414 the turkic tribes
In the 10th month (Oct./Nov.) of 642, T’ai-tsung observed to his
attendant officials that the increasing strength of the Hsüeh-yen-t’o
north of the Gobi forced him to make one of two decisions, either to
attack them or to make a marriage alliance. Fang Hsüan-ling (578-648)
answered:”Make peace and an alliance by marriage”. The emperor
said:”Yes. We are the father and mother of the people. If we can profit
from it, why should we be stingy about one woman?” He ordered a
Gentleman-in-Attendance of the Ministry of Arms to inform the [P’i-
chia Qaghan] of the Hsüeh-yen-t’o that he would give him the Princess
of Hsin-hsing as a wife. According to Hu San-hsing’s commentary, she
was an imperial daughter (Tzu-chih t’ung-chien pp.6179-6180).
On Jan.26, 643, the New Year’s Day, the Hsüeh-yen-t’o presented
regional objects. (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5024).
On July 31, 643, a nephew of P’i-chia offered 50,000 horses, 10,000
cattle and camels, and 100,000 sheep toward the promised marriage
(Chiu T’ang shu 3:8b; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6199). On Aug.12,^44 the same
envoy presented delicacies, and the emperor gave him a banquet and
rich gifts (Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6199).
At this point, a T’ieh-le in T’ai-tsung’s entourage advised that a mar-
riage alliance with the Hsüeh-yen-t’o should be out of the question.
The emperor said:”I have already allowed it. How can I be the Son
of Heaven and eat my words?” The T’ieh-le suggested that P’i-chia
should be invited personally to welcome his bride in Ch’ang-an or
at least in the Ning-hsia Oasis. He would not dare to come, whereu-
pon the marriage could be cancelled. T’ai-tsung accepted this. He
informed P’i-chia that he would personally conduct the bride to the
Ning-hsia Oasis and meet him there. But the qaghan’s ministers feared
that this would involve to great a risk. P’i-chia refused the offer, and
the marriage plans were cancelled off (Hsin t’ang shu 110:4a; Tzu-chih
t’ung-chien pp.6199-2000). In short, the marriage was aborted by the
emperor’s trickery.^45
In the 11th month (Nov./Dec.) of 643, the Hsüeh-yen-t’o offered
regional objects (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5024). In one of the three missions of
(^44) Emending 6th month to 6th intercalary month and keng-tzu to keng-wu.
(^45) This conflicts with O. Franke’s uncritical admiration of T’ai-tsung:”Dieser
Mann hat durch sein ganzes Leben hundertfach bewiesen, dass ihm Hinterlist und
Ungerechtigkeit ebenso fern lagen wie Grausamkeit und Härte" (Geschichte, vol.2,
p.367).