Requesting Rewards for the Troops' Service in Battle軍人等軍功論賞狀
臣近觀京畿及各處官軍義兵太半潰散其幸未散者亦緣飢餓無食不能成軍故不復以捕賊爲心極爲可痛且以自前軍功或不趁時施行因多缺望之心臣悶其如此自近日凡有軍功者卽時成給考功帖書某年某月某日某人斬賊幾級後日憑考論賞云云而著署踏印給之軍心頗爲喜悅不無激勸之意矣高陽有義兵將宣傳官李山輝者所率之軍亦以無食散去已久臣招來少資軍糧數石使之伏兵於龍山等處連有斬獲如山輝者各別論賞以勸其餘宜當各處軍人所奪倭物除不得已上送憑驗表表之物外其餘牛馬衣服等物則使之卽給其人蓋軍食不敷旣不能散給官輝則惟此一事可以少慰其心俾無潰散之患矣高彥伯軍人盧松前後捕斬賊首甚多近日率軍百餘人出入於京城內外每戰先登勇膽出人臣成給空名奉事告身其後戰功尤著。朝廷亦量宜行賞使之激勸勸興起恐或無妨
Your servant sees of late that more than half the government troops and righteous troops in Gyeonggi and the several places have broken and scattered. Even those who by good fortune have not scattered are starved and have nothing to eat and cannot be made into an army, so that they no longer set their minds on taking the enemy; it is most grievous. Moreover, because service in battle has in the past often not been requited in due time, there are many who feel aggrieved.
Your servant, holding this a pity, has from of late made out at once a document reckoning the service of every man who has service in battle to his credit. It is written that on such a day of such a month of such a year so-and-so cut off so many enemy heads, and that hereafter this shall be looked up and reward be weighed; and it is signed and sealed and given to him. The soldiers' hearts are markedly glad, and there is no lack of effect in urging and encouraging them.
At Goyang there is one Yi Sanhwi (李山輝), a royal herald and commander of righteous troops, whose troops too have long since scattered away for want of food. Your servant called him in and furnished him a little, some few seok of military grain, and had him hide troops at Yongsan and such places, whereupon there was cutting down and taking of captives one after another. Such a man as Yi Sanhwi ought to have reward weighed out to him specially, so as to urge on the rest.
As for the Japanese goods seized by the troops of the several places, apart from such conspicuous articles as must needs be sent up to serve as proof, let the rest, the oxen, horses, clothing and the like, be given at once to the man himself. Since the military grain is not ample and cannot be shared out, by this one thing alone their hearts may be a little comforted, so that there be no trouble of their breaking and scattering.
Noh Song (盧松), a soldier of Go Eonbaek's (高彥伯), has from first to last taken and cut off a great many enemy heads. Of late he leads a hundred and more men in and out of the capital and its environs, and is first up in every fight, so that his nimbleness and daring surpass other men's. Your servant made out and gave him a warrant of appointment as Bongsa (a junior post) with the name left blank, and since then his merit in battle has shown the more; it would perhaps do no harm for the court too to weigh what is fitting and grant him reward, so as to urge and rouse the rest.
Interlinear notes 1
癸巳三月十九日在東坡
The nineteenth day of the third month of the Gyesa year, at Dongpa