Three Kingdoms and Six Dynasties · Official

Cai Zheng 蔡徵

Cài Zhēng

Attested AD 552 - AD 589

Passages: 24
Chapters: 5
Histories: 2

Overview

Cai Zheng was an official.

Other names

Type	English	Chinese	Pinyin
Changed name	Lan	覽	Lan
Courtesy name	Xixiang	希祥	Xixiang

Life and dates

Death

Age Value: 67 · Reckoning: Sui
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 184

Age

67
Reckoning Sui
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 184

Attested activity

AD 588 夏
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 24, passages 183, 185
AD 560 to AD 560 天嘉初
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 161
AD 589 平陳
Dated from the passage context · Book of Sui 52, passage 23
AD 552 to AD 554 梁承聖初
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 160
AD 589 禎明三年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 174
AD 587 禎明元年
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 25, passages 83, 95

Show 2 more source-backed claims

AD 583 至德
Dated from the passage context · Book of Chen 27, passage 165
AD 584 至德二年
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 164

Family

Immediate relationships attested in the translated histories.

Child of Mother of Cai Zheng
mother 母
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 157
Child of Cai Jingli (蔡景歷)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 154
Parent of Cai Yi (蔡翼)
son 子
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 185
Child of Lady Liu (劉氏)
stepmother 繼母 · Step parentage
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 158

Key source chapters

Career and standing

Director of the Palace Guard 領軍
Held
Directly stated · Book of Sui 52, passage 23
minister of personnel 吏部尚書
Held
Directly stated · Book of Chen 27, passage 165
Minister of Personnel 吏部尚書
Held
Directly stated · Book of Chen 24, passage 183
secretariat director 中書令
Transferred
Directly stated · Book of Chen 27, passage 165
Marquis of Xinfeng County 新豐縣侯
Inherited
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 163
Threatened
Nearly executed · Authority Later Lord of Chen (陳後主) · Negated true
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 173

Places and affiliations

Chen 陳
Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Chen 24, passage 183
Polity Sui 隋 · Relation Served
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 183
At the Pass / Guanzhong 關 · Relation Relocated to
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 177

Learning and skills

Skill broad institutional and geographic knowledge 詳究 · Level renowned
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 178-179

Works and attributed material

Speech · Addressee · Speaker Later Lord of Chen (陳後主) · Direct quotation
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 175

Events and relationships

Defended
Military · Commander · At palace city 宮城
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 174, 176
Praised
Political · Supporter · With Later Lord (後主) · Topic making the Prince of Shi'an heir 立始安王為嗣
Directly stated · Book of Chen 24, passage 183
Raised troops
Military · Recruiter · Count 10000
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 170

Assessments and attributes

Assessment clever and talented but stumbled by seizing power · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 190
Assessment given to flattery and advancement · Mode historian-judgment
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passages 180, 182
Assessment had Wang Xiang's filial nature · Mode named-person-judgment Source Person Id Cai Jingli (蔡景歷)
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 159
handsome appearance and eloquence
Physical description
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 178

Source notes

Historicity historical
Directly stated · Book of Chen 27, passage 165
Value historical
Directly stated · Book of Chen 24, passage 183
From Lan 覽 · To Zheng 徵 · Also Styled Xixiang 希祥
Directly stated · Book of Chen 29, passage 159

References in the histories

Search passages

History

24 passages

Book of Chen, Chapter 24Volume 24: Zhou Hongzheng; Yuan Xian · 1 passage

後主欲立寵姬張貴妃子始安王為嗣，嘗從容言之，吏部尚書蔡徵順旨稱賞，憲厲色折之曰：「皇太子國家儲嗣，億兆宅心。 The Later Lord wanted to make the Prince of Shi'an, son of his favorite consort Noble Consort Zhang, his heir, and once mentioned it casually. Minister of Personnel Cai Zheng echoed his wishes and praised the idea, but Xian sternly rebuked him: "The crown prince is the heir of the state, and the hearts of the people rest on him.

Book of Chen, Chapter 25Volume 25: Pei Ji; Sun Yang · 1 passage

及卒，尚書令江總為其志銘，後主又題銘後四十字，遣左民尚書蔡徵宣敕就宅鐫之。 When he died, Secretariat Director Jiang Zong wrote his epitaph. The Last Emperor added forty characters of his own and sent Left Household Minister Cai Zheng with an edict to carve them at Yang's house.

Book of Chen, Chapter 27Volume 27: Jiang Zong; Yao Cha · 1 passage

初，吏部尚書蔡徵移中書令，後主方擇其人，尚書令江總等咸共薦察，敕答曰：「姚察非唯學藝優博，亦是操行清脩，典選難才，今得之矣。」 When minister of personnel Cai Zheng was moved to secretariat director, Houzhu had to choose a successor. Director Jiang Zong and others all recommended Cha. The edict answered, "Yao Cha is not only learned and broad; his conduct is pure and cultivated. The post of selection is hard to fill, and now we have found the man."

Book of Chen, Chapter 29Volume 29: Zong Yuanrao; Sima Shen; Mao Xi; Cai Zheng · 20 passages

宗元饒司馬申毛喜蔡徵 Zong Yuanrao; Sima Shen; Mao Xi; Cai Zheng

如或貪汙是肆，徵賦無猒，天網雖疏，茲焉弗漏。 If greed and corruption are indulged and levies never satisfied, though Heaven's net may be sparse, it will not let this slip through.

遂乃擅行賦斂，專肆貪取，求粟不猒，愧王沉之出賑，徵魚無限，異羊續之懸枯，寘以嚴科，實惟明憲。 Yet he presumptuously imposed levies, monopolized greed and seizure, sought grain without limit—shaming Wang Chen's going out with relief grain; collected fish without bound—differing from Yang Xu's hanging up dried fish; to place him under severe penalty is truly bright law.

禎明元年，徵為光祿大夫，領左驍騎將軍。 In the first year of Zhenming he was summoned as grand master for splendid happiness and left valiant-cavalry general.

喜在郡有惠政，乃徵入朝，道路追送者數百里。 Xi had ruled with kindness; when he was recalled to court, escorts followed him for hundreds of li.

蔡徵字希祥，侍中、中撫軍將軍景歷子也。 Cai Zheng, styled Xixiang, was the son of attendant-in-ordinary and central pacifying-army general Cai Jingli.

繼母劉氏性悍忌，視之不以道，徵供侍益謹，初無怨色。 His stepmother Lady Liu was fierce and jealous and treated him harshly. Zheng served her all the more carefully and at first showed no resentment.

徵本名覽，景歷以為有王祥之性，更名徵，字希祥。 Zheng's original name was Lan. Jingli thought he had Wang Xiang's nature, renamed him Zheng, and styled him Xixiang.

丁父憂去職，服闋，襲封新豐縣侯，授戎昭將軍、鎮右新安王諮議參軍。 He left office to mourn his father; when mourning ended he inherited as Marquis of Xinfeng and was made sagely-dawn general and advising officer on the staff of the right-pacifying Prince of Xin'an.

又敕以廷尉寺獄，事無大小，取徵議決。 An edict also ordered that in the Court of Judicial Review's prison, all cases great and small were to be decided on Zheng's advice.

俄有敕遣徵收募兵士，自為部曲，徵善撫卹，得物情，旬月之閒，眾近一萬。 Soon an edict sent Zheng to recruit soldiers for his own command. He was good at comfort and won hearts; within a month his force neared ten thousand.

徵位望既重，兼聲勢熏灼，物議咸忌憚之。 Zheng's rank and fame were already great, and his influence blazed; opinion feared and resented him.

中令清簡無事，或云徵有怨言，事聞後主，後主大怒，收奪人馬，將誅之，有固諫者獲免。 The secretariat director's post was pure and light; some said Zheng had complained. When Houzhu heard, he was furious, seized his men and horses, and was about to kill him; only firm remonstrance saved him.

禎明三年，隋軍濟江，後主以徵有幹用，權知中領軍。 In Zhenming year 3 the Sui army crossed the Yangzi. Houzhu, trusting Zheng's ability, had him provisionally direct the central army supervisor's office.

徵日夜勤苦，備盡心力，後主嘉焉，謂曰「事寧有以相報」。 Zheng labored day and night with all his strength. Houzhu praised him and said, "When this is over I shall repay you."

及決戰於鍾山南崗，敕徵守宮城西北大營，尋令督眾軍戰事。 At the decisive battle on Zhongshan's southern ridge he was ordered to hold the great camp northwest of the palace city; soon he was told to supervise all armies in battle.

徵美容儀，有口辯，多所詳究。 Zheng was handsome and eloquent and had studied many fields deeply.

初拜吏部尚書，啟後主借鼓吹，後主謂所司曰「鼓吹軍樂，有功乃授，蔡徵不自量揆，紊我朝章，然其父景歷既有締構之功，宜且如所啟，拜訖即追還」。 When he was first made minister of personnel he asked Houzhu to lend him ceremonial music. Houzhu told the office, "Ceremonial music is military music, granted only for merit. Cai Zheng does not know his place and confuses court rules—yet since his father Jingli helped found the state, grant it for now, but take it back as soon as the appointment rite is done."

徵不脩廉隅，皆此類也。 Zheng did not keep his conduct clean—this was typical.

蔡徵聰敏才贍，而擅權自躓，惜哉。 Cai Zheng was clever and richly talented, yet by seizing power he tripped himself—a pity.

Book of Sui, Chapter 52Volume 52 Biographies 17: Han Qinhu, He Ruobi · 1 passage

晉王遣行軍總管杜彥與擒虎合軍，步騎二萬，陳叔寶遣領軍蔡徵守朱雀航，聞擒虎將至，眾懼而潰。 The Prince of Jin sent Campaign Commander Du Yan to join Qinhu with twenty thousand foot and horse. Chen Shubao ordered Palace Guard Director Cai Zheng to hold the Zhuque crossing, but at word that Qinhu was approaching the army panicked and broke.