Entry

The military and civilian inhabitants of the coastal guards in Zhe-jing and Zhi-li were prohibited from building large ships, gathering people together, taking military weapons and going to sea as pirates. Those who dared to violate this prohibition were to be considered principal criminals and to be subject to the ultimate punishment, while their family members were to be exiled to guards in the border regions. This prohibition was issued in response to a memorialized request by Weng Shao-wan, an assistant commissioner-in-chief responsible for guarding Yang-zhou and other areas against Japanese pirates.