Volume 35: Cui Hao

崔浩，字伯淵，清河人也，白馬公玄伯之長子。少好文學，博覽經史，玄象陰陽，百家之言，無不關綜，研精義理，時人莫及。弱冠為直郎。天興中，給事祕書，轉著作郎。太祖以其工書，常置左右。太祖季年，威嚴頗峻，宮省左右多以微過得罪，莫不逃隱，避目下之變，浩獨恭勤不怠，或終日不歸。太祖知之，輒命賜以御粥。其砥直任時，不為窮通改節，皆此類也。

Cui Hao, whose style was Boyuan, came from Qinghe. He was the eldest son of Duke of Baima Xuanbo. From youth he loved learning. He read widely in the classics and histories, in astronomy and the yin-yang arts, and in the teachings of the hundred schools—there was none he did not weave together—and he penetrated their principles so deeply that no contemporary could rival him. At twenty he was appointed Direct Attendant. During the Tianxing reign he served as an attendant in the Secretariat and was later transferred to Compiler in the Bureau of Writings. Because of his skill at calligraphy, Emperor Taizu often kept him close at hand. In Emperor Taizu's last years his authority grew severe. Many in the palace staff were punished for trifling faults, and all fled or hid to escape his sudden wrath—only Hao remained respectful and tireless in duty, sometimes not going home for an entire day. When the emperor learned of this, he would order imperial gruel sent to him. His steadfast integrity in office, never altering his principles whether in adversity or success, was always of this kind.

太宗初，拜博士祭酒，賜爵武城子，常授太宗經書。每至郊祠，父子並乘軒軺，時人榮之。太宗好陰陽術數，聞浩說易及洪範五行，善之，因命浩筮吉凶，參觀天文，考定疑惑。浩綜覈天人之際，舉其綱紀，諸所處決，多有應驗，恒與軍國大謀，甚為寵密。是時，有兔在後宮，驗問門官，無從得入。太宗怪之，命浩推其咎徵。浩以為當有隣國貢嬪嬙者，善應也。明年，姚興果獻女。

At the start of Emperor Taizong's reign he was appointed Libationer of the Erudites and enfeoffed as Marquis of Wucheng, and he regularly lectured the emperor on the classics. Whenever suburban sacrifices were held, father and son rode together in light carriages—a sight others envied. Emperor Taizong delighted in yin-yang lore and numerology. When he heard Hao explain the Book of Changes and the Five Elements from the Great Plan, he was pleased and charged him to divine good and ill fortune, observe the heavens, and settle whatever was uncertain. Hao mastered the connection between Heaven and human affairs and laid hold of their governing principles. Most of his judgments were borne out in fact, and he was constantly drawn into the weightiest military and state counsels, enjoying extraordinary trust and intimacy. About that time a hare was found in the inner palace. The gatekeepers were questioned, yet no one could have let it in. The emperor thought it strange and ordered Hao to interpret the omen. Hao said that a neighboring state would soon present a consort or palace woman—a favorable sign. The following year Yao Xing did in fact send a daughter as tribute.

神瑞二年，秋穀不登，太史令王亮、蘇垣因華陰公主等言讖書國家當治鄴，應大樂五十年，勸太宗遷都。浩與特進周澹言於太宗曰：「今國家遷都於鄴，可救今年之飢，非長久之策也。東州之人，常謂國家居廣漠之地，民畜無算，號稱牛毛之眾。今留守舊都，分家南徙，恐不滿諸州之地。參居郡縣，處榛林之間，不便水土，疾疫死傷，情見事露，則百姓意沮。四方聞之，有輕侮之意，屈丐、蠕蠕必提挈而來，雲中、平城則有危殆之慮，阻隔恒代千里之險，雖欲救援，赴之甚難，如此則聲實俱損矣。今居北方，假令山東有變，輕騎南出，燿威桑梓之中，誰知多少？百姓見之，望塵震服。此是國家威制諸夏之長策也。至春草生，乳酪將出，兼有菜果，足接來秋，若得中熟，事則濟矣。」太宗深然之，曰：「唯此二人，與朕意同。」復使中貴人問浩、澹曰：「今既糊口無以至來秋，來秋或復不熟，將如之何？」浩等對曰：「可簡窮下之戶，諸州就穀，若來秋無年，願更圖也。但不可遷都。」太宗從之，於是分民詣山東三州食，出倉穀以稟之。來年遂大熟。賜浩、澹妾各一人，御衣一襲，絹五十匹，綿五十斤。

In the second year of Shenrui the autumn harvest failed. The Director of Astronomy Wang Liang and Su Yuan, speaking through Princess Huayin and others, cited prophetic texts saying the state should govern from Ye and would enjoy fifty years of great peace, and they urged Emperor Taizong to move the capital. Hao and the Special Advancement Zhou Dan said to the emperor: "Moving the capital to Ye now might ease this year's famine, but it is no lasting policy. The people of the eastern provinces have long believed that our state sits in boundless steppe country, with people and herds beyond reckoning—a host as countless as hairs on cattle. If we leave the old capital and send families south in a mass migration, I fear they will not even fill the eastern provinces. Scattered through the commanderies, living among scrub and woodland, unaccustomed to the climate, they will suffer plague and death. Once the truth becomes plain, the people's morale will collapse. When the four quarters hear of it they will despise us. The Qiyan and Rouran will surely join forces and attack. Yunzhong and Pingcheng will be in danger. Cut off by the thousand-li barriers of Hengshan and Dai, rescue will be desperately slow—and both our prestige and our strength will suffer. If we remain in the north, then whenever trouble arises in the east a body of light cavalry can ride south and show our might in the heart of China—who can say how great that force might be? The common people, seeing them, will submit at the mere sight of their dust. That is the state's enduring strategy for holding the Chinese realms in awe. When spring grass grows there will be milk and cheese again, and with vegetables and fruit we can bridge to the next autumn. An ordinary harvest will see us through." The emperor was deeply convinced and said, "Only these two men share my view." He again sent a palace eunuch to ask Hao and Dan: "We can barely feed ourselves until next autumn. If next autumn's harvest fails again, what then?" Hao and the others replied: "Select the poorest households and send them to the eastern provinces for grain. If next autumn fails again, we can devise another plan then. But we must not move the capital." The emperor agreed. The people were sent to the three eastern provinces for food, and grain from the state granaries was issued to sustain them. The following year brought a bumper harvest. Hao and Dan were each given a concubine, a suit of imperial robes, fifty bolts of silk, and fifty jin of cotton.

初，姚興死之前歲也，太史奏：熒惑在匏瓜星中，一夜忽然亡失，不知所在。或謂下入危亡之國，將為童謠妖言，而後行其災禍。太宗聞之，大驚，乃召諸碩儒十數人，令與史官求其所詣。浩對曰：「案春秋左氏傳說神降于莘，其至之日，各以其物祭也。請以日辰推之，庚午之弘，辛未之朝，天有陰雲，熒惑之亡，當在此二日之內。庚之與未，皆主於秦，辛為西夷。今姚興據咸陽，是熒惑入秦矣。」諸人皆作色曰：「天上失星，人安能知其所詣，而妄說無徵之言。」浩笑而不應。後八十餘日，熒惑果出於東井，留守盤遊，秦中大旱赤地，昆明池水竭，童謠訛言，國內諠擾。明年，姚興死，二子交兵，三年國滅。於是諸人皆服曰：「非所及也。」

Earlier, in the year before Yao Xing died, the Director of Astronomy reported that Mars stood in the Gourd constellation, then vanished overnight with no one knowing where it had gone. Some said it had descended into a doomed state and would first stir up children's rhymes and wild rumors before the disaster struck. When the emperor heard this he was deeply alarmed. He summoned more than ten leading scholars and ordered them, together with the court astronomers, to determine where the star had gone. Hao replied: "The Zuo Commentary to the Spring and Autumn Annals records that when a spirit descended at Shen, on the day of its arrival each kind of being offered sacrifice with its proper offering. Let us reckon by the calendar: on the evening of gengwu and the morning of xinwei the sky was overcast. Mars must have vanished within those two days. Geng and wei both correspond to Qin; xin corresponds to the western barbarians. Yao Xing now holds Xianyang—Mars has entered Qin." The others flushed with anger and said, "When a star vanishes from the sky, how can any man know where it has gone? You speak recklessly without proof." Hao only smiled and made no reply. More than eighty days later Mars did appear in the Well constellation, lingering there. Qin suffered severe drought until the land was bare and red; the Kunming Pool ran dry; children's rhymes and wild rumors spread; the realm was in turmoil. The next year Yao Xing died. His two sons fought each other, and within three years the state was destroyed. Then all conceded: "We could never have matched that."

泰常元年，司馬德宗將劉裕伐姚泓，舟師自淮泗入清，欲泝河西上，假道於國。詔羣臣議之。外朝公卿咸曰：「函谷關號曰天險。一人荷戈，萬夫不得進。裕舟船步兵，何能西入？脫我乘其後，還路甚難。若北上河岸，其行為易。揚言伐姚，意或難測。假其水道，寇不可縱，宜先發軍斷河上流，勿令西過。」又議之內朝，咸同外計。太宗將從之。浩曰：「此非上策。司馬休之之徒擾其荊州，劉裕切齒來久。今興死子劣，乘其危亡而伐之，臣觀其意，必欲入關。勁躁之人，不顧後患。今若塞其西路，裕必上岸北侵，如此則姚無事而我受敵。今蠕蠕內寇，民食又乏，不可發軍。發軍赴南則北寇進擊，若其救北則東州復危。未若假之水道，縱裕西入，然後興兵塞其東歸之路，所謂卞莊刺虎，兩得之勢也。使裕勝也，必德我假道之惠；令姚氏勝也，亦不失救隣之名。縱使裕得關中，縣遠難守，彼不能守，終為我物。今不勞兵馬，坐觀成敗，鬬兩虎而收長久之利，上策也。夫為國之計，擇利而為之，豈顧婚姻，酬一女子之惠哉？假令國家棄恒山以南，裕必不能發吳越之兵與官軍爭守河北也，居然可知。」議者猶曰：「裕西入函谷，則進退路窮，腹背受敵；北上岸則姚軍必不出關助我。揚聲西行，意在北進，其勢然也。」太宗遂從羣議，遣長孫嵩發兵拒之，戰於畔城，為裕將朱超石所敗，師人多傷。太宗聞之，恨不用浩計。

In the first year of Taichang, Liu Yu, general of the Jin emperor Sima Dezong, prepared to attack Yao Hong. His fleet entered the Qing River from the Huai and Si, intending to ascend the Yellow River westward and request passage through our territory. The emperor ordered the ministers to deliberate. The outer-court nobles and ministers all said: "Hangu Pass is called heaven's own barrier. One man with a spear can hold off ten thousand. How can Liu Yu's ships and foot soldiers force their way west? If we strike from behind, his retreat will be desperately difficult. If he lands on the north bank, his march will be easy. He claims to be attacking Yao, but his true intent may be hard to read. We must not let an enemy use our waterways. We should send troops first to block the upper river and forbid him to pass westward." When the inner court debated the matter, all agreed with the outer court. The emperor was about to accept this advice. Hao said: "This is not the best course. Sima Xiuzhi and his faction have ravaged Liu Yu's Jing province. Liu Yu has long burned for revenge. Yao Xing is dead and his son is weak. Liu Yu is striking while Qin is in peril. In my view his aim is certainly to enter the passes. A fierce and impetuous man does not count the cost. If we block his western route now, Liu Yu will surely land on the north bank and invade us—Yao will be spared while we bear the attack. The Rouran are raiding within our borders and food is scarce again. We cannot deploy an army. Send troops south and the northern raiders advance. Rescue the north and the eastern provinces are endangered again. Better to grant him the water route, let Liu Yu pass west, then raise troops to block his return east—the stratagem of Bian Zhuang stabbing the tiger, profiting from both sides. If Liu Yu wins, he will owe us for granting passage; if the Yao prevail, we still keep the credit of aiding a neighbor. Even if Liu Yu takes Guanzhong, the region is remote and he cannot hold it. In the end it will be ours. Without moving our own forces we can watch the outcome, set two tigers against each other, and reap a lasting gain. That is the best policy. Statecraft chooses profit and acts accordingly. Why should we honor a marriage tie or repay the gift of a single woman? Even if we abandoned everything south of Hengshan, Liu Yu could not raise Wu and Yue troops to contest Hebei with our armies—that much is plain." The debaters still objected: "If Liu Yu enters Hangu from the west, his advance and retreat are cut off and he will be attacked front and rear. If he lands on the north bank, the Yao army will surely not leave the passes to help us. He proclaims a western march while intending to strike north—that is how the situation will unfold." The emperor followed the majority. He sent Changgunsong to block Liu Yu. At Pancheng they were defeated by Liu Yu's general Zhu Chaoshi, and many soldiers were killed or wounded. When the emperor heard this, he regretted not having followed Hao's advice.

二年，司馬德宗齊郡太守王懿來降，上書陳計，稱劉裕在洛，勸國家以軍絕其後路，則裕軍可不戰而克。書奏，太宗善之。會浩在前進講書傳，太宗問浩曰：「劉裕西伐，前軍已至潼關。其事如何？以卿觀之，事得濟不？」浩對曰：「昔姚興好養虛名，而無實用。子泓又病，眾叛親離。裕乘其危，兵精將勇，以臣觀之，克之必矣。」太宗曰：「劉裕武能何如慕容垂？」浩曰：「裕勝。」太宗曰：「試言其狀。」浩曰：「慕容垂乘父祖世君之資，生便尊貴，同類歸之，若夜蛾之赴火，少加倚仗，便足立功。劉裕挺出寒微，不階尺土之資，不因一卒之用，奮臂大呼而夷滅桓玄，北擒慕容超，南摧盧循等，僭晉陵遲，遂執國命。裕若平姚而還，必篡其主，其勢然也。秦地戎夷混并，虎狼之國，裕亦不能守之。風俗不同，人情難變，欲行荊揚之化於三秦之地，譬無翼而欲飛，無足而欲走，不可得也。若留眾守之，必資於寇。孔子曰：善人為邦百年，可以勝殘去殺。今以秦之難制，一二年間豈裕所能哉？且可治戎束甲，息民備境，以待其歸，秦地亦當終為國有，可坐而守也。」太宗曰：「裕已入關，不能進退，我遣精騎南襲彭城、壽春，裕亦何能自立？」浩曰：「今西北二寇未殄，陛下不可親御六師。兵眾雖盛，而將無韓白。長孫嵩有治國之用，無進取之能，非劉裕敵也。臣謂待之不晚。」太宗笑曰：「卿量之已審矣。」浩曰：「臣嘗私論近世人物，不敢不上聞。若王猛之治國，苻堅之管仲也；慕容玄恭之輔少主，慕容暐之霍光也；劉裕之平逆亂，司馬德宗之曹操也。」太宗曰：「卿謂先帝如何？」浩曰：「小人管窺懸象，何能見玄穹之廣大。雖然，太祖用漠北醇樸之人，南入中地，變風易俗，化洽四海，自與羲農齊列，臣豈能仰名。」太宗曰：「屈丐何如？」浩曰：「屈丐家國夷滅，一身孤寄，為姚氏封殖。不思樹黨強隣，報讎雪耻，乃結忿於蠕蠕，背德於姚興，撅竪小人，無大經略，正可殘暴，終為人所滅耳。」太宗大悅，語至中夜，賜浩御縹醪酒十觚，水精戎鹽一兩。曰：「朕味卿言，若此鹽酒，故與卿同其旨也。」

In the second year Wang Yi, Administrator of Qi under the Jin emperor Sima Dezong, came over to us. In his memorial he said Liu Yu was at Luoyang and urged our state to cut off his retreat with an army, so that Liu Yu's forces could be destroyed without a battle. The emperor read the memorial and approved it. Hao happened to be at the forward camp lecturing on the classics when the emperor asked him: "Liu Yu is campaigning westward. His vanguard has already reached Tong Pass. How do matters stand? In your view, will he succeed?" Hao replied: "Yao Xing once cultivated empty reputation without real strength. His son Hong is ill again. His followers have deserted and his kin turned away. Liu Yu strikes while Qin is in peril. His troops are elite and his commanders bold. In my view he is certain to prevail." The emperor asked: "How does Liu Yu's military talent compare with Murong Chui's?" Hao said: "Liu Yu is the greater." The emperor said: "Explain how that is so." Hao said: "Murong Chui inherited the standing of fathers and grandfathers who had ruled for generations. Born to eminence, men flocked to him like moths to flame. With little effort he could win glory. Liu Yu rose from utter obscurity without an inch of land or a single soldier at his command. He raised his arm and cried out, destroyed Huan Xuan, captured Murong Chao in the north and crushed Lu Xun in the south. The usurping Jin court lingered in decay, and he seized the reins of power. If Liu Yu pacifies Qin and returns, he will surely supplant his sovereign. That is how the situation will unfold. The Qin region is a mingled land of barbarians, a country of tigers and wolves. Liu Yu cannot hold it either. Customs differ and hearts are slow to change. To impose the ways of Jing and Yang on the Three Qin is like trying to fly without wings or run without feet—it cannot be done. If he leaves troops to garrison the region, he will only feed our enemies. Confucius said that if a good man ruled a state for a hundred years, he could overcome cruelty and abolish killing. Given how hard Qin is to govern, how could Liu Yu master it in a year or two? We should instead ready our defenses, arm the frontier, rest the people, and guard the borders until he returns. Qin will ultimately be ours, and we can hold it without stirring." The emperor said: "Liu Yu is inside the passes and cannot advance or retreat. If I send elite cavalry south against Pengcheng and Shouchun, how can he hold his position?" Hao said: "The two enemies in the northwest are not yet destroyed. Your Majesty cannot personally lead the main armies. Our forces are numerous, but we have no commander equal to Han Xin or Bai Qi. Changgunsong is fit to govern the state but lacks the drive for conquest. He is no match for Liu Yu. I say there is no hurry to act." The emperor laughed and said, "You have judged the matter already with full clarity." Hao said, "I have privately formed opinions on men of recent times and dare not withhold them from Your Majesty. Wang Meng in governing the state was to Fu Jian what Guan Zhong was to Duke Huan; Murong Xuanggong in assisting the young ruler was to Murong Wei what Huo Guang was to Emperor Xuan; Liu Yu in quelling rebellion was to Sima Dezong what Cao Cao was to the Han emperor." The emperor asked, "What do you make of the late emperor?" Hao said, "I am but a narrow observer—how could I take in the vastness of heaven? Yet the Taizu Emperor took the plain, honest men of the northern steppe, entered the central plains, and changed customs until his transforming influence reached the four seas. He stands with Fuxi and Shennong—how could I presume to name his stature?" The emperor asked, "What of the Qiyan chief?" Hao said, "The Qiyan chief's state and clan were destroyed. He drifted alone into exile and was sheltered and raised by the Yao. He never thought to build alliances, strengthen neighbors, or avenge his ruin. Instead he picked a feud with the Rouran and betrayed Yao Xing's kindness—a petty upstart without grand strategy, fit only for brutality, and in the end others will destroy him." The emperor was delighted. They talked until midnight, and he gave Hao ten goblets of imperial blue-green ale and one liang of crystal frontier salt. He said, "I savor your words as I savor this salt and wine—so I share them with you."

三年，彗星出天津，入太微，經北斗，絡紫微，犯天棓，八十餘日，至漢而滅。太宗復召諸儒術士問之曰：「今天下未一，四方岳峙，災咎之應，將在何國？朕甚畏之，盡情以言，勿有所隱。」咸共推浩令對。浩曰：「古人有言，夫災異之生，由人而起。人無釁焉，妖不自作。故人失於下，則變見於上，天事恒象，百代不易。漢書載王莽篡位之前，彗星出入，正與今同。國家主尊臣卑，上下有序，民無異望。雖僭晉卑削，主弱臣強，累世陵遲，故桓玄逼奪，劉裕秉權。彗孛者，惡氣之所生，是為僭晉將滅，劉裕篡之之應也。」諸人莫能易浩言，太宗深然之。五年，裕果廢其主司馬德文而自立。南鎮上裕改元赦書。時太宗幸東南潟滷池射鳥，聞之，驛召浩，謂之曰：「往年卿言彗星之占驗矣，朕於今日始信天道。」

In the third year a comet appeared at the Celestial Ford, entered the Supreme Palace Enclosure, passed the Northern Dipper, threaded the Purple Forbidden Enclosure, and struck the Celestial Club. It lingered more than eighty days before reaching Han territory and fading away. The emperor again summoned the scholars and diviners and asked, "The realm is not yet united and the four quarters stand like peaks. Which state will this omen strike? I fear it deeply. Speak with full candor and hide nothing." All urged Hao to answer. Hao said, "The ancients said that disasters and portents arise from human conduct. When men give no cause, omens do not arise on their own. When men fail below, signs appear above. Heaven's patterns are constant and do not change across the ages. The Book of Han records that before Wang Mang seized the throne, a comet appeared just as it has now. In our state the sovereign is honored and ministers are subordinate, order runs from top to bottom, and the people harbor no rival hopes. The usurping Jin court is enfeebled: its sovereign is weak and its ministers strong, and it has declined for generations. That is why Huan Xuan seized power and Liu Yu holds the reins. Comets spring from malign forces. This omen means the usurping Jin will fall and Liu Yu will seize its place." No one could refute Hao, and the emperor was deeply convinced. In the fifth year Liu Yu did indeed depose his sovereign Sima Dewen and take the throne himself. The southern frontier post reported Liu Yu's edict changing the reign title and proclaiming a general amnesty. The emperor was then hunting birds at the southeastern salt lagoons. When he heard the news he summoned Hao by courier and said, "Years ago you read the comet aright. Only today do I truly trust heaven's way."

初，浩父疾篤，浩乃剪爪截髮，夜在庭中仰禱斗極，為父請命，求以身代，叩頭流血，歲餘不息，家人罕有知者。及父終，居喪盡禮，時人稱之。襲爵白馬公。朝廷禮儀、優文策詔、軍國書記，盡關於浩。浩能為雜說，不長屬文，而留心於制度、科律及經術之言。作家祭法，次序五宗，蒸嘗之禮，豐儉之節，義理可觀。性不好老莊之書，每讀不過數十行，輒棄之，曰：「此矯誣之說，不近人情，必非老子所作。老聃習禮，仲尼所師，豈設敗法文書，以亂先王之教。袁生所謂家人筐篋中物，不可揚於王庭也。」

When his father fell gravely ill, Hao cut his nails and hair and night after night prayed in the courtyard to the Pole Star, begging heaven to spare his father's life and offering his own in exchange. He kowtowed until it bled, and for more than a year he did not stop—almost none in the household knew. When his father died he observed mourning with full propriety, and contemporaries praised him for it. He inherited the title Duke of Baima. Court ritual, gracious edicts, imperial proclamations, and military and state correspondence all passed through Hao. Hao could discourse on many subjects but was not a master of formal prose. His true attention lay in institutions, law codes, and classical learning. He drafted family sacrificial regulations, ordering the five ancestral lines and setting the rites of seasonal offerings with proper measures of abundance and restraint—work whose principles still command respect. By nature he disliked the Laozi and Zhuangzi. He never read more than a few dozen lines before setting them aside, saying, "These are deceptive doctrines, alien to human feeling—they cannot be Laozi's own work. Old Dan studied ritual and was Confucius's teacher. How could he have written texts to ruin the law and overturn the teaching of the former kings? They are what Master Yuan called household clutter from the basket and box—things one does not display in the royal court."

太宗恒有微疾，怪異屢見，乃使中貴人密問於浩曰：「春秋：星孛北斗，七國之君皆將有咎。今茲日蝕於胃昂，盡光趙代之分野，朕疾彌年，療治無損，恐一旦奄忽，諸子並少，將如之何？其為我設圖後之計。」浩曰：「陛下春秋富盛，聖業方融，德以除災，幸就平愈。且天道懸遠，或消或應。昔宋景見災修德，熒惑退舍。願陛下遣諸憂虞，恬神保和，納御嘉福，無以闇昧之說，致損聖思。必不得已，請陳瞽言。自聖化龍興，不崇儲貳，是以永興之始，社禝幾危。今宜早建東宮，選公卿忠賢陛下素所委仗者使為師傅，左右信臣簡在聖心者以充賓友，入總萬機，出統戎政，監國撫軍，六柄在手。若此，則陛下可以優遊無為，頤神養壽，進御醫藥。萬歲之後，國有成主，民有所歸，則姦宄息望，旁無覬覦。此乃萬世之令典，塞禍之大備也。今長皇子燾，年漸一周，明叡溫和，眾情所繫，時登儲副，則天下幸甚。立子以長，禮之大經。若須並待成人而擇，倒錯天倫，則生履霜堅冰之禍。自古以來，載籍所記，興衰存亡，尠不由此。」太宗納之。於是使浩奉策告宗廟，命世祖為國副主，居正殿臨朝。司徒長孫嵩、山陽公奚斤、北新公安同為左輔，坐東廂西面；浩與太尉穆觀、散騎常侍丘堆為右弼，坐西廂東面。百僚總己以聽焉。太宗避居西宮，時隱而窺之，聽其決斷，大悅，謂左右侍臣曰：「長孫嵩宿德舊臣，歷事四世，功存社禝；奚斤辯捷智謀，名聞遐邇；安同曉解俗情，明練於事；穆觀達於政要，識吾旨趣；崔浩博聞強識，精於天人之會；丘堆雖無大用，然在公專謹。以此六人輔相，吾與汝曹遊行四境，伐叛柔服，可得志於天下矣。」羣臣時奏所疑，太宗曰：「此非我所知，當決之汝曹國主也。」

The emperor often suffered minor illness, and strange omens appeared again and again. He sent a palace eunuch to question Hao in secret: "The Spring and Autumn Annals record that when a comet stood in the Northern Dipper, the lords of the seven states all faced disaster. Now the sun is eclipsed in the Stomach and Mane, fully darkening the astral territory of Zhao and Dai. My illness has lasted years without improvement. I fear I may die suddenly, and my sons are all young. What then shall we do? Lay out a plan for what comes after." Hao said, "Your Majesty is in the prime of life and your sage virtue is still unfolding. Virtue can dispel disaster, and you will surely recover. Heaven's way is remote and may either fade or manifest. When Duke Jing of Song saw portents and cultivated virtue, Mars withdrew from its station. I beg Your Majesty to cast off worry, calm your spirit, preserve harmony, and receive heaven's blessing. Do not let dark and obscure talk harm your peace of mind. If you insist, I will offer my blind counsel. Since the dynasty arose, the heir apparent has not been properly established. That is why at the start of Yongxing the altars of state nearly fell. Now you should establish the Eastern Palace early. Choose loyal ministers you have long trusted as tutors, and close advisers you favor as companions. Let the heir oversee all affairs within, command the armies without, supervise the state and comfort the forces—let him hold all six powers of rule. Then Your Majesty may rest at ease, nourish your spirit, prolong your life, and attend to your health. After Your Majesty's passing, the state will have a settled ruler and the people a place to turn. Traitors will abandon their hopes and none will dare covet the throne. This is the enduring statute of statecraft and the greatest safeguard against disaster. The eldest prince Tao is nearly one year old—bright, wise, gentle, and beloved by all. If he is made heir now, the realm will be greatly blessed. To establish the eldest son is the great constant of ritual. If you wait until all are grown before choosing, you overturn the natural order of succession and invite the disaster of treading frost until it becomes solid ice. From antiquity to the present, few rises and falls recorded in the histories do not spring from this cause." The emperor accepted his counsel. He then had Hao present the edict at the ancestral temple and appointed Shizu deputy ruler of the state to hold court in the main hall. The Minister of Education Changgunsong, Duke of Shanyang Xi Jin, and Duke of Beixin An Tong served as left assistants, seated in the east wing facing west; Hao, Grand Commandant Mu Guan, and Regular Attendant Qiu Dui served as right assistants, seated in the west wing facing east. All officials gathered to hear their judgments. The emperor withdrew to the Western Palace and sometimes watched in secret, listening to their decisions. He was delighted and told his attendants, "Changgunsong is a minister of long-standing virtue who served four reigns and preserved the altars of state; Xi Jin is eloquent and resourceful, known far and wide; An Tong understands the people's hearts and is skilled in affairs; Mu Guan grasps the essentials of government and knows my mind; Cui Hao is broadly learned with a powerful memory, skilled in the meeting of Heaven and human affairs; Qiu Dui, though not greatly gifted, is wholly diligent in public duty. With these six to assist him, I with you may tour the four borders, punish rebels and win over the submissive, and fulfill our will over the realm." When ministers brought doubtful matters, the emperor said, "That is not for me to decide—you must settle it with your lord of state."

會聞劉裕死，太宗欲取洛陽、虎牢、滑臺。浩曰：「陛下不以劉裕歘起，納其使貢，裕亦敬事陛下。不幸今死，乘喪伐之，雖得之不令。春秋：晉士丐帥師侵齊，聞齊侯卒，乃還。君子大其不伐喪，以為恩足以感孝子，義足以動諸侯。今國家亦未能一舉而定江南，宜遣人弔祭，存其孤弱，恤其凶災，布義風於天下，令德之事也。若此，則化被荊揚，南金象齒羽毛之珍，可不求而自至。裕新死，黨與未離，兵臨其境，必相率拒戰，功不可必，不如緩之，待其惡稔。如其強臣爭權，變難必起，然後命將揚威，可不勞士卒，而收淮北之地。」太宗銳意南伐，詰浩曰：「劉裕因姚興死而滅其國，裕死我伐之，何為不可？」浩固執曰：「興死，二子交爭，裕乃伐之。」太宗大怒，不從浩言，遂遣奚斤南伐。議於監國之前曰：「先攻城也？先略地也？」斤曰：「請先攻城。」浩曰：「南人長於守城，苻氏攻襄陽，經年不拔。今以大國之力攻其小城，若不時克，挫損軍勢，敵得徐嚴而來。我怠彼銳，危道也。不如分軍略地，至淮為限，列置守宰，收歛租穀。滑臺、虎牢反在軍北，絕望南救，必沿河東走。若或不然，即是囿中之物。」公孫表請先圖其城。斤等濟河，先攻滑臺，經時不拔，表請濟師。太宗怒，乃親南巡。拜浩相州刺史，加左光祿大夫，隨軍為謀主。

When word came that Liu Yu had died, the emperor wished to seize Luoyang, Hulao, and Huatai. Hao said, "Your Majesty did not disdain Liu Yu when he rose suddenly. You received his envoys and tribute, and Liu Yu in turn honored Your Majesty. Now that he has died, to attack while they mourn may bring gain, but it is not honorable. The Spring and Autumn Annals record that when Jin's Shi Gai led troops against Qi and heard the marquis had died, he turned back. The noble man praised him for not attacking during mourning, holding that such grace can move filial sons and such righteousness can stir the feudal lords. Our state cannot conquer Jiangnan in a single stroke. We should send envoys to mourn and sacrifice, protect their orphans and the weak, relieve their calamity, and spread righteous influence through the realm. That would be a deed of true virtue. Then our transforming influence will reach Jing and Yang, and southern gold, ivory, feathers, and other treasures will come without our seeking them. Liu Yu has only just died and his faction has not yet split. If our armies press their borders they will unite to resist, and victory is not assured. Better to wait until their troubles ripen. When their powerful ministers fight for power, turmoil will surely arise. Then send generals to show our might and take the lands north of the Huai without exhausting our troops." The emperor was set on a southern campaign and challenged Hao: "Liu Yu destroyed Qin when Yao Xing died. When Liu Yu dies, why may I not attack?" Hao held firm: "When Yao Xing died, his two sons fought each other. Only then did Liu Yu attack." The emperor was furious, rejected Hao's advice, and sent Xi Jin south on campaign. They debated before the regent: "Should we attack cities first? Or seize territory first?" Xi Jin said, "I urge that we attack cities first." Hao said, "The southerners excel at defense. The Former Qin besieged Xiangyang for a year without success. If we use a great state's strength against their small cities and fail to take them quickly, we blunt our momentum while the enemy gathers strength at leisure. We grow weary while they grow bold—that is a perilous course. Better to divide the army and seize territory up to the Huai, post governors and collectors, and gather grain taxes. Huatai and Hulao lie north of our army. Cut off from southern relief, the enemy must flee east along the river. If not, they are still beasts within our enclosure." Gongsun Biao urged that they take the cities first. Xi Jin crossed the river and attacked Huatai first. After a long siege failed, Gongsun Biao requested reinforcements. The emperor was angry and marched south in person. Hao was appointed Governor of Xiangzhou and promoted to Left Household Grandee, accompanying the army as chief strategist.

及車駕之還也，浩從太宗幸西河、太原。登憇高陵之上，下臨河流，傍覽川域，慨然有感，遂與同僚論五等郡縣之是非，考秦始皇、漢武帝之違失。好古識治，時伏其言。天師寇謙之每與浩言，聞其論古治亂之迹，常自夜達旦，竦意斂容，無有懈倦。既而歎美之曰：「斯言也惠，皆可底行，亦當今之皐繇也。但世人貴遠賤近，不能深察之耳。」因謂浩曰：「吾行道隱居，不營世務，忽受神中之訣，當兼修儒教，輔助泰平真君，繼千載之絕統。而學不稽古，臨事闇昧。卿為吾撰列王者治典，并論其大要。」浩乃著書二十餘篇，上推太初，下盡秦漢變弊之迹，大旨先以復五等為本。

When the imperial procession returned, Hao accompanied the emperor to Xihe and Taiyuan. Resting on a high mound, he looked down on the river and surveyed the land, stirred by the sight. With his colleagues he debated the merits of feudal enfeoffment versus commanderies and counties, and examined the failures of the First Emperor of Qin and Emperor Wu of Han. He loved antiquity and understood governance, and contemporaries bowed to his judgment. Whenever the Celestial Master Kou Qianzhi spoke with Hao and heard him trace the patterns of order and chaos in antiquity, he would listen from night until dawn, sitting upright without the least sign of weariness. Then he sighed in admiration and said, "These words are beneficent and can all be put into practice. He is the Gao Yao of our age. But the world honors what is distant and cheapens what is near, and so cannot see him clearly." He then said to Hao, "I practiced the Way in seclusion and did not meddle in worldly affairs, when suddenly I received a divine command that I must cultivate Confucian teaching as well, assist the Perfect Lord of Great Peace, and renew a lineage severed for a thousand years. Yet my learning does not reach back to antiquity, and in affairs I am still blind. Compile for me the governing canons of kings, and outline their main principles. Hao then wrote more than twenty chapters, reaching back to the Grand Beginning and tracing down through the changes and decay of Qin and Han. His central aim was to restore the five ranks of nobility.

世祖即位，左右忌浩正直，共排毀之。世祖雖知其能，不免羣議，故出浩，以公歸第。及有疑議，召而問焉。浩纖妍潔白，如美婦人。而性敏達，長於謀計。常自比張良，謂己稽古過之。既得歸第，因欲修服食養性之術，而寇謙之有神中錄圖新經，浩因師之。

When Shizu took the throne, courtiers around him resented Hao's integrity and joined in slandering him. Though Shizu knew his worth, he could not withstand the clamor of opinion and dismissed Hao, sending the duke home to his private residence. Whenever a disputed question arose, Shizu would summon him for counsel. Hao was delicately fair and pale, comely as a beautiful woman. Yet he was quick-witted by nature and excelled at strategy. He often likened himself to Zhang Liang, claiming that his mastery of antiquity exceeded the master's own. After returning home, he wished to practice elixir arts for cultivating life. Kou Qianzhi possessed the New Classic of the Divine Central Record Chart, and Hao became his disciple.

始光中，進爵東郡公，拜太常卿。時議討赫連昌，羣臣皆以為難，唯浩曰：「往年以來，熒惑再守羽林，皆成鈎己，其占秦亡。又今年五星併出東方，利以西伐。天應人和，時會並集，不可失也。」世祖乃使奚斤等擊蒲坂，而親率輕騎襲其都城，大獲而還。及世祖復討昌，次其城下，收眾偽退。昌鼓譟而前，舒陣為兩翼。會有風雨從東南來，揚沙昏冥。宦者趙倪進曰：「今風雨從賊後來，我向彼背，天不助人。又將士飢渴，願陛下攝騎避之，更待後日。」浩叱之曰：「是何言歟！千里制勝，一日之中豈得變易？賊前行不止，後已離絕，宜分軍隱出，奄擊不意。風道在人，豈有常也！」世祖曰「善」。分騎奮擊，昌軍大潰。

During the Shiguang era he was enfeoffed as Duke of Dongjun and appointed Minister of Ceremonies. When the court debated attacking Helian Chang, every minister deemed it too difficult—only Hao said, "For years Mars has twice held station in Yu Lin, forming the Gou Ji pattern each time. The omen reads: the fall of Qin. This year the five planets have all emerged together in the east—a sign favorable to a western campaign. Heaven and men are in accord, the moment has converged—it must not be lost. Shizu sent Xi Jin and others against Puban while he personally led light cavalry in a raid on their capital. They won a great victory and returned. When Shizu renewed the campaign against Chang, he drew up beneath the city walls, then feigned a withdrawal. Chang advanced with drums beating and ranks clamoring, deploying his formation in two wings. Just then wind and rain blew in from the southeast, whipping up sand until the field went dark. The eunuch Zhao Ni stepped forward and said, "The wind and rain are coming from behind the enemy—we face them with our backs turned. Heaven is not helping us. Our troops are hungry and thirsty. I beg Your Majesty to pull the cavalry back and wait for another day. Hao snapped at him: "What sort of talk is that! We laid our plan to win a thousand li away—how can we change course in a single day? The enemy presses forward without stopping while their rear is already cut off. Split the army, emerge in concealment, and strike where they do not expect it. The wind is ours to command—what constancy can it have! Shizu said, "Well said." The cavalry split off and charged; Chang's army broke and fled in disorder.

初，太祖詔尚書郎鄧淵著國記十餘卷，編年次事，體例未成。逮于太宗，廢而不述。神䴥二年，詔集諸文人撰錄國書，浩及弟覽、高讜、鄧穎、晁繼、范亨、黃輔等共參著作，敍成國書三十卷。

At first Taizu had ordered Secretariat Gentleman Deng Yuan to compile the National Record in more than ten chapters, arranging events by year—but the format was never finished. By Emperor Taizong's time the project had been abandoned. In the second year of Shenrui an edict summoned scholars to compile the National History. Hao, his brother Lan, Gao Dan, Deng Ying, Chao Ji, Fan Heng, Huang Fu, and others joined the project and produced a thirty-chapter National History.

是年，議擊蠕蠕，朝臣內外盡不欲行，保太后固止世祖，世祖皆不聽，唯浩讚成策略。尚書令劉潔、左僕射安原等乃使黃門侍郎仇齊推赫連昌太史張淵、徐辯說世祖曰：「今年己巳，三陰之歲，歲星襲月，太白在西方，不可舉兵。北伐必敗，雖克，不利於上。」又羣臣共贊和淵等，云淵少時嘗諫苻堅不可南征，堅不從而敗。今天時人事都不和協，何可舉動！世祖意不決，乃召浩令與淵等辯之。

That year the court debated attacking the Rouran. Ministers inside and outside the palace opposed the campaign, and the Guardian Empress Dowager firmly urged Shizu to desist—but he listened to none of them. Only Hao endorsed the plan and saw the strategy through. Director of the Masters of Writing Liu Jie, Left Vice Director Anyuan, and others had Yellow Gate Attendant Qiu Qi bring forward Helian Chang's grand astrologers Zhang Yuan and Xu Bian to persuade Shizu: "This is the jisi year, a thrice-yin year. Jupiter is assaulting the moon and Venus stands in the west. You must not mobilize the army. A northern campaign is doomed to fail—and even if you win, it will bode ill for Your Majesty. The ministers chimed in with Zhang Yuan, noting that in his youth he had warned Fu Jian against a southern campaign—Fu Jian ignored him and was ruined. Heaven and men are out of accord—how can we march to war! Shizu could not make up his mind and summoned Hao to debate Zhang Yuan and the others.

浩難淵曰：「陽者，德也；陰者，刑也。故日蝕修德，月蝕修刑。夫王者之用刑，大則陳諸原野，小則肆之市朝。戰伐者，用刑之大者也。以此言之，三陰用兵，蓋得其類，修刑之義也。歲星襲月，年飢民流，應在他國，遠期十二年。太白行倉龍宿，於天文為東，不妨北伐。淵等俗生，志意淺近，牽於小數，不達大體，難與遠圖。臣觀天文，比年以來，月行奄昴，至今猶然。其占：『三年，天子大破旄頭之國。』蠕蠕、高車，旄頭之眾也。夫聖明御時，能行非常之事。古人語曰：『非常之原，黎民懼焉，及其成功，天下晏然。』願陛下勿疑也。」淵等慚而言曰：「蠕蠕，荒外無用之物，得其地不可耕而食，得其民不可臣而使，輕疾無常，難得而制，有何汲汲而苦勞士馬也？」浩曰：「淵言天時，是其所職，若論形勢，非彼所知。斯乃漢世舊說常談，施之於今，不合事宜也。何以言之？夫蠕蠕者，舊是國家北邊叛隸，今誅其元惡，收其善民，令復舊役，非無用也。漠北高涼，不生蚊蚋，水草美善，夏則北遷。田牧其地，非不可耕而食也。蠕蠕子弟來降，貴者尚公主，賤者將軍、大夫，居滿朝列，又高車號為名騎，非不可臣而畜也。夫以南人追之，則患其輕疾，於國兵則不然。何者？彼能遠走，我亦能遠逐，與之進退，非難制也。且蠕蠕往數入國，民吏震驚。今夏不乘虛掩進，破滅其國，至秋復來，不得安臥。自太宗之世，迄於今日，無歲不驚，豈不汲汲乎哉！世人皆謂淵、辯通解數術，明決成敗。臣請試之，問其西國未滅之前有何亡徵。知而不言，是其不忠；若實不知，是其無術。」時赫連昌在座，淵等自以無先言，慚赧而不能對。世祖大悅，謂公卿曰：「吾意決矣。亡國之師不可與謀，信矣哉。」而保太后猶難之，復令羣臣於保太后前評議。世祖謂浩曰：「此等意猶不伏，卿善曉之令悟。」

Hao challenged Zhang Yuan: "Yang is virtue; yin is punishment. At a solar eclipse one cultivates virtue; at a lunar eclipse one cultivates punishment. When kings wield punishment, they display it on a great scale in the open field and on a small scale in market and court. Warfare is the greatest form of punishment. Seen in this light, to take up arms in a thrice-yin year fits the pattern—it is the very meaning of cultivating punishment. Jupiter assaulting the moon portends famine and wandering people—but that omen applies to another state, twelve years hence. Venus is passing through the Azure Dragon constellation, which in astronomy is the east—it does not obstruct a northern campaign. Zhang Yuan and his kind are shallow pedants, fixated on petty calculations and blind to the larger design—they are no partners in far-reaching plans. I have watched the heavens: in recent years the moon's course has covered Mao, and it still does. The omen reads: "In three years the Son of Heaven will smash the state of Maotou. The Rouran and Gaoche are the peoples of Maotou. When a sage sovereign holds the age, he can perform extraordinary deeds. The ancients said: "At the outset of the extraordinary the people fear; when it succeeds the realm is at peace. I beg Your Majesty not to hesitate. Ashamed, Zhang Yuan and the others replied: "The Rouran are useless barbarians beyond the frontier. Their land cannot be farmed for food; their people cannot be ruled as subjects. They are swift and unpredictable, impossible to control—why exhaust our troops and horses in such haste? Hao said: "Zhang Yuan speaks of celestial timing—that is his profession. But if we discuss strategic realities, that lies beyond his competence. That is stale Han-dynasty common talk—applied today it no longer fits the facts. Why do I say so? The Rouran were once rebel subjects on our northern frontier. Execute their ringleaders, take their good people, and restore them to their old duties—they are far from useless. North of the desert the land is high and cool, free of mosquitoes and gnats, with fine grass and water—they migrate there each summer. Farm and herd that land—it can certainly be cultivated for food. Rouran who have surrendered marry princesses at the top and fill the ranks of generals and grandees below; the Gaoche are famed as elite cavalry—they can be ruled and kept. Southerners who pursue them fear their speed—but our state's army is another matter. Why? They can flee far—we can pursue far. Matching them move for move, they are not hard to control. Moreover the Rouran have raided our borders again and again, leaving officials and common people in terror. If we do not strike now while they are exposed and destroy their state this summer, they will return in autumn and we will never sleep in peace. From Emperor Taizong's reign to this day, not a year has passed without alarm—is the need not urgent! Everyone says Zhang Yuan and Xu Bian master numerology and can read success and failure with clarity. Let me put them to the test: ask what omens foretold the fall of the western state before it was destroyed. If they knew and said nothing, that is disloyalty; if they truly did not know, that is incompetence. Helian Chang was present. Zhang Yuan and the others, ashamed that they had foretold nothing, flushed and could not answer. Shizu was delighted and told the ministers: "My mind is made up. One cannot take counsel from the advisers of a fallen state—how true that is! But the Guardian Empress Dowager still objected and ordered the ministers to debate the matter again in her presence. Shizu told Hao: "These people still are not persuaded. Speak to them clearly and make them see reason."

既罷朝，或有尤浩者曰：「今吳賊南寇而舍之北伐。行師千里，其誰不知。若蠕蠕遠遁，前無所獲，後有南賊之患，危之道也。」浩曰：「不然。今年不摧蠕蠕，則無以禦南賊。自國家并西國以來，南人恐懼，揚聲動眾以衞淮北。彼北我南，彼勞我息，其勢然矣。比破蠕蠕，往還之間，故不見其至也。何以言之？劉裕得關中，留其愛子，精兵數萬，良將勁卒，猶不能固守，舉軍盡沒。號哭之聲，至今未已。如何正當國家休明之世，士馬強盛之時，而欲以駒犢齒虎口也？設令國家與之河南，彼必不能守之。自量不能守，是以必不來。若或有眾，備邊之軍耳。夫見瓶水之凍，知天下之寒；嘗肉一臠，識鑊中之味。物有其類，可推而得也。且蠕蠕恃其絕遠，謂國家力不能至，自寬來久，故夏則散眾放畜，秋肥乃聚，背寒向溫，南來寇抄。今出其慮表，攻其不備。大軍卒至，必驚駭星分，望塵奔走。牡馬護群，牝馬戀駒，驅馳難制，不得水草，未過數日則聚而困敝，可一舉而滅。暫勞永逸，長久之利，時不可失也。唯患上無此意，今聖慮已決，發曠世之謀，如何止之？陋矣哉，公卿也！」諸軍遂行。天師謂浩曰：「是行也，如之何，果可克乎？」浩對曰：「天時形勢，必克無疑。但恐諸將瑣瑣，前後顧慮，不能乘勝深入，使不全舉耳。」

After court adjourned, someone reproached Hao: "The Wu rebels are raiding from the south, yet you would leave them and march north. An army marching a thousand li—who will not know? If the Rouran flee beyond reach, we gain nothing in front while southern rebels threaten us from behind—that is the road to disaster. Hao said: "Not so. If we do not crush the Rouran this year, we cannot defend against the southern rebels. Since our state annexed the western realm, the southerners have lived in fear, mustering armies to defend the north bank of the Huai. They march north while we march south; they toil while we rest—such is the balance of forces. By the time we defeat the Rouran and return, they will not have arrived. Why do I say so? Liu Yu took Guanzhong and left his beloved son there with tens of thousands of crack troops and fine generals—yet they could not hold it, and the whole army was destroyed. The wailing has not stopped to this day. Why, at the height of our state's glory, when our armies and horses are at their strongest, would you set foals and calves against a tiger's maw? Even if we gave them Henan, they could not hold it. Knowing they cannot hold it, they will surely not come. If they do send forces, it will be border-guard troops and nothing more. See ice on a bottle of water and you know the cold of the world; taste one slice of meat and you know the flavor in the cauldron. Things belong to kinds—you can infer the whole from a part. The Rouran trust in their remoteness and believe our state cannot reach them. Complacent for years, they disperse their herds each summer and gather only when the animals grow fat in autumn—then they turn from the cold toward warmth and raid south. Strike beyond their expectations and attack where they are unprepared. When our main force arrives suddenly, they will scatter in terror and flee at the first sight of our dust. Stallions guard the herd while mares cling to their foals—driven hard they are impossible to control. Deprived of grass and water, within days they will cluster in exhaustion and we can destroy them at a stroke. A brief effort for lasting peace—a permanent gain. The moment must not be lost. I only feared Your Majesty lacked this resolve—but now the sage decision is made and a plan for the ages is set in motion. How can it be stopped? How narrow-minded the ministers are! The armies marched. The Celestial Master asked Hao: "This campaign—how do you think it will go? Can we truly win? Hao answered: "By celestial timing and strategic advantage, victory is certain beyond doubt. My only fear is that the generals will prove petty and timid, hesitating at every turn and unable to pursue the victory in depth, so that we fail to finish the job completely."

及軍入其境，蠕蠕先不設備，民畜布野，驚怖四奔，莫相收攝。於是分軍搜討，東西五千里，南北三千里，凡所俘虜及獲畜產車廬，彌漫山澤，蓋數百萬。高車殺蠕蠕種類，歸降者三十餘萬落。虜遂散亂矣。世祖沿弱水西行，至涿邪山，諸大將果疑深入有伏兵，勸世祖停止不追。天師以浩曩日之言，固勸世祖窮討，不聽。後有降人，言蠕蠕大檀先被疾，不知所為，乃焚燒穹廬，科車自載，將數百人入山南走。民畜窘聚，方六十里中，無人領統。相去百八十里，追軍不至，乃徐徐西遁，[1]唯此得免。後聞涼州賈胡言，若復前行二日，則盡滅之矣。世祖深恨之。大軍既還，南賊竟不能動，如浩所量。

When the army entered Rouran territory, the enemy at first made no preparations. People and livestock lay scattered across the countryside, fleeing in terror in all directions with no one to rally or restrain them. The army was then divided to search and round up the land—five thousand li east to west, three thousand li north to south. Captives taken and livestock, carts, and tents seized filled the mountains and marshes, numbering in the millions. The Gaoche slaughtered Rouran tribesmen, and more than three hundred thousand households came over in surrender. The enemy was thus scattered and broken. Shizu marched west along the Ruoshui River to Zhuoxie Mountain. The senior generals indeed feared that a deep advance might lead into ambush and urged Shizu to halt and abandon the pursuit. The Celestial Master, citing Hao's earlier prediction, firmly urged Shizu to pursue the enemy to the end, but Shizu would not listen. Later a defector reported that Datan of the Rouran had fallen ill first and, not knowing what to do, burned his yurts, loaded carts himself, and fled south into the mountains with several hundred followers. People and livestock were pressed together in panic across an area sixty li square, with no one left in command. One hundred eighty li away, the pursuit army never arrived, and they slowly fled westward[1]—only thus did they escape. Later it was reported by merchant-traders from Liangzhou that if the army had pushed on for two more days, the Rouran would have been utterly destroyed. Shizu deeply regretted the missed opportunity. Once the main army had returned, the southern enemy could not stir after all—just as Hao had predicted.

浩明識天文，好觀星變。常置金銀銅鋌於酢器中，令青，夜有所見即以鋌畫紙作字以記其異。世祖每幸浩第，多問以異事。或倉卒不及束帶，奉進蔬食，不暇精美。世祖為舉匕箸，或立嘗而旋。其見寵愛如此。於是引浩出入臥內，加侍中、特進、撫軍大將軍、左光祿大夫，賞謀謨之功。世祖從容渭浩曰：「卿才智淵博，事朕祖考，忠著三世，朕故延卿自近。其思盡規諫，匡予弼予，勿有隱懷。朕雖當時遷怒，若或不用，久久可不深思卿言也。」因令歌工歷頌群臣，事在長孫道生傳。又召新降高車渠帥數百人，賜酒食於前。世祖指浩以示之，曰：「汝曹視此人，尫纖懦弱，手不能彎弓持矛，其胸中所懷，乃踰於甲兵。朕始時雖有征討之意，而慮不自決，前後克捷，皆此人導吾令至此也。」乃敕諸尚書曰：「凡軍國大計，卿等所不能決，皆先諮浩，然後施行。」

Hao had a keen understanding of astronomy and loved to watch for changes among the stars. He often placed gold, silver, and copper ingots in vinegar to turn them green, and whenever he observed something at night he would immediately use an ingot to inscribe characters on paper and record the portent. Whenever Shizu visited Hao's home, he often questioned him about strange and uncanny matters. Sometimes in haste he had no time even to gird his sash and would serve plain food with no chance to make it fine. Shizu would lift the spoon and chopsticks for him, or stand to taste the food and then withdraw. Such was the favor and affection he enjoyed. Hao was then admitted in and out of the inner quarters and further promoted to Palace Attendant, Special Advancement, General Who Pacifies the Army, and Left Honorary Grand Master of the Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon, in reward for his counsel and planning. Shizu said calmly to Hao: "Your talent and learning are profound and broad. You served my ancestors and grandfather, and your loyalty has shone through three generations. That is why I keep you close at hand. Think always how to remonstrate and counsel to the full; correct me and assist me, and keep nothing hidden in your heart. Even if I turn my anger on you in the moment and do not heed you at once, in time how could I fail to weigh your words deeply?" He then ordered singers to recite in turn the praises of his ministers—the account is given in the biography of Changsun Daosheng. He also summoned several hundred newly surrendered Gaoche chieftains and feasted them with wine and food in his presence. Shizu pointed to Hao and showed him to them, saying: "Look at this man—slender, frail, and weak; his hands cannot bend a bow or wield a spear, yet what he carries in his breast surpasses armor and weapons. At first I had the will to campaign but feared I could not decide for myself. The victories won before and since have all come because this man guided me to where I stand today." He then charged the Ministers of the Secretariat: "For every major plan of army and state that you cannot decide, consult Hao first, then carry it out."

俄而南藩諸將表劉義隆大嚴，欲犯河南。請兵三萬，先其未發逆擊之，因誅河北流民在界上者，絕其鄉導，足以挫其銳氣，使不敢深入。詔公卿議之，咸言宜許。浩曰：「此不可從也。往年國家大破蠕蠕，馬力有餘，南賊震懼，常恐輕兵奄至，臥不安席，故先聲動眾，以備不虞，非敢先發。又南土下濕，夏月蒸暑，水潦方多，草木深邃，疾疫必起，非行師之時。且彼先嚴有備，必堅城固守。屯軍攻之，則糧食不給；分兵肆討，則無以應敵。未見其利。就使能來，待其勞倦，秋涼馬肥，因敵取食，徐往擊之，萬全之計，勝必可克。在朝群臣及西北守將，從陛下征討，西滅赫連，北破蠕蠕，多獲美女珍寶，馬畜成群。南鎮諸將聞而生羨，亦欲南抄，以取資財。是以披毛求瑕，妄張賊勢，冀得肆心。既不獲聽，故數稱賊動，以恐朝廷。背公存私，為國生事，非忠臣也。」世祖從浩議。南鎮諸將復表賊至，而自陳兵少，簡幽州以南戍兵佐守，就漳水造船，嚴以為備。公卿議者僉然，欲遣騎五千，并假署司馬楚之、魯軌、韓延之等，令誘引邊民。浩曰：「非上策也。彼聞幽州已南精兵悉發，大造舟船，輕騎在後，欲存立司馬，誅除劉族，必舉國駭擾，懼於滅亡，當悉發精銳，來備北境。後審知官軍有聲無實，恃其先聚，必喜而前行，徑來至河，肆其侵暴，則我守將無以禦之。若彼有見機之人，善設權譎，乘間深入，虞我國虛，生變不難，非制敵之良計。今公卿欲以威力攘賊，乃所以招令速至也。夫張虛聲而召實害，此之謂矣。不可不思，後悔無及。我使在彼，期四月前還。可待使至，審而後發，猶未晚也。且楚之之徒，是彼所忌，將奪其國，彼安得端坐視之。故楚之往則彼來，止則彼息，其勢然也。且楚之等瑣才，能招合輕薄無賴，而不能成就大功。為國生事，使兵連禍結，必此之群矣。臣嘗聞魯軌說姚興求入荊州，至則散敗，乃不免蠻賊掠賣為奴，使禍及姚泓，已然之效。」浩復陳天時不利於彼，曰：「今茲害氣在揚州，不宜先舉兵，一也；午歲自刑，先發者傷，二也；日蝕滅光，晝昏星見，飛鳥墮落，宿值斗牛，憂在危亡，三也；熒惑伏匿於翼軫，戒亂及喪，四也；太白未出，進兵者敗，五也。夫興國之君，先修人事，次盡地利，後觀天時，故萬舉而萬全，國安而身盛。今義隆新國，是人事未周也；災變屢見，是天時不協也；舟行水涸，是地利不盡也。三事無一成，自守猶或不安，何得先發而攻人哉？彼必聽我虛聲而嚴，我亦承彼嚴而動，兩推其咎，皆自以為應敵。兵法當分災迎受害氣，未可舉動也。」

Before long the generals of the southern frontier reported that Liu Yilong was making great military preparations and intended to invade Henan. They requested thirty thousand troops to strike before the enemy could launch, execute the northern refugees at the border, cut off their guides, blunt their fighting spirit, and keep them from advancing deep. An edict ordered the ministers to discuss the proposal, and all said it should be approved. Hao said: "This must not be followed. In past years the state utterly defeated the Rouran, and our horses still have strength to spare. The southern enemy is shaken with fear, constantly dreading that light troops will suddenly arrive—they cannot sleep in peace. They raise alarms and move troops first to guard against the unexpected; they do not dare strike first. Moreover the southern lands are low and damp. In summer the heat is stifling, floods are abundant, and grass and trees grow thick and deep—pestilence is sure to arise. This is no season for marching armies. Moreover they will have taken precautions first and prepared their defenses; they will surely hold their fortified cities fast. If we encamp troops to besiege them, provisions will not suffice; if we divide the army to raid widely, we will have no means to meet the enemy. I see no advantage in it. Even if they do come, wait until they are weary. When autumn turns cool and horses grow fat, take food from the enemy and advance slowly to strike them—that is a plan of complete security, and victory is surely attainable. The ministers at court and the frontier generals of the northwest who followed Your Majesty in campaigns destroyed Helian in the west and broke the Rouran in the north, gaining many beautiful women, treasures and jewels, and horses and livestock in herds. The generals of the southern commanderies heard of this and grew envious; they too wished to raid south and seize goods and wealth. Therefore they pick at hairs to find flaws, falsely inflate the enemy's strength, and hope to indulge their own desires. Since they did not obtain approval, they repeatedly report enemy movements to frighten the court. They betray the public for private gain and stir trouble for the state—they are no loyal ministers." Shizu followed Hao's counsel. The southern commandery generals again reported that the enemy had arrived, but themselves declared their troops too few. They requested selecting garrison soldiers south of Youzhou to assist in defense, building ships on the Zhang River, and tightening preparations. Those discussing among the ministers were unanimous, wishing to dispatch five thousand cavalry and concurrently provisionally appoint Sima Chuzhi, Lu Gui, Han Yanzhi, and others to lure border peoples over. Hao said: "This is not the superior stratagem. When they hear that elite troops south of Youzhou have all been dispatched, that ships are being built in great number, and that light cavalry in the rear intend to establish Sima and exterminate the Liu clan, the whole state will be shaken with alarm and fear destruction. They will surely dispatch all elite forces to guard the northern border. Later, when they ascertain that our official army has sound but no substance, relying on their prior massing they will surely rejoice and advance, coming straight to the river and unleashing their ravages—then our frontier generals will have no means to resist. If they have men who see opportunities, skilled in deceit and ruse, who exploit a gap to push deep and anticipate our state's weakness, stirring rebellion would not be hard. This is no good plan for controlling the enemy. Now the ministers wish to drive off the enemy with a show of force—this is precisely what will summon and hurry their arrival. To raise empty clamor and summon real harm—this is the very thing. This must be pondered; regret will come too late. Our envoys are there and are expected to return before the fourth month. We can wait until the envoys arrive, verify the situation, and then act—it will still not be too late. Moreover men like Chuzhi are what they dread, for they will seize their state—how could they sit at ease and watch? Thus when Chuzhi goes, they come; when he stops, they quiet—such is the tendency. Moreover Chuzhi and his kind are petty talents—able to gather the frivolous and the rogue, but unable to accomplish great deeds. Stirring trouble for the state and linking war with disaster—it will surely be this crowd. Your subject once heard that Lu Gui persuaded Yao Xing to enter Jingzhou; when he arrived his forces scattered and were defeated, and he could not escape being captured and sold as slaves by barbarian bandits, bringing calamity upon Yao Hong—a lesson already proven." Hao again set forth that celestial timing was unfavorable for them, saying: "This year injurious qi is in Yangzhou—it is unsuitable to raise troops first—first point; the year of wu bears self-punishment—he who strikes first will be harmed—second point; a solar eclipse extinguishing light, stars appearing in daytime dimness, birds falling from the sky, the lodge positioned at Niu and Dou—woe lies in peril and destruction—third point; Mars hiding in Yi and Zhen, warning of disorder and mourning—fourth point; Venus has not yet risen; he who advances troops will be defeated—fifth point. A king who raises a state first cultivates human affairs, next exhausts the advantages of terrain, and afterward observes celestial timing—thus ten thousand undertakings and ten thousand successes, state secure and person flourishing. Today Yilong's state is new—this means human affairs are not yet complete; disasters and portents appear repeatedly—this means celestial timing is not in harmony; boats sail but the waters are dry—this means the advantages of terrain are not fully realized. None of the three matters is fulfilled; even in self-defense one might not be secure—how could one strike first and attack others? They will surely hear our empty clamor and tighten defenses; we too will respond to their tightening and move—each side pushing blame, each believing itself responding to the enemy. By military art one should divide disaster and ward off injurious qi—it is not yet time to act."

世祖不能違眾，乃從公卿議。浩復固爭，不從。遂遣陽平王杜超鎮鄴，琅邪王司馬楚之等屯潁川。於是賊來遂疾，到彥之自清水入河，泝流西行，分兵列守南岸，西至潼關。

Shizu could not go against the multitude and followed the ministers' counsel. Hao argued stubbornly again, but his counsel was not followed. Thereupon the Prince of Yangping, Du Chao, was sent to guard Ye, and the Prince of Langye, Sima Chuzhi, and others encamped at Yingchuan. Then the enemy came swiftly indeed. Dao Yanzhi entered the river from Qingshui, sailed upstream west, divided his troops to line and guard the south bank, and advanced westward to Tong Pass.

世祖聞赫連定與劉義隆懸分河北，乃治兵，欲先討赫連。群臣曰：「義隆猶在河中，舍之西行，前寇未可必克，而義隆乘虛，則失東州矣。」世祖疑焉，問計於浩。浩曰：「義隆與赫連定同惡相招，連結馮跋，牽引蠕蠕，規肆逆心，虛相唱和。義隆望定進，定待義隆前，皆莫敢先入。以臣觀之，有似連雞，不得俱飛，無能為害也。臣始謂義隆軍來當屯住河中，兩道北上，東道向冀州，西道衝鄴。如此，則陛下當自致討，不得徐行。今則不然，東西列兵，徑二千里，一處不過數千，形分勢弱。以此觀之，儜兒情見，止望固河自守，免死為幸，無北渡意也。赫連定殘根易摧，擬之必仆。克定之後，東出潼關，席卷而前，則威震南極，江淮以北無立草矣。聖策獨發，非愚近所及，願陛下西行勿疑。」平涼既平，其日宴會，世祖執浩手以示蒙遜使曰：「所云崔公，此是也。才略之美，當今無比。朕行止必問，成敗決焉，若合符契，初無失矣。」後冠軍將軍安頡軍還，獻南俘，因說南賊之言云，義隆敕其諸將，若北國兵動，先其未至，徑前入河，若其不動，住彭城勿進。如浩所量。世祖謂公卿曰：「卿輩前謂我用浩計為謬，驚怖固諫。常勝之家，始皆自謂踰人遠矣，至於歸終，乃不能及。」遷浩司徒。

Shizu heard that Helian Ding and Liu Yilong had made a distant agreement to partition Hebei. He marshalled troops, intending first to attack Helian. The ministers said: "Yilong is still in the river region. If we leave him and march west, the enemy before us cannot be surely conquered, and if Yilong seizes the opportunity, we will lose the eastern provinces." Shizu was doubtful and asked Hao for counsel. Hao said: "Yilong and Helian Ding invite each other as fellow evildoers, link with Feng Ba, draw in the Rouran, scheme rebellious hearts, and hollowly echo each other. Yilong waits for Ding to advance; Ding waits for Yilong to go first—neither dares enter first. In your subject's view it is like tethered chickens—they cannot fly together and can do no harm. Your subject originally thought that when Yilong's army came it would encamp in the river region and march north on two routes—eastern toward Jizhou, western striking Ye. If so, Your Majesty would need to take the field yourself and could not advance leisurely. Now it is not so. They line troops east and west for two thousand li straight, nowhere more than several thousand—form divided, strength weakened. From this one sees the weakling's intent revealed—he only hopes to hold the river fast and defend himself; escaping death is his good fortune; he has no intention of crossing north. Helian Ding's withered root is easily broken; push him and he will surely fall. After conquering and settling him, march east out of Tong Pass and sweep forward—then awe will shake the southern pole, and north of the Yangzi and Huai no blade of grass will stand. Your sage strategy arises alone—not something the near and foolish can reach. I pray Your Majesty march west without doubt." After Pingliang was pacified, that day at the banquet Shizu took Hao's hand to show Mengsun's envoy: "The Lord Cui I spoke of—this is he. The beauty of his talent and strategy—in the present age there is none to compare. In my comings and goings I always ask him; success and failure are decided thereby—as if tally halves matched, from the first there has been no failure." Later General Champion An Bi's army returned and presented southern captives. He accordingly reported the southern enemy's words—that Yilong had charged his generals: if the northern state moves troops, before they arrive go straight into the river; if they do not move, stop at Pengcheng and do not advance. Just as Hao had predicted. Shizu said to the ministers: "You formerly said my use of Hao's plan was wrong, and in alarm firmly remonstrated. In a house that always wins, at first all deem themselves far beyond others; when it comes to the final accounting, they cannot catch up." Hao was transferred to Minister of Works.

時方士祁纖奏立四王，以日東西南北為名，欲以致禎吉，除災異。詔浩與學士議之。浩對曰：「先王建國以作蕃屏，不應假名以為其福。夫日月運轉，周歷四方，京都所居，在於其內，四王之稱，實奄邦畿，名之則逆，不可承用。」先是，纖奏改代為萬年，浩曰：「昔太祖道武皇帝，應天受命，開拓洪業，諸所制置，無不循古。以始封代土，後稱為魏，故代、魏兼用，猶彼殷商。國家積德，著在圖史，當享萬億，不待假名以為益也。纖之所聞，皆非正義。」世祖從之。

At that time the adept Qi Xian memorialized establishing four kings, named for the sun's east, west, south, and north, wishing thereby to bring auspicious fortune and remove disasters and portents. An edict ordered Hao and the erudites to discuss it. Hao replied, "When former kings established states to serve as border bulwarks, they did not borrow auspicious names to secure their fortune. The sun and moon wheel through the four quarters, and the imperial capital sits at their center. To call them 'four kings' would in truth swallow up the royal domain itself; such a name reverses proper order and cannot be accepted." Earlier, Xian had memorialized to change Dai to Wannian. Hao said, "In the past Emperor Daowu, our Taizu, received Heaven's mandate and opened the great enterprise; in every institution he established, he followed the ancient models. His first fief lay in the land of Dai, and he later took the name Wei; thus Dai and Wei are used together, as with Yin and Shang of old. The dynasty's accumulated virtue is written in the charts and annals; it is destined to endure ten thousand generations and needs no borrowed name to add to its blessing. Nothing Xian has heard accords with right principle." The Emperor followed his advice.

是時，河西王沮渠牧犍，內有貳意，世祖將討焉，先問於浩。浩對曰：「牧犍惡心已露，不可不誅。官軍往年北伐，雖不克獲，實無所損。于時行者內外軍馬三十萬匹，計在道死傷不滿八千，歲常羸死，恒不減萬，乃不少於此。而遠方承虛，便謂大損，不能復振。今出其不意，不圖大軍卒至，必驚駭騷擾，不知所出，擒之必矣。且牧犍劣弱，諸弟驕恣，爭權從橫，民心離解。加比年以來，天災地變，都在秦涼，成滅之國也。」世祖曰：「善，吾意亦以為然。」命公卿議之。弘農王奚斤等三十餘人皆曰：「牧犍西垂下國，雖心不純臣，然繼父職貢，朝廷接以蕃禮。又王姬釐降，罪未甚彰，謂宜羈縻而已。今士馬勞止，宜可小息。又其地鹵斥，略無水草，大軍既到，不得久停。彼聞軍來，必完聚城守，攻則難拔，野無所掠。」於是尚書古弼、李順之徒皆曰：「自溫圉河以西，至於姑臧城南，[2]天梯山上冬有積雪，深一丈餘，至春夏消液，下流成川，引以溉灌。彼聞軍至，決此渠口，水不通流，則致渴乏。去城百里之內，赤地無草，又不任久停軍馬。斤等議是也。」世祖乃命浩以其前言與斤共相難抑。諸人不復餘言，唯曰「彼無水草」。浩曰：「漢書地理志稱：『涼州之畜，為天下饒。』若無水草，何以畜牧？又漢人為居，終不於無水草之地築城郭、立郡縣也。又雪之消液，纔不斂塵，何得通渠引漕，溉灌數百萬頃乎？此言大詆誣於人矣。」李順等復曰：「耳聞不如目見，吾曹目見，何可共辨！」浩曰：「汝曹受人金錢，欲為之辭，謂我目不見便可欺也！」世祖隱聽，聞之乃出，親見斤等，辭旨嚴厲，形於神色。群臣乃不敢復言，唯唯而已。於是遂討涼州而平之。多饒水草，如浩所言。

At that time Juqu Mujian, King of Hexi, harbored disloyal intentions. The Emperor was about to campaign against him and first consulted Hao. Hao replied, "Mujian's wicked heart is already exposed—he must be punished. The imperial army's northern campaign of previous years, though it took no captives, in truth suffered no real loss. At that time the forces on the march, inside and out, numbered three hundred thousand horses; those dead and wounded on the road did not reach eight thousand. In an ordinary year, horses lost to emaciation never fall below ten thousand—so the campaign cost us no more than the usual toll. Yet distant lands, hearing empty rumors, declare that we suffered crippling losses and can never recover. Strike them now by surprise—they will never expect the great army to appear so suddenly. They will panic and scatter, not knowing what to do, and capture is certain. Moreover Mujian himself is weak; his younger brothers are arrogant and unrestrained, scrambling for power in every direction, and the people's hearts are already divided. Add to this that in recent years heaven's disasters and earth's portents have all fallen upon Qin and Liang—it is a kingdom ripe for destruction." The Emperor said, "Good—I am of the same mind." He ordered the ministers to debate the matter. Prince of Hongnong Xi Jin and more than thirty others all said, "Mujian is a petty state on the western frontier. Though his loyalty is not pure, he has succeeded his father in paying tribute, and the court has treated him with the rites due a frontier vassal. Moreover the imperial princess has only just been sent to him in marriage, and his crimes are not yet fully exposed—we hold that restraint and conciliation are enough. Our soldiers and horses are weary and need rest. Moreover his land is saline and barren, with scarcely any water or grass. Once the great army arrives, it cannot remain long. When they hear the army is coming, they will surely fortify their cities and hold them. Assault will be hard to succeed, and the countryside will offer nothing to plunder." Thereupon Gu Bi, Director of the Masters of Writing, Li Shun, and others all said, "From west of the Wenji River to south of Guzang city, [2] on Tianti Mountain snow accumulates in winter more than ten feet deep; by spring and summer it melts and flows down in streams that are diverted for irrigation. When they hear the army is coming, they will breach these canal mouths and cut off the water—then thirst and want will follow. Within a hundred li of the city the ground is bare red earth without grass, and again the army and horses cannot remain there long. Jin and the others are right." The Emperor thereupon ordered Hao to use his earlier arguments to debate and rebut Jin. The others had no further arguments and could only repeat, "There is no water or grass there." Hao said, "The Geographic Treatise of the Book of Han states, 'The livestock of Liang Province are the richest under Heaven. If there were no water or grass, how could there be pasturage? Moreover Han people live there—they would never build walled cities and establish commanderies and counties in a place without water or grass. And as for melted snow—barely enough to dampen the dust—how could it fill canals and irrigate millions of qing of fields? This is gross slander, a deliberate deception." Li Shun and the others replied, "What the ear hears is not equal to what the eye sees—we have seen it ourselves; there is nothing to debate!" Hao said, "You have taken someone's gold and wish to speak on his behalf—you think that because I have not seen it with my own eyes, you can deceive me!" The Emperor had been listening in secret. Hearing this, he came forth and confronted Jin and the others in person. His words were stern and severe, and it showed in his face. The ministers then dared speak no further and merely assented. Thereupon he campaigned against Liang Province and pacified it. The land was rich in water and grass, just as Hao had said.

乃詔浩曰：「昔皇祚之興，世隆北土，積德累仁，多歷年載，澤流蒼生，義聞四海。我太祖道武皇帝，協順天人，以征不服，應期撥亂，奄有區夏。太宗承統，光隆前緒，釐正刑典，大業惟新。然荒域之外，猶未賓服。此祖宗之遺志，而貽功於後也。朕以眇身，獲奉宗廟，戰戰兢兢，如臨淵海，懼不能負荷至重，繼名丕烈。故即位之初，不遑寧處，揚威朔裔，掃定赫連。逮於神䴥，始命史職注集前功，以成一代之典。自爾已來，戎旗仍舉，秦隴克定，徐兗無塵，平逋寇於龍川，討孽豎於涼域。豈朕一人獲濟於此，賴宗廟之靈，群公卿士宣力之効也。而史闕其職，篇籍不著，每懼斯事之墜焉。公德冠朝列，言為世範，小大之任，望君存之。命公留臺，綜理史務，述成此書，務從實錄。」浩於是監祕書事，以中書侍郎高允、散騎侍郎張偉參著作，續成前紀。至於損益褒貶，折中潤色，浩所總焉。

An edict addressed Hao: "In times past the imperial fortune arose; generation after generation it flourished in the northern lands, heaping virtue and benevolence through many years. Its bounty flowed to the people; its righteousness was heard throughout the four seas. Our Taizu Emperor Daowu harmonized Heaven and man to campaign against the unsubmissive; responding to the age, he swept away disorder and suddenly possessed the Central Realms. Emperor Taizong succeeded the line, gloriously carrying forward the prior undertakings, rectifying the penal code—the great enterprise made new. Yet beyond the wild domains, some still have not submitted in allegiance. This is the legacy purpose of the ancestors—a task bequeathed to posterity. I, with my slight person, have received charge of the ancestral temple. Fearful and trembling, as if standing beside a deep abyss, I fear I cannot bear this utmost weight or continue the grand fame. Therefore from the first days of my accession, without leisure for repose, I displayed might on the northern frontier and swept away Helian. Reaching the Shengui era, I first ordered the historiographers to record and compile prior achievements, to complete the canon of our age. Since then the martial banners have repeatedly been raised: Qin and Long were pacified, Xu and Yan cleared of dust; fugitive rebels were settled at Longchuan, and wicked usurpers were punished in the Liang domain. How could I alone have succeeded in this? I rely on the spirit of the ancestral temple and the exertions of all my ministers and officials. Yet the historians neglect their duty and the records remain unwritten. I always fear this work will be lost. Your virtue crowns the court; your words are a model for the age. In duties great and small, I look to you to preserve them. I appoint you to remain at the capital, oversee historiographical affairs, and narrate this book to completion—see that it follows the truth of the record." Hao thereupon supervised Secretarial affairs. He appointed Zhongshu Attendant Gao Yun and Cavalier Attendant Zhang Wei as associate compilers and continued to complete the prior annals. As for additions and deletions, praise and blame, weighing and harmonizing, and polishing—these Hao oversaw entirely.

及恭宗始總百揆，浩復與宜都王穆壽輔政事。時又將討蠕蠕，劉潔復致異議。世祖逾欲討之，乃召問浩。浩對曰：「往擊蠕蠕，師不多日，潔等各欲回還。後獲其生口，云軍還之時，去賊三十里。是潔等之計過矣。夫北土多積雪，至冬時常避寒南徙。若因其時，潛軍而出，必與之遇，則可擒獲。」世祖以為然。乃分軍為四道，詔諸將俱會鹿渾海。期日有定，而潔恨計不用，沮誤諸將，無功而還。事在潔傳。

When Crown Prince Gongzong began to oversee all affairs of state, Hao again assisted in governance together with Prince of Yidu Mu Shou. At that time they were again about to campaign against the Rouran, and Liu Jie again raised objections. The Emperor all the more wished to attack them and summoned Hao to consult him. Hao replied, "On the previous campaign against the Rouran, the army had not been out many days when Jie and the others each wished to turn back. Later we captured their living captives, who said that when the army withdrew, they were only thirty li from the enemy. Thus Jie and the others' plan was wrong. The northern lands accumulate deep snow; in winter the Rouran usually move south to escape the cold. If we take advantage of that season and send the army out secretly, we are sure to encounter them—and capture will follow." The Emperor agreed. He divided the army into four columns and decreed that all generals should assemble at Luhun Lake. The rendezvous date was set, but Jie, resenting that his plan was not adopted, discouraged and misled the generals, and they returned without success. The matter is recorded in Jie's biography.

世祖西巡，詔浩與尚書、順陽公蘭延都督行臺中外諸軍事。世祖至東雍，親臨汾曲，觀叛賊薛永宗壘，進軍圍之。永宗出兵欲戰，世祖問浩曰：「今日可擊不？」浩曰：「永宗未知陛下自來，人心安閑，北風迅疾，宜急擊之，須臾必碎。若待明日，恐其見官軍盛大，必夜遁走。」世祖從之。永宗潰滅。車駕濟河，前驅告賊在渭北。世祖至洛水橋，賊已夜遁。詔問浩曰：「蓋吳在長安北九十里。渭北地空，穀草不備。欲渡渭南西行，何如？」浩對曰：「蓋吳營去此六十里，賊魁所在。擊蛇之法，當須破頭，頭破則尾豈能復動。宜乘勢先擊吳。今軍往，一日便到。平吳之後，回向長安，亦一日而至。一日之內，未便損傷。 [3]愚謂宜從北道。若從南道，則蓋吳徐入北山，卒未可平。」世祖不從，乃渡渭南。吳聞世祖至，盡散入北山，果如浩言，軍無所克。世祖悔之。後以浩輔東宮之勤，賜繒絮布帛各千段。

The Emperor toured the west and decreed that Hao, together with the Director of the Masters of Writing, Duke of Shunyang Lan Yan, should oversee the Mobile Secretariat and all military affairs within and without. The Emperor reached Eastern Yong, personally coming to Fenqu to observe the rebel Xue Yongzong's fortifications, then advanced and besieged them. Yongzong sent troops out to give battle. The Emperor asked Hao, "Can we attack today?" Hao said, "Yongzong does not yet know Your Majesty has come in person—the people's hearts are calm and untroubled. The north wind is swift and fierce; strike quickly and he will be shattered in a moment. If you wait until tomorrow, I fear that once he sees the imperial army's great array he will flee by night." The Emperor followed his advice. Yongzong was routed and destroyed. The imperial carriage crossed the river; the vanguard reported that the rebels were north of the Wei. The Emperor reached the Luo River bridge—the rebels had already fled by night. An edict questioned Hao: "Gai Wu is ninety li north of Chang'an. North of the Wei the land is empty and grain and fodder are not prepared. I wish to cross south of the Wei and proceed west—what do you think?" Hao replied, "Gai Wu's camp is sixty li from here—that is where the rebel chief is. The method for striking a snake is to break the head; once the head is broken, how can the tail move again? Seize the momentum and strike Wu first. If the army goes now, it will arrive in a single day. After pacifying Wu, turning back toward Chang'an is also a single day's march. Within a single day, no real harm will be done. [3] I humbly hold that we should take the northern route. If we take the southern route, Gai Wu will slip slowly into the northern mountains—and in the end he cannot be pacified." The Emperor did not follow this advice and crossed south of the Wei. When Wu heard the Emperor had arrived, they all dispersed into the northern mountains—exactly as Hao had said—and the army achieved nothing. The Emperor regretted it. Later, for Hao's diligence in assisting the Eastern Palace, he was granted one thousand bolts each of silk floss, cloth, and silk.

著作令史太原閔湛、趙郡郄標素諂事浩，乃請立石銘，刊載國書，并勒所注五經。浩贊成之。恭宗善焉，遂營於天郊東三里，方百三十步，用功三百萬乃訖。

Compilers' clerk Min Zhan of Taiyuan and Qie Biao of Zhao Commandery had long fawned upon Hao; they thereupon requested erecting stone inscriptions to carve and publish the national history, and also to engrave the Five Classics as he had annotated them. Hao approved the plan. Gongzong approved it, and they built at three li east of the Celestial Suburb, one hundred thirty paces square—a labor cost of three million before the work was finished.

世祖蒐于河西，詔浩詣行在所議軍事。浩表曰：「昔漢武帝患匈奴強盛，故開涼州五郡，通西域，勸農積穀，為滅賊之資。東西迭擊。故漢未疲，而匈奴已弊，後遂入朝。昔平涼州，臣愚以為北賊未平，征役不息，可不徙其民，案前世故事，計之長者。若遷民人，則土地空虛，雖有鎮戍，適可禦邊而已，至於大舉，軍資必乏。陛下以此事闊遠，竟不施用。如臣愚意，猶如前議，募徙豪強大家，充實涼土，軍舉之日，東西齊勢，此計之得者。」

The Emperor held a hunt in Hexi and decreed that Hao come to the mobile palace to discuss military affairs. Hao submitted a memorial: "In the past Emperor Wu of Han, troubled by the Xiongnu's strength, opened the five commanderies of Liang Province, connected with the Western Regions, encouraged farming and accumulated grain—as resources for destroying the enemy. East and west struck in alternation. Thus Han was not yet exhausted while the Xiongnu were already spent—and in the end they came to court. When Liang Province was pacified before, this humble servant held that with the northern enemy not yet pacified and levies and corvée unceasing, we should not relocate its people. Following the precedents of former ages, that was the far-sighted plan. If the people are relocated, the land will lie empty; though garrison posts remain, they can only just defend the border—as for a major campaign, military supplies will surely run short. Your Majesty considered this matter too remote and far-reaching, and in the end did not adopt it. In my humble view, I stand by my earlier proposal: recruit and relocate powerful magnate families to populate and strengthen the Western Regions; when the army is mobilized, east and west will combine forces—this is the plan that will succeed."

浩又上五寅元曆，表曰：「太宗即位元年，敕臣解急就章、孝經、論語、詩、尚書、春秋、禮記、周易。三年成訖。復詔臣學天文、星曆、易式、九宮，無不盡看。至今三十九年，晝夜無廢。臣禀性弱劣，力不及健婦人，更無餘能，是以專心思書，忘寢與食，至乃夢共鬼爭義。遂得周公、孔子之要術，始知古人有虛有實，妄語者多，真正者少。自秦始皇燒書之後，經典絕滅。漢高祖以來，世人妄造曆術者有十餘家，皆不得天道之正，大誤四千，[4]小誤甚多，不可言盡。臣愍其如此。今遭陛下太平之世，除偽從真，宜改誤曆，以從天道。是以臣前奏造曆，今始成訖。謹以奏呈。唯恩省察，以臣曆術宣示中書博士，然後施用。非但時人，天地鬼神知臣得正，可以益國家萬世之名，過於三皇、五帝矣。」事在律曆志。

Hao also submitted the Wuyin Original Calendar in a memorial: "In the first year of Emperor Taizong's accession, Your Majesty commanded me to interpret the Jijiuzhang, Classic of Filial Piety, Analects, Odes, Documents, Spring and Autumn, Record of Rites, and Book of Changes. Three years later the work was complete. Your Majesty then commanded me to study astronomy, star calendrics, the Yishi divination methods, and the Nine Palaces art—and I read them all without exception. From then until now, thirty-nine years—I have not slackened day or night. My nature is weak; I have scarcely the strength of a sturdy woman and no other gifts. So I devoted myself wholly to books, forgetting sleep and food—even dreaming that I debated right and wrong with ghosts. In time I mastered the essential methods of the Duke of Zhou and Confucius, and came to see that among the ancients truth and falsehood were mixed—reckless words were many, genuine wisdom was rare. Since the First Emperor of Qin burned the books, the classics were utterly lost. Since the time of Emperor Gaozu of Han, more than a dozen men have rashly devised calendrical systems—and none has grasped Heaven's Way correctly. Their great errors run to four thousand [4], and their small errors are far too many to recount. I lament this state of affairs. Now, under Your Majesty's age of peace, it is time to cast off the false and embrace the true, and to reform the erroneous calendar so that it accords with Heaven's Way. For this reason I earlier memorialized to create a new calendar, and now at last it is finished. I respectfully submit it for Your Majesty's review. I pray only that Your Majesty will examine it graciously, have my calendrical system shown to the palace erudites, and then put it into use. Not only the people of this age—even Heaven, earth, and the spirits will know that I have attained the true Way. This will enhance the glory of the state for ten thousand generations, surpassing even the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors." The matter is recorded in the Treatise on Calendrics and Astronomy.

真君十一年六月誅浩，清河崔氏無遠近，范陽盧氏、太原郭氏、河東柳氏，皆浩之姻親，盡夷其族。初，郄標等立石銘刊國記，浩盡述國事，備而不典。而石銘顯在衢路，往來行者咸以為言，事遂聞發。有司按驗浩，取祕書郎吏及長曆生數百人意狀。浩伏受賕，其祕書郎吏已下盡死。

In the sixth month of the eleventh year of Zhenjun, Hao was executed. The Cui clan of Qinghe, near and far; the Lu clan of Fanyang; the Guo clan of Taiyuan; and the Liu clan of Hedong—all Hao's affinal kin—were exterminated to the last member. Earlier, when Qie Biao and others erected stone inscriptions to carve the national chronicle, Hao narrated state affairs in full—thorough in detail, but not canonical in tone. But the inscriptions stood in plain view on the public roads, and every traveler had something to say about them—until the matter came to light. The responsible officials investigated Hao and took depositions from several hundred secretarial clerks and calendrical students. Hao confessed to accepting bribes, and all the secretarial clerks and subordinates were put to death.

浩始弱冠，太原郭逸以女妻之。浩晚成，不曜華采，故時人未知。逸妻王氏，劉義隆鎮北將軍王仲德姊也，每奇浩才能，自以為得壻。俄而女亡，王深以傷恨，復以少女繼婚。逸及親屬以為不可，王固執與之，逸不能違，遂重結好。浩非毀佛法，而妻郭氏敬好釋典，時時讀誦。浩怒，取而焚之，捐灰於厠中。及浩幽執，置之檻內，送於城南，使衞士數十人溲其上，呼聲嗷嗷，聞于行路。自宰司之被戮辱，未有如浩者，世皆以為報應之驗也。初浩構害李順，基萌已成，夜夢秉火爇順寢室，火作而順死，浩與室家羣立而觀之。俄而順弟息號哭而出，曰：「此輩，吾賊也！」以戈擊之，悉投於河。寤而惡之，以告館客馮景仁。景仁曰：「此真不善也，非復虛事。夫以火爇人，暴之極也。階亂兆禍，復己招也。商書曰：『惡之易也，如火之燎於原，不可向邇，其猶可撲滅乎？』且兆始惡者有終殃，積不善者無餘慶。厲階成矣，公其圖之。」浩曰「吾方思之」，而不能悛，至是而族。浩既工書，人多託寫急就章。 [5]從少至老，初不憚勞，所書蓋以百數，必稱「馮代強」，以示不敢犯國，其謹也如此。浩書體勢及其先人，而妙巧不如也。世寶其迹，多裁割綴連以為模楷。

When Hao first came of age, Guo Yi of Taiyuan gave him his daughter in marriage. Hao was a late bloomer and showed no outward brilliance, so people of the time did not yet recognize his talent. Yi's wife, Lady Wang—elder sister of Wang Zhongde, General Who Pacifies the North under Liu Yilong—always admired Hao's gifts and felt she had secured an excellent son-in-law. Soon afterward the daughter died. Lady Wang was deeply grieved and gave her younger daughter to Hao in a second marriage. Yi and his relatives thought it unsuitable, but Lady Wang stubbornly insisted; Yi could not refuse, and the two families renewed their alliance. Hao did not himself attack the Buddhist teachings, but his wife Lady Guo revered the Buddhist scriptures and read and recited them regularly. Hao flew into a rage, seized the texts and burned them, and threw the ashes into the latrine. When Hao was imprisoned, he was placed in a cage and sent to the south of the city, where several dozen guards were ordered to urinate on him. His cries were loud and agonized, heard by every passerby. Never had a minister suffered execution and humiliation like Hao's; the world took it as proof of karmic retribution. When Hao first plotted against Li Shun and the scheme was already set, he dreamed one night that he held a torch and set fire to Shun's bedchamber; the flames rose and Shun died, while Hao and his family stood together watching. Soon Shun's nephew came out wailing and cried, "These people are my enemies!" He struck them with a spear and cast them all into the river. Waking, he found the dream ominous and told his house guest Feng Jingren. Jingren said, "This is truly inauspicious—it is no longer a mere dream. To burn a man with fire is cruelty in its utmost form. A step toward disorder foretokens disaster—you are bringing calamity upon yourself. The Book of Shang says, 'Evil spreads easily, like fire blazing across a plain—one cannot approach near; can it still be stamped out?' Moreover, he who first foretokens evil meets final calamity; he who accumulates wrongdoing finds no lasting blessing. The stairway to ruin is already built—my lord, you must think on this." Hao replied, "I am just considering it," yet could not repent—and in the end his clan was destroyed. Hao was skilled in calligraphy, and many people asked him to copy the Jijiuzhang for them. [5] From youth to old age he never shrank from labor; his written copies surely numbered in the hundreds—and he always signed them "Feng Daiqiang," to show he dared not use his own name in a way that might offend the state. Such was his caution. Hao's calligraphic structure and force matched his forebears', yet in subtle elegance he fell short of them. The age treasured his hand; many trimmed and joined his strokes together to serve as models.

浩母盧氏，諶孫也。浩著食經敍曰：「余自少及長，耳目聞見，諸母諸姑所修婦功，無不蘊習酒食。朝夕養舅姑，四時祭祀，雖有功力，不任僮使，常手自親焉。昔遭喪亂，飢饉仍臻，饘蔬餬口，不能具其物用，十餘年間不復備設。先妣慮久廢忘，後生無知見，而少不習業書，乃占授為九篇，文辭約舉，婉而成章，聰辯強記，皆此類也。親沒之後，值國龍興之會，平暴除亂，拓定四方。余備位台鉉，與參大謀，賞獲豐厚，牛羊蓋澤，貲累巨萬。衣則重錦，食則粱肉。遠惟平生，思季路負米之時，不可復得，故序遺文，垂示來世。」

Hao's mother, Lady Lu, was a granddaughter of Shen. In the preface to his Classic of Food, Hao wrote: "From youth to maturity, everything my ears heard and my eyes saw—the domestic crafts my aunts and elder female kin practiced in preparing food and drink—I was thoroughly steeped in them all. Morning and evening I cared for my parents-in-law; at the sacrifices of the four seasons—though the labor was great—I did not delegate it to servants but always did it with my own hands. In the past we lived through chaos and famine followed in succession—we subsisted on gruel and vegetables and could not provide the full array of offerings; for more than ten years the full ceremonial spread was not restored. My late mother feared these arts would be forgotten, and that later generations would know nothing of them; as I was young and had not studied letters, she dictated and taught me nine chapters—the prose concise and well-chosen, graceful and formed as chapters; keen in speech and strong in memory—all her gifts were of this kind. After my parents died, the state rose like a dragon—pacifying violence, purging disorder, and securing the four quarters. I hold high office and share in great counsels; my rewards have been ample—cattle and sheep cover the marshlands, and my accumulated wealth runs to vast sums. I wear heavy brocade and eat fine grain and meat. Looking back across my life, I think of the time when Zilu carried rice on his back—that cannot be recovered. So I set forth these surviving texts to be handed down to later ages."

始浩與冀州刺史賾、滎陽太守模等年皆相次，浩為長，次模，次賾。三人別祖，而模、賾為親。浩恃其家世魏晉公卿，常侮模、賾。模謂人曰：「桃簡正可欺我，何合輕我家周兒也。」浩小名桃簡，賾小名周兒。世祖頗聞之，故誅浩時，二家獲免。浩既不信佛、道，模深所歸向，每雖糞土之中，禮拜形像。浩大笑之，云：「持此頭顱不淨處跪是胡神也。」

From the start, Hao, Ze the Inspector of Ji Province, Mo the Administrator of Xingyang, and the rest were close in age—Hao was eldest, then Mo, then Ze. The three traced to different founding ancestors, but Mo and Ze were kin. Hao, relying on his family's descent from Wei and Jin high ministers, often looked down on Mo and Ze. Mo said to someone, "Taojian may bully me as he likes—but why should he slight my family's Zhou'er as well?" Hao's childhood name was Taojian; Ze's childhood name was Zhou'er. The Emperor had heard of this, and so when Hao was executed, the two families were spared. Hao did not believe in Buddhism or Daoism, but Mo was deeply devoted to them—even in filth and dust he would bow before images. Hao laughed at him and said, "To hold this head of yours and kneel in filth before some barbarian god!"

史臣曰：崔浩才藝通博，究覽天人，政事籌策，時莫之二，此其所以自比於子房也。屬太宗為政之秋，值世祖經營之日，言聽計從，寧廓區夏。遇既隆也，勤亦茂哉。謀雖蓋世，威未震主，末途邂逅，遂不自全。豈鳥盡弓藏，民惡其上？將器盈必概，陰害貽禍？何斯人而遭斯酷，悲夫！

The historiographer writes: Cui Hao's talent and learning were vast; he mastered Heaven and human affairs alike; in statecraft and strategy none of his age could rival him—hence his comparison of himself to Zifang. He served in the autumn of Emperor Taizong's reign and through the days when the Emperor built the realm—his counsel was heard and followed, and the Central Plains were pacified. His favor was already lofty—and his diligence was abundant indeed. Though his stratagems covered the age, his authority never overawed his lord; at the end he met with mischance and could not save himself. Was it that when the birds are gone the bow is put away—that the people hate those above them? Or that when the vessel overflows the water must be skimmed—that secret harm brings down disaster? Why should such a man suffer such a cruel fate? Alas!

校勘記

Textual collation notes

乃徐徐西遁諸本「西」作「四」，北史卷二一作「西」。按通鑑卷一二一〈三八一二頁〉也作「西」。卷四上世祖紀上神䴥二年五月丁未、卷一０三蠕蠕傳補記此事並云「絕跡西走」。「四」字訛，今據改。

"Then slowly fled west": every edition writes west (the cited text) as four (the cited text); Beishi juan 21 has west. According to Zizhi Tongjian juan 121 〈page 3812〉 also reads "west." Juan 4A (Basic Annals of Shizu), second year of Shengui, fifth month, day dingwei, and juan 103 (Biography of the Rouran), which supplementally record this event, all read "vanished without trace fleeing west." The character four is erroneous; the text is now emended accordingly.

至於姑臧城南北史卷二一崔宏附崔浩傳此句作「至於涼州，地純枯石，了無水草，不見流川。又言姑臧城南」，「至於」下多出十六字。按無此十六字，語意不全，當是本書傳本脫去。

"As for south of Guzang city": Beishi juan 21 (Cui Hong with appended Cui Hao) reads this sentence as "As for Liang Province—the land is wholly dry stone, utterly without water or grass; no flowing streams are seen. Then again "south of Guzang city";"—sixteen extra characters appear after "as for." Without these sixteen characters the sense is incomplete; they were surely lost in the transmitted text of this book.

一日之內未便損傷北史卷二一「內」作「乏」。按上文說「渭北地空，穀草不滿」，所以拓跋燾不想走北道，這裏是說從北道往只一天路程，還長安也止一天，一天的糧食匱乏，不致受損害。作「乏」較長。

"Within a single day one would not yet suffer harm": Beishi juan 21 writes the cited text (within) as the cited text (scarcity). The passage above says "north of the Wei the land is empty and grain and grass insufficient," explaining why Tuoba Tao did not wish to take the northern route. Here the point is that the northern route is only one day's march—and Chang'an is also only one day away; a single day's scarcity of provisions would not cause serious harm. Reading scarcity (the cited text) is preferable.

大誤四千李慈銘云：「四千當作四十。」

"Great errors of four thousand": Li Ciming says four thousand should read forty.

人多託寫急就章諸本「人」上有「蓋」字，北史卷二一無。李慈銘云：「與下文『蓋』字行次適並，因而致誤。」按文義不當有此字，今據北史刪。

"Many people entrusted him to copy the Jijiuzhang": every edition has the character the cited text before "people"; Beishi juan 21 lacks it. Li Ciming says, "Its line position coincided with the cited text character below, producing the error." According to the sense the character does not belong; it is now deleted following Beishi.

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