Sumitomo had two alternatives, one was to hand over Fumimoto and obey the Imperial Court, which had gained in strength against him after the defeat of Masakado, and the other was to continue to be treated as an enemy of the Imperial Court.
これは将門討伐の成功によって純友鎮圧の自信を深めた朝廷が純友を挑発して彼に対して文元を引き渡して朝廷に従うか、それとも朝敵として討伐されるかの二者択一を迫るものであった。