Laoshang (; r. 174–161 BCE), whose personal name was Jiyu (), was a

Chanyu Chanyu () or Shanyu (), short for Chengli Gutu Chanyu (), was the title used by the supreme rulers of Inner Asian nomads for eight centuries until superseded by the title "''Khagan''" in 402 CE. The title was most famously used by the ruling L ...

of the

Xiongnu Empire 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 209 ...

who succeeded his father

Modu Chanyu Modu, Maodun, Modun (, from Old Chinese (220 B.C.E.): *''mouᴴ-tuən'' or *''mək-tuən'', c. 234 – c. 174 BCE) was the son of Touman and the founder of the empire of the Xiongnu. He came to power by ordering his men to kill his father in 209 B ...

in 174 BCE. Under his reign, the Xiongnu Empire continued to expand against the

Yuezhi The Yuezhi (;) were an ancient people first described in Chinese histories as nomadic pastoralists living in an arid grassland area in the western part of the modern Chinese province of Gansu, during the 1st millennium BC. After a major defeat ...

and the Xiongnu thus gained control of the

Hexi Corridor The Hexi Corridor (, Xiao'erjing: حْسِ ظِوْلاْ, IPA: ), also known as the Gansu Corridor, is an important historical region located in the modern western Gansu province of China. It refers to a narrow stretch of traversable and relativ ...

Name

Laoshang in Chinese means "old and elevated', and is probably a translation from a Xiongnu title, but might represent an attempt to phonetically represent a Xiongnu word.

Life

In 177 BCE or 176 BCE, following direction from his father Modu, Jiyu put an end to the danger of the Yuezhi, made their king's skull into a drinking cup, and chased them from Gansu. The Yuezhi migrated west. In 174 BCE, Modu died and Jiyu became Laoshang Chanyu. The ''Shiji'' chap. 110 says:

"Shortly after this, Maodun died and his son Jizhu was set up with the title of Old ''Shanyu''. When Jizhu became ''Shanyu'' n 174 BCE Emperor Wen sent a princess of the imperial family to be his consort, dispatching a eunuch from Yan named
Zhonghang Yue Zhonghang Yue () was a eunuch from the Han dynasty who surrendered to Xiongnu (or Hun) nationality. He was selected as a retinue from Han to Hun and later served the Xiongnu emperor Laoshang Shanyu. Zhonghang Yue raised a series of theories for the ...
to accompany her as her tutor.Watson (1993), p. 142.

In 166 BCE, Xiongnu forces under Laoshang raided within sight of

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 Shi ...

and carried off a large number of people and animals. In 165 BCE, the Xiongnu returned and raided within sight of Chang'an again. In 164 BCE, the Xiongnu under Laoshang overran Gansu and the Tarim Basin completely, driving out the Yuezhi and

Sakas The Saka (Old Persian: ; Kharosthi, Kharoṣṭhī: ; Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian: , ; , Old Chinese, old , Pinyin, mod. , ), Shaka (Sanskrit (Brahmi script, Brāhmī): , , ; Sanskrit (Devanagari, Devanāgarī): , ), or Sacae (An ...

, who invaded

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient region in Central Asia in Amu Darya's middle stream, stretching north of the Hindu Kush, west of the Pamirs and south of the Gissar range, covering the northern part of Afghanistan, southwe ...

and occupied

Sogdia Sogdia (Sogdian language, Sogdian: ) or Sogdiana was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization between the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya, and in present-day Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Sogdiana was also ...

. The Yuezhi would be pushed out by the

Wusun The Wusun (; Eastern Han Chinese *''ʔɑ-suən'' <

Old Chinese

(140 BCE < 436 BCE): *''Ɂâ-sûn'') were an ancient semi-

, forcing them further into Sogdia and driving out the Sakas. The Sakas went to

Parthia Parthia ( peo, 𐎱𐎼𐎰𐎺 ''Parθava''; xpr, 𐭐𐭓𐭕𐭅 ''Parθaw''; pal, 𐭯𐭫𐭮𐭥𐭡𐭥 ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Med ...

and some to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. A group known as the Lesser Yuezhi fled into southern Gansu and merged with the Qiang population. Laoshang also defeated a group of people in northern Bactria known as the Hathal and turned their chief's skull into a drinking cup. From this western position the Xiongnu conducted yearly raids on the Han. In 161 BCE, Laoshang died and was succeeded by his son,

Junchen Chanyu Junchen (, Old Chinese ( ZS): *''kun-gin''; r. 161–126 BCE) was the son and successor to Laoshang Chanyu. As chanyu of the Xiongnu Empire, Junchen outlived the Han emperors Wen (r. 180–157 BC), Jing (r. 157–141 BC). He died during the ...

Footnotes

References

*Benjamin, Craig G. R. (2007) ''The Yuezhi: Origin, Migration and the Conquest of Northern Bactria''. Silk Road Studies XIV. Brepols, Belgium. . *Hill, John E. (2009) ''Through the Jade Gate to Rome: A Study of the Silk Routes during the Later Han Dynasty, 1st to 2nd Centuries CE''. John E. Hill. Book Surge, Charleston, South Carolina. . *Hulsewé, A. F. P. (1979). ''China in Central Asia: The Early Stage 125 BC – AD 23: an annotated translation of chapters 61 and 96 of the History of the Former Han Dynasty.'' Introduction by M. A. N. Loewe. . Leiden: E. J. Brill. * * *Watson, Burton. (1993). ''Records of the Grand Historian of China. Han Dynasty II. (Revised Edition)''. New York, Columbia University Press. . *Yap, Joseph P. (2009). ''Wars With The Xiongnu, A Translation From Zizhi tongjian", pp. 107–121. Author House (2009) '' Chanyus 2nd-century BC rulers in Asia {{China-royal-stub