Tang Huiyao (Institutional History of the Tang)

The Tang Huiyao is a compendium of the institutions of the Tang dynasty, completed by Wang Pu in 961. It is arranged by subject rather than by reign. Its last chapters treat the foreign peoples one by one.

The nine tribes

Chapter 98, on the Uyghurs, gives the one complete list of the nine tribes of the Toquz Oghuz: the Uyghurs, the Pugu, the Hun, the Bayegu, the Tongluo, the Sijie, the Qibi, the Abusi and the Gulun Wugu.^[1] The text adds that the first seven had stood in the histories since the beginning of the dynasty. The last two were ranked with them only after the Tianbao era.^[1]

Wine and the west

Its chapter on Kang, the Samarkand of the Chinese records, says of the customs of the country that there is much grape wine.^[2] The compendium also records how the Tang court came to know the wine of the west. It says that the Tang took Gaochang in 640 and that the court then received the mare-nipple grapes of the oasis. The method of making grape wine came to China with them. The emperor gave the wine to his officials, who tasted it in the capital for the first time.^[3]^[4]

The passage

Tang Huiyao 94: Gaozu and Shibi Khan at the rising of the Tang

高祖初起義兵晉陽，劉文靜曰︰「與突厥相結，資其士馬，以益兵勢。」從之。

自爲手啓遺始畢可汗云︰「欲舉義兵迎主上，若能與我俱南，願勿侵暴百姓；若但和親，坐視受寶貨，亦惟可汗所擇。」

始畢得啓，謂其臣曰︰「隋主爲人，我所知也。若迎以來，必害唐公而擊我無疑。苟唐公自爲天子，我當以兵馬助之。」卽復書。

將佐皆請從突厥言，帝不可。

裴寂乃請尊隋主爲太上皇，立代王爲帝，以安隋室；旗幟雜用絳、白，以示突厥。

帝曰︰「此掩耳偷鈴，然逼於時事，不得不然。」乃許之。

煬帝十三年六月，遣使如北突厥。

突厥遣康鞘利等送馬千匹，許發兵送帝入關。

When Gaozu first raised a righteous army at Jinyang, Liu Wenjing said: “Ally yourself with the Göktürks and draw on their men and horses to add to the strength of your army.” Gaozu followed this advice.

With his own hand he wrote to Shibi Khan: “I wish to raise a righteous army and welcome the sovereign. If you can go south with me, I ask that you do not harm the people. If you only make a marriage alliance and look on while you receive treasures, that too is for the Khan to choose.”

When Shibi received the letter, he said to his ministers: “I know what kind of man the Sui sovereign is. If he were welcomed here, he would surely harm the Duke of Tang and attack me, without doubt. If the Duke of Tang makes himself Son of Heaven, I shall help him with soldiers and horses.” He answered the letter at once.

His generals and aides all asked to follow what the Göktürks had said, but the emperor refused.

Pei Ji then asked that the Sui sovereign be honoured as Retired Emperor and the Prince of Dai be set up as emperor, to calm the Sui house, and that banners of mixed crimson and white be used, to show them to the Göktürks.

The emperor said: “This is stopping one's ears to steal a bell. But we are pressed by events and have no choice.” So he agreed.

In the sixth month of the thirteenth year of Yangdi, he sent envoys to the Northern Göktürks.

The Göktürks sent Kang Shaoli and others to deliver a thousand horses and promised to send troops to escort the emperor into the Pass.

^[5] Tang Huiyao (Institutional History of the Tang), juan 94

Tang Huiyao 94: the Göktürk risings from 679 to the appearance of Gudulu

調露元年十月，單于大都護府突厥阿史德溫傅、奉職二部俱反，立阿史那泥熟蔔爲可汗，二十四州酋長皆叛，衆數十萬。

遣蕭嗣業等討之，屢捷。會大雪，突厥襲其營，爲虜所敗。

永隆元年三月，以裴行儉爲定襄道大總管，將兵以討之，大破于黑山，擒奉職。

泥熟蔔爲其下所殺，以首來降。

永淳元年十月，突厥餘黨阿史那骨篤祿、阿史德元珍等招集亡散，寇幷州，代州都督薛仁貴將兵擊之。

In the tenth month of the first year of Tiaolu, the two Göktürk tribes of Ashide Wenfu and Fengzhi in the Chanyu Grand Protectorate rose together and set up Ashina Nishufu as khan. The chiefs of twenty-four prefectures all rebelled, several hundred thousand people in all.

Xiao Siye and others were sent against them and won repeatedly. Then heavy snow fell, the Göktürks raided his camp, and he was beaten by the enemy.

In the third month of the first year of Yonglong, Pei Xingjian was made grand commander of the Dingxiang route. He led troops against them, beat them heavily at Black Mountain and captured Fengzhi.

Nishufu was killed by his own men, who came to surrender with his head.

In the tenth month of the first year of Yongchun, the remnants of the Göktürks, Ashina Gudulu, Ashide Yuanzhen and others, gathered those who had scattered and raided Bingzhou. Xue Rengui, governor of Daizhou, led troops against them.

^[5] Tang Huiyao (Institutional History of the Tang), juan 94

Tang Huiyao 94: the Ten Arrows of the Western Göktürks

十二年十二月，西突厥分爲十部，每部酋長各賜一箭，謂之十箭。

又分左右廂，左廂號五咄陸部，置五大啜；右廂號五弩失畢部，置五大俟斤，通謂之十姓部落。

至是，咥利失失衆心，爲其臣所襲，遂走焉耆，尋復得其故地。

西部遂立欲谷設爲乙毗咄陸可汙，中分其地。

In the twelfth month of the twelfth year, the Western Göktürks were divided into ten tribes. Each tribal chief was given an arrow, and they were called the Ten Arrows.

They were further divided into a left and a right wing. The left wing was called the five Duolu tribes and had five great chur. The right wing was called the five Nushibi tribes and had five great irkin. Together they were called the tribes of the Ten Surnames.

By then Xielishi had lost the hearts of his people. One of his ministers attacked him, and he fled to Yanqi, but soon regained his old land.

The western part then set up Yugu Shad as Yibi Duolu Khan, and the land was divided between them.

^[5] Tang Huiyao (Institutional History of the Tang), juan 94

Tang Huiyao 94: Shegui and Tong Yabgu among the Western Göktürks

西突厥曷娑那可汗入朝於隋，留之，國人立其叔父射匱可汗。

射匱者，達頭之孫。

旣立，拓地東至金山，西至海，遂與北突厥爲敵，建庭於龜茲北三彌山。

射匱卒，弟統葉護可汗立，勇而有謀，北幷鐵勒，控弦十萬，據烏孫故地。

又移庭於石國北千泉，

西域諸國皆臣之，統葉護各遣其吐屯監督征賦。

Heshana Khan of the Western Göktürks went to court in the Sui and was kept there, and the people set up his paternal uncle Shegui Khan.

Shegui was a grandson of Datou.

Once he was on the throne, he widened his land east to the Golden Mountain and west to the sea, and so became an enemy of the Northern Göktürks. He set up his court on Mount Sanmi, north of Qiuci.

When Shegui died, his younger brother Tong Yabgu Khan came to the throne. He was brave and shrewd. In the north he annexed the Tiele, he commanded a hundred thousand archers, and he held the old land of the Wusun.

He then moved his court to Qianquan, north of the state of Shi.

All the states of the Western Regions became his subjects, and Tong Yabgu sent a tudun to each of them to oversee the levy of tribute.

^[5] Tang Huiyao (Institutional History of the Tang), juan 94

Tang Huiyao 98: the Uyghurs, once subject to the Göktürks, take their land

迴紇在薛延陀北境，居近娑陵水，去京師六千九百里。

勝兵五萬，口十萬。

先屬於突厥。

天寶初，迴紇葉護逸標苾襲滅突厥小殺之孫烏蘇米施可汗。

未幾，自立爲九姓可汗。

由是至今兼九姓之號，因而南徙，居突厥舊地，依烏德健山、嗢昆河居焉。

The Huihe, the Uyghurs, lived on the northern border of the Xueyantuo, near the Suoling river, 6,900 li from the capital.

They had fifty thousand soldiers and a hundred thousand people.

Earlier they had been subject to the Göktürks.

At the beginning of the Tianbao era, the Huihe yabgu Yibiaobi attacked and destroyed Wusumishi Khan, the grandson of the Göktürk Xiaosha.

Before long he set himself up as Khan of the Nine Surnames.

Since then they have held the title of the Nine Surnames as well. They moved south and settled on the old land of the Göktürks, by Mount Wudejian and the Wenkun river.

^[1] Tang Huiyao (Institutional History of the Tang), juan 98