Chapter 14 Chapter Fourteen: The Glory and Decline of the Rouran Nation

Since the Huns rebelled in 294 AD, China has entered the era of the famous "Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms".Under the brutal rule of the Western Jin Dynasty, various ethnic minority tribes who moved inward revolted one after another, and established a number of minority regimes in the Han area of ​​the Central Plains north of the Yangtze River. The orthodox "Jin Dynasty" was forced to move to the south of the Yangtze River.After that, the regime of the "Five Hus" in the north took turns to sit on the throne, one perishes and the other rises again, you sing and I come on stage, and at the end of the song, the Xianbei Tuoba regime in the "Five Hus" finally established the Northern Wei Dynasty and completed the unification of the North great cause.The "orthodox" Jin Dynasty in the south was successively replaced by Liu Song, Xiao Qi, Xiao Liang, and Chen.From the initial "Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms" to the "North-South confrontation", and finally the Sui Dynasty mixed the North and the South and unified China.

There is a historical blind spot in this historical evolution of "divided for a long time must be united", which has been neglected for a long time.Since the era of China's division began with the uprising of ethnic minorities who migrated inland, when these minority regimes competed for the Central Plains one after another, who would rule their original habitat-the northern Mongolian grassland?Has it become a "vacuum"?Of course not. When the Huns, Xianbei and other original prairie patriots went south one after another to fight for the dominion of the Central Plains, another ethnic group rose up on the vast Mongolian grassland.No matter who is in charge of the Central Plains, they will always continue to confront the Central Plains agricultural areas as a unified nomadic regime, continuing the peace and war between the northern nomads and the Central Plains agricultural civilization. The previous Huns were even stronger, and they dealt heavy blows to the heroes competing in the Central Plains time and time again.On the roster of the northern nomads, this now little-known regime had an extremely famous name—Rouran throughout the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.

In Chinese historical materials, the Rouran nationality is not taken seriously. However, in the records of Westerners, the Rouran nationality is a nation that is comparable to Genghis Khan. They beat everything to pieces, and they established a famous regime in Europe - the Avar regime.The illustrious martial arts of the Avar cavalry is an important part of the entire European history. When Europeans record, they often add: The Avars come from far away China. So, what is the appearance of this Rouran nation, which originated from the prairie in northern China and once ran rampant in Mobei?How did they become powerful, and why did they disappear in the end?

In the records of Chinese history, Rouran has many names.For example, in the historical materials of the Northern Wei Dynasty, they were once called "guifang", "fierce slave", "Ruru" and so on, with many names but only one identity.During the period from the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms to the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the northern regime in China was the biggest threat from the north. The origin of Rouran has been widely discussed until today.Cui Hao, a famous official of the Northern Wei Dynasty who was at the same time as Rouran, believed that Rouran was a branch of the Xianbei tribe in the era of the rise of the Xianbei tribe and originated from the same clan as the Xianbei people. However, this statement has not been approved by most historians for a long time.Du You, a historian of the Tang Dynasty, believed that Rouran was a branch of Donghu, that is, a northern minority tribe that was enslaved by the Huns in the early years.In the history books of the Liang Dynasty during the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Rouran was described as a "other species" of the Huns, that is, a branch of the Xiongnu regime stranded in Mobei.But no matter what kind of statement it is, what is certain is that this nation is an old-timer among the northern nomadic peoples and has a very long history.Of course, before the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms, they were just small characters in the grassland. Whether it was the Huns, Xianbei, or Karasuma, they all took them as small followers.

The rise of the Rouran nation was after the outbreak of the war between the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms. The great turmoil in the Central Plains gave the Rouran nation, which had been dormant for a long time, an unprecedented opportunity to rise.A large number of ethnic minority regimes went south to the Central Plains, and the northern grasslands suddenly became "there are no tigers in the mountains".And at this time, Rouran is no longer a weak "monkey". When the "Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms" in the Central Plains became a pot of porridge, an outstanding leader of the Rouran nation, which has been unknown until now, appeared - Mu Gulu .In the eyes of later generations of Rouran, even in the eyes of the Avars living in Europe now, Mu Gulu is undoubtedly the "father of Rouran".His start and fortune have a lot to do with the Xianbei Tuoba family that rose at the same time.He was captured by the Tuoba tribe of Xianbei in a battle, and then he was a slave for 7 years.At that time, the Xianbei Tuoba family was a weak branch of the Xianbei nation. At that time, the Xianbei people who fought for hegemony in the Central Plains were mainly the famous "Murong Xianbei" tribe.For the next seven years, Mu Gulu lived in the Tuoba tribe, endured humiliation and learned the advanced war experience of the Xianbei nation, and finally found the right opportunity to escape successfully.Facing the pursuit of Tuoba Xianbei, Mu Gulu cleverly gathered his subordinates, hid in the mountains of the northern grassland, fought a guerrilla war with Tuoba Xianbei, who was good at riding and shooting, and survived in the end.At that time, Mugulu faced a particularly dangerous situation.At that time, his subordinates were only a few hundred people, and the entire army might be wiped out at any time, but the result of surviving the catastrophe was Hou Fulai.Mu Gulu led hundreds of subordinates, persisted in fighting guerrillas in the Yinshan Mountains, and kept recruiting the troops.At that time, a large number of nomadic peoples migrated to the northern grasslands, the original balance of power was broken, and wars continued throughout the grasslands. Many ethnic groups fled to the Yinshan area for refuge.Although the Yinshan area was bitter and cold at that time, the water and grass were rich and suitable for nomads, and it became the first choice for many ethnic groups to take refuge. Mugulu took the opportunity to recruit various ethnic groups and took root in the local area.On the surface, he took refuge in the largest Hutu tribe in the area, but in fact, the Yinshan Mountains were so vast that the Hutu tribe couldn't reach them, so he could only let him expand in the local area.Around 316 AD, Mu Gulu passed away. His son called a meeting of his subordinates and named this tribe "Rouran". The history of the Rouran nation officially began from then on.Rouran at this time was no longer the bleak situation of hundreds of people fighting guerrillas in Mugulu's early days. At that time, they already had tens of thousands of cavalry, and they were like a tyrant on the grassland.Looking at the development path of the Rouran nation, one can find that it is strikingly similar to the previous Huns.During the Warring States period in China, the Xiongnu was once attacked by Zhao and Qin in the north, and had to retreat to the Yinshan area to breathe.It was also in the Yinshan area that their strength re-expanded, and finally made a comeback in the Qin and Han Dynasties, and once became the overlord of the entire northern grassland. At this time, the Rouran nation copied the previous success trajectory of the Huns.

But compared to the rapid eastward expansion of the Xiongnu after the growth of Yinshan, Rouran at this time is very sensible.At this time, the Tuoba Xianbei tribe, who were closely related to them, was also in a period of expansion. Regarding the Rouran in the Yinshan area, Tuoba Xianbei naturally said "how can others snore on the side of the couch".But Rouran was very smart. They took the initiative to ask Tuoba Xianbei for peace and presented tributes, which established their subjection to Tuoba Xianbei.At this time, Tuoba Xianbei was mainly active in Shanxi and Shaanxi in northern China, facing Rouran far away, and Shanxi and Shaanxi, and throughout the Northern and Southern Dynasties, were the main battlefields for the Central Plains regime to fight against Rouran.After gaining temporary peace with Tuoba Xianbei, Rouran continued to develop, and soon, Rouran, whose strength rose, began a "cat and mouse" game with Tuoba Xianbei, taking advantage of the opportunity Loot the Central Plains.According to Cui Hao, the famous founding official of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Rouran would honestly hibernate in the Yinshan area in winter, and in the spring and autumn, they would form groups and continuously attack the northern Han land.Moreover, Rouran at this time has a much better opportunity than the Huns before. The main conflict in the north at this time is the war with the southern regime and the civil war between them. .By the time Fu Jian, a member of the Di tribe in the north, established the former Qin Dynasty, Rouran had already completely occupied the Hetao grassland area with rich water and grass, and their dominance of the northern grasslands was irreversible.

Rouran's rapid expansion will inevitably cause uneasiness in the northern countries, especially Tuoba Xianbei who are adjacent to them.In 391 AD, after Tuoba Gui, the hero of Tuoba Xianbei, established the Northern Wei Dynasty, the game of "cat and mouse" between Rouran and Tuoba Xianbei naturally couldn't continue.To Rouran, Tuoba Gui had only one attitude: beat him to death!In 392 A.D., Tuoba Xianbei launched a large-scale attack on the Hetao Grassland area occupied by Rouran, completely controlling the Hetao Grassland in his own hands, which was tantamount to cutting off Rouran's greatest threat to Tuoba Xianbei.After winning the first battle, Tuobagui only repaired the original Great Wall on the Hetao Grassland and set up a military town, but did not take advantage of the victory to pursue it. The reason is that at this time Tuobagui's main energy was still fighting for hegemony in the Central Plains.Therefore, although Rouran's strength was severely damaged, it did not hurt its vitality. On the contrary, it lost the Rouran of Hetao Grassland and began to attack Tuoba Xianbei continuously. pattern.Because the war against Rouran in the north was very long, within Tuoba Northern Wei Dynasty, the early northern army would have a lofty status, and the northern Han family who had been cooperating with Tuoba Xianbei had always stood aside.The famous "Six Towns" was established by Tuoba Xianbei in the north from this period. At that time, it was the main barrier for the northern defense against Rouran's attack, but in the end it became the fuse of Tuoba Xianbei's demise - the Six Towns Uprising.

The existence of Rouran also affected another policy of Tuoba Xianbei.Policies for Other Northern Minorities.During the period of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms, the residents of the extinct countries, especially the ethnic minorities, generally could not escape the fate of being massacred.Because of the existence of Rouran, Tuoba Xianbei established the national policy of "using barbarians to control barbarians". At that time, the army sent to the north to defend Rouran, although the main ethnic group was the Xianbei, but with the expansion of the war in the Central Plains, more and more ethnic groups The prisoners of war were sent to the north to defend against Rouran's invasion.Tuoba Xianbei's move was intended to let the two enemies consume each other and reap the benefits of the fishermen, but what he never thought was that in the last six towns uprising, Tuoba Xianbei had to cooperate with the Rouran nation to suppress these prisoners of war.It can be said that because of the existence of the Rouran ethnic group in the north, the ethnic composition of the northern provinces of China has undergone tremendous changes.

Because of Tuobagui's pursuit of the Central Plains, Rouran not only escaped a catastrophe, but also found a new development path: westward.After being hit hard by Tuoba Xianbei, Rouran temporarily stopped large-scale military operations against the Central Plains Han. At this time, Rouran's leader, Shelun, chose to go west.Rouran began to use the Yinshan Mountains as a base, and continued to expand its territory westward. They conquered the Tiele tribes that nomads in the Yinshan Mountains in the early days, and put them under the rule of Rouran. In this way, Rouran has a new force.What's more important is that the Tiele tribe at that time was one of the few nomadic tribes in the north that was good at iron smelting. The Rouran tribe used to fight with leather armor and simple swords.Moreover, the leader of Rouran at this time, She Lun, was a very good learner. After the failure of the war with the Northern Wei Dynasty, he actively learned various military experiences from the Central Plains, especially following the example of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and established his own heavy cavalry corps.At that time, many Han Chinese were invited to work for them through plunder and recruitment. Quite a few of these people were craftsmen.The military quality and military strength of the entire Rouran nation have reached a new level. When they appear in front of the Central Plains regime again, they will no longer be the former Wuxia Amon.

In addition to conquering Tiele, another achievement of the Rouran nation during this period is to occupy the remaining tribe of the Xiongnu, the Baye tribe, who are still entrenched in the grassland. This tribe of the Xiongnu has a separate name in history: the last Xiongnu.They are the last tribe of the Xiongnu stranded in the grassland. For a long time, relying on the prestige of the Huns, they have a strong appeal in the grassland.But when Rouran rose, the Xiongnu tribe was already strong from the outside, so after a few simple wars, the Baye tribe collectively surrendered to the Rouran nation.The surrender of the Baye tribe caused a strong shock among the grassland peoples at that time. After that, all the peoples in the grasslands joined in one after another, and Rouran's power was in full swing.Tuoba Gui, who spared Rouran back then, might never have imagined it in his dreams. It was because of his mercy back then that Rouran's rise, the rise of the grassland nation, was sometimes precisely the law: you give him a chance, He will turn over quickly.This was true for Rouran, and it was also true for the Turks later, and even more so for Mongolia and Jurchen.

The consequences of turning over will be borne by the Northern Wei Dynasty itself.At this time, it was already the early 5th century AD. The Northern Wei Dynasty was annexing the heroes and completing the great cause of unifying the north, but Rouran was also constantly making trouble for them. There were many such situations in the early days of the Northern Wei Dynasty.Whenever a war in the Central Plains was about to be won, because of Rouran's intrusion, they fell short. Rouran has increasingly become a knife on the head of the Northern Wei Dynasty.In 402 A.D., Shelun called himself Khan and formally established the Rouran Khanate, which marked the beginning of the Rouran nation's heyday.The Rouran who established the Khanate was not as simple as claiming to be a Khan. At that time, they were no longer nomadic tribes, they had already established a slave system, and they followed the example of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and set up a military system and battle formation. This kind of prosperity script, and The Xiongnu before and Mongolia after that are also very similar.At this time, Rouran’s territory was extremely large. To the west, they controlled the Silk Road and forced the countries in the Western Regions to surrender. To the east, their power even expanded to the Yalu River. Shelun Khan claimed to have 500,000 fine riders. Although the numbers are watery, judging from their subsequent war with the Northern Wei Dynasty, there are definitely 300,000 to 400,000 cavalry. Such a powerful regime would certainly not be satisfied with simply occupying the Central Plains. In fact, the relationship between Rouran and the Northern Wei Dynasty was very similar to the relationship between Mongolia and the Jin Dynasty.The Xianbei of the Northern Wei Dynasty also originated from the black land of the Northeast. In the early days of their conquest, they had a close relationship with the Rouran nationality and had many origins.However, looking at the history of the Jin Dynasty later, after the Jin Dynasty occupied the Han land in the Central Plains, it did not perish in the hands of the feuding Southern Song Dynasty. On the contrary, it was beaten to death by the slave Mongolia in the early years.In the 5th century AD, Rouran obviously had the same calculation, and they had the conditions to realize all of this. Like Genghis Khan later, Shelun Khan also adopted the correct foreign policy: long-distance and short-term attack.Shelun Khan took the initiative to win over regimes such as Qianyan, Houyan, and Beiliang who had always had feuds with the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the attitude of the Rouran nation was only one: fight!They continued to invade the south and attacked the border towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty in an attempt to form a front and rear attack. More importantly, the northern part of Shanxi Province occupied by the Northern Wei Dynasty was part of the later famous "Sixteen States of Youyun". The Central Plains regime is the main barrier against the invasion of the northern minority regimes.If the Northern Wei Dynasty really perished in Rouran, it would not be difficult for Rouran to take advantage of the situation and go south to compete in the Central Plains and annex the entire northern China. With their strength at that time, they were fully capable of doing what Genghis Khan had done in advance. But at this time, Rouran's luck was very bad, because compared to the period when Genghis Khan encountered Jurchen's weakness, Rouran faced the Northern Wei Dynasty, which was in a vigorous rising period.After all, in the era of Genghis Khan, the Jin Dynasty in the Han region of the northern Central Plains had gone through a long period of peace, but at this time the Northern Wei Dynasty was fighting almost every day.Their army has been tempered in battles all year round, and they can completely compete with the northern nomadic cavalry. More importantly, in the Northern Wei Dynasty during this period, almost all the emperors of the past dynasties were sturdy figures that were not born in Chinese history.Not long after the establishment of the Khanate in Rouran, the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital to Pingcheng, Shanxi. Like the later Ming Dynasty "the Son of Heaven guards the frontier", the Northern Wei Dynasty also put the capital on the border. The meaning is very clear: the threat of Rouran must be resolved. .In 402 A.D. when the Khanate was established in Rouran, Tuobagui, the British lord of the Northern Wei Dynasty who was determined to carry out Sinicization reforms, died in the infighting between the old and new nobles. His son Tuobasi was a qualified defender of the city. Jun, during his reign, he mainly took a defensive position against Rouran.Rouran continued to expand to the south step by step, constantly encroaching on the northern territory of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and wooing other northern regimes to deal with the Northern Wei Dynasty. This situation lasted for a full 15 years.Tuoba Si passed away at the age of 33, and his son Tuoba Tao came to the throne, later the famous Emperor Taiwu of Wei in history.For Rouran, this news is of course good news. In the first year of Tuoba Tao's accession to the throne, Rouran launched a large-scale attack, looting tens of thousands of people and hundreds of thousands of livestock on the border of the Northern Wei Dynasty, giving Tuoba Tao a disarm , but what the Rouran people didn't expect was that it was this little kid they looked down upon that sounded the death knell for Rouran's decline. Tuoba Tao was a very important emperor in the history of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It was in his hands that the era of the Five Hu and Sixteen Kingdoms, which had been in chaos for a long time, was ended and the north was reunified. The overall situation of the confrontation between the Northern and Southern Dynasties was also in his hands. be established.If it is purely based on military ability, even if the southern dynasty changes, the horse king Liu Yu, who has made great military exploits, may give him three points. But Rouran would not know all this. On the contrary, Rouran made a wrong judgment: the young emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty was in power, and the internal regime would inevitably be unstable, so it was a good time to launch a military attack on the Northern Wei Dynasty.With this awareness, Rouran's invasion of the Northern Wei Dynasty intensified every year.Especially in 423 A.D., when the Northern Wei Dynasty and Liu Song Dynasty fought for the Henan area and hundreds of thousands of people were fighting in the Central Plains, Rouran suddenly appeared behind the Northern Wei Dynasty. The army lost a great opportunity to severely damage the Liu Song regime in the Southern Dynasty.In order to deal with Rouran's intrusion, Tuoba Tao in the early days took a defensive position. He built a Great Wall in the Wuyuan area of ​​Inner Mongolia to resist Rouran's invasion.It is worth mentioning that Rouran also adopted favorable policies towards the Liu Song regime of the Han people in the Southern Dynasties. At that time, Wang Xuanmo, the minister of Liu Song Dynasty, actively advocated the alliance with Rouran and jointly attacked the Northern Wei Dynasty. It is very similar, but the difference is that Rouran is not Mongolia, and the Northern Wei Dynasty is not the Jin Dynasty. Rouran's continuous intrusion aroused the anger of the young and energetic Tuoba Tao. He repeatedly put on the agenda whether to attack Rouran on a large scale, but at that time, most of the nobles in the Northern Wei Dynasty were beaten out of "soft phobia" , and even some veterans who followed Tuobagui to conquer Rouran in the early years also strongly opposed to actively attacking Rouran.One of the reasons is that Rouran is no longer a small tribe in the era of Tuobagui. They are powerful, and in the eyes of those veteran soldiers who have experienced battles, they are by no means easy to defeat; It was mainly focused on conquering the Han land. For the economically backward Northern Wei Dynasty, it was meaningless to occupy the barren Mobei grassland. Going south to the Han land and occupying the affluent Jiangnan was the first choice of many Xianbei nobles.Amidst the opposition from the court, Tuoba Tao's teacher at that time, Cui Hao, a minister of the Han nationality, firmly advocated the use of force against Rouran.Cui Hao believed that Rouran was the biggest obstacle to the Northern Wei Dynasty's unification of the world. Without defeating Rouran, national unity and regime stability would be impossible to talk about. The court shouted that Xianbei also came from the grassland. Could it be that the heroic Xianbei cavalry would still be afraid of Rouran?Cui Hao's determination finally aroused Tuoba Tao's determination to fight.That's why Rouran's nightmare came. The largest crusade against Rouran launched by Tuoba Tao took place in 429 A.D. This was an expedition that had a profound impact on the fate of the Rouran nation and even the entire pattern of northern China.It is worth mentioning that, just before Tuoba Tao launched the expedition, the Liu Song regime in the Southern Dynasty was gathering a large army, posing a posture of aggressively attacking the Northern Wei Dynasty.At that time, the courtiers were very nervous and accused Cui Hao of wronging the country. Even Tuoba Tao's nursing mother, the Empress Dowager, persuaded Tuoba Tao to change his mind. At the critical moment, Cui Hao made a judgment. This time, the Liu Song regime was just a bluff.This expedition Tuoba Tao used 300,000 troops at one go, and most of the important ministers in the court accompanied him, and Yu Jia was very determined to go on his own.The war started in the summer of that year, and Rouran was really beaten. At that time, the Mobei Grassland was "three thousand miles from east to west, and five thousand miles from north to south". Hit Rouran's old nest - the Yinshan Mountains area. The reason why Rouran was defeated this time was mainly due to the lack of preparations for the attack on the Northern Wei Dynasty. Although the Northern Wei Dynasty had gathered troops to attack with great fanfare before this, the people of Rouran didn't care.Because before Tuoba Tao, even if the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty went north, they would never go deep. When the Rouran people learned of the Northern Wei Dynasty's attack, they had already voluntarily abandoned the Monan area and retreated to Mobei, trying to use the tactics of clearing the wilderness , so that the Northern Wei's attack was futile.But they obviously underestimated Tuoba Tao's determination. Tuoba Tao is an unprecedented military genius in Chinese history. What he is best at in his military career is to maximize his manpower.Although the Northern Wei Dynasty did not have the material reserves like the Western Han Dynasty at this time, the Xianbei cavalry itself originated from the grassland, and its ability to adapt to the climate of the grassland was very strong. Also very firm.Along the way, the Xianbei army ran out of food, and ministers continued to persuade Tuoba Tao to retreat, but Tuoba Tao became red-eyed, and all ministers who dared to persuade him to retreat, no matter whether they were high-ranking or small officials, relatives of the emperor, were all punished by him on the spot. After the Fa rectification, when there was no food, the army of the Northern Wei Dynasty even slaughtered war horses to make military rations.The whole army rushed northward with red eyes. After capturing the main force of Rouran's army, Tuoba Tao cheated. He did not launch an attack on Rouran rashly, but ordered the whole army to hide and launch a sudden attack in the dark. As a result, Rouran's army, which was caught off guard, was defeated like this. After severely injuring Rouran, Tuoba Tao chased and killed Rouran along the route of Rouran's escape. He insisted on driving Rouran to the southeast of Altai Mountain. This was the most difficult moment for the Rouran nation.At that time, Rouran Khan Shelun was seriously ill because of his defeat and anger. There were only a few thousand remnants and defeated generals around him. In front of him was hundreds of thousands of troops from the Northern Wei Dynasty. Then the whole nation will be wiped out.However, at this critical moment, Tuoba Tao, the always decisive Wei Taiwu Emperor, hesitated. At that time, there was still Liu Song's threat in the south of the Northern Wei Dynasty. After the Taishan Mountains, they closed it when they saw it, and retreated after a hasty search, and the Rouran nation "survived a catastrophe" because of this.Later, Tuoba Tao learned from the escaped prisoners of war that in fact, the Rouran nation had its last breath left at this time, and regretted it endlessly, this last breath was finally breathed by Rouran. Although he survived the catastrophe, this attack by Tuoba Tao severely injured Rou Ran's vitality.In 443 and 449 AD, Tuoba Tao launched two more large-scale attacks on Rouran.After learning how powerful Tuobatao is, Rouran began to learn how to behave. She no longer engaged in head-to-head resistance, and started mobile warfare again. Tuoba Tao continued to harass him on the way, diverting Tuoba Tao's attention.Although Tuoba Tao won the two northern expeditions, he still failed to capture the main force of Rouran's army.Facts have proved that the Xianbei nation at this time has become a farming nation. If the farming nation wants to completely defeat a nomadic nation, it must take advantage of its strength to wipe it out as much as possible. Otherwise, once the opponent is broken into pieces, it will be bad. dealt with.Tuoba Tao dealt with Rouran like this, and the Ming Dynasty later dealt with Tatars the same way.Tuoba Xianbei's best chance to completely eliminate Rouran fell short during the first Northern Expedition, and it will be even more difficult after that.As a result, although Rouran was hit, she was not completely wiped out.In his later years, Tuoba Tao had to admit this fact after the third northern expedition. He stopped the large-scale expedition to the north and continued to improve the military system of the six towns, setting up more city defenses to resist Soft harassment.During this period, Rouran also learned to be good, and no longer made an enemy of Tuoba Xianbei, and resumed the tribute to Tuoba Xianbei. The change in the balance of power between Rouran and the Northern Wei Dynasty began after Tuoba Tao passed away. Tuobatao passed away in 452 A.D. Although he had great martial arts all his life, his civil governance was too poor. Before his death, the internal and external contradictions of the Northern Wei Dynasty had been constant. After him, Emperor Wencheng of Wei and Emperor Wenwen of Wei were both rulers of success. Yanwu Xiuwen began, and a limited Sinicization reform was carried out.For Rouran, the Northern Wei Dynasty changed from the offensive in the Tuoba Tao era to the defensive. Although there were small-scale conflicts during the period, there were no large-scale wars.Moreover, Emperor Wencheng of Wei began to allow the northern border residents to trade with the Rouran people. The agricultural products of the Central Plains began to be continuously imported into the Rouran area, and advanced farming culture was also introduced. According to relevant historical records, Rouran in this period has already Cities and villages began to appear. And just like the fortune history of the Rouran nation in the early years, after going south to the Han land was blocked, Rouran expanded to the west again.Prior to this, the vassal states in the Western Regions had surrendered to Rouran. With Rouran's defeat in the Northern Wei Dynasty, these Western Region countries also began to turn their faces and no longer be controlled by Rouran. Therefore, after Wei Taiwu Emperor Tuoba Tao, The main focus of Rouran's military was once placed on attacking the Western Regions.In 460 A.D., Rouran annexed Gaochang and then invaded Khotan. At that time, these two countries were the loyal younger brothers of the Northern Wei Dynasty in the Western Regions after Tuoba Tao, and they were the main hubs of the Silk Road.When Rouran's soldiers arrived, both countries asked for help from the Northern Wei Dynasty one after another. However, the Northern Wei Dynasty was "defending its success" at this time and was unable to carry out large-scale expeditions, so it chose to sit and watch. However, it was annexed.This kind of inaction in the Northern Wei Dynasty also chilled the hearts of the countries in the Western Regions. Most of the countries in the Western Regions therefore once again took refuge in Rouran. But what the Northern Wei Dynasty never expected was that their behavior of sitting back and watching the countries in the Western Regions fall would eventually make them shoot themselves in the foot.Because Rouran, who has become stronger, will never forget the feud of the Northern Wei Dynasty.In 470 AD, the war between the Northern Wei Dynasty and Rouran, which had been immersed for nearly 30 years, resumed. In this year, Rouran aggressively attacked Dunhuang, the gateway of the Northern Wei Dynasty in the Hexi Corridor.This move was simply to break the neck of the Northern Wei Dynasty. At that time, Dunhuang was not only an important city for the Northern Wei Dynasty to defend the Hexi Corridor, but also the gateway for the Silk Road to enter the Central Plains. The bulk of the Northern Wei Dynasty’s fiscal revenue came from trade income from the Silk Road. Dunhuang was in a hurry. , which means that the "preservation" of the two generations of monarchs in the Northern Wei Dynasty can no longer be maintained.After that, the Northern Wei Dynasty launched 9 consecutive crusades against Rouran, and the main target of the attack was Rouran's "Mobei Royal Court".Facts have proved that Rouran was still no match for the Xianbei cavalry of the Northern Wei Dynasty. In the Northern Expedition of the Northern Wei Dynasty in 472 AD, more than 50,000 people in Rouran were beheaded at one time.But Rouran was very lucky. At this time, the emperor of the Northern Wei Dynasty was none other than Tuoba Hong, Emperor Xiaowen of Wei who later started the Sinicization reform. On the issue of war, Emperor Xiaowen of Wei always advocated that "the weapon of the soldier is also a weapon".Regarding Rouran, Emperor Wei Xiaowen also believed in the words of the Confucian sages, thinking that it would be enough to drive them away from a distance, instead of killing them all.At this time, the leader of Rouran was Yucheng Khan, who was also a very intelligent person. He offered to make peace with the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the two hit it off.In 475 A.D., the Northern Wei Dynasty and Rouran formally made peace. The Northern Wei Dynasty married a princess to Rouran Khan, and the two sides formed a family of sons and daughters.What is beneficial to Rouran is that in the subsequent reform of Emperor Wei Xiaowen, Emperor Wei Xiaowen moved the capital from the original Shanxi Pingcheng to Luoyang, Henan, which means that since then, the development focus of the Northern Wei Dynasty has shifted to the south. And Rouran in the north is no longer the key target of the Northern Wei Dynasty.Therefore, Rouran survived tenaciously during their most difficult period.Rouran also had a lot of troubles during this period.In 487 A.D., a large-scale rebellion occurred within the Rouran nation. The Tiele Afro tribe led more than 100,000 people to move westward, established the Gaoche State regime, and announced that they would break away from Rouran’s rule. Since then, Rouran and the Western Regions Once again caught in a protracted war, its strength was greatly damaged.If it weren't for the kinship with the Northern Wei Dynasty, Rouran at this time would probably be completely wiped out by the Northern Wei Dynasty.However, because of the civil strife in Rouran during this period, there was no war on the northern border for the time being, and a rare peace period entered, so Emperor Wei Xiaowen boldly moved the 150,000 elites originally used to defend Rouran to the Central Plains as a way to conquer the Southern Dynasties and The capital of Sinicization reform.As a result, the army of the Northern Wei Dynasty stranded in the six towns in the north lost its value and its status gradually declined. It can be said that this was a chain reaction in succession when it was linked to the rebellion in the six towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Sinicization reform period of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty was a period of decline in Rouran's history. Their tribes rebelled one after another, and their strength was shrinking day by day.At this time, the Northern Wei Dynasty had entered their golden age. The Sinicization reforms of Emperor Wei Xiaowen made the Northern Wei Dynasty develop rapidly at an unprecedented speed, with increasing strength and economic prosperity, and entered a prosperous period in the history of the Northern Wei Dynasty.After the ebb and flow, the Rouran nation ushered in a short-lived revival, and it was this short-lived revival that sent their old rival Tuoba Xianbei to the point of no return. The rejuvenation of the Rouran nation took place in the early 6th century AD. Before the revival, the power of the entire Rouran nation bottomed out.In 520 A.D., Rouran split again. Khan Anahuan of Rouran was overthrown by his elder brother and defected to the Northern Wei Dynasty. The Northern Wei Dynasty placed him in the Hetao Grassland area north of Six Towns.Originally, the plan was very good, so that "the barbarians can control the barbarians", but this Anahuan Jinlin is not a thing in the pool, it will be bright when given some sunshine, and it didn't take long to settle down, and he became coveted. At this time, the internal conflicts in the Northern Wei Dynasty Seriously, the gap between the rich and the poor is widening, and it is the end of the regime.Anahuan also expanded his strength because of this, silently waiting for the opportunity.He finally waited for this opportunity - the uprising in the six northern towns. Beginning in 522 A.D., Anahuan, which was entrenched in the Hetao Grassland, continued to recruit subordinates, expand its power, and tear itself apart from the Northern Wei Dynasty. Open one eye and close one eye.Soon Anahuan had a strength of more than 300,000 troops, almost restoring the scale of the Rouran nation's heyday. There are many Xianbei people and Gaoche people mixed in, mainly deserters from the Six Towns of the Northern Wei Dynasty.The Great Uprising of the Six Towns that shocked the Northern Wei Dynasty broke out. Under the idea of ​​"to fight against the outside world, we must first settle the inside", the Northern Wei Dynasty could only be patient with Anahuan, and continued to give him benefits, allowing him to attack the uprising army in the Six Towns.At first, Anahuan adopted a wait-and-see policy and adopted a balanced approach to both warring parties, but soon he discovered that the uprising in the six towns would not succeed, and helping the Northern Wei Dynasty could bring him a lot of benefits.So Anahuan made a move. He launched an attack on the uprising army of the Six Towns and helped the Northern Wei government army suppress the uprising in the Six Towns. Afterwards, as a reward, the Northern Wei Dynasty gave the Monan territory that originally belonged to them to Anahuan.At this time, Anahuan, although not restored to the strength of Rouran's heyday, still owns the entire Monan territory north of the Great Wall, and is already a hero of the grassland. In the late period of his own dynasty, the Rouran nation finally revived, although it was only a revival of the past. After the Anahuan rebounded, good things followed. After the uprising of the six towns was suppressed, the internal turmoil in the Northern Wei Dynasty did not end, and Er Zhurong’s dictatorship appeared again. Because of this civil turmoil, the Northern Wei Dynasty was split into two parts, the Eastern and Western Weis. nation.These two countries attacked and killed each other at that time. In order to overwhelm each other, whether it was Gao Huan, the actual ruler of the Eastern Wei Dynasty, or Yuwentai, the actual ruler of the Western Wei Dynasty, they all scrambled to please Anahuan, and Anahuan also dealt with these two countries. Between the two regimes, the benefits have been reaped over the years.但是阿那环这个人和柔然其他的统治者不同，他因为长期和北魏相处，深感到汉文化的好处，因此有样学样，也开始进行汉化改革，以他对身边部将的话说，他最崇拜的人，竟然是引领整个鲜卑民族汉化改革的魏孝文帝拓跋宏。之后的阿那环，在漠北草原也做起了同样的事情，他最信任的大臣，就是从汉地前来投奔他的汉族人淳于秦。这个淳于秦是个足智多谋的人，包括当年的镇压六镇起义等军事行动，他都曾从旁出谋划策。在东西魏国对峙的时代，淳于秦帮助阿那环进行了各种改革，当时的柔然内部，已经建立了类似封建王朝式的朝廷，仿照北魏官职分封官员，而且还有了农田，他治下的漠南草原沃野千里。按照现代许多农业学家的说法，阿那环是中国历史上第一个把农耕技术大规模在内蒙古草原推广的少数民族可汗。与此同时，阿那环也继续了他祖先“远交近攻”的政策，开始与南朝政权恢复了联系，和萧齐与梁朝往来不断，企图联合南朝一起夹击北方，然后共同瓜分北方土地。但这时候的南朝皇帝，大多数都是短视之人，虽然对于阿那环的示好非常欢迎，但说到联合出兵，却犹豫了。值得一提的是，当时的柔然和南朝之间隔着北魏，他们是怎么通好的呢？事实上，柔然开辟了一条新的到南朝的线路，即从西域出发，进入四川地区，再进入江南，这条线路对于整个世界历史都有深远的影响。我们说过，南北朝时代，北朝政权把持了整个丝绸之路，南朝政权的外贸一度只能通过海路，但是从此开始，南朝也可以通过丝绸之路输出物品，打破了北朝的贸易垄断。这一点无论对于东西方文化的交流，还是南朝经济的发展都有重要意义，特别是原本贫困的四川地区，一下子成了国际贸易大省。按照梁朝有关公文里的记载，当时的四川益州，已经成了“胡商云集”的地方。对于中国历史的改变，柔然确实有自己的贡献。 但是柔然民族自己也没有想到，最后终结他们命运的，并非是和他们一直打仗的北魏，而是自己内部的奴隶——突厥。在阿那环时期，突厥日益强大，并且爆发了反对柔然民族的起义，从公元540年开始，柔然重新陷入到了内战之中，阿那环也死在了对突厥的战争中。这标志着柔然在经过短暂的复兴之后，再次转入了衰落，这次衰落的速度奇快，而且不可扭转。到了公元555年，柔然在东魏和突厥的联合打击下灭亡，其可汗邓叔子逃到了西魏，西魏一开始接纳了他们，但是在突厥的军事压力下，最后不得不交出邓叔子一干人。强大一时的柔然帝国，就这么灭亡了，然而还有一支柔然人，在突厥的打击下逃了出来，并经过西域逃到中亚地区，在那里收罗部族后，开始了悲壮的西征，之后他们出现在欧洲大陆，成为震动欧洲历史的阿瓦尔人。他们经过高加索山进入了欧洲，先痛打了欧洲著名的日耳曼部落，然后在匈牙利地区建立了阿瓦尔帝国。他们还痛击了东罗马帝国，一度占领东罗马的首都君士坦丁堡，一直到公元9世纪，他们才被欧洲著名的查理大帝击败。一个中国北方跑出来的小部族，却在欧洲掀起了大风浪，在古代世界里，这不是第一次，也不是最后一次。