Letter to the Gyeonggi Inspector移京畿巡察使文

The drilling of troops in Gyeonggi is meant to have the county seek it of its wards, the ward of its villages, the village of its hamlets, and the hamlet of its men; which is what is called raising the net-cord and the meshes following after, and is the surviving intent of the old way of raising soldiers from the villages. There is no clamor of coming and going to summon and gather them, and no cost of feeding them when gathered; so once they are put in order, every business will go as one would have it.

When the times are quiet it will be as when the village companies practice archery, holding off the robbers at home and guarding against calamity; and when there is business, to have the company officers and the banner chiefs and squad chiefs each lead his own soldiers and so call them up is very convenient and profitable. How much more, when in ordinary times there are the laws of reward and punishment and of joint liability, and when business comes there is the posture of hand and foot succoring one another; so that if those who are company officers and squad leaders understand this intent deeply, they cannot but put out their strength of themselves.

Now the Defense Commander is ill, and among the magistrates of the garrison commands I cannot see one who gives his whole heart to upholding and carrying out the commands; and those who come as company officers to receive their markers and banners are few as well. If at the very beginning of the business there is slackness and neglect like this, how shall there be any achievement? Let this province admonish and charge them particularly, and report quickly the names of the company officers and the banner chiefs and squad chiefs of the four wards of each county, to be the ground for issuing commands.