Han-Nanyue War
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The Han conquest of Nanyue was a military conflict between the
Han Empire 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 ...
and the
Nanyue Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establis ...
kingdom in modern
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
, Guangxi, and
Northern Vietnam Northern Vietnam ( vi, Bắc Bộ) is one of three geographical regions within Vietnam. It consists of three administrative regions: the Northwest (Vùng Tây Bắc), the Northeast (Vùng Đông Bắc), and the Red River Delta (Đồng Bằng S ...
. During the reign of Emperor Wu, the Han forces launched a punitive campaign against Nanyue and conquered it in 111 BC.


Background

During the collapse of the
Qin dynasty The Qin dynasty ( ; zh, c=秦朝, p=Qín cháo, w=), or Ch'in dynasty in Wade–Giles romanization ( zh, c=, p=, w=Ch'in ch'ao), was the first dynasty of Imperial China. Named for its heartland in Qin state (modern Gansu and Shaanxi), ...
, Zhao Tuo established himself as the King of Nanyue in southern China.. Zhao was originally a Qin military officer from Zhending in northern China.. The Han frontier in the south was not threatened and there was no indication that Zhao Tuo would encroach on Han territory. In 196 BC, the Emperor Gaozu sent Lu Jia on a diplomatic mission to
Nanyue Nanyue (), was an ancient kingdom ruled by Chinese monarchs of the Zhao family that covered the modern Chinese subdivisions of Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, southern Fujian and central to northern Vietnam. Nanyue was establis ...
to officially recognize Zhao Tuo as a local ruler. Nevertheless, relations between Han and Nanyue were sometimes strained. Zhao Tuo resented
Empress Lü Empress (Dowager) Lü Zhi (241–18 August 180 BC), commonly known as Empress Lü () and formally Empress Gao of Han (), was the empress consort of Gaozu, the founding emperor of the Han dynasty. They had two known children, Liu Ying (later E ...
's ban on exports of metal wares and female livestock to Nanyue. In 183 BC, he proclaimed himself the "Martial Emperor of the Southern Yue" (南越武帝), which implied a perceived status on equal footing with the Han emperor. Two years later, Nanyue attacked the
Changsha Kingdom The Changsha Kingdom was a kingdom within the Han Empire of China, located in present-day Hunan and some surrounding areas. The kingdom was founded when Emperor Gaozu granted the territory to his follower Wu Rui in 203 or 202 BC, around the sa ...
, a constituent kingdom of the Han empire.. In 180 BC, Lu Jia led a diplomatic mission to Nanyue. 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.. In 135 BC, King
Zhao Mo ; , posthumous name = ; vi, Triệu Văn Đế , predecessor = Zhao Tuo , successor = Zhao Yingqi , birth_date = 175 BC , death_date = 124 BC (aged 51) , dynasty = Nanyue } Zhao Mo (; vi, Triệu Hồ) was the g ...
of Nanyue appealed to the Han court for help against attacking
Minyue Minyue () was an ancient kingdom in what is now the Fujian province in southern China. It was a contemporary of the Han dynasty, and was later annexed by the Han empire as the dynasty expanded southward. The kingdom existed approximately from ...
forces. The Han court responded swiftly and this led to Zhao Mo's agreement to send his son, Prince
Zhao Yingqi ; , posthumous name = ; vi, Triệu Minh Vương , predecessor = Zhao Mo , successor = Zhao Xing , dynasty = Nanyue } Zhao Yingqi (; Vietnamese: ''Triệu Anh Tề'', ? – 115 BC) was the son of Zhao Mo and the third r ...
, to serve in the palace at
Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin S ...
. 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. 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. She was Chinese herself and was married to
Zhao Yingqi ; , posthumous name = ; vi, Triệu Minh Vương , predecessor = Zhao Mo , successor = Zhao Xing , dynasty = Nanyue } Zhao Yingqi (; Vietnamese: ''Triệu Anh Tề'', ? – 115 BC) was the son of Zhao Mo and the third r ...
. However, many Nanyue ministers opposed this suggestion.. Lü Jia was the primary Nanyue official to oppose the idea and he led the opposition against the Queen Dowager. 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.


Course

The Han forces comprised six armies, who traveled by sea, directly southward, or from
Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
along the
Xi River The Xi River (; ) or Si-Kiang is the western tributary of the Pearl River in southern China. It is formed by the confluence of the Gui and Xun Rivers in Wuzhou, Guangxi. It originates from the eastern foot of the Maxiong Mountain in Qujin ...
. In 111 BC, General
Lu Bode Lu Bode (; –?) was a Chinese military leader during the Western Han dynasty. Lu was from Pingzhou (平州) in the Xihe (西河) region of western China (present-day Lishi District of Lüliang, Shanxi). In 119 BCE, Emperor Wu of Han dispatche ...
and General Yang Pu advanced towards
Panyu Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 200 ...
(present-day
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
). This resulted in the surrender of Nanyue to the Han empire later that year.


Aftermath

After the conquest of Nanyue in 111 BC, the Han empire established nine new commanderies to administer the former Nanyue territories.. Han control proceeded to expand further southwestward by military means after the conquest. Following the conquest, the Han empire gradually extended its overseas trade with the various polities in
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
and around the Indian Ocean..


See also

*
Qin campaign against the Yue tribes As trade was an important source of wealth for the Baiyue peoples of coastal southern China, the region south of the Yangtze River attracted the attention of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, and he undertook a series of military campaigns to conquer it. Lur ...


References


Literature

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Han-Nanyue War 111 BC 110s BC conflicts 2nd century BC in China 2nd century BC in Vietnam Emperor Wu of Han Nanyue Wars involving the Han dynasty Military campaigns involving Vietnam