Volume 360 Biographies 119: Zong Ze, Zhao Ding

宗澤趙鼎

Zong Ze and Zhao Ding

宗澤。字汝霖，婺州義烏人。母劉，夢天大雷電，光燭其身，翌日而澤生。澤自幼豪爽有大志，登元祐六年進士第。廷對極陳時弊，考官惡直，置末甲。

Zong Ze. His courtesy name was Rulin, and he was from Yiwu in Wuzhou prefecture. His mother, née Liu, dreamed of thunder and lightning filling the sky, with light shining on her body; Ze was born the next day. From childhood Zong Ze was forthright and ambitious; he passed the jinshi examination in 1091 (the sixth year of the Yuanyou reign). In his palace examination he spoke at length against the abuses of the day; the examiners resented his bluntness and ranked him last in his cohort.

調大名館陶尉。呂惠卿帥鄜延，檄澤與邑令視河埽，檄至，澤適喪長子，奉檄遽行。惠卿聞之，曰：「可謂國爾忘家者。」適朝廷大開御河，時方隆冬，役夫僵仆於道，中使督之急。澤曰浚河細事，乃上書其帥曰：「時方凝寒，徒苦民而功未易集，少需之，至初春可不擾而辦。」卒用其言上聞，從之。惠卿辟為屬，辭。

He was appointed magistrate of Guantao county under Daming prefecture. When Lü Huiqing was military commissioner of the Yan–Yan circuit, he summoned Ze and the county magistrate to inspect river embankments. The order arrived just as Ze was mourning his eldest son, but he set out at once in obedience to it. When Lü Huiqing heard of this, he said, "This is truly a man who puts the state before his own family." Around that time the court was digging open the Imperial Canal on a grand scale. It was the depths of winter, and conscript laborers were collapsing along the roads while court envoys drove them relentlessly. Ze considered river-dredging a minor matter and wrote to his superior: "The weather is freezing; you will only torment the people while the work will hardly be finished. Wait a little—by early spring it can be done without disturbing the people." In the end his advice was reported to the throne and accepted. Lü Huiqing offered him a post on his staff, but he declined.

調衢州龍遊令。民未知學，澤為建庠序，設師儒，講論經術，風俗一變，自此擢科者相繼。調晉州趙城令。下車，請升縣為軍，書聞，不盡如所請。澤曰：「承平時固無慮，它日有警，當知吾言矣。」知萊州掖縣。部使者得旨市牛黃，澤報曰：「方時疫癘，牛飲其毒則結為黃。今和氣橫流，牛安得黃？」使者怒，欲劾邑官。澤曰：「此澤意也。」獨銜以聞。通判登州。境內官田數百頃，皆不毛之地，歲輸萬餘緡，率橫取於民，澤奏免之。

He was transferred to serve as magistrate of Longyou county in Quzhou. The people were still unacquainted with learning, so Ze established schools, appointed teachers, and lectured on the classics. Local customs were transformed, and from then on county examinees passed the civil service examinations in steady succession. He was transferred to serve as magistrate of Zhaocheng county in Jin prefecture. As soon as he took office he petitioned to elevate the county to a military prefecture. When his memorial reached the court, his request was only partly granted. Zong Ze said, "In peacetime there is no cause for concern, but when danger comes you will see I was right." He was appointed magistrate of Ye county in Laizhou. When the circuit envoy received orders to purchase cattle bezoar, Ze replied, "An epidemic is raging now; when cattle drink contaminated water it forms bezoar in their gall bladders. Now that benign weather prevails, how should cattle have bezoar?" The envoy was furious and meant to impeach the county officials. Zong Ze said, "This was my doing alone." He alone bore responsibility and reported to his superiors. He served as vice-prefect of Dengzhou. Within his jurisdiction were several hundred qing of government fields, all barren land, yet the annual levy exceeded ten thousand strings of cash, mostly extorted from the people. Ze memorialized to have the levy abolished.

時太原失守，官兩河者率托故不行。澤曰：「食祿而避難，不可也。」即日單騎就道，從嬴卒十餘人。磁經敵騎蹂躪之餘，人民逃徙，帑廩枵然。澤至，繕城壁，浚湟池，治器械，募義勇，始為固守不移之計。上言：「邢、洺、磁、趙、相五州各蓄精兵二萬人，敵攻一郡則四郡皆應，是一郡之兵常有十萬人。」上嘉之，除河北義兵都總管。金人破真定，引兵南取慶源，自李固渡渡河，恐澤兵躡其後，遣數千騎直扣磁州城。澤擐甲登城，令壯士以神臂弓射走之，開門縱擊，斬首數百級。所獲羊馬金帛，悉以賞軍士。

When Taiyuan fell, officials appointed to the Two He circuits mostly pleaded excuses and refused to take up their posts. Zong Ze said, "To draw a salary and flee from danger—that cannot be done." That same day he set out alone on horseback with only a dozen or so scattered soldiers. Cizhou had just been ravaged by enemy cavalry; the people had fled, and the granaries were bare. When Zong Ze arrived he repaired the walls, deepened the moats, readied weapons, recruited volunteers, and began planning a determined defense. He memorialized: "Let each of the five prefectures—Xing, Ming, Ci, Zhao, and Xiang—maintain twenty thousand elite troops. If the enemy attacks one commandery, the other four will respond, so that one commandery will always have the strength of one hundred thousand men." The emperor approved and appointed him overall commander of Hebei volunteer forces. After the Jurchens captured Zhending they marched south toward Qingyuan, crossed the Yellow River at Ligu Crossing, and, fearing Zong Ze might pursue, sent several thousand horsemen straight against Cizhou. Ze donned armor and mounted the wall, had his strongest archers drive them off with crossbows, then opened the gates and sallied forth, killing several hundred of the enemy. He distributed all captured livestock, gold, and silk as rewards to his troops.

康王再使金，行至磁，澤迎謁曰：「肅王一去不反，今敵又詭辭以致大王，願勿行。」王遂回相州。有詔以澤為副元帥，從王起兵入援。澤言宜急會兵李固渡，斷敵歸路，眾不從，乃自將兵趨渡，道遇北兵，遣秦光弼、張德夾擊，大破之。金人既敗，乃留兵分屯。澤遣壯士夜搗其軍，破三十餘砦。

When the Prince of Kang was sent to the Jin court again and reached Cizhou, Ze met him and said, "Prince Su went north and never returned. Now the enemy is using sweet words to lure Your Highness north—please do not go." The prince turned back to Xiangzhou. An edict appointed Ze deputy commander-in-chief to follow the prince in raising an army to rescue the capital. Ze urged that they quickly concentrate forces at Ligu Crossing to cut the enemy's retreat, but the others would not listen. He then led his own troops toward the crossing, met Jin forces on the road, and sent Qin Guangbi and Zhang De to strike from both flanks, winning a great victory. After their defeat the Jurchens left troops in scattered encampments. Ze sent picked men to raid their camps by night and destroyed more than thirty of them.

時康王開大元帥府，檄兵會大名。澤履冰渡河見王，謂京城受圍日久，入援不可緩。會簽書樞密院事曹輔齎蠟封欽宗手詔，至自京師，言和議可成。澤曰：「金人狡譎，是欲款我師爾。君父之望入援，何啻饑渴，宜急引軍直趨澶淵，次第進壘，以解京城之圍。萬一敵有異謀，則吾兵已在城下。」汪伯彥等難之，勸王遣澤先行，自是澤不得預府中謀議矣。

At that time the Prince of Kang established the Grand Marshal's headquarters and ordered troops to assemble at Daming. Ze crossed the frozen river to see the prince and argued that the capital had been under siege for a long time and relief could not wait. Just then Privy Council signatory Cao Fu arrived from the capital with a sealed handwritten edict from Emperor Qinzong, stating that peace could be negotiated. Ze said, "The Jurchens are cunning—they only want to stall our army. Your father the emperor longs for relief as a man longs for food and drink in famine. Lead the army straight to Chanzhou at once, advance camp by camp, and lift the siege of the capital. If the enemy should plot something else, our army will already be at the city walls." Wang Boyan and others objected and urged the prince to send Ze ahead first; from then on Ze was excluded from deliberations at headquarters.

二年正月，澤至開德，十三戰皆捷，以書勸王檄諸道兵會京城。又移書北道總管趙野、河東北路宣撫範訥、知興仁府曾楙合兵入援。三人皆以澤為狂，不答。澤以孤軍進，都統陳淬言敵方熾，未可輕舉。澤怒，欲斬之，諸將乞貸淬，使得效死。澤命淬進兵，遇金人，敗之。金人攻開德，澤遣孔彥威與戰，又敗之。澤度金人必犯濮，先遣三千騎往援，金人果至，敗之。金人復向開德，權邦彥、孔彥威合兵夾擊，又大敗之。

In the first month of year two of the Jingkang era, Ze reached Kaide, won thirteen battles in succession, and wrote urging the prince to issue orders summoning troops from all circuits to the capital. He also wrote to Northern Route commander Zhao Ye, Hedong–Hebei North commissioner Fan Ne, and Xingren prefecture intendant Zeng Mao urging them to combine forces for relief. All three regarded Ze as reckless and ignored him. Ze pressed forward with a lone army. Commander Chen Cui said the enemy was too strong and they should not act rashly. Ze was furious and wanted to execute him, but the generals pleaded for Chen Cui's life so he could fight to the death. Ze ordered Chen Cui to advance; when they met Jin forces he routed them. When the Jin attacked Kaide, Ze sent Kong Yanwei to meet them and won again. Ze predicted the Jin would strike Pu prefecture and sent three thousand cavalry ahead; when they arrived he defeated them. When the Jin turned on Kaide again, Quan Bangyan and Kong Yanwei combined forces and struck them from both sides, winning another great victory.

澤兵進至衛南，度將孤兵寡，不深入不能成功。先驅云前有敵營，澤揮眾直前與戰，敗之。轉戰而東，敵益生兵至，王孝忠戰死，前後皆敵壘。澤下令曰：「今日進退等死，不可不從死中求生。」士卒知必死，無不一當百，斬首數千級。金人大敗，退卻數十餘里。澤計敵眾十倍於我，今一戰而卻，勢必復來，使悉其鐵騎夜襲吾軍，則危矣。乃暮徙其軍。金人夜至，得空營，大驚，自是憚澤，不敢復出兵。澤出其不意，遣兵過大河襲擊，敗之。王承制以澤為徽猷閣待制。

Ze's army advanced to Weinan. He judged that with so few troops, they could not succeed without pushing deep into enemy territory. When the vanguard reported an enemy camp ahead, Ze led his men straight forward, fought, and won. As they fought eastward more enemy reinforcements arrived; Wang Xiaozhong was killed in battle, and enemy camps lay ahead and behind them. Ze ordered, "Today advance and retreat mean the same death—we must win life out of death." Knowing they faced certain death, every man fought as if he were worth a hundred; they took several thousand enemy heads. The Jin were routed and fell back more than ten li. Ze reckoned the enemy outnumbered his force ten to one. Having been beaten back once, they were sure to return, and if they sent all their armored cavalry to raid his camp by night, his position would be desperate. At dusk he moved his army to another position. The Jin came by night and found an empty camp. Greatly alarmed, from then on they feared Ze and dared not venture out again. Taking them by surprise, he sent troops across the Yellow River to raid them and won again. The prince, acting on emergency authority, appointed Ze Attendant Gentleman in the Huiyao Pavilion.

時金人逼二帝北行，澤聞，即提軍趨滑，走黎陽，至大名，欲徑渡河，據金人歸路邀還二帝，而勤王之兵卒無一至者。又聞張邦昌僭位，欲先行誅討。會得大元帥府書，約移師近都，按甲觀變。澤覆書于王曰：「人臣豈有服赭袍、張紅蓋、御正殿者乎？自古奸臣皆外為恭順而中藏禍心，未有竊據寶位、改元肆赦、惡狀昭著若邦昌者。今二聖、諸王悉渡河而北，惟大王在濟，天意可知，宜亟行天討，興復社稷。」且言：「邦昌偽赦，或啟奸雄之意，望遣使分諭諸路，以定民心。」又上書言：「今天下所屬望者在於大王，大王行之得其道，則有心慰天下之心。所謂道者，近剛正而遠柔邪，納諫諍而拒諛佞，尚恭儉而抑驕侈，體憂勤而忘逸樂，進公實而退私偽。」因累表勸進。王即帝位于南京，澤入見，涕泗交頤，陳興復大計。時與李綱同入對，相見論國事，慷慨流涕，綱奇之。上欲留澤，潛善等沮之。除龍圖閣學士、知襄陽府。

When the Jin were escorting the two emperors north, Ze heard the news and immediately marched toward Hua, passed through Liyang to Daming, and intended to cross the river straightaway, block the Jin line of retreat, and recover the two emperors—but not a single loyalist relief army ever arrived. Learning that Zhang Bangchang had usurped the throne, he wanted to strike him down first. Then he received word from the Grand Marshal's headquarters arranging for him to move his army near the capital and hold his troops in readiness while observing events. Ze wrote back to the prince: "What subject may wear the imperial ochre robe, raise the red imperial canopy, and sit in the main hall of the palace? Treacherous ministers have always worn a mask of obedience while hiding evil designs within, but never before has anyone seized the throne, changed the reign title, proclaimed a general amnesty, and displayed his crimes as openly as Zhang Bangchang. Now both emperors and all the princes have been taken north across the river; only Your Highness remains at Ji. Heaven's intent is clear—you should swiftly punish this usurper and restore the dynasty." He also wrote that Zhang Bangchang's sham amnesty might awaken the ambitions of other traitors, and urged the prince to send envoys to every circuit to steady the people's hearts. In another memorial he wrote that all under Heaven now looked to the prince, and that if the prince followed the right path he would comfort the hearts of the empire. The Way, he said, meant drawing close to the upright and keeping the crafty at a distance, welcoming frank counsel and rejecting flatterers, practicing restraint and checking extravagance, sharing the people's burdens and shunning pleasure, and promoting what served the public good while rejecting selfish fraud. He repeatedly memorialized urging the prince to take the throne. When the prince took the throne at Nanjing, Ze had an audience with him. Tears streaming down his face, he laid out the great plan for restoring the dynasty. He entered audience together with Li Gang; when they met they discussed state affairs with such passion that both wept, and Li Gang marveled at him. The emperor wished to keep Ze at court, but Huang Qianshan and his faction blocked it. He was appointed academician of the Dragon Diagram Hall and prefect of Xiangyang.

時金人有割地之議，澤上疏曰：「天下者，太祖、太宗之天下，陛下當兢兢業業，思傳之萬世，奈何遽議割河之東、西，又議割陝之蒲、解乎。自金人再至，朝廷未嘗命一將、出一師，但聞奸邪之臣，朝進一言以告和，暮入一說以乞盟，終致二聖北遷，宗社蒙恥。臣意陛下赫然震怒，大明黜陟，以再造王室。今即位四十日矣，未聞有大號令，但見刑部指揮云'不得謄播赦文於河之東、西，陝之蒲、解'者，是褫天下忠義之氣，而自絕其民也。臣雖駑怯，當躬冒矢石為諸將先，得捐軀報國恩足矣。」上覽其言壯之。改知青州，時年六十九矣。

When the Jin were pressing for territorial concessions, Ze memorialized: "All under Heaven belonged to Taizu and Taizong. Your Majesty should be ever vigilant, thinking to pass the realm down through ten thousand generations—how can you hastily discuss ceding the lands east and west of the Yellow River, and even Pu and Jie in Shaanxi? Since the Jin invaded again the court has never appointed a single general or dispatched a single army—we have only heard wicked ministers, one urging peace in the morning and another pleading for alliance at night—until both emperors were taken north and the dynasty was disgraced. I believe Your Majesty should be stirred to righteous anger, clearly reward the loyal and punish the guilty, and thus rebuild the royal house. Forty days have passed since Your Majesty took the throne, yet no great proclamation has been issued—only a Ministry of Justice order forbidding amnesty notices to be circulated east and west of the Yellow River or in Pu and Jie. This crushes the loyal spirit of the empire and cuts Your Majesty off from your own people. Weak and timid as I am, I am ready to face arrows and stones ahead of all your generals; it would be enough to give my life repaying the state's kindness." The emperor read his memorial and was impressed by its boldness. He was transferred to serve as prefect of Qingzhou; he was sixty-nine years old.

開封尹闕，李綱言綏復舊都，非澤不可。尋徙知開封府。時敵騎留屯河上，金鼓之聲，日夕相聞，而京城樓櫓盡廢，兵民雜居，盜賊縱橫，人情忷忷。澤威望素著，既至，首捕誅舍賊者數人。下令曰：「為盜者，贓無輕重，並從軍法。」由是盜賊屏息，民賴以安。

When the Kaifeng intendant post fell vacant, Li Gang said that pacifying and restoring the old capital required no one but Zong Ze. Soon he was transferred to serve as prefect of Kaifeng. Enemy cavalry still camped on the north bank of the river, and the clash of arms could be heard day and night. The capital's watchtowers lay in ruins, soldiers and civilians were crowded together, bandits ran rampant, and the people were in a panic. Zong Ze's prestige was already well established. As soon as he arrived he arrested and executed several housebreakers. He issued an order: "Anyone who steals, regardless of the value of the loot, will be dealt with under military law." After that bandits dared not stir, and the people were secure.

王善者，河東巨寇也。擁眾七十萬、車萬乘，欲據京城。澤單騎馳至善營，泣謂之曰：「朝廷當危難之時，使有如公一二輩，豈復有敵患乎。今日乃汝立功之秋，不可失也。」善感泣曰：「敢不效力。」遂解甲降。時楊進號沒角牛，兵三十萬，王再興、李貴、王大郎等各擁眾數萬，往來京西、淮南、河南、北，侵掠為患。澤遣人諭以禍福，悉招降之。上疏請上還京。俄有詔：荊、襄、江、淮悉備巡幸。澤上疏言：「開封物價市肆，漸同平時。將士、農民、商旅、士大夫之懷忠義者，莫不願陛下亟歸京師，以慰人心。其唱為異議者，非為陛下忠謀，不過如張邦昌輩，陰與金人為地爾。」除延康殿學士、京城留守、兼開封尹。

Wang Shan was a great bandit chieftain of Hedong. He commanded a force said to number seven hundred thousand with ten thousand wagons, and intended to seize the capital. Ze rode alone at full speed to Wang Shan's camp, wept, and said to him, "At a time when the dynasty faces mortal danger, if the court had even one or two men like you, would we still fear any enemy? Today is the season for you to win glory—do not let it slip away." Wang Shan wept and said, "How could I refuse to serve?" Thereupon he laid down his arms and surrendered. At that time Yang Jin, known as "Missing Horn Ox," commanded three hundred thousand men, while Wang Zaixing, Li Gui, Wang Dalang, and others each led forces of tens of thousands, raiding back and forth across western Jing, Huainan, and Henan and bringing misery wherever they went. Ze sent envoys to explain the consequences and won them all over to surrender. He memorialized urging the emperor to return to the capital. Soon an edict ordered the Jing, Xiang, Yangtze, and Huai regions to prepare for an imperial tour. Ze memorialized: "In Kaifeng, market prices and shops are gradually returning to normal. Soldiers, farmers, merchants, travelers, and loyal scholars all long for Your Majesty to return to the capital at once and steady the people's hearts. Those who urge otherwise are not serving Your Majesty's true interest—they are merely men of Zhang Bangchang's sort, secretly paving the way for the Jin." He was appointed academician of the Yankang Hall, defender of the capital, and concurrent prefect of Kaifeng.

時金遣人以使偽楚為名，至開封府，澤曰：「此名為使，而實覘我也。」拘其人，乞斬之。有詔所拘金使延置別館，澤曰：「國家承平二百年，不識兵革，以敵國誕謾為可憑信，恬不置疑。不惟不嚴攻討之計，其有實欲賈勇思敵所愾之人，士大夫不以為狂，則以為妄，致有前日之禍。張邦昌、耿南仲輩所為，陛下所親見也。今金人假使偽楚，來覘虛實，臣愚乞斬之，以破其奸。而陛下惑于人言，令遷置別館，優加待遇，臣愚不敢奉詔，以彰國弱。」上乃親劄諭澤，竟縱遣之。言者附潛善意，皆以澤拘留金使為非。尚書左丞許景衡抗疏力辨，且謂：「澤之為尹，威名政績，卓然過人，今之縉紳，未見其比。乞厚加任使，以成禦敵治民之功。」

When the Jin sent envoys under the pretense of diplomatic contact with the puppet Chu regime, Ze said at Kaifeng, "They call themselves envoys, but in truth they are spies." He detained them and petitioned to have them executed. When an edict ordered the detained Jin envoys lodged in a separate hostel, Ze said, "Our dynasty has known peace for two hundred years and scarcely remembers war. To treat the enemy's brazen lies as trustworthy, and never question them— not only have we failed to plan a serious counterattack, but when men truly burn to fight the enemy, officials call them mad or reckless. That is how we brought yesterday's disaster upon ourselves. What Zhang Bangchang, Geng Nanzhong, and men like them did—Your Majesty saw with your own eyes. Now the Jin send these spies under the false Chu pretense. I beg Your Majesty to execute them and break their intrigue. Yet Your Majesty, swayed by others' words, has them moved to a hostel and treated generously. I dare not obey such an edict, for it would proclaim our weakness to the world." The emperor wrote a personal letter instructing Ze, but in the end the envoys were released. Critics aligned with Huang Qianshan all condemned Ze for detaining the Jin envoys. Left Vice Director Xu Jingheng submitted a strong counter-memorial arguing that "As intendant, Zong Ze's reputation and achievements surpass all others among officials today. I beg that he be given greater authority to fulfill his work of repelling the enemy and governing the people."

真定、懷、衛間，敵兵甚盛，方密修戰具為入攻之計，而將相恬不為慮，不修武備，澤以為憂。乃渡河約諸將共議事宜，以圖收復，而於京城四壁，各置使以領招集之兵。又據形勢立堅壁二十四所於城外，沿河鱗次為連珠砦，連結河東、河北山水砦忠義民兵，於是陝西、京東西諸路人馬咸願聽澤節制。有詔如淮甸。澤上表諫，不報。

Between Zhending, Huai, and Wei the enemy was very strong and was secretly preparing for an invasion, yet ministers and generals remained unconcerned and neglected military readiness. Ze was deeply worried. He crossed the river to summon the generals for joint planning toward recovery, and on each of the capital's four walls appointed commissioners to lead the recruited troops. He also established twenty-four strong forts outside the walls according to the terrain, set up a chain of stockades along the river, and linked the loyal militia of the mountain stockades of Hedong and Hebei. Thereupon troops from Shaanxi and eastern and western Jing all wished to serve under his command. An edict ordered him to proceed to the Huai region. Ze memorialized in protest, but received no reply.

秉義郎岳飛犯法將刑，澤一見奇之，曰：「此將材也。」會金人攻汜水，澤以五百騎授飛，使立功贖罪。飛大敗金人而還，遂升飛為統制，飛由是知名。

When Palace Gentleman Yue Fei faced execution for a military offense, Ze took one look at him and said, "This man has the makings of a great general." Just then the Jin attacked Sishui. Ze gave Yue Fei five hundred cavalry and told him to redeem himself by winning merit in battle. Yue Fei routed the Jin and returned. Ze promoted him to commander, and from that day Yue Fei became famous.

澤視師河北還，上疏言：「陛下尚留南都，道路籍籍，咸以為陛下舍宗廟朝廷，使社稷無依，生靈失所仰戴。陛下宜亟回汴京，以慰元元之心。」不報。復抗疏言：「國家結好金人，欲以息民，卒之劫掠侵欺，靡所不至，是守和議果不足以息民也。當時固有阿意順旨以叨富貴者，亦有不相詭隨以獲罪戾者。陛下觀之，昔富貴者為是乎？獲罪戾者為是乎？今之言遷幸者，猶前之言和議為可行者也；今之言不可遷者，猶前日之言和議不可行者也。惟陛下熟思而審用之。且京師二百年積累之基業，陛下奈何輕棄以遺敵國乎。」

After inspecting troops in Hebei, Ze memorialized: "Your Majesty still remains at the Southern Capital. Along every road people whisper that you have abandoned the ancestral temples and court, leaving the altars of state without support and the people without a sovereign to look to. Your Majesty should return to Bianjing at once to comfort the hearts of the people." He received no reply. He submitted another strong memorial: "The state sought friendship with the Jin to give the people peace, yet in the end plunder and aggression knew no bounds. Keeping the peace treaty truly could not give the people peace. At that time there were certainly those who flattered the court to win wealth and rank, and also those who refused to go along with deception and were punished. Your Majesty may judge—which were right, those who grew wealthy and noble then? Or those who were punished? Today's advocates of moving the court are like yesterday's advocates of peace who said it was feasible; and today's advocates of not moving are like yesterday's opponents who said peace could not work. I beg Your Majesty to ponder this deeply and choose wisely. Moreover, the capital is two centuries of accumulated foundation—how can Your Majesty lightly abandon it to the enemy?"

詔遣官迎奉六宮往金陵，澤上疏曰：「京師，天下腹心也。兩河雖未敉寧，特一手臂之不信爾。今遽欲去之，非惟一臂之弗瘳，且並與腹心而棄之矣。昔景德間，契丹寇澶淵，王欽若江南人，即勸幸金陵，陳堯叟蜀人，即勸幸成都，惟寇准毅然請親征，卒用成功。臣何敢望寇准，然不敢不以章聖望陛下。」又條上五事，其一言黃潛善、汪伯彥贊南幸之非。澤前後建議，經從三省、樞密院，輒為潛善等所抑，每見澤奏疏，皆笑以為狂。

When an edict sent officials to escort the imperial household to Jinling, Ze memorialized: "The capital is the heart of the empire. Though the Two He are not yet pacified, that is only because one arm of the realm is not yet secure. To leave it now will not heal that arm—it will abandon the heart along with it. In the Jingde era, when the Khitan attacked Chanzhou, Wang Qinruo of Jiangnan urged retreat to Jinling and Chen Yaosou of Shu urged retreat to Chengdu—only Kou Zhun resolutely demanded that the emperor take the field in person, and victory followed. I dare not compare myself to Kou Zhun, yet I dare not fail to hold up Emperor Zhenzong as the model for Your Majesty." He also listed five points, the first condemning Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan for supporting the move south. Ze's proposals, submitted through the Three Departments and Privy Council, were always blocked by Huang Qianshan and his faction, who laughed at his memorials and called them mad.

金將兀術渡河，謀攻汴京。諸將請先斷河梁，嚴兵自固，澤笑曰：「去冬，金騎直來，正坐斷河梁耳。」乃命部將劉衍趨滑、劉達趨鄭，以分敵勢，戒諸將極力保護河梁，以俟大兵之集。金人聞之，夜斷河梁遁去。二年，金人自鄭抵白沙，去汴京密邇，都人震恐。僚屬入問計，澤方對客圍棋，笑曰：「何事張惶，劉衍等在外必能禦敵。」乃選精銳數千，使繞出敵後，伏其歸路。金人方與衍戰，伏兵起，前後夾擊之，金人果敗。

The Jin general Wuzhu crossed the river, planning to attack Bianjing. The generals urged cutting the river bridge and strengthening defenses. Ze laughed and said, "Last winter the Jin cavalry came straight here precisely because we had cut the bridge. He ordered his subordinates Liu Yan toward Hua and Liu Da toward Zheng to divide the enemy's strength, and warned the generals to defend the river crossing at all costs while awaiting the main army's arrival. When the Jin heard of this, they cut the bridge by night and fled. In the second year the Jin advanced from Zheng to Baisha, very close to Bianjing, and the people of the capital were terrified. When his staff came in to ask for plans, Ze was playing go with a guest and laughed, "Why be alarmed? Liu Yan and the others outside can surely hold the enemy. He selected several thousand elite troops to circle behind the enemy and ambush their retreat. While the Jin were fighting Liu Yan, the ambush rose and struck them from front and rear, and the Jin were defeated.

金將黏罕據西京，與澤相持。澤遣部將李景良、閻中立、郭俊民領兵趨鄭，遇敵大戰，中立死之，俊民降，景良遁去。澤捕得景良，謂曰：「不勝，罪可恕；私自逃，是無主將也。」斬其首以徇。既而俊民與金將史姓者及燕人何仲祖等持書來招澤，澤數俊民曰：「汝失利死，尚為忠義鬼，今反為金人持書相誘，何面目見我乎。」斬之，謂史曰：「我受此土，有死而已。汝為人將，不能以死敵我，乃欲以兒女子語誘我乎。」亦斬之。謂仲祖脅從，貸之。劉衍還，金人復入滑，部將張捴請往救，澤選兵五千付之，戒毋輕戰以需援。捴至滑迎戰，敵騎十倍，諸將請少避其鋒，捴曰：「避而偷生，何面目見宗公。」力戰死之。澤聞捴急，遣王宣領騎五千救之。捴死二日，宣始至，與金人大戰，破走之。澤迎捴喪歸，恤其家，以宣權知滑州，金人自是不復犯東京。

The Jin general Nianhan held the Western Capital and faced Ze in stalemate. Ze sent Li Jingliang, Yan Zhongli, and Guo Junmin toward Zheng. They met the enemy in a great battle; Yan Zhongli was killed, Guo Junmin surrendered, and Li Jingliang fled. Ze captured Li Jingliang and said, "To lose a battle may be forgiven, but to flee on your own is to abandon your commander. He had him beheaded and displayed the head as a warning. Soon Guo Junmin came with a Jin general surnamed Shi and the Yan man He Zhongzu, bearing letters to entice Ze. Ze reproached Junmin: "Had you died in defeat you would still be a loyal ghost—now you carry the Jin's letters to lure me. What face have you to see me?" He executed Guo Junmin and said to the Jin general Shi, "I received this land from the Song—death is all I owe. You are a general—unable to face me in battle, you would entice me with women's pleading? He executed him as well. He said He Zhongzu had been coerced and spared him. When Liu Yan returned, the Jin again entered Hua. Subordinate Zhang Zhe asked to go to the rescue. Ze gave him five thousand troops and warned him not to fight rashly but to await reinforcements. Zhang Zhe reached Hua and gave battle. The enemy cavalry outnumbered his force ten to one, and his officers urged him to withdraw. Zhang Zhe said, "To flee and live on—what face would I have to see Lord Zong?" He fought to the death. When Ze heard Zhang Zhe was in peril, he sent Wang Xuan with five thousand cavalry to rescue him. Two days after Zhang Zhe died, Wang Xuan arrived, fought a great battle with the Jin, and routed them. Ze met Zhang Zhe's coffin on its return, comforted his family, and appointed Wang Xuan acting prefect of Hua. From then on the Jin no longer attacked the Eastern Capital.

山東盜起，執政謂其多以義師為名，請下令止勤王。澤疏曰：「自敵圍京城，忠義之士憤懣爭奮，廣之東西、湖之南北、福建、江、淮，越數千里，爭先勤王。當時大臣無遠識大略，不能撫而用之，使之饑餓困窮，弱者填溝壑，強者為盜賊。此非勤王者之罪，乃一時措置乖謬所致耳。今河東、西不從敵國而保山砦者，不知其幾；諸處節義之夫，自黥其面而爭先救駕者，復不知其幾。此詔一出，臣恐草澤之士一旦解體，倉卒有急，誰復有願忠效義之心哉。」

When bandits rose in Shandong, the chief ministers said many were using the name of loyalist armies and asked for an order forbidding loyalist relief forces. Ze memorialized: "Since the enemy besieged the capital, loyal men have rushed forward in righteous anger from Guangdong and Guangxi, Hunan and Hubei, Fujian, Jiangnan, and Huai—crossing thousands of li to relieve the throne. The ministers of that day lacked vision and could not organize and employ them, so they starved and suffered—the weak filled the ditches and ravines, the strong became bandits. This was not the fault of the loyalists—it was caused by the court's mistaken policies of the day. Today in Hedong and Hexi countless men hold mountain stockades rather than submit to the enemy; and everywhere men of integrity tattoo their faces and vie to rescue the sovereign—again, who can count them? Once this edict is issued, I fear the loyalists of the countryside will dissolve at once. If sudden peril comes, who will again have the heart to serve with loyalty and righteousness?"

王策者，本遼酋，為金將，往來河上。澤擒之，解其縛坐堂上，為言：「契丹本宋兄弟之國，今女真辱吾主，又滅爾國，義當協謀雪恥。」策感泣，願效死。澤因問敵國虛實，盡得其詳，遂決大舉之計，召諸將謂曰：「汝等有忠義心，當協謀剿敵，期還二聖，以立大功。」言訖泣下，諸將皆泣聽命。金人戰不利，悉引兵去。

Wang Ce had been a Khitan chieftain and became a Jin general, traveling along the river. Ze captured him, untied his bonds, seated him in the hall, and said, "The Khitan were once brothers to the Song. Now the Jurchen have shamed our sovereign and destroyed your state as well. By right we should join in plotting revenge. Wang Ce wept and vowed to serve unto death. Ze questioned him about the enemy's condition in detail, learned everything, and decided on a major campaign. Summoning his generals he said, "You have loyal hearts—join in plotting to destroy the enemy, recover the two emperors, and win great merit. When he finished speaking he wept, and all the generals wept as they received his orders. When the Jin fared poorly in battle, they withdrew all their troops.

澤疏諫南幸，言：「臣為陛下保護京城，自去年秋冬至於今春，又三月矣。陛下不早回京城，則天下之民何所依戴。」除資政殿學士。又遣子穎詣行闕上疏曰：「天下之事，見機而為，待時而動，則事無不成。今收復伊、洛而金酋渡河，捍蔽滑台而敵國屢敗，河東、河北山砦義民，引領舉踵，日望官兵之至。以機以時而言之，中興之兆可見，而金人滅亡之期可必，在陛下見機乘時而已。」又言：「昔楚人城郢，史氏鄙之。今聞有旨於儀真教習水戰，是規規為偏霸之謀，非可鄙之甚者乎？傳聞四方，必謂中原不守，遂為江寧控扼之計耳。」

Ze memorialized against the southern tour, saying, "I have protected the capital for Your Majesty—from last autumn and winter until this spring, three more months. If Your Majesty does not soon return to the capital, upon whom will the people of the empire rely?" He was appointed academician of the Zizheng Hall. He also sent his son Ying to the traveling palace to memorialize: "In affairs under Heaven, act when you see the moment and move when the time is ripe, and nothing will fail. We have recovered Yi and Luo while the Jin chieftain crosses the river; we hold Huatai while the enemy suffers repeated defeats; the loyal militia of the mountain stockades of Hedong and Hebei stretch their necks daily awaiting the arrival of government troops. Judging by moment and time, the omen of restoration is visible and the day of the Jin's destruction is certain—it rests only on Your Majesty seizing the moment. He also wrote: "In antiquity when the Chu walled Ying, the historians despised it. Now I hear an edict to drill naval warfare at Yizhen—is this not scheming narrowly for regional hegemony, a thing most despicable? Spread abroad, all will say the Central Plain is abandoned and this is only a plan to fortify Jiangning."

先是，澤去磁，以州事付兵馬鈐轄李侃，統制趙世隆殺之。至是，世隆及弟與興以兵三萬來歸，眾懼其變，澤曰：「世隆本吾一校爾，何能為。」世隆至，責之曰：「河北陷沒，吾宋法令與上下之分亦陷沒邪？」命斬之。時世興佩刀侍側，眾兵露刃庭下，澤徐謂世興曰：「汝兄誅，汝能奮志立功，足以雪恥。」世興感泣。金人攻滑州，澤遣世興往救，世興至，掩其不備，敗之。

Earlier, when Ze left Cizhou he entrusted prefectural affairs to military commissioner Li Kan, whom commander Zhao Shilong killed. At this time Zhao Shilong and his younger brother Yuxing came with thirty thousand troops to submit. The men feared treachery, but Ze said, "Shilong was originally just one of my sergeants—what can he do?" When Zhao Shilong arrived, Ze reproached him: "Hebei has fallen—have the laws of the Song and the distinction between superior and subordinate fallen as well?" He ordered him executed. Yuxing stood at his side with a sword, and soldiers bared their blades in the courtyard. Ze said calmly to Yuxing, "Your brother has been executed. If you rouse your will and win merit, you may wipe away this shame." Yuxing wept in gratitude. When the Jin attacked Hua prefecture, Ze sent Yuxing to the rescue. Yuxing arrived, took them by surprise, and defeated them.

澤威聲日著，北方聞其名，常尊憚之，對南人言，必曰宗爺爺。

Zong Ze's reputation grew daily. In the north, when people heard his name they honored and feared him, and speaking to southerners they always called him Grandfather Zong.

澤疏言：「丁進數十萬眾願守護京城，李成願扈從還闕，即渡河剿敵，楊進等兵百萬，亦願渡河，同致死力。臣聞'多助之至，天下順之'。陛下及此時還京，則眾心翕然，何敵國之足憂乎？」又奏言：「聖人愛其親以及人之親，所以教人孝；敬其兄以及人之兄，所以教人弟。陛下當與忠臣義士合謀肆討，迎復二聖。今上皇所御龍德宮儼然如舊，惟淵聖皇帝未有宮室。望改修寶籙宮以為迎奉之所，使天下知孝于父、弟于兄，是以身教也。」上乃降詔擇日還京。

Ze memorialized: "Ding Jin commands several hundred thousand men who wish to guard the capital; Li Cheng wishes to escort Your Majesty back to court and cross the river at once to destroy the enemy; Yang Jin and others command a million men who also wish to cross the river and fight with all their strength. I have heard that when help is abundant, all under Heaven follows. If Your Majesty returns to the capital now, the people's hearts will unite—what enemy need we fear?" He also memorialized: "The sage loves his own kin and extends that love to others' kin—thus he teaches filial piety; he reveres his elder brother and extends that reverence to others' elder brothers—thus he teaches brotherly duty. Your Majesty should join loyal ministers and righteous men in planning a great campaign to recover the two emperors. The Retired Emperor's Longde Palace stands as before, but the Profound Sage Emperor has no palace quarters. I beg that the Baolu Palace be renovated as a place to receive them, so that all under Heaven may see filial piety toward father and brotherly duty toward elder brother—teaching by your own example." The emperor then issued an edict choosing a day to return to the capital.

澤前後請上還京二十餘奏，每為潛善等所抑，憂憤成疾，疽發於背。諸將入問疾，澤矍然曰：「吾以二帝蒙塵，積憤至此。汝等能殲敵，則我死無恨。」眾皆流涕曰：「敢不盡力！」諸將出，澤歎曰：「'出師未捷身先死，長使英雄淚滿襟。 '」翌日，風雨晝晦。澤無一語及家事，但連呼「過河」者三而薨。都人號慟。遺表猶贊上還京。贈觀文殿學士、通議大夫，諡忠簡。

Ze had submitted more than twenty memorials urging the emperor to return to the capital, each blocked by Huang Qianshan and his faction. Worry and indignation brought on illness, and a carbuncle broke out on his back. When the generals came to inquire after his illness, Ze said with a start, "Because the two emperors suffer disgrace, my indignation has brought me to this. If you can destroy the enemy, I shall die without regret. All wept and said, "How could we fail to exert our utmost!" When the generals left, Ze sighed, "'The army went forth without victory and the body died first—forever making heroes' tears fill their collars. The next day wind and rain darkened the sky." Ze spoke not a word of household affairs, but thrice cried "Cross the river!" and died. The people of the capital wailed in grief. His final memorial still urged the emperor to return to the capital. He was posthumously given the titles of Guanwen Hall academician and Grandee of Discussion, with the posthumous name Zhongjian (Loyal and Simple).

澤質直好義，親故貧者多依以為活，而自奉甚薄。常曰：「君父側身嘗膽，臣子乃安居美食邪！」始，澤詔集群盜，聚兵儲糧，結諸路義兵，連燕、趙豪傑，自謂渡河克復可指日冀。有志弗就，識者恨之。

Ze was plainspoken and righteous; many poor relatives and friends relied on him for their livelihood, while he lived very frugally himself. He often said, "While the sovereign sleeps on brushwood and tastes gall, how can a subject live at ease and feast on delicacies!" At first Ze gathered the bandit chiefs by edict, amassed troops and stored grain, joined loyalist armies from every circuit, and linked the heroes of Yan and Zhao. He believed that crossing the river to recover the north could be achieved within days. His ambition was not fulfilled, and those who knew him mourned it.

子穎，居戎幕，素得士心。澤薨數日，將士去者十五，都人請以穎繼父任。會朝廷已命杜充留守，乃以穎為判官。充反澤所為，頗失人心，穎屢爭之，不從，乃請持服歸。自是豪傑不為用，群聚城下者復去為盜，而中原不守矣。穎官終兵部郎中。

His son Ying served in the military camp and had always won the soldiers' hearts. Within days of Ze's death half the officers and soldiers departed, and the people of the capital asked that Ying succeed his father's post. The court had already appointed Du Chong as garrison commander, so Ying was made adjutant. Du Chong reversed Ze's policies and lost the people's hearts. Ying repeatedly protested but was ignored, and asked to return home to observe mourning. From then on the heroes were not employed; those who had gathered below the walls returned to banditry, and the Central Plain was lost. Ying ended his career as Director in the Ministry of War.

趙鼎，字元鎮，解州聞喜人。生四歲而孤，母樊教之，通經史百家之書。登崇甯五年進士第，對策斥章惇誤國。累官為河南洛陽令，宰相吳敏和其能，擢為開封士曹。

Zhao Ding, courtesy name Yuanzhen, was from Wenxi in Jie prefecture. He lost his father at four. His mother Fan taught him, and he mastered the classics, histories, and the books of the hundred schools. He passed the jinshi examination in 1106 (the fifth year of the Chongning reign) and in his policy response denounced Zhang Dun for harming the state. He rose through successive offices to magistrate of Luoyang in Henan. Chief Councillor Wu Min praised his ability and promoted him to legal officer of Kaifeng.

金人陷太原，朝廷議割三鎮地，鼎曰：「祖宗之地不可以與人，何庸議？」已而京師失守，二帝北行。金人議立張邦昌，鼎與胡寅、張浚逃太學中，不書議狀。

When the Jin captured Taiyuan and the court discussed ceding the three prefectures, Ding said, "The lands of our ancestral founders cannot be given away—why even discuss it?" Soon the capital fell and both emperors were taken north. When the Jin discussed enthroning Zhang Bangchang, Ding fled with Hu Yin and Zhang Jun into the Imperial Academy and refused to sign the deliberation document.

久雨，詔求闕政。鼎言：「自熙寧間王安石用事，變祖宗之法，而民始病。假辟國之謀，造生邊患；興理財之政，窮困民力；設虛無之學，敗壞人才。至崇甯初，蔡京托紹述之名，盡祖安石之政。凡今日之患始于安石，成于蔡京。今安石猶配享廟廷，而京之黨未除，時政之闕無大於此。」上為罷安石配享。擢右司諫，旋遷殿中侍御史。

After prolonged rain, an edict sought reports of governmental shortcomings. Ding said, "From the Xining era, when Wang Anshi held power, he changed the laws of the ancestral founders, and the people first began to suffer. Using schemes of territorial expansion, he created border troubles; launching revenue policies, he exhausted the people's strength; establishing empty learning, he ruined talent. By the beginning of the Chongning reign, Cai Jing under the name of continuing the legacy wholly adopted Wang Anshi's policies. All of today's troubles began with Wang Anshi and were completed by Cai Jing. Wang Anshi still shares sacrifice in the temple court, while Cai Jing's faction is not removed—no governmental shortcoming is greater than this." The emperor thereupon abolished Wang Anshi's shared sacrifice. He was promoted to Right Bureau remonstrator, then soon transferred to Palace Attendant Censor.

劉光世部將王德擅殺韓世忠之將，而世忠亦率部曲奪建康守府廨。鼎言：「德總兵在外，專殺無忌，此而不治，孰不可為？」命鼎鞫德。鼎又請下詔切責世忠，而指取其將吏付有司治罪，諸將肅然。上曰：「肅宗興靈武得一李勉，朝廷始尊。今朕得卿，無愧昔人矣。」中丞范宗尹言，故事無自司諫遷殿中者，上曰：「鼎在言路極舉職，所言四十事，已施行三十有六。」遂遷侍御史。

Liu Guangshi's subordinate Wang De arbitrarily killed one of Han Shizhong's generals, while Han Shizhong also led his personal troops to seize the Jiankang prefect's offices. Ding said, "Wang De commands troops in the field and kills at will without restraint—if this is not punished, what cannot be done?" The emperor ordered Ding to try Wang De. Ding also asked for an edict sternly reproaching Han Shizhong and for his generals and officials to be handed over for punishment. The generals were all awed. The emperor said, "When Emperor Suzong rose at Lingwu and gained Li Mian, the court first gained respect. Now I have gained you—I need not be shamed before the men of old." Censor Fan Zongyin said precedent had no transfer from Bureau remonstrator to Palace Attendant. The emperor said, "Ding has extremely fulfilled his office on the remonstrance path—of the forty matters he spoke of, thirty-six have already been carried out." He was then transferred to Attending Censor.

北兵至江上，上幸會稽，召台諫議去留，鼎陳戰、守、避三策，拜御史中丞。請督王𤫉进軍宣州，周望分軍出廣德，劉光世渡江駐蘄、黃，為邀擊之計。又言：「經營中原當自關中始，經營關中當自蜀始，欲幸蜀當自荊、襄始。吳、越介在一隅，非進取中原之地。荊、襄左顧川、陝，右控湖湘，而下瞰京、洛，三國所必爭，宜以公安為行闕，而屯重兵於襄陽，運江、浙之粟以資川、陝之兵，經營大業，計無出此。」

When northern troops reached the Yangtze, the emperor visited Kuaiji and summoned the censors and remonstrators to discuss staying or leaving. Ding set forth three strategies—fight, defend, or flee—and was appointed Censor-in-Chief. He asked to supervise Wang Yuan's advance on Xuanzhou, Zhou Wang's division out of Guangde, and Liu Guangshi's crossing the river to garrison Qi and Huang as a plan to intercept the enemy. He also said, "Recovering the Central Plain must begin from Guanzhong; recovering Guanzhong must begin from Shu; and reaching Shu must begin from Jing and Xiang. Wu and Yue lie in a corner—they are not a base from which to advance on the Central Plain. Jing and Xiang look west to Sichuan and Shaanxi, control Hunan and Hubei to the east, and overlook Luoyang and the capital—the ground the Three Kingdoms always fought over. Gong'an should be the traveling palace, heavy troops should be garrisoned at Xiangyang, and grain from Jiangnan and Zhejiang should supply the armies of Sichuan and Shaanxi. For the great enterprise of recovery, no plan surpasses this."

韓世忠敗金人于黃天蕩，宰相呂頤浩請上幸浙西，下詔親征，鼎以為不可輕舉。頤浩惡其異己，改鼎翰林學士，鼎不拜，改吏部尚書，又不拜，言：「陛下有聽納之誠，而宰相陳拒諫之說；陛下有眷待台臣之意，而宰相挾挫沮言官之威。」堅臥不出，疏頤浩過失凡千言。上罷頤浩，詔鼎復為中丞，謂鼎曰：「朕每聞前朝忠諫之臣，恨不之識，今於卿見之。」除端明殿學士、簽書樞密院事。

When Han Shizhong defeated the Jin at Huangtiandang, Chief Councillor Lü Yihao urged the emperor to visit western Zhe and an edict ordered a personal campaign. Ding argued that such a move should not be made rashly. Yihao resented his dissent and transferred him to Hanlin academician—Ding refused to accept. He was then made Minister of Personnel—again he refused, saying, "Your Majesty has the sincerity to listen and accept counsel, while the chief councillor presents the doctrine of rejecting remonstrance; Your Majesty intends to cherish the censorial officials, while the chief councillor wields the power to thwart and discourage them." He firmly refused to take office and memorialized Yihao's faults in a memorial of a thousand words. The emperor dismissed Yihao and restored Ding as censor-in-chief, saying to him, "Whenever I hear of loyal remonstrating ministers of former dynasties, I regret not knowing them—now I see such a man in you." He was appointed Duanming Hall academician and Privy Council signatory.

金人攻楚州，鼎奏遣張俊往援之。俊不行，山陽遂陷，金人留淮上，范宗尹奏敵未必能再渡，鼎曰：「勿恃其不來，恃吾有以待之。三省常以敵退為陛下援人才、修政事，密院常虞敵至為陛下申軍律、治甲兵，即兩得之。」上曰：「卿等如此，朕復何憂。」鼎以楚州之失，上章丐去。會辛企宗除節度使，鼎言企宗非軍功，忤旨，出奉祠，除知平江府，尋改知建康，又移知洪州。

When the Jin attacked Chuzhou, Ding memorialized sending Zhang Jun to relieve it. Zhang Jun would not go, and Shanyang fell. The Jin remained on the Huai. Fan Zongyin memorialized that the enemy might not cross again. Ding said, "Do not rely on their not coming—rely on our being ready for them. The Three Departments can use enemy retreat to draw talent and repair government for Your Majesty, while the Privy Council can use the fear of enemy arrival to enforce military law and ready arms—in both cases Your Majesty gains." The emperor said, "With ministers like you, what have I to worry about?" Because of the loss of Chuzhou, Ding submitted a memorial asking to leave office. When Xin Qizong was appointed military commissioner, Ding said he had won no military merit. Offending the emperor, Ding was sent out to temple service, appointed prefect of Pingjiang, soon transferred to Jiankang, then to Hongzhou.

京西招撫使李橫欲用兵復東京，鼎言：「橫烏合之眾，不能當敵，恐遂失襄陽。」已而橫戰不利走，襄陽竟陷。召拜參知政事。宰相朱勝非言：「襄陽國之上流，不可不急取。」上問：「岳飛可使否？」鼎曰：「知上流利害無如飛者。」簽樞徐俯不以為然。飛出師竟復襄陽。

When Western Jing pacification commissioner Li Heng wished to use troops to recover the Eastern Capital, Ding said, "Li Heng's mob-gathered host cannot match the enemy—I fear we will lose Xiangyang." Soon Li Heng fought unfavorably and fled, and Xiangyang indeed fell. He was summoned and appointed Vice Grand Councillor. Chief Councillor Zhu Shengfei said, "Xiangyang is the upper reach of the realm—it must be retaken urgently." The emperor asked, "Can Yue Fei be employed?" Ding said, "No one knows the advantages and dangers of the upper stream like Yue Fei." Privy Council signatory Xu Fu did not agree. Yue Fei led his army forth and indeed recovered Xiangyang.

鼎乞令韓世忠屯泗上，劉光世出陳、蔡。光世請入奏，俯欲許之，鼎不可。偽齊宿遷令來歸，俯欲斬送劉豫，鼎復爭之。俯積不能平，乃求去。朱勝非兼知樞密院，言者謂當國者不知兵，乞令參政通知。由是為勝非所忌。除鼎知樞密院、川陝宣撫使，鼎辭以非才。上曰：「四川全盛半天下之地，盡以付卿，黜陟專之可也。」時吳玠為宣撫副使，鼎奏言：「臣與玠同事，或節制之耶？」上乃改鼎都督川、陝諸軍事。

Ding asked that Han Shizhong garrison Si prefecture and Liu Guangshi advance from Chen and Cai. Liu Guangshi asked to enter court and memorialize. Xu Fu wished to permit it, but Ding would not allow it. When the puppet Qi's magistrate of Suqian came to submit, Xu Fu wished to execute him and send him to Liu Yu. Ding again argued against it. Xu Fu's resentment could not be settled, and he asked to leave office. Zhu Shengfei concurrently managed the Privy Council. Critics said those holding state power knew nothing of military affairs and asked that the vice councillor be put in charge of military affairs. Thereby he came to be resented by Zhu Shengfei. Ding was appointed to manage the Privy Council and made Sichuan–Shaanxi pacification commissioner. He declined on grounds of lacking talent. The emperor said, "Sichuan at full strength is half the land under Heaven—all is entrusted to you, and appointments and dismissals may be yours alone." At that time Wu Jie was deputy pacification commissioner. Ding memorialized, "Wu Jie and I serve together—am I to control him?" The emperor then changed Ding's appointment to overall commander of Sichuan and Shaanxi military affairs.

鼎所條奏，勝非多沮抑之。鼎上疏言：「頃張浚出使川、陝，國勢百倍於今。浚有補天浴日之功，陛下有礪山帶河之誓，君臣相信，古今無二，而終致物議，以被竄逐。今臣無浚之功而當其任，遠去朝廷，其能免於紛紛乎？」又言：「臣所請兵不滿數千，半皆老弱，所齎金帛至微，薦舉之人除命甫下，彈墨已行。臣日侍宸衷，所陳已艱難，況在萬里之外乎？」時人士皆惜其去，台諫有留行者。會邊報遝至，鼎每陳用兵大計，及朝辭，上曰：「卿豈可遠去，當遂相卿。」九月，拜尚書右僕射、同中書門下平章事兼知樞密院事。制下，朝士相慶。

Zhu Shengfei mostly obstructed and suppressed Ding's memorials. Ding memorialized: "When Zhang Jun recently went as envoy to Sichuan and Shaanxi, the state's strength was a hundredfold what it is today. Zhang Jun had merit to mend heaven and bathe the sun; Your Majesty had sworn an oath as enduring as grinding mountains and girdling rivers. Sovereign and minister trusted each other as few have in history—yet in the end public criticism arose and he was banished. Now I have not Zhang Jun's merit yet hold his post, far from court—how can I escape the clamor?" He also wrote: "The troops I requested number less than a few thousand, half are old and weak, the gold and silk I carry are very slight—and those I recommended, as soon as appointment orders issue, impeachment documents already follow. Daily attendance at court is already difficult enough for what I must say—how much more from ten thousand li away?" Scholars and officials all regretted his going, and censors and remonstrators petitioned to keep him. Border reports then arrived in succession, and Ding each time set forth his great military plans. At his court farewell the emperor said, "How can you go so far away—you should soon be chief councillor." In the ninth month he was appointed Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, Concurrent Master of the Hall with Assent at the Secretariat-Chancellery Gate, and concurrent manager of the Privy Council. When the appointment was announced, court officials congratulated one another.

時劉豫子麟與金人合兵大入，舉朝震恐。鼎論戰禦之計，諸將各異議，獨張俊以為當進討，鼎是其言。有勸上他幸者，鼎曰：「戰而不捷，去未晚也。」上亦曰：「朕當親總六師，臨江決戰。」鼎喜曰：「累年退怯，敵志益驕，今聖斷親征，成功可必。」於是詔張俊以所部援韓世忠，而命劉光世移軍建康，且促世忠進兵。世忠至揚州，大破金人於大儀鎮。方警報交馳，劉光世遣人諷鼎曰：「相公自入蜀，何事為他人任患。」世忠亦謂人曰：「趙丞相真敢為者。」鼎聞之，恐上意中變，乘間言：「陛下養兵十年，用之正在今日。若少加退沮，即人心渙散，長江之險不可復恃矣。」及捷音日至，車駕至平江，下詔聲逆豫之罪，欲自將渡江決戰。鼎曰：「敵之遠來，利於速戰，遽與爭鋒，非策也。且豫猶遣其子，豈可煩至尊耶？」帝為止不行。未幾，簽書樞密院事胡松年自江上還，云北兵大集，然後知鼎之有先見也。

At that time Liu Yu's son Lin combined forces with the Jin and launched a major invasion, throwing the entire court into alarm. Ding set forth plans for fighting off the invasion. The generals disagreed among themselves, but Zhang Jun alone argued they should advance and attack, and Ding agreed with him. Some urged the emperor to flee elsewhere. Ding said, "If we fight and do not prevail, it will not be too late to leave." The emperor also said, "I shall personally take command of the armies and fight a decisive battle at the Yangzi." Ding said with delight, "Years of retreat had made the enemy ever bolder. Now that Your Majesty has resolved to lead in person, victory is assured." An edict then ordered Zhang Jun to reinforce Han Shizhong with his troops, Liu Guangshi to move his army to Jiankang, and Han Shizhong to advance without delay. Han Shizhong reached Yangzhou and routed the Jin at Dayi. As urgent reports poured in, Liu Guangshi sent a messenger to hint to Ding, "The chief councillor once fled into Shu himself—why take on risks for others now?" Han Shizhong also remarked, "Chief Councillor Zhao is truly a man who dares to act." When Ding heard this, fearing the emperor might change his mind, he seized a moment to say, "Your Majesty has trained troops for ten years—the time to use them is now. The slightest show of retreat will scatter men's hearts, and we can no longer rely on the Yangzi as our barrier." When victory reports arrived daily, the emperor reached Pingjiang, issued an edict denouncing Liu Yu's crimes, and wished to cross the river and lead the decisive battle himself. Ding said, "The enemy came from far away and gains from a quick battle. To rush into a clash is poor strategy. Moreover, it is only Liu Yu who sent his son—why must Your Majesty go to the trouble?" The emperor thereupon abandoned the plan and did not go. Before long, Vice Privy Councillor Hu Songnian returned from the river front and reported that northern troops were massing in force, and all then saw that Ding had foreseen it.

張浚久廢，鼎言浚可大任，乃召除知樞密院，命浚往江上視師。時敵兵久駐淮南，知南兵有備，漸謀北歸。鼎曰：「金人無能為矣。」命諸將邀諸淮，連敗之，金人遁去。上謂鼎曰：「近將士致勇爭先，諸路守臣亦翕然自效，乃朕用卿之力也。」鼎謝曰：「皆出聖斷，臣何力之有焉。」或問鼎曰：「金人傾國來攻，眾皆忷懼，公獨言不足畏，何耶？」鼎曰：「敵眾雖盛，然以豫邀而來，非其本心，戰必不力，以是知其不足畏也。」上嘗語張浚曰：「趙鼎真宰相，天使佐朕中興，可謂宗社之幸也。」鼎奏金人遁歸，尤當博采群言，為善後之計。於是詔呂頤浩等議攻戰備禦、措置綏懷之方。

Zhang Jun had long been out of office. Ding said he could bear great responsibility, so the emperor summoned him, appointed him to manage the Privy Council, and ordered him to the river front to oversee the armies. The enemy had long remained in Huainan. Seeing that the southern armies were prepared, they gradually planned to withdraw north. Ding said, "The Jin can do nothing more." He ordered the generals to intercept them along the Huai, defeated them repeatedly, and the Jin withdrew. The emperor said to Ding, "Lately our soldiers have fought with courage and vied to lead, and defenders along every route have rallied to serve. This is what comes of putting you to use." Ding thanked him and said, "All this comes from Your Majesty's own resolve. What strength does your servant have in it?" Someone asked Ding, "The Jin came with the full power of their state and everyone was terrified. You alone said they were not to be feared—why?" Ding said, "Though their numbers are great, they came because Liu Yu summoned them, not from their own will. They will not fight with their full strength, and that is how I knew they were not to be feared." The emperor once told Zhang Jun, "Zhao Ding is a true chief councillor. Heaven sent him to help me restore the dynasty—this is the fortune of the altars of state." Ding memorialized that with the Jin in retreat, the court should all the more gather wide counsel and plan for what comes next. An edict then ordered Lü Yihao and others to discuss methods of attack, defense, and policies for pacification.

五年，上還臨安，制以鼎守左僕射知樞密院事、張浚守右僕射兼知樞密院事，都督諸路軍馬。鼎以政事先後及人才所當召用者，條而置之座右，次第奏行之。制以貴州防禦使瑗為保慶軍節度使，封建國公，於行宮門外建資善堂。鼎薦範沖為翊善、朱震為贊讀，朝論謂二人極天下之選。

In the fifth year the emperor returned to Lin'an. Ding was appointed Left Vice Director and manager of the Privy Council; Zhang Jun was appointed Right Vice Director and concurrent manager of the Privy Council, with command over military forces on all routes. Ding listed governmental priorities and the men who ought to be appointed, kept the list at his right hand, and presented and carried out each item in turn. Yuan, Defender of Guizhou, was appointed Military Commissioner of the Baojing Army and enfeoffed as Duke of the State, and a Hall of Worthy Learning was built outside the traveling palace. Ding recommended Fan Chong as attendant tutor and Zhu Zhen as attendant reader. Court opinion held that no better choices could be found in the empire.

建炎初，嘗下詔以奸臣誣衊宣仁保佑之功，命史院刊修，未及行，朱勝非為相，上諭之曰：「神宗、哲宗兩朝史事多失實，非所以傳信後世，宜召範沖刊定。」勝非言：「《神宗史》增多王安石《日錄》，《哲宗史》經京、卞之手，議論多不正，命官刪修，誠足以彰二帝盛美。」會勝非去位，鼎以宰相監修二史，是非各得其正。上親書「忠正德文」四字賜鼎，又以御書《尚書》一帙賜之，曰：「《書》所載君臣相戒飭之言，所以賜卿，欲共由斯道。」鼎上疏謝。

Early in the Jianyan era an edict had been issued because wicked ministers had slandered Empress Xuanren's protective role, ordering the History Office to revise the account, but it had not yet been carried out. When Zhu Shengfei became chief councillor, the emperor instructed him, "The records of the Shenzong and Zhezong reigns often misrepresent the facts and cannot be trusted by posterity. Fan Chong should be summoned to revise them." Shengfei replied, "The History of Shenzong was padded with Wang Anshi's Daily Records, and the History of Zhezong was shaped by the Jing and Cai factions, with many biased judgments. Appointing officials to revise them would truly bring out the two emperors' virtues." When Shengfei left office, Ding as chief councillor supervised revision of the two histories, and truth and error were each set right. The emperor personally wrote the four characters "Loyal, Upright, Virtuous, Cultured" and bestowed them on Ding. He also gave him a fascicle of the imperially copied Book of Documents, saying, "The Book records the words by which ruler and minister admonish one another. I give this to you because I wish us to walk this path together." Ding submitted a memorial of thanks.

劉豫遣子麟、猊分路入寇，時張浚屯盱眙，楊沂中屯泗，韓世忠屯楚，岳飛駐鄂，劉光世駐廬，沿江上下無兵，上與鼎以為憂。鼎移書浚，欲令俊與沂中合兵剿敵。光世乞舍廬還太平，又乞退保採石，鼎奏曰：「豫逆賊也，官軍與豫戰而不能勝，或更退守，何以立國？今賊已渡淮，當亟遣張俊合光世之軍盡掃淮南之寇，然後議去留。」上善其策，詔二將進兵。俊軍至藕塘與猊戰，大破之。鼎命沂中趨合肥以會光世，光世已棄廬回江北。浚以書告鼎，鼎白上詔浚：有不用命者，聽以軍法從事。光世大駭，復進至肥河與麟戰，破之。麟、猊拔柵遁去。

Liu Yu sent his sons Lin and Ni to invade by separate routes. Zhang Jun was encamped at Xuyi, Yang Yizhong at Si, Han Shizhong at Chu, Yue Fei at Ezhou, and Liu Guangshi at Luzhou, leaving long stretches of the river undefended. The emperor and Ding were deeply concerned. Ding wrote to Zhang Jun urging him to combine forces with Yang Yizhong to destroy the enemy. Liu Guangshi asked to abandon Luzhou and return to Taiping, and then to fall back and hold Caishi. Ding memorialized, "Yu is a rebel usurper. If the imperial army cannot defeat him in battle, or retreats further to defend, how can the dynasty stand? The enemy has already crossed the Huai. Zhang Jun should be sent at once to join Liu Guangshi and sweep the Huainan raiders clean, and only then should we discuss withdrawal." The emperor approved his plan and ordered the two generals to advance. Zhang Jun's army reached Outang, fought Ni, and routed him. Ding ordered Yang Yizhong to hurry to Hefei to join Liu Guangshi, but Guangshi had already abandoned Luzhou and withdrawn north of the river. Zhang Jun reported this to Ding in a letter. Ding informed the emperor, who issued an edict to Jun: whoever disobeyed orders might be dealt with under military law. Greatly alarmed, Liu Guangshi advanced again to the Fei River, fought Lin, and defeated him. Lin and Ni broke camp and fled.

浚在江上，嘗遣其屬呂祉入奏事，所言誇大，鼎每抑之。上謂鼎曰：「他日張浚與卿不和，必呂祉也。」後浚因論事，語意微侵鼎，鼎言：「臣初與浚如兄弟，因呂祉離間，遂爾睽異。今浚成功，當使展盡底蘊，浚當留，臣當去。」上曰：「俟浚歸議之。」浚嘗奏乞幸建康，而鼎與折彥質請回蹕臨安。暨浚還，乞乘勝攻河南，且罷劉光世軍政。鼎言：「擒豫固易耳，然得河南，能保金人不內侵乎？光世累世為將，無故而罷之，恐人心不安。」浚滋不悅。鼎以觀文殿大學士知紹興府。

While on the river front, Zhang Jun sent his subordinate Lü Zhi to court to report. Lü's reports were inflated, and Ding always reined them in. The emperor told Ding, "If you and Zhang Jun ever fall out, Lü Zhi will be the cause." Later, in a discussion of policy, Zhang Jun's words carried a slight sting toward Ding. Ding said, "Jun and I were once like brothers. Lü Zhi drove us apart, and that is how we came to this breach. Now that Jun has succeeded, he should be allowed to deploy all his talents. He should stay, and I should go." The emperor said, "Wait until Jun returns and we shall discuss it." Zhang Jun memorialized asking the emperor to move to Jiankang, while Ding and Zhe Yanzhi asked that the court return to Lin'an. When Jun returned, he asked to press the advantage and attack Henan, and also to strip Liu Guangshi of military command. Ding objected, "Capturing Yu would indeed be easy, but even if we took Henan, could we keep the Jin from invading again? Liu Guangshi comes from a line of generals. To dismiss him without cause would unsettle men's hearts." Zhang Jun grew ever more displeased. Ding was appointed Grand Academician of the Hall for Viewing Culture and prefect of Shaoxing.

七年，上幸建康，罷劉光世，以王德為都統制，酈瓊副之，並聽參謀、兵部尚書呂祉節度制。瓊與德有宿怨，訴於祉，不得直，執祉以全軍降偽齊。浚引咎去位，乃以萬壽觀使兼侍讀召鼎，入對，拜尚書左僕射、同中書門下平章事兼樞密使，進四官。上言：「淮西之報初至，執政奏事皆失措，惟朕不為動。」鼎曰：「今見諸將，尤須靜以待之，不然益增其驕蹇之心。」台諫交論淮西無備，鼎曰：「行朝擁兵十萬，敵騎直來，自足抗之，設有他虞，鼎身任其責。」淮西迄無驚。

In the seventh year the emperor visited Jiankang, dismissed Liu Guangshi, appointed Wang De overall commander with Li Qiong as deputy, both under the command of Counsellor and Minister of War Lü Zhi. Li Qiong and Wang De had an old grievance. Li Qiong appealed to Lü Zhi but got no justice, seized him, and led the entire army in surrender to the puppet Qi regime. Zhang Jun took the blame and resigned. Ding was summoned as Commissioner of the Wanshou Abbey and concurrent palace reader. At audience he was appointed Left Vice Director, Concurrent Master of the Hall with Assent, and concurrent Privy Councillor—a promotion of four ranks. The emperor said, "When the first report from Huai West arrived, the chief administrators were all at a loss in presenting affairs—only I was unmoved." Ding said, "When you meet the generals now, you must above all receive them calmly. Otherwise you will only feed their arrogance." Censors and remonstrators repeatedly argued that Huai West was undefended. Ding said, "The traveling court has a hundred thousand troops. If enemy cavalry come straight at us, that is enough to resist them. If anything else goes wrong, I will take personal responsibility." In the end Huai West saw no disturbance.

鼎嘗乞降詔安撫淮西，上曰：「俟行遣張浚，朕當下罪己之詔。」鼎言：「浚已落職。」上曰：「浚罪當遠竄。」鼎奏：「浚母老，且有勤王功。」上曰：「功過自不相掩。」已而內批出，浚謫置嶺南，鼎留不下。詰旦，經同列救解，上怒殊未釋，鼎力懇曰：「浚罪不過片策耳。凡人計慮，豈不欲萬全，儻因一失，便置之死地，後有奇謀秘計，誰復敢言者。此事自關朝廷，非獨私浚也。」上意乃解，遂以散官分司，居永州。

Ding once asked that an edict be issued to reassure Huai West. The emperor said, "Wait until Zhang Jun is dispatched on assignment. I shall then issue an edict of self-reproach." Ding said, "Jun has already been dismissed from office." The emperor said, "Jun's crime deserves exile to a distant place." Ding memorialized, "Jun's mother is elderly, and he also has the merit of rushing to the emperor's aid." The emperor said, "Merit and fault do not cancel each other." Before long an inner draft issued, banishing Jun to Lingnan. Ding withheld it and did not promulgate it. At dawn, after his colleagues interceded, the emperor's anger had barely eased. Ding pleaded earnestly, "Jun's fault amounts to no more than a single flawed plan. Any man who plans wishes above all to be safe. If one mistake sends him to his ruin, who will dare offer bold plans afterward? This concerns the court itself, not Jun alone." The emperor relented. Jun was made a standalone official without portfolio and sent to live in Yongzhou.

鼎既再相，或議其無所施設，鼎聞之曰：「今日之事如人患羸，當靜以養之。若復加攻砭，必傷元氣矣。」金人廢劉豫，鼎遣間招河南守將，壽、亳、陳、蔡之間，往往舉城或率部曲來歸，得精兵萬余，馬數千。知廬州劉錡亦奏言：「淮北歸正者不絕，度今歲可得四五萬。」上喜曰：「朕常慮江、池數百里備禦空虛，今得此軍可無患矣。」

After Ding became chief councillor again, some criticized him for doing too little. When he heard this he said, "The state today is like a man weakened by illness. It must be nursed in quiet. If we apply harsh remedies again, we will damage its vital strength." The Jin deposed Liu Yu. Ding sent agents to win over Henan commanders. Between Shou, Bo, Chen, and Cai, cities often surrendered or garrison commanders came over with their troops, yielding more than ten thousand elite soldiers and several thousand horses. The prefect of Luzhou, Liu Qi, also memorialized, "Defectors from north of the Huai keep coming. I estimate we may gain forty or fifty thousand this year." The emperor said with pleasure, "I have long worried that defenses were empty for hundreds of li along the river and Chizhou. With this army we need fear no more."

金人遣使議和，朝論以為不可信，上怒。鼎曰：「陛下于金人有不共戴天之讎，今屈己請和，不憚為之者，以梓宮及母后耳。群臣憤懣之辭，出於愛君，不可以為罪。陛下宜諭之曰：'講和非吾意，以親故，不得已為之。但得梓宮及母后還，敵雖渝盟，吾無憾焉。 '」上從其言，群議遂息。

The Jin sent envoys to discuss peace. Court opinion held them untrustworthy, and the emperor was angry. Ding said, "Your Majesty bears with the Jin a hatred that cannot be shared under the same heaven. That you now humble yourself to seek peace—you do so only for the imperial coffin and the empress dowager. The angry words of your ministers come from love of their ruler. They cannot be treated as offenses. Your Majesty should tell them, 'Peace is not my wish. For the sake of my kin I must seek it. Once the imperial coffin and the empress dowager are returned, even if the enemy break the treaty, I shall have no regret. The emperor followed his advice, and the uproar subsided.

潘良貴以向子諲奏事久，叱之退。上欲抵良貴罪，常同為之辨，欲並逐同。鼎奏：「子諲雖無罪，而同與良貴不宜逐。」二人竟出。給事中張致遠謂不應以一子諲出二佳士，不書黃，上怒，顧鼎曰：「固知致遠必繳駁。」鼎問：「何也？」上曰：「與諸人善。」蓋已有先入之言，由是不樂於鼎矣。秦檜繼留身奏事，既出，鼎問：「帝何言？」檜曰：「上無他，恐丞相不樂耳。」御筆和州防禦使璩除節鉞，封國公。鼎奏：「建國雖未正名，天下皆知陛下有子，社謖大計也。在今禮數不得不異，所以系人心不使之二三而惑也。」上曰：「姑徐之。」檜後留身，不知所云。

Pan Lianggui, because Xiang Ziyin took too long in presenting affairs, rebuked him and sent him away. The emperor wished to punish Lianggui. Chang Tong defended him, and the emperor wished to expel Chang Tong as well. Ding memorialized, "Ziyin may be without fault, but Tong and Lianggui ought not be expelled." In the end both men were dismissed from office. Supervising Secretariat drafter Zhang Zhiyuan argued that Xiang Ziyin alone should not cost two excellent men their posts and refused to endorse the edict. The emperor was angry and said to Ding, "I knew Zhiyuan would block this." Ding asked, "Why?" The emperor said, "He is on good terms with those men." There had already been preconceived words against Ding, and from this the emperor grew displeased with him. Qin Hui then stayed behind to report to the emperor. When he came out, Ding asked, "What did the emperor say?" Hui said, "Nothing else. He only feared the chief councillor would be displeased." By imperial brush Qu, Defender of Hezhou, was given a military commission and enfeoffed as Duke of the State. Ding memorialized, "Though the heir has not yet been formally named, all under Heaven know Your Majesty has a son. This is a matter of state on which the dynasty's fate depends. For now the rites must distinguish him clearly, so as to fix men's hearts and keep them from wavering in doubt." The emperor said, "For now let it wait." Qin Hui stayed behind again afterward. No one knows what he said.

鼎嘗辟和議，與檜意不合，及鼎以爭璩封國事拂上意，檜乘間擠鼎，又薦蕭振為侍御史。振本鼎所引，及入台，劾參知政事劉大中罷之。鼎曰：「振意不在大中也。」振亦謂人曰：「趙丞相不待論，當自為去就。」會殿中侍御史張戒論給事中勾濤，濤言：「戒之擊臣，乃趙鼎意。」因詆鼎結台諫及諸將。上聞益疑，鼎引疾求免，言：「大中持正論，為章惇、蔡京之黨所嫉。臣議論出處與大中同，大中去，臣何可留？」乃以忠武節度使出知紹興府，尋加檢校少傅，改奉國軍節度使。檜率執政往餞其行，鼎不為禮，一揖而去，檜益憾之。

Zhao Ding had opposed the peace talks, and his views clashed with Qin Hui's. When Ding provoked the emperor's displeasure by disputing the enfeoffment of Qu as heir, Hui seized the opening to force him out and recommended Xiao Zhen as Attending Censor. Zhen had originally been Ding's appointee. Once he entered the Censorate, he impeached Vice Grand Councillor Liu Dazhong and had him removed from office. Ding said, "Zhen's target is not Dazhong at all. Zhen also told others, "Chief Councillor Zhao needs no argument. He should decide for himself whether to stay or go. Shortly afterward, Palace Attending Censor Zhang Jie criticized Supervising Secretary Gou Tao. Tao said, "Jie's attack on me comes from Zhao Ding. He then accused Ding of colluding with censors, remonstrators, and military commanders. When the emperor heard this, his suspicions deepened. Ding pleaded illness and asked to resign, saying, "Dazhong held to upright views and was hated by the Zhang Dun and Cai Jing faction. My principles of public service match Dazhong's. If he goes, how can I stay? He was sent out as Military Commissioner of Zhongwu to govern Shaoxing prefecture. Soon he was given the additional title Honorary Junior Tutor and transferred to Military Commissioner of Fengguo. Qin Hui led the chief administrators to see him off. Ding offered no courtesy, gave a single bow, and departed. Hui resented him all the more.

鼎既去，王庶入對，上謂庶曰：「趙鼎兩為相，于國有大功，再贊親征皆能決勝，又鎮撫建康，回鑾無患，他人所不及也。」先是，王倫使金，從鼎受使指。問禮數，則答以君臣之分已定；問地界，則答以大河為界。二者從事之大者，或不從則已。倫受命而行。至是，倫與金使俱來，以撫諭江南為名，上歎息謂庶曰：「使五日前得此報，趙鼎豈可去耶？」

After Ding had left, Wang Shu had audience with the emperor, who said to him, "Zhao Ding served twice as chief councillor and rendered the state great service. Both times he assisted the emperor on campaign, he helped secure victory. He also pacified Jiankang, so the return of the court was uneventful. No one else could match that. Earlier, when Wang Lun was sent as envoy to the Jin, he received his instructions from Ding. When asked about ritual protocol, Ding answered that the distinction between sovereign and subject was already settled; when asked about territorial boundaries, he answered that the Yellow River should serve as the border. These were the two chief points of the mission. If the Jin would not accept them, the talks should end. Lun received his instructions and set out. By then Lun had returned with a Jin envoy, nominally to reassure Jiangnan. The emperor sighed and said to Shu, "If we had had this report five days ago, how could Zhao Ding have been allowed to leave?"

初，車駕還臨安，內侍移竹栽入內，鼎見，責之曰：「艮岳花石之擾，皆出汝曹，今欲蹈前轍耶？」因奏其事，上改容謝之。有戶部官進錢入宮者，鼎召至相府切責之。翌日，問上曰：「某人獻錢耶？」上曰：「朕求之也。」鼎奏：「某人不當獻，陛下不當求。」遂出其人與郡。

Earlier, when the court returned to Lin'an, a palace eunuch was transplanting bamboo into the inner palace. When Ding saw this he rebuked him, saying, "The Genyue Flower-and-Stone extravagance all came from men like you. Do you now wish to repeat that ruin? He memorialized on the matter, and the emperor changed expression and apologized. When a Revenue Department official presented money to the palace, Ding summoned him to the chief councillor's office and sternly rebuked him. The next day he asked the emperor, "Did so-and-so present money? The emperor said, "I asked for it. Ding memorialized, "That man should not have offered it, and Your Majesty should not have asked for it. The man was then dismissed to a prefectural post.

鼎嘗薦胡寅、魏矼、晏敦復、潘良貴、呂本中、張致遠等數十人分佈朝列。暨再相，奏曰：「今清議所與，如劉大中、胡寅、呂本中、常同、林季仲之流，陛下能用之乎？妒賢長惡，如趙霈、胡世將、周秘、陳公輔之徒，陛下能去之乎？」上為徙世將，而公輔等尋補外。上嘗中批二人付廟堂升擢。鼎奏：「疏遠小臣，陛下何由得其姓名？」上謂：「常同實稱之。」鼎曰：「同知其賢，何不露章薦引？」

Ding had once recommended Hu Yin, Wei Gang, Yan Dunfu, Pan Lianggui, Lü Benzhong, Zhang Zhiyuan, and dozens of others, placing them throughout the court. When he became chief councillor again, he memorialized, "Men of clear opinion favor such figures as Liu Dazhong, Hu Yin, Lü Benzhong, Chang Tong, and Lin Jizhong. Can Your Majesty employ them? Men who envy talent and abet wickedness, such as Zhao Pei, Hu Shijiang, Zhou Mi, and Chen Gongfu—can Your Majesty remove them? The emperor transferred Shijiang, and Gongfu and the others were soon sent out to provincial posts. The emperor once issued an inner draft ordering the chief ministers to promote two men. Ding memorialized, "These are obscure minor officials. How would Your Majesty even know their names? The emperor said, "Chang Tong did recommend them. Ding said, "If Tong knew them to be worthy, why did he not submit an open memorial recommending them?"

始，浚薦秦檜可與共大事，鼎再相亦以為言。然檜機阱深險，外和而中異。浚初求去，有旨召鼎。鼎至越丐祠，檜惡其逼己，徙知泉州，又諷謝祖信論鼎嘗受張邦昌偽命，遂奪節。御史中丞王次翁論鼎治郡廢馳，命提舉洞霄宮。鼎自泉州歸，復上書言時政，檜忌其復用，諷次翁又論其嘗受偽命，乾沒都督府錢十七萬緡，謫官居興化軍。論者猶不已，移漳州，又責清遠軍節度副使，潮州安置。

At first Zhang Jun had recommended Qin Hui as a man with whom great affairs could be shared, and when Ding became chief councillor again he said the same. Yet Hui was deep and treacherous in his intrigues—conciliatory in manner but at odds at heart. When Jun first asked to resign, an imperial order summoned Ding back. When Ding reached Yue and asked for a sinecure, Hui resented his pressure and had him transferred to Quanzhou. Hui also prompted Xie Zuxin to charge that Ding had once accepted an appointment from the puppet Zhang Bangchang, and Ding's military commission was stripped. Censor-in-Chief Wang Cien charged that Ding had neglected his duties as prefect, and he was appointed Commissioner of the Dongxiao Abbey. When Ding returned from Quanzhou he memorialized again on current affairs. Hui, fearing his return to office, prompted Cien to charge again that he had accepted a puppet appointment and embezzled one hundred seventy thousand strings of cash from the chief commander's office. He was demoted and sent to live in Xinghua Army. His critics were still not satisfied. He was moved to Zhangzhou, then reduced to Vice Military Commissioner of Qingyuan Army and placed under residence restriction in Chaozhou.

在潮五年，杜門謝客，時事不掛口，有問者，但引咎而已。中丞詹大方誣其受賄，屬潮守放編置人移吉陽軍，鼎謝表曰：「白首何歸，悵餘生之無幾，丹心未泯，誓九死以不移。」檜見之曰：「此老倔強猶昔。」

For five years in Chaozhou he shut his doors to visitors and never spoke of current affairs. If asked, he took blame upon himself and nothing more. Censor-in-Chief Zhan Dafang falsely charged him with accepting bribes and had the prefect of Chaozhou banish him under restricted residence to Jiyang Army. In his memorial of thanks Ding wrote, "White-haired, where may I return? I grieve that little life remains. My loyal heart is not yet extinguished. Though I die nine times, I shall not waver. When Hui saw it he said, "This old man is as stubborn as ever."

鼎為文渾然天成，凡高宗處分軍國機事，多其視草，有擬奏表疏、雜詩文二百餘篇，號《得全集》，行於世。論中興賢相，以鼎為稱首雲。

Ding's prose flowed with natural grace. Most of Gaozong's dispatches on military and state affairs passed through his hand. More than two hundred memorials, petitions, poems, and essays survive, collected as the Complete Collection of De and circulated widely. Among the worthy chief ministers of the Restoration, Ding is ranked first.

論曰：夫謀國用兵之道，有及時乘銳而可以立功者，有養威持重而後能有為者，二者之設施不同，其為忠一而已。方金人逼二帝北行，宗社失主，宗澤一呼，而河北義旅數十萬眾若響之赴聲，實由澤之忠忱義氣有以風動之，抑斯民目睹君父之陷於塗淖，孰無憤激之心哉。使當其時澤得勇往直前，無或齟齬牽制之，則反二帝，復舊都，特一指顧間耳。黃潛善、汪伯彥嫉能而惎功，使澤不得信其志，發憤而薨，豈不悲哉！

Commentary: In planning for the state and deploying troops, some men achieve merit by seizing the moment and pressing an advantage, while others must nurture strength and bide their time before they can act. The methods differ, but loyalty is the same. When the Jin drove the two emperors north and the dynasty lost its sovereign, Zong Ze gave a single call and several hundred thousand volunteer armies in Hebei rallied as if echoing his voice. This was truly because Ze's loyal devotion and righteous spirit moved them—but who among the people, seeing sovereign and father sink into ruin, would not burn with indignation? If Ze had been allowed to press forward at that time without obstruction or restraint, recovering the two emperors and retaking the old capital would have been the work of a moment. Huang Qianshan and Wang Boyan envied talent and begrudged success, so Ze could never fulfill his purpose. He died in impassioned grief. How lamentable!

及趙鼎為相，則南北之勢成矣。兩敵之相持，非有灼然可乘之釁，則養吾力以俟時，否則，徒取危困之辱。故鼎之為國，專以固本為先，根本固而後敵可圖、讎可復，此鼎之心也。惜乎一見忌于秦檜，斥逐遠徙，卒齎其志而亡，君子所尤痛心也。

By the time Zhao Ding became chief councillor, the north-south balance of power was already set. When two enemies stand locked in stalemate, unless a clear opening appears, one must conserve strength and wait for the right moment. Otherwise one invites only danger and humiliation. Ding's policy for the state put consolidation first. Only when the foundation was firm could the enemy be overcome and the wrong avenged. That was Ding's conviction. Alas, once Qin Hui turned against him, Ding was driven out and exiled to distant regions, and in the end he died with his ambition unfulfilled—a loss that men of honor mourn above all.

竊嘗論澤、鼎之終而益有感焉。澤之易簀也，猶連呼「渡河」者三；而鼎自題其銘旌，有「氣作山河壯本朝」之語。何二臣之愛君憂國，雖處死生禍變之際，而猶不渝若是！而高宗惑於憸邪之口，乍任乍黜，所謂「善善而不能用」，千載而下，忠臣義士猶為之撫卷扼腕，國之不競，有以哉！

Reflecting on the ends of Zong Ze and Zhao Ding, I am moved all the more. On his deathbed Ze still cried "Cross the river!" three times; and Ding himself wrote on his funeral banner, "His spirit makes the rivers and mountains mighty for our dynasty." What love of sovereign and care for the state these two ministers showed—even at the brink of death and amid ruin, they did not waver! Yet Gaozong was misled by slanderous men, appointing good officials only to dismiss them again—the very case of "recognizing virtue yet failing to use it." A thousand years on, loyal ministers and righteous men still close the scroll and wring their hands. That the state failed to prevail has its cause indeed!

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