262 the southwest
them in audience in the 4th month (May/June) of 788. The emperor
was obviously pleased with this diplomatic overture and gave a ban-
quet for the envoys on June 16. They received enfeoffments and rich
presents (Chiu T’ang shu 197:8a; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.7513).
In 791, Te-tsung sent a secret envoy of his own to Yi-mou-hsün.
The Tibetans learned about this, became suspicious, and demanded
hostages from Nan-chao. There is no record that Yi-mou-hsün com-
plied (Chiu T’ang shu 197:8a).
In 793, Yi-mou-hsün sent envoys by three different routes to the
T’ang court, via Ssu-ch’uan, Kuei-chou, and Annam. All arrived in
Ch’ang-an and presented unwrought gold and cinnabar. Te-tsung
ordered Ts’ui Tso-chih to go as his envoy to Nan-chao and review
the situation (Chiu T’ang shu 197:8a; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.7547).
At the end of 793,^39 Ts’ui Tso-chih reached the court of Yi-mou-
hsün, where he was received in secrecy by night. In the 1st month
(Feb./Mar.) of 794, a covenant was concluded, presumably also in
secrecy, in a spirit temple on a nearby mountain, in which Nan-chao
was represented by a son of Yi-mou-hsün and a Chancellor. Yi-mou-
hsün relinquished the title of emperor, and the T’ang agreed to resume
the name of Nan-chao instead of Yün-nan. The agreement was carved
on gold and presented to the Chinese envoy (Chiu T’ang shu 197:8b;
Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p. 7552).
The Tibetans had been defeated by the Uighurs in 791 and had
requested military assistance from their then ally Nan-chao. This was
used as a ruse by Yi-mou-hsün in 794. He informed the Tibetans that
he only could contribute 3000 men, but at their insistance raised the
number to 5000. With these 5000 men he made a suprise attack on
the Tibetans and defeated them. Subsequently, he sent an envoy to
the T’ang court to announce this victory (Chiu T’ang shu 197:8b-9a;
Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 329:71a).
In the 6th month (July) of 794,^40 a younger brother of Yi-mou-hsün
and others presented at the T’ang court a geographical map, regional
objects, swords, and eight Tibetan seals, including the golden one of
- All envoys received nominal Chinese offices, each in accordance
(^39) According to Tzu-chih t’ung-chien, Ts’ui Tso-shih reached the capital of Nan-
chao in the 1st month (Feb./Mar.) of 794.
(^40) T’ang hui-yao 99:5b dates this mission 9th month (Sep./Oct.) which in the
sequence of events cannot be right.