In the last years of the Qin Dynasty, the government was corrupt, the situation was turbulent, and peasants in various places revolted, including Liu Bang.
The contender for Liu Bang was Xiang Yu, the king of Western Chu, but in the Chu-Han war, Liu Bang became the final winner and established another great unified dynasty after the Qin Dynasty.
Although, at the beginning of the founding of the Han Dynasty, the strength of the country continued to rise, and it became a powerful country at that time. However, after the death of Liu Bang, the ancestor of Han Gao, the Xiongnu who had been invading the Han Dynasty began to harass the borders of the Han Dynasty again. At that time, the leader of the Xiongnu even wrote a letter to the empress dowager of the Han Dynasty, Lü Yan, verbally insulting her, which was a naked provocation of the Xiongnu to the Han Dynasty.
However, at this time, the Han Dynasty could not have a direct conflict with the Xiongnu. That's because the Xiongnu were in a period of great power at this time. The Xiongnu, led by their leader Mao Dundanyu, marched east and west, and at this time the territory was already very vast. They not only occupied the Daxing'anling region in the east, but also established a foothold in the western Liangling Mountains, while Lake Baikal in the north also became an important area for the Xiongnu to plunder materials. If there is no Great Wall on the southern border, then the Xiongnu will surely come to the Western Han Dynasty for three days and two ends to harass.
It can be seen that the Xiongnu at this time were no longer the nomadic herders who had no place to live in the past, and they seemed to have developed into the most powerful ethnic minority in the north. Not only did they control the important passes, but they also commanded all the peoples in the region, who had to pay taxes to the Huns and even had to be at the disposal of the Huns in time of war.
Therefore, if there was a war between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu, the Xiongnu would not only have money but also people.
Not only that, the Xiongnu also occupied a very favorable geographical position, if they and the tribal leaders of various tribes reached an alliance, in terms of military strategic layout, they could completely encircle the hundreds of thousands of troops of the Western Han Dynasty, which was also the capital of the Xiongnu leader Mao Dundan who dared to provoke the Western Han.
Moreover, more importantly, there were also officials in collusion with the Xiongnu within the Western Han Dynasty, and if these officials and the Xiongnu should cooperate with each other, then once there was a war between the two sides, the Western Han Dynasty would be occupied by the Xiongnu. After analyzing the strength of the enemy and ourselves, the rulers of the Western Han Dynasty believed that avoiding their sharp edges and taoguang and cultivating obscurity was the best way to deal with them at present.
Therefore, in the face of the Xiongnu who were in the midst of the scenery, the Western Han Dynasty adopted means such as peace and tribute to appease. However, over time, the Xiongnu became more and more arrogant and greedy, which shows that under the situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak, the Western Han Dynasty is very passive. As a result, in order to break this passive situation, only their own strength is the only way out.
Therefore, after the Han Dynasty experienced the "rule of Wenjing", the strength of the country became stronger, and the rulers of the Western Han Dynasty began to think about how to deal with the Xiongnu, who had always been restless.
In 141 BC, Liu Che, the seventh emperor of the Western Han Dynasty, succeeded to the throne and was known as Emperor Wu of Han. As the saying goes, The Qin Emperor Han Wu, tang emperor Song zu, it can be seen that emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty made a very great contribution to the development of the Han Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, he was originally a very powerful emperor, so how could he allow the Xiongnu to invade the borders of the Han Dynasty?
Therefore, Emperor Wu of Han ordered his ministers to discuss strategies to deal with the Xiongnu, and some people reported: "At present, the Xiongnu and the Great Moon Clan have a deep grudge, mainly because the Xiongnu have been bullying the Great Moon Clan, and have also cut off the head of the Great Moon Clan to use as a wine cup, which is not ordinary bullying but naked insult." If we can unite with the Ōtsuki clan to attack the Xiongnu together, we will surely win the war. ”
However, the most difficult thing to do now is how to get in touch with the Ōtsuki clan and then form an alliance. In order to get in touch with the Ōtsuki clan, it was necessary to pass through a place controlled by the Xiongnu, in which case it would be caught by the Xiongnu and there was a risk of losing his life. However, even if there is danger, it is necessary to try, and Zhang Qian is the hero who tries to get in touch with the Ōtsuki clan.
According to historical records, Zhang Qian was "a strong man and a man of leniency and faith." "That is to say, it has the good qualities of perseverance, open-mindedness, and faithfulness to others." Zhang Qian liked to wander around since he was a child, not only practicing martial arts, but also having a very broad vision. It was also Zhang Qian's boldness that made him finally overcome all kinds of unimaginable difficulties and achieve success.
In 139 BC, Zhang Qian, on the orders of Emperor Wu of Han, led more than a hundred retinues, guided by the Xiongnu Tang Yi's father, from Chang'an to the Western Regions. Rather than saying that Zhang Qian is on a foreign trip this time, it is better to say that Zhang Qian is taking risks this time. Because, since the founding of the Western Han Dynasty, so many people have never been sent to the strange western region.
Sure enough, when Zhang Qian and the others crossed the Hexi Corridor, they unfortunately encountered the Xiongnu cavalry, so they were all captured by the Xiongnu. Shan Yu, the leader of the Xiongnu, when he learned that Zhang Qian wanted to send an envoy to the Great Moon Clan, said to Zhang Qian, "The Great Moon Clan is in our north, how do you get there?" If you want to cross my territory and go to the Great Moon Clan, you must obey my orders."
It can be seen that Zhang Qian and others want to send out the Great Moon Clan, which is almost an impossible task.
After that, Zhang Qian and others were put under house arrest by the Xiongnu. In the face of the various temptations of the Xiongnu, Zhang Qian never forgot his original intention or his mission. In this way, Zhang Qian has been bearing the burden of humiliation and staying in the Xiongnu for ten years. Eventually, the Xiongnu relaxed their guarding over Zhang Qian and others, and Zhang Qian fled the Xiongnu control with his retinue.
However, things are unpredictable, and during the ten years that Zhang Qian stayed with the Xiongnu, the situation changed a lot. Zhang Qian, who escaped from the Xiongnu, did not return to the Western Han Dynasty, but continued to complete his mission and sent an envoy to the Great Moon Clan. However, when Zhang Qian arrived at the Dayue Clan, he found that the people of the Great Moon Clan had long forgotten their hatred with the Xiongnu and lived a life of peace and contentment.
Faced with such a situation, Zhang Qian had to return to China in the first year of Yuan Shuo (128 BC).
On the way back, Zhang Qian changed the route of his march in order to avoid the Xiongnu forces. It was planned to take the "South Road" in the southern Tarim Basin, at the northern foot of the Kunlun Mountains, from Shache, through Khotan (present-day Hotan), Shanshan (present-day Ruoqiang), and return to Han after passing through the Qiang area of Qinghai. Unexpectedly, however, the Qiang people had also become vassals of the Xiongnu, and Zhang Qian and others were once again captured by the Xiongnu cavalry and detained for more than a year.
At the beginning of the third year of Yuan Shuo (126 BC), the Xiongnu were in civil unrest for the throne, and Zhang Qian took the opportunity to flee back to Chang'an with his father. From the second year of Emperor Wu's Jianyuan (139 BC) to the third year of Yuan Shuo (126 BC), a total of thirteen years. At the time of departure, there were more than a hundred people, and when they returned, only Zhang Qian and Tang Yi's father were left.
Although Zhang Qian failed to achieve the purpose of the mission, Zhang Qian stepped out of a famous "Silk Road", which was of extraordinary significance to the Han Dynasty at that time and even today's China.
Later, the Han Dynasty was strong and strong, especially in the war between Wei Qing and Huo Toyi against the Xiongnu, and gradually reversed the passive situation of the Western Han Dynasty against the Xiongnu. In this way, in the fourth year of the Yuan Hunt (119 BC), Zhang Qian had the opportunity to go to the Western Regions again, and at this time Zhang Qian not only brought many people and horses, but also brought China's first bucket of "Silk Road Fund" on the "Silk Road".
Since then, the Western Han Dynasty has finally opened the door of the Western Regions, and it has formed a scene of "merchants and merchants, Japanese money under the plug".
Resources:
[History Volume VIII Gaozu Benji, Hanshu Wudi Chronicle, Hanshu Xiyu Biography]