1
裴度子:識諗
Pei Du's sons were Shi and Shen.
2
裴度，字中立，河東聞喜人。 貞元初，擢進士第，以宏辭補校書郎。 舉賢良方正異等，調河陰尉。 遷監察御史，論權嬖梗切，出為河南功曹參軍。 武元衡帥西川，表掌節度府書記。 召為起居舍人。
Pei Du, styled Zhongli, was a native of Wenxi in Hedong. In the early Zhenyuan reign he passed the jinshi examination and, through the literary excellence test, was appointed collating secretary. Recommended as outstanding in the Filial and Incorrupt, Upright and Learned examination, he was assigned as magistrate of Heyin. Promoted to investigating censor, he spoke sharply against powerful favorites at court and was transferred to serve as staff officer in Henan. When Wu Yuanheng took command of Xichuan, he recommended Du to head the secretariat of his headquarters. He was recalled to the capital as attendant of the imperial diary.
3
元和六年，以司封員外郎知制誥。 田弘正效魏、博六州於朝，憲宗遣度宣諭，弘正知度為帝高選，故郊迎趨跽受命，且請遍至屬州，布揚天子德澤，魏人由是歡服。 還，拜中書舍人。 久之，進御史中丞。 宣徽五坊小使方秋閱鷹狗，所過撓官司，厚得餉謝乃去。 下邽令裴寰，才吏也，不為禮，因構寰出醜言，送詔獄，當大不恭。 宰相武元衡婉辭諍，帝怒未置。 度見延英，言寰無辜，帝恚曰：「寰誠無罪，杖小使； 小使無罪，且杖寰。」 度曰：「責若此固宜，第寰為令，惜陛下百姓，安可罪？」 帝色霽，乃釋寰。
In 811, as outer vice director in the Ministry of Rites for enfeoffments, he was assigned to draft imperial edicts. When Tian Hongzheng surrendered the six Wei and Bo prefectures to the throne, Emperor Xianzong dispatched Du to announce the imperial will. Knowing that Du was the emperor's chosen envoy, Hongzheng met him outside the city, knelt to receive his instructions, and asked him to visit every subordinate prefecture to proclaim the Son of Heaven's grace. The people of Wei thereupon accepted the new order with relief. After he returned, he was appointed a drafter in the Central Secretariat. Before long he was promoted to vice censor-in-chief. Petty agents from the Xuanhui Five Wards were touring the autumn falconry circuit, bullying local officials wherever they went and departing only after they had been paid off handsomely. Pei Huan, magistrate of Xiagui, was a capable administrator who refused to defer to them. They fabricated charges that he had spoken slanderously, had him thrown into the imperial prison, and sought the death penalty for grave irreverence. Chief minister Wu Yuanheng pleaded gently on Huan's behalf, but the emperor was furious and would not relent. Du appeared before the emperor in the Yanying Hall and argued that Huan was innocent. The emperor snapped, "If Huan truly did no wrong, then flog the petty envoy; if the envoy did no wrong, then flog Huan as well. Du replied, "That would be fair enough in the abstract, but Huan is a magistrate who was protecting Your Majesty's people. How can he be punished for that?" The emperor's expression softened, and he released Huan.
4
王師討蔡，以度視行營諸軍，還，奏攻取策，與帝意合。 且問諸將才否，度對：「李光顏義而勇，當有成功。」 不三日，光顏破時曲兵，帝歎度知言。 進兼刑部侍郎。
While the court's armies campaigned against Cai, Du was sent to inspect the forces at headquarters. On his return he submitted a plan of attack that matched the emperor's own thinking. The emperor also asked which commanders were capable. Du answered, "Li Guangyan is loyal and brave; he will succeed. Within three days Guangyan routed the enemy at Shiqu, and the emperor marveled that Du had judged so rightly. He was promoted and also appointed vice minister of justice.
5
王承宗、李師道謀緩蔡兵，乃伏盜京師，刺用事大臣，已害宰相元衡，又擊度，刃三進，斷靴，刜背裂中單，又傷首，度冒氈，得不死。 哄導駭伏，獨騶王義持賊大呼，賊斷義手。 度墜溝，賊意已死，因亡去。 議者欲罷度，安二鎮反側，帝怒曰：「度得全，天也！ 若罷之，是賊計適行。 吾倚度，足破三賊矣！」 度亦以權紀未張，王室陵遲，常憤愧無死所。 自行營歸，知賊曲折，帝益信杖。 及病創一再旬，分衛兵護第，存候踵路。 疾愈，詔毋須宣政衙，即對延英，拜中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事。 時方連諸道兵，環挐不解，內外大恐，人累息。 及度當國，外內始安。 由是討賊益急。
Wang Chengzong and Li Shidao, hoping to ease pressure on Cai, planted assassins in the capital to kill leading ministers. They had already murdered Chief Minister Wu Yuanheng and now attacked Du. The blade struck three times, cutting through his boot, slashing his back and tearing his under-robe, and wounding his head. Du survived only because he was wearing a thick felt cloak. His escort scattered in panic, but his groom Wang Yi alone seized the assassin and shouted for help. The assassin cut off Wang Yi's hand. Du fell into a ditch. Believing him dead, the assassin fled. Some advisers urged removing Du to placate the two rebellious circuits. The emperor thundered, "That Du survived at all was heaven's doing! If I dismiss him now, the rebels' scheme will have succeeded. With Du at my side I have men enough to crush all three rebels! Du himself, seeing authority slack and the throne in decline, was often tormented that he had not yet found a place to die for the dynasty. When he returned from headquarters he understood the rebels' situation in detail, and the emperor relied on him still more. For nearly two weeks while he convalesced, imperial guards were posted at his house and well-wishers lined the streets. Once he recovered, the emperor excused him from the morning audience at Xuanzheng Gate and received him directly in the Yanying Hall, appointing him vice director of the Central Secretariat and associate chief minister. Armies from every circuit were being massed in an unrelenting siege; court and country were gripped by fear, and people scarcely dared breathe. Once Du took charge of the government, the realm at last grew calm. The campaign against the rebels was pressed with renewed urgency.
6
始，德宗時尚何伺，中朝士相過，金吾輒飛啟，宰相至闔門謝賓客。 度以時多故，宜延天下髦英咨籌策，乃建請還第與士大夫相見，詔可。 會莊憲太后崩，為禮儀使。 帝不聽政，議置塚宰，度曰：「塚宰，商、週六官首，秉統百僚，王者諒暗，有權聽之制。 曆世官廢，故國朝置否不常，不宜徇空名，稽樞務。」 乃詔百司權聽中書門下處可。
Under Dezong the court still indulged the informer He Si: whenever officials called on one another the Golden Guards would report it at once, and chief ministers had to apologize at the palace gate for receiving guests. Du argued that in such troubled times the court should summon the empire's best minds for counsel, and petitioned to receive visitors at his residence. The emperor agreed. When Empress Dowager Zhuangxian died, he was appointed commissioner of funeral rites. While the emperor withdrew from government, the court debated appointing a regent chancellor. Du said, "The regent chancellor was the head of the six ministries in antiquity, directing all officials while the king mourned in seclusion under the provisional-hearing system. That office had long fallen into disuse, and our dynasty had appointed it only intermittently. We should not cling to an empty title and stall urgent state business. The emperor therefore ordered all agencies to provisionally accept decisions from the Secretariat and Chancellery.
7
王鍔死，家奴告鍔子稷易父奏末，冒遺獻。 帝留奴仗內，遣使者如東都按責其貲。 度諫曰：「自鍔死，數有獻。 今因告訐而檢省其私，臣恐天下將帥聞之，有以家為計者。」 帝悟，殺二奴，還使者。
After Wang E died, a household slave accused his son Ji of tampering with the end of his father's final memorial and presenting it as a posthumous petition. The emperor kept the slave in the inner guard and sent envoys to Luoyang to investigate and seize the family's assets. Du remonstrated, "Since Wang E's death there have already been several accusations. If we now ransack a general's household on the word of an informer, I fear every commander in the realm will start planning for his family's safety. The emperor took his point, executed the two slaves, and recalled the envoys.
8
于時，討蔡數不利，群臣爭請罷兵，錢徽、蕭俛尤確苦。 度奏：「病在腹心，不時去，且為大患。 不然，兩河亦將視此為逆順。」 會唐鄧節度使高霞寓戰卻，它相揣帝厭兵，欲赦賊，鉤上指。 帝曰：「一勝一負，兵家常勢。 若師常利，則古何憚用兵耶？ 雖累聖亦不應留賊付朕。 今但論帥臣勇怯、兵強弱、處置何如耳，渠一敗便沮成計乎？」 於是左右不能容其間。 十二年，宰相逢吉、涯建言：「餉億煩匱，宜休師。」 唯度請身督戰，帝獨目度留，曰：「果為朕行乎？」 度俯伏流涕曰：「臣誓不與賊偕存。」 即拜門下侍郎、平章事、彰義軍節度、淮西宣慰招討處置使。
The campaign against Cai had met repeated setbacks, and ministers clamored to withdraw the armies, Qian Hui and Xiao Fu being the most insistent. Du memorialized, "The disease lies in the empire's heartland. If it is not cut out in time it will become a far greater calamity. Otherwise the two He circuits will judge the throne by whether we yield here. When Tang-Deng governor Gao Xiayu suffered a defeat, other chief ministers, guessing that the emperor was weary of war and inclined to pardon the rebels, exchanged knowing glances. The emperor said, "Victory and defeat alternate—that is the nature of war. If armies always won, why would the ancients have dreaded war? Even my sage forebears would not have left rebels for me to inherit. We should judge our commanders' courage, our armies' strength, and our strategy—not abandon a settled plan because of one defeat. The emperor's attendants could no longer intervene. In 817 the chief ministers Feng Ji and Li Ya urged, "The cost of supplies runs into the hundreds of millions and is bankrupting the treasury. We should halt the campaign. Only Du volunteered to take command in person. The emperor fixed his gaze on Du alone and asked, "Will you truly go for me?" Du prostrated himself, weeping, and said, "I swear I shall not survive while the rebels do." He was at once appointed vice director of the Gate Department, grand councillor, military commissioner of Zhangyi, and pacification commissioner for the Huai West campaign.
9
度以韓弘領都統，乃上還招討以避弘，然實行都統事。 又制詔有異辭，欲激賊怒弘者，意弘怏怏則度無與共功。 度請易其辭，窒疑間之嫌。 於是表馬總為宣慰副使，韓愈行軍司馬，李正封、馮宿、李宗閔備兩使幕府。 入對延英，曰：「主憂臣辱，義在必死。 賊未授首，臣無還期。」 帝壯之，為流涕。 及行，禦通化門臨遣，賜通天禦帶，發神策騎三百為衛。 初，逢吉忌度，帝惡居中撓沮，出之外。
Since Han Hong held the title of overall commander, Du petitioned to surrender the recruitment commission to avoid clashing with him, yet in practice exercised overall command. A drafted edict also contained provocative wording meant to inflame the rebels against Han Hong, on the theory that if Hong were offended, Du would fight the war alone. Du asked that the wording be changed to remove any cause for suspicion between them. He then recommended Ma Zong as deputy pacification commissioner, Han Yu as campaign staff officer, and Li Zhengfeng, Feng Su, and Li Zongmin to staff both headquarters. Taking leave in the Yanying Hall, he said, "When the ruler is troubled, the minister is shamed. Righteousness demands that I die if need be. Until the rebel leaders' heads are brought in, I have no date of return. The emperor was deeply moved and wept. As he departed, the emperor saw him off in person at Tonghua Gate, granted him the Tongtian imperial belt, and assigned three hundred Shence horsemen as his guard. Feng Ji had long resented Du, and the emperor, weary of obstruction at court, was glad to send him to the front.
10
度屯郾城，勞諸軍，宣朝廷厚意，士奮於勇。 是時，諸道兵悉中官統監，自處進退。 度奏罷之，使將得顓制，號令一，戰氣倍。 未幾，李愬夜入懸瓠城，縛吳元濟以報。 度遣馬總先入蔡，明日，統洄曲降卒萬人持節徐進，撫定其人。 初，元濟禁偶語於道，夜不然燭，酒食相饋遺者以軍法論。 度視事，下令唯盜賊、鬥死抵法，餘一蠲除，往來不限晝夜，民始知有生之樂。 度以蔡牙卒侍帳下，或謂：「反側未安，不可去備。」 度笑曰：「吾為彰義節度，元惡已擒，人皆吾人也！」 眾感泣。 既而申、光平定，以馬總為留後。
Du encamped at Yancheng, reviewed the troops, and proclaimed the court's goodwill until the soldiers' fighting spirit doubled. At that time every circuit army was supervised by eunuch overseers who decided advances and retreats on their own. Du petitioned to abolish the eunuch supervisors so that field commanders could exercise sole authority. Once orders were unified, morale doubled. Before long Li Su stormed Xuanchi by night and sent word that Wu Yuanji had been captured. Du sent Ma Zong ahead into Cai. The next day he entered at the head of ten thousand surrendered Huaiqu troops, staff in hand, moving slowly to reassure the populace. Under Yuanji, paired conversation in the streets had been forbidden, lamps were banned at night, and sharing food or drink was punishable by military law. When Du took office he decreed that only theft and brawling deaths would be punished, abolished all other restrictions, and allowed free movement day and night. The people at last tasted what it meant to live. Du kept former Cai garrison troops as his personal guard. Some warned, "Loyalty is still uncertain—you must not lower your guard. Du laughed and said, "I am military commissioner of Zhangyi. The chief villain is captured—every man here is my man!" The crowd wept at his words. Soon Shen and Guang were pacified as well, and Ma Zong was left as acting governor.
11
度入朝，會帝以二劍付監軍梁守謙，使悉誅賊將。 度遇諸郾城，復與入蔡，商罪議誅。 守謙請如詔，度固不然，騰奏申解，全宥者甚眾。 策勳進金紫光祿大夫、弘文館大學士、上柱國、晉國公，戶三千，復知政事。
When Du returned to court, the emperor had just given two swords to army supervisor Liang Shouqian with orders to execute every rebel officer. Du met him at Yancheng, re-entered Cai with him, and debated which men deserved death. Shouqian urged following the edict to the letter, but Du refused. He memorialized urgently on the men's behalf, and a great many were spared. Rewarded for his service, he was promoted to Grand Master of Splendid Happiness with Golden Seal and Purple Ribbon, Hanlin academician of the Hongwen Hall, Supreme Pillar of the State, and Duke of Jin with three thousand households, and restored to the chancellorship.
12
程異、皇甫鎛以言財賦幸，俄得宰相。 度三上書極論不可，帝不納。 自上印，又不聽。 纖人始得乘罅。
Cheng Yi and Huangfu Bo won favor by lecturing on fiscal policy and soon became chief ministers. Du memorialized three times in the strongest terms against their appointment, but the emperor would not listen. He offered his seal of office; again the emperor refused. Petty men at court at last found their opening.
13
初，蔡平，王承宗懼，度遣辯士柏耆脅說，乃獻德、棣二州，納質子。 又諭程權入覲。 始判滄、景、德、棣為一鎮，朝廷命帥，而承宗勢乃離。
When Cai fell, Wang Chengzong was terrified. Du sent the negotiator Bo Qi to pressure him, and Chengzong surrendered the De and Di prefectures and sent his son as a hostage. Du also persuaded Cheng Quan to come to court in person. The court for the first time combined Cang, Jing, De, and Di into a single circuit under an imperial appointee, splitting Chengzong's power.
14
李師道怙強，度密勸帝誅之。 乃詔宣武、義成、武寧、橫海四節度會田弘正致討。 弘正請自黎陽濟，合諸節度兵，宰相皆謂宜。 度曰：「魏博軍度黎陽，即叩賊境，封畛比聯，易生顧望，是自戰其地。 弘正、光顏素少斷，士心盤桓，果不可用。 不如養威河北，須霜降水落，絕陽劉，深抵鄆，以營陽穀，則人人殊死，賊勢窮矣。」 上曰：「善。」 詔弘正如度言。 弘正奉詔，師道果禽。
Li Shidao still relied on his strength, and Du privately urged the emperor to destroy him. The emperor ordered the Xuanwu, Yicheng, Wuning, and Henghai commissioners to join Tian Hongzheng in a coordinated attack. Hongzheng proposed crossing at Liyang and combining all the circuit armies. The chief ministers all approved. Du objected, "If the Weibo army crosses at Liyang it enters enemy territory immediately, with home districts just behind. The men will look over their shoulders—it would be fighting on their own ground. Hongzheng and Guangyan have never been decisive commanders. Their troops' loyalty wavers. That plan truly will not work. Better to build strength north of the river, wait until frost and low water, cut Yangliu, drive deep toward Yun, and camp at Yanggu. Then every soldier will fight as if his life depended on it, and the rebels will be finished. The emperor said, "Excellent." He ordered Hongzheng to follow Du's plan. Hongzheng obeyed, and Shidao was duly captured.
15
大賈張陟負五坊息錢，上命坊使楊朝汶收其家簿，閱貸錢雖已償，悉鉤止，根引數十百人，列箠挺脅不承。 又獲盧大夫逋券，捕盧坦家客責償，久乃悟盧群券。 坦子上訴，朝汶讕語：「錢入禁中，何可得？」 御史中丞蕭俛及諫官列陳中人橫恣，度亦極言之。 時方討鄆，帝曰：「姑議東軍，此細事，我自處辦。」 度曰：「兵事不理，止山東； 中人橫暴，將亂都下。」 帝不悅，徐乃悟，讓朝汶曰：「以爾，使我羞見宰相！」 命殺之，而原系者。 繇是京師澄肅。
The great merchant Zhang Zhi owed interest to the Five Wards. The emperor ordered ward envoy Yang Chaowen to seize his account books. Even loans already repaid were seized, and the investigation dragged in hundreds of people who were lined up and beaten until they confessed. He also seized promissory notes belonging to the fugitive Lu, arrested a retainer of Lu Tan's household to collect repayment, and only much later discovered they were Lu Qun's notes. Tan appealed on his son's behalf. Chaowen answered evasively, "The money went into the inner palace. How can it be recovered? Vice censor-in-chief Xiao Fu and the remonstrance officials lined up to denounce the eunuchs' arrogance, and Du spoke with equal force. The court was then campaigning against Yun. The emperor said, "Let us discuss the eastern armies for now. This petty matter I will handle myself. Du replied, "Neglect military affairs and the trouble stops at Shandong alone; let eunuchs run riot in the capital and the realm itself will be thrown into chaos. The emperor was displeased, but gradually understood. He rebuked Chaowen: "Because of you I am ashamed to face my chief ministers!" He ordered Chaowen executed and released those who had been imprisoned. From that time the capital grew calm and orderly.
16
帝嘗語：「臣事君，當勵善底公，朕惡夫樹黨者。」 度曰：「君子小人以類而聚，未有無徒者。 君子之徒同德，小人之徒同惡，外甚類，中實遠，在陛下觀所行則辨。」 帝曰：「言者大抵若此，朕豈易辨之？」 度退，喜曰：「上以為難辨則易，以為易辨則難，君子小人行判矣。」 已而卒為異、鎛所構，以檢校尚書右僕射兼門下侍郎平章事為河東節度使。
The emperor once remarked, "A minister should encourage goodness and uphold the public good. I despise men who form factions. Du said, "Gentlemen and petty men alike gather their kind. No man stands entirely alone. The followers of gentlemen share their virtue; the followers of petty men share their wickedness. Outwardly they look alike, inwardly they are worlds apart. Your Majesty has only to watch what men do." The emperor said, "Most courtiers speak this way. How can I easily tell them apart?" Du withdrew, pleased. "When the ruler thinks distinction is hard, it is easy; when he thinks it is easy, it is hard. The line between gentleman and petty man is already drawn." Before long he was framed by Cheng Yi and Huangfu Bo and sent out as military commissioner of Hedong, though still bearing the titular rank of chief minister.
17
穆宗即位，進檢校司空。 硃克融、王廷湊亂河朔，加度鎮州行營招討使。 時帝以李光顏、烏重胤爪牙將，倚以擊賊，兵十余萬，有所畏，無尺寸功。 度既受命，入賊境，數斬將以聞。 俄兼押北山諸蕃使。 時元稹顯結宦官魏弘簡求執政，憚度復當國，因經制軍事，數居中持梗，不使有功。 度恐亂作，即上書痛暴稹過惡。 帝不得已，罷弘簡、稹近職。 俄擢稹宰相，以度守司空、平章事、東都留守。 諫官叩延英，言不可罷度兵，搖眾心。 帝不召。 於是交章極論，未之省。
When Emperor Muzong succeeded, Du was promoted to acting Minister of Works. When Zhu Kerong and Wang Tingcou rebelled in Hebei, Du was appointed recruitment commissioner at the Zhenzhou field headquarters. The emperor had relied on Li Guangyan and Wu Chongyin, his fiercest generals, with more than a hundred thousand men to crush the rebels, yet they fought cautiously and won not a single victory. Once Du took command, he crossed into rebel territory and repeatedly reported the beheading of enemy generals. Soon he was also made commissioner over the northern frontier tribes. Yuan Zhen had openly allied with the eunuch Wei Hongjian to seize power. Fearing Du's return to office, he used his control of military affairs to block Du repeatedly and deny him any success. Fearing disorder, Du memorialized at once, denouncing Yuan Zhen's crimes in the strongest terms. The emperor had no choice but to remove Hongjian and Zhen from their posts at court. Before long Yuan Zhen was made chief minister anyway, while Du was left as acting Minister of Works, grand councillor in name only, and regent of the eastern capital. Remonstrance officials pleaded at the Yanying Hall that stripping Du of military command would shake the army's morale. The emperor would not receive them. Memorials poured in making the same argument, but the emperor paid no heed.
18
會中人使幽、鎮還，言：「軍中謂度在朝，而兩河諸侯忠者懷，強者畏。 今居東，人人失望。」 帝悟，詔度由太原朝京師。 及陛見，始陳二賊畔換，受命無功，並陳所以入覲意，感概流涕。 伏未起，謁者欲宣旨，帝遽曰：「朕當延英待卿！」 始，議者謂度無奧援，且久外，為奸憸拫抑，慮帝未能明其忠。 及進見，辭切氣怡，卓然當天子意。 在位聞者皆竦，毅將貴臣至齎咨出涕。 舊儀，閣中群臣未退，宰相不奏事，稱賀則謁者答。 帝以度勳德，故待以殊禮。 度之行，移克融、廷湊書，開說諄遝，傅以大誼，二人不敢桀，皆願罷兵。 帝方憂深州圍，欲必出牛元翼，更使度騰書布旨。 或曰：「賊知度失兵柄，必背約顧望。」 帝釋然，乃拜度守司徒，領淮南節度使。
An eunuch envoy returned from You and Zhen reporting, "The armies say that while Du remains at court, loyal lords in the two He regions take heart and strong ones stand in awe. Now that he has been sent east, everyone is disappointed. The emperor understood and ordered Du to come from Taiyuan to the capital. At his audience he explained that the two rebels had turned traitor, that he had accepted command without winning success, and why he had come to court in person. He wept with emotion. Before he could rise, the usher moved to announce an edict. The emperor said hastily, "I shall await you in the Yanying Hall! At first observers said Du lacked powerful patrons, had been long abroad, and had been crushed by schemers; they feared the emperor would not see his loyalty. When he appeared, his words were forceful and his manner composed. He struck the emperor exactly as he wished. Those present were startled. Even hardened generals and high nobles came to inquire and left in tears. By old ritual, while ministers had not yet withdrawn from the pavilion, the chief minister did not present business, and congratulations were answered by the usher alone. Because of Du's merit and stature, the emperor treated him with exceptional ceremony. On his journey Du wrote to Kerong and Tingcou, reasoning with them at length on the larger principles of loyalty. Neither dared defy him, and both offered to lay down arms. The emperor was anxious about the siege of Shenzhou and determined to rescue Niu Yuanji. He again had Du send urgent letters proclaiming the imperial will. Some said, "Once the rebels learn Du has lost military authority, they will surely break their promises and hesitate. The emperor was reassured and appointed Du Minister of Education and military commissioner of Huainan.
19
會昭義監軍劉承偕慢劉悟，舉軍嘩怒，執承偕，悟拘以聞。 帝怒，問度：「何施而可？」 度頓首謝：「籓臣不與政。」 辭不對。 帝強之，度曰：「臣素知承偕怙寵，悟不能堪，嘗以書訴臣。 是時，中人趙弘亮在行營知狀，欲持悟書以奏，陛下亦知之邪？」 帝曰：「我不及知。 顧悟誠惡之，胡不自聞，何哉？」 度曰：「雖悟得聞，恐陛下不必聽。 且臣視天顏不咫尺，比尚未能決，千里單言，可悟聖聽哉？」 帝亟曰：「前語姑置，直謂今日奈何？」 度曰：「必欲收忠義心，使帥臣死節，獨斬承偕，則四方群盜隱然破膽矣。」 帝曰：「顧太后養為子，且我何愛？ 更言其次。」 度曰：「投諸荒裔可乎？」 帝曰：「可。」 悟果出承偕，昭義遂安。
The Zhaoyi army supervisor Liu Chengxie insulted Liu Wu. The whole army rose in uproar, seized Chengxie, and Wu reported the matter under restraint. The emperor was furious and asked Du, "What can be done? Du kowtowed and declined. "A frontier minister does not meddle in central government." He refused to answer. The emperor pressed him. Du said, "I have long known Chengxie abused imperial favor and that Wu could not endure it. Wu once wrote to me to complain. At that time the eunuch Zhao Hongliang at headquarters knew the facts and meant to present Wu's letter. Did Your Majesty know of this? The emperor said, "I did not know. If Wu truly hated him, why did he not report it himself?" Du said, "Even if Wu had reported it, I fear Your Majesty might not have listened. Besides, I stand before Your Majesty face to face and still cannot always win a decision. How could a lone report from a thousand li away reach your ears?" The emperor said urgently, "Leave that aside. Tell me plainly what to do today." Du said, "If you wish to win loyal hearts and make commanders die for their duty, execute Chengxie alone. Rebels everywhere will lose their nerve at once." The emperor said, "The empress dowager raised him as her son. What do I owe him? Tell me the next option." Du said, "Could he be exiled to the frontier?" The emperor said, "Yes." Wu released Chengxie, and Zhaoyi was pacified.
20
是時，徐州王智興逐崔群，諸軍盤互河北，進退未一。 議者交口請相度，乃以本官兼中書侍郎、平章事。 權佞側目，謂李逢吉險賊善謀，可以構度，共諷帝自襄陽召逢吉還，拜兵部尚書。 度居位再閱月，果為逢吉所間，罷為左僕射。 帝暴風眩，中外不聞問者凡三日。 度數請到內殿，求立太子，翼日乃見帝，遂立景王為嗣。 逢吉既代相，思有以牙孽之，引所厚李仲言、張又新、李續、張權輿等，內結宦官，種支黨，醜沮日聞，乃出度山南西道節度使，奪平章事。
Wang Zhixing of Xuzhou had driven out Cui Qun, armies were tangled across Hebei, and the campaign lacked a single direction. Advisers unanimously called for Du as chief minister, and he was appointed vice director of the Central Secretariat and grand councillor in addition to his existing rank. Power-hungry sycophants whispered that Li Fengji was a cunning schemer who could destroy Du. Together they urged the emperor to recall Fengji from Xiangyang and make him Minister of War. Du had been in office barely two months when Fengji estranged him from the emperor and had him demoted to Left Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. The emperor was suddenly stricken with vertigo, and for three days court and country heard nothing from him. Du repeatedly begged admission to the inner palace to urge the naming of an heir. The next day he saw the emperor, and the Jing Prince was named crown prince. Once Fengji replaced him as chief minister, he sought to destroy him. He gathered his protégés Li Zhongyan, Zhang Youxin, Li Xu, and Zhang Quanyu, allied with eunuchs, planted factions, and spread slanders daily until Du was sent out as commissioner of Shannan West and stripped of the chancellorship.
21
長慶四年，王廷湊屠元翼之家，敬宗嗟惋，歎宰輔非其人，使凶賊熾肆。 學士韋處厚上疏曰：「臣聞汲黯在朝，淮南寢謀； 幹木處魏，諸侯息兵。 王霸之理，以一士止百萬之師，一賢制千里之難。 裴度元勳巨德，文武兼備，若位岩廟，委參決，必使戎虜畏威，幽、鎮自臣。 管仲曰：'人離而聽之則愚，合而聽之則聖。 '治亂之本，非有他術。 陛下當饋而歎，恨無蕭、曹，今一裴度擯棄於外，所以馮唐知漢文帝有頗、牧不能用也。」 帝感悟，謂處厚曰：「度累為宰相，而官無平章事，謂何？」 處厚具道其由，帝於是復度兼平章事。 帝雖孺蒙，然注意度，中人至度所，必丁甯尉安，且示召期。 寶曆二年，度請入朝，逢吉黨大懼，權輿作偽謠云：「非衣小兒坦其腹，天上有口被驅逐。」 以度平元濟也。 都城東西岡六，民間以為乾數，而度第平樂裏，直第五岡。 權輿乃言：「度名應圖讖，第據岡原，不召而來，其意可見。」 欲以傾度。 天子獨能明其誣，詔復使輔政。
In 824 Wang Tingcou massacred Niu Yuanji's household. Emperor Jingzong sighed in grief and lamented that his chief ministers were unworthy men who had let vicious rebels run wild. Hanlin academician Wei Chuhou memorialized, "I have heard that while Ji An held court office, Huainan abandoned its plots; and while Gan Mu served in Wei, the feudal lords laid down their arms. The principle of true kingship is that one worthy man can halt an army of a million and master trouble across a thousand li. Pei Du is a founding minister of great virtue, skilled in both civil and military affairs. If he were placed at the summit of government and entrusted with decisions, barbarians would fear our might and You and Zhen would submit of themselves. Guan Zhong said, 'Listen to men separately and you will be foolish; listen to them together and you will be wise.' The root of order and disorder lies in nothing else. Your Majesty sighs at table, lamenting the lack of men like Xiao He and Cao Shen. Yet Pei Du alone has been cast aside. This is why Feng Tang knew that Emperor Wen of Han possessed generals like Li Guang and Wei Qing yet could not use them. The emperor was moved and asked Chuhou, "Du has served repeatedly as chief minister, yet his title lacks grand councillor. What does that mean?" Chuhou explained the whole story, and the emperor restored Du as grand councillor. Though the emperor was young and inexperienced, he kept his eye on Du. Whenever eunuchs visited Du's residence they reassured him and hinted when he would be recalled. In 826 Du petitioned to return to court. Fengji's faction was terrified. Zhang Quanyu forged a prophecy: "The child in plain clothes bares his belly; the mouth in heaven is driven away. It alluded to Du's pacification of Wu Yuanji. Six ridges lay east and west of the capital, which folk associated with the qian hexagram. Du's house in Pingle Ward stood directly on the fifth ridge. Quanyu then said, "Du's name fulfills a prophecy. His house occupies the sacred ridge. He comes without being summoned. His intent is obvious. He meant to destroy Du with this. The emperor alone saw through the slander and ordered Du restored to the chancellorship.
22
先是，帝將幸東都，大臣切諫，不納。 帝恚曰：「朕意決矣！ 雖從官宮人自挾糗，無擾百姓。」 趣有司檢料行宮，中外莫敢言。 度從容奏：「國家建別都，本備巡幸。 自艱難以來，宮闕、署屯、百司之區，荒圮弗治，假歲月完新，然後可行。 倉卒無備，有司且得罪。」 帝悅曰：「群臣諫朕不及此。 如卿言，誠有未便，安用往邪？」 因止行。
Earlier the emperor had planned to visit the eastern capital. Chief ministers remonstrated urgently, but he would not listen. The emperor snapped, "My mind is made up! My attendants and palace women will carry their own provisions. The people will not be troubled. He ordered officials to prepare the traveling palace. No one inside or outside the court dared object. Du said calmly, "The state established a secondary capital originally for imperial tours. Since the rebellions, the palaces, offices, and government quarters have fallen into ruin. Allow months to restore them, and only then can Your Majesty travel. A hasty departure would leave officials guilty of negligence. The emperor said with pleasure, "My ministers never advised me this well. As you say, the journey truly would be inconvenient. Why go at all?" He canceled the journey.
23
汴宋觀察使令狐楚言亳州聖水出，飲者疾輒愈。 度判曰：「妖由人興，水不自作。」 命在所禁塞。
Bian-Song governor Linghu Chu reported that sacred water had appeared in Bozhou and that the sick were cured at once by drinking it. Du ruled, "Omens arise from men; water does not act of itself. He ordered the site closed.
24
硃克融執賜衣使者楊文端，詭言慢己，並訴所賜濫惡，又丐假度支帛三十萬匹，不者，軍必有變； 且請遣工五千助治東都，須天子東巡。 帝怒，患之，欲遣重臣臨慰。 度曰：「克融無恚而悖，是將亡。 譬猛虎自哮躍山林，憑窟穴則然，勢不得離其處，人亦不為懼。 陛下無庸遣重使，第以詔書言：'中人倨驕，須還，我自責譴。 春服不謹，方詰有司。 所上工宜即遣，已詔在所供擬。 '此則賊謀窮矣。 陛下若未能然，則答：'宮室營繕既有序，毋遣工為重勞。 朝廷緣召發，乃有賜與，朕無所愛，獨與范陽，體不可爾。 '」帝曰：「善。」 用度次策。 克融聽命，歸文端。 未幾，軍亂，殺克融。
Zhu Kerong seized the imperial gift-robes envoy Yang Wenduan, falsely claiming insult, and complained that the gifts were shoddy. He also demanded three hundred thousand bolts of cloth from the treasury, threatening mutiny otherwise; and asked for five thousand laborers to repair the eastern capital, insisting the emperor must tour east. The emperor was furious and troubled, and considered sending a senior minister to appease him. Du said, "Kerong rebels without real grievance. He is near his end. He is like a tiger roaring in the mountains from its den. So long as it cannot leave its lair, men need not fear it. Your Majesty need not send a senior envoy. Simply issue an edict saying, 'The eunuch envoy was arrogant and must return. I shall punish him myself. I was careless about the spring gifts and am already questioning the responsible officials. The laborers you requested will be sent at once. I have ordered the local authorities to provide them. Then the rebel's schemes will be exhausted. If Your Majesty cannot do that, reply instead: 'Palace repairs are already in hand. Do not send laborers and burden us further. The court grants gifts when armies are mobilized. I favor no region alone, and Fanyang cannot be treated as an exception. The emperor said, "Excellent." Du's second plan was adopted. Kerong obeyed and released Wenduan. Before long the army mutinied and killed him.
25
帝縱弛，日晏坐朝。 度諫曰：「此陛下月率六七臨朝，天下人知勤政，河朔賊臣皆聳畏。 近開延英益稀，恐萬機奏稟，有所壅閼。 夫頤養之道，常順適時候，則六氣平和，萬壽可保。 道家法：'春夏蚤起，取雞鳴時，秋冬晏起，取日出時。 蓋在陽，勝之以陰； 在陰，勝之以陽。 今方居盛夏，謂宜詰旦數坐，廣加延問； 漏及巳午，則炎赫可畏，聖躬勞矣。」 帝嘉納，為數視朝。
The emperor grew lax and held court late in the day. Du remonstrated, "Your Majesty used to hold court six or seven times a month. The realm knew you were diligent, and rebels in Hebei stood in awe. Recently audiences at Yanying have grown rare. I fear that state business is being blocked. The way to preserve health is to follow the seasons. Then the body's energies stay balanced and long life is assured. Taoist teaching says, 'Rise early in spring and summer at cockcrow, and rise late in autumn and winter at sunrise.' When yang prevails, balance it with yin; when yin prevails, balance it with yang. We are now in deep summer. Your Majesty should hold court at dawn and hear reports at length; but by the si and wu hours the heat is fearsome and Your Majesty will be exhausted. The emperor approved and for a time held court more often.
26
未幾，判度支。 帝崩，定策誅劉克明等，迎立江王，是為文宗。 加門下侍郎。 李全略死，子同捷求襲滄景軍。 度奏討平之，即陳：「調兵食非宰相事，請罷度支歸有司。」 奏可。 進階開府儀同三司，賜實封戶三百。 度懇讓不得可，乃受實封。
Before long he was put in charge of the treasury. When the emperor died, Du helped decide policy, executed Liu Keming and his faction, and enthroned the Prince of Jiang as Emperor Wenzong. He was promoted to vice director of the Gate Department. When Li Quanlue died, his son Tongjie sought to inherit command of the Cang-Jing army. Du memorialized to suppress the rebellion, then said, "Managing troops and provisions is not a chief minister's duty. Please return treasury affairs to the proper offices. The request was approved. He was promoted to Grand Master with ceremonial equal to the Three Excellencies and granted three hundred households of substantive enfeoffment. Du declined earnestly but could not refuse, and accepted the enfeoffment.
27
太和四年，數引疾不任機重，願上政事。 帝擇上醫護治，中人日勞問相躡，乃詔進司徒、平章軍國重事，須疾已，三日若五日一至中書。 度讓免冊禮。 度自見功高位極，不能無慮，稍詭跡避禍。 於是牛僧孺、李宗閔同輔政，媢度勳業久居上，欲有所逞，乃共訾其跡損短之，因度辭位，即白帝進兼侍中，出為山南東道節度使。 白罷元和所置臨漢監，數千馬納之校，以善田四百頃還襄人。 頃之，固請老，不許。
In 830 he repeatedly cited illness and asked to resign the heavy duties of government. The emperor sent his best physicians. Eunuchs visited daily. He was promoted to Minister of Education and grand councillor for military and state affairs, with orders to attend the Secretariat every three or five days once he recovered. Du declined the investiture ceremonies. Seeing his merit and rank at their peak, Du could not help worrying and began discreetly to lower his profile to avoid disaster. Niu Sengru and Li Zongmin, now sharing power, envied Du's long supremacy and sought to bring him down. They slandered him until he resigned, then had him promoted in title to Palace Attendant but sent out as commissioner of Shannan East. He abolished the Linhan horse supervisor established in Yuanhe, turned thousands of horses over to government studs, and returned four hundred qing of good farmland to the people of Xiangyang. Soon he asked firmly to retire, but was refused.
28
八年，徙東都留守，俄加中書令。 李訓之禍，宦官肆威以逞，凡訓、注宗婭賓客悉收逮，訊報苛慘。 度上疏申理，全活數十姓。 武德縣主藏史盜錢亡命，捕不得。 河陽節度使溫造獄其令王賞責負，系三年，母死弗許喪。 度為帝言之，賞得釋。
In 833 he was made regent of the eastern capital and soon appointed Director of the Secretariat. After Li Xun's disaster the eunuchs unleashed their power. All relatives and clients of Li Xun and Zheng Zhu were arrested, and interrogations were brutally harsh. Du memorialized in their defense and saved dozens of families. A Wude county treasury clerk stole money and fled. He could not be captured. Heyang commissioner Wen Zao imprisoned his magistrate Wang Shang over the debt, held him three years, and refused him mourning leave when his mother died. Du told the emperor, and Wang Shang was released.
29
時閹豎擅威，天子擁虛器，搢紳道喪，度不復有經濟意，乃治第東都集賢裏，沼石林叢，岑繚幽勝。 午橋作別墅，具燠館涼臺，號「綠野堂」，激波其下。 度野服蕭散，與白居易、劉禹錫為文章、把酒，窮晝夜相歡，不問人間事。 而帝知度年雖及，神明不衰，每大臣自洛來，必問度安否。
Eunuchs monopolized power, the emperor held only an empty throne, and official integrity was dead. Du no longer cared for statecraft. He built a mansion in Jixian Ward of Luoyang amid marshes, stones, and forests in secluded splendor. At Wuqiao he built a villa with warm lodges and cool terraces called Green Wild Hall, with rushing water below. Du dressed simply and lived at ease, writing and drinking with Bai Juyi and Liu Yuxi day and night, heedless of public affairs. Yet the emperor knew that though Du was aged, his mind remained sharp. Whenever a minister came from Luoyang, he asked after Du's health.
30
開成二年，復以本官節度河東。 度牢辭老疾，帝命吏部郎中盧弘宣諭意曰：「為朕臥護北門可也。」 趣上道，度乃之鎮。 易定節度使張璠卒，軍中將立其子元益，度乃遣使曉譬禍福，元益懼，束身歸朝。
In 837 he was again made military commissioner of Hedong in his existing rank. Du firmly declined on grounds of age and illness. The emperor sent Lu Hongxuan of the Ministry of Personnel to say, "Guard the northern gate for me from your bed if need be. Du was urged to depart at once and went to his post. When Yiding commissioner Zhang Fan died, the army wished to install his son Yuanyi. Du sent envoys to explain the consequences. Yuanyi was terrified and surrendered himself to the court.
31
三年，以病丐還東都。 真拜中書令，臥家未克謝，有詔先給俸料。 上巳宴群臣曲江，度不赴，帝賜詩曰：「注想待元老，識君恨不早。 我家柱石衰，憂來學丘禱。」 別詔曰：「方春慎疾為難，勉醫藥自持。 朕集中欲見公詩，故示此，異日可進。」 使者及門而度薨，年七十六。 帝聞震悼，以詩置靈幾。 冊贈太傅，諡文忠，賵禮優縟，命京兆尹鄭復護喪。 度臨終，自為銘志。 帝怪無遺奏，敕家人索之，得半槁，以儲貳為請，無私言。 會昌元年，加贈太師。 大中初，詔配享憲宗廟廷。
In 838, ill, he begged to return to Luoyang. He was formally appointed Director of the Secretariat but was too ill to attend court. The emperor ordered his salary paid in advance. At the shangsi festival the emperor feasted his ministers at Qujiang. Du could not attend. The emperor sent a poem: "I have long awaited the elder statesman and regret knowing you so late. The pillar of my house is failing. In my worry I pray as did Confucius. A separate edict said, "Spring makes illness hard to bear. Take your medicines and take care. I wish to include your poems in my collection and show you this one now. Send me more when you can. The envoy reached his gate just as Du died, aged seventy-six. The emperor was stricken with grief and placed the poem on the mourning bier. He was posthumously made Grand Tutor with the posthumous name Wenzong. Funeral gifts were lavish, and Capital Intendant Zheng Fu was ordered to oversee the rites. On his deathbed Du composed his own epitaph. The emperor wondered that he left no final memorial and ordered his family to search. They found a half-finished draft asking only that the heir apparent be secured, with no private requests. In 841 he was further posthumously made Grand Preceptor. Early in the Dazhong reign he was ordered enshrined in Emperor Xianzong's temple.
32
度退然，才中人，而神觀邁爽，操守堅正，善占對。 既有功，名震四夷。 使外國者，其君長必問度年今幾、狀貌孰似、天子用否。 其威譽德業比郭汾陽，而用不用常為天下重輕。 事四朝，以全德始終。 及歿，天下莫不思其風烈。 葬管城，逮今廟食。
Du was modest and unassuming. His talent was middling, but his bearing was luminous, his integrity firm, and he excelled in debate. Once he had won his victories, his name resounded among the four quarters. Envoys to foreign courts reported that foreign rulers always asked Du's age, whom he resembled, and whether the Son of Heaven still employed him. His prestige and achievement were compared to Guo Ziyi of Fenyang, and whether he held office often weighed on the fortunes of the realm. He served four reigns and preserved his integrity to the end. At his death the realm mourned his noble spirit. He was buried at Guancheng, where he is honored in temple rites to this day.
33
五子，識、諗知名。
He had five sons, of whom Shi and Shen were the best known.
34
子識
His son Shi
35
識，字通理，性敏悟，凡經目未始忘。 推廕補京兆參軍，擢累大理少卿。 王師討劉稹，為供軍使。 稹平，改司農卿，進湖南觀察使。 入拜大理卿，襲晉國公半封。 為涇原節度使。
Shi, styled Tongli, was quick-witted and never forgot anything he read. Through hereditary privilege he entered service as a Capital staff officer and rose to vice minister of the Court of Judicial Review. When the court campaigned against Liu Zhen, he served as army supply commissioner. After Zhen fell he was made Minister of Agriculture, then Hunan governor. He returned to court as chief of the Court of Judicial Review and inherited half his father's enfeoffment as Duke of Jin. He was appointed military commissioner of Jingyuan.
36
時蕃酋尚恐熱上三州七關，列屯分守。 宣宗擇名臣，以識帥涇原，畢諴帥邠甯，李福帥夏州，帝親臨遣。 識至，治堡障，整戎器，開屯田。 初，將士守邊，或積歲不得還。 識與立戍限，滿者代； 親七十，近戍。 由是人感悅。 加檢校刑部尚書，徙鳳翔、忠武、天平、邠甯、靈武等軍。 進檢校尚書右僕射。 靈武地斥鹵無井，識誓神而鑿之，果得泉。 曆六節度，所蒞皆有可述。 卒，贈司空，諡曰昭。
The Tibetan chieftain Shang Kongre had surrendered three prefectures and seven passes, which were garrisoned in separate camps. Emperor Xuanzong chose renowned ministers: Shi for Jingyuan, Bi Dan for Bin-Ning, and Li Fu for Xiazhou, and saw them off in person. On arrival Shi repaired fortifications, reorganized weapons, and opened military colonies. Previously border troops sometimes served for years without rotation. Shi set terms of service: when a tour was complete, men were replaced; if a soldier's parents were seventy, he was posted nearby. The troops were deeply grateful. He was made acting Minister of Justice and served in turn at Fengxiang, Zhongwu, Tianping, Bin-Ning, Lingwu, and other commands. He was promoted to acting Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs. Lingwu's land was brackish and without wells. Shi vowed to the spirits, drilled, and found a spring. He held six military commissions, and in each left accomplishments worth recounting. At his death he was posthumously made Minister of Works with the posthumous name Zhao.
37
子諗
His son Shen
38
諗有文，籍廕累官考功員外郎。 宣宗訪元和宰相子，思度勳望，故待諗有加。 為翰林學士，累遷工部侍郎，詔加承旨。 適會帝幸其院，諗即稱謝。 帝曰：「可歸與妻子相慶。」 取禦奩果以賜，諗舉衣跽受。 帝顧宮人取巾裹賜之。 後為太子少師，封河東郡公。 黃巢盜國，迫以偽官，不從，遇害。
Shen was a gifted writer who rose through privilege to outer vice director in the Ministry of Personnel. Emperor Xuanzong inquired after the sons of Yuanhe chief ministers and, remembering Du's merit, treated Shen with special favor. He became a Hanlin academician, rose to vice minister of public works, and was made chief academician by edict. When the emperor visited the Hanlin institute, Shen thanked him at once. The emperor said, "Go home and celebrate with your wife and children. He gave him fruit from the imperial casket. Shen knelt and received it with both hands. The emperor had a palace woman bring a cloth wrapper for the gift. Later he was made Junior Tutor of the Heir Apparent and enfeoffed as Duke of Hedong. When Huang Chao seized power, Shen was offered a rebel post. He refused and was killed.
39
贊曰：憲宗討蔡，出入四年。 元濟外連奸臣，刺宰相及用事者，沮駭朝謀。 惟天子赫然排群議，任度政事，倚以討賊。 身督戰，遂平淮西。 非度破賊之難，任度之為難也。 韓愈頌其功曰：「凡此蔡功，惟斷乃成。」 其知言哉！ 穆宗不君，憸人腐夫乘釁鐫詆，而度遂無顯功。 非前智後愚，用不用，勢當然矣。 前史稱度晚節頗浮沉為自安計，是不然。 《大雅》曰：「既明且哲，以保其身。」 度何訿雲。
The commentator says: Emperor Xianzong's campaign against Cai lasted four years from start to finish. Yuanji allied with treacherous ministers at court, had chief ministers and power-holders assassinated, and paralyzed the throne's strategy. Only the emperor boldly overrode the multitude of counsels, entrusted Du with government, and relied on him to crush the rebels. Du took command in person and pacified Huai West. The hard part was not defeating the rebels but entrusting Du to do it. Han Yu praised his achievement in verse: "All this victory over Cai was won only through resolute decision. How rightly he spoke! Muzong did not rule as a true sovereign. Treacherous and corrupt men seized their chance to slander Du, and he won no further conspicuous victories. This was not wisdom in one reign and folly in another, nor use versus neglect—it was simply the way circumstances had to be. Earlier histories say Du's later years were marked by drift and self-preservation. That is not so. The Greater Odes say, "Bright and wise, he thereby preserved himself. How could Du be faulted for that?