Book II 185Sanggyŏng,^29 Director of the Directorate for Palace Maintenance Im
Ŏnch’ung,^30 Director of the Directorate for Armaments Hwang Kŏjŏng,
Supreme Generals Chang Sajŏng^31 and Han Ch’ung,^32 and Third Minister of
the Board of War Min Yŏik.^33 Cho Kyŏn shall be granted a title of merit
subject and rewarded appropriately based on the precedent made for Yu Ho,
and the rest of the officials based on the precedent made for An Kyŏnggong,
so that all the officials included in this decree can be rewarded and honored
as dynasty-founding merit subjects.
28th Day (Pyŏngo)
The dynasty-founding merit subjects and the royal princes had a meeting in
Wangryundong^34 and made a pledge to each other. The pledge they made
read as follows: “Left Chancellor Pae Kŭngnyŏm and others dare to make
an announcement manifestly to Heaven and Earth and all the spirits,
including Mt. Songak and the guardian deities. We respectfully believe that
Our Majesty responded to the will of Heaven and followed the hearts of the
people until he received the Mandate of Heaven, and we subjects cooper-
ated in solidarity and finally achieved a great goal together.
“Having already worked together and become one body, there is no better
fortune than this. However, men of antiquity warned that there are many
who start well but few who finish well. All of us who have worked together
- Han Sanggyŏng (1360–1424 AD): an official of late Koryŏ and early Chosŏn. He
passed the civil service examination in 1382 and joined others in enthroning T’aejo. Thereafter,
he served in numerous posts until he became chief state councilor. He was granted the posthu-
mous title of Mun’gan. - There is little information on him except that he was one of the members who recom-
mended T’aejo to the throne on the 17th day of the 7th month in 1392 at Such’ang Palace and
became a dynasty-founding merit subject. - Chang Sajŏng (?): a military official of early Chosŏn. In 1392, he joined others in
enthroning T’aejo, with his elder brother Chang Sagil, then associate royal secretary, and
became a dynasty-founding merit subject. In 1398, when the First Strife of Princes took place,
he assisted Prince Chŏngan (Yi Pangwŏn) in suppressing it and became a member of T’aejong’s
merit subjects. However, he got himself into trouble by killing innocent people when drunk
and seizing the concubine of Prince Panggan, who was then in exile; therefore, he was
impeached and exiled. - Han Ch’ung (?): not much information is available about him except that he became a
dynasty-founding merit subject at the beginning of T’aejo’s reign. - Min Yŏik (1360–1431AD): an official of late Koryŏ and early Chosŏn. He served in
numerous posts, including those of chief royal secretary and minister of works. - A place in Kaesŏng.