Battle of Dulu

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Battle of Dulu
Date 801 A.D. Location Near to Kunming [1] Result Nanzhao-Tang victory Territorial changes Seven Tibetan cities and five military garrisons fell into Nanzhao’s hands
Belligerents
Tang dynasty Nanzhao Dynasty	Tibetan Empire Arab slave soldiers [2]
Commanders and leaders
Wei Gao	Lun Mangre  [ zh ]
Strength
20,000 Nanzhao Forces 30,000 Tang Forces [3] Modern estimates - 50,000–70,000	260,000 Modern estimates - 60,000–80,000
Casualties and losses
Unknown	~ 10,000–20,000 killed, 6,000–20,000 captured, [4] Surrender of the entire army [2] 10,000 People were beheaded [5]

The Battle of Dulu was a battle between the Tang and Nanzhao forces against the Tibetan Empire, The battle took place near Kunming in the spring of the 17th year of Zhenyuan Period of the Tang dynasty.

Wei Gao, the governor of Jiannan and Xichuan, and Yi Mouxun, the king of Nanzhao, jointly attacked the Empire of Tibet. The Arabs sent Slave Soldiers to Tibet. One night, the Tang Dynasty coalition forces crossed the Lu River and destroyed the enemy's main force. After the battle, the Book of Tang says that:

"the Kang, the Slave soldiers and other tibetan soldiers all surrendered, and 20,000 heads of armor were captured"

This battle was a major event in the introduction of Islam into China through military means. ^[6]

Battle

In 801, Nanzhao participated in another Chinese offensive against Tibet. In the spring of the Zhenyuan reign, Wei Gao led his troops across the river and attacked the enemy's camps and killed five hundred enemy soldiers. ^[4] Later in a concerted action, Tang and Nanzhao forces engaged the Tibetans from the east. More than 10,000 Tibetan soldiers were killed and some 6,000 captured. ^[1] Seven Tibetan cities and five military garrisons fell into Nanzhao's hands and more than one hundred fortified places were burned down. This disastrous defeat put the Tibetans on the defensive and changed the balance of military power in favor of the Tang and Nanzhao. ^[1]

Aftermath

After this battle, the expansion of Nanzhao and the decline of the Tibetan empire would begin, being one of the most important victories of Tang and Nanzhao against the Tibetans.

The captured soldiers by the Tang dynasty were forced into the war in South China on the Tang's side. ^[4]

References

1. "Tang China in Multi-Polar Asia: A History of Diplomacy and War 9780824837884". dokumen.pub.
2. Beckwith, Christopher I. (March 28, 1993). The Tibetan Empire in Central Asia: A History of the Struggle for Great Power Among Tibetans, Turks, Arabs, and Chinese During the Early Middle Ages. Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-02469-3 – via Google Books.
3. https://chinesenotes.com/xintangshu/xintangshu222a.html 又聞唐兵三萬入南詔
4. https://kfcris.com/pdf/c2508c385dd7671ac18676b7178a955a58e09505b194a.pdf
5. https://chinesenotes.com/xintangshu/xintangshu222a.html 是時，回鶻、太原、邠寧、涇原軍獵其北，劍南東川、山南兵震其東，鳳翔軍當其西；蜀、南詔深入，克城七，焚堡百五十所，斬首萬級，獲鎧械十五萬。
6. https://chinesenotes.com/xintangshu/xintangshu222a.html 十七年春，夜絕瀘破虜屯，斬五百級。虜保鹿危山，毗羅伏以待，又戰，虜大奔。於時，康、黑衣大食等兵及吐蕃大酋皆降，獲甲二萬首。又合鬼主破虜於瀘西