Comprehensive Reflections to Aid in Governance
By Sima Guang
Translated By Yiming Yang
Annals of Han Book 12 Scroll 20 (continued)
The 5th year of Emperor Wu’s Yuan’ding Era (112 B.C. continued)
The King of Nanyue and the Queen Dowager Jiu instructed the preparation of their traveling gear, heavily adorned with gifts for their visit to the Han court. Their Prime Minister, Lü Jia, was of advanced age, having served three kings. Seventy of his family members held official positions in the administration, with their sons married to the king’s daughters and vice versa, creating strong connections within the royal family. They also had a marriage alliance with King Qin of Cangwu. Lü Jia earned great respect in Nanyue, even surpassing that of the king. Lü Jia had repeatedly advised and admonished the king through written petitions against the king’s submission memorandum to the Emperor, but the king refused to heed his counsel. Harboring dissenting views, Lü Jia often feigned illness to avoid meeting Han envoys. The envoys from the Han noticed Lü Jia’s evasiveness, but their influence was not sufficient to dislodge him.
Both the King and the Queen Dowager Jiu feared that Lü Jia and others might take the initiative and overthrow them. They intended to leverage the Han envoys and plotted to eliminate Lü Jia and his faction. Thus, they hosted a banquet for the envoys, with all the prominent officials in attendance. Lü Jia‘s younger brother was a military commander, and his soldiers were stationed outside the palace. During the banquet, the Queen Dowager reprimanded Lü Jia, “It would benefit the kingdom greatly if we became a vassal state of the Han. Why isn’t the Prime Minister more cooperative?” This attempt to evoke the envoys failed, as they looked at each other and hesitated to take action against Lü Jia.
Sensing the adverse atmosphere, Lü Jia immediately left the banquet. The Queen Dowager Jiu, furious, intended to strike Lü Jia with a spear, but the King restrained her. Lü Jia then left, guarded his brother’s troops, feigned illness, and refused to meet the King and the envoys. Secretly, he conspired with the other officials to incite rebellion. Lü Jia understood that the King had no intention of executing him, so he refrained from making any moves for several months.
The Emperor heard that Lü Jia did not heed commands, and that the King and Queen Dowager Jiu were vulnerable and unable to control the situation, while the envoys were timid and indecisive. The Emperor also believed that the King and Queen Dowager Jiu had already allied with the Han, and that only Lü Jia was causing trouble, which did not warrant raising an army to subdue. Thus, he intended to dispatch Zhuang Shen with a two-thousand-man entourage. However, Zhuang Shen declined, “A few individuals are enough for diplomacy, but two thousand men could accomplish nothing for warfare.” As his refusal was firm, the Emperor dismissed him.
A warrior from Jia County, the former Prime Minister of Jibei, Han Qianqiu, stepped forward and exclaimed, “For a small state like Nanyue, with the King and Queen Dowager in favor of the Han, only Lü Jia is causing harm. I wish to gather three hundred brave warriors and will definitely behead Lü Jia and report back.” Therefore, the Emperor sent Han Qianqiu along with the Queen Dowager’s brother, Jiu Le, leading two thousand soldiers into Nanyue.
Subsequently, Lü Jia and his faction revolted, issuing orders within the kingdom and spreading accusations against the King, Queen Dowager Jiu, and the Han envoys: “The King is young, and the Empress Dowager, a woman of the Han descent, became entangled with the emissaries, seeking to submit to the Middle Kingdom. She insisted on becoming part of the Han and presented the precious heirlooms of the former kings to curry favor with the Emperor. She wishes to take many in her company and, upon reaching Chang’an, sell them into slavery. In her pursuit of immediate gains, she failed to consider the long-term stability of the Zhao family or the future of our kingdom.”
Lü Jia and his brother then attacked and killed the King, Queen Dowager Jiu, and the Han envoys. They sent messengers to inform King Qin of Cangwu and the neighboring commanderies and counties under Nanyue‘s control, establishing King Ming (Zhao Yingqi)’s eldest son with his Nanyue wife, the Marquis of Shuyang Zhao Jiande, as the new King. Meanwhile, Han Qianqiu’s forces invaded and took over several smaller towns.
Later, Nanyue opened direct supply routes for provisions to Han Qianqiu’s troops, then ambushed his forces within forty miles of Panyu, annihilating them. They put a sealed letter containing the Han envoy’s seal on the border, apologizing with false excuses, and deployed troops to guard strategic locations.
On March 4, upon hearing about the rebellion in Nanyue, the Emperor remarked, “Even though Han Qianqiu accomplished nothing, he led the forefront of the army in valor. We hereby bestow the title of Marquis of Cheng’an upon his son, Han Yannian. Jiu Le’s sister, Queen Dowager of Nanyue, first expressed her allegiance to the Han. We confer the title of Marquis of Longkang upon Jiu Le’s son, Jiu Guangde.”
In April of summer, a general amnesty was proclaimed throughout the realm.
On April 30, there was a solar eclipse.
During the autumn, Fubo(riding waves) General, Lu Bode, was dispatched to venture out from Guiyang, descending the Kuangshui River. Louchuan (multi-deck ship) General, Yang Pu, set forth from Yuzhang, sailing down the Zhenshui River. Marquis of Guiyi, Yan of Nanyue, was appointed as Gechuan (Dagger-Axe Ship) General, departing from Lingling and descending along the Li River. Jia of Nanyue was appointed as the Xialai General, descending on Cangwu. They all led convicted criminals, with a total of one hundred thousand naval forces south of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers.
The Marquis of Chiyi, Yi of Nanyue, led other convicts from Ba and Shu, mobilizing troops from Yelang, and descending along the Zangke River, converging on Panyu. Yan, Jia, and Yi were all former Nanyue officers who had surrendered to the Han.
Prime Minister of Qi, Bu Shi, submitted a memorial requesting permission to lead his son and those skilled in naval warfare from Qi to fight and die in Nanyue. The Emperor issued an edict praising Bu Shi, granting him the title of Inner Marquis, sixty catties of gold, and ten acres of land, and made this known throughout the empire. However, no one responded to the call. At that time, there were numerous Marquises, yet none sought to join the military expedition against Nanyue.
In September, while offering sacrifices to the ancestral temples with food and gold donation, the Marquises were commanded to donate gold as contribution for the ritual libations. The Privy Treasurer inspected the gold, and any found to be lightweight or of impurity were deemed disrespectful, leading to the dismissal of one hundred and six princes and marquises from their titles. On September 6, Chancellor Zhao Zhou, accused of “providing cover for impure gold contributions by the Marquises,” was arrested, imprisoned, and subsequently committed suicide.
Later, on September 21, Shi Qing was appointed as Chancellor and ennobled as the Marquis of Muqiu. At that time, the state faced various issues. Figures like Sang Hongyang focused on increasing revenue, while officials like Wang Wenshu enforced laws to the fullest extent. Ni Kuan and others advocated for literary studies, and they were all members of the Nine Ministers, playing prominent roles in the government. However, decisions were solely made by each minister without consulting the Chancellor. Chancellor Shi Qing was known for his honest, lenient, and prudent approach to governance.
General of Five Boons, Luan Da, prepared himself and ventured eastward into the sea to seek out his supposed mentor. Eventually, he grew hesitant to proceed further into the sea and instead headed to the Taishan Shrine. Officials sent to verify his claims found no evidence supporting his assertions of meeting his mentor. General of Five Boons falsely claimed to have encountered his mentor, and as his wizardry was largely unfulfilled, he was found guilty of deceit and executed by waist chopping. Similarly, the Marquis of Lecheng, Ding Yi, who had recommended him, was also executed in public.
In the western Qiang territory, a rebellion involving a force of one hundred thousand people broke out. They established communication with the Xiongnu and attacked the An’gu county, besieging Fuhan county. The Xiongnu invaded Wuyuan, killing its Prefect.
The 6th year of Emperor Wu’s Yuanding Era (111 B.C.)
In the winter, an army of one hundred thousand soldiers was dispatched, led by Generals Li Xi and Chamberlain Xu Ziwei, to campaign against the Western Qiang, and the regional rebellion was pacified.
Louchuan General, Yang Pu, entered the territory of Nanyue, initially capturing Xunxia and breaking through the Shimen, thereby blunting the force of the Nanyue army. He awaited the arrival of Fubo General Lu Bode, with several tens of thousands of soldiers. Louchuan General took the lead, and together they reached Panyu. The King of Nanyue, Zhao Jiande, and his Prime Minister Lü Jia were fortified within the city. Louchuan General positioned himself in the southeast, while Fubo General held the northwest. As night fell, Louchuan General attacked and defeated the Nanyue forces, setting fire to the city. Fubo General set up camp and sent messengers to persuade surrender, offering seals and ribbons as tokens of assurance. He also ordered others to encourage defection.
Louchuan General aggressively attacked and set fire to the enemy’s positions, pushing Nanyue‘s forces towards Fubo General’s camp. At dawn, the entire city surrendered. Zhao Jiande and Lü Jia had fled to the sea the night before, but Fubo General dispatched troops to pursue them. Colonel Marshall Su Hong captured Zhao Jiande, while Gentleman of Household, Du Ji of Nanyue, captured Lü Jia. The forces under Gechuan General Yan and Xialai General Jia, along with the Yelang soldiers dispatched by the Marquis of Chiyi, Yi, had not yet arrived, but Nanyue was already subdued.
The conquered territory was then divided into nine commanderies: Nanhai, Cangwu, Yulin, Hepu, Jiaozhi, Jiuzhen, Rinan, Zhuya, and Dan’er. Upon the return of the troops, the Emperor granted more fief to the Fubo General. Louchuan General was ennobled as the Marquis of Jiangliang, Su Hong as the Marquis of Haichang, Du Ji as the Marquis of Lincai, and four individuals, including the surrendered Nanyue King Qin of Cangwu, Zhao Guang, were also ennobled as marquises.
Gongsun Qing reported sighting footprints of an immortal being on the walls of the city of Goushi in southern Henan, claiming to have seen the tracks of gods. In the spring, the Emperor personally visited the city of Goushi to examine these traces and asked Gongsun Qing, “Are you imitating General Wencheng and the General of Five Boons?”
Gongsun Qing replied, “The existence of immortal beings does not rely on the search of the ruler; rather, it is the ruler who seeks them. If the path to gods is not broad, then the spirits do not come. Speaking of spiritual matters may seem ridiculous or bizarre, but by persisting for years and months, it may eventually be achieved.”
The Emperor believed him. In various commanderies and regions, roads were cleared, palaces and scenic spots were renovated, and temples and sacred sites were prepared in anticipation of the gods’ visit.
Reflection by Rio Grande 