Asking What Is to Be Done with Kim Gyeong-ro處置金敬老禀。旨狀
本月二十四日戌時宣傳官李純一賫奉。標信來到且祇受承政院書狀金敬老罪狀極爲駭愕幷遣宣傳官持。標信馳往軍中先告。天將處斷事有旨臣以有。旨辭緣告于提督則提督使人傳言曰金敬老之罪本當處死但京城未復將官一人有關吾將移咨。國王請貸且下牌文于陪臣須令敬老來此叩頭立功贖罪臣又告曰軍律不可不嚴敬老之罪本當處死特以將官故不敢不先告於老爺耳其罪則難可貸提督笑曰雖然今姑貸死使之立功今曉臣與元帥等問安于提督則出送牌文且示啓文草其意亦如牌文之辭伏念敬老之罪死不足惜今又散軍獨來令與高彥伯李時言等追截京城之賊則托以無軍徘徊不前臣已曾决杖督令前進今在坡州等處已馳遣軍官使之捉來但。天將牌文如此似難遽爲處斷而。標信已下不知何以處之大抵旣告於。天將則第從其令觀後處斷而李純一賫奉。標信姑留於此亦似未安更此馳。禀牌文謄書上送
On the twenty-fourth day of this month at the hour of sul the Royal Messenger Yi Sunil (李純一) came bearing the tally of authority (標信), and your servant humbly received besides the letter of the Royal Secretariat. The order was that, the offences of Kim Gyeongno (金敬老) being most startling, the Royal Messenger should take the tally and gallop to the camp, and that he be put to death after word had first been given to the Ming commander.
When your servant reported the substance of the order to the Commander-in-Chief, the Commander-in-Chief had a man carry word, saying: "Kim Gyeongno's offence deserves death, to be sure, but the capital has not yet been recovered and one commander is needed. I shall send a communication to the King and ask pardon for him. And I am issuing a paiwen to the ministers of this country: let Gyeongno come here and bow his head and win merit and so repay his offence."
Your servant reported further, saying: "Military law cannot but be strict. Gyeongno's offence deserves death, to be sure, and it was only because he is a commander that we did not dare do otherwise than report first to Your Excellency; his offence is hard to pardon." At this the Commander-in-Chief laughed and said: "Even so, for the present pardon him his death and let him win merit."
At dawn today, when your servant with the Supreme Commander and the rest paid his respects to the Commander-in-Chief, he showed them the paiwen and showed besides the draft of his memorial, and the sense of that too was as the words of the paiwen.
Prostrate, your servant considers that Gyeongno's offence makes his death no loss. Now again he scattered his troops and came alone; and though he was set with Go Eonbaek (高彥伯), Yi Sieon (李時言) and the rest to pursue and cut off the enemy of the capital, he pleaded that he had no troops and hesitated and did not advance. Your servant has already had him flogged and pressed him to go forward, and as he is now at Paju and such places a military officer has already been sent galloping to take him and bring him in.
Only, the Ming commander's paiwen being as it is, it seems hard to put him to death out of hand; yet the tally of authority has already come down, and your servant does not know how to dispose of it. In general, word having already been given to the Ming commander, your servant would for the present follow his order and put him to death after seeing how matters go. But for Yi Sunil to stay here bearing the tally of authority seems likewise not fitting, and so he asks urgently again in this manner, and sends up a copy of the paiwen.