Li Ling
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Li Ling | |
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![]() "Su Li Weeping Farewell" by Chen Hongshou, a painter of the Ming dynasty | |
Native name | 李陵 |
Born | Chengji, Longxi, Han dynasty |
Died | 74 BC |
Allegiance | |
Rank | General |
Li Ling (Chinese: 李陵; pinyin: Lǐ Líng, died 74 BC[1]), courtesy name Shaoqing (Chinese: 少卿; pinyin: Shǎoqīng), was a Chinese military general of the Western Han dynasty who served during the reign of Emperor Wu. He later defected to the Xiongnu after being defeated in an expedition in 99 BC.
Early life
Li Ling was born in Chengji (成紀, in modern-day
Li Ling was later assigned a military position on the border front, and once led 800 men over 1,000 miles into Xiongnu territory for a reconnaissance mission. Although he did not encounter any enemies, Emperor Wu soon promoted him to the role of cavalry commander, assigned him to lead 5,000 elite infantries, and placed him in charge of training local reserve forces in Jiuquan and Zhangye. A few years later, Li Ling began serving regular military roles, but was limited to escorting higher-level generals such as Li Guangli (Emperor Wu's brother-in-law).
Battle, defeat and defection
In 99 BC, Emperor Wu ordered Li Guangli to lead 30,000 men for an offensive from
A senior general Lu Bode was assigned to assist Li Ling. However, Lu did not like the idea of supporting Li in such a mission, and suggested that Emperor Wu delay the mission until spring as the fighting strength of the Xiongnu often peaked in autumn, whereafter they could attack with 5,000 men each from two columns. Emperor Wu was angry at Lu's request, believing that Li Ling had collaborated with Lu and had asked for a delay out of cowardice, and responded by ordering an immediate mobilization of Li's troops.
Li Ling's army marched north for 30 days, and sketched maps of the lands they travelled. A junior officer named Chen Bule (陳步樂) was sent back to report on the army's progress. Upon seeing Emperor Wu, Chen began boasting of the success of Li Ling and his men in fighting the enemy, which were likely false, as Li Ling's advance had been unresisted up to that point. Pleased with the good news, Emperor Wu promoted Chen as a reward.
Li Ling's troops encountered the main forces of the
Li Ling's situation worsened as the Xiongnu charged over 20 times a day, and were repelled only after suffering another 2,000 casualties. A low-level officer from Li's army, Guan Gan (管敢), defected in retaliation to an insult from his superiors, bringing to the Chanyu news that Li's forces were cut off from supplies and running out of arrows. The Chanyu then pressed on his attacks from small mountain trails, trapping Li Ling's forces in a valley, then proceeding to shoot the Han forces from above the cliffs. Li Ling's men returned fire from the bottom, depleting 500,000 arrows in one day, and were forced to abandon their wagon transports. The 3,000 remaining soldiers were in such a dire state that axles were chopped for use as weapons, and many officers resorted to using daggers for combat. The Xiongnu forces bombarded the Han troops with boulders, killing many.
One night, Li Ling left the camp and refused any followers, claiming that he was planning to assassinate the Chanyu on his own. He returned unsuccessful, lamenting that they were solidly defeated and all going to die. His subordinates suggested the idea of a false surrender, as another Han general Zhao Ponu (趙破奴) previously had done, but Li Ling refused, "Shut up! If I don't die in battle, I'm not a man!" He ordered his troops to destroy their flags and bury their jewels. Every soldier was given some food and supplies, and told to wait and escape at the same time, then scatter. At midnight the breakout began, but no one remained to beat the battle drum. Li Ling and his second-in-command Han Yannian (韓延年), each with only a small escort, rode and fought under the pursuit of several thousand Xiongnu cavalry. After Han was killed in combat, Li Ling cried "I have no face to return and meet the Emperor!", and voluntarily surrendered himself to the Xiongnu. Out of his 5,000 men, only 400 made it out of the encirclement back to the border.
It is recorded that he used a field artillery crossbow that was capable of repeating fire and/or firing multiple bolts to fire at the Xiongnu.[3][2]
Aftermath of defection
Emperor Wu initially thought Li Ling was killed in action, and summoned his family to pay tribute. However, he observed no signs of sorrow from Li's family and thus grew suspicious. As the battlefield was not too far from the border, it was not long before news of Li's surrender arrived. The Emperor became furious and ordered the
The 'disaster of Li Ling' induced China to give up for a time this system of counter-raids, but did not imperil the boundaries of Gansu.[4]
Despite his rage, Emperor Wu soon regretted allowing Li Ling to mobilize so hastily and realized it was a mistake to disregard Lu Bode's suggestion. As a gesture, he rewarded the survivors from Li Ling's regiment.
One year later, Emperor Wu sent Gongsun Ao on a mission to retrieve Li Ling. Gongsun failed to retrieve Li, but captured a Xiongnu soldier who revealed that "Li Shaoqing" was training Xiongnu troops for the Chanyu. Concluding that Li Ling's treachery was evident, Emperor Wu had Li Ling's family executed. In the aftermath, the Li family was seen as a disgrace in Longxi. However, it was later revealed that Li Shaoqing was another high-profile Han defector called Li Xu (李緒), who happened to share the same courtesy name. Li Ling hence bore a deep hatred towards Li Xu, and arranged his assassination.
Life after defection
As a young and high-profile defector, the Chanyu held generous regard of Li Ling, giving Li his daughter's hand in marriage
In 90 BC, Xiongnu invaded Wuyuan twice, Shanggu, and Jiuquan. Emperor Wu ordered a major counteroffensive in three columns against Xiongnu, with Li Guangli leading 70,000 men, Shang Qiucheng (商丘成) leading 30,000 and Mang Tong (莽通) leading 40,000. The Xiongnu responded by having all tribes retreat further north with a scorched earth strategy to challenge the Han army's operational limit. When the forces led by Shang Qiucheng withdrew after meeting no adversary, Xiongnu sent in Li Ling to pursue the Han forces with 30,000 cavalry. The two sides battled for nine days, ironically, at the Altay Mountains. Li Ling was defeated badly by the Han forces, and retreated after suffering heavy casualties.
Li Ling was dispatched twice by the Chanyu to persuade the detained Han ambassador
When the
Li Ling died of disease in 74 BC, after more than 20 years among the Xiongnu as a defector.
The rulers of the
The
Possible palace in Khakassia
Some archaeologists have tentatively identified a unique Han-dynasty architecture palace discovered in Russia's Khakassia (southern Siberia) as the residence of Li Ling in the land of the Xiongnu.[9][13][14][15]
In 1940, Russian construction workers found ancient ruins during the construction of a highway between Abakan and the village of Askyz (Аскыз), in Khakassia. When the site was excavated by Soviet archaeologists during 1941–45, they realized that they had discovered a building absolutely unique for the area: a large (1500 square meters) Chinese-style, likely Han dynasty era palace. While the name of the high-ranking personage who lived there is not known, Russian archaeologist L.A. Evtyukhova surmised, based on circumstantial evidence, that the palace may have been the residence of Li Ling (see ru:Ташебинский дворец).[16]
One should note, however, that the "ownership" of the palace continues to be discussed. More recently, for example, it was claimed by A.A. Kovalyov as the residence of Lu Fang (盧芳), a China throne pretender from the Guangwu era.[17]
See also
- Sima Qian; Records of the Grand Historian
- The Book of Han
- ISBN 0-7858-0437-4.
References
- ^ 1st year of the Yuan'ping era. The year corresponds to 21 Feb 74 BCE to 9 Feb 73 BCE in the proleptic Julian calendar.
- ^ ISBN 9780674125759.
- ISBN 978-0-88953-324-0.
- ISBN 0-8135-1304-9.
- ^ [1], p. 31.
- ^ Sima 1993, p. 161.
- ^ Monumenta Serica, Volume 52 2004, p. 81.
- ISBN 978-0-520-04804-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-973-27-1962-6. Florilegium magistrorum historiae archaeologiaeque Antiqutatis et Medii Aevi.
- ISBN 978-3447055376. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ISBN 9004141294. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
- ^ Nanqishu vol. 57 "魏虜,匈奴種也,姓托跋氏。[...] 初,匈奴女名托跋,妻李陵,胡俗以母名為姓"; translation: "The Wei barbarians are a kind of Xiongnu, surnamed Tuoba. [...] Initially, a Xiongnu woman named Tuoba [was] wife of Li Ling. The barbarian (ms. 胡 Hu) customarily used their mothers' name as surname."
- ^ Perry, David (Aug 18, 2014). "How Did An Ancient Chinese Palace End Up In Siberia?". ChinaTopix.
- ^ Lambie, Derek (12 November 2014). "Who built this Siberian summer palace… and why?". The Siberian Times.
- ^ Liesowska, Anna (22 October 2014). "Is it a palm tree on Mars?". The Siberian Times.
- ^ L.A. Evtyukhova (Л.А. Евтюхова), Southern Siberia in Ancient Times Южная Сибирь в древности. In: "Tracing Ancient Cultures between the Volga and the Pacific" (По следам древних культур: от Волги до Тихого Океана). Moscow, 1954, pp. 195-224.
- ^ A.A. Kovalyov (А.А. Ковалёв), Chinese Emperor on the Yenisy? Once more about the owner of the Tashebik "Palace" (Китайский император на Енисее? Ещё раз о хозяине ташебинского «дворца») Archived 2012-07-10 at archive.today, in "Ethnohistory and archaeoilogy of Northern Eurasia: theory, methodology, and the recearch practice" ("Этноистория и археология Северной Евразии: теория, методология и практика исследования"). Irkutsk, 2007, pp. 145-148.