1
語曰：「世亂識忠臣。」 誠哉！ 五代之際，不可以為無人，吾得全節之士三人焉，作《死節傳》。
The proverb says: "In chaos, loyal ministers stand revealed." How true that is! The Five Dynasties were not without men of worth. I have found three who died with their integrity intact—and so I write this "Biography of Martyrs to Virtue."
2
王彥章 〈（裴約劉仁贍附）〉
Wang Yanzhang (Pei Yue and Liu Renzhan appended)〉
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王彥章，字子明，鄆州壽張人也。 少為軍卒，事梁太祖，為開封府押衙、左親從指揮使、行營先鋒馬軍使。 末帝即位，遷濮州刺史，又徙澶州刺史。 彥章為人驍勇有力，能跣足履棘行百步。 持一鐵槍，騎而馳突，奮疾如飛，而佗人莫能舉也，軍中號王鐵槍。
Wang Yanzhang, styled Ziming, came from Shouzhang in Yan Prefecture. He began as a common soldier under Liang Taizu, rising to Kaifeng escort officer, commander of the Left Personal Followers, and vanguard cavalry commander on campaign. When the Last Emperor took the throne, he became prefect of Pu, then of Cao. Yanzhang was fierce and strong enough to walk a hundred paces barefoot over thorns. He wielded an iron spear no other man could lift. Mounted, he charged like a gale. The army called him Wang Iron Spear.
4
梁、晉爭天下為勁敵，獨彥章心常輕晉王，謂人曰：「亞次鬥雞小兒耳，何足懼哉！」 梁分魏、相六州為兩鎮，懼魏軍不從，遣彥章將五百騎入魏，屯金波亭以虞變。 魏軍果亂，夜攻彥章。 彥章南走，魏人降晉。 晉軍攻破澶州，虜彥章妻子歸之太原，賜以第宅，供給甚備，間遣使者招彥章，彥章斬其使者以自絕。 然晉人畏彥章之在梁也，必欲招致之，待其妻子愈厚。
Liang and Jin were mortal rivals, yet Yanzhang alone always scorned the Prince of Jin. "That second-rate cockfighting brat," he said—"what is there to fear?" Liang split Wei and Xiang into two commands. Fearing mutiny among the Wei troops, they sent Yanzhang with five hundred cavalry into Wei and camped at Jinbo Pavilion to watch for trouble. The Wei army did rebel and attacked Yanzhang by night. Yanzhang fled south; the Wei men went over to Jin. Jin took Cao Prefecture, carried Yanzhang’s family to Taiyuan, gave them a mansion and rich provision, and sent envoys now and then to win him over. Yanzhang killed every envoy and broke for good. Jin feared Yanzhang as long as he served Liang and was bent on winning him—they treated his family even more generously.
5
自梁失魏、博，與晉夾河而軍，彥章常為先鋒。 遷汝鄭二州防禦使、匡國軍節度使、北面行營副招討使，又徙宣義軍節度使。 是時，晉已盡有河北，以鐵鎖斷德勝口，築河南、北為兩城，號「夾寨」。 而梁末帝昏亂，小人趙巖、張漢傑等用事，大臣宿將多被讒間，彥章雖為招討副使，而謀不見用。 龍德三年夏，晉取鄆州，梁人大恐，宰相敬翔顧事急，以繩內靴中，入見末帝，泣曰：「先帝取天下，不以臣為不肖，所謀無不用。 今強敵未滅，陛下棄忽臣言，臣身不用，不如死！」 乃引繩將自經。 末帝使人止之，問所欲言。 翔曰：「事急矣，非彥章不可！」 末帝乃召彥章為招討使，以段凝為副。 末帝問破敵之期，彥章對曰：「三日。」 左右皆失笑。
Once Liang lost Wei and Bo, the two powers faced each other across the Yellow River—and Yanzhang was always in the vanguard. He rose to defender of Ru and Zheng, governor of Kuangguo, deputy northern campaign commissioner, then governor of Xuanyi. By then Jin held all Hebei. They chained off Desheng Crossing and built twin cities north and south of the river—the "Pincer Forts." The Last Emperor was lost; Zhao Yan and Zhang Hanjie ran the court, and veteran ministers and generals were slandered aside. Yanzhang was deputy campaign commander, but no one listened. Summer, Longde year three: Jin took Yan Prefecture and Liang panicked. Chancellor Jing Xiang, seeing ruin close, hid a rope in his boot, went before the Last Emperor, and wept: "The Founder took the realm and never thought me unworthy—every plan of mine was used. The great enemy still stands, yet Your Majesty ignores me. If I am useless, I would rather die! He drew the rope to hang himself. The Last Emperor stopped him and asked what he had to say. Xiang said: "It is desperate—only Yanzhang can save us! The Last Emperor summoned Yanzhang as campaign commander and made Duan Ning his deputy. The Last Emperor asked when he could break the enemy. Yanzhang said: "Three days. Everyone around him laughed out loud.
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彥章受命而出，馳兩日至滑州，置酒大會，陰遣人具舟於楊村，命甲士六百人皆持巨斧，載冶者，具韝炭，乘流而下。 彥章會飲，酒半，佯起更衣，引精兵數千，沿河以趨德勝。 舟兵舉鎖燒斷之，因以巨斧斬浮橋，而彥章引兵急擊南城。 浮橋斷，南城遂破，蓋三日矣。 是時莊宗在魏，以朱守殷守夾寨，聞彥章為招討使，驚曰：「彥章驍勇，吾嘗避其鋒，非守殷敵也。 然彥章兵少，利於速戰，必急攻我南城。」 即馳騎救之，行二十里，而得夾寨報者曰：「彥章兵已至。」 比至，而南城破矣。 莊宗徹北城為筏，下楊劉，與彥章俱浮於河，各行一岸，每舟抃相及輒戰，一日數十接。 彥章至楊劉，攻之幾下。 晉人築壘博州東岸，彥章引兵攻之，不克，還擊楊劉，戰敗。
Yanzhang took command and rode. Two days later he was at Hua Prefecture, feasting while secretly preparing boats at Yang Village—six hundred armored men with great axes, smiths with bellows and charcoal, all drifting downstream. Mid-feast he pretended to leave and change clothes, then led several thousand picked troops along the river toward Desheng. The boatmen burned through the chains, smashed the floating bridge with great axes, and Yanzhang stormed the south city. The bridge broke, the south city fell—and it had been three days. Zhuangzong was at Wei; Zhu Shouyin held the Twin Forts. Hearing Yanzhang had command, he said in alarm: "Yanzhang is fierce—I have always dodged his spear. Shouyin cannot stand against him. But his force is small. He lives by speed—and he will hit our south city at once. He galloped to the rescue. Twenty li out a messenger from the Twin Forts cried: "Yanzhang is here! By the time he arrived, the south city was already lost. Zhuangzong broke up the north city into rafts and floated down to Yang Liu. He and Yanzhang raced along opposite banks; whenever a boat came within reach they fought—dozens of clashes in a single day. At Yang Liu Yanzhang nearly broke through. Jin raised fortifications east of Bo Prefecture. Yanzhang attacked and failed, turned on Yang Liu, and was beaten.
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是時，段凝已有異志，與趙巖、張漢傑交通，彥章素剛，憤梁日削，而嫉巖等所為，嘗謂人曰：「俟吾破賊還，誅奸臣以謝天下。」 巖等聞之懼，與凝葉力傾之。 其破南城也，彥章與凝各為捷書以聞，凝遣人告巖等匿彥章書而上己書，末帝初疑其事，已而使者至軍，獨賜勞凝而不及彥章，軍士皆失色。 及楊劉之敗也，凝乃上書言：「彥章使酒輕敵而至於敗。」 趙巖等從中日夜毀之，乃罷彥章，以凝為招討使。 彥章馳至京師入見，以笏畫地，自陳勝敗之跡，巖等諷有司劾彥章不恭，勒還第。
By then Duan Ning was already playing a double game, dealing with Zhao Yan and Zhang Hanjie. Yanzhang was blunt; he watched Liang shrink day by day and hated the court’s petty men. He often said: "When I break the enemy and march home, I will kill the traitors and answer the realm. Zhao Yan and the rest heard and were terrified; they and Ning united to destroy him. When the south city fell, Yanzhang and Ning each sent victory dispatches. Ning’s men told Zhao Yan to bury Yanzhang’s report and push Ning’s instead. The Last Emperor doubted at first—then the envoy reached camp and rewards went to Ning alone. The soldiers went white. After Yang Liu, Ning wrote: "Yanzhang drank, scorned the enemy, and lost. Zhao Yan and the rest tore at him day and night. Yanzhang was stripped of command; Ning took his place. Yanzhang raced to the capital and laid the battle out on the floor with his tablet. Zhao Yan and the rest had the authorities charge him with disrespect and send him home.
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唐兵攻兗州，末帝召彥章使守捉東路。 是時，梁之勝兵皆屬段凝，京師只有保鑾五百騎，皆新捉募之兵，不可用，乃以屬彥章，而以張漢傑監之。 彥章至遞坊，以兵少戰敗，退保中都； 又敗，與其牙兵百餘騎死戰。 唐將夏魯奇素與彥章善，識其語音，曰：「王鐵槍也！」 舉槊刺之，彥章傷重，馬踣，被擒。 莊宗見之，曰：「爾常以孺子待我，今日服乎？」 又曰：「爾善戰者，何不守兗州而守中都？ 中都無壁壘，何以自固？」 彥章對曰：「大事已去，非人力可為！」 莊宗惻然，賜藥以封其創。 彥章武人不知書，常為俚語謂人曰：「豹死留皮，人死留名。」 其於忠義，蓋天性也。 莊宗愛其驍勇，欲全活之，使人慰諭彥章，彥章謝曰：「臣與陛下血戰十餘年，今兵敗力窮，不死何待？ 且臣受梁恩，非死不能報，豈有朝事梁而暮事晉，生何面目見天下之人乎！」 莊宗又遣明宗往諭之，彥章病創，臥不能起，仰顧明宗，呼其小字曰：「汝非邈佶烈乎？ 我豈茍活者？」 遂見殺，年六十一。 晉高祖時，追贈彥章太師。
Tang attacked Yan Prefecture; the Last Emperor called Yanzhang to hold the eastern road. Liang’s best troops were all with Duan Ning. The capital had only five hundred Palace Guard cavalry—raw recruits, good for nothing. These were handed to Yanzhang, with Zhang Hanjie watching over him. At Difang Yanzhang was too weak to win; he fell back on Zhongdu; beaten again, he and a little over a hundred of his personal troops fought to the death. The Tang general Xia Luqi had served with Yanzhang and knew his voice. He shouted: "Wang Iron Spear! He drove his spear into him. Yanzhang was gravely wounded, his horse went down, and he was taken. Zhuangzong looked at him and said: "You always called me a stripling—are you satisfied now? He asked again: "They say you are a master of war—why hold Zhongdu instead of Yan Prefecture? Zhongdu has no walls. How could you hold it?" Yanzhang said: "The cause is lost. No human strength can mend it! Zhuangzong was moved and sent medicine to bind his wounds. Yanzhang could not read, but he had a saying: "The leopard dies and leaves its hide; the man dies and leaves his name. Loyalty and righteousness were in his bones. Zhuangzong admired his valor and wanted to save him. He sent men to win him over. Yanzhang refused: "I fought you in blood for more than ten years. Now my army is broken and my strength spent—if I do not die, what am I waiting for? I owe Liang a debt only death can pay. Serve Liang at dawn and Jin at dusk? What face would I show the world!" Zhuangzong sent Mingzong to persuade him. Yanzhang’s wounds were too grave to rise. He looked up at Mingzong and called his childhood name: "Are you not Miaojilie? Do you take me for a man who clings to life? He was then killed—sixty-one years old. Under Jin Gaozu he was posthumously made Grand Preceptor.
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與彥章同時有裴約者，潞州之牙將也。 莊宗以李嗣昭為昭義軍節度使，約以裨將守澤州。 嗣昭卒，其子繼韜以澤、潞叛降於梁，約召其州人泣而諭曰：「吾事故使二十餘年，見其分財饗士，欲報梁仇，不幸早世。 今郎君父喪未葬，違背君親，吾能死於此，不能從以歸梁也！」 眾皆感泣。
In Yanzhang’s day there was also Pei Yue, a staff officer of Luzhou. Zhuangzong made Li Sizhao governor of Zhaoyi; Yue, a subordinate commander, held Ze Prefecture. When Sizhao died, his son Jitao rebelled with Ze and Lu and went over to Liang. Yue gathered the people, wept, and said: "I served our old commissioner more than twenty years. I watched him share spoils and feast his men, burning to avenge Liang—then he died too soon. Now his father is not yet buried, and he turns against lord and kin. I can die here. I will not follow him to Liang! All wept.
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梁遣董璋率兵圍之，約與州人拒守，求救於莊宗。 是時，莊宗方與梁人戰河上，而已建大號，聞繼韜叛降梁，頗有憂色，及聞約獨不叛，喜曰：「吾於繼韜何薄？ 於約何厚？ 而約能分逆順邪！」 顧符存審曰：「吾不惜澤州與梁，一州易得，約難得也。 爾識機便，為我取約來。」 存審以五千騎馳至遼州，而梁兵已破澤州，約見殺。
Liang sent Dong Zhang to besiege the city. Yue and the people held out and begged Zhuangzong for help. Zhuangzong was fighting Liang on the river and had already taken imperial title. Jitao’s defection darkened his face—but hearing Yue alone had held firm, he said with joy: "What did I ever owe Jitao? What did I owe Yue? Yet Yue knows loyalty from treason! He turned to Fu Cunjian and said: "I would give Liang Ze Prefecture without regret—one prefecture is cheap; Yue is not. You know how to read the moment. Bring Yue to me. Cunjian raced with five thousand cavalry to Lia Prefecture—but Liang had already taken Ze and Yue was dead.
11
劉仁贍
Liu Renzhan
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至周世宗時，又有劉仁贍者焉。 仁贍字守惠，彭城人也。 父金，事楊行密，為濠、滁二州刺史，以驍勇知名。 仁贍為將，輕財重士，法令嚴肅，少略通兵書。 事南唐，為左監門衛將軍、黃袁二州刺史，所至稱治。 李景使掌親軍，以為武昌軍節度使。 周師征淮，先遣李穀攻自壽春，景遣將劉彥貞拒周兵，以仁贍為清淮軍節度使，鎮壽州。 李穀退守正陽浮橋，彥貞見周兵之卻，意其怯，急追之。 仁贍以為不可，彥貞不聽，仁贍獨按兵城守。 彥貞果敗於正陽。
By Shizong’s day there was Liu Renzhan. Renzhan, styled Shouhui, came from Pengcheng. His father Jin served Yang Xingmi as prefect of Hao and Chu and was famed for courage. As a commander Renzhan was generous with his purse and loyal to his men, stern in discipline, and had read some military texts. He served Southern Tang as Left Gate Guard general and prefect of Huang and Yuan; everywhere he went men praised his rule. Li Jing put him in charge of the imperial guard and made him governor of Wuchang. When Zhou marched on the Huai, Li Gu struck first from Shouchun. Jing sent Liu Yanzhen to meet the Zhou army and made Renzhan governor of Qinghuai, stationed at Shou. Li Gu fell back on the Zhengyang floating bridge. Yanzhen saw the Zhou retreat and took them for cowards; he chased hard. Renzhan said it was folly; Yanzhen would not hear him. Renzhan alone kept his troops in the city. Yanzhen was routed at Zhengyang.
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世宗攻壽州，圍之數重，以方舟載炮，自淝河中流擊其城； 又束巨竹數十萬竿，上施版屋，號為「竹龍」，載甲士以攻之，又決其水砦入於淝河。 攻之百端，自正月至於四月不能下，而歲大暑，霖雨彌旬，周兵營寨水深數尺，淮、淝暴漲，炮舟竹龍皆飄南岸，為景兵所焚，周兵多死。 世宗東趨濠梁，以李重進為廬、壽都招討使。 景亦遣其元帥齊王景達等列砦紫金山下，為夾道以屬城中。 而重進與張永德兩軍相疑不協，仁贍屢請出戰，景達不許，由是憤惋成疾。
Shizong besieged Shou, ring upon ring. He mounted catapults on barges and hammered the walls from midstream on the Fei; he bound hundreds of thousands of bamboo poles, roofed them with boards into "Bamboo Dragons," loaded armored men to assault the walls, and broke the water fortifications to flood the Fei. Every assault failed from the first month to the fourth. Heat hammered the land; rain fell ten days straight. Zhou camps stood knee-deep in water; the Huai and Fei rose in flood. Catapult barges and Bamboo Dragons drifted south and Jing’s men burned them; Zhou dead piled up. Shizong marched east to Hao Bridge and made Li Chongjin overall commander of Lu and Shou. Jing sent his commander-in-chief Prince Qi Jingda to camp below Purple Gold Mountain and build a covered road into the city. Chongjin and Zhang Yongde distrusted each other and would not cooperate. Renzhan begged again and again to sally; Jingda refused—and resentment curdled into sickness.
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明年正月，世宗復至淮上，盡破紫金山砦，壞其夾道，景兵大敗，諸將往往見擒，而景之守將廣陵馮延魯、光州張紹、舒州周祚、泰州方訥、泗州範再遇等，或走或降，皆不能守，雖景君臣亦皆震懾，奉表稱臣，願割土地、輸貢賦，以效誠款，而仁贍獨堅守，不可下。 世宗使景所遣使者孫晟等至城下示之，仁贍子崇諫幸其父病，謀與諸將出降，仁贍立命斬之，監軍使周廷構哭於中門救之，不得，於是士卒皆感泣，願以死守。
First month of the next year Shizong returned to the Huai, smashed the Purple Gold Mountain camps, broke the covered road, and routed Jing’s army. Generals fell one after another; Feng Yanlu of Guangling, Zhang Shao of Guang, Zhou Zuo of Shu, Fang Ne of Tai, Fan Zaiyu of Si—commanders fled or surrendered and could not hold. Jing king and court shook, sent tribute, ceded land, bowed as subjects—Renzhan alone held and would not yield. Shizong paraded Jing’s envoy Sun Sheng below the walls. Renzhan’s son Chongjian, seeing his father ill, plotted surrender with the generals. Renzhan ordered him killed on the spot. Supervisor Zhou Tinggou wept at the middle gate in vain; the soldiers wept and swore to die with the city.
15
三月，仁贍病甚，已不知人，其副使孫羽詐為仁贍書，以城降。 世宗命舁仁贍至帳前，嘆嗟久之，賜以玉帶、御馬，復使入城養疾，是日卒。 制曰：「劉仁贍盡忠所事，抗節無虧，前代名臣，幾人可比！ 予之南伐，得爾為多。」 乃拜仁贍檢校太尉兼中書令、天平軍節度使。 仁贍不能受命而卒，年五十八。
Third month: Renzhan was dying and no longer knew anyone. His deputy Sun Yu forged a letter in his name and surrendered the city. Shizong had Renzhan carried to his tent, sighed a long while, gave him a jade belt and an imperial horse, and sent him back into the city to recover. He died that day. An edict ran: "Liu Renzhan gave his lord full loyalty and held his integrity without stain. Of the famed ministers of old, how many can match him! In my southern campaign, winning you meant more than winning cities.” He then made Renzhan Acting Grand Preceptor of War, Central Secretariat Director, and Military Governor of Pingyi. Renzhan died before he could take up the post. He was fifty-eight.
16
世宗遣使吊祭，喪事官給，追封彭城郡王，以其子崇贊為懷州刺史，賜莊宅各一區。 李景聞仁贍卒，亦贈太師。 壽州故治壽春，世宗以其難克，遂徙城下蔡，而復其軍曰忠正軍，曰：「吾以旌仁贍之節也。」
Shizong sent envoys to mourn him and pay for the funeral from the treasury. He was posthumously made Prince of Pengcheng; his son Chongzan was named prefect of Huaizhou, and father and son each received an estate. When Li Jing heard Renzhan was dead, he too posthumously made him Grand Preceptor. Shou Prefecture had once been governed from Shouchun. Shizong, finding the place hard to take, moved the seat to Xiachai and restored the army’s name to the Loyal Upright Army, saying, “I do this to honor Renzhan’s integrity.”
17
【論】
Discussion
18
嗚呼，天下惡梁久矣！ 然士之不幸而生其時者，不為之臣可也，其食人之祿者，必死人之事，如彥章者，可謂得其死哉！ 仁贍既殺其子以自明矣，豈有垂死而變節者乎？ 今《周世宗實錄》載仁贍降書，蓋其副使孫羽等所為也。 當世宗時，王環為蜀守秦州，攻之久不下，其力屈而降，世宗頗嗟其忠，然止於為大將軍。 視世宗待二人之薄厚而考其制書，乃知仁贍非降者也。 自古忠臣義士之難得也！ 五代之亂，三人者，或出於軍卒，或出於偽國之臣，可勝嘆哉！ 可勝嘆哉！
Alas—the world has hated Liang for ages! Yet for scholars born into that age, refusing office would have been enough; but whoever ate a lord’s salary owed that lord his death. Yanzhang may truly be said to have died as he ought. Renzhan had already killed his own son to prove his loyalty—how could he have turned traitor at the point of death? The Veritable Records of Shizong credit Renzhan with a surrender letter—but that was forged by his deputy Sun Yu and the rest. Under Shizong, Wang Huan held Qin Prefecture for Shu. The siege wore on without result; when his strength gave out he surrendered. Shizong sighed at his loyalty, yet made him only a Grand General. Weigh how differently Shizong treated the two men and read the edicts he wrote, and you will see Renzhan never surrendered. Since antiquity, loyal ministers and righteous men have been rare indeed! In the chaos of the Five Dynasties these three—some raised from the ranks, some drawn from the courts of usurper states—how much is there to sigh over! How much is there to sigh over!