page_title: Military history of Goguryeo
section_title: Sui dynasty
hierarchical_section_title: Military history of Goguryeo / Conflicts with Chinese states / Sui dynasty
caption_attribution_description: English: An old portrait of Eulji Mun-deok, the field marshal of Goguryeo during the second Goguryeo-Sui war. This image, carried as an illustration of the school textbook (初等大韓歷史) during the Korean Empire period, is probably a reproduction of the original sketch in the Joseon period.
context_page_description: The military history of Goguryeo involves wars with other Korean kingdoms, Chinese dynasties, nomadic states and tribes, and Wa Japan. Goguryeo was a highly militaristic state; it was a powerful empire and one of the great powers in East Asia, until it was defeated by a Silla–Tang alliance in 668 after prolonged exhaustion and internal strife caused by the death of Yeon Gaesomun.
context_section_description: In 589, the Northern and Southern dynasties period ended and the Sui dynasty unified China after four centuries of fragmentation. The Sui Empire reconquered Vietnam and defeated Champa, sacking its capital, and conquered important lands in northern China and Central Asia against Turks, Tibetans and proto-Mongolians.
  In 598, Goguryeo made a preemptive attack on Liaoxi, leading Emperor Wen to launch a counterattack by land and sea that ended in disaster for Sui.
  In 612, Emperor Yang mobilized a huge force said to number over a million men and invaded Goguryeo. Unable to overcome the defenses of Yodong (Liaodong) Fortress, Emperor Yang ordered 305,000 troops to attack the Goguryeo capital of Pyongyang. However, General Eulji Mundeok baited the Sui troops and annihilated them at the Battle of Salsu; according to Chinese historical records: of the 305,000 Sui troops, a mere 2,700 returned. Emperor Yang lifted his siege of the Korean fortress and withdrew his forces back to China.
  Emperor Yang was obsessed with defeating Goguryeo. He attacked Goguryeo again in 613 and 614, but failed against Goguryeo's defensive strategies, fierce resistance, and able leadership; furthermore, his campaign in 613 was cut short by internal discontent and floods back home. Emperor Yang's disastrous defeats in Korea greatly contributed to the collapse of the Sui dynasty.
caption: Eulji Mundeok
exif: {}