Book IV 299were discharging their duties properly. Thereafter, the king commanded the
inspectors [of the Office of the Inspector-General] to patrol and check on
the progress of the work every day.8th Day (Sinsa)
The king ordered fourteen supervisors detained in the Capital Constabulary
Prison for neglecting the supervision of the construction of the fortress
walls but released them a little later. However, he made one exception and
had General Chŏn O assigned to the navy of Kanghwa Island.^2710th Day (Kyemi)
The king issued a royal decree: “It is a way handed down from antiquity to
evaluate and reward officials by having them present their ideas or carry out
certain tasks to make contributions.
“Wang Kang, former associate commissioner of the Security Council, is
distinguished in learning and always in full control of what he does. He is
also eloquent and accomplishes his tasks without delay. So everyone praises
his talent and ability. I once tested him by assigning him to the task of
maritime transport mission, and he accomplished his assignment excel-
lently and proved that what people said about him was right.
“The waterways closed for forty years in the previous dynasty are now
finally opened, contributing to the development of the state economy and
solving the problems with overland transportation, which three provinces
had to endure for forty years, and thereby helping the people to revive their
livelihoods. Since the contributions that he made are so clear, who dares
criticize him? I was so impressed that I could not forget him.
“In addition, at the beginning of our dynasty, music and instruments
were not well harmonized, so I tested him by appointing him commissioner
for ceremonial music (sŭbak chejo). Then he regulated the music so remark-
ably that he removed from it the melancholic sound that was handed down
from the previous dynasty, creating a music that befitted the spirit of the
governance of the new age. How can you say that this contribution is small?
Therefore, it is appropriate to include his name on the list and reward him,
based on the example of Nam Chae, a merit subject who joined me when I
turned my army around to march back home.
- Being assigned to the navy is better than the imprisonment but much worse than the
job of supervising the construction of walls.