preface
Mighty Anxi Army!
During the Tang Dynasty, the area under the jurisdiction of the Anxi Imperial Protectorate was huge, many of which were even located in today's Central Asia, and in such a large area, even in modern society, it was difficult to effectively manage such a large area.
Not to mention that in the Western Regions at that time, there were large and small states, and these states were either dependent on the Tang Dynasty, or dependent on Tibet, or dependent on the Turks, which can be said to be very chaotic.
However, under such circumstances, the Anxi Army of the Tang Dynasty was still able to threaten the Western Regions with about 20,000 troops, how did this happen?
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Anthy start-up
The Western Regions were once controlled by the Central Plains Dynasty during the Han Dynasty, but with the continuous changes of time over the next few hundred years, the connection between the Central Plains Dynasty and the Western Regions was gradually interrupted by nomads.
In particular, the Turks that emerged during the Northern and Southern Dynasties became the hegemon of East Asia, and at the beginning of the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, they forced a generation of male lord Li Shimin to sign the "Weishui Alliance" that was regarded as a shame by Tang Taizong.
In addition to the Turks, there are some other weaker forces in the vast Western Regions, but although these forces are weak, it is not easy to deter these forces with many years of operation.
However, as the strength of the Tang Dynasty continued to increase, the Tang army began to continuously support troops in the Western Regions, and gradually increased its influence in the Western Regions.
As Hou Junji conquered the Gaochang Kingdom in the Western Regions during the Zhenguan period, Li Shimin, Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, established the Anxi Protectorate on this basis.
After years of continuous development, the scope of the Anxi region began to expand during the Tang Dynasty, including the Green Mountains (now the Pamir Plateau) under the jurisdiction of the Tang Dynasty's Anxi Protectorate.
This means that the area under the jurisdiction of the Tang Army in the Western Regions at that time was very vast, and due to the sparse population and other reasons between these regions, it was extremely difficult to supply materials.
Under such circumstances, it was actually difficult for the Tang Dynasty to maintain a large number of troops in the Anxi area all year round, so it could only adopt a policy of elite soldiers and deploy a certain number of elite soldiers to stabilize the Western Regions.
It's just that these soldiers can really guarantee the tranquility of the Western Regions?
Megatron Western Regions
During the Tang Dynasty, the situation faced by the Tang army in the Western Regions was very complicated, although after the Li Shimin era, the Turks had been dealt a heavy blow, but the remnants of the Turks at that time still had a strong influence in the Western Regions.
Not only that, due to the relatively warm climate during the Tang Dynasty, the Tubo regime in the plateau region began to grow, and the existence of the Tubo army brought great threats to the Tang army in the Western Regions.
Tibetan army
Not to mention that in the Middle East at that time, the expansion of the Arab Empire was also going on, and its strong influence was constantly influencing the western frontier of the Tang Empire.
Therefore, at that time, the small countries in the Western Regions were actually in a state of vacillation, and they may still be swearing allegiance to the Tang Dynasty today, and they may go to other forces tomorrow.
Under such circumstances, it is actually very difficult to ensure that Datang can have sufficient deterrence in the Western Regions.
It is true that although the Tang Dynasty has won many victories in the Western Regions, the ownership of the Western Regions has changed hands many times, and it has been during the Tianbao period of the Tang Dynasty, with a series of victories, that the Tang army gradually gained dominance in the Western Regions.
For the Tang army in the Western Regions, they were able to hold on to the local area for a long time and threaten the Western Regions, in addition to their own sophisticated equipment, the material support given by the mainland of the Tang Dynasty was indispensable.
Like the famous Battle of Talas, although the Tang army was not able to win in this battle, for the Tang Dynasty, which was strong at that time, the defeat in this war was actually nothing, and the national strength of the Tang Dynasty was able to make up for the losses at that time at a very fast speed.
However, what will happen when one day, when it is difficult for the materials from the mainland to replenish the Tang army in the Western Regions?
Alone
After the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion, in the face of a large number of strong Anshi rebels, the Tang Dynasty court was difficult to resist, under the attack of the rebels, the Tang army lost troops, and even the capital Chang'an was captured by the rebels.
Faced with such a situation, the Tang Dynasty could only send a large number of soldiers from Anxi and Longyou to quell the rebellion, but this led to the emptiness of troops in the Western Regions.
Not only that, due to a series of "riotous operations" by the Tang Dynasty's court, this war that could end soon was fought for eight years, and after this war, the national strength and cohesion of the Tang Dynasty were difficult to recover as before.
Under such circumstances, the Tibetan regime took the opportunity to launch an attack on the Tang Dynasty, in which the Tibetan army cut off the Tang army's connection between the Tang Dynasty and the Tang army in the Western Regions, and even occupied Chang'an City for a time.
Although the Tang army later recaptured Chang'an and other places through counterattacks, and repeatedly thwarted the Tubo army's plans to go further, the connection between the Tang Dynasty and the Tang army in the Western Regions was cut off.
Without the "blood transfusion" in the mainland, the Tang army in the Western Regions was actually facing a very difficult situation, not to mention that the opponent they faced was the powerful Tibet.
But even so, the Tang army in the Western Regions was able to resist the attacks of Tubo again and again, and always held out in the Western Regions until it was full of gray hair.
It is difficult to imagine how such an army without foreign aid could hold out, after all, they have neither no reinforcements nor any food and grass.
Perhaps, as some people think, it is their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty in their hearts that supports these soldiers of the Anxi Army to stick alone in the Western Regions.
According to scholars' inferences, this lone army of the Tang Dynasty may have held out until 808 AD at the latest, and after the fall of Anxi, the connection between the Central Plains Dynasty and the Western Regions was also severed.
It was not until 1759 A.D., after the Qing Dynasty pacified the Great and Small Rebellion in Southern Xinjiang and Zhuo, that the Central Plains Dynasty regained control of the Western Regions.
Resources
The Paper: "Bloody Lonely City: Guo Xin Who Sticks to the Anxi Protectorate" January 20, 2021
The Paper: "The Last Transfer of Datang Mobei" September 3, 2019
The Paper: "Xuanzang has shed tears, soldiers have spilled blood, this is the Anxi Protectorate in the Twelve Hours of Chang'an" July 30, 2019
Baidu Encyclopedia: "Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate"
Xue Zongzheng, "Anxi and Beiting--A Study of the Frontier Politics of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty", Heilongjiang Education Publishing House, revised edition, 1998
Li Mingwei, "The Great Achievements of Anxi Dadu Protectorate and the Turkic Contribution to the Silk Road", Northwest Ethnic Studies, No. 3, 2001
Liu Anzhi and Chen Guocan, "The Management of Qiuzi by the Anxi Protectorate in the Tang Dynasty", Historical Research, No. 1, 2006