Volume 60 Biographies 25: Cui Zhongfang, Yu Zhongwen, Duan Wenzhen

崔仲方崔仲方，字不齊，博陵安平人也。祖孝芬，魏荊州刺史。父宣猷，周小司徒。仲方少好讀書，有文武才幹。年十五，周太祖見而異之，令與諸子同就學。時高祖亦在其中，由是與高祖少相款密。後以明經為晉公宇文護參軍事，尋轉記室，遷司玉大夫，與斛斯徵、柳敏等同修禮律。後以軍功，授平東將軍、銀青光祿大夫，賜爵石城縣男，邑三百戶。時武帝陰有滅齊之志，仲方獻二十策，帝大奇之。後與少內史趙芬刪定格式。尋從帝攻晉州，齊之亞將崔景嵩請為內應，仲方與段文振等登城應接，遂下晉州，語在《文振傳》。又令仲方說翼城等四城，下之。授儀同，進爵范陽縣侯。後以行軍長史從郯公王軌擒陳將吳明徹于呂梁，仲方計策居多。宣帝嗣位，為少內史，奉使淮南而還。

Cui Zhongfang, whose style name was Buqi, came from Anping in Boling commandery. His grandfather Cui Xiaofen had served as inspector of Jing province under the Northern Wei. His father Cui Xuanyou had been junior minister of education under the Northern Zhou. From boyhood Zhongfang loved books and showed talent in both civil and military affairs. When he was fifteen, Emperor Wen of Zhou took notice of him and had him study alongside the imperial princes. Emperor Wen of Sui was among that group as well, and the two formed a close friendship in their youth. He later entered service through the classics examination as an aide to Yuwen Hu, Duke of Jin, then became his recorder and rose to grand master of jade, joining Husi Zheng, Liu Min, and others in revising ritual and penal codes. Military service later won him the posts of general who pacifies the east and grand master with silver-green tally, along with the barony of Shicheng and a fief of three hundred households. When Emperor Wu was secretly planning the conquest of Qi, Zhongfang submitted twenty proposals that greatly impressed him. He later worked with junior palace secretary Zhao Fen to revise administrative statutes and formats. He soon joined the emperor's assault on Jinzhou, where Qi's deputy commander Cui Jingsong offered to act as an inside contact; Zhongfang and Duan Wenzhen climbed the walls to receive him, and Jinzhou fell—as related in Duan Wenzhen's biography. The court also sent him to win over Yicheng and three other cities, all of which surrendered. He was made a colonel of the first rank and promoted to marquis of Fanyang county. As campaign chief clerk he later followed Prince of Tan Wang Gui in capturing the Chen general Wu Mingche at Lüliang, and most of the strategy was his. After Emperor Xuan came to the throne he served as junior palace secretary and returned from a mission to Huainan.

會帝崩，高祖為丞相，與仲方相見，握手極歡，仲方亦歸心焉。其夜上便宜十八事，高祖並嘉納之。又見眾望有歸，陰勸高祖應天受命，高祖從之。及受禪，上召仲方與高熲議正朔服色事。仲方曰：「晉為金行，後魏為水，周為木。皇家以火承木，得天之統。又聖躬載誕之初，有赤光之瑞，車服旗牲，並宜用赤。」又勸上除六官，請依漢、魏之舊。上皆從之。進位上開府，尋轉司農少卿，進爵安固縣公。令發丁三萬，于朔方、靈武築長城，東至黃河，西拒綏州，南至勃出嶺，綿亙七百里。明年，上複令仲方發丁十五萬，于朔方已東緣邊險要築數十城，以遏胡寇。

When the emperor died soon afterward, Yang Jian became chancellor; he and Zhongfang met and greeted each other with great warmth, and Zhongfang gave him his full loyalty. That same night he submitted eighteen timely proposals, all of which Yang Jian welcomed and adopted. Seeing that popular support was gathering around Yang Jian, he privately urged him to accept Heaven's mandate and take the throne, and Yang Jian followed his counsel. After he took the throne, the emperor summoned Zhongfang and Gao Jiong to discuss the calendar and court ritual colors. Zhongfang said, "Jin belonged to the phase of metal, Later Wei to water, and Zhou to wood. Our dynasty takes fire to succeed wood and thus holds Heaven's proper succession. Moreover, at Your Majesty's birth there was an omen of red light; carriages, robes, banners, and sacrificial animals should all be red." He also urged the emperor to abolish the six-office system and restore the institutions of Han and Wei. The emperor accepted all of these recommendations. He was promoted to senior colonel, soon made vice minister of agriculture, and raised to duke of Angu county. He was ordered to levy thirty thousand laborers to build the Great Wall at Shuofang and Lingwu, from the Yellow River in the east to Suizhou in the west and Bochu Ridge in the south—a stretch of seven hundred li. The following year the emperor again ordered Zhongfang to levy one hundred fifty thousand men to build several dozen fortresses along the strategic border east of Shuofang to hold back the northern raiders.

丁父艱去職。未期，起為虢州刺史。上書論取陳之策曰：

He left office to observe mourning for his father. Before his mourning term had ended he was recalled and appointed governor of Guo province. He submitted a memorial on the strategy for conquering Chen, which read:

臣謹案晉太康元年歲在庚子，晉武平吳，至今開皇六年，歲次丙午，合三百七載。《春秋寶乾圖》雲：「王者三百年一蠲法。」今年三百之期，可謂備矣。陳氏草竊，起於丙子，至今丙午，又子午為沖，陰陽之忌。昔史趙有言曰：「陳，顓頊之族，為水，故歲在鶉火以滅。」又雲：「周武王克商，封胡公滿于陳。」至魯昭公九年，陳災，裨灶曰：「歲五及鶉火而後陳亡，楚克之。」楚，祝融之後也，為火正，故覆滅陳。陳承舜後，舜承顓頊，雖太歲左行，歲星右轉，鶉火之歲，陳族再亡，戊午之年，媯虞運盡。語跡雖殊，考事無別。皇朝五運相承，感火德而王，國號為隋，與楚同分。楚是火正，午為鶉火，未為鶉首，申為實沉，酉為大樑。既當周、秦、晉、趙之分，若當此分發兵，將得歲之助，以今量古，陳滅不疑。臣謂午未申酉，並是數極。蓋聞天時不如地利，地利不如人和，況主聖臣良，兵強國富，動植回心，人神葉契。陳既主昏於上，民讟於下，險無百二之固，眾非九國之師。夏癸、殷辛尚不能立，獨此島夷而稽天討！伏度朝廷自有宏謨，但芻蕘所見，冀申螢爝。今唯須武昌已下，蘄、和、滁、方、吳、海等州更帖精兵，密營渡計。益、信、襄、荊、基、郢等州速造舟楫，多張形勢，為水戰之具。蜀、漢二江，是其上流，水路衝要，必爭之所。賊雖于流頭、荊門、延州、公安、巴陵、隱磯、夏首、蘄口、盆城置船，然終聚漢口、峽口，以水戰大決。若賊必以上流有軍，令精兵赴援者，下流諸將即須擇便橫渡。如擁眾自衛，上江水軍鼓行以前。雖恃九江五湖之險，非德無以為固，徒有三吳、百越之兵，無恩不能自立。

Your servant notes that Jin's conquest of Wu in the first year of Taikang (gengzi) was three hundred seven years ago; the present sixth year of Kaihuang is the year bingwu. The Spring and Autumn Precious Qian Diagram says, "Every three hundred years a true king remits the laws." This year completes that three-hundred-year cycle. The Chen regime began its usurpation in the year bingzi and now reaches bingwu; moreover zi and wu are mutually opposed—a yin-yang omen of destruction. Shi Zhao of old said, "Chen is of the line of Zhuanxu and belongs to the element of water; it is therefore destroyed in the years of the Quail Fire asterism." It is also said that when King Wu of Zhou conquered Shang he enfeoffed Duke Hu Man in Chen." In the ninth year of Duke Zhao of Lu, when fire struck Chen, the astrologer Pi Zao said, "After five cycles of the Quail Fire years Chen will fall and Chu will conquer it." Chu was descended from Zhurong and held the office of director of fire; that is why it overthrew Chen. Chen traces its line through Shun to Zhuanxu; though the Grand Year moves leftward and Jupiter rightward, in Quail Fire years the house of Chen has twice been destroyed, and in the year wuwu the fortune of the Gui and Yu lines ran out. The wording differs, but the underlying pattern is the same. Our dynasty inherits the succession of the five phases, took the throne through the virtue of fire, bears the name Sui, and shares the same astrological allotment as Chu. Chu held the office of director of fire; the years wu, wei, shen, and you correspond to Quail Fire, Quail Head, Real Sink, and Great Beam. These years fall within the territorial allotments of Zhou, Qin, Jin, and Zhao; if we campaign in these years we shall have Jupiter's aid, and judged by past precedent Chen's fall is beyond doubt. Your servant holds that the years wu, wei, shen, and you all mark the limit of a cycle. Heaven's timing is less decisive than terrain, and terrain less than human unity; moreover, the ruler is sage, his ministers capable, the army strong and the treasury full, and all living things and spirits stand in accord. Chen's ruler is benighted above and the people murmur below; its terrain lacks the impregnable strength of old Qin, and its forces are not the armies of the Warring States. Jie of Xia and Zhou of Shang could not even hold their thrones—how can these island barbarians delay Heaven's punishment? Your servant assumes the court already has a grand strategy; these humble observations are offered only in hope of adding a little light. For the present, from Wuchang downstream the prefectures of Qi, He, Chu, Fang, Wu, Hai, and others should be reinforced with elite troops while crossing plans are prepared in secret. The prefectures of Yi, Xin, Xiang, Jing, Ji, Ying, and others should quickly build fleets, display large forces, and prepare for naval warfare. The Shu and Han rivers form the upper Yangtze—its key water route and the ground both sides must fight for. The enemy may station ships at Liutou, Jingmen, Yanzhou, Gong'an, Baling, Yinji, Xiashou, Qikou, and Pencheng, but in the end they will mass at Hankou and the gorge for the decisive naval battle. If the enemy, finding troops upstream, sends elite forces to reinforce, our downstream commanders must seize a favorable moment to cross the river. If they merely mass troops for self-defense, the upstream fleet should advance with drums beating. Though they rely on the defenses of the Yangtze lakes, without virtue they cannot hold firm; though they have the armies of Wu and Yue, without benevolence they cannot stand alone.

上覽而大悅，轉基州刺史，征入朝。仲方因面陳經略，上善之，賜以禦袍袴，並雜彩五百段，進位開府而遣之。及大舉伐陳，以仲方為行軍總管，率兵與秦王會。及陳平，坐事免。未幾，復位。後數載，轉會州總管。時諸羌猶未賓附，詔令仲方擊之，與賊三十餘戰，紫祖、四鄰、望方、涉題、幹碉、小鐵圍山、白男王、弱水等諸部悉平。賜奴婢一百三十口，黃金三十斤，雜物稱是。

The emperor read the memorial with great delight, transferred him to governor of Ji province, and summoned him to court. Zhongfang then presented his strategy in person; the emperor approved it, granted him imperial robes and trousers plus five hundred lengths of colored silk, promoted him to colonelate, and sent him on his way. When the great campaign against Chen was launched, he was made campaign commander-in-chief and led his forces to join Prince Qin. After Chen was conquered he was dismissed for an offense. Before long he was restored to office. Several years later he was made commander-in-chief of Huizhou. The Qiang tribes had not yet submitted; the court ordered Zhongfang to attack them. After more than thirty battles he pacified the Zizu, Silin, Wangfang, Sheti, Ganbao, Little Iron Enclosure Mountain, White Male King, Ruoshui, and other groups. He was rewarded with one hundred thirty servants, thirty jin of gold, and a comparable quantity of other goods.

仁壽初，授代州總管，在職數年，被征入朝。會上崩，漢王諒餘党據呂州不下，煬帝令周羅睺攻之，中流矢卒，乃令仲方代總其眾，月餘拔之。進位大將軍，拜民部尚書，尋轉禮部尚書。後三載，坐事免。尋為國子祭酒，轉太常卿。朝廷以其衰老，出拜上郡太守。未幾，以母憂去職。歲餘，起為信都太守，上表乞骸骨，優詔許之。尋卒于家，時年七十六。子民壽，官至定陶令。于仲文于仲文，字次武，建平公義之兄子。父寔，周大左輔、燕國公。仲文少聰敏，髫齔就學，耽閱不倦。其父異之曰：「此兒必興吾宗矣。」九歲，嘗于雲陽宮見周太祖，太祖問曰：「聞兒好讀書，書有何事？」仲文對曰：「資父事君，忠孝而已。」太祖甚嗟歎之。其後就博士李祥受《周易》、《三禮》。略通大義。及長，倜儻有大志，氣調英拔，當時號為名公子。起家為趙王屬，尋遷安固太守。有任、杜兩家各失牛，後得一牛，兩家俱認，州郡久不能決。益州長史韓伯俊曰：「于安固少聰察，可令決之。」仲文對曰：「此易解耳。」於是令二家各驅牛群至，乃放所認者，遂向任氏群中。又陰使人微傷其牛，任氏嗟惋，杜家自若。仲文於是訶詰杜氏，杜氏服罪而去。始州刺史屈突尚，宇文護之黨也，先坐事下獄，無敢繩者。仲文至郡窮治，遂竟其獄。蜀中為之語曰：「明斷無雙有于公，不避強禦有次武。」未幾，征為禦正下大夫，封延壽郡公，邑三千五百戶。數從征伐，累勳授儀同三司。宣帝時，為東郡太守。

At the start of the Renshou era he was made commander-in-chief of Daizhou; after several years he was recalled to court. When the emperor died, remnants of Prince Liang of Han held Luzhou. Emperor Yang ordered Zhou Luohou to attack it, but Zhou was killed by a stray arrow; Zhongfang was then put in command of his forces and took the city in little more than a month. He was promoted to great general and appointed minister of the household, then soon made minister of rites. Three years later he was dismissed for an offense. He was soon made libationer of the imperial academy and then minister of ceremonies. Because of his age the court sent him out as governor of Shang commandery. Before long he left office to mourn his mother. After a year he was recalled as governor of Xindu, submitted a memorial asking to retire, and received a gracious edict granting his request. He soon died at home at the age of seventy-six. His son Minshou rose to the post of magistrate of Dingtao. Yu Zhongwen, whose style name was Ciwu, was a nephew of Duke Jianping Yu Yi. His father Yu Shi had been grand left assistant and duke of Yan under the Northern Zhou. Zhongwen was clever from childhood; he began his studies early and read with tireless devotion. His father marveled at him and said, "This boy will surely bring glory to our house." When he was nine he once met Emperor Wen of Zhou at Yunyang Palace. The emperor asked, "I hear you love books—what are books about?" Zhongwen answered, "To support one's father and serve one's lord—loyalty and filial piety, nothing more." The emperor sighed in deep admiration. He later studied the Book of Changes and the Three Rites under the erudite Li Xiang. He gained a general grasp of their essential meaning. As a young man he was bold and ambitious, with a striking presence, and was known as a leading gentleman of his day. He began his career as an aide to the Prince of Zhao and was soon made governor of Angu. The Ren and Du families each lost an ox; when one ox was later found, both claimed it, and the provincial authorities could not settle the dispute for a long time. The chief clerk of Yizhou, Han Bojun, said, "The young governor of Angu is sharp-witted; let him decide the case." Zhongwen replied, "That is easily settled." He had both families drive their herds forward, then released the disputed ox, which went straight to the Ren family's herd. He then secretly had the ox slightly injured; the Ren family lamented while the Du family remained unmoved. Zhongwen then interrogated the Du family, who confessed and withdrew their claim. Qutu Shang, governor of Shizhou, was a partisan of Yuwen Hu who had earlier been imprisoned for crimes, yet no one dared prosecute him further. When Zhongwen took office he pursued the case to the end and brought it to judgment. Shu coined a saying about him: "For matchless judgment there is Lord Yu; for fearlessness before the powerful there is Ciwu." Before long he was summoned to court as junior master of correctness and enfeoffed as duke of Yanshou with a fief of three thousand five hundred households. He took part in many campaigns and, through accumulated merit, was made colonel of the third rank. Under Emperor Xuan he served as governor of Dong commandery.

高祖為丞相，尉迥作亂，遣將檀讓收河南之地。復使人誘致仲文，仲文拒之。迥怒其不同己，遣儀同宇文威攻之。仲文迎擊，大破威眾，斬首五百餘級。以功授開府。迥又遣其將宇文胄渡石濟，宇文威、鄒紹自白馬，二道俱進，復攻仲文。賊勢逾盛，人情大駭，郡人赫連僧伽、敬子哲率眾應迥。仲文自度不能支，棄妻子，將六十餘騎，開城西門，潰圍而遁。為賊所追，且戰且行，所從騎戰死者十七八。仲文僅而獲免，達于京師。迥於是屠其三子一女。高祖見之，引入臥內，為之下泣。賜綵五百段，黃金二百兩，進位大將軍，領河南道行軍總管。給以鼓吹，馳傳詣洛陽發兵，以討檀讓。時韋孝寬拒迥於永橋，仲文詣孝寬有所計議。時總管宇文忻頗有自疑之心，因謂仲文曰：「公新從京師來，觀執政意何如也？尉迥誠不足平，正恐事寧之後，更有藏弓之慮。」仲文懼忻生變，因謂之曰：「丞相寬仁大度，明識有餘，苟能竭誠，必心無貳。仲文在京三日，頻見三善，以此為觀，非尋常人也。」忻曰：「三善如何？」仲文曰：「有陳萬敵者，新從賊中來，即令其弟難敵召募鄉曲，從軍討賊。此其有大度一也。上士宋謙，奉使勾檢，謙緣此別求他罪。丞相責之曰：'入網者自可推求，何須別訪，以虧大體。 '此其不求人私二也。言及仲文妻子，未嘗不潸泫。此其有仁心三也。」忻自此遂安。

When Yang Jian was chancellor, Yu Chi rebelled and sent the general Tan Rang to seize Henan. He also sent envoys to win Zhongwen over, but Zhongwen refused. Yu Chi, angered by his refusal, sent the colonel Yuwen Wei to attack him. Zhongwen met the attack and routed Wei's army, taking more than five hundred heads. For this achievement he was granted the rank of Grand Guardian. Chi then sent his general Yuwen Zhou across the Shiji crossing while Yuwen Wei and Zou Shao marched from Baima; the two columns advanced together and again attacked Zhongwen. Rebel strength mounted and terror spread among the people; Helian Sengqie and Jing Zizi of the commandery rallied crowds to join Chi. Judging that he could not hold the city, Zhongwen abandoned his wife and children, took a little more than sixty horsemen, opened the west gate, broke through the siege, and escaped. Pursued by the enemy, he fought as he withdrew; seven or eight of every ten horsemen with him fell in battle. Zhongwen barely escaped with his life and reached the capital. Chi then put his three sons and one daughter to the sword. When Gaozu received him, he brought him into his private chamber and wept for him. He was granted five hundred bolts of colored silk and two hundred taels of gold, promoted to grand general, and made commander-in-chief of the Henan circuit campaign. He was given a guard of musicians and sent by post relay to Luoyang to raise troops and attack Tan Rang. At that time Wei Xiaokuan was holding Chi at Yong Bridge, and Zhongwen went to consult with him. The commander Yuwen Xin was then much troubled by self-doubt and asked Zhongwen, "You have just come from the capital—what do you make of the intentions of those in power? Yu Chi is not hard to defeat, but I fear that once the rebellion is put down we may yet face the fate of the bow cast aside when the birds are gone." Fearing that Xin might turn disloyal, Zhongwen said to him, "The chancellor is generous, humane, and broad-minded, with more than enough clear insight; if one serves him with full sincerity, his heart will harbor no divided loyalty. In my three days at the capital I repeatedly witnessed three acts of goodness; judged by that, he is no ordinary man." Xin asked, "What are the three acts of goodness?" Zhongwen said, "There was a Chen Wandi who had just come over from the rebels; the chancellor immediately had his younger brother Nandi recruit local men to join the army and suppress the rebels. That was his first great magnanimity. Senior clerk Song Qian, sent on an audit, used the occasion to hunt for other offenses. The chancellor rebuked him, saying, "Those already caught in the net can be pursued in the usual way—why must you go hunting for other offenses and impair the larger principle? That was his second refusal to pry into men's private faults. Whenever he spoke of Zhongwen's wife and children, he never failed to shed tears. That was his third humane heart." From that point Xin was reassured.

仲文軍至汴州之東倪塢，與迥將劉子昂、劉浴德等相遇，進擊破之。軍次蓼堤，去梁郡七裡，讓擁眾數萬，仲文以羸師挑戰。讓悉眾來拒，仲文偽北，讓軍頗驕。於是遣精兵左右翼擊之，大敗讓軍，生獲五千餘人，斬首七百級。進攻梁郡，迥守將劉子寬棄城遁走。仲文追擊，擒斬數千人，子寬僅以身免。初，仲文在蓼堤，諸將皆曰：「軍自遠來，士馬疲敝，不可決勝。」仲文令三軍趣食，列陣大戰。既而破賊，諸將皆請曰：「前兵疲不可交戰，竟而克勝，其計安在？」仲文笑曰：「吾所部將士皆山東人，果於速進，不宜持久。乘勢擊之，所以制勝。」諸將皆以為非所及也。進擊曹州，獲迥所署刺史李仲康及上儀同房勁。檀讓以餘眾屯城武，別將高士儒以萬人屯永昌。仲文詐移書州縣曰：「大將軍至，可多積粟。」讓謂仲文未能卒至，方槌牛享士。仲文知其怠，選精騎襲之，一日便至，遂拔城武。迥將席毗羅，眾十萬，屯於沛縣，將攻徐州。其妻子在金鄉。仲文遣人詐為毗羅使者，謂金鄉城主徐善淨曰：「檀讓明日午時到金鄉，將宣蜀公令，賞賜將士。」金鄉人謂為信然，皆喜。仲文簡精兵，偽建迥旗幟，倍道而進。善淨望見仲文軍且至，以為檀讓，乃出迎謁。仲文執之，遂取金鄉。諸將多勸屠之，仲文曰：「此城是毗羅起兵之所，當寬其妻子，其兵可自歸。如即屠之，彼望絕矣。」眾皆稱善。於是毗羅恃眾來薄官軍，仲文背城結陣，去軍數裡，設伏于麻田中。兩陣才合，伏兵發，俱曳柴鼓噪，塵埃張天。毗羅軍大潰，仲文乘之，賊皆投洙水而死，為之不流。獲檀讓，檻送京師，河南悉平。毗羅匿滎陽人家，執斬之，傳首闕下。勒石紀功，樹於泗上。

Zhongwen's army reached Dongni Wu east of Bian Province, met Chi's generals Liu Zi'ang, Liu Yude, and others, attacked, and defeated them. The army halted at Liaodi, seven li from Liang commandery; Rang commanded a host of several tens of thousands, and Zhongwen challenged him with a weakened force. Rang brought out his entire army to resist; Zhongwen feigned retreat, and Rang's army grew overconfident. He then sent elite troops to strike both flanks, routed Rang's army, captured more than five thousand men alive, and took seven hundred heads. He advanced on Liang commandery; Chi's defending general Liu Zikuan abandoned the city and fled. Zhongwen pursued, capturing and killing several thousand men; Zikuan barely escaped with his life. Earlier at Liaodi, all the generals said, "The army has come from afar; men and horses are weary and worn—we cannot fight for a decisive victory." Zhongwen ordered the three armies to take their meal, then formed ranks for a great battle. After the rebels were defeated, the generals all asked, "The troops were weary and unfit for battle, yet in the end you won—what was your plan?" Zhongwen smiled and said, "The officers and soldiers under my command are all men of Shandong; they are bold in rapid advance and are not suited to prolonged fighting. Striking while the momentum was with us—that is how victory was secured." The generals all agreed that this was beyond their reach. He advanced on Cao province, capturing Chi's appointed governor Li Zhongkang and senior colonel Fang Jin. Tan Rang encamped at Chengwu with the remnant force, while another general, Gao Shiru, encamped at Yongchang with ten thousand men. Zhongwen sent forged dispatches to the prefectures and counties saying, "The grand general has arrived; store up extra grain." Rang thought Zhongwen could not arrive so soon and was just slaughtering oxen to feast his troops. Knowing they were slack, Zhongwen selected elite cavalry to strike; he arrived in a single day and captured Chengwu. Chi's general Xi Piluo, with a host of one hundred thousand, encamped at Pei County and was about to attack Xuzhou. His wife and children were at Jinxiang. Zhongwen sent men disguised as Piluo's envoys to tell Jinxiang's magistrate Xu Shanjing, "Tan Rang will reach Jinxiang tomorrow at noon to proclaim the Duke of Shu's orders and reward the officers and soldiers." The people of Jinxiang believed it and rejoiced. Zhongwen picked elite troops, raised Chi's banners and flags as a ruse, and advanced at double speed. Shanjing saw Zhongwen's army approaching, took it for Tan Rang's, and went out to welcome him. Zhongwen seized him and took Jinxiang. Many generals urged a massacre; Zhongwen said, "This city is where Piluo raised his army; if we spare his wife and children, his troops will surrender of themselves. If we slaughter them at once, all hope will be cut off for them." All praised the plan. Piluo then relied on his numbers and pressed the government army; Zhongwen formed ranks with his back to the city and, several li from the army, set an ambush in a hemp field. As soon as the two lines joined battle, the ambush sprang forth; men dragged branches, beat drums, and shouted until dust filled the sky. Piluo's army was routed; Zhongwen pressed the pursuit, and the rebels threw themselves into the Zhu River and drowned until the river ceased to flow. Tan Rang was captured and sent to the capital in a cage; all of Henan was pacified. Piluo hid in a household at Xingyang; he was seized and beheaded, and his head was sent to the palace gates. A stone was carved to record his merit and erected on the Si River.

入朝京師，高祖引入臥內，宴享極歡。賜雜綵千餘段，妓女十人，拜柱國、河南道大行台。屬高祖受禪，不行。未幾，其叔父太尉翼坐事下獄，仲文亦為吏所簿，於獄中上書曰：

He entered the capital to attend court; Gaozu brought him into his private chamber and feasted with him in the utmost joy. He was granted more than a thousand bolts of mixed colored silk and ten singing girls, and appointed duke of the realm and grand expeditionary commissioner of the Henan circuit. Just then Gaozu accepted the abdication, and he did not take up the appointment. Before long his uncle, Grand Marshal Yi, was imprisoned for an offense, and Zhongwen was also investigated by the officials; from prison he submitted a memorial saying:

臣聞春生夏長，天地平分之功，子孝臣誠，人倫不易之道。曩者尉迥逆亂，所在影從。臣任處關河，地居衝要，嘗膽枕戈，誓以必死。迥時購臣位大將軍、邑萬戶。臣不顧妻子，不愛身命，冒白刃，潰重圍，三男一女，相繼淪沒，披露肝膽，馳赴闕庭。蒙陛下授臣以高官，委臣以兵革。于時河南凶寇，狼顧鴟張，臣以羸兵八千，掃除氛䘲。摧劉寬于梁郡，破檀讓於蓼堤，平曹州，復東郡、安城、武定、永昌，解亳州圍，殄徐州賊。席毗十萬之眾，一戰土崩，河南蟻聚之徒，應時戡定。當群凶問鼎之際，黎元乏主之辰，臣第二叔翼先在幽州，總馭燕、趙，南鄰群寇，北捍旄頭，內外安撫，得免罪戾。臣第五叔智建斿黑水，與王謙為鄰，式遏蠻陬，鎮綏蜀道。臣兄顗作牧淮南，坐制勍敵，乘機剿定，傳首京師。王謙竊據二江，叛換三蜀。臣第三叔義受脤廟庭，龔行天討。自外父叔兄弟，皆當文武重寄，或銜命危難之間，或侍衛鉤陳之側，合門誠款，冀有可明。伏願下泣辜之恩，降雲雨之施，追草昧之始，錄涓滴之功，則寒灰更然，枯骨生肉，不勝區區之至，謹冒死以聞。

Your servant has heard that spring begets and summer grows—the merit by which Heaven and Earth divide the year; filial sons and loyal ministers—the unchanging way of human relations. Formerly Yu Chi rebelled, and everywhere men followed him like shadows. Your servant held a post at the passes and rivers in a place of strategic importance; I tasted gall and slept upon my spear, vowing to die if need be. At that time Chi offered to buy your servant with the rank of grand general and a fief of ten thousand households. Your servant did not regard wife and children or cherish life, braved naked blades, broke through heavy encirclement; three sons and one daughter perished in succession; laying bare my loyalty, I galloped to the imperial court. I received from Your Majesty high office and was entrusted with arms and armor. At that time the fierce bandits of Henan glared back like wolves and spread like owls; your servant, with eight thousand weary soldiers, swept away the evil miasma. I crushed Liu Kuan at Liang commandery, broke Tan Rang at Liaodi, pacified Cao province, recovered Dong commandery, Ancheng, Wuding, and Yongchang, lifted the siege of Bozhou, and exterminated the rebels of Xuzhou. Xi Piluo's host of one hundred thousand collapsed in a single battle; the swarming rebels of Henan were pacified at once. When many villains contended for the throne and the common people lacked a ruler, your servant's second uncle Yi was at You province, commanding Yan and Zhao; to the south he bordered the mass of rebels, to the north he held the frontier; he pacified within and without and was spared guilt. Your servant's fifth uncle Zhi raised his banner at Heishui, bordering Wang Qian; he held back the barbarian frontier and guarded and pacified the road into Shu. Your servant's elder brother Yan governed Huainan, held the fierce enemy in check, seized the moment to suppress and settle them, and sent their heads to the capital. Wang Qian illicitly held the Two Rivers and rebelled across the Three Shu. Your servant's third uncle Yi received sacrificial meat in the ancestral temple and undertook Heaven's punitive expedition. Apart from these, uncles, brothers, and cousins all bore weighty civil and military trust—some carrying orders amid peril, some guarding beside the imperial encampment; the whole house has served in sincere loyalty, and I hope this may be made clear. I humbly pray that you will grant the favor of weeping over guilt, bestow grace like rain from the clouds, look back to the beginning in raw obscurity, and record even the smallest merit—then cold ashes would burn again and dead bones would grow flesh; unable to bear my humble utmost, I venture to risk death to report this.

上覽表，並翼俱釋之。

The emperor read the memorial and released both Yi and Zhongwen.

未幾，詔仲文率兵屯白狼塞以備胡。明年，拜行軍元帥，統十二總管以擊胡。出服遠鎮，遇虜，破之，斬首千餘級，六畜巨萬計。於是從金河出白道，遣總管辛明瑾、元滂、賀蘭志、呂楚、段諧等二萬人出盛樂道，趨那頡山。至護軍川北，與虜相遇，可汗見仲文軍容齊肅，不戰而退。仲文率精騎五千，逾山追之，不及而還。上以尚書文簿繁雜，吏多奸計，令仲文勘錄省中事。其所發擿甚多，上嘉其明斷，厚加勞賞焉。上每憂轉運不給，仲文請決渭水，開漕渠。上然之，使仲文總其事。及伐陳之役，拜行軍總管，以舟師自章山出漢口。陳郢州刺史荀法尚、魯山城主誕法澄、鄧沙彌等請降，秦王俊皆令仲文以兵納之。高智慧等作亂江南，復以行軍總管討之。時三軍乏食，米粟踴貴，仲文私糶軍糧，坐除名。明年，復官爵，率兵屯馬邑以備胡。數旬而罷。

Before long he was ordered to lead troops and encamp at Bailang Pass to guard against the barbarians. The next year he was appointed campaign marshal and commanded twelve commanders-in-chief to attack the barbarians. He marched out from Fuyuan garrison, encountered the barbarians, defeated them, took more than a thousand heads, and seized tens of thousands of livestock. He then marched out from Jinhe by the White Road and sent the commanders Xin Mingjin, Yuan Pang, Helan Zhi, Lü Chu, Duan Xie, and others with twenty thousand men out by the Shengle Road toward Mount Naxie. When he reached north of Hujun River he encountered the barbarians; the khan saw Zhongwen's army arrayed in perfect order and withdrew without fighting. Zhongwen led five thousand elite cavalry in pursuit over the mountains, failed to overtake them, and returned. Because the Ministry of State Affairs documents were numerous and complex and the clerks employed many deceitful schemes, the emperor ordered Zhongwen to audit and record affairs within the ministry. The cases he exposed were very many; the emperor praised his clarity and decisiveness and richly rewarded him. The emperor often worried that transport could not keep up with demand; Zhongwen requested that the Wei River be cut open and a canal dug. The emperor approved and had Zhongwen oversee the whole affair. During the campaign against Chen he was appointed campaign commander-in-chief and led the fleet from Zhangshan to Hankou. Chen's governor of Ying province, Xun Fashang, Lushan's magistrate Dan Fachang, Deng Shami, and others requested surrender; Prince of Qin Jun ordered Zhongwen to receive them with troops. When Gao Zhihui and others rebelled in Jiangnan, he was again made campaign commander-in-chief to suppress them. At that time the three armies lacked food and grain prices soared; Zhongwen privately sold army grain and was stripped of rank and office. The next year his office and title were restored, and he led troops to encamp at Mayi to guard against the barbarians. After several tens of days he was dismissed.

晉王廣以仲文有將領之才，每常屬意，至是奏之，乃令督晉王軍府事。後突厥犯塞，晉王為元帥，以仲文將前軍，大破賊而還。仁壽初，拜太子右衛率。煬帝即位，遷右翊衛大將軍，參掌文武選事。從帝討吐谷渾，進位光祿大夫，甚見親幸。遼東之役，仲文率軍指樂浪道。軍次烏骨城，仲文簡羸馬驢數千，置於軍後。既而率眾東過，高麗出兵掩襲輜重，仲文回擊，大破之。至鴨綠水，高麗將乙支文德詐降，來入其營。仲文先奉密旨，若遇高元及文德者，必擒之。至是，文德來，仲文將執之。時尚書右丞劉士龍為慰撫使，固止之。仲文遂舍文德。尋悔，遣人紿文德曰：「更有言議，可複來也。」文德不從，遂濟。仲文選騎渡水追之，每戰破賊。文德遺仲文詩曰：「神策究天文，妙算窮地理。戰勝功既高，知足願雲止。」仲文答書諭之，文德燒柵而遁。時宇文述以糧盡欲還，仲文議以精銳追文德，可以有功。述固止之，仲文怒曰：「將軍仗十萬之眾，不能破小賊，何顏以見帝！且仲文此行也，固無功矣。」述因厲聲曰：「何以知無功？」仲文曰：「昔周亞夫之為將也，見天子軍容不變。此決在一人，所以功成名遂。今者人各其心，何以赴敵！」初，帝以仲文有計畫，令諸軍諮稟節度，故有此言。由是述等不得已而從之，遂行。東至薩水，宇文述以兵餒退歸，師遂敗績。帝以屬吏，諸將皆委罪于仲文。帝大怒，釋諸將，獨系仲文。仲文憂恚發病，困篤方出之，卒于家，時年六十八。撰《漢書刊繁》三十卷、《略覽》三十卷。有子九人，欽明最知名。兄顗顗字元武，身長八尺，美鬚眉。周大塚宰宇文護見而器之，妻以季女。尋以父勳賜爵新野郡公，邑三千戶。授大都督，遷車騎大將軍、儀同三司。其後累以軍功，授上開府，曆左、右宮伯，郢州刺史。大象中，以水軍總管從韋孝寬經略淮南。顗率開府元紹貴、上儀同毛猛等，以舟師自潁口入淮。陳防主潘深棄柵而走，進與孝寬攻拔壽陽。複引師圍硤石，守將許約懼而降，顗乃拜東廣州刺史。

Prince of Jin Guang, because Zhongwen had the talent of a commander, had long favored him; he now memorialized about him, and the emperor ordered Zhongwen to oversee the affairs of the prince's military headquarters. Later, when the Turks raided the frontier, Prince of Jin Guang served as marshal; Zhongwen commanded the vanguard, routed the enemy, and returned. At the beginning of the Renshou era he was appointed right commandant of the crown prince's guard. When Emperor Yang acceded to the throne, he was transferred to grand general of the right illustrious wing guard and took part in managing civil and military appointments. He followed the emperor on the campaign against Tuyuhun, was promoted to grand master of splendid happiness, and was greatly favored. In the Liaodong campaign, Zhongwen led his army toward the Leyang route. When the army encamped at Wugu Fortress, Zhongwen picked out several thousand scrawny horses and donkeys and posted them at the rear of the column. Then, as he led his forces eastward, Goguryeo troops launched a surprise raid on the baggage train; Zhongwen wheeled about to counterattack and inflicted a crushing defeat. At the Yalu River, the Goguryeo general Eulji Mundeok pretended to surrender and entered Zhongwen's camp. Zhongwen had previously received secret orders that if he encountered King Gao Yuan or Eulji Mundeok, he was to capture them. When Eulji Mundeok arrived, Zhongwen was on the point of arresting him. Liu Shilong, right assistant director of the Ministry of Revenue, was then serving as pacification commissioner and firmly restrained him. Zhongwen thereupon let Eulji Mundeok go. Soon regretting his decision, he sent someone to trick Eulji Mundeok, saying, "There is more to discuss—you may return." Eulji Mundeok refused and crossed the river. Zhongwen picked cavalry, crossed the river in pursuit, and routed the enemy in battle after battle. Eulji Mundeok sent Zhongwen a poem that read, "Your divine stratagems plumb the heavens; your subtle calculations exhaust the earth. Your victories have already won you great merit; know when enough is enough, and let your ambition rest like clouds." Zhongwen answered with a letter of admonition; Eulji Mundeok burned his stockade and fled. Yuwen Shu wanted to withdraw because supplies were running out, but Zhongwen argued that a pursuit with elite troops could still win glory against Eulji Mundeok. Shu firmly objected. Zhongwen burst out, "You command a hundred thousand men and cannot break a petty band—what face will you show the emperor! And as for this campaign of mine—it is already doomed to failure." Shu snapped back, "How do you know it will fail?" Zhongwen replied, "When Zhou Yafu commanded armies, he received the Son of Heaven yet never broke formation. Victory rested on one man's will—that is how fame and success were won. Today every man follows his own mind—how can such an army face the enemy!" The emperor had earlier entrusted Zhongwen with strategy and ordered the armies to take their direction from him—hence this remark. Shu and the others had no choice but to go along, and the pursuit began. They marched east as far as the Sa River, but Yuwen Shu turned back when his men went hungry, and the army suffered a catastrophic defeat. The emperor handed the matter to the courts, and every general blamed Zhongwen. In a fury the emperor freed the other generals and imprisoned Zhongwen alone. Grief and rage brought on illness; he was released only when near death and died at home at sixty-eight. He authored Han shu kan fan in thirty scrolls and Lüe lan in thirty scrolls. He had nine sons; Qinming was the best known. His elder brother Yu Yan, style name Yuanwu, stood eight chi tall and had handsome beard and brows. Yuwen Hu, grand minister of Zhou, took a liking to him and married him to his youngest daughter. Soon, through his father's achievements, he was enfeoffed as Duke of Xinye with a fief of three thousand households. He was appointed grand commander, then promoted to grand general of chariots and cavalry and commissioner with the third rank of prestige. He later won repeated military honors, rose to senior opener of the way, served as left and right palace guard, and became inspector of Ying province. During the Daxiang reign he served as commander of the water forces under Wei Xiaokuan's Huainan campaign. Yan led opener of the way Yuan Shaogui, commissioner with the first rank of prestige Mao Meng, and others in a fleet that entered the Huai from Yingkou. Pan Shen, the Chen frontier commander, abandoned his stockade and fled; Yan joined Xiaokuan in capturing Shouyang. He then besieged Xiashi, where the defender Xu Yue surrendered in fear, and Yan was appointed governor of Eastern Guang province.

尉迥之反也，時總管趙文表與顗素不協，顗將圖之，因臥閣內，詐得心疾，謂左右曰：「我見兩三人至我前者，輒大驚，即欲斫之，不能自製也。」其有賓客候問者，皆令去左右。顗漸稱危篤，文表往候之，令從者至大門而止，文表獨至顗所。顗醿然而起，抽刀斫殺之，」因唱言曰：「文表與尉迥通謀，所以斬之。」其麾下無敢動者。時高祖以尉迥未平，慮顗複生邊患，因而勞勉之，即拜吳州總管。陳將錢茂和率數千人襲江陽，顗逆擊走之。陳複遣將陳紀、周羅睺、燕合兒等襲顗，顗拒之而退，賜彩數百段。

When Yuchi Jiong rebelled, Zhao Wenbiao, the area commander, had long been at odds with Yan, who now plotted against him. He lay in his chamber feigning heart trouble and told his attendants, "When two or three men appear before me I am seized with terror and want to cut them down—I cannot control myself." Anyone who came to visit was made to leave his attendants behind. Yan gradually claimed to be near death. When Wenbiao came to call, Yan had his escort halt at the gate and received Wenbiao alone. Yan suddenly leaped up, drew his sword, and cut Wenbiao down," then shouted, "Wenbiao was in league with Yuchi Jiong—that is why I killed him." Not one man under his command dared move. Emperor Gaozu, still fighting Yuchi Jiong, feared Yan might stir up trouble on the frontier; he reassured him and immediately made him area commander of Wu province. The Chen general Qian Maohe raided Jiangyang with several thousand men; Yan met him and drove him off. Chen sent Chen Ji, Zhou Luohou, Yan He'er, and others against him; Yan beat them back and was rewarded with several hundred bolts of colored silk.

高祖受禪，文表弟詣闕稱兄無罪。上令案其事，太傅竇熾等議顗當死。上以門著勳績，特原之，貶為開府。後襲爵燕國公，邑萬六千戶。尋以疾免。，拜澤州刺史。數年，免職，卒於家。子世虔嗣。從父弟璽璽字伯符。父翼，仕周為上柱國、幽州總管、任國公。高祖為丞相，尉迥作亂，遣人誘翼。翼鎖其使，送之長安，高祖甚悅。及高祖受禪，翼入朝，上為之降榻，握手極歡。數日，拜為太尉。歲餘，卒，諡曰穆。

After Gaozu took the throne, Wenbiao's younger brother petitioned the court claiming his brother had been innocent. The emperor ordered an inquiry; Grand Tutor Dou Chi and others ruled that Yan deserved death. Because the family had served with distinction, the emperor spared him but demoted him to opener of the way. He later inherited the title Duke of Yan with a fief of sixteen thousand households. He was soon dismissed because of illness. He was then appointed governor of Ze province. Several years later he left office and died at home. His son Shiqian succeeded to his rank. His cousin Yu Xi, style name Bofu, was the son of Yu Yi, who under Zhou had been pillar of state, area commander of You province, and Duke of Ren. When Gaozu was still chancellor, Yuchi Jiong rebelled and tried to win Yi over. Yi bound the envoy and sent him to Chang'an, greatly pleasing Gaozu. When Gaozu took the throne, Yi came to court; the emperor stepped down from his seat, clasped his hands, and welcomed him with great warmth. Within days he was appointed grand commandant. A little over a year later he died, posthumous name Mu.

璽少有器幹，仕周，起家右侍上士。尋授儀同，領右羽林，遷少胥附。武帝時，從齊王憲破齊師於洛陽，以功賜爵豐寧縣子，邑五百戶。尋從帝平齊，加開府，改封黎陽縣公，邑千二百戶，授職方中大夫。及宣帝嗣位，轉右勳曹中大夫。尋領右忠義。高祖為丞相，加上開府。及受禪，進位大將軍，拜汴州刺史，甚有能名。上聞而善之，優詔褒揚，賜帛百匹。尋加上大將軍，進爵郡公。轉邵州刺史，在州數年，甚有恩惠。後檢校江陵總管，州人張願等數十人，詣闕上表，請留璽。上嘉歎良久，令還邵州，父老相賀。尋遷洛州刺史，複為熊州刺史，並有惠政。以疾征還京師。仁壽末，卒於家，諡曰靜。有子志本。段文振段文振，北海期原人也。祖壽，魏滄州刺史。父威，周洮、河、甘、渭四州刺史。文振少有膂力，膽氣過人，性剛直，明達時務。初為宇文護親信，護知其有幹用。擢授中外府兵曹。後武帝攻齊海昌王尉相貴于晉州，其亞將侯子欽、崔景嵩為內應。文振杖槊登城，與崔仲方等數十人先登。文振隨景嵩至相貴所，拔佩刀劫之，相貴不敢動，城遂下。帝大喜，賜物千段。進拔文侯、華谷、高壁三城，皆有力焉。及攻并州，陷東門而入，齊安德王延宗懼而出降。錄前後勳，將拜高秩，以讒毀獲譴，因授上儀同，賜爵襄國縣公，邑千戶。進平鄴都，又賜綺羅二千匹。後從滕王逌擊稽胡，破之。曆相州別駕、揚州總管長史。入為天官都上士，從韋孝寬經略淮南。

Xi showed ability from youth; under Zhou he entered service as right attendant upper steward. He was soon made commissioner with equal prestige, took command of the right feathered forest guard, and became junior adjutant of the palace guard. Under Emperor Wu he followed Prince Xian of Qi in defeating Qi armies at Luoyang and was enfeoffed as viscount of Fengning with five hundred households. He then joined the emperor in conquering Qi, rose to opener of the way, was re-enfeoffed as duke of Liyang with twelve hundred households, and was appointed director in the bureau of appointments. When Emperor Xuan came to the throne, he became right director of meritorious service. He soon took command of the right loyal-righteous guard. When Gaozu was chancellor, he was promoted to senior opener of the way. At the founding of the dynasty he rose to grand general and became governor of Bian province, earning a name for capable administration. The emperor heard and approved; he issued a commendatory edict and granted a hundred bolts of silk. He was soon promoted to senior grand general and advanced to ducal rank. Transferred to governor of Shao province, he governed for years with notable kindness. Later, while acting as area commander of Jiangling, several dozen local men led by Zhang Yuan petitioned the throne to keep Xi in office. The emperor sighed in admiration and sent him back to Shao; the elders rejoiced together. He was soon moved to Luo province and then Xiong province, governing both with benevolent policies. Illness brought him back to the capital. At the end of the Renshou era he died at home, posthumous name Jing. He had a son named Zhiben. Duan Wenzhen came from Qiyuan in Beihai commandery. His grandfather Shou had been inspector of Cang province under Wei. His father Wei had served Zhou as inspector of Tao, He, Gan, and Wei provinces. From youth Wenzhen was powerfully built, bolder than most, upright by nature, and shrewd in public affairs. He first served as a trusted aide to Yuwen Hu, who recognized his practical talent. He was promoted to the military bureau of the central and outer offices. Later Emperor Wu besieged Wei's Prince of Haichang, Wei Xianggui, at Jinzhou, where lieutenant generals Hou Ziqin and Cui Jingsong acted as inside collaborators. Wenzhen scaled the wall spear in hand and was among the first up with Cui Zhongfang and several dozen others. Wenzhen followed Jingsong to Xianggui's quarters, drew his sword, and seized him; Xianggui did not stir, and the city fell. The emperor was delighted and rewarded him with a thousand bolts of goods. He went on to capture Wenhou, Huagu, and Gaobi, distinguishing himself in each. At the assault on Bingzhou they broke in through the east gate; Prince Ande of Qi, Yan Zong, surrendered in terror. His accumulated merit would have won him high rank, but prophecy slander brought censure; he received instead the first rank of prestige and was enfeoffed as duke of Xiangguo with a thousand households. He helped pacify the Ye capital and was again granted two thousand bolts of fine silk. He later followed Prince Yu of Teng against the Jiahu barbarians and defeated them. He served as vice-governor of Xiang province and chief administrator under the Yangzhou area commander. He entered court as senior steward of the celestial bureau and joined Wei Xiaokuan's Huainan campaign.

俄而尉迥作亂，時文振老母妻子俱在鄴城，迥遣人誘之，文振不顧，歸於高祖。高祖引為丞相掾，領宿衛驃騎。司馬消難之奔陳也，高祖令文振安集淮南，還除衛尉少卿，兼內史侍郎。尋以行軍長史從達奚震討叛蠻，平之，加上開府。歲餘，遷鴻臚卿。衛王爽北征突厥，以文振為長史，坐勳簿不實免官。後為石、河二州刺史，甚有威惠，遷蘭州總管，改封龍崗縣公。突厥犯塞，以行軍總管擊破之，逐北至居延塞而還。九年，大舉伐陳，以文振為元帥秦王司馬，別領行軍總管。及平江南，授揚州總管司馬。尋轉并州總管司馬，以母憂去職。未幾，起令視事，固辭不許。後數年，拜雲州總管，尋為太僕卿。十九年，突厥犯塞，文振以行軍總管拒之，遇達頭可汗于沃野，擊破之。文振先與王世積有舊，初，文振北征，世積遺以駝馬。比還，世積以罪被誅，文振坐與交關，功遂不錄。明年，率眾出靈州道以備胡，無虜而還。越巂蠻叛，文振擊平之，賜奴婢二百口。仁壽初，嘉州獠作亂，文振以行軍總管討之。引軍出穀間，為賊所襲，前後阻險，不得相救，軍遂大敗。文振複收散兵，擊其不意，竟破之。文振性素剛直，無所降下，初，軍次益州，謁蜀王秀，貌頗不恭，秀甚銜之，及此，奏文振師徒喪敗。右僕射蘇威與文振有隙，因而譖之，坐是除名。及秀廢黜，文振上表自申理，高祖慰諭之，授大將軍。尋拜靈州總管。

When Yuchi Jiong rebelled, Wenzhen's mother, wife, and children were all in Ye city and Jiong tried to win him over, but he ignored the offer and returned to Gaozu. Gaozu took him onto the chancellor's staff and put him in charge of the palace guard swift cavalry. When Sima Xiaonan defected to Chen, Gaozu sent Wenzhen to pacify Huainan; on his return he became vice minister of the court of imperial regalia and concurrent vice director of the secretariat. He soon served as campaign chief administrator under Daxi Zhen against rebel tribes, pacified them, and rose to senior opener of the way. A little over a year later he became grand master for ceremonial occasions. On Prince Shuang's northern campaign against the Turks, Wenzhen served as chief administrator but was dismissed when his merit register proved false. He later governed Shi and He provinces with stern fairness and kindness, became area commander of Lan province, and was re-enfeoffed as duke of Longgang. When Turks raided the frontier he routed them as campaign commander, pursued them to the Juyan pass, and returned. In the ninth year, during the great campaign against Chen, he was staff officer to the Prince of Qin, supreme commander, and also led a campaign army of his own. After the pacification of Jiangnan he became chief administrator under the Yangzhou area commander. He was soon moved to chief administrator under the Bingzhou area commander, then left office to mourn his mother. Shortly afterward he was recalled to duty; he refused firmly but was overruled. Several years later he became area commander of Yun province, then grand master of the court of the imperial stud. In the nineteenth year, when Turks raided the frontier, Wenzhen met Qaghan Datou at Woye as campaign commander and defeated him. Wenzhen had long been friendly with Wang Shiji, who sent him camels and horses when he marched north. By the time he returned, Shiji had been executed for treason; Wenzhen was punished for their association and his merit went unrecorded. The next year he led troops out the Lingzhou route to guard against barbarian raids, found none, and returned. When the Yuexi tribes rebelled, Wenzhen suppressed them and was granted two hundred household slaves. At the start of the Renshou era the Jia province Liao rebelled, and Wenzhen marched against them as campaign commander. He led his army through a mountain defile, was ambushed, and with front and rear cut off by rough terrain could not rescue one another; the army was routed. Wenzhen rallied the scattered troops, struck where they did not expect, and in the end broke them. Wenzhen had always been proud and unyielding. When the army halted at Yi province he had visited Prince Xiu of Shu with open disrespect; Xiu bore a grudge and now reported that Wenzhen's force had been shattered. Right vice director Su Wei, who bore him a grudge, slandered him, and he was struck from the rolls. After Xiu's deposition Wenzhen petitioned in his own defense; Gaozu reassured him and restored him as grand general. He was soon appointed area commander of Ling province.

煬帝即位，征為兵部尚書，待遇甚重。從征吐谷渾，文振督兵屯雪山，連營三百餘裡，東接楊義臣，西連張壽，合圍渾主于覆袁川。以功進位右光祿大夫。帝幸江都，以文振行江都郡事。文振見高祖時容納突厥啟民居於塞內，妻以公主，賞賜重疊；及大業初，恩澤彌厚。文振以狼子野心，恐為國患，乃上表曰：「臣聞古者遠不間近，夷不亂華，周宣外攘戎狄，秦帝築城萬里，蓋遠圖良算，弗可忘也。竊見國家容受啟民，資其兵食，假以地利。如臣愚計，竊又未安。何則？夷狄之性，無親而貪，弱則歸投，強則反噬，蓋其本心也。臣學非博覽，不能遠見，且聞晉朝劉曜，梁代侯景，近事之驗，眾所共知。以臣量之，必為國患。如臣之計，以時喻遣，令出塞外。然後明設烽候，緣邊鎮防，務令嚴重，此乃萬歲之長策也。」時兵曹郎斛斯政專掌兵事，文振知政險薄，不可委以機要，屢言於帝，帝並弗納。

When Emperor Yang took the throne, Wenzhen was summoned as minister of war and treated with great favor. On the Tuyuhun campaign Wenzhen encamped at Snow Mountain in a chain of camps more than three hundred li long, joining Yang Yichen on the east and Zhang Shou on the west to surround the Tuyuhun ruler at Fuyuan River. For his merit he was promoted to grand master of splendid rightness. When the emperor traveled to Jiangdu, Wenzhen administered Jiangdu commandery in his stead. Wenzhen saw that under Gaozu the court had taken the Turk Qaghan Qimin inside the frontier, married him to an imperial princess, and lavished rewards on him; and at the start of the Daye era the favors had grown even richer. Fearing the wolfish nature of the Turks, Wenzhen warned that Qimin would become a national threat and memorialized: "I have heard that in antiquity the distant did not interfere with the near and barbarians did not trouble the Hua; King Xuan of Zhou drove off the Rong and Di abroad, and the First Emperor of Qin raised walls ten thousand li—all far-sighted policies that must not be forgotten. I see the state sheltering Qimin, feeding his soldiers, and granting him strategic ground. By my humble reckoning, I cannot be at ease. Why? Barbarians know no loyalty and are ever greedy; weak, they submit; strong, they turn and bite—that is their nature. My learning is not wide and my sight not long, yet Liu Yao of Jin and Hou Jing of Liang are recent lessons everyone knows. By my measure, Qimin will surely become a national calamity. My counsel is to instruct him in good time and send him beyond the frontier. Then set beacons clearly, fortify the border strictly, and hold the line—that is the policy for ages to come." At the time Husizheng, officer of military affairs, controlled the armies alone. Wenzhen saw that he was treacherous and shallow and unfit for secrets; he warned the emperor again and again, but the emperor would not listen.

及遼東之役，授左候衛大將軍，出南蘇道。在道疾篤，上表曰：「臣以庸微，幸逢聖世，濫蒙獎擢，榮冠儕伍。而智能無取，叨竊已多，言念國恩，用忘寢食。常思效其鳴吠，以報萬分，而攝養乖方，疾患遂篤。抱此深愧，永歸泉壤，不勝餘恨，輕陳管穴。竊見遼東小丑，未服嚴刑，遠降六師，親勞萬乘。但夷狄多詐，深須防擬，口陳降款，心懷背叛，詭伏多端，勿得便受。水潦方降，不可淹遲，唯願嚴勒諸軍，星馳速發，水陸俱前，出其不意，則平壤孤城，勢可拔也。若傾其本根，餘城自克。如不時定，脫遇秋霖，深為艱阻，兵糧又竭，強敵在前，靺軻出後，遲疑不決，非上策也。」後數日，卒于師。帝省表，悲歎久之，贈光祿大夫、尚書右僕射、北平侯，諡曰襄。賜物一千段，粟麥二千石，威儀鼓吹，送至墓所。有子十人。

When the Liaodong campaign began, he was appointed grand general of the left guard and marched by the Nansu route. On the march his illness turned grave; he memorialized: "I am a man of little worth who has been favored in a sage reign, promoted beyond my desert, and honored above my peers. Yet I have no talent to show for it and have taken more than I deserve; remembering the state's kindness, I forget sleep and food. I have always hoped to repay even a fraction of my debt, but bad care has brought me to death's door. I go to the grave ashamed, yet cannot silence one last counsel. The petty kingdom of Liaodong still defies your majesty's wrath, yet six armies have marched from afar and the Son of Heaven himself has taken the field. Barbarians are full of deceit and must be watched closely: they offer surrender with their lips while plotting treachery in their hearts—do not trust them lightly. The rains are coming and there must be no delay: drive every army forward at once by land and water, strike before they expect it, and isolated Pyongyang can fall. Uproot their capital and the outlying cities will fall of themselves. If you hesitate, autumn rains will bog the armies, supplies will fail, Goguryeo will stand before you and the Mohe will strike from behind—delay is the worst strategy." A few days later he died on campaign. The emperor read the memorial and mourned at length, posthumously granting him grand master of splendid happiness, right vice director, and the marquisate of Beiping, posthumous name Xiang. He granted a thousand bolts of goods, two thousand shi of grain, full funeral honors, and an escort to the tomb. He had ten sons.

長子詮，官至武牙郎將。次綸，少以俠氣聞。文振弟文操，大業中，為武賁郎將，性甚剛嚴。帝令督秘書省學士。時學士頗存儒雅，文操輒鞭撻之，前後或至千數，時議者鄙之。【論】史臣曰：仲方兼資文武，雅有籌算，伐陳之策，信為深遠矣。聲績克舉，夫豈徒言哉！仲文博涉書記，以英略自許，尉迥之亂，遂立功名。自茲厥後，屢當推轂。遼東之役，實喪師徒。斯乃大樹將顛，蓋亦非戰人之罪也。文振少以膽略見重，終懷壯夫之志，時進讜言，頻稱諒直。其取高位厚秩，良有以也。

His eldest son Quan rose to general of the martial tooth guard. The second son, Lun, was known from youth for his chivalrous spirit. Wenzhen's younger brother Wencao, a martial tiger guard general in the Daye era, was notoriously harsh. The emperor put him in charge of the secretariat scholars. The scholars were men of refinement, yet Wencao flogged them relentlessly—sometimes a thousand lashes in all—and public opinion scorned him. Commentary: The historiographer writes: Zhongfang united civil and military gifts and possessed elegant strategy; his plan to attack Chen was truly far-sighted. His fame and achievement were fully realized—this was no empty boast. Zhongwen was widely read and counted himself a strategist; in Yuchi Jiong's rebellion he won his place in history. From then on he repeatedly held supreme command. The Liaodong campaign truly cost him his army. The great tree was already falling—it was not the warrior's fault alone. Wenzhen was honored from youth for courage and counsel; to the end he kept a soldier's heart, spoke plainly when it mattered, and was repeatedly praised for blunt honesty. That he rose to high rank and rich reward was well deserved.

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