son Yeon Namsaeng on the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Bojang (665). However, the Samguk sagi records the year as 666, and the Nihon Shoki gives the year as the twenty-third year of the reign of King Bojang (664). Legends According to a local Chinese legend in the 19th-century Funing County Annals (): during a campaign, Emperor Taizong was scouting ahead of his army and was almost captured when he discovered Yeon Gaesomun's encampment and was recognized by the latter, but narrowly escaped by hiding in a decrepit well; later, Emperor Taizong had a pagoda () erected near the location. Historical depictions Tang and Silla sources portrayed Yeon Gaesomun as a brutal and arrogant dictator who carried five swords at a time, and had men prostrate themselves so that he could use their backs to mount and dismount his horse. In popular culture Yeon Gaesomun sometimes appears as a door god in Taoist temples in partnership with the Tang general Xue Rengui. In some Chinese legends, Xue Rengui and Yeon Gaesomun are the reincarnations of the White Tiger's Star and Azure Dragon's Star, respectively. Film and television Portrayed by Jo Kyung-hwan in the 1992 KBS TV series Chronicles of the Three Kingdoms. Portrayed by Lee Won-jong in the 2003 film Once Upon a Time in a Battlefield and its 2011 sequel Battlefield Heroes. Portrayed by Yoo Dong-geun, Lee Tae-gon and Eun Won-jae in the 2006-2007 SBS TV series Yeon Gaesomun. Portrayed by Kim Jin-tae in the 2006–2007 KBS TV series Dae Jo Yeong. Portrayed by Ko In-beom in the 2011 MBC TV series Gyebaek. Portrayed by Choi Dong-joon in the 2012–2013 KBS TV series The King's Dream. Portrayed by Choi Min-soo in the 2013 KBS2 TV series The Blade and Petal. Portrayed by Yu Oh-seong in the 2018 film The Great Battle. Literature Yeon Gaesomun (under the name Gai Suwen) appears in Peking opera as the archvillain of the famed Tang general Xue Rengui, who rescues Emperor Taizong from Yeon Gaesomun's pursuit. Yeon Gaesomun appears in numerous classical Chinese literature about Xue Rengui, who rescues Emperor Taizong from certain death at the hands of Yeon Gaesomun himself. Age of Empires: World Domination, a mobile game produced in collaboration with series owner Microsoft, includes Yeon Gaesomun as a selectable hero of the Korean civilization. See also History of Korea Three Kingdoms of Korea References Goguryeo people Military history of