Wudu Commandery (武都郡) was an imperial Chinese commandery that controlled the upper reaches of the Jialing– Bailong system on the south-eastern fringe of the Qinling Mountains. Established in 111 BCE during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, it remained a frontier district—shared by Han settlers, Qiang ranchers and Di highlanders—until it was absorbed into Hezhou (河州) by the

Northern Zhou Zhou (), known in historiography as the Northern Zhou (), was a Xianbei-led Dynasties in Chinese history, dynasty of China that lasted from 557 to 581. One of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Northern dynasties, Northern dynasties of China's ...

in 558 CE.Tan Qixiang (ed.). ''Zhongguo Lishi Ditu Ji'' (中国历史地图集), vol. 2. Beijing: China Cartographic Publishing House, 1982.

Geography and counties

The ''Book of Han'' records twelve counties at foundation; a 2 CE census registers 27 714 households (122 320 persons).Ban Gu. ''Book of Han'', Geography Treatise.

Han rule

Western-Han administrators encouraged Han immigration, opened iron foundries at Baili, and built stockades along the Bailong River to contain the Di and Qiang. During the Red Eyebrows Rebellion (23–27 CE) local Di raiders sacked Wudu city; the seat was rebuilt with earthen ramparts under Emperor Guangwu of Han.Fan Ye. ''Book of Later Han'', Geography Treatise.

Three Kingdoms period

Background

Wudu lay on the over-land road between

Hanzhong Hanzhong ( zh, s= , t= , l=middle of the Han River (Hubei), Han River; abbreviation: Han) is a prefecture-level city in Southern Shaanxi, the southwest of Shaanxi, Shaanxi province, China, bordering the provinces of Sichuan to the south and Gans ...

and the Wei stronghold of

Tianshui Tianshui is a prefecture-level city in Gansu province, China, and is the province's second-largest city (behind the provincial capital Lanzhou). Located in the southeast of the province, the city strides along the upper reaches of the Wei River a ...

. Its peoples—Han farmers in the valleys and semi-nomadic Di on the uplands—often shifted allegiance between rival warlords.

Cao Cao versus Ma Chao (211 CE)

In 211 the Liang war coalition under

Ma Chao Ma Chao () (176–222), courtesy name Mengqi, was a Chinese military general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. A descendant of the general Ma Yuan, Ma Chao was the eldest son of M ...

and Han Sui drew levies and grain from Wudu for the campaign that culminated in the Battle of Tong Pass. After their defeat, Cao Cao appointed Su Bo as Inspector of Liang to stabilise Wudu and adjoining commanderies.

Shu–Wei contest (228 CE)

During

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang () (181September or October 234), also commonly known by his courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman, strategist, and inventor who lived through the End of the Han dynasty, end of the Eastern Han dynasty ( 184–220) and t ...

’s first northern expedition (spring 228) the Di chieftain Tian Long and the valley gentry of Wudu rebelled against Wei, opened Jiange Pass to Shu forces, and surrendered both Wudu and neighbouring Yinping Commandery to

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu ( zh, t=蜀, p=Shǔ; Sichuanese Pinyin: ''Su'' < Middle Chinese: *''źjowk'' < Eastern Han Chinese: *''dźok''), was a Dynasties in ...

.Chen Shou. ''Records of the Three Kingdoms'', vol. 35, Biography of Zhuge Liang. Wei general Guo Huai counter-attacked, retook the commandery seat, and escorted thousands of Han refugees east to the Wei heartland. Although Shu claimed Wudu for several months, Wei regained effective control by winter 228. Yinping remained a contested buffer commandery until 263.

Di uprisings (249–263)

Repeated Di raids broke out after 249; Administrator Zhang Ji resettled loyal Di clans along the Bailong to block the rebellious eastern tribes. When Deng Ai marched through Wudu in 263 against Shu, he recruited Di guides familiar with the mountain tracks.

Jin and Southern dynasties

Under the

Western Jin Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

(280) Wudu listed seven counties and 18 400 households.Fang Xuanling (et al.). ''Book of Jin'', Geography Treatise. Large numbers of Di and Qiang were enrolled as *diqiang qianhu* (“thousand-household” tribal units) but often rebelled, notably in the uprisings of 296–299 led by the Di chief Qi Wannian. The Eastern Jin lost effective control of northern Gansu; Wudu was retained only south of the Bailong River. During the

Liu Song Song, known as Liu Song (), Former Song (前宋) or Song of (the) Southern dynasties (南朝宋) in historiography, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and the first of the four Northern and Southern dynasties#Southern dynasti ...

and

Southern Qi Qi, known in historiography as the Southern Qi ( or ) or Xiao Qi (), was a Chinese imperial dynasty and the second of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties era. It followed the Liu Song dynasty and was succee ...

dynasties Wudu shrank to four counties governed from a fortified market at Wudu city. In 558 the

conquered the region, abolished the commandery and merged the remaining counties into Hezhou.

Economy

Valley terraces produced millet, hemp and tea; mountain slopes supported horse and goat herds managed by Di clans. Copper from Baili and iron sand from Dangchang fed small smelters that supplied weapons to Liang Province garrisons.

Archaeology

Han graves at Cheng County yield bricks stamped 武都太守, while cliff-face inscriptions at Jiange Pass record repairs by Guo Huai’s army in 229 CE. Qiang-style painted pottery and Han coins found together near Dangchang illustrate frontier cultural blending.

References

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