782 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
beginning, our emperor seriously warned you not to cause trouble on the
border and never resorted to using his superior military power to force you
to do anything against your will.
“Several years have passed since the present king ascended the throne,
replacing the Wang of the previous dynasty. However, one cannot help won-
dering if he ever heard the imperial admonition concerning border trouble.
Since he took the throne, conflicts have broken out on the border because of
disturbing words and behavior that recur from his side.
“According to what we have already heard, the problem is that your people
enter our country disguised as tribute envoys and secretly bribe our officials
on the border who know nothing about what goes on. Looking back, during
the times of various dynasties, such as Han, Sui, Tang, Liao, Jin, and Yuan,
when the rulers of Three Han States [Korea] caused even minor trouble, the
emperors of those dynasties immediately raised armies, and the people in your
country had to suffer harm. This is not a small matter to be ignored. Though
such disasters took place in the remote past, who could not feel alert and
sorry when he considers the magnitude of the sufferings caused by them?
“The current king [of Chosŏn] has repeatedly caused trouble, and our
emperor in response reported the matter to the gods of heaven and earth.
Why did he do that? The reason he did not dare to raise an army with instant
courage was that he feared for the lives of people on both sides. The rulers
in antiquity did not dare to take their expeditionary forces to distant lands
even when they were unable to persuade their adversaries to have peace
despite issuing declarations and warnings against them.
“Because the current king [of Chosŏn] has often caused trouble on our
border, our emperor was worried and has already sent an imperial mes-
senger to offer sacrifices to the seas and mountains and rivers and to report
the matter once to their guardian spirits. Furthermore, our emperor also
had the eunuchs, who had originally come from your country, inform their
king of this matter when they returned home. Nevertheless, both the current
king and the spirits of his kingdom were not afraid at all.
“Therefore, they think they are fortunate enough to successfully seize the
country from others and are never worried that there is the Mandate of
Heaven, believing that it is natural to deceive others. Since China is very
close to the Three Han States, how can it disregard the propriety of
reproaching its neighbor when the latter goes wrong? Though the reproach
was made, the real intention of the emperor was to teach its vassal state not
to behave recklessly.