Second conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War explained

Conflict:	Second Goryeo–Khitan War
Partof:	Goryeo-Khitan Wars
Date:	1010-1011
Place:	Northern Korean Peninsula
Casus:	Kang Cho's coup d´etat
Result:	Liao withdrawal Liao dynasty sacked the Goryeo capital Kaesong but the king had already escaped to Naju^[1] After Liao's withdrawal, Goryeo promised a tributary relationship with the Khitan but did not follow through leading to renewed conflict
Combatant1:	Goryeo
Commander1:	Kang Cho† Yang Kyu† Kim Suk-hŭng† Tae To-su Ha Kong-jin
Commander2:	Emperor Shengzong Xiao Baiya^[2]
Strength2:	400,000
Casualties1:	Severe, main force annihilated
Casualties2:	15,000<

The Second Goryeo-Khitan War (;) was an 11th-century conflict between the Goryeo dynasty of Korea and the Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China near what is now the border between China and North Korea. It was the second of the Goryeo-Khitan Wars, with the First Goryeo-Khitan War occurring in 993, the second in 1010, and the third in 1018.

When King Seongjong died in 997, the Liao dynasty invested his successor Wang Song as king of Goryeo (King Mokjong, r. 997-1009).^[3] In 1009, he was assassinated by the forces of the general Kang Cho.^[4] Using it as a pretext, the Liao attacked Goryeo in the next year.^[5] They lost the first battle but won the second one, and Kang Cho was captured and killed. The Liao army occupied several border prefectures to the north. The Goryeo king offered to surrender but the governor of Kaesong, the capital of Goryeo, killed the Liao envoys and opted to resist. The Liao won a pitched battle at Kaesong and occupied the city,^{[6] [7] [8]} however the Goryeo king had already escaped to Naju. Kaesong was sacked and its palaces, official buildings, and archives were destroyed. The Goryeo king fled to the south and his armies regrouped. The Liao began their withdraw but the surrendered districts rose up against them. Mired down in the mountains during the winter, the Liao forces were forced to abandon most of their armour and weapons before retreating north of the Yalu. Afterward Goryeo promised to reaffirm its tributary relationship with the Liao dynasty.^[9] The Goryeo king sued for peace, but the Liao emperor demanded that he come in person and also cede key border areas; the Goryeo court refused the demands, resulting in a decade of hostility between the two nations, during which both sides fortified their borders in preparation of war.^{[10] [11]} Liao attacked Goryeo in 1015, 1016, and 1017, but the results were indecisive.^[12]

See also

• Goryeo–Khitan War
  • • • First conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War Second conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War
  • Third conflict in the Goryeo–Khitan War

References

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Notes and References

1. , p. 89.
2. , p.111.
3. , p.104.
4. , p. 191.
5. , p. 111: "The Khitan sent an expeditionary army ... to punish the murderer of their former vassal".
6. , p. 95: "a prelude to more invasions during the reign of King Hyonjong (1010-1031) and the occupation of Kaesong, the Koryo capital."
7. , p. 52: "in the reign of King Hyŏnjong (1010-1031) there were numerous Khitan invasions, and even the capital Kaesŏng was occupied."
8. , : "In 1010, on the pretext that the rightful king had been deposed without the approval of the Liao court, the Khitan emperor personally led an attack that culminated in the burning of the Goryeo capital."
9. , p. 93: "a second Liao incursion resulted in heavy losses, the sacking of Kaesong, and the imposition of Liao suzerainty over the Koryo state."
10. Book: Twitchett. Denis C.. Franke. Herbert. Fairbank. John King. The Cambridge History of China: Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368. 1978. Cambridge University Press. 9780521243315. 111. 30 July 2016. en.
11. , p. 93: "a second Liao incursion resulted in heavy losses, the sacking of Kaesong, and the imposition of Liao suzerainty over the Koryo state." p. 95: "a prelude to more invasions during the reign of King Hyonjong (1010-1031) and the occupation of Kaesong, the Koryo capital."
12. Book: Twitchett. Denis C.. Franke. Herbert. Fairbank. John King. The Cambridge History of China: Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368. 1978. Cambridge University Press. 9780521243315. 111. 30 July 2016. en. From 1015 to 1019 there was incessant warfare, with attacks on Koryŏ in 1015, 1016, and 1017 in which victory went sometimes to Koryŏ, sometimes to the Khitan, but in sum were indecisive..