Research On Several Related Questions Of Yelüdashi’s Westward Migration

After Liao Dynasty(916-1125) falling, one Khitan nobleman named Yelü Dashi founded a state at the town of Kedun in Gobi Desert. He and his army stayed there for several years until he led a military expedition to western region. After three years’ recovery in the region of Emil River, Yelü Dashi finally established his own empire in Central Asia, which was known as Xi Liao(Western Liao) Dynasty(1126-1221) to Chinese or as Qara Khitan to Westerners. Although this empire had a great influence on Central Asian history, there was only one document recording its history systematically. The document, which was as an addenda to Volume 30 The Emperor Tianzuo’s Chronicle IV of Liao-shi(History of the Liao Dynasty), mainly recorded Yelü Dashi how to established his empire, unfortunately it not only had a few of omissions but was incomplete in its account as well. Moreover, some content of the document was in contradiction with other historical records which were written by Chinese and Muslim authors.Regarding the document as basic historical material, comparing it with the related content of Qi-dan-guo-zhi(History of the Khitan State), Da-jin-guo-zhi(History of the Jurchen State), San-chao-bei-meng-hui-bian, Jian-yan-yi-lai-xi-nian-yao-lu, al-Kāmil fī al-ta’rīkh, Ta’rīkh-i Jahān-Cushā(The History of the World Conqueror), Jāmi‘al-tawārīkh and other historical literature works, and on the basis of the achievements of previous scholars, the thesis is to do some research on several related questions during the whole magnificent story when Yelü Dashi had been establishing Xi Liao Dynasty between the year of 1123 and 1134. The achievements of the thesis can be divided as two parts. One is to discuss and prove the old controversial arguments, the other is to propose new points of view. For the first part, achievements are as below. 1. Yelü Dashi and Empress Xiao Defei arrived individually at Emperor Tianzuo’s imperial Camp of Jiashan rather than together. 2. It was February(Chinese lunar calendar) 1130 rather than February(Chinese lunar calendar) 1131 when Yelü Dashi set out on his westward migration from the town of Kedun. For the second part, achievements are as below. 1. Yelü Dashi left the imperial Camp of Jiashan for the town of Kedun in Gobi Desert for the reason that the relationship between Emperor Tianzuo and him was totally broken. He was forced to leave rather than on his own initiative to do so. 2. Yelü Dashi proclaimed his throne of emperor in the year of 1126, when the news of Emperor Tianzuo’s death was spread in Gobi Desert. 3. Yelü Dashi continued to use the old reign title Bao-da of Emperor Tianzuo in the town of Kedun until the year of 1130 when he and his army stayed temporarily in the region of Emil River. 4. When discussing the route of Yelü Dashi’s migration from the town of Kedun to the region of Emil River, the thesis also believes the theory of double routes, but the connotation of the new theory of double routes is completely different from the old one. Furthermore, the thesis also discusses where the Kirghiz tribe stayed in this period, and the related questions to Xi Liao’s eastern expedition just after Yelü Dashi establishing his reign in Central Asia.