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卷二十六 魏書二十六 滿田牽郭傳

Volume 26: Book of Wei 26 - Biographies of Man, Tian, Qian, and Guo

Chapter 26 of 三國志 · Records of the Three Kingdoms
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Chapter 26
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1
滿
Man Chong, Tian Yu, Qian Zhao, and Guo Huai.
2
滿 使
Man Chong, courtesy name Boning, was a native of Changyi in Shanyang. At eighteen he was appointed courier inspector for the commandery. Li Shuo and others in the commandery then commanded private followings and preyed on civilians; the grand administrator sent Chong to rein them in. They sued for pardon and ceased their pillaging. He held office as magistrate of Gaoping. Zhang Bao of that county was the commandery courier inspector—venal, grasping, and meddling with official business. When Zhang Bao showed up at the post station, Chong marched clerks and soldiers out to arrest him, questioned him about his crimes, had the case resolved that same day, resigned his post, and went home.
3
西
After Cao Cao entered Yan Province, Chong received appointment as an aide. Once Cao Cao took the title of grand general, Chong joined the western bureau staff and became magistrate of Xu. Cao Hong, a proud kinsman of the ruling house, kept guests in the district who broke the law again and again; Chong took them into custody. Cao Hong wrote to intercede; Chong refused to listen. Hong appealed to Cao Cao, who called in the chief clerk responsible for Xu. Chong saw that a pardon was coming and put the man to death at once. Cao Cao said with satisfaction, 'You did what the office required—was that not right?' Therefore the former grand commandant Yang Biao was seized and handed over to the county prison; the minister over the masses Xun Yu, the chamberlain for the palace revenues Kong Rong, and others all instructed Chong: 'Only take his statement; do not apply torture.' Chong ignored them and questioned Yang under the normal judicial procedure. A few days later he sought an audience and reported, 'Under interrogation Yang Biao has admitted nothing further. If a man must die, his guilt should be displayed first; his name is known across the empire—if his offense stays obscure the throne will forfeit public trust, and I fear that would wound your lordship.' Cao Cao pardoned Yang Biao that very day. At first Xun Yu and Kong Rong were furious when they heard Yang was being beaten; once matters turned out as they did, they respected Chong more than ever. 〈Pei Songzhi remarks: The Yangs were a household steeped in virtue; Yang Biao was an eminent minister—even had he owed some fault he deserved protection; all the more under indiscriminate cruelty could one justify laying on torture. If legal questioning had truly been warranted, would Xun Yu and Kong Rong have pleaded with Chong for nothing? To pride oneself on such conduct is the logic of a cruel judge. Later virtue cannot erase earlier brutality.〉
4
Yuan Shao dominated the Hebei plain, and Runan—his native commandery—teemed with his clients and partisans in every county, armed and defiant. Cao Cao, troubled by the situation, named Chong administrator of Runan. He enlisted five hundred willing men, stormed over twenty strongholds, lured leaders who still held out, slew more than ten of them at their seats, and thus pacified the region in one sweep. He registered twenty thousand households and two thousand troops and set them to working the land.
5
退
In Jian'an 13 he joined Cao Cao's expedition against Jing Province. On the army's return Chong stayed behind as acting Inspires Might general, camped at Dangyang. Sun Quan kept raiding the east, so Chong was recalled to Runan and granted a secondary marquisate inside the passes. With Guan Yu investing Xiangyang, Chong reinforced Cao Ren at Fan; Yu Jin and his hosts were swept away when floodwaters rose. Guan Yu hammered Fan; water lapped the walls and sections fell; the defenders went pale. Some urged Ren, 'This crisis is beyond what force can bear. Slip away in small boats under cover of night before the ring closes—you may surrender the city but save yourselves.' Chong replied, 'The flood is fierce but should ebb soon. Word is Guan Yu has sent a column toward Jia; south of Xu the people are in uproar; he hesitates to push south because he dreads a stab in the rear. If we bolt now, everything south of the river ceases to be ours; wait it out.' Ren said, 'Well said.' Chong sacrificed a white horse and bound the garrison with an oath. When Xu Huang's reinforcements came, Chong fought stubbornly; Guan Yu pulled back. His fief was advanced to village marquis of Anchang. Once Cao Pi took the kingship, Chong became general who Displays Martial Might. He earned credit routing Wu at Jiangling, was named general who Subdues the Waves, and encamped at Xinye. On the southern expedition at Jing Lake he commanded the vanguard, confronting the foe across the channel. He warned his officers, 'The gale tonight is fierce—the enemy will try to fire the camp; stand ready.' Every unit went on alert. At midnight they sent ten companies to sneak in and torch the lines; Chong ambushed and shattered them and was enfeoffed marquis of Nanxiang. Huangchu 3 brought him the credentials of office—staff and axe. In the fifth year he took rank as general of the van.
6
西便 耀 耀 退
In the first year of Qinglong, Chong submitted a memorial saying, 'Hefei's south face adjoins the rivers and lakes, while to the north it is far from Shou-chun; when bandits attack and besiege it, they can seize the advantage of the water; relief must first break the main enemy force before the siege ends. Raiders move easily; rescuers do not—so shift the garrison thirty li west to rugged ground, build a new fortress, bait the enemy onto dry land, and cut their retreat." The protector general Jiang Ji debated, considering that 'To show the realm weakness in this way, and moreover to destroy the city at sight of the enemy's signal fires—this is to withdraw without being attacked. That invites limitless pillage and commits you to a Huai-north defense line." The emperor withheld approval. Chong again memorialized, saying, 'Sunzi says warfare is the way of deception. Feign weakness when strong and strength when weak; lure with profit and overawe with fear. Appearance and reality need not match. He also wrote, "Master opponents by shaping what they see." Moving inland before they strike is shaping the battlefield to bait them. Pull them off the rivers, strike at the advantage, and internal security follows external success." Minister Zhao Zi favored Chong's scheme; an edict granted consent. That year Sun Quan marched in person on the new fortress; it sat back from the river, so he hovered offshore twenty days without landing. Chong told his officers, 'Sun Quan boasts because we relocated; he brings a huge host for a knockout blow—he may stop short but will land soldiers to parade superiority. He hid six thousand foot and horse near Feicheng to spring the trap. Sun Quan did land to show force; Chong's ambush leaped up, slew hundreds, and drove others into the drink. Next year Sun Quan led an army billed at one hundred thousand against new Hefei. Chong raced thither, enlisted dozens of daredevils, fashioned pine torches soaked in oil, burned the siege gear upwind, and killed Sun Quan's nephew Sun Tai with an arrow. The enemy then retired. Spring of year three he sent thousands of households to till north of the river. By August the grain ripened and peasants thronged the fields; distant pickets lay hundreds of li out—ripe for a raid. He sent his chief clerk with three corps downstream along the Jiang to wreck the settlements, torch the grain, and withdraw. Imperial praise followed, and every captured prize went to the troops as bounty.
7
Tian Yu, courtesy name Guorang, hailed from Yongnu in Yuyang. While Liu Bei sheltered with Gongsun Zan, the youthful Tian Yu attached himself to Bei, who thought him extraordinary. After Bei became inspector of Yu Province, Tian Yu asked leave—his mother was old. They parted in tears as Bei said, 'How I wish we could finish the great work together.'
8
使 退
Gongsun Zan assigned Tian Yu magistrate of Dongzhou; Wang Men rebelled, joined Yuan Shao, and marched over ten thousand men against the town. The defenders panicked and wanted to yield. Tian Yu mounted the wall and shouted to Wang Men, 'Gongsun Zan favored you; you left because you were desperate; now you turn bandit—plainly you are a wrecker of order. A petty wit may guard a well—you received this office; I hold it now; why not storm it while you can?' Shamed, Wang Men broke off the attack. Zan knew Tian Yu was shrewd yet never gave him real responsibility. After Zan's fall Xianyu Fu ran the commandery at popular insistence; fond of Tian Yu, he made him chief clerk. Heroes rose on every side and Fu wavered between them. Tian Yu told him, 'The house that will reunify the realm will be Cao Cao's. Submit soon—do not invite later ruin.' Fu took the advice and earned title and favor. Cao Cao enlisted him as army strategist, named him magistrate of Yingyin and Langling, raised him to administrator of Yiyang, and his administration prospered everywhere.
9
滿
When Marquis of Yanling Cao Zhang attacked Dai commandery, Tian Yu served as chief of staff. North of Yi barbarian horse archers ambushed the column; the ranks dissolved in panic. Tian Yu used the ground to wheel wagons into a ring, packed crossbowmen inside, and plugged gaps with feints. The tribesmen stalled and scattered. A pursuit routed them; the Dai campaign succeeded—credit belonged to Tian Yu.
10
He rose to grand administrator of Nanyang. Earlier, Hou Yin of the commandery had risen in revolt; thousands of men took to the hills as bandits and terrorized the district. His predecessor had arrested over five hundred accomplices and petitioned for the execution of every one. Tian Yu visited every chained captive, spoke reassurance, offered them a fresh start, struck off their bonds, and released them. They kowtowed, pledged service, spread the word among themselves, and the outlaw bands melted away overnight; peace returned to the commandery. He forwarded a full report; Cao Cao approved.
11
使 西 使 使 使 便 使 使
Early in Cao Pi's reign the northern tribes pressed the frontier, so Tian Yu took the staff as Wuhuan colonel while Qian Zhao and Xie Jun oversaw the Xianbei. East of Gaoliu and west of the Huimo tribes stretched dozens of Xianbei bands—Bineng, Mijia, Suli—each ruling a slice of ground with fixed borders; they swore jointly not to sell horses into China. Tian Yu judged a unified frontier bad for the realm and set the tribes at each other's throats before they could unite. Suli broke the pact by selling a thousand mounts to the court; Bineng attacked him, and he pleaded with Tian Yu for aid. He feared unchecked annexation and worse raids—better to aid the righteous, punish the vicious, and signal honesty to every tribe. With only elite soldiers he drove deep into tribal lands; nomads swarmed fore and aft and severed his retreat. He camped a dozen li from the enemy, heaped dung alight as a blind, and slipped away along another track. The tribesmen saw endless smoke and assumed he remained; only after marching many li did they discover the ruse. They chased him to Ma city and ringed him ten deep; he hid his plan, had a major parade colors and music out the south gate, and every tribesman rushed that way. He struck from the north with picked men and a sudden battle cry; caught between two fires the nomads broke, dropped weapons and mounts, and fled on foot; the chase ran twenty li and left the plain strewn with dead. The Wuhuan chief Gu Jin was arrogant and rude; Tian Yu rode beyond the pass on patrol with barely a hundred horse and walked into Jin's camp. When Jin stepped up to bow, Tian Yu had guards cut him down and parade his crimes before the assembly. The horde froze in terror; he installed Jin's younger brother as chief. After that the tribes lost heart and his name shook the desert. The brigand Gao Ai led thousands in raids across You and Ji; Tian Yu persuaded Suli's Xianbei to execute him and shipped the head to Luoyang. He received the village marquisate of Changle. Nine years as colonel he broke up mergers among tribes and scattered the strongest intriguers. Fugitives who connived with nomads against the court—he set them at odds until plots collapsed and hostile camps could not endure. Before he finished, Governor Wang Xiong's clique wanted Xiong named Wuhuan colonel and smeared Tian Yu as a troublemaker on the border. He was shifted to Runan with the brevet rank of general who Exterminates the Yi.
12
使 使使 便
Late in Taihe Gongsun Yuan rebelled in Liaodong; the emperor wanted a commander and Yang Ji recommended Tian Yu. 〈Pei Songzhi notes: Yang Ji, courtesy Xiuxian, from Yingyang—his career appears in 〈the biography of Liu Ye.〉 His son Yang Zhao served as inspector of Jing Province under the Jin. Shan Tao's memorial praised Yang Zhao's abilities. Zhao's son Tan (Daoyuan), Xin (Gongsi); Tan's son Yu (Changwen) and Jing (Zhongwu)—all mentioned in Pan Yue's writings.〉 The court kept him in grade, gave him Qingzhou command, the staff of authority, and orders to strike. When Wu allied with Yuan, the emperor feared both enemy numbers and the sea crossing and told Tian Yu to stand down. Tian Yu reckoned the fleet would turn homeward in late year's bitter gales; with no lee east along the coast they would run for Cheng Mountain. Cheng Mountain offered no anchorage, so he shadowed the shore, mapped headlands and islets, and sealed the choke points with troops. He entered Cheng Mountain and climbed the lookout Han Wudi had used. The fleet met the feared storm; hulls smashed on cliffs or surf; crews could not escape and were taken wholesale. Generals had mocked his empty-ground trap; after the victory they clamored to ride salvagers out and snag wrecks. He refused—cornered foes would fight to the death. Earlier, as administrator overseeing Qingzhou, he crossed Cheng Xi the provincial governor, who quietly resisted and second-guessed every operation. Xi knew the sovereign treasured bright pearls and secretly memorialized, "Although Yu had battle achievements, his prohibitions and orders were loose; he obtained many weapons, pearls, and gold, scattered them freely, and did not submit them to the government." His exploits went uncredited.
13
滿 使 便 使使 退
Later Sun Quan marched on the new fortress with an army billed at one hundred thousand; Man Chong wanted to march every corps to relieve it. Tian Yu said, "The enemy has raised all his forces in a great movement. This is not merely for a small gain from shooting; he wishes to pin down Xincheng and draw our great army. Let them grind against the walls and dull their edge; do not trade blows on their terms. Fail to storm it and their troops tire; strike when exhaustion sets in and you win big. If they see through it they may not invest the fortress at all and will slip away on their own. Send relief now and you step into their trap. When hosts collide you should cloud their counsel, not hand them a script." He rushed the analysis to court; the emperor agreed. The enemy withdrew as predicted. Wu raided again; Tian Yu met them and they retreated at once. That night the camps cried panic: 'They are back!' Tian Yu stayed abed and ordered: 'The next man who stirs dies.' Soon it was clear no foe had come.
14
使 祿 宿 西 西 使
Late in Jingchu his estate gained three hundred households atop the existing five hundred. Early Zhengshi brought the staff as Xiongnu colonel, rank as Inspires Might general, and the Bingzhou inspectorship. Frontier tribes heard his name and queued up with tribute. The province quieted and the people loved him. The court called him to the chamberlainship of the palace guard. He begged to retire again and again; Sima Yi called him hale and refused. He answered: 'After seventy to cling to office is like ringing midnight bells yet racing through the dark—that is crime.' He then insisted he was mortally ill. They named him grand counselor with a minister's stipend. He died at eighty-two. His son Tian Pengzu inherited the title. 〈The Wei lüe records: after retiring Tian Yu lived in Wei county. Runan sent a runner north; remembering Tian Yu's past kindness he detoured to bow. Tian Yu killed a fowl, steamed millet, walked him to the road, and said: 'I am a useless old man—sorry you came so far. I have nothing to give you—what can I do?' The runner wept at his poverty and thin frame; back home he told the old staff and townsfolk. Runan raised thousands in goods to send; Tian Yu refused every gift. Falling ill, he told his family: 'Bury me beside Ximen Bao.' His wife protested: 'Ximen Bao was a godlike sage—how dare we lie beside him?' He said: 'His conduct matches mine; if spirits endure we shall be friends.' They did as he asked. Runan mourned him, commissioned his portrait, and raised an inscribed stone.〉
15
簿
Tian Yu lived plainly and passed every bonus to the ranks. Nomad gifts went straight onto the ledgers for the government—never his purse; his own house stayed threadbare. Even foreigners honored his rectitude. 〈The Wei lüe adds: Suli's Xianbei visited often and loaded him with cattle and horses; Tian Yu forwarded each herd to the treasury. The tribes decided livestock was too obvious and switched to gold. They secretly carried thirty jin of gold and told Yu, "Please send away the attendants on left and right; we have something to say." Tian Yu cleared the room; they knelt and said: 'We knew you were poor—every herd went to the court; take this gold for your household.' He opened his sleeve, took the gold, and thanked them. When they left he wired every ounce to the authorities with a full memorial. An edict praised him: 'Wei Jiang once welcomed barbarian gifts with open arms; you mirror him—we applaud this.' The throne sent five hundred bolts of silk. He banked half in the lesser treasury and returned half on their next visit.〉 Jiaping 6 brought another imperial commendation and grants of coin and grain to his family. The passage continues in 〈the biography of Xu Miao.〉
16
Qian Zhao, courtesy Zijing, came from Guanjin in Anping. In his teens he studied under Le Yin of the same county. Le Yin later served He Miao as chief clerk; Qian Zhao stayed on to finish his schooling. Amid the capital's chaos both He Miao and Le Yin died; Qian Zhao joined Le Yin's pupil Shi Lu in dodging steel to prepare the corpse and bear the bier home. Bandits waylaid them on the road and Shi Lu's party scattered in flight. The robbers meant to splinter the coffin for the nails; Qian Zhao wept and pleaded for mercy. They respected his valor and let him pass. His reputation dates from that ordeal.
17
Yuan Shao of Ji Province employed him as army-staff supervisor and put him over Wuhuan mounted raiders. When one of Yuan Shao's household broke the law Qian Zhao executed him first and reported afterward; Shao admired the nerve and held him blameless. After Yuan Shao died he served Yuan Shang. Jian'an 9: Cao Cao invested Ye. Yuan Shang sent him to Shangdang to rush grain to the army. Before he could return Yuan Shang had been routed and fled to Zhongshan. Yuan Shang's cousin Gao Gan held Bingzhou; Qian Zhao argued that province flanked Heng Mountain and the Yellow River, fielded fifty thousand men, and blocked the northern tribes—Gao should welcome Yuan Shang and pool strength while watching events. Gao Gan refused the advice and secretly plotted against Qian Zhao. Qian Zhao slipped away by back roads; blocked from joining Yuan Shang he rode east to Cao Cao. Cao Cao took Ji Province and enlisted him as an aide.
18
使 便 便使
Cao Cao was marching on Yuan Tan while the Liucheng Wuhuan meant to reinforce Tan with horse. Because Qian Zhao had led Wuhuan troops before Cao Cao dispatched him to Liucheng. He arrived as King Qiao stiffened discipline—five thousand riders were ready to ride to Yuan Tan. Liaodong governor Gongsun Kang called himself governor of Ping Province and sent Han Zhong with a chanyu's ribbons to invest King Qiao. King Qiao convened the tribal headmen with Han Zhong in attendance. King Qiao asked Qian Zhao: 'Yuan Shao once claimed imperial mandate and named me chanyu in his stead; Lord Cao now says he will petition the throne again and grant me the genuine title; Liaodong has brought another seal and cord. Which commission should count?' Qian Zhao answered: 'Yuan Shao ruled under delegated authority and could hand out titles; when that went wrong the emperor invested Cao Cao—who must report south and reissue the true chanyu patent—that order holds. Liaodong is only a command—how dare it invent appointments on its own?' Han Zhong retorted: 'Our Liaodong fronts the sea, commands a vast host, and can call on Fuyu and Huimo; today the strong rule—why should Cao Cao alone speak for legitimacy?' Qian Zhao thundered: 'Cao Cao serves the Han throne—punishing rebels and soothing loyalists across the realm—while your master hides beyond the sea, defies imperial orders, trades counterfeit seals, and mocks the regalia; annihilation awaits you—how dare you insult him?' He seized Han Zhong by the hair smashed his face on the floor and drew steel to execute him. King Qiao bolted barefoot to clutch Qian Zhao and beg for Han Zhong; every witness went pale. Qian Zhao resumed his seat and lectured the chiefs on profit and ruin until they knelt to obey—then he expelled Liaodong's envoy and canceled the mission to Yuan Tan.
19
After Cao Cao crushed Yuan Tan at Nanpi he named Qian Zhao army strategist for the Wuhuan expedition. At Liucheng he received the colonelcy over the Wuhuan. Back in Ye Liaodong displayed Yuan Shang's head in the horse market; Qian Zhao wept and sacrificed beneath it. Cao Cao praised his loyalty and nominated him flourishing talent. He helped take Hanzhong; Cao Cao then left him as central protector general. When duty ended he returned to Ye as colonel who Pacifies Captives commanding Qing and Xu forces crushed Donglai bandits and slew their leader—the east grew calm.
20
使 使
Cao Pi's accession made Qian Zhao credential-bearing colonel of the Xianbei based at Changping. Frontier folk had fled to hills and swamps while thousands more hid among the Xianbei. He broadcast mercy and drew defectors in. Gongsun Ji and other officers marched their private troops to surrender; he sent them home to their districts. He also won over Suli Mijia and other Xianbei—over one hundred thousand tents—and brought them to the frontier passes.
21
調使 使 西
The court planned war with Wu and recalled him; by the time he arrived the campaign was off—so he became general of the household right and Yanmen governor. Yanmen sat on the edge: guards stood watch yet raids never stopped. He drilled civilians in formation exempted over five hundred Wuhuan households from taxes to equip mounts and pushed scouts deep beyond the wall. Every raid met a counterstroke—nomads broke every time—until officials and farmers grew bold and the steppe grew quiet. He also played tribes against one another until mutual suspicion spread. Chiefs Budugen and Xieguini broke with Kebineng and brought thirty thousand tents to Yanmen's gates. He sent them back against Kebineng killed Kebineng's brother Juluohou and the turncoat Wuhuan nobles Wang Tong and Wang Ji—sparking bitter feud. Qian Zhao then led Xieguini into old Yunzhong and shattered Kebineng. He linked over one hundred thousand western Xianbei households led by Futou rebuilt Shanggu city north of the pass garrisoned it inside and out until every tribe acknowledged Han law—fugitives found no shelter even among kin. Hamlets barred their gates at dusk and brigandage ceased. He picked promising youths for Luoyang's academy who returned as teachers—within years schools flourished. Guangwu's wells ran salt and foul so families hauled sweet water seven li round trip. He read the hills cut channels from high ground and fed fresh water into the walls.
22
西
His son Qian Jia inherited the title. Second son Hong matched his father's grit as Longxi governor he earned laurels under Deng Ai against Shu and became protector Inspires Might under Jin. Qian Jia was Li Yin's half-brother and died young. 〈The Jin history adds that Hong later governed Yangzhou and Liangzhou and fell on the frontier proving his courage. Qian Jia's son Qian Xiu courtesy Chengshu. Xun Chuo's Ji Province gazetteer praises Xiu's genius brash heroism and early fame. Under Taikang Wei Guan Cui Hong and Shi Chong pulled him from Xin'an magistrate and doctorate to aide in the ministry of works. He traded insults for years with Wang Kai the emperor's uncle at the yellow gates. Kai nudged metropolitan commander Xun Kai to charge Qian Xiu with abducting Tian Xing's wife from Gaoping on the road at night. Qian Xiu fired back a memorial exposing the frame-up and Kai's filth in blistering prose. Many ministers defended him yet his name never recovered. Zhang Hua later employed him as chief clerk until he rose to secretary. The prince of Hejian named him Pacifies-the-North general with staff—he died at Fengyi. Later readers savor his verse and mourn the waste of his gifts.〉
23
西 便 西
Guo Huai courtesy Boji was a native of Yangqu in Taiyuan. 〈Pei Songzhi opens an annotation with 〈the heading Genealogy of the Guo lineage.〉 It records that Guo Huai's grandfather Guo Quan served as minister of agriculture; his father Guo Yun governed Yanmen.〉 He earned recommendation as filial and incorrupt during Jian'an and became assistant to the Pingyuan governor. While crown prince Cao Pi enlisted him as gatehouse clerk for bandits then as military-affairs clerk under the chancellor and took him on the Hanzhong campaign. Cao Cao left Xiahou Yuan to face Liu Bei and made Guo Huai Yuan's major. Guo Huai stayed behind sick when Yuan fought Liu Bei. When Yuan fell the army panicked; Guo Huai rallied the fugitives and pushed Zhang He to command until order returned. Next day Liu Bei meant to ford the Han and strike. His officers feared Liu Bei's momentum and wanted to fight along the bank. Guo Huai said, "This shows weakness and is not enough to frustrate the enemy; it is no plan. Stand back from the river lure him halfway across then hit him—that breaks Liu Bei." They deployed; Liu Bei stalled at the ford while Guo Huai dug in showing no retreat. Cao Cao approved gave Zhang He the staff and kept Guo Huai as major. Cao Pi's kingship brought Guo Huai a secondary marquisate and the western headquarters chief clerk post. He also led the Qiang-conquest guards with Zhang He and Yang Qiu against Zheng Gan's hill bandits and Lushui rebels until both were crushed. The Guanzhong plain steadied and farmers returned to their fields.
24
使 便 使
Huangchu 1: sent to greet Cao Pi's enthronement he fell ill en route and arrived late. At a court feast, Cao Pi sternly rebuked him, saying, "In the past Yu assembled the lords at Mount Tu; when Fangfeng arrived late, he immediately carried out a great execution. All the realm celebrates yet you lag worst—why?" Huai replied, "Your servant has heard that the Five Emperors first instructed and guided the people with virtue; when the Xia lord's government declined, punishments began to be used. I live under a sage-king like Yao and Shun—so I escape Fangfeng's fate." The emperor laughed promoted him acting Yongzhou inspector and village marquis of Sheyang—full appointment came in year five. When Anding Qiang chief Piti rose Guo Huai crushed him and took his surrender. Whenever Qiang or Hu defectors arrived Guo Huai first tallied kin counts ages and sexes; At interview he read each party after a detail or two questioned thoroughly and earned a reputation for uncanny judgment.
25
西 使調 西西西使
Taihe 2: Zhuge Liang drove out of Qishan Ma Su toward Jieting and Gao Xiang toward Liuliu. Zhang He routed Ma Su while Guo Huai stormed Gao Xiang's camp—both Shu forces broke. He also crushed the prominent Longxi Qiang Tangti near Fuhan and took rank as Establishes Might general. Year five saw another Shu thrust out of Lucheng. Longyou wanted grain and debate favored hauling from Guanzhong; Guo Huai soothed tribes with blended awe and mercy until households tithed grain fair levies fed the army and he rose to Displays Martial Might general. Qinglong 2: Zhuge Liang emerged from Xie Valley and opened cooperative farms at Rank Hollow. Sima Yi held the south bank of the Wei. Guo Huai insisted Zhuge Liang would fight for the northern plateau and wanted to seize it first—most advisers disagreed. Huai said, "If Liang crosses the Wei, ascends the plateau, links troops with the northern hills, cuts off the Long road, and shakes the people and the Yi, this is not to the state's advantage." Sima Yi agreed so Guo Huai seized the northern plateau. Before the ditch works finished Shu attacked in strength; Guo Huai counterattacked. Days later Zhuge Liang feinted west; officers assumed a strike on the western perimeter—Guo Huai alone read it as a feint to draw Wei west while the real blow would hit Yangsui. That night Shu struck Yangsui but the garrison held and they failed to scale the walls.
26
西 退 使西
Zhengshi 1: Jiang Wei of Shu drove out of Longxi. Guo Huai pushed to Qiangzhong Jiang Wei pulled back then he attacked Qiang chief Midang pacified over three thousand Di households and relocated them to thicken Guanzhong settlement. He rose to general of the left. Li Yuanbi and Xutu Hu bands from Liangzhou brought over two thousand tents to Yongzhou's allegiance. He asked to settle them at Gaoping in Anding as a shield for civilians—later the westriver commandant post followed. He turned general of the van while still governing the province.
27
西西 退 西 西 西使 西 西退西 使 西
Year five Xiahou Xuan invaded Shu with Guo Huai commanding the van. Reading disaster in the odds Guo Huai pulled out early and avoided a rout. On withdrawal he received the credential staff. Year eight Longxi Nan'an Jinxi and Xiping Qiang—E He Shaoge Fatong Ezhesai—combined besieged cities called Shu south while Liangzhou's Zhi Wudai rebelled again to join them. Xiahou Ba Shu-conquest protector camped the host at Weichi. At Didao every adviser urged clearing Fuhan first to crush hostile Qiang inside and spoil Shu designs outside. Guo Huai bet Jiang Wei would strike Xiahou Ba so he slipped into Fengzhong and swung south to reinforce Ba. Jiang Wei did hit Weichi just as Guo Huai arrived—Wei withdrew. He marched against the rebels slew E He and Shaoge and enrolled over ten thousand tents. Year nine Zhesai held Heguan and old Bai tu astride the river to block Wei. Guo Huai feigned upstream movement slipped troops across downstream seized Bai tu city and smashed them. Zhi Wudai invested Wuwei while kin stayed at Lake Xihai. Guo Huai raced toward Xihai to loot trains—Zhi Wudai doubled back met him north of Longyi and fled broken. Hostile tribes west of Stone Mountain at Lingju blocked the highway and seized imperial couriers. Guo Huai smashed them on the march home. Jiang Wei sortied from Shiying up Qiangchuan west to link Zhi Wudai while prefect Liao Hua walled Chengzhong Mountain and rounded Poqiang hostages. Guo Huai meant to split forces and seize one wing. His officers argued Jiang Wei touches powerful tribes west while Liao Hua holds rugged ground splitting the army weakens both prongs—neither nails Jiang Wei nor takes Liao Hua better march west in one body before Shu links with the tribes sever inside from outside Sunzi's diplomacy stroke. Guo Huai countered, "If we now go take Liao Hua, we will emerge where the enemy does not expect it, and Jiang Wei will certainly look back in alarm. When Jiang Wei doubles back we can finish Liao Hua and leave Jiang Wei exhausted. No distant western march yet tribal allies peel away—one blow two gains." He sent Xiahou Ba after Jiang Wei in Taozhong while Guo Huai personally assaulted Liao Hua. Jiang Wei raced back to save Liao Hua exactly as Guo Huai predicted. His fief advanced to village marquis of Du township.
28
Section heading Historical appraisal.
29
滿
Appraisal: Man Chong was stern resolute brave and resourceful. Tian Yu lived incorruptibly and planned with lucid skill. Qian Zhao upheld duty with fiery valor and striking achievement. Guo Huai engineered meticulous campaigns and framed frontier policy for Qinzhou and Yongzhou. Yet Tian Yu never rose beyond a small province and Qian Zhao died a mere governor—their talents were never fully spent.
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