Book III 271they could threaten their rule in the future, but I am different. Since Heaven
made me the ruler of a kingdom, everyone in my domain is my people. I
intend to treat all my people benevolently, with no discrimination, in order
to pay back the grace of Heaven. So I permitted Lord Kongyang [King
Kongyang] to live in a place that he chose and let his wife and children as
well as slaves live together as they used to. However, his kinsmen who were
exiled to islands are having difficult times in making a livelihood, and I feel
very sorry for them.
“I want to have those Wang clan members who are now on Kŏje Island
relocated to the mainland by a certain date and allowed to live in designated
districts and provided with the means to settle down. Furthermore, I will
employ the talented among them and thereby show publicly how fair- minded
I am. The Privy Council shall carry out my order as fast as it can.”
The Privy Council immediately sent dispatches to the surveillance com-
missioner of Kyŏngsang Province and the military commander of Kŏje
Island and let the members of the Wang clan leave the island. Then it divided
them into three groups and assigned them to Wansan, Sangju, and Yŏnghae,^80
respectively.
The king summoned Wang Kang and Wang Sŭngbo.^81
Each province submitted military census records. Previously, the govern-
ment dispatched eight military commanders, including Nam Ŭn, Pak Wi,
Chin Ŭlsŏ, and so forth, to make preparations for the Japanese attack. After
the Japanese withdrew, Nam Ŭn, Pak Wi, and Chin Ŭlsŏ conducted a mili-
tary census separately in Kyŏngsang, Yanggwang, and Chŏlla Provinces,
respectively; and in the rest of provinces, surveillance commissioners did
the same, making the military records of all service personnel.
The military records of the whole army were finally made at this time,
and the result showed as follows: The total number of personnel on duty- Wansan is modern Chŏnju, and Yŏnghae a district in North Kyŏngsang Province.
- Wang Kang was a member of the royal family. He passed the civil service examination
at an early age and served as the navy commander of Yanggwang, Chŏlla, and Kyŏngsang
Provinces and, concurrently, as the commissioner of salt and iron. He was praised for his con-
tributions to the transport of grain and military provisions by ship. Wang Sŭngbo, also a
member of the royal family, was a military commander. Outstanding in military affairs, he
was regarded as dangerous to the new regime of Chosŏn and was executed in 1394 when the
purge of the Wang clan took place.