Huo Qubing’s 121 BCE Spring Expedition And The Captured Golden Man

Huo Qubing was one of the most talented military generals that served during the reign of Emperor Wu (r. 141-87 BCE). His rise to prominence was greatly helped by the influence of his uncle, general-in-chief Wei Qing, and his aunt, Empress Wei Zifu—yet, once he was given an avenue to leadership, Huo Qubing seized his destiny and began building his legend through impressive military feats. His name first appeared in an imperial edict around 123 BCE, at which time Huo Qubing was something of a scout, leading a force of around 800 horsemen on missions in front of his uncle’s army. He was masterful in commanding that band of cavalry and was given the noble title of marquis as a reward for his successes. Finally, in 121 BCE, Huo Qubing was promoted to the rank of general and his troop of 800 horsemen was increased to an army of 10,000 cavalrymen.

For his first campaign as a general, Huo Qubing was sent against Emperor Wu’s greatest foe, the nomadic Xiongnu confederation. He set out from Longxi in Spring and marched deep into what is now Gansu Province, China. Crossing over mountains and rivers, Huo Qubing reportedly invaded the territories of five Xiongnu kings. He was said to have slain one or two of these kings, captured a son of another, and killed or captured between 8,000-18,000 Xiongnu warriors—all this reportedly accomplished before the arrival of summer.

The most intriguing event of the Spring campaign occurred when Huo Qubing was in battle against a certain Xiutu king of the Xiongnu confederation. While scavenging items from a battlefield or pillaging an abandoned Xiongnu camp, Huo Qubing came into possession of a curious religious idol. Emperor Wu praised the acquisition of the sacred item in a public edict, which was thankfully recorded by the emperor’s Grand Historian and palace secretary, Sima Qian (c. 145-90 BCE). The edict lauded the general’s campaign, claiming, “He has killed and captured over 8,000 of the enemy and seized the golden man which the Xiutu king uses in worshipping Heaven” (Sima Qian, Shi Ji 111).

Unfortunately, no further elaboration was given to the golden figure’s appearance. Yet, many history and religion scholars wonder if the golden man might have been a depiction of the Buddha. Supposing that the unidentified golden figure really was a Buddha, Huo Qubing’s finding of it would have been the first documented interaction between China and Buddhism. Nevertheless, as the ancient Chinese eyewitnesses of the statue did not record any distinctive features of the figure besides its golden sheen, the identity of the deity depicted by the idol remains a subject of speculation and theory.

After battling through the five Xiongnu subkingdoms and capturing the golden man, Huo Qubing returned to China, where he was rewarded with an enlargement of his marquisate fiefdom. He did not have long to rest, for in the summer of that same year (still 121 BCE), Huo Qubing would participate in yet another campaign against the Xiongnu.

Written by C. Keith Hansley.

Picture Attribution: (Romance of the Three Kingdoms scene at Long Corridor in China, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Sources:

• Records of the Grand Historian (Shi ji) by Sima Qian, translated by Burton Watson. New York: Columbia University Press, 1993. 
• http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Han/personshuoqubing.html

The Late 16th Century Japanese Warlord, Oda Nobunaga, Massacred Warrior Monks In The Tens Of Thousands

Before the islands of Japan were unified under the Shogun, Tokugawa Ieyasu, around 1600 CE, various warlords battled to gain dominance over the lands of Japan. The first major figure to rise to power was Oda Nobunaga.

Nobunaga was a skilled war leader, and used a mixture of tactical brilliance, technological innovation and psychological ruthlessness to bring much of Japan under his control.  His heyday occurred from 1570-1580, when he conquered close to half of Japan. His foes, however, were not always other political rivals—he had a long feud with the Shinto and Buddhist warrior monks in temples and communities throughout Japan.

A prolonged, bitter war between the rural Ikko-ikki Buddhists and the Oda clan was assured when Nobunaga’s brother was killed in battle at Nagashima in 1569. Nobunaga sent two of his generals with an army to avenge his brother in 1571, but the Ikko-ikki were able to force the Oda army to withdraw.

During the same year, a quarrelsome contingent of warrior monks from the temple of Enryakuji on Mt. Hiei made the unwise decision to join forces with Nobunaga’s enemies. The warlord immediately sent an army of around 30,000 men to siege the temple, but Nobunaga’s intention was not pacification—no, he meant to bring annihilation. The Oda army marched its way up the mountain, burning shrines and villages attached to the temple. When they reached Enryakuji temple, it, and many of the people still inside, were burned to ash. Around 20,000 people may have perished in the flames on Mt. Hiei.

By 1573, Nobunaga was confident enough to try another campaign against the Nagashima Ikko-ikki. This time he decided not to delegate the attack to his generals; he wanted to lead the fight, personally. In the first year, he did not gain much ground against the Ikko-ikki, but by 1574, he had pushed the forces of Nagashima into a last stand at the fortresses of Ganshoji and Nagashima Castle. In a scene similar to that at Mt. Hiei, Nobunaga blockaded the Ikko-ikki in their forts. With his enemy trapped, he set up mounds of flammable firewood around his prey. With no thought of mercy, Nobunaga set fire to the fortresses and watched as strong winds created an inferno out of the last Ikko-ikki strongholds in Nagashima. Around 20,000 more people died in the fire.

Written by C. Keith Hansley

Picture Attribution: (Painting of the Battle of Nagashino, [Public Domain] via Creative Commons).

Source

• Japanese Warrior Monks: AD 949-1603, by Stephen Turnbull. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003.