"The Khitan Three Expeditions to Goryeo: I wanted to fight a blitzkrieg and break through Beijing, but unexpectedly it became a big retreat, losing my teachers and humiliating the country", this is a history full of drama. Relying on its strong national strength, the Liao State made three eastward expeditions to Goryeo, with the aim of forcing Goryeo to resubmit and return the lost territory. However, Goryeo fought bravely on the battlefield of the homeland and repeatedly thwarted the attacks of the Khitan army. In the end, both sides suffered heavy losses, and the Liao State failed to get what it wanted. Why was the Liao Congress so confident in the beginning? How did Goryeo rely on the power of a small country to repeatedly block the powerful Khitan army? What is the story of this history? Let's find out.
The ambition of the Liao State to conquer Goryeo three times
By 1018 AD, relations between the Khitan and Goryeo had reached an impasse. As early as 1009, King Hyeonjong, the king of Goryeo, used the excuse of the remnants of the eastward expedition to conquer the Khitan region of the six states of Jiangdong. In the following decade, the two sides were sometimes in a cold war, sometimes at war, and contradictions accumulated for a long time.
Goryeo boasted of its own dignity as the "Eastern Kingdom" and was dissatisfied with the vassal relationship of the Khitan Liao Dynasty. King Xianzong not only refused to return the lost land, but also fornicated with the Song Dynasty and directly renounced his vassal status. He constantly postponed the entry of the embassy into the Song Dynasty under the pretext of excuses, but frequently sent envoys to the Song Dynasty, and even imitated the Song system and adopted the Song Dynasty's era name "Tianxi". This behavior was a sign of blatant rebellion at the time.
For Liao, Goryeo's actions were undoubtedly challenging its centrality in East Asia. Liao Shengzong Yelu Longxu will never tolerate such provocations. As a generation of British lords, he was determined to completely eliminate the arrogance of Goryeo by force and make it submit to Liao again.
In October 1018, the Liao army had begun preparations for an expedition to Goryeo. The Holy Sect's edict ordered Xiao Pai to be the commander of the capital, and the front of the palace was to check Xiao Qulie as the deputy commander, and he was about to conquer Goryeo. At the same time, the edict sternly warned the Goryeo military and civilians that those who could voluntarily surrender would be rewarded heavily, otherwise they would reap the consequences.
The original intention of the Liao army was to fight a swift and powerful war, to give Goryeo a blow to the head, and force it to restore the relationship between the clan and the vassal. Therefore, an army of 100,000 elite cavalry was deployed, intending to attack the Goryeo Gyeong's division, deliver a heavy blow, and quickly crush Goryeo's determination.
For the powerful Khitan, winning this blitzkrieg was almost no suspense. With an absolute superiority in troops, Goryeo was not an opponent at all. Once the capital fell, Goryeo would quickly surrender and rejoin the Liao Dynasty. At that time, not only can the suzerain-vassal relationship be re-established, but the lost territory can also be successfully recovered, which will effectively consolidate the dominance of the Liao Dynasty in the East Asian continent.
It was a seemingly perfect plan, and the Liao army was full of confidence and expected the dawn of victory before leaving. Who would have thought that this expedition would turn into a huge military disaster and end regrettably. To find out what happens next, read on.
Preparations and actions for the three eastern crusades of the Liao State
The First Crusade began in December 1018. As the commander-in-chief of the expedition to Goryeo, Xiao Paiji led an elite army of 100,000 to attack the capital of Goryeo, Kaijing. The Liao army marched all the way along the way, and everywhere it went, it was devastated. The Goryeo army in Tongzhou encountered the Liao army in the local area on December 18 and was quickly defeated, and 173 people, including Yu Bofu of the Tongzhou Metropolitan Government, were killed.
At this time, the Goryeo side did not seem to be aware of the true intentions of the Liao army. Jiang Handan, Jiang Minzhan and other marshals thought that the Liao army was coming to capture the six states of Jiangdong, so they deployed ambush and other blocking tactics. But soon, they discovered that the Liao army was not bluffing, and the real goal was to take Kaijing directly.
On December 26, martial law was declared in Kaijing, and the whole city entered a state of readiness. On the third day of the first month of the following year, the main Liao army was approaching a hundred miles away from Kaijing. Seeing that the enemy army was ready to attack, Kang Handan quickly dispatched Kim Jong-hyun and other generals to lead reinforcements into the city. At the same time, King Hyeonjong ordered the implementation of the "fortified wall clearing" and evacuated all civilians from the outside of the city.
At this juncture, a major strategic divergence occurred in the Liao army. Dutong Xiao Paizhu originally wanted to launch a general attack on Kaijing directly and take the capital in one fell swoop. However, the governor Yelu Bugle disagreed, believing that once the Goryeo army held the city, it would form an encounter between the two armies, which was very dangerous. He advocated cutting off Goryeo's grain and grass lines first in order to force it to surrender.
In the end, Xiao Paijian adopted the starling's suggestion and decided to encircle and blockade Kaijing first. He secretly sent 300 cavalry to attack Kaegyo, but unfortunately was annihilated by the Goryeo ambush. This accident caught the Liao army off guard, and coupled with the lack of logistical supplies, the situation fell into a dilemma for a while.
On April 23, Xiao Paijian finally made the decision to withdraw the troops. The Liao army was constantly harassed by the Goryeo army on the marching route and suffered heavy losses. By the end of the first month, a large-scale encounter broke out between the two sides near Guizhou. Taking advantage of the Liao army's crossing of the river, the Goryeo army took advantage of the situation to launch a surprise attack. The Liao army has been defeated and retreated, and now its vitality has been greatly damaged.
The Second Eastern Crusade took place in October of the same year, when the Liao army reassembled and attacked the heart of Goryeo. King Hyeonjong also strengthened his national defense and set up strong positions in Quyang, Tongchuan and other places. The two sides encountered each other in the vicinity of Dingju and Gongju, but neither side was able to achieve a decisive victory. After that, the Liao army gradually fell into passivity, and the entire front began to collapse.
By the third year, the Liao army was completely exhausted, and only tens of thousands of elite troops remained. On the western Goryeo side, the Goryeo general Kim Ryun and others also held their ground and refused to give in. Eventually, the two sides entered a stalemate of confrontation, and the war was at a stalemate. There seems to be no room for turnaround, and any further delay will only leave the two countries increasingly on the verge of overdraft.
The enormous cost of the three conquests of Goryeo caused the Liao to focus on whether they should end this protracted war. Despite this, the Liao dynasty still did not completely abandon its ultimate goal of rebuilding the suzerain-vassal system. How will the two sides move towards reconciliation in the future? This is an open question.
Goryeo resisted stubbornly
In the face of the ironclad heroes of the Liao State, Goryeo would never surrender to his promises. As a country that thinks highly of itself, the Goryeo military and civilians share the same hatred and are determined to defend their territory to the death.
In these three wars, the Goryeo side adopted a series of powerful defensive strategies. The first is the practice of "clearing the field and fortifying the city", evacuating all the civilians in the cities along the line to the deep mountains and old forests, so as to ensure the complete separation of the military and the people, and concentrate all their efforts to resist the enemy. Secondly, the Goryeo generals were well aware of the local terrain and did not hesitate to use all means to stop the invading Liao army.
For example, during the First Eastern Crusade, Jiang Handan adopted the trick of breaking the river with cowhide. He first selected 12,000 cavalry to ambush in the valley, and then used a large rope to penetrate the cowhide to intercept the flow of the Mihashi River. When the Liao army crossed the border, it suddenly "broke into an ambush", and the sudden flood hit, causing the Liao army to collapse. Although Goryeo failed to completely stop the Liao army in this battle, it had greatly damaged its vitality.
Another typical example occurred in the Second Crusade. At that time, the Liao army tried to cross the Datong River to reach Kaijing, but was met with a head-on attack by the Goryeo army. Zhao Yuan Shilang personally led the warriors to block the Matan ferry and captured more than 10,000 levels of the Liao army. This battle caused the Liao army to be in great confusion and had to give up.
The stubborn resistance of the Goryeo army certainly came from the love of their homeland, but it was more out of the play of their local advantages. The terrain resistance and climatic environment gave the Liao army great trouble. Every time they crossed the river, they were ambushed by the Jedi of the Goryeo army. Even if you gain the upper hand for a while, you will get bogged down if you continue to go deeper.
As a result, the Liao army had to consume enormously in positional operations. On the other hand, Goryeo can make full use of the advantages of mountains and rivers to guerrilla chaos. For example, Jin Lun led the people to garrison Panguling and captured hundreds of Liao troops. It can be said that the military and civilians of Goryeo have turned their homeland into an impregnable fortress.
In addition to the geographical advantages, the focus on people and nature is also the key to Goryeo's repeated miraculous achievements. King Hyeonjong consulted with one heart and called for a general mobilization of the whole people to boost morale. Minister Zhao Xuan and others were even more generous, taking out their private savings to support military supplies. Even ordinary people are doing their best in their respective posts.
Goryeo's spirit really made the Liao army sigh. Especially Jiang Handan and Jin Lun, these brave and warlike famous generals, made the Liao army invincible. I saw that they were both wise and brave, and their command was like a god, and they always caused heavy losses to the Liao army.
It was with the unity of the whole nation that Goryeo was able to fight its way through many difficulties and dangers, and finally won the battle. It can be said that this is a glorious achievement forged by the blood of the people of Goryeo, which will shine through the ages.
The two sides lost a bloody battle
After more than three years of fierce fighting, both the Liao and Goryeo armies suffered heavy casualties, but in the end they were unable to fully defeat each other's determination. Undoubtedly, this is a senseless war that will hurt both sides.
During the First Eastern Crusade, the Liao army had already suffered heavy losses. First of all, in the Battle of Mihashigawa, his vitality was greatly damaged. Later, near Guizhou, it was even more mired in a quagmire from which it was difficult to extricate itself. In the end, the remnants of the tens of thousands of troops had to retreat north, but on the way to the march, they were attacked and harassed by the Goryeo army, and they almost sank into the sand.
As for the Goryeo side, although it won a lot of victories, the price paid was not small. The capital, Kaijing, had already run out of resources and displaced its people during the preparations for war. Tongzhou, Gongzhou and other places became the focus of the Liao army's ravage, and the houses were razed to the ground, and the civilian casualties were numerous.
During the Second and Third Crusades, the losses on both sides were equally staggering. In the battle of Gongzhou, although Zhao Yuan Shilang captured more than 10,000 Liao troops, he also paid an extremely painful price. After the Goryeo Formation, corpses were strewn all over the field, and blood permeated this familiar land.
The Liao army was even more miserable, becoming a captive of a strong enemy of Goryeo, and countless people were mutilated and tortured. Even Xiao Pai, the old planner of the campaign, was deeply penetrated by the lone army in the end, and almost all the army was wiped out, and he was embarrassed. In contrast, the triumph of the First Crusade can be described as a matter of fact.
All this was blamed on the Liao State's overly contemptuous judgment of Goryeo. At first, they thought that they would easily take Kaegyong and force Goryeo back into submission with just a fierce assault force. Who knew that Goryeo's resistance was so tenacious that this "steel torrent" was stuck halfway.
Neither side expected the war to drag on for that long. Although Goryeo was arrogant at first, he soon came to his senses. The Liao army's offensive was more fierce than expected, and if it continued to hold on, it would only lose both. Therefore, Goryeo had to adopt a low posture to sue for peace.
At the same time, the royal family of Liao was also exhausted. Three successive expeditions had depleted the country's precious reserves, and the military and civilians had questioned the significance of the war. Seeing that the situation was out of control, Liao Shengzong had to think twice.
As the saying goes, "the flames of war are raging, and the people are swept away". The war has caused great trauma on both sides and is undoubtedly a heavy historical lesson. However, will the two sides be able to truly reflect on the cruelty of war and move towards reconciliation? This is a problem that needs to be solved urgently.
The armistice and the restoration of suzerain-vassal relations
After three years of bloody fighting, the two sides finally realized that if they continued to fight, they would only lose both, so they decided to stop the fighting. In 1021, an armistice was reached between Liao and Goryeo, and the relationship between the clans and vassals was basically restored to the same as before.
The trigger for the armistice was that in February 1021, Goryeo sent an envoy to the Liao State of Korea to officially restore the vassal relationship. The envoy claimed to be a bribe to Liao Shengzong, and asked for guilt, and the Liao State also stopped. Prior to this, Goryeo had taken the initiative to bow his head and sent two envoys to Liao to sue for peace, with a sincere attitude.
As an important condition of the armistice, the two sides agreed to restore the old suzerain-vassal relationship. In other words, Goryeo regained its submission to the Liao state and recognized the suzerainty status of the Liao dynasty. Goryeo also had to pay regular tribute, accept the canonization of the Liao state, and return the lost land.
Specifically, Goryeo had to return the six states of Jiangdong captured by the Liao Dynasty in 1009, including Tongju, Muju, Haeju, Daegu, and others. In other words, Goryeo maintained only a limited territory in the area around Kaegyong. Moreover, King Hyeonjong was also forced to give up the "Tianxi" era name.
On the other hand, the Liao State, as the initiator of the war, paid a painful price far more than Goryeo. Not only did they lose a large number of soldiers in the three crusades, but they also spent a lot of money on military expenses. The huge Liao army was almost completely annihilated, and even Xiao Pai, a veteran of the war, was almost captured.
Most importantly, the war did not completely conquer Goryeo, but instead left the two sides in a long-term standoff. If it is delayed any longer, Liao will face a crisis of overdraft of financial and human resources. Therefore, at this juncture, the princes and ministers of the Liao Dynasty also took into account the long-term peace and stability of the country.
Of course, while restoring the suzerain-vassal relationship, the Liao dynasty also won some limited benefits. To a certain extent, Goryeo still submitted to the central authority of the Liao state and took the initiative to return the lost territory. In a sense, this can be regarded as a victory for the Liao State to maintain the integrity of its territory.
But judging from the whole picture of the war, the Liao State failed to completely conquer Goryeo in one fell swoop, and Goryeo was not completely disintegrated. So, this truce was more of a stopgap measure, and both sides were given a respite. Whether we can truly move toward reconciliation and cooperation in the future remains to be tested by time.
At this point, this protracted and bloody battle came to an end. Liao and Goryeo finally came out of the flames of war, but the trouble of their henchmen has not yet been solved. Will the two countries learn the bloody lesson this time and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past? How will the road ahead continue? Everything is still full of unknowns.