Circular to the Inspectors of the Four Provinces通諭四道巡察使文
本年十月十三日。聖旨凡事有所主之人然後經略有條理今日國事勿論虜勢大賊在境下四道則旣委於右相矣又出都體察使專管其餘四道南北相應事有。旨當職蒙差體察京畿黃海平安咸鏡四道事務專委經略以兵曹判書李德馨爲副使侍講院輔德崔瓘侍講院弼善韓浚謙爲從事官方開幕府規畫措置。國勢艱危日甚南北之釁交作其勢固爲岌岌矣今日措置之事雖曰多端不過釐革獘瘼懷保小民使邦本更固然後措置糧餉訓鍊軍兵修緝城池且察地勢險夷以爲控扼之計措備器械申勅烽火此其大段節目若監司督率守令閫帥申勅邊將竭其心力盡瘁晝夜收拾補綴則國事雖急尙有可濟之望萬一因循廢墜玩愒度日置。國事於無可奈何之地體察使之令不行於監兵使監兵使之令不行於鎭管節制使鎭管節制使之令不行於同僉都尉以下同僉都尉之令不行於哨官哨官之令不行於旗隊總則雖有嘉謨善䇿朝夕云云而一無所益今日之弊政坐紀綱不立體統渙散以至於此今者自。上深懲命令不行事無實效之弊特出。聖意使大臣分領諸道之事事非偶然當職雖甚駑劣自知不能奉承。明旨有所補益而旣在其地無路引避則不得不以紀綱體統之事先爲知委於各道其他應行事意當追後詳盡指揮今後凡軍政所在一依。祖宗朝設法之意必使鎭管督率所風之邑所屬之邑亦承鎭管之令無敢違越而監司邊將又承體察使之令使體統粗立紀綱粗張號令通令以濟艱危之勢如此而守令以下猶不動念泄泄如前則國法有在非體察使所得以私也
On the thirteenth of the tenth month of this year there came a royal command, saying: "In all business, it is only when there is a man to take the lead that there is order in the carrying of it on. In the business of the state today, leaving aside the posture of the barbarians and the great enemy within our borders, the four provinces below have already been entrusted to the Right State Councillor; therefore appoint a Supreme Commissioner besides, to take the remaining four provinces wholly in charge, so that south and north answer one another."
I, charged with this duty, received commission to take the commissionership of the four provinces of Gyeonggi, Hwanghae, Pyeongan and Hamgyeong, and to take the business wholly in charge and manage it; and with the Minister of War Yi Deokhyeong (李德馨) as deputy commissioner, and Choe Gwan (崔瓘), Instructor (보덕, 輔德) of the Crown Prince's Lecture Office, and Han Jungyeom (韓浚謙), Assistant Instructor (필선, 弼善) of the same, as staff officers, I am just now opening my headquarters and in the midst of planning and disposing.
The hardness and peril of the state's posture grows worse by the day, and the breaches to south and north rise by turns, so that the posture is truly precarious. Though the matters to be disposed of today are said to have many branches, they go no further than this: to tear out abuses and to soothe and preserve the people and make the root of the state firm again, and after that to provide army grain, to drill the soldiers, to put the walls and moats in repair, and further to examine where the ground is steep and where level and make that the plan for pressing upon the passes and barring them, and to furnish weapons and to charge the beacon fires over again. These are the great heads of it.
If the Provincial Governors lead their magistrates and press them, and the commander in charge of the province's troops (閫帥) charges the border officers over again, and they give their whole heart and strength and labor night and day and go on gathering and patching, then though the business of the state be urgent there is still hope that it can be saved. But if they let things go anyhow and spend the months and years and leave the business of the state where nothing can be done with it—if the Supreme Commissioner's order does not run with the Provincial Governors and the Army Commanders, and the order of the Governors and Army Commanders does not run with the garrison-district commanders (진관 절제사), and the order of the garrison-district commanders does not run with the assistant garrison commanders (동첨절제사) and the captains (도위) and those below them, and the order of the assistant commanders and captains does not run with the company officers (초관), and the order of the company officers does not run with the banner chiefs and squad chiefs (기총·대총)—then though fine schemes and good plans be spoken of morning and evening, there will not be one jot of gain. The misgovernment of today sits upon this, that discipline does not stand and the chain of authority is scattered, and so it has come to this.
Now His Majesty, deeply chastened by the abuse whereby commands do not run and business has no real effect, has of his special will had a great minister take the business of several provinces in divided charge; the matter is no chance one. I, charged with this duty, know well of myself that, being most dull and worthless, I cannot be of help in bearing his enlightened command; yet standing already in that place I have no way to withdraw and shirk it, and so, unable to do otherwise, I give notice first to each province of the matter of discipline and the chain of authority. The sense of the other things to be done I shall direct in detail hereafter.
From this time on, wherever there is military administration, let it be one and the same with the intent in which the law was set up in the reigns of our ancestors: the garrison districts must be made to press and lead the districts under them, and the districts attached must likewise obey the garrison district's order and not dare to go against it, and the Governors and border officers must obey the Supreme Commissioner's order, so that the chain of authority stands in the main and discipline is in the main spread out and commands run through, and by this the hard and perilous posture be crossed. If with all this the magistrates and those below them still do not stir their hearts and lie slack as before, there is the law of the state: it is not a thing for the Supreme Commissioner to deal with privately.