《明史·列传·卷十六》
总制孙炎两次写信坚决邀请，刘基始出。到了应天，刘基陈时务十八策。
基未应，总制孙炎再致书固邀之，基始出。既至，陈时务十八策。
Sun Yan, the Governor-General, wrote twice letters to firmly invite Liu Ji, and Liu Ji came out. When he arrived in Yingtian, Liu Ji outlined the 18 strategies for current affairs.