Why did the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks change drastically?
The relationship between the Eastern Turks and the Tang Dynasty was an important part of the political and economic activities of the early years of the Tang Dynasty. With its great strength and vast territory, the Eastern Turks became the most influential ethnic group in Northern Xinjiang in the early Tang Dynasty.
The evolution of relations between the Tang Dynasty and East Turkestan had a profound impact on the order of Northern Xinjiang and the economic, military, and cultural relations of the Tang Dynasty. In the last years of the Sui Dynasty, as the largest power in the north, the Eastern Turks were arrogant, regarded the Central Plains as a bag, and became an important force to compete with the Tang Dynasty.
In order to stabilize the country and create a peaceful environment for social development, Li Yuan and his son actively took various measures to deal with the diplomatic relations with the Eastern Turks, from the initial claim of peace to the later dispatch of troops to conquer the Eastern Turks, the Tang Dynasty experienced great changes, and also laid the foundation for the emergence of the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty.
The map of the early Tang Dynasty is an important historical document for the study of the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks, and it has important reference significance for our treatment of ethnic relations today. Understanding the history of the Tang Dynasty can draw on the way the Tang Dynasty handled relations with the Eastern Turks, innovating and providing more practical and effective ways to deal with ethnic issues and relations.
This is an effective path to pursue harmony and friendship and promote the common progress and development of all ethnic groups. From the vassalization policy of Li Yuan's father and son, we can see that in the last years of the Sui Dynasty, the political situation in the Central Plains was turbulent, the heroes were divided into Lilin, and many forces submitted to and borrowed strength from the Eastern Turks, so that the Eastern Turks could rise.
In order to maintain their power and position in the north, the Eastern Turks divided and manipulated the separatist forces in the Central Plains. During the period of Li Yuan's founding of the state, dealing with relations with the Eastern Turks was crucial for the Tang Dynasty to gain a foothold in the Central Plains.
Although Tang Gaozu Li Yuan claimed that his courtiers only sought peace in order to obtain a peaceful environment in the early days, this did not mean that he was completely subjugated to the Eastern Turkic Khan. However, after Li Yuan established the Tang Dynasty, he still maintained friendly relations with the Eastern Turks and showed respect and generosity to the khan and envoys.
First of all, from the perspective of the domestic situation, the Tang Dynasty was in the early stage of its establishment, the regime was not yet stable, the strength was weak, and the domestic productive forces had not yet been restored. In this case, the Tang Dynasty needed the support of the Eastern Turks in exchange for a peaceful environment.
In addition, the Eastern Turks had helped Li Yuan seize power in the Central Plains in Taiyuan, so the Tang Dynasty should show respect for the Eastern Turks. After the initial determination of the Tang Dynasty, Tang Gaozu treated the Eastern Turks very generously.
When the Eastern Turk khans or envoys visited the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan would receive them with the highest number of courtesies to express his high regard for the Eastern Turks and his respect for the khan.
In order to strengthen his friendship with the Eastern Turks, Tang Gaozu Li Yuan chose to learn from the previous dynasty's policy of peace and proximity. In the first year of Wude, he sent Taichangqing to give his female prostitutes to the Eastern Turkic Khan in order to achieve the goal of harmony.
This move further enhanced friendly relations between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turkic Khanate. The Zizhi Tongjian recorded: "It is hoped that through large-scale military operations, the monarch will be welcomed from afar and peace with the Turks again."
During this period, the Tang Dynasty adopted a policy of favor and respect for the Eastern Turks, including attaching importance to the Eastern Turkic Khan and his envoys, and continuing the previous dynasty's policy of peace and proximity, which further consolidated the friendly diplomatic relations between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks.
This policy brought about a stable and harmonious social living environment in the Tang Dynasty, and played a positive role in the political, economic, and cultural development of the Tang Dynasty.
1.At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, it signed a peace agreement with the Eastern Turks and temporarily maintained a vassal relationship, but Tang Gaozu knew that it was unfavorable to be passive for a long time, so he began to actively seek autonomy.
2.However, the Eastern Turks gradually realized the threat of the Tang Dynasty and began to take repressive measures against the Tang Dynasty with the intention of dominating the north. 3.In the second year of Wude, the Eastern Turkic Khan led the army south, intending to control the Central Plains, but under the active defense of Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, he failed to do so.
4.In the third year of Wude, the new khan prepared to attack Taiyuan under the banner of restoring the Sui Dynasty, but Tang Gaozu successfully resisted the invasion of the Eastern Turks with his flexible strategy and won a peaceful environment for the Tang Dynasty.
In the third year of Wude in the Tang Dynasty, Li Yuan sent generals to guard Yanmen, strengthen the northern border defense, and make full preparations for the invasion of the Eastern Turks. In the same year, in the face of the attack of the Eastern Turks, the Tang army intercepted soldiers and horses, captured cattle and sheep, and strengthened its combat strength.
The Tang Dynasty took a variety of measures, such as strengthening the northern blockade defenses, deploying defensive strategies, intercepting the Eastern Turkic army, and protecting Guo Zi and his forces, in order to defend against the invasion of the Eastern Turks.
The Tang Dynasty actively responded to the battle, showing the Eastern Turks the determination to fight to the end and the courage to repel the Eastern Turks.
When the contradictions between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks deepened, the Tang Dynasty adopted a strategy of distant friendship and close attack, and established a deep alliance with the Western Turks. Under the leadership of the Western Turks, the Khan made the Western Turkic state prosperous.
During this period, the Western Turks repeatedly sent envoys to the court to pay tribute, and were favored and rewarded by the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty also promised the Western Turks to send troops to attack the Eastern Turks in order to contain the Eastern Turks' power.
The Tang Dynasty mainly strengthened its ties with the Western Turks by favoring, rewarding, and canonizing Western Turk leaders and heroes, which was an important defensive strategy of the Tang Dynasty.
In the course of the Tang Dynasty's comprehensive defense and invasion against the new Khan of the Eastern Turks, Jieli came to power, the Tang Dynasty adopted two strategies: active defense and resistance. In order to reduce the attrition of troops and preserve the strength of its own army, the Tang Dynasty avoided head-to-head confrontation as much as possible and adopted a multi-faceted defensive posture.
Although the military strength of the Tang Dynasty increased during this period, in the face of the always powerful Eastern Turkic State, it was not enough to rely on frontal force to fight back, so the Tang Dynasty's active defensive strategy played a very key role.
In order to strengthen the defense, the Tang Dynasty actively strengthened the construction of the army, and reset the 12-army system to consolidate and improve the construction of the Tang army and defend against the attack of the Eastern Turkic Khanate. The Tang Dynasty sent troops to garrison the frontier and strategic points, and quickly deployed corresponding defensive troops to directly resist the invasion of the Eastern Turks, so as to consolidate the border defense.
In the process, the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks also entered a new stage, from temporary relaxation to all-out resistance.
The addition of Tuntian to the Tang army's travel map was a defensive measure taken by the Tang Dynasty to prevent the Eastern Turks from grabbing grain. This measure not only solves the problem of food supply for soldiers guarding the frontier, but also saves a lot of transportation costs, financial, material and manpower for war and border defense.
In addition, the Tang Dynasty also actively responded to the attack of the Eastern Turks, and between the 5th and 8th years of Wude, the Tang Dynasty appointed generals to stop the invasion of the Eastern Turks and unite other surrounding forces to resist.
The policy of the Tang Dynasty was to send multiple soldiers to resist, attack, and block the Eastern Turks, ** to support the local government soldiers and unite with other forces; Internally, the officers and soldiers sent were appointed as marching commanders and other official positions, so as to consolidate the construction and management of the Tang army, improve the strength of the army, and fight against the Eastern Turks.
In general, the Tang Dynasty's defensive policy and military operations effectively maintained the country's security and stability.
During the Tang Dynasty, in the face of the threat of the Eastern Turks, the resistance it implemented gradually increased. The Tang Dynasty shifted from a passive dispatch of troops to an active counterattack, adopting a variety of tactics against the Eastern Turkic army.
Its defense policy has been based on prevention and supplemented by resistance, and has achieved remarkable results. This not only successfully prevented the invasion of the Eastern Turks, but also boosted the morale of the Tang army, which gradually took the initiative in the contest with the Eastern Turks.
After that, the Tang Dynasty's policy towards the Eastern Turks changed, and instead of focusing on peace, it began to send troops to attack. As the passive situation of the Eastern Turks in the war intensified, the domestic political power began to be chaotic, and the external natural conditions also infringed on it, and the Eastern Turkic state was much worse than before.
During this period, the Eastern Turks were riddled with internal contradictions, a crisis of confidence between the Khan and other leaders, and escalating infighting within the ruling class. At the same time, Jieli Khan's mistakes in governing the country made the country's decrees more and more harsh, and the people complained.
The long-term foreign war has exhausted this powerful country, and successive years of natural disasters have made the situation even worse for the Eastern Turks. In the event of snow and drought, it will lead to a large number of deaths, a significant decline in the number of people, and serious losses of war materials such as war horses due to natural disasters.
All this led to a sharp decline in the domestic productivity of the Eastern Turks, and the strength of the army was much lower than before.
A heavy snowfall brought several feet of snow deep, killing most of the domestic animals, famine for many years, and making life difficult for the people. However, after Tang Taizong of the Tang Dynasty took office, he recruited talents and implemented effective policies for governing the country, which made the domestic situation very good, and the political, economic, cultural and other fields were greatly improved, the country was thriving, and the strength of the army was also greatly enhanced.
In the third year of Zhenguan, the Tang Dynasty changed its previous passive policy of resisting the Eastern Turks, and took the initiative to attack the Eastern Turks. Tang Taizong appointed Li Jing, Chai Shao, and Xue Wanche as the three commanders, gathered more than 100,000 troops, and attacked the Eastern Turkic Khanate.
When Li Jing led the army to the door of the Eastern Turks, the Eastern Turk soldiers were shocked, and after only one battle, the Eastern Turks were defeated.
Under the continuous attack of the Tang army, the Eastern Turk soldiers were defeated and retreated, and Jieli Khan fled with him, and finally the entire army surrendered to the Tang Dynasty. Subsequently, Jieli Khan, who was on the run, was captured by the Tang army and escorted to Chang'an.
After the fall of the Eastern Turks, the Tang Dynasty adopted reasonable resettlement measures, so that the people of the Tang Dynasty belonged to the Tang Dynasty politically, and at the same time, they also retained a greater degree of autonomy, were able to exercise autonomy and self-care, and maintained the original ruling and management habits, thereby reducing the rebellion and maintaining stability.
In addition, the Tang Dynasty also requisitioned Eastern Turkic soldiers, strengthened the Tang army, and also consolidated its dominance over the surrendered people. As a result, relations between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks were stabilized, and the political situation in the Central Plains and the northern frontier was stabilized.
A large number of Eastern Turkic people moved south into the Central Plains, which promoted the exchange and integration of the Han nationality and ethnic minorities, and also laid the foundation for the territory of northern China.
The relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks had different emphases at different stages. During the period of Shibi Khan and Chuluo Khan, the Tang Dynasty was weak, and in order to survive, they adopted a strategy of favoring the Eastern Turks, although peace was the mainstay, there was also a potential risk of war.
By the time of Jieli Khan, the Tang Dynasty's strength had increased, and they changed their tactics and adopted a parallel approach to warfare, although they were more passive in warfare, they still chose a peaceful way to alleviate the conflict.
In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, the productivity of the Eastern Turks suddenly plummeted, and the Tang Dynasty saw this opportunity and took the initiative to attack in an attempt to conquer them. After a fierce battle, the Tang Dynasty succeeded in pacifying the Eastern Turks.
In dealing with the Eastern Turks, the Tang Dynasty showed an open and tolerant attitude, implemented a policy of razing and ruling the people, and gave them preferential treatment and appeasement, so that the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and the Eastern Turks moved towards long-term peace and stability.
This historical event refers to the "Book of Wei", "Book of Zhou" and "Zizhi Tongjian" and other documents.