Fu Kuan, initially one of Wei's five highest-ranking officials and a cavalry general, later became an official of the Han Dynasty, beginning his career in Hengyang. He fought at Anyang and Gangli, defeating Zhao Ben's army at Kaifeng, and engaged in battles at Yang Xiongqu and Yangwu, taking twelve enemy heads and was therefore made a lord. Afterwards, he served under Liu Bang in Bashang. After Liu Bang became the King of Han, Fu Kuan was given the title of Lord of Gongde. He campaigned with Liu Bang into Hanzhong, rising in rank to become the Right Cavalry General. After participating in the pacification of Sanqin, he was granted the fief of Diaoyin. Later, he fought against Xiang Yu alongside Liu Bang, demonstrating remarkable military prowess and was made the Marquis of Tongde. He also participated in battles against Xiang Guan, Zhou Lan, and Long Qie, leading his soldiers to kill one enemy cavalry general, thus increasing his fief.
While in Huaiyin, he defeated the army of Li Xia of the Qi Kingdom and Tian Jie. Later, he followed Prime Minister Xiao He to attack Bolangsha, further increasing his fief. Due to his contributions in pacifying the Qi region, Liu Bang promised him that his title would stay in his family forever, and he was made the Marquis of Yangling, with a fief of 2,600 households, in addition to his previous holdings. He became the Right Prime Minister of the Qi Kingdom, running the military and government affairs in the Qi region, serving as Prime Minister for five years.
In the fourth month, he led troops to attack Chen Xi, with Grand Commandant Zhou Bo, taking over from Chancellor Cao Shen in the campaign against Chen Xi. A month later, he was transferred to the Dai Kingdom to serve as Prime Minister, commanding troops in Dai. After two years as Prime Minister of Dai, he continued commanding troops there. In the fifth year of Emperor Hui of Han, Fu Kuan passed away and was given the posthumous title of Marquis of Jing. His son, Fu Qinghou, succeeded him and ruled for twenty-four years; his grandson, Fu Gonghou, succeeded him and ruled for twelve years; his great-grandson, Fu Yan, ruled for thirty-one years before being executed for treason against the King of Huainan, ending the Yangling Marquisate.
Jin He, originally a minor official of the Han Dynasty, began his rise to power in Wanqu. He participated in the battle of Jiyang, where he defeated Li You's army. He also clashed with the Qin army in Bo'nan, northeast of Kaifeng, where he slew a cavalry general, took fifty-seven heads, and captured seventy-three men, earning him the title of Linping Jun. Later, he fought in the north of Lantian, killing two enemy chariot commanders, one cavalry commander, beheading twenty-eight soldiers, and capturing fifty-seven prisoners. After arriving at Bashang, Liu Bang proclaimed himself King of Han and appointed Jin He as the Marquis of Jianwu, promoting him to Cavalry Commandant.
Jin He later recounted that back then, he followed the army to conquer the Sanqin region. Later, they advanced westward and crushed Zhang Ping's army in Longxi, capturing six counties. His subordinates killed four enemy chariot commanders and junior officers each, and twelve cavalry commanders. Then, they advanced eastward to attack the Chu army, pushing all the way to Pengcheng. The Han army was routed and retreated to Yongqiu. Jin He then went to attack the rebels Wang Wu and others. They laid waste to Liangdi, while another army defeated Xing Shuo's forces in Zinan, where he personally captured two enemy captains, four junior officers, and twelve cavalry commanders, along with four thousand one hundred and eighty surrendering soldiers. They then decisively defeated the Chu army east of Xingyang. Three years later, he was granted 4,200 households as a fiefdom.
Next, I was sent to the region of Hanoi to attack the army of Zhao's generals Ben and Hao in Chaoge, defeating them. My subordinates captured two enemy cavalry generals and seized 250 war-chariots. After that, I participated in the battle from Anyang to Jipu, capturing seven counties. Additionally, I led troops to break through the Zhao army, capturing two enemy generals, four military officers, and 2,400 surrendered soldiers. I also took part in the battle of Handan, capturing Pingyang, personally killing the defending Grand Chancellor, and my subordinates killing an enemy soldier and county magistrate each, with Ye City surrendering. I also participated in the battles of Chaoge and Handan, personally defeating the Zhao army, causing six counties of Handan to surrender. Later, I returned to Aocang, defeated Xiang Yu's army south of Chengao, cut off the Chu army's food supply line, and fought all the way to Xiangyi from Xingyang. We also defeated the army of Xiang Yu's champion, Lu Xia, sweeping east to Zeng, Tan, and Xiapu, and south to Qi and Zhuyi. We defeated Xiang Han's army in Jiyang. Later, I returned to Chen Di and defeated Xiang Yu's army again. I personally pacified Jiangling, subduing eight officials, including the Governor and Grand Marshal of Jiangling. I captured the King of Jiangling alive and brought him to Luoyang, thus pacifying the Southern Region. Later, I arrived at Chen Di, captured King Xing of Chu, and made a covenant with him, vowing never to break ties for generations. They granted me a fief of 4,600 households and titled me as Marquis Wu of Xin.
Later, I participated in the campaign against Dai Di as a cavalry officer, attacking Han Xin's army at Pingcheng before returning to Dongyuan. My outstanding service earned me a promotion to cavalry general, where I commanded the cavalry in the regions of Liang, Zhao, Qi, Yan, and Chu. I also led a separate campaign against Prime Minister Chen Xi, defeating him and causing Qu Ni to surrender as a result. Subsequently, I took part in the campaign against Ying Bu, achieving significant military success, which increased my fiefdom to five thousand three hundred households. In total, my forces inflicted 90 enemy deaths and captured 132 prisoners. Additionally, I single-handedly broke through fourteen enemy formations, captured fifty-nine cities, pacified one county, one state, and twenty-three counties, and captured one king and one marquis, as well as thirty-nine officials ranging from two thousand shi to five hundred shi.
In the fifth year of Emperor Gao's reign, She died and was posthumously named Marquis Su. His son Ting inherited the marquis title. Twenty-one years later, in the third year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, Ting's marquis title was revoked for a crime he committed, and his fiefdom was also canceled.
Next, let’s discuss the Marquis of Kuai Cheng, Zhou Ye. He was from Pei County and his surname was Zhou. He had always been the assistant charioteer to Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang. When Liu Bang rose up from Pei County, Zhou Ye followed him. Upon reaching Basha, he accompanied Liu Bang into Shu Han, and later returned to pacify Sanqin, receiving land in Chiyang as a reward. He also led his troops in cutting off the eastern supply lines, marching out of Pingyin, where he encountered the army of Han Xin, the Marquis of Huaiyin, in Xiangguo. His campaigns against Han Xin were a mixed bag of victories and defeats, but he remained fiercely loyal to Liu Bang. Later, Liu Bang appointed him as the Marquis of Xinwu, granting him a fiefdom of three thousand three hundred households. In the twelfth year of Emperor Gaozu, Liu Bang appointed him as the Marquis of Kuai Cheng, revoking his previous fiefdom.
When Liu Bang announced his plan to personally lead the attack on Chen Xi, the Marquis of Kuai Cheng burst into tears and protested, "When Qin conquered the world, the emperor did not lead the troops into battle. Now Your Majesty always leads the troops in person; does this mean there is no one around you who can be trusted?" Liu Bang felt that he truly cared for him, so he rewarded him by allowing him to enter the palace without running, and even granted him immunity from the death penalty for any capital offense.
In the fifth year of Emperor Xiaowen's reign, Zhou Xiu died peacefully and was given the posthumous title of Zhen Marquis. His son Chang inherited the title of Marquis but later committed a crime and lost his title. In the second year of Emperor Xiaojing's reign, Zhou Xiu's son Ju was made a Marquis. In the third year of Yuanding, Ju was appointed Grand Minister, but he also committed a crime and had his title revoked. According to Sima Qian, Marquis of Yangling Fu Kuan and Marquis of Xinwu Jin She were high-ranking officials. They followed Liu Bang from the very beginning of the Shandong uprising, fought against Xiang Yu, killed many famous generals, took countless cities and captured many soldiers, yet never faced any hardship. This is truly a reward from heaven! Marquis of Kuaicheng Zhou Xiu was a man of integrity and diligence; Liu Bang always trusted him. Every time Liu Bang went to war, Zhou Xiu would weep at each farewell, showing how incredibly loyal and kind he was—a truly admirable man!
