Siege of Kuju
The siege of Kuju which occurred in 1231 was a decisive Goryeo victory against the Mongol Empire during the First Mongol Invasion of Korea. After the Mongol army crossed the Yalu river, it quickly captured almost all of Goryeo's border defenses. The Mongol army, however, ran into stiff resistance both at Anju and the city of Kuju, commanded by General Park Seo.
For thirty days, the Mongols besieged the city and attacked it hundreds of times. To take Kuju, Saritai used a full array of siege weapons to bring down the city's defenses. Lines of catapults launched both boulders and molten metals at the city's walls. The Mongols deployed special assault teams who manned siege towers and scaling ladders. Other tactics used were pushing flaming carts against the city's wooden gates and tunneling under the walls. The most grisly weapon used during the siege were fire-bombs which contained boiled down, liquefied human fat.
During the siege, an old Mongol General of over seventy years of age toured beneath the city walls to look over the citys ramparts and equipment. He sighed and said:
Despite the fact the Goryeo army was heavily outnumbered and after over thirty days of brutal siege warfare, Goryeo soldiers still refused to surrender and with mounting Mongol casualties, the Mongol army could not take the city and had to withdraw.