法苑珠林 78.53

78.53

周文帝宇文泰。初為魏丞相。值梁朝喪亂。梁孝元帝為湘東王。時在荊州。時遣使通和。禮好甚至。與泰斷金。立盟結為兄弟。後平侯景。孝元即位。泰猶人臣。不加崇敬。頗行𣣋侮。又求索無厭。或不愜意。遂遣兵襲江陵。俘虜朝士至于民庶。百四十萬口。而害孝元焉。又魏文帝先納茹茹主郁久閭阿那瓌女為后。和親殊篤。害梁主之明年。瓌為齊國所敗破國。率餘眾數千奔魏。而突厥舊與茹茹怨讎。即遣餉泰馬三千匹。求誅瓌等。泰遂許諾。伏突厥兵與瓌謳會。醉便縛之。即日滅郁久閭一姓五百餘人。流血至踝。茹茹臨死。多或仰天而訴。明年冬泰獵於隴右得病。見孝元及瓌為祟。泰發怒肆罵。命索酒與之。兩月日死。

Emperor Wen of the Zhou, Yuwen Tai, was originally the Prime Minister of the Wei. Meeting with the upheavals and collapse of the Liang dynasty, Emperor Xiaoyuan of the Liang, who was then Prince of Xiangdong residing in Jingzhou, frequently sent envoys to make peace, displaying the utmost courtesy and goodwill. Cutting gold, they swore an oath to become brothers. Later, after the pacification of Hou Jing, Xiaoyuan ascended the throne. Tai was still a subject, yet he showed no reverence; instead, he treated [the Liang emperor] with considerable insolence and made insatiable demands. Whenever dissatisfied, he dispatched troops to launch a surprise attack on Jiangling, capturing 1,400,000 people ranging from court officials to commoners, and murdered Xiaoyuan. Furthermore, Emperor Wen of the Wei had earlier taken the daughter of the Rouran ruler Yujiulü Anagui as his empress, establishing an exceptionally close marriage alliance. In the year after the Liang emperor was murdered, Anagui was routed and his state destroyed by Northern Qi; he led the several thousand remaining of his multitude and fled to the Wei. The Turks, however, were ancient blood-enemies of the Rouran, and immediately sent a gift of three thousand horses to Tai, requesting the execution of Anagui and the others. Tai assented, ambushed them with Turkish soldiers during a banquet with Anagui, and when they were drunk, bound them. On that very day, he wiped out more than five hundred people of the Yujiulü clan, blood flowing up to the ankles. Facing death, many of the Rouran looked up to Heaven and made their plea. In the winter of the following year, Tai fell ill while hunting in Longyou; he saw Xiaoyuan and Anagui acting as haunting specters. Tai flew into a rage, reviled them wildly, and ordered wine to be brought to them. Within two months, he died.