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卷112 晉紀三十四

Volume 112 Jin Records 34

Chapter 112 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
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Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 112, Roll 112. [Jin Annals 34] From Chongguang Chifenruo through Xuanyi Shetige—two years in all. Fifth year of Long'an of Emperor An (xinchou, AD 401). In spring, the first month, Prince of Wuwei Lilugu wished to take the imperial title, and his ministers all urged him on. General of Pacifying the State Yugulun said: "From antiquity our people have gone with loose hair and left-fastened dress, without caps or belts, moving with pasture and water and living without walls or houses—by that we have held the desert and stood against the Central Plains. Taking a grand title now would indeed follow the people's wish. Yet founding a capital and fixed settlements will not keep trouble away, and stockpiling in storehouses only provokes our foes. Better to settle Jin subjects in walled towns, set them to farming and sericulture for supplies, and keep our own people trained in war and archery. Strike when neighbors are weak and withdraw when they are strong—that is the policy that lasts. Besides, an empty title without substance only makes us a mark for the world—what good is that?" Lilugu said, "The Pacifying State is right." He took the title Prince of Hexi instead and made Duke of Guangwu Rutan commander of all armies, Governor of Liang, and overseer of the Masters of Writing. In the second month, on bingzi, Sun En issued from Jiakou and besieged Gouzhang without success. Liu Laozhi attacked him, and En fled back to sea. King Yao Xing of Qin sent Qifu Gangui back to hold Yuanchuan and gave him his entire former following. King Zuan of Liang drank heavily and loved the hunt. Minister of Ceremonies Yang Ying admonished him: "Your Majesty received Heaven's mandate and should uphold it through the Way. Our domain shrinks day by day, hemmed between two mountain chains; yet Your Majesty does not watch and guard night and day to enlarge your fathers' work, but drowns in drink and the chase and neglects the realm—I fear for us all." Zuan apologized humbly but did not change his ways. Lü Chao, governor of Fanhe, attacked the Xianbei leader Sipan without authorization; Sipan sent his brother Qizhen to complain to Zuan, who summoned both Chao and Sipan to court. Chao, in fear, reached Guzang and cultivated a close tie with Palace Attendant Du Shang. Zuan received Chao and rebuked him: "You trust in your brothers' might and dare cheat me. I ought to cut off your head—only then will the realm be at peace!" Chao kowtowed and pleaded for mercy. Zuan had only meant to intimidate Chao and did not truly intend to kill him. He then brought Chao, Sipan, and the ministers to a banquet in the inner palace. Chao's brother Long, central army commander, kept pressing wine on Zuan until he was drunk; Zuan rode a hand-drawn cart and led Chao and the others through the inner palace. At the east wing of Kunhua Hall the cart could not pass; Zuan's bodyguards Dou Chuan and Luo Teng set their swords against the wall and shoved the cart through the doorway. Chao grabbed a sword and struck at Zuan; Zuan leapt down to seize him, and Chao ran Zuan through the chest; Chuan and Teng fought Chao hand to hand, and Chao killed them both. Zuan's queen, Lady Yang, ordered the palace troops against Chao, but Du Shang held them back and all dropped their arms without fighting. General Wei Yiduo came in and took Zuan's head. Lady Yang said, "He is dead as clay and knows nothing—how can you bear to mutilate his body!" Yiduo cursed her, then paraded Zuan's head, proclaiming, "Zuan defied the late emperor, murdered the heir, and seized the throne; he was lewd and tyrannical. Fanhe governor Chao acted with the people's will in removing him to secure the royal house. Let all officers and people share this good fortune!" Zuan's uncle Duke Tuo of Baxi and his brother Duke Wei of Longxi were both in the northern city. Someone told Wei, "Chao has rebelled; as the late king's own brother you should take up righteous arms against him. Jiang Ji and Jiao Bian hold the south city, Yang Huan and Tian Cheng the east park—they are all ours; how can we fail!" Wei gathered troops and prepared to join Tuo in striking Chao. Tuo's wife Lady Liang restrained him: "Wei and Chao are both your brother's sons—why side with Wei against Chao and bring ruin on yourself!" Tuo then told Wei, "Chao has already won; he holds the arsenal and elite troops—moving against him would be very hard. Besides, I am old and powerless to act." Chao's brother Miao, who had Wei's favor, persuaded him: "The villain Zuan murdered his brothers; Long and Chao acted with the people in punishing him—they mean to set you on the throne. You are the late emperor's eldest son and should rule the realm; no one looks elsewhere—what is there to doubt!" Wei believed him, allied with Long and Chao, and rode into the city alone; Chao seized him and put him to death. He offered the throne to Long, who looked uneasy. Chao said, "You are mounting a dragon to the sky—how can you turn back halfway!" Long then took the title Heavenly King, declared a general amnesty, and adopted the era name Shending. He honored his mother Lady Wei as empress dowager; his wife Lady Yang as empress; he made Chao commander of all armies, grand general supporting the state, and overseer of the Masters of Writing, and enfeoffed him as Duke of Anding; and gave Zuan the posthumous name Emperor Ling. When Zuan's queen Lady Yang was to leave the palace, Chao, fearing she would take treasure, ordered her searched. Lady Yang said, "You brothers are wicked, slaughtering one another with your own blades. I shall die any day—what need have I of gems!" Chao asked where the imperial seal was; Lady Yang said, "I have already destroyed it." The queen was beautiful, and Chao meant to take her; he told her father, Vice Director Huan, "If the empress takes her own life, your whole clan will suffer!" Huan relayed this to Lady Yang. Lady Yang said, "Father, you sold your daughter to the Di for riches once—that was already too much; can you do it again!" She took her own life and was posthumously titled Empress Mu. Huan fled to Prince Lilugu of Hexi, who made him left marshal. In the third month Sun En marched north toward Haiyan; Liu Yu pursued to block him and fortified the old Haiyan seat. En attacked the city day after day; Yu beat him back again and again and killed his general Yao Sheng. With too few men in the city to match the rebels, Yu hid his troops and furled the banners by night; at dawn he opened the gates and posted a few sickly men on the wall. The rebels shouted from afar asking where Liu Yu was; they were told, "He slipped away in the night." The rebels believed it and scrambled into the city. Yu charged out and smashed them. Seeing the city could not be taken, En marched on toward Hudu; Yu again left the city to pursue. Bao Lou, magistrate of Haiyan, sent his son Sizhi at the head of a thousand Wu troops and offered to lead the van. Yu said, "The rebels fight well, and Wu men are unused to battle—if the van is beaten, our whole army will fail; keep them in the rear to lend weight." Sizhi refused. Yu laid many ambushes with flags and drums; when the van clashed, every ambush rose. Yu raised banners and drums; the rebels thought they were surrounded and fell back. Sizhi pursued and was killed in the fight. Yu fought as he withdrew until his men were nearly all dead or wounded; at the earlier battlefield he had his attendants strip the dead of clothing to feign ease. The rebels suspected a trap and did not press him. Yu shouted for another round; the rebels, frightened, drew off, and Yu brought his men home. Prince Lilugu of Hexi attacked Liang, defeated King Long in battle, and resettled more than two thousand households on his return. In summer, the fourth month, on xinmao, Wei abolished the Ye regional headquarters, formed Xiang Province from the six commanderies it had governed, and appointed Yu Yue inspector. Qifu Gangui reached Yuanchuan, appointed Bian Rui chief clerk and Wang Songsou marshal, and reduced former nobles and generals to staff and junior officers. King Ye of Northern Liang feared Juqu Mengxun's ability and meant to send him away; Mengxun likewise kept a low profile, and Ye replaced him as Zhangye governor with household attendant Ma Quan. Quan was proud and able, close to Ye, and often slighted Mengxun. Mengxun denounced him to Ye, saying, "The realm is no worry—only Ma Quan should concern you." Ye then had Quan executed. Mengxun told Juqu Nancheng, "Lord Duan cannot judge men and is no ruler for troubled times; the only men we feared were Suo Si and Ma Quan. They are all dead now. Mengxun wants to win him over to put you, brother, on the throne—what say you?" Nancheng said, "Ye was a stranger our clan raised up; he depended on us brothers as fish depend on water. To plot against a man who trusts you is ill-omened. Mengxun then requested the post of Xi'an governor. Ye was glad to see him leave and agreed. Mengxun arranged with Nancheng to worship together at Mount Lanmen, but secretly had Marshal Xu Xian tell Ye, "Nancheng plans to rebel on a holiday. If he asks to worship at Mount Lanmen, you will know I speak truth." When the day came, it happened just as he said. Ye seized Nancheng and ordered him to die. Nancheng said, "Mengxun first plotted rebellion with me; for our brotherhood's sake I kept silent. Now, with me still alive, he fears the men will not follow him, so he set this mountain rite and then slandered me—he means for Your Majesty to kill me. Pretend I am dead and publish my crimes—Mengxun will surely rebel; then I will strike him under your command and be sure to prevail." Ye refused and executed him. Mengxun wept before the troops: "Nancheng was loyal to Lord Duan, yet Duan killed him without cause—will you avenge him? We raised Lord Duan only to calm the people; now the land is in chaos and he cannot save it." Nancheng had always held the men's loyalty; they wept in rage and rushed to follow, and by Dichi the host passed ten thousand. Pacifying-Army General Zang Mohai surrendered with his troops, and many Qiang and Hu took arms for Mengxun. Mengxun marched and encamped at Houwu. Ye had long suspected Right General Tian Ang and held him prisoner; now he released Ang with an apology and sent him with Martial-Guard General Liang Zhongyong against Mengxun. Separate commander Wang Fengsun told Ye, "The Tian of Xiping rebel in every generation. Ang looks humble but is treacherous—do not trust him." Ye said, "I have doubted him for years, yet no one but Ang can fight Mengxun." At Houwu Ang surrendered with five hundred horsemen; Ye's army broke, and Zhongyong submitted to Mengxun as well. In the fifth month Mengxun reached Zhangye; Cheng Ai, nephew of Tian Ang, seized the inner gate, and Ye's attendants fled. When Mengxun came, Ye said, "I am alone; your clan set me up—spare my life so I may go east to my wife and children." Mengxun cut off his head. Ye was a plain scholar and worthy elder, without craft; his authority did not hold and his officers did as they pleased; he trusted diviners and shamans above all, and so came to ruin. Fuzhan, brother of Juqu Nancheng, and General Ju Yi surrendered with five hundred households to Prince Lilugu of Hexi. Yi was a son of Shizi. Sun En captured Hudu and killed Yuan Song, interior minister of Wu; four thousand were killed. King Long of Liang killed many leading families to build a fearsome name, and the realm was in uproar. No one felt safe. Jiao Lang of Wei'an sent envoys to Duke Shide of Longxi in Qin, saying, "Since the Lü Martial Emperor died, his sons have fought one another; law has collapsed and all vie in cruelty. The people starve; more than half are dead. Strike now, while they usurp and seize—it is easier than turning your hand; do not miss it." Shide persuaded King Yao Xing of Qin, who marched sixty thousand foot and horse against Liang, with Qifu Gangui and seven thousand cavalry in support. In the sixth month, on jiaxu, Sun En came by sea to Dantu with more than a hundred thousand fighters and a thousand warships, and Jiankang was terrified. On yihai the capital was placed under martial law and officials moved into the palace offices. Champion General Gao Su held Stone City; Liu Xi of the supporting state barred the Huai; Danyang governor Sima Huizhi held the south bank; Huan Qian prepared at Baishi; Wang Jia camped at Zhongtang; and Prince Shangzhi of Qiao marched in from Yuzhou to defend the capital. Liu Laozhi marched from Shanyin to cut En off but arrived too late and sent Liu Yu from Haiyan to reinforce the capital. Yu had fewer than a thousand men and forced the march day and night, reaching Dantu as En did. Yu was badly outnumbered and his men were exhausted from the long march, while the Dantu garrison had no will to fight. En led his men with drums and shouts up Garlic Mountain, and the townspeople stood ready with bundles on their shoulders. Yu charged and smashed them; many leapt from cliffs or drowned, and En barely escaped back to his ships. Yet En still trusted his numbers, regrouped, and marched straight on the capital. Rear General Yuan Xian met him in battle but lost again and again. Prince Dao Zi of Kuaiji had no plan but daily prayers at the temple of Marquis Jiang. As En drew near, the people panicked. Prince Shangzhi of Qiao raced up with picked troops and camped at the Hall of Accumulated Crossbows. En's tall warships could not make speed against the wind and took days to reach Baishi. En had hoped the imperial forces were scattered and meant to strike by surprise; but learning Shangzhi was in Jiankang and Liu Laozhi had returned, he halted at Xinzhou, dared not advance, and fled north by sea to Yuzhou. A detached force under En took Guangling and killed three thousand. Pacifying-North General Gao Yazhi attacked En at Yuzhou and was captured. Huan Xuan kept his army sharp and watched for court weakness; when Sun En threatened the capital he mobilized and memorialized for permission to attack. Yuan Xian was terrified. When En withdrew, Yuan Xian used an edict to stop him, and Huan stood his troops down. Liang Zhongyong and others made Juqu Mengxun grand commander, grand general, Governor of Liang, and Duke of Zhangye; he pardoned his realm and adopted the era name Yong'an. Mengxun made his cousin Funu Zhangye governor and Marquis of Heping, his brother Na general establishing loyalty and Marquis of Dugu, Tian Ang Xijun governor, Zang Mohai supporting-state general, Fang Gui and Liang Zhongyong chief clerks, and Zhang Yi and Xie Zhengli marshals. He raised able men, and civil and military officers alike rejoiced. Prince Lilugu of Hexi ordered his ministers to speak freely of the state's strengths and failings. Western Bureau attendant Shi Gao said, "Your Majesty sends generals to war and they have never failed. Yet you put relocation ahead of pacification; people cling to their homes and flee resettlement, so though you win battles and take cities your domain does not grow." Lilugu praised his counsel. In autumn, the seventh month, Changsun Fei, Yan inspector of Wei, led twenty thousand foot and horse south against Xuchang and east to Pengcheng; General Liu Gai surrendered. Duke Shide of Longxi in Qin crossed from Jincheng and marched on Guangwu; Prince Lilugu of Hexi withdrew the Guangwu garrison. At Guzang King Long of Liang sent Chao, supporting-state grand general, and Miao, dragon-prancing general, against them; Shide crushed the army, took Miao alive, and killed or captured tens of thousands. Long shut himself in the city; Duke Tuo of Baxi surrendered with twenty-five thousand men from the eastern park. Duke Gao of Western Liang, Prince Lilugu of Hexi, and Juqu Mengxun each sent tribute missions to Qin. Earlier the Liang general Jiang Ji had surrendered to Prince Lilugu of Hexi; Duke Rutan of Guangwu delighted in his military talk, shared mat and carriage with him, and their discussions ran night into day. Lilugu told Rutan, "Jiang Ji is able, but his manner is strange and he will not stay—better kill him. If he goes to Qin he will become a danger." Rutan said, "I have treated him as a friend of the road; he will not betray me." In the eighth month Ji fled with a few dozen horsemen to the Qin army and told Shide, "Lü Long holds a lone city; your great army will force him to sue for peace; but that will be a paper surrender, not true submission. Give me three thousand foot and horse with Wang Songcong, Jiao Lang, and Hua Chunzhi—we will watch for a chance, and Long will be easy to take. Otherwise the Tufa in the south are strong and rich; if they take Guzang their power will grow, Mengxun and Li Gao cannot stand against them, and they will submit—then you will have a great enemy." Shide then recommended Ji as Wuwei governor. He gave him two thousand men and posted him at Yanran. When King Xing of Qin heard of Yang Huan's excellence he summoned him, and Lilugu did not dare keep him. An imperial order appointed Liu Yu governor of Xiapi and sent him against Sun En at Yuzhou; after several engagements he won a crushing victory. Sun En grew weaker and fled south along the coast again; Liu Yu pursued and struck at him. King Sheng of Yan, mindful that his father Bao had lost the realm through timidity, relied on harsh punishments. He prided himself on his sharp judgment, suspected everyone, and executed any minister against whom the faintest suspicion arose—before trouble could even break out. After that, whether kinsman or old companion of the throne, no one could feel secure. On dinghai, Left General Murong Guo, Palace Guard General Qin Yu, and Duan Zan plotted to lead the palace guard against Sheng. The conspiracy was discovered, and more than five hundred people were killed. That night, on renchen, former General Duan Ji, Qin Yu's son Xing, and Duan Zan's son Tai slipped into the inner palace, raised a clamor of drums and shouting. Sheng heard the uproar, took his personal guard out to fight, and the rebels broke and fled. Ji was wounded and hid in the side chambers. Soon a rebel struck Sheng from the shadows. Wounded, he was carried to the front hall, tightened discipline among the guards, and died once order was restored. Central Rampart General Murong Ba and Attendant-in-Ordinary Guo Zhong told Empress Dowager Ding that the realm was in crisis and needed an elder, seasoned ruler. Popular expectation favored Sheng's younger brother Yuan, Prince of Pingyuan, who held the posts of Minister over the Masses and Director of the Imperial Secretariat. But Prince Xi of Hejian had long enjoyed Lady Ding's favor, so she deposed Crown Prince Ding and secretly brought Xi into the palace. At dawn the ministers came to court, learned of the coup for the first time, and submitted memorials urging Xi to take the throne. Xi offered the throne to Yuan, but Yuan dared not accept. On guisi Xi took the throne as Heavenly King. Duan Ji and his fellows were captured, and their clans were exterminated to the third degree. On jiawu he proclaimed a general amnesty. On bingshen Prince Yuan of Pingyuan was forced to take his own life on suspicion. In the intercalary month, on xinyou, Sheng was buried at Xingping Tomb with the posthumous title Emperor Zhaowu and temple name Zhongzong. Before Lady Ding returned from the funeral, Central Army Commander Murong Ti, Infantry Commandant Zhang Fo, and others plotted to restore the former crown prince Ding. The plot was exposed; they were executed, and Ding was forced to die as well. On bingyin a general amnesty was declared and the reign era was changed to Guangshi. Qin's Prince Shide of Longxi had besieged Guzang for months. Many easterners inside the city plotted to defect, and Wei Yiduo again stirred them up, planning to kill King Long of Liang and Prince Chao of Anding. When the plot was uncovered, more than three hundred families were executed. Shide won over both tribal peoples and Chinese, posted officials throughout the territory, rationed food, and stockpiled grain. He was planning for a long siege. Liang's ministers urged an alliance with Qin, but Long refused. Prince Chao of Anding said, "Our reserves are spent and the court and people are desperate. Even if Zhang Liang and Chen Ping rose from the dead, they could offer no plan. Your Majesty must bend when the times require it. Why cling to pride over a short letter or a single envoy and refuse humble words that could send the enemy away! Once the enemy withdraws, govern well and let the people recover. If Heaven has not ended your line, why fear that your former realm cannot be restored! If the Mandate has truly passed, you may at least preserve your clan. Otherwise, to sit here until we are worn down—what end can that have!" Long accepted his counsel. In the ninth month he sent envoys to surrender to Qin. Shide recommended Long as General Who Pacifies the West, governor of Liangzhou, and Duke of Jiankang. Long sent his sons and brothers, together with veteran officials such as Murong Zhu and Yang Ying—more than fifty households in all—as hostages to Chang'an. Shide kept strict discipline and did not harm so much as a blade of grass. He honored past sages and treated eminent men with respect, and the western regions welcomed his rule. Jiuquan and Liangning, the two prefectures under Juqu Mengxun, rebelled and went over to Western Liang. When he also heard that Lü Long had surrendered to Qin he was terrified and sent his younger brother Nuo, the Establishing Loyalty General, and Zhang Qian, chief clerk of the pasturage office, to see Shide at Guzang and ask permission to lead his people east in migration. Shide was delighted and appointed Qian governor of Zhangye and Nuo governor of Jiankang. Qian urged Mengxun to move east. Nuo said privately to Mengxun, "Guzang has not fallen and the Lü are still in power. When Shide runs out of grain he will withdraw and cannot remain long. Why throw away your own lands and submit to someone else's rule!" Zang Mohai agreed. Mengxun sent his son Xinian as a hostage to Western River King Lilugu. Lilugu refused him, saying, "Xinian is too young. Send Nuo instead." In the tenth month of winter Mengxun again sent a memorial to Lilugu: "Your servant earlier sent Xinian to lay my loyalty fully before you, yet your will was unclear and you now demand my younger brother Nuo as well. I believe that where there is sincerity and trust, a son is pledge enough; and where there is no trust, a younger brother counts for nothing. Bandit troubles are not yet settled and I cannot obey your command. I beg Your Majesty to understand." Lilugu was furious. He sent Juyan, Marquis of Song, and Wenzhi, Marquis of Xingcheng, with ten thousand horsemen against Mengxun. At Wansui Lin song they seized Mengxun's cousin Gouzi of Shanshan and carried off more than six thousand of his households. Mengxun's uncle Kong Zhe came to Lilugu's court and promised to send Nuo as a hostage. Lilugu then returned the captives and recalled Juyan and his force. Wenzhi was Lilugu's younger brother. Beide, ruler of Southern Yan, feasted his ministers in the Hall for Advancing the Worthy. When the wine had gone deep he asked them, "To which ruler of old may I be compared?" Qingzhou inspector Ju Zhong said, "Your Majesty is a sage who restored the realm—the equal of Shaokang and Emperor Guangwu." Beide turned to his attendants and had a thousand bolts of silk given to Zhong. Zhong declined, saying the reward was too great. Beide said, "You know how to flatter me—do you think I do not know how to flatter you in return! Because your praise was empty, I reward you with empty words as well." Han Fan stepped forward and said, "A Son of Heaven does not speak in jest. In today's exchange, both ruler and subject were at fault." Beide was delighted and gave Fan fifty bolts of silk. Beide's mother and elder brother Na were both in Chang'an, so Beide sent Du Hong of Pingyuan to visit them. Hong said, "When I reach Chang'an, if I cannot learn how the Empress Dowager fares, I shall go west to Zhangye and offer my life in your service. My father Xiong is past sixty. I beg a stipend in our home county so I may honor him as a son should." Director of the Secretariat Zhang Hua said, "Du Hong seeks a salary before he has even set out. That is the grave offense of coercing one's lord." Beide said, "Hong serves his ruler by fetching his mother and serves his father by asking for a stipend. Loyalty and filial piety are both fulfilled—what crime is there!" He appointed Xiong magistrate of Pingyuan. Hong reached Zhangye and was killed by bandits. In the eleventh month Liu Yu pursued Sun En to Hudu and Haiyan and defeated him again. Captives and slain numbered in the tens of thousands, and En fled from Jiekou far out to sea. In the twelfth month, on xinhai, Wei Emperor Gui sent Prince Changshan Zun and Duke Dingling Heba with fifty thousand men to attack Moyigan at Gaoping. On yimao Wei's Tiger Might General Su Daggan attacked Yan and besieged Lingzhi; on yichou Yan's Central Army Commander Murong Ba marched to relieve the city. On renchen Su Daggan captured Lingzhi and left a garrison. Lü Chao attacked Jiang Ji without success, then turned against Jiao Lang. Lang sent his nephew Song as a hostage to Western River King Lilugu to ask for relief. Lilugu sent Cavalry General Rutan to his aid. By the time Rutan arrived, Chao had already withdrawn, but Lang shut his gates and refused him entry. Rutan was furious and prepared to attack. Defender of the North Juyan remonstrated, "Love of home is human nature. Lang holds a lone city without grain. If he does not yield this year, he will submit the year after. Why spend soldiers' lives to storm him! If you fail, he will flee to another power. To drive away the people of our province and strengthen a rival is poor strategy; better to win him with fair words." Rutan then made peace with Lang, marched his army to Guzang, and encamped at Huyan. Rutan knew Lü Chao would try a night raid and prepared fires to receive him. That night Chao sent Central Rampart General Wang Ji with two thousand elite troops to strike Rutan's camp. Rutan held his men in strict order and did not stir. When Ji entered the stockade, fires blazed inside and out until the night shone like day; then Rutan's men fell upon them and killed Ji along with more than three hundred armored officers and men. Lü Long grew afraid and pretended to make peace with Rutan, proposing an alliance in the royal park. Rutan sent Juyan to the ceremony. Juyan suspected a trap and entered by breaking through the park wall. Chao's ambush struck. Juyan lost his horse and fled on foot. General Guo Zu of the Shui Ling River fought desperately to cover him, and Juyan barely escaped. Enraged, Rutan attacked Changsong governor Meng Shiwei at Xianmei. Long sent General Who Spreads Martial Xun Anguo and General Who Pacifies the Distance Shi Ke with five hundred horsemen to relieve him. Anguo and his men feared Rutan's strength and retreated without fighting. Huan Xuan memorialized to have his elder brother Wei made governor of Jiang province and stationed at Xiakou; He made Sima Diao Chang general who supports the state, superintendent of military affairs for eight commanderies, and stationed him at Xiangyang; and sent his generals Huangfu Fu and Feng Gai to garrison Penkou. He moved two thousand households of the Ju and Zhang tribes south of the Yangtze and established Wuning commandery; then gathered more displaced people and established Suian commandery. The court summoned Guangzhou inspector Diao Kui and Yuzhang administrator Guo Changzhi, but Xuan held them back and refused to let them go. Xuan believed he held two-thirds of the Jin realm and repeatedly sent men to report omens and auspicious signs about himself, hoping to mislead the people; He also wrote to Prince of Kuaiji Sima Daozi: "The rebels reached the suburbs, but wind kept them from advancing and rain kept them from setting fires; they left only because their provisions were exhausted, not because they were beaten. After Guobao died, Wang Gong did not use that moment to seize control of the court—enough to show he did not slight you—yet he was called disloyal. Among the great men at court today, who still enjoys the esteem of the age? Surely you cannot say there are no worthy men! The trouble is simply that they cannot be trusted! Day by day, night by night, the disaster of today has taken shape. The gentlemen at court all fear calamity and keep silent; I, unworthy though I am, hold office far away, and therefore lay bare the truth." When Yuan Xian read it, he was terrified. Zhang Fashun said to Yuan Xian, "Huan Xuan draws on generations of power and has always been bold. Having taken Yin and Yang, he holds Jing and Chu alone, while you command only the Three Wu. Sun En has ravaged the east; public and private resources are spent. Xuan is sure to seize this moment to unleash his villainy. I venture to say I am deeply worried." Yuan Xian said, "What can be done?" Fashun said, "Xuan has only just taken Jing province; the people are not yet loyal to him. He is busy winning them over and has no time for other schemes. If you seize this moment, make Liu Laozhi the vanguard, and follow with your main force, Xuan can be taken." Yuan Xian agreed. Meanwhile Wuchang administrator Yu Kai, fearing that Xuan's quarrel with the court would fail and ruin him, secretly sent a man to Yuan Xian offering alliance: "Xuan has lost the people's hearts; no one will fight for him. If the court sends an army, I will act as your man inside." Yuan Xian was delighted and sent Zhang Fashun to Jingkou to consult Liu Laozhi; Laozhi thought the plan hard to carry out. Fashun returned and told Yuan Xian, "From Laozhi's words and manner he is sure to betray us. Better summon him and kill him; otherwise you will ruin everything." Yuan Xian refused. Thereupon he built up the river fleet, levied troops, and fitted out warships to attack Xuan. First year of Yuanxing of Emperor An (renyin, AD 402). In spring, the first month, on gengwu, the new moon, an edict condemned Huan Xuan. Yuan Xian, director of the secretariat, was made rapid-cavalry grand general, grand commander of the punitive campaign, and superintendent of military affairs for eighteen provinces, with the yellow battle-axe added. Northern pacification general Liu Laozhi was made vanguard commander and forward general Prince Shangzhi of Qiao the rear. A general amnesty followed, the reign title was changed, and the realm was placed on alert; Prince of Kuaiji Sima Daozi was made grand tutor. Yuan Xian wanted to execute every member of the Huan clan. Central protector of the army Huan Xiu was a nephew of rapid-cavalry chief clerk Wang Dan. Dan enjoyed Yuan Xian's favor and argued that Xiu and the others did not share Xuan's designs, so Yuan Xian relented. Dan was a great-grandson of Wang Dao. Zhang Fashun said to Yuan Xian, "The brothers Huan Qian are the eyes and ears of the upper Yangtze. Cut off their heads to forestall treachery. And success or failure hangs on the vanguard—yet Laozhi is unreliable. If anything goes wrong, ruin will come at once. Have Laozhi kill the Qian brothers to prove his loyalty. If he refuses, move against him first." Yuan Xian said, "Without Laozhi we cannot take on Xuan; and to kill a great general at the outset would unsettle the army." Fashun pressed him again and again, but Yuan Xian would not agree. The Huan clan had long been loved in Jing, and Huan Chong in particular had left the people grateful. Qian was Chong's son, so Yuan Xian moved him from rapid-cavalry marshal to superintendent of military affairs for Jing, Yi, Ning, and Liang and governor of Jing province, hoping to win over the west. On dingchou, Murong Ba of Yan attacked Wei's garrison at Lingzhi and took it. Suda Gan fled, and they captured Wei's Liaoxi governor Na Jie. Yan made Ba governor of You province, stationed at Lingzhi, and central stalwart general Yang Hao of Liaoxi administrator of his home commandery. On dinghai, Zhangwu duke Yuan was made director of the secretariat, Boling duke Qian left vice director, and Wang Teng right vice director. On wuzi, Wei corps officer general Guo Hetu attacked the tribes of Chufu, Suguyan, and others and defeated them. Earlier Wei's ruler Gui had sent the northern great man He Digan with a thousand horses to seek marriage with Qin. Qin's ruler Xing, hearing that Gui had already taken Murong Hou as consort, detained Digan and broke off the match; Moyigan, Chufu, and Suguyan were all Qin's dependent tribes, yet Wei attacked them, and from this Qin and Wei fell out. On gengyin, Gui held a great review of troops and horses and ordered the commanderies of Bing to store grain at Ganbi in Pingyang against Qin. Rouran Shelun was then on good terms with Qin and sent generals to rescue Chufu and Suguyan; on xinmao, Hetu counterattacked and routed them. Shelun led his tribes in flight far into the northern desert, seized Gaoche territory, and settled there. Beihouli, chief of the Hulu tribe, attacked Shelun and was badly beaten; Beihouli fled to Wei. Shelun then struck northwest at the Xiongnu remnant Ribayeji and crushed him, swallowed the other tribes, and his warriors and horses flourished until he dominated the north. His domain ran west to Yanqi, east to Korea, south to the great desert, and the lesser states on every side submitted. He styled himself Khaghan Doudai. He first set down laws: a thousand men made an army, and each army had a commander; a hundred men made a banner, and each banner had a chief. In battle those who charged first received the spoils; cowards were killed by having stones hurled at their heads. Tufa Rutan took Xianmei, seized Meng Shiwei, and rebuked him for not surrendering sooner. Shiwei said, "I received deep favor from the Lü clan and held a commission to guard this land; if when your great army had barely arrived I had lowered my banner and submitted, I feared I would be judged guilty by my superiors." Rutan released him with honor, moved more than two thousand households back with him, and made Shiwei left marshal. Shiwei declined: "The Lü are about to fall; the sage court is sure to take the lands west of the River. Everyone knows it. Yet I held a city for another and could not keep it intact, and now you would honor me again—I cannot accept it in good conscience. If you grant me your kindness and let me go to Guzang to die, my death will not be forgotten." Moved by his integrity, Rutan sent him back. The east had been ravaged by Sun En's rebellion and then by famine; grain transport by water ceased. Huan Xuan cut the Yangtze routes; trade stopped; public and private stores ran dry, and the troops were fed on chaff and acorns. Xuan thought the court had too many troubles to attack him and could gather strength while waiting for his chance. When the great army was about to march, his cousin the grand tutor's chief clerk Shi Sheng secretly wrote to warn him. Xuan was alarmed and wanted to mass his forces and hold Jiangling. Chief clerk Bian Fanzhi said, "Your heroic name shakes the realm. Yuan Xian still smells of milk. Liu Laozhi has lost the people's hearts. March on the capital, show them blessing or ruin, and they will collapse before you lift a foot. Why let the enemy in and corner yourself?" Xuan agreed, left Huan Wei to guard Jiangling, memorialized and issued a proclamation condemning Yuan Xian, and marched east with his army. When the proclamation arrived, Yuan Xian was terrified. In the second month, on bingwu, the emperor saw Yuan Xian off at the West Pond. Yuan Xian boarded his ship but would not sail. On guichou, Wei's prince of Changshan Zun and others reached Gaoping. Moyigan abandoned his tribes and fled to Qinzhou with several thousand horsemen and Liu Bobo. The Wei army pursued to Wating, failed to catch them, and returned with all their stores, more than forty thousand horses, and more than ninety thousand head of livestock. The people were moved to the capital of Dai and the remnant tribes scattered. Pingyang administrator Er Chen again invaded Qin's Hedong. Chang'an was shaken; the passes' cities closed by day; and Qin mustered and trained troops to attack Wei. Qin's ruler Xing made his son Hong heir apparent and proclaimed a general amnesty. Hong was filial, friendly, broad-minded, and mild, fond of letters and skilled at talk and song, yet timid and often ill. Xing wanted him as heir but hesitated for a long time before at last naming him. Guzang suffered great famine. A dou of rice cost five thousand cash. People ate one another, and more than a hundred thousand starved. The gates were shut by day and firewood routes cut off. Hundreds each day begged to leave and become barbarian slaves. Lü Long, fearing this would shake morale, buried them alive until corpses filled the roads. Juqu Mengxun attacked Guzang. Long sent for help to Hexi king Lilugu, who sent Duke of Guangwu Rutan with ten thousand horsemen. Before they arrived, Long beat Mengxun's army. Mengxun sued for peace, left more than ten thousand hu of grain, and withdrew. Rutan reached Changsong. Hearing Mengxun had withdrawn, he moved more than five hundred households from the Ze segment tombs and returned. Palace Attendant Zhang Rong said to Lilugu, "The Jiao Lang brothers hold Weian, secretly deal with the Yao, and have turned coat again and again. If we do not seize them now, they will surely trouble the court later. Lilugu sent Rutan against them. Lang came out with bonds on his face and surrendered. Rutan sent him to Xiping and moved the people to Ledu. Huan Xuan marched from Jiangling. Fearing defeat, he kept planning a retreat west. At Xunyang he saw no imperial army and was greatly pleased; his officers and men took heart as well. Yu Kai's plot leaked out, and Xuan had him imprisoned. On dingsi, an edict dispatched Prince of Qi Rouzhi with the Zo Yu peace banner to proclaim to Jing and Jiang that the armies must stand down; Xuan's vanguard killed him. Rouzhi was a son of Zong. On dingmao, Xuan reached Gudu and sent Feng Gai and other joint generals against Liyang. Xiangcheng prefect Sima Xiuzhi barred the gates and held the city. Xuan's army severed Dongpu and burned the boats of Yuzhou. Yuzhou inspector Prince of Qiao Shangzhi drew up nine thousand foot soldiers on the shore and sent Wudu prefect Yang Qiu to hold Hengjiang. Qiu surrendered to Xuan's army. Shangzhi's troops broke and fled along the roads. Xuan captured him. Sima Xiuzhi gave battle and was beaten; he abandoned the city and fled. Liu Laozhi had long hated General of Agile Cavalry Yuan Xian. He feared that if Huan Xuan fell, Yuan Xian would grow still more arrogant, and that his own rising fame would make Yuan Xian unable to bear him. Trusting his martial gifts and strong army, he meant to use Xuan to remove the rulers, then watch for a gap and seize power himself. For that reason he would not fight Xuan. Yuan Xian spent his days and nights in drunken stupor and made Laozhi his vanguard. Laozhi came again and again to the gate but was refused audience. Only when the emperor came out to send Yuan Xian off did he meet him on the open dais—and no more. Laozhi's army was at Lizhou. Staff officer Liu Yu asked to strike Xuan, but Laozhi would not allow it. Xuan sent Laozhi's clan uncle He Mu to persuade him, saying, "Since antiquity, who has worn the terror of overawing his lord, held merit too great to reward, and still kept himself whole? Wen Zhong of Yue, Bai Qi of Qin, Han Xin of Han—all served enlightened rulers and gave their all, yet on the day their work was done they still could not escape execution and the ruin of their clans. How much less when serving a vicious fool! If you win today you overturn your clan; if you lose you destroy your family. Where can you go in safety? Better turn your plans at once, and you may long keep wealth and rank. Men of old who shot the hook or cut the sleeve still became ministers without harm. How much less does Xuan bear an old grudge against you! By then Prince of Qiao Shangzhi had already been defeated and fear spread through the ranks. Laozhi largely took Mu's counsel and opened communications with Xuan. He Wuji of Donghai, overseer of the Eastern Sea and Laozhi's nephew, remonstrated with Liu Yu to the utmost, but Laozhi would not listen. His son Jingxuan, attendant at the secretariat of the General of Agile Cavalry, remonstrated, saying, "The state is failing and in peril. The fate of the realm rests between you, father, and Xuan. Xuan draws on the standing of his father and uncles, holds all Chu, and has carved away two-thirds of Jin. If in a single morning you let him ride over the court, once his prestige is set I fear he will be hard to plot against. The Dong Zhuo disaster will come today. Laozhi said angrily, "Do I not know that! Today to take Xuan is like turning the hand over; but after Xuan is pacified, what am I to do about the General of Agile Cavalry! In the third month, on the first day yisi, Laozhi sent Jingxuan to Xuan to offer surrender. Xuan secretly meant to kill Laozhi. He therefore feasted with Jingxuan and spread out famous writings and paintings for them to admire together, to soothe and please him; Jingxuan noticed nothing, while Xuan's staff exchanged glances and smiled. Xuan appointed Jingxuan consultant staff officer. Yuan Xian was about to march when he heard Xuan had reached Xinting. He abandoned his boats and fell back to the Imperial Academy. On xinwei he drew up his array outside Xuanyang Gate. Panic ran through the army with word that Xuan had reached Nanheng. Yuan Xian led his troops back toward the palace. Xuan sent men with drawn swords who followed close behind shouting, "Lay down your arms! The soldiers broke and fled. Yuan Xian mounted a horse and dashed into the Eastern Residence, with only Zhang Fashun following on a single horse. Yuan Xian asked Daozi for counsel. Daozi could only answer with tears. Xuan sent Grand Tutor attendant Mao Tai to seize Yuan Xian and take him to Xinting, bound him at the prow of the boat, and recited his crimes. Yuan Xian said, "I was misled by Wang Dan and Zhang Fashun, that is all. On renshen the Long'an era name was restored. The emperor sent a palace attendant to congratulate Xuan at Anle Ford. Xuan entered the capital, declared by edict that the emergency was over, and was made overseer of all offices, commander-in-chief at home and abroad, chancellor, recorder of the Secretariat, governor of Yangzhou, and concurrently inspector of Xu, Jing, and Jiang, with the yellow battle-axe on loan. Xuan made Huan Wei governor of Jing, Huan Qian left vice director of the Secretariat, Huan Xiu inspector of Xu and Yan, Huan Shisheng inspector of Jiang, and Bian Fanzhi governor of Danyang. When Xuan first raised troops, palace attendant Wang Mi came to him on imperial orders, and Xuan received him with personal honor. When Xuan took power he made Mi director of the Secretariat. Mi was a grandson of Wang Dao. Xin'an prefect Yin Zhongwen was the younger brother of Yin Qi. Xuan's elder sister was Zhongwen's wife. When Zhongwen heard Xuan had taken the capital, he abandoned his commandery and joined him. Xuan made him consultant staff officer. Liu Mai went to see Xuan. Xuan said, "You do not fear death, yet you dare to come? Mai said, "Shooting the hook and cutting the sleeve—Mai makes the third. Xuan was pleased and made him a staff officer. On guiyou the relevant offices memorialized that Prince of Kuaiji Daozi was drunken, dissolute, and unfilial and should be executed in the market. An edict exiled him to Ancheng commandery instead; Yuan Xian, Prince of the Eastern Sea Yanzhang, Prince of Qiao Shangzhi, Yu Kai, Zhang Fashun, Mao Tai, and others were beheaded in the Jiankang market. Huan Xiu pleaded earnestly for Wang Dan, who was banished to Lingnan. Xuan made Liu Laozhi interior administrator of Kuaiji. Laozhi said, "So soon—and already my troops are taken. Disaster is surely at hand! Liu Jingxuan asked to return and persuade Laozhi to accept the appointment. Xuan sent him. Jingxuan urged Laozhi to strike Xuan. Laozhi hesitated, moved camp to Bandu, and privately told Liu Yu, "I shall now go north to Gao Yazhi at Guangling and raise troops to restore the realm. Will you come with me? Yu said, "General, with tens of thousands of crack troops you surrendered at their approach. They have newly won power and their awe shakes the realm. Court and countryside have already left you. How can you reach Guangling! I shall put on mourning garb and return to Jingkou. He Wuji said to Yu, "Where shall I go? Yu said, "I see that the Northern Pacifier will not escape ruin. You may come back to Jingkou with me. If Huan Xuan keeps to his minister's duty, I shall serve him with you; if not, I shall plot against him with you. Thereupon Laozhi gathered his staff in full council and debated holding the north bank of the Yangzi to attack Xuan. Staff officer Liu Xi said, "Of things that must not be done, none is greater than rebellion. General, in former years you rebelled against Wang of Yanzhou, recently against Master Sima, and now again against Duke Huan; One man rebelling thrice—how can he stand! When he had finished he hurried out, and most of the staff scattered and fled. Laozhi grew afraid and sent Jingxuan to Jingkou to bring up the family; When the deadline passed and they did not come, Laozhi thought the plot had leaked and that Xuan would kill him. He led his personal troops north, reached Xinzhou, and hanged himself. When Jingxuan arrived he had no time to mourn and at once crossed the river and fled to Guangling. His generals and officials together laid out Laozhi's body and brought his coffin back to Dantu. Xuan ordered the coffin opened, the head cut off, and the corpse exposed in the market. A general amnesty was proclaimed and the era name changed to Daxing. Huan Xuan yielded the chancellorship and the inspectorates of Jing, Jiang, and Xu, and was reassigned Grand Marshal, commander-in-chief at home and abroad, governor of Yangzhou, and concurrently inspector of Yuzhou, overseeing all offices; Prince of Langya Dewen was made Grand Mentor. Sima Xiuzhi, Liu Jingxuan, and Gao Yazhi all fled to Luoyang and each sent younger kin as hostages to Qin to seek aid. Qin's ruler Xing gave them credentials and sent them to raise troops east of the passes. They gathered several thousand men and encamped again around Pengcheng. Sun En raided Linhai. Linhai prefect Xin Jing defeated him. Of the men and women of the three Wu regions whom En had taken captive, nearly all perished. Fearing capture by imperial troops, En threw himself into the sea and died. His followers and concubines who died with him numbered in the hundreds; they were called "water immortals." Several thousand survivors again made En's brother-in-law Lu Xun their leader. Xun was a great-grandson of Lu Chen. His bearing was refined and clear, and he had elegant gifts and skill. In his youth the monk Huiyuan once said to him, "Though your person partakes of pure simplicity, your will harbors unrighteous designs. How can that be? Grand Marshal Xuan wished to pacify the eastern lands and therefore made Xun prefect of Yongjia. Though Lu Xun had accepted the appointment, plunder and violence went on unchecked. On the day jiaxu, Yan granted a general amnesty. Lilugu, King of Hexi, fell mortally ill and directed that the affairs of state be entrusted to his younger brother Rutuan. Long before, Tufa Sifujian had favored Rutuan and told his sons: "In talent and judgment Rutuan is beyond any of you." So the elder brothers passed the throne not to their sons but to their younger brother. Lilugu reigned in name only, hands at ease; Rutuan handled every weighty affair of war and government. After Lilugu's death Rutuan took the throne, assumed once more the title King of Liang, adopted the era name Hongchang, relocated to Ledu, and gave Lilugu the posthumous title King Kang. In summer, in the fourth month, Grand Marshal Xuan took up camp at Gushu and relinquished his role overseeing the Masters of Writing; the court assented, but major policy still came to him for counsel, while Huan Qian and Bian Fanzhi decided lesser business. Since the Long'an era, court and countryside alike had grown sick of chaos and ruin. At first Xuan's arrival brought down the corrupt, lifted the able, and the capital brightened with hope of respite. Before long Xuan sank into extravagance and license, his edicts capricious, his cliques warring, the throne openly mocked and the emperor's table so pared that the Son of Heaven nearly went cold and hungry, and the people's faith died. Famine ravaged the Three Wu: half the people gone, Kuaiji stripped of seven or eight households in ten, Linhai and Yongjia all but depopulated, while the rich still dressed in silk and hoarded gold and jade behind barred gates until they starved together. Qifu Chipan escaped from Xiping to Yuanchuan, and Rutuan of Southern Liang sent back his family. Gangui dispatched Chipan to Qin, and Yao Xing appointed him administrator of Xingjin. In the fifth month Lu Xun advanced from Linhai into Dongyang; Xuan sent Liu Yu at the head of the pacification forces; Xun was beaten and fled toward Yongjia. Gaogouli assailed Sujun, and Murong Gui, Yan's governor of Pingzhou, abandoned the city and fled. Yao Xing mobilized on a vast scale, sending Prince Ping of Yiyang and Di Bozhi with forty thousand infantry and cavalry against Wei while he marched behind with the main army; Yao Huang remained in Chang'an with Crown Prince Hong; Moyigan secured Shanggui and Prince Qin of Guangling Luoyang. Ping besieged Ganbi for over sixty days and captured it. In autumn, in the seventh month, Tuoba Gui sent Prince Shun of Pilin and Changsun Fei with sixty thousand cavalry as vanguard, then marched with the main force to meet them. In the eighth month Xuan maneuvered the court to make him Duke of Yuzhang for crushing Yuan Xian and Duke of Guiyang for the Yin and Yang campaigns, retaining his original Nan commandery as well. He gave Yuzhang to his son Sheng and Guiyang to his nephew Jun. At Yong'an, Ping sent two hundred elite horsemen to scout Wei; Changsun Fei met them and took every man. Ping fell back, Gui pursued, and on yisi caught him at Chaibi. Ping dug in at Chaibi while Wei closed the siege. Yao Xing marched with forty-seven thousand to relieve him, planning to seize Tiandu and ferry grain to Ping. Li Xian, doctor of Wei, said: "By the military canon, high ground invites the enemy to roost upon you, and deep ground invites the enemy to cage you. Qin is committing both errors; before Yao Xing arrives, send a striking force to Tiandu, and Chaibi can be yours without a fight." Gui strengthened the ring of fortifications, penning Ping inside and keeping Yao Xing out. An Tong said: "East of the Fen stretches Mengkeng, three hundred li with no track through it. Yao Xing will have to come down the west bank straight to Chaibi; then their armies will link, and our tight siege will no longer hold them in check. Better to span the river, cross to the west bank, and wall them off there. When they come, they will have no room to use their strength or cunning." Gui agreed. Yao Xing reached Puban, hesitated before Wei's power, and advanced only after long delay. On jiazi Gui met Yao Xing south of Mengkeng with thirty thousand men, killed over a thousand, drove him back forty li, and Ping still would not break out. Gui then posted troops on four choke points so Qin could not reach Chaibi. Yao Xing camped on the west bank, piled ravine earth into walls, and sent pine rafts down the Fen to smash the bridge; Wei soldiers simply hooked them out for fuel. In winter, in the tenth month, Ping ran out of food and arrows; by night he hurled his whole army at the southwest of the siege to break out; Yao Xing lined his men on the west bank, raised beacons, drums, and shouts in answer. Yao Xing meant for Ping to fight his way free, but Ping waited for him to storm the Wei lines; they only yelled back and forth, and no one dared close on the breach. Trapped, Ping led his men into the river to die, and many of his officers followed; Gui sent swimmers with grappling hooks; none escaped. They took Di Bozhi, Tang Xiaofang, and forty-odd more; over twenty thousand soldiers surrendered with hands bound. Yao Xing looked on helplessly, powerless to save them. The entire army wept until the valleys rang. Envoys pleaded for peace again and again; Gui refused and drove on to Puban while Xu locked himself in and would not fight. Rouran then planned a strike against Wei; hearing this, on wushen Gui turned his army homeward. Informants accused Astrologer Chao Chong and his brother Yi of secretly calling in Qin forces; at Wuyang Gui had both men put to death. Qin moved more than ten thousand prominent Hexi families to Chang'an. Xuan executed Gao Su, Zhu Qianzhi, Zhu Langzhi, Liu Xi, and Liu Jiwu—veterans of Laozhi's Northern Headquarters army. Liu Gui, governor of Ji and Xi's brother, rallied Sima Xiuzhi, Liu Jingxuan, and Gao Yazhi at Shanyang to strike Xuan; defeated, they fled with Yuan Qianzhi, Liu Shou, Gao Changqing, Guo Gong, and others in their train. Heading for Wei, they reached south of Chenliu and divided: Gui, Xiuzhi, and Jingxuan went to Southern Yan; Qianzhi, Shou, Changqing, and Gong went to Qin. At first word that Xiuzhi's party was coming, Tuoba Gui rejoiced. When they failed to appear, he ordered Yanzhou to hunt for them; captives from their party were questioned, and all said: "Wei's renown reaches far, and Xiuzhi's group all meant to submit; but when they learned Cui Cheng had been executed, they turned instead to the two other realms." Gui was filled with regret. After that, educated men who erred often met with forbearance. Rutuan of Southern Liang besieged Lü Long at Guzang. King Xi of Yan took Fu Mo's two daughters; the elder, □ Rong'e, became honored lady, the younger Xunying honored concubine, and Xunying won his deepest favor. Empress Dowager Ding, furious, conspired with her nephew Xin to depose Xi and set up Prince Yuan of Zhangwu. Discovered, Xi drove Dowager Ding to suicide, buried her with reduced rites, and titled her Empress Xianyou. In the eleventh month, on wuchen, he executed Yuan and Xin. On xinwei Xi hunted the northern plain; Gao He of Shicheng led palace artisans in revolt behind him, killed Zhang Xian, stormed the palace for arms, seized the arsenals, pressed the garrisons, and shut the gates to hold the city. Xi rode back hard; defenders threw down their arms and opened the gates; he executed every rebel but Gao He, who fled. On jiaxu the court granted a general amnesty. Wei appointed Yu Yue Grand Director of Works. In the twelfth month, on xinhai, Tuoba Gui returned to Yunzhong. Shelun of Rouran, learning Gui was away against Qin, raided from Canhepo to Chaishan and the Shanwu marshes; Prince Zun of Changshan pursued with ten thousand cavalry but failed to catch them. Xuan sent Du Lin to escort Prince Daozi of Kuaiji toward Ancheng; following Xuan's orders, Lin poisoned him to death. Liang Zhongyong, Mengxun's governor of Xijun, defected to Western Liang. Mengxun laughed: "I treated Zhongyong like kin, yet he would not trust me—only his pride. Am I ruined by one man?" He sent Zhongyong's entire family after him unharmed. Gao of Western Liang asked Zhongyong: "How do I measure against Suo Si?" Zhongyong answered: "It is not yet possible to tell." Gao said: "If Si were my equal in talent, how could I strangle him with a long rope from a thousand li away?" Zhongyong said, "Talent has its limits, and fortune has its turns. Whether you or Suo Si had the better of it, I cannot truly say. If dying counts as failure and winning by strategy as success, was Gongsun Zan not greater than Liu Yu?" Gao said nothing. When Yuan Qianzhi and his party reached Chang'an, King Yao Xing of Qin asked, "How does Huan Xuan's ability compare with his father's? Can he succeed in the end?" Qianzhi said, "Xuan exploited the Jin court's decay, seized power by theft, and rules with suspicion, cruelty, and unjust rewards and punishments. In my view he is far inferior to his father. He already holds real power and will surely usurp the throne—he is fit only to be removed by another." Xing was pleased and appointed Qianzhi inspector of Guang Province. That year King Yao Xing of Qin made Lady Zhang empress and enfeoffed his sons Yi, Bi, Guang, Xuan, Chen, Yin, Pu, Zhi, Kui, Yu, and Guo'er as dukes; he sent envoys to invest Tufa Rutan as chariots-and-cavalry general and Duke of Guangwu, Juqu Mengxun as pacifying-west general, Shazhou inspector, and Marquis of Xihai, and Li Gao as pacifying-west general and Marquis of Gaochang. Qin's pacifying-distance general Zhao Yao led twenty thousand west to camp at Jincheng, and staff-establishing general Wang Songcong led cavalry to help Lü Long defend Guzang. At Wei'an, Rutan's brother Wenzhen attacked and took Songcong prisoner. Rutan, furious, sent Songcong back to Chang'an with a deep apology.”
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