Book III 23916th Day (Imsul)
The king ordered Prince Yŏngan^13 to offer sacrifice to the God of Chief
Banners (Tuksin).^14 Earlier, he had ordered made two banners, one red and
the other black, and they were completed by this time. So he gave such an
order. The officials who participated in the sacrifice were all dressed in
military attire.
When the king sat in the royal Council Hall, Nam Chae, inspector-general,
reported the harmful effects of Buddhism without leaving anything out.
18th Day (Kapcha)
Censorial officials, including An Kyŏnggŏm, memorialized: “We respect-
fully believe that Your Majesty founded a new dynasty according to the will
of Heaven and the wishes of the people and intended to hand it down to your
descendants. Every move you make can be an example followed by your
descendants, and therefore it is impossible for you not to be considerate in
whatever you do. Now you are going to take a royal trip to the south for
inspection, but you decided to take only the Three Armies^15 with you and no
other officials. We deeply regret that. We urge you to let a member from
each department escort the royal carriage so that a precedent can be estab-
lished for your posterity.”
The king allowed only an official from the Board of Punishments to
follow him, along with the Censorate and Chancellery officials.
19th Day (Ŭlch’uk)
The king left Songdo.^16 He wanted to personally inspect the topographic
features of Mt. Kyeryong, a prospective site for the national capital. An
Chongwŏn, director of the State Finance Commission; Kim Sahyŏng, right- Yi Panggwa, T’aejo’s second son and later King Chŏngjong.
- The God of Chief Banners here also refers to the banner placed in front of the royal
procession or the commander-in-chief with his army, which symbolized the power of the ruler
or the military forces. Established in the Koryŏ period, the sacrifice was offered by military
officials. - The Three Armies refers to the Righteousness Flourishing Three Armies, especially
the royal guards belonging to it. - Kaesŏng, the capital of Koryŏ.