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Most people are reluctant to talk about the history of the middle and late Tang Dynasty because it is full of humiliation and is too heavy. National diplomacy is an endless history of blood and tears.

During this period, the dynasty that brought the most humiliation to the Tang Dynasty was probably the Tubo regime.

Starting from Emperor Taizong of Tang, the Central Plains culture and agricultural technology of the Tang Dynasty were exported to Tubo. The original purpose was to promote national prestige, but unexpectedly, what it ultimately resulted in was the rise of Tubo.

The powerful Tubo no longer cared about martial ethics when facing the declining late Tang Dynasty, and used its cavalry to crush its former big brother again and again.

After the Anshi Rebellion broke out, the Tang Dynasty transferred troops from Anxi and Beiting to the Central Plains, leaving the border defense empty and allowing Tubo to gain power.

"In the fifteenth year of Emperor Dezong's Zhenyuan reign, Zhang Yichao was born in Shazhou after the fall of Hexi."

"The Zhang family has been a wealthy and aristocratic family in Shazhou for generations, and is one of the powerful local families."

"His father, Zhang Qianyi, was the highest-ranking Han official in Shazhou."

"When he was young, Zhang Yichao had a strong sense of patriotism. He was fond of literature and history, and was well versed in military strategy. He discussed military affairs and swordsmanship, and studied martial arts classics. He worshipped the great Tang Dynasty general Feng Changqing."

"In the second year of Jianzhong, the Tang Dynasty's border town of Shazhou fell."

"The Tubo completely occupied the Hexi Corridor and adopted a brutal ruling style."

"The local people, the able-bodied ones, were taken as slaves, forced to work on the fields and herd livestock, and the elderly, the weak, women and children were oppressed."

"They plundered the population on a large scale and relocated a large number of people who had been farming for generations to the Qiang and Hun tribes, which were subordinate to Tubo."

"Zhang Yichao hated the brutal rule of Tubo and was determined to drive out the invaders and restore the Tang Dynasty."

"He studied the art of war and martial arts diligently."

"Using his own property as military funds, he secretly recruited and trained the rebel army."

"At the same time, we continued to take in exiles after the rebellion against Tubo was suppressed, and accumulated strength."

"The eleven states of Hexi and Longyou were originally the territory of the Tang Dynasty. After the An-Shi Rebellion, the Tubo took advantage of the Tang Dynasty's call for troops from the northwest to enter the interior to quell the rebellion and launched a military operation to capture the Hexi and Longyou regions."

"In Helong, which was occupied by Tubo, there were more than 500,000 Tang subjects. These Han people were tortured and plundered by the Tubo slave owners. They hoped every year that Helong could be recovered."

"In the spring of the second year of Emperor Muzong's Changqing reign, Liu Yuanding, the Imperial Censor and Minister of Justice, went to Lhasa for a meeting. He passed through Gansu and Qinghai. The people in the occupied areas rushed to greet him, hoping that the Tang Dynasty would not forget them and looking forward to their return at all times."

"In the first year of Emperor Xuanzong's Dazhong reign, Shang Kongre, the Tubo envoy to Luomenchuan, usurped the power of Tubo and started a fight with Shang Bibi, the governor of Shanzhou, in Hexi. Shang Kongre plundered the eight states of Shan and Kuo in Hexi, and the people in the occupied areas of Hexi were in a more difficult situation."

"In March and April of the second year of Dazhong, Zhang Yichao saw that the time was ripe, so he launched an uprising, led his people to drive out the Tibetan garrison commander, recovered Shazhou, and immediately sent an envoy to the capital to report the victory."

"At this time, Liangzhou and other places were still controlled by Tubo, and the eastern route was blocked. Zhang Yichao's envoys took a detour to Tiande City in the northeast and went to the Tang Dynasty to deliver the message."

"Zhang Yichao improved his military preparations, fought while farming, and successively recovered eleven states including Shazhou, Guazhou, and Yizhou."

"In August of the fifth year of Dazhong, Zhang Yichao sent his brother Zhang Yitan and the state people Li Mingda and Li Mingzhen, the yamen official Wu Anzheng and 29 others to report the victory to the court, and presented maps of 11 states including Gua and Sha."

"At this point, except for Liangzhou, the Hexi region, which had been occupied by Tubo for nearly a hundred years, returned to the Tang Dynasty."

Su Shi: Zhang Yichao successfully recovered Liangzhou, and the Zhang family took control of the 12 states in the Helong region.

Zhang Yichao's influence reached its peak during this period, however, he did not choose to proclaim himself king, but remained loyal to the Tang Dynasty.

This loyalty made him a national hero, but it also became a constraint in his life.

In order to allay the Tang court's fear of the Zhang family's growing power, Zhang Yichao, then 69 years old, decided to go to Chang'an to show his loyalty.

However, this time he said goodbye to the land he was familiar with and was buried forever in Chang'an.

The story of Zhang Yichao begins in the Helong region during the middle and late Tang Dynasty, which was the heyday of the Tubo regime.

Taking advantage of its strong geographical and military advantages, Tubo successively conquered Gansu, Liangzhou and other places, and even occupied Chang'an for a time. The people in the Central Plains suffered terribly under the iron hoof of Tubo.

However, an internal struggle gave the Han people a chance to turn the tables.

When Tubo was in civil strife, Zhang Yichao seized the opportunity and united local heroes to launch an uprising.

He successfully captured Shazhou and launched further counterattacks.

Zhang Yichao successively recovered Guazhou, Xizhou and other places, and brought the lost territories of Helong under the banner of the Tang Dynasty one by one.

Zhang Yichao demonstrated outstanding leadership in stabilizing order in various places.

He adopted the strategy of winning over the Han people and appeasing ethnic minorities, which not only restored the dignity of the Han people but also integrated the cultures of various ethnic groups.

These measures quickly stabilized the turbulent land.

However, as Zhang Yichao's reputation grew, the Tang court began to worry that he would become the next separatist force.

Therefore, the imperial court tried to check and balance the Guiyi Army by establishing the Liangzhou Jiedushi.

Although Zhang Yichao did not declare himself king, his actions undoubtedly caused suspicion in the Tang court.

His younger brother Zhang Yitan died secretly in Chang'an, which made Zhang Yichao feel even more pressure from the court.

In order to dispel the court's doubts, the 69-year-old Zhang Yichao decided to go to Chang'an to demonstrate his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty.

However, although he finally defended his personality and dignity with absolute loyalty, he never came back.

After Zhang Yichao's death, the Zhang family's influence continued to exist in the Helong area.

However, the Tang court's doubts about Zhang's successor and its reluctance to recognize him caused the Guiyi Army to gradually fall into internal strife. The decline of the Tang Dynasty and the civil strife also had a huge impact on Zhang's status.

Although Zhang Huaishen tried hard to remain loyal, the Zhang family's rule was ultimately doomed to fall apart due to internal and external troubles.

During the late Tang Dynasty, even though the Tang Dynasty was troubled by internal and external troubles, it still showed its brilliance at certain moments. Zhang Yichao was a heroic role model of this period.

His series of outstanding achievements, including recovering the lost land of Helong and connecting with the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, not only saved the lives and dignity of thousands of people, but also established his status as a national hero. Even though he eventually died in a foreign land, his story still inspires future generations.

In this vast land, Zhang Yichao's spirit is remembered again. He let the world see that bravery and loyalty still exist even in the darkest moments.

This hero who wrote a glorious chapter in the Hexi Corridor, his magnificent life eventually became a glorious chapter in Chinese history. "Tang Xuanzong issued a special decree to praise the loyalty and bravery of Zhang Yichao and others, and promoted Zhang Yichao to the position of Shazhou Defense Envoy, and appointed Li Mingda as the Hexi Jiedu Ya and Supervisory Censor."

"Li Mingzhen was appointed as the Sima of Liangzhou and the Imperial College Priest and the Imperial Censor. Wu Anzheng and others were also appointed as military guards."

"In November, the Tang Dynasty ordered the establishment of the Guiyi Army in Shazhou, commanding 11 states including Shazhou, Gansu, Suzhou, Shanzhou, Yizhou, Xizhou, Hezhou, Lanzhou, Minzhou and Kuozhou, with Zhang Yichao as the governor, inspector of the internal affairs, inspector of the Ministry of Rites, and general of the Jinwu Army, special promotion, with a fief of 2,000 households and a real fief of 300 households."

"After Zhang Yichao expelled the Tibetan garrison commander and recovered Guazhou, Shazhou and other states, he was isolated in Hexi, and was controlled by Tibetans, Uighurs and other forces on all sides. Therefore, he had to fight for years to resist various forces and expand his own power."

"In June of the tenth year of Dazhong, Zhang Yichao personally led his troops to attack the Uighur tribe that had accepted the position."

"The troops marched for less than ten days and reached the vicinity of Nazhi."

"The Uighurs were caught off guard and unprepared. Zhang Yichao led his army to attack from all sides and fought bravely. The Uighurs were badly defeated, and Zhang Yichao captured 10,000 camels and horses."

"After defeating the Uighurs, Zhang Yichao continued to strengthen his war preparations and actively defended. He was also very talented in military affairs and resourceful. He defeated the Tubo army many times and stabilized the political situation in Hexi."

"In March of the second year of Emperor Yizong's Xiantong reign, Zhang Yichao ordered his nephew Zhang Huaishen to lead 7,000 Tibetan and Han soldiers to recapture Liangzhou, the last state lost to Tubo, and report to the court."

"So far, the Helong area, which had been lost to Tubo for more than 100 years, has been completely recovered."

"In the fourth year of Xiantong, the Tang Dynasty re-established the Liangzhou Jiedushi, commanding the six prefectures of Liang, Tao, Xi, Shan, He, and Lin. Its seat of government was in Liangzhou, and Zhang Yichao concurrently served as the Liangzhou Jiedushi. The Liangzhou military garrison was restored."

"In October of the seventh year of Xiantong, Zhang Yichao reported to the court and sent the Uighur leader Pugujun to fight against the Tibetan general Shang Kongre. He defeated the Tibetan invasion, beheaded Shang Kongre, and sent his head to the capital."

"In the eighth year of Xiantong, Zhang Yichao entered the court and was appointed as the Left Divine Military Commander by the Tang Dynasty. He was promoted to the position of Situ and Jinwu, a first-rank official, and was granted land and houses."

"After Zhang Yichao entered the court, his nephew Zhang Huaishen took charge of the affairs of the Hexi Guiyi Army."

"In the 13th year of Xiantong, Zhang Yichao died in the capital and was awarded the title of Grand Tutor."

"After that, the Uighurs in Anxi rebelled against the Tang Dynasty again and led their troops to invade Suzhou, Jiuquan and Xitong areas."

"Zhang Huaishen led the Hexi army and civilians to fight back bravely, captured the Uighur leader alive, and captured more than a thousand soldiers."

"Zhang Huaishen succeeded Zhang Yichao and worked hard to manage Hexi, and repeatedly repelled the invasions of various tribes into the Hexi region."

"His grandson Zhang Chengfeng was successively appointed as the governor. Zhang Chengfeng also established the Jinshan Kingdom of the Western Han Dynasty in Dunhuang."

"In the fourth year of Qianhua in the Later Liang Dynasty, the Jinshan Kingdom was destroyed and the Zhang family's Guiyi Army regime ended."

Xin Qiji: Relying on its geographical and cavalry advantages, Tubo took the opportunity to capture Liang, Gua, Gan, Su and other states.

They captured the Longyou areas of Lan, He, Kuo, Shan, Tao, Min, Qin, Cheng, and Wei in the Tang Dynasty, and also captured Shazhou.

Of course, in addition to invading Hexi and Longyou, they also once occupied Chang'an, which shows how arrogant they were when they were in power.

In order to guard the newly occupied areas, the Tubo Dynasty established a series of military towns on its northeast to northwest borders, including the Liangzhou Military Town and the Guazhou Military Town in the Hexi Corridor.

Although the Han people did not lose their homes, the people in the occupied areas had no status, no dignity, and the burdens they bore were far greater than those during the Tang Dynasty.

Take Shazhou for example. Shazhou is the ancient Dunhuang, which belonged to the Guazhou military town.

After the Tubo occupied Dunhuang, they organized the people of Shazhou into several tribes according to their system, such as the Silk and Cotton Tribe, the Traveler Tribe, the Monk and Nun Tribe, etc.

Although the Tubo rulers still allocated land according to the number of people, this tribal organization was obviously not conducive to production.

Since Tubo regarded Shazhou as the center of Buddhism, the number of monks and nuns increased day by day, but the working population did not increase, which placed a great burden on the civilians.

The land tax levied based on the acreage of land and the sudden tax levied based on the household made the burden on the people much heavier than during the Tang Dynasty.

In order to maintain its rule, Tubo also confiscated ironware from the people, further affecting agricultural production.

The Tang Dynasty's currency was abolished and transactions returned to barter.

Although the social foundation of the Guazhou clan still existed, the social status of the Han people was not only lower than that of the Tibetans, but even lower than that of the Tuyuhun and Tongjia peoples, and ethnic conflicts were unprecedentedly high.

After Shazhou fell, Han people had to bow their heads and bend over when walking on the streets and could not look directly at the Tibetans. The governor of Shazhou was poisoned to death by the Tibetans because of his resistance.

As early as the beginning of Tubo's rule, there was the Yuguanyihu Uprising, the Han people's incursion into Shazhou City, and the Tubo city lord's self-immolation.

The more oppressed one is, the more one misses his homeland.

Therefore, for the Han people in the occupied areas, they always hope to restore the Tang system.

But the Tang Dynasty had its own unspeakable secrets. During the middle and late Tang Dynasty, the separatist rule of local military governors, the monopoly of power by eunuchs, and party struggles had always plagued the Tang Dynasty. Therefore, even if the imperial court wanted to recover Hexi and Longyou, it did not have the power to do so.

In this way, while Tubo was in constant civil strife, a god of war who changed the fate of the people in the occupied areas appeared. He was Zhang Yichao.

Zhang Yichao, a native of Dunhuang, Shazhou, came from a prominent family. His father was the Minister of Works, and his brother Zhang Yitan was the father of Zhang Huaishen, the governor of Guiyi Army in the late Tang Dynasty.

Zhang Yichao, who grew up under the brutal rule of Tubo, set high ambitions at a young age.

The two major military groups of the Tibetan warlords Lun Kongre and Shangbibi were caught in an internal fight. This war gave the Han people a chance to turn the tables.

Shang Bibi was defeated and fled. Lun Kongre led 5,000 elite cavalry to chase and kill him, but failed to catch him. So Lun Kongre swept through the northwest and turned Shan, Kuo, Su, Yi and Xizhou into a living hell.

Even Lun Kongre's subordinates could not stand such evil deeds.

So Shang Bibi secretly sent people to instigate rebellion, and some generals surrendered to Shang Bibi, while others chose to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

Lun Kongre was suddenly isolated and helpless, but he still did not give up and threatened to borrow 500,000 troops from the Tang Dynasty. However, he was turned down by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Chen.

In order to take revenge on the Tang Dynasty, Lun Kongre gathered his remaining troops and attacked Tang territory again. However, the situation was hopeless, the army had lost morale, and the soldiers abandoned him one after another. Lun Kongre had no choice but to lead the remaining 300 people to survive.

At this point, Hexi and Longyou officially became no-man's land. The Han officials who were originally affiliated with Hexi and Longyou rose up in arms to expel the Tubo forces. The most famous of these was the Shazhou Uprising led by Zhang Yichao.

As Tubo gradually lost its power, Zhang Yichao soon realized that things were going to change in Shazhou, so he secretly planned an uprising with a group of heroes.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Tubo defenders were demoralized by internal strife, Zhang Yichao, wearing armor and holding weapons, led various heroes to launch an uprising in Shazhou. The Tubo defenders were caught off guard and fled in panic.

In this way, Shazhou fell into the hands of Zhang Yichao. (End of this chapter)