 The post of viceroy had significant powers ; although no precise description of the head of Gia Định 's responsibilities survives to this day , the rights of his northern counterpart included the power " ... to decide lawsuits ; and to appoint and dismiss officials at his own will . It is enough only to report to the court after acting at his own discretion . " Gia Long trusted Duyệt and his fellow southerners ; all of the viceroy 's lheading deputies were locally bred men , whereas many of those who ran the north were not . This allowed Duyệt and his entourage to develop a strong support base with the grassroots population and gave them more gravitas with which to rule . He also tried to expand the support base for the Nguyễn in the south by appointing newly arrived Chinese refugees who had fled their homeland after the fall of the Ming Dynasty as well as former rebels and bandits , to administrative posts if they were qualified , and encouraging their integration into and participation in society . Under the system of the time , military governors such as Duyệt moved to different posts with individual units that they had commanded for years , so he could count on their fidelity . 
