Nanjun, located in the northwest of Shashi City, Hubei Province, has been an important border county of the Han Dynasty since ancient times. The terrain here is steep, with mountains and rivers, providing a natural shelter for the barbarians.
In 47 A.D., a barbarian tribe in Nanjun, the Lushan Barbarians, was dissatisfied with the rule of the Han Dynasty, so they took advantage of their geographical advantages to set up a stronghold in the deep mountains and old forests, and launched a large-scale rebellion under the leadership of Lei Qian and others. They were familiar with the terrain and were good at guerrilla warfare, which made the Han army's army encounter great difficulties in the process of conquest.
In order to quell this rebellion, Liu Xiu sent the Wuwei general Liu Shang to lead a large army to the campaign. Although the army led by Liu Shang was outnumbered, well-equipped, and well-trained, the conquest was slow in the face of difficult terrain and stubborn resistance from the barbarians, and after a long period of fighting and siege, the Eastern Han army finally defeated the rebel forces of the Lushan barbarians.
In order to prevent the Lushan Barbarians from rebelling again, Liu Xiu decided to take a more long-term approach. They migrated more than 7,000 people to the border of Jiangxia County, where they lived in a dispersed manner and were closely monitored.
Such measures are aimed at eliminating the soil and conditions for their rebellion by changing the living environment and social structure of the Lushanman. At the same time, by closely monitoring their movements, it is possible to detect and stop any possible rebellion in a timely manner.
The Wuling area, located in the area of present-day Changde, Hunan, was another important border county in the Eastern Han Dynasty. There are many barbarian tribes, among which Wulingman is the most famous. These barbarian tribes had a complicated relationship with the Han dynasty, sometimes submitting to and sometimes rebelling.
In 47 AD, the Wuling barbarian Jingfu Xiang Dancheng and others launched a rebellion. Liu Xiu sent Liu Shang to lead more than 10,000 people to crusade.
Liu Shang underestimated the enemy in the process of marching and went deep into the hinterland of the barbarians, and as a result, he fell into the ambush and trickery of Xiang Dancheng and others. In the end, the army led by Liu Shang was completely annihilated.
This defeat was undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Han Dynasty, which not only lost a large number of elite troops, but also further exacerbated the turmoil in the Wuling area.
The flames of barbarian rebellion grew brighter and brighter, posing a serious threat to the border security of the Han Dynasty. This also forced the Han Dynasty to re-examine their ruling strategy and ethnic policy.