Xiongnu leather robe 3rd C. BCE - 1st C. CE
"When Jizhu became Shanyu, Emperor Wen sent a princess of the imperial family to be his consort, dispatching a eunuch from Yan named Zhonghang Yue to accompany her as her tutor. Zhonghang Yue did not wish to undertake the mission, but the Han officials forced him to do so. "My going will bring nothing but trouble to the Han!" he warned them.
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After Zhonghang Yue reached his destination, he went over to the side of the Shanyu, who treated him with the greatest favor.
The Xiongnu had always had a liking for Han silks and food stuffs, but Zhonghang Yue told them:
"All the multitudes of the Xiongnu nation would not amount to one province in the Han empire. The strength of the Xiongnu lies in the very fact that their food and clothing are different from those of the Chinese, and they are therefore not dependent upon the Han for anything. Now the Shanyu has this fondness for Chinese things and is trying to change the Xiongnu customs. Thus, although the Han sends no more than a fifth of its goods here, it will in the end succeed in winning over the whole Xiongnu nation. From now on, when you get any of the Han silks, put them on and try riding around on your horses through the brush and brambles! In no time your robes and leggings will be torn to shreds and everyone will be able to see that silks are no match for the utility and excellence of felt or leather garments. Likewise, when you get any of the Han foodstuffs, throw them away so that the people can see that they are not as practical or as tasty as milk and kumiss!"
He also taught the Shanyu's aides how to make an itemized accounting of the number of persons and domestic animals in the country.
The Han letters addressed to the Shanyu were always written on wooden tablets one foot and one inch in length and began, "The emperor respectfully inquires about the health of the great Shanyu of the Xiongnu. We send you the following articles, etc., etc." Zhonghang Yue, however, instructed the Shanyu to use in replying to the Han a tablet measuring one foot two inches, decorated with broad stamps and great long seals, and worded in the following extravagant manner: "The great Shanyu of the Xiongnu, born of Heaven and Earth and ordained by the sun and moon, respectfully inquires about the health of the Han emperor. We send you the following articles, etc.,etc."
Whenever the Han envoys would try to launch into any sermons or orations, Zhonghang Yue would cut them off at once: "Not so much talk from Han envoys! Just make sure that the silks and grainstuffs you bring to the Xiongnu are of the right measure and quality, that's all. What's the need for talking? If the goods you deliver are up to measure and of good quality, all right. But if there is any deficiency or the quality is no good, then when the autumn harvest comes we will take our horses and trample all over your crops!"
Day and night he instructed the Shanyu on how to maneuver into a more advantageous position.
In the fourteenth year of Emperor Wen's reign (166 BCE) the Shanyu led a force of 140,000 horsemen through the Chaona and Xiao passes, killing Sun Ang, the chief commandant of Beidi Province, and carrying off large numbers of people and animals. Eventually he rode as far as Pengyang, sent a surprise force to break into and burn the Huizhong Palace, and dispatched scouts as far as the Palace of Sweet Springs in Yong (bringing them within sight of the Chinese capital).
The Xiongnu grew more arrogant day by day, crossing the border every year, killing many of the inhabitants, and stealing their animals. Yunzhong and Liaodong suffered most severely, while in Dai Province alone over 10,000 persons were killed. The Han court, greatly distressed, sent an envoy with a letter to the Xiongnu, and the Shanyu in turn dispatched one of his household administrators to apologize and request a renewal of the peace alliance."
-Sima Qian, Records of the Grand Historian (translated by Burton Watson)
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| Xiongnu leather robe 3rd C. BCE - 1st C. CE. Henan Provincial Museum, Zhengzhou. Images from Gary Todd's flickr. |
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