Next: Turkic
Part V: The Turks in History and Archaeology
Today, many historians believe that the long-term implementation of the enlightened and friendly ethnic policy of the Tang Dynasty greatly reduced the estrangement between the Han nationality and the ethnic minorities, enhanced the extensive complementarity and flesh-and-blood integration among various ethnic groups, and achieved a grand situation of common development and progress of multiple ethnic groups. It was in the Tang Dynasty that the new synonym of the Chinese nation, the "Tang people", was formed, laying the foundation of the modern Chinese nation.
44. What are the Turks? In the Sui Dynasty, they almost all became Han Chinese
The Turks are a nomadic tribe that emerged in the Altai Mountains in the middle of the 6th century, and are the name of Turkic-speaking ethnic groups in northern and northwestern China after the 6th century.
The Turks eliminated the Rouran Khanate in 552 and established the Turkic Khanate. In 583, the Turkic Khanate was bounded by the Altai Mountains and divided into two major powers, the eastern and the western. In 630, the Tang Dynasty sent troops to defeat the Eastern Turkic Khanate. In 657, the Tang Dynasty united with the Hui to destroy the Western Turkic Khanate, and the central power completely unified the Western Regions. In 682, the Eastern Turkic tribes settled in the north rebelled against the Tang Dynasty and established a post-Turkic khanate for a time. In 744, the Tang Dynasty joined forces with Mobei Hui and Qarluq to pacify the Later Turkic Khanate. The Hui leader Guli Peiluo was canonized as Huairen Khan for his merits and established the Hui Khanate in Mobei.
As a nomadic people in ancient times, the Turks also disintegrated in the mid-to-late 8th century with the demise of the khanate, and merged with the local tribes in the process of westward migration to Central Asia and West Asia, forming a number of new peoples, which were fundamentally different from the ancient Turkic peoples. Since then, the Turks have withdrawn from the stage of history in the north of the continent.
The Turkic Khanate (552–630, 682–745) was a predominantly nomadic tribal confederation state established by the Turkic people that rose to prominence in Mobei in the middle of the sixth century. In 583, due to the division of the Sui Dynasty, the Turks were divided into Eastern Turks and Western Turks, and were destroyed by the Tang Dynasty in 630 and 657 respectively, and the Turks were restored after 682 years, and the country was established for 193 years, which posed a great threat to the Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, Sui, Tang and other dynasties.
In the middle of the 5th century, the Turks were annexed to Rouran, and they were Rouran iron smelting slaves. The southern foot of the Jinshan Mountain (now the Altai Mountains), because the Jinshan resembles a war helmet "Douluo", is commonly known as the Turks, because of the name of its tribe. At first, there were only a few hundred families, and later there were tens of thousands of Turkic tribes, most of whom came from the surrounding Tiele tribesmen.
In the 6th century, the Turkic leader Ashina Tumen sent envoys to the Western Wei Dynasty.
In 546, more than 50,000 households (households) of the Tiele Department were merged, and the power gradually became stronger, so all the descendants of Tiele were later called Turkic.
In 552, the Turks defeated Rouran and established a Turkic slave regime in the Orkhon River valley with Mobei as the center. At its peak, it was bordered by the Liaohai Sea (the upper reaches of the Liao River) in the east, the Caspian Sea in the west, the Beihai Sea (present-day Lake Baikal) in the north, and the Amu Darya Darya River in the south. The "Khan" is the supreme leader, the children are called "special services", and the generals are called "set". The sub-jurisdictions are "Tuli" (east) and "Datou" (west). The Khan's tent was located in the upper reaches of the Orkhon River between the east and west. There were 28 levels of officialdom in the khanate. The tax law stipulates that ordinary herdsmen and black people (those who have returned to the war) are "levied on soldiers, horses, and miscellaneous animals". The calendar is based on animal chronology.
In the 5th century, the Turkic script, also known as Orkhon ~ Yenisei, was the oldest script of the ancient northern peoples.
In 1889, after the discovery of the "Que Special Service Tablet" and the "Viga Khan Tablet" in the Orkhon River, it began to be known to the world. According to the "Turkic Biography" of the "New Tang Book" and "Old Tang Book", the Chinese text of the previous inscription was written by Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Turks had close political and economic ties with the Han people in the Central Plains.
In 583, the Turkic Khanate split into two parts, the Eastern Turks and the Western Turks, and the Eastern Turkic Khans were the descendants of the original unified Turkic Khans, so the Eastern Turks were still often called "Turks".
In 630 and 657, the Eastern and Western Turks were destroyed by the Tang Dynasty.
In 680, the Eastern Turks, who had migrated south, returned to the north, established the Later Turkic Khanate in 682, and was destroyed by the Uighurs in 745. It turned out that the tribes of the Turkic Khanate were partly annexed to the Uighur Khanate and partly to the Tang Dynasty.
Before the rise of the Turks, the Turkic tribes were vassals of the Rouran Khanate.
In 516, the Turks settled in Jinshan from Gaochang Beishan and became Rouran forging slaves.
In 522, Ashina Dayehu participated in Rouran's war against Gaochang.
In 540, the term Turkic was first seen in the annals of the Central Plains.
In 550 A.D. (the sixteenth year of the unification of the Western Wei Dynasty), the Turkic leader Ashina Tumen led his troops to defeat and merge more than 50,000 accounts of the Gaoche (Tiele) departments, and began to grow and develop, and was valued by the Western Wei Dynasty.
In 551, Princess Changle of the Western Wei Dynasty married a Turk.
In 552, the Turks defeated Rouran, and Ashina Tumen called it Ili Khan, and established a vast Turkic khanate, and its power rapidly expanded to the entire Mongolian plateau. After the establishment of the Turkic Khanate, the relatively small number of Turkic people merged with a large number of Tiele people, and the physical characteristics of the Turkic people also changed from Caucasian to yellow and white.
In 553, the Turks united with the Western Wei to break Rouran again, and by 554, the Turks had basically wiped out the remnants of the Rouran tribes.
In 555, Gaochang surrendered to the Turks, the last khan of Rouran was killed, and the Turkic power extended to the Western Regions.
At this time, the Western Wei (Northern Zhou) and the Eastern Wei (Northern Qi) regimes stood side by side, and both sides were intimidated by the strong military strength of the emerging Turkic Khanate, and in order to eliminate the other, both adopted a policy of paying tribute to the Turks and making peace, in exchange for the support of the Turkic Empire, or at least neutrality. The Turks, on the other hand, took the opportunity to obtain substantial economic benefits by means of peace or war. The Turks generally allied with the Northern Zhou to suppress the more powerful Northern Qi, and sometimes they were in a neutral position.
The expansion of the Turks did not stop, around 560, the Turks conquered Tuyuhun, conquered the Western Regions, and even united with Persia to destroy the White Xiongnu, and today Xinjiang and the Hezhong region of Central Asia became the territory of the Turkic Khanate. During the period of Turkic power, the territory stretched from the Great Khing'an Mountains and the Liao River basin in the east to the Aral Sea and the central river region of Central Asia in the west.
In 583, the Turkic Khanate split into two parts, the Eastern Turks and the Western Turks.
In 569, with the expansion of the Turks, the Turks and Persia came into conflict, and they united with the Eastern Roman Empire against the Sassanid Empire of Persia. This period was the height of the Turkic Khanate's military power.
In 580, the Turks established a Little Khan in the Western Regions to govern the area west of the Altai Mountains, which was an important source of Turkic division in the future.
In 581, Yang Jian replaced Zhou, established the Sui Dynasty, and stopped paying tribute to the Turks. Taking advantage of the unstable foothold of the Sui Dynasty, the Turks launched a large-scale attack on the Sui Dynasty from the Gansu area, and Emperor Wen of Sui had to send troops to resist and build the Great Wall. At the same time, the Eastern Turkic Shabalu Khan ascended the throne, and the Western Turkic Datou Khan refused to recognize the nominal suzerainty of the Shabalyu Khan, and in 583 the Eastern and Western Turks were formally divided and there was a civil war.
In the formal split of the Eastern and Western Turks and the civil war, we will first say a very interesting thing, that is, the Turkic people almost all "changed" into Han Chinese during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui.
The Gaochang regime in today's Turpan region was originally a regime dominated by the descendants of Han soldiers, but it was also inevitably "assimilated" by the grassland peoples. From the "Gaochang Wall" in Tuntian when Emperor Xuan of Han (91-49 BC) sent soldiers and their families to Tuntian, to the beginning of Kan Bozhou's establishment of the Gaochang State as the king in 460, and then to the Gaochang of the Zhang clan, the Gaochang of the Ma clan, and the Gaochang clan of the Koji clan, although the regime dominated by the descendants of Han soldiers has always stubbornly preserved the living Xi and traditions of the Han nation, it has still been influenced by the cultural Xi customs of the "ethnic minorities" for a long time.
Koji Boya, the seventh king of Gaochang of the Koji clan, his ancestors moved to Gaochang from the area of present-day Lanzhou, Gansu Province, and it is said that the surname Koji is the same as the surname Qu in the area of present-day Lanzhou. During the reign of Ko Boya, the Turks ordered him to wear Turkic clothes from Turkic customs, but Boya did not obey, but in the end, under the pressure of the Turks, he had to temporarily submit. Later, in order to find a "backer" for himself, Ko Boya thought about the Sui Dynasty in the Central Plains.
In 609, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty toured the west, led by Lu Boya, and organized the kings of the 27 countries of the Western Regions, wearing jade and brocade, burning incense and playing music, kneeling beside the road to greet each other. After that, Lu Boya went to Chang'an with Emperor Yang of Sui, and went to Goryeo with Emperor Yang of Sui. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty gave him the title of Zuo Guanglu Doctor and Che Shi Taishou, and named Benguo Gong, and married Princess Huarong to him. As soon as he arrived in the territory, he ordered the whole country to ask the people to unbraided and wear Central Plains costumes. When Emperor Yang of Sui heard the news, he was very appreciative and issued a long edict to express his praise. However, after the death of Ko Boya, his son Ko Wentai married Princess Huarong from Turkic Xi.
This incident fully illustrates the "complex bloodline" constituted within the steppe peoples, and whoever is strong will force other weak ethnic groups to follow their customs, wear their clothes, and become their own people. So, in history, were there any grassland peoples who wanted to follow the customs of the Han people, wear the clothes of the Han people, and want to "become" the Han people? The answer, of course, is.
According to the "Northern History", in 607, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty inspected the northern country, and the Khan of Qimin and Princess Yicheng asked Emperor Yang of Sui to allow the Turks to wear clothes and ornaments according to the appearance of the Sui Dynasty, and the laws and utensils were the same as those in China. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty handed over the matter to the ministers for consultation, and the ministers thought that this was a good thing, and let the Turks do it according to the "recital". However, Emperor Sui decided that this matter was not feasible, claiming that the gentleman did not require a change in Xi customs, and there was no need to use Han Chinese Xi customs to assimilate the Turks. And inform Qimin Khan that there is no quiet north of the desert, and you have to fight again, as long as you have a heart of "filial piety", why change your clothes?
In the third year of the great cause, Emperor Yang was fortunate to Yulin, Qiren and Princess Yicheng came to the palace and offered 3,000 horses before and after. Emperor Dayue, give silk 13,000 paragraphs. Qiren and Princess Yicheng said: "The former sage and the first emperor Mo Yuan Khan survived, and the ministers were merciful, and the ministers were given Princess Anyi, and the ministers were mercied by the sage and the first emperor." The ministers and brothers were jealous and killed the ministers together. The minister had nowhere to go at that time, he only saw the sky when he looked up, and only the earth when he looked down, and he remembered the words of the sage and the emperor, and he threw his life to come. The first emperor of the saint saw the ministers, the great mercy of the ministers died, and it was better to feed than before, and sent the ministers to sit as the great khan. In addition to the dead of the Turkic people, they also gathered together as a people. The Supreme is still like the sage and the first emperor sitting in all directions of the world, and also supporting the ministers and Turkic people, which is really not lacking. When the supreme mercy is pity, he begs for the big country, and the clothing law is used together with China. "The emperor has his opinion, and the secretary of state please follow what he plays, but the emperor thinks it is impossible. Nai Zhao said: "A gentleman teaches people, does not seek to change the vulgar, why bother to cut all the hair, and use the long tassel?"
Subsequently, in the front and back hugs of the Turks, he wrote the famous poem "Empty Shan Yu Taiwan".
Lu Saihong flag stationed, Longting Cui back.
The felt tent looks at the wind, and the dome opens to the sun.
Hu Han suddenly arrived, and Tu Qi came one after another.
The pigtail is meaty, and Wei Ren offers a wine glass.
How can he be like the Son of Heaven of the Han Dynasty, who is on the empty platform?
The "deer stopper" in the poem is the chicken deer plug in Bayannur, Inner Mongolia, which is used to train troops in Taiwan and the Huns. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty may have been received a little too beautifully, overjoyed, and even "ridiculed" Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the poem. However, in 615, when Emperor Yang of Sui made another tour to the north, he was besieged by the troops of Shibi Khan (son of Qimin Khan) and besieged Yanmen. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, there was great chaos, and countless Han people joined the Turks, and the Turks became even stronger ("Northern History Turkic Biography": At the end of the Sui Dynasty, there were countless Chinese who returned, and they became great and powerful).
This shows all the more that the Chinese nation is a gradually formed and inseparable whole. However, people still can't help but ask, if Emperor Yang of Sui had agreed to the request of the Turkic Khan, what would it have been? The answer may be only one sentence: It is not natural that the sweet potatoes are ripe, and the practice that Emperor Yang of Sui does not agree with is what is needed for real national integration. Later, the ferocity of the Turks once made the Tang Dynasty want to move the capital.
On March 3, the weather was new, and there were many beautiful people by the water in Chang'an.
The state is thick and true, and the texture is delicate and even.
Embroidered Luo clothes shine in the late spring, and the golden peacock and silver unicorn are worn.
What is there on the head?
What do you see behind you? Beads press the waist and stand firmly.
……
Although the poem "Beauty Walk" by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu is about the arrogant and promiscuous life of the brothers and sisters of the Yang Guozhong family, it can also tell people the fact that there are many beautiful women in Chang'an. However, who would have thought that the beautiful woman also gave the ruler of the early Tang Dynasty a "headache".
According to the New Tang Dynasty Book, at the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the Turks invaded the frontiers every year, plundering people and property. As mentioned above, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan did not have the time and energy to take care of this matter because the world was initially decided, so he could only compromise. (Gaozu was initially determined by the Central Plains, not to mention the omission, every good tolerance, given incalculable.) Jieli's words are arrogant, and he is tired of pleading. Therefore, someone made a suggestion to Li Yuan, saying, "The Turks have entered the army many times because we have a treasury and good women here. If we leave Chang'an, then their belligerence will cease. ("If I can go to Chang'an, I will stop fighting.") ”）
This may seem like a joke today, but it was true in those days, when the Turks invaded, they would take away a large number of people and goods. Like the Huns, the population was a wealth among the Turks, and young and beautiful women were of course the best targets for their captivity. And this is also their homely "tradition".
What people didn't expect was that Li Yuan took this suggestion seriously, and sent people out to investigate, preparing to move the capital (the emperor's envoy Zhongshu Lang Yu Wenshi and Yu Nanshan, according to the line Fan, Deng, will move to the capital). What is even more unexpected is that the civil and military ministers of the Manchu Dynasty also agreed to move the capital (the ministers praised the move), and only Li Shimin, the king of Qin, stood up to oppose it, he said: "Yidi has been a border trouble in China since ancient times, and I have never heard of the Zhou and Han Dynasty moving their capitals because of this." Hopefully I can give me a few years, and I will definitely capture the (Turkic) Khan. (King Qin said: "Yidi has been a problem for China since ancient times, and I have not heard of the Zhou and Han dynasties.") I wish to take a few years of leave, please take the Khan to repay. In addition to being spineful and reasonable, there is also an element of "military order" in it.
In this way, Li Yuan dispelled the idea of moving the capital.
It takes time to capture the Turkic Khan, and Li Shimin's "military order" can be a year or ten years, and the Turks will certainly not stop invading because of this, as long as they do not capture and intrude for a day, they will not stop. Therefore, Li Yuan convened his ministers to discuss ways to resist the Turks. Some people proposed to set up naval defenses in the Lingwu area of Yinchuan in present-day Ningxia and the Wuyuan of Bayannur in Inner Mongolia, that is, the Hetao, while others said that ditches should be dug and the Great Wall should be built as in the previous dynasties. Although the Great Wall was not repaired, the ditch was still dug and the navy was built, and Li Yuan even ordered the Jiangnan shipbuilders to build warships (the emperor asked the ministers to prepare the border, and the master craftsman Yu Yun asked Wuyuan and Lingwu to place the boat master in the river and stifle it. Wen Yanbo, the Chinese scholar, said: "Wei is a long trench to curb the Huns, and it can be used today." "The emperor envoy Sang Xian and the trench avenue, summoned the Jiangnan shipwrights to govern the warship).
Here, one can see the serious threat posed by the Turks to the nascent Tang regime during the Li Yuan period, but by the time Li Shimin became emperor, the situation was very different. Therefore, someone once again proposed to him to build the Great Wall or to emigrate to the frontier (or please build the ancient Great Wall, send the people to take the fortress), but he did not think so, he saw the civil strife of the Turks clearly, so the Tang Dynasty became an atmospheric and powerful dynasty, without the cost of the people to build an inch of the Great Wall. After the Tang Dynasty destroyed the Eastern Turks, the "military order" he made back then was quickly realized in his mind and wisdom. The northern border of the Tang Dynasty caused by the Turks was no longer troubled, and the women of the Tang Dynasty, who were obese and beautiful, also stepped onto the historical stage of the Tang Dynasty together with the men.
On March 3rd, the weather was new, and there were many beautiful people on the waterside of Chang'an! Ironically, what a heart-warming happy scene it was.