Battle of Amnok
From Warpedia
Battle of Amnok
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From top to bottom: in-game portrait for the battle; Artist's interpretation of a battle between Korean and Mongol forces; possible location of the battle (represented by the red dot). | |||||||||||||||||
Date: |
Somewhere between 1231 and 1256 | ||||||||||||||||
Location: |
Amnok River / Northern border of the Kingdom of Goryeo / Korea | ||||||||||||||||
Historical result: |
Likely Mongol victory | ||||||||||||||||
Objectives: |
Victory conditions:
Defeat conditions:
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Historical analogue: |
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The Battle of Amnok (presented as Amnok in-game) is an historical battle in Shogun: Total War added with the Mongol Invasion expansion. The battle is unique in that it is not a re-enactment of a specific historical battle, but rather a hypothetical scenario created to represent a larger conflict: specifically, the Battle of Amnok is a theoretical battle made to represent the larger Mongol invasions of Korea, with Amnok as a battle (at least as far as the name suggests) taking place somewhere along the Amnok River, which forms the modern-day border between North Korea and China. In 1216, the Khitans invaded the Korean kingdom of Goryeo to flee from the Mongols, winning several battles against the Koreans and depeating numerous armies until they were finally stopped, with a joint Mongol-Goryeo army putting an end to them in 1219: in 1225 the Mongols demanded tribute goods from Goryeo, who refused and killed their envoy, giving the Mongols the casus belli to invade: the first of these invasions began in 1231. This re-enactment focuses on one of the many battles that would have occurred between the Mongol Horde and the Kingdom of Goryeo as the Koreans defended their territory against the endless Mongol incursions.
It is unclear which of the nine Mongol invasion attempts the Battle of Amnok is meant to take place in, although the battle's description suggests it is before the eighth invasion, as the Ch'oe military dynasty of Goryeo would be overthrown during the eighth invasion, and the Ch'oe are still in power during this battle. As such it is likely to be one of the earlier invasions as such, although even further information is nearly impossible to discern, with only the location of the battle itself being verifiable. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding the battle's authenticity, it was very likely a Mongol victory, largely due to the battle serving as a demonstration of the raw power of the Mongol Empire and their undisputed supremacy in land battles, and historically the Ch'oe military dynasty would be subject to a civilian coup that would topple the regime and lead to the Korean king suing for peace with the Mongols, agreeing to an exchange of hostages and the Mongols withdrawing from central Korea. Eventually, this would be further solidified by the Kingdom of Goryeo becoming a client state to the Mongols, a vassal in all but name to Yuan China following the division of the Empire, and they would ultimately provide troops for the failed Mongol invasions of Japan of 1274 and 1281.
The player assumes control of an army of the Mongol Horde. The Mongols are deployed at the top of a steep slope with forest on each side, with the Amnok River at the bottom. Two bridges span the river, with the Korean forces on the opposite side, arrayed ontop of a hill just in front of the two bridges. The player's objective is to cross the river and destroy or rout the Korean army. The player is defeated if Kublai Khan is killed or if their army is destroyed or routed. The bridges pose the biggest obstacle for the player to overcome: once across, the Mongol's superior mobility should be enough to overcome the Korean forces, who are entirely composed of infantry units with no cavalry.