Laoshang (; r. 174–161 BCE), whose personal name was Jiyu (), was a c''hanyu'' 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 () 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 BCE. Modu ruled from 209 to 174 BCE. He was a military leader under his father Touman and later ''chanyu ...

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

Yuezhi The Yuezhi were an ancient people first described in China, 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 defea ...

with the Xiongnu gaining control of the

Hexi Corridor The Hexi Corridor ( ), 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 relatively arable plain west of the Yellow River's O ...

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 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. Subsequently the Yuezhi migrated west. Modu died In 174 BCE and Jiyu became Laoshang Chanyu. The ''Shiji'' chapter 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 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 (; zh, t=長安, s=长安, p=Cháng'ān, first=t) is the traditional name of the city now named Xi'an and was the capital of several Chinese dynasties, ranging from 202 BCE to 907 CE. The site has been inhabited since Neolithic time ...

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

Bactria Bactria (; Bactrian language, Bactrian: , ), or Bactriana, was an ancient Iranian peoples, Iranian civilization in Central Asia based in the area south of the Oxus River (modern Amu Darya) and north of the mountains of the Hindu Kush, an area ...

and occupied

Sogdia Sogdia () 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 a province of the Achaemen ...

. The Yuezhi would be pushed out by the

Wusun The Wusun ( ) were an ancient semi-Eurasian nomads, nomadic Eurasian Steppe, steppe people of unknown origin mentioned in Chinese people, Chinese records from the 2nd century BC to the 5th century AD. The Wusun originally l ...

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

Parthia Parthia ( ''Parθava''; ''Parθaw''; ''Pahlaw'') is a historical region located in northeastern Greater Iran. It was conquered and subjugated by the empire of the Medes during the 7th century BC, was incorporated into the subsequent Achaemeni ...

and some to

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. 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.

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) '' 161 BC deaths 2nd-century BC monarchs in Asia Chanyus {{China-royal-stub