EBE Chapter 72 Ganzhou Uyghurs
Chapter 72 Ganzhou Uyghurs
People from all dynasties were amazed that Cao Yijin rose through the ranks solely through marriage alliances.
However, it must be said that during his reign, the Hexi Corridor was able to enjoy temporary peace and the people were able to live in stability, which also shows that he was capable!
No wonder there's an old saying: Gold shines wherever it is!
……
"During Cao Yijin's rule, the Ganzhou Uyghurs were temporarily controlled by the Guiyi Army. However, in 934, when the Ganzhou Uyghur Khan was about to be replaced, both the Guiyi Army and the Ganzhou Uyghurs were internally divided, each secretly wanting to break free from the other's control."
"With differing intentions on both sides, the relationship between the two regimes has become delicate."
"First, the Ganzhou Uyghurs, relying on their advantage of guarding the road to the Central Plains, began to constantly harass the Guiyi Army envoys traveling through the region."
"Especially in February 935 AD, after Cao Yijin, the military governor of the Guiyi Army, passed away in Dunhuang and his son Cao Yuande took over, they seized the opportunity of the power transition within the Guiyi Army and ordered their men to plunder the Guiyi Army delegation returning from the Later Tang Dynasty in Ganzhou."
A pig butcher in the Ming Dynasty: This Cao Yijin is quite a character! I wonder how his son is doing?
A scion of a prominent family in the Song Dynasty: Speaking of which, it seems that Cao Yijin has outlasted several Uyghur Khans...
A spoiled brat from the Tang Dynasty: Is longevity the key?!
……
"During this raid, the head of the delegation was killed, thus completely severing relations between the two sides. Feeling threatened by the Uyghur provocation, the newly appointed Cao Yuande immediately ordered the purge of the Ganzhou Uyghur faction within the Guiyi Army."
"In this coup, all the children of Princess Li, the Uyghur princess whom Cao Yijin had previously married, were killed."
"In the winter of 937 AD, Cao Yuande subsequently led his troops to the western border of the Uyghurs, aiming to intimidate them militarily."
"As the saying goes, 'If the tiger doesn't roar, you won't take it for a sick cat.' Only after the Guiyi Army unleashed its power did the Uyghur army become somewhat restrained, but the road to the Central Plains was once again cut off."
Hearing this, everyone felt it was a pity that peace would only last for a little over ten years before chaos began again.
"However, just as Cao Yuande was racking his brains over this severed road, another dramatic change occurred in the Central Plains dynasty."
"In 936 AD, Shi Jingtang, who was guarding Taiyuan, rebelled and was besieged by the Later Tang. Forced into a corner, he devised a clever plan: he sought help from the Khitan emperor Yelü Deguang, expressing his willingness to act as a subservient brother. If the plan succeeded, he would not only treat Yelü like a father but also cede the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun to him."
"From then on, the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun remained separated from the Central Plains dynasties for over four hundred years, until the founding of the Ming Dynasty."
"He could never have imagined that his act of acknowledging a father and giving away land would have a fatal impact on the later Song Dynasty. Alas, he was being beaten on the ground!"
Li Erfeng of the Tang Dynasty: !!!
First Emperor, Ancestral Dragon: ...
Emperor Zhao Kuangyin of the Song Dynasty: Look what you've done!
A spoiled brat from the Ming Dynasty: Alas, the Song Dynasty is going to cry!
……
"On the other side, the Khitan readily agreed to his request. Under the combined attack of two sides, the Later Tang suffered a crushing defeat, and Yelü Deguang appointed Shi Jingtang as emperor, establishing the state of Jin."
"The establishment of the Later Jin dynasty gave Cao Yuande a new approach to countering the Ganzhou Uyghurs, and he chose to cooperate with the Khitans to fight against them."
"The problem lies in the timing. When he sent envoys to the Khitan, the Ganzhou Uyghurs were the first to submit to the Later Jin, and the Later Jin then submitted to the Khitan. Therefore, it was unrealistic for Cao Yuan to win over the Khitan to counter the Ganzhou Uyghurs."
"Based on this, Cao Yuande also saw the current situation clearly. All he could do was follow the group to avoid being isolated. It's just a pity that Cao Yuande died of illness a few years later, and his younger brother Cao Yuanshen succeeded him."
"Cao Yuanshen's main action was to submit to the Ganzhou Uyghurs. Most importantly, he died a few years later, continuing the tradition of succession by brother, and his younger brother Cao Yuanzhong took over."
A Ming Dynasty general: The change of regimes in chaotic times is just too fast!
A young martial arts student from the Song Dynasty: There's nothing we can do about it...
……
"Cao Yuanzhong inherited his two elder brothers' diplomatic strategies, easing tensions with the Ganzhou Uyghurs while continuing to pay tribute to the Khitan and the Later Jin dynasty."
"The Guiyi Army lived peacefully for over twenty years despite these difficult circumstances."
"The subsequent dynasties in the Central Plains were constantly switching between establishment and destruction, which had little to do with the Guiyi Army, so we'll skip them for now."
"Let's rewind to 960 AD. In that year, the Central Plains dynasties ended their chaos and welcomed a new emperor, Zhao Kuangyin, who founded the Northern Song Dynasty."
Two years later, Zhao Kuangyin appointed Cao Yuanzhong as the military governor of Guiyi Army and the prefect of Shazhou.
Just when he thought he could continue living a peaceful life, another rising force plunged the Guiyi Army into danger.