Goguryeo高麗

The forebears of Goguryeo came out of Buyeo. The king of Buyeo once took the daughter of Habaek and shut her up in a room. Sunlight shone on her, and she drew her body aside to avoid it, but the shadow of the sun followed her again. Before long she was with child, and she bore a single egg the size of a five-doe measure. The king of Buyeo threw it to the dogs, and the dogs would not eat it. He gave it to the pigs, and the pigs would not eat it. He threw it into the road, and the oxen and horses stepped around it. He threw it into the fields, and the birds covered it with their feathers. The king tried to split it open and could not break it, and so he gave it back to its mother. The mother wrapped it in cloth and set it in a warm place, and a boy broke through the shell and came out. When he grew up they gave him the courtesy name Jumong. In the speech of that country, "Jumong" means one who shoots well. The people of Buyeo said that Jumong had not been born of a human, and asked that he be done away with. The king would not listen, and set him to tend the horses. Jumong tested them in secret, and knowing which were good and which were poor, he cut the feed of the swift ones so that they grew lean, and fed the dull ones well so that they grew fat. The king of Buyeo took the fat ones to ride himself and gave the lean ones to Jumong. Later, when they hunted in the fields, they gave Jumong only a single arrow, saying that he shot well. Yet with one arrow Jumong killed a great many beasts. The ministers of Buyeo again plotted to kill him. His mother told Jumong of it, and Jumong fled to the southeast with two men, Eonwi and another. Halfway there he came to a great river. He wished to cross and there was no bridge, and the men of Buyeo were pressing hard behind him. Jumong spoke to the water and said, "I am the son of the sun and the grandson of Habaek by his daughter. The soldiers who chase me are almost here. How am I to cross?" At this the fish and the turtles made themselves into a bridge, and Jumong crossed over. Then the fish and the turtles broke apart, and the horsemen who followed could not cross. Jumong came at last to the Busulsu, where he met three men. One wore hempen clothes, one wore patched clothes, and one wore clothes of water-weed. They came with Jumong to the fortress of Heulseunggol and settled there. He named the state Goguryeo, and from this he took Go (高) as his surname. The wife he had left in Buyeo was with child, and after Jumong fled she bore a son, Siryeohae. When the boy grew up and learned that Jumong had become king of a state, he fled home to him with his mother. He was named Yeodal, and the affairs of the state were put in his charge.

Jumong died and his son Yeoyul ascended the throne. Yeoyul died and his son Mangnae ascended the throne, and he took Buyeo into his own state.

In the fourth year of Yuanfeng under Emperor Wu of Han, Joseon was destroyed and the commandery of Xuantu was set up, and Goguryeo was made a county under it. In the time of Han, whenever robes and head cloths and court dress and drums and pipes were bestowed, they were always received at the commandery of Xuantu. Later the people grew haughty by degrees and no longer went to the commandery, but built a small fortress on their eastern border and received the gifts there. And so this fortress came to be called Chaengguru. "Guru" is the word for a fortress in the speech of Guryeo. In the early years of Wang Mang, troops of Goguryeo were called up to strike the Hu, and they did not wish to go. Mang forced them out, and once beyond the frontier they all turned to raiding and robbery. The provinces and commanderies laid the blame on Chu (騶), the marquis of Guryeo, and Yan You lured him in and cut off his head. Mang was greatly pleased, and changed the name Goguryeo to Haguryeo, and the title to marquis of Haguryeo. In the eighth year of Jianwu under Emperor Guangwu, Goguryeo sent an envoy with tribute.

Between the reigns of Emperor Shang and Emperor An, Gung (King Taejo), a descendant of Mangnae, raided Liaodong again and again. Cai Feng, the grand administrator of Xuantu, struck at him and could not hold him back.

Gung died and his son Baekgo ascended the throne. Between the reigns of Emperor Shun and Emperor Huan he again invaded and plundered Liaodong many times. In the second year of Jianning under Emperor Ling, Geng Lin, the grand administrator of Xuantu, struck at him and took several hundred heads, and then Baekgo submitted and was attached to Liaodong. When Gongsun Du held sway east of the sea, Baekgo entered into friendly relations with him.

Baekgo died and his son Iimo ascended the throne. Already in Baekgo's time Iimo had raided Liaodong many times, and he had also taken in more than five hundred households of Hu who had fled to him. In the Jian'an years Gongsun Kang sent out troops and struck him, broke his state, and burned his villages, and the Hu who had submitted also turned against him. Iimo then built a new state elsewhere. Afterward Iimo again struck at Xuantu, and Xuantu joined forces with Liaodong and struck back and broke him badly.

Iimo died and his son Wigung (King Dongcheon) ascended the throne. In earlier days Gung, the great-grandfather of Wigung, had been born with his eyes open and able to see, and the people of the country hated him for it. When he grew up he was cruel and violent, and the state was ruined by him. Wigung too could see people at his birth, and since in Goguryeo a likeness between two things is called "wi" (位), he was named Wigung because he was like his great-grandfather Gung. Wigung also had courage and strength, was at ease in the saddle, and shot and hunted well. In the second year of Jingchu under Wei, the grand tutor, Prince Xuan of Sima, led a host to strike Gongsun Wenyi, and Wigung sent his registrar and a daega with several thousand men to help the army. In the third year of Zhengshi, Wigung raided Anping in Liaoxi. In the fifth year, Guanqiu Jian, the inspector of You Province, led ten thousand men out from Xuantu to strike Wigung, and they fought a great battle at Biryu. Wigung was beaten and fled, and Jian pursued him as far as Jeonghyeon, then hung up his carts and roped his horses to climb Mount Hwando, and put the capital there to the sword. Wigung fled far away, taking only his wife and children. In the sixth year Jian struck at him again, and Wigung, travelling light with the several ga, fled to Okjeo. Jian sent the general Wang Qi after him, and Wang Qi passed more than a thousand li beyond Okjeo and came to the southern edge of Suksin, where he cut an inscription in stone to record his deeds. He also carved one on Mount Hwando and set an inscription at the fortress of Burae, and then returned. After this Goguryeo again had dealings with the Central Xia (中夏).

In the disorder of the Yongjia years under Jin, Murong Hui of the Xianbei held Daji Fortress at Changli, and Emperor Yuan granted him the post of inspector of Ping Province. Eulbulli (King Micheon), the great-great-grandson of Wigung, raided Liaodong again and again, and Hui could not check him.

Eulbulli died and his son Soe (King Gogugwon) ascended the throne in his place. In the fourth year of Jianguo under Wei, Huang, the son of Murong Hui, struck at him. He came in by Namhyeop and fought at Mokjeo, and broke Soe's army badly, and pursued him as far as Hwando. Soe fled on a single horse. Huang dug open the tomb of Soe's father, carried off his mother and his wife, his treasures, and more than fifty thousand men and women, burned his palace, tore down the fortress of Hwando, and went back. Soe was later killed by Baekje.

By the tenth year of Taiyuan under Emperor Xiaowu of Jin, Guryeo attacked the commanderies of Liaodong and Xuantu. Murong Chui of Later Yan sent his younger brother Nong to strike Guryeo, and he recovered the two commanderies. Bao, the son of Chui, made An (King Gwanggaeto), the king of Guryeo, the shepherd of Ping Province and enfeoffed him as king of the two states of Liaodong and Daifang. Then for the first time the offices of chief clerk, marshal, and staff officer were set up, and afterward Guryeo took possession of the commandery of Liaodong.

In the time of Emperor Taiwu, Ryeon (King Jangsu), the great-grandson of Soe, first sent an envoy to Andong. He presented a memorial and offered the products of his land, and at the same time asked for the names that the dynasty held taboo. Emperor Taiwu praised his sincerity and ordered the imperial genealogy and the taboo names to be sent down to his state. He sent Li Ao, gentleman cavalier attendant of the outer bureau, to invest Ryeon as commander in chief of all military affairs of Liaohai, general who subdues the east, commandant of the Dongyi, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goguryeo. Ao came to where Ryeon lived, the fortress of Pyeongyang, and asked about the state of that country. He reported that it lay more than a thousand li south of Liaodong, that it reached Chaekseong in the east, the small sea in the south, and old Buyeo in the north, and that its households were three times what they had been in the time of the earlier Wei. After this the tribute envoys came one after another, and every year they brought two hundred catties of gold and four hundred catties of silver. At that time Feng Hong fled to him with his followers. Emperor Taiwu sent Feng Bo, cavalier attendant in regular service, with an edict to Ryeon, ordering him to hand Hong over. Ryeon sent up a letter saying that he would serve the royal transforming rule together with Hong, and in the end he did not send him. Emperor Taiwu was angry and was about to go and strike him, but Pi, the prince of Leping, and others argued for waiting until a later time, and so Taiwu let it rest. Hong too was killed by Ryeon in the end.

Later the empress dowager Wenming, holding that the six palaces of Emperor Xianwen were not yet filled, sent down an order to Ryeon to offer up his daughter. Ryeon presented a memorial saying that his daughter had already married, and asked to answer the order with his younger brother's daughter instead. The court allowed it, and sent Zhen, the prince of Anle, and Li Fu, a secretariat official, and others to the border with the betrothal gifts. Ryeon was led astray by what those about him said. They told him, "The court once made a marriage with the Feng, and not long after it destroyed their state. The warning of Yin is not far off. It would be well to decline by some device." Ryeon then sent up a letter falsely saying that his daughter was dead. The court suspected that he was refusing by a trick, and sent Cheng Jun, acting cavalier attendant in regular service, to reprove him sharply, and to say that if his daughter was truly dead, he might choose another woman of his house. Ryeon said, "If the Son of Heaven forgives my earlier fault, I shall respectfully obey the edict." Just then Emperor Xianwen died, and the matter was dropped. When the time of Emperor Xiaowen came, Ryeon's tribute was twice what it had been before, and the gifts sent in return were also increased little by little. At that time Guang Province seized at sea Yeono and others, whom Ryeon had sent as envoys to Qi, and sent them to the palace. Emperor Xiaowen reproved him by edict, saying: "Daocheng killed his own lord with his own hand and stole a title for himself south of the Yangzi. I am just now minded to raise up a fallen state in its old land and to carry on the broken line of the Liu. Yet you cross your border to deal with those outside it and hold converse with a usurping bandit. How is this the duty of a vassal who keeps his faith? I will not let one fault cover your old loyalty, and I send them straight back to your domain. Be moved by this pardon, think on your fault, honor the clear statutes, bring peace to what is under your charge, and report to me whether you stir or stay."

In the fifteenth year of Taihe, Ryeon died at more than a hundred years of age. Emperor Xiaowen held mourning for him in the eastern suburb, and sent Li Anshang, supervisor of the receptionists, with a patent conferring on him as posthumous honors the titles of grand general of chariots and cavalry, grand tutor, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goguryeo, with the posthumous name Gang (康). He also sent the grand herald to invest Un (King Munjamyeong), the grandson of Ryeon, as bearer of the imperial credentials, commander in chief of all military affairs of Liaohai, general who subdues the east, commandant in charge of the Dongyi, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goguryeo, and he bestowed on him caps and robes, carriages, and ornaments of banners. He further ordered by edict that Un send his heir to court so that he might take part in the rites at the suburban altar. Un sent up a letter pleading illness, and sent his father's cousin Seungu along with the envoy to the palace, and was sternly reproved for it. From then on he sent tribute every year without fail. In the Zhengshi years, Emperor Xuanwu received his envoy Ye Silbul in the eastern hall. Silbul came forward and said, "Goryeo has bound its loyalty to the far ends of heaven, and through many generations, with pure sincerity, it has never failed in the royal tribute of what its soil brings forth. But gold comes from Buyeo, and the fine jade stone from Seopra. Now Buyeo has been driven out by the Wuji, and Seopra has been swallowed up by Baekje. Un, the king of our state and your servant, mindful of the duty of joining what has been broken, has moved them all within his borders. That these two goods do not reach the royal storehouse is truly the doing of those two bandits." Emperor Xuanwu said, "Goryeo has borne the charge of high general for generations and has governed beyond the sea alone, and it has indeed had the right to chastise the crafty tribes of the Nine Yi. The failure in the tribute of late is a fault that lies with the regional commanders. You are to set out my will before your lord, and let him use every art of awe and of gathering in, so that the two settlements may return to their old ground and the produce of the soil may not fail in its regular tribute."

In the Shengui years Un died, and the empress dowager Ling held mourning for him in the eastern hall. She sent an envoy with a patent conferring on him as posthumous honors the titles of grand general of chariots and cavalry, commandant in charge of the Dongyi, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goryeo. She also invested his heir An (King Anjang) as general who guards the east, commandant in charge of the Dongyi, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goryeo. In the early years of Zhengguang, Guang Province again seized at sea the cap and robes, the sword and the girdle ornaments of a general who pacifies the east, which Liang had conferred on An, together with the envoy Jiang Fasheng and others, and sent them to the capital.

An died and his son Yeon (King Anwon) ascended the throne. In the early years of Emperor Xiaowu, an edict added to Yeon's titles those of bearer of the imperial credentials, cavalier attendant in regular service, grand general of chariots and cavalry, commandant in charge of the Dongyi, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goguryeo. In the Tianping years an edict added to Yeon's titles those of palace attendant and grand general of agile cavalry, and all the rest was left as before.

Yeon died and his son Seong (King Yangwon) ascended the throne. Down to the end of the Wuding years there was no year in which his tribute envoys failed to come. In the twelfth year of Datong he sent an envoy with tribute to Western Wei. In the year that Qi received the abdication of Eastern Wei, he sent an envoy with tribute to Qi, and Emperor Wenxuan of Qi added to Seong's titles those of bearer of the imperial credentials, palace attendant, and grand general of agile cavalry, while commandant of the Dongyi, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goryeo were left as before. In the third year of Tianbao, Emperor Wenxuan came to Ying Province and sent Cui Liu of Boling as envoy to Goryeo to seek out the people who had drifted there at the end of Wei. He charged Liu by edict, "If they do not comply, act as you see fit." When Liu arrived and was refused, he glared and rebuked them, and struck Seong with his fist so that he fell from his couch. Those about Seong held their breath and did not dare to move, and Seong then apologized and gave way. Liu came back with five thousand households and reported on his mission.

Seong died and his son Tang (King Pyeongwon) ascended the throne. In the first year of Qianming, the deposed emperor of Qi made Tang bearer of the imperial credentials, commandant in charge of the Dongyi, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Goryeo. In the sixth year of Jiande under Zhou, Tang sent an envoy to Zhou, and Emperor Wu made him grand general of the upper opened office equal in rank to the three excellencies, duke of the commandery of Liaodong, and king of Liaodong. When Emperor Wen of Sui received the abdication, Tang sent an envoy to the palace, and he was raised to grand general and enfeoffed anew as king of Goryeo. From then on he sent envoys with tribute every year without a break.

That country reaches Silla in the east and crosses the Liao River in the west, two thousand li across. In the south it touches Baekje and in the north it borders the Malgal, more than a thousand li across. The people all live settled on the land, making their homes along the mountain valleys, and they wear hemp and silk and hides. The soil is thin and poor, and silkworms and farming are not enough to keep them, and so the people are sparing in food and drink. Their king is fond of building up his palaces. His capital is the fortress of Pyeongyang, also called the fortress of Jangan. It is six li from east to west, winding along the mountains, and on the south it looks out over the Paesu. Within the fortress they store only grain and gear, and on the day when raiders come they go in and hold it fast. The king has built himself a separate house beside it, and he does not live in the fortress at all times. Beyond these there are also the fortress of Gungnae and the fortress of Hanseong, which are likewise secondary capitals, and within the country they are called the Three Capitals (三京). There are also several dozen fortresses such as Liaodong and Xuantu, and offices are set in all of them to hold them in charge. They are always raiding and seizing from each other with Silla, and the fighting does not cease.

Among their offices there are the daedaero, the taedaehyeong, the daehyeong, the sohyeong, the gyeonghusa, the ojol, the taedaesaja, the daesaja, the sosaja, the yoksa, the yesok, and the seonin, twelve ranks in all, and they share out the affairs within and without. The daedaero makes himself such by pressing others down and seizing the place by strength or weakness, and he is not appointed by the king. There are also the naepyeong and the yoksal of the five divisions. All the people wear on their heads a jeolpung, shaped like a peaked cap, and men of standing add two bird feathers to it. The cap of the noble is called a sogol, and it is mostly made of purple gauze and adorned with gold and silver. They wear a gown with wide sleeves, wide-mouthed trousers, a plain leather belt, and yellow leather shoes. The women put a border on skirt and jacket. Among their books are the Five Classics, the Three Histories, the Sanguo zhi, and the Jinyang qiu. Their weapons are much the same as those of China. At the great hunts of spring and autumn the king takes part in person. The tax is five bolts of cloth and five seom of grain. Wanderers pay a tax once in three years, ten men together paying one bolt of fine cloth. The land rent is one seom a household, seven mal for the next grade, and five mal for the lowest. As for their penal law, those who rebel or plot treason are bound to a post, burned, and then beheaded, and their households are confiscated. For theft they must repay tenfold, and if a man is too poor to repay, or is in debt to the state or to a private person, he is allowed to reckon his sons and daughters as slaves in payment. Their punishments are harsh, and few break the law. Among their instruments are the five-stringed zither, the geomungo, the jaeng, the piri, the transverse flute, the so, and the drum, and they blow on reeds to keep the tune. At the beginning of every year they gather to play on the banks of the Paesu. The king rides in a waist-borne palanquin and watches with his feathered guard drawn up. When it is over the king goes into the water in his clothes, and they divide into two sides, left and right, splashing and throwing water and stones at one another, shouting and chasing back and forth two or three times, and then they stop.

By custom they take pleasure in being clean, they set store by bearing, and they hold it respectful to walk with quick short steps. When they bow they drag one leg. When they stand they mostly clasp their hands behind them. When they walk they always tuck their hands into their sleeves. In nature they are given to deceit, their speech is coarse, and they make no distinction between close kin and distant, so that father and son bathe in the same stream and sleep in the same room. They are fond of singing and dancing, and they always sacrifice to heaven in the tenth month. The clothing at their public gatherings is all of brocade and embroidery, adorned with gold and silver. They like to squat on their heels, and they eat from low stands and tables. Horses three feet high are bred there, said to be of the stock that Jumong rode, and these are the gwaha horses. By custom they hold licence in honor and are not ashamed of it. There are many roving women, and a husband is not a fixed thing. At night men and women gather in crowds and sport together, with no distinction of high or low. Marriage is made as soon as a man and a woman take a liking to each other. The man's house sends pork and wine and nothing more, and there is no rite of taking a wife with goods. If anyone does take goods, people all hold it shameful and call it selling a slave girl. The dead are laid out within the house, and after three years a lucky day is chosen for burial. For the mourning of parents and of a husband they wear the garments three years, and for a brother three months. At first they weep and wail, but at the burial they beat drums and dance and make music to send the dead away. When the burying is done they set beside the grave the clothes and trinkets, the carriage and horses that the dead used in life, and those who have come to the burial scramble for them and carry them off. They believe in the law of the Buddha and revere the spirits, and there are many licentious shrines. There are two shrines of the gods. One is called the god of Buyeo, where a woman's image is carved from wood. The other is called the god Godeung, said to be the son of the god of Buyeo, their founder. Offices are set at both, and men are sent to guard them, and these are said to be the daughter of Habaek and Jumong.

After Sui had subdued Chen, Tang was greatly afraid. He drew up his troops and stored up grain, making his plans to hold and resist. In the seventeenth year of Kaihuang the emperor sent down a sealed letter, reproving him in these terms. He sent envoys and brought tribute year by year, yet though he called himself a vassal he did not give full loyalty. He had driven and pressed the Malgal and kept the Khitan shut in. In a past year he had secretly worked with bribes, stirred up small men, and taken crossbow makers with him in private into a lesser state; how was this not the theft of a man whose intent was ill? He had left the envoys sitting in an empty guesthouse under close watch, and he had sent horsemen out again and again to kill people on the border, and he was always full of suspicion and spied out news in secret. The letter admonished him earnestly and allowed him to make himself new again. Tang received the letter in dread and was about to send up a memorial of apology, when he fell ill and died.

His son Won (King Yeongyang) succeeded him. Emperor Wen sent an envoy to invest Won as grand general of the upper opened office equal in rank to the three excellencies, to inherit the rank of duke of Liaodong, and he bestowed on him a set of robes. Won presented a memorial giving thanks for the favor, offered congratulations on an auspicious omen, and with that asked to be enfeoffed as king. Emperor Wen treated him generously and invested him as king. The next year Won led more than ten thousand Malgal horsemen and raided Liaoxi, and Wei Shichong, the commandant general of Ying Province, struck at him and drove him off. The emperor was greatly angered and named Liang, the prince of Han, as marshal, to take charge of both the naval and the land forces and strike him, and he sent down an edict stripping Won of his rank. At that time the provisions did not keep up, and the six armies ran short of food. The troops went out through the Linyu Pass and met with plague besides, and the royal army did not prosper. When they camped at the Liao River, Won too was afraid, and sent an envoy to apologize, presenting a memorial in which he called himself "Won, your servant of the dung and soil of Liaodong," and so forth. The emperor then broke off the campaign and treated him as he had at first, and Won for his part sent tribute every year.

When Emperor Yang succeeded to the throne, the empire was at its fullest. The king of Gaochang and Qimin Qaghan of the Tujue both came in person to the palace with tribute, and so Won was summoned to come to court. Won was afraid, and he fell badly short in the rites of a vassal. In the seventh year of Daye the emperor was about to punish Won's offense. His carriage crossed the Liao River, and he camped in the land of Liaodong and sent out his armies by separate roads, each halting its troops beneath a fortress. When Goryeo came out to fight it mostly fared badly, and they all shut their fortresses and held them fast. The emperor ordered his armies to attack, and he also charged his generals that if Goryeo surrendered they were to receive them gently and not let the troops go in. Whenever a fortress was about to fall the enemy would at once say they surrendered, and the generals, holding to the order, did not dare to seize the moment, but first sent word by fast rider. By the time the answer came back, the enemy's defenses were ready again and they came out to fight once more. This happened three times, and the emperor did not see it. Because of this the food ran out, the army grew weary, and the transport did not keep up, and many of the armies were beaten, and so he turned the troops home. On that campaign they took only the enemy fort of Muryeora west of the Liao River, set up the commandery of Liaodong and the garrison of Tongding, and came back. In the ninth year the emperor went out to campaign in person again, and charged his armies by edict to act as they saw fit. The generals attacked the fortresses by separate roads, and the enemy's strength grew straitened day by day. Just then Yang Xuangan rose in revolt. The emperor was greatly afraid, and that same day he brought all six armies back. Husi Zheng, the vice minister of war, fled into Goryeo, and Goryeo, knowing now how matters stood, came after them with all their best troops, and the rear guard was badly beaten. In the tenth year he again called up the troops of the empire, but just then bandits rose like a swarm of bees, the roads were blocked everywhere, and many of the troops missed their appointed time. When he reached the Liao River, Goryeo too was worn out and sent an envoy to beg for surrender, sending Husi Zheng back to atone for their fault. The emperor allowed it, halted at the garrison of Huaiyuan to receive their surrender, and went back with the captives and the spoils of war. When he reached the capital he had the envoy of Goryeo make the report at the ancestral temple in person, and then he kept him under detention. He again summoned Won to come to court, but Won did not come in the end. The emperor planned a further campaign for a later day, but just then the empire fell into ruin and disorder, and so he never went again.