When did the three expeditions against the Xiongnu during Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who were the generals?

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty fought against the Xiongnu, which was an important event that took place in the Western Han Dynasty.

Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, was an outstanding politician in Chinese history. He successfully fought against the intrusion of the Xiongnu slave-owning nobles and further consolidated the emerging feudal regime in the early Han Dynasty.

The Xiongnu are an ancient nomadic people in northern China. In the early years of the Han Dynasty, a slave state had been established and the country was strong. To the east, they defeated the Donghu people, to the west they drove away the Dayue clan living in present-day Gansu, and to the north they surrendered to the Dingling people. To the south, they often invaded the borders of the Han Dynasty, sometimes reaching as far as 350 kilometers away from the capital of the Han Dynasty. place, seriously threatening the feudal regime of the Han Dynasty.

In 200 BC, Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, personally led an army of 320,000 to fight against the Huns, but was besieged by 400,000 Huns at Baishan Mountain (southeast of today's Datong City, Shanxi) for 7 days and 7 nights. After that, in order to deal with the internal feudal separatist forces with all his strength, Liu Bang temporarily adopted a "peace and marriage" policy towards the Xiongnu. Marry the clan girls to the Xiongnu leaders, send a certain amount of gold, silk, wool, rice, and wine every year, and allow the people to trade. Although the following generations of emperors paid attention to reforming the border defense system and implemented farming and reclamation, they failed to completely solve this problem.

In 141 BC, the 16-year-old Emperor Wu of Han came to the throne. At this time, the Han Dynasty had been established for more than 60 years, the feudal regime had been consolidated, and the economy had gained strength. Therefore, he was well-positioned to fight against the Huns and fundamentally eliminate the threat from the interior.

In 133 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty convened his ministers to discuss the policy towards the Xiongnu. Wang Hui, the leader of the main war faction (official name, in charge of external relations) said: "I heard that the Dai State during the Warring States Period was a small country and could still fight against the Huns. Now that your Majesty has great power and the country is unified, the Huns continue to invade and steal, just because they are not afraid We. I think we should fight against the Xiongnu." Han Anguo, the imperial censor, objected repeatedly. He said: "When Emperor Gao defeated the Huns, he was besieged and had no food for seven days, so he had to 'make peace'. He has been safe for five lifetimes.

It is better not to fight." Wang Hui sternly refuted Han Anguo's argument suggested adopting the combat method of luring the enemy deep into the enemy's territory and using "ambush attacks". Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty supported Wang Hui's proposal of war of resistance. The Hungarian-Han War began.

From 133 to 119 BC, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent troops to fight many battles with the Xiongnu. There were three decisive battles: the Battle of Henan, the Battle of Hexi and the Battle of Mobei.

In 127 BC, the Xiongnu nobles invaded Shanggu (now Huailai County, Hebei) and Yuyang with 20,000 horsemen. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent young general Wei Qing to lead 30,000 cavalry out of Yunzhong (now Tuoketuo County, Inner Mongolia) and west to Longxi (now eastern Gansu) to recover the Hetao area and eliminate the military strongholds invaded by the Huns. Wei Qing adopted a circuitous attack method and outflanked the Huns from the rear, driving away the Xiongnu King Loufan and Aries King in one fell swoop, eliminating the threat to Chang'an.

Therefore, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established Shuofang County and Wuyuan County there, immigrated 100,000 people to settle the area, rebuilt the old Great Wall of the Qin Dynasty, and stationed troops there. Wei Qing was promoted to the title of Marquis of Changping. In 124 BC, Wei Qing led his cavalry to drive away King Youxian of the Xiongnu, captured more than 10 Xiongnu princes alive, and returned in triumph. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made an exception and promoted Wei Qing to the rank of general and became the commander-in-chief of the entire army.

The next year, another 18-year-old general Huo Qubing emerged during the battle with the Huns. He is Wei Qing's nephew. Once, he took the lead and led 800 cavalry into the Huns camp for several hundred miles and achieved a great victory. Accordingly, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made him the Champion Marquis and built him a luxurious house for him to see. Huo Qubing said: "The Huns are not destroyed, so they can't make a living at home!" This shows his strong patriotic enthusiasm.

The Battle of Hexi began in March 121 BC. Huo Qubing led 10,000 cavalrymen from Longxi, fought with the Xiongnu cavalry at the foot of Gaolan Mountain, and pursued them for more than 500 kilometers across Yanzhi Mountain (in today's Shandan County, Gansu Province). In the summer, Huo Qubing led tens of thousands of cavalry and marched more than 1,000 kilometers to the foothills of the Qilian Mountains, dealing a heavy blow to the Xiongnu nobles. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established four counties in the Hexi region: Wuwei, Jiuquan, Zhangye, and Dunhuang, and immigrated 100,000 people to settle in the area. The recovery of the Hexi Corridor relieved the western threat of the Han Dynasty and opened up the road for exchanges between the Han Dynasty and the Western Regions.

The Battle of Mobei in 119 BC was the largest. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Wei Qing and Huo Qubing with 100,000 cavalry and hundreds of thousands of infantry respectively from Dingxiang County (now southeast of Hohhot, Inner Mongolia) and Dai County (now Yu County, Hebei Province) to attack the Xiongnu Chanyu (the leader of the Huns) at Mobei. Wei Qing marched more than a thousand miles north, crossed the Gobi Desert, and reached Tianyan Mountain (today's Hangai Mountains), wiping out more than 19,000 enemies. Huo Qubing penetrated more than 1,000 kilometers and pursued the Xiongnu Zuoxian King's soldiers to Langjuxu Mountain (today's Kent Mountain), capturing more than 74,000 enemies. In this battle, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty also organized 140,000 war horses to accompany him for replacement, and sent 100,000 heavy troops to transport grain and grass to ensure the supply of materials for the main army.

The Battle of Mobei dealt a fatal blow to the Huns, and a situation emerged where "the Huns fled far away, and there was no royal court in Mobei". From then on, the Xiongnu moved north to Mobei. The northern Han Dynasty moved from Shuofang to Lingju (now Yongdeng, Gansu Province) in the west, with 600,000 officials stationed in the fields to strengthen defense.

Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty won the war against the Xiongnu, which made the country more unified. "Horses and cattle were allowed to roam wildly, and livestock spread wildly" inside and outside the Great Wall, creating extremely favorable conditions for the development of economy and culture.