Choi Young, the last hero of Goryeo

 Choi Young appeared at the forefront of history with the trust of the people as a hero who defeated Hong Geon-jeok and Japanese pirates in the chaotic domestic and international situations of Won, Myeongchanggi, and the late Goryeo Dynasty. However, while dreaming of conquering Yodong with the intention of restoring the old Goguryeo territory, he lost his life to the Lee Seong-gye clan who opposed it. At the time of Choi Young's birth, Goryeo's fate was slowly ending due to internal and external troubles that had been constantly suffering. Goryeo, which endured the invasion of Kitan and Yeojin, was invaded by Mongolia again after more than 100 years of military rule due to the invocation of foreigners and finally took control of them. The incompetent kings of Goryeo were eager to curry favor with Mongol interference in everything, but with the loss of their independence. Then, Japanese pirates who despised the helpless Goryeo Dynasty invaded the southwest sea from time to time, leading to arson and looting. King Gongmin, who appeared at this time, tried to recover the sovereignty of Goryeo and revive the country through reform by escaping the interference of Mongolia. However, it was not enough to correct the already leaning country and soon hit the limit. Inside, the Kwon Mun-se people who lined up in the Yuan Dynasty constantly criticized King Gongmin's policy, and outside, the national power declined due to the constant invasion of Hong Geon-jeok and Japanese pirates. At this time, Choi Young tried hard to overcome the confusion and raise a tilted country by preventing the invasion of Hong Geon-jeok and Japanese pirates. However, when Ming tried to dominate Goryeo, he planned to conquer Liaodong and changed the world with Yi Seong-gye's Wihwado-gun. ◆ Choi Young, the hero of the turbulent times, was born in 1316 as the son of Choi Won-jik, the fifth generation descendant of Choi Yu-cheong, who served as a minister of Jungseo Sirangpyeong during the reign of King Uijong and Myeongjong. He has had a strange appearance and strength since he was young. He was first appointed as Udalchi, who participated in the battle against Japanese pirates under Yanggwangdo Do Sunmunsa, and was appointed to the military along with Kim Cheom-soo and Choi Won when Cho Il-shin rebelled in 1352. In 1354, he was promoted to Daeho-gun. At that time, when Hong Geon-jeok, led by Jang Sa-seong, rebelled in the Yuan Dynasty, he asked Goryeo for relief troops. Choi Young went to the Yuan Dynasty with about 2,000 soldiers along with about 40 generals, including Yu Tak and Yeom Je-shin. Choi Young fought against Hong Geon-jeok by helping the Yuan Dynasty to overthrow the monk, but he was forced to disperse the soldiers because Tal Tal was forced to resign from office after suffering from Chamso. The following year, Choi Young, who called up troops again to fight the rebels, fought in Hoean-ro and Palijang and showed bravery. In addition, when 8,000 Hong Geon-jeok surrounded Hoeanseong Fortress, they fought day and night and defeated it. However, the enemy did not give up and attacked again. At this time, Choi Young broke through the enemy forces and fought for battle, regardless of the injuries that were stabbed several times. Choi Young's recklessness, which does not spare his body, made the enemy less afraid, and it was the same when he subsequently defeated the Japanese pirates. In 1356, the following year after Choi Young returned from Yuan Dynasty, King Gongmin finally pulled a bow to Yuan Dynasty. King Gongmin first removed the power gods such as Ki-cheol and Gwon-gyeom, the Buwon faction, and abolished the Jeongdong Haengjungseoseong Leemunso, which was established by the Yuan Dynasty to interfere with the internal affairs of Goryeo. After that, King Gongmin took military action against the Ssangseong General Office, which was established in the area to control the northeast of the Yalu River and Won, who belonged to the Yuan Dynasty. At this time, Choi Young became Byeongmabusa in Seobuk-myeon, attacking 8 Cham along with Indang and Shinsoon, and defeating 3 Cham, including Pasabu. Choi Young, who was appointed to the Jeolla-do, Yanggwang-do, the following year after the Northeast Face Copy in 1358, destroyed the Japanese pirates in the southwest sea by defeating the Japanese pirates who entered Oyepo with 400 military ships, and from then on, he began to be revered as a hero. ◆ Master of the Yeonjeon Battle. In 1359, Choi Young became a soldier in Seobuk-myeon as a major in defeating Japanese pirates. At this time, 40,000 large armies of Hong Geon-jeok, led by Mogogyeong, crossed the Yalu River and invaded Goryeo, causing the fall of Seogyeong. Choi Young fought with Hong Geon-jeok in Saengyang, Cheolhwa, Seogyeong, and Hamjong, along with Lee Bang-sil, Anwoo, and Kim Jin-jin, and won. In particular, in the fight to recapture Seogyeong, he fought with Han Im-ah, the leader of Hong Geon-jeok, to defeat the enemy commander and boost the morale of our troops. He was ordained to Pyongyang Yun and Sunmunsa Temple in Seobuk-myeon the following year for this major. The people were severely damaged by the war and had to suffer from disease and hunger. Choi Young set up a relief center, distributed seeds to the people, and recommended sowing, while collecting and burying the remains of soldiers who died in battle. But the cry didn't end with that. In 1361, when Choi Young became a patrolman in Seobuk-myeon, Hong Geon-jeok, led by Banghwa, Saya, Gwanseonsa, and Joo Won-soo, invaded Goryeo again with 100,000 troops and even captured the capital, Gaegyeong. King Gongmin, who fled to Bokju, ordered the following year to reorganize the army and recapture Gaegyeong. Accordingly, Choi Young gathered 100,000 soldiers along with Jeong Se-woon, Ahn Woo, Lee Bang-sil, Kim Deuk-bae, and Han Bang-shin to repel Hong Geon-jeok and recapture Gaegyeong. With this major, he was named the first contributor and was awarded a lot of land and slaves by King Gongmin and became an ionospanseo. In March 1363, when Kim Yong rebelled to kill King Gongmin at Heungwangsa Temple, Choi Young ran with Woo-je, Ahn Woo-kyung, and Kim Jang-soo to Heungwangsa Temple, suppressed the rebels, rescued King Gongmin safely, and returned to Gaegyeong. With this achievement, he became the left-name contributor of Jin Chung-chung, followed by the Panchil Jiksa Pyeongri and became a proponent. The following year, when Choi Yu, who had rebelled against King Gongmin's anti-won policy, surrounded Uijoo across the Yalu River to appoint Deokheung-gun as King of Goryeo, Choi Young became a governor and led Jeong Ye-gun to fight against the enemy. After losing the battle, Choi Yu burned the camp and ran away across the Yalu River. So Choi Young once again rescued the country from the crisis. ◆ suffer from the scourge of new money Despite his numerous majors in the battlefield, Choi Young was on the verge of losing his life after being convicted of suffering from Chamso. It was because of the discord with Sindon, who was trusted by King Gongmin at the time and controlled the state affairs. In the past, when Sindon was staying at the house of Kim Ran, a secret messenger, Kim Ran made her two daughters take care of Sindon's bed. Then Choi Young, who saw this, scolded Kim Ran loudly, and since then, Shin Don has been looking for an opportunity to revenge against Choi Young with spite. Then one day, when Choi Young spent time hunting in Gobong-hyeon along with Gyeongbokheung, Sindon used it as an excuse to sue King Gongmin. King Gongmin sent Lee Soon, the magistrate of Pangaeseong, and said, "Kyungyeong is the commander of the East-West River, and even though Japanese pirates entered Changneung and took Sejo's portrait, he did not know. So why is it that even though Kim Sok-myeong took over the place of King, the King did not quickly hand over the soldiers to Kim Sok-myeong and was only hunting without an attempt? Even if you don't blame it, will you forgive me? I am now offering my lord to Gyerim-yoon, so please leave for your post as soon as possible," he scolded Choi Young. Choi Young immediately left for his post, saying, "Today, there are few people who preserve their bodies as sinners, but I became Gyerimyun, so this is also due to the grace of your highness." Sindon's reference to Choi Young did not end there. He lied again, saying that Choi Young colluded with Lee Gu-soo, Yang Baek-ik, Seok Moon-sung, and Park Chun with Naesung Kim Soo-man to separate the top and bottom, and to reject and kick out good officials. At this time, King Gongmin ruled in favor of Sindon. At that time, King Gongmin, who lost Princess Noh Guk-jang and left the country's affairs to the Sindon faction, was no longer seen actively engaged in reform politics at the beginning of his enthronement. Sindon sent Lee Deuk-rim to visit Choi Young. Xiayeong falsely confessed and rather pressed Lee Ik-rim, saying, "Execute the sentence quickly." At this time, Choi Young had to go to exile while being deprived of more than three government posts and confiscated his family fortune. Then, in 1371, Sindon lost the favor of King Gongmin and tried to rebel Only after being discovered and executed in advance, Choi Young was able to return to the government office as a literary proclamation. Choi Young, who was appointed as a Yukdo Patrol Officer in 1373, was given the authority to write military records, build battleships, and dispose of criminals immediately, as well as the promotion and retirement of generals and chiefs. At this time, Choi Young asked a person over 70 years old to collect rice according to his family line and replenish it with the head of the county, which caused great resentment from the people. Using this as an excuse, when Choi Young was appointed to Gyeongsang-do, Jeolla-do, and Yanggwang-do Dosunmunsa the following year, the private court opposed it. Choi Young said, "My conviction has been devoted to my country with all his heart, and now I have heard slander like this. I ask you to dismiss me from my post," he said, appealing for my resignation. King Gongmin regarded Choi Young as honest, but was unable to overcome the torch of Daegan and his officials, and ordered him to recommend a replacement for Choi Young. However, he soon changed his mind and dismissed Kim Sok-myeong, an ambassador who refuted Choi Young, and demoted Jipyeong Choi Won-yu to Yeonan Advice-General, and gave Choi Young the title of Jin Chung-chung's Seonjwa Myeongjeongran Gongsin. However, when Choi Young became a provincial governor of Gyeongsang-do, Jeolla-do, and Yanggwang-do and suppressed Tamna Mokho's rebellion and returned in October, King Gongmin was already killed by Choi Man-saeng. King Gongmin, who once advocated anti-won policy and reform politics and led Goryeo to the path of rejuvenation, died at the age of 45 in 1374, 23 years after his reign. in the wake of King When Prince Kangnyeong Buwongun ascended the throne, he was King Wu. ◆ Even after King Wu of the Battle of Hongsan ascended to the throne, the Japanese pirates continued to plunder. The following year, when the Japanese invaders who invaded Buyeo reached Gongju, Gongju Pastor Kim Sa-hyuk went out to Jeonghyeon and fought against the Japanese invaders, but they were defeated. When the enemy Park In-gye was killed in battle with the Japanese invaders who invaded Seokseong Fortress, Choi Young said he would participate with the soldiers and play Japanese. However, King Wu dissuaded Choi Young, saying she was too old to go to war. However, Choi said, "If we lose the timing now and don't stop them, it will be even harder to defeat them in the future. Also, using other people as generals to prevent Japanese invaders is not only a small chance of winning, but also because they are not fully trained soldiers, so they cannot use it. Although his body is old, his will has not declined. I'm just trying to preserve my resignation and protect the royal family. Please let your men go out with you, if you earnestly asked. King Wu said, "The general must come back alive. I don't even want to think about Goryeo without a general," he said reluctantly, allowing him to play. When Choi Young reached Hongsan Mountain with soldiers, the Japanese pirates who arrived first and occupied the high ground were camped in a rough and narrow place. It was surrounded by high cliffs on all three sides, so it could only be reached through one road. Then, many generals were afraid and could not advance any further. Then Choi Young personally took the lead and ran the horse to the enemy line. At this time, the Japanese pirates' arrow hit Choi Young's lips and blood flowed, but he shot the enemy soldier without changing his face color and knocked it down, and took out the arrow. And when he wielded a knife and rushed like a stormy old man and killed countless enemy soldiers at random, the soldiers, who were enraged by Choi Young's fight, drove the momentum and completely wiped out the Japanese pirates. King Wu, who heard the news of the victory, was very happy and gave Choi Young a drink and a saddle, and sent a clinic to treat Choi Young's wounds with care. Since then, Japanese pirates have been very afraid of Choi Young, calling him "Baekbal General Choi Man-ho," and it is said that he immediately stepped down when they heard rumors that Choi Young was in the Goryeo military camp. King Wu tried to appoint Choi Young to the post, but Choi Young stubbornly refused, saying, "If you take on a heavy responsibility, it is difficult to fight without sparing your body, so wait for the Japanese to be calmed down before you do so." Then King Wu instead sealed Choi Young to Cheorwon Buwon-gun. The following year, Japanese pirates took advantage of the night again to land, burned about 50 battleships, and killed more than 1,000 soldiers. And it invaded Ganghwa and threatened Gaegyeong. King Wu imprisoned Son Kwang-yu, Kim Ji-seo, and Kwak Eon-ryong, who were defeated in the battle with the Japanese pirates, and stationed Choi Young in the Ascension Department as a provincial governor to prevent the Japanese pirates. Then, the Japanese pirates who fled from Ganghwa invaded prefectures such as Suan, Tongjin, and Dongseong to engage in looting. At that time, Gyeongsang-do Marshal Woo In-ryeol said, "The Japanese ship's sails and masts touch each other to cover the sea, so we sent soldiers to divide the fortress, but the enemy's strength is so large that it is difficult to prevent it with the military of Hando. Please send reinforcements as soon as possible." The appeal, which came up in a situation where it was difficult to defend against the Japanese pirates staying in Ganghwa because they were close to Gaegyeong, once again caused concern over the adjustment of Goryeo. Then Choi Young stepped up and said to King Wu, "Reinforcement is a fortress that prevents the enemy, but the power gods are rushing to take over the region's battlefield, so they are not properly covering the military. Therefore, it would be better to attribute the privately owned fields in Ganghwa to the state and cover the quantity with the output from them." With King Wu's permission, Choi Young moved the old and young children to land and let the young people farm. In addition, 10 servants and horses were requisitioned from each enemy, and those guarding the palace and warehouses were sent to Ganghwa to guard the border to prepare for the invasion of Japanese pirates. In 1378, Japanese pirates who came to the Ascension Department after landing again spread rumors that they would attack Gaegyeong in the future. Surprised by this, the Goryeo court issued martial law, divided the military forces and stationed them in the East and West rivers, and set up guards at the gate to prepare for enemy invasion. At this time, Choi Young encouraged the soldiers to camp in the sea breeze and made Yang Baek-yeon, a pro-sa, as vice marshal. The Japanese pirates, who knew this, said, "If Choi Young's army is broken, Gaegyeong will collapse on its own," and the other camps have not attacked but have immediately advanced to the sea breeze. Choi Young went out to fight with Yang Baek-yeon, saying, "The survival of the country is determined by this one fight," and the Japanese have attacked Choi Young only. At this time, Lee Seong-gye joined forces with elite cavalry and was able to defeat the enemy greatly. Choi Young chased the fleeing Japanese pirates to the end and beat the enemy back. King Wu, who was preparing to evacuate, lifted martial law with confidence when the lion came and delivered the victory report. ◆ Even if it's the king's will... Choi Young was a strong-minded person who always corrected wrongdoings. When Jeong Ji was defeated in the battle against Japanese pirates in Suncheon and Joyang, Gyeongbokheung and Woo In-ryul visited Choi Young and insisted that Jeong Ji should be held responsible. Then Choi Young said, "Why aren't the chiefs worried when the Japanese invasion is severe with ito? Since the Japanese pirates ran wild and reached this point, no matter how brave Jung-ji was, what would he do with so many enemies by himself?" and Kyung Bok-heung and others were ashamed to raise their faces. Another time, an official named Heo Wan and Yoon Bang-bang used King Woo's nanny Jang to suppress Lim Gyeon-mi and Do Gil-bu. King Wu only heard Jang's words and sent Im Gyeon-mi and others home and banned them from entering the palace. In response, Lim Gyeon-mi and others rushed to Choi Young, Kyung Bok-heung, and Lee In-im and said, "Heo Wan and others will be angry with the balls as they try to kill us two." Shortly after that, Heo Wan and others called Choi Young under the false royal name. In preparation for an emergency, Choi Young gathered at Heungguksa Temple with Gyeongbokheung and Lee In-im to place soldiers around him, gathered officials, and asked King Wu to visit Jang. When King Wu called, Choi Young tried to enter the palace, saying, "God will come in if your Highness allows our request." Then the ministers said, "Don't go in rashly because you're in the palace. If the ball goes, the soldiers will surely make a fuss, and the country will not be comfortable either," Choi said. Choi Young did not go to the palace according to the words of the presidents. Instead, the officials entered the palace, took Jang down, and asked him to be questioned. When King Wu refused to allow this, Choi Young and others locked up Jang's foot parties, Kang Yu, Kwon Won-soon, and Kwon Won-bo, and questioned them. Then King Wu locked up Jeong Nan-bong, an eunuch who leaked the incident, and called Gyeongbokheung and Mokin-gil, saying, "How can't Guajin save a nanny as a king?" Release them and do not charge them with a crime." However, let's ask Choi Young and others to continue to bury Jang's sins without losing. King Wu disembarked Heo Wan and Yun Bang, and asked Choi Young, "What kind of bandits does the police keep leading soldiers to prevent them from coming even when Guajin is calling? In the past, the police ordered the soldiers to be disbanded, saying, "You said you were loyal to several generations, but where is the loyalty?" Choi Young said, "If the conviction goes in at the call, the soldiers will definitely have a different conviction. If God enters the palace with an army, the sin deserves to die. How can a conviction fear death, but it does not seem to be the will of the chief mourner, so he does not dare to do so. Although the body of the conviction is written, the relationship is so great that the country will be in danger if it dies at the hands of the deceitful." When Choi Young continued to ask Jang to be thrown out, King Wu sent Jang to Lee In-im's house and told him not to kill her, but to remove the title of the wife of the National University. Finally, Jang was exiled, Heo Wan and Unbang were killed, and all the people involved in this matter were killed or beaten and deported. Soon after, he even killed Jang. As such, Choi Young did not budge from his will, confronting the king even if he was in front of the right thing. In 1388, Choi Young, who climbed to Munha-jung, purged Yeom Heung-bang and Lim Gyeon-mi, who were engaged in corruption under King Woo's orders. At this time, when King Wu sent someone to welcome Choi Young's daughter as his queen, Choi Young said, "The daughter of the conviction is not of good character and is not my wife's child, so I will put it in the measuring room and not use it as a master's badge. If your Highness tells you to come in, your conviction will shave your head and enter the mountain." However, King Wu reluctantly allowed it as he continued to send people to persuade them. ◆ Entering 1388, the Goryeo dynasty was in great danger due to diplomatic friction with the Ming Dynasty.The Ming Dynasty, which defeated the Yuan Dynasty and newly became the owner of the Jungwon Continent, sent Yi Sa-gyeong and others to declare that Cheolryeong, Idong, and Iseo across the Yalu River belonged to the Yuan Dynasty, so soldiers in the region belonged to the Ming Dynasty, regardless of Koreans, Yeojin, Tatar, and Goryeo. In August of that year, it was notified that the Cheolryeongwi would be established in the jurisdiction of the Ssangseong General Office. Choi Young began to prepare for the Liaodong conquest in earnest by recruiting soldiers with the position that he could never give up the territory north of Cheolryeong to the Ming Dynasty. At that time, Wang Deuk-myeong, a white tiger in Liaodong, was sent by the Later Military Provincial Office of the Ming Dynasty to notify that the Cheolryeong Committee was established. After informing King Wu of this fact, Choi Young killed 21 Ming soldiers who brought the visit. In addition, five people, including Lee Sa-gyeong, were allowed to stay as they were, and then soldiers were deployed to monitor their residence. Prior to the conquest of Liaodong, King Wu left for Haeju with Yeongbi and Choi Young, saying he was hunting. Meanwhile, Woo Hyun-bo was asked to protect the fortress and the generals were requisitioned and taken together, so the name was hunting, but in fact, the purpose of the military training for the conquest of Liaodong. Finally, King Wu called Choi Young and Lee Seong-gye and said, "I want to conquer Liaodong, so do your best." issued a royal order. Lee Seong-gye objected, "It is not right for a small country to go against a large country, it is inappropriate to move troops in summer, and Japanese pirates will take advantage of the time to leave the conquest, and we are afraid that the bow will melt and soldiers will get sick during the rainy season." However, Wu Wang said, "We can't stop here because we've already raised an army." However, Lee Seong-gye did not back down and said, "If you want to achieve that plan, you can stay in Seogyeong for now and wait for autumn and then serve in the army afterwards, and the field will be strewn with grain to cover the amount of food. However, if you move your troops in an untimely time like now, even if you take one of the cities of Liaodong, you will not be able to advance them any longer because of rain and water, and even if the army becomes negligent and lacks food, it will only cause great anger."I answered. However, despite Lee Seong-gye's strong opposition, King Wu and Choi Young continued to push for a turbulent conquest. King Wu used Choi Young as Paldo Tongsa, Cho Min-soo as Left-gun Do Tongsa, and Lee Seong-gye as Right-gun Do Tongsa, and sent 40,000 regular soldiers to the war. Choi Young tried to advance to Liaodong with his own command, but King Wu left Choi Young in Seogyeong, saying, "The reason King Wu was harmed was because King Gyeong was not there, how can he stay away from him for a day?" However, the movement of Lee Seong-gye and others, who were strongly opposed to the turbulent conquest from the beginning, was unusual. Lee Seong-gye, who stationed troops on Wihwado Island along with Cho Min-soo, raised an appeal and asked to turn the troops around. Then Choi Young-eun said, "The two provincial governors will have to come and tell the chief mourner. I can never say let's defeat the troops.He flatly refused. King Wu also did not listen to this and urged the soldiers to continue their advance. Lee Seong-gye and Cho Min-soo sent someone back to ask Choi Young to quickly turn the military around, but Choi Young did not listen at all. In the end, Lee Seong-gye, who received favorable responses from Cho Min-soo and other scholars, turned the military around in Wihwado Island, and the dream of conquering Yodong, which Choi Young and Woo Wang wanted to achieve, was ruined. Choi Young, who returned to Gaegyeong with King Woo, gathered soldiers and fought against Lee Seong-gye's army, but the defense line eventually collapsed due to heavy amulets. Lee Seong-gye sent his subordinate Kwak Chung-bo to arrest Choi Young and sent him to Ko Bong-hyeon. This means that in the late Goryeo Dynasty, the old warlords were defeated in the confrontation between the old warlords who tried to defend the Goryeo Dynasty and the new warlords who denied the Goryeo Dynasty. Eventually, Goryeo fell to an emerging warlord led by Lee Seong-gye. Choi Young was transferred to Happo again, and was sent to Gaegyeong after King Chang took the throne. Cho In-ok and Lee Je-yi, the former law book, filed an appeal and asked Choi Young to be reprimanded. "Choi Young served King Gongmin to calm the disturbance of Heungwangsa Temple, drive monks to the north, and when serving King Wu, he defeated Japanese pirates from the Ascension to preserve his resignation, and wiped out various gangsters to save the people. However, he was ignorant of the situation and ignored the opinions of the public, and carried out the Liaodong conquest, which led to the destruction of the country by sinning against the emperor. The king ordered Choi Young to be executed in December of that year, and he was 73 years old. Choi Young is said to have not changed a single face and voice even before death, as a brave warrior who has traveled through numerous battlefields. When he died, he left a saying, "My tomb will never grow grass," and it is said that the integration in Deokmulsan Mountain, Gaepoong-gun, was his tomb, and it was not grass until the Joseon Dynasty collapsed. Later, Lee Seong-gye, who founded the Joseon Dynasty and became King Taejo, honored Choi Young with the title of Moomin.