Gar Tsenba (, ? – ?), also known as Gar Trintsan Tsangtong (), was a general of the

Tibetan Empire The Tibetan Empire (, ; ) was an empire centered on the Tibetan Plateau, formed as a result of imperial expansion under the Yarlung dynasty heralded by its 33rd king, Songtsen Gampo, in the 7th century. The empire further expanded under the 38 ...

. He was the third son of minister

Gar Tongtsen Yülsung Gar Tongtsen Yulsung (, 590-667) was a general of the Tibetan Empire who served as '' Lönchen'' during the reign of Songtsen Gampo. In many Chinese records, his name was given as Lù Dōngzàn () or Lùn Dōngzàn (); both are attempts to translit ...

. In Chinese records, his name was given as Lùn Zànpó () or Zànpó (). He was sent to '' 'A-zha'' to defend against

Tang China The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdom ...

after his father's death. In 681, he invaded Tang China in 681, but was defeated in Liangfeichuan (良非川) by

Heukchi Sangji Heukchi Sangji (黑齒常之, 630 – 689), courtesy name Hangwon(恒元), was a Korean-born Chinese military general of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is remembered primarily as a leader of the Baekje Revival Movement to restore t ...

. His brother

Gar Trinring Tsendro Gar Trinring Tsendro (; ? – 699), also known as Lon Trinling (), was a famous general of the Tibetan Empire. He was the second son of minister Gar Tongtsen Yülsung. In Chinese records, his name was given as Lùn Qīnlíng () or Qǐzhèng ...

succeeded as the new Great Minister in 667, Tsenba was also appointed as one of high ministers. According to ''

Old Tibetan Annals The ''Tibetan Annals'', or ''Old Tibetan Annals'' (''OTA''), are composed of two manuscripts written in Old Tibetan language found in the early 20th century in the "hidden library", the Mogao Grottoes near Dunhuang in northwestern Gansu province ...

'', in 690, Tsenba corrected taxes in ''g.yo ru'' (a place in mordern Nêdong District,

Shannan, Tibet ShannanThe official spelling according to (), also romanized from Tibetan as Lhoka (; ), is a prefecture-level city in the southeastern Tibet Autonomous Region, China. Shannan includes Gonggar County within its jurisdiction with Gongkar Chö Mon ...

) together with ''ba tsab rgyal tsan thong bo''. The Chinese troops led by

Wang Xiaojie Wang Xiaojie (王孝傑) (died February 8, 697), formally the Duke of Geng (耿國公), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving in campaigns against Tibet, Eastern Turks, an ...

and

Lou Shide Lou Shide (; 630–699), courtesy name Zongren (宗仁), formally Viscount Zhen of Qiao (譙貞子), was a Chinese military general and politician of the Chinese Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, twice serving as chancellor during ...

invaded Tibet in 696, but was utterly beaten by Tsenba and his brother Gar Trinring. After this battle, Trinring owned very high reputation in Tibet. The young king,

Tridu Songtsen Tridu Songtsen (), Tridu Songtsen or Dusong Mangban, (b.668 – 704d.; r. 676–704 CE) was an emperor of the Tibetan Empire from 676 to 704. Ascent to throne 'Dus-rong ascended the Tibetan throne after the death of his father, Mangsong Mangtsen ...

, realised that members of the Gar family had become independent warlords and posed a threat to the central authority of the king. In 699, the king pretended to organise a great hunt and then had his men turn on members of the Gar and their supporters. Trinring had to commit suicide, and the Gar family were purged by the young king. After hearing about this, Tsenba surrendered to China together with his nephew Mangpoje (known as Lun Gongren (論弓仁) by Chinese). The Chinese empress

Wu Zetian Wu Zetian (17 February 624 – 16 December 705), personal name Wu Zhao, was the ''de facto'' ruler of the Tang dynasty from 665 to 705, ruling first through others and then (from 690) in her own right. From 665 to 690, she was first empres ...

was very happy, met him personally and titled him ''Tejin'' (特進), Right Guard Senior General (右衛大將軍) and Prince of ''Guide'' Commandery (歸德郡王). He and his Tibetan troops were sent to Changsong (昌松, in mordern Wuwei,

Gansu Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province. The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...

) to defense against Tibet. Tsenpa was regarded as the most dangerous traitor by Tibet. In 700, the Tibetan general

Khu Mangpoje Khu Mangpoje Lhasung (, ? – 705), also known as Khu Mangpoje, was a general of the Tibetan Empire. In Chinese records, his name was given as Qū Mǎngbùzhī (). After Tridu Songtsen purged Gar clan, he was sent to the east border to defense ...

invaded

Liangzhou Liangzhou District () is a district and the seat of the city of Wuwei, Gansu province of the People's Republic of China, bordering Inner Mongolia to the east. Geography Liangzhou District is located in east Hexi Corridor, north to the Qilian Mo ...

, and put Changsong under siege in order to vanquish him, but was utterly beaten by Chinese general

Tang Xiujing Tang Xiujing (唐休璟; 627–712), formal name Tang Xuan () but went by the courtesy name of Xiujing, formally Duke Zhong of Song (), was an official and general of the Chinese dynasty Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty, serving as chancel ...

. Tsenba was posthumously titled ''protector general of Anxi'' (安西大都護), the highest commandant of

Protectorate General to Pacify the West The Protectorate General to Pacify the West (Anxi Grand Protectorate), initially the Protectorate to Pacify the West (Anxi Protectorate), was a protectorate (640 – ) established by the Chinese Tang dynasty in 640 to control the Tarim Basin. Th ...

, by Chinese court after his death.

References

''Old Tibetan Annals (version I)'', P.T. 1288
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gar Tsenba 7th-century Tibetan people Tibetan Empire Tang dynasty generals at war against Tibet Tang dynasty nonimperial princes