1
高祖睿文聖武昭肅孝皇帝，姓劉氏，初名知遠，其先沙陀部人也，其後世居於太原。 知遠弱不好弄，嚴重寡言，面紫色，目多白睛，凜如也。 與晉高祖俱事明宗，為偏將。 明宗及梁人戰德勝，晉高祖馬甲斷，梁兵幾及，知遠以所乘馬授之，復取高祖馬殿而還，高祖德之。 高祖留守北京，以知遠為押衙。
Gaozu, temple name the Sagely Literary, Sagely Military, Resplendent and Solemn, Filial Emperor, was of the Liu clan and originally named Zhiyuan. His forebears were Shatuo; his family later settled at Taiyuan. As a boy Zhiyuan shunned childish games. Grave and sparing of speech, with a purple cast to his face and prominent whites in his eyes, he had a chilling presence. He and Jin Gaozu both served under Mingzong as junior commanders. At Desheng, when Mingzong battled the Liang, Jin Gaozu’s horse barding gave way and Liang soldiers nearly took him. Zhiyuan handed over his own mount, rode Gaozu’s horse in the rear guard, and brought him off safely. Gaozu never forgot the debt. While Jin Gaozu held the Northern Capital as regent, he appointed Zhiyuan his chief adjutant.
2
潞王從珂反，湣帝出奔，高祖自鎮州朝京師，遇湣帝於衛州，止傳舍，知遠遣勇士石敢袖鐵槌侍高祖，以虞變。 高祖與湣帝議事未決，左右欲兵之，知遠擁高祖入室，敢與左右格鬥而死，知遠即率兵盡殺湣帝左右，留帝傳舍而去。
When the Prince of Lu, Congke, rose in revolt and the Min Emperor fled, Jin Gaozu marched from Zhenzhou to the capital and met the Min Emperor at Weizhou, stopping at a post station. Zhiyuan posted the warrior Shi Gan at his side with an iron mace concealed in his sleeve, lest violence break out. Talks between Gaozu and the Min Emperor deadlocked, and the emperor’s men moved to seize Gaozu by force. Zhiyuan bundled him into an inner room while Gan grappled with the assailants and was killed. Zhiyuan then led soldiers who slaughtered every attendant of the Min Emperor, left the emperor at the station, and withdrew.
3
天福二年，遷侍衛馬步軍都指揮使，領忠武軍節度使。 已而以杜重威代知遠領忠武，徙知遠領歸德，知遠恥與重威同制，杜門不出。 高祖怒，欲罷其兵職，宰相趙瑩以為不可，高祖乃遣端明殿學士和凝就第宣諭，知遠乃受命。 五年，徙鄴都留守。 九月，朝京師，高祖幸其第。 六年，拜河東節度使、北京留守。 七年，高祖崩。
In the second Tianfu year he became commander of the palace horse-and-foot guards and military commissioner of Zhongwu. Du Chongwei soon took over Zhongwu in his place and Zhiyuan was shifted to Guide. He was shamed to hold equal rank with Chongwei and refused to leave his residence. Jin Gaozu, furious, meant to remove him from command, but Chancellor Zhao Ying dissuaded him. He Ning of the Duanming Hall was sent to Zhiyuan’s home to read the imperial reassurance, and only then did Zhiyuan take up his duties again. In the fifth year he was made regent of Yedu. In the ninth month he came to court, and Jin Gaozu called at his house. In the sixth year he received Hedong and the Northern Capital regency. In the seventh year Jin Gaozu died.
4
知遠從高祖起太原，有佐命功，自出帝立，與契丹絕盟，用兵北方，常疑知遠勛位已高，幸晉多故而有異志，每優尊之。 拜中書令，封太原王、幽州道行營招討使，又拜北面行營都統。 開運二年四月，封北平王，三年五月，加守太尉，然王未嘗出兵。 契丹寇澶州，別遣偉王攻雁門，敗之於秀容。 八月，殺吐渾白承福等族，取其貲鉅萬，良馬數千。
Zhiyuan had stood with Jin Gaozu from the founding at Taiyuan and earned his place among the founders. After the Outgoing Emperor broke with the Khitan and warred in the north, the court often feared that Zhiyuan’s honors had outgrown his loyalty and that Jin’s calamities might tempt him elsewhere—yet he was lavished with ever greater favor. He was made Director of the Secretariat and Prince of Taiyuan, then campaign repression commissioner for Youzhou and, later, overall commander of the northern field army. In the fourth month of Kaiyun 2 he became Prince of Beiping; in the fifth month of the third year he was named Defender Grand Marshal. He never led an army in person. When the Khitan struck Cangzhou they also sent the Great King against Yanmen; Zhiyuan routed him at Xiurong. In the eighth month he exterminated the Tuguhun leader Bai Chengfu and his kin, seizing vast stores of goods and thousands of fine horses.
5
四年，契丹犯京師，出帝北遷，王遣牙將王峻奉表契丹，耶律德光呼之為兒，賜以木拐一，木拐，虜法貴之如中國几杖，非優大臣不可得。 峻持拐歸，虜人望之皆避道。 峻還，為王言契丹必不能有中國，乃議建國。
In the fourth year the Khitan seized the capital and the Outgoing Emperor was taken north. The prince sent Wang Jun, a staff officer, to present tribute to the Khitan. Yelü Deguang addressed him as a son and gave him a wooden staff—in Khitan usage as honored as a Chinese seat and cane, and granted only to ministers in highest favor. Jun returned with the staff, and Khitan along the way stepped aside at the sight of it. Back at Taiyuan, Jun reported that the Khitan could not long keep the Central Plains, and they began to plan a new dynasty.
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二月戊辰，河東行軍司馬張彥威等上箋勸進。 辛未，皇帝即位，稱天福十二年。 磁州賊首梁暉取相州來歸。 武節都指揮使史弘肇取代州，殺其刺史王暉。 晉州將藥可儔殺守將駱從朗及括錢使、諫議大夫趙熙來歸。 辛巳，陜州留後趙暉、潞州留後王守恩來歸。 三月丙戌朔，蠲河東雜稅。 辛卯，延州軍亂，逐其節度使周密。 壬辰，丹州指揮使高彥詢以其州來歸。 壬寅，契丹遁，以其將蕭翰為宣武軍節度使守汴州。 夏四月己未，右都押衙楊邠為樞密使，蕃漢兵馬都孔目官郭威權樞密副使。 契丹陷相州，殺梁暉。 癸亥，立魏國夫人李氏為皇后。 甲子，河東節度判官蘇逢吉、觀察推官蘇禹珪為中書侍郎、同中書門下平章事。 乙丑，侍衛親軍步軍都指揮使史弘肇取潞州。 戊辰，奉國指揮使武行德以河陽來歸。 史弘肇取澤州。 丙子，契丹耶律德光卒於欒城，契丹入於鎮州。 五月甲午，太原尹劉崇為北京留守。 丙申，如東京。 蕭翰遁歸於契丹，以郇國公李從益知南朝軍國事。 戊申，次絳州，刺史李從朗來歸。 六月丙辰，次河陽，殺李從益及其母於京師。 甲子，至自太原。 戊辰，改國號漢，赦罪人、蠲民稅。 于闐遣使者來。 是夏，劉句薨。 秋閏七月乙丑，禁造契丹服器。 天雄軍節度使杜重威反，天平軍節度使高行周為鄴都行營都部署以討之。 庚辰，追尊祖考為皇帝，妣為皇后：高祖湍謚曰明元，廟號文祖，祖妣李氏謚曰明貞； 曾祖昂謚曰恭僖，廟號德祖，祖妣楊氏謚曰恭惠； 祖僎謚曰昭憲，廟號翼祖，祖妣李氏謚曰昭穆； 考典謚曰章聖，廟號顯祖，妣安氏謚曰章懿。 以漢高皇帝為高祖，光武皇帝為世祖，皆不祧。 八月，護聖指揮使白再榮逐契丹，以鎮州來歸。 丙申，安國軍節度使薛懷讓殺契丹之將劉鐸，入於邢州。 九月甲戌，吏部尚書竇貞固守司空兼門下侍郎，翰林學士、中書舍人李濤為中書侍郎：同中書門下平章事。 庚辰，北征。 冬十月甲申，次韋城，赦河北。 十一月壬申，杜重威降。 十二月癸巳，至自鄴都。
On wuchen in the second month Zhang Yanwei, deputy to the Hedong campaign staff, and others presented a memorial urging accession. On xinwei Liu Zhiyuan took the throne and kept the era name at the twelfth Tianfu year. Liang Hui, a rebel leader in Cizhou, took Xiang prefecture and submitted. Shi Hongzhao of the military inspectorate seized Dai prefecture and executed the prefect Wang Hui. Yao Ketal, a Jinzhou officer, killed the garrison commander Luo Conglang, the tax-enforcement commissioner, and remonstrance grandee Zhao Xi, then submitted the prefecture. On xinsi Zhao Hui, regent of Shanzhou, and Wang Shouen, regent of Luzhou, submitted. On the bingxu new moon of the third month miscellaneous levies in Hedong were abolished. On xinmao troops at Yanzhou rebelled and expelled Military Commissioner Zhou Mi. On renchen Gao Yanxun, commander of Danzhou, brought his prefecture over. On renyin the Khitan pulled back, leaving Xiao Han as military commissioner of Xuanwu to guard Bianzhou. On jiwei in the fourth month Yang Bin, right chief adjutant, became Privy Councilor, and Guo Wei, chief clerk for Fan and Han horse troops, acting Vice Privy Councilor. The Khitan took Xiang prefecture and killed Liang Hui. On guihai Lady Li of Wei was made empress. On jiazi Su Fengji, military judge of Hedong, and Su Yugui, observation push official, became Vice Directors of the Secretariat and Associate Grand Councilors. On yichou Shi Hongzhao, commander of the Imperial Guard foot corps, seized Luzhou. On wuchen Wu Xingde of Fengguo brought Heyang over. Shi Hongzhao took Ze prefecture. On bingzi Yelü Deguang died at Luancheng, and the Khitan fell back on Zhenzhou. On jiawu in the fifth month Liu Chong, magistrate of Taiyuan, was named regent of the Northern Capital. On bingwu the emperor set out for the Eastern Capital. Xiao Han fled to the Khitan and installed Li Congyi, Prince of Ye, to manage the Southern Court’s armies and administration. On wushen the court paused at Jiang prefecture, where Prefect Li Conglang submitted. On bingchen of the sixth month the march stopped at Heyang while Li Congyi and his mother were executed in the capital. On jiazi the emperor entered the capital from Taiyuan. On wuchen the dynasty took the name Han, granted a general amnesty, and cut levies on the people. Envoys arrived from Khotan. That summer Liu Ju died. On yichou in the intercalary seventh month the court forbade the manufacture of Khitan garments and gear. Du Chongwei, military commissioner of Tianxiong, rebelled. Gao Xingzhou of Tianping was appointed overall commander of the Yedu campaign to crush him. On gengchen forebears were raised posthumously—emperors and their consorts empresses: great-grandfather Tuan received the temple name Wenzu and posthumous title Mingyuan; his consort Lady Li, Mingzhen; great-great-grandfather Ang, Dezu and Gongxi; his consort Lady Yang, Gonghui; grandfather Juan, Yizu and Zhaoxian; his consort Lady Li, Zhaomu; father Dian, Xianzu and Zhangsheng; mother Lady An, Zhangyi. The Han Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Guangwu were enshrined as the dynasty’s Gaozu and Shizu, neither displaced from the ancestral line. In the eighth month Bai Zairong of Husheng expelled the Khitan and brought Zhen prefecture over. On bingwu Xue Huairang of Anguo killed the Khitan commander Liu Duo and took Xing prefecture. On jiaxu Dou Zhengu of the Ministry of Personnel kept the Ministry of Works and the Vice Directorship of the Secretariat; Li Tao, Hanlin academician and drafting officer, became Vice Director—both Associate Grand Councilors. On gengchen the emperor marched north. On jiashen in the tenth month the army encamped at Weicheng and proclaimed an amnesty for Hebei. On renshen of the eleventh month Du Chongwei surrendered. On guisi the emperor came back from Yedu.
7
乾祐元年春正月乙卯，大赦，改元。 己未，更名暠。 丁丑，皇帝崩於萬歲殿。
On yimao in the first month of Qianyou 1 the court proclaimed a great amnesty and changed the era name. On jiwei Gaozu took the taboo name Gao. On dingchou the emperor died in the Hall of Myriad Years.
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乾祐元年二月辛巳，封承祐周王。 是日，皇帝即位於柩前。 壬辰，右衛大將軍、鳳翔巡檢使王景崇及蜀人戰於大散關，敗之。 癸巳，大赦。 三月壬戌，竇貞固為大行皇帝山陵使，吏部侍郎段希堯為副，太常卿張昭為禮儀使，兵部侍郎盧價為鹵簿使，御史中丞邊蔚為儀仗使。 丁丑，李濤罷。 護國軍節度使李守貞反，陷潼關。 夏四月辛巳，陜州兵馬都監王玉克潼關。 壬午，永興軍將趙思綰叛附於李守貞，客省使王峻帥師屯於關西。 楊邠為中書侍郎兼吏部尚書、同中書門下平章事，郭威為樞密使，鎮寧軍節度使郭從義為永興軍兵馬都部署。 戊子，保義軍節度使白文珂為河中兵馬都部署。 河決原武。 五月己未，回鶻遣使者來。 乙亥，魏州內黃民武進妻一產三男子。 河決滑州魚池。 旱，蝗。 秋七月戊申朔，彰德軍節度使王繼弘殺其判官張易。 翙鵒食蝗。 丙辰，禁捕翙鵒。 庚申，郭威同中書門下平章事。 癸亥，契丹鄚州刺史王彥徽來奔。 庚午，殺成德軍副使張鵬。 乙亥，王景崇叛附於李守貞。 八月壬午，郭威討李守貞。 九月，西面行營都虞候尚弘遷及趙思綰戰，敗績。 冬十月甲申，吐蕃使斯漫篤蘭氈藥斯來。 十一月甲寅，殺太子太傅李崧，滅其族。 壬申，葬睿文聖武昭肅孝皇帝於睿陵。 十二月己卯，彰武軍節度使高允權殺太子太師致仕劉景巖。
On xinsi in the second month of Qianyou 1 Chengyou was enfeoffed as Prince of Zhou. That same day the Hidden Emperor took the throne before the bier. On renchen Wang Jingchong, senior general of the Right Guard and Fengxiang inspection commissioner, met the Shu at Dasanguan and routed them. On guisi the court proclaimed a great amnesty. On renxu Dou Zhengu directed the late emperor’s tomb works, with Duan Xiyao of the Ministry of Personnel as deputy; Zhang Zhao oversaw the rites, Lu Jia the procession, and Censor-in-Chief Bian Wei the honor guard. On dingchou Li Tao left office. Li Shouzhen, military commissioner of Huguo, rebelled and took Tong Pass. On xinsi in the fourth month Wang Yu, Shanzhou’s horse-and-foot inspector, recovered Tong Pass. On renwu Zhao Sizhen of Yongxing mutinied to Li Shouzhen’s side, and Wang Jun, guest commissioner, encamped with an army west of the Pass. Yang Bin became Vice Director of the Secretariat and Minister of Personnel, Associate Grand Councilor; Guo Wei, Privy Councilor; and Guo Congyi of Zhenning, deployment commissioner for Yongxing horse and foot. On wuzi Bai Wenke of Baoyi was named overall deployment commissioner for the Hezhong armies. The Yellow River burst its dikes at Yuanwu. On jiwei in the fifth month envoys came from the Uyghurs. On yihai the wife of Wu Jin of Neihuang in Weizhou gave birth to triplet sons. The Yellow River burst its dikes at Yuchi in Huazhou. Drought struck, and locusts swarmed. On the wushen new moon of the seventh month Wang Jihong, military commissioner of Zhangde, killed his administrative judge Zhang Yi. Sacred ibises devoured the locusts. On bingchen the court forbade the taking of sacred ibises. On gengshen Guo Wei was made Associate Grand Councilor. On guihai Wang Yanhui, Khitan prefect of Mo, defected to Han. On gengwu Zhang Peng, deputy commissioner of Chengde, was put to death. On yihai Wang Jingchong turned rebel and went over to Li Shouzhen. On renwu in the eighth month Guo Wei marched to suppress Li Shouzhen. In the ninth month Shang Hongqian, deputy of the Western Campaign, met Zhao Sizhen and suffered defeat. On jiashen in the tenth month a Tibetan mission led by Simandulan Zhan Yaosi arrived. On jiayin Li Song, Grand Mentor of the Heir Apparent, was executed and his entire clan wiped out. On renshen Gaozu, the Sagely Literary, Sagely Military, Resplendent and Solemn, Filial Emperor, was laid to rest at Ruiling. On jimao Gao Yunquan of Zhangwu murdered Liu Jingyan, the retired Grand Preceptor.
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二年春正月乙巳朔，赦囚。 二月丙子，蠲民紐配租。 夏五月，李守貞之將周光遜降。 乙丑，趙思綰降。 六月辛卯，回鶻首領楊彥珣來。 西涼府遣使者來。 蝗。 秋七月丁巳，郭威殺華州留後趙思綰於京兆。 甲子，克河中。 八月，郭從義殺前永興巡檢喬守溫。 丙戌，郭威使來獻俘。 冬十月，契丹寇趙、魏，群臣進添都馬。 契丹陷內丘。 己丑，郭威及宣徽南院使王峻伐契丹。 十一月，契丹遁。
On the yisi new moon of the second year the court amnestied prisoners. On bingzi supplemental cloth levies on the people were abolished. In the fifth month Zhou Guangxun, an officer under Li Shouzhen, surrendered. On yichou Zhao Sizhen surrendered. On xinmao in the sixth month the Uyghur chieftain Yang Yanxun arrived. Envoys arrived from the Western Liang prefectural administration. Locusts swarmed. On dingsi in the seventh month of autumn Guo Wei executed Zhao Sizhen, rear commander of Huazhou, at Jingzhao. On jiazi Hezhong fell. In the eighth month Guo Congyi put to death Qiao Shouwen, the former Yongxing inspector. On bingxu an envoy from Guo Wei arrived with prisoners for the court. In the tenth month Khitan forces struck Zhao and Wei prefectures, and the ministers offered extra horses for the capital guard. The Khitan seized Neiqiu. On jichou Guo Wei marched against the Khitan with Wang Jun, commissioner of the Southern Bureau of the Palace Secretariat. In the eleventh month the Khitan pulled back.
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三年春正月，西面行營都部署趙暉克鳳翔。 丙午，郭威進添都馬。 壬子，趙暉獻馘俘。 二月甲戌，旌表潁州汝陰民麹溫門閭。 三月己酉，寒食，望祭於南禦園。 夏四月壬午，郭威以樞密使為天雄軍節度使。 六月癸卯，河決原武。 秋八月，達靼來附。 冬十一月丙子，殺楊邠及侍衛親軍都指揮使史弘肇、三司使王章，皆滅其族。 郭威反。 庚辰，義成軍節度使宋延渥叛附於威。 壬午，威犯封丘，泰寧軍節度使慕容彥超軍於七里店。 癸未，勞軍於北郊。 甲申，勞軍於劉子陂。 慕容彥超及郭威戰，敗績，開封尹侯益叛降於威。 郭允明反。 乙酉，皇帝崩，蘇逢吉自殺。 漢亡。
In the third year, in the first month of spring, Zhao Hui, overall commander of the western field army, captured Fengxiang. On bingwu Guo Wei offered extra horses for the capital guard. On renzi Zhao Hui presented heads and prisoners taken in battle. On jiaxu of the second month the court honored the household gate of Qu Wen of Runan in Ying prefecture for exemplary conduct. On jiyou of the third month, on Cold Food Day, the emperor made offering by gazing toward the Southern Imperial Garden. On renchen in the fourth month Guo Wei, Privy Councilor, was appointed military commissioner of Tianxiong. On guimao in the sixth month the Yellow River burst its dikes at Yuanwu. In the eighth month the Dadan tribes came over in submission. On bingzi in the eleventh month Yang Bin was executed, along with Shi Hongzhao, commander of the palace guards, and Wang Zhang, commissioner of the Three Departments; every clan of the three was wiped out. Guo Wei rose in rebellion. On gengchen Song Yanwo of Yicheng turned rebel and went over to Guo Wei. On renwu Guo Wei advanced on Fengqiu while Murong Yanchao of Taining drew up his army at Qilidian. On guimao the emperor reviewed the army in the northern suburbs. On jiashen he reviewed the army again at Liuzipo. Murong Yanchao met Guo Wei in battle and was routed; Hou Yi, governor of Kaifeng, defected to the rebel side. Guo Yunming rose in rebellion. On yiyou the emperor died; Su Fengji took his own life. Han fell.
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嗚呼！ 人君即位稱元年，常事爾，古不以為重也。 孔子未修《春秋》，其前固已如此，雖暴君昏主，妄庸之史，其記事先後遠近，莫不以歲月一二數之，乃理之自然也。 其謂一為元，亦未嘗有法，蓋古人之語爾。 及後世曲學之士，始謂孔子書「元年」為《春秋》大法，遂以改元為重事。 自漢以後，又名年以建元，而正偽紛雜，稱號遂多，不勝其紀也。 五代，亂世也，其事無法而不合於理者多矣，皆不足道也。 至其年號乖錯以惑後世，則不可以不明。 初，梁太祖以乾化二年遇弒，明年，末帝已誅友珪，黜其鳳歷之號，復稱乾化三年，尚為有說。 至漢高祖建國，黜晉出帝開運四年，復稱天福十二年者，何哉？ 蓋以其愛憎之私爾。 方出帝時，漢高祖居太原，常憤憤下視晉，而晉亦陽優禮之，幸而未見其隙。 及契丹滅晉，漢未嘗有赴難之意。 出帝已北遷，方陽以兵聲言追之，至土門而還。 及其即位改元，而黜開運之號，則其用心可知矣。 蓋其於出帝無復君臣之義，而幸禍以為利者，其素誌也，可勝嘆哉！ 夫所謂有諸中必形於外者，其見於是乎！
Alas! For a ruler to take the throne and name the first year of his reign was routine; the ancients did not make much of it. Even before Confucius edited the Spring and Autumn Annals the practice was fixed: tyrants and foolish kings, with incompetent scribes, still ordered events near and far by a year or two of numbering—it is simply how reason arranges things. The notion that the first year should be called the “origin” was never a binding rule—only an old way of speaking. Only later did narrow scholars decide that Confucius’s “year one” in the Spring and Autumn Annals was the classic’s grand law, and they turned the change of reign title into a solemn matter. After Han, rulers also named their eras by “establishing the origin,” and with legitimacy and usurpation hopelessly mixed, reign titles multiplied until no one could keep track. The Five Dynasties were a time of chaos; much that they did was lawless and unreasonable, and hardly merits discussion. But where their era names were twisted so as to confuse posterity, the record must be set straight. When Liang Taizu was murdered in Qianhua 2, the Last Emperor the next year killed You Gui, abolished his Fengli era, and returned to Qianhua 3—one could still find a reason for that. When Han Gaozu founded the dynasty, cast aside the Outgoing Emperor’s Kaiyun 4, and revived Tianfu 12—what was that for? Nothing but private favor and spite. Under the Outgoing Emperor, Liu Zhiyuan at Taiyuan often looked on Jin with smoldering anger, while Jin feigned courtesy toward him and, by luck, never caught him out. When the Khitan overthrew Jin, Han showed not the slightest intention of riding to its aid. Once the Outgoing Emperor had been taken north, Han loudly claimed to be pursuing him with an army, then marched only as far as Tumen Pass and turned back. When he acceded and changed the era, erasing the Kaiyun name, his purpose was plain enough. Toward the Outgoing Emperor he no longer held any bond of ruler and subject, and welcomed disaster for gain—that had been his settled mind all along. The pity of it! As the saying goes, what fills the heart must show in the face—was it not plain here?