Zhizhi
Hutuwusi | |
---|---|
Zhizhi Chanyu | |
Reign | c. 55–36 BCE |
Predecessor | Several claimants |
Successor | None |
Dynasty | Modu Chanyu |
Father | Xulüquanqu |
Zhizhi or Chi-Chi (
When Hutuwusi's father, Xulüquanqu Chanyu, died in 60 BCE, power was seized by a distant relative, Woyanqudi. In 58 BCE, Huhanye, a younger son of Xulüquanqu, revolted and made himself chanyu. Woyanqudi committed suicide soon after.[4]
In 56 BCE Hutuwusi, elder brother of Huhanye, revolted, called himself Zhizhi Chanyu, and drove Huhanye out of the royal domain. As Zhizhi grew more powerful, Huhanye moved south and submitted to the Chinese (53 BCE). Huhanye then used Chinese support to strengthen himself against his elder brother. Zhizhi tried to offer tribute to the Chinese and sent his son as hostage, but the
In 44 BCE he was reported to be on the north slope of the Tian Shan in modern Xinjiang. The Han court returned his hostage son. For unknown reasons, Zhizhi murdered the envoy who accompanied his son. He made a marriage alliance with the rulers of Kangju near Lake Balkhash and led his entire tribe westward. They suffered greatly from cold and only 3,000 people reached Kangju (it is not clear if this was the whole population or counts only fighting men).[4]
In alliance with the
In 36 BCE, Han generals Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou led a force of 40,000 into battle against the Xiongnu and their Kangju allies. They reached Wusun territory and then advanced on Kangju. A Kangju raiding party attacked them and took their wagons, but a counterattack drove off their forces, and the Han army was able to recover their supply train. Upon reaching Kangju (around modern Taraz), the army started constructing a fortified camp, but the Xiongnu attacked them. After driving off the Xiongnu with crossbows, they secured their camp and advanced on the enemy city with a shield and spear formation in front and crossbowmen behind. The crossbowmen rained down on the defenders manning the walls until they fled, then the spearmen drained the moat and started stacking firewood against the palisade. A Kangju relief force made several attacks on the Han position at night, delaying the assault and allowing the defenders to repair their walls. When the Han army attacked, the city fell with ease and Zhizhi Chanyu was killed and decapitated. Zhizhi's head was then brought to Chang'an and presented to Emperor Yuan of Han.
During the battle, an infantry unit on the Kangju side used a formation described as having the appearance of fish scales, which has caused speculation that they were Greek Hoplites from the Kingdom of Dayuan. Evidence is inconclusive.[6]
See also
References
- ^ Schuessler 2014, p. 277
- ISBN 978-0-307-41460-1.
- ISBN 0-8135-1304-9.
- ^ a b Loewe 2000, p. 726.
- ^ Whiting 2002, p. 178.
- ^ Whiting 2002, p. 180.
- Yap, Joseph P. (2009). Wars With The Xiongnu, A Translation from ISBN 978-1-4490-0604-4, Chapters 10–12.
Further reading
- Bichurin N.Ya., "Collection of information on peoples in Central Asia in ancient times", vol. 1, Sankt Petersburg, 1851, reprint Moscow-Leningrad, 1950
- Chang, Chun-shu (2007), The Rise of the Chinese Empire 1, The University of Michigan Press
- Cosmo, Nicola Di (2002), Ancient China and Its Enemies, Cambridge University Press
- Cosmo, Nicola di (2009), Military Culture in Imperial China, Harvard University Press
- Loewe, Michael (2000), A Biographical Dictionary of the Qin, Former Han, and Xin Periods, Brill
- Schuessler, Axel (2014). "Phonological Notes on Hàn Period Transcriptions of Foreign Names and Words" (PDF). Studies in Chinese and Sino-Tibetan Linguistics: Dialect, Phonology, Transcription and Text. Language and Linguistics Monograph Series (53). Taipei, Taiwan: Institute of Linguistics, Academia Sinica.
- Taskin B.S., "Materials on Sünnu history", Science, Moscow, 1968, p. 31 (In Russian)
- Whiting, Marvin C. (2002), Imperial Chinese Military History, Writers Club Press
- Yap, Joseph P, (2019). The Western Regions, Xiongnu and Han, from the Shiji, Hanshu and Hou Hanshu. ISBN 978-1792829154