Since the Hu sought peace, offering tribute and service,
For two decades west of the pass, warfare and plunder ceased.
The Hu come yearly to receive gold and silk,
Though land is the nation's root, it is often not spared.
The imperial general, brave and matchless,
His strategies turn like a wheel, his heart is not a mat.
His spirit moves heaven, and heaven does not block,
Pioneering plans and borrowed tallies—all are grand designs.
Like Jia Yi testing five baits for the dependent state,
Or Zhuang Maichen presenting ten strategies for the northern frontier.
A flank army swiftly reaches the Western Sea,
Three victories in a month, with strength to spare.
A hundred barbarians undo their braids, admiring caps and belts,
Five commanderies swept clean, city walls opened wide.
The Congling slopes stretch deep like Pulei,
They laugh at Qin's annexation and Yu's achievements.
The Minister discusses merits, grading them with ease,
The Censor performs investiture, clear and bright.
Military honors grant titles and a hundred thousand gold,
Marquis seals and ribbons, twelve feet in length.
Striving beyond expectation is natural,
Following minor successes, coming without end.
I recall when Emperor Wu opened the Western Regions,
The world was troubled, suffering from conscription and toil.
He mourned, setting Luntai with fertile land,
Abandoned Zaoyang, losing remote territories.
Who knew the Tao River was fit for planting rice?
From here to Liangzhou, all grows white wheat.
Mulberry trees cover the wilds, springs are sweet,
Southern men plow hard, northern women weave.
Travelers may journey ten thousand miles,
Settlers sit with nine years' food in store.
Xizhou rejoices, military affairs at rest,
The Son of Heaven is sage, the Chancellor upright.