Tang dynasty in Inner Asia
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| History of Mongolia |
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Mongolia under Tang rule established a foundation for cultural and trading relationships which will continue to evolve for centuries.[1]
In the period before Genghis Khan, the geographical area known as Mongolia was under Chinese domination in the 7th to 8th centuries.
History
In the 7th to 8th centuries, the Tang Dynasty Chinese expanded across large areas of the steppes of Central Asia; and for more than a century, the Tang retained control of central and eastern Mongolia and parts of Inner Asia.[2] This Chinese hegemony was not unopposed at its periphery. Emperor Taizong's military success was, in part, a consequence of changes he initiated in the Chinese army, including improved weaponry. The emperor placed a new emphasis on cavalry, which was very important because his non-Chinese opponents used the horse effectively in warfare.[3]
In serial wars of expansion, the Chinese confronted the Mongols and the proto-Mongolic Gokturks and Khitans.
The Khitan in the eastern Mongolia and southern Manchuria made their submission to the Chinese in 630.[4] In the recurrent process of sinicization, Khitan chieftains established themselves as emperors of northern China; their rule was known as the Liao Dynasty (916-1125)[5] in eastern Mongolia, Manchuria, and northern China.[6]
Tea-for-horses trading system
When the Chinese came in contact with the nomadic tribes of the western steppes, the use of horses in warfare was soon appreciated.[7] Mounted archers represented an initial tactical advantage over Chinese armies, the Chinese learned to adapt.[8] Conservative forces opposed change, which affected the proportional balance amongst cavalrymen, horse-drawn chariots and infantrymen in Chinese armies.[9]
Horses and skilled horsemen were often in short supply in agrarian China, and cavalry were a distinct minority in most Tang Dynasty (618–907) armies.[10] The Imperial herds numbered 325,700 horses in 794.[11]
The Chinese army lacked a sufficient number of good quality horses. Importation was the only remedy but the only potential suppliers were the steppe-nomads. The strategic factor considered most essential in warfare was controlled exclusively by the merchant-traders of the most likely enemies.[12]
The Chinese armies came to rely on an officially supervised tea-for-horse trading systems which had evolved over centuries.[13] Tea and horses were so inextricably related that officials repeatedly requested that the tea laws and the horse administration he supervised by the same man. From the perspective of the Chinese court, government control of tea was the first step in the creation of a rational and effective policy aimed at improving the quality of horses in the army."[12]
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Colors show the succession of Taizong (Tang) conquest in Asia :
See also
- Horses in East Asian warfare
- Military history of China
- Protectorate General to Pacify the West
- Protectorate General to Pacify the North
Notes
- ^ Perdue, Peter. (2005). China Marches West, pp. 36-52.
- ^ Library of Congress (LOC):: Tang influence
- ^ Latourette, Kenneth Scott. (1965). The Chinese: Their History and Culture, p. 144.
- ^ Latourette, Kenneth Scott. (1934). The Chinese: Their History and Culture, p. 144.
- ^ LOC: Kitan and Jurchen
- ^ LOC: Mongolia, chronology
- ^ Graff, David Andrew. (2002). Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900, p. 22.
- ^ Graff, p. 28.
- ^ Ellis, John. (2004). Cavalry: The History of Mounted Warfare, pp. 19-20.
- ^ Graff, p. 176.
- ^ Graff, p. 228.
- ^ a b Sinor, Denis. "Horse and Pasture in Inner Asian history," Oriens Extremus, Vol. 19, No. 1-2 (1972), pp. 171-183.
- ^ Perdue, Peter. (2005). China Marches West, pp. 36-52.
- ^ * Zizhi Tongjian, vols. 182, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187, 188, 189, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196, 197, 198, 199.
References
- Latourette, Kenneth Scott. (1934). The Chinese: Their History and Culture. New York: Macmillan. OCLC 220885107
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- Mongolia