Tuhuoluo Country, whose capital is located 500 miles west of Congling, where its people live alongside those of Yida Country. The capital city spans just two miles. There are about 100,000 elite soldiers, all well-trained. Their customs involve the worship of Buddhism. Brothers share one wife, taking turns to sleep with her. When it's someone's turn, they hang their clothes outside the door as a marker. Any children born belong to the eldest brother. Legend has it that divine horses reside in the caves there, and they put a mare in the cave each year, resulting in fine foals. It is 1,700 miles south to Cao Country, and 5,800 miles east to Guazhou. During the Sui Dynasty, they even sent envoys to offer tribute.
Yida Country, whose capital is located over 200 miles south of the Wuhu River, are descendants of the ancient Great Yuezhi people. There are only five or six thousand elite soldiers. The people there are skilled warriors. Historically, the country faced turmoil, and the Turks sent a man named Tong Shezijiang to govern them. The capital city stretches over ten miles. It boasts many temples and pagodas, all adorned with gold! Brothers also share one wife. Women with a single husband wear a horned hat, while those with multiple husbands wear hats with horns corresponding to the number of husbands. It is 1,500 miles south to Cao Country, and 6,500 miles east to Guazhou. During the Deyuan period, they too sent envoys to offer tribute in the form of local specialties.
Miguo, whose capital lies west of the Namishi River, was formerly part of the territory of Kangju. They have no king; the highest-ranking official in the city is named Zhaowu, a branch of the Kangju royal family, known as Bizhuo. The capital city is two miles long. There are merely a few hundred elite soldiers. It is 100 miles northwest to Kang Country, 500 miles east to Suduoshana Country, 200 miles southwest to Shiguo, and 6,400 miles east to Guazhou. During the Deyuan period, they regularly sent envoys to offer tribute in the form of special products.
Shiguo, its capital lies ten miles south of the Dumo River, formerly part of the Kangju Kingdom. Their king's surname is Zhaowu, with the courtesy name Tizhe, and he is also a branch of the Kangju king. The city walls stretch two miles. They boast just over a thousand elite soldiers. Their customs are similar to those of the Kang Kingdom. To the north, the Kang Kingdom is two hundred and forty miles away, five hundred miles to the Tokhara, two hundred miles to the Nasepo Kingdom to the west, two hundred miles to the Mi Kingdom to the northeast, and six thousand five hundred miles to Gua Prefecture to the east. During the Daye period, they sent envoys to pay tribute as well.
Caoguo, whose capital lies a few miles south of the Mishui River, was also formerly part of the Kangju Kingdom. The country lacks a ruler, so the king of the Kang Kingdom appointed his son Wujian to govern. The capital is not large, only about three square miles. There are just over a thousand elite soldiers. In this country, there is a magical god that is worshipped by countries from the Western Sea to the East. This god has a golden statue, crafted from gold, over five zhang wide and of harmonious proportions. Every day, five peaks of camels, ten horses, and one hundred sheep are sacrificed to it, and there's more leftover food than a thousand people can eat. To the southeast of Caoguo is the Kang Kingdom, one hundred and fifty miles to the west is the Heguo, and to the east, it is a full six thousand six hundred miles to Gua Prefecture. During the Daye period, Caoguo also sent envoys to pay tribute.
Heguo, whose capital is also a few miles south of the Mishui River, was likewise formerly part of the Kangju Kingdom. The king's surname is Zhaowu, also a relative of the Kang Kingdom king, with the courtesy name Dun. The capital is two miles square, with one thousand elite soldiers. The king even sits on a throne crafted from golden sheep! One hundred and fifty miles to the east of Heguo is Caoguo, three hundred miles to the west is the Xia'an Kingdom, and to the east, it is six thousand seven hundred and fifty miles to Gua Prefecture. During the Daye period, they too sent envoys to pay tribute.
The country of Wunahé, whose capital lies on the west bank of the Wuhu River, used to be the territory of Anxi. The king's family name is Zhaowu, a relative of the Kang King, with the style name Foshi. The capital is two square miles, with only a few hundred troops. The king sits on a throne crafted from gold in the shape of a sheep. Four hundred miles northeast of Wunahé lies Anguo, over two hundred miles northwest lies Muguó, and seven thousand five hundred miles east lies Guazhou. During the Daye era, they also sent tribute.
Muguó, with its capital on the west bank of the Wuhu River, is another former territory of Anxi, adjacent to Wunahé. The king's family name is Zhaowu, a relative of the Kang King, with the style name Alangmi. The capital is three square miles, with two thousand troops. Five hundred miles northeast of Muguó lies Anguo, over two hundred miles east lies Wunahé, over four thousand miles to the west lies Persia, and seven thousand seven hundred miles east lies Guazhou. During the Daye era, they also sent envoys to offer tribute.
Persia, situated in the city of Sulian on the west bank of the Dudahe River, historically known as Tiaozhi. Their king is called Kusawah. The capital is approximately ten miles in diameter. Their army consists of over twenty thousand soldiers, which includes elephants in their battles. In this country, there is no death penalty; instead, punishments for crimes typically include amputation of limbs, confiscation of property, shaving of beards, or wearing wooden boards around the neck for identification. Anyone over the age of three is required to pay four coins in taxes annually. They also have a tradition of marrying their own sisters. When someone dies, they are abandoned on the mountain, and the family is required to observe a month of mourning. The king dons a crown adorned with golden flowers, sits on a throne crafted from gold in the shape of lions, and decorates his beard with gold powder. He wears a brocade robe decorated with jade ornaments.
This place produces good horses, large donkeys, lions, white elephants, as well as giant bird eggs, pearls, porphyry (a gemstone), beast spirit (a gemstone), coral, glass, agate, crystal, sese (a gemstone), huluoji (a gemstone), luteng (a gemstone), huoqi (a gemstone), diamonds, gold, silver, iron ore (a mineral), copper, brittle iron (a type of steel), tin, brocade, fine cloth, kush (a type of wool blanket), fur, huna (a fabric), yuenobu (a fabric), sandalwood, fabric woven with gold thread, red deer skin, cinnabar, mercury, and various spices such as aloeswood, saffron, musk, sandalwood, pepper, bibo (a spice), honeycomb, millennium dates, aconite (a medicinal herb), helile (a fruit), wushizi (a fruit), green vitriol, realgar, and so on. The Turks could not defeat them and could only exercise loose control over them. Persia often sent envoys to pay tribute.
To the west of Persia is the sea, to the east is the Kingdom of Mu, to the northwest is the Byzantine Empire, and to the east is Gua state. Emperor Yang of Sui sent Li Yu, the commander of the Yunqi Command, to establish diplomatic relations with Persia, and later sent envoys with Li Yu to bring some local products.
Cao country, north of the Congling Mountains, was called the Jibin country during the Han Dynasty. The king of this country was named Zhaowu, with the courtesy name Shunda, and was a relative of the king of Kang country.
The capital city is four li long along the city walls. There are over ten thousand elite soldiers. Their laws are very strict; the punishment for murder and theft is death. However, they have a custom of being particularly superstitious towards various chaotic deities.
On the hill of Congling, there is a temple dedicated to the Shuntian God. The temple is quite magnificent, with a roof made of gold, silver, and copper, and the ground is paved with silver. Every day, thousands of people come to worship there. In front of the temple, there is a fish vertebra with a hole in the center, that a horse can even ride in and out of.
The king wears a golden crown in the shape of a fish, sitting on a throne shaped like a golden horse. This place produces rice, millet, beans, wheat, elephants, horses, and a type of cattle known as "Fengniu," as well as gold, silver, bronze, carpets, cinnabar, indigo, sandalwood, and various spices, along with rock honey, regular honey, black salt, asafoetida, myrrh, and white aconite.
It is seven hundred miles north from Caoguo to Fanyan City, six hundred miles east to Jieguo, and six thousand six hundred miles northeast to Guazhou. During the Sui Dynasty, they even sent envoys to present local specialties as tribute.
Once upon a time, the Fu country, located over two thousand li northwest of Shu County, was the territory of the southwestern tribes during the Han Dynasty. There is a tribe called Jialiang Yi to the east of Fu country, who govern themselves, with customs similar to Fu country, but their language is somewhat different and lacks unity. They don’t even have family names. The king of Fu country is called Yi Zeng. Their country is eight hundred li long from north to south, and fifteen hundred li wide from southeast to northwest, without city walls; they reside near valleys and mountains. The people there have a strong sense of vengeance, so they construct "stone nests" for protection against enemies. These "stone nests" are over ten zhang high, some are five to six zhang high, each layer is about one zhang high, separated by wood. The base is only three to four steps wide, narrowing to two to three steps wide at the top, which resemble pagodas. The lower level has a small door; they must close it at night to deter thieves. There are over twenty thousand households in the whole country, all listening to the king. The Jialiang Yi tribe listens to their chieftains; serious crimes are punishable by death, while minor offenses are punished by the sacrifice of a cow. They are all agile and skilled in sword fighting. They use lacquered leather armor, bows six feet long with strings made of bamboo. They have a custom of marrying multiple wives and sisters-in-law; if a brother dies, the surviving brother will marry his sister-in-law. They enjoy singing and dancing, accompanied by drums, reed instruments, and flutes. When someone dies, there are no complex funeral rites; the body is laid on a high platform, washed, dressed in armor, and covered with animal skins. Descendants do not mourn but instead dance in armor with swords, shouting, "My father was taken by spirits; I will avenge him and slay those spirits!" Other relatives cry three times before stopping. The deceased's family slaughters a cow, relatives offer pork and wine, everyone drinks and eats together, then buries the deceased. A grand funeral is conducted ten years later, inviting many relatives and friends, sacrificing horses, with dozens being common. They also worship their ancestors' shrines. They wear round leather hats, resembling bowls; some even wear masks. Most clothing is made from fur; shoes are boots crafted from whole cowhide. They wear iron chains around their necks and iron bracelets on their hands. The king and chieftains wear gold jewelry, with a three-inch diameter gold flower hanging on their chest. The region has high terrain, a cool climate, with frequent winds and little rain, ideal for cultivating wheat and green millet. Gold and silver can be found in the mountains, and there is an abundance of white pheasants. The river is home to a type of fine fish that grows up to four feet long, with exceptionally fine scales.
In the year 608 AD, during the fourth year of the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui, their king sent eight envoys to the court to pay tribute. The following year, he sent his student Yi Lin with sixty more people from Jialiang to present tribute. They wished to present fine horses, but the road was too perilous and steep, so they requested Emperor Yang to open a mountain road to facilitate their future tribute. However, Emperor Yang found it too troublesome and declined their request.
Within Jialiang’s borders, there flowed a river approximately sixty to seventy zhang wide; and in the neighboring country, there was another river over a hundred zhang wide, both flowing southward, with locals using animal skins to craft boats for crossing.
To the south of the neighboring country lay a place called Boyuanyi, whose customs were similar to those of the neighboring country. To the west lay a matriarchal society. To the northeast of the neighboring country were rolling mountains, stretching for thousands of miles, all the way to the Tangut region. Numerous Qiang tribes inhabited the mountains, such as Daxiaozuofeng, Xiwei, Geyan, Baigou, Xiangren, Wangzu, Lintai, Chunsang, Lidou, Misang, Biyao, Dahai, Bailan, Chilimotu, Nae, Dangmi, Qubu, Sangwu, Qiandiao, and so on. These tribes lived deep in the mountains and forests, lacking a strong, unified leadership. Their customs were similar to those of the Tangut people, with some tribes submitting to the Tuyuhun while others were allied with the neighboring country. During Emperor Yang's reign, these tribes came to the court to pay tribute. To manage these regions, the court appointed several governors along the southwestern border to oversee these tribes remotely.
The historical records state: From ancient times to the present, in order to open up remote areas and link border regions, there is a need for ambitious emperors and officials who are passionate about this endeavor. Zhang Qian opened up the Western Regions in the past, while Ban Chao abandoned his pen to take up arms later on. They either used precious treasures to make connections or sharp swords to intimidate, risking their lives for fleeting glory. All of this was because the emperor valued the prestige of expanding the borders, and the officials were willing to sacrifice themselves for it. This shows that what the emperor likes, the people below will be more enthusiastic about.
Emperor Yang of Sui imitated the Qin and Han dynasties, engaging in extravagant construction and indulging in luxury. Pei Ju presented the "Record of the Western Regions" to cater to his thoughts. This prompted Emperor Yang of Sui to personally lead an expedition to Yumen Pass, establishing Yiwu, Qiemo, and other areas, causing widespread suffering among the people from the central plains to the west. If the northern nomadic tribes were deemed no threat and reports from the Eastern barbarians were favorable, Emperor Yang of Sui would definitely reinforce the garrisons at Luntai, build fortifications at Wulei, collect gems from Daqin, and seek bird eggs from Tiaozhi for transportation back and forth. How could they sustain such immense expenditure! Wise ancient kings governed only within a radius of five thousand li, focusing on stabilizing the central plains and ignoring those remote desolate areas. Was it due to a lack of prestige and virtue? No, they simply did not want to burden the people and waste resources on remote areas, nor did they want to harm the interests of the country with useless matters. Therefore, the Qin Dynasty guarding the Five Ridges and the Han Dynasty managing the three borders resulted in either corpses littering the land or a drastic population decline. The Sui Dynasty, relying on its strong national power, also ended up in a sorry state in the Qinghai region. All of this was because the rulers themselves lost their way, leading to the suffering of the people.
If Emperor Yang of Sui could give serious thought to the idea of "pacifying the border regions," stubbornly turn down the proposals to set up protectorates, send back those thousand-li horses, and turn down the tribute of white wolves, then, even without any military victories in Liaodong, how could the disaster in Jiangdu have happened?
