Chapter 59 1. Legacy of a distant era

It is said that at the end of the "Five Random China", a branch of the Tuoba tribe of Daibei Xianbei entered the southeast Yellow River in Qinghai, and then migrated to the present-day northern Shaanxi and Ningxia, where they merged with various local ethnic groups. Later generations were called "Dangxiang Qiang Ping Xia Department".During the Huangchao Rebellion at the end of the Tang Dynasty, Tuoba Sigong, the chief of the Pingxia tribe, led the army to serve the king, and the Tang Dynasty rewarded him with a surname. From then on, Tuoba's surname was changed to "Li".Tuoba Sigong's younger brother, Sizhong, was killed in battle with Huang Chao's army, and was posthumously gifted by the Tang Dynasty as governor of Youzhou (now southeast of Etuokeqian Banner, Inner Mongolia).This Tuoba Sizhong is the great ancestor of Li Jiqian, the founder of the Xixia Dynasty.

Li Jiqian was at the beginning of the Song Dynasty. At the same time as Taizu, Taizong, and Zhenzong, he conquered east and west throughout his life and opened up territory. He was a very accomplished leader of Dangxiang Qiang. Because of being attacked in the battle with the Tubo people, he died of serious arrow wounds, and died like a hero.His son Li Deming actively recuperated and accumulated strength. By the time of Li Jiqian's grandson Li Yuanhao, Dangxiang Qiang finally established his own country, which is the famous Xixia Dynasty in Chinese history. In 1227, Xixia was destroyed by Genghis Khan, whose clan was slaughtered.Since then, the Dangxiang Qiang race has disappeared from Chinese history.The dust of history has covered the footprints left by this brave race. To this day, we still know little about the splendid civilization created by the Xixia Dynasty.Although Dangxiang Qiang as a race no longer exists, the individuals of this race did not disappear with the extinction of the race. They have gradually integrated into other ethnic groups. For example, Li Heng, the general who destroyed the Song Dynasty in the early Yuan Dynasty, integrated into the Mongolian yuan.Maybe someone surnamed Li around us today is the remnant of that ancient race.

Li Jiqian Village in Mizhi County, Shaanxi Province is the place where Li Jiqian was born. Most of the people living here are also surnamed Li and claim to be descendants of Li Jiqian.On August 21st in the thirty-fourth year of Wanli, the continuation wife of Li Shouzhong, a resident of the village, gave birth to a son, whose scientific name was "Hongji".Legend has it that a god entrusted a dream and called this child the reincarnation of "Pojun Xing".On the day he was born, both his parents dreamed that a strong man broke into his house on horseback.The birth of a great person is often accompanied by some grotesque legends.

A month later, Hongji's sister-in-law also gave birth to a son, named Li Guo.Three months later, Hongji's elder brother, Li Guo's father Hongming, died of illness.Therefore, although Hongji and Li Guo are uncles and nephews in terms of seniority, they are brothers in terms of age.Although they have imperial lineage from a distant era, at this time, they are just two ordinary people under the rule of the Ming Dynasty.If they hadn't happened to be born in that earth-shaking era, they would have been just passers-by in history. When Hongji grew up, he changed his name to "Zicheng", so later generations called him "Chuangwang Li Zicheng".Thirty-eight years later, the pair of uncles and nephews fought across the Central Plains, competing in the world, and overthrew the Ming Dynasty.

That, too, is a very distant story.