Han-Nanyue War

Han conquest of Nanyue
Part of the Southward expansion of the Han dynasty
Map showing the expansion of Han Dynasty in 2nd century BC
Date 111 BC Location Nanyue Result 111 BC Nanyue annexed by the Han Empire
Belligerents
Han Empire	Nanyue
Commanders and leaders
Lu Bode Yang Pu	Zhao Jiande Lü Jia

111 BC

The Han conquest of Nanyue was a military conflict between the Han Empire and the Nanyue kingdom in modern Guangdong, Guangxi, and Northern Vietnam. During the reign of Emperor Wu, the Han forces launched a punitive campaign against Nanyue and conquered it in 111 BC as part of the southward expansion of the Han Dynasty.

After the fall of the Qin dynasty, the Qin general Zhao Tuo in south China and northern Vietnam, who originally came from Zhending in northern China, established himself as the King of Nanyue, After Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu to establish the Han dynasty in China he sent Lu Jia in 196 BC on a mission to Nanyue to recognize Zhao Tuo as a regional king nominally subservient to the Han empire. Nevertheless, relations between Han and Nanyue were sometimes strained. Zhao Tuo resented Empress Lü's ban on exports of metal wares and female livestock to Nanyue. He eventually proclaimed himself an emperor in his own right. More specifically, in 183 BC, he retorted by proclaiming himself the "Martial Emperor of the South" (南武帝), which implied a status on equal footing with the Han Emperor. Two years later, Nanyue attacked the Changsha Kingdom, a constituent kingdom of the Han Empire. In 180 BC, Lu Jia led a diplomatic mission to Nanyue. During negotiations, he succeeded in convincing Zhao Tuo to give up on his title as emperor and pay homage to Han as a nominal vassal.

In 135 BC, King Zhao Mo of Nanyue appealed to the Han court for help against attacking Minyue forces. The Han court responded swiftly and this led to Zhao Mo's agreement to send his son to serve palace duties in Chang'an. Even though Nanyue neglected to pay regular homage to the Han court, the court had its attention focused on other commitments and was not set on forcing the issue. At the Nanyue court in 113 BC, the Queen Dowager of Nanyue suggested annexing Nanyue, thus formally integrating the kingdom on the same terms as the other kingdoms of the Han empire. She was Chinese herself and was married to Zhao Yingqi, who had served at Chang'an during his princehood. However, many Nanyue ministers opposed this suggestion. Lü Jia was the primary Nanyue official to oppose the idea, and he led the opposition against the Queen Dowager. In 112 BC, the opposition retaliated violently and executed the Queen Dowager, King Zhao Xing, and several Han emissaries.

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