Entry

The Ministry of War re-submitted a memorial on the achievements and transgressions in the defeat at Qin Subprefecture: "Previously, the yi person Wu Yong-zhen and others had repeatedly attacked the territory of Qin Subprefecture. In that year there had been calamities and droughts and suddenly 1,000 people came in boats. They came via Ao-tou and Long-men and then landed at Meng-pu. They separated into three forces and attacked through a collapsed wall. Within the city they killed and injured military personnel and civilians, and the Instructor Li Jia-yu was killed. The second day they again entered the city and engaged in great plunder. In the evening, they burned the wall tower at the East gate as well as the houses of those who lived near the river. Zhou Ju, the squad leader at Fang-cheng, and Lin Qi-long the sentry official at Long-men, remained where they were and did not go and provide assistance. A month later the bandits attacked again. They came via Ao-tou and Feng-yong and then arrived at Long-men. Zhu Guo-tai and other government troops were the only ones there to oppose their lances and the commander and his troops were all killed. The bandits then reached the city walls but their spies came to know that preparations had been made within. Thus, they completely pillaged the three villages outside the walls and departed. On seeking the reasons for the defeat, it was found that the former prefect Tu Wei had previously held the post of coastal defence commander and had been 10 years in this place observing the strong points and weak points of the border subprefectures. He was located far away from the administration, like Yue was from Qin, and he removed the screens and guided the bandits to come. Wei was truly the beginning of the troubles. When the former Regional Military Commissioners Liu Zong-han and Zhao Ying-ke attacked Mt. Tu and pacified the bandits, in order to cheat the authorities, Zhang Guo-wei, who had remained in his camp, allowed the troops to kill the dependent yi of Gu-sen dong. As Liu Cao-guan ignored this and did not punish them, how could the injustice suffered by the dead be assuaged? The Supreme Commander Dai Yao had been habitually covetous and greedy and he had neglected other matters. In arranging things, he was without strategies and he covered up and hid matters. In respect of those whose avarice led to matters being harmed, he was indulgent and covered up their crimes. When people nobly died for the country, he embellished their defeats and buried their achievements. He allowed the presenting of ears taken from enemy corpses and the presenting of prisoners, but did a poor job of soothing the popular indignation of the border people. However, the distant deployment of the troops of the two provinces will require funds much in excess of 40,000 or 50,000 [liang of silver?]. Commensurate amounts of rice would also have to be provided. In the border area, livers and brains have already covered the earth, but the gains have not compensated for the losses. Apart from in the case of the circuit official Cai Meng-shuo, the achievements are worthy of being recorded. Zeng Yu-qiu performed very well and his actions are excusable. In the cases of Yang Ying-chun and Zhang Ji-ke, their achievements exceed their transgressions and all these officials should be exempted from punishment as proposed by the censor. If Tu Wei is not prosecuted and punished, how will people be warned against acting thus in future? As to Zhang Guo-wei and so on, it is difficult to tolerate their actions of avarice. Their cheating has been shown to be fact and it is requested that they be punished." An Imperial order was issued requiring that Tu Wei be investigated and punished and that Dai Yao be treated in accordance with the original Imperial order.