Why did ancient China control desert-strewn Xinjiang instead of conquering rich Southeast Asia?

Ancient China is a dynasty in the Central Plains, and it has been regarded as a celestial dynasty for thousands of years. The main reason for controlling Xinjiang is the consideration of military and economic strategy. At that time, Southeast Asia was not rich in the eyes of ancient China, and its military and economic status in ancient times was not valued by China.

China's control over Xinjiang in ancient times was mainly due to the following reasons:

1. Important strategic position

Xinjiang is the northwest frontier of China, and also the border zone between China and Central Asia and Europe. In ancient times, the Silk Road trade activities from China needed to pass through this area, so for the China government, Xinjiang was a key node in international trade and transportation. In order to ensure the security and interests of China, it is particularly important to control Xinjiang. Hanshu is the official history book of Han Dynasty, which records many historical events and policies about Xinjiang. Among them, Biography of the Western Regions describes in detail the control and management of Xinjiang in the Han Dynasty. During the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, he began to March to the western regions and established the rest capital and countries in Indochina Peninsula. The Han Dynasty exercised direct jurisdiction over these areas, and established official positions such as Duhu, Wang and Hou to ensure control over the western regions.

2. The influence of ethnic relations

There are many ethnic groups living in Xinjiang, including Han, Mongolian, Kazak and Hui. In ancient times, wars and conflicts often occurred between these ethnic groups. In order to avoid the threat of war and division among these ethnic groups to China, the China government needs to strengthen its control over Xinjiang. The Book of the Tang Dynasty is the official history book of the Tang Dynasty, and it also records the control and management of Xinjiang in detail. During the Tang Dynasty, in order to strengthen the military defense and management in Xinjiang, local administrative agencies such as Anxi Secretariat and Damaru were established. The book also describes in detail the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and neighboring countries and the influence of the Tang Dynasty on the Silk Road trade.

3. Military defense

Xinjiang is the northwest border of China, bordering the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the south and Mongolia in the north. Without natural barriers, it is vulnerable to foreign invasion. In order to ensure national security and border stability, the ancient China government needed to strengthen its military defense and jurisdiction over Xinjiang. The History of the Yuan Dynasty is the official history book of the Yuan Dynasty, and it also records the control and management of Xinjiang in detail. In the Yuan Dynasty, the western provinces were established, and the administrative agencies were located in Yiwu, Helin and Guazhou. This book also describes the development and influence of the Silk Road trade in the Yuan Dynasty.

4. War horse

As a vast grassland and pasture area, ancient Xinjiang was rich in aquatic resources, especially suitable for raising horses. This makes Xinjiang an important war horse producing area, and controlling Xinjiang is very important for China's military and economic development.

According to the records of the later Han Dynasty, this historical book was compiled at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, including a chapter on the western regions, which described in detail the grassland and pasture landscape of the western regions, including Xinjiang. At that time, the China government attached great importance to the horse resources in this region. War horse had important military value in ancient China. War horse is one of the core forces of the ancient army, and the rise of cavalry troops depends largely on excellent war horses. The abundant aquatic plant resources in Xinjiang provide ideal breeding conditions for horses, which make them have excellent quality, strong endurance, fast speed and strong adaptability. Therefore, the ancient China regime's control and management of Xinjiang is particularly important. Having enough war horse resources can enhance the combat effectiveness of China's army, expand its territorial influence, and provide support for border wars and national security.

In contrast, Southeast Asia was far away from China in ancient times, with inconvenient transportation and no unified political center in politics. Although Southeast Asia is rich in natural resources, many of them can't meet the needs of China, and there was no need for China to expand its territory in this region at that time. In addition, the prevailing Buddhist culture in Southeast Asia is quite different from the traditional Confucian culture in China, and the political and cultural differences also limit China's influence in this region. Therefore, in ancient times, China government attached great importance to the control and management of Xinjiang.

Let me talk about my point of view.

In ancient times, Xinjiang, as an important node of the Silk Road, connected the trade between East and West. Controlling this area can ensure smooth trade and provide a stable external economic source for China.

At the same time, because Xinjiang is remote and easy to defend but difficult to attack, for China, controlling Xinjiang can prevent the invasion of neighboring countries, reduce border disputes, and thus enhance national security.

Moreover, China's control over Xinjiang in ancient times also represented the control over the rich resources of war horses, which played an important role in the military, economic and cultural development of ancient China and influenced China's policy and military strategic purpose of controlling Xinjiang.

In addition, China's sense of unity in history and the concept of "the world is centered" also affected its control over Xinjiang. During the decline of ancient China, many local governments were fragmented and fragmented. Xinjiang has long been a region with a vast territory and a sparsely populated area, divided politics and underdeveloped economy. Therefore, controlling Xinjiang is of great significance for establishing a unified central government and strengthening national unity and territorial integrity.

On the contrary, the history and culture of Southeast Asia are quite different from that of Chinese mainland, which is geographically dispersed and difficult to control. Therefore, compared with Xinjiang, Southeast Asia did not play such an important role in the strategy of the ancient government of China.

It should be pointed out that this is only my personal opinion and viewpoint.