Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 10 Scroll 18 (continued)
The 6th year of Emperor Wu’s Yuan’guang Era (129 B.C.)
In the winter, the court instituted the registration of merchant carriages throughout the realm, so as to levy taxes upon them.
The Grand Minister of Agriculture, Zheng Dangshi, memorialized, saying, “If a canal is dug from the Wei River to the Yellow River, it will ease the transport of grain from the eastern provinces and irrigate more than ten thousand acres of arable land.”
In the spring of the following year, the Emperor issued an edict mobilizing tens of thousands of laborers to undertake the work in accordance with Zheng Dangshi’s plan. After three years, the canal was completed, and it was praised throughout the land as a boon to the people.
That same year, four armies were dispatched to strike the Xiongnu at the frontier markets. General of Chariots and Cavalry Wei Qing set forth from Shanggu; General of Cavalry Gongsun Ao from Dai; General of Light Chariot Gongsun He from Yunzhong; and General of Gallant Cavalry Li Guang from Yanmen. Each commanded ten thousand horsemen.
Wei Qing advanced as far as Longcheng and captured seven hundred of the Xiongnu. Gongsun He returned without success. Gongsun Ao suffered defeat and lost seven thousand cavalrymen. Li Guang, too, was defeated and taken captive. The Xiongnu riders bound him, placed him between two horses, and bore him prone for more than ten li. Feigning death, Li Guang suddenly leapt onto a Xiongnu rider’s horse, seized his bow, and spurred the beast southward. Thus did he escape and return alive.
Gongsun Ao and Li Guang, having suffered defeat in battle, were condemned to death by the Han court. They each redeemed their lives by paying the statutory ransom, and were thereafter stripped of rank and reduced to commoner status. Only Wei Qing, whose campaign deemed success, was enfeoffed with the title of Marquis Within Passes.
Though born of low station, Wei Qing was skilled in horsemanship and archery, possessed great physical strength, and treated his officers with due respect while showing kindness to the common soldiery. The troops held him in high regard and followed him without hesitation. He had the makings of a competent commander; thus, in every expedition he achieved victory. The empire, observing this, gave credit to the Emperor for his discerning eye in recognizing and raising up the worthy.
In the summer, the land suffered from severe drought, and locusts swarmed across the fields.
In June, the Emperor set forth on an inspection tour, journeying to Yong.
In autumn, the Xiongnu launched frequent incursions along the frontier, with Yuyang Commandery bearing the brunt of the attacks. The court appointed Han Anguo, Commandant of the Court Guard, as Infantry General, and ordered him to garrison his troops in Yuyang for the defense of the realm.
The 1st year of Emperor Wu’s Yuanshuo Era (128 B.C.)
In November of winter, an imperial edict was issued, proclaiming:
“We have long instructed our officials to honor filial piety and uphold integrity, that such virtues might be extolled throughout the realm, establishing a standard for the generations to come and preserving the noble legacy of our forebears. Within every group of ten households, there ought to be one loyal and upright man; among every three, one who is worthy of emulation. Yet there are commanderies in which not a single name has been recommended. Such negligence obstructs the cultivation of virtue and hinders worthy men from receiving due recognition by the Sovereign.
“In antiquity, those who advanced the worthy were rewarded, while those who concealed talent were punished with death in the marketplace. Thus excellence was encouraged, and the good brought to light. Let it be deliberated: what punishment befits those senior officials whose emoluments exceed 2000-piculs, yet who fail to put forth even one name in recommendation of the filial and upright?”
The ministers submitted a memorial, stating: “To neglect the promotion of the filial is to disregard the imperial will; such is the crime of defying the sovereign. To be unable to discern the virtuous is to reveal one’s unfitness for office. Such officials ought to be removed.”
The Emperor assented, and the measure was enacted.
In December, King Yi of Jiangdu, Liu Fei, passed away.
Prince Liu Ju was born to Madame Wei. That same day, Madame Wei was elevated to the throne of Empress, and a general amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm.
In autumn, twenty thousand Xiongnu cavalry breached the frontier. They slew the Prefect of Liaoxi and carried off more than two thousand captives. Advancing further, they laid siege to the garrison under Han Anguo’s command. Thereafter, they swept through Yuyang and Yanmen, each suffering over a thousand killed or captured. Han Anguo withdrew to Beiping, where he died after several months. The court then reappointed Li Guang as Prefect of Youbeiping. The Xiongnu chieftains, having long feared him, referred to him as the “Flying General of Han” and henceforth did not dare approach the territory under his watch.
That same season, General Wei Qing led thirty thousand cavalry to strike the Xiongnu in the region of Yanmen, while General Li Xi advanced into Dai Commandery. Wei Qing’s troops slew several thousand of the enemy and returned in triumph.
At this time, Nam Ryeo, chieftain of the Yemaek, together with his followers—numbering two hundred eighty thousand—submitted in surrender. The court established Canghai Commandery to govern them. The expense of their resettlement matched that incurred in pacifying the southwestern tribes such as Yelang, which led to disturbances between the territories of Yan and Qi.
In that same year, the Prince of Lu, Liu Yu and the Prince of Changsha, Liu Fa passed away.
Reflection by Rio Grande 
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