《唐元礼臣墓志》与燕然都护府等相关边疆史事考

On the Epitaph of Yuan Lichen in the Tang Dynasty,the Yanran Protectorate,and the Relevant Frontier Historical Events

新见《唐元礼臣墓志》对于补正唐前期有关边疆史事颇有价值。志文所记贞观六年志主奉诏出使西域,策命西域突厥可汗与贞观十四年窦州道行军总管,以及永徽六年出使册命真珠可汗等事迹,均可与史书互印互证,但多有出入。志主先后出任燕然都护府的相关事迹,为燕然都护府的始置时间及唐朝初年燕然都护府管辖的羁縻府州数提供了重要信息。志文对于补正瀚海道行军等史事及《元和姓纂》等关于北朝至唐元氏世系的相关记载亦大有裨益。

The newly discovered Epitaph of Yuan Lichen in the Tang Dynasty is of great value in rectifying the frontier historical events in the early Tang Dynasty.According to the epitaph,under the imperial edict on a diplomatic mission,in the 6th year of Zhenguan,Yuan Lichen was sent to confer the Turkic Khan in the Western Regions,in the 14th year of Zhenguan,Yuan Lichen himself was appointed the commander-in-chief of Dou Zhou armed force,and in the 6th year of Yonghui,under the imperial edict on a diplomatic mission,Yuan Lichen was again sent to confer Zhenzhu Khan,etc.,all these can be verified with history books,but still there are many discrepancies.The relevant deeds of Yuan Lichen's successive service in the Yanran Protectorate have provided important information for the first establishment time of the Yanran Protectorate and the number of Jimi Prefecture under the jurisdiction of the Yanran Protectorate in the early Tang Dynasty.The epitaph is also of great help in rectifying the historical events such as Hanhai armed force and The Register of the Great Families from the Yuanhe Reign(Yuan He Xing Zuan in Chinese Pinyin)and other related records about the Yuan family from the Northern Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty.