Frontier Veterans, Fewer Inland Militia, and the Surrendered Japanese召募邊郡慣戰之士省內地民兵使兵農兼擧且處置降倭。啓
軍卒不爲精抄而冗食者居多軍粮盡皆乏絕而繼餉無策此今日切急之憂故前此累累移文知委不一而足然不知施行與否今因慶尙道軍官聞之則各官民兵調發之弊猶在故農民幾盡失業在陣之軍亦以無食僵仆相望云此自前知其失計而至今因循未改良可痛歎大抵內地民兵百不能當邊郡慣戰之士一今慶州蔚山長鬐密陽機張淸道梁山之間遺民之散處山谷而經年戰鬪心膽已堅者其數不下千萬苟有軍粮而招募爲兵授以弓矢器械以爲戰用則旬日之間應募者雲集而此輩皆本處之人詳知形勢曲折其與客軍之疲弊遠來者相去萬萬矣旣用募軍則內地民兵可漸省之而量數定納根米使之隨其所備或麥或豆或大小米平量收之以爲軍食則軍無冗雜之患民有息肩之暇兵農兼擧戰守有賴今日之計無出於此矣且聞防禦使金應瑞用降倭引出他倭頗多云此兵家善策如知其誠心歸附則待之不可不厚以結其心請成司猛司直告身下送而幷給衣次藍靑布十餘匹使應瑞觀其所爲特爲分給以慰其心而母使有失意逃還之患此等辭緣幷。下識於都元帥及慶尙道監兵使防禦使何如
Because the soldiers are not sifted and chosen with exactness, many eat to no purpose; and the military grain is wholly spent with no plan for supplying what is to follow. This is the pressing and urgent care of today. Therefore documents were sent and notice given more than once or twice before this; but whether it has been put into effect we do not know.
Now we hear through a military officer of Gyeongsang Province that the evil of levying the militia of each district still remains, that almost all the farmers have lost their livelihood, and that the soldiers in the camps too have nothing to eat, so that those who have fallen and died lie within sight of one another. This is a thing known from before to be a mistaken plan and yet left somehow uncorrected until now; it is truly to be bewailed.
A hundred of the militia of the interior are no match for one soldier of the frontier districts who is practiced in fighting. Now among the people left between Gyeongju, Ulsan, Janggi, Miryang, Gijang, Cheongdo, and Yangsan, those who live scattered in the mountain valleys and have fought year after year until their hearts and nerve are already hardened are beyond counting in number. If there were truly grain, and they were called together and made into soldiers and given bows and arrows and weapons and gear and used in the fighting, then within ten days those answering the call would gather like clouds. These are all men of the place and know its conditions and particulars in detail, so that between them and a guest army (客軍) come wearily from far off there is the difference of heaven and earth.
Once recruited soldiers (募軍) are used, the militia of the interior can be lightened by degrees. If the rice to be rendered is fixed by counting their number, and whatever they have provided — barley or beans, coarse rice or fine — is received evenly and made military grain, then the army will have no care of the useless and the motley, and the people will have leisure to rest their shoulders; and so soldiering and farming will be taken up together and will serve for fighting and for holding. There is no better plan for today than this.
Again, we hear that the Defense Commander Kim Eung-seo (金應瑞) has used the surrendered Japanese to entice over a good many other Japanese. This is a good stratagem of the masters of war. If it is known that they have submitted with sincere hearts, they cannot but be treated generously so as to bind their hearts to us. We beg that patents of appointment (告身) to the Five Guards offices of samaeng (司猛) and sajik (司直) be prepared and sent down, and that more than ten bolts of indigo and blue hemp cloth be given besides for clothing, so that Kim Eung-seo, seeing what each has done, may distribute them specially and comfort their hearts, and there be no fear of their losing heart and fleeing back.
Would it not be well for Your Majesty to instruct (下諭) the Supreme Commander and the Governor, the Provincial Army Commander, and the Defense Commander of Gyeongsang Province in all of this?
Interlinear notes 2
甲午三月二十九日
The base text has "千萬."
The twenty-ninth day of the third month of the Gabo year