Battle of Salsu
612 CE · Salsu River, Korea
The Battle of Salsu was fought in 612 CE in Salsu River, Korea between Goguryeo vs Sui China; decisive Goguryeo victory; the Sui army was all but annihilated on the retreat.
Battle of Salsu: quick facts
- Date
- 612 CE
- Location
- Salsu River, Korea
- Belligerents
- Goguryeo vs Sui China
- Commanders
- Eulji Mundeok vs Yu Zhongwen and Yuwen Shu
- Result
- decisive Goguryeo victory; the Sui army was all but annihilated on the retreat.
- Era
- ⛩️ East Asia
- Quiz difficulty
- hard
What happened at the Battle of Salsu?
The Battle of Salsu was a catastrophic defeat for the Sui Dynasty of China during Emperor Yang's invasion of the Korean kingdom of Goguryeo. General Eulji Mundeok lured the exhausted Sui army deep into Goguryeo territory, then destroyed a dam on the Salsu River as the Chinese crossed. Of the 305,000 Sui soldiers who had advanced, fewer than 3,000 reportedly returned. The disaster contributed directly to the fall of the Sui Dynasty.
Did you know?
General Eulji Mundeok sent a taunting poem to the Sui Chinese commander before springing his trap at Salsu, mocking the enemy's strategy while simultaneously distracting them from the approaching disaster.
Sources and further reading
- Battle of Salsu on Wikipedia for the full account, historiography and primary sources.
- How BattleGuess compiles and checks battle facts: see the About page.
Entry last reviewed 26 September 2026.