Han and Xiongnu: the value of compromise.

The Gaozu emperor of Han was defeated and surrounded in Baideng mountain by the Xiongnu in 200BC which marked the start of a humiliating history for China. However, the compromise has its value.

Xiongnu was a nomadic tribal confederation that expanded and became the dominant force of the mongol plain. The nomadic confederacy later dominated the modern day Xinjiang region, driven out the Yuezhi people in the modern day Gansu province, and became one of the strongest nomadic force in the world. However, there is a civilization in the South that is looking to end the Xiongnu dominance in its Northern border. Han dynasty Unified china after the collapse of the Qin dynasty in 206 BC that say large former revolt, militia, and the revival of the different countries and warlords eliminated in the Qin wars of unification. One of the warlord, the Han kingdom established by Liu Bang, later annihilated all other contender and unified China. However, the newly established Han dynasty was far from safe. The threat from the Xiongnu was posing a big threat to China, ravaged by years of civil war and muddled in poverty. Thus, Liu Bang, wanting to end the threat by annihilating the Xiongnu just like other warlords that he eliminated in his unification war. Another reason is that he fear that the Xiongnu would have connection to his regional government and that Xiongnu power would be wield as a tool for internal strife among Han elites. Thus, a massive troop commanded directly by Liu Bang marched North to invade the Xiongnu "confederation". However, the Xiongnu was far stronger than what he expected and his troops was annihilated while he was trapped in the Baideng mountain and escaped because he bribed the Xiongnu troops which left a great scar in his hears. Since then, the humiliation of the Han dynasty begins.

The Han policy of Xiongnu after the defeat at Baideng mountain could be described using three words: Marriage, Tribute, and wall. After the defeat, the Han dynasty agreed to a humiliating peach term which rules that China would need to marry princess（oftentimes it is not princess but the daughter of a noble pretending to be princess because toe government forced them to give away their child.) to the Xiongnu court. Another is tribute. The Han government agreed to pay a big amount of tribute to the Xiongnu for exchange of them halting their assault to Han territory. The tributes include clothing, food, and alcohol. Nomadic tribes like Xiongnu raid farming communities like the Northern towns of Han as a normal part of their living to obtain enough material for them to go through the harsh winter years. By paying tribute, the Han would alleviate the pressure on its border since the Xiongnu would get enough resources from the annual tribute rather than raids. The Han dynasty also built a sophisticated system of the great wall that is able to guard against any small Xiongnu raids. Although the terms are humiliating, the Han dynasty gets to breath a great chance of relief. After years of war, the damage on the economy and the national strength is a real and present threat that is able to rip the new dynasty apart. Thus, the Han dynasty desperately need resting. The decades of peace time that the Han Xiongnu peach deal has provided gives Han time to revive its economy and solve some problems that is plaguing the country. The reign of Wendi emperor and Jingdi emperor is perceived as the golden age when the economy boomed and the country is quickly gaining its wealth and strength that proofs to be crucial.

In 141 BC, a sixteen years old teenager inherited the throne as the Chinese emperor. He would later be remembered by the Chinese as one of the greatest conquers in the history of China. He is the Wudi emperor of Han. When he inherited the throne, The Han dynasty already have most of its political problems solved and has a strong performing economy and a wealthy society. Thus, this is the time when the Wudi emperor would start to revenge against all the humiliation the Han dynasty have endured for the past decades. The Han dynasty have launched countless large strikes targeting the Xiongnu reaching as far as the Khentii Mountains in modern day Mongol. These strikes severely weakened the Xiongnu power and forced the Xiongnu out of the Hexi corridor, Helan mountain, and the yellow river region.

When people look at that part of the history, we could see that sometimes, compromise is a good idea if you don't have a choice. The early Han dynasty don't have the strength to fight against the Xiongnu which forced them to agree on humiliating terms. However, the peace time these terms provided is valuable time for the Han to gain enough strength to have a comeback and this time revenge for their humiliation. If the Han dynasty just forced their weak country to fight directly with the Xiongnu confederacy that is in its strongest time, then the result would only be failure. Thus, sometimes, temporary compromise would bring long term success.