The Impact of General Li Jing’s Military Thought on the Fall of the Eastern Türk Qaghanate

Abstract

The Eastern Türk Qaghanate seemed to enjoy the zenith of its power during the 620s, until it suddenly weakened and fell within a very short time between the years 627 and 630 because of ecologic, economic, military, administrative and social problems. The death blow to this qaghanate was struck by General Li Jing, who commanded a field army of the Tang Dynasty of China and brought destruction upon it. Even though several reasons caused the decline of this qaghanate, Li Jing’s military abilities caused its final fall. A work titled Questions and Replies Between Tang Taizong and Li Wei Gong, one of the Seven Military Classics of China, is claimed to be a collection of dialogues between the Chinese emperor Tang Taizong and his general Li Jing. While some scholars believe it to be forged, others think that it is based on original drafts kept in the imperial archives. This work is actually very significant as it contains the military thought of Li Jing, but until now, it still has not been evaluated in the studies focusing on Türk history. Thus, examining the general’s military thought in this work also helps us to better understand how he managed to defeat the Eastern Türk Qaghanate in the campaign of 630. In this study, we have examined Li Jing’s military thought and we have compared his statements in this work with his actions during the Türk campaign of 630 recorded in the Chinese sources. Our opinion is that because his statements in this work coincide mostly with his actions during the campaign of 630, the Questions and Replies is mostly based on original drafts that had only a few later amendments to it.