The Grand Scribe's Records: The Grand Scribe's Records

In The Grand Scribe s Records: Volume X, readers can follow Ssu-ma Qian s depiction of the later years of the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han (r. 140 87 BC). The volume begins with four chapters describing the Han s attempts to subdue states north, east, south and west of the empire. The subsequent long biography of Ssu-ma Hsiang-ju (179 117) presents one of the era s major literary figures who came to oppose the Emperor s expensive military campaigns against these states. It is followed by an equally extended portrayal of Liu An (d. 122), King of Huai-nan, who was seen as an internal threat and forced to commit suicide. The final chapters recount narratives of the ideal officials (all predating the Han) and the Confucians the Emperor championed."