Urgent Report on the Grain Transport, and the Ming Victory at the Enemy Camp at Ulsan馳。啓運粮形止及。天兵進攻蔚山賊陣勝捷狀
臣自永川因接伴使李德馨馳通欲往大丘已爲狀。啓更念大丘運糧已輸到米豆幷時有五千餘石回軍時數日之糧猶可足支而慶州蔚山以下大軍皆集此處軍糧至急故臣沿道催督守令盡發見在人民陸續輸送臣因馳到慶州與尹承勳柳永慶等相見議事以爲接濟之計上道軍糧負戴相續於道盡向蔚山本日五更時京畿左防禦使邊應星軍官柳成吉回自蔚山陣所說稱二十三日。天兵先鋒與倭賊交戰斬首五百餘級倭賊退入其窟。天兵圍之二十四日倭賊於城頭列立紅白旗無數。天兵以火箭大炮攻之諸軍一時踰城而入斬賊首甚多餘賊退入內城時方攻打云云本日曉頭臣軍官金潤得回自戰所所言一般我國之軍亦與。天兵相雜以片箭射殺倭賊亦多合戰形止都元帥權慄必已馳。啓而事係捷音故臣亦以所聞馳。啓
Your servant has already reported that, on what Yi Deokhyeong (李德馨), the attending officer, hurried to pass on to him at Yeongcheon (永川), he meant to go to Daegu. But on thinking again: the rice and beans already carried to Daegu now come to five thousand seok and more, so that when the army returns the grain for a few days can still be supplied amply, whereas at Gyeongju and Ulsan and below them the great army is all gathered and the grain there is utterly urgent. Therefore your servant has pressed the magistrates along the road to turn out all the people who remain and send it on without a break; and he himself hurried to Gyeongju to meet with Yun Seunghun (尹承勳), Yu Yeonggyeong (柳永慶) and the rest and take counsel on the business, making this the plan for keeping the supply unbroken. The grain of the upper country, borne on backs and on heads, follows along the road and all goes toward Ulsan.
At the fifth watch today Yu Seonggil (柳成吉), an officer of the Gyeonggi Left Defense Commander Byeon Eungseong (邊應星), came back from the camp at Ulsan and said: "On the twenty-third the van of the Ming army closed with the Japanese enemy and took more than five hundred heads, whereupon the Japanese enemy drew back into their lair and the Ming army surrounded it. On the twenty-fourth the Japanese enemy set up red and white banners without number along the top of their wall, and the Ming army struck them with fire arrows and cannon, and the several armies went over the wall all at once and the enemy heads taken were very many. The enemy who remain have drawn back into the inner wall, and it is being attacked even now."
What Kim Yundeuk (金潤得), your servant's officer, said on coming back from the field of battle at dawn today was all of one piece with this. It is said that our country's troops too, mingled in among the Ming troops, shot the Japanese enemy dead with pyeonjeon arrows in no small number.
The shape of the battle has surely been reported in haste already by the Supreme Commander Gwon Yul (權慄); but since the matter hangs upon news of a victory, your servant too reports it in haste as he has heard it.
Interlinear notes 1
十二月二十五日在慶州
The twenty-fifth day of the twelfth month, at Gyeongju.