Di Shan (, d. 119 BC) was an erudite in the court of Emperor Wu of the western

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

. He was killed by a

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

attack. When the Xiongnu sought an alliance and the matter was being discussed by various officials, Di Shan declared that he was in favour of peace. Asked to elaborate by the emperor, he criticised the impact of war on resources and the standard of living of those near the border. He cited the examples of both internal and external conflicts under past reigns and juxtaposed the hardship of these times with the prosperity enjoyed during times of peace. Zhang Tang, when consulted on his opinion, dismissed Di Shan as a "stupid Confucianist" with no understanding of the matter. Di Shan responded by admitting that his loyalty was the "loyalty of the stupid" but then accused Zhang Tang of being dishonest in his loyalty, using as evidence the latter's forceful prosecution of the kings of

Huainan Huainan () is a prefecture-level city with 3,033,528 inhabitants as of the 2020 census in north-central Anhui province, China. It is named for the Han-era Principality of Huainan. It borders the provincial capital of Hefei to the south, Lu'an ...

and Jiangdu. Emperor Wu then asked Di Shan whether he could keep out the Xiongnu if made a governor of a province. When the latter responded by saying he could not, the emperor proposed that he be made magistrate of a district, an offer that he similarly rebuffed. However, Di Shan finally relented when offered the position of commander of a guard post, afraid that he would be handed over for trial if he refused. Within a little over a month, Di Shan had been decapitated following a Xiongnu raid on his guard post.

References

{{Reflist Han dynasty politicians 119 BC deaths 2nd-century BC births