In the Mogao cave in Dunhuang, there is an 8m-long Tang Dynasty mural depicting soldiers leaving. The main character of the painting is Truong Nghi Trieu – the leader of Quy Nghia Quan. For 10 centuries after the disbandment of Quy Nghia Quan, the world had almost forgotten the existence of this army.
So how did Quy Nghia Quan appear? Why is the information about this army “hidden” in the Dunhuang cave for so long.
Painting depicting the scene of Quy Nghia Quan going to war (Mac Cao Cave, Dunhuang)
After the An Su rebellion, the Tang dynasty rapidly weakened. The rival Turkish Empire took control of the Western Region, and the Silk Road was cut off. For half a century after the An Su rebellion, the Tang Dynasty was constantly in rebellion, unable to regain the lost lands. In the year 850, a monk from the West appeared in Chang’an (the capital of the Tang Dynasty) to spread the news: Quy Nghia Quan took Dunhuang.
Founded and ordered Quy Nghia Quan is Truong Nghi Trieu. In just a few years, Truong Nghi Trieu defeated the Tufan army and restored the Tang Dynasty’s power on the Silk Road. The Tang emperor at that time, Duong Tuyen Tong, had to say, “The West has common god“.
But history has recorded an ironic event. After Tang Xuanzong’s death, the Tang dynasty quickly weakened completely and ended in 907. China’s history gradually entered a chaotic period called the “Five Ten Great Kingdoms”.
Quy Nghia Quan in extreme circumstances has been around and supported for more than a century. In the 11th century, the Xiang Party rebelled to establish the state of Western Xia, and the Silk Road was once again cut off. The name Quy Nghia Quan is also gradually sinking into history.
However, in the last days of Quy Nghia Quan, perhaps an extraordinary event occurred: Some monks in Dunhuang decided to put all the bibliographies that recorded Quy Nghia Quan’s history of more than 500 years into one cave and closed the cave door. This bibliography will be free from all historical turbulence; until 1900, these documents were rediscovered and became world famous under the name “Dun Hoang Di Thu.”
European scholars participated in the Dunhuang excavations in the early 20th century (photo: Sohu)
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Soha.vn – Read the original article here
