1
陸遜字伯言,吳郡吳人也。 本名議,世江東大族。 〈陆氏世颂曰:逊祖纡,字叔盘,敏淑有思学,守城门校尉。 父骏,字季才,淳懿信厚,为邦族所怀,官至九江都尉。〉 遜少孤,隨從祖廬江太守康在官。 袁術與康有隙,將攻康,康遣遜及親戚還吳。 遜年長於康子績數歲,為之綱紀門戶。
Lu Xun, styled Boyan, came from Wu in Wu Commandery. His birth name was Yi, and his lineage ranked among the great houses of Jiangdong. 〈According to the Lu Clan Epic Praise, Xun's grandfather Shu, styled Shupan, was clever and cultivated, fond of study, and rose to Colonel of the City Gates. His father Jun, styled Jicai, was plain-dealing, trustworthy, and deeply respected by kinsmen and neighbors; his highest office was Commandant of Jiujiang.〉 Xun lost his father while still a boy and lived with his great-uncle Kang, who served as Administrator of Lujiang. Yuan Shu nursed a grievance against Kang and prepared to strike; Kang sent Xun and the rest of the family home to Wu. Several years Kang's son Ji's senior, Xun kept order in the family and ran its affairs.
2
孫權為將軍,遜年二十一。 始仕幕府,歷東西曹令史,出為海昌屯田都尉,並領縣事。 〈陆氏祠堂像赞曰:海昌,今盐官县也。〉 縣連年亢旱,遜開倉谷以振貧民,勸督農桑,百姓蒙賴。 時吳、會稽、丹楊多有伏匿,遜陳便宜,乞與幕焉。 會稽山賊大帥潘臨,舊為所在毒害,歷年不禽。 遜以手下召兵,討治深險,所向皆服,部曲已有二千餘人。 鄱陽賊帥尤突作亂,復往討之,拜定威校尉,軍屯利浦。
Sun Quan had already taken the title of general when Xun turned twenty-one. He began in headquarters as clerk of the eastern and western offices, then was posted Colonel of Agricultural Garrison at Haichang with civil duties over the county. 〈The inscription at the Lu ancestral shrine notes that Haichang corresponds to present-day Yanguan County.〉 After years of drought he opened the granaries for the needy, pushed farming and silk production, and the county came to rely on him. Bandits lurked widely in Wu, Kuaiji, and Danyang; Xun petitioned with a practical plan and asked to take the matter under his command. Pan Lin, leader of the mountain bandits in Kuaiji, had plagued the countryside for years without being taken. He recruited soldiers locally, drove deep into the rugged terrain, and brought every pocket to heel until his command exceeded two thousand men. When You Tu of Poyang rebelled, Xun marched once more, earned appointment as Colonel Who Fixes Might, and quartered his troops at Lipu.
3
權以兄策女配遜,數訪世務。 遜建議曰:「方今英雄棋跱,豺狼規望,克敵寧亂。 非眾不濟,而山寇舊惡,依阻深地。 夫腹心未平,難以圖遠,可大部伍,取其精銳。」 權納其策,以為帳下右部督。 會丹楊賊帥費棧受曹公印綬,扇動山越,為作內應,權遣遜討棧。 棧支黨多而往兵少,遜乃益施牙幢,分佈鼓角,夜潛山谷間,鼓噪而前,應時破散。 遂部伍東三郡,強者為兵,羸者補戶,得精卒數萬人,宿惡蕩除,所過肅清,還屯蕪湖。
Sun Quan married him to his elder brother Ce's daughter and often sought his counsel on statecraft. Xun urged: "The realm is locked in stalemate among rival warlords; jackals watch for any opening—only by crushing the foe can there be lasting calm. Numbers alone will not suffice while seasoned hill bandits hold the deep fastnesses. While rebellion festers at our core we cannot reach for distant goals—expand the armies and skim off their best fighters." Sun Quan accepted the proposal and named him commander of the headquarters right wing. When Fei Zhan of Danyang took credentials from Cao Cao, incited the mountain tribes, and promised inside help, Sun Quan dispatched Xun against him. Outnumbered, Xun multiplied signal banners and drums, crept through the passes at night, and rolled forward with a sudden uproar that shattered Zhan's host. He drafted the three eastern commanderies—fit men into the ranks, the rest onto the tax rolls—and raised tens of thousands of veterans. Old bandit nests were cleared along his line of march before he pulled back to Wuhu.
4
會稽太守淳於式表遜枉取民人,愁擾所在。 遜後詣都,言次,稱式佳吏。 權曰:「式白君而君薦之,何也?」 遜對曰:「式意欲養民,是以白遜。 若遜復毀式以亂聖聽,不可長也。」 權曰:「此誠長者之事,顧人不能為耳。」 呂蒙稱疾詣建業,遜往見之。 謂曰:「關羽接境,如何遠下,後不當可憂也?」 蒙曰:「誠如來言,然我病篤。」 遜曰:「羽矜其驍氣,陵轢於人。 始有大功,意驕志逸,但務北進,未嫌於我,有相聞病,必益無備。 今出其不意,自可禽制。 下見至尊,宜好為計。」 蒙曰:「羽素勇猛,既難為敵,且已據荊州,恩信大行,兼始有功,膽勢益盛,未易圖也。」 蒙至都,權問:「誰可代卿者?」 蒙對曰:「陸遜意思深長,才堪負重,觀其規慮,終可大任。 而未有遠名,非羽所忌,無復是過。 若用之,當令外自韜隱,內察形便,然後可克。」 權乃召遜,拜偏將軍右部督代蒙。 遜至陸口,書與羽曰:「前承觀釁而動,以律行師,小舉大克,一何巍巍!敵國敗績,利在同盟,聞慶拊節,想遂席捲,共獎王綱。 近以不敏,受任來西,延慕光塵,思廩良規。」 又曰:
Chunyu Shi of Kuaiji reported that Xun had pressed the populace unjustly and left a trail of misery. On a later visit to court he spoke well of Shi as an able administrator. Sun Quan asked: "He impeached you—why sing his praises?" Xun answered: "His memorial aimed at protecting the common folk—that is why he singled me out. Were I to strike back and blacken his name before Your Majesty, that habit must not be allowed to spread." Sun Quan said: "That is how an elder statesman behaves—few others could manage it." Lü Meng claimed illness and traveled to Jianye; Xun called on him there. Xun asked: "Guan Yu sits on our frontier—why leave for the lower Yangzi? Are we not inviting trouble behind our backs?" Lü Meng replied: "You are right—but I am desperately ill." Xun said: "Guan Yu trusts his martial swagger and tramples everyone in his path. Fresh from a triumph, he is swollen with pride and bent solely on the northern offensive; he hardly notices us. News of your sickness will only deepen his complacency. Strike where he does not expect it and you can take him whole. When you audience with the sovereign, work out the scheme in detail." Lü Meng said: "Guan Yu is redoubtable, holds Jingzhou with wide popularity, and rides a wave of recent victory—his boldness is peaking; he will not be easy to bring down." When Lü Meng arrived at court, Sun Quan asked who could succeed him." He answered: "Lu Xun thinks several moves ahead, shoulders weight well, and plans with steady judgment—he can eventually carry the highest charge. He lacks fame abroad, so Guan Yu will not guard against him—no better choice exists. Use him, but let him play humble while studying the ground—only then can we win." Sun Quan summoned Xun, commissioned him Lieutenant-General and right-wing commander, and sent him to succeed Lü Meng. From Lukou Xun wrote to Guan Yu: "You seized the moment and struck by the book of war—small move, sweeping triumph. Our foe is broken; the ally profits. I rejoiced at the news and imagined you would overrun the field and help restore the imperial order. I am newly posted westward, unworthy as I am, and crave the honor of your dust—I hope for your seasoned guidance." He went on:
5
于禁等見獲,遐邇欣歎,以為將軍之勳足以長世,雖昔晉文城濮之師,淮陰拔趙之略,蔑以尚茲。 聞徐晃等少騎駐旌,窺望麾葆。 操猾虜也,忿不思難,恐潛增眾,以逞其心。 雖雲師老,猶有驍悍。 且戰捷之後,常苦輕敵,古人杖術,軍勝彌警,願將軍廣為方計,以全獨克。 僕書生疏遲,忝所不堪。 喜鄰威德,樂自傾盡。 雖未合策,猶可懷也。 倘明注仰,有以察之。
When Yu Jin fell into your hands, everyone marvelled: they said your fame would outlast the age—that even Duke Wen's victory at Chengpu or Han Xin's stroke against Zhao could not top it. Word is that Xu Huang's light horse have halted within sight of your command banners and study your every move. Cao Cao is wily; rage blinds him to risk, and he may be secretly reinforcing to get his way. They call his troops worn, yet they remain fierce. Victory breeds carelessness; the classics teach that the winning army must grow more alert. May you lay wider plans and clinch the triumph intact. I write clumsily and feel unworthy even of this note. I delight in standing beside your prestige and would lay myself open to you entirely. We have not yet coordinated plans, yet good will may still grow. If your noble eye should fall on me, you will see my sincerity.
6
羽覽遜書,有謙下自托之意,意大安,無復所嫌。 遜具啟形狀,陳其可禽之要。 權乃潛軍而上,使遜與呂蒙為前部,至即克公安、南郡。 遜徑進,領宜都太守,拜撫邊將軍,封華亭侯。 備宜都太守樊友委郡走,諸城長吏及蠻夷君長皆降。 遜請金銀銅印,以假授初附。 是歲建安二十四年十一月也。
Reading Xun's flattering tone, Guan Yu relaxed completely and dropped his guard. Xun filed a detailed briefing that spelled out exactly how to seize Guan Yu. Sun Quan moved troops upstream in secret with Xun and Lü Meng leading the van; they stormed Gong'an and Nan Commandery as soon as they arrived. Xun drove on, added Yidu to his portfolio, was named General Who Pacifies the Frontier, and received the marquisate of Huating. Liu Bei's prefect Fan You bolted from Yidu; every county seat and tribal head submitted. He asked for gold, silver, and bronze seals to invest the newly surrendered officials. It was the eleventh month of Jian'an 24 (219 CE).
7
遜遣將軍李異、謝旌等將三千人,攻蜀將詹晏、陳鳳。 異將水軍,旌將步兵,斷色險要,即破晏等,生降得鳳。 又攻房陵太守鄧輔、南鄉太守郭睦,大破之。 秭歸大姓文布、鄧凱等合夷兵數千人,首尾西方。 遜復部旌討破布、凱。 布凱脫走,蜀以為將。 遜令人誘之,布帥眾還降。 前後斬獲招納,凡數萬計。 權以遜為右護軍、鎮西將軍,進封婁侯。 〈吴书曰:权嘉逊功德,欲殊显之,虽为上将军列侯,犹欲令历本州举命,乃使扬州牧吕范就辟别驾从事,举茂才。〉 時荊州士人新還,仕進或未得所,遜上疏曰:「昔漢高受命,招延英異,光武中興,群俊畢至,苟可以熙隆道教者,未必遠近。 今荊州始定,人物未達,臣愚慺慺,乞普加覆載抽拔之恩。 令並獲自進,然後四海延頸,思歸大化。」 權敬納其言。
He detached Li Yi and Xie Jing with three thousand troops against Shu commanders Zhan Yan and Chen Feng. Yi led the fleet, Jing the foot soldiers; they sealed the defiles, routed Yan's force, and took Feng prisoner. They went on to crush Deng Fu of Fangling and Guo Mu of Nanxiang. The Zigui magnates Wen Bu and Deng Kai rallied thousands of tribal warriors and coordinated operations toward the western front. Xun sent Jing back out and broke Wen Bu and Deng Kai. Bo and Kai escaped and Liu Bei commissioned them as generals. Xun baited them with promises until Wen Bo brought his followers over intact. Kills, prisoners, and defectors ran into the tens of thousands. Sun Quan named him Right Protector of the Army and General Who Guards the West and promoted his fief to Marquis of Lou. 〈The Book of Wu notes that Sun Quan prized Xun's record and wanted him honored beyond his rank as senior general and marquis—he even had Yangzhou Governor Lü Fan formally summon him as aide and nominate him "flourishing talent" for his home province.〉 Many Jingzhou literati had just come over and still lacked suitable posts. Xun memorialized: "Gaozu drew talent from every quarter; Guangwu's revival brought every able man forward—whoever could strengthen the moral order mattered, whether from far or near. Jingzhou is only just pacified and men of talent remain obscure; I humbly ask that you extend shelter and promotion across the board. Let each find his path to office, and the whole realm will turn willingly toward your civilizing rule." Sun Quan accepted the recommendation.
8
夷陵要害,國之關限,雖為易得,亦復易失。 失之非徒損一郡之地,荊州可憂。 今日爭之,當令必諧。 備干天常,不守窟穴,而敢自送。 臣雖不材,憑奉威靈,以順討逆,破壞在近。 尋備前後行軍,多敗少成。 推此論之,不足為戚。 臣初嫌之,水陸俱進,今反捨船就步,處處結營,察其佈置,必無他變。 伏願至尊高枕,不以為念也。
Yiling is a choke point of the realm—quick to take, quick to lose. Losing it means more than one commandery; all of Jingzhou would be in peril. This fight must end in success. Liu Bei defies natural order: instead of holding his lair he walks into our trap. Unworthy as I am, I ride your majesty's mandate to punish the rebel—his collapse is at hand. Liu Bei's past campaigns show mostly defeat, seldom victory. By that measure he is hardly worth fretting over. I feared a combined river and land thrust; now he has left his boats for dry ground and strung camps everywhere—his options are spent. May Your Majesty rest easy—there is no cause for concern.
9
諸將並曰:「攻備當在初,今乃令人五六百里,相銜持經七八月,其諸要害皆以固守,擊之必無利矣。」 遜曰:「備是猾虜,更嘗事多,其軍始集,思慮精專,未可干也。 今住己久,不得我便,兵疲意沮,計不復生,掎角此寇,正在今日。」 乃先攻一營,不利。 諸將皆曰:「空殺兵耳。」 遜曰:「吾已曉破之之術。」 乃敕各持一把茅,以火攻拔之。 一爾勢成,通率諸軍同時俱攻,斬張南、馮習及胡王沙靡柯等首,破其四十餘營。 備將杜路、劉寧等窮逼請降。 備升馬鞍山,陳兵自繞。 遜督促諸軍四面蹙之,土崩瓦解,死者萬數。 備因夜遁,驛人自擔燒鐃鎧斷後,僅得入白帝城。 其舟船器械,水步軍資,一時略盡,屍骸漂流,塞江而下。 備大慚恚,曰:「吾乃為遜所折辱,豈非天邪!」
The officers objected: "We should have hit Liu Bei at once. Now we have chased him five or six hundred li and sparred for most of a year; every defile is dug in—an assault gains nothing." Xun replied: "Liu Bei is wily and battle-tested. His host just assembled—focus and discipline are at their peak; do not engage yet. Now they have stayed long and obtained no advantage from us; the troops are weary and the will disheartened; stratagems are no longer born—pincering this bandit is precisely today." He tried one camp first and was thrown back. The generals grumbled: "We are only wasting men." Xun said: "I know how to break them now." He ordered every man to carry straw and take the camps by fire. Once the blaze caught, he threw every column forward at once, slew Zhang Nan, Feng Xi, and the tribal king Shamoke, and overran more than forty camps. Du Lu, Liu Ning, and other Shu officers surrendered when trapped. Liu Bei gained Ma'an Mountain and drew his lines in a ring. Xun closed every side; the Shu army collapsed with tens of thousands dead. Liu Bei fled by night; couriers hauled away armor and gear to cover his retreat, and he barely reached Baidi. Ships, weapons, and supplies vanished in a stroke; bodies choked the river. Liu Bei groaned in shame: "To be broken by Lu Xun—can this be anything but fate?"
10
初,孫桓別討備前鋒於夷道,為備所圍,求救於遜。 遜曰:「未可。」 諸將曰:「孫安東公族,見圍已困,奈何不救?」 遜曰:「安東得士眾心,城牢糧足,無可憂也。 待吾計展,欲不救安東,安東自解。」 及方略大施,備果奔潰。 桓後見遜曰:「前實怨不見救,定至今日,乃知調度自有方耳。」 當御備時,諸將軍或是孫策時舊將,或公室貴戚,各自矜恃,不相聽從。 遜案劍曰:
Earlier Sun Huan had struck Liu Bei's van at Yidao, been surrounded, and begged Xun for relief. Xun answered: "Not yet." The officers protested: "Sun Huan is a son of the house, ringed and in trouble—how can we leave him?" Xun replied: "Huan holds the garrison's loyalty; the walls and granaries are sound—he is in no real danger. Once my design runs its course, he will break the siege without a relief column." When the plan matured, Liu Bei routed and fled. Huan later told Xun: "I cursed you for not coming—only now do I see your dispositions were sound." During the Liu Bei campaign the generals—veterans of Sun Ce or royal in-laws—each trusted his own judgment and ignored orders. Xun gripped his sword hilt and declared:
11
劉備天下知名,曹操所憚,今在境界,此強對也。 諸君並荷國恩,當相輯睦,共剪此虜,上報所受,而不相順,非所謂也。 僕雖書生,受命主上。 國家所以屈諸君使相承望者,以僕有尺寸可稱,能忍辱負重故也。 各在其事,豈復得辭! 軍令有常,不可犯矣。
Liu Bei is known throughout the realm—even Cao Cao counted him a serious rival. He stands on our borders now: a dangerous enemy. You all owe the dynasty your careers; you should stand together, destroy this enemy, and repay the throne—not pull in separate directions. I am only a scholar, yet the sovereign has placed command in my hands. The court asks you to defer to me because I have earned a little trust and can swallow pride for the common good. Each of you has his duty—there is no room for refusal! These orders stand—defy them at your peril.
12
及至破備,計多出遜,諸將乃服。 權聞之,曰:「君何以初不啟諸將違節度者邪?」 遜對曰:「受恩深重,任過其才。 又此諸將或任腹心,或堪爪牙,或是功臣,皆國家所當與共克定大事者。 臣雖駑懦,竊慕相如、寇恂相下之義,以濟國事。」 權大笑稱善,加拜遜輔國將軍,領荊州牧,即改封江陵候。
When Liu Bei fell, most of the winning moves had been Xun's; the generals finally conceded. Sun Quan asked: "Why did you not report the commanders who disobeyed earlier?" Xun said: "Your favor toward me runs deep, yet the burden outstripped my ability. Those men are your inner circle, your sword arm, your battle-tested veterans—the state needs every one of them for the great work ahead. I am slow and timid, yet I hoped to emulate Lin Xiangru and Kou Xun—yielding for the sake of the realm." Sun Quan laughed and approved. He promoted Xun to General Who Supports the State with concurrent tenure as Governor of Jingzhou and transferred his fief to Jiangling.
13
又備既住白帝,徐盛、潘璋、宋謙等各競表言備必可禽,乞復攻之。 權以問遜,遜與朱然、駱統以為「曹丕大合士眾。 外托助國討備,內實有奸心,謹決計輒還」。 無幾,魏軍果出,三方受敵也。 〈吴录曰:刘备闻魏军大出,书与逊云:「贼今已在江陵,吾将复东,将军谓其能然不?」 逊答曰:「但恐军新破,创痍未复,始求通亲,且当自补,未暇穷兵耳。 若不惟算,欲复以倾覆之餘,远送以来者,无所逃命。」〉 備尋病亡,子禪襲位,諸葛亮秉政,與權連和。 時事所宜,權輒令遜語亮,並刻權印,以置遜所。 權每與禪、亮書,常過示遜,輕重可否,有所不安,便令改定,以印封行之。
While Liu Bei held Baidi, Xu Sheng, Pan Zhang, Song Qian, and others competed in memorials insisting he could be taken and urging another strike. Quan put the question to Xun; Xun together with Zhu Ran and Luo Tong held that "Cao Pi is greatly assembling soldiers and masses. He claims to help us against Liu Bei but schemes inside—we should withdraw immediately." Soon Wei struck, and Wu faced enemies on three fronts. 〈The Wu Records says Liu Bei, learning of Wei's offensive, wrote to Xun: "The enemy has reached Jiangling; I mean to march east again—do you think they can pull it off?" Xun replied: "Their army is fresh from defeat and still licking wounds; they seek ties by marriage and must rebuild—they are in no shape for total war. If they misjudge and drive their beaten scraps east again, they will find nowhere to run."〉" Liu Bei soon died. His son Shan succeeded, Zhuge Liang took the reins, and Shu renewed its pact with Sun Quan. When policy required, Sun Quan had Xun negotiate with Zhuge Liang and even left an impressed seal at Xun's command. Letters to Liu Shan and Zhuge Liang crossed Xun's desk first; if wording troubled him, Sun Quan had it revised, sealed, and sent.
14
七年,權使鄱陽太守周魴譎魏大司馬曹休。 休果舉眾入皖,乃召遜假黃鉞,為大都督,逆休。 〈陆机为逊铭曰:魏大司马曹休侵我北鄙,乃假公黄钺,统御六师及中军禁卫而摄行王事,主上执鞭,百司屈膝。 吴录曰:假逊黄钺,吴王亲执鞭以见之。〉 休既覺知,恥見欺誘,自恃兵馬精多,遂交戰。 遜自為中部,令朱桓、全琮為左右冀,三道俱近,果沖休伏兵,因驅走之,追亡逐北,逕至夾石,斬獲萬餘,牛馬騾驢車乘萬輛,軍資器械略盡。 休還,疽發背死。 諸軍振旅過武昌,權令左右以御蓋覆遜,入出殿門。 凡所賜遜,皆御物上珍,於時莫與為比。 遣還西陵。
In the seventh year of Huangwu (228 CE), Sun Quan had Poyang prefect Zhou Fang lure Wei's Grand Marshal Cao Xiu into a trap. Cao Xiu marched into Wan as hoped; Sun Quan invested Xun with the yellow axe as commander-in-chief to meet him. 〈Lu Ji's epitaph says that when Cao Xiu struck the northern frontier, Xun received the yellow axe, commanded the field armies and imperial guards in the ruler's name, while Sun Quan stood by with whip in hand and every minister bowed. The Wu Records adds that the King of Wu saw him off holding the carriage whip. When Cao Xiu realized the ruse, shame and pride drove him to fight—he trusted his superior numbers. Xun held the center with Zhu Huan and Quan Zong on the wings. Their converging columns smashed Cao Xiu's ambush and routed him to Jiashi. They killed or captured over ten thousand men, seized ten thousand head of livestock and carts, and stripped Wei's baggage train bare. Cao Xiu withdrew and died of a carbuncle on his back. The army marched past Wuchang in triumph; Sun Quan had attendants shade Xun with the imperial umbrella through the palace gates. The gifts were palace treasures without parallel. He was sent back to his post at Xiling.
15
臣以為科法嚴峻,下犯者多。 頃年以來,將吏罹罪,雖不慎可責,然天下未一,當圖近取,小宜恩貸,以安下情。 且世務日興,良能為先,自非奸穢人身,難忍之過,乞復顯用,展其力效。 此乃聖王忘過記功,以成王業。 昔漢高捨陳平之愆,用其奇略,終建勳祚,功垂千載。 夫峻法嚴刑,非帝王之隆業; 有罰無怒,非懷遠弘規也。
The statutes are harsh, and those who run afoul of them are legion. Commanders and clerks keep falling foul of the law—some deserve blame, yet the empire is not united; we should pursue practical gains and grant minor offenses clemency to steady morale. Business multiplies daily and ability matters most. Unless a man is irredeemably corrupt, I ask that proven offenders be reinstated so their talents serve the state. That is how sage kings overlook slips and remember service—how dynasties are built. Gaozu forgave Chen Ping's lapses and used his stratagems—glory that still echoes after a thousand years. Draconian law is no foundation for lasting rule; punishment without rage is no blueprint for winning distant peoples.
16
權欲遣偏師取夷州及朱崖,皆以咨遜,遜上疏曰:
When Sun Quan planned expeditions to Yizhou (Taiwan) and Hainan, he asked Xun, who replied in a memorial:
17
臣愚以為四海未定,當須民力,以濟時務。 今兵興歷年,見眾損減,陛下憂勞聖慮。 忘寢與食,將遠規夷州,以定大事,臣反覆思惟。 未見其利,萬里襲取,風波難測,民易水土,必致疾疫,今驅見眾,經涉不毛,欲益更損,欲利反害。 又珠崖絕險,民猶禽獸,得其民不足濟事,無其兵不足虧眾。 今江東見眾,自足圖事,但當畜力而後動耳。 昔桓王創基,兵不一旅,而開大業。 陛下承運,拓定江表。 臣聞治亂討逆,須兵為威,農桑衣食,民這本業,而干戈未戢,民有饑寒。 臣愚以為宜育養士民,寬其祖賦,眾克在和,義以勸勇,則河渭可平,九有一統矣。
The realm is still divided; the state must husband popular strength for urgent tasks. Years of campaigning have thinned our ranks while Your Majesty wears yourself out with worry. You skip meals and sleep to mount a distant strike on Yiz—I have weighed it again and again. I see no gain: an assault across open ocean invites unpredictable seas and sickness when troops swap climates. Marching our depleted armies through barren islands promises loss, not profit. Hainan is deadly terrain and its folk barely settled—its villages would not help us, and skipping them would not weaken us. Our Jiangdong armies suffice for our aims—we should husband strength and strike only when ready. Prince Huan began with fewer than a regiment yet carved out a realm. You inherited the mandate and pacified the south. Rebellion requires armies to overawe it, yet farming and silk are the people's foundation—war still rages and families go cold and hungry. Nurture the people, lighten taxes, keep harmony in the ranks, and rally courage with justice—the Central Plains will yield and the nine regions unite.
18
權遂征夷州,得不補失。 及公孫淵背盟,權欲往征。 遜上疏曰:
Sun Quan invaded Yizhou anyway and gained less than it cost. When Gongsun Yuan broke the alliance, Sun Quan meant to lead an expedition himself. Xun answered with a memorial:
19
淵憑險恃固,拘留大使,名馬不獻,實可仇忿。 蠻夷猾夏,未染王化,鳥竄荒裔,拒逆王師,至令陛下愛赫斯怒,欲勞萬乘泛輕越海,不慮其危而涉不測。 方今天下雲擾,群雄虎爭,英豪踴躍,張聲大視。 陛下以神武之姿,涎膺期運,破操烏林,敗備西陵,禽羽荊州,斯三虜者當世雄傑。 皆摧其鋒。 聖化所綏,萬里草偃,方蕩平華夏,總一大猷。 今不忍小忿,而發雷霆之怒,違垂堂之戒,輕萬乘之重,此臣之所惑也。 臣聞志行萬里者,不中道而輟足; 圖四海者,匪懷細以害大。 強寇在境,荒服未庭,陛下乘桴遠征,必致窺闟,戚至而憂,悔之無及。 若使大事時捷,則淵不討自服; 今乃遠惜遼東眾之與馬,奈何獨欲捐江東萬安之本業而不借乎? 乞息六師,以威大虜,早定中夏,垂耀將來。
Gongsun Yuan holds the rugged northeast, holds our envoy hostage, and withholds promised horses—cause enough for wrath. Those tribes beyond civilization flit along the frontier and defy imperial troops—yet Your Majesty would brave the sea on account of insult, heedless of peril. The realm boils with rivals who posture and strike like tigers. Your Majesty in martial splendor answered heaven's call—you crushed Cao at Wulin, broke Liu Bei at Xiling, took Guan Yu in Jingzhou: those three were the age's champions. You broke each at the height of his power. Your virtue bows the grass for a thousand leagues—you are on the verge of unifying the Central Plains. Yet over a slight insult you would thunder forth, ignore the caution about leaning from high halls, and hazard the realm—that puzzles me. They say the traveler bound for a distant goal does not quit halfway; those who would rule the world do not sacrifice the whole for a trifle. Powerful enemies ring us while distant tribes withhold tribute. A raft-borne expedition invites rivals to probe our heartland—by the time disaster strikes, regret is useless. Win the greater contest elsewhere and Gongsun Yuan will kneel without a blow; why fuss over Liaodong's horses and foot soldiers while risking Jiangdong's secure foundation? Rest the armies, overawe the foe by reputation alone, secure the Central Plains first, and leave glory for posterity.
20
權用納焉。
Sun Quan followed his advice.
21
嘉禾五年,權北征。 使遜與諸葛瑾攻襄陽。 遜遣親人韓扁□表奉報,還。 遇敵於沔中,鈔邏得扁。 瑾聞之甚懼。 書與遜云:「大駕已旋,賊得韓扁,具知吾闊狹。 且水干,宜當急去。」 遜未答,方催人種葑豆,與諸將欒棋射戲如常。 瑾曰:「伯言多智略,其當有以。」 自來見遜,遜曰:「賊知大駕以旋,無所復戚,得專力於吾。 又已守要害之處,兵將意動,且當自定以安之,施設變術,然後出耳。 今便示退,賊當謂吾怖,仍來相蹙,必敗之勢也。」 乃密與瑾立計,令瑾督舟船,遜悉上兵馬,以向襄陽城。 敵素憚遜,遽還赴城。 瑾便引船出,遜徐整部伍,張拓聲勢,步趨船,敵不敢干。 軍到白圍,託言住獵,潛遣將軍周峻、張梁等擊江夏新市、安陸、石陽,石陽市盛,峻等奄至,人皆捐物入城。 城門噎不得關,敵乃自斫殺己民。 然後得闔。 斬首獲生,凡千餘人。 〈臣松之以为逊虑孙权以退,魏得专力於己,既能张拓形势,使敌不敢犯,方舟顺流,无复怵惕矣,何为复潜遣诸将,奄袭小县,致令市人骇奔,自相伤害? 俘馘千人,未足损魏,徒使无辜之民横罹荼酷,与诸葛渭滨之师,何其殊哉! 用兵之道既违,失律之凶宜应,其祚无三世,及孙而灭,岂此之餘殃哉!〉 其所生得,皆加營護,不令兵士千擾侵侮。 將家屬來者,使就料視。 若亡其妻子者,即給衣糧,厚加慰勞,發遺令還,或有感慕相攜而歸者。 鄰境懷之, 〈臣松之以为此无异残林覆巢而全其遗{壳鸟},曲惠小仁,何补大虐?〉 江夏功曹趙濯、弋陽備將裴生及夷王梅頤等,並帥支黨來附遜。 遜傾財帛,周贍經恤。
In Jiahe 5 (236 CE) Sun Quan marched north. He sent Xun with Zhuge Jin against Xiangyang. Xun sent his man Han Bian to court with a memorial and bring back the sovereign's answer. Wei patrols on the Han River seized Han Bian. Zhuge Jin was terrified. He wrote to Xun: "The sovereign has withdrawn; the enemy captured Han Bian and knows our whole disposition. The river is falling—we must pull out fast." Xun did not answer. He ordered radish and bean planting and played weiqi and archery with his officers as if nothing were wrong. Zhuge Jin said: "Boyan is too clever not to have a plan." He went to Xun, who said: "Wei knows Your Majesty has withdrawn—they need no longer guard Luoyang and can focus everything on us. They hold the choke points; our men are rattled. We must steady them, lay fresh stratagems, then move. If now we immediately show withdrawal, the bandits will suppose we fear and will come again to press us—it is the posture of certain defeat." He confided a plan to Jin: Jin would hold the fleet while Xun marched every soldier toward Xiangyang. Wei troops, who dreaded Xun, rushed back to defend the walls. Jin slipped the fleet downstream while Xun re-formed his ranks with a show of force and marched the infantry aboard unopposed. At Baiwei they announced a hunting halt while Zhou Jun and Zhang Liang swept down on Xinshi, Anlu, and bustling Shiyang in Jiangxia. The townsfolk abandoned their bundles at the gates. The crush blocked the gates; defenders slew their own people to shut them. Only then could they bar the doors. They killed or captured more than a thousand. 〈Pei Songzhi objected: If Xun reasoned that Wei's return east freed Cao Wei to focus on him, and he had already bluffed the enemy into caution and could float downstream unthreatened, why then launch secret raids on petty towns, panicking commoners into trampling one another? A thousand prisoners hardly hurt Wei; they only made blameless townsfolk suffer. How far this is from Zhuge Liang's measured host on the Wei! When warmaking breaks the art of war, the penalty follows. Wu's line did not last three generations—perished in the grandson's reign—perhaps this was one seed of that end. Every prisoner was sheltered; troops were forbidden to molest them. Families who came forward were examined and registered. Anyone separated from kin received clothing, food, and kind words before being sent home; some, moved by his decency, brought neighbors back with them. The borderlands remembered him warmly. 〈Pei Songzhi commented that this was like burning the woods and ruining the nest while sparing a few chicks—petty mercy that cannot undo wholesale harm.〉 Zhao Zhuo of Jiangxia, Pei Sheng from Yiyang, tribal king Mei Yi, and their followers all pledged themselves to Xun. Xun spent his own treasure to feed and comfort them.
22
又魏江夏太守逮式 〈逯立录。〉 兼領兵馬,頗作邊害。 而與北舊將文聘子休宿不協。 遜聞其然。 即假作答式書云:「得報懇惻,知與休久結嫌隙,勢不兩存,欲來歸附,輒以密呈來書表聞,撰眾相迎。 宜潛速嚴,更示定期。」 以書置界上,式兵得書以見式,式惶懼,遂自送妻子還洛。 由是史士不復親附,遂以免罷。 〈臣松以为边将为害,盖其常事,使逯式得罪,代者亦复如之,自非狡焉思肆,将成大患,何足亏损雅虑,尚为小诈哉? 以斯为美,又所不取。〉
Meanwhile Wei's Jiangxia prefect Lu Shi—sources disagree on the orthography of his surname. 〈A sidebar records the name as Lu Shi—the main text uses a different character for the surname.〉 He also commanded troops and became a nuisance on the frontier. He had long been at odds with Wen Pin's son Wen Xiu, the northern veteran. When Xun learned of it, he forged a letter to Dai Shi: "Your heartfelt plea is understood—you and Wen Xiu cannot coexist; you wish to defect. I have secretly forwarded your letter to the throne and am gathering troops to welcome you. Prepare in secret and send a firm rendezvous." He planted the letter on the border. Dai's men showed it to him; panic-stricken, Dai sent his family to Luoyang himself. His officers deserted him and he was stripped of office. 〈Pei Songzhi argued that frontier officers often make trouble; removing Dai Shi only replaces one headache with another unless the man is truly dangerous—hardly worth sullying high policy with a petty ruse. Calling such deceit admirable is something I reject.
23
六年,中郎將周祗乞於鄱陽召募,事下問遜。 遜以為此郡民易動難安,不可與召。 恐致賊寇。 而祗固陳取之,郡民吳遽等果作賊殺祗,攻沒諸縣。 豫章、廬陵宿惡民並應遽為寇。 遜自聞,輒討即破,遽等相率降,遜料得精兵八千餘人,三郡平。 時中書典校呂壹,竊弄權柄,擅作威福。 遜與太常潘浚同心憂之,言至流涕。 後權誅壹,深以自責,語在《權傳》。
In the sixth year of Chiwu (243 CE), General Zhou Qi asked to levy troops in Poyang; the court referred the matter to Xun. Xun argued that Poyang's people were volatile—recruitment would be unwise. It would spark rebellion. Zhou Qi insisted; Wu Ju of the county rose in revolt, slew Zhou Qi, and overran the districts. Hardened malcontents in Yuzhang and Luling joined Wu Ju's rebellion. Xun marched as soon as word reached him, crushed the rising, and accepted Wu Ju's surrender. He drafted eight thousand elite soldiers and pacified three commanderies. Palace inspector Lü Yi had seized clandestine power and threw his weight around. Xun and Chamberlain Pan Jun agonized together until they wept. Sun Quan later executed Lü Yi and bitterly blamed himself; see Sun Quan's biography.
24
時謝淵、謝厷等各陳便宜,欲興利改作, 〈会稽典录曰:谢渊字休德,少修德操,躬秉耒耜,既无慼容,又不易虑,由是知名。 举孝廉,稍迁至建武将军,虽在戎旅,犹垂意人物。 骆统子名秀,被门庭之谤,众论狐疑,莫能证明。 渊闻之叹息曰:「公绪早夭,同盟所哀。 闻其子志行明辩,而被闇昧之谤,望诸夫子烈然高断,而各怀迟疑,非所望也。」 秀卒见明,无复瑕玷,终为显士,渊之力也。 吴历称云,谢厷才辩有计术。〉 以事下遜。 遜議曰:
Xie Yuan, Xie Gong, and others petitioned with proposals for reform and profit, 〈The Kuaiji Canon Record says Xie Yuan, styled Xiude, farmed his own fields without complaint or distraction and won a reputation. Recommended as filial and incorrupt, he rose to General Who Establishes Might and still championed worthy men even on campaign. Luo Tong's son Xiu faced nasty gossip at home; rumor wavered and no one could clear him. Yuan sighed: "Gongxu died young—we who swore fellowship still grieve. I hear his son's aims and conduct are clear and discriminating, yet he suffers slander of dark obscurity—I hoped you gentlemen would fiercely and loftily decide, yet each harbors hesitation—not what was hoped." Xiu was vindicated, cleared of stain, and rose to distinction—thanks to Yuan's advocacy. The Wu Calendar praises Xie Gong's eloquence and craft. The proposals went to Xun for review. Xun replied:
25
國以民為本,強由民力,財由民出。 夫民殷國弱,民瘠國強者,末之有也。 故為國者,得民則治,失之則亂,若不受利,而令盡用立效,亦為難也。 是以《詩》歎‘宜民宜人,受祿於天’。 乞垂聖恩,寧濟百姓,數年之間,國用少豐,然後更圖。
The state rests on the people—its strength and wealth rise from them. The people and the throne rise or fall together—prosperous subjects do not pair with a broken dynasty, nor desperate subjects with a vigorous one. Thus whoever wins the people governs well; whoever loses them faces chaos. Demanding full exertion without granting gain is futile. The Classic of Poetry praises rulers who suit both people and nobles and receive heaven's mandate. Extend mercy, steady the commoners, fill the treasury in a few years, then revisit reform.
26
赤烏七年,代顧雍丞相,詔曰:
In Chiwu 7 (244 CE) he succeeded Gu Yong as chancellor. The edict read:
27
朕以不德。 應其踐運,王塗未一,奸宄充路,夙夜戰懼,不遑鑒寐。 惟君天資聰睿,明德顯融,統任上將,匡國彌難。 夫有超世之功者,必應光大之寵; 懷文武之者,必荷社稷之重。 昔伊尹隆湯,呂尚翼周,內外之任,君實兼之。 今以君為丞相,使使持節守太常傅常授印綬。 君其茂昭明德,修乃懿績,敬服王命,綏靖四方。 於乎! 總司三事,以訓群寮,可不敬歟,君其勖之!其州牧都護領武昌事如故。
We lack virtue, yet heaven called us to rule while the realm stays divided and villains throng the roads. We tremble day and night and scarcely sleep. You combine keen judgment with luminous virtue; as commander-in-chief you have steadied the state through crisis. Those who surpass their age deserve surpassing honor; those who unite civil and martial gifts must shoulder the altars of state. Yi Yin raised Shang; Lü Wang aided Zhou—you bear both inner and outer charge as they did. We name you chancellor and send Fu Chang of the Chamberlain's office with the seals of office. Brighten your virtue, perfect your record, obey the throne's commands, and bring peace to the four quarters. Ah! You oversee the Three Offices and instruct the bureaucracy—approach this with awe and strive still harder. You remain Governor, Protector-General, and governor of Wuchang as before.
28
先是,二宮並闕,中外職司,多遣子弟給侍。 全琮報遜,遜以為“子弟苟有才,不憂不用,不宜私出以要榮利。 若其不佳,終為取禍。 且聞二宮勢敵,必有彼此,此古人之厚忌也。” 琮子寄,果阿附魯王,輕為交構。 遜書與琮曰:「卿不師日磾,而宿留阿寄,終為足下門戶致禍矣。」 琮既不納,更以致隙。 及太子有不安之儀,遜上疏陳:「太子正統,宜有磐石之固,魯王藩臣,當使寵秩有差,彼此得所,上下獲安。 謹叩頭流血以聞。」 書三四上,及求詣都,欲口論適庶之分,以匡得失。 既不聽許,而遜外生顧譚、顧承、姚信,工以親附太子,枉見流徙。 太子太傅吾粲坐數與遜交書,下獄死。 權累遣中使責讓遜,遜憤恚致卒,時年六十三。 家無餘財。
Earlier, with both Heir and Prince of Lu building factions, officials at court and in the provinces sent sons to staff the two households. Quan Zong informed Xun, who wrote: If your sons are truly able, they will be employed in due course; they should not angle for position in the princes' courts. If they are not, they will only court disaster. The two establishments are at odds—ancient sages most feared that. Zong's son Ji toadied to the Prince of Lu and stirred trouble anyway. Xun wrote: "You do not imitate Jin Midi's stern virtue yet harbor Ji—you will bring ruin on your house. Zong ignored him, and their friendship cooled. When the crown prince looked insecure, Xun memorialized: "The heir holds the legitimate line and must stand immovable as rock; the Prince of Lu is only a feudatory prince—rank and favor must differ so both houses and the throne stay secure. I kowtow until blood flows to make this heard." He sent three or four memorials and asked leave to come to the capital to argue the heir's status in person. Sun Quan refused. Xun's nephews Gu Tan, Gu Cheng, and Yao Xin, who had sided with the heir through family ties, were unjustly banished. The heir's tutor Wu Can was jailed and died for frequently corresponding with Xun. Sun Quan repeatedly sent envoys to upbraid him. Xun died of rage and grief at sixty-three. He left no fortune behind.
29
初,暨艷造營府之論,遜諫戒之,以為必禍。 又謂諸葛恪曰:「在我前者,吾必奉之同升; 在我下者,則扶持之。 今觀君氣陵其上,意蔑乎下。 非安德之基也。」 又廣陵楊竺少獲聲名,而遜謂之終敗。 勸竺兄穆令與別族。 其先睹如此。 長子延早夭,次子抗襲爵。 孫休時,追謚遜曰昭侯。
When Ji Yan floated his scheme to rank officers, Xun warned him it would end in disaster. He told Zhuge Ke: "Those senior to me I will raise alongside myself; those junior I will lift up. Yet you lord it over your superiors and despise those beneath. That is no way to build lasting safety." Yang Zhu of Guangling rose young to fame, yet Xun predicted his ruin. He urged Zhu's brother Mu to split the clan and distance himself. Such was his foresight. His eldest son Yan died young; the second, Kang, inherited the title. Under Sun Xiu he was posthumously titled Marquis Zhao.
30
抗字幼節,孫策外孫也。 遜卒時,年二十,拜建武校尉,領遜眾五千人,送葬東還,詣都謝恩,孫權以楊竺所白遜二十事問抗,禁絕賓客,中使臨詰,抗無所顧問,事事條答,權意漸解。 赤烏九年,遷立節中郎將,與諸葛恪換屯柴桑。 抗臨去,皆更繕完城圍,葺其牆屋,居廬桑果,不得妄敗。 恪入屯,儼然若新。 而恪柴桑故屯,頗有毀壞,深以為慚。 太元元年,就都治病。 病差當還。 權涕泣與別,謂曰:「吾前聽用讒言,與汝父大義不篤,以此負汝。 前後所問,一焚滅之,莫令人見也。」 建興元年,拜奮威將軍。 太平二年,魏將諸葛誕舉壽春降,拜抗為柴桑督,赴壽春,破魏牙門將偏將軍,遷征北將軍。 永安二年,拜鎮軍將軍,都督西陵,自關羽至白帝。 三年,假節。 孫皓即位,加鎮軍大將軍,領益州牧。 建衡二年,左大司馬施績卒,拜抗都督信陵、西陵、夷道、樂鄉、公安諸軍事,治樂鄉。
Lu Kang, styled Youjie, was a grandson of Sun Ce on the distaff side. Kang was twenty when his father died. He became Colonel Who Establishes Might with five thousand of Xun's troops, escorted the bier east, then went to the capital. Sun Quan, acting on Yang Zhu's twenty counts against Xun, isolated Kang and sent eunuchs to question him. Kang needed no brief—he answered each charge from memory until Sun Quan's anger eased. In Chiwu 9 (246 CE) he rose to General of the Household Who Establishes Integrity and swapped bases with Zhuge Ke at Chaisang. Before leaving he rebuilt walls and roofs and forbade any damage to houses, mulberries, or orchards. When Zhuge Ke took over, the camp looked newly built. Zhuge Ke felt ashamed that his old Chaisang post lay half ruined. In Taiyuan 1 (251 CE) he went to the capital for medical care. When he recovered he prepared to return. Sun Quan wept at leave-taking: "I once listened to slander and wronged your father—that wrong rests on you. Burn every accusation lodged against him—let no one see them again." In Jianxing 1 (252 CE) he became General Who Displays Might. In Taiping 2 (257 CE), when Zhuge Dan surrendered Shouchun, Kang took command at Chaisang, marched to Shouchun, routed Wei's camp officers, and rose to General Who Conquers the North. In Yong'an 2 (259 CE) he became General Who Guards the Army with river defense responsibility from the old Guan Yu sector to Baidi. The next year he received imperial credentials. Sun Hao promoted him to Grand General Who Guards the Army with nominal tenure as Governor of Yizhou. When Left Grand Marshal Shi Ji died in Jianheng 2 (270 CE), Kang took overall command from Xinling through Gong'an with headquarters at Lexiang.
31
抗聞都下政令多闕,憂深慮遠。 乃上疏曰:
Hearing endless flaws in court policy, Kang grew deeply troubled. He therefore memorialized:
32
臣聞德均則眾者勝寡,力侔則安者制危,蓋六國所以兼併於強秦,西楚所以北面於漢高也。 今敵跨制九服,非徒關右之地。 割據九州,豈但鴻溝以西而已。 國家外無連國之援,內非西楚之強,庶政陵遲,黎民未乂。 而議者所恃,徒以長川峻山,限帶封域,此乃守國之末事,非智者之所先也。 臣每遠惟戰國存亡之符,近覽劉氏傾覆之釁,考之曲籍,驗之行事,中夜撫枕,臨餐忘食。 昔匈奴未滅,去病辭館。 漢道未純,賈生哀泣,況臣王室之出,世荷光寵,身名否泰,與國同戚,死生契闊,義無苟且,夙夜憂怛,念至情慘。 夫事君之義犯而勿欺,人臣之節匪躬是殉,謹陳時宜十七條如左。
When virtue is evenly matched, numbers decide the fight; when strength is comparable, the steadier hand wins—how the six states fell to Qin and Xiang Yu bowed to Liu Bang. Wei spans the nine provinces—not merely Guanzhong. They hold the nine regions—far beyond the Hong Canal line. We lack allies abroad and strength at home like Western Chu; administration slackens and the people lack peace. Counselors trust only rivers and mountains—that is the last resort of defense, not what wise rulers prioritize. I study Warring States fate and Han's fall in the texts, then watch our own conduct—I wake at midnight clutching my pillow and lose my appetite. Huo Qubing refused mansions while the Xiongnu lived. Jia Yi wept while Han still wandered from the Way—I spring from the imperial clan, owe everything to the throne, rise or fall with Wu, share life and death with it. Duty forbids complacency; grief keeps me sleepless. A loyal minister may risk offense but never deceit; he stakes life on duty. I therefore submit seventeen timely proposals below.
33
十七條失本,故不載。
The seventeen proposals no longer survive in the sources and are omitted.
34
時何定弄權,閹官預政。 抗上疏曰:
He Ding dominated the court while eunuchs meddled in policy. Lu Kang memorialized:
35
臣聞開國承家,小人勿用,靖譖庸回,唐書攸戒,是以雅人所以怨刺,仲尼所以歎息也。 春秋已來,爰及秦、漢,傾覆之釁,未有不由斯者也。 小人不明理道,所見既淺,雖使竭情盡節,猶不足任,況其奸心素篤,而憎愛移易哉? 苟患失之,無所不至。 今委以聰明之任,假以專制之威,而冀雍熙之聲作,肅清之化立,不可得也。 方今見吏,殊才雖少,然或冠冕之冑,少漸道孝; 或清苦自立,資能足用。 自可隨才授職,抑黜群小,然後俗化可清,庶政無穢也。
Founding a house forbids employing petty men—the classics warn against slanderous courtiers; poets rail against them and Confucius sighed over them. Since the Spring and Autumn annals, through Qin and Han, every collapse traces back to this mistake. Petty men lack judgment; even at their loyal best they are unreliable—let alone when ambition runs deep and shifts with every whim. Fearing the loss of place, they stop at nothing. Give them power and expect enlightened rule—impossible. Today's officials include few stars, yet many are gentle-born and trained in duty from childhood; others rose through austere integrity with proven competence. Match men to posts, purge the court of parasites, and government runs clean.
36
晉巴東監軍徐胤率水軍詣建平,荊州刺史楊肇至西陵。 抗令張咸固守其城; 公安督孫遵巡南岸御祜; 水軍督留慮、鎮西將軍朱琬拒胤。 身率三軍,憑圍對肇。 將軍朱喬、營都督俞贊亡詣肇。 抗曰:「贊軍中舊吏,知吾虛實者,吾常慮夷兵素不簡練,若敵攻圍,必先此處。」 即夜易夷民,皆以舊將充之。 明日,肇果攻故夷兵處,抗命旋軍擊之,矢石雨下,肇眾傷死者相屬。 肇至經月。 計屈夜遁。 抗欲追之,而慮闡畜力項領,伺視間隙,兵不足分,於是但鳴鼓戒眾,若將追者。 肇眾兇懼,悉解甲挺走,抗使輕兵躡之,肇大破敗,祜等皆引軍還。 抗遂陷西陵城,誅夷闡族及其大將吏,自此以下,所請赦者數萬口。 修治城圍,東還樂鄉,貌無矜色,謙沖如常,故得將士歡心。 〈《晉陽秋》曰:抗與羊祜推僑、札之好。 抗嘗遺祜酒,祜飲之不疑。 抗有疾,祜饋之藥,抗亦推心服之。 於時以為華元、子反復見於今。 《漢晉春秋》曰:羊祜既歸,增脩德信,以懷吳人。 陸抗每告其邊戍曰:「彼專為德,我專為暴,是不戰而自服也。 各保分界,無求細益而已。」 於是吳、晉之間,餘糧棲畝而不犯,牛馬逸而入境,可宣告而取也。 沔上獵,吳獲晉人先傷者,皆送而相還。 抗嘗疾,求藥於祜,祜以成合與之,曰:「此上藥也,近始自作,未及服,以君疾急,故相致。」 抗得而服之,諸將或諫,抗不答。 孫皓聞二境交和,以詰於抗,抗曰:「夫一邑一鄉,不可以無信義之人,而況大國乎? 臣不如是,正足以彰其德耳,於祜無傷也。」 或以祜、抗為失臣節,兩譏之。 ○習鑿齒曰:夫理勝者天下之所保,信順者萬人之所宗,雖大猷既喪,義聲久淪,狙詐馳於當塗,權略週乎急務,負力從橫之人,臧獲牧豎之智,未有不憑此以創功,舍茲而獨立者也。 是故晉文退舍,而原城請命; 穆子圍鼓,訓之以力; 冶夫獻策,而費人斯歸; 樂毅緩攻,而風烈長流。 觀其所以服物製勝者,豈徒威力相詐而已哉! 自今三家鼎足四十有餘年矣,吳人不能越淮、沔而進取中國,中國不能陵長江以爭利者,力均而智侔,道不足以相傾也。 夫殘彼而利我,未若利我而無殘; 振武以懼物,未若德廣而民懷。 匹夫猶不可以力服,而況一國乎? 力服猶不如以德來,而況不制乎? 是以羊祜恢大同之略,思五兵之則,齊其民人,均其施澤,振義網以羅強吳,明兼愛以革暴俗,易生民之視聽,馳不戰乎江表。 故能德音悅暢,而襁負雲集,殊鄰異域,義讓交弘,自吳之遇敵,未有若此者也。 抗見國小主暴,而晉德彌昌,人積兼己之善,而己無固本之規,百姓懷嚴敵之德,闔境有棄主之慮,思所以鎮定民心,緝寧外內,奮其危弱,抗權上國者,莫若親行斯道,以侔其勝。 使彼德靡加吾,而此善流聞,歸重邦國,弘明遠風,折衝於枕席之上,校勝於帷幄之內,傾敵而不以甲兵之力,保國而不浚溝池之固,信義感於寇仇,丹懷體於先日。 豈設狙詐以危賢,徇己身之私名,貪外物之重我,闇服之而不備者哉! 由是論之,苟守局而保疆,一卒之所能; 協數以相危,小人之近事; 積詐以防物,臧獲之餘慮; 威勝以求安,明哲之所賤。 賢人君子所以拯世垂範,捨此而取彼者,其道良弘故也。〉
Jin's Xu Yin sailed toward Jianping while Jingzhou Inspector Yang Zhao reached Xiling. Lu Kang ordered Zhang Xian to hold the walls; Sun Zun of Gong'an patrolled the south shore against Yang Hu; Liu Lü and Zhu Wan blocked Xu Yin. Lu Kang led the host from behind the siege lines against Yang Zhao. Zhu Qiao and Yu Zan deserted to Yang Zhao. Kang said: "Yu Zan knows our order of battle. I always feared our tribal auxiliaries were raw—the enemy would strike there first in a siege. That night he swapped the tribal levies for seasoned officers. Next morning Zhao hit the old tribal sector; Kang wheeled his line and crushed him under a storm of missiles. Yang Zhao had been there a full month. Out of options, he slipped away by night. Kang wanted pursuit but feared Bu Chan held fresh troops in reserve; his own men were stretched thin. He beat drums as if chasing to bluff Yang Zhao. Zhao's men panicked, threw off armor, and fled; light Wu troops ran them down. Yang Zhao routed; Yang Hu withdrew. Kang stormed Xiling, executed Bu Chan's clan and senior officers, and spared tens of thousands who pleaded mercy. He rebuilt the walls, marched east to Lexiang without swagger, and kept the army's devotion. 〈The Jin Yangqiu records that Lu Kang and Yang Hu cultivated the diplomatic courtesy once shown between Ji Zha of Wu and Zichan of Zheng. Kang once sent wine; Yang Hu drank without fear of poison. When Kang fell ill, Hu sent physic; Kang swallowed it in the same spirit of trust. Onlookers said Hua Yuan and Sima Zifan lived again. The Han Jin Annals adds that Yang Hu, once home, doubled down on good faith to win eastern hearts. Lu Kang told the frontier: "If they brandish virtue while we brandish cruelty, we surrender without a battle. Hold the line and renounce petty raids—that is enough." Grain stood ungathered in the border belt; stray herds crossed with notice—both sides honored the truce. When hunters clashed on the Han, wounded prisoners were exchanged both ways. Kang once asked Hu for medicine; Hu handed over sealed doses: "I compounded this myself yesterday and have not tried it—your need is urgent, so you take it first." Kang drank it despite his officers' protests and said nothing. Sun Hao questioned the détente; Kang answered: "Even a hamlet needs honorable men—how much more two kingdoms? Your subject not doing thus would just suffice to display his virtue ear—it does Hu no harm." Critics accused both men of betraying ministerial duty. Xi Zuochi argues that right principle and good faith win the world—even when grand strategy fails and honor fades, every conqueror from warlord to shepherd still rides on moral prestige; none thrives by sheer fraud alone. Duke Wen of Jin pulled back his siege and earned Yuan's surrender; Zhao Muzi stormed Gu yet taught restraint; a smith's counsel brought Fei back to Lu; Yue Yi's patient siege still echoes. Their victories rested on more than arms and trickery. Forty years of tripartite stalemate—neither Wu crosses the Huai and Han nor Jin masters the Long River: evenly matched strength leaves virtue the only lever. Ravaging the foe helps us less than enriching ourselves without slaughter; terror wins less than breadth of virtue that draws the people. Force cannot humble even one stubborn commoner—how much less a realm? Coercion ranks below attraction by virtue—especially when you lack control. Thus Yang Hu pursued universal harmony, balanced arms with mercy, evened his kindness across Wu, spread inclusive love to tame brutality, and reshaped hearts south of the river without drawing swords. His reputation drew crowds across borders; never had Wu faced so benign an adversary. Kang saw Wu small under a tyrant while Jin flourished; his people admired the enemy's virtue and feared abandonment. To steady hearts and brace a weak state against a great power, nothing matched answering virtue with virtue. Let Jin's kindness fail to overshadow ours while Wu's decency travels abroad; win contests of council and conviction without bronze blades; hold the realm without relying on walls; let faith move even sworn foes and candor echo ancient honor. Surely that beats petty traps that ruin good men, vanity, greed, or nodding submission without readiness! Clinging to posts is work any soldier can do; petty stratagems suit petty minds; layered deceit is slave-level thinking; terror masquerading as peace earns contempt from the wise. Great men redeem ages by choosing magnanimity over meanness—that is the wider Way.
37
加拜都護。 聞武昌左部督薛瑩征下獄。 抗上疏曰:
He was further named Protector-General. Learning that Xue Ying of Wuchang had been jailed, he memorialized:
38
夫俊乂者,國家之良寶,社稷之貴資。 庶政所以倫敘,四門所以穆清也。 故大司農樓玄、散騎中常侍王蕃、少府李勖,皆當世秀穎,一時顯器,既蒙初寵,從容列位,而並旋受誅殛,或圮族替祀,或投棄荒裔。 蓋《周禮》有赦賢之辟,《春秋》有宥善之義。 《書》曰:‘與其殺不辜,寧失不經。 ’而蕃等罪名未定,大辟以加,心經忠義,身被極刑,豈不痛哉! 且已死之刑,固無所識,至乃焚爍流漂,棄之水濱,懼非先王之正典,或甫侯之所戒也。 是以百姓哀聳,士民同戚。 蕃、勖永已,悔亦靡及,誠望陛下赦召玄出,而頃聞薛瑩卒見逮錄。 瑩父綜納言先帝,傅弼文皇,及瑩承基,內厲名行,今之所坐,罪在可宥。 臣懼有司未詳其事,如復誅戮,益失民望,乞垂天恩,原赦瑩罪,哀矜庶獄,清澄刑網,則天下幸甚!
Talented ministers are the dynasty's treasure and the state's capital. They bring order to policy and calm to the court. Lou Xuan, Wang Fan, and Li Xu were pillars of their generation—honored, then executed or exiled and their lines destroyed. The classics urge sparing able men. The Documents says: "Better misjudge than execute the innocent." Yet Wang Fan and company died before verdict—loyal hearts condemned to death: unbearable! Corpses burned or floated downstream stray from ancient statute—the caution Bo Yi warned of. The people tremble; gentry and commons grieve alike. I beg you to pardon Lou Xuan; now I learn Xue Ying has also been arrested. His father served two sovereigns with honor; Xue Ying upheld the family name—the alleged offense deserves mercy. If authorities rush execution without proof, hope dies—pardon Xue Ying, review common cases, clean the courts—the realm will rejoice!
39
時師旅仍動,百姓疲弊。 抗上疏曰:
Campaign followed campaign while the people collapsed. Lu Kang wrote:
40
臣聞《易》貴隨時,《傳》美觀釁,故有夏多罪而殷湯用師,紂作淫虐而周武授鉞。 苟無其時,玉台有憂傷之慮,孟津有反旆之軍。 今不務富國強兵,力農畜谷,使文武之才效展其用,百揆之署無曠厥職。 明黜陟以厲庶尹,審刑賞以示勸沮,訓諸司以德。 而撫百姓以仁,然後順天乘運,席捲宇內,而聽諸將徇名,窮兵黷武,動費萬計,士卒彫瘁,寇不為衰,而我已大病矣! 今爭帝王之資,而昧十百之利,此人臣之奸便,非國家之良策也。 昔齊、魯三戰,魯人再克而亡不旋踵。 何則? 大小之勢異也。 況今師所克獲,不補所喪哉? 且阻兵無眾,古之明鑒,誠宜暫息進取小規,以畜士民之力,觀釁伺隙,庶無悔吝。
The Changes honors timely action; the Commentary praises striking when heaven shows an opening—Tang punished Xia, Wu punished Zhou. Without timing, even sacred councils hesitate and armies turn back at Meng Ford. Instead of enriching the state, farming, deploying talent, and filling every office, ranking officials honestly, judging rewards and punishments, teaching departments virtue, and ruling with kindness—you indulge generals who raid for glory, waste treasure, exhaust troops, barely scratch the enemy, and leave Wu dying! Trading imperial stature for petty gains serves plotting ministers, not Wu. Lu twice beat Qi yet fell overnight—size decides survival. Why? Power differs with scale. Our raids hardly repay their cost! History warns against armies without popular backing—pause petty offensives, rebuild strength, watch for heaven's opening, avoid regret.
41
二年春,就拜大司馬、荊州牧。
In spring of the second year he took office as Grand Marshal and Governor of Jingzhou.
42
三年夏,疾病。 上疏曰:
That summer he fell gravely ill. He memorialized:
43
西陵、建平,國之蕃表,既處下流,受敵二境。 若敵泛舟順流,舳艫千里,星奔電邁,俄然行至,非可恃援他部以救倒縣也。 此乃社稷安危之機,非徒封疆侵陵小害也。 臣父遜昔在西垂陳言,以為西陵國之西門,雖雲易守,亦復易失。 若有不守,非但失一郡,則荊州非吳有也。 如其有虞,當傾國爭之。 臣往在西陵,得涉遜跡,前乞精兵三萬,而 (至) 者循常,未肯差赴。 自步闡以後,益更損耗。 今臣所統千里,受敵四處,外御強對,內懷百蠻,而上下見兵財有數萬,羸弊日久,難以待變。 臣愚以為諸王幼沖,未統國事,可且立傅相,輔導賢姿,無用兵馬,以妨要務。 又黃門豎宦,開立占募,兵民怨役,逋逃入占。 乞特詔簡閱,一切料出,以補疆場受敵常處,使臣所部足滿八萬,省息眾務,信其賞罰,雖韓、白復生,無所展巧。 若兵不增,此制不改,而欲克諧大事,此臣之所深戚也。 若臣死之後,乞以西方為屬。 願陛下思覽臣言,則臣死且不朽。
Xiling and Jianping shield the realm yet sit downstream and face two fronts. If Jin sails downstream with a thousand li of hulls, relief from elsewhere cannot arrive in time—it is an inverted county hanging by a thread. This governs the fate of the altars—not a petty border scrape. My father once warned that Xiling is Wu's western gate—easy to defend yet easy to lose. If it falls we lose not one commandery but all Jingzhou. At the first alarm Wu must stake everything on its defense. When I stood at Xiling in my father's footsteps I asked for thirty thousand veterans, yet (text breaks) the clerks stuck to routine and refused to send them. After the Bu Chan affair our strength shrank further. I hold a thousand li against enemies on four fronts—foreign foes without, tribes within—yet fewer than ten thousand fit soldiers remain after years of strain; I cannot meet a crisis. The royal princes are minors—appoint tutors instead of drafting their households for war and distracting vital business. Palace eunuchs monopolize recruitment; troops and peasants resent corvée and flee into their nets. Issue an edict to audit every draft and redeploy those men to the threatened sectors until my command reaches eighty thousand. Cut wasteful duties and enforce clear rewards—even Han Xin and Bai Qi could do no better. Without more troops and reform, hoping for great success is what I dread most. When I am gone, treat the western frontier as the realm's first charge. If Your Majesty weighs these words, I may die without regret.
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秋遂卒,子晏嗣。 晏及弟景、玄、機、雲、分領抗兵。 晏為裨將軍、夷道監。 天紀四年,晉軍伐吳,龍驤將軍王浚順流東下。 所至輒克,終如抗慮。 景字士仁,以尚公主拜騎都尉,封毗陵侯,既領抗兵,拜偏將軍、中夏督,澡身好學,著書數十篇也。 〈《文士传》曰:陆景母张承女,诸葛恪外生。 恪诛,景母坐见黜。 景少为祖母所育养,及祖母亡,景为之心丧三年。〉 二月壬戌,晏為王浚別軍所殺。 癸亥,景亦遇害,時年三十一。 景妻,孫皓適妹,與景俱張承外孫也。 〈景弟机,字士衡,云字士龙。 《机云别传》曰:晋太康末,俱入洛,造司空张华,华一见而奇之,曰:「伐吴之役,利在获二俊。」 遂为之延誉,荐之诸公。 太傅杨骏辟机为祭酒,转太子洗马、尚书著作郎。 云为吴王郎中令,出宰浚仪,甚有惠政,吏民怀之,生为立祠。 后并历显位。 机天才绮练,文藻之美,独冠於时。 云亦善属文,清新不及机,而口辩持论过之。 于时朝廷多故,机、云并自结於成都王颖。 颖用机为平原相,云清河内史。 寻转云右司马,甚见委仗。 无几而与长沙王构隙,遂举兵攻洛,以机行后将军,督王粹、牵秀等诸军二十万,士龙著南征赋以美其事。 机吴人,羁旅单宦,顿居群士之右,多不厌服。 机屡战失利,死散过半。 初,宦人孟玖,颖所嬖幸,乘宠豫权,云数言其短,颖不能纳,玖又从而毁之。 是役也,玖弟超亦领众配机,不奉军令。 机绳之以法,超宣言曰陆机将反。 及牵秀等谮机於颖,以为持两端,玖又构之於内,颖信之,遣收机,并收云及弟耽,并伏法。 机兄弟既江南之秀,亦著名诸夏,并以无罪夷灭,天下痛惜之。 机文章为世所重,云所著亦传於世。 初,抗之克步阐也,诛及婴孩,识道者尤之曰:「后世必受其殃!」 及机之诛,三族无遗,孙惠与硃诞书曰:「马援择君,凡人所闻,不意三陆相携暴朝,杀身伤名,可为悼叹。」 事亦并在晋书。〉
He died that autumn; his son Lu Yan inherited the title. Yan and his brothers Jing, Xuan, Ji, and Yun split their father's command. Yan became Lieutenant-General and inspector of Yidao. In Tianji 4 (280 CE) Jin invaded Wu; Wang Jun sailed downriver. City after city fell—exactly as Lu Kang had warned. Lu Jing, styled Shiren, married a princess and became Commandant of Cavalry and Marquis of Piling; commanding his father's troops he rose to Lieutenant-General and Zhongxia commander, lived cleanly, studied widely, and wrote dozens of essays. 〈The Literary Men's Tradition says Lu Jing's mother was Zhang Cheng's daughter and Zhuge Ke's sister—Lu Jing was Zhuge Ke's nephew. When Zhuge Ke fell, she lost her rank. His grandmother raised him; when she died he mourned her three years though not bound by ritual. On renxu in the second month Yan fell to Wang Jun's flank force. The next day Jing died as well, aged thirty-one. Jing's wife was Sun Hao's full sister; both were Zhang Cheng's grandchildren. 〈Younger brothers Lu Ji, styled Shiheng, and Lu Yun, styled Shilong: The Separate Biography of Ji and Yun states: Late Taikang of Jin, both entered Luoyang—visited Minister of Works Zhang Hua—Hua on one seeing wondered at them, saying: "The Wu campaign's profit lies in obtaining two talents." He praised them everywhere and recommended them at court. Yang Jun named Ji libationer; he later served as crown prince attendant and Secretariat compiler. Yun was steward to the Prince of Wu, then magistrate of Junyi, where his kindness earned shrines while he still lived. Both rose to high office. Lu Ji's genius and prose stood unrivaled. Lu Yun wrote well—less brilliant than his brother but sharper in debate. When the court convulsed, both brothers attached themselves to Sima Ying. Ying made Ji governor of Pingyuan and Yun administrator of Qinghe. Yun soon became right majordomo and enjoyed Ying's full trust. Soon Ying quarreled with the Prince of Changsha and marched on Luoyang with two hundred thousand men under Ji, Wang Cui, and Qian Xiu; Lu Yun composed the Southern Campaign Rhapsody to glorify it. A lone Wu outsider thrust above northern officers—many resented him. Ji lost battle after battle; more than half his men fled or died. The favorite eunuch Meng Jiu abused his influence; Lu Yun exposed him but Ying ignored the warnings and Jiu slandered Yun. Meng Chao served under Ji but ignored orders. Ji disciplined him; Chao cried treason. Qian Xiu accused Ji of playing both sides; Meng Jiu whispered in court; Ying believed him and arrested Ji, Yun, and their brother Dan—all were executed. The luminaries of the south perished innocent—the realm mourned. Lu Ji's prose became canonical; Lu Yun's survives as well. When Kang slaughtered Bu Chan's line down to infants, wise men said: "His house will answer for it! When the Lu clan perished root and branch, Sun Hui wrote Zhu Dan: "Ma Yuan chose his lord wisely—we never thought the three Lu would cling to a tyrant court and lose life and fame—heartbreaking. The tale fills the Jinshu.
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【評】
Appraisal
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評曰:「劉備天下稱雄,一世所憚,陸遜春秋方壯,威名未著,摧而克之,罔不如志。 予既奇遜之謀略,又歎權之識才,所以濟大事也。 及遜忠誠懇至,憂國亡身,庶幾社稷之臣矣。 抗貞亮籌干,咸有父風,奕世載美,具體而微,可謂克構者哉!」
The historian says: "Liu Bei terrified his age, yet the young Lu Xun—still unknown—crushed him utterly. I admire Xun's strategy and Sun Quan's eye for talent—the partnership that won Wu's great battles. Xun served with utter loyalty until grief consumed him—a true pillar of state. Kang matched his father's steadfast genius across generations—compressed yet complete; he indeed upheld the house."