The country of Poli, originating from Jiaozhi, traveled south through Chitu and Dandan before arriving. It takes a month to traverse the country from east to west, and forty-five days from north to south. The king's surname is Shali Xieqia, and his name is Hulanna Po. The senior officials are called Duhe Xiena, while the junior officials are referred to as Duhe Shiena. The people of Poli are very good at throwing a kind of wheel knife, which is about the size of a mirror, with a hole in the middle and sharp edges resembling saw teeth. They can hit their target every time, even from a distance. Their other weapons are quite similar to those used in China. Their customs are similar to those of Zhenla, and their products are similar to those of Linyi. In this country, anyone who kills or steals has their hands cut off; those caught committing adultery have their feet locked up for a year before being freed. They must perform their sacrifices at the end of each month, with wine and food arranged on plates and set adrift in flowing water. Every November, they hold a grand sacrificial ceremony. Coral can be found in the sea. There is also a bird called the Sharibird, that surprisingly understands human speech! In the twelfth year of the Sui Dynasty, they sent envoys to pay tribute, but contact was eventually lost. At that time, there were two other countries in the south, Dandan and Panpan, which also sent local specialties as tribute. Their customs and products were largely similar.
The historical records state: The "Book of Rites" says: "In the south, they are called barbarians, who eat uncooked food." The "Book of Documents" says: "Barbarians deceive the Central Plains." The "Book of Songs" says: "The foolish barbarians and the Jingchu people." There are too many different types of southern tribes, fighting among themselves for generations, leading to chaos. After the Qin Dynasty unified the state of Chu, the Han Dynasty pacified the Baiyue, extending the territory all the way to Dan Jiao, with its reputation spreading far and wide. Whether on water or land, people could live there, and counties were established. During the period of division between the Wu and Shu states, and through the Jin and Song Dynasties, some roads were destroyed while others were blocked, and the levels of obedience and rebellion varied across different southern regions. After Emperor Yang Jian established the Sui Dynasty, he unified the nation. After Emperor Yang Guang succeeded, his reputation resonated throughout the nation. He was determined to make distant tribes submit and obtain rare treasures, so he sent troops to demand tribute and attacked Linyi. His reputation intimidated various ethnic groups even more than the Qin and Han Dynasties did. Although he achieved some success in the border regions, he was unable to reverse the internal decline of the nation. As stated in the "Zuo Zhuan": "If it were not for the sage, when the external situation of the country is stable, there will inevitably be internal troubles." This saying rings very true!
