The nine surnames of Zhaowu refer to the general name given to the Sogdians or their descendants from more than ten small countries who came to the Central Plains from the Sogdian region in Central Asia during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Sui and Tang Dynasties. Their kings all had the surname Zhaowu.
The nine surnames of Zhaowu were originally from the Yuezhi people. In the early Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu defeated the Yuezhi and forced them to move westward. The Yuezhi tribe with Zhaowu in Hexi (modern-day Zhaowu in Linze, Gansu, near Zhangye) fled westward and entered the Sogdian region in Central Asia. They conquered the local indigenous people and formed several tribes. The city-state was later ruled by Gaida and was forced to change its surname to Wen (Wen Nasha).
After the decline of Gida, the city-states regained their independence and adopted the surname Zhaowu, forming the Sogdian city-states headed by Kang, including An, Cao, Shi, Mi, He, Shi, Mu, Bi and other states, collectively known as the "Nine Surnames of Zhaowu" "In the Tang Dynasty, they were also called "Nine Surnames Hu" or simply "Hu", and in Western languages they were called "Sogdians".
Later, some people with the nine surnames Hu accepted the rule of the Turks and the Tang Dynasty. In the eighth century, the country fell to the Dashi (Arab Empire). After that, most of their people gradually became Turkic and Turkish, and became part of the modern Central Asian Uzbeks. A small number of remnants dispersed among the Tajiks.
Although the people of the nine surnames of Zhaowu are far inferior to the Turks in terms of combat ability, their "business attributes" are much higher than any nomadic people in the north. Since the Sogdian region is the throat of the middle section of the Silk Road, it is natural that the Sogdians, the nine surnames of Zhaowu, have become a nation with a business tradition. To put it bluntly, they have become hereditary "second-hand traders", selling Chinese silk to the West. , selling Western gems, wine, etc. to the Tang Dynasty.
After all, the nomadic people started out but could not defeat the Tang Dynasty. They could only rely on their own mobility to become merchants. Even papermaking technology was spread to Central Asia and other places through the Kang people. In fact, since the Han and Wei dynasties, this group of Sogdians had entered the Central Plains to do business along the Silk Road. However, due to the short-lived Western Jin Dynasty, the Central Plains was in chaos and had no time to take care of themselves, and business was tepid.
During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, thanks to the brilliance of the famous generals of the early Tang Dynasty and the open and inclusive imperial national policy, the Silk Road was filled with new vitality. This attracted a large number of people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu to come eastward. The "Old Book of Tang Dynasty" records: "The journey of promoting the Hu is successively passed over the years."
After the founding of the Tang Dynasty, a large number of people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu came to China. Many of them became extremely wealthy through doing business. They envied the colorful culture of the Tang Empire, married wives and had children in the mainland, and gradually became Chinese. Some even formed considerable political power. .
For example, the An brothers were in chaos at the end of the Sui Dynasty, and Li Gui separatized Liangzhou. In order to regain the Liangzhou area, An Xinggui appealed to Li Yuan, hoping to persuade Li Gui to surrender and submit to the Tang Dynasty. Li Yuan, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, did not agree, so the two again proposed a plan and merged. In the end, he helped the Tang army defeat Li Gui, the king of Liang who occupied Hexi. Because of the An's outstanding meritorious service, An Xinggui was awarded the title of General Youwuhou, the Duke of Liang in the Shangzhu Kingdom, and was granted a title of 600 households and 10,000 pieces of silk. An Xiuren was also awarded the title of General Zuo Wuhou, and was granted the title of Duke of Shen. He was given a farm and a house, and was granted the title of 600 households.
However, this An has absolutely nothing to do with An Lushan's An. Although they are all Sogdians, and although they all have the surname An, this An is actually equivalent to our common surnames like Liu, Wang, and Li. There are so many Sogdians with this surname. Not only that, An Baoyu, a descendant of the An family, was later reused by the famous ZTE general Li Guangbi. He repeatedly performed extraordinary feats in the fight against the Anshi rebels. The imperial court gave him the national surname Li and moved him to Sikong for his merits. He was the same as Zhongshu's family.
Li Baoyu's cousin Li Baozhen later became the governor of Zelu. He also made great efforts in resisting the rebellion in the towns of Heshuo. He was appointed as an official to inspect the school and was granted a seal of 500 households. The An family can be regarded as a "full family of loyal martyrs". . In fact, during the Anshi Rebellion, there were many Hu people who performed meritorious service and sacrificed their lives for "bringing sugar" to defeat thieves. For example, Li Guangbi was a Khitan and a standard Hu person. Due to the open policy pursued by the Tang Dynasty, many foreigners served as officials in the court, forming a unique group of "Tibetan soldiers and generals" in the history of the Tang Dynasty. Among them, the nine surnames of Zhaowu were a force that cannot be ignored.
Generally speaking, the biggest characteristic of people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu is that they are rich, very, very rich. Once people have money, they will find ways to seek a certain political status. Today's people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu are also No exception!
Except for those who entered the court as officials by chance, a large number of people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu were doing business in the Tang Dynasty and used money to rely on some powerful local forces. The people of the nine surnames are surprisingly united. It is not an exaggeration to describe them with the words "when one party is in trouble, all parties support". Therefore, the power of the people of the nine surnames of Zhaowu in the Tang Dynasty must not be underestimated!
Not to mention that Kang Changan came from Kang State, the suzerain state of the nine surnames of Zhaowu, and by coincidence, this guy had something to do with the Kang royal family. In this case, Kang Changan's death was not just a murder. The case is very likely to evolve into a "diplomatic dispute"!
If the officials in Taiyuan City cannot give a reasonable statement or explanation for Kang Changan's death, not to mention that the Kangguo Congress will not give up, it is estimated that the Kang people in the Tang Dynasty or the people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu will not give up. They may It will create endless trouble for the Taiyuan government!
After all, whether in modern society or feudal society, although money is not everything, money can solve most problems, such as hiring killers, monopolizing the market, disrupting prices in the city, etc.!
No matter what method they use, Wang Liaoyuan and others will not feel comfortable!
When a group is extremely wealthy, even possessing wealth that rivals that of the country, even if they do not hold any official positions, their influence is beyond the reach of ordinary people!
This is the case in Kangchang'an and Kangqu today!
But is the Tang Dynasty afraid of the nine surnames of Zhaowu? Obviously not! In terms of overall national strength, even if the nine people with the Zhaowu surname were added up and multiplied by ten, they might not be able to defeat the Tang Dynasty, which had a strong military power. The strength of the nine surnames of Zhaowu is not in national strength, but in the "soft power" of the economy!
Not only did they monopolize the transactions between Datang and Western countries, but even the commercial and economic lifeblood of many states and counties within Datang were in the hands of the Nine Surnamed Hu! As the saying goes, a single move can affect the whole body. If Datang were to attack the nine surnames of Zhaowu now, even though they could win, they would also be injured!
"I was shocked to hear that Brother Chang'an's ironware shop was suddenly closed down, and that Brother Chang'an himself also encountered an accident, so I came to the Governor's Office to ask the Governor to bring justice to Brother Chang'an and find out who killed Brother Chang'an. ?”
In Taiyuan, in the back hall of the government office, Kang Qu naturally saw the surprise of Wang Liaoyuan, Wang Yu, Li Tai and others, but he did not make any fuss, but bowed his hands to Wang Liaoyuan with a normal expression.
Wang Liaoyuan composed himself, and his dignity quickly returned to his face. He said in a deep voice: "Kang Changan was suspected of smuggling weapons to the Turks, so his ironware shop was seized by the government! And Kang Changan himself escaped yesterday, and I and The guards of the Wang family searched everywhere in Taiyuan City but could not find him. Just today, the guards of the Wang family suddenly learned of Kang Changan's hiding place and went to arrest him. Unexpectedly, on the way back, they were assassinated by three masters in black. Kang Changan Unfortunately, he died!"
"What? Brother Chang'an is smuggling weapons to the Turks? How is this possible?"
When Kang Qu heard this, he said with a surprised look on his face: "This is impossible! We Kang people have always been honest when doing business outside, and we have never had contact with the Turks. How could Brother Chang'an smuggle weapons to the Turks? Mr. Governor, you must It’s a mistake, I believe Brother Chang’an’s character, he will definitely not be able to do such a thing!”
Li Tai said coldly: "Huh! What's the use of your belief? Now that there are witnesses and physical evidence, even if Kang Changan survives, he can't be allowed to deny it!"
Hearing Li Tai speak before Wang Liaoyuan, Kang Qu immediately turned his attention to Li Tai and asked in surprise: "Who are you?"
The person who can stand with Wang Liaoyuan and dare to speak up must have an extraordinary status. As a businessman, Kang Qu is the best at observing people's words, so he is quite polite to Li Tai!
Wang Liaoyuan said with a solemn expression: "This is my Royal Highness, King Wei of the Tang Dynasty, and he is one of the most favored princes of the Holy Emperor today!"
Since Li Tai chose to speak out at this time, he naturally intended to support the Taiyuan government in this matter. Wang Liao's principle was what he wanted! Because the dead Kang Changan had something to do with the Kang royal family, if the other party used his power to suppress others, he, a mere governor of Bingzhou, would really not be able to withstand it! But Li Tai, who was born in the royal family, is different!
With Li Tai here to control the situation, even if the prince of Kang came to seek justice for Kang Changan in person today, Wang Liaoyuan would be right!
Kang Qu's expression changed as expected. He took two steps back, bowed solemnly to Li Tai and said, "It turns out to be His Highness the King of Wei of the Tang Dynasty. Kang Qu has met His Highness!"
Li Tai said indifferently: "No need to be polite!"
Then he stopped talking.
Wang Liaoyuan said to Kang Qu at this time: "As for Kang Changan's smuggling of weapons to the Turks, the government has indeed established evidence. After the investigation of the case is completed, I will send the detailed files to the court, and then from Honglu Temple, Send to Kang State!"
When it comes to foreign affairs, it is not something that the governor's office can intervene in. It must be left to Honglu Temple to handle it specifically!
Kang Qu hesitated for a moment and said: "Okay! Since the prefect Wang said that the evidence is conclusive, I naturally have nothing to say. Our court will negotiate with your country's Honglu Temple to deal with it! However, my brother Chang'an even smuggled it to the Turks. Weapons are not a crime worthy of death, so why were they assassinated in Taiyuan City? Please give me an explanation, sir!"
No matter how you look at this guy's posture, he doesn't look like he's coming to the Governor's Mansion to look for someone, but he's coming to visit and ask for help!
Wang Liaoyuan's face darkened and he said solemnly: "As for those assassins, the governor's office is working hard to arrest them. After they are caught, they will give an explanation to your country. For now, please do not interfere with my official duties! If there is nothing else, Please come back!"
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