The Khitan is one of the ancient peoples living in the Liao River Valley on the mainland. It began to appear in documents during the Northern Wei Dynasty and became a powerful tribe in the northeast during the Tang Dynasty. In order to contain the Turkic and other northern ethnic groups, the Tang Dynasty supported the Khitan in all aspects and accelerated the process of Sinicization of the Khitan.
Later, during the Tang Dynasty's attack on the Khitan, the frontier power gradually increased, which provided certain conditions for the occurrence of the Anshi Rebellion. Although the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion had multiple factors, including the shortcomings of the political, economic, and military systems at that time and the appointment of imperial officials, An Lushan dared to rebel against the Tang Dynasty because he had great military strength and military power in his hands.
The Khitan directly achieved the development of An Lushan, and the Khitan gradually grew under the support of the Tang Dynasty, resulting in the gradual loosening of the vassal relationship under the tributary system of the two sides, and the autonomy of the Khitan began to increase. Due to the war with the Khitan that prompted the expansion of the power of the border general An Lu and others, the Tang Dynasty began to decline.
Prior to this, Tang's various management methods over the Khitan were an important factor in maintaining the relationship between Tang and the Khitan. Usually, in the border areas, since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the prefectures of the border have been set up successively in the attached areas to strengthen the control of the prefectures, which has strengthened the management of border ethnic minorities by previous dynasties.
1. Tang's management of the Khitan
During the Qin and Han dynasties, the mainland had already set up counties in border ethnic minority areas to strengthen its jurisdiction over the surrounding areas. After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it changed the county to a prefecture, and according to the "mountains and rivers", it set up an official supervision area, and sent inspection envoys and deposed envoys to inspect prefectures and counties.
By the beginning of the New Year, 865 prefectures and 437 counties had been set up in border ethnic minority areas. In the Khitan region, according to the Sui situation attached to it, the Songmo Governor's Mansion was set up, with 17 prefectures and 9 counties, which were subordinate to Hebei Province.
The Tang Dynasty's establishment of the prefecture in the Khitan region not only has a long history and a deep social foundation, but also a continuation of the policy of governing the frontiers of successive dynasties. At the same time, it was also a measure to encircle the border peoples attached to it, and the Tang Dynasty needed to use the Khitan to contain the Turkic forces.
On the other hand, this move was also a manifestation of the enlightened national policy of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty was powerful, and the rulers adopted a relatively liberal attitude towards the surrounding ethnic minorities. Emperor Taizong of Tang once said to his ministers: "Since ancient times, China has been noble, and the lowly Yi and Di have loved each other as one, so their seeds and descendants are all like their parents." "Since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, many of the attached chieftains of frontier nationalities have made meritorious contributions to the Tang Dynasty and become famous generals.
1. The management system of the prefecture
From the perspective of content, there are mainly the following aspects:
First, the prefecture of Jiaofu is placed within the scope of its tribal settlement, the large one is the governor's office of Jiaofu, and the smaller one is the prefecture.
Second, the governors of the prefectures and the prefectures of the prefectures are served by tribal chieftains, both of which can be hereditary, but must be canonized or appointed by the Tang Dynasty.
For example, during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, the Khitan official Nieli killed the Khitan chief Li Guozhen and made Li Huaixiu a chieftain, and the Tang Dynasty also recognized his status as a newly established leader and made him the governor of Songmo, and the rule of Shu was still maintained.
Third, the prefecture did not contribute household registration to the imperial court, did not undertake military service, and had a certain degree of autonomy.
Fourth, the prefectures are under the supervision of the border prefectures and the prefectures. At the same time, the governor of Yu Zhenguan, who was appointed by Tang, pacified the Eastern Turks in the fourth year, and after Zhenguan pacified northern Mobei in twenty years, Emperor Taizong of Tang twice summoned the chiefs of the northern tribes to Chang'an and awarded them the posts of lord and governor of the prefecture and assassin of the prefecture.
In order to enlist the frontier peoples, the Tang court often awarded tribal leaders the title of lord to elevate their political status. If the power is stronger, then the Tang is set as a prefecture-level administrative body, and the less powerful is set as a prefecture-level.
In order to exercise unified management over the prefectures, Tang set up the nearby prefectures of the prefectures under the jurisdiction of the prefectures of the four directions according to regions, which were both administrative and a military institution, capable of exercising all-round control over the subordinate prefectures.
2. The influence of the prefecture on the Khitan
The establishment of prefectures and prefectures strengthened ties with the Khitan region, eased the contradictions between the Han and Han dynasties, and was conducive to the tranquility of the border areas. In the early period of the Tang Dynasty, the Khitan region was relatively stable, and the agricultural and animal husbandry economy was developed, playing the role of "no annoyance and expense, no hardship of re-transfer".
In the early Kaiyuan period, the power of the post-Turks began to decline, and the Khitan tribe, which was dependent on the Turks, reverted to the Tang in the third year of the Kaiyuan (715) under the leadership of its leader Li Huoxuan. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang restored the "Songmo Governor's Mansion, made Li the Prince of Songmo County, and worshiped the general Zuo Jinwuwei and the Songmo Governor". Re-strengthen the vassal relationship with the Khitan.
In the prefectures, prefectures and counties where the Khitan ethnic group lived, the Khitan customs and production methods were still retained, and its chieftains served as capitals, governors, and assassins, enjoying the power to manage their tribes, and at the same time accepting the supervision of the Andong Governorate or Yingzhou Governor of the Tang Dynasty, which was conducive to developing the frontiers and strengthening ethnic unity.
As a special administrative division of the Tang Dynasty, the prefecture of Qiaozhou has the nature of border ethnic autonomy. Under the administration of the prefecture, the Khitan had increasingly close exchanges with the hinterland. After being canonized by Tang, the Khitan leader sent tribal children to take hostage as a sign of submission.
2. Tang's canonization of the Khitans
In the twenty-second year of Zhenguan, after the establishment of the Songmo Governor's Mansion, until the fourth year of Tianbao (745), the appointment of the Songmo Governor had to be canonized and approved by the Tang Dynasty. Although in the past hundred years, either due to rebellion or internal strife, the rule of the Songmo Dudu was intermittent, and dozens of Khitan leaders successively became the Songmo Dudu.
After the Anshi Rebellion, there was no longer the canonization of the Songmo Governor, the Songmo Governor's Mansion existed in name only, and all the chiefs proclaimed themselves kings, no longer came to the Tang Dynasty to seek titles, but claimed to be khans to seek new titles, such as in the second year of Tang Wuzong's Huichang (842), "Khitan chieftain Qushu was annexed, worshiping the general of Yunlu and guarding the right Wuwei", and gave him the "seal of the Khitan of the Fengguo", and continued to maintain the relationship of belonging to the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty controlled the border areas by controlling the upper Khitan aristocracy and maintaining stability along the border areas. In addition to conferring on him the chieftains Dudu and Shi Shi, he also added various titles and official titles of the Tang Dynasty, such as the general Zuo Wuwei, the general Yunli, and the deputy ambassador of Jiedu.
1. The Tang managed the military and political institutions of the Khitan
The Tang Dynasty set up a prefecture in the Khitan and made its chief the governor and assassin. With the improvement of the Tang Dynasty's bondage system and the establishment of the six major capital guards, the Khitan region was administratively under the jurisdiction of Andong Dufu. In terms of the supervision of its officials, it was included in the scope of Hebei Province.
In the Tang Dynasty's system of managing the frontiers, in addition to the Dufu for the special management of the border areas, the border areas had military and political institutions, often concurrently leading the border areas military, and appointing officials in charge of border affairs.
In the Khitan region, similar institutions mainly include Yingzhou Governor's Mansion, Andong Governor's Mansion, etc. And Andong Duhu, Dongyi Captain, and Escort Two Envoys were often led by the Governor of Yingzhou, the Envoy of Pinglu Jiedu and the Envoy of Lulong Jiedu. In the early days of the Tang Dynasty, after the establishment of the Songmo Governorate in the Khitan, it was led by the Governor of Yingzhou and the Captain of Dongyi (later changed to Dongyi Capital).
2. The functions and powers of military and political institutions
First of all, the military and political institutions have the right to dispatch the Khitan militarily. In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, the Songmo Governorate was established, and the relationship of subordination between the Khitan and the Tang Dynasty was established. The Songmo Dudu was both a local official of the Tang Dynasty and the head of the Khitan military tribal alliance.
The prefectures of the Songmo prefecture were all under the jurisdiction of the governor of Yingzhou and militarily obeyed Tang's dispatch and sent troops to help in the war. The Tang Dynasty used troops to fight, in fact, it was to rule the Yi, and several major conquests in the early Tang Dynasty were assisted by the Khitan tribes.
Secondly, the military-political institutions were able to interfere in the administrative affairs of the Khitans. The Tang Dynasty followed the principle of the formation of Khitan alliance chiefs, appointing elected or hereditary alliance chiefs as governors of Jifu Prefecture. The chiefs were to pay regular tribute to the Tang dynasty, help the Tang maintain local political order, and assist the officials of the governor of Yingzhou in handling and affairs.
Finally, the military and political institutions can also play a supervisory role over the Khitan prefectures. The governors, thornshi, and county commanders of the Songmo Governor's Office are mostly local ethnic minority leaders, and their official leaders at all levels are under the command of Andong Dugu.
In short, the Tang Dynasty exercised military control over the Khitan region through the establishment of institutions in the Khitan region, which enhanced the dominance of the Tang Dynasty in the Khitan and stabilized the Tang Dynasty's control over the northeast, and the Khitan was also under the protection of the Tang Dynasty, free from Turkic control and enslavement.
Through the dispatch of officials, the Tang court promoted exchanges and integration between the two sides through the dispatch of officials and many contacts with the leaders of the Khitan nobility, and the Khitan people promoted economic development under the control of the Tang Dynasty. However, due to the improper employment of personnel in the Tang Dynasty, when implementing the ethnic policy, the interests of the Khitan people were harmed, and later it also caused rebellion and opposition from the Khitans.
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The Tang Dynasty was a powerful dynasty in the history of the mainland, and with the unification and prosperity of the country, the Tang Dynasty actively carried out contacts with neighboring ethnic groups and regimes. The Khitan was located between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks, and was the only place to enter the northeast region, so the relationship between the Tang and the Khitan developed rapidly.
The Tang Dynasty accepted the annexation of the Khitan tribes and strengthened its control over the Liao River Valley through the prefecture. Tang's political restraint and management of the Khitan included the establishment of the Songmo Governor's Mansion and the establishment of higher-level administrative and military institutions, the canonization of Khitan chieftains by Tang, and the implementation of the Naqin and Suwei systems, indicating that Tang had all-round supervision and control over the Khitan prefectures in all aspects.
While monitoring and managing the Khitans, Tang also implemented the pacification strategy of Huairou, giving a large number of economic rewards and subsidies from various parties, including the regional opening of mutual markets, frequent exchanges of tribute from both sides, exchange of goods between each other, and other measures The implementation and implementation of various measures greatly promoted the economic development of the Khitan and the improvement of daily necessities, and at the same time, the trade exchanges between the two sides also enriched the economic prosperity and diversity of the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty.