Skip to main content

Songtsen gampo and Princess Wencheng


In the seventh Century, Ki tson Long tsang was a very powerful King of the Tou fan. He have had webbed hands and feet, a deformed face and odd skin. He took the throne when he was only thirteen after his father was poisoned by the rebells. The book The Holder of the White Lotus says that he was the reincarnation of the Avalokiteshvara Buddha, of whom the Dalai Lama are similarly believed to be the reincarnation.

Ki tson possessed a vast tract of land. He had even several little tributary kings, to whom he sent patents and golden seals. He was desirous to contract an alliance with China, in the Time of the Emperor Tai tsong of the Dynasty of Tang, one of the greatest Princes that ever enjoyed this monarchy. He sent him a celebrated embassy, with huge presents which include a golden Goose, seven feet high. Tai tsong was pleased with this politeness, and the ambassadors were received and dismissed with the greatest marks of honour and distinction.

Ki tson upon this Encouragement sent a second embassy, to demand a Princess of the Imperial Family for himself. The Emperor's Council thought this a very bold proposition, and rejected it with scorn, without deigning to take it into consideration.

Then Ki Tson came at the Head of 200,000 men to demand the Princess, and having defeated several tributary princes of China who opposed his passage, he penetrated to the frontiers of the Province of Chensi, where the Emperor then kept his Court. The Imperial Council depended on the resistance of there Princes, because a numerous army could pass no other Way. After these first actions of his victorious army, Long tsang sent one of his officers with a proud and haughty letter to the Emperor of Tang; he demanded that the Princess should be immediately given him, with a certain quantity of gold, silver and silks, which was due, as he said, to a spouse of an Imperial Princess, who came to receive her in person with so much pomp and magnificence. The Emperor being offended at this demand, sent orders immediately to assemble the troops on the frontiers; and to give them time for it, he amused the envoy with great hopes, by treating and giving him every day new entertainments. But as soon as he heard that the army was ready to march, he shamefully dismissed the envoy, without giving him an answer to the letter of the King his Master.

The General set out at the same time, and immediately after he arrived at the army, he attacked the army of Long tsang, and gained the victory. The loss was not so great on the Prince's part, but that he found himself in a condition to give his enemy some uneasiness after he had rallied his men. Therefore as he promised to retire if the Princess was sent to him with an equipage suitable to her dignity, the Emperor's Council was of opinion that he should give his consent.

The Princess Wen Cheng was conducted in a pompous manner, and after the ceremonies of the wedding Long tsang retired, and became a faithful ally. He was even of service to the Empire on several occasions; the principal was, when the General Alena usurped a tributary Kingdom of China. Long tsang assisted the Emperor's general with all his forces, he fought himself in person, and had a great share in the victory by killing the rebel Alena.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The wonderful pear-tree

Once upon a time a countryman came into the town on market-day, and brought a load of very special pears with him to sell. He set up his barrow in a good corner, and soon had a great crowd round him ; for everyone knew he always sold extra fine pears, though he did also ask an extra high price. Now, while he was crying up his fruit, a poor, old, ragged, hungry-looking priest stopped just in front of the barrow, and very humbly begged him to give him one of the pears. But the countryman, who was very mean and very nasty-tempered, wouldn't hear of giving him any, and as the priest didn't seem inclined to move on, he began calling him all the bad names he could think of. " Good sir," said the priest, " you have got hundreds of pears on your barrow. I only ask you for one. You would never even know you had lost one. Really, you needn't get angry." "Give him a pear that is going bad ; that will make him happy," said one of the crowd. "The o
Post a Comment
Read more

The Legend of The Three-Life Stone

The Buddhist believe metempsychosis, or the migration of the souls of animated beings, people's relationships are predestined through three states of life: the past, present, and future life. Legend has it that there's a road called Yellow Spring Road, which leads to Fogotten River. Over the river there's a bridge called Helpless Bridge (Naihe Bridge), at one end of the bridge sits a crimson stone called Three-life Stone. When two people die, they take this route to reincarnation. if they carve their name on the Three-life Stone together while they pass the stone, they are to be predestined to be together in their future life. Although before their rebirth they will be given a MengPo Soup to drink and thereby their memory of past life are obliterated. In reality, San-Sheng Shi (三生石), or Three-Life Stone is located beside Flying Mountain near the West Lake, Hangzhou. On the stone, there is seal with three Chinese characters that say "The Three-life Stone," and a de
Post a Comment
Read more

The Fox and The Tiger

ONE day a fox encountered a tiger. The tiger showed his fangs and waved his claws and wanted to eat him up. But the fox said: 'Good sir, you must not think that you alone are the king of beasts. Your courage is no match for mine. Let us go together and you keep behind me. If the humans are not afraid of me when they see me, then you may eat me up.' The tiger agreed and so the fox led him to a big high-way. As soon as the travellers saw the tiger in the distance they were seized with fear and ran away. Then the said: 'You see? I was walking in front; they saw me before they could See you.' Then the tiger put his tail between his legs and ran away. The tiger had seen that the humans were afraid of the fox but he had not realized that the fox had merely borrowed his own terrible appearance. [This story was translated by Ewald Osers from German, published by George Bell & Sons, in the book 'Chinese Folktales'.  Osers noted that this story was
Post a Comment
Read more