Entry

The envoy Zhi-ban and others who had been sent by Mo-he Bi-gai, the king of the country of Champa, presented a memorial and offered tribute of elephants and local products. A banquet as well as variegated silks, thin silks and cotton cloth, as appropriate, were conferred upon them. It was further ordered that Zhi-ban and the others carry Imperial orders as well as ramie-silk and silk gauzes to confer, on their return, on the king of their country and his consort. The Imperial orders read: "Your country, king, has sent an envoy to Court every year. Your sincerity in respecting Heaven and serving the superior has been noted. However, in crossing the ocean, the wind and waves are unpredictable and it is extremely arduous for the envoys and their attendants to come and to return home. I was sympathetic to this situation and thus sent orders that, like Annam and the other fan countries, you should send tribute only once every three years. However, now you are again sending envoys to the Court every year and their ships are not berthing at the fixed places. This is not of convenience or benefit to either of us. On enquiring of your envoy Zhi-ban, he advised that the former king had died, the former orders were no longer to be found and that, as you had not been long on the throne, you did not know of these orders. Thus, I am now especially issuing orders of instruction for your information. From now on, king, you should send an envoy to come to offer tribute once every three years. Their ships must anchor either in the river at the Guang-dong Maritime Supervisorate or in the port at Hai-kou in Hai-nan. In this way, the receipt by officials and customs arrangements (開閘接取) will be facilitated. Also, this will prevent the danger of attack by pirates. Further, I previously sent Imperial orders requiring that you send the envoy from the country of Siam and his attendants, a total of 120-plus persons, who had been previously detained in your country, back to their own country, and to send people to escort the battalion commander Chen and others, a total of 21 government soldiers and attendants, who had previously been sent to the Western Ocean, back to the capital. It has been a long period since the orders were sent, but there has been no memorial reporting that the people are being sent back. However, this was in the time of the former king and I do not know whether you, king, are aware of the orders or not. When these orders arrive, you should manifest my wish to show sympathy to the people, examine these matters one by one, and send all of these people back so that all can return to their villages and can enjoy being reunited again with their parents, wives and children. If you do so, Heaven will indeed assist you, and you and your people will all be well repaid and will long enjoy the prosperity of great peace. If you do not obey the orders, this will be fully reflected in Heaven's mirror and retribution for your evil will be inevitable. You, king, should consider this well."