Goguryeo : A showdown with the Wei Dynasty

Goguryeo2(Beginner, History of Korea 6/25)

In BC37, Jumong founded Goguryeo in Wunui castle. His son, King Yuri, moved the capital to a Gungnae Fortress and she developed based on there for 400 years. The sixth king, King Taejo, began his conquests in earnest, and he annexed Okjeo, a neighboring country, and attacked Dongye(Eastern ye). Goguryeo was a federation of five tribes, with royalty and queens tribe. When a king died or abdicated, the most virtuous member of the royal family became the next king. And the queen was chosen from among the queens tribe. However, during the reign of the ninth king Gogukcheon, the king's sovereignty was greatly strengthened, resulting in the inheritance of the throne from father to son. This allowed Goguryeo to become a more centralized country and allow the king to wage war without being wary of the aristocracy. In the 11th king, King Dongcheon, China was three Kingdoms period. Shu Han, Wu, Wei countries balanced each other.. King Dongcheon formed an alliance with the Wei Dynasty. In Liaotung Peninsula between the Wei Dynasty and Goguryeo, there was a Gongsun Yuan, who allied with the Wu Dynasty and threatened the Wei Dynasty. Wei asked Goguryeo to attack Gongsun Yuan together, and Goguryeo agreed. As a result of the collaboration between Goguryeo and Wei, Gongsun Yuan was destroyed and the Gongsun Yuan forces were absorbed by the Wei. After the collapse of the Gongsun Yuan, their border became close and the two began to engage in a war of nerves. Finally, in 242, King Dongcheon attacked the Wei Dynasty first. In 244, Wei sent a general Guanqiu Jian to attack Goguryeo. Goguryeo suffered heavy damage and its capital fell. However, King Dongcheon defeated the enemy and quickly regained the capital. In 259, Wei Dynasty invaded Goguryeo again, but the war with the Wei Dynasty ended when King Jungcheon, the 12th king of Goguryeo, slaughtered 8,000 soldiers from the Wei Dynasty with 5,000 cavalry.

Zhuge Liang, famous in the Three Kingdoms, left the following words about Goguryeo.

"The Goguryeo people are bellicose, Goguryeo's terrain is rugged, and Goguryeo people have high unity, making it difficult to subjugate them by using force. Therefore, in order to destroy Goguryeo, internal conflicts must be intensified through maneuvering. then making them surrend through diplomatic or military operations."