渤海国与唐朝马都山之战考——兼论对唐北部边疆的影响

The war in Madu Mountain between the Bohai Kingdom and the Tang dynasty and its impacts on the northern borderland of the Tang dynasty

渤海(698~926)存国二个世纪余,其与唐朝恭礼有序,成为以唐朝为中心的藩属体系内的典范属藩。然而在其发展之初,曾经尝试扩大势力范围,并西向与唐朝短暂交锋。据《新唐书》记载,开元二十一年,渤海“引兵至马都山”与唐朝兵戎相见,不过《资治通鉴考异》对此提出质疑,认为出兵至马都山的是契丹首领可突于。综合《乌承洽神道碑》《河阳军节度使乌公先庙碑》等史料可知,渤海参与马都山之战是实有其事的,其行兵路线是沿小凌河绕过营州而抵达马都山,配合契丹、突厥,加入到对唐战争中。战争虽以唐失利告终,不过成为唐朝调整北疆经略的转折点,一方面加快军事制度改革,另一方面有效控制契丹和突厥的势力膨胀。渤海国亦通过战争惊觉唐朝在东亚世界中不可撼动的地位,转而放弃依附突厥,与契丹关系恶化,至诚事唐,并致力于向北部的牡丹江下游地区拓展,最终成为“海东盛国”。

The Bohai Kingdom(698-926),one of the typical vassal states of the Tang dynasty,survived for more than two hundred years and maintained a good diplomatic relationship with the Imperial Court of the Tang dynasty.However,the Bohai Kingdom in its early period tried a westward expansion,a challenge to the Tang dynasty.A New History of the Tang Dynasty records a war in Madu Mountain between the Bohai Kingdom and the Tang dynasty in 733 AD,but it was questioned in the book of Different Opinions on History as a Mirror which regards Ke Tuyu,the leader of Khitay,as the attacker.According to some historical data like those in some stone tablets,it is true that the Bohai Kingdom was involved in the war in Madu Mountain,whose marching route to Madu Mountain was along the Xiaoling River rather than Yingzhou.It was not the army of the Bohai Kingdom but the Khitay and Turkic armies that were the main forces.Though the Tang army suffered a defeat,the war in Madu Mountain was a turning point for the Tang dynasty to change its administrative strategy for the northern borderland through a military reform and an efficient control of the Khitay and Turkic forces.This war was also a warning to the Bohai Kingdom that the important role of the Tang dynasty was indisputable among the countries of East Asia.As a result,the Bohai Kingdom stopped its dependence on the Turkic and the Khitay forces,and submitted to the Tang dynasty.Then,it was devoted to the northern expansion in the lower reaches of the Mudan River and at last became a prosperous vassal state.