Mount Mulai

Mount Mulai was a mountain north of the frontier garrison of Woye. The Zhou Shu names it in a single sentence. After Bumin’s death, his son Issik Khan defeated Dengshuzi once more, north of Woye at Mount Mulai.^[1] Dengshuzi was an uncle of Anagui. The Rouran who survived Bumin’s victory north of Huaihuang had set him up as their ruler.^[1]

The Zhou Shu gives no year for the battle. It tells the battle after Issik’s accession and before his embassy of the third month of 553.^[1] The Zizhi tongjian records it under 553.^[2]

The Bei Shi writes the name as Mount Lai, 賴山, without its first character.^[3] The collation notes of the Zhou Shu record this variant. The Zizhi tongjian has the longer form.^[4] In this passage the Bei Shi repeats the Zhou Shu almost word for word. The two forms therefore go back to one account, not to two.

All three histories locate the mountain only by the garrison: it lies north of Woye.^[5] Where on the frontier it stood therefore comes down to where Woye stood.