Editing Balhae (section)

==Military==
Balhae's military organization consisted of a central army divided into ten guard units (wi, 衛) responsible for protecting the royal palace and the capital. Local militias were organized in the 15 local provinces (bu) for other regions according to the regional administrative structures, with local officials commanding them.<ref name="MSB">Military System of Balhae, [[War Memorial of Korea]]</ref> Independent troops were stationed at key border points for defense.

The development of Balhae's military system can be broadly divided into three phases. The first phase involved establishing administrative systems for the newly expanded territories during the early stages of the kingdom's founding. The second phase saw the establishment of the ten guards as recorded in the ''[[Xin Tangshu]]'' (New Book of Tang). In contrast, the third phase occurred after the envoy Wang Zhongwu reported on Balhae's military situation following his visit.

Balhae expanded its territory by conquering the [[Mohe people|Mohe]] (Malgal) tribes in Manchuria, Primorsky Krai, the Amur River region, and along the coast of the Sea of Japan, during which many fortresses were built. Some of these include the Palryeonseong, Mariyanovka Fortress, Cheonghaeto Fortress, Koksharovka Fortress Site, Kraskino Fortress Site, Nikolayevka Fortress Site in Partizansk, Suchanluha Fortress Site, Bittik Mountain Fortress Site, Ryuzanka Fortress Site, Usti-Chornaya Fortress Site, Namusurisk Fortress Site, Korsakovka Fortress Site, and Novgorodeyev Fortress Site.

=== First Phase ===
The first phase was a period during which the overall system was established, and this period firmly retained the legacy of Goguryeo, with military and administrative functions often overlapping. Volume 193 of ''[[Ruijū Kokushi]]'' records that "Balhae spans 2,000 li in all directions, and no prefectures or counties exist. Villages are scattered throughout, mostly Malgal settlements. The people are mostly Malgal, and few are native. All the natives are made village chiefs, with large villages appointing a Dudu/Dudok (都督, Governor) and smaller ones appointing a Cishi/Jasa (刺史, Prefect), while the rest of the leaders are called Shouling/Suryong (首領, Chiefs)." The Dudok or Jasa were likely regional administrative officials of Balhae, such as the Yakheolju Dudok, Mokjeoju Jasa, and Hyeontoju Jasa. Since this was an early period when the system was still being established, remnants of the former Goguryeo dynasty's institutions were still present in many areas, and the division of the entire country was still incomplete. Therefore, in military terms, troops were dispatched mainly to tense situations.

Through the continued territorial expansion during the reigns of King Go and King Mu, Balhae's territorial boundaries were secured, and the government structure was reorganized and completed by acquiring territory, population, and tax revenues. Considering that the initial military force at the time of Balhae's founding was only a few thousand, Balhae likely needed to make overall adjustments to the expanded territory and population. Balhae, which had borders with powerful neighboring states like the Tang Dynasty, the Turks, the Khitans, the Heishui Mohe, and Silla, faced deteriorated relations with its neighbors due to its early aggressive conquests. Moreover, having witnessed the fall of Goguryeo, the dominant power in the previous era, Balhae needed to strengthen and reorganize its military. Therefore, this period can be seen as when Balhae laid the foundation for establishing a new system based on Goguryeo's legacy over the expanded territory.

=== Second Phase ===
The second phase saw the establishment of central departments and the ten guards, as recorded in the ''New Book of Tang''. The Zhengtangsheng/Jeongdangseong (政堂省), one of the [[Three Departments and Six Ministries|three central departments]], managed the military, recruitment, maps, war chariots, and weapons through the subordinate department known as the Zhibu/Jibu (智部). Subordinate to the Jibu were practical departments such as the Rongbu/Yongbu (戎部) and Shuibu/Subu (水部). For example, Yang Seung-gyeong, who was sent as an envoy to Japan in 758, held the central position of Boguk Daejanggun and Janggun (輔國大將軍兼將軍) and the regional position of Mokjeoju Jasa (木底州刺史), and he was also involved in managing national defense. However, the origins of these titles are difficult to trace, as they do not appear in the central official system. This indicates that Balhae organized its military by establishing the Jibu as the central department responsible for military affairs and its subordinate departments like the Yongbu or the Byeongseo (兵書).

Balhae had ten guards, including the "Left and Right Mengbenwei/Mangbunwi (猛賁衛), Left and Right Xiongwei/Ungwi (熊衛), Left and Right Piwei/Biwi (羆衛), Left and Right Nanwei/Namwi (南衛), and Left and Right Beiwei/Bukwi (北衛)."<ref name="MSB"/> Each guard had a Da Jiangjun/Daejanggun (大將軍) and a Jiangjun/Janggun (將軍). This system was likely modeled after the Tang Dynasty's 16 or 12 guards. Each guard had one Daejanggun and one Janggun, equivalent to the Tang Dynasty's Shang Jiangjun (上將軍) and Jiangjun (將軍). The ten guards protected the royal family and oversaw the local militia. In 1960, a seal inscribed with "Tianmenjun/Cheonmungun's Seal" (天門軍之印), belonging to one of Balhae's military units, was discovered southwest of the royal city of Sanggyeong Yongcheonbu. The discovery of this seal suggests that the army under each guard was responsible for guarding the gates of the royal city.

Meanwhile, the ''[[Shoku Nihongi]]'' records that in 728, among the envoys sent to Japan, there were officials such as You Jiangjun/Yujanggun (游將軍) and Guoyi Duwei/Gwaidowi (果毅都尉) Dezhou/Deokju (徳周). The title Guoyi Duwei was adopted from the Tang Dynasty's military system. In the Tang Dynasty, the Weibu (衛部) and the Zhechongfu (折衝府) were part of the military system. The Zhechongfu was further divided into upper, middle, and lower levels, with each level having one Zhechong Duwei (折衝都尉) and two Guoyi Duwei (果毅都尉). The Guoyi Duwei of the upper level was equivalent to the 5th rank, the middle level to the 6th rank, and the lower level to the 6th rank. In Balhae, the existence of the Guoyi Duwei/Gwaidowi indicates that Balhae likely adopted the Tang Dynasty's military system and established local militias in the provinces.

In particular, the military titles of envoys sent to Japan during the early period of Balhae, such as Janggun (將軍) or Boguk Daejanggun (輔國大將軍), suggest that the military system was already being organized at that time. The Jasa was a local administrative official overseeing the province, and the Daejanggun and Janggun were the highest military positions. The presence of various military titles among these envoys indicates that the system was already in the process of being organized.

=== Third Phase ===
The third phase occurred after the envoy Wang Zhongwu reported on Balhae's military situation following his visit. In 832, after returning from Balhae, Wang Zhongwu reported to [[Emperor Wenzong of Tang]] that "Balhae has Left and Right Shencejun/Shinchaekgun (神策軍), Left and Right Sanjun/Samgun (三軍), and 120 departments." This indicates that the military system had evolved from the early generals' system to the Left and Right ten guards, and by the time Wang Zhongwu returned from his mission, it had already been expanded and reorganized into the Left and Right Shinchaekgun, Left and Right Samgun, and 120 departments. The Sanjun in the Tang Dynasty referred to the Left Longwu (龍武), Left Shenwu (神武), and Left Yulin (羽林) armies, while the Right Sanjun referred to the Right Longwu, Right Shenwu, and Right Yulin. These six armies were all part of the Weijun (衛軍).

Based on Wang Zhongwu's report, it can be inferred that Balhae's military system also adopted the Tang Dynasty's model, with both Weijun and local militias (Fubing). The Tang Dynasty system had separate Weijun and Fubing units, numbering over 600 nationwide. Each unit had a Langjiang (郞將) and was placed under the control of the Zhuwei (諸衛). This strict and extensive military organization greatly influenced Balhae, establishing the ten guards and units like the Shencejun/Shinchaekgun.

No historical records explicitly state that Balhae adopted the Tang Dynasty's [[Fubing system]]. However, considering Balhae's long-term territorial expansion and the presence of military officials such as Jasa, Rangjang, Gwaidowi, and Byeoljang, it is likely that Balhae implemented a Fubing system. Additionally, the ''New Book of Tang'' mentions that "Balhae's Buyeo Province is located on the border with the Khitans, and strong troops are always stationed there to defend against the Khitans," suggesting that Balhae had local militias similar to the Tang Dynasty's Fubing system, which played a crucial role in securing the borders. Military titles such as Langjiang/Rangjang and Biejiang/Byeoljang (别將) emerged during King Dae Muye's reign, indicating that Balhae had already implemented an army system modeled after the Tang Dynasty with central and local forces.

The size of the military grew from a few thousand soldiers in the early days to tens of thousands in later periods. It is known that in its early years, during the reign of King Mu, Balhae held 100,000 troops, which is one-third of Goguryeo's 300,000-strong army.<ref name="MSB"/>  Naturally, during periods of military control combined with production and conquest, even the elderly, children, and all men in a household might have been conscripted to meet the demands of external wars.