Yaro - Let's do it

A non-Han nation in the southwestern part of China. During the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the second half of the 2nd century BC, the Yelang were extremely powerful, reportedly possessing 100,000 elite soldiers. The Yelang rulers were very proud of themselves, and asked Han envoys which was greater, the Yelang or the Han, giving rise to the proverb "Yelang is great." They occupied an area including the northwestern part of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the western part of Guizhou Province, and the eastern part of Yunnan Province, and lived a settled agricultural life there. The Yelang region was located in the upper reaches of the Pearl River, which originates from the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau and flows southeast, so Emperor Wu planned to use this waterway to attack Nanyue, and sent Tang Meng to persuade the Yelang ruler to bring them under the control of the Han Dynasty, and established Jianwei Commandery there. Afterwards, Emperor Wu took the opportunity of subjugating the South Vietnam and established the Zhuge Commandery, strengthening his control over the Yelang, but he left them as sovereigns, only bestowing royal seals and making them vassals. However, during the reign of Emperor Cheng (reigned 32-7 BCE), King Xing rebelled against the Han and was killed, and the country was destroyed. The Yelang have a legend about their ancestors, who say they were born from bamboo.

[Fujiwara Riichiro]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

中国の西南地方にいた非漢民族の一、またその国家。前漢武帝の在位した前2世紀後半ごろはすこぶる優勢で、精兵10万を有したと伝えられる。そのため夜郎の君主の自負心は強く、漢の使者に対して夜郎と漢とどちらが大かと尋ね、「夜郎自大(じだい)」の諺(ことわざ)を生じた。現在の広西チワン族自治区の北西部、貴州省の西部、雲南省の東部を含む地域を占め、そこでは定住農耕の生活が行われていたという。夜郎の地は、雲貴高原に発し東南流する珠江(しゅこう)の上流域に位することから、武帝はこの水路を利用して南越を攻める計画をたて、唐蒙(とうもう)を遣わし夜郎の君主に説いて、漢の支配下に入らせ、その地に犍為(けんい)郡を置いた。武帝はその後、南越平定を機にさらに牂柯(そうか)郡をも設置し、夜郎に対する支配を強めたが、君主は残し、ただ王印を授け臣事させた。しかし成帝（在位前32～前7）のとき、王の興が漢に反したため殺され、国は滅んだ。なお夜郎には、祖先が竹から生まれたとする始祖伝説がある。

［藤原利一郎］

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