Death of Tulan Khan

Men of his own following killed Tulan Khan, the khan of the eastern Göktürks, while a Sui army was marching against him.^[1] The army had not yet crossed the frontier.^[1] Tardush, the khan of the west whom the Chinese call Datou, proclaimed himself Bujia Khan. The realm fell into great disorder.^[1] The Zizhi tongjian enters the killing under the twelfth month of 599.^[2]

Tulan’s last campaigns

In 599 Tulan and Tardush had driven out Yami, whom the Sui then made Qimin Khan.^[1] Tulan attacked Yami again, and the emperor brought Yami inside the frontier.^[1] Tulan went on raiding. The Sui moved Yami’s people south of the Yellow River, between the prefectures of Xia and Sheng. They dug a ditch several hundred li long from one arm of the river to the other to enclose their pasture.^[1] Then the emperor sent four armies against Tulan: Yang Su out by Lingzhou, Han Sengshou by Qingzhou, Shi Wansui by Yanzhou and Yao Bian by Hezhou.^[1] Some scholars hold that Tulan was on the eve of a second great invasion of China when he died.^[3]

The Sui Shu’s biography of Zhangsun Sheng, the Sui envoy at Yami’s side, tells of omens in Tulan’s camp.^[4] Surrendered Göktürks kept watch on him for Zhangsun Sheng.^[5] At night a red rainbow lit the sky for several hundred li. The great meteor Tiangou rained blood for three days, and falling stars came down on the tents with a great noise.^[6] Tulan was afraid every night and thought that the Sui army was near.^[6]

The killing

Before the Sui armies had left the frontier, Tulan was killed by men of his own following.^[1] The Zizhi tongjian gives the day yiwei of the twelfth month.^[2] Tardush declared himself Bujia Khan, and the state fell into great disorder.^[7] The histories do not name the killers.^[7]

Zhangsun Sheng saw the opening.^[2] The government army, he told the emperor, stood at the frontier and had won several fights. The enemy was divided, and his ruler had been killed. If they were summoned now, all of them could be brought to surrender.^[2] He asked that Yami’s men be sent out by separate roads to call them in.^[2] The emperor agreed, and many came over.^[2] In the biography of Zhangsun Sheng, Tardush took fright at this and withdrew all his troops.^[8]

The Tongdian tells the end differently.^[9] Yang Su, Shi Wansui and the other generals attacked Tulan and beat him again and again. Soon afterwards his own men killed him.^[9] The Sui Shu’s chapter on the Göktürks gives the Sui victories of these years to the war against Tardush.^[1]

Dating

Three dates stand. The first is 603. Some scholars have Tulan killed by his followers that year, and have Yami march quickly into Ötüken with Göktürk and Chinese troops and take the title of khan.^[3] The second is the twelfth month of 599.^[2] The Zizhi tongjian gives it with the day yiwei, and so do the annals of the Sui Shu in one translation.^[2]^[10] The third is 600. The biography of Zhangsun Sheng says that great unrest broke out in Tulan’s country in that year and that his subjects killed him.^[8] Some scholars prefer the annals, because they give the month and the day.^[11]

Consequences

With Tulan dead, the war in the east had two parties left: Tardush, now Bujia Khan, and the Sui with their khan Yami.^[1] The Sui sent Shi Wansui against Tardush, and he met him at Mount Dajin.^[1] The civil war ended with the fall of Tardush.^[1]