In Ji'an, Jilin, there are towering "Oriental Pyramids" that have withstood thousands of years of wind and frost. These are the royal tombs of Goguryeo. The Goguryeo Kingdom emerged in the late Western Han Dynasty and went through the Three Kingdoms, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, and reached the Mudanjiang River in the north and the Han River Basin in South Korea.

, a big country with “two thousand miles from east to west and more than one thousand miles from north to south”.

It was this big country that allowed the two powerful Central Plains dynasties of the Sui and Tang Dynasties to conquer it with all their might on many occasions.

In the 18th year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign (AD 598), Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty appointed Han Wang Yang Liang and Shangzhu Wang Shiji as marching marshals, with 300,000 people on both land and water routes to march eastward to Goryeo. In response to strong storms and heavy rains on the road, both armies suffered heavy casualties along the way.

He had no choice but to withdraw his troops.

In the seventh year of Daye (AD 611), Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty recruited soldiers from all over the world and gathered 1.13 million soldiers, with a total of 12 armies on the left and right, known as 2 million. "The peak of sending troops in recent times has never been seen before." In March of the following year, he passed through

Liaohe, attacked Goguryeo. Goguryeo general Eulji Mundeok adopted the tactic of luring the enemy deep and defeated the Yuwenshu tribe of the Sui army on the left. The army on the right came to protect the children and once attacked Pyongyang City, but was ambushed and defeated, and was forced to retreat.

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In the ninth year of Daye (AD 613), Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty once again conquered Goguryeo. The army stormed Liaodong City for 20 days. Just when it was about to be conquered, Yang Xuangan, the Minister of Rites, launched a mutiny in the rear, and Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty had to withdraw his troops and return.

In the tenth year of the Great Cause (AD 614), Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty conquered Goguryeo three times, and the Sui army was victorious. Goguryeo was unable to fight anymore, so he sent envoys to negotiate a peace. At this time, the domestic situation in the Sui Dynasty had deteriorated, and the peasant uprising was in full swing, so the Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty had no choice but to accept the peace negotiation.

Withdrawing its troops and Goguryeo returning the rebel general Hu Sizheng to the Sui Dynasty, Yang Guang'er saved some face.

After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains experienced wars for a long time, people's livelihood was in decline, and the Turks in the northwest were eyeing. In order to ease the situation, the Tang court once repaired with Goguryeo. However, the good times did not last long. After the rule of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty became stronger and stronger. The war broke out on the northeastern border again. Zhenguan

In the 18th year (AD 643), Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty attacked Goguryeo on the grounds that Goguryeo invaded Silla. The following year, Li Shimin personally went to the northeast to command operations. The Tang army won a great victory all the way, but it was late autumn, the grass was dry, the water was frozen, and there was not enough food and grass.

, there was another fortified city ahead, which was difficult to conquer, so we had to withdraw our troops.

In the first year of Longshuo, Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty (AD 661), the Tang Dynasty sent 35 troops to conquer Goguryeo. The Tang army defeated the Goguryeo army and besieged Pyongyang City, but was forced to retreat due to cold weather and heavy snow.

In 666, there was civil strife in Goguryeo, and Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty took the opportunity to launch a general attack on Goguryeo. The Tang army split up and attacked, and good news came from all directions. In 668, the Tang army joined forces on the Yalu River and marched into Pyongyang City. On September 20, 668, the Tang army conquered Pyongyang after more than half a battle.

After centuries of war, the war between the Central Plains Dynasty and Goguryeo finally came to an end.

What was the reason for Goguryeo, a cold land in the north, that made the two great empires of the Sui and Tang Dynasties worthy of continuous conquests without risking their lives?

Clausewitz has a famous saying, war is the continuation of politics. The continuous conquest of Goguryeo, such a long-term large-scale war, is not a great achievement of the ruler personally, nor is it the apparent fault of the Goguryeo envoys.

It is not a ritual, but it has profound political reasons.

First of all, Northeast Asia has important geopolitical significance.

As later generations said, "The security of the world depends on nine sides, and the head of the nine sides is Liaodong." China's terrain is high in the west and low in the east, like a dustpan. The North China Plain is the mouth of the dustpan, facing the Bohai Sea, and across the sea is the Liaodong Peninsula. Overland

The Upper Korean Peninsula extends into Liaodong, and through the Western Liaoning Corridor, it leads directly to the fertile wilderness of the Central Plains. Later, the rise of the Liao and Jin Dynasties, the rise of the Manchu and Qing Dynasties, and even Japan's invasion of China all started from the Northeast and the Korean Peninsula.

Goguryeo was different from nomadic peoples such as the Huns, Turks, and Mongols. It was an agricultural country. It established rules and regulations in the eastern Xinjiang area and worked steadily to become bigger and stronger. In the key points of the Northeast, it sought local hegemony, conquered Baekje and Silla in the south, and expanded its territory.

, if not suppressed, given time, it is very likely to compete with the Tang Dynasty and Sui Dynasty in the Central Plains. Goguryeo also secretly communicated with the Turks in the northwest. If the two colluded and united, like the later Mongolian-Manchu alliance, they would double-team the Central Plains.

If the situation is strong, the country will be in danger. Such a Goguryeo, to the Central Plains, is simply a sword of Damocles hanging above the head. Is it possible not to fight?

Secondly, the existence of Goguryeo destroyed the vassal system of the unified dynasty.

The so-called emperor guarded the four barbarians. The vassal tribute system in feudal East Asia was a great order to maintain the stability of the world. After the unification of the Sui Dynasty, Goguryeo ostensibly recognized it as a vassal state of the Sui Dynasty, but it turned a deaf ear to the emperor's edict and showed no courtesy.

This is provoking the authority of the emperor and undermining the prestige of the empire. It is an act that undermines the order of the world. Goguryeo attacked Silla, a vassal of the Tang Dynasty. It is the natural obligation of the suzerain to protect the vassal. If the younger brother is beaten and the elder brother does not stand up, what will the elder brother do in the future?

With people?

In addition, the place where Goguryeo arose was originally the territory of the Han Dynasty. The original northeastern Liaodong, Lelang, Xuantu, Zhenfan, Lintun and other places were all counties of the empire. The Sui and Tang dynasties were both dynasties established after the disputes between the world's separatists and unified

The world was the pursuit of the rulers of the Sui and Tang Dynasties. They aimed to restore the old land of the Han Dynasty and could not tolerate Liaodong and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula being outside the central government. Wen Yanbo, the central minister of the Tang Dynasty, once said, "In the land of Liaodong, Zhou is the Jizi

The country of the Han Dynasty is located in the Xuanyuan County of the Han Dynasty. Before the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it was not allowed to disobey the ministers within the bounds of the title." Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty also said: "Liaodong is the land of China, and the Sui family has sent out troops four times and cannot capture it. I am marching this winter.

The rulers of the Sui and Tang Dynasties regarded the conquest of Goguryeo as an act of restoration and a part of the unification war.

In summary, out of the interests of the country and dynasty, the war against Goguryeo had to be carried out, but the war should also be carried out with overall consideration and a comprehensive calculation of its impact on the national economy and the people's endurance. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty poured out all the troops in the world.

The three Eastern Expeditions consumed a lot of manpower and material resources, and the young men and women were lost on the battlefield, and the countryside was deserted. At that time, there were several "Wandering Death Songs of Wuxiang Liaodong" circulated, which were an indictment of the rulers' disregard for the people's strength in the Eastern Expeditions.

"Don't go to Liaodong. The road is long. Old relatives look at each other in their houses, and young women guard their empty houses. There are fields that cannot be cultivated. If something happens, who will help you? Once you leave, you don't know when you will return. In the sun, the dragon piles up to recall your hometown.

Don't go to Liaodong, because the journey has always been difficult. There are no boats to cross the long river, and the high mountains are connected to the clouds. The clear frost is bitter and the clothes are thin, and the heavy snow is ready to dig out the bones. The cold mountains are endless at sunset, and the rain is covered with ice and rain destroys the heart and liver.

Don't go to Liaodong. The barbarian soldiers are like tigers and jackals. The long sword smashes my body, and the sharp arrow pierces my cheek. My life only lasts for a moment, who will be sad for Ji Xia? A successful general will receive a reward, why am I the only dead Haolai!"

"The whole world died in service and the family lost their wealth." The people finally couldn't bear it. "Suddenly they heard that the officers and soldiers were arriving, they raised their swords and moved forward. For example, if Liaodong died, beheading would not hurt." The Sui Dynasty finally rose up in the smoke of peasant uprising.

China falls apart.

The rulers of the Tang Dynasty learned from the lessons of the Sui Dynasty. After Li Shimin withdrew from the Eastern Expedition, the Tang Dynasty changed its strategy towards Goguryeo. It believed that Goguryeo was still very powerful, and it would be difficult to uproot it by encircling and suppressing it with a large army. On the contrary, it would also consume the country.
Chapter completed!