." Indebted to him by then, they agreed. Clients mobbed Zhang Rang's gate—hundreds of carriages—yet many waited days without an audience. Meng Ta arrived last; the stewards rushed out, bowed at his carriage, and ushered only him straight through the gate. The crowd assumed he was Zhang Rang's intimate and showered him with gifts. Meng Ta passed every gift on to Zhang Rang, who was delighted. A hu of wine sealed the deal—he received appointment as governor of Liangzhou. Meng Ta's son was Meng Da, who went to Shu while young. His career in Shu is told in Liu Feng's biography. The Wei Lue records that in Yan Kang 1 Meng Da brought over four thousand households of followers and surrendered to Wei. In Emperor Wen's time, when he had first taken the rank of king, he had already long known of Da. Hearing that Da was coming, he was greatly pleased and ordered eminent ministers with discernment to go observe him. They returned saying, "He has the talent of a general," while others said, "He has the capacity of a minister." The king esteemed Da all the more. He wrote back at once: "My recent order barely hinted at my meaning—why? Think of Yi Yin leaving Shang for Zhou, Baili Xi quitting Yu for Qin, Yue Yi slipping away as legend tells, Wang Zun reading the times—they saw how dynasties rise and fall, so artists painted them and historians enshrined them. They say your gifts are ample and your stature uncommon—you belong in a brilliant reign and merit a place in the histories. Now that you have crossed into clear water I rejoice; I wait toward the west as toward an old friend, and every line I write follows gladly. Yu Qing won Zhao's premiership on his second audience; Chen Ping became Liu Bang's companion after one meeting—I cherish you more than those tales warrant, so I send horses from my own stable as a token." The letter went on: "Now the seas within are settled and clear, the ten thousand li are unified, the three frontiers have no alarm of dust and wind, and the central realm has no danger of barking dogs. Therefore nets are loosened and prohibitions broadened; the age is treated without suspicion, and official posts stand empty with no initial qualification required. When you come, heed my meaning—do not clog the roads with kin and wagons and frighten observers. If you want a meeting, settle your troops and rear echelon first, then come east at an easy pace with a light escort." When Meng Da reached Qiao, his bearing at audience was poised and his eloquence striking—all eyes were on him. Soon after Cao Pi went out in a small carriage, took Meng Da's hand, clapped his back, and joked, "You aren't Liu Bei's assassin, are you?" Then he pulled Meng Da into the carriage beside him. He named him irregular palace attendant and concurrent grand warden of Xincheng, charging him with the southwest. Some ministers felt he was rewarded too lavishly and unsuited to frontier command. The king replied, "I trust him—it is like shooting mugwort with a mugwort arrow," meaning little threat. Meng Da had enjoyed Cao Pi's favor and been close to Huan Jie and Xiahou Shang; when Cao Pi died both men were already gone, and Meng Da—long a wanderer on the frontier—grew uneasy. Zhuge Liang learned of his anxiety and secretly courted him with repeated letters; Meng Da answered back. Shen Yi of Weixing, who despised Meng Da, secretly reported a Shu conspiracy—the emperor dismissed it. Sima Yi sent staff officer Liang Ji to watch him and pressed him to come to court. Panicked, Meng Da rose in revolt. Gan Bao records Meng Da sighing atop Baima Pass when he first took Xincheng: "Liu Feng and Shen Dan held a thousand li of strongholds—and lost them all."〉
4
In the first month of spring in the second year of Taihe, Sima Yi took Xincheng, executed Meng Da, and sent his head to the capital. 〈The Wei Lue says Sima Yi turned Meng Da's general Li Fu and nephew Deng Xian, who opened the gates to Wei troops. After sixteen days under siege Meng Da fell; his head was burned at the great crossroads in Luoyang.〉 Shangyong, Wuling, and Wu were carved out of Xincheng as a new Shangyong commandery; Xi county became Xi commandery.
5
退 使 使 西 使 便 使 便 穿 退 西
Zhuge Liang struck the frontier; Tianshui, Nan'an, and Anding rose for him. 〈The Wei Shu states: At this time the court ministers did not know what plan to pursue. The Emperor said, "Liang relies on the mountains as his stronghold; now that he has come in person, this already accords with the military texts' method of drawing the enemy in. Moreover Liang craves the three commanderies; he knows advance and does not know retreat; if we use this moment, our crushing Liang is certain." He mustered fifty thousand horse and foot to meet Zhuge Liang.〉 Cao Zhen was placed in command west of the pass and ordered forward. Zhang He of the right wing crushed Zhuge Liang at Jieting. Zhuge Liang retreated and the three commanderies were recovered. On dingwei the imperial progress reached Chang'an. 〈The Wei Lue records the Emperor's bulletin to the realm and the proclamation distributed to Yizhou, stating: "Liu Bei betrayed Our grace and fled on his own into Ba and Shu. Zhuge Liang abandoned the land of his parents and attached himself to a band of brutal rebels; spirits and men have been poisoned, and evil has accumulated until it destroys him. Outwardly he plays regent; inwardly he hoards power. Liu Shan and his kin are holding hollow shells of towns. His arrogance toward Yizhou and cruelty to its people have turned Li Lang, Dangqu, Gao Ding, and the Qingqiang tribes against him. Like wearing a coat inside out or trimming toes for shoes, he ruins Shu yet boasts of skill. He campaigns from the bottom of a well and marches in hoofprints—utter folly. Since Our accession the borders have been quiet; We pitied a realm long wasted by war and hoped to succor the old and the young, reform customs through rites and music, and train armies between harvests—We scarcely counted Zhuge Liang a concern. Yet Zhuge Liang clings to the rash bravado of Li Xiong and spurns Jing Han's counsel to weigh the enemy's moral strength; he sweeps up officials and commoners and plunders Qishan for advantage. The imperial host struck; Ma Su and Gao Xiang broke and ran at the first sight of Wei banners. Wei's champions drove the rout across heaps of dead—Zhuge Liang, that provincial pedant, quailed before Our armies. Every crack regiment burned to pursue without pause. All lands owe allegiance to the throne, but armies leave wasteland in their wake—We would not see honest villagers perish alongside wicked courtiers. So We publish this warning in good faith: reconsider your allegiance and do not stay chained to a doomed insurrection. All Shu generals, officials, soldiers, and commoners whom Liang has coerced—from ministers on down—may surrender with bound hands.〉" On dingyou in the fourth summer month the court returned to Luoyang. 〈The Wei Lue reports rumors of the emperor's death and a plot among the entourage to enthrone Cao Zhi, Prince of Yongqiu. The capital—from Empress Dowager Bian to the senior ministers—was panic-stricken. When the emperor came back, everyone watched his face for a sign. Lady Bian wept and laughed by turns and wanted the rumor traced; the emperor replied, "The whole realm was whispering it—where would I begin?"〉 Noncapital convicts were offered amnesty. On yisi rewards for the campaign against Zhuge Liang were handed out—titles and added households according to merit. May brought severe drought. In the sixth month an edict stated: "To honor the learned and esteem scholarship is the root of royal instruction. If the wrong men hold chairs in the academies, how can the sage's teaching be made clear? Choose outstanding erudites fit to serve as palace attendants. Command every province to send up candidates grounded first in the classics." That autumn, in the ninth month, Cao Xiu marched to Wan and met Lu Xun at Shiting—the Wei army was routed. On yiyou Prince Mu received the title Prince of Fanyang. On gengzi Grand Marshal Cao Xiu passed away. In the tenth winter month each senior minister was to nominate one proven commander. In November Minister of Education Wang Lang died. In December Zhuge Liang surrounded Chencang; Cao Zhen dispatched Fei Yao and others to hold the line. 〈The Wei Lue explains that Hao Zhao had already fortified Chencang. When Zhuge Liang came he invested Hao Zhao but could not break the defense. Hao Zhao of Taiyuan (courtesy Bodao) was a formidable soldier who rose from unit commander to frontier general and kept the Hexi corridor quiet for over a decade. When Liang besieged Chencang, he had Jin Xiang, Zhao's fellow townsman, stand outside the walls and try to persuade him from a distance. Zhao answered Xiang from the tower, saying, "You are well practiced in the statutes and laws of the Wei house; You know what kind of man I am. I have received much favor from the state, and my household bears a heavy obligation. You have nothing to say to me; there is only death. Go back and tell Zhuge Liang that he may attack." Jin relayed the reply; Zhuge Liang sent him back to argue that resistance was hopeless against such odds. Hao Zhao answered, "My mind is made up. I recognize you—my arrows will not." Jin withdrew. Zhuge Liang, counting tens of thousands against Hao Zhao's thousand and assuming relief would be slow, pressed the assault with ladders and rams. Hao Zhao answered with fire arrows; the ladders blazed and every man on them died. He counterweighted stone rollers with ropes and smashed the rams. Zhuge Liang raised hundred-foot towers, packed the ditch with earth to close with the walls, and Hao Zhao threw up an inner barrier behind the first. Zhuge Liang mined toward the town; Hao Zhao dug a counter-trench and blocked him. Twenty days of storm failed; when Wei reinforcements neared, Zhuge Liang lifted the siege. The court praised Hao Zhao's defense and enfeoffed him as a full marquis. When Zhao returned, the Emperor received him in audience, comforted him, and praised his service. Turning to Sun Zi, Director of the Secretariat, he said, "Your home region has men as splendid as this. If a general is so brilliant, what more have We to fear?" He planned to promote him further. Soon afterward Zhao died of illness. In his final instructions he warned his son Kai: "By serving as a general, I learned that one should not become a general. I have often opened tombs and taken their timber for siege equipment, so I know that lavish burial does the dead no good. You must enshroud me in ordinary clothes. The living have homes; the dead need none. We lie far from the family graves—bury me wherever you must."〉" Gongsun Yuan ousted his uncle Gongsun Gong as Liaodong governor and was confirmed in the post.
6
In the fourth summer month of the third year of Taihe, Prince Li of Yuancheng died. On guimao in the sixth month Prince Mu of Fanyang died. On wushen Cao Teng was posthumously titled Emperor Gao and Lady Wu as Empress Gao.
7
使殿
In autumn, in the seventh month, an edict stated: "According to ritual, when the queen has no heir, a collateral son is selected and established to continue the great ancestral line. He must then inherit the legitimate succession and uphold public righteousness; how could he still look back to private kinship? When Emperor Xuan followed Emperor Zhao on the throne he unjustly titled his father "emperor. Emperor Ai's advent unleashed Dong Hong's Qin-style sophistries—honoring a common father as emperor, twin temples in the capital, elevating a minor concubine beside the empress dowager—until Heaven turned away and worthy advisers like Shi Dan were silenced while the Ding and Fu clans burned. Later Han repeated those mistakes one reign after another. The fault for Duke Wen's illicit sacrifices fell on Xiafu Ji. Song's breach of ritual drew criticism upon Hua Yuan. Ministers are to treat past errors as a solemn warning. If an emperor ever rises from a princely house he must honor his ritual adoption above blood ties. Flatterers who urge illicit imperial honors on birth parents will die at the ministers' hands. The decree was cast on golden slips, lodged in the ancestral shrine, and written into law."
8
The Pingwang watchtower became the "Listening to Litigation" tower. The Emperor often said, "Prisons concern the lives of all under Heaven." Whenever he decided major criminal cases, he would visit in person to observe and hear them.
9
使
Until Luoyang's temple stood empty, the ancestral tablets stayed at Ye. When the temple was completed in the eleventh month, he sent the Minister of Ceremonies Han Ji with insignia to welcome from Ye the spirit tablets of Emperor Gao, the Grand Emperor, Emperor Wu, and Emperor Wen. They arrived on jichou in the twelfth month and were reverently installed in the temple. 〈Your servant Songzhi notes: In Huangchu 4, the offices memorialized to establish two temples: the Grand Emperor, who had been Grand Director of the Imperial Household, would share one temple with Emperor Wen’s high ancestor, while Emperor Wu would receive a separate temple, never to be destroyed for a hundred generations. The absence of a "high ancestor" tablet reflects destruction after generational limits ran out. Early Wei therefore maintained four generations of close ancestors only. The seven-temple system came only with Jingchu 1. Sun Sheng approved: rites demand honoring tablets like living lieges—moving them to Luoyang was proper.
10
調使調
On guimao the Kushana lord Bodiao sent tribute and received the title "Yuezhi king allied to Wei."
11
退 使 使
In the fourth year, spring, second month, on day renwu an edict stated: "The age's plainness or refinement follows teaching in changing. War had extinguished classical studies—young men chased careers outside the canon. Had moral education failed—or did appointments ignore virtue? Court clerks who prove mastery of one classic and aptitude for magistracy—after examination promote the top scorers at once. Dismiss every candidate of empty cleverness who neglects the roots of learning." On wuzi the Grand Tutor and three dukes were told to engrave Cao Pi's Dian Lun and set the stele before the temple gates. On guisi Cao Zhen became grand marshal, Sima Yi grand general, and Gongsun Yuan general of chariots and cavalry. Grand Tutor Zhong Yao died in the fourth summer month. On wuzi in the sixth month Lady Bian, the grand empress dowager, died. On bingshen Shangyong commandery was suppressed. In the seventh autumn month Empress Dowager Wuxuan was laid beside Emperor Wu at Gaoling. He sent Cao Zhen and Sima Yi west against Shu. On xinsi he began an eastern tour and offered a black ox at Mount Song. 〈The Wei Shu adds that at Fanchang Zang Ba officiated as grand commandant and sacrificed at the Wei enthronement mound. Pei cites Han Ji: Emperor Zhang once ordered sacrifice at an old accession terrace. Pei wonders why one worships an empty platform when Heaven is not confined to bricks—precedent does not clarify the rite. On yiwei the progress reached Xuchang. September floods on the Yi, Luo, Yellow, and Han forced the Shu expedition to turn back. On yimao in the tenth winter month the court was back in Luoyang. On gengshen an order stated: "Noncapital crimes could be redeemed for graded fines." In November Venus passed Jupiter—an ominous conjunction. On twelfth-month xinwei Lady Zhen was moved to Chaoyang tomb. On bingyin ministers were told to nominate worthy candidates.
12
退 使
In the first month of spring in the fifth year the emperor performed the spring plowing rite in the sacred field. In the third month Grand Marshal Cao Zhen died. When Zhuge Liang struck Tianshui, Sima Yi was ordered to hold the line. From the previous winter's tenth month through this month no rain fell; on xinsi the court performed a great rain sacrifice. That summer Xianbei Attached-to-Righteousness King Kebineng brought his tribes and Dingling chief Erdan to You Province with tribute horses. The office of Protector of the Xiongnu Commandant was reinstated. On bingzi in the seventh autumn month, with Zhuge Liang in retreat, titles and promotions were awarded according to merit. The Wei Shu states: When Zhuge Liang first marched out, advisers argued that his army carried no baggage train, grain would soon fail, and it would collapse without a fight—there was no need to weary the troops; Others proposed reaping the standing wheat around Shanggui to deny the enemy food; the emperor rejected every such plan. Reinforcements were sent repeatedly to Sima Yi's army, and orders were issued to guard the wheat. Sima Yi and Zhuge Liang faced each other in stalemate, and this wheat became the army's grain supply. On yiyou the imperial son Yin was born and a general amnesty was issued.
13
使
In the eighth month, an edict stated: "In antiquity, the feudal lords made court visits and missions of inquiry; this was how kinship was strengthened and the myriad states were brought into harmony. Cao Pi had barred imperial brothers from the capital lest regencies invite faction—the policy guarded against gradual usurpation. Twelve years without seeing his brothers—the emperor confessed how sorely he missed them. Each prince and dynastic marquis was to send one legitimate heir to the capital for audience. Whenever a child emperor and a dowager ruled, the old rule would apply and be spelled out in law." On yiyou in the eleventh month the moon occluded the brightest star in the Xuanyuan constellation. Month-end on the wuxu cycle brought an eclipse of the sun. On twelfth-month jiachen the moon passed Saturn. On wuwu Grand Commandant Hua Xin died.
14
殿 233 祿
In the second month of spring in the sixth year an edict declared: "Ancient emperors and kings enfeoffed feudal lords to shield the royal house. Does not the Odes say, 'With nurturing virtue comes peace; the scion sons are the wall'? Qin and Han succeeded Zhou, now strong and now weak, and both lost the proper balance. When Great Wei began the enterprise, princes received kingdoms as circumstances required, without fixed rules—not a permanent model for later ages. Henceforth all enfeoffed princes shall take commanderies as their states." On youxi in the third month the court toured east, inquiring after the aged and the bereft along the route and granting grain and cloth. On yihai the moon occulted the great star of the Xuanyuan constellation. On renyin in the fourth summer month the court moved to Xuchang. On jiazi the first offering of new fruit was made at the temple. In the fifth month Prince Yin died and was posthumously enfeoffed as Prince Ai of Anping. In the seventh autumn month Dong Zhao was promoted from commandant of the guards to minister of education. In the ninth month the court visited Mobei, repaired Xuchang palace, and built the Jingfu and Chengguang halls. That winter Tian Yu, general who Exterminates the Yi, led troops against Wu's Zhou He at Chengshan and killed him. On bingyin in November Venus appeared in daylight. A broom star appeared in the Wings, near the senior general star in the Supreme Palace Enclosure. On gengyin Cao Zhi, Prince of Chensi, died. In December the court returned to Xuchang. In the first year of Qinglong, spring, first month, on the jiashen day an azure dragon appeared in the well at Mobei in Jia. On dingyou in the second month he went to Mobei to view the dragon, and the era name was changed; Mobei was renamed Long Slope, common men received two ranks of nobility, and widowers, widows, orphans, and solitaries were exempted from this year's land tax. On jiazi in the third month the court ordered each duke and minister to recommend one man of worthy and upright conduct. On renshen in the fifth summer month the court ordered sacrifice at Cao Cao's temple for Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren, and Cheng Yu. The Wei Shu records the edict: "Former kings' ritual honored living ministers with rank and stipend and sacrificed to the dead at the Great Offering; Han therefore enshrined its ministers in the temple court. Great Wei's founding ministers of outstanding merit and unblemished service shall all be sacrificed to according to ritual." Thereupon Dun and the others received joint sacrifice. On wuyin Prince Rui of Beihai died. On the first day of the intercalary month, gengyin, there was a solar eclipse. On dingyou all imperial clan daughters who were not daughters of kings were enfeoffed as district mistresses. An edict forbade sacrifice to mountains and rivers in the commanderies and kingdoms not listed in the sacrificial canon. In the sixth month Luoyang palace's ball-court chamber burned.
15
使
While peacekeeping Xianbei chief Buzhugen secretly dealt with rebel chief Kebineng, Bing governor Bi Gui sought to threaten Kebineng abroad and reassure Buzhugen at home. The Emperor reviewed the memorial and said, "Buzhugen believes himself enticed by Kebineng and harbors doubt toward himself. Dispatching troops would only scare both factions into uniting—hardly a policy of divide and rule." He wired Bi Gui that no column was to advance beyond Gouzhu. The order arrived too late—Bi had already moved to Yinguan and sent Su Shang and Dong Bi in pursuit. Kebineng's son escorted Buzhugen's people with a thousand horse and met the Wei generals at Loufan—both Wei commanders died. Buzhugen's people bolted through the passes and joined Kebineng in border raids. Qin Lang led the central host against them and drove the tribes into the northern sands.
16
姿
That autumn Anding's peacekeeping Xiongnu chiefs rose; Sima Yi sent Hu Zun to crush and accept their surrender.
17
祿使 祿 祿 祿 使 便 西 祿使
In the tenth winter month Xianbei leaders under Buzhugen submitted at Bingzhou and Qin Lang withdrew. 〈The Wei Shi Chunqiu identifies Qin Lang as Yuanming of Xinjin. The Xiandi Zhuan adds that his father Qin Yilu served Lu Bu as envoy to Yuan Shu and married a Han princess. His first wife Lady Du stayed behind in Xiapi. During Lu Bu's siege Guan Yu begged Cao Cao for Lady Du; Cao Cao suspected her beauty and kept her when the city fell. After surrendering, Qin Yilu was made magistrate of Zhi. When Liu Bei fled to Xiaopei, Zhang Fei followed him. As he passed, he said to Yilu, "Another man took your wife, and yet you serve as his subordinate. How can you be so foolish! Come away with us?" Qin Yilu followed a few miles, tried to turn back, and Zhang Fei cut him down. Lang was raised with his mother in the duke's palace, and Taizu loved him dearly. Whenever he was seated among guests, he would say to them, "Is there anyone who loves a foster son as I do?" The Wei Lue says he drifted among the princes yet offended neither Cao Cao nor Cao Pi. Emperor Ming brought him inside as valiant-cavalry general and attendant—always at the emperor's stirrup. Mingdi loved harsh justice—minor faults earned death; Qin Lang never checked him nor recommended good men, yet the emperor loved him for it. He called him by his pet name Asu, showered gifts, and built him a palace mansion. Everyone knew he was useless, but proximity to the throne brought bribes equal to a noble's fortune. His son Qin Xiu, blunt and upright, later served as Jin Wudi's erudite. The Wei Lue pairs Qin Lang with Kong Gui among favorite sycophants. Kong Gui, courtesy Shulin, came from Tianshui. Early in Jian'an he ran errands for Yang Qiu to Cao Cao and won appointment as commandant of cavalry. Slick and skilled at weiqi and kickball, he became Cao Cao's constant companion. He watched Cao Cao's moods and slipped in requests when he was merry—winning gifts until he lived like a lord. Once Cao Cao favored him, Cao Pi and the other princes courted him too. Seeing Cao Cao hesitate between heirs and favor Cao Zhi of Linzi, Kong Gui shifted to Cao Zhi and snubbed Cao Pi—who never forgave him. Cao Pi became king before he could settle scores with Kong Gui. Huangchu 1 brought routine promotion to commandant of the coachmen. He took Western Regions bribes to fix appointments. Exposed, he was arrested and executed. Yu Huan warns that rulers must not sell offices nor ministers take empty pay—else integrity rots within and without. Favorites who flatter the throne create honor without virtue and salaries without merit—no wonder honest men fade and knaves multiply. If even cautious Cao Cao and strict Mingdi bred such men, what of lesser courts?
18
使
In December Gongsun Yuan sent Sun Quan's envoys Zhang Mi and Xu Yan's heads to Luoyang and received grand marshal and Duke of Lelang. 〈Bi Gui reportedly offered a 350-year-old Xianbei slave of Fan Mingyou who ate and spoke like any man. The slave said: "Huo Xian was Guang's junior wife after his principal wife died. Fan Mingyou's wife was a daughter of Huo Guang's first wife." The Bowuzhi tells of a glutton in the capital who ate for ten and grew immobile. His father, a transferred official, left him to be fed by county hosts. Within two years he beggared the whole district. The Fu Zi records a living woman unearthed from a Taiyuan tomb. Sent to Luoyang, she remembered nothing of her past. The mound's trees were only thirty years old—had she lain underground three decades? Or had she revived overnight when grave robbers broke in?
19
使 殿 使使使 祿 使 祿 西 退祿
On yiwei in the second spring month Venus passed Mars. On guiyou, an edict stated: "Flogging as an official punishment is meant to correct slackness and negligence, yet recently many innocent people have died from it. Flogging rules were to be softened and codified." On third-month gengyin Emperor Xian died; Mingdi mourned in white and sent officers to manage the rites. On jiyou came a general amnesty. Summer brought a terrible plague. Fire destroyed Chonghua Hall. On bingyin officials sacrificed an ox at Cao Pi's shrine. The abdicated Han sovereign received posthumous title Emperor Xiaoxian and a Han-style burial. 〈The Xiandi Zhuan states that the Emperor changed garments, led the ministers in weeping, sent He Qia, acting Minister of Education and Minister of Ceremonies, with credentials to condole and sacrifice, and also sent Cui Lin, acting Minister of Works and Grand Minister of Agriculture, with credentials to supervise the funeral arrangements. An edict stated: "The affairs of the Five Emperors are remote, yet Confucius greatly praised the lofty and expansive achievements of Yao and Shun because abdication and succession are noble affairs of the great sages. The Duke of Shanyang deeply understood that Heaven's mandate had come to its lasting end, and he yielded the throne to Emperor Wen in obedience to Heaven's command. The late Emperor ordered the Duke to observe the Han calendar in his state, to sacrifice to Heaven and his ancestors with the rites of the Son of Heaven, and to speak on affairs without calling himself a subject. This is the meaning of Shun serving Yao. In former times, when Fangxun died, the four seas mourned as though they had lost father and mother, and the eight kinds of music were silenced, making clear that funeral and burial rites were the same as for a king. Now the officials memorialize that the mourning rites should be made equivalent to those of the feudal kings. Is this truly an ancient surviving institution and the late Emperor's deepest intent? Now We posthumously title the Duke Emperor Xiaoxian of Han." He ordered the Grand Commandant to present a full sacrificial victim and make announcement at Emperor Wen's temple, saying: "Rui has heard that ritual returns to the root and seeks good fortune, not forgetting its beginning. Therefore rulers of former ages honored the honored and treated kin as kin, giving special regard to relatives. Now the Duke of Shanyang has fallen ill and abandoned his state, and the officials propose that the mourning observances be regarded as those for a feudal king. Rui reflects that the Duke of Shanyang formerly knew that Heaven's mandate had come to a lasting end with him, and deeply perceived that the cycles of succession truly rested in the sage person. He transmitted the throne and yielded his position, honoring the ruler of Our people. This was a noble deed of Taotang virtue. When Huangchu received the end, the Duke was ordered to observe the Han calendar in his state; his sacrifices to Heaven and ancestors, rites and music, and institutions all followed the old Han precedents. This too is the meaning of Shun and Yu in the Bright Hall. Looking upward to examine the first beginning, the imperial standard was thereby established; its radiant and capable yielding is nowhere clearer than here. A son takes continuing his father's intent and inheriting his instruction as filial piety; a minister takes matching the mandate and reverently recounting it as loyalty. Thus the Poetry says, 'Do not hasten your plans; pursue the filial duty that comes after,' and the Documents says, 'The former men received the mandate; here we do not forget their great merit.' How would Rui dare not uphold and receive the splendid canon, so as to make manifest the spirit of his August Father? Now We posthumously title the Duke of Shanyang Emperor Xiaoxian and confer on him the patent, seals, and ribbons. Let the Minister of Education and Minister of Works carry credentials to condole, sacrifice, and supervise the funeral, with the Minister of the Household and Grand Herald as deputies; let the Master Builder and General Who Restores the Earth construct and complete the tomb, and let the hundred officials and assembled clerks, the carriages, banners, clothing, insignia, funeral and burial rites, all follow Han precedent; the expenses supplied for the officials at the funeral and burial shall all be charged to the Grand Minister of Agriculture. Establish his later heir as Duke of Shanyang, to connect the Three Systems and forever be Wei's guest." Thereupon the posthumous patent read: "Alas! In former times August Heaven sent calamity upon Han, allowing the rebellious minister Dong Zhuo to spread his savage cruelty, burn and destroy the capital, and abduct and move the imperial carriage. Chaos followed across the realm. The Han emperor fled west, then settled at Luoyang. He sought advisers, moved court to Xu, and relied on Cao Cao. Eighteen years of campaigns crushed the warlords and pacified the nine provinces. He rewarded merit by founding Wei. Then it reached Emperor Wen, whose sage virtue was broad and deep, whose humane reputation flowed on every side, who could soothe the distant and draw near the close, and to whose righteousness peoples of different customs turned. The essence of Heaven delivered the throne, the spirit of Earth sent forth its radiance, and when the jade balance was examined to the limit, he truly answered the cycles, accorded with the proper measures, and satisfied the mind of the Lord on High. Cao Pi needed no Yao-Shun ceremony—Heaven crowned him. The mandate passed to Mingdi himself. We have heard that in former times Emperor Yao, after the Yuan and Kai had been promoted and before the violent clans had yet been banished, raised Shun to oversee the hundred offices. Only then were the offices ordered in due season, the inner realm pacified and outer affairs completed; he granted the throne in the Bright Hall and withdrew to the end of Heaven's allotment. Thus his virtue crowned the hundred kings, and his merit stood higher than the peaks. Seven cycles later Han's mandate returned to Wei. When one reflects on his doubled radiance, his succession to the Xianchi music and continuation of the Shao and Xia, he surpassed the distant traces of the assembled rulers and left far behind the shamed virtue of Shang and Zhou. This may be called lofty brightness and a good end, the flourishing perfection of brilliant and vast achievement. Who but a cosmic harmony of Han and Wei could achieve such virtue? We reflect that Xiaoxian did not enjoy long years. Reverently following the final charge, examining the canons and counsels, and respectfully recounting the lingering intent of Our August Father's spirit, We expand and exalt the great posthumous title and bring to completion his sage beauty, in order to display the grandeur of this rare concord and transmit imperishable glory for ten thousand ages. May the spirit approve this bounty. Alas—the ritual cry of mourning." On eighth-month renshen he was buried at Shanling in Shanyang with an endowed tomb precinct. At the funeral Mingdi donned tin-hemp mourning and wept as for a true parent. His heir's grandson, Marquis Kang of Guishi, succeeded as Duke of Shanyang.
20
退 使 使 使
Zhuge Liang emerged from Xie Valley onto the Wei south bank; Sima Yi confronted him. An edict told Sima Yi: "Simply hold firm behind your walls and defend, in order to blunt his edge. If he advances, he cannot achieve his aim; if he retreats, no one will fight him. If he remains for long, his grain will be exhausted, and if he gains nothing by raiding and plundering, he will surely flee. Strike him in retreat while your men are fresh—that is total victory." 〈The Wei Shi Chunqiu says Zhuge Liang taunted Sima Yi with letters and women's hats. When Sima Yi tried to fight, Xin Pi arrived with an imperial staff and held him to the defensive. Sima Yi asked Zhuge Liang's envoy only about diet and workload—not war. The envoy replied: "Lord Zhuge rises early and sleeps late; for punishments of twenty strokes or more he personally reviews each; what he eats is no more than a few sheng of grain a day." Sima Yi answered: "He is killing himself—how long can he last?"〉
21
滿 西 退 西 使
In May Venus appeared in daylight. Sun Quan threatened Hefei while Lu Xun and Sun Shao drove up the Huai. In June Man Chong marched to meet him. Chong wished to withdraw the garrison from Xincheng and draw the bandits to Shouchun, but the Emperor would not agree and said: "Formerly Emperor Guangwu of Han sent troops to hold Lüeyang from afar and in the end defeated Wei Ao. The late Emperor established Hefei in the east, guarded Xiangyang in the south, and secured Mount Qi in the west. Whenever the bandits came, they were defeated below those three cities, because these were places that had to be contested. Sun Quan could not crack New Hefei even if he tried. Hold the walls—Mingdi would sail east himself and expected Sun Quan to run." On autumn renyin Mingdi took the dragon fleet east; Sun Quan fled before the imperial host neared, and Wu's generals followed. Courtiers wanted the emperor to rush west to Zhuge Liang's front. The Emperor said: "Quan has fled—Liang's courage is broken—the Grand General controls him—We have no worry." He proceeded to Shouchun and handed out battle honors. On jiwei he reviewed the armies and sent gifts to Hefei and Shouchun. On xinsi the court returned to Xuchang.
22
退
Sima Yi refused Zhuge Liang's taunts and stayed entrenched. Zhuge Liang's death broke the siege.
23
On winter yichou the moon passed Saturn and Xuanyuan. On wuyin the moon occulted Venus. November brought a southeast earthquake to Luoyang. In December capital statutes were trimmed to spare more convicts.
24
西
On wuzi in spring of the third year of Qinglong Sima Yi became grand commandant. On jihai Shuofang commandery was revived. Plague ravaged Luoyang. On dingsi Empress Dowager Guo died. On yihai a meteorite struck Shouguang. In third-month gengyin Lady Guo was buried west of Shouyang per her modest burial wishes. 〈Gu Kaizhi tells of a woman revived from an ancient Zhou tomb. She looked about twenty. Empress Dowager Guo adopted her at Luoyang. When the empress dowager died a decade later, the girl grieved herself to death within a year.
25
殿 殿 殿 使 殿 使 西 姿 輿
Luoyang's palace sprouted Zhaoyang, Taiji, and the Zongzhang viewing tower. Palace labor stole the sowing season; Yang Fu and Gaotang Long protested relentlessly—Mingdi heard them out politely if not obediently. 〈The Wei Lue describes Taiji and a ten-zhang Zongzhang tower topped by a phoenix. Fanglin Garden gained pools for boating and song. Eight courts housed ranked concubines whose stipends mirrored the civil list. He ran the court from the harem—six female clerks vetted memorials while thousands of attendants filled the inner palace. They plumbed the Gu past Jiulong Hall with jade-faced wells and bronze dragon fountains. Ma Jun built a south-pointing carriage and water-powered automata. New Year's shows aped Western Han pageantry; screens rose outside Changhe Gate. Zhang Mao noted wars abroad while Mingdi poured the treasury into ornament. The edict also registered and seized women of military households who had already married officials or commoners, returning them to be assigned to soldiers. Although they were allowed to redeem themselves with captives of matching age, those with beauty and bearing were selected and brought into the Rear Palace. He therefore submitted a memorial remonstrating, saying: "Your servant has humbly seen the edict: all women of military households who have married men outside that status are to be registered and seized, and assigned to fighting men. This is indeed a temporary expedient, but it is not the best way to carry out great transformation. Your servant requests permission to discuss this. Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven; the common people, officials, and subjects are also Your Majesty's children. In ritual, gifts to gentlemen and petty men are not given on the same day; this is how noble and base are distinguished. Officials belong among gentlemen, and soldiers are petty men. To seize from those men and give to these is no different from taking an elder brother's wife and making her the younger brother's wife; it is partial in the kindness of a parent. The edict further permits them to substitute living captives whose age and appearance match their wives. Therefore the wealthy exhaust their households and spend all their property, while the poor borrow and buy on credit, purchasing captives at high prices in order to ransom their wives; the county officials use assignment to soldiers as the pretext, but in fact send them into the Rear Palace, while only the ugly ones are brought out and given to soldiers. Those who receive wives do not necessarily feel joy, while those who lose wives certainly show grief; whether impoverished or sorrowing, none achieve what they wish. As for a ruler who possesses the realm but cannot win the joyful hearts of the ten thousand surnames, few such rulers avoid danger. Moreover, the armies and commanders outside number many tens of thousands, and a single day's expense is not merely a thousand in gold. Even if the revenues of the whole realm were raised to support this campaign, they would still be insufficient. How much more when there are also unregistered women in the palace, and the Pepper Chamber and houses of the empress dowager send out rewards and gifts extravagantly; inside and outside they draw upon one another, and their cost is half that of the army. In former times Emperor Wu of Han loved immortals, trusted masters of recipes, dug the earth to make seas, and heaped soil to make mountains; he relied only on the fact that in that time the realm was unified, and none dared compete with him. Since decline and disorder began, forty or fifty years have passed. Horses have not left their saddles, and soldiers have not put aside their armor. With every battle, blood has flowed red across the fields, and the cries of the wounded and pained have not ceased even now. Still there are strong enemies on the borders, plotting danger against the Wei house. Your Majesty does not proceed with fear and diligence, think of honoring frugality, or consider how to bring peace to the realm; instead You devote Yourself to extravagance and luxury, and the Central Imperial Workshops make only playthings to dazzle the rear garden and build dew-receiving basins. This truly delights the eyes and ears, yet it is also enough to let enemies and foes give free rein to their ambitions. Alas, to abandon the frugality of Yao and Shun and perform the extravagant works of Emperor Wu of Han is something Your servant privately cannot approve for Your Majesty. May Your Majesty issue a sweeping edict: among the affairs of state, remove completely whatever has no benefit and causes harm. Use the expenses saved by removing useless things to give generous rewards to the hungry and cold parents, wives, and children of the officers and soldiers; ask what the people suffer from and remove what they hate; fill the granaries, repair armor and weapons, and face the realm with reverent respect. If this is done, the Wu rebels will bind themselves face-forward, and the Shu captives will come with coffins in their carts. Without waiting to be punished, they will submit of themselves, and the road to Great Peace can be awaited by counting the days. Wise rule would let generals rest. Zhang Mao cited his earlier promotion for frank counsel. Silence now would brand his own essays hypocrisy. At fifty he feared dying disloyal if he stayed mute." When the memorial had passed through, the Emperor looked to left and right and said, "Zhang Mao relies on fellow-townsmen ties." He routed it to petty bureaucrats and forgot it. Zhang Mao, courtesy Yanlin, was a native of Pei.
26
殿 殿 西 西 宿 西 鹿 使宿滿
After Chonghua burned, on gengwu he named Princes Fang and Xun of Qi and Qin. On dingsi the court returned to Luoyang. Chonghua rose again as Jiulong Hall. On winter jiyou Prince Gun of Zhongshan died. On renshen Venus shone at noon. On dingyou in November he moved court to Xuchang. 〈A Zhangye flood allegedly revealed a tortoise-shaped chart stone. Seven stone horses—some riders, some unfinished. Jade fittings and inscriptions surrounded it. Carvings placed omens on four sides—azure beasts and horses. One legend read 'Highest Three Heaven Kings.' Another prophetic string promised Wei would fall to 'great metal'—catering to Jin propaganda. The omens stacked 'center' and 'metal' glyphs. Shapes echoed trigrams and constellations. The Shi Yu adds a rooster carving. The Soushen Ji says that at first, in the reigns of Yuan and Cheng of Han, men of foresight said that in a year with 'he' for Wei, there would be an opened stone more than three thousand li to the west, linked with five horses, bearing the text 'greatly punish Cao.' When Wei first rose, in Willow Valley of Zhangye there was such an opened stone. It first appeared in Jian'an, took shape in Huangchu, and its text was complete in Taihe. Around it measured seven xun, the center rose one ren high; its dark-blue substance had white markings, and images of dragon-horses, a unicorn-deer, a phoenix, and immortals were all brilliantly visible. This one affair was a sign that Wei and Jin would rise in succession. In the third year of Taishi, Jiao Sheng re-measured the glyphs against older rubbings. Examining its text, there were images of five horses; on one, a man wearing a flat-topped kerchief held a halberd and rode it; one had something like the shape of a horse but was incomplete. Its characters included 'metal,' 'center,' 'Grand Marshal,' 'king,' 'great fortune,' 'correct,' and 'open longevity.' One line read, 'Metal shall take it.' The Han Jin Chunqiu says that at night at the mouth of Great Willow Valley in Dichi County, surging waves swelled up with a sound like thunder. At dawn there was a blue stone standing in the water, one zhang and six chi long and eight chi high; white stone marked it with images of thirteen horses, one ox, one bird, the eight trigrams, and a jade jue, all raised in relief. Its text read, 'Greatly punish Cao; fittingly in the water; jiayin.' The Emperor hated the character 'punish,' so he had it chiseled away and changed to 'calculate,' and blocked it with blue stone; overnight it was filled with white stone. By the beginning of Jin, its text had grown still clearer, and the horse images all shone through like jade.〉
27
Spring omens: Venus by day, lunar occultations, and entry into Taiwei. Summer founded Chongwen Hall for literati. On yimao in May Dong Zhao died. On dingsi Sushen envoys brought birch-bark arrows.
28
使 使
On renshen in the sixth month, an edict stated: "The Youyu clan painted images, and the people did not offend; the people of Zhou set punishments aside, and did not need to use them. Following at the end of the hundred kings, We look back toward the customs of high antiquity. How vast is the distance between them and Us! As laws and commands become more numerous, offenders grow still more many; punishments increase, yet treachery cannot be stopped. Earlier, in examining the statutes for capital punishment, We removed many provisions, thinking to save the lives of the people. This was Our deepest intent. Yet in the commanderies and kingdoms, those who die in prison still exceed several hundred in a single year. Is Our instruction not pure enough, causing the people to treat crimes lightly, or do harsh laws still remain and serve as traps for them? Let the officials deliberate on criminal cases and delay executions, striving to follow breadth and simplicity. When people beg for grace, sometimes the prison has already reported judgment before their words have even emerged; this is not the way to exhaust the principle and fully consider the facts. Let the Commandant of Justice and all prison officials throughout the realm, whenever a capital case has been fully tried and decided, except in cases of rebellion or killing someone by one's own hand, urgently inform the offender's relatives of the proceedings. If anyone begs for grace, have the petition sent up together with the documents memorializing the proper judgment; We will consider how to preserve the person. Publish this throughout the realm, so that Our intent is made clear."
29
使
That seventh month King Gong of Gaogouli sent the heads of Sun Quan's envoys Hu Wei and others to You Province. On jiayin Venus passed the great star of the Xuanyuan constellation. On jimao in the tenth winter month the court returned to Luoyang. On jiashen a broom star appeared in the Great Fire asterism; on yiyou another appeared in the east. On jihai in November a comet appeared and passed the Celestial Record star in the Eunuch constellation. On guisi in December Minister of Works Chen Qun died. On yiwei the court moved to Xuchang.
30
礿
On Jingchu renchen Shanzhi reported a yellow dragon omen. 〈Phonetic gloss for the place-name character (fanqie: shi plus li).〉 Officials argued Wei held 'earth' phase and should begin the year in jianchou (twelfth month). They reset the calendar so summer's first month opened the year. 〈Cao Pi had kept Han's calendar after abdication. As heir Mingdi had already argued new dynasties need new calendars. After he took the throne he hesitated for a long time. The historians again wrote that the change should be made, so he ordered the Three Dukes, Specially Advanced officials, Nine Ministers, Gentlemen-of-the-Household Generals, grandees, Erudites, Gentlemen Consultants, and officials of the thousand- and six-hundred-bushel ranks to debate it broadly; the debaters did not all agree. Relying on the ancient classics, the Emperor issued an edict on jiazi, saying: "The Grand Ultimate moves the three luminaries and five planets above; primal qi turns the three systems and five phases below. They rise and descend, circle and revolve; when they end, they begin again. Confucius' Annals honored three competing calendar starts. Wei matched the earth 'tong'—year must begin in jianchou. Canon backed the reform. Qinglong 5 month 3 became Jingchu 1 month 4."〉" Court dress yellow, victims white, war horses black-maned white, banners scarlet for court and white for martial display. 〈Pei notes earth element dictated yellow robes. Animal and banner colors followed Yin precedent under jianchou. The Record of Rites states: "The Xia dynasty esteemed black—therefore military affairs rode black horses and victims used dark blood; Yin favored white horses and white victims. Zhou preferred sorrel mounts and chestnut victims." Zheng Xuan states: "The Xia took jianyin as correct—things' born color is black; Yin's white matched sprouting under jianchou. Zhou's red matched buds under jianzi. Han' glosses as white—the Zhou Yi cites white horses.' The Office of the Master of Chariots in the Zhou li says, 'Raise the Great Scarlet for court audiences,' and the Great White when going to war. Thus Zhou used the banner of its proper color at court, and the banner of a former dynasty for warfare. Wei inverted Zhou: white at peace, scarlet in war—per Yin. [Calendar heading:] Amendment. 〈From the Dahe calendar treatise.〉 It reads 〈to the Jingchu calendar treatise.〉 Seasonal rites still tracked the old dipper month despite civil date shift.
31
On jisi in May the court returned to Luoyang. On jichou came amnesty. On sixth-month wushen Luoyang quaked. On jihai Chen Jiao became minister of education and Wei Zhen minister of works. On dingwei new Shangyong commandery was carved from three counties. Xi commandery was folded and its seat joined Weixing.
32
Cao Cao's temple music was Wushi. Cao Pi's shrine used Xianxi. Mingdi claimed Liezu with Zhangwu choreography. Three eternal shrines plus rotating four—mirroring Zhou geneology rules. 〈Sun Sheng scolds premature temple honors. Living rulers should not name themselves founding ancestors. Sun Sheng compares Mingdi to notorious precedents of vanity.
33
退 使 西
On dingmao in the seventh autumn month Minister of Education Chen Jiao died. Sun Quan sent Zhu Ran with twenty thousand men to besiege Jiangxia; Jing governor Hu Zhi drove them off and Zhu Ran retreated. Earlier Sun Quan had sent envoys by sea to Gaogouli, planning a strike on Liaodong. Guanqiu Jian of You Province was sent with allied Xianbei and Wuhuan to camp on Liaodong's southern border, and an imperial sealed edict summoned Gongsun Yuan. Gongsun Yuan rebelled; Guanqiu Jian marched against him, but ten days of rain swelled the Liao River and an edict recalled his army. Wuhuan chanyu Koulou Dun of Right Beiping and Wuhuan director Wang Huli, both settled in Liaodong, led their people to submit and follow Guanqiu Jian inward. On jimao an edict fully pardoned Liaodong officials, soldiers, and commoners coerced by Gongsun Yuan who had been unable to surrender. On xinmao Venus appeared in daylight. Once Guanqiu Jian withdrew, Gongsun Yuan declared himself King of Yan, set up a full bureaucracy, and proclaimed the first year of Succession to Han.
34
殿 西使 殿 輿 使穿 使 使
Four northern provinces mass-produced war junks. September floods brought imperial grain relief. On gengchen Empress Mao passed away. On winter dingwei the moon occulted Mars. On guichou Lady Mao was buried at Minling. On yimao he shaped southern Weisu hill into Heaven's round altar. 〈The Wei Shu records an edict: "When emperors and kings receive the mandate, none fails reverently to follow Heaven and Earth in order to make the spirits manifest, and to honor the sacrificial succession in order to display merit and virtue. Therefore, once the canons of former dynasties had been made clear, the regulations for the di sacrifice, the suburban sacrifice, and the ancestral temples were complete. At the beginning of Han, after Qin had destroyed learning, the court gathered broken remnants to supply the suburban sacrifices. From Ganquan and Houtu to the five shrines at Yong Palace, many spirit sites and ritual positions were not found in the classics; institutions therefore lacked constancy, shifting from one practice to another, and for more than four hundred years the di sacrifice was abandoned. Ancient recovery remained flawed. Wei claimed descent from Shun—Heaven's altar honored Shun as counterpart. Earth's altar paired Lady Yi. Southern suburb matched Cao Cao. Northern suburb matched Lady Bian. The Bright Hall paired Cao Pi with High God." Jin later fused the dual earth-heaven sites. Winter solstice renzi saw the first new ritual. On dingsi four Xiangyang counties—Linju, Yicheng, Jingyang, and Yi (graph splits across sentences)—were partitioned. 〈Phonetic gloss for the county name (fanqie: qi plus ji syllables).〉 Those four counties formed southern Xiangyang command. On jiwei officials asked a capital shrine for Lady Zhen. Ru and Ye moved from Xiangyang to Yiyang. 〈Wei looted Han bronze monuments from Chang'an. The dew dish snapped; giants stayed at Ba. They recast bronze into two Wengzhong statues by Sima Gate. Monumental dragon and phoenix bronzes flanked the inner court. Ministers packed earth for an imperial hunting mound in Fanglin. Legend says the Han bells shattered en route and wept bronze tears. The Wei Lue records that Dong Xun of Hedong, Staff Counselor for Military Deliberations under the Minister of Education, submitted a memorial remonstrating, saying: "Your servant has heard that upright officers of antiquity spoke fully for the state and did not avoid death. Thus Zhou Chang compared Emperor Gaozu to Jie and Zhou, and Liu Fu likened Empress Zhao to a slave woman. When Heaven gives birth to loyal and upright men, they go forward without looking back even before bare blades and boiling cauldrons, truly because they cherish the realm for the ruler of their time. Since the Jian'an era, men have died in field battles; some gates and households have been exhausted entirely, and even where survivors remain, they are orphaned children and weak elders. If the palace buildings are now cramped and should be enlarged, it would still be proper to follow the seasons and not hinder farming. How much more, then, when making useless things: yellow dragons, phoenixes, Nine Dragon and dew-receiving basins, earthen hills, and deep pools. These are all things that a sage and enlightened ruler would not raise, and their labor is several times that of palace halls. The Three Dukes, Nine Ministers, Palace Attendants, and Masters of Writing, the most virtuous men in the realm, all know this is not the Way but dare not speak, because Your Majesty is still in the vigor of youth and they fear thunderous wrath. Now Your Majesty has honored the assembled ministers, making them prominent with caps and sashes, clothing them in patterned embroidery, and carrying them in splendid carriages, thereby distinguishing them from petty men; yet You make them dig pits and carry earth, their faces black with grime, their bodies stained and their feet muddied, their robes and caps in disarray. To ruin the state's splendor in order to exalt useless things is very far from what is right. Confucius said: 'The ruler employs his ministers with ritual; ministers serve their ruler with loyalty.' Without loyalty and without ritual, how can a state stand! Therefore when a ruler is not rulerly and ministers are not ministerial, above and below do not communicate and resentment knots in the heart; yin and yang are made disharmonious, disasters repeatedly descend, and violent and wicked men rise by exploiting the gaps. Who ought to speak fully to Your Majesty about this? And who ought to affront the lord of ten thousand chariots, treating death as a game? Your servant knows that once these words leave his mouth he must die, yet your servant compares himself to one hair on an ox: if he lives there is no benefit, and if he dies what harm is there? Holding the brush, I shed tears; in my heart I bid farewell to the world. Your servant has eight sons; after your servant dies, they will burden Your Majesty!" He purified himself before submitting. When it had passed through the Emperor said, "Does Dong Xun not fear death!" Censors wanted him arrested—the emperor spared him. Dong Xun later ruled Beiqiu honestly.
35
使 宿退
Jingchu 2 opened with Sima Yi's Liaodong expedition. 〈Gan Bao's Jin Ji states: The Emperor asked Sima Yi, "How do you estimate Yuan will plan to await you?" Sima Yi replied: "If Yuan abandons the city and flees beforehand—that is the best plan; Second: defend the Liao River. If he only sits in Xiangping, we will bag him like game." The Emperor said, "Which of the three stratagems will he choose?" He replied, "Sima Yi expected Yuan to lack foresight—long supply lines would force him to hold the Liao first, then the walls." The Emperor said, "How long is the full campaign?" He replied: "Go one hundred days, attack one hundred days; One hundred back plus sixty rest—twelve months all told." Wei Mingchen Zou records a memorial by He Zeng, Palace Attendant, saying: "Your servant has heard that when the former kings established laws, they were always complete and cautious. Thus when they created offices and assigned responsibilities, they set up acting assistants; when they deployed armies and appointed generals, they established supervisors and deputies; when they proclaimed orders and dispatched envoys, they provided aides and seconds; and when they faced the enemy and crossed blades, they had supporting riders on the right. This was to exhaust the work of planning and thought, and to guard against changes between safety and danger. Seconds cover emergencies—true defense runs deep. Han followed the same rule. Han Xin had Zhang Er as deputy against Zhao. Ma Yuan took Liu Long on the southern campaign. Precedent fills the histories. Now Yi has received the command to punish guilt, with tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry. The roads are winding and obstructed, more than four thousand li; even borrowing Heaven's majesty, there may be campaigning without battle, and the bandit may hide and flee, scattering the months and days, so that the term of the command has no fixed end. Men are not metal or stone; with distant plans, detailed preparations are truly needed, and there should be a deputy. Now the generals on the northern frontier and those whom Yi commands are all colleagues and subordinates; their rank and position are not distinct, and ordinarily there is no settled division. If a sudden emergency occurs, they will not be able to restrain and direct one another. Not forgetting death while alive is what sages and men of insight warned about. It would be proper to select a great minister or famous general whose awe and prestige have long been manifest, enlarge his honors and rank, and send him to Yi's army; advancing, he can share in planning, and withdrawing, he can serve as deputy support. Even if some unexpected disaster among ten thousand should occur, the army commander would have a reserve, and there would be no danger." The note identifies Guanqiu Jian as that deputy.
36
使
On guimao in the second month Han Ji was promoted from grand counselor to minister of education. On guichou the moon crossed Heart's margin star and then the great central star of Heart. On gengzi in the fourth summer month Minister of Education Han Ji died. On renyin ten counties of Pei commandery—Xiao, Xiang, Zhuyi, Fuli, Qi, Zhi, Longkang, Shansang, Jiao, and Hong—were split off; Jiao is read hu-jiao fan. Hong is read jiang. The ten counties formed Yuyin commandery. Song county and Ku county of Chen commandery were transferred to Qiao commandery. Pei, Zhuchiu, Gongqiu, Fengguo of Pengcheng, and Guangqi—five counties in all—were combined into the Kingdom of Pei. On gengxu a general amnesty was issued. On yihai in the fifth month the moon crossed Heart's margin star and the central great star. The Wei Shu records a wuzi edict: "Emperor Gaozu of Han founded the enterprise and Emperor Guangwu restored the dynasty, removing cruelty and violence until merit shone across the realm—yet their tombs crumbled and boys and shepherds trampled them, contrary to Great Wei's reverence in inheriting the age. Mark the tombs of Gaozu and Guangwu a hundred paces on every side, and forbid the people to plow, herd, cut firewood, or gather there." In the sixth month Hunu county in Yuyang commandery was abolished and Anle county was restored.
37
宿 西 便
Autumn: Shaodang Qiang rose; Liangzhou forces killed Zhuyi. On guichou a comet streaked through Zhang. 〈The Han Jin Chunqiu states: The historian reported to the Emperor: "This is Zhou's field division—Luoyi dreads it." The court staged grand apotropaic rites. September: Shu's Yinping governor mutinied against the Qiang. Guo Huai sent Wang Yun and You Yi against Liao Dun. Huai memorialized: "Yun and Yi divided troops east and west of the mountain, surrounding the bandits' outer ring—victory within dawn." The Emperor said: "Military momentum hates splitting." He ordered consolidation before the edict arrived. Too late—You Yi was routed. Wang Yun fell to a stray shaft.
38
On bingyin, Sima Yi besieged Gongsun Yuan at Xiangping, defeated him decisively, sent Yuan's head to the capital, and pacified the commanderies east of the sea. Winter rewards went to Sima Yi and subordinates. The Liaodong expedition began with forty thousand men. Critics called forty thousand excessive. The Emperor said: "A four-thousand-li expedition—even if called using strangeness—still must rely on strength—ought not slightly reckon labor expense." Forty thousand went east. Rain stalled the siege; courtiers wanted recall. The Emperor said: "Sima Yi masters emergencies and controls changes—capturing Yuan can be awaited counted days." Events unfolded exactly as predicted.
39
使 殿 便 使 使
On renwu Wei Zhen headed education and Cui Lin works. Intercalary month: lunar occultation of Antares. Twelfth-month yichou Mingdi took to bed. On xinsi he named an empress. General ranks and grain like earlier reigns. Cao Yu briefly held grand general—then Cao Shuang replaced him on jiashen. 〈Cao Yu was to share power with Xiahou Xian, Shuang, Zhao, and Lang. Liu Fang and Sun Zi feared Cao Yu's regency while he blocked access. A bedside shuffle left only Cao Shuang when Yu stepped out. Liu Fang alerted Sun Zi. Zi said: "We cannot move." Fang said: "Both enter the cauldron—what cannot be done?" They suddenly advanced to see the Emperor—weeping said: "Your Majesty's breath is faint—if there is misfortune—to whom will You entrust all under heaven?" The Emperor said: "Have you not heard—employ Prince of Yan?" Fang said: "Your Majesty forgets the late Emperor's edict—feudal kings must not assist government. Moreover, Your Majesty is now ill, yet Cao Zhao, Qin Lang, and the others are joking with the talented ladies who attend Your illness. The Prince of Yan faces south with troops in his grip and will not let us enter; this is another Shudiao or Zhao Gao. Now the Imperial Heir is young and weak and cannot yet govern; outside there are strong and violent enemies, and inside there are exhausted and resentful people. Your Majesty does not plan far ahead for survival or destruction, but ties Yourself closely to old favorites nearby. To entrust the enterprise of Your ancestors to two or three ordinary men, while for several days of illness the inner and outer courts are blocked apart and the altars of state stand in peril without Your knowing it: this is why our hearts ache." Hearing Fang's words the Emperor grew greatly angry and said: "Who can be appointed?" Fang and Zi thereupon raised Shuang to replace Yu—also stated "ought to order Sima Yi to join consultation"—the Emperor consented. Cao Zhao protested the coup—brief halt. Fang and Zi overruled Zhao twice. "We need your seal in your own hand." The Emperor said: "I am desperately tired—cannot." Fang then climbed onto the bed, grasped the Emperor's hand, and forced him to write it. He then carried it out and announced loudly: "There is an edict dismissing the Prince of Yan, Yu, and the others from office; they may not remain in the palace." The princely regents were sent home weeping.
40
A Shouchun woman claimed divine possession—Qinglong 3. Her water supposedly healed. The court housed and praised her. When Mingdi sickened her magic failed—she was executed.
41
使 便西 殿 殿
In the spring, first month, on dinghai, of the third year, Grand Commandant Sima Yi returned as far as Henei. The Emperor summoned him by relay horse, brought him into the bedchamber, grasped his hand, and said: "My illness is grave, and I entrust the affairs after me to you. You must assist my young son together with Shuang. Seeing Sima Yi fulfilled his last wish." Sima Yi kowtowed in tears. 〈The Wei Lue states: After the Emperor followed Liu Fang's plan and summoned Sima Yi, he used his remaining strength to draft the edict himself. Once it was sealed, he turned and called to the palace attendant who usually served him: "Bixie, come! Hand this edict to the grand commandant." The runner Bixie dashed away. Cao Yu had already routed Sima Yi toward Guanzhong. Conflicting orders brought Sima Yi racing to Luoyang. After he had finished asking after Sima Yi and comforting him, he summoned the two princes of Qi and Qin to show them to him. Pointing separately to the Prince of Qi, he said to Sima Yi: "This is the one. Look at him carefully, and do not make a mistake!" Young Fang embraced Sima Yi. Fang was eight, the Qin prince nine. The Emperor grasped Sima Yi's hand, looked toward the crown prince, and said: "Death can still be endured. I have endured death while waiting for you. You must assist this child together with Shuang." Sima Yi said, "Does Your Majesty not see how the late Emperor entrusted me with Your Majesty?"〉 He died that day in Jiafu Hall. 〈The lying-in-state was before Jiulong Hall. He was thirty-six by civil reckoning. 〈Pei argues Mingdi died at thirty-four not thirty-six. Calendar reform inflated his recorded age. On guichou he went to Gaoling tomb.
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貿 簿 姿 使
〈The Wei Shu says that the Emperor's bearing and manner were impressive, and when looked upon he appeared solemn. From the time he was in the Eastern Palace, he did not associate with court ministers or inquire into affairs of government, but only pondered books in private. After he took the throne, he honored the great ministers with praise and ritual, examined and sorted ability and achievement, and did not allow true and false to be exchanged. He strove to cut off the sources of empty display, slander, and destruction. When he sent armies and moved masses, or discussed and decided great affairs, his counselors, generals, and ministers all submitted to the Emperor's broad strategy. His memory was especially strong: even for minor attendants and ministers at his side, their official registers, character and conduct, names, traces of service, and their fathers, elder brothers, sons, and younger brothers, once they had passed before his ears or eyes, he never forgot them. He endured faults and concealed grievances, and accepted direct speech. He listened to and received memorials submitted by officials, commoners, soldiers, and ordinary people; in a single month they reached tens or hundreds of letters, and even when their wording was crude, he still read, examined, and pursued them to the end, with no weariness in his mind. Sun Sheng describes his appearance and stutter. He sidelined regents to frontier posts. He tolerated blunt advisers. Sun Sheng laments weak princes and lost power to Sima.
43
Chen Shou praises his ruler's spine. Chen Shou faults palace building over restoring unity.
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