The Four Garrisons of Anxi (Four Garrisons to Pacify the West) were Chinese military garrisons installed by the Tang dynasty in the Tarim Basin between 648 and 658. They were stationed at the Indo-European city-states of Qiuci (Kucha), Yutian (Hotan), Shule (Kashgar) and Yanqi (Karashahr) or Suiye (Suyab) in modern Xinjiang. For a period from 670-693, the Protectorate General to Pacify the West was headquartered in Suiye (Suyab in modern Kyrgyzstan), listed as one of the four garrisons from 679 to 719 instead of Yanqi, before moving back to Qiuci in 693 for the remainder of the duration of the Four Garrisons, which were conquered by the Tibetan Empire in 790.Xue, p. 596-598.

History The Anxi Protectorate was created in Xi Prefecture (Gaochang) after the Tang dynasty successfully annexed the oasis kingdom in 640. The protectorate was moved to Qiuci in 648 after the Tang dynasty defeated Kucha. However, due to local unrest with support from the Western Turkic Khaganate the Tang protector general was assassinated, and the protectorate was moved back to Xi Prefecture in 651. When the Tang dynasty defeated the Western Turkic Khaganate in 658, the protectorate headquarter was moved back to Qiuci. The full establishment of the Four Garrisons, and with them a formal Tang military protectorate over the Tarim Basin, is therefore dated to 658 after Ashina Helu's defeat. The oasis states of Yutian (Khotan), Shache (Yarkand), Shule (Kashgar), Qiuci (Kucha), and Yanqi (Karasahr) retained their ruling families but garrisons were placed in the cities and they answered to the Protector-General of Anxi.

Following the decline of Turkic hegemony over the region, the Tibetan Empire became the primary contender for power with the Tang dynasty. The Tibetan Empire repeatedly invaded the Tarim Basin and neighboring kingdoms in 670. The Western Regions were highly contested, and ownership of areas switched repeatedly between Tibetan Empire and the Tang dynasty.Wang, p. 69-89, 294-295 During this period the protectorate headquarter was moved to Suiye, also known as Suyab. The Tang achieved relative stability after 692 and moved the protectorate back to Qiuci where it remained until the protectorate's demise in the 790s. Suiye was listed as one of the four garrisons from 679 to 719 before it was captured by the Turgesh khagan Suluk. The Tang recaptured Suiye in 748 and destroyed it. According to the Old Book of Tang, Shule had been destroyed by the Tibetans. However by 698, envoys from the king of Shule offered gifts to the Tang. The Tang later sent someone to bestow investiture on the king of Shule in 728.

In 702 Wu Zetian created the Beiting Protectorate and granted it control of Ting Prefecture (Jimsar County), Yi Prefecture (Hami) and Xi Prefecture.

The Tibetan Empire continued to attack the Anxi Protectorate but were unable to gain a foothold until the An Lushan Rebellion occurred in 755. The Tang dynasty recalled the majority of their garrison troops from the frontier to deal with the rebellion and thus allowed the Tibetans an opportunity to invade the Tang borderlands with impunity. In 763 a large Tibetan army managed to occupy the Tang capital of Chang'an for a brief period of time before they were forced to retreat. In the same year the Tibetan Empire occupied Yanqi.

The neighboring Hexi Corridor and Beiting Protectorate were also invaded. Under the Hexi Jiedushi, the Tang lost Liang Prefecture in 764, Gan and Su prefectures in 766, Gua Prefecture in 776, and Sha Prefecture in 787. The Beiting Protectorate lost Yi Prefecture in 781, Ting Prefecture in 790, and Xi Prefecture in 792.

The Anxi Protectorate lost its seat in Qiuci in 787 and Yutian in 792. However in 789, the monk Wukong passed through Shule, Yutian, Gumo (Aksu), Qiuci, Yanqi, and Ting Prefecture and found that they all had Chinese commanders and were free from Tibetan or Uyghur control. It is unclear what happened to Shule.Wang, p. 207-210, 296-300

Cities Kucha (Qiuci)

The Buddhist monk Xuanzang visited Kucha in the 630s and described it in the following manner:

Karasahr (Yanqi)

According to the Book of Zhou, compiled around 636, Karasahr was a small and poor country composed of several walled towns:

Kashgar (Shule)

Xuanzang visited Kashgar around 644.

Khotan (Yutian) Xuanzang visited Khotan in 644 and stayed there for eight months.

Suyab (Suiye) Xuanzang's visit to Suyab.

Wang Fangyi (622-684) was an adjutant in the army of the Tang general Pei Xingjian (622-684) during his expedition to restore Narsieh to the throne of Persia. He built a city at Suyab in 679. According to a stele inscription for Wang Fangyi, Suyab had dense streets with a mixed population of Chinese and foreigners. The Old Book of Tang says that Suyab was surrounded by twelve gates on four sides that were curved to hide its inhabitants. The sight perplexed the barbarians.

See also Chinese Turkestan Chinese military history Administrative divisions of the Tang dynasty Tang dynasty in Inner Asia Tang–Tibet relations

References Citations

Sources

(alk. paper)

Chen, Guocan. "Anxi Sizhen" ("Four Garrisons of Anxi"). Encyclopedia of China (Chinese History Edition), 1st ed.

(paperback).

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