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卷11 漢紀三

Volume 11 Han Records 3

Chapter 11 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
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Chapter 11
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1
From Tuwu Dayuanxian through Chongguang Chifenruo—three years in all.
2
1 使
1. In the tenth month of winter the king of Han pursued Xiang Yu to Guling and arranged with King Xin of Qi and Chancellor Yue of Wei a joint strike against Chu; Xin and Yue never came. Chu struck the Han army and broke it utterly. The king of Han again held his walls and kept to camp. He said to Zhang Liang: "The lords will not follow—what now?" He replied: "Chu's army is near breaking, yet those two have no fiefs allotted them—for them not to come is only natural. Share the realm with them, and they will come at once. King Xin of Qi was not raised by your will, and Xin himself stands on uncertain ground; Peng Yue pacified Liang in the first place. You made him chancellor on Wei Bao's account; Bao is dead now, and Yue too looks to you for a kingdom—yet you have not settled it early. Make Peng Yue king of all from north of Suiyang to Gucheng, and give King Xin of Qi everything east from Chen to the sea. Xin's kin are in Chu; his heart is set on recovering his old lands. Pledge these lands to both and let each fight on his own account, and Chu will be easy to break." The king of Han took his advice. Then Han Xin and Peng Yue both brought their armies.
3
In the eleventh month Liu Jia crossed the Huai south, besieged Shouchun, and sent men to win over Chu's Grand Marshal Zhou Yin. Yin turned against Chu, took Shu and sacked Liu, raised the armies of Jiujiang to welcome Qing Bu, marched together sacking Chengf, and all joined Liu Jia.
4
駿 紿
In the twelfth month the Overlord of Xiang reached Gaixia. His troops were few, his grain gone; he fought Han and could not win, and withdrew into camp; Han troops and the allied armies ringed him round and round. By night the Overlord heard Chu songs on every side of the Han camp. He started in alarm: "Has Han taken all of Chu? How can there be so many men of Chu?" He rose in the night, drank in his tent, and sang—a song fierce with sorrow—while tears streamed down his face; Those about him wept; none could raise his eyes to look. Then the Overlord mounted his swift steed Zhui, with more than eight hundred picked riders at his command. At midnight he broke the encirclement and fled south at a gallop. At dawn the Han army only then took notice and sent the cavalry general Guan Ying with five thousand riders in pursuit. The Overlord crossed the Huai; scarcely a hundred riders could still keep with him. At Yingling he lost the road and asked a farmer, who lied and said, "Go left." He went left and sank into a great marsh—and so Han caught up.
5
The Overlord turned east again. At Dongcheng he had only twenty-eight riders left. Thousands of Han riders pressed behind him. The Overlord knew he could not escape and said to his men: "From the day I raised arms, eight years have passed; I have fought more than seventy battles and never once been turned back—until I held the realm. Yet now I am trapped here. Heaven is destroying me—not the fault of war. Today I am resolved to die. I will fight one swift battle for you—I shall break the ring, behead their generals, cut down their banners, win three victories, and show you that Heaven is destroying me, not the fault of war." He divided his riders into four companies facing the four directions. The Han army ringed them round and round. The Overlord said to his riders: "I will take that general for you." He ordered his riders on every side to charge down and rally east of the hill in three groups. The Overlord shouted and charged down. The Han ranks scattered before him, and he cut down one Han general. Then attendant-rider Yang Xi gave chase. The Overlord glared and roared at him; Xi's horse and rider both recoiled and fell back several li. The Overlord and his riders rallied in three groups. Not knowing where he was, the Han army split in three and surrounded them again. The Overlord charged again, cut down one Han commandant, and killed scores of men. He gathered his riders again—only two were lost. He said to his riders: "How was that?" The riders all bowed low. "As my lord said!"
6
西
Then the Overlord meant to cross the Wu River east. The river station-chief moored his boat and waited. He said: "Jiangdong is small, but a thousand li across and hundreds of thousands strong—enough to make you king still. Cross now, my lord—at once! I alone have a boat. When the Han army comes, there will be no crossing." The Overlord laughed. "Heaven is destroying me—why should I cross? Ji led eight thousand youths of Jiangdong west across the river, and not one returns; even if the fathers and elders of Jiangdong pitied me and made me king—what face have I to meet them! Even if they said nothing—would Ji not be ashamed in his own heart!" He gave his steed Zhui to the station-chief, ordered every rider to dismount and fight on foot with short weapons. Ji alone killed hundreds of Han soldiers and took more than ten wounds. He glanced back and saw Han cavalry marshal Lü Matong. "Are you not an old friend of mine?" Matong turned toward him and pointed him out to attendant-cavalry Wang Yi: "This is the Overlord of Xiang!" The Overlord said: "I hear Han offers a thousand in gold for my head and a fief of ten thousand households. I do you this kindness." He cut his throat and died. Wang Yi took his head. The other riders trampled one another fighting over the body, and dozens killed one another in the scramble. In the end Yang Xi, Lü Matong, and attendants Lü Sheng and Yang Wu each seized a piece of the body; the five fitted the pieces together—it was all him—so they divided his reward and enfeoffed all five as marquises.
7
All Chu was pacified; only Lu held out; and the king of Han led the armies of the realm intending to slaughter it. Beneath its walls he still heard the sound of strings and recitation. Because Lu was a state of ritual and righteousness that died for its lord, he showed the Overlord's head to Lu's elders—and Lu submitted. The king of Han buried the Overlord at Gucheng with the rites due a lord of Lu, personally led the mourning, wept, and departed. No branch of the Xiang clan was put to death. He enfeoffed Xiang Bo and four others as marquises and granted them the surname Liu; and every commoner seized in Chu was sent home.
8
::
:: The Grand Scribe writes: Yu rose from the fields and marshes; in three years he led the five lords to destroy Qin, divided the realm and enfeoffed kings and marquises, and government flowed from his hand; his throne did not last—but since near antiquity there had never been his like! When Yu turned his back on the passes for love of Chu, banished the Righteous Emperor, and set himself up— to resent every lord who turned from him—then the end was already written. Proud of his victories, trusting his own wit and scorning the ancients, he thought the hegemon's work could be done by force alone. Five years later he lost his kingdom and died at Dongcheng—yet he never woke, never blamed himself, but quoted, "Heaven is destroying me; it is not the fault of war." Can anything be more absurd?
9
:: ----
:: Yang Xiong's Fa Yan: Someone asked: "Chu was broken at Gaixia. Facing death Xiang Yu said, 'It is Heaven! Is that to be believed?" He answered: "Han bent every stratagem to its will, and every stratagem bent every strength; Chu hoarded stratagems yet bent its own strength. He who bends others conquers; he who bends himself is defeated. What has Heaven to do with it?"
10
2----
2. The king of Han returned to Dingtao, galloped into King Xin of Qi's camp, and seized his army.
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3----
3. King Gong Wei of Linjiang would not submit. He sent Lu Wan and Liu Jia to strike and capture him.
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4 ----
4. In spring, the first month, he made King Xin of Qi king of Chu over Huaibei, with his capital at Xiapi. He made Chancellor Peng Yue of Wei, Marquis of Jiancheng, king of Liang over Wei's former lands, with his capital at Dingtao.
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5 ----
5. An edict ran: "Arms have not rested for eight years, and the people have suffered greatly. Now that the realm is settled, let there be amnesty throughout the land for all crimes short of death."
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6
6. The feudal kings all submitted memorials asking that the king of Han be honored as emperor. On jiawu of the second month the king took the throne as emperor south of the Si River. He renamed the queen-consort empress and the heir crown prince; and posthumously honored his late mother as Lady Zhaoling.
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使 ----
An edict stated: "The former king of Hengshan, Wu Rui, led the armies of the Hundred Yue to aid the lords in punishing tyrannical Qin and won great merit; the lords made him king, but Xiang Yu seized his lands and called him Lord Fan. Let Rui be king of Changsha." It also stated: "The former king of Yue, Wu Zhu, offered Yue sacrifices generation after generation; yet Qin seized his lands so that his altars could receive no offerings. When the lords attacked Qin, Wu Zhu personally led the armies of Minzhong to help destroy Qin, but Xiang Yu deposed him and would not restore him. Now let him be king of Minyue over the lands of Minzhong."
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7西----
7. The emperor made Luoyang his western capital.
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8----
8. In summer, the fifth month, all troops were dismissed to return home.
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9 ----
9. An edict: "Commoners who formerly gathered in the hills and marshes for refuge, not entered in the registers— now that the realm is settled, let each return to his county and restore his former rank, fields, and dwelling; let clerks instruct them by statute and explanation; do not lash or insult soldiers; those of rank seventh grandee and above shall receive sustenance from their fiefs; those below seventh grandee shall have their persons and households restored and be exempt from levies."
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10 使
10. The Emperor set out wine at the Southern Palace in Luoyang. He said: "Marquises and generals, do not hide anything from me—each speak plainly. Why do I possess all under Heaven? Why did the house of Xiang lose all under Heaven?" Gao Qi and Wang Ling replied: "Your Majesty sends men to attack cities and seize lands and then gives them away, sharing the profit with all under Heaven; Xiang Yu did not. He harmed men of merit and suspected the worthy—that is why he lost all under Heaven." The Emperor said: "You know one part and not the second. To plot within the command tent and decide victory a thousand li away—I am not the equal of Zifang; to fill the state, comfort the people, supply rations, and keep the grain routes unbroken—I am not the equal of Xiao He; to command hosts of a million, win every battle, and take every assault—I am not the equal of Han Xin. All three are heroes among men, and I was able to use them—that is why I took all under Heaven. Xiang Yu had one Fan Zeng and could not use him—that is why he became my captive." The assembled ministers were persuaded and convinced.
20
----
When Han Xin reached Chu he summoned the washerwoman and bestowed a thousand in gold. He summoned the youth who had shamed him by making him crawl between his legs and made him Commandant of the Palace Guards, telling the generals and chancellors: "This was a brave man. When he shamed me, could I not have killed him? To kill him would have brought no renown, so I bore it and rose to this."
21
11 使使 使 使 使使
11. Peng Yue having already received Han enfeoffment, Tian Heng feared execution. With more than five hundred followers he went to sea and dwelt on an island. The Emperor considered that Tian Heng and his brothers had originally settled Qi and that many worthy men of Qi still adhered to them; now that they were at sea, he thought that if they were not taken in, they might later stir rebellion. He sent an envoy to pardon Heng's crimes and summon him. Heng declined: "Your servant boiled Your Majesty's envoy Li Yiji; now I hear that his younger brother Shang is a Han general; I am afraid and dare not obey the summons. I beg to remain a commoner and guard my island in the sea." The envoy returned and reported. The Emperor then issued an edict the Commandant of the Guards Li Shang: "When the king of Qi Tian Heng arrives, whoever among men, horses, or followers dares to stir trouble—exterminate his entire clan!" He again sent an envoy bearing credentials to inform Heng fully of Shang's situation: "If Tian Heng comes, at most he will be a king, at least a marquis; if he does not come, I shall shortly raise troops to punish him!"
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使 ? 使 ? 穿 使使 ----
Heng then rode post-horses with two retainers and set out for Luoyang. Thirty li short of the city he reached the Yixiang stable post. Heng told the envoy: "When a subject is to see the Son of Heaven, he should bathe and wash." He therefore stayed and said to his retainers: "Heng at first faced south with the King of Han, each calling himself a lone ruler; now the King of Han is Son of Heaven while Heng is a captive in flight, serving him facing north—the shame is already extreme. Moreover, I boiled a man's elder brother and would now serve his master shoulder to shoulder with the younger—even if he, fearing the Son of Heaven's edict, dared not stir, would I alone feel no shame? And what Your Majesty wishes in seeing me is only to behold my face once. Cut off my head now and gallop the thirty li—my features will not yet have spoiled. It may still be viewed." He cut his own throat, had a retainer bear his head, and galloped with the envoy to report. The Emperor said: "Alas! Rising from common cloth, three brothers in succession became kings—is that not worthy?" He wept for him and appointed his two retainers Commandants; he dispatched two thousand soldiers to bury him with the rites of a king. After the burial the two retainers bored holes beside the tomb, cut their throats, and went down to follow him. The Emperor heard of it and was greatly alarmed. Considering Heng's retainers all worthy, and that more than five hundred men still remained at sea, he sent envoys to summon them; when they arrived and heard that Tian was dead, they too all killed themselves.
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12
12. Earlier, Ji Bu of Chu had been a general of Xiang Yu and several times cornered and shamed the Emperor. When Xiang Yu perished, the Emperor offered a thousand in gold for Bu; whoever dared shelter or hide him would suffer extinction of three clans. Bu had his head shaved, wore a cangue as a slave, and sold himself to Zhu Jia. Zhu Jia knew in his heart that this was Ji Bu. He bought him and placed him on a farm, then went in person to Luoyang to see the Duke of Teng and urged: "What crime has Ji Bu committed? Each man serves his own lord—that is duty alone; can all the subjects of the house of Xiang be executed? Your Majesty has just won all under Heaven yet seeks one man from private enmity—what narrowness does this display? Moreover, given Ji Bu's worth, if Han seeks him urgently, will he not flee north to the Hu or south to Yue? To grudge a brave man and thereby strengthen an enemy state—that is why Wu Zixu flogged the tomb of King Ping of Chu. Why do you not speak of this at leisure to Your Majesty?" The Duke of Teng waited for an opening and spoke to the Emperor as Zhu Jia had indicated. The Emperor pardoned Bu, summoned him, and appointed him Gentleman of the Palace; Zhu Jia never saw him again.
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西 使 使
Bu's mother's younger brother Lord Ding had also been a general of Xiang Yu and had pursued and cornered the Emperor west of Pengcheng. With close weapons engaged, the Emperor was in peril and turned to Lord Ding: "Two worthy men corner each other!" Lord Ding led his troops back. When Xiang Yu perished, Lord Ding came to audience. The Emperor displayed Lord Ding before the army: "Lord Ding, as Xiang Yu's subject, was disloyal and caused Xiang Yu to lose all under Heaven." He beheaded him, saying: "Let later subjects not imitate Lord Ding."
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:: 使 使 祿----
:: Your servant Guang says: From the time the High Ancestor rose in Feng and Pei, he had netted heroes and received fugitives and rebels—already very many indeed. Yet when he took the throne, Lord Ding alone was put to death for disloyalty—why? Seizing power and preserving what is won—their circumstances differ. When many heroes contended, the people had no fixed lord; to receive whoever came was indeed fitting. When one is exalted as Son of Heaven, within the four seas none is not a subject; if one does not make ritual and righteousness clear, so that every subject harbors a divided heart to seek great gain, how can the state long endure? Therefore he judged by great righteousness, so that all under Heaven clearly knew disloyal subjects had nowhere to hide; and those who cherished private favor and bound personal kindness, though it saved their lives, still found righteousness would not accept them. To punish one man and make ten thousand fear—was his consideration not deep and far-reaching? That his descendants enjoyed Heaven's blessing for more than four hundred years was fitting indeed!
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13西 使 西 西 西 ----
13. Lou Jing of Qi, garrisoning Longxi, passed through Luoyang, cast off his cart-pole and traces, wore a sheepskin coat, and through General Yu of Qi sought audience with the Emperor. General Yu wished to give him fine clothes. Lou Jing said: "Your servant in silk goes clothed in silk to audience; in coarse cloth, in coarse cloth to audience—I dare not change clothes at the end." Thereupon General Yu entered and spoke to the Emperor; the Emperor summoned him to audience and questioned him. Lou Jing said: "Your Majesty is establishing the capital at Luoyang—do you wish to rival the Zhou in splendor?" The Emperor said: "Indeed." Lou Jing said: "Your Majesty won all under Heaven differently from Zhou. Zhou's forebears, from the time Hou Ji was enfeoffed at Tai, accumulated virtue for more than ten generations, until Kings Tai, Ji, Wen, and Wu, when the feudal lords came of themselves, and they destroyed Yin and became Sons of Heaven. When King Cheng took the throne, the Duke of Zhou assisted him and built Luoyang, taking it as the center of all under Heaven, so that feudal lords from the four quarters brought tribute and the roads and distances were equal. With virtue it was easy to become king; without virtue it was easy to perish. Therefore in Zhou's age of splendor all under Heaven was harmonious; feudal lords and the four barbarians all attended in submission and presented tribute. When it declined, none in all under Heaven came to court, and Zhou could not control them; it was not only that its virtue was thin—its strategic position was weak. Now Your Majesty rose in Feng and Pei, rolled up Shu and Han, settled the Three Qins, and fought Xiang Yu between Yingyang and Chenggao—seventy great battles and forty lesser ones; causing the people to smear liver and brain on the ground, fathers and sons left bones in the wilds beyond counting, weeping not yet ended, the wounded not yet risen; yet you wish to rival the age of Cheng and Kang—I venture to think this does not match. Moreover, Qin's territory is girded by mountains and rivers, fortified on four sides; if urgency comes suddenly, a host of a million can be raised at once. Relying on Qin's old foundations, it enjoys very fine fertile lands—this is what men call the Storehouse of Heaven. If Your Majesty enters the passes and makes it your capital, though the lands east of the mountains be in disorder, Qin's old territory can be held whole. In fighting a man, if one does not seize his throat and strike his back, one cannot fully secure victory. Now if Your Majesty settles in Qin's old territory, this too is seizing the throat of all under Heaven and striking its back." The Emperor questioned the assembled ministers. They were all men from east of the mountains and contended: "The house of Zhou reigned for several hundred years; Qin perished in the second generation. East of Luoyang there is Chenggao; west are Xiao and Mian; it backs the river and faces Yi and Luo—its defenses too are sufficient to rely upon." The Emperor asked Zhang Liang. Liang said: "Though Luoyang has these defenses, within it is small—no more than several hundred li; the fields are thin; it receives enemies on four sides—this is not a state for wielding arms. Within the passes, to the left are Xiao and Han, to the right Long and Shu—a thousand li of rich fields. South are the riches of Ba and Shu; north the profit of the Hu pastures. It blocks three sides and holds them; with one side alone it controls the feudal lords to the east; when the feudal lords are settled, the Yellow and Wei transport grain from all under Heaven west to supply the capital; when the feudal lords rebel, going downstream with the current suffices to pour forth supplies. This is what men call a metal wall for a thousand li, the Storehouse of Heaven. The Emperor accepted Lou Jing's counsel." That very day the Emperor drove west and established his capital at Chang'an. He appointed Lou Jing gentleman-of-the-palace, titled him Lord Fengchun, and gave him the Liu surname.
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14
14. Zhang Liang had long been ill; following the Emperor into the passes, he then practiced the Way, ate no grain, shut his gate and did not go out, saying: "My family for generations had served Han as ministers; when Han was destroyed I did not begrudge ten thousand in gold, but sought vengeance for Han against mighty Qin, and the realm was shaken. Now with a three-inch tongue I have become the emperor's teacher and been enfeoffed marquis of ten thousand households—this is the utmost for a commoner; for Liang it is enough. I wish to leave human affairs behind and wander with Master Red Pine."
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:: 滿 ----
:: Your servant Guang says: Life and death are as certain as night giving way to dawn; from antiquity to the present, none has ever transcended death and endured alone. By Zifang's insight, he was fully able to see that talk of immortals is empty fraud; yet that he professed to roam with Master Red Pine shows his wisdom. At the height of merit and fame, ministers find it hardest to stand firm. Only the three heroes whom the High Sovereign named. Huaiyin was executed to extinction and Xiao He was thrown into prison—is it not because they kept their cups full and would not stop? Therefore Zifang entrusted himself to immortals, abandoned human affairs, treated merit and fame as external things, and set glory and profit aside—the so-called preserving one's wisdom and body; Zifang had it.
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15----
15. In the sixth month, on renchen, a general amnesty was proclaimed for the realm.
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16 ----
16. In autumn, the seventh month, King Zang Tu of Yan rebelled; the Emperor personally led troops against him.
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17----
17. King Jing of Zhao, Er, and King Wen of Changsha, Rui, both passed away.
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18 ----
18. In the ninth month, Zang Tu was taken prisoner. On renzi, Grand Marshal Lu Wan, Marquis of Chang'an, was made King of Yan. Wan's family had lived in the same neighborhood as the Emperor's, and Wan was born on the same day; the Emperor favored Wan beyond what any minister dared expect, so he was made king as a special mark of favor.
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19----
19. Li Ji, a former general of Xiang Yu, rebelled; the Emperor himself attacked and defeated him.
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20----
20. In the intercalary ninth month, work began on the Everlasting Joy Palace.
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21
21. Zhonglimo, a general of the King of Xiang, had long been close to King Xin of Chu. After the King of Xiang died, he went into hiding and rejoined Xin. The sovereign bore a grudge against Mo; hearing he was in Chu, he ordered Chu to arrest him. When Xin first went to his kingdom, he toured the counties with armed escorts at every coming and going.
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1 西 使
1. In winter, the tenth month, someone submitted a memorial accusing King Xin of Chu of rebellion. The Emperor asked the generals; all said: "Send troops at once and bury the brat alive!" The Emperor said nothing. He turned and asked Chen Ping. Chen Ping said: "Someone has accused Xin of rebellion—does Xin know of it?" He said: "He does not." Chen Ping asked: "Which are finer, Your Majesty's elite troops or Chu's?" The Emperor said: "They do not." Ping said: "Among Your Majesty's generals, is there any who surpasses Han Xin in command?" The Emperor said: "None." Ping said: "Your troops are not as elite as Chu's and your generals do not compare—if you attack, you force a fight on his terms; I consider this perilous for Your Majesty." The Emperor said: "What is to be done?" Ping said: "In antiquity the Son of Heaven toured the realm and summoned the feudal lords. Your Majesty need only go out, feign a tour of Yunmeng, and assemble the feudal lords at Chen. Chen lies on Chu's western frontier; Xin, hearing the Son of Heaven loves to tour, is sure to go out to the suburbs to greet him; when he pays respects Your Majesty can seize him—this is but the work of one strong man." The Emperor agreed and sent envoys to summon the feudal lords to Chen: "I shall tour Yunmeng to the south." The Emperor thereupon set out on the expedition.
37
King Xin of Chu, hearing this, grew suspicious and afraid, not knowing what to do. Someone urged Xin: "Behead Zhonglimo and present yourself to the Emperor—he is sure to be pleased and you will be safe." Xin did as he was told. In the twelfth month the Emperor assembled the feudal lords at Chen; Xin came holding Mo's head to pay respects; the Emperor ordered warriors to bind Xin and load him on the rear chariot. Xin said: "So the proverb runs: 'When the cunning hare is dead, the running dog is cooked; when the birds are gone, the fine bow is put away; when the foe is broken, the plotting minister perishes." The realm is settled—I ought to be cooked!" The Emperor said: "A man denounced you for rebellion." Thereupon he bound Xin and took him back, and meanwhile proclaimed a general amnesty.
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便 西 西使
Tian Ken congratulated the Emperor: "Your Majesty has taken Han Xin and now holds Qin territory. Qin is a terrain-dominant state, belted by rivers and blocked by mountains, its ground advantageous; to send troops down upon the feudal lords from it is like pouring water from a rooftop. As for Qi, east are the riches of Langye and Jimo, south the security of Mount Tai, west the barrier of the muddy river, north the profit of the Bohai; two thousand li of territory, a million men bearing halberds—this is Qin in the east; unless he is a near kinsman, no one should be made king of Qi." The Emperor said: "Excellent!" He rewarded him with five hundred jin of gold.
39
On the return, reaching Luoyang, he pardoned Han Xin and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Huaiyin. Xin knew the sovereign feared and hated his ability; he often pleaded illness and would not attend court; he lived day to day discontent, ashamed to be ranked with Jiang and Guan and the like. Once, passing General Fan Kuai's residence, Kuai knelt in worship coming and going and said as a subject: "The great king would deign to visit your servant!" Xin went out the gate and laughed: "Truly I am made of a piece with Kuai and such!"
40
The Emperor once at ease asked Xin how many troops each general could command. The Emperor asked: "How many could I command?" Xin said: "Your Majesty, no more than a hundred thousand." The Emperor said: "And you?" He said: "I—the more the better." The Emperor laughed: "The more the better—why then were you seized for me?" Xin said: "Your Majesty cannot command troops but excels at commanding generals—that is why I was seized for you. Moreover Your Majesty is what men call Heaven-bestowed—it is not human effort."
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----2 使
----2 On jiashen, the sovereign first split tallies and enfeoffed the meritorious ministers as full marquises. Xiao He was enfeoffed Marquis of Zan with a fief larger than any other. The meritorious ministers all said: "We wore armor and wielded sharp weapons—some of us over a hundred battles, the few dozens of engagements. Now Xiao He never toiled in the saddle but merely held ink and brush—yet he ranks above us. Why?" The Emperor said: "Do you know hunting? In the hunt, those who chase and kill the game are the dogs; but those who slip the hounds and show where the game lies—the man. Now you can only catch running beasts—your merit is that of the dogs; as for Xiao He, who slipped the hounds and showed the way—the man's merit." The assembled ministers fell silent. Zhang Liang as strategist also had no battle merit; the Emperor let him choose thirty thousand households in Qi for himself. Liang said: "At the beginning I rose from Xiapi and met Your Majesty at Liu—Heaven presented me to you. Your Majesty used my plans, and fortunately they hit the moment. I ask only to be enfeoffed at Liu; I dare not receive thirty thousand households." Thereupon he enfeoffed Zhang Liang as Marquis of Liu. Chen Ping was made Marquis of Huyu. Ping declined: "This is not my merit." The Emperor said: "I used your plans and won battles—if not merit, what?" Ping said: "Without Wei Wuzhi, how could I have advanced?" The Emperor said: "A man like you may be called one who does not betray his roots!" Thereupon he rewarded Wei Wuzhi again.
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----3
----3 The Emperor, seeing the realm newly settled, his sons young and his brothers few, took warning from Qin's fall through isolation and wished to enfeoff many men of his own surname to hold and pacify the realm.
43
西
In spring, the first month, on bingwu, King Xin of Chu's domain was split in two: fifty-three counties east of the Huai made his elder cousin General Jia King of Jing, and thirty-six counties of Xue, Donghai, and Pengcheng made his younger brother Lord Wenxin, Jiao, King of Chu. On renzi, fifty-three counties of Yunzhong, Yanmen, and Dai made his elder brother Marquis Yixin, Xi, King of Dai; seventy-three counties of Jiaodong, Jiaoxi, Linzi, Jibei, Boyang, and Chengyang made Fei, son of a concubine from his humble days, King of Qi, and every man who could speak Qi was assigned to Qi.
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----4
----4 The Emperor judged King Xin of Han talented and martial, and his realm on the north lay near Gong and Luo, on the south pressed Wan and Ye, and on the east held Huaiyang—all seats of the realm's strongest armies; so he made thirty-one Taiyuan counties the state of Han, moved King Xin to rule north of Taiyuan to guard against the barbarians, and set his capital at Jinyang. Xin memorialized: “The state borders the frontier and the Xiongnu raid again and again; Jinyang is far from the frontier; I ask to hold Mayi instead.” The Emperor agreed.
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----5
----5 The Emperor had already enfeoffed more than twenty great merit-holders; the rest wrangled over merit day and night without end, and the remaining enfeoffments could not proceed. At the Southern Palace in Luoyang, from the covered walk he saw the generals often sitting together in the sand and talking. The Emperor said, “What are they saying?” The Marquis of Liu said, “Does Your Majesty not know? They are plotting rebellion!” The Emperor said, “The realm is nearly at peace—why would they rebel?” The Marquis of Liu said, “Your Majesty rose from common cloth and with these men won the realm. Now you are Son of Heaven, yet you enfeoff only old friends you favor and execute only lifelong enemies. Officers reckon merit, yet the realm is not large enough to enfeoff them all; these men fear you cannot enfeoff them all, dread being seized on some past fault and killed, and so they gather at once to plot rebellion.” The Emperor said in distress, “What is to be done?” The Marquis of Liu said, “Of those you have hated all your life and every minister knows it, who is hated most?” The Emperor said, “Yong Chi and I have an old grudge; he has often shamed me; I wanted to kill him, but his merit was great and I could not bear to.” The Marquis of Liu said, “Enfeoff Yong Chi at once and every minister will feel secure.” The Emperor then held a feast and made Yong Chi Marquis of Shifang; and urgently ordered the chancellor and censor to fix merit and complete the enfeoffments. When the ministers left the feast they rejoiced and said, “Even Yong Chi is a marquis—we have nothing to fear!"
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:: 使
:: Minister Guang said: Zhang Liang was the High Emperor's strategist and trusted confidant; it was fitting that he should speak without reserve; could he really have heard the generals plotting rebellion yet waited until the High Emperor saw them whispering in the sand before he spoke? Surely because the High Emperor had just won the realm and often punished and rewarded by personal liking, sometimes harming the public good, the ministers often felt resentful and afraid—so Liang seized the occasion to offer loyal counsel and shift the emperor's mind, so that above there was no favoritism and below no plotting born of fear, the state was secure, and posterity benefited. A man like Liang may truly be called skilled at remonstrance.
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----6 殿
----6 When the marquises had all received their fiefs, an edict fixed the order of rank among the eighteen chief merit-holders. All said, “Marquis of Pingyang Cao Shen bore seventy wounds, stormed cities and seized lands, and his merit was greatest—he should rank first.” Usher and Interior Marquis E Qianqiu advanced and said, “The ministers are all wrong. Cao Shen's merit in field battle and seizing land is only a matter of one season. Your Majesty faced Chu for five years, lost armies and shed troops, and several times barely escaped—yet Xiao He constantly sent armies from Guanzhong to fill the gaps; without your summons, tens of thousands would appear. Your Majesty was brought to want again and again. Again, when the army had no grain in sight, Xiao He shipped grain from Guanzhong and kept food from failing. Though Your Majesty several times lost the east, Xiao He constantly held Guanzhong intact awaiting your return. This is merit for ten thousand generations. Now without a hundred men like Cao Shen, what would Han lack? Han could win the realm without them. How can you set a moment's merit above merit for ten thousand generations! Xiao He first, Cao Shen second.” The Emperor said, “Good!” Thereupon he granted Xiao He sword and shoes in the hall and exemption from hurrying in audience. The Emperor said, “I have heard that advancing the worthy wins the highest reward. Xiao He's merit was high, but with Lord E it became still clearer.” Thereupon, on the basis of E Qianqiu's former fief, he was made Marquis of Anping. That day he enfeoffed more than ten of He's fathers, sons, and brothers, each with a fief; and added two thousand households to He's fief.
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----7
----7 The Emperor returned to Liyang.
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----8
----8 In summer, the fifth month, on bingwu, the Grand Duke was honored as Grand Imperial Father.
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----9 使
----9 At first the Xiongnu feared Qin and moved north for more than ten years. When Qin fell, the Xiongnu gradually moved south across the river again. Shanyu Touman had a crown prince named Maodun. Later he favored a consort who bore a younger son, and Touman wished to make him heir. At that time the Eastern Hu were strong and the Yuezhi powerful, so he sent Maodun as hostage to the Yuezhi. Soon after Touman launched a swift attack on the Yuezhi, the Yuezhi meant to kill Maodun. Maodun stole their best horses, rode off, and fled home; Touman judged him stalwart and gave him command of ten thousand horsemen.
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Maodun then made whistling arrows and drilled his horsemen in shooting. He ordered, “Whoever does not shoot whatever the whistling arrow strikes shall be beheaded!” Maodun shot his own best horse with the whistling arrow, then his beloved wife; any at his side who dared not shoot were beheaded. At last he shot the shanyu's best horse with the whistling arrow, and all at his side shot. Then Maodun knew they would obey. On a hunt with Touman he shot Touman with the whistling arrow, and his men shot with him. He killed Touman and put to death his stepmother, younger brothers, and every minister who would not obey. Maodun made himself shanyu.
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使使 使使 使使
The Eastern Hu, hearing Maodun had made himself shanyu, sent envoys saying, “We want Touman's thousand-li horse.” Maodun asked his ministers; they all said, “This is a Xiongnu treasure horse—do not give it!” Maodun said; “How can one border a state and cling to one horse!” He gave it. Before long the Eastern Hu again sent envoys saying, “We want one of the shanyu's consorts.” Maodun again asked his men; they said in anger, “The Eastern Hu are lawless—to ask for a consort! Let us attack them!” Maodun said, “How can one border a state and cling to one woman!” He gave the consort he loved to the Eastern Hu. The king of the Eastern Hu grew still more arrogant. Between the Eastern Hu and the Xiongnu lay more than a thousand li of abandoned land no one inhabited; each held the border as ou tuo. The Eastern Hu sent envoys saying, “This abandoned land—we want it.” Maodun asked his ministers; some said, “It is abandoned land—give it or withhold it, either is fine!” Maodun flew into a rage and said, “Land is the root of a state—how can it be given away!” All who spoke of giving it were beheaded. Maodun mounted and ordered, “Whoever leaves the realm last shall be beheaded!” He then struck the Eastern Hu by surprise. At first the Eastern Hu despised Maodun and made no preparations; Maodun destroyed the Eastern Hu.
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西
On his return he drove the Yuezhi west, annexed the Loufan and White Sheep kings south of the river, invaded Yan and Dai, and recovered all the former Xiongnu lands Meng Tian had taken and the old Henan barrier of the Han passes as far as Chaona and Fushi. At that time Han was still facing Xiang Yu and the central lands were exhausted by war; Maodun therefore grew strong, mustered more than three hundred thousand bowmen, and awed the states into submission.
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使使 使使
In autumn the Xiongnu besieged King Xin of Han at Mayi. Xin repeatedly sent envoys to the Xiongnu seeking peace. Han sent troops to rescue him. Suspecting repeated secret missions and divided loyalty, Han sent men to rebuke him. Fearing execution, in the ninth month he surrendered Mayi to the Xiongnu. Shanyu Maodun of the Xiongnu led his army south across Juzhu, attacked Taiyuan, and reached Jinyang.
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----10
----10 The Emperor abolished Qin's harsh rites and laws and made them simple and easy. Ministers drank and wrangled over merit; drunk, some shouted wildly and drew swords to strike the pillars—the Emperor grew still more weary of it. Shusun Tong advised the Emperor, saying, “Confucians are hard to use for bold advance, but excellent for preserving what is won. Your servant wishes to summon the scholars of Lu and, with my disciples, establish court ceremony.” The Emperor said, “Won't that be difficult?” Shusun Tong said, “The Five Emperors had different music; the Three Kings had different rites. Rites are patterned forms shaped to the times and human feeling. Your servant wishes to draw on ancient rites and blend them with Qin ceremony to complete the system.” The Emperor said, “Try it—make it easy to understand, and shape it to what I can actually perform."
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使 西綿 使
Thereupon Shusun Tong sent to summon more than thirty scholars of Lu. In Lu two scholars refused to go, saying, “You have served nearly ten lords, flattering each to your face to win favor and rank. The realm is newly settled; the dead are unburied, the wounded unrestored—and you wish to raise rites and music again. Rites and music arise only after a hundred years of accumulated virtue. We cannot bear to do as you do. Go, sir—do not defile us!” Shusun Tong laughed and said, “You are truly petty pedants, ignorant of changing times.” He then went west with the thirty he had summoned, together with more than a hundred court scholars and his own disciples; they set up a felt enclosure and drilled in the open country. After more than a month he told the Emperor, “You may try to observe.” The Emperor had the rites performed and said, “I can do this.” He then ordered the ministers to practice.
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1 殿西 殿
1 In winter, the tenth month, the Changle Palace was completed, and feudal lords and ministers all came to court to congratulate. Before dawn the ushers arranged the rites and led them in order through the hall gates, arrayed in east and west ranks. Guards lined the steps and stood in ranks in the courtyard, all armed and displaying banners. The Emperor sounded the alarm and the carriage came out from the side chamber; kings and below down to officials of six hundred piculs were led in order to offer congratulations; none failed to tremble in awe and stand in reverence. When the rites were finished, regulated wine was set out again. All who sat in attendance in the hall crouched low and bowed their heads; and by rank of honor rose in order to offer the toast of longevity. After nine rounds the usher announced “Set out wine”; the censor reported anyone not conforming to the rites, who was at once led away. Through the whole audience with wine, none dared shout, clamor, or breach ritual. The Emperor said, “Only today do I know the honor of being emperor!” He appointed Shusun Tong Grand Master of Ceremonies and granted him five hundred jin of gold.
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At first, when Qin held the realm, it absorbed the rites of the six states and kept those that honored the ruler and humbled the minister. When Tong fixed the rites he made some changes, but on the whole followed Qin precedent; from the Son of Heaven's titles down to assistants, palace chambers, and official names, little was altered. His book was later copied together with statutes and ordinances and stored in the chief judge's office. The Legalists did not transmit it again, and among the people and ministers none spoke of it.
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:: 使 ----
:: Minister Guang said: Ritual as a thing is great indeed! Applied to the person, movement and stillness have law and the hundred conduct-lines are complete; applied to the household, inner and outer have distinction and the nine kindreds are harmonious; applied to the district, elder and younger have order and custom is transformed and beautified; applied to the state, ruler and minister have order and governance is accomplished; applied to all under Heaven, the feudal lords submit and the cords and net are set right; could it be only on mats and seats, within doors and courtyards, that one gains it and is not disordered! The High Emperor was so clear-sighted—he heard Lu Jia's words and praised them, beheld Shusun Tong's ceremony and sighed; yet he could not stand shoulder to shoulder with the kings of the Three Dynasties—the fault lay only in not studying. At that time, had he obtained a great Confucian to assist him and entrusted the realm to ritual, would his achievements have stopped at only this! Alas! Master Shusun's capacity was small! He merely stole the chaff of ritual to conform to the age, harmonize with custom, and win favor—and thereby caused the former kings' ritual to sink away unre revived, down to the present. How grievously painful! Therefore Yangzi mocked him, saying, “Of old in Lu there was a great minister whose name the histories have lost. It was said, ‘How great he was! ’ It was said, ‘Shusun Tong wished to fix ceremony between ruler and minister and summoned the masters from Lu; two he could not bring.’ ’ It was said, ‘If so, was not Confucius's opening his traces among the feudal lords also wrong?” It was said, ‘Confucius opened his traces intending to use them himself. If one abandons oneself and follows others, though there be compass, square, plumb line, and marking-cord—how could one apply them!" ’” How excellent are Yangzi's words! Would a great Confucian destroy his compass, square, plumb line, and marking-cord to rush after momentary merit!
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2 使
2 The Emperor personally led troops against King Xin of Han, broke his army at Tongdi, and beheaded his general Wang Xi. Xin fled to the Xiongnu; men of Baitu, Manqiu Chen, Wang Huang, and others made Zhao scion Zhao Li king, gathered Xin's defeated and scattered troops, and with Xin and the Xiongnu plotted to attack Han. The Xiongnu sent the Left and Right Wise Kings with more than ten thousand horsemen; with Wang Huang and others they encamped south of Guangwu as far as Jinyang. Han struck them; the Xiongnu fled, regrouped, and Han pursued in victory. Heaven turned bitterly cold with rain and snow; two or three soldiers in ten lost fingers to frost.
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使 使 使使
The Emperor was at Jinyang and heard Maodun was at Daigu; he wished to attack. He sent men to reconnoiter the Xiongnu; Maodun hid his warriors and fat cattle and horses—only the old, weak, and emaciated livestock were seen. Ten rounds of envoys returned, all saying the Xiongnu could be attacked. The Emperor again sent Liu Jing as envoy to the Xiongnu; he had not yet returned; Han mobilized all troops—three hundred twenty thousand—to drive north in pursuit, crossing Juzhu. Liu Jing returned and reported, “When two states fight, each should boast and display its strengths. When I went I saw only the emaciated, old, and weak—this must mean they wish to display weakness while ambush troops lie in wait for advantage. In my view the Xiongnu cannot be attacked.” Han troops had already marched. The Emperor raged and cursed Liu Jing: “This Qi barbarian won office by talk—now he dares reckless words to thwart my army!” He had Jing fettered and imprisoned at Guangwu.
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使使 使
The Emperor reached Pingcheng first; the troops had not all arrived; Maodun released four hundred thousand picked horsemen and besieged the Emperor at Baideng for seven days; Han forces within and without could not rescue or supply one another. The Emperor used Chen Ping's secret plan and sent envoys to present rich gifts to the yanzhi through intermediaries. The yanzhi said to Maodun, “Two rulers should not distress each other. Even if you gain Han territory now, the shanyu could not dwell in it in the end. Moreover the Han ruler also has spiritual power—shanyu, consider it!” Maodun had an appointment with Wang Huang and Zhao Li, but their troops did not come; suspecting collusion with Han, he opened one corner of the encirclement. Heavy fog fell; Han messengers went back and forth and the Xiongnu did not notice. Chen Ping asked that strong crossbows be fitted with two arrows each, facing outward, and that they go straight out through the opened corner. The Emperor left the encirclement and wished to gallop; the Grand Master of the Stables, the Duke of Teng, firmly made him go slowly. At Pingcheng Han's main army also arrived, and the barbarian horsemen broke off and left. Han also withdrew, ordering Fan Kuai to halt and settle the Dai region.
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使 ----
At Guangwu the Emperor pardoned Liu Jing and said, “I did not heed you and was trapped at Pingcheng; I have already beheaded the ten rounds of envoys who came before.” He enfeoffed Jing with two thousand households as Interior Marquis, styled Marquis Jianxin. Passing south through Quyu the Emperor said, “What a magnificent district! I have traveled all under Heaven and seen only Luoyang and this.” He then made Chen Ping Marquis of Quyu and granted him the full revenue. Ping followed the Emperor on campaign; six times he produced extraordinary stratagems, and each time his fief was increased.
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3 婿 洿 ----
3 In the twelfth month the Emperor returned and passed through Zhao. King Ao of Zhao performed the son-in-law's rites with great humility; the Emperor sat with legs spread, insolent and slow, and reviled him. Zhao chancellor Guan Gao, Zhao Wu, and others were angry and said, “Our king is a weakling!” They urged the king: “Heroes rise together all under Heaven; the able are established first. Your Majesty serves the Emperor with great respect, yet the Emperor shows no courtesy; let us kill him for Your Majesty!” Zhang Ao bit his finger until it bled and said, “My lords, how wrong your words! Our forebears lost their state; relying on the Emperor we were restored—his virtue flows to our sons and grandsons; even the slightest gain is the Emperor's gift. Speak no more of this!” Guan Gao, Zhao Wu, and the others said to one another, “We are in the wrong. Our king is a man of stature and will not betray virtue; moreover in righteousness we cannot suffer disgrace. Now the Emperor has insulted our king, so we mean to kill him ourselves—why involve the king and defile him! If we succeed, the credit goes to the king; if we fail, we alone bear the penalty!"
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4 ----
4. The Xiongnu attacked Dai. King Xi of Dai abandoned his kingdom and came in of his own accord; he was pardoned and made Marquis of Heyang. On xinmao, the imperial son Ruyi was made King of Dai.
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5
5. In spring, the second month, the Emperor reached Chang'an. Xiao He was building Weiyang Palace; when the Emperor saw how grand it was he flew into a rage and said to He, “The realm is in turmoil; we have fought bitterly for years and success or defeat are still uncertain—why are you building palaces to excess!” He said, “The realm is not yet settled, so this is the time to finish the palace. Moreover, the Son of Heaven takes the four seas as his home; without grandeur there is no way to lend weight to his authority, and do not let posterity have anything with which to surpass it.” The Emperor was pleased.
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:: ----
:: Minister Guang said: A true king takes benevolence and righteousness as his splendor and virtue and the Way as his majesty; one has never heard of pacifying the realm with palaces. When the realm is unsettled, one ought to restrain oneself and practice economy to meet the people's urgent needs; yet he puts palaces first—can this be called knowing one's proper business! In antiquity Yu kept his palaces humble while Jie built the Overturning Palace. Founding sovereigns who bequeath their line personally practice frugality to teach their descendants; even their last heirs still sink into extravagance—how much more if they display extravagance to them! Yet he said, “Do not let posterity surpass it”—is this not absurd! As for Emperor Wu, he finally wore out and impoverished the realm with palaces—perhaps it was indeed the Marquis of Zan who set him on that path!
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6----
6. The Emperor moved his capital from Liyang to Chang'an.
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7----
7. For the first time the Director of the Imperial Clan was established to order the nine degrees of kin.
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8
8. In summer, the fourth month, the Emperor went to Luoyang.
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