Battle of Baideng

Infobox Military Conflict


caption=
conflict=Battle of Baideng
partof=
date= 200 BC
place=Datong, Shanxi
result=Xiongnu victory
combatant1=Xiongnu
combatant2=Han Dynasty
commander1=Modu Shanyu
commander2=Emperor Gaozu
strength1=Unknown
strength2=Unknown
casualties1=
casualties2=The Battle of Baideng (白登之戰) was a military conflict between Han China and the Xiongnu in 200 BC. Han Dynasty of China invaded the territory of the Xiongnu in 200 BC attempting to subjugate them. However the Xiongnu united their forces under Modu Shanyu and surrounded the Han emperor Gaozu in Baideng. The siege was only relieved after seven days when the Han royal court, under Chen Ping's (陳平) suggestion, sent spies to bribe Modu's wife.

After the defeat at Baideng, the Han emperor abandoned a military solution to the Xiongnu threat. Instead, in 198 BC, the courtier Liu Jing (劉敬) was dispatched for negotiations. The peace settlement eventually reached between the parties included a Han princess given in marriage to the "chanyu" (called "heqin" 和親 or "harmonious kinship"); periodic tribute of silk, liquor and rice to the Xiongnu; equal status between the states; and the Great Wall as mutual border. This treaty set the pattern for relations between the Han and the Xiongnu for some sixty years.