Appendix: Kim Cheon-il's Report附金千鎰書狀
今三月初九日黃廷彧與倭賊出到江邊曲折段已曾馳。啓爲白置其後臨海君奴長世及黃赫孽族安鐸等賊倭一時逐日持書簡出來求和事一一馳報都體察使爲白在果十二日臣與忠淸水使丁傑京畿水使李蘋領率諸船乘潮直上先使一紙書示不戰逍遙之意然後自蚕頭嶺下皷笛振作雜以螺簫過西江抵黑石賊倭五六十列立相望之處爲白如乎巳時長世等又與賊倭十餘名持書簡出來臣等詳問賊中情狀後略書回答付送爲白遣欲探賊情虛實及兩君居處臣麾下守門將李藎忠從自願入送爲有如乎同李藎忠十四日還來進吿內矣身自大古介經藥田前路至靑坡石橋項從橋下川邊之路越邊過十餘家至一有銀杏樹大家乃賊將淸正所在也引入外廊二食頃許方乃召入翼廊之內金屏紅氈羅幃錦帳極其盛飾見倭將淸正者年可三十與兩王子共坐堂中藎忠就拜。王子前王子問。主上寒喧訖淸正以譯者問答而譯者迺叛國賊人沙火同之弟云賊將指。王子曰公見。王子肌膚顏色如何少無羸瘠可知吾厚待也且曰講和之事何以爲之速示可否則欲决行止何以遷延無黑白乎日本關白發諸島之兵朝暮渡海入驅朝鮮直擣中原則悔無所及何不速爲之處乎答曰目今。天將率百萬之衆與本國報讎之兵振旅而來日本能戰則戰可也至於講和之事在於。天將非我國之所敢擅決也又曰冒險入來無廼爲飢聊具薄饌於是童奴進食先賊將次。王子次藎忠相對而飯幷行酒三杯而撒然後廼召黃延彧父子及李瑛皆自異處而來亦行酒三杯曰朝鮮人來此公等相與傳言于此人使之吿其大將轉報江南之將速定和議可也俄而賊將曰我有不得已入城中之事公等共坐于此以待吾還遂出去諸卒下之賊縵立帳外而守之。王子及三人共坐燈下各道辛苦之狀慘不恐聞。王子身著毛段道袍頭戴毛冠具貂皮耳掩曰我常著白衣自欲和以來賊將措備衣冠今日勸令著之固辭則怒曰君欲著陋服示我薄待之意於來使乎强令洗面改著云云且臨海君擧冠露額指瘡痕曰上來時中路持棒亂打傷破處也黃廷彧亦云以我爲知傳國實所在之處而不爲指示於路上無數歐打幾死得生李瑛則曰吾以罵賊不屈再三欲殺而止頑命不死辱國之恥其何忍言兩。王子欲書私簡先入房中夫人亦同在此云夜深賊將始還藎忠與從倭宿于別處翌日食後仍給附呈。天將之書及兩。王子答書幷黃廷彧等。行在所了無臣字長紙書一封仍與安鐸及從倭等還出來同李藎忠持來之書段都體察使處皆爲封送爲白齊十五日巳時前項長世等復持賊將之書及兩。王子書簡出來問答之際。天將沈遊擊周遊擊謝相公三將率其家丁二十三人乘船直來于臣等泊船處賊倭等望見黃傘知。天將之至李藎忠亦答書傳給次下陸時賊倭等藎忠親自人歸面吿。天將來由於其將亦爲白去乙藎忠如其言入歸申時李藎忠持倭書還出來。天將望見藎忠之還促令招見問王子肥瘠何如答曰柴毀骨立又問賊中芻糧何如曰糧之多少未可知但見其衆頗有飢色糧乏可知而馬則只吃腐草瘦骨崢嶸死馬之棄路者無處無之無草可知又問賊兵多少曰未能詳知大槪觀其出入之倭皆疲殘無勇摧挫可知矣。天將曰知悉令通事金善慶傳言于賊曰俺等只聞有平行長不聞有淸正今始知汝實獲得。王子者也然則可速通書于俺等俺等受。天子之命爲大將軍非如前日往安邊之馮淑紘職卑之比也云云開諭入送。天將仍宿舟中當日辰時天將令角行船臣等領率舟師一時隨行至西江賊倭騎步者如前列立觀望爲白如乎午時賊將平行長玄蘇世俊等出來。天將則下陸不冬爲白遣使通事及家丁傳語且以書辭往復其間秘密之意不能詳知爲白齊又有清正所使之倭三十餘名與前項安鐸等出來。天將又書答書附途于淸正而皆以秘密爲之不得參見爲白齊。天將仍泊西江臣與丁傑李蘋領舟師護衛。天將以宿云云
The particulars of how Hwang Jeonguk (黃廷彧) came out to the riverside together with the Japanese on the ninth day of this third month have already been reported in haste. Thereafter Jangse (長世), a servant of Prince Imhae, and An Tak (安鐸), of the secondary line of Hwang Hyeok's (黃赫) house, and the rest came out day after day with the Japanese bearing letters and seeking peace, and every item of it was reported in haste to the Supreme Commander.
On the twelfth your servant, together with Jeong Geol (丁傑), naval commander of Chungcheong, and Yi Bin (李蘋), naval commander of Gyeonggi, led the several ships and went straight up on the flood tide. First we showed by a single sheet of writing our purpose of roaming without giving battle, and then below Jamduryeong we sounded drums and pipes, mingling conch and flute, and passed Seogang and came to Heukseok, where fifty or sixty Japanese stood ranged and looked across at us.
At the hour of the snake Jangse and the rest came out again bearing a letter, together with some fifteen Japanese. After your servants had asked in detail of the true state of things within the enemy camp, we wrote a rough answer and sent it back with them. Wishing to feel out what was hollow and what solid in the enemy's condition, and where the two princes were, we sent in Yi Sinchung (李藎忠), a gate officer of your servant's command, as he himself asked to go.
What this Yi Sinchung reported on his return on the fourteenth was: 「From Daegogae I passed along the road in front of the medicine fields and came to the head of the stone bridge at Cheongpa; following the streamside path under the bridge I crossed over to the far side, passed some fifteen houses, and came to one large house with a ginkgo tree, which was the place where the enemy commander Kiyomasa (淸正) was. They led me into the outer wing and kept me there about as long as it takes to cook two meals, and then at last called me within the side wing, where the furnishing with gold screens and red rugs, silk curtains and hangings was most lavish.
Looking at the Japanese general Kiyomasa, he was about thirty years of age, and he was sitting on the floored hall together with the two princes. I went forward and bowed before the princes, and the princes asked after the sovereign's health; after which Kiyomasa asked and answered through an interpreter, and the interpreter is said to be the younger brother of Sahwadong (沙火同), the traitor who turned against the country.
The enemy commander pointed to the princes and said: 「How do you find the princes' color and countenance? They are not in the least wasted, so you may know that I have treated them well.」 He said also: 「What do you mean to do about the matter of making peace? Show quickly what is right and what is wrong, and I shall settle whether to go or to stay. Why only put it off and have no black and white of it? If the kanpaku (關白) of Japan brings out the troops of the several islands and crosses the sea morning or evening, drives through Joseon and strikes straight at the Central Plain, there will be no overtaking it with regret; why then do you not settle it quickly?」
I answered: 「At present the Ming general leads a host of a million and comes with his force displayed together with our country's troops of vengeance. If Japan can fight, then let it fight. The matter of making peace rests with the Ming general, and is not a thing our country dares settle of itself.」
He said also: 「You have braved danger to come in; are you not hungry?」 and had a poor meal set out for form's sake. Thereupon a boy servant brought in the food, first to the enemy commander, next to the princes, next to me, and we sat facing one another and ate, and three cups of wine were passed round, after which it was taken away. Presently he called Hwang Jeonguk and his son and Yi Yeong (李瑛), bidding them all come from other places, and passed round three cups of wine to them as well, saying: 「A man of Joseon has come here; do you gentlemen pass word together to this man, that he may report it to your great general and have it carried on to the general of Jiangnan, so that the peace be settled quickly. That is the right course.」
Presently the enemy commander said: 「I have business within the walls that I cannot put off; do you gentlemen sit here together and wait for my return」, and so at last went out. Numbers of the enemy's lesser underlings stood ranged outside the tent on guard.
The princes and the three men sat together under the lamp and each told of his bitter and galling plight, so cruel that it could not be borne to hear. The princes had on their bodies robes of fine damask and on their heads fur caps fitted with sable earflaps, and they said: 「I have always worn white clothes, but since the talk of making peace the enemy commander has had clothes and a cap made ready and today urged me to put them on. When I firmly refused he grew angry and said, 『Do you mean to wear mean clothes in order to show the envoy who is coming that I treat you shabbily?』 and forced me to wash my face and change.」
Again, Prince Imhae lifted his cap and bared his forehead, and pointing to the scars of sores said: 「These are the places where, on the way up, they took a cudgel and beat me at will, so that I was hurt and the skin burst.」 Hwang Jeonguk too said: 「They took it that I knew where the state seal was, and because I did not point it out they beat me beyond counting on the road, so that I nearly died and then revived.」 Yi Yeong said: 「I reviled the enemy and would not bend, and two or three times they were about to kill me and stopped. My stubborn life has not ended; how can I bear to speak of the shame of having brought disgrace upon the country?」
The two princes went into the room first in order to write private letters, and their ladies too are said to be here with them. Late in the night the enemy commander at last returned, and I slept in another place together with the Japanese who had come with me. The next day, after the meal, they gave me the letter to be forwarded to the Ming general and the two princes' replies, and with them one long paper letter written by Hwang Jeonguk and the rest and addressed to the temporary royal residence, in which there is not a single character 臣, 'your servant'; and I came back out together with An Tak and the Japanese who had come with me.」
The letters which this Yi Sinchung brought have all been sealed and sent to the Supreme Commander.
At the hour of the snake on the fifteenth, the aforesaid Jangse and the rest came out again bearing the enemy commander's letter and the two princes' letters. While we were asking and answering, the three Ming generals, Brigade Commander Shen (沈遊擊), Brigade Commander Zhou (周遊擊) and His Excellency Xie (謝相公), came by boat with twenty-three of their retainers straight to the place where your servants' ships lay. The Japanese, seeing the yellow parasol, knew that the Ming generals had arrived.
When Yi Sinchung went ashore to hand over the reply, the Japanese would have him go in himself and tell their general face to face why the Ming generals had come, and so Yi Sinchung went in as they said. At the hour of the monkey Yi Sinchung came back out bearing a letter from the Japanese, and the Ming generals, seeing him return, pressed to have him called and brought before them.
When they asked whether the princes were stout or wasted, he answered: 「They are sorely wasted, nothing but bone left.」 When they asked further how it stood with fodder and provisions within the enemy camp, he said: 「How much or little their provisions are cannot be known; only, looking at their men, they have a markedly starved look, by which one may know that provisions are short. The horses eat nothing but rotted grass, so that their wasted bones stand out, and there is no place where dead horses are not cast away along the road, by which one may know that there is no fodder.」 When they asked further how many the enemy soldiers were, he said: 「It cannot be known in detail, but on the whole, looking at the Japanese who come and go, they are all worn and withered and not nimble, by which one may know that they are broken.」
The Ming generals said 「We understand it all」, and had the interpreter Kim Seongyeong (金善慶) pass word to the enemy: 「We had heard only that Hira Yukinaga (平行長) was there, and had not heard that Kiyomasa was there. Only now do we know that it is you who in truth hold the princes. If so, you may well send us a letter quickly. We have received the Son of Heaven's command and been made great generals, and are not to be compared with a man of low rank such as Feng Shuhong (馮淑紘), who went to Anbyeon in former days.」 So they admonished them and sent the men in. The Ming generals slept aboard the ship as they were.
That day at the hour of the dragon the Ming generals blew the horn to set the ships moving, and your servants led the naval forces and all followed together, coming to Seogang. The Japanese, mounted and afoot, stood ranged as before and looked on. At the hour of the horse the enemy commander Hira Yukinaga and Genso (玄蘇) and Seshun (世俊) and the rest came out. The Ming generals did not go ashore, but had the interpreter and their retainers pass word, and exchanged writings as well; the secret purport of it between them could not be known in detail.
Again, more than thirty Japanese employed by Kiyomasa came out together with the aforesaid An Tak and the rest. The Ming generals wrote a reply as well and sent it to Kiyomasa, but since all was done in secret we could not take part and see it. The Ming generals moored their ship at Seogang as they were, and your servant, together with Jeong Geol and Yi Bin, led the naval forces and passed the night guarding the Ming generals.