Editing Balhae (section)

===Origin===
{{Manchurian History}}
{{History of Korea}}
{{Kings of Balhae}}
In 696, [[Li Jinzhong]] (Wushang Khan) of the [[Khitan people|Khitans]] along with his brother-in-law [[Sun Wanrong]] rebelled against Tang (Wu Zetian's [[Zhou dynasty (690–705)|Zhou Dynasty]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Uwitchett |first1=Denis |title=Chen gui and Other Works Attributed to Empress Wu Zetian. |page=20 |url=https://www2.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/file/1471iwFGrCg.pdf |access-date=29 August 2020 |archive-date=25 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025104451/https://www2.ihp.sinica.edu.tw/file/1471iwFGrCg.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>) hegemony, killed an abusive Tang commander, and attacked [[Hebei]]. Li died soon after and Sun succeeded him, only to be defeated by the [[Second Turkic Khaganate]].{{sfn|Wang|2013|p=85}} The population of Yingzhou (營州, modern-day [[Chaoyang, Liaoning|Chaoyang]], [[Liaoning]]) fled eastward toward the [[Liao River]] during the turmoil. The Tang tried to appease [[Dae Jungsang]] (Da Zhongxiang) and [[Geolsa Biu]] (Qisi Biyu), two local leaders, by granting them the titles of Duke of Zhen (Jin) and Duke of Xu (Heo) respectively. Geolsa Biu rejected the offer but was soon defeated by a Tang force led by [[Li Kaigu]], while Dae Jungsang fled with his followers but also died around the same time. Dae Jungsang's son, [[Dae Joyeong]] (Da Zuorong), left the Liao River valley for Mt. Tianmen (in modern [[Jilin Province]]). There, he dealt a heavy defeat to the Tang forces at the [[Battle of Tianmenling]] (Cheonmunnyeong), after which he led his followers to set up a state. In 698, Dae Joyeong declared himself King of Zhen (Jin).{{sfn|Wang|2013|p=87}}<ref>{{Citation
 | last = Walker
 | first = Hugh Dyson
 | title = East Asia: A New History
 | place = Bloomington, IN
 | publisher = AuthorHouse
 | year = 2012
 | page = 177 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation
 | last = Seth
 | first = Michael J.
 | title = A Concise History of Korea: From Antiquity to the Present
 | place = Lanham, MD
 | publisher = Rowman & Littlefield
 | year = 2016
 | page = 71 }}</ref><ref>{{Citation
 | last = Kim
 | first = Djun Kil Kim
 | title = The History of Korea
 | place = Santa Barbara, CA
 | publisher = ABC-CLIO
 | year = 2014
 | page = 54 }}</ref>

Another account of the events suggests that there was no rebellion at all, and the leader of the [[Sumo Mohe]] (Songmal Malgal) rendered assistance to the Tang by suppressing Khitan rebels. As a reward the Tang acknowledged the leader as the local hegemon of a semi-independent state.{{sfn|Crossley|1997|p=18}}

In diplomatic communications between [[Silla]] and Jin, Silla attempted to confer investiture to Dae Joyeong with the title of a fifth rank official: "Dae Achan".{{sfn|Kim|2011a|p=348}} Silla conferred this mid-ranking investiture partially out of a sense of superiority, but also because Balhae was a relatively new kingdom whereas Silla had been centuries old. The people of Jin did not know the system of ranks used in Silla and thus accepted the title. After a while, Dae Joyeong realized the meaning of the title and sought to change Balhae's international status. In 713 or 714, the Tang dynasty recognized Dae Joyeong as the "Prince of Bohai (Balhae)", the name for the sea surrounding [[Liaodong]] and [[Shandong]].<ref name="Kim2012"/>

According to Alexander Kim, neither the Tang or Silla recognized Balhae as the successor of Goguryeo. The Tang considered it a dukedom while Silla considered it their vassal.<ref name = "Kim2014"/> South Korean historians such as Kim Eng Gug, however, believe that the Tang viewed Balhae as Goguryeo's successor.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kim |first1=Eun Gug |chapter=An Enduring Window between North and South: Parhae and Silla |title=A New History of Parhae |date=2012 |publisher=Brill |page=76}}</ref> Between 713 and 721, Silla constructed a northern wall to maintain active defences along the border.{{sfn|Kim|2011a|p=349}} The Tang later recognized Balhae as a kingdom in 762 but Silla continued to view Balhae as a rebellious vassal. However, Kim Eun Gug argues that the "bestowal of a fifth-rank position was an expression of Silla's confidence, and such an exchange would have been unimaginable if Silla and Parhae were in a hostile relationship."<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kim |first1=Eun Gug |chapter=An Enduring Window between North and South: Parhae and Silla |title=A New History of Parhae |date=2012 |publisher=Brill |pages=77–78}}</ref> After Tang recognition of Balhae as a kingdom, Balhae diplomatic missions to Japan began to refer to the Balhae ruler as descended from Heaven. Japanese officials criticized these letters, revised them, and limited diplomatic missions from Balhae. A royal epitaph and Buddhist scripture confirm this designation for the ruler of Balhae.<ref name = "Kim2014"/>