Battle of Mobei

Battle of Mobei
Part of the Han–Xiongnu War
DateJanuary – June, 119 BC
Location
Orkhon Valley, modern-day Mongolia
Result Han victory
Belligerents
Xiongnu Han dynasty
Commanders and leaders
Yizhixie Chanyu
Worthy Prince of the East
Zhao Xin		 Wei Qing
Huo Qubing
Cao Xiang (曹襄)
Li Guang †
Gongsun He (公孫賀)
Lu Bode
Strength

300,000[1]

of cavalries and troops		 20,000 troops[1]
Casualties and losses
entire army[2] less than 7,000[1] troops 80% of their horses on these expeditions[1]

The Battle of Mobei (simplified Chinese: 漠北之战; traditional Chinese: 漠北之戰; pinyin: Mòběi zhī Zhàn) was a military campaign fought mainly in modern-day Mongolia, in the extreme cold and barren lands of the Gobi Desert. It was part of a major strategic offensive launched by the Han dynasty in the winter of January 119 BC, into the heartland of the nomadic Xiongnu. The campaign was a success for the Han, whose forces led by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing reached as far north as Lake Baikal.[3][4][5][6]

  1. ^ a b c d De Li Shi. The Military History in Qin and Han Dynasty. p. 84.
  2. ^ Shi, Li. "The Military History in Qin and Han Dynasty".
  3. ^ Book of Han, vols. 06, 55, 94, parts 1.
  4. ^ Zizhi Tongjian, vol. 19
  5. ^ Lin Gan, "Mobei Zhi Zhan" ("The Battle of Mobei")[permanent dead link].
  6. ^ Grousset, Rene (1970). The Empire of the Steppes. Rutgers University Press. pp. 35. ISBN 0-8135-1304-9.