Eyang Ridge

In the first month of 630 the Tang general Li Jing advanced and camped on the Eyang ridge, 惡陽嶺. From there he fell on Dingxiang by night.^[1] The attack opened the campaign of 630. In that campaign the eastern khaganate came to an end.^[2] Ilig Khan was thrown into alarm. He moved his camp to Qikou, the mouth of the desert.^[2] The hu chief Kang Sumi and others then came over to the Tang. They brought with them the Sui empress Xiao and Yang Zhengdao, the Sui prince whom the Göktürks had made king of Sui.^[2]

The Zizhi tongjian gives the size of the force. Li Jing set out from Mayi with three thousand picked horse. He camped on the Eyang ridge and broke Dingxiang in his night attack.^[3] Ilig had not expected him. He said that the Tang must have come with the whole strength of the state, or Li Jing would never have dared to come so far with a lone army.^[3] His followers took fright several times a day. He moved his camp.^[3] The Cefu yuangui calls Li Jing the commander of the Shuozhou route. It says that his men entered the outer wall of Dingxiang.^[4] The Xin Tang Shu has the night attack fall on Ilig himself.^[5]

The site of the ridge is disputed. One location goes back to the commentary on the Zizhi tongjian. It places the ridge south of the old fort of Dingxiang, north-west of Pinglu county in Shanxi.^[6] The second places it north of Shahukou, twenty li north of Youyu county in Shanxi.^[7]