National Institute of Informatics - Digital Silk Road Project
Digital Archive of Toyo Bunko Rare Books
|
|
Color Thumbnail -
Table of Contents -
Page Number -
Biliographic Information (Metadata) -
Caption -
Color Image -
Gray HighRes. Image -
Facing Pages -
Graphics -
| 0270 |
Innermost Asia : vol.2 |
Citation Information
OCR Text
Watch-
towers
guarding
ancient
route.
route that once passed from Ying-p'an to Korla, and a few general remarks may fitly conclude
our survey of them. We have seen that the best preserved of these towers show a very close resem-
blance in all structural features to those of the Limes with which the Emperor Wu-ti had protected
the line followed by early Chinese trade and military enterprise towards the Tārīm basin as far as
the termination of the Su-lo-ho. Similarly the disposition of the towers at points and distances
which would permit of the communication of fire signals, such as are frequently mentioned in
the Han records recovered from the Tun-huang Limes, closely agrees with that on the line of
detached watch-stations traced by me that guarded the south-western flank of the Limes on the side
of the terminal basin of the Su-lo-ho.¹¹ The importance of protecting by similar means that con-
tinuation of the great line of communication which lay beyond Lou-lan must have suggested itself
with all the more force to those who directed the development of the great Han Emperor's 'forward
policy', because it was just along the western foot of the Kuruk-tāgh that the danger of Hun raids
was the greatest; for this region afforded both water and grazing for raiders, while on the other
hand missions and caravans could obtain the shelter of permanent settlements only near its
northern end.
Guarding
of line to
Lun-t'ai.
For the belief that the line of watch-towers from Ying-p'an towards Korla goes back to this
early stage of Chinese expansion some direct support may be found in an important contemporary
notice preserved in Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien's history and also embodied in the 'Notes on the Western
Regions' in the Former Han Annals. We are told by Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien that after the success obtained
by Li Kuang-li's second expedition against Ta-yüan or Farghāna (102–101 B.C.) a military governor
was established in the Tun-huang region : 'westward from here to the Salt Lake the road at many
points was protected by military stations, and in Lun-t'ai there were several hundred soldiers
stationed as farmers, the special commissioners in charge of the farms being required to guard the
cultivated land and to store the crops of grain for the use of embassies abroad'.¹² Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien's
great work was in all probability completed about 99 B.C. or a few years later. This notice of
a military agricultural colony at Lun-t'ai accordingly takes us back to the very time when the
Limes west of Tun-huang was being constructed, as proved by the documents there excavated.¹³
As Lun-t'ai can safely be located at the oasis of Bugur on the high road west of Korla (Map No. 21.
A. 1), the establishment of watch-stations on the line of communication which leads to it may well
be assumed to belong to the same years. How long the series of posts then constructed along it
continued to be occupied and used for their original purpose we have no means of determining.
But that they served as convenient halting-places on a route which was probably frequented by
traffic to and from the Lop side long after Lou-lan was abandoned may be safely concluded from
the remains of paper documents, the T'ang coin, and other small relics found among their
refuse.
Continua-
tion of
watch-
stations to
Korla.
There still remains for consideration the question as to the probable continuation of this line
of watch and signal towers towards the north. I did not learn of other remains of this kind towards
Korla, from which Y. IX, at Suget-bulak, is separated only by a direct distance of about twelve
miles. But the plateau that lies to the east of the road connecting Shinega with Korla would have
furnished a very convenient position for an intermediate post, and owing to its elevation above the
level plain on either side no tower of any height would have been needed there for transmitting
signals. The same remark applies also to the final offshoot of the Kuruk-tāgh which separates the
plain about Korla from the westernmost part of the Baghrash lake basin north-eastwards. A point
1
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
11
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
22
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
32
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
42
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
52
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
62
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
73
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
83
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
93
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
103
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
114
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
124
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
135
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
145
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
155
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
165
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
175
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
185
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
195
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
205
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
216
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
226
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
237
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
247
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
257
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
268
269
270
271
272
|
.
.
.
.
278
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
288
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
298
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
309
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
319
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
329
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
339
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
351
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
361
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
371
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
381
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
391
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
403
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
413
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
424
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
435
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
445
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
457
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
467
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
477
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
487
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
497
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
507
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
517
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
527
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
537
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
547
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
557
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
567
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
577
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
587
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
597
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
607
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
617
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
627
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
637
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
647
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
657
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
667
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
677
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
687
.
.
.
.
|
.
.
.
.
697
698
Copyright (C) 2003-2026
National Institute of Informatics
and
The Toyo Bunko. All Rights Reserved.
