Battle of Mobei explained in detail

2026-02-01 00:30

"The Battle of Mobei took place in the fourth year of Yuanshou in the Western Han Dynasty (119 B.C.). ** 1. Battle background ** 1. ** Xiongnu side ** - The Xiongnu were a nomadic people in ancient northern China. They had established clans and tribal alliances as early as the 7th or 8th century B.C. In the late Warring States Period, they absorbed population and plundered wealth through war. When the Qin State unified the six countries, Touman Chanyu founded the Xiongnu slave country. Later, he took advantage of the civil war between the vassals in the Central Plains to occupy Henan. After the war in the south of the desert and the west of the river, Yi Zhiye Chanyu of the Xiongnu led his troops to move far away to the north of the desert in an attempt to lure the Han army across the desert and wait for fatigue to annihilate the Han army. 2. ** Han Dynasty ** - The Darkhan Dynasty had been at war with the Xiongnu for more than ten years, and there were still Xiongnu cavalrymen harassing the northern borders. Furthermore, in the autumn of 120 B.C., a disaster occurred in the Great Wilderness of the East of the Han Dynasty. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dealt with the disaster by allocating financial relief from the central government, encouraging wealthy merchants to donate, and migrating more than 700,000 poor people to the west of Guanzhong and the new Qinzhong area south of Chongshuofang. Despite the disaster, the Han Dynasty still decided to wage war against the Xiongnu. ** 2. Battle deployment ** 1. ** Troops collection and generals arrangement ** - Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty collected 140,000 horses from the people and organized hundreds of thousands of infantry to be responsible for logistics such as transporting baggage and supplies. He sent General Wei Qing and General Huo Qubing to lead 50,000 cavalry each to go deep into Mobei. Wei Qing's troops were led by former General Li Guang, Left General Gongsun He, Right General Zhao Shiqi, Back General Cao Fang, and other generals. Huo Qubing also led 50,000 elite cavalry and had many subordinates. The doctor ordered Li Guang to ask for permission many times. At first, the emperor thought he was old and did not agree. After a long time, he agreed and appointed him as a former general. 2. ** Battle plan ** - The original plan was for Huo Qubing to lead the Han army out of Dingxiang to find the main force of Xiongnu Yi Zhixie Chanyu to fight a decisive battle. Wei Qing would go out of Daijun to attack Xiongnu's Left Xianwang. However, after capturing the Xiongnu captives and learning that Yi Zhixie was in the east, they changed the plan at the last minute. Huo Qubing was sent out of Daijun and Wei Qing was sent out of Dingxiang. Huo Qubing would still fight against the Xiongnu Chanyu. ** 3. Battle process ** 1. ** Wei Qing's battle situation ** - After Wei Qing led his troops out of the fortress, he captured another Xiongnu soldier. The Xiongnu soldier told him the location of the Chanyu and lured Wei Qing's troops north. On the way north, Wei Qing ordered the former General Li Guang and the Right General Zhao Shiqi to join forces to protect the flanks of the army. Wei Qing led the army out of the fortress for more than a thousand miles, crossing the desert and encountering the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu Yi Zhixie. Wei Qing immediately ordered Wu Gang's chariots to form a formation to ensure the safety of the central army. At the same time, he sent 5,000 cavalry to attack the Xiongnu. The two sides fought until evening. A strong wind suddenly blew, and sand enveloped the soldiers of both sides. Wei Qing took this opportunity to send more troops from the left and right wings to surround Yi Zhi Xie. Yi Zhixie saw that his army had been destroyed. Under the protection of hundreds of strong cavalry, he fled the battlefield in the northwest direction. Wei Qing ordered to pursue the fleeing Xiongnu cavalry overnight, and he led the main force to follow. The Han army ran more than 200 miles in the middle of the night, captured and killed more than 19,000 Xiongnu people, and entered Zhaoxin City on Mount Zhiyan (now south of Mount Hangai in Mongolia). They burned all the food in the city and returned south. On the way, he met Li Guang and Zhao Shiqi. Zhao Shiqi, the general of the East Army led by Wei Qing, did not arrive at Mobei as scheduled because he was lost. It was only when Wei Qing returned victorious that the two armies met at the south of the desert. Wei Qing sent a long history to Li Guang's army to investigate the situation of getting lost. Li Guang was dissatisfied with Wei Qing's arrangement and did not arrive in time, causing Chanyu to escape. He knew that his crime was too big to be limited, so he pulled out his knife and committed suicide. Zhao Shiqi should die for his crime. After redemption, he became a civilian. Wei Qing's troops wiped out more than 19,000 enemies in this battle. 2. ** Huo Qubing's battle situation ** - Huo Qubing from Dai County traveled more than 2,000 miles across the desert and met the Xiongnu army of King Zuoxian. The two armies fought fiercely. Huo Qubing used 50,000 elite cavalry to capture three Xiongnu men, including King Tuntou and King Han, as well as 83 generals, prime ministers, Danghu, and duwei. He captured 70,443 Xiongnu men in total. He sacrificed to the gods at Langjuxu Mountain (about northwest of Keshiketeng Banner in Inner Mongolia to Abaga Banner, or east of Ulan Bator in Mongolia), sacrificed to the earth gods at Guyan Mountain, and climbed the mountain peak beside Hanhai to look out. ** 4. Battle results and impacts ** 1. ** Battle results and rewards ** - The Battle of Mobei ended with the Han army's complete victory. In this battle, the Han army dealt a heavy blow to the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu cavalry lost 80,000 to 90,000 troops, and almost all of the main forces under King Xian of the Left were wiped out. However, the Han army had also paid a heavy price. Tens of thousands of soldiers had died, and more than a hundred thousand warhorses had been lost. Huo Qubing's food city increased by 5,800 households, and his subordinates were rewarded, while Wei Qing, Gongsun He and Cao were not rewarded for their meritorious service. 2. ** Strategic significance ** - The Battle of Mobei was the decisive victory of the Han Dynasty against the Xiongnu. After this battle, the border problem of the Xiongnu in the north of the Han Dynasty was basically solved, and the Xiongnu could no longer launch a large-scale invasion of the northern border of the Han Dynasty. Due to the loss of a large number of living forces and material assets, the Xiongnu forces began to retreat on a large scale. The Xiongnu Chanyu fled from the north of the desert. From then on, there was no longer a Xiongnu royal court in the south of the desert. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty had expanded the borders of the Southern Desert region and promoted the agricultural economy, making the Southern Desert grasslands directly under the control of the Han Dynasty. 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