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卷228 唐紀四十四

Volume 228 Tang Records 44

Chapter 228 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
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1
228
Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, Volume 228
2
Volume 228
3
滿
Tang Records 44 — from the first month of the Zhaoyang Dayuan Xian cycle through the tenth month, less than a full year.
4
Fourth year of Jianzhong, reign of Emperor Dezong, the Divine Martial and Sagacious Cultural Emperor ( guihai, 783 CE)
5
使
In spring, the first month, on dinghai, Longyou military commissioner Zhang Zhen made a treaty with the Tibetan minister Shang Jiezan at Qingshui.
6
使 便 西 西
On gengyin, Li Xilie sent his general Li Kecheng in a surprise attack that took Ruzhou and captured Vice-Prefect Li Yuanping. Yuanping had been a judicial officer in Hunan. He had a little talent, but he was careless and arrogant, spoke boldly, and loved to hold forth on military matters. Vice Director of the Secretariat Guan Bo took him for a marvel, recommended him to the throne, and declared him fit for high command or the chancellorship. Because Ruzhou lay closest to Xuzhou, Yuanping was promoted to vice-prefect of Ruzhou and given charge of the prefecture. As soon as Yuanping arrived, he recruited laborers to fortify the city. Xilie secretly sent stalwart men to enlist in the work crews. Several hundred got inside, and Yuanping never noticed. Xilie then sent Kecheng at the head of several hundred horsemen to strike the city. The men who had enlisted within opened the way, bound Yuanping, and rode off with him. Yuanping was slight of build and beardless. When he saw Xilie he was so terrified that he soiled himself on the spot. Xilie cursed him, saying, "The blind chancellor thought you could stand against me. What an insult!" He installed judicial officer Zhou Huang as prefect of Ruzhou, then sent separate commanders including Dong Daiming on raids in every direction. They took Weishi, besieged Zhengzhou, and repeatedly routed the imperial forces. Scouts rode as far west as Pengpo. The people of the Eastern Capital were terrified and fled into the hills. Resident commissioner Zheng Shuzhe withdrew to hold the Western Park.
7
The emperor asked Lu Qi what should be done. Lu Qi answered, "Xilie is a young and fierce commander. Proud of his achievements, he is arrogant and overbearing, and none of his officers dare check him. Send a cultivated senior minister to proclaim the emperor's grace and explain the rewards of loyalty and the ruin of rebellion, and Xilie will surely repent. He can be brought to heel without an army. Yan Zhenqing served three reigns. He is loyal, upright, and resolute, and his name carries weight throughout the realm. Men trust him. He is the man for this!" The emperor agreed. On jiawu, the court ordered Yan Zhenqing to go to Xuzhou and offer words of reassurance to Xilie. When the edict was promulgated, the whole court turned pale.
8
使 使 退
Zhenqing rode post horses to the Eastern Capital. Zheng Shuzhe said to him, "If you go, you will not come back alive. Stay awhile and wait for new orders." Zhenqing replied, "This is the emperor's command. Where could I hide from it?" And he went. Li Mian memorialized the throne: "To lose such an elder statesman would shame the realm. I beg that he be kept back." He also sent men to intercept Zhenqing on the road, but they arrived too late. Zhenqing wrote to his sons with only this charge: maintain the ancestral temple and care for the orphans. When he reached Xuzhou and tried to read the imperial message, Xilie had more than a thousand of his adopted sons ring him about with abuse, bare their blades, and make as if to carve him up and eat him alive. Zhenqing did not shift his feet and did not change expression. Xilie at once stepped between them with his own body, waved the mob back, housed Zhenqing as a guest, and treated him with courtesy. Xilie was about to send Zhenqing home when Li Yuanping happened to be present. Zhenqing rebuked him. Yuanping rose in shame and secretly reported the exchange to Xilie. "Xilie's mind changed at once, and he kept Zhenqing and would not let him go."
9
使 使 使 使 使使 祿 使 使
Zhu Tao, Wang Wujun, Tian Yue, and Li Na each sent envoys to Xilie, submitted memorials acknowledging him as sovereign, and urged him to proclaim himself emperor. The envoys bowed and danced before Xilie and pleaded with him: "The court destroys its own meritorious servants and has forfeited the trust of the realm. Your lordship's valor is heaven-sent and your achievements outshine the age, yet the court already mistrusts you. You will soon meet the fate of Han Xin and Bai Qi. Take the imperial title at once, so that subjects everywhere may know where their loyalty belongs." Xilie summoned Yan Zhenqing and showed him the memorials. "The four kings have sent envoys to urge me on, all of one mind without prior agreement. Grand Preceptor, look at the way things stand. Do you think I alone am so hated by the court that I have nowhere left to turn?" Zhenqing said, "These are the Four Evils. What do you mean, four kings? Will you not preserve your achievements and remain a loyal servant of Tang, instead of marching with rebels and traitors and begging to die with them?" Xilie was displeased and had Zhenqing escorted out. On another day he dined again with the four envoys. They said, "We have long heard of your great renown, Grand Preceptor. Now, just as our commander-in-chief is about to take the imperial title, you have arrived. Heaven itself is giving him a chancellor." Zhenqing thundered at them, "What do you mean, chancellor? Have you heard of Yan Gaoqing, who died cursing An Lushan? He was my elder brother. I am eighty years old. I know only how to keep my integrity and die. Do you think I would bow to your threats?" The four envoys did not dare speak again. Xilie then posted ten armored men to guard Zhenqing in his quarters and had a pit dug in the courtyard, saying he meant to bury him alive. Zhenqing was unperturbed. When he saw Xilie he said, "Life and death are already settled. Why all this fuss? Give me a sword now. Would that not satisfy what you really want?" Xilie then apologized to him.
10
使
On wuxu, Left General of the Dragon Martial Army Geshu Yao was appointed military commissioner of the Eastern Capital and Ruzhou. At the head of more than ten thousand troops from the mobile camps of Fengxiang, Binning, Jingyuan, Fengtian, and Haozhi, he marched against Xilie, and the court also ordered every circuit to join the campaign. Yao reached Jia County and met Xilie's vanguard commander Chen Lizhen, whom he routed. Xilie's momentum faltered. Yao was the son of Geshu Han.
11
使
Xilie had his general Feng Youlin seize Dengzhou. The southern route was cut, and tribute, merchants, and travelers could no longer get through. On renyin, the court ordered the Shangjin Mountain road repaired and post stations established along it.
12
In the second month, on the wushen new moon, Grand Master of Ceremonies Cui Hanheng was ordered to escort the Tibetan envoy Qu Nianzan home.
13
On bingyin, the Three Cities of Heyang together with Huai and Wei prefectures were organized as the Heyang Army.
14
On dingmao, Geshu Yao took Ruzhou and captured Zhou Huang.
15
西使 西
In the third month, on wuyin, Jiangxi military commissioner Prince Cao Gao defeated Li Xilie's general Han Shuanglu at Huangmei and executed him. On xinmao, he captured Huangzhou. At that time Xilie's army was fortified on Mount Cai, a position so strong that a direct assault was impossible. Gao announced that he would strike Qizhou to the west and led his fleet upriver. Xilie's commanders marched along the bank and fought him as they went. When they were more than three hundred li from Mount Cai, Gao turned his fleet downstream again, struck Mount Cai in haste, and took it. Xilie's troops turned back to relieve the position, but arrived too late and were defeated. Gao then pressed on and captured Qizhou. He recommended Yi Shen as prefect of Qizhou and Wang E as prefect of Jiangzhou.
16
使 使使 使 使
Huaining chief commandant Zhou Zeng, military suppression commissioner Wang Bin, adjutant Yao Dan, and Wei Qing secretly pledged themselves to Li Mian. Li Xilie sent Zeng and the ten-generals commander Kang Xiulin with thirty thousand men to attack Geshu Yao. At Xiangcheng, Zeng and his confederates secretly plotted to turn the army about, strike Xilie, install Yan Zhenqing as military commissioner, and have Bin, Dan, and Qing rise within the city as their allies. Xilie learned of the plot and sent separate commander Li Kecheng with three thousand mule troops to strike Zeng and his party. He killed them, and killed Bin, Dan, and their followers as well. On jiawu, the court posthumously ennobled Zeng and his companions. At the outset, Wei Qing had agreed with Zeng and the others that if the plot were exposed they would not implicate one another, and so he alone escaped death. Fearing he would still be destroyed, Qing persuaded Xilie to let him go to Zhu Tao to beg for reinforcements. Xilie sent him off, but when he reached Xiangyi he fled to Liu Qia. When Xilie heard that Zhou Zeng and the others had rebelled, he shut himself inside the walls for several days. His followers who had been raiding Weishi and Zhengzhou heard the news and fled home as well. Xilie then memorialized the throne, blaming Zhou Zeng and the others, withdrew to Caizhou, and outwardly showed repentance and submission while in fact waiting for help from Zhu Tao and his allies. He confined Yan Zhenqing at Longxing Temple. On dingyou, Jingnan military commissioner Zhang Boyi fought Huaining troops at Anzhou. The imperial army was routed. Boyi barely escaped with his life and lost the credential of office he carried. Xilie sent men to show Zhenqing the captured credential together with prisoners and severed heads. Zhenqing wailed and threw himself to the ground. He lost consciousness, then revived, and from that day spoke to no one.
17
使使 使
In summer, the fourth month, the emperor appointed Shence Army commissioner Bai Zhizhen recruiting commissioner for the capital and ordered him to raise palace troops against Li Xilie. Zhizhen proposed that every man who had ever served as military, observation, or regional training commissioner, living or dead, should have his sons and younger brothers forced to march with their slaves and horses at their own expense. They were to be given fifth-rank offices. The poor were crushed by the burden, and public morale began to falter.
18
The emperor ordered the chancellor and senior ministers to treat with the Tibetan envoy Qu Nianzan at Fengyili. Qu Nianzan, citing the Qingshui treaty and the unsettled frontier, refused to complete the alliance. On jiwei, the court ordered Cui Hanheng to go into Tibet and leave the decision to the Tibetan ruler.
19
西使使使西使使西使
On gengshen, Li Mian, overall commander of Yongping, Xuanwu, and Heyang, was additionally appointed Huai West pacification commissioner, with Geshu Yao, military commissioner of the Eastern Capital and Ruzhou, as his deputy. Jingnan military commissioner Zhang Boyi was made Huai West support pacification commissioner, with Shannan East Circuit military commissioner Jia Dan and Jiangxi military commissioner Prince Cao Gao as his deputies. The emperor pressed Geshu Yao to advance. Yao reached Yingqiao, was caught in heavy rain, and withdrew to hold Xiangcheng. Li Xilie sent his general Li Guanghui against Xiangcheng, and Yao drove him back.
20
In the fifth month, on yiyou, the Prince of Ying, name missing in source, died.
21
使使
On yiwei, Xuanwu military commissioner Liu Qia was additionally appointed Zi-Qing pacification commissioner.
22
涿 退 滿
Li Sheng planned to seize Zhuo and Mo and thereby cut the line of communication between You and Wei. With Zhang Xiaozhong's son Shengyun he besieged Zheng Jingji, whom Zhu Tao had installed as prefect of Yizhou, at Qingyuan, but the city held out for months. Tao left his Minister of War Ma Shi in charge, posted more than ten thousand infantry and cavalry to hold the Wei camp, and personally led fifteen thousand infantry and cavalry to relieve Qingyuan. Li Sheng's army was routed and fell back to hold Yizhou. Tao withdrew to Yingzhou, and Zhang Shengyun fled to Mancheng. Li Sheng then fell gravely ill and withdrew his army to Baoding.
23
使 使
Wang Wujun, seeing that Tao had already defeated Li Sheng yet still lingered at Yingzhou and had not returned to Weiqiao, sent his supervising secretary Song Duan to hurry him back. When Duan met Tao his words were insolent. Tao was furious and sent word to Wujun: "Tao has not yet returned south because of a fever. Great King, your elder brother has suddenly been saying such things. Tao turned against his ruler and abandoned his elder brother to save Weibo as easily as stepping out of a shoe. Your elder brother will surely mistrust me. Let him do as he pleases! Duan returned with his report. Wujun explained the matter to Ma Shi in person, and Shi laid the facts before Tao, saying, "The Prince of Zhao knows Song Duan was rude to you and has rebuked him sharply. He has no other design." Wujun also sent his commissioner of orders, Zheng He, with Shi's envoy to see Tao and offer an apology. Tao was mollified and treated him as he had before. Yet Wujun only hated Tao all the more for it."
24
使 宿 使 使 使 使
In the sixth month, Li Baozhen sent his staff officer Jia Lin to Wujun's camp under pretense of surrender. Wujun received him. Lin said, "I have come bearing an imperial order. This is no surrender." Wujun's face changed. He asked why. Lin said, "The emperor knows you have long served with loyal devotion. On the day you took command, he beat his breast and told those around him, 'I meant only to serve loyalty and righteousness, but the throne did not see it. The generals too had jointly attested to your loyal intent. The emperor told the envoy, 'What I did before was truly wrong, and regret comes too late.' When a friend is wronged, one can still make amends. How much more so when I am sovereign of the realm?' Wujun said, "I am a barbarian myself. Even as a general I know to care for the people. Surely the emperor would not make killing his sole business! Armies clash without end east of the mountains, and the dead lie exposed like wild grass. Even if we won, who would be left to hold the land? I do not shrink from returning to allegiance, but I have already sworn alliance with the other circuits. We barbarians are blunt by nature and do not wish to bear the blame ourselves. If the emperor will truly issue an edict pardoning the circuits, I will be the first to lead them back to allegiance. If any circuit refuses, grant me leave to march against it. That way I would fail neither the throne above nor my peers below, and within fifty days the Hebei region would be settled." He sent Lin back to Baozhen with his answer, and the two men secretly bound themselves in agreement.
25
西 貿
On gengxu, the building-interval tax and the transaction-cut cash law were first enacted. At the time the armies of Hedong, Zelu, Heyang, and Shuofang were encamped at Weixian, while Shence, Yongping, Xuanwu, Huainan, Zhexi, Jingnan, Jiangsi, Mian'e, Hunan, Qianzhong, Jiannan, and Lingnan forces ringed Huaining. Under the old system, when circuit armies crossed their borders, they were supplied by the fiscal directorate. The emperor treated the soldiers generously. Whenever they crossed the border, they received extra wine and meat, while their families still drew rations from their home circuit. One man thus drew the pay of three, so officers and soldiers had every reason to welcome it. Each circuit sent troops only just across the border and then halted. Monthly costs exceeded 1.3 million strings of cash, and ordinary revenue could not sustain them. Vice Director of the Fiscal Directorate Zhao Zan then proposed two new taxes. The building-interval tax counted every two roof bays as one interval: upper-grade houses paid two thousand cash, middle-grade one thousand, and lower-grade five hundred. Clerks with brush and counting rods entered people's homes to tally every bay. Some who owned many houses but little else had to pay several hundred strings of cash. Anyone who concealed a single interval received sixty blows with the staff, and informers were rewarded fifty strings of cash. The transaction-cut cash applied to public and private gifts and to all buying and selling: for every string of cash the government kept fifty. When goods were exchanged instead, the levy was reckoned by an equivalent cash value. Anyone who concealed a hundred cash received sixty blows with the staff and a fine of two thousand cash. Informers were rewarded ten strings, all paid by the offending household. Soon cries of grief and resentment filled the land near and far.
26
On dingmao, Prince Yu of Chen was redesignated Prince of Dan, and Prince Gui of Fu was redesignated Prince of Jian.
27
使 使 西 使 使 使
On gengwu, the Tibet-response judge and censor Yu □ met with the Tibetan envoy to discuss La Meizang's arrival from Qinghai. They reported that the frontier had been settled and asked that Qu Zan be sent home. In autumn, the seventh month, on jiashen, Minister of Rites Li Kui was appointed envoy to Tibet for the treaty ceremony. On renchen, an edict ordered the generals to enter into alliance with Qu Zan west of the city. Li Kui had talent and standing. Lu Qi disliked him and therefore had him sent into Tibet. Kui told the emperor, "I do not shrink from a distant journey, but I fear I may die on the road and fail to carry out your command!" The emperor was moved and said to Qi, "Kui may be too old for this!" Qi replied, "An envoy to distant lands must be someone well versed in court precedent. And if Kui goes, then from this year on no one younger than he will dare refuse a distant mission."
28
In the eighth month, on dingwei, Li Xilie besieged Geshu Yao at Xiangcheng with thirty thousand men. The throne ordered Li Mian and the Shence general Liu Dexin to march to his relief. On yimao, Xilie's general Cao Jichang surrendered Suizhou, but was soon killed by another of Xilie's officers, Kang Shuye.
29
使 西 詿 祿 西 使
While still heir apparent, the emperor had heard of the Jiaxing censor Lu Zhi. After his accession he summoned Lu to the Hanlin Academy and repeatedly asked his judgment on what had gone right and wrong. The war in the two He regions dragged on without decision, and levies grew heavier by the day. Seeing armies exhausted and the people in distress, Zhi feared fresh internal turmoil and submitted a memorial whose gist ran: "The key to defeating the enemy lies in appointing the right commander; the method of controlling commanders lies in keeping firm hold of the reins. When the commander is wrong, numbers avail nothing; when control of the reins is lost, even a capable commander will not serve." He also wrote, "When commanders cannot command soldiers and the state cannot control commanders, the harm is not only wasted treasure and indulged enemies. There is also the disaster of failing to restrain oneself and being consumed by one's own fire." He also wrote, "Among the rebel leaders of the two He regions and Huaixi today, there are only four or five wicked men. Even among them, some may have been misled and now harbor doubt and fear within. Thrown into confusion without a plan, they cannot stop even if they wished to. As for the rest, they follow under coercion. If they knew how to save their lives, who would choose evil?" He also wrote, "Fail to relieve present anxieties, and unexpected calamity may follow. The people are the root of the state. Wealth is the heart of the people. When the heart is wounded, the root is wounded; when the root is wounded, branch and trunk wither." He also wrote, "When the people are unsettled, events become unpredictable. In war, blunt speed is prized, not clever delay. If one does not settle the root but strives only to remedy the branch, the remedy itself becomes the source of calamity." He also discussed the strategic situation of Guanzhong, arguing that "a ruler stores up authority to display virtue, but neglect one part of it and danger follows; hold the heavy to control the light; reverse the hilt and all is perverse. The royal domain is the root of the realm. Emperor Taizong arrayed garrison militia and assigned them to the palace guard. In all there were more than eight hundred garrisons, nearly five hundred of them in Guanzhong. The whole realm did not equal half of Guanzhong. The intent of holding the heavy to control the light was plain. Long peace gradually deepened, and military readiness slowly declined. The garrisons and guards remained, but soldiers and chariots were rarely trained. That was how Lushan seized the reversed hilt, exploited the weight of outer forces, and in one stroke raised rebellion to the skies until the two capitals fell. Still, because the western frontier had armies, the pastures had horses, and every prefecture had grain, Emperor Suzong was able to restore the dynasty. After the Qianyuan era came one foreign alarm after another. All forces were sent east to campaign, frontier defenses slackened, and the capital guard was emptied. Tibet seized the opening, raided deep, and the late emperor had no one to oppose it and fled east. All this came of losing the power of holding the heavy to control the light and forgetting to root deeply and fix the foundation. With internal rebellion, Qian and Han lost their passes; with external invasion, Qian and Wei became barbarian ground. At such a moment, though armies stood in the four quarters, could they save a single morning's peril? When Your Majesty thinks back to this, does it not chill the heart? Now the hosts of Shuofang and Taiyuan are far off in Shandong; and the six Shence armies have gone out beyond the passes one after another. If a treacherous minister fed the enemy, a cunning barbarian watched the border, waited for an opening, and lightly violated the outposts — that is what your humble servant privately fears. How would Your Majesty oppose it? I have heard that at the start of the campaign against rebellion many in council treated the matter lightly. All said there would be expedition without battle, service would not exceed its season, the troops would not be many, the expense not great, the affair would cause no disturbance, and the people no hardship; none expected war to drag on and calamity to multiply, events to prove unpredictable, days to stretch into months, and the outcome to drift ever farther from the original plan. In past years the men the realm regarded as its affliction, whom all said must be removed to restore peace, were Li Zhengji, Li Baochen, Liang Chongyi, and Tian Yue. In past years the men the state trusted, whom all said could be entrusted to remove calamity and rebellion, were Zhu Tao and Li Xilie. Then Zhengji died and Li Na succeeded him; Baochen died and Wei Yue succeeded him; Chongyi died and Xilie rebelled; Wei Yue was executed and Zhu Tao turned hostile. Thus of the men who had afflicted the realm, three of four were gone, yet the affliction did not abate; those once trusted have now rebelled on their own, and the rest cannot be relied on. From this one knows that a state's safety or peril lies in its strategic position, and whether affairs succeed lies in the men appointed. When the position is secure, even unlike kinds share one heart; when the position is perilous, those in one boat become enemy states. How can Your Majesty fail to take warning from the past, renew your plans, repair the neglected handle of power to settle the people, and restore the reversed authority to secure the state! Yet instead you toil tirelessly, wear your spirit with endless labor, indulge endless demands, and hope for effects that cannot be guaranteed! Now levies around the capital are already extreme, while within the palace grounds the guard is incomplete. If among the commanders there should again be men like Zhu Tao and Xilie, who hold fast at the frontier and invite wolves, or who rise secretly in the capital outskirts and strike at the palace gates — that too is what your humble servant privately fears. How would Your Majesty prepare against it? If Your Majesty will heed this humble plan, the six Shence armies under Li Sheng and the rest, and the sons of the frontier commanders, may all be recalled. Issue a clear edict to Jing, Long, Bin, and Ning to hold their defenses strictly, and declare that no further levies will be made, so that each region may know its people are secure. Also issue a gracious edict abolishing the building-interval and other miscellaneous taxes in the capital and its surrounding counties. Then those who have already paid may lay aside resentment, those still facing the taxes may find peace, hearts will not waver, and the root of the state will stand firm." The emperor did not adopt it.
30
西使使
On renxu, Bianxi transport commissioner Cui Zong was additionally appointed chief commissary officer for the four military commissioners at Weizhou. Zong was the son of Huan.
31
使
In the ninth month, on bingxu, the Shence general Liu Deyan, the Xuanwu general Tang Hanchen, and the Huaining general Li Kecheng were defeated at Hujian. Li Mian had sent Hanchen with ten thousand men to relieve Xiangcheng. The emperor sent Dexin with three thousand recruits drawn from the generals' families to assist him. Li Mian memorialized the throne: "Li Xilie's crack troops are all at Xiangcheng, and Xuzhou lies empty. A strike at Xuzhou would break the siege of Xiangcheng by itself. He then sent the two generals hurrying toward Xuzhou. They had not yet come within several tens of li when the emperor dispatched a palace envoy to rebuke them for defying the edict. The two generals fled back in disorder and posted no scouts thereafter. Kecheng ambushed them and killed or wounded more than half their force. Hanchen fled to Daliang and Dexin to Ruzhou. Xilie's marauding detachments raided as far as Yique. Mian again sent his general Li Jian with four thousand men to help hold the Eastern Capital. Xilie cut off their rear, and Jian's force could not get back. From this the Bian armies lost heart, and Xiangcheng grew ever more desperate.
32
Because the armies campaigning against Huaining lacked unified command, on gengzi the emperor appointed Prince Shu Mo commander-in-chief of the mobile camp on the Jing-Xiang and other routes and renamed him Yi. Minister of Revenue Xiao Fu was made chief secretary, Right Companion of the Heir Apparent Kong Chaofu left secretary, and Remonstrance Officer Fan Ze right secretary; all the remaining commanders and staff were drawn from men respected at court and in the provinces. Before they could depart, the Jingyuan troops mutinied and the appointment was shelved. Fu was Song's son. Chaofu was a thirty-seventh-generation descendant of Confucius.
33
使 西 使 使使
The emperor mobilized troops from Jingyuan and other circuits to relieve Xiangcheng. In winter, the tenth month, on bingwu, Jingyuan military commissioner Yao Lingyan reached the capital with five thousand troops. The soldiers marched through rain in bitter cold. Many had brought sons and younger brothers along, hoping for generous rewards to send home. When they arrived, they received nothing. On dingwei they marched on to Chan River. The throne ordered Capital Prefect Wang Mi to feast the troops, but they were given only coarse grain and vegetables. The men grew furious, kicked the food over, and began shouting, "We are sent to die fighting the enemy, yet we cannot even eat our fill. How can we stake our lives against naked steel! We hear the Qionglin and Daying treasuries overflow with gold and silk. Let us go take them together. With that they donned armor, raised banners and drums, and clamored their way back toward the capital. Lingyan had entered the palace to bid farewell and was still within the forbidden precinct when he heard the uproar. He galloped to Changle Slope and met the mutineers. The soldiers fired on Lingyan. He seized his horse's mane and plunged into the mob, shouting, "You have lost your heads! March east and win glory in battle—why should wealth and rank elude you? Why choose a course that will destroy your families to the last man! The soldiers would not listen and, weapons raised, swept Lingyan westward with them. The emperor hastily ordered each man given two bolts of silk. The mob only grew angrier and fired on the palace envoy. The emperor again sent a palace envoy to offer reassurance. The rebels had already reached Tonghua Gate. When the envoy stepped outside, they killed him. The emperor again ordered twenty cartloads of gold and silk sent out as gifts. The rebels were already inside the walls. The uproar was thunderous and could no longer be stopped. Civilians fled in terror. The rebels shouted reassurances: "Do not be afraid—we will not seize your goods or your market pledges! We will not collect your building-interval and street taxes! The emperor sent Prince Pu Yi and Hanlin Academician Jiang Gongfu out to soothe and reason with them. The rebels had already formed ranks outside Danfeng Gate, and tens of thousands of common people had gathered to watch."
34
使
Earlier, Shence Army commissioner Bai Zhizhen had charge of recruiting palace troops. He concealed the dead from the eastern campaign and never reported them. He simply took bribes from wealthy youths in the markets to fill the rolls. Their names stood on the military registers and they drew pay and rations, yet they lived in the markets as peddlers. Minister of Agriculture Duan Xiushi memorialized the throne: "The palace troops are poorly trained and far too few in number. If sudden disaster strikes, what shall we rely on! The emperor did not heed him. Now the emperor summoned the palace troops to repel the rebels, yet not one man appeared. The rebels had already broken through the gates. The emperor then fled with Consort Wang, Consort Wei, the crown prince, the princes, and Princess Tang'an through the northern gate of the imperial park. Consort Wang hid the imperial seal in her robes and went with them. Seven or eight tenths of the consorts, princes, and princesses in the rear palace could not get away in time.
35
使殿 使使殿
After Yu Chao'en was executed, eunuchs no longer commanded troops. Dou Wenchang and Huo Xianming, who had once served the emperor in the Eastern Palace, now led scarcely a hundred eunuch attendants in the flight. Prince Pu Yi went ahead as vanguard; the crown prince bore arms as rearguard. Minister of Agriculture Guo Shu was hunting in the park with several dozen retainers. Hearing the imperial flight, he bowed at the roadside and joined the procession with his men. Shu was Ai's younger brother. Right commissioner of the Dragon Martial Army Linghu Jian was drilling archery in camp when he heard the news. He led four hundred of his men in pursuit, and was then posted at the rear as rearguard.
36
訿 使 輿
Jiang Gongfu caught the emperor's bridle and said, "Zhu Ci once commanded Jingyuan. Because of his brother Tao's rebellion he was sidelined in the capital, and he has long nursed a grievance. I once told Your Majesty that if you could not trust him openly, you would do better to kill him and leave no trouble behind. If the mutineers now rally behind him, he will be impossible to control. I beg that he be summoned to join Your Majesty's flight." In the panic the emperor had no time to heed him. "Too late!" he said. And they pressed on. They reached Xianyang by night and moved on after no more than a few mouthfuls of food. Events had taken everyone by surprise, and not one minister knew where the emperor was headed. Lu Qi and Guan Bo climbed over the Secretariat wall and fled. Bai Zhizhen, Wang Hong, Censor-in-Chief Yu Yi, Vice Censor-in-Chief Liu Congyi, Vice Minister of Revenue Zhao Zan, and Hanlin Academicians Lu Zhi and Wu Tongwei caught up with the emperor at Xianyang. Yi was a paternal cousin of □. Congyi was a grand-nephew of Qixian.
37
殿 殿 殿輿西 祿 輿
The rebels entered the palace, mounted Hanyuan Hall, and shouted, "The emperor has fled. Gentlemen, help yourselves to wealth! With that they broke into cheers, stormed the treasuries, and hauled away gold and silk until they could carry no more. Ordinary people joined in, raiding the palace treasuries, going out and returning again and again all night long. Those who could not get inside looted along the streets. Residents of every ward rallied leaders and defended themselves. Yao Lingyan said to the mutineers, "This host has no leader and cannot hold together. Grand Commandant Zhu sits idle at home. Let us install him as our chief. The men agreed. They sent several hundred horsemen to bring Ci from his residence in Jinchang Lane. At midnight Ci entered the palace in a slow procession lit by ranks of torches. He took up residence in Hanyuan Hall, posted guards, and styled himself provisional overseer of the Six Armies. At dawn on wushen Ci moved to Baihua Hall and posted a proclamation, declaring, "The Jingyuan officers and soldiers have long served on the frontier and are unused to court ceremony. They rashly entered the palace, sending the emperor fleeing west on tour. The Grand Commandant has provisionally assumed command of the Six Armies. Shence troops and all civil and military officials who draw stipends should go at once to the traveling court. Those who cannot go should report to their own offices instead. After three days, anyone whose name appears on neither roll shall be executed! Officials then came out to pay court to Ci. Some urged him to welcome the emperor back. Ci took offense, and officials gradually began to slip away."
38
使 宿
Yuan Xiu had returned from a mission to the Uyghurs with meager rewards and nursed a grievance against the court. He sought an audience with Ci, dismissed everyone else, and spoke with him in secret for a long while. He laid out Ci's prospects, cited omens and mandates, and urged him to seize the throne. Ci was pleased but still hesitated. Palace guard units that surrendered under white banners lined up before the gates in great numbers. That night Ci sent troops out through the park gate. At dawn they filed in through Tonghua Gate without pause, bows drawn and blades bare, to overawe the populace.
39
簿
Mindful of Sang Daomao's prophecy, the emperor went on from Xianyang to Fengtian. When the county staff heard the emperor had arrived without warning, they wanted to flee into the hills. Chief clerk Su Bian stopped them. Bian was a grandson of Liangsi's elder brother. Civil and military officials gradually rejoined the court. On jiyou Left General of the Golden Quellers Hun Jian reached Fengtian. Jian had long commanded respect, and the court took heart at his arrival.
40
使
On gengxu Yuan Xiu urged Zhu Ci to seal the ten city gates and bar court officials from leaving. Officials often disguised themselves as hired servants to slip out. Xiu also worked to win over civil and military men and attach them to Ci. Acting Minister of Works and Co-Equal Grand Counselor Li Zhongchen had long lost military command, and Minister of Imperial Studs Zhang Guangsheng prided himself on his talents. Both nursed grievances. Ci restored them all to office. Vice Minister of Works Jiang Zhen fled but fell from his horse and hurt his foot, and Ci's men captured him. Earlier, Xiu had been esteemed for talent, Guangsheng for integrity, Zhen for rectitude, Court Review secretary Peng Yan for literary talent, and Minister of Ceremonies Jing Gang for courage and strategy. Now Ci employed them all.
41
使 使 宿輿
Fengxiang and Jingyuan generals Zhang Tingzhi and Duan Chengjian were marching several thousand men to relieve Xiangcheng. Before they cleared Tong Pass they heard Zhu Ci held Chang'an. They killed their commander, Longyou army commissioner Dai Lan, and fled back in collapse to Ci. Ci then convinced himself that the people's hearts were his. His rebellion was decided. He made Yuan Xiu Capital Prefect and fiscal commissioner, and Li Zhongchen imperial city commissioner. The hundred offices provided supplies, the Six Armies guarded the gates—the whole apparatus modeled on the imperial court.
42
使使使使
On xinhai Hun Jian was appointed military commissioner of the capital region and north of the Wei River; traveling-court chief adjutant Bai Zhizhen was made overall army commander; Linghu Jian was made central-army drum and horn officer; and Shence chief adjutant Hou Zhongzhuang was made Left Guard general and concurrently Fengtian city defense commissioner.
43
使輿 輿 輿
Zhu Ci supposed that Minister of Agriculture Duan Xiushi, long stripped of military command, must nurse a grievance, and sent several dozen horsemen to summon him. Xiushi shut his gate against them. The horsemen scaled the wall, entered, and forced him out at swordpoint. Xiushi knew he could not escape and told his sons and younger brothers, "The state is in peril. Where could I flee? I must die for the altars of the realm. You must look to your own survival. With that he went to see Ci. Ci said gladly, "Master Duan has come—my cause is won! He seated him and asked his plan. Xiushi urged him, "You were once famed throughout the realm for loyalty and righteousness. Now the Jing troops, angry that rewards were too meager, suddenly rampaged and drove the emperor into exile. Meager rewards were the fault of the officials responsible—the emperor could not have known! You should use this to persuade the troops, show them what they stand to gain or lose, welcome the emperor back, and restore the palace. Nothing could surpass such an achievement! Ci said nothing and looked displeased, but because Xiushi and he had both been cast aside by the court, he opened his heart and entrusted him fully. Left Guard general Liu Haibin, Jingyuan chief adjutant He Mingli, and clerk Qiling Yue were all men Xiushi had long favored. Xiushi secretly plotted with them to kill Ci and welcome the emperor back."
44
宿 退祿 使
When the emperor first reached Fengtian, he ordered nearby troops to march to his aid. A memorial came in: "Zhu Ci was set up by mutinous troops and is coming to attack the city. Defenses ought to be strengthened at once." Lu Qi said through clenched teeth, "Zhu Ci is loyal and faithful as no other minister can match. How dare anyone accuse him of rebellion and wound a great minister's heart! I pledge the lives of my entire household that he will not rebel." The emperor agreed. Hearing also that the ministers were urging Ci to welcome him back, he ordered relief troops from all circuits to encamp thirty li outside the city. Jiang Gongfu remonstrated, "The palace guard is dangerously thin, and precautions must be thorough. If Ci is truly loyal and means to welcome Your Majesty back, what harm could more troops do? If he is not, preparedness will see us through." The emperor then brought all relief troops into the city. Lu Qi and Bai Zhizhen told the emperor, "We have seen Zhu Ci's intentions and are sure he will not rebel. We should send a senior minister into the capital to reassure him and learn his mind." The emperor asked his attendants, but all were afraid and none would go. Golden Quellers general Wu Jin alone volunteered; the emperor was pleased. Jin withdrew and said to others, "To draw one's stipend yet shrink from danger—what sort of minister is that? I have been honored as a close confidant. I know going means certain death—but when no one in the entire court will face danger, how can the emperor's heart not be heavy!" He then obeyed the edict and went to Ci. Ci had already settled on rebellion. Though he pretended to accept the mission, he housed Jin in the guest quarters and soon killed him. Jin was the elder brother of Chou.
45
使 使 使
Ci sent Jingyuan military envoy Han Min with three thousand elite troops, claiming they would welcome the emperor but actually to strike Fengtian. Fengtian's defenses were weak. Duan Xiushi said to Qiling Yue, "This is urgent!" He had Ling Yue forge a dispatch in Yao Lingyan's name ordering Min to turn back for now and wait to march out with the main army. Lingyan's seal had not yet arrived, so Xiushi stamped the dispatch with the Commissioner of Imperial Granaries seal reversed and sent swift runners after him. Min reached Luoyi station, got the dispatch, and turned back. Xiushi told his fellow conspirators, "If Min gets through, we are all dead! I will go straight at Ci and kill him. If I fail, I die—but I will never serve him!" He then had Liu Haibin and He Mingli secretly rally troops in the army to support him from outside. When Min's troops returned, Ci and Lingyan were greatly alarmed. Qiling Yue alone took the blame and was executed; Xiushi and the others were not implicated.
46
That day Ci summoned Li Zhongchen, Yuan Xiu, Yao Lingyan, Xiushi, and others to discuss declaring himself emperor. Xiushi sprang up, snatched Xiu's ivory court tablet, stepped forward and spat in Ci's face, and shouted, "Mad rebel! I only regret I cannot hack you into ten thousand pieces—do you think I would follow you in rebellion!" He struck Ci with the tablet. Ci threw up a hand to block it; the blow glanced off his forehead and blood splattered on the floor. Ci and Xiushi grappled wildly; those around them stood frozen, unsure what to do. Haibin did not dare intervene and slipped away in the chaos. Zhongchen stepped forward to help Ci, and Ci crawled away to safety. Xiushi knew he had failed and said to Ci's followers, "I will not join your rebellion—why not kill me!" The crowd rushed forward and killed him. Ci caught the blood in one hand and held the crowd back with the other. "He was a righteous man," he said. "Enough." Xiushi was already dead. Ci wept over him bitterly and buried him with third-rank honors. Haibin fled in mourning dress; two days later he was captured and killed. He did not implicate He Mingli either. Mingli marched with Ci against Fengtian, plotted again to kill him, and also died. When the emperor learned of Xiushi's death, he grieved that such a man had never been properly used, and wept for a long time.
47
使
On renzi Li Changchu, Director of the Palace Parks, was appointed Military Commissioner of the Capital Region and Weinan.
48
使
Fengxiang Military Commissioner and Co-Equal Grand Counselor Zhang Yi was scholarly, unhurried, fastidious about appearances, and no soldier. Learning the emperor was at Fengtian, he prepared clothing, supplies, and goods to welcome him and sent them to the mobile court. Rear-camp general Li Chulin was fierce and violent, and the army feared him. He had once served Zhu Ci and enjoyed Ci's favor. Field officer Qi Ying and fellow staff member Qi Kang told Yi, "Unless Chulin is removed, he will surely lead a revolt." Yi ordered Chulin to withdraw and encamp at Longzhou. Chulin pleaded pressing business and did not leave on schedule. Yi, preoccupied with welcoming the emperor, assumed Chulin had already left. Chulin rebelled with his followers that night. Yi lowered himself from the wall by rope and fled, but the rebels caught and killed him, along with chief secretary Wang Zhao and others. Ying slipped out through a drain; Kang escaped disguised as a hired porter carrying goods. Both survived.
49
輿
At first, finding Fengtian cramped, the emperor wanted to go to Fengxiang. Minister of Revenue Xiao Fu heard this and urgently requested an audience. "Your Majesty is gravely mistaken," he said. "The Fengxiang troops are Zhu Ci's old units—some of them must still share his cause. I already doubt Zhang Yi can hold the city—how can Your Majesty risk the imperial carriage in such uncertainty!" The emperor said, "My mind is made up, but I will wait one day—for your sake." The next day word came of the Fengxiang uprising, and he abandoned the plan.
50
使
Qi Ying and Qi Kang both reached Fengtian. Ying was made Censor-in-Chief and Kang Attending Censor. Chulin declared himself military commissioner and submitted to Zhu Ci. Longzhou Prefect Hao Tong fled to Chulin.
51
Shangzhou regimental troops killed their prefect Xie Liangfu.
52
殿殿
Zhu Ci moved from Baihua Hall into Xuanzheng Hall, declared himself Emperor of Great Qin, and changed the era name to Yingtian. On guichou Ci made Yao Lingyan Grand Counselor and Commander-in-Chief of Guannei, Li Zhongchen Minister of Works and Grand Counselor, Yuan Xiu Vice Director of the Secretariat and Co-Equal Grand Counselor with charge of the treasury, Jiang Zhen Vice Minister of Personnel, Fan Xi Vice Minister of Rites, Peng Yan Secretariat Draftsman, and the rest—including Zhang Guangsheng—received appointments of varying rank. He made his younger brother Tao Imperial Great Younger Brother. Yao Lingyan and Yuan Xiu jointly ran the court. Ci reported all planning, appointments, military affairs, and supplies to Xiu. Xiu urged Ci to slaughter the imperial clansmen still in the capital to destroy any hope of restoration; seventy-seven princes and grandsons were killed. Soon Jiang Zhen was made Vice Director of the Chancellery and Li Ziping Remonstrance Grandee, both Co-Equal Grand Counselors. Zhen lived in terror, kept a knife to kill himself, and thought of fleeing—but he was too timid, and in the end did nothing. Yuan Xiu urged Ci to kill hidden court officials to intimidate the rest. Zhen intervened forcefully, and many owed their lives to him. Fan Xi wrote Ci's accession document; when it was done, he took poison and died. Minister of Justice Jiang Yan of Jiaoshui was going to the mobile court when rebels captured him and pressed him to serve. He stopped eating, claimed illness, slipped away, and escaped.
53
Geshu Yao ran out of food, abandoned Xiangcheng, and fled to Luoyang. Li Xilie took Xiangcheng.
54
Right Dragon Guard general Li Guan had brought more than a thousand guard troops to Fengtian with the emperor. The emperor put him in charge of recruitment, and within days he raised more than five thousand men. Drawn up on the main thoroughfare with banners and drums in tight order, they greatly heartened the town.
55
使 使
When Yao Lingyan marched east, he left Jingyuan military envoy Feng Heqing of Jingzhao as acting commissioner and staff member Yao Kuang of Hezhong in charge of Jingzhou. When Heqing and Kuang heard the emperor had reached Fengtian, they assembled the troops, wept openly, and roused them with talk of loyalty. They sent more than a hundred cartloads of armor and weapons to the mobile court, working through the night. The city had been desperate for arms; when they arrived, morale soared. Heqing was appointed Military Commissioner of the Four Garrisons and Northern Frontier Mobile Command and Jingyuan, and Kuang field officer.
56
退 便 使 使
Several days after the emperor reached Fengtian, Right Vice Director and Co-Equal Grand Counselor Cui Ning finally arrived. The emperor was overjoyed and received him with warm praise and reward. Ning withdrew and told those close to him, "The emperor is intelligent and decisive and takes good counsel readily—but Lu Qi has led him to this pass!" He wept openly. Qi heard of it and with Wang Xiong plotted to destroy him. Xiong told the emperor, "Ning and I left the capital together. He kept dismounting to relieve himself and was slow to arrive—I suspect he was hesitating." Just then Zhu Ci issued an edict making Left Assistant Director Liu Hun Co-Equal Grand Counselor and Ning Grand Director of the Secretariat. Hun was from Xiangyang and was then hiding in the hills. Xiong had Zhouzhi magistrate Kang Zhan forge a letter from Ning to Zhu Ci and submitted it. Qi then accused Ning of allying with Zhu Ci and promising to serve as his inside collaborator—that was why he arrived late alone. On yimao the emperor sent a palace envoy to bring Ning to a tent, ostensibly to deliver a secret edict. Two strongmen strangled him from behind. Court and country alike called it a miscarriage of justice. When word reached the emperor, he pardoned Ning's family.
57
使 西
Zhu Ci sent an envoy with a letter to Zhu Tao saying, "The Three Qins will fall within days; north of the Great River I leave to you to destroy. We shall meet at Luoyang." When Tao got the letter, he danced facing west to proclaim it through headquarters and sent dispatches to every circuit, swaggering in triumph.
58
使 退
The emperor sent a palace envoy to report the crisis to the field headquarters at Weixian; the generals wept together. Li Huaiguang marched toward Chang'an with his army; Ma Sui and Li Qi each returned to their commands; Li Baozhen withdrew to Linming.
59
On dingsi Minister of Revenue Xiao Fu was made Minister of Personnel, Department Director Liu Congyi Vice Minister of Justice, and Hanlin Academician Jiang Gongfu Remonstrance Grandee—all Co-Equal Grand Counselors.
60
使西使
Zhu Ci personally marched on Fengtian at the head of a formidable army. He made Yao Lingyan commander-in-chief with Zhang Guangsheng as deputy, Li Zhongchen Metropolitan Magistrate of Jingzhao and Warden of the Imperial City, Qiu Jingzhong Military Commissioner of Tong, Hua, and other prefectures and Prince Who Expands the East to block armies from east of the Pass, and Li Riyue Vanguard Strategist of the Western Route.
61
便 使 退 滿使西
Acting Commissioner of Binning Han Yougui, Qingzhou Prefect Lun Weiming, and army supervisor Zhai Wenxiu were ordered to lead three thousand men to block Ci at Bianqiao and met him at Liquan. Yougui wanted to turn back toward Fengtian. Wenxiu said, "If we march toward Fengtian, the rebels will follow—that is leading them straight at the emperor. Better to hold our ground here—the rebels will not dare pass us to reach Fengtian. If they ignore us and pass, we can strike them from both sides with Fengtian." Yougui said, "The rebels are strong and we are weak. If they split off a force to pin us down and rush straight for Fengtian, Fengtian itself is weak—where is the pincer? I am rushing to Fengtian now precisely to protect the emperor. Our men are hungry and cold, while the rebels are rich—they will bribe our soldiers with gold, and I cannot stop them." With that he marched into Fengtian, and Zhu Ci came after him. The imperial forces sallied and were beaten; Zhu Ci's men fought for the gates, trying to break in. Hun Jian and Yougui fought a bloody battle all day long. There were several hay wagons inside the gate. Jian sent reconnaissance officer Gao Gu at the head of armored troops with long swords to cut down the rebels—each man fought like a hundred. They dragged the wagons to bar the gate, set them ablaze, and burned them. The whole army pressed the attack in the fire, and the rebels fell back. That night Zhu Ci encamped three li east of the city, sounding watch-clappers and lighting fires until the plain blazed. He had Fajian, a monk of Ximing Temple, build siege engines, tearing down temples for ladders and battering rams. Han Yougui said, "The temple timber is all dry kindling—simply get fire ready and wait." Gao Gu was the great-great-grandson of Li Kan. From then on Zhu Ci attacked the city every day, and Jian, Yougui, and the others fought without rest. Yanzhou troops bound for Xiangcheng heard Zhu Ci had rebelled, stormed through Tong Pass, and joined him at Fengtian; the Pujun garrison came over as well, swelling his army to tens of thousands.
62
退 使
The emperor spoke with Lu Zhi about how the rebellion had come about and blamed himself deeply. Lu Zhi said, "The troubles we face today are entirely the fault of your ministers." The emperor said, "This is Heaven's will, not something men could have prevented." Lu Zhi withdrew and submitted a memorial in which he wrote: "Your Majesty seeks to unite the empire. You dispatched armies on four fronts against those who refused to attend court. Great rebels evaded punishment, and one mutinous general after another rose in revolt. War and disaster have chained together for nearly three years. Campaign forces grow every day, and taxes grow heavier every day. From the capital to the frontier, travelers fear the sword and those who remain at home suffer crushing exactions. Rebellions followed one after another, complaint and curses rose together, and the whole people feared some extraordinary calamity—yet Your Majesty remained withdrawn and heard nothing of it, until mutinous soldiers marched beating drums and stormed the palace in broad daylight. Did they not seize our weakness and exploit the people's alienation? Your Majesty has ministers to serve as arms and legs, officials charged as eyes and ears, remonstrators in rank, and guards on duty—yet when danger appeared they could not give their full loyalty, and when crisis came they could not offer their lives. When I say today's disaster is the fault of the ministers, I do not speak in vain! Your Majesty also declared that the rise and fall of the state are all Heaven's decree. I have heard that what Heaven sees and hears, it learns through men. So Zu Yi's rebuke of King Zhou says: 'Was I not born with Heaven's mandate!' King Wu listed Zhou's crimes and said: 'Yet you say you have a mandate, and will not repent of your insolence.' This is exactly the error of setting human affairs aside and declaring that Heaven's mandate makes ruin inevitable! The Book of Changes says: 'Examine your conduct and read the signs.' It also says: 'Fortune and misfortune are the signs of success and failure.' Here the Mandate of Heaven depends on men—the meaning is plain. The sages and the Six Classics taken together all teach that fortune and disaster depend on men—they never say that a state's rise and fall are fixed by fate. When human affairs were well ordered yet Heaven sent disaster—there is no such case; and when human affairs were in chaos yet Heaven sent peace—there is no such case either. Lately campaigns and punishments have come one after another, the law has grown tighter, resources are exhausted, and people live in fear and uncertainty like a ship tossed on stormy seas. From the court down to the common people, families met night and day to whisper that some upheaval was coming—and when the Jingyuan mutineers rose, events unfolded exactly as the people had feared. The people of the capital number in the tens of millions—they are not all mathematicians and diviners—yet it is clear that the causes of this disaster do not all lie in Heaven's will. I have heard that order can breed chaos and chaos can become the seed of order—that some states fell though they knew no hardship, and some rose to greatness through many trials. What is done cannot be undone—the disorder and loss we have already suffered are past recovery; but the work of turning adversity into national renewal rests with Your Majesty's resolve and careful cultivation. Why worry about rebels, or fear ill fortune! Unceasing diligence can bring the realm to peace—not merely purging evil and returning to the palace!"
63
使
Tian Yue persuaded Wang Wujun to join Ma Shi in attacking Li Baozhen at Linming. Baozhen sent Jia Lin to Wujun again, saying, "The troops at Linming are strong and well prepared—you should not treat them lightly. If you win and take ground, Weibo gets the profit; if you lose, Heng and Ji will suffer heavily. Yi, Ding, Cang, and Zhao are all your old domains—you would do better to seize them first." Wujun then declined Yue's plan and marched north with Ma Shi. On renxu, Yue saw him off at Guantao with clasped hands and tears; officers and soldiers alike received lavish parting gifts.
64
使西
Earlier Wujun had recalled Uyghur troops to cut Li Huaiguang's supply lines. Huaiguang had already marched west, but the Uyghur commander Tarqan was leading one thousand Uyghurs and two thousand allied tribesmen to the Youzhou frontier. Zhu Tao persuaded them to join him in marching on Henan to seize the Eastern Capital and support Zhu Ci, promising the women, gold, and silk of Henan as payment. Tao had taken an Uyghur woman as a concubine, and the Uyghurs called him Lord Zhu. Eager for booty, they agreed.
65
西 使
Jia Lin again urged Wujun, saying, "Since antiquity, a state in crisis has not always failed to rise because of it. The emperor is the ninth of his line—wise and heroic. Who in the realm would abandon him to serve Zhu Ci! Since Tao made himself chief of the alliance he has looked down on his peers. Heshuo never had a Ji kingdom—Ji was your domain. Now Tao has declared himself King of Ji, leans on his brother in the west, and has drawn in the Uyghurs from the north. He means to swallow all of Heshuo and rule as king—you could not remain his vassal even if you wished. And you are bold and skilled in war—Tao is no match for you. You yourself once killed a rebel out of loyalty—and only because the court mishandled matters and Tao deceived you did you fall to this pass. Join Zhaoyi, strike Tao together, and you are sure to prevail. Once Tao is gone, Ci will fall on his own. This would be a feat without parallel—the path from disaster to triumph. The provinces are already closing in on Ci—within days he should be crushed. If you wait until the realm is settled before you repent and return to the emperor, it will be too late!" By then Wujun was already at odds with Tao. He rolled up his sleeves, flushed with anger, and said, "I would not serve an emperor of two hundred years—how could I serve this country oaf!" He then secretly allied with Baozhen and Ma Sui and swore brotherhood. Outwardly he still treated Tao with scrupulous courtesy. He and Tian Yue each sent envoys to Tao at Hejian to congratulate Zhu Ci on his imperial title and to ask for Ma Shi's troops to join an attack on Kang Rizhi at Zhaozhou.
66
使
Liu Dexin, relief commissioner for Ru and Zheng, was at Ruzhou with the sons-and-brothers army. Hearing of the crisis, he marched to the rescue and defeated Zhu Ci's forces at Jianzi Ridge. Because East Wei Bridge held stored grain for the supply lines, on guihai he advanced and encamped there.
67
西
Zhu Ci attacked Fengtian by night from the east, west, and south. On jiazi Hun Jian fought fiercely and drove him back. Left Dragon Martial Grand General Lü Xiqian was killed in the fighting. On yichou Zhu Ci attacked again. General Gao Chongjie defeated Zhu Ci's general Li Riyue at the foot of Liangshan. Pursuing the rout at the head of his men, he was seized by rebel ambushers. More than a dozen of his men, heedless of death, charged after him and snatched him back. Unable to hold him, the rebels cut off his head, left his body, and fled. His men bore him into the city. The emperor mourned over him with full grief, bound rushes into a head for burial, and posthumously appointed him Grand Counselor. Zhu Ci saw the head and wept as well, saying, "A loyal subject!" He bound rushes into a body and buried it. Li Riyue was Zhu Ci's foremost warrior; he died fighting below the walls of Fengtian. Zhu Ci sent his body back to Chang'an and buried him with full honors. His mother did not weep at all. She cursed him, saying, "You good-for-nothing! What did the country ever do to you that you turned traitor? Even your death came too late!" When Zhu Ci fell, rebel accomplices were executed to the last of their clans—but Riyue's mother alone went unpunished.
68
使
On jisi Hun Jian was additionally appointed military commissioner of the capital region, south of the Wei, the north, and Jin and Shang.
69
On renshen Wang Wujun and Ma Shi arrived before the walls of Zhaozhou.
70
使 使使 使 使
Earlier, when Zhu Ci held Fengxiang, he sent his general Niu Yunguang with five hundred Yanzhou troops to garrison Longzhou and put Longyou farming-assignment vice-prefect Wei Gao in charge as acting commissioner of Longyou. When Hao Tong fled to Fengxiang, Niu Yunguang feigned illness, planning to seize Gao with hidden troops once he arrived and join Zhu Ci. The plot leaked, and he fled with his men to Zhu Ci. At Qianyang he met the palace envoy Su Yu, who was bringing an edict promoting Gao to vice censor. Su Yu urged Yunguang, saying, "Wei Gao is a mere scholar. You had better come with me to Longzhou. If Gao accepts the appointment, he is one of us. If he refuses, you can crush him with your troops—as easily as routing a stray dog!" Yunguang agreed. From the wall Gao called down to Yunguang, "You left without a word before—why have you come back?" Yunguang said, "Before I did not know where you stood. Now that you have a new appointment, I have returned—I wish to trust you with all my heart." Gao first admitted Su Yu and accepted the edict. Then he told Yunguang, "If you mean no treachery, surrender all arms and armor so the city has no cause for doubt—then your men may enter." Thinking Gao a helpless scholar, Yunguang surrendered every weapon and marched in. The next day Gao gave a feast for Su Yu, Niu Yunguang, and their men at the prefectural hall—and hidden troops cut them down. He built an altar and swore in his officers and soldiers, saying, "Li Chulin murdered our former commissioner. He will not serve the throne—how can he care for his men? Let us join together and attack him!" He sent his elder brothers Ping and Yan to Fengtian and dispatched envoys to seek aid from Tibet.
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