Touman
Touman (), from Old Chinese (220 B.C.E.): *do-mɑnᴬ, is the earliest named leader (chanyu) of the Xiongnu, reigning from . Life Competing with the Xiongnu for supremacy were the Dōnghú (東胡) or 'Eastern Barbarians' and the Yuezhi. In 215 BCE, Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of China, sent a 300,000-strong army headed by General Meng Tian into the Ordos region and drove the Xiongnu northward for 1,000 li (about 416 km). "Touman, unable to hold out against the Qin forces, had withdrawn to the far north, where he held out for over ten years." After the death of the Chinese general Meng Tian in 210 BCE, Touman led the Xiongnu people to cross the Yellow River back to regain their previous territory. The legend says, that Touman favored a younger son from another concubine. To get rid of his eldest son, Modu (冒頓), Touman sent him to the Yuezhi as a hostage, and then made a sudden attack on them. In retaliation the Yuezhi prepared to kill Modu, but he managed to steal a horse and escape back to the Xiongnu. Touman was impressed of his bravery and put Modu in command of a force of 10,000 horsemen. Modu