ABSTRACT
The Punishment of Chih-chih - 3 6 B C
In 36bc a comparatively junior official named Ch‘en Tang executed a bold stroke of action such as had rarely been seen in Chinese military history. He was serving on the north-west frontier in a military capacity; and leading a force of men drawn mostly from the communities of central Asia, together with some Chinese farm settlers, he marched deep into the far west and laid siege to the headquarters of Chih-chih. Chih-chih was one of the two principal leaders of the Hsiung-nu, and whereas his rival had succeeded in gaining acceptance at the court of Ch‘ang-an, Chih-chih’s overtures had been rejected; as a result he had turned for sympathy, refuge and support to Sogdiana (Kcang-chii). In these remote regions he established his headquarters, and he forged a matrimonial alliance with the king, whose ambitions of winning suzerainty over the states of central Asia found a ready sympathy in Chih-chih’s bitterness against the Han court. From this position of strength, and thanks to the long distance which separated him from the seat of Chinese government, Chih-chih was able to interfere with Han activities, to the point of capturing or killing Han envoys by the hundred;1 and the extent of his activities became known,
above all, to officers such as Ch‘en Tang, who were serving in the north-west. After a siege and fight which was sufficiently bold to stir the imagination of contemporary artists, Ch‘en Tang succeeded in defeating his enemy; and in the course of the battle Chih-chih was slain.
