The Rong of the Northwest西北諸戎
1Preface to the kingdoms of the Northwest
西北諸戎，漢世張騫始發西域之迹，甘英遂臨西海，或遣侍子，或奉貢獻，于時雖窮兵極武，僅而克捷，比之前代，其略遠矣。魏時三方鼎跱，日事干戈，晉氏平吳以後，少獲寧息，徒置戊己之官，諸國亦未賓從也。繼以中原喪亂，胡人遞起，西域與江東隔礙，重譯不交。呂光之涉龜茲，亦獲蠻夷之伐蠻夷，非中國之意也。自是諸國分幷，勝負強弱，難得詳載。明珠翠羽，雖仞於後宮；蒲梢龍文，希入於外署。有梁受命，其奉正朔而朝闕庭者，則仇池、宕昌、高昌、鄧至、河南、龜茲、于闐、滑諸國焉。今綴其風俗，爲《西北戎傳》云。
As for the Rong of the Northwest, in the time of Han, Zhang Qian first opened the way to the Western Regions, and Gan Ying came at last to the Western Sea. Some of those kingdoms sent their sons to attend the court, and some offered tribute. In that day the army was worn out and arms were pressed to the utmost, and the victory was barely won, and set beside the ages before, the reach of it was slight. In the time of Wei the three powers stood like the legs of a caldron and made war day after day, and after the house of Jin (晉氏) had put down Wu there was a little quiet, but only the office of the Wuji colonel was set up, and the various kingdoms did not submit. Then the Central Plain fell into ruin and disorder and the Hu people (胡人) rose one after another, so that the Western Regions were cut off from the lands east of the river and no interpreter passed between them. When Lü Guang went into Qiuci, that too was using barbarians (蠻夷) to strike barbarians, and it was not the will of China. From that time the kingdoms were divided and joined, and won and lost, and grew strong and weak, and it cannot be set down in full. Bright pearls and kingfisher feathers filled the inner palace, yet fine horses such as the Pushao and the Longwen came but rarely to the outer offices. When Liang received the mandate, those that bore its calendar and came to court at the palace were Chouchi, Dangchang, Gaochang, Dengzhi, Henan, Qiuci, Yutian and Hua. Their customs are now put together here to make the Account of the Rong of the Northwest (西北戎傳).