Battle of Mobei

Part of the Han–Xiongnu War

Date	January – June, 119 BC
Location	Orkhon Valley, Mongolia
Result	Decisive Han victory

Belligerents

Xiongnu

Han Dynasty

Commanders and leaders

Yizhixie Chanyu
Worthy Prince of the East
Zhao Xin

Wei Qing
Huo Qubing

Strength

Entire available troop
80,000+ Cavalry
100,000+ infantry

100,000 cavalry
200,000 infantry
140,000 horses

Casualties and losses

c. 90,000 men dead
c. 87 aristocrats captured

c. 20,000 cavalrymen dead
c. 110,000 horses lost

The Battle of Mobei (simplified Chinese: 漠北之战; traditional Chinese: 漠北之戰; pinyin: Mòbĕi zhī Zhàn; literally: "Battle of the Northern Desert") was a military campaign fought in the northern part of the Gobi Desert. It was part of a major strategic offensive launched by the Han Dynasty in January, 119 BC, into the heartland of the nomadic Xiongnu. The battle was a success for the Han, whose forces were led by Wei Qing and Huo Qubing.

Military tension had for a long time existed between ancient China and the northern barbarians, mainly because the fertile lands of the prosperous agricultural civilization presented attractive targets for the militaristic nomadic tribes. Throughout ancient Chinese history, protecting the northern borders from nomadic raids had been a military priority. During the Zhou Dynasty, northern vassal states such as Yan, Zhao and Qin resorted to defensive strategies, constructing elongated fortresses that served as the precursors of the Great Wall of China. During the Qin Dynasty, the first emperor Qin Shi Huang conscripted thousands of civilian labourers to perfect the Great Wall in order to reinforce military campaigns along the northern border.

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