A letter to General Jiao, Protector of the Army of Zhexi浙西護軍焦將軍書
1On the meaning of accepting a surrender
昨有臨淮背叛兵士誅擒不盡。奔逬過江。便蒙貴鎭相公特許歸降。遍加補署。兼移公牒。頗搆虛詞。旣乖七縱之謀。誰謂三驅之禮。蓋是幸災樂禍。固非撫士安人。自古受降之爲義也。叛而伐之。服而捨之。忠信能敷。德刑乃就。或以賊數則動盈千萬。奸謀則難測二三。若欲戰爭。恐多傷殺。或吹笳感動。或書箭招呼。免致膏鋒。俾從肉袒。其或蕞爾兇狡。率然叛離。兔奔網而終必自顚。鼠失穴而欲將安往。在於接境。合與同擒。不料豁開叛換之門。深作逋逃之藪。慰安螻蟻。雖欲好生。訓練熊羆。有何用處。纔招稔惡之輩。遽衒受降之名。蘊豹韜而略不施張。對龍節而恐須慙愧。魯史云。晉楚設誓。無相加戎。同卹災危。備救兇患。若有害楚則晉伐之。在晉。楚亦如之。交贄往來。道路無壅。謀其不協而討不庭。此則古時敵國。猶保話言。今日善隣。豈傷師律。況晉楚則各在遠地。揚潤則只隔長江。曾無交惡之端。豈有相欺之事。實驚衆聽。甚爽遠圖。已無蠶女爭桑。永安兩境。宜效農夫去草。靜剗本根。伏惟將軍遠護兵符。共成王事。必不欲和之如響。知而不言。唯望稍致良箴。終除巨弊。永使必誠必信。誰云莫往莫來。此旣無噂沓以背憎。彼亦免忸怩於顔厚。幸垂採聽。特惠終始。伏惟云云。
Some time ago the soldiers of Linhuai who turned traitor were not all cut down and taken, and they fled across the river. At once His Excellency of your garrison specially allowed their surrender, filled out posts for them all round, and sent an official dispatch besides, framing a good deal of empty talk. This goes against the plan of seven releases; who would call it the rite of the three drives? It is to count calamity good fortune and take pleasure in misfortune; it is surely not to comfort the soldiers and settle the people. From of old the meaning of accepting a surrender has been this: when men rebel you strike them, and when they submit you let them go. Only when loyalty and good faith can be spread are virtue and punishment accomplished. Sometimes the bandits' numbers run to thousands and ten thousands at a stir, and their crooked schemes are hard to read in their twos and threes. If one would fight, there is fear of much wounding and killing, and so one blows the reed pipe to move them or writes on an arrow to call them, sparing them from greasing the blade and letting them come with bared flesh. But when some paltry vile and crafty men rebel and leave on a whim, the hare that runs from the net is bound in the end to fall of itself, and the rat that loses its hole, where will it go? Where the borders touch, it is right to take them together. I never reckoned that the gate of rebellion and desertion would be thrown wide open and a deep thicket made for runaways. You comfort mole crickets and ants, and though you would love life, what use is there in drilling bears and grizzlies? You have barely called in a crowd ripened in evil, and already you boast of the name of accepting a surrender. You store up the arts of war and never spread them; facing the dragon tally, I fear you must feel shame. The history of Lu says, "Jin and Chu set an oath: they will not turn arms on each other, they will grieve together over calamity and danger, and they will be ready to rescue each other from vile trouble. If any harm Chu, Jin shall strike him, and as for Jin, Chu shall do the same. They shall exchange gifts and come and go, the roads shall not be blocked, they shall plot against those who will not accord, and they shall punish those who do not attend the court." Even enemy states of old kept their word like this. How should good neighbors today injure the rule of arms? Besides, Jin and Chu each lay in a far country, while Yangzhou and Runzhou are parted only by the long river. There has never been a thread of ill will between them, so how should there be a matter of cheating each other? This truly startles all who hear it and goes far against a long design. There are no silkworm women quarreling over mulberry leaves, and the two borders are long at peace; so it is right to follow the farmer who clears the weeds and quietly cut away the root. I humbly consider that the General guards the military tally from afar and accomplishes the king's business alongside us. Surely you do not mean to agree like an echo, nor to know a thing and not speak of it. I hope only that you will bring a little good admonition to bear and in the end remove this great abuse, so that there is always full sincerity and full faith. Then who would say that none goes and none comes? Once there is no muttering here and no hating behind the back, there too you will be spared the blush of a thick face. I hope you will hear and take this up and grant your favor from first to last. I humbly consider, and so on.