A Study On The Khitan’s Southward Military Expedition In The 10th Century

Among Khitan’s 100 year military policy to the central plain regions in the 10^thcentury,each king showed great difference in their own period.Form Taizu till Shengzong,Khitan’s policy shared different era and political backgrounds.The alteration of each Khitan King’s military policy of the 10^thcentury were the major objectives being studied in this thesis,Khitan’s tactic and logistic changes and the peculiarity of southward route selection were also explored in depth,and,the evolution,as well as its motivation of Khitan’s military policy,were both the major concern of this thesis.The Introduction of the thesis introduced the significance of its argument,sorted out the current academic situation around the topic,summarized the shortcomings of related research,and made surveys to the research’s approach,methods,innovation,and difficulties.Chapter 1:The Taizu Period.Before 916（The first year of Shence）,Taizu（Abaoji）continued the military policy of his predecessors,and take the southern Khitan grassland as the core of his policy,during which,Abaoji’s attack on Liu Rengong of Youzhou county was mostly revenge against the Liu’s military threat.After 916,Khitan was gradually assimilated by the Han people,but was not sufficiently.According to Song’s historical archives,Abaoji’s political motivation was mostly influenced by the debate of Huayi in the Northern Song Dynasty,however,Khitan never ceased the governance to the Grassland area.Li Keyong and Liu Rengong’s constantly suppression to the rise of the Khitan was out of the reason that the northern regime in the Central Plains need the Grassland area and thought it should be influenced.Especially,after Taizu broke the alliance of Yunzhou agreements,the Later Tang regime kept endangering Khitan.Abaoji had to counterbalance the military threat of the Later Tang by supporting the rebellion commissioners or occupying strategic areas of the Central Plains in order to safeguard the interests and security of the Khitan’s grassland.Chapter 2:The Taizong Period.Both imperial power legitimacy crisis and Queen Shulu’s control of the throne became the reason that Emperor Taizong followed his father’s southward military policy,and hoped to win authority by establishing military merit through moving south.Taizong turned his arrow toward Hedong after he failed in assisting the rebellion commissioners of Hebei.Undoubtedly,Taizong’s successful assistance to Shijingtang was the fruit of following his father’s governance policy.Taizong did not achieve his top prestige until he achieved his occupation to the Sixteen States of Yanyun,which changed the balance between north and south,and also forced The Later Jin paying tribute as Khitan’s vassal,as well.Later,in order to establish a long-term vassal relationship with the Later Jin.Taizong began to interfere with the selection of local military governor candidates in Hebei and Zhending in order to establish his long time governence,and united with the Southern Tang in suppress of the Later Jin’s development.This measure greatly affected their southward military objectives after 944（The seventh year of Taizong Huitong）,as the war taking over Later Jin was under the original goal of occupying Hebei and appointing Li Jing as a puppy Emperor to reshape the vassal system,however,Taizong had to proclaimed himself the Emperor after the goal failed.Chapter 3:The Shizong and Muzong Period.Due to an improper succession to the throne,Shizong’s military management aimed at restoring Taizong’s success in order to gain the support and political prestige form Khitan generals.He did not give up the governance of Hebei when turning back to the grassland,and he kept heading south even after suppressing an internal rebellion,and finally made Northern Han as Khitan’s vassal.Muzong supported the Northern Han’s fight for the Central Plains to go south and suppress the Later Zhou from Hebei.After the war in Gaoping,Muzong’s southward military policy became slightly conservative,only targeting at safeguarding the Northern Han.Lacking of imperial and military power,the change of Muzong’s strategy implies a militiary crisis,as the competent Khitan generals of Taizong period were died.When Zhou Shizong returned to the north and recaptured three towns,Muzong’s policy became more conservative.Chapter 4:Jingzong and Shengzong Period.Jingzong continued Muzong’s conservative military and economic policy after he succeed the throne..In 969,the first year of Baoning,two military failures in rescuing the Northern Han changed the military balance in Hebei,the Song army began preparing for the war by building border defense facilities in Hebei.In order to secure Yan Yun area,Muzong initiated peace agreement with the Song army at Xiongzhou,which was the sign of his completely abandonment of all military strategy to the south.In 979,the first year of Qianheng,the Emperor Song Taizong broke the Xiongzhou peace agreement with Khitan,so Jingzong had to resume a positive southward military strategy.However,due to a long-term conservative policy,Jingzong had no way but use war as the only protection,for he did not find any clear strategy to the south to thoroughly solve the Yan Yun crisis.After Shengzong succeeded the throne,he suspended Jingzong’s southward military policy,but Emperor Song Taizong’s two northern expedition forced him to restart a positive policy in restoring Sanguan and regaining military advantage in Hebei battlefield.The Song army’s two northern expeditions almost destroyed Yan Yun area,and the east and west wings’crisis was not solved,so Shengzong had to suspended his southward military actions at 989,the seventh year of Tonghe.At the year of 999,Shengzong restarted military actions toward south and took over the Sanguan when he handled the military logistic and border crisis,however,the Song army’s border defense in Hebei was reinforced,Shengzong’s southward was impeded.In 1004,the 22nd year of Tonghe,Khitan and the Song army confronted at Chanzhou after Shengzong took risk in heading to the south,neglecting his military failure at Yingzhou,the inconvenient transportation,and the death of general Xiaotalin.The two sides settled a peace agreement,and the Khitan’s hundred-year military strategy was generally suspended by then.Chapter 5:Khitan’s War Tactics and Logistics in the 10th century.In the Taizu period,Khitan’s war tactics were mainly traditional riding and shooting,with cavalry impacts.Deep southward war actions and the recruitment of the Han soldiers in the sixteen states of Yanyun area reshaped Khitan army’s tactics,it turned out to be more“Central Plains”in characteristics in Taizong period.Khitan’s early major supply were sheep and horses,the weapons and equipment are almost self-made.In Jingzong’period,Khitan’s major provision was grain,and the logistics system of food and supply began to be established.From Taizong’s period,the weapons and equipment of the Khitan professional army,mainly composed by the combat army,squire army and the Nanjing Han army,were provided by the officials,but the other ordinary soldiers continued to bring their own weapons.Influenced by traditional tactical thought,Khitan’s tactical reform was slow after Taizong’s period,and the logistic system was not in good health,so Khitan army’s fighting force was weakened then before during the Jingsheng period,and lead a lack of military achievement in a long time.Chapter 6:Khitan’s southward route in the early 10th century.In early years of the 10th century,Khitan took Hebei Road as its southward outlet,mainly toward three directions of Guyongguan,Gubeikou and Pingzhou,and going to south through Yizhou and Dingzhou.Although there was nearly no route in the flat terrain of Hedong and Daibei,three southbound routes could also be used:form Zhenwu to Shengzhou,Yunzhou to Yanmenguan,from Xinzhou to Weizhou.The shortest route principle is Khitan’s strategically consideration.Geographical features also greatly affected Khitan’s tactics.The Khitan army considered a lot on forage supply for livestock and war horses.The fast consumption of grasslands in combat area lay a negative effect on Khitan’s southward fight,and offset the tactical advantage of Khitan cavalry on a certain degree.The Conclusion Summarize the goals and motivation of Khitan’s southward military policy in various periods,analyzed the successions of Khitan’s policy,as well as Khitan’s legacy to Jin and Yuan.