The Period of Khan Tapo (Tapar) and Wrong Applications (572-581)     

       Mu-kan's brother T'a-po (Tapar? in 572-581) took his place. The new emperor of the powerful kingdom, called the Emperor of Chou who had sent beneath gifts, 100 thousand rolls silk to celebrate him, and the Emperor Tsi, the enemy of the Chou, who had sent besides various gifts his supreme commander for celebration and showing special attention, "my sons". This showed that all the north China was under the Turkish control.

 

       Since the country was too wide, Istemi divided the control of his lands into two between the son of K'o-lo, his brother (in the east), and his little brother Jo-tan (in the west) by giving them the name of "khan" and recognized the sovereignty of T'a-po. He became "the great khan" by this recognition. He wanted to marry a princess of Tsi and he believed to a Buddhist missionary (Jnagoupta)'s inspirations; then he tried to protect the Buddhist religion in the country, although the harmful aspects of the Buddhist religion was mentioned by the preceding Turkish administrators. He built a Buddhist temple and a statue of Buddha. Gok-Turks' grandeur was to begin to collapse. T'a-po made mistakes also in foreign politics. After the Tsi had been repelled in 575 by the Tchin dynasty, he announced a prince of Tsi, who had escaped and sheltered to him, as "Chinese khan".

 

       This act spoiled the relation between T'a-po and Chous; he was stopped with the promise of a new Chinese princess when he progressed with a crowded army to the region of Pekin (579). However, the king of Chou wanted the submission of the Tsi prince, "the Chinese khan", in return for the Chinese princess. During a hunting the prince had been kidnapped by the Chou, tolerating this, the khan's prestige totally shook in the eyes of his folk. Another important event in those years, when splits occurred in the unity and culture of Gok-Turks, had been the death of Istemi (576).