1
太祖三
Annals of Taizu, continued.
2
五年春正月壬辰朔，雨雪，不御殿。 禁鐵鑄浮屠及佛像。 庚子，前盧氏縣尉鄢陵許永年七十有五，自言父瓊年九十九，兩兄皆八十餘，乞一官以便養。 因召瓊厚賜之，授永鄢陵令。 壬寅，省州縣小吏及直力人。 乙巳，罷襄州歲貢魚。
In Kaibao year five, on the renchen new moon in the first month of spring, snow mixed with rain, and he withheld court audience. He banned the use of iron to cast pagodas and Buddha statues. On gengzi Xu Yong, a seventy-five-year-old former adjutant from Lushi now living in Yanling, reported that his father Qiong was ninety-nine and both brothers past eighty, and asked for a post so he could provide for them. The emperor summoned Qiong, lavished gifts on him, and made Yong magistrate of Yanling. On renyin he cut back county and prefectural junior clerks and day laborers on the payroll. On yisi he ended Xiangzhou's yearly fish tribute to court.
3
二月丙子，詔沿河十七州各置河隄判官一員。 庚辰，以鳳州七房銀冶為開寶監。 庚寅，以兵部侍郎劉熙古參知政事。
In the second month, on bingzi, he decreed one dike inspector for each of the seventeen prefectures along the Yellow River. On gengchen he reorganized Fengzhou's Qifang silver smelters as the Kaibao Directorate. On gengyin he named Vice Minister Liu Xigu a chief councilor.
4
閏月壬辰，禮部試進士安守亮等諸科共三十八人，召對講武殿，始放榜。 庚戌，升密州為安化軍節度。
In the intercalary month, on renchen, thirty-eight candidates including jinshi An Shouliang passed the Ministry of Rites exams, faced the emperor in Lecture Hall, and saw the first published rankings. On gengxu he raised Mizhou to Anhua Army commandery status.
5
三月庚午，賜潁州龍騎指揮使仇興及兵士錢。 辛未，占城國王波美稅遣使來獻方物。 壬申，幸教船池習戰。 乙酉，殿中侍御史張穆坐贓棄市。
In the third month, on gengwu, he rewarded Yingzhou's Dragon Cavalry commander Qiu Xing and his men with cash. On xinwei the Champa king Bo Meishui dispatched envoys bearing tribute goods. On renshen he went to the Boat-Training Pool for naval drills. On yiyou palace censor Zhang Mu was put to death in the market for graft.
6
夏四月庚寅朔，三佛齊國主釋利烏耶遣使來獻方物。 丙午，遣使檢視水災田。 丙寅，遣使諸州捕虎。
On the gengyin new moon in the fourth month of summer, the Srivijayan ruler Shili Wuye sent tribute bearers to court. On bingwu he sent commissioners to survey cropland ruined by the floods. On bingyin he ordered agents in every prefecture to hunt tigers.
7
五月庚申，賜恩赦侯劉鋹錢一百五十萬。 乙丑，命近臣祈晴。 併廣南州十三、縣三十九。 丙寅，罷嶺南採珠媚川都卒為靜江軍。 辛未，河決濮陽，命潁州團練使曹翰往塞之。 甲戌，以霖雨，出後宮五十餘人，賜予以遣之。 丁亥，河南、北淫雨，澶、滑、濟、鄆、曹、濮六州大水。
In the fifth month, on gengshen, he granted pardoned marquis Liu Chang 1.5 million cash. On yichou he told his inner circle to pray for fair skies. The court consolidated thirteen prefectures and thirty-nine counties in southern Lingnan. On bingyin he dissolved the Meichuan pearl-fleet command in Lingnan and re-formed its men as the Jingjiang Army. On xinwei the Yellow River broke through at Puyang, and he sent Yingzhou commissioner Cao Han to stem the breach. On jiaxu, citing the endless rains, he dismissed over fifty palace women with gifts and sent them home. On dinghai torrential rains on both banks of the Yellow River inundated Chao, Hua, Ji, Yan, Cao, and Pu.
8
六月己丑，河決陽武，汴決穀熟。 丁酉，詔：淫雨河決，沿河民田有為水害者，有司具聞除租。 戊申，修陽武隄。
In the sixth month, on jichou, the Yellow River breached at Yangwu and the Bian Canal at Gushu. On dingyou he decreed that officials along the river must report flooded fields and cancel their tax assessments. On wushen work crews rebuilt the Yangwu dikes.
9
秋七月己未，右拾遺張恂坐贓棄市。 癸未，邕、容等州獠人作亂。
In the seventh month, on jiwei, remonstrance official Zhang Xun was executed in the market for taking bribes. On guiwei the Liao tribes of Yongzhou, Rongzhou, and neighboring districts rebelled.
10
八月庚寅，高麗國王王昭遣使獻方物。 己亥，廣州行營都監朱憲大破獠賊於容州。 癸卯，升宿州為保靜軍節度，罷密州仍為防禦。
In the eighth month, on gengyin, Goryeo's King Wang Zhao sent tribute envoys to court. On jihai Zhu Xian, chief inspector of the Guangzhou field headquarters, routed the Liao rebels at Rongzhou. On guimao he raised Suzhou to Baojing Army circuit status and demoted Mizhou back to a defense prefecture.
11
九月丁巳朔，日有食之。 癸酉，李崇矩以鎮國軍節度使罷。
On the dingsi new moon in the ninth month a solar eclipse occurred. On guiyou Li Chongju was removed as circuit commissioner of Zhenguo Army.
12
冬十月庚子，幸河陽節度使張仁超第視疾。 甲辰，試道流，不才者勒歸俗。
In the tenth month, on gengzi, he called at Heyang commissioner Zhang Renchao's home to inquire after his health. On jiachen he tested Daoist priests and forced the unqualified back into secular life.
13
十一月己未，李繼明、藥繼清大破獠賊於英州。 癸亥，禁僧道習天文地理。 己巳，禁舉人寄應。 庚辰，命參知政事薛居正、呂餘慶兼淮、湖、嶺、蜀轉運使。
In the eleventh month, on jiwei, Li Jiming and Yao Jiqing crushed the Liao rebels at Yingzhou. On guihai he barred Buddhist and Daoist clerics from learning astronomy or geomancy. On jisi he outlawed candidates sitting for exams outside their home circuits. On gengchen he charged chief councilors Xue Juzheng and Lü Yuqing to double as transport commissioners for the Huai, lake, Lingnan, and Shu circuits.
14
十二月乙酉朔，祈雪。 己亥，畋近郊。 開封尹光義暴疾，遂如其第視之。 甲寅，內班董延諤坐監務盜芻粟，杖殺之。 詔合入令錄者引見後方注。 乙卯，大雨雪。 是歲，大饑。
On the yiyou new moon in the twelfth month he held rites praying for snow. On jihai he hunted in the outskirts near the capital. When Kaifeng intendant Liu Guangyi fell suddenly ill, the emperor went straight to his house to visit him. On jiayin palace guardsman Dong Yan'e was beaten to death for embezzling fodder while overseeing the stores. He decreed that candidates for county magistrate and registrar must face the throne before their appointments could be recorded. On yimao a heavy snowstorm swept the capital. Famine ravaged the realm that year.
15
六年春正月丙辰朔，不御殿。 置蜀水陸轉運計度使。 癸酉，修魏縣河。
In Kaibao year six, on the bingchen new moon in the first month of spring, he again withheld court audience. He created the office of Commissioner for Planning Shu Combined Water-and-Land Transport. On guiyou work was ordered on the river at Wei County.
16
二月丙戌朔，棣州兵馬監押、殿直傅延翰謀反，伏誅。 丙申，曹州饑，漕太倉米二萬石振之。 己亥，吳越國進銀裝花舫、金香師子。
On the bingxu new moon in the second month, Fu Yanhan, military inspector at Di and palace attendant, was put to death for treason. On bingshen famine struck Cao; twenty thousand shi of imperial granary grain were shipped in relief. On jihai Wuyue sent a silver-trimmed pleasure barge and gold lion censers for incense.
17
三月乙卯朔，周鄭王殂於房州，上素服發哀，輟朝十日，諡曰恭帝，命還葬慶陵之側，陵曰順陵。 己未，復密州為安化軍節度。 庚申，覆試進士於講武殿，賜宋準及下第徐士廉等諸科百二十七人及第。 乙亥，賜宋準等宴錢二十萬。 大食國遣使來獻。 翰林學士、知貢舉李昉坐試人失當，責授太常少卿。 試朝臣死王事者子陸坦等，賜進士出身。 丙子，幸相國寺觀新修塔。
On the yimao new moon in the third month the last Zhou emperor, the Prince of Zheng, died in exile at Fangzhou; Taizu mourned in undyed robes, closed court for ten days, styled him Emperor Gong, and had him interred beside Qingling at Shunling. On jiwei Mi was restored as the seat of the Anhua Army command. On gengshen the court held a supplemental jinshi examination in the Lecture Hall for Military Affairs, passing one hundred twenty-seven candidates from every track, including Song Zhun and Xu Shilian, who had failed the first round. On yihai he awarded Song Zhun and his cohort two hundred thousand cash for their celebration feast. Arabia dispatched envoys bearing tribute. Li Fang of the Hanlin Academy, who had overseen the examinations, was reduced to Vice Director of Ceremonial for mishandling the lists. He tested the sons of officials who had died on imperial business—Lu Tan among them—and awarded them jinshi standing. On bingzi he went to Xiangguo Temple to inspect its newly rebuilt stupa.
18
夏四月丁亥，召開封尹光義、天平軍節度使石守信等賞花習射於苑中。 辛丑，遣盧多遜為江南國信使。 甲辰，占城國王悉利陀盤印茶遣使來獻方物。 丙午，黎州保塞蠻來歸。 戊申，詔修五代史。
In summer, on dinghai in the fourth month, he called Guangyi of Kaifeng, Shi Shouxin of Taiping, and other intimates to the imperial park for flower viewing and archery. On xinchou he sent Lu Duoxun as credentialed envoy to the Jiangnan state. On jiachen King Cili Tuoban Yicha of Champa sent envoys with regional gifts. On bingwu the Baosai clans of Lizhou pledged allegiance. On wushen he ordered the court to compile the History of the Five Dynasties.
19
五月庚申，劉熙古以戶部尚書致仕。 詔：中書吏擅權多姦贓，兼用流內州縣官。 己巳，交州丁璉遣使貢方物。 幸玉津園觀刈麥。 辛巳，殺右拾遺馬適。
In the fifth month, on gengshen, Liu Xigu resigned his post as Minister of Revenue. He decreed that because Secretariat clerks had grown overmighty and venal, posts should be shared with officials rotated up from the prefectures and counties. On jisi Ding Lian of Jiaozhou sent tribute envoys. He went to Yujin Garden to observe the reaping of wheat. On xinsi he had Right Reminder Ma Shi put to death.
20
六月辛卯，閱在京百司吏，黜為農者四百人。 癸巳，占城國遣使獻方物。 隰州巡檢使李謙溥拔北漢七砦。 癸卯，雷有鄰告宰相趙普黨堂吏胡贊等不法，贊及李可度並杖、籍沒。 庚戌，詔參知政事與宰相趙普分知印押班奏事。
In the sixth month, on xinmao, he inspected the capital bureaucracy and sent four hundred clerks back to the fields. On guisi Champa again sent envoys with tribute goods. Li Qianpu, patrol commissioner of Xi, seized seven Northern Han strongholds. On guimao Lei Youlin accused Chancellor Zhao Pu's chief clerk Hu Zan and his circle of corruption; Zan and Li Kedou were beaten and their estates seized. On gengxu he directed the vice grand councilors and Zhao Pu to share seal duty, preside over audiences in turn, and present business jointly.
21
秋七月壬子朔，詔諸州府置司寇參軍，以進士、明經者為之。 丙辰，減廣南無名率錢。
On the renzi new moon in the seventh month of autumn he required each prefecture to appoint a Criminal Affairs adjutant drawn from jinshi and classics licentiates. On bingchen he cut the miscellaneous unnamed levies in Guangnan.
22
八月乙酉，罷成都府偽蜀嫁裝稅。 辛卯，賜布衣王澤方同學究出身。 丁酉，泗州推官侯濟坐試判假手，杖、除名。 甲辰，趙普罷為河陽三城節度使、同平章事。 辛酉，幸都亭驛。
In the eighth month, on yiyou, he ended the Chengdu levy on bridal dowries left over from the Shu regime. On xinmao he honored the scholar Wang Zefang with status equal to a classics licentiate. On dingyou Hou Ji, investigating officer of Sizhou, was beaten and expelled for submitting a proxy essay in the judgment examination. On jiachen Zhao Pu left the capital chancellorship for the Three Cities of Heyang command, retaining the honorary title of grand councilor. On xinyou he went out to Duting Post Station.
23
九月丁卯，餘慶以尚書左丞罷。 己巳，封光義為晉王、兼侍中，德昭同中書門下平章事，薛居正為門下侍郎、同平章政事，戶部侍郎、樞密副使沈義倫為中書侍郎、同平章事，石守信兼侍中，盧多遜中書舍人、參知政事。 壬申，詔晉王光義班宰相上。
In the ninth month, on dingmao, Yu Qing was removed as Left Vice Director of the Secretariat. On jisi he made Guangyi Prince of Jin and Palace Attendant, named Dezhao associate grand councilor, promoted Xue Juzheng to vice director of the Chancellery with full councilor rank, elevated Shen Yilun from revenue and the Bureau of Military Affairs to vice director of the Secretariat with councilor rank, added Palace Attendant to Shi Shouxin's titles, and restored Lu Duoxun as drafting officer and vice grand councilor. On renshen he decreed that Prince of Jin Guangyi would take precedence over the chancellors in court order.
24
冬十月甲申，葬周恭帝，不視朝。 丁亥，幸玉津園觀稼。 戊子，流星出文昌、北斗。 甲辰，特赦諸官吏姦贓。
In winter, on jiashen in the tenth month, he buried Emperor Gong of Zhou and suspended audience for the day. On dinghai he went to Yujin Garden to inspect the harvest. On wuzi a shooting star streaked out from Wenchang toward the Northern Dipper. On jiachen he proclaimed a limited pardon for official graft.
25
十一月癸丑，詔常參官進士及第者各舉文學一人。
In the eleventh month, on guichou, he required each jinshi among the regular court attendees to nominate one literary scholar.
26
十二月壬午，命近臣祈雪。 丙午，前中書舍人、參知政事多遜起復視事。 行開寶通禮。 限度僧法，諸州僧帳及百人歲許度一人。
In the twelfth month, on renwu, he sent his inner circle to conduct snow prayers. On bingwu Lu Duoxun, lately drafting officer and vice grand councilor, was recalled from leave and returned to duty. The court began enforcing the Kaibao Comprehensive Rituals. He capped monastic ordinations so that each prefecture might tonsure only one monk a year for every hundred already on its rolls.
27
七年春正月庚戌，不御殿。 庚申，占城國王波美稅遣使獻方物。 齊州野蠶成繭。 癸亥，左拾遺秦亶、太子中允呂鵠並坐贓，宥死，杖、除名。
In Kaibao year seven, on gengxu in the first month of spring, he withheld court audience. On gengshen King Bo Meishui of Champa sent envoys with tribute goods. In Qizhou wild silkworms spun cocoons. On guihai Qin Chang, left remonstrator, and Lü E, an associate in the heir's household, were found guilty of corruption; their lives were spared, but they were beaten and expelled from office.
28
二月庚辰朔，日有食之。 丙戌，日有二黑子。 癸卯，命近臣祈雨。 詔：詩、書、易三經學究，依三經、三傳資敘入官。 乙巳，太子中舍胡德沖坐隱官錢，棄市。
On the gengchen new moon in the second month there was a solar eclipse. On bingxu two sunspots were observed. On guimao he sent his inner circle to conduct rain prayers. He decreed that scholars credentialed in Poetry, Documents, and Changes alone should receive the same civil-service standing as men who had passed the Three Classics and Three Commentaries examinations. On yisi Hu Dechong, an officer in the heir's household, was put to death in the market for embezzling public money.
29
三月乙丑，三佛齊國王遣使獻方物。
In the third month, on yichou, the king of Srivijaya sent envoys with tribute goods.
30
夏四月丙午，遣使檢嶺南民田。
In the fourth month of summer, on bingwu, he sent commissioners to survey peasant holdings in Lingnan.
31
五月戊申朔，殿中侍御史李瑩坐受南唐饋遺，責授右讚善大夫。 甲寅，以布衣齊得一為章丘主簿。 乙丑，詔市二價者以枉法論。 丙寅，幸講武池觀習水戰。 丙子，又幸講武池，遂幸玉津園。
On the wushen new moon in the fifth month, censor Li Ying was reduced to a tutoring post in the heir's palace for taking Southern Tang presents. On jiayin he named the scholar Qi Deyi chief clerk of Zhangqiu. He ruled that merchants who charged two prices for the same goods would be tried for corruption of the law. On bingyin he went to the Boat-Training Pool to inspect fleet exercises. On bingzi he returned to the training pool and afterward strolled Yujin Garden.
32
六月丙申，河中府饑，發粟三萬石振之。 己亥，淮溢入泗州城； 壬寅，安陽河溢，皆壞民居。
In the sixth month, on bingshen, famine struck Hezhong; the court released thirty thousand shi of grain for relief. On jihai the Huai River poured into the city of Suzhou; on renyin the Anyang burst its banks—together the floods wrecked countless homes.
33
秋七月壬子，幸講武池觀習水戰，遂幸玉津園。 丙辰，南丹州溪洞酋帥莫洪燕內附。 詔減成都府鹽錢。 庚午，太子中允李仁友坐不法，棄市。
In the seventh month of autumn, on renzi, he reviewed naval maneuvers at the training pool and then went on to Yujin Garden. On bingchen Mo Hongyan, a tribal leader in the Nandanzhou hill country, came in to the court. He cut the salt tax charged in Chengdu. On gengwu Li Renyou, an associate in the heir's household, was executed in the market for misconduct.
34
八月戊寅，吳越國王遣使來朝貢。 丁亥，諭吳越伐江南。 戊子，陳州貢芝草，一本四十九莖。 己丑，幸講武池，賜習水戰軍士錢。 戊戌，殿中丞趙象坐擅稅，除名。 甲辰，幸講武池，觀習水戰，遂幸玉津園。
In the eighth month, on wuyin, the king of Wuyue dispatched envoys to present tribute at court. On dinghai he ordered Wuyue to march against Jiangnan. On wuzi Chenzhou sent a miraculous fungus to court—a single stalk with forty-nine branches. On jichou he watched fleet drill at the training pool and rewarded the sailors with cash. On wuxu palace aide Zhao Xiang was expelled from office for collecting taxes on his own authority. On jiachen he inspected naval exercises at the training pool and then went to Yujin Garden.
35
九月癸亥，命宣徽南院使、義成軍節度使曹彬為西南路行營馬步軍戰櫂都部署，山南東道節度使潘美為都監，潁州團練使曹翰為先鋒都指揮使，將兵十萬出荊南，以伐江南。 將行，召曹彬、潘美，戒之曰：「城陷之日，慎無殺戮； 設若困鬬，則李煜一門，不可加害。」 丁卯，以知制誥李穆為江南國信使。
In the ninth month, on guihai, Cao Bin—commissioner of the southern inner palace and military governor of Yicheng—was named supreme commander of the Southwest expedition's land and river forces, with Pan Mei of Shannan East as his deputy and Cao Han of Yingzhou as vanguard chief; one hundred thousand men marched out of Jingnan to bring down Jiangnan. Before they left he called in Cao Bin and Pan Mei and warned them: "When the walls give way, do not butcher the people; and even if they fight to the end, Li Yu and his kin are not to be touched." On dingmao he appointed drafting officer Li Mu envoy to the Southern Tang court.
36
冬十月甲申，幸迎春苑，登汴隄觀戰艦東下。 丙戌，又幸迎春苑，登汴隄觀諸軍習戰，遂幸東水門，發戰櫂東下。 江南進絹數萬，御衣、金帶、器用數百事。 壬辰，曹彬等將舟師、步騎發江陵，水陸並進。 丁酉，命吳越王錢俶為昇州東南行營招撫制置使。 己亥，曹彬收下峽口，獲指揮使王仁震、王宴、錢興。
In the tenth month of winter, on jiashen, he went to Welcome Spring Garden, climbed the Bian dike, and watched the fleet head downstream. On bingxu he returned to Welcome Spring Garden, reviewed troop exercises from the dike, then went to East Water Gate and launched the battle fleet eastward. Southern Tang sent tens of thousands in silk, court robes, gold belts, and several hundred pieces of ritual ware. On renchen Cao Bin's river and land columns left Jiangling in combined advance. On dingyou King Qian Chu of Wuyue was named pacification commissioner on the southeastern front against Shengzhou. On jihai Cao Bin seized Xiakou and took commanders Wang Renzhen, Wang Yan, and Qian Xing prisoner.
37
閏月己酉，克池州。 丁巳，敗江南軍於銅陵。 庚申，命宰相、參知政事更知日曆。 壬戌，彬等拔蕪湖、當塗兩縣，駐軍采石。 癸亥，詔減湖南新製茶。 甲子，薛居正等上新編五代史，賜器幣有差。 丁卯，彬敗江南軍于采石，擒兵馬部署楊收、都監孫震等千人，為浮梁以濟。
In the intercalary month, on jiyou, the army captured Chizhou. On dingsi the Southern Tang army was routed at Tongling. On gengshen he required the chief ministers to take turns overseeing the court calendar. On renxu Cao Bin captured Wuhu and Dangtu and made camp at Caishi. On guihai he cut the tax on Hunan's new tea crop. On jiazi Xue Juzheng and his colleagues submitted their new History of the Five Dynasties, and each was rewarded with regalia according to rank. On dingmao Cao Bin smashed the Southern Tang army at Caishi, taking deployment commissioner Yang Shou, supervisor Sun Zhen, and a thousand soldiers, then threw a floating bridge across the river.
38
十一月癸未，黥李從善部下及江南水軍一千三百九十人為歸化軍。 甲申，詔省劍南、山南等道屬縣主簿。 丁亥，秦、晉旱，免蒲、陝、晉、絳、同、解六州逋賦，關西諸州免其半。 己丑，知漢陽軍李恕敗江南水軍於鄂。 甲午，曹彬敗江南軍於新林砦。 辛丑，命知雄州孫全興答涿州修好書。 壬寅，大食國遣使獻方物。
In the eleventh month, on guiwei, he branded Li Congshan's retinue and thirteen hundred ninety Southern Tang sailors as the Assimilated Army. On jiashen he thinned the ranks of county chief clerks in Jiannan, Shannan, and neighboring circuits. On dinghai drought afflicted Shaanxi and Shanxi; arrears were forgiven in six prefectures along the middle Yellow River, and western circuits owed only half. On jichou Li Shu, commander at Hanyang, destroyed a Southern Tang fleet on the E River. On jiawu Cao Bin routed the Southern Tang at Xinlin stockade. On xinchou he told Xiongzhou prefect Sun Quanxing to reply to Zhuozhou's overture of peace. On renyin envoys from the Arab lands arrived with tribute goods.
39
十二月己酉，彬敗江南軍於白鷺洲。 辛亥，命近臣祈雪。 甲子，吳越王帥兵圍常州，獲其人馬，尋拔利城砦。 丙寅，彬敗江南軍於新林港。 己巳，左拾遺劉祺坐受賂，黥面、杖配沙門島。 庚午，北漢寇晉州，守臣武守琦敗之於洪洞。 壬申，吳越王敗江南軍於常州北界。
In the twelfth month, on jiyou, Cao Bin beat the Southern Tang army at Bailuzhou. On xinhai he sent his inner circle to pray for snow. On jiazi the king of Wuyue invested Changzhou, seized men and horses, and shortly after captured Licheng stockade. On bingyin Cao Bin won another victory over the Southern Tang at Xinlin harbor. On jisi left remonstrator Liu Qi was branded on the face, beaten, and exiled to Shamen Island for taking bribes. On gengwu Northern Han struck Jinzhou, but defender Wu Shouqi drove them off at Hongdong. On renshen the king of Wuyue routed the Southern Tang north of Changzhou.
40
八年春正月甲戌朔，以出師，不御殿。 丙子，知池州樊若水敗江南軍於州界； 田欽祚敗江南軍於溧水，斬其都統使李雄。 乙酉，御長春殿，謂宰相曰：「朕觀為臣者比多不能有終，豈忠孝薄而無以享厚福耶？」 宰相居正等頓首謝。 庚寅，曹彬拔昇州城南水砦。
In Kaibao year eight, on the jiaxu new moon in the first month of spring, he withheld court audience while the expedition was in the field. On bingzi Fan Ruoshui, prefect of Chizhou, routed the Southern Tang on his borders; and Tian Qinzu crushed them at Lishui, taking the head of their commander Li Xiong. On yiyou he held court in Evergreen Hall and told his chief ministers, "Too many of you cannot hold a course to the finish—have you so little loyalty and filial piety that you forfeit lasting favor?" Juzheng and the other ministers kowtowed in acknowledgment. On gengyin Cao Bin seized the river fort south of Shengzhou.
41
二月癸丑，彬敗江南軍於白鷺洲。 乙卯，拔昇州關城。 丁巳，太子中允徐昭文坐抑人售物，除籍。 甲子，知揚州侯陟敗江南軍於宣化鎮。 戊辰，覆試進士於講武殿，賜王嗣宗等三十一人、諸科紀自成等三十四人及第。
In the second month, on guichou, Cao Bin again defeated the Southern Tang at Bailuzhou. On yimao the outer defenses of Shengzhou fell. On dingsi Xu Zhaowen, an associate in the heir's household, was expelled for blocking merchants from selling their wares. On jiazi Yangzhou prefect Hou Chen routed the Southern Tang at Xuanhua town. On wuchen the palace held a second jinshi examination in Lecture Hall; thirty-one men led by Wang Sicong and thirty-four specialists including Jici Cheng passed.
42
三月乙酉，賜王嗣宗等宴錢二十萬。 己丑，命祈雨。 庚寅，彬敗江南軍於江中。 己亥，契丹遣使克沙骨慎思以書來講和。 知潞州藥繼能拔北漢鷹澗堡。 辛丑，召契丹使於講武殿觀習射。 壬寅，遣內侍王繼恩領兵赴昇州。 大食國遣使來朝獻。
In the third month, on yiyou, he gave Wang Sicong and his fellow graduates two hundred thousand cash for their celebration feast. On jichou he ordered rain prayers throughout the capital. On gengyin Cao Bin won a river battle against the Southern Tang fleet. On jihai the Khitan dispatched the envoy Keshagusiensi with a letter proposing peace. At Luzhou, prefect Yao Jineng captured the Northern Han fort at Yingjian. On xinchou he invited the Khitan envoy to Lecture Hall to observe target practice. On renyin he sent inner-chamber director Wang Jien with reinforcements to Shengzhou. Envoys from the Arab lands again came to court with tribute.
43
夏四月乙巳，幸東水磑。 癸丑，幸都亭驛閱新戰船。 丁巳，吳越王拔常州。 壬戌，彬等敗江南軍於秦淮北。 戊辰，幸玉津園觀種稻，遂幸講武池觀習水戰。 庚午，詔嶺南盜贓滿十貫以上者死。 幸西水磑。
In the fourth month of summer, on yisi, he inspected the East Water Mill. On guichou he went to the Capital Pavilion station to inspect newly built warships. On dingsi the king of Wuyue captured Changzhou. On renxu Cao Bin and his colleagues routed the Southern Tang north of the Qin-Huai line. On wuchen he walked the rice plots at Yujin Garden, then watched fleet exercises at the training pool. On gengwu he decreed death for any Lingnan theft or embezzlement of ten strings of cash or more. He also toured the West Water Mill.
44
五月壬申朔，以吳越國王錢俶守太師、尚書令，益食邑。 知桂陽監張侃發前官隱沒羨銀，追罪兵部郎中董樞、右讚善大夫孔璘，殺之，太子洗馬趙瑜杖配海島； 侃受賞，遷屯田員外郎。 辛巳，祈晴。 甲申，江南寧遠軍及沿江砦並降。 乙酉，詔武岡、長沙等十縣民為賊鹵掠者蠲其逋租，仍給復一年。 甲午，安南都護丁璉遣使來貢。 辛丑，河決濮州。
On the renshen new moon in the fifth month, King Qian Chu of Wuyue was named Grand Preceptor and chief of the Secretariat, with added fief revenue. Guizhou intendant Zhang Kan exposed silver hoarded by a former magistrate; bureau director Dong Shu and heir-tutor Kong Lin were condemned and put to death; crown prince's groom Zhao Yu was beaten and sent to island exile; Kan was rewarded and promoted to deputy director in the Ministry of Works. On xinsi he ordered prayers for fair skies. On jiashen the Southern Tang's Ningyuan garrison and every riverside fort came over. On yiyou he canceled tax arrears for ten counties such as Wugang and Changsha that bandits had ravaged, and exempted them from levies for a year. On jiawu Ding Lian, protector-general of Annan, sent envoys with tribute. On xinchou the Yellow River burst through at Pu prefecture.
45
六月壬寅，曹彬等遣使言，敗江南軍於其城下。 丁未，宋州觀察判官崔絢、錄事參軍馬德休並坐贓棄市。 辛亥，河決澶州頓丘。 甲子，彗出柳，長四丈，辰見東方。
In the sixth month, on renyin, Cao Bin's staff reported a victory over the Southern Tang beneath the walls of Shengzhou. On dingwei Songzhou judge Cui Xuan and registrar Ma Dexiu were both put to death in the market for corruption. On xinhai the Yellow River breached its dikes at Duanqiu in Cao prefecture. On jiazi a comet four zhang long blazed in the Willow constellation, visible in the eastern sky at dawn.
46
秋七月辛未朔，日有食之。 庚辰，遣閣門使郝崇信、太常丞呂端使契丹。 癸未，西天東印土王子穰結說囉來朝獻。 甲申，詔吳越王班師。 己亥，山後兩林鬼主、懷化將軍勿尼等來朝獻。
On the xinwei new moon in the seventh month of autumn there was a solar eclipse. On gengchen he sent gate commissioner Hao Chongxin and sacrifices vice director Lü Duan as envoys to the Khitan. On guiwei Prince Rangjieshuoluo of eastern India came to court with tribute. On jiashen he ordered the king of Wuyue to recall his troops. On jihai tribal chiefs from the Two Forests in the mountain hinterland, including pacification general Wuni, arrived at court with tribute.
47
八月乙卯，幸東水磑觀魚，遂幸北園。 辛酉，詔權停今年貢舉。 壬戌，契丹遣左衛大將軍耶律霸德等致御衣、玉帶、名馬。 西南蕃順化王子若廢等來獻名馬。 癸亥，丁德裕敗潤州兵於城下。
In the eighth month, on yimao, he went to the East Water Dam to watch the fish, then on to the Northern Garden. On xinyou he ordered the palace examinations held off for the year. On renxu the Khitan dispatched Grand General Yelü Bade of the Left Guard with imperial robes, jade belts, and fine horses. Prince Ruofei of Shunhua and other southwestern chieftains sent prized horses as tribute. On guihai Ding Deyu routed Jiangnan forces at the foot of Runzhou's walls.
48
九月壬申，狩近郊，逐兔，馬蹶墜地，因引佩刀刺馬殺之。 既而悔之，曰：「吾為天下主，輕事畋獵，又何罪馬哉！」 自是遂不復獵。 戊寅，潤州降。
On renshen in the ninth month he hunted the suburban preserves, pursued a hare, and when his mount tripped and threw him he killed it with the dagger at his belt. Soon he repented and said, "I hold the realm—what fault was the horse's, that I took a casual hunt so hard?" After that he gave up hunting altogether. On wuyin Runzhou came over.
49
冬十月己亥朔，江南主遣徐鉉、周惟簡來乞緩師。 辛亥，詔郡國令佐察民有孝悌力田、奇材異行或文武可用者遣詣闕。 丁巳，修西京宮闕。 江南主貢銀五萬兩、絹五萬匹，乞緩師。 戊午，改潤州鎮海軍節度為鎮江軍節度。 幸晉王北園。 己未，曹彬遣都虞候劉遇破江南軍於皖口，擒其將朱令贇、王暉。
On the jihai new moon of the tenth winter month the Jiangnan king sent Xu Xuan and Zhou Weijian to plead for a halt to the advance. On xinhai he commanded local magistrates to forward to the capital anyone noted for filial piety, fraternal duty, farming, rare ability, or promise in civil or military service. On dingsi work began on the Western Capital palaces. The Jiangnan king sent fifty thousand taels of silver and fifty thousand bolts of silk, again asking that the campaign be slowed. On wuwu he redesignated Runzhou's Zhenhai command as the Zhenjiang command. He called at the Northern Garden of the Prince of Jin. On jiwei Liu Yu, chief inspector under Cao Bin, beat the Jiangnan army at Wan Mouth and took generals Zhu Lingyun and Wang Hui.
50
十一月辛未，江南主遣徐鉉等再奉表乞緩師，不報。 甲申，曹彬夜敗江南軍於城下。 丙戌，以校書郎宋準、殿直邢文慶充賀契丹正旦使。 乙未，曹彬克昇州，俘其國主煜，江南平，凡得州十九、軍三、縣一百八十、戶六十五萬五千六十。 臨視新龍興寺。
In the eleventh month, on xinwei, Xu Xuan returned with another plea to slow the armies; the court ignored it. On jiashen Cao Bin routed the Jiangnan army under the city walls in a night attack. On bingxu he named proofreader Song Zhun and palace attendant Xing Wenqing envoys to the Khitan New Year court. On yiwei Cao Bin seized Shengzhou and took the Jiangnan ruler Li Yu; the south was pacified—nineteen prefectures, three commands, one hundred eighty counties, and six hundred fifty-five thousand sixty households. He toured the newly built Longxing Temple.
51
十二月庚子，幸惠民河觀築堰。 辛丑，赦江南，復一歲； 兵戈所經，二歲。 戊申，三佛齊遣使來獻方物。 己酉，幸龍興寺。 辛亥，免開封府諸縣今年秋租十之三。 己未，以恩赦侯劉鋹為彭城郡公。 甲子，契丹遣使耶律烏正來賀正旦。 丁卯，吳越國王乞以長春節朝覲，從之。
On gengzi in the twelfth month he went to the Huimin Canal to inspect the new embankment. On xinchou he pardoned Jiangnan for one year; and for two years in districts the troops had traversed. On wushen Srivijaya dispatched envoys with regional tribute. On jiyou he visited Longxing Temple. On xinhai he cut thirty percent from the autumn grain tax owed by Kaifeng's counties. On jiwei Liu Chang, the southern lord spared by the amnesty, was created Duke of Pengcheng. On jiazi the Khitan envoy Yelü Wuzheng arrived for the New Year felicitation. On dingmao the Wuyue king petitioned to come to court for the Longevity Festival, and permission was given.
52
九年春正月辛未，御明德門，見李煜於樓下，不用獻俘儀。 壬申，大赦，減死罪一等。 乙亥，封李煜為違命侯，子弟臣僚班爵有差。 己卯，江南昭武軍節度使留後盧絳焚掠州縣。 庚辰，詔郊西京。 癸巳，晉王率文武上尊號，不允。
In Kaibao year nine, on xinwei in the first month of spring, he held audience at the Gate of Illustrious Virtue and received Li Yu from the tower steps, dispensing with the captive parade. On renshen he proclaimed a general amnesty and commuted capital crimes by one degree. On yihai he ennobled Li Yu as Lord Who Disobeys Orders and ranked the former king's kin and ministers accordingly. On jimao Lu Jiang, regent of the Zhaowu command in Jiangnan, turned bandit and ravaged the prefectures. On gengchen he decreed a suburban offering at Luoyang. On guisi the Prince of Jin led the court in urging an exalted title upon him; he refused.
53
二月癸卯，三上表，不允。 庚戌，以曹彬為樞密使。 辛亥，命德昭迎勞吳越國王錢俶於宋州。 契丹遣使耶律延寧頁以御衣、玉帶、名馬、散馬、白鶻來賀長春節。 乙卯，吳越王奏內客省使丁德裕貪很，貶房州刺史。 丁巳，觀禮賢宅。 戊午，以盧多遜為吏部侍郎，仍參知政事。 己未，吳越國王錢俶偕子惟濬等朝於崇德殿，進銀絹以萬計。 賜俶衣帶鞍馬，遂以禮賢宅居之，宴於長安殿。 壬戌，錢俶進賀平昇州銀絹、乳香、吳綾、紬綿、錢茶、犀象、香藥，皆億萬計。 甲子，召晉王、吳越國王並其子等射於苑中，俶進御衣、壽星、通犀帶及金器。 丁卯，幸禮賢宅，賜俶金器及銀絹倍萬。
In the second month, on guimao, they pressed the petition three times; he still declined. On gengxu he appointed Cao Bin Commissioner of Military Affairs. On xinhai he sent De Zhao to Songzhou to receive and entertain the Wuyue king Qian Chu. The Khitan envoy Yelü Yanning arrived with imperial robes, jade belts, fine horses, remounts, and white cranes for the Longevity Festival. On yimao Qian Chu accused Inner Palace envoy Ding Deyu of rapacity; the court banished Ding to Fangzhou. On dingsi he toured the Lodge for Honoring the Worthy. On wuwu Lu Duoxun was named Vice Director of Personnel and kept his seat on the council. On jiwei Qian Chu of Wuyue came before the Hall of Exalted Virtue with his son Weijun and a train of kin, offering silver and silk by the myriad. He dressed Chu in court regalia, lodged him at the Lodge for Honoring the Worthy, and held a feast in the Hall of Lasting Peace. On renxu Qian Chu sent congratulations for the fall of Shengzhou—silver, silk, frankincense, Wu gauze, floss, tea money, rhinoceros, ivory, and spices beyond counting. On jiazi he called the Prince of Jin, Qian Chu, and their sons to the archery ground; Chu gave imperial robes, a Longevity icon, a rhinoceros belt, and gold wares. On dingmao he called again at the Lodge for Honoring the Worthy and doubled the gold, silver, and silk he gave Chu.
54
三月己巳，俶進助南郊銀絹、乳香以萬計。 庚午，賜俶劍履上殿，詔書不名。 癸酉，以皇子德芳為檢校太保、貴州防禦使，中書侍郎、同平章事沈義倫為大內都部署，右衛大將軍王仁贍權判留司、三司兼知開封府事。 丙子，幸西京。 己卯，次鞏縣，拜安陵，號慟隕絕者久之。 庚辰，賜河南府民今年田租之半，奉陵戶復一年。 辛巳，至洛陽。 庚寅，大雨，分命近臣詣諸祠廟祈晴。 辛卯，幸廣化寺，開無畏三藏塔。
On jisi in the third month Chu sent myriad-fold gifts of silver, silk, and frankincense toward the southern suburban rite. On gengwu he allowed Chu sword and shoes in the throne hall and decreed that memorials might omit his personal name. On guiyou Prince De Fang became Acting Grand Guardian and defense commissioner of Gui; Shen Yilun, vice director and associate councilor, took charge of the inner palace; Wang Renzan of the Right Guard governed the capital in lieu, ran the Three Bureaus, and acted as Kaifeng prefect. On bingzi he departed for Luoyang. On jimao he stopped at Gong, bowed at the Anling tomb of his forebears, and keened until he fell senseless. On gengchen he halved the year's land tax for Henan and gave the tomb-guard households another year free of levy. On xinsi he entered Luoyang. On gengyin torrential rain fell and he sent intimates to every shrine and temple to pray for sun. On xinmao he went to Guanghua Temple and opened the pagoda of the Fearless Tripitaka master.
55
夏四月己亥，雨霽。 庚子，有事圜丘，迴御五鳳樓大赦，十惡、故殺者不原，貶降責免者量移敘用，諸流配及逋欠悉放，諸官未贈恩者悉覃賞。 壬寅，大宴，賜親王、近臣、列校襲衣、金帶、鞍馬、器幣有差。 丙午，駕還。 辛亥，上至自洛。 丁巳，曹翰拔江州，屠之，擒牙校宋德明、胡則等。 詔益晉王食邑，光美、德昭並加開府儀同三司，德芳益食邑，薛居正、沈義倫加光祿大夫，樞密使曹彬、宣徽北院使潘美加特進，吳越國王錢俶益食邑，內外文武臣僚咸進階封。 己未，著令旬假為休沐。 丙寅，大食國王珂黎拂遣使蒲希密來獻方物。
In summer, on jihai in the fourth month, the skies broke. On gengzi he offered at the Round Mound, then proclaimed a great amnesty from the Five Phoenix Tower—sparing neither the ten capital crimes nor deliberate murder, but restoring demoted and dismissed men where fit, freeing exiles and debtors, and showering rewards on officials still unrewarded. On renyin he held a great feast and gave princes, intimates, and field commanders graded gifts of robes, gold belts, horses, and wares. On bingwu the court turned homeward. On xinhai he came back from Luoyang. On dingsi Cao Han stormed Jiangzhou, put the populace to the sword, and seized officers Song Deming and Hu Ze. He enlarged the Prince of Jin's domain, made Guangyi and De Zhao acting first-rank equerries, added to De Fang's fief, raised Xue Juzheng and Shen Yilun to Grandee of Splendid Happiness, advanced Cao Bin and Pan Mei to Special Advance, increased Qian Chu's fief, and promoted the whole civil and military roster. On jiwei he codified the ten-day court recess as official rest days. On bingyin the Abbasid caliph Abu al-Abbas sent Pu Ximi with regional tribute.
56
五月己巳，幸東水磑，遂幸飛龍院，觀漁金水河。 甲戌，遣司勳員外郎和峴往江南路採訪。 殺盧絳。 庚辰，幸講武池，遂幸玉津園觀稼。 宋州大風，壞城樓、官民舍幾五千間。 甲申，以閣門副使田守奇等充賀契丹生辰使。 晉州以北漢嵐、石、憲三州巡檢使王洪武等來獻。
In the fifth month, on jisi, he went to the East Water Dam, then to Flying Dragon Hall to watch fishing on the Jinshui. On jiaxu he sent Merit Evaluation vice director He Yan to tour the Jiangnan circuit. Lu Jiang was put to death. On gengchen he went to the Lecture Pool, then to Jade Ford Garden to inspect the grain. A gale at Songzhou wrecked the gate towers and nearly five thousand government and private buildings. On jiashen Tian Shouqi, deputy commissioner of the gate, and his party were named envoys to the Khitan birthday court. Wang Hongwu and other Northern Han patrol inspectors from Lan, Shi, and Xian north of Jin came over.
57
六月庚子，步至晉王邸，命作機輪，輓金水河注邸中為池。 癸卯，吳越王進銀、絹、綿以倍萬計。 乙卯，熒惑入南斗。
On gengzi in the sixth month he walked to the Prince of Jin's mansion and had a wheel rigged to lift Jinshui water into a new pool. On guimao the Wuyue king sent silver, silk, and floss counted in redoubled myriads. On yimao Mars entered the mansions of the Southern Dipper.
58
秋七月戊辰，幸晉王第觀新池。 丙子，幸京兆尹光美第視疾。 戊寅，再幸光美第。 泉州節度使陳洪進乞朝覲。 丙戌，命近臣祈晴。 丁亥，命修先代帝王及五嶽四瀆祠廟。 庚寅，幸光美第。
In autumn, on wuchen in the seventh month, he called at the Prince of Jin's house to see the new pool. On bingzi he went to Metropolitan Governor Guangyi's home to inquire after his illness. On wuyin he called on Guangyi again. Chen Hongjin, commissioner of Quanzhou, petitioned to come to court. On bingxu he sent his intimates to pray for fair skies. On dinghai he ordered the shrines of ancient emperors and of the Five Peaks and Four Rivers restored. On gengyin he visited Guangyi again.
59
八月乙未朔，吳越國王進射火箭軍士。 己亥，幸新龍興寺。 辛丑，太子中允郭思齊坐贓棄市。 乙巳，幸等覺院，遂幸東染院，賜工人錢。 又幸控鶴營觀習射，賜帛有差。 又幸開寶寺觀藏經。 丁未，遣侍衛馬軍都指揮使党進、宣徽北院使潘美伐北漢。 丙辰，遣使率兵分五道入太原。
On the yiwei new moon of the eighth month Qian Chu sent companies trained in fire-arrows. On jihai he toured the new Longxing Temple. On xinchou Palace Attendant Guo Siqi was beheaded in the market for corruption. On yisi he went to Dengjue Cloister, then to the Eastern Dye Works and paid the workers in cash. He called next at the Crane-Control Camp for an archery drill and gave graded gifts of silk. He went on to Kaibao Temple to inspect the scripture library. On dingwei he sent Palace Cavalry commander Dang Jin and Northern Court commissioner Pan Mei against Northern Han. On bingchen he sent armies in five divisions against Taiyuan.
60
九月甲子，幸綾錦院。 庚午，權高麗國事王伷遣使來朝獻。 党進敗北漢軍於太原城北。 辛巳，命忻、代行營都監郭進遷山後諸州民。 庚寅，幸城南池亭，遂幸禮賢宅，又幸晉王第。
On jiazi in the ninth month he toured the Brocade Office. On gengwu Wang Xiu, regent of Goryeo, sent envoys to present tribute. Dang Jin routed the Northern Han army north of Taiyuan. On xinsi Guo Jin, overseer of the Xing-Dai front, was told to move the populace of the hill country. On gengyin he went to the southern pool pavilion, then to the Lodge for Honoring the Worthy, and finally to the Prince of Jin.
61
帝性孝友節儉，質任自然，不事矯飾。 受禪之初，頗好微行，或諫其輕出。 曰：「帝王之興，自有天命，周世宗見諸將方面大耳者皆殺之，我終日侍側，不能害也。」 既而微行愈數，有諫，輒語之曰：「有天命者任自為之，不汝禁也。」 一日，罷朝，坐便殿，不樂者久之。 左右請其故。 曰：「爾謂為天子容易耶？ 早作乘快誤決一事，故不樂耳。」 汴京新宮成，御正殿坐，令洞開諸門，謂左右曰：「此如我心，少有邪曲，人皆見之。」
Taizu was filial toward his kin, fond of his brothers, and spare in habit—plain, trusting nature, and free of show. Early in his reign he often slipped out in disguise, and counselors warned that he courted danger. He answered, "Heaven chooses its emperors. Zhou Shizong used to kill every commander with prominent ears; I stood at his side all day, and he never touched me." Soon he was slipping out even more often; when advisers protested he would say, "Let Heaven's chosen walk free—you need not stop me." One day, when court had ended, he lingered in the side hall, long out of sorts. His attendants asked what weighed on him. "You think wearing the crown is easy?" he said. I was up before dawn, rode hard, and still botched a judgment—that is all." When the new Bian capital palace stood finished, he took the main throne with every gate flung wide and said, "My heart is this hall—bend it inward even slightly, and the world looks straight through."
62
吳越錢俶來朝，自宰相以下咸請留俶而取其地，帝不聽，遣俶歸國。 及辭，取群臣留俶章疏數十軸，封識遺俶，戒以途中密觀，俶屆途啟視，皆留己不遣之章也。 俶自是感懼，江南平，遂乞納土。 南漢劉鋹在其國，好置酖以毒臣下。 既歸朝，從幸講武池，帝酌卮酒賜鋹，鋹疑有毒，捧杯泣曰：「臣罪在不赦，陛下既待臣以不死，願為大梁布衣，觀太平之盛，未敢飲此酒。」 帝笑而謂之曰：「朕推赤心於人腹中，寧肯爾耶？」 即取鋹酒自飲，別酌以賜鋹。
When Qian Chu of Wuyue arrived, every minister from the chief councilor down urged that he be held and his lands seized; Taizu refused and sent him home. At parting he handed Chu a bundle of dozens of sealed memorials urging detention, telling him to read them privately on the road; every sheet inside had pleaded to keep Chu at court. Chu left terrified; after Jiangnan fell he offered to surrender his kingdom. Liu Chang of Southern Han had made a habit at home of poisoning ministers who displeased him. Once at court, at the Lecture Pool Taizu filled a cup for him; Liu Chang, fearing poison, clutched it and wept: "I deserve death, yet you spared me—let me live out my days as a commoner of the dynasty and see the peace; I dare not drink." Taizu laughed: "I lay my heart open in men's breasts—would I play you false?" He drank Liu Chang's cup himself, then poured a fresh one and gave it to him.
63
王彥升擅殺韓通，雖預佐命，終身不與節鉞。 王全斌入蜀，貪恣殺降，雖有大功，即加貶絀。
Wang Yansheng had murdered Han Tong without warrant; though he had helped win the throne, he never received a field command. Wang Quanbin, conqueror of Shu, had looted and slaughtered captives; despite his victories he was stripped and fined at once.
64
宮中葦簾，緣用青布； 常服之衣，浣濯至再。 魏國長公主襦飾翠羽，戒勿復用，又教之曰：「汝生長富貴，當念惜福。」 見孟昶寶裝溺器，摏而碎之，曰：「汝以七寶飾此，當以何器貯食？ 所為如是，不亡何待！」
Palace reed screens were edged with plain blue cloth; and everyday robes were washed and worn a second time. When the Princess of Wei appeared in a jacket trimmed with kingfisher feathers he forbade it and told her, "You were born to privilege—learn to husband your fortune." He shattered Meng Chang's jewel-encrusted chamber pot and cried, "If you gild a piss-pot with the seven treasures, what bowl is left for your rice? Men who live like that do not wait long to fall."
65
晚好讀書，嘗讀二典，歎曰：「堯、舜之罪四凶，止從投竄，何近代法網之密乎！」 謂宰相曰：「五代諸侯跋扈，有枉法殺人者，朝廷置而不問。 人命至重，姑息藩鎮，當若是耶？ 自今諸州決大辟，錄案聞奏，付刑部覆視之。」 遂著為令。
Late in life he took to books; reading the canons of Yao and Shun he sighed, "Those sages punished the four criminals with exile alone—how tight our laws have grown since!" He told his councilors, "Under the Five Dynasties warlords murdered at will and the throne looked away. Life is the heaviest thing under Heaven—are we to coddle warlords still? Henceforth every capital sentence in the provinces must be filed to court and reviewed by the Ministry of Justice." The rule was entered into law.
66
乾德改元，先諭宰相曰：「年號須擇前代所未有者。」 三年，蜀平，蜀宮人入內，帝見其鏡背有志「乾德四年鑄」者，召竇儀等詰之。 儀對曰：「此必蜀物，蜀主嘗有此號。」 乃大喜曰：「作相須讀書人。」 由是大重儒者。
When he chose the era name Qian De he told the councilors, "Pick a reign title no dynasty has used before." In the third year, after Shu fell, its palace women entered the harem; on a mirror's back he read "Cast Qian De year four" and summoned Dou Yi and the scholars to explain. Dou Yi answered, "It is surely a Shu piece—the Shu king once took that era name." Delighted, he said, "A chief councilor must be a man who has read books." From then on he held the scholar-officials in high regard.
67
受命杜太后，傳位太宗。 太宗嘗病亟，帝往視之，親為灼艾，太宗覺痛，帝亦取艾自灸。 每對近臣言：太宗龍行虎步，生時有異，他日必為太平天子，福德吾所不及云。
He took the throne at Empress Dowager Du's charge and passed it to Taizong. When Taizong fell deathly ill Taizu tended him and burned moxa into his skin; feeling the prince's pain, he burned his own flesh as well. He often told intimates that Taizong moved like dragon and tiger, bore signs at birth, and would surely become the peaceful emperor—fortune his elder brother could not equal.
68
讚曰：昔者堯、舜以禪代，湯、武以征伐，皆南面而有天下。 四聖人者往，世道升降，否泰推移。 當斯民塗炭之秋，皇天眷求民主，亦惟責其濟斯世而已。 使其必得四聖人之才，而後以其行事畀之，則生民平治之期，殆無日也。
Eulogy: Yao and Shun received the realm through abdication; Tang and Wu through war—each turned south and ruled the world. After those four sages passed, fortune and ruin traded places through the ages. When the people lay in ashes Heaven looked for a ruler for them, asking only that he save the age. Wait until men equal to those four appear before entrusting the age, and the people may never see peace.
69
五季亂極，宋太祖起介胄之中，踐九五之位，原其得國，視晉、漢、周亦豈甚相絕哉？ 及其發號施令，名藩大將，俯首聽命，四方列國，次第削平，此非人力所易致也。 建隆以來，釋藩鎮兵權，繩贓吏重法，以塞濁亂之源。 州郡司牧，下至令錄、幕職，躬自引對； 務農興學，慎罰薄斂，與世休息，迄於丕平； 治定功成，制禮作樂。 在位十有七年之間，而三百餘載之基，傳之子孫，世有典則。 遂使三代而降，考論聲明文物之治，道德仁義之風，宋於漢、唐，蓋無讓焉。 嗚呼，創業垂統之君，規模若是，亦可謂遠也已矣！
From the chaos of the Five Dynasties Taizu rose in mail to the throne; judged by how he won the realm, he differed little from the Jin, Han, or Zhou founders. Yet when he commanded, great warlords bowed, and kingdom after kingdom fell—no mere human effort explains it. From Jianlong on he stripped the governors of their armies, tightened the law on venal officials, and choked off the springs of disorder. He summoned every prefect, circuit intendant, magistrate, aide, and clerk to audience himself; promoted tillage and schools, punished sparingly and taxed lightly, and let the realm breathe until peace held firm; and when order stood firm he set ritual and composed music. In seventeen years on the throne he laid a foundation that would last three centuries, passing laws and precedent to sons and grandsons. Since the Three Dynasties, in culture, ritual, and the breath of humane rule, Song stands even with Han and Tang. Alas—a founder who sets the pattern for ages on such a scale may truly be called far-seeing.