YuJoByeon (a willow tree fence) made by Cheong (Ching or Qing) dynasty 

Source: Kim Wun Woe’s correct reading “SamGukJi (三國志)” <28>  2004-07-13 11:28:02   www.pressian.com 

            Writer : Kim Wu Hoe  Professor in Dongyang Univ. Translated by Lee Ki-Tae & Edited by Daniel Julian

    Remark: 

Main strategy of “SamGukJi  (a Chinese novel had been written about three Chinese countries for one thousand years with a  fiction or distortion of  historical facts by the writers for political and national reasons):  “YiYi JeYi (以夷制夷) “

 YiYi JeYi (以夷制夷) means to destroy an enemy, using another enemy. This strategy is what Chinese have preferred to historically use. Chinese see that a battle can’t be won only with valor (or dauntlessness) (or valor of army is not sufficient for them to win a battle). Chinese had to win their surrounding nomadic tribes with a trick who they couldn’t follow (or compel) the tribes with valor (or dauntlessness). That’s why they see that the best clever tactics (or scheme) is to oppress an enemy with another enemy or surrender it without a battle.

 It’s quite difficult for me to know how exactly “YiYi JeYi” began to be used. But it’s quite certain that the word of “Yi (夷)” is directly (or closely) related to Korean ancestors. In my point of view, it seems that Chinese had used the word for many JuShinJok (DongYiJok in Chinese term) who had lived in Northern East of China or East seashore of China . Because “YiYi JeYi” is a very cautious (or accurate) strategy that Chinese used to remove (or eliminate) a strong enemy which they couldn’t win easily and they needed to alienate (or estrange) it.  

 Doesn’t this mean that DongYiJok (JuShinJok) can be easily deceived by the alienating (or estranging) tactics?  

 Although DongYiJok (JuShinJok) shoot archery well and have strong military army with open mind (broad mind), Chinese seemed to understand that they’re straight-minded (or direct) so they can be well deceived, weak to humanity (or kindness) and easily elated (proud of themselves) with other’s saying (or praise or reputation).  

 Therefore, didn’t Chinese realize that DongYiJok (JuShinJok) can be in cooperation with them when they coaxed and alienated DongYiJok (JuShinJok) successfully.  

 JeGalRyang (諸葛亮: 181~234, a prime minister of one of three countries) also told that “YiYi JeYi” was an essential strategy to win nomadic tribes like GoGuRyeo and used to collapse GoGuRyeo in 697 by an allied army of Shilla dynasty in Korean peninsula and TaeJong in Dang (唐: Tang in Chinese) dynasty in China. 

 He wrote about DongYi (東夷: a degraded name of Korean ancestors called by Chinese ancestors in the past) said on his book (or writing) that “we can’t attack DongYi because they are socially well-associated with each other. So we should first alienate among their King, subjects (or officials) and people not to let them be friendly (socially well-associated with each other). And although we succeed in this operation, we still need to make them feel safe (means unprepared against our sudden attack) while sending our diplomats to their country frequently with an excuse to promote friendship with each other. After that, we can beat (conquer) them with our strong army through our unexpected invasion or sudden attack.    

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 One of DaeJuShinJok (Da: big, JuShin: a name for Mongolian tribes in Northern East Asia defined by the writer, Jok: tribes), Cheong (Ching or Qing) dynasty had treated nomadic tribes not with ”YiYi JeYi (以夷制夷)” but with a concept of brotherhood which was quite different from how other dynasties built by Chinese(漢族) had done.  

  Cheong government had made much effort to protect JuShinJok who were a main ruling group of Cheong dynasty from being assimilated to Chinese.  In the beginning of Cheong dynasty, a main group of power intended to return to their home land, Manchuria anytime if they would lose their power in China. The most outstanding example was “YuJoByeon (柳條邊: a willow tree fence or hedge – purple line on the below map )” that let us know (or understand) it  manifest (or clearly).  

 Since 1667,  Cheong government established gates of the tree fence in 9 places, for instance, SanHaeGwan, HeeBongGu, and planted willow trees  for a boundary (or border) to forbid Chinese come and go in Northern east area (東北地方: Manchuria).   

 This willow fence ranged about 975 km, beginning at SanHaeGwan, passing  through HeungGyeong (興京: Ssing Jing in Chinese) in Northern East and reached the mouth of ApRokGang river in North Korea today. Afterward, 345 km of willow fence was built again.  

 Cheong dynasty used YuJoByeon (willow tree fence) to protect JuShinJok (Jok: tribes) from becoming Chinese and to forbid Chinese to go to the farmland (or agricultural land) of YoDong ( Far East , Manchuria ) by designating nomadic areas for Mongolians.  

 Meanwhile the willow tree fence was also prepared for the emergency of Cheong dynasty to evacuate or withdraw from China. Therefore, they banned (strictly prohibit?) Chinese to reside (or live or inhabit) in Northern East area, Manchuria .

 From this willow tree fence, we can understand how wrong  “DongBuk GongJeong (東北工程 : Chinese governmental project to include (or unite) a whole history of Manchuria, for example, GoJoSeon (古朝鮮), GoGuRyeo (高句麗), BalHae (發海), Geum (金), Won (元), Cheong (淸)) to Chinese is today.  

 They had distinguished themselves obviously with the willow fence that they were not related to Chinese and there was a region with their own (characteristic or innate) politics, culture and history in Northern East, Manchuria .

 This kind of national policy of Cheong dynasty shows it was quite different from what the previous Chinese countries had enforced “YiYi JeYi”. While every Chinese dynasties had used any methods and ways to disrupt (or break up) nomadic tribes with “YiYi JeYi” policy, Cheong dynasty proceeded on enforcing their national homogeneity by “intermarriage” policy with Mongolia . Cheong dynasty called Mongolia as the country of brother (or brother's country) and showed off mutual union through hunting competition. This shows that Cheong dynasty were not rooted (or originated or based) on Chinese but DaeJuShin (nomadic tribes in Northern East, west of Altai).

 Of course, we can’t see that it’s wrong for Chinese dynasties to have had used “YiYi JeYi” to stabilize their political peace in the main land china against their surrounding countries. We don’t need to completely deny an international order (or system) in Northern East of Asia leaded by China . What China needed was just an idea (or concept) of peaceful international order dominated by Chinese.

 But what Chinese talk about the peace can be meaningful in case that there can be culturally a (mutual?) relativism to admit each other (or in case that they can admit different cultures of other nations in light of culturally a (mutual?) relativism). What happens in China recently like “DongBu GongJeong” can obliterate (or erase) Korean history itself. It’s very dangerous for other countries that Chinese can sacrifice their whole history for the peace of China. 

 We can recognize that Korean peninsula can be influenced by China and American or Japan in any case from the secret dialogue among Nickson·Maotsudung·Tsuenrai (朱恩來) that the American office of keeping their national documents opened it to the public first.  

“Nickson (American president at that time) told that both of America and China should influence (or control) their allies (North and South Korea) not to let them break a war thoughtlessly and they should pay attention to the allies because North and South Korea have emotional and impulsive personalities (tendencies) without any exception. 

 Nickson also told that American and China should control North and South Korea well enough to prevent them from splitting their mutual friendship because of impulsive and combative (or battle-like) attitude of North and South Korea. Namely (that is to say), it meant that it could be so stupid (or foolish) for them to fight with each other because of the problem between North and South Korea .  

Tsuenrai(朱恩來, Chinese politician) positively agreed with Nickson that he seriously saw a possible situation that Japanese army  would station in Korea instead of American troops in case that American troops would leave (or evacuate) Korean peninsula.