Zhang Qian's Silk Road Story

In the second year of Jianyuan (BC 139), Zhang Qian was ordered to lead more than 100 people from Longxi (now Lintao, Gansu). A obedient "Ren Hu" and Tang Yi's servant Tang Yi's father volunteered to be Zhang Qian's guide and translator. They entered the Hexi Corridor to the west. Since the Vietnamese moved westward, this area has been completely controlled by the Huns. When Zhang Qian and his party hurried through the Hexi Corridor, they were unfortunately captured by tarkan. Xiongnu Right King will immediately escort Zhang Qian and others to Xiongnu Wang Ting (now near Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) to meet the then military minister Shan Yu (the son of Lao Shan Yu).

After learning that Zhang Qian was going to send Yue Jia, the military minister Khan said to Zhang Qian, "Yue Jia is in my north, so why can Han go?" Will Han listen to me if I want to turn over a new leaf? "That is to say, from the standpoint of the Huns, in any case, the envoys of the Han people are not allowed to go to Yueshi through the Huns. Just as the Han Dynasty won't let Xiongnu emissaries cross the Han area and go to the southern state of Yue. Zhang Qian and his party were detained and placed under house arrest.

Xiongnu Khan used all kinds of threats and inducements to soften and win over Zhang Qian and give up the idea of going to Ren Yue. He also married a Hun woman to Zhang Qian and gave birth to a child. But none of them achieved their goal. He "does not disgrace your life" and "sticks to the Han Festival without losing". In other words, I have never forgotten the sacred mission entrusted to me by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and I have never wavered in my will and determination to be the Vietnamese envoy to the Han Dynasty. Zhang Qian and others lived in Xiongnu for ten years.

In the sixth year of Yuanguang (BC 129), the enemy's surveillance gradually relaxed. One day, while the Huns were unprepared, Zhang Qian decisively left his wife and children and led his entourage to escape from Wang Ting, the Huns.

This escape is very dangerous and difficult. Fortunately, Zhang Qian and others lived in Xiongnu for ten years, learned the road of the western regions in detail, and learned the language of Xiongnu. They put on Hu clothes, and it is difficult for the Huns to catch them. So they successfully passed through the Xiongnu's control area.

However, during his stay in Xiongnu, the situation in the western regions changed. Wu Sun, the enemy of Ren Yue, with the support and instigation of Xiongnu, attacked Ren Yue to the west. The Vietnamese were forced to move westward from the Ili River basin, enter the Guishui area near the Aral Sea, conquer the summer and build another home on a new land. Zhang Qian is probably aware of this situation. Instead of heading for the Ili River basin in the northwest, they turned southwest, entered Yanqi, then turned back to the west of Tarim River, crossed Kuqa, Shule and other places, crossed the green ridge and reached Dawan (now Fergana Valley in the Soviet Union). After trudging on the road for dozens of days.

This is an extremely hard March. On the big Gobi, flying sand and stones, heat waves rolling; The green ridge is as high as the roof, covered with ice and snow, and the wind is biting. There are few people along the way and water resources are scarce. Plus, I fled in a hurry and the materials were not prepared enough. Zhang Qian and his party camped and prepared for hardships. When our dry food runs out, we rely on Tangyi to shoot animals to satisfy our hunger. Many followers died of hunger and thirst on the way, or died in the yellow sand ice cave, giving their lives.

After Zhang Qian arrived in Dawan, he explained his trip to Ren Yue and his experiences along the way to Dawan King. He hoped Dayuan could send someone to see him off, and said that if he could return to the Han Dynasty in the future, he must make a clear name and give him a lot of property and rewards. King Dawan had long heard about the wealth of the Eastern Han Dynasty and wanted to communicate with the Han Dynasty, but he was blocked by the Huns and failed to achieve it. Han's unexpected arrival made him very happy. Zhang Qian, more let him tempted. So he readily agreed to Zhang Qian's request. After a warm reception, he sent a guide and translator to send Zhang Qian and others to live in Comfortable (now Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the Soviet Union). King Kangju sent someone to send them to Da Yue.

Unexpectedly, at this time, because the new land is very fertile, rich in products, and far away from the Huns and Wusun, the danger of foreign enemies is greatly reduced and the attitude has changed. When Zhang Qian suggested to them, they didn't mean to take revenge on the Huns. In addition, they thought that the Han Dynasty was too far away from the Yue people, so if they jointly attacked the Huns, it would be difficult to help them in case of danger. Zhang Qian and others stayed in Ren Yue for more than a year, but failed to persuade Ren Yue to form an alliance with the Han Dynasty and attack the Huns. During this period, Zhang Qian crossed the Guishui River and went south to Shilan City (now Khan Wazirabad) in summer. In the first year of yuanshuo (BC 128), he set off for home.

On his way home, Zhang Qian changed his marching route to avoid the Xiongnu-controlled area. It is planned to pass through the Qiang area in Qinghai to avoid the resistance of Xiongnu. So after crossing the Green Ridge again, they did not follow the "North Road" in the north of Tarim Basin, but turned to the "South Road" in the south of Tarim Basin and walked along the northern foot of Kunlun Mountain. Starting from shache, it passed through Khotan (now Hotan) and Shanshan (now Ruoqiang) and entered the Qiang area. But what I didn't expect was that the Qiang people became vassals of the Huns, and Zhang Qian and others were captured by tarquin again and held for more than a year.

At the beginning of the third year of Yuan Shuo (BC 126), Minister of Military Affairs Khan died, his brother Zuo Wang became Khan himself, and the prince who attacked Minister of Military Affairs Khan was Khan. Khan failed to escape from Korea. Zhang Qian fled back to Chang 'an with his wife and father while the Huns were in civil strife. This is Zhang Qian's first trip to the Western Regions. From the second year of Jianyuan (BC 139) to the third year of Yuanshuo (BC 126), thirteen years. There were more than 100 people when we set out, and only zhangqian and Tang Yi's father were left when we came back. What a high price to pay!

Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions was not completed in terms of scheduled tasks. Because he failed to achieve the goal of forming an alliance with the big moon family to attack the Huns. For example, in terms of its practical influence and historical role, it is undoubtedly a great success. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, Rong Di has lived in the north of Jingwei River. To the north of Qin Shihuang, the Great Wall was built to protect the Central Plains, but its western boundary is only the vast western regions outside Lintao and Yumen, which is still beyond our political and cultural potential. Zhang Qian's first mission to the Western Regions made China's influence reach the east and west sides of the Green Ridge. Since then, not only the links between Xinjiang and the mainland have been strengthened, but also the direct links between China and Central Asia, West Asia and even Southern Europe have been established and strengthened. It was in Zhang Qian's footsteps that later generations walked out of the world-famous "Silk Road". Zhang Qian's contribution to hollowing out should be fully affirmed.

Zhang Qian's first trip to the western regions was not only an extremely difficult diplomatic trip, but also a fruitful scientific investigation. Zhang Qian made a field trip to the vast western region for the first time. He not only personally traveled to the small country of Xinjiang and the countries of Dawan, Kangju, Da Yue and Daxia in Central Asia, but also got a preliminary understanding of Wusun (south of Balkhash Lake, Ili River Basin), Chae Yeon (north of Caspian Sea and Aral Sea), rest in peace (Persia, now Iran), governance (also known as Dashi, now Iraq) and body poison (also known as Tianzhu) after returning to Chang 'an. The basic content of this report was preserved by Sima Qian in Historical Records and Biography of Dawan. This is the first and most accurate record of these areas in China and the world. Up to now, studying the paleogeography and history of the above-mentioned regions and countries is still the most precious information in the world.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty was very satisfied with Zhang Qian's achievements in his missions to the Western Regions. He specially named Zhang Qian as the doctor of the Imperial Cure House, and awarded Tang Yi's father as the "envoy" in recognition of their achievements.