Korean Empire

[democracy101]

Thanks everyone for the comments, positive or negative.

By the next day, King Asin had ridden off to battle.

According to reports (they had better be correct), Japan would land by the following day, so his troops would have to fight alone for a while.

So much for dignity and pride. He crossed his fingers and hoped that there would be no retaliation.

After the troops were positioned in preparation for the (hopeful) final assault, he began to have second doubts about this whole situation. Baekje was being threatened with submission or conquest, and he was boldly attempting to conquer another kingdom.

Who knew, maybe he could get away with it all.

With a voice that ranked of tiredness, he cried out,

“Charge!”

The troops surged forward, and attacked their enemy with all their might. Chaos ravaged the battlefield, but he knew that it was necessary for him to attempt this as an act of desperation.

Hours passed, and the battle still continued. Asin was not surprised, because he had invaded several times before with little gain, but he was growing desperate at this point. This was done as a last resort, and if minor gains were to be made, then he would have no choice but to surrender outright.

Night soon fell, and Baekje made little gains, but they still managed to weaken Silla’s forces considerably. With luck, they might push them back to their capital within a week, at which point they would have capitulated, and then he would focus attention on Gaya.

With the southern Korean peninsula under his control, he would then be in a better position for peace negotiations, and he would then be able to expand the capability of his troops, hopefully disciplined enough to push into Goguryeo and gain back some of their former pride.

Besides, if worst came to worst, he could always flee to Liaodong, and attempt to mount a resistance.

But he had to focus on matters at hand, and the first thing that he needed to do immediately was to sleep.

The next day, both sides resumed fighting, and they actually managed to defeat and surge past their troops, greatly raising Baekje’s morale. Maybe they could get to Silla in three days after all.

He heard later that the Japanese had landed on the eastern coast of Silla, and they were also hastily making their way across, pleasing Asin greatly. Now they would have a much greater chance of negotiations with Goguryeo, and he would be safe from further threats.

On the third day, the troops stalled, but Asin still remained confident that he would be able to achieve his objective.

However . . .

“Your majesty! Goguryeo has assembled their troops, and is almost upon us!”

Oh my . . .

“They are also in the process of laying siege to our capital!”

“This is horrible!” he said to himself.

“Assemble troops to the north in preparation for the attack!”

“Yes sir!”

Now he really had to reconsider his decisions, considering that he had greatly underestimated Goguryeo’s plans.



From a few miles away, Gwanggaeto was furious.

“What could possibly be the matter with him?” he thought to himself. “They know that they’re weak, so they just simply have to reject our sensible request and belligerently attack a weaker country? Well, we’ll show them!”

Within a few hours, he was within striking distance of the battle.

“Prepare the troops and attack with all your might!” he ordered. “Leave no survivors!”

“Yes, your highness.”

The battle quickly turned into a three-way battle, and there was carnage everywhere. Gwanggaeto heavily regretted making this decision, but he simply had to do it to prevent further chaos from occurring. If Baekje became too powerful, his throne would be threatened, and this time, there would be no turning back. He would have to simply fight until the last man.

The battle lasted until the next day, and Gwanggaeto was starting to become worried. He had to put down two countries that were closely connected to each other in some way, and another which he thought that shouldn’t have been involved in the whole situation at all.

What was up with the world nowadays?

After a long, drawn out conflict, it was finally over. The entire battle had taken five days, and he had only participated for two of them. In all, it was a great victory for Goguryeo.

However, Asin had escaped. Gwanggaeto was beginning to worry that he had probably escaped across to Liaodong, and was mounting a resistance movement there.

First things first, however. Baekje’s capital had been successfully taken, eliminating further resistance there, and he needed to get rid of Silla and Gaya. Then he would reign supreme . . .

 

[democracy101]

By the end of the month, Gwanggaeto had regained confidence, as he had taken down Silla and Gaya, finally uniting the Korean peninsula.

But Baekje still remained in Liaodong . . . that would prove to be a huge problem.

However, he still had other issues that he needed to focus on at the moment. Japan must be reckoned with, because he simply couldn’t have them invade when he was focused on China. He doubted that they would submit to them, because they had been allied with Baekje, not Goguryeo.

So he decided to gather his troops on his ships once again to mount an assault on Japan.

The fighting lasted slightly over a month, but after he managed to capture the capital, the remaining soldiers capitulated, eliminating the need for future battles. Japan then became a colony.

He still had problems that he needed to resolve in Manchuria, though. He first conquered northern Manchuria in order to utilize its natural resources.

Then, he turned attention to Dongbuyeo.

The Dongbuyeo simply needed to be conquered because they were getting in his way of restoring Goguryeo to its former glory.

It took him a year to adequately prepare his forces, as he reorganized the troops, who were now from Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and Japan, so that they would become more efficient and subservient to him. After all of the changes were made, he launched a surprise attack on their capital, easily taking control, and forcing the troops to surrender. Gwanggaeto had finally managed to gain control of the entire Korean peninsula by 397.

After going back to Goguryeo, he finally gave his troops a needed rest for five years after years of fighting. He also needed it, as he felt that the stresses from the battlefield were taking their toll.

However, he still retained more ambition. Although he knew that the task would not be easy, he needed to take down the Yan, which had interfered, along with Baekje, in Goguryeo’s affairs in the middle of the fourth century, setting back Goguryeo’s expansion for several decades. He had to then reckon with Northern Wei, which had almost succeeded in destroying Goguryeo in 244 by sacking the capital; Goguryeo eventually came back 70 years later by conquering the Lelang Commandery, which was the sole remaining Han influence in the Korean Peninsula, and began its steep rise to power.

This effort was much more extensive, taking three years to just train Goguryeo’s troops, which had expanded to 500,000 at this time, as the people of Dongbuyeo needed to be incorporated into the greatly expanding empire. For the first time, Gwanggaeto decided to create mock battles in order to simulate what would be going on in the battlefield. This greatly sped up the training, as the troops were actually active instead of just listening to their commanders about basic tactics.

By the time his troops were prepared to invade the Yan, it was already 405. Gwanggaeto was only 31 years old, and had ruled for 14 years, so the whole conflict seemed to be to his advantage.

But the war was close. After five years of intense fighting, with 250,000 Yan and 100,000 Goguryeo casualties, Gwanggaeto decided that he should probably exercise restraint, and gave his troops another needed break, but only for three years this time, as he felt that the Northen Wei, Western and Later Qin, and Baekje, who still remained in Liaodong, needed to be quickly wiped out.

However, this time, it was the three Chinese kingdoms who struck first after becoming allies, and burned several villages before Gwanggaeto decided that the matter was getting out of hand. He quickly conscripted more troops (in OTL, conscription could only be avoided if people paid more grain tax), raising the number to 750,000. The Northern Wei, Western, and Later Qin, though, who were more of a match for Goguryeo, had raised 1,500,000 troops (took estimate considering that the Sui invaded Goguryeo with 3,000,000), and Gwanggaeto feared that he might suffer several defeats.

The first few battles yielded in some initial gains for Goguryeo, but then Baekje allied with the three kingdoms, causing more consternation for Gwanggaeto. He finally decided that it was time, and invaded Baekje outright, destroying them completely in 413. He then resumed conflict with the three. The entire conflict lasted seven years, and he finally brought them under his power in 420.

Now he was really concerned about overexpansion, as he had finally managed to dominate full-fledged Chinese kingdoms, something that no Korean had ever done before, but he realized that this was only possible because of careful training and taking advantage of fragmented China.

In doing so, however, he lost 250,000, and the Chinese lost 400,000.

Finally, it was time for celebration. He knew that the Liu Song was still a threatening power to the south, but Gwanggaeto had still managed to unite northern China, something that he never even thought of doing only ten years before. He gave himself titles similar to that of the Chinese, finally elevating his status to that of an emperor, and declared that Goguryeo should henceforth become known as the Empire of Goguryeo.

However, this sparked outrage from the Liu Song, who saw themselves as the rightful heir to the Chinese throne, and launched sent troops the following year, which Goguryeo narrowly managed to defeat. Although Gwanggaeto only managed to gather 1,000,000 troops against the Liu Song’s 2,000,000, and his troops were suffering greatly from either exhaustion or inexperience, he barely managed to lure the enemy into a series of traps, and routed them on various occasions. It would be one of the bloodiest wars in history, with 500,000 Goguryeo troops killed and 900,000 Liu Song troops slaughtered, and lasting 10 years, but Gwanggaeto finally emerged victorious in 430, finally managing to unite all of China for the first time in Korean history, something that he had never expected just 20 years ago.

When the Tibetan kingdom and two other minor ones sent ambassadors, he almost had a heart attack, but relaxed greatly when he learned that they would become vassal states. Gwanggaeto, with all of his aggressiveness and cunning skills, had managed to rule over one of the greatest empires in history.

Although Gwanggaeto planned to conquer the Rouran, five years after the Tibetans submitted, he died peacefully in his sleep in 435, at the age of 61, and 44 years into his reign, never losing a single battle.



If you’re confused about the years (believe me, I was), here’s a summary:

391-Gwanggaeto comes to power

397-Gwanggaeto conquers Baekje (Korean peninsula), Silla, Japan, and Manchuria

405- Dongbuyeo conquered; Korean peninsula united

410- Yan conquered

413- Baekje (Liaodong) conquered

420- Northen Wei, Western and Later Qin conquered; Gwanggaeto becomes emperor

430- Liu Song conquered; Korea conquers all of China; Tibet & two minor kingdoms become vassals

435- Gwanggaeto dies at age 61, ruled for 44 years

 

[Fenrir_Angerboda]

I find the part about conquering Japan before the Rest of Korea, and then 25 years latter all of China ASB.

 

[democracy101]

It's not really ASB at all.

At this point in OTL, Japan is almost a tributary state of Goguryeo. Some say that Japan had conquered parts of Korea around that time, but that's almost like saying that a country in Africa in the 17th century managed to conquer parts of Europe.

Japan was technologically undeveloped, with no written language, songs, and much of a culture. An ambassador from provided most of these somewhere around the 3rd or 4th century.

 

[democracy101]

Sorry about the numerous edits and long delay; I had AP Sp Lit and AP Calc BC tests, so I kind of rushed things a little.

Although I don't have a chunk ready yet, here's a map:



Korean possessions are in shades of blue; Dark blue represents Korea proper (Manchuria, Dongbuyeo, Yan, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaya, and Japan), blue represents Korean colonies (Northern and Southern China), and teal represents vassal states (Tibet).

Red is the Rouran, dark green is the Western Roman Empire, and green is the Eastern Roman Empire.

Any comments?

 

[maverick]

If Krall was here he'd call it the worst map ever*...don't ever show your face in the map thread, btw

J/K, but just as a general heads up, there's some people around who really take their maps seriously...

Also, as many others will tell you, I'm forced to resort to the cliche comment of "I don't know enough about this time period/region/character to comment, but please write more"

So, generally I like it.

*Except he'd do it in a very hammy, over the top, epic melodramatic way, like Jack Nicholson in...any Jack Nicholson movie.

 

[democracy101]

Wait why would Krall call it that?

Well I've seen some pretty weird ones on the Map Thread, why not?

I think I take my map pretty seriously too

Well yes, my whole point of making this timeline is to enlighten others on Korean history, or basically, how one of the most undercommented countries in the world could go on to conquer so much territory because it had so much unnoticed potential.

 

[maverick]

Wait why would Krall call it that?

Indeed, maybe you should show it to him and post it in the map thread

Well yes, my whole point of making this timeline is to enlighten others on Korean history, or basically, how one of the most undercommented countries in the world could go on to conquer so much territory because it had so much unnoticed potential.

Indeed, and for that, I salute you!

 

[democracy101]

Indeed, maybe you should show it to him and post it in the map thread

Haha, is he going to berate me that much?

Indeed, and for that, I salute you!

Why thank you, good sir

 

[maverick]

Haha, is he going to berate me that much?

Oh, you have no idea...I think one of his rants made it to someone's sig, but I don't remember, so check his general comments in the Map thread to get an idea

 

[democracy101]

Oh, you have no idea...I think one of his rants made it to someone's sig, but I don't remember, so check his general comments in the Map thread to get an idea

Haha I'll take a look and try to show him the map, but I'll have to edit it first by adding the Mayans, some minor kingdoms in South America and Africa, and the Guptas.

 

[Cylon_Number_14]

I just read through the TL and again, I am fascinated to see another timeline on Asian history pre-1900. It's an area that we need to see more of!

 

[democracy101]

I couldn't edit my post by adding an attachment, so I put the edits here:

Although I don't have a chunk ready yet, here's a map:



Korean possessions are in shades of blue; Dark blue represents Korea proper (Manchuria, Dongbuyeo, Yan, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, Gaya, and Japan), blue represents Korean colonies (Northern and Southern China), and teal represents vassal states (Tibet).

Purple is the Maya, gray represents minor kingdoms (Andean city-states, Germanic barbarians, and minor sourthern Indian states), dark green is the Western Roman Empire, green is the Eastern Roman Empire, brown is Axum, yellow is the Sassanid Persian Empire, Orange is the Gupta, dark red is the Rouran, red is Funan, olive is Champa, and light yellow is Srivijaya.

Any comments?

 

[democracy101]

I apologize for the extreme delay. I had to study for a couple of AP tests, and it took an eternity to update the maps so that it wasn't just a bunch of straight lines which seemed to offend some people. Anyone who visited this timeline in the last two weeks must have thought that this had been dead a long time ago, but I'll try to update more frequently from now on.

Anyway, here's a more UCS and realistic version of the first map:

 

[democracy101]

And here's the story. The chunks are going to be quicker, yet shorter, from now on.

After the chaotic events which occurred within a span of less than 50 years, Gwanggaeto’s son, Jangsu, became emperor.

From the beginning, he negotiated an alliance with the Rouran in 436, which continued for more than 350 years. Soon after, he claimed the Mandate of Heaven that made his rule over China legitimate, and retroactively bestowed it on Gwanggaeto.

He then sent ambassadors to Champa, Funan, Srivijaya, the Ainu, and Taiwan in 437, asking them to become tributary states. They responded favorably by agreeing to the request. After all, they were only minor kingdoms, and they wouldn’t have had much to gain by resisting, seeing that Goguryeo had dominated China.

After successfully establishing peace, both inside the country and with neighboring countries, and finally managing to dominate East and Southeast Asia, Goguryeo finally began its entry into its Golden Age. Major advancements were made in art, government, and culture, and the people began to have a growing sense of confidence in both their emperor and their government.

After maintaining stability and encouraging the prosperous Golden Age, Jangsu died at the ripe old age of 97 in 491.

The following emperors continued the Golden Age by maintaining the prosperous and flourishing situation that helped the people have a sense of stability and trust in the government. Because the empire initially had a difficult time in maintaining such large swaths of territory, the government commissioned a few scholars to create a map of the known world in 514.

Meanwhile, Goguryeo continued its expansion thorough Asia. After much diplomatic persuasion, the Guptas managed to agree to become a tributary state in 515, and after a bit of resistance, the Sassanids decided to make an alliance with the growing empire two years later.

When the map was finally completed in the same year, Korea had managed to expand from a small area in southern Manchuria and the northern Korean Peninsula to spreading across most of Asia and dominating the trade along the Silk Road. Other traders passing by had to acknowledge their dominance, and the unification made the situation peaceful because there were no disputes over what country controlled what as a result of the regulation, and there were no middlemen who held a certain advantage.

Although Goguryeo initially thought about making contact with the Byzantine Empire other than just trade, it decided to let the situation stay because it realized that overextending its territory and resources would just strain the empire overall and bring about a quick end. After all, just because it had taken advantage of fragmented China and newly emerging kingdoms did not necessarily mean that the Byzantines would also fall easily. They reasoned that because the Roman Empire had held sway over southern Europe and northern Africa, the cultural influences would still be evident, and the people would be unwilling to turn against their empire.

The next few decades passed peacefully in this manner, and relatively little changed when Anwon died in 545. Little did they know, however, that the storms of warfare had only started to gather in the horizon . . .

Here's the map of the world after the death of Anwon in 545:



Any comments?

 

[maverick]

The maps have certainly improved...

I'll nevertheless wait until I'm done re-reading the story from the beginning before giving a better opinion.

 

[democracy101]

The maps have certainly improved...

I'll nevertheless wait until I'm done re-reading the story from the beginning before giving a better opinion.

Thx for the positive comment. It's the first one in a long while.

I don't think that there is much to my timeline except for the fact that Goguryeo decides to turn its attention outward and decides to take advantage of a fragmented China. The rest follows naturally, as if you dominate China, it doesn't really take long to exert influence over minor states who had basically paid tribute to maintain their existence.

Goguryeo might have been militarily weaker because it had a smaller population, but its kings and emperors were certainly competent enough to resist Chinese rule. I mean, just look at the Sui-Goguryeo Wars. Even though the Sui managed to field about 3 million troops, Goguryeo somehow flooded a dam so that most of them were swept away.

However, the battles greatly drained Goguryeo's resources, and the Silla-Tang alliance eventually managed to crush the last of its willpower by sending spies to divide the three brothers who had control over the country after conquering Baekje. However, the spirited resistance was not over, as only a few years later, Balhae was founded in Manchuria and managed to occupy more territory than that of Goguryeo.

I also have to fix the first map because the Persian borders are off, and Persia, the Guptas, and the Rouran are not alliances/tributaries of Korea. That will be done by tomorrow.

 

[democracy101]

Here's the third (and last) edit for the first map.

 

[chornedsnorkack]

He then sent ambassadors to Champa, Funan, Srivijaya, the Ainu, and Taiwan in 437, asking them to become tributary states. They responded favorably by agreeing to the request. After all, they were only minor kingdoms,
Any comments?

That's where things get absurd.

Ainu and Taiwan were not minor kingdoms, or any kind of kingdoms at all, in 437. Nor were they such in 1437. They could not have become tributary states without becoming states in the first place.

Which means there was no one to send ambassadors to. There were no capitals or rulers to seize. Japan did not make Ainu a tributary state - in 19th century they were conquered as tribesmen, after Japan had had a small toehold in the form of Japanese colonists and samurai in Matsumae for centuries. Likewise with Taiwan and, for the matter, Hainan. There never was a native state there whom the Chinese could conquer or make tributary.

 

[democracy101]

That's where things get absurd.

Ainu and Taiwan were not minor kingdoms, or any kind of kingdoms at all, in 437. Nor were they such in 1437. They could not have become tributary states without becoming states in the first place.

Which means there was no one to send ambassadors to. There were no capitals or rulers to seize. Japan did not make Ainu a tributary state - in 19th century they were conquered as tribesmen, after Japan had had a small toehold in the form of Japanese colonists and samurai in Matsumae for centuries. Likewise with Taiwan and, for the matter, Hainan. There never was a native state there whom the Chinese could conquer or make tributary.

Well then could they become colonies?