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Zheng-tong: Year 5, Month 9, Day 16

11 Oct 1440

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The chieftains Dao San and Ban Hao, who had been sent by Dao Zhao-san, the native-official pacification superintendent of the Ba-bai/Da-dian Pacification Superintendency and by the native-official pacification superintendents of other offices, memorialized: "For successive years, we have offered tribute of elephants, horses, local products, gold and silver utensils and other goods. However, the yi people of our land do not understand rites or laws and cannot communicate in the Chinese language. It is requested that, in accordance with the precedents during the Yong-le reign (1403-24), an interpreter bring us Imperial orders of instruction, a gold warrant and a verification tally and, at the required times, urge us to send tribute, and make arrangements with the postal relay stations and for troops to escort us. In this way we will not feel out of place." The Emperor said: "In future, if there are government matters involving them, the regional commander must send an interpreter together with the government official. In this way we will know the feelings of the people. It is not permitted to annoy or harm them on this account and any offenders will not be pardoned. When the fan people come to Court to offer tribute, we should also provide escorts for them along their route. In this way they will not suffer hindrance or delay."

Ying-zong: juan 71.6b-7a

Zhong-yang Yan-jiu yuan Ming Shi-lu, volume 25, page 1380/81

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Preferred form of citation for this entry:

Geoff Wade, translator, Southeast Asia in the Ming Shi-lu: an open access resource, Singapore: Asia Research Institute and the Singapore E-Press, National University of Singapore, http://epress.nus.edu.sg/msl/reign/zheng-tong/year-5-month-9-day-16, accessed January 22, 2019