#Wu Yuzhang

[jovialbasementbouquetblr]

1957: XIII Rightist Critiques of Renmin University Educational Bureaucracy, Talks on Ideology, Society, Soviet Foreign Policy, Press Freedom, and the Hu Feng Case

This thirteenth and final installment of this series translates the two final appendices to Selected Rightist Statements from Institutions of Higher Education published by the Office of Socialist Ideology Education, Communist Party Committee, Renmin University of China 【高等学校右派言論选編 中共中国人民大学委員会社会主义思想敎育办公室】that was published in September 1958. This internal distribution only book published for…

[bookofjin]

People in the time of Wang Mang

[HHS012]

Lu Fang, courtesy name Junqi, was a native of Sanshui in Anding, he lived within the Left Valley. In the time of Wang Mang, Under Heaven everyone thought of Han's virtue, and Fang made use of that to himself falsely claim to be Emperor Wu's great-grandson Liu Wenbo. His great-grandmother was the elder sister of the Xiongnu's Luli Hunxie King who had become the empress of Emperor Wu and born three children. When the chaos of Jiang Chong happened and the Heir-Apparent was executed, the Empress was implicated and died. Her middle son Ciqing absconded to Changling, the younger son Huiqing escaped to the Left Valley. General Huo installed Ciqing and welcomed Huiqing, but Huiqing did not set out and following that lived in the Left Valley. He begot a son, Sunqing, and Sunqing begot Wenbo. He often used this speech to confuse and deceive in the Anding area. At the end of Wang Mang, he therefore raised troops together with the Qiang and Hu from Sanshui's dependant states.

[HHS017]

Jia Fu, courtesy name Junwen, was a native of Guanjun in Nanyang. As young he was fond of studying, and was familiar with the Hallowed Documents. He served Li Sheng of Wuyin. Li Sheng was amazed with him, and spoke to people of his school, saying:

Jia Jun's looks and countenance and his aura of aspirations are this, and with his diligence in studying, he is the vessel of a general or chancellor.

At the end of Wang Mang, he joined the county staff. While receiving salt in Hedong, he happened to come across bandits and thieves. His colleagues, more than ten people, all let go of and scattered their salt, Fu alone carried through with returning to the county. Within the county they extolled his trustworthiness.

[HHS019]

Geng Yan, courtesy name Zhaofu, was a native of Maoling in Fufeng. His ancestor in the time of Emperor Wu as Two Thousand Shi official moved from Julu to there. His father Kuang, courtesy name Xiayou, due to his clarity became a Gentleman. He and Wang Mang's junior cousin Ji studied the Old Master together under the Former Master of Anqiu. Later he became the Joint Leader of Shuodiao.

Ji Kang's Biographies of Sagely Worthies and Exalted Gentlemen says: The sage of Anqiu's courtesy name was Zhongdu, and he was a native of Changling in Jingzhao. As young he held on to the norms of the Old Master. He was tranquil and unblemished and did not seek to advance in officialdom. He was titled as the Elder of Anqiu. Emperor Cheng heard of him and wished to see him. The sage refused it and was not willing to see him, and he became a wizard and physician among the people.

Wang Mang changed Shanggu commandery to Shuodiao, and Warden to Joint Leader.

Yan as young was fond of studying and practised his father's legacy. He often saw the commandery commandant test cavalrymen, erecting banners and drums, and practising galloping and shooting. Because of that he became fond of the affairs of generals and commanders.

The Book of Yuan Shansong says: Yan as young studied the Poetry and the Rites. He was clear, sharp, and had opportune plans.

The Ceremonies of Han Officials says: The end of the year is the time for the commandery tests. They explain military matters and direct the troops. Following that they use barricade hunts to examine their talents and strengths.

[HHS015]

Deng Chen, courtesy name Weiqing, was native of Xinye in Nanyang. His family had for generations been Two Thousand Shi officials.

The Eastern Watchtower Records says: Chen's great-grandfather Long was Inspector of Yang province. His grandfather Xun was Inspector of Jiaozhi.

His father Hong was Chief Commandant of Yuzhang. Chen at first married Guangwu's sister Yuan. At the end of Wang Mang, Guangwu once went to Wan together with his older brother Bosheng and Chen. They chatted and talked with Cai Shaogong, a native of Rang, and others. Shaogong was quite studied in charts and prophecies, and told them Liu Xiu would be Son of Heaven. Someone said:

Is it the Teacher of State, His Excellency Liu Xiu?

Guangwu jokingly said:

How do [you] know it is not this abject person?

Everyone seated there great laughed, Chen in his heart alone was delighted.

The Eastern Watchtower Records says: Chen and the Sovereign set out in the carriage together. They came upon an envoy but did not go down from the chariot. The envoy was angry, and quite a bit added to their humiliation and abuse. The Sovereign claimed to be a clerk from Jiangxia, Chen altered his name to Hou Jiacheng. The envoy considered them liars, brought them to the precinct, and wished to punish them. The steward of Xinye, Pan Shu, made a request, and they were released.

…

Lai Xi, courtesy name Junshu, was a native of Xinye in Nanyang. Six generations earlier, his ancestor Han had great merit. In the era of Emperor Wu, he Brilliantly Blessed Grandee he assisted the General of Towering ships, Yang Pu, and struck and routed Nanyue and Chaoxian. His father Chong in the time of Emperor Ai became Remonstrating Grandee. He married Guangwu's grand-aunt, and they begot Xi. Guangwu was very close and respectful to him. They several times went to Chang'an together.

[HHS016]

Deng Yu, courtesy name Zhonghua, was a native of Xinye in Nanyang. Aged thirteen, he was able to recite poetry and received teachings in Chang'an. At the time Guangwu had also travelled to study at the imperial capital. Though Yu by age was a child, when he saw Guangwu, he knew he was not an ordinary person, and thereupon they became closely attached to each other. After several years he returned home to his family.

[HHS010]

Guangwu's August Empress Guo, taboo Shengtong, was a native of Gao in Zhending. They were a distinguished family in the commandery. Her father Chang relinquished fields, residences and riches yielding several millions and given to his brother of a different mother. The people of the state found him him right-principled, and he served as Board of Merit for the commandery. He took as wife the daughter of King Gong of Zhending, who was titled Mistress Guo. She have birth to the Empress and a son, Kuang. Chang passed early. Mistress Guo, though a daughter of a royal family, was yet fond of decorum, moderation and frugality. She had the potency of maternal right-mindedness.

[HHS011]

Liu Penzi was a native of Shi in Taishan, he was a descendant of King Jing of Chengyang, Zhang. His grandfather's father Xian in the time of Emperor Yuan was ennobled as Marquis of Shi, and his father Meng inherited. When Wang Mang usurped the throne, the state was abolished, and following that they were natives of Shi.

[HHS012]

Liu Yong was a native of Suiyang in Liang commandery, and an eight generation descendant of King Xiao of Liang. The state was transmitted until his father Li. Middle of Yuanshi [3rd Year, 3 AD], Li was communicating with Emperor Ping's maternal family, the Wei clan, and was executed by Wang Mang.

[HHS022]

Liu Long, courtesy name Yuanbo, belonged to the linage house of the Marquis of Anzhong in Nanyang. During Wang Mang's administration, Long's father Li and the Marquis of Anzhong, Chong, rose up with troops to execute Mang. The affair leaked. Long, since he was aged not yet seven sui, obtained a pardon. Reaching adulthood, he studied in Chang'an.

[eigwayne]

Things have come to a head and the insufferable mother-daughter pair have stopped screeching, and the show has gone back to being watchable, thank goodness.

I am trying to be understanding of the characters because that's a shit situation and they really do have no way out, but all they've done since they entered the narrative is wail and cry and overreact and scheme (clumsily, not even interestingly), even before the alliance marriage fell in Wang Qian's lap. There's not a single nice bone in Qian'er's body, she's selfish and spoiled with no redeeming factors and she's not fun to watch, which is even worse in a drama character. Like, the Empress, or Li Chengyin from Goodbye My Princess? Awful person, but fun to watch. I don't mind them. Wang Qian? Awful person, not fun to watch, I end up grinding my teeth. So yeah, one is not inclined to be sympathetic of Wang Qian or her mother.

In some shows, their plotting would succeed or get close enough to succeeding that Wang Qian would join Prince Yuzhang's household and I think I would quit the show if I had to sit through 20 more episodes of her. But this show's arcs are kind of neatly tied up with only certain threads running through- Plot Arc happens, Empress and Dowager Empress advance their schemes, Plot Arc resolves, A-Wu and Xiao Qi get closer as a couple, repeat. Like that. So there's a good possibility Qian'er will exit the narrative, at least for a while, and I can continue watching without my hackles up. Fingers crossed!

Wang Qian's arc has made The Rebel Princess nigh unwatchable. Nothing but screaming and crying and draaaaaaaaagging out this one plot point for like 5 episodes now. I was expecting some bullshit because this show has 68 episodes and is paced as slowly as a tortoise on downers, but this is ridiculous.

[rvexillology]

Chinese flag proposed by Wu Yuzhang

from /r/vexillology Top comment: 工 meaning labour

[the-archlich]

What battles could be used to flesh out Sun Ce's reign in DW rather then the standard 1 battle Conquest of the Wu Territory?

I think they make a significant error in condensing pretty much all of Sun Ce's career into one or two events. Obviously there's a lot of story to tell but it does give a really skewed sense of time.

Something preliminary - like his skirmishes under his family in Danyang - wouldn't be out of place, especially if it was capped off with him leading the vanguard for Yuan Shu in an attack on Lujiang.

I think his campaign in Jiangdong can be reasonably condensed into one series of battles, from retaking Danyang to capturing Qu'a.

I'd consider the "consolidation" phase that came next a separate thing. This meant fighting against Wang Lang in Kuaiji, and suppressing revolts in Wu and Danyang. That could reasonably be tied off with Sun Ce capturing Taishi Ci and Zu Lang in western Danyang; at that point his core territory was pretty much secure.

There are a few odd incidents that don't fit neatly into any particular narrative. Sun Quan almost getting killed by rebellious tribes. Operations against Chen Deng, that sort of thing. Those can probably be set to the side as some kind of bonus content or rolled into the more substantial campaigns.

Then came Sun Ce's efforts in Yuzhang the west. First was the capture of Lujiang from Liu Xun, followed by a series of battles against Liu Biao (via Huang Zu), culminating in a substantial victory at Shaxian.

The subsequent cleanup in Yuzhang was mostly accomplished by subordinates while Sun Ce returned to Wu to suppress another revolt there, ending in his death.

[fuyonggu]

Biography of Sima Jiong’s Brother Sima Ruí (Book of Jin 38)

Not that Sima Rui.

字景回，出繼遼東王定國。太康初，徙封東萊王。元康中，曆步兵、屯騎校尉。蕤性強暴，使酒，數陵侮弟冏，冏以兄故容之。冏起義兵，趙王倫收蕤及弟北海王寔系廷尉，當誅。倫太子中庶子祖納上疏諫曰：「罪不相反，惡止其身，此先哲之弘謨，百王之達制也。是故鯀既殛死，禹乃嗣興；二叔誅放，而邢衛無責。逮乎戰國，及至秦漢，明恕之道寢，猜嫌之情用，乃立質任以禦眾，設從罪以發奸，其所由來，蓋三代之弊法耳。蕤、寔，獻王之子，明德之胤，宜蒙特宥，以全穆親之典。」會孫秀死，蕤等悉得免。冏擁眾入洛，蕤于路迎之。冏不即見，須符付前頓。蕤恚曰：「吾坐爾殆死，曾無友于之情！」

Sima Ruí, styled Jinghui, was the eldest son of Sima You. Rather than inherit his father's title as Prince of Qi, he was sent out to inherit the title of the late Prince of Liaodong, his uncle Sima Dingguo. At the beginning of the Taikang reign era (~280), his title was changed to Prince of Donglai. During the Yuankang reign era (291-300), he served as Colonel of Infantry and then as Colonel of Camped Cavalry.

Sima Ruí was a violent brute by nature, and when he got drunk, he often bullied and insulted his younger brother Sima Jiong. However, Sima Jiong put up with this behavior out of respect for Sima Ruí's position as his elder brother.

When Sima Jiong launched his uprising against Sima Lun (in 301), Sima Lun arrested Sima Ruí and the Prince of Beihai, Sima Ruí's younger brother Sima Shí. Both of them were handed over to the Minister of Justice and were scheduled to be executed. 

The 中庶子 to the Crown Prince whom Sima Lun had appointed, Zu Na, sent up a petition arguing against these sentences. He wrote, "Crimes should not be transferable between kin; a man's guilt ought to fall only upon his own head. Such were the magnanimous principles which the sages of old passed down and by which the princes and nobles were properly governed. For in ancient times, even though Emperor Shun executed Gun, he still allowed Gun's son Yu the Great to claim his father's inheritance and even to flourish; even though the Duke of Zhou was compelled to execute two uncles of King Cheng, he did not hold their relatives the Lords of Xing and Wey responsible. It was only during the time of the Warring States, and down through the Qin and Han dynasties, that the path of wise forgiveness fell into decline and feelings of paranoia and suspicion arose. Thus was the policy of demanding hostages adopted, in order to keep people in line, by attaching the guilt of the one to the rest and repaying villainy with villainy. Were these three dynasties (Zhou, Qin, and Han) not bereft of the laws, to permit such a practice to exist? Now Sima Ruí and Sima Shí are both the sons of Prince Xian (Sima You), and they have inherited his wisdom and virtue. You ought to show them mercy and grant them special pardons, and thus uphold the principle of respecting your kinfolk."

Before the executions could be carried out, Sun Xiu was killed (and Sima Lun was overthrown), so Sima Ruí and Sima Shí were released.

When Sima Jiong led his troops into Luoyang, Sima Ruí was there on the road to receive him. Yet Sima Jiong did not welcome him at once, but only gave him some token gesture of acknowledgement. Sima Ruí fumed, "I almost died because of you, yet you won't show the slightest sign of friendship!"

及冏輔政，詔以蕤為散騎常侍，加大將軍，領後軍、侍中、特進，增邑滿二萬戶。又從冏求開府，冏曰：「武帝子吳、豫章尚未開府，宜且須後。」蕤以是益怨，密表冏專權，與左衛將軍王輿謀共廢冏。事覺，免為庶人。尋詔曰：「大司馬以經識明斷，高謀遠略，猥率同盟，安復社稷。自書契所載，周召之美未足比勳，故授公上宰。東萊王蕤潛懷怨妒，包藏禍心，與王輿密謀，圖欲譖害。收輿之日，蕤與青衣共載，微服奔走，經宿乃還。奸凶赫然，妖惑外內。又前表冏所言深重，雖管蔡失道，牙慶亂宗，不復過也。《春秋》之典，大義滅親，其徙蕤上庸。」後封微陽侯。永甯初，上庸內史陳鍾承冏旨害蕤。死，詔誅鍾，復蕤封，改葬以王禮。

Once Sima Jiong was in control of the government, an edict was issued appointing Sima Ruí as a Cavalier In Regular Attendance, and later he was promoted to Grand General and acting General of the Rear and received appointment as a Palace Attendant and the designation of Specially Advanced. His fief was also increased to twenty thousand households altogether.

Sima Ruí went to see Sima Jiong to ask him for the privilege of a Separate Office as well. But Sima Jiong told him, "Emperor Wu's sons, the Princes of Wu and Yuzhang, have not yet received that privilege. You must wait for them first, and afterwards you might receive it too." This only made Sima Ruí even more enraged at Sima Jiong.

Sima Ruí secretly submitted a petition claiming that Sima Jiong was monopolizing power, and he formed a plot with the Guard General of the Left, Wang Yu, to depose Sima Jiong together. But the plot was discovered, and Sima Ruí was stripped of his princely title and became a commoner.

Soon, an edict was issued: "The Grand Marshal (Sima Jiong) is learned, intelligent, wise, and decisive; his plans are lofty and his thinking is farsighted. He ventured to forge an alliance for a common cause and brought peace and stability back to the altars of state. In all of recorded history, no one can match his achievements; even the illustrious deeds of the Dukes of Zhou and Shao (as regents) pale in comparison to his. It was for these reasons that the Grand Marshal was empowered as the chief minister of the state.

"The Prince of Donglai (Sima Ruí) nursed a grudge of anger and jealousy against the Grand Marshal, hiding sinister intentions within his heart. He formed a secret plot with Wang Yu, hoping to slander the Grand Marshal and do him harm. On the day of Wang Yu's arrest, Sima Ruí threw on the green clothing of a commoner, fled in disguise, and hid away from home before he dared to return. Through wickedness he worked his mischief; through deception he misled those without and within. And he even spoke harshly against Sima Jiong in his earlier petition. Though the Dukes of Guan and Cai too once lost their way and caused turmoil and chaos for the royal house of Zhou, their crimes never surpassed those of Sima Ruí.

"It is a principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals that one cannot fail to enforce what is right just for the sake of a relative. Thus I hereby exile Sima Ruí to Shangyong commandary."

Sima Ruí was later granted a title as Marquis of Weiyang.

At the beginning of the Yongning reign era (~301), the Interior Minister of Shangyong, Chen Zhong, killed Sima Ruí under the pretext that he had orders from Sima Jiong to do so. But Chen Zhong was ordered to be executed, and Sima Ruí was posthumously restored to his princely title and buried with the rites suited to a prince.

[sasakinainn-blog]

大家好我是瓜子ya，bilibili不知名的小up主来自中国今年十三岁为了让更多人知道这一事件我决定这次采用日语，英语和中文 豫章书院是江西古代四大书院之一，但是有一个人毁掉了这个名字他就是——吴军豹 这所学院是一所非学籍的戒除网瘾学校 声称“不会体罚孩子，让孩子在其中学习中国国学以儒家为中心。也因此愈来愈多的家长把自己的孩子送到了这所书院 可是！！从这所书院出来的学生开始多少的患有抑郁症甚至轻生，自杀未遂！！！ 原因就是：报名这所学校到进来这所学校的方法就是1.绑架2.家长骗入！！ 进入这家书院你会在一个几平米的想监狱一样的东西待很久而且没有床没有厕所！！ 吃的饭是混着小黑虫的馒头！！！当你出来以后他们会给你上一些文化课这看似正常了些，可谁能想到每当晚上他们会让学生互相殴打以此来 撕裂同学情这样就几乎没可能齐心协力逃出学院！！犯��的人会被龙鞭和教鞭抽打！！最可恨的是：他们的男老师可能会对女学生进行性骚扰！而女老师发现后竟说学生不知羞耻 ！！他们还会让学生徒手清理厕所！！ 这还是人做的吗？？！！ 当学校因舆论关门那一天��数的家长支持学校继续开业甚至拉开了横幅！！这些家长还是人吗？？ 2017年学校关门了。。。但是故事还没完！！这些受害者学生竟然没有一个得到应有的补偿！！同时这些老师也没有得到应有的法律惩罚！ 并且现在竟然连营业许可证都没有被吊销！！ 有一群人组成了维权志愿组来搜集证据帮助受害人，可是！他们竟然被举报到了他们的学校！！ 因此这支志愿者组织已经四面楚歌！以为叫子沐的志愿者姐姐因此重度抑郁。。。虽然自杀未遂，但是已经不能再做志愿者了 因此我想把这件事传播到全球如果您看到了这条文章请您把它复制到您的twitter，facebook，niconico，youtube等社交软件 谢谢！！

english：

Hello everyone, I am a melon ya, bilibili is not known as a small up master from China 13 years old this year, in order to let more people know about this incident, I decided to use Japanese, English and Chinese this time. Yuzhang Academy is one of the four major colleges in ancient Jiangxi, but one person ruined the name. He is - Wu Junbao This college is a non-school student who quits internet addiction school. Claiming that “there will be no corporal punishment of children, let the children learn Chinese Chinese studies with Confucianism as the center. Therefore, more and more parents have sent their children to this college. but! ! The number of students who came out of this college began to suffer from depression or even suicide, and attempted suicide! ! ! The reason is: the way to register this school to come to this school is 1. Kidnapping 2. Parents lie! ! Entering this college you will stay in a few square meters of prison-like things for a long time without a bed and no toilet! ! The rice you eat is a gimmick with a little black bug! ! ! When you come out, they will give you some cultural lessons. This seems normal, but who can think that every night they will let students beat each other? It’s almost impossible to tear up the classmates so that they can work together to escape the college! ! Those who make mistakes will be beaten by dragon whip and pointer! ! The most hateful thing is: their male teacher may sexually harass female students! After the female teacher found out, she said that the students were not ashamed. ! ! They will also let the students clean the toilet by hand! ! Is this still done by people? ? ! ! When the school closed due to public opinion, countless parents supported the school to continue to open or even open the banner! ! Are these parents still people? ? The school was closed in 2017. . . But the story is not over yet! ! None of these victims’ students actually got the compensation they deserved! ! At the same time, these teachers did not get the legal punishment they deserved! And now even the business license has not been revoked! ! A group of people formed a volunteer group to collect evidence to help the victims, but! They were reported to their school! ! Therefore, this volunteer organization has been surrounded by all sides! I thought that the volunteer sister named Zi Mu was seriously depressed. . . Although he committed suicide, he can no longer volunteer. So I want to spread this to the world. If you see this article, please copy it to your social software like twitter, facebook, niconico, youtube, etc. Thank you! !

日本語の：

みなさん、こんにちは、私はメロン屋です、ビリビリは今年13歳の中国からの小さなアップマスターとして知られていません。 Yuzhang Academyは、古代江西省の4つの主要大学の1つですが、1人が名前を台無しにしました。 この大学は、インターネット中毒学校を辞める非学校の学生です。 「子どもへの体罰はないだろう」と主張して、子どもたちにChinese教を中心とした中国・中国研究を学ばせてください。 しかし！ ！この大学から出てきた学生の数は、うつ病や自殺に苦しみ始め、自殺を試みました！ ！ ！ その理由は、この学校をこの学校に登録する方法は1です。誘dn 2.親は嘘をつきます！ ！ この大学に入ると、ベッドもトイレもない状態で、数平方メートルの刑務所のようなものに長時間滞在します！ ！ あなたが食べるご飯は、小さな黒い虫の仕掛けです！ ！ ！これは当たり前のように思えますが、毎晩生徒が互いに打ち負かされると誰が考えることができますか？ クラスメートを引き裂いて、一緒に大学を脱出できるようにすることはほとんど不可能です！ ！間違えた人はドラゴンの鞭とポインターでbyられます！ ！最も嫌いなことは、彼らの男性教師が女性学生をセクシ��アルハラスメントする可能性があることです！女教師が知った後、彼女は生徒たちが恥ずかしくないと言った。 ！ ！また、生徒たちが手でトイレを掃除できるようにします！ ！ これはまだ人々によって行われていますか？ ？ ！ ！ 世論により学校が閉鎖されたとき、数え切れないほどの保護者が学校を支持し続け、バナーを開くことさえできました！ ！これらの両親はまだ人々ですか？ ？ 学校は2017年に閉鎖されました。 。 。しかし、話はまだ終わっていません！ ！これらの被害者の学生は、実際に彼らが受けるに値する補償を受けていません！ ！同時に、これらの教師は当然の法的処罰を受けませんでした！ そして今、ビジネスライセンスさえも取り消されていません！ ！ 人々のグループは、犠牲者を助けるために証拠を収集するためにボランティアグループを形成しましたが、！彼らは学校に報告されました！ ！ したがって、このボランティア組織は四方八方に囲まれています！ Zi Muという名前のボランティアの姉妹はひどく落ち込んでいると思いました。 。 。彼は自殺したが、もはや志願することはできない。 この記事を世界中に広めたいのですが、この記事をご覧になったら、twitter、facebook、niconico、youtubeなどのソーシャルソフトウェアにコピーしてください。 よろしくお願いします！ ！

[samuelcarveraccidentman]

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Liu BochengFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This is a

Chinese name

; the

family name

is

Liu

.

Marshal

Liu Bocheng

刘伯承

Liu Bocheng in his Marshal uniform

Personal details

Born4 December 1892

Kaixian

,

Sichuan

,

China

Died7 October 1986 (aged 93 )

Beijing

,

People's Republic of China

Awards

Order of Bayi

(First Class Medal)

Order of Independence and Freedom

(First Class Medal)

Order of Liberation

(First Class Medal)

Military service

Nickname(s)Chinese Mars, One-Eyed Dragon

Allegiance

People's Republic of China

Service/branch

People's Liberation Army

Years of service1912 – October 7, 1986

RankMarshal of People's Republic of China

Commandsdivision commander,

Eighth Route Army

, Commander-in-Chief, Central China Field Army

Battles/wars

Northern Expedition

,

Long March

,

Hundred Regiments Offensive

,

Chinese Civil War

Liu Bocheng (simplified Chinese: 刘伯承; traditional Chinese: 劉伯承; pinyin: Liú Bóchéng; Wade–Giles: Liu Po-ch'eng; December 4, 1892 – October 7, 1986) was a Chinese Communist military commander and Marshal of the People's Liberation Army.

Liu is known as the 'half' of the "Three and A Half" Strategists of China in modern history. (The other three are Lin Biao, commander of the CPC, and Kuomintangcommander Bai Chongxi, and CPC commander Su Yu.) Officially, Liu was recognised as a revolutionary, military strategist and theoretician, and one of the founders of the People's Liberation Army. Liu's nicknames, Chinese Mars and The One-eyed Dragon, also reflect his character and military achievement.

Contents

1Early life

2Commander of the CPC Army

3War with Japan

4Chinese Civil War

5After the Establishment of the PRC

6Anecdotes

7Legacy

8See also

9References

6.1False Anecdotes

9.1Citations

9.2Sources

Early life[edit]

Liu was born to a peasant family in Kaixian, Sichuan (the site is currently submerged by the Three Gorges Dam). Although he grew up in poverty, Liu made a determined effort in his studies and gained good grades at school. Influenced by the revolutionary theories of Sun Yat-sen, he later decided to dedicate himself to the cause of establishing a democratic and modern China.

In 1911, Liu joined the Boy Scouts in support of the Xinhai Revolution. In the following year, he enrolled in the Chongqing Military Academy and later joined the army against Yuan Shikai, who was planning to undermine the Xinhai Revolution and proclaim himself Emperor. In 1914, Liu joined Sun Yat-sen's party and gained extensive military experience.

During one battle during this period he captured 10,000 enemy soldiers, for which he was promoted to brigade commander.[1] In 1916, he lost his right eye in a battle for Fengdu county, Sichuan. After he lost the eye he gained the nickname "One-Eyed Dragon".[2] Alternative accounts of how Liu lost his eye have included the speculation that he lost it either earlier, in the 1911 Xinhai Revolution, or later, during the Long March.[1]

In 1923, during a war against the warlord Wu Peifu, in response to the Northern Expedition of the Kuomintang, Liu was appointed commander of the Eastern Route, and later was promoted to commanding general in Sichuan. Liu displayed his military talent in battles against various warlords.

While fighting the army of Long Yun, a Yunnan warlord, Liu defeated a force commanded by Zhu De, who would later become one of his closest comrades in the Red Army.[2] In the same year, Liu became acquainted with Yang Angong (杨闇公, the elder brother of Yang Shangkun) and Wu Yuzhang (吴玉章), who were among the earliest Communists of Sichuan. Their relationship marked Liu's first real exposure to the theory and practice of Communism. In May 1926, Liu joined the CPC and was appointed military commissioner of Chongqing. In December 1926, along with Zhu De and Yang, Liu masterminded the Luzhou and Nanchong uprising, fought against local warlords, while supporting the Northern Expedition.

In 1927, Liu was appointed army corps commander of the 15th Temporarily Organized National Revolutionary Army. It was during this time that Liu witnessed the split between the Kuomintang and the CPC. After joining the CPC, Liu led the Nanchang Uprising together with Zhu De, He Long, Ye Ting, Li Lisan and Zhou Enlai, effectively declaring war on the KMT.

During this uprising, Liu was appointed the first chief of staff of the newly born Chinese Red Army. However, after a series of defeats Liu's forces were destroyed, and its leaders went underground. In 1927 Liu was selected to travel to Moscow, where he mastered Russian and attended the prestigious Frunze Military Academy. While studying in the Soviet Union he learned conventional, Western-style military tactics. While in Russia he translated a Russian textbook into Chinese, Combined Arms Tactics, produced a commentary of Sun Tzu's Art of War, both of which promoted conventional tactics.[2] Later on, Liu gave a lecture on the subject at the 6th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, which was held in Moscow.

Commander of the CPC Army[edit]

In the summer of 1930, Liu was sent back to China and was appointed as commissioner of the Central Military Committee of the CPC as well as Military Secretary of the Yangtze River division of the CPC. In December 1930, Liu went to Shanghai to assist Zhou Enlai in the daily administration of CPC military affairs.

In 1931, the CPC suffered great losses in several major cities and was forced to retreat to the countryside. Liu was sent to the Central Soviet Territory, the CPC’s power base in Jiangxi. In January 1932, Liu was appointed president and commissar of the Red Army Military Academy. By October he was promoted to Chief of Staff of the Red Army, assisting Zhu De and Zhou in the war against Chiang Kai-shek’s 4th Suppression on the Central Soviet Territory.

At the time, the CPC was under the reign of members of the 28 Bolsheviks, including Bo Gu, Zhang Wentian, and Otto Braun (also known by his Chinese name, Li De), the Military Advisor of Comintern, took control of military command. All three were educated in Moscow, and Liu found common ground with these young men. During his time in the Jiangxi-Fujian Soviet (and during the subsequent Long March) Liu experienced conflicts with other Communist leaders, including Mao Zedong and Peng Dehuai.

Liu's conflict with Mao may partly be due to Liu's support for conventional tactics, which contradicted Mao's advocacy of guerrilla warfare. According to a later account by Zhang Guotao, Liu described Mao as being a "pedant", and resented Mao's tendency to micromanage his military officers, rather than delegating authority to Red Army's general staff.[2] Peng once led his troops during a siege of Guangchang under the orders of Bo and Li De, which resulted in the troops suffering heavy casualties. Peng blamed this on his army's inferior weaponry and resources. Peng was known for being outspoken and bad-tempered. After the battle Peng became furious, leading him into direct conflict with Liu.

Liu grew to oppose the leadership of Bo and Braun later, after the Red Army began to suffer repeated defeats. In the Red Army's endeavour against the KMT's Fifth Encirclement Campaign, Liu was demoted to Chief of Staff of the 5th Field Army following his dissidence with Bo and Braun. Bo and Braun led by way of doctrine and extremism, and the Red Army waged a face-to-face general war against the better-equipped and larger KMT army. Failure was inevitable; the CPC had to retreat from its territory to seek refuge, marking the beginning of the Long March.

During the Long March, near the end of 1934, Liu was reappointed as Chief of the General Staff of the Red Army and commander of Central Column, which consisted of the majority of the CPC senior leaders, such as Bo, Braun, Zhou and Mao. Liu led the army across the Wu River and took control of Zunyi, a county of Guizhou province. It was in this small city that the famous Zunyi Conference was held in January 1935. During this conference, Liu and most of the attendees showed their support for Mao.

As a result of this conference, Bo, who was then Braun’s command in military, was replaced by a new three-man team consisting of Mao, Zhou and Wang Jiaxiang. Later on, Liu assisted Mao and Zhu across the Red Water River four times. Liu himself led troops in the takeover of the Jiaopin ferry, securing the route across the Jinsha River for the major troops. In May, Liu was appointed commander of avant-courier army and worked with commissar Nie Rongzhen on securing the route for the remaining troops. When his army entered the ethnic settlement areas, Liu pledged brotherhood with a chieftain of the local Yiethnicity, which significantly reduced the minorities’ hostility towards the CPC.[3] Liu then led the 1st Division of the Red Army across the Dadu River, where Chiang plotted to have the CPC armies annihilated, in the same manner as Shi Dakai and his army’s road to perdition almost a century before.

When Mao's 1st Red Army later united with Zhang Guotao’s 4th Red Army, Liu stayed Chief of Staff. During a dispute between Mao and Zhang over major issues, which led to their later split, Liu maintained his support for Mao. By the time they reached Yan'an, it was obvious that Mao was the winner.

War with Japan[edit]

(L-R):

Li Da

,

Deng Xiaoping

, Liu Bocheng and

Cai Shufan

in NRA uniform

In 1936, after the Xian Incident, Chiang agreed to set up an alliance with the CPC in the fight against Japanese invaders. On July 7, 1937, after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, general war between China and Japan broke out. Under the agreement with Chiang, CPC armies were reorganised into 8th Route Army, and Liu was appointed commander of the 129th Division, one of its three divisions. It was then that he began his long cooperation with Deng Xiaoping, his commissar at that time.

According to the orthodox record of the CCP, their cooperation and friendship lasted more than five decades. Their respective military and political talents complemented the other's perfectly, and there was a very high level of trust between them. They were said to have formed a perfect pair.

However, their true relationship might not have been as close as it seemed. Firstly, Mao distrusted most of his generals, and sent his associates out as commissars to supervise these generals. Deng, who was Mao’s close associate from 1930’s when he worked in Jiangxi, was sent out for Liu, and Luo Ronghuan for Lin Biao. Secondly, in contrast to Liu's role as a professional soldier, Deng was a political activist and knew little about the military. Their personalities and personal lives were vastly different, which might have posed a barrier to their becoming true friends.

Liu, Deng and Deputy Commander Xu Xiangqian led their troops to Shanxi, and carried out bushfighting around Taihang Mountain. After rounds of successful battles against the Japanese army, they set up the Jinjiyu Base Area （晋冀豫抗日根据地） which consisted of parts of Shanxi, Hebei and Henan. In 1940, Liu led his division in the Hundred Regiments Campaign, a major campaign led by Peng to breach the blockage on CPC base areas enforced by Japanese forces under the command of General Okamura Yasuji (岡村寧次). At the same time, Liu integrated regular forces with militia, using frontal attack and bushfighting to frustrate the Japanese army’s suppression and clean-out efforts. The Japanese were so irritated that they sent agents to assassinate Liu. Although their mission was a failure, they did succeed in murdering Liu’s first daughter when she was kept in kindergarten. The Japanese thought that this revenge might distract Liu, but they underestimated Liu’s willpower. His heightened loathing for the Japanese gave him more courage under fire and more inspiration in command.

In 1943, Liu was called back to Yan'an for Zheng Feng. He pledged his allegiance to Mao and supported Mao’s power struggle with Wang Ming. On the contrary, Peng stood by Wang and as a result fell out of favour with Mao. This was an indication of Liu's prudence in politics as well. (Despite this, Liu was still labelled a dogmatist for pursuing his studies in Russia, and he had to make a public apology against his will in 1959.) In 1945, Liu attended the 7th National Congress of the CPC in Yan'an, and prepared the counterattack against the Japanese and the forthcoming civil war with KMT armies.

Chinese Civil War[edit]

At the end of the war against the Japanese, the war-scourged Chinese people pleaded for peace. Chiang then invited Mao to Chongqing for peace talks, during which, Yan Xishan sent his armies to attack CPC territories in Shanxi under Chiang's authorisation. Liu and Deng led the Shangdang Campaign and defeated 13 divisions of Yan’s troops totaled more than 35,000, and then headed east and annihilated another of Yan's army corps in the Handan Campaign. These two campaigns were the first experiences of the CPC army's shift from bushfight to campaign in movement, and proved to be valuable practice for the army groups campaign of CPC armies. They assisted in the CPC’s quick occupation of Manchuria, and won advantageous status for Mao and his peace talk delegation in Chongqing. Under immense pressure, Chiang was forced to sign a peace agreement with Mao in October 1945.

The peace, however, was fragile, and civil war broke out in 1946. Liu and Deng led several campaigns in movement, undermining the strategic attack of KMT armies. In 1947, when the territories controlled by the CPC could no longer sustain so many troops, Mao decided to send part of his army to the territories controlled by KMT, in order to relieve the heavy burden on his own territories, and to position enemies at the gates of the KMT. He ordered Liu and Deng to lead their armies from their northern China base in Henan, Shanxi and Hebei, to Anhui in southern China. This involved sending 100,000 soldiers across the Yellow River, and marching over 1000 kilometers into central plain. Liu and Deng both saw it as a gamble rather than a strategic move, and even Mao himself was not certain if such gamble would pay off by openly discussing the three possible outcomes:

The communist force could not even reach Dabie Shan.

The communist force would be driven out by the Kuomintang force after reaching Dabie Shan.

The communist force would be able to establish new base in Dabie Mountain.

Although many expressed their concerns, Mao would not change his mind. During the expedition, they faced elite KMT armies. Liu launched the Southwestern Shandong Campaign defeating over nine brigades of KMT troops. Under this plot and cover, Liu’s army promptly moved south and went into the Dabie Mountain areas. Liu’s armies suffered great losses; half of the troops were wiped out and all of their heavy artilleries were lost, which greatly weakened their military abilities in later campaigns. Liu and Deng's troops survived further rounds of attack. Far away from the power base, with few support armies and supplies, Liu led self-sufficient soldiers and broke rounds of heavy blockade, while boosting his strength back to the original 100,000. Mao and his associates were very impressed by Liu's achievement and it was only then did they begin to maintain that the direct threat to Nanjing and Wuhan was a great achievement; a knife into the heart of KMT governance. Liu's success indeed forced the nationalists to redeploy nearly two dozen brigades against him, disrupting Chiang Kai-shek's original plan, thus relieved nationalist pressure on other communist forces. Mao's gamble had paid off with Liu's clever military strategies.

Liu's success did not end there, he carried out to expand his initial victories over the nationalists by carrying out several campaigns with armies led by Chen Yi and Su Yu, another army led by Chen Geng (陈赓), to annihilate a great number of KMT troops led by two prominent generals, Chen Cheng and Bai Chongxi. After ten months of hard work, Liu and Deng had significantly enlarged the area of central plain area occupied by the CPC, and forced the KMT armies into strategic defense, as Chiang no longer had enough troops for attack. In Nov 1948, Liu, Deng, Chen, Su and Tan Zhenlin (谭震林) together formed the Military Committee to command the massive Huai Hai Campaign, which was carried out by CPC troops in East China and the central plain to fight against the KMT main forces in Xuzhou and Anhui. In this decisive battle, more than 500,000 KMT soldiers were annihilated; among the POWs was General Du Yuming, Chiang's most distinguished protégé.

In April 1949, after illusive peace talks between the CPC and the KMT were broken, Liu led his armies across the Yangtze River and conquered huge areas of Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Fujian, taking over Nanjing, the capital of the KMT. Liu was appointed mayor of Nanjing for a short while. With assistance from He Long, Liu and Deng launched new campaigns to conquer vast areas in Southwestern China, by using long distance bypass and siege strategies. Among the areas conquered were his and Deng’s own hometowns, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan and Xikang.

After the Establishment of the PRC[edit]

On October 1, 1949, Mao announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. During the ceremony, Liu stood next to Mao. This marked the peak of his career as a military commander. In January 1950, Liu was appointed chairman of the Southwestern Division of the Central People’s Government of PRC, together with Gao Gang, Rao Shushi, Peng and Lin Biao. The rewards of conquering southwestern China, however, proved only to be temporary. Mao soon sent his favorite general He Long to work alongside Liu, to supervise and share the power with Liu. During his short tenure as governor, Liu led his soldiers in the crackdown of bandits and restored law and order, oversaw economic development, and more importantly, made plans for the communist invasion of Tibet.

Towards the end of 1950, Liu was transferred to Nanjing as president and commissar of the Military Academy of the PLA, which would be considered a demotion for Liu. There were no clear or generally accepted reasons on record for his falling out of favour. One popular opinion holds that, during the long period of time that Liu worked with or under Mao, he never really earned Mao's trust. Liu himself knew that too. From the Chinese history, he learnt that most generals that helped establish a new dynasty ended up getting killed by the suspicious Emperor. In order to prevent that from happening on himself, he tried to stay as far away from politics as possible. Because of his early year military training in Soviet Union, he used that as an excuse to quit his job in the government and become the president and commissar of the Military Academy of the PLA. Mao approved his request. The other story says that, while Liu was still chairman, someone unknown to the public submitted a biography of Liu in support of his promotion. In this biography he described Liu as an offspring of Liu Bang, founder and first emperor of the Han Dynasty, and hinted that Liu himself could set up his own empire as his ancestor did. Knowing of the cruelties and conspiracies in Chinese history, Liu was worried instead of happy, because he knew that it would arouse Mao's suspicions over Liu's intentions. Although Liu had this man arrested, Mao still learnt of the event, and Liu’s worries eventually turned into reality. This only served to further increase Mao’s long-time distrust of Liu.

Despite the demotion, Liu was dedicated to his new job, attempting to bring what he learned during his years in the Soviet Union to the Academy. He organised the translations of numerous military textbooks from the Soviet Union and other countries, introducing major campaigns from ancient times to World War II to students, and sowing the seeds of the PLA's evolution into a modern army. Although Liu was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Central Military Committee of the CPC and PRC in 1954 as a reward for his contributions, these titles did not promise real power as Peng's did. (Peng was appointed Defense Minister for his battle achievements in the Korean War.) In 1955, Liu attained the rank of field marshal, ranking as the 4th amongst 10 field marshals of the PLA, next to Zhu De, Peng and Lin Biao.

In 1956, after Nikita Khrushchev shook the Communist world by making his famous Secret Speech denouncing the cult of personality that surrounded Joseph Stalin, Mao wanted to ensure that a similar incident within the CPC would not happen. He wrote an article, "On Ten Relationships", arguing that the CPC should learn from foreign countries selectively, analytically and with criticism. The CPC center then issued documents to call on all CPC members to overcome the trend of dogmatism and empiricism at work. Investigations and purges were carried out by the military, under the direction of Peng. As an advocate of learning from other countries, Liu became a key target. Some of his subordinates and deputies, including General Xiao Ke, were censored and kept in custody. Liu had to make numerous self-criticisms for his association and support of these officials. Under heavy pressure, his health worsened (he eventually lost all sight in his remaining eye), and he finally submitted his resignation as president.

In 1959, Liu left Nanjing for Beijing and lived in half-reclusion. Although he was since elected as member of the Politburo in the 8th to 11th National Congress of the CPC, Vice-Chairman of the 2nd to 5th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, and all the while holding the title of Vice-Chairman of the Military Committee, he did not participate very much in politics, citing health problems as a reason for his absence. This saved him from the following rounds of purges carried out by Mao. Peng, however, was not as fortunate. He was purged in the Lushan Conference in 1959 and later tortured to death[citation needed] during the Cultural Revolution.

By the time of the Cultural Revolution, Liu had become completely blind. Nonetheless, he survived the purges and witnessed his long-time friend Deng returning to power again. He supported Deng in the power struggle against Mao’s widow, Jiang Qing, and her Gang of Four, and also advocated Deng's policy of reforming and opening up China to the outside world, a policy that Liu himself had practiced in the Academy decades ago.

In 1982, Liu retired due to worsening health problems. This gave Deng a boost in his calling for the retirement of aging leaders in order to clear the way for younger leaders of the CPC. On October 7, 1986, Liu died in Beijing, at the age of 94. In the lament given to him, Liu was rehabilitated and cleared of all charges against him during the movements against dogmatism.

Anecdotes[edit]

During the Fengdu campaign in 1916, Liu was hit by a bullet in the head, which passed through his right temple and went out from his right eye. A German surgeon performed surgery to remove the eyeball and debride necrotic tissues. To keep his brain nerves from being damaged by the anaesthetics, Liu insisted on operation without anesthesia. After the procedure was finished, Liu told the surgeon that he counted a total of 72 cuts. The doctor was greatly moved by this display of courage and perseverance, and out of great respect he gave Liu the nickname "Chinese Mars".

Deng's famous “Cats Theory” (“Whether it is a black cat or a white cat, as long as it can catch the rat, it is a good cat”), in fact, originated from Liu.[4] During his long military career, Liu often stated that “Whether it is a black cat or a yellow cat, as long as it can catch the rat, it is a good cat” to demonstrate that the purpose of war is to win, no matter what strategies you take.

Once, Deng made fun of Liu by complaining that his partner's only shortcoming was being a dull man; he spent all his time on reading and thinking except when he is commanding, without any entertainment at all.

Liu and Deng’s relationship prior to the communist takeover was not so close as it appeared on record. After their army won a battle, Deng claimed it was a great victory of Maoism. Liu refuted: "If we lose, can we say it is a great loss of Maoism?"

Liu and Deng's relationship grew strong only after the communist takeover because both were discontent with Mao Zedong's disastrous policies, such as Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution: As Liu was persecuted in the late 1950s, Deng showed his support to Liu, as the latter was making rounds of analyses and apologies for the so-called "dogmatism" and "empiricism". Similarly, Liu showed his support to Deng for Deng's economic policy in the early 1960s to reform the Chinese economy.

Deng's entire family attended Liu's funeral, which only happened in the case of very close family ties in traditional Chinese culture. Liu wanted a small funeral in the hospital he died in. However, because too many military and political leaders requested to attend the funeral, the funeral was moved to a bigger hall.

False Anecdotes[

edit

]

Liu and Deng's relationship was greatly exaggerated by the Chinese general populace as a way to protest Mao Zedong's disastrous Cultural Revolution: In 1972, shortly after the death of Chinese Field MarshalChen Yi, Liu told his family that after his death, he wanted his funeral to be held by Deng, and his eulogy to be done by Deng, and this was when Deng was still under house arrest and Liu did so to show his support. However, the general Chinese populace had gravely turned this incident into something out of proportion as a way to protest the disastrous Cultural Revolution by claiming that after Hua Guofeng was named by Mao as his successor, Liu had requested a face-to-face conversation with Hua Guofeng, wanting his funeral to be held by Deng, and his eulogy to be done by Deng, or else he would rather have his son to throw his cadaver in the fields to feed the wild dogs.

In reality, there is no official record that Liu had made such an outrageous request, nor any face-to-face conversations with Hua, nor any formal request to the Chinese regime to have his funeral held by Deng and his eulogy done by Deng. However, it was definitely his personal wish which is revealed to his family. This personal wish of Liu became a reality after his death as his family informed the Chinese regime about his wish, and by that time, Deng was already the paramount leader of China and nobody could stop him from honoring Liu's personal wish.[5]

Legacy[edit]

Unlike other CCP generals, such as Lin Biao and Peng Dehuai, Liu never won the trust and support of Mao. Liu earned his reputation and title through his own outstanding military skills and sublime personality. He oversaw the development of the CPC armies’ expertise in regular battle, frontal attack, army groups campaigns, and sieges. Liu was also the first to introduce modern military strategies and the tactics of foreign countries to the CPC army, and incorporated science and artistry into military training. All of these endeavours shifted public perception of the CPC army from being a guerrilla force consisting of peasants and proletarians with little regular training to becoming a sophisticated and highly skilled modern military force.

See also

[theuiucollegian]

Donati and His American Dream: Learning To Build A Home Away From Home

By Kimberly Yeoh Pui Yi/For The Collegian

Five years ago, 18-year-old Henrique Donati traveled more than 4,000 miles from Brazil to set foot in Florida together with a team of basketball players for a showcase. Being a basketball player since he was eight, the over-achieving Donati was offered scholarships by more than 10 institutes in the United States and he finally decided to settle at UIU with a major in information technology and a minor in software engineering.

Like many other international students, Donati left home for the first time to the United States and his journey in pursuing his American dream definitely did not start off easy. However, not only that he has overcame the cultural and language barrier, Donati even graduated as one of the students with the highest GPA in UIU last year and is now working for UIU at the IT department. But this is only the beginning of his adventure.

Donati is approximately six feet tall with dark curly hair, has a pair of mesmerizing brown, round eyes, light-skinned and thick eyebrows. Having spoken Portuguese for his entire life, despite being perfectly eloquent in his American English now, one can still spot a subtle tone of Brazilian Portuguese accent as he speaks.

Being a jovial Brazilian it seems natural for Donati to always be optimistic and see the positive side of everything. When asked how did he overcome the cultural barrier most international students might encounter, he has a unique perspective on defining cultural anthropology. Donati said that he tends to see more similarities across cultures instead of the differences. He likes to think that people are the same even though they might be raised differently, or communicate in different language, in the end it is the efforts that you put into getting to know everyone on a personal level that matters.

Erik Zorrilla from ANQ, the same fraternity Donati is in, who has known him for more than three years said Donati is a very genuine guy hence making him someone that is always surrounded by positivity and a lot of friends. “He is just so generous and genuinely wants to help,” he said. “I remember one time my laptop was hacked and he helped me out without asking for anything in return even though I barely knew him back then.”

Another personality trait that had helped pushed Donati out from his bubble is his extremely explorative spirit. Having spent five years in Fayette, he claims that he is able to drive or even tell directions from Fayette to Iowa City, Waterloo or anywhere in Iowa without the aid of a GPS. Then he started recommending all sorts of restaurants all around Iowa including Dotzy’s, the best burger place he ever visited in his life is found in Elgin and those surprisingly good independent breweries he has found in the middle of nowhere.

“I remember ever since I got a car, I would just go on road trips with my friends,” said Donati, “and there was once, a random guy overheard our conversation and asked if he could come along. I saw him with his paycheck and thought why not, this guy just got his paycheck and some money to spend, so he just got onto the road trip with us.”

If there is one distinction between Brazilians and Americans, Donati realized, it will be the attitude of these two nations have when it comes to hard topics like races and religions. “In Brazil, we don’t care so much about it. We make fun of each other, we joke around, we talk about it all the time and in the end nobody really make a big deal out of it,” said Donati. Whereas in the United States, he noticed that people are a lot more aware and sensitive towards racial issues and try more to be “politically correct” all the time.

However, independence and freedom does not always come with rainbows and unicorns. One of Donati biggest fears is that something might happen to his family and he will not be able to be there for them because he is now on the F-1 OPT, leaving the country means he will not be able to return. “My family is always there for me when I need them, but if anything happens to them now I won’t be able to be with them,” he said with his teary eyes turning red. As Pinima Godpower, a friend of Henrique for four years, put it, “he loves them (his family) to death.”

In 2016, Donati graduated as one of the students with the highest GPA in UIU. “He does things the fast way, and that’s what people in modern days need to do,” said YuZhang Wu, his colleague at the IT department. In the end of the day, Donati is at his age of achievement in his career. He wishes to be able to work for big companies like Google one day, which is also one of the greatest reasons he decided to continue staying in the United States instead of going back to his home in Brazil.

[bookofjin]

On jihai [20 August 304], the Minister over the Masses, Wang Rong; the King of Donghai, Yue; the King of Gaomi, Jian; the Duke of Pingchang, Mo; the King of Wu, Yan; the King of Yuzhang, Chi; the King of Xiangyang, Fan; the Supervisor of the Right, Xun Fan and others served the Emperor on a northern campaign. They arrived at Anyang with a multitude of 100 000. Ying dispatched his general Shi Chao to resist them in battle.

[bookofjin]

Commentary on the Water Classic: From the Puchang Sea to Heguan

[After its subterranean journey from the Puchang Sea, the He reappears at Jishi mountain, and from there enters the land of the Qiang.]

Again east it enters the frontier, passing by south of Dunhuang敦煌, Jiuquan酒泉, and Zhangye張掖 commanderies.

The He 河 from Puchang蒲昌there is evidence of its hidden submergence, and also of its beginning among the passes and entrance through the frontier. From this, the Classic is seeking out the real causes. The He River河水 has multiple sources, and also issues out from outside of the western frontier to set out for the mountain of Jishi積石.

The Classic of Mountains and Seas says: The mountain of Jishi積石, beneath it are the Stone Gates石門, where the He River河水 spreads out and flows west. On this mountain, among the ten thousand beings there are none who are not there. It is what the Tribute of Yu speaks of as leading the He河 from Jishi積石.

The mountain is among the Western Qiang where the Shaodang dwelt. 2nd Year of Yanxi [159 AD], the Shaodang of the Western Qiang violated the frontier. The Colonel who Protects the Qiang, Duan Jiong, chastised them. In pursuit he set out from the frontier and arrived at Jishi Mountian積石山. He cut off their heads and turned back.

Sima Biao says: The Western Qiang are from Xizhi析支 and westward. Adjacent to the left and right sides of He's河 head are their dwellings. The He River河水 bends and flows north-east, passing the land of Xizhi析支, this is Hequ河曲[“He Bend”].

Ying Shao says: In the Tribute of Yu, Xizhi析支 belongs to Yong province雍州, and is west of Heguan河關 [“He Pass”]. The distance east to Heguan河關 is more than 1 000 li. The Qiang people that dwell there are spoken of as the Hequ Qiang. To the north-east is successively south of Dunhuang敦煌, Jiuquan酒泉, and Zhangye張掖.

Ying Shao's Records of Geographic Manners and Customs says: Dunhuang敦煌, Jiuquan酒泉, its waters are similar in taste to beer/wine [jiu酒] is the reason. Zhangye張掖, it tells of stretching out [zhang張] the state's supporting [ye掖] arm to overawe the Qiang and Di.

The Explaining Writing says: The commandery [jun郡] system: The Son of Heaven's territory is a thousand li square, divided into a hundred counties. A county has four commanderies [?]. For that reason the Transmittals on Spring and Autumn says: A High Grandee a county, a Low Grandee a commandery. Arriving at Qin, they first set up thirty-six commanderies, and used them to oversee the counties. From yi邑[“town”] with jun君 phonetic.

The Interpreting Names says: A commandery is a crowd, where people crowd and gather.

Huang Yizhong's Records of the Thirteen Provincessays: Talking of the “lord”君 in commandery郡, when they changed the fiefs of dukes and marquises, then they talk of lords, who are extremely venerated. A commandery warden has sole authority, and the rites of lord and subject are fully honoured. Now the jun郡 character, jun君 is on its left, and yi邑 is on its right. A lord is the primary head, a town is for carrying the people. For that reason they took the name from lord and speaks of it as a commandery.

The Han Officials says: Qin employed Li Si's opinion, and divided Under Heaven into thirty-six commanderies. Altogether among the commanderies, for some they used the arrayed states, these were Chen陳, Lu魯, Qi齊 and Wu吳. For some they used old towns, these were Changsha 長沙 and Danyang丹陽. For some they used mountains and hills, these were Taishan太山 and Shanyang山陽. For some they used river uplands, these were Xihe 西河 and Hedong河東. For some they used what they produce, these were Jincheng金城 where beneath the city one obtains gold [jin金], Jiuquan 酒泉 where the springs [quan泉] taste like beer/wine[jiu酒], Yuzhang豫章 where the camphor [zhang樟] trees grow in the courtyard, Yanmen雁門 where wild geese [yan雁] are reared. For some they used commands and orders, Yu united the various feudal princes for a great assessment at the mountain of Dongye東冶, and following that named it Kuaiji會稽[“Meeting to examine”].

The He河 passes to their south and then wraps around the far distant. The He River河水 from Hequ河曲 again goes east to pass south of Xihai [“Western Sea”] commandery西海郡. In the time of Emperor Ping of Han, Wang Mang controlled the government. He wished to dazzle with power and potency, and so took on distant regions. He suggested the Qiang offer the territory of Xihai西海, set up Xihai commandery西海郡, and then built five counties there. He surrounded the sea with watchtowers and beacons to look out for each other. When Mang usurped the government, there was disorder and chaos, and the commandery was also abandoned and abolished.

He River河水 again goes east to pass Yun Stream允川, and then successively north of Dayu大榆 and Xiaoyu Valleys小榆谷, where Mitang and Zhongcun of the Qiang dwelt.

5th Year of Yongyuan [93 AD], Guan You replaced Nie Shang as Colonel who Protects the Qiang. He attacked Mitang, beheaded and captured more than 800, and gathered their ripe wheat, several ten thousand hu. At Fengliu逢留 on the He河 he built a walled settlement to store away the wheat, and also made great ships. At the gorge of the He河 he made a bridge to cross over troops. Mitang in consequence went far way to take refuge in Hequ河曲.

9th Year of Yongyuan [97 AD], Mitang again together Zhongcun went east to rob, and then turned back. 10thYear [98 AD], the internuncios Wang Xin and Geng Tan went west to strike Mitang. He surrendered to them. Decreed he take heed to return to the Da- and Xiaoiyu Valleys小榆谷. Mitang said the Han had constructed a bridge over the He河, and troops came at any time, and for that reason the land could not be dwelt in. He again rebelled to dwell in Hequ河曲. He and the Qiang became enemies, the people of his kind and the official troops struck them at Yun Stream允川.

When the distance to Mitang was several tens of li, the encampment was fixed in place. They dispatched light troops to challenge to battle, and following that to pull out and turn back. Mitang pursued them, and arrived at the encampment where a battle followed. Mitang was defeated and ran away. Hence in Xihai西海 and the Da- and Xiaoiyu Valleys小榆谷 had not again assembled family groups.

The Chancellor of Yumi隃糜, Cao Feng, sent up words: “From the Jianwu era [25 – 56] and onwards, the Western Rong have several times violated the law, and often accompany the Shaodang kind in rising up. By means such as these, since in their dwellings in the Da- and Xiaoyu Valleys小榆谷 the land and earth is fertile and pleasing, and also nearby the inside of the frontier. They and their various kinds are close to each other, to the south they got the Zhongcun and so broaden their multitudes. To the north they impede the Great He 大河, and because of that use it as their strength. They also have the profits of the fish and salt of the Western Sea西海. They hem the mountains and bank the rivers, and so broaden their farming and husbandry, and for that reason they are able to be strong and great, and often hold sway over the various kinds.

Now their partisans and aides are ruined and destroyed, relatives and subordinates depart in rebellion, and their remnants capable for war do not exceed a few hundred. [We] ought to catch up with these times, establish again Xihai西海 commandery and county, counsel and strengthen the Two Yu二榆, broadly place farming garrisons, separate the frontier Qiang and Hu's paths of connections, plant grain and enrich the border, and rationalize the service of movement and relocation.”

The Sovereign designated Feng as Chief Commandant of Jincheng's金城 Westeren Section, thereupon he began twenty-seven farming garrisons. The arranged garrisons occupied both sides of the He河, they and Jiancheng建威 were head and tail of each other. Later the Qiang rebelled and consequently they were abandoned.

Note Duan Guo's Records of Sha Province: The Tuyuhun upon the He河 made a bridge. It is spoken of as the He Crossing河厲 and is hundred and fifty paces long. On the two banks they amassed stones to make foundational steps. The segments and sections were one after the other, great trees lengthwise and sidewise successively pressing down, the two sides both level, three zheng from each other. Also great timber was used to plank sidewise after that. They arranged curling railings with considerable adornment and decorations. The bridge is east of a clear river stream.

[the-archlich]

You mentioned a battle in your Sun Jian bio (iirc it was the Battle of Dagu Pass?) between him and Dong Zhuo on the site of a bunch of raided Han tombs. Have you found out more about what happened during the battle or is it still relatively unknown? Because it sounds incredibly cool and I'm surprised something like Dynasty Warriors hasn't tried exploring it more.

Unfortunately almost nothing is recorded about the battle itself. It’s mentioned that Sun Jian and Dong Zhuo fought there, but that’s all. We know a few other things from context.

Dagu (or Taigu) Pass was one of the mountain passes guarding Luoyang. It was fortified against the Turbans in 184 and these defenses were probably still in place at the time of the battle. So Sun Jian would be attacking a fortified position that extremely favored the defenders.

From the time of Emperor Zhang on, many high officials and former emperors were buried in that particular valley. It’s where their tombs were. These were the tombs that Lu Bu plundered on Dong Zhuo’s orders. The battle would have taken place in this environment, and this might have played a role in the outcome.

Sun Jian was leading a diverse coalition. In addition to his personal followers he had recruits from Jing (above and below the Great River), Yuzhang, and Wu. He probably had troops from Yu province as well (drawn from Runan, loyal to Yuan Shu). And the Runan Turbans were recorded to have fought with Sun Jian, so they were probably there as well. Dong Zhuo did not recruit large numbers of troops, so he would have opposed Sun Jian only with his loyal veterans from Liang.

From context it appears that Zhu Jun was with Dong Zhuo at the time (he was left behind to guard Luoyang when Dong Zhuo withdrew to Chang’an). Zhu Jun was Sun Jian’s commander during the Yellow Turban Rebellion and a patron of his career after. He was also known to be in contact with the Coalition forces, almost certainly through Sun Jian. It’s possible that he assisted Sun Jian in some capacity (such as providing key information) although anything he might have done did not draw Dong Zhuo’s suspicions.

All of this just adds really interesting context to a battle about which we know almost nothing. It’s a damn shame nothing is written about the battle other than that it happened, because it has the setup to be one of the most epic showdowns of the era.

Han’s last hero fighting its greatest villain among the plundered tombs of the old emperors. You truly can’t come up with something more epic.

[the-archlich]

I would like to ask you and others on tumblr a question I asked on Sanguo Yanyi Symposium. What are the most impressive campaigns of the TK or surrounding eras in your opinion? What makes them stand out? Any number is great.

Aside from the answers you’ll probably get everywhere (Guandu, Chibi, Jingdong, etc.) some that particularly impress me (in more or less chronological order):

Sun Ce’s conquest of Jiangdong (195-196). He had very few resources (only a few thousand guys from Yuan Shu and the forces he took over) and only the most basic amount of experience (fighting in skirmishes in Danyang against local tribes and the Zhou family). But through his incredible talents he gathered a substantial army and ran wild over all of Liu Yao’s defenses. He absolutely demolished everything that got in his way, to the point where even minor speed bumps are remembered as major stumbling blocks because all his obstructions were so minor. He executed a remarkably successful campaign with very little to build on, and what he conquered remained the heartland of what would become his family’s empire.

For that matter, Sun Ce’s campaign in 199/200 is supremely impressive too. First he uses deception to lure Liu Xun out of position, then seizes Lujiang out from under him. He fends off the counter-attack, forcing Liu Xun to get help from Liu Biao and giving Sun Ce all the justification in the world to attack him. He smashes his way up the Great River, crushing everything Liu Biao sends at him before finally capturing Huang Zu’s headquarters; then he pivots back around and sweeps through Yuzhang, securing Hua Xin’s submission. He places subordinates in key locations and they secure the rest of the commandery in a matter of months. And he made the whole thing look easy.

Cao Cao’s campaign against Han Sui and Ma Chao (211). Cao Cao had a lot of impressive campaigns, including ones he really had no business winning. This is the one that impresses me most, because of how damn easy he made it look. This campaign saw Cao Cao at his best. He dictated every step of the battles, forcing his enemy to play his game. He was always three steps ahead of them. Everything went exactly as planned, and every plan went off without a hitch. That’s a remarkable thing to find in any campaign. Cao Cao owned that battlefield and proved that ordinary commanders were simply not on his level.

The Great River Campaign (222/223). Cao Pi commissioned a massive invasion of Wu, with Wei’s best generals striking on three fronts. Wu responded in kind, sending its best people to reinforce these positions. There were a lot of reversals, with one group gaining the upper hand only to lose it to the other. Ultimately Wei’s forces had more success in the field but were unable to capture or hold any of their target cities. This is probably one of the most even campaigns we can find, with victories to be found on both sides.

Siege of Shouchun (257/258). Along with Cao Cao’s siege of Ye (204) this is literally a textbook example of how such battles were conducted. If you want to study how cities were besieged, what methods were used to capture them, and how outside forces sought to relieve them, this is one the best examples. I’m very impressed by the clinical nature of Wei’s attack. It was focused, decisive, and eminently professional.

Oh hell, the siege of Ye, too. For the same reasons. Cao Cao executed a perfect siege. The clinical perfection of that operation is so good it should serve as a model for ideal siege warfare of the period. From the methods he used to isolate the city, to how the took advantage of the enemies being bottled-up to secure the surrounding territories, to the way he dealt with he external reinforcements (the greatest danger to any besieging army). This is how you do it right. No need for weird tricks or desperate ploys, just a professional at work.

These are a few of my favorites that I don’t think get as much praise as some of the other big ones. Everyone loves it when someone wins a battle they had no business winning, but I also appreciate a properly-executed campaign. And the best ones made it look easy.

[fuyonggu]

SGZ Biography of Zhuge Liang (Until Liu Bei’s Death)

I had a draft of this I was working on earlier. Daolun might appreciate it for his articles.

諸葛亮字孔明，琅邪陽都人也。漢司隸校尉諸葛豐後也。父圭，字君貢，漢末為太山郡丞。亮早孤，從父玄為袁術所署豫章太守，玄將亮及亮弟均之官。會漢朝更選朱皓代玄。玄素與荊州牧劉表有舊，往依之。玄卒，亮躬畊隴畝，好為《梁父吟》。身長八尺，每自比於管仲、樂毅，時人莫之許也。惟博陵崔州平、潁川徐庶元直與亮友善，謂為信然。

Zhuge Liang, styled Kongming, was a native of Yangdu county in Langye commandary. He was a descendant of the Han dynasty's Colonel-Director of Retainers, Zhuge Feng. 

Zhuge Liang’s father was Zhuge Gui, styled Jungong, who served as a Minister of Taishan commandary during the final years of the Han dynasty. But Zhuge Gui passed away while Zhuge Liang was still young. Zhuge Liang thus went to live with his uncle, Zhuge Xuan, when Zhuge Xuan was appointed by Yuan Shu as Administrator of Yuzhang. Not long afterwards, the Han court appointed Zhu Hao to replace Zhuge Xuan as Administrator. So since Zhuge Xuan had an existing relationship with the Governor of Jingzhou, Liu Biao, he and his nephews went to stay with Liu Biao instead. 

By the time Zhuge Xuan passed away, Zhuge Liang had taken up farming, and he was fond of the Song of Liangfu. He grew to be eight chi tall. He was always comparing himself to the ancients Guan Zhong and Yue Yi. Hardly anyone agreed with such an assessment; only Cui Zhouping of Boling commandary and Xu Shu of Yingchuan commandary (styled Yuanzhi), who were his good friends, said he was right to think so.

〈《獻帝春秋》曰：初，豫章太守周術病卒，劉表上諸葛玄為豫章太守，治南昌。漢朝聞周術死，遣朱皓代玄。皓從揚州刺史劉繇求兵擊玄，玄退屯西城，皓入南昌。建安二年正月，西城民反，殺玄，送首詣繇。此書所云，與本傳不同。〉〈《漢晉春秋》曰：亮家于南陽之鄧縣，在襄陽城西二十里，號曰隆中。〉〈按《崔氏譜》：州平，太尉烈子，均之弟也。《魏略》曰：亮在荊州，以建安初與潁川石廣元、徐元直、汝南孟公威等俱游學，三人務於精熟，而亮獨觀其大略。每晨夜從容，常抱膝長嘯，而謂三人曰：「卿三人仕進可至刺史郡守也。」三人問其所至，亮但笑而不言。後公威思鄉里，欲北歸，亮謂之曰：「中國饒士大夫，遨遊何必故鄉邪！」臣松之以為《魏略》此言，謂諸葛亮為公威計者可也，若謂兼為己言，可謂未達其心矣。老氏稱知人者智，自知者明，凡在賢達之流，固必兼而有焉。以諸葛亮之鑒識，豈不能自審其分乎？夫其高吟俟時，情見乎言，志氣所存，既已定於其始矣。若使游步中華，騁其龍光，豈夫多士所能沈翳哉！委質魏氏，展其器能，誠非陳長文、司馬仲達所能頡頏，而況於餘哉！苟不患功業不就，道之不行，雖志恢宇宙而終不北向者，蓋以權御已移，漢祚將傾，方將翊贊宗傑，以興微繼絕克復為己任故也。豈其區區利在邊鄙而已乎！此相如所謂「鵾鵬已翔於遼廓，而羅者猶視於藪澤」者矣。公威名建，在魏亦貴達。〉

(The Annals of Emperor Xian states, "When the Administrator of Yuzhang, Zhou Shu, passed away of illness, Liu Biao originally sent up a petition stating that he had appointed Zhuge Xuan as the new Administrator, with his headquarters at Nanchang. But when the Han court heard that Zhou Shu had died, they sent Zhu Hao to take over the post from Zhuge Xuan. Zhu Hao asked the Inspector of Yangzhou, Liu Yao, for troops and then attacked Zhuge Xuan. Zhuge Xuan withdrew to camp at Xicheng, while Zhu Hao entered Nanchang. In the second year of Jian'an (197), the first month, the people of Xicheng rebelled; they killed Zhuge Xuan and brought his head to Liu Yao." This account naturally conflicts with the base biography.

Xi Zuochi's Annals of Han and Jin states, "Zhuge Liang's family lived in Deng county in Nanyang commandary, twenty li west from the city of Xiangyang, at a place called Longzhong."

According to the Registry of the Cui Clan, this Cui Zhouping was "the son of the Grand Commandant, Cui Lie, and the younger brother of Cui Jun".

The Weilue states, "During the days that Zhuge Liang lived in Jingzhou at the beginning of the Jian'an reign era (after 196), he spent his time wandering and learning in the company of such people as Shi Guangyuan and Xu Yuanzhi (Xu Shu) of Yingchuan commandary and Meng Gongwei of Runan commandary. Now these three fellows each had their talents, but Zhuge Liang still saw himself as greater than them. Whenever they were enjoying a moment of respite during the mornings or evenings, Zhuge Liang would often rub his knees and make a long sigh. He would say to the other three, 'Perhaps you gentlemen will rise high enough to become Inspectors or Administrators.' When they asked him what fate he saw for himself, he would only laugh without answering. Later, when Shi Guangyuan grew homesick and wished to return north, Zhuge Liang said to him, 'The Middle Kingdom is full of great leaders and gentlemen. Wander if you like, but can you really be sure of getting home again?'"

This Meng Gongwei was named Meng Jian; he also enjoyed honor and success in Wei.

In my (Pei Songzhi's) view, both Zhuge Liang's comments to Shi Guangyuan and his earlier words were indications that Zhuge Liang felt that he was not yet able to fulfill his desires. Laozi commended those who could recognize the value of others as knowledgeable and those who could appreciate their own worth as wise, and truly worthy and successful were those who displayed both these talents. Could a man of Zhuge Liang's perception and intellect have failed to recognize his own worth? He may have been indulging in songs and playing for time, but judging by his words and his feelings, his great ambitions and passions were already formed by this time.

Suppose Zhuge Liang had decided to wander through the heartlands of the dynasty and display his magnificence. Even a deluge of talents would not have been enough to obscure him! He might have given himself over to Wei, and there developed his potential and his abilities. Had he done so, he truly would have outshone even Chen Changwen (Chen Qun) and Sima Zhongda (Sima Yi), much less anyone else! No deed or endeavor would have been impossible for him; no path would have been closed to him. Yet despite being a man of such boundless ambition, in the end, he did not go north. He must have done so because he perceived that the dynasty's authority was already gone and it was on the brink of collapse, and so he wished to serve and assist some worthy relative of the dynasty to restore what had fallen, continue what had been broken, and revive what had been ended. Would he have ever limited himself to merely eking out a meager living in some border region? The proverb sums it up: "the great birds soar across the wide world, but even a bound one will still glance longingly towards the lakes and ponds."

時先主屯新野。徐庶見先主，先主器之，謂先主曰：「諸葛孔明者，臥龍也，將軍豈願見之乎？」先主曰：「君與俱來。」庶曰：「此人可就見，不可屈致也。將軍宜枉駕顧之。」由是先主遂詣亮，凡三往，乃見。因屏人曰：「漢室傾頹，姦臣竊命，主上蒙塵。孤不度德量力，欲信大義於天下，而智術淺短，遂用猖（獗）〔蹶〕，至于今日。然志猶未已，君謂計將安出？」亮答曰：自董卓已來，豪傑并起，跨州連郡者不可勝數。曹操比於袁紹，則名微而眾寡，然操遂能克紹，以弱為強者，非惟天時，抑亦人謀也。今操已擁百萬之眾，挾天子而令諸侯，此誠不可與爭鋒。孫權據有江東，已歷三世，國險而民附，賢能為之用，此可以為援而不可圖也。荊州北據漢、沔，利盡南海，東連吳會，西通巴、蜀，此用武之國，而其主不能守，此殆天所以資將軍，將軍豈有意乎？益州險塞，沃野千里，天府之土，高祖因之以成帝業。劉璋闇弱，張魯在北，民殷國富而不知存恤，智能之士思得明君。將軍既帝室之冑，信義著於四海，總攬英雄，思賢如渴，若跨有荊、益，保其巖阻，西和諸戎，南撫夷越，外結好孫權，內修政理﹔天下有變，則命一上將將荊州之軍以向宛、洛，將軍身率益州之眾出於秦川，百姓孰敢不簞食壺漿以迎將軍者乎？誠如是，則霸業可成，漢室可興矣。先主曰：「善！」於是與亮情好日密。關羽、張飛等不悅，先主解之曰：「孤之有孔明，猶魚之有水也。願諸君勿復言。」羽、飛乃止。

At this time, Liu Bei was camped at Xinye. Xu Shu came to see him, and Liu Bei appreciated him. Xu Shu told Liu Bei, "Zhuge Kongming (Zhuge Liang) is known as Sleeping Dragon. General, would you be willing to meet him?" 

Liu Bei said, "Sir, let him come with you to see me." 

Xu Shu replied, "He is the sort of man whom you may visit, but he will not deign to come to you. I hope you will condescend to visit him." 

So Liu Bei went to meet Zhuge Liang, finally seeing him on his third visit. Liu Bei privately said to him, "The house of Han is in dire straights; a wicked (or perverse) minister is eyeing the Mandate for himself, while our sovereign suffers in exile. Though I am not possessed of virtue or blessed with strength, still I wish to restore what is right to the realm. My cunning and my skills are shallow and lacking, which has caused me to suffer several terrible stumbles. But even so, I have not given up on my ambition. Sir, what do you propose that I should do?"

Zhuge Liang replied, "Ever since Dong Zhuo's day, countless heroes have risen up to stand astride the provinces and control the commandaries. Consider Cao Cao: if we compare him to Yuan Shao, his reputation was not as great, and his army was not as numerous. Yet in the end, he was able to overcome Yuan Shao. This was an instance of the weak defeating the strong. Even if you say that Heaven had willed it to be so, it still required the planning of mortals to see it through. By now, Cao Cao has already assembled an army of a million soldiers, and he keeps the Son of Heaven in his power so that he may 'command the feudal lords' to heed his will. He cannot be confronted directly. There is also Sun Quan to consider: he wields control over the Southland, where his family has enjoyed power for three generations. His domain enjoys good natural defenses, his people are bonded to him, and he employs the worthy and able. You would be able to gain support from him, but he too cannot be conquered.

"Now consider Jingzhou: it is flanked by the Han and Mian Rivers to the north while enjoying all the bounty of the southern sea, and it borders Wu and Kuaiji to the east and Ba and Shu to the west. It is well suited for supporting military endeavors. Yet the lord of Jingzhou is unable to defend it. General, it is almost as though Heaven has furnished Jingzhou in order to deliver it right into your own hands; can you have no desire for it? Not only that, there is Yizhou: blessed with both sturdy natural defenses and a thousand li of fertile fields for harvest, it is a storehouse of Heaven's produce. It was for that reason that Gaozu (Liu Bang), using this region as his base, was able to achieve his ambition of becoming Emperor. But the current lord of Yizhou, Liu Zhang, is blind and weak, and Zhang Lu is to his north. Yizhou is a rich land and filled with people, yet he cannot (or, does not know how to) bring them comfort, and people of ability and intellect long to be ruled by a wise sovereign.

"General, you yourself are a descendant of the royal lineage, and your trustworthy and righteous reputation has spread all throughout the Four Seas; you gather and command bold heroes, and you seek worthy people like one thirsts for water. So I propose that you take control of Jingzhou and Yizhou for yourself. Then guard their defensive points (or mountain ranges), while you achieve peace with the Rong tribes in the west, bring comfort to the Yi tribes of Yue in the south, form ties with Sun Quan without, and reform and perfect your government within. Eventually, once some great opportunity presents itself, you may appoint a supreme general to lead the armies of Jingzhou towards Wan and Luoyang, while you lead the armies of Yizhou out into Qinzhou. At that time, who will dare not to come to welcome you and present you with food and drink? By doing these things, you may achieve your design as a hegemon, and the Han royal family may flourish once more."

Liu Bei said, "Excellent!" And he became close to Zhuge Liang and spent days together with him. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and others were not pleased, but Liu Bei explained to them, "Now that I have found Kongming, I am like a fish that has found water. Gentlemen, please say nothing further about this." So Guan Yu and Zhang Fei stopped.

〈《襄陽記》曰：劉備訪世事於司馬德操。德操曰：「儒生俗士，豈識時務？識時務者在乎俊傑。此間自有伏龍、鳳雛。」備問為誰，曰：「諸葛孔明、龐士元也。」〉〈《魏略》曰：劉備屯於樊城。是時曹公方定河北，亮知荊州次當受敵，而劉表性緩，不曉軍事。亮乃北行見備，備與亮非舊，又以其年少，以諸生意待之。坐集既畢，眾賓皆去，而亮獨留，備亦不問其所欲言。備性好結毦，時適有人以髦牛尾與備者，備因手自結之。亮乃進曰：「明將軍當復有遠志，但結毦而已邪！」備知亮非常人也，乃投毦而答曰：「是何言與！我聊以忘憂耳。」亮遂言曰：「將軍度劉鎮南孰與曹公邪？」備曰：「不及。」亮又曰：「將軍自度何如也？」備曰：「亦不如。」曰：「今皆不及，而將軍之眾不過數千人，以此待敵，得無非計乎！」備曰：「我亦愁之，當若之何？」亮曰：「今荊州非少人也，而著籍者寡，平居發調，則人心不悅；可語鎮南，令國中凡有游戶，皆使自實，因錄以益眾可也。」備從其計，故眾遂強。備由此知亮有英略，乃以上客禮之。九州春秋所言亦如之。臣松之以為亮表云「先帝不以臣卑鄙，猥自枉屈，三顧臣於草廬之中，諮臣以當世之事」，則非亮先詣備，明矣。雖聞見異辭，各生彼此，然乖背至是，亦良為可怪。〉

(Xi Zuochi's Records of Xiangyang states, "Liu Bei discussed the affairs of the day with Sima Decao (Sima Hui). Sima Decao told him, 'What could mere scholars or common fellows understand of modern circumstances? It is those who are knowledgeable of such things that are the real talents. And among this sort are Crouching Dragon and Fledging Phoenix.' Liu Bei asked him who these two were, and Sima Decao replied, 'Zhuge Kongming and Xu Shiyuan.'"

The Weilue states, "During the time that Cao Cao was pacifying the region north of the Yellow River, Liu Bei was camped at Fancheng. Zhuge Liang knew that Jingzhou would be Cao Cao's next target. Yet Liu Biao had a complacent nature and did not grasp military matters. So Zhuge Liang went north to see Liu Bei. 

“Since Zhuge Liang was a young man and had no prior relationship with Liu Bei, Liu Bei received him in the company of several other people. After the meeting had ended and the other guests all left, Zhuge Liang remained behind. However, Liu Bei did not ask him what he wanted to say. Instead, since Liu Bei had a habit of braiding bits of hair together and someone had given him some tail-hairs from horses and oxen, he was braiding them together. Zhuge Liang stepped forward and declared, 'A wise general ought to be considering long-term plans, not merely braid together some hairs!' 

“Liu Bei realized that Zhuge Liang was no ordinary fellow. He tossed the hairs aside and laughed, saying, 'Why say such a thing? I was merely amusing myself to forget my concerns.' 

“Zhuge Liang then said, 'General, do you think General Liu (Liu Biao) is any match for Lord Cao (Cao Cao)?' 

“Liu Bei replied, 'He is not.' 

“Zhuge Liang said, 'And how do you yourself compare?' 

“Liu Bei replied, 'I am not his equal either.'

“Zhuge Liang said, 'So you recognize that neither of you is a match for him. Yet General, your army is no more than a few thousand soldiers. You intend to meet the enemy with such an army? What sort of plan is that?' 

“Liu Bei replied, 'That is just what concerns me. But what am I to do about it?' 

“Zhuge Liang said, 'Jingzhou currently has a considerable population. Yet the official population registries are quite meager. If you attempted to draft soldiers from among those who are already registered and have settled lives here, they will not be happy to suffer such disturbances. But you might tell General Liu to command all refugee households in the province to register themselves, and once they do so, you can further your numbers by drafting from among them instead.' 

“Liu Bei followed his advice, and his army was thus strengthened. So Liu Bei knew that Zhuge Liang had heroic cunning, and he treated him as a guest of honor." 

The Annals of the Nine Provinces has the same account. 

Now regarding these two accounts, your servant Pei Songzhi notes that Zhuge Liang later wrote in his first petition to Liu Shan that "The First Sovereign (Liu Bei) overlooked my obscurity and humbled himself to come three times to my thatched cottage seeking me, in order to discuss the affairs of the age with me". So it seems clear that it cannot have been the case that Zhuge Liang was the one who approached Liu Bei first. Yet it does seem remarkable that two other texts would have an account of their meeting both so similar to one another and so different from Chen Shou's version.)

劉表長子琦，亦深器亮。表受後妻之言，愛少子琮，不悅於琦。琦每欲與亮謀自安之術，亮輒拒塞，未與處畫。琦乃將亮游觀後園，共上高樓，飲宴之間，令人去梯，因謂亮曰：「今日上不至天，下不至地，言出子口，入於吾耳，可以言不？」亮答曰：「君不見申生在內而危，重耳在外而安乎？」琦意感悟，陰規出計。會黃祖死，得出，遂為江夏太守。俄而表卒，琮聞曹公來征，遣使請降。先主在樊聞之，率其眾南行，亮與徐庶并從，為曹公所追破，獲庶母。庶辭先主而指其心曰：「本欲與將軍共圖王霸之業者，以此方寸之地也。今已失老母，方寸亂矣，無益於事，請從此別。」���詣曹公。

Liu Biao's eldest son Liu Qi also highly esteemed Zhuge Liang. Now Liu Biao had heeded the words of his second wife and began to favor his younger son Liu Cong, and was no longer pleased with Liu Qi. Liu Qi thus kept asking Zhuge Liang for a plan to help secure his position. However, Zhuge Liang kept putting him off, not wanting to be compelled to make a plan for him. 

Thus, during an occasion when Liu Qi had brought Zhuge Liang to walk through and observe the rear gardens and they went up into a tall tower together, Liu Qi ordered someone to take the ladder away. He then said to Zhuge Liang, "Today we are cut off from both Heaven above and the earth below, so the words you speak shall be heard by my ears alone. Will you not say something?" 

Zhuge Liang replied, "Sir, you are perhaps familiar with the ancient Duke Xian of Jin, whose wife Li Ji turned him against his sons Shensheng and Chong'er. Do you recall that Shensheng remained with his family and thus met his doom, while Chong'er fled the state and thus saved his life and became Duke Wen of Jin in the end?" 

Liu Qi realized what Zhuge Liang was suggesting, so he secretly developed a plan to make his own escape. Not long afterwards, the border general Huang Zu was killed, and thus offered an opportunity to leave Xiangyang, Liu Qi had himself appointed as Administrator of Jiangxia to succeed Huang Zu. 

Soon afterwards, Liu Biao passed away. When Liu Cong heard that Cao Cao was coming to campaign against Jingzhou, he sent envoys to him asking to surrender. Liu Bei was still at Fan, but when he learned that Liu Cong was surrendering, he led his forces south. Zhuge Liang and Xu Shu both accompanied him. But Liu Bei's forces were pursued and routed by Cao Cao, and Xu Shu's mother was captured. Xu Shu then took his leave of Liu Bei; pointing to his heart, he said, "This little heart of mine dearly wished to help you achieve your conquest, General. But now my old mother is lost, and my heart is in such turmoil that I would be of no use to you. Please allow us to part ways." And he went to visit Cao Cao.

〈《魏略》曰：庶先名福，本單家子，少好任俠擊劍。中平末，嘗為人報讎，白堊突面，被髪而走，為吏所得，問其姓字，閉口不言。吏乃於車上立柱維磔之，擊鼓以令於市鄽，莫敢識者，而其黨伍共篡解之，得脫。於是感激，棄其刀戟，更疏巾單衣，折節學問。始詣精舍，諸生聞其前作賊，不肯與共止。福乃卑躬早起，常獨掃除，動靜先意，聽習經業，義理精熟。遂與同郡石韜相親愛。初平中，中州兵起，乃與韜南客荊州，到，又與諸葛亮特相善。及荊州內附，孔明與劉備相隨去，福與韜俱來北。至黃初中，韜仕歷郡守、典農校尉，福至右中郎將、御史中丞。逮大和中，諸葛亮出隴右，聞元直、廣元仕財如此，嘆曰：「魏殊多士邪！何彼二人不見用乎？」庶後數年病卒，有碑在彭城，今猶存焉。〉

(The Weilue states, "Xu Shu was originally named Shan Fu. As a young man, he enjoyed being a wandering tough and fighting people with his sword. 

“On one occasion during the Zhongping reign era (184-189), he took revenge on behalf of someone else. Then, marking his face with chalk and letting down his hair, he tried to flee, but was caught by the officials. They asked him to identify himself, but he refused to say anything. The officials then tied him to a post atop a cart and beat the drums as they paraded him through the marketplace, but no one dared to recognize him. However, his fellows were able to break his bonds and let him escape. 

“Shan Fu was so moved by this experience that he gave up the life of the blade, and putting on a thin scarf and plain clothes, he began applying himself to his studies. When he first came to the house of refinement, the other students ostracized him because they had heard about his past misdeeds. But Shan Fu remained humble, rose early, often swept the place alone, thought before he acted, remained diligent in his studies, and perfected his morals and his reasoning. He became good friends with a man from the same commandary as him, Shi Tao.

“At the beginning of the Chuping reign era (~190), when civil strife in the Central Provinces began, Shan Fu and Shi Tao went south to live as refugees in Jingzhou, and upon arriving there Shan Fu became especially close to Zhuge Liang. After Jingzhou fell under the control of Cao Cao, Kongming left along with Liu Bei, while Shan Fu and Shi Tao returned home to the north. 

“By the time of the Huangchu reign era (220-226), Shi Tao had served as an Administrator and as Colonel of Agriculture, while Shan Fu had served as General of the Household Gentlemen of the Right and Middle Assistant to the Imperial Secretary. During the Dahe [Taihe] reign era (226-233), when Zhuge Liang came to Longyou on his northern campaign, when he heard that Yuanzhi and Guangyuan had been given such meager ranks and salaries, he lamented, 'How many talents Wei must have! Why did they not make greater use of those two gentlemen?' 

“Shan Fu passed away of illness several years later. A stele was erected for him at Pengcheng, and even today (~265) it is still there.")

[Due to the uncertainties of the end of quotes, it’s possible that Pei Songzhi was saying that this stele still existed in his own time, ie ~429.]

先主至於夏口，亮曰：「事急矣，請奉命求救於孫將軍。」時權擁軍在柴桑，觀望成敗，亮說權曰：「海內大亂，將軍起兵據有江東，劉豫州亦收眾漢南，與曹操并爭天下。今操芟夷大難，略已平矣，遂破荊州，威震四海。英雄無所用武，故豫州遁逃至此。將軍量力而處之：若能以吳、越之眾與中國抗衡，不如早與之絕﹔若不能當，何不案兵束甲，北面而事之！今將軍外託服從之名，而內懷猶豫之計，事急而不斷，禍至無日矣！」權曰：「苟如君言，劉豫州何不遂事之乎？」亮曰：「田橫，齊之壯士耳，猶守義不辱，況劉豫州王室之冑，英才蓋世，眾士仰慕，若水之歸海，若事之不濟，此乃天也，安能復為之下乎！」權勃然曰：「吾不能舉全吳之地，十萬之眾，受制於人。吾計決矣！非劉豫州莫可以當曹操者，然豫州新敗之後，安能抗此難乎？」亮曰：「豫州軍雖敗於長阪，今戰士還者及關羽水軍精甲萬人，劉琦合江夏戰士亦不下萬人。曹操之眾，遠來疲弊，聞追豫州，輕騎一日一夜行三百餘里，此所謂『彊弩之末，勢不能穿魯縞』者也。故兵法忌之，曰『必蹶上將軍』。且北方之人，不習水戰﹔又荊州之民附操者，逼兵勢耳，非心服也。今將軍誠能命猛將統兵數萬，與豫州協規同力，破操軍必矣。操軍破，必北還，如此則荊、吳之勢彊，鼎足之形成矣。成敗之機，在於今日。」權大悅，即遣周瑜、程普、魯肅等水軍三萬，隨亮詣先主，并力拒曹公。曹公敗於赤壁，引軍歸鄴。先主遂收江南，以亮為軍師中郎將，使督零陵、桂陽、長沙三郡，調其賦稅，以充軍實。

When Liu Bei arrived at Xiakou, Zhuge Liang said to him, "The situation is serious. Please grant me your authority to ask for aid from General Sun Quan." 

At that time, Sun Quan was keeping his army held back at Chaisang, watching and waiting to see who was going to triumph. Zhuge Liang advised him, "General, you see for yourself how all the land within the seas is in great turmoil. You have risen up with troops and occupied the Southland as your own, while the Inspector of Yuzhou (Liu Bei) has gathered an army from those people living south of the Han River. Currently, both of you are contending with Cao Cao for control of the realm. However, Cao Cao has nearly already rooted out and vanquished the major internal threats to his rule, and now that he has routed General Liu, his authority shakes the Four Seas. Even heroes have not been able to stand against him, and thus General Liu has been compelled to flee here. 

“As for you, General, you have considerable strength of your own at your command. Yet you remain waiting here. If you truly believe that the armies of the Wu and Yue regions are strong enough to oppose those of the Middle Kingdom, then you ought to break off relations with Cao Cao at once. And if you do not believe that you are a match for Cao Cao, then why haven't you disbanded your army, laid aside your armor, and faced north in submission to him? General, you give off an appearance of one who is about to submit, yet you continue to harbor uncertain plans as well. The situation is critical, yet you have made no decision. Disaster is at hand!" 

Sun Quan said, "Sir, if my own situation is as serious as you say, then why hasn't General Liu submitted already?" 

Zhuge Liang replied, "In ancient times, when the state of Qi was nearly conquered, Tian Heng still held fast to righteousness and refused to disgrace himself by surrendering to the enemy, and in the end he was able to restore Qi to its former glory. Now Tian Heng had no more personal attachment to Qi than that he was one of its generals. Could General Liu, who is a descendant of the royal family of the Han dynasty, fail to match Tian Heng's example and serve the dynasty to the end? He is a hero whose talents surpass the age, and both the great men and the people bow to and respect him like various rivers all flowing into the great sea. If he is defeated in the end, that will be one thing; it would have been the will of Heaven. But how could he possibly submit to another?" 

Sun Quan then became agitated and declared, "I shall not give up my full possession of the Wu region or my army of a hundred thousand and submit to someone else. My plan is decided! None but General Liu can oppose Cao Cao. However, wasn't General Liu recently defeated? How then can he face such a threat?"

Zhuge Liang replied, "It's true that General Liu's army was defeated at Chang Slope. However, he still has personal command of an army of ten thousand elite soldiers counting those warriors who have returned to him and the reinforcements from Guan Yu's naval forces. And Liu Qi at Jiangxia also commands no less than another ten thousand warriors. 

“As for Cao Cao, his army is far from home and suffering from exhaustion and illness. I heard that when he was pursuing General Liu, he made his light cavalry ride more than three hundred li in a single day and night. As the saying goes, 'when it's at the end of its flight, even a crossbow bolt cannot pierce the silk of Lu'. Even the Art of War argues against such a headlong march, warning that the army that does so 'will surely lose its vanguard commanders'. You should also consider that of the soldiers of Cao Cao's army, the northerners are unfamiliar with naval warfare, while the people of Jingzhou who are now serving Cao Cao have only been compelled by force to do so, and their hearts have not truly submitted to him. 

“General, if you will only give the command for your fierce generals to lead a few tens of thousands of your soldiers to join forces with General Liu, you will surely rout Cao Cao's army. Having been defeated, Cao Cao will then return north. Power will split between the regions of Wu and Jing, and the realm will thus settle into a tripartite division. This is the very moment which will determine your triumph or your doom."

Sun Quan was greatly pleased with this advice. He thus sent Zhou Yu, Cheng Pu, Lu Su, and others with a naval force of thirty thousand to go with Zhuge Liang and join Liu Bei, so that with their combined strength they could oppose Cao Cao. Cao Cao was then defeated at Chibi, and he led his army back to Ye. 

Liu Bei then occupied the region south of the Yangzi. He appointed Zhuge Liang as his Directing Instructor and General of the Household Gentlemen and had him administer the commandaries of Lingling, Guiyang, and Changsha, where Zhuge Liang collected taxes and rent in order to supply the army.

〈袁子曰：張子布薦亮於孫權，亮不肯留。人問其故，曰：「孫將軍可謂人主，然觀其度，能賢亮而不能盡亮，吾是以不留。」臣松之以為袁孝尼著文立論，甚重諸葛之為人，至如此言則失之殊遠。觀亮君臣相遇，可謂希世一時，終始以分，誰能間之？寧有中違斷金，甫懷擇主，設使權盡其量，便當翻然去就乎？葛生行己，豈其然哉！關羽為曹公所獲，遇之甚厚，可謂能盡其用矣，猶義不背本，曾謂孔明之不若雲長乎！〉〈《零陵先賢傳》云：亮時住臨烝。〉

(Yuan Zhun's Yuanzi states, "Zhang Zibu (Zhang Zhao) recommended to Sun Quan that he should employ Zhuge Liang as one of his own officers. However, Zhuge Liang declined to remain in his service. When people asked him why he left, Zhuge Liang told them, 'One could indeed call General Sun a leader of men. But when I judge his character, I recognize that although he would respect me, he would not make full use of me. That is why I could not stay with him.'"

Your servant Pei Songzhi notes that Yuan Xiaoni (Yuan Zhun) was very fond of Zhuge Liang as a person in all his collections of writings and recordings of discussions. But in this account he really goes too far. We have already seen that following their meeting with one another, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei developed such a rare relationship. Who could have possibly come between them? In what situation would Zhuge Liang have gone so far as break off his relationship with Liu Bei to serve Sun Quan? And would it have made a difference whether Sun Quan really would have used Zhuge Liang to his full potential? Could Zhuge Liang possibly have been that kind of person, to then abandon his lord? Remember that when Guan Yu was captured by Cao Cao, Cao Cao treated him with great favor, and surely it could be said that he made full use of Guan Yu. Yet Guan Yu still remained righteous and would not abandon his former lord. How then could one claim that Kongming would have proved himself inferior to Yunchang?

The Records of the Past Worthies of Lingling states, "During the time of this appointment, Zhuge Liang had his base at Linzheng county (probably in Changsha commandary).")

建安十六年，益州牧劉璋遣法正迎先主，使擊張魯。亮與關羽鎮荊州。先主自葭萌還攻璋，亮與張飛、趙雲等率眾泝江，分定郡縣，與先主共圍成都。成都平，以亮為軍師將軍，署左將軍府事。先主外出，亮常鎮守成都，足食足兵。二十六年，群下勸先主稱尊號，先主未許，亮說曰：「昔吳漢、耿弇等初勸世祖即帝位，世祖辭讓，前後數四，耿純進言曰：『天下英雄喁喁，冀有所望。如不從議者，士大夫各歸求主，無為從公也。』世祖感純言深至，遂然諾之。今曹氏篡漢，天下無主，大王劉氏苗族，紹世而起，今即帝位，乃其宜也。士大夫隨大王久勤苦者，亦欲望尺寸之功如純言耳。」先主於是即帝位，策亮為丞相曰：「朕遭家不造，奉承大統，兢兢業業，不敢康寧，思靖百姓，懼未能綏。於戲！丞相亮其悉朕意，無怠輔朕之闕，助宣重光，以照明天下，君其勖哉！」亮以丞相錄尚書事，假節。張飛卒後，領司隸校尉。

In the sixteenth year of Jian'an (211), the Governor of Yizhou, Liu Zhang, sent Fa Zheng to bring Liu Bei to Yizhou and ordered him to attack Zhang Lu. Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu remained behind to defend Jingzhou. When Liu Bei marched back from Jiameng to attack Liu Zhang, Zhuge Liang, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and others led an army up the Yangzi to assist him. They split up to settle various commandaries and counties, then joined Liu Bei's army to besiege Chengdu together. After Chengdu was taken, Liu Bei appointed Zhuge Liang as Directing Instructor and Chief of Staff of the General of the Left (Liu Bei's title). Whenever Liu Bei went away on campaign, Zhuge Liang often remained behind to guard Chengdu and ensure a steady supply of troops and provisions. 

In the twenty-sixth year of Jian'an (221), Liu Bei's subordinates urged him to declare himself Emperor, but Liu Bei would not agree to do so. Then Zhuge Liang advised him, "In former times, Wu Han, Geng Yan, and others urged Shizu (Emperor Guangwu of Han) to do the same as we now urge you to do. Shizu, too, tried to decline, four times in all. But then Geng Yan stepped forward and told him, 'The heroes of the realm are flailing, seeking someone they can place their hopes in. If you do not follow our counsel, then every man will turn towards his own master, and no one will follow you.' Shizu appreciated the truth of this advice, and he did as Geng Yan proposed. Now the Cao family has usurped the throne from the Han dynasty, and the realm is without a ruler. Great Prince, you are of the lineage of the Liu clan and you have risen to this height already, so you must follow Shizu's example and take up the title of Emperor. Those people who have followed you and worked hard on your behalf also wish to have a chance to gain merits for themselves, just as Geng Yan once said."

Liu Bei thus declared himself Emperor. He wrote an edict appointing Zhuge Liang as Prime Minister, stating, "Due to the tragedy that has befallen my family, I am compelled to inherit the grand role. 'I am full of terror and feel the peril', and I dare not be complacent; I ponder how to bring peace to the people, yet fear that I shall not be able to achieve tranquility. Alas! May Prime Minister Zhuge Liang realize my intentions, never fail to help make up for my shortcomings, help to expand and magnify my glory and make it bright and clear to all the realm. Sir, be thus encouraged!" Zhuge Liang was appointed as Prime Minister, Chief of Affairs of the Masters of Writing, and Credential Holder. 

After Zhang Fei passed away, Zhuge Liang was appointed as acting Colonel-Director of Retainers.

〈《蜀記》曰：晉初扶風王駿鎮關中，司馬高平劉寶、長史滎陽桓隰諸官屬士大夫共論諸葛亮，于時譚者多譏亮託身非所，勞困蜀民，力小謀大，不能度德量力。金城郭沖以為亮權智英略，有踰管、晏，功業未濟，論者惑焉，條亮五事隱沒不聞於世者，寶等亦不能復難。扶風王慨然善沖之言。臣松之以為亮之異美，誠所願聞，然沖之所說，實皆可疑，謹隨事難之如左：其《一事》曰：亮刑法峻急，刻剝百姓，自君子小人咸懷怨歎，法正諫曰：「昔高祖入關，約法三章，秦民知德，今君假借威力，跨據一州，初有其國，未垂惠撫；且客主之義，宜相降下，願緩刑弛禁，以慰其望。」亮答曰；「君知其一，未知其二。秦以無道，政苛民怨，匹夫大呼，天下土崩，高祖因之，可以弘濟。劉璋暗弱，自焉已來有累世之恩，文法羈縻，互相承奉，德政不舉，威刑不肅。蜀土人士，專權自恣，君臣之道，漸以陵替；寵之以位，位極則賤，順之以恩，恩竭則慢。所以致弊，實由於此。吾今威之以法，法行則知恩，限之以爵，爵加則知榮；榮恩並濟，上下有節。為治之要，於斯而著。」◇難曰：案法正在劉主前死，今稱法正諫，則劉主在也。諸葛職為股肱，事歸元首，劉主之世，亮又未領益州，慶賞刑政，不出於己。尋沖所述亮答，專自有其能，有違人臣自處之宜。以亮謙順之體，殆必不然。又云亮刑法峻急，刻剝百姓，未聞善政以刻剝為稱。

(The Records of Shu states, "At the beginning of the Jin dynasty (~265), the Prince of Fufeng, Sima Jun, was stationed in Guanzhong. He was discussing the affairs of Zhuge Liang together with his Marshal, Liu Bao of Gaoping commandary, his Chief Clerk, Huan Xi of Xingyang commandary, and his other ministers and officials. During the discussion, most of the people present felt that Zhuge Liang had both pushed himself past his limit and exhausted the people of the Shu region. They felt that his meager power had been insufficient to carry out his grand plans, and that he had not taken proper measure either of his virtue or of his strength. But there was present a certain Guo Chong of Jincheng commandary, who put forth the view that Zhuge Liang had been a man of authority and intellect, heroic and cunning, and that he had surpassed even the ancient chancellors Guan Zhong and Yan Ying. It was only because he had been unsuccessful in the end that people did not properly appreciate him. Guo Chong then related five untold stories about Zhuge Liang, previously unknown. Having heard these stories, Liu Bao and the others could no longer offer any objections, and the Prince of Fufeng was deeply moved by Guo Chong's words."

Your servant Pei Songzhi interjects here to note that, naturally, I am most inclined to hear tales of Zhuge Liang's excellence. However, we have good reason to be suspicious of these five stories that Guo Chong reported. I will continue to relate his accounts one at a time, but with my own objections following each tale.

This was Guo Chong's first tale: "Zhuge Liang administered the laws and punishments severely, laying a heavy hand upon the people, such that everyone from gentlemen to commoners were moved to anger and indignation against him. Fa Zheng remonstrated with him, saying, 'In former times, when Gaozu (Liu Bang) occupied the Qin dynasty's stronghold at Guanzhong, he charged the people only to keep his Three Precepts. Even so, the people of Qin knew virtue. Now you, Sir, have been granted power and authority and you stand astride this province. Having just come into control of the state, you rather ought to show leniency and demonstrate kindness and comfort. Besides, by the principles of host and guests, both should demonstrate humility to one another. Therefore, I ask you to slacken your restrictions and loosen your regulations, in order to reassure the people.'

"Zhuge Liang replied, 'Sir, you understand part of the situation, but you do not grasp the whole. The Qin dynasty ruled without principle, and their oppression roused the anger of the people against them. At that time, all it took was the great shout of some mere common fellow (Chen Sheng), and the whole realm came crashing down. Those were the circumstances under which Gaozu found success by demonstrating magnanimity and mercy. 

“‘But it has been different with our recent past. Liu Zhang was a blind and weak ruler, and the people of the Shu region had enjoyed generous treatment even since the time of his predecessors. The law codes were such that everyone did whatever they saw best; the virtues of the administration were not upheld, nor was the authority of its punishments respected. All the people of the Shu region, from the gentry down to the commoners, claimed power for themselves and became arrogant, and the proper relationship between sovereign and subjects slowly decayed. If they were favored with offices, they looked upon even the highest of offices as cheap; if they were shown grace, they were slow to be grateful for even the most bountiful mercies. It was for those reasons that Liu Zhang's domain came to ruin. 

“‘That is why I now overawe these people through laws. When the laws can be carried out, that is when the people will appreciate grace. And for the same reason, I am stingy with granting offices. For when such is the case, then when people are promoted, they will understand the honor in it. Once grace and honor are properly understood, then everyone will uphold their duty. That is the reason I govern them so." 

Objections: According to the Biography of Fa Zheng, Fa Zheng passed away before Liu Bei did. So since Fa Zheng appears in this story, Liu Bei must have still been alive at the time. Yet Zhuge Liang always acted like one of the limbs of the state, which is to say, he referred all such matters to the head, that being Liu Bei. Furthermore, Zhuge Liang was never directly in charge of Yizhou itself while Liu Bei was still alive, and he did not make decisions on such matters as honors, rewards, punishments, or administration. I also note that Guo Chong's main point in his account of Zhuge Liang's response was to play up his talents and abilities. But at the same time, such a response would have demonstrated a violation of a subject's proper place. And considering how modest and submissive Zhuge Liang was, it is almost impossible that he would have done such a thing. Lastly, the tale states that "Zhuge Liang administered the laws and punishments severely, laying a heavy hand upon the people". I have never heard of good government coming about as a result of oppression.

其《二事》曰：曹公遣刺客見劉備，方得交接，開論伐魏形勢，甚合備計。稍欲親近，刺者尚未得便會，既而亮入，魏客神色失措。亮因而察之，亦知非常人。須臾，客如廁，備謂亮曰；「向得奇士，足以助君補益。」亮問所在，備曰：「起者其人也。」亮徐歎曰：「觀客色動而神懼，視���而忤數，姦形外漏，邪心內藏，必曹氏刺客也。」追之，已越牆而走。◇難曰：凡為刺客，皆暴虎馮河，死而無悔者也。劉主有知人之鑒，而惑於此客，則此客必一時之奇士也。又語諸葛云「足以助君補益」，則亦諸葛之流亞也。凡如諸葛之儔，鮮有為人作刺客者矣，時主亦當惜其器用，必不投之死地也。且此人不死，要應顯達為魏，竟是誰乎？何其寂蔑而無聞！〉

The second tale: "Cao Cao sent an assassin to visit Liu Bei. Having met, the two of them began discussing strategies for how best to campaign against Wei, and the man's proposals neatly accorded with Liu Bei's own ideas. During this time, the assassin slowly moved closer, and was about to have an opportunity to carry out his mission. But just then, Zhuge Liang entered the room, causing the assassin to lose his previously calm composure. Zhuge Liang thus scrutinized him, and discerned that he was no ordinary man. 

“A short time later, the man left to go to the lavatory. Liu Bei mentioned to Zhuge Liang, ‘I have just obtained an exceptional fellow. He'll be well-suited to assist you, Sir, and cover your weak points.' When Zhuge Liang asked to whom he was referring, Liu Bei replied, 'I mean that man who just got up.' 

“Zhuge Liang slowly sighed and replied, 'Did you not witness his strange movements and fearful trembling, how he looked down and mumbled so? A perverse exterior hides a wicked heart within. He is surely some assassin sent by the Cao clan.' 

“Liu Bei sent someone after the man, but he had already climbed over the wall and fled."

Objections: The kind of person who would be an assassin is someone who would cast themselves into the tiger's maw or fling themselves into the roaring river, and die without any regrets. And Liu Bei was the kind of man who could appreciate someone's character. Yet he was enticed by this guest? If that were the case, the man must have been an exceptional talent of that era. Especially considering that Liu Bei comments that he could "cover Zhuge Liang's weak points"; in that case, he would have been nearly on par with Zhuge Liang himself. Would someone who was a match for Zhuge Liang ever play the part of an assassin? And even if so, any ruler of that time would have greatly lamented the loss of such a man, obviously of great use and potential, and would never have sent him on a suicide mission. And if the man really did not die, then he must have gone on to have an illustrious career in Wei. But who, indeed, was he? How could he have ever remained obscure, a mere nobody?)

章武三年春，先主於永安病篤，召亮於成都，屬以後事，謂亮曰：「君才十倍曹丕，必能安國，終定大事。若嗣子可輔，輔之；如其不才，君可自取。」亮涕泣曰：「臣敢竭股肱之力，效忠貞之節，繼之以死！」先主又為詔敕後主曰：「汝與丞相從事，事之如父。」

In the third year of Zhangwu (223), Liu Bei was bedridden with illness at Yong'an. He summoned Zhuge Liang from Chengdu and instructed him on what to do after his death. He told Zhuge Liang, "Sir, your talents are ten times greater than those of Cao Pi, so you will surely be able to restore peace to the state and bring our grand endeavor to its conclusion. If my heir can be supported, then support him. But if he lacks talents, take his place for yourself." 

Zhuge Liang wept as he replied, "I have always done my utmost to support you as one of your own limbs and fully uphold my loyalty and faithfulness to you, and I shall continue to do so until the death!" 

Liu Bei also arranged an edict instructing Liu Shan, "You must follow the Prime Minister's commands, and treat him as a father."

〈孫盛曰：夫杖道扶義，體存信順，然後能匡主濟功，終定大業。語曰弈者舉釭不定猶不勝其偶，況量君之才否而二三其節，可以摧服強鄰囊括四海者乎？備之命亮，亂孰甚焉！世或有謂備欲以固委付之誠，且以一蜀人之志。君子曰，不然；苟所寄忠賢，則不須若斯之誨，如非其人，不宜啟篡逆之塗。是以古之顧命，必貽話言；詭偽之辭，非託孤之謂。幸值劉禪闇弱，無猜險之性，諸葛威略，足以檢衛異端，故使異同之心無由自起耳。不然，殆生疑隙不逞之釁。謂之為權，不亦惑哉！〉

(Sun Sheng remarked, "It is when one wields propriety and holds fast to righteousness, and in their own person encourage trust and submission, that they may indeed assist their ruler to achieve success and bring about the fulfillment of the grand design. Even a weiqi player cannot expect to overcome their opponent if their formation is unorganized. How much less can a ruler expect to compel the submission of powerful neighbors and embrace all the realm within the Four Seas by first attempting to split power into two or three camps? Liu Bei's instructions to Zhuge Liang posed the potential for immense instability! 

“There are some who claim that Liu Bei's instructions on his deathbed were only a ploy to stiffen the loyalty of the one he intended to entrust his heir to and ensure that the wishes of the people of Shu were all of one accord. But the superior fellow can dismiss this idea. It is quite useless to instruct anyone in such a manner, for if the minister is loyal and worthy they will never heed it, while if they are not, it is only further indulging their traitorous desires. And ever since ancient times, it has been critical that a ruler speaks the truth when they are on their deathbed; when it is time to entrust one's heir to another, deceit and falsehood have no place. 

“It was fortunate indeed that Liu Shan was so blind and unassuming that he had no paranoia or suspicion, while Zhuge Liang's power and authority were just sufficient to guard against the divergent plans of anyone else. It was merely for those reasons that no cause ever arose for divisions between them. If it had not been so, then surely suspicions and grudges between them would have given way to an open confrontation. 

“Thus, to say that Liu Bei's instructions were to support Zhuge Liang's authority is nonsense!")

[the-archlich]

What did Liu Yao do historically? I only really know him from the novels and games where he never seems to do much but be a speedbump for Sun Ce

That’s a fair question. He gets a raw deal in fiction.

He was from a prominent family who traced their ancestry to Han’s founder. His uncle Liu Chong served as an Excellency and was well-respected, as were Liu Yao’s father and grandfather. when Liu Yao was just 18, he became famous after he saved one of his uncles from kidnappers

He held various county and commandery positions over the next few years, where he was known for fighting corruption. This made him many enemies among the local elites and the eunuch regime.

In the early 190s he fled to the south to avoid the troubles in the capital. Around 193, Li Jue's regime named him Inspector of Yang because they feared Yuan Shu's growing power. At first Liu Yao mad enice with Yuan shu and established himself at Qu'a in Wu, rather than the traditional  capital near Shouchun. He quietly recruited followers and, in 194, drove Yuan Shu's forces (under Sun Ben and Wu Jing) back across the rivers. His forces were able to hold Danyang until Sun Ce showed up and crushed them in 195. When Sun Ce fought his way across Danyang and Wu and advanced on Qu'a, Liu Yao fled to Yuzhang, on the other side of the province.

Over the next year, Liu Yao secured his power in Yuzhang and arranged a defense against Sun Ce in the western part of Danyang. However, he passed away in 198 and Yuzhang fragmented. It was easily conquered by Sun Ce's forces. His family came into Sun Ce's hands, but they were treated well and became respected officials in Wu.

It’s important to understand that Sun Ce’s campaign against him in Danyang and Wu consisted of numerous battles across the region, not just one or two engagements. It was pretty extensive.

[sasakinainn-blog]

hello

大家好我是瓜子ya，bilibili不知名的小up主来自中国今年十三岁为了让更多人知道这一事件我决定这次采用日语，英语和中文 豫章书院是江西古代四大书院之一，但是有一个人毁掉了这个名字他就是——吴军豹 这所学院是一所非学籍的戒除网瘾学校 声称“不会体罚孩子，让孩子在其中学习中国国学以儒家为中心。也因此愈来愈多的家长把自己的孩子送到了这所书院 可是！！从这所书院出来的学生开始多少的患有抑郁症甚至轻生，自杀未遂！！！ 原因就是：报名这所学校到进来这所学校的方法就是1.绑架2.家长骗入！！ 进入这家书院你会在一个几平米的想监狱一样的东西待很久而且没有床没有厕所！！ 吃的饭是混着小黑虫的馒头！！！当你出来以后他们会给你上一些文化课这看似正常了些，可谁能想到每当晚上他们会让学生互相殴打以此来 撕裂同学情这样就几乎没可能齐心协力逃出学院！！犯错的人会被龙鞭和教鞭抽打！！最可恨的是：他们的男老师可能会对女学生进行性骚扰！而女老师发现后竟说学生不知羞耻 ！！他们还会让学生徒手清理厕所！！ 这还是人做的吗？？！！ 当学校因舆论关门那一天无数的家长支持学校继续开业甚至拉开了横幅！！这些家长还是人吗？？ 2017年学校关门了。。。但是故事还没完！！这些受害者学生竟然没有一个得到应有的补偿！！同时这些老师也没有得到应有的法律惩罚！ 并且现在竟然连营业许可证都没有被吊销！！ 有一群人组成了维权志愿组来搜集证据帮助受害人，可是！他们竟然被举报到了他们的学校！！ 因此这支志愿者组织已经四面楚歌！以为叫子沐的志愿者姐姐因此重度抑郁。。。虽然自杀未遂，但是已经不能再做志愿者了 因此我想把这件事传播到全球如果您看到了这条文章请您把它复制到您的twitter，facebook，niconico，youtube等社交软件 谢谢！！

english：

Hello everyone, I am a melon ya, bilibili is not known as a small up master from China 13 years old this year, in order to let more people know about this incident, I decided to use Japanese, English and Chinese this time. Yuzhang Academy is one of the four major colleges in ancient Jiangxi, but one person ruined the name. He is - Wu Junbao This college is a non-school student who quits internet addiction school. Claiming that “there will be no corporal punishment of children, let the children learn Chinese Chinese studies with Confucianism as the center. Therefore, more and more parents have sent their children to this college. but! ! The number of students who came out of this college began to suffer from depression or even suicide, and attempted suicide! ! ! The reason is: the way to register this school to come to this school is 1. Kidnapping 2. Parents lie! ! Entering this college you will stay in a few square meters of prison-like things for a long time without a 🛏️ and no 🚽! ! The 🍚 you eat is a gimmick with a little black bug! ! ! When you come out, they will give you some cultural lessons. This seems normal, but who can think that every night they will let students beat each other? It’s almost impossible to tear up the classmates so that they can work together to escape the college! ! Those who make mistakes will be beaten by 🐉 whip and pointer! ! The most hateful thing is: their male teacher may sexually harass female students! After the female teacher found out, she said that the students were not ashamed. ! ! They will also let the students clean the 🚽 by ✋! ! Is this still done by people? ? ! ! When the school closed due to public opinion, countless parents supported the school to continue to open or even open the banner! ! Are these parents still people? ? The school was closed in 2017… But the story is not over yet! ! None of these victims’ students actually got the compensation they deserved! ! At the same time, these teachers did not get the legal punishment they deserved! And now even the business license has not been revoked! ! A group of people formed a volunteer group to collect evidence to help the victims, but! They were reported to their school! ! Therefore, this volunteer organization has been surrounded by all sides! I thought that the volunteer sister named Zi Mu was seriously depressed… Although he committed suicide, he can no longer volunteer. So I want to spread this to the 🌍. If you 👀 this article, please copy it to your social software like twitter, facebook, niconico, youtube, etc. Thank you! !

日本語の：

みなさん、こんにちは、私はメロン屋です、ビリビリは今年13歳の中国からの小さなアップマスターとして知られていません。 Yuzhang Academyは、古代江西省の4つの主要大学の1つですが、1人が名前を台無しにしました。 この大学は、インターネット中毒学校を辞める非学校の学生です。 「子どもへの体罰はないだろう」と主張して、子どもたちにChinese教を中心とした中国・中国研究を学ばせてください。 しかし！ ！この大学から出てきた学生の数は、うつ病や自殺に苦しみ始め、自殺を試みました！ ！ ！ その理由は、この学校をこの学校に登録する方法は1です。誘dn 2.親は嘘をつきます！ ！ この大学に入ると、ベッ���もトイレもない状態で、数平方メートルの刑務所のようなものに長時間滞在します！ ！ あなたが食べるご飯は、小さな黒い虫の仕掛けです！ ！ ！これは当たり前のように思えますが、毎晩生徒が互いに打ち負かされると誰が考えることができますか？ クラスメートを引き裂いて、一緒に大学を脱出できるようにすることはほとんど不可能です！ ！間違えた人はドラゴンの鞭とポインターでbyられます！ ！最も嫌いなことは、彼らの男性教師が女性学生をセクシュアルハラスメントする可能性があることです！女教師が知った後、彼女は生徒たちが恥ずかしくないと言った。 ！ ！また、生徒たちが手でトイレを掃除できるようにします！ ！ これはまだ人々によって行われていますか？ ？ ！ ！ 世論により学校が閉鎖されたとき、数え切れないほどの保護者が学校を支持し続け、バナーを開くことさえできました！ ！これらの両親はまだ人々ですか？ ？ 学校は2017年に閉鎖されました。 。 。しかし、話はまだ終わっていません！ ！これらの被害者の学生は、実際に彼らが受けるに値する補償を受けていません！ ！同時に、これらの教師は当然の法的処罰を受けませんでした！ そして今、ビジネスライセンスさえも取り消されていません！ ！ 人々のグループは、犠牲者を助けるために証拠を収集するためにボランティアグループを形成しましたが、！彼らは学校に報告されました！ ！ したがって、このボランティア組織は四方八方に囲まれています！ Zi Muという名前のボランティアの姉妹はひどく落ち込んでいると思いました。 。 。彼は自殺したが、もはや志願することはできない。 この記事を世界中に広めたいのですが、この記事をご覧になったら、twitter、facebook、niconico、youtubeなどのソーシャルソフトウェアにコピーしてください。 よろしくお願いします！ ！