Zhang Dehui's Translation of Fifty Biographies of Yuan History

Zhang Dehui, whose real name is Yao Qing, is from Jiaocheng, Jining. When I was young, I studied very hard, and I was admitted after taking the township examination. Jin Zhen. Over the years, she found a part-time job in Yushitai. At that time, a fortune teller was robbed and killed, and the government pursued him, arrested a monk and hid a woman, thinking that the monk was the murderer and forced him to confess. Dehui suspected that this was an unjust case, and later caught the thief who really killed people. Both Zhao Bingwen and Yang Youzao attach great importance to their own materials. After Kim's death, Dehui crossed the Yellow River in the north, and Shi appointed him as an experience officer. In the seventh year of Emperor Taizong's reign (1235), he went south with the army and made suggestions for Tianze. Tian tried to kill the deserter, but Dehui stopped him. Farmers in Gwangju Mountain built a village to defend themselves, and Heaven wanted to occupy it. Dehui advised them to surrender and let the farmers in the village escape the disaster of a lance.

In the second year of his reign (1247), sai-jo summoned Dehui in the palace and asked him, "Confucius has been dead for a long time. Where is the sex he said now? " Answered: "saints and heaven and earth will always be together, everywhere." Your highness can be a saint, and Confucius' nature is here. "He asked," some people say that Liao died because he believed in Buddhism, and Jin died because he was a good Confucian. Is this true? " The answer is: "The ministers of the Liao Dynasty didn't know everything, but the rulers saw it with their own eyes. Although one or two Confucian ministers were used in the massacre, the rest were hereditary military commanders, and Confucian ministers were not allowed to participate in military affairs. Only about one-thirtieth people use Confucian scholars as executioners. Someone should be responsible for the survival of Jin State. What happened to Confucianism? Sai-jo nodded and asked Dehui, "Our ancestors' statutes are all there, but many of them have not been implemented. What are we going to do? "Dehui pointed to the silver plate metaphor and said," To create a great national cause, such as making this kind of silverware, we must select platinum craftsmen, make it according to certain rules, and then pass it on to future generations, so that it will spread endlessly. "But it should be put in the hands of cautious and kind people, and it will always be a treasure. Otherwise, it is not only damaged, but also in danger of being stolen. " Sai-jo pondered for a long time and said, "I will never forget this." When asked about talents in the Central Plains, Dehui cited more than 20 people, including Wei,, and. He asked again, "Why do farmers work hard but lack food and clothing?" Dehui replied: "Agriculture and mulberry are the foundation of the world and the source of food and clothing. Farmers plow fields and work hard all the year round, giving the best to the officials and leaving the rough ones to more adoptive parents and children. Local officials extort and plunder everything. How can people not be frozen and hungry? "

In the spring of the third year, he held a memorial ceremony for Confucius. Sai-jo asked Dehui, "Why should we pay homage to Confucius?" The answer is: "Confucius is the teacher of world masters from generation to generation, so emperors all respected him." His temple was built very solemnly, and sacrifices were made on time. Restoring him or not is neither beneficial nor harmful to the sage, but we can see how the king respects Confucianism and values Taoism. "sai-jo said," from now on, this gift should not be abolished. " He asked, "Which is the most harmful to the people, leading troops or governing the people?" The answer is: "it is not light that the army has no discipline and lets it be cruel;" The officials who govern the people blackmail the people and poison the world, making the people of their ancestors particularly harmful in the mud. " Sai-jo was silent. After a while, he asked, "What should I do?" Dehui replied: "Mo Ruo sent a sage of the royal family, such as a warm-hearted person, to take charge of the military power; "In the old society, people like Hu Duhu were in charge of civil affairs, and everyone in the world was blessed by the emperor."

That summer, Dehui asked for leave and went home. Before he left, he recommended several people, including Bai Wenju, Zheng Xianzhi, Zhao Yuande, Gao Ming, Li. When bidding farewell to the emperor, he also played seven things that Chen should do first: advocating filial piety, selecting talents, observing people's feelings, paying attention to listening to various opinions, getting close to gentlemen, punishing those who reward and punish, and saving money. Sai-jo called Zhang Dehui by his first name, gave him a seat and gave him a generous reward. Soon, Dehui was ordered to educate Lolo, the son of the nobility. In the second year of Xianzong (1252), Dehui and Yuan Yu appeared before the Northern Emperor and asked Sai-jo to be a master of Confucianism, which Sai-jo accepted gladly. Dehui and others further began to play: "All dynasties aimed at exempting Confucian soldiers from paying taxes and begged the relevant government departments to do so." Sai-jo agreed and asked Dehui to lead and manage the affairs of Zhending School.

When Sai-jo ascended the throne, Dehui was appointed as Fu Xuan's special envoy to Hedong North-South Road. As soon as he got off the bus, he attacked the strongmen, deposed corrupt officials and shared the tax burden. The old man in his seventies and eighties looked at him from hundreds of miles away and said, "I haven't seen such a peaceful government in sixty years." Worship dehui as god. After the war, some poor people relied on the protection of powerful people, while others helped people get enough food and clothing. Over time, they were suppressed into slaves. Dehui put them all back home.

In the second year of Yuan Dynasty (1265), among the ten ways to evaluate local officials' achievements, virtuous benefits is the best. When he met the emperor, the emperor comforted him and ordered him to explain the urgent things that should be done at present. He did four things: first, he recruited talents by strict recommendation system; Second, pay salaries to keep officials honest and give full play to their talents; Third, change the hereditary system of official positions and move the capital to other countries; Fourth, the punishment should be fair, and Amnesty should not be repeated. The emperor praised and adopted it. Transfer to Dongping Road as an ambassador. Dongping is heavy and there are many lawsuits, one to five times more than Hedong. When it comes to corrupt officials, it is tighter and more tolerant. Dehui demanded that the people be exempted from paying 200,000 tons of beans and millet from afar, and asked the government to buy100,000 tons of millet from the people to offset the number. The widow Ma Shi wanted to sell her daughter to pay the taxes she owed, so Dehui paid for her with her own salary and was exempted from future taxes.