What was the origin, course, route of the march and the outcome of the war across the sea by Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty?

Tang Taizong's Eastern Expedition to Koryo

Since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Koryo's power has gradually become stronger, and it frequently sends troops to invade the border, making the border residents in western Liaoning unsafe. For this reason, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty tried to conquer the Korean kingdom three times, but all failed, and accelerated the demise of his empire in the process of successive conquests.

The disastrous failure of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty challenged Tang Taizong's ambitions. He was determined to regain the territory and complete the unfinished business of his predecessors. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once publicly told his ministers: Goryeo was part of China during the era of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. If we attack from both land and sea, Goryeo will be conquered again.

As China's economy recovered after its unification, Emperor Taizong became more and more confident in conquering Goryeo. Later, Chang'an received news that Quan Gaesumun, a long-term hardliner in Korea against China, won the party struggle in the court and launched a coup to kill King Yeongryu. So Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty issued an edict to the whole country, declaring that Quan Gaisuwen was a regicide and a tyrannical tyrant. He invaded the loyal Chinese vassal Silla and must be punished. So Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty began to mobilize troops and generals. In the spring of 645, he arrived at the front line and marched by land and water in person. The initial attack went well and more than a dozen cities were captured. However, when attacking Anshi City, they encountered stubborn resistance from the Goryeo army. Taking into account the coming severe winter, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had to order the withdrawal of his troops. This was the only battle in which Li Shimin did not win a complete victory during his lifetime. However, twenty years after the death of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court sent Xue Rengui to cross the sea for another eastward expedition. It was a success and the country of Korea paid tribute every year. It was the unique "Two Saints Period" of the Tang Dynasty, and Emperor Li Zhi fell ill. , Wu Zetian was responsible for most government affairs. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty would never think again that his unfinished business and the regrets he left behind until his death were completed by a passionate woman.

At that time, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty failed in his eastern expedition and issued a withdrawal order. He led 3,000 horses back to Linyu Pass, which is now Shanhaiguan, and met the prince in Luanxian County. The shirt he wore was shabby. Prince Li Zhi presented him with new clothes, and then passed through Tangshan to rest and recuperate. Thousands of troops and horses followed him one after another and camped on Dacheng Mountain. This is recorded in "Yongping Prefecture Chronicles", "Da Qing Yitong Chronicles", "Jifu Tong Chronicles", "Luanzhou Chronicles" and "Tianxia Prefectures and States' Benefits and Diseases Book".

The emperor's personal conquest was a huge event, so no matter where Tang Taizong went, historians followed closely behind him, faithfully recording the emperor's every move, and then selectively recorded it in the annals of history. Therefore, wherever Li Shimin went, many places in the Tangshan area were immediately given names that had no names in the past, and those that already had names were immediately renamed. Although the people were not used to the name change at that time, they felt more honored and quickly spread the good news.

According to legend, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty stood on the bank of the river on the north side of Dacheng Mountain with his hands behind his hands, admiring the surrounding scenery. He found that the water was clear and countless fish were swimming happily in it. On a whim, he ordered his guards to let him go. After that, the place was called "Diaoyutai", and the name is still used today. On another occasion, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty led his guards on an inspection tour and walked one kilometer east of the big city. He felt hot and humid, so he took off his armor and rested. The guards put their armor on the mountain. After that, the mountain was called "Liangjia Tuo", which later evolved into "Liangjia Mountain" and is now called Jiajia Mountain. It is currently in the courtyard of Tangshan Iron and Steel Group Corporation.

Li Shimin's Footprints

"Luan County Chronicles (Volume 2 Geography and Rivers)" records: "Caofeidian is in the sea, forty miles away from the north bank. There is Caofeidian Hall on it, hence its name." It is said that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty practiced naval warfare here. There was a concubine named Cao Xian who accompanied Li Shimin on the Eastern Expedition. She was intelligent, wise, and beautiful. She was not only good at singing and dancing, but was also good at playing music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. She accompanied the king of Tang Dynasty to compose poems, Playing chess was a comfort to Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty who was tired every day, so Li Shimin favored her very much. However, due to Concubine Cao's weak constitution, she fell seriously ill. Although she was treated by the military doctor, she still vomited and died on the island. Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty was devastated by the loss of his beloved concubine, so he planned to build a three-story hall on the island with a statue of Concubine Cao, and named it "Concubine Cao Hall".

There is an island in Laoting called Shijiituo, also known as Shijiituo. There is a legend that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty stayed at "Jiujiituo".

It is said that Li Shimin saw the magical scenery on the island, especially the bodhi trees that are extremely rare to see in the north. They were everywhere on the island. It reminded him of the early years of the Tang Dynasty, when Hongren, the fifth ancestor of Zen Buddhism, was selecting his successor. Monk Huineng said: "The bodhi tree has no tree, and the mirror is not a stand. There is nothing in the first place, so where is the dust?" With this enlightenment poem, Hui Neng became the sixth ancestor of Zen Buddhism. So Li Shimin renamed the island "Bodhi Island", and it has now become a famous tourist attraction in Laoting County.

Facing Bodhi Island across the sea, there is Xiangyun Island. It is said that when Li Shimin, the king of Tang Dynasty, was inspecting here, he saw a well and suddenly felt thirsty. So the subordinates found a rope and tied the bucket down, but the water was too deep and they couldn't reach the surface. Everyone was very anxious. When he was at his wits' end, General Xue Li stepped forward, clasped the stone edge of the wellhead with both hands, and shouted, "Get up!" He actually lifted a well and placed it tilted on the ground. Suddenly, a stream of clear spring flowed out. Letting Li Shimin drink water is of course a semi-mythical legend. Until now, the handprints of Xue Li who brought down Inoue are still vaguely visible.

Since the Tang Dynasty’s army of more than 100,000 troops was stationed within a few hundred miles of the Tangshan area, many fascinating stories emerged. Three miles east of Qian'an City, there was originally a waist-deep river. It was named "Sanli River" because it was three miles away from the county seat. Legend has it that Li Shimin, the king of the Tang Dynasty, passed by here when he was marching east. After the soldiers and horses drank the clear and sweet river water, their spirits doubled. When Li Shimin saw this, he said, "It's really like drinking from the horse river with a copper gang and an iron bottom." Therefore, Sanli River was granted the imperial title, also known as "Tongbang Iron Bottom Drinking Horse River". Because Qian'an is rich in iron ore, Li Shimin opened many blacksmith shops here to prepare military supplies during his campaign to the east. Even now, there are still many blacksmith shops in Jin'an, and there is also a blacksmith camp village.

There is a mountain stream fifteen kilometers east of Qian'an City. It is said that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once led his troops to practice equestrian skills here, so it is called the "Three Tiao Stream". There is a sword test stone next to the stream; in Luan A hundred miles west of the county, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once practiced beating drums to fend off enemies here, so it was called "Drumming Terrace"; 25 kilometers south of Luan County, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty once set up a fake grain depot here to deceive the enemy, so it was called "Leigu Terrace". It is called "Liangjia Tuo"; it is ten kilometers southeast of Yutian County. It is said that it rained during the inspection of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. The clothes of the soldiers accompanying him were all wet, so they hung their armor here, so it was named "Drying Armor Store", which is now Liangjia Store. . In addition, the Tang Dynasty army built many cities and fortresses in the Tangshan area in order to station troops and accumulate food, which brought vitality to the area and gave people who moved from various places a home to live in. For example, "Ping'an City" is now Ping'an City in Zunhua; "Wannian City" is now Qianxi Santun Camp; "Macheng" is now Macheng in Luannan County; "Pingzhou City" is now in Lulong … You can find out why.