432 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
the likes of China had only a few places for its capital, such as Guanzhong,
Bianliang [Kaifeng], and Jinling. How can a small nation such as ours have
many good places? The Zhou established its capital in Guanzhong, and
the Qin and Han also used the same place as their capital. Bianliang was
the capital of the Five Dynasties,^54 and Jinling the capital of the Six
Dynasties.^55
“Master Tosŏn said that the kingdom with Puso as its capital could cap-
ture the territories of the three kingdoms. There were three kingdoms before
Wang Kŏn, the founder of Koryŏ, unified them, and after the unification,
Kaesŏng served as the nation’s capital all along. It is the fortune of the Wang
clan that their rule came to an end after five hundred years; it had little to do
with the strength of the capital site. If we consider the fact that the Zhou and
Han maintained their capitals at the same location, there will be nothing
wrong even if we make Kaesŏng our capital. If you want to continue to
search for other places, abandoning this one, the search had better be more
extensive.
“The Muak site is extremely narrow, and the main mountain behind it is
very low, and the mouth of the river is overly exposed. If this were really a
propitious site, why was it not used by our predecessors?”Ha Yun, senior secretary of the Security Council said: “Kyerim and P’yŏngyang
are the old capitals of our country that survived the longest time. Though
the ground of Muak may be low and narrow, the building site for the royal
palace is much larger than at Kyerim or P’yŏngyang. Furthermore, located
in the middle of the country and surrounded by mountains and rivers both
inside and outside, it is both within easy access of marine transportation
and safe from external threats. Hence, the place has many virtues, described
in the secret records of our predecessors. Besides, the location of Muak
agrees with the theories of the Chinese geomancers, who emphasize that
the nation’s capital should be a place where mountains and rivers con-
verge, which I already explained to you in detail last time I had an audience
with you.
“I believe that there is the Mandate of Heaven when a dynasty is born. To
establish the nation’s capital is also extremely important. If you want to- Five Dynasties (907–960 b c), which include Liang, Tang, Jin, Han, and Zhou.
- A collective name for six Chinese dynasties during the periods of the Three Kingdoms
(220 –280 a d), Jin dynasty (265–420), and Southern and Northern dynasties (420–589).