Preface
In the long river of ancient Chinese history, there are many heroic and mighty women, and their deeds are often forgotten by the long river of time. However, one of the outstanding women is little known, and she is the Empress Dowager Dou. Living in the period of Emperor He of the Han Dynasty, she once single-handedly defeated more than 200,000 Xiongnu and composed a brilliant war song for the Han Empire.
Sadly, however, despite her impressive achievements, this history is rarely known today. This article will take you through time, re-explore the heroic deeds of the Empress Dowager Dou, unravel the mystery behind this female general, and dig out the pearl of history buried deep by the years.
1. Dou Xian's desire for power Liu Chang has become a thorn in his side
In 92 AD, Emperor Zhang of Han died, and his 10-year-old son Liu Zhao succeeded him as Emperor of Han He. The crown prince was young and sickly, and was ruled by his mother, the Empress Dowager Dou, and the entire court was firmly controlled by her and her brother Dou Xian.
Dou Xian is a person who is eager for quick success and extreme profit. He aspired to be the de facto supreme ruler of the Han Dynasty. For this reason, he always keeps an eye on the figures in the court who may threaten his position. As long as there is any indication that someone is expanding, he will be closely watched. The previous ministers such as Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong, and Geng Bao were all suppressed and even persecuted by him because they coveted power.
In the winter of this year, Liu Chang, the marquis of the capital, came to mourn the late Emperor Zhang of Han. This person is quite prestigious in the DPRK and has won the hearts of the people. What made Dou Xian even more jealous was that he had several secret talks with the Empress Dowager Dou, and the two seemed to have an unusual mood. Dou Xian is keenly aware that Liu Chang is likely to become a stumbling block to his quest for power.
With this thought, he gathered his henchmen overnight to discuss countermeasures. Some people proposed to send someone to assassinate Liu Chang, and planted the blame on Liu Chang's younger brother Liu Xiang, creating the illusion that the brothers were competing for the throne. Dou Xian immediately adopted this suggestion. At dawn the next day, Liu Chang was brutally murdered in the guest house. The assassin quickly escaped, leaving no trace.
Second, the truth is revealed Dou Xian's guilt is inescapable
Who knows, this assassination incident immediately spread in the capital. The people originally complained about the government and politics, but now there is an uproar. People are talking in private, questioning the truth of the case. Under pressure from all sides, Empress Dowager Dou had to launch an investigation.
At first, Empress Dowager Dou wanted to help Dou Xian get rid of the crime, so she first strictly forbade Sangong to intervene in the case. However, Minister Han Lingyi was stern and bluntly said that the murderer in this case was hidden in the court. Other courtiers such as Yuan An, Ma Rikan and others also petitioned one after another, demanding a thorough investigation of the mastermind behind the assassination. Empress Dowager Dou had to give in, and finally agreed that Yuan An would come forward to investigate the truth.
After several days of visiting and collecting evidence, Yuan An soon found out that the assassin's mastermind was Dou Xian himself. It turned out that Dou Xian had ordered his henchmen to keep an eye on his every move on the first day Liu Chang came to the capital. And after Liu Chang had a secret conversation with Empress Dowager Dou, he immediately took an assassination action. Yuan An has conclusive evidence, and Dou Xian has no room for denial.
Dou Xian was finally exposed to the condemning gaze of everyone. Knowing that there was no room for denial at this time, he had no choice but to kneel down and plead guilty and offer to atone for the crime with his own life.
He said: "Queen Mother, the minister is willing to lead the army deep into the territory of the Xiongnu and use his military exploits to help the world!"
3. Expedition to the Huns was a shame
Dou Xian's proposal was immediately approved by the Empress Dowager Dou. In fact, Empress Dowager Dou also needs such an opportunity to calm the indignation of the government and the opposition and prove that the Dou family is loyal and has no intention of rebellion. So, she immediately issued an edict, ordering Dou Xian to be the general and lead an army of 100,000 deep into the hinterland of the Xiongnu. The army was quickly organized and set off.
The soldiers of the expeditionary force were also full of pride. They remember the fierce battle during the previous generation of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, the Han army suffered heavy casualties, and let the Huns sneak attack near Chang'an. This became a thorn in the heart of the government at that time. Now, making great contributions and smoothing the troubles of the frontier is not only an opportunity to defend the territory for the country, but also an opportunity to shame.
However, the battle did not go smoothly at first. The Northern Xiongnu were smart and strong, led the army to take the initiative to attack, and repeatedly set up ambushes to harass the Han army. The Northern Huns were familiar with the local terrain and advanced and retreated freely. The Han army was repeatedly ambushed and suffered heavy casualties.
Dou Xian was in a dilemma, seeing that the shadow of defeat was about to loom. However, he realized it was a great opportunity to make a name for himself. As long as he leads the army to victory here, his prestige will surely resound all over the world, and he will rightfully ascend to the peak of power!
At this moment, he noticed that the Southern Xiongnu were also fighting north. A bold idea suddenly exploded in his mind: join forces with the Southern Xiongnu and annihilate the Northern Xiongnu in one fell swoop!
It was not easy to implement this idea, because the Xiongnu in the north and south were incompatible. However, Dou Xian used diplomatic means to successfully persuade the Southern Xiongnu Shan Yu. The two sides agreed to meet at the chasm and formally conclude a military alliance.
Fourth, retire after success and look to the future
On the day agreed by both sides, the two armies of the north and south joined forces and began the final siege of the northern Xiongnu. The Northern Xiongnu were already at the end of their strong crossbows, and they soon collapsed.
In this battle, more than 7,000 Southern Xiongnu were killed, and more than 20,000 Han troops were killed and wounded. The casualties of the Northern Xiongnu were as heavy as 40,000! Of these, 13,000 Northern Xiongnu soldiers surrendered on the spot. The remaining Northern Xiongnu soldiers were all scattered, and tens of thousands of people surrendered to the Han border for refuge.
After returning from victory, Dou Xian was immediately highly appreciated by the Empress Dowager Dou. She vigorously praised Dou Xian's decision-making and command merits, and wanted to crown him as the Marquis of Wuyang on the spot, with 20,000 households.
epilogue
It was not Empress Dowager Dou who insisted on exterminating the Northern Xiongnu at all, if she didn't fight, Dou Xian would never be able to be promoted justifiably, because if a sinner was placed in an important position, it would damage the image of the imperial court.
However, it was also because of this wrong decision that the Northern Xiongnu basically existed in name only, and they did not dare to violate the border from then on!