Zi Zhi Tong Jian

Chapter 18 The Han Dynasty: The Banquet of the Hongmen (6)
【Translation】

When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard the news at first, he feared that they would attack the frontier fortress by false surrender, so he ordered Huo Qubing to lead his troops to meet them.Because King Xiutu regretted the surrender to Han, King Hunxie killed him and merged his subordinates.After Huo Qubing's troops crossed the Yellow River, they were far away from the troops of King Hunxie.After the generals under King Hunxie saw the Han army, many of them changed their minds and did not intend to surrender, so they fled one after another.Huo Qubing rode his horse to the camp of King Hunxie, and was able to meet King Hunxie. He beheaded 8000 of his subordinates who tried to escape in public, and then sent King Hunxie to the residence of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty alone in a chariot.He also ordered all his subordinates to cross the Yellow River. More than 4 people surrendered, known as [-].After King Hunxie arrived in Chang'an, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty rewarded him with hundreds of thousands of gold, and also named King Hunxie the Marquis of Luoyin, with [-] households in the city, and all four of his subordinates, including Xiaowang Huduni, were enshrined. Hou.At the same time, we did not forget to increase Huo Qubing's food town by [-] households.

Yuanshou four years (119 BC).Huo Qubing's cavalry, military vehicles and supplies were equal to those of the general Wei Qing. He did not arrange a deputy general. Li Gan and others were all appointed as senior colonels and served as deputy generals. The army on the left encountered it head-on. After the battle, they captured three people, including King Tuntou and King Han of the Huns, and 83 people including General, Xiangguo, Danghu, and Duwei. The god of the earth, and then climbed to the mountain next to Hanhai to look at it. This time, a total of 440 Hun soldiers were captured.When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was overjoyed, he granted [-] households in Huo Qubing Shiyi, and also named four of his subordinates, Youbeiping Taishou Lu Bode, Liehou. Yi, the school captain Li Gan was granted the title of Marquis of Guannei, and he was given Shiyi.Low-ranking officers and soldiers were also promoted one by one, and many people were rewarded this time.However, the general Wei Qing did not receive any rewards, and none of the officers and soldiers under his command were granted marquis titles.

Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty newly set up the post of Da Sima, which was jointly held by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, and clearly stipulated that Huo Qubing's official rank and salary were the same as Wei Qing's.From then on, Wei Qing's power declined day by day, while Huo Qubing became more and more dignified.Many of Wei Qing's former friends and retainers turned to Huo Qubing, and immediately got official positions and titles, but Ren An was unwilling to do so.

[Original text]

General Piaoqi is a man who speaks little and dares to go.The Son of Heaven tried to teach his grandson, Wu's art of war, and said to him: "Gu Fanglue is as good as your ears, and you can't learn the ancient art of war." The Son of Heaven ordered Piao Qi to regard him as the ruler, and said to him: "The Huns are not destroyed, and there is no family to do it! "From this, I love it more and more.However, if you are not expensive, you don’t care about the soldiers. If you join the army, the emperor will send the eunuchs to pay for dozens of rides. There are many things like riding a ticket and riding through the domain.The great general is benevolent, he likes people to back down, and flatters himself with gentleness.The two of them have such ambitions.

In the sixth year of Yuanshou, Li Gan, the doctor's order, resented the general for hating his father, but injured the general, and the general concealed it.Ju Wuhe, dare to go from Shangyong to Ganquan Palace to hunt, General Piaoqi Qubing to shoot and kill dare.Fang Guixing was lucky when he was going to get sick, and it was a taboo to go up, and Yunlu would touch and kill it.In autumn and September, the champion King Huanhou Huo Qu died of illness.The emperor mourned it very much, and it was a tomb, like Qilian Mountain.In the early days, Huo Zhongru, an official, returned home, married a wife, and gave birth to a son, Guang.Qu Bing grew up because he knew his father was Huo Zhongru.He will be the general of Piaoqi, attack the Xiongnu, go out of the river east, send officials to meet Zhongru and see him, and go to buy slaves and maidservants in the fields and houses; Du Wei, Doctor Guanglu.

【Translation】

Huo Qubing is silent and steady, courageous and daring to act.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once wanted to teach him the art of war of Sun Wu and Wu Qi, but he said: "Battle depends on the strategy, not the ancient art of war." Later, Emperor Wu of the Han built a luxurious mansion for Huo Qubing and asked him to inspect it, but he said: "The Xiongnu have not been completely wiped out, how can they have a family!" As a result, Emperor Wu of the Han favored him even more.However, Huo Qubing was young and dignified, and he didn't know enough about his subordinates.When he led the army to go out, the food sent to him by the eunuch who was sent by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to be in charge of the court meals was loaded into dozens of cars.When the squadron returned to the court later, the car was still full of food and meat left over from eating, but many soldiers were hungry.When stationed outside the Great Wall, the morale of his subordinates was sometimes low due to lack of food, but Huo Qubing still built a Cuju field to play.There are many more such things.Wei Qing is kind, respects the virtuous, and humbly retreats. With his gentleness and gentleness, he won the favor of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.The aspirations and sentiments of the two are so different.

The first year of Yuanshou (117 BC).Lang Zhong ordered Li Gan to resent the general Wei Qing for letting his father Li Guang complain and kill himself, so he shot and wounded Wei Qing, but Wei Qing concealed the matter.Not long after, Li Gan followed Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to Ganquan Palace in Yongdi to hunt, and was shot to death by Piaoqi General Huo Qubing with an arrow.Huo Qubing was favored by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty at that time, and his reputation was very prominent, so Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also concealed the truth for him, declaring that Li Gan was hit to death by a deer.In autumn and September, Huo Qubing, the champion Jing Huanhou, died of illness.Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very sad. While mourning him deeply, he built a tomb in the shape of Qilian Mountain for him.At first, Huo Zhongru thanked his post and returned to his hometown, married his wife and gave birth to his son Huo Guang.It wasn't until Huo Qubing grew up that he realized that Huo Zhongru was his biological father.Later, when he went out to fight against the Huns as a general of Piaoqi, he passed through Hedong, so he specially sent someone to meet Huo Zhongru, and bought a large number of fields, houses and slaves for him before leaving.When the teacher returned to the court, he took Huo Guang westward to Chang'an by the way, and recommended him as a Lang Guan, and later he was gradually promoted to Fengche Duwei and Guanglu Doctor.

[Comment and Analysis]

Piaoqi General Huo Qubing was one of the most famous generals in the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He was brave and good at fighting. He attacked the Xiongnu several times and drove the Huns to the far north. He never dared to go to the south of the Great Wall.Many descendants envy Huo Qubing for his meritorious deeds and fame, and are full of admiration for him.Through the ages, if you think back to those days, the high-spirited General Piaoqi may be the most amazing figure in history!He was promoted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He had almost no setbacks in his life, and he won every battle. The favor he received at that time was unmatched. After defeating the Huns, he died without regret. Needless to say, the glory after death up.

Zhang Qian's envoy
[Original text]

In the third year of Yuanshuo, Emperor Xiaowu Emperor of Han Dynasty, at the beginning of the year, the descendant of the Xiongnu said: "The former residence of the Yueshi is between Dunhuang and Qilian. It is a powerful country, and the Huns conquered it. The old Shangshan killed King Yueshi and used his head as a drink. The rest of the people fled far away, complaining about the Huns, and had no one to attack them together.” Zhang Qian of Hanzhong, who was able to communicate with the Yue family, was recruited as a Lang, and went out of Longxi to the Xiongnu; .After Qian Dejian died, Xiangyuezhi went westward for dozens of days to Dawan.Dawan heard about the wealth of the Han Dynasty, but he couldn't understand it. Seeing Qian, he was happy, and translated it to Kangju for the guidance, and passed it on to Da Yueshi.The prince of the Dayue family is the king, and since he attacked Daxia, he divided up the land and lived there.Qian stayed for more than a year, but he couldn't get the essentials of the Yue family, so he returned it; he merged with Nanshan, wanted to return from the Qiang, and returned to the Xiongnu, so he stayed for more than a year.Hui Yizhi was expelled from Shan, and the Xiongnu was in turmoil, and Qiannai and Ganfu, the slaves of the Tangyi clan, fled back.Shangbaiqian is the doctor of the Taizhong, and Gan's father is the envoy.There were more than a hundred people when Qian first traveled, and when he was 13 years old, only two of them had to return.

The first year of Yuanshou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.At the beginning, when Zhang Qian returned from the Yue family, he said to the emperor the customs of the countries in the Western Regions: "Dawan is in the west of the Han Dynasty, and it can be thousands of miles away. Its customs are indigenous, plowing fields; there are many good horses, and the horses sweat blood; there are walls, houses, such as China. In the northeast is Wusun, and in the east is Yumao. To the west of Wumao, the water flows westward into the West Sea, and in the east, the water flows eastward into the Yanze. It takes five thousand miles to go to Chang'an. The Xiongnu live in the east of Yanze on the right side, reach the Great Wall of Longxi, connect the Qiang in the south, and lead the way of Han. Wusun, Kangju, Yancai, and Dayuezhi all travel to the country, follow the livestock, and The Xiongnu is the same as the customs. Daxia is in the southwest of Dawan, and the customs of Dawan are the same. When I was in Daxia, I saw Qiong bamboo sticks and Shu cloth, and asked: "How can I get this?" The people of Daxia said: "My Jiaren went to The body poison of the city.' The body poison can be thousands of miles southeast of the Great Xia, and its customs are the same as that of the Great Xia. To travel by Qian, the Great Xia went to the Han Dynasty for thousands of miles, and lived in the southwest of the Han Dynasty; Thousands of miles to the southeast of Daxia, there are things from Shu, which are not far from Shu. Today, Daxia is sent from the Qiang, which is dangerous, and the Qiang people hate it; Shaobei, it is acquired by the Huns; No bandits."

【Translation】

In the third year of Yuanshuo, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (126 BC).At first, the people who surrendered the Huns to the Han Dynasty said: "The Yuezhi originally lived between Dunhuang and the Qilian Mountains. It was a powerful country. The Huns' Maodun Shanyu broke it. The old Shangshan killed the king of the Yuezhi Kingdom and sent He made his skull into a drinking vessel. So the rest of the Yuezhi tribe fled far away and had a deep grudge against the Xiongnu, but there was no army that could unite with them to attack the Xiongnu.” Emperor Wu of the Han then He recruited people who could go to the Yuezhi Kingdom as envoys.Zhang Qian, a native of Hanzhong, applied as a Lang Guan, so he led a group of people from Longxi County to the hinterland of the Huns. The leader of the Huns, Shan Yu, captured Zhang Qian and imprisoned him for more than ten years.Zhang Qian finally got the chance to escape, and continued to walk towards the west where Yuezhi Kingdom is located, and arrived at Dawan Kingdom after dozens of days.Dawan Kingdom had heard about the prosperity of the Central Plains for a long time, and had been trying to make a good relationship but failed to achieve it. Now they were very happy to see Zhang Qian, so they arranged a guide and interpreter for him, so Zhang Qian and his party arrived in Kangju Kingdom again. Only then was it transferred to the Great Yuezhi Kingdom.The original prince of the Da Yuezhi Kingdom became the king, and they were able to live in peace because they conquered the Daxia Kingdom and divided the land of the Daxia Kingdom. The land there is rich and fertile, and there are almost no foreign enemies invading. They have no intention of avenging the Xiongnu at all. .Zhang Qian stayed there for more than a year, but he still didn't know what the Yuezhi people were up to, so he had to go back home; Zhang Qian and his party walked along the Nanshan Mountains, intending to return from the place where the Qiang people lived, but were unfortunately captured by the Huns. He was caught, and this time he was detained for more than a year.At that time, it happened that Yi Yaxie was expelled from Yu Shan, and there was chaos in the Huns, so Zhang Qian and Gan Fu, a slave of the Tangyi clan, took advantage of the chaos and fled back.Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty granted Zhang Qian the title of Taizhong doctor, and Gan's father the envoy.There were more than 100 people when Zhang Qian and his party set off. There was an interval of 13 years, and now only the two of them survived.

The first year of Yuanshou, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (122 BC).At first, Zhang Qian had just returned to the Han Dynasty from the Yuezhi Kingdom. He introduced the customs and customs of the countries in the Western Regions to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in detail, and said: "Dawan Kingdom is in the west of our country, about [-] miles away from here. All the locals live there. Living, they mainly live by farming. There are rich sweat and blood horses; the city walls and houses are roughly the same as our Central Plains. The northeast of Dawan Kingdom is Wusun Kingdom, and its east is Khotan Kingdom. To the east of Khotan, The rivers flow westward into the West Sea; the rivers eastward flow into Yanze. The rivers around Yanze flow underground, forming underground rivers, and further south is the source of the Yellow River. Yanze is about five kilometers away from Chang’an. Thousands of miles. The western border of the Huns is located in the east of Yanze, all the way to the Great Wall of Longxi, and borders the tribes of the Qiang people in the south, which just blocks the road to the Western Regions of our country. Wusun, Kangju, Yancai, Dayue The family is a nomadic country, where they graze livestock and chase aquatic plants. Their customs are the same as those of the Xiongnu. Daxia Kingdom is located in the southwest of Dawan Kingdom and has the same customs as Dawan Kingdom. When I was in Daxia Kingdom, I once saw I asked the bamboo sticks from Mount Qiong and the cloth from Sichuan, "Where did these things come from?" the Daxia people said, "All these were bought by Chinese businessmen from drug dealers." The Poison Country is thousands of miles southeast of the Daxia Kingdom, and the local people’s custom is to settle down, just like Daxia. According to my estimation, because Daxia is [-] miles away in the southwest of our country, it is a fact that And the Shendu Kingdom is thousands of miles southeast of the Daxia Kingdom, but there are products from the Shu region of our country. Not to mention the treacherous roads in the region, and the Qiang people hate us; if you go from a slightly northerly region, you will fall into the hands of the Huns; if you go from the Shu region, the road should be very smooth, and there will be no robber."

[Original text]

The Son of Heaven has heard that Dawan, Daxia, and Anxi are all big countries, with many strange things, natives, quite in the same industry as China, but the soldiers are weak, and the property of the Han is precious.In the north there are the genus of Da Yuezhi and Kangju, with strong soldiers, who can be bribed and left to benefit the dynasty.Sincerely obtain it and attribute it to righteousness, it will spread thousands of miles, repeat nine translations, and cause special customs. The mighty virtue is all over the world, and I am happy to say it as it is.Nai Lingqian envoyed Wang Ranyu and other four roads to go out in parallel between Shu and Qianwei.莋, closed in the south, Kunming.The genus of Kunming has no ruler, is good at banditry, and kills the envoys of the Han Dynasty frequently, and there is no way out.So the Han Dynasty began to communicate with the Dian Kingdom in order to seek the body and poison the Tao.Dang Qiang, king of Dian, called the envoy of Han and said: "Which Han is greater than me?" And the same is true for Marquis Yelang.Because the way is unreasonable, they each think that they are the masters of a state, and they don't know the vastness of the Han Dynasty.The envoy also said that the big country of Yunnan was enough to be attached to him; the emperor paid attention to it, and he returned to the southwestern Yi.

In the second year of Yuanding, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, King Hunxie descended to the Han Dynasty, and the Han soldiers drove the Xiongnu to the north of the curtain. From the east of Yanze, there were no Xiongnu, and the road to the Western Regions was open.So Zhang Qian suggested: "Kunmo, the king of Wusun, was originally a minister of the Huns, and his soldiers were a little stronger. He refused to return to the court and serve the Huns. The Huns were invincible and far away. Now Shan Yuxin is trapped in the Han, so the Hunxie land is empty and barbaric. The vulgar loves the old place and is greedy for the property of the Han. Now I sincerely bribe Wusun with thick coins at this time, recruit Yidong, live in the former Hunxie land, and marry the Kun brothers with the Han. It is advisable to listen to it, and to listen is to break the right arm of the Huns Also. Even Wusun, from his genus in the Western Great Xia, can be recruited as a foreign minister." The emperor thought it was right, and Baiqian became the general of Zhonglang, and he sent 300 men, two horses each, tens of thousands of cattle and sheep, and paid for it. There are tens of thousands of gold coins and silk; many deputy envoys with festivals, the way is convenient, and they are sent to other countries.

【Translation】

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard that Dawan, Daxia, Anxi and other countries were all big countries, and they were rich in rare and exotic things. They were all local people who settled there. Although the Da Yuezhi and Kangju countries in the north have strong military forces, they can use bribery, temptation and other methods to win them over to the Han Dynasty. If they can win their submission without war, then the Han Dynasty The territory of the dynasty can be expanded thousands of miles, people from afar must go through multiple translations to come to the court, countries with different customs will be included in the territory of the Han Dynasty, and the mighty virtue of the emperor will spread all over the world.Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han readily accepted Zhang Qian's suggestion, so he ordered Zhang Qian to send envoys from Shu County and Qianwei to send Wang Ranyu and others to Shendu country from Ran, Yi, Qiong and Jian respectively.After the envoys from all walks of life traveled one or two thousand li, the northern route was blocked at Di and Cha, and the southern route was blocked near Kunming.There was no monarch in Kunming at that time, and it was a place where thieves and bandits often robbed and killed Han Dynasty envoys, so no one could pass by here.This time, the envoys of the Han Dynasty went to the Kingdom of Dian for the first time in order to find a way to Shendu. King Lang also asked the same question to the envoys of the Han Dynasty.Because the traffic there is very blocked, they all dominate one side and dominate the other, and they don't know the vastness of the Han Dynasty at all.Later, after the envoy returned to the Han Dynasty, he repeatedly emphasized that the Dian Kingdom was a big country, and it was necessary to win its submission. This attracted the attention of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty again, and he began to re-manage the barbarian land in the southwest.

(End of this chapter)