Li Pai (立牌)

Different types of Song Dynasty Li Pai. From 'Wu Bei Zhi (《武備志》)'.

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Enemy of the Ming — Burmese Toungoo Empire

UPDATED SEPTEMBER 20, 2022

Statue of Bayinnaung, legendary warrior king of the Toungoo Empire.

Rise of the Burmese

The Burmese Toungoo Dynasty, also known as the First Toungoo Empire, was the largest and most powerful empire in the history of Southeast Asia, perhaps second only to the Ming Empire itself. Under its early kings Tabinshwehti and Bayinnaung, the Toungoo Empire was vigorously expansionist, annexing Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Ava Kingdom, Prome Kingdom, Manipur, Lan Na Kingdom, Lan Xang Kingdom, Ayutthaya Kingdom, and large portions of Shan States through military conquest.

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Battle of Byeokjegwan — Part 2: aftermath and analysis

MINOR UPDATE JANUARY 25, 2024

After Battle of Byeokjegwan, Ming reportedly suffered 264 deaths, 49 injured, and lost 276 horses (Translator's Note: It should be noted that most of the Ming casualties were inflicted on Li Ru Song's 1,000-strong retinue cavalry. This means nearly 33% of his men were taken out). Li You Sheng (李有升), one of the loyal retainers of Li Ru Song renowned for his bravery, also fell in battle. Unlike Ming, Japanese records did not provide reliable casualty figures for this battle. However, an inspection report after Japanese army retreated to the southern coasts of Korea revealed the remaining strength of some of the participants of Battle of Byeokjegwan. Discounting Suetsugu Motoyasu and Kikkawa Hiroie (who were not included in the inspection), the remaining strength of Japanese forces is given in the short list below:

• Kobayakawa Takakage: 6,600 men (was 8,000 before the battle) 
  
  (Translator's Note: This is actually a mistake on the original author's part. Kobayakawa Takakage initially brought 5,000 men to Korea. The size of his army actually grew by 1,600 after Battle of Byeokjegwan because he received new reinforcement from Japan)
  
  
• Kobayakawa Hidekane: 400 men (out of 1,500 men originally from Nagoya Castle)
  
  
• Tachibana Muneshige and Takahashi Munemasu: 1,133 men and 290 men respectively (Tachibana siblings had around 3,000 men combined before the battle)
  
  (Translator's Note: This appears to be a typo on the original author's part. The number recorded in Nihon Senshi is 1,132, not 1,133)
  
  
• Tsukushi Hirokado: 330 men (out of 900 men originally from Nagoya Castle)

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