Du Zheng, courtesy name Huangyu, was from Du Ling in Chang'an. His grandfather Du Sheng served as the General of the Direct Pavilion of the Wei Kingdom and the Governor of Weizhou; his father Du Bi served as the Inspector of Weizhou. Du Zheng was dignified as a child. When he was nine years old, his father passed away, and he was so saddened that he became as thin as a stick. He was very filial to his mother and earned a reputation for his filial piety. As he grew up, he was brave, strong, and skilled in battle, with a fondness for reading Sun Tzu's Art of War and Wu Qi's Art of War. As the Northern Wei Dynasty was coming to an end, he inherited the title of Marquis of Wuxiang. Emperor Taizu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty considered him a trusted confidant. Later, he served the son of Yuwen Hu, Yuwen Xun, and was highly esteemed, soon being appointed as a commander. During the reign of Emperor Ming of the Northern Zhou Dynasty, he served as an inner court official, gradually rising in ranks to become a Yitong Sanqi Official, then appointed as the Inspector of Wuzhou. After accompanying the Emperor in quelling the Qi Kingdom, he was further promoted to Yitong and elevated to the rank of Duke of Pingyuan with a fief consisting of one thousand households. He then returned to the court as a senior official in the Bureau of Merit. When Yang Jian became the Prime Minister under Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Du Zheng was promoted to the rank of Kaifu. After Yang Jian became emperor, he was further promoted to Kaifu, then elevated to Duke of Changguangjun, and soon appointed as the General of the Left Guard. He served in this position for several years, but resigned due to the death of his mother, only to return later. In the sixth year of the Kaihuang era, the Turks invaded the frontier, and the court commanded Wei Wang Yang Shuang to lead troops in a northern expedition, appointing Du Zheng as the Commander-in-Chief and Grand Marshal. They reached Hechuan but returned without engaging the enemy. Du Zheng secretly submitted a strategy to attack the Chen Kingdom to the court, which the Emperor valued, thus appointing him as the Commander-in-Chief to defend Xiangyang. Shortly after, he fell ill and died at the age of fifty-five. Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty was deeply saddened to hear this and bestowed upon him four hundred bolts of cloth and four hundred measures of rice, posthumously honoring him with the title "Xiang." His son Du Kai succeeded him and eventually rose to the rank of Kaifu.
Du Zheng's younger brother, Du Su, also had lofty aspirations from a young age and was very principled. During the early period of the Kaihuang reign of the Sui Dynasty, he served as Attendant of the Imperial Guards and Prefect of Beidi.
Li Che, styled Guangda, was from Yanlv in Shuofang. His father, Li He, had served as the General of the Pillar State during the Kaihuang reign. Li Che was resolute and capable, tall and strong, with exceptional martial arts skills. The Grand Chancellor Yuwen Hu took a liking to him, treating him as a close confidant. He gradually promoted Li Che to the position of Palace Marshal and later to the Commandant of Imperial Carriages. Yuwen Hu valued Li Che for his prudent and virtuous character, treating him exceptionally well. When Yuwen Hu's son, the Duke of Zhongshan, became the Inspector of Puzhou, Yuwen Hu assigned Li Che to accompany him, keeping his original position. Before long, Li Che was promoted to the General of Chariots and Cavalry and granted the title of Equal to the Three Excellencies.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, Li Che accompanied the Crown Prince to the western frontier to fight against the Tuyuhun, achieving merit and being enfeoffed as a Baron of Tongchang with a fief of three hundred households. He later followed the emperor in the campaign against Jinzhou. When the emperor returned to the capital, Li Che and Prince Qi Yuwen Xian camped at Jiqi Plain. Emperor Gao Wei of Northern Qi led a large army to attack, forcing Yuwen Xian to retreat westward to evade their attack. Gao Wei sent his fierce general Helan Baozi to lead elite cavalry to pursue Yuwen Xian, leading to a battle north of Jinzhou. Although Yuwen Xian's army was defeated, Li Che, along with Yang Su and Yuwen Qing, fought valiantly to defend Yuwen Xian's troops. Later, they triumphed over the Qi army north of the Fen River, seized Gaobi, took Jinyang, and captured Gao Jie in Jizhou. Li Che made significant contributions in these battles.
Because of his previous military achievements, Li Che was promoted to the title of Duke and was also appointed Duke of Caiyang with a fief of a thousand households. After Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, ascended the throne, Li Che followed Wei Xiaokuan in pacifying Huainan, always leading the charge. After the pacification of Huainan, Li Che was appointed Governor of Huaizhou. He did a good job in winning over those who had just surrendered, and everyone liked him. After Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, declared himself emperor, Li Che was promoted to Duke once more and transferred to Governor of Yunzhou. Over a year later, he was called back to court and appointed General of the Left Guard.
Later, Prince Jin, Yang Guang, was stationed in Bingzhou, and the court carefully selected talented individuals in both civil and military roles to serve as his advisors. The Emperor believed that Li Che was an old minister with extensive experience in leading troops into battle, so he entrusted him with the military responsibilities of Prince Jin's household and appointed him Duke of Qian. At that time, Prince Shu, Yang Xiu, was stationed in Yizhou. The Emperor remarked to his attendants, "If only we had someone with literary talent like Wang Zishi and the martial prowess of Li Guangda!" This shows that the Emperor held Li Che in high regard.
Next year, the Turkic Khagan Tuli invaded the border again. The Emperor ordered Prince Wei Shuang to be the Marshal and appointed Che as the Chief of Staff. The army encountered the Turks on the White Road. Li Chong, the Chief of Staff, said to Prince Wei Shuang, "Since the Zhou and Qi dynasties, the situation in the Central Plains has long resembled that of the Warring States period, with power being scattered. Every time the Turks invade, our generals only think of self-preservation and no one dares to fight with determination. As a result, the Turks tend to win more than they lose, always underestimating our army. Now Tuli has gathered all the troops in the country, seizing strategic positions. He is likely underestimating us and won't be prepared for an attack, so if we send elite troops to surprise him, we will definitely defeat him!" Prince Wei Shuang followed his advice. Many generals thought this idea was too risky, but only Che strongly supported the plan and actively requested to go together. So they launched a surprise attack on the Turkic army with five thousand elite cavalry and won a great victory. Tuli Khagan barely had time to shed his golden armor before fleeing into the bushes. Due to this achievement, Che was promoted to Grand General. Tuli Khagan had to bow down and submit due to this failure. Shortly thereafter, Tuli Khagan was attacked by Aba and appealed to the court for assistance. The Emperor appointed Che as the Chief of Staff and dispatched ten thousand elite cavalry to his aid. Hearing this, Aba was frightened and fled in haste. After the army returned, Che continued to serve as the Chief of Staff, stationed in Pingliang to defend against Turkic incursions, and was appointed Duke of Anda County as well. In the tenth year of Kaihuang, he was promoted again, becoming a pillar of the state. Later, Prince Jin Yang Guang was appointed Inspector of Huaihai, and Che was appointed Governor of Yangzhou, renamed Duke of Deguang County, and shortly thereafter was renamed Duke of Chengyang County. Subsequently, the Turks invaded the border again, and Che once again served as the Chief of Staff and defeated them.
Gao Jiao, the Left Minister, offended the emperor. Because he had a good relationship with Che and was suspected by the emperor as well, he was no longer favored. Later, Che expressed some grievances, and the emperor found out, summoning him to the palace, where he entertained him and talked about the past. Consequently, Che was served poisoned wine and died in the palace. During the Daye era, his wife, Yu Wenshi, was falsely accused by their illegitimate son, An Yuan, of cursing the emperor and was executed.
Cui Peng, also known by his courtesy name Zipeng, was from Anping, Hebei. His grandfather, Cui Kai, was the Governor of Yinzhou in Northern Wei; his father, Cui Qian, was the Governor-General of Jingzhou in Northern Zhou. Cui Peng lost his father at a young age, but he was very filial to his mother, which earned him a good reputation. He had a strong character, military prowess, excelled in horseback riding and archery, and was well-versed in the "Zhouguan" and "Shangshu," grasping their core principles.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, Cui Peng was promoted to the position of Senior Attendant of the Court, and gradually rose to the position of Senior Gatekeeper of the Imperial Gate. Later, Yang Jian became Prime Minister, and the Chen King Yuwen Chun of the Zhou Dynasty was sent to garrison Qizhou. Yang Jian was worried that Yuwen Chun might rebel, so he sent Cui Peng with two cavalrymen to bring Yuwen Chun back to the court. When Cui Peng was thirty miles away from Qizhou, he feigned illness and halted at the post station, sending someone to inform Yuwen Chun: "The Emperor has issued a decree for you. Cui Peng is seriously ill and cannot walk anymore. He hopes you can come to visit him." Yuwen Chun, feeling suspicious, arrived with a large entourage of cavalrymen to meet Cui Peng. Cui Peng came out to greet him from the post station, noticed something was off about Yuwen Chun's expression, and worried that he would not cooperate, so he lied to Yuwen Chun again: "Your Highness, could you please step away from the others for a moment? I have something important to tell you secretly." Yuwen Chun asked his followers and cavalrymen to stay away, and Cui Peng said: "I need to read the imperial edict. Your Highness, please dismount." Yuwen Chun quickly dismounted, and Cui Peng ordered his cavalrymen: "The Chen King is defying the imperial edict; seize him at once!" The cavalrymen immediately grabbed Yuwen Chun and tied him up. Cui Peng declared loudly, "The Chen King has committed a crime. The imperial edict orders him to return to the court, and no one is permitted to act recklessly!" Yuwen Chun's followers were frightened and ran away.
Yang Jian was very happy to see this and promoted Cui Peng to the position of Imperial Attendant. After Yang Jian became emperor, he promoted Cui Peng to the position of Gatekeeper General, concurrently serving as Chief of the Right Guard, and also granted him the title of Baron of Anyang. Several years later, Cui Peng was promoted to General of Cavalry, and shortly after to General of the Valiant Cavalry, tasked with the security of the imperial palace. He was prudent and diligent, working in the court for more than twenty years. Every time the emperor held court, he would sit there all day without slackening, and the emperor held him in high regard. The emperor often said to Cui Peng, "I can sleep soundly only when you’re on duty." The emperor also asked Cui Peng, "Your archery skills are impressive—do you practice often?" Cui Peng replied, "I have always loved 'The Rites of Zhou' and 'The Book of Documents' since I was young. Whenever I have time off, I can't bear to put them down." The emperor said, "Then tell me about them." Cui Peng explained the importance of caution between rulers and their subjects, and the emperor agreed. Onlookers also thought that Cui Peng's words made sense. Later, the emperor appointed Cui Peng as Chief Minister and promoted him to General of the Guard. During the reign of Tang Taizong, he once hosted a banquet at the Wude Hall to host the envoy of the Turkic khan. During the banquet, a pigeon suddenly cooed from the rafters. The emperor immediately commanded Cui Peng to take a shot. Cui Peng shot an arrow and hit the mark! The emperor was delighted and rewarded him with ten thousand pieces of silver.
Later, after the Turkic envoy returned to his country, the Khan sent someone to the Tang Dynasty once more, saying, "Our Khan wants to meet General Cui." The Emperor said, "General Cui Peng's archery skills must have spread to the Turks, so they sent someone to request a meeting." So Cui Peng was sent. When he arrived in Turk, the Khan gathered dozens of skilled archers, threw meat in the wild to lure eagles, and allowed those skilled archers to shoot, but most of them failed to hit their targets. Then, the Khan asked Cui Peng to show his skills, and Cui Peng shot several arrows in a row, each arrow hitting the target! The Turkic people looked at one another in admiration. The Khan kept Cui Peng for over a hundred days before finally allowing him to return, and the Tang Dynasty eventually sent a lot of silk and satin to facilitate his return.
During the Renshou period, Cui Peng was appointed as the Duke of Anyang County, with a fiefdom of two thousand households. After Emperor Yang of Sui ascended the throne, Cui Peng was promoted to the position of Left Leading General. When Emperor Yang of Sui went to Luoyang, Cui Peng was responsible for the rear guard. At that time, Prince Liang of Han had just been pacified, and his remaining forces were still regrouping in various areas. Emperor Yang of Sui ordered Cui Peng to lead tens of thousands of troops to suppress the rebellion in Shandong, and also appointed him as the Inspector of Cizhou. Due to Cui Peng's integrity, Emperor Yang of Sui rewarded him with five hundred bolts of silk. Not long after, Cui Peng passed away at the age of sixty-three. Emperor Yang of Sui sent envoys to express his condolences, posthumously elevated him to the rank of Grand General, and honored him with the title "Su." His son Baode inherited his title.
Historical records say: Individuals like Wang Changshu, some commanding regions and others serving in the Imperial Army, all achieved significant military successes and ultimately left behind a legacy of fame and glory; they were all talented individuals. Yilou Qian was broad-minded, forgiving past grievances, and requested forgiveness for Gao Zun's sins, which truly exemplifies the spirit of a loyal subject! Cui Peng worked diligently in the court, was known for his integrity and incorruptibility, making him hard to undermine, and defended against foreign aggression; his achievements are commendable!
