Wars with The Xiongnu

This volume of - Wars with the Xiongnu is about a nomadic confederation - the Kingdom of Xiongnu to the north of ancient China, most notably for the relentless, atrocious and bloodletting wars that lasted for over two centuries with the mighty Han dynasty, comparable in size and power as Rome during its height. The roaming Xiongnu people, so powerful boasted of having a kingdom striding from Eastern Siberia to the west at the Altai Mountains in Central Asia, with territories so vast – even larger than the mighty Han at its zenith, were a wrath to its immediate neighbours for a period of no less than six centuries; yet with an estimated population of only one and a half million they were able to hold the Han Kingdom, during its height of fifty million people at bay. The powerful nomadic Kingdom rose to power from the midst of nowhere, reached its zenith, ran its course, its vitality and vigour spent, declined and vanished into oblivion without so much as a trace in the mists of time, albeit burial remains and textual references, predominantly from Chinese textual sources. This captivating page of history has prompted many eastern and western scholars to make in-depth studies into these fascinating people. Zizhi tongjian, the text which this translation is based, does not offer us with any satisfactory explanations to the vicissitudes of the mighty kingdom, nonetheless there are clues and evidence throughout the text, the reader is encouraged to make his or her own hypothesis and conclusions. The accounts in the book are direct translations from the narratives of Zizhi tongjian, the first time this part of the text that has been translated into English.

Zizhi tongjian - The Source of - The Wars With the Xiongnu

Sima Guang presented his monumental 354 volume-chronology of ancient China in his General History – Tongzhi during the 10^th month of the 7^th year of Yuanfeng (1084 CE) of the Song Emperor - Shen Zong at the capital Xijing, after relentless and indefatigably efforts of nineteen years. In the submission of the three-million-words work he appended, “(This work is prepared with an aim) to examine the vicissitudes of our forebears: hence as to reflect and verify the merits and deficiencies of the present time; (with which we are thus able) to command the virtuous, abrogate the iniquities; espouse the righteous and discard the wrongs; (the accounts of which) are more than adequate to help us promote and hearten the exuberant virtues and sagacious achievements of the past. (With this we) hope the governance of our Kingdom shall excel and transcend beyond what has not been accomplished before, hence