Story 76. The original cause of the ‘war between the Tatars and the Moguls’ was the return of the ‘Daedaero (大對盧)’ family to their hometown

 Story 76. The original cause of the ‘war between the Tatars and the Moguls’ was the                          return of the ‘Daedaero (大對盧)’ family to their hometown

  I have been explaining the origin of the Tatars and their ancestors and descendants that can explain the “war between the Tatars and the Moguls” revealed in <Saguk-sa Taikh-I Arba' Ulus, 四汗國, Four Khan Countries>, which is the initial background of the birth of the 8th Khan of the Tatars and the ancestors of Genghis Khan. Although it is summarized in Story 17 and Episode 2 of Story 16, the author’s writing is transferred in its entirety in this story.

Now, we know that the “Tatar race” means “a family for generations,” and that “the 8th Khan of the Tatars, Su Yun-ji” is none other than “Cheon Hyeon-jeong (泉玄靜),” the grandson of Cheon Nam-saeng (泉男生), the eldest son of Gaesomun (蓋蘇文), who fled to Tang. He was the youngest of the three sons of “Cheon Hyeon-seong (泉獻誠).” In other words, he was “Left Commander-in-Chief(左領軍將軍) Gae Bok-sun (蓋福順).”

He is the mastermind behind the “Tatar and Mogol War” mentioned in <Saguksa Taikh-I Arba' Ulus, 四汗國, Four Khan Countries>. If so, the war between Tang and Balhae and its aftermath, which arose over Tang’s policy of the Great Huksoo Malgal(黑水靺鞨), all originated from the “Cheon Heon-seong (泉獻誠)” family, who was born again as a son to Cheon Nam-saeng (泉男生), the eldest son of Gaesomun(蓋蘇文), who had fled to Tang.

 Then, what was the original cause of the war between the “Tatar (Daedaero)” family and the “Mogol (Malgal)” family?

 The eldest brother of this family, Cheon Nam-saeng(泉男生), led the Tang army as the Commander-in-Chief of the Pyongyang Province Army (平壤道行軍大總管, 安撫大使), with the help of Kebir Kori (契苾何力, Gye Pil-haryeok), the “General Inspector General of the Liaodong Province Army & the Commander-in-Chief of the Peaceful Warfare (遼東道行總管, 安撫大使)” to regain power in Goguryeo. He then invaded Goguryeo together with Silla(新羅) and forced the surrender of several castles.

He received the title of “Grand Commander of Liaodong, Duke of Xuantu(遼東大都督, 玄菟郡公)” from the Tang emperor the following year, and together with Li Ji(李勣) of Tang, he entered Pyongyang(平壤), captured King Gaozang(高藏) of Bojang(寶藏), who had been put forward by his father, Gaegeum(蓋金,淵蓋蘇文), and destroyed Goguryeo(高句麗).

However, after the war, the Tang emperor only gave the title of “General of the Right Guard, Duke of Bian(右衛大將軍, 卞國公)” to Cheon Namsaeng(泉男生), who had made such a meritorious contribution, and did not return Goguryeo to his hands. In the end, he ended up settling in Tang, losing only the homeland that his two younger brothers and King Bojang(寶藏) had been caring for. Will our scholars who claim that “Malgal” were “Tungus people” different from Goguryeo people and “Malgal people” also meet this fate?

 Even Cheon Nam-saeng's son, Heon-seong (獻誠), although his resentment was later resolved, met with the misfortune of being killed by Mu-jeok-cheon (武則天) in Cheon-su-jung (天授中, 690~692) due to the false accusation of Rae Jun-sin (來俊臣). Will our scholars, who call the "Malgal" "Tungus people" different from the "Goguryeo people" and "Malgal people", come to their senses after meeting this fate?

 Still, Heon-seong's family would not have forgotten their past glory and would have been waiting for a chance to return to Goguryeo. However, this time, the Mogol family, which was descended from his own family and a grandfather, that is, Dae Jo-yeong's family, led the people of Goguryeo and established Jin-guk (震國) = Balhae (渤海) in 698, six years after Heon-seong's death.

 Of course, as we saw earlier, the Tang Dynasty sent Bo-won(寶元), the grandson of King Bojang(寶藏), to Andong in 688, and then Deok-mu(德武), the son of King Bojang, to Andong(安東) in 699. However, the old residents of Goguryeo broke away from them and entered Balhae-Malgal, and the family tree of Deok-mu, the leader of the Go clan, fled to the Gokturks(突厥), which are Central Asia including present-day Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. Then, 27 years later, around 715, Goryeo Mak-ri-ji Go-mun-gan(莫離支 高文簡), who became the son-in-law of the Gokturk Khan(突厥 汗) Bo-tur (默啜, Muk-cheol), returned to Tang and became the King of Liaoxi Province (遼西郡王)). In this situation, the lineage of Yeon Nam-saeng(淵南生), the eldest son of Gaesomun(蓋蘇文), who had been waiting for an opportunity to return to Goguryeo, finally plotted to separate the Heuksu Malgal(黑水靺鞨) from Balhae as the first step in neutralizing Balhae by exiling Emperor Xuanzong(玄宗) of Tang. Only then could they return to the land of Balhae=Goryeo, which succeeded Goguryeo, and enjoy the glory of the past.

 Of course, Balhae's second king Daemuye(大武藝) did not leave the Tang Dynasty's sinister plot alone, even though his younger brother Daemunye(大文藝) opposed it because it would lead to a new war with Tang.

 King Mu(武王) Daemuye's decision was to dispatch troops to Heuksu Malgal(黑水靺鞨) in order to stop the Tang Dynasty and the family's plot for generations. Of course, his younger brother Daemunye(大文藝), who led the army to conquer Heuksu Malgal, opposed his brother's opinion even after reaching Heuksu and eventually fled to Tang. Instead, his cousin Ilha (壹夏) would have attacked the Heuksu Malgal in his place. There are no records of that war, though.

 On the other hand, the next Balhae king, Dorihaeng, who went to the Tang to summon the Daemunye(大文藝) who had fled to the Tang and demanded that the Tang cease its Heuksu policy, was assassinated instead. As a result, the enraged King Mu(武王) finally made his final decision. He attacked Dengzhou(登州) in the Tang Dynasty. This is the “Great War between the Tatars and the Mogol Tribe” mentioned in <Saguk Sa Taikh-I Arba' Ulus, 四汗國, Four Khan Countries>. However, there is no record in the Eastern History that directly proves the fact that the Yeon Namsaeng(淵男生) family actively plotted to separate the Heuksu Malgal from Balhae as the first step to provoke Emperor Xuanzong(玄宗) of Tang and weaken Balhae.

Only <Saguk Sa Taikh-I Arba' Ulus, 四汗國, Four Khan Countries> and <General History of the Tatars> briefly describe it in one line.

 Looking at the family history of the three generations above, especially the birth and life periods of the three generations of Namsaeng → Heonseong → Hyeonjeong, and the official positions they held, this family was the Tatar family, the 8th Khan of Tatar, mentioned in <Saguksa Taikh-I Arba' Ulus, 四汗國, Four Khan Countries>. Yeon Heonseong(淵獻誠), the son of Namsaeng(男生), had three sons. They were Yeon Hyeon-eun (淵玄隱, ?~?), Yeon Hyeon-il (淵玄逸, unknown years of birth and death), and the youngest Yeon Hyeon-jeong (淵玄靜, unknown years of birth and death). The father of these three brothers, Yeon Heonseong(淵獻誠), lived between 659 (18th year of King Bojang寶藏王) and 701, at the age of 42. However, the years of birth and death of his sons are not recorded.

However, if, as a realistic hypothesis, he had his first son in 689, 30 years later, Yeon Hyeon-eun (淵玄隱, ?~?) would have been 43 years old in 732, during the Balhae-Tang War, and if his brothers were two years younger, the other two younger brothers would have been 41 and 39 years old. It was at this time that the aforementioned war between Balhae and Tang broke out.

 In the end, the original cause of the “Great War between the Tatars and the Moguls” mentioned in <Saguk Sa Taikh-I Arba' Ulus, 四汗國, Four Khan Countries>, that is, the Great War between Balhae and Tang, was the descendants of the families who had fled to Tang and the Tang’s desire for hegemony in Northeast Asia, which attempted to utilize them. In response, our brave Goguryeo-Malgal (Balhae) conquered Tang’s Dengzhou and Laizhou and then launched a special operation against Luoyang. However, due to the Tang-Nara-Heuksu-Shilwi allied forces’ counterattack on Balhae, Balhae’s conquest of the Tang ended in defeat, contrary to what is known in our historical circles. However, that defeat was a war that heralded the birth of a future “world conqueror.”

 Even today, there are absurd groups that boldly display this kind of desire for hegemony by distorting history, and there are those who, in their instigation, try to sell off the history of their people and gain benefits on both sides of Joseon. However, on the contrary, there are movements of bold people, although a minority, who are prepared for defeat while at the same time preparing for future victory. We do not know who history will give its hand to, but the truth of past history is gradually being revealed.

 Now, we have examined the origins and background of where the Tatars began. Eventually, due to the collapse of Goguryeo, an empire that ruled Northeast Asia for 700 years, the ruling class of Goguryeo was divided, and the Balhae Kingdom was established as the successor to Goguryeo. As some of the ruling class’s families moved to the west, the origin of the word “Tatar” began. This later led to a war between the Dae clan, the descendants of Geulgeoljungsang, and the Malgal clan, which belonged to the Tang Dynasty, which later sought to gain control of Goguryeo’s mainland. This is the story so far.

 To summarize by briefly reviewing the facts we have learned so far,

 A long time ago, a great war broke out between the Tatars and the Mogol tribe, and in that war, the Mogol army was defeated and annihilated. At that time, only Kiyan and Nekuz barely survived among the Mogol amy, and they entered the legendary place called “Ergene Kun” with their newlywed wives and a few servants. This land is called “the home of all Turkic and Mongol tribes” among the Turkic peoples of Turkey and Central Asia today.

 When we looked into the truth of this story, we found that it was not just a legend. The legendary “Great War of the Tatars and Mogol” was a war between the Malgal (Balhae) and the allied forces of the four countries of Tang(唐), Silla(新羅), Silwi(室韋), and Heuksu Malgal(黑水靺鞨).

 The mastermind behind this war, the 8th Khan of the Tatar tribe, was none other than Cheon Hyeon-jeong (泉玄靜=淵玄靜), also known as Gaeboksun (蓋覆順), the grandson of Goguryeo Daedae-Makriji(大大莫離支) Namsaeng (男生), the eldest of the three sons of Gaesomun(蓋蘇文) who fled to Tang at the end of Goguryeo. The Tatar tribe was a family for generations. The Mogol clan, whose family had succeeded Goguryeo for generations, plotted with the Kyrgyz Khan, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, to weaken Balhae and separate the Heuksu Malgal, which resulted in a war between the two countries. This was the Balhae-Tang War. The legendary ancestor of the Turkic race who died in this war, Mogol's 'Il Han(壹汗)', was none other than 'Il Ha(壹夏)', the second son of Daeyabal(大野勃), the founder of the second royal lineage of Balhae. Kiyan, who barely survived the annihilation of the Mogol army, fled with Nekuz to 'Ergene Kun', the legendary home of all Turkic people and Mogol. Here, Kiyan, who became the legendary ancestor of Genghis Khan, was Il Ha's son 'Gan(澗)'. His cousin Nekuz was the grandson of Balhae's second king Daemuye. He was the son of Daemuye's son, Dorihaeng, and was called 'Nim Geum' in Malgal.

 Then the next question is who these two people were.Where exactly is the “Ergene Kun” that they went to?

 Regarding the location of this legendary region, there is a mainstream theory that it is the “Argun (River) in the upper reaches of the Amur River” in today’s Russia, and a minority theory that it is the “Tannu Uryanghai” in the Tuva Republic of the Russian Federation. If either of these views is correct, the “Great War between the Tatars and Mogor” that led Genghis Khan’s legendary ancestors to take refuge there should have occurred not far from that region.

 However, the truth of history is not like that at all. The “Argun River” region that the mainstream theory refers to corresponds to the Shilwei(室韋) region, which was the northern part of Tang at the time and bordered Balhae to the west. However, there is no record at all in the Eastern History Book that the legendary great battle took place there. On the contrary, there is a clear record of a historical great battle corresponding to the legend taking place in Balhae, thousands of miles to the southeast. The war began with Balhae's attack on Tang's Dengzhou, but later on, Tang advanced eastward from the continent, Silla's forces advanced from the south of the peninsula to Balhae's land in the north, and the Shiwei and Heuksu Malgal, who had joined the Tang allied forces in the west and north of Balhae, were allied in a great war.

 The battle that ultimately led to the annihilation of the Mogol army took place in the area of ​​Balhae's territory that bordered Tang and Silla the most. At a critical moment in history, the battle took place in one area of ​​Balhae, and among the Malgal (Mogol) who were annihilated in the battle, only Kiyan and Nekuz barely survived and fled to "Ergene Kun." If so, it is only natural that the Ergene Kun fled deep within the Balhae lands, where they were safest.

 So where is "Ergene Kun"? Surprisingly, it is the “Yalu River (鴨綠江) Four Commanderies (郡)” nicknamed “Balhae Western Capital (渤海西京).” This is the region that was recorded in the <History of Liao (遼史)> as “Balhae Western Capital (渤海西京) Yalu Commandery (鴨綠郡).” For more detailed information, please refer to Story 17 to Story 21.