Requesting Rewards for the Best in the Trials and the Best Marksmen with the Cannon請軍人試才優等及大炮能中者論賞狀
武學事目中有試統試射論賞。啓聞之規而外方各官尙未擧行故軍士無興起之心鍊兵之事日就解弛誠爲可慮臣所巡左右道諸邑軍士試射試銃從其中數多少以臣所賫廳中木疋弓箭量數分給其中優等者後錄。啓聞令該曹急速相考論賞以勸其餘守城之具莫過於大炮而近日京外炮手但習鳥銃而不習大炮放法雖有軍器寺破陣軍而每大炮試放之際心悸膽怯不能以堅持必中爲意故聲威雖壯而實難於中賊臣到秃城看砲樓之制勝於婆娑令陣中炮手從砲穴放佛狼機城外山麓遠處立防牌使之看中則能者絕無其中有三人得中而一人則一發二丸而俱中穿過防牌盡爲破裂若使人人習此則其爲守城之助不少大炮論賞雖不在於武學事目而其中優等者一人不可不獎勸故幷爲錄。啓
Within the regulations for military training there is a rule for trying the men at gun and bow, rewarding them, and reporting it to the throne; but because it has not yet been carried out in the outer districts, the soldiers have no heart to rouse themselves and the drilling of troops slackens by the day, which is truly worrying.
I tried the soldiers of the several districts of the Left and Right Provinces on my circuit at bow and gun, and according as their hits were many or few I measured out and handed out the cotton cloth and the bows and arrows from the stores I carry with me. Those among them who stood highest I set down below and report; let the ministry concerned examine it quickly and reward them, and so encourage the rest.
Of all gear for holding a fortress there is nothing better than the great gun. Yet of late the gunners within the capital and without practice only the matchlock and do not practice the firing of the great gun. There is the formation-breaking corps (破陣軍) of the Armory Office (軍器寺), but whenever they come to try the great gun their hearts pound and they take fright, and they cannot hold it firm and make it their aim to hit for certain. So although the noise and the show of force are grand, it is hard in fact to hit the enemy.
Coming to Dokseong and seeing that the make of its gun batteries is better than at Pasa Fortress, I had the gunners of the camp fire a bullangi (佛狼機, a Frankish breech-loading cannon) through the gun ports, and had a shield set up far off on the foot of the hill outside the wall so that their hits could be seen; and there was hardly a man who did it well. Three of them hit it, and one man, with a single shot, struck home with both balls, which went through the shield and smashed it altogether. If every man were made to practice this, the help of it in holding a fortress would be no small thing. Reward for the great gun is not in the regulations for military training, but the one man among them who stood highest cannot be left unpraised and unencouraged, and so I set him down and report him as well.