Edit|Bubbles
During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, with the support of a strong national power, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted a variety of strategies to connect the Western Regions with the Han Dynasty and expelled the Xiongnu forces in the Western Regions.
From the opening of the Western Regions by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty until the fall of the Western Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty has always maintained a strong influence in the Western Regions, which is of great significance for opening up the overland Silk Road and expanding the knowledge of the Han people.
But it cannot be ignored that this move also placed a heavy burden on the Han Dynasty.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's intention to run the Western Regions
Weak Xiongnu
Since the establishment of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu have been the biggest border trouble.
In the face of the invasion and plundering of the Xiongnu for many years, the national strength of the Han Dynasty was relatively weak in the early stage, although it implemented the strategy of harmony and proximity in diplomacy, and it was also a passive defense in the military, but it was accumulating national strength.
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty had more than 60 years of recuperation and recuperation, and its national strength was sufficient; At the same time, the internal power of the princes and kings continued to weaken, and the political stability was relatively stable, and the conditions for counterattacking the Xiongnu were sufficient.
On this occasion, Han heard that "the Huns descended and said that the Xiongnu broke the king of the Yueshi, and used his head as a drinking vessel, and the Yueshi fled and complained about the Huns, and there was no way to attack it".
In order to flank the Xiongnu, in the third year of the founding of the Yuan Dynasty (138 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions. This became an opportunity for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to connect with the Western Regions.
The Xiongnu forces had entered the Western Regions during the Maodun Shan period, and most of the countries in the Western Regions were subordinate to the Xiongnu.
In order to rule the Western Regions, the Xiongnu made "the Xiongnu in the west of the Xiongnu to put the servants and servants in the west, and led the Western Regions, and lived in Yanqi, Weisu, and Weili, and taxed the countries and gave them wealth."
If the Han Dynasty was able to expel the Xiongnu in the Western Regions, it would not only greatly decline the Xiongnu's sphere of influence, but also form a huge encirclement line against the Xiongnu from the east of Tianshan Mountain to the Youdai in the west, and the strategic situation of the Han Dynasty against the Xiongnu would be reversed.
During Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty had launched several large-scale attacks on the Xiongnu and achieved great results, and the Han Dynasty had an advantage in the war against the Xiongnu.
In the second year of Yuanzhan (121 BC), Huo Qu fell ill out of Longxi, subdued the evil king, recovered the Hexi region, and connected the Han land with the Western Regions.
In the fourth year of Yuan Hunt (119 years ago), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Wei Qing and Huo Qu to divide the troops and break the main force of the Huns.
After defeating the Xiongnu, the Han Dynasty no longer had the hindrance and military pressure of the Xiongnu in the Western Regions, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also officially set his sights on the strategic place of the Western Regions.
In terms of diplomacy, the Han envoys continued to enter the Western Regions and launched diplomatic offensives against the countries of the Western Regions.
Militarily, Li Guangli's military actions such as Dawan, Zhao Ponu's Loulan, and Che Shi greatly deterred the countries of the Western Regions.
At the same time, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also vigorously tuntian in the Western Regions, built pavilion barriers, and sent permanent Han troops to consolidate the power of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions.
Under the multiple hands of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it was difficult for the Xiongnu to compete with the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions.
After that, under the blow of the Han Dynasty and the encroachment of the surrounding ethnic minorities, the Xiongnu gradually declined.
Promote national prestige
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also ran the Western Regions out of political influence.
Zhang Qian sent an envoy to the Western Regions to bring back a large amount of information about the Western Regions, "Wen Dawan and Daxia, and the rest of the country are all big countries, many strange things, indigenous, quite the same customs as China, and the soldiers are weak, and the nobles and Han are wealthy; In the north, the Dayue clan and Kangju belong to the army, and the soldiers are strong, and they can bribe the relics to set up the Li Dynasty.
Sincerity and righteousness belong to it, then it is vast and thousands of miles, heavy nine translations, to the special customs, and virtue is all over the world."
For Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian's description undoubtedly has a huge attraction, "the Son of Heaven is happy to take Qian's words as a matter of course".
With the gradual advancement of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's business strategy in the Western Regions, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's political purpose of promoting national prestige was gradually realized.
Most of the countries in the Western Regions turned to the Han Dynasty and accepted the Han Dynasty's conscription and dispatch, and the Western Regions gradually became the Han Dynasty's sphere of influence.
Han envoys continued to enter the Western Regions, and envoys from various countries in the Western Regions also came to Chang'an one after another to meet Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. "The Han envoy rested in peace, and the king ordered 20,000 horsemen to meet the eastern boundary. The eastern border goes thousands of miles to the royal capital. Traveling to dozens of cities, the people belong to a lot. The Han envoy returned, and then the envoy came with the Han envoy to watch the Han Dynasty, and dedicated the Han to the Han with a big bird egg and Li Xuanshan. ”
At this time, the Han Dynasty can be described as "Weide all over the world".
The huge political prestige not only temporarily stabilized the situation at home and abroad, but also promoted the further development of the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's management of the Western Regions was based on many considerations, and thus had multiple influences.
Significant
1. Open up the overland Silk Road
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's management of the Western Regions was based on a full understanding of the Western Regions.
Before Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, the Han Dynasty's understanding of the Western Regions can be described as a blank, I heard that the Dayue clan in the west had an enmity with the Xiongnu, and wanted to join forces with it to attack the Xiongnu, but the basic information such as the national strength, customs and even the direction of the Dayue clan was unknown.
Zhang Qian made his first mission to the Western Regions in 138 BC and his second mission to the Western Regions in 119 BC.
However, Zhang Qian's two envoys did not complete all the tasks assigned by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but they opened the passage to the Western Regions.
Based on this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was able to carry out multiple strategies such as diplomatic offensives, military prestige, and economic penetration in the Western Regions with ease, making its management of the Western Regions extremely effective.
After Zhang Qian's "hollowing" trip, the east-west exchange channel, which was later called the "Silk Road", was gradually opened.
Han envoys traveled to Anxi, Bactria and other countries, and these countries also sent envoys to Han.
Merchants from all over the world traveled along the Silk Road, and commercial activities and economic and cultural exchanges promoted the development of the regions along the Silk Road.
After Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, a large number of silk and silk brocades of the Han Dynasty were transported westward along the channel, and the treasures and cultures of the countries in the Western Regions were also imported into the Han Dynasty, which had a great impact on the Han Dynasty.
2. The first of all ages
The development of the Western Regions brought a new atmosphere to the Han Dynasty, and the Chinese's horizons were greatly broadened.
Originally, the Han people believed that Kunlun Mountain was the abode of the gods, but after the opening of the Western Regions, the Han people not only learned about the countries of the Western Regions, but also broadened their horizons to places such as body poison and rest.
Although Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty stopped running the Western Regions in his later years, he still laid a good foundation for the Han Dynasty to completely control the Western Regions.
Shortly after the death of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Xuan of the Han Dynasty set up the Western Regions Protectorate in 60 BC.
After the Western Han Dynasty, the Central Plains Dynasty's management of the Western Regions was intermittent, but the Western Regions and the Central Plains have always had political and cultural ties.
During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty over the Western Regions gradually stabilized.
So far, Xinjiang has become China's inalienable territory, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has made pioneering contributions to this.
Huge price
1. The heavy burden of perennial military activities
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty not only achieved the strategic purpose of trapping the Xiongnu and subduing the distant country, but also opened up the Silk Road, greatly promoting the economic and cultural exchanges between the East and the West, and the huge strategic value of the Western Regions is self-evident.
However, the operation of the Western Regions was not easy for the Han Dynasty, and in essence, it was another major financial burden for the Han Dynasty, which was extremely costly and had a great adverse impact on the Han Dynasty.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's management of the Western Regions did not go well, and even far exceeded his expectations.
Zhang Qian suggested that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty "can bribe the bereaved Li Dynasty" to the countries of the Western Regions, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty thought so.
But the move didn't work well. Loulan and Gushi attacked and killed Han envoys in order to loot property, and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's "bribery" diplomacy suffered a setback.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty switched to a policy of force.
However, although the strength of the Han Dynasty made the countries of the Western Regions "appalled", "the west of Dawan is far away, and they are still arrogant, and they cannot be restrained by courtesy."
In this way, the military deterrence of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty still could not be stopped, and the more representative one was the destruction of Dawan incident.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty wanted to get the Dawan horse, so that people held the golden horse and exchanged, but the result of the Dawan was advantageous, not only rejected the request of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, but also "sent the Han envoy to make the king of Yucheng in the east of it cover the attack, kill the Han envoy, and take his property." Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had no choice but to launch the Vawan War.
But at this time, Emperor Wu of Han made the mistake of underestimating the enemy.
Zhao Ponu's battle to break Loulan with light troops made Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty think that Dawan was also bullied, and did not carefully consider the unfavorable factors of attacking Dawan, so he rashly "took Li Guangli as the general of the second division, and sent 6,000 horsemen from the subordinate country and tens of thousands of evil teenagers from the county and state."
After Li Guangli entered the Western Regions, he was blocked everywhere, when all the countries were strong and clear, the Han army was not accepted, the Han army was hungry, and when he arrived at Yu Cheng in Dawan, he was met with stubborn resistance, Li Guangli had to lead the army back to Dunhuang, and the Han army suffered great losses on this trip, "going back and forth to two years old, to Dunhuang, the soldiers were only tithes."
At this time, the Marquis of Xunye, Zhao Ponu, was defeated by the Xiongnu and lost 20,000 soldiers, and the officials of the Han Dynasty discussed a lot, and they all suggested that the Dawan war should be stopped to concentrate on attacking the Xiongnu.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, out of political considerations to promote national prestige, overrode public opinion and launched a larger-scale war against Wan.
The scale of this mobilization was very large, more than 60,000 people arrived in Dunhuang first, and more than 180,000 people were requisitioned and sent to Jiuquan later, and countless people, materials, cattle and horses were requisitioned at the same time.
Li Guangli conquered Dawan again, and the Han army successfully marched to Wancheng this time and conquered the outer city.
Under strong military deterrence, Dawan was forced to give in and withdraw from the Han Alliance.
At this point, the Han Dynasty truly infiltrated its sphere of influence into the Western Regions, and subsequently won the support of most of the countries in the Western Regions. After many wars, although the Han Dynasty subdued Dawan, it paid a huge price for this and had to maintain military deterrence for many years.
While fighting against the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also launched a series of wars against Korea, Minyue, Nanyue, Southwest Yi and the Western Regions.
2. The burden on the people is heavy
During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty "soldiers were not solved, and the world worked together." The day of the fight, the walker is giving, the resident is sending, and the Chinese and foreign harassment are worshipping".
In the counterattack against the Xiongnu alone, the Han Dynasty consumed a huge amount of manpower and resources. The construction of the square city "cost hundreds of millions of dollars, the treasury is empty", more than 100,000 military horses died, and the cost of military funds is incalculable.
In addition, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty rewarded meritorious soldiers and Xiongnu subordinates at every turn. The savings of the Han Dynasty were depleted for many years, and the finances faced a heavy burden.
In order to raise a huge amount of money, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty increased the enslavement of the people in the country, "the side consumption is insufficient, so the salt and iron are raised, the wine is set up, the balance is lost, the goods are long-term, and the border expenses are Sasuke."
In order to alleviate the financial pressure, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty first issued the Reckoning Decree and the Confession Decree, imposing heavy taxes on merchants and confiscating a large number of wealthy merchants.
Subsequently, the government-run policy of salt and iron was implemented, which broke the monopoly of rich businessmen on the profits of salt and iron and the profits of wine, and the salt and iron were monopolized by the state.
Since then, reform measures such as equalizing losses have been introduced one after another, with the state monopolizing the prices and transportation of goods, in addition to reforming the monetary system, increasing taxes and forced labor for the people, and opening up financial channels in various ways.
Although the Han Dynasty carried out many fiscal reforms based on the principle of open source, the situation of the Han Dynasty became more difficult in the later period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty.
According to the "Hanshu Food and Goods Chronicle", the Han Dynasty was already "prosperous with service fees, and the people went to their own ...... The more the work is done, the world is wasted, and people cannibalize each other".
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty operated the Western Regions at the cost of the blood and sweat of the people of the Han Dynasty.
In the later period of the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, although the war against the Xiongnu had eased, the management of the Western Regions became a huge financial burden for the Han Dynasty.
Based on the profound contradictions arising from this, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had to issue the "Luntai Edict" in the fourth year of Zhenghe (89 BC), stop activities in the Western Regions, not return to the army, and take Prime Minister Tian Qianqiu as the marquis of the rich people, in order to express the meaning of recuperation.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty's management of the Western Regions changed the foreign relations and territorial territory of the Western Han Dynasty, and profoundly affected the internal affairs of the Western Han Dynasty.
Although more than 2,000 years have passed, and the history at that time has long been far away from us, exploring the impact of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty on the management of the Western Regions and analyzing the gains and losses brought about by this move in the historical environment at that time still have reference significance for the country to handle the relationship between internal and foreign affairs today.