It is determined in this article that the decision of 1232 to move the dynastic capital in Gaegyeong to an island named Gang’hwa[江華遷都], which was one of the more important political events that took place during the era of ‘Fighting the Mongols(1231~1259),’ was indeed a diplomatic one. Also examined here are the anti-Mongolian battles and resistance waged by people living in the Gyeonggi(京畿) region as well as the northern part of the Yang’gwang Province[楊廣道, which alongside the Goryeo Gyeonggi constituted the Gyeonggi Provincial region today], and the historical meaning of such defensive efforts.
Choi Wu(崔瑀), who was in charge of the Military regime at the time, argued that the capital should be moved to Gang’hwa because the Goryeo government was not in any condition to effectively defend the capital from the Mongol troops. What may seem as a prudent caution was in fact a concocted and false military argument, as research indicates that the decision was in fact made to evade Mongol General Sartai’s harsh requests of tributes as well as hostages. This was the diplomatic reason behind the Gang’hwa capital transfer, which previously had never been appreciated sufficiently.
Research also revealed that fights against the Mongol troops in the Gyeonggido region could be mainly spotted during the 1<SUP>st</SUP>, 2<SUP>nd</SUP> and 3<SUP>rd</SUP> invasions (1231~ 1239), as the Mongol troops never invaded the region since its 4<SUP>th</SUP> invasion on Goryeo soil. It should also be noted that battles in this region (since the Gang’hwa capital transfer) continued in various forms, and most of them had victorious results for the Goryeo troops.
There were successful mountain fortress defenses achieved by either administrative officials or military officers dispatched from the central government. The battle of the Gwangju mountain fortress was won by the Gwangju prefect Yi Se-hwa(李世華), while the battle at Jukju fortress was won by a Defense officer(Bangho Byeolgam) named Song Mun-ju(宋文冑). Then there were also victories won by the Ya-Byeolcho soldiers -with helps from civiliansas we can see from many examples including the Jipyeong-hyeon county victory. There were even victories accomplished without any help from the government or the military. The Cheo’in-seong battle, the biggest victory that the Goryeo people ever achieved throughout the entire Mongol invasion period, was won by the Bugok residents and no one else.
The capital’s transfer to the Gang’hwa island and successful defense in the Gyeonggi-do region were very much instrumental in the establishment of an entirely new defense posture for the Goryeo government, which was to vacate areas near the coastal line, and relocate the population to distant islands on the sea. And there was another merit for the Goryeo government. It was able to conduct negotiations with the Mongols from a far better position.