Book V 34328th Day (Mujin)
The commanders and officers under the command of various military com-
missioners received a beating with a heavy paddle because their superiors
failed to attend the sacrifice to the banner.Chŏn I, magistrate of Koksan, submitted a proposal to the Privy Council:
“As I hear, it is the general and permanent law of the nation to prepare
against unexpected troubles by training soldiers and stocking up on provi-
sions. However, the troops cannot be hidden from the enemy unless they
have rugged places as cover, and the military provisions they saved can only
help the enemy when they have no strong fortresses to protect them. Only
after the provisions are safely preserved in strong fortresses and the troops
are stationed at strategic points can our army fight against an exhausted
enemy, and our well- nourished army can then wait for the starved enemy,
and eventually they will be able to suppress the enemy.
“In earlier times, when Tang emperor Taizong invaded to attack our Ansi
Fortress, Generals Ko Yŏnsu and Ko Hyejin^14 were dispatched to save the
fortress. Taizong said to his generals, ‘The best action Yŏnsu can take to
fight against us is to build and fortify the bastions along the fortresses and
take their time, waiting in the rugged places and eating their provisions
until our army gets tired.’ When Yŏnsu and Hyejin were about to leave, the
chancellor [Ko Chŏngŭi],^15 who was old and experienced, said to them,
‘Taizong of Tang is known to be the most distinguished and talented person
in his time, and he arrived leading all his armies. So it is not a good idea to
risk a direct confrontation with them. What you should do is wait indefi-
nitely, without fighting, and carry out surprise attacks to cut off their supply
lines. When they run out of provisions, they cannot fight even if they want
to, and they cannot go back because there will be no route they can take.
Then you can surely win the war.’
“Nevertheless, Yŏnsu disregarded his advice and decided to confront the
enemy directly. As a result, he lost the battle and surrendered to the enemy.
What the chancellor said to Yŏnsu, therefore, was no other than what
- The military generals of Koguryŏ during the reign of King Pojang (642–668). When
Tang emperor Taizong attacked Ansi Fortress in 645, they fought with an the army of 150,000
Korean and Mohe troops, lost, and surrendered to the Tang emperor along with their army. - A chancellor and military strategist during the reign of King Pojang of Koguryŏ.