Sacrificial address of thanks to the Great King of Gongsan公山大王謝祭文
云云。今月某日。賊魁等克就擒獲。授首于我軍。是日也幕府寮佐輩槌牛擔酒。大設公宴。將以賀我也。於是。自偏將至于士卒。桓桓赳赳。熊步虎視。卓紅旌竪白刃。鳴鍾撾皷。吹笙皷瑟。申以百戱之伎。鋪列軍門。序立旅進。將以樂我也。予憮然遏止之曰。若等以賊滅歸功於我耶。此則公山大王所以爲國家辨列于皇天上帝。假手於官軍使然也。予豈敢貪天之功。攘神之力。奪三軍之勞。自尸大美。首享玆樂耶。遂麾而却之曰。乃等先以牲幣黍稷之奠。陳樂府軍容。悉如今日所排比者。用樂我大王。還以享予。則予亦快意受若之宴勞不辭也。於是。寮屬等逡巡而退。先齋三日。藏此典祀以報我。然後遣以心腹之使。致敬祭于大王之靈。大王忍不享玆誠耶。云云。
And so forth. On such-and-such a day of this month the brigand chiefs were at last taken captive and offered up their heads to our troops. On that day the staff officers of the headquarters slaughtered an ox, carried wine on their shoulders, and would have spread a great feast to congratulate me.
And so, from the subordinate generals (偏將) down to the common soldiers, hardy and high-spirited, walking like bears and glaring like tigers, they raised red banners and held white blades upright, rang bells and beat drums, blew reed pipes and plucked lutes, and added the skills of every sort of entertainment; they drew up in ranks at the camp gate, stood in order and came forward in troops, and would have made me merry.
Dazed, I stopped them and said: 「Would you turn over to me the merit of having destroyed the brigands? It was the Great King of Gongsan (公山) who, for the sake of the state, made this known to the Supreme Emperor of Heaven and lent his hand to the royal army, so that it came to pass. How should I dare covet Heaven's merit, intercept a spirit's strength, and rob the three armies of their toil, taking the great glory for myself and enjoying this music first?」
In the end I waved my hand and sent them away, saying: 「Go first and offer up the victim, the silks, and the grain offerings; and let the musicians and the array of the army be furnished in full, exactly as you have set them out today, to make our Great King merry. Then come back and present them to me, and I too, with a glad heart, will accept your feast of comfort and will not decline it.」
At this the staff officers withdrew hesitantly, first kept the fast for three days, and furnished this sacrifice in repayment to me. After that I send an envoy whom I trust in my heart to offer sacrifice with all reverence to the divine spirit of the Great King. Could the Great King bear not to partake of this sincerity? And so forth.