Han conquest of Gojoseon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Han conquest of Gojoseon |
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 The expansion of Han dynasty in 2nd century BC |
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
| Wiman Joseon | Han dynasty | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
| King Ugeo † Gen. Seong Gi † Min. No In  Min. Han Eum Min. Sam Gen. Wang Gyeop |
Yang Pu Xun Zhi |
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| Strength | |||||||||
| ? | 50,000+ | ||||||||
Imagine a time long ago, when powerful empires clashed! The Han conquest of Gojoseon was a big war fought by Emperor Wu of Han from the Han dynasty (ancient China) against a kingdom called Wiman Joseon (in ancient Korea). This war happened between 109 and 108 BCE. It ended with Gojoseon being defeated. The Han dynasty then set up new areas called Four Commanderies of Han in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. This changed the map of ancient Korea forever!
Contents
Why the War Started: The Background Story
Wi Man's Rise to Power
Long before the war, a general named Wi Man (also known as Wei Man in Chinese) lived in the kingdom of Yan. Yan was a smaller kingdom that was connected to the powerful Han dynasty. In 195 BCE, the ruler of Yan, Lu Wan, was accused of planning against the Han dynasty. The Han emperor sent an army, and Lu Wan had to flee.
Wi Man, seeing the trouble, decided to seek safety in the eastern kingdom of Gojoseon. He brought about a thousand followers with him. Once in Gojoseon, Wi Man and his people started to dress like the local Koreans. Slowly, he gained many supporters, both Koreans and Chinese refugees.
Eventually, Wi Man became so powerful that he took over the throne from King Jun of Gojoseon. King Jun then fled south to another area called Jin. The Han governor in Liaodong (a region near Gojoseon) agreed to accept Wi Man as a ruler. In return, Wi Man promised to protect the Han border from other groups and allow people to travel through his land to pay respects to the Han emperor.
Growing Tensions and a Fatal Mistake
Wi Man's grandson, King Ugeo, later became the ruler of Gojoseon. He started to stop messengers from other Korean groups from reaching the Han court directly. This made the Han emperor, Emperor Wu of Han, unhappy.
In 109 BCE, Emperor Wu sent an official named She He to talk to King Ugeo. She He's job was to make sure the messengers could travel freely again. However, She He failed to get King Ugeo to agree. On his way back, She He killed an assistant named Wi Jang, who was supposed to escort him safely.
This act made King Ugeo very angry. He sent his own soldiers into Han territory to kill She He. This direct attack on a Han official was the main reason Emperor Wu decided to go to war.
Other Reasons for Conflict
There were other reasons for the war too. The Han dynasty might have worried that Gojoseon would team up with the Xiongnu, another powerful group that was often at war with the Han. Also, relations between Han and Gojoseon were getting worse because Wiman Joseon was stopping trade between Han and other groups like Jinbeon.
The War Unfolds: Battles and Sieges
Han Armies Invade Gojoseon
In 109 BCE, Emperor Wu of Han launched a major military campaign against Gojoseon. Two main generals led the Han forces: Yang Pu and Xun Zhi.
- Yang Pu's army, with about 50,000 soldiers, sailed from Qi (in present-day Shandong Province, China). They crossed the Bohai Sea towards Gojoseon.
- Xun Zhi marched his army by land through Liaodong. His goal was to reach Wanggeom, the capital city of Gojoseon.
Early Setbacks for the Han
One of Yang Pu's commanders, named Duo, rushed ahead with a large group of soldiers. This turned out to be a big mistake, and his force suffered a terrible defeat. Because of this, when Yang Pu finally reached Wanggeom-seong, he only had about 7,000 men left.
Seeing how small the enemy army was, King Ugeo led his own forces out of the city. They attacked Yang Pu's army, defeating them and forcing them to run away. Yang Pu spent the next ten days trying to gather his scattered soldiers from the nearby mountains. Meanwhile, Xun Zhi's army also struggled and failed to break through Gojoseon's defenses west of the Yalu River.
A Failed Peace Attempt
When Emperor Wu heard about these defeats, he wanted to try for peace. King Ugeo agreed to talk. To show he was serious, King Ugeo sent his son and a gift of 5,000 horses to the Han court.
However, when the prince and his escort of 10,000 soldiers reached the Yalu River, General Xun Zhi thought they should give up their weapons. The prince suspected that Xun Zhi might be planning to harm him. So, he turned back to Wanggeom-seong, and the war continued.
The Siege of Wanggeom-seong
Xun Zhi attacked the Gojoseon army again and this time, he succeeded in defeating them. Both Xun Zhi and Yang Pu then joined forces and surrounded Wanggeom-seong, the capital city.
The city was very well protected, and even after several months, it had not fallen. After a sudden attack by Xun Zhi, a high minister of Gojoseon secretly sent messengers to talk about surrendering with Yang Pu. But they couldn't reach a final agreement.
Xun Zhi wanted to launch a full attack on the city, but Yang Pu preferred to keep negotiating. This caused problems between the two Han generals. Emperor Wu sent an official, Gongsun Sui, to sort things out. Xun Zhi told Gongsun Sui that Yang Pu was delaying the victory. Gongsun Sui agreed and used his authority to bring Yang Pu to Xun Zhi's camp. There, they arrested Yang Pu and took control of his army. Emperor Wu was not happy about this and ordered Gongsun Sui to be put to death.
The Fall of Gojoseon
With both armies now under his command, Xun Zhi prepared for a final attack on Wanggeom-seong. Some Gojoseon officials, like No In, Han Eum, Sam of Gojoseon, and Wang Gyeop, wanted to surrender to the Han. But King Ugeo disagreed.
In April of 108 BCE, Wang Gyeop, No In, Han Eum, and Sam surrendered to the Han. Sam later sent people into Wanggeom-seong who killed King Ugeo. The city still tried to fight on under the leadership of Minister Seong Gi, but he was also killed.
Finally, the people of Wanggeom-seong were convinced to surrender by King Ugeo's sons and No In. In 108 BCE, the entire kingdom of Gojoseon had fallen and was conquered by the Han dynasty.
What Happened Next: The Aftermath
After Gojoseon was conquered, the Han dynasty created four new areas called Four Commanderies of Han to manage the land. These were Lelang, Xuantu, Zhenfan, and Lintun. The most important one was Lelang, located near what is now Pyongyang. It controlled the region until 313 AD. The Han conquest of Gojoseon eventually led to the start of the Proto-Three Kingdoms period in Korea.
The Gojoseon nobles and ministers who surrendered were given special titles. However, General Xun Zhi was arrested when he returned home and was put to death. General Yang Pu was also sentenced to death, but he was allowed to become a regular citizen after paying a large fine.
See also
- Gojoseon–Yan War
