Entry

The attendant minister Li Bo-qi and others who had been sent by Li Lin, the king of the country of Annam, presented a memorial and offered tribute of local products in admission of guilt. Previously, Nong Yuan-hong, a native official and others from Si-lang Subprefecture in that country attacked and plundered An-ping Subprefecture and Si-ling Subprefecture in Tai-ping Prefecture and robbed and occupied 21 villages in the two dong. The Court sent the supervising secretary Tang Ding and others with Imperial orders of instruction for Lin. Lin thus sent Bo-qi and the others to come come and admit guilt. His memorial read as follows: "I look up to the Sage Son of Heaven who treats all equally and does not differentiate between those near and those far away. Since I received the fief, I have only wanted to protect the territory and keep the people in peace, in order to respectfully accord with the Emperor's wishes. How could I dare to wrongly conceal Yuan-hong and bring trouble to all living things in the country? In accordance with the orders, the occupied areas have been returned, together with the captured persons and pillaged livestock. I have also sent orders of warning to Yuan-hong, requiring him to change his ways and not to commit crimes again, or involve me with the Court. I bow before the Emperor's goodness and prostrate myself before his generous lenience, respectfully present this memorial and offer tribute of 100 liang of gold, 200 liang of silver, 100 jin of gharu-wood, local damask, laka-wood, incense sticks, elephant tusks and fans, all in their hundreds. I am greatly afraid and await the most severe punishment." He also sent the attendant minister Pei Qin-hu and others with a memorial, which read: "Earlier Nong Yuan-hong had said that territory belonging to Si-lang Subprefecture had been repeatedly attacked and occupied by the native-official magistrates Li He and Zhao Ren-sheng from An-ping and other subprefectures and that they had killed and plundered people and livestock. As feuding and killing between man and liao is very common on the borders, I could not place full trust in Yuan-hong's words. How could I thus dare to trouble the Court with the matter? Subsequently, I sent orders of warning to Yuan-hong ordering him not to harbour grudges or create trouble. I also sent a despatch to the Guang-xi Provincial Administration Commission requesting them to forbid He and so on from approaching our territory. When I received the instructions through the envoy whom the Court sent, I was extremely frightened and did not know how to act. I know that of all under Heaven there is no land which does not belong to the Emperor and of all territory on all shores there is none which does not belong to the Emperor. The people of our Si-lang Subprefecture are also the subjects of the Court. However, with the attacks by He and so on, they cannot live in peace. But how could the Emperor know of this? I can do nothing but further entreat and implore you. I bow before Imperial understanding and humbly pray that the Emperor will feel pity and investigate this matter." The Emperor felt that as the distant people knew remorse, there was no need to pursue investigation of the offence. As to their claim that Li he and others had engaged in attacks and plundering, he ordered the Guang-xi Regional Commander and other officials to investigate the matter and report on it.