Chapter 263

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From the very founding of Goryeo, its founder King Taejo leveraged the absorption and integration of Central Plains culture to establish a relatively complete feudal political system; driven by demands for resources and strategic depth, he soon turned his gaze toward the Jurchen-inhabited lands north of Mount Changbai.

At that time, the various Jurchen tribes remained in a fragmented tribal state. They lived by fishing and hunting, though fierce and warlike, they lacked unified military organization and strategic planning.

Goryeo's northern expansion policy led to frequent small-scale clashes along the Yalu River basin.

These border frictions gradually evolved into large-scale military confrontations.

Later, the conflict between the Jurchens and Goryeo escalated outright into full-scale war.

The Wanyan clan of the Jurchens thus allied with neighboring tribes to launch a surprise attack on Goryeo's Tongzhou.

Although Goryeo held the advantage of walled fortifications, its army consisted mostly of infantry and repeatedly suffered defeats against the agile and mobile Jurchen cavalry in open battle.

Thereafter, both sides engaged in a prolonged stalemate along the banks of the Yalu River.

Goryeo even expended vast manpower and resources to construct the so-called "Thousand-Li Great Wall," attempting to curb Jurchen advances—but this defensive line failed to fundamentally alter the shifting balance of power between them.

Initially, shortly after Zhao Yu personally led his army to a decisive victory over Yelu Yanxi, the Jurchens and Goryeo finally erupted into a protracted great war.

Helandian was a land of abundant grasses and waters, situated at the border between Goryeo's northern frontier and Jurchen settlements, making it the focal point of contention. Goryeo regarded it as an extension of its "cradle of rise," while the Jurchens viewed it as their vital homeland and a crucial barrier against Goryeo's invasions. Their conflict now seemed irreconcilable.

During the reign of King Sukjong of Goryeo, the "Northern Expansion Faction" within Goryeo gained dominance. They argued that, while the Jurchens remained ununified, Goryeo should decisively launch an offensive to seize Helandian and extend its influence to the Tumen River basin—thus enabling Goryeo to advance and conquer all of Northeast China and even the Central Plains, or retreat behind the natural defenses of the Yalu and Tumen Rivers, no longer fearing the warlike, savage Jurchens.

Thus, in the second year after Zhao Yu and Yelu Yanxi reached peace, Goryeo's army crossed the border and constructed nine fortresses in Helandian, aiming to use these military outposts as footholds to gradually erode Jurchen territory.

In response to Goryeo's relentless advance, the Jurchen tribes initially resisted with scattered guerrilla tactics.

But without unified command, these efforts failed to form effective counterattacks, allowing Goryeo to gain the upper hand and even capture several Jurchen chieftains.

The situation reversed three or four years ago.

At that time, the Wanyan clan produced a highly strategic leader—Wanyan Yingge.

Wanyan Yingge realized that only by uniting all tribes could they resist Goryeo's military pressure.

Thus, Wanyan Yingge rallied the scattered Jurchen tribes into a loose military alliance under the banner of "Defending Our Homeland."

At that time, Goryeo's army, worn down by prolonged warfare, suffered severe logistical shortages and widespread soldierly discontent; the Jurchen alliance seized the opportunity and launched a counteroffensive.

Two years ago, the decisive battle unfolded in the heartland of Helandian.

The Jurchen alliance exploited Goryeo's weakness—its forces scattered across multiple garrisons—and employed the tactic of "besieging a fortress to lure reinforcements." They first surrounded Goryeo's most forward fortress, luring garrisons from other cities to come to its aid; when Goryeo's relief forces entered the prearranged ambush zone, Jurchen cavalry erupted suddenly from the forests.

The Jurchens, raised since childhood riding and hunting amid the white mountains and black waters, were supremely adapted to the frigid climate and mountainous terrain; clad in light leather armor, they moved like ghosts through snowstorms, their curved blades cutting down Goryeo soldiers in droves.

Goryeo's army collapsed into chaos, and multiple fortresses fell one after another.

The battle lasted for months, inflicting catastrophic casualties on Goryeo's forces.

Goryeo was forced to sue for peace with the Jurchens.

After negotiations, both sides reached an agreement: Goryeo withdrew from Helandian, dismantled all military installations, and restored the border to its prewar state.

The Battle of Helandian ended in Jurchen victory.

This victory not only crushed Goryeo's northern ambitions but, more importantly, showed the fragmented Jurchen tribes the power of unity.

Thereafter, under Wanyan leadership, the Jurchen tribes accelerated their integration, significantly enhancing their military organization and combat capability.

Goryeo, having suffered this defeat, temporarily abandoned its large-scale northern expansion strategy and turned inward to recover; the balance of power in Northeast Asia thus underwent subtle yet profound change.

The risen Jurchens turned their gaze back to their nominal overlord, the Liao state, and realized that Liao was weak—far from a match for them after their triumph over Goryeo.

Crucially, Liao's oppression of the Jurchens had long been entrenched.

Since the time of Emperor Taizu of Liao, Yelu Abaoji, the Khitans had been oppressing the Jurchens.

In Turkic, Mongolic, and Tungusic languages, "Jurchen" meant "stubborn people," "unconquerable people," "untamable people."

Yelu Abaoji declared, "If the Jurchens are fewer than ten thousand, they are not formidable; but if they reach ten thousand, they are invincible," viewing the Jurchens as Liao's greatest threat, and thus relentlessly pursued policies of division and suppression to weaken them.

Later, the systems Yelu Abaoji established to restrict the Jurchens became corrupted over time.

By the late Liao period, especially under Yelu Yanxi, Liao established "Jurchen Military Commissioners" in Jurchen territories—nominally to govern, in reality to plunder.

Each year, Liao envoys, under the guise of "collecting tribute," forced the Jurchens to surrender precious goods such as northern pearls, sable furs, and falcons.

These Liao envoys were arrogant and abusive: they seized property at will and compelled Jurchen nobles to surrender their wives and daughters as concubines—a practice known as "beating the Jurchens."

Even more unbearable to the Jurchens was Liao's border "marketplaces," which were outright unequal plunder—Jurchens exchanged their hard-won game for inferior iron tools and spoiled grain.

Earlier this year, the Jurchens defeated the powerful Heshilie clan, consolidating the Jurchen tribal alliance.

At this point, the Jurchen tribal alliance comprised thirty tribes, with internal class divisions growing increasingly pronounced—a nascent slave state had begun to emerge.