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卷56 漢紀四十八

Volume 56 Han Records 48

Chapter 56 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
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1
西
In the first month of spring, the Eastern Qiang Xianlian band besieged Fufeng, raided Yunyang, and the Dangjian tribes rose in revolt once more. Duan Yong routed them at Luanniao in a crushing victory, and the Western Qiang were finally brought to order.
2
Futai, king of Fuyu, invaded Xuantu Commandery. Gongsun Yu, the grand administrator of Xuantu, drove him off in defeat.
3
In the fourth month of summer, the Xianlian Qiang struck the Three Metropolises, overran two garrisons, and killed more than a thousand people.
4
In the fifth month, on renzi day, the last day of the month, there was a solar eclipse.
5
西 使 西 使 使
Once Chen Fan was removed from office, the court was terrified, and no one dared speak up for the partisans again. Jia Biao said, "Unless I go west myself, this great disaster will never be undone." He then went to Luoyang, won over Commandant of the City Gates Dou Wu, Master of Writing Huo Xu of Wei Commandery, and others, and urged them to press the case at court. Dou Wu submitted a memorial: "Since Your Majesty came to the throne, we have heard of no worthy policies; the eunuch attendants vie with one another in deceit and bestow titles on unworthy men. Consider the Western Capital: when sycophants held sway, the dynasty lost the realm in the end. Today you take no lesson from past failures and again follow the path of the overturned cart. I fear the catastrophe of the Second Emperor will return, and a coup like Zhao Gao's may come not in months but in days. Not long ago the villain Wang Fu invented the partisan purge, had the former Director of the Retainers Li Ying and others seized for interrogation, and dragged several hundred men into the net. They have languished in prison for years, yet no proof has ever been found. In my view, Ying and his fellows have shown loyal resolve and stood firm against corruption, their hearts set on the royal house—they are truly ministers of the caliber of Hou Ji, Yi Yin, and Lü Wang. Yet wicked officials and their accomplices have framed them on false charges; the empire is disheartened and the realm has lost faith. May Your Majesty examine the matter with clear judgment, release the innocent in good time, and so quiet the uproar of both the living and the dead. The ministers close at hand in the Secretariat—Zhu Yu, Xun Yun, Liu You, Wei Lang, Liu Ju, Yin Xun, and the rest—are all men of integrity and fine servants of the throne. The attendant masters of writing—Zhang Ling, Gui Hao, Yuan Kang, Yang Qiao, Bian Shao, Dai Hui, and others—combine learning and integrity and understand the laws of the realm; for every office, within the court and beyond, able men stand ready. Yet Your Majesty relies on cronies and nurtures greedy parasites who rule the provinces abroad and meddle with the core of government at home—they should be demoted in turn, their crimes investigated and punished. Trust loyal men, judge merit and fault fairly, let the worthy and the wicked each receive their due, honor the offices of state and give them only to the capable—then ill omens will fade and Heaven's favor may be won. Of late there have been reports of fine grain, spirit fungus, and yellow dragons. Omens appear only where worthy men dwell; blessings truly come through good men—with virtue they are auspicious, without virtue they are disasters. Your Majesty's conduct does not accord with Heaven's will; you ought not to celebrate." When the memorial was in, he pleaded illness and returned the seals and ribbon of his posts as Commandant of the City Gates and Marquis of Huaili. Huo Xu likewise submitted a memorial in their defense. The emperor relented somewhat and sent Regular Attendant Wang Fu to the prison to question the partisans Fan Pang and others, who wore the triple cangue with their heads hooded and were displayed on the steps below. Wang Fu questioned them one by one: "You keep promoting and recommending one another, acting as each other's mouthpiece—what is your purpose?" Fan Pang replied, "Confucius said: 'When you see what is good, hurry toward it as if you cannot catch up; when you see what is evil, shrink from it as if from scalding water. I wanted the good to share in purity and the wicked to share in shame—I thought that was what good government should hear. I never imagined it would be called forming a faction. In old times, doing good brought blessings on oneself. Today, doing good means falling under the executioner's blade. When I die, bury me on the slopes of Mount Shouyang—then I shall not fail Heaven above nor shame Yi and Qi below." Wang Fu was moved and his manner changed; they were all released from their shackles. Li Ying and the others had also implicated many sons of eunuch families; the eunuchs grew afraid and urged the emperor that the season called for a general amnesty. In the sixth month, on gengshen day, the empire was granted a general amnesty and the reign era was changed. More than two hundred partisans were sent home; their names were entered in the registers of the Three Excellencies and they were barred from office for life. Fan Pang called on Huo Xu but did not thank him. When someone reproached him, Pang said, "In antiquity Shu Xiang did not go to see Qi Xi—why should I offer thanks?" Pang went south to Runan. Gentry and officials from Nanyang turned out to welcome him in thousands of carriages; his fellow villagers Yin Tao and Huang Mu attended him and received guests on his behalf. Pang told Tao and the others, "Your accompanying me now only makes my disaster worse!" He slipped away and went home in secret.
6
When the edict went out to hunt down partisans, most commanderies and kingdoms reported chains of names running into the hundreds; only Shi Bi, the chancellor of Pingyuan, submitted no names at all. Edict after edict pressed the provinces; clerks were beaten and cropped. The investigator, lodged at the relay station, rebuked him: "The edict condemns the partisans in the strongest terms; its intent is urgent and sincere. Five of Qingzhou's six commanderies have reported partisans—what sort of rule leaves Pingyuan alone without any?" Bi replied, "The former kings divided the realm, drew boundaries and set borders—lands differ in soil and water, and customs are not the same. Other commanderies have them; Pingyuan simply does not—how can you compare the two? If I curried favor with my superiors, framed the innocent, and abused the law to satisfy injustice, then every household in Pingyuan could be called a partisan. As chancellor I would rather die than do such a thing!" The investigator flew into a rage, had the commandery staff arrested and thrown into prison, and memorialized against Bi. The partisan prohibition was lifted before long, and Bi paid a fine from his salary to clear the charge. The number he had spared was very great. Those Dou Wu had recommended included Zhu Yu of Pei Commandery. Yuan Kang of Bohai. Yang Qiao of Kuaiji. Bian Shao of Chenliu. Qiao was tall and striking in appearance and often submitted opinions on government affairs. The emperor admired his talent and looks and wished to marry him to a princess. Qiao refused firmly; when the emperor would not relent, he stopped eating and died after seven days.
7
In the eighth month of autumn, Ba Commandery reported that a yellow dragon had been seen. Earlier, locals had gone to bathe in a pool; seeing the water was murky, they joked in fright that "there is a yellow dragon in here," and the story spread. The grand administrator wanted to treat it as a good omen. So he reported it to the court. The commandery clerk Fu Jian remonstrated: "That is only soldiers' idle talk." The grand administrator would not listen.
8
In the sixth month came great floods, and the Bohai Sea overflowed its shores.
9
西 殿 殿 祿
In the tenth month of winter, the Xianlian Qiang raided the Three Metropolises. Zhang Huan sent his major Yin Duan and Dong Zhuo to meet them, won a crushing victory, slew their chieftains, and took more than ten thousand heads and captives; the three border provinces were pacified. By rights Zhang Huan deserved a fief for his merit, but because he would not court the eunuchs he received no title—only two hundred thousand cash and an appointment as gentleman for one member of his household. Zhang Huan refused the reward and asked to move his household registration to Hongnong instead. By old rule, frontier households were not allowed to move inland; an edict made an exception for Zhang Huan because of his service. Dong Zhuo was appointed a gentleman at the palace. Dong Zhuo was a native of Longxi, rough and fierce by nature but shrewd, and the Qiang and the Hu feared him. In the twelfth month, on renshen day, Liu Ti was restored from Marquis of Yingtao to King of Bohai. On dingchou day, the emperor died in the front hall of Deyang. On wuyin day, the empress was honored as empress dowager. The empress dowager assumed regency over the court. After Empress Dou was installed, the emperor rarely visited her chamber; only palace ladies such as Tian Sheng enjoyed his favor. The empress had always been jealous and cruel; even while the emperor's coffin still lay in the front hall, she had Tian Sheng put to death. Commandant of the City Gates Dou Wu deliberated on the succession and summoned Attendant Imperial Clerk Liu Tao of Hejian, asking which members of the imperial house were worthy. Tao named Marquis Hong of Jiedu. Hong was the great-grandson of King Xiao of Hejian; his grandfather was Shu and his father Chang—the family had held the marquisate of Jiedu for generations. Dou Wu went in to inform the empress dowager, and the choice was settled within the palace. Tao was made acting Grandee of Splendid Happiness; he and Regular Attendant Cao Jie, each bearing credentials, led a thousand guards from the Central Yellow Gate, Tiger Guards, and Feathered Forest to escort Hong to the capital—he was twelve years old. Emperor Ling, Part One, Section One.
10
使殿 西 西 西 調
In the first month of spring, on renwu day, Commandant of the City Gates Dou Wu was appointed Grand General. Former Grand Commandant Chen Fan was made Grand Tutor and, with Dou Wu and Minister over the Masses Hu Guang, shared oversight of the Masters of Writing. The court had just entered deep mourning and the heir was not yet enthroned; many masters of writing were afraid and stayed away from court on pretext of illness. Chen Fan sent a letter rebuking them: "The ancients upheld integrity by serving the dead as if they still lived. Today the throne stands empty and government grows more urgent by the day—how can you abandon your duties to the bitter hardship of the realm and lie abed—is that righteous conduct?" The masters of writing were terrified and all returned to their posts. On jihai day, Marquis Hong of Jiedu reached Xiamen Pavilion; Dou Wu was sent with credentials to welcome him into the palace in the prince's green-canopied carriage. On gengzi day he ascended the throne and the reign era was changed. In the second month, on xinyou day, Emperor Xiaohuan was buried at Xuan Mausoleum with the temple name Weizong. On xinwei day the empire was granted a general amnesty. Earlier, after Protector of the Qiang Duan Yong had pacified the Western Qiang, the Eastern Qiang Xianlian and other tribes remained unsubdued. General Who Crosses the Liao Huangfu Gui and General of the Gentlemen of the Household Zhang Huan had spent years trying to win them over, but they submitted only to rebel again. Emperor Huan asked Yong by edict: "The Xianlian Eastern Qiang have risen in wicked rebellion, yet Huangfu Gui and Zhang Huan each command large forces and have not pacified them in good time. We wish to send you east with your troops—we are not sure whether that is wise; consider the strategy and advise us." Yong replied: "I observe that although the Xianlian Eastern Qiang have rebelled repeatedly, some twenty thousand encampments have already submitted to Huangfu Gui. The loyal and the hostile are already separated; only a few rebels remain. Zhang Huan's long hesitation to advance surely stems from fear that those outside will unite with those within—if troops march in, the tribes will panic and rally together. Moreover, from winter into spring they have camped together without dispersing; men and livestock are exhausted and weak and are on the verge of collapse on their own. He means to win them over again and thereby control a formidable foe without fighting. In my view they have the nature of wolf cubs and cannot be won by kindness; though they submit when desperate, they rebel again once the army withdraws. Only long spears at their ribs and naked blades at their throats will do! The Eastern tribes still number more than thirty thousand encampments. They live close inside the frontier passes where the roads offer no natural barriers; they do not enjoy the strategic depth of Yan, Qi, Qin, and Zhao. Yet they have long ravaged Bing and Liang, repeatedly struck the Three Metropolises, and forced the relocation of Xihe and Shang—Anding and Beidi are again in grave peril. From Yunzhong and Wuyuan west to Hanyang stretches more than two thousand li of territory now held by the Xiongnu and the Qiang tribes. This is an abscess festering at the empire's side; if we do not destroy them, the wound will only grow worse. With five thousand cavalry, ten thousand foot soldiers, and three thousand chariots, three winters and two summers would suffice to crush and pacify them at an estimated cost of five hundred forty million cash. Then the Qiang could be broken completely, the Xiongnu brought to lasting submission, and the relocated frontier commanderies restored to their homelands. I reckon that from the Yongchu era, when the Qiang tribes rose in rebellion, the empire spent two thousand four hundred million cash over fourteen years; and from the end of the Yonghe era through another seven years, more than eight hundred million cash besides. After such expense, the enemy was still not destroyed; remnant bands rose again and continue to ravage the realm. If we will not burden the people for a season now, lasting peace will never come. I will give all my poor strength and await your orders." The Emperor approved the plan in full. Yong then led more than ten thousand men with fifteen days' rations, marched from Pengyang straight on Gaoping, and fought the Xianlian tribes at Fengyi Mountain. The enemy force was overwhelming, and Yong's men were terrified. Yong ordered long arrowheads and keen blades, three ranks of long spears backed by strong crossbows, and light cavalry on both wings. He told his officers and men: "We are thousands of li from home. Advance, and we prevail; retreat, and we perish. Fight for glory together!" He gave a great shout. The whole army surged forward at once; horsemen swept in from the flanks and struck. The enemy broke completely, and more than eight thousand heads were taken. The Empress Dowager sent an edict of praise: "When the Eastern Qiang are fully pacified, your full merit will be recorded; for now grant Yong two hundred thousand cash and appoint one member of his household as a Gentleman of the Palace." She also ordered the palace treasury to supply gold, cash, and goods for the army, and appointed Yong General Who Breaks the Qiang.
11
In the intercalary month, on jiawu day, the imperial grandfather was posthumously honored as Emperor Xiaoyuan, Lady Xia as Empress Xiaoyuan, the father as Emperor Xiaoren, and the Emperor's mother Lady Dong was made Honored Lady of Shenyuan.
12
西 涿 使 西 使 便 使 西祿 使 便 使 宿 殿 使使 使 使 -{}- 使 使宿 -{}-
In summer, the fourth month, on wuchen day, Grand Commandant Zhou Jing died and Minister of Works Xuan Feng was dismissed; Wang Chang, Palace Guard of Changle, was appointed Minister of Works. In the fifth month, on the first day of dingwei, there was a solar eclipse. Grand Palace Secretary Liu Ju was appointed Grand Commandant. In the sixth month, the capital was struck by severe flooding. On guisi day, those who had settled the succession were rewarded: Dou Wu was made Marquis of Wenxi; his son Ji, Marquis of Weiyang; his brother's sons Shao and Jing, Marquises of Hu and Xixiang; Regular Palace Attendant Cao Jie, Marquis of Chang'an District—eleven ennoblements in all. Lu Zhi of Zhuo Commandery wrote to Dou Wu: "Your place in the Han house is like that of the Duke of Zhou and Duke of Shao in the Zhou dynasty—you raised a worthy sovereign and secured the realm. Men of judgment hold that among all your deeds, this is the greatest. Yet succession within one clan follows charts and registers in fixed order. What merit lies in that? How can you seize Heaven's credit and call it your own achievement! Decline these great honors to preserve your life and name." Wu would not heed him. Zhi stood eight chi and two inches tall, spoke in a voice like a bell, and was by nature stern and resolute, a man of great principle. In youth he studied under Ma Rong, who lived lavishly and kept singing girls and dancers before him. Zhi attended his lectures for years without once glancing aside, and Rong came to respect him for it. Because of Chen Fan's long service and virtue, the Empress Dowager specially enfeoffed him as Marquis of Gaoyang District. Fan submitted a memorial of refusal: "I have heard that fiefs and titles are granted for merit and virtue. I cannot claim unstained conduct, yet I honor the saying of the noble man: what is not gained by the proper Way, one does not accept." If I take this title without refusing, I would invite Heaven's wrath and bring disaster on the people. What honor would remain to me?" The Empress Dowager would not allow it. Fan persisted in refusing and submitted ten memorials in all, and in the end never accepted the title. Duan Yong pursued the Qiang with light forces through Qiao Gate, marching day and night. He fought them at Sheyan Marsh, Luochuan, and Lingxian River and defeated them again and again; then fought them again at Lingwu Valley, and the Qiang suffered a great rout. In autumn, the seventh month, Yong reached Jingyang. Four thousand remaining encampments scattered into the mountain valleys of Hanyang. Protector of the Xiongnu Zhang Huan submitted a memorial: "The Eastern Qiang are broken, but the remnant tribes cannot easily be wiped out. Duan Yong is rash and reckless; defeat may come when least expected. Better to win them with kindness now and avoid regret later." The edict was sent to Yong, who replied: "I knew all along that though the Eastern Qiang were numerous, they were weak and manageable. That is why I urged a plan for lasting peace. Zhang Huan argued that the tribes were too strong to crush and that we should win them by surrender. The court saw clearly and accepted my counsel, so my plan went forward and Huan's did not. When matters turned against him, he grew suspicious and resentful. He believed the rebel Qiang's complaints and dressed them up in fine words, claiming my army 'has suffered defeat after defeat,' and saying 'the Qiang share one breath and cannot be exterminated; the mountains and valleys are vast and cannot be emptied; blood will soak the fields, disturb harmony, and bring disaster.'" I reflect: from Zhou and Qin onward the Rong and Di have been a scourge, but since the restoration no raiders have been worse than the Qiang. Destroy them incompletely, and they submit only to rebel again. The Xianlian and their allies have turned again and again: they have overrun counties and towns, plundered the people, opened graves and exposed the dead. Their evil touches both the living and the dead. Heaven is enraged and has lent us its hand to punish them. Long ago, when Xing ruled wickedly, Wei marched against them and rain fell as the army set out; I have campaigned through summer and received timely rain again and again. The harvest has been rich and the people free of plague. Heaven shows no sign of wrath; on earth the troops are united and victories come. From Qiao Gate west to Luochuan east, old commanderies and counties lie in linked succession. This is no trackless wilderness; chariots and horsemen can pass safely. There is no cause for repeated defeat. Huan is an officer of Han in command of troops. He camped two years and could not pacify the enemy, yet talks of culture and peace, of winning fierce foes by surrender—empty words, grand claims without deed. Why do I say so? When the Xianlian first raided, Zhao Chongguo moved them within at Lingju; the Jiandang troubled the frontier; Ma Yuan resettled them in the Three Metropolises. They submitted at first and rebelled in the end, and remain a bone in the throat to this day. Men of foresight have long feared exactly this. The border commanderies are thinly populated and have suffered repeated ravages at the hands of the Qiang. To settle surrendered tribes among them would be like sowing thorn trees in good farmland, or keeping vipers in one's own house. Your servant therefore draws upon the might of Han to pursue a lasting policy — to uproot the trouble at its source and leave it no room to spread. The plan as first drawn up called for five hundred forty million cash over three years. Yet scarcely a year has gone by, less than half the funds have been consumed, and the remnant rebels are little more than smoldering ash, on the verge of annihilation. Each time I receive an edict forbidding the army to march inward in defense, I beg that this plan be allowed to run its course — entrust the matter wholly to me, and I shall act as circumstances demand without losing sight of what is expedient." In the eighth month, Wang Chang was removed from the post of Minister of Works, and Liu Chong, Director of the Imperial Clan, was appointed in his place. When Empress Dowager Dou was first elevated, Chen Fan had played no small part in it. Once she assumed the regency, she entrusted every affair, great or small, to Chen Fan. Chen Fan and Dou Wu joined forces in a single-minded effort to restore the throne, summoning celebrated men from throughout the empire — Li Ying, Du Mi, Yin Xun, Liu Yu, and others — and seating them at court to share in the governance of the realm. Men of talent across the land craned their necks in anticipation, yearning for an age of peace. Yet the Emperor's wet nurse Zhao Rao and certain female secretaries attended the Empress Dowager from morning till night, while the palace eunuchs Cao Jie, Wang Fu, and their ilk banded together in a clique to fawn upon her. The Empress Dowager placed her faith in them and repeatedly issued edicts conferring offices and titles. Chen Fan and Dou Wu loathed this state of affairs. On one occasion when they met at court, Fan took Wu aside and said, "Cao Jie, Wang Fu, and their kind have twisted the levers of power since the late Emperor's day and poisoned the realm. If we do not destroy them now, we shall find them impossible to remove later." Dou Wu agreed wholeheartedly. Chen Fan was overjoyed and struck the mat with his hand as he rose to his feet. Dou Wu thereupon gathered his allies, including the Grand Secretary Yin Xun, to lay their plans together. A solar eclipse occurred about this time. Chen Fan said to Dou Wu, "In the old days Xiao Wangzhi was undone by a single Shi Xian — and now there are dozens of them! I am eighty years old, yet I would still clear this scourge away for you, General. We may seize upon the eclipse to dismiss and purge the eunuchs, and so answer Heaven's reproof." Dou Wu then addressed the Empress Dowager: "By ancient precedent, the Yellow Gate and Palace Attendants were charged only with service inside the palace — keeping the gates and overseeing the household stores. Now they have been given a hand in affairs of state, laden with weighty power. Their sons and brothers fill every post, and they devote themselves to nothing but greed and cruelty. The realm seethes with unrest for this very reason. They should all be executed and cast out, that the court may be cleansed." The Empress Dowager replied, "Since the reign of Emperor Yuan it has been the custom of every generation to keep eunuchs in service. Only the guilty should be punished — how could we abolish them altogether?" At the time the Palace Attendant Guan Ba was a man of some ability who had seized control within the palace precincts. Dou Wu first memorialized for the arrest of Ba, the Palace Attendant Su Kang, and others; all were condemned and executed. Dou Wu repeatedly memorialized for the execution of Cao Jie and his faction, but the Empress Dowager hesitated and could not bring herself to act; the plan languished for a long time without being carried out. Chen Fan submitted a memorial stating, "The capital is in an uproar and the streets ring with reports that Hou Lan, Cao Jie, Gongcheng Xin, Wang Fu, Zheng Sa, and others, together with Lady Zhao and the secretaries, are throwing the realm into chaos. Those who attach themselves to them rise in rank; those who cross them are destroyed by slander. The ministers at court drift like fungus on a river, carried this way and that, clinging to their stipends and dreading retribution. If Your Majesty does not move swiftly to destroy this pack, calamity and revolt will surely follow, and the altars of state will be overturned — the consequences are beyond reckoning. I beg that this memorial be shown to those at your side, and that every villain in the realm may know the depth of my resolve against them." The Empress Dowager refused to heed it. That same month, the planet Venus trespassed against the Upper General star of the Room asterism and entered the Supreme Palace Enclosure. The Attendant Within Liu Yu, who had long been versed in celestial matters, was deeply troubled and wrote to the Empress Dowager: "The Books of Prognostication declare that when the palace gates should be closed, generals and ministers face peril and villains stand at the sovereign's side. I beg Your Majesty to guard against this at once." He also wrote to Dou Wu and Chen Fan that the stars were awry and ill-omened for great ministers, and that they must settle upon a decisive course without delay. Thereupon Dou Wu and Chen Fan appointed Zhu Yu Director of the Capital Protectorate, Liu You Intendant of Henan, and Yu Qi magistrate of Luoyang. Dou Wu memorialized for the dismissal of the Yellow Gate Director Wei Biao and replaced him with his own man, the Junior Yellow Gate Attendant Shan Bing. He then had Bing submit a memorial for the arrest of the Changle Secretary Zheng Sa and his transfer to the Northern Prison. Chen Fan said to Dou Wu, "These wretches should be seized and put to death immediately — why bother with interrogation!" Dou Wu would not hear of it. He had Bing, together with Yin Xun and the Imperial Censor Zhu Liang, jointly examine Zheng Sa. Under questioning, Sa's testimony implicated Cao Jie and Wang Fu. Yin Xun and Bing at once memorialized for the arrest of Cao Jie and his associates, while Liu Yu was dispatched to deliver the report within the palace. On the day xinhai in the ninth month, Dou Wu left the palace and returned to lodge at his own residence. Those who handled the Secretariat documents first alerted Zhu Yu, a clerk of the Changle Five Offices. Zhu Yu secretly opened Dou Wu's memorial and raged, "The corrupt among the palace staff may deserve death — but what crime have we committed, that we should all be wiped out to the last clan!" He then shouted aloud, "Chen Fan and Dou Wu have memorialized the Empress Dowager to depose the Emperor — this is treason of the highest order!" That night he summoned seventeen stalwart men he had long favored among the Changle attendants — Gong Pu, Zhang Liang, and others — and they swore a blood oath together, plotting the death of Dou Wu and his allies. Cao Jie reported to the Emperor, "There is urgent alarm outside — I beg Your Majesty to withdraw to the front hall of Deyang Palace." He had the Emperor draw his sword and spring forward, while the wet nurse Zhao Rao and others closed ranks around him. They seized the tallies of authority, barred every inner gate, summoned the secretaries of the Masters of Writing, and forced them at blade-point to draft an edict appointing Wang Fu Yellow Gate Director. Wang Fu then took the imperial staff to the Northern Prison to arrest Yin Xun and Shan Bing. Shan Bing grew suspicious and refused to accept the edict. Wang Fu struck him down on the spot and killed him, and Yin Xun was slain as well. They released Zheng Sa, then turned their troops upon the Empress Dowager, seizing her by force and stripping her of the imperial seal and cord. They posted palace ushers to hold the Southern Palace, barred the gates, and severed the covered passageway. They dispatched Zheng Sa and others, bearing the imperial staff, together with attendant-censors, to seize Dou Wu and his party. Dou Wu refused the edict, galloped into the Infantry Camp, and together with his nephew Shao, Colonel of the Infantry, shot down the envoys. He rallied several thousand men from the five colonels of the Northern Army and encamped them at Duting, proclaiming to the troops, "The Yellow Gate and Palace Attendants have risen in rebellion! Those who fight with all their strength shall be enfeoffed as marquises and richly rewarded." When Chen Fan heard of the crisis, he led more than eighty officials and students, blades drawn, and forced their way through Chenming Gate. Reaching the gate of the Masters of Writing, he rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "The Grand General has served the realm in loyalty — it is the Yellow Gate that has rebelled! How can you say the House of Dou is in the wrong!" Wang Fu happened to come out just then and encounter Chen Fan. Hearing these words, he turned on him and said, "The late Emperor has scarcely left this world, and his tomb is not yet finished — by what merit has Dou Wu earned three marquisates for brothers, fathers, and sons alike! He holds feasts with music, seizing palace women from the Inner Household by the score — and within ten days his wealth swelled to tens of thousands! Is this how a great minister ought to conduct himself? Is this the Way? You stand at the head of the realm—yet if you only flatter one another and band together, what further search need we make for the true villains?" Swordsmen were dispatched to take Chen Fan. Fan drew his blade and shouted down Wang Fu, his voice and bearing turning ever harsher. They seized Fan at once and had him conveyed to the Northern Prison. Yellow Gate attendants and runners trampled him, crying, "You dead old fiend! Can you still cut our ranks and strip us of our stipends and perquisites, can you?" That very day they put him to death. Protector of the Xiongnu Zhonglang General Zhang Huan had just been summoned back to the capital. Cao Jie and his faction, knowing Huan was newly arrived and ignorant of their design, forged an imperial order making Palace Privy Director Zhou Jing acting General of Chariots and Cavalry with full credentials, to march with Huan at the head of the Five Camp troops against Dou Wu. At the end of the night watch Wang Fu led more than a thousand Tiger Guard and Feathered Forest troops out to hold the Vermilion Bird side gate. He joined Zhang Huan's force, then drew the entire army up beneath the palace gates and formed ranks opposite Dou Wu. Wang Fu's numbers steadily swelled. He had his men shout across to Dou Wu's host: "Dou Wu has risen in rebellion! You are palace guards, sworn to keep watch over the inner precincts—why do you march with a rebel? Whoever yields first shall be rewarded!" The garrison troops had long feared and obeyed the eunuchs. Dou Wu's lines began to melt away toward Wang Fu, and from dawn until the morning meal nearly the whole force had surrendered. Dou Wu and Dou Shao fled. Pursuing columns closed in on them from every side. Both took their own lives, and their heads were hung at the Luoyang capital pavilion. Kinsmen, clients, guests, and in-laws were hunted down and put to death without exception. Palace Attendant Liu Yu and Colonel of the Garrison Cavalry Feng Shu were swept up as well, and their whole clans were annihilated. The eunuchs also denounced Tiger Guard Zhonglang General Liu Shu of Hejian and former Master of Writing Wei Lang of Kuaiji, claiming they had plotted with Dou Wu and his allies. Both men killed themselves. The Empress Dowager was removed to the Southern Palace, and Dou Wu's household was banished to Rinan. Every official from the Three Ducal Ministers down who had been promoted by Chen Fan or Dou Wu, together with their disciples and former retainers, was stripped of office and placed under detention. Gentleman Consultant Ba Su of Bohai had taken part in the original plot with Dou Wu and his circle. Cao Jie and the rest did not know this at first and merely confined him; only later, when they discovered the truth, did they move to seize him. Ba Su drove himself to the county seat. When the magistrate saw him coming, he withdrew to his inner chamber, took off his seal and sash, and prepared to flee with him. Ba Su said, "A loyal subject who has taken part in a plot does not hide it; one who has committed a crime does not run from judgment. I did not conceal my part in the plot—how then could I flee the penalty?" He was executed. Cao Jie was made Commandant of the Changle Palace Guard and enfeoffed as Marquis of Yuyang. Wang Fu was promoted to Regular Palace Attendant while retaining his office as Yellow Gate Prefect. Zhu Yu, Gong Pu, Zhang Liang, and five others were all made full marquises; eleven more were raised to Marquises Within the Pass. Petty men now had their heart's desire, and the scholar-officials sank into despair. Chen Fan's friend Zhu Zhen of Chenliu gathered up Fan's body for burial and hid his son Yi. When the affair came to light, Zhu was thrown into prison and his entire household clapped in irons. Zhu Zhen endured torture and flogging, vowing to die rather than speak—and Yi was spared. Dou Wu's staff officer Hu Teng of Guiyang laid out and buried Dou Wu's body and performed the mourning rites. For this he was sentenced to detention. Dou Wu's grandson Fu was only two years old. Hu Teng passed him off as his own child and, with clerk Zhang Chang of Nanyang, concealed him in the wilds near Lingling. The boy too survived. Zhang Huan was appointed Grand Minister of Agriculture and enfeoffed as marquis for his service. Huan was deeply shamed at having been made the eunuchs' instrument and firmly refused the marquisate.
13
Grand Commandant Hu Guang was made Grand Tutor with oversight of the Secretariat; Minister of Works Liu Chong became Grand Commandant; Grand Herald Xu Xu became Minister of Works.
14
西
In winter, the tenth month, on the last day of the cycle, jia-chen, the sun was eclipsed. In the eleventh month Grand Marshal Liu Ju was removed from office, and Wenren Xi of Pei, Director of the Imperial Transport, was appointed Grand Marshal in his place. In the twelfth month the Xianbei and Wuhuan struck at You and Bing provinces. That year Hede, the king's uncle in Shule, murdered the reigning king and seized the throne. Among the Wuhuan, Nalou of Shanggu commanded more than nine thousand households, and Qiuliju of Liaoxi more than five thousand; each declared himself king. Supuyan of Liaodong mustered more than a thousand households and styled himself King Qiao. Wuyan of Youbeiping gathered more than eight hundred households and called himself King Hanlu.
15
In spring, the first month, on ding-chou, the emperor proclaimed a general amnesty. The emperor brought Lady Dong from Hejian into the palace. In the third month, on yi-si, she was elevated as Empress Xiaoren and installed in Yongle Palace. Her elder brother Chong was made Commandant of the Capital Guard, and her nephew Zhong Five-Office Zhonglang General.
16
In summer, the fourth month, on ren-chen, a green serpent was seen coiled upon the imperial seat. On gui-si a great wind rose, hail fell, and thunder cracked the sky; more than a hundred great trees were torn up by the roots. An edict went out commanding every official from the Three Ducal Ministers down to submit sealed memorials. Grand Minister of Agriculture Zhang Huan memorialized the throne: "Long ago, when the Duke of Zhou was buried without proper rites, Heaven itself stirred in anger. Dou Wu and Chen Fan were men of loyalty and integrity, yet they have never been openly cleared. The strange omens that have followed all spring from this wrong. Your Majesty should at once grant them honorable reburial, restore their families, and release every person implicated and held in detention. Moreover, though the Empress Dowager dwells in the Southern Palace, no grace or proper ceremony reaches her. The court dares not speak of it, and men near and far have lost hope. Your Majesty should weigh the greater duty and repay the kindness of the mother who raised you." The emperor was deeply moved by Zhang Huan's words and put the matter to his regular attendants—but every voice at his side turned against it, and he could not follow his own mind. Zhang Huan again joined Master of Writing Liu Meng and others in recommending Wang Chang and Li Ying for the Three Excellencies. Cao Jie and his cohort were all the more furious, and an edict was issued sharply rebuking them. Zhang Huan and the others voluntarily turned themselves in to the Director of Convicts. After several days they were released, each forfeiting three months' salary to expiate the offense.
17
Xie Bi, a palace gentleman from Dong Commandery, submitted a sealed memorial: "I have heard it said: 'Only the viper, only the snake—the omen of a woman. I humbly reflect that the Empress Dowager settled the succession within the palace and set a wise ruler upon the throne. The Book of Documents says: "Between fathers and sons, brothers—guilt does not reach across kin." The Dou clan was destroyed—how can that blame be laid upon the Empress Dowager! She dwells alone in an empty palace, her grief stirring Heaven itself, like one wasting away with a lingering illness—what face can Your Majesty show to the empire! Emperor He never broke with the Dou clan, and the age held that up as a noble example. Ritual says: "He who becomes another's heir stands as a son." Emperor Huan was made heir to the throne—how can he not treat the Empress Dowager as his mother! May Your Majesty look up to the gentle warmth of the age of Shun, and bend your mind to the Ode to the South Wind and its longing to comfort a mother. I have also heard: "In founding a state and sustaining a house, do not employ petty men." Meritorious ministers are kept at arm's length without titles or rank, while wet nurses favored in private enjoy great fiefs—the violent storms and hail owe to this as well. Again: the late Grand Tutor Chen Fan gave his life to the throne, yet was ensnared by wicked men and in a single stroke destroyed. The cruelty of it shook the empire; his students and former subordinates were all exiled and barred from office. Fan is dead—what can the living do to redeem him! Restore their families and lift the ban. The chief ministers are the state's great anchors; upon them the realm's fate hangs. Of the four high ministers now, only Minister of Works Liu Chong holds fast to integrity; the rest feast on empty salaries and invite disaster—the omen of the broken leg and overturned feast cannot be far off. Use these portents to remove them all, recall former Minister of Works Wang Chang and Chamberlain for Changle Li Ying to govern—and the calamities may abate and the dynasty endure." Those around the throne hated what he said. He was posted as assistant to the grand administrator of Guangling, resigned his post, and went home. Cao Jie's nephew Shao, grand administrator of Dong Commandery, had Bi arrested on another charge and tortured to death in prison.
18
祿 西 西穿 西 西
The emperor asked Director of the Imperial Secretariat Yang Ci about the serpent omen. Ci submitted a sealed memorial: "Blessings do not arrive without cause, nor disasters without warning. When a ruler's heart holds a thought, even before it shows on his face, the five planets shift and yin and yang alter their courses. When the royal pole is unsettled, serpent portents appear. The Odes say: "Only the viper, only the snake—the omen of a woman." May Your Majesty hold to the firm way of Heaven, keep inner and outer in their proper places, restrain the Huangfu faction's power, and cut away fondness for a beautiful consort—then the serpent omen will fade and blessings will follow." Ci was the son of Yang Bing. In the fifth month, Grand Commandant Wenren Xi and Minister of Works Xu Xu were removed from office; In the sixth month Liu Chong, Minister over the Masses, was appointed Grand Commandant; Xu Xun of Runan, Grand Master of Ceremonies, became Minister over the Masses; and Liu Xiao of Changsha, Grand Master of the Stud, was made Minister of Works. Liu Xiao had long curried favor with the eunuch attendants, and that was how he rose to the highest offices. An edict sent Internuncio Feng Chan to win the surrender of the scattered Qiang in Hanyang. Duan Yong reasoned that with spring planting underway and farmers scattered across the fields, the Qiang might submit for the moment, but with no government granaries to feed them they would soon turn bandit again. Better to strike while they were exposed—troops released now would surely wipe them out. Yong advanced his camp to within forty or fifty li of the Qiang encampment at Fanting Mountain and sent Cavalry Major Tian Yan and Acting Major Xia Yu ahead with five thousand men to break them. The Qiang broke and fled east, regrouping at Shehu Valley and posting troops at the upper and lower passes. Yong planned to finish them in one blow and would not let them scatter again. In autumn, the seventh month, Yong had a thousand men at Xi County build a wooden palisade twenty paces wide and forty li long to block their escape. He sent Yan and Yu with seven thousand men, mouths gagged with wooden pegs, up West Mountain by night to camp and dig trenches a li from the enemy. Major Zhang Kai led three thousand up East Mountain—and only then did the Qiang notice. Yong and Kai pressed the attack from both mountains, routed the Qiang, and pursued them to the valley gates—through mountain fastnesses and deep ravines, breaking them everywhere—taking nineteen thousand heads from chieftains down to the rank and file. Four thousand Qiang whom Feng Chan had won over were settled across Anding, Hanyang, and Longxi commanderies. The Eastern Qiang were pacified at last. In all Yong fought one hundred eighty engagements, took more than thirty-eight thousand heads, seized more than four hundred twenty-seven thousand head of livestock, spent four hundred forty million cash, and lost just over four hundred soldiers; He was promoted to Marquis of Xinfeng, with a fief of ten thousand households.
19
-{}--{}- 使 使
Master Guang comments: The Book of Documents says: "Heaven and Earth are the parents of all things; of all things, man alone is the spirit endowed. Let the wise and enlightened become sovereign, and the sovereign become the people's parents." The barbarian tribes of the four directions differ in nature, yet in seeking gain and fleeing harm, in loving life and fearing death, they are no different from us. Govern them rightly and they submit; govern them wrongly and they rebel and raid—that is only to be expected. The ancient kings punished rebellion and embraced submission, settling tribes on the outer marches so they would not disrupt the civilized realm—nothing more. To treat them like weeds and wild beasts—to make no distinction between the loyal and the hostile, the departing and the staying—and slaughter them all: is that the mind of a ruler who would be the people's parent? The Qiang rebel because commandery and county officials wrong them; when rebels go unpunished, it is because the wrong men hold command. Send able generals to drive them beyond the frontier and appoint worthy officials to govern them, and they become guardians of the border—what joy is there in slaughter for its own sake! Govern badly and even the people of the heartland will rise in rebellion—can you execute them all? Duan Jiming won his battles and earned his laurels—but a gentleman will have no part of such methods.
20
In the ninth month the Man of Jiangxia rebelled; provincial and commandery forces put them down.
21
The Shanyue of Danyang besieged Grand Administrator Chen Yin; Yin drove them off in defeat.
22
Though Li Ying and his fellows had been barred from office, scholars everywhere honored their integrity and despised the court. Men vied to join them, outdoing one another in praise, and coined titles: Dou Wu, Chen Fan, and Liu Shu they called the Three Lords—lords, meaning the men an age holds up as its exemplars; Li Ying, Xun Yi, Du Mi, Wang Chang, Liu You, Wei Lang, Zhao Dian, and Zhu Yu were the Eight Talents—talents, meaning the finest men of their generation; Guo Tai, Fan Pang, Yin Xun, Ba Su, Zong Ci of Nanyang, Xia Fu of Chenliu, Cai Yan of Runan, and Yang Zhi of Taishan were called the Eight Guardians—guardians, men who drew others toward them through virtue and character; Zhang Jian, Zhai Chao, Cen Zhi, Yuan Kang, Liu Biao of Shanyang, Chen Xiang of Runan, Kong Yu of Lu, and Tan Fu of Shanyang were the Eight Peers—peers, men who led others to emulate the worthy; Du Shang, Zhang Miao of Dongping, Wang Xiao, Liu Ru of Dong Commandery, Humu Ban of Taishan, Qin Zhou of Chenliu, Fan Xiang of Lu, and Wang Zhang of Donglai were the Eight Granaries—granaries, men who rescued others with their wealth. When Chen Fan and Dou Wu came to power, they once again advanced Li Ying and his fellows; When Chen Fan and Dou Wu were killed, Li Ying and the others were stripped of office once more. The eunuchs loathed Li Ying and his circle, and in every edict they issued they renewed the ban on partisan association. Hou Lan harbored a special hatred for Zhang Jian. Zhu Bing, a fellow townsman of Lan's, was by nature sycophantic and corrupt and had been spurned by Jian. Reading Lan's mind, he memorialized the throne that Jian and twenty-four men of their district had taken up separate titles and formed a partisan clique bent on subverting the state—with Jian as their ringleader. An edict went out, names published, commanding the arrest of Zhang Jian and his associates.
23
In winter, the tenth month, Cao Jie, Grand Director of the Palace Household, maneuvered the relevant offices into memorializing: "All those ensnared in the partisan inquiry—the former Minister of Works Yu Fang, Li Ying, Du Mi, Zhu Yu, Xun Yi, Zhai Chao, Liu Ru, Fan Pang, and others—should be handed over to the provinces and commanderies for trial and punishment." The emperor was then fourteen. He asked Cao Jie and the others, "What does it mean to be caught up in a partisan inquiry?" They replied, "To be implicated in a partisan association is to be a partisan." The emperor said, "What crime have these partisans committed that they must be put to death?" They answered, "They band together and promote one another, scheming treason." The emperor said, "What treason do they intend?" They answered, "They mean to overthrow the state." The emperor approved the memorial. Someone said to Li Ying, "You should flee!" He replied, "To refuse no duty however hard, to accept punishment rather than evade it—that is a subject's honor. I am sixty years old. Life and death are Heaven's decree—where could I flee?" He went straight to the imperial prison and died under interrogation; His disciples and former retainers were all barred from office. Censor Jing Yi of Shu Commandery had sent his son Gu to study under Li Ying. Gu's name appeared on no register, so he escaped punishment. Yi declared in anger, "I believed Ying a worthy man and entrusted my son to him—shall I slip through the rolls and save myself alone?" He memorialized the throne for his own dismissal and went home.
24
使 使
Wu Dao, chief clerk of Runan, was ordered to arrest Fan Pang. At Zhengyang he shut himself in the post station, clutching the edict, weeping face down on his bed while the whole county stood paralyzed. When Pang heard of it he said, "This must be for my sake." He went straight to the jail. Magistrate Guo Yi was stunned. He came out, removed his seal of office, and tried to flee with Pang, crying, "The world is wide—why must you stay here!" Pang said, "My death will stop the calamity here. How could I let my guilt fall upon you? And would that not also force my aged mother into exile?" His mother came to take her leave. Pang said to her, "Zhongbo is filial and dutiful—he can provide for you. I follow my father, Lord Longshu, to the Yellow Springs—in life and death we each have our place. Only grant me this: set aside love that cannot be borne and add no grief to what cannot be changed!" Zhongbo was Pang's younger brother. "Lord Longshu" was Pang's father Xian, who had served as Chancellor to the Marquis of Longshu. His mother said, "You will share fame with Li and Du—what room is left for regret in death! You seek a noble name and a long life together—can any man have both?" Pang knelt to receive her words, bowed twice, and departed. She turned to her son and said, "I might have wished you to do evil, but evil cannot be done; if I wished you to do good, I could not choose evil for myself." Passersby who overheard wept without exception.
25
忿
More than a hundred partisans died; their wives and children were banished to the frontier. Bold men and upright scholars everywhere—the eunuchs denounced them all as partisans; Men with old grudges turned on one another; the slightest feud landed men on the partisan rolls. The provinces obeyed. Some who had never even met the accused were swept up in the ruin. Death, exile, dismissal, and detention claimed six or seven hundred more.
26
When Guo Tai learned the partisans were dead, he grieved privately, quoting the Book of Songs: "When good men perish, the realm withers. The Han dynasty is finished. Only one question remains: 'The crow looks and settles—on whose roof?'" Guo Tai appraised men's character but never spoke recklessly or with dangerous severity, and so weathered a corrupt age unscathed.
27
Zhang Jian fled for his life, knocking at every door. All honored his repute and risked ruin to shelter him. He eventually made his way to Donglai and took refuge with Li Du. Mao Qin, magistrate of Waihuang, arrived at the door with soldiers. Du sat him down and said, "Zhang Jian is a fugitive with a price on his head—how could I hide him! If he is truly here, consider: he is a man of fame and principle. Would Your Honor truly arrest him?" Qin rose and clasped Du's hand. "Qu Boyu was ashamed to be the only gentleman—why should you keep all the honor for yourself!" Du said, "Share him with me now and you take half the credit." Qin sighed and left. Li Du guided Zhang Jian via Beihai and Xi Ziran's home, then through Yuyang and across the frontier. Wherever he had stayed, more than ten hosts were executed. Investigations swept the empire; whole clans were destroyed; counties and commanderies lay in wreckage.
28
Zhang Jian was old friends with Kong Bao of Lu. He fled to Bao's house but missed him; Bao's sixteen-year-old brother Rong hid him instead. When the matter came out, Jian escaped. The kingdom Chancellor arrested Bao and Rong; none could say which should bear guilt. Rong said, "I sheltered him—I alone am guilty." Bao said, "He came for me—not my brother's fault." The officers questioned their mother. She said, "The elder son runs the household—the guilt is mine." The whole family vied to die for the others. The local authorities could not decide and referred the case upward; in the end Kong Bao was condemned. When the partisan ban was lifted, Zhang Jian returned home. He later served as Minister of the Guards and died at eighty-four.
29
Xia Fu, hearing of Zhang Jian's flight, sighed, "I brought this ruin on myself and have only stained the innocent. One man runs and ten thousand households suffer. Why go on living?" He cut his beard, altered his features, and withdrew to Mount Linlu under a false name, hiring himself to a smith and tending the forge until his body was broken. For two or three years no one recognized him. His brother Jing found him with silks and goods. Fu refused them: "Brother, would you bring catastrophe to me as a gift?" He died before the partisan ban was lifted.
30
使 軿 便
When the eunuch Zhang Rang's father died and was buried in Yingchuan, the whole commandery turned out—but no man of reputation attended, to Rang's shame. Chen Shi alone paid his respects. When the partisans were marked for death, Zhang Rang spared many for Chen Shi's sake. He Yong of Nanyang, a friend of Chen Fan and Li Ying, was also hunted. He changed his name and hid in Runan, where he became Yuan Shao's closest ally. He slipped into Luoyang in secret, plotted with Shao, and engineered escapes for scholars caught in the purge—saving a great many. Grand Marshal Yuan Tang had three sons: Cheng, Sui, and Kui. Cheng was the father of Yuan Shao; Sui was the father of Yuan Shu. Sui and Kui were both well known and had held high office early in life. The eunuch Yuan She, sharing the clan name, championed Sui and Kui as family allies of a great ministerial house. The Yuans flourished—wealthy beyond other noble lines. Yuan Shao was imposing in bearing, cultivated scholars and reputation, and drew crowds of retainers—carriages choked the streets around his gates. Yuan Shu was known for his swashbuckling spirit. Hong, a cousin's son in Sui's branch, lived by farming and study from youth. Sui and Kui sent him gifts repeatedly; he refused them all. Hong watched troubled times and a rich household and often warned his brothers: "Our ancestor's blessings—yet our kin guard them with pride, not virtue, grasping for power in chaos. This is the Three Xi of Jin all over again." When the purge began, Hong wished to vanish into the wilds, but his mother was aged, so instead he built an earthen cell in the courtyard with no door, taking food through the window. When his mother missed him she would visit at the window; when she left he sealed himself in again. Not even wife or brothers could see him. He lived hidden eighteen years and died in his earthen cell. Fan Pang and his circle did not openly attack the court, yet from the highest ministers down all deferred to them. University students emulated them, believing learning would flourish and worthy recluses would serve again. Shentu Pan alone warned: "In the Warring States, freelance scholars held forth and kings swept paths before them—and it ended in buried scholars and burnt books. The same is coming now." He vanished into the wilds between Liang and Dang, built a hut from branches, and lived like a hired hand. Two years later Fan Pang and the rest were indeed caught in the calamity of the partisan proscription—only Pan, keeping his distance, escaped the reckoning.
31
Sima Guang remarks: When the realm is governed by the Way, gentlemen speak openly at court to judge petty men's crimes, and no one dares rebel; when the realm has lost the Way, gentlemen hold their tongues to avoid petty men's vengeance—and still may not escape. The partisans lived in a fallen age, out of office, with chaos everywhere—yet they hoped to save the realm with words alone, praising and condemning, stirring up what was filthy and what was pure, rousing vipers and treading on tigers. They earned torture, destroyed their friends, wiped out the scholar class, and the state followed into ruin. What tragedy! Guo Tai alone was wise enough to preserve himself; Shentu Pan saw the turning point and acted without delay—how far beyond the rest!
32
On the last day of the geng-zi cycle the sun was eclipsed. In the eleventh month Grand Marshal Liu Chong was removed from office; Guo Xi of Fugou, Director of the Imperial Transport, was appointed Grand Marshal. The Xianbei raided Bing Province. Cao Jie, Chancellor of Changletai, lay gravely ill and was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry by edict. He soon recovered, returned the seal, and resumed his post as Regular Attendant with the rank of Special Advance and salary of middle two thousand shi. Bogu, king of Goguryeo, raided Liaodong. Geng Lin, Grand Administrator of Xuantu, attacked and accepted his surrender.
33
In spring, the third month, on the last day of bing-yin, the sun was eclipsed. Duan Jiong was recalled to the capital and appointed Palace Attendant. Jiong spent more than ten years on the frontier, never once sleeping in comfort, sharing every hardship with his men. They fought willingly to the death for him, and his campaigns never failed.
34
西 輿
In summer, the fourth month, Grand Marshal Guo Xi was removed from office; Grand Counselor Wenren Xi was appointed Grand Marshal in his place. In autumn, the seventh month, Minister of Works Liu Xiao was removed from office; In the eighth month, Qiao Xuan of Liang State, Grand Herald, was appointed Minister of Works. In the ninth month, Dong Chong, Commandant of the Capital Guard, was found guilty of using forged petitions in Empress Dowager Yongle's name, was imprisoned, and died there. In winter, Gu Yong, Grand Administrator of Yulin, won over more than a hundred thousand Wuhu people through kindness and trust; they all submitted to Han rule, received official caps and sashes, and seven new counties were established. Meng Tuo of Fufeng, Inspector of Liang Province, dispatched his aide Ren She with five hundred Dunhuang troops, and together with Wuji Commandant Cao Kuan and Chief Clerk of the Western Regions Zhang Yan, who led forces from Qiuci, Kucha, and the Front and Rear Divisions of the Cheshi, more than thirty thousand men in all, marched against Shule and besieged Zhongzhong city. After more than forty days they failed to capture it and withdrew. Thereafter the kings of Shule slew one another in turn, and the court could no longer restore order there. Earlier, Regular Attendant Zhang Rang kept a steward slave who ran his household affairs, and whose power and presence were loud and overwhelming. Meng Tuo was wealthy and well supplied; he befriended the slave, lavished gifts upon him without stint, and withheld nothing. The slave was deeply grateful and asked what he wanted. Tuo said, "All I want is for you to bow to me once!" At the time, visitors seeking an audience with Rang often lined the road with hundreds or thousands of carriages. When Tuo arrived late and could not get in, the steward slave led the head stewards out to bow to him in the street, and together they carried his carriage through the gate. The guests were astonished, assuming Tuo was on excellent terms with Rang, and all vied to ply him with precious gifts. Tuo shared the gifts with Rang, who was delighted and thereupon had him appointed Inspector of Liang Province.
35
In spring, the first month, on jiazi day, the emperor came of age, proclaimed a general amnesty throughout the realm, but the partisans alone were excluded. In the second month, on guimao day, the earth shook. In the third month, on the first day of xinyou, there was a solar eclipse. Grand Marshal Wenren Xi was removed from office; Li Xian of Runan, Director of the Imperial Transport, was appointed Grand Marshal in his place. A great plague broke out. Minister over the Masses Xu Xun was removed from office; Minister of Works Qiao Xuan was appointed Minister over the Masses;
36
In summer, the fourth month, Lai Yan of Nanyang, Grand Master of Ceremonies, was appointed Minister of Works.
37
In autumn, the seventh month, Minister of Works Lai Yan was removed from office. On guichou day, Noble Lady Song was made empress; she was the daughter of Feng, Commandant of the Capital Guard. Minister over the Masses Qiao Xuan was removed from office; Zong Ju of Nanyang, Grand Master of Ceremonies, was appointed Minister of Works, and former Minister of Works Xu Xu became Minister over the Masses. Because the emperor felt that Empress Dowager Dou had helped put him on the throne,
38
In winter, the tenth month, on the first day of wuzi, he led the court to pay homage to the empress dowager at the Southern Palace and personally offered her the toast of long life. Yellow Gate Commandant Dong Meng repeatedly pressed the empress dowager's case before the emperor, who took it deeply to heart and increased her stipends and support beyond what she had received before. Cao Jie and Wang Fu resented this, falsely accused Dong Meng of slandering Yongle Palace, had him imprisoned, and he died there. The Xianbei raided Bing Province.
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