In the country of Khotan, just over 200 miles north of the Tianshan Mountains, the king's surname is Wang, whose courtesy name is Beishibiliang. The capital city is approximately eight or nine miles in diameter. The country has five major cities, dozens of small cities, with only a few thousand soldiers. The common people practice Buddhism, and there are many monks and nuns. The king often eats vegetarian food and recites scriptures. Fifty miles south of the city is Zhamo Temple, reportedly built by the Arhat Bhikshu Bilu. The temple features footprints of the Buddha on its stones. Five hundred miles to the west is another temple called Bimo, believed to be where Laozi converted the barbarians into Buddhists. However, the local people are known for their lack of morals, theft, and promiscuity. The king wears a brocade hat and a golden crown, while his wife wears golden hairpins. The king's hair is not to be seen by others, as it is believed that seeing it will bring bad luck for the year. The region produces hemp, wheat, millet, rice, various fruits, and an abundance of jade in the mountains. To the east is Shanshan, 1,500 miles away; to the south is the land of women, 3,000 miles away; to the west is Zhujubo, 1,000 miles away; to the north is Kucha, 1,400 miles away; and to the northeast, Guazhou is 2,800 miles away. During the Sui Dynasty, they regularly sent envoys bearing tribute.
Tashkurgan is located more than 500 miles west of the Tianshan Mountains, formerly known as Qusou. The king's surname is Zhaowu, with the style name Alizhi. The capital city is four miles in circumference, with a few thousand soldiers. The king sits on a chair crafted from golden sheep, and his wife wears golden hairpins. This region produces cinnabar, gold, and iron. To the east is Shule, 1,000 miles away; to the west is Sufengshana, 500 miles away; to the northwest is Shigu, 500 miles away; to the northeast is Tujueya, over 2,000 miles away; and to the east, Guazhou is 5,500 miles away. During the Dali era, they also sent envoys bearing some local products as tribute.
Tocharian Kingdom, five hundred miles west of Congling, shares its territory with the Yida Kingdom. The capital city spans an area of two miles, but they boast an army of one hundred thousand skilled soldiers, all trained in martial arts. They also follow Buddhism. A peculiar custom here involves several brothers sharing a wife, and the brother who spends the night hangs his clothes outside the door as a marker. The children born are considered the responsibility of the eldest brother. In the mountain caves, there are legendary horses, and every year people put mares in the caves, which then produce exceptional foals. "In the mountain caves, there are divine horses, and every year mares are pastured in the caves, and they will produce famous foals." To the south lies Cao Kingdom, one thousand seven hundred miles away, and to the east, it is five thousand eight hundred miles to Guazhou. During the Daye period, they also sent envoys to pay tribute.
The Yida Kingdom, more than two hundred miles south of Wuhu River, is descendants of the Yuezhi people. They have five to six thousand soldiers, known for their fierce nature and military prowess. During a previous period of turmoil, the Turks sent people to control them and appointed a king named Jieqiang. Their capital city is about ten miles in circumference, with many temples and pagodas decorated with gold. They have the custom of brothers sharing wives, and if a woman has only one husband, she wears a single-horned hat; if the husband has many brothers, the number of horns on the hat increases. The Yida Kingdom is one thousand five hundred miles from Cao Kingdom and six thousand five hundred miles from Guazhou. During the Sui Dynasty, they also sent envoys to pay tribute.
The Mi Kingdom, west of the Namishui River, was formerly part of the Kangju territory. They have no king, and the city lord is named Zhaowu, a relative of the Kang king, with the courtesy name of Bizhuo. The capital city is only two miles in size, boasting only a few hundred soldiers. The Mi Kingdom is one hundred miles from Kang Kingdom, five hundred miles from Suduoshana Kingdom, two hundred miles from Shiguo, and six thousand four hundred miles from Guazhou. During the Daye period, they regularly sent tributes in both directions.
Shi Guo, ten miles south of the Dumoshui, used to be the territory of the Kangju people. Their king's surname was Zhao Wu, with the courtesy name Ti Zhe, and he was a distant relative of the Kang king. The capital covered only two miles, with an army of over a thousand soldiers. Their customs were similar to those of the Kang kingdom. Shi Guo was 240 miles from Kang Guo, 500 miles from the Tuhuolu, 200 miles from Nasebo Guo, 200 miles from Mi Guo, and 6,500 miles from Guazhou. During the Daye period, they also sent envoys to pay tribute.
Cao Guo, a few miles south of the Nami River, used to be the territory of the Kangju people. This country did not have its own ruler, and the Kang king allowed his son Wujian to manage it. The capital was three miles in size, with an army of over a thousand soldiers. Cao Guo had a very powerful deity, worshipped by nations from east of the Western Sea. This deity had a golden statue, over five feet wide and proportionately tall. Every day, offerings of five camels, ten horses, and a hundred sheep were made, with offerings that even a thousand people could not finish. Cao Guo was 100 miles from Kang Guo, 150 miles from He Guo, and 6,600 miles from Guazhou. During the Daye period, they also sent envoys to pay tribute.
He Guo, a few miles south of the Nami River, used to be the territory of the Kangju people. Their king's surname was Zhao Wu, a relative of the Kang king with the courtesy name Dun. The capital covered only two miles, with an army of a thousand soldiers. Their king sat on a throne shaped like a golden sheep. He Guo was 150 miles from Cao Guo, 300 miles from Xiao'an Guo, and 6,750 miles from Guazhou. During the Daye period, they also sent envoys to pay tribute.
Wu Na He Guo, with its capital built west of the Wu Xu River, used to be the territory of the Anxi kingdom. The king's surname was Zhao Wu, a descendant of the Kang kingdom with the courtesy name Foshi. The capital city had a circumference of two miles. There were only a few hundred elite soldiers. The king's throne was shaped like a golden sheep. Four hundred miles northeast led to An Guo, over two hundred miles northwest led to Mu Guo, and 7,500 miles east led to Guazhou. During the Sui Dynasty's Daye period, they sent envoys to offer local specialties.
The Kingdom of Mu, whose capital is located on the western bank of the Wu River, was once part of the territory of the Anxi Kingdom and borders the Kingdom of Wunaho. Their king is also surnamed Zhaowu, a descendant of the king of the Kang Kingdom, whose courtesy name is Alanmi. The capital spans three miles and is defended by two thousand elite soldiers. Five hundred miles to the northeast lies Anguo, more than two hundred miles to the east is the Kingdom of Wunaho, more than four thousand miles to the west is Persia, and seven thousand seven hundred miles to the east is Guazhou. During the era of the Sui Dynasty, they sent envoys to present tributes of local specialties.
Persia, situated west of the Dahe River, is home to Sulincheng, which was known in ancient times as Tiaozhi. Their king is called Kusahe. Its capital covers an area of approximately ten miles in diameter. The kingdom boasts over twenty thousand elite soldiers who engage in battle while riding elephants. This kingdom does not impose the death penalty. For those who commit crimes, punishments may include amputation of hands or feet, confiscation of property, shaving off beards, or wearing wooden boards around their necks for identification. All individuals over the age of three are required to pay a tax of four coins. It is customary for individuals to marry their own sisters. Upon death, the deceased are left on the mountain, and family members are required to observe a month-long mourning period. The king dons a golden flower crown and sits upon a throne crafted from golden lions, adorns his beard with gold powder, dresses in brocade robes, and accessorizes with jade ornaments.
This place produces good horses, large donkeys, lions, white elephants, as well as large bird eggs, pearls, poli (a type of gem), shoupo (a type of gem), coral, glazed pottery, agate, crystal, sese (a type of gem), huluoji (a type of gem), luteng (a type of gem), huoqi (a type of gem), diamonds, gold, silver, a stone called jinyu stone, copper, bintie (a type of steel), tin, brocade, fine cloth, woolen blankets, tan (a type of fabric), yuenobu (a type of fabric), sandalwood, cloth woven with gold thread, deer skin, cinnabar, mercury, as well as various spices such as aloeswood, saffron, benzoin, and agarwood, pepper, bibo (a type of spice), honey, half-honey (a type of sugar), thousand-year dates, aconite (a type of medicinal herb), helile (a type of fruit), wushizi (a type of fruit), green vitriol (a type of pigment), realgar (a type of pigment). The Turks were unable to defeat them and could only impose indirect control. The Persian Empire often sent envoys to pay tribute.
Several hundred miles west of the Persian Empire is the sea, over four thousand miles east to the Kingdom of Mu, four thousand five hundred miles northwest to Byzantium, and seventeen thousand miles east to Gua Prefecture. Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty sent Li Yu, the commander of the Cloud Cavalry, as an envoy to Persia, and later sent someone to accompany Li Yu to present some special products as tribute.
Cao Country, located north of the Congling Mountains, was called Jibin Country during the Han Dynasty. The king of this country was named Zhaowu, with the style name Shunda, and was a relative of the King of Kangju.
The capital city has a perimeter of four li. It boasts over ten thousand formidable soldiers. The laws of the country are very strict, where murderers and robbers face the death penalty. The locals enjoy participating in unusual ritual practices.
On Onion Ridge, there is a temple dedicated to the worship of the God of Heaven. The ceremonies are quite lavish, the temple is constructed of gold, silver, and copper, and the ground is laid with silver. Every day, thousands of people come to pay their respects. In front of the temple, there is a stone resembling a fish's spine, with a hole in the center wide enough for a horse to pass through. The king wears a crown shaped like a golden fish and sits on a throne crafted from gold. This region produces rice, millet, beans, and wheat, as well as many elephants, horses, and yaks, along with gold, silver, bintie, a type of high-quality steel, carpets, cinnabar, indigo, frankincense, sandalwood, and other spices, as well as rock honey, half honey, black salt, asafoetida, myrrh, and white aconite. To the north lies Fan Yan City, seven hundred li away; to the east, Jueguo is six hundred li away; and to the northeast, Guazhou is six thousand six hundred li away. During the Sui Dynasty, Cao Guo sent envoys to present various local specialties.
Fu Guo, over two thousand li northwest of Shu County, is the region inhabited by the southwestern tribes during the Han Dynasty. There is a Jialiang Yi to the east of Fu Guo, who govern themselves and have customs similar to those of Fu Guo, although their languages differ slightly and are not standardized. They do not use surnames. The king of Fu Guo is called Yi Zeng. Their country is eight hundred li long from north to south and fifteen hundred li long from southeast to northwest, without city walls, situated near river valleys and nestled against mountains. They like revenge, so they construct "stone nests" from piled stones to hide from enemies. These "stone nests" are over ten zhang tall, with some as low as five or six zhang, each layer being over one zhang high and separated by wood. The base measures three or four steps on each side, and the tops of the "stone nests" are only two or three steps wide, shaped like pagodas. The lower level has a small door, and it must be closed at night to prevent theft. There are over twenty thousand households in the country, all subject to the king's rule. The Jialiang Yi listen to their chieftains, and those who commit serious crimes face the death penalty, while minor offenses are punished by the loss of a cow. They are nimble and skilled swordsmen. They wear lacquered leather armor, have bows six chi long, and use bamboo for bowstrings. They marry women from their own clan, including the wives of deceased brothers or sons. They enjoy singing and dancing, accompanied by drums, reed instruments, and flutes. When someone dies, they do not wear mourning attire. The body is placed on a high bed, washed, dressed, covered with lacquered armor, and then draped with animal skins. Descendants do not cry; instead, they don armor and dance with swords, shouting, "My father was taken by a ghost, and I will avenge him!" Other relatives cry three times before stopping. Women must cover their faces while crying. The deceased's family slaughters a cow, and relatives bring pork and wine for a communal feast before the burial. A grand burial is held ten years later, inviting friends and relatives. Sometimes, dozens of horses are sacrificed. They erect ancestor shrines for worship. They wear round leather hats resembling bowls, with some covering their faces with veils. Most wear clothing made of fur and leather, along with boots crafted from whole cow hides. They adorn themselves with iron chains around their necks and iron bracelets on their wrists. The king and chieftains don gold jewelry, featuring a gold flower three inches in diameter hanging from their chests. The terrain is elevated, characterized by a cool climate with little rainfall. The land is suitable for cultivating wheat and barley. The mountains yield gold and silver, and are home to many white pheasants. The river is home to a desirable fish, measuring four chi long, with very fine scales.
In the year 608 AD, the king sent eight men, led by Su Fu, to the court to pay tribute. The next year, he sent his student Yi Lin, accompanied by sixty members of the Jialiang Yi tribe, to pay tribute. They wanted to offer good horses, but the road was too steep and dangerous, so they requested that a mountain road be opened to facilitate their tribute. Emperor Yang of Sui found it too troublesome and refused their request.
The Jialiang Yi tribe had a river that was about sixty to seventy zhang wide; there was also a river in Fugu, more than a hundred zhang wide, both flowing south, and they used animal skins to make boats to cross the river. To the south of Fugu lay a tribe called the Boyuan Yi, which had similar customs. To the west of Fugu, there was a matriarchal society. To the northeast of Fugu, mountains stretched for thousands of miles, all the way to the Dangxiang area. In the mountains, numerous Qiang tribes resided: Xiaozuofeng, Xiwei, Geyan, Baigou, Xiangren, Wangzu, Lintai, Chunsang, Lidou, Misang, Biyao, Dahua, Bailan, Chilimotu, Nao, Dangmi, Qubu, Sangwu, and Qiandiao. These tribes lived deep in the mountains and forests, none of which had a prominent leader. Their customs were similar to those of the Dangxiang people; some were subject to the Tuyuhun, while others were affiliated with Fugu. During the Sui Dynasty, these tribes came to the court to pay tribute. The court appointed several officials along the southwestern border to oversee these distant tribes.
In historical records, it is said that from ancient times to the present, to open up the borders and engage in trade with distant lands, there must be an ambitious emperor and several ministers eager to accomplish great things. Zhang Qian blazed the trail to the Western Regions, while Ban Chao later took up arms and continued the campaign in the Western Regions. They either used treasures to buy or employed force to intimidate, risking their lives for fleeting glory. All of this is because the emperor is fond of expanding his territorial reputation, and the ministers are willing to sacrifice their lives for this achievement. So, whatever the emperor likes, the people below will definitely like it more.
Emperor Yang of Sui was notorious for extravagance and waste, even more so than the Qin and Han dynasties. Pei Ju presented the "Record of the Western Regions," which delighted Emperor Yang. Consequently, the emperor personally traveled beyond the Yumen Pass to establish settlements like Yiwu and Qiemo. From Guanzhong to the desert regions, chaos reigned, and the people endured great suffering. Even if the northern nomads were not causing trouble, and victories were secured in the east, Emperor Yang of Sui would continue to build military camps at Luntai, construct cities at Wulei, and seek the pearls of the Great Qin, bringing back bird eggs from Tiao Zhi, which would have cost countless lives!
In ancient times, those wise emperors, whose realms spanned only about five thousand miles, were solely focused on stabilizing the Central Plains, paying little heed to those distant lands. Were they not prestigious or virtuous enough? No, they just didn't want the people of the Central Plains to suffer because of border issues, and they didn't want to delay important matters because of trivial matters. Thus, the Qin Dynasty stationed troops in the Wuling Mountains, and the Han Dynasty deployed forces at the three borders, leading to either widespread carnage or a drastic population decline. The Sui Dynasty overestimated its strength, only to suffer a significant defeat in Qinghai. All this stemmed from the emperor's misguided choices, which brought suffering to the common people.
If Emperor Yang of Sui could consider the meaning of "living in peace and working happily," resolutely reject the requests to set up the Protectorate, return the thousand-mile horses, and refuse the tribute of the white wolves, then those minority groups in the west, even if they chose not to pay tribute, would not have had to endure the tragedy of Jiangdu!
