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卷四 魏書四 三少帝紀

Volume 4: Book of Wei 4: Annals of the Three Young Emperors

Chapter 4 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
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1
西 調 洿便 西 西使 西
The Prince of Qi was Cao Fang; his courtesy name was Lanqing, and his personal name is omitted here as taboo. Because Emperor Ming had no sons of his own, he took the future Prince of Qi and Prince of Qin Xun into the palace as his heirs. What went on inside the palace was kept so close that no one outside could say where those boys had really come from. 〈The Wei Annals of Spring and Autumn record a rumor that he was actually a son of Cao Kai, Prince of Rencheng.〉 In 235, during the Qinglong era, he was enfeoffed as Prince of Qi. On New Year's Day of 239, the first of Jingchu, the emperor lay deathly ill and at once named him crown prince. That same day he ascended the throne and ordered a general amnesty throughout the realm. The reigning empress was elevated to the title of empress dowager. Grand General Cao Shuang and Grand Commandant Sima Yi (posthumously King Xuan of Jin) were appointed regents. An edict ran: "I take up this vast legacy in a frail body, utterly alone in mourning, with nowhere to turn for guidance. The Grand General and Grand Commandant have taken up my father's deathbed commission to stand at my side; the heads of the ministries and the senior ministers are to marshal the bureaucracy and steady the state—everyone with rank must bend his utmost effort to what I intend. Every palace building project still in progress was halted in accordance with the late emperor's final orders. Government-owned slaves who had reached sixty years of age were manumitted as free commoners." In the second month envoys from the Western Regions, speaking through interpreters, offered fireproof cloth; the court told Cao Shuang and Sima Yi to examine it before the assembled ministers. 〈The Treatise on Strange Products states that in the kingdom of Sidiao there lies a "land of fire" somewhere in the southern ocean. Wild flames burn there through spring and summer as if by nature, then die away of themselves when autumn and winter come. Trees grow in the midst of the blaze yet are not consumed; their bark sprouts again while the fire lasts, and only when the flames go out in the cold months do the groves stand black and dead. The people habitually strip the bark in winter and weave it into cloth of a dull blue-black hue; if the fabric is stained, you throw it into the fire and it comes out brighter than before. Fu Xuan records that under Emperor Huan the general Liang Ji once wore a robe of fireproof cloth to a banquet, staged a drunken squabble, splashed wine on the sleeve, pretended fury, stripped it off, and cried, "Burn it!" The cloth flared up like common linen in a furnace, yet when the flames died the stain was gone and the weave gleamed white as if it had been scrubbed with ashes and water. The In Search of the Spirits places a volcano on Kunlun whose birds, beasts, and vegetation all live inside the flames—hence fireproof cloth, whether woven from tree fiber there or from the pelts of those creatures. Western envoys had sent such cloth to the Han court long ago, but the tribute trail had been broken for generations; by the opening years of Wei many literati had begun to doubt the stuff was real. Emperor Wen had argued in his Dian lun that fire is too violent to sustain life and that tales of fireproof cloth must be false, hoping to silence clever skeptics. After Emperor Ming came to the throne he ordered the three senior ministers to engrave his father's Dian lun on stone at the ancestral temple and the academy, beside the classics, as a permanent lesson to posterity." When Western envoys actually delivered the cloth, the embarrassing paragraph had to be ground off the stele, and the empire had a quiet laugh at the expense of the imperial essayists. Pei Songzhi: On a campaign that brought me to Luoyang I found the Dian lun inscription still standing at the academy but not at the temple gate; old men explained that when the Jin took the mandate they simply reused the Wei shrines and carried the stele to the academy, so it had never stood in two places at once. I do not believe that story holds water. Dongfang Shuo's Divine Marvels also describes a volcano south of civilization, thirty by fifty li, where incombustible trees burn night and day yet are never fanned into a blast nor drowned by the heaviest rain. Fire rats as large as a man live in the crater; their two-foot fur is fine as silk and can be woven. They glow crimson in the flames but turn pale when they venture out; splash them with water and they die, yet their pelts can still be carded and woven into cloth.〉
2
西 滿
On dingchou the court proclaimed: "The Grand Commandant has embodied integrity across three reigns, taken Meng Da in the south, shattered Shu armies in the west, and wiped out Gongsun Yuan in the east—his achievements span the realm. King Cheng of Zhou created guardian-tutor posts for his heir; Emperor Ming of Later Han heaped honors on Deng Yu—great servants of the state deserve a rank that matches their stature. Therefore Sima Yi is appointed Grand Tutor while retaining his staff of authority and overall command of the armies." In the third month Man Chong, general of the eastern front, was promoted to Grand Commandant. In the sixth month the court resettled the population of eastern Liaodong's Ta county, who had fled by sea into Qi, by refounding their settlement as New Ta on the site of the old Zong fortress. That autumn the young emperor presided in person over court for the first time, hearing memorials from the high ministers. In the eighth month he proclaimed a general amnesty. In the tenth month Huang Quan was transferred from southern command to the post of General of Chariots and Cavalry.
3
In the twelfth month an edict declared: "Our Brilliant Ancestor, Emperor Ming, died in the first month; as his servants we will always mourn that anniversary—let the calendar return to the Xia reckoning; even if that departs from the late emperor's doctrine of cycling the Three Beginnings, ritual itself sometimes requires such a change. The Xia calendar's opening month is the true celestial new year; henceforth the month beginning with yin shall count as the first month of Zhengshi 1, and the preceding chou month shall be reckoned as a trailing twelfth month."
4
240祿 西
On yichou in the second month of Zhengshi 1 (240) Liu Fang and Sun Zi were promoted to Left and Right Grand Household Grandees while keeping their palace posts. On bingxu the court carved new Wen and Nanfeng counties out of Xi'an, Linzi, and Changguo in Qi commandery to resettle refugees from Wen and Beifeng in Liaodong who had fled across the sea.
5
No rain had fallen since the previous winter's twelfth month. On bingyin the emperor commanded judges to redress false charges at once and free minor offenders; he called on the high ministers to speak frankly and lay every honest plan before the throne. Huang Quan, General of Chariots and Cavalry, died in the fourth month. In autumn, in the seventh month, an edict said: "The Changes speaks of reducing what is above to benefit what is below, regulating things by institutions, and neither damaging resources nor harming the people. The people still lack necessities while the palace workshops pile up gold and silver gewgaws—what use are such things? Now issue gold and silver objects of one hundred fifty kinds, more than eighteen hundred jin, smelt them to supply military use." That closed the edict. In the eighth month the emperor rode out to review the harvest around Luoyang and handed out graded rewards to old villagers and hardworking cultivators.
6
使
In the second month of the second year of Zhengshi the young emperor completed his first study of the Analects and sent the Minister of Ceremonies to offer a bull at the circular moat temple to Confucius, with Yan Hui as secondary honoree.
7
使 退
In the fifth month Wu troops under Zhu Ran laid siege to Fancheng near Xiangyang, and Grand Tutor Sima Yi took the field with a large army to oppose them. 〈Gan Bao's Jin Annals adds that while Quan Cong was striking Shao Lake, Zhu Ran and Sun Lun threw fifty thousand men around Fancheng and Zhuge Jin with Bu Zhi pushed into the Zuozhong salient; Quan's column had already been driven off, but the ring around Fancheng was tightening by the hour. Sima Yi argued: "A hundred thousand farmers and tribesmen are stranded south of the Han with no one to shield them, while Fancheng has been hammered for months—that is the true crisis, and I ask leave to deal with it myself." Court opinion ran the other way: "The enemy is far from home and stalled before a stubborn wall; left alone they will unravel—keep them at arm's length with a patient strategy." Sima Yi answered: "The old manuals say that hobbling a capable commander is called tying the army's hands; handing command to a fool and calling it trust is how armies are ruined. The front is already in turmoil and rumor is spreading among the towns—that is what truly endangers the altars." In the sixth month he took overall command of the southern armies, and the young emperor himself rode out to the Jinyang Gate to see him off. Knowing the southern heat would not sustain a long siege, Sima Yi sent mounted skirmishers to taunt the Wu lines, yet Zhu Ran refused to stir from his entrenchments. He then stood his men down for rest and baths, culled the best fighters, promised rewards to the first over the wall, and staged a full-dress show of imminent assault. When word of that buildup reached Zhu Ran, he slipped away under cover of darkness. Wei pursuers ran them down at Sanchou Ford and took a heavy toll in dead and prisoners.〉 On xinchou in the sixth month the imperial forces withdrew. On jimao Wang Ling, who held the eastern command, was promoted to General of Chariots and Cavalry. That winter an earthquake struck Nan'an commandery.
8
滿
In the first month of the third year of Zhengshi Cao Hui, Prince of Dongping, died. Grand Commandant Man Chong died in the third month. On jiashen in the seventh month another earthquake shook Nan'an commandery. On yiyou Jiang Ji, who commanded the capital guards, was appointed Grand Commandant. That winter Wei commandery was hit by an earthquake.
9
西 使
In the first month of the fourth year the emperor underwent the capping ceremony and distributed graded gifts to the court. On yimao in the fourth month he took Lady Zhen as empress and proclaimed a general amnesty. The new moon of the fifth month brought a total eclipse of the sun. In the seventh month the court ordered joint sacrifices at Cao Cao's shrine for twenty-one late worthies—among them Cao Zhen, Cao Xiu, Xiahou Shang, Huan Jie, Chen Qun, Zhong Yao, Zhang He, Xu Huang, Zhang Liao, Yue Jin, Hua Xin, Wang Lang, Cao Hong, Xiahou Yuan, Zhu Ling, Wen Pin, Zang Ba, Li Dian, Pang De, and Dian Wei—honoring the founding ministers already debated for inclusion. In the twelfth month Queen Himiko of Wa dispatched envoys bearing tribute.
10
使 *|
In the second month of the fifth Zhengshi year the court ordered Cao Shuang to march against Shu with a large army. A solar eclipse fell on the new moon of the fourth month. On guisi in the fifth month, having finished his study of the Documents, he sent the Minister of Ceremonies to offer a bull to Confucius at the Biyong, with Yan Hui as secondary honoree; Ranked rewards went to the Grand Tutor, Grand General Cao Shuang, and every lecturer who had instructed him. On bingwu Cao Shuang withdrew his army. The eighth month brought word that Prince of Qin Cao Xun had died. In the ninth month surrendering Xianbei tribes were placed under a new Liaodong dependent state, with Changli county created to house them. On guimao in the eleventh month the court ordered Xun You enshrined in the outer court of Cao Cao's temple. 〈Pei Songzhi notes that the Wei shrine never included Xun Yu, likely because his final years brought open disagreement and because he had never formally served as a Wei official.〉 〈Why Cheng Yu was promoted while Guo Jia was passed over, and Zhong Yao honored before Xun You, Pei Songzhi cannot say.〉 〈When Xu Ta plotted assassination Xu Chu proved his loyalty—a devotion Pei Songzhi likens to Jin Midi's; without Chu, Tong Pass would never have been saved, his feats outshining even Dian Wei's—yet Wei receives temple honor while Chu does not, a lacuna Pei Songzhi finds inexplicable.〉 On jiyou the Qin principality was converted back into Jingzhao commandery. Cui Lin died in the twelfth month while holding the Ministry of Works.
11
祿祿 輿殿
On dingmao in the second month of the sixth year Nan'an commandery shook again. On bingzi Zhao Yan, General of Agile Cavalry, was named Minister of Works; Zhao Yan died in the sixth month. On dingmao in the eighth month Gao Rou, Minister of Ceremonies, succeeded Zhao Yan as Minister of Works. On guisi Liu Fang rose from Left Grand Household Grandee to General of Agile Cavalry and Sun Zi from Right Grand Household Grandee to General of the Guard. In the eleventh month the court held the great he sacrifice in Cao Cao's temple and for the first time included the twenty-one founding ministers whose tablets had been debated earlier. On xinhai in the twelfth month he ruled that candidates in the classics examinations might answer from Wang Lang's commentary on the Changes. On yihai an edict announced: "At tomorrow's court gathering the Grand Tutor shall be allowed to ascend the dais in his palanquin."
12
巿𤸇 退 𤸇巿
In the second month of the seventh year Guanqiu Jian, Inspector of Youzhou, struck Goguryeo; in the fifth month he campaigned against the Huimo tribes—both enemies were crushed. Dozens of Korean polities, including Han and Naxi, brought their clans to surrender. On wushen in the eighth month he issued an edict: "When I visited the market I found palace slaves offered for sale, every one past seventy or crippled by chronic disease—the poorest of Heaven's subjects. To auction them off once their labor is spent is pointless cruelty; release the lot of them as free persons. Where any still cannot feed themselves, local magistrates are to grant relief." 〈Your subject Pei Songzhi notes: When the emperor first ascended the throne, there was an edict: "Official male and female slaves aged sixty and above shall be freed as commoners." That ought to have settled the matter as permanent law. Yet seven or eight years later the market again listed septuagenarians, and feeble, sickly servants are hardly merchantable goods—such contradictions are hard to fathom.〉
13
使 便 退 使
On jiyou he explained: "I mean to sacrifice in person on the nineteenth, yet yesterday's ride showed the avenue already torn up for resurfacing; if rain falls the work must be redone from scratch—a sheer waste of labor. The people have little strength and too many levies; I brood on that day and night. A processional route need only be serviceable; to hear that crews are beating old men and boys in pursuit of glittering ornament, driving the people to exhaustion and tears—could I ride in comfort on such a road and still pretend my offerings please the ancestors? Henceforth issue strict orders to that effect." That winter, having completed his lectures on the Record of Rites, he again sent the Minister of Ceremonies to sacrifice a bull to Confucius at the Biyong with Yan Hui as secondary recipient. 〈Xi Zuochi's Han–Jin Annals for the same year records Zhu Ran's raid into Zuozhong with several thousand killed or taken; Over ten thousand families from the Zuozhong salient fled across the Han. Sima Yi urged Cao Shuang: "March them straight home and the enemy will strike the column; hold them where they are for now." Cao Shuang answered: "We are not rebuilding the south bank while we strand folk on the north—that is no strategy for the long haul." Sima Yi said: "You mistake the case. Everything holds or crumbles according to ground—which is why the manuals insist that form and momentum govern armies, and a commander cannot afford to misread either. What if Wu commits twenty thousand to seal the crossing, thirty thousand to tie down our southern bank, and ten thousand to scour Zuozhong by land—what then is your relief plan?" Cao Shuang brushed the warning aside and ordered the evacuation. Wu troops then ambushed the column and cut it to pieces. Yuan Huai told Cao Shuang: "The people of Wu and Chu are fragile and of little ability, and heroic talents and great worthies do not arise from their soil. Comparing skill and measuring strength, they are not enough to resist the Central States. Yet since high antiquity they have often been a source of trouble for the Central States, because the Yangzi and Han serve as their moat and boats and oars as their tools; when it is advantageous they raid by land, and when it is not advantageous they enter the water. The road to attack them is distant, and the Central States' long-honed skills have no place to be used. These past decades Sun Quan has staged great drives north of the Yangzi, refitted arms, tightened river defenses, and pushed raiders ever farther onto level ground—exactly the opening the heartland prays for. Sound doctrine is to meet a starving foe when we are fed and a weary foe when we are fresh; campaigns must stay short and marches close; lean posts that stand as one endure, united force strikes hardest. The wise course now is to abandon the belt south of the Huai and Han and draw the line farther north. If Wu garrisons that interior and comes at us overland, northern arms at last meet an enemy they can hit. If they stay on the river, the marches stay quiet and the border sleeps without dread of looters. Give us wealth, hardened troops, honest rule, and a united people, and swallowing Wu becomes a matter of timing, not distance. Xiangyang is an exposed salient: a fleet upstream cuts it off, one lost field battle breaks morale without a storming party—holding it adds no strength, abandoning it brings no dishonor. East of Jiangxia the Huainan prefectures have bled ground ever since the late empresses—how much of that is simply because they lie under Wu's shadow? Resettle those districts north of the Huai to open a deep cordon, and farmers will sleep without flinching at every distant alarm?" Cao Shuang refused the proposal.〉
14
At new moon in the second month of the eighth year of Zhengshi the sun was eclipsed. The fifth month saw ten Fen-north counties carved from Hedong into the new Pingyang commandery.
15
便 殿 使
In the seventh month Minister He Yan submitted: "He who would govern the realm must first govern himself; self-rule begins with watching every habit the throne adopts. Upright habit shapes an upright ruler, and an upright ruler needs no nagging edicts to sway the world. Corrupt habit warps the sovereign, and a warped sovereign cannot command obedience though the ink never dries. So the Son of Heaven should walk only with gentlemen, study only worthy exemplars, silence the decadent music of Zheng, and spurn toadies—then vice never takes root and the true Way can flourish. Late reigns bring dim sovereigns who banish the wise, welcome knaves, starve integrity, and coddle buffoons in the inner chambers—trouble always starts beside the cushion, like rats gnawing the state altar. Trace how their judgment dimmed and you find it piled up by degrees—which is why the sages nagged posterity about this above all else. Shun warned Yu to watch his neighbors; the Duke of Zhou warned King Cheng to watch his companions—both pleading that a ruler's intimates make or break the age. The Classic of Documents says: "When the sovereign is blessed, the myriad households lean on him." Let every future visit to the Shiqian Hall or stroll through the rear pleasure ground be escorted by senior ministers, so that over wine you may still scan memorials, debate state business, lecture on the canon, and hand down a model for all time." In winter, in the twelfth month, Cavalier Attendant-in-Ordinary and Grand Counselor Kong Yanyi memorialized: "According to ritual, the Son of Heaven's palace should follow the plain-hewn standard and not be adorned with vermilion. Your Majesty should follow ritual and restore ancient precedent. With the empire settled and hierarchy plain, the throne has only to stay diligent, judge rewards and penalties with a level gaze, and steer the bureaucracy by justice. Give up mounted drills behind the palace walls; whenever you leave the compound, take the covered palanquin or the state carriage—that is the blessing the world prays for and every subject desires." He Yan and Kong Yanyi each used whatever opening at court they could find to press these admonitions.
16
祿
In the second month, on guisi, Sun Zi as Guard General and Palace Secretary and Liu Fang as General of Agile Cavalry and Palace Director stepped down; in the third month, on jiawu, Minister Wei Zhen followed—all three retiring to their fiefs as full marquises with the rank Exceptionally Advanced. The fourth month saw Gao Rou promoted from Minister of Works to Minister of Education; Xu Miao was offered the Ministry of Works but repeatedly refused the seal. In the ninth month Wang Ling exchanged his chariot command for the Ministry of Works. A violent gale in the tenth month ripped roofs away and broke great trees.
17
249 使
On jiawu in the first month of Jiaping 1 (249) the emperor went to sacrifice at the Gaoping tombs. 〈Sun Sheng's Register of Wei Generations places Gaoping Mausoleum on Great Stone Mountain south of the Luo, ninety li from the capital.〉 Grand Tutor Sima Yi (King Xuan) stripped Cao Shuang, his brother Xi as commander of the central army, Xun as general of martial guards, and Yan as attendant at large of their posts and sent them home as marquises. On wuxu the court had eunuch director Zhang Dang seized and interrogated by the Minister of Justice, confirming Cao Shuang's conspiracy. Ding Mi, Deng Yang, He Yan, Bi Gui, Li Sheng, and Huan Fan were also found complicit with Shuang and their clans were wiped out to the third degree. The full story appears in Cao Shuang's biography. On bingwu the court proclaimed a general amnesty. On dingwei, Grand Tutor Sima Yi, King Xuan, was appointed Chancellor, but he firmly declined, and the matter was stopped. 〈Kong Yan's Han–Wei Annals says: An edict sent Minister of Ceremonies Wang Su with a patent appointing the Grand Tutor as Chancellor, adding ten thousand households to his fief, and allowing ministers, when memorializing affairs, not to address him by personal name, following the Han precedent of Huo Guang.〉 Sima Yi memorialized his refusal: "I received the late emperor's charge in person, and the burden weighs on me heavily. By Heaven's grace I crushed treason—merely to escape punishment is already more than I deserve, let alone merit. Moreover, the offices of the Three Excellencies were established by the sage kings and written into the canons and rites. As for the Chancellor, it began only with Qin governance. The Han house followed it and did not again change it. Now the offices of the Three Excellencies are all complete, yet You would add a favored minister besides them, violating former canons, altering the standards of sage and enlightened kings, and following the road of Qin and Han. Even if this concerned another man, it would be what I should correct; how much more when it concerns my own person, if I do not firmly contend against it, what will critics in the four directions say of me!" After more than ten refusals the court accepted his declination but renewed the offer of the nine insignia. The Grand Tutor again said: "Grand Progenitor had great merit and great virtue, and the Han house honored him deeply; therefore it added the nine bestowals. This was an exceptional affair through the ages, not something later rulers and ministers may deliberate." He refused once more and the honors were not conferred.
18
On yichou in the fourth month the court adopted a new era name. Grand Commandant Jiang Ji died on bingzi. On xinmao in the twelfth month Wang Ling left the Ministry of Works for the Grand Commandancy. On gengzi Sun Li rose from Metropolitan Commandant to Minister of Works.
19
西
The fifth month of the second Jiaping year named Guo Huai General of Chariots and Cavalry. In the tenth month retired minister Sun Zi returned to active duty as General of Agile Cavalry. Sun Li died in the eleventh month while holding the Ministry of Works. On jiachen in the twelfth month Cao Lin, Prince of the Eastern Sea, died. On yiwei Wang Chang, commanding the southern front, crossed the great river in a sudden raid and broke a Wu force.
20
祿
In the first month Wang Ji as Jingzhou inspector and Zhou Tai as Xincheng administrator struck Wu, broke their force, and took several thousand captives. In the second month the court set up Yiling county in Nan commandery for the new subjects. In the third month Sima Fu left the directorship of the Masters of Writing for the Ministry of Works. On jiashen Wang Chang was promoted from southern field commander to Grand General Who Conquers the South. On renchen the court proclaimed a general amnesty. On bingwu the court learned that Grand Commandant Wang Ling meant to depose the emperor and enthrone Cao Biao, Prince of Chu; Grand Tutor Sima Yi marched east against him. On jiayin in the fifth month Wang Ling took his own life. In the sixth month Cao Biao was ordered to die. On renxu in the seventh month Empress Zhen died. On xinwei Sima Fu exchanged the Ministry of Works for the Grand Commandancy. On wuyin, Grand Tutor Sima Yi, King Xuan of Sima, died. Guard General Sima Shi, King Jing of Sima, was made Grand General Who Pacifies the Army and put in charge of the affairs of the Masters of Writing. On yiwei Empress Zhen Huai was buried at Taiping Mausoleum. On gengzi Sun Zi, General of Agile Cavalry, died. In the eleventh month the bureaus proposed reordering the founding ministers enshrined at Cao Cao's temple by office rather than by earlier precedence, placing Sima Yi first for supreme merit and rank. In the twelfth month Zheng Chong rose from Grand Household Grandee to Minister of Works.
21
使 使
On guimao in the first month of the fourth year Sima Shi advanced from Pacification General of the Army to Grand General. The second month saw Lady Zhang invested as empress and a general amnesty proclaimed. Two fish were sighted atop the Luoyang armory roof in the fifth month. 〈The Han–Jin Annals records that Sun Quan first threw up the Eastern Rise embankment to pen Chao Lake. Later Wei offensives into Huainan shattered the work and it was never rebuilt. That year Zhuge Ke marched in, piled earthworks on either side of the breach, threw up twin citadels under Quan Duan and Liu Lue, and marched the field army home. Zhuge Dan told Sima Shi: "Here is the textbook case of luring the foe onto ground of your choosing rather than chasing his gambit. Let them overreach: put Wang Chang on Jiangling and Guanqiu Jian on Wuchang to choke the upper river, then throw picked assault troops at the pair of new forts—you can reap a major victory before their fleet returns." Sima Shi accepted the plan.〉 The eleventh month brought orders for Wang Chang, Hu Zun, Guanqiu Jian, and other front commanders to open a coordinated offensive against Wu. In the twelfth month Wu's Grand General Zhuge Ke intercepted the expedition and shattered the allied hosts at Dongguan. The northern armies broke off and retreated in disorder. 〈The Han–Jin Annals adds that Guanqiu Jian and Wang Chang, hearing of the rout on the eastern front, torched their camps and ran. The court clamored to cashier the commanders, but Sima Shi said: "I rejected Zhuge Dan's counsel and brought this disaster on us. The blame rests with me—why punish the army?" He pardoned every officer involved. Sima Zhao alone, as army supervisor over the whole operation, suffered a reduction in fief rank. The same year Chen Tai, Inspector of Yongzhou, asked the throne to yoke Bingzhou into a joint strike on the steppe peoples, and Sima Shi agreed. Before the columns could muster, Yanmen and Xinxing, fearing a levy for a far campaign, rose in alarm. Sima Shi then told the assembly: "The fault is mine, not Chen Tai's!" The courtiers of Wei blushed at his candor and longed to repay such grace. Xi Zuochi remarks that Sima Shi claimed two routs as personal failures—blame dissolved while prestige soared, which is the mark of a wise leader. When the realm forgets shame because the ruler owns it, and ministers burn to repay him, prosperity follows whether he seeks it or not. To hush defeat, heap blame on subordinates, trumpet every success, and bury every loss is to split worthy from fool and court from camp—the way Chu fell twice to Jin, only more absurdly wrong. A sovereign who steers by that maxim keeps policy clean, conscience clear, reputation bright after missteps, and victory within reach after rout—even a hundred defeats need not break him, let alone two.〉
22
西 西 使 使 退西 退 涿 使
The fifth month of the fifth year brought a general amnesty. Wu Grand Tutor Zhuge Ke invested Hefei's new fortress that fifth month, and the court sent Grand Commandant Sima Fu to hold him off. 〈The Han–Jin Annals notes that Jiang Wei simultaneously opened a siege of Didao on the western front. Sima Shi asked Yu Song: "We face emergencies on two fronts while commanders lose heart—what course do you advise?" Yu Song answered: "Zhou Yafu once lay doggo inside Changyi until the Wu–Chu host fell apart of its own weight—strength and weakness trade masks and must be read with care. Zhuge Ke has packed every elite regiment he owns into a siege of a minor fort—he wants one hammer blow, not a long war. If the walls hold and he cannot provoke a clash, his host will stalemate itself into retreat—your generals' caution is a hidden asset. Jiang Wei may have numbers, but he has strung his army out to shadow Zhuge Ke and is eating our border grain—no entrenched horde. Moreover, he thinks that we have joined our forces in the east and the west must be empty; for this reason he advances directly. Order the Guanzhong legions to double-time west and take him by surprise—he will almost certainly bolt." Sima Shi said: "Well said!" He then told Guo Huai and Chen Tai to sweep every Guanzhong unit toward Didao and break the ring; while Guanqiu Jian and the eastern commanders simply stood fast and left the Hefei siege to the enemy. Jiang Wei, learning that Guo Huai was marching and his own supplies thin, broke off and camped along the Longxi frontier.〉 Zhuge Ke lifted the siege and sailed home in the seventh month. 〈Zhang Te was the officer holding the new fortress. The Wei Summary names him Zhang Te, courtesy Zichan, from Zhuo commandery. He had served as a camp-gate captain under Zhuge Dan, who thought little of him and meant to return him to the army staff pool. When Guanqiu Jian succeeded Zhuge Dan, he posted Zhang Te to hold Hefei's new citadel. Under Zhuge Ke's siege Zhang Te, Yue Fang, and allied units mustered barely three thousand effectives after sickness and casualties had halved the roster, while Wu raised siege mounds and hammered the walls until collapse seemed moments away. Te then told the Wu men: "Now we have no heart to fight further. Yet Wei statute absolves the families of any garrison that yields after a hundred days without reinforcements. We have counted more than ninety days under your blows. We began with four thousand defenders and have lost over half; the rampart may crumble, yet half the survivors still refuse terms—I will go back inside, poll each man by name, and at dawn deliver the list along with my official seal as pledge." He tossed his bronze seal and purple ribbon over the parapet. The Wu officers heard him out yet let the regalia lie where they fell. They held their assault for the promised interval. Zhang Te went back inside and, under cover of darkness, tore down houses for timber and stakes, plugged the gaps, and doubled the wall line. The next day he told the Wu men: "I have only the choice to fight to the death!" The southerners stormed the walls in fury, failed to break through, and finally broke camp. The throne rewarded him with a general's banner, a full marquisate, and promotion to Anfeng—thus closes the tale of Zhang Te.〉
23
西 𨵦 西 西祿使
In the eighth month, an edict said: "The late Palace Gentleman Guo Xiu of Xiping refined his integrity and disciplined his conduct; his heart remained unwavering. Shu's Jiang Wei had swept through his district and taken him prisoner. Last year the false Grand General Fei Yi drove and led his masses, secretly plotting to peer through our passes. Passing through Hanshou, he invited the assembled guests to a gathering, and Xiu, in the middle of the broad assembly, struck Yi down with his own hand and blade. His courage surpassed Nie Zheng, and his achievement exceeded Fu Jie; he may be called one who killed himself to complete benevolence and abandoned life to take hold of righteousness. Posthumous titles exist to lift up men who die for principle; and hereditary rewards teach the next generation what the state admires. The court therefore enfeoffed him posthumously as Marquis Wei of Changle township at one thousand households; his son would inherit the rank and receive appointment as Bearer of the Gilded Bit; and a thousand ingots of silver with a thousand bolts of silk would seal the deed for posterity." 〈The Wei Annals of Spring and Autumn add that Guo Xiu, style Xiaoxian, was a respected gentleman of Liangzhou. Even under Jiang Wei's captivity he refused to bend. Liu Shan made him a general of the left, hoping to co-opt him; Guo Xiu tried repeatedly to reach the sovereign at court feasts but guards always barred the way, so he struck down Fei Yi instead. Pei Songzhi observes that true martyrs act from clear motives—gratitude, debt, or a calculated opening—like the assassins the edict names. Acts that lack such logic are mere recklessness, not martyrdom. Wei and Shu were rivals, not blood enemies on the order of Zhao against Zhi Bo or the Crown Prince Dan's last stand; besides, Liu Shan was a weak ruler and Fei Yi a competent but not irreplaceable minister—neither man's fate decided the fate of empires. Guo Xiu had been an ordinary western officer; captured by Shu he failed to die rather than serve the foe, owed Wei no stipendary duty, and was not acting on imperial orders—his murder of Fei Yi was pointless bravado, what may be called "breaking willows to fence a garden"; this was madness.〉
24
From the sovereign's accession to the present year, county and circuit boundaries had been redrawn, revoked, and restored so often that no annalist could track them all.
25
便 使 使 使 使
In the sixth year, in spring, in the second month, on jichou, General Who Guards the East Guanqiu Jian submitted: "Earlier, when Zhuge Ke besieged the new city at Hefei, the city sent the soldier Liu Zheng out through the encirclement to carry messages. The bandits captured him and questioned him about what he carried, saying to Zheng, 'Lord Zhuge wishes to spare your life; you may confess everything.' Liu Zheng spat back: 'Curse you, curs—what rot is that? I mean to die a ghost loyal to Wei, not crawl after your pack for a few more breaths. If you mean to kill me, get it over with.' Liu Zheng never offered any other words. Later courier Zheng Xiang slipped out; Zhuge Ke's riders ran him down and dragged him back. Wu bound him, hooded him with four or five other captives, and marched them around the walls ordering him to cry that the relief army had gone home to Luoyang. Zheng Xiang defied the script and roared that Wei reinforcements still ringed the city and the defenders must hold fast. The bandits struck his mouth with a knife guard so that he could not speak, yet Xiang still shouted loudly and made those inside the city hear and understand. Zheng and Liu, though pressed into enemy service, were able to keep faith and hold to principle; their sons should receive differentiated rewards." The throne replied: "Noble titles honor the greatest service; rich gifts cherish the blood shed for the state. The two runners had volunteered, pierced the cordon, braved steel, and, though captured, still heartened the defenders and advertised Wei's might. In former times Xie Yang was held by Chu and faced death without divided loyalty, and Qi's grandee of the roads completed his command by dying; compared with Zheng and Xiang, they could not surpass them. The court therefore posthumously enfeoffed both as marquises of Guannei, freed their names from the draft lists, and let their sons inherit under the statute for officers killed in service."
26
祿 祿 退 使 西祿祿 殿使 使 使 使 使 漿 使 殿使 使 使 使西 殿 使使 使
On gengxu Director of the Masters of Writing Li Feng, the empress's father Household Grandee Zhang Ji, and others plotted to depose the chief ministers and install Minister of Ceremonies Xiahou Xuan as Grand General. The plot was exposed; everyone implicated was executed. On xinhai the court proclaimed a general amnesty. In the third month Empress Zhang was deposed. In the fourth month Empress Wang was installed and a general amnesty followed. In the fifth month the new empress's father Wang Kui, Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Guangming township and made Household Grandee with Special Advance rank; his wife Lady Tian became Lady of Xuanyang township. In the ninth month Grand General Sima Shi began plotting to depose the emperor and informed the empress dowager. 〈Both the Shiyu and the Wei shi chunqiu record that that autumn Jiang Wei raided the Longxi frontier. General Who Pacifies the East Sima Zhao was then at Xuchang; recalled to fight Jiang Wei, he reached the capital while the emperor reviewed the army at Pingle Guan as it passed. Colonel of the Central Army Xu Yun and minor attendants plotted to kill Sima Zhao when he came to take leave, then compel his troops to withdraw before Sima Shi. The edict had already been drafted. When Sima Zhao entered, Cao Fang was eating chestnuts while entertainers led by Yun Wu sang: "Green-headed chicken, green-headed chicken." "Green-headed chicken" meant duck—a veiled reference to Sima Zhao. The emperor took fright and did not carry out the plot. Sima Zhao marched into the city, and Sima Shi then moved to depose the emperor. Pei Songzhi, checking Xiahou Xuan's biography and the Wei lue, notes that Xu Yun that spring was implicated in Li Feng's plot. After Li Feng's execution Xu Yun was posted out as General Who Pacifies the North; before he left he was seized for distributing government stores, sent to the Commandant of Justice, exiled to Lelang, and hunted down and killed. He could not therefore still have been central-army colonel that autumn and have led this conspiracy. An empress dowager order on jiaxu ran: "Emperor Cao Fang has come of age yet does not govern; he dotes on inner favorites, drowns in pleasure, daily summons entertainers, and lets them speak obscenely; he brings families of the six palaces into the inner chambers, destroying human relations and disordering male and female propriety; filial reverence wanes daily while perversity grows—he cannot inherit Heaven's mandate or serve the ancestral temples. Let Acting Grand Commandant Gao Rou bear the staff, announce the Grand Sacrifice to the One Martial Power at the ancestral temples, and send Cao Fang back to Qi to yield the throne." 〈The Book of Wei states that Sima Shi, acting on the empress dowager's order, summoned the court to council and every minister turned pale. Sima Shi wept: "The empress dowager's order stands as you hear—how can you save the royal house!" All answered: "Yi Yin deposed Tai Jia to save Yin; Huo Guang deposed the Prince of Changyi to save Han—when power steadies the altars and rescues the realm, antiquity honors the man who acts; today that man is you." Sima Shi said: "You place great weight on me—how can I refuse?" Thereupon he and the assembled ministers jointly memorialized Yongning Palace: "Acting Director of the Masters of Writing, Grand Commandant, and Marquis of Changshe, your servant Fu; Grand General and Marquis of Wuyang, your servant Shi; Minister of Education and Marquis of Wansui Township, your servant Rou; Minister of Works and Marquis of Wenyang Township, your servant Chong; Acting General Who Conquers the West, General Who Pacifies the East, and Marquis of Xincheng, your servant Zhao; Grand Counselor of the Household and Marquis Within the Passes, your servant Yong; Minister of Ceremonies, your servant Yan; Minister of the Guards and Marquis of Changyi, your servant Wei; Minister Coachman, your servant Yi; Commandant of Justice and Marquis of Dingling, your servant Yu; Grand Herald, your servant Zhi; Grand Minister of Agriculture, your servant Xiang; Minister of the Lesser Treasury, your servant Mao; Yongning Minister of the Guards, your servant Zhen; Yongning Minister Coachman, your servant Ge; Grand Director of the Imperial Household, your servant Mo; Colonel Director of Retainers and Marquis of Yingchang, your servant Zeng; Intendant of Henan and Marquis of Lanling, your servant Su; Colonel of the City Gates, your servant Lü; Central Protector of the Army and Marquis of Yong'an Pavilion, your servant Wang; General of the Martial Guard and Marquis of Anshou Pavilion, your servant Yan; General of the Central Stalwarts and Marquis of Pingyuan, your servant De; General of the Central Rampart and Marquis of Changwu Pavilion, your servant Yi; Colonel of Garrison Cavalry and Marquis Within the Passes, your servant Gai; Colonel of Foot Soldiers and Marquis of Linjin, your servant Jian; Colonel of Archery-Sound and Marquis of Anyang Township, your servant Wen; Colonel of Agile Cavalry and Marquis of Suiyang, your servant Chu; Colonel of Changshui and Marquis Within the Passes, your servant Chao; Palace Attendants, your servants Xiaotong, Yi, and Feng; Marquis of Boping, your servant Biao; Palace Attendant, Director of the Palace Secretariat, and Marquis of Anyang Pavilion, your servant Dan; Regular Mounted Attendants, your servants Gui and Yi; Marquis Within the Passes, your servant Zhi; Deputy Director of the Masters of Writing, Grand Counselor of the Household, and Marquis of Gaole Pavilion, your servant Yu; Masters of Writing and Marquises Within the Passes, your servants Guan and Gu; Marquis of Changhe Township, your servant Liang; your servants Zan and Qian; Director of the Palace Secretariat, your servant Kang; Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk, your servant Qian; Erudites, your servants Fan and Jun, and the others bow their heads and say: We have heard that the Son of Heaven exists to nourish the host of living beings and bring lasting peace to the myriad states; the three founders' achievements shine through the six directions. The emperor inherited the throne; his years are grown, yet he does not govern; he dotes on inner favorites, drowns in women, abandons study, insults scholars, and daily summons Guo Huai, Yuan Xin, and other entertainers to sport naked before the Furong Hall at Jianshi, riot with palace women, and lead the inner quarters to watch. At Guangwang Guan he had Huai and Xin act out a Liaodong sorceress in lewd play so indecent that passersby covered their eyes while he laughed from the tower. At Lingyun Terrace he hung curtains and summoned women of the nine kin; at Xuangu Guan he called Huai and Xin inside the curtains to drink with them. Huai and Xin kept passing cups until the women were drunk and frolicked without restraint. He set palace women Li Hua and Liu Xun to sport with Huai and Xin; Director of Clear Music Linghu Jing rebuked them: 'These women serve Your Majesty in office—how can this be allowed?' Hua and Xun repeatedly slandered Linghu Jing. The emperor loved shooting people with pellets; resenting Jing, he shot at his head and eyes without restraint. Jing told him: 'The late emperor kept strict household discipline; now Your Majesty leads consorts in boundless sport, even watching entertainers riot naked—this must not reach the empress dowager. I do not cling to life; I speak only for Your Majesty's sake.' The emperor snapped: 'I am Son of Heaven—may I not do as I please? What business is the empress dowager of mine!' He had iron heated and burned Linghu Jing until his body was scorched raw. After Empress Zhen died the emperor wished to make Lady Wang empress. The empress dowager wished to choose elsewhere; the emperor told Jing and the others in anger: 'Every Wei empress was chosen from the ruler's favorite—she will oppose me; does she think I will not go anyway?' He ended by treating Empress Zhang with cold neglect. When the empress dowager mourned the Hedang princess, the emperor stayed in the rear garden with music and entertainers as usual and rarely went to comfort her. Assistant Director of Clear Music Pang Xi admonished him: 'The empress dowager is deeply filial and now takes neither water nor food in grief—Your Majesty should go often to comfort her, not simply make merry here.' The emperor said: 'I do as I please—who can stop me?' When the empress dowager returned to the Northern Palace she killed Lady Zhang the Beauty and Yu Wan; the emperor told Jing and the others in fury: 'She killed those I loved—there is no mother-son bond left.' He repeatedly wept at the old places and secretly ordered thick coffins from the Chamber of Punishments without telling the empress dowager. Whenever he saw a beautiful woman among the nine kin he kept her and handed her to Clear Music. Sporting among the bamboo in the rear garden he sometimes walked hand in hand with attendants. Pang Xi said: 'Attendants should not link arms with the sovereign.' The emperor shot pellets at Pang Xi again. He roamed the rear garden daily; when outside documents arrived he never read them—when attendants said 'out,' he never asked to see them. The empress dowager ordered him to lecture regularly in the Hall of Shiqian; unwilling, he simply left; when she came to ask, he always had the Yellow Gate answer that he was there. Jing, Xi, and the others grew afraid to stop him and flattered him instead. The emperor wantonly pursued debauchery, destroyed human relations, and overturned male and female propriety; filial reverence collapsed and vicious conduct swelled. We fear the realm will overturn and the altars fall; even our deaths would not atone. The emperor cannot inherit Heaven's mandate; we ask, following Huo Guang's Han precedent, to take back the imperial seal and cord. He originally ascended as Prince of Qi and should return to Qi. Let Minister of Education Gao Rou bear the staff and, with the relevant offices, announce the grand sacrifice at the ancestral temples. We respectfully risk death to report this." The memorial was approved. That day Cao Fang moved to a separate palace; he was twenty-three. Bearers with staff escorted him; a princely residence was built for the Prince of Qi at Chongmen in Henei with full feudal protocol. 〈The Wei lue states that as Sima Shi prepared to depose the emperor he sent Guo Zhi to inform the empress dowager while she and the emperor sat face to face. Guo Zhi told the emperor: "The Grand General means to depose you and raise Cao Ju, Prince of Pengcheng." The emperor at once rose and left. The empress dowager was displeased. Guo Zhi said: "You had a son yet could not teach him; the Grand General's mind is set and troops are drawn up outside—obey the command; what more is there to say!" The empress dowager said: "I wish to see the Grand General; I have words to speak." Guo Zhi said: "How can you see him? Take the seal and cord at once." Her will broke; she had an attendant bring the seal and cord and set them beside her seat. Guo Zhi reported to Sima Shi, who was greatly pleased. He again sent envoys with the Prince of Qi's seal and cord; the emperor was to go to the Western Palace. Cao Fang accepted the command, mounted the princely carriage, parted from the empress dowager in tears, and first went out south from the Hall of Great Ultimate; dozens of ministers escorted him—Sima Fu grieved beyond control and most wept. After Cao Fang left, Sima Shi again sent envoys to request the seal and cord. The empress dowager said: "Cao Ju, Prince of Pengcheng, is my youngest uncle—if he is raised, where am I to go? Will Emperor Ming be left without an heir? I favor Cao Mao, Duke of Gaogui Township—Emperor Wen's eldest grandson and Emperor Ming's nephew; by ritual a minor line may continue a major line—debate this carefully." Sima Shi summoned the ministers again, showed the empress dowager's order, and fixed on welcoming Cao Mao. The Minister of Ceremonies had already set out two days earlier, awaiting the seal and cord at Wen. When the matter was settled he again requested the seal and cord. The empress dowager ordered: "I know Cao Mao from childhood; tomorrow I myself will hand him the seal and cord." On dingchou an order said: "Cao Lin, Prince of the Eastern Sea, was Emperor Wen's son. Of his sons Cao Mao, Duke of Gaogui Township, has the measure of great accomplishment—let him be Emperor Ming's heir." 〈The Book of Wei states that Sima Shi again jointly memorialized Yongning Palace: "In human relations closeness to kin leads to honoring the ancestor, and honoring the ancestor leads to revering the lineage. By ritual, when the major line lacks an heir one chooses a worthy branch son; he who becomes heir becomes as a son. Cao Mao, son of Cao Lin, Prince of the Eastern Sea, is Emperor Wen's grandson; he should inherit the legitimate line and succeed Emperor Ming. All within the realm will have reliance; the myriad states will be fortunate—we ask that he be summoned to the Luoyang palace." The memorial was approved. He sent Colonel of the Central Army Wang, Acting Minister of Ceremonies and Intendant of Henan Su, Minister of the Imperial Treasury Mao, Master of Writing Liang, Palace Attendant Biao, and others with the full imperial equipage to welcome Cao Mao at Yuancheng. 〈The Wei House Genealogy states that when Jin received the abdication Cao Fang was enfeoffed as Duke of Shaoling county. He died at forty-three in the tenth year of Taishi; his posthumous title was Duke Li.
27
殿西 西輿 輿 輿 殿
Cao Mao, courtesy Yanshi, was Emperor Wen's grandson and the son of Cao Lin, Prince of the Eastern Sea. In 244 he received the title of Duke of Gaogui Township in She county. Even as a boy he loved books and showed precocious judgment. After Cao Fang's deposition the high ministers agreed to raise Cao Mao to the throne. On jichou in the tenth month he reached the Xuanwu Lodge; courtiers begged him to occupy the main palace hall, but he refused out of respect for his late uncle's memory and took rooms in the west wing; when they pressed to receive him with the full imperial train, he refused that too. At the Xiye Gate he started to return the court's bows until protocol officers said, "By protocol you do not bow back." Cao Mao answered: "I am still only a subject." He insisted on bowing in return. At the carriage-stop gate he dismounted as any officer would. Those at his side said, "By old custom one rides the palanquin within." He replied: "The empress dowager summoned me; I do not know whether I come as heir or as prisoner!" He walked on foot to the east hall of the Great Ultimate Hall to meet the empress dowager. That day he ascended the throne before the Great Ultimate, and the bureaucracy received him with visible joy. 〈The Wei Annals of Spring and Autumn describes him as keen-eyed, eloquent, and commanding in presence. After their first audience Sima Shi murmured: "What manner of emperor have we raised?" Zhong Hui answered: "He has Cao Zhi's brilliance and Cao Cao's bearing." Sima Shi said: "Then the dynasty is luckier than we knew."〉
28
輿
An edict said: "Of old the Three Ancestors, divinely martial and sagely virtuous, received the mandate in answer to Heaven. The Prince of Qi inherited the throne, but acted beyond measure and overturned his virtue. The Empress Dowager deeply considered the weight of the altars of state, admitted the plans of the chief ministers, replaced him in that position, and gathered the great mandate upon me alone. With my tiny person entrusted above the kings and dukes, I am reverent and fearful day and night, afraid that I cannot inherit and guard the great instructions of the ancestors or expand the vast enterprise of restoration. I tremble and quake as though standing over a valley. Now the assembled dukes, ministers, and officers who assist as thighs and arms, and the campaign and garrison commanders in the four directions who exert their strength in support, have all accumulated virtue and piled up achievement, loyal and diligent toward the imperial house; I hope to rely on the virtuous ministers of the former ancestors and my former father, who will support me on left and right, so as to preserve and pacify the royal house, allowing me, dark and ignorant, to rule with robes folded and hands hanging down. I have heard that the way of the ruler of men is for his thick virtue to match Heaven and Earth, and for his moistening grace to be applied across the four seas. He first leads with kindness and love, and shows what he likes and dislikes; only afterward does instruction and transformation move above, and the myriad people listen below. Although I lack virtue and am obscure about the great Way, I think to reach this road together with all within the realm. Does the Book not say, 'If you settle the people, then you are kind, and the black-haired people will cherish it'?" He proclaimed amnesty and a new era name. Court workshops, harem budgets, and frivolous palace luxuries were cut back at once.
29
殿
In winter, on renchen, he sent commissioners to the provinces to inspect customs, comfort the people, and hear judicial grievances. On guisi Sima Shi received the yellow axe and the full set of privileges at court. On wuxu Ye reported a yellow dragon in a village well. On jiachen he rewarded every official who had helped depose Cao Fang and enthrone him.
30
詿
On yichou in the first month of the second Zhengyuan year Guanqiu Jian, general who guards the east, and Wen Qin, inspector of Yang province, rose in rebellion. On wuxu Grand General Sima Shi took the field against them. On guiwei Guo Huai, General of Chariots and Cavalry, died. In the intercalary month, on jihai, Wen Qin was routed at Yuejia. Wen Qin fled the field and escaped to Wu. On jiachen the commandant of Anfeng executed Guanqiu Jian and forwarded his head to Luoyang. 〈The Shiyu claims Sima Shi led the emperor in person against Guanqiu Jian as far as Xiang; and once Jian was defeated, sent the emperor home ahead of the army.〉 〈Pei Songzhi finds no other source for this story; emperors did not take the field again until Zhuge Dan's rebellion, when Sima Zhao first marched with the empress dowager and emperor in train.〉 〈Later edicts cite the Han founders and Emperor Ming's own campaigns as precedent precisely because personal imperial expeditions did not resume until after Ming's reign.〉 〈Zhang Fan, Yu Pu, and Guo Song were all clerks in Jin service—Fan and Song later became local governors, and Pu served as administrator of Poyang.〉 〈Fan's Annals of Later Han, though apparently incomplete, is elegantly written.〉 〈Pu's Jiangbiao zhuan, though rough, is at least organized.〉 〈Only Song's Wei–Jin Shiyu is truly wretched—artless and crude—yet because it preserves sensational anecdotes it remains widely read.〉 〈Gan Bao, Sun Sheng, and others mined it heavily for their Jin histories, and false reports like this one appear all too often.〉 On renzi the court again pardoned Huainan subjects who had been duped into following Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin. Zhuge Dan was promoted from general who guards the south to grand general who guards the east. Sima Shi died at Xuchang. In the second month, on dingsi, Sima Zhao advanced from general of the guard to grand general with control of the secretariat.
31
On jiazi Sun Jun's eastern Wu host reached Shouchun; Zhuge Dan shattered them, took Liu Zan's head, and sent the trophy to Luoyang. In the third month he took Lady Bian as empress and ordered amnesty. On jiayin he enfeoffed his father-in-law Bian Long. On jiaxu Wang Chang traded his southern command for General of Agile Cavalry. In the seventh month Hu Zun became General of the Guard and Zhuge Dan took the eastern expeditionary command.
32
西 西西 退 西
On xinhai Jiang Wei struck Didao; Wang Jing met him west of the Tao, lost disastrously, and fled behind the walls. On xinwei Deng Ai, as acting Pacification General of the West, joined Chen Tai to stem the invasion. On wuchen Sima Fu marched as second wave. On gengzi, finishing his study of the Documents, he rewarded his tutors Zheng Chong, Zheng Xiaotong, and the rest. On jiachen Jiang Wei broke off and retreated. In winter, in the tenth month, an edict said: "I, with meager virtue, have been unable to restrain the cruelty of the bandits, and have let the Shu rebels swagger along the frontier. In the battle west of the Tao, we suffered defeat. Officers and soldiers died, numbered by the thousands; some lost their lives on the battlefield, their wronged spirits unable to return, while others were dragged off by captive hands and drifted in foreign lands. I deeply grieve and pity them, and my heart mourns for them. Let the commandery Offices of Agricultural Supervision and the senior officials in the two Protectorates for Pacifying the Yi each comfort and aid their households, with no assessed taxes or labor service for one year; and promised full pensions to every household that had lost men in the fighting."
33
西 西西
On jiawu he amnestied Longyou and Jincheng, where years of war had left kin of defectors in terror. On guichou, an edict said: "In the earlier battle west of the Tao, some generals, officers, soldiers, and commoners died fighting before the lines, while others drowned in the Tao River. Their remains were not gathered, but were left abandoned in the open country. I have always grieved for them. Western commanders were to drag the rivers and fields for remains and give them decent burial."
34
256 使 退
In Ganlu 1 (256), on xinchou in the first month, a green dragon was seen in a well at Zhi county. On yisi Prince of Pei Cao Lin died. The Wei Annals of Spring and Autumn records that on bingchen in the second month Cao Mao feasted his ministers in the eastern hall of the Hall of Supreme Ultimate and, with Xun Yi, Cui Zan, Yuan Liang, Zhong Yu, and Yu Song among others, lectured on ritual and debated which rulers ranked higher. Admiring Shao Kang of Xia, Cao Mao asked Xun Yi and the rest: "When Xia fell and Hou Xiang was nearly destroyed, Shao Kang rallied the Xia people and restored Yu's work; the High Ancestor rose from the plowlands, led heroes, swept away Qin and Xiang, and took all under Heaven—these two may be called singular talents and sages of their age. Weighing their merit and virtue, who should rank first?" Xun Yi and the others answered: "The realm is a heavy trust and kingship is Heaven's gift—only when sage virtue meets the times can one receive the mandate and found a dynasty. To build on a prior line and restore an old achievement differs from founding anew—the difficulty is not the same. Shao Kang's merit is splendid, yet he remains a restorer and may be grouped with Emperor Guangwu. As for the High Ancestor, we hold him the superior." Cao Mao said: "From antiquity rulers have differed in merit, virtue, word, and deed—founders are not always superior, nor successors always inferior. Tang, Wu, and the High Ancestor all received Heaven's mandate, yet the gradations of worth and sagacity one perceives are far apart. Shao Kang and Yin Zong in restoration, Xia Qi and Zhou Cheng in preserving the legacy—measured against Han's Ancestor for real virtue, I see only their superiority, not their inferiority; only the times differ, and so the achievements named differ as well. Shao Kang was born after ruin, reduced to a vassal's thrall, fled through hardship and barely escaped with his life; he spread virtue, laid his plans, destroyed Guo and Ge, recovered Yu's achievement, sacrificed to Xia and paired with Heaven without losing the old patrimony—without supreme virtue and broad benevolence, how could such merit be achieved? Han's Ancestor rode the collapse of the realm, leaned on momentary power, relied on wit and force alone, and in word and deed often violated the sage's measure; as a son he repeatedly endangered his father, as a ruler he imprisoned worthy ministers, as a father he could not protect his son; after his death the altars nearly fell; had he traded places with Shao Kang in time, he might not have recovered Great Yu's achievement. On this reasoning one should exalt Shao Kang and rank Han's Ancestor below. Ministers, debate this thoroughly." The next day, dingsi, when the lecture ended, Xun Yi, Yuan Liang, and the others argued: "The Three Dynasties founded states on apportioned domains; in decline there was no general collapse—one could win men by virtue, not easily by force. By the Warring States strong and weak devoured one another and cast off the Way for wit and force. Thus Qin's weakness could be overcome by force. Shao Kang spread virtue—he was a hero among the benevolent; the High Ancestor relied on force—he was an outstanding man among the wise. Benevolence and wisdom differ—the two emperors are distinct. The Poetry and Documents place Yin Zhongzong and Gaozong in the Grand Odes; Shao Kang's achievement surpasses both—his place among the Grand Odes is clear. Shao Kang is superior, as Your Majesty intended." Cui Zan, Zhong Yu, Yu Song, and the others argued: "Though Shao Kang heaped up virtue and benevolence, he inherited Great Yu's lingering favor; within he had Yu and Sì, without Mi and Ai; Han Zhu was wicked and unloved, Ao and Yi were friendless—men within and without abandoned them—so his possession of the state had something to build on. Han's Ancestor rose from common cloth, led a motley host, and completed an emperor's enterprise. In virtue Shao Kang is superior; in achievement the High Ancestor has more; in resources Shao Kang had the easier case, in times the High Ancestor had the harder." Cao Mao said: "Your point that Shao Kang had resources to follow and the High Ancestor created anew is fair, yet you do not know how hard it was in the Three Dynasties to achieve merit through virtue, or how easy it was between Qin and Xiang to succeed through force. The highest is to establish virtue, next achievement—Han's Ancestor's achievement is high, but not like Shao Kang's lush virtue. The benevolent must have courage, and punishing violence requires arms—must Shao Kang's martial blaze necessarily rank below the High Ancestor's? But the Xia Documents are lost and old text broken, so merit and beauty go unrecorded—only Wu Yuan roughly sketched the design, saying Shao Kang restored Yu's achievement without losing the old patrimony and followed the sage's enterprise while old statutes lapsed. Unless one combined the breadth of the Grand Odes with comprehensive talent, who could match this? Had the tomb canons and archives survived intact, how could there be differing debate?" Thereupon the assembled ministers were all pleased and submitted. Director Yu Song advanced and said: "Shao Kang's affairs are remote in time and the texts dim—so from antiquity to now debaters have scarcely spoken of him; virtue and beauty lie hidden and unproclaimed. Your Majesty has already looked far into antiquity and issued virtuous words praising Shao Kang, making him shine for a thousand years—it is fitting to record this into a completed piece and leave it for posterity." Cao Mao said: "My learning is not broad and what I have heard is shallow; I fear our debate did not reach the apt conclusion; even if something could be taken from it, that a hundred guesses often hit the mark is not worth esteem—would it not only invite laughter from later worthies and display my dimness!" Thereupon Gentleman of the Secretariat Zhong Hui withdrew and compiled the discussion in order.
35
On gengxu he bestowed on Sima Zhao the full regalia of a crowned prince.
36
使 使 便
On bingchen, the emperor visited the Imperial Academy and asked the scholars: "The sages gave hidden aid to the spirits, looked upward and observed below, and first made the eight trigrams. Later sages doubled them into the sixty-four and established the lines to exhaust the numbers. In these great principles, nothing was left unprovided. Yet Xia had the Lianshan, Yin had the Guicang, and Zhou called its work the Zhou Changes. What is the reason for these differences in the name of the book of Changes?" Doctor of the Changes Chunyu Jun replied: "Baoxi used the diagrams of the Sui sovereign to form the eight trigrams; Shennong developed them into the sixty-four; and the Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun understood their transformations. The three dynasties followed their times, with plainness or refinement each arising from its circumstances. The Xia text was called Lianshan because its images stacked like mountain-born clouds; the Shang text Guizang means that the myriad phenomena all return and are stored within it." The emperor also said: "If Baoxi made the Changes on the basis of the Sui sovereign, why did Confucius not say that after Suiren passed away, Baoxi arose?" Chunyu Jun had no reply. The emperor further asked: "Confucius composed the Tuan and Xiang commentaries, and Zheng Xuan wrote annotations. Though sage and worthy differ, they explain the meaning of the classic as one. Now the Tuan and Xiang are not joined to the classic text, yet the commentary joins them—why is that?" Chunyu Jun began: "Zheng Xuan joined the Tuan and Xiang to the classic because he wished students to search and review it easily." The emperor said: "If Zheng's merger truly eases study, why did Confucius not merge them to ease students?" Jun replied: "Confucius feared they would be confused with King Wen's work, and therefore did not join them together. This was the sage's modesty in keeping them separate." The emperor said: "If the sage showed modesty by not joining, why was Zheng Xuan alone not modest?" Jun replied: "The ancient meaning is vast and deep, and the sage's question is profound and far-reaching—not something your subject can set forth exhaustively." The emperor again asked: "The Appended Texts says, 'The Yellow Emperor, Yao, and Shun let their garments hang down, and all under Heaven was well ordered.' Does this mean that in the age of Baoxi and Shennong there were no garments? Yet when sages transform the realm, how could they differ so utterly?" Jun replied: "In the age of the Three August Ones, people were few and birds and beasts were many, so they used feathers and hides, and the realm had enough. By the time of the Yellow Emperor, people were many and birds and beasts were few; for this reason they made garments to meet the changed circumstances." The emperor again asked: "Qian represents Heaven, yet it also represents metal, jade, and an old horse. Is it placed together with such minor things?" Jun replied: "When the sage takes images, some are far and some are near. For the near, he takes them from things; for the far, he takes them from Heaven and earth."
37
使 使
When the Changes seminar ended, the session turned to the Documents. He quoted Zheng Xuan on the phrase "examining antiquity. He contrasted Wang Su's gloss, which made Yao a student of the past. Which reading did the throne favor?" Doctor Yu Jun replied: "What earlier scholars have maintained diverges in many ways; your subject is not equal to settling it. He cited the Hong fan rule of majority judgment among diviners. Jia, Ma, and Wang Su had all read the phrase Wang Su's way. Judging by the Hong fan, Wang Su's meaning has the longer claim." The emperor said: "Confucius said 'Only Heaven is great; only Yao modeled it.' Yao's greatness was cosmological, not antiquarian. Now to open the chapter to clarify sage virtue, yet to set aside the great and praise the small—is that the author's intent?" Jun replied: "Your subject follows his teacher's explanation and has not yet understood the great meaning. As for weighing the matter rightly, let the sage's judgment decide." Next came the passage on the Four Peaks recommending Gun, and the emperor again asked: "A great man joins his virtue with Heaven and earth and his brightness with the sun and moon; his thought reaches everywhere and his illumination shines on all. Now Wang Su says, 'Yao's mind could not clearly know Gun, and therefore he tried using him in office.' If so, did the sage's perspicacity still leave something unseen?" Jun replied: "Even the vastness of a sage still has places it does not fully reach. Thus Yu said, 'To know men is wisdom; even for the sovereign it is difficult.' Yet in the end Yao was able to change course, entrust the worthy, and bring bright order to the many tasks. This too is part of what completes sagehood." The emperor said: "To have a beginning and an end—only the sage. A ruler who misjudges at the start is no sage. As for the phrase 'even for the sovereign it is difficult,' yet in the end he could change course and entrust another, it probably means that knowing men is difficult even for a sage; it is not a statement that his illumination was incomplete. The Classic says: 'To know men is wisdom; one can appoint men to office.' If Yao doubted Gun yet tried him nine years, so that appointments fell into disorder—how can we call that wisdom?" Jun replied: "Your subject has privately examined the classics and commentaries. Even the actions of sages cannot be entirely without error. Thus Yao erred with the Four Fiends, the Duke of Zhou erred with his two uncles, and Confucius erred with Zai Yu." The emperor said: "Yao employed Gun for nine years without success; he confused the ordered array of the Five Phases, and the people sank beneath the flood. As for Confucius being mistaken about Zai Yu, that was a matter between words and conduct; its weight is not the same. As for the Duke of Zhou and the Guan-Cai affair, that too is recorded in the Documents—matters every doctor of learning should master." Jun replied: "These are doubts long voiced by former worthies—not something your subject's shallow view can exhaustively debate." He next reached the passage, 'There was a widower below, called Yu Shun.' The Emperor asked: "In Yao's time, the great flood was causing harm and the Four Fiends were at court; this was a time when a worthy sage should have been raised quickly to save the people. Shun had already reached the years of full manhood, his sage virtue bright—why was he long left without appointment?" Jun replied: "Yao sighed and sought worthies, wishing to yield his throne; the peaks said 'My virtue is unworthy—I would shame the imperial seat.' Only after a second search did they nominate Shun. The root of recommending Shun lay in Yao himself—this is how the sage exhausted every heart in the realm." The emperor said: "If Yao had already heard of Shun but did not raise him to office, and if loyal ministers at the time also did not advance him, so that only after ordering the Peaks to bring forward men from obscurity was Shun recommended, can this be called urgently employing a sage and caring for the people?" Jun replied: "This is not something your subject's foolish view can reach."
38
使
The court then opened the Record of Rites. The Emperor asked: "'The highest establishes virtue; the next attends to giving and repayment.' By what means did their governments cause instruction and transformation to differ from one another; what policies must be cultivated to reach establishing virtue, or giving without expecting return?" Doctor Ma Zhao replied: "The highest form, establishing virtue, refers to the age of the Three August Ones and Five Emperors, when the people were transformed by virtue. The next form, repaying and bestowing, refers to the age of the Three Kings, when government was carried out through ritual." The emperor said: "The two produce transformation thick or thin—does that mean the rulers themselves were superior or inferior? Or did the times make it so?" Zhao replied: "It truly comes from the times having plainness or refinement, hence transformation has thickness or thinness." 〈The Collected Writings of the Emperor records the emperor's own account of the auspicious signs at his birth: "In antiquity, when emperors and kings were born, there were sometimes auspicious signs, which served to display their divine wonder. As for me, a small child, the last stream of a branch lineage, I was mistakenly aided by spirits. How would I dare compare myself to former wise men? I merely record this to show later ages. Its words say: In Zhengshi 3, in the ninth month, whose first day was xinwei, on the twenty-fifth day, yiwei, with the day assigned to cheng, I was born. At that time the air of Heaven was clear and bright, and sun and moon shone with radiance. Then there was yellow qi, dense and harmonious in the hall, shining through the rooms and dwelling, its color brilliant. Those who examined it discussed it, saying: wei corresponds to earth, the phase of Wei; that day being assigned to cheng corresponded to an auspicious name; the dense and harmonious qi was the essence of spirits; being without disaster or harm meant receiving the spirits' protection. The Prince of Qi was not blessed and overturned his measures; the assembled dukes received me, so that I might succeed to the imperial throne. With my tiny person, stubborn by nature, not yet able to cross into the Way yet following the great road, I stand over depths and tread on ice, weeping with worry and fear. The ancients have a saying: 'If one is afraid, one does not perish.' As for me, a small child, how would I dare be negligent or idle? May I avoid disgrace and forever serve the ancestral sacrifices." Fu Chang notes Cao Mao's salons with Sima Wang, Wang Chen, Pei Xiu, and Zhong Hui. The emperor gave each court wit a playful honorific title. Cao Mao hated to wait for his scholars. Sima Wang alone received a racing carriage and escort so he could keep those appointments.〉
39
Fifth month: Ye and Shangluo reported sweet dew. On bingwu in the sixth month the era name became Ganlu. On yichou a green dragon was seen in a Yuan county well. Hu Zun died on jimao in the seventh month.
40
西 使
On guiwei, General Who Pacifies the West Deng Ai inflicted a crushing defeat on Jiang Wei, Grand General of Shu, at Shanggui. An edict said: "Our forces have not yet used their full strength, yet the vile bandits have been shattered. Heads taken and prisoners captured are counted by the tens of thousands; among recent victories, none matches this. Now I send envoys to reward and feast the officers and men, holding a great assembly and imperial banquet so that they may drink throughout the day. Let this accord with my wishes."
41
On gengwu Sima Zhao received grand-commander rank and full court privileges. On guiyou Sima Fu became Grand Tutor. Gao Rou moved from Minister of Education to Grand Commandant. Zheng Chong and Lu Yu advanced to the top civil posts.
42
Second month: another green-dragon well omen at Wen. Lu Yu died in the third month.
43
In summer, in the fourth month, on guimao, an edict said: "In Gaoxian County of Xuantu Commandery, the clerks and people rebelled, and the county chief Zheng Xi was killed by the bandits. Wang Jian had carried the magistrate's body home through enemy country. Let Jian be specially appointed Colonel of Loyal Righteousness to mark extraordinary conduct."
44
On jiazi Zhuge Dan was summoned to the Ministry of Works.
45
On xinwei he held a poetry contest at the round moat academy. Attendant-in-Ordinary He You, Minister Chen Qian, and others delayed over composing poems, and the responsible office memorialized to dismiss them. An edict said: "In my obscurity, I love literature and refinement, and I have broadly invited poems and rhapsodies so that I may learn what has been gained and lost. Yet matters have become so confused and contentious that I am truly uneasy. Pardon You and the others. Those in charge should order that from now on all ministers must study the meanings of antiquity and clarify the classics. Let this accord with my intent."
46
詿 西耀
On yihai Zhuge Dan rebelled and murdered Yue Chen. On bingzi he offered amnesty to Dan's dupes. On dingchou an edict said: "Zhuge Dan has wrought violent rebellion and overturned Yangzhou. In former times, when Qing Bu rebelled, Gaozu of Han personally took up arms; when Wei Xiao was disobedient, Guangwu campaigned west; and when Liezu, Emperor Ming, personally campaigned against Wu and Shu, in each case it was to stir and raise blazing anger and shake forth martial authority. Now it is fitting that the empress dowager and I temporarily go to the front together, swiftly settle the vile bandits, and bring peace in time to the eastern Xia." On jimao, an edict said: "Zhuge Dan has contrived rebellion and disorder, coercing the loyal and righteous. Pang Hui, General Who Pacifies Bandits and Marquis of Linwei Precinct, and Lu Fan, Cavalry Supervisor and Lieutenant-General, each led his followers, cut through the gates, and broke out. Their loyalty, strength, courage, and ardor deserve special praise. Pang Hui was raised to township marquis and Lu Fan to pavilion marquis."
47
使 使 祿 輿
On yisi, an edict said: "Sun Yi of Wu, Commissioner Bearing Staff, Area Commander of the armies at Xiakou, General Who Guards the Army, and Marquis of Shaxian, is a branch of the bandit house and held rank as one of its highest generals. Yet he feared Heaven, understood fate, and deeply recognized disaster and blessing; with a sudden change of heart he raised his forces and came from afar to submit to the great state. Even Weizi leaving Yin or Yue Yi fleeing Yan could not surpass this. Let Yi be made Palace Attendant, General of Chariots and Cavalry, Acting with Staff, Governor of Jiaozhou, and Marquis of Wu. Let him open an office and summon staff, with ceremonial status equal to the Three Excellencies. Following the ancient eight-command rites for marquises and earls, give him a ceremonial robe, cap, and red shoes, and let every matter be treated with full generosity." 〈Pei Songzhi calls the reward excessive for a frightened deserter. A modest enfeoffment would have sufficed. Eight mandates and three-duke ritual was absurd. It did not even serve recruitment policy well. Why not? Over-rewarding loyal generals might tempt them to revolt and then disgrace them. Deserters seeking life do not need three-duke pay. He listed earlier defectors as cautionary parallels. Meng Da and Huang Quan had been ennobled more modestly than Sun Yi, whereas Sun Xiu and Sun Kai under Jin received still grander treatment. After Wu fell those men were stripped of several ranks, never matching the original ladder of favor—Pei Songzhi suggests the court's opening error made the later correction inevitable.〉
48
簿
On jiazi, an edict said: "Now the imperial carriage is stationed at Xiang, and the Grand General reverently carries out Heaven's punishment, advancing to the banks of the Huai. Of old the Chancellor and Grand Marshal on punitive expeditions always marched together with the Masters of Writing; now it should be as before." Pei Xiu and Zhong Hui were attached to Sima Zhao's headquarters. In autumn, in the eighth month, an edict said: "Formerly, when the Prince Li of Yan plotted rebellion, Han Yi and others remonstrated and died, and the Han court prominently raised their sons to office. Xuan Long and Qin Jie had argued with Zhuge Dan and died for it, like latter-day Bi Gans without blood tie. Let Long's and Jie's sons be made Commandants of Cavalry, add posthumous gifts, and broadcast the deed far and near to mark extraordinary loyalty."
49
A general amnesty followed in the ninth month. Quan Duan and Quan Yi brought Wu troops over in the twelfth month.
50
In the second month of the third Ganlu year Sima Zhao stormed Shouchun and executed Zhuge Dan. In the third month, an edict said: "In antiquity, when enemies were defeated, their corpses were collected into a victory mound, in order to punish benighted rebels and display martial achievement. During Emperor Xiaowu of Han’s Yuanding era, Tong Township was renamed Wenxi and Xin Township Huojia to mark the destruction of Southern Yue. Sima Zhao's camp at Qiutou had crushed the rebellion and the foreign allies. The place where the enemy was defeated ought to have an auspicious name. Let Qiutou be changed to Wuqiu, making clear that military force pacified the disorder, so that later ages will not forget. This too carries the meaning of the two settlements named for victory mounds."
51
Sima Zhao was offered the Jin dukedom, eight commanderies, and the nine insignia—after nine refusals he accepted.
52
使 姿 便 ·
On bingzi in the sixth month, an edict said: "Formerly, when mountain bandits caused disorder in Nanyang Commandery and sought to seize the former Administrator Dongli Gun as a hostage, Merit Officer Ying Yu alone shielded Gun with his own body, allowing Gun to escape the danger. Ying Yu took seven wounds and died saving Dongli Gun. Let this be sent down to the Minister of Education, who shall appoint Yu's grandson Lun as a clerk, so that he may receive the recompense due to one who died holding fast to his integrity." 〈The Chu xianxian zhuan supplies Ying Yu's biography. Wu and Shu were still at war with Wei. Hou Yin of Wan incited the hills and seized the city. Ying Yu fled the siege with Dongli Gun. Hou Yin's riders caught them short of safety and riddled the party with arrows. Yu put himself in the path of the arrows and received seven wounds. He then said to the pursuing bandits: "Hou Yin is deranged and deceitful, and has created this treason. The great army will soon arrive, and your extermination is near. I tell you all that you were originally good men and have never had evil hearts; you should think of returning to goodness. Why accept his command? I substitute my body for the lord; I have already suffered grave wounds—if I die yet the lord is safe, I perish without regret." He wept blood before the enemy. They let Dongli Gun go, moved by Ying Yu's courage. Ying Yu died once the magistrate was clear. Cao Ren reported Ying Yu's deed and sacrificed in his honor. Cao Cao honored Ying Yu's family with a gate inscription and grain. Dongli Gun later served Yu Jin—see the Wei lue.〉
53
On xinmao every officer of the Huainan victory received graded rewards.
54
祿
Wang Chang became Minister of Works on jiaxu in the eighth month. On bingyin, an edict said: "Nourishing the aged and promoting instruction were how the Three Dynasties established customs and left an imperishable model. There must be Three Elders and Five Seniors to exalt utmost respect, ask for words, and receive instruction, with this recorded in faithful histories. Only then do the six directions receive the current, and those below observe and are transformed. The throne called for worthy nominees. Wang Xiang of Guannei was praised for moral weight. Zheng Xiaotong was praised as a model of kinship virtue. Let Wang Xiang be made Sanlao and Zheng Xiaotong Wugeng." Cao Mao then rode out to perform the village-elder ceremony in person. 〈The Han-Jin Annals says: The emperor asked Xiang for counsel, and Xiang replied: "In antiquity, when enlightened kings had already completed ritual and music, they added loyalty and sincerity. When loyalty and sincerity well forth, they take form in words and actions. The true great man moves in harmony with Heaven and earth; what Heaven does not gainsay, men cannot resist." Wang Xiang's career appears under Lü Qian. Zheng Xiaotong was Zheng Xuan's grandson. Zheng Xuan's separate biography states: "Xuan had a son who served as clerk to Kong Rong and was recommended Filial and Incorrupt. When Kong Rong was besieged, he went to the rescue and was killed by the bandits. A posthumous child was born on dingmao; and because Xuan was born in a dingmao year, he named him Xiaotong." The Memorials of Wei Worthies records Grand Commandant Hua Xin's memorial: "Your subject has heard that in encouraging custom and spreading transformation, nothing comes before making goodness visible; in assigning stipends and arranging ranks, nothing is finer than honoring ability. Thus the people of Chu remembered Ziwen's governance and restored his descendants, while the Han court valued Duke Jiang's virtue and made his family prominent. I humbly observe that the late Han Grand Minister of Agriculture Zheng Xuan of Beihai, in the learning of his time, had a name that crowned the Chinese world and was the age's master of classicists. Cao Pi had already named Xiaotong gentleman cadet. Zheng Xiaotong was over thirty, learned, and locally esteemed. Shandong admired his character. Hua Xin described him as the ideal scholar-bureaucrat for appointment. Your subject is old, sick, and worn out, of no benefit to Your sight or hearing, yet respectfully submits this fully for notice." The Wei shi chunqiu tells how Sima Zhao tested Zheng Xiaotong. When he returned from the privy he asked him: "Did you see my memorial?" He replied: "No." Sima Zhao poisoned him anyway. Zheng Xuan's commentary on the "King Wen as Heir" chapter says: "There is one Three Elder and one Five Senior; both are old men who have experienced many affairs and retired from office." His commentary on the Record of Music says: "Both are old men who understand the three virtues and five affairs." Cai Yong's discourse on the Bright Hall says: "Geng" should read "Sou." "Sou" is a title for elders; the character resembled "geng", so scribes mistook it. The character for sister-in-law has the woman radical beside "sou"; today it is also written with "geng"—from this one verifies it should be "sou." Your subject Pei Songzhi considers Yong's reading of "geng" as "sou" genuinely plausible, but the scholars have not followed him, and I do not know which is correct.〉
55
Dragon omens multiplied in Henan wells that year.
56
In the first month of the fourth year two yellow dragons were reported in a village well on the border of Ningling county. 〈The Han–Jin Annals records that dragons kept appearing and the court took each sighting for a lucky omen. The emperor said: "The dragon embodies a ruler's virtue. It belongs neither in Heaven above nor in the fields below, yet keeps appearing trapped in wells—that is no lucky sign." He then wrote the Hidden Dragon poem as a veiled warning, and Sima Zhao took offense when he read it. Wang Chang, Minister of Works, died in the sixth month. In the seventh month Cao Jun, Prince of Chenliu, died. On bingyin the court split Xincheng commandery and restored Shangyong commandery. On guimao General of Chariots and Cavalry Sun Yi was murdered by a maidservant.
57
A solar eclipse marked the new year of the fifth Ganlu cycle. The court renewed the offer of chancellorship, Jin dukedom, and nine insignia to Sima Zhao.
58
忿 宿 使 退 便 殿宿 忿 忿 便 西 便 便
On jichou in the fifth month Cao Mao died at age twenty. 〈The Han–Jin Annals records that Cao Mao watched real power drain away daily until rage overcame him. He summoned Palace Attendant Wang Shen, Master of Writing Wang Jing, and Regular Attendant Wang Ye and said: "Sima Zhao's heart is known even to passersby on the road. I will not sit still and accept deposition and disgrace—today I go out with you to strike at him." Wang Jing said: "When Duke Zhao of Lu could not tolerate the Ji clan he was ruined, fled, and lost his state—the whole world laughed at him. Power has sat in the Sima gate for years; every office and every quarter of the realm now serves them without asking whether right or wrong—this did not begin yesterday. Your night guard is hollow, your arms few—what force can Your Majesty actually draw on? To move so suddenly is like trying to cure an illness and only driving it deeper! The peril is incalculable; Your Majesty must think again." Cao Mao pulled the written order from his robe and flung it down: "My mind is made up. Even if I die, what is there to fear? And death may not even be necessary!" He then went to inform the empress dowager while Shen and Ye raced to warn Sima Zhao, who at once made preparations. Cao Mao then led several hundred household pages and attendants, beating drums and shouting as he marched out. Sima Zhao's younger brother Sima You, Colonel of the Resolute Cavalry, entered and met the emperor at the East Halting-Carriage Gate; the emperor's attendants shouted him down and You's men broke and ran. Colonel of the Central Army Jia Chong met the emperor in battle below the southern gate-tower; Cao Mao himself drew a sword. The troops wavered toward retreat; Cheng Ji, householder to the heir apparent, asked Jia Chong: "The crisis is upon us. What are we to do?" Jia Chong answered: "I raised you for this very day. Today's affair—no questions asked." Cheng Ji thrust forward at once; the blade came out through the emperor's back. When Sima Zhao heard, he was stricken and threw himself to the ground: "What will the realm say of me!" Grand Tutor Sima Fu ran to the body, pillowed the emperor's thigh, and wept in anguish: "Your Majesty's death is my crime." Pei Songzhi notes that although Xi Zuochi's account appeared last, it narrates the affair in clearer sequence. He therefore gives Xi's version first and places the slightly differing accounts afterward. 〈The Shiyu records that Wang Shen and Wang Ye galloped to warn Sima Zhao while Wang Jing, standing on principle, refused to join them; Shen and Ye relayed his intent. 〈The Jin zhugong zan adds that as Shen and Ye were leaving they called for Wang Jing. Jing would not go, saying only: "You gentlemen go!" Gan Bao's Jin ji states: Cheng Ji asked Jia Chong: "The matter is urgent. What shall we do?" Jia Chong said: "The Duke raised you for today's affair. What doubt remains!" Cheng Ji said: "So be it." He then drew his halberd and charged the imperial train. 〈The Wei shi chunqiu states that on wuzi night Cao Mao personally led Palace Vice-Director Li Zhao, Yellow Gate attendant Jiao Bo, and others down from Lingyun Terrace, armored and armed, intending to seize the moment and march against Sima Zhao. Rain fell; the bureaus asked to postpone the day; then, meeting Wang Jing and the others, he took the yellow-silk edict from his bosom and said: "If this can be borne, what cannot be borne! Today this shall be done without fail." He informed the empress dowager, drew his sword, mounted the palanquin, had palace night guards and household attendants beat the war drums, and marched out the Cloud Dragon Gate. Jia Chong entered from outside; the emperor's escort collapsed, yet Cao Mao still called himself Son of Heaven, sword in hand, and none dared close on him. Jia Chong rallied the officers and men; Cavalry Supervisor Cheng Zuo's younger brother Cheng Ji thrust in with a spear, and the emperor fell among the troops. Thunder, lightning, and torrential rain darkened the sky. The Wei mo zhuan states that Jia Chong called Cheng Ji and said: "If the Sima cause fails, will any of you leave descendants? Why not strike out!" The Cheng brothers led their men out, turned back, and asked: "Kill or seize? Seize?" Jia Chong said: "Kill him." As blades crossed the emperor cried: "Lay down your weapons!" Every soldier of the Grand General laid down his arms. The Cheng brothers rushed forward and stabbed the emperor; he fell from the carriage. An empress dowager order ran: "Lacking virtue I have met family misfortune. I raised Cao Mao, son of the Prince of the Eastern Sea, as Emperor Ming's heir because he loved books and essays and seemed capable of success—but his temperament was violent and worsened daily. I reproved him again and again; he grew angrier still, invented foul and rebellious words to slander me, and cut off all communication between our palaces. What he said could not be endured—it is not what Heaven and earth cover and bear. I secretly told the Grand General that he could no longer serve the ancestral temples, fearing the altars would be overturned and I would have no face to meet the late emperor after death. Sima Zhao, because the boy was still young, hoped he would change and do good, and clung earnestly to that hope. Yet this boy grew angrier and worse—he raised a crossbow and shot at my palace from afar, praying the bolt would strike my neck; an arrow fell at my feet. I told the Grand General he must depose him—dozens of times, back and forth. The boy heard it all, knew his guilt was grave, and plotted regicide, bribing my attendants to poison my medicine in secret, scheming again and again. When the plot was exposed he meant to seize the moment, raise troops, enter the Western Palace to kill me, go out to seize the Grand General, and summon Wang Shen and Wang Ye—〈the Shiyu notes that Wang Ye was from Wuling and later became Jin Colonel of the Central Army.〉 He also summoned Wang Jing, took the yellow-silk edict from his bosom to show them, and said the deed would be done that very day. My peril was greater than a pile of eggs about to topple. I am old and widowed—do I still cling to what life remains? Only the late emperor's unfulfilled intent and the fear of overturned altars grieve me. Thanks to the ancestral temples, Shen and Ye galloped to warn the Grand General, who secured himself in time; yet the boy still led his attendants out the Cloud Dragon Gate, beat the war drums, drew a blade himself, and with a mixed guard plunged into the battle line, where the vanguard killed him. Having pursued rebellion and unrighteousness, he also brought ruin on himself, redoubling grief I cannot speak. As the Han Prince of Changyi was deposed for crime and buried as a commoner, this boy too should receive commoner burial so the whole court may know his deeds. Master of Writing Wang Jing, being viciously rebellious, is to be seized with his entire household and sent to the Commandant of Justice."
59
殿 西
On gengyin, Grand Tutor Fu, Grand General King Wen, Grand Commandant Rou, and Minister of Education Chong bowed their heads and said: "We have humbly seen the inner command stating that the former Duke of Gaogui Township rebelled against the Way and brought great disaster upon himself. Following the Han precedent for deposing the Prince of Changyi, he is to be buried with commoner rites. We occupy our positions but could not correct and rescue the calamity, or restrain treachery and rebellion. Receiving the order, we tremble in fear; our livers and hearts mourn and shudder. According to the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals, for the true king there is no outside, yet it writes, 'King Xiang went out and dwelt in Zheng'; because he could not serve his mother, he was cut off from the throne. Now the Duke of Gaogui Township acted lawlessly, nearly endangered the altars of state, and brought his own overthrow; men and spirits alike cut him off. To bury him with commoner rites truly accords with the old canons. Yet we humbly think that Your Highness's benevolence is exceedingly great; though the great principle is preserved, you still extend pity. Our hearts truly cannot bear it, and we think grace may be added by burying him with the rites of a king." She agreed. 〈The Han–Jin Annals places the grave northwest of Luoyang. Only a few carriages followed the bier, and no banners or streamers were set out. The common people gathered to watch and said, "That is the Son of Heaven who was killed the other day." Onlookers wept openly. Pei doubts the burial truly matched princely rank. He treats the crowd scene as hostile rumor worse than fact.〉
60
使使 殿 殿
Sima Yan was sent to fetch Cao Huan as the new heir. On xinmao, the assembled dukes memorialized the empress dowager: "Your Highness's sagely virtue shines gloriously and brings peace to the six directions, yet you still call your commands 'orders,' the same term used by feudal states. We ask that from now on all commands from the palace be styled edicts and systems, following the precedents of former ages."
61
Sima Zhao again refused the Jin package on guimao. The empress dowager issued an edict: "That merit should not be hidden is a great principle of the Changes; completing another person's good was prized by the worthies of antiquity. I now accept what you insist upon and send the memorial out for public display, so as to make clear the duke's modest radiance."
62
輿 便 使
On wushen, Grand General King Wen memorialized: "The Duke of Gaogui led his attendants and palace troops, drew blades, beat drums, and advanced toward the place where your subject was staying; Fearing that blades would meet, I immediately ordered the officers and soldiers not to harm anyone; those who violated the order would be dealt with under military law. Cavalry Supervisor Cheng Zuo's younger brother Ji, a Retainer of the Heir Apparent, rushed crosswise into the battle line and wounded the Duke, so that he came to lose his life; I immediately arrested Ji and applied military law. I have heard that the integrity of a minister is to die and have no second loyalty, and that the righteousness of serving one's superior is not to flee difficulty. Earlier, when the crisis suddenly arrived and disaster was released like a trigger, I truly wished to commit my body and guard unto death, awaiting only what the command would decide. Yet the original plot was to endanger the Empress Dowager above and overturn the ancestral temples. I unworthily hold a great charge, and my duty lies in securing the state; I feared that even if my body died, my guilt and responsibility would be still heavier. Wishing to follow the expedient authority of Yi Yin and the Duke of Zhou in order to secure the danger facing the altars of state, I repeatedly issued orders that no one was to press close to the imperial carriage, but Ji suddenly entered the battle line and caused the great calamity. Grieving, pained, and full of bitter regret, my five inner organs are torn apart; I do not know on what ground I could fall and die. The code demanded the extermination of Cheng Ji's kin. Cheng Ji deserved the full penalty. I have therefore ordered the Attendant Censor to seize Ji's family and dependents, hand them over to the Commandant of Justice, and determine their crimes according to law." 〈The Wei shi chunqiu adds that Cheng Ji's kin resisted arrest on the rooftop. Archers from below cut them down on the roof.〉 The empress dowager issued an edict: "Of the five punishments none is greater than unfilial conduct. When someone has an unfilial son, she still reports him for punishment. How could this boy again become ruler over men? I am a woman and do not understand the great principle, and thought that Ji could not simply be made a great rebel. Yet the Grand General's intent is earnest and sincere, and his words are sorrowful; therefore I listen and approve what he memorialized. Let it be promulgated far and near so all know the beginning and end." 〈The Shiyu traces Shi Bao's rise from iron merchant to Sima Yi's protégé. Shi Bao rose through secretariat and frontier commands. He spent a full day closeted with Cao Mao before leaving the capital. Sima Zhao ordered him to report in. Prince Wen asked Bao: "Why the long delay?" Bao said: "He is no ordinary man." He reached Xingyang; days later Cao Mao died.〉
63
On guichou in the sixth month, an edict said: "In antiquity, the names and style names of rulers were difficult to violate and easy to avoid. Now the personal and style names of the Duke of Changdao Township are very hard to avoid. Let the court ministers discuss changes broadly and submit a listed memorial."
64
The King of Chenliu (section heading).
65
殿
Cao Huan, courtesy Jingming, was Cao Yu's son and a grandson of Cao Cao by posthumous title Emperor Wu. In 258 he received the ducal title at Changdao in Anci. After Cao Mao's death the ministers chose Cao Huan. On jiayin he reached Luoyang, met the dowager, ascended the throne, amnestied the realm, and changed the era name.
66
滿 使使
On bingchen in the sixth month of summer of Jingyuan 1, Grand General Sima Zhao, King Wen of Sima, was advanced to the position of Chancellor, enfeoffed as Duke of Jin, given two additional commanderies so that together with the previous grants they made ten, and granted the rites of the nine bestowals exactly as in the earlier edict; Every cousin and younger kinsman still without a title was made a village marquis and given ten million cash and ten thousand bolts of silk; Sima Zhao declined and the gifts were withdrawn. On jiwei Lady Jie, consort of the former Emperor Xian of Han, died; the emperor went in person to Hualin Park and sent a commissioner to posthumously name her Empress Mu of Xian. Her funeral carriages and vestments followed Han precedent in every detail. On guihai Wang Guan rose from Right Supervisor of the Masters of Writing to Minister of Works; he died that winter in the tenth month.
67
便 覿
Cao Yu's winter solstice memorial used subject language. An edict said: "Of old kings sometimes did not treat certain persons as subjects—the prince should follow that meaning. Should his memorials not omit the word 'subject'? Replies would follow the same etiquette. One who becomes heir to the great ancestral line lowers his private kinship; how much more when the succession inherited is weighty! If he is immediately treated the same as officials and concubines, that too is something feeling cannot accept. Let all follow ritual canons and settle each case as is fitting." The responsible office memorialized, arguing that "in ritual, nothing is more honored than revering the ancestor; among institutions, nothing is greater than setting the canon right. Your Majesty examines virtue and awaits the cycles, pacifies and rules the myriad states, continues the weight of the great ancestral line, and exalts the foundation of the Three Ancestors. We humbly consider that the Prince of Yan embodies honored kinship, correctly occupies the position of a feudal state, personally holds reverence and solemnity, and leads with respectful virtue before the myriad states; with respect to setting the canon right, clarifying and completing great obedience, he is not something that institutions can constrain. The sage court truly should exalt him with an extraordinary institution and serve him with the rites of one who is not treated as a subject. We have deliberated and believe that the Prince of Yan's memorials may be permitted to follow the old form. As for edicts issued from within, some preserve the courtesy of inquiry; measured by its category of meaning, this is the respect of an audience with Yan. The sage reverence may be slightly followed, the ritual style further exalted, and the wording shown not to address him directly: it should say, 'The Emperor respectfully inquires after the Great King's attendants.' Formal edicts would still use the standard imperial voice. The prince's name would be written with raised characters. His taboo would be observed like an emperor's outside the temple. Above, we follow the royal canon for honoring the ancestor; below, we accord with the sage's deeply earnest filial heart. Since neither side is in error, the ritual is truly appropriate. Let this be proclaimed and put into practice everywhere."
68
Huayin reported a yellow dragon in a well. Wang Xiang became Minister of Works on jiawu.
69
On the new moon of the fifth month in the second year there was a solar eclipse. In the seventh month envoys arrived from the Han and Yemo peoples on Lelang's frontier, each headman bringing his clansmen to pay tribute. On wuyin Cao Gan, Prince of Zhao, died. On jiayin Sima Zhao was again offered the Jin dukedom, the chancellorship, and the full ceremonial package set out in the prior edict; He declined again, and the offer was withdrawn.
70
使 西
A green dragon omen at Zhi in the second month. Sushen envoys from the deep northeast brought arms and furs. Deng Ai drove Jiang Wei from a raid on Taoyang. Guo Jia joined the temple honors.
71
Sima Zhao again refused promotion in spring of year 4.
72
使西 便西 西
In summer, in the fifth month, an edict said: "Shu is a tiny state, with narrow territory and few people, yet Jiang Wei cruelly uses its forces and has never abandoned his ambitions; After last year's defeat, they still again farmed at Tazhong, harshly stripping the various Qiang, with labor service never ending, until the people cannot bear the commands. To annex the weak and attack the benighted is the good canon of war; to make others come to us and not be made to go to others is the highest strategy of the military schools. What Shu relies on is only Jiang Wei. Because he is far from his nest, applying force will be easy. Now We send General Who Conquers the West Deng Ai to command the armies and hasten toward Gansong and Tazhong to net and seize Wei, while Inspector of Yongzhou Zhuge Xu commands the armies toward Wudu and Gaolou, pressing and attacking him head and tail. If Jiang Wei is captured, then east and west should advance together and sweep away Ba and Shu." We also order General Who Guards the West Zhong Hui to attack Shu by way of Luo Valley.
73
Gao Rou died in the ninth month. Another promotion offer to Sima Zhao on jiayin. Empress Bian was invested; November brought amnesty.
74
From the time Deng Ai and Zhong Hui led their forces to attack Shu, wherever they arrived they conquered. Liu Shan surrendered to Deng Ai the same month. Zheng Chong became Grand Guardian on gengxu. Yi province was partitioned to create Liang. Shu subjects received tax relief.
75
西西
Deng Ai and Zhong Hui received the top civil-military posts. The empress dowager died.
76
使使
On renxu in the opening month of Xianxi 1 the court ordered Deng Ai arrested and brought back in a cage cart. On jiazi the imperial progress reached Chang'an. On renshen envoys were sent to offer jade disks and silks in sacrifice at Mount Hua. That same month Zhong Hui rebelled in Shu and was put down by his own troops; Deng Ai was executed as well. On xinmao the court granted a special amnesty to everyone in the former Shu territories. On gengshen Empress Guo Mingyuan was buried. On dingchou Wang Xiang became Grand Commandant, He Zeng Minister of Education, and Xun Yi Minister of Works. On jimao Sima Zhao was raised from Duke of Jin to king with ten new commanderies, thirty in all with those already held.
77
便 西
〈When Sima Zhao became king, the three dukes paid a call. Yi said: "The Minister-King is august and honored. Lord He and the ministers of the whole court have already shown full respect; today we should likewise bow together, without any doubt." Xiang said: "The chancellor's position and power are indeed exalted, yet in the end he is Wei chancellor and we are Wei's Three Dukes; He argued rank parity forbade kowtow. It would harm Wei's court prestige and injure the Jin king's virtue; the gentleman loves others by ritual—I will not do it." Xun Yi kowtowed; Wang Xiang bowed only. The king said to Xiang: "Only today do I know how much you esteem me!"〉 Liu Shan received the comfortable dukedom of Anle. Sima Zhao asked to revive the Zhou-style five noble ranks. The era name changed on jiaxu. On guiwei, by posthumous command, Marquis Xuanwen of Wuyang was made King Xuan of Jin, and Marquis Zhongwu of Wuyang was made King Jing of Jin. In the sixth month, General Who Guards the West Wei Guan reported that Yongzhou troops had obtained a jade disk and a jade seal in Chengdu County. The seal inscription resembled the characters "cheng xin." Following the meaning of King Cheng of Zhou returning the grain ear, it was displayed to the hundred offices and stored in the Chancellor's office. 〈Sun Sheng thought the jades were Gongsu Shu's old regalia. The artifacts likely dated to Shu's first usurper.〉
78
退
Wei sent relief toward Yongan when Wu pressed Shu borders. Wu broke off in the seventh month. Sima Yan was named deputy to the chancellor-king.
79
使 使 西 使
On guisi, an edict said: "The former rebel minister Zhong Hui fabricated rebellion and disorder, gathered the generals and soldiers on campaign, and coerced them with military force. When he first revealed his treacherous plan and spoke words of Jie-like defiance, he forced everyone below him to deliberate; in that sudden crisis, all were terrified. Xiahou He, Zhu Fu, Jia Fu, and Yang Xiu were all caught in Zhong Hui's Chengdu headquarters. Xiahou He, Yang Xiu, and Zhu Fu defied Zhong Hui to his face. Jia Fu told Wang Qi that Zhong Hui meant to massacre the army and that Sima Zhao was already marching west with three hundred thousand. Wang Qi repeated Jia Fu's story up and down the camps and steeled the troops. The edict called for rewards. Xiahou He and Jia Fu to village rank; Yang Xiu and Zhu Fu to Guannei. Wang Qi merited distinction for broadcasting the rumor. Let Qi be made company commander of a commandery cohort."
80
Sima Wang became General of Agile Cavalry. Sima Yan was promoted to Grand General Who Pacifies the Army.
81
使 使 使便
On xinwei an edict said: "Wu bandits' government and punishments are cruel and tyrannical, their levies without limit. Wu was dragooning the far south. The Wu general Lü Xing, because the people’s hearts were angry and also because the royal army had pacified Ba and Shu, gathered local leaders, executed Deng Gou and the others, drove out the administrator and senior officials, soothed the officials and people, and waited for the state’s command. When the commanderies of Jiuzhen and Rinan heard that Xing had abandoned rebellion and turned toward obedience, they too responded with united hearts and cooperated with Xing. Xing sent documents to the provinces and commanderies of Rinan, opening and showing the great plan; his troops approached Hepu and announced disaster and fortune to them; he sent Commandant Tang Pu and others to Jincheng county, and through Huo Yi, Area Commander and Protector of the Army in the Southern Center, submitted memorials explaining himself. The generals and officials of Jiaozhi also each submitted memorials, saying, 'Xing has founded this enterprise, and high and low accept his commands. The commandery has mountain bandits that enter and connect with various commanderies; we fear their plans may differ, and each side may harbor divided loyalties. As a temporary expedient, appoint Xing as Area Commander of all military affairs in Jiaozhi, Senior Grand General, and Marquis of Ding'an County. We beg that he be granted praise and reward, to comfort the border wilderness.' Their inner sincerity and loyal intent were visible in their words and meaning. In former times, when Yifu came to court at Lu, the Spring and Autumn Annals praised it; when Dou Rong returned to Han, he was treated with special rites. Now the state's authority shakes the distant regions and soothes and cherishes the six directions; it is about to gather in people of different lineages and unite all within the four borders. Xing first turned toward the royal transformation, brought his masses to bow and submit, and galloped ten thousand li in righteousness, requesting an official's command and a commander's office; he should receive favor and special treatment, and his rank and position should be exalted. Once Xing and the others are moved by loyalty and joy, distant people who hear of it will surely all compete to be encouraged. Let Xing be made Commissioner Bearing Staff, Area Commander of all military affairs in Jiaozhou, and Grand General of the Southern Center; enfeoff him as Marquis of Ding'an County, and allow him to act according to circumstances, proceeding first and reporting afterward." Subordinates murdered Lü Xing before the edict reached him.
82
使 使 使
On dinghai in winter, in the tenth month, an edict said: "In antiquity, sage emperors and enlightened kings stilled disorder and rescued the age, preserving greatness and establishing achievement. Though civil and military men followed different paths, their splendid merits returned to the same end. Therefore some danced with shields and axes to instruct those who did not come to court, while others arrayed armies to awe the violent and arrogant. As for loving the people and preserving the state, bringing peace and kindness to the many kinds of beings, they must first cultivate civil teaching and show them standards and models; only when there is no alternative do they use troops. This is what flourishing virtue shares in common. Formerly, when late Han split apart and the nine lands were overturned, Liu Bei and Sun Quan took advantage of the opening to create calamity. The Three Ancestors pacified and settled the central Xia, yet each day did not give them enough time, and so the remaining bandits usurped and rebelled through successive generations. Fortunately relying on the awe-inspiring spirits of the ancestral temples and the loyalty and martial strength of the chief ministers, armies were sent out from the four directions and Yong and Shu were expanded and settled; the campaign did not last a full season, and one expedition conquered them. Recently the lands south of the Yangzi have declined and grown exhausted, their government and punishments wild and dark. With Ba and Han pacified, they are isolated, endangered, and without support, while Jiao, Jing, Yang, and Yue bend with the wind toward us. Now Lü Xing, false general of Jiaozhi, has already led three commanderies to return his life to us from ten thousand li away; Yan, chancellor to the Marquis of Wuling city, and others have united five counties and requested to become subjects and servants; the mountain people of Yuzhang and Luling have raised their masses in revolt against Wu, using 'Aid the North' as their title. Moreover Sun Xiu has died of illness, the ruler and commanders have changed, and within the state there is discord, each person having a mind of his own. The false general Shi Ji, a famous minister of the bandits, harbors doubts and suspects himself, and is deeply resented and hated. The masses rebel and kin separate; none has a firm resolve. From antiquity to the present, there has never been a sign of ruin as severe as this. If the Six Armies shake and shine, and descend south to the Yangzi and Han, the people of Wu and Kuaiji will surely support the old and lead the young to welcome the royal army. This is an inevitable principle. Yet setting great masses in motion still has labor and expense. It is proper to announce and explain our authority and virtue, open and show our benevolence and trust, and let them know the advantage of submitting, attaching themselves, and joining in harmony. Two Wu captives would carry the message south. Xu Shao had been a Wu frontier officer of ability; Sun Yu was a Sun kinsman known for loyalty. Truthful propaganda might spare a war. Xu Shao received attendant rank and a village marquisate; Sun Yu received the Yellow Gate post and Guannei marquis. As for the concubines granted to Shao and the others, and the male and female family members who are here, all may follow of their own accord. This will make clear the state's grace; they need not be forced to return, so that broad trust may be opened."
83
祿
On bingwu Sima Yan was named heir to the Jin dukedom. The court folded military farms into civil administration. Shu migrants were offered grain and long tax holidays. Two counties reported multi-eared grain omens.
84
使
A tortoise omen from Quzhi went to Sima Zhao's residence. Zhang Xiu's martyrdom in the mutiny won his brother a marquisate. Sweet dew fell at Nanshenze. Wu dispatched peace envoys.
85
使 簿 祿 使使 使使 302
In the fifth month, an edict said: "The Chancellor King of Jin, Sima Zhao, spreads forth divine counsel, his brilliance covering the four seas; his martial achievement blazes and his authority covers the distant wilds; his flowing influence surpasses transformation and reaches all around without exception. He pities the lands south of the Yangzi, strives to succor and nurture, sheathes arms and exalts benevolence, and displays authority with virtue. Where his proclamations reach, men turn in admiration; envoys bring tribute in submission, offering many treasures and fine gifts to express their intent. Yet in his utmost humility the king has recorded and returned everything—this is not how to comfort those newly submitting or honor their sincere wishes. Whatever Sun Hao has presented, let all be returned to the king, thereby to accord with ancient rightness." Sima Zhao firmly declined and the order stopped. He also ordered Sima Zhao twelve crown tassels, imperial banners, road-clearing guards, the golden-root chariot with six horses, five seasonal secondary chariots, plumed head and cloud canopy insignia, eight rows of ritual dancers, and palace bell racks with suspended chimes. The king's consort was advanced to queen and the heir to crown prince; princes, princesses, and royal grandchildren received titles and commands by the old ritual. On guiwei, general amnesty. In the eighth month, on xinmao, Chancellor King of Jin Sima Zhao died. On renchen Crown Prince of Jin Sima Yan received the succession by patent, took overall charge of state affairs, and the ritual objects and patent scrolls—all as before. That month Xiangwu county reported a giant more than three zhang tall, with footprints three chi two cun long, white hair, a yellow robe and yellow headcloth, leaning on a staff; he called to the commoner Wang Shi, saying: "Universal peace is at hand." In the ninth month, on yiwei, general amnesty. On wuwu Minister of Education He Zeng became Chancellor of Jin. On guihai Sima Wang became Minister of Education, Shi Bao General of Agile Cavalry, and Chen Qian General of Chariots and Cavalry. On yihai King Wen of Jin, Sima Zhao, was buried. In the intercalary month, on gengchen, Kangju and Dayuan presented famous horses to the chancellor's palace, displaying the merit of cherishing the myriad states and reaching the distant. In the twelfth month, on renxu, Heaven's mandate for Wei ended forever and the succession passed to Jin. An edict ordered the assembled nobles and ministers to prepare ritual and set up the altar at the southern suburb; envoys were sent bearing the imperial seal, cord, and patent scroll to abdicate to the heir king of Jin, following the Han and Wei precedent. On jiazi envoys were sent bearing the written mandate. Thereupon Cao Huan moved to Jincheng fortress and at last took residence at Ye; he was then twenty years old. The Wei Genealogy states: The emperor was enfeoffed as King of Chenliu. He died at fifty-eight in Taian 1 (302) and received the posthumous title Emperor Yuan.
86
忿
The appraisal says: In antiquity, the realm was treated as public, and only the worthy were given it. In later ages, rank became hereditary, and sons were established by legitimate descent; if the legitimate heir did not continue, then it was proper to choose an enlightened and virtuous collateral kinsman, as with Emperors Wen and Xuan of Han. This is an unchanging regular standard. Emperor Ming could not do this; his feelings were tied to private affection. He raised an infant, transmitted the great vessel to him, and did not make the entrustment exclusive, but necessarily mixed in branch kin. It ended with Cao Shuang exterminated and the Prince of Qi replaced. The Duke of Gaogui was talented and intelligent from early on, fond of questions and esteemed literary expression; he too had something of Emperor Wen's style. Yet he was rash, impatient, resentful, and unrestrained, and stepped into great calamity on his own. The King of Chenliu respectfully faced south while the chief ministers controlled the government; he looked up and followed the former model, yielded by ritual, and abdicated. Thereupon he enjoyed enfeoffment in a great state and became a guest of Jin; compared with Shanyang, the honors bestowed on him were even greater.
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