vrcanaries Chapter 63 Tibetan Attack on Dunhuang
Chapter 63 Tibetan Attack on Dunhuang
Lin Ke continued, "In 776 AD, new bad news came from Hexi: Guazhou had been captured by the Tubo, and Shazhou was in imminent danger."
"Zhou Ding, the military governor of Hexi during the Tang Dynasty, sought help from the Uyghurs. However, at this time, the relationship between the Uyghurs and the Tang Dynasty was not harmonious, and they frequently disregarded the law in Chang'an, relying on their support for the Tang Dynasty."
"So when the Uyghurs received Zhou Ding's letter, they ignored it, since they were currently plundering Xia Prefecture of the Tang Dynasty."
Empress Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: Very well, Uyghur, I remember you!
All Emperors of the Tang Dynasty: !!!
"With no other option, Zhou Ding proposed a plan to burn down the city walls and lead the soldiers and civilians eastward to break through and return to the Central Plains."
"However, this plan is realistically very difficult, whether it's taking a detour through the Uyghur region or going through the Hexi Corridor, which is occupied by the Tibetans."
"To break through with so many people would be tantamount to suicide, and therefore it was met with opposition from many people."
"More importantly, the people of Shazhou were unwilling to give up their ancestral homeland, which was the last glimmer of hope for the Tang Dynasty to return to the Western Regions."
"However, Zhou Ding insisted on his own way; he planned to send Yan Chao as the vanguard to explore the water and grass to the east."
"At that time, there were still many powerful clans in Dunhuang, including Yan Chao's family."
"But they did not want to destroy their own foundation, so Yan Chao took advantage of the opportunity to bid farewell to Zhou Ding, first shooting Zhou Ding's confidants, and then strangling Zhou Ding, who had been guarding them for more than ten years."
"After Yan Chao came to power, he immediately ordered the plan to burn down the city walls to stop, which won the unanimous support of the entire army and civilians, and he led them in a arduous defense for many years."
"Even when Yan Chao exchanged a bolt of cloth for a peck of rice, he was happy. He believed that with food, he could continue to hold out."
"On the other side, the Tibetans originally wanted to use their powerful military force to drive the Tang army westward, but the local powerful clans of Dunhuang, led by Yan Chao, preferred to hold their ground to the death rather than flee, so this strategy had become a dead end."
"There was no other way. The Tibetan king declared that he was going to attack you, so he personally stationed his troops south of the Qilian Mountains and commanded his army to launch a fierce attack on Dunhuang."
"But no one expected that this battle, in which the odds were so heavily against each other, would last for ten years."
"What kind of life those people who stubbornly defended Shazhou lived is not recorded in history, but it is conceivable that they were always on the verge of death."
"During this period (779 AD), both the highest levels of power within the Tang Dynasty and the Uyghur Khaganate underwent significant changes."
"Yaoluoge, who had previously allied with Guo Ziyi, launched a coup, killed the original Muyu Khan, and became the new Khan of the Uyghurs. In order to gain more benefits in the Western Regions, he more strictly enforced the alliance with the Tang Dynasty to fight against the Tubo."
"However, Emperor Daizong of Tang, who had taken a tough stance against Tibet, passed away."
"The newly enthroned Emperor Dezong of Tang, Li Shi, was very hostile to the Uyghurs because of a previous unpleasant encounter with the Uyghur Khan Mouyu. In addition, the problem of regional warlordism within the Tang Dynasty continued to emerge. Therefore, Li Shi had no choice but to change his attitude towards Tibet."
"Emperor Dezong of Tang first eased relations with Tibet, then resolved the internal problems of the Tang Dynasty. He dismantled the Shuofang Army, which had threatened the imperial power, and at the same time strengthened the Shence Army, which was directly under the central government."
"In the second year of the Jianzhong era of Emperor Dezong of Tang, the Uyghur Khan, in order to demonstrate his sincerity to the Tang Dynasty, allowed the envoys of the Anxi garrison to enter the Central Plains through Beiting, via the Uyghur region and other places, to reach Tiande Army."
"This route was called the Huihu Road. Its opening enabled Anxi envoys, who had been cut off from the central government for nearly ten years, to finally enter Chang'an again."
"But this envoy is the only one among the people Guo Xin has sent out in the past ten years who has been able to reach Chang'an."
"When Emperor Dezong of Tang learned that Tang troops were still holding out in Anxi and Beiting, he was quite surprised and could hardly believe it."
"But he was deeply moved and issued an edict promoting Li Yuanzhong, Guo Xin, and all the garrison soldiers, but that was all."
"However, on the other hand, the Tibetan king besieging Dunhuang discovered that the Tang court had once again consolidated the morale of Anxi, Beiting, and Hexi through the Uyghur route, which was very detrimental to their plan to attack Shazhou."
"So in the same year, while he was negotiating peace with Emperor Dezong of Tang, he intensified his offensive against Shazhou."
Emperor Dezong of Tang: ...Damn it, no martial ethics whatsoever! What's the point of talking about this?!
"In 781 AD, the Tibetan army attacked and captured Shouchang County in Shazhou, and then marched west to capture Yizhou."
“Since taking office, Yuan Guangting, the governor of Yizhou, has led his troops to defend Yizhou for more than ten years. However, facing the fierce offensive of the Tubo, Yizhou ran out of arrows and food supplies, and the city was also breached.”
"When the city fell, Yuan Guangting killed his wife and children, and then burned himself to death, which made Dunhuang an isolated city."
"In 783, the Tang court's harsh treatment of its soldiers led to a mutiny. The soldiers rebelled while passing through Chang'an, and Emperor Dezong fled in panic to Fengtian. This event is known as the Jingyuan Mutiny."
"In the first month of the following year, Tibet took the opportunity to offer to help quell the rebellion. Emperor Dezong of Tang was so happy that he made a promise to cede Anxi and Beiting to Tibet as a token of gratitude."
Da Tang Li Erfeng: You've got a screw loose! This is like letting a wolf into the house!
General Judy (Cang Sang): We know the suffering of unworthy descendants!
"After this promise was announced, it was opposed by the court officials, and the Tibetans only defeated the rebels once before returning. In the end, the Tang court was able to quell the rebellion on its own."
"Sometimes, we underestimate the shamelessness of people. The Tang army itself suppressed the war, but as soon as it ended, Tibet immediately sent people to Emperor Dezong of Tang to demand the return of Anxi and Beiting."
"After receiving the letter from Tibet, Emperor Dezong of Tang immediately did as instructed. Unfortunately, the soldiers who were guarding the Western Regions for the country were unaware that they had become bargaining chips for the emperor to exchange for benefits."
At this time, a man named Li Bi in the court advised Emperor Dezong of Tang: "The people of the two towns have defended the country for nearly twenty years, which is truly pitiful... Moreover, the Tubo are watching and not advancing, and are plundering Wugong and other places... What merit have they made?"
"Emperor Dezong of Tang then realized his mistake and rejected the Tibetan request, only agreeing to send 10,000 bolts of colored silk to Tibet every year. Not long after, Emperor Dezong promoted Li Yuanzhong, Guo Xin and others."
"Enraged, the Tibetans launched a fierce attack on the walls of Dunhuang in 786. This marked the tenth year that Yan Chao led his army and people in resisting the Tibetan offensive."