In 14 1 year BC, Liu Che, the great grandson of Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty, and the tenth son of Liu Qi, the Emperor of the Han Dynasty, became king at the age of 16. At this time, the Han empire has been running for 64 years, and the supreme ruler of the empire eradicated the king with different surnames, put down the rebellion of Wang with Liu surnames, and further strengthened centralization. Economically, the country is strong and full of vitality, but its military and diplomatic weakness has made this country harassed and suppressed by the Xiongnu Dynasty in the north for decades. From the day he ascended the throne, young Liu Che made ambitious plans on how to govern his country.
Xiongnu has always been a nightmare for countries in East Asia. They used to be the most powerful and huge nomadic tribe on the Asian continent and became a terrible force between the East and the West. This is a tribe formed by the gradual evolution and integration of many nomadic peoples, and its birthplace is in Hetao area and Yinshan area of Inner Mongolia today. Since the pre-Qin era, they have rushed out of the Mongolian plateau in batches and plundered the stable and rich agricultural countries unscrupulously. At the end of the Qin Dynasty and the beginning of the Han Dynasty, taking advantage of the chaotic situation in the Central Plains, the outstanding military commander of the Xiongnu took the initiative to kill his father, expelled the surrounding ethnic groups such as Donghu and Yueshi, unified the desert and established a huge Xiongnu dynasty. This dynasty stands on the plateau desert overlooking the hinterland of East Asia. They are the most powerful enemies of the Han Empire.
In 20 1 year BC, a tarquin man suddenly surrounded Mayi City, and then went south to disturb Taiyuan. Liu Bang, the Emperor Gaozu who had just unified the whole country, personally led an army to rescue him, but he was trapped in Deng Bai for seven days and seven nights in the ice and snow. Although the loyal ministers in the army are like clouds, the "son of heaven" has been through many battles, but it was almost completely annihilated. The siege of Deng Bai was the first stop of the official confrontation between Han and Hungary, but it ended in such a fiasco. This was unexpected by Emperor Gaozu Liu Bang, which unified the lofty sentiments of the whole country and turned it into the sadness of the hero's dying. In order to recuperate, Liu Bang was forced to adopt a humiliating pro-DPRK policy, and at the same time, he constantly gave the Xiongnu a lot of living materials every year. However, the threat of Xiongnu to the Han empire has not decreased, and the helpless humiliation has lasted for five emperors. Young Liu Che is determined to change all this.
Shortly after Liu Che ascended the throne, a Xiongnu officer was captured by the border troops of the Han Dynasty. Through the interrogation of the officer, Liu Che got such a message. At that time, the situation in Hexi Corridor was chaotic and was controlled by nomadic tribes of all sizes. Among them, the Yue tribe and the Wusun tribe are two larger tribes. The Yueshi tribe drove away the Wusun people, and the Xiongnu Khan killed the Yueshi leader after entering the Hexi Corridor. The New Moon King was eager to avenge the Xiongnu's father's murder, but he was unable to do so, so the Moon people had to move westward. However, Liu Che thinks this is an excellent opportunity. If we can unite the Vietnamese in the western regions and form a joint attack in the east and west, we will certainly defeat the Huns. Unfortunately, under the young Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, almost all the advisers and warriors knew nothing about the distant western regions, but they knew that there was a Hexi corridor to the west across the Yellow River. A strategic idea that can alleviate the threat of Xiongnu in the north was put on the agenda of the Han Empire. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty decided to openly recruit people who were willing to take risks and went to the western regions to find the Yue tribe through the Hexi Corridor, and persuaded them to attack the Xiongnu with the Han Empire. Hexi Corridor was the only traffic artery leading from the Central Plains to the Western Regions at that time. It was controlled by the Huns' evil king and the King of Earth-repairing, and the Yue family's whereabouts were unknown after they moved westward. What is even more worrying is that people who go to the western regions may be killed by the Huns.
But there are still brave people who stand out. His name is zhangqian, 27 years old, from Chenggu, Shaanxi. Zhang Qian was elected as filial piety after the prosecution system was started by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. He just became a squire of the imperial court, that is, the imperial bodyguard of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and an apprentice in the administrative affairs of the imperial court. Zhang Qian thinks this is a good opportunity to make contributions to the western regions, and it is also a matter of great significance to the Central Plains. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very happy. He not only personally selected a samurai to accompany Zhang Qian, but also asked a obedient Xiongnu father to act as a guide and interpreter for Zhang Qian. Before he left, Liu Che, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, met Zhang Qian in Ganquan Palace, and asked an unknown person to undertake such an important task. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was generous and uncertain.
When the Zhang Qian delegation walked out of the lush forest at the border ferry and came to the vast Gobi in the Hexi Corridor, they were 0/000 km away from the imperial capital Chang 'an/KLOC. For Zhang Qian and his mission who have lived in the rich Hanzhong Plain for a long time, although they have made full preparations for the difficulties and obstacles in crossing this passage, with the deepening of the Hexi Corridor, they still feel the pressure of the natural environment. Gobi is hard and yellow sand is long. The sun is like fire. When you go away, you can only see an oasis and scattered people, and then the desert and Gobi. Sandstorm is overwhelming, and danger is everywhere. If you want to find the Yue tribe, you can only venture through this passage closely controlled by the Huns. The opposition between the powerful Xiongnu dynasty and the Central Plains dynasty has lasted for hundreds of years. If you unfortunately hit the Xiongnu soldiers, the consequences will be unimaginable. On a calm afternoon, on the hot Gobi Desert, wild tarquin rushed forward with a roar. There is no suspense. Zhang Qian and his mission were captured. During the long journey of being escorted, they were terrified, hungry and thirsty, and their physical strength was seriously overdrawn. People keep falling. They were escorted to Wang Ting, the Hun near Hohhot today, and met Attila Khan, the minister of war at that time. When Minister of Military Affairs Khan learned that the Zhang Qian Mission was going to the Yue tribe, he said to Zhang Qian sullenly, Yue is in our north. How can you Han people cross our territory without authorization? Do you agree if we go to the south through your country? Zhang Qian knew he was indefensible and had nothing to say. There is no doubt that waiting for their ending will be run against luck.
In May 135 BC, the powerful Dou Taihou died. Liu Che was 22 years old this year, and Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions for three years, and there was no news. At this time, Zhang Qian was still trapped in the Xiongnu camp. Three years ago, when he was caught by the Huns in the Hexi Corridor, he was ready, but he died before he could conquer, but the Huns didn't kill the prisoners. They hope to get more information about the Han Dynasty from Zhang Qian and try to persuade him and his mission to serve the Huns. Zhang Qian refused. His uncooperative and uncompromising behavior led to his long-term loss of freedom and house arrest by Xiongnu soldiers, but it also provided him with close distance. In the Xiongnu camp, Zhang Qian found that this nation had a less strict military organization, but they had more advanced and aggressive military equipment and tactics at that time, especially their cavalry. Horses play a dual role in the life of Huns. They are used as vehicles in peacetime and war horses in wartime. Tarquin did not rely on shields to protect himself like soldiers in the Central Plains, but changed into lighter and stronger armor, which was both flexible and more flexible in battle. Zhang Qian, who seemed obedient, made the Huns feel that his strategy was effective, so he gradually relaxed his vigilance and control over Zhang Qian. This may also be because of Zhang Qian's personality and personality. According to Sima Qian's description in Historical Records, Zhang Qian was "strong, tolerant and loved by barbarians", but the Huns did not give up disintegrating the feelings of this official from the Central Plains Dynasty. Through Khan's matchmaking, Zhang Qian married a kind Hun woman. This is the only bright color in Zhang Qian's dull Gobi life. Although their emotional stories are not recorded in all historical books, we still believe that after two thousand years, perhaps it was this love that gave Zhang Qian the courage and confidence to persevere. With the passage of time, Zhang Qian, who had been stranded in Xiongnu army account for a long time, learned more and more about Qilian Mountain and Hexi Corridor.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty once again woke up from a nightmare. He often dreamed of the Western Regions and Xiongnu and fought bloody battles. He tried to break through the encirclement, but there was no hope. It was the spring of 133 BC, the fifth year of Zhang Qian's mission to the western regions. Emperor Wu lost patience and decided not to wait for the news of Zhang Qian's mission. He called the ministers to discuss how to deal with the Huns. In the past five years, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has been determined to reform, greatly reduced the number of vassals, and consolidated the political and economic strength of the central government. Militarily, he severely urged local administrative officials to extensively collect and reserve good horses, and selected a group of young officers such as Wei Qing and Gong Sun Ao for military training. Liu Che, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, has made up his mind that either Zhang Qian has not been heard from, or in the case of isolation, he will also start to fight back against the Huns. In this discussion, the ministers of civil and military affairs of the Han Empire unanimously agreed to stop implementing the defense strategy pursued by the former emperors and fight back against the Huns. Liu Che, the Emperor Gaozu of Han Dynasty, planned to lead 300,000 troops, with the pro-marriage as bait, to encircle the Xiongnu army that came to greet the pro-marriage in Mayi. Although this military action, known as "Mayi's plan", was forced to stop because of the news leakage, the Han Empire started the strategic counterattack against Xiongnu. Liu Che, a young and ambitious emperor, will quickly bring the Han Empire into a new era, expand its territory and exert influence on the world.
Four years later, in 129 BC, the Huns attacked the northern part of the Han empire again, and Emperor Wudi decided to send four armies to fight back against the Huns. This was the first comprehensive counterattack of the Han Empire in the face of harassment by Xiongnu, but the result was that the four-way army was in vain and two roads were damaged. Only a chariot general led by Wei Qing unexpectedly went deep into danger and headed for the Xiongnu Holy Land. However, the failure of the other three armies made Emperor Wudi lost in thought, and the lack of understanding and necessary information about Xiongnu became a more urgent problem. Nine years ago, when he sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions, he was full of expectations. At this point, I don't know if Zhang Qian is still alive.
Time flies. In a blink of an eye, Zhang Qian has lived under the supervision of Xiongnu for nine years. Nine years is enough to erase a person's ambition. Only a careful Hun wife will find that Zhang Qian occasionally looks around. It must be Chang 'an, his yearning for his hometown and the mission entrusted to him by the Han Empire. On an ordinary day, Zhang Qian went out hunting with his entourage, namely Tang Yi's father, as usual, but his Xiongnu wife still noticed something strange. She knew that when she went there, her Han husband would never look back. Zhang Qian and Tang Yi's father passed through the Huns' checkpoint, and running all the way wore a khufu, but he didn't want to go back to Chang 'an, but chose to continue westward to complete the mission entrusted to him by the Han Empire.
At this time, under the attack of Xiongnu, the Yue people had already split into two branches. Most of them chose to move west. They left their homes and moved to the Amu Darya River Basin in Central Asia. They are called Dayue people, while a few stay in Nanshan area of Dunhuang and mix with Qiang people, so they are called Xiaoyue people. Zhang Qian, knowing the news, resolutely turned to the southwest and continued to look for her family. They entered Yanqi and then returned to the west of Tarim River, passing Kuqa and Shule. This is a difficult trek, sparsely populated along the way, lack of water, Zhang Qian, they live in the wind and sleep, ready to suffer. Taklimakan is the second largest desert in the world. Two thousand years ago, Zhang Qian and his entourage, the father of Tang Yi, crossed to the Western Regions from here. In the vast desert, sometimes sand and stones fly, and sometimes heat waves surge. Today, we still can't imagine how Zhang Qian crossed the desert, crossed the Pamirs and came to Da Yue, which is equivalent to walking from Inner Mongolia today to Uzbekistan in Central Asia.
Wang Yueshi was particularly surprised and admired when he saw this Han Chinese from the remote Central Plains, but he was not interested in the proposal of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to jointly attack the Huns. He told Zhang Qian that the land here is fertile, and the Yue tribe has gradually transitioned from nomadic life to settlement and development of agricultural production, and has no intention of returning to the East. Zhang Qian stayed in Yueshi for more than a year, but repeatedly invited Wang Yueshi to get a clear answer. Although he felt a little disappointed, he was still happy for your arrival in his heart. He traveled all over the western regions, such as Dawan, Kangju, Da Yue and Daxia, and traveled all over Tianshan, Central Asia and West Asia, and got a deep understanding of the western regions. People's customs, vegetation and animal husbandry here are different from those in the Central Plains, and there is an excellent horse breed called Khan BMW, which is tall and handsome and is by no means seen in the Central Plains. If we can get through the Hexi Corridor, which is the throat of the Han Empire and the Western Regions, the trade between the Central Plains and the Western Regions will be unimpeded and the vision of the Han Empire will be broader. With this idea, Zhang Qian decided to return to Chang 'an as soon as possible.
In order to avoid the Xiongnu-controlled area, Zhang Qian decided to change his route and pass through the Qiang area in Qinghai to avoid being intercepted by Xiongnu. They crossed the Pamirs again, along the northern foot of Kunlun Mountain, passed through shache in Khotan, which is today's Hotan, and returned to Chang 'an in a roundabout way. Surprisingly, at this time, the Qiang people also became vassals of the Huns. Zhang Qian was unlucky to be captured by tarquin again. This time, Zhang Qian thought he would die. Surprisingly, the Xiongnu leader once again forgave the fleeing Han emissary. In the Xiongnu camp, Zhang Qian went through many twists and turns and returned to his wife, the kind Xiongnu woman.
In the spring of 126 BC, the Xiongnu army minister Khan died of illness. Zhang Qian seized the opportunity and fled again. This time, the Xiongnu wife followed him on a trip to the East without hesitation. From the day he left Ganquan Palace, a man who had disappeared for 13 years and was almost forgotten by time suddenly came back alive. The man couldn't kneel down when he saw the majestic Chang 'an again. 13 years of hardships, he cares about Chang' an day and night, and the mission entrusted to him by the Han Empire.
Zhang Qian's magical return from the distant western regions caused a sensation in Beijing. At this time, he has changed from an aggressive young man to a middle-aged man who is not confused and weather-beaten. The only missions sent in those years were him, his father, the wife of Xiongnu, the map of the western regions he brought back, the plant seeds he had never seen before and his eternal dream. Zhang Qian made a detailed report to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and other ministers.
? The ups and downs of Zhang Qian in 13 were undoubtedly an exciting geographical discovery for the Han Empire. The explorer's unique experience and some exotic anecdotes immediately aroused the strong interest of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, and were included in Historical Records of Dawan Biography by historian Sima Qian, which became the most valuable information for future generations to understand the western regions. Sima Qian praised Zhang Qian's feat of communicating with the western regions as "hollowing out", which was by no means a lie. What Zhang Qian saw and heard opened the eyes of the Han Empire in East Asia. Their eyes can already cross the towering mountains, cross the Hexi Corridor and see the Western Regions, Central Asia, South Asia and the Roman Empire. Everything is so real and exciting.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty named Zhang Qian as a doctor in Taizhong and gave Tang Yi the title of "envoy". The Hun wife who followed Zhang Qian is rarely mentioned in the history books. All we know is that she died of illness a year later. During the long and arduous journey to the western regions, Zhang Qian was no longer lonely because of this woman. Two thousand years later, people have more reason to believe this.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very satisfied with the achievements of Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, which would be the basis for the subsequent military and diplomatic offensive launched by the Han Empire in the Western Regions, and also strengthened the confidence of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in defeating the Xiongnu. This valuable information makes the decisive battle between Han Empire and Xiongnu no longer blind revenge. Although it is still too early to say the outcome, it has become the national strategy of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty to break through the Hexi Corridor and cut off the Xiongnu right wing, making it a part of the empire forever.
Three years later, Wei Qing, who had been promoted to general from February to April in BC 123, led the Sixth Route Army to attack the Huns twice. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty ordered Zhang Qian to follow Wei Qing to attack Mobei with the rank of a captain. Zhang Qian used his familiarity with the characteristics of the Xiongnu army, his experience in marching in the desert and his rich geographical knowledge to guide the Han army, pointing out the marching route and camping plan. Sima Qian wrote in Historical Records that Zhang Qian's "knowledge of aquatic plants and numerous soldiers" ensured the victory of the campaign. After the war, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty named Zhang Qian "Wang Bohou", which means "Wang Bo". Zhang Qian completed his historical mission, so the world remembered this indomitable pathfinder.
? When Zhang Qian looks back on his magnificent years, I believe he won't regret it. In order to accomplish the mission of the Han empire, he made great contributions to the conquest of Hexi Corridor by the Han empire with perseverance, which made his life full of legend and glory and made him famous in history.