The Great Battle
The Great Battle
When Tang Taizong’s massive army lays siege to Ansi Fortress, its commander, Yang Manchun, and the soldiers inside brace for a prolonged war. Amid the dangers of the siege, the film portrays the clash between Goguryeo and Tang, focusing on the defenders’ choices and battles as they try to protect the fortress.
OVERALL TRUTH BASIS · Fact-based dramatization
It directly depicts the 645 Battle of Ansi Fortress in Goguryeo, but the fortress commander’s name, “Yang Man-chun,” comes from later tradition, and the film’s character relationships and battle details are subject to debate over creative liberties and historical accuracy.
645 Battle of Ansi Fortress
A battle in which Goguryeo forces defended Ansi Fortress in Goguryeo against the army of Emperor Taizong of Tang in 645.
FACT / FICTION
Verification 8
Fact / Fiction verification
8 recordsThe 645 invasion of Goguryeo by Emperor Taizong of Tang and the siege of Ansi Fortress are historical events.
On screen · Verified record
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- Verified record
- Sources related to the Samguk Sagi record the battle.
View 1 sources
- 당 태종이 안시성을 공격하다국사편찬위원회 한국고대사료DB · Official record · Grade AOpen source →
Ansi Fortress withstood the Tang army’s attacks, and Emperor Taizong of Tang withdrew.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- This is confirmed in historical sources and historical accounts.
View 2 sources
- 당 태종이 안시성을 공격하다국사편찬위원회 한국고대사료DB · Official record · Grade AOpen source →
- 안시성 전투, 영화와 역사 사이인문360 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
Contemporary sources do not give the name of the Ansi Fortress commander.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- Kim Busik also wrote that the commander’s name was not recorded.
View 1 sources
- 당 태종이 안시성을 공격하다국사편찬위원회 한국고대사료DB · Official record · Grade AOpen source →
The name “Yang Man-chun” appears in textual traditions from a much later period.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- The transmission of the name from the 16th century onward is described.
View 2 sources
- 당 태종이 안시성을 공격하다국사편찬위원회 한국고대사료DB · Official record · Grade AOpen source →
- 양만춘한국민족문화대백과사전 · Encyclopedia · Grade AOpen source →
The relationship between Yeon Gaesomun and Yang Man-chun in the film cannot be verified as depicted from contemporary sources.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- It should be viewed as a cinematic conflict structure.
View 1 sources
- 안시성 전투, 영화와 역사 사이인문360 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
Some of the film’s armor, battle equipment, and tactics are subject to debate over historical accuracy.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- Inmun360 compares actual history with the film’s depiction.
View 1 sources
- 안시성 전투, 영화와 역사 사이인문360 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
The specific action and individual heroic acts in the large-scale siege scenes are not reproductions exactly as recorded in historical sources.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- It is a commercial-film reconstruction.
View 1 sources
- 안시성 전투, 영화와 역사 사이인문360 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
Because the film directly depicts the Battle of Ansi itself, its core basis in actual events is strong.
On screen · Verified record
- On screen
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- Verified record
- The actual battle is at the center of the narrative.
View 2 sources
- 당 태종이 안시성을 공격하다국사편찬위원회 한국고대사료DB · Official record · Grade AOpen source →
- 안시성 전투, 영화와 역사 사이인문360 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
CHARACTER ↔ PERSON
Characters and real people
양만춘
Historical personSources used
- 당 태종이 안시성을 공격하다국사편찬위원회 한국고대사료DB · Official record · Grade AOpen source →
- 안시성 전투, 영화와 역사 사이인문360 · Government source · Grade AOpen source →
- 양만춘한국민족문화대백과사전 · Encyclopedia · Grade AOpen source →