1
The Grand Censor Han Anguo was a native of Cheng'an in the kingdom of Liang, and later moved to Suiyang. He once studied the writings of Han Feizi and the teachings of the Eclectic School under Master Zou Tian. He served King Xiao of Liang as a Palace Grandee. When Wu and Chu rebelled, King Xiao dispatched Anguo and Zhang Yu as generals to defend the eastern border against the forces of Wu. Zhang Yu fought with fierce determination while Anguo held a steady defensive position, and so the armies of Wu were unable to advance past Liang. After Wu and Chu were defeated, the names of Anguo and Zhang Yu became renowned throughout the realm.
2
梁孝王，景帝母弟，竇太后愛之，令得自請置相、二千石，出入游戲，僭於天子。 天子聞之，心弗善也。 太后知帝不善，乃怒梁使者，弗見，案責王所為。 韓安國為梁使，見大長公主而泣曰：「何梁王為人子之孝，為人臣之忠，太后曾弗省也？ 夫前日吳、楚、齊、趙七國反時，自關以東皆合從西鄉，惟梁最親為艱難。 梁王念太后、帝在中，而諸侯擾亂，一言泣數行下，跪送臣等六人，將兵擊卻吳楚，吳楚以故兵不敢西，而卒破亡，梁王之力也。 今太后以小睗苛禮責望梁王。 梁王父兄皆帝王，所見者大，故出稱蹕，入言警，車旗皆帝所賜也，即欲以侘鄙縣，驅馳國中，以夸諸侯，令天下盡知太后、帝愛之也。 今梁使來，輒案責之。 梁王恐，日夜涕泣思慕，不知所為。 何梁王之為子孝，為臣忠，而太后弗恤也？」 大長公主具以告太后，太后喜曰：「為言之帝。」 言之，帝心乃解，而免冠謝太后曰：「兄弟不能相教，乃為太后遺憂。」 悉見梁使，厚賜之。 其後梁王益親驩。 太后、長公主更賜安國可直千餘金。 名由此顯，結於漢。
King Xiao of Liang was Emperor Jing's younger brother by the same mother. Empress Dowager Dou doted on him, allowing him to appoint his own chancellor and officials of two-thousand-shi rank, to come and go at his pleasure, and to adopt ceremonies that exceeded those appropriate for anyone but the Son of Heaven. When the Emperor heard of this, he was displeased. When the Empress Dowager learned of the Emperor's displeasure, she turned her anger upon the envoys from Liang, refusing to grant them audience and instead investigating and censuring the king's conduct. Han Anguo, as envoy of Liang, went to see the Grand Princess and wept, saying, "How can it be that the King of Liang's filial piety as a son and loyalty as a minister have never won the Empress Dowager's regard? In the past, when the Seven Kingdoms of Wu, Chu, Qi, and Zhao rebelled, all the lands east of the passes united and marched westward, yet it was Liang alone—the kingdom closest to the throne—that bore the hardest fighting. The King of Liang, mindful that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor stood at the center while the feudal lords threw the realm into chaos, wept with every word he spoke, tears streaming down his face. He knelt and sent off six of us as generals, who led troops to drive back Wu and Chu. Because of this, the armies of Wu and Chu dared not advance westward and were ultimately destroyed—all through the efforts of the King of Liang. Now the Empress Dowager, on account of minor suspicions and rigid protocols, censures and finds fault with the King of Liang. The King of Liang's father and brothers were all emperors, so naturally his vision is grand. When he goes abroad he calls for the roads to be cleared, and when he returns he commands the imperial alert—but his carriages and banners were all bestowed upon him by the Emperor himself. He merely wished to display them through the humble counties and ride throughout his kingdom, to impress the feudal lords and let all under heaven know that the Empress Dowager and the Emperor loved him. Yet now, whenever envoys arrive from Liang, they are immediately subjected to interrogation and blame. The King of Liang is terrified, weeping day and night with longing, not knowing what to do. How can the King of Liang be so filial as a son and so loyal as a minister, yet the Empress Dowager show him no compassion?" The Grand Princess told the Empress Dowager everything. The Empress Dowager was pleased and said, "Speak of this to the Emperor." When she did so, the Emperor's mind was eased. He removed his cap and apologized to the Empress Dowager, saying, "We brothers could not instruct one another, and thus caused Your Majesty sorrow." He received all the envoys from Liang and bestowed generous gifts upon them. After this, the King of Liang enjoyed even closer and warmer relations with the court. The Empress Dowager and the Grand Princess in turn rewarded Anguo with gifts worth over a thousand pieces of gold. His name became illustrious from this, and he forged ties with the Han court.
3
Later, Anguo was convicted of a crime and imprisoned. While in prison, the jailer Tian Jia humiliated him. Anguo said, "Can dead ashes alone not blaze up again?" Tian Jia said, "If they blaze, I will urinate on them." Before long, the position of Prefect of Liang fell vacant. The Han court sent an envoy to appoint Anguo as Prefect of Liang, raising him from prisoner to an official of two-thousand-shi rank. Tian Jia fled in terror. Anguo said, "If Jia does not take up his post, I will exterminate his clan." Tian Jia accordingly bared his torso and prostrated himself in apology. Anguo laughed and said, "You may urinate on them now! Are you gentlemen fit to govern?" In the end, Anguo treated him with kindness.
4
When the position of Prefect fell vacant, King Xiao had recently taken a liking to Gongsun Gui, a man from Qi who had won the king's favor through persuasive counsel, and wished to request his appointment as Prefect. When Empress Dowager Dou heard of this, she issued a decree commanding the king to appoint Anguo as Prefect instead.
5
公孫詭、羊勝說孝王求為帝太子及益地事，恐漢大臣不聽，乃陰使人刺漢用事謀臣。 及殺故吳相袁盎，景帝遂聞詭、勝等計畫，乃遣使捕詭、勝，必得。 漢使十輩至梁，相以下舉國大索，月餘不得。 內史安國聞詭、勝匿孝王所，安國入見王而泣曰：「主辱臣死。 大王無良臣，故事紛紛至此。 今詭、勝不得，請辭賜死。」 王曰：「何至此？」 安國泣數行下，曰：「大王自度於皇帝，孰與太上皇之與高皇帝及皇帝之與臨江王親？」 孝王曰：「弗如也。」 安國曰：「夫太上、臨江親父子之閒，然而高帝曰『提三尺劍取天下者朕也』，故太上皇終不得制事，居于櫟陽。 臨江王，適長太子也，以一言過，廢王臨江； 用宮垣事，卒自殺中尉府。 何者？ 治天下終不以私亂公。 語曰：『雖有親父，安知其不為虎？ 雖有親兄，安知其不為狼？』 今大王列在諸侯，悅一邪臣浮說，犯上禁，橈明法。 天子以太后故，不忍致法於王。 太后日夜涕泣，幸大王自改，而大王終不覺寤。 有如太后宮車即晏駕，大王尚誰攀乎？」 語未卒，孝王泣數行下，謝安國曰：「吾今出詭、勝。」 詭、勝自殺。 漢使還報，梁事皆得釋，安國之力也。 於是景帝、太后益重安國。 孝王卒，共王即位，安國坐法失官，居家。
Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng persuaded King Xiao to seek designation as the Emperor's heir apparent and to petition for additional territory. Fearing that the great ministers of Han would not comply, they secretly sent assassins to murder the influential advisors at the Han court. When they murdered Yuan Ang, the former Chancellor of Wu, Emperor Jing at last learned of the plots of Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng. He dispatched envoys to arrest them, with orders that they must be captured. Ten groups of Han envoys arrived in Liang, and the Chancellor and all officials below him mobilized the entire kingdom in a great search, but after more than a month they could not find them. Prefect Anguo learned that Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng were hidden at King Xiao's residence. Anguo entered to see the king and wept, saying, "When the lord is disgraced, his minister must die. Your Majesty has no worthy ministers, and so affairs have descended into this chaos. Since Gui and Sheng cannot be captured, I ask to withdraw and receive death." The king said, "How has it come to this?" Anguo wept, his tears streaming down several lines, and said, "Your Majesty, compare for yourself your closeness to the Emperor—which is greater, the relation between the Grand Emperor Father and Emperor Gaozu, or that between the Emperor and the King of Linjiang?" King Xiao said, "It does not compare." Anguo said, "The Grand Emperor Father and the King of Linjiang both stood within the closest bonds of father and son. Yet Emperor Gaozu said, 'It was I who took the empire with a three-foot sword,' and so the Grand Emperor Father in the end could not direct affairs, but lived at Liyang. The King of Linjiang was the legitimate eldest crown prince, yet because of a single verbal fault he was deposed and made King of Linjiang; On account of the incident at the palace walls, he ended by taking his own life in the Commandant's office. Why? In governing the realm, he never allowed private interests to disrupt public affairs. The saying goes, 'Even with a close father, who can be sure he will not become a tiger? Even with a close elder brother, who can know that he will not become a wolf?' Now Your Majesty ranks among the feudal lords, yet you have delighted in the reckless counsel of a treacherous minister, violated the Emperor's prohibitions, and subverted the clear laws. The Emperor, out of regard for the Empress Dowager, cannot bring himself to enforce the law against the king. The Empress Dowager weeps day and night, hoping that Your Majesty will reform on your own, yet Your Majesty never comes to his senses. If the Empress Dowager's palace carriage should depart on its final journey, whom would Your Majesty still have to cling to?" Before Anguo had finished speaking, King Xiao wept, tears streaming down several lines, and apologized to Anguo, saying, "I will now hand over Gui and Sheng." Gongsun Gui and Yang Sheng took their own lives. When the Han envoys returned with their report, all charges against Liang were dropped—this was entirely through Anguo's efforts. From then on, Emperor Jing and the Empress Dowager valued Anguo even more highly. When King Xiao died and King Gong succeeded him, Anguo was convicted of an offense and stripped of his position, retiring to his home.
6
During the Jianyuan reign period, the Marquis of Wuan, Tian Fen, served as Grand Commandant of Han. He wielded power as an intimate of the imperial family, and Anguo presented him with gifts worth five hundred pieces of gold. Tian Fen commended Anguo to the Empress Dowager. The Emperor, who had long heard of his abilities, immediately summoned him and appointed him Commandant of Beidi, then promoted him to Grand Minister of Agriculture. When Minyue and Dongyue attacked each other, Anguo and the Grand Herald Wang Hui were appointed to lead the campaign. Before the army reached Yue, the people of Yue killed their king and surrendered, and the Han forces were recalled. In the sixth year of the Jianyuan reign, the Marquis of Wuan became Chancellor, and Anguo became Grand Censor.
7
The Xiongnu sent envoys requesting a marriage alliance, and the Emperor referred the matter to his ministers for deliberation. The Grand Herald Wang Hui was a native of Yan who had served repeatedly as a border official and was well versed in the affairs of the northern tribes. The deliberation stated, "Whenever Han and the Xiongnu make a marriage alliance, within only a few years they break the treaty again. It would be better to refuse it and raise troops to attack them." Anguo said, "To fight a battle a thousand li away brings the army no profit. The Xiongnu rely on the swiftness of their warhorses, harbor the hearts of beasts, and migrate as freely as flocking birds—they are impossible to seize and control. To conquer their land would not be enough to expand our territory; to absorb their people would not be enough to strengthen our state. Since the most ancient times, they have never been counted among the civilized. If Han marches thousands of li to contend with them, our men and horses will be exhausted, and the enemy will use their fresh forces to exploit our weariness. Moreover, once a powerful crossbow has spent its force, its arrow cannot pierce Lu silk; At the end of a rushing gale, the remaining force cannot even lift a goose feather. It is not that the initial force was weak—rather, their strength runs out by the end. Attacking them would bring no advantage; a marriage alliance is preferable." The majority of the ministers who deliberated sided with Anguo, and so the Emperor approved the marriage alliance.
8
The next year, the first year of Yuanguang, Nie Wengyi, a wealthy man of Mayi in Yanmen, spoke to the Emperor through the Grand Herald Wang Hui, saying, "The Xiongnu have just made a marriage alliance and trust the border officials; they can be lured with profit." They secretly sent Nie Wengyi as an agent. He fled into the Xiongnu and told the Chanyu, "I can behead the magistrate, assistant, and clerks of Mayi and surrender the city, so that all its goods may be taken." The Chanyu, who trusted and favored him, found the proposal reasonable and granted Nie Wengyi permission to proceed. Nie Wengyi then returned, beheaded a prisoner condemned to death, and hung the head on the walls of Maiyi, displaying it to the Chanyu's envoy as proof. He said, "The chief officers of Mayi are already dead; come quickly." The Chanyu then breached the frontier and led more than a hundred thousand cavalry through the Wuzhou pass.
9
當是時，漢伏兵車騎材官二十餘萬，匿馬邑旁谷中。 衛尉李廣為驍騎將軍，太仆公孫賀為輕車將軍，大行王恢為將屯將軍，太中大夫李息為材官將軍。 御史大夫韓安國為護軍將軍，諸將皆屬護軍。 約單于入馬邑而漢兵縱發。 王恢、李息、李廣別從代主擊其輜重。 於是單于入漢長城武州塞。 未至馬邑百餘里，行掠鹵，徒見畜牧於野，不見一人。 單于怪之，攻烽燧，得武州尉史。 欲刺問尉史。 尉史曰：「漢兵數十萬伏馬邑下。」 單于顧謂左右曰：「幾為漢所賣！」 乃引兵還。 出塞，曰：「吾得尉史，乃天也。」 命尉史為「天王」。 塞下傳言單于已引去。 漢兵追至塞，度弗及，即罷。 王恢等兵三萬，聞單于不與漢合，度往擊輜重，必與單于精兵戰，漢兵勢必敗，則以便宜罷兵，皆無功。
At that time, the Han had concealed more than two hundred thousand troops—chariots, cavalry, and infantry—in the valleys beside Maiyi. The Captain of the Guard Li Guang was appointed General of Agile Cavalry, the Grand Coachman Gongsun He was appointed General of Light Chariots, the Grand Herald Wang Hui was appointed General of the Garrison, and the Palace Grandee Li Xi was appointed General of Infantry. The Grand Censor Han Anguo was appointed General Protector of the Army, and all the other generals were placed under his command. The plan was that once the Chanyu entered Maiyi, the Han forces would spring their attack. Wang Hui, Li Xi, and Li Guang were to advance separately from Dai to strike the Xiongnu supply train. The Chanyu then entered the Han Great Wall through the Wuzhou pass. When he was still more than a hundred li from Maiyi, he went raiding and plundering, but saw only livestock grazing in the fields and not a single person. The Chanyu grew suspicious, attacked a beacon tower, and captured the garrison officer of Wuzhou. He threatened the officer with torture to extract information. The garrison officer said, "Several hundred thousand Han troops are lying in ambush below Mayi." The Chanyu turned to his attendants and said, "We were nearly sold out by the Han!" He then withdrew his forces and turned back. As he left the pass, he said, "To have obtained this garrison officer was Heaven's doing." He named the garrison officer "Heavenly King." Word reached the frontier that the Chanyu had already retreated. The Han forces gave chase as far as the frontier, but judging they could not catch him, they withdrew. Wang Hui and his thirty thousand troops, learning that the Chanyu had not engaged with the Han forces, calculated that if they went to attack the supply train they would inevitably have to fight the Chanyu's elite cavalry and would surely be defeated. He therefore used his discretion to withdraw his forces, and all ended without achievement.
10
The Emperor was furious that Wang Hui had failed to attack the Chanyu's supply train and had withdrawn his forces without authorization. Wang Hui said, "The original plan was for the enemy to enter Mayi city, for our troops to engage the Chanyu, and for me to strike his baggage train and gain advantage. Now that the Chanyu was forewarned and turned back before arriving, with my thirty thousand men I was no match for him and would only have met with humiliation. I knew perfectly well that returning would mean beheading, yet I was able to preserve Your Majesty's thirty thousand soldiers." Wang Hui was thereupon handed over to the Commandant of Justice. The Commandant of Justice charged Hui with delaying and obstructing the campaign, and sentenced him to death. Hui secretly sent a thousand pieces of gold to the Chancellor Tian Fen. Tian Fen did not dare speak to the Emperor but said to the Empress Dowager, "Wang Hui was the first to devise the Mayi plan; to execute him now that it has failed would be taking revenge for the Xiongnu." When the Emperor paid his respects to the Empress Dowager, she conveyed the Chancellor's words to him. The Emperor said, "Wang Hui was the first to propose the Mayi affair, and so I raised several hundred thousand troops from across the realm and followed his plan for this reason. Even if the Chanyu himself could not have been captured, had Hui led his forces to attack the supply train, there would still have been considerable gains to comfort the hearts of the soldiers and officials. If Wang Hui is not executed now, there will be no way to answer to the realm." When Hui learned of this, he took his own life.
11
Anguo was a man of broad vision and grand strategy, wise enough to navigate the politics of his age and win favor, and all of this was rooted in his loyalty and generosity of spirit. He was, however, greedy for wealth. Those he recommended were all men of integrity, worthier than himself. While in Liang, he recommended Hu Sui, Zang Gu, and Zhi Ta, all renowned scholars of the realm. The scholarly community praised and admired him for this, and even the Emperor regarded him as a pillar of the state. Anguo served as Grand Censor for more than four years. When the Chancellor Tian Fen died, Anguo assumed the duties of Chancellor. But while leading the imperial procession, he fell from his carriage and injured his leg. The Emperor wished to make Anguo Chancellor and sent an envoy to assess his condition, but his lameness was severe. He therefore appointed the Marquis of Pingji, Xue Ze, as Chancellor instead. Anguo was relieved of his duties for several months due to illness. When his lameness healed, the Emperor reappointed him as Commandant of the Capital. After about a year, he was transferred to the post of Captain of the Guard.
12
The General of Chariots and Cavalry, Wei Qing, attacked the Xiongnu, marching out from Shanggu, and captured the Xiongnu fortress of Longcheng. General Li Guang was captured by the Xiongnu but escaped again; Gongsun Ao lost many of his troops: both were liable to execution but redeemed their sentences and were reduced to commoners. The following year, the Xiongnu launched a major invasion of the border, killed the Governor of Liaoxi, and penetrated Yanmen, killing and capturing several thousand people. The General of Chariots and Cavalry, Wei Qing, was sent to attack them, marching out from Yanmen. The Captain of the Guard, Anguo, was appointed General of Infantry and garrisoned at Yuyang. Anguo captured prisoners alive, who reported that the Xiongnu had withdrawn far away. He thereupon submitted a memorial stating that it was the farming season and requested that the garrison be temporarily disbanded. Barely a month after the garrison was disbanded, the Xiongnu launched a massive invasion of Shanggu and Yuyang. Anguo's fortress held only some seven hundred men. They sallied forth to fight but could not prevail, and retreated back behind the walls. The Xiongnu captured and carried off more than a thousand people along with their livestock and departed. When the Emperor heard of this, he was furious and sent an envoy to reprimand Anguo. He transferred Anguo further east to garrison Youbeiping. At that time, Xiongnu prisoners reported that an invasion of the eastern regions was imminent.
13
Anguo had first served as Grand Censor and General Protector of the Army, but was later gradually distanced and demoted; Meanwhile, the newly favored young generals such as Wei Qing had won victories and were rising ever higher in status. Anguo, now distant from favor, kept silent; His garrison command had been outwitted by the Xiongnu, suffering heavy losses, and he was deeply ashamed. When he was finally relieved from the frontier, only to be transferred to a garrison even further east, he fell into a deep melancholy. After several months, he fell ill, vomited blood, and died. Anguo died in the middle of the second year of the Yuanshuo reign.
14
The Grand Historian says: I worked with Hu Sui on establishing the calendar and laws, and observed Han Changru's integrity and Hu Sui's profound inner reserve and hidden depth of character. The saying in the world that Liang produces many worthy elders is no empty phrase! Hu Sui rose to the office of Director of Palace Affairs, and the Emperor was on the verge of appointing him Chancellor of Han when Hu Sui died. Had it not been so, given Hu Sui's inner integrity and cultivated conduct, he would truly have been a gentleman devoted body and soul to the state.