Su Wu: Do you guess why I was able to live for more than ten years in the Xiongnu, and did you and I eat chocolate in the Xiongnu to survive?
The story of Su Wu shepherding sheep must be known to many people, but this allusion comes from the Qing Dynasty, but the story is based on the Han Dynasty.
The general meaning is that Su Wu was ordered to send an envoy to the Xiongnu, but he did not expect to be detained by the Xiongnu and induced to surrender, Su Wu refused, and was exiled by the Xiongnu to the North Sea to herd sheep, saying that unless the ram gave birth to a lamb, he would not let him go back.
Su Wu's father, Su Jian, had followed the general Wei Qing three times to attack the Xiongnu and had military merits, so Su Wu was given the title of Lang Official with his brothers very early, and later entered the court to manage the shooting and hunting affairs for Emperor Wu of Han.
During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, he attacked the Xiongnu, but also sent emissaries to the Xiongnu to inquire about the situation, and at that time there was often the problem of envoys being detained, and in the three years of the Tianhan Dynasty, the Xiongnu ostensibly made peace with the Han Dynasty, and Emperor Wudi of Han did not know the deception and sent Su Wu to send an envoy to the Xiongnu.
In this way, Su Wu, as a general of Zhonglang, went to the Xiongnu with the Han Dynasty's rune ceremonial guard, but after he did not expect to go, the Xiongnu suddenly changed his face and detained Su Wu and others in the Xiongnu, not allowing Su Wu and others to return.
The Xiongnu side constantly coerced and seduced, wanting Su Wu and others to submit and help the Xiongnu deal with the Han Dynasty, but Su Wu refused to do anything, and the Xiongnu side exhausted all methods, so they imprisoned Su Wu.
Su Wu was imprisoned by the Xiongnu in the cellar without eating or drinking, Su Wu swallowed it with snow and wool on the felt, and actually suffered for several days without dying, and the Xiongnu felt that this man was unbearable, so they sent him to the North Sea and let him herd sheep there.
At that time, the North Sea, which is now Lake Baikal, also belonged to the Huns, where the climate was more bitter and cold, Su Wu herded sheep there, and the Huns said that unless the ram gave birth to a lamb, Su Wu would never want to return to the Han Dynasty.
The Xiongnu let Su Wu herd sheep and did not supply him with food, and those cattle and sheep were the key to his livelihood, but Su Wu was accustomed to eating grain, not to mention that the number of cattle and sheep was really limited, and it was impossible to eat them often.
In order to survive, Su Wu hunted in the local area while digging up various fruits hoarded by grassland wild rats to survive, and then the brother of the Xiongnu Shan Yu went to the North Sea to hunt, and found that Su Wu learned to weave hunting nets, as well as various bows and crossbows.
Unlike Shan Yu himself, Shan Yu's younger brother was very appreciative of Su Wu's integrity, so he gave him new clothes and food, and then sent a large number of livestock and horses, so that Su Wu could continue to live in the North Sea.
However, The Ding Zero people stole Su Wu's cattle and sheep, making his life once again in trouble, but Su Wu still insisted, in other words, Su Wu's main source of livelihood in the local area was originally hunting and grazing, but after the livestock were gone, he mainly hunted.
After Li Ling submitted to the Xiongnu, he went to persuade Su Wu, but did not succeed, and when he heard the news of the death of Emperor Wu of Han, Su Wu was sad for many days and even vomited blood, and at this time, the Central Plains entered the era of Emperor Zhao of Han.
Because the Xiongnu negotiated peace with the Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty also inadvertently learned that Su Wu was still alive, so they took him back from the Xiongnu, at this time Su Wu's team was only nine people left, he stayed in the Xiongnu for nineteen years, but still returned to Chang'an with the Han Dynasty's runes.