皐 Gāo
Biography
臯字子蘭，少補左司禦兵曹參軍。天寶十一載嗣王。事母太妃鄭以孝聞。安祿山反，奉母逃民間，間走蜀，謁玄宗，由都水使者遷左領軍將軍。上元初旱歉，臯祿不足養，請補外，不許，乃故抵輕法，貶溫州長史，俄攝州事。州大饑，發官廩數十萬石賑餓者，僚史叩庭請先以聞，臯曰：「人日不再食且死，可俟命後發哉？茍殺我而活眾，其利大矣！」既貸，乃自劾，優詔開許，就進少府監。時殿中侍御史李鈞與其弟京兆法曹參軍鍔宦既遂，不肯還鄉，母窮不自給。臯行縣見之，嘆曰：「入則孝，出則悌，有餘力則學。若二子者可與事君乎哉？」舉劾之，並錮死。召還，未得見，即上書言治道，詔授衡州刺史，為觀察使謾劾，貶潮州。會楊炎起道州為宰相，知臯直，復用為衡州刺史。初，御史覆訊，臯懼憂其母，出則囚服，入乃衣冠，貌言如平常。及為潮，以遷入告。至是復位，乃言其實。建中元年，進拜湖南觀察使。前帥辛京杲貪虐，使部將王國良戍武岡，賴其富，即劾以死，國良恐，據縣反，斂荊、黔、洪、桂兵討之，再歲不能下。臯至，遺書曰：「觀將軍非敢大逆者，特逃讒抗死爾！將軍遇我，可以降，我固為京杲誣者，幸蒙雪，何忍以兵加將軍哉？以為不然，我以陣術破將軍陣，以攻法屠將軍城，非將軍所度也。」國良得書，喜且畏，因請降，然內尚首鼠。臯即日單騎稱使者造國良壘，賊延使者入，臯大呼其軍曰：「有識曹王者乎？乃我也。來受良降，良今安在？」一軍愕眙，不敢動，國良迎拜，叩頭請罪。臯執手，約為昆弟，則盡焚攻守具，散其兵。有詔赦之，賜名惟新。
Gao, styled Zilan, was appointed when young Administrator of the Military Section of the Left Guard Command of the Heir Apparent. In the eleventh year of Tianbao he succeeded as prince. He was known for his filial devotion to his mother, the Prince's Dowager Consort, of the Zheng clan. When An Lushan rebelled, he took his mother and fled among the common people, then made his way by back roads to Shu and presented himself to Xuanzong, and was moved from Commissioner of Waterways to General of the Left Army Guard. At the start of Shangyuan there was drought and a poor harvest, and Gao's salary was not enough to support his mother. He asked to be posted outside the capital and was refused, so he deliberately committed a minor offense and was demoted to Administrator of Wen Prefecture, and soon he was acting head of the prefecture. There was a great famine in the prefecture, and he opened the government granaries and gave out several hundred thousand shi of grain to the starving. His officials came to his court and begged him to report it first, but Gao said: "If people go a day without two meals they will die; can we wait for orders before giving out grain? If killing me saves the multitude, the gain is great!" When the grain had been lent out, he impeached himself, and a gracious edict pardoned and approved it, and he was promoted on the spot to Director of the Palace Workshops. At that time the Palace Censor Li Jun and his younger brother E, Aide for Law of Jingzhao, had done well in office but would not go home, and their mother was too poor to support herself. Gao saw this while touring the counties and sighed: "At home be filial, abroad be respectful to elders, and with strength to spare, study. Can such men as these two be fit to serve a ruler?" He impeached them, and both were barred from office until they died. He was recalled to the capital, and before he could have an audience he sent up a letter on the way of government. By edict he was appointed Prefect of Hengzhou, but the Surveillance Commissioner falsely impeached him and he was demoted to Chao Prefecture. Just then Yang Yan was raised from Dao Prefecture to be Chief Minister, and knowing Gao to be upright he made him Prefect of Hengzhou again. Earlier, when the censors were re-examining his case, Gao, fearing his mother would worry, wore a prisoner's clothes when he went out and his cap and robes when he came home, and his looks and words were as usual. When he was sent to Chao, he told her it was a promotion. Only now, restored to his post, did he tell her the truth. In the first year of Jianzhong he was promoted and appointed Surveillance Commissioner of Hunan. The previous commander, Xin Jinggao, was greedy and cruel. He had sent his subordinate general Wang Guoliang to garrison Wugang and, coveting his wealth, impeached him on a capital charge. Guoliang, frightened, seized the county and rebelled, and troops of Jing, Qian, Hong and Gui were gathered to campaign against him, but for two years they could not take it. When Gao arrived he sent him a letter saying: "I see that you, General, are not a man who would dare to commit great treason; you are only escaping slander and resisting death! You can surrender to me. I too was falsely accused by Jinggao and have been lucky enough to be cleared; how could I bear to turn my troops on you? If you think otherwise, I will break your formation by the art of battle and slaughter your city by the methods of siege, in ways you cannot foresee." When Guoliang received the letter he was glad and afraid, and asked to surrender, though at heart he still wavered. That same day Gao rode alone to Guoliang's camp, calling himself an envoy. The rebels invited the envoy in, and Gao called out loudly to the army: "Does anyone here know the Prince of Cao? It is I. I have come to accept Liang's surrender; where is Liang now?" The whole army stared in astonishment and dared not move. Guoliang came out to bow to him, knocking his head on the ground and asking to be punished. Gao took his hand and swore to be his brother, and Guoliang then burned all his weapons of attack and defense and dispersed his troops. By edict he was pardoned and given the name Weixin. Edit
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明年，持母喪至江陵。會梁崇義反，奪為左衛大將軍，復觀察湖南。李希烈反，遷江西節度使。受命日，不宿家，至豫章，大令將吏曰：「有功未申與懷器謀不發者，皆自言。」得裨校伊慎、李伯潛、劉旻，悉補大將。擢王鍔為中軍，以馬彜、許孟容為幕府。治戰艦，裒兵二萬，以士二千五百委慎等教之。自將五百人，教以秦兵團力法，聯其賞罰，弛張如一，乃約以五百人擊慎卒二千五百，莫能當其鋒，即盡以教之。初，慎嘗從希烈平襄州，至是，希烈懼為臯用，即反間，德宗信之，將誅慎，臯請赦之，使自效。會與賊夾江陣，臯勉慎立功，以所乘馬及其鎧賜之，使將先鋒，斬賊數百級，乃免。
賊柵蔡山不可攻，臯聲言西取蘄，引兵艦循崖溯江上。賊聞，以羸師保柵，悉軍行江北，與臯直。西去蔡山三百里，臯遣步士悉登舟，順流下，攻蔡山，拔之。間一日，賊救至，遂大敗，乃取蘄州，降其將李良，平黃州，兵益振。
會舒王為元帥，授臯前軍兵馬使。俄而天子狩奉天，鹽鐵使包佶為陳少遊所窘，以運艚溯江，次蘄口，希烈使杜少誠將步騎三萬將絕江道，臯遣伊慎兵七千禦於永安，走之。以功進工部尚書。帝駐梁州，臯之貢助相望。以天子處外，乃不敢居城府，出屯西塞山大洲，徙郡縣為軍市。改戶部尚書。又遣伊慎、王鍔攻安州，未下，希烈遣劉戒虛以步騎八千援之，臯命李伯潛迎擊於應山，俘之，遂下安州，斬偽刺史王嘉祥。希烈別遣兵援隋州，臯破之厲鄉，因下平靜、白雁關，賊遂不敢南略。遷荊南節度使，賜實封三百戶。凡戰大小三十二，取州五、縣二十，斬首三萬三千，禽生萬六千，未嘗敗。師所過，不敢伐桑棗、踐禾稼。朝廷仰食江淮，而西道出九江，至大別，皆與賊接，臯轉戰數千里，餉路遂通，江漢倚臯為固。淮西平，乃請護喪歸東都，帝走中人赗吊。訖葬來朝，還就鎮。初，江陵東北傍漢有古鄣，不治，歲輒溢。臯修塞之，得其下良田五千頃。規江南廢洲為廬舍，構二橋跨江，而流人自占者二千餘家。繇荊抵樂鄉二百里，其間墟聚凡數十，不井飲，臯始命鑿井以便人。貞元初，吳少誠擅蔡，故徙臯鎮山南東道，割隋、汝以益軍，練兵峙糧，市回鶻馬以益戰騎，歲時大畋以教士，少誠畏之。臯性勤儉，能知人疾苦。參聽微隱，盡得吏下短長，其賞罰必信。所至常平物估，豪舉不得擅其利。教為戰艦，挾二輪蹈之，鼓水疾進，駛於陣馬。有所造作，皆用省而利長。以物遺人，必自視衡量，庫帛皆印署，以杜吏謾。扶鳳馬彜未知名，臯識之，卒以正直稱。張柬之有園圃在襄陽，臯嘗宴集，將市取之。彜曰：「漢陽有中興功，今遺業當百世共保，奈何使其子孫鬻乎？」臯謝曰：「主吏失詞，以為君羞，微君安得聞此言？」卒年六十，贈尚書右僕射，謚曰成。臯嘗自創意為欹器，以飖木上出五觚，下銳圓，為盂形，所容二豆，少則水弱，多則強，中則水器力均，雖動搖，乃不覆云。
The next year Gao escorted his mother's coffin to Jiangling. Just then Liang Chongyi rebelled, and Gao was called back from mourning to be General-in-Chief of the Left Guard and once more Surveillance Commissioner of Hunan. When Li Xilie rebelled, he was moved to Military Commissioner of Jiangxi. On the day he received the appointment he did not spend the night at home. When he reached Yuzhang he issued a great order to his generals and officers: "Anyone whose merit has not been made known, and anyone who holds talent and plans that have not been put to use, is to speak for himself." He found the junior officers Yi Shen, Li Boqian and Liu Min, and made them all senior generals. He raised Wang E to command the center army, and took Ma Yi and Xu Mengrong onto his staff. He fitted out warships and gathered twenty thousand troops, giving two thousand five hundred men to Shen and the others to train. He himself took five hundred men and taught them the Qin soldiers' method of fighting as one body, linking their rewards and punishments so that they tightened and slackened as one. Then he arranged for his five hundred to attack Shen's two thousand five hundred, and none could stand against their edge, so he taught the method to them all. Earlier, Shen had once followed Xilie in pacifying Xiang Prefecture, and now Xilie, fearing that he would be of use to Gao, sowed discord. Dezong believed it and was going to put Shen to death, but Gao asked that he be pardoned and allowed to prove himself. When the two sides were drawn up on either bank of the river, Gao urged Shen to win merit, gave him the horse he rode and his own armor, and put him in command of the vanguard; Shen cut off several hundred rebel heads, and so was spared. Edit
The rebels had a stockade on Mount Cai that could not be attacked. Gao gave out that he would go west to take Qi Prefecture, and led his warships upstream along the cliffs. Hearing this, the rebels left weak troops to hold the stockade and moved their whole army along the north bank of the river to face Gao. When he was three hundred li west of Mount Cai, Gao put all his foot soldiers aboard the ships, went downstream, attacked Mount Cai and took it. A day later the rebels' relief force arrived and was utterly defeated. He then took Qi Prefecture, received the surrender of its general Li Liang and pacified Huang Prefecture, and his army grew in strength and spirit. Edit
When the Prince of Shu was made Grand Marshal, Gao was appointed Military Commander of the Vanguard. Soon after, the Son of Heaven took refuge at Fengtian. Bao Ji, the Salt and Iron Commissioner, hard pressed by Chen Shaoyou, was taking transport boats up the Yangtze and had stopped at Qikou when Xilie sent Du Shaocheng with thirty thousand foot and horse to cut the river route; Gao sent Yi Shen with seven thousand men to hold them off at Yong'an, and drove them away. For this he was promoted to Minister of Works. While the Emperor was halted at Liang Prefecture, Gao's envoys bringing tribute and aid followed one after another. Because the Son of Heaven was away from his capital, Gao did not dare to live in the city offices, but went out and camped on the great island by Mount Xisai, moving the commandery and county there as an army market. He was changed to Minister of Revenue. He also sent Yi Shen and Wang E to attack An Prefecture; it had not fallen when Xilie sent Liu Jiexu with eight thousand foot and horse to relieve it. Gao ordered Li Boqian to meet them at Yingshan, and he captured them; An Prefecture then fell, and the false Prefect Wang Jiaxiang was beheaded. Xilie sent another force to relieve Sui Prefecture, and Gao defeated it at Lixiang and went on to take the Pingjing and Baiyan Passes, after which the rebels did not dare to raid southward. He was moved to Military Commissioner of Jingnan and granted an actual fief of three hundred households. In all he fought thirty-two battles great and small, took five prefectures and twenty counties, cut off thirty-three thousand heads and captured sixteen thousand men alive, and was never defeated. Where his army passed, none dared to cut down mulberry or jujube trees or trample the crops. The court depended on the Jiang and Huai regions for food, but the western route out of Jiujiang as far as Dabie bordered the rebels all the way; Gao fought his way over several thousand li, the supply route was opened, and the Jiang and Han regions relied on Gao for their safety. When Huaixi was pacified, he asked to escort his mother's coffin back to the Eastern Capital, and the Emperor sent a eunuch with gifts for the funeral and condolences. After the burial he came to court and then returned to his post. Earlier, northeast of Jiangling along the Han River, there had been an old dike that was not kept up, and the river overflowed every year. Gao repaired and closed it and gained five thousand qing of good farmland below it. He laid out houses on the abandoned islands south of the river and built two bridges across it, and more than two thousand households of displaced people came and registered themselves there. Over the two hundred li from Jing to Lexiang there were several dozen villages in all, and none drew water from wells; Gao for the first time ordered wells to be dug for the people's convenience. At the start of Zhenyuan, because Wu Shaocheng had seized Cai on his own authority, Gao was moved to command Shannan East Circuit, and Sui and Ru were taken from other commands to add to his army. He trained troops, stored grain, and bought Uighur horses to add to his war cavalry, and held great hunts at the proper seasons to train his men, and Shaocheng feared him. Gao was diligent and frugal by nature and understood the people's hardships. He listened widely and looked into hidden things, learning all the strengths and failings of his officials and subordinates, and his rewards and punishments were always kept. Wherever he went he kept prices steady, so that the rich and powerful could not take the profits for themselves. He had warships built with two wheels, one on each side, worked by treadles, which churned the water and drove them forward faster than a charging horse. Whatever he made used little and served long. When he gave things to people he always weighed and measured them himself, and the silk in the storehouses was all stamped and signed, to stop the clerks' cheating. Ma Yi of Fufeng was not yet known when Gao recognized his worth, and in the end he was known for his uprightness. Zhang Jianzhi had a garden at Xiangyang, and once when Gao was holding a banquet he was about to buy it. Ma Yi said: "The Prince of Hanyang had merit in restoring the dynasty, and the property he left should be protected by all for a hundred generations; how can his descendants be made to sell it?" Gao apologized: "My officer in charge spoke amiss, and has shamed you; but for you, how would I have heard these words?" He died at sixty and was posthumously made Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs, with the posthumous name Cheng. Gao once devised a tilting vessel of his own design. It was made of light wood, with five angled points rising from the top and a pointed, rounded base, shaped like a bowl, holding two dou. With too little water it was weak, with too much it was strong, and with the right amount the water and the vessel were in balance, so that even when it was shaken it did not overturn, it is said. Edit
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Source: 新唐书 卷八十 列传第五 太宗诸子 (New Book of Tang, juan 80, Biographies 5: Sons of Taizong)
Source
From the historical record: the notes below say where · tang-zongshi-01878
Notes (2)
- [Source] 新唐书 卷七十下 表第十下 宗室世系下 New Book of Tang, juan 70B, Table 10B: Genealogical Table of the Imperial Clan, part 2
- [Collation note] 表中此格作「嗣成王、江南東道節度使、戶部尚書皐，字子蘭」。 The table’s cell reads: “Gāo, Prince of Cheng by Succession, Military Commissioner of Jiangnan East Circuit, Minister of Revenue; courtesy name Zǐlán”.