Loulan is located in the west bank of Lop Nur, northeast of Ruoqiang, and was called Puchanghai in ancient times. More than two thousand years ago, a large area of Populus euphratica forest grew along the coast of Lop Nur, which was lush and presented a scene of a water town and a country. Tarim River and Peacock River flow from west to east along the northern margin of Tarim, through Loulan and into Lop Nur. There are abundant aquatic plants and fertile fields on both sides of the river, which is one of the main wasteland reclamation areas in Han Dynasty.
When Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions and opened the Silk Road. In the early Han Dynasty, the Silk Road passed through Loulan, and there were two routes: one was from Yangguan westbound, crossing Bailongdui desert, passing through the northwest bank of Lop Nur to Loulan southbound, reaching Shini (near Ruoqiang County), and then westbound along the South Silk Road; The other passes through Loulan, goes west to Yanqi, and goes along the Silk Road North Road to the Western Regions. The Silk Road can take the south road or the north road through Loulan, which is the throat of the Silk Road. In the early Han Dynasty, Loulan played an important role in the traffic line of the Silk Road. According to "The Biography of the Western Regions of Han Dynasty", in the Western Han Dynasty, messengers and merchants from Loulan East to West "met in the Tao, as many as ten generations a year." Loulan was an important transportation hub and trade transit station on the north-south route of the Silk Road in the early Western Regions.
Second, Loulan under the rule of Xiongnu
The ancient history of Loulan country is not very clear. Loulan's name was first seen in Historical Records Biography of Xiongnu. According to historical records, Loulan established a country around the 3rd century BC (equivalent to the early Qin Dynasty in China), which was mainly engaged in extensive agriculture and animal husbandry, and was ruled by the King of Yue. From about 177 BC to 176 BC, Xiongnu Mao Dun Khan sent the right wise king to launch a large-scale attack on the Yue family, defeated the Yue family, and forced the rest to cross the Tianshan Mountains and migrate to the Ili River basin. The original Vietnamese-ruled areas were occupied by Xiongnu, and the Xiongnu slave owners and nobles established their dominant position in the western regions. According to Records of the Historian Biography of Xiongnu, in the sixth year of Emperor Wendi (BC 174), Emperor Wendi said, "Thanks to heaven, Loulan, Wusun, Hu Jie and the surrounding twenty-six countries thought of Xiongnu." Loulan was ruled by Xiongnu after getting rid of the Vietnamese rule. Xiongnu placed servants, a surname, Loulan and other western countries in the western regions and was forced to pay taxes to them. But the Huns "can get their horses and livestock, but they can't lead them forward and backward."
Third, Han and Hungary fight for Loulan
In the early years of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, in order to relieve the threat of Xiongnu, the Western Han government sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions to contact Yueshi, Dawan, Wusun and other countries in the Western Regions to attack Xiongnu. Zhang Qian's mission didn't achieve the expected goal, but it deepened the mutual understanding between the Western Han Dynasty and the western countries. Since then, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty has continuously sent envoys to contact with the Western Regions, and China's envoys have to go back and forth frequently through their ruling countries such as Loulan. Huns instigated each other and robbed China envoys with Loulan for many times, blocking the traffic on the Silk Road. So Loulan became a battleground for the Western Han government to reach the Western Regions and control the Silk Road. Since then, the struggle between Han and Hungary in the Western Regions has been launched around Loulan for many times.
In the third year of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (before 108), Emperor Wu ordered Zhao Ponu to lead the troops to attack Che's family, and Wang Hui assisted him. Wang Hui was plundered by King Loulan for many times because he had been sent to the Western Regions before, so he led the Qing riding 700 troops to attack Loulan first, captured King Loulan, and Loulan began to return to Han.
When the Huns heard that Loulan had surrendered to the Western Han Dynasty, they sent troops to attack him. Loulan was helpless and had to deal with it on both sides, sending a proton to Xiongnu and the Western Han Dynasty respectively. Later, when Li Guangli, the general of the Second Division of the Western Han Dynasty, led troops to conquer Dawan, the Xiongnu instructed Loulan Wang to wait for an opportunity to intercept. After learning the news from the prisoners, the Han army reported it to the court, and Liang Wudi ordered the Han army to arrest King Loulan and take him to Chang 'an. The Western Han government asked King Loulan why he knew the Huns. A: "Small countries are helpless among big countries. They want to immigrate to Han and settle down. " Emperor Wu praised him for telling the truth, understanding the difficulties of small countries, ordered him to escort back to China, and asked Loulan to spy on Xiongnu.
In the first year of Han Dynasty (92), King Loulan died, and Chinese people came to Han, demanding that the Western Han government release protons and wanted to be king. However, because Loulan proton often broke the law in the Han Dynasty and was sentenced to imprisonment, the Western Han government refused to release it on the pretext that the emperor liked protons, so Loulan had to make him king. A few years later, the heir to the throne died. The Huns were the first to learn the news, and immediately sent the protons of King Loulan back to the Huns and made him king. The king lived in Xiongnu for many years, so he was close to Xiongnu and far from Han, and colluded with Xiongnu many times to stop the killing of Han envoys.
In the fourth year of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty (the first 77 years), the government of the Western Han Dynasty sent Pingle supervisor Fu Jiezi to assassinate King Loulan, who was loyal to the Huns, made Loulan Proton of the Han Dynasty and the brother of former king Tuti as king, and even named his country Shanshan. Living in Chang 'an for a long time, Wei Tuyi felt weak at home and was afraid of being killed by the son of the former king. Therefore, he asked the Western Han government to send officials to reclaim land in Yixun City (now Milan, Ruoqiang County) as the backing, and moved the capital south to Shini City (now near Ruoqiang County).
Four, the Eastern Han Dynasty Wei and Jin Loulan
After the founding of Shanshan, Loulan City, as an important transportation hub on the Silk Road, continued to exist for about 400 years. According to the textual research of cultural relics unearthed in Loulan ancient city and the dating of ancient architectural sites, as a town, Loulan King was born after the end of the Western Han Dynasty and reached its peak in the Eastern Han, Wei and Jin Dynasties.
There are 576 pieces of China wooden slips and paper documents unearthed in Loulan, including 4 pieces of wooden slips12 pieces of paper documents 164 pieces, 40 pieces of wooden slips with absolute year numbers and 8 pieces of paper documents. The absolute chronology began in 252 of Cao Weijiaping and ended in 330 of Liang Jianxing. Among them, Taishigong's title appeared most frequently, followed by Xian Xi's, the earliest title was Cao Weijiaping's fourth year (252 years), and the latest title was Liang Qian Jianxing's eighteenth year (330 years). The wooden slips and paper documents unearthed in Loulan show that Loulan maintained a close subordinate relationship with the Central Plains Dynasty from the fourth year of Cao Jiaping (252) to the eighteenth year of Jianxing (330), which was the prosperous period of Loulan's urban development.
After the founding of Shanshan, Loulan became an important town in Shanshan, and its geographical position is still very important. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, Dunhuang people urged 65,438+10,000 soldiers from Dunhuang and other places to settle in Loulan. At the same time, more than 654.38+10,000 soldiers were recruited from Shanshan, Yanqi and Qiuci to cross the river (now Tarim River), build water conservancy projects, irrigate farmland and cultivate fields for 3 years.
Most of the Han bamboo slips found in Lop Nur area in the Eastern Han Dynasty and Wei and Jin Dynasties are records about farming. The foot soldiers who come here to settle the field can carry livestock products, various farm tools and sundries with them. There was also a grassroots official of the township government in the Han Dynasty-Sanlao. Loulan, as the reclamation center of Lop Nur area in Han Dynasty, still undertakes the task of receiving envoys and officials who came to live on this traffic line. In the Han Dynasty, there were also institutions and officials in charge of mail, and through land reclamation, advanced iron farm tools and agricultural farming methods-Niu Geng were spread.
According to the historical records and archaeological materials found, during the Eastern Han Dynasty and Wei and Jin Dynasties, there was a residence of the chief historian of the Western Regions in Gulou column, which was probably between counties and counties and had the characteristics of a military camp. According to the Records of the Later Han Dynasty, in the summer of the second year of Yan Guang in the Eastern Han Dynasty (123), Ban Yong was a long history of the western regions, and Tunliu (now Turpan) sent 500 troops. "In the first month of next year (124), he took courage and went to Loulan to join him." Wei and Jin dynasties followed the old system of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and still set up the Western Regions Capital Protection House in the Western Regions. Among the wooden slips and documents unearthed in Loulan, there are 8 wooden slips, 10 paper documents, and 7 wooden slips with a long history in the Western Regions and their titles. It shows that the mansion of Cao Wei, Western Jin and Western Regions is in Loulan.
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, he continued to reclaim land in Loulan area, and set up court officials in charge of reclaiming land in Master Chang of the Western Regions. Soldiers stationed in the ancient Loulan area reclaimed land, built canals and dams in the Central Plains, spread and popularized agricultural production technology and iron farm tools, which greatly developed the agricultural production in Loulan area, and Loulan became the outpost of Wei and Jin Dynasties ruling the western regions.
However, judging from the overall development, since the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with the changes in the political, military and economic situation in the western regions and the opening of a new route along the Silk Road, Loulan, as a trade transit station of the Silk Road, lost its former important position and gradually declined.
The latest wooden slips found in the cultural relics unearthed in Loulan are those in the 18th year of Jianxing (330) in Liang Qian. It shows that after the 18th year of Jianxing (330 years), due to the diversion of Peacock River, Loulan, located in the downstream, dried up its water source, and reclamation production could not be carried out, so Chang Shifu in the western region was forced to move. Loulan, a once prosperous and famous town on the Silk Road, was gradually abandoned by people and disappeared silently from the historical stage.