麗ㆍ隋 力學關係와 戰爭의 樣相

Abstract

Sui Wendi(隋文帝) had sent a message to the king of Koguryo(高句麗) which criticized them for not paying true respect to the emperor and at the same time he threatened them if this disrespect continues they will be punished by force. But to say that not paying true respect as a vassal was only a excuse for invasion and in fact, tension was growing earlier between the two states for control over surrounding tribes such as the Mohes(Malgals: 靺鞨) and Khitans(契丹). So already the mood of conflict was heightened and war was inevitable. The war between the two states seems to be started by a preemptive strike from the Koguryo but actually the massive assault from the Sui Empire that followed was prepared long before. It seems Sui Wendi evaluated Koguryo to be an easy foe so he believed that whenever they should attack they will overcome. Past days he had beaten the Türks(突闕) and Tuyuhun(吐谷渾), brought the Chen(陳) Dynasty to its end and unified China. Therefore he underestimated Koguryo by appointing an inexperienced general and the campaign was ill-prepared. The war was already lost before it was fought. Sui Yangdi(隋煬帝) had learnt from his father’s failure so he wanted sufficient preparation to gain an outstanding victory that will be a historical achievement which none other was successful having. Sui Yangdi’s invasion on Koguryo in C.E 612 was prepared from C.E 607, but we can say that in Yangdi’s mind it was thought of long before that. However the outcome of the well prepared invasion of Koguryo which the empire mobilized 11.3million men was a disastrous defeat and not only Sui Yangdi was murdered, the Sui Empire itself had collapsed to it’s end. It was true that Koguryo’s population was only one fifth of the Sui Empire’s and Sui Yangdi talking about “Koguryo’s population is lesser than our single county’s(Jun: 郡),” was not exaggerated, but the cost of losing to that small state was absolutely devastating. We can state that the tribes situated at the political boundaries of the two sides made a vital role on the dynamics between Koguryo and the Sui Empire. But despite all that, still Sui’s national power was much bigger than the total of Koguryo and it’s friendly neighbours. Sui had occupied the most fertile plains in the world of that time so their population was huge and their national wealth was plenty. On the other hand, Koguryo and it’s neighbours were located at barren grasslands or mountain areas so their men were few and they were poorly financed. Nevertheless the Sui Empire’s constant full scale invasions have all failed. This means that there were other factors that decided the regional dynamics in seventh century East Asia which cannot be explained only by comparing national powers of the two sides. The climate and natural characteristics of the lands were all important factors. Also when the Chinese had to assault the north they needed much workforce to carry their war supplies. However the defenders never needed such kind of workforce so they succeeded defending their territories with a relatively small army and a much weaker national power.