Report on the Ming Army Passing Sukcheon馳。啓天兵過肅川形止狀
昨日。天朝大將來到肅川諸軍列陣野中以唐兵一人侵撓閭家踏死小兒卽時梟首示衆且給被侵人銀一兩又給梟首人同伴銀二兩使之歸葬方欲親自巡營之際擺撥兒二名自順安疾馳而來有急報大將先送左翼都督又自率家丁十人佩弓箭急急馳出諸軍陸續進發臣等不知何故卽刻巡邊使李鎰馳報當初查遊擊先到順安往來平壤者三度今日誘率倭二十三名直到順安倭人見我軍登城設備疑不進查遊擊手揮我軍使之退散再三揖讓引路然後乃進設酒相對出其不意遊擊親自擊斬首倭二人其餘倭亦皆斬首一倭逃躱追捕幷斬初未擧事時唐將一人又持與倭書還入平壤今日必欲又爲誘出擊斬之計大軍已到保無他虞但軍器火炮諸具在中途者尙未盡到極爲悶慮
Yesterday the Ming chief commander reached Sukcheon (肅川) and the several armies drew up their camps in the open fields. One of the Ming soldiers, molesting a house of the people, trampled a small child to death, and his head was at once struck off and shown to all; and a tael of silver was given to the person molested and two taels to the dead man's companion, that he might go back and bury him.
Just as he was about to go round the camps in person, two post-riders came galloping from Sunan (順安) with urgent word; and the chief commander first sent off the Commandant of the Left Wing, and then, taking ten of the household troops (家丁) of his own train, girded on bow and arrows and rode out in haste, and the several armies went forward after him. Your servants did not know what the cause was.
Presently Yi Il (李鎰), the Border Pacification Commissioner, reported urgently that at first Brigade Commander Zha (査遊擊) had gone ahead to Sunan and had gone to and from Pyeongyang three times, and that today he had enticed twenty-three Japanese and brought them with him straight to Sunan. The Japanese, seeing our troops up on the wall and in readiness, grew suspicious and would not go forward; so the Brigade Commander signed with his hand for our troops to withdraw and scatter, and bowed and deferred to them two or three times and led the way, and only then did they go on. Wine was set out and they sat facing one another, and at an unlooked-for moment the Brigade Commander struck with his own hand and beheaded two of the chief Japanese, and the rest of the Japanese too were all beheaded; one Japanese fled and hid, but he was pursued and taken and beheaded with them.
Before the affair was set on foot, one of the Ming officers went back into Pyeongyang with a letter to be given to the Japanese; so today too it must surely be a plan to entice them out again and strike and behead them. The grand army having already arrived, there should be no other anxiety. Only, the military gear and the cannon and such are on the road and have not yet all come up, which is much to be feared.