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卷三百二十一 列傳第二百〇九 外國二 安南

Volume 321 Biographies 209: Foreign States 2 - Annan

Chapter 321 of 明史 · History of Ming
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Chapter 321
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1
婿
Annan was the old land of Jiaozhi. Before the Tang dynasty, it was wholly under Chinese administration. During the Five Dynasties, a local leader named Qu Chengmian first wrested control of the region. Early in the Song, Ding Bo Linh was invested as Prince of Jiaozhi; three reigns later the senior minister Le Huan seized power. The Le clan likewise held power for three generations until the senior minister Li Gongyun overthrew them. The Li family ruled for eight generations; when the line died without a male heir, rule passed to the son-in-law Chen Rijiu. Under the Yuan, the imperial armies repeatedly crushed the kingdom.
2
西 使
By the time Zhang Yining and his party reached Annan, Chen Ri Kui was already dead, and his nephew Chen Ri Xiao had taken the throne. He sent his minister Ruan Ruliang to receive the envoys and request investiture and the royal seal, but Yining and his colleagues refused. Ri Xiao then dispatched Du Shunqin and others to petition the court for recognition, while keeping Yining in Annan to await the imperial response. Annan and Champa were then at war; the Emperor ordered the Hanlin compiler Luo Furen and the Ministry of War clerk Zhang Fu to command both sides to lay down arms, and both kingdoms complied. The following year Shunqin and his party arrived to report the bereavement. The Emperor received them in mourning dress at the West Hua Gate, then sent the compiler Wang Lian to conduct the rites of mourning, with fifty taels of silver and fifty bolts of silk as condolence gifts. He also sent Lin Tangchen of the Ministry of Personnel to invest Ri Xiao as king, bestowing a gold seal and forty lengths of gold-woven silk and gauze. Once Lian was on his way, the Emperor recalled how the Han general Ma Yuan had set up the Bronze Pillar to subdue the southern tribes, a deed of great renown, and ordered Lian to worship at that site as well. Shortly afterward the examination edict was issued in Annan, and when the court revised the titles of the sacred mountains and rivers and celebrated the pacification of the desert, envoys were sent twice to announce these changes. Ri Xiao sent Senior Grand Master Ruan Jian, Grand Master Mo Jilong, Junior Grand Master Li Yuanpu, and others to offer thanks and present tribute goods. Jian died en route; the court ordered gifts for the king and the mission, and had Jian’s coffin escorted back to Annan. Before long Luo Furen and his party returned, reporting that they had declined gifts pressed upon them; the Emperor praised their conduct and ordered additional rewards for Jilong and the others.
3
使使 使 使 使 使使
In the spring of the fourth year, Annan sent tribute elephants to congratulate the court on pacifying the desert, and again dispatched envoys who came to court with Yining’s party. That winter Ri Xiao was driven to his death by his uncle Chen Shuming. Fearing imperial punishment, Shuming sent elephants and other tribute goods. When they reached the capital more than a year later, the ritual officials noticed the memorial was not signed in Ri Xiao’s name; once the facts were established, the court ordered the tribute turned away. Shuming again sent tribute to court to beg forgiveness and to request formal investiture. His envoys claimed on arrival that Ri Xiao had truly died of illness, that Shuming had modestly withdrawn, and that the people had urged him to take power. The Emperor ordered the people of Annan to mourn Ri Xiao, while allowing Shuming to govern provisionally with the former king’s seal. In the seventh year Shuming sent envoys to give thanks, saying he was aged and asking that his younger brother Ri He be appointed regent; the court agreed. Ri He sent envoys to offer thanks and to ask when tribute missions should be sent. An edict fixed tribute at once every three years, requiring a new king to appear in person at investiture. Soon Annan sent tribute again; the Emperor ordered the relevant offices to tell them to withdraw, and limited missions to no more than three or four envoys with modest gifts.
4
使 西 使 使 使 使 西使 使 使
In the tenth year Ri He attacked Champa and was defeated and killed. His younger brother Wei took the throne and sent envoys to report the bereavement; the Emperor ordered the eunuch Chen Neng to conduct the mourning rites. Annan had grown overconfident and sought to destroy Champa, only to suffer a crushing reverse. The Emperor sent officials to warn the former king Shuming not to stir up trouble, noting that Shuming still effectively ruled; Shuming sent tribute to beg forgiveness. The Siming native official in Guangxi complained that Annan had crossed the border, while Annan accused Siming of frontier harassment. The Emperor issued a proclamation listing their fraud and crimes and ordered border officials to refuse their missions. Terrified, Wei sent envoys to apologize and for years sent tribute including eunuchs, gold and silver, purple-gold platters, golden wine cups, elephants, and horses. The Emperor sent instructor Yang Pan as envoy and ordered Annan to supply the Yunnan army; Wei at once delivered five thousand piculs of grain to Lin’an. In the twenty-first year the Emperor again sent Xing Wenwei of the Ministry of Rites with an imperial letter and gift silks. Wei sent envoys to give thanks and again offered elephants. Finding the missions too frequent and the gifts excessive, the Emperor restored the three-year tribute cycle and forbade rhinoceros horn and elephants. By then the chief minister Le Qui Li had seized power, deposed King Wei, and soon murdered him; he set Shuming’s son Ri Kun to govern while still sending tribute under Wei’s name. The court knew nothing of this and accepted the missions; only years later did they discover the truth and order Guangxi officials to bar Annan’s envoys. Fearing punishment, Qui Li in the twenty-seventh year sent envoys to offer tribute through Guangdong. The Emperor was enraged, sent officials to rebuke him, and refused the tribute. Qui Li grew more frightened still; the following year he again sent tribute with deceitful explanations. Though the Emperor loathed his murder and usurpation, he was unwilling to dispatch armies on a distant expedition and therefore accepted the tribute. As the main forces were suppressing Zhao Zongshou of Longzhou, the Emperor ordered Ren Hengtai and Yan Zhenzhi to assure Ri Kun that he need not fear the court. When Qui Li heard this, he felt somewhat reassured. The Emperor also sent Yang Jing of the Ministry of Justice to demand eighty thousand piculs of grain for the Longzhou army. Qui Li sent only ten thousand piculs and offered one thousand taels of gold and twenty thousand taels of silver, pleading that the overland route to Longzhou was dangerous and asking that grain be shipped to Pingxiang Cave. Jing refused and ordered twenty thousand piculs delivered to the Tuohai River, only half a day from Longzhou. Jing reported: “Ri Kun is young and all affairs are decided by Qui Li and his son, yet they dare stall in this fashion. As Zongshou had surrendered, the Emperor redirected troops against the Xiangwu tribes and told Jing to take twenty thousand piculs for the army while waiving the gold and silver offered. The following year Qui Li announced the death of the former king Shuming. Because Shuming had originally usurped and murdered his sovereign, the Emperor held that mourning rites would reward rebellion and refused to perform them, notifying Annan by proclamation.
5
Huang Guangcheng, native official of Siming, stated: “Since the Yuan set up the Siming Pacification Commission, its Left River prefectures and counties were bounded on the east by Shangsi and on the south by the Bronze Pillar. When the Yuan attacked Jiaozhi they advanced a hundred li past the Bronze Pillar to establish the Yongping Stockade office, stationed troops there, and required the Jiaozhi people to provision the garrison. In the late Yuan turmoil Jiaozhi forces overran Yongping and, pushing more than two hundred li past the Bronze Pillar, seized Siming’s districts of Qiuwen, Ruyao, Qingyuan, Yuan, and Tuo; they had lately also claimed Minister Ren had established a relay station on Siming’s Deng territory. I have already submitted a full memorial and the court sent Minister Yang to verify the facts. I beg that Annan be ordered to return the five districts and that the Bronze Pillar again be fixed as the border. The Emperor sent envoys Chen Cheng and Lü Rang to instruct Annan, but Qui Li stubbornly refused. Cheng wrote personally to instruct Ri Kun; Qui Li replied with a disputing letter and even drafted a memorial for Ri Kun to the Ministry of Revenue. On their return the Emperor knew Annan would never restore the territory and said, “Barbarians fighting among themselves is nothing new. They trust in their stubbornness and will bring ruin upon themselves; we may wait for now. In the first year of the Jianwen reign Qui Li murdered Ri Kun and set up his son Yong. He then murdered Yong and set up his younger brother An; while An was still an infant in arms, he murdered him too. He slaughtered the Chen clan and seized the throne, changing his name to Hu Yiyuan and naming his son Cang Hu Di, claiming descent from Lord Hu, scion of Emperor Shun; he usurped the title Great Yu, adopted the reign title Yuansheng, soon called himself Retired Emperor, and passed rule to Di—yet the court knew nothing.
6
祿西 使
Luzhou, Xipingzhou, and Yongping Stockade under Siming were seized; the Emperor ordered their return, but Annan refused. Champa complained of Annan’s raids; an edict ordered both sides to make peace. Di pretended to obey yet continued his raids, issued seals to force submission, and even seized gifts sent by the imperial court. The Emperor was about to send a stern rebuke when former tributary official Pei Bozhe arrived at court to plead his case, saying, “My grandfather and father were both chief ministers who died serving the throne. My mother was a near relative of the Chen clan. As a boy I attended the king in a fifth-rank post; later I served Vice Military Commissioner Chen Kezhen as his deputy. At the end of the Hongwu era I replaced Kezhen in guarding the eastern coast against pirates. Then the traitor Le Qui Li and his son murdered the sovereign and usurped power, butchering the loyal; hundreds of families were wiped out, and my brothers, wives, and children perished as well. They sent men to seize me, intending to torture me to death. I fled my post and hid in the mountains, yearning to reach the capital and lay bare my heart; only after years of wandering did I behold the imperial sun. Qui Li is the son of former pacification commissioner Le Guomao, whose family served the Chen for generations and enjoyed honor; his son Cang too held high office. In a single stroke they seized the throne, changed their names, usurped titles and reign eras, and defied the court. The loyal gnash their teeth in anguish and long for punitive armies to restore the Chen line, sweep away the traitors, and set up a Chen heir; I would die content. I dare follow Shen Baoxu’s example and cry out at the palace gates; may Your Majesty look upon me with pity. Deeply moved, the Emperor ordered the relevant offices to provide clothing and food. At that moment Laos presented Chen Tianping, who said, “I, Tianping, am grandson of the former king Ri Xuan, son of Yong, and younger brother of Ri Kui. The Le rebels exterminated the Chen house; I alone survived in a distant district. My followers, moved by loyalty, urged me to lead them against the rebels. As we were raising troops the rebels closed in; I fled in terror to mountain caves, barely surviving, and reached Laos. I have heard that Your Majesty has ascended the throne; at last I have a sovereign to whom I may turn. Having crawled ten thousand li, I come in sorrow to plead before the imperial court. I alone remain of the Chen line; I cannot share heaven with this traitor. I beg Your sacred mercy to pity me and swiftly send the imperial hosts to execute Heaven’s judgment. The Emperor was moved still more deeply and ordered that he be housed at court.
7
使 使 婿 退祿 西
Di had just sent envoys for the New Year audience; the Emperor displayed Tianping before them; all were stunned and bowed, and some wept. Bozhe upbraided the envoys on grounds of righteousness; terrified, they could not reply. The Emperor told his attendants, “Di and his father have rebelled against Heaven; even ghosts and spirits abhor them, yet the whole country joins in deceit. The whole kingdom are criminals; how can I spare them? In the third year he ordered Li Qi and Wang Shu to deliver an imperial rebuke demanding a full account of the usurpation and murders. Ningyuan Prefecture in Yunnan again reported that Di had seized seven stockades and abducted a son-in-law’s daughter. Di sent Ruan Jingzhen to accompany Qi’s party to court, claiming he had never usurped titles or changed reign eras, offering to welcome Tianping and restore him as king, and promising to return Luzhou and Ningyuan. The Emperor, unsuspecting treachery, agreed. The Emperor sent Nie Cong with an imperial letter stating: “If you truly restore Tianping and honor him as sovereign, you shall be made Senior Duke and granted a great fief. Di again sent Jingzhen back with Cong’s party to confirm and escort Tianping home. Cong insisted Di could be trusted; that winter the Emperor sent Tianping home, ordering Huang Zhong and Lü Yi of Guangxi with five thousand troops as escort.
8
西 西
In the fourth year Tianping bid farewell at court; the Emperor lavished gifts upon him and invested Di as Duke of Shunhua, granting him all subordinate prefectures and counties. In the third month the escort entered Jiling Pass; near Qin Station Di’s ambush slew Tianping, and the Ming force was beaten back. Enraged, the Emperor summoned Zhu Neng, Duke of Cheng, and others and resolved on war. In the seventh month Neng was appointed commander-in-chief as General Who Pacifies the Yi; Mu Sheng, Marquis of Siping, was left deputy; Zhang Fu, Marquis of Xincheng, right deputy; Li Bin and Chen Xu staff generals—to lead the southern expedition. Neng reached Longzhou and died; Fu assumed command. At Polei Pass Fu issued a proclamation listing twenty crimes of the Hu father and son and announced the court’s aim to restore the Chen line. The army camped at Qin Station and built a pontoon bridge on the Chang River. The vanguard reached Jialin north of the Fu River while Fu marched west to Xinfu; Sheng and Bin came from Yunnan to White Crane, and Zhu Rong was sent to unite the columns. Fu’s columns advanced on several routes and carried every position. The rebels fortified the river with palisades and earthen walls at Duobang Pass for nine hundred li, drafting over two million northern civilians to garrison them. They drove stakes at every estuary, fortified Dongdu, and claimed seven million troops by land and sea to exhaust the Ming army. Fu shifted camp to Gezhao Market and built a fleet. Fearing delay until plague season, the Emperor ordered the rebels crushed by the next spring. In the twelfth month Sheng camped north of the Tao River opposite Duobang. Fu sent Xu against Taojiang, bridged the river, and stormed the city. This was their chief stronghold; once it fell, their courage collapsed. The main force marched down the Fu River and assaulted Dongdu. The rebels fled; the army occupied Dongdu and pressed Xidu. They burned the palaces and fled by sea. Districts submitted one after another; resisters were crushed. Each day hundreds of locals memorialized the Le clan’s crimes.
9
In the fifth year’s first month Qui Li was routed at Muyuan River and an edict sought Chen heirs. More than eleven hundred elders came to camp saying the Chen line had been exterminated by the Le rebels. Annan was always Chinese land; we beg to return to direct administration. Fu reported their petition. Soon the rebels were routed again at the Fu River; Qui Li and his son escaped in a few boats. Pursuers learned Qui Li had fled to Yian, followed the Jujue River to Qiluo estuary, and sent Liu Sheng after him by sea. Repeatedly beaten, the rebels could no longer hold an army. In the fifth month Qui Li and the false crown prince were taken at Gaowang Mountain; Annan was pacified. The ministers asked to establish prefectures and counties as the elders had requested.
10
使使使 便
On the first of the sixth month the court announced Annan renamed Jiaozhi with three commissions: Lü Yi military, Zhang Xianzong and Wang Ping civil, Ruan Youzhang surveillance; Pei Bozhe right assistant; Huang Fu overseeing both civil offices. Fifteen prefectures were set up governing thirty-six zhou and 181 counties. Five zhou were placed directly under the provincial commission with twenty-nine counties. Strategic points were garrisoned with guards and battalions. Murdered Chen princes received posthumous titles, temples, tombs, and twenty sweeping households each. Slain clansmen received posthumous ranks; exposed dead were buried. Incumbent officials remained and served with new appointees. Le exactions were abolished and prisoners freed. The aged and worthy were honored. Poorhouses were set up for widows, orphans, and the destitute. Talented men were escorted to court. Edicts sought recluses, scholars, filial sons, the capable, clerks, mathematicians, strategists, physicians, and more—all to be summoned to court. Fu and others recommended over nine thousand men. In the ninth month Qui Li and Cang reached the capital in bonds with Hu Du and other false officials. Cang’s brother Cheng and son Rui were pardoned and provided for.
11
西
In the sixth year’s sixth month Fu returned with the map: 1,760 li by 2,800 li. They reported 3.12 million people pacified, 2.875 million barbarians captured, vast herds, grain, ships, and arms. Fu became Duke of Ying, Sheng Duke of Qian, and others were rewarded by rank.
12
使
Central appointees sought leniency, yet locals, feeling alien, were often terrified. The Chen defector Jian Ding was to be sent to court but fled with Chen Xige and joined Deng Xi and Ruan Shuai of Huazhou to rebel. Ding proclaimed himself emperor of Great Yue with the era Xingqing. He raided from the mountains, seized Xianzi Pass, blocked Sanjiang, and harried Jiaozhou. Several prefectures joined him and Ming garrisons failed to suppress him. Mu Sheng was ordered to lead forty thousand troops from the southwest. Envoys offered hereditary rank to defectors. The rebels refused; Sheng was crushed at Shengjue River and Lü Yi and Liu Jun were killed.
13
西西 西
In the seventh year forty-seven thousand more troops were levied and Zhang Fu marched again. Fu camped at Xianyou, built a fleet, pacified refugees, and broke rebel stockades. Learning Deng Jingyi held Taiping Bridge, he advanced on Xianzi Pass. Ruan Shimei held twenty thousand men, six hundred boats, and stake barriers. In the eighth month a northwest gale aided Fu’s fleet; three thousand were slain and four hundred boats taken. Jingyi fled; Jiaozhou and other prefectures were secured. Jingyi was routed at Taiping estuary and Fan Bili captured.
14
使
Ruan Shuai made Ding Retired Emperor and set up Chen Jikuo with the era Chongguang. They sent envoys claiming Chen descent and begging investiture. Fu executed the envoys and cleared stakes from the estuaries. After ten days they reached Qinghua and united. Ding fled to Yanzhou, Jikuo to Yian, and the rest scattered. The army camped and hunted remnants. Ding fled to Jili stockade and Fu pursued relentlessly. Ding hid in the mountains; the siege captured Chen Xige, Ruan Ruli, Ruan Yan, and others.
15
使使 使
Earlier Ruan Shiguan had held Yiyang with over twenty thousand men. In the eighth year’s first month Fu slew four thousand five hundred and executed two thousand captives, raising a victory mound. Fu reported Jikuo and allies still threatened Qinghua. Deng Rong blocks Shentou and raids Yian. If all withdraw, Sheng cannot hold. Leave Jiang Hao, Yu Rang, Hua Ying, and Shi You with Sheng. The request was granted. In the fifth month Sheng pursued Jikuo to Yujiang and the rebels fled. At Guling and the estuaries three thousand were slain and Li Nong captured. Hard pressed, Jikuo begged surrender. The Emperor suspected deceit but temporarily appointed Jikuo and his chiefs. In the ninth year Fu was again ordered with twenty-four thousand men to join Sheng. They fortified Yuechang River with forty-zhang stakes, stockades, three hundred boats, and ambushes. In autumn Fu advanced; Shuai and others resisted. Fu’s fleet pulled the stakes while infantry cleared ambushes. The rebels were routed and scattered. Deng Zongji, Li Deyi, Ruan Zhong, and Ruan Xuan were captured with 120 boats. Fu turned to Li Rui, who had cut the Rui River bridge behind Jiaozhou. Rui and Fan Kang resisted; Rui died of an arrow wound. Ruan Tuo was beheaded, Yang Rumei and Feng Xi captured, and fifteen hundred slain. Kang, Du Gedan, Deng Ming, and Ruan Sizhen were captured.
16
使 使
In the tenth year Fu routed rebel boats at Shentou Sea and captured Chen Lei and Deng Ruxi. Ruan Shuai fled beyond reach. At Tu Huang in Yian, Pan Jiyou and seventeen officials surrendered. Fu appointed Jiyou surveillance vice commissioner over Yian. Then Chen Min, Ruan Shiqin, Chen Quanxun, Chen Quanmin, and others surrendered in turn. The following year Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng joined forces and advanced to Shun Prefecture. Ruan Shuai laid an ambush on the Aizi River, held the heights of Kunzhuan Mountain, and deployed war elephants against the Ming forces. The Ming armies crushed the rebels, took fifty-six prisoners including the false generals Pan Jing and Ruan Xu, and pursued them to the Aimou River. The rebels broke and fled; Tie, the false marquis and younger brother of Deng Rong, along with Pan Lu, Pan Qin, and others, all submitted. The following spring the army marched on Zhenghe. The rebel leader Hu Tong surrendered and reported that the false grand general Jing Yi had fled with Li Chan and seven hundred followers to the Kunpu stockade among the Xian tribes. The army pressed on to the Luomeng River, left their horses and continued on foot—but the rebels were already gone. The pursuit reached the Chipuna stockade, only for the rebels to escape once more. After marching twenty-odd li through the night and hearing watch-drums, Zhang Fu led Fang Zheng and others in a silent forced march; at dawn they reached the Chipugan stockade, where rebels north of the river still held camps on the south bank. Government troops crossed the river and besieged the camp; Jing Yi was struck in the side by an arrow and taken prisoner. Deng Rong and his brother Yun tried to flee but were captured along with all their men. Deputy General Zhu Guang pursued Ruan Shuai among the Xian tribes, searched the mountains of the Xian Pass, and captured Shuai along with the families of Chen Ji Kuo and others. Ruan Shuai fled to Nanling Prefecture and took shelter with the native official Ruan Chahui. Commander Xue Ju ran Shuai down and killed Chahui. When Deng Rong was captured, Chen Ji Kuo had fled to Zhupai Mountain in Yian. Zhang Fu sent Regional Commander Shi You after him; Chen Ji Kuo fled into Laos. Shi You pressed the pursuit; fearing a Ming incursion, the Laotians offered to bind Chen Ji Kuo and hand him over. Zhang Fu ordered Shi You to push deep into Laos; after taking three passes and reaching Jinlingge, the rebels scattered. Chen Ji Kuo was captured along with his younger brother Ji San, the false chancellor and King of Huan, and the remaining rebels were pacified. The following February Zhang Fu and Mu Sheng led the army home to the capital. In the fourth month Zhang Fu was again invested with the seal of General Who Expands the Yi and sent back to garrison Jiaozhi. In the fourteenth year he was recalled to court. The following year Li Bin, Marquis of Fengcheng, was appointed to succeed him.
17
綿 西
The people of Jiaozhi had long been restive. When the eunuch Ma Qi arrived to procure tribute goods and looted the province for treasures, unrest spread; as soon as the main army withdrew, rebels rose everywhere. Ruan Zhen of Lu Na, Li He and Pan Qiang of Shun Prefecture, Chen Kelun, Ruan Zhao, Chen Xiong, Ruan Ni, Fan Bogao, Wu Wan, Chen Yilü, and others all rebelled at once. Li Bin sent generals to suppress each rising, but rebellion continued unabated. Le Loi, district inspector of Olai; Che San, son of the former Simang magistrate Che Mian; Pan Liao, prefect of Yian; Chen Shunqing of Nanling; and Chen Zhicheng of the Yian Guard also seized the moment to rebel. Other rebels followed: Fan Ruan in Olai, Wu Gong and Huang Ruqu in Jiejiang, Nong Wenli in Qiuwen, Chen Muguo in Wuding, Ruan Te in Kuaizhou, Wu Julai in Shanshi, Zheng Gongzheng and Li Zhi in Tongli, Tao Qiang in Shancai, Ding Zonglao in Dawan, and Fan Yu in Anlao—all proclaiming titles, killing officials, and burning settlements. Yang Gong and Ruan Duo each declared themselves king, appointing Wei Wu, Tan Xingbang, and Ruan Jia as grand tutor and grand chancellor; they backed one another, but Pan Liao and Fan Yu were the most violent. Pan Liao was the son of the former Yian prefect Pan Jiyou; he had inherited his father's office but rebelled under the eunuch Ma Qi's oppression. The native official commander Lu Wenlü, company commander Chen Tai, and others joined him. Fan Yu had been a monk at Tushan Temple; claiming heaven-sent seal and sword, he styled himself King of Luoping with the reign era Yongning, rallied Fan Shan, Wu Zhong, Li Xing, and Tao Cheng, and appointed them chancellor, minister of works, and grand general while raiding towns across the province. Li Bin was fighting rebels on every front and could scarcely keep pace. In the eighteenth year the court sent Chen Zhi, Earl of Rongchang, as left regional vice commander to assist Li Bin. An edict rebuked Li Bin: "The rebels Pan Liao, Le Loi, Che San, and Nong Wenli remain at large—when will the armies stand down and the people live in peace? Lay out your strategy and report when the rebels are utterly destroyed. Li Bin, terrified, pressed his generals to hunt the rebels down. The following autumn nearly every rebel band was crushed—only Le Loi remained at large.
18
使
Le Loi had first served Chen Ji Kuo as a Golden Guard general, then submitted to the Ming and was made district inspector of Olai in Qinghua Prefecture—but he remained bitter and discontented. When the main army withdrew, he rebelled, styled himself Pacification King, made his brother Shi chancellor, and with Duan Mang, Fan Liu, Fan Yan, and others unleashed his men in plunder. Government troops captured Yan and others, but Le Loi got away. Before long he reappeared at the Kelan stockade and resumed raiding. Fang Zheng and Shi You captured his false generals Ruan Gelì and others, but Le Loi fled into Laos. Once Fang Zheng withdrew, Le Loi stole out and murdered the Yuju district inspector. He soon raided along the Lei River again, always melting away whenever troops gave chase. As the other rebel bands were wiped out, Le Loi buried himself deeper in hiding. Li Bin reported: "Le Loi has fled to Laos, which asks that Ming troops stay out and promises to hunt him with its own forces. But month after month has passed without his surrender; their intentions are deeply suspect. The Emperor suspected Laos of sheltering the rebel and had its envoy brought to the capital for questioning; only then did the Laotians expel Le Loi. In the spring of the twentieth year Li Bin died, and Chen Zhi was appointed to succeed him. In the twenty-first year Chen Zhi routed Le Loi at Chelai in Ninghua Prefecture, but Le Loi escaped once more. The following autumn Chen Zhi reported that Le Loi had first fled to Laos, been expelled, and returned to Gui County. Government troops pressed the attack; chieftains such as Fan Yang had already surrendered with sixteen hundred followers. Le Loi asked for amnesty and promised to submit, yet he would not leave Olai and kept forging royal regalia—the army had to advance. The memorial arrived just as Renzong proclaimed a general amnesty on his accession; the Emperor ordered Chen Zhi to offer Le Loi lenient terms—but Le Loi had already raided Chalong, routed Fang Zheng, and killed Commander Wu Yun.
19
紿
Before his rebellion Le Loi had been friendly with the garrison eunuch Shan Shou. Shan Shou now returned to court and assured the Emperor that Le Loi trusted him and would submit if he went to reason with him. The Emperor replied: "This rebel is cunning; if we are taken in, his power will only grow and he will be harder to subdue. Shan Shou kowtowed and said: "If I go and Le Loi does not submit, I deserve death." The Emperor assented and sent Shan Shou with an edict appointing Le Loi prefect of Qinghua, offering lavish reassurances. Before the edict even arrived, Le Loi was raiding Qinghua and had killed Regional Commander Chen Zhong. Le Loi showed no sign of surrender; he used the offer of amnesty to string the garrison along, claiming he would take office once the weather cooled, while continuing to raid. Under the new Hongxi reign, fresh general's seals were cast for frontier commanders; Chen Zhi received the seal of Deputy General Who Expands the Yi, and Li Ning, Earl of Anping, was sent to assist him. Chen Zhi was no soldier; afraid of the rebels, he played along with the pacification talk to mislead the court, clashed with Fang Zheng, and refused to move his troops. Emboldened, the rebels besieged Chalong again while Chen Zhi and his officers looked on without lifting a hand. After seven months the city ran out of provisions; the touring censor reported the crisis—but the memorial reached the capital only as Renzong lay dying. When the Xuande Emperor took the throne, he rebuked Chen Zhi and the provincial commissioners. Chen Zhi ignored the rebuke; Chalong fell, and Prefect Qin Peng died defending it. Minister Chen Qia, who oversaw the provincial and surveillance commissions, reported: "Le Loi feigns surrender while plotting treason; having taken Chalong, he has allied with the Yuma native official and Laotian chiefs. He had promised to surrender once the weather cooled; autumn passed and he pleaded a feud with Vice Commissioner Liang Ruhe, asked for Chalong instead, and sent Pan Liao and Lu Wenlü to rally recruits across Jiaxing and Guangwei—the rebellion spread daily. I beg that the commander-in-chief be ordered to crush them at once. The memorial prompted a stern imperial rebuke, with a deadline of the following spring to crush the rebels. Chen Zhi at last moved; he and Fang Zheng fought at Keliu Pass, were beaten back, and lost again at Chalong. Fang Zheng was brave but rash, Chen Zhi timid and jealous—they had never cooperated—while Shan Shou clung to pacification talk and kept his troops at Juan without aiding them; hence the repeated defeats.
20
西 退
In the spring of Xuande 1, when the news reached court, the Emperor issued another stern rebuke. The chief rebels were still loose while lesser bands multiplied; Mei Liu and Pan Keli aided the revolt, and Zhuang of Xuanhua and Huang An of Taiyuan joined Yunnan's Red-Clad bandits of Ningyuan in wide-ranging raids. The Emperor ordered Mu Sheng to pacify Ningyuan, sent fifteen thousand southwestern troops and three thousand crossbowmen to Jiaozhi, and forbade Laos to shelter rebels. In the fourth month Wang Tong, Marquis of Chengshan, was named General Who Expands the Yi, with Ma Ying as vice commander, to march against Le Loi. Chen Zhi and Fang Zheng were demoted to probationary service. Before Wang Tong's arrival the rebels struck Qinghua. Fang Zheng held back, but Regional Commander Wang Yan drove the rebels off. An amnesty was proclaimed for Jiaozhi; Le Loi and Pan Liao were promised posts if they surrendered; Tribute levies of gold, silver, and aromatics were suspended in hopes of ending the rebellion, but the rebels would not relent. Fang Zheng led an advance; Li An and regional commanders Yu Zan, Xie Feng, Xue Ju, and Zhu Guang broke and ran, and Zheng was routed. All were demoted to probationary service to redeem themselves by merit. Soon Chen Zhi sent Regional Commander Yuan Liang against the rebel Li Shan at Guangwei; as Liang prepared to cross the river, the native official He Jiakang warned of an ambush. Yuan Liang ignored the warning; Tao Sen and Qian Fu crossed the river, walked into an ambush, and were killed; Liang himself was taken. Li Shan then split his force into three columns against Jiaozhou; the column at Xiaguan was beaten by Commissioner Chen Jun, the column at Bianjiang's lesser gate by Li An, and Shan fled by night. Wang Tong likewise divided his army into three columns and counterattacked. Ma Ying defeated the rebels at Qingwei, joined Wang Tong at Shishi, and both marched to the Yingping Ning Bridge. Trudging through mud, the soldiers walked into an ambush and were routed. Minister Chen Qia was killed; Wang Tong was wounded in the side and retreated. Le Loi, in Yian, heard the news and marched swiftly to Qingtan, struck Beijiang, and advanced to besiege Dongguan. Wang Tong had no record of military achievement; he held his title only because his father Wang Zhen had died in service. The court, unaware of his incompetence, had placed him in command by mistake. One defeat broke his nerve; he defied orders, unilaterally ceded everything south of Qinghua to the rebels, and pulled all officials, soldiers, and civilians back to Dongguan. Only Qinghua Prefect Luo Tong held fast; Le Loi shifted to besiege him but failed to take the city. The rebels sent ten thousand men to besiege Ailiu Pass; Platoon Commander Wan Cong fought them off and they withdrew. Horrified by Wang Tong's defeat, the Emperor appointed Liu Sheng, Marquis of Anyuan, commander-in-chief with Liang Ming, Earl of Baoding, as deputy, and dispatched Mu Sheng as General Who Expands the South with Xu Heng and Tan Zhong as deputies from Yunnan—more than seventy thousand men in all. Wang Tong was ordered to hold his ground until Liu Sheng arrived.
21
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In the spring of Xuande 2, Le Loi struck Jiaozhou. Wang Tong met him in battle, killed the false grand eunuch Li Mi along with grand commandant, minister of education, and minister of works, and claimed ten thousand enemy heads. Le Loi broke and ran; his officers urged a hot pursuit, but Wang Tong held back for three days. Seeing his timidity, the rebels rebuilt fortifications and sent raiding parties in every direction. In the third month thirty-three thousand more troops were dispatched under Liu Sheng and Mu Sheng. The rebels split their army to besiege Qiuwen; Regional Commander Sun Ju held them off. Earlier the rebels, treating the Chang River as the army's lifeline, had sent more than eighty thousand men against it; Regional Commander Li Ren and his men fought hard and killed great numbers. Nine months passed while the generals looked on without relief; the rebels, dreading Liu Sheng's arrival, redoubled their assault. In the fourth month the city fell and Li Ren died defending it. The rebels had long blockaded Jiaozhou; Wang Tong shut the gates and would not come out, and they grew bolder, sending a letter to sue for peace. Wang Tong wanted to agree and called a council. Surveillance Commissioner Yang Shixi said, "We were sent to crush the rebels. To make peace and withdraw on our own—how do we answer for that?" Wang Tong erupted and shouted him down; no one else spoke, and he forwarded Le Loi's letter to the throne.
22
使 歿歿 退 使 退
Liu Sheng had been under orders for months; only after the armies gathered did he reach Ailiu Pass in the ninth month. Le Loi, already in secret accord with Wang Tong, pretended the Chen line had an heir; with all his chiefs he petitioned Liu Sheng to halt the war and restore a Chen descendant. Liu Sheng left the letter unopened and sent a courier to report to the Emperor. Soon afterward Liu Sheng pushed on to Daomapo, was ambushed and killed, and the rear guard was destroyed in turn. Terrified by the news, Wang Tong mustered soldiers and civilians, went to the Xia Shao River, and swore a pact with Le Loi to pull back the army. He then dispatched officials with rebel envoys to submit a memorial and tribute. Mu Sheng's force reached Shuiwei and was preparing boats to advance; learning Wang Tong had already sued for peace, he withdrew too, and the rebels fell on him and routed him.
23
使使 西
The Court of State Ceremonial forwarded Le Loi's letter to Liu Sheng. It said in part: "When the August Emperor took the throne, Annan was first to pay tribute and was honored with a jade seal. Later the Le usurpers seized power by murder; the Taizong Emperor marched to destroy them and searched for Chen descendants. The Chen clan had fled far to escape the calamity, and none could be found. Now a survivor named Chen Hao has been found—he hid in Laos for twenty years, and our people, remembering the old king's grace, have traced him at last. If this may be conveyed to the throne and the Taizong Emperor's mandate to restore a broken line honored, it would bless not only the Chen house but millions in this frontier realm." The Emperor read it and nodded. The next day Chen Hao's own memorial arrived, calling himself "your subject Hao, legitimate grandson of the former king Hue in the third generation"—much the same as Le Loi's letter. The Emperor knew it was a ruse but wanted a pretext to stop the war, and accepted the story. From the start, speaking with Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong about Jiaozhi after his accession, he had wanted to give it up. Now he showed the memorial to the court and explained his wish to stop the war and spare the people. Shiqi and Rong strongly agreed; only Jian Yi and Xia Yuanji dissented. The Emperor's decision stood, and the ministers did not press the matter. On the first of the eleventh month he named Li Qi and Luo Rujing chief envoys and Huang Ji and Xu Yongda deputies, to carry an edict comforting the people of Annan, pardoning all crimes, and ordering a full report on any Chen heir. He also instructed Le Loi in the principle of restoring a fallen line and ordered Wang Tong and the provincial officials to withdraw every soldier and civilian north. Before the edict arrived Wang Tong had already quit Jiaozhi, marching back to Guangxi by land while the eunuchs Shan Shou and Ma Qi and the provincial officials sailed to Qinzhou. Only eighty-six thousand got out; those killed or held by the rebels were beyond count. The empire condemned Wang Tong for surrendering the province and ruining the people, but the Emperor did not rebuke him.
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In the summer of the third year Wang Tong and the others reached the capital; officials impeached them jointly, and at trial they confessed. Wang Tong, Chen Zhi, Ma Ying, Fang Zheng, Shan Shou, Ma Qi, and Provincial Commissioner Yi Qian were all sentenced to death, imprisoned, and their estates seized. In the end the Emperor did not put them to death; they were left in prison awaiting sentence. Ma Qi's brutality had helped spark the revolt and his guilt was grave, yet Yi Qian was innocent; sentencing them alike drew widespread criticism. Ministers again impeached Mu Sheng, Xu Heng, and Tan Zhong for delay and for losing armies and disgracing the realm, but the Emperor took no action.
25
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When Qi and his party returned, Le Loi sent envoys with thanks, falsely claiming Chen Hao had died in the first month, that the Chen line was extinct, that the people had pressed Le Loi to rule, and that he awaited imperial orders. The Emperor knew the fraud and would not enfeoff him yet; he sent Rujing and Yongda again to tell Le Loi to search for the Chen house and return all officials, civilians, and their families. The next spring, when Rujing returned, Le Loi again claimed no Chen survivors remained and asked for a separate appointment. He also sent local tribute and a gold figure to stand in for himself. He added: "My nine-year-old daughter was lost in the turmoil; I later learned Ma Qi took her back as a palace maid. Overcome by a father's grief, I venture to ask her return." The Emperor knew Le Loi would never admit any Chen survivor, yet had no grounds to enfeoff him; he sent Qi and Rujing to search again and told Le Loi his daughter had died of illness.
26
使 使 使 使 使 使 西西 使 西 使 使
In the spring of the fifth year, when Qi returned, Le Loi sent tribute of gold and silver vessels and a polished memorial, with chiefs and elders asking that he be empowered to govern. When the envoys came back, the Emperor again mentioned searching for Chen heirs and returning Chinese subjects—but without much force. The next summer Le Loi sent envoys to apologize, evaded both demands with smooth words, and again had chiefs and elders petition for his enfeoffment. The Emperor then agreed and sent Zhang Chang and Xu Qi with an edict and seal appointing Le Loi provisional administrator of Annan. Le Loi sent envoys with a memorial, gold and silver vessels, and tribute to accompany Zhang Chang to court. They reached the capital in the second month of the seventh year; on their return Le Loi and his envoys were both rewarded. The next August they came to tribute; Xu Qi of the Ministry of War and others were sent with their envoys to instruct them in ruling by Heaven's will and guarding the people. That year Le Loi died. Though Le Loi had accepted the imperial commission, at home he called himself emperor, took the era name Shuntian, built eastern and western capitals, and divided the country into thirteen circuits: Shannan, Jingbei, Shanxi, Haiyang, Anbang, Liangshan, Taiyuan, Mingguang, Lianghua, Qinghua, Jun'an, Shunhua, and Guangnan. Each circuit had an administrative commission, a surveillance commission, and a regional military commission—mirroring China's three offices. The eastern capital stood at Jiaozhou Prefecture, the western at Qinghua Prefecture. He staffed a full bureaucracy, opened schools, and recruited officials by examinations in the classics and poetry— cultivated, with a clear Chinese cast. He had reigned in all but name for six years and was posthumously styled Taizu. His son Lin succeeded him; Lin also went by the name Long. Henceforth each ruler kept two names, reporting one to the court; tribute continued on the usual schedule. Lin sent envoys with news of Le Loi's death; Zhang Chang and Courier Hou Jin were dispatched to authorize Lin as provisional ruler. The next year he sent envoys to court with tribute and thanks.
27
使 使 使 使 西 使 使 使 祿 使
In the fourth month of Zhengtong 1, on the Xuande Emperor's death, he sent envoys to offer incense. He also sent envoys with congratulations and tribute for the Yingzong Emperor's accession and the elevation of the Grand Empress Dowager and Empress Dowager. In the intercalary sixth month he sent tribute again. Since the Chen line was extinct, the Emperor wished to invest Lin fully; the court debated the matter and all agreed. He then sent Li Yu and Li Heng with an edict and seal to invest Lin as King of Annan. The next year he sent envoys to court with tribute and thanks. An Annan native official of Silang Prefecture then raided Anping and Siling in Guangxi and seized two vales and twenty-one villages. The Emperor sent Supervising Secretary Tang Nai and Courier Gao Yin to order Lin to return the seized land. Lin complied and sent envoys to apologize, but also complained that Anping and Siling officials had raided Silang. The Emperor ordered the frontier governors to restrain their men. In the seventh year, when Annan's tribute envoys returned, they carried leather caps and robes and brocade court dress for their king. That year Lin died and was posthumously styled Taizong. His reign used two era names: six years of Shaoping and three of Dabao. His son Jun succeeded—Jun also went by Jilong—and sent envoys with news of the death. Song Jie of the Court of Imperial Entertainments and Xue Qian, supervising secretary of the Ministry of War, were sent with credentials to invest him as king. Jun sent troops into Champa, seized Xinzhou Harbor, captured King Mohe Bengai, and carried him off. The Emperor enthroned Mohe Guilai and told Annan's envoys to order Jun to restore the deposed king. Jun defied the edict, abducted over thirty-three thousand people, and Champa appealed to the Ming court.
28
使 使 使 使 使使 使 使西 使
In Jingtai 1 the court sent Jun a warning edict; he still refused to comply. In the fourth year he sent envoys to congratulate the crown prince's investiture. In Tianshun 1 his envoys asked for dragon robes and a crown like Korea's; the request was denied. His envoys requested books and medicines in exchange for local products; the court agreed. In the second year he sent envoys to celebrate the Yingzong Emperor's restoration. In the tenth month of the third year his half-brother Liangshan Prince Cong murdered him and seized power. Jun's reign used two era names: eleven years of Dali and six of Yanning. He was posthumously styled Renzong. Cong, also called Yimin, ruled nine months under the era Tianyu before his own people killed him; he was demoted to Marquis of Lide and Jun's brother Hao succeeded. Hao also went by the name Sicheng. When Cong murdered Jun, he first reported that Jun had drowned on a lake outing. The Ming court, unaware, prepared to send officials to mourn and sacrifice. Cong feared an imperial envoy would expose him; he claimed ritual forbade mourning drownings and begged the court not to send one—the Emperor let it drop. His envoys claimed Jun had no heir and asked that Cong be invested. Yin Min and Supervising Secretary Wang Yu were dispatched to invest him. Before crossing the border they learned Cong was dead and Hao had succeeded, and turned back. Hao repeatedly petitioned for investiture; rites officials suspected fraud and asked Guangxi officials to verify; the Emperor agreed. The envoys said, "By ritual the living are enfeoffed and the dead mourned. Jun's death is now known— we ask for funeral rites. The court then sent a courier to perform the rites. In the second month of the sixth year Qian Pu and Supervising Secretary Wang Yu invested Hao as king.
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使 使
When the Chenghua Emperor took the throne, he sent Ling Xin, Chamberlain for Imperial Seals, and the courier Shao Zhen to grant colored silks to the king and queen. Hao sent tribute envoys and asked for full court regalia; the court refused, granting only a leather-cap ensemble, gauze cap, and rhinoceros-horn belt. In the eighth month of Chenghua 1, after the Yingzong Emperor's death, envoys were dispatched to offer incense and were instructed to perform rites at Yuling.
30
西 西 西 西 西 使 使
Hao was bold and domineering; confident in Annan's wealth and armies, he repeatedly threw his weight about. In the fourth year he seized Pingxiang in Guangxi. On hearing this, the Emperor ordered frontier officials to stand ready. In the seventh year he crushed Champa and took King Panluo Chaan captive; three years later he invaded again, seized King Panluo Chayue, renamed the kingdom Jiaonan Prefecture, and posted a garrison. Annan's tribute missions had long traveled through Guangxi. The Yunnan resident eunuch Qian Neng was rapacious; he sent Commander Guo Jing with an imperial edict to extort goods. Hao had long coveted access to Yunnan. Citing the escort of Longzhou convicts to the capital, he followed Guo Jing through Yunnan on the way to Beijing, requisitioned over six hundred bearers, and trailed the party with troops, throwing Yunnan into turmoil. The Ministry of War replied that Yunnan was not the tribute route, that Longzhou prisoners should be handled in Guangxi, and that they need not be sent to Beijing. Frontier officials were ordered to rebuke Annan by proclamation and tighten border defenses. Having seized Pingxiang and conquered Champa, Hao raided Qiong and Lei in Guangdong and looted the pearl beds. Longzhou and Youping in Guangxi and Lin'an, Guangnan, and Zhen'an in Yunnan also sent repeated alarms. The court ordered frontier officials to demand explanations, but he answered with evasions. The court indulged him; though edicts went out again and again, none spoke harshly. Emboldened, Hao claimed: "Champa's King Panluo Chaan had encroached on the Huazhou route and was murdered by his brother Panluo Chayue, who then seized the throne. Just as he was to be invested, he was murdered again by his son Chazhi Tai. Champa had torn itself apart; this was no fault of mine, Hao said." The Ming court saw through the lie yet could not confront him, urging only that he return the seized lands. Hao submitted a memorial claiming: "Champa is poor country—few stores in its homes, no mulberry or hemp in the fields, no gold in the hills, no profit from sea salt or fish; only ivory, rhinoceros horn, ebony, and agarwood. Its land could not be settled, its people could not be ruled, its goods could not make us rich—this is why I did not seize Champa, he said. The imperial edict commands me to restore their territory; I beg that envoys be sent to demarcate the border so both realms may live in peace—this is my deepest wish." Champa had been under his control for years, yet he spoke in this preposterous way.
31
使 退 西 滿使 使
Previously Annan's tribute missions often carried private merchandise; along the Pingxiang and Longzhou routes, labor shortages repeatedly sparked clashes. When envoys were dispatched to congratulate the crown prince's investiture, the court issued an edict forbidding the practice. In the winter of the fifteenth year Hao sent over eight hundred soldiers across Yunnan's Mengzi frontier, claiming to pursue bandits, and without permission built camps and houses to occupy. Frontier officials forcibly halted them, and they withdrew. After conquering Champa, Hao's ambitions swelled; he personally led ninety thousand men, cut three mountain routes, broke through Ailao, invaded Laos, and routed the enemy, killing Pacification Commissioner Daobanya and his sons Lan and Zhang; the youngest, Payasai, fled to Baibai. Hao stockpiled grain, drilled troops, issued a forged edict in Chelai, and summoned its forces to join the assault on Baibai. Several thousand troops died suddenly in camp; all said lightning had struck them down. Baibai cut off their retreat and ambushed them, killing more than ten thousand; Hao then withdrew. The Emperor referred the matter to court debate; the proposal was that Guangxi's administration commission rebuke Hao and order him to withdraw, while Yunnan and the two Guang provinces need only tighten defenses. Hao then claimed he had never invaded Laos and did not even know where Baibai lay—outright nonsense. The Emperor again sent soothing edicts, but Hao never complied. In the autumn of the seventeenth year Melaka too complained of invasion; the Emperor sent envoys urging neighborly peace. Soon tribute envoys came asking for caps and belts on the same terms as Siam and Java. The request was granted once, but not established as precedent.
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When the Hongzhi Emperor took the throne, he ordered Reader-in-Waiting Liu Zhan to proclaim an edict to Annan. When Annan's envoys arrived with tribute, they were excused from formal audience because of court mourning. In Hongzhi 3, Champa's King Gulai, restored to his throne with Ming support, again accused Annan of invasion. Minister of War Ma Wensheng summoned Annan's envoys and said: "Tell your king to keep to his borders and live in peace. Otherwise, if the court should one day thunder in anger and imperial armies march to your frontier as in the Yongle era, will your king not rue it?" After this Annan showed some restraint. In the tenth year Hao died and was privately styled Sheng Zong. His reign used two era names: ten years of Guangshun and twenty-eight of Hongde. His son Hui succeeded—also called Zheng—and sent envoys with news of the death; the courier Xu Yu was dispatched to offer sacrifice. Hui was soon granted a leather-cap ensemble and a gold rhinoceros-horn belt. His envoys complained that the king's investiture robes were no grander than those of his officials and asked for a change of grant. The Ministry of Rites replied: "Annan is called king in name but is in truth a subject of the Ming. A newly enthroned king must receive the leather-cap regalia befitting sovereign dignity, and also first-rank everyday dress reminding him of his subject status. The request would overturn precedent and must be denied. This was not the envoys' fault but the interpreters' who prompted the improper request—they should not be punished." The Emperor granted them special pardon. In the seventeenth year Hui died and was privately styled Xian Zong; his era name was Jingtong. His son Qian succeeded—also called Jingfu—and died within seven months; he was privately styled Su Zong. His younger brother Yi succeeded—also called Xuan.
33
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When the Zhengde Emperor took the throne, he ordered Compiler Lun Wenxu and Supervising Secretary Zhang Hongzhi to proclaim an edict to Annan. Yi too sent envoys announcing a death, and officials were ordered to perform the usual funeral rites. In Zhengde 1 he was invested as king. Yi favored his mother's relatives, the brothers Ruan Zhong and Ruan Bosheng, who ruled brutally, slaughtered royal kinsmen, and poisoned his grandmother. In the fourth year Zhong and his faction, abusing imperial favor, forced Yi to suicide, enthroned his brother Bosheng, and demoted Yi to Prince Li Min. Li Guang and others overthrew them, enthroned Hao's grandson Chieu, and restyled Yi as Emperor Weimu. Yi reigned four years under the era Duanqing. Chieu, also called Ying, was invested in the seventh year and ruled unjustly. In the eleventh year Chen Hao, a She Hall incense officer, rebelled with his sons Bing and Sheng, killed Chieu, and seized the throne. Claiming Chen descent, he styled himself Emperor Dayu, took the era Yingtian, and demoted Chieu to Prince Lingyin. Chieu's minister Mo Dengyong, Chief Palace Attendant, first backed Chen Hao, then joined Le ministers including Ruan Siyu in arms against him. Chen Hao was routed; Bing and his ally Chen Jin were taken. Chen Hao and Sheng fled toward Lang Son and held Changning, Taiyuan, and Qingjie. Dengyong's faction then enthroned Hue, son of Chieu's elder brother Hao, and restyled Chieu as Emperor Xiangyi. Chieu reigned seven years under the era Hongshun. Hue sought investiture, but civil war prevented it. For his service Dengyong was made Earl of Wuchuan and given command of all land and naval forces. With military power in hand, he began to plot usurpation. Le minister Zheng Sui, deeming Hue a puppet, set up his kinsman Youbang and marched on the capital. Hue fled; Dengyong routed Zheng Sui, captured and killed Youbang, grew bolder with power, forced Hue's mother into marriage, restored Hue to the throne, and took the titles Grand Tutor and Duke of Renguo. In the sixteenth year he attacked Chen Hao, who was defeated, fled, and died.
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In Jiajing 1 Dengyong declared himself Prince of Anxing and plotted to kill Hue. Warned by Hue's mother, he fled with minister Du Wenrun by hidden paths and took refuge at Qinghua. Dengyong enthroned his younger brother Guang and installed him at Changqing Prefecture in Haidong. When the Jiajing Emperor took the throne, he ordered Compiler Sun Chengen and Supervising Secretary Yu Dunzhao to proclaim an edict to Annan. At Longzhou they learned Annan was in chaos and the road blocked, and turned back. In the summer of the fourth year Hue sent envoys by hidden routes to tribute and seek investiture, but Dengyong blocked them. The next spring Dengyong bribed Qinzhou assistant magistrate Tang Qing to petition investiture for Guang. Grand Coordinator Zhang Jing arrested Tang Qing, who died in custody. In the sixth year Dengyong had his agent Wei Fan Jiamo forge Guang's abdication, seized the throne, adopted the era Mingde, and made his son Fang Ying crown prince. He soon poisoned Guang and posthumously styled him Emperor Gong. A year later he sent tribute envoys; at Lang Son they were attacked and driven back. In the ninth year Dengyong abdicated to Fang Ying, styled himself Retired Emperor, moved to Duqi and Haiyang to bolster his son, wrote fifty-nine articles of the Great Admonitions, and issued them nationwide. Fang Ying adopted the era Dazheng. That September Hue died at Qinghua, and the Le dynasty fell.
35
使使 西西調
In the winter of the fifteenth year, after a prince was born, an edict was to be sent to Annan. Ritual official Xia Yan argued: "Annan has not tribute for twenty years; Guang officials say neither Hue nor Guang was Chieu's legitimate successor; Mo Dengyong and Chen Hao are usurpers; envoys should investigate and identify the culprits. Since earlier envoys could not pass, missions should be suspended for now. Seeing Annan's rebellion plainly, the Emperor ordered an urgent investigation and told Xia Yan to confer with the Ministry of War on military action. Xia Yan and Minister of War Zhang Zan insisted that usurpers had seized the throne, tribute had ceased, and Annan must be punished. They asked that two Embroidered Uniform Guard officers verify events on the ground and that Guang and Yunnan officials muster troops and stores pending campaign orders; the Emperor agreed. Company Commanders Tao Fengyi and Zheng Xi were sent to Guangxi and Yunnan to demand the culprits' names, and officials in Sichuan, Guizhou, Huguang, Fujian, and Jiangxi were told to prepare troops and supplies for mobilization. Vice Minister Tang Zhou memorialized with seven arguments against war, detailed in his biography; he concluded: "Though Annan is torn by strife, it still sends memorials and gifts and knocks at the border seeking admission. The frontier officials turned them away because the names did not correspond. They wanted to tribute but were blocked, not that they willfully withheld tribute. The memorial went to the Ministry of War, which concurred; further discussion was ordered once the investigators returned.
36
調 使 調 使 祿 輿 使 調
In the sixteenth year Le Ninh sent Zheng Weiliao and others to court with a full account of Dengyong's usurpation and murder, saying: "Ninh is Hue's son. After Hue died, the Annamese installed Ninh as heir and put him in charge of government. He repeatedly appealed to frontier officials for help, but Dengyong intercepted and killed every messenger. He pleaded for a punitive expedition to destroy the usurper at once. Yan Song, then running the Ministry of Rites, doubted their account and asked to detain them until the investigators returned; the Emperor agreed. Fengyi's team was soon recalled; the rites and war ministries convened the court, listed Dengyong's ten crimes, and urged decisive action and a fixed campaign date. Mao Bowen was recalled from retirement as military adviser; Hu Lian and Gao Gongshao were sent ahead to Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guang to mobilize supplies; Jiang Huan and Niu Huan were named deputy commanders pending appointment of a supreme commander. The Ministry of War then issued twelve operational guidelines under imperial order. Only Vice Minister Pan Zhen dissented, memorializing forcefully against the war. The Emperor stripped him of office in anger. Pan Dan, grand coordinator of Guang, urged canceling the campaign: "Even as we mobilize, Dengyong sends tribute envoys; we should accept them, stay on alert, and let Annan settle itself. Reading the Emperor's mind, Yan Song and Zhang Zan insisted there could be no pardon, noting that Le Ninh at Qingdu sought restoration while Pan Dan wrongly claimed Annan was stable and petitioning for tribute—which must be refused. Pan Dan's memorial was ignored. In May, Bowen reached court with six strategic proposals, declared Pan Dan impossible to work with, and was warmly praised when he asked for a replacement. When the ministry's plan reached him, the Emperor abruptly reversed course: Le Ninh's claims were unverified; frontier officials should pacify as needed; military advisers and supply chiefs were suspended; Pan Dan was reassigned and Zhang Jing replaced him. Censor Xu Jiugao and Supervising Secretary Xie Tingfan, in austerity memorials, also called for canceling the southern campaign. In the eighth month Wang Wensheng, Yunnan's grand coordinator, reported capturing Dengyong's spies and a forged Great Admonitions. The Emperor was furious and ordered frontier officials to resume the punitive campaign as previously commanded. Wensheng had enlisted Le loyalist Wu Wenyuan, obtained a campaign map, judged Dengyong beatable, and sent both to court. Guangdong censor Yu Guang argued: "Mo seizing power from Le is like Le seizing it from Chen—not worth dwelling on. Punish their absence from court, demand submission and tribute, and spare China a distant war that would drain her strength. I have already sent envoys to proclaim the imperial will; if they submit, we should accept and pacify them. The Emperor judged Yu Guang rash and docked his salary for a year. Wensheng proclaimed to Annan that if Dengyong surrendered and handed over his maps and territories, his life would be spared. Dengyong and his son then sent envoys with surrender memorials and petitions to Wensheng and Prince Mu Chaofu of Qian, recounting Le decline, Chen Hao's revolt, their own merits, popular support, and lands already in the gazetteer; they begged pardon and restoration of tribute. Chaofu reported this in the third month of year seventeen; fearing acceptance of the surrender, Le Ninh submitted a full account of usurpation, troop counts, and invasion routes by land and sea. Both were referred to the Ministry of War for a court conference. All agreed the Mo usurpers were unpardonable and urged immediate advance. They recommended Xianning Marquis Qiu Luan as supreme commander with Bowen as adviser; the Emperor agreed. Zhang Jing calculated: "Annan has six invasion routes; we need three hundred thousand men, 1.6 million in annual rations, and over seven hundred thousand more for ships, horses, arms, and rewards. Massing troops to cross tropical seas puts us at a grave disadvantage against a rested enemy; this must be weighed carefully. As that memorial arrived, Qinzhou Prefect Lin Xiyuan also argued forcefully that Dengyong could be defeated. The Ministry of War could not decide and sought another court conference. When the conference report arrived, the Emperor was displeased: "I hear you officials privately agree war is unwise. You hold the realm's affairs yet offer no leadership, deferring everything to committee. Since you cannot unite in service to the state, drop the matter. Assign Luan and Bowen elsewhere."
37
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In the eighteenth year, with investiture of the crown prince, an edict was to be sent to Annan. Huang Wan was specially appointed Minister of Rites, with Academician Zhang Zhi as deputy, to envoy to Annan. Hardly had the order been issued when Fang Ying surrendered, registering lands and population for imperial disposal: fifty-three prefectures, forty-nine subprefectures, and 176 counties. The Emperor accepted and referred the matter to the rites and war ministries. By July Wan still had not left; dismissed for defying the throne, the mission was canceled. The war had originally been Xia Yan's proposal; after rebuking Wan, the Emperor erupted: "On Annan, one man led and all followed. You then mocked the throne and traded private counsel, writing insolent memorials together. Whether to abandon or punish Annan needs a firm decision; the Ministry of War must conference and report at once. Zan and the terrified court asked, as before, to send Luan and Bowen south. If Dengyong and his son surrendered in good faith, their lives would be spared; the Emperor agreed. Dengyong was overjoyed.
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西 使 使使 使 西
In the nineteenth year Bowen reached Guangxi and proclaimed amnesty for those who submitted. Fang Ying was already dead; Dengyong at once sent envoys to surrender. In the eleventh month he led his nephew Wenming and forty-two officials into Zhennan Pass, bound and barefoot, crawling to the surrender altar; Bowen proclaimed their pardon. At headquarters they prostrated again, submitted land and population registers, and pledged to accept the calendar and remain vassals forever. Bowen proclaimed imperial mercy and sent them home to await orders. The Emperor was delighted and reduced Annan to a Pacification Commission, appointing Dengyong Pacification Commissioner at vice-second rank with a silver seal. Usurped institutions were abolished; thirteen circuits became thirteen Pacification Offices with standard posts, all subject to the Pacification Commissioner's appointment. Guangxi would supply the calendar annually; triennial tribute remained the rule. Le Ninh's identity was to be verified; if he was truly Le blood, four prefectures would support his rites—otherwise the offer would lapse. Dengyong accepted the decree in fear and trembling.
39
西 歿 使 使 使 使 使 使
In the twenty-second year Dengyong died; Fuhai, Fang Ying's son, succeeded and sent Ruan Dianjing and others to court. In the twenty-fifth year Fuhai died; his son Honglie succeeded. Dengyong had adopted Ruan Jing of Shishi and enfeoffed him Marquis of Xining. Jing's daughter married Fang Ying's second son Jingdian; through Lady Wu he monopolized military power. Honglie was only five when enthroned; Ruan Jing grew ever more dictatorial. Dengyong's second son Zhengzhong and Wenming withdrew to Duqi; Ruan Rugui, Fan Ziyi, and others retired to the countryside. Ruan Jing marched on Duqi; Zhengzhong and the others resisted but were defeated. Zhengzhong and Wenming fled with their families to Qinzhou; Ziyi gathered remnants and escaped to Haidong. Ruan Jing falsely claimed Honglie dead, invaded Qinzhou to install Zhengzhong, was defeated by Yu Dayou, and executed. At Honglie's accession he had sent Le Guangben to tribute; at Nanning frontier officials reported his arrival. Ritual officials, citing civil war and unsettled succession, barred the envoys and ordered frontier officials to verify the rightful ruler. By the thirtieth year the matter was settled; Honglie was appointed Pacification Commissioner and told to receive his commission at the border pass. But Le Bolí and Zheng Jian combined forces against him; Honglie fled to Haiyang and could not come to the pass. Guangben and his party stayed at Nanning nearly fifteen years; most of their companions died. Honglie asked frontier officials to petition for him; the court allowed Guangben into the capital but withheld the commission until Honglie came to the pass. In the forty-third year Honglie died; his son Maoqia succeeded. In Wanli year one he was appointed Pacification Commissioner. In year three he sent envoys to thank the court, congratulate the accession, present gifts, and make up years of missed tribute.
40
The Mo clan waned as the Le revived; they warred on each other and the realm grew ever more chaotic. When Le Ninh held Qinghua he still claimed imperial title and in Jiajing year nine adopted the era Yuanhe. Four years later Dengyong attacked him and he fled into Champa territory. The Annamese installed his brother Xian and adopted the era Guangzhao. In the fifteenth year Lian Zhi located Ninh and restored him to Qinghua; later he moved to Qima River. After Ninh died, Zheng Jian installed his son Chong. Chong died childless; the people installed Weibang, fourth-generation descendant of Le Hui. After Weibang died, Zheng Jian's son Song installed Weitan at Qinghua as a separate realm.
41
使 西 祿
In Wanli year nineteen Weitan grew strong, attacked Maoqia, and drove him to Jialin County. The next winter Song used local collaborators in a surprise attack that killed Maoqia, seized the Pacification seal, and slaughtered many of his kin. Mo Dunrang fled to Fangcheng to report the crisis; Grand Coordinator Chen Qu informed the court. Song captured Dunrang and grew ever more powerful. Maoqia's son Jinggong and kin Lvxun fled to Silang in Guangxi; Mo Lvji fled to Qinzhou. Only Mo Jingbang commanded over one hundred thousand men; rising in Jingbei Circuit he routed Le generals Fan Baocui and Fan Bailu, restoring Dunrang. The people then made Jingbang acting Pacification Commissioner; exiles in Silang and Qinzhou all returned. Le forces attacked Nance Prefecture; Jingbang was killed and Mo power waned further. Jinggong and Jingyong held Gaoping in Langshan; Jingzhang held Xin'an in Donghai; fleeing Le pursuit to Longzhou and Pingxiang, they had native officials petition the authorities. Weitan also came to the pass seeking tribute, presenting a royal golden seal for identification.
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西 便 使 使 西耀使 使 使 使
In year twenty-one Chen Dake of Guangxi argued: "Barbarian realms change rulers like chess pieces; their internal strife is not our measure—only rebellion against us or submission to us counts. Weitan may seek restoration, but Maoqia was the court's own vassal—how could he be killed without imperial leave? The Le usurpers' crime of unauthorized war, I submit, cannot go unanswered. The Mo clan’s surviving line also had to be preserved. If, as in earlier reigns, the Le were received while the Mo were left in place—as at Qima River their rites were not extinguished—the arrangement would serve all sides. The court debated and adopted this view. The following year, before Da Ke could send investigators, Jingyong sent envoys to the military gate pleading distress and begging for troops. The next autumn Weitan too sent envoys to apologize and sue for peace. Da Ke was now governor-general of Guangdong and Guangxi; with Surveillance Commissioner Dai Yao he left affairs to Vice Commissioner Yang Yinqiu, who decided: “Reject neither Le nor Mo. Yinqiu sent officials twice; Jinggong’s party said they would live at Gaoping, and Weitan’s peace envoys kept coming. Yinqiu set terms with both sides and reported to Da Ke and Dai Yao. When Jingzhang marched on Yong’an and was crushed by Le troops, losing Haidong and Xin’an, peace terms were all but settled. Weitan, claiming restoration, refused to rank himself with Dengyong and would not come to the border in person. His envoys promised compliance, yet on the appointed day told the border guards the army was sick and gifts unready. The Mo are our enemies; we dare not accept them at Gaoping. They fled at midnight. Da Ke reported that Zheng Song’s dominance had caused the flight. Weitan sent envoys again, denying that he had fled. Officials were sent again, and Weitan submitted.
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使 仿 退退 使
In the twenty-fifth year he asked for a date; Yinqiu named the fourth month. Weitan arrived at the pass and was questioned on six counts. On killing Mao Qia he said revenge had brooked no delay. On his lineage he claimed to be the hereditary grandson of Hui, once invested by the court. On Zheng Song he said he was a hereditary Le minister, not a rebel. Asked about the midnight flight, he said gifts were unprepared, not flight. On royal seals he said they were temporary copies already destroyed. Only on leaving Gaoping to the Mo did he still resist. They said: “Both are vassals; if the Le once lived at Qima River, why not the Mo at Gaoping? He then consented. He was taught the rites of submission at the pass. Weitan entered the pass and performed the same rites Dengyong had used. He asked Yinqiu for equal courtesy as host and guest; refused, he bowed four times and withdrew. Annan was pacified once more. Weitan was appointed Pacification Commissioner and ordered to receive the calendar and offer tribute. The arrangement followed the old Mo precedent. Le Loi and Dengyong had presented bound substitute golden figures; Weitan, claiming restoration, stood upright. Officials deemed him arrogant and made him prostrate; his back was inscribed with a formula of repentance. Henceforth Annan was Le’s again; the Mo held only Gaoping.
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使使
In the twenty-seventh year Weitan died; Weixin succeeded under Zheng Song’s dominance. When Pan Yan rebelled, Weixin and Song withdrew to Qinghua. In the thirty-fourth year tribute envoys came and he was confirmed as Pacification Commissioner. Mo kinsmen along the coast often styled themselves nobles and raided the border beyond Weixin’s control. Border troops crushed them repeatedly, yet the frontier still suffered. Weixin died and Weiqi succeeded. In Tianqi year 4 troops attacked Mo Jingkuan, killed his eldest son, and seized his family. Jingkuan fled to the hills with his second son and returned to weakened Gaoping. Through the Ming the two houses remained divided and never reunified.
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西西
Annan’s capital was Jiaozhou, site of the Tang protectorate. East to the sea, west to Laos, south across the sea to Champa, north to Guangxi and Yunnan. The land was rich, the climate hot, and grain yielded two harvests a year. The people were fierce by nature. Huan and Yan had many scholars; Jiao and Ai many spirited men—unlike elsewhere.
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