Balasagun, this city has special significance to the Karakhanate, because the Karakhanate before the fall of Balasagun and the Karakhanate after the loss of Balasagun can be said to be two countries.
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The original Kara Khanate was a khanate established by Pang Teqin, who could not survive on the border of the Tang Dynasty, and fled to Anxi after the collapse of the Uighur Khanate in 840.
After Pangteqin's death, he handed over the Khanate to his two sons, Basil and Olguchak. Basil was Saktu's father, and Olguchak was the unlucky uncle who was killed by Saktu.
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At that time, Basil was stationed in Balashagon and was called Arsleng Khan, the Zheng Khan.
Olguchak was based in Talas and was called Bugra Khan and deputy khan.
But the good times did not last long, and the newly born Karakhanate encountered the Samanid Dynasty of Persia at its peak.
In 893, Emperor Mahmud of the Samanid Dynasty led an army to personally conquer the city and successively captured important cities such as Baishuihu City and Talas. Deputy Khan Orguchak fled to Shule, while Chief Khan Basil continued to hold on to Balasa.
Gon.
During this period, the political structure of the Kara Khanate changed. Due to the distance factor, the deputy khan gradually changed from a subordinate of the main khan to a national leader at the same level as the main khan. The Kara Khanate
It became a tribal khanate with dual leaders.
If the arrival of Zhang Zhao had not disturbed the historical process, the Karahanate would have continued to be divided into two countries: Western Karahan and Eastern Karahan.
The reason why such a dual-leader political structure is formed is determined by the geographical environment of Anxi and Hezhong areas.
Between Balasagon and Shule lie the Tianshan Mountains and the Pamir-Alai Mountains. Just looking at the words Tianshan and Pamir, you can imagine how difficult the terrain here is to climb.
How difficult it is to make contact.
And now, Zhang Zhao is climbing over this extremely difficult plateau snow-capped mountain, and the person who provides him with a guide is a young man from the Pei family of King Shule.
Pei Shengyuan touched his nose. He didn't like Zhang Zhao's feeling of treating him as a young man, because in fact he was a little older than Zhang Zhao. Pei Shengyuan was already twenty-one years old this year, and Zhang Zhao was no more.
Only twenty years old.
However, in terms of their status, ability and knowledge, Zhang Zhao can indeed regard him as a young man.
Because except for the champions in history, Pei Shengyuan could not imagine anyone else who could achieve such a career at this age.
Yan Jin and Ma Yaozi looked at each other. They had a deep understanding of Pei Shengyuan's feelings, because Zhang Erlangjun, who had just turned twenty, often regarded him, his twenty-six or seven-year-old subordinate, as
Young people are coming.
Uh! Who told me, Zhang Erlangjun, that my body contains a thirty-year-old soul from later generations? For these ancient people who were more than ten or twenty years younger than himself, Zhang Zhao naturally regarded them as young people.
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"Then according to what you say, Saktu should stay in Balashagon. After all, his father Basil is the Khan."
While leading the horse carefully on the muddy mountain road, Zhang Zhao did not forget to learn about Saktu's life from Pei Shengyuan.
This is also a preparation for the upcoming entry into Balasagun. After all, he is not going to capture Balasagun this time. It would be easier if he goes to capture it. It can be considered purely from a military perspective.
This time I went to Balashagon at the invitation of the Uighur noble Ye Hu and the Nestorian and Buddhist leaders in the city to discuss the surrender of Balashagon to the Khotan Kingdom, so I had to understand the political situation in the city.
"Returning to the Duke, the reason is very simple, because a few years after Talas was captured by the Persians, Balasagon was also captured by the Persians.
After his father Basil died, Saktu's mother had no choice but to take him to Shule and seek refuge with his uncle Olguchak." Pei Shengyuan replied.
So that's it. Zhang Zhao nodded, and the trajectory of Saktu's life became very clear.
This guy came into contact with the Tianfang Sect in Shule City, and then relied on the power of the Tianfang Sect to successfully rebel and killed his uncle Olguchak and his family.
After taking power, Saktu continued to accumulate strength and led his army to regain Balasagun and Talas four years ago.
"From the looks of it, Saktu can be regarded as the leader of the ZTE. Not only did he regain his old capital, he also took over the land of Bakhna that belonged to the Samanid Dynasty!"
"The Duke thinks highly of him." Zhang Zhao felt that Saktu had two tricks, but Pei Shengyuan didn't think so.
"The reason why Saktu was able to regain Balasagun and Talas was not because of his great ability. In fact, it was because the Persians forcibly implemented Tianfang Sect after they captured these two places, which caused deep conflicts between the two sects.
, if Saktu does not come, the Persian rule will not last long.
Due to the distance between them, the ancient master Titsi of Balashagon did not know that Saktu had also converted to Tianfang Sect, thinking that he was still a Buddhist believer, so he instigated a large number of followers of the three religions to revolt, opened the city gates, and released Kakha.
When Lakhan's army entered the city, Saktu took the opportunity to regain these two areas. He actually just got an advantage."
"Then I guess after Saktu regained Balasagun and Talos, the believers of the three religions in these two places knew that Saktu had also converted to Tianfang Sect, so they could only refuse to recommend Saktu as Alslen Khan
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After several years of stalemate, Saktu, who lost his patience, simply led his army to attack his old capital again." Yan Jin interjected from the side.
"This general is right, that's what it is." An envoy from Balasagon nodded in agreement at the front.
"So in order to stop this kind of thing where the tiger that just beat away the man-eating tiger comes again and harms the hungry wolf, Ye Hu from Balasagon City, the ancient Buddhist master Titexi, and the great Nestorian majesty
His Excellency De Xuanqing has sent me here to express my surrender to the Great Sage and Emperor of the Great Jin Kingdom and the Great Ming Dynasty."
While talking, everyone walked into a cave that was half buried on the mountainside. The cave was extremely wide, and you could even see traces of a large amount of grain, rice, ordnance and other materials once placed inside.
These caves are the secret that allowed Saktu to quickly withdraw his troops from Balashagon to Xia Atush.
As early as three years ago, Saktu began to build such underground warehouses on the road from Balashagon to Shule, stocking a large amount of weapons, armor, and grain in case of emergency needs.
It seems that in history, Saktu suppressed the domestic opposition forces and beat the Samanid Dynasty of Persia. At the same time, he was able to scare Li Shengtian so that the Khotan Jin Kingdom did not dare to go north to fight Shule for decades. He did have a few brushes.
of.
This extreme operation of dancing on an egg was actually performed by him. As long as he made a single mistake, Saktu would be doomed, such as when he met Zhang Zhao this time.
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Atami, also known as Lake Iksay in Kyrgyzstan in later generations, is a beautiful lake known as the Pearl of God in later generations. It is located in the Tianshan Mountains and is the deepest mountain lake in the world.
The most important cities of the Tang Dynasty here, such as Dongcheng, Helie City, Yezhi City, and the most important Tang military town, Suiye Town, one of the four towns in Anxi, were all located around Atami.
The scale of Helie City is not large. If placed in the Central Plains region, it would not be as big as a county seat in Zhongxian County.
In this city, the tallest and largest building is a temple built of white stone. There is also a white spire several feet high in the temple.
If you think this is a Buddhist temple, you are wrong. This is actually a Nestorian temple.
Nestorian Christianity, which spread to the East, is not the same as Christianity in the traditional sense.
The appearance of his temple is similar to that of Buddhism, and its teachings also absorb a large number of Buddhist and Taoist scriptures.
Even the system of gods and immortals began to change. It turned into a polytheistic religion and began to believe in Jingtong Dharma King, Tianyuan God Aloha, etc.
Okay! This is no longer just a Christian heresy, in fact it should be a new religion.
Perhaps when the Nestorians fled from Greece, it was still within the scope of Orthodoxy, but when it crossed the mountains to the east, and after hundreds of years of changes, it was no longer what it was before.
"Father, the believers in Suiye City revealed that Titsigu, the bald donkey monk, has sent people to contact the King of Khotan in advance. Maybe not only the envoys of the King of Khotan will come this time, but also some
The Khotanian army."
In the temple, a young man wearing a black one-piece robe and a black hood looked anxious.
The other man, who was holding a cross in his hand and looking majestic, glared at the young man fiercely after hearing this.
"I have told you many times, you should say Balasagon instead of Suiye, Yuchi's family is the emperor of the Jin Kingdom instead of the king of Khotan, and you are not allowed to say the word Fanseng. If you can't even remember this
If so, how can we shoulder the heavy responsibility of protecting our people in the future?"
"My child knows his mistake, and his father taught him a lesson!" The young man quickly admitted his mistake with a low eyebrow, but his quietly moving lips clearly said it.
'If I'm not allowed to tell you, then why do you have to teach me this?'