From the end of the Tang Dynasty to the beginning of the Song Dynasty, Northwest China has undergone a major change. The Tubo power declined, the Uighurs moved in, and the establishment or revival of local governments. By the 10th century AD, the Karahan Dynasty, Khotan, Gaochang (Xizhou Uighur), Guiyi Army, Ganzhou Uighur and other regimes were in parallel. Among them, only the Guiyi Army and Yutian maintained a good relationship from beginning to end.
The author called the friendship between Jiangtian and the Guiyi Army as the "alliance of the Han cultural regime", which may not be completely accurate, but there is a certain basis. There is no doubt that the Guiyi Army represented the Central Plains culture. Although Yutian was a Serbian, he had been infiltrated by Han culture until the end of the Tang Dynasty, and he regarded himself as a border guard of the Central Plains dynasty.
After the Anshi Rebellion, the control of the Central Plains Dynasty continued to decline, and the Song Dynasty did not have time to take care of the Western Regions. Therefore, throughout the 10th century, the Guiyi Army and Khotan were the guardians of the Central Plains culture in the northwest. Until the first half of the 11th century, the two regimes declined.
1. The historical conditions for friendly exchanges between the two sides
In the 10th century, the Karahan Dynasty located northwest of Khotan. After Satuq Bograhan accepted Islam, it entered the fast Development period. After that, the Karahan Dynasty defeated the Persian Saman Dynasty and recovered a large amount of lost ground.
For religious reasons, the conflict between the Karakhan Dynasty and Khotan has deepened. Khotan’s religious beliefs are dominated by Buddhism and Zoroastrianism, and partly accepted the Han culture in the Central Plains, and regarded himself as the clan of Tang. Therefore, Khotan became the target of expansion of the Karahan dynasty, eager to seek support from external forces.
At this time, the Tang Dynasty was dead, and the connection between the Central Plains and the northwest was basically blocked by the Ganzhou Uighurs and other forces. Therefore, in the eyes of the Yutian people, the Guiyijun regime in Dunhuang is the only Central Plains force they can directly contact with, and one of the few reliable allies.
In 911, the Jinshan Kingdom of the Western Han Dynasty established by the Guiyi Army Zhang Chengfeng was defeated by the Ganzhou Uighurs. The Zhang family's rule was unpopular and tended to collapse. About three years later, Cao Yijin ended Zhang's rule and rebuilt the Guiyi army. Out of the need to stabilize the situation, Cao Yijin actively enlisted all forces, including the Dunhuang giants, the Later Jin Dynasty of the Central Plains, and the Khotan Kingdom eager to form an alliance.
In 912, the king of Khotan came to the throne and named Li Shengtian in Chinese. When Zhang Chengfeng was reigning, Li Shengtian had an uncle relationship with the Zhang family of Guiyijun, just like Yutian, Uighur and Tang Ting. After the Cao clan replaced Zhang, Li Shengtian and Cao’s Guiyi Army continued friendly exchanges, and in 934 they married Cao Yijin’s daughter.
2. Mutual support between the Guiyi Army and Yutian
In 939 AD, the later Jin Dynasty sent envoys Zhang Kuangye, Gao Jugao and others to Yutian, and canonized Li Shengtian as "the great treasure of Yutian" , Thus providing legal support for Li Shengtian. The Guiyi Army, located between the Central Plains and Khotan, helped Khotan communicate with the Central Plains and win support.
Soon after, the relationship between the Guiyi Army and the Ganzhou Uighurs deteriorated, which blocked the passage of tribute to the Central Plains and the commercial road. Yutian then sent an envoy to Ganzhou, threatened with force, so that the Ganzhou Uighurs had to accept peace talks with the Guiyi army, and the Hexi Corridor was opened again.
After that, the Karahan Dynasty began a religious war against Tian. According to documents exchanged between Dunhuang and Khotan, Li Shengtian had "Lanjia personal conquest" in 958 and 963, and the object of the conquest was Shule under the control of the Karahan Dynasty. At that time, Khotan was strong and prosperous, so it didn't work to return to the rebels for remote assistance.
However, during this period, the prince and princess of Yutian lived in Dunhuang temporarily, presumably to escape the war in their own country. At the same time, Li Shengtian frequently sent ambassadors to the east, perhaps seeking further alliances.
About 966 AD, King Yuchi Poba (Li Shengtian) of Khotan died, and his son Chi Shuluo (Li Congde) ascended the throne. He inherited his father's policy, frequently paid tribute to the Northern Song Dynasty court, and also paid attention to the union with the Guiyi Army.
About 971, in "The Letter from the King Yuchi Shuluo to the Uncle Cao Dawang", King Khotan gave his uncle and returned to the Jiedu envoy Cao YuanzhongHe expressed his gratitude and described in detail how he defeated Dashi (the Karahan Dynasty) and occupied Shule, his subject. "Song History" also records that the Khotan Kingdom broke the Shule, and tribute to the trophies danced like an elephant, as evidence.
In addition to the above content, Yuchi Shuluo also wrote in the letter that he planned to support the large-scale Han people in Shule and establish a local Han government, and discussed with his uncle Cao Yuanzhong, and asked Cao Yuanzhong to understand the cause. The problem that the loot cannot be given in time. This shows that the Guiyi Army should have supported Khotan in this war.
III. The decline and fall of Yutian and the Guiyi Army
As mentioned above, when Li Shengtian was in power, Prince Yutian, the princess and others lived in Dunhuang to avoid the war and returned to the army. To provide residences and allocate tenants, it is called "Princezhuang". After Li Shengtian's son Li Congde came to the throne, Princezhuang was still in use, and more frequently.
From Li Congde's accession to the throne in 966, to the destruction of Khotan by Yusuf Kadir Khan of the Karahan Dynasty in 1005, the Khotan royal family has always lived here uninterruptedly, indicating that Khotan's wars are still frequent.
Khotan’s economy mainly relied on commercial trade and the oasis on the southern edge of the Tarim Basin. The Karahan Dynasty was based on the agriculturally developed Hezhong area and gained the support of the Abbasid Caliphate. Therefore, Khotan was at a disadvantage in terms of national strength, and even if he stubbornly resisted aggression, he could not withstand the steady flow of enemy forces.
and the Guiyi Army on the other side is also in bad condition. Because the Cao family was closely related to the two regimes of Yutian and Ganzhou Uighurs at the same time, the Cao family split into the pro-Khotan faction and the pro-Ganzhou faction.
In 1002, the Guiyi Army had a mutiny, and the pro-Kutian Jie Du Envoy Cao Yanlu (grandson of Cao Yijin, married to the daughter of King Yu Chi Dharma of Yutian) was forced to commit suicide. The Guiyi Army became a vassal of the Ganzhou Uighurs and quickly declined, unable to assist Khotan.
Yutian and the Guiyi Army formed a deep fighting friendship in the turbulent northwest region in the 10th century. However, due to the loss of the support of the Central Plains dynasty, the alliance of the Han cultural regimes eventually died out under the attack of the Karahan dynasty and the Ganzhou Uighurs.
