Zhao Xin () was a prominent

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of Nomad, nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese historiography, Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, t ...

general in the late 2nd century BCE during the Han–Xiongnu War. He defected first to the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

then back to the Xiongnu.

Life

In 131 BCE, Zhao Xin defected from the Xiongnu to the Han, and he became known as the Marquis of Xi ( zh, 翕侯). His name was probably adopted during his service to the Han. He was one of the six generals led by

Wei Qing Wei Qing (died Jun 106 BC?In Emperor Wu's biography in ''Book of Han'' and volume 21 of ''Zizhi Tongjian'', the record of Wei Qing's death appeared after the 4th month of the 5th year of the ''Yuan'feng'' era. Thus, it is likely (but not certai ...

during a Han expedition against the Xiongnu in 123 BCE, and led a 3,000-strong vanguard force along with fellow general Su Jian. Although the two Han campaigns were successful, Zhao Xin was defeated and surrendered to the Xiongu. Su Jian's forces were also defeated, but he managed to escape. In 119 BCE, Zhao Xin is recorded as acting on behalf of the Xiongnu to broker a ''heqin'' marriage with the Han. Though leading to debate at the Han court, the proposal was rejected. A Xiongnu

fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

named after Zhao Xin was constructed near the

Khangai Mountains The Khangai Mountains form a mountain range, range in central Mongolia, some west of Ulaanbaatar. Name Two provinces of Mongolia are named after the Khangai mountains: Arkhangai (North Khangai) and Ovorkhangai (South Khangai). The mild climat ...

, soon after his submission to

Yizhixie Chanyu Yizhixie ( zh, c=伊稚邪; Late Old Chinese: ; r. 126–114 BC) was the brother of Junchen Chanyu and his successor to the Xiongnu throne. Yizhixie ruled during a time of conflict with the Han dynasty under the military expansionist Empero ...

. The fortress was later destroyed by Wei Qing's forces during the end phase of the

Battle of Mobei The Battle of Mobei () was a military campaign fought mainly in modern-day Mongolia, in the extreme cold and barren lands of the Gobi Desert. It was part of a major strategic offensive launched by the Han dynasty in the winter of January 119 BC ...

. Zhao Xin died in 111 BCE.

Life

See also

Notes

References

Further reading