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卷八 魏書八 二公孫陶四張傳

Volume 8: Book of Wei 8 - Biographies of the two Gongsuns, Tao, and the four Zhangs

Chapter 8 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
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Chapter 8
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Gongsun Zan.
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西 姿 涿 退 涿 使 西 西
Gongsun Zan, whose courtesy name was Bogui, came from Lingzhi in Liaoxi. 〈Ling is read lang-ding fan. The syllable zhi is glossed qi-er fan; end of editorial note.〉 He held a post as document clerk at the commandery gate. He carried himself well and spoke in a booming voice; the prefect, Hou, valued him and married his daughter to him, 〈According to the Dianlüe, Zan was clever and articulate: when he reported on office business he refused to file it in dribs and drabs, instead summarizing the affairs of several departments in one go without slip or omission, so the prefect was struck by his ability.〉 The authorities sent him to Zhuo commandery to read the classics under Lu Zhi. He later returned to duty as a commandery clerk. When Prefect Liu was charged, summoned to the capital for the commandant of justice, Zan drove his carriage and himself took on the corvée labor and menial work of a bondservant. When Liu was sent into exile in Rinan, Zan set out rice and meat, climbed Beimang to sacrifice to the ancestors, lifted his cup, and vowed: "Once I was a son; now I am a subject, bound for Rinan. Rinan is thick with pestilential air—I may never come back—so I bid the ancestors farewell here." 」He bowed twice, rose with a surge of feeling, and every onlooker was moved to tears. Liu was pardoned on the way and came home. Recommended as filial and incorrupt, he entered the Lang office and was appointed chief clerk of the dependent state of Liaodong. Once, riding out past the border with a few dozen men, he sighted several hundred Xianbei horsemen. Zan pulled back into an abandoned watchpost and told his escort: "If we do not charge, we are dead to a man. 」He seized a double-edged spear, spurred out, and stabbed into the Hu ranks, killing or wounding dozens; he lost half his men but broke free. The lesson sobered the Xianbei, who thereafter stayed out of the frontier passes. He was promoted to magistrate of Zhuo. During the Guanghe reign, rebels erupted in Liangzhou; the court drafted three thousand shock cavalry from Youzhou, issued Zan a temporary commission and tally, and put the detachment under his command. The column reached Ji, where Zhang Chun of Yuyang incited the western Liaoxi Wuhuan under Qiu Liju to rise, raid the Ji area, and proclaim himself general, 〈The Jiuzhou Chunqiu records that Chun called himself the "Heaven-filling" general and king of Anding.〉 His bands looted townsfolk, stormed Youbeiping and the western Liaoxi dependent state, and left a trail of destruction. Zan led his own troops in the pursuit, distinguished himself, and was raised to chief of cavalry. Tan Zhi, Wuhuan king of the dependent state, brought his tribesmen in submission to Zan. He rose to general of the gentlemen of the household, was enfeoffed village marquis at the metropolitan gate, pushed his camp into the dependent state, and skirmished with the Hu for five or six years. Qiu Liju and company harried Qing, Xu, You, and Ji, and Zan proved unable to stop them.
3
使 便 祿 調 使 使使 使使
The court decided that Liu Boan of the imperial house, prince of Donghai—virtuous, once governor of Youzhou, and still remembered for winning the allegiance of frontier peoples—could restore order without a major campaign, and appointed Liu Yu as governor of Youzhou. 〈The Wushu states that Yu descended from Prince Gong of Donghai. He came of age in turmoil and had little access to power, so he began as a county clerk for household registers. His self-discipline and conscientious service won him a commandery post; as a filial-and-incorrupt appointee he entered the Lang office, climbed to governor of Youzhou, then became chancellor of Ganling, earning deep goodwill across the east and among the frontier peoples. Illness sent him home, where he lived modestly among neighbors, sharing weal and woe and pooling resources without pulling rank, until local society looked to him as a moral anchor. Villagers with disputes bypassed the yamen and brought their cases straight to Yu; he settled each on its merits, and parties great and small accepted his verdicts without bitterness. A neighbor once mistook Yu's ox for his own—the build and hide matched—and Yu handed the animal over without argument; when the man recovered his beast, he came back ashamed to make amends. Ganling erupted anew; the populace wanted Yu back, reinstalled him as chancellor, and the district flourished under his hand. Summoned to court as supervisor of the masters of writing and shining-household superintendent, he was soon named director of the imperial clan in recognition of his ritual propriety as a kinsman of the throne. The Yingxiong Ji records that as magistrate of Boping he ruled evenhandedly and lived simply, so that banditry vanished and misfortune rarely touched the district. Locusts ravaged adjoining counties yet swerved around Boping's line as if repelled. The Weishu adds that in Youzhou he kept government spare and frugal, shaping custom through rite and duty. Under Emperor Ling, after the southern palace fire, newly posted provincial officials were forced to "contribute" toward rebuilding—sums of ten or twenty million; the rich bought their way clear, commoners were squeezed, and honest poor men, unable to pay, took their own lives. The emperor exempted Yu alone, knowing he was clean-handed and destitute.〉 Yu reached his post, sent envoys among the Hu to explain costs and gains, and demanded Zhang Chun's head. Qiu Liju and the rest welcomed Yu's arrival and each dispatched interpreters to offer submission. Zan, resentful of Yu's success, secretly had the Hu messengers waylaid and murdered. The Hu discovered the plot and stole through bypaths to reach Yu. Yu asked the throne to stand down the scattered garrisons while keeping Zan with ten thousand foot and horse at Youbeiping. Zhang Chun abandoned his family, fled to the Xianbei, and was slain by his client Wang Zheng, who delivered the head to Yu. Wang Zheng received a full marquisate for the deed. For these services Yu was named grand commandant at once and enfeoffed marquis of Xiangben. 〈The Yingxiong Ji notes that Yu tried to refuse the grand commandantship and nominated Zhao Mo, Liu Yan, Huang Wan, and Yang Xu for exalted posts.〉 Dong Zhuo's entry into Luoyang brought Yu promotion to grand marshal and Zan to general who displays might, with a marquisate at Ji.
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西 使 使使 西 使 使 西
As the eastern coalition rose, Zhuo dragged the court west and named Yu grand tutor, but couriers could not get through the cut lines. Yuan Shao and Han Fu argued that the boy emperor was a puppet and the realm lacked a rallying point. They cast Liu Yu of the imperial house—the people's hope—as the man to mount the throne. Envoys pressed the offer; Yu steadfastly refused. They asked him to head the secretariat and issue orders in the emperor's name; he declined again yet stayed in coalition with them. 〈The Jiuzhou Chunqiu: Shao and Han Fu dispatched former Lelang governor Zhang Qi of Ganling with a petition urging Yu to take the throne. Yu thundered at Zhang Qi: "How dare you utter this! You cannot even uphold loyalty and filial duty yourselves. I owe the dynasty everything, yet I have not spent myself to avenge its shame. I count on every loyal commandery westward to rally, escort the boy sovereign back—and you invent sedition to drag good officials through the mud!" 」The Wushu adds that Han Fu wrote Yuan Shu claiming the emperor was no son of Ling, proposing a Zhou Bo–style purge of the puppet and enthronement of a princely heir, praising Yu's record as unmatched among imperial cadres and the Liu kin. It also said: "Formerly Guangwu was five generations removed from the prince of Ding; as grand marshal commanding Hebei, Geng Yan and Feng Yi urged him to assume the supreme title, and in the end he replaced Gengshi. and argued that Liu Yu, likewise five generations from Prince Gong and grand marshal of Youzhou, mirrored that precedent." 」Han Fu also cited omens: four stars clustered over Ji-Wei, a prophecy of a sage in the Yan quarter. He mentioned a peasant of Jiyin who found a jade seal reading "Yu for Son of Heaven." He spoke of twin suns over Dai commandery as a sign Yu would succeed the Han. Yuan Shao sent a parallel letter to Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu, already nursing ambition, disliked a grown emperor on the throne and masked refusal in language of public duty. Shao also sounded Yu privately; Yu replied that a legitimate line still sat on the throne and such talk ill befitted a minister, then threatened flight to the Xiongnu to break with the plotters, at which they desisted. Yu thereafter kept sending tribute and memorials in scrupulous loyalty, and whenever Qiang or Hu gifts could not reach Luoyang, he relayed them eastward himself.〉 His son Liu He served as palace attendant in Chang'an. The emperor, desperate to return east, told He to slip Zhuo's guard, steal out by Wu Pass to Yu, and bid him march an escort. He crossed Yuan Shu's path and explained the sovereign's plea. Shu, coveting Yu as an ally, held He hostage, promised a joint advance west once troops gathered, and made him write to his father. Yu read the letter and dispatched several thousand horsemen toward his son. Zan saw Shu's duplicity and tried to block the expedition; Yu overruled him. Fearing Shu's spite, Zan also sent his cousin Yue with a thousand riders to court Shu while secretly telling Shu to arrest He and seize the column. The two allies were now openly at odds. Liu He broke away northward only to be held again by Yuan Shao.
5
使
Shu stationed Sun Jian at Yangcheng against Dong Zhuo; Shao sent Zhou Ang to oust him. Yue joined Sun Jian against Zhou Ang, failed, and fell to a stray shaft. Zan roared, "My cousin is dead—and Shao caused it. 」He marched the host to the Pan River to settle scores with Shao. Shao, alarmed, handed his Bohai seal-ribbon to Zan's cousin Fan and sent him to that seat to buy goodwill. Fan brought Bohai levies to Zan's side, shattered the Qing–Xu Yellow Turbans, and swelled their strength, then drove the line to Jie Bridge. 〈The Dianlüe preserves Zan's indictment of Shao, which begins:〉
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使 忿 使 使
Your servant has heard that since the sage-kings Huang and Xi there have been rulers and subjects, instruction to guide the people, and penal law to curb violence. Yet the chariot-and-cavalry general Yuan Shao, trading on pedigree, stole honors; he is by nature cruel and depraved. As colonel director of retainers during the He regency he flattered the powerful, failed to speak truth, let Ding Yuan torch Meng Ford and invite Dong Zhuo—crime the first. When Zhuo seized Luoyang and the emperor, Shao bolted, abandoning his charge—crime the second. As Bohai governor he armed in secret, struck Zhuo without warning his kin, and brought death on the grand tutor's household—crime the third. Two years of war enriched him while the realm starved; he mulcted the wealthy and wrung the commons—crime the fourth. He hijacked Han Fu's seat, forged rescripts, minted gold seals and jade tallies, and dispatched black-silk packets stamped "Imperial edict—one—Marquis of Xiangxiang." The character rendered Xiang in the text is glossed kou-lang fan. Wang Mang's Xin seizure of power crept toward the throne in stages; Shao's schemes replay that pattern—count five in the indictment. He set Cui Juye to read the omens, bought allies with feasts and silver, fixed a day to strike, then looted county seats—hardly the conduct of a senior statesman. That is his sixth offense. He and Liu Xun of the Tiger Fang guard first raised an army; Xun had real achievements and had forced Zhang Yang to yield, yet Shao murdered him over a trifle, heeding malice and destroying a proven captain—crime seven. He hounded two retired officials for cash until they could not pay and died—crime eight. The Chunqiu rule runs: a son's rank follows his mother's standing. His mother was a servant girl, so by ritual he lacked stature to inherit exalted line, yet he grasped the high command of Feng and Long, sullying the ducal fief and the Yuan clan—crime nine. Sun Jian of Changsha, once acting governor of Yuzhou, expelled Dong Zhuo and purged the tombs—no one's service matched his; Shao set Zhou Ang to usurp his command, starve his column, and block his advance, leaving Zhuo alive—crime ten. Letters from General of the Rear Yuan Shu repeatedly insist Shao is no true kinsman of his. Not every bamboo grove south of the Qin range could hold the scroll of his misdeeds. When royal Zhou faltered and vassals broke faith, Qi Huan swore the Ke pact and Jin Wen convened at Jiantu, chastised Chu for tribute and struck Cao and Wei for impiety. Though I am no sage, I bear the court's axe of execution and shall join every column in the field against Shao. Should we prevail and lay hands on the culprits, we may match the steadfast service of Huan and Wen; dispatches on the fighting will follow in order.
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〈He then took the field against Shao and got the better of him.〉 He named Yan Gang for Ji, Tian Kai for Qing, Dan Jing for Yan, and parcelled out county seats under them. Shao held Guangchuan and sent Qu Yi's van against Zan; they took Yan Gang, whom Zan had posted there, prisoner. Zan's line broke toward Bohai, then he and Fan withdrew into Ji, raised a satellite citadel southeast of the main walls next to Yu's camp, and the two allies slid into open enmity.
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使 使 使
Liu Yu, fearing a coup, struck first at Zan. Zan broke him and drove him toward Juyong pass. Zan stormed Juyong, took Yu prisoner, and marched him back to Ji. After Zhuo fell, the court sent Duan Xun to swell Yu's estate and give him oversight of six provinces; Zan was raised to general of the van and enfeoffed marquis of Yi. He slandered Yu as a pretender, forced Xun's compliance, and had Yu executed. 〈The Wei Annals notes: Yu wished to win the frontier peoples by kindness; Zan argued they were untamable and should be beaten when defiant, and that bribes would only teach them to despise the court for short-term gain. Whatever Yu gave them, Zan intercepted. Yu summoned him repeatedly; Zan pleaded sickness and stayed away. After that reverse Yu resolved to destroy him and took counsel with Wei You of Youbeiping. You replied: "The realm looks to you; you still need sharp swords at your side. Zan is able in civil and military affairs; overlook his lesser vices." 」Yu dropped the plan. A year later Wei You died. Yu met his staff again and ordered a secret strike on Zan. With his units still in the field, Zan saw the assault failing and tried to cut his way out through the east gate. Yu's men were green, ill-drilled, and he forbade torching homes for fear of the populace. Zan burned freely and drove elite horse through the gap. Yu's army collapsed and ran for the walls of Juyong. On the retreat Zan cut down Yu's kin, slaughtered provincial officers, and all but wiped out the gentry of the yamen. The Dianlüe records that Zan displayed Yu in the marketplace and cried: "If Heaven wants this man as emperor, let rain spare him. 」It was the dog days; not a drop fell all day, and Zan killed him. The Yingxiong Ji adds that Sun Jin, Zhang Yi, and Zhang Zan went to the scaffold with Yu, reviled Zan to his face, and died beside him.〉 Zan had Xun named governor of Youzhou. He turned haughty, nursed grudges, forgot kindness, and shed much blood. 〈The Yingxiong Ji: Zan ran the region with an iron hand and broke any talented young gentleman by confining him to misery. Asked why, he said, "Spoil a wellborn man and he thinks rank his birthright and never remembers a favor. 」His cronies were vulgarians like the diviner Liu Weitai, the cloth-seller Li Yizi, and the trader Le Hedang—sworn "brothers" he styled Bo while they were Zhong and Ji, each worth a fortune, whose daughters he married to his sons, likening the clique to ancient parvenus.〉 Yu's aides Xianyu Fu, Qi Zhou, and Xianyu Yin raised the provincial host to settle scores with Zan and, trusting Yan Rou's name among the tribes, made him Wuhuan marshal. Rou rallied Wuhuan and Xianbei, fielded tens of thousands of Hu and Han, met Zou Dan north of the Lu River, shattered him, and took his head. Yuan Shao sent Qu Yi and Liu He to reinforce Xianyu Fu against Zan. Zan lost repeatedly and fell back to his fortress at Yi Jing. 〈The Yingxiong Ji: A rhyme ran, "South of Yan, north of Zhao, a gap wide as a grindstone—only there may you sit out the world." 」Zan read "Yi" into the verse and ringed himself in a fortress there. When subordinate commands were encircled, he refused relief on principle. He argued, "Save one detachment and the next will count on a lifeline instead of fighting to the death; leave them to their fate and every commander will learn to stand alone." 」So when Shao marched north, Zan's forward camps—knowing they could neither hold nor hope for help—mutinied or fell, and Shao's host rolled to his very gates. Pei Songzhi remarks that such ditties usually come true; yet this anecdote hardly proves the point. The rhyme rather urged Zan to cling to Yi and avoid grand designs. Flush with his victory over the Yellow Turbans, he named three provincial chiefs and aimed to crush the Yuans—hence his ruin.〉 He dug ten rings of moats and raised ramparts five or six fathoms high inside them, crowned with watchtowers; the inner citadel rose ten fathoms; he lived at its core with three million hu of grain in store. 〈The Yingxiong Ji: Every officer's household threw up a tower until thousands loomed over the camp. Zan barred himself behind an iron gate on the parapet, dismissed attendants, kept only women at hand, and hauled orders up by cord.〉 Zan said, "I once thought the realm could be ordered with a gesture; now I see it slips my grasp—better to disband for farming and fill the granaries. The Art of War says a hundred towers need never fear assault. Here I have a thousand tiers of timber and grain enough to outwait any siege—then we shall see who rules the north." 」He meant to wear Shao down. Shao's generals hammered at the place for years without breaching it. 〈The Han–Jin Annals preserves Shao's letter to Zan:〉
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駿 忿滿 西 西
You and I sealed old pacts and swore to purge rebels, love set down in vermilion ink like the martyrs Bo and Shu; I thought we would march as one with the hegemonies of Qi and Jin, so I laid down office, tied north to south, and carved out rich soil for your use—was that not candor? Yet you spurned honor, chose the path of ruin, traded peace for feud, and sent troops to ravage Yuzhou. When I learned your host had crossed south and you yourself had taken the field, I dreaded stray volleys and crossing steel—not only for your peril but because it would swell (A textual note inserts the character for "son.") It would only swell my own burden of blame; I wrote earnestly in hope you would turn back. You strutted instead, boasted you could swallow heaven and crush heroes, and let your cousin die on the spearpoints. The echo has not faded, yet you never searched out why the blow fell or owned your part; you only nursed boundless rage, ignored right and wrong, hurt the people, and dragged me into the feud. You spurred onto my soil, poisoned the living, and piled the dead until the fields whitened with bone. Left no choice, I met you at Jie Bridge. Your host then shook like thunder, your chargers flashed like lightning; my men were newly mustered, ill-drilled, odds uneven—yet heaven favored us: a skirmish became a rout, I rode down your retreat and fed my army from your camp—surely an omen that right stands with me? Still unsated, you raked up embers, marched a locust swarm of raiders, and set Bohai ablaze. Again I could not rest until I brought the host to the Long River line. I baited you with a weak screen before the main body crossed; your nerve broke, your ranks melted without a stroke of the drum, lord and liegemen fled together. That rout was your work, not mine. Afterward hatred deepened; my soldiers, unable to curb their rage, heaped the dead into mounds—each time I think of the innocents I weep. Later your letters turned soft and spoke of healing the breach. I welcomed the olive branch and pitied the people, so I drove south again as duty demanded. Before a season passed, urgent dispatches from the northern marches arrived without fail. Each left me heartsick, with nowhere to turn. A commander of three armies should rage like hoarfrost and smile like spring rain, his likes and dislikes plain to all. You shift allegiance with the wind, cringe when pressed and swagger when safe, act at random and promise nothing solid—is that how a warrior behaves? You butchered greybeards and children until Youzhou hated you, your men deserted and kinsmen fled, and you stood friendless. The Wuhuan and Hui Mo share your province; I am a stranger to them—yet they race to my banner as vanguard steel; east and west Xianbei flock in likewise. That is not my virtue at work—you drove them into my arms. In an age of arms, to break league oaths within and lose the tribes without, while mutiny stirs at home—how do you hope to win hegemony? When the western hills rebelled I sent a column; Qu Yi's broken men fled the headsman, so I held the main force back while flying columns mopped up—the same van that stormed Jie Bridge and tore down your walls. Word came that you had taken gold seal and purple ribbon as supreme commander; I expected you to redeem yourself like Meng Ming—your soldiers watched the road for your banners—yet you hid, never stirred, and were cut to pieces. I pity you still. A man who would rule the world must temper wrath with long strategy, feed his horses, punish traitors and shelter the loyal—lose both awe and kindness and what name remains? Luoyang is back in Han hands, the dynasty's net is mended, traitors swept away, loyal men rise to serve, and the heartland waits for a true restoration—we mean to stack arms and send the herds home—yet you hug a petty patch of ground, court infamy, and throw away a good name that might last. Stubborn scheming like that is poor strategy. Lay aside grudges, clear the air, and renew the bond we once had. If I lie in what I say, let High Heaven hear it.
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〈Zan never replied; he only tightened his defenses. He told Guan Jing, "The realm is tearing itself apart; no one can camp under these walls and starve us out year after year. What harm can Yuan Benchu really do me?"〉"
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西 退 退 使 使 穿便
In Jian'an 4 (199) Shao brought the full host to invest the fortress. Zan dispatched his son to the Black Mountain chiefs and planned a breakout: picked cavalry down the southwest ranges to rally the hill bands, raid Ji province, and fall on Shao's rear. Guan Jing warned him: "Your command is held together only by families clinging to this fort and to you as their chief. Hold fast long enough and Shao must lift the siege; once he goes, you can rally support from every side again. Abandon the citadel now and you lose your base—Yi Jing will fall overnight. Rootless on the open plain, what could you hope to accomplish?" 」Zan stayed put. 〈The Yingxiong Ji names Guan Jing, courtesy Shiqi, a Taiyuan man. A petty, flattering official without larger vision, he alone enjoyed Zan's trust.〉 When relief came, he meant to hit Shao inside and out. He sent word to his son naming the day the column would come and bidding beacon fires as the sign. 〈The Dianlüe: Zan's courier Wen Ze carried a letter to Xu: "The Yuan siege feels supernatural—drums seem to rise from the ground, ladders and rams swarm our parapets. We are worn down day and night with nowhere to turn. Grovel before Zhang Yan if you must, but bring light cavalry at once; when they arrive, light the northern beacons and I will burst out from within. If you fail, when I am dead and the realm is wide, where will you find a haven?" 」The Xiandi Chunqiu adds that Zan dreamed Ji city falling, saw doom ahead, and smuggled a letter to Xu. Shao's scouts seized it; Chen Lin forged a reply: "They say the late Zhou left corpses in rivers of blood—I never believed it—until I felt the blow myself!" The rest matches the Dianlüe text.〉 Shao's pickets lit the fires on schedule. Zan took the signal for relief and sallied to give battle. Shao's ambush shattered the sortie and drove him back behind the walls. Sappers undermined the towers until they reached the inner keep. 〈The Yingxiong Ji: Shao's teams tunneled under the ramparts, shored the galleries with timber, burned the props at mid-course, and brought the towers down.〉 Seeing the end, Zan slaughtered his family and took his own life. 〈The Han–Jin Annals: Guan Jing said, "A gentleman does not leave a man in danger and walk away—how could I survive alone?" 」He spurred into Shao's lines and died there. Shao shipped the heads to the capital at Xu.〉
12
使
Xianyu Fu brought his troops over to the Han side. The court named him general who establishes loyalty and set him over six Youzhou commanderies. At Guandu, Yan Rou sent envoys to Cao Cao, took orders, and was raised to colonel protecting the Wuhuan. Xianyu Fu went in person, became general who crosses Liao on the left, received a village marquisate, and returned to pacify Youzhou. 〈The Weilüe: Fu campaigned with Cao Cao at Guandu. When Shao broke and ran, Cao Cao turned to Fu and said, "When Benchu sent me Zan's head I could scarcely believe my eyes; now we have beaten the man himself. This is heaven's will—and yours as well."〉" After Nanpi fell, Rou brought retainers and Xianbei to offer famous horses, joined the three-Wuhuan campaign, and earned a marquisate within the passes. 〈The Weilüe: Cao Cao doted on Yan Rou and often said, "I treat you as a son; I want you to treat me as a father." 」Rou thereafter attached himself to the heir apparent as to an elder brother.〉 Xianyu Fu marched his men in the same service. Emperor Wen raised Fu to general of tiger fangs and Rou to general who crosses Liao, each with a county marquisate. Both rose to extraordinary advance in rank.
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西 西西
Tao Qian, whose courtesy name was Gongzu, came from Danyang. 〈The Wushu: his father had been magistrate of Yuyao. Orphaned young, he was already known county-wide for wild high spirits. At fourteen he sewed silk pennons, rode a bamboo hobbyhorse, and every lad in town trailed after him. Gan Gong of Cangwu, a townsman, met him in the street, was struck by his face, halted his carriage, talked until delighted, and betrothed a daughter. Lady Gan fumed, "That Tao boy is all mischief—why marry our girl to him?" Gan answered, "His looks are not common; grown, he will be someone." 」And he did give her to him.〉 He studied as a young man, entered provincial service, earned a flourishing-talent recommendation, and became magistrate of Lu, 〈The Wushu adds that he was stern, high-principled, filial-and-incorrupt, a masters-of-writing gentleman, then magistrate of Shu. Governor Zhang Pan, an elder from the same commandery and his father's intimate friend, favored him—yet Qian hated to bow. After a public session Pan would invite him to drink; Qian often snubbed the invitation. Pan tried to make him lead the dance; Qian would not stand though pressed; when he did move, he refused to turn. Pan asked, "Are you not supposed to wheel?" Qian replied, "I must not turn—turning means showing up the host." 」Pan took offense and a breach opened between them. As magistrate he was spotless; after a Ling-star sacrifice five hundred cash remained, which he meant to pocket. Instead he resigned his post.〉 He rose to governor of Youzhou, then consultant, joined Zhang Wen's staff, and campaigned west against Han Sui. 〈The Wushu: when western Qiang raided the frontier, Huangfu Song, as western campaign general, asked for fighting men. Qian was named valorous martial commandant of Yang and routed the Qiang with Huangfu Song. Later Bian Zhang and Han Sui rose; Minister of Works Zhang Wen took the field; he made Qian an army aide and treated him generously, yet Qian scorned his leadership and nursed resentment. At the victory feast Zhang Wen told Qian to pour wine; Qian publicly insulted him. Wen banished him to the border. Counselors said, "You prized Tao Gongzu for ability; one drunk slight, and you ship him to the wastes—how will the world trust your magnanimity? Better forgive him, heal the rift, and let your name for mercy spread." 」Wen agreed and recalled Qian. Someone told Qian on return, "You humiliated a minister of state; the fault was yours; now you are pardoned—no kindness could run deeper; humble yourself and apologize." 」Qian said, "Very well." The same man told Wen, "Tao Gongzu repents deeply and means to mend his ways. After he has made ritual apology to the throne he will call on you. You should receive him to set his mind at ease." At the palace gate Qian looked up and said, "I bow to the court—not to you." Wen snapped, "Is Gongzu still mad?" 」Yet Wen poured wine and treated him as before.〉 When Xuzhou's Yellow Turbans rose, he was named governor, crushed them, and drove them out.
14
使
During Zhuo's reign of terror, while the emperor languished in Chang'an and roads were cut, Qian smuggled tribute west, won the title general who pacifies the east, shepherd of Xuzhou, and marquis of Liyang. Xuzhou then overflowed with grain and drew refugees from every quarter. Yet Qian ruled by caprice: Zhao Yu of Guangling, a leading scholar of the east, was shunned for his honesty; 〈Xie Cheng's Hanshu: at thirteen Yu nursed his sick mother three months, withered with grief, never sleeping, divined with millet, wept blood in prayer, and won praise for filial piety. He studied the Gongyang with recluse Jun Qi of Dongguan and mastered many texts. For years he shut himself in study, shunned gardens, and rarely showed his face. Even visits to his parents were brief. He was austere, incorruptible, and grave—none could sway him; he honored virtue to improve custom and struck down vice. He refused every summons with feigned illness. Chancellors Tan Mo and Chen Zun called together—he would not come; even their fury could not move him. Recommended as filial and incorrupt, he governed Ju, taught the five moral relations, and set the standard for the realm. When the Turbans rose and overran five commanderies, every county mustered arms as top priority. Inspector Ba Zhi ranked his service first for promotion; Yu took that as an insult and resigned. Tao Qian then governor summoned him as chief clerk; he feigned illness and slipped away. Qian sent Wu Fan of Kuaiji from the Yangzhou office to press the appointment; Yu would not budge; Qian threatened the law until Yu finally accepted. He earned a flourishing-talent nomination and became governor of Guangling. Ze Rong, driven from Linhuai, broke into the district; Yu fought him, lost, and died.〉 Men like Cao Hong were venal flatterers, yet Qian kept them close. Justice skewed and honest men suffered; the province slid into chaos. Que Xuan at Xiapi declared himself emperor; Qian first allied with him for raids, then killed him and swallowed his troops.
15
退 使 涿鹿 調
In Chuping 4 (193) Cao Cao struck Qian, stormed a dozen towns, and fought a major battle at Pengcheng. Qian's army broke; corpses choked the Si until the current stalled. Qian fell back to Yan. Short of supplies, Cao Cao withdrew. 〈The Wushu: Cao Song was murdered in Taishan, and Cao Cao blamed Qian. Wanting war yet fearing Qian's power, he petitioned for a general stand-down of provincial armies. The edict ran: "The realm is in turmoil, troops are everywhere, soldiers are spent, bandits remain—often because officers prey on civilians; rumor panics towns, the meek turn rogue—like piling fuel on a fire or fanning a boiling pot! Common folk flee to strange lands, leave elders in the hills and infants in ditches, weep for home and starve in exile—the suffering is extreme. They would lay down arms, yet fear that the day they disband they will be chains by night—so they cling to their camps. Let every command send farmers home, keep only routine clerks, and publish the mercy far and wide." 」Qian answered: "Winning distant peoples takes virtue; crushing rebels takes soldiers. The five sage-kings marched to Zhuolu and Banquan; kings struck Youhu, Guifang, Shang, and Yan—never yet did a throne end violence without showing the sword. When the Turbans first rose I took the commission and rode the long campaign without rest. We obeyed the law and struck heaven's foes, and each battle won—yet the rebels are countless, fearless of death; clans refill their ranks and camp against us still. To stack arms now would strip a weak province, arm the enemy, and shame the court that trusted me—while villains grow daily; that is not how to strengthen the center and choke rebellion. I am a dull man, yet I cannot betray the favor I owe. I have drilled my command and doubled the watch. I strike rebels abroad and rule kindly at home, hoping to atone in small measure." He added: "The heartland still seethes; the king lacks even the ritual bundle of sedge; I lie awake grieving. Only when my grain reaches the throne and roads are open will I sheathe the sword—that is my prayer. I have a million hu of grain barged and ready; escorts stand by to send it." 」Cao Cao read the reply and saw Qian would not demobilize. He marched again on Pengcheng and massacred civilians. Qian counterattacked; Tian Kai of Qingzhou marched to his aid. Cao Cao pulled back. Pei Songzhi notes: the emperor was still in Chang'an and Cao Cao had not yet held the capital. No such disbandment edict could have come from the Caos alone.〉
16
使
In Xingping 1 (194) he drove east again, sweeping Langya and Donghai. Qian planned flight to Danyang. Then Zhang Miao turned traitor for Lü Bu, and Cao Cao wheeled west to fight him. That same year Qian died of sickness. 〈The Wushu says: When Qian died he was sixty-three; Zhang Zhao and others for him made a dirge, saying: "Ah, lord governor, lord general, you bore fine virtue, truly martial, truly civil; your substance was wholly sternly upright, guarded with warm benevolence. As magistrate of Shu and Lu you left love behind; as governor of You and Xu you were fair as the pear-tree shade. Frontier tribes stilled by your hand; rebellious vermin—without you they would not rest. The throne remembered your service, enfeoffed you at Liyang, shepherd and lord. He rose to general who pacifies the east to heal the age and guard the state. He died too soon; the people lost their prop and fell into want. Within days five commanderies crumbled—whom now shall we lean on? Memory cannot call him back; we lift our cries to heaven. Alas, the grief!" 」He left two sons, Shang and Ying, who never served.〉
17
西 使
Zhang Yang, courtesy Zhishu, came from Yunzhong. His valor won him a post on Bingzhou staff as valorous martial clerk. Late in Ling's reign the court named the eunuch Jian Shuo colonel of the western garden host at the capital to overawe the regions and draft empire-wide captains. Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, and the rest were made colonels under him. 〈Ling's annals list the eight colonels of the western garden.〉 Governor Ding Yuan sent Yang to Jian Shuo with troops as acting major. When Ling died, He Jin killed Jian Shuo. He Jin sent him home to raise troops; he gathered a thousand men, stayed in Shangdang, and fought hill bandits. He Jin fell and Dong Zhuo seized power. Yang struck the Shangdang governor at Huguan, failed, pillaged counties, and swelled to thousands. The eastern coalition rose to kill Zhuo. Shao entered Henei; Yang joined him and the chanyu Yufuluo on the Zhang. The chanyu plotted mutiny; Shao and Yang refused. The chanyu kidnapped Yang; Shao sent Qu Yi to rout him south of Ye. At Liyang the chanyu smashed Geng Zhi's column and Yang's following revived. Zhuo named him general who establishes righteousness and governor of Henei.
18
Gongsun Du.
19
宿 西
Gongsun Du, courtesy Shengji, was a native of Xiangping in Liaodong. His father Yan fled official trouble to Xuantu and got Du a clerkship. Governor Gongsun Yu of Xuantu had lost a son Bao at eighteen. Du had shared the childhood name Bao and the same birth year as the dead boy; Yu doted on him, paid for his schooling, and found him a wife. Recommended "possessed of the Way," he rose to masters-of-writing gentleman, then Jizhou governor, until slander ousted him. Fellow townsman Xu Rong, colonel under Zhuo, nominated him for Liaodong. A lowborn Xuantu clerk, he was sneered at in Liaodong. Gongsun Zhao of the dependent state, as magistrate of Xiangping, had made Du's son Kang a squad leader. Du took office, arrested Zhao, and had him flogged to death in Xiangping market. Great families who had slighted him—over a hundred clans—were wiped out by law until the commandery shook. He struck Koguryŏ east and Wuhuan west until his name carried overseas.
20
使
In the twelfth year (207) Cao Cao attacked the three Wuhuan states and sacked Liucheng. Yuan Shang fled east; Kang cut off his head for Cao Cao. The story is told in the martial annals. Kang was enfeoffed marquis of Xiangping and named general of the left. Kang's sons were infants; the gentry set Gong Yang as governor. Emperor Wen confirmed Gong as general of chariots and cavalry with credentials and marquis of Pingguo; he posthumously named Kang grand marshal.
21
Gongsun Yuan.
22
使
Gong wasted away from an illness that unmanned him; too frail to govern, he lost real control of the province. In Taihe 2 (228) Yuan seized Gong's seat by force. When Emperor Ming took the throne, (A gloss inserts the missing word for "throne.") The court named Yuan general who displays fierceness and governor of Liaodong. Yuan opened talks with Sun Quan south of the Yangzi, sending gifts both ways. 〈The Wushu preserves his memorial to Quan:
23
使退使
Your servant reflects that heaven and earth are overturned and I stand in perilous times; The royal road is still blocked and the realm reels. For generations we have served Han and then Wei, risen by chance, guarded the frontier, and known the mandate of rule was still unsettled. Your grace has reached us often, yet a subject may not traffic beyond his border—so I held my ground and turned earlier embassies away. Duty allows but one allegiance—still I have not forgotten your kindness. You have long shielded our small domain; envoys brought ever clearer edicts, written in repeated silks, until your meaning rang in my ears. I murmur your words by day and dream them by night, never sated with gratitude. These last evil years have blocked heaven and earth, left arms unstacked, and scattered the people. I trust Heaven will smile again; from this distant corner I still face the light of the throne. Yet Wei will not honor loyalty; calumniators sway the court; Youzhou and Donglai whisper lies—now provincial armies march against my district. I have not betrayed Wei; Wei has betrayed me. Ministers may serve or quit—so the classics say; Tian Rao fled to Qi, Yue Yi to Zhao, when they could not serve upright rulers; Chen Ping and Geng Kuang read the times and ended in Han service, their names carved on the roster of merit. Your virtue is unique; this moment will not come again—so I tremble with awe and draw near, though the road seems perilous as plain ground. May you soon rouse the hosts, reclaim the Yellow and Luo heartland, and stand as founder of a new age. Then all under Heaven will rejoice.
24
The Weilüe notes that Wei knew Yuan was double-dealing and feared Liaodong might follow him astray. So Wei sent an open letter south with this amnesty:
25
使 使貿 使宿 宿使使 忿 使
To officers and folk of Liaodong and Xuantu: Sun Quan is a rebel who rode chaos, followed bandit forbears, seized the southland, and nursed every crime in secret. We hoped to reform him—ceded him territory, kingship south of the river with full royal ritual, supreme generalship, and the nine ritual gifts. Quan clasped his hands and kowtowed toward the northern court. Never has a vassal enjoyed such favor and such glory as Quan. He proved a wolf with a wolf's heart, spurned every warning, betrayed his sovereign, outraged Heaven, and seized an emperor's style. River ramparts have shielded him from the axe—until now. Lately he sends fleets across the sea with goods to seduce our frontier. Ignorant borderers trade with him. Local officers let it pass. Zhou He brought a hundred hulls to the Ta ford and opened a market. You never stopped him—you sent fine horses and let Su Shu sail with him to seal friendship. Even a village keeps faith; leading your prince into crime is what the Chunqiu condemns. You wear court rank by the thousand yet never spoke truth to power. When the casket breaks the gems shatter—whose fault is the beast's escape? The court blushes for you, gentlemen. Hu Tu said, A father who teaches divided loyalty unfit his son for service; once a name is pledged to a lord, double dealing is treason. 」Yet you abet treason—do not blame only bad upbringing or youthful habit! When the field burns, weed and crop perish together—who can tell guilt from innocence? The lesson is plain in every history book. Liaodong lies ten thousand li from Jiangnan and safely beyond Wu's reach, yet you chase profit across the sea, cheapening honor and courting ruin. Even barbarian chiefs honor rite—how can you meet the world's eyes? You thrust guiltless Su Shu east on a shameful errand—he bade his kin farewell in tears. When He perished, corpses piled like hills; Shu lived, yet his spirit fled. What force could drive men so far? Every loyal captain wants to raft across the strait to punish your wavering. We are father and mother to the realm, loath to stir another great war, yet pity you border folk—so we dispatch Wei Shen and Shao Mao to explain our will. Return to righteousness, aid your rightful lord, and earn the greatest blessing. If shame for past contact with rebels seals your lips, we pardon every man who dealt with Wu and grant a clean slate.〉
26
使 使
Sun Quan dispatched Zhang Mi and Xu Yan with treasure to crown Yuan king of Yan. Yuan distrusted the distant ally, coveted the gifts, lured the embassy in, and sent their heads back to Wei. 〈The Weilüe quotes Yuan's memorial:
27
宿 使使 使 便 使西 使 使 西 宿 便 忿
Earlier I sent Su Shu and Sun Zong east with honeyed words and lavish gifts to bait Wu. Heaven favored Wei: Wu grew reckless, spurned counsel, believed me, and sent a great embassy with troops to seal the sham kingship. My plan worked as I hoped; though I risk blame, I rejoice inwardly. They claimed ten thousand men; Shu counted seven or eight thousand at Ta ford. Zhang Mi, Xu Yan, Wan Tai, and Pei Qian landed with four hundred men, regalia, and patents. Tai and Qian brought extra goods to trade for horses. He Da and Yu Zi waited aboard with the rest. I meant to wait for cool weather to strike, but their numbers were large, saw I would not kneel to Wu, and grew wary. Fearing a coup, I surrounded them at once and took Mi, Yan, Tai, and Qian's heads. Their followers were common soldiers; I spared the bound men who yielded and sent them to the frontier garrisons. I sent Han Qi with the three hosts at full gallop for Ta. Chief clerk Liu Yuan played host to lure Da and Zi ashore while ambushers hid; we drove horses forward as if to trade. Suspicious, they sent five or six hundred men to the beach to barter. At the first drumstroke our archers volleyed—three hundred heads, two hundred drowned, more lost in the hills uncounted. We captured silver and bronze seals, arms, and loot beyond reckoning. Respectfully I send west-department aide Gongsun Heng to deliver the credentials, seal ribbons, tallies, nine bestowals, and gear that the bandit Quan falsely lent your subject, together with Mi and others' false credentials, seal ribbons, and heads. He added: "When Shu and Zong reached Wu, Quan asked after my household; they said I had three sons, naming Xiu as heir to a dead brother. Quan then played the fool and presumed to invest me. I seal and forward his counterfeit seals and tallies. I lack the sage who washed his ears to flee office, yet I burn with shame at Quan's insult—even after heaven's stroke the embers of rage remain."
28
使 使祿 使 使 使
He continued: "My father Kang slew Wu's envoy and made a blood feud. Now Quan empties his treasury, sends a high minister, heaps the highest honors, and shakes the south with ceremony. He feasted Shu and Zong as honored kin, lord and ministers at one table. Then I killed his four envoys, exposed their heads, slaughtered his men at the landing—humiliation that fills the sky. Quan will hate me to the marrow. If Heaven ends him soon, rage will burst his heart. If he lives on, his sting will reach us—I fear the long snake will strike as raider. Xuzhou and Chengyang lie nearest Wu; if next year you hear of fleets bound for our seas, warn me at once that I may prepare."
29
使 使 便 忿
Again: "My house owes Wei boundless favor; since I took office honors have showered on me—I should spend myself to the dust. Yet my slow wit let me delay striking the bandits and drew suspicion. My earlier memorials meant only to exhaust Wu, not to join a rebel—never to betray generations of Wei grace. Slanderers twisted every act until the court saw tigers in the market—my favor nearly drowned in wrath. Mercy thrice spared me and let me atone. Had your wrath struck once, I would be dust and my line ended—how then show this small service? I rejoice in success yet tremble at how far things nearly fell. I beg you, who give life like spring sunlight, to seal old cracks, overlook specks of fault, read my heart by this deed, and let me die still wearing your favor."
30
使使 使
Again: "I wear honors I have not yet repaid; my faults invite execution as a warning to the state. I played false with Wu because I feared your punishment before I could prove loyalty. I feigned disgrace a year to bait Wu—Quan had begged a county for years without answer; one embassy lured his great ministers and treasure into our trap; over a thousand perished, none returning. Thus I broke his pride and advertised his shame to the realm. I have overstepped yet served you—pardon my trespass, credit a hair's worth of good, and let me end my days in your grace.
31
調
Guo Xin, Liu Pu, and 789 officers write: the seventh-month edict left us soul-scattered, not knowing where to turn. We are mites raised by the Gongsuns' light—no merit, only shame of riding above our station; yet we were raised to the roster, draped in purple, mounted the cloud ladder—we owe deathless debt. Under a wise ruler men may speak—we beg leave to voice our grievance. Our march is on the rim, cheek by jowl with rebels; for years three provinces shipped tribute costing hundreds of millions to buy peace. Still the Gongsuns ravaged the marches—beacons blazed, gates shut by day, armies broke and drowned. When Du first came he raised order from ruins, gathered rabble into an army, struck awe through the tribes, and spread mercy to the living. Liaodong survives today because Du built its foundation. Confucius said, "Without Guan Zhong we should all be wearing barbarian dress." Without Du the district would be rubble and the people slaves to the steppe. His legacy of kindness still lives. When Du died the people gladly accepted his son Kang as lord. Kang enlarged his father's design—civil and martial, generous and strong. He kept his heart on Luoyang, served the court loyally, and piled deeds high in the royal archives. They lived under Emperor Wu's bright reign, pledged themselves to Han and then to Wei, and bowed low in service. They did not cringe before a greater power—they honored true greatness. Emperor Wu welcomed them openly and never forgot the least of their service.
32
姿 使 使 便 祿 使
He said, "The lands north of the Bohai I give your line to hold forever." Heaven and earth heard that pledge. We who stand below accepted it with trembling care. Yuan had the stature of a pillar; raised in kindness, he was both scholar and soldier, loyal and straight. The people loved him. He ruled by rite, bound distant tribes, treated the king's call as plain duty, and his house shone with generations of loyalty. Sun Quan wooed him for years across the sea; though Yuan once spurned him, Quan still sent envoys again and again begging friendship. Yuan never wavered for bribes—his resolve was harder than stone. To prove his faith to Wei he baited Wu's envoys and sent their heads to the capital. Wu lies a sail away—no natural barrier divides us. He broke with Wu to show Wei his heart—gods and men could witness it. You praised his arms, ennobled his kin like the old dukes of Qi and Lu, and showered favor on his followers. We trusted your favor would last—then sudden ruin struck. The whole commandery weeps for the nurture he gave and the shame of his fall. Armies march against wild tribes, not against loyal vassals. The sage king first teaches; only then does he strike. Yuan served with scrupulous care. Loyal to the end, he met calamity. Such wrongs bred the laments of Little Boy and Qu Yuan. Even sweet slander should be read with cool judgment; we beg a written charge so we may know the crime. If he sinned, apply the thrice-repeated mercy; if not, weigh merit under the eight grounds of clemency. Instead you sent secret armies to storm the northeast. Even beasts cling to life—what of men? Our people met your host with desperate resistance.
33
At the crisis Yuan still trusted the throne, telling us: In 121 the Liaodong colonel Pang Fen got a forged edict to seize Youzhou and Xuantu governors— investigation showed no such order; the court sent a censor to Youzhou (The manuscript adds the title "governor.") To hunt the forger. Has our governor mistaken another forgery for law? We answered: a provincial war on this scale must be imperial command, not a fake. Yuan sighed his innocence. He thought of fleeing to the hills like the ancient lord who left Bin for Qi. We swore to die blocking his gate. Seven tiger camps and tribal auxiliaries, well fed and of one mind, smashed the gates to fight. Farmers grabbed clubs and shields and ran to battle as if into boiling oil. Yuan forbade his men to harm imperial troops and wrote pleading letters in his own hand. The soldiers would not stand down—they meant to fight to the last. He rode among them himself and barely checked the rush. A single meal wins a commoner's death—how much more generations of kindness to Liaodong? From Cao Cao's rise to your reign the Gongsuns' deeds have been sung in court and market. To honor a man then destroy him shames any king who reads history. Even Duke Huan and Wen of Jin built hegemony on faith. The Songs praise King Wen's good faith; the Analects say the Master would starve before breaking trust; for faith is the greatest virtue.
34
𨵦 使
Wu and Shu now rival the throne while the realm totters—we tremble for you. Yuan held a strong land and loyal people—he could have been your shield. He pledged life to lawful duty—a model to the nine regions. You eye two enemies yet strike the loyal bulwark first. Swallowing the meek and spitting the tough is no way to rule. We are humble men, yet we blush for this policy. If Heaven does not watch, our fate is dark; if Heaven watches, why should we fear to speak truth! We have heard: two generations serve as house; the third owes liege duty. We are border folk bound to the Gongsuns for generations—we owe them our lives. Kuai Tong's blunt counsel won pardon from Han Gaozu; Zhan's soft plea moved Jin Wen to spare him. We are fools, yet we bare our hearts though it cost ten thousand deaths. We beg you widen mercy and shelter those who speak from afar.〉
35
巿
Strange signs plagued Yuan's house—a capped dog on the roof, a child found steamed in the pot. Flesh grew in Xiangping market with eyes and beak yet no limbs, twitching alive. The omen read: "Form without completion, body without sound—the state will fall." 」Du seized Liaodong in 189; three generations and fifty years later the line ended. 〈The Weilüe: Yuan Huang was hostage in Luoyang; learning of the coup he begged Wei to strike his brother. The emperor spared Huang because Yuan already held the northeast. When Yuan rebelled, Huang was seized by law. Huang hoped his warnings would save him, yet knew he would share the fall. When Yuan's head came west, Huang knew he was doomed and wept with his son. The emperor wished to spare him; the law officers refused—so Huang died.〉
36
使
Zhang Xiu of Zuli in Wuwei was a kinsman of Zhang Ji the general of agile cavalry. When Liangzhou rose, Qu Sheng of Jincheng murdered Magistrate Liu Juan of Zuli. Clerk Xiu avenged him by killing Qu Sheng and won local praise. He rallied town youths and became a local power. When Zhuo fell, Ji joined Li Jue against Lü Bu to avenge him. The account appears in 〈Zhuo's biography〉 Xiu followed Ji, won rank on merit, became general who establishes loyalty, and marquis of Xuanwei. Ji camped at Hongnong, starved his men, marched on Rang, and fell to a stray shaft. Xiu took the command, held Wan, and allied with Liu Biao. Cao Cao marched south to the Yu River; Xiu brought the whole force over. Cao Cao took Zhang Ji's widow—Xiu burned with resentment. Cao Cao heard of his spleen and plotted his murder. Word slipped out; Xiu struck first. Cao Cao lost the field and two sons. Xiu withdrew to Rang, 〈The Fuzi: Xiu's favorite Hu warrior Che Er was the bravest man in camp. Cao Cao admired his dash and handed him gold with his own hand. Xiu thought the gold was a bribe to assassinate him and rose in revolt. The Wushu adds: when Xiu first yielded, (Marginal gloss: Ling Tong.) At Jia Xu's suggestion he asked to redeploy along the heights through Cao Cao's camp. Xiu again said: "The carts are few and heavy; I beg to have the soldiers each don armor." 」Cao Cao trusted him and agreed. He marched armed men in and struck by surprise. Cao Cao was caught flat-footed and lost.〉 Cao Cao besieged him for years without success.
37
滿
At Guandu he followed Jia Xu and brought his army over again. The account appears in 〈Jia Xu's biography〉 Cao Cao clasped his hand, feasted him, married his son Jun to Xiu's daughter, and named him general who displays martial might. At Guandu he fought fiercely and rose to general who breaks the Qiang. He joined the storming of Nanpi and gained two thousand households in total fief. With the realm depopulated, few generals held a thousand-house fief—Xiu stood out. He died on the march to Liucheng against the Wuhuan and received the posthumous title settled marquis. 〈The Weilüe: Cao Pi repeatedly snarled at feasts, "You killed my brother—how dare you show your face?" 」Xiu could not live with the shame and took his own life.〉 His son Quan inherited the title, joined Wei Feng's plot, died for it, and the fief was abolished.
38
便 使 使使 使 使 使
Zhang Lu, courtesy Gongqi, came from Feng in Pei. His grandfather Ling settled in Shu, preached on Mount Heming, forged scriptures, and charged five pecks of rice per initiate—hence "Five Pecks of Rice" sect. Ling's son Heng continued the teaching. When Heng died, Lu inherited the movement. Liu Yan named Lu colonel who supervises righteousness; Lu marched with Zhang Xiu against Hanzhong governor Su Gu, then murdered Xiu and swallowed his troops. Liu Zhang killed Lu's kin when Lu defied him. Lu thereupon occupied Hanzhong, used ghost doctrine to teach the people, and styled himself "lord master." Those who first came to study the Way were all named "ghost privates." When they had received the root teaching and were trusted, they were titled "libationer." Each led a congregation; the largest bands had chief libationers. He preached honesty, confession of sin for illness—much like the Yellow Turbans. Libationers built hostels like government relay inns. They hung rice and meat in the lodges for wayfarers to take as needed; greed brought supernatural illness. Offenders were forgiven thrice before punishment. Libationers replaced magistrates; Han and tribal folk accepted the rule. He dominated Ba and Hanzhong for almost thirty years. 〈The Dianlüe: in the 170s rebels swelled in the capital region, including Luo Yao. In the Guanghe years Zhang Jue rose in the east and Zhang Xiu in Hanzhong. Luo Yao taught concealment; Jue preached Great Peace; Xiu the Five Pecks of Rice. Great Peace healers used nine-knot staves, confession, and charmed water—cure proved faith, lingering illness proved doubt. Xiu added silent cells where the sick meditated on sin. He named "wicked-order" libationers to drill the Daodejing into followers. Ghost clerks led prayer for the ill. They wrote the patient's name and confession of guilt. Three copies went to heaven, earth, and water—the "three officers" writ. Each family paid five pecks of rice in fees—hence the sect name. It cured nothing but duped the credulous. Jue was executed; Xiu died too. Lu expanded Xiu's practices once he held Hanzhong. He ordered righteousness lodges stocked with food for travelers; Minor sinners paved a hundred paces of road to atone; spring and summer brought a ban on slaughter; wine was forbidden. Refugees dared not defy these rules. Pei Songzhi notes: Xiu here is likely Zhang Heng—a slip in the Dianlüe or copyists.〉
39
西 西
Late Han could not crush him and instead enfeoffed him as pacifying colonel and governor of Hanning while he merely sent tribute. A peasant found a jade seal; his aides urged Lu to take the title king of Hanning. Yan Pu urged restraint: "You command a hundred thousand households on rich soil behind natural walls; serve the emperor as a hegemon or as Dou Rong did and keep wealth and rank. Interim titles already give you power—do not rush the crown. Wait—do not court ruin." 」Lu listened. When Han Sui and Ma Chao rose, tens of thousands fled west-of-pass folk to him via Ziwu Gorge.
40
In Jian'an 20 (215) Cao Cao marched from Sanguan through Wudu to Yangping. Lu wished to yield; his brother Wei refused and held the pass with tens of thousands. Cao Cao stormed the pass and drove into Shu. 〈Dong Zhao's memorial in Wei mingchen zou states:
41
便 便退
Cao Cao believed Liangzhou clerks who said Yangping was weakly held. On the ground he found otherwise and sighed that others' maps lie. The mountain forts resisted; casualties mounted. Cao Cao planned retreat and ordered Xiahou Dun and Xu Chu to recall the vanguard. The night confused the lines—some troops blundered into Lu's camp and routed it by accident. Xin Pi and Liu Ye behind the lines insisted the enemy was broken. Dun and Xu Chu doubted them. Dun rode up, saw the truth, and Cao Cao pressed on to victory. Living officers still remember it.
42
Yang Ji also memorialized:
43
Cao Cao led a hundred thousand men, requisitioned wheat, and laid his own plans. Zhang Wei's defense was nothing special. Terrain favored the defender—elite troops could not deploy. After three days he talked of quitting—thirty years building an army, lost in a day. He had chosen retreat when Heaven broke Lu's line for him.
44
西 使 退
The Shiyu: Lu offered surrender while Wei walled Yangping and blocked the advance. Lu fled into Ba. Supplies ran out; Cao Cao prepared to withdraw. Guo Chen objected: "We cannot leave. Lu has sued for peace; Wei alone holds out—hit him while he is isolated. We are deep in hostile ground—advance or die." 」Cao Cao wavered. That night a herd of elk stampeded Wei's camp. Gao Zuo's scouts blundered into Wei, sounded drums, and panicked the defenders. Wei thought the main host had enveloped him and surrendered.〉
45
西
When Yangping fell Yan Pu said, "Surrender now and your credit will be thin; Better to take refuge with (Textual variant: Du Guan versus Du Hu.) Du Hu, join Pu Hu in resistance, then submit—you will earn far greater credit." 」So Lu fled south into Ba. Aides urged burning the stores; Lu said, "I meant to yield to the court all along. This retreat only dodges the spearhead, not treason. Let the treasury fall to the state intact." 」He sealed the treasuries intact and withdrew. Cao Cao entered Nan Zheng and praised his restraint. Because Lu had meant well, Cao Cao sent envoys to reassure him. Lu came out with his kin; Cao Cao bowed, named him general who guards the south, treated him as an honored guest, and enfeoffed him marquis of Langzhong with ten thousand households. Lu's five sons and Yan Pu each received full marquisates. 〈Pei Songzhi: Lu yielded only after defeat—such lavish rewards were excessive. Xi Zuochi notes that Yan Pu stopped Lu from kingship—so ennobling Pu was fitting. Rewards and punishments exist to deter evil and encourage good; used rightly they teach near and far alike. When Cao Cao honored Pu for that counsel, he taught the world to speak truth to power. Plug the headwaters and the flood abates—that is the point. Reward only battlefield butchery and you teach the people to crave chaos and never sheathe arms. Cao Cao's act grasped the root of justice—even Tang and Wu could not improve on it. The Weilüe adds that under Huangchu the court enlarged Yan Pu's fief and he ended his life in peace. He died of illness a decade later. The Jinshu names his grandson Yan Zuan, western Rong marshal.〉 Cao Cao took Zhang Lu's daughter as wife for his son Pengzu.
46
Appraisal
47
The historian concludes: Gongsun Zan barricaded himself at Yi Jing and waited for ruin. Gongsun Du was savage; Yuan inherited his violence—both lines were extinguished. Tao Qian died in folly; Zhang Yang fell to his men—petty warlords beneath notice. Zhang Yan, Zhang Xiu, and Zhang Lu quit banditry, joined the rolls of merit, saved their lines, and fared better than the rest.”
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