Chapter 28: The Turkic Khaganate

"Are you interested in the daughters of the Hulü clan? Which one, the elder or the younger?" Gao Yang asked casually.

Gao Yin did not reply, so Gao Yang teased him, "Not speaking? Could it be that you’ve taken a liking to their father?"

Unexpectedly, Gao Yin nodded.

"Hmph, I knew it!"

Gao Yang was deeply dissatisfied. Only then did Gao Yin speak, "Father Emperor, are you unwilling for me to draw close to them?"

"Of course not. But using them is like feeding a tiger; if you aren't careful, you will be devoured by them."

It was not that Gao Yang was completely unwilling, but for a young child to grow close to men like them was akin to skinning a tiger for its hide. If he were ever sidelined, the Qi state would change hands in an instant; the precedents of Wang Mang and Cao Cao were still fresh in his memory.

Moreover, he had long been committed to curbing the influence of the Xianbei nobility. It was fine for them to enjoy their wealth, but they must not continue to monopolize power.

The root of this lay in the strategic roadmap for the future of the Qi state. As the chief architect of the Qi hegemony, Gao Yang understood all too well the predicament the state faced. Although he despised that old man Du Bi, Du Bi was right: "The Xianbei are but transient guests on horseback; one must eventually employ the Chinese." The number of Han people far exceeded that of the Xianbei, and to secure the throne, he had to have a Han military force loyal only to him.

The Xianbei stood high above, keeping the Han people suppressed. Occasionally, a few Han individuals managed to squeeze in, only to be quickly pushed out. Gao Yang had once attempted to build a Han army exclusively for himself. To this end, he had divided the Qi military districts into three: Jinyang, the Capital, and Jianghuai. The first was the territory of the Jinyang nobility, while the second was his own power base.

For the first, he could only insert his confidants, Bai Jian and Tang Yong, to gradually increase their influence and thereby indirectly enhance his own control, while also frequently traveling to Jinyang to suppress any dissent.

The second area was composed mainly of troops from the metropolitan region, supplemented by the "Hundred Protectors" of the Xianbei—an elite force Gao Yang had personally trained from the six garrisons—to overturn the old Qi pattern of "using the West to control the East."

Defending against the Zhou army, the nomads beyond the borders, and the mountain Hu in the Lüliang Mountains relied primarily on the military strength of these two regions.

The third area, the Jianghuai region, was the stage where Gao Yang sought to elevate Han warriors. Starting in the third year of the Tianbao era, the Qi state often fought on two fronts. While Gao Yang himself campaigned north of the frontier, he made extensive use of Han personnel for the Jianghuai campaigns in the south. The proportion of Jinyang nobles in those southern expeditions dropped to only thirty percent, the lowest since the founding of the state.

However, in the Battle of Jiankang, forty-six generals including Xiao Gui were captured, and a vast number of the hundred thousand Qi soldiers drowned or were trampled to death. This directly annihilated the Jianghuai legion and even gave the Chen state the confidence to launch their later Northern Expeditions.

The most critical reason for this defeat was that the Qi army’s logistical supplies were severed. With boats and rice captured, the starving Qi army was forced to cross Mount Zhong and found itself in dire straits.

Gao Yang believed that the Xianbei must have intervened, selling out the Jianghuai legion he had so painstakingly built. The failure of the Qi state did not mean their failure; on the contrary, it was a victory. Just as the success of the Six Garrisons Mutiny had ultimately created the Great Qi, the disastrous rout of the Jianghuai legion ensured that no Han military-political force capable of challenging the Xianbei nobles would ever emerge.

Therefore, even if men like Hulü Guang could help Gao Yin secure the throne, they would never stand by and watch him train a new Han army to usurp their status; in the end, they would simply turn Gao Yin into a puppet.

Gao Yang would not allow it. He had spent ten years bitterly suppressing them; he did not do so just to let them have the last laugh.

Previously, he had been unwilling for Gao Yin to have contact with them because he felt the water was too deep and Gao Yin lacked the ability to navigate it. But now, Yin'er... it was unclear. He would wait and see.

"If you can secure the daughter of Hulü Mingyue, your position will be as stable as a mountain."

Gao Yang felt a tinge of regret that the Duan family had no suitable daughter. Had it been Duan Shao, he would have trusted it more; his own ascension to the throne had relied heavily on the support of the Duan family.

"Regarding marriage, I have an idea."

Hearing this, Gao Yang became curious. "What do you mean?"

"The Empress Mother wants me to marry my cousin, Nansheng."

Gao Yang grew irritated at the mention. In times of stability, maternal relatives might be honored due to imperial power, but now that the situation was unstable, it was the perfect time for maternal relatives to provide support. What use was an alliance with the Zhaojun Li clan?

"Are you very fond of Nansheng?"

Gao Yang's tone was cold. If that were the case, he would be deeply disappointed in Gao Yin.

Gao Yin said slowly, "It would be better to take a longer view. Since the domestic situation is turbulent, why not consider forming foreign alliances?"

Gao Yang laughed, picking up a flagon of wine to drink. "Who do you wish to ally with? The Chen state in the south? The Gaochang state in the northwest? Or that tiny Liang state in Jingzhou? Do not tell me you mean that group in the west with the surname Yuwen; even if I am your father, I would have to give you a thrashing!"

Gao Yin shook his head. "I meant, why not seek a marriage alliance with the Turks?"

Gao Yang, in the middle of drinking, suddenly froze. In an instant, a flash of inspiration struck, and it felt as if the world had widened before him.

The Turks originally lived south of the Jin Mountains, subservient to the then-powerful Rouran, serving as blacksmiths. Because the shape of the Jin Mountains resembled a helmet, and their customs referred to a helmet as "Turk," they adopted it as their name.

By the time Ashina Tumen became the chieftain, the Turks had grown strong. Yuwen Tai of Western Wei sent envoys to build ties with them. When the Tiele tribe sought to attack the Rouran, they were intercepted by Tumen, who crushed them and forced the surrender of over fifty thousand Tiele households.

Tumen felt he was now qualified to propose marriage and sought a bride from his suzerain, the Rouran. The Rouran Khagan Anagui was enraged and sent an envoy to insult Tumen, saying, "You were originally our blacksmith slave, how dare you speak such words!"

Tumen was also furious; he killed the Rouran envoy and turned to seek a marriage alliance with Western Wei. Western Wei married Princess Changle to Tumen.

In the third year of the Tianbao era, Tumen sent troops to attack the Rouran. Anagui committed suicide, and his son, Anluochen, led his tribes to surrender to the Qi state. Tumen established the Turkic Khaganate, and thus, the Turks replaced the Rouran as the new masters of the northern grasslands.

The remaining Rouran were divided into eastern and western factions. The eastern group was later defeated and again sought refuge with the Qi. Later, Anluochen led the eastern Rouran in a rebellion against Qi, only to be soundly beaten by Gao Yang. Gao Yang pursued them for over twenty li, leaving the fields littered with corpses and capturing thirty thousand soldiers, including Anluochen’s wife and children, though Anluochen himself vanished without a trace.

By the sixth year of the Tianbao era, the Turkic Khagan was Ashina Yandu, the son of Tumen, known as Mukan Khagan.

He was of striking appearance, with a face over a foot wide, extremely ruddy skin, and eyes like glazed glass. He was fierce, violent, and brave in battle, resourceful and skilled in military strategy. The western Rouran were defeated by him time and again. Having seen the fate of the eastern group that fled to Qi, the leader of the western Rouran, Deng Shuzi, had no choice but to go to Chang'an to seek refuge with Yuwen Tai of Western Wei.

Although Yuwen Tai treated them well at first, "bestowing feathered banners and drums, and six thousand bolts of colorful silk," the Turkic envoys repeatedly threatened him. After weighing the options, Yuwen Tai decided the Turks made better friends. He handed over Deng Shuzi and his three thousand followers to the Turkic envoys, who were all brutally slaughtered outside the Qing Gate of Chang'an. The Rouran Khaganate thus perished, and the survivors fled to the west.

But to say the Turks and the Zhou state were truly intimate? Not necessarily.

First, Mukan Khagan had once wanted to marry his daughter to Yuwen Tai, but Yuwen Tai committed the mistake that all men make.

He died.

Therefore, the Great Ashina marriage never came to pass.

Second, the relationship between the Qi state and the Turks was actually quite good. In fact, Gao Yang was quite familiar with the powerful northern tribes; one could say they only became friends after fighting.

In the first month of the third year of the Tianbao era, taking advantage of the frozen northern lands that were unsuitable for warfare, Gao Yang led his troops north to strike the Kumoxi. The Battle of Dai Commandery was a total victory, capturing over one hundred thousand head of livestock alone.

In the first month of the fourth year, the Mountain Hu besieged Lishi. Gao Yang led his army halfway there, and before he even arrived, the Mountain Hu fled in fear. Left without a battle to fight, Gao Yang simply toured the area and returned.

In the tenth month of the same year, the Khitan tribe invaded the northern border. Gao Yang marched north, "personally crossing the mountains, leading his soldiers from the front," "with exposed head and bare shoulders, marching day and night without rest for over a thousand li, eating only meat and drinking water, his spirit growing ever fiercer." He drove the Khitan all the way to the shores of the Bohai Sea, capturing one hundred thousand soldiers and over one hundred thousand head of livestock.

Gao Yang did not stop there. Instead, he pressed his advantage, launched a surprise attack on the Turks, chased them north of Shuozhou, and forced them to submit a letter of surrender before ceasing his campaign.

Combined with the eastern Rouran mentioned earlier, it could be said that Gao Yang had "repaired" every nomadic tribe in the north. Everyone knew the prowess of Gao Yang, and it was for this reason that he was called the "Heroic Emperor" by these foreign tribes who prided themselves on their own ferocity.

So, when asked who was strong and who was weak between the Turks, the Qi, and the Zhou—in this era, there was no doubt: Qi was strong and Zhou was weak.