Everyone knows that the Ming Dynasty had friendly relations with North Korea, but have you ever thought that there was a little-known episode in it? During the Hongwu period, the Goryeo Dynasty was eyeing Liaodong in the Ming Dynasty! An expeditionary force of 40,000 men was poised to seize the land of Liaodong. Where did this army come from? Why did they dare to challenge the Ming Dynasty Iron Army, which had just defeated the Northern Yuan? What kind of person is the king of Goryeo, Xin Yu, who dares to be so bold? What kind of historical origins and political games are hidden behind a seemingly incredible military operation? Let's uncover this long-sealed historical mystery and see what kind of outcome this "naïve and not afraid of death" Goryeo Expeditionary Force will usher in in the end?
1. The pattern of East Asia at the time of the Yuan and Ming dynasties
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the world was in turmoil, and the situation changed abruptly! This vast empire, which once swept across Europe and Asia, is now crumbling like an edifice about to collapse. Emperor Yuan Shun was mediocre and incompetent, corruption was rampant inside and outside the court, and natural and man-made disasters followed, and the people were struggling to make a living. Isn't this the answer to the old saying: "The general trend of the world, if you divide for a long time, you will be together, and if you are united for a long time, you will be divided"?
In this troubled world, a hero named Zhu Yuanzhang has risen! He led the rebel army to fight in the south and the north, and finally overthrew the rule of the Yuan Dynasty in the twenty-eighth year of Zhizheng (1368) and established the Ming Dynasty. Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne as emperor and was called Hongwu, opening the reign of the Ming Dynasty for nearly 300 years. This founding emperor is not a master to be messed with, he is eloquent and strategic, and he governs the country well, and soon spreads the prestige of the Ming Dynasty all over the world.
However, the remnants of the Yuan Dynasty were not willing to stop there. They retreated to Mobei and continued to confront the Ming Dynasty, known as the "Northern Yuan" in history. This is interesting, a Romance of the Three Kingdoms was staged in East Asia! The Ming Dynasty, the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and Goryeo, the three forces are fighting for me, so it's not lively.
When it comes to Goryeo, this small country is really in a dilemma. To the north is the Northern Yuan Dynasty, and to the south is the newly rising Ming Dynasty, and neither end dares to offend, but isn't it just dancing on a tightrope? The king of Goryeo was heartbroken, and every day he thought about how to navigate between the two great powers.
The Goryeo Dynasty took a clever move, and that was to have both sides! To the Northern Yuan, they were superficially respectful, the tribute that should be tributed, and the worship that should be worshipped; For the Ming Dynasty, they did not dare to slack off, and sent envoys to come and go frequently, and the gifts were continuous. This trick is really clever, not only not to offend the Northern Yuan, but also to please the Ming Dynasty, it is simply a diplomatic must!
Don't underestimate this Liaodong region, it is a battleground for soldiers! Located in the east of the Liaohe River, backed by Changbai Mountain and facing Bohai Bay, the geographical location can be described as unique. If anyone occupies Liaodong, it is equivalent to occupying a strategic point in Northeast Asia, which can be attacked and defended. No wonder the Ming Dynasty, the Northern Yuan Dynasty and Goryeo all coveted this piece of fat!
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, the Liaodong region once fell into the hands of Goryeo. But the good times didn't last long, and with the rise of the Ming Dynasty, this piece of fragrant dumplings became the bag of the Ming army. Zhu Yuanzhang sent the generals Feng Sheng and Lan Yu to lead the army to the north, recovering Liaodong in one fell swoop, and set up the Tieling Weidu Command Department to firmly control this strategic land.
This can make Goryeo anxious! Liaodong changed hands, and Goryeo's little abacus couldn't be played. The king of Goryeo, Xin Yu, was in a hurry, tossing and turning, and couldn't sleep at night. He thought about it, and finally came up with a "brilliant" idea: why not take advantage of the Ming Dynasty's unstable foothold to send troops to recapture Liaodong?
This Xinyu king, the newborn calf is not afraid of tigers. How did he know that the Ming army was not a vegetarian! The people have just defeated the 200,000 army of the Northern Yuan, and now it is the time when the morale is like a rainbow. You sent 40,000 people to capture Liaodong? Isn't this a praying arm as a car, hitting a stone with an egg?
Poor King Xinyu, he never dreamed that this seemingly brilliant idea would become the last straw that crushed the Goryeo Dynasty. No, before his "40,000 Expeditionary Force" set off, the fate of Goryeo had already been rewritten. This history is really full of drama!
2. The deterioration of relations between Goryeo and the Ming Dynasty
As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang established the Ming Dynasty, he set his sights on neighboring countries. This eloquent emperor knew that in order to perpetuate the country, he must first stabilize the Quartet. As an important neighbor to the northeast, Goryeo naturally became the focus of Zhu Yuanzhang's foreign policy.
At first, Zhu Yuanzhang was kind and friendly to Goryeo. He sent envoys to Goryeo, bringing with them rich gifts and letters of goodwill. Zhu Yuanzhang's idea is very simple: as long as Gaoli obediently surrenders, Daming will treat this "little brother" well. This kind of diplomatic strategy was extremely clever at the time.
However, things did not develop as Zhu Yuanzhang had hoped. The domestic situation in Goryeo was turbulent, and the court was constantly in dispute. In the 7th year of Hongmu (1374), a coup d'état occurred in Goryeo that shocked the government and the opposition. The powerful minister Yi In-in was so bold that he secretly planned to kill the king of Goryeo, Wang Yuan! This Li Renren is really bold, and he dares to kill the king and rebel, which is a heinous crime!
After Li Renren killed Wang Yuan, he did not ascend the throne himself, but supported Wang Yuan's adopted son Xin Yu to ascend the throne. This Xin Yu, although he is on the throne, is just a puppet. The one who is really in power is still the ambitious Li Renren.
Now that's interesting. The new king ascended the throne, but if he wanted to be justified, he had to be canonized by the Ming Emperor. So, the Goryeo court hurriedly sent envoys to Daming to pay tribute to Zhu Yuanzhang and ask for canonization.
Zhu Yuanzhang received the tribute brought by the Goryeo envoy, and his heart was happy, thinking that this Goryeo was quite acquainted. However, when he opened the tribute and looked at it, he almost ran out of gas! You know what? This tribute actually reads "300 pieces of white cloth, gift to the eunuch". This "Taifu Supervisor" is an institution of the Yuan Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty does not have this department at all!
This can annoy Zhu Yuanzhang. He thought to himself, what does this Goryeo mean? Are you still nostalgic for the Yuan Dynasty? Is there any collusion with Beiyuan? Zhu Yuanzhang's face changed immediately, from the original smile to gloomy. When the Goryeo envoy saw that the emperor's face was wrong, he trembled with fright, and hurriedly explained that it was a misunderstanding. But where is Zhu Yuanzhang willing to listen? Knocked out the Goryeo envoy on the spot.
This uproar can make the relations between the two countries very stiff. Although Zhu Yuanzhang was angry, he still thought about diplomatic relations and decided to send envoys to Goryeo to canonize the new king. However, there are unforeseen circumstances in the sky, and people have good and bad luck. On the way back, the envoys of the Ming Dynasty were assassinated!
It's a good thing, but it's a big deal. The envoy was killed, and this is a great deal! Although it is not certain whether the Goryeo people did it, it happened in Goryeo, and Goryeo cannot get out of it. When Zhu Yuanzhang heard the news, he was immediately furious. He immediately ordered the canonization of the king of Goryeo and threatened to send troops to teach Goryeo a lesson.
When King Xinyu heard that Zhu Yuanzhang was going to send troops, he was so frightened that he couldn't possess his body. However, this young king still has a bit of arrogance in his bones. As soon as he summed it up, since the Ming Dynasty didn't give me a canonization, then I went to the Northern Yuan to canonize it!
This decision really added fuel to the fire. As soon as Zhu Yuanzhang heard that Goryeo had switched to the arms of the Northern Yuan, he was immediately furious. He immediately ordered the complete severance of diplomatic relations with Goryeo. In this way, the Ming Dynasty and Goryeo, which were originally quite harmonious, suddenly became incompatible enemies.
As the saying goes, a wave of unsettled waves has risen again and again. Just when the relationship between Ming and Gao was in turmoil, the Ming Dynasty generals Feng Sheng and Lan Yu led the army to the north, defeated the remnants of the Northern Yuan in one fell swoop, and recovered the Liaodong region. Zhu Yuanzhang immediately set up the Tieling Weidu Command Department in Liaodong to firmly control this strategic place.
This can make Xin Yu anxious. Liaodong changed hands, and Goryeo's strategic buffer zone was gone. Xin Yu thought to himself, what can I do about this? He racked his brains and finally came up with a "clever plan": why not take advantage of the unstable foothold of the Ming Dynasty and send troops to recapture Liaodong?
So, Xinyu sent people to Zhu Yuanzhang to "ask" Liaodong. That's a lot of self-defeating! Where will Zhu Yuanzhang agree? He directly refused: "Stay where it's cool!" This sentence can be said to have swept Xin Yu's face away.
Xin Yu was so stunned by Zhu Yuanzhang that he was immediately annoyed and angry. He decided to let Zhu Yuanzhang see that Gaoli was not easy to bully! So, he began to secretly plan to form an expeditionary force of 40,000 people to seize Liaodong. This decision can be said to be extremely naïve, and it is simply self-defeating!
3. The formation and strategy of the Goryeo Expeditionary Force
King Xinyu made up his mind to recapture Liaodong and immediately summoned the ministers of the court to discuss the matter. However, this decision caused great controversy in the imperial court. Supporters see it as a great opportunity for Goryeo to regain its national prestige; Opponents argue that being an enemy of the Ming Dynasty is tantamount to hitting a stone with an egg. Above the court, there were endless arguments, and the quarrel was red-faced.
Eventually, at Shinyu's insistence, the Goryeo court decided to secretly assemble an expeditionary force of 40,000 men. The size of this army was quite small at that time, and you must know that the standing army of Goryeo was only about 100,000 people. In order to gather these 40,000 people, Goryeo took great pains.
First of all, they drew elite troops from the standing army, and these soldiers were battle-hardened veterans with rich combat experience. Secondly, they conscripted a large number of peasants, who, although they had little military training, were superior in numbers. Finally, they also recruited a number of heroes and hunters in the mountains, who, although they had no formal military training, were all highly skilled enough to act as scouts and special forces.
The weapons and equipment of this motley army are also varied. Some were armed with long sharp knives, some carried powerful bows and arrows, and some were even equipped with only rudimentary farm tools. However, the Goryeo army was most proud of their firearms. At that time, Goryeo had already mastered some gunpowder technology, and they deliberately made a batch of muskets and rockets, ready to give the Ming army a "surprise" on the battlefield.
Forming an army is only the first step, the next step is to develop a battle plan. The military advisers of Goryeo racked their brains and finally came up with a "clever plan". They decided to adopt the strategy of blitzkrieg, taking advantage of the unpreparedness of the Ming army, to quickly capture the important town of Liaodong.
Specifically, this plan is divided into three steps: the first step is to send a small elite force to quietly infiltrate the territory of Liaodong, find out intelligence, and open the way for the main force. In the second step, the main force suddenly launched an attack and took the command of the Tieling Weidu in one fell swoop. The third step is to quickly expand in all directions, and control the entire Liaodong region before the Ming army reacts.
This plan may sound beautiful, but it is actually full of loopholes. First of all, they underestimated the strength of the Ming army. The Ming army had just defeated the Northern Yuan, and it was when morale was high, how could it be so easy to deal with? Second, they overestimate their abilities. A team of 40,000 people wants to occupy and control the entire Liaodong in a short period of time, which is simply a fool's dream!
To make matters worse, the problem of logistical supply of the Goryeo army was not solved at all. The expedition of 40,000 troops required a large amount of grain and grass. However, the treasury of Goryeo was empty, and it was impossible to scrape together so much money and food. Xin Yu had no choice but to borrow money from nobles and wealthy merchants, which caused discontent in the country.
Despite the odds, Xin Yu decided to take a gamble. He personally inspected the expeditionary force and gave an impassioned speech that boosted morale. He said: "Ladies and gentlemen, we are about to embark on a glorious journey. Liaodong was originally the land of my Goryeo, but now it is occupied by the Ming Dynasty, how can we sit idly by? I went to Liaodong to regain the land that belongs to us! "
When the soldiers heard this, their blood boiled and they shouted "Long live". But how do they know what fate awaits them?
On the eve of the Goryeo expeditionary force preparing to depart, an unexpected news came: the Ming Dynasty sent a mission, saying that it was to negotiate with Goryeo. This can stump Xin Yu. Should we continue with the expedition, or should we meet with the envoys first? After some weighing, Xin Yu decided to meet the envoys first and see what they had to say.
As soon as the envoy arrived, he immediately handed over Zhu Yuanzhang's handwritten letter. Xin Yu opened it and almost fainted. It turned out that Zhu Yuanzhang had already learned about Goryeo's expedition plan! The letter was harshly worded, warning Goryeo not to act rashly, otherwise he would bear the consequences.
This frightened Xin Yu. He never expected that such a secret plan he had planned would be known to the Ming Dynasty. It seems that the Ming Dynasty planted eyeliner inside the Goryeo court!
Xin Yu thought about it and finally made a decision: to put the expedition plan on hold for the time being and stabilize the Ming Dynasty first. He told the Ming envoy that Goryeo had no intention of encroaching and that the army was only formed to defend against the Northern Yuan. The envoy was skeptical, but returned with this reply.
In this way, the expedition of Goryeo came to an abrupt end on the eve of departure. The well-assembled army of 40,000 ended without a problem. Although Xin Yu temporarily avoided direct conflict with the Ming Dynasty, his ambitions were not completely extinguished. He secretly vowed that one day he would let the Ming Dynasty know how powerful Goryeo was!
Fourth, the rise of Li Chenggui and the seizure of power
Just when the Goryeo court was worried about internal and external troubles, a general named Yi Sunggui began to emerge. This Li Chenggui is not an ordinary person, he was born in a famous family, and his ancestors have been officials for generations. What's more, Li Chenggui has shown extraordinary military talent since he was a child.
Li Chenggui was known for his bravery when he was young. Once, he single-handedly broke into the enemy camp and captured the enemy general, a feat that became a good story in the army. As he grew older, Li Chenggui's strategy also matured. He is not only good at charging into battle, but also good at strategizing.
When King Xinyu was planning an expedition to Liaodong, Li Chenggui was already an important general in the Goryeo army. At the time, he had reservations about the expedition. Li Chenggui believed that Goryeo's national strength was not enough to compete with the Ming Dynasty, and rashly sending troops would only bring humiliation on himself. However, his opinion was not adopted by Xinyu.
After the aborted expedition plan, the Goryeo court fell into chaos. King Xinyu's prestige plummeted, and the ministers of the court and China accused him of making a mistake in decision-making. At this moment, the Northern Yuan took the opportunity to attack. The Goryeo army was losing ground and was on the verge of losing its northern border.
At the critical moment, Li Chenggui stepped forward. He asked Xin Yu for his life and asked to lead an army to resist the Northern Yuan. Although Xin Yu was a little wary of Li Chenggui, he could only rely on him for now. As a result, Yi Sung-gye led the army and defeated the Northern Yuan army in the Battle of Weihua Island, saving the crisis in Goryeo.
This battle made Li Chenggui famous. Various legends about him began to circulate among the people, saying that he had the help of divine soldiers and could call the wind and rain. What's more, the worship of the officers and men in the army reached its peak. Many people began to talk privately that Lee Sung-gye was the one who could really lead Goryeo to strength.
Li Chenggui returned triumphantly and received much attention. King Xinyu had to reward him and make him a general. However, the vigilance in Xin Yu's heart deepened. He began to secretly investigate Li Chenggui to find out his handle.
At the same time, the political struggle between the DPRK and China intensified. The ministers divided into several factions and attacked each other. Some people supported Xinyu's continued pro-Ming policy, some advocated defecting to the Northern Yuan, and others proposed that Goryeo should be independent. In the midst of this dispute, Li Chenggui has remained neutral, but his influence has expanded.
At this moment, Xin Yu made an astonishing decision: he was going to send troops to attack Liaodong again! This decision immediately caused a shock in the government and the opposition. The ministers dissuaded it, believing that this was simply self-defeating. However, Xin Yu was stubborn and insisted on attacking in a big way.
Li Chenggui stood up again. He openly opposed this plan at the court, pointing out that Goryeo simply had no strength to compete with the Ming dynasty. Xin Yu was furious and reprimanded Li Chenggui on the spot for being a coward. Li Chenggui is neither humble nor arrogant, and argues with reason. This scene made the ministers present look at Li Chenggui with admiration.
Although Xin Yu was annoyed, he still had to consider Li Chenggui's opinion. After all, without Li Chenggui's support, this expedition would not have been possible at all. As a result, Xin Yu decided to postpone his plan to send troops, but at the same time, he also began to secretly weaken Li Chenggui's power.
Li Chenggui sensed the danger coming. He understands that if he continues like this, sooner or later he will be eliminated by Xin Yu with an excuse. As a result, he began to secretly contact other generals and ministers to form his own forces.
The opportunity was not long in coming. Xin Yu once again ordered troops to be sent to Liaodong, and this time he did not consult Li Chenggui and directly appointed another general as commander. However, the officers and men in the army did not buy it. They all said that if Li Chenggui did not lead the army, they would refuse to go on the expedition.
This can stump Xin Yu. If the troops are forcibly dispatched, the morale of the army will be in turmoil; If he retreats, his prestige will be completely lost. Just when Xin Yu was in a dilemma, Li Chenggui made a decisive move.
Li Chenggui led his army into the palace in the name of "Qing Jun's side". He declared that Shinyu had been deceived by traitors and had made a wrong decision, and that he had to take action in order to save Goryeo. Xin Yu was placed under house arrest in the palace, and the ministers of the court and China were also controlled.
In this way, in just a few days, Yi Sung-gye took control of the entire Goryeo regime. He did not immediately depose Xinyu, but began to take charge of the government as a regent. Li Chenggui immediately announced the cancellation of the expedition to Liaodong and began to deal with domestic affairs.
This series of actions made the people of Goryeo applaud. The grievances that had accumulated over the years were alleviated in an instant. Li Chenggui's approval rating was unprecedentedly high, and some people even began to call for him to replace Xin Yu as the new king.
However, Li Chenggui did not immediately accept the offer. He understood that it would take more time and planning to truly control Goryeo. So he embarked on a series of reforms to prepare himself for his accession to the throne.
5. The establishment of the Joseon Dynasty and the reaction of the Ming Dynasty
After Yi Sung-gye came to power, the political situation in the Goryeo court began to change dramatically. He first set about purging the opposition in the DPRK and China, demoting a number of ministers who supported Xin Yu to civilians or exiling them to remote areas. At the same time, Li Chenggui vigorously promoted his cronies and gradually took important positions in the imperial court into his own hands.
In order to win the hearts and minds of the people, Li Chenggui implemented a series of reform measures. He ordered tax reductions and incentives for the reclamation of wasteland, much to the delight of the long-oppressed peasants. He also attached great importance to education, expanded the academy, and promoted Confucianism, which won the support of the scholarly class.
Li Chenggui knew that in order to establish a new dynasty, it was not enough to have the will of the people, but also legitimacy. To this end, he skillfully used the theory of the "Yi surname revolution" that was popular at the time. This theory holds that when a dynasty is immoral and incompetent, the heavens will send down disasters and instruct the dynasty to be replaced. Li Chenggui's supporters began to spread all kinds of "celestial phenomena", saying "alien stars from the sky" and "auspicious clouds on the earth", implying that Li Chenggui was the new monarch chosen by heaven.
While Yi Sung-gye was gradually consolidating his power, the last king of Goryeo, Shinyu, was still under house arrest. Although Xin Yu lost real power, he was still nominally king. This embarrassing situation lasted for several years, until in 1392, when Li Chenggui finally made up his mind to completely change the dynasty.
In July of that year, Li Chenggui summoned the ministers of the DPRK and China and announced that Xin Yu had "voluntarily" abdicated. Subsequently, he ascended to the throne, changed the name of the country to "Joseon", and established the Joseon Dynasty of the Lee family. This move marked the official end of the Goryeo Dynasty, which had ruled the Korean Peninsula for nearly 500 years.
After the establishment of the new dynasty, the first challenge Li Chenggui faced was how to deal with the Ming dynasty. You know, Goryeo has always been a vassal state of the Ming Dynasty, and now that Li Chenggui usurped the throne and established a new dynasty, how will the Ming Dynasty react?
In order to appease the Ming Dynasty, Li Chenggui immediately sent a delegation to the Ming Dynasty to ask for the recognition of the new regime. The mission brought a large number of precious gifts, as well as a piece written by Li Chenggui himself. In the recital, Li Chenggui cleverly described his usurpation of the throne as a move of "obeying the heavens" and emphasizing that he was forced to accept the throne.
However, the Ming court reacted strongly to this change. Zhu Yuanzhang was furious and thought that Li Chenggui's behavior was a great rebellion. He ordered that the Korean mission be refused to be received and that the ministers should be convened to discuss countermeasures. Some people advocate sending troops to fight and take Li Chenggui down; There are also those who believe that the former Goryeo ministers should be supported and the Goryeo dynasty should be rebuilt.
Just when the Ming Dynasty was arguing fiercely, Li Chenggui sent a second group of missions. This time, they brought more tribute, even including some treasures of the Goryeo royal family. At the same time, Li Chenggui expressed his willingness to continue to submit to the Ming Dynasty as a vassal state in the new recital, and implored the Ming emperor to understand his suffering.
Zhu Yuanzhang weighed it again and again, and finally decided to accept reality. He understood that even if he sent troops to fight, it would be difficult to control the Korean Peninsula for a long time. Moreover, at that time, the Ming Dynasty was facing the threat of the Mongol forces in the north, and it was really unable to take care of Korea in the far east.
In 1394, the Ming Dynasty officially recognized the Joseon regime of the Yi dynasty and canonized Yi Sunggui as the "King of Joseon". This decision marked the international recognition of the newly established Joseon Dynasty. Relieved, Yi Chenggui immediately ordered a nationwide celebration to demonstrate the legitimacy of the new dynasty.
However, the recognition of the Ming Dynasty was not unconditional. Zhu Yuanzhang demanded that the DPRK must strictly abide by the obligations of its vassal states, pay regular tribute, and not have private dealings with other countries. At the same time, the Ming Dynasty also retained the power to intervene in the internal affairs of Joseon, such as being able to express its opinion on the succession to the throne in Joseon.
As a sign of sincerity, Yi Sung-gye decided to move the capital from Kaegyong to Hanyang (present-day Seoul). There are far-reaching considerations for this decision: on the one hand, Hanyang is strategically located for defense; On the other hand, the relocation of the capital also symbolizes a complete break with the old dynasty and the beginning of a new era.
A new capital city was soon built. Palaces, yamen, and markets are lined up one after another, a thriving scene. Lee Sung-gye personally oversaw the city's planning, striving to make Hanyang a capital city that rivaled China's big cities.
In this way, the Joseon Dynasty was born in turmoil. With his extraordinary political wisdom and military talents, Li Chenggui successfully completed the change of dynasty. However, the future of the new dynasty was fraught with challenges: how to consolidate power, how to balance relations with the Ming Dynasty, and how to deal with threats from the north were all difficult problems that Li Chenggui and his successors had to face.