Entry

The Guang-xi Provincial Administration Commission was ordered to send instructions of warning to Li Hao, the king of the country of Annam. At this time, the persons whom the Yun-nan Regional Commander Mu Cong had sent to investigate matters in Annam had returned from Che-li and advised that the Jiao people, on the pretext of pursuing rebels, had attacked and captured over 20 stockades in Laos, killing over 20,000 people, and that they intended to proceed towards the Ba-bai region. The people Cong had sent also obtained a false order sent by Annam to Che-li declaring the [current] year to be the 10th year of the Hong-de (洪德) reign. Cong and others memorialized this to the Emperor. The memorial was then sent to the Ministry of War which examined it carefully and requested that the major civil and military officials, together with the supervising secretaries and censors be assembled. After deliberation, they advised: "If we request that orders of severe castigation be sent to him, we are afraid that this will block his avenue of repentance. If we tolerate his actions, we are afraid that it will promote his desire to act in ways unbecoming of a minister. The Guang-xi Provincial Administration Commission should be instructed to send a despatch to Li Hao, requiring him to withdraw his troops and to guard his own territory, so as to fulfil the duties of a minister. The regional commanders and other officials of Yun-nan and Guang-dong/Guang-xi should also be ordered to marshal their troops in defence readiness, so as to guard against calamities on the borders." The deliberations were memorialized and were approved.