When the four sons of Genghis Khan, the founder of the Mongol regime, Jochi, Chagatai, Ogedei, and Tulei, had a dispute over the future succession to the throne, Genghis Khan said to his sons domineeringly: "Looking at the world, there are vast and vast fields, and rivers and lakes flow everywhere. If you guysLead a large army to conquer the surrounding areas and expand the territory, are you afraid that you will not be able to get rich and vast pastures?
This is the philosophy of Genghis Khan, who was a Mongolian slave owner, and it is also the philosophy that all slave owners in the world once followed, namelyTake pride in plunder".
In their opinion, whoever can plunder is a "hero". Genghis Khan Temuzhen was guided by this philosophical theory, and led his descendants to start the Mongol Mongols in 1219 for more than forty yearsThe "Western Expedition" that shocked the world.
Genghis Khan (portrait) galloping across the field
The Mongol "expedition to the west" was carried out in three parts. The First Crusade to the West(1219-1225), the Mongol iron cavalry under the personal command of Genghis Khan, firstConquered the kingdom of Khorezm(in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya River in present-day Central Asia) and then on the Calga River (in present-day Ukraine).Defeated the combined forces of the small feudal states of Russia
The Second Crusade to the West(1236-1242) after Genghis Khan's son Ögedei succeeded to the throne. This time, the Mongol army was the firstDefeated Russia, burned Moscow, and then conquered Poland and Hungary, with itEnter Austria and the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, and approach the city of Venice on the western coast
The Third Crusade to the West(1253-1260) during the reign of Möngke, the son of Genghis Khan's fourth son, Tulei. This time, the Mongolian iron horseEntered Mesopotamia and burned down the world-famous ancient city in return(present-day Baghdad), and thenRaid Asia Minor, Cyprus, and approach Egypt.
The Mongols' westward expedition shook the world. In particular, the Second Western Crusade, madeEurope was enveloped in terror for a time.
The Mongol Expedition to the West (painting), which Westerners call the "Whip of God".
* The believers are horrified to think that this isGod is punishing them！Among the populace of southern Italy, there appeared".Whipping faction”。They roamed the streets with their backs barebacked, whipping each other with whips in their hands until they were dripping with bloodThey prayed, repented, shouted, and sang along the way, hoping for thisReceive God's forgiveness.
Therefore, the Mongols' westward expedition is also called by Westerners"The Whip of God"!
The conquest and reign of Genghis Khan and his descendants wasBloody and brutal,History, however, moves forward dialectically.
Many things in the world are often like this."Seon lost his horseDue to the existence of certain conditions, bad things can be transformed into good things. Such was the case with the Mongol expedition to the westFlowers bloom and branches, winding paths lead to seclusion!
Since ancient times, the peoples of the East and the West, living on the same continent, have been isolated from each other. China's Han and Tang dynasties, although once stepped outSilk Road,But the exchanges between the East and the West, after all, are stillUnfamiliar, not smooth enough.
The Mongol expedition to the west was not, it was thoroughBreaking the barriers on the main road of transportation between China and the West, making the exchanges between the East and the West more and more frequent, this is the "Western Expeditions".UnexpectedTarget.
After conquering a vast area stretching from the Yellow Sea in the east to the Danube River in the west, the Mongol Empire established itself in the occupied area, centered on Kyoto, in order to rule"Post station network".。On the post road, there is a post station every 25 miles, equipped with horses, and provided food and lodging. There are more than 10,000 post stations and no less than 200,000 post horses within the territory.
The "post station network" of the Yuan Dynasty (illustrated).
The post roads, like arteries, communicated the heart and limbs of the empire, thus making the communication between China and the WestUnobstructed, the exchange of Eastern and Western culturesUnprecedented activity
Especially after Kublai Khan formally established the Yuan Dynasty, most of his capital divisions became oneA world-famous international city。The city is full of foreigners with different languages and appearances, as well as exotic products from the mountains and clouds.
At that time, there was a pope sent by the Pope in the capitalPastorand the four that they builtChurches, Mongolian nobles in batchesBow down at the foot of the crossNew TestamentIt was also translated into Mongolian and widely disseminated among the parishioners in China. According to statistics, in the capitalMore than 6,000 officials and civilians were baptized.
In addition, churches have also been built in cities such as Quanzhou in Fujian Province and Linqing in Shandong Province. The priests traveled thousands of miles from the capital in eight-horse carts supplied by the innQuanzhou missionary.
In most cities and cities throughout the country, domes modeled on the Arabic style appearedMosques。In fact, the main designer of Yuan Dadu isThe descendants of the Arabs are also hetiers.
Also black dieer (statue).
The Yuan Dynasty also had frequent and in-depth exchanges with the Buddhist countries in Asia. The famous king in the history of Thailand, Dang Mu Din(The founder of the Sukhothai Dynasty), he visited Dadu twice and made a state visit to Dayuan, leaving behind the people of China and ThailandA good story about getting along with each other.
Nepal's outstanding craftsmen crossed mountains and mountains, overcame thousands of difficulties and dangers, came to Dayuan, and participated in the urban construction of Dadu. It has Nepalese architectural styleMyo Temple White PagodaIt still stands majestically in the city of Beijing, and it is the Nepalese art master who entered the Yuan DynastyAnigoA masterpiece.
Among the many foreign guests who came to the Yuan Dynasty, there were two world-famous great travelers. One is from EuropeMarco Polo, one from AfricaIbn Battuta, they have all left thousands of miles of footprints in China.
Marco Polo was born in Venice, Italy, came to China with his father at the age of 17 and arrived in Dadu at the age of 21. He won the appreciation of the Great Yuan Emperor Kublai Khan for his ingenuityHe was honored as "His Excellency Marco Polo". During the seventeen years of his life in the Yuan Dynasty, he represented the imperial court on many missions to other countries.
After returning to his hometown, Marco Polo dictated the book "Records of Oriental Observations", namely"The Travels of Marco Polo".。The book praises the wealth and prosperity of China and the EastIt caused a sensation in Europe at that time.
Marco Polo (image).
The book describes the prosperity of the capital of Yuan as follows: "The import of all kinds of things is likeThe river goes on and on, only one item, there are thousands of cars of people who enter the city every day", "those who enter the city with huge foreign objects and all kinds of things imported into the city,The cities of the world are incomparable. ”
The contents contained in the Travelogue were unheard of by EuropeansBeyond their imagination, they could not believe that Marco Polo's account was true. Therefore, the Venetians gave him the nickname "Million Marks", which means "King of Cowhides".
No matter what Europeans think or think, Marco Polo and his "Travels" are, after all, WesternersIt opened the door for them to know the Eastern world.
NavigatorColumbusIt was only after reading "The Travels of Marco Polo" that I became interested in sailing to the East. Although he did not find China in the East, butThe New World was discovered。To this day, the Latin version of Marco Polo's Travels, which Columbus read, is still preserved in the Imperial Library of Seville, Spain.
The African traveler Ibn Battuta, who was also overwhelmed by China's abundance, saidCountries around the world can't compare with that. ”
Ibn Battuta (statue).
He used coal as fuel for Chinese residentsI was amazedIt is said that this "soil" is a natural underground mineral, and it burns more than charcoal. In fact, China's use of coal to make iron began as early as the Han Dynasty.
He praised Chinese porcelain, silk and art, full of praise for the post station system of the Yuan Dynasty。He said: "The post station system in China is very good, as long as you carry a certificate (a seal or gold medal issued by the emperor), you have a place to stay along the way, and you are protected by soldiers, which is convenient and safe." ”
In short, the bloody "Mongolian Expedition to the West",It has opened the way for exchanges between China and the West, and has given Westerners the opportunity to know the beautiful and sacred Eastern world.
At the same time, it also made the envoys of the Yuan Dynasty and the merchantsHe has traveled to many parts of Asia, including Europe and Africa, have the opportunity to see the customs of the West, greatlyIt broadens the horizons of the Chinese.
Main references: "The Secret History of Mongolia", "Yuan History".