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| Battle of Mayi | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Han–Xiongnu War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Xiongnu | Han dynasty | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Junchen Chanyu |
Emperor Wu of Han Wang Hui Han Anguo Li Xi Li Guang Gongsun He | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 100,000 cavalry | 270,000 Han infantry at Mayi, 30,000 Han infantry at Dai Prefecture | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | None, other than the capture of a low-profile outpost sentry | ||||||
The Battle of Mayi (Chinese: 馬邑之戰), also known as the Scheme of Mayi (馬邑之謀) or the Encirclement at Mayi (馬邑之圍), was an abortive ambush operation by the Han dynasty against the invading Xiongnu forces led by Junchen Chanyu, with minimal casualties from both sides. Although no fighting actually took place, it marked the end of de jure peace between the Han dynasty and Xiongnu, and led to the beginning of the subsequent Han-Xiongnu War. The failure of the operation also motivated the Han court to develop effective cavalry forces and the use of offensive expeditionary military policies.