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First conflict of the Goguryeo–Tang War

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First conflict of the Goguryeo–Tang War
Part of theGoguryeo–Tang War

Map of the first conflict of the Goguryeo–Tang War in 645.
Date645–648
Location
Liaodong Peninsula, Korean Peninsula, Bohai Sea, and Yellow Sea
Result Goguryeovictory[1][2][3][4]
Belligerents
Tang
Eastern Göktürks
Silla		 Goguryeo
Mohe
Commanders and leaders
Emperor Taizong
Li Shiji
Li Daozong(WIA)
Zhangsun Wuji
Zhang Liang
Yuchi Jingde
Qibi Heli(WIA)
Xue Wanbei
Ashina She'er(WIA)
Ashina Simo(WIA)
Ashina Mishe
Zhishi Sili
Cen Wenben
Liu Hongji
Zhang Jian
Yang Shidao
Xue Rengui		 Yeon Gaesomun
Yang Manchun
Go Jeong-ui
Go Yeonsu(POW)
Go Hyejin(POW)
Go Jug-li
Sun Dae-eumSurrendered
Strength
113,000[5] At least 200,000

The first conflict of theGoguryeo–Tang Warstarted whenEmperor Taizong(r. 626–649) of theTang dynastyled a military campaign againstGoguryeoin 645 to protectSillaand punish GeneralissimoYeon Gaesomunfor the killing ofKing Yeongnyu.The Tang forces were commanded by Emperor Taizong himself, and generalsLi Shiji,Li Daozong,andZhangsun Wuji.

In 645, after capturing multipleGoguryeo fortressesand defeating large armies in his path, Emperor Taizong appeared poised to march on the capitalPyongyangand conquer Goguryeo, but could not overcome the strong defenses atAnsi Fortress,which was commanded byYang Manchunat the time. Emperor Taizong withdrew after more than 60 days of battle and unsuccessfulsiege.[6]

Background

[edit]
Main article:Goguryeo

In 642,Goguryeohad enjoyed nearly 700 years of independence sinceDongmyeongdefeated all the opposition and theHan dynasty.[7]Goguryeo reached its peak during the reign ofGwanggaeto the Great,who ruled the kingdom from 391 to 413.[8]Under his reign, Goguryeo became one of the great powers inEast Asia,subdued neighboring kingdoms and achieved a loose unification of the Korean peninsula.[9][10][11]In the end of the 5th century, this period of prosperity goes to an end, and Goguryeo began to decline due to internal strife.[12]

In 551, the two southern countries,BaekjeandSilla,allied with each other and attacked theHan Riverbasin region.[13]Sillathen betrayedBaekjeand drove its forces out of the region, thus securing for itself the wholeHan Riverbasin.[14]Furiously, the king of Baekje decided to attackSilla,but because the army was exhausted, Baekje lost the battle and the king himself died. Silla gained access to the Yellow Sea, which provided a gateway to communicate with China.[15]This created conditions for the relationship between Silla and the Chinese dynasties to gradually tighten and by the 7th century, it became an alliance, threatening Goguryeo from both sides.[16]

At the end of the 6th century, wars broke out between theSui dynastyand Goguryeo. Sui dynasty launched a total of 4 invasions, in 598, 612, 613 and 614, but all were defeated. Notably, in 612,Emperor Yang of Suimobilized an army of up to a million men to attack Goguryeo but failed miserably.[17][18]The wars with Goguryeo severely weakened the Sui dynasty and further destabilized of the Sui dynasty government, hastening its collapse.[18][19][4]

In 7th century,Emperor Taizong of Tang,after conquering the Eastern Turks in 630 and several small polities along the Silk Road in 640, started to turn his attention to Goguryeo.[20]Goguryeo was no longer as powerful as it used to be, but it was still a major force in the region. Emperor Taizong had a personal ambition to defeat Goguryeo and was determined to succeed whereEmperor Yanghad failed.[21]

Meanwhile, in Goguryeo,King Yeongnyualong with a number of courtiers planned to executeYeon Gaesomun,one of the great nobles of Goguryeo, because Yeongnyu considered him a threat.[5]However, the plot was foiled and Yeon Gaesomun killed the king along with opposing officials, then made Yeongnyu's nephew Bojang the new King of Goguryeo. From that point, Yeon Gaesomun held de facto control of Goguryeo through his puppetKing Bojang.[22]

In 642, KingUija of Baekjeattacked Silla and captured around 40 strongpoints.[23][24]In 643,Queen Seondeok of Sillarequested aid from theTang dynastybecause her state was under attack by the Goguryeo–Baekje alliance. Emperor Taizong sent an official called Xiangli Xuanjiang ( tương lí huyền tưởng ) to demand Goguryeo and Baekje cease their attacks on Silla, but Yeon Gaesomun refused.[‡ 1]

Course

[edit]
See also:Siege of Ansi
Wars between Tang dynasty and kingdoms of Korean Peninsula, including Goguryeo, Silla and Baekje.

Emperor TaizongusedYeon Gaesomun's murder of the Goguryeo king as a pretext, and began preparations for an invasion in 644. On land, an army of 60,000 Tang soldiers and an unspecified number of tribal forces gathered atYouzhou(modernBeijingand surroundings) under the command of GeneralLi Shijiin April 645. Emperor Taizong personally commanded 10,000 armored cavalry, and would join and reinforce Li Shiji's army during the expedition. At sea, a great fleet of 500 ships transported an additional 40,000 conscripted soldiers and 3,000 military gentlemen (volunteers from the elite ofChang'anandLuoyang) from the Liaodong Peninsula to the Korean Peninsula.[25]

On 1 May, General Li Shiji's troops entered Goguryeo territory, crossed theLiao Riverfarther north and surprised their opponents. On 16 May, they laid siege to Gaimou (Kaemo) Fortress[note 1]and captured it in only 11 days, seizing 20,000 people and 100,000shi(6 million liters) of grain. General Li Shiji then proceeded toward Liaodong (Yodong) Fortress[note 2]and crushed a Goguryeo relief army of 40,000 troops. He was joined by Emperor Taizong and his armored cavalry a few days later. They together laid siege to Liaodong Fortress, capturing it too with surprising ease on 16 June with incendiary projectiles and favorable winds, allowing Tang troops to breach the fortress walls.[26][27]

On 27 June, the Tang army arrived at Baiyan (Baekam) Fortress. On July 2, the Goguryeo commander surrendered the fortress to Tang. Emperor Taizong ordered that the city must not be looted and its citizens must not be enslaved.[26]

On 18 July, the Tang army arrived outsideAnsi Fortress.Emperor Taizong was alerted to a large relief army, consisting of Koreans and Malgal, and totaling 150,000 troops. He sent General Li Shiji with 15,000 troops to lure the Goguryeo forces, while another Tang force commanded by Zhangsun Wuji and other generals would secretly flank the enemy troops from behind. On 20 July, the two sidesdescended into battleand the Tang army came out victorious. Most of the Goguryeo troops dispersed after their defeat. The remaining Goguryeo troops fled to a nearby hill, but surrendered the very next day after a Tang encirclement. The Tang forces took 36,800 troops captive. Of these prisoners, the Tang forces sent 3500 officers and chieftains to China, executed 3300 Mohe troops, and eventually released the rest of the ordinary Goguryeo soldiers.[26][28]

Despite the victory, the Tang army could not breach the Ansi Fortress, which was defended by the forces ofYang Manchun.[27][29][30]Tang troops attacked the fortress as many as six or seven times per day, but the defenders repulsed them each time.[6]As days and weeks passed, Emperor Taizong several times considered abandoning the siege of Ansi to advance deeper into Goguryeo, but Ansi was deemed to pose too great of a threat to abandon during the expedition. Eventually, Tang staked everything on the construction of a huge mound, but it was captured and successfully held by the defenders despite three days of frantic assaults by Tang troops.[29]

Goguryeo forces managed to hold the fort for months. In addition, because the battle was fought in theLiaodong province,winterapproached as early as October. Exacerbated by worsened conditions for the Tang army due to the weather getting considerably colder with winter approaching and diminishing provisions, Emperor Taizong was compelled to order a withdrawal from Goguryeo on 13 October,[31]but left behind an extravagant gift for the commander of Ansi Fortress.[27]Tang Taizong's retreat was difficult and many of his soldiers died as they were hit by asnowstorm.[31]Taizong himself tended to the injuries of the Turkic generalsQibi HeliandAshina Simo,who were both wounded during the campaign against Goguryeo.[32]

Aftermath

[edit]

In 645, Emperor Taizong founded theMinzhong Temple,the oldest temple in Beijing, to commemorate his soldiers who died in Goguryeo.[33][34][35][page needed][36][page needed]

In 647, after normalizing relations, Emperor Taizong once again severed ties with Goguryeo and prepared 30,000 troops for an expedition. This time he ordered to launch small-scale attacks on Goguryeo in order to weaken the kingdom. Some Tang officials advised that, for such an expedition, one year's food reserves were needed and more warships had to be built. Since the Jiannan Circuit had not been involved in the war before, Tang officials suggested building ships in that area. The Emperor agreed and sent Qiang Wei to build them. However, it became apparent that the people of the Jiannan Circuit were not capable ship builders, so it was only responsible for supplying timber.[37]

In 649, Emperor Taizong died. Before his death, he ordered the campaign to be canceled. After Tang Gaozong ascended the throne, Tang launched a series of wars against Goguryeo and Baekje.[38]In 660, the coalition of Tang and Silla destroyed Baekje.[39]In 666, Yeon Gaesomun died and Goguryeo's power severely weakened due to succession crisis.[40]The Tang–Silla alliance mounted a fresh invasion of Goguryeo in 667, aided by the defectorYeon Namsaeng,and in 668, finally vanquished the divided kingdom, which had been plagued by violent dissension, numerous defections, and widespread demoralization following the death of Yeon Gaesomun.[41][42][43]

Note

[edit]
  1. ^present-dayFushun,Liaoning
  2. ^present-dayLiaoyang,Liaoning

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Early

[edit]
  1. ^Old Book of Tang(199 thượng )

Modern

[edit]
  1. ^Turnbull 2012,p. 8.
  2. ^Tucker 2009,p. 406.
  3. ^Graff 2016,p. 134.
  4. ^abEbrey, Walthall & Palais 2013,p. 106.
  5. ^abGraff 2003,p. 196.
  6. ^abYi Ki-baek 1984,p. 48.
  7. ^Yi Ki-baek 1984,p. 7.
  8. ^Yi Ki-baek 1984,p. 38-40.
  9. ^Gardner 2007,p. 158-159.
  10. ^Kim Jinwung 2012,p. 35.
  11. ^Yi Hyŏn-hŭi, Park Sung-soo & Yun Nae-hyŏn 2005,p. 201.
  12. ^Yi Ki-baek 1984,p. 38.
  13. ^Yi Ki-baek 1984,p. 43.
  14. ^Miyata 2012,p. 57.
  15. ^Yi Ki-baek 1984,p. 44.
  16. ^Seth 2016,p. 41.
  17. ^Yi Ki-baek 1984,p. 47.
  18. ^abWhite 2011,p. 78-79.
  19. ^Bedeski 2007,p. 90.
  20. ^Kim Djun Kil 2014,p. 42.
  21. ^Kim Djun Kil 2014,p. 49-50.
  22. ^Kim Jinwung 2012,p. 50.
  23. ^Lee et al. 2014,p. 37.
  24. ^Wei 2008,p. 224.
  25. ^Graff 2003,p. 196-197.
  26. ^abcGraff 2003,p. 197.
  27. ^abcLee & Yi 1997,p. 16.
  28. ^Cho & Joe 1972,p. 16.
  29. ^abGraff 2003,p. 197-198.
  30. ^Seth 2016,p. 44.
  31. ^abGraff 2003,p. 198.
  32. ^Skaff 2012,p. 95.
  33. ^"Record of Restoring the Buddha Relic at Minzhong Temple".Museum of the Institute of History and Philology.Academia Sinica.The Minzhong Temple is known today as the Fayuan Temple in Beijing. The temple was built by Emperor Li Shimin to mourn and salvage the lost souls in his failed attempt to conquer Goguryeo.
  34. ^Haw, Stephen G. (22 November 2006).Beijing – A Concise History.Routledge. p. 171.ISBN9781134150335.Retrieved2 November2016.
  35. ^Perkins, Dorothy (19 November 2013).Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture.Routledge.ISBN9781135935696.Retrieved2 November2016.
  36. ^Jaivin, Linda (15 May 2014).Beijing.Reaktion Books.ISBN9781780233000.Retrieved2 November2016.
  37. ^Yi Hyŏn-hŭi, Park Sung-soo & Yun Nae-hyŏn 2005,p. 222–240.
  38. ^Kim Djun Kil 2014,p. 46.
  39. ^Seth 2016,p. 47.
  40. ^Kim Jinwung 2012,p. 51.
  41. ^Graff 2003,p. 200.
  42. ^Yi Ki-baek 1984,p. 67.
  43. ^Paine 2014,p. 280.

Bibliography

[edit]

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[edit]
  • Jiù TángshūCựu đường thư[Old Book of Tang] (in Traditional Chinese). Vol. Quyển 199 thượng.

Modern

[edit]
  • Bedeski, Robert (12 March 2007).Human Security and the Chinese State: Historical Transformations and the Modern Quest for Sovereignty.Routledge.ISBN978-1-134-12597-5.
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  • Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; Walthall, Anne; Palais, James B. (2013).East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History, Volume I: To 1800.Cengage Learning.ISBN978-1-111-80815-0.
  • Embree, Ainslie Thomas (1988).Encyclopedia of Asian history.Scribner.ISBN9780684188997.
  • Guo, Rongxing (29 August 2009).Intercultural Economic Analysis: Theory and Method.Springer Science & Business Media.ISBN978-1-4419-0849-0.
  • Graff, David A. (2016).The Eurasian Way of War: Military Practice in Seventh-Century China and Byzantium.Routledge.ISBN978-1-317-23708-2.
  • Graff, David (2 September 2003).Medieval Chinese Warfare 300-900.Routledge.ISBN978-1-134-55353-2.
  • Gardner, Hall (2007).Averting Global War: Regional Challenges, Overextension, and Options for American Strategy.Palgrave Macmillan.ISBN9780230608733.
  • Hall, John Whitney (1988).The Cambridge History of Japan.Cambridge University Press.ISBN9780521223522.
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  • Lee, Injae; Miller, Owen; Park, Jinhoon; Yi, Hyun-Hae (15 December 2014).Korean History in Maps.Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-1-107-09846-6.
  • Lee, Kenneth B.; Yi, Kong-bok (1997).Korea and East Asia: The Story of a Phoenix.Greenwood Publishing Group.ISBN978-0-275-95823-7.
  • Miyata, Nana (2012).Die Übernahme der chinesischen Kultur in Japans Altertums: kultureller Wandel im innen- und aussenpolitischen Kontext(in German). LIT Verlag Münster.ISBN978-3-643-11329-0.
  • Middleton, John (1 June 2015).World Monarchies and Dynasties.Routledge.ISBN978-1-317-45158-7.
  • Paine, Lincoln (2014).The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World.Atlantic Books.ISBN978-1-78239-357-3.
  • Seth, Michael J. (21 January 2016).A Concise History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present.Rowman & Littlefield.ISBN978-1-4422-3518-2.
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