Report on the Flight of the Enemy from Pyongyang平壤賊遁形止狀
卽見都元帥金命元傳通平壤入窟之賊全數逃遁兵使及。天兵次第進去都巡察使李元翼馳報內夜中倭人自土窟全數逃去。天將曉來始覺甚怒我軍不爲候望而亦未卽發軍追逐午初始爲發軍出去當初我軍在城下兵使則結陣於牡丹峯之北左防禦使之軍在林原坪右防禦使之軍在含毬門外而中和祥原諸陣及曹好益之軍結陣於大同江越邊四面合勢中間李鎰因唐將之令與左右防禦使俱在含毬門外八日之戰先自含毬門入與賊相戰賊奔北我軍進至玄福站唐兵自七星門密德而下驅出我軍便不得在於城中李鎰之軍則有唐將一人率軍士四人監制進退而旣無譯官語言不得相通進退之際少違其意輙以劔背歐打使不得任意故我軍凡有所獲亦爲被奪云云但軍中之事制在主將不可全聽唐將號令而不爲指揮李鎰雖退陣於普通門外而若留防禦使一軍在詠歸樓近處遮遏南下之賊則不至於全然無獲而處置未免踈濶使籠中之兎得尋生路其爲痛心莫此爲甚黃海一路糧餉接濟事臣已屢爲移文本道且令傳通於京畿江原道官軍義兵使之紏合兵馬合勢勦捕而別無體察他道之命未敢擅便指揮只待。朝延處置
Presently, on seeing the circular of the Supreme Commander Kim Myeongwon (金命元), the enemy who had gone into the earthworks at Pyeongyang had all fled, and the Provincial Military Commander and the Ming troops had advanced in order.
In the urgent report of the Grand Inspector Yi Wonik (李元翼): in the middle of the night the Japanese all fled from the earthworks, and the Ming commander learned of it only at dawn and was greatly angered that our troops had not kept watch; and he too could not at once send out troops in pursuit, and only when it was day did he send out troops and go forth.
At the first, when our troops were below the wall, the Provincial Military Commander encamped north of Moranbong, the troops of the Left Defence Commander were at Imwonpyeong, and the troops of the Right Defence Commander outside the Hamgu Gate; and the several camps of Junghwa and Sangwon and the troops of Jo Hoik (曺好益) encamped across the Daedong River, so that force was joined on all four sides. Meanwhile Yi Il (李鎰), following the order of the Ming commander, was outside the Hamgu Gate with the Left and Right Defence Commanders, and in the battle of the eighth day he went in first by the Hamgu Gate and fought the enemy, and the enemy fled. Our troops advanced as far as the Hyeonbok post station (玄福站), but the Ming troops came down from the Chilseong Gate and from Mildeok (密德) and drove our troops out, so that they could not remain within the wall.
With Yi Il's troops there was one Ming officer who, leading four soldiers, oversaw their advancing and withdrawing; and as there was no interpreter and their speech did not pass between them, in the moment of advancing or withdrawing they had only to go a little against his meaning and he would at once strike them with the back of his sword and not let them act as they would. And so, it is said, whatever our troops took was all taken from them.
Only, matters in a camp hang upon the chief commander (主將), and it is not possible to refrain from wholly following the Ming commander's orders in directing them. Yet though Yi Il had drawn back and encamped outside the Botong Gate, if one body of the Defence Commander's troops had been set somewhere near the Yeonggwiru (詠歸樓) to bar the enemy going down to the south, it would not have come to getting nothing at all. The disposition could not escape being slack, and so let the hare within our own enclosure find a way to live; and no pain of heart is worse than this.
As for supplying the army grain on the one road of Hwanghae, your servant has already sent dispatches several times to that province, and has further informed the government troops and the righteous troops of Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province, that they should gather horse and foot and join force to take and destroy them. But as there is no separate charge to inspect the other provinces, he does not dare direct them as he will, and only awaits the court's dispositions.
Interlinear notes 1
The source text has 朝延, but this is taken as an error for 朝廷.