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卷53 列傳第18 達奚長儒 賀婁子幹 史萬歲 劉方

Volume 53 Biographies 18: Daxi Zhangru, Helou Zigan, Shi Wansui, Liu Fang

Chapter 53 of 隋書 · Book of Sui
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Chapter 53
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1
Daxi Changru
2
使
Daxi Changru, styled Furen, came from Dai. His grandfather Yi had been Wei’s inspector of Dingzhou; his father Qing held the ranks of general of agile cavalry and director of the three departments with equal standing. Even as a young man Changru was known for moral resolve and a daring that outstripped ordinary men. At fifteen he succeeded to the dukedom of Le’an. Under the Great Unity reign of Wei he entered service as commandant of the imperial carriages. Emperor Wu of Zhou took him into his personal trust, and for his plainspoken loyalty and tireless diligence he received a sub-commandant’s commission. Battle honors followed in number; he was acting general who supports the state, then rose through commissioner bearing the staff, general who pacifies the army, and regular attendant-in-ordinary of the scattered cavalry. In the conquest of Shu he was always in the van—whether in siege or in the field, whatever he struck gave way. He was made general of chariots and cavalry and director of the three departments with equal standing, with three hundred added households in his fief. In the Tianhe period he became administrator of Weinan commandery, then general of agile cavalry and director of a bureau with equal standing. He followed Emperor Wu in the pacification of Qi, was promoted to superior director of the bureau, advanced to duke of Cheng’an with twelve hundred households, and had one son enfeoffed separately as a county duke. In the first year of Xuanzheng he was appointed valiant grand master of the left forward army. Later, with Wuyuan Gui, he besieged the Chen commander Wu Mingche at Lüliang. Chen dispatched the fierce general Liu Jing with seven thousand elite troops in relief; Gui ordered Changru to intercept them. Changru took hundreds of cartwheels, lashed heavy stones to them, and sank them in the clear current so that hub followed hub in a barrier across the river. When Jing arrived, his fleet fouled on the wheels and could not pass. Changru then loosed his strike force by land and water together and broke the enemy, taking several thousand prisoners. After Wu Mingche fell into their hands, Changru was promoted to grand general for his achievement. He was soon made commander on campaign and patrolled the northern sands; he suddenly met the barbarians in battle and crushed them.
3
While Emperor Gaozu was still regent, Wang Qian rebelled in Shu. Yang Yong'an of the Shadi Di, a pillar of state of the first rank, roused the six prefectures of Li, Xing, Wu, Wen, Sha, and Long in support of Qian, and an edict sent Changru to break them. Qian’s two sons escaped the capital to join their father; Changru seized and executed them both. When Gaozu took the throne, Changru was promoted to grand general of the first rank and enfeoffed as duke of Qichun commandery with twenty-five hundred households.
4
In the second year of Kaihuang, the Turks’ Shabolü Khan, his younger brother Yehu, and Khan Panuo led a horde of more than a hundred thousand south in plunder. Changru was made commander on campaign and sent against them with two thousand men. They met at Zhoupan. Outnumbered, the army was seized with dread—but Changru only grew more fervent, his face fiercer than before. The barbarians broke his line again and again; his men scattered, re-formed, and fought on as they marched, wheeling through the hills for three days until every weapon was spent. Then they struck the enemy with bare fists until bone showed through their hands. Tens of thousands fell on both sides; the Turks’ spirit finally broke, and they drew off. Changru himself took five wounds, two of them grave. Eight or nine tenths of his fighting men were killed or wounded. The Turks had meant to ravage Qin and Long on a grand scale; meeting Changru, they found every man resisting to the limit, and their spirit collapsed. The next day they burned their dead on the field, wailed over them, and withdrew. Gaozu issued an edict: “The Turks are reckless, ever raiding the frontier; their dog-and-goat hordes blanket hill and plain. Yet Changru, posted to the northern marches, held the raiders at bay though his command held scarcely one man for every hundred of theirs. From dawn through the night he fought on every side in fourteen engagements and broke whatever he met. The enemy were cut down; more than half never returned; the survivors fled the blades in terror to the wilds. Without heroic fire, deep loyalty to the state, skilled command, and soldiers who gave their all, who could have shattered such a host with so few—a feat as great as this? When I consider his service, he deserves the highest honors: let him be pillar of state of the first rank, and let his remaining honors pass to one son. Every officer and soldier who fell in this fight shall receive three posthumous promotions, inheritable by their descendants.”
5
漿西
That year he became governor of Ningzhou, then of Binzhou, and left office when his mother died. Deeply filial by nature, he took neither food nor drink for five days; his mourning exceeded the rites and nearly cost him his life, and the emperor marveled at it. Recalled as commander of Xiazhou with authority over three prefectures and six garrisons, he so awed the Xiongnu that they dared not test the border. Illness forced his retirement. He was made commander of Xiangzhou, served two years, then transferred to Lanzhou. Gaozu sent the commanders of Liangzhou, Yuanzhou, and Lingzhou—Dugu Luo, Yuan Bao, and He Ruyi—to raise troops against the barbarians, all under Changru’s orders. Changru led his men north of the Qilian range as far west as Lake Pulei and returned without meeting the enemy. He was then made commander of Jingzhou with military authority over thirty-six prefectures. Gaozu told him, “Jiangling is the realm’s southern gate; with you there, I need not worry.” A little over a year later he died in office. His posthumous name was Wei. His son Gao, in the Daye reign, rose to vice director of the imperial stud.
6
Helou Zigan
7
使
Helou Zigan, styled Wanshou, was originally from Dai. When the Wei moved south his family settled for generations west of the Pass. His grandfather Daocheng had been Wei’s attendant-in-chief and grand tutor of the heir apparent; his father Jingxian was general of the right yiyi guard. From youth Zigan was known for martial daring. Under Emperor Wu of Zhou he entered service as master of waters in the waterways office and was praised as forceful and capable. He rose to junior director of waterways and, for diligent service, was enfeoffed as viscount of Si’an county. He was soon made commissioner bearing the staff and general with equal standing. At the start of the Daxiang era he headed the directorate of armaments, then became governor of Qinzhou and was advanced to earl.
8
When Yuwen Jiong rebelled, Zigan followed Wei Xiaokuan to suppress him, together with Yuwen Silu. When the rebels besieged Huaizhou, Zigan and Yuwen Shu and others broke the siege. Gaozu was delighted and wrote in his own hand: “The traitor Yuwen Jiong dared send an ant-like swarm against Huaizhou. You took command and swept them away as the moment required—I can hardly find words for my admiration. A man’s season of wealth and honor is now; build your merit to answer the court’s hopes.” After that he was first over the wall in every fight. When Ye fell, he and Cui Hongdu chased Jiong to the top of a tower. He was promoted to superior director of the bureau, enfeoffed as duke of Wuchuan with three thousand households, and his son Jiao was separately given the earldom of Si’an.
9
鹿 西西西西使
In the first year of Kaihuang he was advanced to duke of Julu commandery. That year the Tuyuhun raided Liangzhou; Zigan, as commander on campaign under the pillar of state Yuan Xie, won the highest distinction, and an edict praised him. Fearing the frontier was still unsettled, Gaozu immediately posted Zigan to garrison Liangzhou. The next year the Turks raided Lanzhou; Zigan led troops to meet them at Mount Keluoqi. The enemy force was overwhelming. Zigan dammed the stream and encamped; for days the enemy could not reach water, and men and horses wore out. He then struck and broke them utterly. An investiture document appointed him grand general of the first rank, reading: “Ah! Hear and heed Our command. Your capacity is broad and your judgment clear; your will is firm and resolute; you are fit to bear a commander’s duties, and your diligent achievements are well known. In years past the wicked were not yet pacified and the borders were repeatedly alarmed; in extending the realm and quieting disorder you have shown outstanding merit. Therefore We raise you with this reward and add these chariots and robes—go and revere them! Reverently receive this glorious patent—will you not be careful?” He was summoned as deputy supervisor of the new capital works, then made minister of works. That year the Turks again raided the frontier; as commander on campaign he followed Dou Rongding. Zigan took a separate route, routed the enemy, and took more than a thousand heads. Gaozu commended him and sent the attendant of affairs Cao Wei with a favoring edict of consolation. Zigan asked to attend court and was ordered to come post-haste by relay. The Tuyuhun raided again and ravaged the west; Zigan was sent against them. He galloped to Hexi, raised troops from five prefectures, invaded their lands, and killed more than ten thousand men and women, returning within twenty days. Gaozu was deeply troubled that Longxi was repeatedly plundered. The people there did not build walled villages; he ordered Zigan to compel them to fortify, open military farms, and store grain against emergencies. Zigan memorialized: “The raiders have been harassing us lately, but their destruction is not far off—I pray Your Majesty not to worry. Here I watch for the moment to act and cannot always follow the statutes to the letter. Longxi and the lands west of the River are wide and thinly peopled; the border is not yet secure, and broad farming is impossible. I have seen that military colonies yield little for great cost, wasting labor only to be overrun. I ask that distant colonies be abolished. The people of Longyou live by herding; if we herd them into colonies they will be still less secure. Strict scouting is enough—we cannot mass people and livestock together. Strengthen the defenses on the main routes; if garrisons link and beacons face one another, the people may live scattered and still be safe.” Gaozu agreed. Soon the barbarians raided Min and Tao; Zigan marched to meet them and they fled at the news.
10
使西
Because Zigan knew the frontier well, Gaozu made him commander of Yuguan with military authority over ten garrisons. A year later he became governor of Yunzhou and was greatly feared by the barbarians. Some years later Yami Khan of the Turks sent envoys to surrender and presented sheep and horses. Zigan was made commander on campaign to go out by the northwest route to receive them. On his return he was commander of Yunzhou; the hundred horses and thousand sheep the Turks had presented were given to him, with an imperial letter: “Since you have guarded the northern gate, the frontier has been quiet. What the Turks presented We return to you.” He left office when his mother died, but the court held that Yuguan could not do without him and soon recalled him. In the fourteenth year he died in office of illness at sixty. Gaozu mourned him long, granted a thousand bolts of silk and a thousand hu of grain and millet, posthumously made him governor of Huai, Wei, and two other prefectures, and gave him the posthumous name Huai. His son Shanzhu succeeded him and rose to administrator of Qian’an.
11
Helou Quan
12
祿
Zigan’s elder brother Quan was also gifted and rose to grand master for splendid happiness with the silver seal, governor of the three prefectures of Shan, Chun, and Shen, administrator of Beidi, and duke of Dong’an commandery.
13
Shi Wansui
14
Shi Wansui came from Duling in Jingzhao. His father Jing had been Zhou’s governor of Cangzhou. From youth Wansui was bold and martial, skilled in riding and archery, swift as if he could fly. He loved military texts and was also expert in divination and celestial signs. At fifteen, when Zhou and Qi fought at Mount Mang, he was with his father in the army. The two hosts were just facing each other when Wansui told his attendants to pack up and leave at once. Soon the Zhou army was routed, and his father marveled at him. Under Emperor Wu he entered service as senior attendant of the guard. In the pacification of Qi his father died in battle; as a loyal minister’s son, Wansui was made director of the bureau with equal standing and inherited the dukedom of Taiping county.
15
During Yuwen Jiong’s rebellion Wansui followed Liang Shiyan. The army halted at Fengyi when a flock of wild geese flew past. Wansui said to Shiyan, “Let me shoot the third bird in the line.” He loosed his arrow and it fell at the twang; the whole army marveled. Whenever they met Jiong’s forces he was first over the wall. Before Ye City the imperial troops began to falter. Wansui told his men, “This is urgent—I will break them.” He spurred his horse and struck, killing dozens; his men rallied with him and the army recovered its nerve. When Jiong was subdued, Wansui was made grand general of the first rank for his merit.
16
Erzhu Ji was executed for treason; Wansui was somewhat implicated, stripped of rank, and sent to Dunhuang as a garrison soldier. The garrison commander was a fierce fighter who often rode alone deep into Turk lands for sheep and horses and always returned with rich spoils. No Turk band, large or small, dared face him. Proud and overbearing, he repeatedly abused Wansui. Wansui, resenting this, said he too had martial skill. The commander tested him at mounted archery and found him expert. The commander laughed, “The fellow will do.” Wansui took bow and horse, raided the Turks again, and came back with great herds. The commander then favored him and often rode with him hundreds of li into Turk territory until his name terrified the northern tribes. When Dou Rongding attacked the Turks, Wansui came to the camp gate and offered to redeem himself by cutting off his own ear. Rongding had often heard of him and was delighted. He sent word to the Turks: “What crime have ordinary soldiers committed that you kill them? Let each side send one champion to decide the matter.” The Turks agreed and sent a challenger. Rongding sent Wansui out; he galloped forward, struck off the man’s head, and returned. The Turks were terrified, would not fight again, and withdrew. For this Wansui was made director with equal standing of the first rank and general of chariots and cavalry. In the conquest of Chen he was again promoted to superior director of the bureau for his merit.
17
使
When Gao Zhihui and others rebelled in the south, Wansui followed Yang Su as commander on campaign. With two thousand men he advanced by a separate route from Dongyang, crossed mountains and sea, and took ravine strongholds beyond count. In more than seven hundred fights over a thousand li of hills, for a hundred days no word came from him; everyone thought Wansui was dead. Cut off by land and water, he sealed a letter in a bamboo tube and set it adrift. Someone who drew water found it and told Su. Su was delighted and reported upward. Gaozu marveled and gave his family one hundred thousand cash; on his return Wansui was made general of the left forward army.
18
西使使使 祿
Earlier, Cuan Wan of the Ningnan Yi had surrendered and been made governor of Kunzhou, then rebelled again. Wansui was sent as commander on campaign against him. He entered by the Qingling River, passed Nongdong, and halted at Lesser and Greater Bonong before reaching the southern heartland. The rebels held every strong point; Wansui broke them all. After several hundred li he came upon Zhuge Liang’s victory stele, inscribed on the back: “After ten thousand years, whoever surpasses me will pass this place.” Wansui had his men overturn it and march on. He crossed the two western rivers, entered the Quluan River, marched more than a thousand li, and shattered more than thirty tribes, taking more than twenty thousand captives. The Yi were terrified, sent envoys to surrender, and presented a pearl an inch across. He carved a stone praising Sui virtue. Wansui sent a swift report asking that Wan be brought to court; the edict agreed. Wan secretly had no wish to come to the capital and bribed Wansui with gold and jewels; Wansui then left him and returned. The prince of Shu was in Yizhou; learning of the bribe, he sent men to seize the goods. Wansui heard of it and sank everything he had received in the river, and nothing was found. For his merit he was made pillar of state. Prince Jin Guang treated him with open respect as a friend. The emperor, knowing Guang favored him, put Wansui in charge of the prince of Jin’s military affairs. The next year Cuan Wan rebelled again. Prince Xiu of Shu reported that Wansui had taken bribes and released the rebel, bringing border trouble and failing the integrity of a great minister. A full investigation confirmed everything; the crime merited death. The emperor recounted his offenses: “You took gold and let the rebel go, wasting soldiers and horses. When I think of men exposed in the field I cannot sleep or eat with ease—are you a minister of the altars of state?” Wansui said, “I left Cuan Wan because I feared unrest in his prefecture and kept him to pacify the region. When I reached the Lu River your edict had only just arrived, so I did not bring him in. I truly took no bribe.” The emperor, believing he was deceitful, raged: “I thought you a good man—how, with high rank and rich pay, have you become a traitor to the state?” He turned to the officials: “Tomorrow he dies.” Wansui, terrified, confessed and begged for his life. The left vice director Gao Bi, the left yiyi general Yuan Min, and others said, “Shi Wansui’s strategy surpasses other men; in every campaign he leads from the front. He is especially skilled at winning his men, who gladly give their all—even famous generals of old could not match him.” The emperor’s anger eased somewhat; Wansui was stripped of rank and made a commoner. After a year his titles were restored. He was soon governor of Hezhou and again commander on campaign against the barbarians.
19
[]使 便退簿便
At the end of Kaihuang the Turk khan Tatou raided the frontier. The emperor sent Prince Jin Guang and Yang Su by the Lingwu route, and Prince Han Liang and Wansui by the Mayi route. [1] Wansui led the pillars of state Zhang Dinghe and the grand generals Li Yaowang, Yang Yichen, and others beyond the border. At Mount Dajin they met the enemy. Tatou sent a messenger to ask, “Who is the Sui general? The scouts answered, “Shi Wansui.” The Turks asked again, “Is he not the garrison soldier from Dunhuang?” The scouts said, “It is he.” When Tatou heard this he withdrew in fear. Wansui galloped after them for more than a hundred li, overtook them, and broke them utterly, taking several thousand heads. He drove the fugitives north into the desert for hundreds of li before they escaped and he returned. Yang Su, jealous of his glory, slandered him: “The Turks had already surrendered and were only pasturing livestock at the border—they were not raiding.” His merit was buried. Wansui memorialized again and again; the emperor would not see it. When the emperor returned from Renshou Palace to the capital, deposed the crown prince, and hunted the eastern palace faction, he asked where Wansui was. Wansui was in fact at court, but Yang Su, seeing his anger, said, “Wansui has gone to the eastern palace,” to inflame him further. The emperor believed it and summoned Wansui. Several hundred of the soldiers he had led, mourning one another at court, heard him say, “Today I will speak out for you before the emperor—the matter will be settled.” Before the emperor he spoke of his men’s merit and how the court had suppressed them; his tone was fierce and he gave offense. The emperor raged and ordered his attendants to cut him down. He soon regretted it but could not undo the deed, and issued an edict condemning Wansui: “The pillar of state and duke of Taiping, Wansui, was raised and entrusted with every campaign. When the south rebelled he was sent to punish them. Cuan Wan of Kunzhou harbored treachery and harmed the people. We had made full plans to bring him to court. Wansui took much gold and silver, disobeyed Our plan by leaving him, and Cuan Wan soon rebelled again, costing fresh armies before order returned. The crime merited death; remembering his merit We spared him and soon restored his rank. Recently he commanded the advance against the frontier tribes. Tatou led his fierce horde to resist; at sight of our might they fled—blades unstained, the enemy dissolved. Such a victory is the state’s glory; We meant to crown his merit with new rewards. Yet on the day the registers were filed he and Dinghe lied, claiming they had met the enemy in battle when they had not, mocking the laws of the state. Only one who serves with full loyalty and no deceit is a true general; Wansui, who sought merit by fraud, is a traitor. The statutes cannot bend—we will not spare him again.” On the day he died, all who heard, whether they knew him or not, mourned him.
20
As a commander Wansui did not fuss over camp order; he let his men settle where they were comfortable and kept no strict night watch, yet the barbarians dared not attack him. In battle he adapted without fixed method and was accounted a fine general. He had a son named Huaiyi.
21
Liu Fang came from Chang’an in Jingzhao. Firm and resolute by nature, he had real courage. Under Zhou he was senior attendant of the imperial carriage and soon, for battle merit, director with equal standing of the first rank. When Gaozu was chancellor, Fang followed Wei Xiaokuan in defeating Yuwen Jiong at Xiangzhou, was given the rank of director of the bureau, and enfeoffed as marquis of Heyin with eight hundred households. When Gaozu took the throne he was advanced to duke. In the third year of Kaihuang he followed Prince Shuang of Rui in defeating the Turks at Baidao and was promoted to grand general. He later served as governor of Gan and Gua but was not yet widely known.
22
In the Renshou era the Li chieftain Li Fozi of Jiaozhou rebelled, seized the old city of the King of Yue, sent his nephew Daquan to hold Longbian, and his lieutenant Li Puding to hold Wuyan. The left vice director Yang Su said Fang had a commander’s gifts, and the emperor made him commander on the Jiaozhou route with Jing Deliang of the revenue office as chief clerk, advancing with twenty-seven battalions. Fang’s discipline was severe and his ranks orderly; violators were beheaded on the spot, yet he was kind to his men and nursed the sick himself. Chief clerk Jing Deliang fell gravely ill at Yinzhou and could not continue; Fang left him at the prefectural lodge and wept at their parting so that passersby were moved. With such authority and kindness together, men called him a fine general. At Dulong Ridge more than two thousand rebels attacked; Fang sent the battalion commanders Song Zuan, He Gui, and Yan Yuan to break them. Advancing on Fozi, he first sent men to explain fortune and disaster; Fozi surrendered in fear and was sent to the capital. The stubborn and cunning, lest they rebel again, were all executed.
23
He was soon made commander on the Huanzhou route with Li Gang of the state affairs office as chief of staff to pacify Linyi. Fang sent the governors of Qin and Huan and the superior director Qin Xiong with infantry and cavalry by Yuechang, while he himself led Zhang Xun and Li Gang with the fleet toward Bijing. Gaozu died and Emperor Yang succeeded; in the first month of Daye year one the army reached Haikou. King Fan Zhi of Linyi sent troops to hold the passes; Fang drove them off. At the Zhanli River the enemy held the south bank behind palisades. Fang displayed his banners and beat drums and gongs; the enemy broke in fear. After crossing they marched thirty li when the enemy came on great elephants from every side. Fang shot the elephants with crossbows; wounded, they trampled their own ranks. The imperial army fought hard; the enemy fled to their palisades and were stormed, with tens of thousands taken. They crossed the Qulu and the Six Li, met the enemy again and again, and captured them in every fight. At the Dayuan River the enemy held the passes once more and were broken again. Passing Ma Yuan’s bronze pillar, they marched south eight days to the capital. King Fan Zhi abandoned the city and fled to the sea. They seized the temple’s golden image, defiled the palaces, carved a stone of victory, and returned. The soldiers suffered malarial swelling; fourteen or fifteen in ten died. Fang fell ill on the road and died. The emperor mourned him deeply and issued an edict: “Fang reverently carried out the state’s strategy and Heaven’s punishment, drinking ice as he hastened on, treating peril as level ground. He crushed the vanguard and struck unawares; the enemy were destroyed and their nests overturned; the work was not done twice and the southern sea was cleared. He gave his life to the throne with true merit—let him be posthumously pillar of state of the first rank and duke of Lu.” His son Tongren succeeded him.
24
Feng Yu, Wang Gang, Li Chong, Yang Wutong, Chen Yonggui, and Fang Zhao
25
西西
In the Kaihuang era Feng Yu, Wang Gang, Li Chong, Yang Wutong, Chen Yonggui, and Fang Zhao were all frontier generals famous in their day. Yu and Gang’s origins are unknown. Yu was full of stratagems and martial skill. When Gaozu was first chancellor he was commander on campaign with Wang Yi and Li Wei against rebellious tribes and was made pillar of state. At the start of Kaihuang he garrisoned Yifu Po against the barbarians. Tens of thousands of Turk horsemen surprised him; he fought for days but was outnumbered, was defeated, and lost several thousand men—though the enemy dead were equally great. He guarded the frontier for years afterward and won great victories in every fight. Gang was fierce and skilled in archery; Gaozu saw commander’s talent in him and repeatedly posted him north of the River against Chen raiders. He won repeated honors and was feared by Chen. In the conquest of Chen and the suppression of Gao Zhihui he won outstanding merit, rising to pillar of state and duke of Baishui. Chong came from Chengji in Longxi; from youth he was generous and strategically minded. In Kaihuang he repeatedly struck the Turks with merit, rose to pillar of state of the first rank and duke of Wuyang, and commanded Shuozhou with a name the barbarians feared. Later someone accused him of treason; summoned to the capital, he was rebuked by the emperor. Stubborn by nature, he died of grief and anger. Wutong came from Huayin in Hongnong, resolute and skilled at mounted archery. He repeatedly campaigned against the southwestern Yi with merit, was duke of Baishui, and left martial yiyi general. The Tangut Qiang troubled the border; the court posted him to Min and Lan for his renown. With Zhou Fashang he attacked rebel Liao of Jiazhou. Fashang’s army faltered; Wutong led several thousand men cut off from retreat. He packed horses and suspended carts, took the enemy unawares, and broke them repeatedly. Knowing his isolated force had no relief, the enemy brought their whole tribes against him. Wutong marched for hundreds of li among the hills until every road was cut. He fought on light horse, fell, was seized, killed, and eaten. Yonggui was a Hu man of Longyou, originally surnamed Bai, famed for courage. Gaozu favored him and repeatedly posted him to the frontier; in every battle he charged alone. He rose to pillar of state, commander of Lan and Li, and duke of Beichen. Zhao came from Dai, originally of the Wuyin clan, firm and strategically minded. He repeatedly campaigned against the barbarians and rose to pillar of state and commander of Xuzhou. For all of them the history has lost the details.
26
The historiographer says:
27
西西
The historiographer says: Changru and the others took up arms from youth; all had fierce, heroic minds and commanded armies, each excelling at defending the realm. Changru with two thousand foot soldiers faced a hundred thousand barbarians; his army was shattered and his arrows gone, yet his courage only burned brighter—how magnificent! Zigan crossed the Qinghai westward and faced the dark northern passes; the tribes feared him and the beacons knew no alarm—this too deserves praise. Wansui truly had wisdom and courage, won his soldiers’ hearts, and every man gladly faced death; his armies never tired. In the north he drove back the Xiongnu; in the south he pacified the Yi and Liao; wherever his blades pointed, his might shook the farthest lands. When merit was debated he spoke with proud spirit, offended powerful ministers, partial listening bred treachery, and he died for a crime not his own—all mourned him, and he had something of Li Guang about him. Liu Fang’s orders were impartial; he governed the army with severity, cut down Linyi, and cleared the southern sea; the hundred tribes beyond the borders all wished to submit. All these generals had wills and valor beyond ordinary men: abroad they bore the weight of the realm’s defense, at home they were the emperor’s trusted claws and teeth. Though Ma Fubo’s might ran through the south and Zhao Chongguo’s fame shook the western Qiang, speaking of deeds and weighing merit, each was foremost in his time.
28
Collation notes
29
[]
[1] The Mayi route: in the biography of Pei Ju in this book it reads “the Dingxiang route.”
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