KOREA RESEARCH MONOGRAPH 28 FM, INSTITUTE OF EAST ASIAN STUDIES ~ u UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA • BERKELEY CJ(S CENTER FOR KOREAN STUDIES The Book of Corrections Reflections on the National Crisis during the Japanese Invasion of Korea, 1592-1598 Yu Songnyong TRANSLATED BY Choi Byonghyon A publication of the Institute of East Asian Studies, University of Califor­ nia, Although the Institute of East Asian Studies is responsible for the selection and acceptance of manuscripts in this series, responsibil- for the opinions expressed and for the accuracy of statements rests with their authors. Correspondence and manuscripts may be sent to: Ms. Joanne Sandstrom, Managing Editor Institute of East Asian Studies University of California Berkeley, California 94720-2318 E-mail: [email protected] The Korea Research Monograph series is one of several publications series sponsored by the Institute of East Asian Studies in with its constituent units. The others include the China Research series, the Research Monograph series, and the Research Papers Policy Studies series. A list of recent appears at the back of the book. Yu, Song-nyong, 1542-1607. [Chingbirok English] The book of corrections : ret1ections on the national crisis during the Japanese invasion of Korea, 1592-1598 I Songnyong; translated by Choi Byonghyon. em. - (Korea research monograph ; 28) references and index. ISBN 1-55729-076-8 (alk. 1. Korea-History-Japanese Invasions, 1592-1598. I. Ch'oe, Pyong-hyon, 1948- II. Title. III. Series DS913.4 .Y8513 2002 951.9'02--dc21 2002027473 Copyright © 2002 The Regents of the University of California. Printed in the States of America. All rights reserved. Contents Abbreviations Used in the Notes ...................................................... viii Translator's Preface ............................................................................... .ix ·························································································· xiii Introduction .............................................................................................. 1 Author's Preface .................................................................................... 15 BOOK ! .................................................................................................... 17 1. The Envoys from Japan ................................................................ 19 2. Japanese Envoy So Yoshitoshi.. ................................................... 24 3. Korean Envoys Meet with Toyotomi 4. Korea Informs Ming of the Japanese Plot.. ................................ 32 5. Controversies over Rebuilding the National Defense .............. 34 6. Yi Sunsin Appointed as the Navy Commander ........................ 37 7. Generals Unable to Foresee the Imminent War ....................... .42 8. Invasion of the Japanese .............................................................. .44 9. Our Fortresses Fall One after Another ....................................... 46 10. Urgent Reports Come In .............................................................. 50 11. Criminal Charges against Kim Song'il for His ............ 55 12. The Court Appoints Kim Nuk to Stabilize Public Feeling ..... 57 13. Commander Yi II Flees as Sangju Falls .................................... .58 14. Debates on the Defense of Seoul and the Departure of the 15. The Defeat of Sin Ip's Army ....................................................... 67 16. The Day of Moaning and 17. Seoul Falls into Enemy Hands .................................................... 78 18. The Collapse of Our Joint Forces at Yong'in ............................ 81 19. Sin Kak's Victory and His Tragic End ....................................... 83 20. The Collapse of the Defense Line at the Imjin River ............... 85 21. The Japanese Enter Hamgyong Province and Capture Our Two Princes ............................................................................ 87 vi 22. Yi Il Arrives at P'yongyang after Losing His Battle ................ 90 23. The Visit of Lin Shilu to P'yongyang ........................................ 93 24. The Royal Carriage Leaves P'yongyang .................................. 100 25. The Fall of P'yongyang .............................................................. 106 26. Anger and Frustration of the People ....................................... 109 27. The King Arrives at Uiju and Ming Sends Its Relief Army ................................................................................... 114 28. The Vanguard of the Ming Relief Army Arrives ................... 116 29. Ming Relief Army Fails to Recapture P'yongyang ................ 119 30. Yi Sunsin Defeats the Japanese Navy with His Turtle Ships ................................................................................... 121 31. Cho Hoik, a Man of Loyalty and Patriotism .......................... 125 32. The Defense of Chonju and the Brave Battles of Chong Tam ............................................................................... 127 33. An Attempt to Recapture P'yongyang ..................................... 129 34. Shen Weijing Visits the Japanese Camp .................................. 131 35. The Tragic Death of Governor Sim Tae ................................... 134 36. General Won Ho Defeats the Japanese .................................... 137 37. Kwon Ungsu and Others Recapture Yongch'on .................... 139 38. Pak Chin Recaptures Kyongju .................................................. 141 39. The Rise of the Righteous Volunteer Armies ......................... 143 40. Yi Il Becomes a Commander ..................................................... 149 41. Spies and Traitors ....................................................................... 151 BOOK II ................................................................................................ 153 42. New Ming Relief Army Recaptures P'yongyang ................... 155 43. The Court Replaces Yi Il with Yi Pin ....................................... 161 44. The Ming Army Retreats to Kaesong after Losing the Battle of Pyokche .................................................................... 162 45. Victory at Haengju Fortress ...................................................... 169 46. Efforts to Save the Starving People .......................................... 173 47. Shen Weijing's Efforts to Make Peace with the Japanese ...... l76 48. Recapturing Seoul ....................................................................... 181 49. Devastating Defeat at the Battle of Chinju .............................. 184 50. The King Returns to Seoul ........................................................ 189 51. The Imprisonment of Yi Sunsin ................................................ 197 52. The Breakdown of the Peace Talks and a New Relief Army from Ming China ......................................................................... 200 53. The Collapse of the Navy Led by Won Kyun ........................ 201 54. The Battle of Hwangsok Mountain Fortress ........................... 205 vii 55. Yi Sunsin Is Reinstated .............................................................. 208 56. The Fortress of Namwon Falls .................................................. 209 57. Our Navy Dominates the Sea Once Again .............................. 213 58. The Japanese Retreat Southward .............................................. 216 59. The Ming Army Lays Siege to the Japanese Forces at Ulsan ......................................................................................... 218 60. The Death of Yi Sunsin and the End of the War ................... 221 61. Yi Sunsin, the Man ..................................................................... 224 62. Yi Sunsin, a God of War ............................................................ 227 A Brief Chronological History of the Life of Soae Yu Songnyong ................................................................ 229 Glossary ................................................................................................ 233 Selected Bibliography .......................................................................... 236 Index of Names, Places, and Terms .................................................. 239 Abbreviations Used in the Notes CHJ The Cambridge History of Japan CJS Chungjong sillok CPC Chungbong chip CSKI Confucian Statecraft and Korean Institutions (Palais) HDMSN Haedong myongsinnok (Kim Yuk) HITS Han'guk inmul taesajon IJS Injo sillok JQZSTS Jianquiao Zhongguo Sui-Tang shi KHIG Kwanghaegun ilgi KJIG Kukjo inmulgo KJPM Kukjo pangmok LCPL Liangchao pingrang lu (Zhuge Yuansheng) MJS Myongjong sillok MUDSM Mang'udang sonsaeng munjip MSLZ Mingshi liezhuan (Fu Weilin) NHK A New History of Korea (Lee Kibaik) NJCN Nanjung chamnok (Cho Kyongnam) NJD Nihon jinmei daijiten SJS Sonja sillok SJSS Sonja sujong sillok TGCY T' onggamch' alyo (Kang Chi) TYSN Tongguk yoji sungnam YLSKS Yollyosil kisul (Yi Ki:ing'ik) YNIG Yongnam inmulgo (Ch'ae Hongwon) YSGIG Yonsan'gun ilgi ZLRD Zhongguo lidai renming dacidian Translator's Preface The text of Chingbirok (The book of corrections), originally writ­ ten in Chinese, has been translated into Korean and Japanese quite a few times, but never into English until now. The English trans­ lation of this Korean classic, therefore, is long overdue, but since it is the first attempt of its kind, it should be considered a work in progress rather than a finished product. There are two versions of Chingbirok. The first, called Ch'obon