Book XII 711when Yan Zhu^27 tried to mobilize troops arbitrarily, the magistrates of local
counties refused to cooperate. The mobilization procedures were strict
enough to prevent treachery, and the Han dynasty had no trouble until its
end. Though the disturbance of the Lü clan^28 and the Seven States took
place unexpectedly, the empire was already well prepared to defend against
them. Despite the fact that it had to continuously fight against both the Five
Northern Tribes (Wu Hu) and Nanyue^29 in the south for several years, the
foundation of the empire was not shaken. Emperor Gaozu of Han, who went
through numerous battles, knew exactly which system was best for the
security of his empire, which lasted four hundred years.
“We sincerely urge you to emulate a system such as that [employed by the
Han dynasty] and order the office concerned to issue tiger tally sticks,
obeying royal orders whenever it is necessary to mobilize troops. Those
who raise troops without tally sticks shall be punished for violating the law,
which prohibits mobilizing troops arbitrarily, and this law must be made
permanent.” The king approved the proposal.
Ch’oe Yongso, discussant of the Security Council, was dispatched to
Hŭngch’ŏn Monastery to pray for the elimination of disasters.The Military Supply Warehouse (Yubigo) was newly established, and Chŏng
Tojŏn, Count of Ponghwa, appointed its commissioner.17th Day (Ŭlmi)
Returning from his trip to Sunje Fortress, Nam Ŭn reported to the king:
“Because of the many hard rocks underneath the ground, it is not easy to- An official of the mid- Former Han period, who served during the reign of Emperor
Wu. He rose to the rank of ordinary grand master (zhong dafu), prefect of Guiji, and palace
attendant. He also commanded an army to pacify the rebellious people of the Yue. Later, he
was involved in the rebellion of Liu An, Prince of Huainan, and was executed. - It refers to the family of the Grand Empress Lü, the wife of Emperor Gaozu of the Han
dynasty. After the death of Gaozu, she wielded a great power, killing her husband’s concubine
and sons. However, after her death, the political dominance of the Lü clan came to an end, and
they were eventually put to death for allegedly attempting to take over the government. - Wu Hu was a Chinese term for the northern non- Chinese nomadic tribes that caused
the Wu Hu uprising. Nanyue (South Vietnam) was an ancient kingdom that consisted of parts
of the modern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan as well as what is now
northern Vietnam.