Da Zuorong
Da Zuorong also known as King Gao (高王) was a Sumo Mohe leader who established the kingdom of Bohai, reigning from 699 to 719. According to the Old Book of the Tang and the New Book of the Tang he was the son of the Sumo Mohe chief Qiqi Zhongxiang (乞乞仲象). They were under the control of Goguryeo but moved with all of the people under him to Yingzhou (modern-day Chaoyang) after the demise of Goguryeo in 669. In the confusion of the Khitan rebellion against the Tang (Zhou) in 696, the Sumo Mohe leaders Qiqi Zhongxiang and Qisi Piyu (乞四比羽) saught independence. In spite of Empress Wu Zetian's appeasement policy, they fled eastward to their homeland. The Tang killed Qisi Piyu, and Qiqi Zhongxiang also died. Da Zuorong integrated some Mohe tribes and Goguryeo remnants under the two leaders and resisted the Tang's attack. His overwhelming victory over the Tang at the Battle of Tianmenling enabled him to establish his own kingdom. He claimed himself the King of Jin (震 or 振) in 699. He put his capital at Dongmu Mountain in the south of today's Jilin province. He attempted to expand his influence in international politics involving the Tang, the Gokturks, the Khitan, Silla and independent Mode tribes. At first he dispatched an envoy to the Gokturks. Then he reconciled himself with the Tang when Emperor Zhongzong was restored to the throne. In 713 he was given the title of "Prefecture King of Bohai" by Emperor Xuanzong. Thereafter his domain was known as Bohai. He died in 719, and his son Da Wuyi assumed the throne. Da Zuorong was given the posthumous name "King Gao."
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