1
呂布字奉先,五原郡九原人也。 以驍武給并州。 刺史丁原為騎都尉,屯河內,以布為主簿,大見親待。 靈帝崩,原將兵詣洛陽。 〈《英雄記》曰:原字建陽。 本出自寒家,為人粗略,有武勇,善騎射。 為南縣吏,受使不辭難,有警急,追寇虜,輒在其前。 裁知書,少有吏用。〉 與何進謀誅諸黃門,拜執金吾。 進敗,董卓入京都,將為亂,欲殺原,併其兵眾。 卓以布見信於原,誘布令殺原。 布斬原首詣卓,卓以布為騎都尉,甚愛信之,誓為父子。
Lü Bu, whose courtesy name was Fengxian, came from Jiuyuan in Wuyuan commandery. His prowess in arms earned him a post in Bingzhou. Inspector Ding Yuan served as Colonel of Cavalry with his army camped in Henei; he appointed Lü Bu chief clerk and treated him with conspicuous favor. After Emperor Ling's death, Ding Yuan marched his army to Luoyang. 〈The Record of Heroes notes that Ding Yuan's courtesy name was Jianyang. He was born into a humble family, rough in manner but brave in battle and an excellent horseman and archer. As a clerk in the southern district he never flinched from a dangerous assignment; whenever bandits struck and had to be run down, he led the charge. He barely knew how to read and had scant talent for administration.〉 He joined He Jin's plot to slaughter the Yellow Gate eunuchs and was awarded the post of Bearer of the Golden Mace. When He Jin fell, Dong Zhuo marched into the capital. Planning to seize control, he meant to kill Ding Yuan and absorb his army. Because Lü Bu enjoyed Ding Yuan's trust, Dong Zhuo suborned him to murder his patron. Lü Bu beheaded Ding Yuan and brought his head to Dong Zhuo, who named him Colonel of Cavalry, lavished favor on him, and pledged a pact like father and son.
2
布便弓馬,膂力過人,號為飛將。 稍遷至中郎將,封都亭侯。 卓自以遇人無禮,恐人謀己,行止常以布自衛。 然卓性剛而褊,忿不思難,嘗小失意,拔手戟擲布。 布拳捷避之, 〈詩曰:「無拳無勇,職為亂階。」 注:「拳,力也。」〉 為卓顧謝,卓意亦解。 由是陰怨卓。 卓常使布守中閤,布與卓侍婢私通,恐事發覺,心不自安。
Lü Bu excelled as an archer and horseman and possessed extraordinary strength; men called him the Flying General. He rose step by step to General of the Household and received the Duting village marquisate. Dong Zhuo knew his bullying had made him enemies, so he kept Lü Bu at his side wherever he went. But Dong Zhuo was rigid and quick-tempered; one day a petty annoyance made him snatch up a short halberd and throw it at Lü Bu. Lü Bu dodged nimbly. 〈The Classic of Poetry runs: 'Without strength, without courage—it becomes the step to chaos.' The gloss explains quan as 'strength.'〉 Lü Bu turned back and apologized, and Dong Zhuo's anger subsided. From that moment Lü Bu nursed a secret grudge against Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo habitually posted Lü Bu to guard the inner apartments, where Lü Bu began an affair with one of Zhuo's maids; dreading exposure, he lived in constant anxiety.
3
先是,司徒王允以布州里壯健,厚接納之。 後布詣允,陳卓幾見殺狀。 時允與僕射士孫瑞密謀誅卓,是以告布使為內應。 布曰:「奈如父子何!」 允曰:「君自姓呂,本非骨肉。 今憂死不暇,何謂父子?」 布遂許之,手刃刺卓。 語在卓傳。 允以布為 (奮威) 〔奮武〕將軍,假節,儀比三司,進封溫侯,共秉朝政。 布自殺卓後,畏惡涼州人,涼州人皆怨。 由是李傕等遂相結還攻長安城。 〈《英雄記》曰:郭汜在城北。 布開城門,將兵就汜,言「且卻兵,但身決勝負」。 汜、布乃獨共對戰,布以矛刺中汜,汜後騎遂前救汜,汜、布遂各兩罷。〉 布不能拒,傕等遂入長安。 卓死後六旬,布亦敗。 〈臣松之案《英雄記》曰:諸書,布以四月二十三日殺卓,六月一日敗走,時又無閏,不及六旬。〉 將數百騎出武關,欲詣袁術。
Minister Wang Yun had already taken a liking to Lü Bu—another sturdy northerner—and welcomed him warmly. Later Lü Bu sought Wang Yun out and told him how Dong Zhuo had almost murdered him. Wang Yun was already plotting Dong Zhuo's assassination with Deputy Director Shisun Rui, so he enlisted Lü Bu as his agent inside the palace. Lü Bu protested, 'But we swore an oath like father and son!' Wang Yun replied, 'Your surname is Lü—you were never his kin. You are fighting for your life—what kind of father and son bond is that?' Lü Bu agreed and ran Dong Zhuo through with his own hand. The full story appears in Dong Zhuo's biography. Wang Yun appointed Lü Bu (General Who Displays Might) [General Who Displays Martial Power], with imperial credentials and ceremonial standing equal to the Three Excellencies, promoted to Marquis of Wen: together they governed the court. After Dong Zhuo's death Lü Bu despised and feared the Liangzhou troops, and they hated him in return. Li Jue and his allies therefore united and marched back to storm Chang'an. 〈The Record of Heroes places Guo Si north of the walls. Lü Bu opened the gates, rode out to face Guo Si, and proposed a duel: 'Pull your men back—let you and I settle this alone.' The two men fought alone until Lü Bu speared Guo Si; Guo's escort then rushed up and pulled him clear, and both sides broke off the fight.〉 Lü Bu could not hold them, and Li Jue's host poured into the capital. Sixty days after Dong Zhuo's death, Lü Bu too was beaten. Pei Songzhi notes: other texts date Zhuo's death to the twenty-third of the fourth month and Lü Bu's flight to the first of the sixth—with no leap month that year, so 'six decad-days' does not quite fit. He escaped through Wuguan with a few hundred horsemen, heading for Yuan Shu.
4
布自以殺卓為術報讎,欲以德之。 術惡其反覆,拒而不受。 北詣袁紹,紹與布擊張燕于常山。 燕精兵萬餘,騎數千。 布有良馬曰赤兔。 〈《曹瞞傳》曰:時人語曰:「人中有呂布,馬中有赤兔。」〉 常與其親近成廉、魏越等陷鋒突陳,遂破燕軍。 而求益兵眾,將士鈔掠,紹患忌之。 布覺其意,從紹求去。 紹恐還為己害,遣壯士夜掩殺布,不獲。 事露,布走河內, 〈《英雄記》曰:布自以有功於袁氏,輕傲紹下諸將,以為擅相署置,不足貴也。 布求還洛,紹假布領司隸校尉。 外言當遣,內欲殺布。 明日當發,紹遣甲士三十人,辭以送布。 布使止於帳側,偽使人於帳中鼓箏。 紹兵臥,布無何出帳去,而兵不覺。 夜半兵起,亂斫布床被,謂為已死。 明日,紹訊問,知布尚在,乃閉城門。 布遂引去。〉 與張楊合。 紹令眾追之,皆畏布,莫敢逼近者。 〈《英雄記》曰:楊及部曲諸將,皆受傕、汜購募,共圖布。 布聞之,謂楊曰:「布,卿州里也。 卿殺布,於卿弱。 不如賣布,可極得汜、傕爵寵。」 楊於是外許汜、傕,內實保護布。 汜、傕患之,更下大封詔書,以布為潁川太守。〉
Lü Bu assumed that slaying Dong Zhuo had settled Yuan Shu's blood feud and hoped to win his gratitude. Yuan Shu despised his fickle loyalty and turned him away. He rode north to Yuan Shao, who joined him in a campaign against Zhang Yan in Changshan. Zhang Yan commanded more than ten thousand elite soldiers and several thousand horsemen. Lü Bu rode a celebrated charger named Red Hare. 〈The unofficial History of Cao Cao quotes a contemporary saying: 'Lü Bu among men, Red Hare among horses.'〉 Time and again he charged the enemy line with Cheng Lian, Wei Yue, and his other trusted followers, shattering Zhang Yan's host. But he kept demanding reinforcements while his men looted the countryside, until Yuan Shao grew anxious and suspicious. Reading the mood, Lü Bu asked Yuan Shao's permission to leave. Yuan Shao feared Lü Bu might one day turn on him and sent assassins to strike by night; they failed. When the plot leaked, Lü Bu bolted for Henei. 〈The Record of Heroes adds that Lü Bu considered himself the Yuan family's benefactor, sneered at Yuan Shao's officers, and dismissed their self-made appointments as beneath notice. Lü Bu asked permission to return west; Yuan Shao made him acting Colonel Director of Retainers. He talked of seeing Lü Bu off while planning his murder. On the morning of Lü Bu's departure Yuan Shao assigned thirty armored men 'to see him on his way.' Lü Bu had them wait outside his tent while a servant strummed a zither within—an empty show of occupation. The escort fell asleep; Lü Bu slipped out unnoticed. At midnight they attacked the bed in a frenzy, certain they had killed him. Next morning Yuan Shao learned Lü Bu was still alive and ordered the gates shut. Lü Bu was already gone.〉 He joined Zhang Yang. Yuan Shao ordered pursuit, but no one dared close with the Flying General. 〈The Record of Heroes reports that Li Jue and Guo Si had put a price on Lü Bu's head and won over Zhang Yang's officers. Lü Bu warned Zhang Yang, 'We hail from the same commandery. Killing me would only weaken you. Better to hand me over and collect the full reward from Guo Si and Li Jue.' Zhang Yang feigned cooperation with Guo Si and Li Jue while sheltering Lü Bu in fact. Annoyed, Guo Si and Li Jue countered with an imperial rescript sealed in the great envelope, naming Lü Bu administrator of Yingchuan.〉
5
張邈字孟卓,東平壽張人也。 少以俠聞,振窮救急,傾家無愛,士多歸之。 太祖、袁紹皆與邈友。 辟公府,以高第拜騎都尉,遷陳留太守。 董卓之亂,太祖與邈首舉義兵。 汴水之戰,邈遣衞茲將兵隨太祖。 袁紹旣爲盟主,有驕矜色,邈正議責紹。 紹使太祖殺邈,太祖不聽,責紹曰:「孟卓,親友也,是非當容之。 今天下未定,不宜自相危也。」 邈知之,益德太祖。 太祖之征陶謙,勑家曰:「我若不還,往依孟卓。」 後還,見邈,垂泣相對。 其親如此。
Zhang Miao, courtesy name Mengzhuo, was a native of Shouzhang in Dongping. As a young man he made a name as a chivalrous figure—always helping the needy at his own expense—so bold spirits flocked to him. Both Cao Cao and Yuan Shao counted him as a friend. Called to the capital service, he graduated with honors, received the colonelcy of cavalry, and rose to administrator of Chenliu. When Dong Zhuo seized power, Cao Cao and Zhang Miao were among the first to raise armies against him. At the Bian River Zhang Miao detached Wei Zi's contingent to fight under Cao Cao. Once Yuan Shao headed the coalition his manner turned arrogant; Zhang Miao rebuked him to his face. Yuan Shao told Cao Cao to execute Zhang Miao; Cao refused. 'Mengzhuo is family to me,' he told Yuan Shao. 'You must allow him his faults. The empire is still unsettled—we cannot afford to turn on each other.' When word reached Zhang Miao, he felt even deeper gratitude toward Cao Cao. Before marching against Tao Qian, Cao Cao told his family: 'If I do not come back, seek refuge with Mengzhuo.' When he returned, he and Zhang Miao wept in each other's arms. Such was the closeness between them.
6
〈《英雄記》曰:布見備,甚敬之,謂備曰:「我與卿同邊地人也。 布見關東起兵,欲誅董卓。 布殺卓東出,關東諸將無安布者,皆欲殺布耳。」 請備於帳中坐婦牀上,令婦向拜,酌酒飲食,名備爲弟。 備見布語言無常,外然之而內不說。〉 邈從布,留超將家屬屯雍丘。 太祖攻圍數月,屠之,斬超及其家。 邈詣袁術請救未至,自爲其兵所殺。 〈《獻帝春秋》曰:袁術議稱尊號,邈謂術曰:「漢據火德,絕而復揚,德澤豐流,誕生明公。 公居軸處中,入則享于上席,出則爲衆目之所屬,華、霍不能增其高,淵泉不能同其量,可謂巍巍蕩蕩,無與爲貳。 何爲捨此而欲稱制? 恐福不盈眥,禍將溢世。 莊周之稱郊祭犧牛,養飼經年,衣以文繡,宰執鸞刀,以入廟門,當此之時,求爲孤犢不可得也!」 案本傳,邈詣術,未至而死。 而此云諫稱尊號,未詳孰是。〉
〈The Record of Heroes quotes Lü Bu's first meeting with Liu Bei: 'We are both men of the northern frontier,' he said with great respect. I watched the lords east of the mountains take up arms against Dong Zhuo. I killed Dong Zhuo and came east, yet not one of those generals will have me—they all want me dead.' He brought Liu Bei into his tent, seated him on the women's couch, had his wife pay her respects, poured the wine, and called him 'younger brother.' Liu Bei noted Lü Bu's erratic talk and nodded along while inwardly disliking him.〉 Zhang Miao threw in his lot with Lü Bu and left Zhang Chao to hold Yongqiu with the families. Cao Cao besieged the city for months, sacked it, and put Zhang Chao and his family to the sword. Zhang Miao rode to Yuan Shu for help but was murdered by his own men before relief arrived. 〈The Annals of Emperor Xian record Yuan Shu's bid for the throne. Zhang Miao told him: 'The Han holds the virtue of Fire—it falters, then flares again; its blessings spread wide, and they produced a man like you. You stand at the pivot—honored at court, the cynosure of every gaze; neither Mount Hua nor Mount Huo could make you higher, nor any abyss match your depth—magnificent, unrivaled. Why cast that aside to proclaim yourself emperor? Your blessing may never reach the width of an eye's corner; disaster could flood the age. Zhuangzi's ox fattened for the suburban rites—fed for a year, draped in brocade, led with the ritual knife through the temple gate—at that point not even a solitary calf's life is within reach!' The main text, however, says Zhang Miao died on the road before he reached Yuan Shu. This passage makes him Yuan Shu's critic—Pei Songzhi cannot say which version is right.〉
7
術欲結布爲援,乃爲子索布女,布許之。 術遣使韓胤以僭號議告布,并求迎婦。 沛相陳珪恐術、布成婚,則徐、揚合從,將爲國難,於是往說布曰:「曹公奉迎天子,輔讚國政,威靈命世,將征四海,將軍宜與恊同策謀,圖太山之安。 今與術結婚,受天下不義之名,必有累卵之危。」 布亦怨術初不己受也,女已在塗,追還絕婚,械送韓胤,梟首許市。 珪欲使子登詣太祖,布不肯遣。 會使者至,拜布左將軍。 布大喜,即聽登往,并令奉章謝恩。 〈《英雄記》曰:初,天子在河東,有手筆版書召布來迎。 布軍無畜積,不能自致,遣使上書。 朝廷以布爲平東將軍,封平陶侯。 使人於山陽界亡失文字,太祖又手書厚加慰勞布,說起迎天子,當平定天下意,并詔書購捕公孫瓚、袁術、韓暹、楊奉等。 布大喜,復遣使上書於天子曰:「臣本當迎大駕,知曹操忠孝,奉迎都許。 臣前與操交兵,今操保傅陛下,臣爲外將,欲以兵自隨,恐有嫌疑,是以待罪徐州,進退未敢自寧。」 答太祖曰:「布獲罪之人,分爲誅首,手命慰勞,厚見褒獎。 重見購捕袁術等詔書,布當以命爲效。」 太祖更遣奉車都尉王則爲使者,齎詔書,又封平東將軍印綬來拜布。 太祖又手書與布曰:「山陽屯送將軍所失大封,國家無好金,孤自取家好金更相爲作印,國家無紫綬,自取所帶紫綬以籍心。 將軍所使不良。 袁術稱天子,將軍止之,而使不通章。 朝廷信將軍,使復重上,以相明忠誠。」 布乃遣登奉章謝恩,并以一好綬答太祖。〉 登見太祖,因陳布勇而無計,輕於去就,宜早圖之。 太祖曰:「布,狼子野心,誠難久養,非卿莫能究其情也。」 即增珪秩中二千石,拜登廣陵太守。 臨別,太祖執登手曰:「東方之事便以相付。」 令登陰合部衆以爲內應。
Yuan Shu sought Lü Bu as an ally and asked for Lü's daughter for his son; Lü Bu agreed. He dispatched Han Yin to brief Lü Bu on his plan to claim the throne and to escort the bride home. The Chancellor of Pei, Chen Gui, feared that if Shu and Bu completed their marriage, Xu and Yang would form an allied league and would become a crisis for the state; thereupon he went to persuade Bu, saying: "Lord Cao has welcomed the Son of Heaven, assists and extols the administration of the state, his numinous might commands the age, and he will campaign across the four seas—the General ought to join him in common planning and seek the security of Mount Tai. Now if you ally by marriage with Shu, you will bear throughout the realm the name of unrighteousness, and will surely have the danger of eggs stacked high." Lü Bu still smarted at Yuan Shu's earlier refusal of him. His daughter was already on the road when he called her back, annulled the match, bound Han Yin in chains for delivery, and exposed Han's head in the marketplace at Xu. Chen Gui wanted to send his son Deng to Cao Cao, but Lü Bu would not allow it. An imperial envoy soon arrived and invested Lü Bu as General of the Left. Lü Bu was delighted and at once let Deng go, instructing him to submit a memorial of thanks. 〈The Record of Heroes states that while the emperor was east of the Yellow River, he issued a handwritten summons on wooden slips inviting Lü Bu to escort him. Lü Bu's camp lacked supplies to make the journey, so he sent a memorial instead. The court named him General Who Pacifies the East and Marquis of Pingtao. The courier lost the documents in Shanyang; Cao Cao wrote again to reassure Lü Bu, spelled out the plan to welcome the emperor and pacify the empire, and enclosed arrest warrants for Gongsun Zan, Yuan Shu, Han Xian, Yang Feng, and the rest. Overjoyed, Lü Bu sent another memorial to the throne: 'I meant to escort Your Majesty myself; learning that Cao Cao is loyal and has settled you at Xu, I once fought Cao Cao; now that he attends you as regent, my bringing an army to court might look suspicious, so I remain at Xu Province uneasy in every move I make.' To Cao Cao he wrote: 'I am a condemned man fit only for execution; your letter lifts me with undeserved praise. Seeing the arrest warrant for Yuan Shu and company again, I will prove my loyalty with deeds.' Cao Cao then dispatched Wang Ze with the imperial edict and investiture regalia for General Who Pacifies the East. Cao Cao added a personal note: 'The packet you lost was recovered in Shanyang. Treasury gold was poor, so I supplied gold from my own house for your seal; there was no purple ribbon at court, so I sent the one from my belt to show my regard. Your messengers did not serve you well. You checked Yuan Shu when he proclaimed himself emperor, yet blocked his memorials from reaching the throne. The court trusts you and asked you to petition again to prove your loyalty.' Lü Bu therefore had Deng deliver his thanks and returned a fine ribbon to Cao Cao.〉 When Chen Deng met Cao Cao, he explained that Lü Bu was bold but unstrategic, quick to change sides, and should be dealt with soon. Cao Cao replied, 'Lü Bu has the heart of a wolf cub—impossible to keep tame for long. Only you could read him so clearly.' He raised Chen Gui's stipend to two thousand piculs and named Chen Deng administrator of Guangling. As Chen Deng took his leave, Cao Cao clasped his hand. 'The entire east—I leave it in yours.' He told Chen Deng to rally allies secretly as fifth columnists.
8
始,布因登求徐州牧,登還,布怒,拔戟斫机曰:「卿父勸吾恊同曹公,絕婚公路; 今吾所求無一獲,而卿父子並顯重,爲卿所賣耳! 卿爲吾言,其說云何?」 登不爲動容,徐喻之曰:「登見曹公言:『待將軍譬如養虎,當飽其肉,不飽則將噬人。』 公曰:『不如卿言也。 譬如養鷹,饑則爲用,飽則揚去。』 其言如此。」 布意乃解。
Lü Bu had asked Chen Deng to secure him the governorship of Xu. When Deng came back empty-handed, Lü Bu seized a halberd and smashed his bench. 'Your father told me to side with Cao Cao and cut ties with Yuan Shu— —yet I gained nothing while you two rose to honor—you have betrayed me! What excuse do you offer?' Chen Deng showed no fear and answered calmly: 'I told Cao Cao that managing you is like keeping a tiger—you must feed it meat or it will turn on its keeper. He replied: 'Your analogy misses the mark. Raising you is like falconry: hunger keeps you loyal; a full crop sends you off. That was how he put it.' Lü Bu's anger cooled.
9
術怒,與韓暹、楊奉等連勢,遣大將張勳攻布。 布謂珪曰:「今致術軍,卿之由也,爲之柰何?」 珪曰:「暹、奉與術,卒合之軍耳,策謀不素定,不能相維持,子登策之,比之連雞,勢不俱棲,可解離也。」 布用珪策,遣人說暹、奉,使與己并力共擊術軍,軍資所有,悉許暹、奉。 於是暹、奉從之,勳大破敗。 〈《九州春秋》載布與暹、奉書曰:「二將軍拔大駕來東,有元功於國,當書勳竹帛,萬世不朽。 今袁術造逆,當共誅討,奈何與賊臣還共伐布? 布有殺董卓之功,與二將軍俱爲功臣,可因今共擊破術,建功於天下,此時不可失也。」 暹、奉得書,即迴計從布。 布進軍,去勳等營百步,暹、奉兵同時並發,斬十將首,殺傷墮水死者不可勝數。 《英雄記》曰:布後又與暹、奉二軍向壽春,水陸並進,所過虜略。 到鍾離,大獲而還。 旣渡淮北,留書與術曰:「足下恃軍彊盛,常言猛將武士,欲相吞滅,每抑止之耳! 布雖無勇,虎步淮南,一時之間,足下鼠竄壽春,無出頭者。 猛將武士,爲悉何在? 足下喜爲大言以誣天下,天下之人安可盡誣? 古者兵交,使在其間,造策者非布先唱也。 相去不遠,可復相聞。」 布渡畢,術自將步騎五千揚兵淮上,布騎皆於水北大咍笑之而還。 時有東海蕭建爲琅邪相,治莒,保城自守,不與布通。 布與建書曰:「天下舉兵,本以誅董卓爾。 布殺卓,來詣關東,欲求兵西迎大駕,光復洛京,諸將自還相攻,莫肯念國。 布,五原人也,去徐州五千餘里,乃在天西北角,今不來共爭天東南之地。 莒與下邳相去不遠,宜當共通。 君如自遂以爲郡郡作帝,縣縣自王也! 昔樂毅攻齊,呼吸下齊七十餘城,唯莒、即墨二城不下,所以然者,中有田單故也。 布雖非樂毅,君亦非田單,可取布書與智者詳共議之。」 建得書,即遣主簿齎牋上禮,貢良馬五匹。 建尋爲臧霸所襲破,得建資實。 布聞之,自將步騎向莒。 高順諫曰:「將軍躬殺董卓,威震夷狄,端坐顧盼,遠近自然畏服,不宜輕自出軍; 如或不捷,損名非小。」 布不從。 霸畏布鈔暴,果登城拒守。 布不能拔,引還下邳。 霸後復與布和。〉
Enraged, Yuan Shu allied with Han Xian and Yang Feng and dispatched Zhang Xun against Lü Bu. Lü Bu asked Chen Gui, 'This army from Yuan Shu—your doing. What now?' Chen Gui answered, 'Han Xian and Yang Feng form only a marriage of convenience with Yuan Shu; no plan binds them. My son Deng compares them to chickens tied together—they cannot roost on one perch—and they can be split apart.' Lü Bu followed this advice, sent envoys to Han Xian and Yang Feng, and promised them all captured materiel if they would join him against Yuan Shu. They agreed, and Zhang Xun's army was shattered. 〈The Spring and Autumn of the Nine Provinces preserves Lü Bu's letter: 'You rescued the emperor and brought him east—merit fit for the histories and an undying name. Yuan Shu rebels—why march with a traitor against me instead of punishing him? I slew Dong Zhuo, as did you in your way—strike Yuan Shu now and win glory while you can.' Han Xian and Yang Feng switched sides as soon as they read it. Lü Bu drew up within a hundred paces of Zhang Xun's camp; Han Xian and Yang Feng struck together, took ten generals' heads, and left casualties beyond count in the water. The Record of Heroes adds that Lü Bu later marched on Shouchun with Han Xian and Yang Feng by land and river, pillaging as they went. They reached Zhongli, looted heavily, and withdrew. North of the Huai he left Yuan Shu a letter: 'You boast of your hosts and brag of swallowing every rival—I have held you back until now! I may lack valor, yet I strode across Huainan like a tiger while you cowered in Shouchun like a rat afraid to show your face. Where are those famous warriors now? You love bombast—do you think you can fool everyone under heaven? Ancient armies exchanged envoys—I did not provoke this war. We are close enough—send word when you wish.' After Lü Bu crossed, Yuan Shu led five thousand men to brandish arms along the Huai; Lü Bu's horsemen on the north bank jeered and rode away. Xiao Jian of Donghai was governing Langya from Ju, holding his walls and refusing all contact with Lü Bu. Lü Bu wrote: 'The coalition rose only to destroy Dong Zhuo. I killed Dong Zhuo, reached the east, and begged for men to escort the emperor west and recover Luoyang, but the lords only turned on one another and forgot the throne. I was born in Wuyuan, five thousand li from here in the far northwest; I have not come to fight you for the southeast. Ju lies near Xiapi—we should be allies. Or do you fancy every district an empire and every county a throne? Yue Yi swept Qi in weeks—only Ju and Jimo held out because Tian Dan defended them. I am no Yue Yi and you are no Tian Dan—show this letter to wise counsel.' Xiao Jian answered at once, sending his registrar with a courteous note and five good horses. Zang Ba soon overran him and seized his stores. Hearing this, Lü Bu marched on Ju in person. Gao Shun urged caution: 'You slew Dong Zhuo and awe the frontier peoples—your very gaze commands fear. Do not rashly take the field. A defeat would cost you more than a battle.' Lü Bu ignored him. Fearing Lü Bu's plundering, Zang Ba manned the walls. Lü Bu failed to storm the city and withdrew to Xiapi. Zang Ba later reconciled with Lü Bu.〉
10
建安三年,布復叛爲術,遣高順攻劉備於沛,破之。 太祖遣夏侯惇救備,爲順所敗。 太祖自征布,至其城下,遺布書,爲陳禍福。 布欲降,陳宮等自以負罪深,沮其計。 〈《獻帝春秋》曰:太祖軍至彭城。 陳宮謂布:「宜逆擊之,以逸擊勞,無不克也。」 布曰:「不如待其來攻,蹙著泗水中。」 及太祖軍攻之急,布於白門樓上謂軍士曰:「卿曹無相困,我當自首明公。」 陳宮曰:「逆賊曹操,何等明公! 今日降之,若卵投石,豈可得全也!」〉 布遣人求救於術,自將千餘騎出戰,敗走,還保城,不敢出。 〈《英雄記》曰:布遣許汜、王楷告急於術。 術曰:「布不與我女,理自當敗,何爲復來相聞邪?」 汜、楷曰:「明上今不救布,爲自敗耳! 布破,明上亦破也。」 術時僭號,故呼爲明上。 術乃嚴兵爲布作聲援。 布恐術爲女不至,故不遣兵救也,以緜纏女身,縛著馬上,夜自送女出與術,與太祖守兵相觸,格射不得過,復還城。 布欲令陳宮、高順守城,自將騎斷太祖糧道。 布妻謂曰:「將軍自出斷曹公糧道是也。 宮、順素不和,將軍一出,宮、順必不同心共城守也,如有蹉跌,將軍當於何自立乎? 願將軍諦計之,無爲宮等所誤也。 妾昔在長安,已爲將軍所棄,賴得龐舒私藏妾身耳,今不須顧妾也。」 布得妻言,愁悶不能自決。 《魏氏春秋》曰:陳宮謂布曰:「曹公遠來,勢不能久。 若將軍以步騎出屯,爲勢於外,宮將餘衆閉守於內,若向將軍,宮引兵而攻其背,若來攻城,將軍爲救於外。 不過旬日,軍食必盡,擊之可破。」 布然之。 布妻曰:「昔曹氏待公臺如赤子,猶舍而來。 今將軍厚公臺不過於曹公,而欲委全城,捐妻子,孤軍遠出,若一旦有變,妾豈得爲將軍妻哉!」 布乃止。〉 術亦不能救。 布雖驍猛,然無謀而多猜忌,不能制御其黨,但信諸將。 諸將各異意自疑,故每戰多敗。 太祖塹圍之三月,上下離心,其將侯成、宋憲、魏續縛陳宮,將其衆降。 〈《九州春秋》曰:初,布騎將侯成遣客牧馬十五匹,客悉驅馬去,向沛城,欲歸劉備。 成自將騎逐之,悉得馬還。 諸將合禮賀成,成釀五六斛酒,獵得十餘頭豬,未飲食,先持半豬五斗酒自入詣布前,跪言:「間蒙將軍恩,逐得所失馬,諸將來相賀,自釀少酒,獵得豬,未敢飲食,先奉上微意。」 布大怒曰:「布禁酒,卿釀酒,諸將共飲食作兄弟,共謀殺布邪?」 成大懼而去,棄所釀酒,還諸將禮。 由是自疑,會太祖圍下邳,成遂領衆降。〉 布與其麾下登白門樓。 兵圍急,乃下降。 遂生縛布,布曰:「縛太急,小緩之。」 太祖曰:「縛虎不得不急也。」 布請曰:「明公所患不過於布,今已服矣,天下不足憂。 明公將步,令布將騎,則天下不足定也。」 太祖有疑色。 劉備進曰:「明公不見布之事丁建陽及董太師乎!」 太祖頷之。 布因指備曰:「是兒最叵信者。」 〈《英雄記》曰:布謂太祖曰:「布待諸將厚也,諸將臨急皆叛布耳。」 太祖曰:「卿背妻,愛諸將婦,何以爲厚?」 布默然。 《獻帝春秋》曰:布問太祖:「明公何瘦?」 太祖曰:「君何以識孤?」 布曰:「昔在洛,會溫氏園。」 太祖曰:「然。 孤忘之矣。 所以瘦,恨不早相得故也。」 布曰:「齊桓舍射鉤,使管仲相; 今使布竭股肱之力,爲公前驅,可乎?」 布縛急,謂劉備曰:「玄德,卿爲坐客,我爲執虜,不能一言以相寬乎?」 太祖笑曰:「何不相語,而訴明使君乎?」 意欲活之,命使寬縛。 主簿王必趨進曰:「布,勍虜也。 其衆近在外,不可寬也。」 太祖曰:「本欲相緩,主簿復不聽,如之何?」〉 於是縊殺布。 布與宮、順等皆梟首送許,然後葬之。 〈《英雄記》曰:順爲人清白有威嚴,不飲酒,不受饋遺。 所將七百餘兵,號爲千人,鎧甲鬬具皆精練齊整,每所攻擊無不破者,名爲陷陣營。 順每諫布,言「凡破家亡國,非無忠臣明智者也,但患不見用耳。 將軍舉動,不肯詳思,輙喜言誤,誤不可數也」。 布知其忠,然不能用。 布從郝萌反後,更疏順。 以魏續有外內之親,悉奪順所將兵以與續。 及當攻戰,故令順將續所領兵,順亦終無恨意。〉
In Jian'an 198 Lü Bu renewed his ties to Yuan Shu and sent Gao Shun against Liu Bei at Pei, routing him. Cao Cao dispatched Xiahou Dun to Liu Bei's aid, but Gao Shun defeated him. Cao Cao led the expedition himself, drew up beneath Xiapi, and wrote Lü Bu with an appeal weighing surrender against ruin. Lü Bu was ready to yield, but Chen Gong and his faction—knowing Cao Cao would never spare them—blocked him. 〈The Annals of Emperor Xian record Cao Cao's army reaching Pengcheng. Chen Gong urged a spoiling attack: 'Hit them while they march—fresh troops against weary ones—and you cannot lose.' Lü Bu preferred to wait and drive them into the Si River.' When the siege tightened, Lü Bu mounted the White Gate Tower and told his men to spare him further shame—he would surrender to Lord Cao himself.' Chen Gong shouted back, 'That traitor Cao Cao—what enlightened lord is he? Surrender now and you might as well smash eggs on rock!'〉' Lü Bu begged Yuan Shu for help, led a thousand riders in a sortie, was beaten back, and shut himself inside the walls. 〈The Record of Heroes names Xu Si and Wang Kai as his envoys to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu replied, 'He broke our marriage pact—defeat is his own fault—why bother me again?' They warned him, 'Refuse Lü Bu now and you doom yourself. If he falls, you fall with him.' Yuan Shu had proclaimed himself emperor, hence the deferential 'Your Enlightened Majesty.' He massed troops as a gesture of support. Lü Bu suspected Yuan Shu withheld aid until the bride appeared, so he swathed his daughter in silk, lashed her to a saddle, and tried to ride her through Cao Cao's lines by night; volleys drove him back. He planned to leave Chen Gong and Gao Shun to hold Xiapi while he raided Cao Cao's supply lines. Bu's wife said to him: 'For the General personally to go out and cut Lord Cao's grain road is right. But Gong and Shun hardly cooperate—leave them alone and the city may fall; then where will you stand? Think hard—do not let Chen Gong gamble away your life. You abandoned me once in Chang'an—I survived only because Pang Shu hid me. Forget about me now.' Her words left him paralyzed with doubt. The Wei Chronicle quotes Chen Gong: 'Cao Cao marched far—he cannot keep this up. Camp outside with the bulk of your horse and foot while I hold the walls—if they chase you, I strike their rear; if they besiege me, you relieve them from outside. Their provisions will fail within ten days—then we crush them.' Lü Bu agreed. His wife objected: 'Cao Cao once cherished Chen Gong like a child—yet Gong deserted him for you. You barely trust Chen Gong more than Cao Cao did—yet you would stake the city, your family, and a lone sortie on him. If anything goes wrong, I am no longer your wife!' Lü Bu abandoned the plan.〉 Yuan Shu could not save him either. Fierce as Lü Bu was, he lacked judgment, suspected everyone, failed to master his own faction, and put blind faith in his officers. His commanders doubted one another and rarely won a fight. After three months of trench warfare the garrison came apart: Hou Cheng, Song Xian, and Wei Xu seized Chen Gong and surrendered with their men. 〈The Spring and Autumn of the Nine Provinces explains that Hou Cheng had entrusted fifteen horses to a groom who bolted toward Pei to rejoin Liu Bei. Hou Cheng rode after him and recovered every horse. The officers congratulated him with ceremony. Hou Cheng brewed several hu of wine, bagged a dozen pigs, and carried half a pig and five dou of wine to Lü Bu before touching his own feast. Kneeling, he said: 'Your Grace helped me recover my horses; my comrades wished to celebrate, so I brewed a little wine and took game—but I would not taste it until I offered the first share to you.' Lü Bu thundered: 'I banned liquor—you brewed it, you feasted like sworn brothers—do you mean to murder me?' Terrified, Hou Cheng poured out the wine and gave back the congratulatory gifts. He began to fear for his life; when Cao Cao invested Xiapi, he opened the gates.〉 Lü Bu and his retinue climbed the White Gate Tower. With the noose tightening, he came down to surrender. They took him alive. 'The ropes are too tight,' Lü Bu said, 'give me a little slack.' Cao Cao answered, 'This is how you tie a tiger.' Lü Bu pleaded: 'I am the only thorn in your side, and I yield—think what that means for the rest of the realm. Put me at the head of your horse—and you will pacify the empire.' Cao Cao hesitated. Liu Bei put in: 'My lord, remember Ding Yuan—and Dong Zhuo.' Cao Cao nodded. Lü Bu jabbed a finger at Liu Bei. 'That man is the worst oath-breaker alive.' 〈The Record of Heroes quotes Lü Bu: 'I treated my officers well—they deserted me in crisis.' Cao Cao shot back: 'You betray your wife for other men's wives—some generosity.' Lü Bu had no reply. The Xiandi Chunqiu says: Bu asked Grand Progenitor: 'Why is the enlightened lord thin?' Grand Progenitor said: 'How do you recognize me in solitude?' Lü Bu said they had crossed paths in Luoyang at the Wen family's estate.' So we did,' said Cao Cao. He had forgotten. He blamed his wasted frame on having discovered Lü Bu too late." Bu said: 'Duke Huan of Qi forgave the arrow in his belt-hook and made Guan Zhong his minister; Let me bend every muscle as your vanguard—will you have me?' Bound tight, he cried to Liu Bei: 'You sit free while I am trussed—will you not speak for me?' Cao Cao laughed: 'Why plead with Xuande instead of asking me yourself?' He meant to spare Lü Bu and ordered the ropes slackened. Registrar Wang Bi protested: 'Lü Bu is too dangerous to spare. His troops still surround us—we cannot risk it.' Cao Cao said with a shrug, 'I would loosen them, but my registrar forbids it—what can I do?'〉 They strangled Lü Bu. Lü Bu, Chen Gong, Gao Shun, and the rest were beheaded; their heads went to Xu before the bodies were buried. 〈The Record of Heroes describes Gao Shun as austere, formidable, abstemious, and incorruptible. He commanded some seven hundred men who passed as a thousand, in flawless armor—every assault succeeded—known as the Camp That Breaks the Line. Gao Shun often warned Lü Bu: 'States fall not for lack of loyal men but because rulers refuse counsel. You rush every decision and pile mistake on mistake.' Lü Bu knew he was honest yet never followed his advice. After Hao Meng's mutiny Lü Bu grew colder toward Gao Shun. He stripped Gao Shun's command and gave the troops to his wife's relative Wei Xu. When battle came he made Gao Shun lead Wei Xu's men; Gao Shun showed no resentment.〉
11
太祖之禽宮也,問宮欲活老母及女不? 宮對曰:「宮聞孝治天下者不絕人之親,仁施四海者不乏人之祀,老母在公,不在宮也。」 太祖召養其母終其身,嫁其女。 〈魚氏《典略》曰:陳宮字公臺,東郡人也。 剛直烈壯,少與海內知名之士皆相連結。 及天下亂,始隨太祖,後自疑,乃從呂布,爲布畫策,布每不從其計。 下邳敗,軍士執布及宮,太祖皆見之,與語平生,故布有求活之言。 太祖謂宮曰:「公臺,卿平常自謂智計有餘,今竟何如?」 宮顧指布曰:「但坐此人不從宮言,以至於此。 若其見從,亦未必爲禽也。」 太祖笑曰:「今日之事當云何?」 宮曰:「爲臣不忠,爲子不孝,死自分也。」 太祖曰:「卿如是,柰卿老母何?」 宮曰:「宮聞將以孝治天下者不害人之親,老母之存否,在明公也。」 太祖曰:「若卿妻子何?」 宮曰:「宮聞將施仁政於天下者不絕人之祀,妻子之存否,亦在明公也。」 太祖未復言。 宮曰:「請出就戮,以明軍法。」 遂趨出,不可止。 太祖泣而送之,宮不還顧。 宮死後,太祖待其家皆厚於初。〉
After Chen Gong's capture Cao Cao asked whether he wanted his mother and daughter spared. Gong replied: 'Gong has heard that one who governs the realm with filial piety does not cut off others' kin; one who extends benevolence within the four seas does not exhaust others' sacrifices—the old mother is with you, not with Gong.' Cao Cao supported Chen Gong's mother for life and saw his daughter married. 〈Yu Huan's Comprehensive Survey gives Chen Gong's courtesy name as Gongtai and his origin in Dong commandery. Blunt and bold, he befriamed every famous scholar of the age. When chaos came he first served Cao Cao, then doubted him and joined Lü Bu—whose plans he drew and routinely ignored. At Xiapi's fall Lü Bu and Chen Gong were brought before Cao Cao, who spoke of old times—hence Lü Bu's plea for life. Cao Cao asked, 'Gongtai, you always claimed superior wit—how did it end?' Chen Gong pointed at Lü Bu: 'Because he never listened to me. Had he listened, we might not stand here.' Grand Progenitor laughed and said: 'Today's affair—how ought it to be?' Gong said: 'As a minister not loyal, as a son not filial—death is my proper portion.' Grand Progenitor said: 'If you are thus, what of your old mother?' Gong said: 'Gong has heard that one who will rule with filial piety does not harm others' kin—whether the old mother lives or dies is with the enlightened lord.' Grand Progenitor said: 'What of your wife and children?' Gong said: 'Gong has heard that one who will extend humane government within the four seas does not cut off others' sacrifices—whether wife and children live or die is also with the enlightened lord.' Cao Cao fell silent. Gong said: 'I request to go out and accept execution, to clarify military law.' He walked out; no one could stop him. Cao Cao wept at the gate; Chen Gong never looked back. Afterward Cao Cao treated Chen Gong's kin even better than before.〉
12
陳登者,字元龍,在廣陵有威名。 又掎角呂布有功,加伏波將軍,年三十九卒。 後許汜與劉備並在荊州牧劉表坐,表與備共論天下人,汜曰:「陳元龍湖海之士,豪氣不除。」 備謂表曰:「許君論是非?」 表曰:「欲言非,此君爲善士,不宜虛言; 欲言是,元龍名重天下。」 備問汜:「君言豪,寧有事邪?」 汜曰:「昔遭亂過下邳,見元龍。 元龍無客主之意,久不相與語,自上大牀卧,使客卧下牀。」 備曰:「君有國士之名,今天下大亂,帝主失所,望君憂國忘家,有救世之意,而君求田問舍,言無可采,是元龍所諱也,何緣當與君語? 如小人,欲卧百尺樓上,卧君於地,何但上下牀之閒邪?」 表大笑。 備因言曰:「若元龍文武膽志,當求之於古耳,造次難得比也。」 〈《先賢行狀》曰:登忠亮高爽,沈深有大略,少有扶世濟民之志。 博覽載籍,雅有文藝,舊典文章,莫不貫綜。 年二十五,舉孝廉,除東陽長,養耆育孤,視民如傷。 是時世荒民饑,州牧陶謙表登爲典農校尉,乃巡土田之宜,盡鑿溉之利,秔稻豐積。 奉使到許,太祖以登爲廣陵太守,令陰合衆以圖呂布。 登在廣陵,明審賞罰,威信宣布。 海賊薛州之羣萬有餘戶,束手歸命。 未及期年,功化以就,百姓畏而愛之。 登曰:「此可用矣。」 太祖到下邳,登率郡兵爲軍先驅。 時登諸弟在下邳城中,布乃質執登三弟,欲求和同。 登執意不撓,進圍日急。 布刺姦張弘,懼於後累,夜將登三弟出就登。 布旣伏誅,登以功加拜伏波將軍,甚得江、淮間歡心,於是有吞滅江南之志。 孫策遣軍攻登於匡琦城。 賊初到,旌甲覆水,羣下咸以今賊衆十倍於郡兵,恐不能抗,可引軍避之,與其空城。 水人居陸,不能久處,必尋引去。 登厲聲曰:「吾受國命,來鎮此土。 昔馬文淵之在斯位,能南平百越,北滅羣狄,吾旣不能遏除凶慝,何逃寇之謂邪! 吾其出命以報國,仗義以整亂,天道與順,克之必矣。」 乃閉門自守,示弱不與戰,將士銜聲,寂若無人。 登乘城望形勢,知其可擊,乃申令將士,宿整兵器,昧爽,開南門,引軍指賊營,步騎鈔其後。 賊周章方結陣,不得還舩。 登手執軍鼓,縱兵乘之,賊遂大破,皆棄舩迸走。 登乘勝追奔,斬虜以萬數。 賊忿喪軍,尋復大興兵向登。 登以兵不敵,使功曹陳矯求救於太祖。 登密去城十里治軍營處所,令多取柴薪,兩束一聚,相去十步,從橫成行,令夜俱起火,火然其聚。 城上稱慶,若大軍到。 賊望火驚潰,登勒兵追奔,斬首萬級。 遷登爲東城太守。 廣陵吏民佩其恩德,共拔郡隨登,老弱繈負而追之。 登曉語令還,曰:「太守在卿郡,頻致吳寇,幸而克濟。 諸卿何患無令君乎?」 孫權遂跨有江外。 太祖每臨大江而歎,恨不早用陳元龍計,而令封豕養其爪牙。 文帝追美登功,拜登息肅爲郎中。〉
Chen Deng, courtesy name Yuanlong, enjoyed wide renown in Guangling. His role in crushing Lü Bu earned him the title General Who Calms the Waves; he died at thirty-nine. Later Xu Si together with Liu Bei both sat in Governor of Jingzhou Liu Biao's presence; Biao together with Bei discussed people of the realm; Si said: 'Chen Yuanlong is a lakes-and-seas knight—his heroic spirit is not removed.' Bei said to Biao: 'Does Sir Xu weigh right and wrong?' Biao said: 'If I wish to say it is not so, this gentleman is a good man—I ought not speak emptily; Calling him right would slight Chen Deng's fame." Bei asked Si: 'You speak of heroism—was there indeed an affair?' Si said: 'Formerly suffering chaos I passed through Xiapi and saw Yuanlong. Chen Deng acted nothing like a host—ignored him, stretched out on the main couch, and relegated Xu Si to the foot bench." Bei said: 'You have the name of a state knight; today the realm is greatly chaotic, the emperor-host has lost his place—I hoped you would worry for the state and forget home, having intent to save the age; yet you seek fields and ask after houses—your words have nothing worth adopting—this is what Yuanlong avoids; what cause would there be for him to converse with you? Were it Liu Bei, he would seat Xu Si on the floor beneath a hundred-foot loft—not merely the wrong couch." Liu Biao roared with laughter. Bei therefore said: 'If Yuanlong's civil and military courage and resolve—one ought to seek them in antiquity; in haste it is hard to obtain comparison.' 〈The Accounts of Worthies describes Chen Deng as loyal, brilliant, far-sighted, and ambitious to save the people. He read widely and mastered classical letters and state papers. At twenty-five he earned the Filial and Incorrupt nomination and governed Dongyang, caring for elders and orphans as if each citizen were wounded flesh. In famine times Tao Qian named him agricultural intendant; he surveyed fields, dug irrigation, and filled the granaries with rice. Called to Xu, Cao Cao made him administrator of Guangling to plot against Lü Bu in secret. At Guangling his rewards and punishments were transparent and his authority respected. More than ten thousand pirate households under Xue Zhou surrendered without a fight. Within a year his rule won fear and love. Deng said: 'This can be used.' When Cao Cao reached Xiapi, Chen Deng led his district troops in the van. Lü Bu held Chen Deng's three brothers hostage inside Xiapi to force a truce. Chen Deng pressed the siege without flinching. Inspector Zhang Hong, fearing reprisals, smuggled the brothers out to Chen Deng by night. After Lü Bu's execution Chen Deng earned the title General Who Calms the Waves and the devotion of the Huai River lands—he dreamed of conquering the south. Sun Ce besieged him at Kuangqi. The fleet blotted out the river; his staff urged retreat—Sun Ce outnumbered them ten to one—and counseled yielding an empty city. Land-bound sailors cannot stay; they will withdraw. Deng with stern voice said: 'I received the state's command to guard this soil. Ma Yuan had crushed Yue and Di from this post—how could he flee pirates? I will give my life for the Han, ride the cause of justice, and Heaven favors the just—we cannot lose.' He shut the gates, played weak, and forbade any sound from the ramparts—dead still. From the battlements Chen Deng saw how to strike: before dawn he ordered weapons prepared, burst from the south gate, and rolled up the enemy rear. Sun Ce's men were caught lining up and never made it back to their ships. Chen Deng sounded the charge himself; the enemy broke, ditched their boats, and ran. He chased the rout and counted tens of thousands of enemy killed or captured. Smarting from defeat, they returned in strength against Chen Deng. Outnumbered, Chen Deng dispatched Chen Jiao to plead with Cao Cao. He pitched a decamp ten li out, crisscrossed paired bundles of fuel, and set the rows ablaze after dark. The garrison roared welcome as if Cao Cao's main army were there. The fires routed them; Chen Deng cut off ten thousand heads in the pursuit. The court transferred him to Dongcheng. Grateful Guangling tried to follow him en masse—parents hoisted children on their backs to keep up. At daybreak he told them to turn back: 'My tenure invited Wu's attacks—we survived by fortune alone. You will find another good shepherd.' Sun Quan took everything south of the Yangtze. Cao Cao never crossed the Yangtze without cursing his delay—Chen Deng could have checked Sun Quan before the beast grew claws. Emperor Wen ennobled Chen Deng's memory and gave his son Su a post at court.〉
13
臧洪字子源,廣陵射陽人也。 父旻,歷匈奴中郎將、中山、太原太守,所在有名。 〈謝承《後漢書》曰:旻有幹事才,達於從政,為漢良吏。 初從徐州從事闢司徒府,除盧奴令,冀州舉尤異,遷揚州刺史、丹楊太守。 是時邊方有警,羌、胡出寇,三府舉能,遷旻匈奴中郎將。 討賊有功,徵拜議郎,還京師。 見太尉袁逢,逢問其西域諸國土地、風俗、人物、種數。 旻具答言西域本三十六國,後分為五十五,稍散至百餘國; 其國大小,道裡近遠,人數多少,風俗燥濕,山川、草木、鳥獸、異物名種,不與中國同者,悉口陳其狀,手畫地形。 逢奇其才,嘆息言:「雖班固作西域傳,何以加此?」 旻轉拜長水校尉,終太原太守。〉 洪體貌魁梧,有異於人,舉孝廉為郎。 時選三署郎以補縣長; 琅邪趙昱為莒長,東萊劉繇下邑長,東海王朗菑丘長,洪即丘長。 靈帝末,棄官還家,太守張超請洪為功曹。
Zang Hong, courtesy name Ziyuan, came from Sheyang in Guangling. His father Zang Min served as Han inspector of the northern tribes and as governor of Zhongshan and Taiyuan with a celebrated record. 〈Xie Cheng records Zang Min as a capable administrator and model officer. Summoned from Xu clerking to the capital, he governed Lunu, won Ji Province's top nomination, and advanced to Yangzhou governor and Danyang administrator. Border raids by Qiang and Hu led the court to post him as colonel against the northern tribes. Successful campaigns earned him the counsellor's seal and a seat at court. Grand Commandant Yuan Feng interviewed him on the Western Regions—lands, peoples, and customs. Zang Min traced how thirty-six Tarim states had fractured into well over a hundred polities; he rehearsed distances, populations, climates, and strange flora and fauna, sketching each kingdom from memory. Feng marveled at his talent and sighed: 'Even Ban Gu's Treatise on the Western Regions could hardly surpass this.' He closed his career as colonel of the Chang River corps and governor of Taiyuan.〉 Zang Hong's stature turned heads; the Filial and Incorrupt nomination brought him to the capital. The court seconded palace cadets to county posts; Peers included Zhao Yu at Ju, Liu Yao at Xiayi, Wang Lang at Zaiqiu, and Zang Hong at Jiqiu. He left office under Ling and served Zhang Chao of Guangling as chief clerk.
14
董卓殺帝,圖危社稷,洪說超曰:「明府歷世受恩,兄弟並據大郡,今王室將危,賊臣未梟,此誠天下義烈報恩效命之秋也。 今郡境尚全,吏民殷富,若動枹鼓,可得二萬人,以此誅除國賊,為天下倡先,義之大者也。」 超然其言,與洪西至陳留,見兄邈計事。 邈亦素有心,會於酸棗,邈謂超曰:「聞弟為郡守,政教威恩,不由己出,動任臧洪,洪者何人?」 超曰:「洪才略智數優超,超甚愛之,海內奇士也。」 邈即引見洪,與語大異之。 致之於劉兗州公山、孔豫州公緒,皆與洪親善。 乃設壇場,方共盟誓,諸州郡更相讓,莫敢當,咸共推洪。 洪乃升壇操槃歃血而盟曰:「漢室不幸,皇綱失統,賊臣董卓乘釁縱害,禍加至尊,虐流百姓,大懼淪喪社稷,翦覆四海。 兗州刺史岱、豫州刺史伷、陳留太守邈、東郡太守瑁、廣陵太守超等,糾合義兵,並赴國難。 凡我同盟,齊心戮力,以致臣節,殞首喪元,必無二志。 有渝此盟,俾墜其命,無克遺育。 皇天后土,祖宗明靈,實皆鑑之!」 洪辭氣慷慨,涕泣橫下,聞其言者,雖卒伍廝養,莫不激揚,人思致節。 〈臣松之案:於時此盟止有劉岱等五人而已。 魏氏春秋橫內劉表等數人,皆非事實。 表保據江、漢,身未嘗出境,何由得與洪同壇而盟乎?〉 頃之,諸軍莫適先進,而食盡眾散。
When Dong Zhuo murdered the sovereign and menaced the dynastic altars, Hong urged Zhang Chao: 'Your house has received generations of favor; you and your brothers hold great commanderies; the throne totters and the traitor still lives—this is the hour for every loyal man to repay his debt. Raise your district and you can field twenty thousand—kill Dong Zhuo and you shame every warlord who waits.' Zhang Chao agreed and rode with Zang Hong to plan with Zhang Miao at Chenliu. At Suanzao Zhang Miao asked why Zhang Chao let Zang Hong run his administration.' He outclasses me,' said Zhang Chao; 'the realm rarely sees his like.' One conversation convinced Zhang Miao. He presented Zang Hong to Liu Dai and Kong Zhou, who embraced him. They built a covenant altar; every lord declined leadership until Zang Hong alone remained. Hong mounted the altar, lifted the sacrificial cup, smeared blood, and swore: 'The Han starves—imperial rule frays; Dong Zhuo exploits turmoil to wound the Son of Heaven and scourge the people; we dread the altars will fall and the realm burn. Yanzhou, Yuzhou, Chenliu, Dongjun, and Guangling pledged arms for the emperor. We vow one purpose—to restore the Han or die. Break faith and lose posterity. Let Heaven, earth, and our fathers judge us!' His voice shook the altar—even grooms swore themselves to the cause. 〈Pei Songzhi: the roster held barely five signatories—Liu Dai among them. Later editors padded the list with Liu Biao—without evidence. Liu Biao never left Jing—he could not have shared Zang Hong's altar.〉 Stalemate starved the alliance apart.
15
超遣洪詣大司馬劉虞謀,值公孫瓚之難,至河間,遇幽、冀二州交兵,使命不達。 而袁紹見洪,又奇重之,與結分合好。 會青州刺史焦和卒,紹使洪領青州以撫其眾。 〈《九州春秋》曰:初平中,焦和為青州刺史。 是時英雄並起,黃巾寇暴,和務及同盟,俱入京畿,不暇為民保障,引軍逾河而西。 未久而袁、曹二公卓將戰於滎陽,敗績。 黃巾遂廣,屠裂城邑。 和不能禦,然軍器尚利,戰士尚眾,而耳目偵邏不設,恐動之言妄至,望寇奔走,未嘗接風塵交旗鼓也。 欲作陷冰丸沈河,令賊不得渡,禱祈群神,求用兵必利,耆筮常陳於前,巫祝不去於側; 入見其清談干雲,出則渾亂,命不可知。 州遂蕭條,悉為丘墟也。〉 洪在州二年,群盜奔走。 紹歎其能,徙為東郡太守,治東武陽。
Zang Hong never reached Liu Yu—Hejian was a battlefield. Yuan Shao admired him and sealed a personal tie. Yuan Shao named him acting Qingzhou governor after Jiao He's death. 〈The Spring and Autumn of the Nine Provinces opens with Jiao He's tenure. Jiao He rushed east to the coalition, abandoning Qingzhou to the rebels. The lords lost at Xingyang almost immediately. Rebels overran the province. Jiao He kept sharp blades and full ranks but no intelligence—panic scattered his host unseen. He tried freezing the river with weighted balls, stuffed his tent with oracles and witches, brilliant in talk, helpless in war. Qingzhou became a wasteland.'〉 Zang Hong cleared the province in twenty-four months. Yuan Shao transferred him to Dongjun with seat at Dongwuyang.
16
太祖圍張超於雍丘,超言:「唯恃臧洪,當來救吾。」 眾人以為袁、曹方睦,而洪為紹所表用,必不敗好招禍,遠來赴此。 超曰:「子源,天下義士,終不背本者,但恐見禁制,不相及逮耳。」 洪聞之,果徒跣號泣,並勒所領兵,又從紹請兵馬,求欲救超,而紹終不聽許。 超遂族滅。 洪由是怨紹,絕不與通。 紹興兵圍之,歷年不下。 紹令洪邑人陳琳書與洪,喻以禍福,責以恩義。 洪答曰:
Grand Progenitor besieged Zhang Chao at Yongqiu; Chao said: 'I trust only Zang Hong—he must rescue me.' Skeptics said Yuan Shao would never let Zang Hong march against Cao Cao. 'Zang Hong keeps faith,' Zhang Chao insisted—unless Yuan Shao forbids him. Zang Hong wept barefoot and begged Yuan Shao for relief; Yuan Shao said no. Zhang Chao's house died to the last. Zang Hong renounced Yuan Shao forever. Yuan Shao besieged Dongwuyang for years. Yuan Shao ordered Chen Lin's letter of appeal and threat. Zang Hong wrote back:
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隔闊相思,發於寤寐。 幸相去步武之間耳,而以趣舍異規,不得相見,其為愴悢,可為心哉! 前日不遺,比辱雅貺,述敘禍福,公私切至。 所以不即奉答者,既學薄才鈍,不足塞詰; 亦以吾子攜負側室,息肩主人,家在東州,僕為仇敵。 以是事人,雖披中情,墮肝膽,猶身疏有罪,言甘見怪,方首尾不救,何能卹人? 且以子之才,窮該典籍,豈將闇於大道,不達餘趣哉! 然猶復云云者,僕以是知足下之言,信不由衷,將以救禍也。 必欲算計長短,辯諮是非,是非之論,言滿天下,陳之更不明,不言無所損。 又言傷告絕之義,非吾所忍行也,是以捐棄紙筆,一無所答。 亦冀遙忖其心,知其計定,不復渝變也。 重獲來命,援引古今,紛紜六紙,雖慾不言,焉得已哉! 僕小人也,本因行役,寇竊大州,恩深分厚,寧樂今日自還接刃! 每登城勒兵,望主人之旗鼓,感故友之周旋,撫弦搦矢,不覺流涕之覆面也。 何者? 自以輔佐主人,無以為悔。 主人相接,過絕等倫。 當受任之初,自謂究竟大事,共尊王室。 豈悟天子不悅,本州見侵,郡將遘牖里之厄,陳留克創兵之謀,謀計棲遲,喪忠孝之名,杖策攜背,虧交友之分。 揆此二者,與其不得已,喪忠孝之名與虧交友之道,輕重殊塗,親疏異畫,故便收淚告絕。 若使主人少垂故人,住者側席,去者克己,不汲汲於離友,信刑戮以自輔,則僕抗季札之志,不為今日之戰矣。 何以效之? 昔張景明親登壇啖血,奉辭奔走,卒使韓牧讓印,主人得地; 然後但以拜章朝主,賜爵獲傳之故,旋時之間,不蒙觀過之貸,而受夷滅之禍。 〈臣松之案《英雄記》云:「袁紹使張景明、郭公則、高元才等說韓馥,使讓冀州。」 然馥之讓位,景明亦有其功。 其餘之事未詳。〉 呂奉先討卓來奔,請兵不獲,告去何罪? 復見斫刺,濱於死亡。 劉子琪奉使逾時,辭不獲命,畏威懷親,以詐求歸,可謂有志忠孝,無損霸道者也; 然輒僵斃麾下,不蒙虧除。 〈臣松之案:公孫瓚表列紹罪過雲:「紹與故虎牙將軍劉勛首共造兵,勳仍有效,而以小忿枉害於勳,紹罪七也。」 疑此是子璜也。〉 僕雖不敏,又素不能原始見終,睹微知著,竊度主人之心,豈謂三子宜死,罰當刑中哉? 實且欲一統山東,增兵討讎,懼戰士狐疑,無以沮勸,故抑廢王命以崇承製,慕義者蒙榮,待放者被戮,此乃主人之利,非遊士之原也。 故僕鑑戒前人,困窮死戰。 僕雖下愚,亦嘗聞君子之言矣。 此實非吾心也。 乃主人招焉。 凡吾所以背棄國民,用命此城者,正以君子之違,不適敵國故也。 是以獲罪主人,見攻逾時,而足下更引此義以為吾規,無乃辭同趨異,非君子所為休戚者哉! 吾聞之也,義不背親,忠不違君,故東宗本州以為親援,中扶郡將以安社稷,一舉二得以徼忠孝,何以為非? 而足下欲吾輕本破家,均君主人。 主人之於我也,年為吾兄,分為篤友,道乖告去,以安君親,可謂順矣。 若子之言,則包胥宜致命於伍員,不當號哭於秦庭矣。 苟區區於攘患,不知言乖乎道理矣。 足下或者見城圍不解,救兵未至,感婚姻之義,惟平生之好,以屈節而苟生,勝守義而傾覆也。 昔晏嬰不降志於白刃,南史不曲筆以求生,故身著圖像,名垂後世,況僕據金城之固,驅士民之力,散三年之畜,以為一年之資,匡困補乏,以悅天下,何圖築室反耕哉! 但懼秋風揚塵,伯珪馬首南向,張楊、飛燕,膂力作難,北鄙將告倒縣之急,股肱奏乞歸之誠耳。 主人當鑑我曹輩,反旌退師,治兵鄴垣,何宜久辱盛怒,暴威於吾城下哉? 足下譏吾恃黑山以為救,獨不念黃巾之合從邪! 加飛燕之屬悉以受王命矣。 昔高祖取彭越於鉅野,光武創基兆於綠林,卒能龍飛中興,以成帝業,苟可輔主興化,夫何嫌哉! 況僕親奉璽書,與之從事。 行矣孔璋! 足下徼利於境外,臧洪授命於君親; 吾子託身於盟主,臧洪策名於長安。 子謂餘身死而名滅,僕亦笑子生死而無聞焉,悲哉! 本同而末離,努力努力,夫復何言!
Separation haunts my dreams. We are neighbors in principle yet worlds apart—how bitter. Your recent letter laid out doom and duty with brutal clarity. I lacked wit to match your rhetoric; and because you serve Yuan Shao who wars on my lord while your family stays in the east. Even heartfelt pleas would sound like treason from Zang Hong—how could I counsel you? You know the canon—can you truly misunderstand? Your speech aims at self-preservation, not truth. Rehashing old scores helps neither of us. I stayed silent to honor our break. I thought my silence stated my final word. Your new six-page brief forces my pen. I owe Yuan Shao much yet we draw swords—think what that costs me. On the parapet I see your drums and weep like a child. Why? I believed serving Yuan Shao blameless. His grace knew no limit. We meant to restore the Han together. Instead the throne turned hostile, my home fell, Zhang Miao died at Yongqiu, and Chenliu armed itself—I lost honor as son and friend alike. Forced to choose, I chose integrity over fond memory. Had Yuan Shao shown mercy, I would keep Guan Zhong's patience—no siege between us. Proof? Zhang Jingming sealed the alliance, rushed Han Fu's abdication, and won you Ji Province; a court memorial earned him execution overnight. 〈Pei Songzhi cites the Record of Heroes: "Yuan Shao sent Zhang Jingming, Guo Gongze, Gao Yuancai, and others to persuade Han Fu and make him yield Ji Province." Han Fu's surrender owed Zhang Jingming effort. Pei leaves the rest obscure.'〉 Lü Bu fled from Dong Zhuo, asked you for aid, got none, and left—where was the offense? You hunted him again until he nearly died. Liu Ziqi overstayed his embassy, could not resign, feigned a way home for family's sake—loyal son, no rival to your power— yet you struck him down without mercy. 〈Your subject Pei Songzhi notes: Gongsun Zan's memorial listing Yuan Shao's crimes states: 'Shao together with the former Tiger-Fang general Liu Xun jointly raised troops; Xun still had merit, yet over a petty grudge Shao unjustly killed Xun—this is Shao's seventh crime.' Pei identifies him with Liu Zihuang.'〉 I am slow-witted, yet I doubt Yuan Shao thought those men deserved execution. He meant to dominate Shandong and cow his army by branding imperial orders—rewarding friends and killing doubters. So I learned from their fate and fight on though trapped. Even a dullard hears the sages. That was never my wish. Your master drew me in. I hold this city because honor forbids me to serve your rival. You twist the code that drove my breach—hardly the conduct of a friend. Righteous men honor kin and sovereign—I aid my province and my patron together. You ask me to destroy my roots to match Yuan Shao. When paths split I withdrew to protect family and lord—that was order. Your rule would make Shen Baoxu stab Wu Zixu rather than wail at Qin. Pedantic rescue misses the moral point. Perhaps you think marriage and old ties should make me yield rather than die upright. Yan Ying defied swords; the Qi chronicler chose death—posterity remembers them. I hold strong walls, willing arms, stores for a year's siege—why talk of long fortification? Autumn may bring Gongsun Zan south, Zhang Yang and Heishan in arms—your northern flank could panic while your courtiers flee homeward. Take your lesson, withdraw to Ye, train your host—why waste fury on my stones? You jeer at Heishan allies—did Yuan Shao scorn the Turbans' coalition? Even Feiyan bands hold imperial warrant now. Gaozu took Peng Yue from bandits; Guangwu rose through Green Woods—virtue sanctifies the source. I serve them under imperial seal. Farewell, Chen Lin. You hunt gain abroad; I die for patron and family. You cling to the warlord; I swore fealty at the capital. You predict my oblivion—your own tale may vanish first. We started as one road and forked—take care—there is nothing left to say.
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紹見洪書,知無降意,增兵急攻。 城中糧穀以盡,外無強救,洪自度必不免,呼吏士謂曰:「袁氏無道,所圖不軌,且不救洪郡將。 洪於大義,不得不死,今諸君無事空與此禍! 可先城未敗,將妻子出。」 將吏士民皆垂泣曰:「明府與袁氏本無怨隙,今為本朝郡將之故,自致殘困,吏民何忍當舍明府去也!」 初尚掘鼠煮筋角,後無可複食者。 主簿啟內廚米三鬥,請中分稍以為糜粥,洪歎曰:「獨食此何為!」 使作薄粥,眾分歠之,殺其愛妾以食將士。 將士咸流涕,無能仰視者。 男女七八千人相枕而死,莫有離叛。
Reading Zang Hong's refusal, Yuan Shao doubled the assault. Grain inside the city was exhausted and no strong relief came without; Hong reckoned he could not escape and called clerks and soldiers, saying: 'The Yuan clan is lawless, plots rebellion, and would not save my governor. I die for honor—you need not share my doom. Send your families out while you can.' Officers, soldiers, and people all wept: 'You had no feud with the Yuans—you ruin yourself for the court's governor—how could we abandon you!' They ate rats and leather until nothing remained. The chief clerk reported three dou of inner-kitchen rice and begged to halve it for thin gruel; Hong sighed: 'To eat this alone—what for!' He shared watery gruel and killed his favorite concubine for the troops. Men sobbed too hard to look up. Seven thousand died side by side without desertion.
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城陷,紹生執洪。 紹素親洪,盛施幃幔,大會諸將見洪,謂曰:「臧洪,何相負若此! 今日服未?」 洪據地瞋目曰:「諸袁事漢,四世五公,可謂受恩。 今王室衰弱,無扶翼之意,欲因際會,希冀非望,多殺忠良以立姦威。 洪親見呼張陳留為兄,則洪府君亦宜為弟,同共戮力,為國除害,何為擁眾觀人屠滅! 惜洪力劣,不能推刃為天下報仇,何謂服乎!」 紹本愛洪,意欲令屈服,原之; 見洪辭切,知終不為己用,乃殺之。 〈徐眾《三國評》曰:洪敦天下名義,救舊君之危,其恩足以感人情,義足以勵薄俗。 然袁亦知己親友,致位州郡,雖非君臣,且實盟主,既受其命,義不應貳。 袁、曹方睦,夾輔王室,呂布反覆無義,志在逆亂,而邈、超擅立布為州牧,其於王法,乃一罪人也。 曹公討之,袁氏弗救,未為非理也。 洪本不當就袁請兵,又不當還為怨讎。 為洪計者,苟力所不足,可奔他國以求赴救,若謀力未展以待事機,則宜徐更觀釁,效死於超。 何必誓守窮城而無變通,身死殄民,功名不立,良可哀也!〉 洪邑人陳容少為書生,親慕洪,隨洪為東郡丞; 城未敗,洪遣出。 紹令在坐,見洪當死,起謂紹曰:「將軍舉大事,欲為天下除暴,而專先誅忠義,豈合天意! 臧洪發舉為郡將,奈何殺之!」 紹慚,左右使人牽出,謂曰:「汝非臧洪儔,空复爾為!」 容顧曰:「夫仁義豈有常,蹈之則君子,背之則小人。 今日寧與臧洪同日而死,不與將軍同日而生!」 復見殺。 在紹坐者無不嘆息,竊相謂曰:「如何一日殺二烈士!」 先是,洪遣司馬二人出,求救於呂布; 比還,城已陷,皆赴敵死。
Yuan Shao took Zang Hong alive when the walls broke. Shao had always been intimate with Hong; he draped curtains lavishly and assembled generals to meet Hong, saying: 'Zang Hong—how could you betray me thus! Will you yield now?' Zang Hong glared from the floor: 'Your house enjoyed four generations of Han favor. Now you abandon the throne, murder the good, and hunger for the mandate. You called Zhang Miao brother—then share duty against rebels instead of watching slaughter. I lack strength to avenge the Han—submission?' Yuan Shao wanted him to bend and live; seeing his resolve, executed him. 〈Xu Zhong praises Zang Hong's covenant loyalty. Yet Yuan Shao raised him—accepting command bound him. Cao Cao attacked rebels Yuan Shao ignored—Zhang Chao backed Lü Bu against law. Yuan Shao owed Zhang Chao nothing. Zang Hong should neither have asked Yuan's aid nor blamed him for refusal. Better flee for help or die beside Zhang Chao than stubborn siege. Why waste lives on a hopeless wall?'〉 Chen Rong of Donghai revered Zang Hong and served as his aide. Zang Hong sent him out before the fall. Shao ordered him to sit with the assembly; seeing Hong about to die he rose and said to Shao: 'You raise a great enterprise to cleanse the realm—yet you kill loyalty first—does that match Heaven's mind! You owe him your rank—how murder him?' Shao flushed and attendants dragged him forth; Shao said: 'You are no peer of Zang Hong—why this empty gesture!' Rong looked back: 'Are benevolence and righteousness fixed—walk them and you are a gentleman; betray them and you are petty. Better die with Zang Hong than live under you.' They executed Chen Rong too. None seated with Shao did not sigh and whisper: 'How kill two martyrs in one day!' Zang Hong had dispatched two aides to Lü Bu; they returned too late and died charging Yuan's lines.
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作者評價
Editorial comment
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評曰:呂布有虓虎之勇,而無英奇之略,輕狡反覆,唯利是視。 自古及今,未有若此不夷滅也。 昔漢光武謬於龐萌,近魏太祖亦蔽於張邈。 知人則哲,唯帝難之,信矣! 陳登、臧洪並有雄氣壯節,登降年夙隕,功業未遂,洪以兵弱敵強,烈志不立,惜哉!
Appraisal: Lü Bu fought like a tiger yet lacked judgment—faithless and greedy. Such men never escape ruin. Guangwu misread Pang Meng; Cao Cao misjudged Zhang Miao. Knowing men is sage kings' hardest art. Chen Deng and Zang Hong burned bright—one died young, one outmatched—both unfinished tragedies.