The Han-Xiongnu War (133 BC ? AD 89) pitted the Han dynasty of China against a confederation of nomadic steppe peoples, the Xiongnu Empire. In campaigns waged on a huge scale by the standards of contemporary Western warfare (perhaps half a million soldiers were fielded at the Battle of Mobei in 119 BC), the two states fought for control of Central Asia, hungry for its rich resources and Western trade links. China's victory set the stage for millennia of imperial rule and a vast sphere of influence in Asia. Scott Forbes Crawford examines the war in a lively, engaging narrative. He builds a mosaic encompassing the centuries of conflict through biographies of fifteen historical figures: the Chinese and Xiongnu emperors who first led their armies into battle; 'peace bride' Princess Jieyou, whose marriage to a steppe king forged a vital Chinese alliance; the explorer-diplomat Zhang Qian, who almost-inadvertently established the Silk Road, among other key individuals. Their stories capture the war's breadth, the enduring impact on Han society and statecraft in what became a Chinese golden age, and the doomed resistance of the Xiongnu to an ever-strengthening juggernaut. AUTHOR: Fascinated by China's past since first studying Mandarin at a Chinese university, Scott Forbes Crawford has written extensively about Chinese and Asian history. His work, appearing in Ancient History Magazine, Medieval Warfare Magazine, The History Network podcast and elsewhere, has explored China's military developments, the culture of its nomadic steppe neighbours, and the conflicts borne at the intersection of these areas. Also a novelist, Crawford brings narrative drive and an eye for character to the telling of history, making the ancient past vivid to modern readers. He has lived for more than a dozen years in Beijing and Taipei and will soon move to Japan with his wife and daughter. 20 b/w illustrations
