Entry

Imperial orders of instruction were sent to Li Hao, the king of the country of Annam, forbidding him from invading Champa's territory. The envoy Ruan De-zhen, who had been sent by Hao, had presented a letter stating: "Previously, because Champa had attacked the territory of Hua Subprefecture, troops were raised to provide assistance. Then, the people in their country rebelled and fled, leading to their defeat." The Emperor ordered that De-zhen carry back Imperial orders with which to instruct Hao. The orders read: "Recently, the country of Champa memorialized that in the second month of the seventh year of the Cheng-hua reign (Feb/Mar 1471), your country attacked their capital, captured their king and over 50 of his relatives, stole the seal, burnt their buildings and houses and killed or carried off innumerable people, young and old. I do not easily believe only one side of a story and now you, king, have memorialized. The two accounts are at variance. However, there is a great disparity between the great power of your country and the slight power of Champa. This is beyond dispute. If they were the first to start the altercation, they were not considering either virtue or their own strength, and it was certainly unrighteous. If you, king, improperly took advantage of a small altercation to quickly and angrily raise troops, and then oppressed and maltreated the weak and the isolated, could that be considered righteous? When these orders arrive, you king should overlook their small lapses and increasingly esteem the Great Principles of Right Conduct. You shall return all of the people you have carried off and will warn your border officials to not stir up troubles in order to gain merit, and to not raise troops and induce enmity, as that will give rise to reprisals and will affect both them and their families. In this way, in Heaven's bright scrutiny, you will long enjoy a good name. Respect this!"