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卷十一 魏書十一 袁張涼國田王邴管傳

Volume 11: Book of Wei 11: Biographies of Yuan, Zhang, Liang, Guo, Tian, Wang, Bing, and Guan

Chapter 11 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
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Chapter 11
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1
Yuan Huan, styled Yaqing, came from Fule in Chen commandery. His father Yuan Pang had been Minister of Education under the Han.
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使 使
〈Yuan Hong’s Han Ji records: Pang was styled Gongxi—pure, retiring, and sparing of desire—and never spoke ill of others.) When powerful factions rose and fell, many were ruined for taking sides; Pang alone kept to the middle at court, so neither side could claim him.〉 While many young noblemen flouted the law, Huan remained restrained and measured, and never departed from propriety. When the commandery made him Chief Clerk, the corrupt clerks cleaned out their desks and left. He was later summoned to the central government, topped the civil-service examination, and became a Palace Assistant Clerk. He was offered the magistracy of Qiao but declined to serve. While Liu Bei held Yu Province, he recommended Huan as an outstanding candidate. He later took refuge between the Yangzi and the Huai and entered Yuan Shu’s service. Yuan Shu often asked his opinion; Huan answered frankly every time. Shu could not shout him down, yet respected him too much to treat him roughly. When Lü Bu struck Yuan Shu at Fuling, Huan went over to Lü Bu’s camp—and Bu kept him there against his will. Lü Bu had first allied with Liu Bei and sealed the tie with marriage, then the two fell out. Lü Bu ordered Huan to draft a letter vilifying Liu Bei. Huan refused; however hard Bu pressed, he would not budge. Enraged, Lü Bu drew his troops on him and said: “Write it and you live; refuse and you die.” Huan’s face never changed. Smiling, he answered: “I have heard that shame comes from virtue, not from vilification. If Liu Bei is a gentleman, your insults will not touch him; if he is a petty man, he will answer your spite in kind—and the shame will be yours to bear, not his. Besides, the way I served General Liu before is the way I serve you now. If one day I left you and began reviling you as well, would that be acceptable?” Lü Bu was ashamed and dropped the matter.
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After Lü Bu’s execution, Huan was free to join Cao Cao. 〈The Yuan family chronicle notes: When Lü Bu fell, Chen Qun and his son were in Bu’s army; both kowtowed when they met Cao Cao. Huan alone straightened his back and bowed at the waist only—never touching his forehead to the ground. Cao Cao regarded him with wary respect. Cao Cao also gave each officer wagons and told them to help themselves to Lü Bu’s stores. The others hauled off loot by the cartload; Huan took only several hundred scrolls and enough food for the road. When word spread, they burned with shame. Huan told his intimates: “If they had put me in the ranks, rations for the march would have been enough—I would never have treated booty as personal gain. That was how I meant to keep my name unstained.” The others bitterly regretted their greed." Cao Cao respected him all the more for it.〉 Huan urged: “Weapons are ill-omened tools; they are a last resort. Rouse them with moral power and the Way; wage campaigns with benevolence and right; comfort the people while rooting out what harms them. Only then will men face death or life at your side without wavering. The realm has been torn apart for more than a decade; the people long for peace more than for relief from hanging upside down—so why does chaos still rage? Surely policy has strayed from the right path! Wise rulers rescue their age: in chaos they align it with justice; in decadent times they anchor it with plain sincerity. Times change and government must change with them—the difference cannot be ignored. Cutting or adding institutions need not mirror antiquity. Yet caring for the empire and steering it back toward right—even when you use arms to end disorder, you finish the work with virtue—that is the constant thread no succession of rulers may discard. You are clear-sighted and wise beyond your age. The ways by which the ancients won the people are already things you have diligently pursued; the ways by which men now lose the people are already things you have taken as warnings. The realm relies on you and has escaped the disaster of danger and ruin, yet the people still do not understand righteousness. If you alone would teach them, it would be the great fortune of all under Heaven!” Cao Cao took his counsel to heart. He was named Chief Commandant for the southern districts of Pei.
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使 簿 簿 簿
The court had just drafted civilians for military-agricultural colonies; morale was low and deserters were many. Huan urged Cao Cao: “People cling to their native soil and resist uprooting overnight. What follows their wishes moves easily; what cuts against them meets stubborn resistance. Bend with their inclinations—enroll the willing and leave the unwilling alone.” Cao Cao agreed, and popular morale soared. He was promoted to chancellor of Liang. He constantly told the counties: “Care for widowers, widows, and the aged; lift up model sons and faithful wives. The proverb says, ‘Good times allow elaborate rites; troubled times call for simple ones’—the art is knowing where to draw the line. Though today is disturbed and hard to transform by ritual, still what can be done lies with us.” In office he emphasized moral instruction, deliberated with humane patience before acting, appeared mild abroad, yet could judge firmly within. 〈Wang Chen’s Wei Shu: Gushu district chief Lü Qi thought highly of Zhu Yuan and Yuan Jin. After sending them to study, he recalled them for appointment; at their meeting he named Yuan Libationer for the Friends of Learning and Jin Libationer for Resolving Doubts. Zhu Yuan and his companions went home instead and refused the posts. Lü Qi flew into a rage and ordered his officers and local residents to arrest them; he had every one of them clubbed to death. Opinion widely condemned him. Huan directed that no charges be brought. Chief Clerk Sun Hui argued that Zhu Yuan’s party did not deserve death and that a county chief had no right of summary execution—citing Confucius: “Regalia and titles must never be handled lightly. To honor men as “friends of learning” and then beat them to death confuses law with courtesy—it teaches nothing good.” Huan replied: “The chief clerk deserves blame for failing to seek higher approval—that much is true. To claim those men were innocent of capital crimes is wrong. The title “friend of learning” has always had its uses. But there is the sovereign’s “friend of learning” and there is the minister’s “friend of learning.” When a ruler institutes such an office, he means to honor his officials. When crime is proven and sentence passed, that is the kingdom’s law. To skip the facts of guilt and speak only of “murdering a friend of learning” misses the point. Sun Hui borrows the language of a pupil killing his teacher to describe a ruler punishing a minister—the analogy fails. Sage kings watch the times and adapt; they need not cling to precedent when circumstance demands flexibility. In recent times the world has been in disorder, and the people have overstepped their superiors. Even if one works to honor the ruler and humble the ministers, success may still be uncertain; to do the opposite and encourage the age's faults, is that not absurd?” So Huan let the matter drop.〉 He stepped down citing illness, and the people longed for his return. He was later recalled as Grand Counselor of Remonstrance and army libationer under the chancellor. Imperial largesse came often; he passed every gift on until his coffers were bare. He never fussed over fields or houses—when he lacked funds he borrowed—and though he never played the zealous fault-finder, contemporaries revered his integrity.
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When the Wei dukedom was founded he became Prefect of the Gentlemen of the Palace, handling the duties of Imperial Clerk Grandee. He told Cao Cao: “The worst blows to the realm are over; blending civil and military policy is how dynasties last. I believe you should make a broad collection of books and records, illuminate the teachings of the former sages, and thereby change what the people see and hear. If the realm then turns eagerly toward your influence, distant peoples who do not submit can be drawn in by civil virtue.” Cao Cao praised the proposal. Rumors claimed Liu Bei was dead, and the courtiers crowded in with congratulations. Huan alone stayed away—Liu Bei had once sponsored his career. After several years in office he died. Grand Progenitor wept for him and granted two thousand hu of grain. One order said, “Give the household of the Prefect of the Gentlemen one thousand hu from the Grand Granary”; another said, “Give Yaqing's family one thousand hu from the granary below the wall.” Those outside did not understand what he meant. The order explained: “Grain from the Grand Granary follows public statute. What comes from the granary below the wall is for kin and old friends.” The Emperor also heard of Huan’s past refusal of Lü Bu and asked Huan’s cousin Min, “Was Huan brave or timid?” Min answered: “He looks gentle, but when great principle or mortal danger is at stake, not even ancient heroes could surpass him.” His son Kan was clear-minded and retiring like his father, and rose to commandery governor and minister. 〈The Yuan family chronicle lists four sons: Kan, Yu, Ao, and Zhun. Kan, styled Gongran, argued cleanly and fairly—flexible yet firm—and knew how to handle people. When fortunes shifted and others scrambled for advantage, he habitually stood back. His contemporaries admired him for it. He advanced to Gentleman at the Yellow Gates and Director of Selection, famed for even-handed judgment. He eventually reached ministerial rank but died young. Yu, styled Xuanhou, was sharp in debate, drawn to Daoism, and died young before serving. Ao, styled Gongrong, lived modestly enough to reform local habits; his speech was spare but exact, and he rose to Minister of the Imperial Household. Zhun, styled Xiaoni, was loyal, candid, and humble enough to learn from social inferiors—yet anxious whenever peers fell short of his standard. Danger stalked public life, so he preferred retreat and rarely pressed for promotion. He composed over one hundred thousand characters on statecraft—commentaries on the Zhou yi, Zhou li, and Mao Shi plus essays on unresolved issues in the Five Classics—intending them for posterity. Those lines come from Zhun’s own preface. Xun Chuo’s Jiuzhou ji describes Zhun as brilliant and records him as a palace attendant under Emperor Wu (Taishi era). The Yuans have kept high office for generations down to the present.〉
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退
Earlier, Huan’s cousin Yuan Ba—meticulous and capable—had become Minister of Agriculture at Wei’s founding and, with fellow townsman He Kui, stood among the age’s leading names. Ba’s son Liang and Kui’s son Zeng were as close to Kan as their fathers had been to one another. Liang was upright, learned, and outspoken; he despised He Yan and Deng Yang and lampooned them in essays, rising to governor of Henan and minister. 〈The Jin zhugong zan adds: Liang’s son Can, styled Yizu, was a scholar of wide learning who repeatedly served in academic posts and reached ministerial rank.〉 Ba’s younger brother Hui was known as a plain Confucian gentleman. When chaos spread he fled south to Jiao Province. The court summoned him as Minister of Education; he refused to answer. 〈Yuan Hong’s Han ji: Even before the collapse, Huan had sighed, “The Han house is failing; disaster cannot be far off. Once the realm dissolves in war, what refuge could exile possibly offer? If Heaven has not yet cast away the Way, and if the people still survive through righteousness, then only a man who is strong yet observes ritual can protect himself.” Hui answered: “The classic line runs, ‘To grasp the turning point is next to divine wisdom. Read the moment and move—that is how a gentleman wins the great blessing. The tide of Heaven ebbs and flows; the house of Han is finished. Great deeds stir great crises—wise men see that far ahead and know when to vanish from sight. War invites countless enemies from without; I mean to lose myself among coastal hills until the storm passes." When chaos came, every cousin chose his own course.〉 His brother Min was handy with arms and obsessed with waterworks, rising to inspector of dikes and canals.
7
Zhang Fan, styled Gongyi, hailed from Xiuwu in Henei commandery. His grandfather Zhang Xin had been Minister of Education under the Han. His father Zhang Yan had served as grand marshal. Grand Tutor Yuan Kui offered him a daughter in marriage; Fan politely refused. Quiet and devoted to learning, he cared nothing for rank or riches and ignored every appointment. His brother Cheng, styled Gongxian, was likewise celebrated; called up as a man of integrity he became a Gentleman Consultant and then commandant of Yique pass. When Dong Zhuo seized the capital, Cheng wanted to raise men and join the coalition against him. His brother Zhao, a Gentleman Consultant fresh from Chang’an, warned him: “You cannot match Zhuo’s army; a hasty plot backed only by untrained villagers will fail. Zhuo commands troops without moral right—he cannot endure. Pick a patron, bide your time, and strike when fortune turns—that is how you get what you want.” Cheng agreed. He shed his official seals, slipped home by back roads, and joined Fan in flight to the south. Yuan Shu courted him with elaborate courtesy; Fan pleaded illness and Shu did not press the issue. Shu sent Cheng to an audience and asked: “When the Zhou throne faltered, Qi Huan and Jin Wen rose as hegemons; Qin bungled the mandate and Han seized it. I command vast territory and a huge population—why should I not rival Duke Huan or trace the path of the Han founder?” Cheng answered: “Power follows virtue, not manpower. Win the world’s aspirations through moral authority and even a commoner can build a hegemon’s enterprise—that is not difficult. Usurp the throne against the tide and the realm will cast you off—who then can lift you up?” Shu’s face darkened. When Cao Cao prepared to march on Ji Province, Shu tried again: “He means to meet your hundred thousand men with a few thousand battered soldiers—is that not suicidal? What say you?” Cheng said flatly: “Han’s prestige may fade, yet Heaven’s choice stands. Cao Cao holds the emperor—against him even a million spears will break.” Shu flushed with anger; Cheng walked out.
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使 西 駿
After Cao Cao took Ji Province he sent escorts to fetch Zhang Fan. Fan halted at Pengcheng, pleading illness, and sent Cheng ahead; Cao Cao memorialized him as grand counselor of remonstrance. Bandits east of the Taihang seized Fan’s son Ling and Cheng’s son Jian. Fan walked into their camp and bargained for both; they released Ling first. Fan bowed: “You honor me by sending my boy home. Any father loves his sons, but Jian is younger—keep Ling and give me Jian instead.” Touched by his fairness, they freed both children. On Cao Cao’s return from Jing Province he received Fan at Chen, named him a Gentleman Consultant and adviser on army affairs, and treated him with exceptional respect. Whenever Cao Cao marched he left Fan and Bing Yuan with the heir to hold the capital. He told the future Wendi: “Before you act on anything, consult these two.” The crown prince treated them with grandsons’ deference. He poured his wealth into charity until his house was bare; widows and orphans everywhere sought him out. He accepted presents but never spent them—when he moved on he sent every gift back. He died in 212 CE, the seventeenth year of the Jian’an era. At the founding of the Wei dukedom Cheng served as army libationer while governing Zhao commandery, and his reforms took deep root. Cao Cao summoned him for the western campaign; he reached Chang’an but died on the road. 〈Wang Shen's Wei Shu says: When Emperor Wen took the throne, he made Fan's son Can a Gentleman of the Interior. Cheng's grandson Shao was Central Protector of the Army under Jin and was executed together with his maternal uncle Yang Jun. The affair appears in the Book of Jin.〉
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西
Liang Mao, styled Bofang, came from Changyi in Shanyang. He loved books from boyhood and anchored every argument in the canon. Cao Cao hired him as an aide to the minister of works; he topped the rankings and became an attendant censor. Mount Tai swarmed with bandits, so Mao was sent as administrator; within weeks more than a thousand refugee families straggled in, babies bundled on their backs. 〈The Bowu ji explains the “back-bundle”: cloth eight inches wide and a foot long, slung to cradle an infant while walking.〉 He was reassigned as governor of Lelang commandery. Gongsun Du of Liaodong kept him under house arrest and blocked his posting, yet Mao never bent. Du told Mao and his officers: “Cao Cao is far away and Ye lies undefended—I can strike with thirty thousand foot and ten thousand horse. Who will stop me?” The generals all said, "It is so." 〈Pei Songzhi objects: the story has Gongsun Du speak as if Cao Cao were away and Ye weak only after Cao Cao had in fact taken Ye. His footnote continues — 〈in Gongsun Du’s biography〉 — Du died in Jian’an 9, the very year Cao Cao took Ye. Later long campaigns were only the northern drive on Liucheng. By the time of the Liucheng campaign Du had been in the ground for years.〉 Turning to Liang Mao he asked, “And you?” Mao answered: “The realm is tearing apart and the dynasty totters, yet you sit on a hundred thousand men and watch from the sidelines—can any loyal minister behave like that? Cao Cao mourns the empire’s peril and the people’s misery; he leads righteous armies against traitors—his achievements tower and his virtue spans the age. The land has barely quieted and families just begun to settle—that is why he has not yet punished you! Yet you would march west on Ye—your fate will be sealed before noon. Think twice, General." The officers trembled at his rebuke. After a long silence Du admitted, “He speaks truth.” Mao was later recalled to govern Wei commandery and Ganling principality, leaving a strong record at every post. While still heir, Wendi chose Mao as chief clerk of the Five Offices command and then raised him to master of the left army. At the founding of Wei he became vice director of the secretariat, later commanding justice and court ritual. When Wendi was crown prince, Mao served again as grand tutor and enjoyed singular esteem. He died in harness. 〈The Yingxiong ji counts him among the “Eight Friends.”〉
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退 使
Guo Yuan, styled Zini, came from Gai county in Le’an. He was a pupil of Zheng Xuan. 〈Zheng Xuan’s supplemental memoir: Before Yuan was famous, Zheng declared, “Guo Zini is brilliant—watch him become a pillar of the state.”〉 Later he fled the fighting with Bing Yuan, Guan Ning, and company to Liaodong. 〈Wang Chen’s Wei Shu: Yuan devoured the classics; on Liaodong’s cliffs he lectured until students flocked and his name spread.〉 Back home he joined Cao Cao’s ministerial staff, spoke bluntly in council, and gave no favors behind closed doors. Cao Cao planned widespread military colonies and put Yuan in charge. He fine-tuned every regulation—surveying soil, settling households, assigning overseers, tying rewards to output—and within five years the bins overflowed while farmers rushed to the fields. During the Guanzhong campaign Cao Cao named him chief clerk of rear headquarters. When Tian Yin and Su Bo rose in Hejian, scores of followers remained liable for execution after the leaders fell. Yuan argued they were not ringleaders and asked to spare them. Cao Cao agreed; more than a thousand men lived because of Yuan’s plea. Victory bulletins usually multiplied kills tenfold; Yuan reported the actual tally. Asked why, Yuan said: “Inflated body counts impress the realm when you fight foreign enemies. Hejian sits inside our borders—these men were fellow subjects in revolt. Victory here brings me no pride.” Delighted, Cao Cao named him governor of Wei commandery.
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使 祿
Someone circulated a slanderous pamphlet; Cao Cao burned to learn who wrote it. Yuan persuaded him to keep the original confidential. The tract quoted Zhang Heng’s Two Capitals rhapsodies, so Yuan told his chief clerk: “We are a large commandery at the capital’s edge, yet scholars are scarce. Round up bright young men and enroll them with tutors.” The Chief Clerk selected three men. As they were about to depart, he summoned them for an audience and instructed them: "Your learning is still incomplete. The Rhapsodies on the Two Capitals are works of broad erudition, but people neglect them now and few teachers remain. Find someone who can read them and study with him." Privately he explained the real purpose. Within ten days tutors appeared and lessons began. Clerks then had the students draft samples—the script matched the pamphlet exactly. Arrest and interrogation broke the case wide open. He rose to grand coachman of the court. Though he ranked among the Nine Ministers, he dressed like a commoner and ate simply, passing every stipend to kinsmen and old friends; he died as poor as he had lived. 〈Wang Chen’s Wei Shu notes that Cao Cao gave Yuan Tai a place among the Gentlemen.〉
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使 使
Tian Chou, styled Zitai, came from Wuzhong in Right Beiping commandery. He loved books and fencing. In 190 CE coalition forces rose while Dong Zhuo dragged the court west to Chang’an. Governor Liu Yu of Youzhou mourned: “Rebel ministers hold the emperor hostage; the realm reels and no one knows where to stand. I carry the imperial surname—I cannot hide among ordinary folk. I need an envoy who can prove loyalty without losing face—where else will I find such a man?” The assembly answered: “Tian Chou is young, but everyone calls him remarkable.” Chou was twenty-two. Liu Yu received him with full honors, delighted in the interview, named him an attendant clerk, and furnished wagons and escort. Before leaving he urged: “The roads are closed and bandits swarm—a titled envoy draws every outlaw’s eye. Let me travel as a private scholar—only reaching Chang’an matters." Liu Yu agreed. He went home and picked twenty armed retainers willing to ride with him. Liu Yu himself hosted the farewell feast and sent him on his way.
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西
〈The Conduct of Former Worthies: Before departure Tian Chou took Liu Yu aside. He warned: “The boy emperor is a pawn and corrupt ministers hold real power; waiting for court approval wastes precious time. Gongsun Zan commands troops and kills without mercy—move against him now or repent later." Liu Yu would not listen.〉 He swung northwest through the passes, skirted the steppe to Shuofang, slipped past patrols, and delivered Liu Yu’s memorial at Chang’an. The court named him commandant of cavalry. He refused the commission while the emperor remained a fugitive—honors felt obscene. The court praised his integrity. All three senior ministries called him; he ignored every summons. He raced home with the emperor’s answer but Liu Yu was already dead at Gongsun Zan’s hands. He rode straight to Liu Yu’s grave, read the imperial rescripts aloud, wept, and left. Gongsun Zan flew into a rage, had Tian Chou seized, and demanded: “Why mourn Liu Yu but hide the emperor’s letter from me?” Tian Chou answered: “The Han totters and loyalty is rare—only Liu Yu kept faith. That document praises virtues you lack—I doubt you wanted to hear it. You slaughtered an innocent patron and brand loyalty as crime—carry on like this and every north-China knight will drown himself before he serves you!” Zan respected the nerve of it and spared him. He kept Tian Chou under military arrest and cut him off from friends. An adviser warned: “Tian Chou is a hero—jailing him after failing to win him will cost you hearts.” Zan let him go.
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便 使 使
Free again, he rallied kin and followers, swept earth for an oath, and swore: “Until Liu Yu is avenged I have no place under Heaven!” They withdrew into the Xu Wu range, built a settlement on a sheltered plateau, and farmed to feed their families. Refugees streamed in until more than five thousand households gathered. He told the headmen: “You honor me though I am unworthy and trek here from afar. We have become a town without government—that invites chaos. Choose the worthiest among you to lead." All said: "Good." They elected Tian Chou. He answered: “We did not flee here for comfort—we came to settle scores with Gongsun Zan. Unless we impose order, hotheads will brawl for petty gain and ruin everything. I propose a simple code—will you adopt it?” All said: "It is acceptable." He promulgated twenty-odd statutes covering homicide, theft, and lawsuits—capital crimes for the worst, fines or labor for lesser faults. He added marriage customs, opened schools, and taught the rules until travelers could drop purses untouched. Steppe tribes deferred to him; Wuhuan and Xianbei envoys arrived with gifts, and he kept them from raiding Han settlements. Yuan Shao courted him with repeated missions and even tried to buy him with a general’s seal—Tian Chou refused each time. After Shao died Yuan Shang summoned him again—still no answer.
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忿 使 使 使 洿 退 便 退 使 使
He burned to punish the Wuhuan for slaughtering Youzhou officials but lacked the force. In 207 CE Cao Cao marched against the Wuhuan; before the army arrived he summoned Tian Chou through Tian Yu. Tian Chou told his household to pack at once. His followers protested: “Yuan Shao honored you with five respectful summons and you stayed put; yet one word from Cao Cao sends you scrambling—why?” Smiling, he said: “That is not for you to judge.” He rode to camp, took a temporary post in the minister’s household bureau, and briefed Cao Cao. Next morning Cao Cao announced: “Tian Zitai is wasted on clerical duty.” He nominated him recommended talent and named him magistrate of Tiao—knowing Tian Chou would not sit a desk, he kept him with the host at Wuzhong. Summer rains turned the coastal flats to mud while tribal pickets held the passes—the army stalled. Cao Cao turned to Tian Chou for another route. He explained: “This coast floods summer and fall—too shallow for boats, too soft for wagons. Old maps show the road from Pinggang through Lulong to Liucheng; It fell into ruin two centuries ago but a hunter’s trace remains. The tribes watch Wuzhong—the dead end we just quit—so they relax. Double back through Lulong Pass, burst onto the plateau behind them, and we could seize Tadun’s head without a pitched battle.” Cao Cao said: “Do it.” They feigned retreat and nailed notices to trees: “Summer mud blocks us—we return in autumn.” Tribal scouts mistook the withdrawal for real. Tian Chou guided the column up Xu Wu, through Lulong and Pinggang, over Bailang Mountain within two hundred li of Liucheng before the Wuhuan reacted. The chanyu rode out to fight; Cao Cao shattered the horde and chased them to Liucheng. Back inside the Wall he enfeoffed Tian Chou as a village marquis at five hundred households. 〈The Conduct of Former Worthies records Grand Progenitor's memorial assessing Chou's merit: "He was fully endowed with cultivated refinement, while his loyalty and martial ability were also manifest. He was gentle in comforting those below him and careful in serving those above; he judged the times and weighed principle, so that his advance and retreat accorded with righteousness. Youzhou had shattered—steppe and Han peoples mingled in flight. Tian Chou led kin into Xu Wu, blocking Lulong pass and guarding southern narrows while farming in quiet until thousands sustained him. When the Yuans dominated the north and allied the Wuhuan, Tian Chou still ignored every summons. When this army camped at Yi, Tian Chou raced in with a strategy worthy of Guangwu’s Yan plan or Xue Gong’s Huainan calculus. Agents waved edicts on the frontier; Han refugees slipped through while Wuhuan morale cracked. The imperial column marched nine hundred li of mountain track behind Tian Chou’s five hundred pioneers until the Wuhuan broke. Chou effective in civil and military affairs—integrity commendable—truly should receive favor and reward—to signal his excellence."〉" Tian Chou refused the fief: he had fled disaster, not sought fortune. Cao Cao understood and did not insist. 〈The Wei Shu records Grand Progenitor's order: "In former times Bocheng abandoned his state, and the Xia lord did not force him back. The purpose was to ensure that lofty gentlemen and rulers who honor worthies would not appear in only one age. Hear what Chou insists upon."〉"
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使 使 退 使便 祿 祿祿 使使 使 宿 祿
Liaodong decapitated Yuan Shang and sent his head—ordering that "whoever of the three armies dares weep shall be executed." Tian Chou had once served Yuan Shang’s summons, so he offered incense anyway. Cao Cao looked the other way. 〈Pei Songzhi argues Tian Chou rightly ignored the Yuans as usurpers. Yet he mapped the Lulong raid for Cao Cao. That route drove Yuan Shang to his death—credit Tian Chou. Having branded him traitor, why mourn his skull? If past patronage bound him, he should never have plotted Yuan Shang’s ruin. His mourning contradicted his strategy—superficially like Wang Xiu weeping for Yuan Tan but morally elsewhere.〉 He relocated three hundred kinsmen to Ye. Cao Cao showered him with goods; he passed everything to relatives and friends. After returning from the campaign in Jing Province, Grand Progenitor reflected again on Chou's extraordinary merit and regretted that he had earlier accepted Chou's refusal. He said, "This fulfills one man's private wish, but it damages the larger institutions of royal law." He reissued the original marquisate. 〈The Conduct of Former Worthies records Grand Progenitor's order: "Tian Chou, Magistrate of Tiao, had lofty purpose and integrity. When his province and district fell into chaos among Rong and Xia, he withdrew deep into the mountains, refined his learning, and savored the Way. The common people followed him, until they formed a settlement. Even when the Yuans were strongest he spurned their calls. He kept faith through chaos while watching for a legitimate sovereign. Once I held the emperor’s mandate to pacify the north, crush Youzhou, and strike the Hu, I courted him with unusual ceremony. He took office, mapped the mountain tracks, rallied local clans, opened the passes, and supplied guides so Cao Cao caught the tribes flat-footed. Tadun fell at Bailang and the army raced to Liucheng—Tian Chou made that blow possible. After the campaign Cao Cao listed his deeds and offered a village at five hundred households—Tian Chou refused again and again. Three years of honors deferred served his scruples but mocked the law of rewards. Enfeoff him now and spare me the scandal of stinginess.”〉" Tian Chou petitioned in tears and swore he would die before taking the fief. Cao Cao kept pressing appointments; Tian Chou refused every summons. The ministry charged him with obstructing policy—some demanded stripes as well as dismissal. Cao Cao hesitated, unwilling to punish integrity. He polled the court; the crown prince likened Tian Chou to ancient worthies who spurned pay so virtue might shine. Xun Yu and Zhong Yao agreed he should keep his pride. 〈The Wei Shu records the heir apparent's deliberation: "Formerly Wei Ao fled from office, and the tradition records this as admirable, because it stirred a corrupt age and admonished greedy men. He was better than those who hold sinecures and eat without service. Such men may seem odd but must not be crushed. Tian Chou belongs in that company. Stripping and scourging him would be wildly disproportionate." Another edict cited Boyi and Shuqi—even Confucius called their stubbornness “seeking humanity. Tian Chou may miss the big political picture—he only wants a clean name. If everyone behaved so, we would live in Mozi’s communal utopia or Laozi’s primordial village. Some wanted the metropolitan commandant to rule on the case." The Wei Shu carries Xun Yu's deliberation, holding that "the way of the gentleman—sometimes emerging sometimes withdrawing—ends in doing good, that is all. Therefore when a common man guards resolve—the sages each complete him accordingly." Zhong Yao argued, "When Yuan Si declined grain, Confucius did not approve; when Zilu refused an ox, it was called putting a stop to goodness. Though such acts can inspire the pure and admonish the corrupt, they are still not worthy of great praise. Chou though does not match great righteousness—there is benefit to the wind of yielding—one should follow the heir apparent's deliberation." Your servant Songzhi notes that the Lushi chunqiu says: "By the laws of Lu, when people of Lu became male or female servants in the feudal states, anyone who could ransom them received the money from the treasury. Zigong refused reimbursement—Confucius scolded him. No one would ransom captives again. Zilu pulled a man from the river and accepted the ox offered in thanks. Confucius said, 'The men of Lu will certainly rescue the drowning.'" Pei doubts Zhong Yao’s anecdote matches the Analects.〉 Cao Cao still wanted him titled. Chou had long been close to Xiahou Dun, so Grand Progenitor told Dun, "Go for now and persuade him sincerely. Say this on your own; do not tell him my intention." Dun stayed overnight as instructed. Tian Chou saw through the ruse and fell silent. At dawn Dun gripped his shoulder: “The Chancellor begs you—will you not bend?” Tian Chou flared: “That goes too far! I am a fugitive whom your lord spared—I owe him my life. Shall I hawk the Lulong secret for a salary? Even if the court forgives me, could I face myself? You know my heart—if you force me, I die here.” He wept before finishing. Dun reported every word. Cao Cao sighed and named him a ceremonial Gentleman Consultant instead. He died at forty-six. His son had predeceased him. Emperor Wen later ennobled Tian Chou’s great-grandson Xu to keep the line alive.
17
簿 調
Wang Xiu, styled Shuzhi, came from Yingling in Beihai. His mother died when he was seven. She died on the spring communal festival; the next year’s revels shattered him with grief. Neighbors canceled the festival out of respect. At twenty he studied in Nanyang as a guest of Zhang Feng. When the Zhang household fell ill with no nurse, Xiu nursed them until they recovered. In the 190s Kong Rong made him chief clerk and acting magistrate of Gaomi. The powerful Sun clan harbored armed retainers who broke the law. Robbers fled to the Sun compound and officials dared not enter. Xiu besieged the compound but his men hung back. He threatened his troops: “Hang back and share the bandits’ guilt.” The Suns surrendered the fugitives. Local bullies learned to behave. Recommended as filial and honest, he ceded the honor to Bing Yuan; Kong Rong refused. 〈Kong Rong’s letter: “I know Bing Yuan’s excellence. The Eight Paragons eluded Yao yet Shun raised them. Yuan is the sort who never fears obscurity. Save the spotlight for him later!” Xiu protested again; Kong Rong answered: “You have proved incorrupt through every trial. Accept the court rank!”〉" Chaos blocked his journey to the capital. Soon the commandery rose in revolt. When Kong Rong was besieged, Xiu galloped through the night to help. Kong Rong told his staff: “Only Wang Xiu would ride into this trap.” Before he finished, Xiu appeared. He was reinstated as chief clerk. With Jiaodong infested by pirates, Kong Rong sent him as magistrate. Gongsha Lu walled his clan and ignored taxes and levies. Xiu rode in with a handful of horsemen and executed Lu’s brothers on the spot. He pacified the rest and piracy ebbed. Whenever Kong Rong faced disaster—even on leave—Xiu came. Kong Rong owed him his life more than once.
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使 使 滿 滿 使 使
Yuan Tan hired him as administrative aide while Liu Xian maligned him. When Liu Xian faced execution, Xiu saved him. Onlookers admired the grace. Shao named him magistrate of Jimo, then aide to Tan again. After Shao’s death the brothers feuded. When Shang routed Tan, Xiu rallied officials and civilians to the rescue. Tan cried: “Wang Xiu saved my army!” In defeat Liu Xun rebelled at Luoyin and cities flipped. Tan groaned: “Has the whole province abandoned me?” Xiu answered: “Guan Tong beyond the sea stays loyal. He will come." Ten days later Tong rode in—bandits slaughtered his family—Tan made him governor of Le’an. Tan planned another strike on Shang; Xiu warned: “Brothers who war invite ruin.” Tan scowled but recognized his loyalty. Later he asked: “What now?” Xiu said: “Brothers are two hands. Cutting off your right arm then boasting of victory—is that sane? Reject kin and you stand alone. Petty men stoke civil war for quick gain—plug your ears. Kill the whisperers, embrace your brother, and you can face the world." Tan ignored him, fought Shang again, and begged Cao Cao for aid. After Cao Cao took Ji Province, Yuan Tan turned on him again. Cao Cao then besieged him at Nanpi. Wang Xiu was hauling grain in Le'an; when he heard Tan was hard pressed he rushed with his command and dozens of clerks to help. At Gaomi he learned Tan was dead. He flung himself from the saddle: “My lord is gone—where can I go?” He begged Cao Cao for Tan’s body for burial. Cao Cao said nothing, testing his resolve. Wang Xiu said: “The Yuans showed me great kindness. Let me bury my lord, then execute me if you will—I will not complain.” Cao Cao admired the loyalty and agreed. 〈The Fuzi says: After Grand Progenitor executed Yuan Tan and displayed his head, he issued an order: "Anyone who dares weep for him will be executed together with his wife and children." Wang Xiu and Tian Chou said: “We served him alive—to stay silent now would be cowardly. Cowering to save our skins would disgrace us forever.” They walked to the severed head and wailed until the whole army wept. The provost moved to kill them; Cao Cao said: “These are men of honor.” He spared them. Pei Songzhi notes: Tian Chou served Yuan Shang, not Tan—so the story is muddled. The Fuzi conflated two different men.〉 Cao Cao put him in charge of army grain and sent him back to Le’an. When Tan fell every city yielded except Guan Tong in Le’an. Cao Cao wanted Guan Tong’s head; Wang Xiu cut his ropes and sent him in as a loyalist worth sparing. Cao Cao welcomed the gesture and pardoned Guan Tong. The Yuans ruled loosely, so officials grew rich. Cao Cao’s inventory of Ye seized Shen Pei’s hoards by the ten thousand. At Nanpi Wang Xiu’s store held under ten hu of grain and a few hundred scrolls. Cao Cao said: “The great name was earned.” He hired him for the minister’s staff, made him director of the mint, then governor of Wei commandery. He crushed magnates, shielded the weak, and kept clear laws—people praised him. 〈Wei lue: as mint director Wang Xiu wrote: “Thorn thickets yield no timbers; trickles never swell to a flood. Seven years in a minor post left his advice ignored—he could not sleep for shame at failing the trust. Why? The load overwhelmed him. I respectfully submit my deliberations as follows." Cao Cao replied at length: “Your virtue fills your home commandery—loyalty and deeds match your fame. I trust you with more than hearsay. History shows salt and iron fill military coffers. When I created the mint I chose you because no one else would do. I reminded you of Efu’s pottery line that founded Chen—and Sang Hongyang rose to the Three Dukes. That was your mandate—some may not grasp why you stayed at the mint. Every promotion list put you first—Yuan Huan’s circle agreed you deserved senior posts. Cao Cao explained he meant the mint as rehearsal for higher command. His sincerity, he said, should reassure Wang Xiu. Wang Xiu should not doubt Cao Cao’s esteem. Gossip might paint the mint as exile rather than preparation. Lesser men promoted ahead would prove poor patronage. He dreaded frog croaks of rumor. If rumor flies, may wise listeners still discern truth; if not, over-explaining hurts nothing. Like Xuandi testing Xiao Wangzhi by sending him to Fengyi. It looked like a lateral move from chief minister. The emperor explained it was a test, not disfavor. Cao Cao compared his intent to Zhongzong’s. You have proved worthy of my hopes. Like Gongsun Wenzi sharing rank with his servant—such honors await.” Soon after Wang Xiu became governor of Wei.〉
19
便 祿
At the founding of Wei he served as palace prefect under the minister of agriculture. Cao Cao debated mutilation laws; Wang Xiu said the times were wrong—Cao Cao agreed. He moved to grand master of ceremonies. When Yan Cai raided the palace side gate with dozens of men, Wang Xiu ran to the gate on foot before his carriage arrived. From the Bronze Bird Terrace Cao Cao said: “That must be Wang Xiu.” Zhong Yao protested: “Ministers used to stay at their yamens.” Wang Xiu answered: “Their pay buys their peril. Remaining at office though old custom—is not the righteousness of rushing to disaster." He soon died in harness. His son Wang Zhong became governor of Donglai and palace attendant.
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西 西 西 西 宿
He had spotted Gao Rou young and Wang Ji as a boy—both rose high; contemporaries praised his eye for talent. 〈Wang Yin’s Jin shu names his son Wang Yi, styled Zhu biao—grave and upright. When Sima Zhao commanded the east, Wang Yi served as his marshal. At the defeat at Dongguan Wenwang said: "In recent matters—who bears the blame?" Wang Yi said: “The chief of staff.” Sima Zhao snarled: “You blame me?” He had Wang Yi executed. His son Wang Bao, styled Weiyuan, formed stern principles in youth—never stepped outside ritual. He stood eight chi four—striking in appearance. Because his father died by violence he refused office for life. He lived by his father’s grave and taught for a living. Morning and night he keened at the grave until he could not breathe. His tears stained the graveyard cypress until its bark darkened. Whenever he read “Alas, my parents” he wept until his collar dripped. Poor, he farmed by mouth and raised silkworms within his means. When pupils secretly harvested grain for him he threw the crop away; after that no one tried. A pupil asked him to write off corvée; Wang Bao refused: “Your scholarship cannot shield you—my virtue cannot shelter you. Moreover I have not grasped the brush for forty years." He shouldered dry rations, his son carried pickled beans, and a thousand students followed him south. The Anqiu magistrate thought Wang Bao came to visit him and waited at the gate in full dress. Wang Bao stopped at the milestone, bowed low, and stood aside. He said only: “I escort a drafted pupil.” He clasped the boy’s hand, wept, and left. The magistrate freed every student—the county squirmed with shame. He befriended Guan Yan before anyone noticed him; they betrothed their infants. Guan Yan became colonel of the western Yi. Bao later changed course and married his daughter to someone else. Yan's younger brother Fu asked Bao about it, and Bao said, "My modest resolve had fulfilled its wish: I would live by myself among mountains and marshes, far from my sisters, cut off from fortune and misfortune alike. This was the vow I made to myself. Your worthy elder brother's son buried his father in the imperial capital, and so he is a man of Luoyang. How could that have been my original purpose in arranging the marriage?" Guan Fu said: “But his wife is from Qi. She ought to return to Linzi." Wang Bao shot back: “Who buries his father in Henan yet trails a wife to Qi? Given that stance, what wedding vow could stand?” He broke the betrothal. Bing Chun traced his line to Bing Yuan. Young Bing Chun apprenticed himself to hardship, studied away from home, and locals thought him worthy of his forebears. Wang Bao called him vain and shallow—Chun later proved a wanderer without learning, vindicating Bao’s judgment. Wang Bao taught that conduct must aim at virtue—never judge others by your own gifts. He refused every gift. When Luoyang fell and rebels swarmed, kin fled south but Wang Bao stayed by his father’s tomb. The raiders grew until they overran Taishan. He would not abandon home soil and the bandits killed him. (Han Jin chunqiu pairs Wang Bao with Liu Zhao of Jinan—both famed refusers of office. Wang Bao blamed Sima Zhao for his father’s death—never served the Jin and avoided facing west—the emperor’s direction.〉 〈The Wei lue, in the Biographies of the Pure and Steadfast, treated seven men together: Zhi Xi, Wang Xiu, Pang Yu, Wen Ping, Chenggong Ying, Guo Xian, and Shan Gu. Of these men, Wang Xiu, Pang Yu, and Wen Ping each have biographies of their own; Chenggong Ying appears separately in the Biography of Zhang Ji, and Shan Gu appears in the Biography of Wang Ling. The remaining two, Zhi Xi and Guo Xian, are therefore placed after Wang Xiu's biography here. Zhi Xi, whose courtesy name was Yuansheng, was a man of Jingzhao. During the Zhongping era he held office in the commandery, was summoned by the ducal office, recommended with the highest rating, and appointed Director of Imperial Physicians. When the Son of Heaven moved west and later went east to Xuchang, Xi constantly followed in attendance. He was close friends with Lesser Treasurer Kong Rong. When Grand Progenitor was Minister of Works, his authority and prestige increased by the day, but Kong Rong, relying on their old relationship, continued to write arrogant memorials and letters. Xi often reproached Rong and wanted him to change his conduct, but Rong did not follow his advice. When Rong was executed, none of the many officials at Xu who had once been close to him dared collect or tend to the body. Xi alone went to comfort him and wept, saying, "Wenju, you have left me and died; with whom am I to speak now?" He lamented without end. When Grand Progenitor heard of this, he arrested Xi and meant to punish him, but soon pardoned him because the facts were clear and moved him to the Tujiao Bridge east of Xu. Later Xi saw Grand Progenitor and apologized for his earlier offense. Grand Progenitor called him by his courtesy name and said, "Yuansheng, you are indeed spirited!" He then asked about his residence, and because Xi had recently been moved, he bestowed one hundred hu of grain on him. In Huangchu, an edict proposed employing him. Because he was already old, the court did not put him to regular service, but praised his loyalty to an old friend and his Luan Bu-like integrity, and appointed him Grand Master for Palace Leisure. He returned home and died in his eighties. Guo Xian, whose courtesy name was Youjian, was a man of Xiping and belonged to a leading surname of his commandery. During Jian'an he served as commandery Merit Officer. When the province summoned him, he did not accept. Because of his deep benevolence, the whole commandery looked to him. In the seventeenth year, Han Yue lost his following, returned from among the Qiang, and took refuge with Xian. Many people wanted to seize Yue and claim credit, but Xian angrily rebuked them all, saying, "A desperate man has come to us for refuge. How can you want to put him in danger?" He then protected him and treated him generously. Later Yue died of illness, and Tian Le, Yang Kui, and others went and cut off Yue’s head, intending to send it in. Kui and the others wanted to include Xian's name in their written report, but Xian refused to let his name be listed. He said that since he could not bear to scheme against Yue while he was alive, how could he bear to use a dead man to claim credit? Kui and the others then stopped. At that time Grand Progenitor was attacking Hanzhong and was at Wudu, and Kui and the others arrived with Yue’s head. Grand Progenitor had long known Xian's reputation. When he saw the written report, he was surprised not to find Xian named in it and asked Kui and the others about this; Kui told him the whole story. Grand Progenitor admired Xian's resolve and righteousness, so he included him in the memorial along with Kui and the others, and all were granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. From this, Xian's name resounded through Longyou. He died of illness in the first year of Huangchu. At the beginning of Zhengshi, the state posthumously praised his deed and again granted his son the rank of marquis within the passes.〉
21
Bing Yuan, styled Genju, came from Zhuxu in Beihai. Like Guan Ning he was famed for integrity and ignored every summons. When the Yellow Turbans rose he fled with kin to Yu Isle. Kong Rong, ruling Beihai, nominated him as a candidate for moral excellence. Because rebels still raged he sailed to Liaodong where he and Liu Zheng of his commandery shared fame for daring. Gongsun Du meant to kill Liu Zheng—seized his family—but Liu escaped. Du announced to the counties: "Whoever dares harbor Zheng shares the same crime." Cornered, Liu fled to Bing Yuan.
22
〈Wei shi chunqiu: Liu said: “A hunted bird dives into your cloak.” Bing Yuan answered: “How do you know this chest is safe?”〉 Bing Yuan hid him a month, then passed him to Taishi Ci sailing south. Then he told Du: “You wanted Liu dead because he threatened you. Now Zheng has gone—is not your harm already removed!" Du said: "It is so." Bing Yuan continued: “You feared his wit. He is free—why jail his kin? Release them before hatred deepens." Du freed Liu’s family. Bing Yuan paid their passage home. In Liaodong hundreds of families settled under him; his school never quieted.
23
Back in Han lands Cao Cao hired him for the minister’s staff. When Cao Cao’s son Cao Chong died, he asked to bury him with Bing Yuan’s daughter; Bing Yuan refused: “Joint burial breaches ritual. You employ me because I uphold the classics—do not ask me to break them. If I obey, I am just another timeserver.” Cao Cao dropped the idea and named him chancellor’s investigator. 〈Xian di qiju zhu: in 210 CE two investigator posts were created—Bing Yuan and Wang Lie filled them.〉 Cui Yan memorialized: “Bing Yuan and Zhang Fan are dragon wings for the state. Promote them and petty men flee." He replaced Liang Mao as the heir’s chief clerk and rarely left his house.
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西 涿 簿 西 宿 使
He died on Cao Cao’s Wu campaign. 〈Yuan bie zhuan: orphaned at eleven in poverty. He wept outside a neighbor’s school. The teacher asked: "Boy—why grieve?" He said: “Orphans bruise easily—the poor feel everything. Those who study surely all have fathers and elder brothers. First, I envy them for not being orphaned; second, I envy them for being able to learn. My heart is grieved, and so I shed tears." The teacher wept and said: “Study if you wish!” He replied: "I lack funds." The teacher said: "Boy—if you indeed have intent—I as teacher instruct you—not seeking funds." He enrolled. One winter later he knew the Classic of Filial Piety and Analects by heart. Even as a child he seemed extraordinary. As a man his conduct was flawless. He sought Sun Song of Anqiu before roaming. Song declined saying: "Your village worthy Master Zheng—do you know him?" Yuan replied: "Yes." Song said: "Master Zheng's learning surveys ancient and modern—broad hearing strong memory—hooking deep reaching far—truly a model teacher for scholars. Yet you skip him—that is ignoring Confucius’s eastern mound. You seem not to know yet say yes—why?" Bing Yuan answered: “Your lecture is bitter medicine; but you miss my purpose. Some quarry jade on peaks, others pearls in the sea—each trade need not mock the other. You deem my servant takes Zheng as mound east of house—you deem my servant west-house foolish husband?" Sun Song apologized. He added: “I know many scholars in Yan and Yu—none like you; I ought to write letters of introduction for you." Bing Yuan took the letters to be polite. True learning depends on intent, not introductions. Why cart letters? He left them in a drawer and set out. Though once fond of wine he touched none for nine years on the road. He walked to Chenliu to study with Han Zizhu, Yingchuan with Chen Zhonggong, Runan with Fan Mengbo, Zhuo with Lu Zigàn. Friends offered a farewell feast though he abstained from wine. Yuan said: "Originally able to drink wine—but because idle thoughts waste enterprise—therefore cut it off. Now about to part far—because seeing gifts for farewell—may once drink and feast." They drank all day; Bing Yuan never stumbled. He returned Sun Song’s letters unused. The commandery later made him chief clerk. Kong Rong stacked his revenue office with Zheng Xuan, Peng Qiu, and Bing Yuan. Kong Rong doted on a favorite. Later he meant to execute him; every official begged mercy. The man kowtowed bloodily; Kong Rong would not relent. Only Bing Yuan stayed silent. Rong said to Yuan: "All plead—yet why do you alone not?" Bing Yuan said: “You called him your adopted son and promised him promotion. No clerk owed you more—yet now you mean to kill him. Love likens him to a son; hate wants him dead. I cannot tell love from spite. By what do you hate him?" Kong Rong said: “I raised him from nothing; He repaid kindness with treason. Reward good, kill evil—that is rule. Ying Shao once nominated a candidate then executed him within the month. As for lording over people—thick and thin—what constancy is there!" Yuan replied: "Zhongyuan recommended Filially Pious and Incorrupt—killed him—where is the righteousness in that? Such nominees are national jewels. If the nomination was sound, killing him was wrong; if killing him was right, nominating him was wrong. The Odes say: ‘Those friends failed their troth.’ —that line exposes Ying Shao’s contradiction. The Analects say: ‘Love someone and you want him to live; hate him and you want him to die. To want him to live and also want him to die is confusion.’ Ying Shao’s confusion ran deeper still. What does enlightened prefect take from that?" Kong Rong laughed: “Only teasing!” Bing Yuan answered: “A gentleman’s words leave his mouth and bind the people; speech and deed are his pivot. How can there be wishing to kill someone yet treating it as jest?" Kong Rong had no answer. As Han rotted and offices sold for silver, Bing Yuan fled with his kin to Yu Isle. Kong Rong urged him: “You refine yourself and shun dangerous courts. The dynasty staggers west like the Zhou move to Haojing. The court humbly seeks worthies. Every edict pleads for help. Even widows and girls like Tiying rush to save a doomed realm. Genju—take humanity as your burden—pull men from the flood. Will you lounge in safety while the realm burns—is that the gentleman’s way? Genju—Genju—it is time to come!" So Bing Yuan sailed for Liaodong. Tigers plagued Liaodong—yet Bing Yuan’s hamlet never saw one. He tied stray cash to a tree; others piled offerings until the trunk glittered. Villagers mistook it for a sacred tree. He exposed the fraud and pooled the coins for proper village rites. Later he tried to go home and halted at Three Mountains. Kong Rong wrote: “Like exiles yearning for news of home. I hear you have reached Three Mountains. As the Odes sing: “Home from the west—the road seemed endless.” He sends an aide to ask after your voyage—whatever fortune finds you. Warlords still wrestle like chess masters fighting over the king." So Bing Yuan turned back. More than ten years passed before he slipped away. He was days south before Gongsun Du noticed. Du admitted: “Lord Bing is the crane above the clouds—no quail net holds him. I let him go—do not chase." So Bing Yuan escaped. Home again he taught ritual and classics—hundreds enrolled, dozens mastered the Way. Zheng Xuan’s glosses drew every scholar in Qingzhou. Bing Yuan matched him—aloof, precise in word and deed—and heroes flocked. Critics spoke of “the Bing and Zheng schools” in Qingzhou. Cao Cao named him eastern-pavilion libationer. After campaigning against the steppe khans he banqueted Yan scholars at Changguo. Drunk, Cao Cao said: “Every Ye official will ride out to greet me by dawn. Everyone has come except Libationer Bing!" Before he finished, Bing Yuan arrived first. Word came—Cao Cao snatched his sandals and ran: “Sages are unpredictable! I feared you would stay away; by coming from afar and lowering yourself, you truly answer my hungry and empty heart." Hundreds of officers lined up to see him. Cao Cao asked why; Xun Yu said: “Ask Bing Yuan.” Grand Progenitor said: "This lord's name weighty—yet also overturns scholar-official hearts?" Xun Yu said: “He is singular—honor him fully.” Cao Cao said: “Always my intent.” After that Cao Cao esteemed him more. Bing Yuan stayed on sick leave in his lane—avoiding duty and audiences. Zhang Fan of Henei—kindred spirit—became his closest friend. An edict lamented: “Bing Yuan towers above the age yet will not serve me. Hearing Zhang Zi quite wishes to study him—I fear makers thereof rich—followers thereof poor." While the heir filled his salon, Bing Yuan ignored fashion unless duty called. Grand Progenitor quietly sent someone to ask him in an informal way. Yuan said, "I have heard that when the state is in danger one does not serve the chief minister, and when the ruler has departed one does not serve the heir apparent. This is the regular rule." So Cao Cao made him chief clerk to the heir: “My son needs discipline—I burden you. Even benefiting him leaves me ashamed." At a banquet the heir asked: “One pill saves one dying man—father or lord?” Guests split evenly. Bing Yuan stayed out of the debate. Pressed for an answer he said: “Father.” The heir dropped the subject.〉
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鹿辿 鹿 使
Later Zhang Tai of Julu as grand herald and Pang Chan of Fufeng as Henan governor won fame for purity, 〈Jiuzhou ji adds Zhang Pi, styled Shaohu. His grandfather Zhang Tai, styled Boyang, was celebrated in Wei. His father Zhang Miao governed Liaodong. His essay on loving learning appears in Ji Kang’s works. Broad-minded and unreadable as water. He served two courts, took Chengyang, then died before posting.〉 Zhang Ge of Dongjun, grand coachman under Yongning, was famed for plain living. Du Shu wrote: “Zhang Ge looks dull yet embodies harmony with heaven and earth. Such men may never grow rich—what calamity could touch them? The world admires men like him though few match him."
26
西 使
Guan Ning, styled You’an, came from Zhuxu in Beihai. 〈The Fuzi traces him to Guan Zhong. When the Tian seized Qi, the Guan clan scattered to Lu and Chu. A Guan Shaoqing settled Zhuxu under Han; nine generations later came Guan Ning.〉 Orphaned at sixteen, he refused kinfolk’s funeral gifts and buried his father with what he could afford. He stood eight chi tall with striking beard and brows. With Hua Xin of Pingyuan and Bing Yuan he studied abroad and revered Chen Zhonggong. When chaos erupted they heard Gongsun Du ruled Liaodong and sailed there with Bing Yuan and Wang Lie. Gongsun Du cleared a guesthouse for them. After the courtesy call Guan Ning built a hut in the hills. Refugees clustered south; Guan Ning camped north to show he would not drift—and disciples followed. When Cao Cao summoned Guan Ning, Gongsun Kang suppressed the edict. 〈The Fuzi: Guan Ning discussed only the canon with Du. Home in the hills he dug a cellar hut. Exiles moored beside him until a town grew in weeks. He taught the classics, staged sacrifices, drilled deportment, and shut his door to casual callers. Du trusted his virtue; commoners copied his manners. Bing Yuan’s blunt criticism unsettled Gongsun Du. Guan Ning warned him: “Hidden dragons stay silent—untimely words invite ruin.” He secretly urged Bing Yuan to flee west. Gongsun Kang played king in all but name—yearned to hire Guan Ning as minister yet never dared ask aloud. (Huangfu Mi: at the village well men and women jostled and brawled. Guan Ning bought buckets, left them at the well, and filled them anonymously. Drawers found the filled buckets and guessed Guan Ning’s handiwork—they stopped brawling at the well. When a neighbor’s ox trampled his crop, Guan Ning led it to shade, fed it better than its master. The owner was humiliated as if flogged. Neighbor disputes vanished—courtesy reached even Liaodong.〉
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使 使 駿 使 使 使 使 西 使 西 使 祿 西 · 祿 使 祿 祿 輿
Wang Lie, styled Yanfang, outranked Bing Yuan and Guan Ning in renown. He refused Du’s chief clerk post and worked as a tradesman to stay obscure. Cao Cao summoned him as investigator—he died en route from Liaodong. 〈The Xianxian xingzhuang: Wang Lie grasped the Way and never bent principle. He studied under Chen Shi and befriended his sons. The Yingchuan luminaries who studied with Chen Shi admired Wang Lie’s stature. His fame spread empire-wide. Virtue won, he went home—then mourned his father three years. In famine he emptied his granary for the hamlet. Kin called him filial; neighbors deferred to him. He founded schools and taught the classics. He taught the Way and steered men toward good. Pupils hardly noticed the change—yet every graduate shone. His students walked so upright that crowds spotted them. The district raced to outdo one another in virtue. When a cattle thief was caught, The thief said: "I stumbled into error—from now on I shall reform. Since you have already pardoned me—pray do not let Wang Lie hear of it." When Wang Lie heard, he sent the thief a bolt of cloth. Someone asked: "This man was a thief—he feared you would hear—yet you give him cloth—why?" Lie said: "Formerly Duke Mu of Qin—someone stole his fine horse and ate it—and he gifted wine. Those thieves later died saving Mu. Shame proves a conscience. Knowing shame of evil—then a good heart will arise—therefore I give cloth to encourage good." Later a stranger hauled an old man’s load for miles and vanished without giving his name. The same elder dropped a sword. A passerby guarded the blade rather than pocket it. At dusk the owner found the same helper. The old man grasped his sleeve and asked, "Earlier you carried my load for me, but I never learned your name. Now you have guarded my sword by the road. I have never seen anyone as humane as you. Please tell me your name, so that I may report it to Wang Lie." The man whispered his name and fled. Wang Lie marveled: “I never met such goodness.” An inquiry proved he was the cattle thief. Wang Lie sighed: “Music moves gods—men can change too!” He ordered a plaque hung on the man’s gate. Litigants settled out of court rather than trouble Wang Lie. Liaodong’s rulers drove to his cottage for advice. He refused every capital summons. He fled Zhuo to Liaodong, farmed among commoners, and stayed content. Eastern Liaodong treated him like a prince. Faction politics poisoned everyone who could judge. Exiles usually died—Wang Lie did not. Under his moral sway the strong spared the weak and markets stayed honest. Cao Cao called repeatedly; Liaodong stalled. He died in 218 CE at seventy-eight.〉 When China became somewhat settled, all the refugees returned, but Guan Ning remained calm, as if he would end his days there. In the fourth year of Huangchu, an edict ordered the dukes and ministers to recommend gentlemen of independent conduct, and Minister of Education Hua Xin recommended Ning. When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he summoned Ning. Ning then took his household by sea back to his commandery, while Gongsun Gong escorted him as far as the southern suburb and gave him additional clothing and goods. From the time Ning went east, he accepted and stored away everything Gongsun Du, Gongsun Kang, and Gongsun Gong supplied or gave him. Once he had crossed west, he sealed it all up and returned it. The Fuzi says: By this time Kang too had died. Instead of installing his legitimate son, they installed his younger brother Gong. Gong was weak, while Yuan, Kang's son by a concubine, had exceptional talent. Ning said, "To depose the legitimate heir and install a collateral one leaves divided hearts below; this is where disorder arises." He therefore took his household by sea and answered the summons. Ning had spent thirty-seven years in Liaodong before returning. Later, Yuan did indeed seize Gong's position, rebel against the state, make a southern alliance with Wu, usurp a title, and call himself king. Emperor Ming sent the Chancellor, Marquis Xuanwen, to campaign against and destroy him. Those who died in Liaodong numbered in the tens of thousands, just as Ning had reckoned. When Ning returned, he encountered a violent storm at sea; all the boats sank except the boat Ning was riding, which remained as before. At night the wind was dark and obscure, and the boatmen were all confused, with no one knowing where to anchor. They looked out and saw firelight, immediately headed toward it, and reached an island. The island had no inhabitants and no ashes from any fire. The travelers all found this strange and took it as protection from a divine light. Huangfu Mi said, "It was the response to accumulated goodness." An edict appointed Ning grand master of remonstrance, but he firmly declined and did not accept. The Fuzi says: Ning submitted a letter to the Son of Heaven and declined on grounds of illness, saying, "Your subject has heard that Fu Yue appeared through a dream and moved the Yin sovereign, and that Lu Shang revealed an omen and stirred King Wen of Zhou. With talents that reached the spirits, they awakened sage rulers, and so they could correct and assist imperial enterprises and bring great achievements to completion. Your subject’s capacity is rotten; I am truly not such a man. Though I long for this clear age, I would cast off my body like a cicada’s shell. Looking within, I find stubborn illness, and the sun is pressing on the western hills. I only ask that Your Majesty hear the wish of a rustic from the mountains and marshes and allow one old man to live out his frail life." When the letter was submitted, the emperor personally read it. When Emperor Ming ascended the throne, Grand Commandant Hua Xin yielded his post and offered it to Ning. The Fuzi says: Minister of Works Chen Qun also recommended Ning, saying, "Your subject has heard that kings display goodness in order to dissolve evil; thus Tang raised up Yi Yin, and the unbenevolent withdrew. I humbly observe that Guan Ning of Beihai, a gentleman summoned to office, has conduct that can model the age and learning fit to teach others. His purity and frugality can stir the corrupt; his steadfast rectitude can correct the times. Though summons were issued before, the rites were not generous and complete. Formerly, Minister of Works Xun Shuang was appointed to the Guanglu office while still at home, and the earlier classicist Zheng Xuan was directly appointed Minister of Agriculture. If full ritual courtesy is added, perhaps Ning can indeed be brought to court. If he is brought to the western hall and seated to discuss the Way, he will surely illuminate past and present and benefit the great work of transformation." An edict was then issued: "Grand Master of Remonstrance Guan Ning has devoted himself to the Way and its virtue and holds the Six Arts close to his heart. His clarity and detachment can match antiquity; his integrity and purity can answer the needs of the age. Earlier, when the royal Way had declined and broken down, he crossed the sea and lived in seclusion; when Great Wei received the Mandate, he came burdened with his household. This is surely the pattern of the responsive dragon hiding and then rising, and the principle by which sages and worthies are employed or set aside. Yet since Huangchu, summons and commands have repeatedly been sent down, and each time he has pleaded illness, refused the order, and failed to come. Can it be that the court's government and his own inclinations are so different, or that he is so content in the mountains and forests that, having gone there, he cannot return? Even with the Duke of Zhou's sageliness, if aged men of virtue did not descend to take office, then the singing bird was not heard. The Jun Shi chapter of the Documents says, "If elders of perfected virtue do not descend, then I will not hear the singing bird; how much less can it be said that any man will be able to come." Zheng Xuan says, "Gou means old. Zao means completed. The Odes says, 'The young man has completion.' If aged men of completed virtue will not lower their resolve and serve in office together with me, then the sound of the singing bird cannot be heard. How much less could one say that there is someone whose virtue can reach Heaven! It means that there certainly is none. The singing bird means the phoenix." With the worthiness of Duke Mu of Qin, he still thought to inquire of the yellow-haired aged. How much more should I, with my scant virtue, be unable not to wish to hear the Way from you, grand master! I now make Ning chamberlain for attendants. Ritual has its great order, and the Way between ruler and subject cannot be abandoned. I expect that he must come quickly and satisfy my intention." Another edict to the Inspector of Qingzhou said, "Ning embraces the Way and cherishes integrity, hiding himself away in a corner by the sea. Recently, when summonses were sent down, he disobeyed the order and did not come, lingering where he found advantage and treating his own conduct as lofty. Though he has the integrity of a plain-living recluse, he has lost the meaning of Kaofu's ever-increasing humility. He has made me wait with an open heart and an outstretched neck for years; what is one to call this? If he merely wishes to cling to comfort and insist on his own intent, has he not considered that men of antiquity also made sudden changes in conduct in order to raise up the people? Days pass and months fall away; the proper time is already slipping past. If he purifies his body and bathes his virtue, what will he use them for? Zhongni had a saying: 'If I am not with this company of men, with whom shall I be!' Order the Assistant Officer, the commandery assistant, and the clerks to take up the edict and dispatch Ning with proper ritual to the imperial residence. Provide a comfortable carriage, clerks and attendants, mats and bedding, and food prepared along the road; before he starts out, submit a report." Ning styled himself "your subject from the weeds and wilds" and submitted a memorial: "A lonely, insignificant man by the seacoast, an exhausted farmer without companions, I have been fortunate in the abundance of my fate. Unexpectedly I have received Your Majesty, who has continued and inherited the great thread, whose virtue matches the Three Augusts. Your transformation overflows Tang of Yao. For a long time I have received lavish grace; for a full cycle of years I have been unable to look upward and repay the blessing of Your Majesty's nurturing kindness. Sunk under grave illness, bedridden and lingering near death, I have failed in the duty of a servant who should hasten headlong to his ruler. Morning and night I tremble in fear, with nowhere to place myself. In the eleventh month of the first year, through the order sent down to the province and commandery by the Sima of the Office of Public Carriages, I received the edict of the jiashen day of the eighth month summoning me, again granting a comfortable carriage, clothing, coverlets, mats, and bedding, and dispatching me with ritual. Glory and favor came together; generous commands arrived again and again. I was anxious, frightened, and unable to breathe, my troubled heart losing all sense of what to do. I wished to state my case and be heard, to unfold my foolish feelings, but the enlightened edict restrained me and cut this off, not allowing me even briefly to prepare a memorial. Thus I have remained pent up and obstructed down to this day. I truly thought that Heaven's covering grace had its bounds; I did not expect this numinous favor to become still more magnificent. In the second month of this year, I received from the province and commandery the edict of the xinyou day of the twelfth month of the third year, again granting a comfortable carriage and clothing and ordering the Assistant Officer and the commandery Merit Officer to dispatch me with ritual. I was also specially favored with a sealed letter appointing me Chamberlain for Attendants. You personally practiced diligence and humility, drew analogies from Zhou and Qin, and lessened what was above to increase what was below. On the day I received the edict, my essence and soul flew apart, and I had nowhere to cast my death. Again I examine and measure myself: my virtue is not that of Yuan or Qi, yet I receive the honor of a comfortable carriage; my merit is not that of Dou Rong, yet I receive the favor of a sealed letter. A lowly bracket and short post has been made to bear the burden of beams and ridgepole; a life about to end has been granted a position among the Nine Thorns. I fear this may bring the misfortune of Zhu Bo's drum omen. Moreover, age and illness press on me more each day, increasing rather than diminishing. I am not fit to be helped into a carriage and sent along the road to fulfill this foremost responsibility. I gaze longingly toward the palace gates and pace before the court towers. I respectfully bow and present this memorial to state my feelings, begging that Your Majesty take pity, restrain your favor, and permit me to be released, so that my bones will not be left to fill the roadway."
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使 退 穿
From Huangchu through Qinglong the court sent oxen and wine each autumn. An edict asked Qingzhou Inspector Cheng Xi: "Is Ning guarding integrity out of loftiness—or truly old, sick, and exhausted?" Xi memorialized: "Ning has a clansman Guan Gong who serves as state clerk—living adjacent to Ning—your servant often sent him to gather news. Guan Gong described Guan Ning’s dress and steady gait. At ancestral rites he still dons his Liaodong robe and completes every bow. For the mother he never knew he pours an extra cup and weeps. His hut stands near a stream; he still bathes and gardens in summer. Cheng Xi argued Guan Ning declined from modest old age, not posturing. This is Ning's intent and conduct—what he desires he must complete—not for guarding loftiness." 〈Huangfu Mi: Guan Ning sat fifty years on one couch—knees wore holes in the wood.〉
29
In 241 Tao Qiuyi, Meng Guan, Sun Yong, and Wang Ji jointly memorialized for Guan Ning:
30
耀
They opened: worthies wait for the right sovereign. They cited omens from Zhou and Han. They praised Guan Ning’s cosmic virtue. They listed his mastery of Daoism and the classics. They recalled the Zhongping turmoil. He fled thirty years in Liaodong. There he hid like the Book of Changes counsels—teaching even barbarians.
31
祿
In 223 Wendi summoned him via Hua Xin. Illness waylaid him—court named him grand counsellor. Mingdi raised him to minister of the imperial household. Sickness kept him from duties. Now eighty and recovered, he remains vigorous. He lives in a lane on gruel yet stays cheerful. Hardship only polished his integrity. Heaven meant him to serve Wei. The realm waits for him to fill high office. They cited Shang Gaozong and Zhou Wen seeking ministers. Earlier memorials praised him—delay dishonors precedent. Your majesty inherits the mandate. Your virtue surpasses the Duke of Zhou. You consult tutors with every edict. Continue Wendi and Mingdi’s guest ritual.
32
Guan Ning has no peer. No hermit rivaled Guan Ning. Summon him with full honors to tutor the throne. If he insists on life like the sages of Ji Mountain, the court still shines like Yao and Shun. 〈The Jinwen Shangshu says "promote worthies and display experience"—meaning to display what they experienced in trial. Zuo Si's Wei du fu says: "promote worthies manifests in displayed experience."〉 Serve or retreat—both orders the age.
33
駿
The court sent the full carriage-and-jade summons. Guan Ning died at eighty-four before the escort arrived. His son Guan Miao became gentleman and academician. Earlier, Ning's wife had died before him, and acquaintances urged him to remarry. Ning said, "Whenever I reflect on the words of Zengzi and Wang Jun, my heart always admires them. How could I face the same situation myself and violate my original intention?" 〈The Fuzi notes his Treatise on Surnames against fraudulent genealogies. He split his last grain with needy kin and neighbors. To sons he preached filial piety; to younger brothers, fraternity; to officials, loyalty. He looked stern afar, gentle up close—every pupil bent toward good. All China mourned Guan Ning—friend or stranger. Such was the power of his purity.〉
34
Zhang Qian and Hu Zhao
35
鹿 簿 西 ·
Zhang Qian of Julu (styled Ziming) and Hu Zhao of Yingchuan (styled Kongming) likewise refused office. Zhang Qian studied at the imperial academy, mastering classics and technical lore, then went home. He ignored Yuan Shao’s repeated summons and moved to Shangdang. Gao Gan nominated him for Leping magistrate; he fled to Changshan with hundreds of pupils, then to Ren county. He ignored Cao Cao’s summons as chancellor. Taihe edicts sought miracle-working hermits; the county nominated Zhang Qian but age and illness blocked travel. Lu Yu’s clerks wanted to pay Zhang Qian a formal visit. Yu instructed saying: "Mr Zhang—what men call one who above does not serve the Son of Heaven—below does not befriend feudal lords. How could visiting-cards brighten him!" Send only letters and modest gifts. On the xinhai day in the fourth year of Qinglong, an edict said: "In Zhangye Commandery, the Dark River overflowed and surged, its waves rising in force. A precious stone bore a diagram, shaped like a numinous tortoise, lodged west of the river and standing firm like a great rock. Its pale substance and plain markings formed bright images of unicorn, phoenix, dragon, and horse, while written characters proclaiming the Mandate appeared with brilliant clarity. Director of Astronomy Gao Tanglong memorialized: ancient sage emperors never received such—it is truly Wei's auspicious mandate—the eastern hall's treasure of the age." 〈The Shangshu Gu ming chapter states: "Great jade, barbarian jade, celestial sphere, River Chart lie in the eastern hall." Commentary states: "River Chart—the chart emerging from the river—what sage emperors receive."〉 The edict circulated empire-wide. Yu Chuo, Magistrate of Ren, repeatedly brought it to Qian for an answer. Qian privately told Chuo, "The divine knows what is to come; it does not pursue what has already passed. Auspicious signs appear first, and afterward rise or fall follows. Han is gone and Wei holds power—why parade omens of mandate? This stone marks today’s prodigy and the coming auspicious sign." In 240 a hoopoe nested in Zhang Qian’s doorway. Qian told disciples: "The hoopoe is a yang bird—yet it nests in gate shade—this is ill omen." He sang, wrote two poems, and died ten days later at one hundred and five. That year Wang Su, Administrator of Guangping, arrived at his post and instructed the counties: "Earlier, while in the capital, I heard of Zhang Ziming. When I came here and asked about him, I found that he had already died, which caused me deep regret. He studied in seclusion and found joy in the Way. Like Zhao Meng honoring Jiang’s elder, honor worthies and lords unite. I pity him for diligently loving the Way in old age yet never receiving honor or favor. When this letter arrives, send clerks to comfort his household, mark his gate prominently, and make every effort to give him special recognition, to console the dead and encourage those to come."
36
調 簿 祿 宿
Hu Zhao fled to Ji, refused Yuan Shao, then slipped home. Cao Cao summoned him repeatedly. Hu Zhao answered the summons but begged off as useless to state affairs. Cao Cao said: “Each man has his path—I will not force you.” Hu Zhao retired to Luhun, farmed, and read. Neighbors revered him. 〈Huangfu Mi: Sima Yi knew Hu Zhao before power. When neighbors plotted against Sima Yi, Hu Zhao crossed mountain passes to stop them. Tears and earnest pleas turned the plotters. They cut a jujube tree as covenant. Hu Zhao never told Sima Yi what he had done. His integrity was locally famous. When Ma Chao’s revolt drove refugees into the hills, Hu Zhao mediated feuds until calm returned. No raider touched his valley for three hundred li.〉 In 218 Luhun district was ordered to ship corvée labor to Hanzhong. People dreaded the long march. Sun Lang killed the registrar and sacked the town. Magistrate Gu rallied survivors at Hu Zhao’s camp and rebuilt the district. Sun Lang then joined Guan Yu. Yu gave them seals and troops, and they returned as raiders. When they reached Changle Pavilion south of Luhun, they swore an oath among themselves: "Layman Hu is a worthy man; no one may violate his settlement." The whole basin slept safely thanks to him. When peace returned he moved to Yiyang. 〈Du Shu visited Hu Zhao’s hut and admired his discourse. He refused Grand Commandant Jiang Ji.〉 During Zhengshi, Zhao Yan, Huang Xiu, Guo Yi, Xun Yi, Zhong Yu, Yu Yi, 〈Pei notes: Yu Yi, styled Shaoran, from Yingchuan. His son Yu Yun rose in Jin. Brother Yu Dun was grand counsellor. The Yu clan flourished. The Palace Attendant Jun and the Intendant of Henan Chun were both Dun's sons; Yi, Chief Clerk to the Shepherd of Yu Province, was Dun's grandson; and Grand Commandant Duke Wenkang Liang and Minister of Works Bing were both Dun's great-grandsons, noble and eminent down to the present.〉 He Zhen of Hongnong and others 〈Wenshi zhuan: He Zhen, styled Yuanqian, from Lujiang. He served Youzhou, justice, then Jin ministries. Son He Kan became a general; He Xu, general of chariots; He Yun, governor of Yu; The rest rose high. He Chong descended from this line.〉 In turn recommended Zhao saying: "Heavenly truth high and pure—old yet more devoted. He rivals Boyi and the Four Elders. Ought receive summons with exception—to encourage customs." 〈War delayed Hu Zhao’s summons. Later Xun Yi and Huang Xiu renewed the plea; the court polled his county. Attendant Wei Dan refuted saying: "Courtesy toward worthies and summoned gentlemen—is what royal governance esteems—in ancient times conduct was examined in the village. High ministers can vouch for him. Flattery of inferiors is unworthy. Yet Hu Zhao’s long-standing virtue and venerable age, withdrawn in the mountains and forests, truly deserve exceptional honor." The court adopted Wei Dan’s view.〉 In 250 the court summoned him—he died at eighty-nine first. Son Hu Zuan became a gentleman.
37
西 使 使 使 使
Hu Zhao ranked with Zhong Yao and Handan Chun in calligraphy. 〈Fu Xuan says Hu Zhao loved everyone, even slaves. Outwardly ordinary, inwardly pure—no prince could break him—still reading at eighty. The narrative turns to Jiao Xian of Hedong. (Wei lue: Jiao Xian, styled Xiaoran. At Zhongping’s end the White Wave rebels rose. Jiao Xian, twenty, fled with Hou Wuyang. They fled east to Yangzhou where Hou married. Returning west, Hou registered at Dayang while Jiao stayed in Shan. By 211 Guanzhong exploded. Jiao Xian lost his family and lived naked on a river bar. Magistrate Zhu Nan thought him a deserter. Wuyang told the county: "This is only a mad deranged man!" So they listed him as such. The county gave five sheng of grain daily. During plague the county used him for burials; boys mocked him. He walked only ridge paths—never shortcuts; when gleaning he left the largest heads; he starved and froze rather than steal—wore grass and went barefoot. He hid from women on the road. He built a tiny hovel and swept it clean. A plank bed and straw mat. In winter he huddled by a fire, muttering alone. When hunger drove him he day-labored for meals alone—never kept pay. On the road he dove into ditches whenever anyone approached. Some asked his reason—he constantly said "a man of straw huts—with foxes and hares in one herd." He refused idle chatter. Once he refused to ford a stream alone—folk wondered if he was sane after all. New prefect Jia Mu made a point of visiting his shack. Jiao Xian bowed twice. Jia Mu spoke; Xian stayed mute. Offered food; he refused. Jia Mu said: “The court made me your magistrate—you ignore my food and words—I cannot serve you—I will leave.” Xian whispered: “Can that be true?” Then fell silent again. The next year Wei launched the Wu campaign. Someone secretly asked Xian: "Now attacking Wu—how will it go?" He chanted nonsense: “Blunt snouts, blunt snouts—neither fish nor flesh—chasing in circles—were we meant to slaughter the Wu ewe or the Wei kid?” Nobody understood the riddle. After the defeat listeners decided “ewe” meant Wu and “kid” meant Wei—and hailed him a prophet. Dong Jing admired him and spied on his hut. Xian stroked his beard and cried: “Brother Xian—long time! Remember the White Wave days?” Xian stared through him. Jing always knew he formerly received Wuyang's kindness—therefore again said: "Remember Wuyang—do you not?" Xian muttered: “Paid that debt.” Further questions met silence. He died the next year at eighty-nine. (Huangfu Mi: no one knew Jiao Xian’s origins. Some say he left Shan for Dayang alone. Han’s fall sealed his lips. After Wei took the mandate he built a grass hut on the river. He slept naked on earth year-round—black with grime. He ate when he earned a meal—never took charity. He avoided shortcuts and women’s eyes. He never spoke—even in crisis. He refused food gifts. Du Shu brought clothes; Xian stayed mute. Sima Shi sent Dong Jing to observe; Xian still would not talk. A wildfire destroyed his hut—he slept under sky. He lay naked in blizzard—seemed dead yet unharmed. He died past one hundred. Someone asked Huangfu Mi: "What sort of man was Jiao Xian?" Mi answered: “Beyond my ken. Yet tables sketch his type. Men chase flavor, clothes, houses, talk, and kin. Jiao Xian shed every human tie and merged with the Way. Since legendary times none matched him. Huangfu Mi piles paradox on paradox—cold cannot hurt him, exile cannot scare him. Since Fuxi—only one person!" The Wei shi chunqiu says: The former Inspector of Liangzhou, Geng Fu, regarded Xian as a "transcendent," while Fu Xuan of Beihai said that his "nature was the same as birds and beasts." Both wrote biographies of him, yet no one could fathom him.〉
38
宿 宿 宿
〈Wei lue adds Hu Lei and “Cold Poverty.” Hu Lei, styled Bozhong, from Jingzhao. In Chuping a Shandong man called Master Green Ox (styled Zhengfang) lived in Sanfu. He knew astrology, wind lore, and bird omens. He lived on herbs. He looked sixty yet people swore he was a century old. Hu Lei studied under Green Ox in middle age. He had a barren wife. In 211 he fled to Hanzhong with Green Ox. When Hanzhong fell, Green Ox went to Shu; Hu Lei trekked to Ye and lost his wife to plague. By 220 he lived in Luoyang and never remarried. He slept in a tile pen by the road. Days he meditated; nights he read stars and esoteric texts. Questions met silence. In Jiaping he looked fifty though eighty. The county gave five sheng daily. He moonlighted when rations ran out—still refused handouts. He wore rags and died of illness soon after. “Cold Poverty” was born Shi Delin of Anding. Early Jian’an he lived in Sanfu. He studied with the famous Luan Wenbo. He turned to esoteric Daoism and fell silent. In 211 he fled south to Hanzhong. He owned nothing—chanted Laozi and inner scriptures. After 220 he wandered back to Chang’an—dementia silenced him. He wore ragged stitched robes in every season. He looked frail and blind. He lived alone in a hovel—no kin. He refused charity. The county ration failed—he begged sparingly. People asked his surname and name—mouth unwilling to speak—therefore on account of this was titled "Cold Poverty." Old friends still drew bows from him—proving sense lingered. Guo Huai shouted questions—no answer. Guo Huai offered clothes and food—he took one strip of jerky and one sheng of grain. Pei Songzhi cites Wei lue on snail huts for Jiao Xian and Yang Pei. “Gua” should read “wo” (snail), meaning spiral shells—folk call them “yellow calves.” Their round huts looked like snail shells. The Zhuangzi says: "There is a state on the left horn of a snail called the Chu clan, and a state on its right horn called the Man clan. From time to time they fight each other over territory, leaving tens of thousands of corpses, and after pursuing the defeated for fifteen days they return." That is the image.〉
39
Evaluative note
40
退
The historian praises Yuan Huan, Bing Yuan, and Zhang Fan for walking purity and timing every step. 〈Pei Songzhi winces at the phrase “tread purity tread.”〉 They rank with Gong Yu and the Gongs of Han. Liang Mao and Guo Yuan follow. Zhang Cheng stood worthily in his brother’s shadow. Tian Chou’s resolve and Wang Xiu’s loyalty set the tone. Guan Ning towered immovable. Zhang Qian and Hu Zhao shut the world out—so they close the chapter.
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