Book I 109“So the officials of high and low ranks, as well as hallyang, retired elder
statesmen, soldiers, and common people, are all anxious to have him as
their king, and therefore they decided to send Cho Pan, administrative com-
missioner of the Security Council, to the Ming court and make a report on
the current situation. We sincerely hope that the emperor kindly takes our
wishes into consideration and makes the lives of our people comfortable.”
The Righteousness Flourishing King’s Personal Guards (Ŭihŭng ch’ingunwi)^9
was established, and the Chief Military Command Headquarters (Toch’ong
chungoe chegunsa pu)^10 was abolished.
The king ordered the various officials (paekkwan) to make detailed reports
on the strength and weakness of the government system related to the preced-
ing dynasty [Koryŏ], including decrees and laws as well as their history.The king made his kindred and high officials divide and assume command
over the armies in the various provinces.20th Day (Kihae)
The king ordered Chŏng Tojŏn, former Chancellery scholar, to join the
Privy Council and concurrently supervise the Office of Personnel
Appointments and Royal Seals (Sangsŏsa).Inspector-General Min Kae and others requested that the Wang clan of Koryŏ
be relocated to local districts. The king replied, “Prince Sunhŭng Wang
Sŭng and his son Kang rendered service to the country, and I intend to have
Prince Chŏngyang Wang U and his sons Cho and Kwan perform sacrifices
to their ancestors in the future. Hence, they should be made an exception in
your discussion. However, as for the rest of the Wang clan, divide them into
two groups and relocate them on Kanghwa and Kŏje Islands, respectively.The Office of the Inspector-General submitted a memorial to the king. “We
humbly believe that Your Majesty rose against the old regime and for the- After his inauguration, T’aejo turned his private army into royal guards who were
mostly comprised of the solders from the Northeast Region, his hometown and power base,
appointing members of the royal family as their commander. - It was established by T’aejo in 1388 after his army’s marching back from Wihwa Island
in order to consolidate his military power.