62 t h e a n n a l s o f k i n g t’a e j o
king], I will never forgive you. If you touch any property belonging to
people, even a cucumber in their fields, I will punish you according
to law.”
T’aejo also purposely delayed the march of his army, hunting along the
way. On the road that stretched several hundred li from Sŏgyŏng [P’yŏngyang]
to the capital, the officials and people (who used to follow King U), as well
as the residents of local districts, all came out to greet T’aejo, offering wine
and other drink, and their lines were endless. The residents of the Northeast
Region and even the Jurchens who had not participated in the military cam-
paign from the beginning also vied with one another to see T’aejo, and their
numbers amounted to a thousand or more. King U ran away into his royal
garden. With the intent to stop [T’aejo’s army], Ch’oe Yŏng ordered all offi-
cials to take up arms and guard the king. At the same time, he blockaded the
entrances and roads, gathering vehicles.
On the first day of the sixth month, T’aejo established his camp at the foot
of Sandaeam outside Sungin Gate. He ordered Yu Mansu and the Left Army
to attack Sungin Gate and Sŏnŭi Gate respectively, which were both
defended by Ch’oe Yŏng. As T’aejo sent Mansu, he said to his aides, “Since
his eyes are large but have no luster, Mansu is a man with no guts. He will
be defeated in this battle most certainly and driven away.” T’aejo’s predic-
tion turned out to be true.
Mansu indeed was defeated, and he returned. At that time, T’aejo put the
horses out in the field to graze. When his aides told him about Mansu’s
return, T’aejo did not respond, lying in his tent. When his aides repeated
their report several times, T’aejo got up slowly and had his meal. Then he
ordered his servant to saddle his horse and prepare his troops for battle.
Before he started, he happened to see a small pine tree about a hundred
paces away. Having decided to read his fortune for the day by shooting an
arrow and at the same time bring his troops together, he finally shot an
arrow at the tree. The single arrow that he shot sharply broke the trunk of
the pine tree. He said, “What more can I ask for?” His officers and troops
congratulated him. Yi Ŏn, military commissioner (chinmu), went forward
and knelt down before him. He said, “As long as Your Honor leads us, we
will be with you wherever you go.”
T’aejo entered through Sungin Gate, having his Left and Right Armies
advance separately to launch coordinated attacks on their opponents from
both the front and rear. The men and women in the capital all came out to
hail T’aejo’s army, offering wine and other drinks. The soldiers cleared the