"Be a strong person and be lenient and trustworthy" is Sima Qian's evaluation of Zhang Qian. In a short evaluation, it can be seen that Zhang Qian actually has extraordinary ability.
In 140 BC (the first year of the Western Han Dynasty), the 16-year-old Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty ascended the throne and became the fifth emperor of the Western Han Dynasty. At this time, after the Han Dynasty had been cultivated and revived, not only was the regime increasingly consolidated, but even its economic strength was thriving. When Emperor Wu of han, who was brilliant and ambitious, saw that the country was rich and had more than enough financial resources, he decided to expand his territory to the west and solve the threat of the Xiongnu in one fell swoop.
When he learned of the feud between the Xiongnu and the Yue clan, he planned to send emissaries to the Western Regions to find the Dayue clan who had been expelled by the Xiongnu and moved westward, hoping to persuade them to return to their homeland and attack the Xiongnu together. In order to realize this strategic plan, Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty did not appoint emissaries, but openly recruited them.
However, no one knows where the Yue clan moved and how far the road is. Therefore, from the princes and princes down to the civil and military officials, they did not dare to take risks. But at this time, a small lang official enlisted and accepted the task.
Envoy to the Western Regions
In 138 BC (the third year of the Jianyuan Dynasty of the Western Han Dynasty), Zhang Qian accepted the mission of sending an envoy to the Western Regions, and set off from Chang'an with his retinue Gan Father (Tang Yi Father) and more than 100 other people, passing through Longxi and then marching westward. Although Zhang Qian braved difficulties and obstacles and resolutely accepted the task of Emperor Wu of Han, he was still very careful.
Originally planned, he planned to quietly cross the Hexi Corridor controlled by the Xiongnu, and then go to find the Yue clan people who moved west. But unexpectedly, Zhang Qian and others were captured by the Xiongnu cavalry as soon as they left the Yumen Pass. The Xiongnu, knowing Zhang Qian's purpose, were furious, believing that the Han Dynasty had sent people to transit through his territory and did not take him seriously. Therefore, Zhang Qian and others were directly detained.
People who know a little about this history may wonder, since Zhang Qian and others were captured, why didn't the Xiongnu directly kill them directly, but still keep them? In fact, the Book of Han explained this in detail, that is, at that time, the two countries were at war, and it was customary not to cut them off. This is not just talk, in the historical data, during the successive wars between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu, there are records of detaining emissaries from each other without killing.
After the Xiongnu Shan Detained Zhang Qian and others, they did not kill them. Moreover, in order to enlist Zhang Qian to serve himself, the Xiongnu Shan Yu also specially married a Xiongnu wife for Zhang Qian. The other party thought that if Zhang Qian could marry a wife and have children in the Xiongnu to form a family, then he would be slowly assimilated.
But in fact, Zhang Qian has been waiting for an opportunity to escape. After ten years of detention, all of Zhang Qian's companions had gone missing. At that time, only his retinue, Father Gan, was still by his side. Even so, he still did not lose the Han Festival, and still hid a yak tail representing the status symbol of the Han Dynasty envoys.
In 128 BC, Zhang Qian finally found an opportunity, and he took advantage of the negligence of the Huns to escape with his retinue Gan Father. After escaping, he did not return to the Central Plains, but continued to complete his unfinished mission - to travel west to find Yueshi.
Return to Dahan
Endless snowy mountains, vast deserts... The road to continue westward is undoubtedly very difficult for Zhang Qian. But Zhang Qian, who has always stuck to his heart, is fearless. Along the way, he was able to survive thanks to Gan's hunting skills.
After passing through cheshiguo (present-day Turpan Basin in Xinjiang), after crossing mountains and mountains, we came to Dawan (present-day Fergana Basin, Uzbekistan). With the help of King Dawan, Zhang Qian and Father Gan came to Kangju and finally found the Yue people in the Yushui Valley.
However, unexpectedly, since the Yue clan moved to this place, they not only conquered Bactria but also lived a stable life. Therefore, after learning of Zhang Qian's intentions, the Yue clan did not have the idea of returning to his hometown to take revenge because of his stable life and too far away from the Han, so he refused Zhang Qian's request for alliance cooperation.
Unable to achieve his goal, Zhang Qian observed here for a year and decided to return to the Han Dynasty. In order to avoid being caught by the Xiongnu again, he deliberately did not take the same route, but planned to detour back to Guannei through the Qiang area. Unfortunately, he was caught by the Huns again.
However, coincidentally, because in 127 BC, after Huo Wentai sent an army to attack the Xiongnu and control the Hexi Corridor, the Xiongnu's power was much worse than before. As a result, a year after Zhang Qian's capture, in 126 BC, after the death of the military minister Shan Yu, civil unrest broke out among the Xiongnu. Zhang Qian was able to take the opportunity to escape back to Chang'an.
After returning to Chang'an, Zhang Qian reported all the missions to the Western Regions to Emperor Wu of Han. Although the purpose of the alliance with the Yue clan was not achieved, he made a detailed report on what he had seen and heard along the way and the customs and customs of various places in the Western Regions. After Emperor Wu of Han heard this, he directly made Zhang Qian the Grand Master of Taizhong and father of Gan as the envoy.
Life winners
Some people may be curious about Zhang Qian's first mission to the Western Regions, he lived with the Xiongnu for 11 years, not only married Hu, but also had children. So what happened to his Hun family? On this point, the history books are only a passing mention.
The "Book of Han and the Biography of Zhang Qian" records: "Qian, Hu's wife and tangyi's father died and returned to Han. A simple sentence shows that Zhang Qian fled back to Chang'an with his Xiongnu wife and retinue during the Xiongnu civil unrest. After that, with the experience of the first mission to the Western Regions, Zhang Qian used his knowledge of the Western Regions to participate in Wei Qing's war against the Xiongnu, so he was given the title of Marquis of Bowang.
Later, in order to eradicate the Xiongnu in one fell swoop, Emperor Liu Che of the Han Dynasty once again sent Zhang Qian on an envoy to the Western Regions, intending to unite the countries of the Western Regions against the Xiongnu. Therefore, Zhang Qian took three hundred people, ten thousand cattle and sheep, and ten million silk men and set off.
This westward journey, Zhang Qian completely opened the road of transportation between China and the West. Since then, countries in the western region have sent emissaries to and from the Great Han, and merchants and merchants from all over the world have also been in an endless stream. After returning to the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian has been living in Fengdi City, where his wife and children have also lived.
It is said that Zhang Qian's descendants have lived in the former residence for generations, and until now, it is said that his descendants have exceeded 3,000 people, which can be described as a rich descendant.
From this point of view, it is not wrong to say that Zhang Qian is a winner in life.
epilogue:
In fact, Zhang Qian's experience of two missions to the Western Regions was more meaningful than he had imagined. Perhaps he himself did not expect that his two missions to the Western Regions would affect future generations for thousands of years. Because of the hardships of more than ten years, his tens of thousands of miles of travel have opened up the passage between China and the West and opened the prelude to the Silk Road.
It is precisely because of Zhang Qian's two missions to the Western Regions that cultural exchanges between China and the West have been carried out. Nowadays, when it comes to the Silk Road, Zhang Qian is a mark that can never be bypassed.
Source: Historical Stories