Silla developed and applied numerous strategies and tactics while unifying the three kingdoms. Silla’s strategies and tactics can be understood through Kim Yusin’s military activities. Kim Yusin was evaluated as a wise general, and he was able to win the war by utilizing his outstanding strategy.
Kim Yusin’s strategies include the deception strategy, the three-way operation strategy, and the spy utilization strategy. The deception strategy is a strategy to deceive the opponent and create a situation that is advantageous to the allies. The three-way operation strategy is a strategy to divide the army into three groups and attack the enemy at the right time and place. There are confirmed cases of the spy strategy using the local spies, the inward spies, and the converted spies.
Kim Yusin’s tactics include the assault tactic, surprise attack tactic, camouflage tactic, siege tactic, and counterattack tactic. The assault tactic is a tactic of rushing into the enemy’s camp, confusing and striking the enemy’s camp. In Silla, there were many cases where he risked his life to seize the opportunity to win. The surprise attack tactic involved luring the enemy after a false defeat and striking them or using their spirit to attack. The camouflage tactic was used to change the mood by deceiving the enemy’s position or to confuse the enemy. The siege tactic was mainly deployed during siege warfare, and there are cases where the enemy’s military power and morale were broken by offering surrender and then attacking. The counterattack tactic refers to a tactic of attacking the enemy in a situation where they did not expect it.
Kim Yusin greatly contributed to Silla’s unification of the three kingdoms by utilizing strategies and tactics in various aspects. Kim Yusin’s strategies and tactics were based on the knowledge that Silla had accumulated through wars, and it can be evaluated that the strengthening of Silla’s military capabilities became the driving force behind the unification of the three kingdoms.