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Since 662, Khotan has been a key area for the Tibetan army to enter the Western Regions, and the struggle between the Tang Dynasty and the Tubo in the Western Regions has mainly focused on Khotan and Shule.
In 692, after Wang Xiaojie restored the four towns, the Tang Dynasty's military power in the Western Regions was greatly strengthened, and the Tang Dynasty especially strengthened the fortifications of Khotan and its vicinity in response to the northward advance of the Tibetan forces.
1. The two roads of Tibet's struggle for hegemony in the Western Regions
It is documented:
The Tang Dynasty set up important military towns near Khotan, such as Kancheng (300 li east of Khotan), Lancheng (600 li east of Khotan), Huxu Town (600 li south of Khotan), Gucheng Town (200 li west of Khotan), and Jiliang Town (390 li west of Khotan), blocking the passage of Tibetan forces into the Western Regions through Khotan.
In this way, the Tibetan army was forced to make a detour to the northwest, evade the Tang Dynasty's military defense line, and open up the road from the Tang Dynasty's relatively weak Green Ridge region to the Western Regions, and the Tang Dynasty's contention with the Tubo was then transferred to the periphery of the Tarim Basin.
The detour of the Tibetan forces from the Green Ridge region to the Western Regions actually controlled by the Tang Dynasty could be carried out in two main directions, one was eastward and the other was northward.
The so-called eastward advance is through the Great Bolu (present-day Palertistan in Pakistan) and the Lesser Bolu (Gilgit, Pakistan), from the Bomi River (present-day Pamir) to the east through the Drinkanta (present-day Kitashkurgan, that is, the location of the Tang Dynasty's Green Ridge Guard), and then arrive at Shule Town.
The so-called northward movement is to go north to the Chu River valley from the Green Ridge area or to the west of the Green Ridge, and then attack the four towns of the Tang Dynasty from the northwest.
The road to the east was the most convenient way for Tibet to enter the Western Regions, but Tibet encountered resolute resistance from Xiao Bolu and the Tang Dynasty, so it had to be rerouted to the north, and with the help of the remnants of the Western Turks, it fought with the Tang Dynasty in the homeland of the Western Turks.
The road to the north was very long, and logistical supply was difficult, so the Tibetans, like the Tang Dynasty, mainly adopted the strategy of supporting the descendants of the ten Western Turkic khans, that is, relying on the Western Turkic royal families who opposed the Tang rule to achieve the goal of entering and controlling the Western Regions.
In the first year of Yanzai (694), the Tubo leader Bo Nonzan and the Western Turkic Khan Ashina Tuzi who had been ordained by Tubo invaded the south together, and Wang Xiaojie led the Tang army to fight with the Tubo and Western Turkic coalition forces at Lengquan and Dalinggu, and the Tang army won a great victory; thwarted the attack of Tibet, and preserved the four towns of Anxi, which had just recovered from Tibet.
Around the first year of Jiushi (700), the ruler of Bakhana (now the Feryuna Basin) led Tubo and Ashina to attack the four towns, and was defeated by the Tang army again.
2. The "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" of Tubo, Tang Dynasty and Great Food
In the third year of Kaiyuan (715), Tubo and Da Shi defeated the king of Palkhana, who was close to the Tang Dynasty, and established Alida as the king, regaining control of Palhanna. King Bahana rushed to Anxi for help, Tang Dynasty superintendent of the imperial history Zhang Xiaosong thought that the matter was very important, "if you don't save it, you can't order the Western Regions", so he sent more than 10,000 troops, out of Qiuzi West thousands of miles, hundreds of cities, in November of the same year, attacked Alida Yulian City, Alida soldiers were defeated and fled into the valley, "(Zhang) Xiaosong spread the kingdoms, the power of the Western Regions, Dashi, Kangju, Dawan, Zongbin and other eight countries all sent envoys to surrender."
In this campaign, the Tang Dynasty army did not directly engage the Great Food Army.
Before the Tang Dynasty sent troops, the Great Food army withdrew from Bahanna due to internal changes. In 715, the eastern general of the Great Eclipse, Qudibo, invaded Palkhana and co-established Ashada as king with the Tibetans, but in February of that year, the caliph Vellid died, and Qudibo's dead rival Suleiman assumed the position of caliph.
When the news of Suleiman's succession to the throne reached Pakhana, Qu Dibo gathered an army and said that he would betray Suleiman and stand on his own, but he was opposed by the soldiers of the Great Eclipse, and was finally killed in the mutiny, and the Great Eclipse army was also withdrawn to Mulu and dismissed.
This happened in the 96th year of the Hijri calendar (December), which is equivalent to August 7 to September 4, 715 AD, and the Tang Dynasty army attacked Bakhana from December 1 to 31, 1715 AD (November of the third year of Kaiyuan).
The victory in rescuing Bakhana stifled the momentum of the Tibetan army from north to south into the Chu River valley, and Alida fled into the valley, and the Tibetan forces retreated to the area south of the Green Ridge.
3. The Tang and Tibetan battles for Bolu
At the same time as going north, the Tibetan army also actively waged a struggle with the Tang Dynasty for the Greater and Lesser Bolu regions.
King Boru's original residence was in Palertistan, and later due to the invasion of Tibet, he moved to Gilgit, after which, the part that stayed in Palertistan was called the Great Boru, and the part that moved to Gilgit was called the Little Boru.
Later, the Great Bolu was forced to submit to the Tibetans, while the Little Bolu has always relied on the Tang Dynasty to confront the Tibetans. In the first year of Kaiyuan (713) or later, King Xiaobolu was often trapped by Tubo because of "national persecution of Tibet", and took advantage of the opportunity of Chang'an tribute to form an alliance with the Tang Dynasty.
After the Battle of Bakhana in 715, Tang Xuanzong further intensified his diplomatic activities in the area of the Green Mountains.
In the fifth year of Kaiyuan (717), the leader of the Great Bolu, Su Fu Relic, was canonized as the king of Bolu, in March of the eighth year of Kaiyuan (720), he was appointed as the king of Humi, in April he was appointed as the king of Wuchang, Gulu, and Ju, and in June, the newly succeeded Su Lin Tuoyi was appointed as the king of Dabolu, in August, he was canonized as the king of Yimi, and in September, he was canonized as the king of Zhengbin, and the influence of Tang in the green mountains and its nearby areas has increased significantly.
At the same time, Tibet also intensified its military invasion of Xiaobolu. The Tibetan army conquered the 9 small cities belonging to the small Bolu country, and in the tenth year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (722), the little Bolu king asked Zhang Xiaosong for help from the capital of the northern court. It is called "Bolu, the west gate of the Tang Dynasty, and the Western Regions will be Tubo if Bolu dies".
Zhang Xiaosong sent Zhang Sili, the deputy envoy of Shule, to lead the 4,000 cavalry of the Fan Han to rescue Xiao Bolu, and the army of Xiao Bolu attacked left and right, broke Tubo, and recovered all the 9 cities lost by Xiao Bolu, so that Tubo "did not dare to commit the border for many years".
After the defeat of Tibet in the Fergana Basin in 715, the northward movement of Tibet was blocked, and the importance of the Bolu region as the western gate of the Tang Dynasty grew, and the Tang government took various measures during this period to strengthen the control of the passage into the Tarim Basin.
At the same time, the Tang Dynasty also set up a guard in the Tashkurgan area (i.e., Drinking Pantuo), the main traffic route from the Green Ridge to Shule, in the Kaiyuan Dynasty, to strengthen the military defense in the direction of the Green Ridge, thereby temporarily relieving the pressure in the southwest of the Tarim Basin and ensuring the safety of the West Gate.
4. Why did the Turks attack the Tang Dynasty?
Since 719 (the seventh year of Kaiyuan), the Tang Dynasty appointed Sulu, the leader of the Tuqi Shi, as the ten surnamed Khans, although the two sides sometimes had discord, they generally maintained a relatively stable and friendly relationship.
Later, when the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Sulu broke down, a letter from the Tang Dynasty to Sulu reviewed the relationship between the two sides from the seventh year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (719) to the twenty-second year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty (734).
The letter said:
"In previous years, the Khan was first canonized, and he took the mainland's family as his support, and when Zhufan heard this, he did not dare to waver. Since then, for more than 20 years, they have been married as father and son. ”
The so-called "more than 20 years", although it is not quite exact, but after the canonization of Sulu, the Turgish did maintain a vassal relationship with the Tang Dynasty for a long time.
During this period, the Turgish also carried out large-scale trade with the Tang Dynasty, for example, in 726 (the 14th year of the Kaiyuan Dynasty), the Turgish Yaguan traded with the Tang Dynasty in Anxi, and the number of horses traded at one time reached 1,000, and the rupture of the relationship between the Turgish and the Tang Dynasty was also related to the trade between the two sides.
In 734, the leader of the Turgish, Que Qijin, drove sheep and horses into the Korean trade, and when he arrived at the North Court, he had a conflict with his subordinate He Qianda. He Qianda accused Que Qianjin of plotting to rebel against the Tang Dynasty and rebelled against the Tang Dynasty, and Liu Lian killed Que Qijin He Qianda and detained sheep and horses. The Turgish Khan Sulu was furious and raised his troops to attack the four towns. Tang Xuanzong killed Liu Jian for treason, and sent his head to Sulu, hoping to sue for peace, but Sulu refused to quit his army, and united with Tubo to flank the Tang Dynasty's army deployed in the Western Regions.
This was a large-scale war, and the intricate characteristics of the situation in the Western Regions at that time can be seen from the different attitudes of the Tang Dynasty towards the Turks, Tibetans, Eastern Turks, and Great Eclipse during the war. In order to break up the powerful offensive of the Turks and Tibet, the Tang Dynasty took positive measures both internally and externally.
5. Datang's "United Nations General Assembly Food and Extermination Cavalry" plan
In order to strengthen the defense forces of the Western Regions, the Tang Dynasty first increased a large number of troops to the Western Regions. In Beiting and Xizhou, 20,000 soldiers from the Hexi Jiedu envoy sent 20,000 soldiers to Beiting and Xizhou from Gaotong and Bojiao Road north of Guazhou.
In addition, 20,000 soldiers were recruited from Shuofangjun and other places to go to Beiting, Guazhou and other places as backup, and in Anxi, 5,000 Xiaojian were selected in Hexi Zhujunzhou, and 5,480 people should be recruited for Anxi sent by the imperial court, and 30,000 people were sent to Anxi in succession, and 30,000 people were sent as "support".
This war was carried out in an all-round way in the entire Western Regions controlled by the Tang Dynasty, but the armies of the four towns of Anxi and the armies of Beiting and Xizhou were not unified with each other, and the command was not unified, which brought great difficulties to the coordinated actions of the various armies.
In order to facilitate the overall arrangement, the Tang Dynasty government handed over the command of the armies of Yizhou, Xizhou, and Beiting to the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate, and Anxi commanded all the armies of the Western Regions in a unified manner.
Externally, the Tang Dynasty mainly contacted the Eastern Turks and the Great Eclipse separately, hoping to join forces with them.
Tang Xuanzong sent an envoy to the Eastern Turkic Khan, saying that he would not care about the behavior of the Eastern Turks in the twenty-third year of Kaiyuan (735) to attack Xi and Khitan, and counted the hostility of the Turks to the Eastern Turks, and at the same time promised that if the Eastern Turks "marched westward", after the victory, the Tang Dynasty was ready to give all the sheep, horses, and land of the Turks to the Eastern Turks, and that "the children of jade silk have no special rewards", and advised the Eastern Turks to join forces with the Tang Dynasty to develop westward rather than plundering to the east.
"Khitan and Xi, the poor of Zhufan, the land is not enough for grazing, the sheep and horses are not enough to be greedy, the master and apprentice are far away, and they are also in danger. ”
However, the Eastern Turks did not send troops to the west, "to do their best". While contacting the Eastern Turks, the Tang Dynasty also made contact with the Great Eclipse.
When the troops from Hexi and other places were sent to aid Beiting, Tang Xuanzong sent Zhang Shuyao to negotiate with Da Shi on the starry night, and sent troops from Tocharo and Bodaling to attack the broken leaves of the Raider Shi Khanting and take his home. The strategic intent of the Tang Dynasty was obvious, and at this time, the main forces of the Turgish were concentrated in the North Court, confronting the large number of Tang reinforcements, and the rear was empty.
Therefore, the Tang Dynasty "secretly ordered" Anxi to conquer Tibet and 10,000 Han soldiers to go north from Bodaling, and the Dashi army also went north from Tocharo at the same time, and smashed the leaves with the Tang army.
Zhang Shuyao returned to Anxi with a letter from the eastern general of Dashi, Khorasan Hami (meaning governor), agreeing to send troops in April 736 (the twenty-fourth year of Kaiyuan). At this time, the governor of Khorasan of the Great Food Empire was Assad.
Assad accepted the Tang dynasty's advice, sent troops to conquer Tochar, and moved the governor's capital from Mulu to Tsudge. However, the Tang army in Anxi was unable to send troops from Bodaling because of the containment of the Tibetan army, and the Great Food army did not further move north from Tocharo.
Apparently due to the pressure of the Great Eclipse, Sulu sent the great chief Hulu Dagan to Chang'an on September 16, 736 to sue for peace. The Tang Dynasty's army in the Western Regions had heard the news of the Great Eclipse's attack on Tocharo.
Therefore, the Tang Dynasty government's motives for Sulu's sue for peace were very clear, and in the letter from Xuanzong to the Beiting Metropolitan to protect Jiayun at that time, it was clearly mentioned:
"As the case suggests, Ye Hu was killed (referring to Tocharo Ye Hu), the situation is in harmony, and it is not a false rumor. Sending troops to Ruo'anxi, taking advantage of the false attack, breaking the leaves and turning the ugly, can be captured, should be a hanging army, failed to cross the border, and the rebellious leakage, all of which can't help it. Although the thief asks for peace, he will let me play a position, in case of a big eat, in order to suppress the heart of the captive. Is it true love, this is the number of treacherous. ”
6. The decline and fall of the Turgish
At the same time, it also pointed out that Sulu's quest for peace was to take advantage of the Tang Dynasty's situation, "in case of a big eat, and to suppress the hearts of the captives", so it required the troops of Anxi and Beiting to cooperate closely, wait for their movements, and take advantage of the convenience to take advantage of the chaos and insult them.
The reason why the Turgish was able to maintain the rule of the Western Turkic region for a long period of time was that in addition to its strong military force, maintaining a vassal relationship with the Tang Dynasty was a very important reason why Sulu was able to recruit the ten surnames and command the tribes.
The rupture of relations with the Tang Dynasty not only weakened the appeal of the Turgish among the Western Turkic tribes, but also put him in a position of being attacked on both sides, thus hastening the demise of the Turgish.
Sulu divided the spoils of war with his subordinates in the first place, and used them for the pleasure of the people. He not only married the Tang princess (Jiaohe princess), but also infiltrated the Later Turks and Tibetans, and the Later Turks and Tibetans each had female wives. Sulu used these three daughters as Kedun (the meaning of "lady" in Turkic language), and set up a number of sons as Ye Hu, and the use of them gradually became wider, and the gains from the attack and war were no longer divided, and the tribes began to centrifuge.
There are two tribes under the great chieftain Mohe Dagan and Dumodu, these two tribes are the most powerful, but they are at odds with Sulu, and the Turkish tribe is also divided into the yellow surname (after Sugger) and the black surname (Sulu tribe), which are suspicious of each other and full of contradictions.
Soon after Sulu's attack on Anxi and the northern court were blocked, there was internal strife between the various Turgish tribes.
In the summer of the twenty-sixth year of Kaiyuan (738), Mohe Dagan conspired with Dumodu to attack and kill Sulu in the middle of the night.
After that, Dumodu had a conflict with Mohe Dagan, and set up Sulu's son Gu Si as the Khan of the Fire Fairy, occupied the city of Broken Leaf and the city of Talas, and attacked each other with Mohe Dagan.
In the twenty-seventh year of Kaiyuan (739), the two sides jointly sent troops, broke the leaves, entered the talas, captured the fire immortals, and finally pacified the remnants of the turbulent cavalry Sulu.
This time, in addition to Mohe Dagan, there were also King Bakhana, King Shi, King Shi, etc. After the war, the tribes of Chumukun, Luyan, Basaigan, Ratnishi, Asiji, Ma Yue, and Ge were sent to the Tang Dynasty and requested that "the tribes be settled in the Anxi Guan, forever as border commanders, and long as courtiers", and most of the area north of the Syr Darya River was again under the control of the Tang Dynasty.
Tuhuoxian was escorted to Chang'an, where Xuanzong pardoned his sins and appointed him as General Zuo Jinwu.
In the spring and March of 740 A.D. (the twenty-eighth year of Kaiyuan), Xuanzong invited from Gai Jiayun to set up Ashina Huaidao's son Xin as the ten surnamed Khan, in order to pacify the Western Turks, and Feng Xin's wife Li was the princess of Jiaohe.
When Moheda heard that Ashina Xin was a khan, he said angrily:
"The first to punish Sulu, my plan is also, today Shi Xin (that is, Ashina Xin), how to reward me!"
Then he led all the troops to rebel against the Tang Dynasty. Xuanzong then appointed Mohe Dagan as the khan, made the people of the Tutu cavalry, and ordered Gai Jiayun to go to the palace. In winter and December, Mohe Dagan is attached to the Tang Dynasty.
In the spring and March of 742 (the first year of Tianbao), Xuanzong sent troops to escort the ten surnamed Khans Ashina Xin to the Julan City of Broken Leaf West, where they were killed by Mohe Dagan, and Princess Jiaohe and her son Ashina were loyal and filial to escape. The Western Turkic Ashina clan has since been extinct.
In the summer and May of 744 A.D. (the third year of Tianbao), the envoy of the Tang River West Jiedu sent troops to fight against the Tuqi Shi, beheaded Mohe Dagan, and asked the black surname Illidis Mishi Bone Lupiga. In June, Xuanzong enshrined Gulu Viga as the ten surnamed Khan. Viga reigned for 12 years, and Tang Shu paid tribute.
In the autumn and September of 753 (the twelfth year of Tianbao), the black surname Khan changed hands, and the Tang Dynasty also gave the edict (the black surname Khan Dengri Iramishi was the Tubei Qishi Khan), after Suzong Zhide (756~757 years), the Tuqi Shi began to decline, the Huang surname and the black surname were all independent Khans, attacking each other, and the Tang Dynasty also suffered from the rebellion of the feudal town, and the Central Plains was troubled, and there was no time to take care of the west.
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