Information on Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions:
In the first year of Jianyuan (140 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty Liu Che came to the throne, and Zhang Qian was appointed as Langguan in the palace. In the third year of Jianyuan (138 BC), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty recruited envoys to go to the Dayue clan in order to unite with the Dayue clan to attack the Xiongnu. Zhang Qian was recruited as an envoy. He set out from Chang'an and passed through the Xiongnu. He was captured and trapped for ten years. Years later, he escaped.
He traveled west to Dayuan, passed through Kangju, arrived at Dayuezhi, and then to Daxia, where he stayed for more than a year before returning. On his way back, Zhang Qian changed his route to the south, in close proximity to Nanshan in order to avoid being discovered by the Huns. However, Zhang Qian was captured by the Huns and detained for more than a year.
In the third year of Yuanshuo (126 BC), the Huns were in civil strife. Zhang Qian took the opportunity to escape back to the Han Dynasty and reported in detail the situation in the Western Regions to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu granted him the title of Taizhong Dafu. Because of Zhang Qian's prestige in the Western Regions, the envoys sent by the Han Dynasty were often called Bowang Hou to win the trust of other countries.
Extended information:
Zhang Qian's first mission to the Western Regions was "Yi Lang applied for recruitment", which was completely voluntary. The scale of the mission was not small. He was detained by the Xiongnu for 10 years because of his Taoism. He even married Zhang Qian a Xiongnu wife and had a child. The purpose was of course to kill his ambition and make him give up the idea of ??traveling westward. "However, Qian adheres to the Han Dynasty and does not lose it." The faith has always remained.
However, how he dealt with the upper-level Huns to make the Huns relax their surveillance on him and allow his family to move westward may not be that simple. He not only had to take his wife and children with him, but also his deputy envoy Tang Yifu and other old subordinates to continue his westward journey to Dawan, Kangju and Yuezhi.
This twists and turns process must at least involve his Hun wife, which also shows that Zhang Qian's wife was not of ordinary Hun origin.
On the way back, in order to avoid the Xiongnu's cavalry, they turned to the "Qiangzhong Land" between the Kunlun Mountains and the Qilian Mountains, but they were still captured by the Xiongnu. Had it not been for the death of the Xiongnu Chanyu a year later, Due to the internal chaos, it was difficult for Zhang Qian and his party to return to Chang'an. It took 13 years for Zhang Qian to go on his first mission. Of the more than 100 people in the mission, only his assistant Tang Yifu and his wife remained.
Tang Yifu is from the Western Regions. He is familiar with the situation, the geographical terrain and is good at riding and shooting. He can "shoot birds and animals for food", which avoids the constant threats of hunger, thirst and getting lost; but if it weren't for Zhang Qian His wife understood the righteousness well and got along well with Zhang Qian, so it was difficult for Zhang Qian to complete his mission.
Zhang Qian was sent as an envoy in 138 BC. He was trapped by the Xiongnu for ten years, stayed in Dayuezhi for one year, and returned to Chang'an in 126 BC. It was not only Zhang Qian who fulfilled his mission, but also the Huns who belonged to the "enemy country" at that time. Tang Yi's father was granted a title, but Zhang Qian's wife did not survive. When Sima Qian wrote "Historical Records", he used ink as much as gold and mostly used white line drawings. In a few strokes, he explained that Zhang Qian's wife also returned to the Han Dynasty.
We can’t know her name, but from Zhang Qian’s Hun wife, we can feel how considerate this kind-hearted woman from the nomadic people is, and how she can protect love, family and her own choices. Dedicate your beautiful years.
Zhang Qian’s tomb is located in Gushi County, today’s Hanzhong. When I paid my respects to Zhang Qian’s cemetery, I once thought that there should be a statue of Tang Yifu here, especially a statue of Zhang Qian’s Hun wife. She was the spiritual driving force behind Zhang Qian's "empty construction" of the Western Regions. Half of the credit for the official opening of the ancient Silk Road must be credited to this respectable minority woman.
There is no mention of her name in the historical materials, and there is no mention of Zhang Qian's children who were born in the Western Regions. The eldest is only seven or eight years old, and the younger is still in infancy. They returned to Chang'an together. Either he died of cold and starvation, or he was fostered in the Western Regions. We can no longer speculate today, but everyone knows that Zhang Qian and his wife sacrificed everything most precious in life for the Silk Road mission.
People's Daily Online-Zhang Qian and his Hun wife