Cheniu

Cheniu (simplified Chinese: 车纽; traditional Chinese: 車紐; pinyin: Chēniǔ; Eastern Han Chinese: *tśʰa-ṇu^B[1] ) was chieftain of the Goulong clan and chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu from 142 to 143 AD.^[2]

In 140 AD, Xiongnu chiefs, Cheniu, Wusi, and Yiti rebelled. They led 8,000 men in raids across the northern Ordos region and attacked the Southern Xiongnu capital of Meiji. Han General Ma Xu repelled them with 20,000 men.^[3]

In 142 AD, the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu Xiuli committed suicide. Cheniu claimed the title of chanyu and his followers, now in the tens of thousands, attacked across the northern frontier into Han territory. However, Han forces under Zhang Dan retaliated in force and handed out several defeats on the rebel Xiongnu. By 143 AD, Cheniu had surrendered and Wusi was killed.^[4] The title of chanyu went to the hostage prince, Doulouchu, held captive at the Han court.^[5]

• Barfield, Thomas (1989), The Perilous Frontier: Nomadic Empires and China, Basil Blackwell
• Bichurin N.Ya., "Collection of information on peoples in Central Asia in ancient times", vol. 1, Sankt Petersburg, 1851, reprint Moscow-Leningrad, 1950
• Chang, Chun-shu (2007), The Rise of the Chinese Empire 1, The University of Michigan Press
• Cosmo, Nicola Di (2002), Ancient China and Its Enemies, Cambridge University Press
• Cosmo, Nicola di (2009), Military Culture in Imperial China, Harvard University Press
• Crespigny, Rafe de (2007), A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms, Brill
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