Tanshihuai
| Tanshihuai | |||||||||
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| Chinese | 檀石槐 | ||||||||
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Tanshihuai (136–181) was a Xianbei chieftain who lived during the late Eastern Han dynasty period of China. It was under Tanshihuai when the Xianbei became a unified polity and posed a constant threat to the Han dynasty's northern borders for many years. After his death, however, his state quickly fell apart as his grandsons failed to maintain the support of the tribes.
Life
[edit]Early life and rise
[edit]Tanshihuai's mother was the wife of a man named Touluhou (投鹿侯). While Touluhou was serving in the Xiongnu army for three years, his wife gave birth to him at home. When he returned, Touluhou believed Tanshihuai to be the product of an affair and wanted to kill him before his wife intervened. She claimed that while she was out in the day, she had heard the sound of a thunderstorm. When she looked up, a piece of hail fell into her mouth, and she became pregnant with Tanshihuai after she swallowed it. Although Touluhou did not believe her, he decided not to kill him, only forcing her to send him away. The wife secretly gave Tanshihuai to her parents for them to raise.[1]
As Tanshihuai was growing up, he was described as brave, strong and resourceful. At the age of 14 or 15, a leader from a different tribe robbed his grandfather's cattles and horses. On horseback, Tanshihuai chased them down and recovered all the stolen animals, which made him renown among his people. As an adult, his laws and judgements were fair, and his followers did not object to them, so he was elected to be the main leader of his tribe. He moved his base to Mount Danhan (彈汗山; in present-day Shangdu County, Inner Mongolia), where he built a court on the banks of the Jieqiu River (歠仇水).[2]
Tanshihuai's soldiers and horses were strong, and many of the tribes in the east and west submitted to him. He conducted raids on the Han dynasty's borders and blocked the Dingling's encroachment from the north. He also repelled Buyeo's attacks from the east and attacked the Wusun in the west. His territory was comparable to the former Xiongnu empire, covering more than 14,000 li from east to west and 7,000 li from north to south including mountains, rivers, swamps and salt lakes.[3]
War with the Han dynasty
[edit]In 156, Tanshihuai led around three to four thousand cavalry to invade the Han dynasty's Yunzhong County. He led more attacks on the Han's northern borders in 158, 159 and 163. In 166, the Xianbei allied with the Southern Xiongnu and Wuhuan to attack nine border commanderies, plundering them and killing many of the local officials and people. The Han sent the general, Zhang Huan, to attack them, and the Xianbei withdrew from the border fortresses. Fearing their inability to restrain him, the Han sent their envoys with official seals and ribbons to Tanshihuai, offering him the title of King in hopes of reaching a peace agreement. However, Tanshihuai rejected them and only intensified his intrusion.[4]
Tanshihuai divided his domain into three sections; from Youbeiping to the east up to Liaodong, encompassing over twenty cities including the Buyeo and Yemaek tribes, formed the eastern part. From Youbeiping to the west up to Shanggu, including over ten cities, formed the central part. From Shanggu to the west up to Dunhuang and the Wusun, including over twenty cities, formed the western part. Each section was governed by a chieftain appointed by Tanshihuai, who swore fealty to him.[5]
During the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, the Xianbei attacked the border commanderies of You, Bing and Liang provinces, leaving countless dead and devastating the regions. In 177, the Han launched a counterattack on the Xianbei. They sent the generals Xia Yu, Tian Yan and Zang Min, along with the Southern Xiongnu chanyu, Tute Ruoshi Zhujiu to venture beyond the Great Wall. The Han army marched over 2,000 li before facing Tanshihuai in battle and were heavily defeated. Only one-tenth of the Han army returned safely, and later that winter, the Xianbei raided Liaoxi.[6]
In 178, the Xianbei raided Jiuquan Commandery. At the time, the Xianbei population had grown to the point that farming, herding and hunting alone could not longer sustain them. Therefore, Tanshihuai went to the Wuhouqin River (烏侯秦水; modern-day Laoha River, Liaoning) to promote fishing, but initially had no success. Hearing that the Han people (汗人, not to be confused with 漢人 Han people) were excellent fishers, he led his cavalry to attack them in the east and captured thousands of them. He relocated them to live along the Wuhouqin River to fish for the Xianbei and alleviate their food shortage. While the earlier Records of the Three Kingdoms refer to these captured people as "Han people", the later Book of the Later Han refer to them as "Wa people" (倭人), with "Wa" being an old term for Japan.[7][8] K. H. J. Gardiner and Rafe de Crespigny reason that it is feasible that "Han people" refers to the people of Panhan county (番汗縣) in Liaodong Commandery, which was well within Tanshihuai's area of influence, and the far-fetched suggestion that Tanshihuai invaded Japan by sea could hardly be considered when the Xianbei at the time could not effectively fish for themselves.[9]
Death and descendants
[edit]Tanshihuai died at the age of 45 in 181 and was succeeded by his son, Helian, signifying an attempt at shifting away from the elective-based system of succession to a hereditary system. However, in the coming decades, the vast state that Tanshihuai had built would quickly fall apart.[10] Around 189, Helian was killed during a raid on Han, and the chieftains acclaimed his nephew, Kuitou as his successor since his son, Qianman, was too young at the time. Once Qianman became of age, however, he challenged Kuitou's succession and caused many of the Xianbei chieftains to break away. Following Kuitou's death, his domain was divided between his brothers, Budugen and Fuluohan, but by 233, they were both killed by a rival chieftain, Kebineng. That same year, Fuluohan's son, Xieguini, surrendered to the Cao Wei dynasty and was resettled in Bing province, though what became of him afterwards is unknown.
References
[edit]- ^ (桓帝時，鮮卑檀石槐者，其父投鹿侯、初從匈奴軍三年，其妻在家生子。投鹿侯歸，怪欲殺之。妻言嘗晝行聞雷震，仰天視而雹入其口，因吞之，遂妊身，十月而產，此子必有奇異，且宜長視。投鹿侯不聽，遂棄之。妻私語家令收養焉，名檀石槐。) Hou Hanshu, vol.90
- ^ (年十四五，勇健有智略。異部大人抄取其外家牛羊，檀石槐單騎追擊之，所向無前，悉還得所亡者，由是部落畏服。乃施法禁，平曲直，無敢犯者，遂推以為大人。檀石槐乃立庭於彈汗山歠仇水上，〔一〕去高柳北三百餘里，兵馬甚盛，東西部大人皆歸焉。) Hou Hanshu, vol.90
- ^ (因南抄緣邊，北拒丁零，東卻夫餘，西擊烏孫，盡據匈奴故地，東西萬四千餘里，南北七千餘里，網羅山川水澤鹽池。) Hou Hanshui, vol.90
- ^ (永壽二年秋，檀石槐遂將三四千騎寇雲中。延熹元年，鮮卑寇北邊。冬，使匈奴中郎將張奐率南單于出塞擊之，斬首二百級。二年，復入鴈門，殺數百人，大抄掠而去。六年夏，千餘騎寇遼東屬國。九年夏，遂分騎數萬人入緣邊九郡，並殺掠吏人，於是復遣張奐擊之，鮮卑乃出塞去。朝廷積患之，而不能制，遂遣使持印綬封檀石槐為王，欲與和親。檀石槐不肯受，而寇抄滋甚。) Hou Hanshu, vol.90
- ^ (乃自分其地為三部，從右北平以東至遼東，接夫餘、濊貊二十餘邑為東部，從右北平以西至上谷十餘邑為中部，從上谷以西至敦煌、烏孫二十餘邑為西部，各置大人主領之，皆屬檀石槐。) Hou Hanshu, vol.90
- ^ (靈帝立，幽、并、涼三州緣邊諸郡無歲不被鮮卑寇抄，殺略不可勝數。熹平三年冬，鮮卑入北地，太守夏育率休著屠各追擊破之。遷育為護烏桓校尉。五年，鮮卑寇幽州。六年夏，鮮卑寇三邊...遂遣夏育出高柳，田晏出雲中，匈奴中郎將臧旻率南單于出鴈門，各將萬騎，三道出塞二千餘里。檀石槐命三部大人各帥眾逆戰，育等大敗，喪其節傳輜重，各將數十騎奔還，死者十七八。三將檻車徵下獄，贖為庶人。冬，鮮卑寇遼西。) Hou Hanshu, vol.90
- ^ (後檀石槐乃案行烏侯秦水，廣袤數百里，停不流，中有魚而不能得。聞汗人善捕魚，於是檀石槐東擊汗國，得千餘家，徙置烏侯秦水上，使捕魚以助糧。至于今，烏侯秦水上有汗人數百戶。) Sanguozhi, vol.30
- ^ (光和元年冬，又寇酒泉，緣邊莫不被毒。種眾日多，田畜射獵不足給食，檀石槐乃自徇行，見烏侯秦水廣從數百里，水停不流，〔二〕其中有魚，不能得之。聞倭人善網捕，於是東擊倭人國，得千餘家，徙置秦水上，令捕魚以助糧食。) Hou Hanshu, vol.90
- ^ Gardiner, K. H. J.; de Crespigny, R. R. C. (March 1977). "T'an-shih-huai and the Hsien-pei tribes of the second century A.D." Papers on Far Eastern History. 15: 21 note 41. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ (光和中，檀石槐死，時年四十五，子和連代立。) Hou Hanshu, vol.90
- Chen, Shou (3rd century). Records of the Three Kingdoms (Sanguozhi).
- Fan, Ye (5th century). Book of the Later Han (Hou Hanshu).