Gwanggaeto Stele - Chronology of Gwanggaeto Wars

Chronology of Gwanggaeto Wars

The stele records entire battles of Gwanggaeto's reign and his triumphs. Recorded battles are following;(The full text in classical Chinese is available at the Chinese wikisource) These historical accounts were also verified to be accurate by historical Chinese texts.

• Article of year 395:
  • The King led troops to defeat Paryeo tribe (稗麗; believed to be a Khitan tribe) and acquired their livestock. He inspected the state and returned in triumph.
• Article of year 396:
  • Baekje and Silla were previously the subservient states of Goguryeo.
  • Since 391, there were certain conflicts related to Wa, Baekje, and Silla (see next section below).
  • At this year, the King led troops and conquered many Baekje castles. As the troop reached the capital, the Baekje king surrendered and swore to be a subject of Goguryeo. Gwanggaetto returned home with kidnapped Baekje prince and nobles.
• Article of year 398:
  • Assigned troops to conquer a tribe of Sushen (粛慎土谷) to capture 300 people. Since then, they have sent tribute to Goguryeo.
• Article of year 399:
  • Baekje broke previous promise and allied with Wa. Gwanggaeto advanced to Pyongyang. There he saw Silla's messenger who told him that Wa's troops were crossing the border for invasion, and asked Goguryeo for help. As Silla swore to be Goguryeo's subject, the King agreed to save them.
• Article of year 400:
  • The King sent 50,000 troops to save Silla. Wa's troops retreated just before the Goguryeo troops reached to Silla capital. They chased Wa's forces to a castle in Gaya. The troops in the castle soon surrendered.
  • (Following many disappeared letters; Some traceable letters include "Alla soldiers in defense (安羅人戍兵)", "Wa (倭)", and "collapse (潰)", and likely to be records of further battles against Gaya and Wa, but no details are available.)
  • Prince Bokho of Silla paid tribute to Goguryeo.
• Article of year 404:
  • Wa unexpectedly invaded southern border at Daifang. The King led troops from Pyongyang to prevail. Wa troops collapsed with enormous casualties.
• Article of year 407:
  • The King sent 50,000 troops and battled (the chinese characters mentioning the opponent state are scratched out). The triumphant Goguryeo force acquired enormous amount of military equipment, capturing six castles.
• Article of year 410:
  • East Buyeo ceased tribute to Goguryeo. The King led troops to conquer them. East Buyeo was surprised (and surrendered. Some characters are also scratched out in this passage). As they submitted to the King's kindness, there was also a noble who followed the King to Goguryeo.