View source for Battle of Zhizhi

{{citation style|date=October 2013}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|image=
|caption=
|conflict=Battle of Zhizhi
|partof=the [[Han–Xiongnu War]]
|date= October–December, 36&nbsp;BC
|place=[[Taraz]], [[Kazakhstan]]
|result=Decisive Han victory|
|combatant1=[[Xiongnu]]
|combatant2=[[Han Dynasty]]
|commander1=[[Zhizhi Chanyu]]<ref name="Barbieri-Low2007">{{cite book|author=Anthony Jerome Barbieri-Low|title=Artisans in early imperial China|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6M26AAAAIAAJ&q=ZhiZhi+rival#search_anchor|year=2007|publisher=University of Washington Press|page=175}}</ref>
|commander2=[[Gan Yanshou]]<br>[[Chen Tang]]<ref name="Crespigny1984">{{cite book|author=Rafe De Crespigny|title=Northern Frontier: The Policies and Strategies of the Later Han Empire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CL5xAAAAMAAJ&q=ZhiZhi+Chen+Tang#search_anchor|date=1 January 1984|publisher=Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University|isbn=978-0-86784-410-8|page=189}}</ref>
|strength1=3,000 [[Xiongnu]] cavalry and infantry with 10,000 cavalry reinforcement from [[Kangju]]
|strength2=40,000 Han [[crossbow]]men, small contingents of Han cavalry units, with Tarim Basin [[allies]]
|casualties1=Heavy losses, with 1,518 killed, over 1,000 surrendered and 145 captured
|casualties2=Minimal or not reported
}}
{{Campaignbox Sino-Xiongnu War}}

The '''Battle of Zhizhi''' (郅支之戰) was fought in 36&nbsp;BC<ref>{{cite book|last=Peers|first=Chris|title=Imperial Chinese Armies:200 Bc-589 Ad|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k4IXwl-jVGMC&pg=PA39#v=onepage&q&f=false|volume=1|year=1995|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn= 978-1-85532-514-2|access-date=27 January 2013|page=39}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Peers|first=Chris|title=Soldiers of the Dragon: Chinese Armies 1500 BC-AD 1840|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S1eqO3Z1rgEC&pg=PA146#v=onepage&q&f=false|volume=|year=2006|publisher=Osprey Publishing|isbn= 978-18460-309-87|access-date=27 January 2013|page=146}}</ref> between the [[Han Dynasty]] and the [[Xiongnu]] chieftain [[Zhizhi Chanyu]]. Zhizhi was defeated and killed.<ref name=Rene>{{Cite book |last=Grousset |first=Rene |title=The Empire of the Steppes |publisher=Rutgers University Press |year=1970 |isbn=0-8135-1304-9 |pages=38}}</ref> The battle was probably fought near [[Taraz]] on the [[Talas River]] in eastern Kazakhstan, which makes it one of the westernmost points reached by a Chinese army. The better-known [[Battle of Talas]] in AD 751 was fought in the same area.

==Background==
In 56&nbsp;BC Zhizhi revolted against his brother. As his brother grew more powerful, Zhizhi retreated westward. About 44&nbsp;BC he made a close alliance with [[Kangju]] near [[Lake Balkhash]]. Later he quarrelled with the Kangju, killed several hundred of them and forced them to build him a fortress. The fort required 500 men and two years to build. It was probably<ref>The location near Taraz seems to come from the [[Hanshu]] or some commentary on it. The [[Zizhitongjian]] says it was on the "Dulaishui River" ("shui" means river) which Yap thinks may have been the [[Ili River]]</ref> located near [[Taraz]].
[[File:Western Regions 1st century BC(en).png|thumb|300px|Approximate location of Kangju]]

==Battle==

===Assembly and March of Han Forces===
At approximately 36&nbsp;BC, the governor of the [[Western Regions]] was Gan Yanshou. His deputy commander, [[Chen Tang]] claimed that Zhizhi was planning to build up a great empire and proposed a preemptive attack. Gan Yanshou objected; but he soon fell ill, and while he was incapacitated Chen Tang forged an edict in Yanshou's name and mobilized the army. Gan Yanshou was forced to yield. All this was done without the Emperor's permission. An army of 40,000 Han and Hu troops ('[[Donghu people|'Hu']] here is apparently a loose term for non-Chinese) assembled. It marched west on both sides of the [[Tarim Basin]], reunited near [[Kashgar]] and moved across Kangju territory reaching the western shore of [[Lake Balkhash]]. At this point a party of several thousand Kangju cavalrymen, returning from a raid on [[Wusun]], stumbled onto the rear of the Chinese army, attacked it, and made off with a large quantity of food and weapons. Chen Tang sent his Hu troops back and defeated the Kangju, killing 460 of them and freeing 470 Wusun captives.

===Battle at Zhizhi's Fortress===
Several Kangju nobles defected to the Chinese and provided information and guides. The Chinese encamped about 30 [[Li (unit)|Li]] from Zhizhi's fortress and the two sides exchanged rather hypocritical messages. They then moved to within 3 Li of Zhizhi and fortified themselves. The Xiongnu sent out several hundred cavalry and infantry, but they were driven back into the fort. The Chinese followed and attacked the fort and managed to burn part of the wall. That night several hundred Xiongnu horsemen tried to escape but all were killed. Zhizhi himself thought of escape but decided to remain because he knew that he had too many enemies in the surrounding country. Fighting continued. Zhizhi's queen and concubines shot arrows from the ramparts.<ref name="Mayor2014">{{cite book|author=Adrienne Mayor|title=The Amazons: Lives and Legends of Warrior Women across the Ancient World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rboWBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA424#v=onepage&q&f=false|date=22 September 2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-6513-0|pages=424–}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Social Biology and Human Affairs|url=https://books.google.com/books?ei=5ESwUJq0GtDV0gGWhoHgAw&id=VgzbAAAAMAAJ&q=armour+top+tower#search_anchor|year=1995|publisher=British Social Biology Council|page=39}}</ref> Zhizhi was wounded in the nose by an arrow.

Shortly after midnight the outer walls were breached and the Xiongnu retreated to the inner citadel. At this point several thousand Kangju horsemen appeared and attacked the Chinese in the darkness but were unable to accomplish anything. When dawn broke parts of the inner citadel were on fire. The Chinese piled dirt on the citadel walls and clambered into the citadel. Zhizhi and a hundred or so warriors retreated into the palace. The palace was set on fire and attacked from all directions and Zhizhi was mortally wounded.

==Aftermath==

1,518 Xiongnu died, including the crown prince and Zhizhi's wives. 145 were captured and well over 1,000 surrendered. The soldiers were allowed to keep their booty and the surrendered Xiongnu were distributed to the fifteen kingdoms that participated in the battle. The following spring Gan Yanshou and Chen Tang arrived at [[Chang'an]] and presented [[Emperor Yuan of Han]] with Zhizhi's severed head. It was displayed on the city wall for ten days and then buried. Zhizhi was the only Xiongnu Chanyu killed by the Chinese.

==Controversies==
A hypothesis by the sinologist [[Homer H. Dubs]], according to which [[Romano-Chinese relations#Hypothetical military contact|Roman legionaries clashed with Han troops]] during the battle and were resettled afterwards in a Chinese village named [[Liqian (village)|Liqian]],<ref>Homer H. Dubs: "An Ancient Military Contact between Romans and Chinese", ''The American Journal of Philology'', Vol. 62, No. 3 (1941), pp. 322-330</ref> has been rejected by modern historians and geneticists on the grounds of a critical appraisal of the ancient sources and recent [[Genealogical DNA test|DNA testings]] of the village people.<ref>Ethan Gruber: [http://people.virginia.edu/~ewg4x/roman_li-chien.pdf "The Origins of Roman Li-chien"], 2007, pp.&nbsp;18–21</ref><ref name="R. Zhou et al. 2007">R. Zhou et al.: "[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17579807 Testing the Hypothesis of an Ancient Roman Soldier Origin of the Liqian People in Northwest China: a Y-Chromosome Perspective]", ''Journal of Human Genetics'', Vol. 52, No. 7 (2007), pp.&nbsp;584–91</ref> However, this hypothesis has been supported by prominent scholars like [[Lev Gumilev]].<ref>L.N. Gumilev and A.I.Kurkchi - "Черная легенда" (историко-психологический этюд). Предисловие </ref>

A new hypothesis (''Greek Hoplites in an Ancient Chinese Siege'', Journal of Asian History) from 2011 by Dr Christopher Anthony Matthew from the [[Australian Catholic University]]<ref>[http://corner.acu.edu.au/research_supervision/framework/browse.php?srperid=4540 Australian Catholic University - Dr Christopher Anthony Matthew]</ref> suggests that these strange warriors were not Roman legionaries, but possibly descendants of [[Alexander the Great]]’s army.<ref>[http://historyoftheancientworld.com/2012/07/descendants-of-alexander-the-greats-army-fought-in-ancient-china-historian-finds/ History of the Ancient World - Descendants of Alexander the Great’s army fought in ancient China]</ref>

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*Ban Gu et al., ''Hanshu''. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju, 1962. ISBN 7-101-00305-2
*Sima Guang, comp. ''Zizhi Tongjian''. Beijing: Zhonghua Shuju, 1956. ISBN 7-101-00183-1
*David Wilkinson (1999) "[https://web.archive.org/web/20060519003843/http://jwsr.ucr.edu:80/archive/vol5/number3/wilkinson/index.html Power polarity in the Far Eastern World System]," Journal of World-Systems Research, Vol V, 3, 1999, 501-617
*Yap, Joseph P. (2009). ''Wars With The Xiongnu, A Translation from [[Zizhitongjian|Zizhi tongjian]]''. AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.A. ISBN 978-1-4490-0604-4.

{{coord missing|Kazakhstan}}

[[Category:36&nbsp;BC]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Han dynasty|Zhizhi 36&nbsp;BC]]
[[Category:Battles of the Xiongnu|Zhizhi]]
[[Category:1st century BC in China]]
[[Category:History of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:30s BC conflicts|Zhizhi]]