Gang Jo (, 964 – 31 December 1010) was a Goryeo general who came from the noble family in Sincheon, Hwanghae-do and served under King Mokjong of Goryeo and King Hyeonjong of Goryeo. General Gang Jo was a general in charge of the Northern border army and came from the Sincheon Gang clan, those made Gang become the relative of King Taejo's 22nd wife, Lady Sinjuwon. Rise to power When scholar-official Kim Chi-yang burned the royal palace to the ground, threatening to kill the king and take over, King Mokjong called General Gang Jo to the capital city of Kaesong. General Gang Jo immediately executed Kim Chi-yang and his supporters. Then, the scholar officials, enemies of Gang Jo, spread rumors and lies that the general was planning to take over the government for himself. These rumors reached the King, and he planned to kill Gang Jo. Gang Jo heard of the conspiracy and doubts of the King, and ordered his army to attack and kill all of his enemies, including the King. After assassinating King Mokjong, General Gang placed King Hyeonjong of Goryeo on the throne. War with the Liao and death Soon after this, Emperor Shengzong of Liao attacked Goryeo during the fall of 1010 in an attempt to kill Gang Jo for killing the Goryeo King. According to the Korean source, 400,000-man Liao army invaded Goryeo territory. Liao first attacked but failed to capture the fort of Hueng hwa, whose lord was General Yang Gyu. Next, the Liao finally headed to the city of Tong-Ju, which is where General Gang Jo and 30,000 Goryeo troops were waiting. General Gang Jo set up an ambush on a narrow pass that the Liao army was inevitably going to have to pass. There, he directly led his troops in a three-pronged attack when the Liao came. The Liao soldiers were forced to retreat and 10,000 died during this ambush. The enemy troops again attacked Tong-Ju city but faced a humiliating defeat with severe casualties. The Liao commander launched another attack on the city, with Gang Jo as his main target. The Liao were defeated a third time, and were forced to retreat once more. In one last-ditch effort, the Liao army came attacking once more, but this time, General Gang Jo did not directly orchestrate the attack and played Badok with one of his lieutenants instead, thinking that victory was a