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卷251 唐紀六十七

Volume 251 Tang Records 67

Chapter 251 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
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Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, Volume 251. [Tang Records 67] From Zhuanyong Kundun through Tuyi Chifenruo—two years in all. Ninth year of the Xiantong era of Emperor Yizong of Tang (wuzi; 868 CE). In summer, the sixth month, Li Shiwang, vice prefect of Fengxiang, memorialized the throne: "Xi Prefecture guards the strategic approach to Nanzhao and is a key choke point. Chengdu lies too far away for effective control. I ask that we form a Dingbian Army, concentrate substantial forces at Xi, and make Qiongzhou the administrative seat." The court took his word, appointed Shiwang prefect of Xi and military commissioner of the Dingbian Army, made him observer of Mei, Shu, Qiong, Ya, Jia, Li, and other prefectures, superintendent for pacifying the various barbarians, and overall commander of the various circuit campaign armies and disposition commissioner. Shiwang wanted sole control of the region, and so he devised this scheme. In fact Qiong lay only one hundred sixty li from Chengdu, while Xi was a thousand li from Qiong—such was the scale of his deceit. Earlier, after Nanzhao captured Annan, the court ordered Xu and Si to raise two thousand men for relief; eight hundred were separately posted to Guizhou, with an initial agreement that they would rotate home every three years. Xu Yanzeng, observation commissioner of Xu and Si, was a nephew by marriage of Shen You and a man of harsh, severe temperament; because the Xu troops were unruly, the court sent him to keep them in check. Chief military adjutant Yin Kan, drill instructor Du Zhang, and horse-and-arms officer Xu Xingjian held sway in the army, and the troops resented them. The Guizhou garrison had already served six years and repeatedly petitioned to be relieved and sent home. Kan told Yanzeng that the military treasury was empty and that moving troops would cost heavily, and he asked that the old garrison be kept one more year. Yanzeng agreed. When the garrison troops heard this, they were furious. Chief military adjutant Xu Ji and army officers Zhao Keli, Yao Zhou, and Zhang Xingshi had all been bandits in Xu Prefecture whom local authorities could not suppress; they were recruited and given adjutant posts. When Guiguan observation commissioner Li Cong was transferred to Hunan, his replacement had not yet arrived. In autumn, the seventh month, Ji and the others mutinied, killed chief commander Wang Zhongfu, and made grain-supply judge Pang Xun their leader. They seized weapons from the arsenal and marched north, plundering along the way, while no prefecture or county could stop them. When the court learned of this, in the eighth month it sent the high-ranking Zhang Jingsi to pardon their crimes and escort them back to Xu Prefecture, and the mutineers then ceased their plundering. Former Jinghai military commissioner Gao Pian was appointed right Golden Crow general. Pian asked that his grandnephew Gao Xun replace him as governor of Jiaozhi, and the court agreed. In the ninth month, on wuxu, Lu Dan, military commissioner of Shannan East Circuit, was appointed military commissioner of Xichuan; because of the Dingbian Army, he did not also hold the post of superintendent for pacifying the various barbarians. When Pang Xun and his men reached Hunan, the army supervisor tricked them into surrendering all their armor and weapons. Cui Xuan, military commissioner of Shannan East Circuit, massed troops to guard the strategic passes, and the Xu mutineers did not dare enter his territory. They took boats and sailed east along the river. Xu Ji and the others plotted together: "Our guilt is greater than that of the Silver Sabers. The court pardons us only because it fears we will raid along the road or scatter and become a plague. Once we reach Xu Prefecture, we are sure to be torn apart!" So they each used private funds to forge armor, weapons, banners, and flags. Passing through Zhexi, they entered Huainan. Huainan military commissioner Linghu Tao sent envoys to console them and supplied fodder and grain. Chief military adjutant Li Xiang said to Tao, "These Xu troops are returning on their own and will surely turn to rebellion. Though there is no edict to punish them, a frontier commissioner should act as the moment demands. The Gaoyou shore is steep and the channel deep and narrow. Post crack troops in ambush on the flank, burn the reed boats to block them ahead, and drive them with strong forces from behind—they can all be taken. If we let them cross the Huai and reach Xu Prefecture, where they will merge with angry troops, the harm will be grave indeed." Tao had always been timid, and besides there was no edict. He said, "So long as they do not ravage Huainan, let them pass—the rest is not my concern." Xun gathered Silver Saber mutineers and other fugitives hiding aboard the boats, along with outlaws of every stripe, until his following reached a thousand men. On dingsi they reached Sizhou. Prefect Du Tao entertained them in the ball ground, and players delivered speeches. The Xu troops thought themselves mocked. They seized the players and were about to behead them, and the guests scattered in alarm. Tao had long made preparations, and the Xu mutineers did not dare make trouble and held back. Tao was Du Tao's younger brother. Earlier the court had repeatedly ordered Cui Yanzeng to reassure the garrison troops returning without leave and keep them from growing anxious or suspicious. Yanzeng sent envoys to explain the edicts, and messengers met one another all along the road. Xun too sent memorial after memorial, his tone and courtesy very deferential. On wuwu, as they reached Xucheng, Xun and Xu Ji and the others addressed the troops: "We came back without permission only because we long to see our wives and children. Now we hear a secret edict has already reached our army—when we arrive we shall be split apart and our families wiped out! Better to join our strength in one heart and brave fire and boiling water together than to walk into the net and become the world's laughingstock. We shall not only escape ruin—wealth and honor may yet be won! Besides, the officers and soldiers in the city are our fathers, elder brothers, sons, and younger brothers. If we shout outside, they are sure to answer inside. Then, following Vice Censor Wang's precedent, five hundred thousand strings in reward will be ours for the taking." The crowd shouted and leaped, all calling it good. Officers Zhao Wu and eleven others alone were fearful and wished to flee. Xun had them all beheaded, sent their heads to Yanzeng, and submitted a memorial saying, "We garrison troops have been far from home six years and truly long for our native districts; but Wu and the others, taking advantage of the troops' unrest, suddenly plotted treachery. The soldiers know they were led astray and dare not shirk punishment! Now that we have received grace and full pardon, we have jointly executed the ringleaders to atone." In winter, the tenth month, on jiazi, the envoy reached Pengcheng. Yanzeng seized and interrogated him and learned the full truth. He then imprisoned the envoy. On dingmao, Xun again submitted a memorial from the relay station: "The soldiers, bearing their guilt, each harbor anxiety. We have reached Fuli but have not yet laid aside our armor. This is because Yin Kan, Du Zhang, Xu Xingjian, and other army officers are crafty and suspicious and sure to breed strife. I beg that these three be temporarily removed to settle the troops' hearts, and that the returning garrison be placed in two separate camps under one commander." At that time the garrison troops were only four relay stages from Pengcheng, and the whole city was in turmoil and fear. Yanzeng summoned his generals to consult. They all wept and said, "Not long ago the Silver Sabers were fierce and violent, and the whole army was given a bad name. Extermination and exile were not without wrongful victims. The cry of the wronged has not yet ceased, and now the Guizhou garrison is again so brazen. If we let them enter the city they are sure to rebel—and then the whole circuit will be laid waste! Better to strike while they are still far off and weary from the march. We rested, they exhausted—no battle we cannot win." Yanzeng still hesitated and could not decide. Regimental training judge Wen Tinghao again said to Yanzeng, "The omens of safety and danger are already before us. Gain and loss will be decided today. To strike now has three difficulties, but to spare them has five harms: the edict pardoned their crimes yet we would kill them on our own—the first difficulty; leading fathers and elder brothers to attack sons and younger brothers—the second difficulty; their factions are interlinked, and executions would necessarily be many—the third difficulty. Yet if garrison troops on the main routes return without leave and go unpunished, frontier garrisons everywhere will imitate them and control will be lost—the first harm; A general is the head of an army, yet they dare harm one—how then can any general command his troops! The second harm; They plundered along the way, made their own armor, and recruited fugitives—if this goes unpunished, how can evil be restrained! The third harm; The army's officers and soldiers are all their kin, and Silver Saber remnants hide in mountains and marshes—if inside and outside rise together, how can we withstand it! The fourth harm; They coerced the military prefecture, killed three officers they resented, and wish to form their own camp—if we agree, the Silver Saber trouble returns; if we refuse, they will use this as a pretext for rebellion—the fifth harm. Only if Your Excellency removes the three difficulties and cuts off the five harms, settling the great plan early, will you answer what the multitude hopes for." At that time the city held four thousand three hundred troops. Yanzeng ordered chief military adjutant Yuan Mi and others to lead three thousand men against Xun, recited Xun's crimes to rally the troops, and said, "This will not only ruin the common people but stain the officers and soldiers as well. If the state sends troops to punish them, jade and stone will perish together!" He also said, "As for their kin, have no fear—guilt rests on the individual alone, and there will be no collective punishment." He also ordered Suzhou to send troops from Fuli and Sizhou to send troops from Hong to intercept them, and memorialized the court. Yanzeng warned Yuan Mi not to harm the edict envoy. On wuchen, Yuan Mi set out from Pengcheng with a very imposing army. When the generals reached a place several li north of Ren Hill, they halted and did not advance, jointly devising how to seize the edict envoy. They wished to wait until the rebels entered the relay station, then attack, and sent men in disguise carrying firewood to spy on the rebels. At dusk the rebels reached Ren Hill. The station was empty and had no supplies. They grew suspicious, seized the firewood carriers, and beat them. They learned the full truth, set up dummy men holding banners and flags on the hillside, and slipped away in secret. By night the government troops at last discovered it. Fearing ambush in mountain valleys and bypaths, they withdrew and encamped south of the city; at dawn the next day they advanced in pursuit. By then the rebels had reached Fuli. Five hundred Suzhou garrison troops fought them on the Sui River, broke and fled at sight of the enemy, and the rebels then reached Suzhou. Suzhou lacked a prefect at the time. Observation vice commissioner Jiao Lu was acting prefect, and no troops remained in the city. On gengwu the rebels stormed and took the city. Lu fled and escaped. The rebels gathered all goods in the city and told the people to come take them. Within a day crowds converged from every direction. Then they selected and recruited soldiers; those unwilling were beheaded on the spot. From dawn to dusk they got several thousand men. They then marshaled troops and manned the walls. Pang Xun styled himself acting military commissioner. After two nights the government troops at last arrived. The rebels' defenses were already strict and could not be attacked. Earlier, when Jiao Lu heard of the defeat at Fuli, he cut the Bian Canal to block the northern route. When the rebels arrived the water was still shallow enough to ford, but by the time the government troops came it was already deep. On renshen, Yuan Mi led troops across the water intending to besiege the city. A great wind arose. The rebels shot fire arrows at thatched huts outside the walls, which spread to the government camp. Advancing, the soldiers met arrows and stones; retreating, they were hemmed in by fire and water. The rebels pressed hard, and nearly three hundred died. Yuan Mi and the others thought the rebels would surely hold firm and planned only how to storm the city. At night the rebels had women keep watch, seized three hundred large boats in the city, loaded supplies, and went downstream intending to take to the rivers and lakes as bandits. They gave Zhang Jingsi a thousand bolts of silk, sent horsemen to escort him to the eastern border of Bian, and let him return west. At dawn the government troops learned the rebels had fled and pursued them in disorder. The soldiers had eaten nothing; by the time they caught up they were hungry and exhausted. The rebels moored below the embankment and formed up outside it, with a thousand men hidden in the boats. When the government troops approached, those in formation all ran into the marsh. Mi thought they feared him and gave chase; The rebels emerged from the boats and attacked from both flanks. From noon to late afternoon the government army was utterly defeated. Mi fled into the Hehu marsh; the rebels caught up. Mi, his generals, and the edict-bearing army supervisor all died. Nearly a thousand soldiers died; the rest surrendered to the rebels—not one returned to Xu. The rebels questioned the surrendered troops about Pengcheng's mood and defenses, learned the city was unprepared, and first formed the plan to attack it. On yihai, Pang Xun led his troops north across the Sui River, crossed the mountains, and marched on Pengcheng. That evening Cui Yanzeng at last learned of Yuan Mi's defeat and sent dispatches to neighboring circuits begging for help. The next day he barred the gates and drafted able-bodied men for defense. Inside and out there was shock and terror; no one held firm. Some urged Yanzeng to flee to Yanzhou. Yanzeng said angrily, "I am the commander. If the city falls and I die, that is my duty!" He immediately beheaded the adviser. On dingchou the rebels reached the walls, six or seven thousand strong, drums and shouts shaking the earth. They reassured residents outside the walls and did not molest them, so people flocked to them. In no time they took the outer city. Yanzeng withdrew to the inner citadel. The people helped the rebels attack, pushing straw carts against the gates and burning them, and the city fell. The rebels imprisoned Yanzeng in the Great Peng lodge, seized Yin Kan, Du Zhang, and Xu Xingjian, disemboweled them and impaled them on blades, and exterminated their clans. Xun sat in the audience hall surrounded by armed guards. Civil and military officers prostrated themselves before him; none dared look up. That same day more than ten thousand in the city wished to follow him. On wuyin, Xun summoned Wen Tinghao to draft a memorial requesting a military commission. Tinghao said, "This is a grave matter and cannot be done in a moment. Let me go home and draft it at leisure." Xun agreed. The next morning Xun sent to hurry him. Tinghao came and said, "Yesterday I did not refuse at once only because I wished to see my wife and children once more. Now I have parted from them and come respectfully to await death." Xun stared at him and laughed. "A scholar dares this—are you not afraid of death! Pang Xun can take Xu Prefecture—why worry that no one will draft a memorial!" He then released him. There was a Zhou Chong who prided himself on talent and strategy. Xun received him as chief guest, and Chong drafted a memorial for Xun: "Your servant's army holds the very ground where the Han house rose to power. Recently the military commissioner pared down the military prefecture and rewards and punishments were unbalanced, forcing us to this course. Your Majesty took away their control and wiped out a whole army—some died, some were exiled—wrongs beyond counting. Now we hear this circuit intends to execute us again. The soldiers cannot bear the pain and have pushed your servant as acting military commissioner to command a hundred thousand men and pacify four prefectures. Your servant has heard that seizing advantage when the time is ripe is the stuff of emperors and kings. Your servant sees advantage and does not let it slip, meets the time and does not hesitate; I beg Your Sage compassion to bestow banners and axes once more. Otherwise, brandishing spears and halberds, marching on the capital will not be long delayed!" On gengchen he sent chief adjutant Zhang Guan to present the memorial at court. Xun made Xu Ji chief military adjutant and Zhao Keli roaming inspector; his partisans each received adjutant posts to command the armies. He sent old general Liu Xingji with fifteen hundred men to garrison Haozhou, Li Yuan with two thousand to Sizhou, and Liang Pi with a thousand to Suzhou; other strategic counties and towns were all repaired and garrisoned. Xu people said banners and axes would arrive within ten months. Men eager to serve converged from near and far—even bandits from Guang, Cai, Huai, Zhe, Yan, Yun, Yi, and Mi came at forced marches to join them, filling the suburbs. Within ten days rice reached two hundred cash per dou. Xun forged a memorial in Cui Yanzeng's name requesting extermination of Xu: "A whole army of violent soldiers—all can be cut down; the foolish people of five counties should each be assigned to penal service." He also forged an edict granting the request and spread it through the territory. The people of Xu believed it and blamed the court: "Had not the Guizhou garrison turned their spears, we would all have been meat on the block!" Liu Xingji led his troops to Wokou; followers along the road doubled again. Haozhou had only several hundred troops. Prefect Lu Wanghui had made no preparations and, not knowing what to do, opened the gates with oxen and wine to welcome them. When Xingji entered and took possession, he imprisoned Wanghui and acted as prefect himself. Sizhou prefect Du Tao heard Xun had rebelled, completed his defenses, and begged rescue from Jiang and Huai. Li Yuan sent a hundred elite troops first into Sizhou to seal the treasury. Tao sent men to welcome them, lured them into the city, and had them all executed. The next day Yuan arrived and besieged the city. Arrows and stones rained from the walls; several hundred rebels died. They drew off and encamped west of the city. Because Sizhou guarded the Jiang-Huai choke point, Xun sent more troops to help Yuan attack it. The force reached more than ten thousand but could not take the city. Earlier, when the court heard Pang Xun was returning from Ren Hill toward Suzhou, it sent the high-ranking Kang Daowei with a follow-up edict to console the troops. In the eleventh month Daowei reached Pengcheng. Xun went out to welcome him. From Ren Hill to the inner city was thirty li of armor, weapons, drums, and gongs shaking the valleys, and able-bodied men were driven to man the walls. He entertained Daowei in the ball ground, had men falsely present several thousand surrendered bandits, and dozens of victory reports from the camps. He again composed a memorial requesting a commission and sent it with Daowei to court. Earlier, Xin Yunyang's grandson Tan had lived in Guangling, loved chivalry, and at fifty had never held office. He was old friends with Du Tao. Hearing Pang Xun had rebelled, he went to Sizhou and urged Tao to flee with his family. Tao said, "In peace one enjoys rank and salary; in peril one abandons one's city—I will not do that. Moreover every man has a family—who does not love his own? If I alone seek to live, how can I reassure the troops! I swear to die in this city with the officers and soldiers!" Tan said, "If you can be thus, I will die with you!" He returned to Guangling, took leave of his family, and on renchen went again to Sizhou. People fleeing the turmoil clogged the roads. Seeing Tan, they stopped him: "Everyone goes south—why do you alone go north? Why seek death!" Tan did not answer. When he reached Sizhou the rebels were already below the walls. Tan rowed a small boat in. Tao immediately appointed him regimental training judge. The city was in peril. Chief adjutant Li Ya was brave and resourceful; he set up defenses for Tao, led shouts, and struck the rebels in four directions. The rebels withdrew to Xucheng and hearts calmed somewhat. Pang Xun recruited soldiers; men profited from plunder and rushed to join. Fathers sent sons, wives urged husbands—all cut hoe blades, sharpened them, and came to enlist. Neighboring circuits heard Xun held Xu and each sent troops to garrison strategic points, but government forces were still few, rebels daily increased, and government troops repeatedly fared ill. The rebels then took Yutai and nearly ten other nearby counties. East of Songzhou was Moshan, where people hid. Xun sent his general Zhang Xuanchen to besiege them. Drought came and the mountain springs dried; tens of thousands died of thirst. Someone told Xun, "The acting commissioner only wants a commission. Serve the Son of Heaven with full ritual, restrain the troops outwardly, comfort the people inwardly—then perhaps it can be won. Xun could not follow this advice, yet on national mourning he still burned incense, and before feasting his troops he always bowed west in thanks. On guimao Xun heard the edict envoy had entered the territory and thought banners and axes were sure to be granted. All congratulated him. The next day the envoy arrived but only blamed Cui Yanzeng and army supervisor Zhang Daojin and degraded their offices. Xun was deeply disappointed, imprisoned the envoy, and would not let him return. The court appointed Kang Chengxun, right Golden Crow general, as Yicheng military commissioner and overall Xu campaign commander; Wang Yanquan, Divine Martial great general, as northern Xu campaign commander; and Dai Keshi, Feathered Forest general, as southern Xu campaign commander, and mobilized troops from all circuits under them. Chengxun asked that Zhuye Chixin of the three Shatuo tribes and chiefs of Tuyuhun, Tatar, and Qibi each lead their followers with him. The edict granted it. Because Li Yuan had long failed to take Sizhou, Pang Xun sent his general Wu Tong to replace him. On bingwu he again pressed the attack on Sizhou day and night without cease. Edict envoy Guo Houben was leading fifteen hundred Huainan troops to rescue Sizhou. At Hongze he feared the rebels and did not dare advance. Xin Tan asked to go beg rescue; Du Tao permitted it. On dingwei at night he took a small boat, secretly crossed the Huai, reached Hongze, and pleaded with Houben, but Houben would not listen. By dawn he returned. On jiyou the rebels pressed harder and wished to burn the water gate; the city was nearly lost. Tan asked to go beg rescue again. Tao said, "Last time you returned empty-handed—what good is going now?" Tan said, "If I get troops I return alive; if not, I die." Tao parted from him in tears. Tan again took a small boat, broke through the siege carrying a door on his back, saw Houben, and explained the stakes. Houben was about to agree when Huainan chief general Yuan Gongbian said, "The rebels are so strong we can barely save ourselves—how can we spare troops for others!" Tan drew his sword and glared at Gongbian. "The rebels attack by a hundred paths; the city will fall within days. You were ordered to rescue yet linger—is this not betraying the state's grace! If Sizhou falls, Huainan becomes rebel territory—can you alone survive! I shall kill you first and then die!" He rose to strike him. Houben rose and held him back; Gongbian barely escaped. Tan then looked back toward Sizhou and wept all day; the soldiers all wept with him. Houben then agreed to give five hundred men and asked the troops; all wished to go. Tan kowtowed to thank the soldiers, then led them to the Huai south bank and saw the rebels still attacking the city. An officer said, "The rebels seem already to have entered the city. If we turn back we are finished." Tan drove him off, seized his hair, and raised his sword. The soldiers rescued him: "The judge of fifteen hundred men must not be killed." Tan said, "Reckless words at the battle line that confuse the troops cannot be spared!" The crowd pleaded in vain and together seized the man from him. Tan was very strong and they could not take him. Tan said, "Board the boats—all of you—and I will release this man." The troops scrambled aboard and he released him. Any soldier who looked back he cut down. He drove them north of the Huai, formed up, and struck the rebels. Tao arrayed troops on the walls to coordinate. The rebels broke and fled; with shouts they pursued until late afternoon and returned. Pang Xun sent Liu Ji with several thousand elite troops to help Wu Tong attack Sizhou. Liu Xingji from Haozhou sent Wang Hongli to join them. On wuwu, Zhenhai military commissioner Du Shenquan sent chief commander Zhai Xingyue with four thousand men to rescue Sizhou. On jiwei, Xingyue reached Sizhou. The rebels met them on the Huai south bank and besieged them. The city had too few troops to rescue them. Xingyue and all his men died. Earlier Linghu Tao had sent Li Xiang with several thousand troops to rescue Sizhou. He joined Houben and Gongbian and encamped at Duliang, facing Sizhou across the Huai. After defeating Zhai Xingyue the rebels besieged Duliang in turn. In the twelfth month, on jiazi, Li Xiang led troops out and was utterly defeated. The rebels took Duliang, seized Xiang and Houben and sent them to Xu, and held the Huai mouth, cutting the grain route. Kang Chengxun's army was at Xinxing. Rebel general Yao Zhou was at Liuzi and sent troops to resist. Troops from the circuits had gathered to only ten thousand. Chengxun, outnumbered, withdrew to Songzhou. Pang Xun thought government troops were not to be feared and sent Ding Congshi and others, each with several thousand men, south into Shu and Lu and north into Yi and Hai, taking Muyang, Xiaocai, Wujiang, and Chaoxian, storming Chuzhou and killing prefect Gao Xiwang. They also raided Hezhou. Prefect Cui Yong sent oxen and wine, led the rebels up a tower to drink, ordered his soldiers to lay aside armor, pointed to two favorites as his kin, and begged their lives. The rest were left to the rebels' pleasure. The rebels then plundered the city greatly and killed more than eight hundred soldiers. Rescue for Sizhou was cut off and grain nearly gone; people ate thin gruel. On jihai in the intercalary month, Xin Tan asked Du Tao to let him beg rescue from Huai and Zhe. At night he led ten daredevils with long-shafted axes in small boats and secretly chopped through the rebel river stockade to escape. At dawn the rebels discovered them. Five boats blocked ahead and five thousand men on both banks pursued. Rebel boats were heavy and slow; Tan's were light and fast. After fierce fighting for more than thirty li they escaped. On guimao he reached Yangzhou and saw Linghu Tao. On jiachen he reached Runzhou and saw Du Shenquan. Sizhou had long been silent; some said it had fallen. When Tan arrived, Shenquan sent Zhao Yi with two thousand armored men and, with Huainan, five thousand hu of rice and five hundred hu of salt for Sizhou. Dai Keshi led thirty thousand troops across the Huai, fighting forward, and the rebels abandoned all Huainan garrisons. Keshi wished first to seize the Huai mouth, then rescue Sizhou. On renshen he besieged Duliang; Few rebels were in the city. They bowed from the walls: "We are just discussing surrender with the chief commander." Keshi withdrew five li for them. The rebels fled by night. At dawn only an empty city remained. Keshi, trusting victory, made no preparations. That day heavy fog fell. Wang Hongli of Haozhou led tens of thousands by a swift route and suddenly attacked the government army. The government army could not form in time and was utterly defeated. Men died by weapons and drowning; only several hundred escaped. Lost weapons, grain, horses, and carts numbered in the tens of thousands. The rebels displayed Keshi's head and those of the supervisor and generals at Pengcheng. Pang Xun deemed himself matchless under heaven, composed a proclamation, and spread it through camps and villages. Huainan gentry and commoners were terrified and often fled east of the Yangzi. Linghu Tao, fearing invasion, sent an envoy to persuade Pang Xun and promised to memorialize requesting a commission for him. Xun then ceased fighting and awaited orders. Thereby Huainan was able somewhat to gather scattered troops and repair defenses. The Bian route was cut off; Jiang-Huai traffic went by Shouzhou. After defeating Dai Keshi the rebels besieged Shouzhou, plundered tribute and merchants' goods, and cut the route again. Xun grew ever more arrogant and daily devoted himself to tours and feasts. Zhou Chong remonstrated: "Since antiquity pride, luxury, and dissipation—gain then lose, succeed then fail—have been countless; how much more for one who has not yet gained or succeeded!" Troops from all circuits massed at Songzhou. Xu Prefecture at last grew fearful; recruits grew fewer while outposts asked for reinforcements in succession. Xun sent his partisans into villages to drive people into the army. With troops already in the tens of thousands and supplies exhausted, he levied rich households and merchants, taking seven or eight tenths; several hundred families who hid wealth had their clans exterminated. Those who had risen with Xun at Guizhou were especially violent, seizing wealth and women; Xun could not control them. Thereby the people within the territory all grew weary and could not live. Wang Yanquan's army had repeatedly suffered setbacks. The court ordered Taining military commissioner Cao Xiang to replace him as northern Xu campaign commander. Former Tianxiong military commissioner He Quanzhen sent Xue You with thirteen thousand men against Pang Xun. Xiang encamped at Teng and Pei, You at Feng and Xiao. That year Jiang and Huai suffered drought and locusts. Tenth year of the Xiantong era of Emperor Yizong of Tang (jichou; 869 CE). In spring, the first month, Kang Chengxun led more than seventy thousand men from all circuits to encamp west of Liuzi. From Xinxing to Lutang for thirty li, ramparts and camps lined the route. Xu troops garrisoned the four borders; fewer than several thousand remained in the city, and Pang Xun at last grew fearful. People mostly hid in burrows. Xun sent men to dig them out for the army, getting no more than twenty or thirty a day. Xun's general Meng Jingwen guarded Feng County—crafty, fierce, and with many troops. He plotted to turn against Xun and made his own prognostications. When Xun heard, Wei Bo was attacking Feng. He sent a trusted general with three thousand to help Jingwen hold Feng. Jingwen agreed to strike Wei Bo together and praised the new troops' courage, making them the vanguard. Once the new troops joined battle with Wei Bo, Jingwen withdrew and fled, and the new army was entirely destroyed. Xun then sent an envoy to deceive him: "Wang Hongli has taken Huainan. The acting commissioner wishes to garrison it himself. He summons all generals and will choose one to hold Xu Prefecture." Jingwen was pleased and galloped toward Pengcheng. Several li from the city Xun's ambush seized him. On xinyou he was killed. On dingmao, Princess Tongchang married right remonstrance Wei Baoheng, who was made attendance gentleman and imperial son-in-law. The princess was Consort Guo Shufei's daughter. The emperor especially loved her and emptied palace treasures for her dowry, granting a residence in Guanghua ward with windows adorned in gems, well rails and mortars of gold and silver, gold-thread baskets, five million strings in cash, and other goods in proportion. Xu rebels raided Haizhou. Government troops garrisoning Haizhou already numbered several thousand. They cut bridge pillars the rebels would cross but did not sever them fully, and laid ambush to await them. When the rebels passed, the bridges collapsed. They scattered in panic; the ambush struck and annihilated them. Those attacking Shouzhou were again broken by the southern-route army; several thousand were beheaded or captured. Xin Tan arrived with the Zhexi army at Chuzhou; edict envoy Zhang Cuncheng aided him with boats. Xu rebels arrayed troops by land and water and chained off the Huai. The Zhexi army feared their strength and would not advance. Tan said, "Let me be vanguard—if we win, follow; if we lose, flee." Still they would not. Tan selected several dozen daredevils, issued them appointments, and first sent three grain boats and one salt boat upstream against the wind. The rebels attacked from both sides; arrows struck the boards like rain. At the chain Tan led desperate fighting and cut it with axes, and only then got through. People on the walls shouted until the earth shook. Du Tao and his generals wept as they welcomed them. On yiyou those on the walls saw sails from the east and recognized the Zhexi banners. More than ten li out the rebels arrayed fire boats to block them; the sails stopped. Tao ordered Tan to lead daredevils out. Charging through the rebel line they saw Zhang Cuncheng with nine grain boats. Tan said, "The troops on the road wavered. Cuncheng nearly killed himself to get here, and now will not advance." Tan cried aloud, "The rebels are few—very easy to handle!" He led the crowd forward with drums and shouts. The rebels, seeing their fierce momentum, avoided them, and they entered the city. In the second month, Duanzhou vice prefect Yang Shou was exiled to Huan Prefecture for life; soon he was put to death, and more than ten subordinates and associates were exiled to Lingnan. Earlier Pei Tan's son had married Shou's daughter with a lavish dowry; utensils were adorned with rhinoceros horn and jade. When Tan saw it he said angrily, "You have ruined my family!" He immediately ordered it destroyed. Before long Shou was ruined through bribery after all. Chengxun sent Zhuye Chixin with three thousand Shatuo horsemen as vanguard. They broke the line and drove the enemy back, and troops of ten circuits relied on their fierceness. Chengxun once led a thousand men across the Huan River. Rebel ambush surrounded them. Chixin led five hundred horsemen in fierce charge, broke the encirclement, pulled Chengxun out, and they routed the rebels. Chengxun fought the rebels repeatedly and the rebel army was repeatedly defeated. Wang Hongli, proud of his Huai mouth victory, asked to lead his thirty thousand men alone to defeat Chengxun. Pang Xun agreed. On jihai, Hongli crossed the Sui River, raided the Lutang stockade at night, and besieged it at dawn. Hongli and his generals looked down and thought victory was within the hour. The Shatuo broke out left and right like flight. The rebels scattered. The Shatuo trampled them; garrison troops rushed out and struck. The rebels were utterly defeated. The government army drove them to the Sui River; countless drowned. From Lutang to Xiangcheng corpses lay for fifty li; more than twenty thousand were beheaded. Hongli alone escaped. Plundered civilians scattered into the hills and abandoned supplies heaped like hills. An edict ordered that peasants captured in defeating rebels be released. Thereafter whenever rebels met government troops, the people they drove to plunder would break first. Pang Xun and Xu Ji wished to behead Hongli for arrogance and indolence. Zhou Chong pleaded: "Hongli was not rewarded for two victories yet is to die for one defeat—discarding merit, recording faults, avenging the enemy. The generals will all fear. Better to pardon him and demand later achievement." Xun released him. Hongli gathered only several hundred scattered troops, asked to take Sizhou to atone, and Xun increased his troops and sent him. In the third month, on xinwei, attendance gentleman Wei Baoheng was made left remonstrance grandee and Hanlin academician. Prince of E Wang Kan was transferred to be Prince of Wei. After defeating Wang Hongli, Chengxun pressed Liuzi and fought Yao Zhou several tens of times within a month. On dinghai, Zhou led troops across the water. The government army pressed him; Zhou fled; they pursued and besieged Liuzi. A great wind arose and fire was set on all sides. The rebels fled. The Shatuo intercepted and slaughtered nearly all. From Liuzi to Fangcheng the dead lay piled; general Liu Feng was beheaded. Zhou fled to Suzhou with several dozen men. Garrison commander Liang Pi, who had long feuded with him, opened the gates, seized him, and beheaded him. Pang Xun was greatly afraid and discussed with Xu Ji leading troops out personally. Zhou Chong wept and said to Xun, "Liuzi is vital and Yao Zhou brave—now all is lost, perilous as piled eggs. Better establish a great title at once, marshal all troops, and fight to the death. He also urged killing Cui Yanzeng to cut off hope. Diviner Cao Junchang also said, "Xu's mountains and rivers cannot hold two commanders. While the observation commissioner lives, the acting commissioner cannot rise. The rebel partisans all agreed. In summer, the fourth month, on renchen, Xun killed Yanzeng, army supervisor Zhang Daojin, consolation commissioner Qiu Dafu, staff Jiao Lu, Wen Tinghao, and others, with all their kin, guests, and concubines; he cut off the hands and feet of Huainan supervisor Houben and adjutant Li Xiang and displayed them to Chengxun's army. Xun assembled the crowd and proclaimed, "At first I hoped for the state's grace and wished to remain a loyal minister; today's affair departs from that intent. From now I and you are truly rebels. We must sweep the realm's troops, join in one heart, and turn defeat into victory." The crowd all approved. He ordered all able-bodied men to assemble in the ball ground and sent generals to search house by house; anyone hiding a man had his whole clan exterminated. He selected thirty thousand able-bodied men, required banners and flags, and gave them elite troops. Xu Ji and others pushed Xun as Heavenly-Mandate General and Great Assembly Bright King. Xun declined the royal title. Earlier Xin Tan again led four hundred fierce men from Sizhou to fetch grain at Yang and Run. Rebels attacked from both banks; after fighting a hundred li they escaped. At Guangling he stopped at the official hostel and dared not go home. His boats carried twenty thousand shi of salt and rice and thirteen thousand strings in cash. On yiwei he returned to Doushan. Rebel general Wang Hongzhi led more than ten thousand to block him at Xuyi, arraying a hundred fifty war boats to block the Huai and sending fire boats against them. Tan used long forks to push past. From mao to wei they fought; outnumbered, the government army fared ill. Rebels bound timbers to war boats as fighting platforms. Tan sent brave men in small boats beneath, where blades could not reach, and burned them with fire oxen. The war boats blazed; the rebels fled and the government army entered the city. Pang Xun made his father Juzhi grand marshal and left him with Xu Ji to hold Xu Prefecture. Someone said, "The general displays military might—father and son must not lose superior-inferior propriety." He ordered Juzhi to hurry forward and bow in the hall while Xun received it seated at his desk. Wei Bo repeatedly besieged Feng County. Pang Xun wished to strike them first. On bingshen he led troops out from Xu Prefecture. On wuxu, former Huainan military commissioner and Associate Grand Councilor Linghu Tao was made grand mentor with a separate court. Pang Xun reached Feng County by night and secretly entered the city; the Wei Bo army knew nothing. Wei Bo had five stockades; the nearest garrisoned several thousand. Xun besieged them; other stockades came to rescue; Xun held the roads and killed two thousand government soldiers; the rest fled. The rebels could not take the stockade and by night lifted the siege. The government army feared their numbers, and hearing Xun had come in person, all stockades fled by night. Cao Xiang was besieging Teng County when he heard Wei Bo was defeated; he withdrew to hold Yanzhou. The rebels destroyed their ramparts, transported supplies, and spread proclamations to Xu Prefecture, greatly boasting and calling the government army state rebels. Ma Ju led thirty thousand elite troops to rescue Sizhou. On yisi he divided into three columns to cross the Huai; midstream they shouted, heard for several li. The rebels were greatly alarmed, unable to gauge their numbers, and encamped at the western stockade outside the city. Ju immediately besieged them, burned the palisades, and utterly defeated the rebels; several thousand were beheaded. Wang Hongli died. Wu Tong withdrew to Xucheng. The siege of Sizhou was at last lifted. Sizhou had been besieged seven months; defenders could not sleep and sores grew on their faces. Pang Xun stayed several days at Feng County and wished to march west against Chengxun. Someone said, "The season turns hot and silkworms and wheat are urgent—better rest and gather food, then plan. Someone said, "You have crushed seventy thousand in days; the western army is terrified—seize this momentum and they will break and flee. The moment must not be lost. Pang Juzhi urged Xun by letter to advance while victory was hot, and Xun decided. On dingwei he set out from Feng County; on gengxu he reached Xiao. He arranged for stockades at Xiangcheng, Liuwu, and Xiaosui to combine fifty or sixty thousand men to attack Liuzi at dawn on the twenty-ninth. Huainan defeated soldiers among the rebels fled to Chengxun and told him the date. Chengxun prepared first, fed horses, marshaled troops, and set ambush. On bingchen the Xiangcheng troops reached Liuzi first, met ambush, and fled defeated. Pang Xun had missed the rendezvous and hurried from more than thirty li away. When he arrived the stockades were already defeated. His troops were marketplace rabble; seeing the government army's strength, none fought and all broke. Chengxun ordered urgent pursuit, cavalry in front and infantry behind. The rebels fled in disorder, trampled one another; corpses lay for tens of li; tens of thousands died. Xun doffed armor, wore cloth coats, and escaped. He gathered only three thousand scattered troops, returned to Pengcheng, and sent Zhang Shi to garrison Dicheng relay. When Xun first rose, Xiapi strongman Zheng Yin gathered three thousand with their own supplies to join him. Xun made him a general and called them the Righteous Army. In the fifth month Yizhou besieged Xiapi. Xun ordered Yin to rescue it; Yin led his men to surrender instead. In the sixth month the people of Shan rebelled and drove out observation commissioner Cui Rao. Rao prided himself on the tone of his vessels and did not govern. When the people complained of drought he pointed at a courtyard tree: "It still has leaves—how can there be drought!" And had them beaten. The people were enraged and drove him out. Rao fled to a commoner's house, desperately thirsty; the people gave him urine to drink. He was demoted to Zhao Prefecture vice prefect. Vice Director Xu Shang was made Associate Grand Councilor and Jingnan military commissioner. On guimao, Hanlin ex officio and Vice Minister of Revenue Liu Zhan was made Associate Grand Councilor. Zhan was from Guizhou. Ma Ju led troops from Sizhou to attack Haozhou, taking Zhaoyi, Zhongli, and Dingyuan. Liu Xingji set a stockade outside the city. Ju sent light cavalry to challenge; the rebels, seeing few numbers, rushed west to strike. Ju led tens of thousands by another route to strike their southeast and burned the stockade. The rebels held firm inside. Ju trenched three sides and besieged; the north faced the Huai, and rebels could still reach Xu Prefecture. Pang Xun sent Wu Tong to help Xingji hold Haozhou, garrisoning the north ford. Ju sent a general across the Huai, beheaded and captured several thousand, and leveled the stockade. When Cao Xiang withdrew to Yanzhou he left four thousand Cangzhou soldiers at Luqiao; they returned without orders. Xiang said, "We campaign because Pang Xun rebelled. Now Cang troops disobey—that is rebellion itself." He marshaled troops, besieged them outside Yanzhou, selected two thousand who had disobeyed, and executed them all. When the court heard Wei Bo was defeated it appointed Song Wei northwestern Xu campaign commander with thirty thousand troops between Feng and Xiao; Xiang again joined him. In autumn, the seventh month, Kang Chengxun took Linhuan, killed and captured ten thousand, and took stockades at Xiangcheng, Liuwu, Xiaosui, and others. Cao Xiang took Teng County and advanced to attack Feng and Pei. Garrison troops in rebel stockades mostly fled to mountains and forests. When rebel plunderers passed they were killed—the Five-Eight Villages especially so. Chen Quanyu became their leader. All who had rebelled against Xun joined him until they numbered several thousand, fully armed, holding several tens of li that rebels dared not approach. Chengxun sent men to recruit them. They surrendered with their followers, and rebel partisans scattered further. Qizhou strongman Li Yan killed the rebel garrison commander and surrendered the city to Chengxun. Pei garrison commander Li Zhi went to Pengcheng on business. Vice general Zhu Mei surrendered the city to Cao Xiang. When Zhi returned from Pengcheng, Mei met and drove him off. Xiang sent troops to garrison Pei. Mei was from Bin Prefecture. Xun sent Sun Zhang and Xu Ji, each with several thousand men, against Chen Quanyu and Zhu Mei. Both failed and returned. Chengxun drove on in victory, took Dicheng, advanced west of Suzhou, and built a fortified camp. Pang Xun was distressed and knew not what to do, only praying to gods and feeding monks. Earlier Xun, angry that Liang Pi had killed Yao Zhou on his own authority, removed him and had old Xu general Zhang Xuanchen govern the prefecture, with partisans Zhang Ru and Zhang Shi leading tens of thousands to resist the government army. Ru arrayed stockades in several rings outside the city and used water to secure themselves; Chengxun besieged them. Zhang Shi sent men out by night with a letter: "State troops are all below the city; the west is empty. Lead troops by surprise, plunder Song and Bo—the enemy will lift the siege and go west. Set ambush and strike in front; we will press from behind—certain victory!" Cao Xiang had Zhu Mei attack Feng and win, then took Xucheng and Xiapi, beheading and capturing to the tens of thousands. Xun was distressed and wished to flee. Receiving Shi's letter he followed the plan, left Juzhi and Xu Ji at Xu, and led troops west. In the eighth month, on renzi, Chengxun burned the outer stockades. Zhang Ru entered the outer wall. The government army attacked; several thousand died and could not take it. Chengxun sent persuaders below the walls. Zhang Xuanchen had frontier merit but was coerced to follow the rebels. At night he summoned followers to plan return to the state, spread word, and many agreed. He sent Zhang Gao to Chengxun to fix a date to kill rebel generals and surrender, raising a blue banner as signal. Chengxun was greatly pleased and agreed. In the ninth month, on dingsi, Zhang Ru drank at Liuxi pavilion. Xuanchen had Dong Hou marshal troops west of the pavilion. Xuanchen leaped forward on horseback and shouted, "Pang Xun's head is already hung in the vice director's stockade—how can you still exist!" Soldiers vied forward and beheaded Zhang Ru and dozens of others. Turmoil arose in the city. Xuanchen explained the plan to return to the state; by evening it was settled. On wuwu they opened the gates and surrendered. Xuanchen saw Chengxun bare to the waist, advancing on his knees, weeping and begging pardon. Chengxun consoled him, proclaimed the edict, appointed him vice censor-in-chief, and bestowed generous gifts. Xuanchen said further, "The whole city returns but the four quarters do not know. Feign that the city has fallen and lead troops toward Fuli and Xu—the rebel partisans will not doubt and can all be taken! Chengxun agreed. Suzhou's old troops numbered thirty thousand. Chengxun added several hundred horsemen, rewarded them, and sent them off. Xuanchen re-entered the city and at dusk sent the usual peace fires. Before dawn on jiwei Xuanchen piled firewood, set fire as if the city had fallen, and rushed to Fuli. Fuli admitted them; they beheaded the commander, gathered ten thousand men, and marched north on Xu Prefecture. Juzhi and Xu Ji heard and closed the city to resist. On xinyou Xuanchen reached Pengcheng, besieged it without attacking, and announced to the walls, "The court only punishes rebels, not good people—why hold the city for rebels? If you still hesitate, in a moment you will all be meat on the block!" The defenders one after another cast off armor, threw down weapons, and came down. Yanzeng's former clerk Lu Shenzhong opened the gate. Juzhi and Xu Ji held the inner citadel. At sundown rebels exited the north gate; Xuanchen pursued and beheaded them. Kin of Guizhou garrisoners were beheaded; several thousand died. Xu Prefecture was pacified. Pang Xun led twenty thousand troops out west of Shishan, burning and plundering wherever they passed. On gengshen Chengxun learned of it and led eighty thousand infantry and cavalry west, with Zhuye Chixin and several thousand horsemen as vanguard. Xun raided Songzhou and took its south city. Prefect Zheng Chuchong held the north city. The rebels, knowing he was prepared, abandoned it, crossed the Bian, raided Bozhou, and the Shatuo caught up. Xun led troops east along the Huan toward Pengcheng. Pressed by the Shatuo he could not eat. At Qi he was about to cross when Li Gun burned the bridge and resisted. The rebels panicked. West of the county the government army massed and attacked, killing nearly ten thousand; the rest drowned. Only a thousand surrendered. Xun died unrecognized; after several days his corpse was found. Rebel stockades at Suqian and elsewhere killed their commanders and surrendered. Song Wei also took Xiao County. Wu Tong alone held Haozhou and would not submit. In winter, the tenth month, Zhang Xuanchen was made right Martial Valor great general and grand censor. Ma Ju attacked Haozhou from summer through winter without success. Grain was exhausted; they killed people to eat. The garrison dug deep trenches and held under heavy siege. On xinchou night Wu Tong broke out and fled. Ju pursued and killed or captured nearly all. Tong died at Zhaoyi. Kang Chengxun was made Hedong military commissioner and Associate Grand Councilor. Du Tao was made Yicheng military commissioner. The emperor praised Zhuye Chixin, established the Datong Army at Yun with him as commissioner, summoned him, kept him as left Golden Crow upper general, bestowed the surname Li and name Guochang, and rewarded him generously. Xin Tan was made Bozhou prefect. At Sizhou Tan had broken through the siege twelve times to meet troops and grain. When appointed to Bozhou he memorialized, "My achievement could not have been accomplished without Du Tao." Cui Yong, prefect of Hezhou, was granted suicide; his family was exiled to Kang Prefecture; five brothers were all exiled far. The emperor was dissolute in feasts and did not handle government affairs, entrusting power to Lu Yan. Yan was extravagant and accepted bribes; his close attendants held power. Zhide magistrate Chen Pansou said at audience, "Confiscate the whole household of Bian Xian and the army can be supplied two years. The emperor asked, "Who is Xian?" He answered, "Lu Yan's close clerk." The emperor was angry and exiled Pansou to Ai Prefecture. Thereafter none dared speak. Earlier Nanzhao had sent envoy Yang Qiouqing to thank them for releasing Dong Cheng. Dingbian commissioner Li Shiwang wished to provoke Nanzhao for merit and killed Qiouqing. Xichuan generals resented Shiwang for splitting their jurisdictions and secretly signaled Nanzhao to invade. Shiwang was greedy and cruel, amassed private wealth to a million, and garrison soldiers wished to eat him alive. He escaped by stratagem. The court recalled him and replaced him with grand treasury vice minister Dou Pang. Pang was greedier and crueler than Shiwang; before the barbarians arrived Dingbian was already in distress. That month Nanzhao chieftain Qiulong Qingguo invaded with tens of thousands, struck the Dongchunwu tribe, and defeated it. In the eleventh month barbarians raided Xi Prefecture. Dingbian chief An Zairong held Qingxi Pass; barbarians attacked; Zairong withdrew north of the Dadu and shot across the water nine days and eight nights. Barbarians secretly cut timber and opened a road, crossed the snow slope, and suddenly reached Muyuan River. Pang sent Yanhai general Huang Zhuo with five hundred men to resist; the whole army was destroyed. In the twelfth month, on dingyou, barbarians wore Yanhai clothing, pretended to be defeated soldiers, called for boats at the riverbank, crossed, and took Qianwei, burning and plundering Ling and Rong. Several days later barbarian troops massed at Lingyun Temple, facing Jia Prefecture across the river. Prefect Yang Min and Dingbian supervisor Zhang Yunqiong marshaled troops to resist. Barbarians secretly crossed from the east ford, flanked the government army, killed Yan Qingshi, chief general of Loyalty and Martial, and the rest broke. Min and Yunqiong escaped. On renzi they took Jia Prefecture. Qingshi was Qingsi's younger brother. Dou Pang personally resisted barbarians at the Dadu. The chieftain pretended to send Qingping officials to treat for peace. Before Pang finished speaking barbarians crossed in boats. Loyalty and Martial and Xu-Su armies formed ranks to resist. Pang was afraid and hanged himself in the tent. Xu general Miao Quanxu cut him down and said, "Why should the commander come to this!" Quanxu, Zairong, and the Loyalty and Martial general marched out to fight. Pang fled alone by night on horseback. The three generals said, "We cannot match the enemy. If we fight tomorrow we are all finished. Better to attack by night, throw them into disorder, and withdraw." They entered the barbarian camp by night; bows shot wildly; barbarians were alarmed; the three generals withdrew intact. Barbarians took Li and Ya. People hid in valleys. Defeated troops burned and plundered everywhere. Pang fled to Daojiang. Qiong's stores were scattered among disorderly troops. When barbarians arrived the city was empty and passage unobstructed. The court ordered left Divine Martial general Yan Qingsi to lead troops to the rescue.
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