704 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
15th Day (Kapcha)
The king dispatched Cho Pan, assistant grand councilor, and Yi Kwan,
former concurrent magistrate of Ch’ŏngju, to the Ming capital as the New
Year embassy.16th Day (Ŭlch’uk)
The king gave orders to the Privy Council: “Since farming in Kyŏngsang
Province has failed due to flooding and drought, the governor should work
hard to save the people from famine, suspending the monthly routine of
repairing military weapons.”17th Day (Pyŏngin)
Na Se, who retired as assistant grand councilor, joined the army and died on
duty. He was seventy- eight years old.18th Day (Chŏngmyo)
The king held a banquet for all officials at Kyŏngbok Palace.19th Day (Kisa)
The government sent men to various Buddhist monasteries to pray for the
prevention of war.^16The Privy Council submitted a memorial to the king: “When an official
above rank 6 is impeached by the Office of the Inspector-General, his
appointment certificate is always revoked even if his offense makes him
subject to a beating. This was actually one of the old abuses practiced in the
previous dynasty.
“According to the law of the suzerain state [China], ‘Civil and military
officials of all ranks, in both the central and local governments, who commit
a public offense punishable by a beating are required to pay a fine to the
government. When civil officials commit a private offense subject to fewer
than forty strokes with a paddle, they are required to pay a fine but allowed
to keep their posts; those who receive the punishment of fifty strokes with a- The literal meaning of the word chinbyŏng, 鎭兵, is the “suppression of war.”