A Study Of King Xi And His Loss Of Power In Liao Dynasty

Cuomoxi is a nomadic people in the north of ancient China.It originated from Donghu and Yuwen Xianbei.In Sui Dynasty,Xi was short for "Kumo".From the late ninth century,Khitan conquered the Xi people until the beginning of Liao Dynasty.There were 25 Kings of Xi in the five Khans of Liao Dynasty(before the founding of Liao Dynasty and before Liao Shengzong).Their status and administration changed in the early and late Liao Dynasty.In the early Liao Dynasty,King Xi had the title of Khan.As the supreme ruler of the Xi people,he had the power to command the Xi soldiers and manage the Xi people.At the same time,the emperor of Liao Dynasty should be pilgrimaged regularly,with the obligation of conscripting and receiving the supervision of Lieutenant Tuli.The power of Khan Xi in Liao Dynasty was gradually lost,which was inseparable from the fact that the emperor of Liao Dynasty would weaken the power of King Xi and strengthen the centralization of power as the established state policy.At the same time,the rulers of Liao Dynasty adopted the strategy of "dividing and governing Xi people",gradually reorganizing and rectifying Xi people's tribes,weakening the dominant power of Khan Xi over the tribes.Before and after the founding of Liao Dynasty,a large number of farming population,such as Han people,entered Xi people territory,which made the agricultural economy of Xi people area develop,and also led to the shrinkage of Xi people pastoral area and the impact of traditional nomadic economy.With the development of agricultural economy and the increase of population,the Liao Dynasty began to gradually implement the prefecture-county system in the areas where Xi people were active,and gradually brought part of the former areas where Xi people were active into the direct control of the central government.In the 14 th year of Intergration(996),taking the defeat of Heshuonu soldiers as a chance,Shengzong assigned the Ministry of King Xi to the northern prime minister,which made Khan Xi lose the command of Xijun,the jurisdiction over the ministers and the title of "Khan".He became anofficial selected by the emperor of Qidan from the five camps of King Xi,who only had administrative power over the ministers of King Xi.The Ministry of King Xi became one of the four tribes of the Liao Dynasty.So far,the Liao Dynasty has directly incorporated Xi people into the national administrative system,which has become an important event in the political development history of the Liao Dynasty."Five Family for King Xi" refers to the descendants of the five Kings of Xi Khan,namely,the five Kings of Xi,who had the privilege of selecting King Xi from the end of Tang Dynasty to the period of Jingzong of Liao Dynasty.In the book of?liao shi,bingwei Zhi?,some people in the five Family of Khan Xi were drawn out to act as the guardian of the emperor after the loss of his power.They followed the emperor's Four seasons nutuk-ba to protect the safety of the emperor.At the same time,they also had the nature of a hostage."Palace camp" refers to the palace camp of the Liao emperor,that is,the family camp of the emperor directly under the jurisdiction of the palace guards(HanRudo and palaces).?Jin shi?records that the royal family of Xi was married to the royal family Yelu,so they attached their surname to the descendant Xiao family,but the specific time is unknown.According to the inscriptions,during the period of Shengzong in Liao Dynasty,some people in the five Family of King Xi had intermarried with Yelu,with the surname of Xiao.