Records of Wei 27: Biographies of Xu Miao, Hu Zhi, Wang Chang and Wang Ji

Records of Wei 27: Biographies of Xu Miao, Hu Zhi, Wang Chang and Wang Ji

Xu Miao

徐邈

Xu Miao, courtesy name Jingshan, was a man of Ji County in Yan. When Taizu pacified the lands north of the Yellow River, he summoned him to be Military Planning Clerk to the Chancellor; he served on trial as acting Magistrate of Fenggao, then entered the court as Consultant Clerk of the Eastern Bureau. When the state of Wei was first established, he became Gentleman of the Masters of Writing. At that time the law prohibited wine, yet Xu Miao drank in private until he was thoroughly drunk. When the Investigator Zhao Da asked him about the business of his office, Xu Miao said, “I have been struck by a sage.” Zhao Da reported this to Taizu, and Taizu was furious. Xianyu Fu, General Who Crosses the Liao, came forward and said, “Drinkers ordinarily call clear wine a ‘sage’ and cloudy wine a ‘worthy.’ Xu Miao is careful and cautious by nature; it was only something he said when he happened to be drunk.”

徐邈字景山，燕國薊人也。太祖平河朔，召爲丞相軍謀掾，試守奉高令，入爲東曹議令史。魏國初建，爲尚書郎。時科禁酒，而邈私飲至於沈醉。校事趙達問以曹事，邈曰：「中聖人。」達白之太祖，太祖甚怒。度遼將軍鮮于輔進曰：「平日醉客謂酒清者爲聖人，濁者爲賢人，邈性脩慎，偶醉言耳。」

In the end he was charged but escaped punishment. Later he took charge of Longxi as Prefect and was transferred to Nanan. When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, Xu Miao served in turn as Chancellor of Qiao, Prefect of Pingyang and of Anping, and Agricultural Commandant of Yingchuan; he was praised wherever he served, and was granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. When the imperial carriage visited Xuchang, the Emperor asked Xu Miao, “Are you still often struck by the sage?” Xu Miao replied, “Of old, Zifan died because of Guyang, and Yushu was punished for drinking wine. My fondness for wine is the same as those two men's; I cannot restrain myself, and from time to time I am struck again.

竟坐得免刑。後領隴西太守，轉爲南安。文帝踐阼，歷譙相，平陽、安平太守，潁川典農中郎將，所在著稱，賜爵關內侯。車駕幸許昌，問邈曰：「頗復中聖人不？」邈對曰：「昔子反斃於穀陽，御叔罰於飲酒，臣嗜同二子，不能自懲，時復中之。

But just as Suliu was remembered for her ugliness, I have become known for my drunkenness.” The Emperor laughed heartily, turned to those around him, and said, “A reputation is not built on nothing.” Xu Miao was promoted to Military Adviser to the Grand General Who Pacifies the Army.

然宿瘤以醜見傳，而臣以醉見識。」帝大笑，顧左右曰：「名不虛立。」遷撫軍大將軍軍師。

Because Liang Province was remote and bordered the Shu bandits to the south, Emperor Ming made Xu Miao Inspector of Liang Province, granted him the Staff of Authority, and had him serve concurrently as Colonel Protector of the Qiang. When he arrived, it was just when Zhuge Liang came out through Mount Qi and three commanderies of Longyou rebelled. Xu Miao at once sent his Army Adviser, the Prefect of Jincheng and others to attack the rebels of Nanan, and defeated them. West of the Yellow River there was little rain, and the region always suffered from a shortage of grain. Xu Miao petitioned to repair the salt pools of Wuwei and Jiuquan in order to obtain grain from the barbarians, and he also opened up paddy fields on a wide scale and recruited poor people to farm them. Every household became well-off, and the granaries overflowed.

明帝以涼州絕遠，南接蜀寇，以邈爲涼州刺史，使持節領護羌校尉。至，值諸葛亮出祁山，隴右三郡反，邈輙遣參軍及金城太守等擊南安賊，破之。河右少雨，常苦乏糓，邈上脩武威、酒泉鹽池以收虜糓，又廣開水田，募貧民佃之，家家豐足，倉庫盈溢。

He then calculated what remained of the province's military supplies and used it to buy gold, silk, dogs and horses, which were sent on to meet the expenses of the central states. Little by little he collected the weapons held privately among the people and stored them in the government arsenals. After that he led the people with humaneness and righteousness: he founded schools and made his teachings clear, banned lavish burials, stopped improper sacrifices, promoted the good and dismissed the wicked. His moral influence spread widely, and the common people gave him their hearts. That the Western Regions were opened to traffic and the distant Rong came to pay tribute was all Xu Miao's achievement. For his merit in suppressing the rebel Qiang Kewu he was enfeoffed as Marquis of a Chief Village with a fief of three hundred households, and was given the additional title General Who Establishes Might.

乃支度州界軍用之餘，以市金帛犬馬，通供中國之費。以漸收斂民間私杖，藏之府庫。然後率以仁義，立學明訓，禁厚葬，斷淫祀，進善黜惡，風化大行，百姓歸心焉。西域流通，荒戎入貢，皆邈勳也。討叛羌柯吾有功，封都亭侯，邑三百戶，加建威將軍。

In his dealings with the Qiang and Hu, Xu Miao did not pursue minor offenses; but if someone committed a serious crime, he first informed the tribal chief so that he would know of it, and only then beheaded those who deserved death as a public example. Because of this they trusted and submitted to him and feared his authority. All the rewards and gifts he received he distributed among his officers and men, and none went to his own household, so that his wife and children did not have enough clothing and food. When the Emperor heard of this he praised him and supplied his family from time to time. He impeached the wicked and corrected the crooked, and the province was brought to order.

邈與羌、胡從事，不問小過；若犯大罪，先告部帥，使知，應死者乃斬以徇，是以信服畏威。賞賜皆散與將士，無入家者，妻子衣食不充；天子聞而嘉之，隨時供給其家。彈邪繩枉，州界肅清。

In the first year of Zhengshi he returned to court as Grand Minister of Agriculture. He was then made Colonel-Director of Retainers, and all the officials respected and feared him. He left office over an official matter. Later he became Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, and after a few years he was appointed Minister of Works, but Xu Miao sighed and said, “The Three Excellencies are officials who discuss the Way; if there is no one fit for the post it is left vacant. How could I disgrace it in my old age and sickness?” He firmly declined and would not accept it. In the first year of Jiaping, at the age of seventy-eight, he died at home holding the rank of Grand Master. He was buried with the rites of an Excellency and given the posthumous title Marquis Mu.

正始元年，還爲大司農。遷爲司隷校尉，百僚敬憚之。公事去官。後爲光祿大夫，數歲即拜司空，邈歎曰：「三公論道之官，無其人則缺，豈可以老病忝之哉？」遂固辭不受。嘉平元年，年七十八，以大夫薨于家，用公禮葬，謚曰穆侯。

His son Xu Wu succeeded him. In the sixth year, the court remembered officials of pure integrity, and an edict said, “To distinguish the worthy and honor the virtuous is what the sage kings valued; to raise up the good and teach others by them is what Zhongni praised. The late Minister of Works Xu Miao, the General Who Conquers the East Hu Zhi, and the Commandant of the Guards Tian Yu all held office under former reigns and served four generations of rulers. Abroad they commanded armies, and at court they assisted in the many affairs of government. They were loyal and pure in public service, worried for the state and forgot their private interests, and did not build up property, so that after their deaths their families had no wealth left. We greatly commend them. Let the families of Xu Miao and the others be granted two thousand hu of grain and three hundred thousand cash, and let this be proclaimed throughout the realm.”

子武嗣。六年，朝廷追思清節之士，詔曰：「夫顯賢表德，聖王所重；舉善而教，仲尼所美。故司空徐邈、征東將軍胡質、衞尉田豫皆服職前朝，歷事四世，出統戎馬，入贊庶政，忠清在公，憂國忘私，不營產業，身沒之後，家無餘財，朕甚嘉之。其賜邈等家糓二千斛，錢三十萬，布告天下。」

Han Guan, courtesy name Manyou, of the same commandery as Xu Miao, had discernment and practical ability; he was as famous as Xu Miao and ranked ahead of Sun Li and Lu Yu. He became Inspector of Yu Province, achieved great merit in governing, and died in office. Lu Qin wrote a book in which he praised Xu Miao: “Lord Xu's aims were lofty and his conduct pure, his talents broad and his spirit bold. In putting them into practice, he was lofty without being narrow, pure without being aloof, broad yet holding to essentials, bold yet capable of leniency. The sages regarded purity as difficult, but for Lord Xu it was easy.”

邈同郡韓觀曼遊，有鑒識器幹，與邈齊名，而在孫禮、盧毓先，爲豫州刺史，甚有治功，卒官。¹盧欽著書，稱邈曰：「徐公志高行絜，才博氣猛。其施之也，高而不狷，絜而不介，博而守約，猛而能寬。聖人以清爲難，而徐公之所易也。」

Someone asked Lu Qin, “In the time of Emperor Wu, people thought Lord Xu easygoing; but since he was in Liang Province and after he returned to the capital, people have thought him aloof. Why is that?” Lu Qin answered, “In the past, when Mao Xiaoxian, Cui Jigui and others held power, men of purity and simplicity were esteemed, and at that time everyone changed their carriages and clothes in pursuit of a lofty reputation. But Lord Xu did not change his usual ways, so people thought him easygoing. Lately the realm has grown extravagant, with people imitating one another, yet Lord Xu has kept to his refined tastes as before and does not follow the common fashion. Thus the easygoing man of former days has become the aloof man of today. It is the people of the world who are inconstant, while Lord Xu is constant.”

或問欽：「徐公當武帝之時，人以爲通，自在涼州及還京師，人以爲介，何也？」欽荅曰：「往者毛孝先、崔季珪等用事，貴清素之士，于時皆變易車服以求名高，而徐公不改其常，故人以爲通。比來天下奢靡，轉相倣效，而徐公雅尚自若，不與俗同，故前日之通，乃今日之介也。是世人之無常，而徐公之有常也。」

Hu Zhi

胡質

Hu Zhi, courtesy name Wende, was a man of Shouchun County in Chu. In his youth he became well known in the region of the Yangtze and Huai rivers together with Jiang Ji and Zhu Ji, and served in the province and commandery. When Jiang Ji was Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage, he was sent as an envoy to see Taizu. Taizu asked, “Hu Tongda was a man of worth; does he have any sons or grandsons?” Jiang Ji said, “He has a son named Zhi. In breadth of vision and grand strategy he does not match his father, but in careful and thorough handling of affairs he surpasses him.” Taizu at once summoned Hu Zhi and made him Magistrate of Dunqiu.

胡質字文德，楚國壽春人也。少與蔣濟、朱績俱知名於江、淮間，仕州郡。蔣濟爲別駕，使見太祖。太祖問曰：「胡通達，長者也，寧有子孫不？」濟曰：「有子曰質，規模大略不及於父，至於精良綜事過之。」¹太祖即召質爲頓丘令。

A man of the county, Guo Zheng, had an illicit affair with his cousin and killed her husband, Cheng Tuo. A commandery clerk, Feng Liang, was held in prison as a witness. Guo Zheng and his cousin both endured torture and concealed and denied the crime, but Feng Liang could not bear the pain and falsely confessed, so that he was about to bear their guilt in their place. When Hu Zhi arrived at his post, he observed their expressions and re-examined the case in detail; when the evidence was checked, they all confessed.

縣民郭政通於從妹，殺其夫程他，郡吏馮諒繫獄爲證。政與妹皆耐掠隱抵，諒不勝痛，自誣，當反其罪。質至官，察其情色，更詳其事，檢驗具服。

He entered the court as Consultant Clerk of the Eastern Bureau under the Chancellor, and the province asked for him as Headquarters Officer. General Zhang Liao was at odds with his Protector of the Army, Wu Zhou. Zhang Liao went to see the Inspector, Wen Hui, and asked for Hu Zhi, but Hu Zhi declined on the grounds of illness. Zhang Liao came out and said to Hu Zhi, “I had set my heart on you. Why do you let me down like this?” Hu Zhi said, “In the friendships of the ancients, if a man took more than his share, his friend knew he was not greedy; if he fled in defeat, his friend knew he was not a coward; and hearing rumors, his friend did not believe them. Therefore their friendships could last to the end.

入爲丞相東曹議令史，州請爲治中。將軍張遼與其護軍武周有隙。遼見刺史溫恢求請質，質辭以疾。遼出謂質曰：「僕委意於君，何以相辜如此？」質曰：「古人之交也，取多知其不貪，奔北知其不怯，聞流言而不信，故可終也。

Wu Bonan is a refined gentleman, and in the past you, General, could not praise him enough; yet now, over a grudge as slight as an angry glance, you have become estranged. How much less could I, with my meager talents, remain on good terms with you to the end? That is why I did not wish to go.” Moved by his words, Zhang Liao was reconciled with Wu Zhou.

武伯南身爲雅士，往者將軍稱之不容於口，今以睚眦之恨，乃成嫌隙。¹況質才薄，豈能終好？是以不願也。」遼感言，復與周平。²

Taizu summoned him to be a Subordinate of the Chancellor. During the Huangchu era he was transferred to Gentleman of the Personnel Section, became Prefect of Changshan, and was then moved to a post in Dongguan. When a gentleman named Lu Xian was murdered, Hu Zhi said, “This man had no enemies but had a young wife. Is that not why he died?” He interviewed all the young men who lived nearby; when the clerk Li Ruo was questioned, his expression changed, so Hu Zhi interrogated him thoroughly about the circumstances. Li Ruo then confessed, and the culprit was brought to justice. Whenever he received rewards for military merit, he distributed them all among his men and none went to his own household. During his nine years in the commandery, officials and people lived in peace, and officers and soldiers gave their all at his command.

太祖辟爲丞相屬。黃初中，徙吏部郎，爲常山太守，遷任東莞。士盧顯爲人所殺，質曰：「此士無讎而有少妻，所以死乎！」悉見其比居年少，書吏李若見問而色動，遂窮詰情狀。若即自首，罪人斯得。每軍功賞賜，皆散之於衆，無入家者。在郡九年，吏民便安，將士用命。

He was promoted to Inspector of Jing Province, given the additional title General Who Spreads Awe, and granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. When the Wu grand general Zhu Ran besieged Fancheng, Hu Zhi hurried there with a lightly equipped force. Those in council all thought the enemy too strong to approach, but Hu Zhi said, “Fancheng lies low and has few troops, so we must advance and support it from outside; otherwise it will be in danger.” He then led his troops up to the siege lines, and the city was at last reassured. He was promoted to General Who Conquers the East, granted the Acting Tally, and made Chief Controller of the military forces of Qing and Xu provinces.

遷荊州刺史，加振威將軍，賜爵關內侯。吳大將朱然圍樊城，質輕軍赴之。議者皆以爲賊盛不可迫，質曰：「樊城卑下，兵少，故當進軍爲之外援；不然，危矣。」遂勒兵臨圍，城中乃安。遷征東將軍，假節都督青、徐諸軍。

He expanded farming and stored up grain until there were reserves for two years, and he established the Eastern Campaign Terrace, where men both farmed and stood guard. He also opened canals through the commanderies to ease the passage of boats, and set up strict defenses to await the enemy. The seaboard was at peace.

廣農積糓，有兼年之儲，置東征臺，且佃且守。又通渠諸郡，利舟楫，嚴設備以待敵。海邊無事。

He was calm and steadfast by nature and inwardly perceptive, but he did not hold others to the standard of his own integrity, so wherever he served he was remembered with affection. He died in the second year of Jiaping. His household had no wealth left, only the clothes he had been granted and a box of books. When the Military Adviser reported this, he was posthumously promoted in his enfeoffment to Marquis of Yangling Village with a fief of one hundred households, and given the posthumous title Marquis Zhen. His son Hu Wei succeeded him. In the sixth year an edict praised Hu Zhi's pure conduct and granted his family money and grain; the account of this is in the Biography of Xu Miao. During the Xianxi era Hu Wei rose to Inspector of Xu Province and achieved outstanding merit; he served as Prefect of three commanderies and was renowned wherever he went. He died at Anding.

性沈實內察，不以其節檢物，所在見思。嘉平二年薨，家無餘財，惟有賜衣書篋而已。軍師以聞，追進封陽陵亭侯，邑百戶，謚曰貞侯。子威嗣。六年，詔書褒述質清行，賜其家錢糓。語在〈徐邈傳〉。威，咸熈中官至徐州刺史，¹有殊績，歷三郡守，所在有名。卒於安定。

Wang Chang

王昶

Wang Chang, courtesy name Wenshu, was a man of Jinyang in Taiyuan. In his youth he became well known together with Wang Ling of the same commandery. Since Wang Ling was older, Wang Chang treated him as an elder brother. When Emperor Wen was in the Eastern Palace, Wang Chang became Literary Scholar to the Crown Prince and was promoted to Palace Cadet. When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, he was transferred to Cavalier Attendant Gentleman and became Agricultural Commandant of Luoyang. At that time the area around the capital had grown up into forest; Wang Chang cleared the wilderness and diligently encouraged the common people, so that an especially large amount of land was brought under cultivation. He was promoted to Inspector of Yan Province.

王昶字文舒，太原晉陽人也。¹少與同郡王淩俱知名。淩年長，昶兄事之。文帝在東宮，昶爲太子文學，遷中庶子。文帝踐阼，徙散騎侍郎，爲洛陽典農。時都畿樹木成林，昶斫開荒萊，勤勸百姓，墾田特多。遷兖州刺史。

When Emperor Ming came to the throne, Wang Chang was given the additional title General Who Displays Ardor and granted the rank of Marquis Within the Passes. Although he held a post in the provinces, his heart remained with the court. He believed that Wei had inherited the abuses of Qin and Han, that its laws were harsh and petty, and that unless the statutes of the state were thoroughly reformed to conform to the ways of the former kings, it would be impossible to hope for a revival of good government and moral influence. He therefore wrote the Treatise on Government, more than twenty chapters broadly based on ancient institutions yet suited to the needs of the time. He also wrote more than ten chapters on military matters, discussing the uses of unorthodox and orthodox tactics, and presented them during the Qinglong era.

明帝即位，加揚烈將軍，賜爵關內侯。昶雖在外任，心存朝廷，以爲魏承秦、漢之弊，法制苛碎，不大釐改國典以準先王之風，而望治化復興，不可得也。乃著治論，略依古制而合於時務者二十餘篇，又著兵書十餘篇，言奇正之用，¹青龍中奏之。

When he gave names and courtesy names to his nephews and his sons, he based them all on modesty and sincerity to show his intentions. Thus his nephew Wang Mo was styled Chujing and Wang Shen was styled Chudao, while his son Wang Hun was styled Xuanchong and Wang Shen was styled Daochong. He then wrote a letter to admonish them: For a man, in the way of being a son, nothing is greater than treasuring his body and keeping his conduct whole so as to bring honor to his parents. Everyone knows these three things are good, yet some endanger themselves, ruin their families and fall into the calamity of destruction. Why is this?

其爲兄子及子作名字，皆依謙實，以見其意，故兄子默字處靜，沈字處道，其子渾字玄沖，深字道沖。遂書戒之曰：夫人爲子之道，莫大於寶身全行，以顯父母。此三者人知其善，而或危身破家，陷於滅亡之禍者，何也？

It is because what they model themselves on and practice is not the right way. Filial piety, respect, humaneness and righteousness are the chief of all conduct; to practice them and stand upon them is the foundation of one's life. If one is filial and respectful, one's clan will be at ease with him; if one is humane and righteous, one's neighbors will value him. This is what is meant by conduct perfected within and a name made known without. If a man is not devoted to the highest conduct, but turns his back on the root to chase the branches, he will sink into vain showiness and form factions. Showiness brings the burden of falsehood, and factions bring the trouble of taking sides.

由所祖習非其道也。夫孝敬仁義，百行之首，行之而立，身之本也。孝敬則宗族安之，仁義則鄉黨重之，此行成於內，名著於外者矣。人若不篤於至行，而背本逐末，以陷浮華焉，以成朋黨焉；浮華則有虛僞之累，朋黨則有彼此之患。

The warnings against these two things are clear and plain, yet those who follow in the tracks of overturned carriages grow ever more numerous, and the chase after the branches ever more intense. All this comes from being dazzled by the praise of the day and blinded by the gain before one's eyes. Wealth, rank and fame are what people naturally enjoy, yet a gentleman sometimes obtains them and does not keep them. Why? Because he hates what is not attained by the right way. The trouble is that people know how to advance but not how to withdraw, know desire but not contentment; hence the burdens of hardship and disgrace and the laments of regret.

此二者之戒，昭然著明，而循覆車滋衆，逐末彌甚，皆由惑當時之譽，昧目前之利故也。夫富貴聲名，人情所樂，而君子或得而不處，何也？惡不由其道耳。患人知進而不知退，知欲而不知足，故有困辱之累，悔吝之咨。

There is a saying: “If you do not know contentment, you will lose what you desire.” Therefore the contentment of knowing contentment is lasting contentment. Looking at the successes and failures of the past and considering the good and bad fortune of the future, there has never been anyone who sought fame and pursued profit, desiring without satiety, and yet preserved his line, kept his household, and enjoyed good fortune and rank for long. Because I want you, in establishing yourselves and conducting your lives, to follow the teachings of the Confucians and practice the words of the Daoists, I used “profound,” “silent,” “humble” and “empty” in your names. I want you to reflect on your names, think of their meaning, and never dare to go against them or overstep them.

語曰：「如不知足，則失所欲。」故知足之足常足矣。覽往事之成敗，察將來之吉凶，未有干名要利，欲而不厭，而能保世持家，永全福祿者也。欲使汝曹立身行己，遵儒者之教，履道家之言，故以玄默沖虛爲名，欲使汝曹顧名思義，不敢違越也。

In ancient times, basins and bowls bore inscriptions and armrests and staffs bore admonitions, so that one saw them whether looking down or up and so committed no wrongful acts. How much more should one heed what is in one's own name! Things that are completed quickly perish quickly, while those that come to fruition late end well. The grass that flowers in the morning withers and falls by evening, but the lush pine and cypress do not fade even in the depth of winter. That is why the gentleman of great refinement hates quick success and takes warning from the boy of Quedang. When Fan Gai answered the guest from Qin and Wuzi struck him and broke the pin of his cap, it was because he hated his outshining others.

古者盤杅有銘，几杖有誡，俯仰察焉，用無過行；況在己名，可不戒之哉！夫物速成則疾亡，晚就則善終。朝華之草，夕而零落；松栢之茂，隆寒不衰。是以大雅君子惡速成，戒闕黨也。若范匄對秦客而武子擊之折其委笄，惡其掩人也。¹

When people have some virtue, few fail to boast of it, and among the able, few fail to show off. Boasting overshadows others, and showing off slights others. Those who overshadow others are overshadowed in turn, and those who slight others are slighted in turn. Thus the Three Xi were executed in Jin and Wang Shu incurred guilt in Zhou; was this not the fault of vaunting their virtue, boasting of themselves and loving contention? So a gentleman does not praise himself, not in order to defer to others, but because he hates to overshadow them. If one can bend in order to stretch, yield in order to gain, and be weak in order to be strong, one will seldom fail to succeed.

夫人有善鮮不自伐，有能者寡不自矜；伐則掩人，矜則陵人。掩人者人亦掩之，陵人者人亦陵之。故三郤爲戮於晉，王叔負罪於周，不惟矜善自伐好爭之咎乎？故君子不自稱，非以讓人，惡其蓋人也。夫能屈以爲伸，讓以爲得，弱以爲彊，鮮不遂矣。

Blame and praise are the source of love and hate and the trigger of fortune and misfortune; that is why the sages were cautious about them. Confucius said, “Whom have I blamed and whom have I praised among men? If I have praised anyone, it was because I had tested him.” He also said, “Zigong compared people with one another. Is Ci so worthy, then? I have no time for that.” If even one with a sage's virtue was like this, how much less should ordinary people blame and praise lightly!

夫毀譽，愛惡之原而禍福之機也，是以聖人慎之。孔子曰：「吾之於人，誰毀誰譽；如有所譽，必有所試。」又曰：「子貢方人。賜也賢乎哉，我則不暇。」以聖人之德，猶尚如此，況庸庸之徒而輕毀譽哉？

In former times Ma Yuan, the General Who Calms the Waves, admonished his nephews, saying, “When you hear of other people's faults, treat it as you would hearing the personal names of your parents: your ears may hear them, but your mouth must not speak them.” This admonition is perfect. If someone disparages you, you should withdraw and look for the cause in yourself. If you have done something that deserves disparagement, then his words are just; if you have done nothing that deserves it, then his words are false. If they are just, you have no grievance against him; if they are false, they do you no harm. Why then retaliate?

昔伏波將軍馬援戒其兄子，言：「聞人之惡，當如聞父母之名；耳可得而聞，口不可得而言也。」斯戒至矣。¹人或毀己，當退而求之於身。若己有可毀之行，則彼言當矣；若己無可毀之行，則彼言妄矣。當則無怨於彼，妄則無害於身，又何反報焉？

Moreover, one who hears himself disparaged and grows angry does so because he hates to have an ugly name attached to him; yet when he retaliates, the disparagement only grows worse. It is better to keep silent and cultivate oneself. The proverb says, “Nothing wards off cold like a double fur coat; nothing stops slander like self-cultivation.” These words are true. With men who delight in quarrels over right and wrong, or with vicious and treacherous people, it is not good even to be close; how much less to contend with them! The harm would be deep. False people's words are not rooted in the Way, and their deeds pay no heed to their words; their shallowness is comparatively easy to recognize. Yet the world is deceived by them because it does not examine them by their words and deeds.

且聞人毀己而忿者，惡醜聲之加人也，人報者滋甚，不如默而自脩己也。諺曰：「救寒莫如重裘，止謗莫如自脩。」斯言信矣。若與是非之士，凶險之人，近猶不可，況與對校乎？其害深矣。夫虛僞之人，言不根道，行不顧言，其爲浮淺較可識別；而世人惑焉，猶不檢之以言行也。

Recently Wei Feng of Jiyin and Cao Wei of Shanyang both came to ruin through their crooked wickedness. They bewitched their generation, harbored treachery, and stirred up the young. Although they were put to the axe and became a glaring warning, those they had corrupted were already many. Should one not be careful!

近濟陰魏諷、山陽曹偉皆以傾邪敗沒，熒惑當世，挾持姦慝，驅動後生。雖刑於鈇鉞，大爲烱戒，然所汙染，固以衆矣。可不慎與！¹

As for recluses of the mountains and forests, men like Boyi and Shuqi, who were content to starve for long at Shouyang or calmly walked into the fire at Mianshan, though they may shame the greedy and encourage the world, the sages would not do as they did, and I too do not wish it. Now, your forebears have held office for generations; they made their names by humaneness and righteousness alone and were known for caution and restraint, practicing filial piety and brotherly respect at home and devoting themselves to learning under teachers and friends. In my dealings with the men of my time, although they differed in whether they served or retired, each had something worth taking.

若夫山林之士，夷、叔之倫，甘長飢於首陽，安赴火於緜山，雖可以激貪勵俗，然聖人不可爲，吾亦不願也。今汝先人世有冠冕，惟仁義爲名，守慎爲稱，孝悌於閨門，務學於師友。吾與時人從事，雖出處不同，然各有所取。

Guo Boyi of Yingchuan loved broad-mindedness and was quick and intelligent. But as a man he lacked magnanimity and went too far in slighting or esteeming others: when he found a man to his liking he valued him like a mountain, and when he did not, he disregarded him like grass. Because I knew him, I was close and intimate with him, but I do not want my sons to be like him. Xu Weichang of Beihai did not strive for a lofty reputation or seek undeserved gain; he kept himself calm and detached and devoted himself only to the Way. When he had a judgment of right and wrong to make, he expressed his view through the men of antiquity, and he neither praised nor censured anyone of his own day.

頴川郭伯益，好尚通達，敏而有知。其爲人弘曠不足，輕貴有餘；得其人重之如山，不得其人忽之如草。吾以所知親之昵之，不願兒子爲之。¹北海徐偉長，不治名高，不求苟得，澹然自守，惟道是務。其有所是非，則託古人以見其意，當時無所褒貶。

I respected and valued him and hope my sons will take him as their teacher. Liu Gonggan of Dongping was widely learned and highly talented, sincere in integrity and great in aspiration; but his temperament and conduct were uneven and he had few scruples, so that his strengths and failings balanced each other out. I loved and valued him, but I do not want my sons to emulate him. Ren Zhaoxian of Lean was pure and followed the Way; he was quick-minded within and forgiving without, yielded to others with humility and courtesy, did not shun lowly positions, was timid yet brave for righteousness, and forgot himself when serving at court.

吾敬之重之，願兒子師之。東平劉公幹，博學有高才，誠節有大意，然性行不均，少所拘忌，得失足以相補。吾愛之重之，不願兒子慕之。¹樂安任昭先，淳粹履道，內敏外恕，推遜恭讓，處不避洿，怯而義勇，在朝忘身。

I befriended him and thought well of him, and I hope my sons will follow his example. If you draw these out and extend them, applying them to all things of like kind, you will come close to the mark; what I have raised is only one corner. As for the rest: in spending wealth, put the nine degrees of kin first; in giving, strive to help those in urgent need; in your comings and goings, look in on the old; in discussion, value refraining from disparagement; in taking office, esteem loyalty and integrity; in choosing people, insist on genuine worth; in positions of power, guard against arrogance and excess; in poverty and low station, take care not to be downcast; in advancing and withdrawing, consider what is fitting; and in all your actions, apply the nine considerations. That is all. What more would I have to worry about?

吾友之善之，願兒子遵之。¹若引而伸之，觸類而長之，汝其庶幾舉一隅耳。及其用財先九族，其施舍務周急，其出入存故老，其論議貴無貶，其進仕尚忠節，其取人務實道，其處勢戒驕淫，其貧賤慎無戚，其進退念合宜，其行事加九思，如此而已。吾復何憂哉？

In the fourth year of Qinglong an edict declared: “We wish to obtain men who possess talent, wisdom and literary ability; who are profound in planning and deliberation, who foresee the distant as if it were near, who perceive clearly what is obscure, whose calculations are never idle and whose schemes are never issued in vain; who are upright, single-minded and careful, pure in self-cultivation, meticulous and calm, tireless in their diligence, and whose aims are fixed on public service. Place no limit on age and pay no regard to rank; let each minister and colonel and above recommend one man.” The Grand Commandant Sima Yi, King Xuan, put forward Wang Chang in response. During the Zhengshi era Wang Chang was transferred to Xu Province and enfeoffed as Marquis of Wuguan Village; he was promoted to General Who Conquers the South, granted the Acting Tally, and made Chief Controller of military affairs in Jing and Yu provinces.

青龍四年，詔「欲得有才智文章，謀慮淵深，料遠若近，視昧而察，籌不虛運，策弗徒發，端一小心，清脩密靜，乹乹不解，志尚在公者，無限年齒，勿拘貴賤，卿校已上各舉一人」。太尉司馬宣王以昶應選。正始中，轉在徐州，封武觀亭侯，遷征南將軍，假節都督荊、豫諸軍事。

Wang Chang held that although a state has a standing army, there is no such thing as constant victory in war; and although terrain has fixed strongholds, there is no fixed pattern in defense. The garrison was then at Wan, more than three hundred li from Xiangyang; the armies were stationed in scattered places and the ships were at Xuanchi, so that in an emergency they would be unable to come to one another's aid. He therefore petitioned to move the seat of command to Xinye, trained naval forces in the two provinces, and expanded farming and land reclamation, until the granaries were full to overflowing.

昶以爲國有常衆，戰無常勝；地有常險，守無常勢。今屯宛，去襄陽三百餘里，諸軍散屯，船在宣池，有急不足相赴，乃表徙治新野，習水軍於二州，廣農墾殖，倉糓盈積。

At the beginning of Jiaping, after the Grand Tutor Sima Yi had executed Cao Shuang, he memorialized that the high ministers be widely consulted on the successes and failures of government. Wang Chang set out five points of policy: “First, to exalt the Way and devote ourselves to learning, suppressing and eliminating vain showiness, and to have the sons of the nobility enter the Imperial Academy and restore the schools. Second, to use examinations. Examinations are like the carpenter's line: no one sets aside the line and judges straight and crooked by guesswork, nor abolishes demotion and promotion and debates men's ability in the abstract. Third, to let officeholders remain long in their posts and, if they achieve merit in governing, raise their rank and grant them titles where they are. Fourth, to reduce the number of offices and make salaries adequate, encouraging officials with a sense of integrity and shame, and not letting them compete with the common people for profit. Fifth, to put an end to extravagance and strive to honor frugality, giving clothing its proper insignia and upper and lower ranks their proper order, storing grain and accumulating silk, and returning the people to simplicity.”

嘉平初，太傅司馬宣王旣誅曹爽，乃奏愽問大臣得失。昶陳治略五事：「其一，欲崇道篤學，抑絕浮華，使國子入太學而脩庠序；其二，欲用考試，考試猶準繩也，未有舍準繩而意正曲直，廢黜陟而空論能否也；其三，欲令居官者久於其職，有治績則就增位賜爵；其四，欲約官實祿，勵以廉恥，不使與百姓爭利；其五，欲絕侈靡，務崇節儉，令衣服有章，上下有叙，儲糓畜帛，反民於樸。」

An edict praised him. He was then commissioned to draft regulations for the evaluation of the hundred officials. Wang Chang held that although the times of Tang and Yu had texts on demoting and promoting officials, no method of evaluation had been handed down. Under the Zhou system the office of Chief Minister made a great reckoning of the conduct of all the officials and punished or rewarded them, yet there was still no system of comparative ranking. From this it may be said that the sage rulers were clear-sighted in entrusting affairs to worthy men: they set out only the broad principles of demotion and promotion, delegated them to the heads of high office, and kept the overall direction in their own hands, and so it could be known who was capable and who was not. Such was the gist of his view.

詔書襃讚。因使撰百官考課事，昶以爲唐虞雖有黜陟之文，而考課之法不垂。周制冢宰之職，大計群吏之治而誅賞，又無校比之制。由此言之，聖主明於任賢，略舉黜陟之體，以委達官之長，而總其統紀，故能否可得而知也。其大指如此。

In the second year, Wang Chang submitted a memorial: “Sun Quan has banished his good ministers, and his legitimate and secondary sons are divided and contending. We can take advantage of this rift to master Wu and Shu. Between Baidi and Yiling, Qian, Wu County, Zigui and Fangling all lie north of the Yangzi, and their people, Han and non-Han alike, border on Xincheng Commandery; they can be taken by surprise attack.” So Zhou Tai, Prefect of Xincheng, was sent to make a surprise attack on Wu County, Zigui and Fangling, Wang Ji, Inspector of Jing Province, advanced on Yiling, and Wang Chang advanced on Jiangling. They stretched bamboo cables from bank to bank to form bridges, crossed the water, and attacked.

二年，昶奏：「孫權流放良臣，適庶分爭，可乘釁而制吳、蜀；白帝、夷陵之間，黔、巫、秭歸、房陵皆在江北，民夷與新城郡接，可襲取也。」乃遣新城太守州泰襲巫、秭歸、房陵，荊州刺史王基詣夷陵，昶詣江陵，兩岸引竹絙爲橋，渡水擊之。

The rebels fled to the southern bank, cut seven paths, and came to attack all together. Wang Chang had his massed crossbows loose all at once, and the rebel general Shi Ji fled by night into the city of Jiangling; the pursuers took several hundred heads. Wang Chang wanted to draw the enemy out onto level ground and fight a pitched battle, so he first sent five divisions back along the main road, so that the rebels would see them and be glad; he had the armoured horses and the heads of armoured soldiers he had taken paraded at a gallop around the city to enrage them; and he set troops in ambush to await them.

賊奔南岸，鑿七道並來攻。於是昶使積弩同時俱發，賊大將施績夜遁入江陵城，追斬數百級。昶欲引致平地與合戰，乃先遣五軍案大道發還，使賊望見以喜之，以所獲鎧馬甲首，馳環城以怒之，設伏兵以待之。

Shi Ji did indeed pursue the army; Wang Chang fought him and defeated him. Shi Ji fled, and Wang Chang beheaded his officers Zhongli Mao and Xu Min, gathered up their armour, heads, banners, drums, treasures, equipment and weapons, and marched his army home in good order. Wang Ji and Zhou Tai both earned merit. Wang Chang was then promoted to Grand General Who Conquers the South with ceremonial honours equal to the Three Excellencies, and was advanced in fief to Marquis of Jingling. When Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin rebelled, he led troops to resist them and earned merit; two of his sons were enfeoffed as a Village Marquis and a Marquis Within the Pass, and he was raised in rank to General of Agile Cavalry.

績果追軍，與戰，克之。績遁走，斬其將鍾離茂、許旻，收其甲首旗鼓珍寶器仗，振旅而還。王基、州泰皆有功。於是遷昶征南大將軍、儀同三司，進封京陵侯。毌丘儉、文欽作亂，引兵拒儉、欽有功，封二子亭侯、關內侯，進位驃騎將軍。

When Zhuge Dan rebelled, Wang Chang occupied Jiashi to threaten Jiangling and pinned down Shi Ji and Quan Xi so that they could not go east. After Zhuge Dan had been executed, an edict said: “Long ago, when Sun Bin aided Zhao, he struck straight at Daliang. The swift advance of the western army likewise helped to create the momentum of the eastern campaign.” His fief was increased by a thousand households, making four thousand seven hundred with what he had before, and he was promoted to Minister of Works, keeping the Staff of Authority and his command as before. He died in the fourth year of Ganlu and was given the posthumous name Marquis Mu.

諸葛誕反，昶據夾石以逼江陵，持施績、全熈使不得東。誕旣誅，詔曰：「昔孫臏佐趙，直湊大梁。西兵驟進，亦所以成東征之勢也。」增邑千戶，并前四千七百戶，遷司空，持節、都督如故。甘露四年薨，謚曰穆侯。

His son Wang Hun succeeded him, and in the Xianxi era he became Colonel of the Yue Cavalry.

子渾嗣，咸熈中爲越騎校尉。¹

Wang Ji

王基

Wang Ji, courtesy name Boyu, was a man of Qucheng in Donglai. He lost his father as a child and lived with his uncle Wang Weng. Wang Weng raised him with great devotion, and Wang Ji in turn was praised for his filial conduct. At seventeen he was summoned by the commandery to serve as a clerk, but this was not to his liking, so he left and went into the territory of Langya to study. In the Huangchu era he was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and appointed Gentleman of the Palace. At that time the land of Qing had only just been pacified, and its Inspector, Wang Ling, sent a special memorial asking for Wang Ji as his Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage. Later Wang Ji was summoned to court as Gentleman of the Palace Library, but Wang Ling again asked for him back.

王基字伯輿，東萊曲城人也。少孤，與叔父翁居。翁撫養甚篤，基亦以孝稱。年十七，郡召爲吏，非其好也，遂去，入琅邪界游學。黃初中，察孝廉，除郎中。是時青土初定，刺史王凌特表請基爲別駕，後召爲秘書郎，凌復請還。

Soon afterward the Minister over the Masses, Wang Lang, summoned Wang Ji to his staff, but Wang Ling would not release him. Wang Lang wrote a letter impeaching the province: “When a household retainer is excellent, he is raised to be an aide to a duke; when a duke’s official is excellent, he enters the service of the king. That is why in ancient times the marquises and earls had the rite of presenting scholars. Now a province takes an official of the palace guard and keeps back a clerk of the imperial library—this is something rarely heard of.” Still Wang Ling would not release him. That Wang Ling’s reputation spread throughout the land of Qing was probably due in part to Wang Ji’s harmonious assistance. The Grand General Sima Yi (King Xuan) summoned Wang Ji to his staff, but before he arrived he was promoted to Gentleman Attendant of the Palace Secretariat.

頃之，司徒王朗辟基，淩不遣。朗書劾州曰：「凡家臣之良，則升于公輔，公臣之良，則入于王職，是故古者侯伯有貢士之禮。今州取宿衞之臣，留秘閣之吏，所希聞也。」淩猶不遣。淩流稱青土，蓋亦由基恊和之輔也。大將軍司馬宣王辟基，未至，擢爲中書侍郎。

Emperor Ming was building palaces on a grand scale, and the common people were worn out and exhausted. Wang Ji submitted a memorial: “Your servant has heard that the ancients likened the people to water, saying, ‘Water is what carries the boat, and it is also what overturns the boat.’ Therefore those who stand above the people cannot fail to be watchful and fearful. When the people are at ease their thoughts are untroubled; when they suffer they think of making trouble. That is why the former kings ruled them with frugality, so that disaster would not arise. Long ago Yan Yuan said of Dongye Zi’s charioteering that his horses’ strength was spent and yet he kept demanding that they go on, and from this he knew that he would come to grief.

明帝盛脩宮室，百姓勞瘁。基上疏曰：「臣聞古人以水喻民，曰『水所以載舟，亦所以覆舟』。故在民上者，不可以不戒懼。夫民逸則慮易，苦則思難，是以先王居之以約儉，俾不至於生患。昔顏淵云東野子之御，馬力盡矣而求進不已，是以知其將敗。

Now labour service is heavy and bitter, and men and women are separated and left alone. I hope that Your Majesty will look deeply into the fault of Dongye, keep in mind the parable of the boat and the water, rest the galloping team before its strength is spent, and moderate the corvée before the people are exhausted. Long ago, when the Han held the empire, by the time of Emperor Xiaowen there were only feudal lords of the imperial surname, yet Jia Yi worried over them, saying, ‘It is like placing fire beneath a pile of firewood, sleeping on top of it, and calling this safety.’ Now the invaders and rebels have not yet been wiped out, and fierce generals hold troops of their own. If we restrain them, we will have nothing with which to meet the enemy; if we leave them as they are for long, it will be hard to hand the state on to our successors. If in an age of flourishing and enlightened rule we do not work to remove this danger, then should our descendants lack strength, it will be a grief to the altars of state. Were Jia Yi to rise again, he would surely speak more earnestly and urgently than he did in his own day.”

今事役勞苦，男女離曠，願陛下深察東野之弊，留意舟水之喻，息奔駟於未盡，節力役於未困。昔漢有天下，至孝文時唯有同姓諸侯，而賈誼憂之曰：『置火積薪之下而寢其上，因謂之安也。』今寇賊未殄，猛將擁兵，檢之則無以應敵，久之則難以遺後，當盛明之世，不務以除患，若子孫不競，社稷之憂也。使賈誼復起，必深切於曩時矣。」

The Regular Mounted Attendant Wang Su wrote commentaries on the classics and their traditions and discussed and fixed the court rituals, altering the old interpretations of Zheng Xuan; Wang Ji held firmly to Zheng Xuan’s meanings and constantly contended with him. He was transferred to be Prefect of Anping but left office over an official matter. The Grand General Cao Shuang invited him to be his Attendant Gentleman, and he went out to be Prefect of Anfeng. The commandery bordered on the Wu invaders; his administration was pure and strict, with both authority and kindness, and he set up clear defences, so that the enemy dared not violate the border. He was given the additional title of General Who Suppresses Bandits.

散騎常侍王肅著諸經傳解及論定朝儀，改易鄭玄舊說，而基據持玄義，常與抗衡。遷安平太守，公事去官。大將軍曹爽請爲從事中郎，出爲安豐太守。郡接吳寇，爲政清嚴有威惠，明設防備，敵不敢犯。加討寇將軍。

Wu once raised a great host and gathered it at Jianye, putting it about that it meant to invade Yang Province. The Inspector, Zhuge Dan, had Wang Ji assess the situation. Wang Ji said, “In the past Sun Quan came twice to Hefei and once to Jiangxia; after that Quan Cong came out at Lujiang and Zhu Ran raided Xiangyang, and all of them returned without success. Now Lu Xun and the others are already dead, and Sun Quan is old; at home he has no worthy heir, and at the centre he has no chief strategist. If Sun Quan comes out himself, he fears that trouble will suddenly break out at home, like an abscess bursting; if he sends generals, his old generals are all gone and his new ones are not yet trusted.

吳嘗大發衆集建業，揚聲欲入攻揚州，刺史諸葛誕使基策之。基曰：「昔孫權再至合肥，一至江夏，其後全琮出廬江，朱然寇襄陽，皆無功而還。今陸遜等已死，而權年老，內無賢嗣，中無謀主。權自出則懼內釁卒起，癕疽發潰；遣將則舊將已盡，新將未信。

This is no more than an effort to shore up and settle his own partisans and look to his own defence.” In the end Sun Quan was unable to come out. At that time Cao Shuang held power alone, and public morals and teaching were in decline; Wang Ji wrote the Essay on the Needs of the Times to address the affairs of the age pointedly. He was recalled because of illness and was later raised from his home to be Intendant of Henan, but before he took up the post Cao Shuang was executed, and since Wang Ji had once been on Cao Shuang’s staff, he was dismissed according to the rule.

此不過欲補定支黨，還自保護耳。」後權竟不能出。時曹爽專柄，風化陵遲，基著《時要論》以切世事。以疾徵還，起家爲河南尹，未拜，爽伏誅，基甞爲爽官屬，隨例罷。

That year he became a Master of Writing, then went out as Inspector of Jing Province with the additional title of General Who Displays Ardour, and followed Wang Chang, General Who Conquers the South, in attacking Wu. Wang Ji made a separate surprise attack on Bu Xie at Yiling; Bu Xie shut his gates and stood on the defensive. Wang Ji made a show of preparing to attack, but in fact divided his troops to seize the granary at Xiongfu, collecting more than three hundred thousand hu of rice; he captured the General Who Pacifies the North, Tan Zheng, and received the surrender of several thousand people. He then moved the people who had surrendered and established Yiling County. He was granted the rank of Marquis Within the Pass.

其年爲尚書，出爲荊州刺史，加揚烈將軍，隨征南王昶擊吳。基別襲步恊於夷陵，恊閉門自守。基示以攻形，而實分兵取雄父邸閣，收米三十餘萬斛，虜安北將軍譚正，納降數千口。於是移其降民，置夷陵縣。賜爵關內侯。

Wang Ji also memorialized that a fortress be built at Shangchang and the seat of Jiangxia be moved there to put pressure on Xiakou; from then on the rebels dared not cross the Yangzi lightly. He made the regulations clear, put the army and farming in order, and also established schools, and the south praised him for it. At that time the court was discussing an attack on Wu, and an edict asked Wang Ji to weigh the best course for an advance. Wang Ji replied, “If troops are set in motion and achieve nothing, their prestige is broken abroad and resources are exhausted at home; therefore one must make everything complete before using them. If we do not prepare by opening waterways, gathering grain, and equipping for fighting on the water, then even if we mass troops on our side of the Yangzi, we will have no certain means of crossing.

基又表城上昶，徙江夏治之，以偪夏口，由是賊不敢輕越江。明制度，整軍農，兼脩學校，南方稱之。時朝廷議欲伐吳，詔基量進趣之宜。基對曰：「夫兵動而無功，則威名折於外，財用窮於內，故必全而後用也。若不資通川聚糧水戰之備，則雖積兵江內，無必渡之勢矣。

Now at Jiangling there are the two rivers, the Ju and the Zhang, which irrigate fertile fields by the thousand. Around Anlu there are reservoirs and ponds and rich, broad lands. If we farm both by the water and on dry land to fill our military stores, and then lead troops to Jiangling and Yiling, occupy Xiakou with a detachment, and follow the Ju and the Zhang, using the waterways to float our grain downstream, then when the rebels know that the imperial army is prepared to stay for a long time, those who resist Heaven’s punishment will lose heart, and those who incline toward the royal transformation will grow firmer. Then, if we lead and unite the Man and Yi tribes to attack them from within, while our picked soldiers and strong troops strike them from without, everything above Xiakou will surely fall, and the commanderies beyond the Yangzi will not be able to hold out.

今江陵有沮、漳二水，溉灌膏腴之田以千數。安陸左右，陂池沃衍。若水陸並農，以實軍資，然後引兵詣江陵、夷陵，分據夏口，順沮、漳，資水浮糓而下。賊知官兵有經久之勢，則拒天誅者意沮，而向王化者益固。然後率合蠻夷以攻其內，精卒勁兵以討其外，則夏口以上必拔，而江外之郡不守。

In this way the ties between Wu and Shu will be cut, and once those ties are cut, Wu will be taken. Otherwise, the advantage of sending out troops cannot be counted on.” The plan was therefore dropped.

如此，吳、蜀之交絕，交絕而吳禽矣。不然，兵出之利，未可必矣。」於是遂止。

When Sima Shi (King Jing) had newly taken charge of the government, Wang Ji wrote to caution him: “The realm is vast beyond measure and the myriad affairs of state are exceedingly numerous; truly you must be anxious and diligent, sitting up to await the dawn. When one’s purpose is upright, the many forms of wickedness do not arise; when one’s mind is calm, the many affairs are not hurried; when one’s deliberations are careful and settled, instructions and orders are not burdensome; when one keeps the loyal and good close and employs them, far and near alike are harmonious and submissive. Thus we know that bringing harmony to distant parts rests in one’s own person, and settling the multitude rests in one’s heart. Xu Yun, Fu Gu, Yuan Kan and Cui Zan are all upright men of this age, of straightforward character and without a wavering heart; they are men with whom you can share the affairs of government.” Sima Shi accepted his words.

司馬景王新統政，基書戒之曰：「天下至廣，萬機至猥，誠不可不矜矜業業，坐而待旦也。夫志正則衆邪不生，心靜則衆事不躁，思慮審定則教令不煩，親用忠良則遠近恊服。故知和遠在身，定衆在心。許允、傅嘏、袁侃、崔贊皆一時正士，有直質而無流心，可與同政事者也。」景王納其言。

When the Duke of Gaogui District ascended the throne, Wang Ji was advanced in fief to Marquis of Changle Village. When Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin rebelled, Wang Ji was made acting Army Supervisor with Credentials and put in command of the army at Xuchang, where he happened to meet Sima Shi. Sima Shi said, “How do you reckon Guanqiu Jian and the others?” Wang Ji said, “The revolt in Huainan is not because the officials and people long for disorder. Guanqiu Jian and the others have deceived and threatened them and pressed them with fear; they dread being killed on the spot, and that is the only reason they still hold together. If a great army draws near and bears down on them, they will surely collapse like earth crumbling and tiles shattering, and the heads of Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin will hang at the army gate before the morning is out.”

高貴鄉公即尊位，進封常樂亭侯。毌丘儉、文欽作亂，以基爲行監軍、假節，統許昌軍，適與景王會於許昌。景王曰：「君籌儉等何如？」基曰：「淮南之逆，非吏民思亂也，儉等誑脅迫懼，畏目下之戮，是以尚群聚耳。若大兵臨偪，必土崩瓦解，儉、欽之首，不終朝而縣於軍門矣。」

Sima Shi said, “Good,” and had Wang Ji take his place at the front of the army. The counsellors all held that Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin were swift and fierce and that it would be hard to meet them head on. An edict ordered Wang Ji to halt and hold his position. Wang Ji’s view was this: “Guanqiu Jian and the others have troops enough to drive deep into our territory, yet they have long failed to advance. This is because their deceit has already been exposed and their followers are doubtful and dispirited. If now we do not make a show of our might to meet the people’s hopes, but halt the army behind high ramparts, it will look like fear and timidity; that is not the way to use troops. If the rebels should plunder the people, and the families of the provincial and commandery soldiers fall into their hands, those soldiers will be all the more inclined to desert; and those whom Guanqiu Jian and the others have coerced, considering how grave their crimes are, will not dare to come back. This would be to place our troops on useless ground and to create a breeding ground for villainy.

景王曰：「善。」乃令基居軍前。議者咸以儉、欽慓悍，難與爭鋒。詔基停駐。基以爲：「儉等舉軍足以深入，而久不進者，是其詐僞已露，衆心疑沮也。今不張示威形以副民望，而停軍高壘，有似畏懦，非用兵之勢也。若或虜略民人，又州郡兵家爲賊所得者，更懷離心；儉等所迫脅者，自顧罪重，不敢復還，此爲錯兵無用之地，而成姦宄之源。

If the Wu invaders take advantage of this, Huainan will no longer belong to the state, and Qiao, Pei, Ru and Yu will be endangered and unsettled. That would be a great failure of planning. The army ought to advance quickly and occupy Nandun. At Nandun there is a large granary, enough by reckoning to feed the troops for forty days. To hold a strong city and live on its stored grain—for he who acts first takes away the enemy’s resolve—this is the key to pacifying the rebels.” Wang Ji asked repeatedly, and at last he was permitted to advance and occupy the Yin River. When he arrived there, he spoke again: “In war one hears of clumsy speed, but one has never seen skill that drags on.

吳寇因之，則淮南非國家之有，譙、沛、汝、豫危而不安，此計之大失也。軍宜速進據南頓，南頓有大邸閣，計足軍人四十日糧。保堅城，因積穀，先人有奪人之心，此平賊之要也。」基屢請，乃聽進據㶏水。旣至，復言曰：「兵聞拙速，未覩工遟之久。

At present there are strong invaders outside and rebellious ministers within; if we do not decide in good time, there is no telling how deep the trouble may go. Most of the counsellors want you, General, to act with caution. That you should act with caution is right; that you should halt the army and not advance is wrong. Caution does not mean not moving; it means advancing in such a way that you cannot be attacked. To sit now in strong walls and hold our ramparts, leaving the stored supplies as a resource for the enemy while hauling our army’s grain from afar, is a very poor plan.” Sima Shi wished to wait until all the armies had gathered, and still would not permit it.

方今外有彊寇，內有叛臣，若不時決，則事之深淺未可測也。議者多欲將軍持重。將軍持重是也，停軍不進非也。持重非不行之謂也，進而不可犯耳。今據堅城，保壁壘，以積實資虜，縣運軍糧，甚非計也。」景王欲須諸軍集到，猶尚未許。

Wang Ji said, “When a general is with his army, there are commands of his lord that he does not accept. A place that benefits the enemy if he takes it and benefits us if we take it is called a contested position, and Nandun is exactly that.” He then advanced on his own authority and occupied Nandun. Guanqiu Jian and the others also set out from Xiang, racing to get there, but after they had gone some ten li they heard that Wang Ji had arrived first, and went back to hold Xiang. At this time Deng Ai, Inspector of Yan Province, was stationed at Lejia, and Guanqiu Jian sent Wen Qin with troops to attack him by surprise. Wang Ji, knowing that their strength was divided, advanced his troops to press on Xiang, and Guanqiu Jian’s host was at last defeated.

基曰：「將在軍，君令有所不受。彼得則利，我得亦利，是謂爭城，南頓是也。」遂輙進據南頓，儉等從項亦爭欲往，發十餘里，聞基先到，復還保項。時兖州刺史鄧艾屯樂嘉，儉使文欽將兵襲艾。基知其勢分，進兵偪項，儉衆遂敗。

After Wen Qin and the others had been put down, Wang Ji was promoted to General Who Guards the South and Commander of all military affairs in Yu Province, concurrently Inspector of Yu Province, and was advanced in fief to Marquis of Anle District. He submitted a memorial asking to divide off two hundred households of his fief so that his uncle’s son Wang Qiao might be granted the rank of Marquis Within the Pass, in order to repay his uncle’s kindness in raising him. An edict granted this as a special favour.

欽等已平，遷鎮南將軍，都督豫州諸軍事，領豫州刺史，進封安樂鄉侯。上疏求分戶二百，賜叔父子喬爵關內侯，以報叔父拊育之德。有詔特聽。

When Zhuge Dan rebelled, Wang Ji, keeping his own office, was made acting General Who Guards the East and Commander of all military affairs in Yang and Yu. At that time the main army was at Xiang, and because the rebel troops were elite, an edict ordered Wang Ji to pull his army together and strengthen his ramparts. Wang Ji repeatedly petitioned to be allowed to advance and attack. Just then Wu sent Zhu Yi to rescue Zhuge Dan, and he encamped at Ancheng. Wang Ji again received an edict to lead the armies and shift to occupy the northern hills. Wang Ji said to his generals, “Now the siege works are growing steadily firmer and troops and horses are gathering. We should simply perfect our defences and wait for them to try to break out. If instead we move our troops to hold a strong position and let the enemy have free rein, not even a wise man will be able to set things right afterward.”

諸葛誕反，基以本官行鎮東將軍，都督揚、豫諸軍事。時大軍在項，以賊兵精，詔基斂軍堅壘。基累啟求進討。會吳遣朱異來救誕，軍於安城。基又被詔引諸軍轉據北山，基謂諸將曰：「今圍壘轉固，兵馬向集，但當精修守備以待越逸，而更移兵守險，使得放縱，雖有智者不能善後矣。」

So he held his ground on his own judgment of what was expedient and submitted a memorial: “Now that we face the rebels, we should be as immovable as a mountain. If we shift to rely on a strong position, men’s hearts will waver, and our position will suffer greatly. The armies are all holding deep moats and high ramparts; their hearts are settled and cannot be shaken. This is the key to commanding troops.” When the letter was presented, the reply granted his request. The Grand General Sima Zhao (King Wen) advanced and camped at Qiutou, dividing the forces to besiege and guard, each with its own command. Wang Ji supervised the twenty-six armies east and south of the city, and Sima Zhao ordered his army officers that when they entered the sector of the General Who Guards the South, they were not to draw away a single man.

遂守便宜上疏曰：「今與賊家對敵，當不動如山。若遷移依險，人心搖蕩，於勢大損。諸軍並據深溝高壘，衆心皆定，不可傾動，此御兵之要也。」書奏，報聽。大將軍司馬文王進屯丘頭，分部圍守，各有所統。基督城東城南二十六軍，文王勑軍吏入鎮南部界，一不得有所遣。

When the food in the city ran out, the rebels attacked the ramparts day and night, but each time Wang Ji fought them off and defeated them. After Shouchun had fallen, Sima Zhao wrote to Wang Ji: “At first the counsellors said this and that, and very many asked for a move; since at the time I had not been to the scene myself, I too thought it was right. You, General, weighed the advantages and dangers deeply and alone held firm to your purpose; above, you went against the edict, and below, you rejected the views of the many, until at last you mastered the enemy and captured the rebels. Even the deeds the ancients recorded do not surpass this.” Sima Zhao wanted to send his generals with light troops deep into enemy territory to invite and welcome the sons and younger brothers of Tang Zi and the others, and to take advantage of the rift to gain a position from which to sweep away and overturn Wu.

城中食盡，晝夜攻壘，基輙拒擊，破之。壽春旣拔，文王與基書曰：「初議者云云，求移者甚衆，時未臨履，亦謂宜然。將軍深筭利害，獨秉固志，上違詔命，下拒衆議，終至制敵禽賊，雖古人所述，不是過也。」文王欲遣諸將輕兵深入，招迎唐咨等子弟，因釁有蕩覆吳之勢。

Wang Ji remonstrated: “Once Zhuge Ke, riding on his victory at Dongguan, drew out every soldier south of the Yangzi to besiege Xincheng, but the city did not fall and more than half his men died. Jiang Wei, building on his success on the Tao, drove deep with light troops, but his supplies could not keep up, and his army was destroyed at Shanggui. After a great victory, high and low alike take the enemy lightly, and when they take the enemy lightly they do not think deeply about difficulties. Now the rebels have just been defeated in the field, and their troubles at home have not yet been quieted; this is the very time when they will be improving their defences and laying their plans.

基諫曰：「昔諸葛恪乘東關之勝，竭江表之兵，以圍新城，城旣不拔，而衆死者大半。姜維因洮上之利，輕兵深入，糧餉不繼，軍覆上邽。夫大捷之後，上下輕敵，輕敵則慮難不深。今賊新敗於外，又內患未弭，是其脩備設慮之時也。

Besides, the army has been out for more than a year, and the men long to go home. Now we have taken a hundred thousand captives and heads, and the guilty have been caught; in all the campaigns of past ages there has never been a victory won with the army intact as glorious as this one. When Emperor Wu defeated Yuan Shao at Guandu, he judged that what he had gained was already a great deal and did not pursue the fleeing enemy further, for fear of blunting his prestige.” Sima Zhao then dropped the plan. Because Huainan had only just been pacified, Wang Ji was transferred to be General Who Conquers the East and Commander of all military affairs in Yang Province, and was advanced in fief to Marquis of Dongwu.

且兵出踰年，人有歸志，今俘馘十萬，罪人斯得，自歷代征伐，未有全兵獨克如今之盛者也。武皇帝克袁紹於官渡，自以所獲已多，不復追奔，懼挫威也。」文王乃止。以淮南初定，轉基爲征東將軍，都督揚州諸軍事，進封東武侯。

Wang Ji submitted a memorial firmly declining and giving the credit to his staff, and as a result seven men, including his Chief Clerk and his Major, were all made marquises.

基上疏固讓，歸功參佐，由是長史司馬等七人皆侯。

That year Wang Ji’s mother died. An edict ordered the news of her death kept secret, and had the remains of Wang Ji’s father, Wang Bao, brought to be buried with her at Luoyang; Wang Bao was posthumously granted the title of Prefect of Beihai. In the fourth year of Ganlu, Wang Ji was transferred to be General Who Conquers the South and Commander of all military affairs in Jing Province. When the Duke of Changdao District ascended the throne, his fief was increased by a thousand households, making five thousand seven hundred with what he had before. Over time two of his sons were enfeoffed as a Village Marquis and a Marquis Within the Pass.

是歲，基母卒，詔祕其凶問，迎基父豹喪合葬洛陽，追贈豹北海太守。甘露四年，轉爲征南將軍，都督荊州諸軍事。常道鄉公即尊位，增邑千戶，并前五千七百戶。前後封子二人亭侯、關內侯。

In the second year of Jingyuan, the Prefect of Xiangyang memorialized that Deng You and other Wu rebels wished to come over and submit, and Wang Ji received an edict to use this opportunity to shake the lands south of the Yangzi. Wang Ji suspected a ruse and sent a report of the situation by express courier. He also said, “Since the Jiaping era there have been repeated troubles at home. The task of the present is to steady and secure the altars of state and bring peace to the common people; it is not fitting to set the multitude in motion in search of gains abroad.” Sima Zhao wrote back: “Most of those who manage affairs bend to go along with one another, and few can stand firm and join in getting to the truth of things. I am truly moved by your loyalty and devotion. Whenever I receive your counsel, I will respectfully follow its guidance.” In the end Deng You and the others did not surrender.

景元二年，襄陽太守表吳賊鄧由等欲來歸化，基被詔，當因此震蕩江表。基疑其詐，馳驛陳狀。且曰：「嘉平以來，累有內難，當今之務，在於鎮安社稷，綏寧百姓，未宜動衆以求外利。」文王報書曰：「凡處事者，多曲相從順，鮮能確然共盡理實。誠感忠愛，每見規示，輙敬依來指。」後由等竟不降。¹

That year Wang Ji died. He was posthumously granted the title of Minister of Works and given the posthumous name Marquis Jing. His son Wang Hui succeeded him but died young. In the Xianxi era, when the five ranks of nobility were established, because Wang Ji had achieved distinguished merit under the former court, his grandson Wang Yi was enfeoffed anew, and with the remaining households of Dongwu one son was granted the rank of Marquis Within the Pass. When the house of Jin ascended the throne, an edict was issued: “The late Minister of Works Wang Ji not only displayed virtue and achieved merit, but also conducted himself with purity and simplicity. He did not build up property, and though he held heavy responsibilities for a long time, his household had no private savings. It may be said that though he is dead, his conduct shines forth, sufficient to encourage the customs of the age. Let two slaves be granted to his family.”

是歲基薨，追贈司空，謚曰景侯。子徽嗣，早卒。咸熈中，開建五等，以基著勳前朝，改封基孫廙，而以東武餘邑賜一子爵關內侯。晉室踐阼，下詔曰：「故司空王基旣著德立勳，又治身清素，不營產業，久在重任，家無私積，可謂身沒行顯，足用勵俗者也。其以奴婢二人賜其家。」

Appraisal

評

Appraisal: Xu Miao was pure, lofty, broad-minded and understanding; Hu Zhi was upright and unalloyed in his simple way of life; Wang Chang had the insight and capacity to open up affairs and see them through; and Wang Ji was firm and spotless in learning and conduct. All of them held command over regional posts, leaving a good name and conspicuous achievements. They may be called good ministers of the state and outstanding men of their time.

評曰：徐邈清尚弘通，胡質素業貞粹，王昶開濟識度，王基學行堅白，皆掌統方任，垂稱著績。可謂國之良臣，時之彥士矣。