1
資治通鑑第241卷
Zizhi Tongjian, Volume 241.
2
【唐紀六十】起屠維作噩，盡昭陽赤奮若，凡五年。
[Tang Annals 60] From the jiyou year through the guichou year—five years in all.
3
春，正月，亓志紹與成德合兵掠貝州。
In spring, the first month, Qi Zhishao allied with Chengde and plundered Beizhou.
4
義成行營兵三千人先屯齊州，使之禹城，中道潰叛，橫海節度使李祐討誅之。
Three thousand men of the Yicheng expeditionary force had been posted at Qizhou and sent on toward Yucheng, but they mutinied en route. Li You, governor of Henghai, hunted them down and put them to death.
5
李聽、史唐合兵擊亓志紹，破之。 志紹將其眾五千奔鎮州。
Li Ting and Shi Tang joined forces, attacked Qi Zhishao, and routed him. Zhishao fled to Zhenzhou with five thousand of his men.
6
李載義奏攻滄州長蘆，拔之。
Li Zaiyi reported that he had attacked Changlu in Cangzhou and captured it.
7
甲辰，昭義奏亓志紹餘眾萬五千人詣本道降，置之洛州。
On jiachen, Zhaoyi reported that fifteen thousand of Qi Zhishao's remaining troops had surrendered to the circuit and were resettled in Luozhou.
8
二月，橫海節度使李祐帥諸道行營兵擊李同捷，破之，進攻德州。
In the second month, Li You of Henghai led the multi-circuit expeditionary army against Li Tongjie, defeated him, and advanced on Dezhou.
9
武寧捉生兵馬使石雄，勇敢，愛士卒。 王智興殘虐，軍中欲逐智興而立雄。 智興知之，因雄立功，奏請除刺史。 丙辰，以雄為壁州剌史。 史憲誠聞滄景將平而懼，其子唐勸之入朝。 丙寅，憲誠使唐奉表請入朝，且請以所管聽命。
Shi Xiong, Wuning's officer for captive-raiding cavalry, was courageous and beloved by his troops. Wang Zhixing ruled with cruelty, and the troops wanted to oust him and make Shi Xiong commander instead. Zhixing learned of the plot and, citing Xiong's battlefield merit, had him recommended for a prefectural post. On bingchen, Shi Xiong was made prefect of Bizhou. When Shi Xiancheng heard that the Cang-Jing rebellion was nearing defeat, he grew alarmed, and his son Tang urged him to present himself at court. On bingyin, Xiancheng sent Tang to court with a memorial asking permission to attend in person and offering to place his command under central authority.
10
石雄既去武寧，王智興悉殺軍中與雄善者百餘人。 夏，四月，戊午，智興奏雄搖動軍情，請誅之。 上知雄無罪，免死，長流白州。 戊辰，李載義奏攻滄州，破其羅城。 李祐拔德州，城中將卒三千餘人奔鎮州。 李同捷與祐書請降，祐並奏其書，諫議大夫柏耆受詔宣慰行營，好張大聲勢以威制諸將，諸將已惡之矣。 及李同捷請降於祐，祐遣大將萬洪代守滄州。 耆疑同捷之詐，自將數百騎馳入滄州，以事誅洪，取同捷及其家屬詣京師。 乙亥，至將陵，或言王庭湊欲以奇兵篡同捷，乃斬同捷，傳首，滄景悉平。 五月，庚寅，加李載義同平章事。 諸道兵攻李同捷，三年，僅能下之。 而柏耆徑入城，取為己功。 諸將疾之，爭上表論列。 辛卯，貶耆為循州司戶。 李祐尋薨。
Once Shi Xiong had left Wuning, Wang Zhixing executed more than a hundred soldiers who had been close to him. In summer, the fourth month, on wuwu, Zhixing accused Shi Xiong of subverting troop loyalty and asked that he be put to death. Knowing Xiong was innocent, the emperor spared his life and exiled him to distant Baizhou. On wuchen, Li Zaiyi reported that he had assaulted Cangzhou and broken through its outer ramparts. Li You took Dezhou, and more than three thousand of its garrison fled to Zhenzhou. Li Tongjie wrote Li You offering surrender, and You forwarded the letter to court. Bai Qi, a remonstrance counsellor, was ordered to the expeditionary camp as imperial envoy; he loved to parade his authority to intimidate the commanders, who already detested him. When Tongjie sued for peace through You, You sent his senior general Wan Hong to hold Cangzhou in his stead. Suspecting a trick, Qi rode into Cangzhou at the head of several hundred cavalry, had Hong killed on a pretext, seized Tongjie and his household, and hurried them toward the capital. On yihai, at Jiangling, word came that Wang Tingcou meant to snatch Tongjie away with a flying column, so Tongjie was beheaded and his head dispatched ahead; Cang and Jing were fully pacified. In the fifth month, on gengyin, Li Zaiyi was made co-director of the Secretariat-Chancellery. The allied armies had fought Li Tongjie for three years before they could finally overcome him. Yet Bai Qi had ridden straight into the city and claimed the victory as his own. The commanders, outraged, flooded the court with memorials setting out what had really happened. On xinmao, Qi was demoted to revenue clerk of Xunzhou. Li You died soon afterward.
11
壬寅，攝魏博副使史唐奏改名孝章。
On renyin, Shi Tang, acting Weibo deputy commissioner, asked to change his name to Xiaozhang.
12
六月，丙辰，詔：「鎮州四面行營各歸本道休息，但務保境，勿相往來。 惟庭湊效順，為達章表，餘皆勿受。」
In the sixth month, on bingchen, the throne ordered: "The expeditionary camps surrounding Zhenzhou shall disband to their home circuits and rest; each is to hold its own borders and keep out of the others' affairs. Only memorials from Tingcou affirming loyalty are to be forwarded; all others are to be rejected."
13
辛酉，以史憲誠為兼侍中、河中節度使； 以李聽兼魏博節度使； 分相、衛、澶三州，以史孝章為節度使。
On xinyou, Shi Xiancheng was made palace attendant and military governor of Hezhong; Li Ting was made military governor of Weibo; the prefectures of Xiang, Wei, and Chan were carved off for Shi Xiaozhang as a separate command.
14
初，李祐聞柏耆殺萬洪，大驚，疾遂劇。 上曰：「祐若死，是耆殺之也！」 癸酉，賜耆自盡。
Earlier, when Li You learned that Bai Qi had killed Wan Hong, he was stricken with shock and his illness turned grave. The emperor said, "If You dies, Qi will have killed him!" On guiyou, Qi was ordered to commit suicide.
15
河東節度使李程奏得王庭湊書，請納景州； 又奏亓志紹自縊。
Li Cheng of Hedong reported a letter from Wang Tingcou offering to surrender Jingzhou; he also reported that Qi Zhishao had hanged himself.
16
上遣中使賜史憲誠旌節，癸酉，至魏州。 時李聽自貝州還軍館陶，遷延未進，憲誠竭府庫以治行，將士怒。 甲戌，軍亂，殺憲誠，奉牙內都知兵馬使靈武何進滔知留後。 李聽進至魏州，進滔拒之，不得入。 秋，七月，進滔出兵擊李聽。 聽不為備，大敗，潰走，晝夜兼行，趣淺口，失亡過半，輜重兵械盡棄之。 昭義兵救之，聽僅而得免，歸於滑台。 河北久用兵，饋運不給，朝廷厭苦之。 八月，壬子，以進滔為魏博節度使，復以相、衛、澶三州歸之。
The court sent an envoy with the command baton and banner for Shi Xiancheng; on guiyou it reached Weizhou. Li Ting had withdrawn from Beizhou to Guantao and lingered there without advancing, while Xiancheng emptied the treasury to finance his move to a new post, enraging the troops. On jiaxu the troops mutinied, killed Xiancheng, and set up He Jintao of Lingwu, the inner-guard commander, as acting governor. Li Ting marched to Weizhou, but Jintao refused him entry. In autumn, the seventh month, Jintao took the field against Li Ting. Caught unprepared, Ting was routed and fled day and night toward Qiankou, losing more than half his men and abandoning all baggage and arms. Zhaoyi troops rescued him, and Ting barely escaped with his life, retreating to Huatai. Hebei had been at war for years, supplies could not keep pace, and the court was exhausted by the effort. In the eighth month, on renzi, Jintao was confirmed as Weibo governor and given back Xiang, Wei, and Chan.
17
滄州承喪亂之餘，骸骨蔽地，城空野曠，戶口存者什無三四，癸丑，以衛尉卿殷侑為齊、德、滄、景節度使。 侑至鎮，與士卒同甘苦，招撫百姓，勸之耕桑，流散者稍稍復業。 先是，本軍三萬人皆仰給度支，侑至一年，租稅自能贍其半； 二年，請悉罷度支給賜； 三年之後，戶口滋殖，倉廩充盈。
Cangzhou lay in ruins after the rebellion—bones littered the ground, towns stood empty, and barely three or four households in ten had survived. On guichou, Yin You, minister of the guard, was sent to govern Qi, De, Cang, and Jing. On reaching his command, You shared the soldiers' hardships, reassured the populace, urged farming and sericulture, and refugees slowly returned to their fields. Previously all thirty thousand troops had been fed from the central treasury; within a year under You, local taxes covered half their needs; in the second year he asked that central subsidies be cut off entirely; within three years the population had grown again and the granaries were full.
18
王庭水奏因鄰道微露請服之意。 壬申，赦庭水奏及將士，復其官爵。
Wang Tingshui reported that, through a neighboring circuit, he had hinted at a wish to submit. On renshen, Tingshui and his troops were pardoned and their offices and titles restored.
19
征浙西觀察使李德裕為兵部侍郎，裴度薦以為相。 會吏部侍郎李宗閔有宦官之助，甲戌，以宗閔同平章事。
Li Deyu, governor of Zhexi, was recalled as vice minister of war; Pei Du urged making him chancellor. But Li Zongmin of the Ministry of Personnel had eunuch backing, and on jiaxu he was made co-director of the Secretariat-Chancellery instead.
20
上性儉素、九月，辛巳，命中尉以下毋得衣紗縠綾羅。 聽朝之暇，惟以書史自娛，聲樂游畋未嘗留意。 附馬韋處仁嘗著夾羅巾，上謂曰：「朕慕卿門地清素，故有選尚。 如此巾服，聽其他貴戚為之，卿不須爾。」
The emperor was naturally austere. In the ninth month, on xinsi, he forbade the commandant of the palace armies and all ranks below to wear gauze, damask, silk, or brocade. In his hours away from court he read history for pleasure and never troubled himself with music, feasting, or the hunt. The imperial son-in-law Wei Churen once wore a layered gauze cap; the emperor told him, "I chose you for marriage because your family is known for plain living. Let other nobles dress like that; you need not."
21
壬辰，以李德裕為義成節度使。 李宗閔惡其逼己，故出之。
On renchen, Li Deyu was sent out as military governor of Yicheng. Li Zongmin resented his rivalry and had him posted away from court.
22
冬，十月，丙辰，以李聽為太子少師。
In winter, the tenth month, on bingchen, Li Ting was made junior tutor to the crown prince.
23
路隋言於上曰：「宰相任重，不宜兼金谷瑣碎之務，如楊國忠、元載、皇甫鎛皆奸臣，所為不足法也。」 上以為然。 於是裴度辭度支，上許之。
Lu Sui told the emperor, "Chancellors carry weighty duties and should not also handle petty treasury affairs. Yang Guozhong, Yuan Zai, and Huangfu Bo were all corrupt ministers—no model to follow." The emperor agreed. Pei Du then resigned from the treasury portfolio, and the emperor assented.
24
十一月，甲午，上祀圓丘。 赦天下。 四方毋得獻奇巧之物，其纖麗布帛皆禁之，焚其機杼。
In the eleventh month, on jiawu, the emperor offered sacrifice at the Circular Mound. A general amnesty was proclaimed. The provinces were forbidden to send curios or ingenious novelties; fine and ornate textiles were banned and the looms that wove them were burned.
25
丙申，西川節度使杜元穎奏南詔入寇。 元穎以舊相，文雅自高，不曉軍事，專務蓄積，減削士卒衣糧。 西南戍邊之卒，衣食不足，皆入蠻境鈔盜以自給，蠻人反以衣食資之。 由是蜀中虛實動靜，蠻皆知之。 南詔自嵯顛謀大舉入寇，邊州屢以告，元穎不之信。 嵯顛兵至，邊城一無備御。 蠻以蜀卒為鄉導，襲陷巂、戎二州。 甲辰，元穎遣兵與戰於邛州南，蜀兵大敗，蠻遂陷邛州。
On bingshen, Du Yuanying of Xichuan reported a Nanzhao invasion. A former chancellor, Yuanying prided himself on culture, knew nothing of war, hoarded wealth, and pared the troops' clothing and rations. Frontier garrisons in the southwest, short of food and clothing, raided across the border to survive, and the barbarians supplied them in return. Thus the barbarians knew Shu’s strengths, weaknesses, and every move. Under King Cuan Dian, Nanzhao planned a major invasion; border posts warned again and again, but Yuanying refused to believe them. When Cuan Dian's army arrived, the border towns had no defenses at all. Using Shu soldiers as guides, they stormed and took Xi and Rong. On jiachen, Yuanying sent troops to fight south of Qiongzhou; the Shu army was routed and the barbarians took the city.
26
武寧節度使王智興入朝。
Wang Zhixing of Wuning came to court.
27
詔發東川、興元、荊南兵以救西川。 十二月，丁未朔，又發鄂岳、襄鄧、陳許等兵繼之。
Troops from Dongchuan, Xingyuan, and Jingnan were ordered to relieve Xichuan. In the twelfth month, on the first day dingwei, forces from E-Yue, Xiang-Deng, Chen-Xu, and other circuits followed.
28
以王智興為忠武節度使。
Wang Zhixing was made military governor of Zhongwu.
29
己酉，以東川節度使郭釗為西川節度使，兼權東川節度事。 嵯顛自邛州引兵徑抵成都。 庚戌，陷其外郭。 杜元穎帥眾保牙城以拒之，欲遁去者數四。 壬子，貶元穎為邵州刺史。
On jiyou, Guo Zhao of Dongchuan was made governor of Xichuan and given interim authority over Dongchuan as well. Cuan Dian marched from Qiongzhou straight on Chengdu. On gengxu he took the outer city. Du Yuanying held the inner citadel with his troops but four times tried to flee. On renzi, Yuanying was demoted to prefect of Shaozhou.
30
己未，以右領軍大將軍董重質為神策、諸道西川行營節度使，又發太原、鳳翔兵赴西川。 南詔寇東川，入梓州西郭。 郭釗兵寡弱不能戰，以書責嵯顛。 嵯顛覆書曰：「杜元穎侵擾我，故興兵報之耳。」 與釗修好而退。 蠻留成都西郭十日，其始慰撫蜀人，市肆立堵。 將行，乃大掠子女、百工數萬人及珍貨而去。 蜀人恐懼，往往赴江，流屍塞江而下。 嵯顛自為軍殿，及大度水，嵯顛謂蜀人曰：「此南吾境也，聽汝哭別鄉國。」 眾皆慟哭，赴水死者以千計。 自是南詔工巧埒於蜀中。 嵯顛遣使上表，稱：「蠻比修職貢，豈敢犯邊，正以杜元穎不恤軍士，怨苦元穎，競為鄉導，祈我此行以誅虐帥。 誅之不遂，無以慰蜀士之心，願陛下誅之。」 丁卯，再貶元穎循州司馬。 詔董重質及諸道兵皆引還。 郭釗至成都，與南詔立約，不相侵擾。 詔遣中使以國信賜嵯顛。
On jiwei, Dong Chongzhi was made commander of the Shence and allied Xichuan expedition, and troops from Taiyuan and Fengxiang were dispatched west. Nanzhao raided Dongchuan and entered the western suburbs of Zizhou. Guo Zhao's force was too small to fight; he sent Cuan Dian a letter of rebuke. Cuan Dian wrote back, "Du Yuanying provoked us—that is why I took the field." He made peace with Guo Zhao and withdrew. The barbarians camped in Chengdu's western suburbs for ten days; at first they reassured the populace and the markets still stood. As they prepared to leave, they seized women and children, tens of thousands of craftsmen, and hoards of treasure. Terrified Shu subjects threw themselves into the rivers until the waters were choked with corpses downstream. Cuan Dian brought up the rear; at the Dadu River he told the Shu captives, "Beyond here lies our land—weep your farewell to your country if you wish." They wept in anguish; thousands drowned themselves in the river. Henceforth Nanzhao's craft and skill matched what Shu had possessed. Cuan Dian sent a memorial claiming, "We have always paid tribute in good faith—we would never raid your borders. Du Yuanying neglected his troops; resenting him, they vied to guide us here, asking us to punish their brutal commander. Unless he is put to death, the soldiers of Shu cannot be pacified. We beg Your Majesty to execute him." On dingmao, Du Yuanying was demoted once more to deputy prefect of Xunzhou. The court ordered Dong Chongzhi and the allied armies to withdraw. Guo Zhao reached Chengdu and concluded a non-aggression pact with Nanzhao. The court sent an imperial envoy to confer formal recognition upon Cuan Dian.
31
春，正月，辛巳，武昌節度使牛僧孺入朝。 戊子，立子永為魯王。
In spring, on xinsi of the first month, Niu Sengru, governor of Wuchang, arrived at court. On wuzi, the emperor made his son Yong Prince of Lu.
32
李宗閔引薦牛僧孺。 辛卯，以僧孺為兵部尚書、同平章事。 於是二人相與排擯李德裕之黨，稍稍逐之。
Li Zongmin put Niu Sengru forward for appointment. On xinmao, Niu Sengru was made Minister of War and a chief minister. The two then joined forces to purge Li Deyu's faction, gradually forcing his allies from office.
33
南詔之寇成都也，詔山南西道發兵救之，興元兵少，節度使李絳募兵千人赴之，未至，蠻退而還。 興元兵有常額，詔新募兵悉罷之。 二月，乙卯，絳悉召新軍，諭以詔旨而遣之，仍賜以廩麥，皆怏怏而退。 往辭監軍，監軍楊叔元素惡絳不奉己，以賜物薄激之。 眾怒，大噪，掠庫兵，趨使牙。 絳方與僚佐宴，不為備，走登北城。 或勸縋而出，絳曰：「吾為元帥，豈可逃去！」 麾推官趙存約令去。 存約曰：「存約受明公知，何可苟免！」 牙將王景延與賊力戰死，絳、存約及觀察判官薛齊皆為亂兵所害，賊遂屠絳家。 戊午，叔元奏絳收新軍募直以致亂。 庚申，以尚書右丞溫造為山南西道節度使。 是時，三省官上疏共論李絳之冤。 諫議大夫憶敏行具孫叔元激怒亂兵，上始悟。
During Nanzhao's raid on Chengdu, the court ordered Shannan West to send relief. Xingyuan's garrison was small, so Governor Li Jiang raised a thousand men; the barbarians withdrew before they arrived. Xingyuan had a standing quota; the court ordered all newly raised troops disbanded. In the second month, on yimao, Li Jiang assembled the new recruits, read them the dismissal order, and gave them grain rations—all left sullen and dissatisfied. When they went to bid farewell to Army Supervisor Yang Shuyuan, he—resentful that Li Jiang had not deferred to him—provoked them by complaining the rations were too scant. The men erupted in fury, raided the armory, and stormed the headquarters. Li Jiang was at a banquet with his staff and unprepared; he fled onto the north rampart. Some urged him to be lowered over the wall by rope. Li Jiang said, "I am the commander—how can I run away?" He gestured for his aide Zhao Cunyue to go. Zhao Cunyue replied, "You have shown me favor—I cannot save myself alone." Garrison officer Wang Jingyan fought the mutineers to the death. Li Jiang, Zhao Cunyue, and aide Xue Qi were all killed, and the rebels massacred Li Jiang's household. On wuwu, Yang Shuyuan reported that Li Jiang had pocketed the new recruits' enlistment pay, provoking the mutiny. On gengshen, Wen Zao was appointed governor of Shannan West. Officials of the Three Departments jointly memorialized the throne, arguing that Li Jiang had been wronged. Remonstrance Counsellor Wei Minxing laid out how Yang Shuyuan had incited the mutineers, and the emperor finally saw the truth.
34
三月，乙亥朔，以刑部尚書柳公綽為河東節度使。 先是，回鶻入貢及互市，所過恐其為變，常嚴兵迎送防衛之。 公綽至鎮，回鶻遣梅錄李暢以馬萬匹互市，公綽但遣牙將單騎迎勞於境，至則大辟牙門，受其禮謁。 暢感泣，戒其下，在路不敢馳獵，無所侵擾。 陘北沙陀素驍勇，為九姓、六州胡所畏伏。 公綽奏以其酋長朱邪執宜為陰山都督、代北行營招撫使，使居雲、朔塞下，捍御北邊。 執宜與諸酋長入謁，公綽與之宴。 執宜神彩嚴整，進退有禮。 公綽謂僚佐曰：「執宜外嚴而內寬，言徐而理當，福祿人也。」 執宜母妻入見，公綽使夫人與之飲酒，饋遺之。 執宜感恩，為之盡力。 塞下舊有廢府十一，執宜修之，使其部落三千人分守之，自是雜虜不敢犯塞。
On the first of the third month, Liu Gongchuo was appointed governor of Hedong. Whenever Uighur tribute missions and trade caravans passed through, local officials fearing trouble posted heavy escorts. When Liu Gongchuo took up his post, the Uighurs sent Meruy Li Chang with ten thousand horses to trade. Liu Gongchuo sent a single officer to greet them at the border; when they arrived, he threw open his headquarters and received them with full ceremony. Li Chang was moved to tears and warned his men not to gallop or hunt along the route; they disturbed no one. The Shatuo north of the passes were renowned fighters; the Nine Surnames and Six Prefectures tribes feared and obeyed them. Liu Gongchuo recommended their chieftain Zhuye Zhiyi as Yinshan governor and frontier pacification commissioner, stationing his people below the Yun and Shuo passes to guard the north. Zhuye Zhiyi and the other chiefs paid their respects; Liu Gongchuo hosted a banquet for them. Zhuye Zhiyi bore himself with stern dignity and perfect courtesy. Liu Gongchuo told his staff, "Zhuye Zhiyi looks stern but is generous at heart; he speaks slowly and to the point—a man marked for high fortune." When Zhuye Zhiyi's mother and wife were presented, Liu Gongchuo had his own wife share wine with them and sent gifts. Grateful, Zhuye Zhiyi served him with all his strength. Eleven abandoned forts lay below the passes; Zhuye Zhiyi repaired them and posted three thousand tribesmen to hold them. Thereafter no raiders dared cross the frontier.
35
溫造行至褒城，遇興元都將衛志忠征蠻歸，造密與之謀誅亂者，以其兵八百人為牙隊，五百人為前軍，入府，分守諸門。 己卯，造視事，饗將士於牙門，造曰：「吾欲問新軍去留之意，宜悉使來前。」 既勞問，命坐，行酒。 志忠密以牙兵圍之，既合，唱「殺！」 新軍八百餘人皆死。 楊叔元起，擁造靴求生，造命囚之。 其手殺絳者，斬之百段，餘皆斬首，投屍漢水，以百首祭李絳，三十首祭死事者，具事以聞。 己丑，流楊叔元於康州。
At Baocheng, Wen Zao met Wei Zhizhong returning from a campaign against the barbarians. They secretly planned to crush the mutineers, deploying Wei's eight hundred men as headquarters guards and five hundred as a vanguard; they entered the compound and sealed every gate. On jimao, Wen Zao took office and hosted the garrison at headquarters. "I want to hear the new troops' wishes on staying or leaving," he said. "Bring them all forward." After greeting them, he had them sit and wine circulated. Wei Zhizhong's guards closed the ring; at the signal he roared, "Kill them!" More than eight hundred new recruits were slaughtered. Yang Shuyuan clutched Wen Zao's boots and begged for mercy; Wen Zao had him arrested. Those who had killed Li Jiang with their own hands were hacked into pieces; the rest were beheaded and their bodies thrown into the Han. A hundred heads were offered in Li Jiang's memory and thirty for the other dead; Wen Zao reported all to court. On jichou, Yang Shuyuan was exiled to Kangzhou.
36
癸卯，加淮南節度使段文昌同平章事、為荊南節度使。
On guimao, Duan Wenchang of Huainan was made a chief minister and transferred to Jingnan.
37
奚寇幽州。 夏，四月，丁未，盧龍節度使李載義擊破之。 辛酉，擒其王茹羯以獻。
The Xi attacked Youzhou. In summer, the fourth month, on dingwei, Li Zaiyi of Lulong routed them. On xinyou, he captured the Xi king Rujie and sent him to court.
38
裴度以高年多疾，懇辭機政。 六月，丁未，以度為司徒、平章軍國重事，俟疾損，三五日一入中書。
Pei Du, aged and ill, begged to be relieved of daily governance. In the sixth month, on dingwei, Pei Du was made Grand Mentor with oversight of state affairs, entering the Secretariat only every few days as his health allowed.
39
上患宦官強盛，憲宗、敬宗弒逆之黨猶有在左右者。 中尉王守澄尤為專橫，招權納賄，上不能制。 嘗密與翰林學士宋申錫言之，申錫請漸除其逼。 上以申錫沉厚忠謹，可倚以事，擢為尚書右丞。 秋，七月，癸未，以申錫同平章事。
The emperor worried over eunuch power; men linked to the murders of Emperors Xianzong and Jingzong still surrounded him. Commandant Wang Shoucheng was especially overbearing, trading on power and taking bribes beyond the emperor's control. The emperor confided in Hanlin scholar Song Shenxi, who proposed whittling away their grip step by step. Trusting Song Shenxi's steadiness and loyalty, the emperor promoted him to vice director of the Department of State Affairs. In autumn, on guiwei of the seventh month, Song Shenxi was made a chief minister.
40
初，裴度征淮西，奏李宗閔為觀察判官，由是漸獲進用。 至是，怨度薦李德裕，因其謝病，九月，壬午，以度兼侍中，充山南東道節度使。
When Pei Du campaigned in Huai Xi, he had recommended Li Zongmin as his aide; from that Li Zongmin rose by degrees. Now resenting Pei Du for backing Li Deyu, Li Zongmin used Pei's illness as pretext; in the ninth month, on renwu, Pei Du was made vice director and sent to govern Shannan East.
41
西川節度使郭釗以疾求代，冬，十月，戊申，以義成節度使李德裕為西川節度使。 蜀自南詔入寇，一方殘弊，郭釗多病，未暇完補。 德裕至鎮，作籌邊樓，圖蜀地形，南入南詔，西達吐蕃。 日召老於軍旅、習邊事者，雖走卒蠻夷無所間，訪以山川、城邑、道路險易廣狹遠近，未逾月，皆若身嘗涉歷。
Guo Zhao of Xichuan sought relief for illness; in winter, on wushen of the tenth month, Li Deyu was transferred from Yicheng to Xichuan. Since Nanzhao's invasion Shu lay in ruins; Guo Zhao had been too ill to rebuild. Li Deyu built a Frontier Planning Tower and mapped Shu from the Nanzhao border to Tibet. He questioned anyone with frontier experience—runners and tribesmen alike—about terrain, towns, and roads. Within a month he knew the land as if he had marched every mile.
42
上命德裕修塞清溪關以斷南詔入寇之路，或無土，則以石壘之。 德裕上言：「通蠻細路至多，不可塞，惟重兵鎮守，可保無虞。 但黎、雅以來得萬人，成都得二萬人，精加訓練，則蠻不敢動矣。 邊兵又不宜多，須力可臨制。 崔旰之殺郭英乂，張朏之逐張延賞，皆鎮兵也。」 時北兵皆歸本道，惟河中、陳許三千人在成都，有詔來年三月亦歸，蜀人朏懼。 德裕奏乞鄭滑五百人、陳許千人以鎮蜀。 且言：「蜀兵脆弱，新為蠻寇所困，皆破膽，不堪征戌。 若北兵盡歸，則與杜元穎時無異，蜀不可保。 恐議者雲蜀經蠻寇以來，已自增兵，向者蠻寇已逼，元穎始捕市人為兵，得三千餘人，徒有其數，實不可用。 郭釗募北兵僅得百餘人，臣復召募得二百餘人，此外皆元穎舊兵也。 恐議者又聞一夫當關之說，以為清溪可塞。 臣訪之蜀中老將，清溪之旁，大路有三，自餘小徑無數，皆東蠻臨時為之開通，若言可塞，則是欺罔朝廷。 要須大度水北更築一城，迤邐接黎州，以大兵守之方可。 況聞南詔以所掠蜀人二千及金帛賂遺吐蕃，若使二虜知蜀虛實，連兵入寇，誠可深憂。 其朝臣建言者，蓋由禍不在身，望人責一狀，留入堂案，他日敗事，不可令臣獨當國憲。」 朝廷皆從其請。 德裕乃練士卒，葺堡鄣，積糧儲以備邊，蜀人粗安。
The court ordered Li Deyu to fortify Qingxi Pass and block Nanzhao's invasion route, piling stone where earth was lacking. Li Deyu replied, "Too many paths lead to the barbarians to seal them all; only strong garrisons can keep the frontier safe. Ten thousand men from Li and Ya southward and twenty thousand at Chengdu, properly trained, would keep the barbarians still. Frontier garrisons must not be too large—they must remain forces the court can control. Cui Gan murdered Guo Yingyi and Zhang Fei drove out Zhang Yanshang—both acts of mutinous garrison troops." Northern troops were returning home; only three thousand from Hezhong and Chenxu remained in Chengdu, with orders to leave the following March. The people of Shu were terrified. Li Deyu asked for five hundred men from Zheng-Hua and a thousand from Chenxu to hold Shu. He added, "Shu soldiers are soft—fresh from the barbarian raid, they are too shaken for field service. If the northern garrisons leave entirely, Shu will be as undefended as under Du Yuanying—and will not hold. Critics might say Shu had already raised troops after the raid—but when the barbarians were at the gates, Yuanying had merely press-ganged townsfolk into three thousand useless men. Guo Zhao raised barely a hundred northern troops; I have added barely two hundred more—all the rest are Yuanying's old soldiers. Others may cite the old maxim about one man holding a pass and insist Qingxi can be sealed. Shu veterans tell me three main roads and countless trails run beside Qingxi—the eastern tribes open new paths at will. To claim they can all be blocked is to deceive the court. We must build a new fortress north of the Dadu River, linking it chain-fashion to Lizhou, and hold it with a substantial garrison. I also hear Nanzhao has bribed Tibet with two thousand Shu captives and treasure. If both enemies learn how weak Shu is and attack together, the danger is grave. Ministers who urge easy fixes do so because the cost will not fall on them. I ask that their recommendations be signed and filed—so if disaster follows, I alone will not answer for it." The court granted all his requests. Li Deyu drilled his troops, repaired the fortifications, and laid up supplies. Shu settled somewhat.
43
是歲，勃海宣王仁秀卒，子新德早死，孫彝震立，改元鹹和。
That year King Renxiu of Bohai died. His son Xinde had predeceased him; grandson Yizhen succeeded and proclaimed the Xianhe era.
44
春，正月，丁巳，賜滄、齊、德節度名義昌軍。
In spring, on dingsi of the first month, the Cang-Qi-De governorship was renamed the Yichang Army.
45
庚申，盧龍監軍奏李載義與敕使宴於球場後院，副兵馬使楊志誠與其徒呼噪作亂，載義與子正元奔易州。 志誠又殺莫州刺史張慶初。 上召宰相謀之，牛僧孺曰：「范陽自安、史以來，非國所有，劉總暫獻其地，朝廷費錢八十萬緡而無絲毫所獲。 今日誌誠得之，猶前日載義得之也。 因而撫之，使捍北狄，不必計其逆順。」 上從之。 載義自易州赴京師，上以載義有平滄景之功，且事朝廷恭順，二月，壬辰，以載義為太保，同平章事如故。 以楊志誠為盧龍留後。
On gengshen, Lulong's army supervisor reported that while Li Zaiyi feasted with an imperial envoy in the ball-court rear yard, Vice commander Yang Zhicheng and his men mutinied. Zaiyi and his son Zhengyuan fled to Yizhou. Zhicheng also murdered Zhang Qingchu, governor of Mo Prefecture. The emperor consulted his chief ministers. Niu Sengru said, "Fanyang has never truly been ours since the An-Shi rebellion. Liu Zong briefly surrendered it; the court spent eight hundred thousand strings of cash and gained nothing. Zhicheng holds it now just as Zaiyi held it before. Pacify him and set him to guard the northern frontier—we need not weigh his loyalty." The emperor agreed. When Zaiyi reached the capital from Yizhou, the emperor—honoring his victory at Cang-Jing and his dutiful service—made him Grand Guardian while keeping him chief minister, on renchen of the second month. Yang Zhicheng was installed as acting governor of Lulong.
46
臣光曰：「昔者聖人順天理，察人情，知齊民之莫能相治也，故置師長以正之； 知群臣之莫能相使也，故建諸侯以制之； 知列國之莫能相服也，故立天子以統之。 天子之於萬國，能褒善而黜惡，抑強而輔弱，撫服而懲違，禁暴而誅亂，然後發號施令，而四海之內莫不率從也。 《詩》云：「勉勉我王，綱紀四方。」 載義籓屏大臣，有功於國，無罪而志誠逐之，此天子所宜治也。 若一無所問，因以其土田爵位授之，則是將帥之廢置殺生皆出於士卒之手，天子雖在上，奚為哉！ 國家之有方鎮，豈專利其財賦而已乎！ 如僧孺之言，姑息偷安之術耳，豈宰相佐天子御天下之道哉！
Sima Guang comments: "The sages, reading Heaven's order and human nature, knew the people cannot govern themselves—so they appointed leaders to set things right; Knowing ministers cannot command one another, they created feudal lords to keep them in check; Knowing the states would not obey one another, they enthroned a Son of Heaven to rule them all. Only when the Son of Heaven can reward virtue, punish wickedness, curb the strong, aid the weak, mollify the loyal and chastise the defiant, and suppress violence and rebellion—only then do his commands run through the realm unchallenged. The Odes say: "Strive, O king, to bind the four quarters in order." Zaiyi was a meritorious frontier minister, guilty of nothing—yet Zhicheng drove him out. That is what the throne should have punished. If the throne asks no questions and simply grants Zhicheng the domain and title, then generals will be made and broken by mere soldiers. What then is the Son of Heaven for? Were frontier garrisons established only to harvest their revenue? Sengru's counsel is mere indulgence and timid self-preservation—is that how a Chancellor helps the Son of Heaven rule the realm?
47
新羅王彥升卒，子景徽立。
King Yeonsung of Silla died, and his son Gyeonghwi ascended the throne.
48
上與宋申錫謀誅宦官，申錫引吏部侍郎王璠為京兆尹，以密旨諭之。 璠洩其謀，鄭注、王守澄知之，陰為之備。 上弟漳王湊賢，有人望，注令神策都虞候豆盧著誣告申錫謀立漳王。 戊戌，守澄奏之，上以為信然，甚怒。 守澄欲即遣二百騎屠申錫家，飛龍使馬存亮固爭曰：「如此，則京城自亂矣！ 宜召他相與議其事。」 守澄乃止。 是日，旬休，遣中使悉召宰相至中書東門。 中使曰：「所召無宋公名。」 申錫知獲罪，望延英，以笏叩額而退。 宰相至延英，上示以守澄所奏，相顧愕眙。 上命守澄捕豆盧著所告十六宅宮市品官晏敬則及申錫親事王師文等，於禁中鞫之； 師文亡命。 三月，庚子，申錫罷為右庶子。 自宰相大臣無敢顯言其冤者，獨京兆尹崔琯、大理卿王正雅連上疏請出內獄付外廷核實，由是獄稍緩。 正雅，翊之子也。 晏敬則等自誣服，稱申錫遣王師文達意於王，豫結異日之知。 獄成，壬寅，上悉召師保以下及台省府寺大臣面詢之。 午際，左常侍崔玄亮、給事中李固言、諫議大夫王質、補闕盧鈞、舒元褒、蔣系、裴休、韋溫等復請對於延英，乞以獄事付外覆按。 上曰：「吾已與大臣議之矣。」 屢遣之出，不退。 玄亮叩頭流涕曰：「殺一匹夫，猶不可不重慎，況宰相乎！」 上意稍解，曰：「當更與宰相議之。」 乃復召宰相入。 牛僧孺曰：「人臣不過宰相，今申錫已為宰相，假使如所謀，復欲何求！ 申錫殆不至此！」 鄭注恐覆案詐覺，乃勸守澄請止行貶黜。 癸卯，貶漳王湊為巢縣公，宋申錫為開州司馬。 存亮即日請致仕。 玄亮，磁州人； 質，通五世孫； 系，乂之子； 元褒，江州人也。 晏敬則等坐死用及流竄者數十百人，申錫竟卒於貶所。
The Emperor and Song Shenxi plotted to destroy the eunuchs. Shenxi installed Wang Fan, Vice Minister of Personnel, as Prefect of the Capital and confided the secret plan to him. Wang Fan betrayed the plot. Zheng Zhu and Wang Shoucheng learned of it and made secret preparations. The Emperor's brother, the Prince of Zhang, Cou, was talented and widely admired. Zheng Zhu had Dou Lu Zhu, chief commandant of the Shence Army, accuse Song Shenxi of plotting to put Cou on the throne. On the day wuxu, Wang Shoucheng reported the accusation to the throne. The Emperor believed it and flew into a rage. Wang Shoucheng wanted to send two hundred cavalry at once to massacre Song Shenxi's household. The Flying Dragon Commissioner Ma Cunliang protested fiercely: "That would throw the capital into chaos! You should summon the other chancellors to discuss the matter." Wang Shoucheng desisted. That day was a regular day of rest. The Emperor sent palace envoys to summon every chancellor to the eastern gate of the Secretariat. The envoy announced: "Lord Song's name is not on the summons." Song Shenxi knew he was condemned. He looked toward the Yanying Hall, struck his forehead with his official tablet, and withdrew. When the chancellors reached the Yanying Hall, the Emperor showed them Wang Shoucheng's report. They stared at one another, speechless. The Emperor ordered Wang Shoucheng to arrest Yan Jingze, a palace-market officer of the Sixteen Residences, and Wang Shiwen, Song Shenxi's personal attendant—among others named by Dou Lu Zhu—and interrogate them within the palace. Wang Shiwen fled. In the third month, on gengzi, Song Shenxi was removed from office and appointed Right Deputy to the Crown Prince. No minister dared openly proclaim Song Shenxi's innocence. Only Prefect Cui Guan and Chief Judge Wang Zhengya repeatedly petitioned to transfer the case from the palace prison to the regular courts for review, and the trial slackened somewhat as a result. Wang Zhengya was the son of Wang Yi. Under torture, Yan Jingze and the others falsely confessed that Song Shenxi had sent Wang Shiwen to communicate his intentions to the Prince of Zhang, laying groundwork for a future alliance. On renyin, when the investigation was complete, the Emperor summoned tutors, imperial advisers, and senior officials from the secretariat, censorate, and ministries to question them personally. At midday, Cui Xuanliang, Li Guyen, Wang Zhi, Lu Jun, Shu Yuanbao, Jiang Xi, Pei Xiu, Wei Wen, and other remonstrance officials again requested an audience at the Yanying Hall, asking that the case be reheard in the regular courts. The Emperor said, "I have already discussed this with my ministers." He repeatedly ordered them to leave, but they refused to go. Cui Xuanliang kowtowed, weeping: "Even the execution of a common man demands the utmost caution—how much more the case of a Chancellor!" The Emperor's anger softened. "I will discuss it further with the chancellors," he said." He summoned the chancellors back. Niu Sengru said, "No subject ranks above a Chancellor. Song Shenxi already holds that office. Even if the accusation were true, what more could he want? Song Shenxi would never have gone so far!" Fearing a retrial would expose the frame-up, Zheng Zhu urged Wang Shoucheng to press for demotion and exile instead. On guimao, Prince Cou of Zhang was reduced to Duke of Chaoxian, and Song Shenxi was banished to serve as vice-commissioner of militia at Kaizhou. Ma Cunliang requested retirement that same day. Cui Xuanliang was from Cizhou; Wang Zhi was a fifth-generation descendant of Wang Tong; Jiang Xi was the son of Jiang Yi; Shu Yuanbao was from Jiangzhou. Dozens or even hundreds linked to Yan Jingze were executed or exiled. Song Shenxi ultimately died in banishment.
49
夏，四月，己丑，以李載義為山南西道節度使，楊志誠為幽州節度使。
In summer, the fourth month, on jichou, Li Zaiyi was appointed military commissioner of Shannan West, and Yang Zhicheng military commissioner of Youzhou.
50
五月，辛丑，上以太廟兩室破漏，逾月不葺，罰將作監、度支判官、宗正卿俸； 亟命中使帥工徒，輟禁中營繕之材以葺之。 左補闕韋溫諫，以為：「國家置百官，各有所司，苟為墮曠，宜黜其人，更擇能者代之。 今曠官者止於罰俸，而憂軫所切即委內臣，是以宗廟為陛下所私，而百官皆為虛設也。」 上善其言，即追止中使，命有司葺之。
In the fifth month, on xinchou, the Emperor fined the Director of Palace Construction, the deputy revenue commissioner, and the Director of the Imperial Clan for allowing two halls of the Imperial Ancestral Temple to leak unrepaired for more than a month. He immediately ordered palace envoys to take work crews and divert building materials from palace repairs to fix the temple. Left Reminder Wei Wen remonstrated: "The state assigns each official a distinct duty. Neglect should mean removal and replacement by someone capable. Yet negligent officials merely lose salary, while the Emperor personally entrusts urgent repairs to eunuchs. That makes the ancestral temple Your Majesty's private affair and renders every other post meaningless." The Emperor accepted the advice, recalled the envoys, and ordered the proper offices to make the repairs.
51
丙辰，西川節度使李德裕奏遣使詣南詔索所掠百姓，得四千人而還。
On bingchen, Li Deyu, military commissioner of Xichuan, reported that envoys sent to Nanzhao had recovered four thousand abducted civilians.
52
秋，八月，戊寅，以陝虢觀察使崔郾為鄂岳觀察使。 鄂岳地囊山帶江，處百越、巴、蜀、荊、漢之會，土多群盜，剽行舟，無老幼必盡殺乃已。 郾至，訓卒治兵，作蒙沖追討，歲中，悉誅之。 郾在陝，以寬仁為治，或經月不笞一人，乃至鄂，嚴峻刑罰。 或問其故，郾曰：「陝土瘠民貧，吾撫之不暇，尚恐其驚； 鄂地險民雜，夷俗慓狡為奸，非用威刑，不能致治。 政貴知變，蓋謂此也。」
In autumn, the eighth month, on wuyin, Cui Yan, observation commissioner of Shan and Guo, was transferred to E-Yue. E-Yue lay among mountains and rivers at the crossroads of Baiyue, Ba, Shu, Jing, and Han. Bandits abounded, robbing river traffic and slaughtering every soul aboard, young and old alike. Upon arrival, Cui Yan drilled troops, built war boats, and hunted the pirates down. Within the year he had exterminated them all. In Shanzhou Cui Yan had governed with leniency, sometimes passing a month without a single flogging. In Ezhou he ruled with iron severity. When asked why, Cui Yan replied, "Shan's land is poor and its people are impoverished. I scarce have time to comfort them, and even gentle rule may unsettle them. Ezhou is rugged and its population heterogeneous; frontier peoples are bold and devious. Without stern punishment, order is impossible. Good governance lies in knowing when to adapt—this is what he meant."
53
西川節度使李德裕奏：「蜀兵羸疾老弱者，從來終身不簡，臣命立五尺五寸之度，簡去四千四百餘人，復簡募少壯者千人以慰其心。 所募北兵已得千五百人，與土兵參居，轉相訓習，日益精練。 又，蜀工所作兵器，徒務華飾不堪用。 臣今取工於別道以治之，無不堅利。」 九月，吐蕃維州副使悉怛謀請降，盡帥其眾奔成都。 德裕遣行維州刺史虞藏儉將兵入據其城。 庚申，具奏其狀，且言「欲遣生羌三千，燒十三橋，搗西戎腹心，可洗久恥，是韋皋沒身恨不能致者也！」 事下尚書省，集百官議，皆請如德裕策。 牛僧孺曰：「吐蕃之境，四面各萬里，失一維州，未能損其勢。 比來修好，約罷戍兵，中國御戎，守信為上。 彼若來責曰：『何事失信？』 養馬蔚茹川，上平涼阪，萬騎綴回中，怒氣直辭，不三日至咸陽橋。 此時西南數千里外，得百維州何所用之！ 徒棄誠信，有害無利。 此匹夫所不為，況天子乎！」 上以為然，詔德裕以其城歸吐蕃，執悉怛謀及所與偕來者悉歸之。 吐蕃盡誅之於境上，極其慘酷。 德裕由是怨僧孺益深。
Li Deyu, military commissioner of Xichuan, reported: "Sichuan troops who were weak, ill, aged, or infirm had never once been discharged. I set a height standard of five chi five cun and weeded out more than forty-four hundred men, then recruited a thousand young soldiers to reassure the ranks. He had already recruited fifteen hundred northern soldiers, quartered them among local troops for mutual training, and the force grew daily more disciplined. Moreover, weapons made by Sichuan craftsmen were all show and no substance. I have brought in craftsmen from elsewhere to forge arms, and none fail to be sturdy and keen." In the ninth month, Sinam, deputy commissioner of Weizhou for Tibet, offered to surrender and led his entire force to Chengdu. Li Deyu sent Yu Zangjian, acting prefect of Weizhou, to occupy the city with troops. On gengshen he memorialized in full, proposing "to send three thousand Qiang auxiliaries to burn the Thirteen Bridges and strike deep into Tibetan territory—avenging a humiliation Wei Gao had mourned to his dying day!" The proposal went to the Department of State Affairs. The assembled officials unanimously endorsed Li Deyu's strategy. Niu Sengru argued, "Tibetan territory stretches ten thousand li in every direction. Losing Weizhou would not weaken them. We have lately made peace and agreed to withdraw garrisons. In dealing with frontier peoples, honor comes first. If they demand, 'Why have you broken faith? They will pasture horses on the Weiruchuan plain, cross Pingliang Pass, and ten thousand cavalry will press toward Huizhong. Furious, they could reach Xianyang Bridge in less than three days. What good would a hundred Weizhous do us then, thousands of li to the southwest? We would simply sacrifice good faith for nothing gained. A common man would not do this—much less the Son of Heaven!" The Emperor agreed. He ordered Li Deyu to restore the city to Tibet and surrendered Sinam and all his followers. The Tibetans executed every one of them at the frontier with extreme brutality. From this Li Deyu's resentment of Niu Sengru grew deeper still.
54
冬，十月，戊寅，李德裕奏南詔寇巂州，陷三縣。
In winter, the tenth month, on wuyin, Li Deyu reported that Nanzhao had invaded Xizhou and overrun three counties.
55
春，正月，壬子，詔以水旱降系囚。 群臣上尊號曰太和文武至德皇帝。 右補闕韋溫上疏，以為：「今水旱為災，恐非崇飾徽稱之時。」 上善之，辭不受。
In spring, the first month, on renzi, an edict commuted sentences of prisoners in response to floods and drought. The court offered the honorific title "Emperor of Grand Harmony, Civil and Military, Supreme Virtue." Right Reminder Wei Wen argued that with flood and drought afflicting the realm, this was no time for lavish honorifics." The Emperor accepted the advice and declined the title.
56
三月，辛丑，以武寧節度使王智興兼侍中，充忠武節度使； 以邠寧節度使李聽為武寧節度使。
In the third month, on xinchou, Wang Zhixing, military commissioner of Wuning, was also made Palace Attendant and appointed military commissioner of Zhongwu. Li Ting, military commissioner of Binning, was transferred to Wuning.
57
回鶻昭禮可汗為其下所殺，從子胡特勒立。
The Uyghur qaghan Zhaoli was murdered by his followers; his nephew Hutele took the throne.
58
李聽之前鎮武寧也，有蒼頭為牙將。 至是，聽先遣親吏至徐州慰勞將士，蒼頭不欲聽復來，說軍士殺其親吏，臠食之。 聽懼，以疾固辭。 辛酉，以前忠武節度使高瑀為武陵節度使。
When Li Ting had previously served at Wuning, a household slave held the rank of guard general. Now, as Li Ting prepared to return, he sent a personal aide ahead to Xuzhou to greet the garrison. The slave did not want Li Ting back. He incited the soldiers to kill the aide and eat his flesh. Li Ting, terrified, pleaded illness and refused the post. On xinyou, Gao Yu, former military commissioner of Zhongwu, was appointed military commissioner of Wuning in Li Ting's stead.
59
夏，五月，甲辰，李德裕奏修邛崍關及移巂州理台登城。 秋，七月，原王逵薨。
In summer, the fifth month, on jiachen, Li Deyu reported repairs to Qionglai Pass and the relocation of Xizhou's seat to Tai'deng. In autumn, the seventh month, Prince Kui of Yuan died.
60
冬，十月，甲子，立魯王永為太子。 初，上以晉王普，敬宗長子，性謹願，欲以為嗣。 會薨，上痛惜之，故久不議建儲，至是始行之。
In winter, the tenth month, on jiazi, Prince Yong of Lu was named Crown Prince. Earlier the Emperor had intended to name Prince Pu of Jin—Emperor Jingzong's eldest son, a careful and modest man—as his successor. When Prince Pu died, the Emperor mourned deeply and long delayed naming an heir. Only now did he act.
61
十一月，乙卯，以荊南節度使段文昌為西川節度使。 西川監軍王踐言入知樞密，數為上言：「縛送悉怛謀以快虜心，絕後來降者，非計也。」 上亦悔之，尤中書侍郎、同平章事牛僧孺失策。 附李德裕者因言「僧孺與德裕有隙，害其功。」 上益疏之。 僧孺內不自安，會上御延英，謂宰相曰：「天下何時當太平，卿等亦有意於此乎！」 僧孺對曰：「太平無象。 今四夷不至交侵，百姓不至流散，雖非至理，亦謂小康。 陛下若別求太平，非臣等所及。」 退，謂同列曰：「主上責望如此，吾曹豈得久居此地乎！」 因累表請罷。 十二月，乙丑，以僧孺同平章事，充淮南節度使。
In the eleventh month, on yimao, Duan Wenchang, military commissioner of Jingnan, was transferred to Xichuan. Wang Jianyan, Xichuan's army supervisor, entered the privy council and repeatedly warned the Emperor: "Handing Sinam over to please the Tibetans will discourage all future defectors. That was no strategy." The Emperor came to regret the decision and blamed Niu Sengru, Vice Director and Grand Councillor, above all. Li Deyu's allies added that Niu Sengru, feuding with Li Deyu, had deliberately sabotaged him." The Emperor's trust in Niu Sengru waned further. Uneasy, Niu Sengru was summoned when the Emperor held court at the Yanying Hall and asked the chancellors, "When will the realm know true peace? Do any of you even aspire to that?" Niu Sengru answered, "Great peace has no visible sign. The frontier is quiet and the people are not fleeing. That may not be the golden age, but it is peace of a kind. If Your Majesty seeks something beyond that, it is more than we can deliver." Afterward he told his colleagues, "With expectations like that, how long can we remain in office?" He submitted repeated requests to resign. In the twelfth month, on yichou, Niu Sengru was retained as Grand Councillor while appointed military commissioner of Huainan—effectively removed from court.
62
臣光曰：君明臣忠，上令下從，俊良在位，佞邪黜遠，禮修樂舉，刑清政平，奸宄消伏，兵革偃戢，諸侯順附，四夷懷服，時和年豐，家給人足，此太平之象也。 於斯之時，閽寺專權，脅君於內，弗能遠也； 籓鎮阻兵，陵慢於外，弗能制也； 士卒殺逐主帥，拒命自立，弗能詰也； 軍旅歲興，賦斂日急，骨血縱橫於原野，杼軸空竭於里閭，而僧孺謂之太平，不亦誣乎！ 當文宗求治之時，僧孺任居承弼，進則偷安取容以竊位，退則欺君誣世以盜名，罪孰大焉！
Sima Guang comments: When the ruler is wise and ministers loyal, orders run smoothly from above to below; the worthy serve and the wicked are banished; ritual and music flourish, justice is clear and governance sound; crime subsides and war ceases; lords submit and barbarians are tamed; seasons are mild, harvests rich, and every household has enough—these are the marks of true peace. Yet in such an age, eunuchs monopolized power, holding the Emperor hostage within the palace, and he could not banish them; Frontier commanderies kept armies in the field, defiant and arrogant toward the throne, and he could not restrain them; Soldiers murdered and expelled their generals, defied imperial orders and installed their own leaders, and he could not punish them; Campaign followed campaign, taxes grew ever harsher, the dead littered the countryside, and every village was stripped bare—yet Niu Sengru called this peace. What fraud! When Emperor Wenzong was struggling to restore good governance, Niu Sengru sat as Chancellor—timid and complacent in office, sycophantic to keep his seat, deceiving the Emperor and the realm to preserve his reputation. What offense could be greater?
63
珍王誠薨。
Prince Cheng of Zhen died.
64
乙亥，昭義節度使劉從諫入朝。
On yihai, Liu Congjian, military commissioner of Zhaoyi, came to court.
65
丁未，以前西川節度使李德裕為兵部尚書。
On dingwei, Li Deyu, former military commissioner of Xichuan, was appointed Minister of War.
66
初，李宗閔與德裕有隙，及德裕還自西川，上注意甚厚，朝夕且為相，宗閔百方沮之不能。 京兆尹杜悰，宗閔黨也，嘗詣宗閔，見其有憂色，曰：「得非以大戎乎？」 宗閔曰：「然。 何以相救？」 悰曰：「悰有一策，可平宿憾，恐公不能用。」 宗閔曰：「何如？」 悰曰：「德裕有文學而不由科第，常用此為慊慊，若使之知舉，必喜矣。」 宗閔默然有間，曰：「更思其次。」 悰曰：「不則用為御史大夫。」 宗閔曰：「此則可矣。」 悰再三與約，乃詣德裕。 德裕迎揖曰：「公何為訪此寂寥？」 悰曰：「靖安相公令悰達意。」 即以大夫之命告之。 德裕驚喜泣下，曰：「此大門官，小子何足以當之！」 寄謝重沓。 宗閔復與給事中楊虞卿謀之，事遂中止。 虞卿，汝士之從弟也。
Li Zongmin and Li Deyu had long been rivals. When Deyu returned from Sichuan, the Emperor favored him heavily and was close to naming him Chancellor. Zongmin tried every means to block the appointment but failed. Du Cong, Prefect of the Capital and a follower of Li Zongmin, once visited Zongmin and noticed his worried look. "Is it because of the Great Barbarian?" he asked." Li Zongmin said, "It is. How can you help?" Du Cong said, "I have a plan that could settle old scores, but I doubt you will accept it." Li Zongmin asked, "What is it?" Du Cong said, "Deyu is learned but never passed the examinations—a sore point for him. Make him chief examiner of the civil service exams and he will be delighted." Li Zongmin was silent a moment, then said, "Think of something else." Du Cong said, "Then appoint him Censor-in-Chief." Li Zongmin said, "That will do." After confirming the plan several times, Du Cong went to see Li Deyu. Li Deyu greeted him with a bow: "Why visit someone so forsaken as I?" Du Cong said, "The Duke of Jing'an sent me to deliver a message." He told Li Deyu of the Censor-in-Chief appointment. Li Deyu wept with surprise and joy: "That is the great censorate—I am hardly worthy!" He sent message after message of thanks. Li Zongmin then consulted Palace Drafting Attendant Yang Yuqing, and the matter was dropped. Yang Yuqing was a younger cousin of Yang Rushi.
67
春，正月，甲午，加昭義節度使劉從諫同平章事，遣歸鎮。 初，從諫以忠義自任，入朝，欲請他鎮。 既至，見朝廷事柄不一，又士大夫多請托，心輕朝廷，故歸而益驕。 徐州承王智興之後，士卒驕悖，節度使高瑀不能制，上以為憂。 甲寅，以嶺南節度使崔珙為武寧節度使。 珙至鎮，寬猛適宜，徐人安之。 珙，琯之弟也。
In spring, the first month, on jiawu, Liu Congjian of Zhaoyi was made an honorary Grand Councillor and sent back to his post. Liu Congjian had styled himself a man of loyalty. When he came to court, he meant to ask for transfer to another post. Once there, he saw a divided court and officials trading favors everywhere. He lost respect for the capital and returned to his province more arrogant than before. Xuzhou had been unruly since Wang Zhixing's day. The troops were insubordinate and Military Commissioner Gao Yu could not control them. The Emperor was deeply worried. On jiayin, Cui Gong, military commissioner of Lingnan, was transferred to Wuning. Cui Gong governed with a balance of firmness and mercy, and the region settled down. Cui Gong was the younger brother of Cui Guan.
68
二月，癸亥，加盧龍節度使、檢校工部尚書楊志誠檢校吏部尚書。 進奏官徐迪詣宰相言：「軍中不識朝廷之制，唯知尚書改僕射為遷，不知工部改吏部為美，敕使往，恐不得出。」 辭氣甚慢，宰相不以為意。
In the second month, on guihai, Yang Zhicheng, military commissioner of Lulong and honorary Minister of Works, was promoted to honorary Minister of Personnel. Memorial officer Xu Di told the chancellors: "The troops know nothing of court rank. They think a change from Minister to Vice Minister is a promotion—they do not see Works to Personnel as an honor. Send an imperial envoy and he may never leave alive." He spoke with brazen insolence. The chancellors paid no attention.
69
丙戌，以兵部尚書李德裕同平章事。 德裕入謝，上與之論朋黨事，對曰：「方今朝士三分之一為朋黨。」 時給事中楊虞卿與從兄中書舍人汝士、弟戶部郎中漢公、中書舍人張元夫、給事中蕭澣等善交結，依附權要，上干執政，下撓有司，為士人求官及科第，無不如志，上聞而惡之，故與德裕言首及之。 德裕因得以排其所不悅者。 初，左散騎常侍張仲方嘗駁李吉甫謚，及德裕為相，仲方稱疾不出。 三月，壬辰，以仲方為賓客分司。
On bingxu, Li Deyu, Minister of War, was appointed Grand Councillor. When Li Deyu came to give thanks, the Emperor raised the problem of cliques. Li Deyu replied, "At present a third of court officials belong to factions." Yang Yuqing had cultivated a network with his cousin Yang Rushi, a secretariat drafting officer; his brother Hangong, vice director in the Ministry of Revenue; Zhang Yuanfu, also a secretariat drafting officer; and Xiao Huan, a palace drafting attendant. They traded on connections to the powerful, pressured the chancellors from above and officials below, and secured appointments and examination passes for their clients—always successfully. The Emperor hated this and raised the subject first with Li Deyu. Li Deyu seized the opportunity to purge his enemies. Left Cavalier Attendant Zhang Zhongfang had once challenged Li Jiyu's posthumous title. When Li Deyu became Chancellor, Zhongfang pleaded illness and stayed away from court. In the third month, on renchen, Zhang Zhongfang was sidelined as honorary retainer in detached service.
70
楊志誠怒不得僕射，留官告使魏寶義並春衣使焦奉鸞、送奚、契丹使尹士恭。 甲午，遣牙將王文穎來謝恩並讓官。 丙申，復以告身並批答賜之，文穎不受而去。
Yang Zhicheng, furious at not receiving the Vice Ministry, detained credential envoy Wei Baoyi, spring-garment envoy Jiao Fengluan, and Yin Shigong, envoy to the Xi and Khitan. On jiawu he sent adjutant Wang Wenying to thank the court—and refuse the promotion. On bingshen the court sent the appointment again with an imperial reply. Wang Wenying refused it and left.
71
和王綺薨。
Prince Qi of He died.
72
庚戌，以楊虞卿為常州刺史，張元夫為汝州刺史。 它日，上復言及朋黨，李宗閔曰：「臣素知之，故虞卿輩臣皆不與美官。」 李德裕曰：「給、捨非美官而何！」 宗閔失色。 丁巳，以蕭浣為鄭州刺史。
On gengxu, Yang Yuqing was demoted to prefect of Changzhou and Zhang Yuanfu to prefect of Ruzhou. On another day the Emperor spoke of factions again. Li Zongmin said, "I have known about them for years—that is why I never gave Yuqing and his circle desirable posts." Li Deyu shot back, "Palace drafting and secretariat posts—what finer offices are there?" Li Zongmin went pale. On dingsi, Xiao Huan was appointed prefect of Zhengzhou.
73
夏，四月，丙戌，冊回鶻新可汗為愛登裡囉汩沒密施合句祿毘伽彰信可汗。
In summer, the fourth month, on bingxu, the new Uyghur khagan was invested as Idimlyan Qutlugh Bilge Khan Aixin Zhangxin.
74
六月，乙巳，以山南西道節度使李載義為河東節度使。 先是，回鶻每入貢，所過暴掠，州縣不敢詰，但嚴兵防衛而已。 載義至鎮，回鶻使者李暢入貢，載義謂之曰：「可汗遣將軍入貢，以固舅甥之好，非遣將軍陵踐上國也。 將軍不戢部曲，使為侵盜。 載義亦得殺之，勿謂中國之法可忽也。」 於是悉罷防衛兵，但使二卒守其門。 暢畏服，不敢犯令。
In the sixth month, on yisi, Li Zaiyi, military commissioner of Shannan West Circuit, was transferred to Hedong. Previously, whenever Uyghur tribute missions passed through, they looted freely. Local officials dared not intervene and could only post guards. When Li Zaiyi took up his post, the Uyghur envoy Li Chang arrived on tribute business. Li Zaiyi told him, "Your khagan sent you to strengthen the bond of kinship between our courts—not to let you run roughshod over the empire. If you cannot control your men and they keep pillaging— I am entitled to execute them. Do not imagine that Chinese law counts for nothing." He then dismissed all guard detachments and posted only two soldiers at Li Chang's gate. Li Chang was cowed and did not dare disobey.
75
壬申，以工部尚書鄭覃為御史大夫。 初，李宗閔惡覃在禁中數言事，奏罷其侍講。 上從容謂宰相曰：「殷侑經術頗似鄭覃。」 宗閔對曰：「覃、侑經術誠可尚，然論議不足聽。」 李德裕曰：「覃、侑議論，他人不欲聞，惟陛下欲聞之。」 後旬日，宣出，除覃御史大夫。 宗閔謂樞密使崔潭峻曰：「事一切宣出，安用中書！」 譚峻曰：「八年天子，聽其自行事亦可矣！」 宗閔愀然而止。
On renshen, Zheng Tan, Minister of Works, was appointed Censor-in-Chief. Li Zongmin had resented Zheng Tan's frequent counsel in the inner palace and had him removed from his post as imperial lecturer. The Emperor remarked casually to the chancellors, "Yin You's scholarship reminds me of Zheng Tan's." Li Zongmin replied, "Their learning is admirable, but their political counsel is not worth hearing." Li Deyu said, "Others may not want to hear Zheng Tan and Yin You—but Your Majesty does." Ten days later an imperial edict bypassing the chancellors appointed Zheng Tan Censor-in-Chief. Li Zongmin told Chief Palace Secretariat Commissioner Cui Tanjun, "If everything is issued straight from the palace, what need is there for the Secretariat?" Cui Tanjun replied, "He has been Emperor for eight years—let him do as he chooses!" Li Zongmin fell silent, his face grim.
76
乙亥，以中書侍郎、同平章事李宗閔同平章事、充山南西道節度使。
On yihai, Li Zongmin was retained as Grand Councillor while being sent out as military commissioner of Shannan West Circuit—effectively removed from court.
77
秋，七月，壬寅，以右僕射王涯同平章事、兼度支、鹽鐵轉運使。 宣武節度使楊元卿有疾，朝廷議除代，李德裕請徙劉從諫於宣武，因拔出上黨，不使與山東連結。 上以為未可。 癸丑，以左僕射李程為宣武節度使。
In autumn, the seventh month, on renyin, Wang Ya, Right Vice Minister, was made Grand Councillor and commissioner of revenue, salt, and iron transport. Military Commissioner Yang Yuanqing of Xuanwu fell ill. The court debated his replacement. Li Deyu proposed moving Liu Congjian to Xuanwu—extracting him from Shangdang before he could ally with the eastern provinces. The Emperor thought the plan premature. On guichou, Li Cheng, Left Vice Minister, was appointed military commissioner of Xuanwu.
78
上患近世文士不通經術，李德裕請依楊綰議，進士試論議，不試詩賦。 德裕又言：「昔玄宗以臨淄王定內難，自是疑忌宗室，不令出閣。 天下議皆以為幽閉骨肉，虧傷人倫。 向使天寶之末、建中這初，宗室散處方州，雖未能安定王室，尚可各全其生。 所以悉為安祿山、朱泚所魚肉者，由聚於一宮故也。 陛下誠因冊太子，制書聽宗室年高屬疏者出閣，且除諸州上佐，使攜其男女出外婚嫁。 此則百年弊法，一旦因陛下去之，海內孰不欣悅！」 上曰：「茲事朕久知其不可，方今諸王豈無賢才，無所施耳！」 八月，庚寅，冊命太子，因下制：諸王自今以次出閣，授緊、望州刺史、上佐； 十六宅縣主，以時出適； 進士停試詩賦。 諸王出閣，竟以議所除官不決而罷。
The Emperor lamented that modern literati lacked classical learning. Li Deyu proposed following Yang Guan's plan: jinshi candidates would be tested on policy essays, not poetry and fu. Li Deyu added, "When Emperor Xuanzong was still Prince of Linzi, he crushed a rebellion within the palace. Ever after he distrusted the imperial clan and kept princes confined to the inner quarters. Public opinion held that cloistering one's own blood kin violated the bonds of family. Had princes been dispersed to the provinces before the Tianbao and Jianzhong crises, they might not have saved the dynasty, but each could at least have saved his own life. The reason An Lushan and Zhu Ci were able to slaughter them all was that they had been packed into a single palace compound. Your Majesty should use the investiture of the Crown Prince to decree that elder and more distant princes may leave the inner quarters, appoint them senior adjutants in the provinces, and let them marry off their sons and daughters outside the palace. A hundred-year-old abuse, swept away in a single stroke—who in the empire would not rejoice?" The Emperor said, "I have known for years that this cannot be done—and today's princes are not without talent. They simply have no scope to prove it!" In the eighth month, on gengyin, the Crown Prince was invested. A decree followed: princes would leave the inner quarters in order and receive appointments as prefects or senior adjutants of important prefectures; county princesses of the Sixteen Residences would marry at the proper time; and jinshi examinations would drop poetry and fu. In the end the plan to release the princes came to nothing—the court could not agree on what posts to assign them.
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壬寅，加幽州節度使楊志誠檢校右僕射，仍別遣使慰諭之。
On renyin, Yang Zhicheng of Youzhou was given the honorary title Right Vice Minister, and a separate envoy was sent to placate him.
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杜牧憤河朔三鎮之桀驁，而朝廷議者專事姑息，乃作書，名曰《罪言》，大略以為：「國家自天寶盜起，河北百餘城不得尺寸，人望之若回鶻、吐蕃，無敢窺者。 齊、梁、蔡被其風流，因亦為寇。 未嘗五年間不戰，焦焦然七十餘年矣。 今上策莫如先自治，中策莫如取魏，最下策為浪戰，不計地勢，不審攻守是也。」 又傷府兵廢壞，作《原十六衛》，以為：「國家始踵隋制，開十六衛，自今觀之，設官言無謂者，其十六衛乎！ 本原事跡，其實天下之大命也。 貞觀中，內以十六衛蓄養武臣，外開折衝、果毅府五百七十四，以儲兵伍； 有事則戎臣提兵居外，無事則放兵居內。 其居內也，富貴恩澤以奉養其身，所部之兵散捨諸府。 上府不越千二百人，三時耕稼，一時治武，籍藏將府，伍散田畝，力解勢破，人人自愛，雖有蚩尤為帥，亦不可使為亂耳。 及其居外也，緣部之兵被檄乃來，斧鉞在前，爵賞在後，飄暴交捽，豈暇異略！ 雖有蚩尤為帥，亦無能為叛也。 自貞觀至於開元百三十年間，戎臣兵伍未始逆篡，此大聖人所以能柄統輕重，制鄣表裡，聖算神術也。 至於開元末，愚儒奏章曰：『天下文勝矣，請罷府兵。』 武夫奏章曰：『天下力強矣，請搏四夷。』 於是府兵內鏟，邊兵外作，戎臣兵伍，湍奔矢往，內無一人矣。 尾大中干，成燕偏重，而天下掀然，根萌燼燃，七聖旰食，求欲除之且不能也。 由此觀之，戎臣兵伍，豈可一日使出落鈴鍵哉！ 然為國者不能無兵，居外則叛，居內則篡。 使外不叛，內不篡，古今已還，法術最長，其置府立衛乎！ 近代已來，於其將也，弊復為甚，率皆市兒輩多繼金玉、負倚幽陰、折券交貨所能致也。 絕不識父兄禮義之教，復無慷慨感概之氣。 百城千里，一朝得之，其強傑愎勃者則撓削法制，不使縛己，斬族忠良，不使違己，力壹勢便，罔不為寇。 其陰泥巧狡者，亦能家算口斂，委於邪幸，由卿市公，去郡得都，四履所治，指為別館。 或一夫不幸而壽，則戛割生人，略幣天下。 是以天下兵亂不息，齊人乾耗，靡不由是矣。 嗚呼！ 文皇帝十六衛之旨，其誰原而復之乎！」 又作《戰論》，以為：「河北視天下，猶珠璣也； 天下視河北，猶四支也。 河北氣俗渾厚，果於戰耕，加以土息健馬，便於馳敵，是以出則勝，處則饒，不窺天下之產，自可封殖。 亦猶大農之家，不待珠璣然後以為富也。 國家無河北，則精甲、銳卒、利刀、良弓、健馬無有也，是一支，兵去矣。 河東、盟津、滑台、大梁、彭城、東平，盡宿厚兵以塞虜沖，不可它使，是二支，兵去矣。 六鎮之師，厥數三億，低首仰給，橫拱不為，則沿淮已北，循河之南，東盡海，西叩洛，赤地盡取，才能應費，是三支，財去矣。 咸陽西北，戎夷大屯，盡鏟吳、越、荊、楚之饒以啖兵戍，是四支，財去矣。 天下四支盡解，頭腹兀然，其能以是久為安乎！ 今者誠能治其五敗，則一戰可定，四支可生。 夫天下無事之時，殿寄大臣偷安奉私，戰士離落，兵甲鈍弊，是不蒐練之過，其敗一也。 百人荷戈，仰食縣官，則挾千夫之名，大將小裨，操其餘贏，以虜壯為幸，以師老為娛，是執兵者常少，糜食常多，此不責實料食之過，其敗二也。 戰小勝則張皇其功，奔走獻狀以邀上賞，或一日再賜，或一月累封，凱還未歌，書品已崇，爵命極矣，田宮廣矣，金繒溢矣，子孫官矣，焉肯搜奇出死，勤於我矣！ 此厚賞之過，其敗三也。 多喪兵士，顛翻大都，則跳身而來，刺邦而去。 回視刀鋸，氣色甚安，一歲未更，旋已立於壇墀之上矣，此輕罰之過，其敗四也。 大將兵柄不得專，恩臣、敕使迭來揮之，堂然將陳，殷然將鼓，一則曰必為偃月，一則曰必為魚麗，三軍萬夫，環旋翔羊晃駭之間，虜騎乘之，遂取吾之鼓旗，此不專任責成之過，其敗五也。 今者誠欲調持干戈，灑掃垢污，以為萬世安，而乃踵前非，是不可為也。」 又作《守論》，以為：「今之議者皆曰：夫倔強之徒，吾以良將勁兵為銜策，高位美爵充飽其腸，安而不撓，外而不拘，亦猶豢擾虎狼而不指其心，則忿氣不萌。 此大歷、貞元所以守邦也，亦何必疾戰，焚煎吾民，然後以為快也！ 愚曰：大歷、貞元之間，適以此為禍也。 當是之時，有城數十，千百卒夫，則朝廷別待之，貸以法度。 於是乎闊視大言，自樹一家，破制削法，角為尊奢，天子養威而不問，有司守恬而不呵。 王侯通爵，越祿受之； 覲聘不來，幾杖扶之； 逆息虜胤，皇子嬪之； 裝緣采飾，無不備之。 是以地益廣，兵益強，僭擬益甚，侈心益昌。 於是土田名器，分劃殆盡，而賊夫貪心，未及畔岸，遂有淫名越號，或帝或王，盟詛自立，恬淡不畏，走兵四略以飽其志者也。 是以趙、魏、燕、齊卓起大唱，梁、蔡、吳、蜀躡而和之； 其餘混澒項軒囂，欲相效者，往往而是。 運遭孝武，宵旰不忘，前英後傑，夕思朝議，故能大者誅鋤，小者惠來。 不然，周、秦之郊，幾為獵哉！ 大抵生人油然多欲，欲而不得則怒，怒則爭亂隨之，是以教笞於家，刑罰於國，征伐於天下，此所以裁其欲而塞其爭也。 大歷、貞元之間，盡反此道，提區區之有而塞無涯之爭，是以首尾指支，幾不能相運掉也。 今者不知非此，而反用以為經。 愚見為盜者非止於河北而已，嗚呼！ 大歷、貞元守邦之術，永戒之哉！」
Du Mu, enraged by the arrogance of the three Hebei circuits and by a court policy of endless indulgence, wrote a work called Accusatory Discourse. Its gist: since the Tianbao rebellion, not one of Hebei's hundred-odd cities had been recovered. Men looked upon them as they did the Uyghurs and Tibetans—too dangerous even to watch. Qi, Liang, and Cai caught the contagion and turned to rebellion themselves. There had scarcely been five peaceful years in a row. The country had been at war, seething, for more than seventy years. The best policy was to put the empire in order first. The second best was to seize Wei. The worst was blind warfare—fighting without regard to terrain or the balance of offense and defense." Grieved also by the decay of the garrison militia, he wrote On the Sixteen Guards. The state had followed Sui practice in establishing the Sixteen Guards—but viewed from the present, what office could be more pointless? In origin and function, they had been nothing less than the fate of the empire. Under Emperor Taizong, the Sixteen Guards within the capital nurtured military officers, while five hundred seventy-four frontier garrison commands stored troops without; in crisis, officers led their men in the field; in peace, those troops returned to garrison duty inside the capital. While garrisoned within, officers lived on imperial favor while their troops were dispersed among the garrison commands. No command exceeded twelve hundred men. Three seasons they farmed; one season they drilled. Rolls were kept at headquarters while companies were scattered across the fields—strength divided, cohesion broken, every man looking to his own interests. Even with Chiyou as commander, rebellion would have been impossible. When deployed outside, border troops answered only to summons. Executioners marched at the van, rewards followed behind—men hurled together in battle. Who had time for plotting? Even Chiyou could not have led them to rebel. From Zhenguan through Kaiyuan—one hundred thirty years—no military officer or garrison ever mutinied. That was how the great sage held the balance of power between center and frontier: divine strategy. By the end of the Kaiyuan era, foolish scholars memorialized: "Culture has triumphed throughout the empire—abolish the garrison militia." Warriors memorialized: "The empire is strong—let us crush the four barbarians." So the garrison militia was dismantled within the capital while border troops were posted without. Officers and soldiers surged outward like rushing water and flying arrows—until within the palace not a single armed man remained. The periphery swelled while the center withered, like a bird grown tail-heavy. The realm trembled; embers at the roots burst into flame. Seven emperors ate late into the night trying to uproot the evil—and could not. From this it follows: military officers and their troops must never for a single day be loosed from bell and chain. Yet no state can do without soldiers. Post them outside and they rebel; keep them inside and they usurp the throne. To keep outer troops from rebelling and inner troops from seizing power—the finest method since antiquity is surely the garrison command system and the Sixteen Guards! In recent generations the abuse has grown worse still. Most commanders are market-town upstarts who inherit wealth, lean on hidden patrons, and buy their commissions with promissory notes and bribes. They know nothing of the rites and righteousness taught by fathers and elders, and lack all generous, principled spirit. A thousand li of territory, a hundred cities—they seize it overnight. The bold and obstinate bend the law to suit themselves, execute loyal families that oppose them, concentrate all power in their hands, and every one becomes a plunderer. The cunning sort amass wealth through household levies, pawn themselves to corrupt favorites, buy advancement from minister to duke, jump from prefect to capital, and mark every district they pass through as their private estate. Should one such man live out his years, he butchers the living and strips the empire bare. Hence unending war and the exhaustion of the people—all of it flows from this. Alas! Who can recover the intent of Emperor Taizong's Sixteen Guards!" He also wrote On Warfare, arguing: "Hebei to the empire is like pearls and jade; the empire to Hebei is like limbs to a body. Hebei's air and customs are robust; its people excel at fighting and farming. Rich soil and strong horses make them swift against enemies. They conquer when they march forth and prosper when they stay home—without coveting the empire's resources, they can flourish on their own. Like a great farming family that does not need pearls and jade to count itself rich. Without Hebei the state loses fine armor, elite troops, sharp blades, good bows, and strong horses—the first limb, and its army with it. Hedong, Mengjin, Huatai, Daliang, Pengcheng, and Dongping—all garrisoned heavily to block barbarian thrusts and usable for nothing else—the second limb, and its army with it. The six frontier circuits field three hundred thousand men who bow their heads for imperial rations and do nothing in return. To support them the state must strip everything north of the Huai, south of the Yellow River, east to the sea and west to Luoyang bare—only then can it meet the expense. The third limb, and its wealth with it. Northwest of Xianyang barbarians mass in force; the riches of Wu, Yue, Jing, and Chu are scraped bare to feed the garrisons—the fourth limb, and its wealth with it. When all four limbs are severed, head and belly stand empty—how can the body long endure in peace! If the five causes of defeat can truly be remedied, one battle can settle the issue and the four limbs can be restored. In peacetime entrusted ministers grow complacent and self-serving; soldiers drift apart; arms and armor rust—the first defeat: failure to drill and train. A hundred men carry halberds while eating from the state, yet claim the names of a thousand; generals great and small keep the surplus for themselves, pray for strong enemies and treat a stale campaign as sport—always too few who fight, always too many who eat. The second defeat: failing to verify headcounts and rations. After a minor victory they inflate their merits, rush memorials to court for rewards—a double bounty in a day, accumulated enfeoffments in a month. Before the victory songs are sung, commissions are raised, ranks maxed out, estates enlarged, gold and silk overflowing, children given office—who would then search out danger and risk death for the state! The third defeat: rewards too lavish. After heavy losses and the fall of great cities they simply jump to a new post—stabbing one province before deserting to the next. They glance back at the executioner's blade unmoved; within a year, not yet rotated, they stand again on the review platform. The fourth defeat: punishments too light. The supreme commander cannot command alone—favored courtiers and edict envoys come in rotation to direct him. Battle lines are forming, drums about to sound, when one cries 'Crescent formation!' and another 'Fish-scale formation!'—a hundred thousand men wheeling like scattered sheep, and enemy cavalry seize our banners. The fifth defeat: divided command and abdicated responsibility. If we truly mean to take up arms, sweep away corruption, and secure peace for ten thousand generations—yet follow old errors—it cannot be done." He also wrote On Defense, arguing: "Today's debaters all say: toward the stubborn strongmen, use fine generals and crack troops as bit and reins, fill their bellies with high rank and noble titles, leave them at ease and unprovoked, keep them outside and unrestrained—like taming tigers and wolves without touching their hearts, so that wrath never stirs. This is how the Dali and Zhenyuan eras 'defended the realm'—why must we rush to battle and burn our own people before we feel satisfied! I say: in the Dali and Zhenyuan periods, this very policy was the disaster. At that time a man with a few dozen towns and a thousand or so soldiers received special treatment from court—leniency in law. Then they stared boldly and spoke grandly, set themselves up as a house apart, broke regulations and pared laws, vied in arrogance and luxury—the Son of Heaven preserved their prestige and did not inquire; officials kept quiet and did not rebuke. They exchanged princely titles and received rank beyond their salary; when they skipped court audiences, the throne sent canes to support them; when rebellious barbarian offspring needed brides, imperial princes married them; trappings, finery, and ornaments—nothing was withheld. Thus their territory widened, their armies strengthened, their presumption deepened, their extravagance flourished. Soon land, titles, and insignia were nearly all carved up; before these thieves had even reached the brink of open revolt, some took unlawful names and exalted titles, calling themselves emperors or kings, swearing oaths and proclaiming independence, serene and fearless, sending armies in four directions to sate their ambitions. Zhao, Wei, Yan, and Qi rose in chorus; Liang, Cai, Wu, and Shu followed in harmony; and countless others in the tumult, straining at their yokes, eager to imitate them, were everywhere. Fortune brought Emperor Xiaowu, who ate late and rose early without rest; former worthies and later heroes debated morning and evening—so the great were executed, the small won over with grace. Otherwise the suburbs of Zhou and Qin would nearly have become hunting grounds! Human beings are naturally full of desire; denied, they grow angry; anger breeds strife and chaos. Hence instruction and the rod in the family, punishment in the state, campaigns under heaven—means to trim desire and block contention. In the Dali and Zhenyuan eras this was wholly reversed—holding a tiny stake against boundless contention until head, tail, fingers, and limbs could scarcely move together. Today men do not recognize this error—they take it instead as permanent doctrine. In my view the robbers are not limited to Hebei alone. Alas! Let the Dali and Zhenyuan method of 'defending the realm' be forever warned against!"
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又注《孫子》，為之序，以為：「兵者，刑也； 刑者，政事也； 為夫子之徒，實仲由、冉有之事也。 不知自何代何人分為二道曰文、武，離而俱行，因使縉紳之士不敢言兵，或恥言之； 苟有言者，世以為粗暴異人，人不比數。 嗚呼！ 亡失根本，斯最為甚！ 《禮》曰：『四郊多壘，此卿大夫之辱也。』 歷觀自古，樹立其國，滅亡其國，未始不由兵也。 主兵者必聖賢、材能、多聞博識之士乃能有功，議於廊廟之上，兵形已成，然後付之於將。 漢祖言『指蹤者人也，獲兔者犬也』，此其是也。 彼為相者曰：「兵非吾事，吾不當知。」 君子曰：「勿居其位可也！」
He also annotated the Art of War and wrote a preface, holding: "War is punishment; punishment is governance; for disciples of the Master, it was truly the business of Zhong You and Ran You. Who knows from which age or by what hand the Two Ways of civil and military were split apart and pursued separately—so that gentry scholars dared not speak of war, or shame to speak of it; if any did speak, the age considered him crude and strange, someone not to be counted among their kind. Alas! To lose the root—nothing is more grave! The Book of Rites says: 'When ramparts multiply around the four suburbs, this is the disgrace of ministers and grandees.' Surveying antiquity, founding a state or destroying one—never did it happen without armies. Only sage, talented, learned, and broad-minded men can master war with success—debating in the hall of state until the shape of the campaign is set, then entrusting execution to generals. Emperor Gaozu of Han said, 'The pointer is a man; the hound that catches the rabbit is a dog'—just so. Yet there are chancellors who say, "War is not my affair—I need not know of it.' The gentleman says, "Then do not hold the post!"
82
前邠寧行軍司馬鄭注，依倚王守澄，權勢熏灼，上深惡之。 九月，丙寅，侍御史李款閣內奏彈註：「內通敕使，外連朝士，兩地往來，卜射財賄，晝伏夜動，干竊化權，人不敢言，道路以目。 請付法司。」 旬日之間，章數十上。 守澄匿注於右軍，左軍中尉韋元素、樞密使楊承和、王踐言皆惡注。 左軍將李弘楚說元素曰：鄭注奸猾無雙，卵鷇不除，使成羽翼，必為國患。 今因御史所劾匿軍中，弘楚請以中尉意，詐為有疾，召使治之，來則中尉延與坐，弘楚侍側，伺中尉舉目，擒出杖殺之。 中尉因見上叩頭請罪，具言其奸，楊、王必助中尉進言。 況中尉有翼戴之功，豈以除奸而獲罪乎！ 元素以為然，召之。 注至，蠖屈鼠伏，佞辭泉湧。 元素不覺執手款曲，諦聽忘倦。 弘楚詗伺往復再三，元素不顧，以金帛厚遺注而遣之。 弘楚怒曰：「中尉失今日之斷，必不免它日之禍矣！」 因解軍職去。 頃之，疽發背卒。 王涯之為相，注有力焉，且畏王守澄，遂寢李款之奏。 守澄言注於上而釋之，尋奏為侍御史，充右神策判官，朝野駭歎。
The former chief of staff of Binning, Zheng Zhu, leaned on Wang Shoucheng; his power blazed; the Emperor hated him deeply. In the ninth month, on bingyin, Censor Li Kuan memorialized in the palace denouncing Zheng Zhu: "He communicates within with edict envoys and without with court officials; traveling between both realms, he gambles and scatters bribes; active by night and hidden by day, he steals transforming power; men dare not speak—eyes alone mark the road. I ask that he be handed to the judicial authorities." Within ten days dozens of memorials were submitted. Shoucheng hid Zhu in the Right Army. Left Army Director Wei Yuansu and Chief Palace Commissioners Yang Chenghe and Wang Jianyan all hated Zhu. Left Army general Li Hongchu said to Yuansu, "Zheng Zhu's cunning is unmatched. If the egg is not crushed before the fledgling grows wings, he will surely become a national disaster. Now that he hides in the army because of the censor's charges, Hongchu asks: feign illness on the Director's behalf, summon Zhu to treat it; when he comes, the Director receives him and sits with him while Hongchu waits at his side; at the Director's glance, seize Zhu, drag him out, and beat him to death. The Director then sees the Emperor, kowtows to confess, recounts Zhu's crimes in full—Yang and Wang will surely help the Director speak. And the Director has the merit of supporting the throne—how could he be punished for ridding the state of a villain!" Yuansu agreed and summoned him. Zhu arrived like a bent caterpillar or crouching rat; flattery poured forth like a spring. Yuansu unconsciously took his hand in warmth, listened intently, and forgot fatigue. Hongchu watched back and forth again and again; Yuansu paid no heed, gave Zhu a rich gift of gold and silk, and sent him away. Hongchu said in fury, "Director, by failing to decide today you will surely not escape tomorrow's disaster!" He resigned his military post and left. Before long a carbuncle broke out on his back and he died. Wang Ya had become Chancellor with Zhu's help and feared Wang Shoucheng, so he shelved Li Kuan's memorial. Shoucheng spoke for Zhu before the Emperor and secured his release; soon Zhu was appointed Palace Censor and judge of the Right Divine Strategy Army—court and market alike gasped in alarm.
83
甲寅，以前忠武節度使王智興為河中節度使。
On jiayin, Wang Zhixing, former military commissioner of Zhongwu, was appointed military commissioner of Hezhong.
84
群臣以上即位八年，未受尊號。 冬，十二月，甲午，上尊號曰太和文武仁聖皇帝。 會有五坊中使薛季稜自同、華還言閭閻凋弊。 上歎曰：「關中小稔，百姓尚爾，況江、淮比年大水，其人如何！ 吾無術以救之，敢崇虛名乎！」 因以通天帶賞季稜。 群臣凡四上表，竟不受。
The officials noted that the Emperor had reigned eight years without receiving an honorific title. In winter, the twelfth month, on jiawu, the honorific title Emperor Taihe Wenwu Rensheng was conferred. It happened that palace envoy Xue Jiling of the Five Wards, returning from Tong and Hua, reported that villages were withering. The Emperor sighed, "In Guanzhong we had a modest harvest and the people are still like this—what of Jianghuai, flooded year after year! How do those people fare! I have no art to save them—how dare I accept empty honor!" He rewarded Jiling with an imperial belt instead. The officials submitted four memorials in all; he never accepted.
85
庚子，上始得風疾，不能言。 於是王守澄薦昭義行軍司馬鄭注善醫。 上征注至京師，飲其藥，頗有驗，遂有龐。
On gengzi the Emperor first suffered a wind ailment and could not speak. Then Wang Shoucheng recommended Zhaoyi chief of staff Zheng Zhu as skilled in medicine. The Emperor summoned Zhu to the capital, took his medicine, found it somewhat effective, and soon regained full use of his body.