Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 4 Scroll 12 (continued)
The 11th year of the Emperor Gaozu (196 B.C. continued)
In July of the autumn, the King of Huainan, Ying Bu, rebelled.
After the death of the Marquis of Huaiyin, Ying Bu had already become fearful. Later, when Peng Yue was executed and his flesh was minced and distributed as a warning to other feudal lords. When the Han court’s envoy arrived in Huainan, the king was out hunting and then saw Peng Yue‘s preserved flesh delivered. Horrified and filled with dread, he secretly ordered his men to gather troops and stay alert for any signs of danger from neighboring commanderies.
At the same time, one of Ying Bu‘s favored concubines fell ill and was receiving medical treatment. The doctor and the Grandee of the Palace, Ben He, lived across the street from each other. Ben He prepared expensive gifts and drank with the concubine in the doctor’s home while she came for doctor visits. Ying Bu grew suspicious and believed Ben He might be having an affair with his favorite concubine, so he considered arresting him.
Ben He quickly rode to Chang’an in a post carriage and reported to the court that the King of Huainan was planning a rebellion, claiming it was already in motion and should be preemptively suppressed. The emperor read Ben He‘s report and consulted Chancellor Xiao He, who advised caution, “I don’t believe Ying Bu is planning a revolt. He may have been falsely accused due to personal animosity. Hold Ben He for now and send someone to investigate the situation first.”
When Ying Bu learned that Ben He had reported him to the Han court, he became even more anxious. When court officials arrived to investigate, they found some evidence of rebellion. Feeling he had no other choice, Ying Bu exterminated Ben He‘s clan and openly launched his insurrection.
After the mutiny began, the emperor pardoned Ben He and appointed him as a general.
The emperor asked his generals for advice, and they all suggested, “Send troops to attack them, bury the brat, what can they possibly do?” The Marquis of Ruyin, Duke of Teng, Xiahou Ying, summoned the former Chancellor of Chu, Mr. Xue, for his opinion.
Mr. Xue said, “He will certainly rebel.”
The Duke of Teng asked, “But the emperor has given him land and a title. Why would he rebel?”
Mr. Xue replied, “Last year, Peng Yue was killed, and the year before that, Han Xin was killed. These three men achieved the same level of merit and status. Now, they fear for their safety and that is why they rebel.”
The Duke of Teng reported this to the emperor, who summoned Mr. Xue and sought his advice. Mr. Xue said, “Ying Bu‘s rebellion is unsurprising. If he follows the best strategy, the land east of Xiao Mountain would no longer belong to the Han Empire. If he follows the medium strategy, the outcome is uncertain. If he follows the worst strategy, Your Majesty could sleep soundly.”
The emperor asked, “What is the best strategy?”
Mr. Xue answered, “He would take State Wu to the east, State Chu to the west, annex State Qi and State Lu, rally State Yan and State Zhao, and defend his territories. The land east of Xiao Mountain would no longer belong to the Han Empire.”
The emperor then asked, “What is the medium strategy?”
Mr. Xue replied, “He would take State Wu to the east, State Chu to the west, annex State Hán and State Wei, control the granaries at Ao’cang, and block the pass at Chenggao. The outcome would be uncertain.”
The emperor asked, “What is the worst strategy?”
Mr. Xue responded, “He would take State Wu to the east, Xiacai County to the west, pivot to State Yue, and retreat to Changsha. Your Majesty could sleep soundly, and the Han Empire would have no more problems.”
The emperor then asked, “Which strategy will he choose?”
Mr. Xue replied, “He will take the worst strategy.”
The emperor asked, “Why do you think he will drop the top and middle strategies and choose the worst?”
Mr. Xue said, “Ying Bu was a prisoner laborer from Lishan who rose to become the king of a powerful kingdom by his own efforts. He only considers his pressing concerns and does not think beyond his current predicament or about future generations. That is why I believe he will take the worst strategy.”
The emperor was pleased with Mr. Xue’s advice and rewarded him with a fief of a thousand households. He then appointed his son, Prince Liu Chang, as the new King of Huainan.
At that time, the emperor was ill and wanted to send the crown prince to lead the campaign against Ying Bu. The crown prince’s advisors—Four Silver-Haired Sages of Mount Shang, Mr. East Garden, Qili Ji, Mr. Xiahuang, and Professor Luli—persuaded Lü Shizhi, the Marquis of Jiancheng, “The crown prince has already reached the highest position. If he leads the troops, there is nothing more for him to gain if he succeeds, but much to lose if he fails. Why not ask Empress Lü to plead with the emperor immediately, saying, ‘Ying Bu is a fierce general skilled in military tactics. All the generals now were once the emperor’s peers, and sending the crown prince to lead them is like sending a sheep to lead wolves. No one will listen to him. If Ying Bu hears of this, he will surely attack immediately! Although the emperor is ill, he should be carried in a cart and guide the army himself. The generals will then have no choice but to do their best. The emperor must stand strong for his family, even in his suffering condition!’”
That night, Lü Shizhi approached his sister, Empress Lü and conveyed the advisors’ plea. Empress Lü wept and presented the plea to the emperor as suggested. The emperor responded, “I know the boy is not fit to lead the troops, so your old man will go himself.”
The emperor then led his troops eastward, while his courtiers stayed behind to guard the capital. They accompanied him as far as Bashang. Despite being ill, Marquis Liu, Zhang Liang, forced himself to meet the emperor at Quyou village. He said, “I should have accompanied Your Majesty, but I am too unwell. The Chu people are quick-witted and fierce fighters. I urge Your Majesty not to engage them in a head-on clash.” He also advised the emperor to appoint the crown prince as the general in charge of the army in Guanzhong. The emperor responded, “Even though Zifang is sick, you still teach the crown prince while lying down.”
At that time, Shusun Tong served as the Grand Tutor, and Marquis Liu, Zhang Liang, as the Minor Tutor. The emperor levied chariots and cavalry from Shangjun, Beidi, and Longxi commanderies, as well as military officers from Ba and Shu, and capital guards. This force, totaling about 30,000 soldiers, was commanded by the crown prince and stationed in Bashang.
When Ying Bu first rebelled, he told his generals, “The emperor is old and weary of war. He won’t come to fight. He will send his generals. Of the generals, I only feared Marquis Huaiyin and Peng Yue. They are both dead now, so there is no one left to flinch from.” Confident in this, Ying Bu marched eastward toward the kingdom of Jing, just as Mr. Xue had assumed. The King of Jing, Liu Jia, fled and died in Fuling county. Ying Bu took command of all the soldiers of Jing and crossed the Huai River to attack the kingdom of Chu.
The King of Chu, Liu Jiao, sent his troops to fight Ying Bu between Xu County and Tong County. He divided his forces into three, intending for them to support each other in case of emergency. However, some advisors warned Chu‘s generals, saying, “Ying Bu is skilled in warfare, and the people naturally fear him. Furthermore, according to military tactics, ‘when soldiers fight on their home land, it is considered a land of dispersion.’ If we split our forces into three, and one is defeated, the others will flee. How can they then come to each other’s aid?”
But the King of Chu ignored the advice. As predicted, Ying Bu defeated one of the armies, causing the other two to flee. He then led his troops westward.
The 12th year of the Emperor Gaozu (195 B.C.)
In October, during the winter, the emperor encountered Ying Bu‘s army in west Qi County. Ying Bu‘s troops were well-equipped and well trained. The emperor camped at Yongcheng and, upon seeing Ying Bu‘s army formation—which resembled Xiang Yu‘s—he was in a sour mood. From a distance, the emperor called out to Ying Bu, “Why do you rebel?” Ying Bu responded, “I want to become the emperor.” This enraged the emperor, who cursed him, and the two sides went to battle.
Ying Bu‘s army was defeated and retreated across the Huai River. They stopped and engaged in several more battles but remained unsuccessful. With only a few hundred followers left, Ying Bu fled south. The emperor ordered his generals to pursue him.
On his way back to the capital, the emperor stopped in Pei County and held a banquet at Pei Palace. He invited old friends, male and female elders, and young people to drink and reminisce. After drinking, the emperor sang, danced, expressed his emotions, and shedded tears. He said to the elders of Pei, “A wanderer always misses his hometown. I overthrew the tyrant in the name of the Duke of Pei and finally unified the world. I will make Pei county my estate. From generation to generation, the people here will be exempt from taxes and compulsory service.” The celebration lasted for more than ten days before he departed.
Meanwhile, a Han general attacked Ying Bu‘s forces at the south and north of the Tao River, defeating them soundly. Wu Chen, the King of Changsha, whose father Lord Po (Wu Rui) was connected to Ying Bu through marriage, deceived him with false promises of escape to Yue. Trusting him, Ying Bu followed Wu Chen’s envoy, but the people of Poyang killed Ying Bu in a farmer’s house in Zi township.
Zhou Bo completely pacified the commanderies of Dai, Yanmen, and Yunchong, and beheaded Chen Xi at Dangcheng county.
The Emperor changed the kingdom name from Jing to Wu, as the former Prince of Jing, Liu Jia, had no heir. On October 25, he appointed the son of his elder brother Liu Zhong, whose name was Liu Pi, as the Prince of Wu and granted him three commanderies and fifty-three towns.
In November, the emperor passed through the State of Lu and held a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices to Confucius.
After returning from the campaign against Ying Bu, the emperor fell seriously ill and considered changing his heir. Zhang Liang advised him against it, but was not listened to. Zhang Liang ceased attending to state affairs on pretense of poor health.
Shusun Tong also remonstrated with the emperor, “In the past, Duke Xian of Jin abolished the crown prince and made Xiqi his heir due to Concubine Li‘s influence. This caused turmoil in Jin and made the state a laughing stock. The empire of Qin also failed to designate Fusu as crown prince, allowing Zhao Gao to install Huhai with a forged decree. Your Majesty witnessed this firsthand. The crown prince is known throughout the empire for his virtue and filial piety. Your Majesty and Empress Lü endured wars and hardships together—how could you betray her? If Your Majesty insists on changing the heir, I am willing to be beheaded before you. Let my blood stain the ground here!”
The emperor stopped him, “Don’t do that, Mr. Shusun. I was only joking.”
Shusun Tong replied, “The crown prince is the foundation of the empire. If the foundation is shaken, the entire empire will flutter. How can we treat the country as a joke?”
At that time, many ministers strongly opposed the idea, and the emperor, realizing they did not support the King of Zhao, abandoned the idea to change his heir.
The Chancellor, Xiao He, complained that the city of Chang’an was becoming overcrowded, while the land in the Imperial Park (Shanglin Park) lay uncultivated. He proposed that the people be allowed to farm the land, which would also reduce the burden on officials who had to pluck weeds to feed the animals. The emperor flew into a rage: “The Chancellor must have accepted bribes from merchants, allowing them to covet my garden!” As a result, Xiao He was arrested by the justice minister and shackled with manacles.
A few days later, Captain Wang of the Imperial Guard, while on duty with the emperor, asked, “What heinous crime has the Chancellor committed to deserve such cruel treatment with chains?” The emperor responded, “I heard that Chancellor Li Si of Qin attributed all good deeds to his lord and took all the blame upon himself when he served the Qin emperor. Now, the Chancellor has accepted bribes from merchants and sought to use my park to win public favor. That’s why I punished him with shackles.”
Captain Wang argued, “If a minister’s request benefits the people, it is truly the duty of the Chancellor. On what ground does Your Majesty accuse the Chancellor of taking money from merchants? Moreover, when Your Majesty was away for years fighting with Chu, and later when Chen Xi and Ying Bu rebelled, you went to confront them personally. During those times, the Chancellor guarded Guanzhong. If Guanzhong had fallen, the lands west of the pass would not have belonged to Your Majesty. The Chancellor sought no personal advantage then, so why would he seek it now from merchants? Furthermore, Qin lost its empire because it refused to hear criticism. What is the point of repeating the mistake in blaming everything bad on Li Si? Why does Your Majesty doubt the depth of the Chancellor’s loyalty?”
The emperor, feeling regretful, sent a messenger with his insignia to the prison to release Xiao He. When freed, Xiao He, showing signs of age, remained humble and discreet. He arrived barefoot with the messenger to see the emperor and admit his guilt. The emperor interrupted him, saying, “That’s enough, Chancellor! When you requested the use of the park for the people, I refused. I am worse than the tyrant kings like Jie of Xia and King Zhou of Shang, while you are a wise Chancellor. I put you in shackles so the people would know that I make mistakes too.”
During Chen Xi’s rebellion, Lu Wan, King of Yan, sent troops to attack him from the northeast. At that time, Chen Xi asked Wang Huang to seek help from Xiongnu. Lu Wan also sent his minister, Zhang Sheng, to the Xiongnu to report that Chen Xi’s army had been defeated. When Zhang Sheng arrived, he encountered Zang Yan, the son of the former King of Yan, Zang Tu, who had fled to live among the Xiongnu.
Zang Yan said to Zhang Sheng, “You are valuable to Yan because of your familiarity with the Xiongnu way of life. Yan has survived so long because, despite repeated rebellions by various vassals, the conflicts never reached a decisive ending. If you now attempt to destroy Chen Xi and his followers, once they are gone, the emperor will come for Yan, and you and your people will also become captives. Instead, why not make peace with the Xiongnu and instruct Yan’s army to go easy on Chen Xi? If things go well, you will continue ruling Yan, and if the Han empire ever threatens you, you can rely on the Xiongnu’s support to protect your kingdom.”
Zhang Sheng thought this plan made sense, so he secretly asked the Xiongnu to aid Chen Xi against Yan’s army.
Lu Wan, suspecting that Zhang Sheng had betrayed him by colluding with the Xiongnu, sent a letter to the emperor requesting Zhang Sheng’s clan to be executed. However, when Zhang Sheng returned, he explained his actions, and Lu Wan, accusing someone else for Zhang Sheng’s crime, spared Zhang Sheng’s family. He then directed Zhang Sheng as an agent working in the Xiongnu and instructed Fan Qi to visit Chen Xi secretly, advising him to remain in exile and avoid direct confrontation with Yan’s forces.
When Han attacked Ying Bu, Chen Xi was stationed with his troops in Dai. After Chen Xi was killed, one of his subordinate generals surrendered and informed the Han court that the King of Yan, Lu Wan, had conspired with Fan Qi at Chen Xi‘s camp. The emperor then sent messengers to summon Lu Wan, but he claimed to be ill. In response, the emperor dispatched Marquis of Piyang, Shen Yiji, and Grand Master of Censorate, Zhao Yao to bring back Lu Wan and investigate those around him.
Frightened, Lu Wan went into hiding and said to his favored ministers, “Besides the Liu family, only the King of Changsha and I hold kingships. Last year, Han eliminated the Marquis of Huaiyin and executed Peng Yue, all due to the schemes of the Lü family. The emperor is ill and has entrusted power to Empress Lü. She is determined to kill kings of different surnames and great meritorious ministers.” Lu Wan continued to claim illness and refused to meet the officials. His attendants fled and leaked what he said.
Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Piyang, Shen Yiji, returned to report to the emperor, who grew even angrier. Soon after, they received word that Zhang Sheng had fled to Xiongnu as an envoy from Yan. The emperor then declared, “Lu Wan has indeed rebelled!”
In February of the following spring, Fan Kuai, in the name of the Chancellor, led troops to attack Yan and established Prince Liu Jian as the new King of Yan.
The imperial edict declared: “The Marquis of Nanwu, Zhi, is also of the lineage of Yue and shall be appointed as the King of Nanhai.”
Reflection by Rio Grande 
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