Chu Shi Biao

Former Chu Shi Biao

The Former Chu Shi Biao was written in 227 and was recorded in Zhuge Liang's biography in the Sanguozhi.

At that time, the state of Shu Han was recovering from its previous defeat at the Battle of Xiaoting in 222 and from the Southern Campaign against opposing forces in the south in 225. Zhuge Liang felt that Shu was weak, and had to be aggressive towards its rivals in order for it to survive. He decided to launch a campaign against Shu's rival state Cao Wei in the north. This marked the start of a series of Northern Expeditions. Before leaving, Zhuge Liang wrote the Former Chu Shi Biao to the Shu emperor Liu Shan to explain the reasons for the Northern Expedition and to give his personal advice to Liu Shan on governance.

The Song dynasty poet Su Shi commented in the Yue Quan Xiansheng Wenji Xu (樂全先生文集敘) that Zhuge Liang's (Former) Chu Shi Biao was "simple and concise, direct but not unbridled."

Content

The following is a rough translation of the Former Chu Shu Biao. See the notes section for further explanation of certain parts in the text.

Your servant, Liang, says: The Late Emperor had yet to complete his great task when he passed away. This is a critical moment, now that the Empire is divided into three and Yi Province is in dire straits. However, the ministers in the capital are not disheartened, and the loyal warriors outside the capital do not fear death. This is because they remember the generous treatment they received from the Late Emperor, and they wish to repay his kindness by serving Your Majesty well. Your Majesty should welcome their views and opinions, promote the virtues of the Late Emperor, inspire those with lofty ambitions, and should not look down on yourself or make inappropriate remarks that would discourage people from giving good advice.

Regardless of whether they serve in the Palace or in the Chancellor's Office, all officials are servants of the state. Therefore, they should all be treated equally in terms of rewards and punishments. Any person who has committed a crime, or has done something beneficial to the state, should be handed over to the appropriate authority, who will make the decision on what punishment or reward to be given out. This will exemplify Your Majesty as a wise and just ruler. Your Majesty should not show any form of bias or favouritism, as this will distort the principles of fairness.

Palace Attendant Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, and Dong Yun are examples of good and trustworthy ministers. They are loyal and faithful, which was why the Late Emperor selected them to assist Your Majesty. I feel that Your Majesty should discuss all major and minor state affairs with them before implementing any policies, because this will help to cover up flaws and achieve greater efficiency.

General Xiang Chong is of good character and is versed in military affairs. When he was given responsibilities in the past, the Late Emperor praised him as a capable person, so everyone nominated him to be a Viceroy. I feel that Your Majesty should discuss all military affairs with him, as this will lead to greater harmony within the armies, and every person will be properly allocated based on his talent.

The Former Han dynasty prospered because the rulers favoured virtuous ministers and alienated petty and corrupt officials; the Later Han dynasty declined because the rulers favoured petty and corrupt officials and alienated virtuous ministers. When the Late Emperor was still living, he would often discuss these topics with me, and he expressed grief and regret when we spoke of Huan and Ling. The Palace Attendants, Imperial Secretaries, Chief Clerks, and Army Advisers are all loyal and capable subjects who are willing to die for Your Majesty. I hope that Your Majesty will be close to them and will place your faith in them. In this way, the Han dynasty will be revived very soon.

I was of humble origin, and used to lead the life of a peasant in Nanyang. In those days, I only hoped to survive in such a chaotic era, and did not aspire to become famous among nobles and aristocrats. The Late Emperor did not look down on me because of my background; he lowered himself and visited me thrice in the thatched cottage, where he consulted me on the affairs of our time. I was very deeply touched, so I promised to do my best for the Late Emperor. We encountered hard times and setbacks later. I was given heavy responsibilities when we were facing military defeats; I received important duties in dangerous and difficult situations. It has been 21 years since then.

The Late Emperor knew that I am cautious and prudent, so before he passed away, he entrusted me with the duty to complete his great task. Ever since I received that heavy responsibility, I have been feeling uneasy day and night, because I fear that I may not accomplish the task well and will tarnish the Late Emperor's judgment and faith in me. In the fifth month, I crossed the Lu and entered barren and treacherous lands. Now that the rebellions in the south have been pacified and we have sufficient military resources, it is time to increase the troops' morale and lead them north to reclaim the Central Plains. I only hope to use the best of my ability to eliminate our evil enemies, to restore the Han dynasty, and to return to the old capital. This is my duty: to repay the Late Emperor's kindness and to display my loyalty to Your Majesty. The responsibilities of Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi, Dong Yun and others are to assist Your Majesty in administrating state affairs and to provide good advice.

I hope that Your Majesty will task me the mission of eliminating the villains and restoring the Han dynasty. If I fail, Your Majesty should punish me in order to answer to the Late Emperor's spirit. If Your Majesty does not receive honest and loyal advice, please punish Guo Youzhi, Fei Yi and Dong Yun for not performing their duties well, so as to highlight their mistakes. Your Majesty should also make plans for yourself, search for the best way to govern the state, and accept good advice. I feel very honoured and grateful to be able to pursue the Late Emperor's final wish.

I am going to leave Your Majesty soon. Now, as I read this memorial, I am unable to hold back my tears, and I do not know what to say.

Later Chu Shi Biao

The Later Chu Shi Biao was written in 228 and was not recorded in the original Sanguozhi by Chen Shou. When Pei Songzhi made annotations to the Sanguozhi, he wrote that the Later Chu Shi Biao came from the Mo Ji (默記) by Zhang Yan (張儼). The Later Chu Shi Biao was incorporated into the Han Jin Chunqiu (漢晉春秋) by Xi Zuochi.

Many scholars have cast doubts on the authorship of the Later Chu Shi Biao and believed that it was not written by Zhuge Liang. The Qing dynasty scholar Qian Dazhao (錢大昭) expressed suspicion in his book Sanguozhi Bianyi (三國志辨疑; Doubts on Records of the Three Kingdoms). The Later Chu Shi Biao was not part of a collection of writings by Zhuge Liang, and appeared only in Zhang Yan's Mo Ji. Besides, the tone in the Later Chu Shi Biao differs largely from the Former Chu Shi Biao; the latter sounded more coercive while the former appeared more sincere and humble. The latter even included the use of analogies and historical examples in the third paragraph to urge war. It also contains several discrepancies, one of which is about Zhao Yun's death – Zhao Yun died in 229, but the Later Chu Shi Biao, written in 228, already mentioned Zhao Yun's death.

Content

The following is a rough translation of the Later Chu Shi Biao. See the notes section for further explanation of certain parts in the text.

The Late Emperor considered that the Han and the villains cannot coexist, and that our state cannot be content with just only internal stability, hence he tasked me with attacking the villains. Based on the Late Emperor's assessment of my ability, he already knew that I was weak and not capable of standing against a powerful enemy. However, if we do not attack the enemy, our state will be in greater peril. Should we wait for death or should we take the initiative to attack the enemy? The Late Emperor did not hesitate in entrusting me with this responsibility.

When I first received the task, I was unable to sleep or dine in peace. When I considered attacking the north, I felt that we should pacify the south first. In the fifth month, I crossed the Lu and entered barren and treacherous lands. I had a meal only every two days. This was not because I do not love myself. We cannot hope to be safe by just remaining in Shu, so I have to brave danger to fulfil the Late Emperor's dying wish. However, there are some who argue that this is not the best plan. As of now, the enemy is busy in the west and occupied in the east. According to military strategy, the best time to attack an enemy is when they are tired and weary, and now is the best time for us to launch a swift attack on them.

Please allow me to explain further as follows: Emperor Gao's wisdom can be compared to the radiance of the sun and the moon. His strategists were very learned and far-sighted. However, he still had to go through difficulties and suffer some setbacks before he could achieve peace. As of now, Your Majesty is far from Emperor Gao, your advisers are not comparable to Liang and Ping, and yet Your Majesty intends to employ a long-term strategy to achieve victory and pacify the Empire smoothly. This is the first thing I do not understand. Liu Yao and Wang Lang each controlled provinces and commanderies. When they were discussing strategies to maintain peace, they often claimed to be following the ways of the ancient sages, but they were actually filled with doubts and worries. They were unwilling to go to war year after year, so Sun Ce gradually became more powerful and he eventually conquered Jiangdong. This is the second thing I do not understand. Cao Cao was very intelligent and his expertise in military affairs is comparable to that of Sun and Wu. He faced dangerous and difficult situations in Nanyang, Wuchao, Qilian, Liyang, and Beishan, and nearly lost his life at Tong Pass, but managed to achieve stability for a period of time. I am not very capable, but I still braved danger to bring peace and stability. This is the third thing I do not understand. Cao Cao attacked Chang Ba five times but failed; he attempted to cross the Chao Lake four times but was not successful. He appointed Li Fu as an official but Li Fu plotted against him; he employed Xiahou but Xiahou was defeated and killed in action. The Late Emperor often said that Cao Cao was very capable but he still had his fair share of losses. My ability is poor, so how can I be assured that I will secure victory? This is the fourth thing I do not understand. I have been in Hanzhong for about a year now. During this year, I lost Zhao Yun, Yang Qun, Ma Yu, Yan Zhi, Ding Li, Bai Shou, Liu He, Deng Tong, and over 70 officers in total, as well as many tujiang and wuqian. The cong, sou, qingqiang, sanqi and wuqi, numbering over 1,000, was formed over a period of 10 years by recruiting the best from many places, and not just from only one province or one commandery. A few years from now, we will lose two thirds of what we have now. By then, what do we still have to fight our enemy with? This is the fifth thing I do not understand. Now, our people and our troops are weary, but war cannot cease. War cannot cease. The efforts and amount of resources we pump into an offensive approach towards the enemy are the same as if we were to adopt a defensive strategy and wait for the enemy to attack us. Why do we not attack the enemy now, and instead, pit the strength of our one province against them? This is the sixth thing I do not understand.

War is very unpredictable. When the Late Emperor was defeated in Chu, Cao Cao clapped his hands in joy and claimed that the Empire has been pacified. However, the Late Emperor later allied with Wu and Yue, seized Ba and Shu in the west, and led his forces to attack the north, and Xiahou lost his head. Cao had miscalculated, and it seemed that the great task was about to be completed. However, later, Wu broke the alliance, Guan Yu was destroyed, we suffered losses at Zigui, and Cao Pi declared himself emperor. All things are like that; they are very unpredictable. I can only strive to do my best until I die. My ability is limited and does not permit me to foresee whether the future will be a smooth or an arduous journey, and whether we will succeed or not.

Chengyu

The phrase The Han and the villains cannot coexist (汉贼不两立; 漢賊不兩立; Hàn zéi bù liǎng lì) from the Later Chu Shi Biao became a chengyu (Chinese idiom) used to describe a situation where two opposing powers cannot coexist.