1
黥布者，六人也，姓英氏。 秦時為布衣。 少年，有客相之曰：「當刑而王。」 及壯，坐法黥。 布欣然笑曰； 「人相我當刑而王，幾是乎？」 人有聞者，共俳笑之。 布已論輸麗山，麗山之徒數十萬人，布皆與其徒長豪桀交通，乃率其曹偶，亡之江中為群盜。
Qing Bu was a native of Liu, with the surname Ying. During the Qin era, he lived as a commoner. In his youth, a traveling physiognomist examined his features and declared, "You shall first suffer punishment, and then become a king." When he reached manhood, he was convicted of a crime and branded with the convict's tattoo. Bu laughed with delight and said, "Someone once read my face and foretold that I would suffer punishment before becoming a king. Could this be the start of that prophecy?" Those who overheard him mocked and laughed at his words. After Bu was sentenced to hard labor at Mount Li, he found himself among hundreds of thousands of convicts. There he befriended every leader and formidable figure among the laborers, and eventually led a band of his companions to escape to the Yangtze River region, where they turned to banditry.
2
陳勝之起也，布乃見番君，與其眾叛秦，聚兵數千人。 番君以其女妻之。 章邯之滅陳勝，破呂臣軍，布乃引兵北擊秦左右校，破之清波，引兵而東。 聞項梁定江東會稽，涉江而西。 陳嬰以項氏世為楚將，乃以兵屬項梁，渡淮南，英布、蒲將軍亦以兵屬項梁。
When Chen Sheng raised the banner of revolt, Bu sought out Lord Fan of Poyang and joined forces with his followers to rebel against Qin, assembling an army of several thousand men. Lord Fan gave him his daughter in marriage. After Zhang Han destroyed Chen Sheng and routed the army of Lü Chen, Bu led his forces northward to attack the Qin left and right battalions. He defeated them at Qingbo, then marched his army eastward. Upon hearing that Xiang Liang had established control over Jiangdong and Kuaiji, he crossed the Yangtze and headed west to join him. Chen Ying, recognizing that the Xiang family had served as generals of Chu for generations, placed his forces under Xiang Liang's command and crossed south of the Huai River. Ying Bu and General Pu likewise pledged their troops to Xiang Liang.
3
項梁涉淮而西，擊景駒、秦嘉等，布常冠軍。 項梁至薛，聞陳王定死，迺立楚懷王。 項梁號為武信君，英布為當陽君。 項梁敗死定陶，懷王徙都彭城，諸將英布亦皆保聚彭城。 當是時，秦急圍趙，趙數使人請救。 懷王使宋義為上將，范曾為末將，項籍為次將，英在、蒲將軍皆為將軍，悉屬宋義，北救趙。 及項籍殺宋義於河上，懷王因立籍為上將軍，諸將皆屬項籍。 項籍使布先渡河擊秦，布數有利，籍迺悉引兵涉河從之，遂破秦軍，降章邯等。 楚兵常勝，功冠諸侯。 諸侯兵皆以服屬楚者，以布數以少敗眾也。
Xiang Liang crossed the Huai River and pushed westward, attacking Jing Ju, Qin Jia, and their allies. In every engagement, Bu distinguished himself as the foremost warrior. When Xiang Liang arrived at Xue, he received confirmation of King Chen's death and thereupon enthroned King Huai of Chu. Xiang Liang took the title of Lord Wuxin, and Ying Bu was granted the title of Lord Dangyang. After Xiang Liang was defeated and killed at Dingtao, King Huai relocated the capital to Pengcheng. The generals, Ying Bu among them, all withdrew and regrouped at Pengcheng. At that time, the Qin army had tightened its siege around Zhao, and Zhao sent envoy after envoy pleading for relief. King Huai appointed Song Yi as supreme commander, Fan Zeng as rear general, and Xiang Ji as deputy commander. Ying Bu and General Pu were both given generalships, and all were placed under Song Yi's authority with orders to march north and relieve Zhao. When Xiang Ji killed Song Yi by the river, King Huai had no choice but to appoint Ji as supreme commander. All the generals were placed under his authority. Xiang Ji sent Bu across the river first to engage the Qin forces. Bu scored several victories, after which Ji led the full army across the river to join him. Together they crushed the Qin army and accepted the surrender of Zhang Han and his officers. The Chu forces were victorious in every campaign, their achievements surpassing those of all the other feudal lords. The reason every feudal army submitted to Chu was that Bu had time and again defeated vastly superior forces with inferior numbers.
4
項籍之引兵西至新安，又使布等夜擊阬章邯秦卒二十餘萬人。 至關，不得入，又使布等先從閒道破關下軍，遂得入，至咸陽。 布常為軍鋒。 項王封諸將，立布為九江王，都六。
When Xiang Ji led his army westward to Xin'an, he ordered Bu and others to carry out a nighttime massacre, burying alive over two hundred thousand of Zhang Han's surrendered Qin soldiers. When they arrived at the pass and found it blocked, Xiang Ji sent Bu and others ahead through a hidden route to smash the defending garrison below the pass. With the way cleared, the army entered and advanced to Xianyang. In every campaign, Bu served as the army's vanguard. When the King of Xiang enfeoffed the generals, he made Bu the King of Jiujiang and established his capital at Liu.
5
漢元年四月，諸侯皆罷戲下，各就國。 項氏立懷王為義帝，徙都長沙，乃陰令九江王布等行擊之。 其八月，布使將擊義帝，追殺之郴縣。
In the fourth month of the first year of the Han dynasty, the feudal lords all disbanded from the assembly at Xi and departed for their respective kingdoms. The Xiang clan elevated King Huai to the title of Righteous Emperor and relocated his capital to Changsha. Then they secretly ordered the King of Jiujiang, Bu, and others to go and attack him. In the eighth month, Bu dispatched a general to attack the Righteous Emperor, who was pursued and killed at Chen County.
6
漢二年，齊王田榮畔楚，項王往擊齊，徵兵九江，九江王布稱病不往，遣將將數千人行。 漢之敗楚彭城，布又稱病不佐楚。 項王由此怨布，數使使者誚讓召布，布愈恐，不敢往。 項王方北憂齊、趙，西患漢，所與者獨九江王，又多布材，欲親用之，以故未擊。
In the second year of Han, Tian Rong, the King of Qi, rebelled against Chu. The King of Xiang marched to attack Qi and demanded troops from Jiujiang, but Bu, the King of Jiujiang, pleaded illness and refused to go in person, dispatching only a general with several thousand men. When Han attacked and defeated Chu at Pengcheng, Bu once again pleaded illness and refused to come to Chu's aid. From this point on, the King of Xiang bore a grudge against Bu. He repeatedly dispatched envoys to reprimand and summon him, but Bu only grew more fearful and dared not comply. The King of Xiang was preoccupied with threats from Qi and Zhao in the north and from Han in the west. His sole remaining ally was the King of Jiujiang, and he prized Bu's military talent and wished to retain his services. For these reasons, he held off from attacking him.
7
漢三年，漢王擊楚，大戰彭城，不利，出梁地，至虞，謂左右曰：「如彼等者，無足與計天下事。」 謁者隨何進曰：「不審陛下所謂。」 漢王曰：「孰能為我使淮南，令之發兵倍楚，留項王於齊數月，我之取天下可以百全。」 隨何曰：「臣請使之。」 乃與二十人俱，使淮南。 至，因太宰主之，三日不得見。 隨何因說太宰曰：「王之不見何，必以楚為彊，以漢為弱，此臣之所以為使。 使何得見，言之而是邪，是大王所欲聞也； 言之而非邪，使何等二十人伏斧質淮南市，以明王倍漢而與楚也。」 太宰乃言之王，王見之。 隨何曰：「漢王使臣敬進書大王御者，竊怪大王與楚何親也。」 淮南王曰：「寡人北鄉而臣事之。」 隨何曰：「大王與項王俱列為諸侯，北鄉而臣事之，必以楚為彊，可以託國也。 項王伐齊，身負板筑，以為士卒先，大王宜悉淮南之眾，身自將之，為楚軍前鋒，今乃發四千人以助楚。 夫北面而臣事人者，固若是乎？ 夫漢王戰於彭城，項王未出齊也，大王宜騷淮南之兵渡淮，日夜會戰彭城下，大王撫萬人之眾，無一人渡淮者，垂拱而觀其孰勝。 夫託國於人者，固若是乎？ 大王提空名以鄉楚，而欲厚自託，臣竊為大王不取也。 然而大王不背楚者，以漢為弱也。 夫楚兵雖彊，天下負之以不義之名，以其背盟約而殺義帝也。 然而楚王恃戰勝自彊，漢王收諸侯，還守成皋、滎陽，下蜀、漢之粟，深溝壁壘，分卒守徼乘塞，楚人還兵，閒以梁地，深入敵國八九百里，欲戰則不得，攻城則力不能，老弱轉糧千里之外； 楚兵至滎陽、成皋，漢堅守而不動，進則不得攻，退則不得解。 故曰楚兵不足恃也。 使楚勝漢，則諸侯自危懼而相救。 夫楚之彊，適足以致天下之兵耳。 故楚不如漢，其勢易見也。 今大王不與萬全之漢而自託於危亡之楚，臣竊為大王惑之。 臣非以淮南之兵足以亡楚也。 夫大王發兵而倍楚，項王必留； 留數月，漢之取天下可以萬全。 臣請與大王提劍而歸漢，漢王必裂地而封大王，又況淮南，淮南必大王有也。 故漢王敬使使臣進愚計，願大王之留意也。」 淮南王曰：「請奉命。」 陰許畔楚與漢，未敢泄也。
In the third year of Han, the King of Han attacked Chu and fought a great battle at Pengcheng, but suffered defeat. He retreated through the territory of Liang until he reached Yu, where he said to his attendants, "Men like these are not worth consulting about the affairs of the empire." The palace attendant Sui He stepped forward and said, "I do not understand what Your Majesty means by this." The King of Han replied, "Who can go as my envoy to the King of Huainan and persuade him to raise his army and turn against Chu, thereby pinning the King of Xiang in Qi for several months? If that could be done, my conquest of the empire would be assured." Sui He said, "Allow me to go as your envoy." He set out with a party of twenty men on the mission to Huainan. Upon their arrival, the Grand Steward received them, but for three days they were denied an audience with the king. Sui He then addressed the Grand Steward, saying, "The reason the king refuses to see me is surely that he considers Chu strong and Han weak. But this is precisely why I have been sent here. If I am granted an audience and my arguments prove sound, then the king will hear what he needs to hear. If my arguments prove wrong, then let my twenty companions and me lay our necks upon the executioner's block in the Huainan marketplace, as a public declaration that the king has rejected Han and chosen Chu." The Grand Steward relayed this to the king, who then agreed to receive him. Sui He said, "The King of Han has sent me to respectfully present a letter to Your Majesty. I confess myself puzzled by Your Majesty's close attachment to Chu." The King of Huainan replied, "I face north and serve him as a vassal." Sui He said, "Your Majesty and the King of Xiang were both enfeoffed as feudal lords, yet you face north and serve him as a vassal. This can only be because you consider Chu powerful enough to entrust with your kingdom's safety. When the King of Xiang campaigned against Qi, he personally shouldered planks and rammed earth alongside his men, leading from the very front. If you truly serve him, Your Majesty ought to have mustered every soldier in Huainan and personally led them as the vanguard of Chu's army. Instead, you sent a mere four thousand men to assist. Is this how a man who calls himself a loyal vassal conducts himself? When the King of Han was fighting at Pengcheng, the King of Xiang was still in Qi. Your Majesty should have rallied the forces of Huainan to cross the Huai River and rush to join battle at Pengcheng day and night. Yet with tens of thousands of troops at your command, you did not send a single soldier across the Huai, content to fold your arms and watch from the sidelines to see who would prevail. Is this how a man who entrusts his kingdom to another's protection should act? Your Majesty pledges allegiance to Chu in name only, yet expects the full protection that comes with genuine loyalty. I venture to say that Your Majesty's strategy is deeply flawed. And yet the reason Your Majesty has not turned against Chu is simply that you consider Han to be weak. Though the Chu army is powerful, the whole world brands it with the name of injustice, for it violated its sworn covenants and murdered the Righteous Emperor. The King of Chu may rely on his battle victories to assert his strength, but the King of Han has rallied the feudal lords, fortified Chenggao and Xingyang, and secured the grain supplies of Shu and Han. He has dug deep trenches, raised high ramparts, and stationed troops at every pass and strategic point. The Chu army, meanwhile, must march through the territory of Liang, advancing eight or nine hundred li deep into hostile territory. They seek battle but cannot force it; they attack fortified cities but lack the strength to take them. Their old and infirm must haul supplies over a thousand li; When the Chu forces reach Xingyang and Chenggao, Han stands firm and will not yield. If they press forward, they cannot breach the defenses; if they fall back, they cannot safely disengage. This is why I say the might of Chu is not to be relied upon. Should Chu defeat Han, the other feudal lords will feel their own safety threatened and will unite to defend one another. The very strength of Chu will only succeed in drawing the armies of the entire world against it. Chu is therefore no match for Han. The strategic reality could not be clearer. Yet now Your Majesty refuses to side with Han, whose victory is assured, and instead stakes your fate on Chu, which teeters on the brink of destruction. I confess myself bewildered by Your Majesty's reasoning. I do not claim that the forces of Huainan alone could destroy Chu. But if Your Majesty raises an army and turns against Chu, the King of Xiang will be forced to stay and deal with you. Pin him down for just a few months, and Han's conquest of the empire will be absolutely certain. Allow me to ride at Your Majesty's side with sword in hand and go over to Han. The King of Han will certainly grant you a fief of carved-out territory, and Huainan itself will assuredly remain yours. For these reasons, the King of Han has respectfully dispatched me to present this humble counsel. I beg Your Majesty to consider it carefully." The King of Huainan said, "I shall comply." He secretly agreed to defect from Chu and join Han, but dared not yet make his intentions known.
8
楚使者在，方急責英布發兵，舍傳舍。 隨何直入，坐楚使者上坐，曰：「九江王已歸漢，楚何以得發兵？」 布愕然。 楚使者起。 何因說布曰：「事已搆，可遂殺楚使者，無使歸，而疾走漢并力。」 布曰：「如使者教，因起兵而擊之耳。」 於是殺使者，因起兵而攻楚。 楚使項聲、龍且攻淮南，項王留而攻下邑。 數月，龍且擊淮南，破布軍。 布欲引兵走漢，恐楚王殺之，故閒行與何俱歸漢。
At this time, the Chu envoy was still present, pressing Ying Bu to mobilize his troops, and was staying at the official guesthouse. Sui He strode in unannounced and seated himself in the place of honor above the Chu envoy, declaring, "The King of Jiujiang has already gone over to Han. On what grounds does Chu demand his troops?" Bu was struck dumb with shock. The Chu envoy leapt to his feet. Sui He then urged Bu, saying, "The deed is already done. You must kill the Chu envoy immediately and prevent him from returning. Then make haste to join forces with Han." Bu said, "I shall follow your counsel and raise my army to strike against Chu." With that, he had the Chu envoy killed, raised his army, and launched an attack on Chu. Chu dispatched Xiang Sheng and Long Ju to attack Huainan, while the King of Xiang remained behind to assault Xiayi. After several months of fighting, Long Ju attacked Huainan and routed Bu's forces. Bu wished to lead his forces to join Han, but feared the King of Chu would have him killed. He therefore slipped away in secret and traveled with Sui He back to the Han court.
9
淮南王至，上方踞床洗，召布入見，布（甚）大怒，悔來，欲自殺。 出就舍，帳御飲食從官如漢王居，布又大喜過望。 於是乃使人入九江。 楚已使項伯收九江兵，盡殺布妻子。 布使者頗得故人幸臣，將眾數千人歸漢。 漢益分布兵而與俱北，收兵至成皋。 四年七月，立布為淮南王，與擊項籍。
When the King of Huainan arrived, the Emperor was lounging on his couch having his feet washed. He summoned Bu in for an audience in this state. Bu was seized with fury and regretted having come, nearly wanting to take his own life. But when he retired to his quarters, he found the furnishings, attendants, food, and retinue identical to those of the King of Han himself. Bu was overjoyed beyond all expectation. He then sent agents back into Jiujiang to rally his remaining forces. But Chu had already dispatched Xiang Bo to seize the Jiujiang army and had put Bu's wife and children to death. Bu's agents managed to rally a number of his old friends and trusted ministers, and led several thousand men back to the Han side. Han reinforced Bu with additional troops, and together they marched northward, recruiting soldiers along the way until they reached Chenggao. In the seventh month of the fourth year, Bu was formally installed as the King of Huainan and joined the campaign against Xiang Ji.
10
漢五年，布使人入九江，得數縣。 六年，布與劉賈入九江，誘大司馬周殷，周殷反楚，遂舉九江兵與漢擊楚，破之垓下。
In the fifth year of Han, Bu sent agents into Jiujiang and recovered several counties. In the sixth year, Bu and Liu Jia entered Jiujiang and won over the Grand Marshal Zhou Yin to their cause. Zhou Yin defected from Chu, and together they raised the entire Jiujiang army to join Han in the final assault on Chu, crushing them at Gaixia.
11
項籍死，天下定，上置酒。 上折隨何之功，謂何為腐儒，為天下安用腐儒。 隨何跪曰：「夫陛下引兵攻彭城，楚王未去齊也，陛下發步卒五萬人，騎五千，能以取淮南乎？」 上曰：「不能。」 隨何曰：「陛下使何與二十人使淮南，至，如陛下之意，是何之功賢於步卒五萬人騎五千也。 然而陛下謂何腐儒，為天下安用腐儒，何也？」 上曰：「吾方圖子之功。」 乃以隨何為護軍中尉。 布遂剖符為淮南王，都六，九江、廬江、衡山、豫章郡皆屬布。
After Xiang Ji's death, the empire was at last pacified, and the Emperor held a grand banquet. The Emperor dismissed Sui He's achievements, called him a pedantic scholar, and asked what use the empire had for pedantic scholars. Sui He knelt and said, "When Your Majesty led the army against Pengcheng while the King of Chu was still in Qi, could you have taken Huainan with fifty thousand foot soldiers and five thousand cavalry?" The Emperor admitted, "I could not." Sui He said, "Your Majesty sent me with a mere twenty men on a mission to Huainan, and everything went exactly as you desired. Is my achievement not worth more than fifty thousand infantry and five thousand cavalry? Yet Your Majesty calls me a pedantic scholar and asks what use the empire has for such men. Why?" The Emperor said, "I was just about to consider your merits for a reward." He thereupon appointed Sui He as Colonel and Protector of the Army. Bu was thus formally invested with the split tally as the King of Huainan, with his capital at Liu. The commanderies of Jiujiang, Lujiang, Hengshan, and Yuzhang were all placed under his rule.
12
七年，朝陳。 八年，朝雒陽。 九年，朝長安。
In the seventh year, he went to pay court at Chen. In the eighth year, he paid court at Luoyang. In the ninth year, he paid court at Chang'an.
13
十一年，高后誅淮陰侯，布因心恐。 夏，漢誅梁王彭越，醢之，盛其醢遍賜諸侯。 至淮南，淮南王方獵，見醢，因大恐，陰令人部聚兵，候伺旁郡警急。
In the eleventh year, Empress Gao had the Marquis of Huaiyin executed, and Bu grew fearful in his heart. That summer, Han executed Peng Yue, the King of Liang, had his flesh minced into a paste, and sent portions of it to every feudal lord in the realm. When the parcel arrived in Huainan, the King of Huainan was out hunting. Upon seeing the flesh paste, he was seized with terror. He secretly ordered his men to assemble troops and keep watch for signs of military action in the neighboring commanderies.
14
布所幸姬疾，請就醫，醫家與中大夫賁赫對門，姬數如醫家，賁赫自以為侍中，乃厚餽遺，從姬飲醫家。 姬侍王，從容語次，譽赫長者也。 王怒曰：「汝安從知之？」 具說狀。 王疑其與亂。 赫恐，稱病。 王愈怒，欲捕赫。 赫言變事，乘傳詣長安。 布使人追，不及。 赫至，上變，言布謀反有端，可先未發誅也。 上讀其書，語蕭相國。 相國曰：「布不宜有此，恐仇怨妄誣之。 請擊赫，使人微驗淮南王。」 淮南王布見赫以罪亡，上變，固已疑其言國陰事； 漢使又來，頗有所驗，遂族赫家，發兵反。 反書聞，上乃赦賁赫，以為將軍。
One of Bu's favored concubines fell ill and asked permission to visit a physician. The physician's house happened to be directly opposite the residence of Ben He, a Palace Grandee. As the concubine visited the physician frequently, Ben He—considering his own rank as a court attendant—sent her lavish gifts and joined her for drinks at the physician's house. While attending the king, the concubine casually praised He in conversation as a man of fine character. The king said angrily, "How would you come to know anything about him?" The concubine explained the entire situation in detail. The king suspected that He had been carrying on an affair with her. Ben He grew frightened and pleaded illness to avoid the king. The king's fury only deepened, and he resolved to have He arrested. He denounced a treasonous plot and commandeered a relay carriage to flee to Chang'an. Bu sent men in pursuit, but they failed to catch him. When He reached the capital, he reported the plot, declaring that Bu's rebellion was taking shape and that he should be struck down before he could act. The Emperor read the memorial and consulted Chancellor Xiao. The Chancellor said, "It is unlikely Bu would do such a thing. I fear a personal enemy has falsely accused him. I recommend having He arrested, and dispatching someone to quietly investigate the King of Huainan." When Bu, the King of Huainan, learned that He had fled under threat of arrest and reported treason to the court, he already suspected that He had revealed the kingdom's secret plans. When the Han envoys arrived and seemed to be probing into the matter, Bu had He's entire clan executed and raised his troops in open rebellion. When the report of Bu's rebellion reached the capital, the Emperor pardoned Ben He and appointed him as a general.
15
上召諸將問曰：「布反，為之柰何？」 皆曰； 「發兵擊之，阬豎子耳。 何能為乎！」 汝陰侯滕公召故楚令尹問之。 令尹曰：「是故當反。」 滕公曰：「上裂地而王之，疏爵而貴之，南面而立萬乘之主，其反何也？」 令尹曰：「往年殺彭越，前年殺韓信，此三人者，同功一體之人也。 自疑禍及身，故反耳。」 滕公言之上曰：「臣客故楚令尹薛公者，其人有籌筴之計，可問。」 上乃召見問薛公。 薛公對曰：「布反不足怪也。 使布出於上計，山東非漢之有也； 出於中計，勝敗之數未可知也； 出於下計，陛下安枕而臥矣。」 上曰：「何謂上計？」 令尹對曰：「東取吳，西取楚，并齊取魯，傳檄燕、趙，固守其所，山東非漢之有也。」 「何謂中計？」 「東取吳，西取楚，并韓取魏，據敖庾之粟，塞成皋之口，勝敗之數未可知也。」 「何謂下計？」 「東取吳，西取下蔡，歸重於越，身歸長沙，陛下安枕而臥，漢無事矣。」 上曰：「是計將安出？」 令尹對曰：「出下計。」 上曰：「何謂廢上中計而出下計？」 令尹曰：「布故麗山之徒也，自致萬乘之主，此皆為身，不顧後為百姓萬世慮者也，故曰出下計。」 上曰：「善。」 封薛公千戶。 乃立皇子長為淮南王。 上遂發兵自將東擊布。
The Emperor summoned his generals and asked, "Bu has rebelled. What is to be done?" They all replied, "Send troops to crush him and bury the wretch alive. What can he possibly do!" The Marquis of Ruyin, Lord Teng, summoned the former Chief Minister of Chu and consulted him on the matter. The Chief Minister said, "It was inevitable that he would rebel." Lord Teng asked, "The Emperor carved out territory and made him a king, bestowed a noble title upon him, and set him up as a ruler of ten thousand chariots. Why would he rebel?" The Chief Minister replied, "Last year Peng Yue was killed; the year before that, Han Xin was killed. These three men shared the same achievements and the same fate. He feared that catastrophe would come for him next, and so he rebelled." Lord Teng reported to the Emperor, "My retainer, the former Chu Chief Minister known as the Duke of Xue, is a man of great strategic insight. He should be consulted." The Emperor summoned the Duke of Xue for an audience and questioned him. The Duke of Xue replied, "Bu's rebellion should come as no surprise. If Bu adopts the best strategy, the lands east of the mountains will be lost to Han. If he follows the middle strategy, the outcome will be uncertain. If he follows the worst strategy, Your Majesty may sleep soundly." The Emperor asked, "What would the best strategy be?" The Chief Minister replied, "Seize Wu to the east, take Chu to the west, annex Qi and conquer Lu, send proclamations rallying Yan and Zhao, then hold his ground. The lands east of the mountains would be lost to Han." "What would the middle strategy be?" "Seize Wu to the east, take Chu to the west, annex Han and conquer Wei, secure the grain stores at Ao Granary, and block the pass at Chenggao. Then the outcome would hang in the balance." "And the worst strategy?" "Seize Wu to the east, take Xiacai to the west, send his treasures to Yue for safekeeping, and retreat to Changsha himself. In that case, Your Majesty may sleep soundly, and the Han empire will be secure." The Emperor asked, "Which strategy will he choose?" The Chief Minister replied, "He will choose the worst one." The Emperor asked, "Why would he pass over the best and middle strategies and choose the worst?" The Chief Minister said, "Bu was once a convict laborer at Mount Li who raised himself to become the ruler of ten thousand chariots. Everything he has done has been for himself alone—he has never given a thought to the welfare of the people or planned for future generations. This is why I say he will choose the worst strategy." The Emperor said, "Well spoken." He rewarded the Duke of Xue with a fief of one thousand households. He then installed the imperial prince Chang as the new King of Huainan. The Emperor then raised an army and personally led the campaign eastward against Bu.
16
布之初反，謂其將曰：「上老矣，厭兵，必不能來。 使諸將，諸將獨患淮陰、彭越，今皆已死，餘不足畏也。」 故遂反。 果如薛公籌之，東擊荊，荊王劉賈走死富陵。 盡劫其兵，渡淮擊楚。 楚發兵與戰徐、僮閒，為三軍，欲以相救為奇。 或說楚將曰：「布善用兵，民素畏之。 且兵法，諸侯戰其地為散地。 今別為三，彼敗吾一軍，餘皆走，安能相救！」 不聽。 布果破其一軍，其二軍散走。
When Bu first raised his rebellion, he told his generals, "The Emperor is old and weary of war. He will certainly not come in person. If he sends his generals, the only ones to fear were the Marquis of Huaiyin and Peng Yue—both are now dead. The rest are not worth worrying about." And so he went ahead with the rebellion. Just as the Duke of Xue had predicted, Bu struck eastward against Jing. The King of Jing, Liu Jia, fled and met his death at Fuling. He commandeered all of Jing's soldiers, crossed the Huai River, and launched an attack on the kingdom of Chu. The kingdom of Chu raised an army and engaged him between Xu and Tong, dividing their forces into three columns with a plan of mutual reinforcement as a surprise stratagem. Someone warned the Chu general, saying, "Bu is a master of warfare, and the people have long feared him. Moreover, the art of war teaches that when lords fight on their own territory, it is called dispersed ground. If we split into three and he routs just one of our columns, the others will scatter and run. How could they possibly come to one another's rescue?" The general did not heed this advice. Sure enough, Bu routed one of the columns, and the other two scattered and fled.
17
遂西，與上兵遇蘄西，會甀。 布兵精甚，上乃壁庸城，望布軍置陳如項籍軍，上惡之。 與布相望見，遙謂布曰：「何苦而反？」 布曰：「欲為帝耳。」 上怒罵之，遂大戰。 布軍敗走，渡淮，數止戰，不利，與百餘人走江南。 布故與番君婚，以故長沙哀王使人紿布，偽與亡，誘走越，故信而隨之番陽。 番陽人殺布茲鄉民田舍，遂滅黥布。
He then pushed westward and encountered the Emperor's army west of Qi, joining battle at Zhui. Bu's forces were formidable in their discipline. The Emperor fortified his position at Yong City, and when he observed Bu's formations arranged in the same manner as Xiang Ji had once deployed his troops, he was deeply troubled. Facing Bu across the lines, the Emperor called out from a distance, "What drove you to rebel?" Bu replied, "I wanted to be emperor, nothing more." The Emperor cursed him in fury, and a great battle erupted. Bu's army was routed and fled. He crossed the Huai River, making several stands along the way, but each time without success. In the end he fled south of the Yangtze with barely a hundred men. Bu had once been connected by marriage to Lord Fan of Poyang. Taking advantage of this, King Ai of Changsha sent an agent to deceive Bu, pretending to flee with him and luring him toward the kingdom of Yue. Bu trusted the ruse and followed the agent to Fanyang. The people of Fanyang killed Bu at the farmstead of a villager in Zi Township. And so ended the life of Qing Bu.
18
立皇子長為淮南王，封賁赫為期思侯，諸將率多以功封者。
The imperial prince Chang was installed as the King of Huainan, and Ben He was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Qisi. Most of the generals who had served in the campaign likewise received fiefs for their contributions.
19
太史公曰：英布者，其先豈春秋所見楚滅英、六，皋陶之後哉？ 身被刑法，何其拔興之暴也！ 項氏之所阬殺人以千萬數，而布常為首虐。 功冠諸侯，用此得王，亦不免於身為世大僇。 禍之興自愛姬殖，妒媢生患，竟以滅國！
The Grand Historian remarks: Could Ying Bu's ancestors have been those recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals, from the states of Ying and Liu that Chu destroyed—descendants of the ancient sage Gaoyao? He bore the brand of a convict upon his face. How sudden and violent was his rise! When the Xiang clan slaughtered men by the tens of thousands, Bu was always at the forefront of the carnage. His achievements surpassed those of every feudal lord, and through them he won a kingdom. Yet in the end, he could not escape becoming a figure of great shame before the world. The seeds of his downfall were sown by a beloved concubine; jealousy and suspicion bred calamity, and in the end they brought about the destruction of his kingdom!