Why did Zhang Qian go to the Western Regions?

Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions.

Author: anonymous

Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions was originally intended to carry out the strategic intention of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to unite with Da Yueshi to fight against the Huns. However, after he went to the Western Regions, the cultural exchanges between Han and Yi were frequent, and the civilization of the Central Plains spread rapidly around through the "Silk Road", which was probably unexpected by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Therefore, Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions has special historical significance.

The word "Western Regions" first appeared in The Biography of Western Regions in Hanshu, which was closely related to the name of Zhang Qian.

In the Western Han Dynasty, the narrow sense of the Western Regions refers to the west of Yumenguan and Yangguan (now Dunhuang West, Gansu Province), the east of Congling, the north of Kunlun Mountain and the south of Balkhash Lake, which is the jurisdiction of Khufu in the Western Han Dynasty. The western regions in a broad sense also include Central Asia, the Roman Empire and other places west of the Green Ridge, including Afghanistan, Iran, Uzbekistan and the Mediterranean coast.

The western regions are divided into two parts, north and south, with Tianshan Mountain as the boundary. Most people live around the Tarim Basin. In the early years of the Western Han Dynasty, there were thirty-six countries: Loulan (near Lop Nur in Shanshan), Mushroom Qiang, Qiemo, Yutian (now Hotan), shache and so on. On the southern edge, it is often called "southern country"; On the northern edge, there are Gu's (later divided into Che's, now Lv Fan), Li Yu, Yanqi, Kucha (now Kuqa), Wensu, Gu Mo (now Aksu) and Shule (now Kashgar). It is also commonly known as the "country of the North Road". In addition, the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain has a front and rear pu forehead, which is equal to the east and west. They are very small, mostly desert oases, but there are also valleys or basins. The population is small, generally 20,000 to 30,000, the largest is 80,000, and the smallest is only 1000. Residents are engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. In addition to grain production, some places, such as Qiemo, are rich in fruits such as grapes and the best feed alfalfa. Animal husbandry includes donkeys, horses and camels. In addition, there are jade, copper, iron and other minerals, and some local residents have learned to cast weapons with copper and iron. Although small, most countries in the north and south of Tianshan Mountain have battlements. Under the kings of all countries, there are official positions and armies that account for a large proportion of the population. In the second century BC, before Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions, the Xiongnu aristocratic forces extended to the Western Regions, set up servants and captains in Yanqi and other countries, imposed heavy taxes on various countries, and enslaved and exploited these small countries.

At that time, the Dayue family, who was nomadic in the Ili Valley, was a famous "traveling country" with a population of 400,000. They used to live between Dunhuang and Qilian Mountain, but they just moved here soon after being defeated by Xiongnu. The Huns killed the Yue King, "taking his head as a drinking vessel". Therefore, Yueshi and Xiongnu are "enemies of the world".

After the Han dynasty became more and more powerful, it planned to actively eliminate the threat of Xiongnu nobles to the north. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty heard rumors about the Yue family and wanted to establish a joint relationship with the Yue family. Considering that the Hexi Corridor, the only way to the west, was still under the control of the Huns, he openly recruited talents who could take on the important task of emissaries.

In the third year of Jianyuan, namely 138 BC, Zhang Qian "recruited lang to make Yue people". "Lang" is the squire of the emperor. He has no fixed position and may be chosen to entrust him with a heavy responsibility at any time.

Zhang Qian is from Hanzhong. He is a strong-willed, flexible and open-minded person who is good at dealing with people. He was stopped by Huns in the middle of his mission. In the Huns for more than ten years, he kept Jeff, the special envoy of the Han Dynasty. Xiongnu Khan insisted on marrying the local people and had given birth to a son, which did not shake his determination to complete the task. He lived in the west of Xiongnu, waiting for an opportunity.

One day, Zhang Qian finally led his men to escape from the Huns. They hurried west for dozens of days, crossed Qingling and arrived at Dawan (now Uzbekistan). It was introduced from Dawan, passed through Kangju (now southeast Kazakhstan) and reached Daxia. Summer is in today's Amu Darya River basin. Zhang Qian discovered the big moon. Over the past ten years, great changes have taken place in Da Yue's "provinces": first, it was attacked by Wusun on the Ili River, and then it moved westward. Wusun, 630,000 people, is also a "country tour". He once lived in Dunhuang and was attacked by Da Yue. Later, the Huns supported Wusun and attacked Dayue, who was forced to move to Amu Darya and Wusun stayed in Ili River. After Da Yue arrived in Amu Darya, he not only surrendered to the summer by force, but also gradually changed from nomadic life to agricultural settlement because of the fertile land here, and had no intention of returning to the east, and once again became an enemy of Xiongnu. Zhang Qian stayed in Dayue's home for more than a year, but he couldn't get the result, so he had to return home. He was detained by Huns for more than a year on his way back to China. BC 126, the Huns were in civil strife, and Zhang Qian took the opportunity to escape and return to Chang 'an. Zhang Qian took more than 65,438,000 people with him when he went to China. 13 years later, only he and Tang Yi's father came back. Although the mission did not achieve its original purpose, it gained a more detailed understanding of the geography, products and customs of the western regions, which provided valuable information for the Han Dynasty to open up the main road to Central Asia.

After Zhang Qian came back, he reported the situation of the Western Regions to Emperor Wu. This is the original data of the biography of Han Dynasty in the Western Regions. Later, due to Zhang Qian's contribution in the war with Wei Qing, he was named "Bo Wanghou" by Emperor Wu.

In the fourth year of Yuanshou (1 19 BC), Zhang Qian made his second mission to the western regions. At this time, the Han Dynasty had taken control of the Hexi Corridor and actively launched the largest-scale war against Xiongnu during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Over the past few years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has repeatedly asked Zhang Qian about the situation in Daxia and other places. Zhang Qian emphatically introduced the conflict between Wusun and Xiongnu since he arrived in Ili River, and suggested that Wusun should return to Dunhuang to fight against Xiongnu with Han. This is the famous strategy of "breaking Xiongnu's right arm". At the same time, Zhang Qian also stressed the need to strengthen friendly exchanges with all ethnic groups in the western region. These opinions were adopted by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.

Zhang Qian led a delegation of 300 people, each with two horses and 10,000 cattle and sheep. The value of gold and silk was "tens of millions". When he arrived in Wusun, he lobbied Wusun Dong Wang to come back without success. He also sent envoys to Dawan, Kangju, Yueshi, Daxia and other countries. In the second year of Ding Yuan (BC 1 15), Zhang Qian came back, and Wusun sent dozens of envoys to Chang 'an with Zhang Qian. Since then, the envoys sent by the Han Dynasty have been to Rest in Peace (Persia), ptomaine (India), Amasai (between Aral Sea and Caspian Sea), Tiaozhi (the country of Rest in Peace) and Plough House (Alexandria, Egypt, which belongs to Daqin). The envoys of China were warmly welcomed by 20,000 people from the Rest in Peace Special Organization. Ambassadors from other countries also come to Chang 'an for visits and trade. Since then, the communication between Han and the western regions has been established.

In the second year of Ding Yuan (BC 1 15), after Zhang Qian returned to Han, he became an ambassador and died the following year. After his death, the relationship between Korea and the Western Regions further developed. In the sixth year of Yuanfeng (BC 105), King Wusun proposed to Han with a thousand horses as a dowry, and Emperor Wu betrothed Princess Xijun of Jiangdu to King Wusun. After his death, Han married his granddaughter Princess to King Wusun. Raoul David Findeisen, a waiter who is proficient in poetry and prose, as an emissary of the princess, often gives gifts to other countries with the Han Festival, which won deep respect and trust, and was called Mrs. Feng. Because of her activities, the relationship between Han and Wusun has been consolidated and developed. In the third year of Shenjue (60 BC), the Xiongnu was divided internally, and Wang Xianxian led people to descend to the Han Dynasty day by day, and the Xiongnu's control over the Western Regions collapsed. Xuan Di, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, appointed Wei Sima Jizheng as the capital of the Western Regions, stationed in Wu Leicheng (now east of Luntai in Xinjiang), which was the beginning of the official establishment of administrative institutions in the vast area east of Congling and south of Balkhash Lake in the Han Dynasty.

It is extremely cruel for Xiongnu slave owners to exploit and oppress people of all ethnic groups in the western regions. The feudal system of the Western Han Dynasty was much more advanced than the slavery of the Huns. Therefore, people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang hope to get rid of the oppression of Xiongnu nobles and accept the rule of the Western Han Dynasty. The government of the Western Han Dynasty set up permanent officials there, sent local soldiers to settle the fields, and set up a captain to protect the fields, which made the contacts between the Han nationality and the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang closer.

Although the communication between Han and the western regions was originally for military purposes, its influence went far beyond the military category after the opening of the western regions. From Dunhuang in the Western Han Dynasty, out of Yumen Pass, into Xinjiang, and then from Xinjiang to Central Asia, a cross-east passage is unimpeded again. This passage is the famous "Silk Road" in later generations. The "Silk Road" connected many countries in the Western Han Dynasty and Central Asia and promoted economic and cultural exchanges between them. Since China's feudal central governments all called the border ethnic minorities "foreigners", Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions became the first cultural blending between Han and Yi. More than a dozen plants, such as walnuts, grapes, pomegranates, broad beans and alfalfa, have been gradually cultivated in the Central Plains. Musical instruments such as Qiuci music and Huqin have enriched the cultural life of the Han people. The Han army used underground well-drilling technology, commonly known as "karez", when plowing fields in Shanshan, auto market and other places, which was gradually popularized in the local area. In addition, Dawan's blood horse was very famous in the Han Dynasty, and it was called "Tianma". At that time, countries from the west of Dawan to the rest country did not produce silk and did not know how to cast iron. Later, envoys and skirmishers of the Han Dynasty passed on these technologies. The westward advance of China's silk and iron smelting industry has made great contributions to the development of human civilization.