Diqincha

Diqincha was a prince of the house of Ashina and a younger cousin on the father’s side of Ishbara Khan, ruler of the Göktürks. He led tribes of his own.^[1] The Sui Shu names him once. That is in 583, when he broke with Ishbara at the start of the civil war.^[2]

The break of 583

In 583 Ishbara, whom the Chinese histories call Shabolüe, fell on the camp of Apa and killed his mother.^[2] Apa fled west to Tardush. Tardush sent him back east with troops, and nearly a hundred thousand horsemen of his former following rejoined him.^[1] Ishbara also took the people of Tanhan Khan, a friend of Apa, and deposed him.^[1] Diqincha had quarrelled with Ishbara. He rose with his people and went over to Apa.^[1] The fighting did not stop. Both sides sent envoys to the Sui court to ask for peace and help, and the emperor refused them all.^[1]

The Zizhi tongjian enters these events under 583. The Bei Shi repeats the words of the Sui Shu.^[3] The Cefu yuangui shortens the passage. It says that Ishbara and his cousin Diqincha had a quarrel, that both sent envoys to ask for peace and help, and that the emperor refused them.^[4] One modern account differs on two points. It calls Diqincha Ishbara’s uncle and has him flee to Tardush.^[5] The histories say nothing more of him.

Name

One modern account writes the name Ti-ch’in ch’a and adds the title šad in brackets.^[5] A translation of the Sui Shu does the same.^[6] The name ends in the same character, 察, as that of Lijicha, a Göktürk leader named in the Sui edict of 583.^[1]