The Conquest Of Central Asia
The Chinese are the most practical and the least imaginative of the
peoples of the earth. During their whole four thousand years and more of
historical existence the idea of military glory seems never to have
dawned upon their souls. They have had wars, abundance of them, but
these have nearly all been fought for the purpose of holding on to old
possessions, or of widening the borders of the empire by taking in
neighbo
ing lands. No Alexander, Caesar, or Napoleon has ever been born
on Chinese soil; no army has ever been led abroad in search of the
will-of-the-wisp called glory; the wild fancy of becoming lords of the
world has always been out of touch with their practical minds.
If we consider closely the wars of China the truth of what is here said
will appear. The great bulk of them have been fought within the limits
of the empire, for the purposes of defence against invasion, the
suppression of revolt, the overthrow of the power of feudal lords, or in
consequence of the ambition of successful generals who coveted the
throne. The wars of external conquest have been singularly few,
consisting principally in the invasion of the domain of the Tartars, to
which the Chinese were driven by the incessant raids of the desert
hordes. In addition, there have been invasions of Corea and Indo-China,
but merely as passing incidents in the long era of Chinese history, not
as inaugurating a career of conquest. The great invasion of Japan in the
thirteenth century, the only pure war of conquest of China, was made by
Kublai Khan, a Tartar emperor, and largely with Tartar troops. In brief,
the Chinese have shown themselves in disposition one of the most
peaceful of nations, only asking to be let alone, and are very unlikely
to begin the war of conquest which some modern military writers fear.
Yet there is one instance in Chinese history which seems to contradict
what has here been said, that of the career of a great conqueror who
carried the arms of China over the whole width of Asia, and who seemed
actuated by that thirst for military glory which has inspired most of
the great wars of the world and brought untold misery upon mankind. This
was the great leader Panchow, who lived under three emperors of the Han
dynasty, and whose career is full of interest and event.
Panchow first appears in the reign of the emperor Mingti, who came to
the throne in 57 A.D. His victories were won in the west, in the region
of Kokonor, where he brought to an end the invasions of the Tartar
tribes. Under Changti, the succeeding emperor, Panchow continued his
work in the west, carrying on the war at his own expense, with an army
recruited from pardoned criminals.
Changti died, and Hoti came to the throne, a child ten years of age. It
was under his reign that the events to be described took place. During
the preceding reigns Panchow had made the power of China felt in regions
far west of that realm, bringing several small kingdoms and many tribes
under subjection, conquering the city of Kashgar, and extending the
western borders of China as far into the interior of Asia as the great
upland region of the Pamir. The power of his arms had added Eastern
Turkestan to the Chinese empire, a region which it continues to hold
to-day.
But these conquests were not enough to satisfy the ambition of the
veteran general. Under the boy emperor Hoti he was free to carry out his
designs on a much larger scale. With a powerful army he set out on the
only campaign of ambitious warfare in which China ever indulged. His
previous victories had carried the terror of his name far over the
kingdoms of the west, and he now led his army to conquest after conquest
in the great oases of Western Turkestan, subduing kingdom after kingdom
until no less than fifteen had submitted to the power of his arms, and
his victorious army stood on the far-distant shores of the Caspian
Sea,--the Northern Sea, as it is named in Chinese annals.
To cross this sea would have brought him into Europe, which continent
had never dreamed of invasion from the mysterious land of Cathay, on the
eastern horizon of the world. Panchow's ambition was not yet satiated.
There came to his mind the idea of crossing this seeming great barrier
to his victorious career. He had, with his army, overcome innumerable
difficulties of waterless deserts, lofty mountain ranges, great rivers,
and valiant enemies. Thus far his progress had been irresistible, and
should a mere expanse of water put an end to his westward march?
He was checked by dread of perils in the unknown land beyond. The people
on the borders of the Caspian represented that salt sea as being far
more formidable than it really was. They dilated on its width, the vast
mountains which lay beyond, the fierce tribes who would render a landing
difficult and dangerous, and the desert regions beyond the mountains,
until Panchow reluctantly gave up his scheme. He had already been for
several years warring with savage nature and barbarous man, and had
extended the dominions of his emperor much farther than any Chinese
general had ever dreamed of before. It was time to call a halt, and not
expose his valiant followers to the unknown perils beyond the great
inland sea.
The army remained long encamped on the Caspian, coming into
communication through its envoys with the Roman empire, whose eastern
borders lay not far away, and forming relations of commerce with this
rich and powerful realm. This done, Panchow led his ever-victorious
warriors back to their native land, to tell the story of the marvels
they had seen and the surprising adventures they had encountered.
That Panchow was moved by the mere thirst for military fame may well be
doubted in view of what we know of the character of the Chinese. His
purpose was perhaps the more practical one of opening by force of arms
new channels of trade, and overcoming the obstacles placed by the
Parthians and other nations of Asia in the way of freedom of commerce.
On his return to China he found himself the idol of the people, the
trusted friend of the emperor, and the most revered and powerful subject
of the empire. He died in his eightieth year, enjoying a fame such as no
general of his race had ever before attained.