Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 3 Scroll 11 (continued)
The 5th year of the Emperor Gaozu (202 B.C. continued)
After Peng Yue accepted his titles from the Empire of Han, Tian Heng of Qi, who had taken refuge under Peng Yue, feared for his life. He, along with 500 followers, fled to an island in the ocean. The emperor saw Tian Heng and his brothers as potential rebel threats, given their previous control over the Kingdom of Qi. He sent an envoy to offer amnesty to Tian Heng and his followers, summoning him to the capital.
Tian Heng thanked the envoy but declined the invitation, saying, “I boiled His Majesty’s envoy, Mr. Li Yiji, to death, whose brother is a general of Han. I am too afraid to answer His Majesty’s call. I prefer to defend this island as a commoner.”
When the envoy reported back, the emperor issued a decree to General Li Shang, commander of the capital security forces: “Tian Heng is coming. Anyone who dares harm Tian Heng or any of his followers will be executed along with their entire clan.” The emperor then sent the envoy back with his royal insignia and the decree, summoning Tian Heng again. He promised, “Tian Heng will be awarded the title of king at best, or marquis at worst, if he comes voluntarily. If he does not, an armed force will be sent to capture him.”
Tian Heng and two of his attendants traveled toward the capital, Luoyang, in a government vehicle. They stopped for the night at a lodge about thirty miles from the capital, in a town called Shixiang. Tian Heng insisted on staying overnight, telling the envoy, “I need to take a bath before I meet the emperor.” Then, speaking privately to his attendants, he said, “The King of Han and I were both kings in our own right. We both sat facing south and referred to ourselves as ‘we.’ Now, the King of Han is emperor, and Tian Heng is a fugitive. I must face north and serve as his subject. The humiliation is unbearable. Moreover, I boiled the brother of Li Shang alive, and now I am expected to serve the same lord alongside him. Even if Li Shang spares me out of respect for the emperor’s decree, don’t I feel guilt in my own heart? As for the emperor wanting to see me, he likely just wants to see what I look like. If you sever my head and rush it to him, my face won’t change much in thirty miles, and His Majesty will still see me.”
With that, Tian Heng slit his own throat. His attendants severed his head and, along with the envoy, rushed to present it to the emperor. Upon seeing it, the emperor was moved and said, “Ah! Though lowborn, Tian Heng and his three brothers each became Kings of Qi, one after another. Are they not remarkable men?” The emperor shed tears and appointed Tian Heng’s two attendants as commanders, assigning them two thousand soldiers to conduct a funeral with the rites of a king.
After the burial, the two attendants dug their own graves beside Tian Heng‘s tomb. They slit their throats and followed their lord in death. Upon hearing the news, the emperor was astonished and declared that all of Tian Heng‘s attendants were honorable and worthy men. He sent the emissary back to the island to summon Tian Heng’s five hundred remaining followers. However, upon learning of Tian Heng’s death, all of his followers committed suicide en masse.
Ji Bu, a native of the Kingdom of Chu, had served as a general under Xiang Ji. Over the course of his career, he had cornered the emperor several times, causing him significant distress. After Xiang Ji‘s downfall, the emperor placed a bounty of a thousand ounces of gold on Ji Bu’s head, declaring that anyone harboring him would face the extermination of their entire family.
To escape this fate, Ji Bu shaved his head, donned an iron neck collar, and sold himself into slavery to a nobleman named Zhu Jia, who knowingly purchased him despite recognizing who he was. Zhu Jia hid Ji Bu in his country estate and traveled to Luoyang, where he sought the assistance of Duke Teng, Xiahou Ying. Zhu Jia argued, “What crime has Ji Bu committed? He was simply loyal to his lord and did his duty. Are you going to execute every subject of Xiang Yu? His Majesty has just unified the country—how magnanimous would it be to settle old grudges against a single man? Ji Bu is talented, and if pushed too far, he may flee north to join the nomads or south to join the Yue tribes. Forcing a warrior into the arms of your enemies out of personal resentment would be as senseless as driving Wu Zixu away, who led troops of Wu back, dug up the tomb of King Jingping of Chu and whipped his corpse. Why not speak to His Majesty on Ji Bu’s behalf?”
Duke Teng relayed Zhu Jia’s words to the emperor when the opportunity arose. The emperor, moved by the argument, granted Ji Bu a pardon and appointed him as a guard of the royal court. Zhu Jia, having secured Ji Bu‘s safety, would never see him again.
Ji Bu’s half-brother, Ding Gong, also served as a general under Xiang Yu. He had cornered the emperor west of Pengcheng, and they were about to engage in a duel when the emperor made eye contact and desperately pleaded, “Why should two good men fight each other?” Moved by this, Ding Gong withdrew with his soldiers back to camp. After Xiang Yu‘s defeat, Ding Gong requested an audience with the emperor. However, the emperor publicly humiliated him, having him dragged through the camp, declaring, “Ding Gong did not show loyalty while serving King Xiang Yu. It was officers like him who caused King Xiang Yu’s failure to conquer the country.” He then ordered Ding Gong’s execution, warning, “New officers must not follow Ding Gong’s example.”
Sima Guang’s commentary: Emperor Gaozu had been recruiting talent and accepting many deserters and defectors since he rose from Feng town in Pei County. Why did he execute only Ding Gong for disloyalty after becoming the emperor? Because conquest and preservation are different situations. When multiple strongmen were competing for supremacy, no one knew who would prevail, so it was wise to gather anyone who came your way. Once he became the supreme sovereign, however, everyone in the country became his subject. If people are not educated in propriety and righteousness, and if they all pursue their own interests, could the country remain peaceful? That is why the emperor judged Ding Gong based on higher principles. He made it clear to the people that disloyalty was unacceptable. Even though Ding Gong had done him a personal favor by sparing his life, it was not a righteous act. The emperor considered the long-term impact: by executing one man to warn millions, didn’t he think profoundly? It is not difficult to see his descendants ruled the country for four hundred years.
Reflection by Rio Grande 
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