苏武牧羊北海故地考

依据地理、人文等多项资料,考订匈奴囚禁苏武的北海应为甘肃省民勤县境内的白亭海.民勤位于源出祁连山的石羊河尾闾,古时积水成巨浸,名白亭海,或简称白海.北海或为白海之误.当时匈奴政治中心统万城,位于现在陕西省靖边县境内.苏武囚禁地应适当偏离政治中心又不过于隔绝,才便于发挥政治筹码的作用.白亭海去统万城大约4日马程.而去贝加尔湖快马也要10天以上.霍去病率大军讨伐匈奴大获全胜,夺取了祁连山和焉支山地带,匈奴受重创.但此役只"断匈奴右臂",并未使匈奴遁迹河西,地处祁连山以北100多公里的白亭海仍为匈奴所盘踞,并囚禁苏武于此.

Investigation of the Northern Sea, Site of the Imprisonment of SU Wu

Based on geographical and historical evidences,the paper maintains that the so-called Bei Hai(the Northern Sea),where the Huns imprisoned SU Wu,is in effect the Bai Ting Hai(Sea of the White Pavilion),alias Bai Hai(White Sea)located in Minqin County of Gansu Province,and Bei Hai is the erroneous name for Bai Hai. The political center of the Huns,Tong Wan City,is located in Jingbian County of Shaanxi Province,four days' horse ride from Bai Hai.Such a distance,not too near to the capital but not too remote either,is exactly what the Hun authorities thought appropriate for bargaining with the Chinese government.General HUO Qu-bing's victory over the Huns,which drove the Huns out of the Qilian Mountain and Yanzhi Mountain areas,did not,however,completely overwhelm the Huns'desire to attack the Chinese.