Battle of Baideng
| Battle of Baideng | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Xiongnu campaigns in China | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Xiongnu | Han dynasty | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Modu Chanyu | Emperor Gaozu | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 400,000 (estimation) | 320,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Heavy | Less than Xiongnu | ||||||
The Battle of Baideng (白登之戰) was a military conflict between Han China and the Xiongnu in 200 BC.
In an alternate account, Grousset says that the Xiongnu invaded Chinese Shanxi and besieged Taiyuan. Gaozu broke the siege and chased the Xiongnu north, but was blockaded by them on the Baideng plateau near Datong in far northern Shanxi.
The presence of the armies is uncertain. The total strength of the Chinese army was over 300,000, but it is not known how much of the vanguard was trapped in the fort with the Emperor. Although Chinese historians write that the number of the Xiongnu army was 400,000.