Records of Wei 13: Biographies of Zhong Yao, Hua Xin and Wang Lang

Records of Wei 13: Biographies of Zhong Yao, Hua Xin and Wang Lang

Zhong Yao

鍾繇

Zhong Yao, courtesy name Yuanchang, was a man of Changshe in Yingchuan. Once, when he was traveling to Luoyang with his clan uncle Zhong Yu (瑜), they met a physiognomist on the road, who said, “This boy has the look of future eminence, but he will meet misfortune in water. Take great care!” Before they had gone ten li, as they crossed a bridge, his horse took fright, and he fell into the water and nearly died. Because the physiognomist’s words had come true, Zhong Yu valued Zhong Yao all the more and paid his expenses so that he could devote himself entirely to study. He was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and appointed Gentleman of the Masters of Writing and Magistrate of Yangling, but left office because of illness.

鍾繇字元常，頴川長社人也。¹甞與族父瑜俱至洛陽，道遇相者，曰：「此童有貴相，然當厄於水，努力慎之！」行未十里，度橋，馬驚，墯水幾死。瑜以相者言中，益貴繇，而供給資費，使得專學。舉孝廉，²除尚書郎、陽陵令，以疾去。

He was summoned by the offices of the Three Excellencies and became Superintendent under the Commandant of Justice and Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. At this time the Han Emperor was in the Western Capital, Li Jue, Guo Si, and others were causing turmoil within Chang’an, and communication with the east of the passes was cut off. Taizu, then holding the post of Governor of Yan Province, sent an envoy with a letter to the throne for the first time. Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others thought, “The east of the passes wants to set up a Son of Heaven of its own. Although Cao Cao has now sent an envoy, it is not his true intention,” and they discussed detaining Taizu’s envoy and rejecting his overture. Zhong Yao persuaded Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others, saying, “At present heroes are rising up everywhere, each forging imperial commands and acting on his own authority. Only Cao of Yan Province has his heart set on the royal house. To rebuff his loyal sincerity is no way to answer the hopes of the future.”

辟三府，爲廷尉正、黃門侍郎。是時，漢帝在西京，李傕、郭汜等亂長安中，與關東斷絕。太祖領兖州牧，始遣使上書。¹傕、汜等以爲「關東欲自立天子，今曹操雖有使命，非其至實」，議留太祖使，拒絕其意。繇說傕、汜等曰：「方今英雄並起，各矯命專制，唯曹兖州乃心王室，而逆其忠款，非所以副將來之望也。」

Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others followed Zhong Yao’s advice and sent a generous reply, and from then on Taizu’s missions could get through. Taizu had already heard Xun Yu praise Zhong Yao many times, and when he also heard that he had persuaded Li Jue and Guo Si, he regarded him with all the more open-minded esteem. Later, when Li Jue coerced the Son of Heaven, Zhong Yao laid plans together with Han Bin, a Gentleman of the Masters of Writing. Zhong Yao had a hand in the Emperor’s escape from Chang’an. He was appointed Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk and promoted to Palace Attendant and Supervisor of the Masters of Writing, and, with his earlier merit also recorded, he was enfeoffed as Marquis of Dongwu Village.

傕、汜等用繇言，厚加荅報，由是太祖使命遂得通。太祖旣數聽荀彧之稱繇，又聞其說傕、汜，益虛心。後傕脅天子，繇與尚書郎韓斌同策謀。天子得出長安，繇有力焉。拜御史中丞，遷侍中尚書僕射，并錄前功封東武亭侯。

At that time the generals of Guanzhong, Ma Teng, Han Sui, and others, each commanded strong forces and fought among themselves. Taizu, being engaged in affairs east of the mountains, was anxious about the lands west of the passes. He therefore memorialized that Zhong Yao, as Palace Attendant, should act as Colonel-Director of Retainers, bearing the tally of authority and supervising the armies of Guanzhong; he entrusted him with affairs in the rear and specially exempted him from the regulations. When Zhong Yao reached Chang’an, he sent letters to Ma Teng, Han Sui, and the others, setting out what would bring them disaster and what good fortune, and Ma Teng and Han Sui each sent a son to court to serve in attendance. When Taizu was locked in a standoff with Yuan Shao at Guandu, Zhong Yao sent more than two thousand horses to supply the army.

時關中諸將馬騰、韓遂等，各擁彊兵相與爭。太祖方有事山東，以關右爲憂。乃表繇以侍中守司隷校尉，持節督關中諸軍，委之以後事，特使不拘科制。繇至長安，移書騰、遂等，爲陳禍福，騰、遂各遣子入侍。太祖在官渡，與袁紹相持，繇送馬二千餘匹給軍。

Taizu wrote to Zhong Yao, “The horses you sent met our urgent need exactly. That the lands west of the passes are pacified, so that the court need not worry about looking back to the west, is your achievement. In the past, when Xiao He guarded Guanzhong, keeping the food supply ample and the army complete, it must have been just like this.” Later the Xiongnu Chanyu rebelled at Pingyang, and Zhong Yao led the armies to besiege him but could not take the place. Meanwhile Guo Yuan, whom Yuan Shang had appointed Prefect of Hedong, arrived in Hedong with a very large host.

太祖與繇書曰：「得所送馬，甚應其急。關右平定，朝廷無西顧之憂，足下之勳也。昔蕭何鎮守關中，足食成軍，亦適當爾。」其後匈奴單于作亂平陽，繇帥諸軍圍之，未拔；而袁尚所置河東太守郭援到河東，衆甚盛。

The generals discussed lifting the siege and leaving, but Zhong Yao said, “The Yuan clan is strong at present, and with Guo Yuan’s coming, Guanzhong is secretly in contact with him. The only reason they have not all rebelled is that they respect our prestige. If we abandon the siege and go, we show ourselves weak, and then among the people wherever we are, who will not become our enemy? Even if we wanted to go home, could we get there? This would be defeating ourselves before we even fight. Moreover, Guo Yuan is stubborn and loves to win; he is sure to think lightly of our army. If he crosses the Fen to make camp, we can strike before he has finished crossing and win a great victory.”

諸將議欲釋之去，繇曰：「袁氏方彊，援之來，關中陰與之通，所以未悉叛者，顧吾威名故耳。若棄而去，示之以弱，所在之民，誰非寇讎？縱吾欲歸，其得至乎！此爲未戰先自敗也。且援剛愎好勝，必易吾軍，若渡汾爲營，及其未濟擊之，可大克也。」

Zhang Ji persuaded Ma Teng to join in attacking Guo Yuan, and Ma Teng sent his son Ma Chao with elite troops to meet him. When Guo Yuan arrived, he did indeed cross the Fen carelessly; his followers tried to stop him, but he would not listen. Before he was halfway across the river they attacked and routed him, beheaded Guo Yuan, and received the Chanyu’s surrender. The account is in the Biography of Zhang Ji. Later Wei Gu of Hedong rebelled and turned bandit together with Zhang Sheng, Zhang Yan, Gao Gan, and others, and Zhong Yao again led the generals to attack and defeat them. Since the Emperor had moved west, the people of Luoyang had been wiped out; Zhong Yao moved people from Guanzhong there and also invited fugitives and rebels back to fill it, so that within a few years the households gradually grew more numerous. When Taizu campaigned in Guanzhong, he was able to draw on these resources. He memorialized that Zhong Yao be made Military Adviser of the Front.

張旣說馬騰會擊援，騰遣子超將精兵逆之。援至，果輕渡汾，衆止之，不從。濟水未半，擊，大破之，¹斬援，降單于。語在《旣傳》。其後河東衞固作亂，與張晟、張琰及高幹等並爲寇，繇又率諸將討破之。²自天子西遷，洛陽人民單盡，繇徙關中民，又招納亡叛以充之，數年間民戶稍實。太祖征關中，得以爲資，表繇爲前軍師。

When the state of Wei was first established, he became Minister of Justice and was promoted to Chancellor of State. While Emperor Wen was in the Eastern Palace as heir, he presented Zhong Yao with a five-flavor cauldron and composed an inscription for it: “Oh, glorious is Wei
Serving Han as bulwark and support
Its chancellor is Zhong
Truly the mainstay, its heart and backbone
Reverent and diligent morning and night
He finds no leisure for rest
The hundred officials take him as their model
And pattern themselves on his rule and measure.” Some years later he was implicated in the plot to rebel by Wei Feng, Clerk of the Western Bureau, and was dismissed by written decree and sent home to his residence. When Emperor Wen became King, Zhong Yao again became Minister of Justice. When Emperor Wen ascended the imperial throne, the post was changed to Commandant of Justice, and he was advanced in fief to Marquis of Chonggao District.

魏國初建，爲大理，遷相國。文帝在東宮，賜繇五熟釜，爲之銘曰：「於赫有魏，作漢藩輔。厥相惟鍾，寔幹心膂。靖恭夙夜，匪遑安處。百寮師師，楷茲度矩。」¹數年，坐西曹掾魏諷謀反，策罷就第。²文帝即王位，復爲大理。及踐阼，改爲廷尉，進封崇高鄉侯。

He was promoted to Grand Commandant and his fief was changed to Marquis of Pingyang District. At that time the Minister over the Masses Hua Xin and the Minister of Works Wang Lang were both renowned ministers of the previous generation. Emperor Wen, after dismissing court, said to those around him, “These three Excellencies are the great men of an age; later generations will hardly be able to match them!” When Emperor Ming took the throne, Zhong Yao was advanced in fief to Marquis of Dingling, with an increase of five hundred households, making one thousand eight hundred with what he had before, and was promoted to Grand Tutor. Zhong Yao suffered from an ailment of the knees and found it hard to bow and rise. At that time Hua Xin too was old and ill, so whenever they attended court, both were carried in a sedan carriage, and Tiger Guards bore them up into the hall and to their seats. After this it became the established precedent whenever one of the Three Excellencies was ill.

遷太尉，轉封平陽鄉侯。時司徒華歆、司空王朗，並先世名臣。文帝罷朝，謂左右曰：「此三公者，乃一代之偉人也，後世殆難繼矣！」¹明帝即位，進封定陵侯，增邑五百，并前千八百戶，遷太傅。繇有膝疾，拜起不便。時華歆亦以高年疾病，朝見皆使載輿車，虎賁舁上殿就坐。是後三公有疾，遂以爲故事。

Earlier, Taizu had issued an order to deliberate fairly on which capital offenders might be castrated instead. Zhong Yao held that “The mutilating punishments of antiquity passed through the hands of successive sages; they should be restored and applied in place of the death penalty.” The deliberators considered this no way to please the people, and the matter was shelved. When Emperor Wen held a banquet for his ministers, his edict said, “The Minister of Justice wishes to restore the mutilating punishments; this is truly the law of the sage kings. Let the ministers and nobles deliberate on it well together.” Before the deliberation was settled, military affairs intervened, and it was shelved again.

初，太祖下令，使平議死刑可宮割者。繇以爲「古之肉刑，更歷聖人，宜復施行，以代死刑。」議者以爲非悅民之道，遂寢。及文帝臨饗群臣，詔謂「大理欲復肉刑，此誠聖王之法。公卿當善共議。」議未定，會有軍事，復寢。

During the Taihe era, Zhong Yao submitted a memorial: “Great Wei received the Mandate and followed in the footsteps of Yu and Xia. Emperor Xiaowen’s reform of the laws did not accord with the ancient Way. The late Emperor’s sagely virtue was truly bestowed by Heaven, and he mastered the learning of the ancient canons in a single thread. Therefore, when he succeeded to the throne, he issued enlightened edicts again and again, intending to restore the ancient punishments as the law of his age. Because military affairs followed one after another, this was never carried out. Your Majesty, pursuing from afar the wishes left by the two Ancestors, regrets that cutting off the feet, which could restrain evil, lies unused, and grieves that the guiltless fall into the death penalty, and so has had those versed in the statutes deliberate together with the ministers.

太和中，繇上疏曰：「大魏受命，繼蹤虞、夏。孝文革法，不合古道。先帝聖德，固天所縱，墳典之業，一以貫之。是以繼世，仍發明詔，思復古刑，爲一代法。連有軍事，遂未施行。陛下遠追二祖遺意，惜斬趾可以禁惡，恨入死之無辜，使明習律令，與群臣共議。

Those who originally merited the cutting off of the right foot but have been sent to the death penalty should again receive this punishment. The Book of Documents says, ‘The Sovereign Emperor inquired with a pure heart among the people below, and the widowers and widows made complaint against the Miao.’ This says that when Yao was about to abolish the punishments of Chiyou and the Youmiao, he first carefully questioned those among the people below who had complaints. If now, when cases are decided, the Three Locust Trees and Nine Thorn Trees, the officials, and the people are consulted, then, as in the ordinance of Emperor Xiaojing, let those who deserve public execution but wish instead to have the right foot cut off be permitted to do so.

出本當右趾而入大辟者，復行此刑。書云：『皇帝清問下民，鰥寡有辭于苗。』此言堯當除蚩尤、有苗之刑，先審問於下民之有辭者也。若今蔽獄之時，訊問三槐、九棘、群吏、萬民，使如孝景之令，其當棄市，欲斬右趾者許之。

Those liable to tattooing, cutting off the nose, cutting off the left foot, or castration should, as under Emperor Xiaowen, have these replaced by head-shaving and flogging. Those capable of wrongdoing are mostly between twenty and forty or fifty years old; even if their feet are cut off, they can still beget and raise children. The realm’s population today is smaller than in the time of Emperor Xiaowen; by a low estimate, the lives preserved would be three thousand a year. After Zhang Cang abolished the mutilating punishments, those put to death numbered in the tens of thousands each year. In wishing to restore the mutilating punishments, I would give life to three thousand people a year. Zigong asked whether one who could relieve the people could be called humane.

其黥、劓、左趾、宮刑者，自如孝文，易以髠、笞。能有姦者，率年二十至四五十，雖斬其足，猶任生育。今天下人少於孝文之世，下計所全，歲三千人。張蒼除肉刑，所殺歲以萬計。臣欲復肉刑，歲生三千人。子貢問能濟民可謂仁乎？

The Master replied, ‘Why speak only of humaneness? He would surely be a sage! Even Yao and Shun found this difficult!’ He also said, ‘Is humaneness far away? If I desire humaneness, humaneness arrives.’ If this is truly put into practice, the people will be relieved forever.” When the memorial was submitted, the edict said, “The Grand Tutor is eminent in learning and lofty in talent, attentive to the affairs of government, and profound as well in the principles of punishment. This is a great matter; let the ministers, nobles, and officials deliberate on it fairly together.” The Minister over the Masses Wang Lang, in his deliberation, held that “Zhong Yao’s wish to lighten and reduce the articles of capital punishment and increase the number of foot amputations would indeed raise the fallen to stand and turn corpses back into living men.

子曰：『何事於仁，必也聖乎，堯、舜其猶病諸！』又曰：『仁遠乎哉？我欲仁，斯仁至矣。』若誠行之，斯民永濟。」書奏，詔曰：「太傅學優才高，留心政事，又於刑理深遠。此大事，公卿羣寮善共平議。」司徒王朗議，以爲「繇欲輕減大辟之條，以增益刖刑之數，此即起偃爲豎，化屍爲人矣。

Yet in my foolish view there is still a slightly different idea that does not agree with his. The categories of the Five Punishments are set out in the statutes, and there is already a law reducing death by one degree, so that not executing someone is itself the reduction. This has long been in force; there is no need to borrow axes and chisels from the distant mutilating punishments in order to have gradations of crime. Humane men of former ages could not bear the cruelty of the mutilating punishments, and so abolished them and did not use them. Since they fell out of use, several hundred years have passed. If they are reinstated now, I fear that before the articles of reduction are plain to the eyes of the people, the news of mutilation will already have reached the ears of our enemies. That is no way to draw people from afar.

然臣之愚，猶有未合微異之意。夫五刑之屬，著在科律，自有減死一等之法，不死即爲減。施行已久，不待遠假斧鑿於彼肉刑，然後有罪次也。前世仁者，不忍肉刑之慘酷，是以廢而不用。不用已來，歷年數百。今復行之，恐所減之文未彰於萬民之目，而肉刑之問已宣於寇讎之耳，非所以來遠人也。

Now, for the capital crimes that Zhong Yao wishes to lighten, let death be reduced to head-shaving in place of foot amputation. If that is thought too light, the years of penal labor could be doubled. Then at home there would be the immeasurable grace of exchanging death for life, and abroad there would be no startling report of replacing the ankle-fetters with foot amputation.” More than a hundred took part in the deliberation, and most agreed with Wang Lang. Because Wu and Shu were not yet pacified, the Emperor shelved the matter for the time being.

今可按繇所欲輕之死罪，使減死之髠、刖。嫌其輕者，可倍其居作之歲數。內有以生易死不訾之恩，外無以刖易釱駭耳之聲。」議者百餘人，與朗同者多。帝以吳、蜀未平，且寢。¹

In the fourth year of Taihe Zhong Yao died. The Emperor, dressed in plain white, went in person to offer condolences, and he was given the posthumous title Marquis Cheng. His son Zhong Yu succeeded him. Earlier, Emperor Wen had divided off households from Zhong Yu’s fief to enfeoff Zhong Yao’s younger brother Zhong Yan, his son Zhong Shao, and his grandson Zhong Yu (豫) as full marquises.

太和四年，繇薨。帝素服臨弔，謚曰成侯。¹子毓嗣。初，文帝分毓戶邑，封繇弟演及子劭、孫豫列侯。

His Son Zhong Yu

子　毓

Zhong Yu, courtesy name Zhishu, became Cavalier Gentleman-Attendant at fourteen; quick-witted and good at lively conversation, he had his father’s air. At the beginning of Taihe, when Zhuge Liang, Chancellor of Shu, besieged Mount Qi, Emperor Ming wished to campaign in the west in person. Zhong Yu submitted a memorial: “Strategy values victory won in the ancestral temple, and merit prizes the plans made within the tent. Without descending from the palace hall, one decides victory beyond a thousand li. Your Majesty’s carriage should remain guarding the central lands, as a source of awe and support for the four quarters. If the great army now campaigns in the west, then even with a hundredfold might, the losses from the expense in Guanzhong will be many.

毓字稚叔。年十四爲散騎侍郎，機捷談笑，有父風。太和初，蜀相諸葛亮圍祁山，明帝欲西征，毓上疏曰：「夫策貴廟勝，功尚帷幄，不下殿堂之上，而決勝千里之外。車駕宜鎮守中土，以爲四方威勢之援。今大軍西征，雖有百倍之威，於關中之費，所損非一。

Moreover, sending out an army in the height of summer is something the poets took seriously; it is truly no time for the Most Honored One to set his carriage in motion.” He was promoted to Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. At that time palaces were being built on a grand scale at Luoyang, so the imperial carriage went on progress to Xuchang, and the realm was to attend the New Year court at Xuchang. As Xuchang was cramped, a hall of felt was put up south of the city and fish-and-dragon and manyan spectacles were laid on, and the people were exhausted by the labor. Zhong Yu remonstrated, saying, “Floods and droughts come out of season and the treasuries are empty; all such things should wait for a year of plenty.”

且盛暑行師，詩人所重，實非至尊動軔之時也。」遷黃門侍郎。時大興洛陽宮室，車駕便幸許昌，天下當朝正許昌。許昌偪狹，於城南以氊爲殿，備設魚龍曼延，民罷勞役。毓諫，以爲「水旱不時，帑藏空虛，凡此之類，可須豐年。」

He also proposed that “the waste lands within the passes should be reclaimed again so that the people can put their full strength into farming,” and this was carried out. During the Zhengshi era he became Cavalier Regular Attendant. The Grand General Cao Shuang raised an army in the height of summer to attack Shu; Shu held firm in defense, and the army could not advance. Cao Shuang was about to send more troops when Zhong Yu wrote to him: “I humbly believe that a strategy of victory in the ancestral temple does not go among arrows and stones, and that a true king’s army makes punitive expeditions but does not fight battles. Truly, a dance with shields and axes sufficed to subdue the Youmiao, and pulling back a day’s march sufficed to receive the submission of Yuan; there is no need to let Wu Han loose at Jiangguan or send Han Xin galloping at Jingxing.

又上「宜復關內開荒地，使民肆力於農。」事遂施行。正始中，爲散騎常侍。大將軍曹爽盛夏興軍伐蜀，蜀拒守，軍不得進。爽方欲增兵，毓與書曰：「竊以爲廟勝之策，不臨矢石；王者之兵，有征無戰。誠以干戚可以服有苗，退舍足以納原寇，不必縱吳漢於江關，騁韓信於井陘也。

To advance when one sees it is possible and to withdraw when one knows it is difficult has been the way of government since antiquity. May you, my lord, consider this carefully!” Cao Shuang returned without success. Later, having displeased Cao Shuang, Zhong Yu was transferred to Palace Attendant and then sent out as Prefect of Wei Commandery. After Cao Shuang was executed, he entered court as Palace Assistant Imperial Clerk, Palace Attendant, and Commandant of Justice. Allowing subjects and sons to clear a lord or father of slander after his death, and ruling that when a soldier had become a marquis his wife would no longer be married off again, were measures Zhong Yu initiated.

見可而進，知難而退，蓋自古之政。惟公侯詳之！」爽無功而還。後以失爽意，徙侍中，出爲魏郡太守。爽旣誅，入爲御史中丞、侍中廷尉。聽君父已沒，臣子得爲理謗，及士爲侯，其妻不復配嫁，毓所創也。

During the Zhengyuan era, when Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin rebelled, Zhong Yu went with the tally of authority to Yang and Yu Provinces to proclaim the amnesty and instruct the gentry and commoners, and on his return became Master of Writing. When Zhuge Dan rebelled, the Grand General Sima Zhao (King Wen) considered going to Shouchun in person to attack him. Just then Sun Yi, a senior general of Wu, came over with his troops in surrender, and some said, “Wu has just had internal strife and surely cannot send out an army again. There are already many troops in the east; we can wait for further news.” Zhong Yu held that “In discussing affairs and gauging the enemy, one should measure others by oneself.

正元中，毌丘儉、文欽反，毓持節至揚、豫州班行赦令，告諭士民，還爲尚書。諸葛誕反，大將軍司馬文王議自詣壽春討誕。會吳大將孫壹率衆降，或以爲「吳新有釁，必不能復出軍。東兵已多，可須後問」。毓以爲「夫論事料敵，當以己度人。

Zhuge Dan has now handed over the lands of Huainan to the state of Wu, while those Sun Yi brought with him number fewer than a thousand people and no more than three hundred soldiers. What Wu has lost is slight. If the siege of Shouchun is not lifted and conditions within Wu settle down instead, we cannot be sure they will not send out an army.” The Grand General said, “Good,” and took Zhong Yu with him. After Huainan was pacified, Zhong Yu became Inspector of Qing Province with the additional title General of the Rear, was promoted to Commander of the military affairs of Xu Province with the tally of authority, and was then transferred to Commander of Jing Province.

今誕舉淮南之地以與吳國，孫壹所率，口不至千，兵不過三百。吳之所失，蓋爲無幾。若壽春之圍未解，而吳國之內轉安，未可必其不出也。」大將軍曰：「善。」遂將毓行。¹淮南旣平，爲青州刺史，加後將軍，遷都督徐州諸軍事，假節，又轉都督荊州。

He died in the fourth year of Jingyuan, was posthumously granted the rank of General of Chariots and Cavalry, and was given the posthumous title Marquis Hui. His son Zhong Jun succeeded him. Zhong Yu’s younger brother Zhong Hui has his own biography.

景元四年薨，追贈車騎將軍，謚曰惠侯。子駿嗣。毓弟會，自有傳。

Hua Xin

華歆

Hua Xin, courtesy name Ziyu, was a man of Gaotang in Pingyuan. Gaotang was a famous city of Qi, and there was no one of official rank who did not roam its markets and streets. When Hua Xin served as a clerk and left the office on his days off, he would go home and shut his gate. In discussion he held to fairness and never disparaged or wounded others. Taoqiu Hong of the same commandery was also well known, and considered his own insight superior to Hua Xin’s. At that time Wang Fen was plotting with bold men to depose Emperor Ling. The account is in the Annals of Emperor Wu. Wang Fen secretly summoned Hua Xin and Taoqiu Hong to settle the plan together. Taoqiu Hong wanted to go, but Hua Xin stopped him, saying, “Deposing and enthroning is a great matter; even Yi Yin and Huo Guang found it hard.

華歆字子魚，平原高唐人也。高唐爲齊名都，衣冠無不游行市里。歆爲吏，休沐出府，則歸家闔門。議論持平，終不毀傷人。¹同郡陶丘洪亦知名，自以明見過歆。時王芬與豪傑謀廢靈帝。語在《武紀》。²芬陰呼歆、洪共定計，洪欲行，歆止之曰：「夫廢立大事，伊、霍之所難。

Wang Fen is careless by nature and has no military skill; this will certainly fail, and the disaster will reach his whole clan. You must not go!” Taoqiu Hong heeded Hua Xin and stayed away. Later Wang Fen did indeed fail, and Taoqiu Hong then acknowledged Hua Xin’s superiority. Hua Xin was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and appointed Gentleman, but left office because of illness. When Emperor Ling died and He Jin assisted in the government, he summoned Zheng Tai of Henan, Xun You of Yingchuan, Hua Xin, and others. Hua Xin came and became Gentleman of the Masters of Writing. When Dong Zhuo moved the Emperor to Chang’an, Hua Xin asked to go out as Magistrate of Xiagui, but because of illness he did not take up the post, and went on from Lantian to Nanyang.

芬性踈而不武，此必無成，而禍將及族。子其無往！」洪從歆言而止。後芬果敗，洪乃服。舉孝廉，除郎中，病，去官。靈帝崩，何進輔政，徵河南鄭泰、潁川荀攸及歆等。歆到，爲尚書郎。董卓遷天子長安，歆求出爲下邽令，病不行，遂從藍田至南陽。¹

At that time Yuan Shu was at Rang and detained Hua Xin. Hua Xin urged Yuan Shu to advance his army and attack Dong Zhuo, but Yuan Shu could not act on it. Hua Xin was about to abandon him and leave when the Emperor sent the Grand Tutor Ma Midi to pacify and settle the east of the passes, and Ma Midi summoned Hua Xin as his clerk. When they went east to Xu Province, an edict appointed Hua Xin on the spot as Prefect of Yuzhang. Because his government was pure and quiet and not burdensome, the officials and people were moved and loved him. When Sun Ce was conquering the lands east of the Yangtze, Hua Xin, knowing that Sun Ce was skilled at warfare, put on a plain headcloth and welcomed him respectfully.

時袁術在穰，留歆。歆說術使進軍討卓，術不能用。歆欲棄去，會天子使太傅馬日磾安集關東，日磾辟歆爲掾。東至徐州，詔即拜歆豫章太守，以爲政清靜不煩，吏民感而愛之。¹孫策略地江東，歆知策善用兵，乃幅巾奉迎。

Sun Ce, regarding him as a man of worth and standing, treated him with the courtesies due an honored guest. Later Sun Ce died. When Taizu was at Guandu, he memorialized the Emperor to summon Hua Xin. Sun Quan did not want to send him, but Hua Xin said to Sun Quan, “You, General, have received the royal command and have only begun friendly relations with Lord Cao, and the ties of duty are not yet firm. If you let me go and serve your interests with my whole heart, would that not be of benefit? To keep me here to no purpose is to feed a useless thing; it is not a good plan for you, General.” Sun Quan was pleased and sent Hua Xin.

策以其長者，待以上賔之禮。¹後策死。太祖在官渡，表天子徵歆。孫權欲不遣，歆謂權曰：「將軍奉王命，始交好曹公，分義未固，使僕得爲將軍效心，豈不有益乎？今空留僕，是爲養無用之物，非將軍之良計也。」權悅，乃遣歆。

More than a thousand guests and old acquaintances saw him off, and their parting gifts amounted to several hundred pieces of gold. Hua Xin refused none of them, but secretly marked each one, and when the time came to leave, he gathered all the things together and said to the guests, “I never had any intention of refusing you, gentlemen, yet what I have accepted has become a great deal. As I think of traveling far with a single carriage, I fear that carrying jade will become a crime. I hope you, my guests, will consider this for me.” So each took back his own gift, and they admired his virtue.

賔客舊人送之者千餘人，贈遺數百金。歆皆無所拒，密各題識，至臨去，悉聚諸物，謂諸賔客曰：「本無拒諸君之心，而所受遂多。念單車遠行，將以懷璧爲罪，願賔客爲之計。」衆乃各留所贈，而服其德。

On his arrival Hua Xin was appointed Consultant Gentleman and Adviser to the Army of the Minister of Works; he entered the court as Master of Writing, was transferred to Palace Attendant, and succeeded Xun Yu as Director of the Secretariat. When Taizu campaigned against Sun Quan, he memorialized that Hua Xin be made Military Adviser. When the state of Wei was established, he became Imperial Censor-in-Chief. When Emperor Wen became King, he appointed him Chancellor of State and enfeoffed him as Marquis of Anle District. When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, his post was changed to Minister over the Masses. Hua Xin had always been pure and poor; he used his salary and gifts to help relatives and old friends, and his household had not so much as a picul of grain in store.

歆至，拜議郎，參司空軍事，入爲尚書，轉侍中，代荀彧爲尚書令。太祖征孫權，表歆爲軍師。魏國旣建，爲御史大夫。文帝即王位，拜相國，封安樂鄉侯。及踐阼，改爲司徒。¹歆素清貧，祿賜以振施親戚故人，家無擔石之儲。

Once the ministers and nobles were all given people who had been confiscated as slaves, and Hua Xin alone released them and married them off. The Emperor sighed in admiration and issued an edict: “The Minister over the Masses is the state’s eminent elder, with whom We harmonize yin and yang and manage the many affairs. Now while the Grand Provisioner serves lavish meals, the Minister over the Masses eats vegetables; this is quite unreasonable.” He specially granted him clothing from the imperial wardrobe, and had clothes made for his wife and his sons and daughters as well.

公卿嘗並賜沒入生口，唯歆出而嫁之。帝歎息，¹下詔曰：「司徒，國之儁老，所與和陰陽理庶事也。今大官重膳，而司徒蔬食，甚無謂也。」特賜御衣，及爲其妻子男女皆作衣服。²

The offices of the Three Excellencies proposed, “Nomination as Filial and Incorrupt is fundamentally based on virtuous conduct; it should no longer be restricted by examination in the classics.” Hua Xin held that “Since the time of death and disorder, the Six Classics have fallen into neglect; we must strive to preserve and establish them so as to exalt the Way of kings. The purpose of making laws is to govern through times of rise and decline. If Filial and Incorrupt nominees are now excused from examination in the classics, I fear that learning will be abandoned from this point on. If there are men of outstanding and unusual talent, they can be specially summoned and employed. What we should worry about is that no such people exist; why worry about not obtaining them?” The Emperor followed his advice.

三府議：「舉孝廉，本以德行，不復限以試經。」歆以爲「喪亂以來，六籍墮廢，當務存立，以崇王道。夫制法者，所以經盛衰。今聽孝廉不以經試，恐學業遂從此而廢。若有秀異，可特徵用。患於無其人，何患不得哉？」帝從其言。

During the Huangchu era, an edict ordered the ministers and nobles to recommend gentlemen of independent conduct; Hua Xin recommended Guan Ning, and the Emperor summoned him with a comfortable carriage. When Emperor Ming took the throne, Hua Xin was advanced in fief to Marquis of Boping, with an increase of five hundred households, making one thousand three hundred with what he had before, and was transferred to Grand Commandant. Hua Xin claimed illness and asked to retire, wishing to yield his post to Guan Ning. The Emperor did not permit it. When a grand court assembly was about to be held, he sent the Cavalier Regular Attendant Miao Xi to deliver an edict explaining his intent: “We have newly taken charge of the many affairs, handling ten thousand matters in a single day, and fear that Our hearing and judgment may not be clear.

黃初中，詔公卿舉獨行君子，歆舉管寧，帝以安車徵之。明帝即位，進封博平侯，增邑五百戶，并前千三百戶，轉拜太尉。¹歆稱病乞退，讓位於寧。帝不許。臨當大會，乃遣散騎常侍繆襲奉詔喻指曰：「朕新莅庶事，一日萬機，懼聽斷之不明。

We rely on virtuous ministers to aid Our person on either side, yet you, sir, repeatedly decline your post on account of illness. To weigh one’s ruler and choose one’s lord, not staying at his court, or to cast aside honor and salary and not serve out one’s term, has certainly been done by men of old; but We believe that the Duke of Zhou and Yi Yin did not act so. Keeping oneself pure and dying for principle is for ordinary men; it is not what We expect of you. Make the effort despite your illness and come to the assembly, as a kindness to Us, the One Man. We shall have your mat, armrest, and seat laid out, and command the officials each to attend to his own duties, and wait for your arrival; only then shall We take Our seat.” He also instructed Miao Xi, “Do not come back until Hua Xin has risen.” Hua Xin had no choice but to rise.

賴有德之臣，左右朕躬，而君屢以疾辭位。夫量主擇君，不居其朝，委榮棄祿，不究其位，古人固有之矣，顧以爲周公、伊尹則不然。絜身徇節，常人爲之，不望之於君。君其力疾就會，以惠予一人。將立席機筵，命百官緫己，以須君到，朕然後御坐。」又詔襲：「須歆必起，乃還。」歆不得已，乃起。

During the Taihe era, Cao Zhen was sent to attack Shu by the Ziwu Road, and the imperial carriage went east on progress to Xuchang. Hua Xin submitted a memorial: “More than twenty-four years have passed since the wars broke out. Great Wei has received the Mandate in obedience to Heaven, and Your Majesty, with sagely virtue, meets a flourishing age like that of Kings Cheng and Kang; you should broaden the good government of your era and carry on the footsteps of the Three Kings. Although the two rebels rely on their defiles to prolong their lives, if your sagely influence rises day by day, people from afar will cherish your virtue and come carrying their children on their backs. Arms are used only when unavoidable; that is why they are stored away and moved only at the proper time.

太和中，遣曹真從子午道伐蜀，車駕東幸許昌。歆上疏曰：「兵亂以來，過踰二紀。大魏承天受命，陛下以聖德當成康之隆，宜弘一代之治，紹三王之迹。雖有二賊負險延命，苟聖化日躋，遠人懷德，將襁負而至。夫兵不得已而用之，故戢而時動。

I sincerely hope that Your Majesty will first give your mind to the way of good government and treat military campaigns as a later matter. Moreover, transporting grain a thousand li is not to an army’s advantage, and crossing difficult terrain to strike deep offers no assurance of victory. I hear that this year’s conscription for service has done considerable harm to farming and sericulture. He who governs a state takes the people as his foundation, and the people take food and clothing as theirs. If the central lands are free of the threat of hunger and cold and the common people have no thought of leaving their land, the realm will be most fortunate, and the rifts of the two rebels can be awaited sitting down.

臣誠願陛下先留心於治道，以征伐爲後事。且千里運糧，非用兵之利；越險深入，無獨克之功。如聞今年徵役，頗失農桑之業。爲國者以民爲基，民以衣食爲本。使中國無饑寒之患，百姓無離土之心，則天下幸甚，二賊之釁，可坐而待也。

I occupy the position of chief minister, but old age and illness grow worse by the day, and the life of this dog and horse is nearly spent; I fear I shall not again look up to the belled canopy of your carriage. I dare not fail to pour out the feelings of a subject; may Your Majesty judge and consider it!” The Emperor replied, “We greatly commend your deep concern for the plans of the state. The rebels rely on their mountains and rivers; even the two Ancestors, laboring in the previous reigns, could not pacify them. How could We dare to be so conceited as to claim We shall certainly destroy them? The generals think that unless we probe and strike at them once, there is no way for the enemy to wear themselves down; therefore We are making a show of arms to spy out their weak points.

臣備位宰相，老病日篤，犬馬之命將盡，恐不復奉望鑾蓋，不敢不竭臣子之懷，唯陛下裁察！」帝報曰：「君深慮國計，朕甚嘉之。賊憑恃山川，二祖勞於前世，猶不克平，朕豈敢自多，謂必滅之哉！諸將以爲不一探取，無由自弊，是以觀兵以闚其釁。

If Heaven’s time has not yet come, King Wu of Zhou’s withdrawal of his army is the lesson of precedent, and We respectfully shall not forget that warning.” At that time heavy rains fell in autumn, and an edict ordered Cao Zhen to lead the army back.

若天時未至，周武還師，乃前事之鑒，朕敬不忘所戒。」時秋大雨，詔真引軍還。

In the fifth year of Taihe Hua Xin died and was given the posthumous title Marquis Jing. His son Hua Biao succeeded him. Earlier, Emperor Wen had divided off households from Hua Xin’s fief to enfeoff Hua Xin’s younger brother Hua Ji as a full marquis. Hua Biao became Master of Writing in the Xianxi era.

太和五年，歆薨，謚曰敬侯。¹子表嗣。初，文帝分歆戶邑，封歆弟緝列侯。表，咸熈中爲尚書。²

Wang Lang

王朗

Wang Lang, courtesy name Jingxing, was a man of Donghai Commandery. Because he was versed in the classics, he was appointed Gentleman and made Chief of Zaiqiu. He took the Grand Commandant Yang Ci as his teacher, and when Yang Ci died he resigned office to observe mourning. He was recommended as Filial and Incorrupt and summoned by the offices of the Excellencies, but did not respond. Tao Qian, Inspector of Xu Province, recommended Wang Lang as Flourishing Talent. At that time the Han Emperor was in Chang’an and armies had risen east of the passes. Wang Lang, serving as Tao Qian’s Attendant Officer of the Headquarters Office, together with the Attendant Officer with Separate Carriage Zhao Yu and others, advised Tao Qian, “By the principles of the Spring and Autumn Annals, to win over the feudal lords nothing is better than serving the king.

王朗字景興，東海郡人也。以通經，拜郎中，除菑丘長。師太尉楊賜，賜薨，棄官行服。舉孝廉，辟公府，不應。徐州刺史陶謙察朗茂才。時漢帝在長安，關東兵起，朗爲謙治中，與別駕趙昱等說謙曰：「春秋之義，求諸侯莫如勤王。

Now the Son of Heaven is far away in the Western Capital; we should send an envoy to receive the royal commands.” Tao Qian therefore sent Zhao Yu to carry a memorial to Chang’an. The Emperor commended his intention and appointed Tao Qian General Who Pacifies the East. He made Zhao Yu Prefect of Guangling and Wang Lang Prefect of Kuaiji. Sun Ce crossed the Yangtze and conquered territory. Wang Lang’s Officer of Merit, Yu Fan, thought their strength could not resist him and that it would be better to avoid him. But Wang Lang, considering that as an official of Han he ought to hold his city, raised troops and fought Sun Ce; he was defeated and fled by sea to Dongye.

今天子越在西京，宜遣使奉承王命。」謙乃遣昱奉章至長安。天子嘉其意，拜謙安東將軍。以昱爲廣陵太守，朗會稽太守。¹孫策渡江略地。朗功曹虞翻以爲力不能拒，不如避之。朗自以身爲漢吏，宜保城邑，遂舉兵與策戰，敗績，浮海至東冶。

Sun Ce pursued and attacked again and routed him, and Wang Lang then went to Sun Ce. Because Wang Lang was a refined scholar, Sun Ce reproached him but did him no harm. Although he was a destitute wanderer who could not plan in the morning for the evening, Wang Lang took in and cared for his relatives and old friends, sharing when he had much and dividing what little he had, and his righteous conduct was very well known.

策又追擊，大破之。朗乃詣策。策以朗儒雅，詰讓而不害。¹雖流移窮困，朝不謀夕，而收卹親舊，分多割少，行義甚著。

Taizu memorialized for him to be summoned, and Wang Lang, wandering from Que over rivers and seas, took years to arrive. He was appointed Grandee Remonstrant and Adviser to the Army of the Minister of Works. When the state of Wei was first established, he served as Army Libationer and concurrently Prefect of Wei Commandery, and was promoted to Privy Treasurer, Minister of Ceremonies, and Minister of Justice. He strove for leniency and forbearance, and when guilt was in doubt he chose the lighter penalty. Zhong Yao was clear-sighted and matched the law precisely, and both were praised for their handling of criminal cases.

太祖表徵之，朗自曲阿展轉江海，積年乃至。¹拜諫議大夫，參司空軍事。²魏國初建，以軍祭酒領魏郡太守，遷少府、奉常、大理。務在寬恕，罪疑從輕。鍾繇明察當法，俱以治獄見稱。³

When Emperor Wen became King, Wang Lang was promoted to Imperial Censor-in-Chief and enfeoffed as Marquis of Anling Village. He submitted a memorial urging the nurturing of the people and the reduction of punishments: “Since the wars broke out more than thirty years ago, the four seas have been overturned and the myriad states worn out. Thanks to the late King, who cut down the bandits and raised up the orphaned and weak, the Chinese lands once again have order and discipline. He gathered the multitudes into this land of Wei, so that within its borders the crowing of cocks and barking of dogs reach to the frontiers on every side, and the masses rejoice, glad to have met with peace.

文帝即王位，遷御史大夫，封安陵亭侯。上疏勸育民省刑曰：「兵起已來三十餘年，四海盪覆，萬國殄瘁。賴先王芟除寇賊，扶育孤弱，遂令華夏復有綱紀。鳩集兆民，于茲魏土，使封鄙之內，雞鳴狗吠達於四境，蒸庶欣欣，喜遇升平。

Now, although the enemies in distant parts have not yet submitted and the labor of war has not yet ceased, if exemptions from service are truly made sufficient to win over those far away, and good magistrates are made able to spread virtue and bounty, so that the field paths are all kept in repair and the four classes of people flourish, then we shall surely surpass former times and be richer than ever. The Book of Changes speaks of setting the laws in order, and the Book of Documents sets forth auspicious punishment: ‘When the One Man has good fortune, the myriad people rely on it.’ This speaks of care in law and criminal cases. In the past Chancellor of State Cao regarded the prisons and markets as places to be left in trust, and Lu Wenshu detested the officials who handled criminal cases.

今遠方之寇未賔，兵戎之役未息，誠令復除足以懷遠人，良宰足以宣德澤，阡陌咸脩，四民殷熾，必復過於曩時而富於平日矣。易稱勑法，書著祥刑，一人有慶，兆民賴之，慎法獄之謂也。昔曹相國以獄市爲寄，路溫舒疾治獄之吏。

If those who try cases get at the truth, there will be no prisoners who die wrongly; if the able-bodied can use the full strength of the land, there will be no starving people; if the destitute old can rely on the granaries for food, there will be no corpses of the famished; if marriages take place at the right time, men and women will not resent being left alone; if the nurture of the unborn is always secured, expectant mothers will not suffer the grief of harming themselves; if families with newborns are always granted exemption, there will be no burden of infants who cannot be raised; if labor is required only after adulthood, the young will not pine at leaving home; and if those with graying hair are not sent to war, the old will not suffer the misery of collapsing on the road.

夫治獄者得其情，則無冤死之囚；丁壯者得盡地力，則無饑饉之民；窮老者得仰食倉廩，則無餧餓之殍；嫁娶以時，則男女無怨曠之恨；胎養必全，則孕者無自傷之哀；新生必復，則孩者無不育之累；壯而後役，則幼者無離家之思；二毛不戎，則老者無頓伏之患。

Treat their illnesses with medicine, lighten the corvée so they may enjoy their livelihoods, restrain the strong with stern penalties, help the weak with kindness and humanity, and relieve the needy with grants and loans. Ten years from now, girls old enough for the hairpin will surely fill the lanes; twenty years from now, men fit to bear arms will surely fill the fields.”

醫藥以療其疾，寬繇以樂其業，威罰以抑其彊，恩仁以濟其弱，振貸以贍其乏。十年之後，旣笄者必盈巷。二十年之後，勝兵者必滿野矣。」

When Emperor Wen ascended the throne, Wang Lang was changed to Minister of Works and advanced in fief to Marquis of Leping District. At that time the Emperor often went out hunting and sometimes returned to the palace late at night. Wang Lang submitted a memorial saying, “The dwelling of an emperor or king is adorned outside with guards all around and made secure within by strict palace gates. When he is about to set out, troops are posted before he leaves his tent; the call to clear the way is given before he treads the steps; bows are drawn before he mounts his carriage; the road is cleared before the escort leads him on; the ranks are lined up before the wheels turn; and his lodging is made quiet before the carriage halts. All this serves to display the supreme dignity, to make caution a duty, and to hand down laws and teachings.

及文帝踐阼，改爲司空，進封樂平鄉侯。¹時帝頗出游獵，或昏夜還宮。朗上疏曰：「夫帝王之居，外則飾周衞，內則重禁門，將行則設兵而後出幄，稱警而後踐墀，張弧而後登輿，清道而後奉引，遮列而後轉轂，靜室而後息駕，皆所以顯至尊，務戒慎，垂法教也。

Recently Your Majesty’s carriage went out to attend a tiger hunt, setting off when the sun was already declining and returning only at dusk. This goes against the regular rules for clearing the way and is not the utmost caution proper to the lord of ten thousand chariots.” The Emperor replied, “I have read your memorial. Even Wei Jiang citing the Admonition of the Forester to reprove Duke Dao of Jin, or Sima Xiangru describing wild beasts to warn Emperor Wu of Han, cannot compare with it. At present the two bandit states are not yet destroyed and our generals are campaigning far away, so from time to time I go into the open country to practice military preparedness. As for your warning about returning at night, I have already ordered the officials concerned to put it into effect.”

近日車駕出臨捕虎，日昃而行，及昏而反，違警蹕之常法，非萬乘之至慎也。」帝報曰：「覽表，雖魏絳稱虞箴以諷晉悼，相如陳猛獸以戒漢武，未足以喻。方今二寇未殄，將帥遠征，故時入原野以習戎備。至於夜還之戒，已詔有司施行。」¹

Earlier, at the end of Jian’an, Sun Quan had for the first time sent an envoy to declare himself a vassal, and was at war with Liu Bei. An edict called for discussion of whether “we should raise an army and join with Wu in taking Shu.” Wang Lang gave his opinion: “The army of the Son of Heaven weighs more than Mount Hua or Mount Tai. It truly ought to sit still and let the Heavenly majesty shine forth, unmoving as a mountain. If Sun Quan were engaged in person against the Shu rebels, fighting for days on end, their wisdom equal and their strength matched, so that the war could not be decided quickly and an army had to be raised to complete the advantage, then and only then should you choose a steady general to strike at the enemy’s vital point, waiting for the right moment before moving and picking the ground before advancing. With a single stroke nothing would remain to be done.

初，建安末，孫權始遣使稱藩，而與劉備交兵。詔議「當興師與吳并取蜀不」？朗議曰：「天子之軍，重於華、岱，誠宜坐曜天威，不動若山。假使權親與蜀賊相持，搏戰曠日，智均力敵，兵不速決，當須軍興以成其勢者，然後宜選持重之將，承寇賊之要，相時而後動，擇地而後行，一舉可無餘事。

Now, since Sun Quan’s army has not yet moved, there is no reason for an army to help Wu to march first. Moreover, the rains are at their height, and this is no time to march troops and mobilize the people.” The Emperor accepted his plan. During Huangchu, pelicans gathered at Lingzhi Pond, and an edict ordered the ministers to recommend gentlemen of singular conduct. Wang Lang recommended Yang Biao, Grandee of Splendid Happiness, and also pleaded illness and offered to yield his position to Yang Biao. The Emperor therefore provided Yang Biao with clerks and guards and gave him a rank next to the Three Excellencies. An edict said, “I sought a worthy from you and have not yet found one, and now you suddenly plead illness. Not only do I fail to gain a worthy, but you open the way to losing one and add to the tilting of the jade handles of the cauldron.

今權之師未動，則助吳之軍無爲先征。且雨水方盛，非行軍動衆之時。」帝納其計。黃初中，鵜鶘集靈芝池，詔公卿舉獨行君子。朗薦光祿大夫楊彪，且稱疾，讓位於彪。帝乃爲彪置吏卒，位次三公。詔曰：「朕求賢於君而未得，君乃翻然稱疾，非徒不得賢，更開失賢之路，增玉鉉之傾。

Is this not a case of ‘if he stays in his chamber and speaks words that are not good, he will be opposed by the gentleman’? Let there be no more refusals from you.” Wang Lang then rose again to his post.

無乃居其室出其言不善，見違於君子乎！君其勿有後辭。」朗乃起。

Sun Quan said he would send his son Sun Deng to wait upon the court, but he did not come. At this time the imperial carriage moved to Xuchang, military agricultural colonies were greatly expanded, and the Emperor intended to raise an army and march east. Wang Lang submitted a memorial saying, “In the past, when Nanyue kept faithfully to its duty, Yingqi came to wait upon the court, and in the end he became heir and was sent back to rule his country. Kangju was arrogant and cunning, its intentions not matching its words, and the Protector General memorialized that its hostage son should be sent back to rebuke its lack of propriety. Moreover, the disaster of Liu Bi, King of Wu, sprouted from his son’s going to court, and Wei Xiao rebelled without regard for his son.

孫權欲遣子登入侍，不至。是時車駕徙許昌，大興屯田，欲舉軍東征。朗上疏曰：「昔南越守善，嬰齊入侍，遂爲冢嗣，還君其國。康居驕黠，情不副辭，都護奏議以爲宜遣侍子，以黜無禮。且吳濞之禍，萌於子入，隗嚻之叛，亦不顧子。

Earlier we heard that Sun Quan had spoken of sending his son, but he has not yet arrived. Now the Six Armies are on alert, and I fear that the common people, not fully understanding Your Majesty’s intentions, will think the state is angry at Sun Deng’s delay and has raised troops on that account. Suppose the army marches and Sun Deng then arrives: what was set in motion would be very great and what was gained very small, hardly a cause for celebration. Suppose instead he is arrogant and obstinate and has no intention at all of coming: I fear that those among the public who do not understand will all be filled with vexation.

往者聞權有遣子之言而未至，今六軍戒嚴，臣恐輿人未暢聖旨，當謂國家慍於登之逋留，是以爲之興師。設師行而登乃至，則爲所動者至大，所致者至細，猶未足以爲慶。設其傲很，殊無入志，懼彼輿論之未暢者，並懷伊邑。

In my foolish opinion, you should order the generals on separate campaigns each to observe the prohibitions and orders clearly and guard their sectors with care. Let blazing might shine without and farming spread within, so that you are as still as a mountain and as calm as a deep pool, your position impossible to shake and your plans impossible to fathom.” At this time, since the army had already been assembled, the Emperor set out anyway. Sun Quan’s son did not come, and the imperial carriage reached the Yangtze and returned.

臣愚以爲宜勑別征諸將，各明奉禁令，以慎守所部。外曜烈威，內廣耕稼，使泊然若山，澹然若淵，勢不可動，計不可測。」是時，帝以成軍遂行，權子不至，車駕臨江而還。¹

When Emperor Ming came to the throne, Wang Lang was advanced in fief to Marquis of Lanling, with an increase of five hundred households, making twelve hundred in all with his earlier fief. He was sent to Ye to inspect the tomb of Empress Wenzhao, and saw that some of the common people were in want. At that time palaces were being built and repaired, and Wang Lang submitted a memorial saying, “Since Your Majesty came to the throne, gracious edicts have been issued many times, and there is none among the hundred surnames and the myriad people who does not rejoice. Recently I went north on an official mission, and along the road there and back I heard about the many labor services; very many of them could be abolished or reduced.

明帝即位，進封蘭陵侯，增邑五百，并前千二百戶。使至鄴省文昭皇后陵，見百姓或有不足。是時方營脩宮室，朗上疏曰：「陛下即位已來，恩詔屢布，百姓萬民莫不欣欣。臣頃奉使北行，往反道路，聞衆傜役，其可得蠲除省減者甚多。

I hope Your Majesty will give renewed attention to hearing affairs until the sun declines, and will subdue the enemy by planning. In ancient times, when Yu the Great wished to rescue the world from its great calamity, he first made his palace humble and his clothing and food frugal, and so he was able to possess all the Nine Provinces and help complete the Five Zones. When Goujian wished to extend his borders at Yu’er and take the head of Fuchai at Gusu, he likewise restrained himself and extended this to his household, and made his household frugal and extended this to his state; so he was able to gather up the Five Lakes as in a bag, roll up the Three Rivers like a mat, win awe in the Central States and establish his hegemony over the Hua-Xia.

願陛下重留日昃之聽，以計制寇。昔大禹將欲拯天下之大患，故乃先卑其宮室，儉其衣食，用能盡有九州，弼成五服。句踐欲廣其禦兒之疆，¹馘夫差於姑蘇，故亦約其身以及家，儉其家以施國，用能囊括五湖，席卷三江，取威中國，定霸華夏。

Emperors Wen and Jing of Han likewise wished to enlarge the work of their ancestors and further exalt the great line, and so they could give up the idea of a terrace costing a hundred pieces of gold and display their frugality in robes of coarse black silk. Within, they cut back the Grand Provisioner and accepted no tribute; without, they reduced labor service and taxes and devoted themselves to farming and sericulture. So they were acclaimed for bringing peace and prosperity, and almost reached the point where punishments were laid aside. That Emperor Xiaowu could rouse his military might and extend his outer borders was truly because the stores accumulated by his forebears were already ample, and so he was able to accomplish his great deeds.

漢之文、景亦欲恢弘祖業，增崇洪緒，故能割意於百金之臺，昭儉於弋綈之服，內減太官而不受貢獻，外省傜賦而務農桑，用能號稱升平，幾致刑錯。孝武之所以能奮其軍勢，拓其外境，誠因祖考畜積素足，故能遂成大功。

Huo Qubing was a general of middling talent, yet because the Xiongnu were not yet destroyed he would not build himself a mansion. Clearly, one who is concerned with what is far away economizes on what is near, and one engaged in affairs abroad keeps things simple at home. From the beginning of the Han to its restoration, it was always only after arms had largely been laid down that the Phoenix Towers rose high and the Deyang Hall was built. Now the space before the Jianshi Hall is enough for the ranks of the court assembly, the area behind the Chonghua Hall is enough to arrange the palace officials, and the Hualin Park and the Tianyuan Pool are enough for excursions and banquets. If for the time being you first complete the gate towers of the Changhe Gate, enough to line up the tribute bearers from distant lands, and repair the city walls and moats, enough to keep out intruders and form the defenses of the state, then everything else should wait for a year of good harvest.

霍去病，中才之將，猶以匈奴未滅，不治第宅。明卹遠者略近，事外者簡內。自漢之初及其中興，皆於金革略寢之後，然後鳳闕猥閌，德陽並起。今當建始之前足用列朝會，崇華之後足用序內官，華林、天淵足用展游宴，若且先成閶闔之象魏，使足用列遠人之朝貢者，脩城池，使足用絕踰越，成國險，其餘一切，且須豐年。

If you make diligence in farming your sole task and training for war your business, then the state will have no resentful women or unmarried men, the population will multiply, and the people will be well supplied and the army strong. That the enemy should still fail to submit and the brilliance of your reign fall short when things are so has never yet happened.” He was transferred to Minister over the Masses.

一以勤耕農爲務，習戎備爲事，則國無怨曠，戶口滋息，民充兵彊，而寇戎不賔，緝熙不足，未之有也。」轉爲司徒。

At that time several imperial sons had died, and few of the women of the harem went to the birthing lodge. Wang Lang submitted a memorial saying, “In ancient times King Wen of Zhou had King Wu at fifteen, and in the end enjoyed the blessing of ten sons, broadening the descent of the Ji clan. King Wu was already old when he fathered King Cheng, and so King Cheng had few brothers. These two kings each established sage virtue, and neither surpassed the other; but when one compares the blessings of their descendants, they were not alike. This is because begetting children may come early or late, and the children born may be many or few.

時屢失皇子，而後宮就館者少，朗上疏曰：「昔周文十五而有武王，遂享十子之祚，以廣諸姬之胤。武王旣老而生成王，成王是以鮮於兄弟。此二王者，各樹聖德，無以相過，比其子孫之祚，則不相如。蓋生育有早晚，所產有衆寡也。

Your Majesty’s virtue and blessings combine those of the two sages, and your age is already greater than that of King Wen of the Ji when he raised King Wu; yet no son like Fa has yet been born in the pepper-scented inner chambers, and no princes have yet multiplied in the many rooms of the harem. Compared with King Cheng, it is not yet late; but compared with Boyi, it is not early. According to the Rites of Zhou, the palace women of the Six Palaces numbered one hundred and twenty, while the classics generally all set the limit at twelve; by the end of Qin and Han, they were sometimes counted in hundreds and thousands.

陛下旣德祚兼彼二聖，春秋高於姬文育武之時矣，而子發未舉於椒蘭之奧房，藩王未繁於掖庭之衆室。以成王爲喻，雖未爲晚，取譬伯邑，則不爲夙。周禮六宮內官百二十人，而諸經常說，咸以十二爲限，至於秦漢之末，或以千百爲數矣。

Yet though their numbers grew ever greater, those who went in due time to the auspicious lodge were sometimes very few. It is clear that the root of ‘a hundred sons’ truly lies in single-minded devotion, not merely in seeking many consorts. This old servant earnestly hopes that the state may share the blessing of Xuanyuan’s five times five sons, and it grieves me that it has not yet reached even King Wen of Zhou’s two times five. Moreover, small children often suffer from bedding that is too warm; when it is too warm, their soft skin and weak bodies cannot be comfortable, so they are hard to protect and easily fall ill.

然雖彌猥，而就時於吉館者或甚鮮，明『百斯男』之本，誠在於一意，不但在於務廣也。老臣慺慺，願國家同祚於軒轅之五五，而未及周文之二五，用爲伊邑。且少小常苦被褥泰溫，泰溫則不能便柔膚弱體，是以難可防護，而易用感慨。

If you always see to it that the small children’s padded robes are not too thick, they will surely all keep a constitution as firm as metal and stone and rival the Southern Mountain in longevity.” The Emperor replied, “When loyalty is perfect, words are earnest; when love is weighty, speech is profound. You have taken pains in your thinking and also, with your own brush, sought to further what is good. I have read your virtuous words three times over, and my joy is boundless. That I have not yet established an heir has become a worry for you. I respectfully accept your excellent words and hope to hear more good counsel.” Wang Lang wrote commentaries on the Changes, the Spring and Autumn Annals, the Classic of Filial Piety and the Offices of Zhou, and his memorials, discussions, essays and records have all been handed down in the world.

若常令少小之縕袍，不至於甚厚，則必咸保金石之性，而比壽於南山矣。」帝報曰：「夫忠至者辭篤，愛重者言深。君旣勞思慮，又手筆將順，三復德音，欣然無量。朕繼嗣未立，以爲君憂，欽納至言，思聞良規。」朗著易、春秋、孝經、周官傳，奏議論記，咸傳於世。¹

He died in the second year of Taihe and was given the posthumous name Marquis Cheng. His son Wang Su succeeded him. Earlier, when Emperor Wen divided Wang Lang’s fief to enfeoff one of his sons as a full marquis, Wang Lang asked that his elder brother’s son Wang Xiang be enfeoffed instead.

太和二年薨，謚曰成侯。子肅嗣。初，文帝分朗戶邑，封一子列侯，朗乞封兄子詳。

His Son Wang Su

子　肅

Wang Su’s courtesy name was Ziyong. At eighteen he studied the Taixuan under Song Zhong, and went on to write his own explanation of it. During Huangchu he became Cavalier Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. In the third year of Taihe he was appointed Cavalier Regular Attendant. In the fourth year, when the Grand Marshal Cao Zhen marched against Shu, Wang Su submitted a memorial saying, “The records of former times say, ‘When grain is carried a thousand li, the soldiers look hungry; when fuel and fodder must be gathered before the cooking fires are lit, the army does not go to bed full.’ This refers to an army marching on level roads. How much more, then, when it goes deep into dangerous passes and advances by cutting its road as it goes: its toil must be a hundred times greater.

肅字子雍。年十八，從宋忠讀太玄，而更爲之解。¹黃初中，爲散騎黃門侍郎。太和三年，拜散騎常侍。四年，大司馬曹真征蜀，肅上疏曰：「前志有之，『千里饋糧，士有饑色，樵蘇後爨，師不宿飽』，此謂平塗之行軍者也。又況於深入阻險，鑿路而前，則其爲勞必相百也。

Now on top of this there are incessant rains, and the mountain slopes are steep and slippery; the troops are crowded and cannot deploy, and the supply line hangs far behind and is hard to maintain. This is truly what an army on the march most dreads. I hear that Cao Zhen set out more than a month ago and has only gone halfway through the valley, and all his fighting men are at work building the road. This lets the enemy alone wait at ease for us to wear ourselves out, which is what strategists fear. To speak of former ages, King Wu, attacking King Zhou of Shang, went out through the pass and came back again; to discuss recent events, Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen, campaigning against Sun Quan, reached the Yangtze but did not cross.

今又加之以霖雨，山坂峻滑，衆逼而不展，糧縣而難繼，實行軍者之大忌也。聞曹真發已踰月而行裁半谷，治道功夫，戰士悉作。是賊偏得以逸而待勞，乃兵家之所憚也。言之前代，則武王伐紂，出關而復還；論之近事，則武、文征權，臨江而不濟。

Is this not what is called following Heaven and knowing the times, and mastering the art of adapting to circumstances? If the multitudes know that Your Sagacious Majesty halted and rested the army because of the hardship of the rains, and later, when an opening appears, you seize it and use them, then this will be what is called ‘when they face hardship gladly, the people forget death.’” Thereupon the campaign was called off. He also submitted a memorial saying, “In keeping with the old rites, mourning should be proclaimed for great ministers, and fruits should be offered at the ancestral temple.” All these matters were put into effect. He further submitted a memorial setting out the foundations of government: “Abolish posts that have no business, cut salaries that are not necessary, stop the expense of those who eat without working, and merge sinecure offices. Let every office have its duties and every duty its tasks; let those who perform tasks receive salaries, and let the salary take the place of farming. This was the constant rule of antiquity and is what is fitting today.

豈非所謂順天知時，通於權變者哉！兆民知聖上以水雨艱劇之故，休而息之，後日有釁，乘而用之，則所謂悅以犯難，民忘其死者矣。」於是遂罷。又上疏：「宜遵舊禮，爲大臣發哀，薦果宗廟。」事皆施行。又上疏陳政本曰：「除無事之位，損不急之祿，止浮食之費，并從容之官；使官必有職，職任其事，事必受祿，祿代其耕，乃往古之常式，當今之所宜也。

If officials are few and their salaries generous, the state’s expenses will be small and men’s desire to serve will be encouraged. When the desire to serve is encouraged, each will display his talent and strength and none will lean on another. Let them report in words and be clearly tested by results; whether or not they are capable will then be sorted out in the Emperor’s mind. So when Tang and Yu set up offices and divided duties, they repeatedly charged the ministers each with his own affairs, and only then made Long the Transmitter of Words, much like the Master of Writing of today, merely to issue and receive the Emperor’s commands.

官寡而祿厚，則公家之費鮮，進仕之志勸。進仕之志勸，各展才力，莫相倚仗。敷奏以言，明試以功，能之與否，簡在帝心。是以唐、虞之設官分職，申命公卿，各以其事，然後惟龍爲納言，猶今尚書也，以出內帝命而已。

Of the Xia and Yin we cannot know the details. The Speech at Gan speaks of ‘the men of the six affairs,’ which shows that the six ministers also managed business. Under the Zhou the system was complete: court was held every five days, the dukes, ministers and grandees all came forward, and the Officer of Men distinguished their places. Its record says, ‘Those who sit and discuss the Way are called kings and dukes; those who rise and put it into practice are called officers and grandees.’ At the beginning of the Han, following the model of former ages, the ministers all came to court in person on business.

夏、殷不可得而詳。甘誓曰『六事之人』，明六卿亦典事者也。周官則備矣，五日視朝，公卿大夫並進，而司士辨其位焉。其記曰：『坐而論道，謂之王公；作而行之，謂之士大夫。』及漢之初，依擬前代，公卿皆親以事升朝。

Thus Emperor Gaozu personally chased Zhou Chang when he turned and ran away, Emperor Wu approved Ji An’s memorial from a distance, Emperor Xuan had the ministers attend court once every five days, and Emperor Cheng first established five Masters of Writing. From then on things declined, and the rites of court fell into disuse. The ceremony of holding court every five days may be restored, so that the ministers and the Masters of Writing each come forward with their business. Reviving a lapsed rite would shed glory on the sagely heritage and spread it abroad; it would truly be what is called fine in name and rich in substance.”

故高祖躬追反走之周昌，武帝遙可奉奏之汲黯，宣帝使公卿五日一朝，成帝始置尚書五人。自是陵遲，朝禮遂闕。可復五日視朝之儀，使公卿尚書各以事進。廢禮復興，光宣聖緒，誠所謂名美而實厚者也。」

During Qinglong the Duke of Shanyang died; he had been the ruler of the Han. Wang Su submitted a memorial saying, “In ancient times, when Tang abdicated to Yu and Yu abdicated to Xia, each completed three years of mourning before ascending to the dignity of Son of Heaven. Thus the imperial title suffered no diminution and the rites due to a ruler were preserved. The Duke of Shanyang received and obeyed the Mandate of Heaven and truly answered the hopes of the people; stepping forward, he abdicated to the great Wei, and stepping back, he took the position of an honored guest. In serving Wei, the Duke never dared fall short in loyalty; in treating the Duke, Wei honored him generously and did not make him a subject.

青龍中，山陽公薨，漢主也。肅上疏曰：「昔唐禪虞，虞禪夏，皆終三年之喪，然後踐天子之尊。是以帝號無虧，君禮猶存。今山陽公承順天命，允荅民望，進禪大魏，退處賔位。公之奉魏，不敢不盡節。魏之待公，優崇而不臣。

When he died, the rules for his coffining and shrouding and the adornment of his hearse and attendants were all the same as for a sovereign, and so near and far turned to Wei’s benevolence and regarded this as a splendid thing. Moreover, the Han combined the titles di and huang, calling its ruler huangdi. There were cases of being called di alone, but none of being called huang alone, so huang is the somewhat lesser of the two. That is why, in the time of Emperor Gaozu, when there could not be two kings in the land, his father, who was then living, was made to bear the title huang; clearly it raised no suspicion of there being two kings.

旣至其薨，櫬斂之制，輿徒之飾，皆同之於王者，是故遠近歸仁，以爲盛美。且漢緫帝皇之號，號曰皇帝。有別稱帝，無別稱皇，則皇是其差輕者也。故當高祖之時，土無二王，其父見在而使稱皇，明非二王之嫌也。

How much more, now that it is a posthumous honor, might he be called huang to accompany his posthumous name.” Emperor Ming did not follow the proposal to call him huang, but instead gave him the posthumous title Emperor Xiaoxian of Han.

況今以贈終，可使稱皇以配其謚。」明帝不從使稱皇，乃追謚曰漢孝獻皇帝。¹

Later Wang Su, while Regular Attendant, took charge as Director of the Palace Library, and also served as Libationer of the Chongwen Academy. During Jingchu, palace construction flourished, the people lost their farming, promises were not kept faithfully, and punishments and executions were carried out hastily. Wang Su submitted a memorial saying, “Great Wei has inherited the last of a hundred kings. Few of the people survive and the weapons of war are not yet put away; this is truly a time to give the people rest and bestow on them the kindness of peace and quiet near and far. Building up stores and giving rest to the exhausted people depends on reducing labor service and promoting agriculture.

後肅以常侍領祕書監，兼崇文觀祭酒。景初間，宮室盛興，民失農業，期信不敦，刑殺倉卒。肅上疏曰：「大魏承百王之極，生民無幾，干戈未戢，誠宜息民而惠之以安靜遐邇之時也。夫務畜積而息疲民，在於省傜役而勤稼穡。

Now the palaces are not yet completed and the work is not yet finished, and transport by water and requisitions follow one after another to supply it. So the able-bodied men are worn out with hard labor and the farmers have left their southern fields; those who plant grain are few and those who eat it are many, and the old grain is already gone while no new grain follows. This is a great danger to a state and no far-sighted plan for preparedness. Those at work now number thirty or forty thousand. The Jiulong Hall is enough to give rest to Your Majesty’s sacred person, and its interior is enough to house the Six Palaces; the Xianyang Hall is also nearly finished. Only the work in front of the Taiji Hall is still great, and as we are heading into the depth of winter, sickness may break out.

今宮室未就，功業未訖，運漕調發，轉相供奉。是以丁夫疲於力作，農者離其南畒，種穀者寡，食穀者衆，舊穀旣沒，新穀莫繼。斯則有國之大患，而非備豫之長策也。今見作者三四萬人，九龍可以安聖體，其內足以列六宮，顯陽之殿，又向將畢，惟泰極已前，功夫尚大，方向盛寒，疾疢或作。

I earnestly hope that Your Majesty will utter virtuous words and issue an enlightened edict, deeply pitying the fatigue of the laborers and greatly sympathizing with the want of the multitudes. Take the men who regularly draw rations from the granaries and are employed on work that is not urgent, choose the able-bodied among them, keep ten thousand, and have them relieved after one year. If all know there will be a day when they are rested and replaced, none will fail to take up the work gladly, and they will toil without resentment. Reckoned over a year, this comes to three million six hundred thousand man-days, which is by no means few.

誠願陛下發德音，下明詔，深愍役夫之疲勞，厚矜兆民之不贍，取常食廩之士，非急要者之用，選其丁壯，擇留萬人，使一朞而更之，咸知息代有日，則莫不悅以即事，勞而不怨矣。計一歲有三百六十萬夫，亦不爲少。

What was to be completed in one year, allow three years for. Send the rest home in groups so that all may go back to farming; this is a plan of endless benefit. With grain overflowing the granaries and strength to spare among the people, what work could not be accomplished if you undertook projects with it, and what transformation could not be achieved if you carried out moral instruction with it? Good faith toward the people is the great treasure of a state. Zhongni said, ‘Since ancient times all have died, but without good faith the people cannot stand.’ Even the petty state of Jin and the humble Chong’er, when they wished to use their people, first showed them good faith; and so, though Yuan was about to surrender, he turned back out of regard for his word, and was thereby able to become hegemon in a single battle and is praised to this day.

當一歲成者，聽且三年。分遣其餘，使皆即農，無窮之計也。倉有溢粟，民有餘力：以此興功，何功不立？以此行化，何化不成？夫信之於民，國家大寶也。仲尼曰：『自古皆有死，民非信不立。』夫區區之晉國，微微之重耳，欲用其民，先示以信，是故原雖將降，顧信而歸，用能一戰而霸，于今見稱。

Earlier, when the imperial carriage was about to go to Luoyang, the people were called up to build quarters, and the officials in charge ordered that they would be dismissed once the quarters were finished. But when they were finished, the officials, seeing profit in their labor, did not send them home on time. The officials looked only to the gain before their eyes and paid no heed to the proper conduct of government. In my foolish opinion, from now on, if the people are to be used again, the orders should be made clear and the deadline kept without fail. If there is further work to follow, it is better to call up a fresh levy than to break faith. All those whom Your Majesty punishes on the spot are guilty officials who deserve to die.

前車駕當幸洛陽，發民爲營，有司命以營成而罷。旣成，又利其功力，不以時遣。有司徒營其目前之利，不顧經國之體。臣愚以爲自今已後，儻復使民，宜明其令，使必如期。若有事以次，寧復更發，無或失信。凡陛下臨時之所行刑，皆有罪之吏，宜死之人也。

But the common people do not know this and think the punishments hasty. I therefore hope Your Majesty will hand such men over to the officials and make their crimes public. If they must die just the same, do not let it defile the palace and arouse suspicion near and far. Moreover, human life is supremely important: it is hard to create and easy to destroy, and once the breath is cut off it cannot be restored. That is why the sages and worthies held it weighty. Meng Ke said that to kill a single innocent man in order to gain the realm is something a benevolent man would not do. In the Han there was a man who violated the cleared road and startled the horses of the imperial carriage. The Commandant of Justice Zhang Shizhi proposed that he be fined, and Emperor Wen was displeased at the lightness of the penalty. Zhang Shizhi said, ‘Had Your Majesty ordered him executed at the time, that would have been the end of it.

然衆庶不知，謂爲倉卒。故願陛下下之於吏而暴其罪。鈞其死也，無使汙于宮掖而爲遠近所疑。且人命至重，難生易殺，氣絕而不續者也，是以聖賢重之。孟軻稱殺一無辜以取天下，仁者不爲也。漢時有犯蹕驚乘輿馬者，廷尉張釋之奏使罰金，文帝恠其輕，而釋之曰：『方其時，上使誅之則已。

But now he has been handed over to the Commandant of Justice. The Commandant of Justice is the balance of the realm; once it tilts, the application of the law throughout the realm will be too light or too heavy, and where will the people put their hands and feet?’ In my view he greatly missed the point, and this was not something a loyal minister should have said. The Commandant of Justice is the Son of Heaven’s official, and even he may not fail to be fair; can the Son of Heaven himself then be allowed to err and go astray? This is to be weighty in regard to oneself and light in regard to one’s lord, which is disloyalty of the worst kind.

今下廷尉。廷尉，天下之平也，一傾之，天下用法皆爲輕重，民安所措其手足？』臣以爲大失其義，非忠臣所宜陳也。廷尉者，天子之吏也，猶不可以失平，而天子之身，反可以惑謬乎？斯重於爲己，而輕於爲君，不忠之甚也。

The Duke of Zhou said, ‘The Son of Heaven makes no jest. When he speaks, the historians write it down, the musicians chant it, and the officers praise it.’ If even words may not be spoken in jest, how much less deeds? Therefore Zhang Shizhi’s words must be examined with care, and the Duke of Zhou’s warning must be followed.” He also stated that “the various birds and beasts are useless things that nonetheless cost fodder, grain and attendants; all of them can be done away with.”

周公曰：『天子無戲言；言則史書之，工誦之，士稱之。』言猶不戲，而況行之乎？故釋之之言不可不察，周公之戒不可不法也。」又陳「諸鳥獸無用之物，而有芻穀人徒之費，皆可蠲除。」

The Emperor once asked, “In the time of Emperor Huan of Han, Li Yun, Magistrate of Baima, submitted a letter saying, ‘Di, emperor, means di, to discern. This emperor wishes not to discern.’ How could he have escaped death?” Wang Su replied, “His words merely overstepped the bounds of propriety. If one looks at his original intent, he wished only to give his whole heart, and his thoughts were on helping the state. Besides, the majesty of an emperor surpasses thunder and lightning; killing a common man is no different from killing a mole cricket or an ant. Treating him leniently and pardoning him would have shown a willingness to accept blunt words and broadened the reach of virtue throughout the realm.

帝嘗問曰：「漢桓帝時，白馬令李雲上書言：『帝者，諦也。是帝欲不諦。』當何得不死？」肅對曰：「但爲言失逆順之節。原其本意，皆欲盡心，念存補國。且帝者之威，過於雷霆，殺一匹夫，無異螻蟻。寬而宥之，可以示容受切言，廣德宇於天下。

So I do not think killing him was necessarily right.” The Emperor also asked, “Because Sima Qian suffered punishment, he harbored a hidden grudge and wrote the Records of the Grand Historian to disparage and belittle Emperor Xiaowu. It makes one gnash one’s teeth.” Wang Su replied, “Sima Qian recorded events without false praise and without concealing evil. Liu Xiang and Yang Xiong admired his skill at narrative and his talent as a good historian, and called his work a true record. When Emperor Wu of Han heard that he was writing the Records of the Grand Historian, he sent for the basic annals of Emperor Xiaojing and of himself and read them; he flew into a rage, erased them and threw them away.

故臣以爲殺之未必爲是也。」帝又問：「司馬遷以受刑之故，內懷隱切，著《史記》非貶孝武，令人切齒。」對曰：「司馬遷記事，不虛美，不隱惡。劉向、揚雄服其善叙事，有良史之才，謂之實錄。漢武帝聞其述《史記》，取孝景及己本紀覽之，於是大怒，削而投之。

To this day those two annals exist in the table of contents but have no text. Later, when the affair of Li Ling occurred, he sent Sima Qian to the silkworm chamber. So the hidden grudge lay with Emperor Xiaowu, not with the historian Sima Qian.”

於今此兩紀有錄無書。後遭李陵事，遂下遷蠶室。此爲隱切在孝武，而不在於史遷也。」

In the first year of Zhengshi he went out to be Grand Administrator of Guangping. Summoned back on official business, he was appointed Court Consultant. Shortly afterward he became Palace Attendant and was promoted to Minister of Ceremonies. At that time the Grand General Cao Shuang held power alone and employed He Yan, Deng Yang and others. When Wang Su was discussing current government with the Grand Commandant Jiang Ji and the Minister of Agriculture Huan Fan, he said with a stern face, “These men are the same sort as Hong Gong and Shi Xian. Why speak of them any further!” When Cao Shuang heard of this, he warned He Yan and the others, “We must all be careful!

正始元年，出爲廣平太守。公事徵還，拜議郎。頃之，爲侍中，遷太常。時大將軍曹爽專權，任用何晏、鄧颺等。肅與太尉蔣濟、司農桓範論及時政，肅正色曰：「此輩即弘恭、石顯之屬，復稱說邪！」爽聞之，戒何晏等曰：「當共慎之！

The ministers are already comparing you gentlemen to the villains of former ages.” Wang Su was dismissed over a matter concerning the ancestral temple. Later he became Minister of the Household. At that time two fish a foot long gathered on the roof of the arsenal, and the officials considered this auspicious. Wang Su said, “Fish live in deep waters, yet these have climbed onto a roof: creatures of shell and scale have lost their proper place. Surely a general on the frontier will suffer a disaster in which armor is thrown away!” Later there was indeed the defeat at Dongguan. He was transferred to Intendant of Henan.

公卿已比諸君前世惡人矣。」坐宗廟事免。後爲光祿勳。時有二魚長尺，集于武庫之屋，有司以爲吉祥。肅曰：「魚生於淵而亢於屋，介鱗之物失其所也。邊將其殆有棄甲之變乎？」其後果有東關之敗。徙爲河南尹。

In the sixth year of Jiaping, bearing the credentials and acting as Minister of Ceremonies, he escorted the imperial carriage to receive the Duke of Gaogui District at Yuancheng. That year a white vapor crossed the sky, and the Grand General Sima Shi (King Jing) asked Wang Su the reason. Wang Su answered, “This is the Banner of Chiyou. Surely there will be rebellion in the southeast! If you cultivate yourself so as to give peace to the people, then those in the realm who delight in peace will turn to your virtue, and those who lead rebellion will be the first to perish.” In the spring of the following year, Guanqiu Jian, General Who Guards the East, and Wen Qin, Inspector of Yang Province, rebelled. Sima Shi said to Wang Su, “Huo Guang was moved by the words of Xiahou Sheng and began to value Confucian scholars; he truly had good reason.

嘉平六年，持節兼太常，奉法駕，迎高貴鄉公于元城。是歲，白氣經天，大將軍司馬景王問肅其故，肅荅曰：「此蚩尤之旗也，東南其有亂乎？君若脩己以安百姓，則天下樂安者歸德，唱亂者先亡矣。」明年春，鎮東將軍毌丘儉、揚州刺史文欽反，景王謂肅曰：「霍光感夏侯勝之言，始重儒學之士，良有以也。

Where lies the art of securing the state and giving peace to its ruler?” Wang Su said, “In the past, Guan Yu led the host of Jing Province and forced Yu Jin to surrender on the banks of the Han, and then aspired to march north and contend for the realm. Later Sun Quan made a surprise attack and seized the families of his officers and men, and Guan Yu’s army fell apart in a single day. Now the parents, wives and children of the officers and men of Huainan are all in the interior provinces. If you only hurry to block and guard against them so that they cannot advance, they will surely crumble like Guan Yu.”

安國寧主，其術焉在？」肅曰：「昔關羽率荊州之衆，降于禁於漢濵，遂有北向爭天下之志。後孫權襲取其將士家屬，羽士衆一旦瓦解。今淮南將士父母妻子皆在內州，但急往禦衞，使不得前，必有關羽土崩之勢矣。」

Sima Shi followed this advice and went on to defeat Guanqiu Jian and Wen Qin. Later Wang Su was promoted to Commander of the Central Guard and given the additional title of Cavalier Regular Attendant, with an increase of three hundred households, making two thousand two hundred in all with his earlier fief. He died in the first year of Ganlu, and his disciples who wore mourning numbered in the hundreds. He was posthumously made General of the Guards and given the posthumous name Marquis Jing. His son Wang Yun succeeded him. When Wang Yun died without a son, the fief was abolished. In the fourth year of Jingyuan, Wang Su’s son Wang Xun was enfeoffed as Marquis of Lanling. During Xianxi, when the five ranks of nobility were established, Wang Xun’s fief was changed to Viscount of Cheng because of the merit Wang Su had shown in earlier reigns.

景王從之，遂破儉、欽。後遷中領軍，加散騎常侍，增邑三百，并前二千二百戶。甘露元年薨，門生縗絰者以百數。追贈衞將軍，謚曰景侯。子惲嗣。惲薨，無子，國絕。景元四年，封肅子恂爲蘭陵侯。咸熈中，開建五等，以肅著勳前朝，改封恂爲氶子。¹

Earlier, Wang Su had favored the learning of Jia Kui and Ma Rong and disliked that of Master Zheng. Gathering the points of agreement and difference, he wrote explanations of the Book of Documents, the Book of Songs, the Analects, the three Rites classics and the Zuo Commentary, and edited and finalized the commentary on the Changes written by his father Wang Lang; all of these were adopted by the official academies. His discussions and refutations concerning court institutions, the suburban sacrifices, the ancestral temple, mourning rites and questions of relative weight came to more than a hundred pieces in all. At that time Sun Shuran of Lean, who had studied under Zheng Xuan, was called the great Confucian of the eastern provinces. Sun Shuran was summoned to be Director of the Palace Library but did not take up the post.

初，肅善賈、馬之學，而不好鄭氏，采會同異，爲《尚書》、《詩》、《論語》、三禮、《左氏解》，及撰定父朗所作易傳，皆列於學官。其所論駮朝廷典制、郊祀、宗廟、喪紀、輕重，凡百餘篇。時樂安孫叔然，¹授學鄭玄之門，人稱東州大儒。徵爲秘書監，不就。

When Wang Su compiled the Discourses on the Evidence of the Sages to criticize Zheng Xuan, Sun Shuran refuted it and gave his own explanations. He also wrote works on the Zhou Changes and the Examples of the Spring and Autumn, and commentaries on the Mao Songs, the Record of Rites, the three commentaries on the Spring and Autumn, the Discourses of the States and the Erya, and wrote more than ten other pieces besides. From the beginning of Wei, the summoned scholar Zhousheng Lie of Dunhuang, Dong Yu of Hongnong, Grand Minister of Agriculture under Emperor Ming, and others also wrote commentaries on the classics and their traditions, which were widely handed down in the world.

肅集聖證論以譏短玄，叔然駮而釋之，及作《周易》、《春秋例》，《毛詩》、《禮記》、《春秋》三傳、《國語》、《爾雅》諸注，又著書十餘篇。自魏初徵士燉煌周生烈，¹明帝時大司農弘農董遇等，亦歷注經傳，頗傳於世。²³

Appraisal

評

Appraisal: Zhong Yao was open-minded and capable in administration; Hua Xin was pure and simple in virtue; Wang Lang was broadly learned and rich in letters. Truly they were all outstanding men of their time. When the Wei first came to the throne, they were the first to ascend to the Three Excellencies. How splendid! Wang Su was clear, upright and widely informed; he was able to carry the firewood his father had split!

評曰：鍾繇開達理幹，華歆清純德素，王朗文博富贍，誠皆一時之俊偉也。魏氏初祚，肇登三司，盛矣夫！王肅亮直多聞，能析薪哉！¹