Expanding the Borders of China

At the beginning of its existence, the Tang empire pursued an active foreign policy, expanding its borders at the expense of neighboring nations and states. The former passive-defensive attitude towards the Turks, which led to China paying tribute to the Turkic kagans, was replaced by an offensive. In the years 629-630. The East Turkic Khaganate was defeated.

Kagan Selim got into the mall, and the Turkic lands washed south of the Gobi desert went to China. Here and around the year of the year, the military vicegerency Shapyoy was created. Five years later, such a governorate, called Aibei, was also established north of the Gobi.

The offensive was continued against the West-Turkic Khaganate. The Chinese troops advanced west along the Great Silk Road. In 640, the military governorate of Anxi was created. After the defeat of the evil Turks in 657, the center of the vicegerency was moved to the town of Kuchar. The final defeat of the Zapadoturk kaganate was inflicted in 679. In 702, another Baitiya governorate was formed in Urumqi. In 751, at Talas, Chinese troops collided with the army of the Arab Caliphate. This battle stopped the advance of Chinese troops and led to their retreat far to the east. The expansion of the Chinese border ....

The offensive policy of the Tang empire in the west was determined not only by the desire to defeat such a strong neighbor as the Turkic Kaganate and thereby secure the borders from the Turkic raids, and at the same time expand the territory under its control, but also the desire to establish control over the Great Silk Road, China with Western countries.

In the first half of the VII century. Silt southwest borders of the Tang empire strengthened by the state of Tibet. In the sixties of the same century, Tibetans began to encroach on the Chinese possessions on the Great Silk Road, conquer the territories of the Tuqun-hun tribes. In 670, China carried out a series of campaigns against Tibet. Wars were of varying success, after 692, the Chinese managed to press the Tibetans.

In the north-east, the Tang emperors continued the war with the Korean states of Koguryo and Tkce (the latter lay in the southwest and in the center of the Korean peninsula). Chinese trips there are resumed in 644. In 660-663 years. The state of Baekje was defeated, and its territory was formally declared to belong to China. In 668, after a series of reflected campaigns, the capital Koguryo (modern Pyongyang) also fell.

Expanding the Border of China