The tribes in the region north of the Gobi—the Eastern Turk—are soon following invasion routes into China used in previous centuries by Xiongnu, Xianbei, Toba, and Rouran.

Like their predecessors who had inhabited the mountains and the steppes, the attention of the Turk is quickly attracted by the wealth of China.

At first these new raiders encounter little resistance, but toward the end of the sixth century, as China slowly begins to recover from centuries of disunity, border defenses stiffen.

The original Turk state splits into eastern and western parts, with some of the Eastern Turk acknowledging Chinese overlordship.