以夷制夷理论与两汉王朝的践行

The Theory of Using Barbarians to Control Barbarians and the Practice in the Two Han Dynasties

从宏观理论来看,战国以来的与时俱进理论可视为以夷制夷的一个最重要的理论渊源。所谓胡服骑射也完全符合“它山之石,可以攻玉”的古训,意味着胡人的骑射战术在军事上确有长处。秦汉大一统王朝的建立,尤其匈奴的反复侵扰,使得以夷制夷的理论形态应运而生。从西汉晁错的最早论述来看,其内容主要有“因俗而治”和“师夷长技以制夷”。除“因俗而治”外,两汉以夷制夷的践行,最突出的表现莫过于西汉前期对骑兵大军团的组建和西汉中后期对大量少数民族军队的使用。相对来说,东汉以夷制夷的践行更加普遍和高明。两汉以夷制夷的践行对民族与边疆地区的治理发挥了重大作用,不仅维护了大一统帝国的稳定,而且促进了许多少数民族或部族的汉化,但也存在着比较严重的局限。

From the macroscopic point of view,the theory of advancing with the times since the Warring States period can be regarded as one of the most important theoretical origins of using barbarians to control barbarians.The so-called riding-and-shooting in Hu clothing is also completely in line with the old adage that"stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one",which means that the riding-andshooting tactics of the Hu people do have military advantages.Both the establishment of the unified countries in the Qin and Han dynasties and especially the repeated intrusion of the Huns brought using barbarians to control barbarians into a theoretical form.According to the earliest discussion by Chao Cuo in the Western Han Dynasty,its content mainly includes"governing according to the customs"and"learning from the barbarians to control the barbarians".In addition to"governing according to the customs",the practice of using barbarians to control barbarians in the two Han Dynasties is most prominently manifested by the formation of cavalry armies in the early Western Han Dynasty and the use of a large number of ethnic armies in the middle and late Western Han Dynasty.Relatively speaking,the practice of using barbarians to control barbarians in the Eastern Han Dynasty was more common and clever.The practice of using barbarians to control barbarians in the two Han Dynasties played a significant role in the governance of ethnic groups and frontier areas.It not only maintained the stability of the unified empires,but also promoted the sinicization of many ethnic minorities or tribes,but there were also great limitations.