§-Quick questions
NSWAncient HistorySection IV (Historical Periods): Imperial China - the Qin and Han 247-87 BC
Quick questions on Han foreign relations and the Silk Road under Emperor Wu: HSC Ancient History
1short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is emperor Wu's shift from appeasement to offensive war?Show answer
Emperor Wu (r. 141 - 87 BC) reversed decades of appeasement. In 133 BC, Han tried to lure the Chanyu into an ambush near the border town of Mayi; the plot was discovered and the Chanyu withdrew, but the episode ended heqin in all but name and opened three decades of open warfare. Wu could afford this where his predecessors could not, because the frugal reigns of Wen and Jing had left the treasury full and the state horse-herds large.
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