Zhu Xiuzhi, courtesy name Gongzu, was a native of Pingshi, Yixing, Jiangsu. His great-grandfather Tao was the General of Pingxi in the Jin Dynasty, his grandfather Xu was the Governor of Yuzhou, and his father Shen was the Governor of Yizhou. Zhu Xiuzhi initially served as the chief clerk of the state, later rising to become Langzhong. Emperor Wen praised him, saying, "Your great-grandfather used to be the Langzhong of Prime Minister Wang Dao, and now you are the Langzhong of Wang Hong. It can be said that you have not disappointed the reputation of your ancestors!" He later joined Dao Yanzhi on a northern expedition. When Dao Yanzhi withdrew his troops from Henan and left Zhu Xiuzhi to guard Huatai, they were surrounded by enemies. Several months later, with provisions running out, the soldiers even resorted to eating rats. Ultimately, Huatai fell, leading to Zhu Xiuzhi's capture.
Initially, Zhu Xiuzhi's mother was deeply concerned upon hearing that he had been besieged for an extended period. One day, her milk suddenly started flowing, and she cried to her family, "I am already so old, how come my milk suddenly started flowing again? This can’t be a good omen! I fear my son is in danger!" Later, news confirmed her fears, as Zhu Xiuzhi was captured on the day the city fell.
Tuoba Tao admired Zhu Xiuzhi's loyalty and appointed him as a court attendant, marrying a royal female relative to him. Zhu Xiuzhi secretly planned to return to the south, leading his wife to suspect him, often crying and questioning his intentions. Zhu Xiuzhi appreciated his wife's loyalty immensely, yet he never confided in her. Later, the Xianbei leader Feng Hong proclaimed himself the King of Yan and established his capital in Huanglong City. Tuoba Tao attacked him, and Zhu Xiuzhi and his fellow townsman Xing Huaiming participated in this war. There was also a man named Xu Zhuo who wanted to lead the people of the south in a rebellion, but his plan was uncovered, resulting in his execution. Zhu Xiuzhi and Xing Huaiming were afraid, so they fled to Feng Hong, but Feng Hong did not treat them well.
They stayed there for a year, and just then the envoy from the Song Dynasty arrived with a decree. Zhu Xiuzhi had a great reputation, and as soon as the envoy saw him, he paid his respects. Feng Hong's country attached great importance to envoys from the Song Dynasty, referring to the Emperor of the Song Dynasty as the "Son of Heaven." Seeing how respectful they were to Zhu Xiuzhi, they started treating him with courtesy. At that time, the Wei Kingdom had been attacking Feng Hong repeatedly. Someone suggested that Feng Hong send Zhu Xiuzhi back to the Song Dynasty for help, so Feng Hong sent him away. Zhu Xiuzhi sailed out to sea, heading for Donglai. Along the way, they encountered a strong wind, the rudder broke, and they had to tie the ship with a long rope to stabilize it. The sailors at sea saw seabirds and knew they were close to shore, and soon they arrived at Donglai.
In the year 432 AD, I arrived in the capital and became a Yellow Gate Attendant. Later, I gradually rose through the ranks and became the Interior Minister of Jiangxia. After the death of the Jingzhou Governor, Prince Yi Xuan of Nanjun, the barbarians started causing trouble. The court sent me to be the Western Expedition Commander, leading troops to suppress the barbarians, but we didn’t succeed. After Emperor Xiaowu ascended the throne, I was appointed as the Barbarian Pacification Inspector, Governor of Yongzhou, and also given the title of Commander. During my tenure, I governed with a light touch, and the people supported me greatly.
Later, the Jingzhou Governor, Prince Yi Xuan, rebelled and sent out proclamations calling for me to join the rebellion. I pretended to go along with him but secretly sent someone to inform the Emperor of my loyalty. The Emperor was pleased and appointed me as the Governor of Jingzhou and also gave me the title of Commander. When Yi Xuan found out I did not rebel with him, he sent Lu Xiu to become the Governor of Yongzhou and attack Xiangyang. I ordered a blockade of the Ma'an Mountain road, which stopped Lu Xiu from advancing, forcing him to retreat. When Yi Xuan was defeated at Liangshan and fled on a small boat, I led the army to pacify the remaining rebels. At that time, Zhu Chaomin captured Yi Xuan, and when I got there, I had him executed. As a reward for this achievement, I was made the Marquis of Nanchang County.
I lead a very honest life; I never accept gifts from others. Sometimes when someone gives me a gift, I accept it but immediately take it to gamble with my subordinates, never keeping a thing for myself, always focused on appeasing the barbarians. Later, the court transferred me to the central government as the Left Minister of Civil Affairs and promoted me to General of the Army. When I left Yongzhou, I left with nothing, only calculating the expenses for oil, cattle, horses, and fodder from the state capital, which I paid for with my own 160,000 coins. However, I tend to be frugal and not easily swayed by sentiment. My sister in my hometown often went hungry and cold, but I hardly helped her at all. Once when I went to see her, she purposely prepared some plain food to get under my skin; I said, "This is a rare good meal for a poor family!" and I ended up eating and leaving. Previously, when Yud Yan Da was the governor of Yizhou, he brought my sister to his post and even spent half of his salary on her, which earned him praise from the folks in the west.
Later, I accidentally fell off a carriage and broke my leg. I resigned from the position of Minister of Civil Affairs and was appointed as the Grand Preceptor of Chongxian, and was also given the title of Grand Master of Golden Purple Radiance. I was unable to walk, so the court sent people specifically to attend to me. After I passed away, I was posthumously appointed as a Palace Attendant, with my title of Special Advancement remaining unchanged, and was posthumously honored with the title of Marquis Zhen.
Zong Que, whose courtesy name was Yuangan, hailed from Nanyang. His uncle Zong Bing was a noble man who chose not to take an official position. When Zong Que was young, Zong Bing asked him what his aspirations were, and Zong Que said, "I hope to ride the long wind and break through the waves for thousands of miles!" Zong Bing joked, "If you don't make it big, you'll drag our family down!" Zong Que's older brother Zong Bi got married, and on their wedding night, they were robbed at home. At the time, Zong Que was only fourteen years old but bravely confronted the robbers, scaring them off before they could get inside.
At that time, the world was peaceful, and most scholars took literature as their profession. Zong Bing had always been of noble character, and his sons and nephews also loved to study. However, Zong Que had a bold personality and liked martial arts, so the villagers did not hold him in high regard. Later, Liu Yigong, the King of Jiangxia, became the General of the Northern Expedition and the Governor of South Yanzhou. Zong Que accompanied him to defend Guangling. Zong Que's cousin, Zong Qi, served as the chief clerk of the Northern Expedition, and one day, when Zong Qi was on duty, an official named Niu Tai was found to be having an affair with Zong Qi's concubine. Zong Que killed Niu Tai on the spot. Although Zong Qi was angry, he admired Zong Que's courage and did not investigate further. In the twenty-second year of the Yuanjia era, the court launched a campaign against Linyi, and Zong Que volunteered to fight. Liu Yigong believed that Zong Que was courageous and appointed him as the General of Zhenwu, serving as the deputy of the Anxi military officer Xiao Jingxian, and besieged Qusucity with the Governor of Jiaozhou, Tan Hezhi. Linyi sent General Fan Pisha Da to rescue Qusucity. Tan Hezhi dispatched a detachment to resist, but they were overwhelmed by the Linyi forces. Tan Hezhi then sent Zong Que, who skillfully divided his forces into several groups and advanced stealthily, defeating the Linyi army, capturing Qusucity, and then attacking Xiangpu. The King of Linyi, Fan Yangmai, mobilized all his resources to mount a defense, deploying armored elephants in a formation that the soldiers could not withstand. Zong Que remarked, "I've heard that the majesty of a lion can intimidate all beasts." So he had lion-shaped figures made to deal with the elephants, which indeed frightened them off. The Linyi army scattered, and Zong Que eventually captured Linyi. Despite the countless treasures of Linyi, Zong Que took none, dressing in a plain and simple manner. Emperor Wen of the Song Dynasty held him in high regard for this.
Zong Que later became the prefect of Suijun. At that time, the barbarians of Yongzhou frequently raided, and General Jianwei Shen Qingzhi led Zong Que, Liu Yuanjing, and other generals to engage them in separate battles, resulting in the barbarians suffering a crushing defeat. Later, the leader of the barbarians in Nanxin County, Tian Yansheng, rebelled with his men, burned the county city, and occupied Baiyang Mountain. Liu Yuanjing went to attack but was unsuccessful. Zong Que took the lead and charged up, with other soldiers following suit, which finally made the barbarians surrender in fear.
Twenty years later, Emperor Xiaowu launched a campaign against the ringleader and appointed Zong Que as a military advisor in Nanzhong, overseeing the central army. After Emperor Xiaowu ascended the throne, he bestowed upon Zong Que the title of Marquis of Taoyang, with accomplishments second only to those of Liu Yuanjing. During the Xiaojian period, Zong Que was promoted to the post of Governor of Yuzhou, also overseeing military affairs in five provinces. Earlier, Zong Que's fellow villager, Yu Ye, was quite wealthy, and the meals he served to guests were quite lavish; but when Zong Que visited his house, Yu Ye only served plain tea and rice, explaining to his guests, "General Zong is a military man, used to eating rough food." Zong Que had his fill and then left. Later on, Yu Ye became Zong Que's chief of staff and took charge of Liangjun. Zong Que treated him very well and completely forgot about that meal incident.
In the third year of the Ming Dynasty under Emperor Taizong, Prince Liu Dan of Jingling staged a rebellion in Guangling. Zong Que submitted a memorial requesting to lead the campaign against the rebellion. He rode a fast horse day and night to rush to the capital, to personally receive the emperor's command. The emperor even stopped his carriage to encourage him, and Zong Que was so overjoyed that he jumped up and down repeatedly, with everyone watching, including a pleased emperor. When he set off, he was accompanied by General Shen Qingzhi. At the beginning, Liu Dan deceived his subordinates by saying, "Zong Que will come to help us." When Zong Que arrived, he rode around the city on horseback shouting, "I am Zong Que and I have arrived!" After the rebellion was quelled, Zong Que returned to the capital and continued to serve as the Left Guard General. Five years later, while hunting, he fell off his horse and broke his leg, unable to fulfill his court duties, so he was then appointed as the Grand Master of Splendor and was also granted the title of Grand Master of Splendor with the title of Golden Purple. Zong Que had a very good bull that he could offer to the emperor, but the government wanted to buy it and he refused to sell, which led to his dismissal from office. The following year, he was reinstated to his official position. After Emperor Fei ascended the throne, Zong Que was appointed as Colonel of Ningman, Inspector of Yongzhou, and also received the title of Commander. Later, Zong Que passed away and was posthumously honored as the General Who Conquers the West, with the posthumous title of Marquis of Su. In the second year of the Taishi era, the court issued a decree for Zong Que to be commemorated in the temple of Emperor Xiaowu. After his son Zong Luoyun passed away, his grandson, Zong Yuanbao, succeeded him in the title.
Wang Xuanmo, styled Yande, was from Qi County in Taiyuan. Six generations ago, his ancestor Wang Hong served as the Administrator of Hedong and was titled the Marquis of Mianzhu. Due to being implicated in his uncle's troubles, Minister Wang Yun, he resigned and moved to live in the newly established Xinxing Commandery in the north. He later served as the Administrator of Xinxing Commandery and Yanmen Commandery, as recorded by himself. His grandfather, Wang Lao, served as the Administrator of Shanggu under the Murong clan's regime and was later captured by Murong De, living in Qingzhou. His father, Wang Xiu, passed away at a young age.
Wang Xuanmo was extraordinary since he was young. His uncle, Wang Rui, was very good at judging people and often said with a smile, "This child has a high spirit, very much like the demeanor of Grand Commandant Wang Yanyun!" Later, when Emperor Wu went to Xuzhou, he summoned Wang Xuanmo to serve as a historian and record keeper. After speaking with him, the emperor found him to be quite exceptional. During the reign of the Young Emperor, Xie Hui, as the Inspector of Jingzhou, invited Wang Xuanmo to serve as an army officer in the south and as the Prefect of Wuchang. After Xie Hui was defeated in battle, Wang Xuanmo was exonerated because he did not participate in his military decisions. During the Yuanjia period, Wang Xuanmo was appointed as the General of the Army of Prince Changsha Liu Yixin, concurrently serving as the Prefect of Ruyin. At that time, the northern invaders captured Huatai and took Zhu Xiuzhi back with them. Wang Xuanmo wrote to the emperor, saying, "We have just begun to expand our territory, but we have lost territory once more. This is not only a matter of bad timing but also of personnel issues. The loss of Hulao Pass and Huatai is not solely due to the incompetence of the generals, but also because the defense is not stable! The reason for the unstable defense is that the common people fear long-term military service. I propose recruiting troops from Luyang County in Xiyang and Nanxiang County in Xiangyang, dividing them into two routes, directly attacking Xiaoyang and Mianchi. This way, the soldiers will have fewer complaints about long-distance campaigns, and the officials and soldiers can take turns to rest. If you want to use the eastern army to attack Hulao Pass and Luoyang, the journey is too far, and it is difficult to win by force alone." Wang Xuanmo often proposed strategies for the Northern Expedition to the emperor, and the emperor told Yin Jingren, "Listening to Wang Xuanmo's advice inspires a desire to reclaim lost territory and push beyond the borders!" Later, Wang Xuanmo also served as the Deputy General and Prefect of Pengcheng under the Marquis of Xing'an, Liu Yibin. After Liu Yibin passed away, Wang Xuanmo submitted a memorial to the court, noting that Pengcheng was a strategic stronghold for both land and water routes, and suggested sending a prince there to guard it. As a result, Emperor Xiaowu dispatched a prince to Pengcheng.
The Northern Wei launched a large-scale northern expedition, sending Xuanmo as the General of Ning Shuo to spearhead the advance across the Yellow River, under the command of the Assistant General Xiao Bin. Xuanmo fought all the way to Qiaoao (pō ní), scaring off the defenders of the city, but then laid siege to Huatai, failing to capture it for over ten days. The enemy leader Tuoba Tao led a massive army of a million soldiers to attack, with the sound of war drums shaking the earth, creating an intimidating atmosphere! Although Xuanmo's army was numerous and well-equipped, he relied solely on his instincts, leading to indiscriminate killings of innocent people, which led to a decline in military morale.
Initially, as he besieged the city, the city was filled with many thatched cottages, and everyone suggested burning them with rockets, but Xuanmo feared that burning the houses would deplete the army's resources, so he refused. Consequently, the city's inhabitants demolished the houses themselves and dug tunnels to hide. Later, as Wei reinforcements approached, everyone suggested using carts to form a defensive camp, but Xuanmo still disagreed. The soldiers grew discontented with him, and his greed—demanding eight hundred pears for a piece of cloth—further alienated him from them. When Tuoba Tao's army arrived, Xuanmo quickly fled, resulting in the near-total annihilation of his troops. Xiao Bin was ready to execute him, but Shen Qingzhi quickly intervened: "Tuoba Tao has a huge momentum and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. How could Xuanmo possibly withstand that? Besides, executing a great general would only weaken our own forces, which is a terrible idea!" Xiao Bin then relented.
Earlier, Xuan Mo had a premonition that he was going to be killed. He dreamed that someone told him, "Recite the 'Avalokitesvara Sutra' one thousand times, and you will be spared from death." He woke up and started reciting, and after reciting one thousand times, he was supposed to be executed the next day. He kept reciting, and suddenly someone came to relay the message that the execution was suspended. Later, he was sent to guard Qiao, and King Yi Gong of Jiangxia was appointed as the commander to suppress the rebellion. Thinking that Qiao couldn't hold on, he ordered Xuan Mo to return. As a result, he was intercepted by the Wei army on his way back and suffered a major defeat, during which Xuan Mo was shot in the arm. In the first month of the twenty-eighth year, he returned to Licheng, and Yi Gong wrote to him, "It is said that success often comes after failure. Is the arrow wound on your arm a sign of obtaining the golden seal?"
After the usurpation of the throne, Shen Yue was appointed as the Governor of Yizhou. Later, Emperor Xiaowu launched a campaign against the rebels, and Shen Yue sent the Governor of Jinan, Yuan Hu, to lead troops to support. After the war was settled, Shen Yue was promoted to the Governor of Xuzhou and also appointed as commander. Later, Prince of Nan County Xiao Yixuan and Inspector of Jiangzhou Zang Zhi rebelled, and the court appointed Shen Yue as General of the State, and also made him the Governor of Yuzhou, ordering him and Liu Yuanjing to march south to suppress the rebels.
The army was stationed at Liangshan, and they built crescent-shaped defensive fortifications on both sides of the river, preparing for defense from both land and water forces. Xiao Yixuan sent Liu Chen to contact Zang Zhi, and the army lined up south of the city. Shen Yue left the elderly and infirm soldiers to defend the city, leading the elite troops to battle. As a result, they achieved a great victory, and the rebels were defeated. For this, Shen Yue was promoted to General and was granted the title of Marquis of Qujiang County. However, Sima Liu Chong of the Central Army secretly informed Emperor Xiaowu that Shen Yue was colluding with Xiao Yixuan at Liangshan. Unsure of its truth, the Emperor ordered an investigation into Shen Yue, which revealed that he had embezzled significant amounts of wealth and falsely claimed military achievements. As a result, he and Yuan Hu were dismissed from their positions.
Not long after, Shen Yue was reappointed as the Governor of Yuzhou. At that time, there was an outlaw named Sima Heishi on the banks of the Huai River. He supported Xiahou Fangjin as the leader and even changed Xiahou Fangjin's surname to Li, naming him Hong, to deceive the people. Shen Yue attacked and killed them. Afterwards, Shen Yue was promoted to Colonel of Ningman, Inspector of Yongzhou, and also appointed as a Commander. There were many immigrants in Yongzhou, and Shen Yue wanted to implement a "local registration" policy to register the displaced persons, but at that time the common people were reluctant to register their households, so the matter ended without resolution. In the same year, Shen Yue stipulated that officials of Grade 9 or above must pay taxes, aiming to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor, but this led to widespread resentment against him. Rumors spread that Shen Yue was planning a rebellion. At that time, Liu Yuanjing held significant power, and Liu Yuanjing's brother Liu Sengjing was the Prefect of Xincheng. Liu Sengjing exploited Liu Yuanjing's influence to rally the counties of Nanyang, Shunyang, Shangyong, and Xincheng against Shen Yue.
Shen Yue kept the city calm inside and out to quell any doubts and quickly wrote a letter to Emperor Xiaowu, explaining the situation in detail. The Emperor recognized it as a misunderstanding and immediately sent the Chief Secretary Wu Xigong to appease Shen Yue, replying, "The troubles on Liangshan are of no concern to me. Between sovereign and subject, trust is what truly matters. This matter is now resolved, so there's no need to frown anymore!" Shen Yue was serious and rarely smiled, so people at that time said that Shen Yue's brow had never relaxed, and the Emperor's letter was teasing him about it. Later, Shen Yue was appointed as the Golden Purple Grand Minister of Rites, in charge of the Ministry of Rites. When it was time to build the Mingtang, Shen Yue also served as Minister of Rites and the official responsible for Northern Selection alongside his other duties.
Emperor Xiaowu had a particular fondness for teasing his ministers, giving them nicknames based on their appearances. A lot of the ministers had bushy beards, so he nicknamed them "sheep"; Yan Shibo was missing a tooth, so he called him "Toothless"; Liu Xiu was a real tightwad, so he dubbed him "Old Stingy"! Zong Lingshou, the Chamberlain for Palace Revenues, was quite portly and struggled to stand. Every time he attended court, Emperor Xiaowu would give him many things just to see his awkward expression when he bowed in thanks. He even had a wooden statue made, a gift from Zong Lingshou's father, Zong Shuxian, the Grandee of the Palace, which he displayed in Zong's family hall. Liu Yuanjing and Yuan Hu were both from the north, but only Xuan Mo got the nickname "Old Ruffian." Whatever nicknames the emperor came up with, they were also used in the official memorials. He even penned a seasonal poem just for Xuan Mo, which went like this: "Spring meals served with garden cress, summer meals with millet porridge. Autumn dishes flavored with bottle gourd sauce, winter's chill eased with white fermented wine." He also favored a slave from Kunlun named "Zhu," who was always by his side, allowing "Zhu" to whack the ministers with a stick. None of them, from Liu Yuanjing on down, could escape.
Xuanmo was later promoted to General of the North, Governor of Xuzhou, and given the title of Commander. At that time, there was a famine in the north, and he donated one hundred thousand bushels of grain and one thousand cattle from his own stock to help the disaster relief efforts. Later, he became the General of the Forces. After Emperor Xiaowu passed away, he and Liu Yuanjing were entrusted with regency duties, and the emperor entrusted Xuanmo with significant state affairs. At that time, the imperial court was in chaos, but Xuanmo was upright and outspoken, making many enemies. Eventually, he was demoted to Governor of Qingzhou and Jizhou, and was also appointed as a commander. Later, the young emperor executed Yan Shibai, Liu Yuanjing, and others, growing increasingly tyrannical, even dispatching troops to apprehend Xuanmo. Xuanmo's relatives advised him to feign illness and hide, but Xuanmo said, "I have received great kindness from the late emperor, how can I cowardly hide because of fear of calamity?" So he went. When he arrived at the young emperor's place, Xuanmo repeatedly advised and pleaded tearfully for leniency, imploring the young emperor to spare lives so that the common people could live in peace and happiness. The young emperor was enraged. After Emperor Ming came to power, he treated Wang Xuanmo with great favor, granting him numerous honors. At that time, there were rebellions everywhere, so the emperor appointed Wang Xuanmo as Grand Commander, commanding the navy in campaigns to the south. Due to Wang Xuanmo's leg ailments, he was allowed to travel by carriage. Shortly after, he was promoted to the position of General of Chariots and Horsemen, Governor of Jiangzhou, and collaborated with Prince Jian'an in Zheqi. The emperor even bestowed upon him a tube-sleeved armor designed by Zhuge Liang, a prized possession! Later, he was appointed Left Guanglu Doctor, Minister of the Household, and concurrently held the position of Guard of the Army. He was later promoted to Governor of Nanyuezhou, with the additional title of commander, and his career continued to ascend.
Wang Xuanmo, he has a rather strict personality and isn't very lenient. However, the general under his command, Zong Yue, is even more ruthless, particularly with the soldiers. Behind his back, the soldiers say, "I'd rather be a laborer for five years than cross paths with Wang Xuanmo. Wang Xuanmo is bearable, but Zong Yue is a whole different story!" Wang Xuanmo passed away at the age of eighty-one and was posthumously granted the title Duke Zhuang. His son, Wang Shen, died young, and his grandson Wang Hui inherited his title.
Historical records state that Wang Xiu and Zong Que were both outstanding generals known for their integrity and commendable character. Although Wang Xuanmo was strict and harsh, he had many admirable qualities when viewed from a broader perspective. Consider this: at a time when the young emperor was incompetent and unjust, Wang Xuanmo risked his life to support the emperor wholeheartedly. This truly exemplifies self-sacrifice for the country and loyalty.
