Li Ling
Battle, defeat and defection
Battle, defeat and defection
----------------------------

In 99 BC, Emperor Wu ordered Li Guangli to lead 30,000 men for an offensive from [Jiuquan](/wiki/Jiuquan "Jiuquan") against the [Xiongnu](/wiki/Xiongnu "Xiongnu") in the [Tian Shan](/wiki/Tian_Shan "Tian Shan") region. Li Ling was assigned to provide an escort for Li Guangli's supply line. Li Ling requested Emperor Wu's permission to lead his own regiment to the east, saying that he led a personal legion of "warriors from [Jingchu](/wiki/Hubei "Hubei") and extraordinary [swordsmen](/wiki/Swordsmen "Swordsmen")", who were capable of "strangling tigers and sharpshooting". Emperor Wu initially disapproved and warned Li Ling that there was no additional cavalry available to assign to him. Li Ling then bragged that he would crush the [Chanyu](/wiki/Chanyu "Chanyu")'s main tribe with nothing more than his 5,000 infantry. Impressed by Li Ling's enthusiasm, Emperor Wu assented.

A senior general [Lu Bode](/wiki/Lu_Bode "Lu Bode") was assigned to assist Li Ling. However, Lu did not like the idea of supporting Li in such a mission, and suggested that Emperor Wu delay the mission until spring as the fighting strength of the [Xiongnu](/wiki/Xiongnu "Xiongnu") often peaked in autumn, whereafter they could attack with 5,000 men each from two columns. Emperor Wu was angry at Lu's request, believing that Li Ling had collaborated with Lu and had asked for a delay out of cowardice, and responded by ordering an immediate mobilization of Li's troops.

Li Ling's army marched north for 30 days, and sketched maps of the lands they travelled. A junior officer named Chen Bule (陳步樂) was sent back to report on the army's progress. Upon seeing Emperor Wu, Chen began boasting of the success of Li Ling and his men in fighting the enemy, which were likely false, as Li Ling's advance had been unresisted up to that point. Pleased with the good news, Emperor Wu promoted Chen as a reward.

Li Ling's troops encountered the main forces of the [Chanyu](/wiki/Chanyu "Chanyu") upon arrival at the [Altay Mountains](/wiki/Altay_Mountains "Altay Mountains"), and were quickly encircled by 30,000 cavalry between two mountains. With no supply and reinforcement (Li thought there was no need), Li ordered his troops to use the wagons as cover and prepare for battle. With a large advantage in numbers, the [Chanyu](/wiki/Chanyu "Chanyu") attacked Li Ling's forces front\-on, only to suffer heavy casualties under the Han troops' crossbow barrage and subsequent pursuit. The [Chanyu](/wiki/Chanyu "Chanyu") then summoned 80,000 reinforcement troops, inflicting significant casualties and forcing Li Ling to retreat into a valley. Li Ling then discovered that his troops were low in both morale and energy, leading him to search for and kill the many women who were hiding in the wagons and serving as [camp followers](/wiki/Camp_follower "Camp follower") for his soldiers. Li's forces then battled the Xiongnu on the following day, killing 3,000\. He then retreated southeast for the next 4 to 5 days into a large reed swamp, where his forces managed to survive a fire attack. The Chanyu [Qiedihou](/wiki/Qiedihou "Qiedihou") then sent his own son [Hulugu Chanyu](/wiki/Hulugu_Chanyu "Hulugu Chanyu") to lead the pursuit, only to suffer further casualties when Li Ling's forces took refuge in a forest and repelled the attack with their crossbows, field artillery, and melee combat resistance. At this point, the Chanyu began to suspect that Li Ling was planning to draw his forces into an ambush close to the Han border, but decided to intensify the attacks as he considered it humiliating to be unable to defeat such a small force.

Li Ling's situation worsened as the Xiongnu charged over 20 times a day, and were repelled only after suffering another 2,000 casualties. A low\-level officer from Li's army, Guan Gan (管敢), defected in retaliation to an insult from his superiors, bringing to the Chanyu news that Li's forces were cut off from supplies and running out of arrows. The Chanyu then pressed on his attacks from small mountain trails, trapping Li Ling's forces in a valley, then proceeding to shoot the Han forces from above the cliffs. Li Ling's men returned fire from the bottom, depleting 500,000 arrows in one day, and were forced to abandon their wagon transports. The 3,000 remaining soldiers were in such a dire state that axles were chopped for use as weapons, and many officers resorted to using daggers for combat. The Xiongnu forces bombarded the Han troops with boulders, killing many.

One night, Li Ling left the camp and refused any followers, claiming that he was planning to assassinate the Chanyu on his own. He returned unsuccessful, lamenting that they were solidly defeated and all going to die. His subordinates suggested the idea of a false surrender, as another Han general Zhao Ponu (趙破奴) previously had done, but Li Ling refused, "*Shut up! If I don't die in battle, I'm not a man!*" He ordered his troops to destroy their flags and bury their jewels. Every soldier was given some food and supplies, and told to wait and escape at the same time, then scatter. At midnight the breakout began, but no one remained to beat the battle drum. Li Ling and his second\-in\-command Han Yannian (), each with only a small escort, rode and fought under the pursuit of several thousand [Xiongnu](/wiki/Xiongnu "Xiongnu") cavalry. After Han was killed in combat, Li Ling cried "*I have no face to return and meet the Emperor!*", and voluntarily surrendered himself to the [Xiongnu](/wiki/Xiongnu "Xiongnu"). Out of his 5,000 men, only 400 made it out of the encirclement back to the border.

It is recorded that he used a field artillery crossbow that was capable of repeating fire and/or firing multiple bolts to fire at the [Xiongnu](/wiki/Xiongnu "Xiongnu").


What are some possible strategies that could have been used to avoid this outcome?