A Study On The Political Position Of The Fergana In The Relationship Between Tang And Dashi

In the 7th and 8th century AD,the Tang Dynasty and the Dashi(大食)competed fiercely in Central Asia,as an ancient country in the western region,Fergana was played an extremely important role in this competing process.The establishment of the Xiuxun Area Command(休循州都督府)indicated the formal establishment of Tang’s political sovereignty over Fergana,the Tang Court inherited and developed the dual system of rule that the Western Turks was practiced,the political reality of the two regimes in the East Fergana(东拔汗那)and the West Fergana(西拔汗那)also laid a foundation for the differentiation and transformation of the political positions of the two sides in the battle between the Tang Dynasty and the Dashi in Central Asia.In the course of their eastward expansion,the Dashi never stopped their military conquest of the Fergana,Harash(哈拉什)succeeded Qutayb(屈底波)as the governor of Khorasan and conquered West Fergana in the early 8th century.The West Fergana completely surrendered to Arabs and broke off contacts with the Tang Dynasty.It was during this period that the political positions held by the East Fergana and the West Fergana were obviously differentiated.The death of the Turgesh Sulu(突骑施苏禄)in 738 put the East Fergana at the forefront of the fight against the Dashi.Since then,the East Fergana has become the"western gate"of the Tang,the relationship between the two sides has been further developed than before.The three military alliances between the East Fergana and Tang fully reflected its firm political stance.Fergana was one of the most loyal allies of the Tang,it was also the most important part of the Tang Dynasty’s Central Asian defense system against the Dashi.