278 ch’ing-hai
of the Ministry of Punishments on the same errand (Sui shu 2:7a; 83:
4a).
At the end of 592,^5 T’u-yü-hun envoys presented regional objects
(Sui shu 2:8a).
On June 28, 595, T’u-yü-hun envoys offered gifts (Sui shu 2:10a).
In 596, Emperor Wen married the Princess of Kuang-hua to Shih-
fu. The latter proposed that she be called Heavenly Queen, which was
not to the liking of the Chinese court (Sui shu 83:4a; Pei shih 96:19a).
In 597, T’u-yü-hun envoys to the Sui court announced that Shih-fu
had been killed and been replaced by his younger brother Yün-fu.^6
According to custom, he married his elder brother’s widow, the Prin-
cess of Kuang-hua (Sui shu 83:4a-4b; Pei-shih96:19a).
After Emperor Yang had ascended the Sui throne on Aug.13, 604,
Yün-fu’s son Shun was received at the court. Yang detained him and
appointed him an Imperial. Household Grandee of the Golden Seal
and Purple Ribbon (Sui shu 83:4b; Chiu T’ang shu 198:7a; Wen-hsien
t’ung-k’ao 334:26a).
With Emperor Yang, the political climate changed from the peaceful
coexistance of China and the T’u-yü-hun in the time of his father to
confrontation. After a brief war with the Turkic T’ieh-le, Emperor
Yang formed an alliance with them against the T’u-yü-hun (Sui shu
83:4b;Wen-hsien t’ung-k’ao 334:26a).
Two more T’u-yü-hun missions are recorded before the outbreak
of hostilities. The first was received at the Sui court on July 21, 607,
the second in northwestern China on May 14, 609, where Emperor
Yang was making preparations for the war (Sui shu 3:10b, 13a; Pei
shih 12:13a).
In the summer of 609, the Chinese and T’ieh-le attacked, and Yün-
fu was forced to flee. Emperor Yang enthroned Yün-fu’s son Shun as
ruler of the T’u-yü-hun but did not send him back (Sui shu 3:13b; 83:
4b-5a;Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.5841).^7
The Chinese victory was ephemeral. With the collapse of the Sui
empire, Yün-fu regained his old territory and in retaliation looted
(^5) The text has 12th month, chi-yu, but these cyclical characters did not occur in
that month.
(^6) The name is by the sources variously given as Yün-fu and Fu-yün. But since his
elder brother’s name was Shih-fu, fu was obviously the second part of a generational
name. Yün-fu is therefore correct, and I have adjusted the entries accordingly.
(^7) Tzu-chih t’ung-chien refers to Yün-fu and his sucessors throughout as qaghan.