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Hong-zhi: Year 16, Month 6, Day 25

18 Jul 1503

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The Censor-in-Chief Chen Jin, grand coordinator of Yun-nan, memorialized: "In Guang-nan Prefecture, one guard and five battalions were initially established and the government troops provided defence. Postal relay stations and guard posts were established along the route to receive and send people on. Later, as the government troops suffered in the miasma, a memorial was submitted and the troops were deployed back to the city. In the subsequently unguarded areas, the chieftains, local commanders and people acted recklessly and evilly. Thus, circulating officials dared not take up posts there. Rather, they sojourned (僑寓) at Lin-an, while the seal was in the hands of Nong Shi-ying, a member of the native-official ruling family. During their sojourn in Lin-an, the officials and clerks did not exercise government and unfortunately, as matters drifted over the years, the territory of Fu Subprefecture, which had been subordinate to the prefecture, was absorbed by Jiao-nan and is no longer China's. Now, the Yun-nan Left Guard as well as the Qu-jing, Yue Subprefecture, Lu-liang and Yi-liang guards and battalions annually send 1,000 government troops in rotation to defend Lin-an against the Jiao people. However, Lin-an is far from Jiao-zhi, while Guang-nan is only 100 li from Jiao-zhi. We should transfer the troops to the defence of Guang-nan. Each guard should recommend a commander to command the troops and the officials and clerks of this prefecture should advance together with them. In places where walls and buildings have collapsed or are damaged, officers should first be sent to supervise building and repairs. Also, the seal held by Nong Shi-ying should be recovered and given to a circulating official to control. When, after one or two years, the people's hearts are at peace and the matters have become more settled, we should only retain half of the troops on a rotational basis to provide defence. The original amount of grain tax due from Fu Subprefecture should be levied as before and this should be used for the salaries of officials and clerks and for the rations of the troops. Officials should be sent to repair and manage the postal relay stations under this prefecture as well as those under Wei-mo Subprefecture and A-mi Subprefecture and they should seek out horses and riders to carry despatches. Also, Wei-mo Subprefecture should be put under the Guang-nan Circuit. Although it is subordinate to Guang-xi Prefecture, that administration cannot govern it, and it should now be placed under the jurisdiction of Guang-nan. If, at the peak of the summer, the miasma flourishes, the officials should be instructed to temporarily return to Lin-an. If Nong Shi-ying is able to reform himself, start anew and obey orders, his inheritance of the post should be recommended." The Regional Commander Mu Kun and the Investigating Censor He Chen, regional inspector of Yun-nan, also advised similarly. The memorial was sent to the Ministry of War, which re-submitted it, noting: "It is requested that the grand defender and the grand coordinator be instructed to especially send defence circuit patrolling defenders and other officials to personally go to this place and carry out an investigation. If the proposed arrangements are feasible and appropriate, they should be carried out as proposed." This was approved.

Xiao-zong: juan 200.11b-12a

Zhong-yang Yan-jiu yuan Ming Shi-lu, volume 59, page 3722/23

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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/hong-zhi/year-16-month-6-day-25, accessed January 22, 2019