2nd year of Xingping era

1st month

It was spring on the Guiyou day of the 1st month [30 December 194][1] when a grand amnesty was issued to the world. Yuan Shao was then conferred as General of the Rear,[2] given acting tally to be Governor of Ji Province, and was enfeoffed as Marquis of Feng Township. Ju Shou told [Yuan] Shao, "Your Excellency, several generations [of your family] have assisted [the Emperor], accumulating [a reputation of] loyalty and righteousness over generations. Now the imperial court is scattered and displaced, and the ancestral temples are subverted and ruined. Observing the various provinces and commanderies, on the outside, they claim to be raising righteous troops, but on the inside, they harbour thoughts of capturing each other. You are someone who sustains your liege and pity the people.* Furthermore, now that [your] province and cities are decently stable, you ought to welcome the imperial chariot to the safety of a palace in your capital of Ye. Coerce the Son of Heaven as to control the various lords and nourish soldiers and horses to suppress the insubordinate! Who could oppose that?" [Yuan] Shao was persuaded** and was about to follow it, but Guo Tu and Chunyu Qiong said, "The decline of Han dynasty is taking a long time. Now if you want to revive it, will it not also be difficult? Moreover, now that famed heroes control their provinces and commanderies, they lead and control tens of thousands. It is said when the Qin lost their deer, the first to get them were rulers. Now if you welcome the Son of Heaven to be close to yourself, then very often you will hear requests. If you obey it, then your power decreases, but if you disobey it, then you will be opposing imperial orders! This is not a plan that is good." [Ju] Shou said, "If you welcome the imperial court now, that is the utmost righteous. Moreover, this is the time we must have grand plans. If we do not plan early, there will be others at the fore. Your power cannot miss this opportunity, and the glory will be quick and rapid! Who else shall plot such?***" But [Yuan] Shao did not use it.

*Yuan Shao's biography in the SanGuoZhi writes it as "[The lords] do not [think of] preserving their lord and worrying over the people".

**Yuan Shao's biography in the SanGuoZhi writes it as "delighted 悅" instead.

***Yuan Shao's biography in the SanGuoZhi writes it as "General, you have to plan this!".

春正月癸酉〔一〕，大赦天下。即拜袁紹為後將軍〔二〕，使持節冀州牧，封邧鄉侯。沮授說紹曰：「公累世輔弼，世濟忠義。今朝廷播越，宗廟毀壞。觀諸州郡，外託義兵，內懷相擒，君有存主卹民者也。今且州域粗定，宜迎大駕，安宮鄴都，挾天子而令諸侯，畜士馬以討不庭，誰能禦之？」紹說，將從之。郭圖、淳于瓊曰：「漢室陵遲，為日久矣，今欲興之，不亦難乎？且英雄據有州郡，動眾萬計，所謂秦失其鹿，先得者王。〔三〕今迎天子以自近，動輒表聞，從之則權輕，違之則拒命，非計之善也。」授曰：「今迎朝廷，至義也，又於時宜大計也。若不早圖，必有先之者。權不失機，功在速捷，其孰圖之。」紹不能從。〔四〕

〔一〕According to Fan [Ye's] book, the Annals of the (Xian) Emperor, it wrote [of the general amnesty being] "on the Guichou day of the 1st month". The Guimao day of the 1st month was the new moon. There is was no Guiyou day, this is Yuan [Hong's] annal being mistaken.

〔一〕按范書《獻帝紀》作「正月癸丑」。正月癸卯朔，無癸酉，袁紀誤。

〔二〕Fan [Ye's] book, the Biography of Yuan Shao, wrote "[Yuan] Shao was conferred as General of the Right".

〔二〕范書《袁紹傳》作「拜紹右將軍」。

〔三〕The Historical Records' "Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin" state: Kuai Tong said, "When the Qin lost its deer, the world together pursued them. Hence, the extremely talented and those with agile feet were the first to obtain them."

〔三〕《史記：淮陰侯列》傳：蒯通曰：「秦失其鹿，天下共逐之，於是高材疾足者先得焉。」

〔四〕This passage of Yuan [Hong] originates from the annotation from The Biography of the (Xian) Emperor in Yuan Shao's Biography in the Records of the Three Kingdoms. The base biography stated, "Previously, the Son of Heaven's establishment was not of [Yuan] Shao's desire, and when [the Emperor] went to Hedong, [Yuan] Shao sent Guo Tu of Yingchuan as a messenger. [Guo] Tu returned and told [Yun] Shao to welcome the Son of Heaven to his capital, Ye, but [Yuan] Shao did not listen." Fan [Ye's] book follows Yuan [Hong's] annal.

〔四〕袁紀此段取自《三國志：袁紹傳》注引《獻帝傳》。而本傳作「初，天子之立非紹意，及在河東，紹遣潁川郭圖使焉。圖還說紹迎天子都鄴，紹不從」。范書從袁紀。