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11 1 Dancing with the Horse Riders The Tang, the Turks, and the Uighurs A duo is a bird of pale yellow feather, with a forked tail and a claw that resembles the foot of a mouse without the hind toe. About the size of a pigeon, this fowl flies in big flocks, cries in a high-pitched tone, migrates south to seek refuge from harsh winters, and returns to its habitat in the northern deserts when spring comes.1 This plain-looking bird somehow drew the attention of the most serious-minded compilers of the Chinese official dynastic histories. In the Dynastic History of Tang (Jiu Tang shu), they mentioned the duo in the “Monograph of Portents” (Wu­ xing zhi), a section that examined, among other things, natural phenomena as omens for events of political significance.2 Referring to the duo as a “Turkic bird,” they regarded the arrival of this bird in China as an ill omen portending an imminent invasion of Tang by the Turks. “Before the Turks rebelled in 676,” the compilers recorded, “flocks of duo birds had flown [south of the] garrison. [Coming in a huge number ], they covered the ground. Frontier people were scared, saying to each other: ‘The Turkic birds are flying south; this is an indication of [an impending] Turkic assault on our garrisons.’” The compilers then painted a gruesome picture of the death of these birds: “In the first month of the next year, when they flew back to the north, all of them dropped dead on the ground in Lingzhou [present-day Zhongwei and Zhongning, Ningxia Muslim Autonomous Region] and Xiazhou [present -day Dalihe, Shaanxi province, and parts of the Yellow River bend in Inner Mongolia]. People went to take a look at these birds, [and to their great astonishment], they were all headless.”3 In fact, Turkic birds were not evil creatures. Contemporary Tang people even ate them as delicacies.4 The unpleasant association between the innocent duo birds and the bellicose Turks was due to an unfortunate coincidence: the southward migration of these birds started at roughly the same time the Yellow River froze, the time at which the Turks would pray for good fortune at a temple on the northern bank of the river, prepare their horses, and provision their soldiers before crossing the river to attack China.5 12 | Tang China in Multi-Polar Asia The Turks’ Military Prowess If the duo birds’ arrival in China signaled impending Turkic attacks on the Tang, the symbol for their formidable military prowess was their superior breed of horses. Early Tang rulers and officials, who were horsemen themselves, always admired Turkic horses. Their vivid descriptions of the Turkic horse allow us a glimpse of these remarkable beasts. “Turkic horses have unsurpassed skills,” one observed. “With physiques of proper length and size, these horses are capable of long-distance travel. They are superb horses whether employed in farming or in hunting .” Emperor Taizong was equally fond of Turkic horses. In 647, when one hundred such fine horses arrived in China as tributary gifts, ten of particularly outstanding quality were selected and presented to the emperor . Impressed, he called them “ten thoroughbred horses” and granted each a name. The delighted emperor went on to write about these horses in great detail. Under his pen, they were “exceptionally superior to ordinary [horses].” With strong bones, round eyes as big as hanging mirrors, a square head that looks like a brick, long legs that resemble those of a deer, a narrow and long neck as beautiful as that of a phoenix, a small and flat abdomen, and big nostrils, these horses could breathe easily even when galloping at full speed.6 And it was these fine horses that allowed the Turks to attack a target at lightning speed and to retreat before their enemy could stage a counterattack. The Turks furthermore were known as skilled blacksmiths and makers of iron weapons.7 From tributes presented by the Xiajiasi (Kirghiz), the Turks obtained iron to make swords, sabers, daggers, spears, arrowheads , body armor, and parts for saddlery.8 A tribe subordinate to the Turks, the Kirghiz controlled a vast area that was rich in such mineral resources as gold, tin, and iron. At places, the vein of iron was so close to the surface of earth that it became exposed after a heavy rainfall. Grateful for this rare gift by nature, the Kirghiz called this ore “iron from the heavenly rain” and made it...

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