Siege of Baideng
200 BCE · Mount Baideng, Pingcheng (northeast of modern Datong, Shanxi) · China · Ancient
Advancing rashly, Liu Bang was surrounded on Baideng Mountain for seven days and escaped thanks to a plan devised by Chen Ping
Belligerents
Xiongnu
- Commanders
- Modu Chanyu
- Strength
- Xiongnu cavalry, said to be 400,000
Han
- Commanders
- Liu Bang, Chen Ping
- Strength
- Han vanguard of tens of thousands (main force not yet arrived)
Background
Han Wang Xin rebelled against Han and colluded with the Xiongnu, and Liu Bang led a campaign in person. Trusting an enemy that feigned weakness, he advanced rashly and was lured into an encirclement at Baideng by Modu's main force.
Course of the battle
- Light troops push ahead rashlyLiu Bang leads the light vanguard to Baideng at Pingcheng
- Xiongnu encirclementModu's 400,000 horsemen surrounded the Han army on all sides for seven days
- Chen Ping lifts the siegeChen Ping secretly bribed the chanyu's consort, the yanzhi, and the Han army was able to break out of the encirclement
Outcome at a glance
| Date | 200 BCE |
|---|---|
| Place | Baideng Mountain, Pingcheng (northeast of present-day Datong, Shanxi) |
| Result | Advancing rashly, Liu Bang was surrounded on Baideng Mountain for seven days and escaped thanks to a plan devised by Chen Ping |
| Winner | Xiongnu |
| Casualties | Trapped and short of food, the Han army was not wiped out but was in a desperate plight |
| Territorial change | In the early Han, policy toward the Xiongnu shifted from offense to defense, inaugurating the heqin marriage-alliance policy |
Impact
The starting point of the strategic relationship between Han and the Xiongnu, it gave rise to the heqin marriage-alliance policy of the early Han, which lasted for decades.
See the world in 200 BCE on the map →