1
諸葛恪
Zhuge Ke
2
諸葛恪字元遜，瑾長子也。 少知名。 〈《江表傳》曰：恪少有才名，發藻岐嶷，辯論應機，莫與為對。 權見而奇之，謂瑾曰：「藍田生玉，真不虛也。」 《吳錄》曰：恪長七尺六寸，少鬚眉，折頞廣額，大口高聲。〉 弱冠拜騎都尉，與顧譚、張休等侍太子登講論道藝，並為賓友。 從中庶子轉為左輔都尉。 恪父瑾面長似驢。 孫權大會群臣，使人牽一驢入，長檢其面，題曰諸葛子瑜。 恪跪曰：「乞請竺益兩字。」 因聽與筆。 恪績其下曰：「之驢」。 舉座歡笑，乃以驢賜恪。 他日復見，權問恪曰：「卿父與叔父孰賢？」 對曰：「臣父為優。」 權問其故。 對曰：「臣父知所事，叔父不知，以是為優。」 權又大噱。 命恪行酒，至張昭前，昭先有酒色，不肯飲。 曰：「此非養老之禮也。」 權曰：「卿其能令張公辭屈，乃當飲之耳。」 恪難昭曰：「昔師尚父九十，秉旄仗鉞，猶未告老也。 今軍旅之事，將軍在後，酒食之事，將軍在先，何謂不養老也？」 昭卒無辭，遂為盡爵。 後蜀好，群臣並會，權謂使曰：「此諸葛恪雅使至騎乘，還告丞相，為致好馬。」 恪因下謝，權曰：「馬未至面謝何也？」 恪對曰：「夫蜀者陛下之外廄，今有恩詔，馬必至也，安敢不謝？」 恪之才捷，皆此類也。 〈恪別傳曰：權嘗饗蜀使費禕，先逆敕群臣：「使至，伏食勿起。」 禕至，權為輟食，而群下不起。 禕啁之曰：「鳳皇來翔，騏驎吐哺，驢騾無知，伏食如故。」 恪答曰：「爰植梧桐，以待鳳皇，有何燕雀，自稱來翔？ 何不彈射，使還故鄉！」 禕停食餅，索筆作麥賦，恪亦請筆作磨賦，咸稱善焉。 權嘗問恪：「頃何以自娛，而更肥澤？」 恪對曰：「臣聞富潤屋，德潤身，臣非敢自娛，脩己而已。」 又問：「卿何如滕胤？」 恪答曰：「登階躡履，臣不如胤； 回籌轉策，胤不如臣。」 恪嘗獻權馬，先钅芻其耳。 範慎時在坐，嘲恪曰：「馬雖大畜，禀氣於天，今殘其耳，豈不傷仁？」 恪答曰：「母之於女，恩愛至矣，穿耳附珠，何傷於仁？」 太子嘗嘲恪：「諸葛元遜可食馬矢。」 恪曰：「原太子食雞卵。」 權曰：「人令卿食馬矢，卿使人食雞卵何也？」 恪曰：「所出同耳。」 權大笑。 《江表傳》曰：曾有白頭鳥集殿前，權曰：「此何鳥也？」 恪曰：「白頭翁也。」 張昭自以坐中最老，疑恪以鳥戲之，因曰：「恪欺陛下，未嘗聞鳥名白頭翁者，試使恪复求白頭母。」 恪曰：「鳥名鸚母，未必有對，試使輔吳复求鸚父。」 昭不能答，坐中皆歡笑。〉 權甚異之，欲試以事，令守節度。 節度掌軍糧谷，文書繁猥，非其好也。 〈《江表傳》曰：權為吳王，初置節度官，使典掌軍糧，非漢制也。 初用侍中偏將軍徐詳，詳死，將用恪。 諸葛亮聞恪代詳，書與陸遜曰：「家兄年老，而恪性疏，今使典主糧穀，糧穀軍之要最，僕雖在遠，竊用不安。 足下特為啟至尊轉之。」 遜以白權，即轉恪領兵。〉
Zhuge Ke, styled Yuansun, was Zhuge Jin’s eldest son. He was already celebrated while still young. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan records that even as a boy Ke was famed for ability: his words were ornate, his mind unusually sharp, and in disputation he met every challenge—no one could best him. When Sun Quan met him, he was struck by his gifts and told Zhuge Jin, “They were right: fine jade does come from Lantian.” The Wu lu adds that he measured seven chi six cun, had thin beard and brows, a prominent nose-bridge and wide forehead, a big mouth, and a carrying voice.〉 After his capping he became Cavalry Commandant and, alongside Gu Tan and Zhang Xiu, attended Crown Prince Deng to expound the classics and arts; they were counted among the prince’s intimates. He was transferred from Palace Attendant to Left Assistant Commandant. His father Zhuge Jin had a famously long, donkey-like face. At a great court gathering Sun Quan had a donkey led in, a label hung on its long muzzle, and the words “Zhuge Ziyu” written on it. Ke knelt and said, “I beg leave to add two characters with the brush.” Sun Quan assented and handed him the brush. Ke wrote two more characters below so that it read “Zhuge Ziyu’s donkey.” The hall erupted in laughter, and the donkey was given to Ke. On another occasion Sun Quan asked him, “Which is the better man—your father or your uncle?” “My father,” Ke replied at once. Sun Quan asked why he said so. “Because my father understands whom to serve, and my uncle does not—that is why I call him the better man.” Sun Quan laughed until he cried. He told Ke to pour for the company; when Ke reached Zhang Zhao, the old minister was already tipsy and would not touch his cup. “This,” Zhao protested, “is hardly how one honors age.” Sun Quan said to Ke, “If you can leave Lord Zhang without an answer, you may drink.” Ke turned on him: “Grand Tutor Lü Shang was ninety when he took command of the army—he had not yet ‘retired’ then. In war you hang back; at the feast you are first at the cup—where is the slight to venerable age?” Zhang Zhao had no comeback and emptied his goblet after all. Later, at a banquet with Shu envoys present, Sun Quan told the messenger, “Zhuge Ke loves a good mount; ask your chancellor to send him some worthy horses.” Ke rose to bow his thanks. “The horses are not even here,” said Sun Quan; “why the gratitude already?” “Shu is Your Majesty’s outer stud,” Ke answered; “once your gracious word goes west, the horses will follow—how could I not thank you?” His wit was as quick as that in every anecdote above. 〈The separate biography of Ke relates that when Sun Quan feasted Fei Yi of Shu, he secretly told his officials, “Stay seated over your food when the envoy enters.” Fei Yi came in; Sun Quan set down his chopsticks, yet none of the ministers stood. Fei Yi quipped, “Where the phoenix lands and the unicorn ‘spits its food,’ mules and donkeys simply go on munching, heads down, none the wiser.” Ke shot back, “We planted the wutong to court the phoenix—what business have common sparrows claiming they ‘come in state’? Someone ought to string a bow and drive them home to their nests.” Fei Yi laid aside a wheat cake, borrowed a brush, and wrote an “Ode to Wheat”; Ke borrowed a brush too and answered with an “Ode to the Millstone,” to general applause. Sun Quan teased him another time: “What have you been doing for pleasure—you look sleeker than ever.” “They say riches polish a hall and virtue polishes the man,” said Ke; “I am not amusing myself—I am only trying to improve.” “How do you measure against Teng Yin?” Sun Quan went on. “For mounting the steps and minding small decorum,” Ke said, “I am no match for Teng Yin; but for spinning plans behind the curtain, Teng Yin is no match for me.” On one occasion Ke presented a horse to the throne after first notching its ears. Fan Shen, who was there, needled him: “A horse is a noble creature, heaven’s gift; to maim its ears—does that not wound humaneness?” Ke retorted, “Mothers love their daughters dearly, yet they bore their ears for pearls—where is the harm to humaneness in that?” The crown prince once joked, “Someone ought to feed Zhuge Yuansun horse droppings.” “Then let His Highness dine on eggs,” said Ke. Sun Quan asked, “He told you to eat dung; why do you tell him to eat eggs?” “They come from the same place,” Ke replied evenly. The emperor roared with laughter. The Jiang Biao Zhuan says: Once a white-headed bird perched before the hall, and Sun Quan said, “What bird is this?” “A white-headed wagtail,” said Ke—the name is a pun on “white-haired old man.” Zhang Zhao, eldest in the company, thought himself the butt of the joke and said, “Ke is fooling Your Majesty—there is no such bird; let him produce a ‘white-headed mother’ if he can.” “There is a ‘mother parrot’ without any sure ‘father parrot,’” Ke answered; “shall we ask Lord Fuwu to fetch a ‘parrot father’?” Zhang Zhao had no answer, and the whole hall rocked with laughter.〉 So impressed was Sun Quan that he decided to test Ke with real duty and put him in charge of the Controller’s office. That office handled army grain and endless paperwork—work Ke found uncongenial. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan notes that when Sun Quan became King of Wu he created the Controller post for grain supply—something the Han never had. The first holder had been Palace Attendant Xu Xiang; when Xu died, Ke was slated to succeed him. Zhuge Liang, learning that Ke would take the post, wrote Lu Xun: “My brother is old, and Ke is careless by nature; grain is the army’s lifeblood—though I am far off, I am privately uneasy at his managing it. Please speak to the sovereign for me and have him reassigned.” Lu Xun relayed the plea, and Sun Quan immediately moved Ke to a field command.〉
3
恪以丹楊山險，民多果勁，雖前發兵，徒得外縣平民而已。 其餘深遠，莫能禽盡，屢自求乞為官出之。 三年可得甲士四萬。 眾議咸以「丹楊地勢險阻，與吳郡、會稽、新都、鄱陽四郡鄰接，周旋數千里，山谷萬重，其幽邃民人，未嘗人城邑，對長吏，皆仗兵野逸，白首於林莽。 逋亡宿惡，咸共逃竄。 山出銅鐵，自鑄甲兵。 俗好武習戰，高尚氣力，其升山赴險，抵突叢棘。 若魚之走淵，猿狖之騰木也。 時觀間隙，出為寇盜，每致兵征伐，尋其窟藏。 其戰則蜂至，敗則鳥竄，自前世以來，不能羈也」。 皆以為難。 恪父瑾聞之，亦以事終不逮，歎曰：「恪不大興吾家，將大赤吾族也。」 恪盛陳其必捷。 權拜恪撫趙將軍，領丹楊太守，授棨戟武騎三百。 拜畢，命恪備威儀，作鼓吹，導引歸家，時年三十二。 恪到府，乃移書四部屬城長空。 令各保其疆界，明立部伍，其從化平民，悉令屯居。 乃分內諸將，羅兵幽阻，但繕藩籬，不與交鋒，候其穀稼將熟，輒縱兵芟刈，使無遺種。 舊谷既盡，新田不收，平民屯居，略無所入，於是山民饑窮，漸出降首。 恪乃復敕下曰：「山民去惡從化，皆當撫慰，徙出外縣，不得嫌疑，有所執拘。」 臼陽長胡伉得降民周遺，遺舊惡民，困迫暫出，內圖叛逆，伉縛送言府。 恪以伉違教，遂斬以徇，以狀表上。 民聞伉坐執人被戮，知官惟欲出之而已，於是老幼相攜而出，歲期，人數皆如本規。 恪自領萬人，餘分給諸將。
Ke argued that Danyang’s mountains bred a tough, warlike people: past expeditions had cleared only the lowland towns, never the heartland. The deep hills remained beyond reach; he therefore begged again and again to be sent in person to dig them out. He promised forty thousand armored men within three years. Court opinion ran: “Danyang is a maze of ridges touching Wu, Kuaiji, Xindu, and Poyang across thousands of li; its hidden dwellers never see a yamen or a magistrate—they live and die armed in the hills. Fugitives and hardened bandits alike fled into those fastnesses. The hills yield copper and iron, so they forge their own arms. They love fighting and prize brute strength; they scale cliffs and charge thickets like fish diving for the deeps or apes vaulting through the canopy. They watch for slack moments to raid the lowlands, and whenever armies march in, they melt away to secret lairs. They swarm like bees when you fight and vanish like birds when you lose—no dynasty has ever truly tamed them.” Everyone called the scheme impracticable. When Zhuge Jin heard the plan, he judged it beyond success and sighed, “This boy will either make our house or ruin our whole clan.” Ke only pressed his certainty of success all the harder. Sun Quan named him General Who Pacifies Zhao, Governor of Danyang, and assigned him three hundred halberd guards. After the audience Sun Quan had him escorted home with full music and panoply of honor; Ke was thirty-two. Once installed at his seat, he wrote to every district magistrate under the four circuits. Each was to hold his border, drill his companies, and move compliant commoners into guarded settlements. He spread his officers through the defiles with palisades but no pitched battles, then sent parties to strip the mountain fields whenever the grain ripened, leaving nothing to harvest. When the old stores were gone and the new crop never came in, the hill folk starved and drifted down in twos and threes to yield. Ke then issued orders again, saying, “Mountain people who cast off evil and follow civilization must all be comforted and resettled in outer counties; none may harbor suspicions or seize and bind them.” Hu Kang, magistrate of Jiuyang, bound a new surrender named Zhou Yi—a known villain who meant to rebel—and sent him up to headquarters. Ke judged that a breach of his order and had Hu Kang executed as a warning, then reported the matter in a memorial. When the hill people learned that Hu Kang died merely for seizing a surrender, they understood the government only wanted them out; whole villages came down, and within a year the tallies matched Ke’s original pledge. Ke himself commanded ten thousand men and parceled the rest among his generals.
4
權嘉其功，遣尚書僕射薛綜勞軍。 綜先移恪等曰：
Delighted with the result, Sun Quan sent Vice Director Xue Zong of the Secretariat to commend the troops. Xue Zong first addressed Ke and his officers in a written message:
5
山越恃阻，不賓歷世，緩則首鼠，急則狼顧。 皇帝赫然，命將西征，神策內授，武師外震。 兵不染鍔，甲不沾汗。 元惡既梟，種黨歸義，蕩滌山藪，獻戎十萬。 野無遺寇，邑罔殘姦。 既掃兇慝，又充軍用。 藜筱稂莠，化為善草。 魑魅魍魎，更成虎土。 雖實國家威靈之所加，亦信無帥臨履之所致也。 雖《詩》美執訊，《易》嘉折首，週之方、召，漢之衛、霍，豈足以談？ 功軼古人，勳超前世。 主上歡然，遙用歎息。 感《四牡》之遺典，思飲至之舊章。 故遣中台近官，迎致稿賜，以旌茂功，以慰劬勞。
For ages the Shanyue have defied the throne from their strongholds—pamper them and they dither; corner them and they wheel like wolves. The sovereign’s wrath flashed like lightning; generals marched west while secret stratagems were hatched within and armies thundered on every border. Blades never tasted blood; corselets never ran with sweat—a bloodless triumph. The ringleaders lost their heads, their followers sued for peace, the hills were swept clean, and a hundred thousand fighters were delivered to the rolls. The countryside is clear of raiders; the towns hold no lurking traitors. You have purged evil and at the same time stocked the camps. Thorns and weeds have turned into good grazing ground. Forest demons have been forged into crack troops. Credit belongs to Heaven’s favor on the dynasty, yet it is no less the fruit of a field commander who went among the rocks himself. The Odes may hymn “bringing prisoners,” the Changes may bless “striking the chief,” yet even Fang and Shao of Zhou or Wei Qing and Huo Qubing of Han scarcely bear comparison. Your achievement outruns the ancients; your fame eclipses former generations. The throne rejoices and, though miles away, murmurs praise. He thinks of the “Four Steeds” ode and longs to feast you by the old “victory cup” rite. So he dispatches an intimate minister from the central secretariat with grain largesse and gifts—to crown your merit and soothe your weary hosts.
6
拜恪威北將軍，封都鄉侯。 恪乞率眾佃廬江皖口，因輕兵襲舒，掩得其民而還。 復遠遣斥候，觀相徑要，欲圖壽春，權以為不可。
Zhuge Ke was promoted to General Who Awes the North and given the village-marquisate of Duxiang. He asked to colonize the fields at Wan Mouth in Lujiang, then strike Shu with a flying column, scoop up the people, and retire before Wei could react. He pushed scouts deeper to map approaches toward Shouchun, but the sovereign forbade the gamble.
7
赤烏中，魏司馬宣王謀欲攻恪。 權方發兵應之，望氣者以為不利，於是徒恪屯於柴桑。 與丞相陸遜書曰：
In the Chiwu years Sima Yi of Wei laid plans to crush Zhuge Ke. Wu was mobilizing to meet the threat when court diviners called the stars hostile, so Ke’s corps was redeployed to Chaisang. He sent Chancellor Lu Xun a letter that ran:
8
楊敬叔傳述清論，以為方今人物凋盡，守德業者不能復幾，宜相左右。 更為輔車，上熙國事，下相珍惜。 又疾世俗好相謗毀，使已成之器，中有損累。 將進之徒，意不歡笑，聞此喟然，誠獨擊節。 愚以為君子不求備於一人，自孔氏門徒大數三幹，其見者七十二人。 至於子張、子路、子貢等七十之徒，亞聖之德，然猶各有所短，師闢由喭，賜不受命，豈況下此而無所闕？ 且仲尼不以數予之不備而引以為友，不以人所短棄其所長也。 加以當今取士，宜寬於往古，何者？ 時務從橫，而善人單少，國家職司，常苦不充。 苟令性不邪惡，志在陳力，便可獎就，騁其所任。 若於小小宜適，私行不足，皆宜闊略，不足縷責。 且士誠不可纖論苛克，苛克則彼賢聖猶將不全，況其出入者邪？ 故曰以道望人則難，以人望人則易，賢愚可知。 自漢末以來，中國土大夫如許子將輩，所以更相謗訕，或至為禍，原其本起。 非為大仇，惟坐克己不能盡如禮，而責人專以正義。 夫己不如禮，則人不服。 責人以正義，則人不堪。 內不服其行，外不堪其責，則不得不相怨。 相怨一生，則小人得容其間。 得容其間，則三至之言，浸潤之譖，紛錯交至。 雖使至明至親者處之，猶難以自定。 況已為隙，且未能明者乎？ 是故張、陳至於血刃，蕭、朱不終其好，本由於此而已。 夫不捨小過，纖微相責，久乃至於家戶為怨，一國無復全行之士也。
Yang Jingshu’s essay repeats the “pure conversation” line that talent has thinned to nothing and men of principle must lean on one another. They should lock shields—advance the kingdom upstairs and watch each other’s backs downstairs. He hated how fashionable spite chips cracks into men already shaped for office. Men on the verge of advance heard him and sighed, secretly applauding every beat. A gentleman does not ask one man for perfection: Confucius taught nearly three thousand, yet only seventy-two stood out. Among the seventy luminaries next to the Sage, Zizhang was reckless, Zilu blunt, Zigong headstrong—if they fell short, who beneath them does not? Confucius never dismissed Gongxi Zihua for lacking polish; he prized gifts and forgave faults. Today’s recruitment must be broader than the ancients’—why? The age twists every which way and worthy men are scarce; every ministry runs short-handed. Whoever is honest and eager to serve should be lifted up and tried at the post that suits him. Small lapses in manners or private life should slide—do not haul men over the coals for trivia. Perfectionism would indict even sages; how shall middling talents escape it? So the proverb runs: judge by the Way and no one passes; judge as men and merit shows plain. Since Han fell, salon critics like Xu Shao slandered each other into ruin—consider where that began. They were not mortal enemies—only hypocrites who failed the rites themselves yet preached righteousness at others. Fault yourself before the rites and men withhold respect. Hammer others with moral absolutes and they break. They resent your example and your lecture alike—bad blood follows. Give spite a lifetime and sneak thieves slip between you. Then “third-hearing” lies and slow-poison gossip pile up together. Even the keenest eye and dearest blood tie cannot steady such storms. How much worse once the breach is open and neither side sees straight? So Zhang Er and Chen Yu drew steel; Xiao Wangzhi and Zhu Bo parted—for no deeper cause than this. Nurse every nick and soon whole clans feud—no court then holds an intact gentleman.
9
恪知遜以此嫌己，故遂廣其理而贊其旨也。 會遜卒，恪遷大將軍，假節，駐武昌，代遜領荊州事。
Knowing Lu Xun suspected him, Ke spun out this argument to echo Lu’s own plea for tolerance. Lu Xun’s death vaulted Ke to Grand General with battle authority at Wuchang, inheriting the western theater.
10
久之，權不豫，而太子少，乃徵恪以大將軍領太子太傅，中書令孫弘領少傅。 權疾困，召恪、弘及太常滕胤、將軍呂據、侍中孫峻，屬以後事。 〈《吳書》曰：權寢疾，議所付託。 時朝臣咸皆注意於恪，而孫峻表恪器任輔政，可付大事。 權嫌恪剛很自用，峻以當今朝臣皆莫及，遂固保之，乃徵恪。 後引恪等見臥內，受詔床下，權詔曰：「吾疾困矣，恐不復相見，諸事一以相委。」 恪歔欷流涕曰：「臣等皆受厚恩，當以死奉詔，原陛下安精神，損思慮，無以外事為念。」 權詔有司諸事一統於恪，惟殺生大事然後以聞。 為治第館，設陪衛。 群官百司拜揖之儀，各有品敘。 諸法令有不便者，條列以聞，權輒聽之。 中外翕然，人懷歡欣。〉
When age and illness gripped Sun Quan while the crown prince remained a boy, he recalled Ke as Grand General and tutor to the heir, pairing him with Sun Hong as junior tutor. On his deathbed he called Ke, Hong, Teng Yin, Lü Ju, and Sun Jun to settle the succession. 〈The Wu shu records that as the emperor sickened, ministers wrangled over the regency. All eyes fell on Ke; Sun Jun alone filed a memorial that Ke could shoulder the regency. Quan hesitated—Ke was harsh and headstrong—but Jun insisted no present minister surpassed him and talked the sovereign round. He drew them to his bedside and said from the pallet, “I am dying; we may not speak again—everything rests with you.” Ke sobbed and wept, saying, “We have all received overwhelming grace and shall obey the edict unto death; may Your Majesty calm your spirit and ease your cares—think no more of outward matters.” Ordinance followed: all routine went to Ke; capital sentences alone reached the palace. They raised him a residence ringed by household troops. Every agency received scripted ritual for greeting the regent. Awkward laws went up on Ke’s list and Quan rubber-stamped the fixes. Court and countryside breathed relief—hope after dread.〉
11
翌日，權薨。 弘素與恪不平，懼為恪所治，秘權死問，欲矯詔除恪。 峻以告恪，恪請弘諮事，於坐中誅之，乃發喪制服。 與弟公安督融書曰：
Sun Quan died the following dawn. Sun Hong, Ke’s enemy, hid the death and drafted a false order to purge him. Sun Jun tipped Ke; Ke invited Hong to council and cut him down mid-meeting, then proclaimed the obsequies. He wrote his brother Zhuge Rong, defender of Gongan:
12
今月十六日乙未，大行皇帝委棄萬國，群下大小，莫不傷悼。 至吾父子兄弟，井受殊恩，非徒凡庸之隸，是以悲慟，肝心圮裂。 皇太子以丁酉踐酋號，哀喜交並，不知所措。 吾身受顧命，輔相幼主，竊自揆度； 才非博陸而受姬公負圖之託，懼忝丞相輔漢之效； 恐損先帝委付之明，是以憂慚惶惶，所慮萬端。 且民惡其上，動見瞻觀，何時易哉？ 今以頑鈍之姿，處保傅之位，艱多智寡，任重謀淺，誰為唇齒？ 近漢之世，燕、蓋交遘，有上官之變，以身值此，何敢怡豫邪？ 又弟所在，與賊犬牙相錯，當於今時整頓軍具，率厲將士，警備過常，念出萬死，無顧一生，以報朝廷，無忝爾先。 又諸將備守各有境界，猶恐賊虜聞諱，恣睢寇竊。 邊邑諸曹，已別下約敕，所部督將，不得妄委所戍，逕來奔赴。 雖懷愴但不忍之心，公義奪私，伯禽服戎，若苟違戾，非徒小故。 以親正疏，古人明戒也。
The sixteenth, day yiwei—the Great Late Emperor has left the realm; every rank weeps. Our house bore a debt beyond ordinary subjects; the blow tears out our vitals. On the dingyou day the crown prince ascended the throne; grief and elation warred until no one knew how to stand. The dying sovereign named me regent over a child ruler; I weigh myself against the burden. I am no Huo Guang, yet I carry the Duke of Zhou’s yellow-chart mandate; I dread failing the standard Zhuge Liang set when he steadied Shu. I dread staining his clear-eyed choice—so shame and fear swarm ten thousand ways. The mob always eyes the throne with suspicion—when does governing turn easy? A dull man holds the heir’s tutorship—danger thick, counsel thin—who stands my partner? Later Han watched Prince Liu Dan of Yan intrigue with Princess Gai until revolt boiled—the Shangguan crisis all over again; in such an hour who could rest easy? Your sector teeth into Wei—you must drill arms, rouse men, watch harder than common duty, pledge ten thousand deaths for one life of service, pay the dynasty, honor the clan. Each commander guards a beat—yet Wei may hear our grief and raid. County staff are warned: no colonel may bolt his wall and race to the capital. Personal sorrow must yield—Bo Qin marched against the Rong though his heart tore; defiance would be grave crime. The ancients warned: kinship must mend division.
13
恪更拜太傅。 於是罷視聽，息校官，原逋責，除關稅，事崇恩澤，眾莫不悅。 恪每出入，百姓延頸思見其狀。
They elevated Ke to Grand Tutor. He killed informers, shelved spies, forgave arrears, lifted tolls—the reign ran on mercy and the realm sang. Every outing drew crowds straining for a sight of him.
14
恪遂有輕敵之心，以十二月戰克，明年春，復欲出軍。 〈《漢晉春秋》曰：恪使司馬李衡往蜀說姜維，令同舉，曰：「古人有言，聖人不能為時，時至亦不可失也。 今敵政在私門，外內猜隔，兵挫於外，而民怨於內，自曹操以來，彼之亡形未有如今者也。 若大舉伐之，使吳攻其東，漢入其西，彼救西則東虛，重東則西輕，以練實之軍，乘虛輕之敵，破之必矣。」 維從之。〉 諸大臣以為數出罷勞，同辭諫恪，恪不聽。 中散大夫蔣延或以固爭，扶出。 恪乃著論諭眾意曰：
December’s win went to his head; come spring he hungered for another campaign. 〈The Han Jin Chunqiu records Ke dispatching Li Heng to Jiang Wei: “Even sages cannot summon their moment—but they must seize it when it arrives. Wei’s cords lie in cabals; court and camp mistrust each other; armies lose abroad, peasants curse within—never since Cao Cao has ruin stared so plain. A two-front storm—Wu on the east, Shu on the west—must overstretch them; veteran hosts hitting thin lines cannot lose.” Jiang Wei agreed.〉 The council protested in one voice that serial campaigns broke men; Ke brushed them off. Jiang Yan, gentleman attendant, argued until guards hustled him away. Ke answered with a manifesto:
15
夫天無二日，土無二王，王者不務兼併天下而欲垂祚後世，古今未之有也。 昔戰國之時，諸候自恃兵強地廣，互有救援，謂此足以傳世，人莫能危。 恣情從懷，憚於勞苦，使秦漸得自大，遂以並之，此既然矣。 近者劉景昇在荊州，有眾十萬，財谷如山。 不及曹操尚微，與之力競，坐觀其強大，吞滅諸袁，北方都定之後，操率三十萬眾來向荊州，當時雖有吞智者，不能復為畫計，於是景升兒子，交臂請降，遂為囚虜。 凡敵國欲相吞，即仇雠欲相除也，有仇而長之，禍不在己，則在後人，不可不為遠慮也。 昔伍子胥曰：『越十年生聚，十年教訓，二十年之外，吳其為沼乎！』 夫差自恃強大，聞此邈然，是以誅子胥而無備越之心，至於臨敗悔之，豈有及乎？ 越小於吳，尚為吳禍，況其強大者邪？ 昔秦但得關西耳，尚以併吞六國，今賊皆得秦趙、韓、魏、燕齊九州之地，地悉戎馬之鄉，士林之藪。 今以魏比古之秦，土地數倍； 以吳與蜀比古穴國，不能半之。 然所以能敵之，但以操時兵眾於今適盡，而後生者未悉長大，正是賊衰少未盛之時。 加司馬懿先誅王淩，續自隕斃，其子幼弱，而專彼大任，雖有智計之士，未得施用。 當今伐之，是其厄會。 聖人急於趨時，誠謂今日。 若順眾人之情，懷偷安之計，以為長江之險可以傳世； 不論魏之終始，而以今日遂輕其後。 此吾所以長歎息者也。 自本以來，務在產育，今者賊民歲月繁滋，但以尚小，未可得用耳。 若復十數年後，其眾必倍於今，而國家勁兵之地，皆已空盡，唯有此見眾可以定事。 若不早用之，端坐使老，復十數年，略當損半，而見子弟數不足言。 若賊眾一倍，而我兵損半，雖復使伊、管圖之，未可如何。 今不達遠慮者，必以此言為迂。 夫禍難未至而豫憂慮，此固眾人之所迂也。 及於難至，然後頓顙，雖有智者，又不能圖。 此乃古今所病，非獨一時。 昔吳始以伍員為迂，故難至而不可救。 劉景升不能慮十年之後，故無以治其子孫。 今恪無具臣之才，而受大吳蕭、霍之任，智與眾同思不經遠，若不及今日為國斥境，俯仰年老，而仇敵更強。 欲刎頸謝責，寧有補邪？ 今聞眾人或以百姓尚貧，欲務閒息，此不右其慮其大危而其小勤者也。 昔漢祖幸已自有三秦之地，何不閉關守險以自娛樂，空出攻楚，身被創痍，介冑生蟣蝨，將士厭困苦，豈甘鋒刃而忘安寧哉？ 慮於長久不得兩存者耳！ 每覽荊邯說公孫述以進取之圖，近風家叔父表陳與賊爭競之計，未嘗不喟然歎息也。 夙夜反側，所慮如此，故聊疏愚言，以達二三君子之末。 若一朝隕歿志畫不立，貴令來世知我所憂，可思於後。
Two suns cannot share the sky; two kings cannot share the soil—no emperor ever secured his line without conquering all beneath it. Warring States princes trusted mutual rescue and vast domains to live forever safe. They lounged while Qin grew—then swallowed them whole. Liu Biao once held Jingzhou—hosts in six figures, granaries like mountains. He refused to strike Cao while Cao was small, watched him crush the Yuans and pacify the north—then three hundred thousand Wei troops rolled south; even clever advisers could plot nothing; Biao’s sons surrendered shackled. States that would eat each other are feuds that must be killed—feed your foe and your heirs pay. Wu Zixu warned: “Ten years Yue breeds men, ten years schools them—twenty years on, Wu becomes swamp!” Fucha trusted strength, sneered, slew Zixu, ignored Yue—too late he repented at the water’s edge. Lesser Yue ruined Wu—what of a stronger foe? Classic Qin held only the western march yet devoured six states; Wei now owns Guanzhong and the Zhao-Han-Wei-Yan-Qi heartland—nine provinces of cavaliers and lettered men. Wei beside classic Qin spans several times the ground. Wu and Shu together are not half that footprint. We endure because Cao’s cohort died off and boys still train—the enemy trough before the crest. Sima Yi slew Wang Ling then died; weak sons hold supreme command—brains stay bottled. Strike now and you hit the hinge moment. The sage races time—I say that hour is today. Follow the crowd, cling to false peace, trust the Long River as eternal shield— —ignore Wei’s arc yet shrug at tomorrow— that is why I groan aloud. Since dynastic founding we bred people; Wei’s peasants swell each year—they are young but not yet spear fodder. Another decade doubles their ranks while our crack districts hollow—only today’s soldiers can decide it. Idle them till old age and ten years cuts our hosts in half while heirs thin to nothing. Double them and halve us—even Yi Yin and Guan Zhong could not save us. Short thinkers will call this preachy. Worry before disaster looks foolish—crowds always sneer. Disaster lands and they beat their brows—too late for even wise heads. That folly spans every age—not ours alone. Wu once mocked Wu Zixu as alarmist—when doom came there was no remedy. Liu Biao never looked past the decade—so he left no shelter for his heirs. I lack common bureaucratic polish yet carry a Xiao-Huo burden for Wu; my wit is ordinary—if I fail to widen our borders now, old age will creep in while enemies swell. Would slitting my throat then undo the stain? Some plead poverty and urge repose—they fret over small fatigue while ignoring existential peril. Gaozu held Guanzhong—why not bolt Hangu and feast? He chose war: wounds, lice in his armor, troops pushed past endurance—not because they loved steel over peace. They knew two dragons cannot share one pool. Each time I read Jing Han’s brief to Gongsun Shu or my uncle’s essay on tackling Wei, I groan with recognition. These worries cost me sleep—so I sketch this crude plea for you few who judge. If I die before the plan is laid, let posterity read my fear and learn.
16
眾皆以恪此論欲必為之辭，然莫敢復難。
Courtiers saw the manifesto as a rubber stamp for war—and none spoke against him twice.
17
丹楊太守聶友素與恪善。 書諫恪曰：「大行皇帝本有遏東關之計，計未施行。 今公輔贊大業，成先帝之志。 寇遠自送，將士憑賴威德，出身用命，一旦有非常之功，豈非宗廟神靈社稷之福邪！ 宜且案兵養銳，觀釁而動。 今乘此勢欲復大出，天時未可。 而苟任盛意，私心以為不安。」 恪題論後，為書答友曰：「足下雖有自然之理，然未見大數。 熟省此論，可以開悟矣。」 於是違眾出軍，大發州郡二十萬眾，百姓騷動，始失人心。
Nie You of Danyang was an old friend of Ke. He warned Ke in a letter: “Your late lord meant to block Wei at Dongguan—that scheme never launched. You now steward the realm—finish what he began. The enemy walks into our fist; your army fights confident—one lightning strike could bless temple and state. Bide: rest the troops, hone steel, move only when heaven opens a seam. Another giant march now—the omens say no. Yield to stubborn pride and I tremble for you." Ke appended his tract and answered: “You speak prudence but miss the grand calculus. Read my paper twice—you will see.” He marched against every voice and drafted two hundred thousand—panic spread and goodwill snapped.
18
恪意欲曜威淮南，驅略民人。 而諸將或難之曰：「今引軍深入，疆場之民，必相率遠遁，恐兵勞而功少，不如止圍新城。 新城困，救必至，至而圖之，乃可大獲。」 恪從其計，回軍還圍新城。 攻守連月，城不拔。 士卒疲勞，因暑飲水，洩下、流腫，病者大半，死傷塗地。 諸營吏日白病者多，恪以為作，欲斬之，自是莫敢言。 恪內惟失計，而恥城不下，忿形於色。 將軍朱異有所是非，恪怒，立奪其兵。 都尉蔡林數陳軍計，恪不能用，策馬奔魏。 魏知戰士罷病，乃進救兵。 恪引軍而去。 士卒傷病，流曳道路，或頓僕坑壑，或見略獲，存記忿痛，大小呼嗟。 而恪宴然自若。 出住江渚一月，圖起田於潯陽，詔召相銜，徐乃旋師。 由此眾庶失望，而怨黷興矣。
He meant to thunder across Huainan and herd Wei civilians as booty. His officers said: “Drive inland and every farmer flees—toil without loot; ring Xincheng instead. Siege Xincheng and relief columns will come—cut those and the harvest is rich.” Ke agreed, swung about, and threw trenches around Xincheng. Month on month the walls stood. Heat and foul water brought dysentery and dropsy—half the host sick, corpses strewn like cordwood. Daily sick lists drew his suspicion of malingering—after one death threat silence fell. He knew he had blundered yet could not bear the insult of stalled siege—wrath carved his brow. Zhu Yi criticized him—Ke seized his troops on the spot. Cai Lin pled tactics in vain—he bolted to Wei. Wei saw Wu wilting and threw in reinforcements. Ke broke camp and withdrew. The retreat was a trail of cripples—some dropped in gullies, some were captured; groans followed Ke home. Ke himself looked unruffled. He camped a month on the Yangzi flats, mumbling about reclamation at Xunyang while summons stacked—then drifted homeward. Hope curdled into open hatred.
19
秋八月軍還，陳兵導從，歸入府館。 即召中書令孫嘿，厲聲謂曰：「卿等何敢妄數作詔？」 嘿惶懼辭出，因病還家。 恪徵行之後，曹所奏署令長職司，一罷更選，愈治威嚴，多所罪責，當進見者無不竦息。 又改易宿衛，用其親近。 復敕兵嚴，欲向責、徐。
That eighth month he marched home with full panoply into his regency hall. He hauled in Sun Hei and snarled, “Who authorized these endless edicts?” Sun Hei bolted, then claimed sickness and hid. Every official picked while he was gone was purged and replaced; audiences became gauntlets of terror. The inner guard was swapped for his creatures. He mobilized anew—eyes on Huangzhou and Xuzhou.
20
孫峻因民之多怨，眾之所嫌，構恪欲為變，與亮謀，置酒請恪。 恪將見之夜，精爽擾動，通夕不寐。 明將盥漱，聞水腥臭，侍者授衣，衣服亦臭。 恪怪其故，易衣易水，其臭如初，意惆悵不悅。 嚴畢趨出，太銜引其衣，恪曰：「犬不欲我行乎？」 還坐，頃刻乃復起，犬又銜其衣，恪令從者逐犬，遂升車。
Sun Jun rode the hatred, whispered coup to Liang, and baited Ke with a banquet. The eve of the feast his nerves jangled—no sleep. Wash water smelled of gore; fresh robes brought the same stench. New water, new silk—the rot persisted—unease gnawed him. As he left for court his dog gripped his sleeve—“Do you bar my road?” he asked. He sat, rose—the dog pulled again; servants chased it off and he rolled toward the palace.
21
初，恪將徵淮南，有孝子著縗衣入其閣中，從者白之，令外詰問，孝子曰：「不自覺入。」 時中外守備，亦悉不見，眾皆異之。 出行之後，所坐廳事屋棟中折。 自新城出住東興，有白虹見其船，還拜蔣陵，白虹復繞其車。 及將見，駐車宮門，峻已伏兵於帷中，恐恪不時入，事洩，自出見恪曰：「使君若尊體不安，自可須後，峻當具白主上。」 欲以嘗知恪。 恪答曰：「當自力入。」 散騎常侍張約、朱恩等密書與恪曰：「今日張設非常，疑有他故。」 恪省書而去。 未出路門，逢太常滕胤，恪曰：「卒腹痛，不任人。」 胤不知峻陰計，謂恪曰：「君自行旋未見，今上酒請君，君已至門，宜當力進。」 恪躊躇而還，劍履上殿。 謝亮，還坐。 設酒，恪疑未飲，峻因曰：「使君病未善平，當有常服藥酒，自可取之。」 恪意乃安，別飲所齎酒。 〈《吳曆》曰：張約、朱恩密疏告恪，恪以示滕胤，胤勸恪還，恪曰：「峻小子何能為邪！ 但恐因酒食中人耳。」 乃以藥酒入。 孫盛評曰：恪與胤親厚，約等疏，非常大事，勢應示胤，共謀安危。 然恪性強梁，加素侮峻，自不信，故入，豈胤微勸，便為之冒禍乎？ 吳曆為長。〉 酒數行，亮還內，峻起如廁，解長衣，著短服，出曰：「有詔收諸葛恪！」 〈《吳錄》曰：峻提刀稱詔收恪，亮起立曰：「非我所為！ 非我所為！」 乳母引亮還內。 《吳曆》云：峻先引亮入，然後出稱詔。 與本傳同。 臣松之以為峻欲稱詔，宜如本傳及《吳曆》，不得如《吳錄》所言。〉 恪驚起，拔劍未得，而峻刀交下。 張約從旁斫峻，裁傷左手，峻應手斫約斷右臂。 武衛之士皆趨上殿，峻云：「所取者恪也，今已死。」 悉令復刃，乃除地更飲。 〈《搜神記》曰：恪入，已被殺，其妻在室，語使婢曰：「汝何故血臭？」 婢曰：「不也。」 有頃愈劇，又問婢曰：「汝眼目視瞻，何以不常？」 婢蹶然起躍，頭至於棟，攘臂切齒而言曰：「諸葛公乃為孫峻所殺！」 於是大小知恪死矣，而吏兵尋至。 《志林》曰：初權病篤，召恪輔政。 臨去，大司馬呂岱戒之曰：「世方多難，子每事必十思。」 恪答曰：「昔季文子三思而後行，夫子曰『再思可矣』，今君令恪十思，明恪之劣也。」 岱無以答，當時咸謂之失言。 虞喜曰：夫託以天下至重也，以人臣行主威至難也，兼二至而管萬機，能勝之者鮮矣。 自非採納群謀，詢於芻蕘，虛己受人，恆若不足，則功名不成，勳績莫著。 況呂侯國之先耆，智度經遠，而甫以十思戒之，而便以示劣見拒，此元遜之疏，乃機神不俱者也。 若因十思之義，廣諮當世之務，聞善速於雷動，從諫急於風移，豈得隕首殿堂，死兇豎之刃？ 世人奇其英辯，造次可觀，而哂呂侯無對為陋，不思安危終始之慮，是樂春藻之繁華，而忘秋實之甘口也。 昔魏人伐蜀，蜀人御之，精嚴垂發，六軍雲擾，士馬擐甲，羽檄交馳，費禕時為元帥，荷國任重，而與來敏圍棋，意無厭倦。 敏臨別謂禕：「君必能辦賊者也。」 言其明略內定，貌無憂色，況長寧以為君子臨事而懼，好謀而成者。 且蜀為蕞爾之國，而方向大敵，所規所圖，唯守與戰，何可矜己有餘，晏然無戚？ 斯乃性之寬簡，不防細微，卒為降人郭脩所害，豈非兆見於彼而禍成於此哉？ 往聞長寧之甄文偉，今睹元遜之逆呂侯，二事體同，故並而載之，可以鏡誡於後，永為世鑑。〉
Before the Huainan march a man in mourning drifted into his hall—“I wandered in unaware,” he said under questioning. Guards saw nothing—everyone called it an omen. Once he left, the main hall ridgebeam cracked. A white arc bridged his ship at Dongxing; another haloed his carriage at imperial tombs. At the palace gate Jun—troops already hidden—stepped out lest Ke turn back: “If you are ill, delay; I will explain to the throne.” He was sounding Ke’s nerve. “I will attend,” Ke said. Zhang Yue and Zhu En slipped a note: “Something is wrong with tonight’s layout.” Ke skimmed it and still walked in. Outside he met Teng Yin—“Stomach cramps—I should turn back,” Ke claimed. Yin, ignorant of the trap, urged him: “The boy emperor waits with wine—you are at the door—go.” He wavered, then climbed the steps armed—a privilege few enjoyed. He bowed to Sun Liang and sat. Jun saw him hesitate: “Take your usual tonic wine—bring what you trust.” Reassured, he sipped only his private flask. 〈Wu li records the warning memo; Teng Yin begged retreat—“Jun is nothing,” Ke sneered. Worst case—spiked cups.” So he entered carrying his drug wine. Sun Sheng: Ke trusted Yin, not the warners—a coup deserved joint counsel. Ke bullied Jun and trusted himself—would one soft word from Yin send him into the trap? The Wu li version rings true.〉 Mid-feast Liang slipped away; Jun returned in short jacket—“Arrest Zhuge Ke—by imperial order!” 〈Wu lu: Jun waved steel—Liang cried, “Not my doing! Not my doing!" Nurses hustled the boy emperor inside. Wu li says Jun hid Liang first, then announced the warrant. That agrees with this biography. Pei Songzhi: a staged edict should match the main text and Wu li, not Wu lu.〉 Ke leapt—steel met him before his sword cleared. Zhang Yue chopped Jun’s left hand—Jun wheeled and took his sword arm. Guards stormed in—“Only Ke—he is dead. Blades went home; blood was mopped and cups refilled. 〈The Sou shen ji says: After Ke entered he was slain; his wife indoors asked her maid, “Why this stench of blood?” “There is none,” said the girl. The smell thickened—“Why do your eyes roll?” she pressed. The maid convulsed to the beams—“Sun Jun killed Zhuge Ke!” The household understood—troops hammered the gate next. Zhi lin records Quan’s deathbed summons of Ke. Marshal Lü Dai saw him off: “Think ten times on each step.” Ke quoted Confucius—“Twice is enough”—“Ten times insults my wit.” Lü Dai stood mute—onlookers jeered his silence. Yu Xi: regency is the heaviest trust—few bear throne and sword together. Without humble ears open to every voice, fame founders. Lü Dai was veteran sage—his “think ten times” was rope thrown to a drowning man; Ke sneered—clever tongue, hollow nerve. Had he listened like lightning—would he lie headless to Jun’s knife? Crowds praise Ke’s wit and laugh at Lü—but eloquence without judgment is savoring blossom while ignoring harvest. Wei struck Shu—Fei Yi, burdened with command, played go with Lai Min amid flying orders. Lai Min left saying, “You will break them.” He read calm as settled strategy—the gentleman fears, then wins by plotting. Tiny Shu faced giant Wei—how boast ease with survival at stake? His loose temper missed fine hazard—so Guo Xiu the turncoat cut him down—warning ignored, blade earned. Yu Xi pairs Zhuge Ke’s barb at Lü Dai with an older spat—both cautionary tales worth preserving.〉
22
先是，童謠曰：「諸葛恪，蘆葦單衣蔑鉤落，於何相求成子閣。」 成子閣者，反語石子岡也。 建業面有長陵，名曰石子岡，葬者依焉。 鉤落者，校飾革帶，世謂之鉤絡帶。 恪果以葦席裹其身而篾束其腰，投之於此岡。 〈《吳錄》曰：恪時年五十一。〉 恪長子綽，騎都尉，以交關魯王事，權遣付恪，令更教誨，恪鴆殺之。 中子辣，長水校尉。 少子建，步兵校尉。 聞恪誅，車載其母而走。 峻遣騎督承追斬竦於白都。 建得渡江，欲北走魏，行數千里，為追兵所逮。 恪外甥都鄉侯張震及常侍朱恩等，皆夷三族。
A street rhyme foretold Ke: reed mat, hemp coat, belt-hooks dangling—seek him at “Chengzi Pavilion.” Flip the syllables—“Chengzi” hides Shizi Gang. Facing Jianye stands the burial mound Shizi Gang—Wu’s potter’s field. The hooks mean fancy belt fittings commoners called “hook-lattice” straps. They wound him in reed mat and bamboo cord and dumped him on Shizi Gang. 〈Wu lu notes Ke died at fifty-one.〉 Eldest son Zhuge Chuo, tied to the Lu prince scandal, was handed back to Ke for discipline—Ke murdered him with poisoned wine. His middle son Zhuge Song held the colonelcy on the Long River. Youngest Zhuge Jian commanded camp foot soldiers. His household carted the mother away at news of the coup. Sun Jun’s riders ran Ke’s fleeing son down at Baidu and killed him. Jian made the river but Wei caught him a thousand li north. Nephew Zhang Zhen of Duxiang and Zhu En died with their kin to the third degree.
23
初，竦數諫恪，恪不從，常憂懼禍。 及亡，臨淮臧均表乞收葬恪曰：
Zhuge Song had warned his brother again and again—terror followed silence. Zang Jun of Linhuai then petitioned for decent burial:
24
臣聞震雷電激，不崇一朝，大風沖發，殺有極日。 然猶繼以雲雨，因以潤物，是則天地之威，不可經日浹辰，帝王之怒，不宜訖情盡意，臣以狂愚，不知忌諱，敢冒破滅之罪，以邀風雨之會。 伏念故太傅諸葛恪得承祖考風流之烈，伯叔諸父遭漢祚盡，九州鼎立，分托三方，並履忠勤，熙隆世業。 爰及於恪，生長王國，陶育聖化，致名英偉，服事累紀，禍心未萌，先帝委以伊、週之任，屬以萬機之事。 恪索性剛履，矜己陵人，不能敬守神器，穆靜幫內，興功暴師，未期三出，虛耗士民，空竭府藏，專擅國憲，廢易由意，假刑劫眾，大小屏息。 侍中武衛將軍都鄉候俱受先帝囑寄之詔，見其奸虐，日月滋甚，將恐蕩搖宇宙，傾危社稷，奮其威怒，精貫昊天，計慮先於神明，智勇百於荊、聶，躬持白刃，梟恪殿堂，勳超朱，功越東牟。 國之元害，一朝大除，馳首徇示，六軍喜踴，日月增光，風塵不動，斯實宗廟之神靈，天人之同驗也。 今恪父子三首，懸市積日，觀者數萬，詈聲成風。 國之大刑，無所不震，長老孩幼，無不畢見。 人情之於品物，樂極則哀生，見恪貴盛，世莫與貳，身處台輔，中間歷年，今之誅夷，無異禽獸，觀訖情反，能不憯然！ 且已死之人，與土壤同域，鑿掘斫刺，無所復加。 願聖朝稽則乾坤，怒不極旬，使其鄉邑若故吏民收以士伍之服，惠以三寸之棺。 昔項籍受殯葬之施，韓信獲收斂之恩，斯則漢高發神明之譽也。 惟陛下敦三皇之仁，垂哀矜之心，使國澤加於辜戮之骸，復受不已之恩，於以揚聲遐方，沮勸天下，豈不弘哉！ 昔欒布矯命彭越，臣竊恨之，不先請主上，而專名以肆情，其得不誅，實為幸耳。 今臣不敢章宣愚情以露天恩，謹伏手書，冒昧陳聞，乞聖朝哀察。
Thunderclaps end; hurricanes taper—even heaven moderates rage. Storms give way to soaking rain—so should a throne ease after wrath. I risk my neck to beg that mercy. The Zhuges served three kingdoms with loyal sweat—Ke inherited that fire. Ke grew up at court, served honorably, then took regency meant for Yi Yin or the Duke of Zhou. He seized law, burned treasure and men on vain wars, ruled by terror. Sun Jun, testament guardian and guard general, struck Ke down in the throne hall and hailed it as salvation for temple and throne. Ke’s fall drew cheers—soldiers called it heaven’s verdict. Three heads rotted on public display while crowds jeered. State terror teaches every age. Yesterday’s idol is today’s carrion—pity follows spite. Corpses need no further desecration. Grant plain wood armor and a thin coffin—rage enough. Gaozu buried enemies with honor—so should Wu. Mercy to the executed advertises virtue empire-wide. Luan Bu acted without imperial OK—I condemn his arrogance. I seal this plea—not for spectacle but for mercy.
25
於是亮、峻聽恪故吏斂葬，遂求之於石子岡。 〈《江表傳》曰：朝臣有乞為恪立碑以銘其勳績者，博士盛衝以為不應。 孫休曰：「盛夏出軍，士卒傷損，無尺寸之功，不可謂能； 受託孤之任，死於豎子之手，不可謂智。 衝議為是。」 遂寢。〉
The regents let old aides recover Ke from Shizi Gang. 〈Some wanted a monument—Doctor Sheng Chong refused. Sun Xiu judged: “Summer war without gain is not skill; to die regent at a stripling’s blade is not wisdom. Sheng Chong had the right of it." The stele died unraised.〉
26
始恪退軍還，聶友知其將敗。 書與滕胤曰：「當人強盛，河山可拔，一朝羸縮，人情萬端，言之悲歎。」 恪誅後，孫峻忌友，欲以為鬱林太守。 友發病憂死。 友字文悌，豫章人也。 〈《吳錄》曰：友有脣吻，少為縣吏。 虞翻徙交州，縣令使友送之，翻與語而奇焉，為書與豫章太守謝斐，令以為功曹。 郡時見有功曹，斐見之，問曰：「縣吏聶友，可堪何職？」 對曰：「此人縣間小吏耳，猶可堪曹佐。」 斐曰：「論者以為宜作功曹，君其避之。」 乃用為功曹。 使至都，諸葛恪友之。 時論謂顧子嘿、子直，其間無所复容，恪欲以友居其間，由是知名。 後為將，討儋耳，還拜丹楊太守，年三十三卒。〉
Nie You saw doom in Ke’s retreat. He wrote Teng Yin: “While a man towers mountains and rivers may yield—once strength shrinks human moods multiply ten thousand ways—speech turns to lament.” Jun hated Nie You and tried to exile him to Yulin. Nie You worried himself to death. Nie You (Wendi), from Yuzhang. 〈Wu lu calls him glib—started as county clerk. Yu Fan spotted his wit en route to exile and recommended him to Xie Fei. The commandery then lacked a Clerk of Merit—when Fei met him he asked, “County clerk Nie You—which office fits?” “Barely fit for a bureau aide,” came reply. “Men say merit clerk—step aside,” Fei ordered. Nie You became merit clerk. At the capital Ke made him a confidant. Fashion ranked Gu Tan cousins supreme—Ke slid Nie between them for reputation. He led the Dan’er expedition, ruled Danyang, died at thirty-three.〉
27
恪將悉眾伐魏。 胤諫恪曰：「君以喪代之際，受伊、霍之託，入安本朝，出摧強敵，名聲振於海內，天下莫不震動，萬姓之心，冀得蒙君而息。 今猥以勞役之後，興師出征，民疲力屈，遠主有備。 若攻城不克，野略無獲，是喪前勞而招後責也。 不如案甲息師，觀隙而動。 且兵者大事，事以眾濟，眾苟不悅，君獨安之？」 恪曰：「諸雲不可者，皆不見計算，懷居苟安者也，而子復以為然，吾何望焉？ 夫以曹勞暗劣，而政在私門，彼之臣民，固有離心。 今吾因國家之資，借戰勝之威，則何往而不克哉！」 以胤為都下督，掌統留事。 胤白日接賓客，夜省文書，或通曉不寐。 〈《吳書》曰：胤寵任彌高，接士愈勤，表奏書疏，皆自經意，不以委下。〉
Zhuge Ke prepared another full-scale strike on Wei. Yin remonstrated Ke: “You amid succession crisis accepted Yi-Huo trust—within you steadied court, without broke mighty foes—fame thundered within the seas so none failed to tremble—myriad households hoped to lean on you and catch breath. Fresh from exhaustion you march—foe waits fresh. Fail twice and you buy shame not glory. Cool your spears—wait for a seam. War needs popular heart—can you ride hatred?” Ke said, “All who cry impossible lack reckoning and hug hearth ease—you echo them—what hope remains? Wei’s boy emperor drools while regents feud—ripe rot within. Give me our surplus and last win—where is steel we cannot pierce?” He left Yin to govern the capital rear. Teng Yin lived at desk and gate—nights without sleep. 〈Wu shu praises his hands-on paperwork.〉
28
二年，魏毋丘儉、文欽以眾叛，與魏人戰於樂嘉，峻帥驃騎將軍呂據、左將軍留贊襲壽春，會欽敗降，軍還。 〈《吳書》曰：留贊字正明，會稽長山人。 少為郡吏，與黃巾賊帥吳桓戰，手斬得桓。 贊一足被創，遂屈不伸。 然性烈，好讀兵書及三史，每覽古良將戰攻之勢，輒對書獨嘆，因呼諸近親謂曰：「今天下擾亂，英豪並起，歷觀前世，富貴非有常人，而我屈躄在閭巷之間，存亡無以異。 今欲割引吾足，幸不死而足申，幾復見用，死則已矣。」 親戚皆難之。 有間，贊乃以刀自割其筋，血流滂沱，氣絕良久。 家人驚怖，亦以既爾，遂引申其足。 足申創愈，以得蹉步。 凌統聞之，請與相見，甚奇之，乃表薦贊，遂被試用。 累有戰功，稍遷屯騎校尉。 時事得失，每常規諫，好直言不阿旨，權以此憚之。 諸葛恪征東興，讚為前部，合戰先陷陳，大敗魏師，遷左將軍。 孫峻徵淮南，授贊節，拜左護軍。 未至壽春，道路病發，峻令贊將車重先還。 魏將蔣班以步騎四千追贊。 贊病困，不能整陳，知必敗，乃解曲蓋印綬付弟子以歸，曰：「吾自為將，破敵搴旗，未嘗負敗。 今病困兵羸，眾寡不敵，汝速去矣，俱死無益於國，適所以快敵耳。」 弟子不肯受，拔刀欲斫之，乃去。 初，讚為將，臨敵必先被發叫天，因抗音而歌，左右應之，畢乃進戰，戰無不克。 及敗，歎曰：「吾戰有常術，今病困若此，固命也！」 遂被害，時年七十三，眾庶痛惜焉。 二子略、平，並為大將。〉 是歲，蜀使來聘，將軍孫儀、孫邵綝恂等欲因會殺峻。 事洩，儀等自殺，死者數十入，並及公主魯育。
Year two: Jian and Qin rose at Lejia; Sun Jun struck toward Shouchun with Lü Ju and Liu Zan—Qin collapsed and Wu marched home. 〈Wu shu: Liu Zan (Zhengming) of Changshan. As clerk he beheaded Turban chief Wu Huan hand-to-hand. A spear lame left his foot frozen bent. Yet nature fierce—he loved reading military works and the Three Histories—whenever scanning ancient champions’ battles he sighed alone over the text then called kin near: “All-under-Heaven is chaos—heroes rise together—scanning former ages wealth and honor favor no fixed men—yet I hobble alley-bound—life or death no different. Cut the sinew—straight foot or death.” Family forbade the knife. He sawed his tendons—blood flood—fainted. Kin splinted the leg straight. Healed, he limped to battle. Ling Tong sponsored him into service. Campaigns raised him to Garrison Cavalry colonel. He spoke truth Sun Quan disliked. Van at Dongxing—first through Wei lines—left general. Jun’s Huainan march made him credentialed left guard. Sick short of Shouchun—he convoyed supplies homeward. Jiang Ban chased with four thousand. Zan, sick and trapped, could not form ranks—knowing sure defeat he unfastened canopy seals and ribbons handing them to disciples to carry home, saying, “I have been general—breaking foes seizing banners—never tasted defeat. Joint death gifts Wei—run.” He threatened disciples until they ran. His battle ritual: hair down, hymn to sky, then charge—undefeated. “This is heaven—not tactics,” he said at the end. He died at seventy-three—Wu wept. Sons Lüe and Ping rose to high command.〉 During Shu’s embassy Sun Yi, Sun Shao, Sun Xun and allies plotted Jun’s murder at the feast. They were exposed—dozens suicided—Princess Lu Yu among them.
29
峻欲城廣陵，朝臣知其不可城，而畏之莫敢言。 唯滕胤諫止，不從，而功竟不就。 其明年，文欽說峻徵魏，峻使欽與呂據、車騎劉纂、鎮南朱異、前將軍唐諮自江都人淮、泗，以圖青、徐。 峻與胤至石頭，因餞之，領從者百許人入據營。 據禦軍齊整，峻惡之，稱心痛去。 遂夢為諸葛恪所擊，恐懼發病死，時年三十八，以後事付綝。
Jun dreamed of fortifying Guangling—ministers stayed mute in fear. Yin alone protested—the mad wall died unfinished. Year after, Qin talked Jun into another thrust—hosts left Jiangdu for Qing-Xu. At Stone Citadel Jun played farewell—then pushed into Lü Ju’s lines with a hundred guard. Ju’s crisp drill spooked Jun—he fled feigning chest pain. Nightmares of Ke—Jun died at thirty-eight—passed power to Sun Lin.
30
孫綝字子通，與峻同祖。 綝父綽為安民都尉。 綝始為偏將軍，及峻死，為待中武衛將軍，領中外諸軍事，代知朝政。 呂據聞之大恐，與諸督將連名，共表薦滕胤為丞相，綝以胤為大司馬，代呂岱駐武昌。 據引兵還，使人報胤，欲共廢綝。 綝聞之，遣從兄慮將兵逆據於江都，使中使敕文欽、劉纂、唐諮等合眾擊據，遣侍中左將軍華融、中書丞丁晏告胤取據，並喻胤宜速去意，胤自以禍及，因留融、晏，勒兵自衛，召典軍揚崇、將軍孫諮，告以綝為亂，迫融等使有書難綝。 綝不聽，表言胤反，許將軍劉丞以封爵，使率兵騎急攻圍胤。 胤又劫融等使詐詔發兵。 融等不從，胤皆殺之。 〈文士傳曰：華融字德蕤，廣陵江都人。 祖父避亂，居山陰蕊山下。 時皇象亦寓居山陰，吳郡張溫來就像學，欲得所舍。 或告溫曰：「蕊山下有華德蕤者，雖年少，美有令志，可舍也。」 溫遂止融家，朝夕談講。 俄而溫為選部尚書，乃擢融為太子庶子，遂知名顯達。 融子諝，黃門郎，與融並見害。 次子譚，以才辯稱，晉秘書監。〉 胤顏色不變，談笑若常。 或勸胤引兵至蒼龍門，「將士見公出，必皆委綝就公」。 時夜已半，胤恃與據期。 又難舉兵向富，乃約令部曲，說呂侯以在近道，故皆為胤盡死，無離散者。 時大風，比曉，據不至。 綝兵大會，遂殺及將士數十人，夷胤三族。 〈臣松之以為孫綝雖凶虐，與滕胤宿無嫌隙，胤若且順綝意，出鎮武昌，豈徒免當時之禍，仍將永保元吉，而犯機觸害，自取夷滅，悲夫！〉
Sun Lin (Zitong)—Jun’s cousin. Father Sun Chuo held pacification command. Major to regent—Jun’s death made Lin armed chamberlain of all hosts. Lü Ju petitioned Yin as chancellor—Lin banished Yin to Grand Marshal at Wuchang instead. Lü Ju reversed course and urged Teng Yin to sack Sun Lin together. Lin bottled Ju at Jiangdu while envoys pressured Yin; Yin held Hua Rong hostage, armed his household, and denounced Lin. Lin branded Yin traitor and threw Liu Cheng’s riders at his compound. He tried to fake an outbreak order through Hua Rong. When they balked he cut them down. 〈Literary tradition: Hua Rong (Derui) of Jiangdu. Ancestors fled war to Shanyin hills. Calligrapher Huang Xiang shared the hamlet—Zhang Wen studied there. Someone told Wen: “Below Ruirui Mountain dwells Hua Derui—young yet fine in aspiration—lodging may be had there.” Zhang Wen roomed with Hua Rong and talked night and day. When Zhang Wen ran appointments he lifted Hua Rong to tutor staff—fame followed. Son Hua Xu died beside him. Younger son Tan won Jin office as library chief.〉 Teng Yin faced death smiling. Some urged Yin to lead troops to Azure Dragon Gate—“when soldiers see Your Excellency emerge they will surely abandon Lin for you.” Midnight—Yin still waited for Lü Ju. He told his men Ju was close—hold the line—but Ju never came. Gale till dawn—no Ju. Sun Lin stormed in—slaughtered Yin’s clan to the third degree. 〈Pei Songzhi: Yin could have taken Wuchang and lived—instead he chose martyrdom.〉
31
綝遷大將軍，假節，封永寧侯，負貴倨傲，多行無禮。 初，峻從弟慮與諸葛恪之謀，峻厚之，至右將軍、無難督，授節蓋，平九官事。 綝遇慮薄於峻時，慮怒，與將軍王惇謀殺綝。 綝殺惇。 慮服藥死。
Sun Lin grabbed Yongning marquisate and swaggered. Sun Lü had backed Ke—Jun raised him to right general and inner-court fixer. Lin snubbed Sun Lü—Lü plotted with Wang Dun. Lin executed Wang Dun. Sun Lü swallowed poison.
32
魏大將軍諸葛誕舉壽春叛，保城請降。 吳遣文欽、唐諮、全端、全懌等三萬人救之。 魏鎮南將軍王基圍入誕。 欽等突圍城。 魏悉中外軍二十餘萬增誕之圍。 朱異帥三萬人屯安豐城，為文欽勢。 魏兗州刺史州泰據異於陽淵，異敗退，為泰所追，死傷二干人。 林於是大發率出屯鑊裡，復遣異率將軍丁奉、黎斐等五萬人攻魏，留輜重於都陸。 異屯黎漿，遣將軍任度、張震等慕勇敢六千人，於屯西六里為浮橋夜渡，築偃月壘。 為魏監軍石苞及州泰所破，軍卻退就高。 異復作車箱圍趣五木城。 苞、泰攻異，異敗歸，而魏太山太守胡烈以奇兵五千詭道襲都陸，盡焚異資糧。 綝授兵三萬人使異死戰，異不從，綝斬之於鑊裡，而遣弟恩救。 會誕敗引還。 綝既不能拔出誕，而喪敗士眾，自戮名將，莫不怨之。
Zhuge Dan rebelled in Wei and offered Wu the city. Wu sent thirty thousand under Wen Qin and Quan brothers. Wang Ji tightened the Wei ring around Dan. Relief column punched out. Wei stacked two hundred thousand more on the siege. Zhu Yi camped at Ancheng to back Qin. Zhou Tai routed Zhu Yi—two thousand casualties. Sun Lin stacked fifty thousand under Zhu Yi at Huoli—supplies at Dulü. Zhu Yi tried night bridges and moon bastions west of camp. Shi Bao and Zhou Tai crushed the bridgehead. Zhu Yi shifted to wagon-wall tactics toward Wumu. Hu Lie torched Zhu Yi’s depot at Dulü. Sun Lin executed Zhu Yi for disobedience—sent Sun En forward. Dan’s fall ended the relief war. Wu blamed Lin for killing Zhu Yi and losing Dan.
33
綝以孫亮始親政事，多所難問，甚懼。 還建業，稱疾不朝。 築室幹朱雀橋南，使弟威遠將軍據入蒼龍宿衛，弟武衛將軍恩、偏將軍幹、長水校尉闓分屯諸營，欲以專朝自固。 亮內嫌綝，乃推魯育見殺本末，責怒虎林督朱熊、熊弟外部督朱損不匡正孫峻，乃令丁奉殺熊於虎林，殺損於建業。 綝入諫不從，亮遂與公主魯班、太常全尚、將軍劉承議誅綝。 亮妃，綝從姊女也，以其謀告綝。 綝率眾夜襲全尚，遣弟恩殺劉承於蒼龍門外，遂圍宮。 〈江表傳曰：亮召全尚息黃門侍郎紀密謀，曰：「孫綝專勢，輕小於孤。 孤見敕之，使速上岸，為唐諮等作援，而留湖中，不上岸一步。 又委罪硃異，擅殺功臣，不先表聞。 築第橋南，不復朝見。 此為自在，無復所畏，不可久忍。 今規取之，卿父作中軍都督，使密嚴整士馬，孤當自出臨橋，帥宿衛虎騎、左右無難一時圍之。 作版詔敕綝所領皆解散，不得舉手，正爾自得之。 卿去，但當使密耳。 卿宣詔語卿父，勿令卿母知之，女人既不曉大事，且綝同堂姊，邂逅洩漏，誤孤非小也。」 紀承詔，以告尚，尚無遠慮，以語紀母。 母使人密語綝。 綝夜發嚴兵廢亮，比明，兵已圍宮。 亮大怒，上馬，帶鞬執弓欲出，曰：「孤大皇帝之適子，在位已五年，誰敢不從者？」 侍中近臣及乳母共牽攀止之，乃不得出，嘆吒二日不食，罵其妻曰：「爾父憒憒，敗我大事！」 又呼紀，紀曰：「臣父奉詔不謹，負上，無面目復見。」 因自殺。 孫盛曰：亮傳稱亮少聰慧，勢當先與紀謀，不先令妻知也。 江表傳說漏洩有由，於事為詳矣。〉 使光祿勳盂宗告廟廢亮，召群司儀曰：「少帝荒病昏亂，不可以處大位，承宗廟，以告先帝廢之。 諸君若有不同者，下異議。」 皆震怖。 曰：「唯將軍令。」 綝遣中書郎李祟奪亮璽綬，以亮罪狀班告遠近。 尚書桓彝不肯署名，綝怒殺之。 〈《漢晉春秋》曰：彝，魏尚書令階之弟。 《吳錄》曰：晉武帝問薛瑩吳之名臣，瑩對稱彝有忠貞之節。〉
Boy emperor Liang asked hard questions—Lin panicked. He hid in private claiming sickness. Ringed the capital with brothers in every gate camp. Liang avenged Princess Lu Yu—executed Zhu Xiong brothers for Jun’s crimes. Liang allied with Ban, Quan Shang, Liu Cheng to kill Lin. The empress—Lin’s cousin—whispered to Lin. Lin struck Quan Shang—murdered Liu Cheng—surrounded the palace. 〈The Jiang Biao Zhuan states: Liang summoned Quan Shang’s son Gentleman at Yellow Gates Ji for secret counsel—“Sun Lin monopolizes power—belittles me—the orphan. He accused Lin of loafing on the lake. He cited Zhu Yi’s murder. Lin skipped court from his riverside villa. Pride unbearable. Plan: Quan Shang mobilizes—Liang leads guards at bridge. Forged order disbands Lin’s troops. Tell no one. Announce edict to your father—do not let your mother know—women grasp not great affairs—and Lin is cousin by hall—chance leak ruins me beyond measure.” Quan Shang told his wife anyway. She tipped Sun Lin. Lin struck first—palace under arms by dawn. Liang raged—mounted horse—belt quiver grasped bow intending exit—“I am Great Emperor’s heir son—five years on throne—who dares disobey?” Palace attendants and wet nurses together dragged him—could not exit—sighed two days without eating—reviled his wife—“Your father muddle-headed—ruined my great affair!” Again summoned Ji—Ji said—“My father failed edict—betrayed sovereign—no face to see again.” He killed himself. Sun Sheng doubts chronology—smart boy would not tell wife first. Pei accepts Jiang Biao leak narrative as fuller.〉 Ordered Superintendent of the Household Meng Zong announce temples deposing Liang—summoned gathered officers—“Young emperor wasteland-sick muddled mad—may not occupy great seat—carry ancestral temples—therefore announcing prior emperor’s temples—deposing him. If gentlemen harbor dissent—voice contrary below.” Silence of fear. They said—“Only the general’s command.” Lin seized seals and blackened Liang’s name. Huan Yi died refusing the coup paper. 〈Huan Yi was brother of Wei minister Huan Jie. Jin emperor later cited Huan Yi as Wu martyr.〉
34
典軍施正勸綝徵立琅邪王休，綝從之。 遣宗正楷奉書於休曰：
Shi Zheng talked Lin into king Huima—Sun Xiu. Sun Kai carried summons to Xiu:
35
綝以薄才，見授大任，不能輔導陛下。 頃月以來，多所造立。 親近劉承，悅於美色； 發吏民婦女，料其好者，留於宮內，取兵弟十八已下三千餘人，習之苑中，連日續夜，大小呼嗟，敗壞藏中矛戈五千餘枚，以作戲具。 朱據先帝舊臣，子男熊、損皆承父之基，以忠議自立，昔殺小主。 自是大主所創，帝不復精其本未，便殺熊、損，諫不見用。 諸下莫不側息。 帝於宮中作小船三百餘艘，成以金銀，師工晝夜不息。 太常全尚，累世受恩，不能督諸宗親，而全端等委城就魏。 尚位過重，曾無一言以諫陛下，而與敵往來，使傳國消息，懼必傾危社稷。 推案舊典，運集大王，輒以今月二十七日擒尚斬承。 以帝為會稽王，遣楷牽迎。 百寮喁喁。 立任道側。
The indictment opens with Lin’s sham confession that he failed as regent. It lists Liang’s alleged novelty-building excesses. Charges dalliance with Liu Cheng and palace women. Monstrous catalog of Liang’s alleged orgies and toy navy. Claims Zhu heirs murdered princess—distorts truth. Blames Liang for Zhu executions without hearing Lin’s guilt. Court terrified into silence. Accuses toy fleet waste. Smears Quan clan treason. Claims Quan Shang spied for Wei. Announces staged arrests— date fixed. Deposes Liang to Kuaiji prince—sends escort for Xiu. Bureaucracy voiced obedience. They lined the route for new sovereign.
36
綝奉牛酒詣休，休不受，齎詣左將軍張布。 酒酣，出怨言曰：「徹廢少主時，多勸吾自為之者。 吾以陛下賢明，故迎之。 帝非我不立，今上禮見拒，是與凡臣無異，當復改圖耳。」 布以言聞休，休銜之。 鞏其有變，數加賞賜，又復加恩侍中，與綝分省文書。 或有告綝懷怨侮上欲圖反者，休執以付綝，綝殺之。 由是愈懼，因孟宗求出屯武昌，休許焉，盡敕所督中營精兵萬餘人，皆令裝載，所取武庫兵器，咸令給與。 〈《吳曆》曰：綝求中書兩郎，典知荊州諸軍事，主者奏中書不應外出，休特聽之，其所請求，一皆給與。〉 將軍魏邈說休曰「綝居外必有變」，武衛士施朔又告「綝欲反有徵」休密問張布，布與丁奉謀於會殺綝。
Sun Lin’s peace gifts went to Zhang Bu—Xiu declined face-to-face. Wine heated—bitter words emerged—“When we utterly deposed young sovereign—many urged me take throne myself. Claims he chose Xiu for virtue. Emperor without me would not stand—now courtesy visit refused—no different from common minister—must scheme anew.” Zhang Bu warned Xiu—resentment seeded. Emperor Xiu feared Lin would bolt—showered honors and busywork to watch him. Xiu fed Lin a false informer—Lin killed him—proving brutality. Lin fled toward Wuchang with elite ten thousand—throne armed him freely. 〈Wu li: Xiu let Lin pick secretaries for Jingzhou staff.〉 General Wei Mi advised Xiu—“Lin abroad certain brings mutiny”—Palace guardsman Shi Shuo again reported—“Lin plots revolt with signs”—Xiu secretly questioned Zhang Bu—Bu with Ding Feng plotted banquet killing Lin.
37
綝死時年二十八。 休耽與峻、綝同族，特除其屬籍，稱之曰故峻、故綝雲。 休又下詔曰：「諸葛恪、滕胤、呂據蓋以無罪為峻、綝兄弟所見殘害，可為痛心，促皆改葬，各為祭奠。 其罹恪等事見遠徙者，一切召還。」
Sun Lin perished at twenty-eight. Emperor Xiu struck Sun Jun and Sun Lin from the imperial lineage—only “the late Jun” and “the late Lin” remained on the record. Xiu further issued edict: “Zhuge Ke, Teng Yin, and Lü Ju were innocent yet slaughtered by Jun and Lin brothers—utterly heartbreaking—hasten reburial for each with sacrifices. Those who suffered Ke affair and were banished afar—summon all back.”
38
濮陽興
Puyang Xing
39
永安三年，都尉嚴密建丹楊湖田，作浦裡塘。 詔百官會議，咸以為用功多而田不保成，唯興以為可成。 遂會諸兵民就作，功傭之費不可勝數，士卒死亡，或自賊殺，百姓大怨之。 興遷為丞相，與休寵臣左將軍張共布相表裡，邦內失望。 七年七月，休薨。 左典軍萬彧素與烏程侯孫皓善，乃勸興、布，於是興、布廢休適子而迎立皓。 皓既踐阼，加興侍中，領青州牧。 俄彧譖興、布追悔前事。 十一月朔入朝，皓因收興、布，徙廣州，道追殺之，夷三族。
Yongan 3: Yan Mi pitched the Puli reclamation on Danyang’s lakes. Ministers called the dyke a boondoggle—Puyang Xing alone swore it would pay. Corvée swelled—paymasters drowned—troops died in mutiny and accident—the delta cursed Xing’s name. Raised to chancellor, he teamed with Zhang Bu—Wu groaned at crony rule. Sun Xiu died in the seventh month of the seventh year of his era. Wan Yu talked Xing and Bu into skipping Xiu’s son for Sun Hao. Sun Hao bought loyalty with palace posts and a Qingzhou title. Wan Yu then whispered that both ministers regretted enthroning him. On the new moon Hao arrested them—marched them toward Guangzhou—had them killed en route—then wiped three degrees of kin.
40
【評】
Section rubric: Appraisal
41
評曰：諸葛恪才氣幹略，邦人所稱，然驕且吝，周公無觀，況在於恪？ 矜己陵人，能無敗乎！ 若躬行所與陸遜及弟融之書，則悔吝不至，何尤禍之有哉？ 滕胤厲修士操，遵蹈規矩，而孫峻之時猶保其貴，必危之理也。 峻、綝兇豎盈溢，固無足論者。 濮陽興身居宰輔，慮不經國，協張布之邪，納萬彧之說，誅夷其宣矣。
Chen Shou: Wu admired Ke’s brilliance, but pride and deafness to counsel ruined him—a sage regent could scarcely have controlled such ego. Vanity and contempt for peers doom any minister. Had Ke practiced the humility he preached to Lu Xun and Zhuge Rong, he might have died in bed. Teng Yin’s rectitude could not save him once Jun turned butcher—virtue offered no armor. Sun Jun and Sun Lin were base plotters beneath serious debate. Puyang Xing stood at the helm yet peddled Wan Yu’s intrigue and Zhang Bu’s faction—his annihilation was earned.