1
資治通鑑第080卷
Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, Volume 80
2
【晉紀二】起昭陽大荒落，盡屠維大淵獻，凡七年。
[Records of Jin, Number Two] Spanning from the cyclical year Zhaoyang Dahuangluo through Tuwei Dayuanxian—seven years in all.
3
世祖武皇帝上之下泰始九年（ 癸巳，公元二七三年）
The Founding Emperor Wu of Jin, Upper Part II—Taishi, Year Nine ( guisi, 273 CE)
4
春，正月，辛酉，密陵元侯鄭袤卒。
In spring, in the first month, on xinyou, Zheng Mao, Marquis Yuan of Miling, died.
5
二月，癸巳，樂陵武公石苞卒。
In the second month, on guisi, Shi Bao, Duke Wu of Leling, died.
6
三月，立皇子祗為東海王。
In the third month, the emperor invested his son Zhi as Prince of Donghai.
7
吳以陸抗為大司馬、荊州牧。
Wu appointed Lu Kang Grand Marshal and Governor of Jing Province.
8
夏，四月，戊辰朔，日有食之。
In summer, in the fourth month, on the new moon of wuchen, the sun was eclipsed.
9
初，鄧艾之死，人皆冤之，而朝廷無為之辨者。 及帝即位，議郎敦煌段灼上疏曰：「鄧艾心懷至忠，而荷反逆之名，平定巴、蜀而受三族之誅。 艾性剛急，矜功伐善，不能協同朋類，故莫肯理之。 臣竊以為艾本屯田掌犢人，寵位已極，功名已成，七十老公，復何所求！ 正以劉禪初降，遠郡未附，矯令承製，權安社稷。 鐘會有悖逆之心。 畏艾威名，因其疑似，構成其事。 艾被詔書，即遣強兵，束身就縛，不敢顧望，誠自知奉見先帝，必無當死之理也。 會受誅之後，艾官屬將吏，愚戇相聚，自共追艾，破壞檻車，解其囚執。 艾在困地，狼狽失據，未嘗與腹心之人有平素之謀，獨受腹背之誅，豈不哀哉！ 陛下龍興，闡弘大度，謂可聽艾歸葬舊墓，還其田宅，以平蜀之功繼封其後，使艾闔棺定謚，死無所恨，則天下徇名之士，思立功之臣，必投湯火，樂為陛下死矣！」 帝善其言而未能從。 會帝問給事中樊建以諸葛亮之治蜀，曰：「吾獨不得如亮者而臣之乎？」 建稽首曰：「陛下知鄧艾之冤而不能直，雖得亮，得無如馮唐之言乎！」 帝笑曰：「卿言起我意。」 乃以艾孫朗為郎中。
When Deng Ai was put to death, the public widely regarded it as a miscarriage of justice, yet the court offered no vindication. After the emperor's accession, Duan Zhuo of Dunhuang, Reviewer of Proposals, submitted a memorial: "Deng Ai's heart was steeped in the utmost loyalty, yet he was branded a rebel; he pacified Ba and Shu, yet his three clans were put to death. Deng Ai was stern and impatient by nature, boastful of his own achievements and dismissive of others' merits, and unable to get along with his peers—so no one would speak up for him. I venture to believe that Deng Ai began as a mere calf-herder in the military colonies; he had already reached the pinnacle of favor and rank, and his merit and fame were complete—a man of seventy, what more could he possibly want? It was only because Liu Shan had just surrendered and distant commanderies had not yet come over that he issued orders in the emperor's name as a provisional measure to stabilize the realm. Zhong Hui harbored treasonous intent. Fearing Deng Ai's renown, he exploited the appearance of guilt to fabricate the case against him. When Deng Ai received the imperial edict, he immediately dismissed his crack troops, bound himself, and submitted to arrest without a backward glance—truly believing that once he appeared before the late emperor, he could not possibly be condemned to death. After Zhong Hui was executed, Deng Ai's clerks and officers—foolish and impulsive men—gathered on their own, pursued him together, smashed the prisoner cart, and freed him from his bonds. Deng Ai was trapped in desperate circumstances, flustered and without support; he had never plotted with trusted confidants, yet alone suffered death from both sides—is this not pitiable? Your Majesty has ascended the throne with magnanimity beyond measure—I beg that you permit Deng Ai to be buried in his ancestral grave, restore his lands and home, and on the strength of his pacification of Shu continue to enfeoff his descendants, so that he may close his coffin with a settled posthumous title and die without regret; then every man of honor in the realm and every minister who aspires to merit will cast himself into fire and water and gladly die for Your Majesty!" The emperor approved of his argument but could not act on it. On another occasion the emperor asked Fan Jian, Attendant Within the Yellow Gates, about Zhuge Liang's governance of Shu: "Can I not find someone like Liang to serve as my minister?" Jian kowtowed and said: "Your Majesty knows of Deng Ai's injustice yet cannot set it right—even if you obtained a Zhuge Liang, would it not be as Feng Tang said?" The emperor laughed and said: "Your words have stirred my conscience." Thereupon he appointed Deng Ai's grandson Lang as a Gentleman of the Palace.
10
吳人多言祥瑞者，吳主以問侍中韋昭，昭曰：「此家人筐篋中物耳！」 昭領左國史，吳主欲為其父作紀，昭曰：「文皇不登帝位，當為傳，不當為紀。」 吳主不悅，漸見責怒。 昭憂懼，自陳衰老，求去侍、史二官，不聽。 時有疾病，醫藥監護，持之益急。 吳主飲群臣酒，不問能否，率以七升為限。 至昭，獨以茶代之，後更見逼強。 又酒後常使侍臣嘲弄公卿，發摘私短以為歡； 時有愆失，輒見收縛，至於誅戮。 昭以為外相毀傷，內長尤恨，使群臣不睦，不為佳事，故但難問經義而已。 吳主以為不奉詔命，意不忠盡，積前後嫌忿，遂收昭付獄。 昭因獄吏上辭，獻所著書，冀以此求免。 而吳主怪其書垢故，更被詰責，遂誅昭，徙其家於零陵。
Many in Wu were reporting auspicious omens; the Wu ruler questioned Palace Attendant Wei Zhao about them. Zhao said: "These are merely trinkets from a household basket!" Zhao headed the Left National Historian; the Wu ruler wished to compose a chronicle for his father. Zhao said: "Literary Emperor never took the imperial throne—he should receive a biography, not a chronicle." The Wu ruler was displeased and gradually began to rebuke and rage at him. Zhao grew anxious and fearful; he declared himself aged and asked to resign his posts as Attendant and Historian, but was refused. When he fell ill, physicians were assigned to watch over him, and the restrictions on him grew ever tighter. The Wu ruler made his ministers drink at court, without regard to their capacity—all were required to consume seven sheng. When it came to Zhao, he alone substituted tea for wine—and afterward was pressed all the harder. Moreover, after drinking he often had his attendant ministers mock the high officials, exposing their private faults for amusement; whenever anyone slipped, he was immediately seized, and sometimes executed. Zhao believed that outwardly they injured one another while inwardly resentment grew, estranging the ministers—hardly a wholesome practice—so he confined himself to posing difficult questions on the classics. The Wu ruler judged that he had defied the imperial command and was not wholly loyal; accumulating old and new resentments, he seized Zhao and cast him into prison. Zhao submitted a plea through the prison clerk and presented the books he had written, hoping thereby to win his release. But the Wu ruler took offense at his books being soiled and worn, rebuked him further, executed Zhao, and banished his family to Lingling.
11
五月，以何曾領司徒。
In the fifth month, He Zeng was appointed acting Minister over the Masses.
12
六月，乙未，東海王祗卒。
In the sixth month, on yiwei, Prince Zhi of Donghai died.
13
秋，七月，丁酉朔，日有食之。
In autumn, in the seventh month, on the new moon of dingyou, the sun was eclipsed.
14
詔選公卿以下女備六宮，有蔽匿者以不敬論。 采擇未畢，權禁天下嫁娶。 帝使楊後擇之，後惟取潔白長大而捨其美者。 帝愛卞氏女，欲留之。 後曰：「卞氏三世後族，不可屈以卑位。」 帝怒，乃自擇之，中選者以絳紗系臂，公卿之女為三夫人、九嬪、二千石、將、校女補良人以下。
An edict ordered that daughters of officials from the rank of duke and grandee downward be selected to fill the six palaces; anyone who concealed a candidate would be charged with disrespect. Before the selection was complete, marriages throughout the realm were provisionally forbidden. The emperor had Empress Yang conduct the selection; the empress chose only those who were fair-skinned, tall, and large, and set aside the truly beautiful. The emperor favored a daughter of the Bian clan and wished to keep her. The empress said: "The Bian clan has produced empresses for three generations—she cannot be demeaned to a low rank." The emperor was angry and made the selection himself; those chosen had crimson gauze bound on their arms. Daughters of dukes and grandees were made the Three Ladies and Nine Imperial Concubines; daughters of two-thousand-bushel officials, generals, and colonels filled ranks from Good Lady downward.
15
九月，吳主悉封其子弟為十一王，王給三千兵。 大赦。
In the ninth month, the Wu ruler enfeoffed all his sons and younger brothers as eleven kings, each granted three thousand troops. A general amnesty was declared.
16
是歲，鄭沖以壽光公罷。
That year, Zheng Chong resigned his title as Duke of Shouguang.
17
吳主愛姬遣人至市奪民物，司市中郎將陳聲素有寵於吳主，繩之以法。 姬訴於吳主，吳主怒，假他事燒鋸斷聲頭，投其身於四望之下。
The Wu ruler's favorite consort sent men to the market to seize civilians' goods; Chen Sheng, Commandant of the Center Army and Market Superintendent, who had long enjoyed the ruler's favor, restrained them according to law. The consort complained to the Wu ruler; enraged, he used another pretext to burn and saw through Sheng's head and cast his body below the Four Vistas pavilion.
18
世祖武皇帝上之下泰始十年（ 甲午，公元二七四年）
The Founding Emperor Wu of Jin, Upper Part II—Taishi, Year Ten ( jiawu, 274 CE)
19
春，正月，乙未，日有食之。
In spring, in the first month, on yiwei, the sun was eclipsed.
20
閏月，癸酉，壽光成公鄭沖卒。
In the intercalary month, on guiyou, Zheng Chong, Duke Cheng of Shouguang, died.
21
丁亥，詔曰：「近世以來，多由內寵以登后妃，亂尊卑之序； 自今不得以妾媵為正嫡。」 分幽州置平州。
On dinghai, an edict declared: "In recent times, many have risen to empress and consort through inner favorites, disordering the proper hierarchy of rank; henceforth no concubine attendant may be made the principal wife." Ping Province was established by partitioning You Province.
22
三月，癸亥，日有食之。
In the third month, on guihai, the sun was eclipsed.
23
詔又取良家及小將吏女五千餘人入宮選之，母子號哭於宮中，聲聞於外。
Another edict brought more than five thousand daughters of good families and of junior officers into the palace for selection; mothers and daughters wailed within the palace until their cries were heard outside.
24
夏，四月，己未，臨淮康公荀顗卒。
In summer, in the fourth month, on jiwei, Xun Yi, Duke Kang of Linhuai, died.
25
吳左夫人王氏卒。 吳主哀念，數月不出，葬送甚盛。 時何氏以太后故，宗族驕橫。 吳主舅子何都貌類吳主，民間訛言：「吳主已死，立者何都也。」 會稽又訛言：「章安侯奮當為天子。」 奮母仲姬墓在豫章，豫章太守張俊為之掃除。 臨海太守奚熙與會稽太守郭誕書，非議國政； 誕但白熙書，不白妖言。 吳主怒，收誕繫獄，誕懼。 功曹邵疇曰：「疇在，明府何憂？」 遂詣吏自列曰：「疇廁身本郡，位極朝右，以噂𠴲之語，本非事實，疾其醜聲，不忍聞見，欲含垢藏疾，不彰之翰墨，鎮躁歸靜，使之自息。 故誕屈其所是，默以見從。 此之為愆，實由於疇。 不敢逃死，歸罪有司。」 因自殺。 吳主乃免誕死，送付建安作船。 遣其舅三郡督何植收奚熙。 熙發兵自守，其部曲殺熙，送首建業。 又車裂張俊，皆夷三族。 並誅章安侯奮及其五子。
In Wu, the Left Lady Wang died. The Wu ruler mourned her deeply; for several months he did not leave his quarters, and her burial and send-off were exceedingly lavish. At the time the He clan, on account of the empress dowager, were arrogant and overbearing. The Wu ruler's nephew by marriage He Du resembled the ruler in appearance; a rumor spread among the people: "The Wu ruler is dead—who has been enthroned? He Du!" In Kuaiji another rumor spread: "Marquis Fen of Zhang'an is destined to become emperor." Fen's mother Zhong Ji's tomb was in Yuzhang; Zhang Jun, Administrator of Yuzhang, had it swept and cleaned. Xi Xi, Administrator of Linhai, and Guo Dan, Administrator of Kuaiji, exchanged letters criticizing state affairs; Dan reported only Xi's letter, not the seditious rumors. The Wu ruler was enraged, seized Dan, and cast him into prison; Dan was terrified. Recorder Shao Chou said: "While I am here, my lord, what need you fear?" He thereupon went to the clerk and confessed, saying: "I have served in this commandery, my rank reaching the highest in the court; the slanderous talk was not factual—I detested its ugly sound and could not bear to hear it, wishing to bear the stain and conceal the fault, not commit it to writing, to calm agitation and restore quiet, and let it die away of itself. Therefore Dan set aside what he knew to be right and silently yielded to me. This fault in truth derives from me alone. I dare not flee death and shift the blame to my superiors." Thereupon he took his own life. The Wu ruler thereupon spared Dan from death and sent him to Jian'an to build ships. He dispatched his maternal uncle He Zhi, Superintendent of Three Commanderies, to seize Xi Xi. Xi raised troops to defend himself; his subordinate officers killed him and sent his head to Jianye. Zhang Jun was also torn apart by chariots, and all three clans were exterminated. Marquis Fen of Zhang'an and his five sons were also executed.
26
秋，七月，丙寅，皇后楊氏殂。 初，帝以太子不慧，恐不堪為嗣，常密以訪後。 後曰：「立子以長不以賢，豈可動也！」 鎮軍大將軍胡奮女為貴嬪，有寵於帝，後疾篤，恐帝立貴嬪為後，致太子不安，枕帝膝泣曰：「叔父駿女芷有德色，願陛下以備六宮。」 帝流涕許之。
In autumn, in the seventh month, on bingyin, Empress Yang died. Earlier, because the emperor judged the crown prince dull-witted and feared he was unfit to succeed, he often consulted the empress in secret. The empress said: "A son is established by seniority, not by merit—how can this be altered?" The daughter of Pacifying Army Grand General Hu Fen was an Honored Consort favored by the emperor. When the empress fell gravely ill, fearing the emperor would make the Honored Consort empress and unsettle the crown prince, she rested her head on the emperor's knee and wept: "Your uncle Jun's daughter Zhi has both virtue and beauty—I beg Your Majesty to take her into the six palaces." The emperor wept and assented.
27
以前太常山濤為吏部尚書。 濤典選十餘年，每一官缺，輒擇才資可為者啟擬數人，得詔旨有所向，然後顯奏之。 帝之所用，或非舉首，眾情不察，以濤輕重任意，言之於帝，帝益親愛之。 濤甄拔人物，各為題目而奏之，時稱「山公啟事」。
Former Grand Master of Ceremonies Shan Tao was appointed Minister of the Civil Service. Tao oversaw personnel selection for more than ten years; whenever an office fell vacant, he would nominate several qualified candidates in a sealed recommendation, and only after receiving the emperor's preference would he formally memorialize his choice. Those the emperor appointed were sometimes not the first nominee; the court did not perceive this and accused Tao of arbitrary favoritism; when they reported this to the emperor, he grew all the more intimate and fond of him. Tao selected and promoted talent, composing a descriptive title for each nominee and memorializing him—at the time these were known as "Lord Shan's sealed recommendations."
28
濤薦嵇紹於帝，請以為秘書郎，帝發詔征之。 紹以父康得罪，屏居私門，欲辭不就。 濤謂之曰：「為君思之久矣，天地四時，猶有消息，況於人乎！」 紹乃應命，帝以為秘書丞。
Tao recommended Ji Shao to the emperor and requested him as Secretariat Gentleman; the emperor issued an edict summoning him. Because his father Kang had been punished for an offense, Shao lived in seclusion at home and wished to decline the appointment. Tao said to him: "I have long considered your case—even heaven and earth and the four seasons still wax and wane; how much more so for men!" Shao thereupon accepted the appointment, and the emperor made him Secretariat Assistant.
29
初，東關之敗，文帝問僚屬曰：「近日之事，誰任其咎？」 安東司馬王儀，修之子也，對曰：「責在元帥。」 文帝怒曰：「司馬欲委罪孤邪！」 引出斬之。 儀子裒痛父非命，隱居教授，三征七辟，皆不就。 未嘗西向而坐，廬於墓側，旦夕攀柏悲號，涕淚著樹，樹為之枯。 讀《詩》至「哀哀父母，生我劬勞」，未嘗不三復流涕，門人為之廢《蓼莪》。 家貧，計口而田，度身而蠶； 人或饋之，不受； 助之，不聽。 諸生密為刈麥，裒輒棄之。 遂不仕而終。
Earlier, after the defeat at Dongguan, Emperor Wen asked his staff: "Who bears the blame for recent events?" Wang Yi, Pacifying the East Army Major and son of Wang Xiu, replied: "The blame lies with the commander-in-chief." Emperor Wen raged: "Does the Major wish to shift the blame onto me?" He was led out and beheaded. Yi's son Bao grieved his father's untimely death, lived in seclusion as a teacher, and though thrice summoned and seven times recommended, never accepted office. He never sat facing west, but built a hut beside the tomb; morning and evening he clung to the cypress wailing in grief until his tears stained the tree—and the tree withered. When he read the Odes to the lines "Alas, alas, my parents—bearing me was toil and labor," he never failed to read them thrice over and weep; his disciples therefore stopped reciting the "Kudzu" ode in his presence. His family was poor; he tilled only enough land to feed his household and raised silkworms only enough to clothe himself; if anyone offered him gifts, he refused them; if anyone tried to help him, he would not hear of it. His students secretly reaped his wheat for him, but Bao always threw it away. He never took office and died in seclusion.
30
臣光曰：昔舜誅鯀而禹事舜，不敢廢至公也。 嵇康、王儀，死皆不以其罪，二子不仕晉室可也。 嵇紹苟無蕩陰之忠，殆不免於君子之譏乎！
Sima Guang comments: In antiquity Shun executed Gun, yet Yu still served Shun—he did not dare abandon supreme impartiality. Ji Kang and Wang Yi both died for crimes they did not commit; it was fitting that their sons refused to serve the Jin house. Had Ji Shao lacked the loyalty he showed at Dangyin, he would scarcely have escaped the censure of gentlemen!
31
吳大司馬陸抗疾病，上疏曰：「西陵、建平，國之蕃表，即處上流，受敵二境。 若敵泛舟順流，星奔電邁，非可恃援他部以救倒縣也。 此乃社稷安危之機，非徒封疆侵陵小害也。 臣父遜，昔在西垂上言：『西陵，國之西門，雖雲易守，亦復易失。 若有不守，非但失一郡，荊州非吳有也。 如其有虞，當傾國爭之。』 臣前乞屯精兵三萬，而主者循常，未肯差赴。 自步闡以後，益更損耗。 今臣所統千里，外御強對，內懷百蠻，而上下見兵，財有數萬，羸敝日久，難以待變。 臣愚，以為諸王幼沖，無用兵馬以妨要務； 又，黃門宦官開立占募，兵民避役，逋逃入占。 乞特詔簡閱，一切料出，以補疆場受敵常處，使臣所部足滿八萬，省息眾務，並力備御，庶幾無虞。 若其不然，深可憂也！ 臣死之後，乞以西方為屬。」 及卒，吳主使其子晏、景、玄、機、雲分將其兵。 機、雲皆善屬文，名重於世。
Lu Kang, Grand Marshal of Wu, fell ill and submitted a memorial: "Xiling and Jianping are the outer bulwarks of the state; they lie on the upper reaches of the Yangzi and face enemies on two frontiers. If the enemy sends boats downstream, racing like stars and lightning, one cannot rely on reinforcements from other commands to rescue a realm in peril. This concerns the very safety of the realm—not merely a minor border incursion. My father Lu Xun, when he held the western frontier, wrote: "Xiling is the western gate of the state—though called easy to defend, it is also easy to lose." If it falls, we lose not merely one commandery—Jing Province would no longer belong to Wu. If trouble arises there, the whole state must be thrown into the contest." I previously requested thirty thousand crack troops, but the authorities followed routine and refused to send them. Since Bu Chan's rebellion, our losses have grown ever worse. The territory I command stretches a thousand li, warding off strong foes without and harboring a hundred barbarian peoples within; yet my effective troops number only in the tens of thousands, worn and exhausted for years—hardly fit to meet sudden crisis. I venture to think the princes are young and tender—there is no need to assign them troops and horses that would drain our vital resources; Moreover, eunuchs of the Yellow Gates have opened patronage enrollments; soldiers and civilians avoid corvée duty and flee into their protection. I beg a special edict to review and expel all such persons, to replenish the border posts that regularly face the enemy, so that my command may be brought up to eighty thousand, sparing other burdens and combining our strength for defense—then perhaps we may be secure. If this is not done, our peril is profound! After my death, I beg that the western frontier be entrusted to capable hands." When he died, the Wu ruler had his sons Yan, Jing, Xuan, Ji, and Yun divide command of his troops. Ji and Yun were both accomplished writers, renowned throughout the realm.
32
初，周魴之子處，膂力絕人，不修細行，鄉里患之。 處嘗問父老曰：「今時和歲豐而人不樂，何邪？」 父老歎曰：「三害不除，何樂之有！」 處曰：「何謂也？」 父老曰：「南山白額虎，長橋蛟，並子為三矣。」 處曰：「若所患止此，吾能除之。」 乃入山求虎，射殺之，因投水，搏殺蛟。 遂從機、雲受學，篤志讀書，砥節礪行，比及期年，州府交辟。
Earlier, Zhou Fang's son Chu possessed extraordinary strength, paid no heed to propriety, and was a scourge to his village. Chu once asked the village elders: "The seasons are fair and the harvest abundant, yet the people are not joyful—why?" The elders sighed: "Until the three scourges are removed, what joy can there be!" Chu asked: "What do you mean?" The elders said: "The white-browed tiger of South Mountain, the flood dragon of Long Bridge—and you make three." Chu said: "If these are the only troubles, I can remove them." He entered the mountains, shot and killed the tiger, then plunged into the water and wrestled the flood dragon to death. He then studied under Lu Ji and Lu Yun, devoted himself to learning, honed his conduct and character; within a year, the province and prefecture both recommended him for office.
33
八月，戊申，葬元皇后於峻陽陵。 帝及群臣除喪即吉，博士陳逵議，以為：「今時所行，漢帝權制； 太子無有國事，自宜終服。」 尚書杜預以為：「古者天子、諸侯三年之喪，始同齊、斬，既葬除服，諒闇以居，心喪終制。 故周公不言高宗服喪三年而雲諒闇，此服心喪之文也； 叔向不譏景王除喪而譏其宴樂已早，明既葬應除，而違諒闇之節也。 君子之於禮，存諸內而已。 禮非玉帛之謂，喪豈衰麻之謂乎！ 太子出則撫軍，守則監國，不為無事，宜卒哭除衰麻，而以諒闇終三年。」 帝從之。
In the eighth month, on wushen, the Primary Empress was buried at Junyang Mausoleum. The emperor and his ministers removed mourning garments and resumed normal dress. Erudite Chen Kui argued that "what is practiced now is merely the Han emperor's expedient regulation; the crown prince has no state duties and should naturally observe the full mourning period." Minister Du Yu held that "in antiquity the Son of Heaven and feudal lords observed three years' mourning: at first they wore the same mourning garments; after burial they removed them, dwelt in seclusion, and completed the mourning of the heart. Therefore the Duke of Zhou did not say that High Ancestor observed three years' mourning but spoke of seclusion—this is the text of mourning of the heart; Shuxiang did not criticize King Jing for removing mourning garments but criticized him for feasting and music too early—showing that after burial one should remove them, yet he violated the rule of seclusion. For the gentleman, ritual lies within the heart—that is all. Ritual is not a matter of jade and silk offerings; mourning is surely not a matter of hemp garments alone! When the crown prince goes out he commands the army; when he remains he oversees the state—he is not without duties. He should remove the hemp garments at the end of wailing and complete three years in seclusion." The emperor followed this view.
34
臣光曰：規矩主於方圓，然庸工無規矩，則方圓不可得而制也； 衰麻主於哀戚，然庸人無衰麻，則哀戚不可得而勉也。 《素冠》之詩，正為是矣。 杜預巧飾《經》、《傳》以附人情，辯則辯矣，臣謂不若陳逵之言質略而敦實也。
Sima Guang comments: Compasses and squares govern round and square, yet without them the common craftsman cannot achieve either; mourning garments govern grief and sorrow, yet without them the common man cannot be urged to genuine grief. The ode "White Cap" was written precisely for this. Du Yu cleverly adorned the Classics to suit human inclination—clever he was, but I think he falls short of Chen Kui's plain, solid argument.
35
九月，癸亥，以大將軍陳騫為太尉。
In the ninth month, on guihai, Chen Qian, Grand General, was appointed Grand Commandant.
36
杜預以孟津渡險，請建河橋於富平津。 議者以為：「殷、周所都，歷聖賢而不作者，必不可立故也。」 預固請為之。 及橋成，帝從百寮臨會，舉觴屬預曰：「非君，此橋不立。」 對曰：「非陛下之明，臣亦無所施其巧。」
Because the Meng Ford crossing was perilous, Du Yu requested that a bridge be built at Fuping Ford. Critics argued: "At the capitals of Yin and Zhou, through successive sages none built such a bridge—there must be a reason it cannot be done." Yu insisted on building it. When the bridge was completed, the emperor came with his officials to celebrate; raising his cup he said to Yu: "Without you, this bridge would not stand." He replied: "Without Your Majesty's brilliance, I would have had nowhere to apply my skill."
37
是歲，邵陵厲公曹芳卒。 初，芳之廢遷金墉也，太宰中郎陳留范粲素服拜送，哀動左右。 遂稱疾不出，陽狂不言，寢所乘車，足不履地。 子孫有婚宦大事，輒密諮焉，合者則色無變，不合則眠寢不安，妻子以此知其旨。 子喬等三人，並棄學業，絕人事，侍疾家庭，足不出邑裡。 及帝即位，詔以二千石祿養病，加賜帛百匹，喬以父疾篤，辭不敢受。 粲不言凡三十六年，年八十四，終於所寢之車。
That year, Cao Fang, Duke Li of Shaoling, died. When Fang was deposed and moved to Jinfeng, Fan Can of Chenliu, Palace Attendant of the Grand Mentor, came in plain dress to bow in farewell; his grief moved all who witnessed it. He thereupon claimed illness and would not go out, feigned madness and would not speak, slept in his carriage, and would not set foot on the ground. When his descendants faced great matters of marriage or office, they secretly consulted him; if he approved, his expression did not change; if he disapproved, he slept fitfully—his wife and children thereby knew his mind. His sons Qiao and three others all abandoned their studies, withdrew from worldly affairs, tended him at home, and did not leave the district. When the emperor took the throne, an edict granted him a two-thousand-bushel salary to support his illness, with an additional gift of a hundred bolts of silk; Qiao, because his father's illness was grave, declined to accept. Can did not speak for thirty-six years; at age eighty-four he died in the carriage where he had slept.
38
吳比三年大疫。
Wu suffered a great pestilence for three years running.
39
世祖武皇帝上之下咸寧元年（ 乙未，公元二七五年）
The Founding Emperor Wu of Jin, Upper Part II—Xianning, Year One ( yiwei, 275 CE)
40
春，正月，戊午朔，大赦，改元。
In spring, in the first month, on the new moon of wuwu, a general amnesty was declared and the era name was changed.
41
吳掘地得銀尺，上有刻文。 吳主大赦，改元天冊。
In Wu, workers digging the earth found a silver foot-rule with inscribed text upon it. The Wu ruler declared a general amnesty and adopted Tian Ce as the new reign title.
42
吳中書令賀邵，中風不能言，去職數月，吳主疑其詐，收付酒藏，掠考千數，卒無一言，乃燒鋸斷其頭，徙其家屬於臨海。 又誅樓玄子孫。
He Shao, Director of the Masters of Writing in Wu, suffered a stroke and could not speak; he left office for several months. The Wu ruler suspected deception, seized him, and handed him to the wine storehouse; he was flogged and tortured thousands of times yet never uttered a word—thereupon they burned and sawed off his head and banished his family to Linhai. The descendants of Lou Xuan were also executed.
43
夏，六月，鮮卑拓跋力微復遣其子沙漠汗入貢，將還，幽州刺史衛瓘表請留之，又密以金賂其諸部大人離間之。
In summer, in the sixth month, the Xianbei chieftain Toba Liwei again sent his son Shamo Khan to pay tribute; as he was about to return, Wei Guan, Inspector of You Province, memorialized requesting that he be detained, and secretly used gold to bribe the chieftains of the various tribes to sow discord among them.
44
秋，七月，甲申晦，日有食之。
In autumn, in the seventh month, on the last day of jiashen, the sun was eclipsed.
45
冬，十二月，丁亥，追尊宣帝廟曰高祖，景帝曰世宗，文帝曰太祖。
In winter, in the twelfth month, on dinghai, Emperor Xuan's temple was posthumously titled High Ancestor, Emperor Jing's World Ancestor, and Emperor Wen's Grand Ancestor.
46
大疫，洛陽死者以萬數。
A great pestilence struck; the dead in Luoyang numbered in the tens of thousands.
47
世祖武皇帝上之下咸寧二年（ 丙申，公元二七六年）
The Founding Emperor Wu of Jin, Upper Part II—Xianning, Year Two ( bingchen, 276 CE)
48
春，令狐豐卒，弟宏繼立，楊欣討斬之。
In spring, Linghu Feng died; his younger brother Hong succeeded him; Yang Xin campaigned against him and beheaded him.
49
帝得疾，甚劇，及愈，群臣上壽。 詔曰：「每念疫氣死亡者，為之愴然。 豈以一身之休息，忘百姓之艱難邪！」 諸上禮者，皆絕之。
The emperor fell gravely ill; when he recovered, his ministers offered congratulations on his longevity. An edict declared: "Whenever I think of those who died in the pestilence, I am deeply grieved. How could I, for my own comfort, forget the people's hardship!" All congratulatory rites were refused.
50
初，齊王攸有寵於文帝，每見攸，輒撫床呼其小字曰：「此桃符座也！」 幾為太子者數矣。 臨終，為帝敘漢淮南王、魏陳思王事而泣，執攸手以授帝。 太后臨終，亦流涕謂帝曰：「桃符性急，而汝為兄不慈，我若不起，必恐汝不能相容，以是屬汝，勿忘我言！」 及帝疾甚，朝野皆屬意於攸。 攸妃，賈充之長女也，河南尹夏侯和謂充曰：「卿二婿，親疏等耳。 立人當立德。」 充不答。 攸素惡荀勖及左衛將軍馮紞傾諂，勖乃使紞說帝曰：「陛下前日疾苦不愈，齊王為公卿百姓所歸，太子雖欲高讓，其得免乎！ 宜遣還籓，以安社稷。」 帝陰納之，乃徙和為光祿勳，奪充兵權，而位遇無替。
Earlier, Prince You of Qi enjoyed Emperor Wen's favor; whenever he saw You, he would stroke the couch and call his childhood name: "This is Taofu's seat!" Several times he nearly became crown prince. On his deathbed he recounted for the emperor the affairs of the Han Prince of Huainan and the Wei Prince Si of Chen and wept, then took You's hand and entrusted him to the emperor. On her deathbed the empress dowager also wept and told the emperor: "Taofu is quick-tempered, and you as elder brother are not kind; if I do not recover, I fear you cannot tolerate each other—I therefore entrust him to you; do not forget my words!" When the emperor fell gravely ill, court and countryside alike looked to You. You's consort was Jia Chong's eldest daughter; Xiahou He, Intendant of Henan, said to Chong: "Your two sons-in-law stand in equal relation to you. In choosing an heir, one should choose by virtue." Chong did not reply. You had long hated Xun Xu and Left Guards General Feng Dan for their fawning flattery; Xu then had Dan persuade the emperor: "Your Majesty's recent illness did not improve; the Prince of Qi is where officials and commoners alike turn; though the crown prince wishes to yield, can he escape the consequences! He should be sent back to his fief to secure the realm." The emperor secretly accepted this; he moved He to Grandee of Splendid Happiness and stripped Chong of military authority, yet Chong's rank and treatment remained unchanged.
51
吳施但之亂，或譖京下督孫楷於吳主曰：「楷不時赴討，懷兩端。」 吳主數詰讓之，征為宮下鎮、驃騎將軍。 楷自疑懼，夏，六月，將妻子來奔； 拜車騎將軍，封丹楊侯。
During Shi Dan's rebellion in Wu, someone slandered Sun Kai, Capital Subordinate Superintendent, to the Wu ruler, saying: "Kai did not go promptly to suppress the revolt and harbors divided loyalties." The Wu ruler repeatedly questioned and reproached him, then summoned him as Palace Down Pacifier and Rapid Cavalry General. Kai grew suspicious and afraid; in summer, in the sixth month, he brought his wife and children and defected; he was appointed General of the Garrison Cavalry and enfeoffed as Marquis of Danyang.
52
秋，七月，吳人或言於吳主曰：「臨平湖自漢末薉塞，長老言：『此湖塞，天下亂； 此湖開，開下平。』 近無故忽更開通，此天下當太平，青蓋入洛之祥也。」 吳主以問奉禁都尉歷陽陳訓，對曰：「臣止能望氣，不能達湖之開塞。」 退而告其友曰：「青蓋入洛者，將有銜璧之事，非吉祥也。」
In autumn, in the seventh month, someone in Wu told the Wu ruler: "Linping Lake has been silted since the end of Han; the elders say: 'When this lake is blocked, the realm is in turmoil; when this lake opens, peace comes to the realm below.'" Recently, without cause, it suddenly opened again—this means the realm will know great peace, an omen of the green-canopied ruler entering Luoyang." The Wu ruler questioned Chen Xun of Liyang, Commandant of Prohibited Offerings, about it. He replied: "I can only read the vapors of qi; I cannot discern whether the lake is open or blocked." Withdrawing, he told a friend: "When the green-canopied ruler enters Luoyang, it will mean surrender with jade bi in hand—not an auspicious omen at all."
53
或獻小石刻「皇帝」字，雲得於湖邊。 吳主大赦，改元天璽。
Someone presented a small stone carved with the character "Emperor," claiming it had been found at the lake's edge. The Wu ruler proclaimed a general amnesty and changed the era name to Tianxi.
54
湘東太守張詠不出算緡，吳主就在所斬之，徇首諸郡。 會稽太守車浚公清有政績，值郡旱饑，表求振貸。 吳主以為收私恩，遣使梟首。 尚書熊睦微有所諫，吳主以刀鐶撞殺之，身無完肌。
Xiangdong Administrator Zhang Yong failed to deliver the poll-tax silk; the Wu ruler had him beheaded on the spot and displayed his head throughout the commanderies. Kuaiji Administrator Che Jun was upright and capable, with a record of good governance; when drought and famine struck the commandery, he memorialized requesting relief grain. The Wu ruler judged this an attempt to win private favor and sent envoys to take his head and display it. Secretariat Minister Xiong Mu offered mild remonstrance; the Wu ruler beat him to death with an iron ring until not an inch of skin on his body remained intact.
55
八月，已亥，以何曾為太傅，陳騫為大司馬，賈充為太尉，齊王攸為司空。
In the eighth month, on the jihai day, He Zeng was appointed Grand Tutor, Chen Qian Grand Marshal, Jia Chong Grand Commandant, and Prince You of Qi Minister of Works.
56
吳歷陽山有七穿駢羅，穿中黃赤，俗謂之石印，云：「石印封發，天下當太平。」 歷陽長上言石印發，吳主遣使者以太牢祠之。 使者作高梯登其上，以朱書石曰：「楚九州渚，吳九州都。 揚州士，作天子，四世治，太平始。」 還以聞。 吳主大喜，封其山神為王，大赦，改明年元曰天紀。
In Wu, Liyang Mountain had seven holes set side by side, yellow and red within; common people called them the "stone seal" and said: "When the stone seal breaks open, the realm will know great peace." The magistrate of Liyang reported that the stone seal had opened; the Wu ruler dispatched envoys to sacrifice to it with the grandest offering. The envoys erected a tall ladder, climbed it, and wrote on the stone in cinnabar: "Chu's nine provinces are but islets; Wu's nine provinces are the capital. A man of Yangzhou shall be Son of Heaven; four generations will rule, and great peace shall begin." They returned and reported it. The Wu ruler was delighted, enfeoffed the mountain spirit as a king, proclaimed a general amnesty, and changed the following year's era name to Tianji.
57
冬，十月，以汝陰王駿為征西大將軍，羊祜為征南大將軍，皆開府辟召，儀同三司。
In winter, in the tenth month, Prince Jun of Runan was appointed Grand General Who Conquers the West, and Yang Hu Grand General Who Conquers the South; both were granted independent offices with recruitment authority and honors equal to the Three Excellencies.
58
祜上疏請伐吳，曰：「先帝西平巴、蜀，南和吳、會，庶幾海內得以休息。 而吳復背信，使邊事更興。 夫期運雖天所授，而功業必因人而成，不一大舉掃滅，則兵役無時得息也。 蜀平之時，天下皆謂吳當並亡，自是以來，十有三年矣。 夫謀之雖多，決之欲獨。 凡以險阻得全者，謂其勢均力敵耳。 若輕重不齊，強弱異勢，雖有險阻，不可保也。 蜀之為國，非不險也，皆雲一夫荷戟，千人莫當。 及進兵之日，曾無籓籬之限，乘勝席捲，逕至成都，漢中諸城，皆鳥棲而不敢出，非無戰心，誠力不足以相抗也。 及劉禪請降，諸營堡索然俱散。 今江、淮之險不如劍閣，孫皓之暴過於劉禪，吳人之困甚於巴、蜀，而大晉兵力盛於往時。 不於此際平壹四海，而更阻兵相守，使天下困於征戍，經歷盛衰，不可長久也。 今若引梁、益之兵水陸俱下，荊、楚之眾進臨江陵，平南、豫州直指夏口，徐、揚、青、兗並會秣陵，以一隅之吳當天下之眾，勢分形散，所備皆急。 巴、漢奇兵出其空虛，一處傾壞則上下震盪，雖有智者不能為吳謀矣。 吳緣江為國，東西數千里，所敵者大，無有寧息。 孫皓恣情任意，與下多忌，將疑於朝，士困於野，無有保世之計，一定之心； 平常之日，猶懷去就，兵臨之際，必有應者，終不能齊力致死已可知也。 其俗急速不能持久，弓弩戟楯不如中國，唯有水戰是其所便，一入其境，則長江非復所保，還趣城池，去長入短，非吾敵也。 官軍縣進，人有致死之志，吳人內顧，各有離散之心，如此，軍不逾時，克可必矣。」 帝深納之。 而朝議方以秦、涼為憂，祜復表曰：「吳平則胡自定，但當速濟大功耳。」 議者多有不同，賈充、荀勖、馮紞尤以伐吳為不可。 祜歎曰：「天下不如意事十常居七、八。 天與不取，豈非更事者恨於後時哉！」 唯度支尚書杜預、中書令張華與帝意合，贊成其計。
Yang Hu memorialized, urging a campaign against Wu: "The late emperor pacified Ba and Shu in the west and reconciled Wu and Kuaiji in the south, so that the realm might at last know peace. Yet Wu has broken faith again, and border conflict has flared anew. Though the mandate's season is Heaven's to bestow, great deeds must be accomplished by men; without one decisive campaign to sweep Wu away, military levies will never cease. When Shu fell, all under Heaven expected Wu to fall with it; thirteen years have passed since then. Counsel may be plentiful, but the will to decide must be one's own. In general, those who survive behind natural barriers do so only because forces are evenly matched. When weight and strength no longer balance, when the mighty and the weak stand in unequal array—even the stoutest barriers cannot preserve a state. Shu was a land of fearsome natural defenses; men said one soldier bearing a halberd at the pass could hold back a thousand. Yet when our armies advanced, no barrier could hold them; riding the tide of victory they swept straight to Chengdu. The fortified cities of Hanzhong sat silent as birds in their nests, not daring to sally forth—not for lack of fighting spirit, but because their strength was truly insufficient to resist. When Liu Shan surrendered, every fortified camp dissolved in an instant. The Yangtze and Huai barriers are weaker than Sword Gate; Sun Hao's tyranny exceeds Liu Shan's; the people of Wu suffer more grievously than those of Ba and Shu; and Jin's armed might surpasses what it was then. If we fail to unify the four seas at this moment and instead keep armies locked in stalemate, the realm will remain crushed under endless campaigns and garrison duty; as prosperity and decline follow their cycles, such a condition cannot endure. If we now bring Liang and Yi troops down by land and water together, march Jing and Chu forces against Jiangling, drive Pingnan and Yuzhou straight at Xiakou, and unite Xu, Yang, Qing, and Yan at Moling—a single corner of Wu against the hosts of all under Heaven—its strength will be divided, its forces scattered, and every line of defense stretched to the breaking point. Elite troops from Ba and Han will strike where Wu is empty; one breach will send shockwaves through the whole realm—even the wisest counselor will be powerless to save Wu. Wu stretches thousands of li along the Yangtze, east to west; the enemy arrayed against it is vast, and its people know no peace. Sun Hao follows every caprice and trusts no one beneath him; generals are suspect at court, scholars languish in the provinces—there is no plan to preserve the dynasty, no fixed resolve; Even in ordinary times men weigh whether to stay or flee; when armies reach their borders, defection is inevitable—it is already clear they cannot unite and fight to the death. Wu fighting spirit is hot but brief; their bows, crossbows, halberds, and shields cannot match ours—only on water do they hold any advantage. Once our armies enter their land, the Yangtze will cease to protect them; forced back into walled cities, they trade their element for ours—they cannot stand against us. Imperial troops will advance county by county; our men will fight with the will to die; the people of Wu will look homeward, each with a mind to flee—in such a case the campaign will not outlast the season, and victory is assured." The emperor accepted the proposal wholeheartedly. But court deliberations were dominated by concern over Qin and Liang; Yang Hu memorialized again: "Once Wu is pacified, the northern tribes will settle of themselves—we need only hasten to complete the great enterprise." Most at court disagreed; Jia Chong, Xun Xu, and Feng Dan above all insisted that a campaign against Wu would not succeed. Yang Hu sighed: "Of ten things a man wishes for in this world, seven or eight go awry. When Heaven offers and you refuse, will not those who come after lament that we waited too long?" Only Du Yu, Minister of Revenue, and Zhang Hua, Director of the Secretariat, agreed with the emperor and endorsed the plan.
59
丁卯，立皇后楊氏，大赦。 後，元皇后之從妹也，美而有婦德。 帝初聘後，後叔父珧上表曰：「自古一門二後，未有能全其宗者，乞藏此表於宗廟，異日如臣之言，得以免禍。」 帝許之。
On the dingmao day, Empress Yang was installed, and a general amnesty was proclaimed. The new empress was a cousin of the late empress—beautiful, and possessed of every wifely virtue. When the emperor first betrothed her, her uncle Yang Yao memorialized: "Since antiquity, no clan that produced two empresses has preserved itself intact; I beg that this memorial be placed in the ancestral temple, so that if my words come true, my house may yet escape ruin." The emperor granted his request.
60
十二月，以後父鎮軍將軍駿為車騎將軍，封臨晉侯。 尚書褚略、郭弈皆表駿小器，不可任社稷之重，帝不從。 駿驕傲自得，胡奮謂駿曰：「卿恃女更益豪邪！ 歷觀前世，與天家婚，未有不滅門者，但早晚事耳。」 駿曰：「卿女不在天家乎？」 奮曰：「我女與卿女作婢耳，何能為損益乎！」
In the twelfth month, the empress's father Yang Jun—Defender General—was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry and enfeoffed as Marquis of Linjin. Secretariat Ministers Chu Lue and Guo Yi both memorialized that Yang Jun was small-minded and unfit to bear the weight of state; the emperor ignored them. Yang Jun grew arrogant and complacent; Hu Fen said to him: "Do you grow even more overbearing now that your daughter is empress? Look back through the ages—every house that married into the imperial family has been destroyed; it is only a question of sooner or later." Yang Jun replied: "Is your daughter not in the imperial household as well?" Hu Fen said: "My daughter and yours are nothing but palace servants—what difference can either of us make to the world's fortunes!"
61
世祖武皇帝上之下咸寧三年（ 丁酉，公元二七七年）
The Founding Emperor Wu of Jin, Upper Part II—Xianning, Year Three ( dingyou, 277 CE)
62
春，正月，丙子朔，日有食之。
In spring, in the first month, on the first day (bingzi), there was a solar eclipse.
63
立皇子裕為始平王； 庚寅，裕卒。
Prince Yu was enfeoffed as Prince of Shiping; On the gengyin day, Prince Yu died.
64
三月，平虜護軍文鴦督涼、秦、雍州諸軍討樹機能，破之，諸胡二十萬口來降。
In the third month, Wen Yang, Protector of the Army Who Pacifies Barbarians, supervised the armies of Liang, Qin, and Yong in a campaign against Tufa Neng, routed him, and two hundred thousand barbarians came to surrender.
65
夏，五月，吳將邵、夏祥帥眾七千餘人來降。
In summer, in the fifth month, Wu generals Shao and Xia Xiang led more than seven thousand men to surrender.
66
秋，七月，中山王睦坐招誘逋亡，貶為丹水縣侯。
In autumn, in the seventh month, Prince Mu of Zhongshan was demoted to Marquis of Danshui for enticing fugitives from justice.
67
有星孛於紫宮。
A broom star appeared in the Purple Palace constellation.
68
衛將軍楊珧等建議，以為：「古者封建諸侯，所以籓衛王室； 今諸王公皆在京師，非扞城之義。 又，異姓諸將居邊，宜參以親戚。」 帝乃詔諸王各以戶邑多少為三等，大國置三軍五千人，次國二軍三千人，小國一軍一千一百人； 諸王為都督者，各徙其國使相近。 八月，癸亥，徙扶風王亮為汝南王，出為鎮南大將軍，都督豫州諸軍事； 琅邪王倫為趙王，督鄴城守事； 勃海王輔為太原王，監并州諸軍事； 以東莞王人由在徐州，徙封琅邪王； 汝陰王駿在關中，徙封扶風王； 又徙太原王顒為河間王，汝南王柬為南陽王。 輔，孚之子； 顒，孚之孫也。 其無官者，皆遣就國。 諸王公戀京師，皆涕泣而去。 又封皇子瑋為始平王，允為濮陽王，該為新都王，遐為清河王。
Defender General Yang Yao and others proposed: "In antiquity, feudal princes were enfeoffed to shield and guard the throne; today every imperial prince dwells in the capital—contrary to the purpose of garrisoning the realm. Further, non-imperial generals hold the frontier posts; the court should assign imperial kinsmen alongside them." The emperor then decreed that princes be graded into three ranks by the size of their fiefs: great fiefs would maintain three armies of five thousand, medium fiefs two armies of three thousand, small fiefs one army of eleven hundred; Princes serving as regional commanders were relocated so their domains lay near one another. In the eighth month, on the guihai day, Prince Liang of Fufeng was redesignated Prince of Runan, sent out as Grand General Who Stabilizes the South, with command over Yuzhou; Prince Lun of Langya became Prince of Zhao, charged with the defense of Ye; Prince Fu of Bohai became Prince of Taiyuan, overseeing military affairs in Bing Province; Prince Ren of Dongguan, then at Xuzhou, was redesignated Prince of Langya; Prince Jun of Runan, then stationed in Guanzhong, was redesignated Prince of Fufeng; Prince Yong of Taiyuan became Prince of Hejian, and Prince Ji of Runan became Prince of Nanyang. Fu was a son of Sima Fu; Yong was Sima Fu's grandson. Princes without court appointments were all sent to their fiefs. The imperial princes, loath to leave the capital, departed in tears. Princes Wei, Yun, Gai, and Xia were also enfeoffed as Prince of Shiping, Puyang, Xindu, and Qinghe respectively.
69
其異姓之臣有大功者，皆封郡公、郡侯。 封賈充為魯郡公，追封王沈為博陵郡公。 徙封巨平侯羊祜為南城郡侯，祜固辭不受。 祜每拜官爵，常多避讓，至心素著，故特見申於分列之外。 祜歷事二世，職典樞要，凡謀議損益，皆焚其草，世莫得聞，所進達之人皆不知所由。 常曰：「拜官公朝，謝恩私門，吾所不敢也。」
Non-imperial ministers who had rendered great service were enfeoffed as dukes or marquises of commanderies. Jia Chong was enfeoffed Duke of Lu Commandery; Wang Shen was posthumously enfeoffed Duke of Boling Commandery. Yang Hu, Marquis of Juping, was offered promotion to Marquis of Nancheng Commandery; he steadfastly refused. Yang Hu habitually declined each new appointment and title; his sincerity was long proven, and so he received honors beyond the ordinary allotment. Yang Hu had served two emperors in posts at the heart of power; every policy he debated and every recommendation he made he burned to ash—the world never learned of them, and those he promoted never knew through whom they had risen. He often said: "To accept office in open court and offer thanks at a private door—that I dare not do."
70
兗、豫、徐、青、荊、益、梁七州大水。
Great floods struck Yan, Yu, Xu, Qing, Jing, Yi, and Liang—seven provinces in all.
71
冬，十二月，吳夏口督孫慎入江夏、汝南，略千餘家而去。 詔遣侍臣詰羊祜不追討之意，並欲移荊州。 祜曰：「江夏去襄陽八百里，比知賊問，賊已去經日，步軍安能追之！ 勞師以免責，非臣志也。 昔魏武帝置都督，類皆與州相近，以兵勢好合惡離故也。 疆場之間，一彼一此，慎守而已。 若輒徙州，賊出無常，亦未知州之所宜據也。」
In winter, in the twelfth month, Sun Shen, Wu commander at Xiakou, raided Jiangxia and Runan, carried off more than a thousand households, and withdrew. The court dispatched attendants to question Yang Hu on his failure to pursue the raiders and to discuss relocating Jing Province. Yang Hu replied: "Jiangxia lies eight hundred li from Xiangyang; by the time we learn the enemy is there, they have been gone for days—how could infantry overtake them? To exhaust the troops merely to escape reproach—that is not my way. When Emperor Wu of Wei set up area commands, he placed them close to their provinces, because military power favors concentration and abhors dispersion. On the frontier, positions shift back and forth; steady defense suffices. Move the provincial seat rashly and the enemy will strike wherever they please—we cannot yet know where the seat ought to stand."
72
是歲，大司馬陳騫自揚州入朝，以高平公罷。
That year, Grand Marshal Chen Qian traveled from Yang Province to court and was relieved of his post as Duke of Gaoping.
73
吳主以會稽張俶多所譖白，甚見寵任，累遷司直中郎將，封侯。 其父為山陰縣卒，知俶不良，上表曰：「若用俶為司直，有罪，乞不從坐。」 吳主許之。 俶表置彈曲二十人，專糾司不法，於是吏民各以愛憎互相告訐，獄犴盈溢，上下囂然。 俶大為奸利，驕奢暴橫，事發，父子皆車裂。
Because Zhang Chu of Kuaiji filed many slanderous reports, the Wu ruler favored and trusted him greatly; he rose repeatedly to Director of Rectitude among the Gentlemen and was enfeoffed as a marquis. His father served as a soldier in Shanyin District; knowing his son's character, he memorialized: "If Chu is appointed Director of Rectitude and commits a crime, I beg to be spared collective punishment." The Wu ruler granted his request. Zhang Chu proposed a corps of twenty censors to expose official misconduct; officials and commoners then denounced one another according to private affection and spite, prisons overflowed, and the realm fell into uproar. Zhang Chu profited obscenely, growing arrogant, extravagant, and cruel; when his crimes were exposed, father and son were both executed by dismemberment.
74
衛瓘遣拓跋沙漠汗歸國。 自沙漠汗入質，力微可汗諸子在側者多有寵。 及沙漠汗歸，諸部大人共譖而殺之。 既而力微疾篤，烏桓王庫賢親近用事，受衛瓘賂，欲擾動諸部，乃礪斧於庭，謂諸大人曰：「可汗恨汝曹讒殺太子，欲盡收汝曹長子殺之。」 諸大人懼，皆散走。 力微以憂卒，時年一百四。 子悉祿立，其國遂衰。
Wei Guan sent Tuoba Shamo Han home to his own land. After Shamo Han arrived as a hostage, many of Khan Liwei's sons who remained at court grew greatly favored. When Shamo Han returned home, the chieftains of the various tribes united to slander and assassinate him. Before long Khan Liwei fell gravely ill; Kuxian, the Wuhuan king, held favor and wielded power at court, took bribes from Wei Guan, and sought to stir the tribes to discord. He sharpened an axe in the courtyard and told the chieftains: "The khan holds you responsible for slandering the crown prince to death and intends to gather your eldest sons and execute them all." The chieftains panicked and fled in every direction. Liwei died of grief; he was one hundred and four years old. His son Silu succeeded him, and the state thereafter fell into decline.
75
初，幽、并二州皆與鮮卑接，東有務桓，西有力微，多為邊患。 衛瓘密以計間之，務桓降而力微死。 朝廷嘉瓘功，封其弟為亭侯。
Earlier, the provinces of You and Bing both bordered the Xianbei; Wu Huan lay to the east, Liwei to the west, and together they had long menaced the frontier. Wei Guan secretly sowed division among them; Wu Huan submitted while Liwei perished. The court commended Wei Guan's service and enfeoffed his younger brother as Marquis of a District.
76
世祖武皇帝上之下咸寧四年（ 戊戌，公元二七八年）
The Founding Emperor Wu of Jin, Upper Part II—Xianning, Year Four ( wuxu, 278 CE)
77
春，正月，庚午朔，日有食之。
In spring, in the first month, on the first day, gengwu, there was a solar eclipse.
78
司馬督東平馬隆上言：「涼州刺史楊欣失羌戎之和，必敗。」 夏，六月，欣與樹機能之黨若羅拔能等戰於武威，敗死。
Ma Long, Area Commander of Dongping, memorialized: "Yang Xin, Inspector of Liang Province, has alienated the Qiang and Rong tribes; he is bound to be defeated." In summer, in the sixth month, Xin fought Tufa Neng'en's allies Ruoluo Baneng and others at Wuwei, was defeated, and was killed.
79
弘訓皇后羊氏殂。
Empress Dowager Hongxun, née Yang, died.
80
羊祜以病求入朝，既至，帝命乘輦入殿，不拜而坐。 祜面陳伐吳之計，帝善之。 以祜病，不宜數入，更遣張華就問籌策。 祜曰：「孫皓暴虐已甚，於今可不戰而克。 若皓不幸而沒，吳人更立令主，雖有百萬之眾，長江未可窺也，將為後患矣！」 華深然之。 祜曰：「成吾志者，子也。」 帝欲使祜臥護諸將，祜曰：「取吳不必臣行，但既平之後，當勞聖慮耳。 功名之際，臣不敢居。 若事了，當有所付授，願審擇其人也。」
Yang Hu, pleading illness, asked to come to court; when he arrived, the emperor had him carried by palanquin into the hall and granted him leave to sit without bowing. Yang Hu laid out his plan to conquer Wu in person, and the emperor approved it. Because Yang Hu's illness made frequent audiences impractical, the emperor sent Zhang Hua to consult him on strategy. Yang Hu said: "Sun Hao's cruelty has already gone to extremes; Wu can be taken now without a battle. If Hao should die and the Wu people enthroned a worthy ruler, even with a million men we could not breach the Yangtze—it would become a lasting threat!" Zhang Hua was deeply persuaded. Yang Hu said: "You are the one who will carry out my design." The emperor wished Yang Hu to direct the generals from his sickbed; Yang Hu said: "Conquering Wu does not require my presence in the field, but once it is pacified, it will surely weigh on Your Majesty's mind. As for glory and renown, I dare not claim them for myself. When the work is done, you must choose someone to receive the command—choose that man with care."
81
秋，七月，己丑，葬景獻皇后於峻平陵。
In autumn, in the seventh month, on jichou, Empress Jingxian was interred at Junping Mausoleum.
82
司、冀、兗、豫、荊、揚州大水，螟傷稼。 詔問主者：「何以佐百姓？」 度支尚書杜預上疏，以為：「今者水災，東南尤劇，宜敕兗、豫等諸州留漢氏舊陂，繕以蓄水外，餘皆決瀝，令饑者盡得魚菜螺蚌之饒，此目下日給之益也。 水去之後，填淤之田，畝收數鐘，此又明年之益也。 典牧種牛有四萬五千餘頭，不供耕駕，至有老不穿鼻者，可分以給民，使及春耕； 谷登之後，責其租稅，此又數年以後之益也。」 帝從之，民賴其利。 預在尚書七年，損益庶政，不可勝數，時人謂之「杜武庫」，言其無所不有也。
Great floods struck Si, Ji, Yan, Yu, Jing, and Yang provinces, and borer insects ravaged the harvest. An edict asked the responsible officials: "How are we to relieve the common people?" Du Yu, Director of Revenue, submitted a memorial arguing: "The floods are worst in the southeast. Yan, Yu, and the other affected provinces should keep the old Han-era reservoirs and repair them to hold water; all other flooded land should be drained so the hungry can harvest fish, aquatic plants, snails, and mussels—an immediate source of daily food. Once the water recedes, the silted fields will yield several zhong per mu—another benefit for the coming year. The imperial herds held more than forty-five thousand breeding oxen, none of them used for plowing; some were so old they had never even been nose-ringed. These could be distributed to the people in time for spring planting; after the harvest, collect rent and tax from them—a benefit that would extend for years to come." The emperor adopted his plan, and the people benefited greatly. Du Yu served seven years in the Masters of Writing, improving countless policies; contemporaries called him "Du the Armory," saying he contained every resource one could need.
83
九月，以何曾為太宰； 辛巳，以侍中、尚書令李胤為司徒。
In the ninth month, He Zeng was appointed Grand Preceptor; On xinsi, Li Yin, Palace Attendant and Director of the Masters of Writing, was appointed Minister over the Masses.
84
吳主忌勝己者，侍中、中書令張尚，紘之孫也，為人辯捷，談論每出其表，吳主積以致恨。 後問：「孤飲酒可以方誰？」 尚曰：「陛下有百觚之量。」 吳主曰：「尚知孔丘不王，而以孤方之。」 因發怒，收尚。 公卿已下百餘人，詣宮叩頭，請尚罪，得減死，送建安作船，尋就殺之。
The Wu ruler resented anyone who outshone him. Zhang Shang, Palace Attendant and Director of the Secretariat and grandson of Zhang Hong, was quick-witted in debate and always spoke beyond the obvious; the Wu ruler's resentment toward him grew over time. Later he asked: "In my capacity for wine, whom might I compare myself to?" Shang replied: "Your Majesty has the capacity of a hundred gu." The Wu ruler said: "Shang knows Confucius never became king, yet compares me to him." Enraged, he had Shang arrested. More than a hundred officials from the rank of duke and minister downward went to the palace, kowtowed, and begged mercy for Shang; his sentence was reduced from death to service building ships at Jian'an, but he was killed soon after.
85
冬，十月，征征北大將軍衛瓘為尚書令。 是時，朝野咸知太子昏愚，不堪為嗣，瓘每欲陳啟而未敢發。 會侍宴陵雲台，瓘陽醉，跪帝床前曰：「臣欲有所啟。」 帝曰：「公所言何邪？」 瓘欲言而止者三，因以手撫床曰：「此座可惜！」 帝意悟，因謬曰：「公真大醉邪？」 瓘於此不復有言。 帝悉召東宮官屬，為設宴會，而密封尚書疑事，令太子決之。 賈妃大懼，倩外人代對，多引古義。 給使張泓曰：「太子不學，陛下所知，而答詔多引古義，必責作草主，更益譴負，不如直以意對。」 妃大喜，謂泓曰：「便為我好答，富貴與汝共之。」 泓即具草令太子自寫。 帝省之，甚悅，先以示瓘，瓘大踧踖，眾人乃知瓘嘗有言也。 賈充密遣人語妃云：「衛瓘老奴，幾破汝家！」
In winter, in the tenth month, Wei Guan, Grand General Who Conquers the North, was summoned to serve as Director of the Masters of Writing. By then everyone at court and beyond knew the crown prince was dull-witted and unfit to succeed; Wei Guan wished repeatedly to speak out but never dared. Once, while attending a banquet at Lingyun Platform, Wei Guan feigned drunkenness, knelt before the emperor's couch, and said: "I have something to report." The emperor asked: "What is it you wish to say?" Wei Guan started to speak, stopped three times, then stroked the couch and said: "This seat is wasted!" The emperor understood his meaning and pretended: "Sir, are you truly that drunk?" After that Wei Guan said nothing more. The emperor summoned all the Eastern Palace officials to a banquet and sent the crown prince sealed memorials on doubtful matters from the Masters of Writing, ordering him to decide them. Empress Jia was terrified and hired outsiders to compose the replies, drawing heavily on classical precedents. Zhang Hong, an attendant, said: "The crown prince does not study—that the emperor knows well. If the reply cites many classical precedents, he will demand to know who drafted it and punish you all the more. Better to answer plainly in your own words." The empress was delighted and told Hong: "Draft a good reply for me, and I will share wealth and honor with you." Hong at once prepared a draft and had the crown prince copy it out himself. The emperor reviewed the replies and was greatly pleased; he showed them first to Wei Guan, who was mortified—everyone then realized Wei Guan had once tried to speak out. Jia Chong secretly sent word to the empress: "That old slave Wei Guan nearly destroyed your family!"
86
吳人大佃皖城，欲謀入寇。 都督揚州諸軍事王渾遣揚州刺史應綽攻破之，斬首五千級，焚其積穀百八十餘萬斛，踐稻田四千餘頃，毀船六百餘艘。
The Wu people opened large-scale farming around Wan City, planning an invasion. Wang Hun, Area Commander of Yang Province, sent Yang Province Inspector Ying Chuo to attack and break them, taking five thousand heads, burning more than 1.8 million hu of stored grain, trampling more than four thousand qing of rice fields, and destroying more than six hundred ships.
87
十一月，辛巳，太醫司馬程據獻雉頭裘，帝焚之於殿前。 甲申。 敕內外敢有獻奇技異服者，罪之。
In the eleventh month, on xinsi, Chief Physician Cheng Ju presented a pheasant-head fur robe; the emperor burned it before the hall. On jiashen. An edict declared that anyone inside or outside the court who dared present exotic crafts or outlandish garments would be punished.
88
羊祜疾篤，舉杜預自代。 辛卯，以預為鎮南大將軍、都督荊州諸軍事。 祜卒，帝哭之甚哀。 是日，大寒，涕淚沾鬚鬢皆為冰。 祜遺令不得以南城侯印入柩。 帝曰：「祜固讓歷年，身沒讓存，今聽復本封，以彰高美。」 南州民聞祜卒，為之罷市，巷哭聲相接。 吳守邊將士亦為之泣。 祜好游峴山，襄陽人建碑立廟於其地，歲時祭祀，望其碑者無不流涕，因謂之墮淚碑。
Yang Hu fell gravely ill and recommended Du Yu to succeed him. On xinmao, Du Yu was appointed Grand General Who Pacifies the South and Area Commander of Jing Province. Yang Hu died, and the emperor wept for him with deep grief. That day was bitterly cold; his tears soaked his beard and temples and froze to ice. Yang Hu's last instruction forbade placing the seal of Marquis of Nancheng in his coffin. The emperor said: "Yang Hu declined honors year after year; though he is gone, his humility endures. I restore his original enfeoffment to honor his lofty character." When the people of the southern provinces learned of Yang Hu's death, they closed their markets in mourning; wailing filled every lane. Even Wu's frontier garrison soldiers wept for him. Yang Hu loved to visit Mount Xian; the people of Xiangyang built a stele and shrine there and offered seasonal sacrifices. All who looked upon the stele wept, and so it came to be called the Falling-Tears Stele.
89
杜預至鎮，簡精銳，襲吳西陵督張政，大破之。 政，吳之名將也，恥以無備取敗，不以實告吳主。 預欲間之，乃表還其所獲。 吳主果召政還，遣武昌監留憲代之。
When Du Yu reached his post, he picked elite troops and raided Zhang Zheng, Wu commander at Xiling, defeating him utterly. Zheng was a famed Wu general; ashamed to have been beaten while unprepared, he did not report the full truth to the Wu ruler. Du Yu sought to sow discord and memorialized to return the captives and spoils he had taken. The Wu ruler duly recalled Zheng and sent Liu Xian, Wuchang Supervisor, to replace him.
90
十二月，丁未，朗陵公何曾卒。 曾厚自奉養，過於人主。 司隸校尉東萊劉毅數劾奏曾侈汰無度，帝以其重臣，不問。 及卒，博士新興秦秀議曰：「曾驕奢過度，名被九域。 宰相大臣，人之表儀，若生極其情，死又無貶，王公貴人復何畏哉！ 謹按《謚法》，『名與實爽曰繆，怙亂肆行曰丑』，宜謚繆丑公。」 帝策謚曰孝。
In the twelfth month, on dingwei, He Zeng, Duke of Langling, died. He Zeng lived more lavishly than the emperor himself. Liu Yi of Donglai, Director of Retainers, repeatedly impeached He Zeng for boundless extravagance, but the emperor, treating him as a senior minister, took no action. After his death, Qin Xiu of Xinxing, an Erudite, argued: "He Zeng's arrogance and extravagance were beyond measure; his reputation was known throughout the realm. Chancellors and great ministers are the people's model; if in life they indulge every excess and in death receive no censure, what will kings, dukes, and nobles have to fear! According to the Appraisal of Posthumous Names, 'when name and reality diverge the title is Miu; one who relies on disorder and acts wantonly is Chou'—he should receive the posthumous title Duke Miu-Chou." The emperor decreed the posthumous title Filial.
91
前司隸校尉傅玄卒。 玄性峻急，每有奏劾，或值日暮，捧白簡，整簪帶，竦踴不寐，坐而待旦。 由是貴游震懾，台閣生風。 玄與尚書左丞博陵崔洪善，洪亦清厲骨鯁，好面折人過，而退無後言，人以是重之。
Fu Xuan, former Director of Retainers, died. Fu Xuan was stern and impatient; whenever he prepared an impeachment, even at dusk he would hold his white bamboo slips, straighten his hairpin and belt, stand alert without sleep, and sit waiting for dawn. Noble families trembled before him, and the court offices stirred with new discipline. Fu Xuan was close to Cui Hong of Boling, Left Assistant Director of the Masters of Writing; Hong too was upright and unyielding, fond of rebuking people's faults to their faces yet saying nothing behind their backs—people respected him for it.
92
鮮卑樹機能久為邊患，僕射李喜請發兵討之，朝議皆以為出兵重事，虜不足憂。
The Xianbei leader Tufa Neng'en had long menaced the frontier; Vice Director Li Xi asked to send troops against him, but court opinion held that military campaigns were a grave matter and the barbarians were not worth the trouble.
93
世祖武皇帝上之下咸寧五年（ 己亥，公元二七九年）
The Founding Emperor Wu of Jin, Upper Part II—Xianning, Year Five ( jihai, 279 CE)
94
春，正月，樹機能攻陷涼州。 帝甚悔之，臨朝而歎曰：「誰能為我討此虜者？」 司馬督馬隆進曰：「陛下能任臣，臣能平之。」 帝曰：「必能平賊，何為不任，顧方略何如耳！」 隆曰：「臣願募勇士三千人，無問所從來，帥之以西，虜不足平也。」 帝許之。 乙丑，以隆為討虜護軍、武威太守。 公卿皆曰：「見兵已多，不宜橫設賞募，隆小將妄言，不足信也。」 帝不聽。 隆募能引弓四鈞、挽弩九石者取之，立標簡試。 自旦至日中，得三千五百人。 隆曰：「足矣。」 又請自至武庫選仗，武庫令與隆忿爭，御史中丞劾奏隆。 隆曰：「臣當畢命戰場，武庫令乃給以魏時朽仗，非陛下所以使臣之意也。」 帝命惟隆所取，仍給三年軍資而遣之。
In spring, in the first month, Tufa Neng'en attacked and captured Liang Province. The emperor deeply regretted it and sighed at court: "Who can subdue this enemy for me?" Ma Long, Area Commander, stepped forward and said: "If Your Majesty will employ me, I can pacify them." The emperor said: "If you can truly pacify the enemy, why would I not employ you? Tell me your plan!" Ma Long said: "I wish to recruit three thousand brave warriors, regardless of origin, and lead them west—the enemy will be easily subdued." The emperor agreed. On yichou, Ma Long was appointed Protector-General Who Subdues Barbarians and Administrator of Wuwei. The ministers all said: "We already have ample troops; it is unwise to offer rewards for a new levy. Ma Long is a minor general speaking rashly—not to be trusted." The emperor would not hear of it. Ma Long recruited men who could draw a four-jun bow and pull a nine-shi crossbow, posting standards and testing applicants. From dawn until noon, he enrolled three thousand five hundred men. Ma Long said: "That is enough." He then asked to go to the arsenal in person to select weapons; the arsenal director quarreled fiercely with him, and the Central Controller of the Imperial Secretariat impeached Ma Long. Ma Long said: "I am prepared to give my life on the battlefield, yet the arsenal director has issued me rotten weapons left over from Wei times—hardly what Your Majesty intended when you sent me forth." The emperor ordered that Ma Long take whatever he chose, gave him three years' military provisions, and sent him on his way.
95
初，南單于呼廚泉以兄於扶羅子豹為左賢王，及魏武帝分匈奴為五部，以豹為左部帥。 豹子淵，幼而俊異，師事上黨崔游，博習經史。 嘗謂同門生上黨朱紀、雁門范隆曰：「吾常恥隨、陸無武，絳、灌無文。 隨、陸遇高帝而不能建封侯之業，降、灌遇文帝而不能興庠序之教，豈不惜哉！」 於是兼學武事。 及長，猿臂善射，膂力過人，姿貌魁偉。 為任子在洛陽，王渾及子濟皆重之，屢薦於帝，帝召與語，悅之。 濟曰：「淵有文武長才，陛下任以東南之事，吳不足平也。」 孔恂、楊珧曰：「非我族類，其心必異。 淵才器誠少比，然不可重任也。」 及涼州覆沒，帝問將於李喜，對曰：「陛下誠能發匈奴五部之眾，假劉淵一將軍之號，使將之而西，樹機能之首可指日而梟也。」 孔恂曰：「淵果梟樹機能，則涼州之患方更深耳。」 帝乃止。
In the beginning, Southern Chanyu Huchuquan had installed his elder brother Yufulu's son Bao as Left Wise King; when Emperor Wu of Wei divided the Xiongnu into five divisions, Bao was made chief of the Left Division. Bao's son Yuan was gifted from childhood. He studied under Cui You of Shangdang and gained a broad mastery of the classics and histories. He once told his fellow students Zhu Ji of Shangdang and Fan Long of Yanmen: "I have always been ashamed that Lu Jia and Lu Tong had no martial prowess, while Zhou Bo and Guan Ying had no literary cultivation. Lu Jia and Lu Tong served Emperor Gao yet could not build careers worthy of enfeoffment; Zhou Bo and Guan Ying served Emperor Wen yet could not establish schools and nurture learning—is that not a pity?" Thereupon he took up military training as well. When he came of age, his arms were long like an ape's, his archery was superb, his strength surpassed other men's, and his bearing was tall and commanding. As a hostage in Luoyang, he won the esteem of Wang Hun and his son Ji, who repeatedly recommended him to the emperor; the emperor summoned him for conversation and took a liking to him. Wang Ji said: "Liu Yuan possesses outstanding civil and military talents. If Your Majesty entrusts him with affairs in the southeast, Wu will be easily subdued." Kong Xun and Yang Yao said: "He is not of our kind—his heart is sure to differ from ours. Liu Yuan's talents are indeed scarcely matched, yet he must not be given heavy responsibility." When Liang Province fell, the emperor asked Li Xi to recommend a general. Li Xi replied: "If Your Majesty will truly mobilize the five Xiongnu divisions and grant Liu Yuan a general's commission to lead them west, Tufa Neng'en's head can be taken within days." Kong Xun said: "If Liu Yuan does behead Tufa Neng'en, the troubles in Liang Province will only deepen." The emperor thereupon dropped the matter.
96
東萊王彌家世二千石，彌有學術勇略，善騎射，青州人謂之「飛豹」。 然喜任俠，處士陳留董養見而謂之曰：「君好亂樂禍，若天下有事，不作士大夫矣。」 淵與彌友善，謂稱曰：「王、李以鄉曲見知，每相稱薦，適足為吾患耳。」 因歔欷流涕。 齊王攸聞之，言於帝曰：「陛下不除劉淵，臣恐并州不得久安。」 王渾曰：「大晉方以信懷殊俗，奈何以無形之疑殺人侍子乎？ 何德度之不弘也！」 帝曰：「渾言是也。」 會豹卒，以淵代為左部帥。
Wang Mi of Donglai came from a family of two-thousand-bushel officials. He combined learning with courage and stratagem, excelled at mounted archery, and the people of Qing Province called him the "Flying Leopard." Yet he loved bold chivalry. The recluse Dong Yang of Chenliu, on meeting him, said: "You delight in chaos and take pleasure in calamity—when trouble comes to the realm, you will not remain a scholar-official." Liu Yuan was friendly with Wang Mi and said to him: "Wang Hun and Li Xi know me from our home district and keep recommending me—nothing but trouble for me." He sighed and wept. Prince of Qi Sima You, hearing of this, told the emperor: "If Your Majesty does not eliminate Liu Yuan, I fear Bing Province will never know lasting peace." Wang Hun said: "Great Jin is just now winning over foreign peoples through good faith—how can we kill a hostage son on the basis of baseless suspicion? What narrowness of virtue and magnanimity!" The emperor said: "Wang Hun is right." When Bao died, Liu Yuan replaced him as chief of the Left Division.
97
夏，四月，大赦。
In summer, in the fourth month, the court declared a general amnesty.
98
除部曲督以下質任。
Hostages below the rank of troop commander were released.
99
吳桂林太守修允卒，其部曲應分給諸將。 督將郭馬、何典、王族等累世舊軍，不樂離別，會吳主料實廣州戶口，馬等因民心不安，聚眾攻殺廣州督虞授，馬自號都督交、廣二州諸軍事，使典攻蒼梧，族攻始興。 秋，八月，吳以軍師張悌為丞相，牛渚都督何植為司徒，執金吾滕修為司空。 未拜，更以修為廣州牧，帥萬人從東道討郭馬。 馬殺南海太守劉略，逐廣州刺史徐旗。 吳主又遣徐陵督陶浚將七千人，從西道與交州牧陶璜共擊馬。
Xiu Yun, Administrator of Guilin in Wu, died; his personal troops were to be divided among the various generals. The regimental commanders Guo Ma, He Dian, Wang Zu, and others—troops of many generations' standing—were unwilling to be separated. When the Wu ruler was tallying Guangzhou's households, Ma and his followers, exploiting popular unrest, gathered a mob, attacked and killed Guangzhou Superintendent Yu Shou, and Ma styled himself Director of Military Affairs for Jiao and Guang. He sent He Dian to attack Cangwu and Wang Zu to attack Shixing. In autumn, in the eighth month, Wu appointed Military Adviser Zhang Ti as chancellor, Niuzhu Superintendent He Zhi as Minister over the Masses, and Chief Commandant for the Upholding of Gold Teng Xiu as Minister of Works. Before they could take up their posts, Teng Xiu was instead made Governor of Guangzhou and led ten thousand men by the eastern route against Guo Ma. Guo Ma killed Liu Lue, Administrator of Nanhai, and drove off Xu Qi, Inspector of Guangzhou. The Wu ruler also dispatched Tao Jun, Superintendent of Xuling, with seven thousand men by the western route to join Tao Huang, Governor of Jiao Province, in attacking Guo Ma.
100
吳有鬼目菜，生工人黃耇家； 有買菜，生工人吳平家。 東觀案圖書，名鬼目曰芝草，買菜曰平慮草。 吳主以耇為侍芝郎，平為平慮郎，皆銀印青緩。
In Wu a plant called Ghost Eye appeared in the home of the artisan Huang Gao; and a plant called Maidcai appeared in the home of the artisan Wu Ping. The Eastern Observatory, consulting the archives, named Ghost Eye the Auspicious Fungus and Maidcai the Calm-Worry Grass. The Wu ruler made Huang Gao Attendant of the Auspicious Fungus and Wu Ping Attendant of Calm-Worry Grass, both with silver seals and blue sashes.
101
吳主每宴群臣，咸令沉醉。 又置黃門郎十人為司過，宴罷之後，各奏其闕失，迕視謬言，罔有不舉。 大者即加刑戮，小者記錄為罪，或剝人面，或鑿人眼。 由是上下離心，莫為盡力。
Whenever the Wu ruler feasted his ministers, he made them all drink until they were utterly drunk. He also appointed ten Attendants Within the Yellow Gates as fault-finders; after each feast they reported every lapse—sideways glances, mistaken words, nothing was omitted. Serious offenses were punished at once with execution; lesser ones were recorded as crimes—some had their faces flayed, others their eyes gouged out. From this the court lost all unity of purpose, and no one gave his full effort.
102
益州刺史王濬上疏曰：「孫皓荒淫凶逆，宜速征伐，若一旦皓死，更立賢主，則強敵也； 臣作船七年，日有朽敗； 臣年七十，死亡無日。 三者一乖，則難圖也。 誠願陛下無失事機。」 帝於是決意伐吳。 會安東將軍王渾表孫皓欲北上，邊戍皆戒嚴，朝廷乃更議明年出師。 王濬參軍何攀奉使在洛，上疏稱：「皓必不敢出，宜因戒嚴，掩取其易。
Wang Jun, Inspector of Yi Province, submitted a memorial: "Sun Hao is dissolute, lewd, and viciously rebellious—he should be attacked at once. If Hao should die and a worthy ruler succeed him, Wu would become a formidable enemy again; I have been building ships for seven years, and each day some rot and fail; I am seventy years old, and death is not far off. If any one of these three conditions fails, the opportunity will be lost. I earnestly beg Your Majesty not to miss this moment." The emperor thereupon resolved to attack Wu. Just then Pacifying-the-East General Wang Hun reported that Sun Hao intended to march north; the frontier garrisons all went on alert, and the court reconsidered, planning to launch the campaign the following year. He Pan, a staff officer under Wang Jun, was on a mission in Luoyang and submitted a memorial: "Sun Hao will surely not dare to march out. Your Majesty should exploit the alert and seize the easy victory.
103
杜預上表曰：「自閏月以來，賊但敕嚴，下無兵上。 以理勢推之，賊之窮計，力不兩完，必保夏口以東以延視息，無緣多兵西上，空其國都。 而陛下過聽，便用委棄大計，縱敵患生，誠可惜也。 向使舉而有敗，勿舉可也。 今事為之制，務從完牢，若或有成，則開太平之基，不成不過費損日月之間，何惜而不一試之！ 若當須後年，天時人事，不得如常，臣恐其更難也。 今有萬安之舉，無傾敗之慮，臣心實了，不敢以暖昧之見自取後累，惟陛下察之。」 旬月未報，預復上表曰：「羊祜不先博謀於朝臣，而密與陛下共施此計，故益令朝臣多異同之議。 凡事當以利害相校，今此舉之利十有八、九，而其害一、二，止於無功耳。 必使朝臣言破敗之形，亦不可得，直是計不出己，功不在身，各恥其前言之失而固守之也。 自頃朝廷事無大小，異意鋒起，雖人心不同，亦由恃恩不慮後患，故輕相同異也。 自秋已來，討賊之形頗露，今若中止，孫皓或怖而生計，徙都武昌，更完修江南諸城，遠其居民，城不可攻，野無所掠，則明年之計或無所及矣。」 帝方與張華圍棋，預表適至，華推枰斂手曰：「陛下聖武，國富兵強，吳主淫虐，誅殺賢能。 當今討之，可不勞而定，願勿以為疑！」 帝乃許之。 以華為度支尚書，量計運漕。 賈充、荀勖、馮紞爭之，帝大怒，充免冠謝罪。 僕射山濤退而告人曰：「自非聖人，外寧必有內憂，今釋吳為外懼，豈非算乎！」
Du Yu submitted a memorial: "Since the intercalary month, the enemy has only ordered strict vigilance—there are no troops moving upriver. By reason and circumstance, the enemy's desperate strategy cannot defend both fronts—they must hold east of Xiakou to buy time. They have no grounds to send large forces west and leave their capital undefended. Yet Your Majesty, heeding ill counsel, would abandon the grand plan and let the enemy recover—this is truly regrettable. If launching the campaign and failing were the risk, then holding back would be understandable. Now the plan is in place and should be pursued thoroughly. Success would lay the foundation of lasting peace; failure would cost no more than a few months—why hesitate to try? If we must wait until the year after next, heaven and human affairs may not favor us as they do now—I fear the task will only grow harder. Now we have a nearly certain victory and no fear of catastrophic defeat. My mind is made up, and I dare not, out of vague misgivings, bring later regret upon myself. I ask only that Your Majesty consider it." After a month with no reply, Du Yu submitted another memorial: "Yang Hu did not first consult the court broadly but secretly joined Your Majesty in this plan—hence the ministers have so many conflicting opinions. In all matters one should weigh benefit against harm. The benefit of this campaign is eight or nine parts in ten; the harm is one or two—at worst, failure without disaster. Even if you forced the ministers to describe how we might be defeated, they could not do it. They simply resent that the plan was not theirs and the glory would not be theirs—each is ashamed of his earlier opposition and stubbornly holds to it. Lately at court, dissent has flared over matters great and small. Though men's hearts differ, it is also because, secure in imperial favor, they give no thought to later consequences—hence they dispute one another lightly. Since autumn our intent to attack has been plain. If we halt now, Sun Hao may take fright and devise countermeasures—move the capital to Wuchang, fortify the cities south of the Yangtze, relocate the populace—leaving cities we cannot assault and countryside we cannot plunder. Then next year's plan may be beyond our reach." The emperor was playing weiqi with Zhang Hua when Du Yu's memorial arrived. Hua pushed the board aside and said: "Your Majesty is sage and martial, the state rich and the army strong; the Wu ruler is lewd and tyrannical, executing the worthy and capable. If we attack now, victory can be won without great effort. I beg Your Majesty not to hesitate!" The emperor thereupon agreed. Zhang Hua was appointed Director of the Department of Disbursements to calculate transport and grain shipments. Jia Chong, Xun Xu, and Feng Dan objected; the emperor was furious, and Jia Chong removed his cap and begged forgiveness. Palace Vice Director Shan Tao withdrew and told others: "Unless one is a sage, external peace must bring internal worry—to dismiss Wu as an external threat, is that not a miscalculation?"
104
冬，十一月，大舉伐吳，遣鎮軍將軍琅邪王人由出塗中，安東將軍王渾出江西，建威將軍王戎出武昌，平南將軍胡奮出夏口，鎮南大將軍杜預出江陵，龍驤將軍王濬、巴東監軍魯國唐彬下巴、蜀，東西凡二十餘萬。 命賈充為使持節、假黃鉞、大都督，以冠軍將軍楊濟副之。 充固陳伐吳不利，且自言衰老，不堪元帥之任。 詔曰：「君若不行，吾便自出。」 充不得已，乃受節鉞，將中軍南屯襄陽，為諸軍節度。
In winter, in the eleventh month, Jin launched a major campaign against Wu. Pacifying-the-Army General Prince of Langye Sima Renyou marched out through Tuzhong; Pacifying-the-East General Wang Hun through west of the Yangtze; Establishing Might General Wang Rong through Wuchang; Pacifying-the-South General Hu Fen through Xiakou; Pacifying-the-South Grand General Du Yu through Jiangling; and Flying Dragon General Wang Jun with Ba-East Supervisor Tang Bin of Lu down from Ba and Shu—more than two hundred thousand men in all, east and west combined. Jia Chong was appointed Bearer of the Staff of Authority with provisional Yellow Axe as Grand Commander-in-Chief, with Champion General Yang Ji as his deputy. Jia Chong firmly argued that attacking Wu was unwise and declared himself too old to bear the burden of supreme command. An edict said: "If you will not go, I shall go myself." Jia Chong had no choice; he accepted the staff and axe, led the Central Army south to encamp at Xiangyang, and directed all the armies.
105
馬隆西渡溫水，樹機能等以眾數萬據險拒之。 隆以山路狹隘，乃作扁箱車，為木屋，施於車上，轉戰而前，行千餘里，殺傷甚眾。 自隆之西，音問斷絕，朝廷憂之，或謂已沒。 後隆使夜到，帝撫掌歡笑，詰朝，召群臣謂曰：「若從諸卿言，無涼州矣。」 乃詔假隆節，拜宣威將軍。 隆至武威，鮮卑大人猝跋韓且萬能等帥萬餘落來降。 十二月，隆與樹機能大戰，斬之，涼州遂平。
Ma Long crossed the Wen River westward; Tufa Neng'en and others, with tens of thousands of men, held the defiles and blocked his path. Because the mountain roads were narrow, Ma Long built flat-box wagons with wooden shelters mounted on them and fought his way forward, advancing more than a thousand li and inflicting heavy casualties. After Ma Long marched west, all word of him ceased; the court grew anxious, and some said he had already been lost. Later Ma Long's messenger arrived by night; the emperor clapped his hands and laughed with joy. At the next court session he summoned the ministers and said: "If I had followed your counsel, Liang Province would be lost." An edict provisionally granted Ma Long the staff of authority and appointed him General Who Proclaims Might. When Ma Long reached Wuwei, the Xianbei chiefs Cuoba, Hanqie, Wanneng, and others led more than ten thousand households to surrender. In the twelfth month, Ma Long fought a great battle with Tufa Neng'en, beheaded him, and Liang Province was pacified.
106
詔問朝臣以政之損益，司徒左長史傅鹹上書，以為：「公私不足，由設官太多。 舊都督有四，今並監軍乃盈於十； 禹分九州，今之刺史幾向一倍； 戶口比漢十分之一，而置郡縣更多； 虛立軍府，動有百數，而無益宿衛； 五等諸侯，坐置官屬； 諸所廩給，皆出百姓。 此其所以困乏者也。 當今之急，在於並官息役，上下務農而已。」 鹹，玄之子也。 時又議省州、郡、縣半吏以赴農功，中書監荀勖以為：「省吏不如省官，省官不如省事，省事不如清心。 昔蕭、曹相漢，載其清靜，民以寧壹，所謂清心也。 抑浮說，簡文案，略細苛，宥小失，有好變常以徼利者，必行其誅，所謂省事也。 以九寺並尚書，蘭台付三府，所謂省官也。 若直作大例，凡天下之吏皆減其半，恐文武眾官，郡國職業，劇易不同，不可以一概施之。 若有曠闕，皆須更復，或激而滋繁，亦不可不重也。」」
The emperor asked the court ministers about the strengths and weaknesses of governance. Fu Xian, Left Chief Clerk to the Minister over the Masses, submitted a memorial: "Public and private resources were insufficient because too many offices had been established. Formerly there were four area commanders; now, counting supervisory armies, they exceed ten; Yu divided the realm into nine provinces; today's regional inspectors nearly double that number; registered households are one-tenth those of Han, yet more commanderies and counties have been established; empty military offices are established by the hundreds, yet they do nothing for the palace guard; feudal lords of the five ranks sit idle yet maintain full staffs; all their salaries and provisions come from the common people. This is why the state is exhausted. The urgent task now is to merge offices, reduce corvée labor, and have everyone from the throne down devote themselves to agriculture—that is all." Fu Xian was the son of Fu Xuan. At the time there was also discussion of halving the clerks of provinces, commanderies, and counties to free labor for farming. Director of the Masters of Writing Xun Xu argued: "Reducing clerks is inferior to reducing offices; reducing offices is inferior to reducing affairs; reducing affairs is inferior to purifying the heart. In the past Xiao He and Cao Shen served as Han chancellors, upholding quiet and purity until the people were settled and unified—this is what is meant by purifying the heart. Suppress empty talk, simplify documents and cases, set aside petty harshness, pardon minor faults, and execute without fail those who delight in changing established practice to seek profit—this is what is meant by reducing affairs. Merge the Nine Services with the Masters of Writing and assign the Orchid Terrace to the Three Offices—this is what is meant by reducing offices. If one simply made a blanket rule and halved all officials throughout the realm, I fear that civil and military posts and the duties of commanderies and states differ in difficulty—they cannot be treated uniformly. Vacancies would have to be filled again, or disputes might multiply—this too cannot be treated lightly."”