The history of Yunnan is always mysterious, especially the ancient tribes and kingdoms, and regimes like the Nanzhao Kingdom are full of legends. Nanzhaoguo, a short but brilliant star in the long river of history, existed for 253 years and was once the overlord of the southwest region. The rise of this country is inextricably linked with the Tang Empire!
Speaking of Nanzhao, many people may not be familiar with it, but when it comes to the Tang Dynasty, it can always evoke some historical memories. You must know that Nanzhao was a small country that rose under the nose of the Tang Dynasty, and later even turned against the Tang Dynasty, and frequently confronted the Tang Dynasty. So the question is, how did Nanzhao change from a bunch of small tribes to a country that could compete with the Tang Dynasty?
The predecessor of the Nanzhao Kingdom was called Mengshezhao, and their ancestors were people from the Ailao Kingdom. The Ailao Kingdom was incorporated into the territory of the Han Dynasty during the Han Dynasty, but the royal family of Ailao did not disappear, and their descendants migrated to the southern side of the Erhai Sea in Yunnan in the early years of the Tang Dynasty, which was later the location of the Nanzhao Kingdom. The area was originally inhabited by several small tribes, including those led by Monsheron, who gradually gained a foothold in the area through marriage and diplomacy.
Specific to the rise of the Nanzhao Kingdom, thanks to a series of decisions made by Tang Xuanzong. In order to "control the raze with razing", Tang Xuanzong set up a prefecture in Yunnan, similar to the current autonomous region, with both officials sent by the central government and local children of wealthy families. This policy allowed Nanzhao to grow rapidly with the support of the Tang Dynasty.
Nanzhao really became strong under the leadership of Pi Luoge, the edict lord. In 738 AD, Pi Luo Ge saw the opportunity and proposed a bold plan to Tang Xuanzong - to merge the six edicts into one. At this time, Tubo was also eyeing the enemy, and Tang Xuanzong actually approved this request in order to stabilize the frontier and gave military support. In this way, Nanzhao, with the help of Tang, unified the six edicts around Erhai.
However, Nanzhao's ambitions don't stop there. After the powerful Nanzhao, the relationship with the Tang Dynasty began to become complicated. Nanzhao was no longer satisfied with being a vassal of the Tang Dynasty and began to seek greater independence and development. The contradictions between them and the Tang Dynasty gradually became public, and they even did not hesitate to collude with the Tang Dynasty's enemy, Tubo, in order to completely become independent from the influence of the Tang Dynasty. This capricious diplomatic strategy eventually strained relations between Nanzhao and the Tang Dynasty.
The national power of the Nanzhao Kingdom reached its peak in constant wars and diplomatic struggles. Their lord was no longer satisfied with the title of edict lord, but began to call himself emperor and regarded himself as a king. This was very rare among the small countries at that time, and it showed Nanzhao's self-perceived status and strength. The next three generations of lords have taken this imperial style to the extreme, and have been emperors for a total of 43 years.
History is always full of irony. Although the Nanzhao Kingdom was once strong, it was not stable internally. As time passed, the power struggle within Nanzhao became increasingly fierce, coupled with poor economic management, and the national power began to decline. In the later period of the Southern Zhao Dynasty, frequent civil strife and foreign wars exhausted the country's resources, and domestic contradictions became increasingly irreconcilable.
During the heyday of the Southern Zhao, the Tang Dynasty had to seek peace in a friendly way, but with the decline of the Southern Zhao, the attitude of the Tang Dynasty also began to change. In the end, under multiple internal and external pressures, Nanzhao came to an end in 902. The Liuzhao region, which was originally unified by Nanzhao, fell apart again until the rise of the Dali Kingdom later.
From the rise to the fall of Nanzhao, we can see how a small country survives on the edge of a big country, and how the country has declined due to power struggles and economic problems.