vrcanaries Chapter 73 The Decline of the Guiyi Army
Chapter 73 The Decline of the Guiyi Army
At this point, Lin Ke couldn't help but feel regretful. It was illogical that the Guiyi Army could survive so tenaciously when faced with so many crises, but now, relying on the Northern Song Dynasty, they were finding it difficult to survive.
But she forgot that the Song Dynasty was struggling to take care of itself, let alone the Guiyi Army of the previous dynasty.
……
"As we mentioned before, the Guiyi Army's route to the Central Plains has been cut off by the Ganzhou Uyghurs. If this route is to be kept open, then the Guiyi Army will have to ease relations with the Ganzhou Uyghurs, which means allowing their subordinates, the Shazhou Uyghurs, to roam freely within the territory under the Guiyi Army's jurisdiction."
"This inevitably brings up new contradictions."
"Once the Shazhou Uyghurs entered the territory, they treated it like their own home, constantly pushing their luck. The Guiyi Army was helpless in the face of the Shazhou Uyghurs' shameless behavior; not only could they avoid conflict with them, but they also had to rely on their connections to enter Ganzhou."
"Over time, the tribes within the Guiyi Army who had been assimilated into nomadic life began to revert to their former nomadic ways due to the influence of the Shazhou Uyghurs. This resulted in a significant loss of tax revenue and manpower within the Guiyi Army."
"Not only that, the Uyghur influence in Shazhou continued to infiltrate the ruling class of the Guiyi Army, thus officially ushering in the Uyghurization era of the Guiyi Army."
A Ming Dynasty soldier: There were still too few Han Chinese at that time!
An old man in a village in the Song Dynasty: There must have been a lot of deaths in the previous wars!
……
"Cao Yuanzhong, who led the Guiyi Army, also passed away in 974. His younger brother, Cao Tinglu, succeeded him, bypassing the short-lived Cao Yuangong."
"Over the course of these decades, the Uyghurs expanded unchecked in Shazhou, their power growing immense, while the Guiyi Army, another major player, weakened with Uyghur infiltration."
"Finally, in the fifth year of the Xianping reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty, a crisis erupted in Dunhuang, and it was this crisis that ultimately pushed the Guiyi Army to its doom."
"During Cao Tinglu's reign, internal and external conflicts intensified. His nephew, Cao Zongshou, sensed something was amiss and fled to Guazhou to avoid trouble."
"But at this very moment, the soldiers and civilians of Guazhou and Shazhou, dissatisfied with Cao Tinglu's oppressive policies, launched a collective coup."
"They jointly elected Cao Zongshou as their leader, and Cao Zongshou eventually led the Guazhou army and other resistance forces to besiege Cao Tinglu's military headquarters."
"Knowing that all was lost, Cao Tinglu committed suicide."
A spoiled brat from the Ming Dynasty: Good heavens, it's already the reign of Emperor Zhenzong!
A fishmonger from the Song Dynasty: Wow, it feels like the Guiyi Army has existed for quite a while now, it's really not easy...
"Cao Zongshou, however, was forced by the army to temporarily assume the post of acting military governor of the Guiyi Army and requested the Song court to issue a military governor's insignia."
"Regarding this operation, I think even Zhao Kuangyin, who donned the yellow robe, would have to say, 'Young man, you're quite the expert!' I wonder if the Northern Song court would find it endearing."
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: ...
General Judy: Hahaha, it's cold and you need to wear more clothes, but he doesn't want to, hahaha!
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty (furious): ...You? @&...
"However, this account lacks concrete historical evidence. It was merely a recounted account by an envoy sent by Cao Zongshou to pay tribute to the Song Dynasty. The truth remains unknown."
"Perhaps behind Cao Zongshou stands another rising force—the Shazhou Uyghurs."
"Following this, between 1006 and 1020 AD, the Guiyi Army sent envoys to the Liao Dynasty six times, and the Liao Dynasty also sent envoys to Shazhou three times, indicating very close relations between the two sides."
"Shortly thereafter, the Liao Dynasty continuously attacked the Ganzhou Uyghurs, and under their sustained blows, the Ganzhou Uyghurs rapidly declined and perished."
"At this point, one might guess that the Guiyi Army had already been infiltrated by the Shazhou Uyghurs, who supported Cao Zongshou as the actual leader of the Guiyi Army, thus establishing a foothold in Shazhou."
"Their ultimate goal was to break free from the control of the Ganzhou Uyghurs."
A Ming Dynasty soldier: My God, a shell within a shell!?
A butcher from the Song Dynasty: The Uyghurs of Shazhou are known for their cunning! Who would have thought!
"In 1014 AD, Cao Zhongshou passed away, and his son Cao Xianshun succeeded him. At this time, Shazhou had two rulers: the Guiyi Army and the Shazhou Uyghurs. Nominally, Cao Xianshun was the common ruler of both, but in reality, they often appeared together in records such as the *History of Song and Liao*."
"During this period, the Western Xia rose to power, leading to the formation of two allied camps along the Hexi Corridor. One was the alliance between the Northern Song Dynasty, the Liangzhou Tibetans, and the Ganzhou Uyghurs, aimed at eliminating the Western Xia. The other was the Liao Dynasty and the Guiyi Army, forming a front against the Ganzhou Uyghurs."
"The point of intersection between these two alliances is the Ganzhou Uyghurs, who will face attacks from the Western Xia, the Liao Dynasty, and the secretly plotting Shazhou Uyghurs and the Guiyi Army."
A street vendor in the Ming Dynasty: To be honest, he was in a pretty bad situation at that time.
"Finally, after years of continuous warfare, the Ganzhou Uyghurs, once the overlords of the Hexi Corridor, were severely weakened and unable to withstand the impact of the Western Xia in 1028."
"Skipping the period when the Western Xia occupied the map, in 1028 AD, Li Yuanhao of the Western Xia conquered the Ganzhou Uyghurs. Some of them may have fled to Guazhou and Shazhou, where they were assimilated into the Shazhou Uyghurs."
"This further strengthened the power of the Shazhou Uyghurs, who were no longer content with jointly governing two prefectures with the Guiyi Army, and ultimately turned their attention to the Guiyi Army."
"Since Zhang Yichao's uprising in 848 AD, the Han Chinese Guiyi Army regime, which had been based in the Northwest for 182 years under the Zhang and Cao families, has come to an end."
Judy, the General Who Conquered the North: Nearly 200 years, it really hasn't been easy...sigh.
Big Han Liu Zhuzhu: They actually held out for so long!
Emperor Qin Shi Huang: Zhang Yichao is such a pity…