Yi Hon (general)
Yi Hon was a Korean military commander active during the mid-Joseon period. A member of the Jeonju Yi clan, he passed the military examination and held posts including Provincial Naval Commander of Right Jeolla and Magistrate of Jeju before becoming Provincial Military Commander of South Hamgyŏng.
At the outset of the Imjin War in 1592, Yi raised loyalist forces in Hamgyŏng and then marched south to reinforce the defence of the capital. At Yangju he joined Yi Yangwŏn and Sin Kak, and their combined army ambushed Japanese troops at Haeyuryŏng, securing Joseon's victory.
Subsequently, returning to Hamgyŏng, Yi was tasked with holding the pass at Ch'ŏllyŏng against Katō Kiyomasa and but failed to halt the advance. Amid the province's collapse and local unrest, he was killed by rebellious residents at Kapsan later in 1592.
Early life and career
Early life
Yi Hon was born in 1543. He belonged to a collateral branch of the royal Jeonju Yi clan and was a fifth-generation descendant of Grand Prince Hyoryŏng, a son of King Taejong. His father was Yi Wŏllye, who had served as Vice Minister of Taxation, and his mother was a lady of the Pyongyang Cho clan, daughter of Vice Minister Cho Ki. In 1567, Yi Hon passed the military service examination, beginning his official career.Early career
In 1588, while serving as Magistrate of Tanch'ŏn, Yi Hon was dismissed from office on the charge that he had accepted a large amount of silver. In the 1st lunar month of the following year, while serving as Magistrate of Kyŏngwŏn, Yi was recommended by Left Associate State Councilor when the Border Defense Council introduced a new system allowing the appointment of military officers irrespective of rank order.Yi later served as Magistrate of Puryŏng and as Provincial Naval Commander of Right Jeolla. On the 16th day, 8th lunar month of 1589, he was appointed Magistrate of Jeju, but was again dismissed from office for irregularities dating back to his tenure in Tanch'ŏn. In 1591, he was appointed Provincial Military Commander of South Hamgyŏng.
Imjin War
Outbreak of the Imjin War
On the 14th day, 4th lunar month of 1592, the Imjin War broke out, and the Japanese army advanced rapidly northward toward Hansŏng. In response, on the 30th day of the 4th lunar month, King Seonjo departed westward in flight from the capital, while Prince Imhae set out for Hamgyŏng Province accompanied by Kim Kwiyŏng and Yun T'agyŏn.After arriving in Hamgyŏng, Prince Imhae issued an official letter on the 8th day, 5th lunar month calling for the recruitment of royal loyalist troops. In accordance with this order, Yu Yŏngnip, the Provincial Governor of Hamgyŏng, Han Kŭkham, the Provincial Military Commander of North Hamgyŏng, and Yi Hon, the Provincial Military Commander of South Hamgyŏng, were summoned to attend the prince's progress. Yi Hon complied with the summons and, after meeting with Prince Imhae to discuss plans for resistance against the Japanese invasion, led his loyalist troops southward to reinforce the defense of the capital.
Battle of Haeyuryŏng
During his march, Yi Hon joined forces at Yangju with the retreating armies of Yi Yangwŏn and Sin Kak, who had withdrawn from the Battle of the Han River. There they established a combined camp. Meanwhile, Japanese troops who had entered Hansŏng began pillaging the surrounding countryside, and part of their force advanced northward. In response, Yi Hon, together with Yi Yangwŏn and Sin Kak, took up positions at Haeyuryŏng, a strategic pass on the road from Yangju to Paju. The allied commanders concealed their forces within the forests on both sides of the pass and waited in ambush. On the 16th day, 5th lunar month of 1592, they launched a surprise attack on the advancing Japanese troops, making effective use of the terrain and routing the Japanese troops.Battle of Ch'ŏllyŏng
After the victory at Haeyuryŏng, Yi Hon returned to Hamgyŏng Province. Yu Yŏngnip, the Provincial Governor of Hamgyŏng, received intelligence that Japanese forces which had invaded Kangwŏn Province were advancing north and might cross. He therefore assigned Yi Hon a force of approximately one thousand soldiers and ordered him to repel the enemy.Yi immediately marched south toward Ch'ŏllyŏng, where he established a fortified camp and awaited the enemy's approach. At that time, the Japanese Second Division under Katō Kiyomasa was advancing along the Koksan route, while the Fourth Division under was moving north along the Hoeyang route. Yi, assuming that only the Hoeyang route would be taken, secured only the higher elevations of the pass and sent a small detachment of scouts to the southern slopes.
On the 12th day, 6th lunar month of 1592, approximately four thousand soldiers under Mori Katsunobu approached Ch'ŏllyŏng, advancing northward. The Japanese troops marched in a narrow valley in a long column formation, with numerous banners and the sounds of trumpets and shouts echoing through the gorge, causing Yi's forces to mistake them for a much larger army and lose morale. Upon hearing further reports that another large Japanese force was approaching from the Koksan direction, many of his soldiers fled. Yi himself was unable to mount a defense and retreated, allowing the Japanese to cross Ch'ŏllyŏng without opposition.