Their commercial interests were protected by the resurgent military power of the Göktürks, whose empire has been described as "the joint enterprise of the Ashina clan and the Soghdians".
Kepentingan komersial mereka dilindungi oleh kekuatan militer Gokturk yang sedang bangkit, yang kekaisarannya digambarkan sebagai "negara gabungan dari klan Ashina dan orang Sogdiana."