General Introduction (Ch’ongsŏ) 31
Tongnyŏng Administration, instead of the royal palace where the emperor
stayed, and even worse, conspired with Assistant Chancellor Kim Paegan
and others in order to invade his fatherland after mobilizing troops and
horses at places such as Songfuli, Fatuhe, and Ashangjie. The crimes he
committed, therefore, cannot be forgiven, and the man should be brought to
justice. This is the reason this righteous army was raised. However,
Saiyintiermuer, Kim Paegan, and others chose to resist to the end, getting
the local residents to join through incentives or intimidation. As a result,
our vanguard captured Kim Paegan as well as the enemy leaders, big and
small, including Mongol overseers and regional commanders-in-chief
(daduzongguan) such as Halabodou and Dezuobuhuagao. Our troops have
already captured or executed them all, except for Saiyintiermuer, who has
escaped and is now on the run. All the forts and garrisons that the suspect
tries to contact should arrest him immediately and report to us as fast as
they can. Anyone who tries to harbor the suspect and fails to report him will
face severe punishments similar to those meted out previously in the
Tongnyŏng Administration.”
Then they posted additional public notices in places such as Jinzhou and
Fuzhou. “Our country was concurrently founded with the kingdom of Yao,
and King Wu of the Zhou dynasty enfeoffed Jizi in Chosŏn with the lands
that extended west to the Liao River, and our people have possessed the
lands from generation to generation. When Yuan reunified China, the Yuan
princess [married to the king of Koryŏ] was enfeoffed with the lands of
Liaodong and Shenyang, which resulted in the creation of a new provincial
administrative headquarters right here.
“At the end of Yuan, the government was thrown into crisis, and the
emperor was forced to abandon his palace and take refuge outside.
Nevertheless, the leaders and officials of Liaodong and Shenyang pretended
to be ignorant of the crisis; furthermore, they disregarded the proprieties
with regard to our country. Conspiring with Saiyintiermuer, the notorious
traitor of our country, they harassed our own people. So they cannot escape
the punishment for their treasonous activities.
“Hence, we decided to raise a righteous army to bring these people to
justice. Saiyintiermuer and his gang are still defiant, hiding out in the for-
tress of the Tongnyŏng Administration. Our vanguard will spare none of
them, capturing or killing them without mercy, and in the course of this
action, the people will die, whether they be innocent or not. What good is
your regret after both the jades and stones are burnt up?