Carpet depicting man from Xiongnu site of Noin Ula 1st C. CE
"...Ran Min, somewhat ironically a native Chinese adopted into the Shi ruling clan. Upon seizing power in 349 AD he organized a genocide against all Hu (barbarians) living in China, especially those of Jie ethnicity. It is alleged that nearly 200,000 barbarians (i.e. non-Chinese) were massacred regardless of sex, age or nationality. In particular people with high noses and full beards were singled out for massacre." (The Huns, by Hyun Jin Kim)
Xiongnu survivors of the Ran Min genocide, who didn't flee westward, either moved north toward Ordos or became subjects of the Xianbei and Di people. Helian Bobo (originally named Liu Bobo) was born when his father was a vassal to the collapsing ethnic-Di state of Former Qin. His father, Liu Weichen, set up his own kingdom out of the crumbling Former Qin territory. He lost to King Tuoba Gui of the Northern Wei. Gui attacked Liu Weichen's capital Yueba (Yueba was also the name of a Xiongnu state in modern-day Kazakhstan that the Northern Xiongnu fled to in the 1st C. CE). Gui had Liu Weichen's family clan exterminated, but his son Bobo escaped. The Xuegan tribe gave Bobo protection, but Gui followed Bobo there and slaughtered the Xuegan for protecting him. By this time Bobo had already been moved to living under the protection of the Xianbei chief Mo Yigan, but Gui's brother followed Bobo there and attacked Mo. Both Mo and Bobo seem to have escaped to the kingdom of Later Qin. The Northern Wei again attacked the place Bobo escaped to, but Later Qin made peace with Northern Wei. By this time Bobo had achieved status as a general in Later Qin's army. His hatred for the Northern Wei, who killed his family, drove him to steal horses from Later Qin and set up his own kingdom.
In 407 he became Chanyu of his own Xia state. He immediately launched a raid on the Southern Liang (whose Xianbei rulers were related to the Northern Wei). Bobo did a feigned retreat and lured the Southern Liang army into a canyon trap where they were massacred, 60-70% of their officials and generals died. Bobo formed an alliance with the Xiongnu of the Northern Liang in 415 CE. Two years later he conquered Changan from the Chinese Eastern Jin Dynasty, just as his ancestors had done in 316 CE. Half of northern China was now his.
Info source: Wikipedia and The Huns by Hyun Jin Kim
Source:
Kim, Hyun Jin. The Huns (Peoples of the Ancient World)
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