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卷一百六十八 列傳第五十五: 陳祐 劉宣 何榮祖 陳思濟 秦長卿 趙與□ 姚天福 許國禎

Volume 168 Biographies 55: Chen You, Liu Xuan, He Rongzu, Chen Siji, Qin Zhangqing, Zhao Yu□, Yao Tianfu, Xu Guozhen

Chapter 168 of 元史 · History of Yuan
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Chapter 168
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1
Chen You and Tianxiang
2
歿 使 西便 西 調 使
Chen You, also known as Tianyou and styled Qingfu, was a native of Ningjin in Zhao Prefecture; his family had farmed for generations. His grandfather Zhong had mastered the classics and histories; everyone in the village honored and looked to him as a teacher. After his death, his disciples gave him the posthumous title Master of Abundant Conduct. You loved learning from an early age. The family was poor, and his mother, Lady Zhang, once cut her hair to trade for books so he could read. When he grew up, he attained a broad mastery of the classics and histories. At that time the princes were permitted to recruit their own staff. In the guichou year, the Prince of Mu appointed You as Director of his princely household and gave his parents ten ingots of silver and a suit of brocade robes. After the prince was granted territory in Shaanxi and Luoyang, he recommended You for appointment as Chief Administrator of Henan Prefecture. On the day he took office, he first paid his respects to the eminent Jin-dynasty scholars Li Guowei, Yang Gao, Li Wei, and Xue Xuan, consulting them on governance and debating matters past and present. He memorialized tax exemptions for several hundred households of the Western Army and for levies on pepper, bamboo, grain provisions, and the like, and submitted more than twenty proposals to benefit the people; the court approved them all. When Kublai came to the throne, Shaanxi and Luoyang were separated out as the Henan West Circuit. In the first year of the Zhongtong reign, You received a formal appointment as Chief Administrator. At that time district and county officials, receiving no salaries, were mostly greedy and abusive; You alone was known for integrity and discretion. Through eight years in office he remained as upright as on the day he arrived. In the second year of the Zhiyuan reign, when the official rotation law took effect, he was reassigned as Assistant Administrator of Nanjing Circuit. Just then a great locust plague struck the east, worst of all in Xu and Pi, and the pressure to catch locusts was intense. You took tens of thousands of laborers from his district to the affected area and said to those around him: "We catch locusts because we fear they will ruin the crops. The locusts may be thick now, but the grain is already ripe; it would be better to have people harvest early, so that even a small effort might still yield something." Some objected that this would amount to unauthorized action and could not be done. You replied: "If saving the people means punishment for me, I would accept that gladly." He immediately ordered them to disperse, and the people of both prefectures were saved by his decision. In the third year, seeing that You's demotion had been unjustified, the court granted him a tiger tally and appointed him Jiayi Doctor and Chief Administrator of Weihui Circuit. Weihui lay at a crossroads of four directions and had a reputation for being hard to govern. You clarified the laws and regulations, founded a temple to Confucius, restored the tomb of Bi Gan, and petitioned the court to include both in the official sacrificial canon. When he left office, the people erected a stele in praise of his virtue. He once wrote to Kublai, saying that to lay the foundations of lasting peace there were three essentials: first, the crown prince is the root of the state, and his establishment should come early; second, the Secretariat is the root of government, and responsibility for it should be concentrated; third, talent is the root of good governance, and selection and appointment should be rigorous. Not all of his proposals could be fully implemented, but contemporary opinion praised them.
3
西使 西
In the sixth year, when the Commission for the Investigation of Crimes was established, You became its first Commissioner for the Shandong East and West Circuit. At that time the Secretariat and the Ministry existed side by side; Kublai found the arrangement cumbersome and wished to merge them into one. He convened the senior ministers for discussion, and You, having returned to court, was specially ordered to take part. Ahmad, Vice Director of the Ministry, planned to memorialize promoting An Tong, the Right Director of the Secretariat, to Grand Preceptor and thereby abolishing the Secretariat. Fearing You would object, he promised to advance You to Vice Director of the Ministry to win him over. When the discussion began, You argued forcefully that the Secretariat was the foundation of government, established by the founding emperors, and could not be abolished; the Three Dukes were ancient offices that now existed only as empty titles, and there was no need to establish them. The proposal was dropped. Ahmad, furious at being crossed, reassigned You as Commissioner of the Branch Ministry for the Zhongxing and other circuits. Xiliang fell under the Prince of Yongchang's jurisdiction. Its darughachi and chief administrator had been falsely accused; more than a hundred people in each household were implicated. The prince wanted them all prosecuted, but You forcefully argued their innocence. The prince was furious, but You held all the more firmly to his position. The prince soon saw reason, and both men were spared. They clasped You and wept, saying, "You are our second parents."
4
使
The court launched a major campaign against the Song and dispatched You to conscript troops. Many people in Shandong had fled and gone into hiding, but when they heard You was coming, they all said, "Intendant Chen is on his way; he will surely be fair." They all came forward and fulfilled their obligations on schedule. In the thirteenth year, he was appointed Chief Administrator of Nanjing and concurrently Prefect of Kaifeng. Many of the clerks were frightened and at a loss. You therefore said to them, "Why behave like this! If you were robbers before and are like Yan Hui now, I will treat you as Yan Hui; if you were like Yan Hui before and are robbers now, I will treat you as robbers." From then on the clerks knew to conduct themselves properly and did not dare manipulate the law. Between Xu and Cai there was a notorious bandit who gathered followers to plunder. You pressed the pursuit hard, and the man fled into Song territory; When the Song fell, he followed the prefect Xia Gui through Bian. You had him pulled from his horse and beaten to death in the marketplace, and the people were thoroughly pacified. In the fourteenth year, he was transferred to Pacification Commissioner of the Zhedong Circuit. Jiangnan had only recently submitted, and soldiers had taken several thousand men and women from Wen and Tai prefectures as captives. You reclaimed them all and sent them home. Before long, the Branch Secretariat imposed wine taxes on merchants. You petitioned, "After the devastation of war, the battered populace should be treated with leniency." He received no reply. He was dispatched to inspect the civilian fields of Qingyuan and Taizhou. On his return he reached Xinchang and ran into bandits from Yushan township. Taken by surprise and unable to defend himself, he was killed. He was fifty-six. An edict posthumously conferred on him the title Meritorious Minister Who Pushed Loyalty, Upheld Righteousness, and Preserved Integrity in Full, appointed him Left Director of the Branch Secretariat of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, ennobled him as Duke of Henan Commandery, and gave him the posthumous name Zhongding. The local elders asked that he be buried in Kuaiji, but permission was denied; they erected a shrine to honor him instead. You was accomplished in poetry and prose and left a collection entitled Jiezhai ji.
5
His son Kui was Commander of the Shaobo Colonization Agricultural Households. Stationed at Yangzhou, when he learned his father had been killed by bandits, he wept and petitioned the Branch Secretariat to avenge him. He captured the ringleader and executed him in the marketplace of Shaoxing. Gao served as Prefect of Changguo Prefecture. Shi served as Usher of the Ceremonial Service Bureau. His grandson Silu inherited the post of Commander of the Shaobo Colonization Agricultural Households. Siquan served as Vice Director of the Branch Secretariat of Huguang. His younger brother Tianxiang.
6
Tianxiang, styled Jifu, moved his family from Ningjin to Luoyang when his elder brother You took office in Henan. In youth Tianxiang was enrolled in the military register and was skilled at horsemanship and archery. In the third year of the Zhongtong reign, Li Tan rebelled and seized Jinan, seeking Song support from outside. The Pacification Commission of Hebei and Henan, acting on imperial order, appointed Tianxiang commander of a thousand and stationed him at Sankou to block Song forces. When the rebellion was suppressed he was dismissed and returned home. He settled on the southern slopes of the mountains in Yanshi, where he owned more than a hundred mu of land, farming and reading by himself. Many came to study with him. His home lay near Mount Gou, and he took the sobriquet Master of Mount Gou. At first Tianxiang had not yet devoted himself to learning, and You did not think him especially promising. After they parted for several years, Tianxiang presented poems he had written to You. You suspected they had been written by someone else, but when they spoke together and Tianxiang moved easily through the classics and histories with broad and penetrating discussion, You was greatly astonished.
7
便 使 使 便 便 祿便 使
In the eleventh year of the Zhiyuan reign, he entered office as Gentleman-of-Service and Manager of the Pacification Commission of E, Fu, and other places. Crossing the Yangzi with the imperial army, he discussed military affairs and won the deep respect of Jia Juzhen, Vice Director of the Branch Secretariat. In the thirteenth year, Xingguo Army rebelled over the registration of weapons. The Branch Secretariat ordered Tianxiang to serve temporarily as military commander of the army. Tianxiang entered the territory with only ten soldiers. Though less than a hundred li from the city, it took two days to reach it. When the local elders came to pay their respects, Tianxiang told them, "Defending one's home truly cannot be done without arms; those in charge registered weapons excessively, and that is what caused the rebellion. From now on I will allow you provisionally to keep weapons for self-defense—what do you think of that?" The people all said it was a welcome relief. He then submitted a detailed memorial to the Branch Secretariat: "To suppress the wicked, one must strengthen the foundations at home. If there are no means of defense within, occasions for outside covetousness will arise—this is the inevitable logic of the situation. Tracing the cause of this army's revolt, it arose precisely because the measures taken at the time were ill-conceived—lax toward the outside but harsh within. Everyone in the army was forbidden to hold even the smallest weapon in hand, which allowed wicked men to seize the moment to rise up, to the harm of both public and private interests alike. Now the army has been battered and weakened to this point. If men still guard against one another instead of trusting and protecting one another, it is not only external enemies that should worry us—I fear those in the same boat will all become enemies. Better to show sincere hearts to the people, so that they join in strength with one mind and share fortune and misfortune alike. Then the people will be my people and the troops my troops; pacifying disorder and stopping wickedness will become possible in every way. I ask only for a little latitude; then I can be held to results that must succeed." The Branch Secretariat allowed him to act as he saw fit. Everything Tianxiang put in place accorded with what the people hoped for. Displaced persons returned to their occupations, and people from neighboring prefectures came in succession, cutting thatch and timber to build homes. Tianxiang organized the people in groups of ten households as one jia, with a chief over every ten jia, and relaxed the ban on weapons for the people's convenience. Once hearts were settled, military strength gradually revived. Using local troops he took Li Bicong's mountain stronghold without killing a single person. Other strongholds heard of this and dispersed on their own, and the entire territory was pacified. At that time district and county officials received no salaries. Tianxiang improvised arrangements and paid them monthly to curb their greed, so the people were not harassed. The neighboring district of Fenning rebelled, and spies came from time to time. The clerks asked to arrest them. Tianxiang said, "They rebel because officials are greedy and abusive. In this army and its three districts, officials do not plunder and the people are content in their occupations. Let the spies return and report to their fellows, and they will serve us instead." He made no inquiries at all. When the rebels were defeated, several thousand fled into Xingguo territory. Tianxiang had them registered and given grain, and warned local people not to molest them. When the affair was settled, all were able to return home safely, and none failed to submit to his authority and good faith.
8
使 退 宿
After more than a year, an edict changed the army into a circuit. A successor replaced Tianxiang as chief administrator and zealously overturned his old policies, urgently prosecuting those who concealed weapons. Tianxiang had not been gone long when Xingguo rebelled again; Shouchang Prefecture in the neighboring district and many towns north and south of the river seized the moment, killing their garrison commanders in response. At that time the Branch Secretariat was being converted into a Pacification Commission; Vice Directors Hudutie'mur and Jia Juzhen, together with Commander of Ten Thousand Zheng Dingchen, served as Pacification Commissioners. Dingchen led troops to suppress the rebels, but at Fankou his army was defeated and he was killed. Huang Prefecture then announced an attack on Yangluo Fort, and E Prefecture was thrown into alarm. Hudutie'mur was timid and dared not send out troops. Tianxiang said to Juzhen, "Yangluo Fort is built on the mountain as a rampart and has always been strongly defended. If they come to attack, the advantage will be ours. Moreover, southerners are impetuous—quick to advance and easy to retreat. Our official troops, holding the high ground in a strong position, need only face a mere rabble; within two or three days casualties will be heavy and eight or nine out of ten will flee. Then we send elite troops to strike them, and only the swiftest runners will escape. With that one victory, the larger situation will be settled. Then taking Huang Prefecture and Shouchang will be as easy as crushing dry wood or pulling rotten fiber." Juzhen strongly agreed, but Hudutie'mur still could not make up his mind. When word came that the enemy had reached Yangluo Fort, Juzhen urgently pressed for action. They led troops to camp at Qingshan, and the next day thoroughly routed the enemy—just as Tianxiang had predicted.
9
使
Earlier, when the Branch Secretariat heard of the rebellion, it arrested all the southerners in E Prefecture city and planned to kill them to prevent internal collusion. Juzhen tried to save them but failed. Tianxiang said, "The people of this prefecture have no real connection with the rebels; those who want them killed simply covet their wealth." He forcefully stopped the plan, and when the time came all those arrested were released. Tianxiang was again dispatched to serve temporarily as administrator of Shouchang Prefecture, with more than two hundred soldiers assigned to him. When the rebels heard that official troops had arrived, they all abandoned the cities and took refuge in defensible terrain. Tianxiang knew he was outnumbered and could not subdue them by force alone. He sent envoys to tell their followers to return to their fields, while capturing alive only their leaders Mao Yushun and Zhou Jian and executing them in the marketplace of E Prefecture. Two hundred taels of gold were recovered; inquiry showed they belonged to a merchant of E Prefecture, and Tianxiang summoned him and returned the gold. Their followers Wang Zongyi and twelve others were also captured in turn. On the winter solstice he released them to go home, on the understanding that they would return to prison in three days; all arrived on schedule. He reported to the Pacification Commission and they were all released. From then on there were no further rebels, and the people erected a living shrine in his honor.
10
ρ
In the third month of the twenty-first year, he was appointed Supervising Censor. At that time Right Director Lu Shirong, who had risen to power through extortion and ruthless enrichment, wielded authority that overshadowed everyone else. When Supervising Censor-in-Chief Cui Yu spoke out against him, the emperor grew angry and wanted to prosecute him, but Shirong's power and arrogance only grew. Zhou Di, Director of the Left Office, had mildly expressed dissent during deliberations. Shirong falsely accused him of obstructing the law and memorialized that he be beaten one hundred strokes and then beheaded. From then on the officials were terrified, and none dared speak out. In the fourth month of the twenty-second year, Tianxiang submitted a memorial denouncing Shirong's wickedness at length. The gist was as follows:
11
輿西使
Lu Shirong had no literary accomplishment and no military merit. He relied solely on wealth gained from trade, currying favor with powerful ministers to enter office. He carted bribes to the gates of power, and when his gifts fell short he even drew up a debt note for one thousand ingots of silver. From commoner status he was promoted to Transport Commissioner for the Jiangxi Tea Monopoly. In office he devoted himself solely to greed, and the embezzlement and private gain he committed ran to tens of thousands. What he concealed cannot all be listed, but what was exposed can be stated plainly. Roughly counted, what he extorted from others and stole from official property included: 25,119 ingots of paper money, 25 ingots of gold, 168 ingots of silver, 12,458 tea certificates, 15 horses, seven jade objects, and a comparable assortment of other goods. What had already been recovered and what remained unpaid and was still being pursued were common knowledge. Now he still shows no repentance for his past wrongs, and his arrogance grows worse. He treats harshness as a policy of self-preservation and exaction as a path to advancement. Insatiable in ambition, he hoards schemes of plunder. Standing at a crucial post and wielding heavy authority, though his rank is below the chief counselor, he in fact monopolizes the great affairs of court and secretariat. This is like putting a robber in charge of the prime ministership—not only will calamity afflict the present age, but I fear he will become a laughingstock to posterity. The court believed his false and deceitful claims and placed him in the chief counselor's position—called a trial, but in fact granting him full authority. Judging what he could do, his failures were already plain; examining what he had done, not even the smallest part was praiseworthy. These are all established facts of the past and clear proof already tested. If he must be tested again, he should be appointed only to another office. The authority of chief counselor should not be granted lightly. Governing all under Heaven is like weaving brocade. If one wishes first to test ability, one should begin with cloth and silk; if there is no success, the loss may be slight. Now to use the chief counselor's position to test wise and foolish men is like abandoning fine brocade to measure skill and clumsiness. If ruin follows, what regret can make amends!
12
使
The state and the common people, above and below, are like one body: the people are the state's blood and breath, and the state is the people's skin and flesh. When blood and breath are full, the skin and flesh are strong and healthy; when blood and breath are injured, the skin and flesh grow weak and sick. Never has exhausting the blood and breath made the skin and flesh flourish. Therefore when the people are rich, the state is rich; when the people are poor, the state is poor; when the people are secure, the state is secure; when the people are distressed, the state is distressed. Such is the logic of the matter. Formerly Duke Ai of Lu wished to levy heavily on the people and asked You Ruo, who replied, "When the common people have enough, how can the lord not have enough? When the common people do not have enough, with whom will the lord have enough?" From this one infers that the people must have light levies before they can prosper, and the state must wait for the people to prosper before it can be abundant. The Documents says, "The people are the foundation of the state; when the foundation is firm, the state is secure." Examining former ages, one has never heard since Heaven and Earth began of disorder arising because the common people were rich and secure, or of order arising because the common people were distressed and impoverished. Wealth is what the land produces and what the people's labor gathers. Between Heaven and Earth there is a fixed annual measure; only when taking is regulated is use not exhausted. Now Shirong wishes in the space of one year to produce ten years' accumulation; endangering the lives of countless people for the sake of one generation's glory; broadly inviting credit for increased revenue, heedless of the calamity of the destitute and afflicted; expecting exaction down to the smallest measure and inducing above and below to levy on one another. He treats the people as enemies and accumulates resentment for the state. If he truly does not care for the state's long-term planning and seeks only quick results before his eyes, then by exaction as he pleases, what could he not obtain? Yet if the root of producing wealth no longer exists, on what can the method of gathering wealth rely? One will see the populace wither and waste, and all under Heaven grow empty; the turning points of security and danger, benefit and harm, are likely beyond what can fully be told.
13
Counting from when he took office, more than a hundred days have passed, and examining his deeds, the evidence is clear. Taking what he has done and what he said that already do not match, I briefly cite several instances: at first he said he could restore the paper-money system as before, yet paper money is now more debased; at first he said he could make all goods cheapen themselves, yet goods are now more expensive; at first he said revenue could be increased by three million ingots without taking from the people, yet now he coerces the circuit offices to increase quotas and accept responsibility; at first he said he could make the people happy, yet everything done now is nothing but violating law and disturbing the people. If one does not make changes early and waits for him to fail on his own, it is like removing the worm while the tree's disease is already deep—at first one dislikes bending the chimney and moving the firewood, but in the end one sees scorched head and burned brow. When matters reach this point, what rescue can there be in time? Your subject also knows that currying favor with the powerful brings expected honor and favor, while opposing great ministers makes disaster hard to foretell. To keep silent and secure oneself—could one not do that! It is precisely because the matter concerns the state and the stakes are high that, with deep worry and urgent concern, I cannot remain silent.
14
使 使
Kublai heard his words and dispatched envoys to summon Tianxiang and Shirong; both went to Shangdu to confront one another face to face. When they arrived, that very day an inner palace official transmitted an edict and bound Shirong outside the palace gate. The next day he entered audience. Before the emperor Tianxiang again presented what he had said and what he had not yet fully said; the emperor praised it all, and Shirong was executed. In the fifth month, the court recorded Tianxiang's merit in following the army across the Yangzi and pacifying Xingguo and Shouchang. His rank was advanced to fifth grade and he was promoted to Director of the Ministry of Personnel. In the fourth month of the twenty-third year, he was appointed Investigating Censor. In the sixth month, he was ordered to audit the funds and grain of the Hubei and Hunan Branch Secretariat. When Tianxiang reached E Prefecture, he immediately submitted a memorial impeaching Vice Director Yue Shumu for violence and lawlessness. At the time Sangge usurped state power. Related by marriage to Yue Shumu, he served as his henchman and falsely accused Tianxiang of crimes, seeking to have him killed. Tianxiang was imprisoned for nearly four hundred days. In the first month of spring of the twenty-fifth year, he was released under an amnesty. In the twenty-eighth year, he was promoted to Censor of the Branch Secretariat. Before long he resigned on grounds of illness and returned home. In the thirtieth year, he was appointed Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Yannan Hebei Circuit.
15
西使 使 仿 使滿
In the first year of the Yuanzhen reign, he was reassigned as Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Shandong East and West Circuit. At the time bandits rose in groups, mostly in Shandong, and an edict sought strategies to suppress banditry. Tianxiang memorialized, "In antiquity when bandits arose, each case had its cause. Apart from years of disaster and famine, which may be attributed to Heaven's seasons and need not be discussed for now, other causes such as unceasing military campaigns, repeated labor corvée, insatiable accumulation of wealth, and disordered punishments—these are all causes from which bandit gangs arise. Among the measures that in the meantime protect, preserve, and nurture them, amnesty edicts are one. Amnesty is the petty man's good fortune and the gentleman's misfortune. Two amnesties in one year leave good people mute; former men have spoken fully of this. Those violent men, each wielding weapons, killing people and seizing goods without regard for their lives—the officials exhaust themselves to capture them, and the court adds grace to release them. In the morning they escape the bonds of prison; by evening they are robbing again. Then the court again presses the officials, setting deadlines for pursuit. The bandits have all grown accustomed and take it as routine. They neither feel gratitude nor fear the law; their violent, cruel, and rebellious nature is already set. They truly cannot be moved by good transformation; only strict punishment can restrain them. The proposed measures were all suited to present needs. Thereupon he strictly supervised the officials; many bandits were captured and all were beaten to death. Those who fled into other territories—he inferred where they were headed, selected bandit-capture officials and archer troops, secretly gave them strategy, showed them rewards and punishments, and had them pursue. South to the Han and Yangzi, over two thousand li, all were captured; none escaped. Thereby the bandit gangs of the east fell silent. Liu Jinlian, a woman of Pingyin County, used false sorcery to delude the masses. Wherever she went officials built spirit halls for her, and foolish people rushed to serve her. Tianxiang said to his colleagues, "This woman uses spirits and marvels to delude the masses; her influence is such that if crafty men assist her, imitating the deeds of Zhang Jiao of Han and Sun En of Jin, she will surely become a great calamity." He then ordered her captured, bound, and beaten in the marketplace. From then on spirit cults fell silent. Tianxiang said the Shandong Pacification Commission had redundant officials that should be abolished, and memorialized impeachment of its commissioner for greed, violence, and lawlessness. The matter was blocked and not carried out, and he resigned when his term ended.
16
使 西
In the sixth month of the third year of the Dade reign, he was transferred to Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for Hebei and Henan, but on grounds of illness did not take office. People with grievances often came to Tianxiang's home seeking justice, but he, not holding the relevant post, sent them away. In the sixth year, he was promoted to Supervising Censor-in-Chief of the Jiangnan Branch Secretariat and submitted a memorial discussing the campaign against the southwestern barbarians, saying:
17
使 西 退 西西使
There is warfare that cannot be stopped though one wishes to stop, and there is warfare that could be stopped yet is not stopped. Only when one can stop, then stop, can military strength remain forever strong, to prepare for use when stopping is impossible—this is what it means to use troops well. Last year, Vice Director of the Branch Secretariat Liu Shen made a distant expedition against the Kingdom of Eight Hundred Wives—this is warfare that could be stopped yet was not stopped. That remote small state lies thousands of li beyond Yunnan to the southwest. Its land is remote, crude, and useless; its people are stubborn, foolish, and ignorant. Taking it would bring no benefit; not taking it would bring no harm. Shen deceived his superiors and misled his subordinates and led troops to attack it. Passing through the Eight Fan, he acted with unchecked license, relying on his power to abuse and harm the residents. Midway rebellion arose, and everywhere people rebelled. Shen could neither control the disorder nor was instead controlled by the rebels. The army lacked grain and men ate one another. Plans exhausted and the situation desperate, he fled in panic. Local troops pursued and struck, leading to great defeat. Shen abandoned his troops and fled, barely escaping with his life. Eight or nine tenths of the troops were lost, and over a thousand li of territory were abandoned. The court again dispatched troops from the four provinces of Shaanxi, Henan, Jiangxi, and Huguang, making Liu Erbadu overall commander, to seek recovery of the rebel territory. Hubei and Hunan massively conscripted laborers to transport military grain, delivering it at Bozhou. Regular laborers together with those carrying their own grain totaled over two hundred thousand. Just at farming season this great labor was raised, driving distressed people back and forth over several thousand li—what could not happen! If the rice they carried all arrived, that would already be fortunate. Yet tens of thousands of troops rely only on this one transport of rice—after this, what then?"
18
西西 西 西 使 退
Recently I questioned defeated soldiers of the western expedition and their officers; they know something of the remote southwestern barbarian lands: layered mountains and overlapping ridges, steep ravines and deep forests, dense bamboo and trees—all with long thorns. The army's paths lie among them; in narrow places only one man or one horse can pass. Going up is like climbing to Heaven; going down is like entering a well. If bandits exploit the terrain to ambush, though our army is numerous, it is hard to act. Moreover their poisonous mists and malarial vapors can all harm men. Once the barbarian masses know the great army is coming, if they all clear the fields and flee far, blocking key points to wear out our army—unable to advance, with nothing to plunder on the sides, troops hungry and exhausted, disease and death—there will be a tendency to be trapped without fighting. This cannot but be deeply considered. Moreover since campaigns against Japan, Champa, Jiaozhi, Java, and Burma, nearly thirty years have passed without seeing the benefit of even a foot of land or one person submitting. Counting the wealth spent and soldiers killed and wounded—can it be fully told! Last year's western expedition and this present action—how are they different? The warning from before is not far; it is not hard to see. The army labors and the people are disturbed, with no end in sight. Shen alone is the root of this calamity. I also hear that the people of the Eight Fan and Lu states, formerly harmed by the western expedition army, abandoned their livelihoods and fled and rebelled in succession. Their resentment goes deep into the marrow; all wish to get his flesh and divide and eat it. Human hearts all hate him, and Heaven's intent also abhors him. One need only above accord with Heaven's intent and below follow human hearts—early punish Shen's crime, then issue a clear edict, showing that region the sage court's decades of nurturing grace, and instruct that from now on there will be no distant expedition. With this to summon them, there will naturally come days of successive submission, so that their officials and people above and below all know there is no need to far trouble the royal army to contest momentary victory or defeat with petty small foes. Formerly Great Shun withdrew his army and the Miao submitted; Zhao Chongguo delayed battle and the Qiang were pacified. These deeds are recorded in the classics and histories and serve as a model for all ages.
19
使 使 使
For the present plan, troops should be stationed near the border so that water routes near and far can be kept open; use salt or tea certificates, or hard currency, raise the price of rice, and purchase military grain from the market. If laws and regulations are strict and clear and officials keep their word, rice boats can cover the river going upstream; the army will have enough to eat, the people will not be disturbed, the foundations at home will be secure, and the border will be firm. With our calm to resist their arrogance, spread grace to soften their hearts, store up authority to control their strength, set a long term, and gradually bring them to submission. This is the army of a true king—the benefit of complete security. If one says matters have already reached this point and one wishes to stop but cannot, one should still consider how great the stakes are, carefully examine success and failure, calculate and then act. Those stream-cave barbarians each have their own kind. Those gathered now are all a rabble; they surely cannot long remain united against us. If pressed they rescue one another; if relaxed they suspect one another. Use stratagem to make them mutually resent and hate, wait until they have a gap that can be exploited and we have a moment to move, then slowly order the armies to advance together by several routes. Those who submit—grace them with benevolence; those who resist—overawe them with force. When grace and authority assist each other, achievement comes easily. If one abandons grace and relies on force, treading Shen's overturned track, I fear the calamity of another day may be greater than today.
20
He received no reply and resigned on grounds of illness. In the seventh year, he was summoned and appointed Grand Academician of the Hall of Worthies to deliberate on Secretariat affairs. In the eighth month there was an earthquake, especially severe in Hedong, and an edict asked how the disaster might be quelled. Tianxiang submitted a memorial strongly stating that yin and yang were not in harmony and Heaven and Earth were not in their proper positions—all caused by human affairs being improperly managed. Those in power, because his words were sharp and direct, suppressed them and did not report them to the throne.
21
Liu Xuan
22
使 西 西使
Liu Xuan, styled Boxuan, was descended from men of Lu. Because they went out on garrison duty, they remained in Xin. At the end of the Jin dynasty they fled to Shaanxi and later moved to Taiyuan. Xuan was deep, resolute, pure, and upright; at home he was filial and friendly. From youth he loved reading and aspired to serve the state. When Pacification Commissioner Zhang Dehui came to Hedong, he saw Xuan and valued him highly. Returning to court, he recommended him as a clerk of the Secretariat. In his spare time Xuan studied Neo-Confucian learning under Xu Heng, Chancellor of the Imperial Academy. He was first appointed Vice Commissioner for Promoting Agriculture on Circuit Patrol of the Hebei and Henan Circuit. In the twelfth year of the Zhiyuan reign, he entered service as Director of the Revenue Bureau of the Secretariat and was reassigned as Director of the Branch Secretariat. Following Chief Counselor Bayan and Vice Director Aju in commanding troops to pacify Jiangnan, he contributed greatly to planning. Bayan once ordered Xuan to go to court to submit a victory report. Kublai summoned him and personally questioned him about the southern campaign; his replies pleased the emperor, who bestowed vessels and robes in favor and praise. When Jiangnan was pacified, he was ordered to sift out redundant officials of Jiang and Huai; what he retained and removed all accorded with public opinion. He was appointed Prefect of Songjiang Prefecture; before long he became Vice Commissioner of the Zhexi Pacification Commission. During five years in office, his authority and kindness were both manifest. He was promoted to Counselor of the Jiang-Huai Branch Secretariat and elevated to Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Jiangxi Hudong Circuit.
23
使 西調 西
In the twenty-third year, he entered service as Minister of Rites and was then transferred to the Ministry of Personnel. At the time they were about to attack Jiaozhi. Xuan memorialized, "For successive years the Japan campaign left the people distressed and sorrowful and the government offices in turmoil. This spring it was halted, and the soldiers and people of Jiang and Zhe cheered like thunder. Annam is a small state that has served as subject for years, and its annual tribute has never missed its term. Border commanders stirred up trouble and raised troops; the Annamese fled and hid on islands, making the great effort achieve nothing and leaving officers and soldiers wounded and crippled. Now an order has again been issued for another campaign, and those who hear it are all fearful. From antiquity when raising troops one must heed Heaven's seasons. Even on the level land of the central plains one still avoids midsummer; Jiao and Guang are lands of malarial heat and poisonous vapors, and poisonous air harms men more than weapons. Now in the seventh month troops from all circuits are assembled at Jingjiang; by the time they reach Annam, deaths from disease will surely be many. In urgency or calm, meeting the enemy—how can one respond? Moreover Jiaozhi has no grain; water routes are hard to open; there are no carts, horses, oxen, or pack animals for transport, so land transport cannot be avoided. One man carries five dou of rice; going and returning, apart from his own food, the government gets half; for one hundred thousand shi, four hundred thousand men are needed—it can supply only one or two months. Transporting military grain, ship materials, and military supplies would require five or six hundred thousand people in all. Guangxi and Hunan are frequently requisitioned; the people are mostly scattered and dispersed. Even household orders for corvée cannot be fulfilled. Moreover Huguang is close at hand and stream-cave bandits are often numerous. If wicked men watch for an opening, once the great army goes out they may seize the moment and rebellion may arise. Though there are rear guards, men and horses are weak, exhausted, and aged, and it will be hard to respond to change. Why not discuss and weigh a completely secure strategy with military officers there who deeply know the situation? Otherwise, one will again tread the former track." When Japan was again attacked, Xuan again memorialized. The gist was, "Recently it was proposed to re-establish the Eastern Expedition Branch Secretariat and again raise troops against Japan. If this campaign does not cease, the state's security and danger depend on it. Sodu proposed attacking Champa; Haiya spoke of pacifying Jiaozhi. Within three or four years Huguang and Jiangxi supplied ships, military supplies, and grain transport; officials and people were greatly disturbed; bandit gangs rose together in Guangdong; soldiers went far through river and sea lands of malarial poison, and over half died or were wounded; even now connected campaigns have not ceased. Moreover Jiaozhi borders us—a tiny state. Sending an imperial prince to lead troops deep into its territory brought no reported merit; Sodu was killed by bandits, bringing shame on himself. Moreover Japan lies ten thousand li across the ocean; its territory is broad and distant—not comparable to those two states. This present expedition moves masses through danger. Even if no wind is encountered and one can reach the other shore—Japan's land is broad and its followers numerous and disorderly; their troops gather on four sides while our army has no support. If things go badly and one wishes to send rescue troops—can they fly across? The Sui attacked Goryeo with three great efforts, repeatedly suffered defeat, and lost armies of a million. Emperor Taizong of Tang, confident in his martial prowess, personally campaigned against Goryeo; though he took several cities and returned, he only added to his regret. Moreover Goryeo's Pyongyang and other cities all lie on land, not far from the central plains; with the masses of two states added, still they could not be conquered—how much less Japan, remote in a corner of the sea, separated from China by ten thousand li!" The emperor praised and accepted his words.
24
沿便
In the twelfth month of the twenty-third year, the Secretariat transmitted an edict to discuss changing paper money and using coin. Xuan submitted his opinion, "Originally paper money arose—since Han and Tang, there never was such a thing. In the early Shaoxing period of Song, military pay could not continue; paper money was created to entice merchants and travelers as a plan for border grain purchase. Compared with copper cash it was easier to carry, and the people found it very convenient. When there was slight obstruction, hard cash was immediately used, still preserving the ancient idea of parent and child currencies mutually balancing. Day by day it increased and month by month it grew until the method gradually decayed. Seeking quick effect before one's eyes, no good plan is seen. If new notes must be created, using old notes as weight is only changing names. Without gold and silver as backing for redemption, military and state expenditures are not reduced—in three or four years they will be like the Yuanbao notes. The failures of Song and Jin are sufficient warning. Casting copper cash should also be thoroughly investigated. The benefits and harms of Qin, Han, Sui, Tang, Jin, and Song are recorded in historical annals and need not be listed in detail. Our dynasty has abolished coin long ago; to implement it at once would cost immeasurable effort and is not a plan for the long term. Generally speaking, to benefit the people and balance goods, the key begins with not using recklessly. If one wishes to fill the bottomless pits of expenditure, not only will casting not suffice—it will soon decay on its own." Just then Sangge plotted to establish the Ministry to monopolize state power, and the coin discussion was dropped.
25
使 使
In the twenty-fifth year, from Academician of the Hall of Worthies he was appointed Supervising Censor-in-Chief of the Branch Secretariat. At the time the Chief Counselor of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat, Manggotai, was fierce, perverse, and unrestrained. He constantly feared that censorial officials would impeach his crimes, and especially hated Xuan. One day the Supervising Censor-in-Chief and the Censor-in-Chief went out of Jiankang city to inspect military ships, and the censors all followed. Someone was using military ships to carry reeds. Censor Zhang Liang questioned this and learned they were sent by Branch Secretariat officials; he went to Yangzhou to verify. Manggotai was furious and immediately plotted revenge. At the time the Supervising Censor's father held office in a subordinate prefecture and was immediately impeached and investigated. He sent his followers to Jiankang to watch for violations in the censorate; the censorial officials were all fearful and secretly went to plead for self-exoneration—only Xuan stood firm unmoved. Manggotai hated Xuan all the more, fabricated charges against Xuan's son, and imprisoned him in Yangzhou jail. He also had dismissed officials of the Jiankang wine bureau, gold-panning bureau, and record office falsely accuse the Branch Secretariat of obstructing and damaging funds and grain, reporting to court—determined to bring Xuan to death. The court therefore dispatched two officials and established a prison at the Branch Secretariat to interrogate the matter. Xuan and six censors were all arrested. After boarding the boat, the Branch Secretariat used military ships arrayed with guards to drive and press them. When they arrived they were separated to different places and not allowed to communicate. On the first day of the ninth month, Xuan cut his own throat in the boat.
26
稿
When Xuan was about to depart, he wrote his final affairs, sealed them, and gave them to his nephew Zicheng, ordering him not to open them. After Xuan died, they looked at his writing. The text said, "Having offended a great minister and been falsely framed into guilt, how could I cross words in argument with petty men tried by law, bow the knee and make a show before my enemy's family? As a censorial official, by duty I cannot accept disgrace; I should take my own life—only that I could not die for the state is my regret. Alas! Heaven! Truly witness this heart." Moreover there was a separate official document stating Manggotai's crimes. Later his draft was obtained; with emendations, check marks, and deletions, the words were hard to distinguish. Former Investigating Censor Huo Su arranged and ordered his text; readers were grieved and indignant.
27
After Xuan had taken his own life, the Branch Secretariat reported to court that Xuan knew his guilt was heavy and killed himself. The one who from beginning to end fabricated this affair was Director Zhang Sili. Yet Xuan's loyalty, righteousness, and integrity were valued by the age; those who heard were all sighing in grief. In the fourth year of the Yanyou reign, his nephew Zichi submitted Xuan's conduct and deeds; the Censorate reported to court. By decree he was posthumously granted Zishan Doctor, Supervising Censor-in-Chief, and Senior Guardian General, ennobled as Duke of Pengcheng Commandery with the posthumous name Zhongxian.
28
He Rongzu
29
鹿 使
He Rongzu, styled Jixian, was descended from men of Taiyuan. His father Ying, during the Zhenyou period of Jin, tested in literary law and entered the superior grade, was appointed clerk, and later was granted Bright Authority General, served as Administrator of Julu, and acted as Chief Clerk of the Military Equipment Directorate. When the Jin fell, the family moved to Guangping. Rongzu was tall and imposing; on his forehead was a red mark like twin trees, and his back humped upward. A physiognomist said to him, "You will reach the highest rank among men and also have the physiognomy of long life." The He family had clerkship as a hereditary occupation, and Rongzu was especially versed in it. He therefore rose through clerk posts to clerk of the Secretariat and was promoted to Chief Clerk of the Censorate. He then applied himself to reading books, recording several thousand words daily. Ahmad was then in power; he established a general treasury in his home to collect profits from all directions, called Harmonious Market. Supervising Censor Fan Fang and others denounced its wrongness and argued very forcefully. Ahmad knew Rongzu had masterminded this and memorialized to appoint him Chief Clerk of the Left and Right Offices to subordinate him to himself. Before long the Censorate appointed him Investigating Censor, promoted him to Attending Censor, and then sent him out as Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for Shandong—and Ahmad could no longer carry out his intent.
30
使 西 西使
There was one Temür Si who was impeached for embezzlement by Commissioner Li Tangqing. Temür Si could think of no way out. Just then in Jinan someone reported a rebellion; Tangqing saw it was false, took the lawsuit documents, and burned them. Temür Si then picked out phrases to make a case and accused Tangqing of releasing rebels; several dozen people were arrested and bound. The case long went unresolved. An edict ordered Rongzu, together with Left Director Hao Zhen and Vice Director Geng Renjie, to try it. Rongzu got the facts and wished to punish the accuser. Zhen and Renjie proposed to punish him with the crime of loose speech and disorderly words; Rongzu would not agree. Soon Rongzu was transferred to Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for Henan. The two administrators ultimately beat the man for loose speech and disorderly words; those implicated were all released, and Tangqing's false accusation was cleared. Pingliang Prefecture reported that over twenty southerners had rebelled and returned to Jiangnan. The Anxi Branch Secretariat wished to report to court. When Rongzu came as Vice Director, he stopped them, saying, "Why must this be reported to court? Those who left are all human slaves. Now hearing Jiangnan is pacified, they fled to seek their families—send documents to summon and capture them." Before long the fugitives were all captured; they were indeed human slaves, punished according to their original crime and returned to their masters. In affairs he was clear and decisive—mostly like this. He was appointed Vice Director of the Yunnan Branch Secretariat but declined on grounds of his mother's age. He was again appointed Supervising Censor-in-Chief and sent out as Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Shandong East and West Circuit.
31
使 便 祿
At the time Pacification Commissioners Yue Shi and Yao Yan opened the Jiaozhou sea route. There was a regulation forbidding anyone to obstruct and hinder; grain ships encountering violent winds were often washed away and capsized. Yue Shi did not believe this and pressed the transport laborers to compensate; beating and plundering were cruel and poisonous, and suicides followed one after another. The investigation officials feared violating the regulation and none dared speak. Rongzu said, "Just speak of it. If the court reproaches us, I will take responsibility myself." He immediately drafted a memorial and submitted it; an edict exempted the levy. He was summoned to serve as Vice Director of the Ministry. At the time Sangge monopolized government and urgently pursued auditing of funds and grain; people suffered from it. Rongzu requested its abolition; the emperor did not agree. He repeatedly pleaded without cease, and it was then slightly relaxed. But the people's suffering within the capital region was especially severe; Rongzu often used this as his argument. Colleagues said, "The emperor has already exempted the circuits; only the capital has not been included. You could stop speaking for a while." Rongzu held all the more firmly, even opposing the imperial intent without the slightest yielding, and ultimately would not sign the documents. Within a month the harms to the people were all heard; the emperor then thought of Rongzu's words and summoned him to ask what should be done. Rongzu requested establishing an office at year's end for examination and verification; people thought it convenient. It was established as a regular practice, and an edict bestowed eleven thousand strings of paper money. Rongzu itemized regulations for officials within and without, wishing to correct the abuses of the age; Sangge suppressed them and would not transmit them. Rongzu, having disagreed with him, then reported illness and was specially granted Grand Academician of the Hall of Worthies. Before long he was recalled as Right Director of the Ministry. When Sangge fell, he was changed to Right Director of the Secretariat. He memorialized to implement the established New Regulations of the Zhiyuan reign, requested changing the Commission for the Investigation of Crimes to the Commission for Rectifying Governance and Investigating Corruption, and established methods of supervisory governance. He again memorialized, "State expenditures cannot be insufficient; the common people under Heaven cannot be insecure. Now those who manage wealth do not consider the people's labor exhausted; those who speak of governance do not plan for the state's great accounting. Moreover those who ought to be used are always many, while those who can be used are always few. In sum, the secretariat and ministries are truly the root; one must select talent and use it. Though the Commission for the Investigation of Crimes supervises a circuit, its duty is to remove corruption and secure the people. If it falls short, the secretariat and censorate should again dispatch officials to investigate on the spot—perhaps there will be some benefit." The emperor deeply agreed. He repeatedly begged to be relieved of key affairs on grounds of age and illness. An edict exempted him from signing documents; he only participated in Secretariat deliberation and received his salary. Soon he was appointed Grand Academician of the Hall of Exalted Literature, participated in Secretariat affairs, and was further made Vice Director. On grounds of flood and drought he requested dismissal; it was not granted.
32
祿
Earlier, Rongzu had received an edict to compile the Statutes and Commands of the Dade reign; the book had been completed long ago. Only now was he able to request approval from the throne; an edict ordered senior ministers to gather and hear it. Before it could be promulgated, his son Hui, Vice Director of the Secretariat, died. He then returned to Guangping and died, aged seventy-nine. He was posthumously granted Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Grand Minister of Education, and Pillar of the State, ennobled as Duke of Zhao with the posthumous name Wenxian.
33
Though Rongzu reached high office, he rented a residence to live in and used celadon cups for drinking vessels. The empress heard of this and bestowed fine wine, as well as fifty taels of gold, five hundred taels of silver, and twenty-five thousand strings of paper money, ordering him to buy vessels and a residence to honor his integrity. Books he authored include ten collections of Great Accumulation, and also Records of Learning the Changes, Collection of Bearing the Way, Outer Chapters on Observing Things, and other books.
34
Chen Siji
35
西 調西使 西 使 使
Chen Siji, styled Jimin, was a native of Zhecheng. From youth when he read books he immediately understood great principles; for talent and capacity he was praised among his contemporaries. When Kublai was in the princely establishment, he heard his name and summoned him to serve as adviser; after he ascended the throne and first established the secretariat and ministries, he had Siji manage memorial submissions. Kublai, taking Jingzhao as a crucial stronghold of the state, ordered Lian Xixian and others to operate the Branch Secretariat in Shaanxi. Siji actually went together with them and contributed much to planning. In the third year of the Zhongtong reign, an edict ordered the execution of Wang Wentong and summoned Lian Xixian into the Secretariat. Siji returned and still managed memorial submissions. Matters great and small all followed the standard measure; Yao Shu and Xu Heng both valued him highly. When Ahmad entered the secretariat, he was ashamed that his position was to Lian Xixian's left and always wished to act as he pleased; Xixian upheld rectitude and would not follow. When Xixian left his post, the secretariat officials gathered in the morning; the clerks all feared Ahmad and none dared go forward. Siji alone first advanced with the documents. Ahmad immediately signed and sealed at Xixian's seat. Siji quickly covered it with his hand and said, "This is not the lord counselor's seat for signing." Ahmad glared at him in anger; the crowd was fearful for him, but Siji's expression was calm as ever. He was appointed Chief Clerk of the Right Office, followed Xixian to operate the Branch Secretariat in Shandong, and before long was recalled. In the fifth year of the Zhiyuan reign, when the Secretariat was ordered to oversee all government and the Censorate to rectify all officials, the dismissals, promotions, and appointments of the time, and the censorial regulations and forms, mostly came from his hand. He was transferred to Gentleman-of-Service and Vice Prefect of Gaotang Prefecture; for outstanding performance he was appointed Supervising Censor. At the time Ahmad established the Ministry; its authority was to the right of the Secretariat. Siji together with Wei Chu and others impeached his lawlessness; the emperor ordered close ministers to rectify it. The censors each responded in turn; Siji alone said in a stern voice, "Censors are speaking officials—they are not established for arguing lawsuits!" He swept his sleeve and went out. He was granted Fengxun Doctor and appointed Prefect of Qin Prefecture. His governance was simple and essential; he did not pursue harsh scrutiny. He was transferred to Zhongshun Doctor and Vice Administrator of Shaoxing Circuit; he received an order to try cases. In Tonglu there was a prisoner emaciated and near death. He was released to go home, to return when the term came for judgment. The prisoner bowed and pleaded, "I have long heard your name. If judgment is not made early, I fear I ultimately cannot be preserved." He reviewed the case and released him. He was transferred to Vice Commissioner of the Zhejiang Transport Commission. Clerks plundered and the people were distressed by levies and corvée; he abolished them all. He was transferred to Vice Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Shaanxi Hanzhong Circuit and left office on mourning for his mother. In the twenty-third year, he was granted Lesser Zhong Doctor and made Vice Commissioner of the Zhedong Pacification Commission. At the time western Zhejiang had great flood and the people were hungry; eastern Zhejiang's granaries were full. He immediately transported grain to relieve them; many were preserved alive. He reported to the Secretariat by dispatch; the memorial was approved. Eastern Zhejiang again had drought; he prayed at famous mountains and great rain fell; the people relied on this to recover. The salt revenue of the Two Huai was insufficient. He was granted Jiayi Doctor and Commissioner of the Two Huai Transport Commission; corruption was entirely reformed, merchants passed freely, and annual revenue was made sufficient. He was promoted to Commissioner for Rectifying Governance and Investigating Corruption of the Lingbei Hunan Circuit and changed to Chief Administrator of Chizhou Circuit. Vice Director of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat Yesudar's power and prestige were dazzling. He conscripted three thousand gold-panning households and registered civilian fields. When the dispatch came down, Siji forcefully memorialized to stop it. He was repeatedly promoted to Tongyi Doctor and Commissioner of the Branch Secretariat of Henan, Jiangbei, and other places. In the winter of the fifth year of the Dade reign, he died of illness, aged seventy. He was posthumously granted Zhengyi Doctor, Minister of Personnel, and Senior Commandant of Chariots, ennobled as Marquis of Yingchuan Commandery with the posthumous name Wensu.
36
西
His son Chengxi inherited privilege, entered office by yin privilege, and was appointed Supervising Censor, Chaolie Doctor, and Commissioner of the Guangxi Commission for Rectifying Governance and Investigating Corruption.
37
Qin Zhangqing
38
姿 宿 便 便 使
Qin Zhangqing was a native of Luoyang. He was tall and imposing in appearance, free and unrestrained in nature, and had great ambition. When Kublai was in the princely establishment at Jingzhao, he had already heard his name. After ascending the throne, striving to gather talent of the age, he was summoned to the capital as a commoner. Zhangqing valued integrity and bearing, loved to discuss affairs, and together with Liu Xuan was in palace guard service, each holding the other's lofty spirit in esteem. At that time the Ministry was established and Ahmad monopolized government. Zhangqing submitted a memorial, "Your subject is foolish and dull, yet can recognize Ahmad. In his governance he usurps the power of life and death; people fear and dread him, so none dare speak—but resentment and poison are already extreme. Observing how he forbids dissent and blocks loyal words, his disposition resembles Qin dynasty's Zhao Gao; his private accumulation exceeds public wealth and he covets what he should not hope for—his conduct resembles Han dynasty's Dong Zhuo. The Spring and Autumn Annals says a minister must not have rebellious intent—please, before it erupts, execute him; that would be convenient." The matter was referred to the Secretariat. Ahmad was a man of smooth flattery, skilled at observing others' intentions; moreover his wealth was sufficient to move people. Inner court eunuchs exerted themselves to save and exonerate him; the matter was then dropped—but from this he greatly hated Zhangqing. He was appointed Vice Commissioner of Iron Smelting for Xinghe and Xunde, but was ultimately falsely accused of reducing revenue quotas by tens of thousands of strings; Zhangqing was arrested and handed to officials, his family property registered to compensate the state, and prison officers were made to kill him. The prison officer soaked paper and stuffed his mouth and nose; he immediately died. Before long Wang Zhu gathered followers and killed Ahmad. The emperor and empress came to understand and also pursued punishment against him—breaking the coffin and dismembering the corpse, and executing his sons as well—but Zhangqing's injustice was never cleared.
39
Zhangqing's nephew Shanfu was an assistant administrator of Jiankang Prefecture. Hearing of Zhangqing's unjust case, he immediately abandoned office and left; repeatedly recommended, he never took office and died. Shanfu's son Conglong served up to Investigating Censor of the Southern Branch Secretariat; Congde served as Vice Director of the Jiang-Zhe Branch Secretariat.
40
Zhao Yuqian
41
使 退
Zhao Yuqian, styled Huishu, was a member of the Song imperial clan. He had passed the jinshi examination and served as Instructor of E Prefecture. In the eleventh year of the Zhiyuan reign, after Chief Counselor Bayan had crossed the Yangzi, Yuqian led the clansmen of his house who were in E Prefecture to the army gate to submit a memorial, forcefully arguing that refraining from bloodshed could unify all under Heaven, and also begging that his clan be preserved. Later when Bayan came to court at the capital, Kublai asked about worthy men among the Song imperial clan, and Bayan first named Yuqian. In the ninth month of autumn of the thirteenth year, envoys were dispatched to summon him to Shangdu. Wearing a scholar's wide cloth headband and deep robes he had audience, speaking of the causes of Song's defeat and fall—all from mistakenly employing powerful scoundrels. His words were sharp and urgent, and deeply moving. Kublai was impressed and immediately appointed him Attending Draftsman of the Hanlin Academy. When the court established laws, it often consulted him; Yuqian offered loyal and forthright opinions without reservation. He was promoted to Direct Academician and transferred to Lecturer-in-Attendance. In a memorial he stated that in Jiangnan levies were urgently pressed, great clans were moved and registered, and Song-era tombs and mounds were exposed—all done by great ministers who on their own authority altered clear edicts. In the twenty-seventh year, fog filled the capital on all sides; in the first month of the next year, on the day jiayin, a tiger entered the southern city. Yuqian again memorialized on the fault of powerful ministers monopolizing governance, then retired and stayed home awaiting punishment. Before long Sangge fell. Vice Director Buqumu memorialized that Yuqian, though poor, had integrity and ambition. Kublai said, "Could this not be the one who called powerful ministers tigers?" He bestowed thirteen thousand strings of paper money and annually supplied his wife and children with clothing and grain. Later he rose to Academician of the Hanlin Academy. His granduncle Shi Yuan had once studied with Zhu Xi, and instruction received in the family had clear foundations. Thereupon he discussed with Xu Heng the inner mysteries of the Cheng-Yi and Luoyang schools, and Heng deeply respected him.
42
When Yuqian had grown old, Chengzong ordered his son Mengshi specially appointed to office so he could complete his filial care. In the seventh year of the Dade reign, he died of illness. The family was poor and had no means for burial. Chengzong ordered the officials to grant five thousand strings of paper money as funeral aid, provide boats and troops, and return him for burial at Huangyan in Taizhou. He was posthumously granted Tongyi Doctor, Minister of Rites, Senior Commandant of Chariots, and Marquis of Tianshui Commandery with the posthumous name Wenjian.
43
Yao Tianfu
44
祿 使 使
Yao Tianfu, styled Junxiang, was a native of Jiang Prefecture. His father Jushi, fleeing warfare, moved to Yanmen. From youth Tianfu read the Spring and Autumn Annals and understood its great principles. When grown, for his talent he was recruited as Assistant of Huairen. In the fifth year of the Zhiyuan reign, an edict established the Censorate; Tianfu was made Pavilion Manager and soon appointed Supervising Censor. Each time in court he refuted powerful ministers; the emperor praised his directness and bestowed the name Barisi, saying he did not fear the strong and fierce—like a tiger. The emperor still richly rewarded him to honor his loyalty. Tianfu said, "Your subject's duty is impeachment; I fear only failing in rank and salary—how dare I greedily accept rich reward and thereby increase my crime as minister?" At the time the Censorate had two supervising censors and discipline had no unity. Tianfu said to Kublai, "Antiquity says one snake with nine tails—when the head moves the tails follow; one snake with two heads cannot advance an inch. Now the censorate's authority is not extended—there is the affliction of one snake with two heads. If Your Majesty does not urgently rescue it, in time disorder will become impossible to govern." The emperor ordered Yisutie'mur and Boluo to be instructed; Boluo impeached himself on grounds of youth. Tianfu at the time was inspecting within the capital region. There was an outgoing envoy who bullied the people and took bribes. Tianfu changed clothes and traveled secretly to get the facts, memorialized to execute him as a warning, and the powerful were awed into submission. In the twelfth year, an edict abolished the Commissions for the Investigation of Crimes in each circuit. Tianfu told Supervising Censor Yisutie'mur, "This office's establishment is to broaden sight and hearing and guard against the unexpected—consideration is deeply far-reaching; it is not merely to bind officials." The supervising censor said in alarm, "But for your words, we would nearly have lost it." That night he entered the emperor's sleeping quarters and memorialized his words; the emperor greatly understood and ordered it re-established. Powerful ministers were displeased and demoted Tianfu to Chaolie Doctor and Vice Administrator of Hengzhou Circuit; he did not take office and was recalled as Vice Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Hedong Circuit. At the time warfare arose on the northern frontier; transport was urgently burdensome and the people of Hedong suffered from corvée. Tianfu, worried about unrest, impeached the administrators for mistaken planning and memorialized to abolish the corvée. He was summoned and appointed Zhongshun Doctor and Investigating Censor.
45
西使 使 使 西使 西使 使 西
In the sixteenth year, when Jiangnan was pacified, he was granted Jiayi Doctor and Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Huaixi Circuit. The Huai region lay on the military crossroads; among officers and clerks there were fierce and cunning men who harmed the people—all were uprooted and removed, and the people were greatly pleased. He was transferred to Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Hubei Circuit and exposed several dozen cases of embezzlement by secretariat officials, reporting them to court. The emperor, because they had once had merit and labor, specially pardoned them but exiled their associates; prefectures and districts were called well governed. In the twentieth year, he was transferred to Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for the Shanbei Circuit. Its people rarely knew farming; Tianfu taught them planting and cultivation, and all became prosperous; the people built a shrine for him and carved stone to record it. In the twenty-second year, he entered service as Minister of Punishments; soon he went out as Chief Administrator of Yangzhou Circuit. In the twenty-sixth year, he again became Commissioner of the Investigation of Crimes for Huaixi; he investigated one great villain, confiscated his family wealth, and good governance was greatly practiced. In the twenty-eighth year, when Sangge fell, party associates were examined; Pingyang had the most. Tianfu was made Chief Administrator of Pingyang and ordered to thoroughly investigate the matter. Soon he was appointed Vice Director of the Gansu Branch Secretariat but declined on grounds of his mother's age. In the thirty-first year, he was granted Commissioner for Rectifying Governance and Investigating Corruption of the Shaanxi Hanzhong Circuit; soon he was appointed Chief Administrator of Zhending Circuit. The needs of Zhending's courier stations mostly harmed the people. Tianfu reconsidered methods of arrangement so as not to disturb the people; the censorial chief disputed it. Branch secretariat officials reported the matter; an edict followed it and promulgated its system as the model for all under Heaven. In the second year of the Dade reign, he was granted Vice Director of the Jiangxi Branch Secretariat but declined on grounds of illness. In the fourth year, he was appointed Vice Director, Chief Administrator of Dadu Circuit, and concurrently Prefect of Daxing Prefecture; the capital region was greatly well governed. Later prefects of the capital took Tianfu as foremost in reputation. In the sixth year, he died of illness, aged seventy-three.
46
Initially, when Tianfu was appointed censor, his mother admonished him, "Antiquity says public duty makes one forget private interest. Having entrusted oneself as minister, one should exhaust one's innermost heart to fulfill the duty—do not take me, your not-yet-deceased mother, as cause for concern, so that I may follow the mother of Ling: the day of death would still be the year of life." Tianfu also requested of the censorate, "Supervising censors are responsible for the path of speech—if there is offense, do not hide it. If punishment is received, I beg that my kin not be implicated." This was reported; the emperor sighed and said, "Barisi and his mother, though living in the present age, their words of righteous valor should be sought among the ancients."
47
使
His son Zushun served as Compiler of the Secretariat Directorate; Kan served as Vice Commissioner of the Inner Treasury.
48
Xu Guozhen
49
使
Xu Guozhen, styled Jinzhi, was a native of Quwo in Jiang Prefecture. His grandfather Ji was Military Commissioner of Jiang Prefecture under the Jin. His father Riyan was Adjutant Military Commissioner of Rong Prefecture. The family practiced medicine for generations. Guozhen broadly mastered the classics and histories and was especially skilled in medicine. When the Jin was in turmoil, he fled to Yongning County in Song Prefecture. When Henan was pacified, he returned and settled in Taiyuan. When Kublai was in the princely establishment, Guozhen was summoned as physician to Hanhai and remained to manage medicine. Empress Zhuang Sheng was ill; Guozhen treated her and she recovered on schedule. Thereupon a banquet was spread and he was granted a seat. The empress was then fifty-three; she therefore bestowed white gold ingots equal to her years. Princess Consort Bosa had an eye ailment; the treater's needle mistakenly damaged her sight. Kublai was angry and wished to punish with death. Guozhen calmly remonstrated, "The crime indeed deserves death, yet tracing the circumstances, it arose from terror and loss of composure. If he is executed now, who afterward will dare to advance?" Kublai's mind was eased, and he also praised him, "Guozhen's directness could serve as remonstrating official." Prince Xiban repeatedly requested that Guozhen be subordinated to his establishment. Kublai greatly wished not to refuse his request and was about to dispatch him. Guozhen declined, "Guozhen has received grace and elevation; I swear to exhaust my heart in repayment and dare not change whom I serve." He was then not dispatched after all. Kublai drank too much kumiss and got a foot ailment. Guozhen presented medicine that tasted bitter; he refused to take it. Guozhen said, "The ancients have a saying: good medicine is bitter in the mouth but benefits the illness; loyal words are harsh to the ear but benefit conduct." Before long the foot ailment recurred; Guozhen was summoned to examine him. Kublai said, "Not listening to your words, I was indeed afflicted by this illness." He replied, "You already know that good medicine is bitter in the mouth; please also heed that loyal words are harsh to the ear." Kublai was greatly pleased and bestowed on him a saddle of seven treasures.
50
滿 祿 祿 祿祿 祿
In the third year of Möngke, year guichou, he followed the campaign against Yunnan; confidential matters he all participated in; morning and evening he never left Kublai's side. When he was on leave, the emperor was displeased on his account. In the ninth year, year jiwei, Kublai led troops to besiege E Prefecture and captured several hundred Song clans. The generals wished to bury them all alive; Guozhen forcefully pleaded to stop, executing only the violent and cruel—the rest were all spared. When the army returned, surrendered people numbered hundreds of thousands; the exhausted, hungry, and fallen filled the roads. Guozhen reported and dispatched Cai Prefecture military stores grain to relieve them; very many were preserved alive. When Kublai ascended the throne, he recorded former labor and appointed him Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and Commissioner of the Imperial Medical Academy, bestowing a gold tally. In the third year of the Zhiyuan reign, he was changed to a gold tiger tally. In the twelfth year, he was transferred to Minister of Rites. Guozhen once memorialized: be careful with finances and levies, forbid improper dress and colors, clarify laws, strengthen military preparedness, establish remonstrating officials, equalize guard troops, build schools, establish court ceremony—many matters were implemented. All those he recommended were famous scholars; scholars also looked to him with respect. The emperor, speaking with close ministers of meritorious old great ministers, then said to Guozhen, "When I formerly went on campaign, those who shared hardship with me are only you few." He was then appointed Grand Academician of the Hall of Worthies and advanced to Grand Master of Splendid Happiness. Each time he had audience, the emperor called him Grand Master Xu without using his name; from this inner and outer princes and great ministers all called him Grand Master Xu. He was promoted to Grand Academician of the Hanlin and Hall of Worthies. He died aged seventy-six. At the time great ministers who lacked merit and virtue known to the emperor rarely received posthumous ennoblement and posthumous names; Guozhen was specially posthumously granted Grand Master of the Gold Seal and Purple Ribbon with the posthumous name Zhongxian—people considered it an honor. Later he was further posthumously granted Meritorious Minister Who Pushed Sincerity, Broad Virtue, Harmonious Respect, and Assisting Brightness, Academician Expositor of the Hanlin Academy, and Senior Pillar of the State, ennobled as Duke of Ji.
51
調
Initially, Guozhen's mother Lady Han, also skilled in medicine, attended Empress Zhuang Sheng; she was also good at harmonizing food flavors and accorded with the imperial intent. All rare delicacies and fine wines presented from the four directions were ordered managed by her. The empress pitied her labor and bestowed one residence in Zhending, supplying clothing and grain annually for life; Guozhen thereby made his home there. His son was Yi.
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退 宿 使
Yi, styled Junfu, also known as Huluhuosun, followed his father Guozhen in serving Kublai at the princely establishment. In comings and goings he was dignified and solemn, and Kublai was pleased and bestowed his present name. He was made to study with Xu Heng, entered palace guard service, and was loyal, cautious, and careful. Once because of a matter he opposed the imperial intent and was to be punished. The emperor later regretted it and said to close attendant Tiege, "I wished to punish Huluhuosun—why did you not speak? You two from now on shall be bound as brothers; when there is reproach or punishment, you shall remonstrate with one another in turn." He then placed gold in wine and bestowed it for the two to drink, making it a covenant. At the time Crown Prince Zong lived in the Eastern Palace. The emperor again instructed Huluhuosun, "If the crown prince punishes you, who will remonstrate?" He then ordered Eastern Palace minister Qingshannu also to drink the gold wine together. Soon he was appointed Minister of Rites and Commissioner of the Imperial Medical Academy and bestowed two suits of brocade robes patterned with sun, moon, dragon, and phoenix. Whenever foreign envoys arrived, he was always ordered to converse with them. His reasoning was clear and discerning, and none failed to be won over. He was reassigned as Director of the Imperial Physicians. The emperor once ordered painters to render his portrait and bestow it on him. He was transferred to Zhengyi Doctor while continuing as Commissioner of the Imperial Medical Academy.
53
西
Someone stole the ritual silks for honoring spirits at the Da'an Pavilion and was to be executed. None of the ministers dared speak; Huluhuosun alone remonstrated, "Revering the spirits is a good deed. Yet because of it to put a man to death—I fear the spirits will not accept the offering." The emperor immediately ordered him released. Huluhuosun was on good terms with Chief Counselor An Tong and contributed much to state affairs. Sangge envied him and repeatedly slandered him to the throne, but the emperor did not believe it. When Sangge fell, he was bound at the Left Flank Gate. The emperor ordered Huluhuosun to go spit in his face; he declined as improper. The emperor praised his benevolence and generosity and bestowed a white jade belt. Moreover he instructed him, "Because you are bright, pure, and without flaw, like this jade, therefore it is bestowed on you." When Chengzong ascended the throne, he was transferred to Right Director of the Secretariat and Acting Minister of Ceremonies. He forcefully declined and was then ordered as Right Director of the Secretariat to manage ceremonial affairs. Soon he was reassigned as Right Director of the Shaanxi Branch Secretariat. At the time Guanzhong was in famine and they discussed issuing granary grain to relieve it. Colleagues said permission from court had not been obtained and it could not be done. Huluhuosun said, "The people are the foundation of the state. Hunger and starvation are such now that if we wait for orders to come down, it will be too late. The crime of unauthorized issuance I shall bear alone and not implicate you gentlemen." Thereupon grain was greatly issued; within a few days the order also came down. The next year there was drought; he prayed at Mount Zhongnan and rain fell. The year had a great harvest, and the people all painted portraits to honor him.
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輿 使 祿祿 祿西
Huluhuosun did not engage in livelihood pursuits; his fields and residences were all bestowed by the emperor. He had a foot ailment and could not walk. Renzong, considering him an old minister of the former court, specially ordered him to ride a small palanquin into the forbidden precincts and consulted him on old affairs. Later his feet grew weaker and he could not go out. Whenever the state had great policies, an edict sent close attendants to his home to inquire. He was specially granted Grand Master of Splendid Happiness and Grand Minister of Education and received salary for life. He was posthumously granted Meritorious Minister Who Pushed Loyalty, Upheld Rectitude, and Assisted Governance, Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, and Shaanxi
55
and other places Branch Secretariat Vice Director, Pillar of the State, ennobled as Duke of Zhao with the posthumous name Xijian.
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