Preface
The prairie, that is a vast and vast field, up to the distant sky, down to the dust under the feet, boundless, boundless. In this vast land, nomadic people have lived and multiplied for generations, they live on safaris, wars are common, and write their own legends on the savannah.
And among these nomads, there was once the most powerful tribe - the Khitans. During the Northern Song Dynasty, the Khitan was a powerful force in the north, which brought many troubles and threats to the Northern Song court. However, with the changes of history and the evolution of the nation, where has the Khitan nation become today? You may not believe it.
The rise of the Khitans
In 916 AD, Yelu Abaoji, the leader of the Khitan tribe at that time, finally reunited the eight Khitan tribes that were originally scattered under his command after more than ten years of integration. This laid a solid foundation for the later Khitans to establish a strong dynasty.
Yelu Abaoji was a visionary leader. He knew very well that in order to be truly strong, the force of the nomads alone was far from enough, and it was necessary to learn the advanced culture and system of the Central Plains. Therefore, he spared no effort to send envoys to the Central Plains, humbly sought advice, and absorbed the science and technology, culture, and systems of the Central Plains one by one.
In this way, under the leadership of Yelu Abaoji, the Khitan people gradually became sinicized and began to develop in the direction of civilization. They learned to use Chinese characters, mastered the science and technology of the Central Plains, and absorbed the effective feudal imperial system in the Central Plains to the fullest.
This kind of humble study and active absorption of the Central Plains civilization not only greatly improved the comprehensive national strength of the Khitans, but also laid a solid foundation for them to be able to compete with the Central Plains regime later.
The prosperity of the Khitans
In 936 A.D., a major event occurred that changed the course of history. At that time, the warlord Shi Jingjiao of the Northern Song Dynasty, in order to become emperor, actually ceded the strategic place of Yanyun Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitans free of charge.
In this way, the Khitans gained a foothold and continued to expand their territory on this basis. By 1005 AD, the Khitans had established a strong dynasty, the Liao State, which was a superpower at that time.
As a nomadic people, the Khitans knew everything about equestrianism. They were brave and skilled in battle, excellent in horsemanship, and were recognized as the king of cavalry at that time. After absorbing the Central Plains civilization, the comprehensive national strength of the Khitan people has been greatly improved.
The Liao State not only had an advantage in military affairs, but was also a leader in many fields such as economy and culture. They learned the agricultural technology of the Central Plains and vigorously developed agricultural production; They attach great importance to the development of science and technology, and have made outstanding achievements in the fields of construction and metallurgy; They also vigorously developed cultural and educational undertakings, and a large number of outstanding writers and scientists appeared.
Such a strong and prosperous Liao State was also an outstanding existence in the world at that time. At that time, the Russians even called China "Khitan", which shows how far-reaching the influence of the Khitans was.
The decline of the Liao State
The decline of the Liao State can be described as a tragic story. At that time, the emperor of the Liao State was a eunuch with great power, conniving at the wanton behavior of his cronies, coupled with the consumption of long-term wars, the national strength began to decline day by day. Under the internal and external troubles, the ruling class of the Liao State was corrupt and degenerate, and the people were struggling to make a living. At this critical juncture, an emerging power, the Kingdom of Jin, began to rise in the northeast.
Although the Jin people are also a nomadic people, they are fierce and brave and good at fighting, and they soon set their sights on the fat of the Liao State. In 1125, in a decisive battle, the Jin army captured the capital of the Liao state, and the Liao emperor was captured, and the once powerful dynasty collapsed.
This can be said to be the most tragic moment in the history of the Khitans, and their glorious era came to an abrupt end. This process from peak to decline has undoubtedly left a profound lesson for later generations, that is, no dynasty can relax its vigilance, and once there is corruption and degeneration, it will inevitably perish.
The wanderings of the Khitans
The fall of the Liao State did not completely wipe out the Khitans. After the defeat, Yelu Dashi, the son of a Khitan nobleman, led a group of old generals and fled west to the Xinjiang region, where he re-established a small state, Western Liao. However, the small country did not have a peaceful time and was soon annexed by the rising Mongols.
After that, the Khitans began a long and difficult wandering career. They traveled westward, eventually to southern Iran, where they established a small Khitan kingdom, the Qierman Kingdom. However, the kingdom could not escape the iron hooves of the Mongols and was soon annexed.
The Khitans have once again become homeless wanderers. This long and arduous journey of wandering is undoubtedly the most tragic period in the history of the Khitan people. However, even in the face of such adversity, they still did not give up their yearning for their homeland, and finally chose the path of returning to the east.
The continuation of the Khitan bloodline
After a long period of wandering, the Khitans finally returned to their homeland, the Central Plains. But when they set foot on this familiar land again, they find that everything has changed. The former Liao state no longer exists, and is replaced by a new Mongol dynasty, the Yuan dynasty.
In order to survive, the Khitans had to join the Mongol army and become a member of the Yuan Dynasty. In this way, the Khitans, who were once dominant, became vassals of foreign races, and fought east and west under the iron hooves of foreign races. However, it was during this period of crusade that the blood of the Khitan people began to spread to all parts of the world.
They married wives and had children in foreign lands, and integrated the blood of the Khitans into the peoples of all over the world. In this way, although the bloodline of the Khitan people has been tossed and turned several times in the torrent of history, it has never really been broken.
To this day, in Xinjiang, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia and other places in China, there are still some descendants of the Khitan people, who are now the Daur people. This is the continuation of the history of the Khitan bloodline, and it is also a microcosm of the pluralistic integration of the Chinese nation.
epilogue
From prosperity to decline, from wandering to revival, the history of the Khitan people is like a mirror, reflecting the vicissitudes of the Chinese nation over thousands of years.
In this land of China, different ethnic groups have blended and converged in the long history, and finally formed a unique family of the Chinese nation.
The Khitan people are a member of this big family, and their blood has been integrated into the blood of the Chinese nation and has become an indelible part of this big family.
We should remember history, cherish the memory of our ancestors, and cherish the harmony and unity of the present. Only in this way will the Chinese nation be able to write a more brilliant chapter in the new historical period.