114 korea
wu, asked for a calendar. As has been noted before, such a request
meant to the Chinese, but not to the foreigners, recognition of their
suzerainity. On Mar.3,^5 Emperor Kao-tsu ordered a Master of Writ-
ing of the Ministry of Punishments to go as his envoy to Koguryo,
appoint Kao Chien-wu as Supreme Pillar of State, and recognize him
as king of Liao-tung commandery and Koguryo (Chiu T’ang shu 1:8a;
199A:1b;Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.5976). Presumably, he also brought the
calendar.
In the 12th month (Jan.Feb., 625) of the Chinese year 624, Koguryo
again offered regional objects (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5023). But relations
between Koguryo and the T’ang were uneasy, and Emperor Kao-tsu
complained about it to his officials on Apr.14, 625. In 626, Silla and
Paekche accused Koguryo of blocking the roads for their missions to
China (Chiu T’ang shu 199A:2a, 7b; T’ang hui-yao 95:6a-6b; Wen-hsien
t’ung-k’ao 325:50a).
Later in 626, Silla, Paekche, and Koguryo attacked each other. The
T’ang court sent a Supernumerary Cavalier Attendant as a media-
tor, whereupon all three states made peace and informed the T’ang
court (Chiu T’ang shu 2:8a; 199A:2b; Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5023; Tzu-chih
t’ung-chien p.6030).
In the 9th month (Oct./Nov.) of 628, envoys from Kao Chien-wu
congratulated Emperor T’ai-tsung on having defeated the Hsieh-li
Qaghan of the Eastern Turks. At the same time, he offered a map of
his state (Chiu T’ang shu 199A:2b; Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5023). As remarked
before, presenting a map of one’s territory was to the Chinese a symbol
of submission. Nothing could have been further from the mind of the
Koguryo king. He and the Chinese had no doubt diverging views on
the calendar of 624 and the map of 628. What the king had in mind
was probably to make a gesture in order to forestall an alliance against
his state by T’ang, Paekche, and Silla.
In the 9th month (Sep./Oct.) of 629, Koguryo envoys offered gifts
(Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5023).
On Sep.18, 631, T’ai-tsung sent a Garrison Major to Koguryo to
collect the bones of the fighting men who had fallen there in Sui times,
(^5) This is the sequence of events as given byTzu-chih t’ung-chien.Chiu T’ang shu 1:
8a reverses it and places the mission of Kao-tsu ahead of the request for a calendar.
However, the text dates the mission 1st month, chi-yu, which date did not exist.
This makes it clear that 1st month, chi-yu, must be emended to 2nd month, chi-yu
(Mar.3).