Eulji Mundeok
| Eulji Mundeok |
|
 |
|
| Hangul | |
|---|---|
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Eulji Mundeok |
| McCune–Reischauer | Ŭlchi Mundŏk |
Eulji Mundeok (?-?) was a military leader of early 7th century Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, who successfully defended Goguryeo against Sui China. He is often numbered among the greatest heroes in the military history of Korea.
Eulji Mundeok was born in the mid-6th century and died sometime after 618, although the exact date is unknown. Haedong Myeongjangjeon, known as the "Biographies of Famed Korean Generals", written in the 18th century, states that he was from Seokda Mountain (hanja: ) near Pyongyang. At the time of his birth, Goguryeo was a powerful and belligerent state, constantly warring with its neighbors: Chinese states to the north and west, and fellow Korean states to the south.
In 589, the Sui dynasty reunified China for the first time since the fall of the Han dynasty three centuries before. Thereupon, it launched several large military campaigns against Goguryeo which was unwilling to submit to its dominance.
Eulji Mundeok was a cultured man, skilled in both the martial and literary arts. He eventually rose to become the supreme commander of Goguryeo. The name Eulji may actually be a Goguryeo title.
After the founding of Sui in 589, a precarious peace was maintained for several years between the new Chinese dynasty and Goguryeo. However, in 597, Yeongyang launched an attack on the Sui at the Battle of Linyuguan. In response, Sui invaded Goguryeo, but the invasion was defeated due to constant ambushes and unfavorable weather.
In the early 7th century, Emperor Yang learned of a secret correspondence between Goguryeo and the Eastern Turkic Khaganate. Emperor Yang demanded Yeongyang come and submit personally to him or face an "imperial tour of his territories". When Yeongyang failed to do so, Emperor Yang prepared for war. He mustered an army of over 1,133,000 troops and more than 2 million auxiliaries and personally led them against Goguryeo in 612. The Sui army quickly overran Goguryeo's border defenses, then camped on the banks of the Liao River and prepared to bridge it.
...
Wikipedia