Treatise on Armament Technology, Volume 231

When news arrived that the two cities Referring to Namwon and Jeonju, which fell to the Japanese in 1597 had been broken and the enemy had reached the Royal Capital Hanseong, modern-day Seoul, the imperial court was initially without any plan at all. At that time, the court consensus was that Korea was not exerting itself sufficiently. A formal reprimand Xi (檄): an official military proclamation or summons used to rebuke or command was issued to the King of Korea, stating:

"If you can encourage and lead your three armies to defend the State Sheji (社稷): literally the 'Altars of Soil and Grain,' representing the foundations of the sovereign state to the death, we shall then dispatch a great number of troops and provisions to assist in punishing the rebels. However, if you treat your own ancestral temples lightly, hiding like a rat in the thickets just to seek a fleeting moment of safety, how can China original: "Zhongguo" (中國), the Middle Kingdom be expected to guard the borders in your stead? Do not vacillate between two options and thereby neglect these critical military affairs."

The King of Korea expressed his sincere devotion in reply, requesting to personally don his bow case and quiver Tuojian (橐鞬): the equipment of a mounted archer, signifying his readiness to personally join the fight to await the command of the Ming generals.

At this time, the strategic land and water routes around the Royal Capital had all been captured by the rebels. If they had used half of their force to pin down our troops in the south by land, and used the other half to sweep into the north by sea, our army would have been trapped in a "death ground" A term from Sun Tzu’s Art of War referring to a position where a force must fight for its life or perish. Furthermore, the Japanese original: "Wo" (倭), a term used historically for the Japanese could have then invaded Lushun Port Arthur, Tianjin, and the region of Dengzhou and Laizhou Strategic coastal areas of the Shandong Peninsula. There would have been nothing to stop them from marching directly into the heart of China.

However, the Japanese chieftains lacked a grand strategy. They feared moving too far from the seaports, worrying that while it was easy to advance, it would be difficult to retreat. Therefore, they instead built fortified camps and stored grain in underground pits. They ordered the Korean people to provide grain taxes in exchange for being spared from slaughter. This situation grew increasingly...