程淘谱序英文版

程攻

Regrettably, I was brought into the world during a time of conflict. My days were consumed with military responsibilities, leaving little room for anything else. When I reflect on the splendid accomplishments of my forebears, I am struck by how ordinary I seem in comparison. These thoughts often bring me to tears, drenching the bedding with the salty droplets.

Although I long for world peace, achieving it is not an easy task. As I approach my seventies, the reality of my impending death looms over me. Despite holding the title of army chief in our small boulder village, our forces have been unable to conquer even the neighboring villages. The remnants of rebellions continue to pillage and wreak havoc, and I cannot predict when peace will finally come. It saddens me to watch the sunset, knowing that we are still besieged by these rebels. Looking at the buildings in our town brings tears to my eyes. My ambitions and dreams remain unfulfilled, and I am at a loss for words when I try to express myself. Even though our clan’s cemetery still stands, it is now overgrown with thorns instead of flowers. Our once-beautiful east mansion has been reduced to a barricade. Thievery and robbery run rampant in the neighboring villages, and many civilians have succumbed to starvation and exposure, leaving their bones to bleach in the wilderness. The houses and fields lay vacant and broken, with deer wandering through the unclaimed land. The rebellions continue to extort taxes from the people, and soldiers are a common sight as conflicts erupt frequently. Amidst all this political turmoil, recording our genealogy has become an arduous task. Our original genealogy book has been burned to ashes, and I see no point in dishonoring our ancestors by serving a country that is so difficult to serve. During the brief moments of respite from war, I have taken it upon myself to record our lineage.

My lineage can be traced back to Lord Zhongzhuang, with thirteen generations separating us. Huangdun was our ancestral home, and in 878 AD during the Duanwu Festival, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival, our clan was invaded and forced to flee by Chao Huang's army. The raiders occupied our mansions and looted our possessions, leaving little behind. Later, Chao Huang rebelled against the king, throwing the country into chaos. This was the most significant rebellion since the "An Shi Rebellion."

My brother Yun and I discussed how to survive in such tumultuous times. Eventually, Keyong Li and Wen Zhu reclaimed the capital - Chang'an from Chao Huang’s rebellions. During that period of time the household registration throughout the country is significantly reduced. In places where Chao Huang's army had been, the situation was dire. Aftermath, some old people and children returned home, but my brother Yun Cheng warned that dangers could still be imminent. He proposed that we unite to protect ourselves by leveraging the natural shape of Eastern Secret Boulder (Dong Mi Yan) , engage in cultivation and weaving during peaceful times, and take up arms to defend ourselves when dangers arose. The villagers agreed and elected my brother Yun Cheng as the army chief of the boulder village, where we set up camp on top of Eastern Secret Boulder.

Thieves such as Hao Bi, Xiantong Yang, Chongba Li, Duan Sun, Gao Cha, Ru Chen, and Zhu Fan arrived one after another, sometimes with as few as 1-2,000 people, and other times with as many as 40-50,000. Despite their numbers, none of them could penetrate the defenses of our boulder village.

On the leap month's third day in the first year of Guangqi (885 AD), Ru Chen marched his troops from Liyang to Eastern Secret Boulder. The two armies battled fiercely from noon till nightfall, and this continued for several days. In the end, Ru Chen's troops were unable to conquer Eastern Secret Boulder. Despite the neighboring boulder villages being overtaken, my brother Yun Cheng rallied the villagers to join forces and lend their support. Although fatigued and drowsy, they fought with renewed vigor. My brother Yun Cheng managed to secure the backing of all the villagers. He explained that the bandits were not endowed by the King. Those bandits were wary of my brother Yun Cheng and his people.

In 893 AD, during the second year of Jingfu, Xingmi Yang, the Imperial Lieutenant, dispatched his general, Jun Tian, to reclaim the land. While all the other villages surrendered, My brother Yun Cheng refused to do so and held onto Eastern Secret Boulder. Jun Tian sent a message to Yun Cheng through a messenger, stating that Xingmi Yang had been appointed by the royal court to manage southeast China, and they were not bandits. My brother Yun Cheng replied that our reason for protecting themselves was to safeguard our people, who had enjoyed three hundred years of peace from being captured by bandits. If Jun Tian's statement was true, then we had no further demands.

General Jun Tian then visited the boulder village alone, and my brother Yun Cheng presented him with a well-organized army. Impressed, Jun Tian praised Yun Cheng's military prowess. Yun Cheng, in turn, requested that Xingmi Yang appoint a subordinate to work with him and station at the Eastern Secret Boulder to prevent the Qian clan's expansion, as their base was in Wuyue (nowadays Zhejiang Province). Meanwhile, Xingmi Yang's attempt to capture Ru Sun's remaining troops failed. As a result, he accepted Yun Cheng's proposal and appointed Ya Tao as the governor of She County, Yun Cheng as the vice military commander of She County, Royal Military Minister, the General of Eastern Secret Boulder, and the Guardian of Horse Gold Ridge (Ma Jin Ling). Zhen Cheng was also appointed as Yun Cheng's deputy. With the army significantly strengthened, they were able to conquer Fuxuan, Yishan, Rongshan, Dingshan, and other places. Subsequently, weapons and armor were stockpiled at the Eastern Secret Boulder.

My brother Yun Cheng retired after a long military career due to his old age and  asked to hand over the troop to Zhen Cheng. However, the government sent Yan Cheng, the deputy commander of She County, to take charge instead. My brother Yun Cheng returned home and fell ill, passed away soon after. A month later, Yan Cheng and Zhen Cheng fought and bullied each other, causing the soldiers to lose faith in them. Ya Tao was scared because She County was in contact with Zhejiang and Eastern Secret Boulder was a crucial defense base against the Qian clan. Fortunately, Ying Tao, a counselor in the She government, suggested appointing me to lead the army at Eastern Secret Boulder. I was honored to be appointed as the general of Eastern Secret Boulder, and upon my arrival, the soldiers were thrilled.

I didn't have a magic solution, but I chose to re-implement the rules that my brother Yun Cheng had previously created. I observed that there were numerous exiled people, and the remaining population was less than 200 households. After evaluating the annual taxes, food reserves, military supplies purchases, and miscellaneous expenses, I privately sighed and thought about how future generations might take their peaceful lives for granted. They may not realize the hard work and sacrifice of their ancestors and become entitled and pessimistic. That's why I wrote this genealogy book, to ensure that the descendants of the Cheng clan will always remember this important chapter of our clan’s history.

Tao Cheng

Translated by Gong Cheng, 2023.

程宗成

怎么用英文啊?看不懂哦！