← Back to 資治通鑑

卷284 後晉紀五

Volume 284 Later Jin Records 5

Chapter 284 of 資治通鑑 · Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance
← Previous Chapter
Chapter 284
Next Chapter →
1
284
Comprehensive Mirror in Aid of Governance, Volume 284
2
[Later Jin Records 5] From the second month of the jiashen year through the seventh month of the following year—slightly more than one year in all.
3
Kaiyun 1 of Later Jin ( jiachen, 944 CE)
4
使使使西 使使使
In the second month, on the new moon of jiachen day, the emperor appointed the former Baoyi military governor Shi Yun to defend Majiakou, former Weisheng governor He Chongjian to hold Yangliu, Imperial Guard commander Bai Zairong to hold Majiakou again, and western capital regent An Yanwei to defend Heyang. Soon afterward Zhou Ru guided the Khitan general Maduo across at Majiakou, pitched camp on the east bank, and struck Yanzhou's northern crossing to link up with Yang Guangyuan. Maduo was a cousin of the Khitan emperor. On yisi day he sent palace cavalry commander and Yicheng governor Li Shouzhen, Shenwu commander Huangfu Yu, Chenzhou defender Liang Hanzhang, and Huaizhou prefect Xue Huairang with ten thousand men to press forward along the river by both land and water. Li Shouzhen was a native of Heyang; Liang Hanzhang was from Yingzhou; Xue Huairang came from Taiyuan.
5
使
On bingwu day the Khitan surrounded Gao Xingzhou, Fu Yanqing, and vanguard commander Shi Gongba at Qicheng. Earlier Jing Yanguang had ordered each general to defend his own sector and forbidden mutual relief. When Xingzhou and the others cried for help, Yanguang only slowly reported to the emperor, who then led the army to relieve them in person. The Khitan lifted the siege and withdrew. The three generals wept before the emperor, protesting that relief had come so late they had nearly been lost.
6
西退 西 使 西使 忿
On wushen day Li Shouzhen and his force reached Majiakou. The Khitan put ten thousand infantry to building a camp with cavalry deployed outside, while tens of thousands more waited west of the river and dozens of boats ferried men across. Before the crossing was complete Jin troops closed in; Khitan horse fled, and the Jin stormed the camp and captured it. The Khitan were routed. Thousands drowned trying to ride into the river, and thousands more were taken or slain. The army west of the river withdrew in grief and did not dare advance east again. On xinhai day Dingnan governor Li Yiyin reported that he would cross from Linzhou with forty thousand men to invade Khitan lands. On renzi day Li Yiyin was made commissioner for the southwest pacification of the Khitan. When the Khitan emperor first seized Beizhou and Bozhou he reassured the populace and sometimes granted office and insignia of rank. After the defeats at Qicheng and Majiakou his rage turned murderous: civilians in his hands were slaughtered, and captured soldiers were burned alive. Jin subjects were enraged by this and fought with united fury.
7
西
Yang Guangyuan was marching Qingzhou troops west to link up with the Khitan. On wuwu day the court ordered Shi Yun to detach troops and station them at Yanzhou as a precaution. Liu Zhiyuan was ordered to march from Tumen toward Hengzhou against the Khitan and to rendezvous with Du Wei and Ma Quanjie at Xingzhou. Liu Zhiyuan halted at Leping and refused to move forward.
8
Although the mourning year had not ended, the emperor already had delicate female music played within the palace. On campaign he often had attendants play three-string pipa with Qiang flutes, drums, and song, remarking, "This is not pleasure." On gengshen day the bureaucracy petitioned to allow music; the edict refused.
9
使
On renxu day Yang Guangyuan besieged Dizhou. Prefect Li Qiong sallied forth, routed him, and Guangyuan burned his camp and fled to Qingzhou. On guihai day former Weisheng governor He Chongjian was appointed eastern commander of horse and foot and stationed at Yanzhou.
10
使
Wang Junhuai, commander of the Jie-Cheng righteous army, defected to Shu with over a thousand men and offered to guide an attack on Jie and Cheng. On jiazi day Shu forces attacked Jiezhou.
11
西
The Khitan feigned abandonment of Yuancheng and lay in ambush with elite horse at ancient Dundunqiu, intending to strike once Jin forces merged with the Heng and Ding contingents. Ye capital regent Zhang Cong'en repeatedly reported that the enemy had fled; the main army prepared to pursue but halted for torrential rain. The Khitan waited in ambush for ten days until men and horses were starving and exhausted. Zhao Yanshou said, "Jin forces are all along the river and fear our edge—they will not dare come forward. Better to strike straight at their walls from four sides and seize the pontoon bridge; then the realm is ours." The Khitan emperor agreed. On the third-month new moon of guiyou he personally led over a hundred thousand men and formed battle lines north of Chuanzhou, stretching east and west to flank both corners of the city. From the walls the host seemed endless. Gao Xingzhou's vanguard south of Qicheng fought the Khitan from noon to dusk with neither side gaining a clear edge. The Khitan emperor advanced on the center with picked troops; the Jin emperor likewise deployed to receive him. Seeing the mass of Jin troops, the Khitan emperor told his attendants, "Yang Guangyuan said half the Jin army had starved—why are there so many?" He sent elite horse to probe both flanks. The Jin line held firm as ten thousand crossbows loosed together and arrows blotted out the ground. The Khitan drew back slightly; then struck the eastern wing of the Jin line but failed to break it. The bitter fighting lasted until nightfall; dead on both sides were beyond count. After dark the Khitan withdrew and pitched camp thirty li distant. On yihai day a Khitan camp orderly stole a horse and defected, reporting that wooden tallies had gone out ordering a northern withdrawal. Jing Yanguang suspected deception, shut the gates, and would not pursue.
12
使
The Southern Han ruler ordered chief minister and commander Prince Yue Hongchang to visit Emperor Liezong's tomb by the sea. At Changhua Palace he had assassins kill him.
13
North of Chuanzhou the Khitan emperor split into two columns, one withdrawing through Cang and De and the other through Shen and Ji. Their path was one of fire and plunder across a thousand-li square until people and goods were nearly gone. He left Zhao Yanzhao as acting Beizhou prefect. Maduo captured Dezhou and took prefect Yin Jufan prisoner.
14
使使 西使 -{}-使 -{}- 使使 殿 使 使使使
Zhu Wenjin, Min Archer's Guard commander, and Lian Chongyu, gate attendant, who had murdered Emperor Kang, lived in fear of popular retribution and sealed their bond with a marriage between their families. Min ruler Xi was swift to kill. Touring the Western Garden once, he slew Crane-Control commander Wei Conglang in a drunken rage. Conglang had been an ally of Zhu and Lian. Another time, deep in wine, he recited Bai Juyi: "Only between hearts that face each other—feelings an arm's length apart cannot be foretold." He raised his cup toward the two men. They rose weeping, bowed twice, and said, "As subjects serving our lord, how could we harbor any other intent!" Xi made no answer. The two were terrified. Empress Li, jealous of Noble Consort Shangxian, plotted to kill Xi and enthrone her son Yacheng. She sent word to the two: "The sovereign is deeply displeased with you—what will you do?" When Empress Li's father Li Zhen fell ill, Xi visited his house on yiyou day to inquire after him. Wenjin and Chongyu had Archer's Guard commander Qian Da kill Xi on horseback, assembled the officials, and declared, "Founding Emperor Zhaowu brought Min to light; his descendants have grown licentious and cruel and cast off his legacy. Heaven has turned from the house of Wang. We must choose a man of virtue to enthrone." No one dared speak. Chongyu propelled Wenjin to the throne, dressed him in imperial regalia, and led the court to bow north and hail him sovereign. Wenjin took the title Min ruler, rounded up more than fifty Wang clansmen from Yanchi down, young and old alike, and executed them all. He buried Xi with the posthumous title Emperor Ruiwen Guangwu Mingsheng Yuande Longdao Daxiao and temple name Jingzong. He placed Chongyu in command of all six armies. Minister of Rites and fiscal commissioner Zheng Yuanbi refused to submit, was dismissed to his estate, and was killed when he tried to flee to Jianzhou. Wenjin released palace women and halted construction, reversing Xi's policies. Yin ruler Yanzheng sent army commander Wu Chengyi against Wenjin but failed to defeat him. Wenjin made privy councilor Bao Sirun co-equal councilor, appointed Imperial Guard commander Huang Shaopo Quanzhou prefect, and left army commander Cheng Wenwei Zhangzhou prefect. Tingzhou prefect Xu Wenji of Tong'an surrendered his entire commandery.
15
On dinghai day the court ordered the Taiyuan, Heng, and Ding armies each to return home.
16
On xinmao day Ma Quanjie attacked Khitan Taizhou and captured it.
17
The court ordered a militia levy nationwide: every seven households were to equip and supply one soldier.
18
西
Qinzhou relief troops crossed Huangjie Ridge and defeated Shu forces at Xiping.
19
Southern Han appointed revenue vice minister Chen Wo co-equal councilor.
20
使 使使 使使 西 使使 使 使 使 使 滿
In the fourth month of summer, on dingwei day, river patrol commissioner Liang Jin retook Dezhou with local militia. On jiyou day he ordered Guide governor Gao Xingzhou and Baoyi governor Wang Zhou to remain at Chuanzhou. On gengxu day the emperor departed Chuanzhou; on jiayin day he reached Daliang. Jing Yanguang, palace horse-and-foot commander, Tianping governor, and co-equal councilor, was hated by court and camp alike, and the emperor feared his insubordination; Sang Weihan cited his failure at Qicheng; on xinyou day Yanguang was made attendant and sent out as western capital regent. Guide governor and attendant Gao Xingzhou was made palace horse-and-foot commander. Yanguang brooded in frustration. Seeing Khitan power rise, he feared ruin for state and self and drowned his days in wine. With the Khitan invasion draining the treasury, the court sent thirty-six envoys on separate routes to squeeze the people, each bearing a sealed sword of authority. Most envoys brought clerks and soldiers armed with shackles and blades into private homes. Families great and small were terrified beyond endurance. Local officials seized the chance for further extortion. Henan prefecture was assessed two hundred thousand strings; Jing Yanguang's share was three hundred seventy thousand. Regent's aide Lu Yi of Henan told Yanguang, "You hold both civil and military rank; your wealth and honor are complete. The state is in distress and the treasury bare—we must take from the people. How can you profit from this on top of that and burden your descendants?" Ashamed, Yanguang desisted. Earlier, after Yang Guangyuan's rebellion, Yanzhou had been ordered to strengthen its defenses. Taining governor An Shenxin, renowned for repairing walls and towers, squeezed the people to swell his private coffers. Chief justice Zhang Renyuan came as levy commissioner and assessed Yanzhou one hundred thousand strings of cash. With Shenxin absent, he seized the treasury clerk and, at a gesture, took one full granary of coin—already meeting the levy.
21
使 使
On wuyin day Li Shouzhen, palace deputy commander and Taining governor, was sent with twenty thousand horse and foot against Yang Guangyuan at Qingzhou. Pan Huan of Luoyang, Zhang Yanzhe, and others were posted at Chuanzhou to guard against the Khitan. Khitan relief troops for Qingzhou were intercepted and beaten by Qizhou defender Xue Keyan of Tangyang.
22
On bingxu day registered militia nationwide were organized as the Wuding Army—over seventy thousand men. After war and famine, this fresh levy left the people barely able to survive.
23
On dinghai day Zhang Cong'en reported, "Zhao Yanzhao holds Beizhou, but his troops are homesick after long service—we should strike at once." Cong'en was made overall commander of the Beizhou campaign and ordered to press the attack. On xinmao day Cong'en reported that Yanzhao burned and looted, fled the city, and entrenched between Ying and Mo behind the waterways.
24
使使
Zhu Wenjin sent envoys to Tang; the Tang emperor imprisoned them and prepared to invade, but summer heat and plague halted the campaign.
25
In the sixth month, on xinyou day, imperial forces captured Zizhou and executed prefect Liu Han.
26
使 使
Though chief minister, Grand Preceptor Feng Dao sat on every fence and decided nothing. Someone told the emperor, "Feng Dao is a fine minister for peaceful times; in crisis he is like asking a Chan monk to fly a hawk." On guimao day Feng Dao was sent out as Kuangguo governor, retaining the title of palace attendant.
27
On yisi day the Southern Han ruler confined Prince Qi Hongbi to house arrest.
28
使
Someone told the emperor, "To master the northern barbarians and settle the realm, you need Sang Weihan." On bingwu day the privy council was restored. Weihan became chief minister and privy commissioner with full authority over great and small affairs. Within months the court regained a measure of order.
29
The river broke at Huazhou and inundated Bian, Cao, Shan, Pu, and Yan, circling Liangshan to merge with the Wen. The court drafted laborers from several circuits to seal the breach. Once the breach was closed, the emperor wished to erect a commemorative stele. Drafting officer Yang Zhaojian urged, "A stele of triumph is less fitting than an edict of grief and repentance; praise in ink is less fitting than a proclamation of self-reproach." The emperor accepted the advice and abandoned the plan.
30
西 使使 使
When Gaozu ceded the northern frontier to the Khitan, Fuzhou prefect Zhe Congyuan fell under Khitan sway as well. When the Khitan planned to relocate all inhabitants west of the river to fill Liaodong, the populace panicked and Congyuan held the passes in resistance. After the break with the Khitan, envoys urged Congyuan to strike them. Congyuan marched deep into Khitan territory and took more than ten camps. On wuwu day Zhe Congyuan was appointed regimental commissioner of Fuzhou. Zhe Congyuan was a native of Yunzhou.
31
On jiazi day the Hanlin Academy posts were restored. On wuchen day Li Shenyi became vice minister of war and chief Hanlin academician; Liu Wensou, Xu Taifu, Li Huan, and Fan Zhi were appointed academicians. Liu Wensou was the son of Liu Yue.
32
In the seventh month of autumn, on the xinwei new moon, the court proclaimed a general amnesty and changed the era name.
33
On jichou day Grand Mentor Liu Xu was made minister of works and co-equal councilor.
34
使使使 使 使 使 使 退
On the eighth-month xinchou new moon, Hedong governor Liu Zhiyuan was made northern commander-in-chief and Shunguo governor Du Wei grand pacification commissioner over thirteen circuits against the Khitan. Having twice held the reins of government and banished rivals abroad, Weihan now commanded fifteen governors with a single order. Contemporaries admired his nerve and grasp. Shuofang governor Feng Hui protested that he was still fit for service though the appointment edict had omitted him. Weihan had a duty academician draft the reply: "The edict did not forget you—Shuofang is vital and only you can hold it. We wished to recall you inland, but your replacement must be a man of rare ability." Feng Hui was greatly pleased by the reply. With war pressing, memorials from every office and envoy flooded in. Weihan ruled on each at once, seeming at first cursory; yet on later reflection none could improve his judgments. Yet as minister he indulged personal likes and dislikes, repaying the smallest favor or slight—many faulted him for it. During the Khitan invasions the emperor twice ordered Liu Zhiyuan to join forces in Shandong; both times he arrived late. The emperor grew suspicious and told intimates, "Taiyuan gives me no help—he must harbor other designs. If he means to claim the throne, why does he not act at once!" Though named commander-in-chief, he had no real authority over the campaign and was shut out of secret strategy. Zhiyuan knew he was distrusted and kept cautiously to himself. Seeing Zhiyuan's worry, Guo Wei said, "Hedong's terrain is strong, its people warlike, its gentry well mounted. In peace they farm; in war they fight. That is capital for empire—why worry?"
35
使 使
Zhu Wenjin styled himself acting Weiwu regent, claimed authority over Min, and sent envoys submitting to Jin as vassal. On guichou day Zhu Wenjin was appointed Weiwu governor with authority over Min.
36
On guihai day the Zhenning command was established at Chuanzhou with Puzhou subordinated to it.
37
使 使 使使
When Wu's Haozhou prefect Liu Jin died, his son Rengui succeeded him; when Rengui died, his son Chongjun took the post. Tang's Liezu emperor established the Dingyuan command at Haozhou and made Chongjun its governor. When Qinghuai governor Yao Jing died, Chongjun bribed court power brokers to add Shouzhou to his command. The Tang emperor feigned ignorance, moved Chongjun to Qinghuai, and rushed Chuzhou prefect Liu Yanzhen to Haozhou as observation commissioner; Chongjun bitterly regretted his miscalculation. Liu Yanzhen was the son of Liu Xin.
38
On the ninth-month gengwu new moon there was a solar eclipse.
39
On bingzi day the Khitan raided Suicheng and Leshou; Shenzhou prefect Kang Yanjin repulsed them.
40
In the tenth month of winter, on bingwu day, the Southern Han ruler poisoned Prince Zhen Hongze at Yongzhou.
41
使 使使 紿 使
Yin ruler Yanzheng posted Chen Jingxian with three thousand men at Youxi and Gutian, and Lu Jin with two thousand at Changxi. Quanzhou irregular commander Liu Congxiao of Taolin told Wang Zhongshun, Dong Si'an, and Zhang Hansi, "Zhu Wenjin exterminated the Wang clan and posted his men across the prefectures. We owe the Wangs generations of grace yet serve this traitor with folded arms. When the Prince of Fusha takes Fuzhou, death will not erase our shame!" All agreed. In the eleventh month Congxiao gathered trusted soldiers for a night feast and lied, "The Prince of Fusha has taken Fuzhou and secretly orders us to kill Huang Shaopo. By your bearing, none of you are meant for poverty. Follow me and fortune is yours; otherwise ruin follows." They leapt up, seized white clubs, scaled the wall, seized Shaopo, and beheaded him. Congxiao took the prefectural seal to Wang Jixun's house and asked him to head the command. Congxiao styled himself pacification commander, sent Shaopo's head in a box, and dispatched Chen Hongjin of Linhuai to Jianzhou. At Youxi several thousand Fuzhou garrison troops blocked Chen Hongjin's path. Hongjin deceived them: "The loyal army has killed Zhu Wenjin. I hurry to attend our lord at Jianzhou—why do you still hold this post?" He showed Shaopo's head; the troops dispersed, and several officers followed him to Jianzhou. Yanzheng made Jixun attendant and Quanzhou prefect; Congxiao, Zhongshun, Si'an, and Hongjin were made commanders. Hearing the news, Zhangzhou general Cheng Mo killed prefect Cheng Wenwei and installed Wang Jicheng as acting prefect. Jixun and Jicheng were Yanzheng's nephews; as distant kin they alone survived Zhu Wenjin's purge of the Wang clan. Tingzhou prefect Xu Wenji submitted his surrender to Yin.
42
In the twelfth month, on guichou day, Zhu Wenjin was made co-equal councilor and enfeoffed as king of Min.
43
Li Shouzhen's long siege of Qingzhou exhausted the city's food; more than half the population starved. With no Khitan relief, Yang Guangyuan kowtowed toward the north crying, "Emperor, Emperor—you have misled me!" His sons Chengxun, Chengzuo, and Chengxin urged surrender to save the family. Guangyuan refused: "In the northern frontier I once offered paper money at Heaven Pool and cast it in—the omens said I would be emperor. We must wait." On dingsi day Chengxun killed Guangyuan's advisers including aide Qiu Tao, sent their heads to Shouzhen, raised a tumult, moved his father to a private house, submitted a plea for mercy, and opened the gates to imperial troops.
44
使使 使 使 西使 退
Learning of Shaopo's death, Zhu Wenjin in terror recruited twenty thousand men and sent Lin Shouliang and Li Ting'e against Quanzhou—the din of drums carried five hundred li. Yanzheng sent Du Jin with twenty thousand relief troops. Congxiao sallied forth, routed the Fuzhou army, killed Shouliang, and captured Ting'e. Yanzheng sent Wu Chengyi with a thousand warships against Fuzhou. Zhu Wenjin sent kinsmen as hostages to Wuyue begging for aid. Tang Hanlin attendant Zang Xun, a townsman of privy deputy Zha Wenhui, had been a merchant and knew Fujian's terrain. He drafted a plan to seize Jianzhou for Wenhui. Wenhui petitioned to attack Wang Yanzheng; most at court thought it unwise. The Tang emperor made Wenhui Jiangxi pacification commissioner and sent Xun to scout the border; reaching Xinzhou, Wenhui reported that attack was certain to succeed. The Tang emperor appointed Hongzhou deputy Bian Hao to command the expedition following Wenhui against Yin. Wenhui advanced from Jianyang to Gaizhu, learned that Zhang, Quan, and Ting had submitted to Yin and that Zhang Hanzhen was marching eight thousand men from Yongzhou, and retreated to Jianyang in fear. Zang Xun camped at Shaowu. Locals guided Yin troops to surprise his force, capture him, and send him to Jianzhou for execution.
45
便 使
Because Yang Guangyuan's crimes were grave but his sons had surrendered, the court found it awkward to punish him openly and ordered Li Shouzhen to deal with the matter as he saw fit. In the intercalary month, on guiyou (day 10), Li Shouzhen entered Qingzhou and had Yang Guangyuan dragged from his private residence and killed; the court was told he had died of illness. On bingxu (day 23), Yang Chengxun was recalled from mourning and made military commissioner of Ruzhou.
46
使
When Yin Wu Chengyi heard that Tang forces were in the field, he sent a false messenger to tell Fuzhou's officials and people: "Tang is helping us punish the rebel ministers—the main army has arrived." The people of Fuzhou grew even more afraid. On yiwei (day 32), Zhu Wenjin sent fellow chief councilor Li Guangzhun and others to deliver the state regalia to Yin. On dingyou (day 34), Fuzhou's Director of the Southern Colonnade, Lin Renhan, told his men: "We have served the Wang house for generations, yet now we are held captive by rebel ministers. When the Prince of Fusha comes, how can we face him?" He led thirty armored followers to Lian Chongyu's mansion. Chongyu was drilling troops for his own defense; at the sight of them, the thirty men gradually melted away. Renhan took a spear, charged straight at Chongyu, and killed him. He cut off Chongyu's head and held it up to the crowd, shouting: "The Prince of Fusha is coming—you will all be wiped out! Chongyu is dead—why not seize Wenjin at once to redeem yourselves?" The crowd surged to follow him. They beheaded Wenjin, welcomed Wu Chengyi into the city, and sent both heads in a casket to Jianzhou.
47
使 使使 使使使
The Khitan again invaded in force, with Lulong military governor Zhao Yanshou leading the vanguard. The Khitan vanguard reached Xingzhou, and Shunguo military governor Du Wei sent a messenger by a hidden route to report the crisis. The emperor meant to take the field himself, but fell ill. He ordered Tianping military governor Zhang Cong'en, Yedu defender Ma Quanjie, and Huguo military governor An Shenqi to gather forces from the circuits and camp at Xingzhou, while Wuning military governor Zhao Zaili held Yedu. The Khitan ruler followed with the main host and pitched his headquarters at Yuanshi. Fearing Khitan strength, the court ordered Cong'en and the others to pull back slightly. The armies panicked, broke formation, cast away arms and armor, and burned and looted along the march; by the time they reached Xiangzhou they could no longer be brought back into order.
48
Kaiyun 2 of Later Jin ( yisi, AD 945)
49
西 使
In spring, the first month, an edict ordered Zhao Zaili back to Dazhou and Ma Quanjie back to Yedu; it also sent Right Divine Martial Army commander Zhang Yanzhe to camp at Liyang and Western Capital defender Jing Yanguang to bring troops from Huazhou to hold Huliang Ford. On gengzi (day 37), Zhang Cong'en reported that the Khitan were pressing Xingzhou; the court ordered forces from Huazhou and Yedu to advance again and resist. Yicheng military governor Huangfu Yu marched toward Xingzhou. The Khitan ravaged Xing, Ming, and Ci, slaughtering and looting until little remained, then crossed into Yedu's territory.
50
使
On renzi (day 49), Zhang Cong'en, Ma Quanjie, and An Shenqi drew up tens of thousands of campaign troops south of the Anyang River at Xiangzhou. Huangfu Yu and Pu prefect Murong Yanchao led several thousand cavalry ahead to scout the Khitan. At Ye County, as they were about to ford the Zhang River, they met tens of thousands of Khitan and fought while falling back. At Yulin post station the Khitan closed in. The two generals said: "If we run now, not one of us will get out alive!" They halted and drew up formation. From noon to mid-afternoon they fought more than a hundred clashes, with heavy losses on both sides. Yu's horse was killed, so he fought on foot; his groom Du Zhimin gave Yu his own mount, and Yu remounted and returned to the fight. After a long while the fighting eased somewhat; he saw that Zhimin had already been taken by the Khitan. Yu said: "Zhimin is a man of honor—we cannot leave him." He and Yanchao charged into the Khitan lines, pulled Zhimin out, and rode back. Soon the Khitan brought up fresh troops and attacked again. The two generals said: "We cannot break away—we can only die for the realm." As dusk approached, the generals at Anyang wondered why the scouts had not returned. An Shenqi said: "Grand Mentor Huangfu has gone completely quiet—he must be surrounded." He had barely finished when a rider reported that Yu and his party were encircled by tens of thousands of the enemy; Shenqi at once led cavalry out to save them. Zhang Cong'en said: "That report is not reliable enough. If the foe really comes in such numbers and we throw in our entire force, I fear it may still not be enough—what good will your going do?" Shenqi said: "Success or failure is Heaven's affair. If it fails in the end, we should share the outcome together. Even if the Khitan never march south, if we sit here and lose Grand Mentor Huangfu, how can we face the empire?" He then crossed the river and pressed forward. The Khitan saw the dust of his approach and at once broke off and withdrew. Yu and his men were able to get back. They rejoined the other generals at Xiangzhou, and the whole army admired the two men's valor. Yanchao was originally Tuyuhun and shared a mother with Liu Zhiyuan.
51
退 宿
The Khitan also pulled their army back. Their men panicked among themselves, crying: "The whole Jin army is here!" The Khitan ruler was then at Handan. On hearing this he fled north at once, not stopping a second night, and reached Gucheng.
52
That night Zhang Cong'en and the others debated: "The Khitan have brought the whole nation against us. Our force is small and the city's grain will not last ten days. If some traitor reports our real strength, the foe will surround us with their full host and we will not live to see another day. Better to march to the Liyang granary and, with the great river at our backs to the south, hold them off—we can be completely safe." Before the debate was settled, Cong'en marched out first and the other armies followed; in the chaos men were lost, just as when they had left Xingzhou. Cong'en and the others left five hundred foot soldiers to guard Anyang Bridge. At the fourth watch Fu Yanlun, who was in charge at Xiangzhou, told his officers: "Tonight everything is in uproar and no one has a firm mind—how can five hundred spent troops hold the bridge?" He at once called them in and took the wall to prepare defenses. At dawn he looked out and saw tens of thousands of Khitan cavalry already drawn up north of the Anyang River. Yanlun ordered the men on the wall to raise banners, beat drums, shout orders, and keep ranks tight; the Khitan could not read their strength. By mid-morning Zhao Yanshou and the Khitan tiyin led their host across the river, swung south around Xiangzhou, and the court ordered Right Divine Martial Army commander Zhang Yanzhe to march toward Xiangzhou. When Yanshou reached Tangyin and heard the news, on jiayin (day 51) he turned back; Ma Quanjie and the others held the main force at Liyang but did not dare pursue. Yanshou paraded armored cavalry below Xiangzhou as if to storm the city. Fu Yanlun said: "These barbarians are about to run." He sent out five hundred armored troops and formed them north of the city to meet them; the Khitan did withdraw and leave.
53
使
Tianping military governor Zhang Cong'en was made acting defender of the Eastern Capital.
54
使
On gengshen (day 57), Zhenwu military governor Zhe Congyuan struck the Khitan, besieged Shengzhou, then attacked Shuozhou.
55
The emperor's illness eased somewhat, and urgent reports from Hebei kept arriving. The emperor said: "This is no time to sleep in peace." He then assigned the generals and laid plans for the campaign.
56
The Wuding Army was renamed the Tianwei Army.
57
使
Northern deputy campaign commander Ma Quanjie and others reported: "Surrenders say the enemy host is not large. We should strike while they are dispersing to their tribes and march in force straight on Youzhou." The emperor agreed and called up troops from the circuits. On renxu (day 59), an edict announced his personal campaign; on yichou (day 62) the emperor left Daliang.
58
使使
Min's former ministers together welcomed Yin ruler Yanzheng, asked him to return to Fuzhou, and restored the state name to Min. With Tang forces active, Yanzheng had no time to move the capital. He made his nephew, Secretariat vice director and fellow chief councilor Jichang, overall commander of military affairs inside and outside the Southern Capital, to hold Fuzhou; he appointed Swift Courier commander Huang Renfeng suppression commissioner to command the rear guard. When Lin Renhan reached Fuzhou, the Min ruler rewarded him very thinly. Renhan never once spoke of his own deeds. He mobilized the Southern Capital guard and fifteen thousand armored troops from the two armies and marched to Jianzhou to resist Tang.
59
In the second month, on renchen (day 29) the new moon, the emperor reached Huazhou; on renshen (day 9) he ordered An Shenqi to camp at Yedu. On jiaxu (day 11) the emperor left Huazhou; on yihai (day 12) he reached Dazhou. On jimao (day 16) the armies under Ma Quanjie and the others advanced north in sequence. When Liu Zhiyuan heard this he said: "China is exhausted. Merely holding our own may not be enough, yet we go and provoke the mighty Hu. Even victory will leave trouble behind—what if we lose?"
60
使
The Khitan withdrew from Hengzhou and drove weak troops and herds of cattle and sheep past Qizhou. Xiapi prefect Shen Bin led troops out to attack; Khitan picked cavalry seized the gates, and the prefectural force could not get back in. Zhao Yanshou, knowing no troops remained in the city, led the Khitan in a swift assault; Bin was on the wall. Yanshou called to him: "Prefect Shen, you are an old friend of mine—'when you must choose a calamity, take the lightest'—why not surrender now?" Bin said: "Your Excellency, you and your father through bad counsel fell into the barbarian court, yet you can bear to lead dogs and sheep to ravage the land of your fathers and mothers; you feel no shame, and show only more arrogance—how can that be? Shen Bin's bow is broken and his arrows are gone. I would rather die for the state than ever do as you have done!" The next day the city fell and Bin took his own life.
61
使
On bingxu (day 23) an edict ordered northern supreme campaign commander Du Wei to unite his circuit's troops with Ma Quanjie and the others and advance.
62
殿使 使 使
Duanming academician and vice minister of revenue Feng Yu, and northern bureau commissioner and acting commander of the palace horse and foot guard Li Yantao of Taiyuan, both traded on imperial favor, hated chief councilor Sang Weihan, and slandered him again and again. The emperor wanted to strip Weihan of office; Li Song and Liu Xu remonstrated firmly and stopped him. Weihan learned of this and asked that Yu be made deputy military affairs commissioner; Yu was deeply resentful. On bingshen (day 33) a central order made Yu minister of revenue and military affairs commissioner, to split Weihan's authority. In youth Yantao had served Yan Bao as a groom and later entered the High Ancestor's personal following. When the High Ancestor marched south from Taiyuan he left Yantao to attend the emperor as a trusted man, and so won favor. Crafty by nature, he bonded with the emperor's favorites to screen the emperor's eyes and ears. The emperor relied on him even for promoting and dismissing generals and chief ministers. He often told others: "I do not see what use the court has for civil officials. I mean to purge them—in time they will all be gone."
63
使使 使 退 使 使
Zha Wenhu of Tang submitted a memorial asking for reinforcements. The Tang sovereign made He Jingshu of the Tianwei command post commander-in-chief of the Jianzhou field army for horse and foot; appointed General Zu Quan'en relief commissioner and Yao Feng superintendent; and sent several thousand men to converge on Jianzhou, marching from Chong'an to camp at Chiling. Min ruler Yan Zheng dispatched Grand Secretary Yang Sigong and army commander Chen Wang with ten thousand soldiers to oppose them. They lined stockades on the south bank of the river and for over ten days refused battle, and the Tang troops did not dare close in. On Yan Zheng's command, Sigong pressed Wang to give battle. Chen Wang said, "The Jianghuai troops are crack soldiers, and their commanders are trained in war. The realm's survival depends on this single stroke—we cannot move until every precaution is in place." Sigong burst out in anger: "The Tang have driven deep into our land. The sovereign cannot so much as close his eyes in sleep, yet he has entrusted everything to you, General. The Tang field no more than a few thousand men, while you hold well over ten thousand. If you fail to hit them before they steady themselves, and they should withdraw out of fear—what countenance will you wear when you stand before His Majesty?" Wang could do nothing else; he led his troops across the river and engaged the Tang. Quan'en and his colleagues blocked them with the main body in front and sent a flanking force from behind, shattering them completely. Wang was killed; Sigong barely escaped with his own skin. Yan Zheng was terrified. He shut himself in the city, called Dong Si'an and Wang Zhongshun, and ordered them to lead five thousand Quanzhou troops to Jianzhou to hold the critical passes.
64
Earlier, Emperor Gaozu had posted the Deqing Army in the old Chanzou citadel. When the Khitan raided in, every walled post between Chanzou and Yedu was lost. Counselors argued that Chanzou and Yedu lay fifty li apart and that a town should be raised halfway between to connect north and south; the court agreed. In the third month, on wuxu day, the Deqing Army fortress was rebuilt, and the populace of Deqing and Nanle were combined to fill it.
65
使 使 使
Earlier, Li Rendao of Guangzhou had served Min as a commander of the original retinue and had gone fifteen years without promotion. In the reign of Min ruler Xi he rebelled and fled to Jianzhou; Min ruler Yan Zheng appointed him a general. When Zhu Wenjin murdered Xi, he rebelled once more, fled to Fuzhou, and offered a plan to seize Jianzhou. Wenjin despised his shifting loyalties and banished him to live in Fuqing. [Earlier still] Chen Jixun of Pucheng likewise rebelled against Yan Zheng and fled to Fuzhou. He had devised for Xi the scheme to take Jianzhou, and Xi made him Gentleman for Authorship. Once Yan Zheng held Fuzhou, neither man felt secure. Wang Jichang was dull, weak, and addicted to wine; he showed no concern for the troops, and the soldiers nursed deep grievances. Rendao stole into Fuzhou and, with Jixun, urged Huang Renfeng: "The Tang are riding victory; Jianzhou stands alone and endangered. If the Prince of Fusha cannot keep Jianzhou, how can he keep Fuzhou! Once the Wang Chao brothers were nothing but hemp-clad commoners of Guangshan, yet they seized Fujian as easily as turning the palm. If we seize this moment to carve out fortune for ourselves, what fear that we should fall short of them!" Ren Feng assented. That night Rendao and his party led armored soldiers in a sudden rush into the government compound and killed Jichang and Wu Chengyi. Rendao wished to declare himself ruler but feared the crowd was not yet won. Zhuo Yanming, a monk of Xuefeng Temple, had long been respected by all, so he said, "This monk has double pupils and hands that reach below the knee—he is a true Son of Heaven." They went together to bring him in. On jihai day they raised him as emperor, stripped off his Buddhist robes, arrayed him in imperial vestments, and led officers and clerks in obeisance toward the north. Even so they still dated the year as Tianfu ten and sent envoys with a memorial declaring themselves vassals of Jin. When Yan Zheng learned of it he wiped out Huang Renfeng's entire clan and ordered army commander Zhang Hanzhen to take five thousand naval troops, join with Zhangzhou and Quanzhou forces, and march against Yanming.
66
滿 退
On yisi day Du Wei and the allied armies gathered at Dingzhou. The palace attendant Xiao Chujun was appointed acting administrator of Qizhou. On gengxu day the armies struck the Khitan. Taizhou prefect Jin Tingqian surrendered the entire prefecture. On jiayin day they seized Mancheng and took the Khitan chieftain Molà together with two thousand of his soldiers. On yimao day they took Suicheng. A man who had deserted from Zhao Yanshou's command reported, "The Khitan ruler withdrew to Hubekou, but on hearing that Jin had taken Taizhou he has massed his host south again—roughly eighty thousand horsemen—and should arrive this very night. Make ready at once." Du Wei and his colleagues were alarmed. On bingchen day they fell back to hold Taizhou. On wuwu day the Khitan came up to Taizhou. On jiwei day the Jin army marched south, the Khitan treading on their heels. The Jin reached Yangcheng; on gengshen day the Khitan descended in full strength. The Jin gave battle and chased them north more than ten li before the Khitan crossed the White Ditch and pulled away.
67
On renxu day the Jin army drew up in formation and marched south. Khitan horsemen closed in on every side like moving hills, and every contingent fought with all its strength to beat them back. That day they had covered barely more than ten li; men and horses were starved and spent.
68
鹿 鹿 使 使 退使 使 使西 鹿 退
On guihai day the Jin army came to Baituanwei village and planted antler palisades for a marching encampment. The Khitan ringed them in many layers, while picked troops slipped out behind the camp and severed the grain road. That night a northeast gale rose, smashing houses and snapping trees; within the camp they sank wells, yet the moment water appeared the sides caved in. Soldiers squeezed mud through cloth and drank the drippings; men and horses alike were burning with thirst. By daybreak the wind was worse still. The Khitan ruler sat in his cart and told his host, "The Jin army ends here! Take every man, then drive south to seize Daliang!" He commanded the Iron Hawks on all four faces to dismount, tear out the antler stakes, and rush in, fighting the Jin with short arms while they loosed fire downwind and raised dust to swell their momentum. The troops were enraged and roared, "Why will the commander-in-chief not commit the army and leave the men to wait for death!" The generals pleaded to sally forth. Du Wei said, "Wait until the wind slackens, then watch at leisure whether we can act." Li Shouzhen, overseer of horse and foot, said, "They are many, we few; in wind and blown sand no one can tell the count. Only he who fights with his whole might wins—and this wind is our ally; if we wait for the wind to die, not one of us will be left alive." At once he cried, "Every unit—strike the enemy together!" He told Wei further, "Your Excellency hold the defenses; Shouzhen will throw the central army into a battle to the death!" Zhang Yanze, left-wing commander of the horse army, called the generals to counsel. All said, "The barbarians hold the wind's advantage; we ought to wait until it turns before we fight." Yanze agreed. The generals withdrew, but Yao Yuanfu of Taiyuan, deputy right-wing commander of the horse army, stayed behind and told Yanze, "The army is already half dead from hunger and thirst. If we wait for the wind to change, we will already be the enemy's prisoners. They believe we cannot fight into the wind. Strike them unawares and hard—that is war's deceit." Fu Yanqing, commander of both horse wings, said, "Better to offer one's body to the state than sit bound and be seized!" He then joined Yanze, Yuanfu, and left-wing commander Huangfu Yu in leading picked cavalry out the west gate to attack; the other generals came after. The Khitan recoiled several hundred paces. Yanqing and the rest asked Shouzhen, "Shall we wheel the line to and fro awhile? Or drive straight forward and fight to the limit of victory?" Shouzhen said, "Matters stand as they stand—how can we turn the reins! Press on at full gallop and take the win!" Yanqing and his fellows lashed their horses forward. The wind rose still higher, darkness thick as night. More than ten thousand horsemen under Yanqing swept sideways into the Khitan; their battle cries shook heaven and earth. The Khitan were smashed and fled, their rout like a mountain in collapse. Li Shouzhen likewise ordered the infantry to uproot every antler stake and pour out to fight. Foot and horse went forward together, chasing the foe north more than twenty li. The Iron Hawks, already on foot, could not regain their saddles in the panic and cast away horses and armor until the ground was buried under them. Broken Khitan bands reached the waters southeast of Yangcheng and slowly drew up again. Du Wei said, "The enemy's nerve is already shattered—we must not let them form ranks again!" He sent picked horsemen to hit them, and all forded the water and ran. The Khitan ruler fled in his cart for more than ten li. Pursuit closed tight, so he seized a Bactrian camel and rode it off. The generals begged to press the pursuit hard. Du Wei announced publicly, "We met the enemy and by luck did not die—must we now go after their baggage too?" Li Shouzhen said, "For two days men and horses have been parched beyond bearing. Now they have water and have drunk their fill; every man is heavy on his feet and we cannot run the foe down. Better to bring the whole army home." They then fell back to Baoding. When the Khitan ruler reached Youzhou, his scattered soldiers slowly reassembled; because the campaign had failed, he had every chieftain beaten several hundred blows—only Zhao Yanshou was excused.
69
On yichou day the allied armies marched back from Dingzhou. An edict placed Taizhou under Dingzhou's jurisdiction.
70
In summer, the fourth month, on xinsi day the emperor left Chanzou; on jiashen day he was back in Daliang.
71
On jichou day Yedu was restored as the Tianxiong command.
72
殿 使 使西 使 使
Zhang Hanzhen of Min arrived at Fuzhou and assaulted the eastern gate. Huang Renfeng learned that his clan had been exterminated. He threw open the gate, fought with desperate force, routed the Min troops, seized Hanzhen, dragged him into the city, and beheaded him. Zhuo Yanming had no policy beyond spitting water and scattering beans in the hall and carrying out ritual observances. He also sent envoys to bring his father from Putian and exalted him as Retired Emperor. Once Rendao had set Yanming on the throne, he took command of the Six Armies and palace guards himself, stationing Huang Renfeng at the west gate and Chen Jixun at the north gate. Renfeng said quietly to Jixun, "A man is a man because he keeps loyalty, faith, benevolence, and righteousness. I once served Fusha with credit, then turned rebel midway—that is not loyalty; a man entrusted his nephew to me and I let others kill him—that is not faith; in the recent war with the Jianzhou troops, everyone I killed was a neighbor or old friend—that is not benevolence; I cast off wife and children and let others carve them like fish on the block—that is not righteousness. This body has gone under nine times in ten and floated up once—to die still leaves shame enough!" He clapped his chest and wept in anguish. Jixun said, "A great man sells himself for fame and rank—why trouble over wife and children! Put such thoughts away and do not bring ruin on yourself." When Rendao heard of this, he sent word that Renfeng and Jixun were plotting revolt, and had both of them executed. From then on, all military authority passed to Li Renda.
73
In the fifth month, on the first day of the month (bingchen), the court proclaimed a general amnesty.
74
使 駿
Du Wei, military commissioner of Shunguo, had long held Hengzhou. Greedy and brutal by nature, he leaned on his status as an imperial in-law and broke the law repeatedly. He regularly extorted cash and cloth from officials and civilians under the pretext of frontier defense, stockpiling it for himself. If a rich household possessed rare valuables, renowned beauties, or fine steeds, he plundered them outright; or framed them on false charges, had them executed, and confiscated their estates. He was also abjectly cowardly: at the sight of even a few dozen Khitan horsemen crossing the border, Wei would already have shut the gates and manned the walls; or when a handful of riders drove hundreds or thousands of captured Chinese past beneath the walls, Wei would merely glare and crane his neck to watch, with no thought of intercepting them. The Khitan therefore had nothing to fear from him. Subordinate cities were repeatedly sacked, yet Wei never dispatched a single trooper to their aid; for a thousand li, bleaching bones lay thick as brush, and hamlets were all but wiped from the map. Seeing his district laid waste and himself loathed by his troops, and fearing Khitan power besides, Wei memorialized again and again to return to court; the emperor refused. Without waiting for a response, he abruptly quit his command and came to court. When word reached the capital, the court was stunned. Sang Weinhan said to the emperor, "Wei has plainly defied the court by quitting a frontier post without authorization. He habitually trades on his ties to the throne and demands leniency; now that the marches are in crisis, he has shown not the slightest will to hold the line; the time is right to remove him, lest trouble follow later." The emperor was displeased. Weinhan said, "If Your Majesty cannot bring yourself to dismiss him, grant him a minor post near the capital, and do not again invest him in a powerful frontier command." The emperor said, "Wei is my close kinsman and surely harbors no disloyal intent; only the Princess of Songlong longs to see him—that is all. Sir, do not cast doubt on him!" From then Sang Weinhan dared not raise state affairs again; citing a foot ailment, he resigned his office. On bingchen, Du Wei reached Daliang.
75
使 使 使 使
On dingsi, Li Renda reviewed his troops in grand array and invited Zhuo Yanming to attend. Renda secretly told his soldiers to surge forward up the steps and stab Yanming to death. Renda feigned shock and fled in disorder. The troops seized Renda in turn and seated him in Yanming's chair. Renda then proclaimed himself acting commissioner of Weiwu, adopted Tang's Baoda reign title, sent a memorial pledging vassalage to Tang, and dispatched envoys to pay tribute to Jin as well; and had Yanming's father put to death. Tang appointed him military commissioner of Weiwu and Tongpingzhangshi, granted the name Hongyi, and entered him on the imperial clan rolls. Hongyi also sent envoys to open friendly relations with Wuyue.
76
On jiwei, Du Wei presented four thousand infantry and cavalry of his personal command, with armor and weapons; on gengshen he offered one hundred thousand hu of grain and two hundred thousand bundles of fodder, claiming all remained in his circuit. The emperor assigned the cavalry to the Husheng guard corps and the infantry to the Huguo guard corps; Wei asked that they again serve as his personal retainers, with pay and provisions drawn from the state. Through the princess he petitioned for the Tianxiong command; the emperor approved.
77
Tang armies besieged Jianzhou and repeatedly routed Quanzhou's forces. Xu Wenzhen defeated Tang troops at Tingzhou and took their general Shi Houqing prisoner.
78
使
In the sixth month, on guiyou, Du Wei was appointed military commissioner of Tianxiong.
79
使 使 使 忿 使使
Year after year the Khitan raided inward; the realm was worn out from emergency marches, and border populations were slaughtered wholesale; Khitan people and herds likewise suffered heavy losses, and their people grew sick of the hardship. Empress Dowager Shulü said to the Khitan emperor, "Would it do to set a Chinese man as ruler over the Hu?" He said, "It cannot be done." The empress dowager said, "Then why do you wish to become ruler over the Chinese?" He said, "The Shi have betrayed our favor; they cannot be endured." The empress dowager said, "Though you seize Chinese territory now, you cannot hold it; should you stumble once, remorse will come too late!" She also told her ministers, "How can these Chinese pups keep sleeping as they please! Since antiquity one has heard only of Chinese suing the frontier tribes for peace, never of tribes suing the Chinese. If the Chinese truly change their minds, what would I begrudge in granting peace!" Sang Weinhan repeatedly urged the emperor to seek peace with the Khitan again to ease the national crisis. The emperor lent Kaifeng military officer Zhang Hui the rank of palace attendant and sent him with a memorial declaring vassalage to the Khitan, apologizing in abject terms. The Khitan emperor said, "Have Jing Yanguang and Sang Weinhan come in person, and cede the Zhen and Ding circuits to me—then peace may be discussed. The court took the Khitan reply as wrathful and concluded that no sincere desire for peace existed, and broke off the effort. When the Khitan emperor later entered Daliang, he told Li Song and others, "Had Jin sent envoys once more, north and south would never have fought."
80
In autumn, the seventh month, some Min men reported that Fuzhou relief troops were plotting rebellion. The Min ruler Yanzheng confiscated their arms, sent them homeward, then ambushed them in a defile and slaughtered them all—more than eight thousand dead. Their flesh was cured and carried back for rations.
81
Tang's Bian Hao captured Tazhou. Wei Cen, Feng Yanji, Yan Lu, and the rest of Cha Wenhui's faction, heartened by the army's early success, all pressed enthusiastically for more. Requisitions for grain and transport emptied the treasuries; the peoples of Hong, Rao, Fu, and Xin suffered worst of all.
82
使
Yanzheng sent envoys with a memorial declaring vassalage to Wuyue, asking to become a tributary state in exchange for rescue.
83
使
The king of Chu, Xi Fan, suspected that Xi Gao, military commissioner of Jingjiang, palace attendant, and administrator of Langzhou, had won the people's loyalty and sent men to watch him. Xi Gao grew fearful; he pleaded illness and asked to leave, but permission was refused; the court sent physicians to examine his illness and poisoned him on the pretext.
← Previous Chapter
Back to Chapters
Next Chapter →