Silla-Tang War: The 7-Year Timeline
Maesoseong did not end the Silla-Tang War. If you are trying to place its decisive battles, distinguish the land victory in 675 from the naval victory at Gibeolpo in 676, the usual endpoint. The conflict ran from 670 to 676, counted as 7 years including both endpoints. Separate the turning point from the ending You can follow the conflict through a dispute over who would govern the former territories of Baekje and Goguryeo, states Silla and Tang had defeated together. Tang established governing bodies in the conquered lands; Silla sought control of territory. Silla lost at Seokmun in 672 and Chiljungseong in 675. Maesoseong in 675 weakened Tang's land offensive after those setbacks. Gibeolpo in 676 marked the war's close, but pressure from Tubo, a state centered on the Tibetan Plateau, also influenced Tang's strategy. Researchers differ on the weight of each factor. Wooden boats cross a broad, reed-lined river estuary beneath a cloudy sky. Read the Silla-Tang War evid...