Tibetan Empire Army

Timeline

1. 701–710Hexi Corridor · Hexi CorridorIn the early 8th century the Tibetans continuously attacked Tang commanderies in Hexi and Longyou, commonly using cavalry for rapid maneuver and cutting supply lines. The army was a mixed force of the royal household troops, contingents of local nobles, and submitted Qiang, Hun, and other tribal peoples, locked in repeated seesaw fighting with Tang forces along the plateau's edge.
2. 755–797Lhasa · Tibetan EmpireDuring the reign of Trisong Detsen the Tibetan Empire was at its height, its armies campaigning south against Nanzhao, west for the Western Regions, and east pressing on Chang'an; in 763 CE they briefly captured the Tang capital Chang'an. At this time the Tibetan military system was based on tribal units of thousands and ten thousands (hu), and the royal house could directly mobilize large expeditionary armies.
3. 790–800Jiannan Circuit · Jiannan CircuitIn the late 8th century the Tibetans fought the Tang on multiple fronts in Jiannan and Hexi, while Nanzhao defected and the situation in the Western Regions worsened, and the expeditionary forces gradually showed signs of exhaustion. Around 800 CE the Tibetans still held control of the Qinghai route and some key forts in western Sichuan, but the momentum of continuous expansion was checked, and internal aristocratic power struggles further weakened unified military command.