The Man蠻

The Man (蠻) are of many kinds and their speech is not one. All of them live by the mountain valleys, spread over the borders of the five provinces Jing, Xiang, Yong, Ying and Si. In the time of Song, Mei Chongsheng, a Man of Xiyang, was enfeoffed as Marquis of Gaoshan, Tian Zhisheng as Marquis of Weishan, and Mei Jiayang as Marquis of Hanshan.

When Taizu ascended the throne, the office in charge memorialized that the enfeoffments of the Man fell under the rule for dismissal. The deliberation said, "To grant rank sparingly to the Rong and the Yi is a principle made plain in age after age, and the hereditary succession of chieftains is a matter clear in former times. Now the dynasty has changed and the old patents have been taken back, yet Meisheng and the others hold their settlements and serve the government. The matter must be kept firmly in hand, and to raise and uphold them by a gracious command is not like the ordinary ranks. It is fitting to leave their names, so as to teach the alien customs." The edict said, "Leave them in particular." Zhisheng was made General Who Upholds the State and Gentleman of the Tiger Guard, and was moved to be governor of Jianning commandery, his generalship and his marquisate remaining as before.

In the second year of Jianyuan the barbarians, that is the Northern Wei, raided Yu and Si provinces, and word went round among the Man that the barbarians were already near. They also heard that the government was calling up all the able-bodied men. Qin Yuan, a Man of Nanxiangcheng, seeing that the commanderies and districts had no defenses, plundered Tongyang, and Jiao Wendu, the district magistrate, died fighting. The Man of Si province brought in the barbarians and attacked the garrison of Pingchang, and Gou Yuanbin, the garrison commander, struck and broke them. Qin Yuan came out again and broke the stockade of Baifang at Linju, killing and carrying off more than a hundred people.

Wen Miande, a Man of Beishanghuang, plundered Wenyang. Dai Yuansun, the governor, was weak in a lone city and feared he could not hold it, so he abandoned the garrison and went back to Jiangling. The Prince of Yuzhang, inspector of Jing province, sent Liu Pixu, adjutant of the central troops, to lead a thousand men against Miande. When he reached Dangyang, Miande asked to surrender. His settlements were taken in, and he was set to guard the walled town under the rule of Wenyang, so that the traders' roads were kept safe and open and clear. Qin Yuan then fled and hid.

Wenyang was originally the western border of Linju. For two hundred li the ways by water and by land wind and narrow, so that men must go in single file like fish on a string, and in several places a horse cannot pass; but the wet fields are very rich. In the time of Huan Wen it was cut off and made a commandery. To the northwest it touches Xincheng in Liang province, to the northeast Nanxiangcheng, and to the south the two frontiers of Ba and Wu. All about, the mountain Man are fierce and many, and they hold the steep places and rob.

Since the Taishi years of Song, Xiang Zongtou, a Man of Bajian, had been in revolt. Shen Youzhi, the inspector, cut off his salt and rice and attacked him again and again, but could not win. In the third year of Taixing of Jin, Xiang Hong and Xiang Cheng, kings of the Yi of Jianping, came to the court to ask for office. Zhang Liang, gentleman of the Secretariat, argued, "A military title cannot be lent to the Yi and the Mo." But Emperor Yuan by edict made Hong, in particular, General Who Breaks the Charge and Marquis of Dangping district, and named him besides King Friendly to Jin, bestowing court robes on him. Zongtou was his descendant. Taizu set up Ba province and so overawed them into quiet.

Tian Sipiao, a Man of the Youxi in Wuling, raided and plundered. Wang Wenhe, the administrator, went to attack him and led his army deep in, and the Man cut off his grain from behind. The Prince of Yuzhang sent Zhuang Ming, adjutant of the central troops, with five hundred men, joined to the garrison troops of Xiang province to make a thousand, to rescue him. Sipiao fought against Wenhe, was struck by a crossbow bolt and died, and the host of the Man surrendered the city.

At the beginning of Yongming, Xiang Zongtou and Tian Douqu, a Man of Qianyang, with five thousand men went robbing. Wang Tunan, governor of Badong, sent Liu Sengshou, marshal of his office, and others to cut through the mountains and open a road and attack their stockade. In the night Zongtou burned the stockade and withdrew and fled.

In the third year Chen Shuang and Li Da, Man of Xiangchuan, plundered the commanderies and districts, and Lü Anguo, the inspector, attacked them but could not win. In the fourth year Liu Shilong, the inspector, led the host on a punitive campaign, and they were put down.

In the fifth year the Man of Yong and Si provinces made common cause with the barbarians and helped the rebellion of Huan Tiansheng, a man of the wilds.

In the sixth year Tian Silu, protector and governor of the Beisui'an left commandery, was appointed acting governor of the Beisui'an left commandery; Tian Lüwang, formerly General Who Quiets the North, was made acting governor of the Yiren left commandery; and Tian Hedai was made acting governor of the Xinping left commandery. All of them were Man of Ying province.

In the ninth year Wang Sengxu, administrator of Anlong, called up the able-bodied men and sent Wan Minhe, garrison commander of Kuancheng, to help the Man of the village of eight hundred men and attack the Man of the village of twelve hundred men. They were beaten by the Man, and Minhe was wounded and lost his horse and his weapons, so the office in charge memorialized and had him dismissed.

Tian Yizong, a Man of Xiyang, in the time of Shen Youzhi won a command by his merits and became a guard officer (防閤) to the Prince of Linchuan. Then he turned traitor and went over to the barbarians, and the barbarians made him inspector of Dongyu province. In the third year of Jianwu the barbarians sent Yizong to attack the garrison of Longcheng in Si province, but he was broken by Zhu Sengqi, the garrison commander.

The custom of the Man is hempen clothes and bare feet. Some wear a mallet topknot and some cut their hair. Their weapons are ornamented with gold and silver, and they make coats and shields of tiger skin. They are practiced at shooting the crossbow, and all of them are fierce and given to robbery.