Tang conquers Goguryeo
668 CE · Pyongyang (modern Pyongyang, North Korea) · China · Early modern
After years of campaigning, the Tang army exploited Goguryeo's internal strife to encircle Pyongyang in force; the city fell and the kingdom was destroyed.
Belligerents
Tang and Silla
- Commanders
- Li Ji, Xue Rengui
- Strength
- Several hundred thousand Tang troops, allied with Silla
Goguryeo
- Commanders
- Yeon Namgeon
- Strength
- Goguryeo defenders, divided internally by a succession struggle among powerful ministers
Background
Emperor Taizong and Emperor Gaozong of Tang both launched repeated eastern campaigns against Goguryeo without complete success; the infighting among powerful ministers in late Goguryeo gave Tang its opening.
Course of the battle
- Advancing on several frontsAllied with Silla, the Tang army advanced along several routes and took the outlying cities of Goguryeo.
- Encircling PyongyangThe Tang armies converged beneath the city walls and laid a long siege.
- City falls, kingdom destroyedInsiders opened the gates, Pyongyang fell, and Goguryeo was destroyed.
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 668 CE |
|---|---|
| Place | Pyongyang (modern Pyongyang, North Korea) |
| Result | After years of campaigning, the Tang army exploited Goguryeo's internal strife to encircle Pyongyang in force; the city fell and the kingdom was destroyed. |
| Winner | Tang and Silla |
| Casualties | After Pyongyang fell, most of the defenders surrendered, and the royal family and nobles were relocated to the Chinese interior. |
| Territorial change | The Goguryeo state came to an end, and Tang established the Andong Protectorate to govern its lands, though the situation later shifted back and forth several times. |
Impact
This ended Goguryeo's seven centuries of rule; Tang power briefly reached deep into the northern part of the peninsula, and the balance of power in Northeast Asia was reshuffled.
See the world in 668 on the map →