Entry

Lin Xi-yuan, the magistrate of Qin Subprefecture, memorialized, noting:

"I have heard that Mo Fang-ying of Annam has requested permission to surrender and that it has been specially ordered that senior ministers carry out an investigation. The one who is surrendering has detailed his land and people and presented the details, and yet now he is killing our soldiers and seizing our war-boats. Does one who has surrendered act thus? The senior ministers have already been sent to investigate. Through whom will they conduct their investigations? If they investigate through enquiring of that country, that side will deceive us with their surrender and the real situation will not be known. If the investigations are carried out on our border, our senior border officials will speak in favour of the request. Who would dare to speak otherwise? I believe that if there is a desire to know the situation, an agreement should be reached with them whereby they must return our four dong, they must guarantee that Li Ning does not lose his throne, they must ensure that Zheng Wei-liao and Wu Wen-yuan, the former officials of the Lis, are given noble titles, they must accept our calendar and they must serve us. If they agree to what we require, they should be allowed to surrender. If not, they should be considered to be engaged in deceit. Then it will be necessary to raise an army to punish the crimes. With the assistance of the forces which have accorded, the falsely-surrendered lu will be punished. How can victory not be assured!" 

He also noted:

"The area held by Fang-ying is Du-zhai. It is a coastal area and there are 10-plus li of mud and silt facing it. Ships cannot anchor there. The plan is that if the royal capital cannot be held, they will hold Du-zhai, and if Du-zhai cannot be held they will flee to the ocean. If the troops of Dong-guan and Qiong-hai, with the assistance of Champa, attack from the South, the bandits will not be able to flee. The Fu-jian army can sail from Zhi-feng, while the Hu-guang army can sail from Qin Subprefecture. Then, on combining, they can launch a joint attack on Du-zhai and there will be no lair for the bandits to flee to. The Guang-xi army should proceed from Ping-xiang, while the Yun-nan/Gui-zhou army should proceed from Meng-zi. They should then combine in an attack on Long-bian. Thereby, the bandit's foundations will be uprooted and, in this way, the Mos can be quickly pacified."

He also submitted four memorials of strategies. However, he was impeached by the Censor Qian Ying-yang who said:

"What Xi-yuan has spoken of as secret strategies are assuredly words which have been picked up along the roads. They are not worth listening to."

The Emperor said:

"In respect of the Annam matter, I have already appointed senior civil and military officials to proceed there and then to submit their proposals. Other officials are not to submit wild words on this matter."