liao 531him as duke of Yung-lo prefecture (Chiu T’ang shu 199B:5b).
In 696, the Empress Wu appointed the Khitan chief Li Chin-chung
as General-in-chief of the Martial, Guards of the Right and Military
Governor of the imaginary Sung-mo Area Command. But tensions
between the Khitan and Chinese led to war that year, and commanded
by Li Chin-chung and his brother-in-law, the above-mentioned Sun
Wan-jung, the Khitan forces victoriously reached the area of present
Peking. The Empress Wu changed Li’s name from Chin-chung (Utterly
Loyal) to Chin-mieh (Utterly Destroyed), and Sun’s from Wan-jung
(Ten-thousand Splendours) to Wan-chan (Ten-thousand Decapitations).
Li Chin-chung assumed the title of Qaghan Who Has No Superior.
He died at the end of 696 and was succeeded by Sun Wan-jung. The
Eastern Turkish qaghan Mo-ch’o took advantage of the absence of
so many Khitan forces, attacked the Khitan homeland, captured the
wives and children of Chin-chung and Wan-jung, and then withdrew.
The war ended in 697. For the next decades, the Khitan fell under
the dominance of the Eastern Turks (Chiu T’ang shu 199B:5b; T’ang
hui-yao 96:1b; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien pp.6509, 6510).
In 715, Li Chin-chung’s first paternal cousin Li Shih-huo sought
better relations with China. Emperor Hsüan-tsung reestablished the
imaginary Sung-mo Area Command and made Shih-huo the Military
Governor. He also appointed him General-in-chief of the Guards
of the Gilded Mace of the Left in charge of the non-existant Army
Which Gives Repose to the Imperial Domain, and recognized him
as king of Sung-mo. These arrangements were confirmed in a letter
written in vermilion ink (Chiu T’ang shu 199B:6a-6b; T’ang hui-yao 96:
1b;Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 345:16a).
On Dec.10, 717, Shih-huo was received at the T’ang court. Hsüan-
tsung enfeoffed a niece, the Lady Yang, as Princess of Yung-lo and
married her to him (Chiu T’ang shu 8:8b; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6730;
Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 345:16a).^2
In the 2nd month (Mar./Apr.) of 718, Khitan envoys were received
at the T’ang court court (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5027).
In the 5th month (June/July) of 718, it became known at the T’ang
court that Li Shih-huo had died. Hsüan-tsung ordered state mourning
and conferred on him the posthumous title of Specially Advanced.
Shih-huo was succeeded by his younger brother^3 Sha-ku, who was
(^2) Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao gives the date of 716.
(^3) According to Chiu T’ang shu 199B:6b by his first paternal cousin.