WI: Yamato-Baekje at the battle of Baekgang

[Phalamus]

In 660 the Three Kingdoms period of Korean history ended with the conquest of the kingdom of Baekje by the kingdom of Silla and their Tang Chinese allies. While king Uija was captured and taken to China, one of his sons, Buyeo Pung, managed to escape to allied Japan and returned three years later with a massive Yamato force to attempt a restoration of the kingdom of Baekje.

It appears that the Japanese-Baekje force was more numerous than the Tang-Silla one, but they still lost decisively due to overconfidence and poor discipline. But what if they had won?

Some questions for discussion:

• What would the restored Baekje kingdom's relationship with Japan be like? Would they be equal allies or would Baekje be a vassal of Japan?
• Assuming the Tang can be kept occupied with other wars (they certainly had plenty in their plate) can Baekje survive in the long run? Is there any possibility that they may be the ones to unify Korea ITTL or is it too late for that?
• If the theory that the Yamato and Baekje royal houses were related is correct, is there any possibility that some kind of personal unity between the two may happen at some point? I'm aware that Asian monarchies worked differently from European ones, but succession could be quite messy at times, so is it possible that under a very specific set of circunstances the Emperor of Japan could successfully claim the throne of Baekje or vice versa?

 

[Phalamus]

So, maybe we can try tackling this from another angle: If Tang and Silla lose the war against Baekje and Japan, do they still invade Goguryeo after the death of Yeon Gaesomun? Would Japan and Baekje necessarily come to Goguryeo's rescue, or could they make a separate peace with Tang and Silla?

 

[mrmandias]

I think the ties would diminish pretty rapidly, but the idea of ongoing exchange for a long time is intriguing