임진왜란기 한성 주변 전투의 전략적 의의

Abstract

During the Imjin War (壬辰倭亂), Hanseong (漢城, today’s Seoul), the capital of Joseon, was occupied by the Japanese army for about one year. During this period, several battles were fought between Joseon and Japanese armies in and near Hanseong, and Kwon Yul, the chief commander, participated in those battles. This research shows that the battles between two countries around Hanseong did not break out separately, but that they consecutively occurred in the process of the Joseon army’s recapture of Hanseong. And the study highlights, from a different angle, the influence of the battles upon the strategy of the Joseon army and the withdrawal of the Japanese army from Hanseong. General Kwon Yul (權慄) led his troops from Jeolla Province (全羅道) and moved to Suwon (水原) in order to recapture Hanseong. The battle at Doksanseong (Dok mountain fortress, 禿山城) occurred between the Joseon army under the command of General Kwon and Japanese armies in the twelfth lunar month of 1592. This battle induced the withdrawal of the Japanese army without any striking military collision. As a result, the activities of the Japanese army became restricted in the southern area of Hanseong. At the end of the first lunar month of 1593, Kwon Yul led his troops and moved his military camp to the Haengju sanseong (Haengju mountain fortress, 幸州山城) in Goyang (高陽). The Japanese army stationed in Hanseong led 30,000 soldiers and attacked Kwon Yul's forces. But his army successfully defended against the Japanese and won the battle. The victory in the Haengju mountain fortress battle was due to both geographical and tactical factors. It came from the strategic plan of the Joseon army and, in fact, the battle happened during the movement for the combined operation with Ming China. After the Haengju mountain fortress battle, various battles occurred in Sahan-ri (沙閑里) and Nowonpyeong (蘆原坪), north of Hanseong. These battles were planned by Yu Seong-ryong and happened during ambush operations. The Joseon army won these battles against Japanese using tactics different from those that had been utilized in the past. The Japanese army was placed under strong pressure from the Joseon army by the defeat in the battles around Hanseong. Other reasons for the Japanese withdrawal from Hanseong included the severe loss of troops and food shortages. The Japanese looked for ways to leave the vicinity of Hanseong in order to solve such problems, but their efforts ended in failure due to interruptions by the Joseon army. Moreover, the Japanese suffered a high loss of troops due to the many battles. The Joseon army adapted effective tactics against the Japanese army through various battles around Hanseong. This Joseon army’s tactical movements came from just one purpose, recapturing Hanseong, and this affected the Japanese army’s withdrawal from Hanseong.