Urgent Report on Arguing to the Ming Generals That a Truce Is No Plan馳啓與。天將論講和非計狀

Of the matter the other day, when the Commander-in-Chief was angry over the boats not having been laid to in order in time and would have had your servant seized, and then let it be, report has already been made.

Today Regional Commander Li Ning (李寧) and Brigade Commanders Qi Jin (戚金) and Qian Shizhen (錢世禎) came to Dongpa and set up the banner-tally (旗牌) in the gaga (假家) of the main hall of the guest house, and called your servants to come and pay reverence. Your servants, since the Commander-in-Chief had already said, "The banner-tally is the emperor's command; how should one not bow to it?" and since to decline and avoid it again would surely bring on a great matter, went accordingly and paid reverence.

The three, Li, Qi, and Qian, were in one place together with Regional Commander Zha (査總兵), and they called your servants and the inspector Yi Jeonghyeong (李廷馨) to sit with them, and said one thing after another without ceasing: "The Wa fellows have already begged to send tribute, and the court has already allowed it. Besides, in your country the people are nearly all dead and the farming is all given up, so that your condition is perilous and urgent." Your servant answered this, "Where does the intent of Your Honour's (老爺) words lie?"

The brigade commanders said, "The court has already allowed the tribute; your country too ought not to seize and kill the enemy, but to follow the military commissioner's (經略) paiwen (牌文)." Your servants, unable to master their anger, answered: "If our country had wished to make peace with the Wa fellows, there would have been no need to wait for this day. From the first the Wa asked peace of our country not once or twice: once they threw a letter down at Dongnae, a second time at Sangju, a third time at Pyeongyang. But our country, taking in anger the words they spoke that were not respectful toward Ming, held it for the great duty of all under heaven and would sooner die than be shamed, and so came to this pass. Now the enemy have burnt the royal shrine and the altars of state, dug open the tombs, and killed the people at will, so that they are an enemy under whom we cannot live beneath one heaven; and yet by a paiwen the repaying of that enmity is forbidden and bound. This is why the people of a small country, pained in heart and pierced to the bone, dare not receive the command."

Qi and Qian disputed and pressed again and again, now writing it down and showing it, now rebuking sharply in stern words. Your servant answered, "Our country, small though it be, yet knows that there is the duty between sovereign and subject and between father and son. Now in the Wa we have the enemy of our sovereign and of our parents, and are in a case where it must be repaid; we did not think that the Ming commanders would instead make a crime of killing the enemy."

The two said again, "This is the court's command and the Son of Heaven's holy will. The military commissioner and the Commander-in-Chief carry it out; how dare you not follow? Besides, the Wa fellows have already agreed to send back the princes and the ministers and people of Joseon, so Joseon too ought to look to the time and weigh the condition, and bear it patiently a while; and hereafter, when the state is a little firmer and the troops a little drilled, there will be a day of repaying the enmity of itself. To do as Goujian (句踐) did, gathering and rearing his people and teaching and drilling them — that is indeed a far-seeing thought. Why should you, unable to bear the anger before your eyes, spoil the great plan?"

Your servant answered, "Even speaking of gain and loss, I fear that Ming will be deceived by this enemy. From of old there have been many cases in which the Middle Kingdom made peace with the outer barbarians and so spoiled the business." Brigade Commander Qian flew into a great rage and tore up the paper he had written with his hand, and raised his voice and disputed; and Brigade Commander Qi laughed and restrained him.

Your servant said, "A small country, few and weak in military strength, cannot repay a great enmity of itself, and to die ten thousand deaths would be no loss. As for the great plan of peace or war, it is Ming that settles it, and not a thing a small country dares meddle in; I would have us leave off disputing with mouth and tongue, and withdraw." The brigade commander said, "The military commissioner's paiwen ought to be followed and carried out." Your servant answered, "The royal troops and the righteous troops everywhere all mean to repay the enmity of their fathers and mothers and elder and younger brothers; how can it be forbidden them? Still less, not having yet received our sovereign's command, how should we dare to follow and carry it out of our own will?"

The brigade commanders were angry and said, "This is the court's command. Even the king — how should he dare do otherwise? If now it is to be done only after inquiring of the king, how should we sit and wait?" Their words and faces were sharp, and there was not the least intent of turning back.

Your servants took their leave and came out, and presently asked to go in and see them again; but Regional Commander Li shook out his robe and rode off first to Masan, and it was only with Qi and Qian that they argued point by point and disputed a good while, and they would not listen. Your servants withdrew and made up another paper and sent it in, whereupon the two were angry and said, "If it be so, I shall duly inquire of the Commander-in-Chief and gather the troops and go back; do as you please."

Presently Qi and Qian would also go to the camp of the inspector of Jeolla at Masan to pass the paiwen on and show it, and bade your servants issue an official paper to have it passed on and shown to the Jeolla camp, and send out a man besides to guide the road; and they set their interpreters and underlings to stand round and press, and stayed their horses and waited. Your servants, holding that this was the command of the Ming court and could not in the end be stopped with words, had no choice but to send a paper over to the Jeolla camp, setting down in outline this intent: "Brigade Commanders Qi and Qian are going forward with the paiwen; besides passing word to the several places, put the troops in order, and if the Wa fellows come out at will and plunder, block and kill them wherever they are and show not the least forgiveness." Only after the brigade commanders had received and seen this did they at last set out.

Just now Seong Yeong (成泳), left inspector of Gyeonggi, has sent urgent word saying: "The Ming commanders have sent down a dispatch saying, 'Of late the people of your country open a breach with the Wa and do not follow the Ming orders at all,' and they went so far as to say, 'The Wa follow meekly, while Joseon rebels instead'; and it has come to their seizing Seong Yeong and the rest and taking them to the headquarters for examination." Those words cannot be borne to hear, and the hearts of our country's soldiers and people, of all the ten thousand people, are pained and pierced to the bone, yet there is nothing to be done.

In general the difficulty of the state of things has come to this; yet this too is because your servants' sincerity is shallow and thin and has not moved the Ming commanders. Seeing this matter with our own eyes, our guilt could not be pardoned though we died. We ask that your servants' guilt be set right first, and that the court dispose of the matter otherwise.