Battle of Baekgang

Battle of Baekgang
Date 27 - 28 August 663 CE Location Lower reaches of the Geum River, Korea Result Decisive Tang and Silla victory.
Belligerents
Tang China and Silla	Yamato Japan and Baekje
Commanders and leaders
Liu Rengui King Munmu Buyeo Yung Liu Renyuan Sun Renshi Du Xiang	Abe no Hirafu Buyeo Pung
Strength
13,000 Tang troops 170 Tang ships Unknown number of Silla support cavalry	42,000 Yamato troops 800 Yamato ships Unknown number of Baekje restoration troops
Casualties and losses
Unknown, but much lighter than opposing forces	400 ships; 10,000 troops; 1,000 horses

Battle of Baekgang
Hangul	백강 전투
Hanja	白江戰鬪
Revised Romanization	Baekgang jeontu
McCune–Reischauer	Paekkang chŏnt'u

The Battle of Baekgang, also known as Battle of Baekgang-gu or by the Japanese name Battle of Hakusukinoe (白村江の戦い Hakusuki-no-e no Tatakai or Hakusonkō no Tatakai), was a battle between Baekje restoration forces and their ally, Yamato Japan, against the allied forces of Silla and the Tang Dynasty of ancient China. The battle took place in the lower reaches of the Geum River in Jeollabuk-do province, Korea. The Silla-Tang forces won a decisive victory, compelling Yamato Japan to withdraw completely from Korean affairs and crushing the Baekje restoration movement.

In 660 CE, the Korean Peninsula was divided into three kingdoms: Baekje; Silla; and Goguryeo. These three kingdoms had constantly fought with each other for control over the peninsula for several centuries up to that point. Furthermore, Goguryeo had been engaged in constant wars with the Chinese Sui and Tang dynasties, in addition to the aforementioned two Korean kingdoms. While the three Korean kingdoms were not always perpetual enemies, their alliances frequently shifted; a kingdom would become allies with one of the other two, only to later turn against that kingdom and (sometimes) become allies with the other kingdom against whom it had fought earlier. For example, Silla and Baekje would be allied against Goguryeo (as they were from the late 420s to the early 550s), and later Silla (or Baekje) would betray the other (as happened in 553, when Silla wrested control of the entire Han River basin from Baekje).

Silla had an ongoing alliance with the Tang Dynasty dating roughly to the Tang rise to power in the 620s. The Tang made a series of assaults against Goguryeo, but were never able to conquer it. All the Tang invasions had been from the north attacking the south. Tang decided that the best strategy might be to attack Goguryeo from both the northern front and a southern front simultaneously with their ally Silla. However, in order to do so, they (Tang and Silla) had to eliminate Goguryeo's nominal ally Baekje and secure a base of operations in southern Korea for a second front.

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