Blood-Sweating Horse Research

Author: Hou Pixin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-04-01
Features:
1. The Relationship Between the Western Han Dynasty and the Kingdom of Dayuan
The Kingdom of Dayuan was explicitly recorded in the "Biography of Dayuan" in the Records of the Grand Historian. It was one of the Western Regions states that Zhang Qian reached during his second mission to the Western Regions. Prior to this, there had been no formal exchanges between the Western Han Dynasty and the Kingdom of Dayuan, leaving the Han with no knowledge of Dayuan, while Dayuan had already "heard of the wealth of the Han and desired to establish contact but could not." Thus, after Zhang Qian's arrival, a sense of closeness developed between the two sides. When the Dayuan king "saw Zhang Qian," he was "delighted" and asked Zhang Qian, "Where do you wish to go?" Zhang Qian replied: "I was sent by the Han as an envoy to the Yuezhi, but I was blocked by the Xiongnu. Now that I have escaped, I only ask that Your Majesty send someone to guide me. If I can reach the Han, I will return and bring back treasures and gifts from the Han that are beyond count." The Dayuan king believed Zhang Qian, and so he sent interpreters and guides to escort Zhang Qian to Kangju, who then sent him to the Greater Yuezhi. From then on, the relationship between the Western Han Dynasty and the Kingdom of Dayuan gradually became closer. After his second mission to the Western Regions, Zhang Qian was granted the title of "Marquis of Bawang," and his reputation soared, making him a figure of great prestige. This had a strong impact on the officials and scholars of the Western Han Dynasty. At the time, officials and scholars aspired to emulate Zhang Qian, "all competing to submit memorial letters about the wonders and benefits of foreign lands, seeking to be sent as envoys." Emperor Wu of Han originally thought the Western Regions were "far and remote," a place no one was eager to go, but now people were actually vying to be sent. Therefore, Emperor Wu approved their requests, allowing them to travel to the Western Regions. However, during their missions, some officials acted recklessly, treating official goods as private property, using them freely, and appropriating goods obtained through trade. As a result, "foreigners grew weary of the Han envoys." During this period, some Han envoys who went to Dayuan also engaged in misconduct, causing a negative impact in the country. At this time, envoys from Dayuan and other states also came to the Western Han, "observing its vastness and presenting large eggs and mule dancers (i.e., illusionists from Daqin, also known as magicians) to the emperor, who was greatly pleased." Some Han envoys sent to Dayuan hoped to bring the blood-sweating horse to the Han court, which caused suspicion and dissatisfaction among the Dayuan people. As a result, they hid the blood-sweating horses in Ershi City, preventing the Han envoys from seeing them. Based on this analysis, it seems unlikely that the Western Han Dynasty could easily obtain the blood-sweating horses from Dayuan.
2. The Relationship Between the Western Han Dynasty and the Kingdom of Wusun
During the Western Han Dynasty, Wusun was a major state in the Western Regions, its population primarily consisting of Saka and Greater Yuezhi peoples, living a "nomadic" lifestyle of "not farming or planting trees, but following livestock to grasslands and waters." Its territory mainly lay in the Ili Valley and its surrounding areas, with the Xiongnu to the east, Kangju to the northwest, Dayuan to the west, and the "walled states" (i.e., agricultural settled states in the oases of southern Xinjiang) to the south. The formal diplomatic relations between the Western Han Dynasty and Wusun began during Zhang Qian's second mission to the Western Regions (the second year of the Yuanding era, i.e., 115 BCE). Zhang Qian's mission to Wusun was to persuade Wusun to return eastward to the former lands of the Xiongnu's general Hunyue (i.e., the areas north of Jiuquan and Dunhuang today), with the aim of "cutting off the right arm of the Xiongnu" and making "the peoples of Daxia and others all capable of being recruited as foreign vassals." When Zhang Qian and his party arrived in Wusun, the Wusun king "received the Han envoys with the same courtesy as the single ruler (Shanhu)," showing great respect. Zhang Qian then, on behalf of the Han emperor, presented gifts. After meeting the Wusun king, Zhang Qian clearly stated: "If Wusun can move east to the lands of Hunyue, then the Han"