西汉敦煌郡西域间骏马贸易与李广利征大宛

Research on the Horse Trade between the Western Han and the Western Regions and the Campaign Led by Li Guangli against Dayuan(Ferghana)during the Western Han Dynasty

西汉时期,骏马贸易是汉王朝经营西域战略中十分重要的部分,不仅是出于统治者对良马的渴望,更直接关乎着国家的军事实力,而敦煌正处于西汉至西域交通的枢纽地带,因此与骏马贸易有着密切关系。汉武帝时期,军队的士卒为了迎合武帝对天马的喜好,曾先后编造出余吾水出天马与渥洼水出天马的传说。随着张骞的通使,西域各国的良马得以进贡入中原,并由此引发了西汉与大宛国的战争,由李广利率兵先后两次征伐大宛得胜后,西域间的骏马贸易方得以正常进行,这些西域良马通过敦煌进入中原,改良了西汉的马种,迅速提高了西汉的兵力。

During the Western Han dynasty,the horse trade was a very important aspect of Han Empire’s strategy for managing the Western Regions,not only as a means of procuring horses of quality,but also as an important tool for ensuring the military power of the empire.Dunhuang,located at the hub of traffic between the heartland of the Western Han and the Western Regions,was paramount to the trade of horses between kingdoms.Numerous legends began circulating among the soldiers of the empire during the reign of Emperor Wu claiming that“heavenly horses can be found beyond the Yuwu River(currently Tura River),”and“heavenly horses emerge from Wowa Lake.”Following Zhang Qian’s diplomatic expedition to the Western Regions,quality horses began to flow from the Western Regions into the Central Plains as tributes,an event which was directly responsible for triggering the war between the Han Empire and Dayuan(Ferghana,an ancient city in the Western Regions and current capital of Uzbekistan).General Li Guangli led the army of the Western Han and twice defeated Dayuan,following which the horse trade returned to its previous state.The influx of superior horses from the Western Regions into the Central Plains improved local horse breeds and rapidly boosted the military power of the Western Han Empire.