1
段秀實段秀實，字成公，本姑臧人。 曾祖師濬，仕為隴州刺史，留不歸，更為汧陽人。 秀實六歲，母疾病，不勺飲至七日，病間乃肯食，時號「孝童」。 及長，沈厚能斷，慨然有濟世意。 舉明經，其友易之，秀實曰：「搜章擿句，不足以立功。」 乃棄去。
Duan Xiushi, whose courtesy name was Chenggong, came from Guzang. His great-grandfather Shi Jun had served as prefect of Long Prefecture; he stayed in the region rather than return home, and the family thereafter counted as natives of Qianyang. When Xiushi was six, his mother fell gravely ill. For seven days he would not take so much as a spoonful of food or drink, and ate only after her condition improved. People called him the "Filial Boy." As he matured, he proved grave, steadfast, and decisive, with a fervent desire to serve the common good. He passed the Mingjing examination, but a friend urged him to change course. Xiushi said, "Picking through texts for quotations will never win real achievement. He left the scholarly path behind.
2
天寶四載，從安西節度使馬靈詧討護密有功，授安西府別將。 靈詧罷，又事高仙芝。 仙芝討大食，圍怛邏斯城。 會虜救至，仙芝兵卻，士相失。 秀實夜聞副將李嗣業聲，識之，因責曰：「憚敵而奔，非勇也； 免己陷眾，非仁也。」 嗣業慚，乃與秀實收散卒，復成軍，還安西，請秀實為判官。 遷隴州大推府果毅。 後從封常清討大勃律，次賀薩勞城，與虜戰，勝之。 常清逐北，秀實曰：「賊出羸師，餌我也，請大索。」 悉得其廋伏，虜師唧。 改綏德府折沖都尉。
In Tianbao year 4 (745), he followed Anxi military commissioner Ma Lingzhao on a successful campaign against Humi and was appointed deputy general of the Anxi headquarters. After Lingzhao left office, he entered the service of Gao Xianzhi. Xianzhi marched against the Arabs and laid siege to Talas. When enemy reinforcements arrived, Xianzhi pulled his army back in disorder, and the troops were scattered. That night Xiushi heard the voice of deputy general Li Siye, recognized him, and rebuked him: "Running from the enemy out of fear is not courage; saving yourself while leaving the rest to perish is not humanity. Ashamed, Siye joined Xiushi in rallying the scattered troops, re-formed the army, and returned to Anxi, where he asked that Xiushi serve as his staff judge. He was promoted to guoyi of the Great Tui Office in Long Prefecture. He later followed Feng Changqing against Greater Bolü, encamped at Hesalao City, fought the enemy, and won. As Changqing pressed the pursuit northward, Xiushi said, "They have put out a weak detachment to lure us on. I ask that we search the area thoroughly. They uncovered every hidden ambush, and the enemy army was put to rout. He was appointed zhechong commandant of Suide Prefecture.
3
肅宗在靈武，詔嗣業以安西兵五千走行在。 節度使梁宰欲逗留觀變，嗣業陰然可。 秀實責謂曰：「天子方急，臣下乃欲晏然，公常自稱大丈夫，今誠兒女耳。」 嗣業因固請宰，遂東師，以秀實為副。 嗣業為節度使，而秀實方居父喪，表起為義王友，充節度判官。 安慶緒奔鄴，嗣業與諸將圍之，以輜重委河內，署秀實兼懷州長史，知州事，兼留後。 時師老財覂，秀實督饋系道，募士市馬以助軍。 諸軍戰愁思岡，嗣業中流矢卒，眾推荔非元禮代將其軍。 秀實聞之，即遺白孝德書，使發卒護喪送河內，親與將吏迎諸境，傾私財葬之。 元禮高其義，奏擢試光祿少卿。 俄而元禮為麾下所殺，將佐多死，惟秀實以恩信為士卒所服，皆羅拜不敢害，更推白孝德為節度使。 秀實凡佐三府，益知名。
While Emperor Suzong was at Lingwu, he ordered Siye to march five thousand Anxi troops posthaste to the imperial camp. Military commissioner Liang Zai wanted to delay departure and watch how events unfolded, and Siye quietly agreed. Xiushi rebuked him: "The Son of Heaven is in desperate straits, and you would sit idle? You call yourself a great man—today you act like a timid child. Siye pressed Zai until he yielded, and the army marched east with Xiushi as deputy. When Siye became military commissioner, Xiushi was still in mourning for his father; summoned from mourning, he was named Friend of the Prince of Yi and served as the commissioner's staff judge. When An Qingxu fled to Ye, Siye and the other generals besieged him, left the baggage train at Henei, and appointed Xiushi concurrently chief administrator of Huai Prefecture, with charge of prefectural affairs and acting rear commander. The army was exhausted and funds were running out; Xiushi supervised supply lines, recruited troops, and bought horses to keep the campaign going. At the battle of Chousigang, Siye was killed by a stray arrow, and the troops chose Lifei Yuanli to replace him. On hearing the news, Xiushi at once wrote to Bai Xiaode asking him to send troops to escort the coffin to Henei; he met the procession at the border with his officers and paid for the burial out of his own purse. Yuanli admired his conduct and memorialized that he be promoted on probation to Vice Director of the Imperial Household. Soon afterward Yuanli was killed by his own troops and many officers perished with him, but the soldiers trusted Xiushi and would not harm him; they lined up to pay him homage and instead chose Bai Xiaode as military commissioner. Having served three military headquarters in succession, Xiushi grew still more famous.
4
時吐蕃襲京師，代宗幸陝，勸孝德即日鼓行入援。 孝德徙邠甯，署支度營田副使。 於是邠寧乏食，乃請屯奉天，仰給畿內。 時公廩竭，縣吏不知所出，皆逃去，軍輒散剽，孝德不能制。 秀實曰：「使我為軍候，豈至是邪？」 司馬王稷言之，遂知奉天行營事。 號令嚴壹，軍中畏戢。 兵還，孝德薦為涇州刺史，封張掖郡王。
When Tibetans raided the capital and Emperor Daizong withdrew to Shaan, Xiushi urged Xiaode to march to the rescue without delay. When Xiaode was transferred to Binning, Xiushi was appointed deputy commissioner for logistics and military colonies. With Binning short of grain, he asked to encamp at Fengtian and draw supplies from the capital region. Public granaries were empty, county clerks fled in confusion, and troops scattered to plunder at will—Xiaode could not control them. Xiushi said, "Put me in charge as army overseer, and it would never come to this. Staff officer Wang Ji relayed the offer, and Xiushi was put in charge of the Fengtian field headquarters. His orders were strict and uniform, and discipline returned to the ranks. After the army returned, Xiaode recommended him as prefect of Jing and had him enfeoffed as Prince of Zhangye Commandery.
5
時郭子儀為副元帥，居蒲，子晞以檢校尚書領行營節度使，屯邠州。 士放縱不法，邠人之嗜惡者，納賄竄名伍中，因肆志，吏不得問。 白晝群行丐頡於市，有不嗛，輒擊傷市人，椎釜鬲甕盎盈道，至撞害孕婦。 孝德不敢劾，秀實自州以狀白府，願計事，至則曰：「天子以生人付公治，公見人被暴害，恬然，且大亂，若何？」 孝德曰：「願奉教。」 因請曰：「秀實不忍人無寇暴死，亂天子邊事。 公誠以為都虞候，能為公已亂。」 孝德即檄署付軍。 俄而晞士十七人入市取酒，刺酒翁，壞釀器，秀實列卒取之，斷首置槊上，植市門外。 一營大噪，盡甲，孝德恐，召秀實曰：「奈何？」 秀實曰：「請辭於軍。」 乃解佩刀，選老鐍一人持馬，至晞門下。 甲者出，秀實笑且入，曰：「殺一老卒，何甲也！ 吾戴頭來矣。」 甲為愕眙。 因曉之曰：「尚書固負若屬邪，副元帥固負若屬邪？ 奈何欲以亂敗郭氏！」 晞出，秀實曰：「副元帥功塞天地，當務始終。 今尚書恣卒為暴，使亂天子邊，欲誰歸罪？ 罪且及副元帥。 今邠惡子弟以貨竄名軍籍中，殺害人，藉藉如是，幾日不大亂？ 亂由尚書出。 人皆曰：尚書以副元帥故不戢士。 然則郭氏功名，其與存者有幾！」 晞再拜曰：「公幸教，晞願奉軍以從。」 即叱左右皆解甲，令曰：「敢喧者死！」 秀實曰：「吾未晡食，請設具。」 已食，曰：「吾疾作，願宿門下。」 遂臥軍中。 晞大駭，戒候卒擊柝衛之。 旦，與俱至孝德所，謝不能。 邠由是安。
Guo Ziyi was then deputy supreme commander at Pu; his son Xi, with the acting title of Minister, held field headquarters command and was encamped at Bin. His troops ran wild. Villains of Bin bribed their way into the ranks and did as they pleased, beyond any official's reach. By day they roamed the markets in gangs, extorting goods; anyone who refused was beaten. They smashed cookware until the streets were littered with debris, and even killed pregnant women. Xiaode dared not act. Xiushi reported from his prefecture to headquarters and asked to discuss the crisis. When he arrived he said, "The Son of Heaven entrusted these people to your care. You watch them suffer violence and do nothing—how long before total chaos? Xiaode said, "I will follow your guidance." Xiushi went on: "I cannot stand by while innocents are killed in peacetime and the frontier is thrown into chaos. Appoint me chief military police officer, and I will end this disorder for you." Xiaode issued the appointment at once and turned him over to the army. Soon seventeen of Xi's men went into the market for wine, stabbed the wine seller, and smashed his equipment. Xiushi seized them, beheaded them, and planted their heads on spears outside the market gate. The whole camp erupted in uproar and armed for battle. Terrified, Xiaode summoned Xiushi: "What now? Xiushi said, "Let me speak to them." He unbuckled his sword, chose one old veteran to hold his horse, and went alone to Xi's gate. Armored men rushed out. Xiushi smiled as he entered and said, "All this armor over one old soldier killed—why? I have come offering my own head. The soldiers stood stunned. He reasoned with them: "Has the Minister wronged you? Has the deputy supreme commander wronged you? Why would you destroy the Guo family through mutiny? When Xi came out, Xiushi said, "Your father's merit fills heaven and earth. He must see matters through to the end. You let your men run wild and throw the frontier into chaos—who will bear the blame? The guilt will reach your father. Vicious youths of Bin buy their way into your rolls and murder at will. How long before total chaos? The disorder will start with you. Everyone will say the Minister failed to restrain his men because of his father's rank. How much of the Guo family's fame and fortune will survive?" Xi bowed twice and said, "Thank you for your guidance. I will bring the army to heel." He ordered his men to remove their armor at once and declared, "Anyone who makes another uproar dies!" Xiushi said, "I have not eaten since mid-afternoon. Please set out a meal." After eating he said, "I feel ill and would like to stay the night at your gate." He lay down inside the camp. Xi was terrified and ordered the watch to strike the night clapper and guard him through the night. At dawn they went together to Xiaode's headquarters, where Xi apologized for his failure to control the troops. Bin was pacified from that day on.
6
初，秀實為營田官。 涇大將焦令諶取人田自占，給與農，約熟歸其半。 是歲大旱，農告無入，令諶曰：「我知入，不知旱也。」 責之急，農無以償，往訴秀實。 秀實署牒免之，因使人遜諭令諶。 令諶怒，召農責曰：「我畏段秀實邪？」 以牒置背上，大杖擊二十，輿致廷中。 秀實泣曰：「乃我困汝。」 即自裂裳裹瘡注藥，賣己馬以代償。 淮西將尹少榮頗剛鯁，入罵令諶曰：「汝誠人乎！ 涇州野如赭，人饑死，而爾必得穀，擊無罪者。 段公，仁信大人，惟一馬，賣而市穀入汝，汝取之不恥？ 凡為人傲天災、犯大人、擊無罪者，尚不愧奴隸邪！」 令諶聞，大愧流汗，曰：「吾終不可以見段公。」 一夕，自恨死。
Earlier, while serving as military colony officer, Jing's senior general Jiao Lingchen had seized private fields, leased them to farmers, and demanded half the harvest. That year brought severe drought. When farmers reported no yield, Lingchen said, "I deal in harvests, not droughts. He pressed them hard for payment. Unable to pay, they appealed to Xiushi. Xiushi issued a document exempting them and sent a courteous message to Lingchen. Enraged, Lingchen summoned the farmers and demanded, "Do I fear Duan Xiushi? He pinned the document to their backs, gave each twenty heavy strokes of the staff, and had them carried into the courtyard. Xiushi wept and said, "I am the one who brought this on you. He tore his own robe to dress their wounds, applied medicine, and sold his horse to pay their debt. Huaixi officer Yin Shaorong, a man of fierce integrity, went in and cursed Lingchen: "Are you even human? The fields of Jing are bare as ochre, people are starving to death, yet you demand grain and beat the innocent. Lord Duan, a man of humanity and trust, had only one horse. He sold it to buy grain for you. Are you not ashamed to take it? A man who defies heaven's calamity, insults his betters, and beats the innocent—would he not blush before a slave? Hearing this, Lingchen flushed with shame and sweat and said, "I can never face Lord Duan again." That night he died of remorse.
7
馬璘代孝德，每所咨逮。 璘處決不當，固爭之，不從不止。 始，璘城涇州，秀實為留後，以勞加御史中丞。 大曆三年，遂徙涇州。 是軍自四鎮、北庭赴難，征伐數有功，既驟徙，相與出怨言。 別將王童之謀作亂，約曰：「聞警鼓而縱。」 秀實知之，召鼓人，陽怒失節，戒曰：「每籌盡當報。」 因延數刻，盡四鼓而曙。 明日，復有告者曰：「夜焚稿積，約救火則亂。」 秀實嚴警備。 夜中果火發，令軍中曰：「敢救者斬！」 童之居外，請入，不許。 明日，捕之，並其黨八人斬以徇，曰：「後徙者族！」 軍遂遷涇州。 于時，食無久儲，郛無居人，朝廷患之，詔璘領鄭、潁二州以佐軍，命秀實為留後。 軍不乏資，二州以治。 璘嘉其績，奏為行軍司馬，兼都知兵馬使。
When Ma Lin replaced Xiaode, he consulted Xiushi on every matter. When Lin's decisions were wrong, Xiushi argued firmly and would not relent until Lin yielded. When Lin first fortified Jing, Xiushi served as acting rear commander and was promoted to Vice Censor-in-Chief for his labors. In Dali year 3 (768), the army was transferred to Jing. These troops had marched from the Four Garrisons and Beiting to save the dynasty and had won many victories; the sudden transfer stirred widespread resentment. Deputy general Wang Tongzhi plotted mutiny, agreeing that when the alarm drum sounded they would rise. Xiushi learned of the plot, summoned the drummer, feigned anger at a lapse, and warned, "Report each time the watch is fully counted." He delayed the watches by several quarters until all four night watches had sounded before dawn. The next day another informant said, "Tonight they will burn the hay stores and use the fire drill as cover for mutiny. Xiushi tightened security. Fire broke out in the night as predicted. He ordered the army, "Anyone who tries to fight the fire will be executed! Tongzhi, who was outside the camp, asked to enter and was refused. The next day he arrested Tongzhi and beheaded him with eight accomplices as a warning: "Anyone who mutinies again—his whole clan! The army then completed its transfer to Jing. Food stores were depleted and the city walls stood empty; the court was alarmed. Lin was ordered to draw supplies from Zheng and Ying to support the army, with Xiushi as acting rear commander. The army never wanted for supplies, and the two prefectures prospered. Lin praised his achievements and had him appointed campaigning staff marshal and overall commander of troops and horses.
8
吐蕃寇邊，戰鹽倉，師不利。 璘為虜隔，未能還，都將引潰兵先入，秀實讓曰：「兵法：失將，麾下斬。 公等忘死，而欲安其家邪！」 乃悉城中士，使銳將統之，依東原列奇兵，示賊將戰。 虜望之，不敢逼。 俄而璘得歸。
When Tibetans raided the frontier, the army fought at Yancang and was defeated. Lin was cut off by the enemy and could not return. Commanders led the routed troops into camp ahead of him. Xiushi rebuked them: "By the art of war, when the general is lost, his subordinates are beheaded. You forget your duty to die with your commander, yet you wish to go home to your families? He mustered every soldier in the city, placed crack officers in command, deployed elite troops on the eastern plain, and made a show of readiness to give battle. The enemy saw this and dared not press the attack. Before long Lin made his way back.
9
久之，璘有疾，請秀實攝節度副使。 秀實按甲備變，璘卒，命願將馬頔主喪，李漢惠主賓客，家人位於堂，宗族位於廷，賓將位於牙內，尉吏士卒位於營次，非其親，不得居喪側。 朝夕臨，三日止。 有族談離立者，皆捕囚之。 都虞候史廷幹、裨將崔珍、張景華欲謀亂，秀實送廷幹京師，徙珍、景華於外，一軍遂安。
When Lin fell ill, he asked Xiushi to serve as acting deputy military commissioner. Xiushi kept the army on alert. When Lin died, he put Colonel Ma Di in charge of the funeral and Li Hanhui in charge of receiving guests. He assigned places for family in the hall, clansmen in the courtyard, guest officers inside headquarters, and clerks and soldiers at camp—only kin might stand beside the bier. He attended morning and evening for three days, then stopped. Anyone among the clan who stood apart whispering was seized and imprisoned. Chief military police officer Shi Tinggan and staff generals Cui Zhen and Zhang Jinghua plotted mutiny. Xiushi sent Tinggan to the capital and transferred Zhen and Jinghua elsewhere, and the army was pacified.
10
即拜四鎮北庭行軍、涇原鄭潁節度使。 數年，吐蕃不敢犯塞。 又按格令，官使二料取其一，非公會不舉樂飲酒； 室無妓媵，無贏財； 賓佐至，議軍政，不及私。 十三年來朝，對蓬萊殿，代宗問所以安邊者，畫地以對，件別條陳。 帝悅，慰賚良渥，又賜第一區，實封百戶。 還之鎮。 德宗立，加檢校禮部尚書。 建中初，宰相楊炎追元載議，欲城原州，詔中使問狀，秀實言：「方春不可興土功，請須農隙。」 炎謂沮己，遂召為司農卿。
He was immediately appointed campaigning commander of the Four Garrisons and Beiting and military commissioner of Jingyuan, Zheng, and Ying. For several years the Tibetans dared not raid the frontier. He enforced regulations strictly: envoys received only half their usual stipends; he allowed music and wine only at official gatherings; his quarters held no singing girls or concubines, and he accumulated no private wealth; when guests and aides visited, they discussed military affairs only, never private matters. In year 13 he came to court and was received at Penglai Hall. When Emperor Daizong asked how to secure the frontier, he traced a map on the ground and laid out his plan item by item. The emperor was pleased, rewarded him generously, granted him a top-ranked residence, and gave him a substantive fief of one hundred households. He returned to his post. When Emperor Dezong acceded, he was additionally appointed Acting Minister of Rites. Early in the Jianzhong era, Chancellor Yang Yan revived Yuan Zai's plan to fortify Yuan Prefecture. When an imperial envoy came to inquire, Xiushi said, "Earthworks cannot begin in spring. Wait until the farming season ends. Yan took this as obstruction and summoned him to the capital as Director of the Imperial Granaries.
11
硃泚反，以秀實失兵，必恨憤，且素有人望，使騎往迎。 秀實與子弟訣而入，泚喜曰：「公來，吾事成矣。」 秀實曰：「將士東征，宴賜不豐，有司過耳，人主何與知？ 公本以忠義聞天下，今變起倉卒，當諭眾以禍福，掃清宮室，迎乘輿，公之職也。」 泚默然。 秀實知不可，乃陽與合，陰結將軍劉海賓、姚令言、都虞候何明禮，欲圖泚。 三人者，皆秀實素所厚。 會源休教泚偽迎天子，遣將韓旻領銳師三千疾馳奉天。 秀實以為宗社之危不容喘，乃遣人諭大吏岐靈嶽竊取令言印，不獲，乃倒用司農印追其兵。 旻至駱驛，得符還。 秀實謂海賓曰：「旻之來，吾等無遺類。 我當直搏殺賊，不然則死。」 乃約事急為繼，而令明禮應於外。 翌日，泚召秀實計事，源休、姚令言、李忠臣、李子平皆在坐。 秀實戎服與休並語，至僭位，勃然起，執休腕，奪其象笏，奮而前，唾泚面大罵曰：「狂賊！ 可磔萬段，我豈從汝反邪！」 遂擊之。 泚舉臂捍笏，中顙，流血衊面，匍匐走。 賊眾未敢動，而海賓等無至者。 秀實大呼曰：「我不同反，胡不殺我！」 遂遇害，年六十五。 海賓、明禮、靈嶽等皆繼為賊害。 帝在奉天，恨用秀實不極才，垂涕悔悵。
When Zhu Ci rebelled, he reckoned that Xiushi, having lost his command, must be bitter, and that his long-standing reputation made him worth winning over. He sent horsemen to bring him in. Xiushi bade farewell to his sons and brothers and entered. Ci was delighted: "With you here, my cause is assured. Xiushi said, "The troops marched east and were poorly rewarded at the feast—that is the officials' fault. What has the Son of Heaven to do with it? You are known throughout the realm for loyalty. Now that crisis has struck, you should explain the stakes to the troops, purge the palace, and welcome back the emperor. That is your duty." Ci said nothing. Knowing persuasion had failed, Xiushi feigned compliance while secretly plotting with Generals Liu Haibin and Yao Lingyan and chief military police officer He Mingli to overthrow Ci. All three were men Xiushi had long favored. Yuan Xiu then urged Ci to feign welcoming the emperor and sent General Han Min with three thousand elite troops racing toward Fengtian. Xiushi saw that the dynasty's peril brooked no delay. He sent word to senior clerk Qi Lingyue to steal Lingyan's seal; when that failed, he used the Director of Granaries seal to issue a recall order. Min reached Luoyi Post Station, received the recall order, and turned back. Xiushi told Haibin, "When Min returns, none of us will survive. I will strike Ci down myself, or die in the attempt. They agreed that when the moment came the others would follow up, with Mingli responding from outside. The next day Ci summoned Xiushi to discuss strategy. Yuan Xiu, Yao Lingyan, Li Zhongchen, and Li Ziping were all present. Xiushi in military dress sat with Xiu discussing the usurpation. He suddenly rose, seized Xiu's wrist, snatched his ivory tablet, rushed forward, spat in Ci's face, and roared, "Mad traitor! You deserve to be torn limb from limb! Do you think I would follow you in rebellion? He struck Ci. Ci raised his arm to block the blow. The tablet struck his forehead, blood spattered his face, and he crawled away. The rebels dared not move, but Haibin and the others never came. Xiushi shouted, "I will not rebel with you—why not kill me! He was cut down. He was sixty-five. Haibin, Mingli, Lingyue, and the others were killed in turn by the rebels. At Fengtian the emperor wept in remorse, lamenting that he had never used Xiushi to the full measure of his ability.
12
初，秀實自涇州被召，戒其家曰：「若過岐，硃泚必致贈遺，慎毋納。」 至岐，泚固致大綾三百，家人拒，不遂。 至都，秀實怒曰：「吾終不以汙吾第。」 以置司農治堂之梁間。 吏後以告泚，泚取視，其封帕完新。
When summoned from Jing, Xiushi warned his household, "If we pass through Qi, Zhu Ci will surely send gifts. Accept nothing. At Qi, Ci pressed three hundred bolts of fine silk on them. The household refused, and he failed. In the capital Xiushi said angrily, "I will never let this defile my home. He had it stored between the beams of the Director of Granaries' main hall. A clerk later told Ci, who came to inspect it. The wrapping was still intact and untouched.
13
秀實嘗以禁兵寡弱，不足備非常，言於帝曰：「古者天子曰萬乘，諸侯曰千乘，大夫曰百乘，蓋以大制小，以十制一。 今外有不廷之虜，內有梗命之臣，而禁兵寡少，卒有患難，何以待之？ 且猛虎所以百獸畏者，為爪牙也； 若去之，則犬彘馬牛，皆能為敵。」 帝不用。 及涇卒亂，召神策六軍，無一人至者，世多其謀。
Xiushi once warned the emperor that the imperial guard was too few and weak to meet emergencies: "In antiquity the Son of Heaven was called 'ten thousand chariots,' lords 'a thousand chariots,' and grandees 'a hundred chariots'—the large controls the small, and ten controls one. Barbarians defy us outside, defiant ministers plot inside, yet the guard is pitifully small. When crisis strikes, how will you meet it? A tiger terrifies all beasts because of its claws and fangs; remove them, and dogs and pigs become its enemies. The emperor ignored the advice. When the Jing troops mutinied and the Six Divine Strategy Armies were summoned, not one soldier came. The world then praised his foresight.
14
興元元年，詔贈太尉，諡曰忠烈。 賜封戶五百，莊、第各一區； 長子三品，諸子五品，並正員官。 帝還都，又詔致祭，旌其門閭，親銘其碑雲。 太和中，子伯倫始立廟，有詔給鹵簿，賜度支綾絹五百，以少牢致祭。
In Xingyuan year 1 (784), an edict posthumously appointed him Grand Preceptor with the posthumous title Loyal and Fierce. He was granted a fief of five hundred households, a manor, and a residence; his eldest son third rank, his other sons fifth rank, all as regular appointees. When the emperor returned to the capital, he ordered sacrifices, honored his household gate, and personally inscribed his stele. In the Taihe era his son Bolun first established a ancestral temple. An edict granted imperial insignia, five hundred bolts of treasury silk, and sacrifices with the lesser tai la victims.
15
伯倫累官福建觀察使，終太僕卿。 時宰相李石請文宗加賻襚，鄭覃曰：「自古殺身利社稷，未有如秀實者。」 帝惻然，為罷朝，可其請。
Bolun rose to Fujian observation commissioner and ended his career as Director of the Imperial Stud. Chancellor Li Shi asked Emperor Wenzong to add funeral gifts. Zheng Tan said, "From antiquity, none who gave his life for the state has equaled Xiushi. The emperor was deeply moved, dismissed court, and granted the request.
16
孫嶷、文楚、珂知名。 孫嶷嶷自鄭滑節度使入為右金吾衛大將軍，封西平郡公。 甘露之變，嶷當誅，裴度奏忠臣後，宜免死，貶循州司馬。 孫文楚文楚，咸通末為雲州防禦使。 時李國昌鎮振武，國昌子克用欲得雲中，引兵攻之，殺於鬥雞台下，沙陀之亂自此始。 孫珂珂，僖宗時居潁州。 黃巢圍潁，刺史欲以城降，珂募少年拒戰，眾裹糧請從，賊遂潰，拜州司馬。 附劉海賓劉海賓者，彭城人，以義俠聞。 為涇原兵馬將，與秀實友善。 累戰功，兼御史中丞。 劉文喜據涇州叛，海賓與其子光國紿以奏請。 及入對，因言奸慝可誅狀。 既還，光國手斬文喜獻闕下，拜左驍衛大將軍，封五原郡王； 海賓樂平郡王，贈太子太保，實封百戶。 顏真卿顏真卿，字清臣，秘書監師古五世從孫。 少孤，母殷躬加訓導。 既長，博學工辭章，事親孝。
His grandsons Yi, Wenchu, and Ke were well known. Grandson Yi entered court from Zheng-Hua military commissioner as Grand General of the Right Jinwu Guard and was enfeoffed Duke of Xiping. At the Sweet Dew Incident, Yi faced execution. Pei Du argued that as descendant of a loyal minister he should be spared and had him demoted to marshal of Xun Prefecture. Grandson Wenchu served as defense commissioner of Yun Prefecture at the end of the Xiantong era. Li Guochang held Zhenwu; his son Keyong wanted Yunzhong, attacked, and killed Wenchu below the Cockfighting Terrace. The Shatuo disorders began here. Grandson Ke lived at Ying Prefecture under Emperor Xizong. When Huang Chao besieged Ying, the prefect wished to surrender. Ke recruited young men to resist. Townspeople brought provisions and volunteered to fight. The rebels broke and fled. Ke was appointed prefectural marshal. Appended biography: Liu Haibin of Pengcheng was renowned for righteous chivalry. He was a Jingyuan troop-and-horse officer and a close friend of Xiushi. He won repeated battle honors and was appointed Vice Censor-in-Chief. When Liu Wenxi rebelled and held Jing, Haibin and his son Guangguo tricked him with a request to memorialize the throne. At court they denounced the traitor's crimes and called for his execution. On their return Guangguo personally beheaded Wenxi and presented his head at court. He was appointed Grand General of the Left Xiaowei Guard and enfeoffed Prince of Wuyuan; Haibin was made Prince of Leping, posthumously appointed Grand Guardian of the Heir Apparent, with a substantive fief of one hundred households. Yan Zhenqing, whose courtesy name was Qingchen, was a fifth-generation descendant of Secretariat Director Yan Shigu. Orphaned in youth, he was raised and taught by his mother, Lady Yin. As he grew up, he became broadly learned and skilled in letters, and deeply filial toward his parents.
17
開元中，舉進士，又擢制科。 調醴泉尉。 再遷監察御史，使河、隴。 時五原有冤獄久不決，天且旱，真卿辨獄而雨，郡人呼「御史雨」。 復使河東，劾奏朔方令鄭延祚母死不葬三十年，有詔終身不齒，聞者聳然。 遷殿中侍御史。 時御史吉溫以私怨構中丞宋渾，謫賀州，真卿曰：「奈何以一時忿，欲危宋璟後乎？」 宰相楊國忠惡之，諷中丞蔣冽奏為東都採訪判官，再轉武部員外郎。 國忠終欲去之，乃出為平原太守。
During the Kaiyuan era he passed the jinshi examination and was also selected in the special decree examination. He was appointed magistrate of Liquan. He was promoted to investigating censor and sent on mission to the He and Long circuits. At Wuyuan a wrongful case had long gone unresolved while drought threatened. Zhenqing cleared the case and rain fell. The people called him "Censor Rain." Sent again to Hedong, he impeached Shuo magistrate Zheng Yanzuo for leaving his mother's body unburied for thirty years. An edict barred him from office for life. All who heard it were stunned. He was promoted to palace attendant censor. Censor Ji Wen framed Vice Censor Song Hun out of private spite and had him demoted to He Prefecture. Zhenqing said, "How can you, in a fit of anger, seek to destroy the descendants of Song Jing? Chancellor Yang Guozhong hated him and had Vice Censor Jiang Lie memorialize his transfer to Eastern Capital investigation staff judge, then to Vice Director of the Ministry of War. Guozhong finally got rid of him by sending him out as prefect of Pingyuan.
18
安祿山逆狀牙孽，真卿度必反，陽托霖雨，增陴浚隍，料才壯，儲廥廩。 日與賓客泛舟飲酒，以紓祿山之疑。 果以為書生，不虞也。 祿山反，河朔盡陷，獨平原城守具備，使司兵參軍李平馳奏。 玄宗始聞亂，歎曰：「河北二十四郡，無一忠臣邪？」 及平至，帝大喜，謂左右曰：「朕不識真卿何如人，所為乃若此！」
An Lushan's rebellious intent was already showing. Zhenqing judged he would surely rebel. Outwardly citing heavy rains, he raised walls, deepened moats, assessed able men, and stocked granaries. He spent his days boating and drinking with guests to allay Lushan's suspicions. Lushan took him for a mere scholar and never suspected him. When Lushan rebelled, every prefecture north of the Yellow River fell—only Pingyuan stood ready. Zhenqing sent staff officer Li Ping racing to court with the news. When Emperor Xuanzong first heard of the rebellion, he sighed: "Of Hebei's twenty-four commanderies, is there not one loyal minister? When Ping arrived, the emperor was overjoyed and said to his attendants, "I never knew what manner of man Zhenqing was—and see what he has done!" End of the emperor's words.
19
時平原有靜塞兵三千，乃益募士，得萬人，遣錄事參軍李擇交統之，以刁萬歲、和琳、徐浩、馬相如、高抗朗等為將，分總部伍。 大饗士城西門，慷慨泣下，眾感勵。 饒陽太守盧全誠、濟南太守李隨、清河長史王懷忠、景城司馬李暐、鄴郡太守王燾各以眾歸，有詔北海太守賀蘭進明率精銳五千濟河為助。 賊破東都，遣段子光傳李憕、盧奕、蔣清首徇河北，真卿畏眾懼，紿諸將曰：「吾素識憕等，其首皆非是。」 乃斬子光，藏三首。 它日，結芻續體，斂而祭，為位哭之。
Pingyuan had three thousand Jingsai troops. Zhenqing recruited until he had ten thousand men, put recording officer Li Zejiao in overall command, and appointed Diao Wansui, He Lin, Xu Hao, Ma Xiangru, Gao Kanglang, and others as generals to lead the units. At the west gate he treated his troops to a great banquet, weeping as he spoke with passion until all were stirred to renewed courage. Raoyang's Lu Quancheng, Jinan's Li Sui, Qinghe chief administrator Wang Huaizhong, Jingcheng's Li Wei, and Ye's Wang Tao all defected with their men. The court ordered Beihai prefect Helan Jinming to cross the Yellow River with five thousand crack troops to aid him. After the rebels captured Luoyang, they sent Duan Ziguang to display the severed heads of Li Zhi, Lu Yi, and Jiang Qing across Hebei. Fearing his men would lose heart, Zhenqing lied to his officers: "I knew Zhi and the others well—these heads are not theirs. With that he had Ziguang beheaded and hid the three heads from view. Later he had straw figures fashioned to stand in for the missing bodies, interred them with proper rites, arranged mourning seats, and led the lamentation.
20
是時，從父兄杲卿為常山太守，斬賊將李欽湊等，清土門。 十七郡同日自歸，推真卿為盟主，兵二十萬，絕燕、趙。 詔即拜戶部侍郎，佐李光弼討賊。 真卿以李暉自副，而用李銑、賈載、沈震為判官。 俄加河北招討採訪使。
About then his cousin Gaoqing, as prefect of Changshan, killed the rebel commanders Li Qintou and his fellows and reclaimed Tumen Pass. On a single day seventeen commanderies came over to the loyal side and chose Zhenqing as their alliance chief. With two hundred thousand men he severed rebel communications between Yan and Zhao. The throne at once made him vice minister of revenue to serve under Li Guangbi against the rebellion. He made Li Hui his second-in-command and appointed Li Xian, Jia Zai, and Shen Zhen as his staff officers. Soon he was also named commissioner for pacification and inspection in Hebei.
21
清河太守使郡人李崿來乞師，崿曰：「聞公首奮裾唱大順，河朔恃公為金城。 清河，西鄰也，有江淮租布備北軍，號'天下北庫'。 計其積，足以三平原之有，士卒可以二平原之眾。 公因而撫有，以為腹心，它城運之如臂之指耳。」 真卿為出兵六千，謂曰：「吾兵已出，子將何以教我？」 崿曰：「朝家使程千里統眾十萬，自太行而東，將出槨口，限賊不得前。 公若先伐魏郡，斬賊守袁知泰，以勁兵披郭口，出官師使討鄴、幽陵，平原、清河合十萬眾徇洛陽，分犀銳制其沖。 公堅壁勿與戰，不數十日，賊必潰，相圖死。」 真卿然之。 乃檄清河等郡，遣大將李擇交、副將范冬馥、和琳、徐浩與清河、博平士五千屯堂邑。 袁知泰遣將白嗣深、乙舒蒙等兵二萬拒戰，賊敗，斬首萬級，知泰走汲郡。
Qinghe's prefect dispatched a local man named Li E to request reinforcements. E said: "Word has spread that you were the first in Hebei to raise the banner of loyalty. All the north now treats you as their bulwark. Qinghe lies on your western flank. It holds Jianghuai grain and cloth reserves for the northern armies—known as the empire's northern storehouse. By its stockpiles alone it could supply three times what you have in Pingyuan, and its troops would more than double your current strength. Seize it and make it your strategic heartland, and every other city will answer your orders as readily as fingers move at a gesture of the hand. Zhenqing sent six thousand men and asked him: "My troops are on the move—what do you propose we do next? Li E replied: "The throne has Cheng Qianli leading a hundred thousand men eastward through the Taihang range. He means to debouch at Guo Pass and pin the rebels in place. If you strike Wei first, kill the rebel garrison commander Yuan Zhita, punch through Guo Pass with your best units, and dispatch the imperial forces against Ye and Youbei while Pingyuan and Qinghe combine a hundred thousand men to threaten Luoyang, then detach elite troops to hold the enemy's vital crossings— hold your lines and refuse battle. Within ten days their army will break apart and they will destroy each other. Zhenqing agreed that this was the plan. He notified Qinghe and neighboring commanderies, then sent his chief general Li Zejiao with deputies Fan Dongfu, He Lin, and Xu Hao and five thousand troops from Qinghe and Boping to garrison Tangyi. Yuan Zhita met them with twenty thousand men under Bai Sishen and Yi Shumeng. The rebels were routed; ten thousand were killed or captured, and Zhita fled to Ji.
22
史思明圍饒陽，遣游奕兵絕平原救軍，真卿懼不敵，以書招賀蘭進明，以河北招討使讓之。 進明敗於信都。 會平盧將劉正臣以漁陽歸，真卿欲堅其意，遣賈載越海遺軍資十余萬，以子頗為質。 頗甫十歲，軍中固請留之，不從。
Shi Siming blockaded Raoyang and sent mobile units to intercept relief from Pingyuan. Convinced he was outmatched, Zhenqing wrote to Helan Jinming, upbraiding him in his capacity as Hebei pacification commissioner. Jinming was beaten at Xindu. Liu Zhengchen of Pinglu had just brought Yuyang over to the loyal side. To cement his commitment, Zhenqing sent Jia Zai by sea with military supplies worth more than a hundred thousand cash—and pledged his son Po as surety. Po was only ten. His officers begged him to keep the boy back, but he refused.
23
肅宗已即位靈武，真卿數遣使以蠟丸裹書陳事。 拜工部尚書兼御史大夫，復為河北招討使。 時軍費困竭，李崿勸真卿收景城鹽，使諸郡相輸，用度遂不乏。 第五琦方參進明軍，後得其法以行，軍用饒雄。
By then Emperor Suzong had taken the throne at Lingwu. Zhenqing sent messenger after messenger with wax-sealed dispatches reporting on conditions in the north. He was made minister of works and chief censor, and once more named Hebei pacification commissioner. Military funds were running dry. Li E persuaded Zhenqing to monopolize Jingcheng salt and arrange mutual deliveries among the commanderies. From then on supplies never ran short. Diwu Qi was then serving in Jinming's command. He later adopted the same scheme on a wider scale, and the imperial armies grew flush with resources.
24
祿山乘虛遣思明、尹子奇急攻河北，諸郡復陷，獨平原、博平、清河固守。 然人心危，不復振。 真卿謀於眾曰：「賊銳甚，不可抗。 若委命辱國，非計也。 不如徑赴行在，朝廷若誅敗軍罪，吾死不恨。」 至德元載十月，棄郡度河，間關至鳳翔謁帝，詔授憲部尚書，遷御史大夫。
Lushan seized the moment to hurl Siming and Yin Ziqi against Hebei. The commanderies fell again one by one; only Pingyuan, Boping, and Qinghe held out. Morale nonetheless collapsed, and the will to fight did not return. Zhenqing consulted his officers: "The enemy is too strong for us to stand against. To die here and disgrace the empire serves no purpose. Better to make our way directly to the emperor's camp. If the court holds us accountable for losing the north, I will accept death without regret. In the tenth month of Zhide 1 (756), he abandoned his post, crossed the Yellow River, and after a perilous journey reached Fengxiang to see the emperor. The court made him minister of justice, then chief censor.
25
方朝廷草昧不暇給，而真卿繩治如平日。 武部侍郎崔漪、諫議大夫李何忌皆被劾斥降。 廣平王總兵二十萬平長安，辭日，當闕不敢乘，趨出枑乃乘。 王府都虞候管崇嗣先王而騎，真卿劾之。 帝還奏，慰答曰：「朕子每出，諄諄教戒，故不敢失。 崇嗣老而鐍，卿姑容之。」 百官肅然。 兩京復，帝遺左司郎中李選告宗廟，祝署「嗣皇帝」，真卿謂禮儀使崔器曰：「上皇在蜀，可乎？」 器遽奏改之，帝以為達識。 又建言：「《春秋》，新宮災，魯成公三日哭。 今太廟為賊毀，請築壇于野，皇帝東向哭，然後遣使。」 不從。 宰相厭其言，出為馮翊太守。 轉蒲州刺史，封丹陽縣子。 為御史唐旻誣劾，貶饒州刺史。
Even while the court was still scrambling to establish itself, Zhenqing enforced order as rigorously as ever. Cui Yi, vice minister of war, and Li Heji, remonstrating advisor, were both impeached, dismissed, and demoted. When the Prince of Guangping took leave to reconquer Chang'an at the head of two hundred thousand men, he dismounted before the palace gate and did not remount until he had passed beyond the barrier. Guan Chongsi, chief commandant of the prince's household guard, rode out ahead of his lord. Zhenqing censured him for it. The emperor returned his memorial with a placating reply: "I instruct my son carefully whenever he leaves court. That is why he was so careful. Chongsi is old and slow-witted—for now, let it pass. From that day the whole court stood in awe of his integrity. After Chang'an and Luoyang were retaken, the emperor sent Li Xuan of the left secretariat to report to the ancestral shrine. The prayer was signed "Succession Emperor." Zhenqing asked the master of ceremonies, Cui Qi: "The former emperor is still in Shu—how can this be right? Qi immediately memorialized for a correction. The emperor praised his sound judgment. He also argued: "The Spring and Autumn Annals record that when Duke Cheng of Lu's new palace burned, he mourned for three days. The ancestral temple has been wrecked by the rebels. I propose that an altar be raised in the open, that His Majesty face east and weep for three days, and only then send envoys abroad. The court did not adopt the proposal. The chief ministers wearied of his admonitions and had him posted away as prefect of Fufeng. He was moved to Pu prefecture and ennobled as Viscount of Danyang. Censor Tang Min brought a trumped-up charge against him, and he was demoted to prefect of Raozhou.
26
乾元二年，拜浙西節度使。 劉展將反，真卿豫飭戰備，都統李峘以為生事，非短真卿，因召為刑部侍郎。 展卒舉兵度淮，而峘奔江西。
In 759 he was appointed military governor of Zhexi. When Liu Zhan was plotting rebellion, Zhenqing had already begun preparing defenses. Supreme commander Li Chan regarded this as inflammatory rather than as a personal failing on Zhenqing's part, but recalled him to the capital as vice minister of justice anyway. Liu Zhan did rebel and crossed the Huai River, and Li Chan fled into Jiangxi.
27
李輔國遷上皇西宮，真卿率百官問起居，輔國惡之，貶蓬州長史。 代宗立，起為利州刺史，不拜，再遷吏部侍郎。 除荊南節度使，未行，改尚書右丞。
When Li Fuguo installed the retired emperor in the Western Palace, Zhenqing led the entire court to inquire after his health. Fuguo resented the gesture and had him demoted to chief administrator of Pengzhou. Upon Daizong's accession he was offered Lizhou prefecture but declined. He was soon transferred again to vice minister of the civil service. He was named governor of Jingnan but never took up the post; instead he was made vice director of the right secretariat.
28
帝自陝還，真卿請先謁陵廟而即宮，宰相元載以為迂，真卿怒曰：「用舍在公，言者何罪？ 然朝廷事豈堪公再破壞邪！」 載銜之。 俄以檢校刑部尚書為朔方行營宣慰使，未行，留知省事，更封魯郡公。 時載多引私黨，畏群臣論奏，乃紿帝曰：「群臣奏事，多挾讒毀。 請每論事，皆先白長官，長官以白宰相，宰相詳可否以聞。」 真卿上疏曰：
When the emperor returned from Shanzhou, Zhenqing urged that he visit the imperial tombs and shrines before entering the palace. Yuan Zai dismissed the suggestion as needlessly fussy. Zhenqing flared: "The throne decides who serves and who goes—what crime is there in offering counsel? But can the court survive your wrecking it a second time? Yuan Zai never forgave the rebuke. He was soon named acting minister of justice and pacification commissioner for the Shuofang campaign, but never left the capital. He was kept on to manage routine affairs and ennobled again as Duke of Lu. Zai was filling offices with his own men and feared open debate in court. He tricked the emperor: "Ministers who petition you often use their reports to spread slander. I propose that every petition pass first to a man's department head, then to the chief minister, who will judge its merits before anything reaches Your Majesty. Yan Zhenqing answered with a memorial:
29
諸司長官者，達官也，皆得專達于天子。 郎官、御史，陛下腹心耳目之臣也，故出使天下，事無細大得失，皆俾訪察，還以聞。 此古明四目、達四聰也。 今陛下欲自屏耳目，使不聰明，則天下何望焉？ 《詩》曰：「營營青蠅，止於棘； 讒言罔極，交亂四國。」 以其能變白為黑，變黑為白也。 詩人疾之，故曰：「取彼讒人，投畀豺虎； 豺虎不食，投畀有北。」 昔夏之伯明、楚之無極、漢之江充，皆讒人也，陛下惡之，宜矣。 胡不回神省察？ 其言虛誣，則讒人也，宜誅殛之； 其言不誣，則正人也，宜獎勵之。 舍此不為，使眾人謂陛下不能省察而倦聽覽，以是為辭，臣竊惜之。
The heads of the various departments are senior officials, each entitled to communicate directly with the emperor. Directors and censors are your eyes and ears in the field. They are dispatched across the empire to investigate every matter, great or small, and report back to you. This is the ancient ideal of extending sight and hearing in every direction. If Your Majesty now chooses to block your own eyes and ears and dull your understanding, what hope can the realm place in you? The Book of Songs says: "Buzzing blue flies, settling on the brambles; slander without end, sowing chaos among the four quarters of the realm. Because slander can turn white into black and black into white. The poet despised them, and wrote: "Seize those slanderers and throw them to wolves and tigers; if wolves and tigers refuse them, cast them to the northern wilds. In antiquity Bo Ming of Xia, Wuji of Chu, and Jiang Chong of Han were all notorious slanderers. Your Majesty is right to despise such men. Why not turn your mind to careful scrutiny instead? If a report proves false, its author is a slanderer and should be punished; if it proves true, its author is an upright man and should be rewarded. To abandon this course and give people reason to say that Your Majesty will no longer examine reports or heed counsel—that, I deeply regret, is exactly the pretext being offered.
30
昔太宗勤勞庶政，其《司門式》曰：「無門籍者有急奏，令監司與仗家引對，不得關礙。」 防擁蔽也。 置立仗馬二，須乘者聽。 此其平治天下也。 天寶後，李林甫得君，群臣不先咨宰相輒奏事者，托以他故中傷之，猶不敢明約百司，使先關白。 時閹人袁思藝日宣詔至中書，天子動靜必告林甫，林甫得以先意奏請，帝驚喜若神，故權寵日甚，道路以目。 上意不下宣，下情不上達，此權臣蔽主，不遵太宗之法也。 陵夷至於今，天下之敝皆萃陛下，其所從來漸矣。 自艱難之初，百姓尚未凋竭，太平之治猶可致，而李輔國當權，宰相用事，遞為姑息。 開三司，誅反側，使餘賊潰將北走党項，裒嘯不逞，更相驚恐，思明危懼，相挻而反，東都陷沒，先帝由是憂勤損壽。 臣每思之，痛貫心骨。
Emperor Taizong once labored over every detail of government. His Gate Office regulations state: "Anyone without a gate pass who bears urgent business shall be escorted in for audience by the duty officers—no obstruction permitted. That was to guard against blocking access to the throne. He even kept two horses saddled at the gate for any official who needed to ride in on urgent business. That is how he kept the realm at peace. After the Tianbao era Li Linfu dominated the court. Officials who petitioned without consulting him first were destroyed on trumped-up charges—yet even he did not dare openly decree that every office must clear business with the chief minister first. The eunuch Yuan Siyi brought the emperor's orders to the Secretariat each day, so Linfu always knew the ruler's mind before anyone else and could frame his proposals accordingly. The emperor marveled at his prescience. Linfu's power swelled, and people feared even to meet one another's eyes in the street. The emperor's will no longer reached the realm, and the realm's grievances no longer reached the emperor. That is how a powerful minister blinds his sovereign—and it departs from Taizong's way of rule. The decay has continued to this day, and every affliction of the realm now falls upon Your Majesty. It did not happen all at once—it came by degrees. At the start of the rebellion the people were not yet ruined and good government could still have been restored. Instead Li Fuguo seized power, and chief ministers who followed him indulged one another in turn. They established the Three Offices to try collaborators and executed those deemed disloyal, driving scattered rebel commanders north toward the Tangut tribes. Brigands roamed unchecked, terror fed on terror, and Siming, fearing for his life, rose again. Luoyang fell, and the late emperor wore himself down with grief until his health broke. Whenever I reflect on this, grief pierces me to the bone.
31
今天下瘡痏未平，干戈日滋，陛下豈得不博聞讜言以廣視聽，而塞絕忠諫乎？ 陛下在陝時，奏事者不限貴賤，群臣以為太宗之治可跂而待。 且君子難進易退，朝廷開不諱之路，猶恐不言，況懷厭怠。 令宰相宣進止，御史台作條目，不得直進，從此人不奏事矣。 陛下聞見，止於數人耳目。 天下之士，方鉗口結舌，陛下便謂無事可論，豈知懼而不敢進，即林甫、國忠復起矣。 臣謂今日之事，曠古未有，雖林甫、國忠猶不敢公為之。 陛下不早覺悟，漸成孤立，後悔無及矣。
The realm is still bleeding from its wounds and war grows daily. How can Your Majesty refuse to broaden your hearing with honest counsel—and instead cut off loyal remonstrance? When Your Majesty was at Shanzhou, anyone could petition regardless of rank, and the court believed Taizong's golden age was within reach. Moreover, upright men find it hard to speak up and easy to fall silent. Even when the court opens every avenue for frank speech, men still hesitate—how much more so when they sense indifference or hostility. If the chief minister alone decides what reaches you, and the Censorate writes rules barring direct access, from that day forward no one will petition at all. Your Majesty's knowledge of the realm will be confined to what a handful of men choose to tell you. Men of talent across the empire are already clamping shut their mouths. Your Majesty will conclude that nothing need be discussed—but they are silent from fear, not from contentment. This is how Linfu and Yang Guozhong rise again. I say that what is proposed today has no precedent in history. Even Linfu and Yang Guozhong never dared to do this openly. If Your Majesty does not see this now, you will gradually stand alone—and regret will come too late.
32
於是中人等騰布中外。 後攝事太廟，言祭器不飭，載以為誹謗，貶峽州別駕。 改吉州司馬，遷撫、湖二州刺史。 載誅，楊綰薦之，擢刑部尚書，進吏部。 帝崩，以為禮儀使。 因奏列聖諡繁，請從初議為定，袁傪固排之，罷不報。 時喪亂後，典法湮放，真卿雖博識今古，屢建議釐正，為權臣沮抑，多中格雲。
Eunuchs promptly spread word of the memorial throughout the palace and beyond. Later, while overseeing rites at the ancestral temple, he reported that the sacrificial vessels were ill kept. Zai treated this as slander and had him demoted to vice-prefect of Xiazhou. He was reassigned as military administrator of Jizhou, then promoted to prefect of Fu and Hu prefectures in succession. After Zai's execution Yang Wan recommended him. He was raised to minister of justice and then to minister of personnel. After the emperor's death, he was appointed Commissioner of Rites. He memorialized that the posthumous titles of successive emperors had grown excessive and asked that the original proposals stand. Yuan Cen blocked the request, and it was dropped without reply. After the civil wars, ritual law lay in ruins. Though Zhenqing was deeply learned and repeatedly proposed corrections, powerful ministers blocked him and most of his proposals never took effect.
33
楊炎當國，以直不容，換太子少師，然猶領使。 及盧杞，益不喜，改太子太師，並使罷之，數遣人問方鎮所便，將出之。 真卿往見杞，辭曰：「先中丞傳首平原，面流血，吾不敢以衣拭，親舌舐之，公忍不見容乎！」 杞矍然下拜，而銜恨切骨。
When Yang Yan dominated the government, his blunt integrity could not be tolerated. He was made Junior Tutor of the Heir Apparent but still headed the rites commission. Under Lu Qi he fared worse still. Qi made him Grand Tutor of the Heir Apparent, stripped him of the rites commission, and repeatedly asked which frontier post would suit him, clearly intending to exile him. Zhenqing went to see Qi and said, "When your father's head was brought to Pingyuan, the face was covered in blood. I would not wipe it with my robe but licked it clean with my own tongue. Can you truly refuse me a place? Qi started in alarm and bowed low, but from that day nursed a hatred to the bone.
34
李希烈陷汝州，杞乃建遣真卿：「四方所信，若往諭之，可不勞師而定。」 詔可，公卿皆失色。 李勉以為失一元老，貽朝廷羞，密表固留。 至河南，河南尹鄭叔則以希烈反狀明，勸不行，答曰：「君命可避乎？」 既見希烈，宣詔旨，希烈養子千余拔刃爭進，諸將皆慢罵，將食之，真卿色不變。 希烈以身捍，麾其眾退，乃就館。 逼使上疏雪己，真卿不從。 乃詐遣真卿兄子峴與從吏數輩繼請，德宗不報。 真卿每與諸子書，但戒嚴奉家廟，恤諸孤，訖無它語。 希烈遣李元平說之，真卿叱曰：「爾受國委任，不能致命，顧吾無兵戮汝，尚說我邪？」 希烈大會其黨，召真卿，使倡優斥侮朝廷。 真卿怒曰：「公，人臣，奈何如是？」 拂衣去。 希烈大慚。 時硃滔、王武俊、田悅、李納使者皆在坐，謂希烈曰：「聞太師名德久矣，公欲建大號而太師至，求宰相孰先太師者？」 真卿叱曰：「若等聞顏常山否？ 吾兄也。 祿山反，首舉義師，後雖被執，詬賊不絕於口。 吾年且八十，官太師，吾守吾節，死而後已，豈受若等脅邪！」 諸賊失色。
When Li Xilie captured Ru Prefecture, Qi proposed sending Zhenqing: "The realm trusts him. If he goes to reason with Xilie, we may settle this without an army. The edict approved the plan, and the high ministers turned pale. Li Mian saw it as losing a senior statesman and shaming the court. He secretly memorialized to keep Zhenqing back. At Henan, prefect Zheng Shuzhe, seeing Xilie's rebellion plainly, urged him not to proceed. Zhenqing answered, "Can one evade the ruler's command? When he met Xilie and announced the imperial edict, more than a thousand of Xilie's adopted sons drew swords and pressed forward. The generals cursed and reviled him and were ready to tear him apart. Zhenqing's face never changed. Xilie shielded him with his own body, waved the mob back, and lodged him in a guesthouse. They pressed him to memorialize the throne in Xilie's defense. Zhenqing refused. They sent Zhenqing's nephew Xian and several clerks in succession to plead for him. Emperor Dezong never answered. In letters to his sons he only urged them to tend the ancestral temple and care for the orphans. He wrote of nothing else. Xilie sent Li Yuanping to win him over. Zhenqing rebuked him: "The state entrusted you with office and you could not give your life for it. Because I have no troops to execute you, you dare come to persuade me? Xilie held a great assembly of his followers, summoned Zhenqing, and set entertainers to insult the court before him. Zhenqing said angrily, "You are a subject of the throne. How can you do this? He brushed his robe and walked out. Xilie was deeply shamed. Envoys of Zhu Tao, Wang Wujun, Tian Yue, and Li Na were present. They said to Xilie, "We have long heard of the Grand Preceptor's fame. You wish to proclaim an imperial title—yet when he arrives, who would you name chief minister ahead of him? Zhenqing rebuked them: "Have you heard of Yan of Changshan? My own elder brother. When Lushan rebelled, he was first to raise loyal troops. Though later captured, he never stopped cursing the rebels. I am nearly eighty and hold the rank of Grand Preceptor. I shall keep my integrity until death. Do you think I would bow to your threats?" The rebel envoys turned pale.
35
希烈乃拘真卿，守以甲士，掘方丈坎于廷，傳將坑之，真卿見希烈曰：「死生分矣，何多為！」 張伯儀敗，希烈令齎旌節首級示真卿，真卿慟哭投地。 會其党周曾、康秀林等謀襲希烈，奉真卿為帥。 事泄，曾死，乃拘送真卿蔡州。 真卿度必死，乃作遺表、墓誌、祭文，指寢室西壁下曰：「此吾殯所也。」 希烈僭稱帝，使問儀式，對曰：「老夫耄矣，曾掌國禮，所記諸侯朝覲耳！」
Xilie detained him under armed guard, dug a square pit in the courtyard, and spread word that he would bury him alive. Zhenqing told Xilie, "Life and death are already settled. Why all this trouble? When Zhang Boyi was defeated, Xilie had the imperial banners and severed heads brought to show him. Zhenqing wailed and threw himself to the ground. Some of his followers, Zhou Zeng and Kang Xiulin among them, plotted to strike Xilie and make Zhenqing their commander. The plot leaked. Zeng was killed, and Zhenqing was sent under guard to Cai Prefecture. Knowing he would die, he wrote his final memorial, tomb inscription, and funeral text, and pointing below the west wall of his chamber said, "This is where I shall lie in my coffin. When Xilie declared himself emperor and asked about court ritual, he answered, "I am an old man. I once managed the state's rites. I remember only how feudal lords attended the Son of Heaven!" End of his reply.
36
興元後，王師復振，賊慮變，遣將辛景臻、安華至其所，積薪於廷曰：「不能屈節，當焚死。」 真卿起赴火，景臻等遽止之。 希烈弟希倩坐硃泚誅，希烈因發怒，使閹奴等害真卿，曰：「有詔。」 真卿再拜。 奴曰：「宜賜卿死。」 曰：「老臣無狀，罪當死，然使人何日長安來？」 奴曰：「從大樑來。」 罵曰：「乃逆賊耳，何詔雲！」 遂縊殺之，年七十六。 嗣曹王皋聞之，泣下，三軍皆慟，因表其大節。 淮、蔡平，子頵、碩護喪還，帝廢朝五日，贈司徒，諡文忠，賻布帛米粟加等。
After Xingyuan the imperial armies rallied again. Fearful of a turn in events, the rebels sent generals Xin Jingzhen and An Hua to him, piled firewood in the courtyard, and said, "If you will not submit, you shall burn. Zhenqing rose and walked toward the flames. Jingzhen and the others hastily stopped him. Xilie's brother Xiqian was executed for ties to Zhu Ci. Xilie flew into a rage and sent eunuch attendants to kill Zhenqing, announcing, "There is an edict. Zhenqing performed the full obeisance. The attendant said, "You are granted death. He said, "This old minister deserves death. But when did an envoy come from Chang'an?" The attendant said, "From Daliang." He cursed, "You are a rebel traitor. What edict?" They strangled him. He was seventy-six. Prince Li Gao of Cao wept when he heard the news, and the whole army mourned. He memorialized Zhenqing's supreme loyalty. When Huai and Cai were pacified, his sons Yun and Shuo escorted the coffin home. The emperor suspended court for five days, posthumously appointed him Minister of Works with the title Cultured and Loyal, and granted enhanced funeral gifts.
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真卿立朝正色，剛而有禮，非公言直道，不萌於心。 天下不以姓名稱，而獨曰魯公。 如李正己、田神功、董秦、侯希逸、王玄志等，皆真卿始招起之，後皆有功。 善正、草書，筆力遒婉，世寶傳之。 貞元六年，赦書授頵五品正員官。 開成初，又以曾孫弘式為同州參軍。 贊贊曰：唐人柳宗元稱：「世言段太尉，大抵以為武人，一時奮不慮死以取名，非也。 太尉為人姁姁，常低首拱手行步，言氣卑弱，未嘗以色待物； 人視之，儒者也。 遇不可，必達其志，決非偶然者。」 宗元不妄許人，諒其然邪，非孔子所謂仁者必有勇乎？ 當祿山反，哮噬無前，魯公獨以烏合嬰其鋒，功雖不成，其志有足稱者。 晚節偃蹇，為奸臣所擠，見殞賊手。 毅然之氣，折而不沮，可謂忠矣。 詳觀二子行事，當時亦不能盡信於君，及臨大節，蹈之無貳色，何耶？ 彼忠臣誼士，寧以未見信望於人，要返諸己得其正，而後慊於中而行之也。 嗚呼，雖千五百歲，其英烈言言，如嚴霜烈日，可畏而仰哉！
At court Zhenqing stood with stern dignity, firm yet courteous. Nothing that was not public truth and the straight Way ever stirred in his heart. The realm did not speak his personal name but called him only the Duke of Lu. Li Zhengji, Tian Shenggong, Dong Qin, Hou Xiyi, Wang Xuanzhi, and others were all first recruited by Zhenqing and later won distinction. He excelled in regular and cursive script, with a brush at once forceful and graceful. The world treasures his writing and passes it down. In Zhenyuan year 6 (790), an amnesty edict granted his son Yun a regular fifth-rank appointment. Early in the Kaicheng era, his great-grandson Hongshi was appointed military adjutant of Tong Prefecture. Commentary: Liu Zongyuan of Tang wrote, "When people speak of Grand Warden Duan, they usually take him for a soldier who once rushed heedless of death to win fame. That is wrong. The Grand Warden was gentle and unassuming, often walking with bowed head and clasped hands, speaking in a quiet, humble voice. He never met anyone with a harsh look; to all appearances he was a scholar. Yet when he met what could not be tolerated, he always achieved his purpose. That was no accident. Zongyuan did not praise people lightly. We may trust that he was right. Did not Confucius say that the humane man must have courage? When Lushan rebelled and swept all before him, the Duke of Lu alone met his armies with a hastily gathered force. Though he did not win lasting victory, his resolve deserves lasting praise. In his later years he was obstructed and driven out by treacherous ministers, and died at traitors' hands. His resolute spirit was broken but never bent. That may truly be called loyalty. Look closely at these two men's careers: their rulers never fully trusted them in ordinary times. Yet when the supreme test came, they met it without hesitation. Why? Loyal ministers do not wait to be trusted by others. They set their own conduct right first, find peace within, and then act. Alas! Though fifteen hundred years have passed, their heroic brightness still speaks as clearly as severe frost and blazing sun—awesome and worthy of reverence!