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卷十八 魏書十八 二李臧文呂許典二龐閻傳

Volume 18: Book of Wei 18 - Biographies of the two Lis, Zang, Wen, Lü, Xu, Dian, the two Pangs, and Yan

Chapter 18 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
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Chapter 18
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1
This scroll groups the biographies of Li Dian, Li Tong, Zang Ba, Wen Pin, Lü Qian, Xu Chu, Dian Wei, Pang De, Pang Jun, and Yan Wen.
2
寿 使
Li Dian, whose courtesy name was Mancheng, came from Juye in Shanyang commandery. His uncle Li Qian was a man of bold spirit who had assembled several thousand dependent families at Chengshi. During the Chuping era he joined Cao Cao with his band, helped smash the Yellow Turbans at Shouzhang, served against Yuan Shu, and took part in the Xu Province campaigns. When Lü Bu rose in revolt, Cao Cao sent Li Qian home to Chengshi to reassure the local counties. Lü Bu's staff officers Xue Lan and Li Feng tried to win Li Qian over to rebellion; he refused, and they murdered him. Cao Cao put Li Qian's son Li Zheng at the head of his father's force to join the other generals against Xue Lan and Li Feng. After Xue Lan and Li Feng were destroyed, he helped pacify Yanzhou and rose step by step to inspector of Qingzhou. When Li Zheng died, Li Dian became magistrate of Yingyin and a general of the household, taking command of Li Zheng's troops, 〈The Book of Wei records that Li Dian loved books as a young man and disliked war; he apprenticed himself to read the Zuo zhuan and ranged widely through other texts. Cao Cao approved and deliberately tested him in civil office.〉 He was promoted to governor of Lihu commandery.
3
使 使 退 退 广
While Cao Cao held the line at Guandu against Yuan Shao, Li Dian convoyed grain and cloth for the army with his kinsmen and household troops. After Yuan Shao's defeat he was named major general and posted to Anmin. Cao Cao struck Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang at Liyang and ordered Li Dian and Cheng Yu to move supplies by river. Yuan Shang sent the governor of Wei, Gao Fan, to block the river; Cao Cao told Li Dian and Cheng Yu that if the convoy could not get through they should shift to a land route. Li Dian urged his colleagues, Gao Fan is lightly armored and overconfident behind the river—he can be overrun. In the field a commander who sees a chance for the realm need not wait on capital orders. We should hit him now. An army on campaign cannot wait for every order from the rear. When the common good is at stake, a forward commander may act on his own—we should move immediately. Cheng Yu agreed. They crossed to the north bank, smashed Gao Fan, and reopened the supply line. Liu Biao sent Liu Bei north as far as Ye; Cao Cao detached Li Dian to serve under Xiahou Dun against him. Liu Bei burned his camps overnight and slipped away; Xiahou Dun gave chase. Li Dian warned, A retreat without battle smells of ambush. The southern track is narrow and overgrown—we should not follow. The defile is tight and the brush thick—a pursuit would be reckless. Xiahou Dun refused to listen and went ahead with Yu Jin, leaving Li Dian to hold the camp. They walked into Liu Bei's trap; Li Dian's counterattack broke the encirclement and Liu Bei withdrew when he saw relief arrive. He joined the siege of Ye, then with Yue Jin invested Gao Gan at Huguan and campaigned against Guan Cheng in Changguang, winning both actions. He was promoted to general who captures bandits and received a village marquisate at the capital. More than three thousand households of his clan and retainers lived at Chengshi; he asked to relocate them all into Wei commandery. Cao Cao laughed and asked whether he meant to imitate Geng Chun's famous resettlement of his clan. Li Dian bowed and said, I am a mediocre soldier who has received too much honor; I wish to bring my people closer so they may serve you. With war still raging, strengthening the heartland steadies the frontiers—this is not mere imitation of Geng Chun. The heartland must be stocked while armies are in the field; my purpose is practical, not sentimental. He therefore moved more than thirteen thousand followers and relatives to Ye. Cao Cao commended him and named him general who breaks bandits. With Zhang Liao and Yue Jin he held Hefei when Sun Quan brought a great army; Zhang Liao meant to obey Cao Cao's order and sortie. The three had never been friends, and Zhang Liao feared Li Dian would balk; Li Dian declared, "This is the state's crisis, not a private quarrel—I will follow your plan." He led his men with Zhang Liao and helped drive Sun Quan from the walls. His fief rose by a hundred households to three hundred in all.
4
Li Dian loved books, respected literati, and never wrangled for credit with fellow commanders. He treated scholars with deference and carried himself with modesty; the troops called him the elder among them. He died at thirty-six, and his son Li Zhen inherited his title. Emperor Wen, remembering Hefei, added a hundred households to Li Zhen's fief and enfeoffed one of Li Dian's sons as a secondary marquis with another hundred households, and posthumously titled Li Dian Marquis Min, "the Pitiable."
5
亿
Li Tong, courtesy name Wendao, was a native of Pingchun in Jiangxia commandery. 〈The Wei lüe gives his childhood name as Wanyi.〉 He was known as a man of chivalry between the Yangtze and the Ru rivers. He and his fellow townsman Chen Gong raised force at Langling, and thousands rallied to them. A local leader named Zhou Zhi commanded more than two thousand households and feigned alliance while plotting against them. Li Tong meant to eliminate Zhou Zhi, but Chen Gong shrank from the deed. Seeing Chen Gong's indecision, Li Tong arranged a parley, drank with Zhou Zhi, and cut him down when the cups had gone round. The camp erupted in confusion; Li Tong led Chen Gong in killing the ringleaders and absorbed every follower. Later Chen He, Chen Gong's brother-in-law, murdered Chen Gong and seized his men. Li Tong shattered Chen He's force, took his head, and sacrificed it at Chen Gong's grave. He captured the Yellow Turban leader Wu Ba alive and brought the whole band to submission. In a year of famine he emptied his granaries for relief, shared the coarsest fare with his followers, and won such loyalty that outlaws dared not trouble his district.
6
西 使 使 使
Early in the Jian'an era he brought his following to Cao Cao at Xu. He was named general of the household who shakes might and posted to Runan's western frontier. When Cao Cao attacked Zhang Xiu, Liu Biao reinforced Zhang Xiu and Cao Cao's army was thrown back. Li Tong marched by night to Cao Cao's aid, spearheaded the counterattack, and shattered Zhang Xiu's line. He was promoted to major general and enfeoffed as marquis who establishes merit. Two Runan counties were set aside for him as chief commandant who pacifies the south. His wife's uncle broke the law; Zhao Yan, magistrate of Langling, arrested him and sought the death penalty. Provincial governors then held final say over executions; Li Tong's family wept and begged for the man's life. Li Tong said, "I am pledged to Cao Cao; private ties cannot overturn the law." He praised Zhao Yan's integrity and became his close friend. Cao Cao held Guandu against Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao sent an envoy naming him general who campaigns south, and Liu Biao secretly wooed him as well; Li Tong refused every overture. His clansmen wept that isolation would destroy them unless he sided with Yuan Shao at once. He drew his sword and swore, Cao Cao is clear-sighted and will pacify the empire. Yuan Shao is strong but cannot use men; he will end as someone else's prisoner. I will die before I serve another. He beheaded Yuan Shao's envoy on the spot and forwarded the insignia to Cao Cao. He crushed local bandits Qu Gong, Jiang Gong, and Shen Cheng, scattered their bands, and sent in their heads. The country between the Huai and the Ru was pacified. He was transferred to a capital village marquisate and made governor of Runan. When Zhang Chi and five thousand families held Peach Mountain, Li Tong overran their stronghold.
7
Long ago, when I sat in attendance on the late emperor, three senior officials were received together. At their departure he told them, "A magistrate must be clean, careful, and industrious; master those three and good order follows." All three accepted the lesson. When they had gone, he turned to the rest of us and asked whether his counsel had been apt. Every man present praised his words. He pressed further: if one had to rank the three, which should lead? One replied that incorruptibility must be the root. When he asked me, I said caution mattered most when the two could not be divided. A scrupulous man need not be spotless, but a careful man ends clean, as courage may follow humanity though courage alone is not humanity; the classic images of the tied sack and the white rushes are images of supreme care. The emperor said I had the right of it. He asked who in recent times had shown such care. No one spoke until I named the late Xun Jingqian, Dong Zhonglian, and Wang Gongzhong as men of true caution. He replied that those officials were diligent and deferential day and night—each was cautious in his office. Yet the most cautious man in the realm, he said, was Ruan Ji. In every conversation Ruan Ji kept to lofty themes and never touched current events or passed judgment on men—there lay supreme caution. I have often recalled that exchange as a mirror for conduct. In youth one must be careful not to gossip about men or affairs lightly; then regret and calamity find no opening.
8
〈Bing's son Li Chong, courtesy name Maozeng, won early fame and rose to personnel director and governor of Pingyang. The Jin zhugong zan praises him for purity and integrity. The prince-regent Sima Lun took him as right marshal for his reputation. Li Chong saw Sima Lun's coup coming and declined appointment on grounds of illness. Sima Lun hounded him until Li Chong let his health fail, was carried in to take the post, and died within days; the court mourned him as regular attendant. His brothers Li Shang and Li Ju, courtesy names Maozhong and Maoyue, both held prefectures in the Yongjia era; Li Ju rose to become inspector of Jiangzhou. His son Li Shi, courtesy name Jingze, rose to palace attendant.〉
9
西 使
Zang Ba, courtesy name Xuangao, came from Hua county in Taishan commandery. His father Zang Jie served as county jail clerk and refused the governor's unlawful order to execute a prisoner. The furious governor had Zang Jie arrested and marched to his yamen under escort of over a hundred armed men. At eighteen Zang Ba ambushed the escort in the hills west of Fei with dozens of followers, freed his father, and fled with him to Donghai, winning a reputation for valor. He joined Tao Qian against the Yellow Turbans and was named colonel of cavalry. He collected forces in Xu Province with Sun Guan, Wu Dun, and Yin Li, led them as chieftain, and based them at Kaiyang. When Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu, Zang Ba sent troops to reinforce him. After Lü Bu fell, Zang Ba went into hiding. Cao Cao had him found, received him gladly, and sent him to bring in Wu Dun, Yin Li, Sun Guan, and Sun Kang. Cao Cao named him chancellor of Langya and parcelled Qing and Xu posts among his allies. While Cao Cao held Yanzhou he appointed Xu Xi and Mao Hui as generals. When Yanzhou erupted in revolt, both men mutinied. After order returned they fled for refuge to Zang Ba. Cao Cao asked Liu Bei to demand the heads of Xu Xi and Mao Hui. Zang Ba told Liu Bei that his independence rested on refusing such betrayals. Yet he owed Cao Cao his life and could not openly defy the order. A hegemon who aims at true kingship will listen to reason; he asked Liu Bei to intercede. Liu Bei relayed the plea; Cao Cao sighed and praised conduct worthy of antiquity. He appointed Xu Xi and Mao Hui as magistrates instead of executing them.
10
便 使
While Cao Cao faced Yuan Shao, Zang Ba's raids into Qingzhou pinned eastern enemies so Cao Cao could concentrate on the north. After the victory at Nanpi they came to offer congratulations. Zang Ba asked to send hostages to Ye; Cao Cao replied that loyalty and filial piety did not require hostages. He cited Xiao He and Geng Chun as precedents for refusing hostages. They pacified the Shandong coast and were all enfeoffed as full marquises. Zang Ba received a village marquisate at the capital and the added title general who awes bandits. With Yu Jin he fought Chang Xi, with Xiahou Yuan the Yellow Turban remnants, and was promoted to inspector of Xu Province. The narrative turns to events in the princedom of Pei. An editorial gloss reads gong for the place name above. He esteemed Magistrate Wu Zhou of Xiapi and visited his office in person. When a staff investigator denounced a corrupt clerk, Wu Zhou jailed and tried the man to the end, and Zang Ba admired him all the more. He fought Sun Quan, spearheaded the advance into Lake Chao, stormed Juchao, and took it. While Zhang Liao besieged Chen Lan, Zang Ba struck Han Dang at Wan so Sun Quan could not relieve Chen Lan. He defeated Han Dang at Fenglong and at Jiashi, then withdrew to garrison Shu. Sun Quan sent a fleet toward Shu to relieve Chen Lan but turned back when he learned Zang Ba held Shu. Zang Ba pursued through the night, over a hundred li by dawn, and hit the enemy vanguard and rear. Trapped, many drowned trying to reach their boats. They never reached Chen Lan, and Zhang Liao crushed him. At Ruxu with Zhang Liao as vanguard, steady rain swelled the waters, enemy ships closed in, and the troops grew uneasy. Zhang Liao meant to pull back; Zang Ba said Cao Cao understood the odds and would not abandon them. Orders arrived the next day as Zang Ba had predicted. Zhang Liao repeated Zang Ba's words to Cao Cao. Cao Cao approved, named him general who raises might, and gave the baton of authority. After Sun Quan's nominal submission Cao Cao withdrew but left Zang Ba with Xiahou Dun at Juchao.
11
使
Sun Guan too became inspector of Qingzhou with the baton but died of wounds fighting Sun Quan. His son Sun Yu inherited and also rose to inspector of Qingzhou. 〈The Book of Wei gives Sun Guan's courtesy name as Zhongtai and his origin as Taishan. He rose with Zang Ba against the Yellow Turbans and was named colonel of cavalry. After Lü Bu fell Cao Cao had Zang Ba summon the Sun brothers and treated them generously. Sun Guan was repeatedly first on the wall, his record second only to Zang Ba's, and he received a Lü village marquisate. Sun Kang also earned a full marquisate for merit. At Nanpi he sent kinsmen to Ye, was named lieutenant general, and became inspector of Qingzhou. He received the baton for the Ruxu campaign against Sun Quan. Wounded in the left foot by a stray shaft at Ruxu, he fought on until Cao Cao urged him to spare himself for the realm's sake. The wound proved mortal, and he died soon after.〉
12
使 怀 使 使 寿
Wen Pin of Wan in Nanyang was Liu Biao's senior commander on the northern frontier. Liu Biao died, and his son Liu Cong succeeded. When Liu Cong surrendered Jingzhou and summoned Wen Pin to go with him, Wen Pin refused, saying he had failed to save the province and would await punishment alone. After Cao Cao crossed the Han, Wen Pin came in; Cao Cao asked why he had delayed so long. Wen Pin said he had wished to hold the Han line for Liu Biao's heir, to live without betraying the weak and die without shame, but circumstances forced surrender. Shame and grief kept him from an earlier audience. He wept aloud. Cao Cao was moved and called him a true loyal minister. Cao Cao received him with rich honors. He gave him troops with Cao Chun to pursue Liu Bei at Changban. After Jingzhou fell he made Wen Pin governor of Jiangxia facing Wu, gave him northern troops and the frontier, and enfeoffed him as a secondary marquis at court. 〈Sun Sheng observes that serving father and lord rests on the same principle of loyalty. Sun Sheng argues that Zang Ba's filial repute and Wen Pin's tears won Cao Cao's trust for two borders—not mere battlefield bravado.〉 With Yue Jin he fought Guan Yu at Xunkou, earned a larger fief at Yanshou village, and gained the title general who chastises rebellion. He struck Guan Yu's baggage at Han Ford and burned his boats at Jingcheng.
13
使 使
Emperor Wen raised his fief to Chang'an village and gave the baton. At the Jiangling siege he held Hankou and Shifan on a separate command, distinguished himself, and became general of the rear, marquis of Xinye. Sun Quan invested him at Shiyang with fifty thousand men for over twenty days without taking the city. Wen Pin counterattacked in pursuit and routed him. 〈The Wei lüe records a surprise attack by Sun Quan with tens of thousands of men. Heavy rain had ruined the walls and scattered the populace before repairs. Wen Pin chose total stillness to make Sun Quan suspect a trap. He hid the garrison from sight and stayed abed himself. Sun Quan concluded that stillness meant ambush or reinforcements. He withdrew without assaulting the walls. Pei Songzhi notes this anecdote contradicts the main biography.〉 Five hundred more households were added for nineteen hundred in all.
14
For decades at Jiangxia he combined severity with kindness and kept enemies from raiding. The court split his fief to enfeoff Wen Dai and ennobled a nephew as secondary marquis. Wen Pin died and was posthumously titled Marquis Zhuang, the Stalwart. Wen Dai died before him; adopted son Wen Xiu inherited. When Wen Xiu died, his son Wen Wu succeeded.
15
In the Jiaping era Huan Yu of Qiao governed Jiangxia with similar austerity and renown, second only to Wen Pin.
16
使 使
Lü Qian, courtesy name Zike, was a native of Rencheng. While Cao Cao held Yanzhou he heard of Lü Qian's courage and judgment, named him an aide, and posted his household guard at Hulü. Commandant Du Song of Xiangben had a follower named Jiong Mu who rebelled in league with Chang Xi. Cao Cao replaced Du Song with Lü Qian. He invited the ringleaders and their confederates to a feast. When they were drunk, hidden soldiers cut them down. He pacified the remainder and the hills grew quiet. Cao Cao made him acting governor of Taishan. The commandery borders mountains and sea; in the turmoil many people had fled to hiding. Dozens of bands led by Yuan Shao's appointees such as Guo Zu and Gongsun Du raided from the heights and oppressed the people. Lü Qian brought his household guard, offered amnesty and good faith, won the surrender of the chiefs, and coaxed every refugee back to field and hearth. He drafted the sturdiest men into the army until Taishan fielded a corps whose name outshone neighboring commands. Xu He and other Jinan Yellow Turbans seized magistrates and stormed towns across the region. Lü Qian joined Xiahou Yuan in dozens of actions that took thousands of heads and prisoners. Cao Cao put him over Qingzhou forces against the Donglai bands led by Li Tiao and won further distinction. Cao Cao wrote, Where the will is set, the deed follows—that is the mark of a resolute man. Since you took office you have rooted out crime, fought down violence, and kept the people safe, yourself braving missile fire and winning every campaign you lead. Kou Xun won his fame between the Ru and the Ying; Geng Yan laid his plans in Qing and Yan—the same spirit links past to present. He was recommended as flourishing talent, given the added rank of colonel of cavalry, and kept the governorship. For more than a decade at Taishan he ruled with a mix of severity and mercy that won wide respect.
17
Xu Chu, courtesy name Zhongkang, came from Qiao in the princedom of Qiao. He stood over eight feet tall, with a massive girth, a fierce bearing, and strength beyond any ordinary man. Late in the Han he rallied young clansmen by the thousand and threw up a walled camp against raiders. When ten thousand bandits from Gebei in Runan stormed his fort, Xu Chu was badly outnumbered and fought until his men were spent. When missiles ran out he had the defenders stack stone missiles shaped like mortars at each corner of the rampart. Xu Chu hurled those stones and shattered everything they struck. The raiders dared not close in. Short of grain, he pretended to parley and traded cattle for food; when the enemy came to drive the cattle off, the beasts bolted home. He then strode before the lines, seized an ox by the tail with one hand, and dragged the beast backward more than a hundred paces. The enemy fled in terror and abandoned the cattle. From the Huai to the Ru and across Chen and Liang, every bandit who heard his name was afraid.
18
宿 怀
When Cao Cao campaigned along the Huai and Ru, Xu Chu brought his followers over. Cao Cao took one look and said, "Here is my Fan Kuai." That day he was named commandant of the guard and taken into the night watch. Every fighting man who had followed Xu Chu was enrolled as a tiger warrior. He spearheaded the campaign against Zhang Xiu, took uncounted heads, and rose to colonel. He fought Yuan Shao at Guandu. Attendants led by Xu Ta plotted assassination, but Xu Chu never left Cao Cao's side and they dared not strike. They chose a day when Xu Chu was off duty and slipped in with concealed blades. Xu Chu felt a premonition at his quarters and hurried back to the tent. The assassins entered the tent unaware and froze when they saw him. Xu Ta blanched; Xu Chu killed him and his accomplices on the spot. Cao Cao trusted him utterly and kept him at his shoulder day and night. At the siege of Ye he fought with distinction and received a secondary marquisate at court. He joined the Tong Pass campaign against Han Sui and Ma Chao. At the Ji River Cao Cao sent the army across first while he stayed on the south bank with Xu Chu and a hundred tiger warriors as rear guard. Ma Chao charged with over ten thousand horse and foot while arrows fell like rain. Xu Chu saw Ma Chao's massed charge and warned that everyone who could cross had already crossed; they had to embark immediately, and he helped Cao Cao onto the boat. The fight grew desperate; men mobbed the boats until the hulls nearly swamped. Xu Chu cut down men who overloaded the boat, raised a saddle with his left arm to shield Cao Cao, and when the ferryman fell dead to a stray shaft he sculled the boat one-handed until they reached the far bank. That day Cao Cao would almost certainly have perished but for Xu Chu. Later Cao Cao met Han Sui and Ma Chao with no escort except Xu Chu. Ma Chao meant to use his prowess to rush Cao Cao but feared the lone rider might be Xu Chu. He asked where Cao Cao's "Tiger Marquis" was. Cao Cao pointed at Xu Chu, who glared back at Ma Chao. Ma Chao dared not move, and the parley ended. In the general engagement days later Xu Chu killed with his own hand and was promoted to general of the household guard of martial might. That was the origin of the "martial guard" title. The troops called him the tiger simpleton for his brute strength and blunt manner; so when Ma Chao asked after the Tiger Marquis, the nickname stuck and the world still uses it for Xu Chu himself.
19
怀 巿巿 西 西 退 宿
Dian Wei came from Jiwu in Chenliu commandery. He was huge of frame, enormously strong, high-minded, and a sworn champion of justice. The Liu family of Xiangyi feuded with Li Yong of Suiyang, and Dian Wei undertook to settle the score. Li Yong had once been magistrate of Fuchun and kept a tight guard about himself. He drove up with fowl and wine like a petitioner, slipped a dagger inside his robe when the gate opened, killed Li Yong and his wife, then stepped out, armed himself from the cart, and walked away An editorial note glosses the verb for exiting. Li Yong lived beside the market; panic swept the stalls. Hundreds gave chase but none dared close with him. After four or five li he met his confederates, fought a running skirmish, and broke clear. The fighting men of the region took note of his name. In the Chuping era Zhang Miao raised loyal troops; Dian Wei served as a soldier under Major Zhao Chong. The camp gate banner was too heavy for any man to raise until Dian Wei lifted it one-handed; Zhao Chong marveled at his strength. He later served Xiahou Dun, piled up beheadings, and became a major. Cao Cao attacked Lü Bu at Puyang. Lü Bu held an outpost west of Puyang; Cao Cao stormed it by night and took it by dawn. Before he could withdraw, Lü Bu's reinforcements arrived and pressed him on three sides. Lü Bu fought in person from dawn past noon in dozens of rounds without a break. Cao Cao called for volunteers to break the enemy line; Dian Wei led dozens in double armor, no shields, only long spears and halberds. The western sector buckled; Dian Wei advanced into a storm of bolts and told his men to warn him at ten paces. They cried, "Ten paces!" Tell me at five, he said. Panicked, they shouted that the enemy was on him. Dian Wei gripped a sheaf of halberds, roared, and charged; every foe before him dropped. Lü Bu's men fell back. At dusk Cao Cao was able to break off. Dian Wei was named commandant, given several hundred bodyguards, and stationed them around the headquarters tent. A fearsome fighter, he led picked troops and was always first through the enemy line. He rose to colonel. Steadfast and vigilant, he stood guard all day and slept beside the headquarters tent by night, rarely visiting his own quarters. He ate and drank for several men at every feast Cao Cao gave, and Cao Cao admired his appetite as part of his valor. The troops sang of him: "Under the tent stands Dian Wei, hefting twin halberds of eighty jin."
20
退
On the Jingzhou expedition Cao Cao reached Wan, where Zhang Xiu surrendered. Cao Cao feasted Zhang Xiu and his officers in high spirits. Cao Cao poured the wine while Dian Wei stood behind him with a broad-bladed axe, glaring at each guest Cao Cao approached. When the banquet ended Zhang Xiu and his officers dared not lift their eyes. Ten days later Zhang Xiu mutinied, struck the camp, and Cao Cao fled on light horse after a reverse. Dian Wei held the gate so the enemy could not force it. The attackers poured in through another gate. A dozen of his men fought to the last, each worth ten ordinary soldiers. As the press thickened he swung his long halberd until spears snapped by the dozen at each blow. His followers fell until almost none were left. Riddled with wounds, he closed to knife range as the enemy tried to seize him. He seized two assailants, crushed them dead, and the rest hung back. He lunged again, cut down more men, then collapsed as his wounds reopened, glaring and cursing as he died. Only then did they take his head, pass it among the ranks, and crowd around his body. Cao Cao halted at Wuyin, wept for Dian Wei, ransomed his body for burial at Xiangyi, and appointed his son Dian Man as a court gentleman. Whenever the imperial train passed the site, Cao Cao sacrificed to him with an ox and a sheep. Missing Dian Wei, Cao Cao made Dian Man a major and kept him close at hand. When Cao Pi took the kingship he named Dian Man commandant of the guard and enfeoffed him as a secondary marquis at court.
21
使
Pang De, courtesy name Lingming, came from Yuandao district in Nan'an commandery. 〈The place name is read with the sound huan, as noted in the margin.〉 He began as a commandery clerk and provincial staff officer. During Chuping he campaigned with Ma Teng against rebel Qiang and Di tribes. He won repeated distinction and rose to colonel. In Jian'an Cao Cao fought Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang at Liyang; Yuan Tan sent Guo Yuan and Gao Gan into Hedong, and Cao Cao sent Zhong Yao with the Liangzhou generals to answer them. Pang De served under Ma Chao at Pingyang against Guo Yuan and Gao Gan, spearheaded the attack, shattered them, and cut off Guo Yuan's head himself. 〈The Wei lüe adds that Pang De took a head in the melée without knowing it was Guo Yuan. After the battle everyone knew Guo Yuan was dead but no one could find the head. Guo Yuan was Zhong Yao's nephew. Pang De later produced the head from his saddle quiver; Zhong Yao wept at the sight. Pang De apologized, but Zhong Yao said Guo Yuan had been a rebel despite the family tie. There was nothing to apologize for. He was named a general of the household and received a village marquisate at the capital. When Zhang Baiqi revolted in Hongnong, Pang De again followed Ma Teng and crushed him between the two Xiao passes. In every fight he shattered enemy lines and ranked first in courage in Ma Teng's host. When Ma Teng was called to the capital as minister of the guards, Pang De stayed with Ma Chao. After Cao Cao defeated Ma Chao south of the Wei, Pang De fled with him into Hanyang and held Jicheng. He followed Ma Chao to Hanzhong and submitted to Zhang Lu. When Cao Cao took Hanzhong, Pang De surrendered with the rest. Cao Cao, knowing his reputation, named him general who establishes righteousness, enfeoffed him at Guanmen village with three hundred households.
22
使
When Wan rose under Hou Yin and Wei Kai, Pang De joined Cao Ren, took the city, executed the leaders, then marched to Fan against Guan Yu. The officers at Fan doubted him because his brother served in Hanzhong with Liu Bei. 〈The Wei lüe names his cousin Pang Rou as then serving in Shu.〉 Pang De often swore that he owed the Wei court his life. He meant to meet Guan Yu in single combat. Either he would kill Guan Yu this year or die in the attempt. He fought Guan Yu in person and put a bolt in his forehead. Riding a white horse, he was known to Guan Yu's men as the White Horse General and widely feared. Cao Ren posted him ten li north of Fan; weeks of rain swelled the Han until the plain was flooded; the Wei commanders clung to a levee. Guan Yu brought warboats and raked the levee with archery from every side. Armored, he shot without wasting a shaft. He executed Dong Heng, Dong Chao, and others who talked of surrender. From dawn past noon the pressure grew; when shafts ran out the fight closed to knives. He told Cheng He that a good general does not cling to life nor a hero break faith—this would be his day to die. He fought with rising fury even as the flood rose and his men gave way around him. With one officer and two sergeants he tried to row back to Cao Ren's camp. The boat swamped; unarmed in the water he was taken but refused to kneel before Guan Yu. Guan Yu offered him command, citing his brother in Hanzhong. Pang De cursed him as a mere upstart and scorned the word surrender. The King of Wei fields a million armored soldiers and strikes terror across the realm. Liu Bei was a mediocrity who could never prevail! He would rather be a loyal ghost of Wei than Guan Yu's officer. Guan Yu had him executed. Cao Cao wept for him and enfeoffed both sons as full marquises.
23
使 使
Emperor Cao Pi sent an edict to Pang De's tomb, comparing him to Xian Zhen and Wang Zhu. The edict praised his steadfast courage and posthumously titled him Marquis Zhuang, the Stalwart. Four sons including Pang Hui received secondary marquisates of a hundred households each. Pang Hui matched his father's valor, rose to general of the capital guard, and held a full marquisate. 〈Wang Yin records that Zhong Hui brought Pang De's remains to Ye for reburial with full honors. Pei Songzhi argues Pang De died at Fan and the tale of a body in Shu is inconsistent. He dismisses Wang Yin's story as fiction.〉
24
The rubric introduces Lady Zhao E, mother of Pang Jun.
25
寿寿 寿 寿寿 寿 寿 寿寿 巿寿 寿 寿 寿 寿 寿 寿 齿 寿 寿 鹿寿 寿便寿 寿 寿 寿寿寿寿 寿 使便 巿
Pang Jun's maternal grandfather Zhao An was murdered by Li Shou; when Zhao's three sons died in a plague, Li Shou's clan celebrated. Lady Zhao E avenged her father by killing Li Shou at the county pavilion in daylight, then walked to the magistrate and asked to die. Magistrate Yin Jia of Lufu resigned his seal rather than try her and sent her home by cart. An amnesty spared her; the region honored her with a stone memorial at her gate. 〈Huangfu Mi's Lie nü zhuan identifies her as Pang Eqin of Jiuquan, wife of Pang Zixia and daughter of Zhao Jun'an of Lufu. Zhao Jun'an's murderer Li Shou was watched by three Zhao brothers who meant to kill him. A plague carried off all three brothers. Li Shou feasted his kin, boasting that only women were left in the Zhao line. He relaxed his guard. Her son Pang Jun heard the boast and told his mother. Lady Zhao swore she would not leave Li Shou alive. Heaven and earth were witness to the shame of her dead brothers. She vowed to kill him with her own hand rather than trust to chance. She bought a fine sword and nursed her resolve night and day. Li Shou rode armed through the district, terrifying the neighbors. A neighbor Mrs. Xu urged her to abandon the plan, saying a woman could not match an armed bully. Strength was not on her side. Failure would destroy her house and deepen her shame. She begged her to think of the family line. Lady Zhao replied that a father's murderer cannot coexist under heaven. While Li Shou lived she had no reason to live. Though her brothers were gone she would not delegate vengeance. Mrs. Xu's caution would leave the killer alive; in Lady Zhao's mind Li Shou was already a dead man. She honed her blade nightly while kin and neighbors mocked her. She told them they laughed because they thought a woman could not kill Li Shou. She would prove them wrong with Li Shou's blood on the steel. She abandoned her home and stalked him in a deer cart. On a clear morning in Guanghe 2 she seized his bridle at the pavilion and denounced him. Li Shou tried to wheel his horse and flee. She hacked at him and wounded his mount. The horse threw him into the roadside ditch. She struck again but hit a tamarisk and broke her sword. Wounded, Li Shou still guarded his dagger and tried to rise roaring. She closed, pinned his throat, and strangled him down. She took his head to the authorities and walked calmly to prison. Magistrate Yin Jia resigned rather than sentence her and let her go. She said vengeance done, she was ready to die. Trials were the magistrate's duty. She would not live by bending the statute. The whole town crowded to watch, moved to tears and admiration. Local officers whispered that she should flee. She refused to flee and stain the law. She asked to accept execution to vindicate the code. She would die ten thousand deaths rather than live by betraying the court. The warden would not take her into custody; she insisted that even a humble woman knew the law. Murder was not something the code could overlook. Having killed, she could not in honor flee punishment. She asked to die in the public square to vindicate the statute—that was her wish. Her voice grew sharper and her face showed no fear. The warden gave up arguing and sent her home by cart. Zhou Hong of Liangzhou and Liu Ban of Jiuquan memorialized the throne, praised her valor, and raised a stone at her gate. Zhang Huan, grand master of ceremonies, honored her with twenty rolls of silk. All who heard the story praised her moral stature. Liang Kuan of Anding later wrote her biography. The commentator Xuanxuan observed that avenging a parent was usually a man's duty. Yet this woman, stirred by her father's murder and the enemy's taunts, killed Li Shou in single combat—unprecedented in recent ages. The Odes line on sharing the lord's enemies applies to her.〉
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西
Yan Wen, courtesy name Bojian, came from Xicheng in Tianshui commandery. He served as Liangzhou aide and acting magistrate of Shanggui. When Ma Chao fled to Shanggui, Ren Yang and others opened the city to him. Yan Wen could not stop the rising and raced back to the provincial seat. Ma Chao besieged Jicheng; the province sent Yan Wen secretly to beg relief from Xiahou Yuan. He slipped through the enemy cordon by night along the watercourse. Trackers caught him next day at the Xianqin border and brought him to Ma Chao. Ma Chao freed him and sneered that his mission had failed. If he would shout to the city that no help was coming, Ma Chao would spare him. Otherwise he would die at once. Yan Wen feigned agreement; Ma Chao had him driven under the walls. He shouted that relief would arrive within three days. The defenders wept and cheered. Ma Chao raged at him for throwing away his life. Yan Wen was silent. Ma Chao had stalled before the walls and hoped to turn him. He asked whether anyone inside wished to defect. Yan Wen still said nothing. Yan Wen replied that a loyal minister dies for his lord and would not utter treason to save himself. Ma Chao executed him.
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怀 使 西
Earlier the Hexi corridor was cut off; Dunhuang's governor Ma Ai had died without an assistant in office. Merit clerk Zhang Gong, respected locally, sent his son Zhang Jiu east to Cao Cao to ask for a new governor. Huang Hua and Zhang Jin each held their cities and meant to join Zhang Gong The text glosses the name as Ai. They meant to combine their forces against the court. Huang Hua seized Zhang Jiu at Jiuquan and threatened him with swords. Zhang Jiu refused to yield and wrote secretly urging his father not to ransom him. He cited Yue Yang and Li Tong as men who put the state before family. The imperial host was near; Zhang Gong need only hurry troops to pinch the rebels; he begged his father not to spare him from sentiment. Zhang Gong sent his kinsman to strike Jiuquan's Shatou and Ganqi. He followed with a second column in mutual support. Two hundred cavalry escorted the new governor Yin Feng in along the northern road. Zhang Jin waited for Huang Hua's help; Huang Hua dared not move for fear of Zhang Gong behind him and surrendered to Su Ze at Jincheng. Zhang Jiu survived. Yin Feng took up his post.
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西 西 广 便
In Huangchu 2 an edict praised Zhang Gong, enfeoffed him as secondary marquis, and named him colonel of the Western Regions garrison. He was recalled for court office but sent his son to replace him in the west. At Dunhuang he pleaded serious illness and declined further service. He died in the Taihe era and was posthumously named bearer of the golden mace. Zhang Jiu later governed Jincheng; father and son were renowned in the west. 〈The Shiyu records Zhang Jiu's son Zhang Xue as governor of Guanghan under Jin Wu. Zhang Xue arrested an aide of Wang Jun for raising troops without the proper tally. The emperor asked why he had not reported secretly first. Zhang Xue answered that the Shu region was remote and had seen such abuses before. Arresting the man outright was already lenient. The emperor approved his reasoning. He rose to general of the household against the Xiongnu. His son Zhang Gu, like him in character, was a gentleman of the Yellow Gates and died young. One manuscript writes his name as Bo instead of Xue.
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簿 使 西 使 西 饿使 使
Pei Songzhi notes that Yu Huan's Wei lüe grouped Han-era bravoes with Wei for thematic reasons. Their conduct matched Pang Jun and Yan Wen. Zhu Gongdao is already treated in Jia Kui's biography. Sun Binshuo and three others are appended below. Sun Binshuo of Beihai came from a poor family. Under Emperor Huan, eunuchs such as Zuo Guan and Tang Heng rivaled the throne. In Yanxi Tang Heng's brother held the capital tiger-fang colonelcy at two thousand piculs but answered to the commandery. The new colonel snubbed the governor; clerk Zhao Xi humiliated him at the gate. He ordered his chief clerk seized. The colonel fetched his tablet; the governor meant to entertain him and sent for provisions. Zhao Xi reported again, saying: A marginal gloss marks the surname as Zuo. Zuo Guan's kinsman has come as tiger fangs—not a virtuous selection—not worthy of special wine purchase; plain fare from the middle kitchen is enough. Zhao Xi then blocked his thank-you letter at the gate with insults. The message was delayed and left unanswered. The Tang brothers resolved to wipe out the Zhao clan. They had Tang Heng secure the capital governorship within weeks. Zhao Xi fled. Tang Heng forged a recall of Zhao Zhongtai from Liangzhou. An order went out to slaughter every Zhao male and anyone who sheltered them. Zhao Qi fled to Beihai in disguise and sold cakes in the market. Sun Binshuo, in his twenties, drove into the market with escorts. He saw Zhao Qi and sensed he was no ordinary peddler. He asked whether the cakes were his own or resale goods. Zhao Qi said he resold them. Sun Binshuo asked his margins. Zhao Qi said he bought and sold at the same thirty. Sun Binshuo said no honest merchant would sell at cost. He opened the cart, ordered his riders to lift Zhao Qi in, He opened the back of the cart, signaled his two escorts, and had them dismount and lift Zhao Qi aboard. Zhao Qi took them for Tang Heng's spies, was terrified, and went pale. Sun Binshuo shut the rear door, let the front apron fall, and said, From your bearing you are no cake seller, and your color has changed—you carry either a deep blood debt or you are a fugitive. I am Sun Binshuo of Beihai. A hundred souls look to my gate, and a mother of a hundred years sits in our hall. I have the means to judge your case and I will not betray you—you must tell me the truth. Zhao Qi then told him everything. Sun Binshuo put him in the cart and drove him home. He halted outside the gate, went in first, and said to his mother, "Today I found a friend worth dying for—he is outside and should come in to pay his respects." He then brought Zhao Qi inside, slaughtered an ox, poured the wine, and they feasted together in high spirits. A day or two later he moved Zhao Qi to a remote farm and hid him between hollow walls. Within a few years Tang Heng and his brothers were all dead. Zhao Qi could emerge and return to his home commandery. The three high offices summoned Zhao Qi; he rose through governor, inspector, and grand coachman, while Sun Binshuo won fame in the east and became inspector of Yu Province. Late in Chuping Sun Binshuo fled famine in the east and took refuge in Jing Province. In the Xingping era Zhao Qi, as grand coachman with imperial staff, toured the empire on a mission of consolation; when he reached Jingzhou he met Sun Binshuo again, and the two wept together. Zhao Qi told Liu Biao the whole story of his rescue, and Liu Biao honored Sun Binshuo all the more. Soon Sun Binshuo died; Zhao Qi was still in the south and mourned him as for a kinsman. Yang Aruo—later named Yang Feng, courtesy Boyang—was from Jiuquan. As a young bravo he lived by blood feuds, so the saying ran: "East of the market they slash—Yang Aruo; west of the market they slash—Yang Aruo." In Jian'an the governor Xu Yi put the great Huang family to death. Huang Ang escaped and spent his family grain and gold to raise over a thousand men against Xu Yi. Xu Yi held the walls. Yang Feng was away; deeming Huang Ang a villain, he warned Xu Yi, left his family, and raced to Zhangye for help. Zhangye then revolted and killed its governor; Huang Ang stormed the city and killed Xu Yi, and the two districts joined forces. Huang Ang hated Yang Feng for opposing him and offered a rich bounty to take him alive, even asking Zhangye to rope his neck with hemp. Yang Feng fled. Zhang Meng, governor of Wuwei, made Yang Feng acting chief commandant and sent him with a summons to Jiuquan to avenge Xu Yi. Yang Feng rode alone into the Southern Qiang, raised a thousand cavalry, and burst from the Lequ range toward the city. Within thirty li of the city he had every man dismount and drag brush to raise a dust cloud. The defenders saw the dust and fled, thinking a great host was coming from the east. Huang Ang fled alone; the Qiang seized him. Yang Feng said, "You wanted my neck in a noose—now the rope is on yours." Huang Ang begged pardon in shame; Yang Feng killed him. Huang Hua was still in the east and had resumed the governorship. Yang Feng feared Huang Hua and fled again to Dunhuang. When the Hexi was pacified in Huangchu and Huang Hua submitted, Yang Feng came home. The commandery recommended him as filial and incorrupt; the province praised his valor; the court named him commandant of the horse for the consorts. He died of illness more than twenty years later. Bao Chu, courtesy Wencai, was from Xinfeng in the Jingzhao region. He was a young knight-errant. When Sanfu collapsed in Xingping, Bao Chu lived with his mother and four brothers. Starving, they left their mother at home while they foraged for dodder seeds; the two elder brothers and one younger brother carried the first bag home while Bao Chu and the youngest brother kept gathering. When the brothers returned, dozens of cannibal raiders had seized their mother, strung cords through her hands, and marched her off. The elder brothers were too afraid to follow. When Bao Chu arrived and heard, he meant to chase them. His brothers said the enemy was too many. Bao Chu roared that while their mother was led away to be butchered, life was worthless. He rolled his sleeves, tied his sash, and ran alone until he caught the band. The raiders formed up to meet him. He cut down four or five from one flank. They scattered, regrouped, and surrounded him; he leaped the circle and killed another dozen. The enemy had split, dragging his mother forward. They could not bring him down and fled to rejoin the main body. He pursued again, then saw his mother roped to a neighbor; he attacked once more. The bandits demanded what he wanted. He denounced them and pointed at his mother until they released her. The neighbor was still bound; she cried to him for mercy. He struck again; they said they had given his mother back. He pointed to the neighbor and said, "That is my sister-in-law." They freed her as well. He brought his mother home, then the family moved south as guests at Nanyang. In Jian'an 5 the Guanzhong roads reopened; Bao Chu headed north, but his mother could not walk and his brothers wanted a sedan chair. Bao Chu thought a sedan unsafe on mountain tracks; he put his mother in a cage and carried her on his back all the way home. Local notables praised his devotion and tried to recommend him; the commandery summoned him, but he said a farmer was unfit for office. In the Qinglong era his mother lived past a hundred; Bao Chu was over seventy when she died but still observed the full rites; even at eighty or ninety he looks like a man of fifty.
30
西
Yu Huan asks whether Confucius' praise of Yan Hui matches men who actually suffered in markets and jails for their friends. Why did the Zhou of Puyang and the Zhu of Lu act as they did? They feared reprisal and could not rest easy. Sima Qian honors the man who freed Ji Bu—but are these two not more righteous? So I preserve Sun and Zhu from afar and Yang and Bao from near, to honor them and to rebuke mean ways. Bao Chu, untaught by formal ritual, acted from raw natural duty; though a commoner, he was no different from a man of blazing integrity. Yang Aruo was a bravo in youth and a man of right in maturity; he marched east and west crushing traitors—both brave and humane.〉
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Appraisal.
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The historian's verdict: Li Dian honored learning and set private quarrels aside for the common good—admirable. Li Tong, Zang Ba, Wen Pin, and Lü Qian held the borders with a mix of severity and mercy. Xu Chu and Dian Wei were the Fan Kuai figures at Cao Cao's side. Pang De gave his life defying the enemy, in the mold of Zhou Ke. Pang Jun risked the blade and his sincerity moved another realm. Yan Wen's shout beneath the walls recalls the steadfastness of Jie Zitui and Lu Zhonglian.
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