372 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
recommendations from the offices and agencies they belong to and undergo
tests related to their physical fitness and qualification.
“The personnel who serve as royal guard, including those belonging to
various branch units, should all register their names on the list, and when
they take turns on guard duty, they should make a list specifying individual
names and the units they belong to. The ones who are on the list and yet fail
to report to duty and the ones who report to duty despite the fact that their
names are not on the list should be punished without exception. Except
those who are on duty, the guards should receive military training for
combat; the ones who are outstanding should be awarded, and the ones who
show poor performance should be punished.
“1. Since strictness is essential to all military affairs, those who disobey
orders or violate the rules of the guard units they belong to should be subject
to a thorough investigation by the Righteousness Flourishing Three Armies.
Those who have committed serious wrongdoings should be reported to the
king and handed over to the agencies in charge of the law, and those who,
being wicked and cunning, refuse to give up their evil ways or disturb law
and order or instigate the people should be driven out to the frontier to serve
in the army.
“1. The commanders more easily obey the orders of their superiors when
their ranks are low, because they are aware of their status. Hence, it is easy
to have them put to work and hold onto their status. The great nation [China]
has commander- in- chief (dudu), commander (zhihui), and chiliarch (qianhu)
in their military hierarchy, but those who actually take charge of troops are
company commanders (baihu). The previous dynasty had the Military
Affairs Commission (Chungch’ubu), the Board of War, supreme general,
and general- in- chief, but the ones who actually took charge of troops were
generals, and this was to ensure permanent public order and security.
“Since the pubyŏng military system of our dynasty was also already
intended to emulate this, five military officials and ten commandants (owŏn
sipchang) and sixty captains and lieutenants (yuksip wijŏng) should be placed
under the command of a general, whereas the commanders above the rank of
general- in- chief should be excluded from this commission. The soldiers
from each local province, county, and district should also be placed under
the command of a provincial military commander (pyŏngmasa) or the com-
mandants of lower ranks, and the military commissioner (chŏlchesa) of the
Righteousness Flourishing Three Armies should only keep watch on the
performance of the former in terms of diligence and negligence. If this