Bao Xun
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Bao Xun | |
|---|---|
| 鮑勛 | |
| Right General of the Household (右中郎將) | |
| In office c. 220–226 | |
| Monarch | Cao Pi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Unknown Xintai, Shandong |
| Died | 226 Luoyang, Henan |
| Parent |
|
| Occupation | Politician |
| Courtesy name | Shuye (叔業) |
Bao Xun (died 9 June 226[1]), courtesy name Shuye, was a Chinese politician of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He was appointed as a minister by Cao Cao in recognition of his father Bao Xin, who was killed in action against the Yellow Turban rebels. Bao Xun was known to be an outspoken minister who would not hesitate to criticise anyone for their mistakes, including his lord. The Wei emperor Cao Pi was frustrated and angry with Bao Xun for his outspoken nature that he demoted Bao several times during his reign. Eventually, Cao Pi grew tired of Bao Xun and ordered his execution.
Family
[edit]Born in Pingyang, Taishan, Bao Xun was the ninth generation from a capital general in the Han dynasty named Bao Xuan, some of whose offspring moved from Shangdang to Taishan and settled thereafter. [2] Bao Xun's father, Bao Xin, was killed in a battle with Yellow Turban Army in the Province of Yan but saved Cao Cao's life with his sacrifice. [3] Bao Xun's elder brother, Bao Shao, was anointed the Marquis of Xinduting by Cao Cao in the seventeenth year of Jian'an (Eastern Han) (212 CE) as remembrance of his father's contribution. [4]
In the twenty-second year of Jian'an, when Cao Pi was appointed as the heir to Cao Cao, Bao Xun became an educator to Cao Pi. [5] That Bao did not yield to Cao Pi's power and performed his duty fairly agitated Cao Pi throughout his reign. [6] An incident triggered the distaste of Cao Pi when his brother-in-law, a petty official of Qu Zhou, was found stealing some cloths from official inventory. Regardless of Cao Pi's couple of letters to beg for pardon on behalf of his brother-in-law, Bao did not conceal the crime which should have sentenced whom to death, by which Cao Pi was further agitated, to an extent that he secretly ordered other civil servants to report Bao for his sack from the government. [7]
After Cao Pi's succession to Cao Cao's lordship and subsequently the empire from Han dynasty, Bao Xun repeatedly emphasised the priority of army, agriculture and benevolence rule over palace constructions. [8]
Throughout Cao Pi's reign, Bao Xun had twice confronted severely with Cao Pi. The first one was on hunting as imperial leisure and the second one on military expedition. In both cases Bao held a remarkable opposition against his monarch.
At one time Cao Pi went for gaming while Bao halted Cao's vehicle for protest, stating the importance of virtuous rule over hunting. Cao nevertheless went after destroying Bao's protest letter with his bare hand. [9] In the midst of this hunting, Cao asked his subordinates to compare the joy of music with that of hunting. While Liu Ye replied hunting more joyful than music, Bao protested with his statement that music had the peaceful and educational nature; in contrary, hunting brought harm to lives and danger to the monarch. [10] Thus he accused Liu for flattery, requesting an appraisal of his wrongdoing, by which Cao felt deeply annoyed to a point that he immediately returned and lowered Bao's rank to a minor official. [11]
See also
[edit]- Lists of people of the Three Kingdoms
- Chinese Text Project. Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi). Fascicle 12 Biography of Bao Xun.
References
[edit]- ^ Bao Xun's biography in Sanguozhi indicated that he died about 20 days (2 xun) before Cao Pi, who died on 29 June 226.
- ^ 鮑勛字叔業，泰山平陽人也，漢司隸校尉鮑宣九世孫。宣后嗣有從上党徙泰山者，遂家焉。 - Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 太祖以賊恃勝而驕，欲設奇兵挑擊之於壽張。先與信出行戰地，後步軍未至，而卒與賊遇，遂接戰。信殊死戰，以救太祖，太祖僅得潰圍出，信遂沒，時年四十一。- Book of Wei cited in Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Annotated Records of the Three Kingdom, Pei SongZhi
- ^ 建安十七年，太祖追錄信功，表封勛兄邵新都亭侯。 - Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 二十二年，立太子，以勳為中庶子。- Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 勳前在東宮，守正不撓，太子固不能悅 - Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 太子郭夫人弟為曲周縣吏，斷盜官布，法應棄市。太祖時在譙，太子留鄴，數手書為之請罪。勳不敢擅縱，具列上。勳前在東宮，守正不撓，太子固不能悅，及重此事，恚望滋甚。會郡界休兵有失期者，密敕中尉奏免勳官。- Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 文帝受禪，勳每陳「今之所急，唯在軍農，寬惠百姓。台榭苑囿，宜以為後。」- Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 文帝將出遊獵，勛停車上疏曰：『臣聞五帝三王，靡不明本立教，以孝治天下【……】如何在諒闇之中，修馳騁之事乎！【……】』帝手毀其表而競行獵 - Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 中道頓息，問侍臣曰：『獵之爲樂，何如八音也？』侍中劉曄對曰：『獵勝於樂。』勛抗辭曰：『夫樂，上通神明，下和人理，隆治致化，萬邦咸乂。移風易俗，莫善於樂。況獵，暴華蓋於原野，傷生育之至理，櫛風沐雨，不以時隙哉？昔魯隱觀漁於棠，春秋譏之。雖陛下以爲務，愚臣所不原也。』 - Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- ^ 因奏：『劉曄佞諛不忠，阿順陛下過戲之言。昔梁丘據取媚於遄臺，曄之謂也。請有司議罪以清皇廟。』帝怒作色，罷還，即出勛爲右中郎將。 - Biography of Bao Xun, Fascicle 12, Records of the Three Kingdom
- Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Pei, Songzhi (5th century). Annotations to Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi zhu).
