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Han conquest of Nanyue

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Han conquest of Nanyue
Part of thesouthward expansion of the Han dynasty

Map showing the expansion of the Han dynasty in the 2nd century BC
Date111 BC
Location
Nanyue
Result

Han victory

Belligerents
Han dynasty Nanyue
Commanders and leaders
Lu Bode
Yang Pu		 Zhao Jiande
Lü Jia
Strength
100,000 Unknown

TheHan conquest of Nanyuewas a military conflict between theHan Empireand theNanyuekingdom in modernGuangdong,Guangxi,andNorthern Vietnam.During the reign ofEmperor Wu,Imperial Han military forces formally launched a punitive campaign against Nanyue and successfully conquered it in 111 BC.

Background[edit]

See also:Qin campaign against the Yue tribesandSouthward expansion of the Han dynasty

During the collapse of theQin dynasty,Zhao Tuoestablished himself as the King of Nanyue in southern China.[1][2]Zhao was originally a Qin military officer fromZhendingin northern China.[2]The Han frontier in the south was not threatened and there was no indication that Zhao Tuo would encroach on Han territory.[1]In 196 BC, theEmperor GaozusentLu Jiaon a diplomatic mission toNanyueto officially recognize Zhao Tuo as a local ruler.[1]Nevertheless, relations between Han and Nanyue were sometimes strained.[3]Zhao Tuo resentedEmpress Lü's ban on exports of metal wares and female livestock to Nanyue.[3]In 183 BC, he proclaimed himself the "Martial Emperor of the Southern Yue" ( Nam Việt Võ Đế ), which implied a perceived status on equal footing with the Han emperor.[4]Two years later, Nanyue attacked theChangsha Kingdom,a constituent kingdom of the Han empire.[4]In 180 BC, Lu Jia led a diplomatic mission to Nanyue.[3]During negotiations, he succeeded in convincing Zhao Tuo to give up on his title as emperor and pay homage to Han as a nominal vassal.[3]

Jade burial suitof KingZhao Mo

In 135 BC, KingZhao Moof Nanyue appealed to the Han court for help against attackingMinyueforces.[5]The Han court responded swiftly and this led to Zhao Mo's agreement to send his son, PrinceZhao Yingqi,to serve in the palace atChang'an.[6]Even though Nanyue neglected to pay regular homage to the Han court, the court had its attention focused on other commitments and was not set on forcing the issue.[5]

At the Nanyue court in 113 BC, the Queen Dowager of Nanyue suggested incorporating Nanyue as a kingdom under the suzerainty of the Han empire, thus formally integrating the kingdom on the same terms as the other constituent kingdoms of the Han empire.[6]She was Han Chinese stock herself and was married toZhao Yingqi.[6]However, many Nanyue ministers opposed this suggestion.[6]Lü Jiawas the primary Nanyue official to oppose the idea and he led the opposition against the Queen Dowager.[5]In 112 BC, the opposition retaliated violently and executed the Queen Dowager, a provocation that led to the mobilization of a large Han naval force into Nanyue.[5]

Course[edit]

The Han forces comprised six armies, who traveled by sea, directly southward, or fromSichuanalong theXi River.[7]In 111 BC, GeneralLu Bodeand General Yang Pu advanced towardsPanyu(present-dayGuangzhou).[5]This resulted in the surrender of Nanyue to the Han empire later that year.[5]

Aftermath[edit]

Main article:First Era of Northern Domination

Following the conquest of Nanyue in 111 BC, the Han empire established nine newcommanderiesto administer the former Nanyue territories.[5]The Han government proceeded toextendits imperial controlexpand further southwestwardby military means after the conquest.[8]Following the conquest, the Han empire gradually extended its overseas trade with the various polities inSoutheast Asiaand around the Indian Ocean.[9]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcLoewe 1986a,128.
  2. ^abYü 1986,451–452.
  3. ^abcdYü 1986,452.
  4. ^abLoewe 1986a,136.
  5. ^abcdefgYü 1986,453.
  6. ^abcdYü 1986,452–453.
  7. ^Morton & Lewis 2004,56.
  8. ^Yü 1986,458.
  9. ^Loewe 1986b,579.

Literature[edit]

  • Loewe, Michael (1986). "The Former Han Dynasty". InTwitchett, Dennis;Loewe, Michael(eds.).The Cambridge History of China, Volume 1: The Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 BC–AD 220.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-24327-8.
  • Loewe, Michael (1986). "The Structure and Practice of Government". InTwitchett, Dennis;Loewe, Michael(eds.).The Cambridge History of China, Volume 1: The Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 BC–AD 220.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-24327-8.
  • Morton, W. Scott; Lewis, Charlton M. (2004).China: Its History and Culture(4th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.ISBN0-07-141279-4.
  • Yü, Ying-shih (1986). "Han Foreign Relations". InTwitchett, Dennis;Loewe, Michael(eds.).The Cambridge History of China, Volume 1: The Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 BC–AD 220.Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.ISBN978-0-521-24327-8.


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