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Author of this article: Rain without Words
Silence: Twenty-five years of peace
At the Battle of The Castle of Pusha, the Khotanese army was like a bamboo and won a great victory. Around the autumn of 970 or later, Cao Yuanzhong, after receiving a letter from Chi Suluo, the king of Khotan, wrote him a reply, the fragment of which still exists, and its number is Dunhuang Document P.4065(3). The instrument says:
(Former lack) Early, dutou yin will be guests, His Majesty the Emperor Fumeng specially sent a proclamation, and also a gift of letters, not to let the sense of inscription to come. Concurrent (smell):
The Western Prince led the Great Stone Soldiers and Horses to invade the great powers, moving the heavens and the earth, and the sun and the moon were dim; To (to) the vest man armor, the knife, gun, axe, and the real fill people are afraid. Straight back to the Uighurs, Gelu and the Tribes of Zhufan, they should not be able to oppose him. His Majesty the Emperor, Tianbei (Pei) Tianbei (Auxiliary), Shengde (De) Divine Support. If not, will the people be huddled? As Zhang Liang's plan and teaching, han xin plotted, did not let go of the official circles, and acted against the head. Like a moth to a fire, it seeks ashes; The time is like a canopy, and the wind blows out of the world. The thief army was defeated, and the soldiers and horses (escaped) were killed. Such a reputation, spread Yang (Yang) the world. In the past, the Han Lord □□ deeds, but today it is the same. There are even more generations of kings, taking advantage of the emperor's lack of time. The black-clad Dashi was afraid of the emperor's relatives, and until (since) the Tang Dynasty, he was still afraid of power. Where in the Huanhai, Xin Leap multiplied; Hear near and far, not happy. A certain nephew is a nephew, and the joy is very deep, and the relatives are all joyful. It must be expected that the emperor will be the emperor's inheritance, long live the thousand autumns; the sheji city is like robbing the stone. Golden branches and jade leaves, the descendants of the Qiong Calyx Immortal Flower, never evil or weak. Emperor Weixi opened the world and gave life to life. It should be two states, all the same.
(Missing)
——Dunhuang Documents P.4065(3)
[1] Dunhuang Instrument P.4065(3)
The "great stone" and "black-clothed stone" mentioned in the document refer to the Qarakhanid state, while the "Western Prince" may be Tsagli Khan. It is worth noting that this document reveals that there were some "Uighur, Gelu and Zhufan tribes" between Shule and Khotan at that time, and judging from their sentence that "they should be against him", these tribes should be subordinate to Khotan and hostile to the Qarakhanid state. This is supported by archaeological evidence. At the Dharmagou Buddhist site, four Turkic Luni wen mumu have been unearthed, which are roughly the contents of which is that a Turkic leader of a Turkic tribe in Yuzhu (present-day Wushi, Xinjiang) spoke to an important person and captured enemies who posed a threat to Shu (located west of Yanqi). Scholars such as Bai Yudong believe that the content of the mumu is new evidence that the Turkic tribes joined forces with Khotan against the Qarakhanid dynasty. Considering that chi Sulu, the king of Khotan, wrote a letter to the rebel army in Dunhuang asking for help and Cao Yuanzhong's reply to it, this series of facts means that Khotan was not alone at that time, but was supported and helped by the Dunhuang rebel army, the Turkic languages and even the Tubo tribes.
[2] Discovered in the Turkic Luniwen wood of the Dharma Valley
After the Khotanese army took control of the castle of Pisa near Kashgar, what happened to the war situation, whether the Khotanese reinforcements repelled the siege of Tsagli Khan, we do not know. However, records in books such as the Chronicle of the Countryside of Jiashi County suggest that the Qarakhanid state may have regained control of the Kashgar region soon after.
In the 350th year, Shamai (place name) "Azeleti Sutang" (Hui official name) Abrasili attacked the kingdoms, according to Kashkha, called "Pasha" (Hui chieftain' name, that is, the transliteration of Khan). Abra died, Ziyushan Bogora Khan, Yushan died, Ziyusu Pukadi Khan.
—— "Rural Chronicles of Shufu County"
In the fourth year of the Song Dynasty, (Muslim state) Shamai Ni (place name) "Azelet Ti Su Tang" (Hui official name) Abrat Sri,...... Capture kashgar, called "Pasha". Abrasiri died, Chuanzi Yushan died, Yushan died, Chuanzi Yusu Pukadi...
- "Jiashi County Rural Chronicle" / "Khotanese Rural Chronicle"
Regarding Abrasiri, the local chronicles refer to him as the grandfather of Yusu pukadi Khan (Yusufu Kadir Khan), and his son Yushan Bogora Khan ("Bogorah Khan", one of the titles of the Khan of the Qara Khanate, "Bogra Khan"),was Yusupu's father (although according to Wei Liangtao's "Representatives of the Lineage and Reign of the Qarakhanid Dynasty", Yu Sufu's grandfather was Suleiman and his father was Hassan Bogra Khan). The Shufu County Rural Chronicle sets the time of Abrasiri's occupation of Kashgar (Kashgar) in the 350th year of the Hijri calendar, that is, 961-962 AD; however, according to the Jiashi County Rural Chronicle and other books, it was in the fourth year of the Song Dynasty (971 AD), and according to Wei Lianghan's Representative of the Lineage and Reign of the Qarakhanid Dynasty, Ali Arslan Khan may have succeeded his father Moussa in Kashgar in 971 AD. From this information, we can infer that by the time of 971 AD, the area around Kashgar had been taken over by Islamic forces.
It is not clear whether Khotan immediately launched a counter-offensive, but various historical records and legends suggest that Khotan temporarily abandoned its intention to continue attacking the Qarakhanid state and rested. Khotan and the Qarakhanids maintained peace for twenty-five years. During this period, the King of Khotan changed his term twice: in 978 AD, Wei Chi Sulu died and was succeeded by Wei Chi Da Mo, and in 983 AD, Wei Chi Sangha Rama took over the throne of Wei Chi Da Mo. On the Qarakhanid side, it may be that in the same year (971) when Khotanese emissaries arrived at the Song court and triumphantly reported victory to the Song court, Moses' son Ali Arslan Khan ascended the Khan's throne. In 991, Suleiman's son and Moussa's nephew Hassan Bogra Khan also succeeded his father.
But under the false appearance of peace between the two countries, there are surging undercurrents everywhere, and both sides are closely watching each other's every move, waiting for the next opportunity to come.
Vi. Gluing: The Tug-of-War of Kashgar
In 991, Hassan Bogra Khan came to power. After Hassan came to power, he set his sights on the Samanid dynasty in the west, and after capturing the city of Whitewater in Central Asia, he successfully entered the Samanid capital of Bukhara in May 992, and the Samanid king Nukh II fled in the wind. According to Muslim sources, because Hassan Bogra Khan's body could not adapt to the fruits and climate of Bukhara, he soon suffered hemorrhoids, so he decided to return to Samarkand, and later from Samarkand to Balasagun, where he died on the way.
At this point in the story, Hassan Bogra Khan seems to have little to do with the subject of this article. However, the cause of Hassan's death may not be so simple: according to the biography of Bogra Khan, it was during Hassan's reign that the war between Khotan and the Qarakhanids resumed, and Hassan himself may have died in this war.
...... Hassan Bogra Khan appointed... On the king's occasion, the evil enemies of Maqin, such as Haili Halhal machin, Choqti Reshid, and Noqti Reshid, led 30,000 soldiers from Maqin (Hotan).
- "The Biography of Bogra Khan"
It may have been Hassan Bogra Khan's conquests in Central Asia that left the rear empty, allowing Khotan, which had been dormant for more than twenty years, to finally find an opportunity to take advantage of. In 996, Khotan once again gathered a large army. This time, the Khotanese army, led by king Halhal machin (who may have been the lieutenant sinhala himself or his successor) and the generals Choqti Reshid and Noqti Reshid, took the opportunity to capture the city of Kashgar (present-day the ancient city of Hannoi). Some nearby Buddhists followed suit, and the Buddhists, led by Elder Nogut Rebut, revolted and occupied Eskusa Castle in the south of Kashgar.
The pagans who had conquered the city of Kashgar coerced the Muslims of Kashgar to change their religion, and Kashgar was at risk of becoming a pagan land again.
Since Hassan Bogra Khan's expedition to Central Asia, pagans have coerced Kashgar Muslims into converting to fundamentalism, forcing them to eat dog meat, donkey meat, pork, and violating the sharia and doing unrighteous things, and people have become pagans.
The news of the fall of Kashgar soon reached Hassan Bogra Khan, who was still in Central Asia at the time, and he immediately mobilized his troops and horses to march towards Kashgar. At the same time he sent his son, Yusuf Qadir Khan, to the city of Mada'in (probably near present-day Baghdad, Iraq) to report the matter to the imams.
In 997, Hassan Bogra Khan led an army to besiege the city of Kashgar for five months, and the pagans in the city were starving and cold and forced to go out of the city to fight. Hassan Bogra Khan fought with the pagans led by Chokti Reshiti, with heavy casualties on both sides and the fighting was forced to be aborted. Soon after, the second battle began, the commander of the Khotanese side was replaced by Haili Halmaqin, Hassan Bogra Khan was defeated, the Khotanese army fled across the Kusan River, and the Qarakhanid army reaped a lot of booty and triumphantly triumphed over the city of Kashgar. Hassan took Kashgar back into his hands.
The place name "Kusan River" that appears here is worth playing. "Kusan" refers to The Kuz, and the Kusan River may be a river within the territory of the Kusan. If this is the case, then this implies that the Uighurs of Gaochang, who controlled the Guizi region at the time, also sided with Khotan and fought against the Qarakhanids.
[3] Gaochang Uighur (Xizhou Uighur) kingdom
Perhaps at this time, Ali Arslan Khan also rushed to Kashgar and joined the battle. Soon, Khotan sent another 30,000 soldiers to besiege the city of Kashgar, which lasted for a long time, and there was a growing shortage of food and materials in the city. Outside the city were the large Khotanese army, and inside the city were starving Muslims. Seeing this, Hassan and the others decided not to retreat into the city, and they led the Muslim army out of the city and fought to the death with the infidels, repelling the siege of Khotan. The Khotanese army retreated to Ingishsha, where Ali Arslan Khan pursued him and reached the place of Gaudan Harali near Ingishsha, where he stopped. The pagans fought him several times, but were unable to defeat him.
The victorious Ali was full of spirits, but just as he was about to go all the way and drive the Khotanese army back to Hotan, fate played a huge joke with him.
Ali was a devout Muslim, as the Biography of Bogra Khan says:
Because Ari Arslan Khan was pure and holy, he made it the object of his practice, and he not only obeyed the canons religiously, but also practiced monasticism.
He was devout, even when he was fighting, and did not forget to pray on time. What Ali didn't know was that this habit of his had long been seen by the Khotanese. At one of the time of prayer, the Khotanese army suddenly rushed up and attacked Ali. Ali, who was unprepared at the time, was martyred around the minaret with many Muslims. The year is 388 AD, 998 AD.
Ari Arslan Khan, the "martyr" Abu Hassan bin Baitash Arslan Khan Satuq Bugla Khan was martyred at the end of January 388 (998/01/03-998/02/01), and his grave in Kashgar was visited.
- Supplement to the Sulakh Dictionary, reprinting the History of Kashgar
On the day of Ali Arslan Khan's death, the Islamic army wept as if the world had turned dark, and the Muslims fled in disarray.
……
Hassan Bogra Khan, Aishan Bogra Khan... When they heard the news of defeat and death, they all wept and mourned in sorrow and mourned. Their cries caused the swimming fish in the river and the birds in the air to cry like the spring rain.
To avenge Ali, Hassan Bogra Khan gathered 60,000 soldiers and marched in the direction of Ingisa. After arriving in Ingisa, they found Ali's body, and Hassan and the others lost control of their emotions again, crying in pain and passing out and waking up.
Overwhelmed by hatred, Hassan and his generals, looking for all the pagans they could meet, fought fiercely with them, pursuing them to Kokjar (in the mountains southwest of present-day Yecheng County), where the two armies fought for seven days and seven nights, where one of Hassan's brothers, Usman Bogra Khan, was killed. The Khotanese army retreated while fighting and fled back to Hotan.
After the war, Hassan and the others again reached the place where Ali had died to mourn. It is said that earlier, the Khotanese army had cut off the head of Ali Arslan Khan and sent it to Eskosa Castle, where it was hung on the city walls to show off, while only a headless corpse remained in Ingisha. Hassan and others took the headless body of Ali Arslan Khan and buried him in place.
After that, the Qarakhanid army took the next spearhead at Esksa Castle. Essa Castle, known in the Han Dynasty as Panqi City. Two thousand years ago, the famous Eastern Han Dynasty general Ban Chao, it was here that he captured the Shule King Tuti who was supported by the Guizi people to resist the fierce attack of the Guizi army, and he held out in this castle for more than a year. Time passed, and a thousand years later, the castle became a witness to the war between the Qarakhanids and Khotanese.
The Qarakhanid army cut off the rivers that flowed through the castle upstream, the Kyzyl and Tuman rivers, and the defenders of the city found another way to dig wells to get water from the ground. Seeing that this plan did not work, the Qarakhanid army came up with a plan - to dig tunnels outside the city and enter the city. But the defenders of the city were keenly aware of this ruse, and they thwarted the Qarakhanid army coming through the tunnels. In this way, the defenders in the city "came to block the soldiers, and the water came to cover the ground", and insisted on it for five months. Later, the defenders finally could not withstand the enemy siege, so Nogut Rebut fled to Khotan with the Khotanese Buddhist army. Muslims buried the head of Ali Arslan Khan near Esksa Castle, the tomb of Arslan Khan in the city of Kashgar today. Thus, after the death of Ali Arslan Khan, he had two cemeteries.
The moment the city of Esxa was broken, the wheel of history had rolled to 999 AD. Judging from the fact that Nogut Rebutt was able to escape with the help of the Khotanese army, Khotanese should have organized its forces again and re-advanced the front south of Kashgar when the Qarakhanid army was besieging the city. Several engagements in the past two years have left both sides with red eyes. The tug-of-war between the two armies continues.
Resources
[1] Bai Yudong,Yang Fuxue. A Preliminary Study of the Turkic LuniWen Mu Mu Excavated in Hotan, Xinjiang: New Evidence of Turkic Tribes Joining Forces in Khotan against the Qarakhanid Dynasty[J].Western Studies, 2016(04):39-49+142.DOI:10.16363/j.cnki.xyyj.2016.04.006.
Zhang Guangda,Rong Xinjiang. Khotanese History (Revised Edition)[M].Beijing:Chinese University Press,2008.
[3] Feng Zhiwen, Turdi Nasr, et al. Dictionary of Western Geographical Names[M].Urumqi: Xinjiang People's Publishing House,2002.]
Yu Wanhui, Selected Edition. Feng Yongxuan Wencun[M].Nanjing:Jiangsu People's Publishing House,2014.]
[5] The information I have found so far only states that in 999 AD, the Qarakhanids' main forces west of the Pamir counterattacked again and captured the citadel of Esksa, but it is not clear who commanded them, perhaps Hassan or Yusufu. However, from the narrative of the biography of Bogra Khan, the person who collected Ali's body was Hassan, so it is temporarily believed that Hassan captured Eskusa Castle.