Baekje, and consequently Gaero was not at all prepared for the assault formulated by Jangsu. With momentum now in his favor, Jangsu then proceeded toward the capital and easily captured the city of Wiryeseong and slew Gaero. Soon after, Jangsu burned the capital to the ground, along with several other cities that he conquered from Baekje. Henceforth, Baekje had no choice but to move its capital to mountainous Ungjin (present-day Gongju), 80 miles to the south, which provided a natural protection for the devastated kingdom. The war gave Goguryeo more or less total control of the Han River valley, the region essential to commercial and military power in the Korean peninsula. Baekje had been a dominant power on the peninsula for hundreds of years thanks to its control of the region, but after losing the region to Goguryeo, Baekje also lost control of the peninsula. Silla campaign After successfully concluding his campaign in Baekje, Jangsu then turned his attention toward the second peninsular kingdom of Silla. Silla had been a vassal state of Goguryeo since Gwanggaeto defeated the Baekje and Wa troops invading Silla in 400. To secure the allegiance of his de facto protectorate, Jangsu demanded the younger brother of King Nulji of Silla to become a political hostage. King Nulji broke off relations with Goguryeo in 454. Jangsu invaded Silla in 468, expanding his domain into parts of Gangwon Province, and again in 489, capturing 7 walled cities and expanding his domain into parts of North Gyeongsang Province. With his victory over Silla, Jangsu erected a stone monument in present-day Chungju, praising the accomplishments of his father and himself. This monument remains at the same site, holding historical importance as the only surviving Goguryeo stele in the Korean peninsula. Death and legacy King Jangsu died in 491, at the age of 97. His temple name means "Long Life" in hanja. During his reign, Goguryeo was at its golden age, stretching from Inner Mongolia to the current North Chungcheong Province of South Korea, south of the Han River basin. Modern Depictions Age of Empires: World Domination, a mobile game produced in collaboration with series owner Microsoft, includes Jangsu as a selectable hero of the Korean civilization. Portrayed by Jung Yun-seok in the 2007 MBC TV series The Legend. See also History of Korea Three Kingdoms of Korea List of Korean monarchs References Goguryeo rulers 394 births 491 deaths 5th-century