24 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
behind, and they all fell to the ground at the sound of flying arrows. He
continued to lure the enemy out until he reached the place where an ambush
was waiting. Our soldiers who were in hiding came out all at once from all
directions and crushed the enemy completely.
Realizing that he was unable to contend against [T’aejo’s army], Nahachu
gathered his scattered forces and fled. T’aejo presented to the king the tro-
phies that he had collected, including tablets and seals made of silver and
copper, respectively, as well as innumerable other spoils. Thereafter, order
was finally restored in the Northeast Region.
Later, Nahachu sent a man who sued for peace, presenting a horse to our
king and a drum and a fine horse to T’aejo, which were signs of respect for
them. Nahachu’s sister, staying with his brother in the garrison, deeply
admired T’aejo’s extraordinary martial prowess. She said, “No one can sur-
pass him in the world.”
Earlier, when Hwanjo met with Nahachu on his way to the Yuan court,
he praised T’aejo’s talent. After his defeat, Nahachu said, “Years ago Yi
[Chach’un] said he had a talented son. Indeed, he did not lie.”
In the ninth year of the reign of Hongwu, in the winter of the Pyŏngjin
year (1376), Sin U [King U] sent Hwang Sukkyŏng, magistrate of Kaesŏng,
to Nahachu to request friendly relations. Nahachu said, “I originally had no
intention to fight against Koryŏ, but King Boyantiemuer [King Kongmin]
sent General Yi [Sŏnggye] to fight against me, and I barely escaped death.
How is General Yi doing? Though he is young, he is incredible in com-
manding his army. He is a real genius. I believe he will become a man of
great responsibilities in your country in the days ahead.”
In the thirteenth year (1364) of King Kongmin, many members of Ki clan
were put to death, and this incurred the antipathy of Empress Ki against the
king. At that time, Ch’oe Yu of Koryŏ stayed in Yuan, serving as associate
director (jiangzuo tongzhi) of the Palace Building Directorate. Associating
with a gang of wicked people, Ch’oe Yu slandered King Kongmin and
allured the empress to depose him and replace him with Prince Tŏkhŭng,
whose Mongol name was Tasitiemuer. As a result, in the first month, the
Mongol army stationed in Liaoyang Province crossed the Yalu River to
invade Koryŏ.
King Kongmin sent An Ugyŏng, assistant chancellor (ch’ansŏngsa), and
others to the frontier to stop the invading army, but An suffered a defeat and
withdrew to Anju. Then the king ordered Assistant Chancellor Ch’oe Yŏng
to go to Anju, taking seasoned troops with him, and command the entire