(1) Koguryo's Great Victory at Salsu
and Ansi-song |
When Shilla occupied the Han
River basin in the latter 6th century, Koguryo and
Paekche made a pact to attack Shilla. To ward them off,
isolated Shilla approached China for help. At this
time, long-split China was unified by Sui. Koguryo was
frequently attacked by Sui but managed to expel them
with the resistance of its united army and the entire
population. In particular, when a large army of more
than a million under the personal command of Emperor
Yangdi of Sui invaded Koguryo, General Uljimundok
feigned defeat in order to lure the 300,000 special
soldiers of Sui and all but annihilated them at the
Battle of Salsu (Ch'ongch'on River). This was the great
victory of Salsu in 612, and it has come to be known as
the most glorious military triumph in Korea's national
history. Following Sui, the Tang Dynasty, which then
ruled over China and had maintained at one time friendly
relations with Koguryo, prepared to invade Koguryo when
Emperor Taizong of Tang came to the throne. In
Koguryo, Yongaesomun was in power and fiercely
confronted Tang's attack. Taizong led a large army to
lay siege on Ansi-song while the defending soldiers and
citizens resisted the concentrated attack for 60 days.
They fought valiantly and drove back Taizong's soldiers
in 645. It was a glorious triumph over a national crisis
by the unified effort of the Koguryo people.
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(2) Destruction of Paekche
and Koguryo |
Shilla, isolated on the
Korean peninsula, formed an alliance with the Tang
Dynasty against Koguryo and Paekche. Shilla drew help
from the Tang army and attacked Paekche first. The death
bands of Kyebaek fought against the Shilla army under
the command of Kim Yu-sin with much courage, but they
were defeated by the overwhelming numbers of Shilla
troops. Finally Sabi-song fell to the allied troops of
Shilla and Tang, and Paekche fell in 660. In Koguryo,
after the death of Yongaesomun, internal dissension rose
among the leading generals. Taking advantage of this
opportunity, Shilla and Tang attacked Koguryo. After
resisting the attack for a year, P'yong'yang fell and
the Kingdom was destroyed in 668. |
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(3) War between Shilla and
Tang and Unification of the Three Kingdoms by
Shilla |
After the downfall of
Paekche and Koguryo, Tang ruled over their former
domains and even tried to incorporate Shilla into the
sphere of its rule. Confronted with Tang's threat,
Shilla combined the strength of the defeated people of
Paekche and Koguryo and waged a fight against Tang for
10 years. Shilla smashed the Tang army in the battle
of Maech'o-song and destroyed the Tang navy at the mouth
of the Kum River. Shilla finally drove out the Tang
armed forces and succeeded in unifying the Three
Kingdoms in 676. Shilla's unification of the Three
Kingdoms was not a complete one, limited only to the
south of the Taedong River and the Bay of Wonsan. But it
did form the basis for an independent national
government and a national culture throughout the Korean
peninsula. | |