韓長孺列傳

Han Anguo, the Censor-in-Chief, was from Chengan in Liang. He studied the teachings of Han Feizi and the Miscellaneous School under the scholar Zou Tian. He served King Xiao of Liang as a general during the Wu-Chu Rebellion, holding the eastern border so that Wu could not pass through Liang. His fame was established alongside the general Zhang Yu.

When King Xiao of Liang overstepped his privileges, angering the emperor, Han Anguo was sent as envoy to the court. He wept before the Grand Princess and said: "How filial the King of Liang has been! When the seven kingdoms rebelled, Liang alone stood as a barrier." The Grand Princess conveyed this to Empress Dowager Dou, who told the emperor. The emperor relented, took off his cap, and apologized.

Later, when Han Anguo was convicted and imprisoned, a jailer named Tian Jia humiliated him. Anguo said: "Can dead ashes not catch fire again?" The jailer sneered: "If they do, I will piss on them." Soon after, Han Anguo was appointed Internal Secretary of Liang, rising from convict to high official. The jailer fled. Han Anguo said: "If Tian Jia does not report for duty, I will destroy his clan." Tian Jia came and bared his shoulders to beg forgiveness. Han Anguo laughed: "You may urinate now! Are men like you worth bothering with?" He treated Tian Jia well thereafter.

When King Xiao's agents assassinated Yuan Ang, the emperor sent investigators. Han Anguo wept before the king, warning him that harboring the assassins was suicidal. The king surrendered the culprits, who killed themselves. The crisis was resolved entirely through Han Anguo's efforts.

After Empress Dowager Dou's death, Tian Fen became Chancellor and Han Anguo became Censor-in-Chief. When the Xiongnu requested a peace treaty, the court debated. Wang Hui, an experienced border official, argued for war. Han Anguo argued for peace: "Fighting a thousand li from home never brings profit. The Xiongnu move like birds — they cannot be controlled. Gaining their land adds nothing; gaining their people adds no strength. Since ancient times they have never been governed. Even a spent crossbow's bolt cannot pierce thin silk; even a dying gust cannot lift a feather." The emperor approved the peace treaty.

The following year (134 BC), a merchant from Mayi proposed luring the Shanyu into an ambush. Han troops — over 200,000 cavalry and infantry, including generals Li Guang, Gongsun He, and Wang Hui, with Han Anguo as commanding general — hid in the valleys around Mayi. But the Shanyu, finding the countryside suspiciously empty of people, captured a border officer who revealed the trap. The Shanyu withdrew. Wang Hui's force of 30,000, which was to attack the Xiongnu baggage train, also withdrew when the main attack failed. The emperor was furious. Wang Hui privately bribed Tian Fen, who tried to intercede through Empress Dowager Wang. The emperor refused: "Wang Hui proposed this plan and we committed the entire army to it. Even if the ambush failed, attacking the baggage train would have been some consolation." Wang Hui was forced to commit suicide.

Han Anguo was a man of broad vision and loyalty, though greedy for wealth. He recommended only men of integrity superior to himself. He nearly became Chancellor but fell from his carriage and was crippled; the emperor appointed Xue Ze instead. Han Anguo recovered and was made Commandant of the Capital, then Commandant of the Guards.

When Wei Qing defeated the Xiongnu at Longcheng, Li Guang was captured and escaped, and Gongsun Ao lost most of his troops. Han Anguo was sent to garrison Yuyang. He captured a prisoner who reported the Xiongnu had withdrawn far away. Han Anguo sent a memorial requesting the garrison be stood down. A month later, the Xiongnu launched a massive raid, killing or capturing over a thousand people from Han Anguo's garrison of only 700 defenders. The emperor was furious and transferred him eastward.

Han Anguo, who had begun as Censor-in-Chief and commanding general, was gradually marginalized as younger, more aggressive commanders like Wei Qing rose. Humiliated by the Xiongnu attack and his own declining fortunes, he fell into depression, coughing blood. He died a few months later in 127 BC.

The Grand Historian remarks: I worked with Hu Sui on calendar reform and observed Han Changru's sense of justice and Hu Sui's deep and hidden goodness. Those who say Liang produced many men of integrity do not speak in vain.