Dae Jo-yeong's victory over Tang Zhou forces at Tianmenling enabled the founding of Parhae, a successor state to Goguryeo.
Key Facts
- Year of battle
- 698
- Victor
- Dae Jo-yeong (Goguryeo-Mohe coalition)
- Defeated force
- Tang Wu Zhou dynasty, led by Li Kaigu
- Kingdom founded after victory
- Kingdom of Jin (later Parhae), 699
- Capital established
- Dongmo Mountain, southern Jilin province
- Precipitating uprising
- Khitan uprising against Zhou, May 696
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the fall of Goguryeo to Silla-Tang forces, Dae Jo-yeong and his father Dae Jung-sang were relocated to Tang's Yingzhou province. Exploiting the chaos of the Khitan uprising against Wu Zhou in 696, Dae Jung-sang and Mohe leader Geolsa Biu sought independence and fled eastward toward former Goguryeo territory, prompting the Zhou court to dispatch general Li Kaigu in pursuit.
Li Kaigu's forces killed both Geolsa Biu and Dae Jung-sang during the pursuit. Dae Jo-yeong unified the surviving Goguryeo and Mohe fighters under his command and confronted the Zhou army at Tianmenling, winning a decisive victory that halted the Tang Zhou advance and secured his independence.
The victory at Tianmenling allowed Dae Jo-yeong to establish his own polity. He declared himself King of Jin in 699 and set his capital at Dongmo Mountain in present-day Jilin province. This kingdom would develop into Parhae (Balhae), a significant northeastern state recognized as a successor to Goguryeo.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Dae Jo-yeong.
Side B
1 belligerent
Li Kaigu.