An explanation of the governance of Goguryeo

The first expansion was the southern campaign against Baekje, reaching the Han River basin.

Goguryeo was a significant frontier ethnic group that emerged in the northeastern region from the Western Han to the Sui and Tang dynasties. During the Zhou and Qin dynasties, the ancestors of Goguryeo lived continuously in the northeastern area. In 37 BC, a man named Jumong from the Buyeo tribe established a regime within the jurisdiction of Goguryeo County in Xuantu Commandery. At its peak, Goguryeo's influence extended to the southeastern part of Jilin, east of the Liao River, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. In 668 AD, Goguryeo was destroyed by the Tang dynasty in alliance with Silla from the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula, marking a historical duration of 705 years.

We face history squarely

4. Goguryeo did not "cut itself off" from China. Goguryeo has always positioned itself as a local regime on the periphery of the central dynasty, actively establishing a vassal relationship with the central dynasty. It is precisely because of this understanding that after the Tang Dynasty unified Goguryeo, a large number of Goguryeo people not only did not harbor resentment towards the Tang Dynasty for the "loss of their country," but instead made significant contributions to the maintenance of the Tang Dynasty's unification efforts

The fundamental reason for the fall of the Sui Dynasty was not merely the tyranny of Emperor Yang of Sui or the peasant uprisings, but rather the misguided military campaigns against Goguryeo. After Li Shimin's unsuccessful expedition against Goguryeo, his son, Emperor Gaozong of Tang, also regarded the annihilation of Goguryeo as a significant mission. Furthermore, in the early period of the Sui Dynasty, Emperor Wen of Sui had also launched military actions against Goguryeo, leading to a historical pattern of two dynasties and four generations engaging in large-scale military campaigns against Goguryeo. Why was it deemed necessary to conquer Goguryeo?

This point can be illustrated by the tribute system from ancient vassal states as seen on https://mhetushu.com. It can be said that they received rewards that were at least equal to, if not greater than, the items they contributed as tribute, making it more advantageous the more they contributed. From another perspective, my understanding is that these vassal states were merely mercenaries hired by ancient dynasties to maintain stability at the borders, but these soldiers were not particularly obedient.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, why did they continuously launch wars against Goguryeo

In the early years of King Pyeongwon's reign, Goguryeo maintained a tense yet peaceful relationship with Sui. Following the Northern Dynasties, he was conferred the title of "King of Goryeo" by Emperor Wen of Sui. At this time, the alliance between Baekje and Silla had long since collapsed, resulting in relative tranquility in southern Goguryeo. In 586, King Pyeongwon moved the capital from Pyongyang to Chang'an (present-day Pyongyang, North Korea), a status that remained until the fall of Goguryeo, lasting for 83 years. In 586, King Pyeongwon moved the capital from Pyongyang to Chang'an (present-day Pyongyang, North Korea), a status that remained until the fall of Goguryeo, lasting for 83 years

Let us discuss the wars between Goguryeo and the central government

2. From the establishment of the Goguryeo regime, most domestic and foreign scholars agree that the capital was established in 37 B.C. at Gashenggu, which was then under the jurisdiction of the Han Xuanlu Commandery. The Goguryeo regime successively submitted to the Han Xuanlu Commandery and the Liaodong Commandery, continuously sending tribute and acknowledging its vassal status.

In that era, they had their own independent language, script, culture, customs, and so on

1. From the perspective of the origins of the Goguryeo people, scholars in our country generally propose several theories, including the Huimo theory, the Fuyu theory, the Shangren theory, and the Yan Emperor theory. However, regardless of the theory, it is widely acknowledged that the activities of the ancestors of the Goguryeo people were already within the northeastern region of our country during the Zhou and Qin dynasties. After the reign of King Wu of Zhou and the subsequent Wang Keshang, the influence of the Zhou people had already surpassed the boundaries of today's northeastern region.

Particular emphasis, master-slave relationship

In the year 589 AD, after the Sui Dynasty split the Turkic tribes and destroyed the Southern Chen, unifying the Central Plains, neighboring countries began to pay tribute to the Sui Dynasty. Only Goguryeo acted in a duplicitous manner. The relationship with the Sui Dynasty gradually entered a state of war. In 590, King Pyeongyang of Goguryeo "stockpiled troops and grain, preparing for defense," always ready to confront the Sui army. Goguryeo had repeatedly launched small-scale attacks on the northern borders of Sui. The Sui Emperor Wen was very displeased and wrote to King Pyeongyang Gao Tang, "How does the vast Liao River compare to the Yangtze? How many people of Goguryeo are there compared to the Chen state? If I do not nurture and support, and hold the king accountable for past mistakes, what need is there for a general?" After receiving the imperial edict, King Pyeongyang soon died of fright. In 596, after the ascension of King Yingyang of Goguryeo, Sui envoys encountered Goguryeo's special envoys in Turkic territory. Emperor Wen of Sui sent a letter to Goguryeo demanding the termination of its military alliance with the Turkic tribes, the cessation of the continuous invasions of the Sui borders, and an expression of submission to the Sui Dynasty. Although King Yingyang of Goguryeo superficially accepted Emperor Wen's ultimatum, the following year, in 597, King Pyeongyang unexpectedly allied with the Mohe to launch a preemptive attack on the military garrison in Liaoxi, which was repelled by Wei Chong, the governor of Yingzhou, shocking the Sui court and the public.

From the perspective of the migration of the Goguryeo people, at the time of Goguryeo's demise, the majority integrated into the Han ethnic group

Goguryeo is a nation, one that is dependent on the Central Plains dynasties yet possesses grand ambitions. It is a regime, not merely a prefecture or county of a Central Plains dynasty.

In fact, Goguryeo is different from the Turkic tribes, Tuyuhun, Gaochang, Yarkand, and Xueyantuo. Although it superficially paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty, it maintained a hostile attitude towards it. Moreover, Goguryeo during that time was not the small nation that outsiders and later generations perceived it to be. In the 6th and 7th centuries, Goguryeo had evolved from a regional small state into a powerful centralized state, possessing the potential to compete with the Tang Dynasty for hegemony in East Asia. During the late Northern and Southern Dynasties, throughout the Sui Dynasty, and in the early Tang Dynasty, Goguryeo not only expanded its territory but also incited neighboring countries of Sui and Tang to instigate conflicts against them. Goguryeo had long harbored ambitions to dominate all of East Asia. The saying "one mountain cannot accommodate two tigers" indicates that war between the Tang Dynasty and Goguryeo was inevitable. Taking advantage of the fact that Goguryeo had not yet fully developed its strength, the Tang Dynasty launched a large-scale campaign against it, demonstrating a sense of preparedness.

Compared to other countries, Goguryeo posed the greatest threat to the Tang Dynasty. As a wise monarch, Li Shimin was well aware of this. To maintain his authority, Li Shimin did not hesitate to lead his troops personally. Although he did not achieve significant victories or shake the foundations of Goguryeo, he did manage to delay the rapid rise of the Goguryeo dynasty to a certain extent, while also accelerating its decline. During the campaign, Li Shimin did not resort to bloody massacres or extermination policies; instead, he employed a strategy that balanced both grace and power, consolidating his existing influence and laying the groundwork for a complete defeat of Goguryeo in the future. Although he did not achieve significant victories or shake the foundations of Goguryeo, he did manage to delay the rapid rise of the Goguryeo dynasty to a certain extent, while also accelerating its decline. During the campaign, Li Shimin did not resort to bloody massacres or extermination policies; instead, he employed a strategy that balanced both grace and power, consolidating his existing influence and laying the groundwork for a complete defeat of Goguryeo in the future.

The third expansion was an exceptionally significant enlargement in the history of Goguryeo, specifically the northern campaign against Fuyu. It not only occupied vast territories but also altered the master-servant relationship between Goguryeo and Fuyu

After Emperor Wen of Sui, Yang Jian, established the Sui Dynasty, he launched military campaigns against the Turks in the north and eliminated the Chen Dynasty in the south, unifying the Huaxia region and ending the long-standing division in China since the Western Jin Dynasty. Emperor Wen implemented policies that encouraged agriculture and sericulture, reduced corvée labor and taxes, which promoted social stability, significantly increased the enthusiasm of farmers for production, and led to rapid economic development. The state treasury became well-stocked, and national strength greatly increased, prompting neighboring countries to pay tribute to the Sui Dynasty. However, Goguryeo was the only state that feigned compliance while actually resisting. Consequently, Emperor Wen turned his attention to Goguryeo, which had never submitted to the Central Plains. During the Sui's campaign against Chen, the king of Goguryeo, fearing impending disaster, actively prepared weapons and stockpiled grain, which greatly displeased Emperor Wen.

To discuss the history of expansion of Goguryeo, if we only refer to it as a narrowly defined local regime, how could there be a history of expansion

From another perspective, the relationship between a suzerain state and its vassal states is not that of a central authority and its various provincial governments; in fact, it is akin to the relationship between nations, merely distinguishing between large and small states, or higher and lower states. It does not even reach the level of the Western Zhou period, where the Zhou dynasty interacted with the feudal states.

In fact, when Goguryeo fell in the late 7th century, it had already existed for over 700 years, approaching 800 years, while the central plains' regimes had undergone multiple dynastic changes, even experiencing the period of the Five Barbarians disrupting the Han, during which the status of the Han people declined

3. From the Han to the Tang dynasty, various dynasties in our country, including those during the periods of division, regarded Goguryeo as a frontier ethnic regime. For instance, Emperor Taizong of Tang viewed the Goguryeo region as part of China's traditional territory, and achieving the unification of Goguryeo was the final mission in completing the 'Great Settlement of the Nine Oceans.' This was also one of the important reasons why the Sui and Tang dynasties spared no effort in unifying Goguryeo.

Goguryeo was a minority ethnic regime in the history of Northeast China

The second expansion, after more than a dozen generations of effort by the Goguryeo people, can be said to have realized their dream of occupying Liaodong in the north

In the year 641 AD, Li Shimin sent envoys to Goguryeo and discovered that Goguryeo had sheltered many soldiers from the Sui Dynasty. At this time, Li Shimin had already developed the idea of conquering Goguryeo. Later, a coup occurred within Goguryeo, and a minister suggested attacking Goguryeo. However, Li Shimin, considering the potential harm to the people and the financial burden, did not agree. Nevertheless, after the situation in Goguryeo stabilized, it allied with Baekje to attack Silla, which had always been subservient to the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin dispatched Xuanzang to mediate, but was met with refusal from Goguryeo. During discussions with his ministers, Li Shimin believed: "Goguryeo's attack on Silla, on the surface, is a sign of disrespect towards me; in reality, Goguryeo aims to control the entire Korean Peninsula and the Liaodong Peninsula. If successful, it will certainly challenge us, making the situation even harder to control. Within my realm, I will not allow such a force to emerge." Thus, disregarding the opposition from Chu Suiliang and others, Li Shimin personally led an expedition against Goguryeo in 645 AD. Although this campaign did not achieve complete success, it inflicted significant damage on Goguryeo's national strength. Later, Li Shimin adopted the suggestions of his subordinates and continuously conducted harassment operations against Goguryeo, preventing it from quickly restoring its national strength. This laid the foundation for the later destruction of Goguryeo by Emperor Gaozong of Tang.