Qapaghan Qaghan
Qapaghan or Qapghan Qaghan was the second qaghan of the Second Turkic Khaganate and was the younger brother of the first qaghan, Ilterish Qaghan. His reign marked the apogee of the military and political might of the Second Turkic Khaganate and the beginning of its decline.
Name
His personal name Mochuo is a Chinese transcription of his Turkic name Bögü-Çor, with meaning "wise". The same name occurs in the Sogdian version of the Karabalsagun inscription. He used the name Bögü Chor Shad during Ilterish's reign. His regnal name Qapaghan comes from the Old Turkic verb "kap-" meaning "to conquer".Biography
Early years
Qapaghan was born around 664. In 681, he assisted his brother, Ilterish Qaghan, in a revolt against Tang dominion, and succeeded in reviving the Eastern Turkic Khaganate.In 689, he led a raid to frontier areas. In response, Empress Wu sent Huaiyi to fortify. He advanced to Zi River but did not encounter Turkic forces. He erected a monument at Chanyu Tower before withdrawing.
Reign
In 692, Qapaghan succeeded his brother as qaghan. His succession was seen as usurpation in China.Between 693 and 706 Qapaghan’s army forced a crossing of the Yellow River six times and made deep inroads into northern China against which the Chinese forces could offer no effective resistance. Empress Wu paid vast indemnities to Qapaghan and sent him gifts which were in effect thinly disguised tributes.
In 694, Qapaghan attacked Ling Prefecture, and Wu Zetian commissioned Huaiyi, assisted by the chancellors Li Zhaode and Su Weidao, to defend against Qapaghan's attack, but before the army could set out, Qapaghan withdrew.
In the summer of 696, the Khitan chieftains Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong, brothers-in-law, angry over the mistreatment of the Khitan people by the Zhou official Zhao Wenhui, the prefect of Ying Prefecture, rebelled, with Li assuming the title of Wushang Khan. Armies that Wu Zetian sent to suppress Li and Sun's rebellion were defeated by Khitan forces, which in turn attacked Zhou proper.
Meanwhile, Qapaghan Qaghan offered help but was also launching attacks against Zhou and the Khitan—including an attack against the Khitan base of operations during the winter of 696, shortly after Li's death, that captured Li and Sun's families and temporarily halted Khitan operations against Zhou. Sun, after taking over as khan and reorganizing Khitan forces, again attacked Zhou territory and had many victories over Zhou forces, including a battle during which Wang Shijie was killed. Wu Zetian tried to allay the situation by making peace with Qapaghan at fairly costly terms—the return of Turkic people who had previously submitted to Zhou and providing Turks with seeds, silk, tools, and iron. In the summer of 697, Qapaghan launched another attack on the Khitan's base of operations, after his attack, the Khitan forces collapsed and Sun was killed in flight, ending the Khitan threat. Empress Wu gave him the title Ilterish Da Chanyu, Ligong Baoguo, Generalissimo of the Left Guards as well as Duke of Guiguo and Qianshan Khagan, literally meaning "Good moving khagan" in 695.
In winter, after securing the Chinese border, he turned his attention to further northward expansion, notably subjugating Yenisei Kyrgyz and killing their khagan. While preparing an attack on Türgesh forces, his khatun died, so the invasion was called off.
In 698, Qapaghan demanded a Tang dynasty prince for marriage to his daughter, part of a plot to join his family with the Tang, displace the Zhou, and restore Tang rule over China under his influence. When Wu Zetian sent her grandnephew Wu Yanxiu, to marry Qapaghan's daughter instead. Zhang Jianzhi opposed, stating, "In ancient times, no Chinese imperial prince had ever married a barbarian woman as his wife." This opposition drew displeasure from Wu Zetian, as she wanted peace with the Turks, and demoted Zhang to be the prefect of He Prefecture. Qapaghan nevertheless rejected the prince. He had no intention to cement the peace treaty with a marriage; instead, when Wu Yanxiu arrived, he detained Wu Yanxiu and then launched a major attack on Zhou, advancing as far south as Zhao Prefecture. He made Chinese general Yan Zhiwei the Southern Khagan and persuaded him to help invade cities of Zhaozhou and Dingzhou. Zhou general Murong Xuanjiao also submitted to Qapaghan with 5,000 soldiers.
In August 698, Qapaghan attacked Dingzhou, captured and killed its governor Sun Yangao, and burned the city. Wu Zetian issued a proclamation that if anyone killed Qapaghan they would be granted title prince. She subsequently renamed him Zhanchuo as a play on his name Mochuo.
In September, Zhaozhou was also attacked, Deputy Governor Tang Boruo handed over the keys and governor Gao Rui was immediately executed.
In October, Qapaghan let Yan Zhiwei go back to China, who was captured and executed on charges of treason.
Reforms
In 699, he appointed his younger brother Ashina Duoxifu as the governor of the eastern wing and his nephew Ashina Mojilian as governor of western wing with each of them commanding 20,000 men, he also put his son Bögü as their overseer and made him a lesser qaghan. He was also given command of Onoq with 40,000 men.Later reign
In 703, he sent Tonyukuk for another marriage proposal. Wu Zetian accepted the proposal; in exchange, Wu Yanxiu was released on Qapaghan's order. However, Emperor Zhongzong of Tang's accession changed the political climate.In 705, Turkic forces commanded by Mojilian entered Lingwu, defeating Shazha Chongyi, who was then dismissed from service. In response, Zhongzhong declined marriage proposal and proclaimed prize for anyone willing to kill Qapaghan.
In 711, Qapaghan sent a marriage proposal to Ruizong, this time intending to marry a Tang princess. Emperor Ruizong accepted and made a daughter of Li Chengqi, Princess Jinshan. Qapaghan sent his son Ashina Yangwozhi to Chang'an. However, the decision was soon reversed by the newly enthroned Xuanzong.
Later that year Türgesh forces were crushed by Tonyukuk at the Battle of Bolchu. Certain Bars Beg was appointed chief of the Türgesh and married Mojilian's daughter. In 713, the Karluks were defeated by combined forces of Kapaghan, Mojilian and Kul Tegin.
In 714, February Bögü, Tonga Tegin and Qapaghan's brother-in-law Huoba Elteber Ashibi attacked Beiting, during the siege Tonga Tegin was killed, while Ashibi fled to the Tang, where he was renamed Huoba Guiren and made a general.
In 715, due to his cruelty, some of his men and a number of tribes, including his Korean son-in-law Gao Wenjian and Ashide son-in-law Ashide Hulu submitted to the Tang. Rebellions of tribes followed.