Battle of Kuju

Not to be confused with Siege of Kuju.
Battle of Kwiju
Part of Third Goryeo-Khitan War

Battle of Kwiju
Date10 March 1019
Location
Kuju (present-day Kusong), North Pyongan
Result Goryeo victory[1][2]
Belligerents
Liao dynasty Goryeo
Commanders and leaders
Xiao Paiya Kang Kam-ch'an[3]
Kang Min-ch'ŏm
Kim Chong-hyŏn
Strength
100,000[4] 208,300[5]
Casualties and losses
90,000+ Few thousand
Battle of Kuju
Traditional Chinese龜州大捷
Simplified Chinese龟州大捷
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuīzhōu dàjié
Battle of Kuju
Hangul
귀주대첩 or 구주대첩
Hanja
龜州大捷
Revised RomanizationGwiju Daecheop or Guju Daecheop
McCune–ReischauerKwiju Taech'ŏp or Kuju Taech'ŏp

The Battle of Kwiju, also known as the Battle of Kuju, which occurred in 1019, was the major battle during the Third Goryeo–Khitan War (1018-1019), fought between the Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China and the Goryeo dynasty of Korea.

After crossing the Amnok River, the Liao dynasty troops invaded the Goryeo dynasty. The Goryeo general Kang Kam-ch'an dammed a stream and released it as the Liao troops were crossing. Despite suffering significant casualties, Liao troops marched to Gaegyeong, the capital of Goryeo.

During their campaign, general Kang Kam-ch'an cut the supplies of the Liao troops and harassed them relentlessly. Exhausted, the Liao troops decided to retreat hastily northward. Monitoring the movement of their troops, general Kang Kamch'an attacked them in the vicinity of Gwiju, ending in a complete victory for the Goryeo dynasty.[6] The battle is considered one of the greatest victories in Korean military history.

  1. ^ Yu, Chai-Shin (2012). The New History of Korean Civilization. iUniverse. p. 71. ISBN 9781462055593. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  2. ^ Twitchett, Denis C.; Franke, Herbert; Fairbank, John King (1978). The Cambridge History of China: Volume 6, Alien Regimes and Border States, 907-1368. Cambridge University Press. pp. 111–112. ISBN 9780521243315. Retrieved 30 July 2016. In 1018 a huge new expeditionary force was mobilized by the Khitan and placed under the command of Hsiao P'ai-ya. The army crossed the Yalu late in 1018 but was ambushed by a superior Koryŏ force, suffering severe losses. The Koryŏ army had also cut their line of retreat, and so Hsiao P'ai-ya marched south, planning to take the capital Kaegyŏng, as in 1011. But this time the Koreans had prepared defenses around the capital, and the Khitan, constantly harried by Korean attacks, were forced to retreat toward the Yalu. At Kuju, between the Ch'a and T'o rivers, they were encircled and attacked by the main Koryŏ forces, which almost annihilated the Khitan army. Only a few thousand men managed to return to the Liao border. This was by far the worst defeat suffered by the Khitan during Sheng-tsung's reign, and in consequence Hsiao P'ai-ya was stripped of all his titles and offices and disgraced.
  3. ^ Battle of Guju - Naver encyclopedia
  4. ^ Rossabi, Morris (1983-05-20). China Among Equals: The Middle Kingdom and Its Neighbors, 10th-14th Centuries. University of California Press. p. 323. ISBN 9780520045620. Retrieved 30 July 2016.
  5. ^ "고려사절요 > 高麗史節要 卷3 > 顯宗元文大王 > 顯宗 九年 > 12월 > 강감찬 등이 거란의 소손녕에게 맞서 대승을 거두다". 고려사절요.
  6. ^ Yu, Chai-Shin (2012). The New History of Korean Civilization. iUniverse. p. 71. ISBN 9781462055593. Retrieved 30 July 2016.