Battle of Haengju

Siege of Haengju Fortress
Part of Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)
Date February 12, 1593 Location Haengju Fortress Result Decisive Korean victory
Belligerents
Korean (Joseon) army	Japanese army under Toyotomi Hideyoshi
Commanders and leaders
Kwon Yul Jo Gyeong Seon Geoi Kim Cheon Il Heo Uk Cheo Yung	Ukita Hideie Kato Kiyomasa Konishi Yukinaga Kuroda Nagamasa Ishida Mitsunari Kikkawa Hiroie Kobayakawa Takakage Kobayakawa Hideaki
Strength
about 3,000	10,000 ~ 30,000
Casualties and losses
130 killed	1000+

Siege of Haengju
Hangul	행주대첩
Hanja	幸州大捷
Revised Romanization	Haengju Daecheop
McCune–Reischauer	Haengchu Taech'ŏp

The Siege of Haengju took place on February 12, 1593 during the 1592-1598 Japanese invasion of Korea. Approximately 3,000 Korean defenders led by general Kwon Yul successfully repelled more than 10,000 Japanese soldiers. Together with the Siege of Jinju in 1592 and the Battle of Hansan Island, it is considered the greatest Korean victory during the seven years of war.

During the second week of February 1593, a 30,000-strong Japanese army commanded by Ukita Hideie and Kato Kiyomasa was advancing toward the Haengju Fortress in order to occupy the Goyang country. The Japanese had been victorious in the previous Battle of Byeokjegwan, but their supplies were running out, due to Yi Sun-sin's role in preventing supply ships from landing on the western coasts of the Korean peninsula. Therefore, it was crucial for the Japanese forces to finish the siege quickly.

Meanwhile, Kwon Yul gathered about 2,300 men, including Jo Gyeong (조경), Seon Geoi (선거이), and Heo Uk (허욱)'s reinforcements, as well as Kim Cheon Il (김천일)'s militia and Cheo Yeong (처영)'s warrior monks, and left his base at Doksan, near Suwon. He later arrived at the Haengju, totaling 3,000 men. While called a mountain, it is more accurately termed a hill, being only 413 feet (124 metres) high above sea level. On arrival, Kwon Yul's army built field fortifications, consisting of 10-foot (3.0 m) high earthen walls reinforced by a wooden palisade. The construction took three days. Sufficient arms and supplies were stocked in the fortress, and around 40 hwachas (화차) were positioned on the fortress wall. Another important point is that the southwestern angle of the castle is positioned adjacent to the Han river, which allowed for riverine reinforcement of men, weapons, and equipment as needed. The possibility of riverine evacuation existed as well, which provided a sense of safety net for the defenders.

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Wikipedia