← Back to 資治通鑑

卷28 漢紀二十

Volume 28 Han Records 20

Chapter 28 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
← Previous Chapter
Chapter 28
Next Chapter →
1
From Zhaoyang Zuoe through Tuwei Shanque—seven years in all.
2
1 ----2-{}- ----3 滿 ----4 ----5 ----6 ----7使 使 輿 使
1. In spring, the first month, on xinchou, Emperor Xuan was buried at Duling; the empire was pardoned. ----2 In the third month, on bingwu, Empress Wang was installed; Wang -{the cited text}- Jin was enfeoffed as Marquis of Yangping. ----3 Public fields of the Three Metropolises, the Grand Music Master, commanderies and kingdoms, and reducible imperial parks were used to revive the livelihood of the poor; those with assets under a thousand cash were lent seed and food. ----4 Palace Attendant Xu Jia, younger brother by the same mother of the emperor's maternal grandfather, Marquis Dai of Ping'en, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Ping'en. ----5 In summer, the sixth month, because pestilence afflicted the people, the court ordered the Grand Provisioner to reduce meals, cut Music Bureau staff, and reduce park horses to relieve the distressed. ----6 In autumn, the ninth month, eleven commanderies and kingdoms east of the Pass were inundated; famine followed, and in places men ate one another; money and grain from neighboring commanderies were transferred for mutual relief. ----7 The emperor had long heard that Wang Ji of Langye and Gong Yu were both versed in the classics and of pure conduct; he sent envoys to summon them. Ji died of illness on the road. Yu arrived and was appointed Remonstrating Grandee. The emperor repeatedly humbled himself to ask about government affairs. Yu memorialized: "In antiquity rulers were frugal, taxed one-tenth, and had no other levies or corvée—families were provided for and the people had enough. Emperors Gaozu, Wen, and Jing kept no more than a dozen palace women and a hundred-odd stable horses. Later generations competed in luxury, each turn more excessive; officials below imitated one another as well. I foolishly think matching high antiquity is difficult; it would be fitting to ease somewhat toward antiquity and restrain oneself. Today the palaces are already fixed and nothing can be done about that; everything else can still be cut back. In former times Qi's Three Garment Offices sent no more than ten bamboo boxes of goods; today Qi's Three Garment Offices employ thousands at each workshop, costing tens of millions a year; stable horses consume nearly ten thousand piculs of grain. Under Emperor Wu he took thousands of fine women to fill the rear palace. When he left the realm he hoarded gold, cash, and valuables—birds, beasts, fish, and turtles, one hundred ninety kinds in all; moreover he stationed rear-palace women at park-tombs. At the time of Emperor Xuan, Your Majesty loathed speaking of such things, yet ministers still followed precedent—how painful! Thus the realm carried on the transformation: bride-taking everywhere far exceeded measure; feudal lords' wives and concubines sometimes reached hundreds; wealthy officials and commoners kept dozens of singers—within were many resentful women, without many husbandless men. Among the common people as well, burials emptied the living world to fill the grave. These excesses arose from above and were chiefly the fault of great ministers who clung to precedent. Only Your Majesty would deeply examine the ancient Way and follow what is frugal. Greatly cut imperial carriages, robes, and implements—remove two parts in three; select the worthy among rear-palace women, retain twenty, return the rest, and send out all tomb-park women without sons; stable horses need not exceed several dozen; only keep the park south of Chang'an for hunting. Today the realm suffers famine—can we not greatly reduce ourselves to deliver relief and match Heaven's intent! Heaven born the sage for the myriad people—not merely for his own pleasure." The emperor accepted his counsel and issued an edict: palace residences rarely visited by the emperor should not be repaired; the Grand Coachman reduced grain for horses; the Office of Water and Parks cut meat-eating beasts.
3
: 使 ----8 ----9使----
: Your servant Guang says: When loyal ministers serve their ruler, they press what is difficult; then what is easy is corrected without labor; they mend what is short; then what is long advances without exhortation. At the beginning of Emperor Yuan's accession, he humbly asked Yu; Yu should have put first what was urgent and afterward what could wait. Yet lenient delay without decision and slanderers and flatterers wielding power were the great afflictions of the time, yet Yu did not speak of them; respectful caution and frugality were Emperor Yuan's constant aim, yet Yu spoke of them tirelessly—why! If Yu's wisdom sufficed yet he did not know, how could he be called worthy! To know and not speak—the offense is all the greater! ----8 The Xiongnu chanyu Huhanye again submitted a memorial saying his people were distressed and depleted. An edict ordered Yunzhong and Wuyuan commanderies to transfer twenty thousand hu of grain to supply him. ----9 That year the Wuji Colonel was first established to garrison and farm the former territory of Cheshi.
4
1 祿
1. In spring, the first month, the emperor traveled to Sweet Springs and sacrificed at the Great Altar. Yue Ling Marquis Shi Gao, as maternal kin, headed Secretariat affairs; former General Xiao Wangzhi and Household Gentleman Zhou Kan served as his deputies. Wangzhi was a renowned classicist; both he and Kan, through old ties as tutors, were trusted by the emperor, often dined with him, discussed order and disorder, and laid out royal affairs. Wangzhi nominated Liu Gengsheng of the imperial clan, versed in the classics and of good conduct, as Cavalier Attendant and Remonstrating Grandee in the Palace Secretariat; he and Palace Attendant Jin Chang picked up what was neglected at the emperor's side. The four men united in counsel, urging the emperor toward ancient institutions and wanting much to correct abuses; the emperor greatly inclined to accept them. Shi Gao merely filled a post; from this he bore a rift with Wangzhi.
5
Palace Secretariat Director Hong Gong and Vice Director Shi Xian had long held the pivot of power from Emperor Xuan's time and were skilled in written law; when the emperor took the throne he was often ill; because Xian had long managed affairs and the inner attendants had no external faction and were dedicated and trustworthy, he entrusted him with government—matters great or small were decided as Xian reported upward; honored and favored, he dominated the court, and all officials honored and served Xian. Xian was clever and practiced in affairs, able to grasp the ruler's subtle intent; inwardly deeply malicious, he wielded deceptive argument to strike at men; for the smallest grudge he would cloak opponents in deadly law; he also worked hand in glove with General of Chariots and Cavalry Gao; in discussion they usually held alone to precedent and did not follow Wangzhi and the others.
6
Wangzhi and his circle were distressed at the Xu and Shi clans' license and hated that Gong and Xian monopolized power; they memorialized: "The Secretariat is the root of government and the state's pivot; it should be run with luminous fairness. When Emperor Wu held banquets in the rear court he employed eunuchs—this is not the ancient system. Eunuchs in the Secretariat should be abolished, in keeping with antiquity's rule that those near punishment should not hold power." From this they sharply clashed with Gao, Gong, and Xian. The emperor, newly enthroned, was modest and reluctant and regarded reorganization as weighty; the debate long went unsettled, and Liu Gengsheng was sent out as Director of the Imperial Clan.
7
-{}-
Wangzhi and Kan repeatedly recommended renowned classicists and exceptional talent for remonstrance offices. Kuaiji's Zheng Peng secretly wished to attach himself to Wangzhi and memorialized that General of Chariots and Cavalry Gao's clients did illicit profit in commanderies and kingdoms, and cited crimes of Xu and Shi clan youths. The memorial was shown to Zhou Kan; Kan reported: "Let Peng await summons at the Golden Horse Gate." Peng submitted a memorial-note to Wangzhi, saying: "Now the general's scope--{the cited text}- if like Guan Zhong and Yan Ying you then stop, will you halt at sunset only when you reach the Duke of Zhou and Duke of Shao? If you stop at Guan and Yan, your subordinates below will go home to Yanling's shore and till to the end of their days. But if the general takes up the legacy of the Duke of Zhou and Duke of Shao, personally attending from morning to night with broad hearing, then your subordinates below would scarcely dare hope to exhaust their petty strength for even one part in ten thousand!" Wangzhi at first received Peng with attention; later learning he was crooked, he cut him off entirely. Peng, a man of Chu, bore resentment, sought entry among Xu and Shi, and pushed claims about Xu and Shi affairs, saying: "All of it Zhou Kan and Liu Gengsheng taught me; I am a man east of the Pass—how would I know this!" Thereupon Palace Attendant Xu Zhang had Peng brought to audience. Peng came out and proclaimed: "I told of five small faults and one great crime of the former general." Attendant Hua Long practiced filth and wanted to join Kan's faction; they would not take him in, yet he allied with Peng as well.
8
退 使 祿 ----2 ----3西 ----4 ----5輿 ----6 使使 ----7 ----8 ----9 ----10
Gong and Xian had the two men accuse Wangzhi and company of plotting to remove General of Chariots and Cavalry Gao and of memorializing to push aside Xu and Shi; they waited for Wangzhi's day off and had Peng and Long submit it. The matter went down to Hong Gong for inquiry. Wangzhi answered: "The outer kin in office are mostly extravagant—the aim is to correct the state, not to do evil." Gong and Xian memorialized: "Wangzhi, Kan, and Gengsheng formed a faction praising one another, repeatedly slandering great ministers, tearing apart relatives, wishing to monopolize power. As ministers unloyal, deceiving the throne and impious, they ask that the courier summon them to the Minister of Justice." At the time the emperor, newly enthroned, did not understand that "summon to the Minister of Justice" meant imprisonment and approved the memorial. Later the emperor summoned Kan and Gengsheng and said: "Imprisoned." The emperor was greatly alarmed: "Not merely inquiry by the Minister of Justice!" He reproached Gong and Xian, who all kowtowed in apology. The emperor said: "Let them go out and resume duties." Gong and Xian then had Shi Gao speak: "Your Majesty is newly enthroned and has not yet made your virtue heard throughout the realm, yet you first try your tutors. They are already down in the Nine Ministers and Grandees' prison—it is fitting to decide and dismiss them." Thereupon an edict to Chancellor and Censor: "Former general Wangzhi tutored Us eight years without other fault. The matter is long past and memory hard to clear—pardon Wangzhi's crime and take back the seals of Former General and Household Gentleman; Kan and Gengsheng are all demoted to commoners." ----2 In the second month, on dingsi, the emperor's younger brother Jing was installed as King of Qinghe. ----3 On wuwu, Longxi suffered an earthquake that destroyed walls and houses and crushed many to death. ----4 In the third month, the son of the deposed King of Guangling, Ba, was installed as king. ----5 An edict abolished Yellow Gate carriage dogs and horses; the Offices of Water and Parks, Yichun Lower Park, Lesser Treasury flying outer pools, and strict park pool fields were rented to poor commoners. Another edict pardoned the realm and raised exceptional talent of unusual grade and men of blunt remonstrance. ----6 In summer, the fourth month, on dingsi, son Ao was installed as crown prince. Attendant Zheng Peng recommended Taiyuan governor Zhang Chang, an esteemed minister of the former emperor, as fit to tutor and assist the crown prince. The emperor asked Xiao Wangzhi; Wangzhi thought Chang a capable official for troubled governance but light in talent—not material for a tutor. The emperor sent a courier to summon Chang, wishing to make him Left Governor of Feng, but he died of illness en route. ----7 An edict granted Xiao Wangzhi the rank of Marquis within the Passes, appointment in the Palace Secretariat, and attendance on the first and fifteenth of the month. ----8 East of the Pass suffered famine; in Qi territory people ate one another. ----9 In autumn, the seventh month, on day jiyou, the earth quaked again. ----10 The emperor again summoned Zhou Kan and Liu Gengsheng, wishing to make them Remonstrance Grandees; Hong Gong and Shi Xian reported against it, and all were made Gentlemen of the Palace instead.
9
使 退
The emperor valued Xiao Wangzhi without cease and wished to rely on him as chancellor; Gong, Xian, and the Xu and Shi clans' sons and younger brothers, palace attendants, and the various bureaus all glared sidelong at Wangzhi and his circle. Gengsheng then had a maternal relative submit a report of irregularity, saying, "The earthquake was probably on account of Gong and the rest, not stirred by the three lone men. Your servant thinks one ought to dismiss Gong and Xian to make clear the punishment for screening out the good, and advance Wangzhi and the rest to open the road for the worthy. If so, the gate of great peace would open and the source of portents and anomalies would be blocked." When the memorial was submitted, Gong and Xian suspected Gengsheng had done it and requested investigation for treachery and fraud; under interrogation the confession indeed matched; Gengsheng was thereupon arrested and imprisoned, and dismissed as a commoner.
10
使 使
It happened that Wangzhi's son Sanqi and Gentleman of the Palace Ren Ji also memorialized suing over Wangzhi's former case; the matter was sent to the officials, who again reported, "Wangzhi's former offense was clear and there was no false accusation, yet he taught his son to submit a memorial citing poems of the guiltless dead—losing a great minister's bearing and showing disrespect; we request arrest." Hong Gong, Shi Xian, and the rest knew Wangzhi by nature had lofty integrity and would not submit to humiliation, and proposed, "Wangzhi before fortunately escaped punishment and again received noble rank and fief, yet did not repent and accept guilt, deeply harbored resentment, taught his son to memorialize, and attributed blame to the emperor—trusting that as imperial tutor he would in the end certainly not be punished. Unless Wangzhi is somewhat bent in prison to stop up his resentful heart, the sagely court has no way to bestow generous grace." The emperor said, "Grand Tutor Xiao is by nature firm—how would he consent to go to the officials!" Xian and the rest said, "Human life is utmostly weighty; what Wangzhi sits in is a slight offense of words—he will certainly have no worry." The emperor thereupon approved their memorial. In winter, the twelfth month, Xian and the rest sealed the edict and gave it to the usher, ordering him to summon Wangzhi and hand it to him in person. They then ordered the Grand Minister of Ceremonies urgently to dispatch the Commandant of the Metropolitan Area's chariots and horsemen to gallop and surround his residence. When the envoy arrived, he summoned Wangzhi. Wangzhi asked his gate student Zhu Yun of Lu about it; Yun, who loved men of integrity, urged Wangzhi to take his own life. Thereupon Wangzhi looked up to heaven and sighed, "I once filled the rank of general and minister; I am past sixty. To grow old entering prison and basely seeking to live—would that not be base!" He addressed Yun by his style name, saying, "You—hurry and bring the poisoned draught; do not long detain my death!" In the end he drank bane and killed himself. The emperor, hearing it, was startled and clapped his hands, saying, "Before I indeed doubted he would not go to prison—he has truly killed my worthy tutor!" At that time the Grand Steward was just serving the midday meal; the emperor pushed the meal away, wept for him, and his grief moved those at his side. Thereupon he summoned Xian and the rest to rebuke and question them; because their deliberation had not been thorough, all removed their caps and apologized; only after a long while did he stop. The emperor, recalling Wangzhi without forgetting, every year at the seasons sent envoys to sacrifice at Wangzhi's tomb throughout his reign.
11
: 使 ----11 ----12 西 西 忿 便 -{}- ----
: Your servant Guang says: How extreme was Emperor Yuan as ruler—easy to deceive and hard to awaken! As for Gong and Xian's false accusations against Wangzhi, their perverse words and deceitful schemes—there truly were things he could not distinguish. As for his first doubting that Wangzhi would not consent to go to prison, and Gong and Xian thinking he would certainly have no worry— yet afterward he indeed killed himself—then Gong and Xian's deception was also clear. In a ruler of middling wisdom, who would not be moved and roused to punish wicked ministers! Emperor Yuan was not so. Though he wept, refused food, and grieved for Wangzhi, in the end he could not execute Gong and Xian—he only got them to remove their caps and apologize, and that was all. If so, where would wicked ministers be punished! This was what let Gong and Xian unleash their wicked hearts without further fear or restraint. ----11 That year Hong Gong died of illness; Shi Xian became Director of the Palace Secretariat. ----12 Initially, when Emperor Wu destroyed Nanyue, he opened and established Zhuya and Dan'er commanderies on islands in the sea; clerks and soldiers were all men of the central states and often encroached on and bullied the people. The people too were violent and wicked; trusting themselves cut off by distance, they repeatedly violated official prohibitions—on average once every several years they rebelled and killed officials; Han would then dispatch troops to attack and pacify them. Within more than twenty years there were six rebellions in all. By Emperor Xuan's time they rebelled twice more. The year after the emperor took the throne, Shannan county in Zhuya rebelled and troops were dispatched to attack it. The various counties rebelled in turn; for successive years it was not settled. The emperor broadly deliberated with his ministers and wished to dispatch a great army. Awaiting-edict Jia Juanzhi said, "Your servant has heard that the sage virtue of Yao, Shun, and Yu—their territory did not exceed several thousand li; west it reached the moving sands, east it approached the sea; north and south it extended to their transforming teaching. The saying is: those who wished to receive the transforming teaching were governed; those who did not wish it were not forcibly governed. Therefore ruler and ministers sang their virtue, and living creatures each obtained their proper place. Wu Ding and King Cheng were the great benevolence of Yin and Zhou, yet their lands east did not pass the Yangzi and Yellow River, west did not pass the Di and Qiang, south did not pass the southern barbarians and Jing, north did not pass Shuofang—thereby eulogies arose together, and all who saw and heard rejoiced in their lives; the Yuechang clan, through nine translations, came to offer tribute—this is not what arms and armor could bring about. Reaching Qin, it raised armies for distant attacks, coveting the outer while emptying the inner, and the empire split and turned away. Emperor Wen laid down arms and promoted culture; at that time cases judged numbered in the hundreds, and levies and corvée were light and simple. Emperor Wu sharpened troops and horses to repel the four barbarians; cases judged throughout the empire numbered in the tens of thousands, levies were troublesome and corvée heavy, bandits and robbers arose together, armies were repeatedly dispatched—fathers died in battle ahead, sons were wounded fighting behind, women manned the barrier towers, orphans wailed on the roads, old mothers and widows wept in the lanes—all because the territory was vast beyond measure and campaigns did not cease. Now the masses east of the Pass have long been distressed, drifting and scattered on the roads. In human feeling none are closer than father and mother, none more joyful than husband and wife; yet it has reached selling wives and children—law cannot forbid it, righteousness cannot stop it; this is the state's worry. Now Your Majesty cannot bear petty anger and wishes to drive soldiers and masses to crowd them into the midst of the great sea, gratifying your heart in a dark and distant land—this is not the way to rescue famine or preserve the common people. The Odes say, 'Stupid are you, southern barbarians of Jing—the great state becomes your foe.' The saying is: when sages arise they submit afterward; when the central states decline they rebel first—from antiquity this has been a trouble; how much more to recover the southern ten-thousand-li barbarians! The people of Luoyue bathe father and son in the same stream, are accustomed to drinking through the nose, and differ in nothing from birds and beasts—they originally were not worth establishing commanderies and counties over. Dull and alone they dwell in the midst of one sea—fog, dew, and damp air; many poisonous plants, insects, serpents, and harms of water and soil; before men have seen the enemy, soldiers die on their own. Moreover it is not that Zhuya alone has pearls, rhinoceros horn, and tortoise shell. To abandon it is not worth regretting; not attacking does not diminish prestige. Its people are like fish and turtles—what is there worth coveting! Your servant privately takes the former Qiang campaign to speak of it: the exposed army had not yet been a year, troops went out not more than a thousand li, and the cost was more than four hundred thousand ten-thousands; the Grand Minister of Agriculture's money was exhausted, and then the Privy Treasury's sealed money was used to continue it. For one corner to be ill-governed the expense was still thus—how much more for tiring the army in distant attack, losing soldiers without achievement! Sought in past antiquity it does not fit; applied in the present it is also not convenient. Your servant thinks that for states not of cap and sash, what the Yu Tribute reaches, and what the Spring and Autumn governs—all may for the time being be left undone. I wish to abandon Zhuya forthwith and devote effort solely to relieving east of the Pass as the worry!" The emperor thereupon questioned the chancellor and censor. Censor-in-Chief Chen Wannian thought they ought to attack; Chancellor -{the cited text}- thought, "The other day troops were raised to attack them for successive years-Protector of the Army colonels, commandants, and assistants eleven in all; those who returned, two; soldiers and transport dead more than ten thousand; expense more than thirty thousand ten-thousands-and still they could not all be made to submit. Now east of the Pass is exhausted and the people are hard to stir—Juanzhi's proposal is right," the emperor followed it. Juanzhi was the great-grandson of Jia Yi.
12
1 便 ----2 ----3 ----4 ----5 ----6祿祿----
1. In spring an edict said, "The barbarians of Zhuya killed officials and people, turned their backs and became rebels. Now those deliberating at court some say they may be attacked, some say they may be held, some wish to abandon them—their intents each differ. We day and night only ponder the deliberators' words: if prestige is shamed and not carried out, We wish to execute them; if We are doubtful and avoid difficulty, then hold them with garrison farming; if We penetrate the changes of the times, then We worry for the myriad people. Of the myriad people's hunger and the distant barbarians' not being punished—which danger is greater? Moreover, for the ancestral temple's sacrifices, in famine years they are not complete—how much more to avoid disgrace one does not despise! Now east of the Pass is greatly distressed, storehouses empty and void, with nothing to support and relieve them; again to move troops—not only does it weary the people, famine years follow. Let Zhuya commandery be abolished; among the people those who admire righteousness and wish to submit inward, conveniently settle them; those who do not wish it, do not force them." ----2 In summer, the fourth month, on the last day yiyi, Maoling's White Crane Lodge burned; he pardoned all under Heaven. ----3 In summer there was drought. ----4 He established Zong, younger brother of Prince Yang of Changsha, as king. ----5 Chief Steward for the Great Dowager's Household Gong Yu submitted words, "The various detached palaces and the guards of Changle Palace may have more than half reduced to ease corvée." In the sixth month an edict said, "We only think of the masses' hunger and cold, far from fathers, mothers, wives, and children, toiling at work not their proper occupation, guarding palaces where We do not dwell—We fear this is not the way to assist the way of yin and yang. Let the guards of Ganquan and Jianzhang palaces be abolished and ordered to return to farming. The hundred offices should each reduce expenses. Memorialize item by item; let nothing be concealed." ----6 That year the emperor again promoted Zhou Kan to Director of the Gentlemen of the Palace; Kan's disciple Zhang Meng to Grand Master of Splendor and Palace Attendant—greatly trusted.
13
1 ----
1. In spring, the first month, the emperor traveled to Ganquan and sacrificed at the Grand Altar. In the third month he traveled to Hedong and sacrificed to the Earth Queen; he pardoned the convicts of Fenyin.
14
1 ----2 ----3 ----4 輿 ----5 ----6使 使 使 使便 使 使 使使 西 西 ----7 ----
1. In spring, the first month, he made the Lord of Zhouzi South Marquis of Zhou, Heir of Rest. ----2 In the third month the emperor traveled to Yong and sacrificed at the Five Altars. ----3 In summer, the fourth month, a comet appeared in Can. ----4 The emperor used the words of the various Confucians Gong Yu and the rest; he decreed the Grand Provisioner not to kill daily, and what was prepared should each be reduced by half; Feed the imperial carriage horses, but only so that regular duties are not neglected. He abolished wrestling contests, Shanglin park lodges rarely visited by the emperor, the Qi Three-Garment Office, the Beijia field office, the salt-and-iron office, and the Ever-Normal Granary. No fixed quota was set for Erudite students, to broaden the ranks of scholars. He ordered that any commoner who could master one classic was to receive full exemption from levies. He reduced punishments in more than seventy matters. ----5 Chen Wannian died. In the sixth month, on day xinyou, Chief Steward for Eternal Faith Gong Yu became censor-in-chief. Yu had submitted dozens of memorials on policy gains and losses; the emperor praised his plain sincerity and adopted much of his advice. ----6 The Xiongnu chanyu Zhizhi, thinking himself far from Han and resenting Han's support for Huhanye rather than himself, mistreated Han envoys Jiang Naishi and others; he sent an envoy with tribute and requested the return of his hostage son. Han deliberated sending Guard Major Gu Ji to escort the prince home; Censor-in-Chief Gong Yu and Erudite Kuang Heng of Donghai argued, "Chanyu Zhizhi's turning toward civilization is not yet secure; his domain is utterly remote—it is fitting to have an envoy escort his son only to the border passes and then return." Ji submitted a memorial, saying, "The Central States and the barbarians have the principle of keeping them on loose reins without breaking ties; we have now nourished and kept his son whole for ten years, with very great grace—to cut off ties and not send him home, having him return only from near the passes, shows that we cast him away and will not keep him, leaving him no heart to follow his homeland, abandoning former grace and creating later resentment—is inexpedient. The debaters, seeing that Jiang earlier had no means to meet the enemy and that both wisdom and courage were exhausted, leading to disgrace, thereby anticipate worry for your subject. Your subject is fortunate to uphold the Han's strong integrity, receive the enlightened emperor's edict, proclaim thick grace, and ought not dare to be obstinate. If he harbors a beast's heart and does violence to your subject, then the chanyu will long bear a great crime and is sure to flee far away, not daring to approach the border. To lose one envoy to secure the common people is the state's plan and your subject's wish. I wish to escort him to the chanyu's court." The emperor approved. When he arrived, Chanyu Zhizhi was enraged and in the end killed Ji and the others; knowing he had wronged Han, and also hearing that Huhanye was growing stronger, he feared attack and wished to go far away. It happened that the king of Kangju had repeatedly been harassed by Wusun; with the various chieftains he plotted, saying, "The Xiongnu are a great power; Wusun has long submitted to them. Now Chanyu Zhizhi is distressed and stranded abroad; we can welcome him and place him in the east, combine forces to take Wusun and establish him there—then we will long be free of Xiongnu trouble." They thereupon sent an envoy to Jiankun to communicate with Zhizhi. Zhizhi had long been fearful and resented Wusun; hearing Kangju's plan, he was greatly pleased, joined with them, and led his troops west. Many of Zhizhi's followers died on the road from cold; only about three thousand remained. When he reached Kangju, the king of Kangju gave his daughter in marriage to Zhizhi; Zhizhi also gave his daughter to the king of Kangju; Kangju greatly honored Zhizhi, wishing to rely on his might to intimidate the various states. Zhizhi repeatedly borrowed troops to attack Wusun, penetrating deep to Valley City, killing and plundering the people, and driving off livestock. Wusun did not dare pursue. The western border lay empty and uninhabited for five thousand li. ----7 In winter, the twelfth month, on day dingmo, Gong Yu died. On day dingsi, Chief Steward for Eternal Faith Xue Guangde became censor-in-chief.
15
1 ----2祿 ----3 ----4 ----5便 輿 祿 ----6 -{}- ----7 退 ----8 ----9 使 滿 退 退 退 調 訿訿 便
1 In spring, the first month, the emperor traveled to Sweet Springs and sacrificed at the Great Altar. When the rites were finished, he remained to hunt. Xue Guangde submitted a memorial, saying, "I have seen that east of the passes is in extreme distress and the people are displaced. Your Majesty daily strikes Qin's bell of ruin and listens to Zheng and Wei music—your subject is truly grieved. Now soldiers stand exposed and attending officials are weary; I wish Your Majesty would quickly return to the palace and think to share worry and joy with the people—the realm would be greatly fortunate!" The emperor returned that same day. ----2 In the second month, an edict: "The chancellor and censor are to recommend men who are plain, sincere, humble, yielding, and of good conduct; the Director of the Masters of Writing each year is to rank palace gentlemen and attendants by this standard." ----3 In the third month, he amnestied All-under-Heaven. ----4 Rain and snow fell, frost dropped from the sky, and mulberry trees were killed. ----5 In autumn, the emperor performed the autumnal offering at the ancestral temples, went out through Convenience Gate, and wished to ride a tower boat. Xue Guangde was to attend the imperial carriage, removed his cap and kowtowed, saying, "You ought to go by the bridge." An edict said, "Grandee, put on your cap." Guangde said, "If Your Majesty will not heed your subject, your subject will cut his own throat and stain the carriage wheels with blood—Your Majesty will not be able to enter the temple!" The emperor was displeased. The vanguard Director of the Masters of Writing Zhang Meng advanced and said, "Your subject has heard that when the ruler is sage, ministers are upright. Riding a boat is perilous; taking the bridge is secure—a sage ruler does not court peril. The censor-in-chief's words should be heeded." The emperor said, "Should not one who understands people be like this!" Thereupon he went by the bridge. ----6 In the ninth month, frost dropped from the sky and killed the crops; the realm suffered great famine. Chancellor -{Yu Dingguo}-, Grand Marshal and General of Chariots and Cavalry Shi Gao, and Censor-in-Chief Xue Guangde all resigned on account of prodigies and anomalies. They were granted cushioned carriages, four-horse teams, and sixty jin of gold, and were dismissed. Tutor of the Heir Apparent Wei Xuancheng became censor-in-chief. Guangde returned home and displayed his cushioned carriage, passing it down to show his descendants as an honor. ----7 When the emperor was heir apparent, he studied the Documents under Grand Master of the Palace Kong Ba. When he took the throne, he granted Ba the rank of marquis within the passes, styled him Lord of Baocheng, and made him attendant within the palace. The emperor wished to elevate Ba to chancellor; Ba was humble and retiring, not fond of power, and often said, "My noble rank is too high—what virtue could bear it!" The office of censor-in-chief was repeatedly vacant, and the emperor would then wish to employ Ba; Ba yielded the post and stated his reasons repeatedly. The emperor deeply knew his utmost sincerity and therefore did not employ him. Because of this the emperor honored him and bestowed very generous rewards. ----8 On day wuzi, Attendant within the Palace and Commandant of the Guards Wang Jie became grand marshal and general of chariots and cavalry. ----9 Shi Xian feared Zhou Kan, Zhang Meng, and others, and repeatedly slandered them. Liu Gengsheng feared they would be overthrown and submitted a memorial, saying, "Your subject has heard that when Shun appointed the nine officers, they yielded to one another in abundance—this was harmony at its height. When ministers were harmonious at court, the myriad things were harmonious in the wilds; therefore when the Xiao Shao was played nine times, the phoenix came to take its place. Down to the time of Kings You and Li of Zhou, when the court was not harmonious and ministers turned to blame and resent one another, sun and moon were eclipsed, springs boiled over, valleys shifted, and frost fell out of season. Viewed from this, harmonious qi brings auspice, perverse qi brings prodigies; where auspices are many the state is secure, where prodigies are many the state is in peril. This is Heaven and Earth's constant canon and the common meaning through antiquity and the present. Now Your Majesty has opened the enterprise of the Three Dynasties, summoned men of letters, and been leisurely, lenient, and tolerant, enabling them to advance together. Yet now worthy and unworthy are mixed in confusion, right and wrong are not distinguished, crooked and straight are intermingled, and loyal and slanderous men advance together; memorials crowd the imperial carriage office, men fill the Northern Army, court ministers clash, stick fast in perversity and cut against one another, alternately slander and accuse, and turn to judge right and wrong; thereby bewildering ears and eyes and shifting the heart's intent—more than can be recorded; they divide into factions and often band together to entrap upright ministers. When upright ministers advance, it is the outward sign of good governance; when upright ministers are entrapped, it is the mechanism of disorder; seizing the mechanism between order and disorder, not knowing who will bear responsibility, while prodigies and anomalies repeatedly appear—this is why your subject's heart is chilled. Six years have passed since the beginning of Chuyuan; examining six-year spans in the Spring and Autumn Annals, prodigies and anomalies have never been as dense as now. Tracing why it is so, it is because slander and wickedness advance together; the reason slander and wickedness advance together is that above there is much doubting; having already employed worthy men and practiced good government, if someone slanders them, worthy men withdraw and good government is undone. One who holds a doubting heart invites slanderous mouths; one who maintains an undecisive intent opens the gate for a crowd of crooked men; when slander and wickedness advance, the multitude of worthies withdraw; when crooked men flourish, upright gentlemen vanish. Therefore the Changes has Pi and Tai: when the petty man's way grows long and the gentleman's way wanes, government daily grows disordered; when the gentleman's way grows long and the petty man's way wanes, government daily grows well ordered. In antiquity Gun, Gong Gong, and Huan Dou were mixed in Yao's court with Shun and Yu; the Duke of Zhou and Guan and Cai together held Zhou offices—at that time they advanced in turn to destroy one another and rumors slandered one another—how could it all be told! Emperors Yao and King Cheng were able to treat Shun, Yu, and the Duke of Zhou as worthy and eliminate Gong Gong, Guan, and Cai; therefore there was great order and glory down to the present. Confucius served in Lu together with the Ji and Meng clans; Li Si and Shusun both held office in Qin; Duke Ding and the First Emperor treated the Ji, Meng, and Li Si as worthy and eliminated Confucius and Shusun—therefore there was great disorder and disgrace down to the present. Therefore the beginning of order and disorder, glory and disgrace, lies in whom one trusts; once trust is placed in the worthy, it lies in being firm and not shifting. The Odes says, "My heart is not stone—it cannot be turned," speaking of steadfastly keeping to the good." The Changes says, "He disperses sweat with his great proclamation," meaning that orders are like sweat—once sweat issues forth it does not return." Now good orders are issued but cannot pass the season before being reversed—this is reversing sweat; employing the worthy but not reaching thirty days before dismissing them—this is turning stone. The Analects says, "Seeing what is not good is like probing boiling water." Now the Two Offices memorialize that flatterers and sycophants ought not to hold office, yet year after year they are not removed. Therefore issuing orders is like reversing sweat, employing the worthy is like turning stone, removing flatterers is like moving mountains—with this, to hope for the harmony of yin and yang—is it not difficult! Because of this petty men spy out gaps, trim and adorn their words, use clever speech to defame, and rumors and flying writings clamor among the people. Therefore the Odes says, "My worried heart is secret, angry at the crowd of petty men"—when petty men form crowds, it is truly enough to anger one." In antiquity Confucius with Yan Yuan and Zigong praised one another in turn and did not form factions; Yu and Ji with Gao Yao passed on and drew one another up and did not form cliquish alliances—why was it so? They were loyal in serving the state, without wicked intent. Now the sycophantic and wicked mingle with worthy ministers in the same court, form factions and plot together, turn from good and rely on evil, whisper and clamor, and repeatedly utter dangerous words, wishing to sway the sovereign. If such men were suddenly put in power, that is why Heaven and Earth give warnings beforehand and why calamities and portents come again and again. Since antiquity no enlightened sage has ever governed without punishments. Shun had the four banishments, and Confucius had the execution at the two watchtowers—only then could sage transformation be carried out. Now, with Your Majesty's clear understanding, truly ponder Heaven and Earth's intent, study the hexagrams Pi and Tai, take what Zhou and Tang advanced as your model and what Qin and Lu destroyed themselves by as your warning, weigh the blessings of auspicious omens against the disasters of portents to gauge the changes of the age, banish the faction of sycophants and the wicked, break up gatherings of dangerous slander, shut the gates of perversity, and open wide the path of the upright. Cut through doubt and distinguish what is uncertain, so that right and wrong stand clear; then the hundred anomalies will vanish, many auspicious signs will come together, and the foundation of great peace and the benefit of ten thousand generations will be secured." When Xian saw the memorial, he drew still closer to Xu and Shi and bore resentment toward Gengsheng and his associates.
16
祿 -{}-
That year summer was cold, the sun looked greenish and dim, and Xian together with Xu and Shi all said it was because Kan and Meng were wielding power. The emperor inwardly valued Kan highly, yet also worried that constant slander from many quarters left him nothing he could trust. At the time Metropolitan Magistrate Yang Xing, favored for his talent, often praised Kan. The emperor wished to use him as an ally and therefore summoned Xing and asked, "The court ministers keep insisting that the Grand Master of Splendor cannot serve—why is that?" Xing was a crafty opportunist. Seeing that the emperor doubted Kan, he followed the emperor's inclination and said, "Kan is not only unfit at court-even in his own -{the cited text}- he is unfit! Your subject has seen that when people heard Kan and Liu Gengsheng and others were plotting to harm the emperor's own kin, they thought he ought to be executed; therefore your subject wrote earlier that Kan ought not be executed or harmed, in order to preserve grace for the state." The emperor said, "Yet what crime would justify execution? What should be done now?" Xing said, "Your subject foolishly thinks he might be granted rank as Marquis within the Passes, with a fief of three hundred households, and not be allowed to handle affairs. An enlightened ruler does not cast off the grace owed a teacher—this is the best possible policy." The emperor thereupon came to doubt Kan.
17
祿祿
Director of Convict Labor Zhuge Feng of Langye was at first famed at court for his uncompromising integrity; he repeatedly clashed with powerful families, and those in office often spoke of his faults. Later he was convicted for imprisoning and prosecuting people in spring and summer and was transferred to Commandant of the City Gates. Feng thereupon submitted a memorial accusing Kan and Meng of crimes. The emperor did not side with Feng and issued an edict to the imperial censor: "Commandant of the City Gates Feng, when he was at court with the Grand Master of Splendor and Grand Master of the Palace Meng, repeatedly praised Kan and Meng. When Feng was Director of Convict Labor he ignored the seasons, revised laws and standards, and relied on harsh cruelty to win empty prestige; We could not bear to hand him over to the law officers and made him Commandant of the City Gates instead. He does not examine himself, yet resents Kan and Meng and seeks retaliation, lodging accusations without evidence and publicly airing charges hard to prove, praising and blaming as he pleases without regard to his former words—this is gross faithlessness. We pity Feng in his old age and cannot bear to punish him further; let him be dismissed as a commoner!" He also said, "Feng claimed Kan and Meng lacked integrity; We pitied them and did not prosecute, yet also regretted that their talents had not yet borne fruit—demote Kan to Administrator of Hedong and Meng to Magistrate of Huaili."
18
: 使 ----10 使 使鹿
: Minister Guang said: Zhuge Feng toward Kan and Meng praised them first and slandered them afterward. His aim was not to advance good for the court and remove the wicked, but only to form factions and seek promotion. He belongs to the same breed as Zheng Peng and Yang Xing—where is the integrity in that! A ruler examines good and evil, distinguishes right from wrong, rewards to encourage good conduct, and punishes to chastise wickedness—that is how he governs. If Feng's charges were true, then Feng ought not have been demoted; if they were false, then what crime had Kan and Meng committed! Now both parties are blamed and both are cast aside—then where do good and evil, right and wrong, actually lie! ----10 Jia Juanzhi was on good terms with Yang Xing. Juanzhi repeatedly criticized Shi Xian and for that reason could not obtain office and rarely gained audience again; Xing had newly been favored for his talent. Juanzhi said to Xing, "The metropolitan governorship is vacant. If you let me gain audience and speak for you, Lord Lan, you can obtain the metropolitan governorship at once." Xing said, "Lord Fang, when you take up the brush your words are unmatched under Heaven; if you were made Director of the Masters of Writing, you would far surpass Wulu Chongzong." Juanzhi said, "Let me replace Chongzong and you, Lord Lan, become metropolitan governor. Chang'an is the head of the commanderies and kingdoms, and the Masters of Writing are the root of the hundred officials. Then the empire would truly be well governed and scholars would no longer be shut out!" Juanzhi again criticized Shi Xian. Xing said, "Xian is at the height of power and the emperor trusts him; if you wish to advance now, simply follow my plan—for the moment agree with him, and you can get in at once!" Juanzhi then joined Xing in drafting a memorial recommending Xian, praising his merits, proposing that he be granted rank as Marquis within the Passes, and bringing in his brothers to serve in the various bureaus; they also jointly drafted a memorial recommending Xing, proposing that he be tried as acting metropolitan governor. When Shi Xian learned of this, he reported it to the emperor. Xing and Juanzhi were sent to prison and Xian was ordered to prosecute them. He memorialized, "Xing and Juanzhi harbored deceit, praised each other in turn, and sought high office—deceiving the sovereign, a capital offense!" Juanzhi was in the end executed in the marketplace; Xing was shaved, fettered, and sentenced to corvée labor as a wall-builder.
19
: ----11 ----12 ----
: Minister Guang said: A gentleman uses rectitude to attack wickedness, yet still fears he may not prevail. How much less can one who uses wickedness to attack wickedness, as Juanzhi did, hope to escape! ----11 King Jing of Qinghe was moved to become King of Zhongshan. ----12 Among the Xiongnu, Chanyu Huhanye's following grew ever stronger; game below the frontier passes was exhausted; the chanyu had enough strength to defend himself and no longer feared Zhizhi; and many of his great ministers urged him to return north. After a long time the chanyu at last returned north to his court; his people gradually came back to him, and his state was thereby settled.
20
1 ----2 ----3 ----4 ----5使 使 祿
1 In spring, the second month, an amnesty was proclaimed for the empire. ----2 On dingyou, Censor-in-Chief Wei Xuancheng became chancellor; Zheng Hong of Right Fufeng became censor-in-chief. ----3 In the third month, on the first day renxu, there was a solar eclipse. ----4 In summer, the sixth month, an amnesty was proclaimed for the empire. ----5 The emperor questioned Palace Attendant Kuang Heng about the earthquake and solar eclipse. Heng submitted a memorial saying, "Your Majesty personally embodies sage virtue and opens the road to great peace. You pity foolish officials and common people who stumble into the law. Year after year you have proclaimed great amnesties so the people may reform and renew themselves—the empire is greatly fortunate! Your subject has observed that after great amnesties wicked conduct does not decline. Today there is a great amnesty, tomorrow people break the law again and enter prison in succession—this probably means guidance has not hit its mark. The customs of the empire today value wealth and slight righteousness, delight in pleasure and display, exalt extravagance, thin kinship ties, exalt marriage factions, join hastily and seek lucky breaks, and set up profit for themselves; and unless the root is changed, even yearly amnesties will not make punishments fall idle. Your subject foolishly thinks the customs ought to be transformed all at once and on a grand scale. The court is the main pillar of the empire. If at court there are words that change men's faces, below there will be strife; if above there are self-willed men, below there will be men who refuse to yield; if above there are assistants who love to overcome others, below there will be hearts bent on injury; if above there are ministers who love profit, below there will be thieves among the people; that is the root of it. He who governs the empire need only examine whom he elevates. The flow of transforming instruction does not come from visiting every house and preaching to each person; the worthy hold office, the able perform their duties, the court honors ritual, the hundred officials are respectful and yielding, and the practice of virtue spreads from within outward, beginning with what is near—only then do the people know what to follow, advance toward good daily, and do so without even knowing it. The Odes says, "The Shang capital stands solemn and strong, the model for the four quarters." Yet Chang'an, the Son of Heaven's capital, personally receives sage transformation, yet its customs are no different from distant regions. Visitors from the commanderies and kingdoms find no model to follow, or they see extravagance and imitate it; this is the root of transforming instruction and the pivot of custom—what ought to be rectified first. Your subject has heard that between Heaven and man essences and vapors stir one another, good and evil push one another, and affairs arising below are mirrored in movement above—when yin shifts, what was still moves; when yang is blocked, what was bright grows dim; flood and drought follow in their kinds. Your Majesty reverently heeds Heaven's warnings and pities the common people. You ought to reduce extravagance, examine institutions, draw near the loyal and upright, send away the crafty and sycophantic, exalt utmost benevolence, and correct failing customs. When virtue is magnified in the capital and good report spreads beyond the borders, then great transformation can be achieved and courtesy and yielding can flourish." The emperor was pleased with his words and transferred Heng to Grand Master of the Palace.
21
: ----6西 調 西 西
: Xun Yue's discussion says: Amnesty is a timely expedient, not a standing institution. When Han arose, inheriting the aftermath of Qin's wars, in an age of great ignorance where almost every household could be punished, the law of three chapters and orders of great amnesty were established to wash away foul currents and make a fresh start with the people—the times required it. Later generations inherited the practice and followed it without reform—missing the timely fit. In ages such as those of Emperors Hui and Wen, there was nothing to amnesty. In the time of Emperor Xiaojing the seven states all rebelled, divergent hearts arose together, and treachery was manifold; and by the late years of Emperor Wu levies and corvée multiplied, bandit gangs arose together, and there were added the affair of the heir apparent and the disaster of witchcraft—All-under-Heaven was in turmoil, the people had no relief, and no one felt secure; and at the time of Emperor Guangwu, after settling disorder—times like these called for amnesty. ----6 In autumn, the seventh month, the Qiang of the Shan-jie collateral lineage in Longxi rebelled; an edict summoned Chancellor Wei Xuancheng and others to deliberate. At this time harvests had failed year after year and the court was already worried when the Qiang disturbance struck. Xuancheng and the others sat blankly, with no one able to reply. General of the Right Feng Fengshi said, "The Qiang are near at hand, rebelling within the frontier. If they are not punished promptly, there is no way to awe distant barbarians. Your subject wishes to lead troops to punish them!" The emperor asked how many troops would be needed. He replied, "Your subject has heard that one who skillfully uses troops does not raise corvée twice or transport grain three times. Therefore armies should not long rage abroad while Heaven's punishment is swiftly decided. In the past we several times misjudged the enemy and armies were broken. Repeated levies waste time and money and diminish martial prestige. Now the rebels are estimated at no less than thirty thousand men. By rule one ought to double that and employ sixty thousand. Yet the Qiang and Rong are only bow-and-spear fighters; their weapons are not sharp—forty thousand should suffice. One month should be enough to settle it." The chancellor, censor, and both generals all held, "The people are just at harvest time and cannot be levied in great numbers. Send ten thousand to garrison the frontier—that will suffice for now." Fengshi said, "That will not do. The empire suffers famine; soldiers and horses are worn down; defenses have long been neglected; the barbarians already look down on frontier officials—and the Qiang are the hardest of them. If ten thousand are divided and garrisoned in several places, the enemy will see how few the troops are and surely will not fear them. If they fight, the army will be broken; if they only defend, the people cannot be rescued. In that way weakness will be plain for all to see. The Qiang will seize the advantage, the various tribes will join together and fan one another into revolt. Your subject fears the empire's campaign will not stop at forty thousand men, and money alone cannot solve it. Therefore to send few troops and waste days, versus one effort and swift decision—the difference in benefit and harm is ten thousandfold." He argued firmly but could not prevail. An edict was issued to add two thousand men. Thereupon Fengshi was sent leading twelve thousand cavalry under the title of garrison commandant, with Director of Dependent States Ren Li and Protector Army Commandant Han Chang as flank assistants. They reached Longxi and divided garrisons in three places. Han Chang first sent two commandants to fight the Qiang. The enemy were numerous and strong, both units were defeated, and the two commandants were killed. Fengshi reported in full on the terrain and troop strength and asked for thirty-six thousand more men, saying only then would the affair be settled. When the memorial arrived, the emperor greatly raised an army of more than sixty thousand men. In the eighth month Ren Qianqiu, Marquis of Yiyang and Grand Master of Ceremonies, was appointed General Who Displays Martial Might to assist him. In winter, the tenth month, the troops all reached Longxi; in the eleventh month they advanced together. The Qiang were routed, several thousand heads were taken, and the rest all fled beyond the frontier. While the campaign was still undecided, Han again recruited ten thousand men and appointed Han Anguo, Administrator of Dingxiang, as General Who Establishes Might. He had not advanced when he heard the Qiang were defeated and returned. An edict dismissed the officers and soldiers, but many were left to garrison-farm and guard strategic points.
← Previous Chapter
Back to Chapters
Next Chapter →