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The Han Conquest of Nanyue (112 BCE) - The Fall of the Southern Kingdom
In 112 BCE, the Han Dynasty, under the reign of Emperor Wu (Wudi), launched a decisive military campaign against the Kingdom of Nanyue (Nan Yue), marking a pivotal moment in the expansion of Han authority into southern China and modern-day northern Vietnam.
Nanyue was a semi-independent kingdom founded in 204 BCE by Zhao Tuo, a former Qin Dynasty general, after the collapse of the Qin. Centered in modern Guangdong and Guangxi, with its capital at Panyu (near present-day Guangzhou), Nanyue was a multi-ethnic state that blended Yue (Baiyue) and Han Chinese cultures. Though nominally a vassal of the Han, it maintained significant autonomy.
By the mid-2nd century BCE, relations between Nanyue and the Han had deteriorated. Key factors included:
- Internal Strife: After King Zhao Xing (Zhao Tuo's descendant) ascended the throne, his regent, Lü Jia, opposed closer ties with the Han.
- Han Intervention: Emperor Wu sought direct control over Nanyue's lucrative trade routes and resources. When Zhao Xing and his mother, Queen Dowager Jiu (a Han Chinese), favored submission to the Han, Lü Jia staged a coup, killing them and installing Zhao Jiande as a puppet ruler.
Emperor Wu responded with overwhelming force, dispatching a large army under generals Lu Bode and Yang Pu. The campaign was swift:
- Naval and Land Assault: Han forces advanced from modern Hunan and Fujian, crushing Nanyue's defenses.
- Fall of Panyu: By 111 BCE, the capital was captured, and Lü Jia and Zhao Jiande were executed.
The fall of Nanyue demonstrated the Han Dynasty's military prowess and its strategy of eliminating autonomous border states to consolidate imperial control.
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