On the fourteenth day of the third month of the spring of the Renwu year of the Zhengtong reign, the Emperor went to the Xianning Palace. The Right Prime Minister, Tuotuo, and other officials were ordered to compile the histories of the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties. The Emperor approved the order. On the third month of the spring of the Jiashen year of the second year of the Yue reign, the Emperor presented the 30-volume "Annals of the Liao Dynasty," the 31-volume "Records," the 8-volume "Tables," and the 46-volume "Biographies."

In the eleventh month of the winter, he submitted 19 volumes of the Chronicle of the Jin Dynasty, 39 volumes of the Records, 4 volumes of the Tables, and 73 volumes of the Biographies. In the eleventh month of the winter of the following year, he submitted 47 volumes of the Chronicle of the Song Dynasty, 162 volumes of the Records, 32 volumes of the Tables, and 255 volumes of the Biographies of the Family.

At first, Yang Weizhen of Kuaiji once submitted "On the Orthodox Principle," a theory that completely dispelled widespread controversy and was cherished by generations. Unfortunately, after the Three Histories were completed, his ideas were never put to use. Those who later continued the Comprehensive Mirror for the Advancement of History must have taken this as their foundation. Weizhen, courtesy name Lianfu and alias Tieya, was known as Mr. Iron History.

In the Dingmao year of the Taiding reign, Li Fu passed the imperial examination and became famous for his writing. He wrote in his memorial, "On the fifth day of the third month of the Zhizheng reign, I have seen the Emperor's edict appointing Zhang Jingzhao and Du Ben of Daliang to certain official positions, and dedicating them to compiling the histories of the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties. The following year, the histories were completed, but the orthodox tradition had yet to be finalized."

I, your humble servant, Weizhen, have respectfully compiled "A Discussion on the Orthodoxy of the Three Histories," a text of over 2,600 words. I respectfully present the above, as correct. "I believe that the differences between generations are closely tied to the fluctuations of celestial destiny, and the regular and intercalary calendars over the millennia are ultimately determined by the public's judgment of right and wrong. With a correct system, precedents can be established, just as a general outline allows for a comprehensive overview. The unusual histories of previous dynasties are now being compiled, and now that the debate on right and wrong has been made clear, the regular and intercalary calendars can be established. However, although the Three Histories have been compiled, a unified system has yet to be achieved.

We all remember that Emperor Taizu founded the country with the spirit of Tang and Wu; Your Majesty, the Emperor, reigns with the spirit of Yao and Shun. He established the highest principles and established the middle, nurturing all things with harmony, striving for perfection and unity, and recording the great unification of the Yuan Dynasty. I wonder why the histories of the Liao, Jin, and Song dynasties have not been completed; I must compile them in the Zhao and Song dynasties for a complete and complete record. With the grand opening of the court and the rise of the people, it is time to compile a 300-year chronicle, a grand legacy for thousands of generations.

Unexpectedly, the humble writings of the various Confucian scholars were used to write chronicles of the Three Kingdoms. The first example of the Spring and Autumn Annals is unknown, and the major sections of the Gangmu are not mentioned. Your servant, Wei Zhensu, has read the Spring and Autumn Annals of the first month of the reign of King Wang, and Gongyang, which he calls the book of great unification. Then, after reading the Shao Spring and Autumn Annals of the Mu, Duke Wen of Zhou said that he was in the orthodox tradition.

Therefore, the Zhou dynasty was succeeded in the 26th year of the First Emperor's reign. The Qin dynasty fell in the fifth year of Emperor Gaozu's succession. The Jin dynasty began with the pacification of Wu, not the Taihe era. The Tang dynasty began with the suppression of bandits, not the Wude era. This has been verified throughout history and is evident today. Furthermore, when Emperor Shizu ordered Boyan to pacify the south of the Yangtze River, the same year that Emperor Taizu of Song ordered Cao Bin to conquer the south of the Yangtze River, he personally delivered the imperial edict, stating that the Tang dynasty was superior to the Han dynasty; and when the lineage of succession was established, there was a succumbing to the Song dynasty, not the Liao dynasty.

Therefore, your minister Weizhen dares to resolutely reject idle opinions and vigorously advocate public opinions. He has collected the chronicles of the Great Song Dynasty and included the records of the Liao and Jin dynasties. He has placed them in a high place to be used as a reference for all generations, to be passed down to future generations, and to serve as an eternal and unalterable precedent. He dares to speak to the emperor, but deeply fears the consequences. The people below are unable to bear the urgency of looking up to the emperor and the emperor, and are extremely anxious to protect the country.

The argument goes, "Where did the concept of orthodoxy originate? It originated with the succession of the Xia dynasty. Tang and Wu changed the world, all of which were based on the will of heaven and the will of the people. If the system was based on the will of heaven and the will of the people, then can the continuity of the calendar from the Three Dynasties onwards be attributed to humans? Therefore, the concept of orthodoxy is based on the classics of the sages, in order to uphold the principles and moral principles for all generations. The classics of the sages are the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The Spring and Autumn Annals is the canonical historical record for all ages. The first record of the king's rectification in the first year of the Lu history represents a period of great unification. While the Five Lords' power was certainly greater than that of the king, the Spring and Autumn Annals deliberately devalued them to prevent them from jeopardizing the system.

The titles of Wu and Chu were not stolen from the king, but the Spring and Autumn Annals excluded them to prevent them from usurping the throne. Therefore, the position of the throne should not be discussed in terms of separatist territory, the force of bullies, or the usurpation of titles.

It is still better to first correct the discussion of the succession after the Han Dynasty. Not to deprive the legitimate lineage of the lineage due to the decline of Liu and Shu and their geographical disparity is the principle of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Those who wrote about the Three Kingdoms and compared Zhaolie to Wu and Wei, thus lumping the legitimate heirs of Han with the Han traitors, are the sinners of the Spring and Autumn Annals. There are also those who wrote the Yuanjing, claiming to follow the Spring and Autumn Annals, yet they also established the Northern Wei and deposed the Jiangzuo. Their mistakes are similar to those of those who wrote about the Three Kingdoms. Therefore, the honoring of Zhaolie and the continuation of the Jiangzuo and Wei dynasties, which are not legitimate and proper, are a great correction to the outline of Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty.

When asked about the main purpose of Zhu's Outline of the Zhou Dynasty, he said that it was based on the orthodox tradition. Therefore, the Shu and Jin dynasties were the ones who held the line, while the Qin Zhaoxiang and Tang Wu dynasties were the ones who suppressed the line. As a last resort, the Zhou Dynasty was not established until the 26th year of the First Emperor's reign.

The Han dynasty began in the fifth year of Emperor Gaodi's reign, not the conquest of Qin. The Jin dynasty began with the pacification of Wu, not the Taihe era. The Tang dynasty began after the bandits were annihilated, not the beginning of the Wude era. This was also a model for the grand unification of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Therefore, those compiling the histories of the Song, Liao, and Jin dynasties today should be more rigorous in distinguishing between orthodoxy and grand unification. Since Emperor Taizu established the National History Institute, he has commissioned one hundred princes and nobles to compile the histories of the Liao and Jin dynasties.

After the fall of the Song Dynasty, officials were ordered to compile the Three Histories. During the Yantianli period, despite repeated imperial decrees, the Three Histories remained unfinished. Wasn't it because the debate over the orthodoxy of the two histories remained unresolved? And wasn't this also because, after the Song Dynasty crossed over to the south, it was constrained by the Liao and Jin dynasties in the north? I have studied the origins of the Khitan state, which began with the expansion of the Huiniu clan. Initially, they transformed dried bones into pig clothing—absurd and bizarre, unspeakable to the Chinese.

The eight tribes were powerful, until Abaoji, who embraced his faction and became self-respecting. By the time of Yelü Guang, his power had grown even stronger. The name Khitan was established at the beginning of the Liang Dynasty's Zhenming reign. The name Great Liao was changed again during the Han Dynasty's Tianfu reign. From Abaoji to Tianzuo, the Liao dynasty reigned for 215 years, spanning seven rulers. The Liao dynasty was originally a border barbarian state on the Tang dynasty's borders, but it took advantage of the Tang's decline to rise from the ashes.

The Shi Jin clan colluded with them and even ceded Youyan to them, allowing them to infiltrate Central China. Consequently, the Shi Jin clan was forced to perish. Some argue that the Liao dynasty took over the Jin dynasty, but I don't know which dynasty it was. Furthermore, the Jin dynasty began with the Wanyan dynasty, but was actually a vassal of the Khitan. Aguda managed to escape with his life during the reign of Emperor Daozong. Then, daring to become a minister, he usurped the throne and usurped the title of emperor in the first year of the Song dynasty's Chonghe reign. It lasted for 117 years, with nine rulers.

Some argue that the Jin Dynasty conquered the Liao and defeated the Song, giving the emperor control of the Central Plains, and claiming this succession to the Liao and Song dynasties. I don't know which dynasty this was. They also claim that the Wanyan clan had been rulers for generations, protecting the Sushen people. By the time of Taizu, the north and south were enemies, and they were not considered ministers. When the Liao emperor was enshrined, the Song emperor was not yet born. The Liao emperor rose to power over fifty years before the Song. Yet, the Song dynasty sent envoys with humble words to plead for peace and establish a fraternal relationship.

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