The Tang Dynasty was not only one of the peak periods of the development of China's feudal society, but also an important period among the world's feudal dynasties. It not only created many world miracles, such as the world's largest land area, the world's largest military streng

The Tang Dynasty was not only one of the peak periods of the development of China's feudal society, but also a pivotal period among the world's feudal dynasties. It not only created many world miracles, such as the world's largest land area, the world's largest military strength, and the world's largest economic aggregate. 1 (The total economic output accounted for 58% of the world's total at its peak).

The Tang Dynasty defeated Goguryeo, Japan and other countries in the east through military operations, and used cultural ties to create the "Han Cultural Circle" in East Asia and Southeast Asia that has influenced today. In the west, the Tang Dynasty had re-organized the Western Regions since the Taizong period. The northwest faction Li Jing defeated Tuyuhun, and Hou Junji defeated Gaochang. In the Western Region, the Beiting Protectorate was established. Central Asia also came under the control of the Tang Dynasty one after another. Central Asian countries both admired and awed the Tang Dynasty's comprehensive strength, and learned from it in the cultural field. It was also at this time that Confucian culture was deeply promoted in Central Asia.

Before and after the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Faqiang, Tangxiao and other branches of the Qiang people entered Tibet from Qinghai and formed tribal alliances there. Tubo was the first unified and powerful regime on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau with clear historical records. Songtsen Gampo is considered the actual founder of the country. In the twelfth year of Zhenguan reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Songtsen Gampo led the Tibetan army to attack Songzhou, a border town of Tang Dynasty, but was defeated by the Tang army. Songtsen Gampo turned his head and proclaimed himself a minister, and even proposed to the Tang Dynasty. In order to maintain the stability and development of the border areas and strengthen the ties between various ethnic groups, the Tang Dynasty implemented a "peace and marriage" policy towards Tibet and sent many princesses.

The increasingly powerful Tubo was no longer willing to pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty every year. Tianbao began to make plans in the early years in an attempt to get rid of the control of the Tang Dynasty. In that era of very backward productivity, population and land were the key factors that determined whether a country was strong or not. If Tubo wanted to increase its strength, external expansion was inevitable. Due to natural geographical reasons, there are two main roads leading from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to the Western Regions: one is through the ancient Bolü Kingdom and across the Pamir Plateau; the other is heading north through the Aksai Chin Desert, which is the same as today's The Xinjiang-Tibet Highway is slightly the same, or it passes through the Ladakh region, climbs the Karakoram Pass, and other mountain passes to meet the previous road, and then goes straight northwest to the Tarim Basin to Yecheng Oasis, or crosses the Kunlun Mountains goes to Hotan in the east and Yecheng in the west.

Tibet chose to form a community of interests with neighboring small countries. Xiaoboluguo, which is not far away from it, has become its main target. Xiaobolu Kingdom is located in the northwest of present-day Kashmir. From Tubo's point of view, once the two countries unite, it will be very convenient whether they want to attack small neighboring countries or attack the Tang Dynasty. Tibet did not hesitate to request a marriage, intending to consolidate the alliance between the two countries by having their own princess. The king of Xiaobolu was also an ambitious man. He simply accepted the marriage proposal and cut off the way for the countries in the Western Regions to pay tribute and trade with the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty certainly would not tolerate Tubo and other countries joining forces to encroach on their territory in the Western Regions, so they sent General Gao Xianzhi to pacify them. Gao Xianzhi took the order and led the Tang Army's cavalry and infantry, totaling more than 10,000 people. They set off from the Anxi Protectorate in Anxi to organize the army and arrived at Lianyunbao in more than three months. Tubo's nearly ten thousand troops were waiting for work here, but they still lost the city. In the end, the Tang army not only successfully captured Xiaobolu Kingdom, but also captured its king and Tubo princess alive. Gao Xianzhi became famous in the first battle and successfully took over the military power of the four towns of Anxi.

The outer city of Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty, has three gates on each side, allowing access to all directions. The city gate facing the northwest is called the Kaiyuan Gate. Business travelers, officers and soldiers, tourists, and bachelors going to Hexi, Longyou, Anxi, and the Beiting Protectorate all have to embark on their journeys here. " I urge you to drink a glass of wine. There will be no old friends outside Yangguan in the west. " There are no friends outside Yangguan, let alone Anxi, which is further than Yangguan? The Silk Road is prosperous, and all land routes from to North Korea must pass through this place. I don’t have any friends, but the trade routes are very safe, thanks to Beiting , Anxi Protectorate and other trade corridors protecting the Western Region.

Longxi is named because it is located to the west of Longshan (i.e. Liupanshan in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia area), including today's water, Dingxi , Lanzhou and other cities. Historically, the Qin and Han Dynasties established Longxi County , which expanded the original geographical concept. In the Tang Dynasty, there were Longyou Road , west of today's Liupan Mountain, east of Qinghai Lake and eastern Xinjiang. Once the vassals of Hexi, Longyou, and the Western Regions were gone, the Chang'an of the Tang Dynasty would always be under the threat of Tubo.

The Anxi Protectorate built castles in Qiuci, Khotan, Shule, and Suiye (or Yanqi) and established four military towns, collectively known as the "Anxi Four Towns". The selection of the locations of the four military towns is very particular. Kucha has a large population and a developed economy. It is located at the hub of the Silk Road. Controlling Kucha can not only control the economic lifeline of the Western Regions, but also facilitate the intimidation of the countries in the Western Regions. In Khotan, two rivers, the Yulong Kashgar and the Karakashi rivers, meet here and lead out to the Yumen Pass and Yangguan in the west, which is the only place the South Silk Road must pass. Shule, at the foot of Congling, controls the east-west thoroughfare through Congling. As for Yanqi, it connects Gaochang to the east, Qiuci to the west, and Yuli to the south. It is not only the gateway for the Tang Dynasty to enter the south of the Tianshan Mountains, but also the gateway for the Turks to go south. Gao Xianzhi was originally from Goguryeo, and his ability to serve as the governor of Anxi showed that the Tang Dynasty trusted and valued him.

The covetous black-clad Dashi

There were not no challengers around the Tang Dynasty. In the seventh century AD, an empire spanning Europe, Asia and Africa arose on the Arabian Peninsula (the Arab Empire was also called the Dashi). There are white people, black people, and green people. These are different regimes in different periods, and the opponent of the Tang Dynasty is the black Abbasid Dynasty. After the destruction of Persian , it gradually bordered on the westernmost Suiye Town (the birthplace of Li Bai) of the four towns in Anxi of the Tang Dynasty.

As soon as the great food in black replaced the great food in white, their rule was not yet stable enough, and they were eager to establish their power, so they began to fantasize about conquering the Tang Dynasty. The Arab Empire was not ready to take action, but the Tang Dynasty had already given the Arab Empire a famous excuse.

In 750 AD, Gao Xianzhi, the governor of Anxi in the Tang Dynasty, used the name "Wuhanchenli" to raise troops to attack the small Central Asian country Shiguo (today's Uzbekistan region). The king of Shiguo wanted to surrender, but Gao Xianzhi first agreed, but then went against the plan and attacked, killing a large number of Shiguo tribesmen, massacred Shiguo, and escorted all the king and queen to Beijing for trial. Gao Xianzhi, who had tasted the sweetness, did another trick during the retreat and looted Tuqishi, a small country belonging to the Western Turks. Tuqishi was originally a powerful weapon for the Tang Dynasty to contain the Great Food Kingdom, and had always been friendly with the Tang Dynasty. Gao Xianzhi ruined the Tang Dynasty's careful layout over the years due to a moment of greed.

After meeting Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the king of Shiguo defended himself one by one for his crimes. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty listened to Gao Xianzhi and executed the king of a country without delving into the truth. The prince of Shiguo escaped from death and informed the countries in the Western Regions about what the Tang Dynasty people had done. The Tang Dynasty's "discriminating between black and white" and "massacre" actions made various small countries in Central Asia fearful and angry, and they all went to the Arab Empire for help. For the Arab Empire, this was a golden opportunity to seize Central Asia. In this way, two empires that were originally thousands of miles apart met unexpectedly.

The Tang Dynasty will certainly not sit still and wait for death, let alone give up the results of its many years of operation in Central Asia. In the tenth year of Tianbao, Gao Xianzhi said: The Great Food Kingdom wanted to unite the countries in the Western Regions to attack the four towns of Anxi. Adhering to the principle of " strike first to gain strength, strike later and suffer the consequences", he simply struck preemptively and led his 30,000 troops to cross the green hills, penetrate deep into the enemy's hinterland, and besiege the city of Talas.

20,000 Tang Dynasty local troops and 10,000 coalition troops from various countries in the Western Regions. The 30,000 Tang Dynasty troops may seem small, but the Tang Dynasty's military policy was a policy of elite troops. They had advanced crossbows , were equipped with Mingguang armor , had strong defense, and had Mo Dao soldiers, so their combat effectiveness was not weak.The Arab general is Abu Muslim. There are two versions of the military strength: 200,000 and 70,000. Overall, the Arab military strength far exceeds that of the Tang Dynasty, but it lacks equipment.

The Battle of Talas

War often pays attention to the right time, the right place, and the right people, and all three are indispensable.

Gao Xianzhi's army had to cross the Pamir Plateau to reach the battlefield in Central Asia, and The Arabs had already occupied the city of Talas. Gao Xianzhi, who arrived late, had to attack the city and fought with the Arabs under the city.

The Tang army stormed outside the city, but the enemy troops defended themselves on the high city walls. The opponent occupied the commanding heights and gained a greater advantage. What's even more terrible for the Tang army is that they already have enemies on all sides in the Western Regions.

During the war, the Ge Luolu people in the Tang coalition turned against the enemy and joined forces with the Arabs. The Tang army was caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties. Fortunately, his general Li Siye fought desperately to break through, and Gao Xianzhi was able to escape. In the end, only a few thousand people survived. This battle was not only the most tragic defeat in the Tang Dynasty's foreign wars, but also had an irreversible impact on the Silk Road. The Central Asian countries seemed to have seen a new "backer" and secretly defected to the Arab Empire.

Although the Tang Dynasty sent troops to retake it and controlled Central Asia and other related areas, its vitality was seriously damaged in the Western Regions. Just as Feng Changqing, the successor of Anxi Jiedushi, was preparing to concentrate on regaining the lost territory, The Anshi Rebellion broke out, Anxi's army was transferred eastward, and the Tang Dynasty lost control of Central Asia and even the Western Regions. And Arabia immediately filled the blank space and replaced the Tang Dynasty's position in Central Asia! It was also at this time that Central Asian countries became Islamic and parted ways with the "Chinese cultural circle". It was not until the period of Emperor Qianlong and the Qing Dynasty that the Zhungeer tribe and Size and Zhuo were pacified that China regained control of the Western Regions. However, the Western Regions and Central Asia were already an era where Britain and Russia were dancing together.

Construction of China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway

In 1991, the Soviet Union, a superpower that had existed for 74 years, collapsed, and the fifteen member republics of the former Soviet Union also went their separate ways. First, the three Baltic countries took the lead in declaring their independence from the Soviet Union. Later, Russia took the lead in declaring independence. Russia, the largest, became independent. The Soviet Union actually no longer exists. What is little known is that the five Central Asian countries at that time were unwilling to break away from the Soviet Union. Kazakhstan even offered to merge with independent Russia, but was rejected by Russia.

Central Asia covers an area of ​​more than four million square kilometers, is rich in resources, and has an important strategic location. Tsarist Russia also spent a lot of effort to annex Central Asia. This time Russia gave up voluntarily, not because it didn’t want it, but because it couldn’t afford it. Central Asia was the poorest and most backward region in the Soviet Union. Staying in the Soviet Union would receive a large amount of allocations from the Soviet Central Committee every year. Therefore, the five Central Asian countries at that time preferred to merge with Russia, so that Russia could continue to play the role of blood transfusion. However, Russia's own economy was also in great difficulty when it became independent. In order to show his "surrender" loyalty to the West, Yeltsin voluntarily abandoned the five Central Asian countries.

Although Russia has given up the territory of the five Central Asian countries, it can still influence Central Asia through its geographical strength, and then control Central Asia, becoming the ultimate beneficiary. Although Central Asia is adjacent to Russia, China, Iran, Afghanistan and other countries, in comparison, only by relying on Russia can it achieve better development. Because Iran and Afghanistan have less influence on Central Asia; although China borders Central Asia, it is in the remote Xinjiang region. The United States took advantage of the war in Afghanistan to penetrate Central Asia. Although it once changed the political tendencies of Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, it is still very difficult to squeeze out Russia's influence.

Kyrgyzstan President Zhaparov said in an interview on May 30 that after he explained to Russian Putin that Kyrgyzstan needed the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway just like it needed "air and water", Putin said he would no longer oppose the project.China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan planned to build a railway connecting the three countries as early as 1997. 25 years later, Russia finally figured it out.

If this railway is not built, if Chinese goods want to be sold to Europe or the Middle East, they can only take the international line from Lanzhou to Urumqi and then to Moscow, and then transport them to Europe from Moscow, or from Urumqi to Birkek and then to Tehran , and then transported to the Middle East. Some routes are pure detours with high transportation costs.

If this railway is not built, Russia will always have control over the main transportation road and firmly occupy the strategic initiative. After the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out, the West began to impose sanctions on Russia, and Russia also needed to strengthen relations with Iran, India and China. Although the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway will not bring any benefits to Russia, after its completion, it can also strengthen Russia's connection with Asia; when Russia goes south to India or Iran, it will be more convenient and faster, and Russia can also transport more goods to South Asia and the Middle East.

When the Soviet Union had just disintegrated, Western countries also induced Russia to join NATO or the European Union. Russia applied four times. Europe not only refused Russia to join, but even became hostile to Russia. As a result, Russia has given up and no longer seeks "reconciliation" with Western countries. As a result, Putin can only shift his attention to Asia. There are many countries in Asia that can provide help to Russia, such as China, India, Iran, and the five Central Asian countries. Only China, India and Iran are truly powerful.

Iran has huge oil reserves, but the country is not big enough (and Russia is not short of oil and gas). Although India has traditional cooperation with Russia, India’s position is worrying. It must not only join Biden proposed In the Indo-Pacific framework, it has reached a series of cooperation with the United States, and even actively rejected some orders from Russia on the grounds of "insufficient funds". As far as Russia is concerned, the only country that is capable and willing to help Russia is China. After getting rid of Europe and seeing that India is unreliable, it relies more on China, so it needs to show some sincerity, for example, let China build railways to Central Asia.

The total length of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway is about 523 kilometers, of which 213 kilometers are in China, 260 kilometers are in Kyrgyzstan, and about 50 kilometers are in Uzbekistan. According to the plan, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway Project is planned to depart from Kashgar, Xinjiang, China, to the west, pass through Karasu, Kyrgyzstan, and reach Andijan, Uzbekistan. After completion, the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway will be the shortest route for transporting goods from China to Europe and the Middle East. The freight distance will be shortened by 900 kilometers and the time will be saved by 7 to 8 days.

Isn’t the West sanctioning Xinjiang products every day? China must have all roads leading to Xinjiang to improve the transportation structure of Xinjiang and even the entire western region, speed up the development of the western region; speed up the development and utilization of oil in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea, open up new sources of oil imports for our country; integrate Chinese products and Goodwill to Central Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and the world.