the northeast 193The Northeast
Between 589 and the beginning of the 10th century, the chief tribes
of Manchuria and adjoining parts of Jehol were the two Hsi, Mo-ho,
Shih-wei, Khitan, and Jurchen. Their relations with China will be
discussed here, except for the Khitan (Liao) and Jurchen (Chin) who
have chapters of their own (map 4).
THE HSI
The Hsi were a pastoral people with little agriculture in southern Jehol.
The Chinese originally called them the K’u-mo-hsi (T’ung-tien 200:
48a). But from the Sui onward, they appear in the Chinese sources
only under the abbreviated form. They were probably linguistically
related to the Khitan.^1
On Feb.11, 593, Hsi envoys to the Sui court offered gifts (Sui shu
2:8b).
In 629 and in the 11th month (Dec./Jan., 630) of the Chinese year
631, Hsi were received at the T’ang court (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5024;
Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 344:14b).
In the intercalary month (Sep./Oct.) of 632 and in the 1st
month (Feb./Mar.) of 633, Hsi envoys offered gifts (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei
p.5024).
On Feb.2, 645, the New Year’s Day, Hsi envoys congratulated and
offered regional objects (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5024).
On Feb.16, 645, Emperor T’ai-tsung issued orders for his war
against Koguryo, in which Silla, Paekche, the Hsi, and the Khitan were
expected to attack by several routes (Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6215).
In 648, T’ai-tsung established the imaginary Jao-lo Area Command
and appointed the Hsi chief K’o-tu-che as its Military Governor and
(^1) See e.g. Wittfogel, Liao, p.95. According to Twichett, Cambridge History of China,
vol.3:1, p.364, the Hsi were Turkish. They are not to be confused with the much
less important Hsi of the next section. The names of both Hsi tribes have the same
transliteration in English but are written with different characters in Chinese. Wher-
ever Hsi are mentioned in this work other then in the brief account below, they are
the Hsi of this section.