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韓信盧綰列傳

Biographies of Han Xin (King of Han) and Lu Wan

Chapter 93 of 史記 ✓ Translated
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Chapter 93
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1
使
Han Xin, the King of Han, was a descendant of the former King Xiang of Han through a concubine's line. He stood eight feet five inches tall. When Xiang Liang installed the later King Huai of Chu, the states of Yan, Qi, Zhao, and Wei had all already restored their former royal lines. Only Han had no surviving heir, so they established Cheng, the Lord of Hengyang and a prince of the Han royal house, as King of Han, intending to pacify and settle the former Han territories. When Xiang Liang was defeated and killed at Dingtao, Cheng fled to King Huai. The Lord of Pei led his forces to attack Yangcheng and dispatched Zhang Liang, serving as the Minister of Education of Han, to secure the surrender of the former Han territories. There he obtained Han Xin's services, appointed him as a general of Han, and had him lead his troops to follow the Lord of Pei through the Wu Pass.
2
When the Lord of Pei was established as King of Han, Han Xin followed him into Hanzhong. He counseled the King of Han, saying: 'The King of Xiang has enfeoffed all his other generals with territories close at hand, yet Your Majesty alone has been banished to this remote place. This is a demotion. Your soldiers are all men from east of the mountains who stand on tiptoe gazing homeward. If you harness their eagerness and march east, you can contend for the empire.' When the King of Han returned to conquer the Three Qin kingdoms, he promised to make Han Xin the King of Han. First, he appointed Xin as Grand Commandant of Han and sent him to lead troops to take the Han territories.
3
When Xiang Ji enfeoffed all the kings and they went to their domains, King Cheng of Han had not accompanied Xiang Ji and had no merit to his name, so he was not allowed to proceed to his domain. Instead, he was demoted to the rank of marquis. When Xiang Ji heard that Han had dispatched Han Xin to take the Han territories, he appointed Zheng Chang, who had served as the Magistrate of Wu when Xiang Ji was traveling in Wu, as King of Han to resist the Han forces. In the second year of the Han dynasty, Han Xin conquered more than ten cities in the Han territory. When the King of Han arrived at Henan, Han Xin launched a swift attack on King Chang of Han at Yangcheng. Chang surrendered, and the King of Han thereupon established Han Xin as King of Han. Xin regularly led the Han troops in the king's service. In the third year, when the King of Han left Xingyang, Han Xin the King of Han, along with Zhou Ke and others, was left to defend Xingyang. When Chu defeated Xingyang, Xin surrendered to Chu. Later he managed to escape and returned to Han, and the Han court restored him as King of Han. He ultimately joined in the campaign that defeated Xiang Ji, and the realm was settled. In the spring of the fifth year, he was formally invested as King of Han with the splitting of the tally, and he ruled over Yingchuan.
4
使使 使使
The following spring, the Emperor, noting that Han Xin was a man of martial talent and that his kingdom lay close to Gong and Luoyang in the north, bordered Wan and Ye in the south, and included Huaiyang in the east—all strategic positions for the empire's most formidable troops—issued a decree transferring the King of Han to rule north of Taiyuan, charged with defending against the Hu nomads, with his capital at Jinyang. Xin submitted a memorial saying: 'My kingdom lies along the frontier, and the Xiongnu invade frequently. Jinyang is too far from the border passes. I request permission to govern from Mayi.' The Emperor granted his request, and Xin moved his seat of government to Mayi. That autumn, the Xiongnu Chanyu Modu besieged Xin with a massive force. Xin sent envoy after envoy to the Xiongnu to negotiate peace. Han dispatched troops to relieve him, but suspected that Xin's frequent secret embassies meant he harbored divided loyalties, and sent a messenger to rebuke him. Xin, fearing execution, made a pact with the Xiongnu to jointly attack Han. He rebelled, surrendered Mayi to the Xiongnu, and struck at Taiyuan.
5
西 使 使 使
In the winter of the seventh year, the Emperor personally led a campaign against him, defeating Xin's army at Tongdi and beheading his general Wang Xi. Xin fled to the Xiongnu. Together with Manqiu Chen and Wang Huang, men of Baitu, they set up Zhao Li, a scion of the Zhao royal house, as king. They rallied Xin's defeated and scattered troops and, together with Xin and Modu, plotted to attack Han. The Xiongnu deployed their Wise Kings of the Left and Right with more than ten thousand cavalry, who joined Wang Huang's forces and encamped south of Guangwu, advancing as far as Jinyang. They engaged the Han army, but Han won a decisive victory, pursuing them to Lishi and defeating them once more. The Xiongnu reassembled their forces to the northwest of Loufan, but Han sent its chariots and cavalry to attack and rout them. The Xiongnu suffered defeat after defeat and retreated. Han pressed its advantage and pursued northward. Hearing that Modu was encamped in the Dai Valley, the High Emperor, based at Jinyang, sent scouts to assess his forces. They returned and reported: 'He can be attacked.' The Emperor then advanced to Pingcheng. The Emperor rode out to Baideng, where the Xiongnu cavalry surrounded him. He then sent an envoy to present lavish gifts to the Chanyu's consort. The consort persuaded Modu, saying: 'Even if you were to seize the Han lands, you could not hold them. Moreover, two rulers should not press each other into a corner.' After seven days, the Xiongnu cavalry gradually withdrew. A thick fog had descended, and the Han envoys were able to pass back and forth without the Xiongnu noticing. Chen Ping, the Commandant of the Guard, advised the Emperor: 'The Xiongnu rely on massed cavalry. I suggest we order our strongest crossbowmen to load two bolts apiece, facing outward, and march slowly out of the encirclement.' They reached Pingcheng, where the Han relief forces had also arrived, and the Xiongnu cavalry broke off and withdrew. The Han forces withdrew as well. Han Xin now served as a general for the Xiongnu, leading raids back and forth along the border.
6
使
In the tenth year of the Han dynasty, Xin had Wang Huang and others persuade and lead Chen Xi astray. In the spring of the eleventh year, the former King of Han, Xin, once again rode in with Xiongnu cavalry and occupied Canhe, defying Han. Han sent General Chai to attack him. Chai sent a letter to Xin, saying: 'His Majesty is generous and benevolent. When lords have rebelled and fled but later returned, he has always restored their former titles and ranks without executing them. This Your Majesty knows well. Now you fled to the Xiongnu after a defeat—this is not a grave crime. Return at once!' Han Xin the King of Han replied: 'His Majesty raised me from the common lanes to sit upon a throne facing south and bear the title of king. That was my great fortune. At the siege of Xingyang, I could not manage to die but was taken prisoner by Xiang Ji. That is my first crime. When the enemy attacked Mayi, I could not hold the city and surrendered it to them. That is my second crime. Now I have turned to lead enemy troops and contest with your generals for survival in a single morning's battle. That is my third crime. Wen Zhong and Fan Li bore not a single crime, yet one was put to death and the other forced to flee. Now I bear three crimes against His Majesty and yet wish to go on living. This is precisely what brought Wu Zixu to his destruction in Wu. Now I hide among the mountain valleys, begging sustenance from the barbarians morning and evening. My longing to return home is like the cripple who never stops dreaming of walking, or the blind man who never stops dreaming of sight—but my circumstances will not permit it.' And so they fought. General Chai stormed Canhe and beheaded Han Xin, the King of Han.
7
When Xin went over to the Xiongnu, he brought his crown prince with him. When they reached the city of Tuidang, a son was born, and the boy was named Tuidang after the place. The Han crown prince also had a son, whom he named Ying. In the fourteenth year of Emperor Wen's reign, Tuidang and Ying led their followers in submitting to Han. Han enfeoffed Tuidang as the Marquis of Gonggao and Ying as the Marquis of Xiangcheng. During the Rebellion of Wu and Chu, the Marquis of Gonggao's achievements surpassed those of all the other generals. The title passed to his son and then to his grandson, but the grandson had no heir, and the marquisate was lost. Ying's grandson lost his marquisate on grounds of disrespect. Tuidang's descendant through a concubine's line, Han Yan, became a court favorite, and his name and wealth were renowned in his generation. His younger brother Yue was enfeoffed a second time, served several times as general, and ultimately became the Marquis of Andao. His son succeeded him, but within a year was convicted of a crime and put to death. More than a year later, Yue's grandson Zeng was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Longe to continue Yue's line.
8
Lu Wan was a man of Feng, from the same village as the High Ancestor. Lu Wan's parents were close friends with the High Ancestor's father, the Grand Supreme Emperor. When both families had sons, the High Ancestor and Lu Wan were born on the same day, and the villagers brought lamb and wine to congratulate both households. When the High Ancestor and Lu Wan came of age, they studied together and grew fond of each other. The villagers marveled that the two families had been close friends, that their sons were born on the same day, and that the boys grew up devoted to each other. Once again they brought lamb and wine to congratulate both households. When the High Ancestor was still a commoner and had to go into hiding over legal troubles, Lu Wan always accompanied him wherever he went. When the High Ancestor first rose in revolt at Pei, Lu Wan followed as a retainer. He entered Hanzhong, was made a general, and attended constantly at court. He followed the eastward campaign against Xiang Ji, serving as Grand Commandant and constantly at the Emperor's side, even entering the private chambers. In clothing, bedding, food, drink, and gifts bestowed, no minister dared aspire to his level. Even Xiao He and Cao Can were only accorded respect on account of their official duties—when it came to intimate favor, none could match Lu Wan. Wan was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Chang'an. Chang'an was the site of the former Xianyang.
9
使
In the winter of the fifth year of the Han dynasty, after the defeat of Xiang Ji, the Emperor dispatched Lu Wan to command a separate force. Together with Liu Jia, he attacked and defeated Gong Wei, the King of Linjiang. In the seventh month he returned and joined the campaign against Zang Tu, the King of Yan. Zang Tu surrendered. After the High Ancestor had settled the realm, there were seven men who held the title of king yet were not of the Liu surname. He wished to make Lu Wan a king, but this aroused resentment among his ministers. After Zang Tu's capture, the Emperor issued a decree to his generals, ministers, and marquises, directing them to select a meritorious minister to serve as King of Yan. The ministers, knowing the Emperor wished to make Lu Wan king, all declared: 'The Grand Commandant, the Marquis of Chang'an, Lu Wan, has followed the Emperor throughout the pacification of the realm and has the greatest merit. He should be made King of Yan.' The Emperor issued an edict granting the request. In the eighth month of the fifth year of the Han dynasty, Lu Wan was established as King of Yan. Of all the vassal kings, none enjoyed greater imperial favor than the King of Yan.
10
使 使 使使
In the autumn of the eleventh year, Chen Xi rebelled in the territory of Dai. The High Ancestor marched to Handan to attack Chen Xi's forces, and the King of Yan, Wan, also struck at his northeastern flank. At that time, Chen Xi sent Wang Huang to seek aid from the Xiongnu. The King of Yan also sent his minister Zhang Sheng to the Xiongnu to report that Chen Xi's army had been defeated. When Zhang Sheng reached the Xiongnu lands, Yan, the son of the former King of Yan Zang Tu, who had fled and was living among the Xiongnu, met him and said: 'The reason you are valued in Yan is that you understand the affairs of the northern peoples. The reason Yan has survived so long is that the various lords have frequently rebelled, keeping the armies tied down without a decisive resolution. Now you act on Yan's behalf, eager to destroy Chen Xi and his allies. But once they are finished, the court will turn its attention to Yan, and you and the others will become prisoners. Why not have Yan ease up on the campaign against Chen Xi and make peace with the Xiongnu? If the situation relaxes, you can remain king of Yan for a long time. And should Han press you, you will have the means to keep the state secure.' Zhang Sheng found this reasoning persuasive and secretly arranged for the Xiongnu to assist Chen Xi's forces in raiding Yan. The King of Yan suspected Zhang Sheng of conspiring with the Xiongnu to rebel and submitted a memorial requesting that Zhang Sheng's entire clan be executed. When Zhang Sheng returned, he explained the full reasoning behind his actions. The King of Yan came to understand and so framed another man in Zhang Sheng's place, freed Sheng's family, and had Sheng serve as a liaison with the Xiongnu. Meanwhile, he secretly sent Fan Qi to Chen Xi's camp, intending to prolong the conflict and keep the armies locked in an unresolved stalemate.
11
使 使 使使 使 使 使
In the twelfth year, while the Emperor campaigned east against Qing Bu, Chen Xi continued to hold Dai with his forces. Han sent Fan Kuai to attack and behead Chen Xi. One of Chen Xi's subordinate generals surrendered and revealed that the King of Yan had sent Fan Qi to coordinate plots with Chen Xi. The High Ancestor sent a messenger to summon Lu Wan, but Wan pleaded illness. The Emperor then sent the Marquis of Biyang, Shen Shiqi, and the Grand Censor Zhao Yao to receive the King of Yan and to investigate and interrogate his attendants. Wan grew even more fearful and shut himself away. He confided to his trusted ministers: 'Of those who bear the title of king without being of the Liu surname, only I and the King of Changsha remain. Last spring, the court destroyed the clan of the Marquis of Huaiyin. That summer, Peng Yue was executed. Both were the schemes of Empress Lu. Now the Emperor is ill and has entrusted affairs of state to Empress Lu. Empress Lu is a woman bent on finding pretexts to execute kings of other surnames and great meritorious ministers.' And so he continued to plead illness and refused to go. His attendants all fled and went into hiding. Word of this leaked out. The Marquis of Biyang heard the report, returned to court, and relayed everything to the Emperor. The Emperor's anger only deepened. Furthermore, a Xiongnu defector was captured, and the defector reported that Zhang Sheng had fled to the Xiongnu, where he was serving as an envoy of Yan. At this, the Emperor declared: 'Lu Wan has indeed rebelled!' He sent Fan Kuai to attack Yan. The King of Yan gathered all his palace women and family members, along with several thousand cavalry, and camped below the Great Wall, watching and waiting, hoping that the Emperor would recover so he could go in person to beg forgiveness. In the fourth month, the High Ancestor died. Lu Wan then led his followers across the border into Xiongnu territory. The Xiongnu made him King Lu of the Eastern Hu. Among the barbarians, Wan was constantly harassed and plundered, and he never stopped longing to return home. After little more than a year, he died among the Xiongnu.
12
During Empress Gao's regency, Lu Wan's wife and children fled and surrendered to Han. But as it happened, Empress Gao was ill and could not receive them. She lodged them at the Yan residence, intending to hold a banquet to meet them. Empress Gao died before the meeting could take place. Lu Wan's wife also fell ill and died.
13
In the sixth year of the middle reign of Emperor Jing, Lu Wan's grandson Tazhi surrendered in his capacity as King of the Eastern Hu and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Yagu.
14
Chen Xi was a man of Wanqu. It is not known how he first came to enter service. In the winter of the High Ancestor's seventh year, after Han Xin the King of Han rebelled and fled to the Xiongnu and the Emperor had gone to Pingcheng and returned, Chen Xi was enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed Chancellor of Zhao with command over the border troops of Zhao and Dai. All the border forces were placed under his authority.
15
滿 使 使
Chen Xi frequently took leave and passed through Zhao. The Chancellor of Zhao, Zhou Chang, observed that more than a thousand carriages of retainers accompanied him, and the official guesthouses of Handan were all full to overflowing. Chen Xi treated his retainers with the humility of a man among equals, always placing himself below his guests in courtesy. When Chen Xi returned to Dai, Zhou Chang sought an audience with the Emperor. He had an audience with the Emperor and reported in full that Chen Xi's retinue was enormously large, that he had held military command far from the capital for several years, and that he feared trouble was brewing. The Emperor then ordered an investigation into the finances and illegal activities of Chen Xi's retainers residing in Dai. Many of the cases implicated Chen Xi. Chen Xi grew fearful and secretly sent retainers to make contact with Wang Huang and Manqiu Chen. In the seventh month of the tenth year, the Grand Supreme Emperor died. A messenger was sent to summon Chen Xi, but he claimed he was gravely ill. In the ninth month, he rebelled together with Wang Huang and the others, proclaimed himself King of Dai, and plundered the territories of Zhao and Dai.
16
詿
When the Emperor heard the news, he pardoned all the officials and common people of Zhao and Dai who had been misled, deceived, or coerced by Chen Xi. The Emperor went in person, and upon reaching Handan said with satisfaction: 'Chen Xi failed to hold the Zhang River to the south or defend Handan to the north. I know now that he is incapable of accomplishing anything.' The Chancellor of Zhao memorialized requesting the execution of the Governor and Commandant of Changshan, saying: 'Changshan has twenty-five cities, and when Chen Xi rebelled, twenty of them were lost.' The Emperor asked: 'Did the Governor and Commandant rebel?' The reply was: 'They did not rebel.' The Emperor said: 'Then they simply lacked the strength to resist.' He pardoned them and reappointed them as Governor and Commandant of Changshan. The Emperor asked Zhou Chang: 'Does Zhao have any brave men who could serve as generals?' Zhou Chang replied: 'There are four men.' The four men came for an audience. The Emperor berated them, saying: 'Can rascals like you really serve as generals?' The four men hung their heads in shame. The Emperor enfeoffed each of them with a thousand households and appointed them as generals. His advisors remonstrated: 'Many who followed you into Shu and Han and campaigned against Chu have not yet been rewarded. What merits have these men earned to deserve enfeoffment?' The Emperor said: 'This is not something you understand! Chen Xi has rebelled, and everything north of Handan is in his hands. I sent urgent dispatches summoning troops from across the empire, but none have arrived. All I have now is the garrison of Handan. How could I begrudge four thousand households to enfeoff four men, if it serves to hearten the men of Zhao!' Everyone agreed: 'Well said.' The Emperor then asked: 'Who are Chen Xi's generals?' The reply was: 'Wang Huang and Manqiu Chen. Both are former merchants.' The Emperor said: 'I know what to do.' He then placed a bounty of a thousand catties of gold each on the heads of Wang Huang, Manqiu Chen, and the others.
17
In the winter of the eleventh year, the Han army attacked and beheaded Chen Xi's generals Hou Chang and Wang Huang below the walls of Quni, and defeated his general Zhang Chun at Liaocheng, taking more than ten thousand heads. The Grand Commandant Bo marched in and pacified the territories of Taiyuan and Dai. In the twelfth month, the Emperor personally attacked Dongyuan. The city did not fall, and its soldiers hurled insults at the Emperor. When Dongyuan surrendered, those soldiers who had hurled insults were beheaded, and those who had not were branded. He renamed Dongyuan as Zhending. Wang Huang and Manqiu Chen were captured alive by their own subordinates, who had been lured by the bounties. With their generals gone, Chen Xi's army collapsed.
18
The Emperor returned to Luoyang. The Emperor said: 'Dai lies north of the Changshan Mountains, yet Zhao governs it from south of the range—too distant.' He thereupon established his son Heng as King of Dai, with the capital at Zhongdu. The territories of Dai and Yanmen were both placed under his authority.
19
In the winter of the twelfth year, soldiers under Fan Kuai's command pursued and beheaded Chen Xi at Lingqiu.
20
The Grand Historian remarks: Han Xin and Lu Wan came not from families that had long cultivated virtue and accumulated merit. They seized upon the expedient shifts of their time, winning success through cunning and force. It was only because they happened to live at the founding of the Han dynasty that they were able to receive territories, face south, and bear the title of king. Within the empire they were suspected for their power; beyond the frontiers they relied on the barbarians for support. And so they grew more isolated with each passing day, placing themselves in ever greater peril, until their stratagems were exhausted and their wits confounded, and in the end they fled to the Xiongnu. Is this not cause for lament! Chen Xi was a man of Liang who in his youth often professed his admiration for Lord Xinling of Wei. When he served as a general guarding the frontier, he gathered retainers about him and humbled himself before men of worth, until his reputation far exceeded the reality. Zhou Chang grew suspicious of him, and his failings increasingly came to light. Fearing that disaster would reach his own person, and swayed by the counsel of wicked men, he fell headlong into lawlessness. Alas, how tragic! How profoundly do the schemes one conceives determine a person's success or ruin!
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