In early July, the Tang army reached Qikou. Qu Wentai died.
In early August, the Tang army captured Tiandi in just one day and advanced on the capital of Gaochang overnight.
On August 8th, Qu Zhisheng opened the gates of the city and surrendered, and the Kingdom of Gaochang fell.
On the fifteenth of August, I sing a poem about the moon.
In October, Huan and Li eloped.
At the end of October, Qiao Shiwang entered Xizhou, and the army that attacked Gaochang returned to base.
In the intercalary tenth month, crossing the Hulu River, Li Zan sang a mourning song, and Cao fell into the river.
In late November, Huan and Cao drank together, and Huan was interrogated in the army.
On December 5th, captives were presented at Guande Hall.
In mid-December, Cao falsely accused Huan, and Huan was flogged.
At the end of the year, Huan was escorted to the capital.
⑤ The fifteenth year of Zhenguan
Cao Huan arrived in the capital at the beginning of the first month of the lunar calendar.
Cao lured Chen Ti into revealing his true colors, and Huan Kai was released from prison.
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Cao escorted Princess Wencheng to marry the Tibetan king.
On the sixteenth day of the first month, he was appointed as a Thousand-Ox Guard of the Right Palace.
On the seventeenth day of the first month, Huan Li accompanied the emperor to Luoyang.
On the nineteenth day of the first lunar month, Wen Tang was assassinated.
During the Cold Food Festival, polo was played, and Huan returned to Xingyang to sweep the tombs.
On March 7th, a snake was captured at Xiangcheng Palace in Ruzhou, and Huan fled to Bingzhou overnight.
Li Zhuihuan fell from his horse at Baiya.
In November, Li Shiji was promoted to Minister of War, and he defeated the Xueyantuo, relieving the siege of Shuozhou.
December 17th, Battle of Nuozhen Water
⑥ The sixteenth year of Zhenguan
In the first month of the lunar calendar, the Wutai tribe of Daizhou annihilated the rebel army of Sijie.
On the fifteenth of the second month, the Flower Festival, Huan bid farewell to Li.
On February 16th, Huan went to Xizhou.
In early September, Huan drank a full moon celebration.
In early September, the Xueyantuo sent envoys to propose marriage.
At the end of September, Huan followed Guo Xiaoke to attack the Western Turks.
At the end of October, Huan went to Liuzhong to supervise the manufacture of weapons.
In winter, Huan and Li met at the crossroads of the Great Sea.
Reference Books I Remember
When I consciously started writing down what books I'd read, I realized I'd already forgotten the titles of quite a few, which was a shame, especially since they were all interesting books. There were also some excellent websites.
(I won't go into the historical records, but it was basically the Old Book of Tang, the New Book of Tang, the Zizhi Tongjian, the Tang Liudian, the Tang Huiyao, the Tongdian, and the Tang Lü Shuyi. I picked and chose which ones to read, otherwise I wouldn't have time to read them.)
The *Zizhi Tongjian* (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government) in Modern Chinese Language Edition, translated, annotated, and commented by Bai Yang, was first published by China Friendship Publishing Company in December 1991. The translation is excellent, and I also appreciate Bai Yang's commentary. The original price was around 1-4 yuan per book, for a set of 72 volumes. A newer set now costs over 700 yuan, but thankfully, an ebook version is available for download online.
"Glimpses of Life in the Sui and Tang Dynasties" edited by Bi Baokui, published by Shenyang Publishing House, first edition January 2002, priced at 17.8 yuan.
"Chang'an, the Capital of Tang Dynasty" by Zhang Lu, published by Northwest University Press in October 1987, first edition, priced at 2 yuan.
"A Brief History of Xi'an" by Wu Bolun and Wu Fuxing, published by Shaanxi People's Publishing House, first edition July 1981, priced at 0.8 yuan.
"Tales of Chang'an in the Tang Dynasty" by Wu Fuxing, Shanghai Culture Press, first edition, June 1987, priced at 1.35 yuan.
"Gansu Local Customs and Scenery" by Wu Yue, Wang Huishao, Wang Mingyong, and Yu Xianjie, published by Gansu People's Publishing House, first edition, June 1985, priced at 3.25 yuan.
Traveling to Ancient China, by Yi Yongwen, published by Zhonghua Book Company, January 2005 (First Edition).
"Fun Historical Research," edited by Wang Zijin, Yunnan People's Publishing House, January 2005, First Edition.
A Brief History of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, by Wu Tingyu, Beijing Publishing House, September 1984, First Edition.
The Survival Handbook, by John Wiseman, translated by Li Bin and Ni Ming, Huawen Press, March 1999, first edition.
The Empire of the Steppes (France) by René Grousset, translated by Lan Qi, edited by Xiang Yingjie, published by Commercial Press (I don't know when it was published; I read the online version).
*Studies in the Historical Geography of the Ancient Tianshan Mountains* by Hisao Matsuda, translated by Junmou Chen, published by Central University for Nationalities Press, April 1987 (First Edition).
"Exploring the Mysterious Great Sea Route: Archaeological Exploration Notes" by Wu Xinhua and Li Xiao
"Crossing the No Man's Land: A True Account of the Great Silk Road Exploration" by Luo Hancheng et al., first edition, July 2000, published by China Social Sciences Press.
A Draft History of Gaochang: The Rule of Rule, by Wang Su, Cultural Relics Publishing House, September 1998, First Edition.
"A Draft History of Gaochang: Transportation Section" by Wang Su, Cultural Relics Publishing House, March 2000, First Edition (Mr. Wang's set of books should have five volumes, but unfortunately I only found these two, so it may not be complete yet).
*Gaochang Kingdom: A Small Immigrant Society on the Silk Road from the 5th to the 7th Centuries AD*, by Song Xiaomei, China Social Sciences Press, November 2003 (First Edition).
"Han and Tang Culture and the History of Gaochang" by Meng Xianshi, Qilu Publishing House, First Edition, September 2004.
Monique Jarre, translated by Geng Sheng, first edition 1995, Zhonghua Book Company (I forgot the exact month).
Reference website:
State Administration of Cultural Heritage > Twenty-Six Histories /publishcenter/sach/datainfo/sachbook/
(Other websites only received the Twenty-Four Histories)
Sohu Community > Humanities Observation > Discussing History Over Wine /main.php?c=11&b=history
Sina Forum > Culture & Arts > Talking About the Spring and Autumn Annals /cgi-bin/tree.cgi?gid=43&fid=1149
Tianya Community > Tianya Main Forum > Discussing History Over Wine
/index.asp?vitem=&idDefaultItem=0&idWriter=2044648&Key=50815280
Beijing Youth Daily > Ancient History Musings /cgi-bin/ChangeBrd?to=33
Research Office of Sino-Foreign Relations History, Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences > Eurasian Studies /
Military Website - Military God Online /index.htm
Chinese Classics Website: /
Shen Zui Tang Feng /bbs/index.asp
Han Dynasty Charm and Tang Dynasty Spirit /php/bbs/index.php
Xuanyuan Chunqiu Cultural Forum: /forum/index.php?act=idx
Huaxia Revival Forum /index.asp
Tang Dynasty forum: /f?kw=%CC%C6%B3%AF
Tune in:
discuss:
The claims about the imperial families of the Yang Sui and Li Tang dynasties are baseless. It's true they married Xianbei women, but the problem is that the Xianbei people at that time could only be said to have Xianbei ancestry paternally. Blood-wise, by the end of the Northern Dynasties, the Xianbei had already assimilated into the Han Chinese. I told you to find a reply from sifer on Shenzui Tangfeng, but you couldn't find it. Perhaps you haven't registered yet; you need to register first.
The Northern Wei royal family encouraged intermarriage between Xianbei and Han Chinese, promoted the adoption of Han surnames, the wearing of Han clothing, and the adoption of Han laws and regulations, while prohibiting the speaking of Xianbei. The royal family itself married Han women, setting a precedent for others, including ministers and ordinary citizens. Comrade SIFER shared data from someone else's article; I've excerpted it here and added a few points.
Below is a table showing the Sinicization of the bloodline of the Northern Wei Dynasty.
1. Emperor Daowu, founder of the Northern Wei Dynasty ====== Consort Liu
2. Emperor Mingyuan (1/2) ====== Consort Du
3. Emperor Taiwu (1/4) ====== Lady He
4. Crown Prince Huang (1/8) ====== Lü Clan (Xianbei)
5. Emperor Wencheng (1/8) ====== Li Guiren
6. Emperor Xianwen (1/16) ====== Lady Li
7. Emperor Xiaowen (1/32) ====== Lady Gao
8. Emperor Xuanwu (1/64) ====== Empress Hu
9. Emperor Xiaoming (1/128) (The fraction in parentheses represents the concentration of Xianbei ancestry)
Emperor Xiaowen, who promoted Sinicization, had only 1/32 = 3.125% (0.03125) Xianbei ancestry, but 96.875% Han Chinese ancestry. By the time of Emperor Xiaoming, the last emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he had only 1/128, or 0.78125%, Xianbei ancestry, but 99.21875% Han Chinese ancestry. What were the so-called Xianbei people considered then? Fifty or sixty years passed between Emperor Xiaoming and the rise of the Sui and Tang dynasties, and the purity of the Xianbei bloodline became even more pitifully low. The Xianbei people, in terms of numbers, were far fewer than the Han Chinese when they entered China. Coupled with centuries of intermarriage with the Han, their bloodline quickly diluted. Furthermore, the Xianbei people died rapidly in internal and external strife. By the end of the Northern Dynasties, it can be said that, in terms of bloodline, language, and culture, this ethnic group no longer existed.
If having even the slightest trace of foreign ancestry automatically qualifies someone as "foreign," then fine, the British royal family has African ancestry, so we could say the House of Windsor is a Black dynasty. Emperor Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty was half Manchu and half Mongol, his father was Manchu and his mother Mongol. His son, Emperor Kangxi, had a Han mother, making Kangxi half Manchu, half Mongol, and half Han, thus having more Han ancestry. Then there's Kangxi's grandson, Emperor Qianlong. His mother's identity is a mystery; many scholars, including Hu Shi, believe she was a Han palace maid (unrelated to the Chen family of Haining—that's fabricated). This makes Qianlong 75% Han. His son, Emperor Jiaqing, had a Han mother, making his Han ancestry 7/8, or 87.5%. How should we describe this? (The surnames of Kangxi and Jiaqing's mothers were changed in historical records to appear Manchu, but they were actually Han; however, discussing this was taboo at the time.)
The relentless pursuit of the negligible fraction of Xianbei ancestry in Emperor Yang of Sui and the Tang dynasty—what is the motivation behind this? I see no other reason than jealousy and smear campaigns.
The Japanese scholar Shiratori Kurakichi proposed this theory, which ignores the fundamental nature of the Li Tang lineage and deliberately obscures the truth, followed by the Japanese invasion of China. This can be seen as a theoretical attack aimed at undermining the self-confidence of the Chinese nation. It implied that the greatest emperor of the Chinese people, Emperor Taizong of Tang, was a foreigner, and that the Chinese nation had long since perished. It is lamentable that even a scholar like Chen Yinque was led by the nose, and many Chinese echoed this sentiment. What benefit is there in such slander against Emperor Taizong of Tang, who saved millions of Han people (including the ancestors of those who blatantly lie) from the Turkic slaughter and rescued China from peril? Regardless of lineage, the class they represented, or their national attitudes, on what basis can the Sui and Tang dynasties be said to be not Han Chinese?