408 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
governors as you have instructed, we will have the Censorate recommend
the right candidates.”
They also said, “The soldiers guarding the royal palace work hard day
and night, but many of them have failed to get paid any salary, whereas
some members of the Brave Loyal Guards (Ch’ungyongwi) or the officers of
similar units who attend you closely are mostly unfit for their job. So they
should be replaced with the soldiers guarding the royal palace. As for other
problems, we will report to you as soon as they arise and submit our answers
to your inquiry.”
When Sanggyŏng submitted the report, the king summoned the chief
officials of the Censorate and gave them his order: “If there is anyone who
is above the rank of royal secretary (sŭngji)^5 or minister of personnel and
qualified for the job of governor, submit his name regardless of whether he
is on active duty or retired.The inspectors, including Yi Kŭn, submitted a memorial to the king:
“Previously, you decreed to have alcohol prohibition extended until we had
good crops. This time, you decreed to have it terminated after the twenty-
third day. Since our dynasty is newly established, all the laws cannot be
changed lightly. Hereafter, we request to have wine drinking banned at
public and private gatherings or welcoming or farewell parties until we have
good crops.” The king granted the request.Chŏng Tojŏn, director of the State Finance Commission, wrote about the
royal guard system using regular soldiers (pubyŏng)^6 throughout history.
Discussing potential problems and abuses when the system was adopted, he
produced a diagram to present its history as well as a [reform] policy con-
cerning the current pubyŏng system. He submitted his work to the king.25th Day (Kyesa)
The king appointed the candidates recommended by the Censorate as the
governors (to kwanch’alch’ulch’ŏksa) of various provinces. He appointed- Rank 3a.
- They presumably indicate the seasoned veterans who were more battle hardened and
efficient.