Book VI 45710th Day (Ŭlhae)
Venus was seen in broad daylight.The king dispatched Yi Chik, academician of the Security Council, to the
Ming capital to express his gratitude, and the memorial he submitted read
as follows: “My son [Yi Pangwŏn] and his retinue returned from the
Ming capital, carrying your sacred instruction with them. Your exhorta-
tion was sincere to such a degree that I became overwhelmed. The sacred
counsel that you gave was clear and bright, and the wonderful grace that
you showed made me grateful, and at the same time the whole country feels
honored.
In the sixth month of this year, having received your sacred order, I sent
my son and my ministers Nam Chae and Cho Pan to the imperial court.
Fortunately, they had the honor of sitting at an audience with Your Majesty
and returned with your special instruction for me. You admonished me to
look after my people, heeding the Mandate of Heaven, and I am deeply
moved. Your Imperial Majesty is benevolent in caring about the people and
generous in embracing faraway regions, allowing me to benefit from your
virtue despite my being in a distant corner of the world. Ever strengthening
and renewing my loyalty and allegiance, my wishes for your long life have
been redoubled.”The Privy Council spoke to the king: “Since so- called weather calculation
(t’aeilsan) is important in the arts of warfare, we request that a bureau be
newly installed to train the people and that it belong to the Military Training
Agency so that men of talent can be selected [along with other regular can-
didates] through the highest military examinations (mukwa).” The king fol-
lowed the advice.
11th Day (Pyŏngja)
The government prohibits military officers in all provinces from practicing
falcon hunting.The government released those workers who had fulfilled the term of their
labor service.